Jay-Z, Beyonce, Bieber And More Nominated For 2010 BET Awards
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1639466
Kristen Bell Kristin Kreuk Kurt Russell Lacey Chabert Laetitia Casta
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=404504
Kelly Preston Kelly Ripa Keri Russell Kiley Dean Kim Basinger
Singer teases his new project by pointing to past hits like 'Yeah!' and 'OMG.'
By James Montgomery
With the success of songs like "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," "Hot Tottie" and "OMG," Usher had himself a fairly massive 2010. But rather than rest on his laurels, he's looking to build on his big year, not with an album, but with a "movement."
It's something he's calling "Rev Pop" — or, simply, "Rev" — and though he's already teased his idea in a video with David Guetta (Akon is also involved), he has yet to speak in full about it. So when MTV News caught up with Ush before the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles at the (Belvedere) RED launch party, we asked him about his next musical endeavor. And though he didn't reveal much, he did let it be known that "Rev" isn't exactly something new. In fact, he's been doing it for a while now.
"I'll give it to you this way: At a later date, I'll tell you more about Rev Pop, but if I were to give you a flash: I've done it before, I did it with 'Yeah!' " he said, "taking a cultural experience, and also worldwide recognition of a feeling, and putting the soul in the middle of it. Not allowing it to shift heavily to R&B genre, or pop. I did it again with 'OMG,' once again putting the soul in the middle of it, which was an electric-pop experience, with the soul.
"It's bringing those elements together to tell a story, that was born here," he said, gesturing toward his heart, "And that's what Rev Pop is. There's more, I mean, I could really elaborate, but that's just what I'm going to tell you right now. 'Rev' is what it's called ... the movement is called Rev."
Usher wouldn't say just when his fans would be getting their first taste of Rev, but whenever they do, it sounds like they're going to be impressed ... if not a little shocked.
"Stay alive," he smiled, "Because you're definitely going to be in for a surprise."
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658043/usher-rev-pop.jhtml
Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Shue Ellen Pompeo Elsa Benitez Emily Procter
Pop singer posts video message inviting fans to ask her questions.
By James Dinh
Lady Gaga
Photo: Anita Bugge/ Getty Images
Lady Gaga has always found creative ways to interact with her fans, and her latest idea is no exception. On Tuesday, the pop titan took to YouTube to post a video message inviting her Little Monsters to ask her questions in an upcoming Google interview.
Standing against a brick wall, Gaga greets her fans in the beginning of the black-and-white video, saying, "Hello, Little Monsters. This is Lady Gaga on the road at the Monster Ball. I wanted to let you in on the news that I'll be doing an exclusive Google interview using one of their tools called the moderator, which allows you guys to ask me all the questions that you want.
"Do you have something that you always wanted to know about me or maybe you have questions about my fashion love or even the kind of things I search for on Google. Well, now is your chance!" she continues in the clip.
Fans can participate in the interview by heading to the singer's YouTube channel and submitting videos or written questions. While on the singer's page, they can also vote for the questions they want to hear the most. In addition to the video network, fans can tweet their questions using the hashtag #GoogleGoesGaga. Fans have until the end of the day Friday to submit their entries.
"I'll post the video interview with all my questions next week, so stay tuned. I'll let you know when it goes up, and remember, you're all amazing and I love you so, so much. I'll see you soon. You were born this way," she concludes with her monster growl.
As of Wednesday (March 16), some of the most popular submissions included everything from pre-fame bullies to backstage tour stories.
"You said that in school a lot of people bullied you and didn't like you," one fan wrote. "Now that you are famous, have any of them tried to 'apologize' and become friends? If so, what did you say to them?"
"What do you do with all the T-shirts, stuffed animals, letters, hats and other monster gifts you receive?" asked another fan.
Have you asked Lady Gaga a question yet? Tell us in the comments!
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660046/lady-gaga-youtube-interview.jhtml
Mena Suvari Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Ryan Mike Myers
Elizabeth Banks and husband Max Handelman are now the proud parents of a beautiful boy named Felix, who was born via gestational surrogate.
"I have been very fortunate in life both professionally and personally," the 30 Rock star, 37, wrote on her website in a post announcing the birth.
"The one true hurdle I've faced in life is that I have a broken belly," she added.
"After years of trying to get pregnant, exploring the range of fertility treatments, all unsuccessful, our journey led us to gestational surrogacy."
"From that came two miracles. The first was meeting our carrier and her husband who were truly humbling in their decency and generosity."
"The second miracle was the birth of our baby boy, Felix Handelman."
"Felix means 'happy' and 'lucky' in Latin. And true to his name, Felix is a very happy baby and a blessing on our life," she concludes.
Congratulations to the happy parents!
