Friday, December 31, 2010

'Little Fockers' Director On Sequel

'It's funny because the end has kind of a setup for a sequel,' Paul Weitz says.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Eric Ditzian


Ben Stiller in "Little Fockers"
Photo: Universal Studios/DW Studios

As the "Fockers" franchise has been wont to do throughout its 10-year run, the third installment in the highly successful franchise, "Little Fockers," brought in major box-office dollars once again during its opening weekend. This more than proves that it doesn't matter that audiences had to wait six years between "Meet the Fockers" and the latest film: They like to see Robert DeNiro get silly with Ben Stiller. And Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, for that matter.

Given the success of "Little Fockers," the next question on inquiring minds is, "When are they shooting a sequel?" When we caught up with director Paul Weitz recently during the press tour for "Fockers," we asked him what talk he'd heard about a potential fourth film.

"There's been none with me," Weitz said, indicating that this directorial romp with the "Fockers" will be his one and only. "I would be the first in line to buy a ticket [to the fourth film]," he said.

But even though it sounds like Weitz won't be involved in moving the Fockers forward, he had a pretty good idea of why people think there might be one planned.

"It's funny because the end has kind of a setup for a sequel [minor spoiler alert ahead!], where they say 'We're buying the house two doors down' " Weitz said. "Which was really a last-second thought by [screenwriter] John Hamburg. It wasn't sort of a calculated 'Alright, what's the sequel going to be,' " he explained. "But it does seem like a good setup for a sequel!"

Would you like to see another "Fockers" film? Tell us in the comments.

Check out everything we've got on "Little Fockers."

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

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654901/20101223/story.jhtml

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Beyonce Laughs Off Heat Commercial Controversy

'It upped my sales,' she tells 'The View' after her perfume ad was banned in the U.K.
By Jocelyn Vena


Beyoncé in her ad for Heat
Photo: Coty UK

Beyoncé caused a bit of controversy last week with her red-hot commercial for her latest fragrance, Heat. The ad was banned from daytime rotation in the U.K. thanks to its steamy images of Beyoncé. When the singer and her mom, Tina Knowles, stopped by "The View" on Monday (November 22), she seemed happy about the outcome.

"I think it was very good, because a lot of people went and watched the commercial," she said. "And it upped my sales."

Beyoncé not only had a good-natured laugh about the response to her ad, but she also poked fun at her ever-present wind machine, explaining why she seems to always have one on hand during her performances. "Where's the wind coming from? It started out only [to stay cool], and then it kind of created this effect with my hair," she explained. "You can only imagine, the show is two and a half hours. It's really, really warm onstage."

While B didn't dish about life with her hubby, Jay-Z, she did reveal that she's a bit messy at home, despite being so together when she hits the red carpet. "Well, I think because I work really hard," she said. "When I'm home, I don't want to think about it."

Beyoncé seemed a bit more comfortable when it came to giving a shout-out to Jay-Z for making an appearance on her concert special, "I Am ... World Tour," which premieres on Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC. She recounted how Hova surprised the audience by joining her onstage in Rio de Janeiro. "We talked about it; we knew he was in town," she said. "Kanye, as well. He was in town that night."

Have you checked out B's banned perfume ad? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652828/20101122/knowles_beyonce.jhtml

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Jared Leto Braves The Cold In SoCal

When last we saw 30 Seconds to Mars frontman (and sometimes actor) Jared Leto he was out and about on the streets of London, England rockin’ some pretty seriously blue hair. Today we get to see Jared back home here in SoCal braving the chilly LA weather so that he can do some shopping for [...]

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Beyonce's Mom Says Daughter's Style Has Always Been 'Edgy'

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


Beyoncé
Photo: Paul Warner/ WireImage

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

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

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

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

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653216/20101130/knowles_beyonce.jhtml

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Photos | Performances At The 10th Annual BMI Urban Awards

Performances At The 10th Annual BMI Urban Awards

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Watch: Kanye West, ?Monster?

An unfinished version of Kanye West‘s latest music video for his new single Monster has leaked its way to the Internets. The clip, which is making the rounds today, features guest appearances by Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj … and a slew of dead models. Because the clip is unfinished, there are still scenes in the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/sCJSbGLtDnc/

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Usher, Ke$ha And More Help Dance Music Go Pop In 2010

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


Ke$ha
Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655031/20101228/usher.jhtml

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BeatCrave?s 2010 New Year?s Playlist

Of all the famous party days of the year–Mardi Gras, Fourth of July, Election Day (sometimes)–New Year’s Eve is one of the best. It’s a time when you can promise yourself that you’ll be optimistic about the future and forget about whatever bothered you in the previous year. If you party hard enough, you’ll at [...]

