Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Photos | 2010 Grammy Award Performers

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The Situation, Muse, More Rave About Justin Bieber At The AMAs

'You know what? Bieber's doing his thing,' 'Jersey Shore' star tells MTV News.By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash





Justin Bieber

Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images




After Justin Bieber took home four trophies at the American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year, it was pretty clear that the music industry had caught Bieber Fever. And when MTV News caught up with some of the night's winners, nominees and attendees they all admitted that Bieber is the hottest guy in the game right now.
"I just think it's just insane kids are just Justin Bieber in-fevered," Taio Cruz joked to MTV News on the AMA red carpet. "And they love him, but they love us all, though."

Producer and songwriter Sean Garrett said Bieber is winning the guys over because he's won so many of the ladies over. "He just kind of came out of nowhere," Garrett said of Bieber. "He's excited. He's the youngest in charge, and he's definitely got the ladies."
Muse drummer Dom Howard confessed that, while Bieber is not a boy, not yet a man, he's still got that something. "Tonight he's won all the awards even though he's not quite a man yet," Howard said. "Boy of the year!"
Similarly, "Jersey Shore" star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino said Bieber was the highlight of the show, thanks to his performance of "Pray." "You know what? Bieber's doing his thing," Sitch said.
For crooner Michael Bublé, it was about who was selling more — which he says is probably the both of them. "I'm better than everyone else, and also I'm humble and good-looking and smart and rich and humble, but really humble," he joked. "I don't know [who sells more]. I think it's probably pretty close."
Do you have Bieber Fever? Let us know in the comments!



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Madonna Opens A ?Hard Candy Fitness? Center In Mexico City

Last month we learned the odd news that Madonna and her business partner/manager Guy Oseary were planning the launch of a franchise of gyms around the world called Hard Candy Fitness and today we get to see photos from the official opening of the world’s first Hard Candy Fitness center in Mexico City, Mexico. The [...]

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Jazmine Sullivan Is Showing Her 'Softer Side' On New Album

But fans will 'still get some fire' on Love Me Back, R&B singer tells MTV News.By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Joel Hanek





Jazmine Sullivan

Photo: MTV News




Jazmine Sullivan announced she was Fearless in 2008 when she released her debut album. And while the LP shares a title with the Taylor Swift album released the same year, it was vastly different in musical style, thanks to help from Missy Elliott, Stargate, Salaam Remi and Wyclef Jean.

Two years later, Sullivan is back with her follow-up, Love Me Back, and she gets an assist again from Elliott and Remi, as well as contributions from Ne-Yo, No I.D. and Los da Mystro. When MTV News caught up with Sullivan, she explained that she hoped to overcome the sophomore slump on this project.
"This is my sophomore album, I definitely felt a lot of pressure during the beginning of it, but I kind of just released it and that's when everything started to flow," Sullivan said. "So I'm excited what people have to say about it."
The singer has released two singles — "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)" and "10 Seconds" — from the album, which has been getting high scores from reviewers. Sullivan said this time around she wanted to show fans a different side of herself.
"I think you'll definitely see a softer side," she said. "You'll still get some fire — I can't give that up — but definitely going to get a softer side. There are different sides of love, good and bad."
What do you think of Jazmine Sullivan's new album? Share your reviews in the comments!



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Britney Spears - Piece of Me

Piece of Me



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3



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Leslie Nielsen: A Fan's Appreciation

Read a tribute to the 'Airplane!' and 'Naked Gun' funnyman, who died Sunday at age 84.By Eric Ditzian





Leslie Nielsen

Photo: Paramount Pictures




Owning a VHS tape of "Airplane!" was utterly pointless. The disaster-flick spoof played on what seemed like a near-constant basic-cable loop, available to feed the insatiable need for a first grader to hear Leslie Nielsen quip, yet again, that while everyone on his ill-fated flight was served steak or fish, he managed to dine on lasagna.

But there was a certain comfort in knowing that I had access to the movie any time I needed a quick fix. And I needed it often. For me, there was simply nothing else like it. I didn't know movies could do what "Airplane!" did. A glue-sniffing, pill-popping air-traffic controller? A little girl who takes her coffee black, just like her men? And what the heck was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doing there?
(For photos of the late funnyman throughout his career, click here.)
"Airplane!" is a deeply strange movie, and its strangeness had the effect, even after countless viewings, of keeping the film endlessly surprising. How is that even possible? I knew every line and still it felt like anything could happen at any moment. It never got old.
Nor did Nielsen, so it seemed. He remained almost unfairly frozen in time — with that same white helmet of hair, that same doughy-skinned face he sported in "Airplane!," and then later in the "Naked Gun" trilogy. He was a man without a past. It would be decades before I learned of his previous work as a dramatic actor. I knew only what I saw on screen: one of the funniest damn people in the world. And so it was with great sadness that I read of Nielsen's passing on Sunday at the age of 84.
My first encounters with "Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad" were a shock to the system. My thinking went something like, "You mean to tell me there's a funnier movie than 'Airplane?' " As Lieutenant Frank Drebin, Nielsen just slayed me. The scenes where he crashes a major league baseball game, impersonating an opera singer named Enrico Pallazzo and then stepping into the role of call-botching home plate umpire remain some of the funniest stuff I've ever seen.
At least that's the way I remember it. It's been a while since I've seen a "Naked Gun" flick. For that matter, "Airplane!" no longer seems to be on TV constantly. And where that original VHS tape is, I have no idea. But these are movies that are sewn into my pop culture DNA. There's a certain comfort in that.
What are your favorite Leslie Nielsen movie moments? Tell us in the comments.
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.