[Photo: Fame Pictures]
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/03/its-a-girl-for-elizabeth-banks/
Elisha Cuthbert Eliza Dushku Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Shue Ellen Pompeo
Britney Spears appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, and on top of performing two tracks from her new album, showed us how to make a very special cocktail.
This was, in fact (not really), a deleted scene from Jackass 3D. It may not have made the final cut, but Johnny Knoxville was kind enough to share it with us here.
It's called Poo Cocktail Supreme. Britney Spears is the "bartender" of sorts. If you get queasy easily, you might not want to watch this. Everyone else, go to it:
Britney Spears and Johnny Knoxville
Mmm. Delicious. Makes you look forward to happy hour even more.
Follow the jump for Britney Spears performing "Till the World Ends" and "Hold It Against Me" on JKL. The latter performance was cut off as the credits rolled.
Kimmel Tweeted: “To all experiencing fits of intense hissy because the @britneyspears bonus song was short, not our decision if it airs online – artist mgmt.”
That explains it ... sort of. Check out both performances here:
Britney Spears on Jimmy Kimmel Live - Till the World Ends
Britney Spears on Jimmy Kimmel Live - Hold It Against Me
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/03/britney-spears-makes-a-mean-poo-cocktail/
Carrie Anne Moss Cassie Ventura Catherine Zeta Jones Chandra Wilson Charisma Carpenter
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1270&vid=235341
Heather Locklear Heidi Klum Helen Hunt Hilary Duff Hilary Swank
'I have not been approached to fill in for Robert Plant on the Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be,' singer says.
By Chris Harris
Former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell has spoken out for the first time about rumors that he's been asked to fill in for Robert Plant on a proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The trek would feature original guitarist Jimmy Page, original bassist John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham taking over on drums for his late father, John Bonham.
Cornell has been mentioned — along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, White Stripes mastermind Jack White and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy — as a potential Plant fill-in. Plant has already said that he wouldn't take part in the tour.
"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Cornell told MTV News. "I've heard that from about 200 people now, and it might be one of those situations where it's just an online rumor or it might be true. But if you see anyone from Led Zeppelin around, let me know. I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss tour."
Cornell's denial comes just a day after Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford confirmed reports that frontman Steven Tyler recently met with Zeppelin for an impromptu jam session. "They did it for fun," Whitford said during an appearance on the syndicated show "Todd N Tyler Radio Empire." "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because I think he was trying to light a fire under Robert."
Rumors of a Zeppelin reunion tour have abounded since the iconic band played a single reunion set last year at London's O2 Arena. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider added fuel to the fire last month when he revealed that the group was thinking of touring, with or without Plant.
According to Snider, the rest of the band told Plant, " 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid [Myles Kennedy].' "
"And he can sing the sh-- out of Zeppelin," Snider added. "They're going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in."
In a recent interview, Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought to take over for Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he said. "We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there."
But Jones insists that he, Page and Bonham aren't interested in finding a Plant clone. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be onboard."
Of course, even if Zeppelin were to approach him, Cornell might be too busy to take over vocals for the band. His upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, will be released within the next few months. Cornell told MTV News last month that some of his fans might consider Scream something of a departure, but he doesn't see it that way.
"It makes me happy that there's this perception that I have a group of fans that I'm now sort of throwing a curve at and what their reaction will be," he said. "But I've been in this situation so many times already. When I put out [1999's] Euphoria Morning, my main goal was to create an album that sounded like nothing I'd done in Soundgarden, and I did that. I also had that with Temple of the Dog, where I showed up with songs that weren't necessarily riff-based. And then, of course, the pairing of me and members of Rage Against the Machine had everyone sort of speculating about what that would sound like.
"It feels like I've done this so many times that when it's presented to me as being a departure, I feel that's a misconception," he added. "I feel like that's my theme at this point."
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598367/chris-cornell-debunks-led-zeppelin-rumors.jhtml
Source: http://www.celebritygossiphollywood.com/general/celebrity-couples/happy-birthday-justin-bieber/
Natalie Portman Natascha McElhone Neve Campbell Nicolas Cage Nicole Eggert
The pop superstar will receive the prize at the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards on June 6 in New York City.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga
Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images
Lady Gaga is certainly known for her eye-popping, always-evolving style, and she has shown her passion for fashion at numerous high-profile events. This hasn't gone unnoticed by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, as the trade organization announced on Wednesday night that the pop star will be among its 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards winners, The Associated Press reports.
Gaga will be presented with the Fashion Icon Award at this year's ceremony, which will take place on June 6 in New York City. CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg and executive director Steven Kolb made the announcement at the DVF Studio in the Big Apple, where all the nominations were made public for the event.
