Thursday, September 30, 2010
Former Lady Gaga Collaborator Wendy Starland Files Lawsuit Against Gaga's Ex
Lady Gaga
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/ WireImage
Lady Gaga and her ex-boyfriend, Rob Fusari, may have agreed to drop the lawsuits they filed against each other, but that doesn't mean the battle over the origins of the superstar vocalist has ended.
Yet another major player in the early evolution of Gaga, longtime friend and singer Wendy Starland, has come forward to claim her part in Gaga's success, courtesy of yet another major lawsuit. According to Forbes, Starland, who introduced Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) to Fusari in the first place, filed suit on Friday in Newark Federal Court claiming that Fusari cut a deal with her in 2005 in which he promised her a piece of the action if she found him a female singer he could work with.
Starland claims in the suit that Fusari asked her to find a "unique female singer, under the age of 25, who could be the female equivalent of the lead singer of the band the Strokes." The producer allegedly promised Starland that if she "could find and introduce him to such a singer, they would work together to develop the singer and share equally in any revenues earned as a result."
Starland claims she agreed to that deal and a short time later she did just that, introducing Fusari to Gaga after she saw the Stefani Germanotta Band perform at the Cutting Room in New York in March 2006. Though they reportedly had an oral agreement to collaborate on songs and develop Gaga together, Starland claims she was cut out of the deal in May 2006 when Fusari entered into an agreement to pursue a record contract for Gaga.
Once Gaga signed a record deal with a major label, Starland claims in the suit that she asked Fusari again if he would share any revenue he received from his deal with Gaga and he agreed to, but then never did.
To date, Starland says she hasn't gotten any compensation from Fusari for helping to discover Gaga. She is suing the producer and his company for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment and quantum meruit (a legal term that translates into "as much as he has deserved," and refers to a situation in which someone agrees to work for another for unspecified payment but expects to be compensated based on what they deserve for their labors).
Radar Online reported that Starland is demanding a jury trial in the case and seeking "an amount in excess of $75,000" including "one half of Fusari's profits, including future profits."
According to Forbes, Fusari has not yet commented on the Starland lawsuit. Earlier this month Gaga and Fusari agreed to drop their respective lawsuits. Fusari had claimed in a $30.5 million suit that he had a major hand in creating Gaga's persona and crafting her musical personality way back in 2006, co-writing such hits as "Paparazzi" and "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" on Gaga's multiplatinum debut, The Fame. Gaga then filed a countersuit, saying the agreement she'd signed with Fusari was "unlawful." It's unknown whether the two reached a monetary agreement to end the dueling lawsuits.
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Woo Hoo China!
I love Google translating the description of the foreign books into English. They're always so much fun to read.
Introduction
Et Dalila is a city of 29-year-old single female. Suddenly one day, she found that she had experienced 20 men, and the damned, "the New York Post" claims that the nation's average is 10.5. She fears to feel that their figures can not be higher, Ever have the "people will change the" optimism and insists that she gave its sad, disappointed that the men pick a Ruyilangjun.
She hired a private detective, found this and thought it would "never in contact with" the ex-boyfriend who frequently create "ah, dear! Is you!" And "Encounter." Then she found the old one now is really all-inclusive love - priests, homosexuality, mental illness, offenders, astronauts, etc. - can be described as "not the most superb, only more gourmet." A big laugh out of this farce staged.
The film adaptation of this book What's Your Number? Will be released in 2011.
About
Karin • Bosinake (Karyn Bosnak), the United States best-selling author, famous people blog. (Save Karyn) Blog "Save the Karin" (Save Karyn) and the same name novel, and that the "et Dalila and her former boyfriend were" deeply European and American women welcome.
Ke$ha Does Her Own Stunts In VMA Promo
Ke$ha at her 2010 VMA promo shoot
Photo: Kristian Dowling / PictureGroup
Breakout poptress Ke$ha is up for three MTV Video Music Awards and is slated to present an award when the festivities kick off Sunday, September 12, at 9 p.m. The "Tik Tok" singer is sure to fit right in amid the typical VMA rowdiness, and even the promo for her appearance is chock-full of high-flying stunts and other craziness.
"The concept ... is I wake up, like a pimp, and I hear some noise, and there's like a wind coming through my boudoir doors, and I run to see what it is, and I just get shoved out by this gust of wind that's supposedly 'fate,' " Ke$ha said, setting up the clip. "Then, I start falling and falling through ... all of my experiences that got me to this point, which is attending the VMAs."
Creating the illusion of a free fall for the spot required Ke$ha to swing about on a harness, an experience that apparently looks way more fun than it feels.
"I did do all my own stunts today, and my vag hurts," Ke$ha griped. "It was kind of scary, because ... I was flying around." Being suspended may have been a bit harsh on her lady bits, but the singer said she's no novice when it comes to hanging around for her videos. "I have used some harnesses before [on] my video for 'Blah Blah Blah.' ... I'm into it."
Ke$ha may have some experience getting strapped into harnesses, but she also admitted that dangling from the contraption was the hardest part of filming. "I think the harness was scarier, only because it was immensely painful as well, and I couldn't touch the ground," she said. "I thought I was gonna fall on my head, but I didn't."
Ultimately, the "Your Love Is My Drug" singer wasn't sweating any of the potential risks of shooting the promo.
"I was only, like, 12 feet high," Ke$ha said. "Worst-case scenario: I just would have, like, broke an arm."
What are you expecting from Ke$ha's appearance at the VMAs? Sound off in the comments below!
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 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 September 12.
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Ke$ha Breaks Through To The Big Time: A VMA Cheat Sheet!
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Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images
Ke$ha is, without question, one of the biggest breakout stars of 2010. A slurring, whirling, hard-partying pop oddity (who may also be a genius) with a #1 album and a boatload of hit singles to her name, not to mention more than a few enemies. She even has under her star-spangled belt, her very own, very public WTF debacle in the form of a rather, uh, divisive "Saturday Night Live" performance.
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010
First Look: Disney Movie 'Tangled'
Looks like a good movie to take the kids to :)
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'Green Lantern' Star Ryan Reynolds Talks Sequel Possibilities
Ryan Reynolds
Photo: Getty Images
Aside from the buzz about Ryan Reynolds' claustrophobia-inducing performance in the upcoming thriller "Buried" — for which Reynolds filmed all his scenes within the confines of a wooden coffin — the news about the actor has been almost entirely focused on his superheroic efforts in "Wolverine," a possible Deadpool spin-off and "Green Lantern."
