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Billy Ray And Miley Cyrus Top The Best Father-Kid Combos

Posted 6/19/09 4:44 pm EST by in Music



This Sunday is Father's Day, so you still have time to get out and get your cards purchased and your barbecue equipment/ties/books about baseball purchased. Music history is full of father/kid collaborations, some awesome (Wilco's Jeff Tweedy jamming with his son Spencer) and some creepy (Nat King Cole's posthumous collaboration with daughter Natalie). Here are my five favorite family duos.

Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus: Billy Ray certainly had his own success in the early '90s, but he is enjoying a renaissance thanks to his ubiquitous daughter. Their collaboration "Ready, Set, Don't Go" is a surprisingly sweet ballad that deals directly with fatherhood.

Nas and Olu Dara: Jazz musician Olu Dara (born Charles Jones) has always had something of a complicated relationship with his son Nas (born Nasir Jones). But their collaborations have been nothing short of excellent. Dara played cornet on Nas' "Life's a Bitch" (from his landmark debut Illmatic) and most recently dropped in some vocals on "Bridging the Gap" (he also showed up in the video).
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Jamie Foxx Chops It Up About Halle Berry, Mike Tyson And Kanye West

Posted 6/19/09 4:18 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music, Television


When Jamie Foxx takes on hosting duties at the BET Awards in Los Angeles on June 28, you can be sure to expect a bunch of jokes, even more jokes and a few more jokes for good measure. We got a taste of his humor yesterday when we headed down to the studios of BET's "106 & Park" (which is actually on 57th and 10th, but I guess that doesn't have the same ring to it) to catch up with the actor/singer/comedian.

Foxx looked slick in a green leather bomber jacket, dark jeans, white Gucci sneakers and some dope Louis Vuitton sunglasses (it's all in the details). He was in great spirits and joking with everyone in the room. Before the interview had even started, Jamie had me laughing at a funny story about how R&B singer Maxwell stole a girl from him at a club. (It's funny because Maxwell did the exact same thing to me. Ha.)

We didn't have long to chat because Jamie had to catch a flight, but it was long enough for us to chop it up about everything from the BET Awards to his steamy kiss with Halle Berry at Spike TV's Guys Choice awards (lucky SOB).
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Kanye West, Lil Wayne Headline Lakers Championship Party

Posted 6/19/09 3:51 pm EST by in MTV News, Music


By Sonya Mitchell

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated their latest NBA Championship with 250,000 people at a giant parade. But last night, they had a far more intimate party at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The private event was quite the VIP scene, featuring only the players, their families and a handful of celebrity fans enjoying performances from Kanye West and Lil Wayne. We caught up with some of the stars on the Lakers-appropriate purple carpet.

Hiding behind the twin towers that are Pau Gasol and Luke Walton, we found "Twilight" star Ashley Greene, who found parallels between the cast of "New Moon" and the Lakers team.

"Everyone kind of came together and came out on top," she clarified. "Our cast works really hard and we all work really well together. We're all kind of a family. The Lakers are the same."

She had some sound advice for her castmate Robert Pattinson, who was hit by a cab in New York as he attempted to run across the street to escape a gaggle of fans. "Don't run in the streets Rob!"

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Joking Behind The Scenes With Jamie Foxx

Posted 6/19/09 3:15 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music


By Selina Kaye

Grammy-nominated singer, Oscar-winning actor and hilarious comedian Jamie Foxx always seems too good to be true. How can one man be so talented — and still have so much more to offer? MTV News sat down with Foxx to talk about upcoming movies, his new tour and hosting the BET Awards.

Not only is he extremely funny and charismatic on camera, but I got to see him up close, behind the scenes as I assisted with his interview with MTV News' Tim Kash. Foxx revealed some exclusive secrets about his upcoming "Blame It" tour. He also gave a special shout out to up and coming rapper Drake, performed with him this week on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien."

Foxx was always on, constantly making everyone in the room laugh hysterically. It got to the point where one person had to leave the room so as not to disturb the interview.

This morning, Foxx performed on "Good Morning America," where he did his signature impressions of Barack Obama and Ray Charles. He performed his new song "Digital Girl" and got the crowd to bounce during his club hit "Blame It." To close out the show, he serenaded a clearly uncomfortable Diane Sawyer, topping off a whirlwind 24 hours in fantastically Foxx-ian style.

