MTV News |
- Lady Gaga And Laurieann Gibson's Path To 'Yoü And I'
- Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Music Video Moments
- Lady Gaga's 'Yoü And I' Video: The Many Faces Of Gaga
- Big Sean, Rest Of MTV Jams' Fab 5 To Appear On 'RapFix Live'!
- Jay-Z And Kanye West Set To Break Coldplay iTunes Record
- Danny Brown Admits Drug Habit, Failed G-Unit Deal
- Michael Jackson Estate Threatens Legal Action Over Tribute Concert
- Sugarland Plan Indiana State Fair Memorial
- <i>Watch The Throne</i> Tracks: Tastemakers Pick Their Faves
- Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Maggie' Director Aimed For 'Simple And Iconic'
- Joe Jonas To Hit Road With Jay Sean
- Leonardo DiCaprio 'J. Edgar' Photos Released
- Jeff Buckley Biopic Finds Lead In 'Spider-Man' Actor Reeve Carney
- Adam Levine Slams 'American Idol' For 'Masking' Gays
- Green Day Debut Amy Winehouse Tribute Song
| Lady Gaga And Laurieann Gibson's Path To 'Yoü And I' Posted: 17 Aug 2011 03:53 AM PDT Duo's latest video makes its television debut Thursday at 7:49 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and Logo.
Since Lady Gaga and Laurieann Gibson met in 2008 — when Gaga was just breaking into the mainstream and proving herself as a cultural tour de force — the duo have created one of the most powerful and unique visions in pop music. Their latest endeavor is the Gibson-directed music video for "Yoü and I," which makes its television debut Thursday at 7:49 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and Logo during "MTV First: Lady Gaga."
The two ladies share a similar background, both drawing inspiration from their hometown of New York City, so it's no surprise that their creative outlooks intersect. "This was the place that we started. This was the place that birthed her. This was the place that birthed my dance," Gibson told MTV News earlier this year about NYC serving as the backdrop for Gaga's "Born This Way" video. "New York just has something so real about birthing something specific." Lady Gaga's musical director recalls how "Yoü and I" came to be. As the Haus of Gaga's creative director and choreographer, Gibson helps Gaga spread her message of love, including in the "Born This Way" clip, which premiered in March. "I've created, directed and choreographed for Lady Gaga since the beginning, so 'Born This Way,' this was musically such an amazing evolution and such a brilliant record," Gibson said. "So when she played it for me, it took me a while to find out the visual interpretation that I could give back to her. "I woke up one night and I got it and I said, 'I got it: We have to birth a new race,' " she recalled. "As genius as she is, she then begins to create all of these elements that make her Lady Gaga. When I saw the final edit I, of course, was loving some stuff, and then I was like, 'But oh, here we go.' It was brilliant. [Director] Nick [Knight] is amazing." Go behind the scenes of a top-secret Lady Gaga shoot.
This year alone, Gibson has directed Gaga's Google Chrome commercial, which pays homage to the singer's Big Apple roots, and the HBO special "Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden." Gibson also co-directed Gaga's "Judas" video, which is up for Best Choreography and Best Art Direction at the Video Music Awards. "I was able to sit in the director's seat and fulfill our vision and see it all the way through. So at the end of the day, you saw how amazing she looks — beautiful — she's dancing again," Gibson said of working with Gaga on the video. "And it's just great because I was able to produce the next level: who she is, how many levels she can go and the idea that this artist is a real artist and capable." Gibson once again assisted Gaga in the directing department, helming her dark and romantic video for "Yoü and I." Gibson described the clip as nothing less than magical, tweeting before the video hit the Web on Tuesday: "You and I @Ladygaga...... working hard, making magic." Don't miss the television premiere of the "Yoü and I" video during "MTV First: Lady Gaga," Thursday night at 7:49 p.m. ET on MTV and Logo, followed by a live Q&A with Gaga and her fans on MTV.com. Tweet your questions for the Mother Monster with the hashtag #MTVGaga. Related Videos |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Music Video Moments Posted: 17 Aug 2011 03:53 AM PDT With 'The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie' video premiering today, MTV News recaps the band's best clips.
Tonight, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will premiere their new video, for "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie," live on MTV at 7:53 p.m. ET/PT, with an exclusive interview and fan Q&A to follow on MTV.com.
