MTV News |
- Exclusive: Eminem To Perform At The Grammys
- Is Britney Spears Still An Underdog?
- Seth Rogen Calls Online 'Green Hornet' Hate 'Frustrating'
- Diggy Simmons Says He's 'A Breath Of Fresh Air' For Hip-Hop
- Britney Spears' Pop Rivalries, From Christina Aguilera To Lady Gaga
- Swizz Beatz Says Jay-Z And Kanye West's 'H.A.M.' Is 'Super Positive'
- Justin Bieber, Zac Efron To Present At Golden Globes
- 'I Used To Be Fat' Trainer Discusses New Episode's 'Struggle'
- Hayley Williams Posts Demo Of New Song, 'In The Mourning'
- Eminem Signs Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf To Shady Records
- Patton Oswalt: Response To Geek Column Has 'Proven The Point'
- Wyclef Jean's Sister Melky Raises Funds, Awareness For Haiti With New Album
- 'American Idol' TCA Panel: Our Top Five Season 10 Discoveries
- 'Glee,' Nicki Minaj, Justin Timberlake Score NAACP Image Nominations
- Beyonce Working With Kanye West Producer S1
- Lo Bosworth Gets Book Advice From Lauren Conrad For 'The Lo-Down'
- Haiti Has Seen Some Progress Since Earthquake, Relief Workers Say
- Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' Likely Safe From Copyright Case
- Taylor Swift Tops <I>Billboard</I> Again In Slow Sales Week
- 'Glee' Stars Stayed Up All Night For 'Thriller' Cover
| Exclusive: Eminem To Perform At The Grammys Posted: 12 Jan 2011 08:14 AM PST Other performers for February 13 show will be announced Thursday.
Consider Eminem's comeback complete. The superstar MC will take the stage at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards next month in Los Angeles, MTV News has learned exclusively. The Recording Academy will officially announce Em and other performers on Thursday; Pitchfork reported Wednesday (January 12) that Arcade Fire will also be performing at the awards show.
The performance is the latest in a line of accomplishments for Eminem since he released Recovery, which is up for Album of the Year. The Detroit lyricist scored a pair of #1 singles from the album with "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie," featuring Rihanna. Those songs helped Em earn 10 Grammy nominations. It's quite a turnaround from his last project, Relapse. That album debuted at #1 but received mixed reviews, despite winning Best Rap Album at the 2009 Grammys. With Recovery, however, Em has returned to form. Now, he's set to take center stage at the prestigious event. Twelve months ago, he joined Drake for the then-upstart's "Forever" performance. But for this year's telecast, the multiple Grammy winner will take top billing. He's already been featured in the show's promotional campaign. A touching 30-second spot showcases Em's musical legacy, from the loss of his friend, fellow MC Proof, to his struggles through drug dependency and his rise back to the top of the hip-hop game. There's no question the veteran MC will be the star of the festivities. In December, when nominations were revealed, the rapper led the pack, besting Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, who received seven and six nominations, respectively. The Grammys air Sunday, February 13, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. What song are you hoping Eminem performs at the Grammys? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Is Britney Spears Still An Underdog? Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:52 AM PST As 'Hold It Against Me' tops charts, is this the year she drops the label?
Despite selling out stadiums and having her singles, including her newest one, "Hold It Against Me," shoot to the top of the charts, Britney Spears always seems to have an air of underdog about her. After rising to the top of the pop ranks, Spears suffered some personal setbacks that she can't seem to shake even in the wake of professional triumph.
So, is 2011 the year Spears finally loses the stigma? MTV News asked a few experts to weigh in. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton compared the Britney of today to the Britney of her pop heyday in the early part of the millennium. "I think Britney is still an underdog in comparison to her former self," he said. The last big sit-down interview Spears did was in 2008 for her documentary "For the Record." And aside from smaller magazine write-ups, Spears has managed to stay out of the usual rounds of doing press, an aspect of her public persona that may contribute to the idea that she is an underdog. "Britney's been an underdog for, like, four years. There's gonna come a point where we're gonna have to stop considering her an underdog," MTV News' Jim Cantiello said. "I still think people do. She's recluse for all intents and purposes. I mean, she doesn't do any press, so I think as long as that mystery surrounds her, people will think of her as an underdog." But, Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt notes that being somewhat of a recluse does not make Spears a pop underdog. "I don't know if she'll ever be an underdog on the pop charts," Greenblatt said. "No matter what goes on with her personally ... if she brings them something and it's good enough, people take it and put it at the top of the Billboard chart." Do you consider Britney Spears an underdog? Sound off in the comments below! Related Videos Related Photos |
| Seth Rogen Calls Online 'Green Hornet' Hate 'Frustrating' Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:52 AM PST 'People are saying how bad it is without having seen anything,' he tells MTV News.
Seth Rogen knew there was nowhere to hide. When he and writing partner Evan Goldberg took on the task of reinventing "Green Hornet" in a post-"Dark Knight" world, there was bound to be mud slung in their direction. Perhaps, though, he didn't think there'd be so much of it.
