MTV News |
- Ryan Dunn Remembered In Tribute Video
- 'Transformers' Stars Reveal Tricks Behind Filming Building-Escape Scene
- Pete Rock, Smif-N-Wessun Claim NYPD Incited 'Riot'
- Game Says His 'Pot Of Gold' Is 'Nothing Materialistic'
- Beanie Sigel To Set The Record Straight On 'RapFix Live'
- Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts Talk 'Larry Crowne,' Friendship And MTV
- Ashton Kutcher Fights <i>Village Voice</i> Over Child Prostitution Statistics
- Eminem Surprised Jim Jonsin By Making 'Space Bound' A Single
- CyHi The Prynce Says Kanye, Akon Pledged To 'Enhance' His Music
- Tom Hanks' 'Larry Crowne': The Reviews Are In
- Common Reveals Warner Bros. CEO Invited Him To Label
- R. Kelly Sends <i>Love Letter</i> To Loyal Fans On Tour
- Beyonce Surprises Fans At Harlem Target
- 'Australian Idol' Judge Jay Dee Springbett Found Dead
| Ryan Dunn Remembered In Tribute Video Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:38 AM PDT Montage was played at 'Jackass' star's memorial earlier this week.
Earlier this week, Ryan Dunn's family, friends and loved ones gathered at a memorial held at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles to mourn the "Jackass" star's death. During the service, a very moving video tribute was played to honor Dunn, the second half of which was cut together by "Jackass" co-star Rick Kosick, and includes a song for Dunn by Roger Alan Wade, "The Light Outlives the Star."
"Ryan was really crazy about my cousin Roger," Johnny Knoxville said in a statement to MTV News. "He loved his music and really looked up to him. Rog' was equally as crazy about Ryan and, like everyone else, was shook by his passing. Rest in peace, brother. We love you." The video tribute is a montage of Dunn's greatest hits, most of them "Jackass"-related, cut together in a moving and very funny way that only the guys at Dickhouse Productions know how. For more tributes to Dunn, check out Dickhouse's website. The five-and-a-half-minute video opens with the words "our brother" then cuts to a clip of Dunn walking in an office kitchen, saying hello to Wee-Man and subsequently being knocked to the ground by a giant hand (the same hand was a prominent feature in the "Antiquing" stunt in "Jackass 3-D"). This is followed by shots of Dunn riding an old-fashioned bicycle in a top hat and waistcoat, rolling off a roof in a large bucket, leaving a Port-o-Potty covered in blue paint, getting sprayed with mace while wearing a bear suit, "Poo Diving," getting kick-boxed by a female boxer, riding small motorbikes and attempting to jump lakes, getting launched in the air and falling into various bodies of waters (lakes and pools, mostly), Dunn in a series of crazy costumes, etc. There are shots of stunts gone wrong, Dunn mugging for the camera and plenty of pranking with his "Jackass" brothers. The video ends with a shot of Dunn standing atop a jump ramp, dressed in a red-white-and-blue Evel Kneivel-like jumpsuit, motorcycle helmet in hand, kissing his hand and reaching it up in a silent prayer. That is followed by a shot of Dunn and Bam Margera laughing themselves silly in front of the London Bridge as Margera's chair breaks and he falls to the ground, still laughing. Before the screen goes black, the words "We love you Ryan" appear over Dunn's laughter. Share your condolences for Dunn's friends and family in the comments below. Related Videos Related Photos |
| 'Transformers' Stars Reveal Tricks Behind Filming Building-Escape Scene Posted: 01 Jul 2011 02:39 AM PDT 'We all felt 12 again, sliding down the side of this building, shooting, screaming,' Tyrese Gibson tells MTV News.
For those who've seen "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," there is so much going on in the film that one could spend the next 12 months breaking down all the dirty details. We've already tackled the nods to "Star Trek" and the "Transformers"-specific Easter eggs, so today we turn our attention to one of the film's most impressive action sequences: the part when evil Decepticon Shockwave sends his massive, spinning, snakelike destroyer after our protagonists, who become trapped in the upper stories of a tall building. The Transformer proceeds to cut the building in half, leaving our heroes no option but to jump out of the windows and slide down the outside of the building to safety.