Obviously, this is a pretty big deal — and not just because it's been more than five years since the band released a new album or because "Maggie" will be their first music video since 2007's "Hump de Bump." No, it's because over the course of their decades-long career, the Chili Peppers have been responsible for some of the most iconic videos of all time, clips that have pushed boundaries and defined generations in the process. Much like the Peppers themselves, their music videos flit between deliriously silly and downright arty — with stops at just about every point in between — but they always aspire to true greatness. So, in celebration of the "Maggie" premiere, we've decided to take a look back at some of those achievements. These are the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Music Video Moments: "Higher Ground" "Give it Away" "Under the Bridge" "Suck My Kiss" "Breaking the Girl" "Warped" "Aeroplane" "Scar Tissue" "Californication" "Tell Me Baby" Tune in for the premiere of "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" on Wednesday (August 17) at 7:53 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and MTV2. Then stick around immediately after for our exclusive interview with the band, streaming live on MTV.com. Fans can submit their questions for RHCP via Twitter, using the hashtag #AskRHCP. Related Videos |
| Lady Gaga's 'Yoü And I' Video: The Many Faces Of Gaga Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:47 AM PDT Video makes its television debut Thursday at 7:49 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and Logo, followed by a live Q&A with Gaga herself.
Lady Gaga promised that her Nebraska-based video for the power ballad "Yoü and I" would be about the "torture" of being away from the one you love. And, man, based on the bruising final product, she wasn't kidding.
Packed to the (pardon the pun) gills with yet another array of fetish objects and references — from mermaids and steampunk to S&M — the clip opens with a quick-cut array of Gaga in a series of outfits. In one, she wears a Princess Beatrice-style oversized black saucer hat with what looks like chicken-wire detailing, black high heels and a black wedding dress while strutting down a deserted highway and picking skin off her seriously sunburned legs. That image is intercut with pastoral views of cornfields, as well as other looks that include a mermaid in a metal bathtub, a naked Gaga in a giant water tank, a topless Gaga, a white-wedding-gown Gaga and a créme-dress-wearing Gaga being manhandled by a sexy tormentor. Gaga shot the video in Nebraska last month and explained that it is about taking a journey to win back the one you love. "The [video is about the] idea that when you're away from someone you love, it's torture," Gaga told an Omaha radio station last month. "I knew I wanted the video to be about me sprinting back and walking hundreds of thousands of miles to get him back." The him, in this case, is her old pal Luc Carl, who helped inspire the location and story line. "It was so sweet, and I looked out and it's so beautiful, that tall corn. ... Then all of a sudden you start to see these monsters pop up," she said of Nebraska. "I love this place so much, and it really comes from a genuine place. The person who I wrote this song about has been my buddy and my best friend since I was 19 years old, and he's from here." Lady Gaga's musical director recalls how "Yoü and I" came to be. With a simple message of "You must love all + every part of me, as must I, for this complex + incomprehensible force to be true" on Tuesday (August 16), Gaga unleashed the six-minute clip unexpectedly via Twitter. The video makes its television debut Thursday at 7:49 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and Logo during "MTV First: Lady Gaga," followed by a live Q&A with Gaga herself on MTV.com. As the music kicks in, Gaga poses in her black dress on a Nebraska highway, her face and hands covered with steampunk-like circuitry. But as always with the singer, whose style changes seemingly on the hour, she shows us a few more looks, including one of her most striking: a makeup-free Gaga seated at a piano in the middle of high corn stalks pounding out the song's indelible riff. Looming over her is Gaga's male alter ego, Jo Calderone, who smokes and sneers atop the keyboard while wearing black pants, a dirty white T-shirt and a greasy pompadour, trying to look James Dean cool. Gaga first introduced her male alter ego during a Vogue Hommes Japan photo shoot last year. Gaga looks relatively happy in her white wedding dress, but in the following scene, it's hard to tell if she is frightened by or in love with (or both) her buff, shirtless captor as he straps her onto a metal board, puffs some unknown mist up her nose, injects something into her neck and administers electric shock. There is also, of course, a big dance number. In this case, it's a blue-wig Gaga dressed in a strappy leather ensemble moving on the dirt floor of a barn alongside her dancers — kind of like if "Footloose" were directed by Tim Burton. "Yoü and I" is the fourth video from Gaga's chart-topping Born This Way. She has already dazzled fans with high-concept clips for "Born This Way" and "Judas," then kicked it more lo-fi in her video for "The Edge of Glory," which co-starred the late Clarence Clemons. Go behind the scenes of a top-secret Lady Gaga shoot. As promised, the final product also makes room for Gaga's mermaid incarnation, Yuyi. We see her come to life about halfway through, complete with scale-covered breasts and gills on her neck and face, when a tattooed hottie pours water on her writhing body. The rest of the clip moves through a montage of Yuyi getting busy with her water boy; Calderone spitting some tobacco juice and smashing beer bottles with attitude; unadorned Gaga doing a cornfield shuffle; and torture Gaga spitting out a broken tooth. Oh yeah, and Calderone planting a serious open-mouth kiss on the singer. And there's the one quick scene that immediately raised eyebrows: a brief image of Gaga, who is almost always seen wearing shoes that make it virtually impossible to even walk, running across the cornfield while furiously pumping her arms. What does it all mean? We're not sure, but MTV News — and you! — will have the chance to ask Gaga herself during a live Q&A following the TV premiere of the "Yoü and I" video on Thursday. Don't miss the television premiere of the "Yoü and I" video during "MTV First: Lady Gaga," Thursday night at 7:49 p.m. ET on MTV and Logo, followed by a live Q&A with Gaga and her fans on MTV.com. Tweet your questions for the Mother Monster with the hashtag #MTVGaga. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Big Sean, Rest Of MTV Jams' Fab 5 To Appear On 'RapFix Live'! Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:28 AM PDT Visit MTV.com at 4 p.m. ET to see Sean, Future, Meek Mill, Big K.R.I.T. and Mac Miller live.
