Kanye West And Friends Perform At Secret Show In NYC
Related ArtistsThursday, 31 March 2011
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Beyonce Working With Kanye West Producer S1
'Power' producer tweets he's 'finishing up some monsters' after week in the studio with B.
By James Montgomery
Beyonce
Photo: Getty
Beyoncé's already taken inspiration from the likes of Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill, hit the studio with a list of producers that includes Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett and Jim Jonsin, and now, she's hoping to capture the surge of Kanye West's "Power."
B — who's already hard at work on the follow-up to her massive I Am ... Sasha Fierce album — just wrapped a week in the studio with producer S1, the man who co-produced "Power" and has logged time with the likes of Ghostface Killah and Erykah Badu.
S1 broke the news via his Twitter account and also posted a photo of himself and B over on his official site. And from the sound of things, the sessions, which took place in New York City, were definitely eventful.
"A couple of meetings then back in the lab with Beyonce today," he wrote in one tweet. "Excited to see what we're gonna create today after last night's session.
"Not going to bed anytime soon. Beyonce got us in here working and I'm loving every bit of it," he wrote in another post. "Finishing up some monsters ... everything is sounding really great and big!"
There's still not much information about Beyoncé's new album, though in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" last year, she said that, this time out, she's aiming to "make [her] own genre of music." In a follow-up interview with MTV News, she clarified that statement, explaining that she's "mixing every type of genre that I love" on the new album, and added, "I'm not in a box. It's not R&B. It's not typically pop. It's not rock. It's just everything I love all mixed together in my own little gumbo of music."
What do you think S1's work with Beyoncé will sound like? Tell us in the comments!
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655794/beyonce-new-music.jhtml
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Monday, 28 March 2011
Lady Gaga Surprises Drag Queens At Louisville Bar
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
Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man
- Artist: Christina Aguilera
- Label: RCA
- Director: Joel Gallen
- Album: Back to Basics
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=509026&vid=313394
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Christina Aguilera - You Lost Me (Concept)
- Artist: Christina Aguilera
- Label: RCA
- Director: Anthony Mandler
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=509026&vid=540716
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Linkin Park - The Catalyst
- Artist: Linkin Park
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
- Director: Joe Hahn
- Album: A Thousand Suns
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=960856&vid=555381
Friday, 25 March 2011
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Nicki Minaj - All I Do Is Win (Remix)
- Artist: Nicki Minaj
- Label: We The Best, E1 Music
- Director: Dayo
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=3055069&vid=533459
Can Christina Aguilera Regain Her Pop-Diva Crown?
Singer's arrest tops year of troubles for Grammy winner.
By Gil Kaufman
Christina Aguilera
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images
The pattern has, unfortunately, become fairly predictable at this point. A young star experiences stratospheric early success, lives a high-flying lifestyle and engages in over-the-top rebellious behavior and then begins to spin out of control after experiencing some personal and professional disappointments.
The latest victim is Grammy winner Christina Aguilera, whose annus horribilis reached its peak on Tuesday morning when she and her boyfriend both ended up behind bars. A year ago, Aguilera was on the cusp of a return to the spotlight after nearly three years away, during which she celebrated the birth of her son and recorded a new album, Bionic, which was tagged as her futuristic stab at retaking her pop-diva mantle.
"There's no other way of looking at the last year in her career other than to say it's been trying," said Keith Caulfield, the associate director of charts for Billboard magazine. "A lot of artists have tough times and go through all sorts of drama. Mariah Carey had her 'TRL' moment when 'Glitter' bombed and 'Loverboy' didn't do what she wanted, but she came back with 'We Belong Together,' and was better than ever. Everyone was writing [Aguilera] off because that's what we like to do — beat people while they're down."
Although authorities have said she won't be prosecuted, Aguilera was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication on Tuesday morning after her boyfriend Matthew Rutler was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence. It was the latest hiccup in a year of difficulties for Aguilera, which began with the flop of her 2010 Bionic album, which has sold only 250,000 copies in the U.S. to date.
