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The Evolution Of Britney Spears: From Sexy Songbird To Circus Superstar

Posted 8/26/09 5:12 pm EST by in Music


Britney Spears' triumphant three-night run at Madison Square Garden concludes tonight. Her wildly successful and fantastically entertaining Circus tour is back on the road after a brief break, and Spears will continue to cover North America before heading off to Australia later in the year. The Circus shows are an amazing spectacle, filled with dancers, an illusionist, pyrotechnics, gorgeous sets, flashy videos and a whole fleet of bicycles. But Spears didn't begin her career as the center of a big-budget arena show. In her decade-long career, Spears has gone through a number of phases as an artist, a performer and a celebrity. Her look has changed, too, as back in 1999 she relied on her schoolgirl persona and dressed accordingly. Her look evolved from that into the sexier, more confident, more adult style she currently flaunts. In between, she wore a snake as an accessory, donned a denim dress that matched then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, slipped into a wedding dress for a kiss with Madonna and even made maternity clothes look good.

No matter where she was in her career, Spears has always had a style all her own. Check out the complete evolution of Britney Spears in photos, including performances pictures, award show entrances and candid shots!

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Rob Zombie Is Cool With 'Twilight': The MTV Quote Of The Day

Posted 8/26/09 4:49 pm EST by in Movies


"Vampires seem to be the monster that pops up the most frequently, because it's hard to do other ones. It's hard to make a sexy wolf-man. I did see 'Twilight.' It was fine. I had no problems with it. I'm sure I'd enjoy it a lot more if I was a 14-year-old girl!"

-"Halloween II" director and theatrical metalhead Rob Zombie discussing the "Twilight" phenomenon. Zombie, who grew up on horror movies and whose films are about monsters who are very human, has no beef with the current trend of "sexy vampires" and reminded MTV News that it's no different than any other teen sensation. "Everyone's hysterical about everything, aren't they?" he said. Zombie is currently in the middle of his job guest-editing the MTV Movies Blog leading up to Friday's release of "Halloween II," the sequel to his re-imagining of John Carpenter's classic slasher flick. "I just got protective of the series," Zombie told MTV News about his inspiration for going back to the franchise. "I had spent so much time trying to revive the whole thing that it looked like they were just going to go back in and destroy it."

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Ted Kennedy On MTV: Teaching A Goo Goo Doll How To Be A Senator

Posted 8/26/09 4:35 pm EST by in Music, Politics


The country mourns today for the passing of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, who died yesterday at the age of 77 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Part of one of American politics' pre-eminent families, Senator Kennedy followed in the footsteps of his fallen brothers John and Bobby, both of whom worked tirelessly to serve their country. The man who was known as "The Liberal Lion of the Senate" served in his elected position for 46 years and was a champion for the rights of young people. He worked to help teachers get fairer pay, got the voting age lowered from 21 to 18, protected women from discrimination in college sports and reached out for the rights of the disabled.

During the march toward the 2000 election, MTV News sent a special correspondent to spend a day with Senator Kennedy to get a sense of what exactly an elected official's day is like hour-to-hour. The reporter — Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznick — sat in on the Senator's meetings, followed him to press conferences and sat down with him for multiple conversations about his current legislative priorities and his basic job description. What he found was a man open to ideas and eager to hear out and embrace the issues of young people. The people who met Kennedy — including Rzeznick — were equally at ease and in awe of him, and ultimately found him open, accessible, personable and proactive. Check out this very special piece of tape from the MTV News archives.

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Lindsay Lohan, Diddy, Heidi Montag 'Guest' In 'Weird Al' Yankovic's New Video 'Ringtone'

Posted 8/26/09 4:15 pm EST by in Music


It's a little bit strange to think about, but "Weird Al" Yankovic has been scoring hits with song parodies for nearly 30 years. How has he managed to maintain a full career while other novelty songwriters fall by the wayside? He kept ahead of the game and stayed incredibly sharp. His commentary remains clever and biting, and he has been drifting away from parodying actual songs ("Smells Like Nirvana" and "Amish Paradise," for example) and getting into stuff that mocks things stylistically. (Not that he hasn't completely given up attacking specific tunes — his "Trapped in the Drive Thru," a fun-poker at R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet," was brilliant.)

His latest work is an Internet-only EP called Internet Leaks, which collects five singles Yanokovic has dropped in the past year. There's the Doors parody ("Craigslist"), a tribute to actor Charles Nelson Reilly ("CNR") and a sharp play on art school ("Skipper Dan"). The newest single is called "Ringtone," which is about people who have terrible taste in phone-related music. The video is an especially cool animated adventure that features a bunch of cartoon celebrity cameos. Can you spot them all?

