Clara's Place

Ke$ha Is Channeling 'Sexiness' Of '70s Rock For New Album

2011-09-14T12:00:00.001-07:00

Glitter-heavy pop star tells MTV News she's going for 'balls-out, irreverent rock and roll.'By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

Ke$ha

Photo: MTV News

Ke$ha's already got the face paint down pat, and, during recent live sets, she's even taken to guzzling blood out of a human heart, so it should come as no surprise that, on her upcoming album, the pop star is taking things back to the most theatrical era of rock: the prop-heavy, arena-spanning heyday of the 1970s.
Ke$h revealed her plans over the weekend in Los Angeles, on the red carpet of KIIS FM's annual Wango Tango concert, where she told MTV News that the follow-up to her breakout Animal album (and, we suppose, Cannibal too) would be heavy on hard riffs and light on pretty much everything else.

"The next album ... I've been working on writing on the road, but as far as a sound, I just know it's gonna be balls-out, irreverent rock and roll," she said. "I've been pretty much in this '70s rock and roll kick and I just want to capture some of the true essence of what rock and roll is, and that's just irreverence and sexiness and fun and not giving a f---, so we'll definitely put a bit of rock and roll in it."
So, does that mean that fans can expect the likes of Alice Cooper or Peter Frampton to show up on her new album? Perhaps. Because while Ke$ha's new album is still a ways off, she's already begun calling in favors, hoping to line up a killer collabo for the new disc.
"I'm trying, trust me," she laughed. "I really would love to connect with one of my idols, I mean, that's my dream. I'm working on it."
What do you think of Ke$ha going rock for her next album? Tell us in the comments!

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2011-09-14T05:00:00.001-07:00

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2011-09-14T02:00:00.001-07:00

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Usher - OMG

2011-09-13T20:00:00.001-07:00

OMG

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'Warrior' More Than Just A 'Fighting Movie'

2011-09-13T16:00:00.001-07:00

Co-stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and director Gavin O'Connor talk about the mixed martial arts film, in our Fall Movie Preview.By Kara Warner

Tom Hardy in "Warrior"

Photo: Opulence Studios

Film fans have never had it so good, given the increasingly massive number of movies released each year. The only problem with that enormous haul is that not all of them are great or memorable, no matter their box-office success. And while 2011 has already brought some great features, we here at MTV News are looking forward to the fall movie season with great anticipation, mostly because studios typically release some of their best projects between the months of September and December.

One of the finest of the fall slate is "Warrior," a gritty and moving action flick about two brothers who face the fight of their lives in a mixed martial arts tournament. How do we know it's great? Because we've seen it, and during the promotional run for the Friday release, the response among the other usually cynical reporters in attendance was extremely positive.
We caught up with stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and director Gavin O'Connor and asked whether they can feel that positive vibe as well.
"Yes, I can actually," Hardy agreed. "And that's a testament to Gavin O'Connor and Antony Tambakis for writing a great movie."
"Absolutely," Edgerton chimed in about the early critical response. "[You get it] from both men and women and all age groups, you definitely feel that. And to me, all good filmmaking comes down to taste," he said. "If there's a good taste put into every decision in terms of music and costume and the way something is shot and the words that are put on the page. There are so many decisions that go into making a movie and any bad decision can steer the ship in the wrong direction," he explained. "It's really rare when all of the decisions amount to a really good journey that works, and we're very lucky to be a part of it."
Director O'Connor ("Miracle," "Pride and Glory") said he felt lucky to have had the mixed martial arts (MMA) community open up to him, which allowed him to better capture the heart and soul of the sport. But he also expressed his hope that the fighting elements won't lead moviegoers to believe the film is merely about blood sport.
"The preconceptions of this movie are, 'Oh, it's mixed martial arts; I don't want to see it,' because on paper [it may seem like one thing], but there's a real artistry to the sport," O'Connor explained. "There's an athleticism to the sport that is at the highest level, and there is a spirituality to the sport that I hope I captured because I recognized it, I felt it. ... In a way, the movie is not a fighting movie. It's not a MMA movie but for that part of the film, for me, it's a love letter to those guys and the sport."
From "Abduction" to "Muppets, "Moneyball" to "Breaking Dawn," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.
Check out everything we've got on "Warrior."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Justin Timberlake Claims Music Is His 'Bread And Butter'

2011-09-11T19:00:00.001-07:00

'I don't ever want to stop doing music,' JT tells U.K. magazine.By James Montgomery

Justin Timberlake in his "SexyBack" music video

Photo: Jive

If he had his way, Justin Timberlake would probably be doing promo for the follow-up to 2006's FutureSex/LoveSounds right about now; it's just that these pesky movie roles keep getting in the way.
That's the takeaway from a new interview Timberlake gave to British magazine ShortList (to hype the U.K. release of one of those films, "Friends With Benefits,") in which he spoke openly about his desire to return to music, and the public's perception that he's purposely ignoring his career as a recording artist.
"To be honest, my plan would have probably been to do another record, probably right about now. I never stop considering myself a musician. To me, it's my bread and butter," he said. "And I mean that in a personal way, I don't mean that it finances my 'acting hobbies.' I joke with my friends that I should have a business card saying 'David Fincher put me in a movie,' because 'Bad Teacher' got a blessing due to 'The Social Network,' and then 'Friends With Benefits' came out of that.
"All the movies I've done were just opportunities that came up, but now that they're all coming out back-to-back, people think, 'Oh, he's trying to make a statement by having an acting career,' " he continued. "But it's not like that for me. I don't ever want to stop doing music."
Of course, in recent months, Timberlake's musical output has been limited to a cameo in a video for "Hoodies On, Hats Low," a song by his Tennman Records' artist FreeSol, and an impromptu performance with the group at a restaurant he co-owns in New York City. But he maintains that he never really decided to put his solo career on the shelf. It just sort of shook out that way, much to the dismay of his fans, who have begun making impassioned (and slightly profane) pleas for his return.
"The only conscious decision I made was that I didn't want to do a movie about a musician, because I felt like that was presumptuous," he told the magazine. "If 'Bad Teacher' had come out before 'The Social Network,' it may have curbed it a bit because people got used to seeing me on 'Saturday Night Live' and thought, 'Well, he's kind of funny.' I never cared about being taken seriously as a musician."
So, when can fans expect to hear new music from Timberlake? Well, from the sound of things, it may be a while. For the immediate future, he's focused on just disappearing for a while.
"I have nothing on my plate for the rest of the year. I'm getting sick of me," Timberlake said. "I realize that I'm in a really lucky place because, to be honest, I don't think I'm that good. I just want to make the right choices. You get to a certain age where you don't feel the need to be validated by your choices in your career. I want to be validated more by choices in my personal life."

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Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror

2011-09-11T10:00:00.001-07:00

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2011-09-11T04:00:00.001-07:00

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Ke$ha - Blow

2011-09-11T01:00:00.001-07:00

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Beyonc� - Video Phone (Extended Remix)

2011-09-10T20:00:00.001-07:00

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Pet Tags

2011-09-10T15:00:00.001-07:00

Man, I'm so irritated.
I just received four pets tags that I ordered for Bev and Mary Margaret (two for Brooklyn and two for LA) and they're all messed up. Not only did they leave off the "Margaret" on Mary Margaret's tags, but the text isn't centered correctly and runs off the right side on all four of them. (The last letter of the address is cut in half.) The tags themselves are also ugly. The edges aren't smoothed out... they look like someone just cut them from a piece of sheet metal and called it a day.
So anyway, I got them this morning on my way to Starbucks (yesterday's mail), so while I was there, I started drafting a strongly-worded letter in my head, like what I was going to say to these people when I sent them back.
And then I saw it.
In tiny print on the bottom of the invoice it said, "Our handicapped employees appreciate your order."
So now I can't send them back. If I did I'd be a total asshole.
I'm just going to order new ones from someplace else. Any recommendations?

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'Muppets' Brings Out The 'Puppet Geek' In Jason Segel

2011-09-10T08:00:00.001-07:00

Co-writer and star recalls cast's 'wild love of the Muppets' on set, in MTV News' Fall Movie Preview.By Kara Warner

Fozzie the Bear, Kermit the Frog, Jason Segel and Miss Piggy in "The Muppets"

Photo: Walt Disney

For those of us who grew up with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the rest of the fun, furry gang known as the Muppets, their upcoming return to the big screen is one of the most anticipated of the year. And they're coming back with a bang: Their first feature film in more than a decade features an A-list cast, a killer marketing campaign, a hit soundtrack and a slew of celeb cameos.
Click for exclusive photos from fall's biggest flicks.
MTV News recently caught up with "The Muppets" co-writer and star Jason Segel to find out who is the funniest and most fun Muppet to hang out with, why people act differently around puppets and what's generally in store for Muppet lovers old and new.
MTV: We know it's like picking a favorite child, but who is your favorite Muppet?