As Rogen himself put it earlier this year, the production faced "every possible obstacle ... to the point that it really just got ridiculous," including major recastings and the departure of director Stephen Chow ("Kung Fu Hustle") during pre-production. Then, once filming was complete, Sony decided to convert the film into 3-D, then pushed the release from audience-friendly dates in summer and December to the perceived cinematic wasteland of January. As every snag became public, websites and fans seemed to turn against the project. "Green Hornet," the Internet decided, was nothing but squandered potential, a train wreck, something to avoid at all costs. And then a funny thing happened: People started to see the film, and they liked it. A lot. All the while, Rogen and Goldberg sat back and watched the scrum. They had a feeling things would turn around. "It's something that Evan would constantly have to remind me of throughout the process, in that this is kind of exactly what we thought would happen," Rogen told MTV News recently. "From the second we thought of doing a movie like this, I remember talking about it like, 'Everyone's going to think it's going to be insane and terrible and we'll just have to keep our heads down and make it, and then it'll come out and then people will slowly see that we weren't nuts and that it was actually a good idea.' " That's not to say all the Web-based hate didn't get to him. There were times, it seems, that Rogen had to restrain himself from chucking his laptop out the window, or at least from staying offline for a while. "As you get wrapped up in it, as there's two years of time where people are saying how bad it is, without having seen anything, it does get frustrating and, ultimately, just disappointing, more than anything. You look at these outlets that, as a comic book nerd, I kind of respected at times and thought were interesting voices just say things that are insane and completely uninformed and uneducated and based on no reality whatsoever, and it's kind of like, 'Oh, that's disappointing. I thought these guys were cool.' But they're not. They're just like everybody else." Now, however, with the film hitting theaters Friday and praise coming from all corners for its entertaining balance between high-octane action and the sort of laughs familiar from Rogen's earlier comedies, the guy is feeling good. Not that he's one to brag. "It is nice that people actually have to base their assumptions on the movie now and not just what they think the movie is going to be like," he laughed. Check out everything we've got on "The Green Hornet." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Related Videos |
| Diggy Simmons Says He's 'A Breath Of Fresh Air' For Hip-Hop Posted: 12 Jan 2011 08:57 AM PST Upstart MC is ready to make a mark with his debut album, and that's why he's one of MTV News' 11 for '11.
Diggy Simmons wants to make one thing clear: Hip-hop is not just a hobby for the "Run's House" star.
"This is what I do," he told MTV News. "I get in interviews: 'Is this a hobby?' I almost feel like stopping the interview, you know what I'm saying? I don't get why they think just 'cause I did the show I can't do this. [TV] wasn't my profession. It was something that we were approached with and we did. The reality show, for me, obviously, wasn't anything that I really wanted to do with my career. So I don't get why people are like, 'Oh, now he's doing this?' It's not 'now'; this is the beginning of me going toward something I really want to do." The teen MC — another one of our 11 for '11 stars to watch — got his buzz started last year when he put out a viral video of him paying homage to his famous father, Rev Run of Run-DMC fame, when Diggy rocked over Nas' "Made You Look." "The flow I cater, it's something major/ An indicator of what happens later," he spits. "It's greater than you've anticipated/ Some people love it, the way I does it/ That's why n---as buzzing/ 'Cause they calling me sick, something like Robitussin/ I hear you coughing, I treat you often with freestyle/ And as I'm walking the people talking, they see now/ And I don't rap for my age like Lil' Bow Wow/ The son of a king, so why would I ever bow down?" In 2010, he put out a pair of mixtapes, Airborne and Past, Present(s), Future with DJ Premier, and also earned a nod as one of MTV News' Hottest Breakthrough MC candidates to cement his transition to full-fledged rapper. Now, the 15-year-old is working on his debut album for Atlantic Records, home to heavyweights like T.I., B.o.B and Hottest Breakthrough winner Wiz Khalifa. Diggy is hoping to turn the tables on his reputation as a reality-TV talent to bona fide hip-hop heavyweight. "Me just writing and the expression of different things that I go through," Diggy said, describing his forthcoming collection. "People are like, 'Man, what is he even gonna write about?' But if you listen to the mixtape or listen to the tracks, there's a lot of different topics and things that I touch on. And a lot of people are like, 'Oh, I can relate to this at any age.' It's like a breath of fresh air. So I'm really thankful for all the support that I been receiving over the past year or couple months." Check out MTV News' 11 for '11 — actors, musicians and TV stars who are about to have a huge year — all week long. Related Videos |
| Britney Spears' Pop Rivalries, From Christina Aguilera To Lady Gaga Posted: 12 Jan 2011 01:42 AM PST 'She's sort of left a lot of these girls in the dust,' one Spears expert tells MTV News.
For more than a decade, Britney Spears has been pitted against some of her pop peers, including Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera and, most recently, Lady Gaga. She's publicly buried the hatchet with Madonna and Aguilera — sharing a three-way kiss with the pair at the 2003 VMAs — and never really paid much attention to the hype of other so-called rivalries.
"Since the beginning of her career, she's always been pitted against whatever big pop person there is," MTV News' Jim Cantiello explained. "I feel like artists have had rivalries with Britney and she hasn't really had rivalries with them," Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt added. "She's sort of left a lot of these girls in the dust." While Brit has managed to stay on top all these years, a new pop princess might give her a run for her money. "I think Gaga's already been talking about what she is gonna do. She has said that her album is going to be more than just dance songs, and I'm guessing that Britney might be making a different type of album, which is great, because in that sense, Brit and Gaga don't have to compete," Perez Hilton said of any potential new rivalry. "They're each doing their own very distinct thing." Greenblatt agreed: "It just seems like they're operating on different wavelengths right now. I mean, Britney's proven herself over such a longer period of time than Gaga has. I don't think that Gaga can just wipe her off the pop royalty board." At the end of the day, it's not at all about competition, Cantiello explained. "Britney's going in the super dance route and Gaga's doing a super personal album," he said. "It comes a point where we've got to stop comparing the two." Plus, it's hard for these two to really ever compete with one another, since Gaga has admitted to waving the Britney flag. "I was 13 when Britney became a star," she said in 2009. "I was amazed by the level of the superfan that Britney created. I want to bring back the feeling that I used to feel." Who has been Britney's worthiest adversary? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related Videos Related Artists |
| Swizz Beatz Says Jay-Z And Kanye West's 'H.A.M.' Is 'Super Positive' Posted: 12 Jan 2011 06:41 AM PST 'I think that if more of the industry did moves like this it would be a better place for everybody,' producer tells MTV News.