Also set to be recognized at the CFDA Awards is designer Marc Jacobs, will who will receive the lifetime achievement award. According to von Furstenberg, Jacobs e-mailed her noting that he didn't think he was old enough for the honor and that he wanted it renamed the "half-lifetime award." She explained to the fashionistas in the room, "I told him that I'm much older than him and I'm still kicking." In addition, Jacobs garnered a nomination for the Womenswear Designer of the Year prize, as did Alexander Wang and the design duo Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler.
The Olsen twins are also up for an award. They will be competing in the womenswear category for emerging talent for their collection The Row, going up against Prabal Gurung and Joseph Altuzarra. The International Award will go to Phoebe Philo, who designs for Celine and who gets a shout-out from Kanye West on "Dark Fantasy," the lead cut from his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album.
Other 2011 CFDA nominees include Wang, Phillip Lim and Robert Geller in the up-and-coming menswear designer category, and Alejandro Ingelmo, Eddie Borgo, Pamela Love and Jason Wu for accessories.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660079/lady-gaga-style-icon.jhtml
Victoria Beckham Vin Diesel Virginia Madsen Will Smith William Shatner
Source: http://www.celebritygossiphollywood.com/celebrities/miley-cyrus/happy-birthday-miley/
Jules Asner Julia Roberts Julia Stiles Justin Chambers Kate Beckinsale
Beyonce has severed ties with her father. On a strictly professional basis, that is.
Matthew Knowles will no longer manage his daughter's career, a move Beyonce explained via the following statement:
"I've only parted ways with my father on a business level. He is my father for life and I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me. I grew up watching both he and my mother manage and own their own businesses. They were hard-working entrepreneurs and I will continue to follow in their footsteps."
Matthew, who helped launch Destiny's Child with his daughter at the center, acknowledges the split was mutual and says his focus is now on "Music World Entertainment's growing gospel and inspirational music division."
Beyonce will release a new album later this year.
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/03/beyonce-cuts-professional-ties-with-father/
Ellen Pompeo Elsa Benitez Emily Procter Emma Watson Emmy Rossum
After performing her Monster Ball in Kentucky, the pop star joins a Gaga impersonator at a nearby club.
By Gil Kaufman
Lady Gaga performs in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday
Photo: Gil Kaufman
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — The concourse at the KFC YUM! Center was packed with Lady Gaga impersonators — male and female — during her show at the venue on Saturday night. There were drag queens in towering heels, caution tape and not much else, and an endless sea of ladies in neon-colored wigs strutting their stuff in a variety of homebrewed costumes based on Gaga video looks, from the soda-can-in-the-hair 'do to skull face-paint, hot pants, fishnets and lots of glitter.
One venue employee said that at a pre-show meeting to discuss appropriate attire for attendees, they were told "anything" goes, as long as underwear of some sort was involved.
But even after a nearly two-hour Monster Ball extravaganza that featured the usual compliment of fire-belching pianos, sexy, nun-stocked subway cars and an attack by a giant angler fish puppet, Gaga had still not had enough. According to a video posted on TMZ, Mother Monster popped up unexpectedly at a Louisville gay bar called Connections at around 1:15 a.m. to show the girls how "Born This Way" should sound.
The instantly iconic gay anthem — which she'd done onstage as both a moving piano ballad and as a show-stopping, night-capping encore — was being performed by a queen at the club when the Gaga walked out unannounced, wearing fishnets and a black leotard, and proceeded to make the club go nuts by singing the song live over a pounding remix.
Gaga performed an impromptu dance duet with her doppelganger, a 6-foot-plus queen in a spangled bikini and long blonde wig, and then did a mini-stage dive into the crowd before strutting off stage three minutes later amid screams of delight from her stunned followers.
Have you been to the Monster Ball? Share your favorite moments in the comments!
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659795/lady-gaga-louisville-impersonator-club.jhtml
Ali Larter Alicia Silverstone Alyson Hannigan Alyssa Milano Amanda Bynes
Source: http://www.celebritygossiphollywood.com/celebrities/miley-cyrus/happy-birthday-miley/
Patricia Heaton Patrick Dempsey Penelope Cruz Petra Nemcova Phoebe Cates
Foursome is joined by special guests and tons of lights for smash-hit medley.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Black Eyed Peas perform during the Super Bowl XLV halftime show
Photo: Getty Images
The Black Eyed Peas promised a party at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday (February 6), and the pop supernovas definitely delivered, with a performance teeming with lights, dancers and surprise appearances from celebrity pals.
Following a Chatter.com commercial that showed animated versions of the Peas showing off their social-media skills, the group kicked things off with their 2009 smash "I Gotta Feeling," descending from the ceiling on illuminated platforms onto a stage surrounded by a cluster of dancers clad in white bodysuits. The foursome led the team of fist-pumping troops in "Tron"-like getups, with Taboo sporting an outfit covered in flashing lights, will.i.am rocking a shiny hairpiece, Apl.de.ap wearing huge bright studs and Fergie vamping it up in bling-laden shoulder pads.