Jason Segel: I must say Walter is going to be a new favorite. You haven't gotten to know him that well yet, but he sort of represents the point of view of the audience. He's just a crazy Muppets fan, and he reminds me a lot of Kermit before Kermit became Kermit. He's wildly hopeful and believes in goodness and friendship, so I have a real affinity for Walter.
MTV : Who is Walter's favorite Muppet?
Segel: Kermit. He is a wild, wild, wild Kermit fan. He has Kermit on his watch. Walter grew up with me in the city of normal people. He's the only puppet where he grew up, so when he saw "The Muppet Show" for the first time, he sort of felt like, "Oh my gosh, there are other people out there like me."
MTV : You have a lot of celeb Muppet fans in the film. Who geeked out the most with the Muppets?
Segel: I must say, there is something intrinsic of anyone who grew up with the Muppets, they have a wild love for the Muppets that comes out as soon as they come to set. Almost everybody legitimately freaked out. I think the thing that was the coolest was seeing Academy Award winner Chris Cooper — he's not a cameo; he's our villain — but this guy is one of the best actors alive, and to see him talking to these Muppets, looking them straight in the eye and laughing, there's a puppeteer right next to the Muppet, operating the puppet, but he looks straight at the puppet, and to see that that even happens to someone like Chris Cooper, it reaffirmed everything that I was working for.
MTV : There's something about puppets ...
Segel: There is something else. ... You can never touch an animated character; you could never actually be friends with it in its world. But with puppets, they exist in our world, and you can interact with them and touch them and feel like they're your friends, and I think that, viscerally, there's a different reaction to that. Sorry, I'm a total puppet geek. I could talk about this for hours. There was a little girl who came to set, and she got to meet Kermit. The puppeteers are always so gracious about meeting children when they come to set, and then the family was sitting behind the monitors and Kermit was doing a scene, and she said, out loud, in the middle of the scene, "I'm friends with him!" It just confirmed exactly what I believe that there's been something missing in that the Muppets haven't been at the forefront like what we had when we were kids.
MTV : So these are the Muppets we've known and loved, not a modern, raunchy version?
Segel: Never raunchy. The Muppets have always been subversive. They're all over the first season of "Saturday Night Live," and the first Jim Henson special was called ["The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence"]; it was very adult. The Muppets were always geared toward adult audiences, but they still managed to do that without ever being mean. It's so easy to get laughs making fun of people, and the Muppets never did that. They took maybe the harder route of being actually funny.
MTV : Who in your opinion is the funniest Muppet?
Segel: They're all so different and they all represent different facets of humor. But I love a good pun, and Fozzie Bear is just the pun master. There's a comic philosophy on puns that it's the lowest form of humor, and it's also supposed to be incredibly antisocial, because it stops the conversation; there's no response to a pun. But I'll tell you, there's something so endearing about Fozzie Bear just punning his little heart out. He's also, he's totally undaunted by the lack of response from his audience. He just keeps on going. Fozzie has a totally unfounded confidence, which is a quality that I think is just awesome.
MTV : Which Muppet did you get to know that surprised you most?

Segel: Well, Rowlf is really pleasant to be around. He's incredibly, incredibly calm, which we make fun of a lot during the movie. Rowlf, of all the Muppets, Rowlf just loves a nice nap.
MTV : What will grab people most? What is your goal with the film? Do you want to make sequels?
Segel: I try not to think beyond this one at this point, because I'm superstitious, but I will say that for lovers of "The Muppet Show," not just the movies but the actual show, the final act of the movie is as close to a re-creation of "The Muppet Show" as was possible. That was a thrill, because at the end of the movie, the Muppets put on a telethon based very much on an episode of "The Muppet Show," so we recorded [a version of] the original theme song for the first time since 1979. We made an almost exact replica of the original Muppet Theater as well. Walking into that was unbelievable, and not just for me; I must say I saw it on the faces of some of the puppeteers as well. Some of the ones who had worked on the original "Muppet Show" walked in and were like, 'Wow, this is what we did for a few years." It was pretty cool.
From "Abduction" to "Muppets, "Moneyball" to "Breaking Dawn," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.
Check out everything we've got on "The Muppets."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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2011-09-09T23:00:00.001-07:00

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2011-09-09T16:00:00.001-07:00

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'Real Steel' Director And Hugh Jackman Find Humanity In Boxing Robots

2011-09-09T13:00:00.001-07:00

As part of our Fall Movie Preview, Shawn Levy reveals how he created the sci-fi sports drama's authentic boxing matches.By Josh Wigler

A scene from "Real Steel"

Photo: Dreamworks

Summer may be over, but the fall season still holds plenty of hot movies worth looking forward to. We're celebrating the coming months of fantastic films all week long with MTV News' Fall Movie Preview, starting with a sports drama mixed with a sci-fi twist: "Real Steel," the robot boxing movie starring "Wolverine" leading man Hugh Jackman and "Lost" babe Evangeline Lilly, which opens on October 7.
Click for exclusive photos from Fall's biggest flicks.
"Real Steel," which takes place in a future where robots have replaced human athletes in the boxing arena, marks a serious departure for director Shawn Levy, in more ways than one. The director of the "Night at the Museum" films and "Date Night" is most commonly associated with the comedy genre. In "Real Steel," he's stepping into the ring with significantly more dramatic fare. MTV News chatted with the director about his experiences exploring a new genre, how the giant robots of "Real Steel" were constructed (hint: they're more human than you realize) and much more.
MTV: This movie feels like a big departure for you in a lot of ways, Shawn. Your past work has focused mostly on comedy, but "Real Steel" takes on a decidedly different tone. Was that the appeal for you, trying on something new?

Shawn Levy: You know, comedy has been really good to me, but this was a deliberate departure. This is the kind of movie that I've been waiting to do. When I was editing "Date Night," the call came in from ["Real Steel" producers] Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider, and they said, "We've got this underdog sports movie with boxing robots." Already when you have [those two] on the other line, you're inclined to nudge towards "yes." But I've always loved sports movies, I've always loved that kind of iconic underdog story which sports movies tend to service so well. This was a deliberate step and an exciting chance to stretch some new muscles.
MTV: Well this definitely does fall into the sports drama category, but when you're throwing giant robots into the mix, you're getting something just a little bit different than what we've seen from the genre before. Was it tricky trying to service that sports drama audience while keeping the sci-fi elements in the forefront as well?
Levy: Honestly, it was an every day balancing act, from the six months of working on the script, the eight months of preparing the movie and the four months of shooting it, and another six editing it. It was every day, making sure you're servicing just the crazy, balls-out action of robots wailing on each other — and thankfully we had [boxing legend] Sugar Ray Leonard as our consultant for the fights, which was a really great guarantor [of quality].
I'll digress for a moment, but what's cool about this movie is that this isn't computer animation. This is motion capture with real fighters in a real ring, consulting in the ring with me and Sugar Ray, wailing on each other in full contact. We took that captured fight as data and we converted it into robot avatars. That was a big thing. To do the movie as mo-cap instead of animation was a big choice. Mo-cap allows the director to direct a performance; it's not left to the imagination of an animator that sometimes you don't even meet. It was huge. Every day we were making sure the robots were cool-looking in terms of design and full-contact fighting.
On the flip side, we could never forget that the movie is about Hugh Jackman's character, first, last and always. The movie is really only 30 to 35 percent robot-based fighting, but it's 100 percent anchored in Hugh Jackman playing this bot corner man and how he uses these machines to eventually get a shot at redemption.
MTV: Which is interesting, because when you see Hugh in these movies with huge action elements, he's usually very much at the center of those scenes. But that's not exactly the case in this film, is it?
Levy: Without giving too much away, he's at the center in that ... our hero robot, he ain't the biggest, he ain't the newest, he's not state of the art. What he has is this connection that I won't give away to Hugh's character, such that Hugh plays a former boxer [named Charlie] whose knowledge of the human sport that used to exist is the advantage that his robot has over the others. Every robot in the movie is built with one gear: full-on ground and pound. This robot fighter is informed more by Charlie's boxing history. So there's a nuanced human flair, resulting in this robot and his connection to Jackman, who's able to win fights he has no business winning.
MTV: As a director, how did you establish that connection between Hugh and his fighter? These are the two leads of the film, really, but only one of them is played by an actual person — unless you leaned on motion-capture for most of the robot's appearances?
Levy: Well, this is where it gets really cool. In my first meeting with Steven Spielberg, he said to me, " 'Jurassic Park' was a long time ago, before computers could do everything. We built real dinosaurs that moved. I know it's an old-fashioned notion, but consider building real, fully animated animatronic robots." So that's one big difference on this movie: We built real robots. In the fight scenes, it's me and Ray directing human boxers. But in every scene in the movie where Hugh is interacting with one of his robots, if that robot isn't walking or boxing, it was a real, big, massively tall robot in the room on set and in the movie. It's unreal.
What happens is, whether you're 10 or 40 years old, if you're a guy, and you're face to face with this robot that's literally shadowing everything you do — it's actually robotically operated from a remote feed — it's just unbelievably cool, and it affects the performances in a way that you just don't get ... if you're acting opposite a tennis ball on a stick. There's no comparison. That was really the co-star. ATOM in particular was in the room with us every day. I'd direct ATOM, his puppeteer, in much the same way that I'd direct Hugh. It was really cool to work with [something practical] in this day and age, where everything that can be computer-generated usually is computer-generated.
MTV: We've talked a lot about the technical side of making "Real Steel," but let's go back to the beginning: You wanted to carve out a different type of movie for yourself. How did you find the experience of going from the comedy world to something significantly more dramatic?
Levy: The irony is that though I've made thankfully a number of successful comedies, if I were to name my top 20 favorite movies, maybe you'd find one comedy on there. My career has gone one way, but my tastes have always run another. Those tend to be dramas, action, sports. So what was really amazing was to do a movie where the pacing, tone and, most importantly, the aesthetics and performances, where all those elements were not in the service of the almighty laugh. They were in service of themselves. When you do comedy, the laugh always comes first. Maybe you'll find a scene or sequence — and I can point to this in "Date Night" — where you'll bracket it off and slow down the movie with something a bit more poignant. But to do a whole movie that was not first and foremost in the service of laughs was very, very different, and very, very liberating.
From "Abduction" to "Muppets, "Moneyball" to "Breaking Dawn," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.
Check out everything we've got on "Real Steel."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Beyonc� - If I Were A Boy

2011-09-09T06:00:00.001-07:00

If I Were A Boy

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Label: Columbia/Music World Music
Director: Jake Nava
Album: I Am...Sasha Fierce

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Justin Bieber Joins Taylor Swift Onstage In L.A.

2011-09-08T21:00:00.001-07:00

Teen heartthrob surprised concertgoers when he joined Swift for a duet on 'Baby' Tuesday night.By James Dinh

Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift (file)

Photo: WireImage

Justin Bieber is all about surprises this summer. Back in July, the 17-year-old pop superstar took fans by surprise when he joined Selena Gomez onstage in Costa Mesa, California, and on Tuesday night, he made another unexpected appearance when he joined Taylor Swift onstage for a duet of his hit "Baby" at her Speak Now tour stop in Los Angeles.

