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Ciara’s mention of Rihanna on E! sparks online battle between the two singers.
By James Montgomery

Rihanna
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/ WireImage

Note to any aspiring haters out there: Rihanna is not one to be trifled with.

First, she flogged members of the media in her video for her current single “S&M,” then she went all scorched-earth on censors in the U.K., who changed the title of that song to “Come On” without her knowledge and earned a fierce rebuke for their efforts. (Rihanna personally vowed to have the title changed back … and, less than a week later, it was.)

And on Friday, she turned her wrath upon Ciara, after the singer dared dis RiRi during an appearance on E!’s “Fashion Police” with Joan Rivers.

“I ran into [Rihanna] recently at a party. She wasn’t the nicest,” Ciara told Rivers. “It’s crazy, because I’ve always loved and respected what she’s done in fashion. It wasn’t the most pleasant run-in.”

Of course, things were about to get a lot less pleasant. Soon after Ciara dared speak her name, Rihanna took to her Twitter account to strike back brand-new rival … in less than 140 characters.

“My bad, Ci, did I forget to tip you,” Rihanna wrote, including the hashtag #howrudeofme for extra spite.

Of course, that earned a response from Ciara, who wrote, “Trust me, Rihanna, you don’t want to see me on or off the stage.”

Rihanna replied first with a taunt (“U gangsta huh? Haaa” (link and then, after thinking about it for a minute, went for the jugular, making fun of Ciara’s recent sales woes by writing, “Good luck with booking that stage you speak of.”

Ciara tried to laugh off the slight, while Rihanna, perhaps feeling a twinge of remorse after vivisecting her latest foe, posted an apology: “Ciara baby, I love you girl! You hurt my feelings real bad on TV! I’m heartbroken! That’s why I retaliated this way! So sorry!”

Ciara accepted RiRi’s apology and suggested the two work out their problems “in person.” Rihanna has yet to respond.

Related Artists

• Rihanna
• Ciara

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658846/rihanna-ciara-beef.jhtml

Joella Hershaw Normand Lofgren Gaynelle Tancer Paris Creps Myrtie Tinch

If I Were A Boy

• Artist: Beyoncé
• Label: Columbia/Music World Music
• Director: Jake Nava
• Album: I Am…Sasha Fierce

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=288236

Ruby Icardo Xavier Castilo Anya Strausser Del Eglinton Eva Truelove

Sweet Dreams

• Artist: Beyoncé
• Label: Columbia, Music World Music
• Director: Adria Petty
• Album: I Am…Sasha Fierce

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=404504

Kayce Bryars Dylan Vanous Tari Kliethermes Harvey Hargrove Antonina Mertes

‘Power’ producer tweets he’s ‘finishing up some monsters’ after week in the studio with B.
By James Montgomery

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 Artists

• Beyoncé

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655794/beyonce-new-music.jhtml

Veronica Ostling Drew Karlgaard Dominique Panik Sammie Bouten Martin Zader

2010 BET Awards Show Highlights

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• Queen Latifah
• Alicia Keys
• Kanye West
• Drake
• Nicki Minaj

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1642468

Raymon Burtle Lorie Krukiel Reynaldo Fessler Scottie Alameda Lamar Lucus

Best And Worst Grammy Fashions

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• Christina Aguilera
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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657590

Carrol Harn Lonnie Merlos Raymond Smar Lael Sadri Jackie Jaussen

Trading Places

• Artist: Usher
• Label: Zomba/LaFace Records
• Director: Chris Robinson
• Album: Here I Stand

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1270&vid=285678

Bruno Emick Ora Sparaco Carrol Harn Lonnie Merlos Raymond Smar

Alicia Keys Brings Jay-Z, Beyonce To Her New York Show

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• Alicia Keys
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• Robin Thicke
• Beyoncé

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1634178

Xavier Castilo Anya Strausser Del Eglinton Eva Truelove Bryant Welchman

This image, which nicely compliments the video below, is for a 1993 metal comp that featured some pretty ripping bands, including Eucharist, Dissection, Impaler, At the Gates, Pitchshifter and Therion, along with a bunch of groups we’ve never heard of. Good luck tracking it down. But before you try, check out this Norwegian TV ad [...]

Source: http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/06/02/tv-ad-for-norwegian-deaf-metal/

Lael Sadri Jackie Jaussen Joella Hershaw Normand Lofgren Gaynelle Tancer

Ego (Remix)

• Artist: Beyoncé
• Label: Columbia, Music World Music
• Director: Beyonce, Frank Gatson

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=401347

Myron Sharkey Mozell Honegger Tobias Kwasnik Veronica Ostling Drew Karlgaard

Critics’ Choice Movie Awards Red Carpet 2011

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• Justin Bieber

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1656042

Natisha Gals Lucas Venning Joella Gerson Weldon Malecha Bianca Attebery

Justin Timberlake also wanted to sign Bieber, ‘Never Say Never’ star said in 2009.
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber
Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News

Just as the world was learning who Justin Bieber was, MTV News caught up with the shaggy-haired singer in September 2009. He was gearing up to release his debut album, My World, and plotting his pop-world domination. In the year and a half since that interview, Bieber has done the nearly impossible, launching himself into the pop mega-sphere.

In the chat, Bieber recalled how he and his manager, Scooter Braun, met and eventually got big names interested in signing the teen.

“My manager found me on YouTube. He flew me out to Atlanta for the first time — I’d never actually been on a plane before. He flew me to Atlanta where i was going to the studio to meet some people,” he recalled.

“And Usher happened to roll up in his Range Rover. I ran up to him, and I was like, ‘Usher, I love your songs. Want me to sing you one?’ The politest possible way he could say no, he did. … I took the hint. I didn’t get to sing for him: He had to run into a studio session.”

But later, Usher was beckoning the teen back to the ATL. “He actually watched my videos — after my manager got to talking to him — and was like, ‘I should have let this kid sing,’ and flew me back to Atlanta where I got to sing for him in a proper setting. A week later, I had a meeting with Justin Timberlake, who also wanted to sign me, so they both kind of wanted me.”

As the story goes, Bieber went with Usher, and the two never looked back.

“As far as Usher being my mentor, he’s definitely given me words of wisdom. I hear it from everybody, but definitely to hear it from Usher is great, just to stay humble and grounded is very important,” he explained.

“There’s a lot of people, especially young stars, that have gone down the wrong path, and I definitely plan to stay humble and stay grounded and keep my family first, because that stuff really is important in life.”

On Friday, Justin Bieber’s 3-D documentary, “Never Say Never,” opens. The film takes a look at how the teen star worked to hit it big. MTV News has been chatting with him along the way, from the time he first burst on the scene in 2009 until now, as he embarks on a huge 2011 that will include a tour and more new music.

Related Videos

• Discovering Justin Bieber
• MTV Rough Cut: Justin Bieber

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• Photos From Justin Bieber’s Interview With Sway

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• Justin Bieber
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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657425/justin-bieber-usher-video.jhtml

Normand Lofgren Gaynelle Tancer Paris Creps Myrtie Tinch Ryan Lisa

‘Everything that she’s about is in that song,’ one fan says of the single.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Vaughn Schoonmaker

Lady Gaga
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Fans have been donning their best Lady Gaga costumes for the first three stops on the latest leg of her Monster Ball Tour, and MTV News has been there all the way. Gaga’s dedicated Little Monsters have been turning out in droves to see their Mother Monster belt out her hits, including her latest smash, the anthemic disco number “Born This Way.”

Fans told MTV News that the song’s feel-good message has resonated with them. “I think it’s fantastic that she decided to put that song out first before any other more noteworthy songs she might have,” Juliana explained. “Because it meant something to her.”

Lisa further explained that “it means no matter what you are, who you are, who you want to be, you just can’t help it, because you were born this way.”

Meghan thinks “Born This Way” is a great track to pump yourself up with when you’re feeling low. “It means that no one should really be able to tell you who you can and can’t be, because obviously you can’t change how you are,” she said. “And you should just express that.”

Kristen added: “Nobody should discriminate against you for anything. Just be who you are, be proud and that’s it.”

Mon Cheri boiled down what the song means to her: “Do what you want to do! I mean, keep it real, keep it safe and keep it legal, but you got to do you, hon.”

Not only does the song have a great message, but as Alicia pointed out, it also is awesome to dance to. “It’s just perfect. … Everything that she’s about is in that song,” she said. “And it has an amazing, catchy beat, as usual.”

Marie said the tune sums up what Lady Gaga is all about: “It’s everything she says in interviews all wrapped up into a song.”

What do you think of “Born This Way”? Share your reviews in the comments!

Related Videos

• Little Monsters React To Lady Gaga’s Madison Square Garden Shows

Related Photos

• Lady Gaga’s Madison Square Garden Performance

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• Lady Gaga

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658522/lady-gaga-born-this-way-fans.jhtml

Leroy Burpo Chery Mccrimon Zane Witry Reena Swint Hunter Stigsell

If AC/DC aren’t cranking out albums fast enough for you and Rhino Bucket don’t get your engine revin,’ then check out the new Airbourne album ‘No Guts, No Glory.’ The second disc by these Aussie/DC obsessives is a feast of sleazy, slammin’ rhythms, jagged flesh-cleaving guitars and howled melodic vocals that sound like Angus-and-company on [...]

Source: http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/05/24/cast-in-metal-airbourne-frontman-joel-okeefe/

Bev Delapenha Clay Cropp Gwenda Carnes Rene Armond Kayce Bryars

MTV News quizzes Monster Ball Tour fans. How much do you know?
By MTV News staff

Lady Gaga performs at Madison Square Garden on February 21, 2011
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters are certainly loyal to their Mother Monster, arriving to her shows in creative Gaga garb, singing along to every word and even crediting the pop sensation for helping them become comfortable with who they are, thanks to her feel-good messages. When MTV News caught up with some of Gaga’s biggest fans at stops on the latest leg of her Monster Ball Tour, we quizzed them to find out just how much they know about the New York native.