When the speaker-busting bass of "Boom Boom Pow" dropped, the dancers dispersed across the field to create arrow-shaped formations as the glow-in-the-dark lights on their suits illuminated the stadium. Then rumored surprise guest Slash of Guns N' Roses rose from below the stage for a "Sweet Child O' Mine" duet with Fergie. The GNR great rocked a finger-searing solo in a studded version of his signature black top hat as more angular platforms and dancers moved across the gridiron. The platforms were bearing scores of marching-band musicians who blasted their horns and pounded away on their drums as the Peas went into "Pump It" and blue lights splashed across the production.
Quick streams of fog heralded the arrival of the Peas' second surprise guest, Usher, who swooped in on a long chain to bust out his will.i.am-assisted joint "OMG." Rocking a sparkly collar on an otherwise all-white ensemble, the R&B hitmaker cranked out several counts of energetic choreography, enlivening moves from his "OMG" video and at one point jumping over Will and landing in a split.
A spray of pyro ushered in the collective's breakout 2003 hit "Where Is the Love?" as the oddly shaped platforms spelled out the word "Love" in bright-red letters. The team of dancers, which appeared to have multiplied to over 100, formed hearts across the field as will updated the lyrics of the smash with lines like, "Obama, let's get these educated."
Then the group jumped ahead to their most recent single, 2010's "The Time (Dirty Bit)," as several back up hoofers rocking cubed helmets joined the Peas onstage and dancers lined up along the gridiron to simultaneously bust out the Running Man, a move which drew cheers from the crowd.
The platinum-selling Peas wrapped up the performance with a reprise of "I Gotta Feeling," as the quartet triumphantly signed off amid of blitz of fog, firepower and flashing lights.
Ripping the halftime show was clearly a touching moment for will, who tweeted beforehand, "Me and apl started the peas when we were 16 yesterday we were dreamin now were livin it. Wow. I'm not crying out of sadness or nervousness its joy and pride and memories and the journey."
And once the crew left the stage, the frontman was not only proud, but pumped. "That was so freakin sick," he wrote. "Wow...!!!"
What did you think of the Black Eyed Peas' Super Bowl performance? Let us know in the comments!
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657356/black-eyed-peas-usher-slash-super-bowl.jhtml
Bridget Fonda Bridgette Wilson Britney Spears Brittany Murphy Brittany Snow
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=401347
Hilary Swank Isaiah Washington Jaime Pressly James Pickens Jr Jenna Fischer
'It shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums,' guitarist says.
By Chris Harris
Dimmu Borgir's Silenoz
Photo: Nuclear Blast
On October 14, Dimmu Borgir — who just happen to be Demi Lovato's favorite black-metal band — will release a a three-disc DVD/CD set called "The Invaluable Darkness," the band's first visual offering since 2002's "World Misanthropy." Boasting live footage shot last year, during gigs in Norway, Germany and England, "The Invaluable Darkness" demonstrates the unbridled furor of seeing Dimmu live, guitarist Silenoz said.
"It shows the honest rawness and atmospheric darkness of our concerts," the Norwegian told Metal File last week, after dismissing recent online rumors that his band's next LP would be coming out through Roadrunner Records. "Basically, it shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums. It's just a different side to the band, basically."
Dimmu Borgir began thinking about "The Invaluable Darkness" two years ago, but didn't start capturing footage until last summer, Silenoz explained, adding that the band will use its current stint on the Blackest of the Black Tour — which got underway Thursday night in Miami Beach, Florida, and also features the tour's founder, Danzig, along with Moonspell, Winds of Plague and Skeletonwitch — to promote the DVD. Dimmu Borgir will not, however, use the tour to write material for their next LP.
"It's our first time on Blackest, but Glenn [Danzig] had wanted to bring us out before [on the tour], but we weren't available until now," Silenoz said. "We've done Ozzfest before, but we're looking forward to this tour more. We did the main stage on Ozzfest, playing in f--_ing broad daylight. This tour will let us play in bigger places, but at the same time showcase more of what the band's about, visually. We are going to concentrate on the tour for now. Some years ago, we tried putting [material] together on the road, but once we got home, we listened back to it, and were like, 'What the f--- is this?' So, we just scrapped it all. We find it's so much better to totally focus on one thing at a time, and then, when that's over, you move on to the next [thing]. We don't really feel like we need to rush things, anyway, so we'll just take our time, and it's going to be what it's going to be."