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Monday, November 29, 2010

Britney Spears Producer Dr. Luke Calls Singer 'An Amazing Vehicle'

Album's co-executive producer expects new album out by early 2011.By James Dinh





Britney Spears

Photo: Jeremy Cowart/ WireImage




While "Glee" was spot-on in its tribute to Britney Spears in September, it's safe to say her fans are ready for the real deal. The pop princess, who has remained relatively low-key since wrapping up her Circus Tour, is currently working on her new album with a few familiar faces, including producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin.
"She's such an icon, I don't want to let anyone down," Dr. Luke said last week at the Hollywood Reporter/ Billboard Film & TV Music Conference. "But most importantly, I want to make good music."
Luke said that he is anticipating that Britney's album will see an early 2011 release, and a source told THR it would hit stores before March 31.
In addition to Dr. Luke ("Circus") and Martin ("... Baby One More Time"), Darkchild and newcomer Billboard are also said to be working with Spears.
When asked if there were anything else he could reveal about the heavily guarded project, Luke wouldn't say much. "Just that I'm excited to be co-executive producing with Max Martin, the person who kind of invented Britney, and to make good music," he said. "And she's such an amazing vehicle to getting that music out to a lot of people in every country."
With Luke and Martin helming the project, fans may expect to hear Spears sounding like the producers' frequent collaborators Katy Perry and Ke$ha. But there have also been indications that Brit will take a fresher approach. Last month, Spears' manager Adam Leber spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her next album, promising that it will introduce a "progressive" sound from the pop star.
''It'll be a departure from what you've heard,'' he added.
What producers would you like to see Britney team up with? Sound off below!



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Usher Remembers Being A 'Pizza Face' On 'When I Was 17'

'I had really, really bad acne ' he admits in Saturday's episode. By Mawuse Ziegbe





Usher on "When I Was 17"

Photo: MTV News




He's known as one of the smoothest R&B sensations to grace the stage, but when Usher was 17, he grappled with a far less flattering image.
"I went through this phase where I had really, really bad acne," the singer admits on the latest episode of "When I Was 17," premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. Usher, who was 17 in 1995, reveals with a grin that his nickname was "Pizza Face."

"His acne was so horrible," recalled one of Usher's more blunt friends, Keith. "His face was so jacked up."
Music mogul and producer Jermaine Dupri remembered how the entertainer's spotty complexion led him to shy away from the spotlight.
"He didn't want to go out. He wanted to stay in," Dupri says. "He was a little ashamed of what was going on with his face."
The singer went to extreme, and ultimately unsuccessful, lengths to disguise his breakouts.
"As a dude, you're not gonna put makeup on your face, right?" Usher said. "I tried that, it didn't even work."
He may have experimented with cosmetics and spent a few more nights at home but the multiplatinum star didn't let his acne hold him back from wooing the ladies. "I was 17, so I would still try to talk to girls [and] get past it," Usher reasoned.
He even had some smooth lines to drop when he wanted to draw attention away from his skin. " 'Don't look at that, look at my eyes, baby. I'm trying to say something real serious to you right here,' " Usher recalled, reenacting his complexion-deflecting dating moves. "I know I have pizza face, I don't care."
In the end, his skin cleared up and the singer said it was just a matter of riding out a rite passage that many teens are forced to endure.
"This is something that all 17-year-olds have to deal with," Usher said. "You can't run away from it."
— this week featuring B.o.B, Usher and Ne-Yo — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV



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Britney Spears - Break the Ice

Break the Ice



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Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka Love ?Cinderella?

New dads Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka were among the celebs in attendance at an opening event at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, CA last night for the opening of a pantomime version of Cinderella. For those of you who don’t know, a pantomime is a British show that is traditionally performed [...]

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Christian Bale Excited To Star With Tom Hardy In 'Dark Knight Rises'

'He seems like he's a balls-out actor,' Bale says of the 'Inception' star.By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz





Christian Bale

Photo: Jun Sato/WireImage




Who will Tom Hardy play in "The Dark Knight Rises"? Rumor has it the "Inception" actor is set to become a villain, though director Christopher Nolan has gone on record as saying the Riddler won't factor into his upcoming third installment of the "Batman" reboot. There's talk that Hardy would do well in the role of troubled psychologist Hugo Strange, crime lord Black Mask or gun-toting hit man Deadshot.

Whoever Hardy ends up portraying, the man he'll likely do battle against is excited for the opportunity to act with him. "I liked him in 'Inception' and I did see 'Bronson' as well," said Christian Bale — Bruce Wayne/Batman himself — in a recent interview with MTV News. "He seems like he's a balls-out actor."
When we asked Bale if he was looking forward to Hardy as an opponent, he answered, "Yeah, sounds good."
Did Bale confirm that Hardy will in fact be a villain in "The Dark Knight Rises"? Did the "opponent" part of our question breeze right by Bale? Watch the video interview and judge for yourself.
While Bale left the door slightly open to returning for a fourth "Batman" flick, he seemed fairly convinced that "The Dark Knight Rises" will be his and Nolan's final installment in the DC Comics franchise. "I think so. That's up to Chris," he said. "That was always what the discussion was. But you know, if Chris says, 'I see another story here,' then we'll be up for it. But in my mind, I'm expecting this will be it."
Of course, there's always the fanciful hope that Bale and Nolan will reunite a few decades from now for an adaptation of Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns," which tells the story of a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement to become the Caped Crusader once again.
"That maybe would not be bad," Bale laughed of the idea. "Maybe in 20 years time, but you need that break."
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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Rebecca Gayheart Is Out With Baby Billie

I think this is the first time I've seen Billie! Adorable! Don't you want to pinch those cheeks? Rebecca Gayheart was spotted out with the baby yesterday afternoon. They went to a private residence.
Can you make out Billie's personalized booties (click through the pictures below for a better look)? Too cute :) It looks like Rebecca is focused on being a full-time mom while Eric Dane is still busy with 'Grey's Anatomy.' As you other stay-at-home moms know, getting out is so important!
I hope they had a good time :)
Photos by FAME


























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Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner Grab Coffee Together

As all of you married couples out there know, once kids come along, you have to grab couple time together whenever you can! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were spotted having coffee together yesterday morning.
I hope they make some time to go out and celebrate this evening: Ben's new movie, 'The Town,' is projected to be the #1 movie this weekend! It was expected to come in #2 behind the teen movie 'Easy A,' but unless the teens turn out in force tonight, 'The Town' is expected to win the weekend.
After all his ups and downs, I'm sure Ben is a happy guy today :)
Photos by FAME
























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Ke$ha - Tik Tok

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Beyonce's Banned Perfume Ad Defended By Company

The spot is 'intended to reflect the singer Beyoncé's personal 'sexy chic' style,' says fragrance maker Coty.By Jocelyn Vena