This week marks the end of MTV Jams' 2011 Fab 5 rollout — perfect time for a party. This week, "RapFix Live" will celebrate the accomplishments of all the Fab 5 inductees — Big Sean, Future, Meek Mill, Big K.R.I.T. and Mac Miller — and you never know who will show up on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on "RapFix Live."
Conceived in 2005 on MTV Jams, the Fab 5 is a collection of the most outstanding new hip-hop artists of the year who have made a visible impact on the road to releasing their debut albums. Fab 5 alumni include Juelz Santana, Tony Yayo, Paul Wall, Young Jeezy, Kid Cudi and Drake. This year, MTV Jams, MTV News and MTV2's Sucker Free collaborated to bring you 2011's hottest new hip-hop upstarts. Big Sean, who hails from Detroit and is a part of Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music crew, has already had an amazing year after he put out his debut album Finally Famous in June. Off the strength of his Chris Brown-assisted lead single, "My Last," Sean's LP debuted at #3 on the Billboard albums chart. Atlanta representative Future has had quite the year as well, after capping 2010 off with a breakthrough performance on YC's club hit "Racks." Future used the opportunity to catapult his own career and has been running ATL's underground thanks to mixtapes like True Story and his Gucci Mane collab tape, Freebricks. Meek Mill has made a huge impact this year as well. After getting signed to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, Meek Milli made his splash on the label's Self Made Vol. 1 compilation. Songs like "Tupac Back" and "I'm a Boss" proved Meek's worth as a lyricist and hitmaker, and his latest mixtape, Dreamchasers is helping propel the Philadelphia native's career. With Big K.R.I.T.'s major-label debut Live From the Underground set to drop in September, the Meridian, Mississippi, MC/producer is shaping up to be a force in the rap game. After turning heads with his 2010 independent album K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, Krizzle wowed listeners with his own brand of Southern soul and has quickly become a fan favorite. Mac Miller rounds out 2011's Fab 5. The 19-year old spitter already has two critically acclaimed mixtapes under his belt as well as a pair of national tours. Now, Mac is currently working on his indie album Blue Slide Park, which will be released this fall on Pittsburgh-based Rostrum Records. The future is no doubt bright. Catch MTV Jams' 2011 Fab 5 artists on "RapFix Live" Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com. Get in the conversation by tweeting questions @MTVRapFix! Related Videos Related Artists |
| Jay-Z And Kanye West Set To Break Coldplay iTunes Record Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:23 PM PDT Watch the Throne surpasses Viva la Vida as digital first-week sales king.
There should be some interesting conversation this week between Jay-Z and his buddy Chris Martin. Billboard is reporting that when the sales numbers for Watch the Throne are released Wednesday, Hov and Kanye West will break Coldplay's U.S. one-week sales record on iTunes.
Billboard learned through its sources that the album — which was exclusively available through iTunes from its release on August 8 to August 11 — sold approximately 290,000 units through Sunday. That's 8,000 more digital copies than Coldplay slung when they dropped their 2008 album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. On Friday, Throne was released to physical retailers, and when the first-week digital and physical sales are tallied together, it is a safe bet Jigga and Yeezy will land the #1 spot on the Billboard albums chart. See what fans thought of the Watch the Throne pop-up store, which appeared in NYC last week. When MTV News interviewed a panel of hip-hop experts last week, estimations of Jay and Kanye's sales varied. Vibe editorial director Datwon Thomas guessed the Throne would sell 500,000, while Hot 97 DJ Kast One thought the album would push up to 400,000 copies. Predicting the final first-week sales number for Watch the Throne isn't easy, though. While most albums traditionally drop on a Tuesday, WTT was released on a Monday, and its four-day iTunes exclusivity further complicated matters. By the time the physical CD was released on Friday, it was difficult to judge how buyers would react. While the album was originally predicted to sell just north of 500,000 copies, now that number is looking like it will fall anywhere between 410,000 and 450,000. What do you think Watch the Throne will sell in its first week? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Danny Brown Admits Drug Habit, Failed G-Unit Deal Posted: 16 Aug 2011 03:57 AM PDT '50 was with it; he just didn't sign me because of my jeans,' Detroit MC tells Mixtape Daily.