When Kanye West and Jay-Z dished out "H.A.M.," the first official single from their forthcoming joint album Watch the Throne, it was a colossal hip-hop moment. Two of rap's reigning mic-rippers tag-teaming on a track heaping with bravado-laden lyricism over producer Lex Luger's incessant, piercing drums is a major way to start the hip-hop conversation in 2011. Swizz Beatz, who's crafted multiple records with both MCs, told MTV News on Wednesday (January 12) that Yeezy and Hov's collaborative effort could be taken as a blueprint for how to push the hip-hop game further.
"I think that those being both of my friends, and knowing that people can team up on such a high caliber level — as musicians, as rappers, as friends, as peers — I think it's super positive, and I think that if more of the industry did moves like this it would be a better place for everybody," Swizz said. The Monster Mondays songsmith has been in the lab with the hip-hop titans as they craft Throne, and added that the tracks that are in the works definitely have game-changing potential. "I'm involved a little bit on the album, and just hearing the different songs it's like 'Wow, they're really taking it to another level.' I'm happy to be a part of it, those are my brothers and [they're] going to continue pushing the envelope," he said. Swizz also insisted Jay and 'Ye are "definitely coming with the monsters," and that "H.A.M." will be followed up by tracks that are "just gonna keep getting better." However, the prolific producer mused that the two MCs don't have a specific agenda for Throne's chart performance — since they've both got boatloads of accolades, fame and radio hits to their names — but are rather hitting the studio to create the tracks they feel like making. "I think they're just doing them. I don't think artists nowadays are paying attention to any like, particular formats. Because the industry is not what it used to be — you can't predict a Top 40 record or a #1 Urban record. You just gotta just do what you feel is hot. It's just like you feel like you don't want to rap no more [or] you wanna keep going past the hook, just keep going past the hook. That makes it real hip-hop." he said. "People don't understand that hip-hop got started from being rebellious to any rules. Hip-hop has no rules, and the only reason hip-hop started getting rules [was] because of radio airplay, sales, different spins and trying to reach out to another audience. But Jay and Kanye got the audience already so they can do what they want to do, and I think that's what they doing, which is a great move." Like his homies, Swizz is also making some high-profile joint moves, collaborating with Reebok and luxury car maker Aston Martin. The producer/rapper has also been tinkering on his next solo effort, titled Haute Living, which he said will be a creative departure from his previous work. "I think people are not gonna expect what they're gonna hear on my album. I'm very hard on myself with the album because it's like putting on another hat and it's opening up the door for a lot of criticism," he said of heading back to the mic for the follow-up to 2007's One Man Band Man. Ultimately, he shrugged off any possible Haute hate, and maintained that, like Jay and Kanye, he's in it to make music and have a good time. "Doing this album I said, 'Look, I'm not trying to be the best rapper in the world, I'm not trying to do none of that. I'm just trying to have fun and treat it as [an] art project where I'm expressing myself.' " While he may be prioritizing creativity over commercial viability, Swizz hasn't been slacking on securing a diverse lineup of A-list features that includes a rock star, a Rebirth rapper and R&B royalty. "I have amazing collaborations on the album from Lenny Kravitz, Wayne, my sister Mary [J. Blige], Maxwell is on the album," he said. "I don't want to give it all away but I'm trying to come with something ... that's just gonna like blow people's minds away. They gonna be like, 'Wow.' " Do you agree with Swizz's thoughts about Jay and Kanye's "H.A.M." record? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Justin Bieber, Zac Efron To Present At Golden Globes Posted: 12 Jan 2011 03:29 AM PST Olivia Wilde will also be a presenter at the awards show this Sunday.
The 68th annual Golden Globes just got a whole lot more teen-girl-friendly. Pop megastar Justin Bieber and screen idol Zac Efron have been announced as presenters at the trophy-fest, which goes down this Sunday. Actress Olivia Wilde will also hand out hardware at the festivities. The newly announced trio join famous faces like "Spider-Man" star Andrew Garfield, "The Office" comic Steve Carell, flame-haired actress Julianne Moore, previous Globe winner Michelle Pfeiffer and "Mad Men" siren January Jones, who will also present awards at the big show. Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Bullock, Robert Pattison, Jennifer Lopez, Helen Mirren and Kevin Spacey will also be on hand to beef up the star power of the presenters list. "True Grit" star Matt Damon has been confirmed to present screen veteran Robert De Niro with the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime-achievement award. Among the flicks in the running for a Globes statuette this year is the drama "The King's Speech," which is up for seven nods, including Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for Colin Firth's portrayal of Britain's King George VI just after he assumed the throne. "The Kids Are All Right," "The Fighter," "Black Swan" and "The Social Network" also racked up Globes love. Fox's song-and-dance smash "Glee" leads the television pack with five nominations, including Best Television Series - Comedy Or Musical and actor nods for Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch. Perennial TV winners "30 Rock" and "Mad Men" are also up for trophies. Viewers can see who takes home the Globes when the event — hosted by "The Office" creator and U.K. comedian Ricky Gervais — is broadcast live Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Photos Related Artists |
| 'I Used To Be Fat' Trainer Discusses New Episode's 'Struggle' Posted: 12 Jan 2011 07:00 AM PST Dominick 'used to be active, but after a while, things fell apart,' Saran Dunn Moore tells MTV News of Wednesday night's show.