Video footage of the duo's performance at the Staples Center hit the Internet shortly after the concert. It shows the music superstars sharing song verses and Bieber spitting a brief rap midway through the number.
Swift took to Twitter hours later to applaud her roaring concert audience and their overwhelming reaction to the Bieb's surprise appearance. "Dear amazing LA crowd tonight, God only knows what I'd be without you," she wrote. "You think you've heard LOUD screaming in your life. Then @justinbieber comes out and does a surprise song during your show. Woah. Unreal."
Bieber responded to the country-pop darling, tweeting, "@taylorswift13 we should do that more often. :) great show! #muchlove."
It was nothing but love as Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, also chimed in on the surprise concert cameo. "Had to keep it a secret all day. But @justinbieber just came out and sang BABY with @taylorswift13 at STAPLES. EPIC ROAR! #greatmoment," he wrote on Twitter.
Bieber also recently collaborated with Chris Brown. Earlier this month, the Video Music Award nominee showed off his rap skills on "Ladies Love Me," a track that appears on Breezy's Boy in Detention mixtape.

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Ke$ha - Blah Blah Blah

2011-09-08T16:00:00.001-07:00

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Justin Bieber Unhurt In Minor Car Accident

2011-09-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

Singer surrounded by paparazzi after his Ferrari was dinged.By Gil Kaufman

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Photo: WireImage

Just two days after taking home a Moonman at the VMAs, Justin Bieber chalked up another young pop star rite of passage: his first paparazzi-witnessed fender bender.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Bieber was in a minor auto accident on Tuesday in the San Fernando Valley, caused by a Honda Civic that collided with his black Ferrari. "No one was injured and there was no damage to either vehicle," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.

Of course, when LAPD officers rolled up, they were the second ones to arrive on the scene, trailing a horde of photographers who were eagerly snapping away at the 17-year-old singer, who was driving the car. The accident reportedly occurred in an underground parking structure, when the Civic driver attempted to drive around Bieber's luxury ride and its front side clipped the left rear side of the "Baby" singer's car, according to E! Online.
Check out backstage photos of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez at the VMAs.
There was an unidentified passenger in the car believed to be Bieber's assistant. No police report was taken, as there was no visible damage to either car.
The crash came less than 48 hours after Bieber scooped up the Best Male Video award at the VMAs for his "U Smile" video, and surprised viewers by showing up to the big show toting his snake ("Johnson"), not to mention planting a kiss on the cheek of his lady love, VMA pre-show host Selena Gomez.
The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards have wrapped, but the real action is just getting started! Stick with MTV News for winners, fashion pics, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything that went down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest.

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Britney Spears Says She'd Love To Tour With Usher

2011-09-08T02:00:00.001-07:00

In her 'Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale' special, she calls the 'OMG' singer 'really hot right now.'By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Sway Calloway and Britney Spears

Photo: MTV News & Docs

What do Britney Spears and Usher have in common? Well, they are both global superstars with a back catalogue of tunes that have kept fans dancing for a really long time and they both recently hooked up with will.i.am for tracks on their latest releases (the Black Eyed Peas mastermind worked on the pop vixen's Femme Fatale tune "Big Fat Bass"). And, if Spears has her way, she and the "OMG" singer could be hitting the road together.

When Spears sat down to talk with Sway Calloway for her "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale" special — airing Sunday (April 3) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV — the singer revealed that Usher is first on her list of artists she'd like to join her on tour.
"Oh, I'm so excited. I'm really excited about going on tour, very," she explained about her forthcoming summer trek, which happens to have a spot open on the bill now that Enrique Iglesias has pulled out of the gig. "I think Usher's really great right now. I think he's really hot right now. That would be cool [to tour with him]."
The North American road trip is expected to kick off June 17 in Sacramento, California, and will run for 26 dates, winding up on August 13 in Toronto. More details will be announced soon.
The "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale" special is a mixture of behind-the-scenes footage of the singer as she wraps up production on her album, which dropped this week, as well as an inside look at her life and fans. In addition, those who couldn't make Spears' recent nightclub show in Las Vegas will get to see her as she takes the stage in her latest pop incarnation.
Don't miss "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale," airing Sunday (April 3) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

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Stop calling Thais lazy

2011-09-07T16:00:00.001-07:00

How many times have you heard some self-important international businessman -- or woman -- complain that Thais are idle, tardy and impossible to train in the wise arts of Western efficiency?You know the sort. They're normally the ones who hang out at private members' clubs and shudder at the idea of actually fraternizing with the locals or bothering to learn the language. They also feel that it?s their birthright to offer unwanted monologues on how the country will never be taken seriously in the world of commerce until employees start taking themselves seriously, or become inspired by worldly business gurus who write books like "Who Moved My Sandwich" or "The Seven Habits of Highly Defective People."
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Jake Gyllenhaal & Rashida Jones Go On A Lunch Date Together

2011-09-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

It’s been a while since we’ve seen photos of Jake Gyllenhaal here on the blog but this weekend he surfaced on a lunch date with a new lady, sparking talk that he may be in LURVE again. Jake and his pet pooch Atticus were spotted on a date with actress Rashida Jones … might this [...]

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Guy Ritchie & Girlfriend Jacqui Ainsley Welcome Baby Boy

2011-09-07T05:00:00.001-07:00

Guy Ritchie & Girlfriend Jacqui Ainsley Welcome Baby BoyMadonna’s ex-husband Guy Ritchie received an early birthday present on Monday after he welcomed a son with girlfriend Jacqui Ainsley. The director and his model [...]Guy Ritchie & Girlfriend Jacqui Ainsley Welcome Baby Boy Stupid Celebrities Gossip

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Usher - Fed Up (featuring Usher, Young Jeezy, Drake, Rick Ross)

2011-09-07T01:00:00.001-07:00

Fed Up (featuring Usher, Young Jeezy, Drake, Rick Ross)

Artist: Usher

Label: We The Best, E1 Music
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Justin Bieber - Next To You

2011-09-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

Next To You

Artist: Justin Bieber

Label: Jive, JLG
Director: Collin Tilley

Gabrielle Union Garcelle Beauvais Genelle Frenoy Georgianna Robertson

Michael Jackson - Thriller (Long Vers.)

2011-09-06T14:00:00.001-07:00

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Label: Epic Records
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Telluride 2011: Press Asked to Refrain From Photographing George Clooney at Indoor Events

2011-09-03T01:00:00.001-07:00

edit@hollywoodreporter.com (Jay A. Fernandez) Organizers say it was their decision to keep shutterbugs away from events involving the actor.read more

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Michael Jackson - History

2011-09-02T21:00:00.001-07:00

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'Man Of Steel' Seen Up Close In New Set Photos

2011-09-02T17:00:00.001-07:00

Shots of Henry Cavill on set give a detailed look of new Superman suit.By Terri Schwartz

Henry Cavill in "Man of Steel"

Photo: Warner Bros

"Man of Steel" is taking a decidedly different turn from previous Superman films. Lois Lane is a redhead. Laurence Fishburne is playing the first non-white Perry White. And those red underpants are long gone.
Based on the latest set photos that have hit the Web, Superman's suit has gotten a serious update as well. The first image of Henry Cavill as Superman was released earlier this month, but his position in the shot made it hard to get a complete look at the suit. These new stills offer the first up-close, full-body looks at the outfit in Zack Snyder's Superman movie, and the response to the new look has been positive so far.
SuperHeroHype compiled the photos, which show Cavill walking around on the set in between takes. The suit has a lot more texture than Superman's outfits in previous films, and also has added new accents, including silvery lines that wrap around the torso, and go up the back and down the legs.
This new take on Superman's look seems a lot more Kryptonian than the ones made famous by Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh. It's darker and more subdued hues and stylized form make it look a lot more alien than other manifestations of the suit. Also worth noting is the fact that Cavill isn't wearing his red cape in many of these pictures, which means there's a chance that the cape could be CGI for part of the movie. Of course, he also could have just taken the cape off between takes.
For fans still complaining about the lack of red underpants in Snyder's "Man of Steel," it should be noted that the decision is reflective of Superman's new costume in the DC Comics reboot that kicked off on Wednesday.
Check out everything we've got on "Man of Steel."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Photos | Celebs Bid Farewell To Oprah Winfrey At Her Final Show Tapings

2011-08-30T06:00:00.001-07:00

Celebs Bid Farewell To Oprah Winfrey At Her Final Show Tapings

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'Texas Killing Fields' Trailer: Sam Worthington Stars in New Thriller (Video)

2011-08-30T02:00:00.001-07:00

Philiana Ng Jessica Chastain, Chloe Moretz and Jeffrey Dean Morgan co-star in the drama, in theaters Oct. 7.read more

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Links for 2008-10-29 [del.icio.us]

2011-08-29T22:00:00.001-07:00

Tracy Morgan Credits Alec Baldwin For Helping Kick His Alcohol Problem (Pics)
he's still a drunk

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2011-08-29T15:00:00.001-07:00

Tracy Morgan Credits Alec Baldwin For Helping Kick His Alcohol Problem (Pics)
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Beyonc� - Diva

2011-08-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

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Label: Columbia, Music World Music
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Captain America Battles Loki On The Set Of ?The Avengers?

2011-08-29T05:00:00.001-07:00

First we saw photos of Captain America (Chris Evans), the first Avenger, on the Cleveland, OH set of The Avengers and then we saw photos of the villainous Loki (Tom Hiddleston) on set as well. Today we get to see photos of the two men together … locked in bitter, epic battle. Click below to [...]

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Justin Bieber Joins Taylor Swift Onstage In L.A.