Beyoncé in her ad for Heat

Photo: Coty UK




Beyoncé's steamy new ad for her perfume, Heat, recently gathered some heat of its own from the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority — which banned the commercial from the country's daytime TV rotation because of its sexy imagery. Now the company that makes Heat is speaking out about the sanction brought against the ad, which features the singer in a skin-tight, hot-red satin minidress, touching herself and showing some skin.
In a statement from perfume maker Coty that was posted on AceShowbiz.com, the company notes that it doesn't think there's anything too explicit about the TV spot, maintaining that it is "intended to reflect the singer Beyoncé's personal 'sexy chic' style." And while Beyoncé's cleavage is exposed at certain parts of the commercial, Coty added that it's not "overtly graphic or explicitly sexual and at no point was Beyoncé naked."
The company continued, "It was aimed at a vast selection of music programs to target a young adult audience. It would therefore be consistent with the expectations of viewers of those sorts of programs."
In a statement posted on its website, the advertising watchdog said that it has received several complaints about the Jake Nava-directed spot, which initially was aired throughout the day during family programming and now only will be shown after 7:30 p.m. The organization said, "We considered that Beyoncé's body movements and the camera's prolonged focus on shots of her dress slipping away to partially expose her breasts created a sexually provocative ad that was unsuitable to be seen by young children."
Do you think Beyoncé's commercial is too sexy to air in the day? Tell us in the comments!



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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Justin Bieber Explains Michael Jackson AMA Shout-Out

'Michael's not your dad or anything,' singer laughs, clarifying statement that 'without Michael Jackson, none of us would be here.'By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash





Justin Bieber at the 2010 AMAs

Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images




Justin Bieber had a great night at Sunday's American Music Awards. Not only did he perform his inspirational new track, "Pray," at the big show, but he also walked away with four awards, including Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Album for My World 2.0, Artist of the Year and T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist.

But Bieber's shout-out to Michael Jackson left some viewers confused: Taking the stage to collect one of his trophies, he said, "Without Michael Jackson, none of us would be here." When MTV News caught up with the superstar later in the night, he laughed off the somewhat misleading comment.
"You know, I said, 'Without Michael we wouldn't have been here,' but we would be here, but music wouldn't be the same," he explained. "I want to clarify that you'd still be born. Michael's not your dad or anything. You'd still be here. He's not your father."
Bieber may be here without Michael Jackson, but he says that he really wouldn't be here without his fans. "I think that my fans have been such a supporting factor that, I mean, I couldn't be doing this without them, so this has just been amazing," he explained. "I owe it all to my fans, my family, my friends."
Bieber says that his dad is equally impressed by what the 16-year-old has accomplished. "He was just telling me how proud he was. I'm Canadian, so he was like, it's like when he sees a hockey team score a goal and he jumps out of his seat," he said. "He's like, 'Yes! That's my boy.' So it was great."



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Justin Bieber, Usher Top American Music Awards Winners List

Eminem, Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna also nab trophies.By Mawuse Ziegbe





Justin Bieber wins Breakthrough Artist, Pop/Rock Favorite Male Artist and Artist Of The Year Award during the 2010 American Music Award

Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images




The 2010 American Music Awards dished out hardware to many of pop, R&B and country music's biggest names. Like most high-profile awards shows, there were showstopping performances, off-the-runway fashion and emotional moments. Unlike most trophy fests, the AMA winners aren't determined by the inner circle of music-industry professionals, but rather the fans who plunk down cash for hit records.

This year, fans handed over pyramids to the artists who also cranked out many of the biggest hits. Justin Bieber made off with the most AMA booty, nabbing four trophies. Taylor Swift, Rihanna, the Black Eyed Peas, Eminem and Bieber's mentor Usher also snagged AMA loot.
Check out the list of AMA winners below:
Pop or Rock Music
Favorite Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Favorite Female Artist
Lady Gaga
Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas
Favorite Album
Justin Bieber, My World 2.0
Country Music
Favorite Male Artist
Brad Paisley
Favorite Female Artist
Taylor Swift
Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Lady Antebellum
Favorite Album
Carrie Underwood, Play On
Rap/ Hip-Hop Music Favorite Male Artist Eminem
Favorite Album
Eminem, Recovery
Soul/ Rhythm & Blues Music Favorite Male Artist Usher
Favorite Female Artist
Rihanna
Favorite Album
Usher, Raymond v. Raymond
Soundtracks
Favorite Album
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers
Alternative Rock Music Favorite Artist Muse
Adult Contemporary Music Favorite Artist Michael Bublé
Latin Music
Favorite Artist
Shakira
Contemporary Inspirational
Favorite Artist MercyMe
Artist of the Year
Justin Bieber
T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist
Justin Bieber



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Lady Gaga Cameo Rumored For 'Muppets' Movie

Plot of reboot is said to involve Miss Piggy ending up as Gaga-esque character.By James Montgomery





Lady Gaga gives Kermit the Frog a kiss at the 2009 VMAs

Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images




She's already worn them and been escorted by them, so it makes sense that Lady Gaga now may be joining the Muppets, in a reboot of their long-running film series due in theaters next year.
This is according to Production Weekly, an industry publication that chronicles film and television projects in pre-production and development, which on Thursday tweeted that they were "hearing that [actors] Eric Stonestreet, John Krasinski and Ed Helms may be in Lady Gaga's entourage for 'The Muppets.' "
By logical extension, that would mean that Gaga herself could be filming a cameo for the movie. And it lends credence to earlier reports that "How I Met Your Mother" star Jason Segel — who is writing the script for the new "Muppets" movie — was basing the story line around the idea that "Miss Piggy ends up becoming like a Lady Gaga-esque character living in Europe."
A spokesperson for Lady Gaga did not respond to MTV News' request for comment on the matter, but if LG does show up in the new "Muppets" film, we expect a few scenes with Kermit the Frog, her date to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Their appearance on the red carpet — not to mention the smooch they shared — had gossipmongers whispering that the two were an item. But Kermit would later deny those rumors, telling People that he "just gave Lady Gaga a ride to the VMAs, and when [she] left her credentials in the limo, I had to bring them to her."
Of course, that angered Kermit's longtime beau Miss Piggy, which had some rather disastrous results. "After Lady Gaga and I were seen on the red carpet together, well ... Miss Piggy got a little jealous," Kermit said. "But I definitely did get a ride home — in the trunk!"