Dimmu Borgir hope to reconvene in late December to begin writing the follow-up to 2007's diabolically titled In Sorte Diaboli. "We have some ideas floating around already, but we haven't arranged any material yet," he said. "We'll start doing that once the touring for this DVD is over." The band's frontman, Shagrath, is also due to marry soon — he's engaged to actor Nicolas Cage's ex-girlfriend, Christina Fulton, so that may have an effect on when Dimmu finish their next album, which Silenoz said could be out this coming spring.
"I'm sure [Shagrath] won't let anything get in the way [of] the band — I think, I hope," the guitarist said. "We don't need a Yoko [Ono] situation."
While Dimmu have been at it going on 15 years now, Silenoz said he doesn't think their forthcoming material will be much of a departure from their previous black-metal offerings.
"And we have always been about more than just that term, 'black metal,' " he said. "Luckily for us, the older you get, the less concerned you get with the categorization and putting labels on your music. Things start getting more and more limitless with us, and we know that we operate within certain frames. But we try not to analyze things too much, because it's just going to be working against you in the end. When we write new stuff, we don't think about what we should write — we just get together, and put material together, and if we like it, we keep it. That's the formula, if we even have a formula."
Dimmu Borgir are definitely getting older — guitarist Galder will be missing Blackest because of a recent addition to his family, and Susperia's Cyrus will be filling in for him; while former Vader drummer Dariusz Brzozowski takes over for Hellhammer, who had to leave the band in 2007 after sustaining a neck injury that's now limited the use of his right arm. As Dimmu has gotten on in years, Silenoz admits they have failed to keep pace with some of the more extreme black-metal acts that have followed in their wake.
"We helped open doors for the more extreme bands out there," Silenoz said. "I'm sure we helped open doors for bands like Watain, [insomuch as] people that had maybe started listening to us first then went on to the more extreme stuff. Let's face it — we're not as extreme as Watain and other bands like that, but we're fine with that."
The Blackest of the Black Tour continues through November 10 in San Francisco.
The rest of the week's metal news:
Dimmu's tourmates on Blackest, Winds of Plague, have announced ex-Azusa drummer Art Cruz has joined their ranks — he replaced Jeff Tenney. According to the band's blog, "Art has already added a new spark to the band and has provided us with a solid backbone that will allow us to continue our rampage stronger than ever." ...
What the world really needs is another Led Zeppelin box set, so, on November 4, Rhino Records will issue the Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection Mini LP Replica CD box set. For just $200, you'll get 1969's Led Zeppelin, 1969's Led Zeppelin II, 1970's Led Zeppelin III, 1971's Led Zeppelin IV, 1973's Houses of the Holy, 1975's Physical Graffiti, 1976's Presence, 1976's The Song Remains the Same, 1979's In Through the Out Door and 1982's Coda, as mini-LP replicas, with artwork from the original U.K. LP sleeves. Now, you know what you can get your dad for Christmas. ...
Former Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach and current Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz have teamed up for a new project they're calling Times of Grace, and they've already started working on material for their debut album. According to Leach, "We have two songs to go and we will be finished with all of the vocals. Adam has taken lead vocals in three songs as of yet and he is doing a great job. We also worked on a track yesterday that is so epic — we trade vocals and do two different melodies at the same time. This album went from a melodic metal album to an epic mix of metal/rock/pop/shoegaze and punk. So all of your metal expectations will be incorrect — we are pushing genre boundaries." To quote "Meet the Parents," we'll look forward to that, Greg. ...
The Funeral Pyre and Early Graves will be hitting the road together next month, starting November 7 in South Lake Tahoe, California. Dates are booked through November 21 in Hollywood. ...
The latest incarnation of Brujeria, which features Carcass frontman Jeff Walker and Napalm Death's Shane Embury, have lined up several U.S. dates for this winter. The band will begin its brief trek November 28 in Denver, and wrap things up in Dallas on December 7. ... Demiricous will be touring with the Gates of Slumber starting November 9 in Denver, for a jaunt that's scheduled to run through December 6 in Indianapolis. ...
Nearly three years after Roadrunner Records' Roadrunner United concert, which took over the Nokia Theater in New York's Times Square, the label is now releasing footage from that special night as "Roadrunner United: The Concert." The DVD, which hits stores December 9, will boast two discs and 24 live tracks, including Life of Agony's "River Runs Red," King Diamond's "Abigail," Killswitch's "My Last Serenade," Type O Negative's "Black No. 1" and Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist." ...
According to Blabbermouth, Verrot, bassist for Swedish black-metal outfit Elimi, committed suicide on October 3. In a statement, the band said, "Verrot was a very good friend, brother, an excellent bass player/musician and an important part of Elimi; we respect his decision and hope he'll find his way with the dark gods of Chaos. Let your black flame be a part of what brings forth the day of wrath."
