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Christina Aguilera's Bionic Gets A Great Cover

Posted 3/25/10 2:50 pm EST by in Music


Though she has been recording since 1999 and in the public eye since her debut on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1993, Christina Aguilera has only released three proper albums in her career. She's about to increase that number by 25 percent, as she just announced the release date for her hotly-anticipated fourth album Bionic, which hits stores on June 8. The first single "Not Myself Tonight" will be unleashed on the universe at the end of this month, and some of her typically awesome videos are sure to follow. The album will feature collaborations with a truly eclectic batch of artists like Polow Da Don, Sia, Switch, Linda Perry and Tricky Stewart.

In addition to unveiling the lyrics to her single and the album's release date, Aguilera also showed the universe the cover of Bionic, and it's delightfully strange.

In fact, there are a handful of references that immediately spring to mind.

Tokio Hotel's Humanoid
The German group's 2009 album featured a similar human-machine hybrid theme and featured a sexy looking cyborg on the cover.

Madonna's "Bedtime Story" video
Any time a woman's face is opened up to reveal some unexpected detail underneath, there is always a flashback to the spooky, fantastical video that Mark Romanek shot for a track from Madonna's 1994 album Bedtime Stories. That clip also bonded technology with the body.

The Cybermen from "Dr. Who"
In the universe of "Dr. Who," an army of intergalactic soldiers known as Cybermen came to Earth to enslave the human race in order to bond their brains to cybernetic bodies. Has Aguilera become one of their victims?

The T-X from "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"
If Aguilera's new nickname isn't "The Terminatrix," then it should be considered a wasted opportunity.

What do you think of Christina Aguilera's new album cover? Let us know in the comments!

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WMC 2010: MTV News Is On The Ground In Miami

Posted 3/25/10 2:05 pm EST by in Music


By Adam Stewart

WMC 2010 is underway and the MTV News experts are on the ground bringing you all of the action. Thanks to our friends at Ultra Records and BMF Productions for hooking us up with a sweet poolside setup at the swanky Raleigh Hotel, right in the heart all of the wildest parties and hottest DJ sets. Our inaugural coverage of the insanely popular global affair's 25th anniversary will find us getting the lowdown on the latest and greatest from the dance music world from some of the biggest names in the bizz, including Tiesto, DeadMau5, David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren.

Each year, over 200,000 hardcore electronic music fans join 2,000 DJs, producers, musicians and A-list celebrities flock to the sandy beaches for the seaside soiree. The party rarely lets up, with plenty of events continuing well into the daylight hours (shows ending at noon that began the night before are not unusual). Miami Beach itself transforms into one giant dance club for six straight days.

On Wednesday (March 24), we caught up with Tommie Sunshine, Robbie Rivera, Cedric Gervais, Oscar G, the Cube Guys and Spanish power duo Chus and Ceballos. Later in the afternoon, we caught up with a Lil Jon (a house music aficionado in his own right) as he threw down at a killer set at sexy party hotspot Nikki Beach dubbed "The Flying Circus." We finally wrapped the day up at Gansevoort Beach to catch the Cube Guys' huge set as they unveiled "Scarcube," an early favorite for the title of "Official WMC 2010 Anthem."

Thursday's (March 25) lineup includes Sharam, A-Trak, Calvin Harris, Eric Prydz, Shiny Toy Guns and Riva Star, just to name a few. Stay tuned for more hot news from some of the biggest names in the electronic world and beyond.

What wild stories will come of this years bash? Keep up with our crew and all of the action at MTV News and on Twitter @MTVNews.

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MTV News' Musical March Madness: Blink-182 Vs. 30 Seconds To Mars, Pearl Jam Vs. My Chemical Romance

Posted 3/25/10 1:15 pm EST by in Music


It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — takes the 65 biggest names in rock, splits them up into four regions, assigns them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 65. Over the next few weeks, we will present a series of polls that will allow you to vote for the match-ups presented in MTV News' Band Bracketology. You vote for the winners, we'll keep advancing the seeds and, in the end, we'll have some sort of champion. What will the winner receive? Little more than our esteem (as well as that of the fans) and some Internet bragging rights.

Second round action continues with the top part of the Wet bracket, featuring a handful of groups who could all make a run at the championship. But there is only room for one champ, which is why the voting must continue.

(4) Pearl Jam vs. (5) My Chemical Romance
This promises to be an especially intense battle, as Pearl Jam had to fight off a late surge by Hollywood Undead to take their first round victory and My Chemical Romance saw a similar eleventh hour run from Gorillaz. Each band has an extremely vocal online following, which is the biggest asset to have in this particular competition. Will the win go to the rock veterans or the arena-punk upstarts?

(1) Blink-182 vs. (9) 30 Seconds to Mars
As the only top-seeded group who survived the first round, Blink-182 should have an easy trip through the rest of the tournament. But they find themselves face to face with 30 Seconds to Mars, a worthy opponent who advanced easily past Modest Mouse. Expect a knock-down, drag out nail-biter for the opportunity to go to the Sweet 16. Which one will come out on the other side?