2011-08-28T23:00:00.001-07:00

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Britney Spears - Radar

2011-08-28T14:00:00.001-07:00

Radar

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Label: RCA, Jive, Zomba Label Group
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Photos | 2010 BET Awards Show Highlights

2011-08-28T07:00:00.001-07:00

2010 BET Awards Show Highlights

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Les News, 082711

2011-08-28T04:00:00.001-07:00

Hurricane Nyan Cat JoJo‘s red hot pants. Won’t you light my candle? Jim Carrey was only kidding about being a creeper, you guys. If you can’t beat the hurricane, streak through it. Take a listen to Kelly Clarkson‘s new single Mr. Know It All. Rio looks red hot. Another anti-gay Republican hypocrite politician caught in [...]

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Ke$ha Is Channeling 'Sexiness' Of '70s Rock For New Album

2011-08-27T21:00:00.001-07:00

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Tori Amos Releases An EPK Promo Video For ?Night Of Hunters?

2011-08-27T17:00:00.001-07:00

With just under a month to go until the release of Tori Amos‘s new album Night of Hunters we are getting closer and closer to hearing in full the masterpiece that Tori has in store for us. The official website for Decca Records has been updated with an electronic press kit video that features behind [...]

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Princess Fiona

2011-08-27T13:00:00.001-07:00

Last night Jordan and I made our way to the Largo Theater here in LA to see Fiona Apple play a benefit concert with a few of her friends. Because it had been YEARS since I last saw Fiona in concert, I jumped at the chance to see her perform live once again. Because the [...]

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Watch: ?Glee? Releases The First Season 3 Promo Video

2011-08-27T06:01:00.001-07:00

The third season of Glee will return on Fox on Tuesday September 20 and today we get our first look at the first promo video for the show. As you can see below, dodgeball is the theme of this new promo video and Sue Sylvester is the one in control. Altho the clip doesn’t show [...]

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Ryan Gosling (And Naked Skeleton Woman) Does ?Esquire? Magazine

2011-08-26T23:00:00.001-07:00

Actor Ryan Gosling is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Esquire magazine and in his photospread, Ryan poses in a series of photos with himself … and a naked skeleton woman. Yep, you read that right. In some of the photos there are two Ryan Goslings and in [...]

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Alec Baldwin Moving In With Girlfriend Hilaria Thomas

2011-08-26T17:00:00.001-07:00

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Photos | 'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Premieres Around The World

2011-08-26T12:00:00.001-07:00

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Emma Watson Shacking Up With Boyfriend Johnny Simmons

2011-08-26T02:00:00.001-07:00

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Britney Spears' Tourmates Nervo Tease New 'Club Records'

2011-08-25T19:00:00.001-07:00

Aussie twins tell MTV News they haven't strayed from dance music roots in spite of 'amazing' Femme Fatale Tour experience.By Akshay Bhansali

Nervo

Photo: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images

With Britney Spears' flashy Femme Fatale Tour closing out its remaining North American dates later this month, it's fair to say that many of Ms. Spears' concert-going fans have gotten to know Olivia and Miriam Nervo pretty well.
In fact, when Brit first announced her Femme Fatale lineup back in April, promising on her website, "Nervo will get everyone on the dancefloor," dance music fans were ecstatic about the inclusion of the DJ/producer twins whose writing credits include a song for Spears and David Guetta and Kelly Rowland's "When Love Takes Over."

MTV News recently caught up with the Australian sisters (and former models), and they told us that bussing across the States and sharing the stage with Nicki Minaj, Jessie and the Toy Boys, and Brit herself, has been a stellar opportunity.
"We've definitely seen both the girls, [Britney and Nicki], and we interact with them," Miriam, a.k.a. Mim, told us. "You are traveling to each city and you see the same people every day and it really becomes a family. So it's been an amazing experience."
"It's an amazing show," Liv added. "The girls, the lineup really works well together. You've got Britney, who I think is looking the best she's looked in a really long time and who really gives it her all on this tour. And then you've got Nicki, who definitely brings her edge to it. I'd never seen Nicki live, and I'm just so blown away. The girl can sing, rap — total respect to her!"
As the Femme Fatale Tour winds down Stateside before heading to Europe, Nervo are now looking to expand the fanbase they've built in the U.S. But while Liv and Mim have been a part of what might be considered the mother of all pop music tours, the duo insist that they intend to remain true to their dance music and DJ roots.
"When we signed the record deal, it was really important to us that we could take our DJing seriously and release club records," Liv explained of their Astralwerks label.
"Yeah, we want to be DJ artists," Mim added.
"That's what we love so, luckily, we can release some club records alongside our Astralwerks album," Liv said. "It just so happens that the Astralwerks single that we're coming out with is with two major club guys: Afrojack and Steve Aoki. It's called 'We're All No One.' We love it!"
While Liv and Mim do the singing on "No One," the beats are delivered by hard-hitting EDM producer Aoki and David Guetta protégé Afrojack (who's also behind Pitbull's smash summer anthem "Give Me Everything." So exactly what should fans expect to hear? According to Liv and Mim, they should expect the unexpected.
"It doesn't sound anything like Afrojack or anything like Steve Aoki," Mim teased. "It's gonna be an interesting one. It could fly, and it could flop. It's very different. It's nothing like any of the stuff we've done with any of the pop stars we've worked with."
And Nervo have worked with a few. Though nothing is locked in yet, the twin sisters have been busy exchanging ideas with the likes of Omarion and Macy Gray, as well as dance music acts Avicii, Norman Doray and John Dahlbäck.
"We're All No One" drops later this month. Fans can catch Nervo on the Femme Fatale Tour's remaining U.S. dates and on select dates of the Identity Festival, America's first traveling EDM fest, which kicks off August 11 in Indiana.

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Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us

2011-08-25T12:00:00.001-07:00

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'Conan The Barbarian' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

2011-08-25T05:00:00.001-07:00

MTV News has been with the reboot throughout its rocky road to release.By Eric Ditzian

Jason Momoa in "Conan the Barbarian"

Photo: Simon Varsano/ Lionsgate Entertainment

"Conan the Barbarian" star Jason Momoa hasn't actually seen the previous versions of his sword-swinging adventure — or, as he once put it to MTV News, "the Arnold stuff" — but we have clear-enough memories to know Schwarzenegger's franchise became straight-up silly after the 1982 original and was in desperate need of contemporary reinvention.
Robert E. Howard's barbaric creation deserved better than a faceoff with Wilt Chamberlain in "Conan the Destroyer." Conan finally got it, with Momoa's new film hitting theaters on Friday (August 19). But there was a long and rocky path toward that theatrical release, with filmmakers joining then quickly departing the project and various Hollywood players being unable to kick things into production. Come with us on a journey called the MTV News cheat sheet, as we discover everything there is to know about the past, present and future of "Conan the Barbarian."

Forging Steel
The Wachowski Brothers tried. Robert Rodriguez tried. Brett Ratner tried. No director could seem to get "Conan" off the ground, despite years of effort. Actors rumored for the title role included Dolph Lundgren, "American Gladiator" star Mike O'Hearn, Austrian actor Roland Kickinger and "Twilight" vampire Kellan Lutz.
Rumors of directors and actors came and went, but in the end two men remained standing: "Friday the 13th" director Marcus Nispel, who signed up in June 2009, and Momoa, who officially nabbed the Conan role in January 2010. Lionsgate readied a March production start in Bulgaria. With just weeks until cameras began rolling, word broke that the script was getting a rewrite from "Halloween: Resurrection" scribe Sean Hood.
Swinging the Sword "I think we're right in the spirit of Howard," Stephen Lang, who plays the film's central villain, told MTV News during a phone call from the set last spring. "One of the things about his prose that's so distinct is that it takes itself very seriously. There's nothing tongue-in-cheek about it at all. And there's nothing send-up about the world we're creating, though hopefully the movie is made with a lot of wit."
The spring also brought looks at Momoa in character: one of him standing tall and looking buff, another of him in bloodied-up action mode. "It kind of is an origin story," Momoa told MTV News. "It's rebuilding and rebooting the franchise. It starts with his birth, what happened to his family, what happened to his father — obviously his father is killed — and him going into the pirating and the thieving and wandering and being the degenerate that he is and then usurping a throne and finding out who killed his father. It's a revenge story, with a little bit of love in there."
Lang also revealed that the film would stay faithful to the source material's supernatural roots. "If you read Robert Howard — of course the 'Conan' stories and novellas — magic, supernatural plays a huge, huge part in them: fakirs and magicians and wizards all over the place," Lang told MTV News last summer. "So magic is part of that world. The magic in this film, there's a lot of it and there's a lot of action-magic as well, a lot of magical fighting."
Drawing Blood
The first "Conan" trailer — a teaser that invoked an '80s nostalgia — popped up online in March of this year. It'd be another two months until a full trailer hit the Web; when it did, the footage showed off a whole lot of swords, bloody action and magical monsters. We finally got a chance to see Lang in action after all those shots of Momoa as the sword-wielding hero.
"I wanted him to be like a knife," Lang told us of his character. "I wanted him, in profile, to almost disappear if possible. I actually have some photos that I am forbidden to show right now. I know there are these photos of Jason out there, this gorgeous stud of a Conan leaping around shirtless. Truth of the matter is, I kick his ass for almost two hours."
An integral piece of Momoa's Conan character development was not to be influenced by Schwarzenegger's iconic performance. "I've never played a role that was played by someone else," he told us. "As an actor, to build the character, I wanted to use my imagination and be creative and use my own interpretation. ... I want to see mine and then I'm going to watch that one — back to back!"
Check out everything we've got on "Conan the Barbarian."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Ke$ha, Black Eyed Peas, More Featured In O Music Awards Roundtable Debate

2011-08-24T20:00:00.001-07:00

Music-video director Wayne Isham will join Most Innovative Video debate, which streams live Monday on OMusicAwards.com and MTV.com.By MTV News Staff

Ke$ha

Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images

Ever since they were first announced, the O Music Awards have proudly proclaimed themselves the untraditional alternative to the staid world of red carpets, acceptance speeches and celebrity glad-handing.
And for further proof of that point, consider the following: Though the inaugural O Music Awards won't premiere until April 28, the first award will be handed out on Monday at 4 p.m. ET ... and it's a big one.