That was followed by a hastily canceled U.S. tour, the failure of her big-screen debut in "Burlesque" and the announcement of her separation and pending divorce from husband Jordan Bratman.
Those incidents were followed by her infamous flubbing of the lyrics at February's Super Bowl and a stumble on the Grammys stage a week later, amid tabloid reports that her partying had gotten out of hand.
Billboard's Caulfield said he didn't think Aguilera's troubles are comparable to the very public difficulties suffered by Britney Spears several years ago or even Lindsay Lohan's string of trips to jail and rehab, but that the pileup of Christina's career and personal setbacks may have been amplified by the speed at which information and photos are disseminated on the Net these days. "Because of the coverage and the way things happen so quickly on the Internet, there's no room for an, 'Oh, I screwed up the lyrics or I stumbled.' The problem is that everything she's done over the past year was on a significant magnitude: her first starring role, the Super Bowl!"
Had all the other previous incidents not happened, Caulfield said people may not have even noticed Aguilera's stumble at the Grammys, a trip that Caulfield himself, who was at the show, said he didn't even detect. "I can't imagine how difficult it is to be Aguilera now: you have a kid, you're separating from your husband, the album you waited four years to put out no one bought, it's got to be tough."
PR expert and star of the Kim Kardashian-produced E! show "The Spin Crowd," Jonathan Cheban said some of Aguilera's problems may stem from her public image.
"She has an incredible voice ... she's won Grammys ... but it's a different story than Britney," Cheban said of the comparison to Spears and other stars like Lohan and Robert Downey Jr. who've had public spirals. "Christina's definitely had a bad year, but there have been so many stories over the years about how unfriendly she is and how she doesn't treat the people around her right, that I think people are more eager to take her down. Nobody is rooting for her because over the years she's not been one to root for anyone else."
Before things went south for her, Cheban said it was hard to knock Aguilera off her pedestal because she was producing hit albums, winning Grammys and being asked to appear in movies such as Martin Scorsese's 2008 Rolling Stones documentary, "Shine a Light." But once things started to fall apart, he said, the knives came out. "There were no breaks, really," he noted. "From the album tanking, the movie tanking, the divorce ... she did a weird 360 in her life and went into hiding, and when you hide too much these days, people don't like that. If you're not out there, people will come after you and not in a positive way."
So, is it bad luck or bad karma? "Look at [Lady] Gaga," Cheban continued. "If she's trying to compete with [Gaga], then she should have praised her. Gaga is a woman of the people and everyone loves her and she's fun and she's out there and honest."
Caulfield said another problem is that while Aguilera was away, a new crop of younger, hotter models (Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha) rose up to take her place and when Bionic failed, she purposely took herself out of the spotlight and seemed to amplify the career stall-out. "Pick a diva, they've all had their issues and failures — Madonna, Whitney Houston, Mariah," he said. "We love a comeback story, though, and, of course, whatever her next thing is, hopefully it will work and people will love her again."
What do you think of Christina's latest personal and professional woes? Share your thought in the comments.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659089/christina-aguilera.jhtml
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Michael Jackson - Beat It
- Artist: Michael Jackson
- Label: Epic Records
- Director: Bob Giraldi
- Album: Thriller [Bonus Tracks]
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Lady Gaga To Receive Fashion Icon Award
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
MTV's Musical March Madness Preview: Linkin Park Promise Total Dominance
Our 2011 tournament begins on March 14, but early favorites Linkin Park already proclaim, 'We're winners. That's our motto.'
By James Montgomery
Linkin Park
Photo: Warner Bros.
Last year, whether it was due to oversight by the selection committee or just plain bias, Linkin Park did not make the field of 65 bands that competed in MTV's inaugural Musical March Madness tournament.
In the end, after weeks of fiercely contested matchups, more than 2 million votes and precisely one accusation of cheating, it was Coheed and Cambria that ended up taking home the championship, shocking the world and inspiring this hilarious photograph in the process.