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Shockingly, Blink-182 Not Playing Cleveland Nail Salon

Posted 6/19/09 2:40 pm EST by in Music, Television


It seemed too good (or bizarre) to be true, though with Blink-182 you never can be sure.

Did Blink-182 schedule a one-off gig at a Cleveland nail salon? That's what it said on the tour page of the band's Interscope Records site, which — for reasons not clear to anyone — showed the guys appearing at Alice's International Salon & Spa on July 10, nearly two weeks before their tour was officially scheduled to kick off in Las Vegas.

Obviously, this got Blink fans buzzing. Imagine catching Mark, Tom and Travis while luxuriating in a seaweed hydration wrap, or getting a French mani-pedi! And doing it all in beautiful Cleveland!

Sadly, it turns out the spa date wasn't legit. MTV News contacted a spokesperson for Interscope, who told us that the show listing was obviously "an error," and had no idea how it even ended up on Blink's page in the first place. The spokesperson added that the date would be removed immediately. Lo and behold, the listing has completely disappeared from the site.

Of course, that didn't stop rabid Blink fans from inundating the rather puzzled employees of Alice's with phone calls ("I called the place up four different times and I finally spoke with the manager who had no idea [about the show]" read a typical post on a Blink fansite), which must have made for a very interesting week at the salon.

"I heard about it like three times. I never actually answered the phone, but people kept calling," an Alice's employee (who didn't want to give her name, obviously out of fear of Blink-related retaliation) told MTV News. "Someone here will answer the phone and after they get off the call, they'll say, 'That was someone else calling about such-and-such playing a concert here.' It's definitely strange."

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Woman Fined $2 Million For Downloading Had Common Playlist

Posted 6/19/09 1:55 pm EST by in MTV News, Music



The most alarming aspect of yesterday's court ruling that 32-year-old Minnesota woman Jammie Thomas-Rasset owes $1.92 million for downloading 24 songs has nothing to do with the penalty (though at $80,000 per song, it is amazingly excessive). The most amazing thing was the list of songs that she's being rung up for, which include Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle," Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and Green Day's "Basket Case." I took a look at this list and thought, "Has anybody who has downloaded music not sucked down those songs?" When you consider that Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" — one of the most downloaded songs in the history of digital music — was also on there, it kicks the percentage up even further.

Which makes it all the more amazing that Thomas-Rasset was found guilty by a jury of her peers, which means they managed to find twelve people who have never downloaded music before. How could that be? Statistics are hazy, but an estimated one billion songs are passed through peer-to-peer networks each month, and a study published last year in the U.K. showed that the average teenager's iPod contains around 800 illegally obtained tracks. Does that mean everybody has to pay up for rocking Linkin Park's "One Step Closer" — another track Thomas-Rasset was rung up for?

So we ask you: Take a look at the full list of songs Thomas-Rasset downloaded and tell us how many of those tracks you've snagged without paying for them. Or maybe just remain anonymous — after all, the RIAA appears to be out for blood (and cash).

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Exclusive: Jay-Z's Auto-Tuned 'D.O.A.' Remix — The Creator Speaks!

Posted 6/19/09 1:10 pm EST by in Interviews, Music


Last week, MTV News' James Montgomery waxed rhapsodic about "Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell," the viral hit by Das Racist that was remixed by Oakland group Wallpaper. This week, Wallpaper struck again with a remix of Jay-Z's "D.O.A." that mashes up that tune with Jigga's "99 Problems" and tosses in a bunch of Auto-Tune for good measure. The result is a manic, raucous track that culminates in the refrain "I got 99 problems but my pitch ain't one," and it has become an instant favorite here at MTV News.

"My remixes tend to be divisive," explains Wallpaper's Eric Frederic, the man responsible for both remixes. "But I've always thought the best way to win a war is to divide and conquer." He wants to make it clear that while he defends Auto-Tune, he's also a big fan of Jay-Z and the original message of "D.O.A." "I agree with Jay-Z in that I think that too many rappers use Auto-Tune."
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The Jonas Brothers Thrill Young Fans On 'Today'

Posted 6/19/09 12:27 pm EST by in Concerts, Music, Television


By Haley Murphy

After performing last week on "Good Morning America" and appearing on "Larry King Live" late last night, the Jonas Brothers were at it again early this morning on "Today" to kick off the show's Summer Concert Series and celebrate Nick's recent graduation. Thousands of fans — some of whom waited for two days (in the rain!) — stood outside the studio to get a spot to see the JoBros play live.