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1596756/dimmu-borgir-release-live-dvd-set-metal-file.jhtml
Kim Basinger Kirsten Dunst Krista Allen Kristanna Loken Kristen Bell
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=455581
Tori Spelling Tricia Helfer Uma Thurman Valerie Bertinelli Vanessa Angel
Music industry urges other stars who played for Libyan dictator's family to donate their earnings.
By Gil Kaufman
Beyonce
Photo: Al Pereira/ WireImage
Just days after singer Nelly Furtado announced that she planned to donate to charity money she received for playing a concert for the family of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, a spokesperson for Beyoncé said that the "Halo" singer had already done the same.
Documents obtained by the WikiLeaks website revealed that stars including Beyoncé, Usher and Mariah Carey had played big-paycheck gigs for Gadhafi. On Monday, Rolling Stone magazine reported that the industry was urging the stars (noting that rapper 50 Cent had also played such gigs) to return the money they earned for the concerts.
"They've done it for tons of artists," an unnamed music-business source told the magazine about lavish parties by Gadhafi's son, Muatassim, which are reportedly often "jammed" with supermodels. "Those guys are all over the world."
On Wednesday, a rep for Beyoncé — who played a New Year's Eve gig for Muatassim with Usher on the Caribbean island of St. Barts in 2009 — told the Huffington Post that the singer had long ago resolved the matter.
"All monies paid to Beyoncé for her performance at a private party at Nikki Beach St. Barts on New Year's Eve 2009, including the commissions paid to her booking agency, were donated to the earthquake relief efforts for Haiti over a year ago," her publicist said. "Once it became known that the third-party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause."
The money was donated to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, established in the wake of last year's devastating earthquake, and a spokesperson for the fund confirmed that it received the $1 million check in the weeks after the January 2010 earthquake.
According to her official Twitter feed, Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado confirmed on Monday that she once did a show for the dictator's family and now plans to donate the money to charity. "In 2007, I received 1million$ from the Gadhafi clan to perform a 45 min. show for guests at a hotel in Italy," she wrote on Monday. "I am going to donate the $."
The star-studded shows were part of the extravagant lifestyle of the dictator's sons, whose splashy parties and out-of-control spending have angered their countrymen, many of whom wallow in poverty as the Gadhafi clan benefits from the country's oil riches.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659097/beyonce-gadhafi-donation.jhtml
But is it here to stay? Our music-industry experts weigh in.
By Akshay Bhansali
Ke$ha
Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images
In 2010, pop princesses, R&B icons and chart-dominating newcomers all danced to the same beat. Not only did dance music go pop, but pop music caught the club-music bug.
Between Katy Perry's "Firework," Ke$ha's "We R Who We R," Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)," Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It," Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" and "OMG" and countless other singles, established artists definitely looked to dance beats for surefire hits. And two of this year's biggest success stories in music were Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz; could there be a soul left in this country who hasn't heard "Dynamite" or "In My Head"?
The love went both ways, with dance music's biggest stars finding mainstream success this year. Dance-music maestro deadmau5 took up house-artist duties at this year's VMAs, and Swedish House Mafia and Usher teamed up for a medley of their gems at the American Music Awards.
So how did this happen? We caught up with some music-industry experts to get their takes.
"You definitely saw tempos go up this year," Jon Caramanica of The New York Times told MTV News. "And I think what you had are a lot of producers who are really familiar with nightclub stuff. They are familiar with Europe. Things are happening on a more global scale now."
"I think everything from Europe, and sometimes even Asia, it comes to America, and we just adopt things a little bit slower," said Jared Eng of JustJared.com. "I think it was just a change. People like different types of music at different times. And dance was of this moment."
Noah Callahan of Complex magazine added: "I think 2010 saw the merging of the pop and dance genres. Pop artists realized that there were best practices that could be borrowed from dance music. And, ultimately, [all] pop music that has been made in the past 20 years had ended up being remixed for the club by dance artists. I think they basically just cut out the middleman and went straight there."
Dance music being introduced into the hip-hop and R&B realms was particularly notable this year.
"I think David Guetta kind of at the end of last year and the beginning of this year spearheaded it," said freelance writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd. "He produced a lot of tracks. I think as trends go, people revile 'unst-unst.' But it's just coming back around. Big-room techno was a way for people to get decadent in a year that no one could get decadent."
"You have someone like will.i.am, who's like, 'Well, I spent all this time in Ibiza, and this is what they are doing,' and he wants to find a way to bring that into his music," Caramanica said of the Black Eyed Peas mastermind. "R&B especially became dance music. And especially with your Jason Derülos, Taio Cruzes. Guys like that would have literally been blocked at the border two years ago. That would not have made it through customs. And now all of a sudden they have #1 songs. I think will.i.am had a lot to do with that last year."