Jay-Z once rapped that 30 is the new 20, but Danny Brown is at ease with his age — so much so that the Detroit MC dedicated his latest mixtape, XXX, to the big 3-0. At this point, Brown is comfortable as an individual, and that in itself is a double-edged sword. It is DB's individuality that has earned him a cult following of fans, which he dubs the Bruisers, and it is that same sense of self that cost the rapper a deal with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records.
"I just turned 30. I been writing raps all my life, but I remember the time when I was, like, 14, 15; I was like, 'Imagine what I'm gonna be like when I'm 20. Yo, imagine what I'm gonna be like when I'm 30,' " Brown told Mixtape Daily. "Now I'm finally 30." The mixtape, which many have dubbed "Triple X," isn't a nod to pornography, but rather a play on the Roman numeral for 30. It's an important time for the rapper, who recently signed to indie label Fool's Gold. He is finally seeing his rap dreams come true, but with that realization also came drug addiction. "Most of the stuff that I talk about is stuff that I've done in the past. But where is my life at right now, at 30?" Brown rhetorically asked. "At 30, my life is: I've been trying to get in this industry for over 10 years, and through me trying to get into that industry, I can say I developed a drug habit." Brown admits to smoking marijuana, but then again, so do most rappers. Adderall, however, is not a hip-hop drug of choice. The stimulant is used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, and for Brown, it helps him record and live his rock-star lifestyle. He even raps about the drug on "Adderall Admiral," a track from XXX. "Eatin' on an Adderall, wash it down with alcohol/ Writin' holy mackerel actual or factual," he raps before embarking on his patented free-associative rhyme patterns over a herky-jerky beat. "I got to the point that I was just taking Adderall to work on music, then it got to the point where I wanted to take Adderall to stay up late and party," Brown said. "So now, from me trying Adderall, I've tried other drugs too." On XXX, DB remains an open book. He contemplates his fate on "Die Like a Rockstar," shouting the names of deceased celebrities like River Phoenix, Brittany Murphy and Heath Ledger. "Pac Blood" finds Brown rapping over a sample of Bob James' classic "Nautilus," and on "Lie4," he bucks standard rap fare by freely admitting his financial woes. Danny Brown is certainly one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory, which can also be a disadvantage. In 2010, Brown befriended G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo, and together they recorded their collaborative Hawaiian Snow mixtape. The G-Unit association led many to wonder if Brown would eventually sign with 50's crew. But Brown, who favors fitted jeans and a vintage rock-inspired wardrobe, didn't fit the part of G-Unit soldier. "It was a real thing. 50 was with it; he just didn't sign me because of my jeans. He liked the music, but he didn't like the way I looked," Danny said. "I understand where they were coming from with that, but you gotta understand where I'm coming from too: I'm from Detroit." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Artists |
| Michael Jackson Estate Threatens Legal Action Over Tribute Concert Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:43 PM PDT 'Michael Forever' concert rescinds invitation for Kiss to perform following complaints from estate and fans.