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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Demi Lovato Will Not Star In 'The Avengers'

Disney starlet was rumored to be up for a role in the all-star superhero film.
By James Dinh


Demi Lovato
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for PCA

Demi Lovato still has her 2011 touring plan, but one gig the teen sensation doesn't have on her agenda is a starring role in "The Avengers." Contrary to reports, the 18-year-old singer/actress will not be featured in the film about a team of Marvel superheroes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

THR reports that sources inside Lovato's and Marvel's camps are "denying across the board" that the "Camp Rock" star is involved in any way in the all-star comic book adaptation, which is tentatively due in 2012. Part of the difficulty in hiring the actress is that the Joss Whedon-directed film will begin shooting in spring 2011 and the starlet is still undergoing her medical treatment for "emotional and physical issues."

Despite the circulating Lovato rumor, Marvel may still be on the lookout for another female actress to join the male-heavy cast. As of now, "The Avengers" superhero lineup includes Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Samuel Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor).

Things have been looking up for the "Sonny With a Chance" star. Not only did the songstress come to an agreement with dancer Alex Welch, whom she allegedly punched before leaving her joint tour with the Jonas Brothers, but the Disney star was also able to spend some time with her family on Christmas Day. She was spotted with her family on the holiday getting food near her treatment facility in Woodridge, Illinois.

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies -- updated around the clock -- visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655041/20101229/lovato__demi.jhtml

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Chris Cornell Filling In For Robert Plant On Led Zeppelin Tour? That's News To Him

'I have not been approached to fill in for Robert Plant on the Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be,' singer says.
By Chris Harris


Chris Cornell
Photo: MTV News

Former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell has spoken out for the first time about rumors that he's been asked to fill in for Robert Plant on a proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The trek would feature original guitarist Jimmy Page, original bassist John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham taking over on drums for his late father, John Bonham.

Cornell has been mentioned — along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, White Stripes mastermind Jack White and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy — as a potential Plant fill-in. Plant has already said that he wouldn't take part in the tour.

"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Cornell told MTV News. "I've heard that from about 200 people now, and it might be one of those situations where it's just an online rumor or it might be true. But if you see anyone from Led Zeppelin around, let me know. I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss tour."

Cornell's denial comes just a day after Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford confirmed reports that frontman Steven Tyler recently met with Zeppelin for an impromptu jam session. "They did it for fun," Whitford said during an appearance on the syndicated show "Todd N Tyler Radio Empire." "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because I think he was trying to light a fire under Robert."

Rumors of a Zeppelin reunion tour have abounded since the iconic band played a single reunion set last year at London's O2 Arena. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider added fuel to the fire last month when he revealed that the group was thinking of touring, with or without Plant.

According to Snider, the rest of the band told Plant, " 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid [Myles Kennedy].' "

"And he can sing the sh-- out of Zeppelin," Snider added. "They're going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in."

In a recent interview, Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought to take over for Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he said. "We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there."

But Jones insists that he, Page and Bonham aren't interested in finding a Plant clone. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be onboard."

Of course, even if Zeppelin were to approach him, Cornell might be too busy to take over vocals for the band. His upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, will be released within the next few months. Cornell told MTV News last month that some of his fans might consider Scream something of a departure, but he doesn't see it that way.

"It makes me happy that there's this perception that I have a group of fans that I'm now sort of throwing a curve at and what their reaction will be," he said. "But I've been in this situation so many times already. When I put out [1999's] Euphoria Morning, my main goal was to create an album that sounded like nothing I'd done in Soundgarden, and I did that. I also had that with Temple of the Dog, where I showed up with songs that weren't necessarily riff-based. And then, of course, the pairing of me and members of Rage Against the Machine had everyone sort of speculating about what that would sound like.

"It feels like I've done this so many times that when it's presented to me as being a departure, I feel that's a misconception," he added. "I feel like that's my theme at this point."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598367/20081031/cornell_chris.jhtml

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Beyonce's Mom Says Daughter's Style Has Always Been 'Edgy'

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


Beyoncé
Photo: Paul Warner/ WireImage

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

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

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

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

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653216/20101130/knowles_beyonce.jhtml

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Is East Coast Blizzard To Blame For Scrooge-Like Christmas Box Office?

Snow isn't the only thing that kept 'Little Fockers' and other films from raking in the bucks.
By Tom DiChiara


Ben Stiller in "Little Fockers"
Photo: Universal Studios/DW Studios

Holiday weekends often equate to big bucks at the box office. And while Christmas weekend doesn't always pack the punch of a Labor Day, Memorial Day or Fourth of July, it has been known to generate its fair share of cash. There are an abundance of revenue-friendly family flicks, Christmas Day movie marathons have become a popular tradition and mall-goers often take a break from hitting up post-holiday sales to catch a film.