I ran into their manager Johnny Wright (who also managed *NSYNC and Britney Spears, among others), and he said that nearly 6,000 people had shown up. The boys looked flawless as usual in their tight pants and sunglasses and were jumping all over the stage despite their early soundcheck at 6:45 this morning! In the middle of the performing their hit "Love Bug," Joe Jonas left the stage to sing for the hundreds of fans lined up around the block. I thought I was going to be killed by a group of 10-year-olds while the boys sang a mere foot away from me.

The JoBros wooed the crowd with "Burnin' Up," and one adoring fan nearly passed out when Nick touched her hand. I made a few friends during the concert, and it was my luck that in the middle of the show, they were chosen to visit the band's dressing room to take some pictures! I tagged along and got the inside scoop on what the JoBros were like up close and personal. Best of all, I got to have my picture taken with them!

(Click for more photos from the Jonas Brothers' performance on "Today" in New York!)

While waiting outside the dressing room, my new friends were taking deep breaths and preparing to win over the boys' hearts. When the moment came for them to meet the JoBros, it was all too quick, but they left the show saying it was "the best day of their lives."

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Billy Joel Should Never Have Written That Song For Katie Lee

Posted 6/19/09 11:11 am EST by in Music



Billy Joel (or William Joel, if you're Gwyneth Paltrow) has officially separated from his third wife Katie Lee Joel. Their joint statement announced that it's a mutually agreed-upon decision, though they didn't cite any particular reasons why (though their much-written-about age difference might have been the culprit). I've got a theory, though. Joel retired from pop music more than a decade ago, but came out of retirement in 2006 to record the song "All My Life" for his then-bride. And if Joel has learned anything from history, it's that he should never write a song about one of his wives.

In 1977, Joel recorded and released "Just the Way You Are," which was dedicated to his then-wife (and business manager) Elizabeth Weber. "Just the Way You Are" is a classic ballad, where he insists that the love of his life "don't go changing" and that no matter what, he wants her just the way she is. The tune won a Grammy for Song of the Year, but in 1982 Joel decided he didn't want her whether she changed her hairstyle or not, as they divorced.

It created a huge problem for Joel, as he was expected to play what was one of his hugest hits in concerts, but it was always going to remind him of a woman he divorced. (He later joked that he would always think about something else while he played it, like what he wanted to eat for dinner).

You would think Joel would have learned his lesson, but you'd be wrong. In 1983, Joel recorded "Uptown Girl," which was actually written for then-girlfriend Elle Macpherson but ended up being about wife-to-be Christie Brinkley. Joel and Brinkley were married in 1985 but divorced in 1994. (River of Dreams' "Blonde Over Blue" is also reportedly about Brinkley).

It's three up and three down for Joel, so here's hoping that Joel doesn't pick his pen up for whoever his next wife will be, because it always ends in disaster.

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The Jonas Brothers Promise No Brother (Or MTV News Reporter) Left Behind

Posted 6/19/09 10:35 am EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music



What do Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas do when they find a little downtime? The simple answer: "Play golf and hang out and chill and stuff." But then they let MTV News in on what really happens when the Jonas Brothers aren't working.

They ride dirt bikes up to Canada. Then they take a submarine to Antarctica. And then they fly back in time for a show. I got tired just thinking about it.

And despite Kevin's inability to remember going on any of these trips, troublemaker Joe and peacekeeper Nick assured us that "there are no forgotten Jonas Brothers. No man left behind. That's our motto."

"No brother left behind ... or somebody's in trouble," Joe added.

We don't believe them, but maybe we will if we actually go with them on one of these extraordinary-sounding excursions. And the fact that the guys have invited me (and I guess some people from MTV News can come along if they have to — like maybe fellow Team Jonas member Akshay Bhansali) to join them the next time this happens. As you read this, I am planning out what I am going to wear for the big day. What does one wear to a dirt bike race?

How much would you love to see the Jonas Brothers ride dirt bikes with MTV News?

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