Several weeks after announcing their intention to celebrate the life of Michael Jackson with an all-star concert called "Michael Jackson Forever," the initial lineup for the October 8 show at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, was revealed last week. According to promoters, the Michael Forever show is slated to feature such stars as Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Motown legend Smokey Robinson, in addition to less globally popular talents, including Alexandra Burke, Pixie Lott, Leona Lewis, JLS, Craig David, Alien Ant Farm and a pair of Jackson-related groups, 3T and the Jackson Brothers. The one thing the event does not have, however, is the approval of Jackson's powerful estate, which had kept silent about the show put together by parents Joseph and Katherine Jackson, along with siblings Jackie, Tito, Marlon, LaToya and Rebbie. Brothers Jermaine and Randy have not been involved in the plans and have publicly objected to the event because it falls in the middle of the involuntary manslaughter trial of Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. On Tuesday (August 16) a spokesperson for the estate — which has handled all of Jackson's affairs since his 2009 death — confirmed that estate lawyer Howard Weitzman sent a letter to concert organizers last week raising some pointed questions about the show. "I represent the Executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson. As the legal caretakers of Michael's intellectual property, we believe it is our duty to contact you directly regarding the growing number of questions that have been addressed to the Estate, as well as multiple concerns that have emerged in recent days," reads the letter. After reminding organizers that the estate is the only entity that can sign off on the use of Jackson's image or his intellectual property — the concert's website is careful not to feature any images of the singer or samples of his music — the letter said the estate was "especially disappointed" by the announcement on Monday that greasepaint rockers Kiss have been added to the bill. Specifically, the beef was that outspoken Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has made a number of disparaging comments about Jackson in the past. "It was extraordinarily embarrassing when no sooner had you announced this 'news' that [Simmons] would participate in your concert that TMZ posted an item noting that Mr. Simmons called Michael Jackson ... a child molester, notwithstanding the fact that Michael was acquitted by a jury," read the letter. Jackson fansite MJ4Justice was flooded with negative comments about the addition of Kiss, announced on Monday by Katherine Jackson on CNN, and has called for a boycott of the show. The concert's Facebook page has also been inundated with concerns over the booking of Kiss. And the complaints worked. On Tuesday, the concert's promoter, Global Live Events, canceled Kiss' "invitation" to appear in the show. "We have listened to Michael's fans and are grateful to have been alerted to these unfortunate statements by Gene Simmons," CEO Chris Hunt said in a statement. "Under the circumstances we fully agree that even though Kiss is a band Michael admired we have no choice but to rescind our invitation to them to appear in our tribute concert. We offer our sincerest apologies to Mrs. Jackson and the family for this oversight — our primary concern must be to do justice to Michael's memory, and to put on a tribute that the family and the fans will find suitable and fit for a King, our King of Pop." The estate also expressed concerns about the promotion of the concert as a charity event, noting that it is using Jackson's "good name" to promote contributions, when the charitable element of the show is voluntary. "It appears from your interviews and from your website that none of the (approximately $90-$390) per person ticket price is committed to charitable causes," the letter states. The estate asked for clarity on to whom the charitable contributions are going , as well as an explanation of the small type clause that says that refunds will not be offered if "50% or more of the number of contracted artists attend and perform." A spokesperson for the concert had not returned requests for comment about the donations at press time. Tickets are being distributed in lottery fashion, with fans asked to register for the chance to buy them in order to, "avoid the usual frantic rush and confusion when tickets for big events go on sale," according to the concert's website. "Michael Jackson always made sure his fans were treated to concert experiences so spectacular that they would remember the evening for the rest of their lives," lawyer Weitzman concluded. "He always treated his fans with the utmost respect. In light of the questions raised above and the confusion surrounding this 'event,' we are extremely concerned about Michael's legacy, his fans and the public-at-large." The letter asks promoter Global Live to address those concerns and those of the singer's fans as soon as possible. Related Artists |
| Sugarland Plan Indiana State Fair Memorial Posted: 16 Aug 2011 02:08 AM PDT Band sends out prayers for 'peace and healing' families of five killed and dozens injured in Saturday's stage collapse.
Following last Saturday's stage collapse before their scheduled concert at the Indiana State Fair, Sugarland have announced they will hold a memorial to honor the five killed and dozens injured in the accident. The band announced on their website that they are working on a memorial. "We are in the process of planning a private memorial in Indiana to honor those fans who died. We would first like to hold space so that their families can have time to go through their own services and memorials. Until that time we are holding vigil for them," they wrote. "We join them on their mourning benches. And we stand in the gap asking God to offer them peace and healing. For those suffering from injury we hold you up with prayers for complete healing of your own." In addition to their plans to honor those lost and injured, Sugarland also announced they will resume their tour later this week. "We are also addressing our own specific healing," the statement continues. "Our road family experienced its traumas together. While we all scattered to our given families for their comfort, the trauma we experienced together binds us in a unique way that we share only with each other, and those who were there. There is healing in our being together. There is healing in our working together. For this reason we are planning to get back on the road this weekend, beginning with our scheduled show in Albuquerque this Thursday, August 18th. The emotions have us yearning to be close to each other immediately. The logistics have us needing to replace all of our instruments and equipment. (The set is a loss that is insignificant in light of the tragedy.)" A memorial service was held on Monday at the fairgrounds where the accident took place. According to USAToday.com, 500 people attended the service, including Governor Mitch Daniels. The website for the fair, which reopened on Monday, announced that some shows, like the Train/Maroon 5 show, have been moved elsewhere on site, while Janet Jackson's and Lady Antebellum's performances have been canceled all together. Related Artists |
| <i>Watch The Throne</i> Tracks: Tastemakers Pick Their Faves Posted: 16 Aug 2011 08:51 AM PDT From 'Otis' to 'New Day,' experts weigh in on which Jay-Z and Kanye joint stands out from the rest.