MTV News had the scene's stars, Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Tyrese Gibson, explain how they managed to pull off that sequence. "The building comes up on what I can only describe as a crane," Whiteley explained of the rig used to support and move the specific set piece. "It tilts to about a 40-degree angle. It's built to look like the outside of a skyscraper," she said. "Shia, myself, Tyrese, the Marines, we all set at the top, Mike [director Michael Bay] would scream 'Action!' and then we would slide down this thing," she recalled. "And then flower pots, chairs, paper and fake glass, tennis balls, every office supply you could possibly think of would get thrown down after us." Despite the gravity of that particular scene, it turns out that the boys thought of the tilting skyscraper set piece more like a ride at a county fair. "This thing had to be 150 to 200 feet in the air. It was like a huge slide," Gibson said. "We all felt 12 again, sliding down the side of this building, shooting, screaming, doing everything we had to do in those scenes. "It was scary stuff," he added with a smile. "It was scary with the idea that we are about to be eaten, eaten alive." "We shot that for three weeks or so," LaBeouf said. "You're basically pulling yourself on rope to get to the top of the thing. It's like a big slide, you know those slides they have at fairs where you get the little brown bag? Brown bag slides, sort of like that." Huntington-Whiteley added that in the midst of all the fun had while sliding, she learned very quickly to pay attention to her landing and get out of the way when she reached the bottom of the set piece. "I'd always hit the bottom first. It took one time to realize if I didn't get out of the way really quick, I was going to get flattened by a 300-pound man coming quite quickly after me!" Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Related Photos |
| Pete Rock, Smif-N-Wessun Claim NYPD Incited 'Riot' Posted: 01 Jul 2011 02:02 AM PDT Five people were arrested, five officers injured during Smif-n-Wessun's album release party on Tuesday.
It was all love, according to Brooklyn, New York, rap group Smif-n-Wessun and their producer Pete Rock. That was until the police came and busted up the group's album-release party in Manhattan on Tuesday night.
"It was beautiful, man. Me and my wife and my family walked up in there, everybody giving us love, pounds, they're happy I'm in the house," Pete Rock said of the scene at Tammany Hall, the club where Smif-n-Wessun performed and held an album-release party for their new LP, Monumental, released on Duck Down Records. According to Rock, the night went smoothly as he, Tek and Steele (the two rappers who make up the group Smif-n-Wessun) performed songs from their new album in front of the sold-out crowd. For the group, the first signs of trouble arose when the club's house lights came on. "We noticed two cops came in when the lights came on. Then they went back out, then they came back in," Pete Rock recalled. The legendary hip-hop producer, who has crafted hits for Kanye West, Busta Rhymes and Mary J. Blige, then saw his friend Lewis Peña being assaulted by the police. "Like four or five cops threw him against the wall, beat him with the stick, punching him with closed fist, had him on the ground beating him motionless with their sticks and it was just crazy. It just got crazy," he said. Rock witnessed his wife and stepdaughter being hit by police as well. Peña, his stepdaughter Jade Everette, and three others were arrested that night. All five of the individuals arrested by police were later released on their own recognizance, MTV News has confirmed with the rap group's attorney. Five officers were injured during the melee, one with cuts on his neck, one with a broken nose, one with a broken tooth and two with contusions to the head, according to MSNBC.com. In a statement issued to MTV News, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly justified the officer's actions that night: "Police officers had every right to defend themselves against individuals assaulting them, and used appropriate force in doing so. They also protected civilians who were being pelted with bottles at the outset, as they responded to the location at the request of the club's own security." Steele, who witnessed the drama inside of the club unfold from the stage, tells a drastically different story. "That party, it was flawless. It was flawless, it was packed. I personally was under the impression that security had everything taken care of," he said. "I was totally not aware of anything that might have happened outside. As far as inside, it was all smiles; it was all smiles and fun." That was until he saw Peña, who was onstage with the group earlier, being beaten by the cops. "My initial response to that was, 'What is my friend doing on the floor? This guy just stepped off the stage. Why is he on the floor?' " Steele told MTV News. "Their response was, 'Get the F back.' "They pushed us back in the club, they maced him while he was on the floor, maced us back in the club. It was pandemonium." From the outside of the club, fans documented the ruckus on camera phones and personal video devices. Many of the clips have since been uploaded to YouTube and other social-networking sites. Pete Rock and Smif-n-Wessun say that they were unaware of any drama and say that club patrons should have been forewarned by police and given a chance to exit in an orderly fashion. "Nobody came into the club, nobody said, 'Listen we're going to shut it down in a few minutes, everybody disperse,' " Steele said. "When we got that information, people were leaving. The police incited a riot by grabbing folks, by pushing folks out." Related Artists |
| Game Says His 'Pot Of Gold' Is 'Nothing Materialistic' Posted: 30 Jun 2011 11:19 PM PDT 'To me, those coins are my family, my girl, my friends,' rapper tells MTV News on set of his new video.