On Wednesday night's (January 12) episode of "I Used to Be Fat," we met 18-year-old Dominick on the day of his high school graduation. He is part of a big Italian family that loves food and lots of it, which was one of two big obstacles for him to overcome on the show. MTV News caught up with enthusiastic trainer Saran Dunn Moore to get the scoop on Dominick's journey.
"Part of his struggle, part of his story, he comes from a large Italian family," Moore told us. "They make spreads of pasta and lots of unhealthy foods, so the biggest challenge for him was to learn how to make healthier choices and teach the family how to cook healthier," she explained, adding that Dominick is now learning firsthand about healthy cooking. "He's going to school to be a chef, and he is phenomenal. His food is so good." The other challenge in Dominick's transformation involved exercise. In pushing the scale at a weight of more than 300 pounds, Moore said she had to get him moving. "Dominick was a kid who was inactive, didn't do much. He sat around all day," she said. "He used to play tennis, he used to be active, but after a while, things fell apart. He didn't have that push to say, 'Get up off the couch.' It was accepted [by Dominick and his family]: 'This is what Dominick does. He doesn't move.' It was like, 'Oh well.' " Moore said her job was to get in there and change that attitude: "No, that's not OK. I'm coming in and I'm changing your life." Don't miss "I Used to Be Fat" on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on MTV. |
| Hayley Williams Posts Demo Of New Song, 'In The Mourning' Posted: 12 Jan 2011 08:39 AM PST 'I don't want people thinking it's a new Paramore song. This is just something I wrote for fun,' the singer says in a blog post.
Last week, during Paramore's "Last Word" interview with MTV News, Hayley Williams promised fans that the band would "definitely" be releasing new music in 2011 ... and, it looks like she meant it. Well, sort of.
On Tuesday, Williams took to her blog to post the chorus of a song called "In the Mourning," a winsome, windswept thing that, while new — and actually pretty great — probably won't be showing up on a Paramore album anytime soon. "A few weeks ago I posted some new lyrics up on Tumblr. Wanted to share the melody with anyone who's asked me to post it," Williams wrote on her blog. "This is just the chorus ... I didn't want to post the full thing yet because I don't want people thinking it's a new Paramore song. This is just something I wrote for fun. Hope you likes!" Williams did post the lyrics to "In the Mourning" a few weeks prior, and at the time, fans were speculating that they might be related to one of the new demos guitarist Taylor York had written for the group. Now, it doesn't sound like that's the case, although Williams and Paramore's other remaining members — York and bassist Jeremy Davis — are apparently still writing and demoing new material. Late last month, just days after it was announced that founding Paramore members Josh and Zac Farro would be leaving the band, Zac posted a demo by his new project, Tunnel. In February, Paramore will launch a South American tour — their first since the Farro brothers' departure — with York's brother Justin filling in on guitar and veteran stickman Josh Freese on drums. What do you think of Hayley's new demo? Share your opinion in the comments. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Eminem Signs Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf To Shady Records Posted: 12 Jan 2011 01:37 AM PST Cashis and D-12 remain on the roster as Shady enters 'new generation.'
Eminem is back in more ways than one. The Detroit lyricist is reviving his Shady Records company, and Wednesday (January 12) he announced the signing of two new acts: underground supergroup Slaughterhouse and upstart rapper Yelawolf. Cashis and D-12 remain on the roster, but Em made no secret of wanting to bring new life to his company. "Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse, it's kinda phase two of Shady," Eminem explained in a statement. "It's the new generation of Shady Records, and as we're trying to rebuild our label, it's exciting for hip-hop, and with all of these forces coming together and with what everybody's capable of on the mic, it's gonna be fun." The four-man Slaughterhouse collective — Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Royce Da 5'9" — was in talks with Shady Records for longer than a year working on the deal. "I been answering that question for a year and change, ever since that Drake 'Forever' music video," Budden told MTV News during an appearance on "RapFix Live," citing a scene where the group stands behind Em during his verse. "It's like, Eminem is a whole nother entity. The guy is nominated for 10 Grammys." Southern rhyme slinger Yelawolf is backed by music industry veteran Kawan "KP" Prather, who inked an upstart T.I. to his first deal and helped Usher on the superstar's Confessions album. "Considering where I'm from and the sh-- I've been through, it's hard to put into words what partnering with Shady means to me, my team at Ghet-O-Vision and my state of Alabama," Yela said in prepared remarks. "I can tell you that when you're willing to give your life up to see a dream through, the reward is great," he continued. "And now that I've become an apprentice to one of the greatest artists in the world, my potential reaches beyond anything I ever imagined. Let's kill this sh--." Both acts are expected to deliver projects in the coming months. What other artists would you like to see on Shady Records? Share your ideas in the comments below! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Patton Oswalt: Response To Geek Column Has 'Proven The Point' Posted: 12 Jan 2011 04:31 AM PST 'Zombie Spaceship Wasteland' author talks to MTV News about reaction to his controversial Wired article.
Late last year, Patton Oswalt created quite a stir in the online world when he wrote a column for Wired calling for the annihilation of the nerd world as we know it. Just a few weeks and no small amount of controversy later, the actor/comedian says he feels vindicated by the discussion the column generated.
