MTV News |
- Nirvana's <i>Nevermind,</i> By The Numbers
- MTV Exclusive: Lady Gaga To Premiere Film At Paris Fashion Week
- Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Video: Behind The MTV Premiere
- Willow Smith Finishing Up Debut Album, Jukebox Says
- Swedish House Mafia To Play Madison Square Garden
- 'Awkward.' Star Ashley Rickards Flees Cops, On 'When I Was 17'
- Red Cafe Feeling The Love With Valentine's Day Release Date
- Nirvana Heiress Frances Bean Cobain: About A Girl
- 'Abduction': The Reviews Are In!
- 'X Factor' Premiere: Our Expert Isn't Impressed ... Yet
- Wyclef Serenades His Teacher, On 'When I Was 17'
- Nirvana's Big Break, With A Smashing Pumpkins Assist
- Kelly Clarkson Describes <i>Stronger</i> As 'Soulful'
- 'Moneyball': The Reviews Are In!
- Mac Miller Takes Over NYC With Sold-Out Show
- Bruno Mars' 'Breaking Dawn' Song Will Be 'Dark'
- Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Hudson Added To Michael Forever Tribute
| Nirvana's <i>Nevermind,</i> By The Numbers Posted: 24 Sep 2011 04:53 AM PDT To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic album, we crunch the numbers to measure its huge impact.
Twenty years ago today (September 24), Nirvana released Nevermind, and the world hasn't been the same since. The album would go on to usher in rock's great renaissance, cause a seismic shift in popular culture, bring the underground to the mainstream and make unwilling stars out of three rather scruffy guys from the Pacific Northwest (OK, so Dave Grohl was technically from Northern Virginia, but he lived in Seattle while they were making the album).
And while we'd like to say the earth shifted slightly on its axis the moment that first box of Neverminds was cracked open, we'd be exaggerating. Back then, Nirvana were relative unknowns, and with popular music dominated by the likes of Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole and Color Me Badd (not to mention rock behemoths like Metallica and Guns N' Roses), the odds of them making an impact of any sort seemed long, at best. Of course, we all know how things turned out. All week long, we've been paying tribute to Nevermind's 20th anniversary on MTVNews.com, but today, the album's actual birthday, we've decided to honor its legacy in a slightly different way: by crunching the numbers. Because unlike the countless biographies, as-told-to features and behind-the-scenes tell-alls that came in the album's wake, the numbers don't exaggerate: Nevermind was (and still is) huge. Even if it probably never was supposed to be. Here are some vital stats about Nirvana's seminal album: 7,305: Number of days since Nevermind was released. In case you're wondering, that's 175,320 hours, or 10,519,200 minutes, or 631,152,000 seconds. 46,521: Number of copies of Nevermind originally shipped to retailers by Geffen Records, which hoped the album would eventually sell 200,000 copies.
144: Nevermind's debut position on the Billboard Top 200. 9: Number of weeks after its release that Nevermind was certified platinum (for shipment of 1 million units) by the Recording Industry Association of America. 1: Nevermind's position on the Billboard Top 200 during the week of January 11, 1992, when it overtook Michael Jackson's Dangerous to become the nation's highest-selling album. 253: Total number of weeks Nevermind spent on the Billboard Top 200. 30 million: Number of copies Nevermind has sold, worldwide. In the U.S., it's certified as diamond by the RIAA, for shipment of 10 million copies. 0: Number of Grammys Nevermind won (it was nominated for two). 4:30: Total length of first single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The album version runs 5:01, making it the second-longest song on Nevermind (after aptly named hidden track "Endless, Nameless"). 9: Number of times Kurt Cobain shouts "a denial" at the end of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." 6: Highest position "Smells Like Teen Spirit" held on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. $670 million: Amount, in cash and stock, Colgate-Palmolive paid to acquire Mennen, manufacturers of Teen Spirit anti-perspirant, in February 1992, six months after the release of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." 2: Fragrances of Teen Spirit currently available: "Sweet Strawberry" and "Pink Crush." During the height of the brand's popularity, there were as many as 10. $30,000-$50,000: Estimated budget of the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video. $7 million: Estimated budget of Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream" video, widely reported to be the most expensive of all time. 18-25: Age of extras in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, according to the casting call. Extras were instructed to "adapt a high-school persona, i.e. preppy, punk, nerd, jock" and "be prepared to stay for several hours." 4: Number of nominations "Smells Like Teen Spirit" received at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. It won two, for Best Alternative Video and Best New Artist in a Video. 1: Number of nominations "Weird" Al Yankovic's "Smells Like Nirvana" received at the same show. $50,000,000: Amount earned by the Kurt Cobain Estate in 2006, when he topped Forbes magazine's annual Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list 12 years after his suicide. MTV News reveals the Nevermind You Never Knew, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's definitive album with classic footage, new interviews and much more. |
| MTV Exclusive: Lady Gaga To Premiere Film At Paris Fashion Week Posted: 23 Sep 2011 07:15 AM PDT Singer will debut the film during the Mugler fashion show.
