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Spotted: Justin Bieber Shows The Love In Wales

Posted 5/25/10 11:00 am EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

One of the biggest concerts of the past weekend featured some of the biggest American stars crossing the Atlantic to take the stage in Bangor, Wales for the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend Festival. Ke$ha brought some good old fashioned American values to the table with her gun-shaped guitar and American flag hot pants, but when Justin Bieber took the stage on Saturday (May 22), he was all about love. He even flashed the heart symbol to the crowd of adoring fans who went crazy for the singer's every hit, including recent smashes "Baby" and "Eenie Meenie." Bieber shared the main stage with the likes of Alicia Keys and 30 Seconds to Mars on Saturday, while Sunday (May 23) featured Paramore, Rihanna and the aforementioned Ke$ha.

They weren't the only stars getting an international education, as Lady Gaga took her coffee to go in Paris and Lindsay Lohan went to her probation hearing in exotic Los Angeles after being stuck in Cannes for a few days. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, the Jonas Brothers, Jay-Z, Madonna, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Adam Lambert, Christina Aguilera and Eminem!

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Summer Songs Flashback: Nelly Rules The Universe

Posted 5/25/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


All this week, MTV News will be going through the nominees for this year's official summer jam. You'll be able to vote all week on the official 2010 summer song poll for one of our five nominees, which include Usher's "OMG," Katy Perry's "California Gurls," B.o.B's "Airplanes," 3OH!3's "First Kiss" and Lady Gaga's "Alejandro." You can also endorse your own pick for the official 2010 summer song on our poll.

In addition to the new songs, we're going to take a look back at some classic summer songs from the past 10 years. Today's flashback takes us to 2002 and 2003, when Justin Timberlake started his solo career, a seven-year-old Nick Jonas appeared in "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway and that crazy heat wave killed 70,000 people in Europe. And one correction to yesterday's entry: Though Blu Cantrell definitely had the song of summer 2001, Crazy Town's "Butterfly" should have come in a close second.

2002: The summer of 2002 begins and ends with one name: Nelly. His "Hot in Herre" is as definitive as summer songs get, as it has a bouncy beat, a fun-loving rap and a catchy-as-hell chorus (about getting naked, no less). Even hardened rock fans were seduced by Nelly's charms. (The song also gets props for appearing in "Agent Cody Banks" as Angie Harmon's theme music.) There were other hot songs that summer, but they were all bowled over by "Hot in Herre" (the extra "R" makes it a winner). Other Contenders: Ashanti, "Foolish" (too dark); Justin Timberlake, "Like I Love You" (came too late in the season); Pink, "Just Like a Pill" (too angry); No Doubt, "Hella Good" (too No Doubt).

2003: When it comes to just about anything music-related, it's always safe to bet on Beyoncé (and even safer to bet on the combination of her and Jay-Z). Before they were man and wife, they were simply collaborators, and on B's first big breakout solo single, they delivered the goods in the form of the chart-topping "Crazy in Love." That horn loop sounded great everywhere: In the club, at the beach, in the car and on the deck. What more could you ask for? Other Contenders: Justin Timberlake, "Rock Your Body" (peaked too early); Nelly, "Shake Ya Tailfeather" (peaked too late and not as good as "Hot in Herre"); 50 Cent, "21 Questions" (not nearly as catchy as previous single "In da Club," which peaked too early).

What were your summer jams of 2002 and 2003? Let us know in the comments!

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Happy Birthday, Lauryn Hill: Wake-Up Video

Posted 5/25/10 9:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


On this day in 1975, a true genius was born. Lauryn Hill, who represented one third of the short-lived but extremely influential Fugees and whose entire solo career consists of a single studio album that is among the best of all time, turns 35 years old today (so hopefully you remembered to buy a card). Though Ms. Hill has been rather elusive in the years since the release of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (her landmark 1998 solo album), she found herself in the news recently when it was rumored that she could be the headliner of the 2010 version of the Rock the Bells tour (it turns out Clipse and Wiz Khalifa will be taking top-billing on that particular trek).

Hill first scored recognition as a member of the Fugees, the hip-hop/R&B/soul fusion group that launched both her career and that of the ubiquitous Wyclef Jean. She was the rare star who not only had a killer singing voice (her turn on "Killing Me Softly" remains stunning) but also incredible skills as an MC (her rapping on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is unparalleled). The Fugees two albums (1994's Blunted on Reality and 1996's The Score) sold millions of copies, scored the group a bunch of hits (including the aforementioned "Killing Me Softly" and "Ready or Not") and netted them a pair of Grammy Awards (including an Album of the Year prize for The Score).