And while we're not going to discount the valiant efforts of Coheed and their fervent fanbase — after all, winners were determined by fan voting — we couldn't help but wonder if things would've turned out differently had Linkin Park made the tournament in the first place. They are, after all, one of the biggest rock acts on the planet, commanding a vast (and loyal) army of fans that most certainly would've carried them to the Final Four ... at least.
So this year, we're determined to put that claim to the test. Because while we'll reveal our full 2011 MTV Musical March Madness bracket next Monday (March 14), we're going to let it slip right now that not only did Linkin Park make the field this year, they'll enter the 2011 tournament at a very high seed. This is what happens when you release a jaw-dropping, envelope-pushing album, A Thousand Suns, and then convince the entire world to listen.
So, do Linkin Park have what it takes to claim the 2011 MMM Championship? We decided to ask them, and as it turns out, they've already got their game plan in place.
"Well, I think what we're going to have to do is, we're going to have to be smart about our offense, we're going to have to have a tough defense," Chester Bennington said. "We're going to put a lot of pressure on the other bands, to really perform at their best. Because, you know, our motto is 'Go hard all the time.' Whether we win or lose, we're winners. That's our motto."
That's actually two mottos, but who's counting. And though they're already planning on bringing the pressure — Brad Delson is a master of the full-court press — Linkin Park are focused on one thing, and one thing only: hoisting the hardware on April 5.
"We want to win," Mike Shinoda smiled.
"We want to win," Bennington added. "So basically, we'll let these guys come in and play hard, but we're going to want to kick their asses. And that's just how it goes."
MTV's 2011 Musical March Madness Tournament begins on Monday, March 14, when we reveal the full field of 65 bands that will battle for the championship. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act made the cut, it'll be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM ... but get ready, it's gonna be a war.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659311/musical-march-madness-linkin-park.jhtml
Monday, 21 March 2011
Linkin Park - Papercut
- Artist: Linkin Park
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
- Director: Nathan "Karma" Cox/Joseph Kahn
- Album: Hybrid Theory
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=960856&vid=148924
Lady Gaga To Receive Fashion Icon Award
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
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Christina Aguilera Hit With Lawsuit
Suit alleges Sony Music paid wrong group to sample song for use in 'Ain't No Other Man.'
By Shawn Adler
Christina Aguilera
Photo: Denise Truscello/ WireImage
Sorrows continue to come as battalions for pop superstar Christina Aguilera who, less than a week after getting arrested for public intoxication, may be back in hot water again due to a federal lawsuit filed against the singer and Sony Music by TufAmerica, according to TMZ.com.
The lawsuit, filed in New York, claims Sony paid the wrong distributer for rights to the 1968 song "Hippy Skippy Moon Strut" by Dave Cortez and the Moon People, which Aguilera sampled for her Grammy winning hit "Ain't No Other Man."
TufAmerica reportedly owns the rights to the song, which Sony arranged to sample through deals with Condigo Mysic and the Clyde Otis Music Group. TufAmerica is seeking to nullify other publishers' claims to the rights, as well as punitive damages.
The lawsuit comes at the tail end of a rough year for the 30-year-old diva, which began with the poor sales of her album Bionic and continued with a canceled U.S. tour, a flop in her big-screen debut "Burlesque" and a divorce from her husband Jordan Bratman.
Aguilera's woes got worse in 2011, with a now infamous flub of the National Anthem during the Super Bowl pre-game show, and an arrest on March 1 for public intoxication.
"She was not capable of taking care of herself. ... She was incapacitated, not belligerent, but just intoxicated," Los Angeles County Sheriff's department spokesperson Steve Whitmore said of the arrest in a press conference.
Aguilera will not be prosecuted for the misdemeanor offence.
"Ain't No Other Man" was the lead single on Aguilera's third album Back to Basics. For it, Aguilera won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659310/christina-aguilera-hit-with-lawsuit.jhtml
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Shakira Goes 'Loca' In New Guerrilla-Style Video
The Colombian star roller-skates, hip-shakes and fountain-dives for crazy clip.