Lady Gaga is set to give her Little Monsters a big surprise at Paris Fashion Week next Wednesday. MTV News can exclusively announce that Mother Monster will debut a brand-new short film during the spring/summer 2012 fashion show for the Mugler Women's Wear Collection in Paris next week. The film was directed by "Yoü and I" fashion-film directors and fashion photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin under the creative direction of Nicola Formichetti, Mugler's creative director and Gaga's stylist. The film will feature a previously-unreleased remix of one of Gaga's songs. For those not lucky enough to attend, a special edit of the film will drop the following day online. In an exclusive behind-the-scenes still, fans are teased with a peek at Gaga's face and her long, straight blond hair. In addition, starting Monday, Mugler.tumblr.com will feature live blogging from Mugler's Atelier. While little is known about what the Haus of Gaga have up their sleeve for this latest film, the clapper board does reveal some hints. The date on the board is 09.20.2011, perhaps a hint as to when Gaga, Formichetti, and Inez and Vinoodh shot the video. This isn't the first time Gaga and Mugler have collaborated in this way. Besides the fact that Formichetti is her stylist, she's also given fans brand-new music at his shows. In January, she debuted a remix of her Born This Way track "Scheiße" at a Mugler fashion show. Then in March, Gaga not only walked in a Mugler show, she also debuted her song "Government Hooker" during the same show. Experts agree that the Mugler/Gaga relationship is one of the best in the business. "Gaga working with people like Nicola Formichetti has allowed designers like him and like the late Alexander McQueen to step out of the world of high fashion, which is often perceived of as elite, and become part of the mainstream music landscape as she's used high fashion to build her own personal musical narrative," MTV Buzzworthy blog editor Tamar Anitai said. MTV Style blog editor Mary H.K. Choi calls their work together "a pop culture moment. ... I think we can all agree that Lady Gaga's relationship with Nicola Formichetti has been entirely synergistic," she said. "When she walked the Mugler runway in Paris last season, not only did she model with aplomb, but her debut of 'Government Hooker' galvanized the show as a pop culture moment. The clothing was beautiful, granted, very much the sexy, bombastic Mugler aesthetic of the '80s and early '90s, but the confluence of Gaga, her music and Formichetti — all streamed live on Facebook — made the collection a must-see event." For more on Lady Gaga and her style, visit Style.MTV.com. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Video: Behind The MTV Premiere Posted: 23 Sep 2011 01:29 AM PDT Onetime '120 Minutes' host Dave Kendall relives that Sunday night the generation-defining clip debuted.
On September 29, 1991, Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video premiered on MTV's "120 Minutes," an event that, in the years that followed, would come to signify the beginning of rock's great renaissance and usher in a cultural shift that would define a generation. Of course, back then, it was just another video on another Sunday night, and no one — not even "120" host Dave Kendall — thought otherwise.
"I have to say, quite honestly, as soon as I heard that record and saw that video, I had no idea they were going to be as huge as they were," he laughed. "I was very, very impressed. I was moved but I really didn't have any idea it would explode to the extent it did. There's the truth." To be fair, no one did. And so, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the album "Teen Spirit" was meant to promote — Nevermind, of course — MTV News spoke with Kendall about the days before Nirvana became the biggest band in the world and about the alt-rock explosion that followed in their immediate wake. Needless to say, once "Teen Spirit" hit, everything changed and, as host of "120," he had a front-row seat for all of it. "At that time, most of the music '120' was playing was quite separate from the rest of MTV. Some stuff had crossed over — like, we played Midnight Oil, we played Sinead O'Connor, we played Depeche Mode, the Cure — but a lot of our stuff was really closeted. It was still in this 'alternative' genre," he explained. "So the mood in the building at that point was 'Some alternative acts might cross over, the others wouldn't.' Like, if MTV had known that Nirvana was going to be as huge as they [were], they would've world-premiered the video in prime time, not late-night Sunday on '120 Minutes.' But then, I didn't know either!" And how could he? After all, since creating "120 Minutes" in 1986 (and beginning hosting duties soon after), Kendall had been focused on trying to find bands he loved — "I was a bit stuck in my Anglo-centric, industrial, techno-pop mode," he laughed — and hadn't been paying attention to the storm that was brewing in the Pacific Northwest. So when the "Teen Spirit" video appeared at MTV, he'd never even heard of the band that would subsequently change the world. "I hadn't heard Bleach, I wasn't that aware of new, American rock ... when I first heard the Nevermind record," he said. "I thought it was going to be another Seattle record, so I was a little suspicious and a little resistant to it because I thought it was going to be a lot of guitars, sort of a '70s feel. I didn't think it was going to be something new," he continued. "And then when I heard it, I knew I'd been wrong. It wasn't just heavy, it wasn't just rock, it was real melancholy, real passion, real vulnerability, the way it married intense rage with deep melancholy and sadness. And that really touched me." Little did Kendall know that within a year the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video would help bring "120 Minutes" to the mainstream and forever alter the show's playlist too. It's little wonder, then, that he'd leave the show the following year, though, with the benefit of 20 years' worth of hindsight, he can finally appreciate everything that happened following the premiere of that one little video. And, much like the rest of us, Kendall's still amazed by it all. "It definitely changed the landscape of alternative music at that point. It had become slightly more guitar-heavy over the previous couple of years, partly because of the Seattle grunge influence, but that was the record that ushered in the 'grunge era' into the 'alternative mainstream,' " he said. "It brought guitars back into the music, and took the emphasis away from keyboards and synthesizers. It was gutsy and heavy and authentic, and that's what changed the landscape. Nirvana opened people's eyes." Stick with MTV News as we reveal the Nevermind You Never Knew, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's definitive album with classic footage, new interviews and much more. |
| Willow Smith Finishing Up Debut Album, Jukebox Says Posted: 23 Sep 2011 02:13 AM PDT 'A lot of her music has a very big influence of everything from rock to pop to hip-hop,' producer tells Mixtape Daily.