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Ke$ha's Cannibal: A Cheat Sheet

Singer has already scored a hit with new single 'We R Who We R.'By Gil Kaufman





Ke$ha

Photo: Jon Kopaloff/ Getty Images




It's been a pretty phenomenal year for Ke$ha. The brash, glitter-loving club kid burst onto the scene in January with her debut album, Animal, hot on the heels of the smash debut single "Tik Tok."
In short order, she ended the chart run of Susan Boyle when Animal debuted at #1, made her first trip to the Grammy Awards, teamed up with pals 3OH!3 for another hit video with "Blah Blah Blah," dropped in on "American Idol" and hit the road with Rihanna. And that's just the first three months of the year!
But after scoring another hit with "Your Love Is My Drug" and flipping the bird to haters over their critiques of her wobbly debut on "Saturday Night Live," Ke$ha unleashed another single, "Take It Off."
For a minute, there was talk of a follow-up album that might have a country twang, not out of the question considering that she's a Nashville native and her mom penned songs for Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash. But as she said at the time, "I'm also really digging being called, like, half-jokingly, a white-girl rapper. I think it's really funny, and I'm going to ride that train for a little bit."
By August, she was already plotting her next move, telling MTV News, "I'm always writing and kind of thinking of the next step. I'm still executing this record properly onstage, but the next record is definitely on my mind, and potentially in the works soon." She described waking up in Tokyo at 4 in the morning with a brainstorm for a new song and then spending seven hours making a "horrible" beat on "Garage Band" and singing and rapping into her computer.
A short time later, it was announced that her nine-song follow-up, Cannibal, would hit stores November 22 as a "companion" album to a reissue of Animal. The disc was reported to contain eight new songs produced by heavy-hitters like Max Martin, Benny Blanco and Bangladesh and to be preceded by "We R Who We R."
"This year has been carnivorous and life-changing. I have my rowdy, gorgeous fans to thank for taking me on the ride of a lifetime," Ke$ha said in a statement. "My only goal with this record is to keep them dancing. The songs on Cannibal were made to inspire people to ignore any hate or judgment and be themselves unapologetically. It's the perfect companion to Animal and I hope you guys like it. And if you don't like it — bite me."
Though a rumored hookup with Drake was false, a confirmed track list proved to have plenty of profane and silly titles, including (ahem) "C U Next Tuesday," "Sleazy," "Blow," "The Harold Song," "Cannibal," "We R," "Crazy Beautiful Life" and "Grow a Pear," plus a remix of "Animal." After winning an MTV EMA for Best New Act, the singer also locked in her first headlining affair, the Get $leazy Tour, which is slated to kick off February 15 in Portland, Oregon.
Like most major new albums, Cannibal leaked online a week before it hit shelves, perhaps the finest proof yet that Ke$ha has truly hit the big time. Only this time, after most of the songs had hit the Web, Ke$ha just posted the damn thing herself on her website and told her fans to enjoy.
"This is my album premiere, and it's top secret, and it's really fun and it's wild," Ke$ha said in a message posted on her site. "Things are going to get crazy and a little awkward, it'll be okay. Listen to it."
She's going to have plenty of major competition on the charts this week with new releases from Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and My Chemical Romance, but something tells us Ke$ha isn't that worried.
Open the floodgates! It's Mega-Release Week, with Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Ke$ha, My Chemical Romance and Lloyd Banks all dropping new albums. Stick with MTV News for everything you need to know about the brand-new music.



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Bill Condon Tweets The First Photo From ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn?

Director Bill Condon gave Twilight fans much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving yesterday because he posted the FIRST PHOTO to be released from the set of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn on the film’s official Twitter profile: As you may recall, we’ve already seen photos of the principal cast making their arrival on the [...]

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Akon On Lady Gaga And Michael Jackson's New Albums

The singer has nothing but praise for the two artists.





Photo: MTV News








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Beyonce's Banned Perfume Ad Defended By Company

The spot is 'intended to reflect the singer Beyoncé's personal 'sexy chic' style,' says fragrance maker Coty.By Jocelyn Vena





Beyoncé in her ad for Heat

Photo: Coty UK




Beyoncé's steamy new ad for her perfume, Heat, recently gathered some heat of its own from the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority — which banned the commercial from the country's daytime TV rotation because of its sexy imagery. Now the company that makes Heat is speaking out about the sanction brought against the ad, which features the singer in a skin-tight, hot-red satin minidress, touching herself and showing some skin.
In a statement from perfume maker Coty that was posted on AceShowbiz.com, the company notes that it doesn't think there's anything too explicit about the TV spot, maintaining that it is "intended to reflect the singer Beyoncé's personal 'sexy chic' style." And while Beyoncé's cleavage is exposed at certain parts of the commercial, Coty added that it's not "overtly graphic or explicitly sexual and at no point was Beyoncé naked."
The company continued, "It was aimed at a vast selection of music programs to target a young adult audience. It would therefore be consistent with the expectations of viewers of those sorts of programs."
In a statement posted on its website, the advertising watchdog said that it has received several complaints about the Jake Nava-directed spot, which initially was aired throughout the day during family programming and now only will be shown after 7:30 p.m. The organization said, "We considered that Beyoncé's body movements and the camera's prolonged focus on shots of her dress slipping away to partially expose her breasts created a sexually provocative ad that was unsuitable to be seen by young children."
Do you think Beyoncé's commercial is too sexy to air in the day? Tell us in the comments!



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Dimmu Borgir Release Live DVD; Plus Led Zeppelin, Brujeria, & More News That Rules, In Metal File

'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."



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Michael Jackson's 'Hold My Hand' Debuts Online

Song featuring Akon is first single off posthumous album Michael.By Gil Kaufman





Michael Jackson and Akon

Photo: Getty Images




"Hold My Hand," the official first single from the upcoming posthumous album from Michael Jackson album, was released on MJ's official website over the weekend. The lead track from Michael, due on December 14, is a universal plea for peace on which Akon and MJ weave their voices together over a wash of dramatic strings and a subdued beat.
Akon, who recently went back into the studio to put finishing touches on the song, spoke to MTV News back in 2007 about working with the King of Pop, who reportedly wrote a hand-written note in which he expressed a desire to have "Hold My Hand" released as a single.