But what happens to those Christmas-weekend box-office numbers when almost the entire East Coast, from North Carolina through Maine, is pummeled by a blizzard on December 26? Safe money would bet that B.O. revenues drop as precipitously as 2 feet of snow. And though those numbers probably chilled Hollywood execs to the bone, they weren't just due to the blizzard.

The lackluster $30.8 million take of "Little Fockers" topped the charts for a weekend that was down a whopping 48 percent from last year's Christmas-weekend receipts of $270 million (an all-time record for any weekend, by the way). But a quick look at the numbers suggests that while snowy weather certainly didn't help matters, it was not to blame for the Scrooge-like turnout at the box office.

For starters, Christmas Eve, a notoriously slow movie-going day, fell on a Friday this year, eating into a big slice of the weekend box office. "Fockers" was the day's top-grossing flick with a paltry $4.95 million. By comparison, the movie earned about $7.2 million on both Wednesday (when it opened) and Thursday, and took in $14.6 million and $11.3 million on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. More to the point, "Fockers" saw its box-office haul drop just 23 percent from Christmas Day (Saturday) to Sunday, when the snow hit. That number is in line with normal Saturday to Sunday decreases. Meanwhile, "True Grit" saw its earnings fall a mere 6.5 percent from Saturday to Sunday, while "Tron Legacy" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" dropped only around 1 percent, and "Yogi Bear" and "Tangled" saw their revenues increase over the same two-day period.

Numbers aside, one can't ignore the possibility that the movies in theaters this Christmas simply weren't as appealing to moviegoers as those in previous years. Last year's record-setting weekend was spearheaded by the one-two-three punch of "Avatar," which raked in $75.6 million in its second week of release, "Sherlock Holmes" ($62.4 million) and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" ($48.9 mil).

Though "Little Fockers" had a built-in audience, its 2004 predecessor "Meet the Fockers," which led the B.O. the last time Christmas fell on a Friday, wasn't as well-received as the franchise's first entry, 2000's "Meet the Parents." Combine that with the fact that "Little Fockers" didn't exactly wow critics (it scored only an 11 percent rating on review aggregator RottenTomatoes.com), and it's not hard to see why the threequel failed to snag blockbuster numbers. And, while the Coen brothers' Western "True Grit" rode a wave of critical praise to a second-place finish and an impressive $24.9 million gross (the biggest opening for a Western ever), that wasn't enough to make up for a shallow field of holiday-weekend contenders.

In other words, Mother Nature is off the hook for this one.

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654991/20101228/story.jhtml

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Reese Witherspoon & Jim Toth Are Gettin? Hitched

More good news to pass along today … at least, I think. US Weekly is reporting that Reese Witherspoon and her boyfriend Jim Toth have gotten themselves engaged to be wed! As you may know, Reese and Jim have been dating for about a year since Reese broke up with Jake Gyllenhaal last year. I [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/X5uiVRw6EDU/

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Akon Recalls Meeting Michael Jackson For The First Time

Before recording 'Hold My Hand,' the two spent quality time together.
By James Montgomery


Michael Jackson in the video for "Hold My Hand"
Photo: Sony Music Entertainment

In 2007, long before Michael Jackson's death and everything that proceeded it (including the just-released "Hold My Hand" video and the upcoming Michael album), Akon met with the King of Pop in Las Vegas to work on a batch of songs, then intended for MJ's comeback album.

To date, only two of those songs have ever been released: a remix of Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' " that appeared on the 25th-anniversary edition of the Thriller album, and, of course, "Hold My Hand." And with the Thursday (December 9) premiere of that song's video — and the pending release of Michael — MTV News went back to our August 2009 interview with Akon, to get the inside story of what it was like to work with MJ. And though the two men recorded "days" of music, what Akon remembers most about those sessions was getting to know Michael Jackson, the man.

"My favorite moment was the day we actually met, because I didn't expect him to be that cool," Akon said. "I expected him to be this diva — just hard to deal with, rarely speaks, got to send his message through someone else, you know? Because these are the stories you hear."

But, as Akon quickly learned, Jackson wasn't a diva — quite the opposite, in fact.

"So I'm going upstairs [to meet him], I knock on the door, his bodyguard opens and says, 'OK, he's waiting to meet you.' I walk in, and [Michael's] in this spinning chair, but it's facing backwards," he said. "So I walk in the room, but his back is turned, and the guard says, 'Hey, Mike, Akon's here.' So he spins around, like it was all choreographed — so, off the top, I'm like, 'Oh boy.'

"But as soon as he turns around, gets up, 'Yo, what up, man?!' and I was like, 'What up, Mike?' and he gave me a pound, we hugged each other," he continued. "He's like, 'Yo, I've been waiting to meet you for so long, this is a great honor, thanks for showing up, thanks for making the time.' And in my mind I'm like, 'You know, I should be thanking you for making the time.' "

And though "Hold My Hand" was born out of the sessions that would soon follow, Akon's greatest memory from meeting MJ was that initial meeting, when all his preconceived notions melted away and he got to spend real time with the legend.