Titled "Wake Up, Geek Culture. Time to Die," the column was published just days before the release of Oswalt's "Zombie Spaceship Wasteland," a collection of essays that collectively form the newly minted author's memoir. In the Wired piece, Oswalt lamented the mainstreaming and growing accessibility of all of the things that once defined "nerd culture." With all manner of geekery now providing the fuel for popular culture, he pushed for readers to accelerate the burn, eventually forcing society to find new obsessions and exotica once everything else has been cataloged, ranked and quoted into oblivion. "In order to save pop culture future, we've got to make the present pop culture suck, at least for a little while," he wrote. Not surprisingly, the column prompted no small amount of online debate, and when Oswalt dropped by MTV News to discuss his new book, he offered up some thoughts on the intense back-and-forth his missive created. "I feel like I said what I wanted to say but, if I might add, the fact that the Internet blew up the way it did might have partially proven the point that I had in the essay," he told us. Along with calling for a pop-culture apocalypse, the actor also coined a brand-new term: Etewaf. It stands for "Everything That Ever Was — Available Forever," and according to Oswalt, making everything we loved about the past available will do no more harm than good, and reduce the desire for more of the nostalgia-filled elements of our youth that made today's "Star Wars" muscle shirts and tributes to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" on "Glee" cool in the first place. Of course, whether he's correct is the stuff of continued debate both on the Net and offline — and that's the just the way he wants it. "I don't want to get too deep into it, I'd rather have people try to interpret it," he continued. "Some of the arguments against it have been really eloquent and brilliant, so I'm just glad that it inspired people way smarter than me to write stuff." What's your take on Oswalt's Etewaf theory? Tell us in the comments! |
| Wyclef Jean's Sister Melky Raises Funds, Awareness For Haiti With New Album Posted: 12 Jan 2011 04:45 AM PST 'People always say, 'I'm going to start with the man in the mirror,' but I want us to hold hands and look in the mirror together,' she tells RapFix.
Last year, the world rallied around Haiti after a devastating earthquake upended the tiny country. This year, to mark the one-year anniversary, celebrities have continued to bring awareness to the aftermath, from George Clooney's pleas for support to Sean Penn relocating to Haiti as a resident.
Included in that group are Wyclef Jean and his sister, Melky. The latter star is set to release her next project, Care for Haiti, an album she's been working on since 2007 that has grown in importance since the earthquake. All of the proceeds from the album are slated to go to Care, a charitable organization that's helped the country for more than 50 years. Melky Jean managed to pull in some big names for the project and hopes their fame will help bring further help to Haiti, which is still struggling to recover from the natural disaster. "Back in 2007, not many people knew what was going on in Haiti, but I was able to get some really awesome artists at the time like KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Patti LaBelle, Sean Paul, of course Wyclef, Natasha Bedingfield and Angélique Kidjo to really be part of this amazing project," she told our RapFix blog. The first single from Care for Haiti, "Better," is a slow, melodic number aimed at restoring the spirit of the country. (An exclusive look at the video for "Better" is available on RapFix.) "I wrote the song to make everyone feel like they had the power to inspire others," she said. "People always say, 'I'm going to start with the man in the mirror,' but I want us to hold hands and look in the mirror together." Related Artists |
| 'American Idol' TCA Panel: Our Top Five Season 10 Discoveries Posted: 12 Jan 2011 02:51 AM PST Ryan Seacrest and the newbie judges talk 'Idol' at Television Critics Association event, and we got the dish.
It's hard to believe we're just one week from the season 10 premiere of "American Idol." Seems like just yesterday Lee DeWyze was crowned champion, Simon Cowell bid viewers a tearful goodbye and Fox took to cleaning house on the judges panel. Ellen DeGeneres left, Kara DioGuardi headed for the exit and Randy stayed. And after headline-making debate as to who would replace the newly departed judges, we learned that pop icons Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez would join Jackson. And a new era of "Idol" was born. With a nod to that new era, the "Idol" team — host Ryan Seacrest, Jackson, Lopez, Tyler and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe — appeared at the Television Critics Association's biannual event on Tuesday to talk about the 10th season. While much of the 45-minute TCA press conference was spent discussing things we already knew (changes to the show's format, the newbie judges' style), we did get some scoops and narrowed them into a list of our top five favorites. J.Lo's Glam-tastic Wardrobe Steven Tyler Is the New Paula You Can Count on Randy, Dawg! 'Idol' Songwriters? Simon Says "American Idol" premieres Wednesday, January 19, at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos Related Artists |
| 'Glee,' Nicki Minaj, Justin Timberlake Score NAACP Image Nominations Posted: 12 Jan 2011 02:41 AM PST Tyler Perry, 'American Idol,' '30 Rock' rack up nods as well.