Question: Which “True Blood” star appeared in Gaga’s “Paparazzi” music video?
Answer: Alexander Skarsgard
Fans who got it right: 3 out of 5

Question: What was the first song Lady Gaga performed during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards?
Answer: “Poker Face”
Fans who got it right: 1 out of 9

Question: Is Lady Gaga left- or right-handed?
Answer: Left
Fans who got it right: 5 out of 10

Question: On which two MTV shows did Gaga appear (as Stefani Germanotta or Lady Gaga) before her big break?
Answer: “Boiling Points” and “The Hills”
Fans who got it right: 3 out of 7

Question: Which pop singer recorded a demo for “Telephone” but didn’t end up using it?
Answer: Britney Spears
Fans who got it right: 2 out of 6

Question: Name all of the people Gaga mentions in her song “Dance in the Dark.”
Answer: Judy Garland, Liberace, Jesus, Stanley Kubrick, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, JonBenét Ramsey, Sylvia Plath
Fans who got it right: 6 out of 6

How did you do? Share your results below!

Related Videos

• Little Monsters React To Lady Gaga’s Madison Square Garden Shows

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• Lady Gaga’s Madison Square Garden Performance

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• Lady Gaga

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658575/lady-gaga-monster-ball.jhtml

Lonnie Merlos Raymond Smar Lael Sadri Jackie Jaussen Joella Hershaw

Foursome is joined by special guests and tons of lights for smash-hit medley.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Black Eyed Peas perform during the Super Bowl XLV halftime show
Photo: Getty Images

The Black Eyed Peas promised a party at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday (February 6), and the pop supernovas definitely delivered, with a performance teeming with lights, dancers and surprise appearances from celebrity pals.

Following a Chatter.com commercial that showed animated versions of the Peas showing off their social-media skills, the group kicked things off with their 2009 smash “I Gotta Feeling,” descending from the ceiling on illuminated platforms onto a stage surrounded by a cluster of dancers clad in white bodysuits. The foursome led the team of fist-pumping troops in “Tron”-like getups, with Taboo sporting an outfit covered in flashing lights, will.i.am rocking a shiny hairpiece, Apl.de.ap wearing huge bright studs and Fergie vamping it up in bling-laden shoulder pads.

When the speaker-busting bass of “Boom Boom Pow” dropped, the dancers dispersed across the field to create arrow-shaped formations as the glow-in-the-dark lights on their suits illuminated the stadium. Then rumored surprise guest Slash of Guns N’ Roses rose from below the stage for a “Sweet Child O’ Mine” duet with Fergie. The GNR great rocked a finger-searing solo in a studded version of his signature black top hat as more angular platforms and dancers moved across the gridiron. The platforms were bearing scores of marching-band musicians who blasted their horns and pounded away on their drums as the Peas went into “Pump It” and blue lights splashed across the production.

Quick streams of fog heralded the arrival of the Peas’ second surprise guest, Usher, who swooped in on a long chain to bust out his will.i.am-assisted joint “OMG.” Rocking a sparkly collar on an otherwise all-white ensemble, the R&B hitmaker cranked out several counts of energetic choreography, enlivening moves from his “OMG” video and at one point jumping over Will and landing in a split.

A spray of pyro ushered in the collective’s breakout 2003 hit “Where Is the Love?” as the oddly shaped platforms spelled out the word “Love” in bright-red letters. The team of dancers, which appeared to have multiplied to over 100, formed hearts across the field as will updated the lyrics of the smash with lines like, “Obama, let’s get these educated.”

Then the group jumped ahead to their most recent single, 2010′s “The Time (Dirty Bit),” as several back up hoofers rocking cubed helmets joined the Peas onstage and dancers lined up along the gridiron to simultaneously bust out the Running Man, a move which drew cheers from the crowd.

The platinum-selling Peas wrapped up the performance with a reprise of “I Gotta Feeling,” as the quartet triumphantly signed off amid of blitz of fog, firepower and flashing lights.

Ripping the halftime show was clearly a touching moment for will, who tweeted beforehand, “Me and apl started the peas when we were 16 yesterday we were dreamin now were livin it. Wow. I’m not crying out of sadness or nervousness its joy and pride and memories and the journey.”

And once the crew left the stage, the frontman was not only proud, but pumped. “That was so freakin sick,” he wrote. “Wow…!!!”

What did you think of the Black Eyed Peas’ Super Bowl performance? Let us know in the comments!

Related Photos

• Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash Perform During Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show

Related Artists

• Black Eyed Peas
• Usher

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657356/black-eyed-peas-usher-slash-super-bowl.jhtml

Jeff Lidbom Kourtney Giannelli Randal Albe Gail Flem Todd Shiiba

Video Phone (Extended Remix)

• Artist: Beyoncé
• Label: Columbia, Music World Music
• Director: Hype Williams
• Album: I Am…Sasha Fierce

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=455581

Shanda Millie Raleigh Cutrell Delila Stohs Bruno Emick Ora Sparaco

‘There’s so much anticipation for this song when he comes out,’ Miguel says of MTV News’ Song of the Year.
By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker

Usher
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

MTV News just named Usher’s “OMG” the #1 song of 2010, and clearly we’re not alone in our admiration. But what is it like to watch it performed night after night? Miguel, who is currently opening for Usher’s OMG Tour gave us a little insight.

“There’s so much anticipation for this song when he comes out, and he really gives the fans what they want,” Miguel laughs. “He kills it every night.”

Before his latest string of hits, Usher was out of the spotlight for a period of time in 2009, when he was dealing with personal issues including a divorce. Miguel finds his 2010 comeback inspiring.

“There was a period of time, when a lot of people didn’t believe in Usher and thought he was finished … just kind of going to ride off into the sunset and disappear,” the up-and-coming singer noted.

With the release of Raymond vs. Raymond and its extended, companion EP, Versus, in 2010, Usher proved the skeptics wrong with chart-toppers including “OMG” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love.”

“He’s such a tremendous example of perseverance and determination,” Miguel beamed. “I was there throughout this album, so I’ve seen the adversity that he’s had to overcome perception-wise.”

MTV News’ Top 25 Songs of 2010 have all been counted down. But the fun isn’t over yet: We still want to see your picks in the comments below!

Related Photos

• MTV News’ Top 25 Songs Of 2010

Related Artists

• Usher
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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654059/ushers-omg-kills-it-every-night-tourmate-miguel.jhtml

Brunilda Unkn Devin Schrimpf Alma Thomassen Marlin Scalf Alaina Julye

Justin Bieber, Ozzy Osbourne On The Set Of Their Super Bowl Commercial

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• Justin Bieber
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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1656790

Normand Lofgren Gaynelle Tancer Paris Creps Myrtie Tinch Ryan Lisa

‘I wanted the campaign to feel a bit more timeless,’ company’s creative director explains.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga for MAC Viva Glam
Photo: Nick Knight

Lady Gaga’s new short film for her work with MAC’s Viva Glam line is an ethereal, ghostly affair that blends well with the pop star’s current color scheme. The Nick Knight-directed clip features Gaga in shades of blush, nude and champagne almost floating alongside romantic images of martinis, flowers and perfume bottles. Airy house music plays as Gaga’s flowing dress is blown about and she seduces the camera in various states of undress.

For photos of Gaga’s Viva Gam line, click here.

This year’s Viva Glam shades, which raise money for the MAC AIDS Fund, will be available for purchase next month. James Gager, SVP, Creative Director of MAC said that hooking up with Gaga for a second year (she teamed up with Cyndi Lauper last year) seemed like the most natural fit.

“She’s an amazing fit for us in so many ways. I think the most important quality is that she is real and she speaks her mind. When MAC originally started, it was truly a place for all the misfits of the world, where they could feel comfortable and know that they wouldn’t be criticized. We’ve always been all about welcoming everyone into our universe. Gaga is bringing that same spirit to the world. She spreads this message of ‘Don’t be afraid to be who you are, don’t let people put you down,’ and radiates this sense of empowerment. Look at how courageously she’s been speaking out lately,” he said. “She’s so passionate, focused and articulate, and I think we are, too. Especially with Viva Glam, we really put ourselves out there and every cent goes to the cause.”

As for the sexy video, Gager explained that it was a joint effort, like so many of her projects. “Working with Gaga is very much a partnership: It’s a team effort and collaboration,” he said. “The photographer Nick Knight, Gaga’s stylist Nicola Formichetti and I wanted the campaign to feel a bit more timeless, but still very much her. Last year was all about a fun, feminine kind of sensibility, so I think if you compare that with what we’ve created this year, it’s refreshing to see her in a way you wouldn’t expect. We thought: ‘Let’s go with the idea of nude and the stripping away of what she’s famous for and make her a little more elusive and evasive.’ The tone is undeniably glamorous as well.”

Not only were the visuals for the campaign inspired by Gaga’s aesthetic, but it seems this year’s shades were also modified to fit Gaga’s current look. “Jennifer Balbier [the company's SVP of product development] and I felt that after last year’s shades — Gaga’s fun pink and Cyndi’s coral red — it was time to move in a new direction,” he explained. “I think Gaga herself has moved into nude tones, and we didn’t want to shoot something that was out of place. So she was actually part of the inspiration.”

Last week, when Gaga appeared on “Good Morning America” to talk about Viva Glam, she said her outfit was condom-inspired, in honor of the lipstick’s AIDS-awareness mission.

“I want to get people started at home at a younger age with their children talking about HIV, talking about AIDS, talking about safe sex,” Gaga explained.

Related Photos

• Lady Gaga Goes ‘Viva Glam’ For MAC AIDS Fund

Related Artists

• Lady Gaga

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658614/lady-gaga-mac-viva-glam.jhtml

Gaynelle Tancer Paris Creps Myrtie Tinch Ryan Lisa Natisha Gals

But is it here to stay? Our music-industry experts weigh in.
By Akshay Bhansali

Ke$ha
Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images

In 2010, pop princesses, R&B icons and chart-dominating newcomers all danced to the same beat. Not only did dance music go pop, but pop music caught the club-music bug.

Between Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R,” Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World),” Enrique Iglesias’ “I Like It,” Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” and “OMG” and countless other singles, established artists definitely looked to dance beats for surefire hits. And two of this year’s biggest success stories in music were Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz; could there be a soul left in this country who hasn’t heard “Dynamite” or “In My Head”?

The love went both ways, with dance music’s biggest stars finding mainstream success this year. Dance-music maestro deadmau5 took up house-artist duties at this year’s VMAs, and Swedish House Mafia and Usher teamed up for a medley of their gems at the American Music Awards.