Behind the Beats: Jukebox
So what's next musically for the 10-year-old singer? Jukebox tells Mixtape Daily that Willow is in the process of finishing up her Roc Nation debut. "I did like eight, nine songs on Willow, so right now, we're in the process of just trying to close out the album," he said. "It's just the whole process. You got to think about it: She's a 10-year old girl. She's gotta have a life, she's gotta be a kid." According to Jukebox, the album will contain a myriad of sounds. "Willow is kind of a combination of what 'Whip My Hair' was. Willow just isn't a pop star, she isn't just an urban artist; she's very international," he explained. "A lot of her music has a very big influence of everything from rock to pop to hip-hop."
On "Rock Star," fans will hear a different side of Willow, and Jukebox — who also did the music for Swizz Beatz and Chris Brown's "Dance Like a White Girl" — hopes it will be her next hit. "Next single which I'm praying for is a record I did called 'Rock Star.' ... She's been performing it everywhere. It's getting very great reaction," he said. "We also did a record with Diggy Simmons that's incredible. ... She's just a combination of everything pretty much." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Artists |
| Swedish House Mafia To Play Madison Square Garden Posted: 23 Sep 2011 04:43 AM PDT Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell and Steve Angello confirm December 16 show at famed New York arena.
British dance music tastemaker Pete Tong's Essential Mix brought official confirmation Friday (September 23) of what American fans of house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia have suspected for a few weeks now: Yes, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell and Steve Angello are slated to take the stage at New York's famed Madison Square Garden in December.
In fact, two "One Night Stand" performances have been announced and confirmed by the Swedes' label, EMI: December 16 at MSG and July 14, 2012, at Milton Keynes National Bowl in England. Rumblings of an epic announcement have been suspected since the group first posted a website, www.230911.com, teasing coded numbers and letters that eventually came to spell out MSG and MKB. In fact, it's a form of underground promotion SHM has become known for: Before March's Miami "Masquerade Motel: One Night Stand" beach party, they released a series of teaser videos online. With some of global DJ music's biggest hits of the past couple of years under their collective belt already — "Leave the World Behind," "One" (with Pharrell Williams), "Miami 2 Ibiza" and "Save the World" — their MSG showing will keep in line with the way Swedish House Mafia intend to conduct business: Every undertaking aims to one-up the next. In just a year and a half, the holy trinity of house will have gone from headlining Ultra Music Festival and Electric Daisy Carnival to hosting their very own 15,000-strong South Beach party. And now comes the Garden. Should it be a surprise that a dance music outfit will follow in the footsteps of U2, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, Jay-Z and the Kings of Leon? Maybe not to those in the know. But in a two-year period, it's fair to say one of music's most-underground genres has gone pop. Afrojack, David Guetta, RedOne and Dr. Luke have turned the radio "club," and EDM festival attendance has skyrocketed. Dance music has never been more popular — and according to some their biggest stars, if anyone can handle the Garden, it's "the Swedes." "The Swedish House Mafia crew: If there is one thing you can note them for, it's thinking outside the box," Pete Tong said. "It's exciting. It's something for the people to talk about that moves the culture forward." When MTV News caught up with Tiësto in Miami this year, he said, "They inspire me. Sebastian is like the Mozart of Sweden. Steve is brilliant. He makes great underground tracks, and he has the right soul. Axwell is the pretty boy," he said, laughing. "Brown hair, blue eyes, who delivers great music. They are all three amazingly talented." Chuckie called SHM "biggest thing at the moment." "They do the craziest club tracks, the biggest mainstream records. I really like those guys and really respect them. Swedish House Mafia, to me, is the biggest thing out there, for real." Tickets for "One Night Stand," December 16 at Madison Square Garden, go on sale September 30 at 10 a.m. ET. For information about pre-sales and how to get tickets, head over to Swedish House Mafia's website and Facebook page. And keep your eyes and ears peeled: Expect a live album, One Night Stand, recorded on the road this year, which will feature their latest single, "Antidote" (a collaboration with Knife Party: Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen from Pendulum), and the official release of their remix of Coldplay's "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall." Are you planning to see Swedish House Mafia at Madison Square Garden? Tell us below! Related Videos Related Artists |
| 'Awkward.' Star Ashley Rickards Flees Cops, On 'When I Was 17' Posted: 23 Sep 2011 02:36 AM PDT MTV actress recalls hilariously mistaking police car's flashing lights for brake lights on Saturday's episode.
Ashley Rickards, the star of MTV's "Awkward.," can probably sympathize with her character, Jenna, whose many FML moments include having her classmates mistake an accident for a failed suicide attempt. On Saturday's episode of "When I Was 17," she recalls a hilarious run-in with the law that sounds like it was ripped from the comedy series.
"I was driving around my neighborhood ... stop at the stop sign and there's a cop behind me and his brake lights went on," Ashley remembers in the episode airing Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/PT. "It was a stop sign — the brake lights are going to go on. "So I keep going down the road; half a mile ... a mile. Then all of a sudden, the sirens go off," she says. While most people would agree that the blaring of a police car siren is quite possibly one of the most terrifying sounds on the planet, the suddenly panicked Ashley was sure she hadn't done anything wrong. "So I pull over and he says, 'Do you realize I've been trying to pull you over for the past mile?' I'm like, 'No I just heard the sirens now.' And he was like, 'I didn't have the sirens on. I was flashing my lights.' I felt like such an idiot," she laughs. "She didn't understand that the red on the top lights were different than the brake lights," Lisa, Ashley's mom, explains. But the "Awkward." star still swears to this day that there were no blue lights flashing, just "exclusively the red ones." Honest mistake, Ashley. Brake lights can totally be on the top of a car too, right? Or something? "When I Was 17" — this week featuring Wyclef Jean and Ashley Rickards — airs on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/PT on MTV. Related Videos |
| Red Cafe Feeling The Love With Valentine's Day Release Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 03:00 AM PDT 'I wanted to tag it with that big holiday and just give something that the people could give as a gift,' he tells MTV News.