They say money isn't everything, and on his new single, "Pot of Gold," the Game casts material possessions aside in favor of the more important things in life. "You never grasp ahold of every coin in the pot, so you gotta take as much as you can," Game said of the song's concept on the Los Angeles set of his video on Tuesday. "To me, those coins are my family, my girl, my friends — nothing materialistic."
On the Chris Brown-assisted single, which will appear on Game's upcoming R.E.D. Album (August 23), the Compton, California, rapper contemplates his success in the face of the world's ills as CB sings about how he misses the days "when life was simple." It is that notion that ultimately shaped the video's direction. "He wanted to do a concept that was kind of a tribute to everything that has influenced him over the years and got him to the place that he's at now," the video's director, Bryan Barber, said. "He had this real cool idea about the gold impala that N.W.A used in one of the videos and going to this house where he lived as a kid." For Game, the video was also a chance to look back on his childhood and to connect with his own son by taking the youngster to daddy's old stomping grounds. "First scene is I'm up in this attic with all these Tupac posters and Snoop Dogg and just basketballs. It's sorta real reminiscent of my room growing up in my house," the West Coast spitter said. "I got my son in there. So it's like me bringing my son back to where I grew up because he doesn't know anything about that. He's spoiled, he lives far out, he goes to private school. So just showing him the things that existed and the daily routine when I was a kid." As good as Game's intentions were, the shoot went a tad awry. California producer and Game collaborator Mars was robbed at gunpoint for some cash and jewels. He was on set during the shoot, but the actual robbery took place blocks away, according to a Game representative. After the robbery, however, the producer sent a tweet putting things in perspective, as he too seems to value the intangibles over material possessions: "Can't believe I just got robbed! #thankgodimalive," Mars wrote. Related Artists |
| Beanie Sigel To Set The Record Straight On 'RapFix Live' Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:21 AM PDT Philly MC will talk about his Jay-Z drama and his future moves next Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com.
Some call him the Truth, others call him the Reason, but most just call him Beanie Sigel. And next Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, we'll call the former Roc-A-Fella rapper our guest when he joins Sway on "RapFix Live."
There will be much to talk about with the Philadelphia MC as we will address his relationship with Jay-Z, the brash comments he's made about Hov and the apology he supposedly issued to Jigga at the top of June. Last week, during a radio appearance on Sirius XM, the Broad Street Bully denied that he ever apologized to Jay-Z and charged that his quotes were taken out of context by XXL magazine, the outlet that first broke the news of Beans' supposed olive branch. He did, however, acknowledge that it was Jay-Z who gave him his start in hip-hop, and for that he expressed his gratitude. Sigel rose to rap prominence after he was signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, where he released his debut album, The Truth, in 1999. Respected equally for his rap bars as well as his street bravado, the MC has seen his career tainted by legal trouble. In 2004, Beans was sentenced to a year and a day in prison after he pled guilty to federal weapon charges. It was around this time that Roc-A-Fella co-founders Jay-Z and Damon Dash split, leaving the company fractured and forcing artists on their roster to choose sides. Sigel managed to release 2005's The B. Coming on Dash's DDMG label and then his 2007 follow-up, The Solution, on Roc-A-Fella Records two years later. Still, the relationship between him and Jay has since been damaged. In 2009, Sigel addressed the drama and threw shots at Jay-Z on several songs, including "What You Talkin Bout," a track he released in October of that year. Now, Sigel aims to set the record straight on the next episode of "RapFix Live." Related Artists |
| Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts Talk 'Larry Crowne,' Friendship And MTV Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:28 AM PDT 'I miss VJs,' stars tell MTV News.
Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts' new movie, "Larry Crowne," is, in a nutshell, about a middle-aged man who, after constantly being looked over for managerial promotions at work due to his lack of college degree, enrolls himself in his local community college, where he finds himself being taught by and falling in love with the lovely Mercedes Tainot (Roberts).
When MTV News caught up with Hanks and Roberts at the press day for the film, we attempted to discuss Hanks' return to the director's chair after a 15-year hiatus (the last film he helmed was 1996's "That Thing You Do!"), but first the two superstars took a moment to talk about us. "I miss VJs," Roberts lamented of MTV's onetime team of on-camera personalities. "I miss VJs, too," Hanks agreed. "I miss, you know, 'The Rock Hour!' " he added, likely meaning "120 Minutes," hosted by Matt Pinfield, which has been resurrected over at MTV2. "What's on MTV now?" Roberts asked. "Pregnant teenagers," quipped Hanks. Hanks and Roberts then briefly discussed MTV's current slate of programs, citing "The Real World," "Jersey Shore" and "16 and Pregnant," but admitted only to hearing stories about them, not to having watched any of those shows themselves. Once we were able to bring the focus to the topic at hand, we asked Hanks about his return to the director's chair, and what inspired him to take on so many roles for this film — he directed, acted in, co-wrote and produced "Crowne." "Somewhere I think in 2009 a switch just goes off in my head that goes, 'I really want to direct this,' " he recalled, equating his passion for the project to a fever he had to have cooked out of him. "It takes you out of the marketplace for a long time, which is fine. I have a lot of things going on, but it ends up being like this personal letter that you're writing to your mom where you want it to be right, you want it to be authentic, you want it to actually reflect who you are and where you are at this point, and so that's why you end up directing a movie and being in it." For Roberts, signing on to the film was mostly about working with her good friend. She and Hanks worked together once before in "Charlie Wilson's War," which, according to Roberts, cemented their friendship for life. "I knew I had a friend for the rest of my life," she said, recalling one specific day on the "Wilson's War" set that involved Hanks, Roberts and some joke with a little box. "He [makes] me want to live a longer life," she gushed. "What a great answer!" Hanks said with a big smile. "It's true, I love Tom. It's kind of retarded for us sitting here trying to be professionals because we're friends," she said. "I love his wife, I love his kids." "This is what we'd be doing if we were sitting around or having lunch," Hanks added, speaking to the pair's easy rapport. "We'll laugh for three hours together." Check out everything we've got on "Larry Crowne." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| Ashton Kutcher Fights <i>Village Voice</i> Over Child Prostitution Statistics Posted: 01 Jul 2011 08:56 AM PDT Newspaper is questioning numbers cited in actor's anti-prostitution campaign.
Ashton Kutcher is engaged in a war of words with New York newspaper The Village Voice. The actor and the paper have been going after each other on Twitter in connection with PSAs that Kutcher and wife Demi Moore, made in order to shed light on underage prostitution. The newspaper questioned statistics that the celebrity uses in his campaign in an article published this week called "Real Men Get Their Facts Straight" (a play on "Real Men Don't Buy Girls," the name of Kutcher's campaign). The actor took to Twitter to respond, making reference to ads that appear in the paper's classifieds section. "Hey @villagevoice speaking of data, maybe you can help me ... How much $ did your 'escorts' in your classifieds on backpage make last year? Hey @villagevoice speaking of Data ... How many of your girls selling themselves in your classifieds are you doing age verification on?" The article cites Kutcher's statistic that between 100,000 and 300,000 children are involved with child prostitution, calling it a "statistic [that] was hatched without regard to science. It is a bogeyman." Kutcher fired back at those claims on his Twitter. "Hey @villagevoice if you want to dispute the online data I've collected about the consumption of child porn or the hard facts from [National Center for Missing and Exploited Children] lmk," he wrote, later adding, "Hey @villagevoice REAL MEN DON'T BUY GIRLS and REAL NEWS PUBLICATIONS DON'T SELL THEM." Eventually the newspaper responded to Kutcher's criticism of its analysis, firing back on Twitter. "@aplusk Don't spout phony statistics which are then used to justify millions in spending for 'awareness.' Victims need beds and counseling," read one tweet that appeared in between a sea of retweets from readers on the paper's side and reminders to read the article. "Still sort of doubting that @aplusk actually read our story, but don't make that same mistake!" Whose side are you on? Tell us in the comments! |
| Eminem Surprised Jim Jonsin By Making 'Space Bound' A Single Posted: 30 Jun 2011 10:15 PM PDT Producer tells MTV News of sending track to Em, in Mixtape Daily.