"It was the craziest thing, because we sat down, we talked about Africa, we talked about my foundation, we talked about the music, we talked about girls. We had a great, incredible time that day," he said. "He was extremely funny, he told jokes, and he liked to have fun."

What do you think of MJ and Akon's collabo, "Hold My Hand"? Share your reviews in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653929/20101209/jackson_michael.jhtml

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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Aretha Franklin Is Alive, Not Dead

With not much entertainment news happening in the final days of 2010, hey, why not stir things up with a rumor that Aretha Franklin has died?
Well thankfully the Queen of Soul is not dead. Rumors hit the web Monday that Franklin had died of pancreatic cancer, with which she had been diagnosed earlier [...]

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Photos | A 'Today' Show Halloween

A 'Today' Show Halloween

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Beyonce Says She Wants To 'Make My Own Genre Of Music'

Singer is in the studio working on Sasha Fierce follow-up.
By Gil Kaufman


Beyoncé
Photo: Getty Images

Beyoncé doesn't have that much left to prove in her career. She's a megaplatinum artist, an accomplished actress, half of one of the most successful musical couples in history and a fashion icon.

But on the follow-up to her smash 2008 Grammy-winning album I Am ... Sasha Fierce, the singer is aiming to carve an entirely new lane for herself.

"I love to dance, I love to sing, and I'm actually in the studio now writing songs and producing," the singer told "Entertainment Tonight" from the set of a new commercial she's filming for Vizio televisions. "I have a lot of live instruments that I'm putting into the tracks to try to change the sound and make my own genre of music." The commercial will debut on Thanksgiving day, just after the singer rocks prime-time TV with an ABC Thanksgiving special entitled "I Am ... World Tour."

Among the producers and songwriters working with Beyoncé on the new, as-yet-untitled album is Ne-Yo, who helped write one of the 29-year-old singer's biggest hits, "Irreplaceable."

Ne-Yo told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Beyoncé's fourth solo effort is "coming along nicely. I can't speak too much on it, but it's another direction for her, and she's carving out her own niche. ... In a minute nobody will be in Beyoncé's lane. They really can't get in her lane now, but they really can't get in her lane after this album."

In the meantime, producer Jim Jonsin, who produced her song "Sweet Dreams," has also said he has some new directions in mind for Beyoncé. "I'd like to take it even more Depeche Mode-ish, like '80s electro with just some hard drums," he told Rap-Up TV. "I'd love to go there."

That fits with what songwriter Sean "The Pen" Garrett recently told Entertainment Weekly. Garrett, who was behind such hits as "Video Phone," "Diva" and "Upgrade U," said that he was slated to hit the studio with Beyoncé in September and that the results would be hard-hitting.

"I think we are doing a lot of uptempo records for this one," he said. "She's in such a good place right now in life that she is interested in making party music, definitely."

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Justin Bieber Calls Selena Gomez 'An Amazing Person'

'She's really cool,' teen sensation says about his rumored girlfriend.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Justin Bieber attends the "Stuff Bieber's Bus" press conference on Dec. 23 in Atlanta
Photo: Prince Williams/FilmMagic

ATLANTA — As the debate among teen girls rages on about whether Justin Bieber is dating his tourmate, Disney princess Selena Gomez, the megastar teen is confident about one thing: Gomez's awesomeness.

MTV News caught up with the 16-year-old sensation as he got the word out about his holiday toy-collecting campaign, "Stuff Bieber's Bus," in Atlanta on Thursday (December 23), and while he didn't suggest that the two were more than friends, he did gush a little bit about the "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress.

"She's really cool," Bieber said. "She's an amazing person."

The "Baby" singer also commented about the nonstop fan frenzy and media mania that accompany any rumors about who the Biebs is or is not dating, and said that despite his outsize fame, he plans to keep his private life private.

"I think that people are always gonna be interested in my personal life ... but I gotta keep some things to myself," he said of the constant buzz surrounding his relationship with Gomez. "I'm just having fun being a teenager."

Speculation that the fresh-faced duo are more than friends has ramped up ever since the two were spotted hanging out and getting pancakes arm-in-arm. However, Gomez has batted away rumors that she and the "Somebody to Love" crooner are anything more than buddies who occasionally enjoy getting a bite to eat.

"It was pancakes. Who doesn't like pancakes?" Gomez told MTV News earlier this month.

Gomez has also talked about her "brotherly" relationship with Bieber, saying that she tries to keep an eye out for him as he continues to skyrocket toward megastardom.

"I love Justin. When he first started to come over from Canada, his manager contacted me and he just said that he would like to meet me and he was just such a good kid," she told MTV News in February. "And I feel like a big sister now, 'cause I want to protect him. So I'm always very cautious with him, but he is so talented and he's so sweet, so that just started us wanting to work together. Now he's just become one of my good friends."

What do you think of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez's relationship? Let us know in the comments!

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Grammy Hits And Misses: Ke$ha Shut Out, Bruno Mars Cleans Up

Big Boi and Alicia Keys are also left out, but Florence and the Machine and Ray LaMontagne get some much-deserved love.
By Gil Kaufman


Ke$ha
Photo: Kristian Dowling / PictureGroup

What would the annual Grammy nominations announcement be without the next-day quarterbacking and bellyaching about who got dissed and who got just the right amount of Academy love?

While this year's batch of contenders is mostly devoid of the WTF factor of past nomination seasons, when veteran acts such as Steely Dan, Robert Plant and Herbie Hancock sucked most of the air out of the room, there were still plenty of surprises, omissions and flat-out questionable choices to go around.

The one most people were buzzing about Thursday (December 2) was the blank delivered to Ke$ha, who earned a grand total of zero nominations for her debut, Animal, despite launching several hits and earning a major spot in the pop-culture universe in 2010. The snub was even more noticeable because one of her producers, Dr. Luke, was nominated in the producer category and four of the eight songs that earned him that spot were from Ke$ha's debut.

We spoke to Entertainment Weekly music critic Leah Greenblatt about that oversight and many others in this year's nominations. She said the Ke$ha situation was surprising, especially considering the love that the similarly poptastic Katy Perry got for Teenage Dream, which has sold well but, like Animal, was not critically adored upon release.

"But I think it's really cool to see Florence [and the Machine] get that nomination [for Best New Artist], and I think it's awesome that Esperanza Spalding also got nominated [in that category]," she said of the little-known jazz singer who likely sent many people to Google on Wednesday night.

Greenblatt was also excited that raspy-voiced singer Ray LaMontagne snagged a spot in the Song of the Year category for "Beg Steal or Borrow" and another in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category.

"As fogie-ish as the Grammys are, it seems like this year they went more towards a Teen Choice Awards direction with a noticeably younger group of nominees," she said, wondering if it was a conscious decision to try and make the show hipper or if it's a signal of the changing demographic of Grammy voters. "And I think Bruno Mars deserves all of his nominations," she added about the singer/songwriter/producer who scored seven nods. "He only had one hit, but he really shaped popular music this year with the songs he did for Travie McCoy, B.o.B and Cee Lo. He brought so much musicality to R&B and pop. He's making music and playing instruments and he's insanely melodic. He's not just jacking samples."

As for how Eminem ended up with the most nominations at 10, she chalked it up to the "Sandra Bullock factor," speculating that Grammy voters might have just thought it was Marshall Mathers' time to shine again. "He's not universally liked for his sparkling personality, but it seems like it's his time," she said of the rapper, who had the year's best-selling album with Recovery and stormed back with some of the most melodic, accessible music of his decade-plus career. "It almost seemed like he was deemed safe enough for the Grammys this year ... and the album is so incredibly commercial. It's as safe as Eminem gets."

As for who got left off, Greenblatt said she was surprised at the lack of "American Idol" names on the list, with season-eight winner Kris Allen getting shut out and that season's runner-up, Adam Lambert, only getting a bid for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Whataya Want From Me."

And for a song that was one of the best-selling singles of the year, it was surprising that Train's "Hey, Soul Sister," Grammy bait if there ever was, managed only one nod for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals — for a live version of the tune.

There were other glaring omissions to be sure: no love for rappers Rick Ross and Big Boi, just a pair of nominations for last year's big winners Kings of Leon, a shutout for Lady Gaga's smash "Bad Romance" in the Record and Song of the Year categories (it did show up in Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) as well as for B.o.B and Hayley Williams' mega-hit "Airplanes," which scored only a Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals acknowledgment.

Greenblatt was also disappointed that Alicia Keys' The Element of Freedom got blanked, despite the handfuls of Grammys the singer has taken home in the past. And considering its major impact on the pop-culture landscape, "Glee" only got noticed in the Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media category and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for "Don't Stop Believin'," which Greenblatt said may have had something to do with the fact that the songs on the show are covers and not original compositions.

In the end, though, she said this year's Grammys were mostly devoid of the giant head-smacking omissions and inclusions of past years and with the strong recognition to a new generation of singers, another potential sign that the show might be inching in a new direction.

Which artists or albums do you think got too much (or not enough love) this year? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653445/20101202/kesha_.jhtml

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Michael Jackson Producers Defend Posthumous Michael Album

'Michael mentored me so much to where I kind of knew how to complete his sentences,' Theron 'Neff-U' Feemster tells MTV News of picking up where MJ left off.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Steven Roberts


Michael Jackson's <i>Michael</i>
Photo: Epic Records

Michael Jackson's first posthumous album, Michael, has been met with mixed emotions by fans of the King of Pop. Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am lashed out at MJ's estate for commissioning the album, while Akon, a contributor on the project, hailed the effort.

Some of the songwriters and producers behind Michael are simply asking people to give it a chance before making a decision.

"They're gonna love the music, because it speaks for itself," Eddie Cascio, who is credited as a songwriter on "Breaking News," told MTV News. "Michael sounds great. The songs are great. The production sounds great. Teddy Riley did a phenomenal job finishing off the songs. The quality and production are incredible."

Theron "Neff-U" Feemster agreed. The producer had a hand in three of the album's 10 tracks, including "Hollywood Tonight" and standouts "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" and "Best of Joy." Feemster worked with Jackson in the past, as did the majority of the contributors to Michael, which he thinks made the project uniquely authentic despite MJ having little say in the way his tracks were completed.

"It wasn't difficult," Feemster told MTV News of picking up the rough material. "It was like coloring. It was coloring a frame that was already structured. Michael mentored me so much to where I kind of knew how to complete his sentences. I understood the expectations that he wanted. He wanted to be beyond great. He wanted to give the world a gift, something they'd never heard or seen before. So even after his passing, it was great to have a great team of people to work with who also had experience working with Michael. It made it that much easier. Bringing very creative people together and people who understood his integrity and what he wanted as well, it was great."

What do you think of Michael? Share your reviews in the comments.

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'Spider-Man' Musical Director Speaks Out On Injuries

'An accident like this is obviously heartbreaking for our entire team,' Julie Taymor says in statement.
By Terri Schwartz


Julie Taymor
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ WireImage

There's been a lot of negative press about Julie Taymor's Broadway musical "Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark," after a fourth castmember, aerialist and stunt double Christopher Tierney, was injured during a preview performance on Monday. A spokesperson for the show made a statement on Tuesday and the Actors' Equity Association spoke to MTV News about the show's streak of injuries. And now Taymor has commented about the show's continued bad luck.

"An accident like this is obviously heartbreaking for our entire team and, of course, to me personally," Taymor said in her statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I am so thankful that Chris is going to be alright and is in great spirits. Nothing is more important than the safety of our 'Spider-Man' family and we'll continue to do everything in our power to protect the cast and crew."

Tierney's injury spurred the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Actors' Equity Association and New York State Department of Labor to meet with the "Spider-man" company on Tuesday and institute additional safety measures to prevent further injuries. But some other Broadway stars took to their social networking accounts to demand Taymor stop production on the $65 million musical.

"SPIDERMAN SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF ITSELF. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND EMBARRASSING TO WORKING ACTORS EVERYWHERE," Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley tweeted on Tuesday. "DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE? WHERE IS THE LINE FOR THE DECISION MAKERS, I AM CURIOUS."

"Rent" star Adam Pascal took to his Facebook page Tuesday and said, "I have to weigh in on Spiderman. They should put Julie Taymor in jail for assault! I know what it's like to fall and get hurt in front of 2,000 people. It's no fun, but at least it was the one time it happened. I hope whoever was hurt is ok and sues the sh-- out of Julie, Bono, Edge and every other a--hole who invested in that steaming pile of actor crippling sh--!"

Pascal toned down his anger and clarified his comments on Wednesday (December 22): "I think some of you missed the intended humor in my post, although my anger is real, I don't think anyone should sue Bono and the Edge you dummy! Or put Julie Taymor in jail you double dummy. I was making a point."

As of now, "Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark" preview performances are proceeding as planned, and the official Broadway opening date has been pushed back from January 11 to February 7. Wednesday's matinee was the only performance canceled due to Tierney's injury.

Do you think "Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark" should be canceled due to the danger involved? Tell us in the comments.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654847/20101222/story.jhtml

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'Little Fockers' Celebrates At The Holiday Box Office

'Fockers' won a meager first-place prize, while 'True Grit' blasted its way to second place.
By Josh Wigler


Ben Stiller in "Little Fockers"
Photo: Universal Studios/DW Studios

'Tis the season to be jolly, but while the holiday spirit was present in millions of households this past weekend, it wasn't felt with nearly as much fanfare at the movies.

It was a fairly quiet weekend at the box office this holiday season, with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro's "Little Fockers" leading the pack with an estimated $34 million from Friday through Sunday and a five-day total of $48.3 million. But while Jack still has his eye on Greg, few people entered the circle of trust this go-around, as "Fockers," the second sequel to the critically acclaimed "Meet the Parents," failed to match the success of its predecessor "Meet the Fockers," which earned $70.5 million in its first five days in 2004.

Indeed, the second-place showing for "True Grit" was more impressive than the first-place "Fockers" in many respects. For one, the Jeff Bridges-starring Western drew $36.8 million since opening on Wednesday of last week, nearly crushing its entire $38 million production budget in a single session. "True Grit" also marked the single-best opening for any Coen brothers movie to date, easily surpassing the $19.1 million "Burn After Reading" earned in 2008.

"Tron Legacy" remained on the gaming grid this weekend with a third-place finish worth $25.6 million. The movie suffered a steep 54 percent drop from its opening performance last weekend, leaving some to wonder whether Disney's decision to revitalize the science-fiction franchise was a sound one.

The weekend's biggest disappointment was Jack Black's "Gulliver's Travels," which debuted Saturday and ended the weekend in seventh place with $7.2 million. Releasing the film on Christmas Day was a risky gamble on Fox's part, and despite the message that "Gulliver" has to offer, size really does matter when it comes to business, and unfortunately for the studio, the opening numbers on "Gulliver" are simply too small to consider the film anything but a flop.

The Box-Office Top Five
#1 "Little Fockers" ($34 million)
#2 "True Grit" ($25.6 million)
#3 "Tron Legacy" ($20.1 million)
#4 "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" ($10.8 million)
#5 "Yogi Bear" ($8.8 million)

Upcoming Releases
It's going to be another quiet weekend at the box office next week, with smaller-budget dramas "Another Year" and "Blue Valentine" sneaking in as the weekend's only new releases with a combined total of 10 theaters between the two of them.

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

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Hugh Jackman Gets Hit In The Balls With A Cricket Ball

Ugh! Calamity struck again for poor Hugh Jackman over the weekend as the Aussie got beaned in the crotch by a cricket ball that was hurled at him by Australian sports star Shane Warne. As you may recall, Hugh almost lost his eye in a failed stunt on The Oprah Winfrey Show a couple of [...]

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PITNB Readers, 122610

Here is this week’s batch of photos sent in by Pink is the new Blog readers — Kari sends in an adorable photo of her husband and their one-year old baby boy Gage — Ellina sends in a supercute photo of her newborn baby niece Annabel Bea who was born on December 18 … Ellina [...]

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Monday, December 27, 2010

Les News, 122610

Tron Cat There were a lot of celeb babies born in 2010. Has the villain of The Avengers been announced? If you read your wife’s email, you could go to jail. Richard Chamberlain is advising gay leading men in Hollywood to stay in the closet. Yoko Ono says that John Lennon would be a big [...]

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Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year

Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff


Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."

He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.

You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.

Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.

And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.

And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.

To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.

"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."

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Beyonce Inspired By Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill For New Album

'I'm mixing every type of genre that I love,' singer says of follow-up to I Am ... Sasha Fierce.
By Jocelyn Vena


Beyoncé
Photo: MTV News

Recently Beyoncé revealed that she wants to make her "own genre of music" for her next album. So when MTV News caught up with the singer at the New York screening of her concert special, "I Am ... World Tour," we asked her to clarify what exactly it is that she's creating in the studio.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm inventing a new genre," she said. "I'm mixing every type of genre that I love and I'm inspired by every type of genre."

Beyoncé went on to say that people should throw any preconceived notions about the follow-up to 2008's I Am ... Sasha Fierce out the window. "I'm not in a box," she said. "It's not R&B. It's not typically pop. It's not rock. It's just everything I love all mixed together in my own little gumbo of music."

The singer says that quite a motley crew of musicians have inspired the album. "Definitely Fela Kuti, the Stylistics. How random, right?" she laughed. "So many people ... Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder, of course, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall ... all of those things I'm kind of mixing together."

For the album, Beyoncé has been hitting the studio with many of her usual collaborators including Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett and Jim Jonsin. And her mom, Tina Knowles, has given the tracks she's heard so far her seal of approval, saying, "Of course [I heard it]. It's amazing. It's so amazing!"

Are you looking forward to new music from Beyoncé? Let us know in the comments!

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Merry Xmas, y’all!! Today is the big day … I hope all your Xmas wishes come true and that Santa Claus was very good to you this year :) I wanted to send along a cute photo of our dear Britney Spears posing with good ol’ St. Nick (and BFF/assistant Brett Miller, featured behind the [...]

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Akon Recalls Meeting Michael Jackson For The First Time

Before recording 'Hold My Hand,' the two spent quality time together.
By James Montgomery


Michael Jackson in the video for "Hold My Hand"
Photo: Sony Music Entertainment

In 2007, long before Michael Jackson's death and everything that proceeded it (including the just-released "Hold My Hand" video and the upcoming Michael album), Akon met with the King of Pop in Las Vegas to work on a batch of songs, then intended for MJ's comeback album.