From upbeat dance-floor bangers to low-key concept songs, there is quite a bit of variety on Watch the Throne. On the day of its digital release last week, Kanye West and Jay-Z's tag-team album saw a handful of its tracks become trending topics on Twitter. "No Church in the Wild," "Gotta Have It" and "Who Gon Stop Me" all stood out as fan favorites, at least initially, but it seems that no matter who you ask, everyone has a different favorite from WTT.
"My favorite record off the album is 'New Day,' produced by the RZA," said New York's Power 105 morning-show host Charlamagne Tha God. "The record about Kanye and Jay rapping about their unborn sons, that's ill to me." Read what the critics thought of Watch the Throne. On "New Day," Kanye express his life's regrets in a lyrical letter to his future son. Over RZA's twinkling keys and somber soul sample, 'Ye raps, "And I'll never let my son have an ego/ He'll be nice to everyone wherever we go/ I mean, I might even make him be Republican/ So everybody knows he loves white people." Jay takes a similar approach and spits a verse to his unborn, amid persistent rumors that he and wife Beyoncé are planning to have a child.
AllHipHop CEO Chuck Creekmur puts the energetic "Who Gon Stop" at the top of his list. The track samples Flux Pavilion's dubstep track "I Can't Stop." The chest-pounding album cut finds Hov and Yeezy putting their wealth on full display, despite facing insurmountable odds, with bars like, "Beat the odds, bet the feds/ It wouldn't be wise to bet against the kid/ State me broke, I bet I get rich/ Night shift '66." See what radio DJs thought of WTT's unconventional radio rollout. " 'Dudes in Paris' is awesome," Jeff Rosenthal, from the sketch comedy team It's the Real, said, censoring the song's real title, "N---as in Paris." He is particularly impressed by the song's instrumental which was constructed by Kanye and newcomer Hit-Boy. "The beat is insane, just everything about it." What is your favorite Watch the Throne track? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Maggie' Director Aimed For 'Simple And Iconic' Posted: 16 Aug 2011 07:23 AM PDT Marc Klasfeld describes the risks the band took shooting rooftop clip.
We're just a day away from the world premiere of the music video for "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" during "MTV First: Red Hot Chili Peppers" on MTV, MTV2, and MTV.com (Wednesday night at 7:53 p.m. ET). But before the video's official unveiling, MTV News sat down with the clip's director, Marc Klasfeld, to shed a little light on this long-awaited project.
Klasfeld, whose videos for Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and Rise Against's "Make It Stop (September's Children)" are up for VMAs this year, said that the idea for the brand new video came from an old, iconic place. "[Anthony Kiedis and I] were actually looking at the Beatles' 'Get Back' rooftop video and we decided that, 'Hey, how cool would it be to do something like this?' " Klasfeld said. "And do it in Southern California and shoot it at a magic hour and get that warm glow and make something iconic like that for such an iconic band ... My whole thing was like, 'I just wanna shoot film. I just want to shoot this on film, and I want this to look great, and I know nobody shoots film anymore,' but I was like, 'That's what's gonna make this so special.' " As you can see in this 30-second sneak peek of "Maggie," the video finds the band on a rooftop overlooking Venice Beach, just before sunset. But despite the easy breezy vibe in the video, there was still a certain fear factor on set. "We were a little bit worried because off to the side of the roof there's no safety net," Klasfeld said. "We found the location at the last minute, because it had such incredible views, but on the edges of the location, you fall and you die, basically. So we were a little bit worried about them just going too far ... but they're just pros. They've done it a million times and they kind of got the boundaries of it all and did it. "There was definitely something about being simple and iconic, and I know people throw around those terms constantly, but we really did it and we really stayed true to that, and I think the results are in the video," Klasfeld said. Tune in for the premiere of "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" on Wednesday, August 17, at 7:53 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and MTV2. Then stick around immediately after for our exclusive interview with the band, streaming live on MTV.com. Fans can submit their questions for RHCP via Twitter, using the hashtag #AskRHCP. Related Artists |
| Joe Jonas To Hit Road With Jay Sean Posted: 16 Aug 2011 07:53 AM PDT Co-headlining jaunt will hit 19 U.S. cities before Jonas rejoins Britney Spears tour in Europe.
Joe Jonas is getting ready for some guys' nights out. He's set to hit the road next month with Jay Sean for a co-headlining tour.