By James Montgomery
Shakira in the "Loca" music video
Photo: Epic
For nearly two decades now, either due to her multinational leanings (the Colombian's music is as indebted to Latin American rhythms as it is to Arabic dance, Euro disco and red-white-and-blue rock) or because she is sort of insane (see last year's She Wolf album), Shakira has managed to carve out her own, rather indefinable niche in pop music.
On Wednesday (September 29), she premiered the video for "Loca," the first single off her upcoming Sale el Sol album (due October 19). And while it's not exactly a unique artistic endeavor — it echoes sentiments already expressed by the likes of Matt & Kim (in their "Lessons Learned" clip) and Erykah Badu (in her firestormy "Window Seat" vid) — it's still undoubtedly her ... mostly because none of her high-gloss pop contemporaries would ever dare attempt something like it.
Shot run-and-gun style in Barcelona, "Loca" follows Shakira and her crew — which includes a few cameramen and, somewhat improbably, British rapper Dizzee Rascal — on a madcap adventure that includes roller-skating, public wardrobe changes, motorcycle cruising, an illicit hop in a public fountain (a move that landed her in hot, uh, water with local authorities) and, of course, plenty of hip shaking. It's a decidedly guerrilla endeavor that appears to have been done on a budget hovering around zero (aside from a performance scene, the entire thing appears to have been shot on handheld cameras). The Britneys, Beyoncés and Gagas would probably never make something like this ... and yet, here it works, mostly because, well, it just sort of seems like the kind of thing Shakira would do.
For that alone, she deserves to be praised. Because unlike Matt & Kim (or Erykah Badu, really), Shakira has plenty to lose. Her albums are big events, things that resonate across continents, and it would be rather easy (or, at least, expected) for her to come out of the gate with a big-budget, glossy pop video. Instead, we get "Loca," which is none of those things, and is probably better because of that.
And though it features some near-nudity and some illegal activity, the thing that resonates most about the "Loca" video is that none of that bad behavior is played up for shock value. Instead, it all helps match the kinetic, herky-jerky energy of the song itself. "Loca" is the rare video that doesn't attempt to outshine the song it's based on. Instead, it complements it. This is a very lively song, after all, so what better way to capture that than with a very lively video?
There's a calculated madness to the "Loca" video, a vibrant, unchained energy, the kind very few artists can conjure up, no matter how big the budget. And, come to think of it, that's a pretty accurate way of summing up Shakira's entire career. It's called synergy, people.
What do you think of Shakira's "Loca" video? Share your reviews in the comments.
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1648978/shakira-goes-loca-new-guerrillastyle-video.jhtml
Friday, 18 March 2011
Christina Aguilera - Hurt
- Artist: Christina Aguilera
- Label: RCA
- Director: Floria Sigismondi/Christina Aguilera
- Album: Back to Basics
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=509026&vid=113514
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Shakira Separates From Boyfriend Of 11 Years
But Columbian pop star says she and Antonio de la Rua view split as 'temporary.'
By Nuzhat Naoreen
Shakira and Antonio de la Rua in 2007
Photo: Getty Images
With Valentine's Day a little more than a month away, the list of celebrity splits keeps on growing.
In a post on her blog, Shakira announced on Monday that she and her boyfriend of nearly 11 years, Antonio de la Rúa, are taking a break. While rumors of wedding bells have emerged about the couple in the past, the singer confirmed they have been separated since last August but chose to keep the news under wraps.
"We made a mutual decision to take time apart from our romantic relationship," Shakira wrote in her post. "Throughout this time we have continued to work together hand in hand, have remained close and have kept the details absolutely private until now."
The announcement comes fresh on the heels of other long-term celebrity couples calling it quits, including Courteney Cox and David Arquette, who separated last year after 11 years of marriage, and Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin, who ended their nine-year relationship earlier this month.
Shakira added that she and de la Rúa, who is a lawyer and the son of former Argentine president Fernando de la Rúa, "view this period of separation as temporary," explaining that they would continue to work together.
"Antonio continues to oversee and conduct my business and career interests as he has always done," she said. "We move forward as partners, developing projects together, working hand in hand and in close communication."