When MTV News caught up with him recently, we couldn't help but ask about possible "Lantern" sequels, as well as which comic book authors he found most helpful in getting into the character of Hal Jordan.
"It's a pretty big universe; there's a lot to explore," Reynolds said of the "Green Lantern" sequel possibilities. "There's a lot to explore with Hal, then without him. You could do a couple movies with Hal and then move on to Guy Gardner or Kyle Rayner or any of those guys."
More "Lantern" without Hal Jordan — and Reynolds? Surely the busy actor isn't ready to give up his ring that quickly.
"Look, I'm saying in success, let's not put the cart before the horse," Reynolds said, emphasizing the fact that the first movie has to come out and be a hit before he can start talking about sequels. "In success, you do another movie, you do two, great. I think [the idea of two sequels] is fantastic, but the first one has got to land and people have got to see it and have to have that appetite for a sequel."
Fair enough. Regarding his go-to source for "Lantern" research, Reynolds cited famed DC writer/ current Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns.
"Geoff Johns is it," Reynolds said. "His 'Secret Origins' book was the one I kind of used as the bible for this. It's an easy thing to reference, because it's an origin story as well. That was the one I sort of stuck to."
Check out everything we've got on "Green Lantern."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Woo Hoo China!
I love Google translating the description of the foreign books into English. They're always so much fun to read.
Introduction
Et Dalila is a city of 29-year-old single female. Suddenly one day, she found that she had experienced 20 men, and the damned, "the New York Post" claims that the nation's average is 10.5. She fears to feel that their figures can not be higher, Ever have the "people will change the" optimism and insists that she gave its sad, disappointed that the men pick a Ruyilangjun.
She hired a private detective, found this and thought it would "never in contact with" the ex-boyfriend who frequently create "ah, dear! Is you!" And "Encounter." Then she found the old one now is really all-inclusive love - priests, homosexuality, mental illness, offenders, astronauts, etc. - can be described as "not the most superb, only more gourmet." A big laugh out of this farce staged.
The film adaptation of this book What's Your Number? Will be released in 2011.
About
Karin • Bosinake (Karyn Bosnak), the United States best-selling author, famous people blog. (Save Karyn) Blog "Save the Karin" (Save Karyn) and the same name novel, and that the "et Dalila and her former boyfriend were" deeply European and American women welcome.
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Lindsay Lohan Has Entered Rehab Again
No other information is given in the report, other than that the Mean Girls actress will likely stay at the facility until her next court date on Oct. 22.
CLICK TO READ THE FULL STORY
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Blake Lively: Lovely at the "Late Show"
Always looking stylish, the Serena van der Woodsen actress showed up in casual attire before swapping into a sparkly Elie Saab frock to pose for pictures outside of the Ed Sullivan Theatre.
As for the reason behind the visit, Miss Lively happened to be promoting her recently released movie "The Town," which was directed by Ben Affleck.
Be sure to tune in and catch Blake's Letterman interview when it airs on Friday (September 31) at 11:30 on CBS,
Usher's VMA-Nominated 'OMG' Inspired By '80s Sci-Fi Character
Usher in "OMG"
For a video as forward-thinking as Usher's "OMG" -- with its laser beams and light flashes -- director Anthony Mandler actually looked back for inspiration.
"The original idea was kind of Max Headroom," Mandler told MTV News, citing the animated science-fiction character from '80s British TV. "That's where it came from — the TV flickering on and there's this character. We just wanted to bring it up to date."
"Max Headroom was always in his room," he continued, "this unidentifiable room, '80s shapes. I used that for inspiration."
The formula worked: "OMG" is among the Best Male Video nominees for the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. The clip is up against Drake's "Find Your Love," Jason Derülo's "In My Head," Eminem's "Not Afraid" and B.o.B's "Airplanes." Mandler is a multiple nominee, having also helmed Drake's video.
"OMG" is the first time Usher and Mandler — who has worked with Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna — collaborated on a project.
Usher said he knew the video would be a challenge and wanted to make sure the director was up to the task.
"When I first shot the song to him, I was like, 'Are you sure you're gonna be able to catch this one?' And he said, 'I got it,' " Usher explained.
"We wanted to bring Will.I.Am (the song's producer) into my world," he continued. "Obviously, the international sound and look and feel has already been set, but we wanted to do something theatrical, fun and energetic to show us working off of each other and playing off of each other as artists, but the cinematography would be artistic and incredible."
Mandler described the visuals as "Hitchcock-ian." Though the style of the shot was important to the director, he had a simpler goal in mind: to capture Usher in his element. He said the key to the clip was simply letting Usher's talent take over.
"The concept was to create a world where we put Usher in a space where he does what I think he does better than anyone else in the world, which is perform at a level and magnitude of a superstar and take us, the viewer, whether audible or visually, on a journey, not a ride," the director said. "And, in that, I wanted to create an unpredictability, so one set leads to another and another, and you never know what's gonna happen. Along the way, Usher becomes our guide. We're so focused on him, we don't notice the change. The thing is unfolding little by little, and you can't quite see far enough ahead to know what's gonna come next."
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 September 12.
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Monday, September 27, 2010
Jay-Z, Eminem Close Yankee Stadium Shows With Kanye West, Drake
Jay-Z performs at Yankee Stadium on Monday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
NEW YORK — Like a good cleanup man in baseball, Jay-Z delivers big hits on a consistent basis.
On Tuesday night (September 14) at Yankee Stadium, the Brooklyn rapper closed out the fourth of his and Eminem's Home and Home shows (two in Detroit, two in the Bronx) with a performance that would make A-Rod envious.
"Break a record in this bitch, Hov," he rapped during a freestyle right after the opening number, the intro to his The Dynasty: Roc La Familia album. "Hit them with that BALCO."
The Roc Nation head, however, wouldn't need any performance-enhancing substances to give him an extra boost on this night. He confidently cruised through 90 minutes of material; Jay-Z was just as cool as the fall night.