Nicki Minaj's sexy-yet-quirky image has made her one of the most recognizable faces in hip-hop — a fact that was not overlooked by the organizers of the 42nd NAACP Image Awards. The "Roman's Revenge" rapper is among a diverse array of stars who received nominations Wednesday morning (January 12) for the awards show. The event, which is backed by the NAACP civil-rights organization, hands out trophies for achievements by people of color and lauds work that encourages social change. Minaj is vying for Outstanding New Artist alongside Bruno Mars, Jason Derülo, B.o.B and Willow Smith. Cee Lo, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Ne-Yo and Usher make up the Outstanding Male Artist nominees, while Chrisette Michele, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna and Sade are up for Outstanding Female Artist. John Legend and the Roots' joint project of soul covers, Wake Up!, is vying for Outstanding Album alongside Yeezy's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Smokey Robinson's Now and Then, Usher's Raymond v. Raymond and Sade's Soldier of Love. Newbie pop star Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" clip will face off against a slew of visuals from R&B heavyweights in the Outstanding Music Video category, which includes Sade's "Soldier of Love," Alicia Keys' "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)," Beyoncé's "Why Don't You Love Me" and Maxwell's "Fistful of Tears." On the television side, Fox's smash jam-fest "Glee" scored a nod for Outstanding Comedy Series, facing off against NBC's "30 Rock," ABC's "Modern Family" and TBS' "Are We There Yet?" and "Tyler Perry's House of Payne." "Glee" star Amber Riley nabbed an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination alongside Anna Deavere Smith from "Nurse Jackie," Keshia Knight Pulliam from "Tyler Perry's House of Payne," Sofia Vergara from "Modern Family" and Viola Davis from Showtime's "United States of Tara." Fox's other musical juggernaut, "American Idol," is nominated for Outstanding Reality Series, facing competition from the CW's "America's Next Top Model," ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and BET's "Sunday Best." The joint BET, CMT and MTV presentation "A Conversation With President Obama" also scored a nod for Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special) alongside "Anderson Cooper 360" on CNN, the syndicated "Judge Mathis Show" and the TV One programs "Unsung" and "Washington Watch With Roland Martin." 2010 offerings from multifaceted filmmaker Tyler Perry dominated the film nominees. The ensemble drama "For Colored Girls" and the romantic dramedy "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?" are both vying for Outstanding Motion Picture. The Queen Latifah vehicle "Just Wright," the postapocalyptic action flick "The Book of Eli" and the progressive family drama "The Kids Are All Right" round out the category. All the stars nominated for Outstanding Support Actress in a Motion Picture appeared in Perry-helmed projects, which includes Anika Noni Rose, Kimberly Elise, Phylicia Rashad and Whoopi Goldberg for "Colored Girls" and Jill Scott for "Why Did I Get Married Too?" Other notable nominations include Justin Timberlake's Outstanding Support Actor nod in a Motion Picture for his turn in "The Social Network" and an Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture look for the Smith family's other superstar spawn, Jaden, for "The Karate Kid." A complete list of nominations can be found on the NAACP Image Awards website; the event airs March 4 on Fox. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Beyonce Working With Kanye West Producer S1 Posted: 11 Jan 2011 10:20 PM PST 'Power' producer tweets he's 'finishing up some monsters' after week in the studio with B.
Beyoncé's already taken inspiration from the likes of Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill, hit the studio with a list of producers that includes Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett and Jim Jonsin, and now, she's hoping to capture the surge of Kanye West's "Power." B — who's already hard at work on the follow-up to her massive I Am ... Sasha Fierce album — just wrapped a week in the studio with producer S1, the man who co-produced "Power" and has logged time with the likes of Ghostface Killah and Erykah Badu. S1 broke the news via his Twitter account and also posted a photo of himself and B over on his official site. And from the sound of things, the sessions, which took place in New York City, were definitely eventful. "A couple of meetings then back in the lab with Beyonce today," he wrote in one tweet. "Excited to see what we're gonna create today after last night's session. "Not going to bed anytime soon. Beyonce got us in here working and I'm loving every bit of it," he wrote in another post. "Finishing up some monsters ... everything is sounding really great and big!" There's still not much information about Beyoncé's new album, though in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" last year, she said that, this time out, she's aiming to "make [her] own genre of music." In a follow-up interview with MTV News, she clarified that statement, explaining that she's "mixing every type of genre that I love" on the new album, and added, "I'm not in a box. It's not R&B. It's not typically pop. It's not rock. It's just everything I love all mixed together in my own little gumbo of music." What do you think S1's work with Beyoncé will sound like? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists |
| Lo Bosworth Gets Book Advice From Lauren Conrad For 'The Lo-Down' Posted: 12 Jan 2011 01:42 AM PST 'Writing a book about relationships was a natural next step for me,' the 'Hills' alum tells MTV News.
Lo Bosworth is bringing out her inner Carrie Bradshaw for her new book. In "The Lo-Down," out now, the former "Hills" star doles out advice about dating, and she admits that her opinions in the book aren't much different from the ones she shared on the small screen.
"For me, on the show, I always found myself giving advice to my girlfriends and mostly advice about the men in all of our lives," she told MTV News. "So writing a book about relationships was a natural next step for me. Writing the book and writing about my experience has been almost cathartic in a way, and it really feels like when you wake up with your girlfriends after a great night out and you talk about the night before and about all these guys. It's really conversational. There's good tips. It's a fun read." Bosworth took all her past boy experience and channeled it into the book, but it was one particular relationship that left her with her best piece of advice. "I wrote the book coming off a pretty bad breakup, and I realized the most important relationship lesson I've learned so far is first, you have to believe in who you really are ... and you can't compromise who that person is. That's what the book is really about," she explained. "Get out there and live your life! Do something for yourself!" While cameras are no longer catching her words of wisdom, Bosworth said some of her "Hills" pals have checked out the book. "Lauren [Conrad] has read it and Stephanie [Pratt] has peeked through it," she said. "And they're really excited!" Conrad, of course, has several books of her own on the market, and Bosworth took her friend's advice when it came to promoting the book. "[Lauren] gave me a lot of advice — not necessarily about writing the book, but we have talked a lot about going on a book tour, and I was really anxious to go on a book tour," she said, adding that she was afraid the book might not be successful. "She said to me, 'You really almost have to have an alter ego. You have to be excited. You have to walk in the room confidently with a smile on your face and you can't show how nervous you are. ... What you put out there, it comes back.' [My alter ego is] just really happy and excited, because I get nervous a lot. I'm a little more shy than meets the eye." What other "Hills" alum do you hope will come out with a book? Share your ideas in the comments! |
| Haiti Has Seen Some Progress Since Earthquake, Relief Workers Say Posted: 12 Jan 2011 01:01 AM PST World Food Programme and Partners in Health have fed and cared for hundreds of thousands of sick and displaced Haitians.
No one expected Haiti's problems to be solved just one year after a monster earthquake hit the island on January 12, 2010, leveling much of the impoverished nation's capital, Port-au-Prince, and killing more than 250,000.