For weeks, fans have been voting for the Most Innovative Music Video through the O Music Awards official site, and on Monday — in a roundtable debate moderated by MTV News' James Montgomery — a winner will be crowned.
The O Music Awards Debate for the Most Innovative Music Video, presented by FUZE®, will stream live on OMusicAwards.com and MTV.com. Joining Montgomery around the table will be acclaimed video director Wayne Isham, Mashable's Brenna Ehrlich and some super-secret celebrity guests. 
The Black Eyed Peas, Ke$ha, My Chemical Romance and more will also take part in the discussion about just what makes a video truly innovative, and the folks who are nominated for the award — a list that includes Arcade Fire, Robyn, OK Go and Andy Grammer — will also Skype in to make the case for why their video deserves to be named Most Innovative.
On Monday morning, the original list of 10 nominees will be whittled down to the top five vote-getters, and then, during the debate, our roundtable and the Internet audience will cut that list down to the final three. At the very end, we'll announce the winner of the very first O Music Award for Most Innovative Video.
The inaugural O Music Awards will stream live from Las Vegas at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on OMusicAwards.com. Tune in to see who will reign supreme in categories like Most Viral Dance, Funniest Music Short and NSFW Music Video!

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Usher Collaborator Rico Love Calls Kelly Rowland's 'Motivation' 'Truly Organic'

2011-08-24T16:00:00.001-07:00

Lil Wayne 'jumped on it,' Raymond v. Raymond writer tells Mixtape Daily.By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Rob Markman

Rico Love

Photo: TTLL

Behind the Beats: Rico Love
If more people read the credits behind some of R&B's biggest hits, Rico Love should be a household name. Born Richard Preston Butler Jr., the former Florida A&M University student is now one of the music industry's most-sought-after singer/songwriters.

After writing hits for Usher ("There Goes My Baby"), Beyoncé ("Sweet Dreams") and Diddy-Dirty Money ("Hello Good Morning"), to name a few, one of Rico's biggest hits to date is Kelly Rowland's "Motivation."
"It came about in a truly organic way," Rico told Mixtape Daily of the Jim Jonsin-produced "Motivation." "We had this meeting in New York: myself and Sylvia [Rhone] and Kelly. And they just were saying, 'We need to find that single; we need that big single.' Everybody was asking for an uptempo, actually.
"I flew down to Miami the next day, and that Tuesday, we got back in the studio, and Jim started playing these chords, and then coming up with these little sounds — the signature sounds that Jim comes up with. I just told him to lay it like a skeleton idea, and I jumped in the booth, and I started with the verse, and I kind of sang my way all the way through the record."
Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child, was in the studio while Rico was laying down the reference track and made her regard for the song known immediately. "Kelly was there and watched the whole process," Rico recalled. "As soon as I finished singing the demo, usually an artist wants to live with it or listen to it for a little while. She just said, 'I want to cut it right now.' So she jumped in the booth, and we cut the record."
"Motivation" became the lead single for Rowland's third album, Here I Am, which was released in April. The song, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, features a verse from Lil Wayne.
"Lil Wayne got out of jail a few days later, and as soon as he got out of jail, [Rowland] went to see him, and he jumped on it," Rico explained. "It was the most organized situation ever. It was nothing contrived about it."
There's been nothing manufactured about Rico's accomplishments either. Starting his musical career as a rapper, he has signed former Roc-a-Fella rapper Young Chris to his Universal/Motown-distributed Division 1 label.
After leaving Florida A&M to pursue music, Rico caught the attention of Usher, and penned songs for the R&B singer, including "Throwback." Other artists soon benefitted from his songwriting, including T.I., Pleasure P and Mario. Rico takes pride in being versatile with his talents, preferring not to make specific songs intended for specific artists only.
"Sometimes, when you keep an artist in mind, you'll limit yourself," Rico explained. "You won't go a place that they probably would go because you're thinking, "Nah, she wouldn't say this," or "He wouldn't do this," or "He wouldn't say this," and "This melody is out of the way for them."
"When I get a chance to just get into the studio and just write music and just produce music and sit at the piano and tell a guy where I want to hear the chords and create the progressions and just freely make music, it's a lot more fun."
Lately, Rico has been back in the studio with Usher. In 2007, he was signed to the singer's former US Records via J Records. But his debut album was never released, and he and Usher went their separate ways.
But as Rico become a songwriting force, the two eventually started working together again. The first song they recorded was the Grammy-winning "There Goes My Baby" from 2010's Raymond v. Raymond. Now, Rico is working on Usher's forthcoming album and embracing the pressure of surpassing its predecessor's platinum sales and critical success.
"I feel like this is what separates the boys from the men," Rico said of working with Usher. "This week, we been creating records together. We had two mics, two headphones set up in the booth, and we just sit there and vibe out.
"These first few days have been amazing. We got four records cut so far that sound super amazing. I'm super excited about it. I'm just anxious for the world to hear it."
For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Britney Spears - I Wanna Go

2011-08-24T09:00:00.001-07:00

I Wanna Go

Artist: Britney Spears

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Justin Bieber Passes Michael Jackson's Box-Office Record

2011-08-24T02:00:00.001-07:00

'Justin Bieber: Never Say Never' has outgrossed MJ's 'This Is It' in U.S.By Gil Kaufman

Justin Bieber in "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"

Photo: Paramount Pictures

Michael Jackson may have dubbed himself the King of Pop, but the late icon didn't hold the box-office crown for long. Less than a year after the posthumous MJ documentary "This Is It" became the most successful concert-themed film in U.S. history, Justin Bieber is poised to snatch the mantle.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" has earned $72.2 million in domestic box office so far, passing Jackson's $72.1 million haul. And while Bieber has racked up those impressive numbers in just six weeks, he's got a long way to go before he laps the global receipts for the MJ doc.
"This Is It" has grossed $189.1 million overseas for a global total of $261.2 million. Music films don't typically play well overseas, and THR noted that "Never Say Never" has grossed a more modest $10.8 million overseas so far, with Paramount executives predicting that it could top out around $20 million internationally.
The impressive U.S. numbers were likely goosed by the re-release of the film recently with 40 additional minutes of bonus footage from director Jon M. Chu. Bieber still has a little way to go to climb the list of the top-grossing documentaries of all time. "Never Say Never" is currently stalled out at the #3 position, around $5 million behind "March of the Penguins," according to Box Office Mojo, and well short of the all-time record held by Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which has taken in $119.1 million to date.
Bieber set off a classic MJ-style fan frenzy a few weeks ago when he visited Liverpool, England, for his world tour. And just a week later, he posed with his new wax figure at London's Madame Tussauds, checking off another item on the list of milestones to an MJ-like career.

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Ke$ha - We R Who We R

2011-08-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

We R Who We R

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Would Lady Gaga Ever Want To Be President?

2011-08-23T09:00:00.001-07:00

Mother Monster talks about which of the country's big problems she'd like to solve.By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Lady Gaga

Photo: Scott Gries/ Picture Group

Lady Gaga has never been shy about stumping for political causes. She's stumped for marriage equality and spoken out for marriage equality and against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Her Born This Way track "Americano" even touches on immigration issues, but just because she's currently pop music's most vocal advocate doesn't mean she'd want anything to do with actually holding public office.

During the live "MTV First: Lady Gaga" on Thursday night, the singer said that she has no aspirations to ever do something like become president, even if she was given a free pass for the day to be the leader of the free world.
Watch as Gaga lets her fans announce that she's opening the VMAs this year.
"Well, first of all, I wouldn't want to be president for the day," she told MTV News. "And I say that because I really, for myself, it's important that my message, although it has political implications, I like to keep myself separate.
"Because politics can constrain things," she continued. "So our message can be completely free of any politics and we can just surge forward."
Lady Gaga gave us the real story behind her "Yoü and I" video.
But she has a few big issues she thinks she'd tackle if she were the commander in chief. "I would find alternative uses of energy, I would make marriage equal," she said, before taking a second to figure out her next pet cause. "And world peace. Well, I would do everything I could with the debt crisis, but we all know that's going to take a little while."
During the sit-down, Gaga also opened up about her just-released music video for "Yoü and I" and also shared with fans that not only would she be performing at the 2011 Video Music Awards on August 28, but she'll also be the artist opening the show when it airs live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for your favorites in the general categories by visiting VMA.MTV.com.

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Chuckie Will Debut Michael Jackson Remix In Miami

2011-08-23T05:00:00.001-07:00

Official 'Hollywood Tonight' remix coming to Miami Music Week.By Akshay Bhansali

Chuckie

Photo: Jason Ano/ One and Only Productions

Leaving the South by Southwest festival, Lavo New York and Las Vegas' Marquee in his wake, house DJ Chuckie has his sights set on the week ahead. With Miami Music Week now upon us, Chuckie plans to seize the opportunity to debut new material. Fans will be tickled to know the Dutch producer has tracks in the can with Kelly Rowland and T-Pain, but when MTV News caught up with him Friday in New York, Chuckie shared the achievement of which he's most proud.

"I did a Michael Jackson remix, which was really scary — to touch Michael Jackson vocals," Chuckie said. "I did this remix for this track 'Hollywood Tonight.' I couldn't say it for a minute: The label called me, and they said, 'You can't say nothing about this. It's kind of a secret project.' It's gonna come out anytime now."
"Hollywood Tonight" was originally produced by Teddy Riley for Jackson's posthumous Michael album, and Chuckie's mix of the song will be the sole official remix of the track.
"I will play it Miami," Chuckie revealed. "I told them this is the best week to launch the remix. So it feels really good. I'm the only one remixing that Michael Jackson track, and they are considering it a single. For me, especially, it's an honor to remix the King of Pop because he died on my birthday."
So, will the mix be a thundering Chuckie Dutch house banger or will it have a melodic progressive house feel, like his Marquee remix of Diddy-Dirty Money's "I Hate That You Love Me"? Well, according to the "Let the Bass Kick" producer, fans will be getting a healthy dose of both.
"I had to bring in the raucous," Chuckie confessed. "Yeah, I did the Chuckie flavor, but then again, I wanted to make it really musical, so I went progressive (house) on it."
Chuckie will be performing twice at Miami Music Week: at the Cr2 Records Party at Wall Lounge on Wednesday, and then headlining "No Sugar Added" at Nikki Beach on Friday.
Are you excited to hear Chuckie's remix of Michael Jackson's "Hollywood Tonight"? Let us know in the comments below!