Kanye West quickly arrived onstage two songs into the show for a mini-set of his own, riding shotgun with Hov on the "Power" remix and "Monster."
Jay-Z grabbed the crowd's attention again minutes later with an anecdote about his exit from the venue the night before. The legendary MC said on the way out after Monday's performance he ran into rap pioneer Kool Herc. Jay said he asked Herc to join him for Tuesday night's festivities, thanking Herc for creating hip-hop culture. "We wouldn't be here without you," he said.
"You ready for me to get out of here yet?" 'Ye asked Hov, bringing it back to the present.
"Not yet, we going all the way tonight," Jay-Z responded.
The Chicago star then burst into his "Good Life."
Next, Swizz Beatz joined Jay for "On to the Next One" before Eminem and the iconic lyricist traded verses on their collabo "Renegade." Eminem was agile onstage next to Jay-Z and appeared in arguably the best shape of his career.
"Go to war with the Mormons/ Take a bath with the Catholics," Em rapped. "In holy water/ No wonder they try to hold me under longer/ I'm a mother----in' spiteful, delightful, eyeful/ The new Ice Cube, mother----ers hate to like you."
Earlier in the evening, Eminem brought the capacity crowd to its feet by bringing out 50 Cent, who then brought out G-Unit's Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo with him. The trio from Queens sported glow-in-the-dark gear as the lights cut out during 50's performance of "I Get Money." Later, Fif ceded the stage to Em, and the Detroit superstar brought out Dr. Dre.
The hulking producer treated the crowd to "Still D.R.E." and "Nuthin' but a G Thang" sans Snoop Dogg; Eminem, though, filled in admirably for the Long Beach lyricist.
D-12 also took the stage during Em's set; the group dedicated their hit "My Band" to their fallen friend Proof.
The outfield was filled with fans, and their phones made the grounds look like a Lite-Brite as the screens lit up the stadium.
Jay-Z shouted out hip-hop's fallen heroes during his performance. He picked up Pimp C's "Big Pimpin' " verse a cappella and later ordered the DJ to play the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" and "One More Chance."
The show was smooth, but not without any hiccups. Drake delivered a stirring version of his "Light Up" with Jay-Z; the Toronto star sported a Blueprint 3-designed Yankees fitted cap to pay homage to Hov. "Welcome to the stage a man that's been getting busy as of late," Jay told the audience. "He goes by the name Drizzy Drake."
But minutes later, Drake stumbled through his and Nicki Minaj's "Up All Night." Hov offered a mulligan to Drake and later a olive branch when he told the crowd during his final song that he may have to offer the Young Money rapper a "free verse" to make up for messing up his sound.
Although Jay's most memorable performance involved his guest stars (Beyoncé also joined him, as did Nicki Minaj), this time it was a familiar face that helped him with the most moving part of the show. Memphis Bleek and Jay-Z ran through a series of the latter's past numbers as an encore.
"I got a million of these," Jay repeated twice, as he introduced songs ranging from "Jigga My N---a," "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and "Where I'm From."
"For anyone that hasn't been down since Reasonable Doubt," Jay-Z told the crowd shortly after midnight, "you can head to the [exit]."
If you were at the Home and Home shows, share your reviews in the comments!
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Lady Gaga Vs. Eminem At VMAs: Ke$ha Weighs In
Ke$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."
Regarding her take on the evening's biggest prize, Video of the Year, the "Tik Tok" singer was torn between VMA-nomination dominators Lady Gaga and Eminem.
"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.
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Kanye West Fans Aren't Seeing Eye To Eye On 'See Me Now'
Kanye West
Photo: Dominique Charriau/WireImage
Fans agree that Kanye West is back, but they can't seem to agree on how they feel about that. The MC unveiled his latest single, "See Me Now," on Wednesday, and since then, Kanye followers have being going back and forth about whether the track is on fire or a fail.
The song, which features soulful contributions from Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson, is expected to appear on his upcoming untitled album, but, for many, the song takes things back to the MC's debut, College Dropout.
"Wow, it reminds me of College Dropout. Good to hear 'Ye laugh!" Ezekiel wrote on West's Kanye UniverseCity blog.
Bryan C.G. agreed: "This totally feel like your Dropout days. I love it."
Some fans, such as Prolifik, are all about 'Ye reviving the strings-laden throwback soul that kicked off his recording career. "Amazing! Classic flow, classic beats," the fan wrote. "I miss that old College Dropout steez! Welcome back, 'Ye."
" 'Ye is back!!!!" Tiffany wrote. "Hip Hop needs you so much!! You're brilliant."
While lots of online commenters are feeling the song, some of the MC's fans aren't seeing the appeal of "See Me Now." "This song is hot garbage," Luis Ariza declared on West's Facebook page.
The Facebook post announcing the song scored more than 580 "likes" at press time, however, some fans were not on the "See Me Now" bandwagon. "[It's the] first song from Kanye that I have not liked," Ariza wrote.
"This song needs major work," Real Talk proclaimed on West's blog. "I want harder beats and to be able to move my feet."
Chad Jones also chimed in on Facebook: "Not feelin it. Huge Kanye fan and love the evolution in his music but the track is wack. Lyrics are nice but track is wack."
" 'Ye is the man, but this song is WEAK!!!" Wallace Leeth wrote.
Jay Yey Couture thought the G.O.O.D. Music lyricist was upstaged by fellow superstar Beyoncé and undermined by the instrumental. "Kanye will sell this fall, that's for sure. However Beyoncé made this song!!!!!" the fan typed. "Kanye had too much time to come with ... this [weak] beat ... he could have did wayyyyy better."
Yeezy might not have won over all his fans with the single, but he does have the opportunity to redeem himself on the awards-show stage: West will perform at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, which air live September 12 at 9 p.m. The appearance marks his VMA return after a notorious onstage dustup with Taylor Swift, but it appears the rapper is taking the incident in stride. West closes "See Me Now" with the ad lib, "Uncle Charlie, by the way. And I'mma let you finish, but I got Beyoncé on the track."
What do you think of "See Me Now"? 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 September 12 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 September 12.
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Sunday, September 26, 2010
US Open
I took tennis lessons as a kid and then again in college, but I'm not a player. But I knew enough to follow along and the matches were really great. Plus, my friend Lacy and I made the jumbotron! Woot woot!
The US Open takes place in the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which is a complex consisting of a bunch of smaller courts, two midsize ones, and one big one (which is the Arthur Ashe Stadium.) It looks like this:
So while the Men's Singles Semi-Finals were going on in the Arthur Ashe Stadium (which is what I got to see), junior matches were being played on some of the smaller courts.
Of the two matches I saw, Nadal won and Federer lost. I was a little bummed out by that because I like Federer, but the guy who beat him, Novak Djokovic from Serbia, was so excited and it's always nice to see an underdog win. Here he is right after he won yesterday:
And here's a photo of him hitting himself in the head yesterday after losing the third round.
Tennis can be pretty brutal. But anyway, it's really cool because the whole stadium gets really quiet when they play. You can hear their sneakers squeak on the court, you can hear the ball bouncing and hitting the racket, you can hear the players grunt... Our seats were pretty far up but we could still hear every single thing happening. But, man, was it a long day. We watched tennis for eight hours straight.
The final match is this afternoon but I haven's decided who I'm rooting for yet. I like Novak because, even though he's competed in the US Open before (he lost to Federer in 2007), he only has one Grand Slam title and he's clearly the underdog of the match. Plus, he's supposed to be really funny and I like a person with a sense of humor. But I also like Nadal because, even though he's currently ranked number one and holds eight Grand Slam titles, he's never competed in or won the US Open before. If he wins today, he will have a Career Grand Slam.
For those of you who don't know, there are four major "Grand Slam" tennis tournaments every year:
Australian Open - Played on concrete
French Open - Played on clay
Wimbledon - Played on grass
US Open - Played on concrete
Winning any one of these gives you a Grand Slam title. If you win all four at least once during your career, you have a "Career Grand Slam." Federer has won 16 titles and has a Career Grand Slam. Nadal has won eight titles, but never the US Open, so he doesn't have a Career Grand Slam. Novak has won one title.
(Btw, I never thought I'd be giving a sports lesson of any kind on this blog.)
Anywho, 2010 has been a great year for me. First my movie gets made, then I get to go to the US Open... The fact that I'm lucky is not lost on me. I'm so grateful for everything.
Click here to see my photos from the day.
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Rihanna Ties Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Mariah Carey For #1 Pop Songs
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Photo: Troy Rizzo/ Getty Images
Rihanna is making hit songs, breaking records and taking names. The singer is currently tied with a few of her pop comrades for the most #1 songs on the Pop Songs radio airplay chart. She ties with Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey for the most #1's in the Nielsen survey. Rihanna now has six #1's on her résumé thanks to her chart-topping collaboration with Eminem, "Love the Way You Lie," according to Billboard.com.
Rihanna's other #1 songs on the pop chart include 2006's "SOS" (for one week); 2008's "Take a Bow" (for three weeks); 2008's "Disturbia" (three weeks); her late-2008 T.I. collabo "Live Your Life" (two weeks); and this year's "Rude Boy" (two weeks). "Love the Way You Lie" has been on top for one week so far.
Earlier this year Beyoncé and Lady Gaga tied Mariah Carey for six #1 pop songs with their collaboration, "Telephone." Carey had six songs hit #1 on the Hot 100 before the Pop Songs chart was created in 1993, and then six others since its creation. Meanwhile, Beyoncé collected hers from 2003 to 2010. Gaga was the fastest to tie the record, with all six released from 2009-2010.
Avril Lavigne, Pink, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake all come in a close second with five #1 pop songs in their careers.
Rihanna had fans talking last week when the video for "Love the Way You Lie" was released. The singer, who was assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009, appears in the video that depicts a violent love affair between Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox.
How do you think Rihanna compares to the other women at the top of the pop chart? Sound off in the comments.
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Lady Gaga and Luc Carl: NYC Lovers
Clad in a black leotard with a black jacket, the "Poker Face" singer and her man grabbed a morning coffee before visiting a local sporting goods store and chowing down on an early lunch at Rogue Bar and Restaurant.
The previous day, Gaga joined her beau and mother, Cynthia Germanotta, as the trio paid a visit to the Lincoln Park Renaissance nursing home.
In related news, collaborator RedOne recently dished about Lady's upcoming musical endeavors, telling MTV News, "I think that this album that she's making is too precious to talk about. When it comes out you'll hear and you'll make your choice."
He adds, "I think you're gonna love it. But I think it's too precious for me to talk about it. It's crazy."
Chris Brown's BET Awards MJ Tribute Was 'Spectacular,' Jermaine Jackson Says
Chris Brown performs during the 2010 BET Awards on Sunday
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images
Chris Brown wasn't the only one getting misty-eyed at Sunday night's BET Awards during his tribute to Michael Jackson. The King of Pop's older brother, Jermaine, told "Extra" that he was also overcome with emotion during the dance routine, in which Brown paid homage to some of MJ's most famous moves and then attempted to sing "Man in the Mirror" before being overcome with emotion and weeping onstage.
"To see [Chris'] performance, it was very emotional for me, because it was an acceptance from his fans from what has happened to him and also paying tribute to my brother," Jermaine said. "It was just a spectacular moment."
Fans and critics have been split on the performance, which some saw as the bursting of an emotional dam for the singer, making his first major public appearance since he pleaded guilty to felony assault in his assault of former girlfriend Rihanna last June. Others speculated that Brown may have manufactured the tears to gain sympathy from fans who abandoned him in the wake of the Rihanna attack.
Jermaine Jackson said he thought Brown — a longtime devotee of Michael's and, at one point, considered a modern heir to the R&B throne — had every right to pay homage to his brother. "He deserves to perform, because it's healing for him," Jermaine said. "How can he learn from his mistakes if you don't give him a chance? He needs that. I love Rihanna, and I'm not supporting what he did, but I support him [as a singer] 100 percent. ... I'm just very emotional just knowing what has happened. Chris Brown is a human being, and we all make mistakes. We can't condemn him for what has happened. We hope he has learned from it."
Brown hasn't made any public statements since the BET performance, but on Monday, he did tweet, "My fans are my world," a follow-up to a message earlier in the day when he wrote, "I Love you ... (ever single one of #teambreezy)."
What did you think of Chris Brown's emotional performance? Let us know in the comments.
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Saturday, September 25, 2010
'Eastbound & Down' Team Reveals What To Expect From Season Two
Danny McBride
Photo: MTV News
LOS ANGELES — Well, "Eastbound & Down" fans, your wait is almost over. HBO's outrageous, irreverent comedy is back for a second season beginning Sunday, complete with Marilyn Manson's obsession and cameo bid. Kenny Powers has fled North Carolina for the comforts of a small town in Mexico, where he's joined by familiar faces and new ones.
MTV News hit up the show's Mexican fiesta-themed premiere recently to find out what this new season is all about.
"He's got a new haircut, as we can see," creator/writer/director Jody Hill said of Kenny Powers' cornrows. "He's in Mexico. There's a whole new group of characters, so all the people you knew in the first season, we've kind of wiped the slate clean and started fresh."
"I play his neighbor," "Eastbound & Down" newbie Efren Ramirez said. "And in the second season, I play the straight guy wrapped around all these character actors, and that's a good thing, because I'm always playing all the character roles," he explained (i.e. Pedro of "Napoleon Dynamite" fame) and this is finally something completely and totally different."
Actor Michael Peña filled one of those character roles, as wacky local ball club owner Sebastian Cisneros. "I play the owner of a baseball team who might be like a little bit rich, especially for Mexico standards," Peña said, but wouldn't reveal whether his character was a good guy or bad.
So why send Kenny to Mexico?
"He's a disaster wherever he goes," Hill admitted. "We figured that having him come back home [in the first season] was the lowest he could go, but in movies or westerns, the outlaws always run off to Mexico when they're trying to escape the law or run, so we figured that would be a perfect place for Kenny," Hill explained. "Seeing as how he sees himself as a guy in a western movie, like a cowboy."
From Danny McBride's perspective, his character Kenny's trouble all boils down to a familiar burden: women. Specifically, Powers learns he might be an "ass man" and not a "breast man" like he previously thought.
"Kenny this season is at a moral dilemma," McBride revealed. "He thought his whole life he was a boob man, but now he's realizing in Mexico that he might be an ass man."
The lovely lady who stirs up this controversy is Ana de la Reguera, who plays Kenny's new love interest Vida. "He gets really confused," Reguera said. "Because I have certain parts of my body that [hometown love] April doesn't have and reverse. He gets really confused."
McBride broke it down with a simple food analogy: "Sometimes you think you don't like tomatoes, and then you try one and suddenly you like tomatoes," he explained. "It happens to all of us."
What are you expecting from the new season of "Eastbound & Down"? Let us know in the comments!
Katy Perry Stands By Her Man
And here's what Katy had to say on twitter about the incident:
If you cross the line & try an put a lens up my dress, my fianc� will do his job & protect me. #standbyyourman #don'tf**kwiththeBrands.
If it's true that the paparazzo was trying to get a picture under Katy's skirt, then the paparazzo is the one who should've been arrested! Talk about crossing the line. And I've heard of paparazzi trying to do that, so it doesn't sound so improbable to me.
Hopefully this will be resolved without too much fuss.
Photos by WENN.com
'Wall Street 2' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know
Michael Douglas in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"
Photo: 20th Century Fox
In the fall of 2008, a few weeks after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and Washington Mutual collapsed — and the tenor of the U.S. financial crisis turned from panicky to nearly apocalyptic — Fox gave the go-ahead for "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."
Hooray for capitalism! There's always room for shareholders to profit from even the most dismal economic news. Two years later, with the country still shackled by high unemployment and out-of-control debt, "Wall Street 2" bullied its way into theaters Friday (September 24). The Oliver Stone-directed film arrives nearly 23 years after the Oscar-winning original. The first film also opened in the shadow of financial uncertainty, just a few months after the stock-market crash known as Black Monday. Now, as then, the timing is right for a story about greed.
Michael Douglas returns as Wall Street mover-and-shaker Gordon Gekko, fresh off a jail sentence and determined, at least initially, to expose his industry's borderline criminal excesses. Gekko is set, as well, on repairing his relationship with his daughter (Carey Mulligan), a quest that brings him into an alliance with a young trader named Jacob (Shia LaBeouf). Throughout the film, we get both MBA-level corporate discourse and you-abandoned-me familial hurt feelings.
You needn't know the first thing about a credit default swap, though, before you head to the cinema. MTV News has been betting big on this movie for years, and now we're ready to collect — and share our profits with you: Enjoy our "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" cheat sheet.
Returning to the "Street"
Fox had been developing a "Wall Street" sequel since 2007, when the economy first began its downward spiral. A green light only came in October of '08, amid those bankruptcies and bank failures. Allan Loeb ("21") was tapped to pen the script, and Douglas was reportedly interested in reprising his iconic role.
But in February, Stone told MTV News he had dropped out of the project. "I didn't want to do another 'Wall Street' movie. I think everything I had to say came through," he told us. "I'm just not interested because it's so complex now. I don't think people can understand security derivatives."
By April, however, Stone had changed his mind. He was said to be blown away by Loeb's script and jumped at the chance to helm the sequel. It probably didn't hurt, as well, that Douglas appeared likely to return and that LaBeouf was in negotiations to join up. Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon and Frank Langella eventually signed on as well.
Getting Down to Business
Shooting kicked off in fall 2009, and we got our first look at Douglas and LaBeouf on set in October: the elder statesman rocking a casual-Friday look, the young buck in some designer duds. Charlie Sheen, who starred in the original, agreed to appear in a cameo for the new flick. "He came in. It was fun for a day. It was good to see him again," Douglas told us later.
The trailer dropped in January, giving us a grizzled, post-jail Gekko, copious shots of the go-go-go Wall Street and the supposition that greed, once good, has become legal. The movie debuted in May at the Cannes Film Festival.
Letting the Bulls Loose
As the release date approached, we got an opportunity to chat with the cast in New York and at the Toronto International Film Festival.
What convinced Stone to return for the sequel, he told us, was the chance to create "a completely new Gekko" and to dramatize an economic crisis he called "a heart attack, a real triple bypass to capitalism."
LaBeouf, meanwhile, was pulled in by the opportunity to work with Stone, whom he dubbed "the most dangerous filmmaker alive" in the 1980s and '90s. Plus, the actor views Gekko as even more compelling than key characters in two of his other starring franchises: Optimus Prime of "Transformers" and Indiana Jones.
"He's got more bite, he's more dangerous, he's the most dangerous of the three," LaBeouf said. "Also the most interesting, I think. There's something in how tangible and visceral it is. Whereas the other films are fantasy films where the suspension of disbelief is necessary for you to get into the movie. This isn't that. It's a very tangible world, and you're living in the midst of the twilight of American economic dominance."
Check out everything we've got on "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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Usher Comes Back For His Crown: A VMA Cheat Sheet
Usher
Photo: Brad Barket/ Getty Images
Usher has reigned as Pop & B royalty since he hit the scene as a teen crooner in the '90s. Back when his 16-year-old protégé, Justin Bieber, was still a toddler, the ATL singer was making the ladies faint with hits like "You Make Me Wanna" and "Nice & Slow." But his early success was just a prelude to the music-world domination he's achieved with club bangers and deeply personal slow jams in the years since.
Usher's divorce from Tameka Foster was the latest personal development to fueled his 2010 chart-topping album Raymond v. Raymond. Now the singer is set to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, and his smash "OMG" will battle it out for a Moonman in three categories: Best Male Video, Best Dance Video and Best Choreography. Here's a look at how the singer's recent success has steered him toward VMA accolades:
Following the release of the divorce-themed "Papers," his more upbeat video "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" premiered in January 2010. The clip followed the romantic superstar as he tried to juggle the demands of his professional and personal life.
In March, Usher talked to MTV News about incorporating that balance into Raymond Vs. Raymond. "I think this is the one time where I'm able to put it all in, emotionally and the good times — super-freaky and then also super-emotional."
So, it wasn't a big surprise that when Raymond Vs. Raymond finally landed on shelves after several delays, it landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 300,000 scans during its first week.
He went from romantic to racy, busting out his signature, fluid, hip-swiveling moves in the video for "Lil Freak," featuring Nicki Minaj. The star didn't hold back in the visuals or the lyrics, which both detail a freaky rendezvous with some very game ladies. Usher revealed that this track, like many of his other hits, was inspired by real-life experiences.
The club anthem "OMG" featured Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am and revealed the R&B kingpin's more club-friendly side. The accompanying video showcased Usher's easy swagger and ever-sharp dance skills.
Raymond was such a hit that in August the singer released Versus, an extension of the smash album featuring songs like the Jay-Z collabo "Hot Tottie."
Usher, who has a history of tearing up the VMA stage, will return to the main event this year. He recently reminded his fans that live television paired with his onstage wizardry can result in some seriously unforgettable moments. "You never know what's gonna happen on an MTV VMA stage," he said. "I look forward to making it a night to remember."
The star has also made one of the most savvy moves in recent pop music history by signing teen phenom Bieber, who has gone on to induce global tween hysteria and set YouTube records.
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 September 12.
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You Can Do It! (Okay, Maybe Not)
But you know, this leads me to something. You want to encourage these kids and be like, "Keep playing your music! You can do it!" But at what point do you tell them they're awful? I mean, the neighborhood is suffering because of the noise. I have my TV turned up all the way to drown them out.
It reminds me of when I played the flute in the fourth grade school band. I thought we were amazing but then we had a concert. Afterward, when I asked my step-dad how we were, he laughed and said, "You sounded like the Charlie Brown school band." I was eight or nine years old at the time, but I was old enough to be told I sucked. I remember not caring. These kids are teenagers... I think it's time someone encouraged them to find another career path because this jam-band thing isn't working out.
(Btw, I couldn't find a clip of the Peanuts gang school band to show you, but you know what I'm talking about, right? They were horrible.)
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Nicki Minaj's 'Right Through Me' Is Huge, Birdman Says
Baby
Photo: MTV News
So far, Nicki Minaj is batting .500 when it comes to her singles. The over-hyped "Massive Attack" faded faster than a narcoleptic, and her tame (by Barbiez standards) "Your Love" landed atop the Billboard Rap Songs chart.
However, Cash Money co-founder Bryan "Birdman/Baby" Williams thinks "Right Through Me," which leaked online Wednesday, will take the Lil Wayne protégé to "another level."
"She's doing it: She's showing that she's skillful," Williams told MTV News about the song, which will arrive October 1. "She's singing, she's representing being a lady, and it's raw. I think it's a huge record on all formats. It's just one of them songs to me."
"Right Through Me," which Williams described as Minaj's first official single, features her rapping in a conversational tone over swaying, synth-heavy production.
"You make me laugh, you make hoarse," she raps. "From yelling at you and getting at you, picking up dishes, throwing them at you/ Why are you speaking, when no one asked you?
"You see right through me," she sings on the chorus. "How do you do that sh--?"
The song is set to appear on her Pink Friday album, set for release November 23. The project is tentatively slated to feature collaborations with Swizz Beatz, Lil Wayne and the Neptunes.
During the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show, Minaj debuted a collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am titled "Check It Out," which may also appear on the album.
What do you think of "Right Through Me"? Share your reviews in the comments!
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Friday, September 24, 2010
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Singer Eddie Fisher Dead at 82
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Facebook Film 'The Social Network' Stars Te
The super-popular website that you just looked at (and will probably check again once you finish reading this) takes front and center in The Social Network, which early reviews are calling the best movie of the year. The film, written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) and directed by David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), is a partly true, partly fictional retelling of the origins of Facebook by two Harvard students -- one of whom would eventually make billions and leave his friend in the dust. It's a pretty daring idea for a movie, and it could have easily been an awful one. So far, everyone seems to think it's terrific -- but will people really line up to see a movie about Facebook?
And The Social Network isn't the only movie that features Facebook. Acclaimed indie documentary Catfish, about a guy who falls in love with a mysterious girl he meets on the site. Keep in mind that Facebook has only existed for six-and-a-half years; it's still new, and no one's sure whether it's going to be around in a few years. Can you imagine if someone had made a movie about Friendster, back when it was the next big thing? By the time the film hit theaters, it would already have been obsolete. The idea of making a MySpace movie, or a Tumblr movie, sounds crazy.
But Facebook is different, in that it changed the way we live very quickly, on a massive scale. All of a sudden, we can be in constant contact with every single person we've ever met (the site now boasts over 500 million active users). High school friends are no longer hard to track down; your favorite novelist or actor may even be just a message-click away. Facebook is something no one could have imagined even a generation ago. And yet, it's real. We're living in the future. And movies love to speculate about the future.
In the '50s, nuclear-mutated monsters, space-travelling aliens, and deadly robots were popping up as villains. In the '80s, Videodrome showed the dark side of VCRs, and in the '90's and '00s it Sandra Bullock vehicle The Net, feardotcom and Pulse made the internet evil. But we can't remember a time before The Social Network when Hollywood has embraced a new technology so quickly -- without turning it into a monster.
So is a Twitter movie next? We wouldn't rule it out. If The Social Network does well, we could start seeing a lot of new movies about people's relationships with the internet. Welcome to the future, everybody!
Do you plan to see The Social Network? Chime in below!
Photos | Family & Friends Say Goodbye To Michael Jackson
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Thursday, September 23, 2010
Shia LaBeouf: Oliver Stone is a "10 Out Of 10"
The ?Transformers? stud teamed up with Stone for the filming of ?Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps? and recently opened up about the talented director.
For starters, Shia admitted that Stone is ?out of 10, he?s a 10.?
LaBeouf continued to tell MTV News, "In the '80s and '90s, [Oliver Stone] was the most dangerous filmmaker alive. It's wild. His maturation has softened him now, but at least in the movies that are in that box set, you not only [get] entertainment, but you also get outrageous information. There's an education process. How many directors do you know have college courses based on them in film schools? It says something about him."
The highly-anticipated ?Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps? hits theatres this Friday (September 24).
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Lindsay Lohan Nominated For New Brat Pack By 'Breakfast Club' Cast
Molly Ringwald
Photo: MTV News
In February of 1985, the young hot-shot actors soon to be dubbed the Brat Pack assembled in Los Angeles for the premiere of their brand-new flick, "The Breakfast Club." A then-16-year-old Molly Ringwald settled into her seat with an eye on heading home to do homework afterward. Meanwhile, Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez where nowhere to be seen.
"Emilio and I were in the bathroom throwing up from sheer nerves," Nelson recalled. "It was already playing and we walked out like, 'We can't watch this!' We knew it was a great script, but you don't know if the public will think that way."
Just over 25 years later, a considerably less nervous Nelson gathered with his cohorts to celebrate the film's silver anniversary and to honor the memory of Hughes, who passed away in August 2009 at the age of 59. And as the cast (minus Estevez) walked the red carpet outside the Paris Theatre in New York, they spoke to MTV News about which young actors have taken over the pop culture mantle of the Brat Pack.
"I have to say Lindsay Lohan is a really, really talented actress, and my heart goes out to her," Ringwald told us. "I really wish the press would lay off of her and that somebody would step up and really help her."
"Lindsay Lohan!" seconded Ally Sheedy, before adding, "There are all the cool 'Harry Potter' kids!"
Hughes became inextricably bound up with the Brat Pack back in the day, writing and directing films like "Sixteen Candles," "Pretty in Pink" and, of course, "Breakfast Club." Anthony Michael Hall, who first collaborated with Hughes for 1983's "Vacation," noted how a new generation of directors has risen up after Hughes to address similar issues of alienation and slackerdom.
"Judd Apatow does great work. Kevin Smith does great work," he said. "In terms of the young talent in the industry today, I salute them. The world has changed so much, and it's more competitive than ever."
For his part, Nelson remains wary, even 25 years later, of the Brat Pack label. "I hope that no one gets that mantle put on them," he said. "I'm not a fan of that term. I think people look back on that term in a cuddly way, but I still think it's reprehensible. I hope that no one is painted with such a broad brush."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Chris Brown Melts Down During BET Awards Michael Jackson Tribute
Chris Brown at the 2010 BET Awards
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images
When Jamie Foxx, Ne-Yo and New Edition were performing tributes to Michael Jackson during last year's BET Awards show, Chris Brown was nowhere to be found, even though many felt he was an obvious choice to honor the fallen legend. Brown's assault on Rihanna several months earlier presumably kept him out of the show.
On Sunday night (June 27), Brown finally got his chance to publicly honor the man he idolized -- and while his dancing was flawless, when the time came for him to sing, he simply fell apart.
After being introduced by Jermaine Jackson, Brown beautifully channeled Michael as he danced to "Remember the Time," "Smooth Criminal" and "Billie Jean." Yet when he grabbed a mic to sing "Man in the Mirror," he choked up, visibly weeping.
"I'm gonna make a change for once in my ..." Brown's voice trailed off. He was out of breath and sounded hoarse. Tears stained his cheeks as he paced the stage, holding the microphone by his side. "This ... wind is blowing my ... Who am I to..." He clearly knew the lyrics but they failed to come out.
Brown faded in and out of the song, closing his eyes, grimacing, trying to soldier on. Whether it was the emotion of the moment or the past 16 months, Brown struggled and failed to find his voice, even though the pre-recorded backing vocals played on.
Finally, he gave up, raised a bandaged finger to the sky and fell to his knees as Michael Jackson's voice could be heard saying, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror." The camera cut from Brown to an audience member who clearly uttered "Oh my God," in shock.
The audience loudly sang the words that Brown could not. Their aid seemed to move Brown to rise from his knees and mouth the words along with Jackson's voice, while gesturing along with the mic as tears rolled down his face. In the audience, actress Taraji P. Henson could be seen mouthing, "That's all right baby," as Brown walked offstage to Jermaine Jackson, who moved to console him.
Brown's emotional performance echoed through the rest of the show. When Niecy Nash came onstage to present the Video of the Year award, she said, "When Chris Brown started crying I got choked up."
Backstage, "a lot of folks were getting misty-eyed, understanding that he was overwhelmed with emotion," BET publicist Zabrina Horton said. "Me, personally, I think 'Man in the Mirror' was great for him to do because I'm sure he still feels bad about Rihanna and wants to be forgiven. He has to make that change himself for himself and he knows that."
Later in the show, when accepting the AOL Fandemonium prize, which measures an artist's "online and mobile fan power," Brown spoke briefly.
"I didn't really prepare a speech because I didn't really think I was gonna be backstage," he said. "But bottom line, I couldn't never do this without my fans. Team Breezy, all the support I've been getting from day one.
"I just wanna say one thing,' he concluded. "I let y'all down before but I won't do it again, I promise. I love y'all, good night."
What did you think of Chris Brown's Michael Jackson tribute at the BET Awards? Let us know in the comments below.
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30 Seconds To Mars, Ke$ha Plan Big VMA Arrivals
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Photo: Myriam Santos/ Kayda
For much of the past decade, the MTV Video Music Awards has really been two shows: The one where they hand out the Moonmen, and the one that occurs on the red carpet, where the stars try their very best to outdo each other with over-the-top arrivals.
From yachts to 18-wheel trucks, elephants to horse-drawn carriages, how you arrive at the VMAs has become just as important as whether you take home an award. As you can probably imagine, sometimes, things get a little crazy.
"Usually, artists don't let us know [how they're arriving] until the last minute, which makes things interesting," Video Music Awards Pre-Show executive producer Ryan Kroft told MTV News. "A lot of times, they'll want to do things like land a hot-air balloon on the carpet, or drive a car down the carpet, but generally, the fire marshal frowns on those kinds of things, so we have to tell them 'no.' "
Still, there are plenty of ideas that do get the green light, and they're just as epic as the stars that thought them up. And this year's VMA arrivals are no different, though for aesthetic reasons, they're slightly scaled back.
"In New York, we had stars arriving on a fire truck, a double-decker bus, but that wouldn't play this year," Kroft said. "The carpet is designed to look like the stars are arriving at a Hollywood Hills mansion — white, chrome, glass — so having someone arrive with a marching band would seem somewhat out of place."
But there are big arrivals nonetheless: One of the biggest involves 30 Seconds to Mars, who have already started touting their entrance as being thoroughly crazy.
"30 Seconds to Mars are recreating a scene from their 'Kings and Queens' video," Kroft explained. "They'll have an army of bicyclists arriving with them, and they'll be riding bikes themselves. Most of the bicyclists are from the video."
Going equally big is Ke$ha, who has a few surprises ready for the VMA carpet. We don't want to give it all away, but here's what we can reveal: "Ke$ha has big plans for the carpet. I can't talk about all of them, but she is arriving in a Delorean, which she got herself," Kroft said. "It'll be like 'Back to the Future.' "
And, in keeping with grand tradition, there are still plenty of stars who haven't said how they're going to be arriving — Jay Sean is planning something "big and sexy," Soulja Boy Tell'em has some swaggadocious plans in the works, and Bruno Mars is still plotting, too — and then, there's Lady Gaga, who ... well, you never know what she'll do.
"We still don't know what some people are doing," Kroft laughed. "The only way you'll know is to tune in to the VMA Pre-Show and watch."
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/PT. 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.
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Michael Jackson - Thriller (Long Vers.)
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Linkin Park Burn Like A Thousand Suns Atop Billboard
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Photo: Warner Bros.
It was close, but Linkin Park managed to burn a bit brighter than Trey Songz on the Billboard 200, earning their latest, A Thousand Suns, the #1 spot on next week's chart thanks to sales of 241,000 and a boost from a thrilling VMA performance. According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, the Rick Rubin-produced Suns outpaced Songz's Passion, Pain & Pleasure by just over 1,000 copies, with the R&B lover man's fourth CD sliding in right behind at #2 on sales of 240,000.
Both discs far outpaced the handful of other debuts in the top 10, which also include bearded country outlaw Jamey Johnson's two-disc Guitar Song (#4, 63,000), former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant's rootsy Band of Joy (#5, 49,000) and the indie label debut of Weezer, whose Hurley comes in at #6 thanks to 45,000 units moved.
Also debuting in the top 10 at #8 is the first solo album from Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, Flamingo, which sold 41,000 copies.
The usual suspects make up the rest of the top 10, with Eminem seemingly getting a post-VMA boost as sales ticked up 10 percent for his Recovery. The 89,000 copies sold land him at #3 and push Slim Shady just shy of the 2.6 million mark, making Em less than 40,000 copies shy of taking the 2010 sales championship crown from Lady Antebellum. Also holding in the top 10 are the NOW 35 compilation (#7, 41,000), Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (#9, 40,000) and Justin Bieber's My World 2.0 (#10, 36,000).
It was a brief stay in the top 10 for singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles, whose Kaleidoscope Heart tumbles 11 spots in week two to land at #12 as sales dropped off by 69 percent to 28,000.
One act that undoubtedly got the VMA bump was England's Florence and the Machine, with Lungs rocketing up 30 spots to #14 as sales picked up by 165 percent to 21,000 following the band's thrilling performance at the MTV awards show. Drake, Lady Gaga and Usher also saw modest post-VMA sales gains.
Godsmack singer Sully Erna makes it to #24 with his solo album, Avalon (14,000), and moody rockers the Walkmen are just behind at #27 with Lisbon (13,000). Psychedelic collective Of Montreal hit #34 with False Priest (11,000). Much further down the line, reunited indie legends Superchunk scared up nearly 6,000 buyers for their first studio album in nine years, Majesty Shredding (#85).
Linkin Park did their thing on the iTunes charts as well, taking the top spot, followed by Songz, Eminem, Johnson, Flowers, the online-only release of the latest Kings of Leon album, Come Around Sundown (#6), Bareilles, Florence and the Machine, Weezer and Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More.
Though iTunes does not release sales data, you can be sure Rihanna was celebrating her latest chart topper on the site's singles chart with the Doritos-ad jingle "Only Girl (In the World)," which pushes Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" down to #2. There was little movement on the chart, with Usher hanging around at #3 with "DJ Got Us Fallin'
in Love," followed by Perry's "Teenage Dream," Nelly's "Just a Dream," Far East Movement's "Like a G6," Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie," Flo Rida's "Club Can't Handle Me," Taio Cruz's "Dyamite" and Enrique Iglesias' fist-pumping "I Like It."
There will undoubtedly be more shuffling at the top of the Billboard chart next week with new albums from Maroon 5, Selena Gomez, John Legend and the Roots, the Zac Brown Band and Santana.
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