Behind the Beats: Jim Jonsin Before Eminem could make the heart-wrenching "Space Bound" a hit single, the song's producer, Jim Jonsin, had to rework the track, which he had previously recorded with British songwriter Steve McEwan.
"It was actually a full song with verses, b-section, chorus," Jonsin told MTV News of the original Eminem-less version. "Me and Steve McEwan actually wrote the song, we actually did it here in New York on guitar — it was just a guitar vocal on an iPhone," the multiplatinum producer said. "We took the idea later in Miami, like three months after, and produced the track, and we sent it out to Eminem to see what he thought about it. He loved it. So he interpreted it his own way." The initial concept remained mostly intact, and the song's chorus acted as a guide for the Detroit MC to add his own twist. "The chorus was based off of a chase, a guy who's chasing after a woman that he's crazy about," Jonsin said of the theme. "He loves her; she's everything to him. I'm a rocket ship aiming at her heart, her heart's the moon — I'm going full-on." It was Jonsin's manager who suggested that he send the track to Slim Shady, which he did, even though he didn't believe anything would come of it. "He had me strip down the verses, take them out, and make the track a little more hip-hop, and he sent it out," he said. "I didn't really believe that it would end up on Eminem's album, let alone be a single." The video for "Space Bound," now the fourth single off of Em's multiplatinum 2010 Recovery album, was released last week on iTunes. The clip, which stars ex-porn actress Sasha Grey, depicts a rocky romance that eventually leads the rapper to kill himself with a single shot to the head. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Photos Related Artists |
| CyHi The Prynce Says Kanye, Akon Pledged To 'Enhance' His Music Posted: 30 Jun 2011 11:29 PM PDT 'It's just like Shady and Aftermath,' MC says of being signed to G.O.O.D. Music, Konvict and Def Jam.
If you want to get technical, Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music deal with Def Jam puts Atlanta rapper CyHi the Prynce back where he's been throughout his career. And that makes him all the more confident that big-label status won't change his music.
"Def Jam is like family, for real," he said on "RapFix Live" this week. His history with the label began back when CyHi was part of a Georgia rap group called Hoodlum that was signed to Def Jam through Jazzy Pha's Sho'Nuff imprint. After the group split a couple of years later and CyHi embarked on a solo career, his relationship with a pair of execs kept him in the family. "When I went solo, I came back and revisited the situation, due to my relationship with L.A. Reid and my relationship with Bu Thiam," CyHi told MTV News. At the time, Reid was Island Def Jam's chairman and Thiam, Akon's younger brother, was (and still is) an A&R at the label. CyHi was signed to Akon's Konvict Music imprint in 2009. And then last year, Kanye West caught wind of his talents and recruited him to join his Grammy Family. "I've been at Def Jam all my life; it's just, you know, the big heads put it all together," CyHi explained of the new relationship with Kanye's group and the label. "By G.O.O.D. Music actually getting their label deal there, and I'm already there, it just solidifies me more, [increasing] the possibility of an album coming soon." As for how Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music interact on his behalf, and split any due proceeds, CyHi offered an analogy for the joint venture: "It's just like Shady and Aftermath. It's just like G-Unit and Aftermath. It's the same thing. I'm not a stingy guy. My thing ain't to get rich. ... Their check is a joint venture. That's between Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music. They going to split that, then I just do me." The "Royal Flush" rapper was also adamant that both Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music only have his best interest at heart and that the plan is to augment his talent, not switch up his style. "When you self-made and you do it yourself, they all come to complement what you have done," CyHi said. "I got with 'Ye, I been like this. They was like, 'I don't want to change nothing about you; I just want to enhance it.' Same with [Konvict], 'We just want to enhance.' It's a great relationship with everybody. My team is what really makes me who I am. Teamwork makes dreams work." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Tom Hanks' 'Larry Crowne': The Reviews Are In Posted: 30 Jun 2011 10:50 PM PDT Critics have mixed feelings about Hanks' first directing effort in 15 years.