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Ke$ha - We R Who We R

2011-08-22T21:00:00.001-07:00

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Anne Hathaway's 'Dark Knight Rises' Prep: YouTube Cat Videos?

2011-08-22T04:00:00.001-07:00

'I actually had this moment when I convinced one of the assistant directors on the London portion of the film to get a cat with me,' actress tells MTV News.By Eric Ditzian

Anne Hathaway as "Catwoman" in "Dark Knight Rises"

Photo: Warner Bros

If you're not happy with that early peek at Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, perhaps you should blame Keyboard Cat.

Because as the "Dark Knight Rises" actress revealed in Interview magazine, she prepped for the role by turning to feline-focused web videos, after her initial plan to adopt one of the furry creatures fell through.
"I actually had this moment when I convinced one of the assistant directors on the London portion of the film to get a cat with me, the idea being that we were going to get a kitten from a rescue shelter, and he was going to live with me, and I was going to observe it, and when I left London, I was going to give it to her," Hathaway explained. "Then, thankfully, her husband pointed out that that was a terrible idea on so many levels, not least of which being that it would probably be really confusing to the cat."
She added, "So I turned to YouTube instead and got a National Geographic video on cats."
OK, so while the influence of OMG cats and talking cats and cats that wrestle watermelons may not be discernable in the first look at Hathaway's Catwoman, there's no denying the reaction to her "Dark Knight" debut was mixed. But when the 28-year-old actress revealed what it takes to fit into that suit, you had to give her a round of applause.
"I'm a vegetarian, and right now I'm living on kale and dust," she said on "Chelsea Lately" on Wednesday, adding that it takes three people to squeeze her into the costume. "Catsuit's unforgiving."
And since the production lasts for months and months, she's had to maintain that strict diet and those intense workouts, lest her Catwoman come in for even more unwanted attention. The key to making it all happen is that, after initially hating hitting the gym, she finally enjoys getting in her workouts.
"I think I'd never really gotten over the hump," she said. "There's a workout hump where you're so weak that you hate everything. Everything's painful and you look like an idiot. The gym that I work out at, I was literally working out next to a pregnant Jessica Alba and she could do more pushups than I could."
Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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2011-08-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

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Britney Spears' VMA Promo: Go Behind The Scenes!

2011-08-21T13:00:00.001-07:00

Promo reflects on Brit's career and inspirations while looking ahead to August 28 awards show.By Christina Garibaldi

Britney Spears in her 2011 VMA promo

Photo: Roderick Trestrail II/ MTV

On Thursday (August 11), Britney Spears took over MTV when her Video Music Awards promo made its debut and MTV News was there when she filmed it.
The 30-second promo interlaces Spears' latest hit "I Wanna Go" with her own "Slave 4 U," Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" and Madonna's "Everybody" as dancers dressed in Brit's most-famous outfits crowd around her. There's also a nod to Michael Jackson, with a poster on the wall that says "Billy Jean," in reference to MJ's hit "Billie Jean," and a dancer who mimics the late King of Pop's iconic moves. At the end of the promo, Spears stands in front of a wall that cryptically reads "A Tribute to Britney Spears" before the date of the VMAs — 8.28 — flashes on the screen.

Spears, whose "Till the World Ends" is nominated for Best Pop Video and Best Choreography, filmed the promo last month in Miami, and MTV News was on the set for a behind-the-scenes look.
"The general concept of what we are going for is basically called 'The Muse Factory,' " director Jahai Brightly explained. "It's where all your favorite artists that are going to be at the Video Music Awards this year meet and explore their influences and inspirations."
The promo pulls from Spears' own musical influences from over the years, which is portrayed through the set design, wardrobe and, of course, through Brit herself.
In the promo, Spears pays homage to Madonna, Michael and Janet, whom she calls "the people I've grown up listening to and totally inspire [me]."

The promo doesn't just show the pop star's own musical icons; it also reminds us of what a musical force Spears is as well. "We are going to be exploring her past styles," Brightly said of Spears' classic looks. "In particular, past six styles that represent each of her albums, with the seventh one being the current incarnation."
Spears, whose outfit was designed to represent her current style, is dressed in a custom-made studded leather jacket, a shredded black T-shirt and her signature cutoff jean shorts. The promo begins with Spears paying homage to her latest album, Femme Fatale.
"I did the opening segment, where I'm at the mirror and I'm representing how many albums I've done, which is number seven," Spears said.
Spears then begins her journey down memory lane, where she is surrounded by dancers dressed up in some of her signature video looks, such as the flight-attendant costume in "Toxic" and her infamous red catsuit in "Oops! ... I Did It Again."
"I'm walking down a hallway and I'm seeing memorabilia of all my performances that I've done in the past," Spears said. "All my dancers are dressed up in my old outfits, which it's really cool."
What do you think of Britney's VMA promo? Let us know in the comments!
The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for your favorites in the general categories by visiting VMA.MTV.com.

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The Britney Spears ?Femme Fatale? Tour Will Air On EPIX In November

2011-08-21T04:00:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we learned that our dear Britney Spears filmed her recent Toronto, Ontario concerts for release on DVD and On Demand cable and today we learn when we will be able to SEE that live performance. EPIX has issued a press release announcing that The Femme Fatale Tour DVD will be made available in [...]

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Usher - Lil Freak

2011-08-21T00:00:00.001-07:00

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2011-08-20T16:00:00.001-07:00

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Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us

2011-08-20T12:00:00.001-07:00

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2011-08-19T22:00:00.001-07:00

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Singer Josh Groban Joins Cast Of ?The Office?

2011-08-19T19:00:00.001-07:00

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Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez Nude Statue: What Does It Mean?

2011-08-19T13:00:00.001-07:00

'Teenage celebrities [are] exploited early, earlier than what is legal, and the media fuels that,' artist Daniel Edwards tells MTV News.By Jocelyn Vena

Daniel Edwards' "Justin and Selena as One" sculpture

Photo: Daniel Edwards/ Cory Allen Contemporary Art

The Internet was abuzz this week when controversial artist Daniel Edwards released his latest piece of art: a nude statue of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez with the words "Justin & Selena Forever" inscribed at the base of the statue.
The bronze statue, called "Justin and Selena as One," plays on the idea of Adam and Eve, with Bieber wearing a strategically placed maple leaf and Gomez wearing a strategically placed Texas Lone Star — references to Justin's native Canada and Selena's home state. But Edwards told MTV News the images aren't meant to be provocative for the sake of being provocative.
"Really, can you think of any teenage couple that's bigger or been bigger than them? Also, for my point of view, when I look at it, there's a lot of interesting components to it," he said of the piece, which will be on display at Dallas' New Fine Arts. "That was pretty much the obvious point of entry. She is 19, so that takes away a little bit of the edge, I think, but the fact that he's 17, that was totally the point of it.
"I tried to find my entry into making a comment on that very thing that happens time and again to teenage celebrities, where they're kind of exploited early, earlier than what is legal, and the media fuels that as best they can," he continued. "I guess I'm making my commentary about that particular thing that happens."
The statue also comments on the "double standard" for males and females in the industry. "It only seems to hit the young ladies a lot worse than the men. It's still there. You see all those beach photos of the two of them. My children are young, but I think I would be freaked out if I saw images of them like that on the Internet," he said, noting that being a father definitely informs his work.
"If I hadn't had kids, I think the work would be a lot more provocative, visually," he said. "But with kids, I always have to make sure it's something I'm comfortable with them seeing. There's a certain line I'm not willing to cross with my kids in the house."
Of all the ways to portray the two teen superstars, Edwards felt that the biblical reference was the perfect way to make his commentary work. "It's not for the sake of presenting religion. ... I think it's mostly because, from an art-history standpoint, a young couple is always Adam and Eve," he said. "And so I always try to position my work in historical reference. ... It's a way of giving it a bit of a historical context."
What do you think of the statue? Let us know in the comments below.

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Jeff Buckley Biopic Finds Lead In 'Spider-Man' Actor Reeve Carney

2011-08-18T21:00:00.001-07:00

Carney lands role in one of three films reportedly being made about the late singer's life.By Jocelyn Vena

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Photo: WireImage

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.

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Katy Perry, Adele And More 2011 VMA Nominees ... Possibly

2011-08-18T12:00:00.001-07:00

Bigger Than the Sound tries to predict the nominees for this year's Video Music Awards.By James Montgomery

Katy Perry

Photo: Amy Sussman/ Getty Images

I've been told that the nominations for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards -- which air live Sunday, August 28, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV -- are going to be announced on MTV and MTV.com on Wednesday night (July 20) at 11 p.m ET, and that means you should probably get ready for a whole lot of Katy Perry. And Adele. And Britney Spears. And Lady Gaga. Oh, and Rihanna too.