"Just to be in the same room [with him], I felt like everything I wanted to achieve in life had already been achieved," Akon said. "That's how incredible that aura [is]."
Unlike "Breaking News," the beat-heavy anti-media screed that was streamed on the MJ site last week, the uplifting "Hold My Hand" is one of Jackson's classic love ballads, a heart-stirring call to unity with a touch of a Caribbean lilt.
"This life don't last forever," Jackson sings in the opening lines in his signature quavering falsetto. "So tell me what we're waiting for/ We're better off being together/ Than being miserable alone."
Then together, the men sing, " 'Cause I been there before and you've bee there before/ But together we can be all right/ 'Cause when it gets dark and when it gets cold we hold each other till we see the sunlight."
As the three-and-a-half-minute single comes to a close, the strings swell and a gospel choir comes in, clapping hands and giving the tune a majestic feel.
The 10-track album will also feature cameos from 50 Cent ("Monster") and Lenny Kravitz ("(I Can't Make It) Another Day".
Even though he worked with Jackson on tracks late in the singer's career on what was slated to be MJ's comeback album, one person who is not excited about the new MJ disc is the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am.
"Whoever put it out and is profiting off of it, I want to see how cold they are," he told Entertainment Weekly. "To say that what [Michael] contributed during his life wasn't enough. He just wasn't any ordinary artist. He was a hands-on person. To me it's disrespectful. There's no honoring."
Considering how meticulous and particular Jackson was about his music, Will said he thought it was callous of Jackson's label, Sony Music, to release what he suspects are unfinished works. "Michael Jackson songs are finished when Michael says they're finished," said Will, who earlier this year revealed that he worked on the songs "Dreaming" and "Still the King" with Jackson, as well a tribute to James Brown called "I Will Miss You."
"Maybe if I never worked with him I wouldn't have this perspective," the producer told "Access Hollywood," noting that those songs will never be released because MJ didn't give his final approval on them. "He was very particular about how he wanted his vocals, the reverb he used. ... He was that hands-on. ... He kept his vocals and I kept the music. We had that understanding."
What do you think of the new Michael Jackson song? Share your reviews in the comments.



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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Rihanna Bested By Susan Boyle, Jackie Evancho On Billboard 200

Two "Talent" show singers top the charts, while Rihanna's Loud debuts at #3.By Gil Kaufman





Rihanna

Photo: Matt Harper/ MTV News




Though it's an American holiday, Thanksgiving must be turning into Susan Boyle's favorite. After setting records last week with her second album, The Gift, former "Britain's Got Talent" runner-up Boyle will retain the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart next week thanks to sales of another 335,000 copies, and despite challenges from nine new competitors, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

Last week, Boyle became the first woman, and only other artist besides the Beatles and the Monkees, to land two straight #1 albums within a calendar year in both England and the U.S. She retains the crown as another reality singer from a Simon Cowell-produced show, 10-year-old "America's Got Talent" runner-up Jackie Evancho, comes in just behind with her debut EP, O Holy Night (#2, 239,000).
That means Rihanna has to settle for a #3 debut for her fifth album, Loud, which sold 207,000 copies. It marked her best U.S. chart sales debut to date, besting the #4 bow of last year's Rated R, which came in with sales of 181,000. She leads a parade of new names in the top 10 which also includes Josh Groban's Rick Rubin-produced Illuminations (#4, 191,000), Kid Rock's Rubin-produced Born Free (#5, 189,000), Rascal Flatts' Nothing Like This (#6, 165,000), Keith Urban's Get Closer (#7, 162,000), the "Glee" Christmas album (#8, 161,000) and Nelly's 5.0 (#10, 63,000).
The only other hold-over from last week's top 10 is Taylor Swift, whose Speak Now figures dropped by more than 30 percent to 146,000 as her first month of sales crossed the 1.7 million mark. Pink's greatest-hits collection, Greatest Hits So Far!, comes in at #14 (53,000), just beating out the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Darkness on the Edge of Town outtakes collection The Promise (#16, 47,000).
Season nine "American Idol" winner Lee DeWyze set a new record for "Idol" champs, just not the kind he probably wanted. His first major-label effort, Live It Up, is officially the poorest-selling debut from an "Idol" champ in history, notching a lowly #19 chart bow on anemic sales of 39,000. The title was previously held by season-eight winner Kris Allen, whose debut hit the charts in 2009 at #11 on sales of 80,000.
It was a very rough second week for Kid Cudi, whose Man on the Moon 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager plummets nearly 80 percent to #21 on sales of 34,000, while Eminem's Recovery drops 12 spots to #23 while holding steady on sales at 34,000 and crossing the 3 million mark. It was also a big comedown for Cee Lo, as his solo album The Lady Killer nosedives 30 spots to #39 after sales shriveled by 40 percent to 25,000.
Despite selling 2 million digital tracks and 450,000 digital albums in their iTunes coming-out party, the Beatles have only one album in the top 50, with Abbey Road slipping in at #50 (19,000). Thirteen other digital albums chart in the lower regions of the top 200.
The Fab Four are having better luck on the iTunes album chart, where Abbey Road comes in at #6 and a special box set closes out the tally at #10. But it is all Rihanna on that chart, as Loud holds the #1 slot, followed by the "Glee" Christmas album, Rascal Flatts, A Day to Remember's What Separates Me From You, Urban, Swift, Groban and Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
iTunes doesn't release sales figures, but "Glee" rules the singles countdown thanks to guest Gwyneth Paltrow's cover of Cee Lo's "Forget You," followed by Ke$ha's "We R Who We R," Cee Lo's own sanitized version of his profane hit single, Katy Perry's "Firework," Pink's "Raise Your Glass" and the "Glee" cast's recording of "Singing in the Rain/Umbrella." The rest of the singles chart includes #7 song "What's My Name?" by Rihanna and Drake, the Black Eyed Peas' "The Time (Dirty Bit)," Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)" and Far East Movement's "Like a G6."
Things will get shuffled all over again next week with chart debuts from Kanye, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, My Chemical Romance, Ne-Yo, Jay-Z, Akon, Alan Jackson, Ke$ha and the "Burlesque" soundtrack.



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Michael Jackson - Gone Too Soon

Gone Too Soon



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Ke$ha Tells 'The Story Of The $' In Funny Or Die Parody Video

Skit traces singer's dollar-sign name back to a pizza-store sign.By James Dinh





Ke$ha in her Funny or Die parody video

Photo: Funny Or Die




Ke$ha is perhaps as well-known for her unusually spelled name as her hard party-girl lyrics and sexy-grunge attire. And thankfully, she seems to have quite a sense of humor about the former. The pop star teamed up with comedy video website Funny or Die to tell "The Story of the $."