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'American Idol' Sends Paige Miles Packing, Surprises No One On Our Panel

Posted 3/25/10 12:30 pm EST by in Music, Television


By Eric Ditzian

If the ouster of Lilly Scott, Katelyn Epperly and Alex Lambert was a miscarriage of reality show justice, "American "Idol" voters have been committed to rectifying the damage these last two weeks. Lacey Brown got the heave-ho last week, and on Wednesday (March 25) Paige Miles was given her walking papers. Who couldn't see either of those coming?

For two elimination shows running, our "Idol" panel has batted a thousand, which honestly says more about the predictable nature of the show than it does about our prognostication talents. As MJ Santilli of MJ's Big Blog put it, Paige was "monumentally awful" during her performance of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)." She knew it. The judges knew it. Voters knew it. Our panel knew it. End of story.

After four weeks of "Idol" forecasting, here are the current standings.

Gil Kaufman: 7-of-10

Jim Cantiello: 5-of-10

MJ Santilli: 4-of-10

So on to next week, when we'll see if Tim Urban — a two-week straight member of the bottom three — can continue to survive on the strength of his cherubic grin, rather than his humdrum vocals. Assisting Urban and the rest of the "Idol" hopefuls will be mentor Usher. The week's theme? R&B. Producers have already released the complete list of potential songs on iTunes. Artists we might hear covered include Chris Brown, Rihanna, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Tina Turner and Whitney Houston.

How did you do this week picking "Idol" eliminations? Who would you have sent home? Leave your comments below and let us know!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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'The Simpsons' Head To Jerusalem With Sacha Baron Cohen

Posted 3/25/10 11:35 am EST by in Television


Just in time for the holiday of Passover (or Easter, if that's your thing), "The Simpsons" are headed to the Holy Land!

In this Sunday's (March 28) episode (titled "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed"), Homer's usual buffoonery leads to a series of unlikely events that find the family smack in the middle of Flanders' bible study trip to Jerusalem. Although Homer, per usual, is more interested in the breakfast buffet than history or culture, the family soon meets up with an eccentric tour guide named Jacob (voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen).

However, Jacob's unique presentation style soon turns Homer on to the wonders of Israel's famous monuments. Homer soon warms up to the trip and, in the words of the press release, "proves he is not beyond salvation." We'll have to see what Duffman has to say about that.

"The Simpsons" airs, as you're no doubt aware, Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Stick around for the equally awesome (if not more so) "Family Guy," which this week features guest spots from Elijah Wood (the short fellow from "Lord of the Rings") and "Family Guy" repeat-offender James Woods, both as themselves. Charlie Sheen also guest stars, but the Fox press release did not elaborate on his character's role — though it's sure to be hilarious mildly offensive episode.

The episode, called "Brian Griffin's House of Payne," will air at 9 p.m. on those same Fox stations.

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Happy Birthday, Elton John!

Posted 3/25/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


If you run into Reginald Dwight (known to the majority of the universe as Elton John) today, be sure to buy him a drink and let him blow out some candles, because March 25 is his birthday. John is 63 years old and has had one of the most remarkable careers in the history of pop music. He released his first album back in 1969, and since then has amassed a bucketload of awards (with five Grammys, an Oscar and a Tony, he's an Emmy short of an "EGOT"), an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a quarter of a billion records sold.

John scored international fame in the '70s for his stirring piano-based brand or pop that blended together Tin Pan Alley craftsmanship, Broadway theatricality, glam rock and arena-friendly singalong choruses. He holds an astonishing number of records, including the best-selling single of all time ("Candle in the Wind 1997," his tribute to Princess Diana following her tragic death), the most number of concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden (60) and the first album to ever debut in the top spot on the pop album chart in the U.S. (1975's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which featured the epic "Someone Saved My Life Tonight"). He is able to translate his work to film and to the stage, leading to iconic tunes in films and plays like "The Lion King" and "Aida." He's a jack of all trades, and he has mastered them all.

John's influence cannot be understated, and some of the biggest names in pop music in the 21st century not only cite him as an inspiration but have also collaborated with him. He just appeared on stage with Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards, did a duet with Eminem at the Grammys in 2001 and recruited Justin Timberlake to play the younger version of himself in the video for "This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore" (from 2001's excellent Songs From the West Coast).

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MTV News' Musical March Madness: Panic! Vs. DCFC, Weezer Vs. The Young Veins

Posted 3/25/10 9:30 am EST by in Music


It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — takes the 65 biggest names in rock, splits them up into four regions, assigns them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 65. Over the next few weeks, we will present a series of polls that will allow you to vote for the match-ups presented in MTV News' Band Bracketology. You vote for the winners, we'll keep advancing the seeds and, in the end, we'll have some sort of champion. What will the winner receive? Little more than our esteem (as well as that of the fans) and some Internet bragging rights.

The NCAA basketball tournament resumes today with Sweet 16 action, but MTV News' Musical March Madness continues in its second round. Today we visit the West and Midwest regions, with plenty of excellent head-to-heads featuring some high-powered bands. Let's get to the action in the West!