It's been a long time coming, but on February 14, Red Café hopes to finally present to the world his labor of love. It was 2005 when the Brooklyn MC first started buzzing with his street single "Bling Blaow," and two years later, he collaborated with DJ Envy from MTV2's "Sucker Free" to release their collaborative Co-Op street album. Now, Red looks forward to finally dropping his proper solo debut, Shakedown, on Bad Boy/ Konvict Muzik.
"February 14, Valentine's Day," Red told MTV News of his album release date, while on the video set for his current single "Fly Together" with Rick Ross and Ryan Leslie. "I wanted to tag it with that big holiday and just give something that the people could give as a gift — his or hers, it's all good." Through the years, Café has had no shortage of high-powered street jams like "Da Hottest in Da Hood," "I'm Ill" with Fabolous and the Rick Ross-assisted "Faded," but his oft-delayed debut at times overshadowed his talent. Luckily, fans won't have to wait much longer, according to Red. "We're in a good place. I'm excited about the album. I'm happy with what we have and where I'm at musically. I'm happy with the growth," he said. "We have a growing fanbase. I'm still learning a lot, but I know what my people want, and I think we have it on the album. "I'm really, really excited. I got some big features on there, I got some big producers as well," Café said before revealing Fabolous as one of his collaborators. "I'm just ready to go. I can't wait for the tour, I can't wait for the release. I'm just ready for everything." What are you expecting from Red's debut? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists |
| Nirvana Heiress Frances Bean Cobain: About A Girl Posted: 23 Sep 2011 12:52 AM PDT Daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love turns 19 a month before Nevermind's 20th anniversary.
From the moment of her birth, she was instantly the most famous baby on the planet. Frances Bean Cobain, now 19, is the only child of late Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain and Hole frontwoman Courtney Love.
As we were digging through the tape archives this week in the midst of the 20th-anniversary celebration of Nirvana's landmark Nevermind album, we unearthed some footage of the rock offspring spending quality time with her parents and thought it was worth catching you up on what Frances has been up to lately. Born August 18, 1992, Frances — whose godfather is former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe and godmother is actress Drew Barrymore — had a childhood that was unusual even by Hollywood standards. While Love tried her best to keep the young Frances out of the spotlight, the toddler would occasionally make the papers on Love's arm at a movie premiere or public event. Photos: Growing Up Frances Bean Cobain As she grew older, Frances continued to mostly shun the spotlight, giving only a handful of interviews to date, including her first one in 2005 as a 13-year-old to Teen Vogue. Here are five facts you may not know about Frances Bean: » She worked as an intern at Rolling Stone during the summer of 2008. The gig was ironic, if only because her dad famously wore a homemade T-shirt that read "corporate magazines still suck" during Nirvana's first cover shoot for the famed rock mag. » Her sweet 16 birthday party was held in August 2008 at the Los Angeles House of Blues and featured a performance from Mindless Self Indulgence. » Like her father, Frances is also an artist. She debuted a collection called "Scumf---" at Los Angeles' La Luz de Jesus gallery in July 2010 under the pseudonym "Fiddle Tim." The show mostly consisted of cartoony drawings of distorted figures with titles such as "Hips Like Battleships," "Chopsy Cheech" and "Spector Hector." » Frances was part of a large group of background singers on a strange project from transgressive Dresden Dolls singer Amanda Palmer called "Evelyn Evelyn," which was reportedly created by a pair of conjoined sisters from Seattle. The song "My Space" features backing vocals from Cobain, comedians Margaret Cho and Eugene Mirman, Andrew W.K., My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way and "Weird" Al Yankovic. » The biggest splash to date, however, has been a series of moody, alluring black-and-white photos of Frances shot by fashion designer Hedi Slimane. Who knows what's next for Frances, but given her musical and artistic pedigree, it's likely we've not seen the last of her. Stick with MTV News as we reveal the Nevermind You Never Knew, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's definitive album with classic footage, new interviews and much more. |
| 'Abduction': The Reviews Are In! Posted: 23 Sep 2011 01:19 AM PDT Critics can't get away from Jacob/'Twilight' comparisons as Taylor Lautner bids for action-hero status in John Singleton flick.
For much of his career, Taylor Lautner has either been a karate-kicking spy kid or a heartbroken werewolf hopelessly in love with his mortal enemy's girl. But on Friday (September 23), the teen star launched the next phase of his career in the John Singleton-directed "Abduction."
The film centers on a young man (Lautner) who realizes that his life isn't exactly what it seems. His character sets out to learn who he really is after finding his baby picture posted on a missing-persons website. In addition to Lautner (in his first lead role), the movie also stars Lily Collins as his love interest and a number of A-listers, including Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello and Alfred Molina. Before you head to the theater this weekend, check out this handy "Abduction" cheat sheet and read on for what the critics are saying about Lautner's giant leap from teen werewolf to action hero. Taylor Lautner the Action Hero
The Inevitable Jacob Comparisons The Final Word Check out everything we've got on "Abduction." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Related Videos Related Photos |
| 'X Factor' Premiere: Our Expert Isn't Impressed ... Yet Posted: 23 Sep 2011 12:31 AM PDT MTV News' Jim Cantiello offers his first-week take on Simon Cowell's latest singing contest and suggests some upgrades.
