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Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson Retires From Fighting To Become Mr. T

Posted 9/23/09 4:50 pm EST by in Music


Like Paramore's Hayley Williams, we're big UFC fans around the Newsroom, so it has come as a great shock and disappointment to everybody at MTV News that former UFC champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has decided to retire from fighting. After 37 career fights, Jackson has decided to focus on other opportunities, which includes his role as B.A. Baracus — originally made famous by Mr. T — in the upcoming "A-Team" movie. He has chosen to step away from the UFC at a rather inopportune time, as he is currently one of the coaches (along with rival Rashad Evans) on the just-started season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Not surprisingly, he has drawn the ire of Evans and UFC President Dana White.

The fight world will miss Rampage, as he is one of the best promos in the business and has been involved in some of the most fun, entertaining fights in the history of MMA (including tilts against Forrest Griffin, "Dirty" Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell and Maurilo "Ninja" Rua). Though fighters never really retire (Randy Couture certainly can't step away, even at age 46), but just in case we've seen him shoot for his last takedown or grab his final clinch, we'll pay tribute to his excellent career with EPMD's awesome "Rampage," a track that Jackson has never used as entrance music but really should have at some point in his career. Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith cut "Rampage" nearly twenty years ago, but it still sounds fresh, sharp and thrilling — just like Jackson's fights.

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'Twilight: Eclipse' Will Get Darker: The MTV Quote Of The Day

Posted 9/23/09 4:40 pm EST by in Movies


"David has a darker sensibility, so it clicks. The story has a slightly darker tone. I mean, it goes into a full-out battle, so it is darker in the nature of what it is. David was the perfect director for it. He's ... a little more focused on it being real and maybe it being gorier and a little dark and kind of dramatic. There's going to be a lot more focus on [action], and the fight scene will have more emphasis on it. I definitely think it will be a little more guy-friendly. I think he's going to add a cool taste to the movie. It might be a little darker."

-"Eclipse" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and stars Ashley Greene and Taylor Lautner on director David Slade, who plans on turning just about everything up a notch in the third "Twilight" film. Slade, who directed the psychological thriller "Hard Candy" and the vampire flick "30 Days of Night," is currently working towards completing "Eclipse" with the rest of the cast and crew in Vancouver. In the meantime, "New Moon" — the second film in the series — will be unleashed on November 20.

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Adam Lambert Album Update: More Producers, More Tweets

Posted 9/23/09 3:18 pm EST by in Music


There's never been a contestant quite like Adam Lambert on "American Idol." Actually, forget "Idol" — there's never been a major-label artist quite like Adam Lambert. So it's understandable that "Idol" — and music — fans are clamoring for any and all tidbits they hear about his still-untitled 19 Recordings/RCA debut, which hits stores on November 24. On "Idol," Lambert proved that he could rock just as loud as Axl Rose and deliver vocals as tender as Jeff Buckley, while on the "American Idols Live!" tour, the "rock gawd" turned David Bowie's "Fame" into a playful, sexual romp.

With all that creativity busting out of the seams (of his stylish trenchcoats), the album could go in a million different directions. No wonder we're all dying to know what it will actually sound like. The suspense is killing me!

Thankfully, Lambert has been dropping a few hints on Twitter this past week, so let's investigate.
Read More...

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Behind The Scenes With Rick Ross, Ghostface And Ludacris At 'Hip-Hop Honors' Rehearsal

Posted 9/23/09 2:52 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music


By Hillary Crosley

Who knew a record label started in a New York University dorm room could become so successful? Apparently Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. The two created Def Jam Records 25 years ago, and it's become one of hip-hop's premiere labels, housing some of the brightest stars, with Nas, LL Cool J, etc etc among the artists in its legendary catalogue. So it's no surprise that "VH1's Hip Hop Honors" is celebrating the storied label this year.

MTV News checked out the rehearsal for the big show, which tapes on Wednesday night (September 23) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and airs on October 13. For the third year in a row, Tracy Morgan will serve as host. Morgan's comedy skits appear between behind-the-scenes interviews with Jay-Z, Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman Antonio "LA" Reid, Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin and former Def Jam executives Lyor Cohen, Julie Greenwald and Kevin Liles.

Public Enemy, the Roots and Street Sweeper Social Club (comprised of Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and the Coup's Boots Riley) practiced for their performance first. Ashanti followed, reuniting for two jams with her longtime partner-in-crime Ja Rule. Rule looked and sounded just as he did in 2001. Ashanti even helped out Rule on one song, rapping his lyrics in a faux-gravely voice to a giggling set full of dancers.