To date, only two of those songs have ever been released: a remix of Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' " that appeared on the 25th-anniversary edition of the Thriller album, and, of course, "Hold My Hand." And with the Thursday (December 9) premiere of that song's video — and the pending release of Michael — MTV News went back to our August 2009 interview with Akon, to get the inside story of what it was like to work with MJ. And though the two men recorded "days" of music, what Akon remembers most about those sessions was getting to know Michael Jackson, the man.

"My favorite moment was the day we actually met, because I didn't expect him to be that cool," Akon said. "I expected him to be this diva — just hard to deal with, rarely speaks, got to send his message through someone else, you know? Because these are the stories you hear."

But, as Akon quickly learned, Jackson wasn't a diva — quite the opposite, in fact.

"So I'm going upstairs [to meet him], I knock on the door, his bodyguard opens and says, 'OK, he's waiting to meet you.' I walk in, and [Michael's] in this spinning chair, but it's facing backwards," he said. "So I walk in the room, but his back is turned, and the guard says, 'Hey, Mike, Akon's here.' So he spins around, like it was all choreographed — so, off the top, I'm like, 'Oh boy.'

"But as soon as he turns around, gets up, 'Yo, what up, man?!' and I was like, 'What up, Mike?' and he gave me a pound, we hugged each other," he continued. "He's like, 'Yo, I've been waiting to meet you for so long, this is a great honor, thanks for showing up, thanks for making the time.' And in my mind I'm like, 'You know, I should be thanking you for making the time.' "

And though "Hold My Hand" was born out of the sessions that would soon follow, Akon's greatest memory from meeting MJ was that initial meeting, when all his preconceived notions melted away and he got to spend real time with the legend.

"It was the craziest thing, because we sat down, we talked about Africa, we talked about my foundation, we talked about the music, we talked about girls. We had a great, incredible time that day," he said. "He was extremely funny, he told jokes, and he liked to have fun."

What do you think of MJ and Akon's collabo, "Hold My Hand"? Share your reviews in the comments.

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Mary J. Blige Dishes On Her 'Crazy' Led Zeppelin Covers

'I've listened to their music since I was a child,' says the R&B diva, who recorded 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Larry Carroll


Mary J. Blige
Photo: MTV News

You wouldn't peg Mary J Blige as the black-light-and-tapestry sort, but, as has become readily apparent in recent weeks, she absolutely loves Led Zeppelin.

In early February, reports began circulating that Blige had re-recorded Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven," working with Travis Barker, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson and guitarist Steve Vai on the track, which is slated to appear on the international reissue of her Stronger With Each Tear album, due Monday.

But after she had recorded "Stairway," Blige continued to get the Led out, covering another Zeppelin classic — the thunderous "Whole Lotta Love" — for the album too. And when MTV News caught up with her on the Essence Black Women in Hollywood red carpet, she told us all about channeling her inner Robert Plant for the tracks, a process that came much easier than you'd probably imagine.

"I did Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' — it's crazy," she said. "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I'm not going to say I've been to their concerts, but I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway to Heaven,' and 'Whole Lotta Love' is just fun."

Blige also said she recorded another new song — a "club record" called "I Can't Wait" — for the re-release. And while it's only slated to hit shelves outside the U.S., she hopes her fans will get a chance to hear all the new songs pretty soon.

"I want y'all to hear it," she laughed.

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Justin Bieber, Usher Top American Music Awards Winners List

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


Justin Bieber wins Breakthrough Artist, Pop/Rock Favorite Male Artist and Artist Of The Year Award during the 2010 American Music Award
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

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

This year, fans handed over pyramids to the artists who also cranked out many of the biggest hits. Justin Bieber made off with the most AMA booty, nabbing four trophies. Taylor Swift, Rihanna, the Black Eyed Peas, Eminem and Bieber's mentor Usher also snagged AMA loot.

Check out the list of AMA winners below:

Pop or Rock Music
Favorite Male Artist
Justin Bieber

Favorite Female Artist
Lady Gaga

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas

Favorite Album
Justin Bieber, My World 2.0

Country Music
Favorite Male Artist
Brad Paisley

Favorite Female Artist
Taylor Swift

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album
Carrie Underwood, Play On

Rap/ Hip-Hop Music
Favorite Male Artist
Eminem

Favorite Album
Eminem, Recovery

Soul/ Rhythm & Blues Music
Favorite Male Artist
Usher

Favorite Female Artist
Rihanna

Favorite Album
Usher, Raymond v. Raymond

Soundtracks
Favorite Album
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers

Alternative Rock Music
Favorite Artist
Muse

Adult Contemporary Music
Favorite Artist
Michael Bublé

Latin Music
Favorite Artist
Shakira

Contemporary Inspirational
Favorite Artist
MercyMe

Artist of the Year
Justin Bieber

T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist
Justin Bieber

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652775/20101121/bieber_justin.jhtml

Nikki Cox Nikki Reed Norah Jones