That's because, to paraphrase Beyoncé (oh yeah, she'll probably get nominated too), it's been girls who've run the world in 2011, and the VMAs will probably be no exception. Perry — who has basically been unstoppable since last summer — figures to be the most nominated artist, with this year's breakout star, Adele, close behind. Britney, Gaga and all the rest figure to be in the hunt too. In fact, one has to wonder if the folks behind the show will just go ahead and eliminate the Best Male Video category altogether. More room for the ladies that way.
Of course, we won't know for sure until those nominations are officially revealed, but while we wait, I figured it was time to dust off the old Prognostication Cap and try to predict the 2011 VMA nominees in advance. I've done this for seemingly every awards show in the past, and sometimes I even manage to avoid embarrassing myself completely (not always, though).
So without any advance knowledge — and using as many sweeping generalizations as humanly possible — here are my picks for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Accuracy not entirely guaranteed.
Best Male Video
In a year dominated by females, I suppose someone has to win Best Male Video. I think it's a given that Bruno Mars, Chris Brown and Eminem all land nods here, and I suspect Justin Bieber will sneak in too, if only because it builds off his Best New Artist win last year. The fifth spot is up for grabs, though in a pinch, I'll go with Pitbull, if only because of the recent success of "Give Me Everything." Lupe Fiasco or Trey Songz are also viable choices. My picks:
» Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
» Chris Brown, "She Ain't You"
» Eminem feat. Rihanna, "Love The Way You Lie"
» Justin Bieber, "U Smile"
» Pitbull, "Give Me Everything"
Best Female Video
Sure, Video of the Year is the night's biggest award, but given the success of every artist with a pair of X chromosomes, the Best Female Video might be the toughest — and not just to win. Predicting who even gets nominated is a challenge, considering there are only five spots available. Adele and Katy Perry seem mortal locks, and Rihanna is close. Britney will probably earn a nom too, which means that either Beyoncé, Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj will be left on the outside looking in. Told you this was going to be tough. My picks:
» Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
» Britney Spears, "Hold It Against Me"
» Beyoncé, "Run the World (Girls)"
» Katy Perry, "E.T."
» Rihanna, "S&M"
Best Rock Video
My official title at MTV News is "rock editor," but even I had a hard time coming up with five nominees here. Since 30 Seconds to Mars won last year, I suspect they'll be back to defend their crown. Folks were excited about the Foo Fighters' return, so pencil them in too. Mumford & Sons may very well be the year's most unexpected success, which should earn them a nod. The other two slots? I'm not gonna lie, I just picked names out of a hat.
» 30 Seconds to Mars, "Hurricane"
» Foo Fighters, "Rope"
» Foster the People, "Pumped Up Kicks"
» Linkin Park, "Waiting for the End"
» Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man"
Best Hip-Hop Video
A wide-open category, and one that raises several questions: Can Eminem win for the second year in a row? Will Nicki Minaj manage to bum-rush the boys' club? Is Kanye West's epic "Runaway" mini-movie even eligible? I'm not going to pretend to know all the answers, but it certainly makes for an interesting field. In the end, I left Em off — since "Love the Way You Lie" was released in such a nebulous time (August 2010, a month before last year's VMAs and a full 12 months before this year's) — and went with the Beastie Boys, since I have a creeping suspicion they'll earn a nod or two, and this seems as logical a place as any. Nicki and Kanye are in (though I went with the latter's "Monster" video), and so is Lil Wayne. For the last spot, I went with Lupe Fiasco, though it wouldn't surprise me to see Tyler, the Creator here instead.
» Beastie Boys, "Make Some Noise"
» Kanye West (featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver and Nicki Minaj), "Monster"
» Lil Wayne (featuring Cory Gunz), "6 Foot 7 Foot"
» Lupe Fiasco, "The Show Goes On"
» Nicki Minaj, "Super Bass"
Best Pop Video
Another big-time category, another bunch of deserving artists destined to be left out. I like Britney's, Katy's and Gaga's chances, and I'll toss Rihanna into the mix too. For the fifth spot, I went with Bruno Mars, since, otherwise, this category would basically just be Best Female Video, Part II. Of course, in doing that, I excluded Adele, Beyoncé, Ke$ha and about a dozen other worthy acts too. Prognostication is hard work, people.
» Britney Spears, "Hold It Against Me"
» Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
» Katy Perry, "E.T."
» Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"
» Rihanna, "S&M"
Best New Artist
Who will follow in the footsteps of Biebus Christ (and Lady Gaga) and take home the Moonman for Best New Artist? Good question! This is always one of the hardest categories to predict, and this year is no different: The only sure things seem to be Mumford & Sons and Wiz Khalifa, and though Robyn isn't exactly new, she's new enough here (and made some terrific strides over the past 12 months), so I think she's a lock. In a pinch, I'll pick Foster the People (big radio hit) and Tyler, the Creator (big buzz), though Kreayshawn could sneak in too.
» Foster the People
» Mumford & Sons
» Robyn
» Tyler, the Creator
» Wiz Khalifa
Video of the Year
Last year's Video of the Year race featured a trio of underdogs — 30 Seconds to Mars, B.o.B, Florence and the Machine — thrown into the mix. Will 2011 follow suit? Probably not. Adele seems to be a no-brainer, even if most folks have never seen the video for "Rolling in the Deep." Katy, too, but it remains to be seen which of her videos gets the nod. (I went with "Firework." It's mad inspirational.) Em will be back — though one has to wonder if "Love the Way You Lie" peaked too early to be considered a genuine front-runner — and Gaga should return also. I went dark-horse with my fifth pick, taking the Foo Fighters' "Rope" over bigger clips from Beyoncé and Rihanna, mostly because I've got a sweet spot for VHS.
» Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
» Eminem (featuring Rihanna), "Love the Way You Lie"
» Foo Fighters, "Rope"
» Katy Perry, "Firework"
» Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"
Did we get it right? Share your picks in the comments!

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Jack, My Narcoleptic Nephew Update

2011-08-16T22:00:00.001-07:00

Remember when I wrote this post about how my nephew Jack can sleep anywhere?
Well, here's the latest:

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Isaiah Washington to Star in 'Blue Caprice'

2011-08-16T18:00:00.001-07:00

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2011-08-16T11:00:00.001-07:00

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Justin Bieber - Eenie Meenie

2011-08-16T08:00:00.001-07:00

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Photos | 2011 Billboard Music Awards

2011-08-16T01:00:00.001-07:00

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Past Due ?Rent?

2011-08-15T16:00:00.001-07:00

Last night was a pretty bizzy night for David and me as we had a pretty full plate of entertainment to enjoy. To get the night started, we attended last night’s performance of the new off-Broadway production of Rent (which I enjoyed … for the most part, review to follow) and then a night of [...]

Drea de Matteo Drew Barrymore Ehrinn Cummings Elena Lyons

Watch The Throne Fans Rave Over Pop-Up Store, 'Otis' Vid

2011-08-15T12:00:00.001-07:00

MTV News crashed Jay-Z and Kanye's pop-up store in NYC to speak to Throne fans.By Rob Markman, with reporting by Steven Roberts

Kanye West and Jay-Z

Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImageGetty Images/

NEW YORK — "We were at our office and one of my colleagues said, 'I just saw on Twitter that there is a new pop-up shop that's selling Watch the Throne," said a man identified only by his Twitter handle @hiprobbie. "So we ran down here to check it out." And just like that, fans scurried down to 201 Mulberry Street, in the SoHo section of Manhattan, to celebrate the physical retail release of Jay-Z and Kanye West's combo album.

Things started off slowly at first. MTV News was on the scene at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET and the storefront, which was wrapped in a gold Riccardo Tisci-designed print, was barren out front. It wasn't until noon, when MTV broke the news and folks from Kanye's camp began to tweet about the surprise retail space, that fans started to show up.
At about 1 p.m. ET, fans were let in to the surprise store, where the Throne album was sold and the album's art was displayed. The biggest attraction: the chopped-and-screwed Maybach from Hov and Yeezy's "Otis" video, which premiered on MTV on Thursday.
"That's the first thing you see when you get in the store is the Maybach, and it's all tore up," hip-hop fan Max Lockie said. "The engine's exposed, the doors are ripped off, the trunk's split open so you can see the inside of it."
Dorian Talker was equally excited to see the tricked-out whip, which will eventually be auctioned off for charity, though he did express just a bit of disappointment. "I would've liked it better if Jay-Z and Kanye had been in the car, but, you know, you get what you get," he said.
See what car expert Myles Kovacs estimates the Maybach's work cost.
The pop-up store caps off an exciting week in which fans waited until Monday's early morning hours to purchase the album on iTunes. Then on Thursday, Throne fanatics got to see WTT first visual component when the "Otis" video debuted. On Friday, folks were still buzzing.
"It was dope. What I liked about the video most was it seemed like they were having a good time," Jonas Guerrero said. "They were stuntin' on a whole 'nother level. The whole big Riccardo Tisci flag on the back, and they were all smiles ... I haven't seen a video like that in a long time."
What did our panel of tastemakers have to say about the "Otis" vid? Check it out here.
Talker agreed. He applauded the video's director for letting Jay and 'Ye just let it all hang out. "I think Spike Jonze just allowed Kanye and Jay-Z to do their thing," he said. "It wasn't overly conceptual, which I think was a benefit to the video."
What do you think of the "Otis" video? Tell us in the comments.

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Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

2011-08-14T14:00:00.001-07:00

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.By Gil Kaufman

Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday

Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."
That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.
For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.
Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Jack, My Narcoleptic Nephew Update

2011-08-14T09:00:00.001-07:00

Remember when I wrote this post about how my nephew Jack can sleep anywhere?
Well, here's the latest:

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Japanese marching drill makes robots look sloppy

2011-08-14T05:00:00.001-07:00

England and cheese rolling, Finland
and wife carrying,
Ireland and camogie --
to those peculiarly parochial, yet nonetheless impressive, sporting events we
can now add the Japanese tradition of shudan koudou, or group mobilization.
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Photos | 2011 Pre-Grammy Celebrations

2011-08-14T01:01:00.001-07:00

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Links for 2008-03-20 [del.icio.us]

2011-08-13T21:00:00.001-07:00

Lindsay Lohan and Calum Best sex tape scandal
Lindsay Lohan has done it again! There is now a picture of her giving oral sex to Calum Best. Be sure to take a look at the picture. The image is safe to view but we do have the link to the image that is NSFW.

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A New Photo From ?The Hunger Games? Film Is Released

2011-08-13T16:00:00.001-07:00

Back in May we got our first look at the first photos from the set of the big screen adaptation of The Hunger Games and, as you may recall, we got to see a couple of paparazzi-shot photos from the Reaping scene. Today we get to see a new promo still from the film that [...]