Elliott Wilson of RapRadar.com added: "It's actually even affected hip-hop. I was talking to Q-Tip, and his next record, I feel like that's gonna kind of go in that vein. I know that was also Jay-Z's thought process with Blueprint 3 at first, that he wanted to make a little bit more of a world music [vibe], a little more dancey. I think the kids today want to go to the clubs. They wanna have a good time. They wanna dance. So I think the artists of today are trying to kind of feed that audience."
"I think it's caught on this year because the people who've done it have been successful," offered Clover Hope of Vibe magazine. "Like 'OMG,' with usher, he didn't have success until he made a dance record. He had 'There Goes My Baby' and these really, like, adult-contemporary records that didn't really catch on. And then once you see that everybody is doing it and that people are liking it, they are like, 'OK, let me just try this out.' It's like Auto-Tune. Like, 'Let me see what I sound like on a record by David Guetta.' They end up liking it and doing more of it."
So does the club-music trend have staying power. According to our tastemakers, not so much.
"I do think it's a blip," Caramanica said. "I don't think that's gonna be something that lasts in America. I think this is gonna be a moment we'll all look back on and go, 'Wasn't that weird when Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz had #1 records?"
"At some point, these R&B artists will get kind of sick of it and be like, 'Let me go back to my soul background,' " Hope said. "When you actually have to say something, dance doesn't really lend itself to substance. And I think that R&B artists, they really want to talk about love and in a deep way, and to do that, you need to do, like, a soul or a traditional R&B record. I want to say that it's kind of a fad."
"I think music is very cyclical," Eng offered. "So I think dance music might be here for a little bit, but I'm sure it will phase out at some point."
Wilson called dance music "the sound of today. I think that people want more aggressive, faster beats, and I think that that probably has legs until at least next summer."
What do you think? Is dance music here to stay? Let us know in the comments!
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655031/usher-keha-more-help-dance-music-go-pop-2010.jhtml
Julia Stiles Justin Chambers Kate Beckinsale Kate Hudson Kate Walsh
A pesar de lo dicho ayer, Peter Mensch, manager del guitarrista Jimmy Page, se retractó totalmente en eso que la banda buscaría un reemplazo al ultragenial Robert Plant para seguir rockeando y toureándola por el mundo tras su show de 2007 en el O2 Arena de Londres por el poder de la música más sexual de la historia. No habrá más Led Zeppelin, no hay planes de que lo haya.
Mensch comentó: "Led Zeppelin se acabó. Si no los vieron en el 2007, se los perdieron. Probaron reemplazantes a Robert Plant, pero nada funcionó. Se acabó. No hay planes para continuar. Francamente, ojalá todos dejaran de hablar al respecto."
Los fans no están nada contentos, especialmente los británicos, considerando los precios delirantes de las entradas del show reunión.
¿Y a ti? ¿Qué te parece todo esto?
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602369/.jhtml
Brea Grant Bridget Fonda Bridgette Wilson Britney Spears Brittany Murphy
Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."
He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.
You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.
Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.
And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.
And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.
To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.
One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.
"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604582/plantkrauss-win-album-year-grammy.jhtml
Gwyneth Paltrow Halle Berry Hayden Panettiere* Heather Graham Heather Locklear
Still busily promoting her new music offering, Jennifer Hudson paid a visit to AOL Studios in Beverly Hills, California earlier today (March 26).
The "American Idol" alum was looking lovely in a pretty pink and black ensemble as she performed tunes from her just-released album "I Remember Me" for AOL Music's Sessions.
Clearly comfortable whenever she takes the stage, Jen recently spoke to Pride magazine about finding strength in music - especially following the tragic murders of mother, brother and nephew during a shooting spree in October 2008.
Hudson told Pride: "My music is my therapy. Someone asked me to do a film about a year back, and I was like, 'No, I can't do a film right now because I can't be someone else if I don't know who I am.'"
The 29-year-old added: "I'm just trying to figure out where I am and who I am right now, and I could only resort back to music because that's like my home, my first love, my therapy, my everything. When I wake up in the morning I can't function if music is not playing, I can't even start the day, so it's a base for me."
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/jennifer-hudson/jennifer-hudsons-aol-sessions-491347
Reese Witherspoon Renee Zellweger Robin Williams Roselyn Sanchez Russell Crowe
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1270&vid=285678
Sandra Bullock Sandra Oh Sara Paxton Sara Ramirez Sarah Jessica Parker
'I've listened to their music since I was a child,' says the R&B diva, who recorded 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Larry Carroll
You wouldn't peg Mary J Blige as the black-light-and-tapestry sort, but, as has become readily apparent in recent weeks, she absolutely loves Led Zeppelin.
In early February, reports began circulating that Blige had re-recorded Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven," working with Travis Barker, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson and guitarist Steve Vai on the track, which is slated to appear on the international reissue of her Stronger With Each Tear album, due Monday.