The singer also noted that the two are an "exceptional couple and partners," and stressed that the separation was amicable. "Our friendship and understanding of one another is unwavering and indestructible," she said.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655707/shakira-separates-from-boyfriend-11-years.jhtml
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year
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
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Beyoncé - Why Don't You Love Me
- Artist: Beyoncé
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=514842
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Lady Gaga Designs Japanese Tsunami Relief Wristband
Mother Monster tweets that all proceeds from sales of prayer bracelets will go to those affected by Friday's tragic disaster.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga's Japanese tsunami relief bracelet
Photo: Bravado USA
Lady Gaga is doing her part to help those affected by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Friday (March 11). The devastating quake triggered a 10-meter tsunami and now threatens Pacific coastal areas, including Hawaii and the West Coast.
The star tweeted on Friday that she has designed a special wristband with all of the proceeds going to benefit those affected by the disaster.
"I Designed a Japan Prayer Bracelet. Buy It/Donate here and ALL proceeds will go to Tsunami Relief Efforts. Go Monsters," Gaga wrote.
She then shared a link with more information about the red-and-white bracelet on which the words "we pray for Japan" are written along with an image of a hand making Gaga's signature monster paw gesture. "Little Monsters, show your support for Japan with this 'We Pray for Japan' wristband! Choose your price to add an additional donation with your wristband," the description for the bracelet reads. "All proceeds go directly to Japan relief efforts."
Gaga is the latest celebrity to reach out and help shed light on the devastation left by the tragic events in Japan. Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Adam Lambert, Diddy and many more sent their prayers to those affected via Twitter. Britney Spears encouraged fans to donate to relief organizations, tweeting, "So tragic. My heart is breaking for Japan."
"Just heard about the huge earthquake and tsunami in Japan," Kim Kardashian wrote. "My prayers are with everyone in Japan. Seeing all of this footage in Japan is devastating! Please help the people of Japan by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation."
For more information on what you can do to help with earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan head to MTV Act, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659769/japanese-tsunami-bracelet-lady-gaga.jhtml
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Beyoncé - Ego (Remix)
- Artist: Beyoncé
- Label: Columbia, Music World Music
- Director: Beyonce, Frank Gatson
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=401347
Monday, 14 March 2011
Christina Aguilera - Not Myself Tonight
- Artist: Christina Aguilera
- Label: RCA Records
- Director: Hype Williams
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=509026&vid=511538
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Michael Jackson - Hold My Hand
- Artist: Michael Jackson
- Label: Columbia Records/SMG
- Album: Michael
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1102&vid=605180
Saturday, 12 March 2011
Linkin Park - Given Up
- Artist: Linkin Park
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
- Director: Mark Fiore/Linkin Park
- Album: Minutes to Midnight
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=960856&vid=214111
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year
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
Friday, 11 March 2011
Rihanna, Kanye West Bring 'All Of The Lights' To All-Star Game
Duo perform hit new single at half-time of NBA super contest.
By Shawn Adler
Rihanna and Kanye West perform during the NBA All-Star Game
Photo: Getty Images
Hometown hero Kobe Bryant may have blistered the Eastern Conference during the first half of Sunday night's (February 20) NBA All-Star Game, but it took Rihanna , Drake, and Kanye West to bring the Los Angeles crowd to their feet, with a rollicking performance during half-time of the gala sporting event.
Wearing a jet black ensemble and flanked on either side by string instrumentalists, RiRi opened the set with an orchestral arrangement of her hit "Umbrella," before segueing into the faster tempo of "Only Girl" and "Rude Boy."
Rihanna was joined on stage for her fourth song when collaborator and rumored former paramour Drake jumped up from the audience to sing the duo's hit "What's My Name."
The rapper might have even scored the most points of the night by managing to work "Happy Birthday" into the song's lyrics for Rihanna, who was celebrating turning 23-years-old.
But with apologies to Drake (and Chris Paul), the assist of the evening came from Kanye West, who made a surprise appearance at the Staples Center to join Rihanna in singing the pair's new single, "All Of The Lights," just one day after the release of the song's video.