Perhaps only the boom-boom-pow theatrics of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," which will be making most of the noise (and the box-office bucks) at the multiplex this weekend, could overshadow a new offering from Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Or possibly the mixed reviews for their comedy, "Larry Crowne," are helping create a lower profile for the heavily marketed film. Hanks has taken on directing duties for only the second time in his career (his debut was the 1996 nostalgia trip "That Thing You Do!") and recruited Roberts to join in the action. But the results have been met with outright disdain in some corners, with critics scoffing at a lack of laughs and a bland story line. Yet where others see a milquetoast comedy, many reviewers see a skilled director delivering a warm-hearted summer diversion. Read on for those "Larry Crowne" critiques and more. The Story The Performances The Direction The Laughs The Final Word Check out everything we've got on "Larry Crowne." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| Common Reveals Warner Bros. CEO Invited Him To Label Posted: 30 Jun 2011 10:37 PM PDT Lyor Cohen approached rapper, who departed Universal Music in 2009.
Last week, Chicago rapper Common revealed that he is taking his rhyme talents to Warner Bros. Records. Surprisingly, the "Universal Mind Control" rapper tells MTV News that he had been a free agent since December 2009, when he departed from his longtime Universal Music recording home.
The rapper and actor, currently shooting an AMC television series called "Hell on Wheels" that will premiere in the fall, released his last album, Universal Mind Control, in December 2008. The album was met with mixed reviews and didn't reach the same gold sales of his previous two projects, the critically acclaimed Be and Finding Forever. But a certain record executive didn't lose faith in the veteran rap lyricist. "Point blank, I got a call from [Warner CEO] Lyor Cohen," Common told MTV News. "He was like, 'Look, man, I know who you are. I always told you, you was one of my favorite MCs, and I really meant that.' "I felt the sincerity in what he was saying. He didn't tell me, 'We're going to do this, do that.' He was more like, 'I know how we can do your record, and I want to work this. I want this to be on my roster.' " The Warner music chairman knows a thing or two about talent. Through the years, "the check writer" has had a hand in the careers of star MCs such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Jay-Z. Before getting the call from Cohen, Common had been toying with the idea of going the indie-label route to release his music. "I felt like, man, it would be good because it's so much ... we do have a lot going on," Common explained. "I am doing these acting projects. I do have my foundation. I do have a daughter and a life, too. So it's all these things I want to take care of, I felt like I didn't want to have an independent label that I felt like you gotta be there for everything, every decision. I'd rather have a team that's already in place that's really confident in what I'm doing." Although G.O.O.D. Music recently inked a worldwide label agreement with Island Def Jam Music Group, Common is still affiliated with Kanye West's label. "It's still G.O.O.D. Music all day and night," he said. Common's ninth album, The Dreamer, The Believer, is due out in November. What do you think of Common's decision to sign with Warner Bros. Records? Sound off below! Related Artists |
| R. Kelly Sends <i>Love Letter</i> To Loyal Fans On Tour Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:05 AM PDT Kels seduces Newark, New Jersey, with nearly two-hour set reaching way back into his catalog.
NEWARK, New Jersey — With the likes of Beyoncé, Chris Brown and Trey Songz dominating the pop/R&B space, some people may have forgotten R. Kelly. While Kels has been by no means dormant — he's released two albums, Untitled and Love Letter, in the past two years — his brand of R&B hasn't found a steady home on contemporary Top 40 or urban radio. None of that seemed to matter Thursday evening as he played to a raucous sold-out crowd at the Prudential Center. Opening acts Marsha Ambrosius and Keyshia Cole showcased their vocal prowess, as the crowd filed in to the arena. Cole seemed to be winning over the audience, but it was easy to figure out whom the crowd had come to see, especially considering the line to get pictures snapped in front of giant, air-brushed portraits of R. Kelly. Kelly's set opened up with a black-and-white video of him sitting at a bar, enjoying a cigar and a glass of scotch or some other dark liquor as a woman approaches. The "old timey" video is in line with the theme of the Love Letter tour: The corresponding album was an ode to classic soul singers of decades past, like Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson. In the video, the woman — a past lover — presses Kels to return to her, and the crowd begged and pleaded along. Once the video ended, Kelly was revealed to be sitting at the bar of his casino-themed stage. He pulled a lever and commenced a nearly two-hour sing-along. Kels' set was a musical journey through Chocolate Factory, TP-2.com, Happy People and the rest of his catalog, and at one point he waded into the crowd to get their help singing. He performed a medley of songs that included "Step in the Name of Love," "Ignition (Remix)," "Fiesta," "Feeling on Yo Booty" and "Down Low." Fans seemed to relish Kelly's older hits from his first solo album, 12 Play, including "Your Body's Callin'," "Sex Me" and, of course, "12 Play." Toward the end of the show, the screens displayed a letter from Kelly's mom, thanking the audience for their dedication to her son, along with another video showing Kels throughout the years. While he may not dominate the radio like he once did, he may not need to. Most of contemporary R&B would kill to have his longevity anyway. Share your R. Kelly concert reports in the comments below! Related Artists |
| Beyonce Surprises Fans At Harlem Target Posted: 01 Jul 2011 06:45 AM PDT Retail giant, meanwhile, promises that video exclusive for deluxe edition of 4 will be ready soon.