After a year of hype and the promise of a revamped singing competition that will blow everything else out of the water, Simon Cowell's "X Factor" debuted and turned out to be, at best, "American Idol" in an arena and, at worst, "America's Got Talent" without the jugglers.
Comparisons to other reality competitions are unavoidable, not only because "X Factor" marks the TV return of beloved duo Simon and Paula, but because Cowell has taken elements from many competitive series and put them in a giant blender: the auditions in front of a live audience of "Talent"; the small-town-hero angle of "Idol"; former "Sing-Off "judge Nicole Scherzinger; and an impossibly tall, foreign-born, hug-happy host, à la "So You Think You Can Dance" star Cat Deeley. But so far, Frankensteining a bunch of popular TV shows hasn't made "The X Factor" feel all that groundbreaking. In its defense, audition episodes are often the tackiest, most manipulative and most bloated part of any reality competition, particularly "American Idol." Easy-target freak shows and exploitative sob stories abound. In the two-night (!) four-hour (!!) "X Factor" premiere, we met washed-up R&B divas, recovering meth-head waste managers and a stripping novelty act that had Paula regretting her breakfast burrito. Meanwhile, "tribute act" contestants like Prince-loving Siameze and the James Brown-aping Dexter Heygood received good reviews, even though they might seem more at home on "America's Got Talent." (Now that I mention it, one of the girls in metal duo "You Only Live Once" was just on "AGT" this summer doing the same exact shtick. You'd think Cowell's production company — which oversees both shows — would have caught that.) After two nights, the only thing that differentiates "X Factor" from every other music-based reality competition is a $5 million contract, mentioned approximately 14 times a minute, and ... well, that's about it. Simon Cowell spent so much time obsessing over how to top "American Idol" that he lost sight of the one show he should be paying attention to: "The Voice." NBC's midseason breakout cracked the code and figured out how to make audition episodes fresh again. The secret? Blind auditions that forced the judges to make snap decisions on the spot, aided by a giant red button left over from "Press Your Luck," which activated a giant swivel chair. There was cooked-up suspense in every single audition. Gimmicky? You bet. Fun as hell and new? Absolutely. Truth be told, once the blind auditions ended, "The Voice" became a less exciting reality show with a so-so talent pool. The most interesting parts — the judges are also mentors, their famous friends drop by for one-on-one coaching time — were all components liberally lifted from the U.K.'s "X Factor" format. Ironic that the one reality show Simon didn't take from is the one that stole from him, don'cha think? All hope is not lost for "The X Factor," though. When it works — like recovering addict Chris Rene performing a heart-tugging original called "Young Homey" or rugby player (and former "Idol" hopeful) Caitlyn Koch turning "Stop in the Name of Love" into an Adele song — it lives up to its potential as a fresher, more contemporary take on "Idol." (Those two auditions made me infinitely more excited than anything I saw during the "Idol" tryouts this year.) Plus, as a casual watcher of the U.K. series, I know that there are tons of surprises and high drama in store. With the promise of "awards-show-style performances" from the contestants starting with the live shows in November, I'm confident "The X Factor" will grow into the groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind, must-see spectacle it claims to be. Until then, I'll miss Christina Aguilera and her swivel chair. |
| Wyclef Serenades His Teacher, On 'When I Was 17' Posted: 23 Sep 2011 01:03 AM PDT Former Fugees singer recalls trying to get out of summer school on the latest episode, airing Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/PT on MTV.
Before Wyclef Jean began his quest to conquer hunger in Haiti, he had to get past his first obstacle: Mrs. Serrato.
On this week's episode of "When I Was 17," premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/PT on MTV, Wyclef speaks candidly about the trials he had to overcome to shape him into the multifaceted man he is today. Graduation time had arrived and Wyclef was ready to get fitted for his gown when his high school guidance counselor told him he was wasting his time. "So I'm going to get sized up, and they're like, 'Well, it's not necessary for you to get sized up, because there's one class you have to finish in summer school,' " he recalled. "I'm like, 'What?' " He soon found out that he had earned an F in Algebra 2, and in order for him to walk with his classmates, his teacher had to change his grade. So Wyclef — being the out-of-the-box thinker he is — decided an apple wasn't enough to win his teach over: He had to do what he does best to persuade Mrs. Serrato to give him a better grade. "At 17, there's a certain confidence that you have," Wyclef said. "So I was like, 'If I sing a song for this woman, she's gonna melt and I'm gonna get a D and I'mma pass the course.' " Wyclef grabbed his guitar and waltzed into his math class with an original song. "I was like, 'I just wrote a song for you and I would just like to share it with you.' " Did Wyclef's swoon tactic work? Find out when the former Fugees member appears on Saturday's "When I Was 17." "When I Was 17" — this week featuring Wyclef Jean and "Awkward" star Ashley Rickards — airs Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/PT on MTV. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Nirvana's Big Break, With A Smashing Pumpkins Assist Posted: 23 Sep 2011 09:57 AM PDT In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nevermind, band's close friend — and former MTV staffer — Amy Finnerty recalls their rise to fame.