The world came together in the weeks after the natural disaster; Americans donated nearly $1.5 billion to help Haiti and another $5.3 billion was pledged at a donors conference two months after the 7.0 magnitude quake. Every penny was needed, as nearly two million people were left homeless, many of them forced into ramshackle tent cities, and nearly 400,000 children were made orphans by the latest natural disaster to strike the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The 12 ensuing months have not been any easier, with the combined force of hurricane season, a bitterly divisive election and a mysterious cholera outbreak that has taken the lives of more than 3,600 and infected more than 170,000. And while Tulane University medical student Alison Smith told MTV News on Tuesday that her recent trips have found slow progress on the island, representatives from two relief organizations, World Food Programme and Partners in Health, said they are seeing encouraging signs in Haiti. "I think the year later is very different in many, many ways ... and in many positive ways," said Anne Poulsen, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme, one of the organizations that benefited from the more than $58 million raised by MTV's record-setting "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon. The WFP has launched a number of initiatives on the island, from serving hot meals to more than 1.1 million Haitian children every day through its National School Meals Programme to distributing nutritional supplements to children and pregnant and lactating women (with more than 450,000 helped so far) to projects focusing on debris removal, drainage ditch digging and agricultural rehabilitation that provide paying jobs for more than 140,000. To be sure, Poulsen said, the job was and remains huge and daunting, but the WFP managed to get food out to Haitians within hours of the earthquake and has since provided food assistance for more than 4 million in the country. "One year later, the town looks different. ... The rubble has been removed, not all of it. ... Buildings half-standing have been demolished. ... A lot of the people who were in the tent camps, many of these have found a shelter, maybe not a permanent house," said Poulsen, who recalled the devastation she saw when she first arrived last January as among the worst she's seen in many years of relief work. "You can see business back up, you can see markets functioning, you can see women carrying their fruit and vegetables down from the mountains," she said, noting that the number of people in temporary shelters has decreased from 1.5 million in the aftermath of the earthquake to around 800,000 now. Jon Lascher, one of the equipment procurement managers for the medical relief organization Partners in Health, is not surprised that two very different pictures exist of Haiti a year later. "It's a very complex situation," he told MTV News. "A year later there is no easy answer. ... We are celebrating some of our small gains, but there has been progress made here and it's interesting progress." Lascher said there are still "thousands" of workers with a wide variety of nongovernmental organizations lending a hand on the island. As the work has shifted from emergency search and rescue to a more long-term development phase, questions are being asked about what more needs to be done to create self-sufficiency and stability in the shattered nation. For PIH, the first $8 million grant from the "Hope for Haiti" telethon was spent by June on emergency response, with $6 million going to the camps holding displaced Haitians, replacing their makeshift cardboard lean-tos with tents and more stable temporary shelters. PIH set up four medical clinics in these camps, the largest serving more than 51,000 people. While amputations and crushed limb injuries were the big concerns soon after the quake, Lascher said sanitation continues to be a major issue. "Now our biggest concern is clean water, sanitation. You have large groups of people living in very close quarters without sanitation, without clean water, largely without access to proper nutrition," he said. "What you find, especially now with the cholera epidemic, is that you have huge pockets of the population that are much more at risk for cholera and other diseases than they would have been before the earthquake." PIH's staff in the country, many of whom were already there before the quake working on providing health care to Haitians, has grown by more than 1,000 since January to over 5,000, and Lascher said the organization is doing work it's never done before on the island. In addition to its presence in the capital, where it had not worked before, PIH has set up three clinics in camps and set up a home for physically and mentally disabled children. It is also in the midst of building a 320-bed teaching hospital. It's a huge job, and Lascher knows that he will spend many more months and years attending to the needs of the island's people. But he's got reason to hope that the world won't abandon Haiti. "We've got an incredible group of committed donors and supporters that are still interested in Haiti and still concerned and helping us accomplish the work that we set forth," he said. "Of course, we are still urging people to stay involved. The work here is far from over. There is so much more that needs to be done." Related Videos |
| Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' Likely Safe From Copyright Case Posted: 12 Jan 2011 01:21 AM PST Country music duo the Bellamy Brothers are upset over Britney song title's resemblance to their 1979 hit.
Chances are, nobody out there is going to confuse the Bellamy Brothers' slow-rolling, 1979 Tex-Mex country hit "If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" with Britney Spears' new club grinder "Hold It Against Me." Yeah, the titles are somewhat similar, but even with the noise the "Let Your Love Flow" sibling act is making over a possible legal challenge to Brit, the chances of winning a case over the borrowing of a song title is pretty slim, according to a noted copyright attorney who spoke to MTV News. "A title is not copyrightable," said lawyer Brian Caplan, who has more than 20 years of experience in intellectual property and entertainment law. (Caplan does not represent the Bellamy Brothers.) "The expression, either in lyrics or music in a composition is copyrightable, however if something has been used previously by multiple sources, one can argue that it is trite or commonplace and the latter user has no right to it." David Bellamy conceded to Entertainment Weekly that he first heard the title phrase — a favorite cheesy pick-up line for bar-trollers across the globe — while watching reruns of the classic Groucho Marx show "You Bet Your Life." The mustachioed comedian used the line on the show one night in an attempt to sidle up to a buxom blonde, Bellamy recalled. "It was just really funny, and I thought, 'Well, that'd make a really good song title," Bellamy said, acknowledging that many songs have the same, or similar, titles these days. "But this particular title is kinda hard to disguise, because the title is the song. It's not like saying, 'I love you, baby.' I think songwriters have become watered-down. This makes me sound like an old man again, but I find that songwriters now are not as strong as they used to be in the '60s or '70s." Lawyer Caplan, who had not heard either song when MTV News contacted him to comment, said that just because a title is not copyrightable does not mean a potential case would automatically go away. "It means that there would be a strong argument as it moves forward to have it dismissed, though," he said. "If you can show through a survey of prior art that that phrase has been used previously by others prior to the plaintiff's use, then it significantly undermines [the case] and if it's only used in the title it's a slam dunk." As an example, he said if someone wrote a song called "Jersey Girl" or "My Jersey Girl," despite the fact that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Tom Waits wrote his "Jersey Girl" in 1980 — and Jersey boy Bruce Springsteen helped popularize it a year later — as long as the rest of the song is different musically, lyrically and melodically, there would be no case there, either. In the meantime, Spears is burning up the charts with her tune and breaking some records along the way. "Hold It Against Me" immediately shot to #1 on iTunes upon release this week and broke all previous records for most spins upon its release on Monday. Related Artists |
| Taylor Swift Tops <I>Billboard</I> Again In Slow Sales Week Posted: 11 Jan 2011 11:25 PM PST Singer's Speak Now notches lowest #1 figures in SoundScan era.