(7) Death Cab for Cutie vs. (15) Panic! at the Disco
With the recent release of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" on DVD, Death Cab for Cutie have received yet another surge of good will thanks to their excellent song "Meet Me on the Equinox" that was included on the film's soundtrack. Meanwhile, Panic! at the Disco may be a bit off the radar working on new music but have proven they still have a galvanized and devoted group of fans. Who will come out on top in this intriguing tilt?

(6) Weezer vs. (14) The Young Veins
The Young Veins are coming off a well-received performance at this year's SXSW, but they go up against a surging Weezer squad that recovered from an injury to its star player (frontman Rivers Cuomo, who missed some action thanks to a bus accident) to make quick work of their opening round opponents. Both bands make strong cases for advancement, but which will live to fight another day?

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Elvis Presley Joins The Army, Gets A Trim: Wake-Up Video

Posted 3/25/10 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


To get a sense of how dramatically celebrity culture has changed in five decades, you need only look back to 1958. On this day that year, Elvis Presley — perhaps the most famous singer in the world at the time who already had gigantic hits with songs like "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog" and "All Shook Up" — received his regulation military haircut at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. Even though he was a massive star, he could not escape the reach of Uncle Sam. The fervor surrounding Presley's military service was intense, and amazingly, he served two full years in the Third Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany.

Though the King was concerned about his career, Presley would often hit the studio during leaves and had logged plenty of recording time prior to the beginning of his service, so he managed to score 10 Top 40 hits (including "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" and "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I") even though he was not around to promote them or tour for two years. During his Army career, he was also introduced to martial arts (he remained devoted to karate even after he left the service) and met future wife Priscilla Beaulieu.

When Elvis returned from military duty in March of 1960, he grew his signature hair back and picked up right where he left off, immediately cutting a new album (appropriately titled Elvis is Back!), headlining a television special and starring in the movie "G.I. Blues," all of which were wild successes. Of course, there is no longer a military draft, but even if there was, it seems unfathomable that a major pop star would be drafted into service and sent away for two years. Imagine if 20-year-old Joe Jonas was called up for military service. What would that even look like? In honor of Elvis' personal sacrifice, commitment to service and willingness to lose his locks, we present Pavement's "Cut Your Hair."

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David Otunga's WrestleMania Predictions: Will John Cena Tame The Animal?

Posted 3/24/10 6:05 pm EST by in Television


It's a great time to be a sports fan right now. March Madness is in full effect, baseball starts soon, the UFC has a great show coming up this Saturday (March 27) and WrestleMania is this Sunday (March 28).

The latter event is always a highlight, as it brings together the spectacular sports entertainment of the WWE with the worlds of music, Hollywood and everything in between. This year's show will be live from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and the main events see Shawn Michaels battling the Undertaker, Edge challenging Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship, Bret "The Hitman" Hart going up against Vince McMahon and John Cena taking on Batista for the WWE Championship.

Who will walk away with their hands raised? We asked reality star and "WWE NXT" performer David Otunga who he thought would win in the biggest matches of the night. For his first prognostication, he thinks that Batista will be able to tap into his animal instincts and overwhelm part-time rapper Cena.

Though Otunga isn't booked for the big show on Sunday, he's still glad he is so close to the action, and he hopes to live out one of his goals at the WWE's biggest show one day. "My ultimate dream is to perform in the main event of Wrestlemania," Otunga told MTV News' Larry Carroll. "To win a world championship in the main event at Wrestlemania — there's nothing bigger or better than that."

Which WrestleMania match are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!

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MTV News' Musical March Madness: Tokio Hotel Vs. Radiohead, Vampire Weekend Vs. Phoenix

Posted 3/24/10 5:15 pm EST by in Music


It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — takes the 65 biggest names in rock, splits them up into four regions, assigns them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 65. Over the next few weeks, we will present a series of polls that will allow you to vote for the match-ups presented in MTV News' Band Bracketology. You vote for the winners, we'll keep advancing the seeds and, in the end, we'll have some sort of champion. What will the winner receive? Little more than our esteem (as well as that of the fans) and some Internet bragging rights.

It's time to vote on the other set of parings from the second round in the East bracket. In case you missed the first round, check out the summary of round one and the preview for round two. Tomorrow we'll address the West and Midwest brackets, where upsets abound and more are coming.

(4) Vampire Weekend vs. (5) Phoenix
Another high-powered indie tilt, as Vampire Weekend try to take their big win over Pavement into the second round. Phoenix defeated the National handily, but do they have enough support to drive into the Sweet 16?

(8) Radiohead vs. (16) Tokio Hotel
The top-seeded bands had a very turbulent first round, as only Blink-182 managed to survive. Not only did Tokio Hotel upend Coldplay, but they did it in grand, sweeping fashion. Radiohead fought off a feisty Spoon to get into the second round, but will they be able to rely on their status as indie legends to carry them past the German upstarts?

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