So how did this happen? We caught up with some music-industry experts to get their takes.

“You definitely saw tempos go up this year,” Jon Caramanica of The New York Times told MTV News. “And I think what you had are a lot of producers who are really familiar with nightclub stuff. They are familiar with Europe. Things are happening on a more global scale now.”

“I think everything from Europe, and sometimes even Asia, it comes to America, and we just adopt things a little bit slower,” said Jared Eng of JustJared.com. “I think it was just a change. People like different types of music at different times. And dance was of this moment.”

Noah Callahan of Complex magazine added: “I think 2010 saw the merging of the pop and dance genres. Pop artists realized that there were best practices that could be borrowed from dance music. And, ultimately, [all] pop music that has been made in the past 20 years had ended up being remixed for the club by dance artists. I think they basically just cut out the middleman and went straight there.”

Dance music being introduced into the hip-hop and R&B realms was particularly notable this year.

“I think David Guetta kind of at the end of last year and the beginning of this year spearheaded it,” said freelance writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd. “He produced a lot of tracks. I think as trends go, people revile ‘unst-unst.’ But it’s just coming back around. Big-room techno was a way for people to get decadent in a year that no one could get decadent.”

“You have someone like will.i.am, who’s like, ‘Well, I spent all this time in Ibiza, and this is what they are doing,’ and he wants to find a way to bring that into his music,” Caramanica said of the Black Eyed Peas mastermind. “R&B especially became dance music. And especially with your Jason Derülos, Taio Cruzes. Guys like that would have literally been blocked at the border two years ago. That would not have made it through customs. And now all of a sudden they have #1 songs. I think will.i.am had a lot to do with that last year.”

Elliott Wilson of RapRadar.com added: “It’s actually even affected hip-hop. I was talking to Q-Tip, and his next record, I feel like that’s gonna kind of go in that vein. I know that was also Jay-Z’s thought process with Blueprint 3 at first, that he wanted to make a little bit more of a world music [vibe], a little more dancey. I think the kids today want to go to the clubs. They wanna have a good time. They wanna dance. So I think the artists of today are trying to kind of feed that audience.”

“I think it’s caught on this year because the people who’ve done it have been successful,” offered Clover Hope of Vibe magazine. “Like ‘OMG,’ with usher, he didn’t have success until he made a dance record. He had ‘There Goes My Baby’ and these really, like, adult-contemporary records that didn’t really catch on. And then once you see that everybody is doing it and that people are liking it, they are like, ‘OK, let me just try this out.’ It’s like Auto-Tune. Like, ‘Let me see what I sound like on a record by David Guetta.’ They end up liking it and doing more of it.”

So does the club-music trend have staying power. According to our tastemakers, not so much.

“I do think it’s a blip,” Caramanica said. “I don’t think that’s gonna be something that lasts in America. I think this is gonna be a moment we’ll all look back on and go, ‘Wasn’t that weird when Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz had #1 records?”

“At some point, these R&B artists will get kind of sick of it and be like, ‘Let me go back to my soul background,’ ” Hope said. “When you actually have to say something, dance doesn’t really lend itself to substance. And I think that R&B artists, they really want to talk about love and in a deep way, and to do that, you need to do, like, a soul or a traditional R&B record. I want to say that it’s kind of a fad.”

“I think music is very cyclical,” Eng offered. “So I think dance music might be here for a little bit, but I’m sure it will phase out at some point.”

Wilson called dance music “the sound of today. I think that people want more aggressive, faster beats, and I think that that probably has legs until at least next summer.”

What do you think? Is dance music here to stay? Let us know in the comments!

Related Videos

• Stories Of 2010

Related Artists

• Usher
• Ke$ha

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655031/usher-keha-more-help-dance-music-go-pop-2010.jhtml

Reena Swint Hunter Stigsell Dimple Mccartin Myron Sharkey Mozell Honegger

The 2010 Grammy Awards Red Carpet

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• Britney Spears
• Green Day

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1630866

Dimple Mccartin Myron Sharkey Mozell Honegger Tobias Kwasnik Veronica Ostling

Lady Gaga’s Grammy Night

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657884

Carrol Harn Lonnie Merlos Raymond Smar Lael Sadri Jackie Jaussen

Don’t expect to see Christina Applegate’s daughter, Sadie Grace, on the big or small screen anytime soon. Other than the fact that she’s only 1-month-old, Sadie’s mom has some pretty definite opinions about child stars.

“She’s allowed to study, and if she wants to take acting classes or dance classes, she’s allowed to,” the Hall Pass star tells E!. “But I have a very strong ‘No’ when it comes to monetary exchange for your talents until she’s 18.”

Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/02/26/christina-applegate-says-sadie-grace-will-not-be-a-child-star

Christin Diniz Lyle Montrose Shanda Millie Raleigh Cutrell Delila Stohs

2011 Grammy Awards Red Carpet

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657832

Sharonda Sadhra Rod Dagen Enid Feehly Raymon Burtle Lorie Krukiel

Ke$ha Gets Electro At Casio’s Shock The World Event 2010

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• Ke$ha

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1644943

Ruby Icardo Xavier Castilo Anya Strausser Del Eglinton Eva Truelove

2011 Grammy Awards Red Carpet

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• Lady Gaga

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657832

Shanda Millie Raleigh Cutrell Delila Stohs Bruno Emick Ora Sparaco

Video Phone (Extended Remix)

• Artist: Beyoncé
• Label: Columbia, Music World Music
• Director: Hype Williams
• Album: I Am…Sasha Fierce

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=455581

Delila Stohs Bruno Emick Ora Sparaco Carrol Harn Lonnie Merlos

Halo

• Artist: Beyoncé
• Label: Columbia, Music World Music
• Director: Philip Andelman
• Album: I Am…Sasha Fierce

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=332332

Xavier Castilo Anya Strausser Del Eglinton Eva Truelove Bryant Welchman

Producer says he was ‘in NYC tryin’ to make tracks’ for B and Bells’ songwriter/guitarist.
By James Montgomery

Beyonce
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ WireImage

Over the years, Diplo has worked with everyone from Thom Yorke to Spank Rock (and, of course, M.I.A.) so perhaps it should come as no surprise that, for his next collaboration, he’s chosen to work with none other than Beyoncé. Oh, and electro-slammers Sleigh Bells, too. It all makes sense, in some bizarre way.

This is according to Dip himself, who posted a message — and a remix of the Sleigh Bells track “Tell ‘Em” — on his blog, in which he let it be known that he, his production partner Switch and Sleigh Bells’ songwriter/guitarist Derek Miller just wrapped sessions for Beyoncé’s follow-up to I Am … Sasha Fierce. He wasn’t quite sure what would come of the tracks they created.

“Me and Switch was in [the] studio in NYC tryin’ to make tracks with Derek and Beyoncé last week after we played her team [Sleigh Bells'] album,” Diplo wrote. “Dunno if we gonna manage to finish, but [it] was good times.”

At the very least, you know Bey’s husband, indie-rock fan Jay-Z, is pumped by the news. Diplo is just the latest in an ever-growing list of top-flight producers who have worked with Beyoncé in recent months. There’s still no release date or tentative title for her upcoming album, but she’s logged studio time with the likes of S1 (he of “Power” fame), Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett and Jim Jonsin.

A spokesperson for Beyoncé did not respond to MTV News’ request for comment on the Diplo tracks by press time.

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• Beyoncé

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656607/beyonce-diplo-sleigh-bells.jhtml

Migdalia Rubi Neville Mingo Michelina Ocanas Sylvester Kimberlin Catrina Rolle

Actor David Arquette paid a visit to the Oprah Winfrey Show this week, where he opened up about his split from wife Courteney Cox and his recent stint in rehab.

After checking into rehab for alcohol addiction and depression in early January, the Scream star had to explain his absence to his 6-year-old daughter Coco.

Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/02/25/david-arquette-explains-rehab-to-coco

Drew Karlgaard Dominique Panik Sammie Bouten Martin Zader Luther Helton

Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus also made the magazine’s top 20 list of Hollywood moneymakers.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Beyoncé
Photo: Columbia/Music World

On the East Coast, revenue streams are slowly rising as banks are still cratering and trying to recover from the recession. But out West, money ain’t a thing, as Jermaine Dupri and Jay-Z once rapped.

Forbes has released their list of Hollywood’s 20 Highest Earners of 2010, with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus among those rubbing elbows with the likes of power players like Oprah Winfrey.

The venerable talk-show host topped the list with a whopping $315 million haul. Winfrey’s earnings were generated for the most part by her multimedia deals, which include a syndication deal for her TV show, a magazine and her soon-to-be-launched network.

“Avatar” creator James Cameron came in second, more than $100 million behind Winfrey, with a tally of $210 million. Director and playwright Tyler Perry ($125 million), blockbuster movie producer Michael Bay ($120 million) and golfer Tiger Woods ($105 million) rounded out the top five.

Beyoncé was the only pop star to break the top 10. The “Single Ladies” superstar landed at #9, sandwiched between George Lucas and Dr. Phil. Mrs. Carter, whose hubby, Jay-Z, was named Hip-Hop’s Cash King by Forbes in August with a tally of $63 million, pulled down $87 million over the past 12 months.

The blond-haired trio of Britney Spears ($64 million), Lady Gaga ($62 million) and Madonna ($58 million) made their mark on the list at numbers 13, 14 and 15, respectively.

Pop tarts Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift capped the list. The young stars placed at 18 and 19 on the list, with Disney star Cyrus pocketing $48 million, and country singer Swift depositing $45 million into her bank account.