The 19-city tour will kick off September 6 in Boston before wrapping up on October 6 in New York. The duo will hit up a number of major cities as they make their way across the U.S., with stops planned in Los Angeles and Chicago. After he wraps up his tour with Jay, Jonas is set to hit the road with Britney Spears for the European leg of her Femme Fatale tour. Both guys have albums in the works. Joe drops Fast Life on October 11 and Jay will release Freeze Time in the near future. MTV News caught up with Jonas backstage during his recent gig with Spears in New Jersey at the Izod Center, and he teased what fans should expect to see on the European Femme Fatale tour. "I feel like it's the right timing now and being able to go on the Europe tour now is going to be even more incredible. I'm looking forward to it," he said, chalking up his album's slightly delayed release to fateful timing. "I think it just winds up perfectly for this tour, more than anything," he said. "What better way to get [the album] out there than the Britney Spears tour? And also just mixing and tweaking; I want to make the album perfect. I wanted to make it perfect for the fans who have waited for the album." As for those Spears shows, he says he's going big. "You've got to make it bigger 'cause the stage is bigger, that plus figuring out how the European tour's going to be," he said. "We're probably going to add a couple songs here and there and try to mix it up and do something different. It's perfect timing." The dates of the Joe Jonas and Jay Sean's U.S. tour, according to Jonas' label: » 9/6 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues |
| Leonardo DiCaprio 'J. Edgar' Photos Released Posted: 16 Aug 2011 08:23 AM PDT Photos depict a serious DiCaprio as the first-ever FBI director along with Naomi Watts as his longtime secretary Helen Gandy.
Warner Bros. has finally unveiled photos of Leonardo DiCaprio as their titular "J. Edgar" Hoover. The first images of the upcoming drama have hit the Internet and showcase both DiCaprio as the first director of the FBI and Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy, Hoover's longtime secretary. Dicaprio's Hoover looks a bit stressed in these pictures. The Dustin Lance Black-written script tells the story of Hoover's public and private lives. Clint Eastwood is continuing his trend of directing historical biopics with "J. Edgar." First with the two-parter "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima," and later with "Invictus," Eastwood has tried to capture the feel of specific times in history through the eyes of specific well-known historical figures. "J. Edgar" will delve into the controversial life of the FBI's first director, including his 48 years at the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, his alleged closeted homosexuality, and the accusations that he misused his power for political purposes. "J. Edgar" has a star-studded cast in addition to DiCaprio and Watts. Armie Hammer stars as Clyde Tolson, Hoover's protégé and alleged lover. Judi Dench plays Hoover's mother, Anne Marie Hoover. Ed Westwick is playing Agent Smith, an FBI agent tasked with ghost-writing Hoover's autobiography. Josh Lucas is famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, whose son's infamous kidnapping played a pivotal role in the development of the FBI. Jeffrey Donovan plays Robert F. Kennedy, and Ken Howard is U.S. Attorney General Harlan F. Stone. "Working with Clint Eastwood, that guy's an icon," Hammer said about the role when MTV News caught up with him at the 2011 Oscars. "Honestly, he is like the nicest, quietest, sweetest man, but he'll get excited about things, and then he'll call 'Cut!' like Dirty Harry." Check out everything we've got on "J. Edgar." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| Jeff Buckley Biopic Finds Lead In 'Spider-Man' Actor Reeve Carney Posted: 16 Aug 2011 06:49 AM PDT Carney lands role in one of three films reportedly being made about the late singer's life.
Penn Badgley may have landed the Jeff Buckley role in "Greetings From Tim Buckley," but "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" star Reeve Carney has landed the role in yet another film based on the musician's life. Carney is set to star in a still-untitled film about the "Last Goodbye" singer. It's set to begin production this November and is being helmed by "Welcome to the Rileys" director Jake Scott, who noted that Carney has "the perfect combination of musical prodigy, impish charm, innate intelligence and sensitivity to play Jeff." Carney will do all his own singing. Buckley's mom, Mary Guibert, will also be involved in production, Deadline.com reports. The film's production has been granted rights to use Buckley's music and archives, and they have also been given rights by Sony to use "Hallelujah," the Leonard Cohen song that Buckley famously covered. "The Rocker" scribe, Ryan Jaffe, will man the script based on the book "Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley" by David Browne. For some time, "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson had been attached to one of the Buckley roles, but now that both films have found their leads, it seems unlikely that the Hollywood star will get to show off his singing chops in an adaptation of the singer's life. However, Deadline.com notes that a third Buckley biopic is in the works. That one is based on the book "A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley" and is being directed by Brendan Fletcher. A California native, Buckley rose to fame in the 1990s in New York City and recorded only one studio album, Grace, before his untimely death. He was the son of singer/songwriter Tim Buckley. During his lifetime, his moody, romantic tracks paired with his signature voice established him as one of the go-to singer/songwriters of his generation. His trademark songs include "Last Goodbye" and "Hallelujah." He was just 30 years old when he drowned in a river in 1997. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Artists |
| Adam Levine Slams 'American Idol' For 'Masking' Gays Posted: 16 Aug 2011 06:30 AM PDT 'You can't be publicly gay? On a singing competition? Give me a break,' says 'The Voice' judge.