In somber, TV documentary tones and dressed in all black, Ke$ha tells the traumatic story of a childhood birthday party at a fast food pizza chain. "I used to be Kesha with an S, instead of a dollar sign, and then one year I had my birthday party at Shakey's Pizza," she says, almost shedding tears. "On the sign, the big sign where they write 'Happy birthday,' they replaced the S with a dollar sign."
After a dramatic reenactment of the sign, the video then turns to Joe Trundle, an employee at the pizza joint, who recalls the day they didn't have any more S letters to hang up. "Yeah, I remember that day," he confesses. "We had a special going on sausage, salami and sundried tomatoes pizza so we were just all out of S's."
Fans get a glimpse inside of Ke$ha's real career aspirations as she reveals, "It ruined my life. I wanted to be a CPA, but you know who H&R Block doesn't hire? People with dollar signs in their name. I pretty much had to be a pop star."
The singer appears relieved when the interviewer brings her back to the same Shakey's Pizza location, in hopes of restoring her proper spelling. But she's met with another unpleasant surprise when the sign shows "KESH4."
"We have an artichoke and anchovy pizza today, so we ran out of A's," the employee tells a heartbroken Ke$ha. After lashing out at Trundle, "Tik Tok," begins to play as the shattered the singer forever known for her dollar sign name gets back into her black limo.
What did you think of Ke$ha's Funny Or Die skit? Share your comments below!



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Emma Stone Is The Actress We're Most Thankful For In 2010

With winning turn in 'Easy A,' 'Spider-Man' casting and 'SNL' hosting gig, the 22-year-old has had quite a year.By Eric Ditzian





Emma Stone

Photo: Fotonoticias/Getty Images




As MTV News' Thankful Week draws to a close, we begin to cast our gaze away from the big screen and towards tables soon to be the scene of turkey-crazed feasts. But we have one last honor to bestow: the actress we're most thankful for in 2010.

The winner is none other than Emma Stone, a move that completes a nifty "Spider-Man" double win, as we also honored Andrew Garfield — who's stepping into the role of Peter Parker — as the actor we're most thankful for this year. Stone won the part of Gwen Stacy in October, capping a stellar year for the 22-year-old.
From the top-notch teenage rom-com "Easy A" to her "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig to the opportunity to shoot flicks opposite the likes of Steve Carell ("Crazy, Stupid, Love") and Justin Timberlake ("Friends With Benefits"), Stone was already having a great 2010. Then "Spider-Man" director Marc Webb came calling. Her life is never going to be the same — and she couldn't be more excited.
The always-energetic actress called up MTV News in the midst of "Spider-Man" preproduction to talk about what a surreal year it's been and how she's dealing with the pressures of taking on the iconic Marvel series.
MTV: Thanks for calling up to chat.
Emma Stone: Thank you for having me!
MTV: Well, you're going to be very excited in a second.
Stone: What is it? What's it going to be? You like how I'm excited at the mere mention that I'm going to be excited?
MTV: Uh-oh, I really have to come through now. Look out your window — there's a blimp with your face on it!
Stone: Oh my god, it's so beautiful, I'm looking right now! You wanna know what's really insane about that? I actually pulled back the curtain and looked at the sky.
MTV: I'm sorry to disappoint, but I can tell you that every year we honor various people we're thankful for, and this year you're the woman we're most thankful for.
Stone: Oh my god, shut up! Get out of here! I prepared a 10-minute speech, is that OK?
MTV: I'm afraid we don't have enough time. You know, the man we're most thankful for this year is your "Spider-Man" co-star Andrew Garfield.
Stone: Hey, I know that guy! We've met. He's the worst!
MTV: I won't tell him you said that. It has been quite a year for you. "Easy A" gets a great reaction, you're shooting movies with people like Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling, you host "Saturday Night Live," and then you land "Spider-Man." Does 2010 feel like a landmark year?
Stone: It feels kind of scary saying this because that means it's only downhill, but it's been the best year of my life. Not just with how lucky I've been work-wise, but with my family and friends. I'm totally terrified for 2011. I have such a disaster mentality, it's not even funny.
MTV: Which raises the question, are you ready for something as big as "Spider-Man"? Can you ever be ready for something like that?
Stone: The way I have to approach it, and I think Andrew would agree, is just like any other movie. You're going to put the same amount of focus into this that you would with anything. It just happens to be an exponentially bigger budget. So there's that. It'll probably feel different when we start to do press, but we won't have to deal with that for another year and a half. And there are harnesses I'm going to have to use in this one. That's the only difference: just the harnesses.
MTV: Seriously, though, it's been quite a year for you with onscreen love interests. The women in the office are jealous — Penn Badgley, Timberlake, Gosling, Garfield. You're a lucky woman ...
Stone: What can I say? You cannot compare them. They are so wonderful in their own ways. Again, it's been an amazing year.
MTV: Has there been one surreal point in particular that kind of encapsulates 2010 for you?
Stone: Hosting "Saturday Night Live." That's always been my ultimate dream. That moment before you come out those doors when Don Pardo says your name and you're standing there ... I had never let myself imagine what that would feel like. That moment when you walk through those doors was probably the most surreal moment, not just of
this year, but ever.
MTV: So you guys are in rehearsals for "Spider-Man," right? What is that process like at this point?
Stone: Today I went and did hair tests, because I have blonde hair now since Gwen has blonde hair. My natural hair is blonde, so it's kind of nice. I looked in the mirror and said, "Oh my god, it's me again, it's been so long!" We're finalizing the visual stuff. And I think we'll start actually rehearsing, because we start shooting in two weeks. Andrew and I went and learned about science yesterday. Gwen really likes science, so we learned about science. I was homeschooled, so I never went to chemistry class in a traditional setting like Gwen is into. That was really beneficial.
MTV: There seemed to be so much competition for the role of Gwen Stacy. Do you ever think, "Why me?" What do you think won you the part?
Stone: I ask myself that question every day. I have no f---ing idea. It's the most amazing idea, I can't even tell you. I don't think I ever will figure out how it happened. It's been mind-blowing. I know things will eventually change, so I'm just trying to avoid thinking about it and just enjoy it while it's happening. Ugh, what am I even saying? Don't write any of that down!
Thanksgiving is a time for taking stock, expressing gratitude and, most importantly, overeating. We at MTV News have been gorging all year at movie theaters, so it's about time we looked back and gave thanks to our favorite actors and filmmakers of 2010. Enjoy exclusive interviews with our winners all week long.
Check out everything we've got on "Spider-Man."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.