When Amy Finnerty first met Nirvana, she had just come to MTV to work in the Music and Programming department. Of course, she didn't let them know that fact. She was just blown away to finally meet the guys who had made her favorite album (at least at that point): Bleach. Over the next four years, Finnerty would not only become close friends with the band, but intrinsically linked to them too. Since she was just a few years younger than the guys (not to mention a huge fan), she was one of the first people within the company to champion them — and was almost singlehandedly responsible for getting their "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the channel. And because of all that — and the 20th anniversary of the epochal Nevermind album — MTV News sat down with Finnerty to get the inside story on the days before Nirvana became a household name and the wild (and amazing) times that followed after.
And it all started with that first meeting, backstage in New York. "The first night I met Nirvana, I was backstage at, I think it was a Waterboys show, and the band was in New York, touring on the Bleach album, and they were being courted by a bunch of record labels, Geffen being one of them," she said. "So I'm standing around backstage, and I see Kurt Cobain leaning up against the wall, and, uh, 'Oh my God, that's Kurt from Nirvana.' And, at that point, they weren't Nirvana — I mean, they were to me, but not everybody on the planet knew who they were — but, I was terrified. I was scared to go up and introduce myself, but I did. And he said, 'How do you even know who I am?' And I said 'You're in Nirvana! I'm going to see your band at the Pyramid in a few days! You're a great, great band!' "And he was pretty surprised, so we got to chatting and he said to me, 'Who are you? What are you doing here?' and I said, 'Oh, well, I work at MTV, whatever,' and so he screams down the hall, 'Krist, this girl works at MTV.' And it was on from that second," she laughed. "They started teasing me, making fun of me, Krist was throwing beer around, we were shaking up our beer bottles and squirting each other with beer and stuff, so, it immediately became this joke, because I really wasn't trying to tell them what I did [at MTV]. For the longest time, they referred to me as 'V.P. of Post-It Notes,' because they didn't know that I worked in Music Programming, because they would've teased me about it." Riki Rachtman recalls Nirvana's cross-dressing appearance on "Headbangers Ball." Of course, in the months that followed, the hype around the band (and their then-forthcoming album Nevermind) began to swirl, and once Finnerty heard what they guys had been working on with producer Butch Vig, she knew big things were on the horizon. "The first time I listened to the record, it was like, when you're on vacation and you see something really beautiful that you've never seen before and you open your eyes up super-wide, because you want to get the memory ingrained into your brain, and that's the way I felt," she said. "I was trying to remember every single note." Still, convincing the folks at MTV to take a chance on the band proved a lot tougher than she'd imagined. After all, she was young, and the band was virtually unknown outside of a few hip enclaves around the country. But that all changed the second she saw the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video — which, in a bit of alt-rock kismet, arrived in her office at the exact moment another soon-to-be-huge band did too. "The Smashing Pumpkins were staying at my house, and I said, 'You guys, come by MTV, give me the keys to the apartment, and then I'll bring you around the halls and introduce you to some people.' ... And so the Pumpkins came in 10 minutes after I had gotten my hands on that music video, and so we went into my office to watch it, and everyone thought it was incredible," Finnerty said. "So I took the video and I walked around the halls at MTV and simultaneously introduced a bunch of people to the Smashing Pumpkins, and then we'd watch the video ... and then we'd go to a producer's office and I'd say, 'These are the Smashing Pumpkins, and the Gish record that just came out is so incredible, and they're going to send us a video. Oh, and by the way, we've got this Nirvana video; you have to check it out.' " Nirvana's rise to fame, in their own words.
After Finnerty showed a few folks within the building "Smells Like Teen Spirit," she brought it to MTV's music meeting, where the fates of new videos were decided. After some healthy back-and-forth, it was determined that "Spirit" would be given a world premiere during MTV's "120 Minutes" (with rotation on the channel to begin the following week). It was a sink-or-swim moment for the band and as you're probably aware, things worked out pretty well. "That was unprecedented; MTV, as far as I know, had never world-premiered a video for a band that they had no history with," Finnerty explained. "And then ... some of the crew and a lot of the people that were on the road with the band came over to my house that Sunday night, and we all sat up waiting for this world premiere, and, like, I took pictures of it. It was a big moment!" It was just the first of many for the band and their friend. But for all the highlights, perhaps none illustrates Nirvana's scruffy charm quite like a story Finnerty told us about a party she threw for the band at her New York City apartment. Twenty years later, it's one she's still amazed by — sort of like the band she helped become huge ("in some small way," she cautioned) just by believing. "So Nirvana played in New York, and I had decided to have a party at my apartment afterwards ... and the band came, and I think [the Pixies'] Kim Deal was there, and then there were just a host of other people that I had no idea who they were. And I leaned over to Kurt and I was like, 'Are these your friends? Do you know any of these people?' And he was like, 'I don't know any of these people ... do you want me to get them to leave?' " she recalled. "So he said, 'I'm going to walk out, I'm going to go downstairs and hide under the stairs, and everyone's going to leave. Watch.' And so he walked out, and, you know, you could see everyone trying to act casual, but they all saw him leave, and then it was like a mass exodus; within 10 minutes my apartment was cleared. "And then he came back up and got me and told me that we were going to go listen to the best jukebox in town, and I thought I was going to have this unbelievable night of listening to some hidden punk rock on some cool jukebox in New York, right?" she continued. "But instead he took me to the 119 Bar, which, at the time, had a jukebox that only played disco music. And so we danced to Donna Summer, and then we went home. It was a pretty amazing night." Stick with MTV News all week as we reveal the Nevermind You Never Knew, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's definitive album with classic footage, new interviews and much more. |
| Kelly Clarkson Describes <i>Stronger</i> As 'Soulful' Posted: 23 Sep 2011 06:36 AM PDT Singer says influences for her upcoming album, due October 24, include Prince, Sheryl Crow and Radiohead.