While traipsing the globe to promote 4, Beyoncé stopped by New York City's Harlem Target on Thursday to say hello to some of her young fans. As the store celebrated its one-year anniversary, kids from the local Boys and Girls Club danced their hearts out onstage to Beyoncé's new track "Countdown." In the middle of the song, B took the stage and gave them a big group hug before letting them continue their routine.
"I'd like to thank the Boys and Girls Club for coming out. I hope y'all had fun learning the choreography to 'Countdown' today," she told the crowd, in footage posted on Rap-up.com. "I hope you guys enjoy the new album 4." Beyoncé had a little bit of a commercial reason to show up at the Target store: The deluxe version of 4, which is set to debut at #1 on the Billboard albums chart, is available exclusively at the retail giant. But since the disc's release on Tuesday, fans have complained that some Targets didn't stock enough copies, and the promised exclusive video can't be accessed yet. "Honestly, day one sales were fantastic for us, especially on the deluxe edition," John Butcher, Target's vice president of entertainment, told The Hollywood Reporter, assuring fans that Sony was delivering more CDs soon. As for the promised exclusive director's cut of B's "Run the World (Girls)" video, Butcher explained that the clip wasn't quite ready for public consumption, but it should be ready shortly. "Beyoncé's team is still finalizing aspects of the content, and they just didn't want [it] to be released until it was perfect," he said. "We could have forced something through that wasn't right — it was our prerogative to do so — but we didn't want to do it. We certainly don't want to disappoint our guests. We believe they'd rather have the right content and wait a couple days than get something that wasn't going to be very special." Related Artists |
| 'Australian Idol' Judge Jay Dee Springbett Found Dead Posted: 01 Jul 2011 06:46 AM PDT Sony exec's cause of death has not yet been established.
"Australian Idol" judge Jay Dee Springbett was found dead at his home in Sydney on Thursday. He was 36. He was discovered after friends called authorities when they couldn't contact the former "Idol" judge. He was already dead when authorities arrived at his Woolloomooloo apartment, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. As of press time, nothing else was known about the cause of death, although authorities believe nothing suspicious happened. The U.K. native moved to Australia in 2004. He worked for Sony Music and joined "Idol" down under during the show's final season in 2009, replacing Kyle Sandilands. He was known as the show's resident "nice guy" judge. That year, Stan Walker was crowned the champ and later went on to become a successful artist in Australia and New Zealand. The show aired on Network Ten in Australia, and a spokesperson for the network released this statement: "Our heartfelt condolences go out to Jay Dee's family at this very difficult time. Jay Dee was an asset to the final season of 'Australian Idol,' [and] we feel honored to have worked with him." As a record executive, Springbett helped shape the careers of artists including Guy Sebastian, Human Nature, Rogue Traders and Natalie Bassingthwaighte. "Jay Dee was so very enthusiastic and passionate about his family, his music projects and his plans for the future," Sony Music Entertainment Australian and New Zealand CEO Denis Handlin said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "[He] was a great friend and larger-than-life charismatic character who will be missed enormously." Fremantle, which produces the "Idol" shows, also expressed condolences in a statement. "The 'Australian Idol' family is deeply saddened by the passing of Jay Dee," the statement reads. "Our thoughts are with his family and all at Sony Music." |
| 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