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Katy Perry Closing In On Michael Jackson's #1 Singles Record

2011-08-13T13:00:00.001-07:00

If 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)' tops Hot 100, Perry's Teenage Dream will tie MJ's mark of five #1s from a single album.By James Montgomery

Katy Perry

Photo: John Parra/ WireImage

Katy Perry's unstoppable Teenage Dream album continues to churn out hits ... and now, it might just make history too.
If Dream's fifth single, the just-released "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", continues its climb to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 (it currently sits at #4, jumping 27 spots from last week), Perry will not only become the first female artist to ever have five #1 songs off one album, she'll be the first artist of any gender to accomplish the feat since Michael Jackson had five chart-topping singles off his Bad album in 1987 and 1988.
Perry's previous #1s from the Dream album are, of course, "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework" and "E.T." Jackson's five #1s from the Bad album are "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana."
Perry has already shattered the Hot 100 record for most consecutive weeks with a single inside the Top 10 (48, a number previously held by Swedish popmeisters Ace of Base), then kept that momentum going by spending an entire year in the chart's upper echelon. More incredibly, that streak is still active, as two of Perry's singles — "T.G.I.F." and "E.T." — sit at numbers 4 and 5, respectively.
What's more, "T.G.I.F" currently sits atop the Billboard Digital Songs chart, and may soon be her sixth single to pass the 4 million mark in digital sales, joining "E.T.," "California Gurls," "Firework," and from her One of the Boys album, "Hot N Cold" and "I Kissed a Girl." No other artist has even had four songs pass the 4 million download mark ... Perry's closest competitors in that regard are Lady Gaga and Rihanna, both of whom have had three 4 million-sellers.
What do you think of Katy Perry's chart streak? Sound off in the comments!

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Photos | Justin Bieber Turns 17! What's In Store For Him This Year?

2011-08-13T08:00:00.001-07:00

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Usher - Lil Freak

2011-08-13T03:00:00.001-07:00

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Label: LaFace Records, JLG
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Britney Spears Hosts As Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, More Bring Wango Tango To L.A.

2011-08-12T21:00:00.001-07:00

Pitbull, Matthew Morrison, Selena Gomez, Far East Movement and others filled the Staples Center on Saturday night.By Matt Elias

Britney Spears hosts KIIS FM's Wango Tango 2011 on Saturday

Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears makes headlines at concerts, even when she's not performing. That's probably why Los Angeles radio station KIIS FM tapped the pop princess to guest-host their annual Wango Tango music festival along with Ryan Seacrest on Saturday night at the Staples Center.

The bill was a balance of pop and hip-hop, with acts like Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Selena Gomez, "Glee" 's Matthew Morrison, Lupe Fiasco, T-Pain, Jason Derülo, Far East Movement, New Boyz, Cobra Starship and newcomer Cody Simpson.
Backstage, the media room went into a frenzy when Spears arrived in a red, geometric-print dress and a beaming smile. Owning her "femme fatale" moniker, Spears worked the carpet for a few moments while all of the cameras in the room were pointing at her. It was the second red carpet appearance by Brit this week, after her Beverly Hills benefit on Wednesday night for the St. Bernard Project.
Check out photos from Wango Tango 2011.
Spears' Femme Fatale collaborator Ke$ha, who was returning to the festival for the second time, said that an onstage collab between to the two would have to require one thing.
"That would have to include me finding her and attacking her," Ke$ha told MTV News, with the best intentions. "I'm planning on pouncing her."
While that never happened, at least not onstage, Ke$ha delivered on her promise of a set heavy on her glitter gun. And she assured us she knew the dos and don'ts of handling that kind of firepower.
"Do not spray yourself in the face with it," she said. "Do spray everybody else with it. That's pretty much it."
While Joe Jonas wasn't performing at the show, he took a break from recording his solo debut to catch up with almost everyone backstage.
"I didn't see Britney backstage, just said 'hello' to a couple of my friends," Jonas said. "Backstage is always [full of] people, especially having it at the Staples Center this time, I think compared to all the way out in the desert, it changes everything."
Also happy to have Wango Tango in Los Angeles were locals Far East Movement.
"Man, we grew up literally a few blocks away from here, and you can only imagine basketball games being played here," Kev Nish said. "So to come in here as performers, to be able to do our songs in this arena is a little crazy. We used to pass out CDs a few blocks [away], so we're very thankful. And the lineup is nuts, so we're extremely excited to be a part of this lineup."
Were you at Wango Tango? Share your experience in the comments below!

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Photos | MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Pop Star Brides

2011-08-12T14:00:00.001-07:00

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Photos | Drake, Nicki Minaj, Usher And More At Hot 97 2010 Summer Jam

2011-08-10T21:00:00.001-07:00

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Sundance Breakout Dee Rees Signed by WME (Exclusive)

2011-08-10T15:00:00.001-07:00

Jay A. Fernandez WME Entertainment has signed indie filmmaker Dee Rees, whose debut film "Pariah" had its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.read more

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Photos | Lady Gaga And The Scissor Sisters Perform At Staples Center

2011-08-10T05:00:00.001-07:00

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Britney Spears Hosts As Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, More Bring Wango Tango To L.A.

2011-08-09T23:00:00.001-07:00

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Beyonce Shares Her Love For Frank Ocean, Kanye West

2011-08-09T19:00:00.001-07:00

B shares how Jay-Z and his collaborators influenced her chart-topping 4.By Jocelyn Vena

Beyoncé in <i>Complex</i> magazine

Photo: Thierry Le Gouès/ Complex

Beyoncé has said that she was "inspired by every type of genre" of music while making 4. But in a recent interview, she spoke in detail about how husband Jay-Z and other hip-hop artists became sonic touchstones while she recorded her fourth solo album.
"Jay had a CD playing in the car one Sunday when we were driving to Brooklyn," she tells Complex about hearing Odd Future's Frank Ocean, who co-wrote the 4 track "I Miss You." "I noticed his tone, his arrangements, and his storytelling. I immediately reached out to him — literally the next morning. I asked him to fly to New York and work on my record."
She also chose to work with Kanye West (who eventually produced "Party") after she heard "Runaway," which she admits, made her cry. "The fact that he's belting out his pain, his confusion, and his anger, with no pre-written lyrics, was so moving," she explained of her husband's frequent collaborator. "He's singing his heart out for five minutes. He is so vulnerable. I love when an artist can be so honest."
Of course, B acknowledged the direct influence of Jay's own work too. "Jay's music is more than music. His lyrics have fathered generations," she told the magazine. "All that he has overcome gives millions so much hope. There are moments when I see his lips moving, and I can see lyrics floating above his head, and I think, 'Wow! How did I get so lucky to be able to witness this level of genius so closely?' "
Beyoncé released her album in a season dominated by strong female voices, but she doesn't want any part in conversations that pit her against other divas.
"There is room on this earth for many queens," she said. "I have an authentic, God-given talent, drive and longevity that will always separate me from everyone else. I've been fortunate to accomplish things that the younger generation of queens dream of accomplishing. I have no desire for anyone else's throne. I am very comfortable in the throne I've been building for the past 15 years.
"I just want my legacy to be great music," she later added. "Someone who was a risk taker and someone who had songs that struck conversation and emotion."

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Photos | 2011 Billboard Music Awards

2011-08-09T15:00:00.001-07:00

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'Hop' Director Tim Hill in Talks to Direct 'Walter the Farting Dog' (Exclusive)

2011-08-09T08:00:00.001-07:00

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Lady Gaga Calls Terry Richardson Book 'Completely Unfiltered'

2011-08-09T03:00:00.001-07:00

'I didn't hold anything back,' Gaga tells MTV News about upcoming photo book.By James Montgomery

Lady Gaga

Photo: MTV News

Late last month, Lady Gaga announced she was teaming with photographer/provocateur Terry Richardson to release a hefty coffee-table book, one that features more than 350 photos of the singer taken by Richardson over the course of 10 months.

The two have worked together — with appropriately pulse-quickening results — several times in the past, most notably a September 2010 cover shoot for Vogue Hommes Japan that served as a sneak peek of the now-infamous meat dress she wore to the 2010 VMAs, and a clothing-optional campaign for Supreme in February 2011.
But if you thought those shots were shocking, well, get ready for the duo's book, which, as Gaga told MTV News on Monday night in New York, will push things even further.
"Terry was with me for [almost] a whole year, and, gosh, I didn't hold anything back from Terry ... he was with me every minute, every moment," she said. "It's completely unfiltered. He has photographs of me waking up in the morning, brushing my teeth, in the bathroom, in the bathtub, the shower. And the thing about Terry, if you know anything about his photography, is that nothing is staged; I mean, that's sort of what he is renowned for. He can get you to do things and he can capture things that no one can ever capture.
"What I love so much about Terry is that he thinks everything is so beautiful. I'm always, 'Oh Terry, get out of here,' and he's like, 'Oh, it's so beautiful, let me just shoot it,' " she continued. "I felt so comfortable with Terry. I love him so much. He's a really close friend, and I feel really honored that he traveled [with me]."
Gaga said the self-titled book (which hits stores November 22) not only showcases her whirlwind life — it follows her from the main stage of Lollapalooza to her Maine rally to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" to the final shows of her Monster Ball Tour in Mexico City — but the lives of her ultra-dedicated fans too. That was as much a goal as the unfettered access was. And, from the sound of things, the book manages to accomplish both.
"My favorite thing, honestly, is that [Richardson] loved the fans. He shot the fans the same way he shot me: with no pretense. No 'Well, she's put out records and they haven't.' None of that. The music was all of ours," she said. "He would come backstage and he would say, 'Oh my God, the fans!' And I'd say, 'I know ... I know what you just photographed.' And he'd say, 'Baby, wow!' And then he'd film me, like, peeing in a cup and, like, ridiculous things."

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