The sniping between "The Voice" and "American Idol" was pretty tame this spring when both shows were vying for eyeballs. But now that the singing competitions are off the air, "Voice" coach Adam Levine has taken the gloves off and taken a swing at "Idol" over its treatment of gay contestants. In an interview with the gay publication Out magazine, Levine spoke of how he thinks the Fox show has dealt with gay competitors in the past. "What's always pissed me off about 'Idol' is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken," he said. "C'mon. You can't be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can't hide basic components of these people's lives. The fact that 'The Voice' didn't have any qualms about being completely open about it is a great thing." The two most prominent gay singers on "Idol," runners-up Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert, avoided questions about their sexuality while on the show, though both subsequently came out once their runs on "Idol" were over. A spokesperson for "Idol" could not be reached for comment on Levine's interview. It wasn't all air kisses and gay pride on "The Voice," though, with two of the four judges, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton, posting apologies to fans and viewers after making comments deemed to be anti-gay. Levine also admitted at one point that despite his qualms, "I can't f--- with 'American Idol,' " calling the show a "cultural institution." The Maroon 5 singer told the magazine that he was proud of how his show treated such out-and-proud gay singers as Beverly McClellan and Vicci Martinez, even as he batted away the long-standing rumors about his own sexuality. And while he's happy to embrace his gay fans and encourage any and all "Voice" singers who want to give it a shot, he also responded to that speculation about his sexuality by saying, "There's no way to hide my straightness, but if people didn't think there was a small chance I was gay, then I wouldn't be doing my job very well. ... Look at the best ones, guys whose sexuality was always questioned. ... [David] Bowie. [Mick] Jagger. Freddie Mercury. I wouldn't be the frontman of a band if that question hadn't come up at some point." Levine also went on to reveal that his younger brother is gay, saying that he can "single-handedly" dispel the notion that sexuality is a choice. "Trust me, you're born with it. My brother is gay, and we knew when he was two. We all knew," he said, encouraging people to embrace the news of a loved one's homosexuality instead of fighting it. "A lot of people don't want their kid to be gay and will fight it at all costs," he said. "But I've got news for you — it's a losing f---ing battle. The more you fight it, the more f---ed-up your kid's gonna be. You've just gotta embrace it from the beginning. That's the only way to deal with it as a family. Otherwise, you're just screwing yourself over, and you're gonna make your kid miserable." Related Artists |
| Green Day Debut Amy Winehouse Tribute Song Posted: 16 Aug 2011 06:10 AM PDT Band played 'Amy' at charity show in California on Thursday.
There was a good reason Green Day had a "no cell phone" policy at their secret show at the Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, California, on Thursday in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: They were debuting some new songs. In addition to giving some very lucky fans a peek at some fresh tracks they are working on for their next album, the trio also unwrapped "Amy," a brand-new tribute to late singer Amy Winehouse. The touching, unplugged-style tune dedicated to the "Rehab" singer, who died at age 27 last month of as-yet-unexplained circumstances, alludes to Winehouse's troubled life and her signature fashions with evocative lyrics. "Amy, is your heart singing out of tune/ Are your eyes just singing the blues/ Dirty records from another time/ Some blood stains on your shoes," go the opening lines, according to lyrics posted on the band's official website. A scratchy bootleg recording of the song features singer Billie Joe Armstrong crooning the 1950s-style doo-wop tune over a gently picked electric guitar. "No one really knows about your soul/ And I barely even know your name/ Burning rhythms and posting lies/ For a bunch of fools drown in shame/ Amy don't you go/ I want you around/ Singin' whoa please don't go/ Do you wanna be a friend of mine?/ Did you tattoo a lucky charm/ To keep you out of harm's way?/ Warding off all evil signs/ But it never really kept you safe." The final bit laments Winehouse's premature death and substance battles with the lines, "You're too young for the golden age/ 'Cause the record bin's been replaced/ 27 gone without a trace/ And you walked away from your drink." The song ends with the emotional image, "May I have this last dance/ By chance if we should meet?/ Can you write me a lullaby?/ So we can sing you to sleep." Green Day are the latest artists to pay tribute to Winehouse. The list includes U2, Coldplay and M.I.A. In addition to "Amy," Green Day also previewed a number of other new songs during a full set of previously unheard tracks, including "Nuclear Family," "Carpe Diem" and "Sweet 16." "Thanks everyone for coming out to the show Thursday night and supporting us and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation," the band wrote on its site. "We have been in jamming and writing new songs for the last few months. It felt great to play these new Green Day songs live and share our 'work in progress.' Stay tuned for more!" Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
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