Backed by three large video screens that flashed disorienting, bright colors at lightning speeds, the performance was almost a recreation of the video, in fact, particularly the section inspired by Gaspar Noe's 2009 French film "Enter the Void."
As with any All-Star game, though, all the stars weren't on stage. While Rihanna, Drake, and Kanye performed, Jay-Z, Sean Combs, and MVP of the celebrity All-Star game Justin Bieber among others sat courtside.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658387/rihanna-kanye-west-nba-all-star-game.jhtml
Mary J. Blige Dishes On Her 'Crazy' Led Zeppelin Covers
'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
Mary J. Blige
Photo: MTV News
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
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Linkin Park - What I've Done
- Artist: Linkin Park
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
- Director: Joseph Hahn
- Album: Minutes to Midnight
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=960856&vid=141944
Lady Gaga Dissolves Relationship With Target
Singer has reportedly cut ties with retailer over its political donations and their effect on the LGBT community.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga
Photo: Anita Bugge/ Getty Images
Cue the "Bad Romance" headlines. Lady Gaga and Target have dissolved their relationship. According to The Advocate, the pop superstar has decided not to work with the retail megastore.
"She and Target didn't see eye to eye on Target's policy of political donations and how they affect the LGBT community," a source close to the store told the magazine. It was announced in February that Gaga and Target would be working together to release an exclusive deluxe edition of Gaga's May 23 release, Born This Way.
"Target and Lady Gaga together is a win-win," Troy Carter, Lady Gaga's manager, said in a statement at the time. "The partnership provides us with an opportunity to really engage the fans early and widen our reach on the album promotion."
Shortly after the announcement, however, LGBT groups began revisiting certain donations that the store had made. Last year, Target donated corporate funds to MN Forward, a political action committee that supported antigay candidate Tom Emmer in his 2010 run for governor of Minnesota.
Gaga did acknowledge the issue in a recent interview with Billboard, noting that she hoped to work with the retailer to change its policies. "That discussion was one of the most intense conversations I've ever had in a business meeting," Gaga said. "Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past. ... Our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those [antigay] groups."
A rep for the store had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659492/lady-gaga-target.jhtml
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Shakira's 'Gypsy' Gets A Boost From Rascal Flatts On 'American Idol'
Singer plays the harmonica, harmonizes with Gary LeVox for free-sprit performance.
By Katie Byrne
Shakira and Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox perform on "American Idol" Wednesday
Photo: FOX
Shakira busted out her best Stevie Nicks ensemble during "American Idol" to perform her new single, "Gypsy," with a little help from Rascal Flatts.
The free-spirit singer — wearing a sparkly tank top, dangling earrings and a floor-length red skirt — started the song out on harmonica. During the first verse, she was joined by some interpretive backup dancers and even threw in some moves herself.
Rascal Flatts singer Gary LeVox then chimed in with backing vocals. As the pair harmonized, they headed to a platform behind the "Idol" judges and Shakira showed off some of her trademark hip-swiveling. She even pulled the harmonica back out to close up the song.
After the performance, host Ryan Seacrest said what most of the viewers were probably thinking: "Gary LeVox and Shakira — I never thought I'd see that!"
He also had a tough question for the Flatts frontman: "What was it like to move your hips with her?"
"I recommend to him to wear a skirt, but he refused," Shakira chimed in.
Rascal Flatts kicked off the "Idol" elimination episode by performing their new single, "Unstoppable," in place of a top-six group number.
Back in February, Shakira released a steamy video for "Gypsy" starring Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal. The video, like the song paired with it, has a much more organic vibe than other tracks from Shakira's 2009 album She Wolf. Directed by frequent Shakira collaborator Jaume de Laiguana, the video tells a love story that plays out on a desert backdrop. It's an ideal setting for the romance between the smiling Shakira and her often-shirtless tennis pro to unfold.
What did you think of Shakira's collaboration with Rascal Flatts? Let us know in the comments below!
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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