In her nearly decade-long career, Kelly Clarkson has kicked out an album almost every two years. But if you're expecting something predictable from Clarkson's fifth studio effort, Stronger (due October 24), you're in for a surprise.
While she's not completely reinventing her sound, the former "American Idol" winner counts Prince, Sheryl Crow, Tina Turner and Radiohead among this album's big influences. Clarkson explained how you get from "Because of You" to Kid A. "It was a lot of soulful stuff," Clarkson said. "You know what I'm saying? Like, Radiohead is alternative, but they're very soulful. And Sheryl Crow, very soulful singer/songwriter. So it's all very soulful, rhythmic pop rock." "Oh yeah, there's a little bit of dance," Clarkson continued. "One of the songs, it's probably gonna be a single, 'What Doesn't Kill You,' it's a great song and definitely ... that's the one everybody will be jumping up and down to." That combination of soul, rock, pop and dance is apparent in the album's lead single, the ultimate tell-off anthem "Mr. Know It All." But what are Clarkson's other top picks from the LP? " 'You Love Me' is probably one of my favorites," Clarkson said. " 'Honestly' is another one. 'What Doesn't Kill You,' I can't wait to perform that live. We've already rehearsed it and it's so much fun. It's like this big dance anthem. That'll be the one [that's] kinda like 'Since U Been Gone,' [with] people jumping up and down to [it], and it's just kind of really inspiring, so I can't wait to perform that one." In addition to "You Love Me" and "What Doesn't Kill You," we couldn't help but notice the frequency of the word "you" in the album's track list, with songs like "Standing in Front of You," "I Forgive You" and "You Can't Win." Add in the album's title, Stronger, and the clues are there that someone has done Kelly wrong over the past two years. Or at least that's how it seems. "They're all different 'you's,' " Clarkson said. "There's no common, like, it wasn't like one, I didn't have a bad breakup or anything, it wasn't like that. No I just think life is about relationships, so I always write about all these different ones going on in my life and I don't really have a filter. So it's usually very [straightforward]." Related Artists |
| 'Moneyball': The Reviews Are In! Posted: 22 Sep 2011 11:53 PM PDT Critics herald the baseball flick as 'the prime Brad Pitt movie.'
On paper, "Moneyball" is a movie that sells itself. It's based on a best-selling book about our national pastime, the screenplay for which was adapted by Oscar winners Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian, and it stars Brad Pitt, in all his handsome, charming splendor, as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane. Throw in a killer supporting cast that includes Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman and several real-life ball players, and you've got the makings of a hit.
With a 94 percent certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "Moneyball" seems to be a solid winner with critics. So take an early seventh-inning stretch and settle in for some sports clichés as we sort through the "Moneyball" reviews! The Story The Brad Pitt Factor The Book-to-Film Comparison
The Final Word, Pro-Con Style "The downside of Pitt's triumph is that it unbalances the movie, throwing more of the focus on Billy than the team. To put 'Moneyball' over the fence, Miller and his writers needed to make something else hit home: the meaning of the on-base percentage. What does it say about a player who can't throw far, can't steal a base, rarely hits a ball over the fence, and yet can be as great an asset as a future Hall of Famer? Instead of answering that question — and dramatizing how wins can be built from unflashy players working in sync under a manager who understands 'small ball' — Miller shifts into montage mode (They won! They won again! They're on a streak!), as if Beane and Brand had written a computer program that was running to its inevitable conclusion. That, of course, leaves the team's manager, Art Howe (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, maybe to pay Miller back for helping him win an Oscar in 'Capote'), a cipher, a nonpresence on and off the field. 'Moneyball' has everything but team spirit." — David Edelstein, New York Check out everything we've got on "Moneyball." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos |
| Mac Miller Takes Over NYC With Sold-Out Show Posted: 22 Sep 2011 11:38 PM PDT 'To come and sell out Irving Plaza real quick is great, man,' the 'Donald Trump' MC tells MTV News before Thursday night concert.
NEW YORK — What a difference a year makes. Last year Mac Miller hit the intimate S.O.B.'s to perform his first show in the city, but on Thursday night, the Pittsburgh rap phenomenon returned to the much-larger Irving Plaza to begin his Blue Slide Park Tour before a sold-out crowd.