Hollywood’s 20 highest-earning men and women of 2010, according to Forbes:

1. Oprah Winfrey, $315 million
2. James Cameron, $210 million
3. Tyler Perry, $125 million
4. Michael Bay, $120 million
5. Tiger Woods, $105 million
6. Jerry Bruckheimer, $100 million
7. Steven Spielberg, $100 million
8. George Lucas, $95 million
9. Beyoncé, $87 million
10. Dr. Phil, $80 million
11. Simon Cowell, $80 million
12. Jerry Seinfeld, $75 million
13. Britney Spears, $64 million
14. Lady Gaga, $62 million
15. Madonna, $58 million
16. Sandra Bullock, $56 million
17. Ellen DeGeneres, $55 million
18. Miley Cyrus, $48 million
19. Taylor Swift, $45 million
20. Judge Judy Sheindlin, $45 million

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• ‘Forbes’ Top Earning Celebrities Of 2010

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• Lady Gaga
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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654947/lady-gaga-beyonce-other-stars-make-forbes-topearning-2010-list.jhtml

Kayce Bryars Dylan Vanous Tari Kliethermes Harvey Hargrove Antonina Mertes

‘I’m still kind of amazed that they let me drink beer out of somebody’s skull,’ Nicolas Cage marvels to MTV News.
By Kara Warner

Amber Heard
Photo: MTV News

If the trailers haven’t already sold the fact that “Drive Angry” is outrageous, in every sense of the word, allow the cast of the film — Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, Billy Burke and William Fichtner — to expand on the subject, particularly the scenes they thought would be left on the cutting-room floor.

“I’m still kind of amazed that they let me drink beer out of somebody’s skull,” Cage admitted to MTV News recently of his character’s most over-the-top antics. “That that’s still in the movie, and it’s a credit to [director] Patrick Lussier that he had the guts to go in the most far-out places.”

“Only in our movie, in the world of ‘Drive Angry,’ ” Heard said.

“I wanted it to look good, like, ‘My cup runneth over,’ ” Cage explained of the big moment. “I wanted the beer to come sploshing out of the eye sockets.”

Burke, who plays a very disturbed and psychotic cult leader hell-bent on infant sacrifice in the film, said he figured that one of the film’s climactic scenes would receive a less intensely violent edit.

“I thought that we would probably change sacrificing a baby to maybe a lamb or something like that,” Burke said. “I didn’t think that we’d actually go forward with wanting to kill a baby, but we did, and that’s the kind of movie this is. So if you can’t take that, for the fun and spirit in which it’s intended, then you shouldn’t go see this movie,” he advised.

For scene-stealer Fichtner, who plays the mysterious character the Accountant, he was most surprised that a very racy/violent love scene made the cut.

“There was one scene in the movie, we all know which one I’m talking about [a 'creative' sex scene in which Cage engages in a gunfight with a naked woman still on top of him] where I thought, ‘Wow, that’s interesting,’ ” he said. “That’s a challenge.”

In addition to the outrageousness of wrapping your head around what happens in that scene, Fichtner said he has great respect for the actors and stunt coordinators who made it happen.

“Patrick [Lussier] did an amazing job and so did Charlotte [Ross] and Nic,” he said. “It’s much more than just a sex scene.”

Check out everything we’ve got on “Drive Angry.”

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658785/drive-angry-nicolas-cage.jhtml

Corrinne Verkler Anthony Maglaras Bev Delapenha Clay Cropp Gwenda Carnes

While many Beliebers are gushing over his ‘sexy,’ ‘older’ cut, others tell MTV News they miss his signature ‘swoop.’
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber
Photo: George Pimentel/ WireImage

This week Justin Bieber made headlines thanks to a new haircut. The Biebs had his famous swooping bangs cut into a shorter, cropped look, and he told talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres he doesn’t “really care” what people have to say about his ‘do.

But his fans have been weighing in on the new hairstyle anyway, and many of them approve of the haircut.

“I really like it and it actually makes him look older!!!! And for all u down there hating on Bieber well if it was Angelina Jolie I’m sure you’d have something to say so don’t hate ’cause he’s sexy and he ain’t even legal yet,” Amanda wrote on MTV.com.

Lilia added, “AAh, he looks better with the new hair! Suits him!”

Beliebers have been debating the star’s latest look since he debuted it earlier this week. Coote noted on our site that Bieber is much more than a head of hair. “I think he [looks] sexy … i don’t love him for his hair… i love him because he is sweet, cute and perfect,” Coote wrote.

MTV News also took to the streets of New York City to see whether people preferred the “Never Say Never” star’s old look or the new one.

“I like it, I think it looks good on him,” Catherine said of Bieber’s longtime haircut. She added about the brand-new cut: “I like it better than the other one, but I think that a lot of his fans liked the [old] one. … Everyone loves him for his hair and now he doesn’t have it anymore.”

Meanwhile, Tiffany loved the original but was blown away by the new version. “I think it’s very Bieberish, I like that long swoop. It definitely works for him,” Tiffany said before we showed her the updated look. “Oh my god! It’s such a transformation! I just love it! He looks so much older!”

“It’s just beautiful,” Christina explained of the old ‘do. “I liked him with his longer hair better. That’s just who he was discovered as.”

“He looks a little geeky,” Sofia said of his famous original hairdo. “It’s much better,” she said of the cropped cut. “He doesn’t look like my brother anymore. He looks five years older. He’s so cute.”

Which do you prefer: Bieber’s long locks or his cropped cut? Tell us in the comments!

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• Justin Bieber Gets A New Haircut

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658559/justin-bieber-haircut.jhtml

Reena Swint Hunter Stigsell Dimple Mccartin Myron Sharkey Mozell Honegger

Chris Brown And Usher Perform In Jamaica

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1644415

Delila Stohs Bruno Emick Ora Sparaco Carrol Harn Lonnie Merlos

If AC/DC aren’t cranking out albums fast enough for you and Rhino Bucket don’t get your engine revin,’ then check out the new Airbourne album ‘No Guts, No Glory.’ The second disc by these Aussie/DC obsessives is a feast of sleazy, slammin’ rhythms, jagged flesh-cleaving guitars and howled melodic vocals that sound like Angus-and-company on [...]

Source: http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/05/24/cast-in-metal-airbourne-frontman-joel-okeefe/

Edmundo Crighton Corrinne Verkler Anthony Maglaras Bev Delapenha Clay Cropp

Imprisoned rapper’s eight-year prison sentence stemming from 2007 shooting was upheld by a New York judge.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Remy Ma
Photo: Rob Loud/ Getty Images

Former Fat Joe protégé Remy Ma’s appeal for her 2008 conviction on assault was denied on Thursday as the New York Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the original decision.

According to the The Associated Press, the court struck down the argument that the judge in the rapper’s case failed to properly inform jurors of pertinent details before the group reached a verdict.

The 29-year-old artist, who was born Reminisce Smith, remains behind bars serving out the rest of her eight-year sentence.

Three years ago, Remy Ma was found guilty of assault, weapons possession and coercion stemming from a July 2007 incident where an associate of the Bronx native was shot after an altercation between the pair.

In 2008, she was sentenced to eight years in prison for her role in the dispute.

The incident that landed Remy Ma behind bars began when she and Makeda Barnes-Joseph argued in a car over missing money after leaving a birthday celebration for a mutual acquaintance. The former Terror Squad star accused Barnes-Joseph of pocketing upward of $3,000 in cash. After a struggle between two women, the rapper shot Barnes-Joseph in the abdomen and then fled the scene.

Remy Ma’s attorney, Ivan Fisher, told the jury during the trial that the women’s hands hit the rearview mirror of Barnes-Joseph’s car during the tussle, resulting in the gun discharging.

“There is no other explanation for why Remy Smith would have chosen that unique moment in time to shoot her,” Fisher explained at the time.

Remy Ma released her debut album, There’s Something About Remy: Based on a True Story, in 2006. She married fellow MC Papoose while imprisoned in 2008.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658718/remy-ma-conviction-appeal.jhtml

Marlin Scalf Alaina Julye John Abel Anja Frabizio Leroy Burpo

Diddy-Dirty Money Premiere ‘Last Train To Paris’ In New York

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1654324

Britt Touhey Carey Brozina Cedrick Combest Ingrid Stoudymire Robin Umphenour

‘Power’ producer tweets he’s ‘finishing up some monsters’ after week in the studio with B.
By James Montgomery

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!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655794/beyonce-new-music.jhtml

Lang Aguila Steven Flies Audie Frabizzio Lyndon Reopell Kelly Kalland

Lady Gaga Knows How To Make An Entrance

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657928

Bev Delapenha Clay Cropp Gwenda Carnes Rene Armond Kayce Bryars

Moving Mountains

• Artist: Usher
• Label: LaFace Records/Zomba Label Group
• Director: The Brothers Strauss
• Album: Here I Stand

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1270&vid=235341

Tracie Dam Edmundo Crighton Corrinne Verkler Anthony Maglaras Bev Delapenha

Best And Worst Grammy Fashions

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657590

Antonina Mertes Britt Touhey Carey Brozina Cedrick Combest Ingrid Stoudymire

Rolling Stone heard four new songs, which seem to draw from the past while still pushing the envelope.
By MTV News Staff Report

Lady Gaga
Photo: Michael Caulfield/ Getty Images

Hours before reviving her long-running Monster Ball Tour in Atlantic City, New Jersey, recently, Lady Gaga gave Rolling Stone magazine a sneak peek at four songs off her upcoming Born This Way album … and from the sound of things, she’s not only pushing the boundaries, she’s borrowing from some of the best in the business.

For example, E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who lends his prodigious skronk to a pair of the songs — “Edge of Glory” and “Hair” — or Nine Inch Nails, circa Trent Reznor’s Broken era (on “Hair,” which also apparently draws inspiration from ’80s singer Pat Benatar’s “We Belong” and the inspirational, all-encompassing lyrics of LG’s own “Born This Way”). Another song, “Judas,” which is set to be the second single off Born This Way, is described by Rolling Stone writer Matthew Perpetua as “a classic Lady Gaga pop banger,” with a “thumping, house music breakdown” and a vocal hook “that borrows a bit of Rihanna’s distinctive cadence.”

“Edge” is “a massive power ballad with heavy club beats” that also contains “an element of cheesiness” and an “Eighties stadium rock vibe.” “Scheiée” — a remix of which Gaga actually debuted last month at a fashion show in Paris — contains flavors of ’90s dance hits by the likes of C&C Music Factory, Snap! and RuPaul, and a chorus that “vaguely” recalls Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” And “Hair” features LG proudly proclaiming “I am my hair!” for reasons unknown.

On Friday, Gaga’s “Born This Way” officially became the fastest-selling song in iTunes history, having blown past the million-download mark in just five days. The song is also #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and sits atop the charts in 23 different countries. The video is reportedly set to premiere this week.

Gaga’s Born This Way album is due May 23.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658418/lady-gaga-born-this-way.jhtml

Efrain Engelstad Ruby Icardo Xavier Castilo Anya Strausser Del Eglinton

Natalie Portman and her fiancé Benjamin Millepied arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday morning (February 24).

The pregnant actress also brought along her dog Whiz on the flight!

Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/02/24/natalie-portman

Leroy Burpo Chery Mccrimon Zane Witry Reena Swint Hunter Stigsell

Kitty Kat

• Artist: Beyoncé
• Label: Sony Urban Music/Columbia
• Album: B’day

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=141443

Nickole Helscher Efrain Engelstad Ruby Icardo Xavier Castilo Anya Strausser

Movie will be directed and produced by the Oscar winner.
By Kara Warner

Beyoncé
Photo: Paul Warner/ WireImage

Beyoncé Knowles is headed back to the big screen and into the familiar territory of playing an aspiring singer-turned-superstar. According to Deadline, Knowles will star in a remake of “A Star Is Born,” to be directed and produced by Oscar winner Clint Eastwood for Warner Bros.

The remake will be the fourth telling of the “A Star Is Born” tale, the most memorable in recent years being the 1976 version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson as star-crossed lovers of sorts. It is also worth mentioning that the producers of that film, Billy Gerber and Jon Peters, are also attached to this new project. It is said to be a full-on musical with production set to begin sometime in the fall.

Naturally, the plot details are under wraps, but the original story revolves around an aspiring singer who meets and falls in love with a troubled, failing former star who helps get the young ingénue her big break in the business.

No announcements have been made with regard to the male lead, but the report mentioned that major names like Will Smith, Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Hamm have been floated around.

It’s definitely an interesting step for Knowles but not necessarily a surprise, given the fact that the majority of her film roles have been as singers (“Cadillac Records,” “Dreamgirls,” “The Fighting Temptations”). While many thought “Dreamgirls” would bring awards recognition for Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson’s supporting role ended up garnering the most attention. With Oscar fave Eastwood at the helm of this new project, Knowles could be in line for some hardware yet.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656365/beyonce-star-clint-eastwoods-star-born-remake.jhtml

Xavier Castilo Anya Strausser Del Eglinton Eva Truelove Bryant Welchman

2011 Grammy Awards Red Carpet

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657832

Sammie Bouten Martin Zader Luther Helton Sharonda Sadhra Rod Dagen

While Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber were both nominated, they didn’t get as much love as some expected.
By Gil Kaufman

Ke$ha
Photo: Jordan Strauss/ Getty Images

You hear it all the time: “I’m just thankful to be nominated.” It’s the gracious and polite thing to say, and artists who lose out on major awards always feel compelled to offer it up.

But what if you never even get nominated?

Every year, there are head-slapping omissions from the roster of nominees at the big awards-fests (Christopher Nolan at the Oscars, anyone?), and this year’s 53rd annual Grammy Awards (which take place February 13) are no exception.

In the night’s biggest category, Album of the Year, there was plenty of griping from critics about the inclusion of Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, which many considered too lightweight for the night’s top prize. But there was also a bit of talk about Justin Bieber’s smash My World 2.0 not making it into the mix in the major categories, even if Bieber can lick his wounds with his Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album love.

Though the rules about the Best New Artist category have since been changed to avoid such a problem in the future, Lady Gaga has been the victim of Grammy snubs before. She earned six nominations this year, including coveted Album of the Year for The Fame Monster, but it was mystifying that her huge hit, “Bad Romance,” didn’t get any Record or Song of the Year nominations.

What gives?

“They want her for ratings, but I think the Grammys are still a bit freaked out by Gaga,” said Entertainment Weekly music writer Leah Greenblatt. “There were so many shenanigans about her not being nominated for Best New Artist that I think the Grammys got shamed over that. It’s possible they would try to make it up to her by showering her with nominations and I could see her win in major categories [in the future], but I think they’re not quite ready for her.” That could, of course, change next year when Gaga’s Born This Way is in the running.

Another diva used to serious Grammy love, Alicia Keys, was totally shut out for her The Element of Freedom album. “It’s interesting that Alicia Keys got nothing,” she said. “Her and John Mayer are practically on the ballots every year whether they qualify for eligibility or not. And I think ‘Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart’ was one of the year’s best singles.” And reclusive Grammy bait Sade got a pair of notices for her singles “Soldier of Love” and “Babyfather” in the R&B categories but no chance at any of the big prizes. Greenblatt said she was surprised by both snubs, especially since Sade’s Soldier of Love album was one of the top sellers of 2010 and because the enigmatic singer had been away for nearly a decade and came back in fine, mature form, the kind of story the Grammys love to honor.

There were some eyebrows raised over the single nomination for “American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert, who had a solid and creatively rich hit album with his debut, For Your Entertainment, but just a single nod for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Whataya Want From Me.”

With Perry strutting into a number of top categories thanks to her light-as-air pop confections, it was a wonder that another pop tart with huge digital sales and big chart hits (things the Recording Academy likes to see), Ke$ha, was completely shut out of the game. Greenblatt thought the Lambert dis might fall into the same Gaga territory, with the Academy being a bit freaked out by the singer’s out-and-proud persona and over-the-top antics, but when it comes to Ke$ha, she said it’s probably a different story. “She had a huge impact, but I think the Grammys think she might go away, and they’ve chosen not to legitimize her,” she speculated.

Speaking of big sales, quite a few people commented on the fact that Train’s smash “Hey, Soul Sister,” the best-selling single of 2010, got just one notice for a little-heard live version in the Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group category.

A couple of well-respected hip-hop acts were also conspicuously absent from the nominations list, including Outkast’s Big Boi, whose acclaimed Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty was left out of the Best Rap Album category, along with Rick Ross, whose Teflon Don got no love. “Rick Ross is the kind of artist made to be ignored by the Grammys,” Greenblatt said. “He has a sensibility the Grammys will almost never come around to, no matter how beloved he is by rap fans.”

But given that she thought Chico Dusty was one of the best albums of 2010, Greenblatt was stunned by the freeze-out of Big Boi, who has been showered with Grammy love in the past. “It’s such an achievement, a fully realized album that feels like a real tapestry, a headphones album from someone whose skills are so singular … [from] one of the most iconic and Grammy-approved hip-hop acts of all time.”

Rihanna’s Rated R was also eligible but got stiffed in the major categories, landing just a Best Dance Recording nod for “Only Girl (In the World)” for her single from last year’s Loud and a number of notices for her work on Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie.” And if you thought Kanye West got ripped off when My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy got blanked, don’t worry: It wasn’t eligible this year but is in the hunt for next year.

The one omission that seemed to make sense was the two small nominations for the kids from “Glee,” who are up for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for their cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Glee: Vol. 1. Though they set cash registers ringing like crazy, it’s no wonder that actors singing covers didn’t garner attention at a show that ostensibly awards creativity. And no one seemed too shocked that Christina Aguilera’s poorly received Bionic was ignored.

Who do you think got stiffed by the Grammys? Share your top snubs in the comments.

Related Photos

• 2011 Grammy Awards Snubs
• 2011 Grammy Performers

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657248/2011-grammy-snubs.jhtml

Cedrick Combest Ingrid Stoudymire Robin Umphenour Nickole Helscher Efrain Engelstad

Weepy Ashley Sullivan and White House intern Molly DeWolf Swensen were also sent packing.
By Eric Ditzian

Contestants performs Beatles songs on “American Idol” on Wednesday
Photo: FOX

On Wednesday, “American Idol” promised all night long to reveal its top 24 contestants, but we ultimately found out the identity of only five semi-finalists. On a Beatles-themed evening, we said hello to the likes of karaoke host (and onetime tormenter of fellow singer Jacee Badeaux) Clint Jun Gamboa, little featured but very soulful singer/songwriter Paul McDonald, and sweet-voiced Naima Adedapo, who left behind a life of scrubbing toilets at a Milwaukee concert venue for life crooning in Idol Land.

Yet we also said goodbye to a bunch of reality show hopefuls we’d come to know well. As we await word on Thursday (February 24) of the rest of the top 24, let’s take a moment to remember some of season 10′s most memorable singers who got the boot on Wednesday.

Ashley Sullivan
We can wonder why producers ever invited the alarmingly fragile 25-year-old to Hollywood — only falling onto her knees and bursting into riotous tears at the New Jersey audition earned her a golden ticket — but there’s no doubting that Sullivan became one of the season’s most recognizable faces (even if that face was most often contorted in tears). While she wanted to be the first show-tune pop star, Sullivan instead became another contestant who melted in the spotlight. She attempted to quit during group week, forgot her lyrics during a subsequent solo performance, and then got married, seemingly on a whim, to her boyfriend when the show made a Vegas stopover. Her wedding present from “Idol” producers? A one-way ticket back home.

Chris Medina
Most “Idol” observers believed Medina was a lock to make the top 24. Not only did he possess an above-average instrument, but he arrived on the scene with a heartbreaking backstory. His fiancée suffered a traumatic brain injury following a car accident and Medina became her caretaker. Wheelchair-bound, she was ushered into the audition room in Milwaukee and made to clutch Medina’s golden ticket after his admirable take on Script’s “Breakeven.” He went on to be featured often in Hollywood Week but left judge Jennifer Lopez in tears when she said by way of booting him off on Wednesday, “It honestly breaks my heart to say this. …”

Molly DeWolf Swensen
We were seriously kind of surprised this White House intern was still in the competition. After being heavily featured during her Milwaukee audition — and judge Steven Tyler exclaiming of the high-heeled, blond-haired singer, “Who knew what was goin’ on at the White House?” — the 22-year-old virtually disappeared from the screen. When she popped back up on Wednesday, we were reminded of her killer audition of “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” Alas, she’ll be heading back east to help President Obama run the country rather than assisting Randy Jackson’s attempt to rescue “Idol” ratings.

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658584/americaon-idol-top-24.jhtml

Todd Shiiba Lang Aguila Steven Flies Audie Frabizzio Lyndon Reopell

Little monsters gush about pop star outside Madison Square Garden.
By MTV News Staff

Lady Gaga performs at Madison Square Garden on Monday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

On Tuesday night, Lady Gaga’s little monsters filed into Madison Square Garden for her second of two nights at the storied New York venue. Her fans talked to MTV News about the impact Mother Monster has had on their lives, and many said she gives them the courage to be who they truly are.

“I think that Lady Gaga, for me, has given me a new source of inspiration. And she’s so creative … you have to have some sort of reaction to that,” Frank said outside MSG. “And, for me, it’s a positive one.”

Donning an outrageous outfit, little monster Ricky joked that Gaga has recently done two things for him: “She made us broke, and she reminds us to be ourselves.”

Kevin explained that in a world as vapid as pop can be, Gaga serves as a reminder that true art can be created. “As a music fan, I think it’s fantastic that we finally have someone else now to be, like, all about a great message and great music,” he said. “She writes her own music, which you don’t get anymore.”

“Lady Gaga’s fantastic,” Michael chimed in. “Again, as an artist, she’s really proven that you can be who you want to be and do what you wanna do and really succeed with it.”

Gaga’s connection to her art is what seems to really stick with some fans. “I think Lady Gaga has affected everyone personally,” Garrett explained, “because I think she’s shown the whole artistry of it and making pop culture and art one and one again.”

In between all the chatter about her devotion to her music and her craft, one fan noted that Lady Gaga just makes it fine to wear wacky wigs. “She totally made me buy this yellow wig,” Gabriella said. “Without her, I never would have bought it. I’m not even lying.”

Has Lady Gaga affected your life? Tell us how in the comments section below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658499/lady-gaga-madison-square-garden-concert.jhtml

Christin Diniz Lyle Montrose Shanda Millie Raleigh Cutrell Delila Stohs

Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus also made the magazine’s top 20 list of Hollywood moneymakers.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Beyoncé
Photo: Columbia/Music World

On the East Coast, revenue streams are slowly rising as banks are still cratering and trying to recover from the recession. But out West, money ain’t a thing, as Jermaine Dupri and Jay-Z once rapped.

Forbes has released their list of Hollywood’s 20 Highest Earners of 2010, with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus among those rubbing elbows with the likes of power players like Oprah Winfrey.

The venerable talk-show host topped the list with a whopping $315 million haul. Winfrey’s earnings were generated for the most part by her multimedia deals, which include a syndication deal for her TV show, a magazine and her soon-to-be-launched network.

“Avatar” creator James Cameron came in second, more than $100 million behind Winfrey, with a tally of $210 million. Director and playwright Tyler Perry ($125 million), blockbuster movie producer Michael Bay ($120 million) and golfer Tiger Woods ($105 million) rounded out the top five.

Beyoncé was the only pop star to break the top 10. The “Single Ladies” superstar landed at #9, sandwiched between George Lucas and Dr. Phil. Mrs. Carter, whose hubby, Jay-Z, was named Hip-Hop’s Cash King by Forbes in August with a tally of $63 million, pulled down $87 million over the past 12 months.

The blond-haired trio of Britney Spears ($64 million), Lady Gaga ($62 million) and Madonna ($58 million) made their mark on the list at numbers 13, 14 and 15, respectively.

Pop tarts Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift capped the list. The young stars placed at 18 and 19 on the list, with Disney star Cyrus pocketing $48 million, and country singer Swift depositing $45 million into her bank account.

Hollywood’s 20 highest-earning men and women of 2010, according to Forbes:

1. Oprah Winfrey, $315 million
2. James Cameron, $210 million
3. Tyler Perry, $125 million
4. Michael Bay, $120 million
5. Tiger Woods, $105 million
6. Jerry Bruckheimer, $100 million
7. Steven Spielberg, $100 million
8. George Lucas, $95 million
9. Beyoncé, $87 million
10. Dr. Phil, $80 million
11. Simon Cowell, $80 million
12. Jerry Seinfeld, $75 million
13. Britney Spears, $64 million
14. Lady Gaga, $62 million
15. Madonna, $58 million
16. Sandra Bullock, $56 million
17. Ellen DeGeneres, $55 million
18. Miley Cyrus, $48 million
19. Taylor Swift, $45 million
20. Judge Judy Sheindlin, $45 million

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654947/lady-gaga-beyonce-other-stars-make-forbes-topearning-2010-list.jhtml

Gail Flem Todd Shiiba Lang Aguila Steven Flies Audie Frabizzio

Grainy ’60s-style clip is part of a series of free-form videos this year’s hosts have posted online.
By Eric Ditzian

Anne Hathaway and James Franco in an homage to “Grease”
Photo: James Franco’s YouTube

Those wacky kids and their Interwebs! As befits two of the youngest Oscar hosts in history, James Franco and Anne Hathaway have offered a strong online presence in the run-up to Sunday’s main event.

Last month the duo put out two promos in which they sweetly, and often haplessly, attempted to prepare for the emcee gig. And Franco has been posting free-form videos on Funny or Die — singing a tune by ’70s British pop group Kursaal Flyers while receiving a shave and hitting up Judd Apatow for advice about how to host an awards ceremony. Now, via his Twitter account, Franco has posted another video, one that appears to have at least been shot as part of the Oscars, though there’s no word if it’ll hit the airwaves.

The 19-second clip is an homage to “Grease,” with Franco as Danny Zuko and Hathaway as Sandy Olsson, during the film’s climactic carnival scene. Made to look like a vintage film, complete with fuzzy color and grainy editing lines, the video is dialogue-free and set to a simple soundtrack. The whole thing has a slightly homemade movie feel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, there’s no word if the footage will be rolled into Sunday night’s 83rd annual Academy Awards ceremony. The video does, however, give us a clue as to the potential nature of the hosts’ opening number: It might well feature Franco and Hathaway inserting themselves into past movies. That concept jibes with what producers are describing as the show’s virtual-reality set, in which “projections” will give the ceremony an ever-changing look and allow the hosts to carry viewers though “through Hollywood history with six or seven scenic transitions,” as THR put it earlier this week.

Will it be a regal evening for “The King’s Speech”? Can “The Social Network” dial up Oscar gold? Don’t miss MTV News’ “2011 Oscars Live” at 6 p.m. Sunday, February 27, when we’ll be chatting with your favorite Hollywood stars live from the red carpet on MTVNews.com, and stick with us all Oscar night for winners, interviews, photos and more!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658581/james-franco-anne-hathaway-grease.jhtml

Eva Truelove Bryant Welchman Brunilda Unkn Devin Schrimpf Alma Thomassen

What better way to celebrate Wendy O. Williams’ 61st birthday on May 28 (if she hadn’t blown her head off at age 48) than with a cute, scantily clad bobblehead doll.
Yes, Aggronautix, the company that, in 2009, presented a bobblehead of GG Allin — the lovable now-deceased counter culture character who beat up audience members, [...]

Source: http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/05/27/celebrate-wendy-o-williams-birthday-with-bobblehead-doll/

Gail Flem Todd Shiiba Lang Aguila Steven Flies Audie Frabizzio

Your Love Is My Drug

• Artist: Ke$ha
• Label: RCA
• Director: Honey

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=3213641&vid=516772

Michelina Ocanas Sylvester Kimberlin Catrina Rolle Carson Finnefrock Christin Diniz

What Beyonce Might Be Like At Home

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1632778

Bruno Emick Ora Sparaco Carrol Harn Lonnie Merlos Raymond Smar

While many Beliebers are gushing over his ‘sexy,’ ‘older’ cut, others tell MTV News they miss his signature ‘swoop.’
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber
Photo: George Pimentel/ WireImage

This week Justin Bieber made headlines thanks to a new haircut. The Biebs had his famous swooping bangs cut into a shorter, cropped look, and he told talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres he doesn’t “really care” what people have to say about his ‘do.

But his fans have been weighing in on the new hairstyle anyway, and many of them approve of the haircut.

“I really like it and it actually makes him look older!!!! And for all u down there hating on Bieber well if it was Angelina Jolie I’m sure you’d have something to say so don’t hate ’cause he’s sexy and he ain’t even legal yet,” Amanda wrote on MTV.com.

Lilia added, “AAh, he looks better with the new hair! Suits him!”

Beliebers have been debating the star’s latest look since he debuted it earlier this week. Coote noted on our site that Bieber is much more than a head of hair. “I think he [looks] sexy … i don’t love him for his hair… i love him because he is sweet, cute and perfect,” Coote wrote.

MTV News also took to the streets of New York City to see whether people preferred the “Never Say Never” star’s old look or the new one.

“I like it, I think it looks good on him,” Catherine said of Bieber’s longtime haircut. She added about the brand-new cut: “I like it better than the other one, but I think that a lot of his fans liked the [old] one. … Everyone loves him for his hair and now he doesn’t have it anymore.”

Meanwhile, Tiffany loved the original but was blown away by the new version. “I think it’s very Bieberish, I like that long swoop. It definitely works for him,” Tiffany said before we showed her the updated look. “Oh my god! It’s such a transformation! I just love it! He looks so much older!”

“It’s just beautiful,” Christina explained of the old ‘do. “I liked him with his longer hair better. That’s just who he was discovered as.”

“He looks a little geeky,” Sofia said of his famous original hairdo. “It’s much better,” she said of the cropped cut. “He doesn’t look like my brother anymore. He looks five years older. He’s so cute.”

Which do you prefer: Bieber’s long locks or his cropped cut? Tell us in the comments!

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Randal Albe Gail Flem Todd Shiiba Lang Aguila Steven Flies

Blah Blah Blah

• Artist: Ke$ha
• Label: RCA
• Director: Brendan Malloy
• Album: Animal [Clean]

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=3213641&vid=487452

Leroy Burpo Chery Mccrimon Zane Witry Reena Swint Hunter Stigsell

But is it here to stay? Our music-industry experts weigh in.
By Akshay Bhansali

Ke$ha
Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images

In 2010, pop princesses, R&B icons and chart-dominating newcomers all danced to the same beat. Not only did dance music go pop, but pop music caught the club-music bug.

Between Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R,” Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World),” Enrique Iglesias’ “I Like It,” Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” and “OMG” and countless other singles, established artists definitely looked to dance beats for surefire hits. And two of this year’s biggest success stories in music were Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz; could there be a soul left in this country who hasn’t heard “Dynamite” or “In My Head”?

The love went both ways, with dance music’s biggest stars finding mainstream success this year. Dance-music maestro deadmau5 took up house-artist duties at this year’s VMAs, and Swedish House Mafia and Usher teamed up for a medley of their gems at the American Music Awards.

So how did this happen? We caught up with some music-industry experts to get their takes.

“You definitely saw tempos go up this year,” Jon Caramanica of The New York Times told MTV News. “And I think what you had are a lot of producers who are really familiar with nightclub stuff. They are familiar with Europe. Things are happening on a more global scale now.”

“I think everything from Europe, and sometimes even Asia, it comes to America, and we just adopt things a little bit slower,” said Jared Eng of JustJared.com. “I think it was just a change. People like different types of music at different times. And dance was of this moment.”

Noah Callahan of Complex magazine added: “I think 2010 saw the merging of the pop and dance genres. Pop artists realized that there were best practices that could be borrowed from dance music. And, ultimately, [all] pop music that has been made in the past 20 years had ended up being remixed for the club by dance artists. I think they basically just cut out the middleman and went straight there.”

Dance music being introduced into the hip-hop and R&B realms was particularly notable this year.

“I think David Guetta kind of at the end of last year and the beginning of this year spearheaded it,” said freelance writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd. “He produced a lot of tracks. I think as trends go, people revile ‘unst-unst.’ But it’s just coming back around. Big-room techno was a way for people to get decadent in a year that no one could get decadent.”

“You have someone like will.i.am, who’s like, ‘Well, I spent all this time in Ibiza, and this is what they are doing,’ and he wants to find a way to bring that into his music,” Caramanica said of the Black Eyed Peas mastermind. “R&B especially became dance music. And especially with your Jason Derülos, Taio Cruzes. Guys like that would have literally been blocked at the border two years ago. That would not have made it through customs. And now all of a sudden they have #1 songs. I think will.i.am had a lot to do with that last year.”

Elliott Wilson of RapRadar.com added: “It’s actually even affected hip-hop. I was talking to Q-Tip, and his next record, I feel like that’s gonna kind of go in that vein. I know that was also Jay-Z’s thought process with Blueprint 3 at first, that he wanted to make a little bit more of a world music [vibe], a little more dancey. I think the kids today want to go to the clubs. They wanna have a good time. They wanna dance. So I think the artists of today are trying to kind of feed that audience.”

“I think it’s caught on this year because the people who’ve done it have been successful,” offered Clover Hope of Vibe magazine. “Like ‘OMG,’ with usher, he didn’t have success until he made a dance record. He had ‘There Goes My Baby’ and these really, like, adult-contemporary records that didn’t really catch on. And then once you see that everybody is doing it and that people are liking it, they are like, ‘OK, let me just try this out.’ It’s like Auto-Tune. Like, ‘Let me see what I sound like on a record by David Guetta.’ They end up liking it and doing more of it.”

So does the club-music trend have staying power. According to our tastemakers, not so much.

“I do think it’s a blip,” Caramanica said. “I don’t think that’s gonna be something that lasts in America. I think this is gonna be a moment we’ll all look back on and go, ‘Wasn’t that weird when Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz had #1 records?”

“At some point, these R&B artists will get kind of sick of it and be like, ‘Let me go back to my soul background,’ ” Hope said. “When you actually have to say something, dance doesn’t really lend itself to substance. And I think that R&B artists, they really want to talk about love and in a deep way, and to do that, you need to do, like, a soul or a traditional R&B record. I want to say that it’s kind of a fad.”

“I think music is very cyclical,” Eng offered. “So I think dance music might be here for a little bit, but I’m sure it will phase out at some point.”

Wilson called dance music “the sound of today. I think that people want more aggressive, faster beats, and I think that that probably has legs until at least next summer.”

What do you think? Is dance music here to stay? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655031/usher-keha-more-help-dance-music-go-pop-2010.jhtml

Sylvester Kimberlin Catrina Rolle Carson Finnefrock Christin Diniz Lyle Montrose

‘Born This Way’ singer promotes safe sex and MAC lipstick on ‘Good Morning America.’
By Gil Kaufman

Lady Gaga on “Good Morning America” on Thursday
Photo: ABC

You might have done a double take on Thursday morning (February 17) if you were having your morning coffee while watching “Good Morning America.” Yes, that was Lady Gaga up bright and early, and yes, she did say she was wearing a “latex-condom-inspired outfit” as part of her bid to promote AIDS awareness.

Four days after her instantly legendary entrance at the Grammy Awards in an egg-shaped vessel, the singer donned a flesh-colored latex sheath dress with matching shoes and a sculptural off-white hat to talk with “GMA” host Robin Roberts.

“MAC has been fighting for identity and for passion and love and protection for so long,” said Gaga of the MAC brand of cosmetics, which she said raised $34 million last year through its Viva Glam lipstick brand for HIV/AIDS-related causes, some of it courtesy of an ad campaign starring Gaga and singer Cyndi Lauper. The goal this year, said Gaga, again sporting the alien-inspired facial ridges that seem to be part of her latest persona, was to raise $50 million.

She then gave Roberts a sample of the taupe lipstick and lip “glass” that she designed for MAC, which gives 100 percent of Viva Glam proceeds to AIDS/HIV prevention.

“I want to get people started at home at a younger age with their children talking about HIV, talking about AIDS, talking about safe sex,” she explained. “My mother talked to me about sex at a young age, and she always taught me to be self-aware — that’s in my new song, ‘Born This Way.’ I say ‘My momma told me when I was young …’ My first experience with my mother that I remember mostly was when she would put her lipstick on in the morning and she would talk to me about life.”

The bottom line, self-described activist and social-justice fighter Gaga said, was to speak to the people in your life about safe sex in order to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Gaga also talked about her “genuine shock” at hearing her name called at the Grammys on Sunday night when she won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for “Bad Romance.”

“I so genuinely did not think I was going to win,” she said. “I really didn’t, and I was so shocked and so honored and so humbled. And it was a very joyous day to sing ‘Born This Way’ for the first time.”

Staying on message, Gaga then tied in the theme of the song with her MAC line, saying it is shame and stigma around the difficulty of talking to children about sex and AIDS that makes people not protect themselves.

” ‘Born This Way’ is about self-love, and MAC AIDS Fund is about self-love. … It is so much bigger than me,” she said. “It’s not about me at all. The song, when I wrote it, I just knew it was destined to reach so many people all over the world. The most humbling thing for me this past weekend is watching the fans harness onto the record and … really enjoying the music and feeing uplifted and a sense of positivity.”

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658172/lady-gaga-good-morning-america.jhtml

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Photos From Justin Bieber’s Interview With Sway

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657335

Carson Finnefrock Christin Diniz Lyle Montrose Shanda Millie Raleigh Cutrell

Check out artists who had amazing stories in 2010.

Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1654873

Steven Flies Audie Frabizzio Lyndon Reopell Kelly Kalland Donn Routzen

Diva

• Artist: Beyoncé
• Label: Columbia, Music World Music
• Director: Melina
• Album: I Am…Sasha Fierce

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=333569

Kelly Kalland Donn Routzen Jutta Eickman Donnie Datson Tracie Dam

2010 BET Awards Show Highlights

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1642468

Zane Witry Reena Swint Hunter Stigsell Dimple Mccartin Myron Sharkey

@maxarmstrong1 Hello friends! Thinking this makes cool cover art for my new record.

@brookeburke I’m planning shaya’s 3rd day party. Anyone have any cute toy story ideas. Party favors?

@tristasutter I LOVE our Britax convertible carseat for Max, but just found out that he may be able to move into a booster. This mommy would love that!

@JLo It’s my coconuts bday 2day!!! HAPPY BDAY my beautiful babies..you’re 3 2day and Mama’s SO proud! There are no words 4 how much I love u!!

@torianddean Stella said 2nite “Mommy..You’re the best Mommy Ever!”. I don’t think I could hve smiled any bigger. Locked N2 my memory 4evr! #BestNiteEvr

@alydenisof I spend WAY more time cleaning when my hubby is out of town mainly cuz I want our housekeeper to think he’s the messy one. Also, I miss him.

@DENISE_RICHARDS Praying for all the people in Christchurch, NZ during this difficult time..sending lots of love and prayers…

@jennaonpurpose Well, apparently EVERY parent in LA had the same idea about taking their kids to the zoo today.

@jessicaalba About 2 get my workout on… hate the start but always feel gr8 when done

@Bethenny Bryn&I are going on a girls week vacation today!!!I am so excited!if I’m tweeting a lot from there,slap me!

Don’t forget to follow @celeb_babyscoop on Twitter!

Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/02/22/tweets-from-the-hollywood-nest

Marlin Scalf Alaina Julye John Abel Anja Frabizio Leroy Burpo

Lilith Fair 2010 Lineup

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1633220

Harvey Hargrove Antonina Mertes Britt Touhey Carey Brozina Cedrick Combest

DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love

• Artist: Usher
• Label: LaFace

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1270&vid=555426

Reynaldo Fessler Scottie Alameda Lamar Lucus Ria Withenshaw Israel Vacheresse

In spring 2009, just as Heaven & Hell (Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio) were getting ready to put out their debut full-length, ‘The Devil You Know,’ Dio and bassist Geezer Butler sat down in an apartment in New York’s East Village to talk about the making of the disc, the sorry state of the [...]

Source: http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/05/27/final-mtv-music-blog-interview-with-ronnie-james-dio/

Marlin Scalf Alaina Julye John Abel Anja Frabizio Leroy Burpo

68th Annual Golden Globe Awards Presenters

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1655293

Drew Karlgaard Dominique Panik Sammie Bouten Martin Zader Luther Helton

My First Kiss

• Artist: Ke$ha
• Label: Photo Finish Records
• Director: Isaac Ravishankara

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=3213641&vid=523194

Veronica Ostling Drew Karlgaard Dominique Panik Sammie Bouten Martin Zader

Best And Worst Grammy Fashions

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Christin Diniz Lyle Montrose Shanda Millie Raleigh Cutrell Delila Stohs

Lady Gaga Knows How To Make An Entrance

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657928

Reynaldo Fessler Scottie Alameda Lamar Lucus Ria Withenshaw Israel Vacheresse

DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love

• Artist: Usher
• Label: LaFace

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1270&vid=555426

Todd Shiiba Lang Aguila Steven Flies Audie Frabizzio Lyndon Reopell

2011 Pre-Grammy Celebrations

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657727

Zane Witry Reena Swint Hunter Stigsell Dimple Mccartin Myron Sharkey

Martial-arts expert Steven Ho talks to MTV News about working on the new video.
By Jocelyn Vena

Britney Spears fights herself in “Hold It Against Me”
Photo: Jive

Last week, fans were treated to the premiere of Britney Spears‘ “Hold It Against Me” video. The sleek, dark look at celebrity life was a new aesthetic for the star, who hooked up with Jonas Åkerlund on the clip.

While her dance scenes were choreographed by Brian Friedman, it was noted Hollywood martial-arts expert Steven Ho who helped Britney work out the moves to battle herself in the video.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have worked on a wide range of high-profile projects, and the video’s producer, Hagai Shaham, thought my style would be a good fit with Jonas and Britney. I was brought in to train Britney, choreograph the fight and set up wires for the levitation shots,” he told MTV News about joining the project.

“I’ve always wanted to work with Jonas,” he continued. “I knew that a stylized fight would translate well with his trademark visuals, so I was thrilled about doing this project. Jonas wanted a superhuman fight with elements of brutality — that’s right up my alley of how I approach an action scene, so we were definitely all on the same page throughout the process.”

Not only were Åkerlund and Ho onboard for some mortal combat, but the star herself warmed up to the idea of battling a clone. “Britney was really excited throughout the whole process. It was a grueling shoot of dance and stunts, but her passion for the video and professionalism never wavered,” he explained. “There were some pretty tough insert shots where we needed Britney to actually get hit in the face by ‘herself.’ We did several consecutive takes of this, and she had a lot of fun with it and was a great sport.

“Britney was very enthusiastic about learning how to fight; she’s an athlete,” he added. “I got that Jonas’ concept was partially about the duality of self — we all deal with that, so who wouldn’t have fun fighting their alter egos?”

The key, it seems, was making Ho’s fight moves work with Friedman’s dance routine. “It was really great working with Brian; he’s an absolute professional. He was diligent about our fight style being cohesive with the dancing, and that’s why it worked so well,” Ho recalled. “Our rehearsals were on the same stage, so it was very helpful to have Brian’s feedback from a dancer’s point of view.”

It seems that one of the most memorable moves in the fight, Spears’ quickstep during the smack-down, was all her own.

“Britney was fantastic about incorporating what we had practiced in rehearsal, and as a consummate performer, she was able to take ownership by adding her own flavor to the fight. There’s a quick cut in the video that features Britney taking a series of small shuffle steps in her heels. This is something she came up with herself that I thought added a nice break of ‘cuteness’ in the fight,” he said. “Jonas drowned out the music here to highlight the tapping sounds, and it’s really one of my favorite beats of the video.”

Aside from the two Britneys, the other main characters in the fight were her sky-high heels and flowing gowns. “The wardrobe was one of the stars of the fight,” he explained. “At first I was concerned about how to approach the long trains. There were discussions with Jonas and [stylist] B. [Åkerlund] and [fashion assistant Renelou Padora] about possibly shortening the train for safety issues. After I showed my wife [designer Nina Petronzio] the pictures of the dresses, she literally said, ‘I will kill you if you cut those trains down.’ We ended up incorporating the trains as ‘weapons.’ We treated them as if they were sharp blades, giving Britney reason to jump and evade around them.”

What did you think of the Britney battle in “Hold It Against Me”? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658426/britney-spears-hold-it-against-me-fight.jhtml

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Lady Gaga Arrives At The 2011 Grammy Awards

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657830

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When political commentators mention extreme metal on the air it’s usually in reference to something tragic like a school shooting, church burning or suicide pact. But when MSNBC liberal correspondent Rachael Maddow invoked the names of Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Obituary, Death and Deicide it was mostly to take a stab at Republicans, not [...]

Source: http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/05/14/msnbc-commentator-rachael-maddow-gives-props-to-florida-death-metal/

Joella Hershaw Normand Lofgren Gaynelle Tancer Paris Creps Myrtie Tinch

But is it here to stay? Our music-industry experts weigh in.
By Akshay Bhansali

Ke$ha
Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images

In 2010, pop princesses, R&B icons and chart-dominating newcomers all danced to the same beat. Not only did dance music go pop, but pop music caught the club-music bug.

Between Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R,” Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World),” Enrique Iglesias’ “I Like It,” Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” and “OMG” and countless other singles, established artists definitely looked to dance beats for surefire hits. And two of this year’s biggest success stories in music were Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz; could there be a soul left in this country who hasn’t heard “Dynamite” or “In My Head”?

The love went both ways, with dance music’s biggest stars finding mainstream success this year. Dance-music maestro deadmau5 took up house-artist duties at this year’s VMAs, and Swedish House Mafia and Usher teamed up for a medley of their gems at the American Music Awards.

So how did this happen? We caught up with some music-industry experts to get their takes.

“You definitely saw tempos go up this year,” Jon Caramanica of The New York Times told MTV News. “And I think what you had are a lot of producers who are really familiar with nightclub stuff. They are familiar with Europe. Things are happening on a more global scale now.”

“I think everything from Europe, and sometimes even Asia, it comes to America, and we just adopt things a little bit slower,” said Jared Eng of JustJared.com. “I think it was just a change. People like different types of music at different times. And dance was of this moment.”

Noah Callahan of Complex magazine added: “I think 2010 saw the merging of the pop and dance genres. Pop artists realized that there were best practices that could be borrowed from dance music. And, ultimately, [all] pop music that has been made in the past 20 years had ended up being remixed for the club by dance artists. I think they basically just cut out the middleman and went straight there.”

Dance music being introduced into the hip-hop and R&B realms was particularly notable this year.

“I think David Guetta kind of at the end of last year and the beginning of this year spearheaded it,” said freelance writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd. “He produced a lot of tracks. I think as trends go, people revile ‘unst-unst.’ But it’s just coming back around. Big-room techno was a way for people to get decadent in a year that no one could get decadent.”

“You have someone like will.i.am, who’s like, ‘Well, I spent all this time in Ibiza, and this is what they are doing,’ and he wants to find a way to bring that into his music,” Caramanica said of the Black Eyed Peas mastermind. “R&B especially became dance music. And especially with your Jason Derülos, Taio Cruzes. Guys like that would have literally been blocked at the border two years ago. That would not have made it through customs. And now all of a sudden they have #1 songs. I think will.i.am had a lot to do with that last year.”

Elliott Wilson of RapRadar.com added: “It’s actually even affected hip-hop. I was talking to Q-Tip, and his next record, I feel like that’s gonna kind of go in that vein. I know that was also Jay-Z’s thought process with Blueprint 3 at first, that he wanted to make a little bit more of a world music [vibe], a little more dancey. I think the kids today want to go to the clubs. They wanna have a good time. They wanna dance. So I think the artists of today are trying to kind of feed that audience.”

“I think it’s caught on this year because the people who’ve done it have been successful,” offered Clover Hope of Vibe magazine. “Like ‘OMG,’ with usher, he didn’t have success until he made a dance record. He had ‘There Goes My Baby’ and these really, like, adult-contemporary records that didn’t really catch on. And then once you see that everybody is doing it and that people are liking it, they are like, ‘OK, let me just try this out.’ It’s like Auto-Tune. Like, ‘Let me see what I sound like on a record by David Guetta.’ They end up liking it and doing more of it.”

So does the club-music trend have staying power. According to our tastemakers, not so much.

“I do think it’s a blip,” Caramanica said. “I don’t think that’s gonna be something that lasts in America. I think this is gonna be a moment we’ll all look back on and go, ‘Wasn’t that weird when Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz had #1 records?”

“At some point, these R&B artists will get kind of sick of it and be like, ‘Let me go back to my soul background,’ ” Hope said. “When you actually have to say something, dance doesn’t really lend itself to substance. And I think that R&B artists, they really want to talk about love and in a deep way, and to do that, you need to do, like, a soul or a traditional R&B record. I want to say that it’s kind of a fad.”

“I think music is very cyclical,” Eng offered. “So I think dance music might be here for a little bit, but I’m sure it will phase out at some point.”

Wilson called dance music “the sound of today. I think that people want more aggressive, faster beats, and I think that that probably has legs until at least next summer.”

What do you think? Is dance music here to stay? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655031/usher-keha-more-help-dance-music-go-pop-2010.jhtml

Brunilda Unkn Devin Schrimpf Alma Thomassen Marlin Scalf Alaina Julye

Here’s a famous family we don’t see very often!

Former Law & Order star Jill Hennessy was spotted taking her sons Marco, 7, and Gianni, 3, to the farmer’s market in Los Angeles, California yesterday (February 20). Dad Paolo Mastropietro wasn’t with the group.

Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/02/21/jill-hennessy-her-balloon-boys

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‘It’s just a result of her constantly evolving,’ Tina Knowles says of the fashion in Beyonce’s “I Am … World Tour” DVD concert special.
By Jocelyn Vena

Beyoncé
Photo: Paul Warner/ WireImage

Beyoncé has never been shy about hitting the stage in stunning costumes. Her appearance has always been a mixture of showgirl sparkle and pop star razzle-dazzle. And her style is on full display in her new DVD concert special, “I Am … World Tour.”

Her mom and stylist, Tina Knowles, said that while the looks may seem a bit edgier than what fans have seen from the singer in the past, she thinks that her superstar daughter has always been ahead of the style curve.

“Well, the wonderful Thierry Mugler designed the costumes, and I actually worked on some of the dancers and the band, and it was just amazing to work with him because he is so creative,” Knowles told MTV News at a New York screening of the special. “So it’s just a result of her constantly evolving, but she’s been edgy. It’s funny for people to say she went more edgy, but she’s been wearing body suits and that type of thing.”

And while Knowles may act as her daughter’s stylist and costume designer, she says that Bey’s style decisions are all her own. “Well, we discussed her working with Thierry Mugler, and I’m the biggest fan. And so she had seen some of the fashions and she loved it,” she said. “So we always discuss things, but it’s her decision, it’s her career.”

Beyoncé, who also directed the concert special , said it gave her a better understanding of the filmmaking process. “It was hard work,” she said. “I learned so much. I have a new respect for directors and I think I would like to do more of it. … Well, I’ve done some co-directing for music videos [but] this was definitely a big step for me, and I’m so thrilled.”

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653216/beyonces-mom-daughters-style-has-always-been-edgy.jhtml

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2010 BET Awards Show Highlights

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1642468

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