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Taye Diggs Remembers Making Poop Song On 'When I Was 17'

'Private Practice' star recalls creating impromptu joint about feces on episode premiering Saturday at 11 a.m.By Mawuse Ziegbe





Taye Diggs

Photo: MTV News




Taye Diggs has built a reputation as a Hollywood heartthrob, lighting up the screen in everything from "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" to "Brown Sugar." But when the actor was 17, he was less of a hunk and more of a ham, constantly cutting up with his friends.
"When I was 17, we were all performers. Wherever we were, we would always try to put on some kind of a show," he remembers on the latest episode of "When I Was 17," which also features Naya Rivera from "Glee" and NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony, premiering Saturday at 11 a.m.

"They were always, always making up songs and singing them and joking around," Diggs' brother Gabriel recalls.
One time, Diggs and his pals turned someone else's crappy luck into a catchy tune.
"I remember one time there was a fire drill, and me and my boy Shane saw this dude step in some dog doo," he says. "We laugh ... and then, right then, somebody drops a beat."
Shane recreates the beat, flapping and pursing his lips, before continuing the story: "Then [Diggs] joined in, "corn feces!"
"And then it just breaks into a whole song," Diggs recalls of the ditty's inexplicable development.
Then Shane breaks down the joint's loopy lyrics for viewers: "I was walking down the street, rocking to the beat/ Clapping my hands and stomping my feet/ Look at the ground and what do I see?/ Corn feces staring right at me. Corn feces!"
For Diggs, who was 17 in 1988, the impromptu, poop-inspired ode is still hilarious years later.
"Corn feces!" the star proclaims, clapping his hands and cracking up.
"When I Was 17" — this week featuring Naya Rivera, Camelo Anthony and Taye Diggs — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV



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Ke$ha's Cannibal: A Cheat Sheet

Singer has already scored a hit with new single 'We R Who We R.'By Gil Kaufman





Ke$ha

Photo: Jon Kopaloff/ Getty Images




It's been a pretty phenomenal year for Ke$ha. The brash, glitter-loving club kid burst onto the scene in January with her debut album, Animal, hot on the heels of the smash debut single "Tik Tok."
In short order, she ended the chart run of Susan Boyle when Animal debuted at #1, made her first trip to the Grammy Awards, teamed up with pals 3OH!3 for another hit video with "Blah Blah Blah," dropped in on "American Idol" and hit the road with Rihanna. And that's just the first three months of the year!
But after scoring another hit with "Your Love Is My Drug" and flipping the bird to haters over their critiques of her wobbly debut on "Saturday Night Live," Ke$ha unleashed another single, "Take It Off."
For a minute, there was talk of a follow-up album that might have a country twang, not out of the question considering that she's a Nashville native and her mom penned songs for Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash. But as she said at the time, "I'm also really digging being called, like, half-jokingly, a white-girl rapper. I think it's really funny, and I'm going to ride that train for a little bit."
By August, she was already plotting her next move, telling MTV News, "I'm always writing and kind of thinking of the next step. I'm still executing this record properly onstage, but the next record is definitely on my mind, and potentially in the works soon." She described waking up in Tokyo at 4 in the morning with a brainstorm for a new song and then spending seven hours making a "horrible" beat on "Garage Band" and singing and rapping into her computer.
A short time later, it was announced that her nine-song follow-up, Cannibal, would hit stores November 22 as a "companion" album to a reissue of Animal. The disc was reported to contain eight new songs produced by heavy-hitters like Max Martin, Benny Blanco and Bangladesh and to be preceded by "We R Who We R."
"This year has been carnivorous and life-changing. I have my rowdy, gorgeous fans to thank for taking me on the ride of a lifetime," Ke$ha said in a statement. "My only goal with this record is to keep them dancing. The songs on Cannibal were made to inspire people to ignore any hate or judgment and be themselves unapologetically. It's the perfect companion to Animal and I hope you guys like it. And if you don't like it — bite me."
Though a rumored hookup with Drake was false, a confirmed track list proved to have plenty of profane and silly titles, including (ahem) "C U Next Tuesday," "Sleazy," "Blow," "The Harold Song," "Cannibal," "We R," "Crazy Beautiful Life" and "Grow a Pear," plus a remix of "Animal." After winning an MTV EMA for Best New Act, the singer also locked in her first headlining affair, the Get $leazy Tour, which is slated to kick off February 15 in Portland, Oregon.
Like most major new albums, Cannibal leaked online a week before it hit shelves, perhaps the finest proof yet that Ke$ha has truly hit the big time. Only this time, after most of the songs had hit the Web, Ke$ha just posted the damn thing herself on her website and told her fans to enjoy.
"This is my album premiere, and it's top secret, and it's really fun and it's wild," Ke$ha said in a message posted on her site. "Things are going to get crazy and a little awkward, it'll be okay. Listen to it."
She's going to have plenty of major competition on the charts this week with new releases from Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and My Chemical Romance, but something tells us Ke$ha isn't that worried.
Open the floodgates! It's Mega-Release Week, with Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Ke$ha, My Chemical Romance and Lloyd Banks all dropping new albums. Stick with MTV News for everything you need to know about the brand-new music.



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'Deathly Hallows' Designer Reveals Scene Secrets

'Harry Potter' production designer Stuart Craig talks to MTV News about helping Harry retrieve Sword of Gryffindor from a frozen lake.By Kara Warner





Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1"

Photo: Warner Bros.




In the weeks leading up to the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1," fans were in a frenzy, trying to figure out just how much of the book would make the first film, which scenes would delight and disappoint, and what characters might not return ever again. And trying to get the tight-lipped folks in the Potter camp to discuss those key points was a bit of a struggle. However, now that the film has opened, MTV News has enlisted the expertise of longtime Potter production designer Stuart Craig for a few behind-the-scenes tidbits.