But after she had recorded "Stairway," Blige continued to get the Led out, covering another Zeppelin classic — the thunderous "Whole Lotta Love" — for the album too. And when MTV News caught up with her on the Essence Black Women in Hollywood red carpet, she told us all about channeling her inner Robert Plant for the tracks, a process that came much easier than you'd probably imagine.
"I did Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' — it's crazy," she said. "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I'm not going to say I've been to their concerts, but I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway to Heaven,' and 'Whole Lotta Love' is just fun."
Blige also said she recorded another new song — a "club record" called "I Can't Wait" — for the re-release. And while it's only slated to hit shelves outside the U.S., she hopes her fans will get a chance to hear all the new songs pretty soon.
"I want y'all to hear it," she laughed.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1633563/mary-j-blige-dishes-on-her-crazy-led-zeppelin-covers.jhtml
Tori Spelling Tricia Helfer Uma Thurman Valerie Bertinelli Vanessa Angel
It's one of the funniest videos on record. But, to Bret Michaels, what happened in June 2009 is no laughing matter.
The rocker took to the Tony Awards' stage two years ago, sang alongside the Rock of Ages cast - and then knocked himself silly against a piece of scenery. Relive the dangerous/unfortunate/hilarious incident below:
Bret Michaels, Tony Awards Accident
Yesterday, Michaels filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Tony Award Productions, CBS and others for unspecified damages, claiming producers failed to instruct him how to properly exit the stage following this performance.
Bret was treated for a broken nose and cut lip at the scene, and the suit says his brain injury months later was due to this mishap. Reads the document:
"One of the most common causes of this type of hemorrhage is head trauma - exactly like the one Michaels suffered at the hands of the Tony Awards."
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/03/bret-michales-files-lawsuit-against-the-tony-awards/
Mischa Barton Missy Peregrym Molly Sims Monica Keena Pamela Anderson
Looking oh-so in love, Lea Michele and Theo Stockman were spotted leaving Whole Foods on Friday (March 25).
The ?Glee? gal and her Broadway beau were all smiles as they walked arm-in-arm with a couple bags of groceries as the paparazzi looked on.
In a recent interview via Twitter, Lea revealed her favorite chart topping hits she has recorded with her ?Glee? cast. She said, ?Don't Rain on my Parade, Happy Days, Dog Days...just to name a few:)"
All new episodes of the musical comedy-drama show begin next month on April 12 on Fox.
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/lea-michele/lea-michele-whole-foods-hottie-491028
Amy Smart Angelina Jolie Angie Harmon Anna Faris Anna Kournikova
'I think diva is a great and powerful word in the sense of what Beyoncé makes it,' the pop star says in the magazine's cover story.
By Jocelyn Vena
Katy Perry on the March issue of <i>Elle</i>
Photo: Carter Smith/Elle
Katy Perry not only glams up for the new issue of Elle, but she also gets real. The singer — who is gearing up for a big performance on this Sunday's Grammy Awards — dishes on diva behavior, discusses her personal life and even reveals how much she weighs in the fashion magazine's latest cover story.
"I feel like I'm at a point in my life right now where I could potentially stick around," Perry says about her outlook on being a pop star. "I don't feel like a diva, but I think diva is a great and powerful word in the sense of what Beyoncé makes it. And maybe I can't be Beyoncé, but maybe I can be Cyndi Lauper. I mean be like her, not be her. That would just be weird."
The singer also admits to having some ambitions outside of the entertainment world. "I think some people will die on the stage, and I'm not so sure I want to do that. Like, I want to have kids!" she explains. "I'm totally fine with saying that. I think some people are scared because they're worried it's going to ruin their career, but I want to live a full life."
That full life, these days, includes her hubby, Russell Brand, who she says is her perfect better half. "Everything clicked really fast. We kind of instantly got past all the surfacey stuff. And ever since then, there hasn't been a dull moment," she says. "We both needed balance, and we give that to each other. It wasn't about me taming him, which is what everyone always says — it was about timing."
Perry doesn't hold back at all, revealing details about her weight that very few celebrities seem willing to share with the world. "I was shaped like a square at one time. I was! I'm generally around 130 pounds, which is totally fine for me," she confesses. "But when I was a kid, I was the same height and weighed more like 145. And I had enormous boobs that I didn't know what to do with, so I wore minimizers, which were not cute. Those thick-ass straps! I got made fun of for the over-the-shoulder boulder holder ... and all I wanted was to look like Kate Moss. Little did I know ... that these things would come in handy someday."
What do you think about Katy's Elle confessions? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657471/katy-perry-praises-beyonce-elle.jhtml
Tara Reid Tea Leoni Teri Hatcher Thora Birch Tiffani Amber Thiessen