I found Sean Connery, Jonah Hill, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Perez Hilton, Owen Wilson, Diddy, Shaquille O'Neal, David Hasselhoff, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Hanks, Ice-T and Spedi. Did I miss anybody? Leave your other observations in the comments below. The EP is available on iTunes and is the first collection of new music since Al's Grammy-nominated Straight Outta Lynwood, which spawned the hit "White and Nerdy."

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Will Chris Brown Break His Restraining Order? The Oh Snap! Poll

Posted 8/26/09 3:14 pm EST by in Oh Snap Poll


Yesterday in court, Chris Brown's punishment was made official: The singer cannot have any contact with former girlfriend Rihanna for a period of five years. The "stay away" order requires that he keep a distance of 100 yards from her at all times, unless they are at an industry event together, where the distance is reduced to 10 yards. Judge Patricia Schnegg made it clear to Brown that the order was mandated by the court and was not up to either he or Rihanna, but that she could look into options in order to try to modify it (though that could prove legally difficult).

Both are big stars and have a long, convoluted past, so it will be interesting to see how close to the law Brown stays for the duration of the order. We decided to hit the streets to ask fans what they thought about the order and whether or not Brown would break it. We stuck our MTV News microphones in the faces of some folks in Times Square, and they provided their thoughts.

The woefully unscientific results are in, and a strong majority — a full 78 percent — were confident that he would have some sort of contact with her. The reasons were all over the place. Many assumed that he would be able to circumvent it simply because he's a celebrity, while others put the onus on Rihanna with the assumption that she still has feelings for him. Of the 22 percent who assume that he'll stick to the letter of the law, most cited the fact that he would be putting his entire career and livelihood at risk by doing so.

What do you think: Will Chris Brown stay away from Rihanna, or will he go against the court's ruling? Leave your thoughts in the comments or head over to Your.MTV.com to make your voice heard!

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Britney Spears' Circus Merchandise: Panties And Yo Mama

Posted 8/26/09 2:53 pm EST by in Music


One of the things that stood out during my trip to the Britney Spears show at New York's Madison Square Garden last night was the variety of merchandise available. After going to the Nine Inch Nails show on Sunday (which had exactly one T-shirt option, and that option was misprinted), it was amazing to see the vastness of Spears' retail offerings. The collection was quite impressive. In addition to the standard T-shirt offerings (including a $40 sleeveless number that seemed to be extremely popular, worn by one of the fans in the video below), there were a number of inventive alternatives. The underwear was most impressive: There was a thong that read "It's Britney, B----" (a catch phrase uttered often in the MSG crowd) and a pair of booty shorts that displayed the title of Spears' controversial single "If U Seek Amy." Some of the choices were slightly more confusing, like the tattered green military-style hat. I saw it at a merch stand when I was walking into the venue and thought it was something that nobody would ever buy, but those things were everywhere. There was also a jersey-style pink T-shirt that read "It's Britney" on the front and "Yo Mama" with the number 22 on the back. (The "Yo Momma" phrase also showed up on a pair of shorts.)

But the topper was certainly the black Circus-themed jacket that had Spears' name on the front and a gothic script "B" on the back. The price? $150, and they were moving like hot cakes. But when MTV News talked to somebody who purchased the item, we found that it was an incredibly high-quality garment. Britney clearly knows her audience is fashion-conscious and won't settle for anything less than top-quality merchandise that can slide into their regular rotations — another savvy move that makes the Circus tour one of the most impressive spectacles of the year. Click here for a full gallery of Britney's tour merchandise, including panties, thongs and T-shirts!

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Richie Rich Hooks Us Up With Limited Edition Vans

Posted 8/26/09 12:47 pm EST by in Music


By Akshay Bhansali

Way back in February, I joined fellow MTV News team members Christina Garibaldi and Jocelyn Vena in accompanying Aubrey O'Day as she took in fittings with and walked the ramp for former Heatherette designer Richie Rich at New York Fashion Week. To commemorate the show, Rich teamed up with Vans shoes for a limited edition line worn on the catwalk. These kicks would not be hitting stores and only a few hundred pairs were made and handed out to attendees of the show. At the end of the show Rich promised us a pair and I was beginning to think it was another empty celeb promise. No big deal — you get used to it.

I may not get away with wearing a pair myself, but receiving my limited-edition pair of Richie Rich Vans in today's mail was the highlight of my afternoon. In typical Richie Rich fashion, these shoes are attention grabbers: covered with every color in the highlighter hue, Rich's signature logo, a big lipstick kiss and neon pink laces. There's no room for subtlety here. But that's why we love Richie Rich. Thanks to the homie Richie and Vans shoes for hooking me up and letting me believe in what famous people promise all over again.

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Britney Spears Takes Me To The Circus

Posted 8/26/09 12:31 pm EST by in Concerts, Music


Last night, I did something I never thought I would do: I left the office, took the subway to Madison Square Garden and showed my ticket to an usher so that I could be let into the Britney Spears concert, the second of her three Circus stops in New York this week. The idea was to get the perspective of somebody not used to big spectacles, and I walked away educated and confused but — ultimately — pleasantly surprised.

Not only had I never seen Britney Spears live, but I also have very little experience with giant pop shows or even arena acts. I've lived in New York for 10 years and have been to Madison Square Garden countless times for basketball games, but prior to last night the only concerts I had ever seen there were R.E.M., AC/DC and an ill-advised Barenaked Ladies show (that one was for a girl). Britney certainly blew away each of those groups (even the heavy-on-pyro AC/DC) with the spectacle that is the Circus tour.

(Click here for more photos from Britney Spears' wild summer!)

For the complete blow-by-blow, you should really check out Jocelyn Vena's full show report from Monday night as well as Jim Cantiello's reactions and highlights, but here are a few things that stood out to me.

» Britney Spears Knows Showmanship
Even during the best rock shows, there will always be a song or two that don't mean as much to you as the rest of them (there are always exceptions). Usually, that's the time to go back to the bar, hit the bathroom or text your friends about what a great show it is, but Britney gives you options. Not a big fan of "Piece of Me"? There are plenty of dancers to distract you. Can't stand "Ooh Ooh Baby"? No worries — magician and former "Saved by the Bell" cast member Ed Alonzo is here to perform some magic. Also, I was seriously impressed with how she covered all areas of the stage so that no corner of the arena could say they got any more or less Britney than anybody else.

» Britney Spears Is Adored
I've spent my entire life going to concerts and sporting events, but rarely have I heard the sort of sustained frenzy that I heard last night. Read More...

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Spotted: Rihanna Rolls In New York

Posted 8/26/09 11:16 am EST by in Music, Television


Though the Chris Brown fiasco has repeatedly put Rihanna's name in the news as a victim, she hasn't let it stop her from leading her life out in public. She has been spending most of her time in New York (going out with friends, partying at the Rocawear anniversary event, taking sojourns to the Hamptons) with occasional hops to Las Vegas (where she hung out with Kings of Leon and went to their show at the Hard Rock Casino) and Anaheim (to roll backstage with Soulja Boy and Miami Mike). And in between all that, she also found the time to appear in the excellent video for "Run This Town" with Jay-Z and Kanye West. She's busy and clearly enjoying herself, so while Brown works on his community service, Rihanna is clearly moving on.

She isn't the only one enjoying the Manhattan night life. While ex-wife Britney Spears is in town for a three-night stint at Madison Square Garden, Kevin Federline has also been seen around the city. Television stars were out and about too, as "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively dropped in on a cocktail party hosted by InStyle, while America Ferrera was caught filming scenes for the upcoming season of "Ugly Betty." Click here to check out all these photos, as well as the entire "Spotted" archive featuring candid shots of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift.

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Happy Birthday, Chris Pine: Wake-Up Video

Posted 8/26/09 9:00 am EST by in Music, Wake-Up Video


The summer movie season has more or less wrapped up (though this weekend's double dose of horror in the form of "Halloween II" and "The Final Destination" will certainly be getting my hard-earned dollars), so it's time to pick the winners and losers of the season. The clear top choice, at least in my eyes? "Star Trek." The iconic series got an almost-perfect reset at the beginning of the summer, owed primarily to the pitch-perfect performances from Zachary Quinto (Spock) and Chris Pine (Kirk). The latter celebrates his 29th birthday today. The actor was previously best known as the love interests of Lindsay Lohan and Anne Hathaway in "Just My Luck" and "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," respectively. But "Star Trek" represents his true breakout role, as he managed to capture the quick-thinking swagger of the Captain Kirk character, first established by cult legend William Shatner in the original television series. Up next for Pine? Outside of an assumed "Star Trek" sequel down the line, he'll star in the Tony Scott-directed action film "Unstoppable," which also stars Denzel Washington and is scheduled to hit cinemas late next year.

What better way to celebrate the birth of Hollywood's latest space star than with A Flock of Seagulls' "Space Age Love Song"? The band always did seem like they came from another planet anyway — especially considering frontman Mike Score's hair.

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