Up next, Warren G and Trey Songz performed a remix of one of Warren's biggest hits (which we can't reveal). During their performance, Ghostface was sitting at a table taping a segment called "What Would Ghostface Do?" where MCs stop by and ask Ghost for advice. As he wrapped up a session with Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes, Ghost spotted Warren G and gave him a big hello. Meanwhile, Travis went back to hosting a VH1 trivia segment where all of the performers are quizzed on their Def Jam history. Who knows their hip-hop math? Let's just say that Rick Ross might be the subject's star pupil.

Back on the stage, Ludacris (who'd just gotten off a plane) hopped on stage with Southern rap legend Scarface for two cuts that you haven't heard in awhile. Read More...

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LeBron James Thinks Eminem's Verse On The 'Forever' Remix Was 'Perfect'

Posted 9/23/09 1:19 pm EST by in Music


It's not enough for LeBron James to be a former NBA MVP and a five-time All-Star for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Having already gotten a lock on dominating the world of basketball (though he's still searching for that elusive championship), he has now moved onto the movie and music world. "More Than a Game," which premiered in New York last night, tells the story of James' legendary high school career and the coach who lead the squad to a national high school championship in the days before LeBron was a hoops icon. The film is accompanied by a massive soundtrack that features tunes from Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and a quartet of performers who have created one of the most buzzed-about singles of the year. The remix of Drake's "Forever" also welcomes verses from Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. The result is a killer mix of styles, and we have James (at least in part) to thank.

The big debate in the Newsroom for the past few weeks has been about who has the sickest verse on "Forever." Did Drake steal the show from the veterans or is it Kanye's game to win? According to James, everybody delivered big, but in the end it was Slim Shady who took it home. "Eminem really finished it off," James told MTV News. "The last person on that track had to finish it off perfectly, and he did that." Never one to leave a teammate behind, James also praised West's punchlines and the work turned in by Drake and Wayne.

But for LeBron, it all comes back to Jay-Z, who James refers to as his "big brother" (he was also wearing a Roc-A-Fella chain during the interview). "Jay-Z is the best," he said. "11 number one albums, more than Elvis. Who else could beat that?"

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Miley Cyrus Rides A Flying Motorcyle, Wears Elaborate Dresses On 'Wonder World' Tour

Posted 9/23/09 12:44 pm EST by in Music


Miley Cyrus' new Time of Our Lives EP is in the Billboard Top 10 again this week, and her big tour supporting the Wal-Mart exclusive release (which features her latest gigantic single "Party in the U.S.A.") is under way and rolling across the country. Last night, her bus stopped at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for a run through her already-huge catalog of hits.

Cyrus' big shows consisted of over two dozen songs (including hits "The Climb," "7 Things," "Breakout" and "See You Again") along with a handful of excellent set pieces, including a giant floating motorcycle.

Click here for more photos from Miley Cyrus' Wonder World tour!

Elsewhere in the show, she changed into an elaborate dress and later shifted to a more traditional Daisy Duke look. The highlight? During "Fly on the Wall," Cyrus flew over the crowd like the titular fly. She also dropped in a brief tribute to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," complete with zombie dancing and the Vincent Price laugh that closes the song.

After stepping briefly off the grid for a while, Cyrus has been back in the public eye constantly. Her new EP dropped, she delivered some memorable performances on "VH1 Divas" and her new video for "Party in the U.S.A." will premiere on tonight's episode of "Dancing with the Stars."

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Demi Lovato Shares New Feathered Friend On Twitter

Posted 9/23/09 11:41 am EST by in Music


Filming on location can be difficult, even if you're hanging out with the Jonas Brothers. So while hanging around the Canadian set of "Camp Rock: The Final Jam" (the sequel to the hit Disney TV movie from 2008), Demi Lovato bonded with a barnyard animal and called her a pal. Lovato took to Twitter to announce "Made best friends with a chicken today. No lie. Pictures later!"

She delivered on her promise and posted two photos a few hours later. "She was falling asleep in my arms!" Lovato wrote about her fowl pal. "So cute. I was so close to taking it home with me." She also added, "I swear, it was love at first sight."