Taylor Swift has smashed a host of records in her short career, but next week the 21-year-old, newly single star will notch another one that probably won't land in her bio. In a dismally slow week on the Billboard albums chart, Swift's Speak Now held on to the #1 spot again while posting the lowest totals ever for a #1 album in the SoundScan era. According to SoundScan, the disc moved 52,000 copies, which helped vault it over the 3 million mark, but also broke the dubious record set by the soundtrack to the movie "Dreamgirls" in January 2007, which had the previous #1 low at 66,000. Only one new title moved into the top 10, the soundtrack to Gwyneth Paltrow's "Country Strong," which came in at #10 on sales of 28,000 after climbing up from the #149 slot in its first week. The rest of the top 10 suffered double-digit percentage losses, including: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday (#2, 39,000); Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (#3, 38,000); "Tron Legacy" soundtrack (#4, 34,000); Eminem, Recovery (#5, 33,000); Rihanna, Loud (#6, 33,000); Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (#7, 33,000); Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More (#8, 31,000); and Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party (#9, 29,000). The Black Keys got a major bump before their "Saturday Night Live" appearance, moving up 12 spots to #14 with Brothers (25,000), which pushed the band over the 500,000 mark. Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx's latest, Best Night of My Life, slid a bit more, dropping five spots to #16 on sales of 23,000. "Country Strong" fared much better on the iTunes album charts, coming in at #1, followed by the Black Keys, "Tron," Mumford & Sons, West, Mars, Swift, Rihanna, a second "Country Strong" soundtrack compilation and Eminem. The iTunes singles chart was topped by Mars' "Grenade," followed by Katy Perry's "Firework," Enrique Iglesias' "Tonight," the Black Eyed Peas' "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow." Though iTunes doesn't provide sales figures, it was also a good week for Ke$ha, who came in at #6 with "We R Who We R," followed by Lil Wayne's "6 Foot 7 Foot," Pink's "Raise Your Glass," Rihanna's "What's My Name" and Waka Flocka Flame's "No Hands." Things will probably stay mostly steady again next week with just a few new releases, including the latest from ornate rockers the Decemberists and albums by Cake, Cage the Elephant, James Blunt and the Script. Related Artists |
| 'Glee' Stars Stayed Up All Night For 'Thriller' Cover Posted: 11 Jan 2011 10:53 PM PST 'It was probably one of the most physical numbers that we've ever done,' Cory Monteith says.
When "Glee" returns from hiatus in the high-profile post-Super Bowl slot, it's returning in a big way, covering Michael Jackson's "Thriller." On Tuesday, the cast spoke to "Access Hollywood" about remaking the iconic tune, which will reportedly be mashed up with another yet-to-be-revealed hit. "It was a huge production. We we're shooting that until 6:30 in the morning," Cory Monteith told "AH" at the Television Critics Association press tour. "We shot all night, and it was probably one of the most physical numbers that we've ever done. I was lifting Naya Rivera at one point in the dance. It was really active. We had the whole USC band wrapped in to this number as you can see in the photos. It was awesome." Photos of the cast filming "Thriller" surfaced on the Internet recently, depicting a prom night-turned-zombie affair. Jackson's tune is just one of the many hits to be covered in the broadcast. Other songs featured in the post-Super Bowl episode include hits by the Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry and Lady Antebellum. Kevin McHale revealed that Jackson is his "favorite artist ever" and that he has been continuously requesting to cover a tune by the late King of Pop. "I've been pushing very obnoxiously for a very, very long time, so I'm beyond thrilled that we do Michael Jackson," said the actor. Like the iconic music video, the "Glee" cover was an extravagant production, which was fitting for star Dianna Agron, who couldn't help smile throughout filming. "The whole night, everybody kept saying, 'Why are you laughing so much? Why are you smiling so much?' " she said. "I was just in my element. I was in huge makeup, huge hair, huge costume, the stuff that I loved the most, which is why I loved 'Rocky [Horror Picture Show]' so much." Matthew Morrison isn't in the number, but he watched it being shot. "We actually shot it, like, a couple nights ago," Morrison told "AH." "I actually went out to see it. We shot it in Long Beach and at a high school that we used their football field at. It was stunning. It's so weird with this show. We keep outdoing ourselves. It's like, 'What is there left to do?' This number is just fantastic." What other MJ songs do you want the "Glee" cast to tackle? Share your ideas in the comments! Related Artists |
| You are subscribed to email updates from MTV News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar