'I'm just excited to see all the faces I never met,' he tells MTV News. By Jayson Rodriguez
Drake Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images
This is a family network, so we can't print what Lil Wayne wants to do to every girl in the world (you can pick up the Young Money compilation to find out), but Weezy's protégé Drake has a cleaner desire when it comes to the women attending the 2010 Video Music Awards.
The Toronto MC wants to hug a number of the celebrity starlets in attendance. It is, after all, Drake's first VMA experience. He said he would start with Angelina Jolie and move onto Alicia Keys, though the recently christened Mrs. Swizz Beatz would only get a congratulatory squeeze, Drake said.
"I get to meet everybody," he said of his plans for the Sunday night's big festivities. "There's a couple of women I'd like to hug. I'd like to hug Angelina Jolie. I wanna hug Alicia. I'm happy for her. I wanna tell them in person: I'm still a fan."
With the Thank Me Later rapper's rapid rise, it's easy to forget before this year his VMA experience consisted of catching the show from his couch rather than in the house. But after scoring a number of nominations, including Best Hip-Hop Video, the Toronto lyricist has an invite not only to attend the Chelsea Handler-hosted event, but also perform.
To hear him tell it, he'll be enjoying the blowout on Sunday night just as much as anybody else.
"I'm just excited to see all the faces I never met," Drake said. "I wanna shake some hands. I been working so hard, I hardly ever get to go to any parties in L.A. or anything. This is it. This is my time."
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
Outsize admiration for the out-of-the-box singer comes from her celebrity peers as well. Stars doled out all types of snaps for Gaga, who has racked up a record-smashing 13 MTV Video Music Award nominations. Quirkily ornate clips like "Telephone" and "Bad Romance" featuring murderous roadside romps and stylized bathhouse seductions have landed Gaga coveted nods in categories such as Best Pop Video. She is also the first female artist to be recognized for Video of the Year twice in the same round of nominations.
"She's brought something totally different to the scene," Gaga's tourmate and fellow VMA nominee Jason Derülo told MTV News. Derülo, who is up for Best New Artist, which Gaga won last year, added, "She made music really exciting."
Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy said Gaga's ability to mash major theatricality with dance-floor-packing mega-hits has secured her status as one of contemporary pop music's most revolutionary figures.
"I think she kind of took this whole performance-art thing to a whole different level," McCoy said. "I wish nothing but the best for her."
At last year's festivities, Gaga turned in an unforgettable VMA debut that included a rendition of "Paparazzi," in which the singer bled to death, and a carefully choreographed lineup of over-the-top costume changes. Fellow theatrical breakout star Nicki Minaj said she admired the singer's pop-culture reign and conceded that, right now, it's all about Gaga. "This is her moment, and I'm really proud of her as a woman and as somebody that's just fearless."
What do you think Gaga will do at this year's VMAs? Let us know in the comments below!
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
The collaboration-heavy field includes B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams) with "Airplanes," Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem with "Forever," Eminem with "Not Afraid," Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz with "On to the Next One," and Kid Cudi (featuring MGMT and Ratatat) with "Pursuit of Happiness." The category includes nods for two legends, Em and Hov, who boast acclaimed late-career albums, but the recent focus has been on two big-in-2010 newcomers: Drake and B.o.B.
So who will take it? When MTV News hit up a slew of celebs, the stars seemed split over which lyricist should walk out of the VMAs with a shiny new Moonman for his mantle.
"Definitely would like to see Drake take it, 'cause he's a good friend of mine, and definitely B.o.B, because he's hometown," said fellow ATL spitter Gucci Mane. "I would like to say ... B.o.B for the hometown and Drake on the strength [of his skills]. He's a talent."
"They're both really good, but B.o.B's just more my style," said Kendall Knight of Big Time Rush. "Drake's the man; he represents Canada. But B.o.B's really cool."
"My brother Drake, he has to win. It's Young Money, he gotta win that one," Drizzy's Young Money cohort Lil Twist insisted. "Shout-out to B.o.B, but Drake gotta win that one."
Disney actress Keke Palmer said she's been cool with Drake since their child-star days, but she's also feelin' newbie B.o.B. "I love Drake. Whenever I did something in Toronto, I used to go visit him on the set of 'Degrassi.' Then I love B.o.B because I met him and he's so cool and we're friends," Palmer said. "I don't know what to do, because I love both of them."
Rapid-fire Chi-Town lyricist Twista was all about the gritty knock of Hov's contending video. "I like all [of those] songs, but that "On to the Next One" with Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz is crazy," Twista smiled. "That's my jam right there."
Sarah Hyland of the Emmy-winning hit "Modern Family" said, "I love Eminem. His new album [Recovery] is amazing."
Nicki Minaj may hook up a range of artists with a colorful feature, but she proves that, in the end, she stays loyal to her hip-hop family. "Do you even have to ask that? My baby Drake ... he does this," Minaj said. "Young Money."
Regardless of who takes it Sunday, Gucci pointed out that just being recognized is a dope distinction. "From Kid Cudi to everyone you named on that list, big ups and respect," Gucci noted. "It's an honor to be nominated."
Who do you think will win Best Hip-Hop Video at this year's VMAs? Let us know in the comments below!
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
'I have mad respect for both of them,' Best New Artist nominee says. By Kara Warner
Ke$ha Photo: MTV News
The buzz around our MTV Video Music Awards has hit a fever pitch, with just four more days until the biggest stars in music descend on the Nokia Theatre for a night of major performances, special guest appearances and plenty of unplanned surprises.
When we caught up with spunky Best New Artist nominee Ke$ha -- who is also up for a Best Collaboration Moonman with 3OH!3 for their peppy clip for "My First Kiss" -- she seemed eager to just attend the festivities.
"I don't even think I'm invited," she joked (we think).
When asked what her plans are for the show, she suggested some slightly over-the-top pranks -- and that she might lose control of certain bodily functions. "I might throw water balloons at people," she said. "I might pee myself just thinking about it."
"I have mad respect for both of them, so I can't really say who I'd pick," she said. "I think that Eminem is really amazing, because he's so honest and I really connect with brutally honest people and artists. And then Gaga's whole thing is incredible too. I can't really say who I hope would win, but I'd like to see what's going to happen."
Who do you think will win? Lady Gaga or Eminem? Share your thoughts in the comments!
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
Singer has teamed up with Mark Ronson to re-record the 1963 hit 'It's My Party' for Q: Soul Bossa Nostra. By Mawuse Ziegbe
Quincy Jones' new album, <i>Q: Soul Bossa Nostra</i> Photo: Rogers & Cowan
Amy Winehouse achieved global fame by layering candid, contemporary lyricism over throwback, doo-wop sounds. Now she's putting those powerhouse vocals and her affinity for retro rhythms to use for her latest foray back into the spotlight.
The U.K. singer will contribute a track to Q: Soul Bossa Nostra, a tribute album celebrating the work of legendary producer and musician Quincy Jones. Winehouse has hooked up with British producer Mark Ronson, who crafted the infectious old-school groove of her sophomore release, Back to Black. For the new project, the duo revamped the playful, if pouty, "It's My Party," the 1963 Lesley Gore hit produced by Jones.
"Amy and I are both incredibly honoured and excited to be recording this song for Quincy. The regard she holds him in is second to none," Ronson said in a statement released Wednesday (September 8). "We've gone back and forth on this track, fixing and improving it until we were satisfied it was good enough for Quincy."
Jones appeared amped to welcome Winehouse and Ronson's contribution to Q, which is slated to be released on November 9.
"Amy's talents as an artist are undisputable and I am astounded not only by her voice but by her tremendous knowledge of and respect for music and its history," Jones said in the statement. "I am thrilled that she and Mark wanted to be a part of this album and I absolutely love what they did to make the song their own."
Winehouse has also been working on solo material. When she stepped out at the July premiere of "Psychosis," directed by new flame Reg Traviss, she said her latest album should be available by January and would revisit the well-worn sounds of her previous effort.
"It's going to be very much the same as my second album, where there's a lot of jukebox stuff and the songs that are ... just jukebox, really."
Are you looking forward to Winehouse's return to music? Let us know in the comments!
Singer was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005. By Mawuse Ziegbe
Rich Cronin Photo: Gabe Palacio/ Getty Images
Rich Cronin, the former frontman for boy band LFO, known for the 1999 hit "Summer Girls," died Wednesday (September 8) of leukemia. He was 35.
TMZ reports that the singer lost his long battle with cancer Wednesday afternoon after suffering a stroke. Cronin was first diagnosed with myelogenous leukemia in 2005 after complaining of exhaustion and headaches. He later established the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation to raise awareness for cancer treatment.
Cronin's manager Melissa Holland confirmed his death in a statement on the singer's Facebook page. "On behalf of the Cronin family and all at the Hope Foundation and [his record label] Orange Freeze, thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts. Continue to post them as a tribute to a great man, a better artist and the best friend I could ever have."
Fellow boy-bander Lance Bass of 'NSYNC tweeted about Cronin's death, typing, "Sad sad day that Rich Cronin died- was a amazing guy. : ("
Cronin, a native of Boston, shot to fame in the late '90s as the frontman of LFO alongside bandmembers Brad Fischetti and Devin Lima, writing the breezy hit "Summer Girls," which playfully name-checked Abercrombie & Fitch. Managed by onetime boy-band mogul Lou Pearlman, who also guided the early careers of 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, the trio released their eponymous album in the same year. The album also yielded the hit "Girl on TV," which featured Cronin's reported flame Jennifer Love Hewitt in the accompanying video. He also penned the group's second album, Life Is Good, according to a biography on the singer's MySpace page.
However, Cronin later slammed Pearlman, accusing him of swindling the group out of millions of dollars and publishing rights and maintaining inappropriate relationships with other artists he managed. "I've had to go to therapy ... he's really a creepy guy," Cronin said in 2009.
Cronin briefly bounced back from his health and professional issues as a castmember of the 2007 VH1 reality show "Mission: Man Band," which featured former boy-band stars Chris Kirkpatrick from 'NSYNC, Color Me Badd's Bryan Abrams and 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons. The show, helmed by Grammy-winning producer Bryan-Michael Cox, followed the stars' attempt to get back in the limelight as the boy-band supergroup Sureshot.
Cronin later released his first solo album, Billion Dollar Sound, in 2008, and LFO announced a reunion and tour in June 2009 before disbanding later the same year.
In January, Cronin appeared to be back doing what he loved and tweeted about working on new music.
"Hey guys I'm just in Boston writing in the studio," he wrote. "Hoping to make it all work!"
Share your memories of Rich Cronin in the comments below.
'I sounded like a jackass,' 'The Romantics' actor says of telling KStew to 'quit' the acting business. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Adam Brody Photo: MTV News
It was the comment that launched a thousand hate e-mails and lit up "Twilight" message boards across the World Wide Webs. Previously adored, charming guy-next-door actor Adam Brody backhandedly told Kristen Stewart to "quit" acting if being famous bothered her so much.
The firestorm was sparked by an interview Brody gave on Diablo Cody's online chat show, "Red Band Trailer." When Cody asked Brody whether he enjoyed his celebrity or if he would prefer to be known as just "an actor," referencing Stewart's comments about wanting to be left alone, his response was a bit testy.
"It's only gotten worse, I'm sure, being a celebrity," Brody, who is in the "Scream 4" cast, said. "At the same time, I don't have a lot of patience for people who moan about it too much. Because there are many things you could do. ... It's like, quit ... you don't need to be an actor, so it's like, if it's that much of a problem ... there's the door."
And with that, the hate-on-Adam-Brody campaign began. When MTV News caught up with the man in question to talk about his upcoming ensemble flick "The Romantics," we asked him whether his response might have been taken out of context.
"I, no, I just, I, this is horrible," he started, seemingly uncomfortable addressing the hot-button issue. "It wasn't taken out of context. I saw [the episode] and thought I sounded like an idiot. I did," Brody admitted. "Regardless of how anyone else took anything, I would think that sounds very ungentlemanly and I sounded like a jackass."
A Hollywood actor who publicly acknowledges a gaffe? Well done, Mr. Brody. Points to the former "O.C." star for his honesty!
What do you think of Adam's latest response to the KStew flap? Tell us in the comments!
Remember when Justin Bieber was just an up-and-coming pop singer who presented at the 2009 VMAs and gave one lucky fan a red-carpet shout-out? Well, since then, he has become a one-man pop-music sensation by dominating the charts, the airwaves and teen girls' hearts.
Just two months after last year's VMAs, Bieber dropped his debut album, My World, and never looked back. He followed up the release with his spring 2010 sophomore album, My World 2.0. In the process, the 16-year-old has worked with everyone from Ludacris and Sean Kingston to Jaden Smith and even Kanye West and Raekwon on a "Runaway Love" remix. And let's not forget: He's even had an offer to have Mark Wahlberg leave rap retirement to jump on a track with him someday.
Bieber's career has been pretty much controversy-free, though he did have fans, VMA host Chelsea Handler and Bill O'Reilly riled up over his friendship, and subsequent Elle photo spread, with reality starlet Kim Kardashian. There have also been a few fan stampedes. Last November, Bieber had to cancel a Long Island mall appearance after his fans got a little out of hand. That incident was followed by equally zealous fan moments in Paris, New Zealand and Australia.
While he's appeared on the small screen thanks to his own "Diary" special and a stint on "SNL," he will kick it up a notch later this month on "CSI," when he plays bad boy Jason McCann.
On top of all of that, he met the president, topped Lady Gaga on YouTube, showed his funny side on April Fool's Day when he took over Funny or Die, hung out with Drake at the Much Music Awards, got a tattoo and released a number of music videos, including his VMA-nominated "Baby," "Somebody to Love," "Never Say Never" and "Eenie Meenie."
Now, with a VMA nod for Best New Artist and a highly anticipated VMA performance, whether he wins or loses, he will come out on top, thanks to his upcoming music video for "U Smile," his 2011 3-D flick and the release of his first book, "Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever," in October. Bieber will find out if all the highs of the past 12 months can land him his first Moonman.
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
Gaga goes on a post-jailhouse murder spree with fellow pop superstar Beyoncé in the Video of the Year-nominated "Telephone," but the visual trickery, bizarro couture and steely Russian mob guys of "Bad Romance" give "Telephone" some super stiff competition.
For starters, "Romance" almost broke the Internet when droves of fans shut down the singer's website in November for a chance to see the highly anticipated clip. The "Romance" mania is not all that surprising given the buzz the track racked up in the weeks leading to the video's release. The track likely garnered approval from Gaga's fashion-forward followers when the pulsating hit closed the spring 2010 show of late high-fashion demigod Alexander McQueen. And the rest of the country's curiosity had probably piqued days before when Gaga performed a snippet of the track on "Saturday Night Live" after a faux catfight with Madonna.
When the visual finally surfaced, replete with all types of eye-popping imagery, it was well worth the wait. The Francis Lawrence-directed clip takes place in a stark, all-white Bath Haus of Gaga. Her eyes are bugged-out and her waist digitally nipped to cartoonish proportions, she busts out semi-nude dance sequences with strategically placed strips of lace covering her lady bits, rocks some deliriously decadent beaded headpieces and teeters on some insanely high McQueen heels before wrapping up the affair in a torched bed with sparks flitting from her bra. Buried in the smorgasbord of high-fashion and high-octane moves is an equally eyebrow-raising narrative.
"There's this one shot in the video where I get kidnapped by supermodels," Gaga told MTV Newslast fall. "I'm washing away my sins and they shove vodka down my throat to drug me up before they sell me off to the Russian mafia."
Gaga explained that the video was inspired by the no-nonsense sensibilities of her New York City homegirls and paid tribute to her pals in the form of shades fashioned from razor blades.
"I wanted to design a pair for some of the toughest chicks and some of my girlfriends — don't do this at home! — they used to keep razor blades in the side of their mouths," Gaga said. "That tough female sprit is something that I want to project. It's meant to be, 'This is my shield, this is my weapon, this is my inner sense of fame, this is my monster.' "
Fans gobbled it up. Kerrianne De'Alessandro told MTV News, "I loved her outfits again — her hair and her nails were so cool. They had, like, lace on them."
Linh Dedalto added: "I love how her costumes are all crazy, but that's just how she is."
"I think that Lady Gaga is so different and she has taken the world by storm," Robinson told MTV News. "I enjoy her music. So I think that she's unique. Unique always has a chance."
Do you think Gaga's "Bad Romance" will win Video of the Year? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for the winners from now through Sunday.
Five-times-nominated MC also tells VMA host Chelsea Handler on 'Chelsea Lately': 'Five is my favorite number'; friend T.I. is doing OK. By James Dinh
B.o.B Photo: ABC
If T.I.'s recent club appearance didn't convince fans that the rapper is taking his recent arrest in stride, then rapper B.o.B's latest comments about his Grand Hustle boss will probably reassure them.
On Tuesday night, the "Airplanes" MC took a seat on "Chelsea Lately" to talk to this year's VMA host, Chelsea Handler, about his fellow ATL native.
Asked how his friend T.I. was doing after being arrested alongside wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle on drug possession charges, the 21-year-old said he had spoken to his T.I. and "everything is going good."
B.o.B also revealed that the duo have been recording a batch of new tracks. "We've been working in the studio and have a lot of really good songs to look forward to," he said.
"It's amazing," he said, jokingly describing the event as a "hip-hop Woodstock." "I think out of everything that I've experienced in my entire career, opening up that night was when it finally set in. I was like, 'Whoa,' "
After a highly successful collaboration with Paramore's Haley Williams on the VMA-nominated "Airplanes," the rapper's manager, Brian "B.Rich" Richardson, recently revealed on Twitter that the MC may be working with a few other music staples, including Drake and 50 Cent.
"By the way B.o.B & Drake met look for something out of them in Jan. Drake is cool as f---!!" he tweeted. "50 cent was there he was cool he came up to B.o.b & said he has his CD in constant rotation & wants to do a song with B.o.B!!" he added.
Who would you like to see collaborate with B.o.B? Tell us your picks in the comments!
'Thank you judge for understanding,' 'Jersey Shore' star tweets after sentencing. By Gil Kaufman
Snooki in court on Wednesday Photo: Bobby Bank/WireImage
"Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, appeared in a Seaside Heights, New Jersey, courtroom on Wednesday (September 8) to face misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, creating a nuisance and being criminally annoying.
After a brief hearing, the judge in the case found that she was not guilty of criminal conduct in the July 30 incident and agreed to a deal in which Polizzi pleaded guilty to disturbing the quiet enjoyment of the beach, and the disorderly conduct and public nuisance counts were dismissed. Polizzi had earlier pleaded not guilty to all three charges. She was sentenced to two days of community service and fined $533.
"Ah never again! So scary...thank you judge for understanding, I'm very thankful for that! Whew...now I can breath!" Snickers tweeted a half hour after leaving court.
Following the court appearance, Polizzi's lawyer, Ray Raya, said the entire incident was blown out of proportion and that it was simply the case of a young woman having some fun and a few drinks with her friends.
"She just acted silly on the beach that day," said Raya in a press conference streamed on TMZ following the hearing. "Her conduct was not criminal ... she stumbled into a couple of people on the beach."
Raya said it is the nature of Snooki's unique reality-TV celebrity that everywhere she goes, she draws a big crowd, and on the day in question he said she was being trailed by more than 300 people who were screaming her name and trying to get her attention. "It was an anomaly in an otherwise well-lived life," he said.
But Raya took issue with comments by Judge Damian Murray during the hearing, in which the judge called the pint-size dynamo a "Lindsay Lohan wannabe," comparing her to the recently rehabbed star with a history of drug issues and arrests. Raya pointed out that Polizzi has no such record and that she promised that this would be her last time in a courtroom for this kind of behavior.
According to TMZ, the judge scoffed at Polizzi's antics in the incident, during which she reportedly was spotted with a beer bong, falling off her bicycle and stumbling into other people on the beach. Murray urged Snooki to decide if "it was worth trading your dignity for a paycheck."
Murray also wondered how much was scripted and how much came from Snooki herself, saying that going through life acting "profane" and "self-indulgent" was no way to live. Polizzi assured him that nothing was scripted and that all her boozy antics were her idea alone.
A contrite Snooki, wearing a dark gray suit, said she was "very embarrassed" by the incident and that she has never been in this kind of, well, situation, before.
Raya said Polizzi has already served some time at the Popcorn Park Zoo as part of a community service agreement, feeding the lions and cleaning out animal cages.
Tennessee rock quartet serves up all-American apple pie and soda in sun-drenched clip for gospel-tinged single. By Peter de Saint Phalle
Kings of Leon Photo: Gareth Cattermole/ Getty Images
Kings of Leon have featured exploding buildings ("Notion") and fast-paced montages of sold-out concert venues ("Use Somebody") in their videos, but for their newest, they take a more laid-back approach. The band released the sepia-tone video for "Radioactive" on Wednesday (September 8) on their website, KingsofLeon.com, and it finds the Kings at a Southern-style summer barbecue.
The band substitutes beer and cigarettes for sodas and pie as a youth choir is seen backing the band throughout the song. "It's in the water/ It's where you came from," lead vocalist Caleb Followill belts out on the track's chorus.
As images of sun-drenched green fields and tables full of apple pies are set to gospel vocals and Matthew Followill's heavy guitar riffs, "Radioactive" provides a glimpse of KOL's Southern origins.
"We grew up in this type of lifestyle," drummer Nathan Followill explained in a video posted on the group's site about making the clip. "Gospel music was a big part of us growing up, so to be able to come back and revisit that part of our lives at this stage in our lives is a very special thing."
The Kings of Leon are originally from Tennessee, but they can call most of the Southern states home after spending much of their childhoods traveling with their father, a Pentecostal preacher, to various Southern churches and congregations.
"Radioactive" is the first single from the band's fifth studio album, Come Around Sundown, which is set to for a October 19 release. There were problems, however, in the early stages, bassist Jared Followill explained in the video. The new single almost didn't make it onto the upcoming record.
"The choruses started off kind of spiritual but the verses were never matched up to them at all. ... We went into the studio and we tried it and it wasn't really working ... we were going to scrap the whole song."
It was only when the band began recalling childhood memories that the tune came to life.
"Caleb, he kind of went back to an old spiritual song that we had all sung growing up," Jared continued. "It matched up with the chorus so nice that it all worked out from there."
What do you think of KOL's new video for "Radioactive"? Tell us in the comments!
Fif says he'll 'concentrate on the music,' including possible Kanye West, Swizz Beatz collabos, but promises to tweet again post-VMAs. By Shaheem Reid
50 Cent Photo: Jorge Rosenberg/ Getty Images
Unless 50 Cent changes his mind, we're all safe until about ... the day after the 2010 VMAs. 50 — who has made quite an impact on Twitter in recent weeks with his outlandish posts — says he's taking a break from social networking until Monday, the day after the big show.
When we spoke to him in Detroit last week as he, along with his G-Unit soldiers Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks, joined Eminem and Jay-Z's Home and Home concerts at Comerica Park, Fif explained to MTV News the reason for his tweeting hiatus.
"I just had to give it a break because I had to go back to writing. Writing my record," he said. "Concentrate on the music, picking the right things."
On Twitter, 50 said he previewed some of his new material for Eminem, and the ones Slim Shady told him to play over and over are the songs he's keeping. The multiplatinum mogul has been getting an abundance of beats to choose from.
"A lot of producers send stuff that's interesting," he said. "To me, it inspires me to write with different cadences, see a different style. I don't want the record to sound like old material. I want it to sound like something new. They all go, 'Oh, Fif, we want that Get Rich or Die Tryin'. They do the same thing to Jay-Z, [but] if you want the old one, buy the old one. If you want the new material that the artist is inspired to write, check it out.
"I sat with Swizz [Beatz]; I'mma try to get in with him. Don't even be surprised if you hear me and Kanye, just talented artists — period. I'mma collaborate and make a monster this time. Ain't nobody off limits to me in my head. If creatively they have something they feel is something for the project, I'm with it."
The Queens MC doesn't have a release date yet for his new LP. Instead, the Unit's focus has been heavily on their "Punch Line King," Lloyd Banks. Lloyd dropped a new record called "See Me Bright" just this past Friday and, like Kanye West, he's promising new music every week on the same day. Banks' The Hunger for More 2 comes out November 23.
Do you think it's smart for 50 Cent to take a break from Twitter? Tell us in the comments!
'It's so surreal,' the singer/producer says of performing and being nominated for Sunday's show. By Peter de Saint Phalle, with reporting by Jayson Rodriguez
This week alone, Mars is hitting our screens with the premiere of his "Just the Way You Are" video and with a performance at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards.
"It's all happening so fast," Mars told MTV News last month, when reflecting on his successes in the past months. His collaboration with B.o.B, "Nothin' on You," is also up for Best Pop Video at the show, which airs live on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.
"It's so surreal," he said. "I grew up watching the VMAs and seeing everyone doing their thing on it."
The singer, who's also one third of the production trio the Smeezingtons, said he actually found out he'd be performing at the show before he heard he'd been nominated.
"It's kinda like the biggest stage of our generation, so to be nominated AND get to perform ... words cannot express."
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
'I know I'm not going to be Mr. Cool and I'm always going to be on the outside of things,' writer/director says. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
M. Night Shyamalan Photo: Brian Jacks/ MTV News
M. Night Shyamalan is one of those public figures people love to hate. Whatever the reason — many point to "The Last Airbender" director's last few films' lack of box-office success — it seems whatever he does, the feisty teeming masses are ready to jump on him with over-analysis and hate.
2010 MTV Movie Awards host advises Handler to "do drugs" in preparation for Sunday night's gig. By Eric Ditzian
Aziz Ansari Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic
Maybe by now Aziz Ansari has recovered from the spoof-creating, joke-spewing, celebrity-razzing intensity of hosting the MTV Movie Awards in June. He's had time to process his moments sharing the screen with Justin Bieber and the "Twilight" kids. In short, he's a veteran, and as he looks forward to the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday (September 12), the comedian has one piece of advice for host Chelsea Handler: Do drugs!
"You know, I just did a lot of cocaine in the weeks leading up to it, just to keep my energy up so I could stay up and write material," he joked during an interview with MTV News. "It's a lot of work."
Of course, he can laugh about his preparation now, but a couple of months ago, Aziz was furiously prepping for the biggest gig of his life. "I've watched 'Twilight' a bunch. I've watched 'Avatar' 400 times," he told us back in April. "I've been stalking Daniel Radcliffe."
OK, maybe Ansari is always joking. But then again, so is Chelsea Handler. Of Justin Bieber, she told us recently, "He's a two-face is what he is. He acted like we were in a committed relationship, and then he was prancing around with Kim Kardashian on the beaches like they're a couple."
So if Handler isn't going to embark on a whirlwind romance with young Bieber in preparation for the VMAs, perhaps she might be wise to listen to what Aziz has to say.
"I would just say, if you're not using cocaine, start using it so you can really get your energy up and keep going and get stuff done because it's a lot of work," Ansari advised Handler. "But you'll have a lot of fun and it'll be a blast."
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
Actor gets help from former 'NSYNC-er for 'Dancing in the Rain.' By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jim Cantiello
Matthew Morrison Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images
It's no Acafellas reunion, but "Glee" star Matthew Morrison says he hooked up with former boy bander JC Chasez for one of the tracks on his solo album, which he plans to release next year.
"I wrote about half the album so far, but I've definitely co-wrote. I've definitely teamed up with some great producers, some great songwriters," he teased MTV News at the "Glee" season two premiere party on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. "And yeah, I just did this great song last week with JC Chasez that was very, very cool. It turned out really well. He's such a good songwriter."
While the details of the collaboration with the former 'NSYNC member are scant, Morrison (who plays glee club coach Will Schuester on the show) did share the name of the track. "It's called 'Dancing in the Rain,' not 'Singing in the Rain,' but 'Dancing in the Rain.' "
Morrison shared that he's got some other collaborations on the album, but wouldn't name names. "It's very eclectic. I'm doing some great duets. I can't release who they're with yet, [but it's] some people that you've probably heard of before, that you've definitely heard of before."
Fans of "Glee," which returns to Fox on September 21, shouldn't be surprised to learn what Morrison's album will sound like. "It's gonna be a little adult contemporary," he said. "And there's gonna be some pop songs that you can shake your moneymaker to in the club."
And while Morrison's co-stars may be presenting an award at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, he's got even bigger plans following his album's release. "I'm hoping to perform at the VMAs next year!"
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
'In this movie, I have a lot more guns,' Milla Jovovich says. By Kara Warner
Milla Jovovich Photo: MTV News
While much has been made of the current pop-culture obsession with vampires, there has been an equally fervent fixation on zombies (e.g., "Zombieland," "28 Days Later," "30 Days of Night," AMC's upcoming "The Walking Dead"), and this week marks the release of the fourth "Resident Evil" film.
In this latest installment, "Resident Evil: Afterlife," the story picks up roughly six months after "Resident Evil: Extinction." Alice (Milla Jovovich) is desperately searching for survivors — first near a small town in Alaska, where she finds Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), and then in desolate, undead-ridden Los Angeles. Despite being the fourth film in the franchise, "Afterlife" contains a couple of notable firsts: the appearance of Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller) and an Alice vs. Albert Wesker fight sequence.
Speaking of fighting, when we caught up with the film's two leading ladies recently, we asked them to share their preferred method/weaponry for eliminating zombies.
"I like to get in there," Jovovich said. "In 'Resident Evil 3,' I had my cookeries. I like the hacking, chopping bit. It's nice to hit some flesh and bone and [hear the] crack. It made me feel really strong and powerful," she revealed. "In this movie, I have a lot more guns, that was fun too."
Jovovich went on to compare the shooting of machine guns to playing guitar. "I never realized shooting guns is a lot like playing guitar — you need calluses for it," she said. "After a day of shooting machine guns, I got blisters on my fingers. It's like, 'Oh, I need to practice a bit more and get those calluses going," she said. "But thank god I don't have to shoot machine guns every day."
Co-star Ali Larter agreed with Jovovich's preference for hacking things, but admitted she has a special place in her heart for fancy Italian firearms.
"I get to use an Italian Beretta in this film that's never been on camera before, so that's fun," Larter bragged. "I also like using my knife and getting at Wesker. That's pretty cool."
Larter went on to say that she and her co-stars were pretty bruised and battered by the end of the shoot as a result of the intense action sequences.
"We spent a lot of time with stunt coordinators, with the weapons experts, making sure that we were doing it right and we were doing it safe. When you have five actors lined up and you're shooting blanks — it's one thing if everyone is 50 feet away, but when you're within 3 feet of someone, you can really get hurt," Larter explained. "It's making sure that with all of us you really take the time to be professional."
"You also want to look real," she added. "I don't want to look like a sissy with a Beretta. I want you to believe that I will take your ass out."
From the saucy Jessica Alba in "Little Fockers" to James Franco's grueling journey in "127 Hours," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest flicks of fall 2010. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.
Usher's 25-date arena tour will start on November 10 in Seattle. By Gil Kaufman
Usher Photo: Michael Caulfield/ WireImage
Usher will reward his fans' patience in November when he finally kicks off the long-awaited tour in support of his platinum Raymond v. Raymond album. Though it won't feature Chris Brown as recently rumored, Usher is promising a major show for the 25-date North American arena tour that kicks off on November 10 in Seattle.
"Songs like 'OMG,' 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love,' 'There Goes My Baby,' 'Papers,' 'Daddy's Home,' 'Lil Freak' with Nicki Minaj and 'Hot Tottie' with Jay-Z have dominated the airwaves since last February," said Randy Phillips, president & CEO of AEG Live, the promoter behind the tour. "Now is the time for one of our greatest entertainers to go live and we are thrilled to be part of the ultimate Usher experience. Usher is bringing his fans an evening they will not soon forget. This will be the 'Must See' concert tour of 2010!"
The singer, who is on tap to perform at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards, will be on the road through late December, hitting major cities from Las Vegas and Los Angeles to Dallas, Detroit, Chicago and Boston, wrapping things up on December 18 with a show at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
Tickets will go on sale beginning September 17, with more information on opening acts and tour details available at Usherworld.com.
Dates for the OMG Tour: » November 10 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena » November 12 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arenabr » November 13 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Baybr » November 14 - Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center » November 17 - San Diego, CA @ Sports Arena » November 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center » November 19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Jobing.com Arena » November 23 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center » November 24 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center » November 26 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center » November 27 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center » November 29 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre » November 30 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre » December 2 - Detroit, MI @ TBD » December 3 - Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena » December 5 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena » December 7 - Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum » December 8 - Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena » December 10 - Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center » December 11 - Norfolk, VA @ Scope Arena » December 13 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden » December 14 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden » December 16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center » December 17 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center » December 18 - Hartford, CT @ XL Center
Sporting a feathered fedora, denim jacket and a smile, the singer/songwriter charms viewers in the stripped-down video, which uses animation to exemplify Bruno's adoration for his lady. Taking a cassette, Mars stretches out the tape inside to reveal animated interpretations of his lyrics. From a flattering drawing of his lady to a mock-up of the singer himself behind a piano, the concept is eye-catching.
"Her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shining/ Her hair, her hair falling perfectly without her trying/ She's so beautiful and I tell her every day," he sings.
On the heels of two top singles, "Nothin' on You" and "Billionaire," featuring Mars on the chorus, the singer released a four-song EP titled It's Better if You Don't Understand in May. Mars told MTV News that the project was a collection of "songs in my back pocket and the label thought it'd be a good time to give people a little taste of what they're gonna get with the album. The EP came together real nice; you're gonna get a nice effect of what's in store."
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.