In addition to the bonding with animals, it sounds like the "Camp Rock" sequel experience is going well for her, as she also recently tweeted, "So thankful for the friendships I've made from both 'Camp Rock' and 'Camp Rock 2.'" It's been an excellent year for Lovato, who saw her most recent album Here We Go Again debut at the top of the Billboard albums chart back in July and went on a popular two month tour with David Archuleta. Once the movie — which also stars all three Jonas Brothers, reprising their roles from the first "Camp Rock" — wraps up filming in Ontario, Lovato will head back out on the road to cover a few more tour dates. Will she take the (apparently unnamed) chicken home with her? It's difficult to get livestock across the Canadian border, but if anybody can do it, Demi can.

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Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Rihanna Set Guinness World Records

Posted 9/23/09 10:19 am EST by in Music


By James Dinh

Some celebrities make sex tapes. Others bombard award-show speeches. But to make an absolute permanent mark on history, you have to break into the Guinness Book of World Records. In the 2010 edition of the book, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Katy Perry are just a few acts to make a name for themselves in the legendary compendium of human extremes. But unlike skateboarder and MTV personality Rob Dyrdek (who holds the record for the highest skateboard ramp jump into water) or his bodyguard Big Black (who ate three bananas in 1 minute), these stars are recognized for accomplishments that are a little more conventional.

For example, Britney Spears' record is based entirely on her groundbreaking sales figures. Brit is noted for being the youngest female artist to have five of her albums reach #1. She also moved an estimated 37 million records worldwide before turning 20, making her the "all-time best-selling teenage artist." Take that, Miley!

While Ho Hung Hee set the record for making the most expensive umbrella in the world (a whopping $2,000), Rihanna's rain-related entry is a little more impressive. Read More...

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Outkast Double Up: Wake-Up Video

Posted 9/23/09 9:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


The Hottest MCs in the Game list didn't exist back in 2003, but if it had, it's fairly certain that both Andre 3000 and Big Boi — the two tricky-tongued MCs who make up Atlanta's finest hip-hop tag team Outkast — would have battled for the top spot. The duo have not only dropped consistently great singles and albums (including the bona fide classics Aquemini and Stankonia) but have also pushed the boundaries of what hip-hop music can look, feel and sound like. Their records began as country boy salvos and rides in Cadillacs through old plantations, but when the millennium turned and Stankonia hit, they began to pull rap music apart and augment it with borrowed sounds from the worlds of dub, metal, drum and bass, psychedelic rock and good old-fashioned sugar pop. Their crown jewel was a double album that saw each member get a disc to himself that showed off each individual's greatest strengths. It was called Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and it was originally released on this day back in 2003.

Andre 3000's disc got most of the attention, as it was by far the weirder and more genre-bending of the two (just look at the beat-heavy remix of "My Favorite Things," which follows the disco-goth of "Dracula's Wedding" and precedes the acoustic slow jam "Take Off Your Cool" — as weird a trifecta as you'll find on any hip-hop album). The Love Below also contained the hit "Hey Ya!" which became ubiquitous shortly after its release. In the end, Speakerboxxx ended up slightly underrated, as it relies more on Big Boi's sharp sense of metaphor and his adroit delivery than any sort of jazz odyssey. Nevertheless, "The Way You Move" is a great little Southern bounce number that should always be mentioned in the conversation about the best singles of the decade.

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Pee-Wee Herman Returns To Television On 'Jay Leno'

Posted 9/23/09 8:00 am EST by in Television


In the two weeks it has existed, "The Jay Leno Show" has mostly been a study in stale stand-up and retread bits from Jay's run on "The Tonight Show." But so far his lineup of guests has been pretty interesting. He lucked into his conversation with Kanye West last week, and last night he welcomed another former MTV VMA star to his gigantic set: Pee-Wee Herman. Paul Reubens, the man inside Herman's head, has used the Pee-Wee character sparingly since his arrest for indecent exposure back in 1991, but he's bringing the persona back for a stage show in Los Angeles starting in November.

Reubens, who became an icon when the movie "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" and the Saturday morning show "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" became gigantic hits, sat across from Leno in his desk-free interview set-up to joke about his abstinence ring, his early experiences with the theater and how confused he always was about the process of making a record. Like all of the best Pee-Wee bits, the stories he told Leno were delivered in a childlike fashion but carried a twinge of sadness that always made his version of kids' entertainment a little darker than the average fare.

For his part, Reubens looks like he has barely aged and still retains Pee-Wee's youthful vigor despite the fact that he recently turned 57 years old. He hasn't been entirely invisible since putting away the Pee-Wee character in the early '90s, as he's appeared in a number of high-profile movies (most notably "Mystery Men" and "Blow"), dropped in on the Elton John video "This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore" and was a guest star on a memorable episode of "30 Rock" in 2007.

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