"The transition is crazy, like seeing how things build," Mac told MTV News just hours before taking the stage on Thursday. "In New York, in S.O.B.'s, I was freaking out about that, man. I was like, 'Man, there all these people here for me.' So to come and sell out Irving Plaza real quick is great, man. That's why I do what I do — to keep on growing and building." The young energetic crowd of teens and 20-somethings, who were mostly dressed in Miller's "Most Dope" T-shirts, welcomed the opening acts, but as the clock ticked, they grew impatient. With the stage lights dark, the throng of supporters held their thumbs up (a hand signal Mac Miller and his fans share in a sign of solidarity) and began to chant "Mac, Mac, Mac, Mac." Finally, at 9:22 p.m. ET, the charismatic rhyme dealer emerged onstage from a cloud of smoke. Miller began rapping as the tinkling from his "Best Day Ever" track filled the concert hall. "I never take a day off/ Work around the clock my engineer getting paid off," he rapped, taking center stage in a New York Yankees snapback and a blue zip-up hoodie. The stage design matched Miller's Blue Slide Park album theme. There were street lights, a park bench and Mac's DJ's booth was set up to look like an ice-cream cart. Performing fan favorites from his K.I.D.S. and Best Day Ever mixtapes, Mac breezed through songs like "Get Up," the Al B. Sure-sampling "Ride Around" and "Senior Skip Day." When the Empire of the Sun-tinged "The Spins" dropped, Mac didn't have to say a word as the crowd performed the song's opening lyrics for him. "Wanna get a mansion, a Jacuzzi, a theater to watch my movies," recited concertgoers from the front to the back of the venue as the 19-year-old MC sported a Kool-Aid smile.
With the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, MM turned from rapper to rock star when he pulled out a white guitar for the mellowed-out "Another Night Alone," which he strummed onstage for the first time ever, much to the crowd's delight. At the end of the song, Miller screamed proudly, "Yeah mother----er, I play guitar and sh-- too." Tracks like "In the Air," "Good Evening" and "All Around the World" brought the energy back up as fanatics bounced up and down with their hands waving in the air. There were also dedications to his deceased grandfather ("Poppy") and his mother, who was in attendance ("I'll Be There"), but the biggest thrill came at the end. After performing the rambunctious "Knock, Knock," Mac abruptly left the stage only to re-emerge for an encore. And the hook to the set-ending "Donald Trump" couldn't have been more fitting. "We gonna take over the world, while these haters get mad," Mac Miller sang. Maybe he hasn't taken over the world just yet, but last night Mac certainly conquered NYC! Related Artists |
| Bruno Mars' 'Breaking Dawn' Song Will Be 'Dark' Posted: 23 Sep 2011 09:49 AM PDT 'I'm Team Bella all day,' the 'It Will Rain' singer reveals in new Billboard interview.
Bruno Mars is set to make it rain on the "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" soundtrack. Mars' track, "It Will Rain," is set to drop on Tuesday, one day after the full track list for the soundtrack hits the streets.
"After seeing the movie, I thought that it would be a perfect fit," Mars told Billboard about the lead single off the soundtrack, which is out on November 8 (just 10 days before the movie hits theaters). "The 'Twilight' movies for me [are] a love story. But it's a dark love story," he added. "And I think the best way to describe the song is: It's the darker side of love. I think that pretty much sums it up." And while the singer didn't reveal any plot details in the chat, he did weigh in on the biggest conundrum of our time: Is he Team Edward or Team Jacob? "Do I wear a Team Jacob shirt or a Team Edward shirt?" Mars teased. You know what? I'm Team Bella all day." So how did the song come together? The VMA-nominated singer said it "started off with me and the guitar, and I just had this melody in my head and basically laid it down after I saw the film." Mars also said he saw "most of the movie" so he "could catch the vibe and feel where they were going with it." But since he didn't see a final cut, he has no idea where his song will get placed. "As long as it's not after the credits," Mars joked. "I hope it's in a good [scene]!" Mars and the Smeezingtons had been working on the track before Bruno was asked to contribute to the soundtrack. In fact, earlier this summer, Mars teased MTV News that he had a song he was super excited to share with his Hooligans, though it's unclear if "It Will Rain" is the same song. "I'm definitely thinking about what's next," he said in August. "I've got a song that I just wrote that I'm extremely proud of and I worked really hard on, and it's gonna come out soon." Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Hudson Added To Michael Forever Tribute Posted: 23 Sep 2011 08:09 AM PDT Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and many others will also participate in the Jamie Foxx-hosted show on October 8.
As the October 8 date approaches, the Michael Forever tribute concert in Cardiff, Wales, in honor of late pop icon Michael Jackson has added two more headliners. On Friday (September 23), the Black Eyed Peas joined a lineup that is also slated to feature performances by Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Leona Lewis, Ne-Yo, Craig David, Pixie Lott, Alexandra Burke, Alien Ant Farm and Motown legend Smokey Robinson. The show, which is being presented by Jackson's mother, Katherine, along with some but not all of the King of Pop's siblings (and without the sanction of his estate), will be hosted by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. Pregnant pop queen Beyoncé will appear in some form at the show via a pre-taped satellite segment. A press release also announced that Oscar-winning singer Jennifer Hudson has been added to the lineup as well. In a statement, Peas co-founder will.i.am — who spent time in the studio with Jackson prior to the singer's June 2009 death — said of his band's participation, "This show is going to be an incredibly personal and moving evening for me. Remember that Michael's music, his great, great songs, have been an inspiration to my whole life and certainly formed the soundtrack to my childhood. When I was a little kid of six or seven growing up in Los Angeles, there was Michael recording Thriller, and all his early hits, just a few miles away across town — obviously I didn't know him at that time, but I loved him as a fan." One of the members of the original Jackson Five, sibling Marlon Jackson, will be on hand, and he expressed his excitement about the addition of the Peas. "We're all really delighted and touched that the Black Eyed Peas are able to come and take part " he said. "My brother rated Will.i.am and the original things he does in music very highly. I guess you could say it was a case of mutual respect." Some members of the Jackson family, including siblings Janet, Jermaine and Randy, have complained about the timing of the show, which will take place in the midst of the manslaughter trial of Jackson's physician Dr. Conrad Murray. Related Photos Related Artists |
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