Much has been said of the production moving away from Hogwarts and out on multiple locations, which Craig described as a "movie on the run."
"We made a very different kind of film, which was shot a great deal on location. We traveled quite far, we built sets, and they spend a lot of time in a forest," he explained. "We built forest sets and integrated them into the real forests, so there were challenges there, as you might imagine."
Another one of the production's major challenges — and accomplishments — was shooting the sequence in which Harry retrieves the Sword of Gryffindor at the bottom of a frozen lake.
"There was a really demanding, complicated special-effects requirement there to do the ice," Craig said. "I think that all works remarkably quite well, actually. Harry breaking the ice, diving in and then subsequently strangled by the Horcrux around his neck and is struggling and can't get up quickly because of the ice above him. It's good stuff."
Which begs the question: How did Craig and his team pull off that scene, and what do they use to make the ice look so real?
"As always, well, as nearly always, there's more than one solution. The camera on top, looking from the outside down on it. It's big, thick sheets of Plexiglass with frosty texture on top of that," he revealed.
"When we're underneath, it's actually an area of wax which floats on top of the water. And wax makes very effective ice. They're tried and tested movie techniques; there are a lot. You could write a book one day, a guidebook, to the very movie techniques — frost on window panes with some Epsom salts and brown nails."
One of the great pleasures in chatting with Craig, whose credits outside the world of Harry Potter include "Ghandi," "The English Patient" and "Notting Hill," is the fact that he has such an informed perspective on the inner-workings of the industry; specifically, how advanced film-making technology is now.
"The great thing about movies these days is that you can fix everything," he said. "I have to give a talk at a film festival early next month, and I've just been looking at films that I've done in the past. In particular, 'Ghandi,' years ago in India. The thing then was: If sometimes there was a compromise, it was filmed and it was there, locked. Forever. You look at the movie 20 years later, and there it would be.
"These days, with visual effects able to do so much, you can do face replacement, you can put Dan Radcliffe's head on somebody else's body.
There's nothing they can't do, it seems. I mean, at a cost, it's not cheap, so terrible things seem to get fixed, which is very reassuring," he added, chuckling.
What was your favorite scene in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1"? Tell us in the comments below!
Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1."
For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.



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Usher Dazzles On The VMA Stage With 'DJ' And 'OMG'

Ush combined his legendary dance skills with spectacular special effects.By Rochell D. Thomas





Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs

Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage




Call it what you will: talent, swag, skills. But one thing's true about Usher Terry Raymond IV: When he steps on the dance floor, some mysterious thing comes out of him and puts the G in groove. After he was tapped to perform at the 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards, executive producer Dave Sirulnick challenged Usher to "show why you're king," and the 31-year-old Grammy winner didn't disappoint.
As predicted by the lucky few who got a peek at Thursday's practice performance for his hit "OMG," Ush pulled off moves that would make the late great Michael Jackson jealous in a mammoth stage production that included more special-effects bells and whistles than a summer blockbuster.

Usher opened the performance with "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," perched two flights above the stage on a ledge surrounded by blinding green laser lights. Then he slid, with the help of barely visible wires and mounts, down a flight, all the while popping and locking. When the father of two finally ticked his way down to stage level, he was surrounded by an army of dancers also clad in black suits with white stripes designed to toss and catch special effect lights.
Directed by Anthony Mandler, Usher's "OMG" clip earned Best Male Video, Best Dance Music Video and Best Choreography Moonman nominations. During the pre-show, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" beat it in the Best Dance category, where Raymond was, for many, the lead contender.
If Usher was disappointed, he didn't let it show. When he launched the "OMG" portion of his performance, the stage seemed to disappear, as red laser lights moved forward in blinding configurations spelling out O.M.G. and Usher's name. More dancers lowered from the ceiling on Cirque du Soleil-esque contraptions, dipping in and out of the red beams. Such a 3-D light display could probably have been seen from the moon, if it weren't for the roof of the Nokia Theatre.
Usher ended his set standing, head back, with his arms outstretched in the Jesus pose. He didn't say a word. Didn't need to.
The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there's plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com.



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Friday, November 26, 2010

Lady Gaga's Born This Way Will 'Grab All The Monsters,' Akon Says

'She is amazing when it comes to just taking things to the next level,' label boss says of Gaga's 2011 release.By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Kelly Marino





Akon

Photo: MTV News




Earlier this year, Akon teased that Lady Gaga was working on "crazy" new tracks for her forthcoming Born This Way album. Now, Gaga's label boss has a few more details to share about the hotly anticipated LP, due in 2011.
"Well, Gaga and her follow-up, I've definitely heard [it], and what I can really tell you about it is the fact that I'm excited — and I'm hard to excite," he laughed to MTV News about the release. "I'm really hard to excite, 'cause my big question was like, 'Wow, how are you going to outdo yourself on this one? Do you realize how big you are? Do you know how big you really are? How are you going to outdo yourself?' "

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Britney Spears Producer Dr. Luke Calls Singer 'An Amazing Vehicle'

Album's co-executive producer expects new album out by early 2011.By James Dinh





Britney Spears

Photo: Jeremy Cowart/ WireImage




While "Glee" was spot-on in its tribute to Britney Spears in September, it's safe to say her fans are ready for the real deal. The pop princess, who has remained relatively low-key since wrapping up her Circus Tour, is currently working on her new album with a few familiar faces, including producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin.
"She's such an icon, I don't want to let anyone down," Dr. Luke said last week at the Hollywood Reporter/ Billboard Film & TV Music Conference. "But most importantly, I want to make good music."
Luke said that he is anticipating that Britney's album will see an early 2011 release, and a source told THR it would hit stores before March 31.
In addition to Dr. Luke ("Circus") and Martin ("... Baby One More Time"), Darkchild and newcomer Billboard are also said to be working with Spears.
When asked if there were anything else he could reveal about the heavily guarded project, Luke wouldn't say much. "Just that I'm excited to be co-executive producing with Max Martin, the person who kind of invented Britney, and to make good music," he said. "And she's such an amazing vehicle to getting that music out to a lot of people in every country."
With Luke and Martin helming the project, fans may expect to hear Spears sounding like the producers' frequent collaborators Katy Perry and Ke$ha. But there have also been indications that Brit will take a fresher approach. Last month, Spears' manager Adam Leber spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her next album, promising that it will introduce a "progressive" sound from the pop star.
''It'll be a departure from what you've heard,'' he added.
What producers would you like to see Britney team up with? Sound off below!



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