Hill broke out with her solo album in 1998 and immediately floored both critics and fans with her hybrid style. But following the incredible success of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she took time off to have a baby and eventually became dissatisfied with the music industry enough to go way off the grid for a few years. She released a polarizing live album of all acoustic material called MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 that sharply divided critics (though did end up providing the sample around which Kanye West later built "All Falls Down"). Since then, there was a brief Fugees reunion a few years ago, but new music from Hill has been generally invisible. Still, even if she never records another note, she can stand by the fact that her chart-topping hit "Doo Wop (That Thing)" is among the best fusions of hip-hop and R&B ever crafted. If she's the hip-hop J.D. Salinger, then "Doo Wop" is her "Catcher in the Rye."

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Stone Temple Pilots Return To Continue An Underrated Career

Posted 5/24/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


On Tuesday (May 24), Stone Temple Pilots will drop their new self-titled album, which represents their comeback after nearly a decade on the rocks and the sixth of their career. The group has survived a lifetime of trouble, from attacks from critics to the substance abuse troubles of problematic frontman Scott Weiland. But they're back on track with a new album and a killer live show, and it's time to reevaluate their entire career.

Stone Temple Pilots got off on the wrong foot back in 1993 when their breakout single "Plush" turned them into instant MTV and modern rock radio staples. Their biggest sin? "Plush" (and Weiland's vocal in particular) sounded a bit like Pearl Jam (of course, so did every other rock band who dropped a single in '93). The idea that STP sounded exactly like Pearl Jam was so ubiquitous that it even got a joke on "Saturday Night Live" (made by David Spade, no less). They basically paid for that misconception their entire career, as they were usually dismissed as Bush-esque (the band, not the President) wannabes even as their sound morphed from radio grunge to further experiments in metal, glam and whatever Tiny Music ... Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop was.

They appear to have shaken off that critical stigma, as their latest single "Between the Lines" has been a juggernaut on rock radio since its debut a few months back. So if the new album is your first entry in STP's oeuvre, here's some help with their roundly excellent back catalogue.

Core (1992)
Key Tracks: "Dead and Bloated," "Creep," "Wicked Garden"
STP's debut is brief (there are only 12 songs, two of which are more like interludes) but packed with big riffs, huge hooks and Weiland's esoteric singing voice (which really only sounds like Eddie Vedder on "Plush" and "Crackerman"). Listening to Core a second time, it's amazing how heavy it sounds. Everything lands with a powerful thump (all credit to Eric Kretz's savage drum technique) and the guitars have that metallic sheen that sounds like Steve Albini on steroids.

Purple (1994)
Key Tracks: "Interstate Love Song," "Still Remains," "Vasoline"
Easily the best album of their career, Purple takes Stone Temple Pilots sound and twists it into a number of different directions. Read More...

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Bret Michaels Is Back And Ready To Rock: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 5/24/10 4:30 pm EST by in Music


"The doctor said it's not very smart to be here, but I'm not a very smart guy in that capacity. I really knew I wanted to be [at the finale]. This is the truth: I'm not back 100 percent yet, but I'm one of those guys that I have to have a goal, and I'm very driven, and I say this truthfully, I love life. I'm ready to get out of the hospital and on the road. I'm ready to rock."

-Poison frontman and "The Celebrity Apprentice" winner Bret Michaels, talking to "Today" host Meredith Vieira about his return to the public eye after a series of health scares. Though the bulk of "The Celebrity Apprentice" was taped well before Michaels suffered a brain hemorrhage, his presence on the live portion of Sunday night's (May 23) season finale was in question (especially considering he was back in the hospital last week following a minor stroke). But he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of his finishing what he had started. "When I went in there to do the show, I was committed 100 percent," he said. "Everybody wants to win for their cause and I went in there, I had no intention to hurt anybody. My intention was to do the best job I can do. When I had the hemorrhage I thought it was over. I got to tell you I was so happy to have been there. I set my goal."

Though he admits that he is still not at full health and looked a little shaky on Sunday night's show, Michaels still intends on riding his victory into a rock tour set to start this Friday, May 28 in Biloxi, Mississippi. He'll spend the rest of the summer on the road, criss-crossing North America performing songs from both the Poison albums and from his solo projects.

What do you think of Bret Michaels' return to work so soon after his medical problems? Do you think it's a good idea? Let us know in the comments!

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Paula Abdul's New Show, 'Shrek' Dominates The Box Office And Simon Monjack Dies: Three To See

Posted 5/24/10 3:36 pm EST by in Music


Every morning, MTV News delivers the top news stories in music, movies and pop culture hot and fresh for your reading and watching pleasure. We then bring together a trio of the biggest headlines for "Three to See," the daily digest of the top stories making noise on our site and across the Internet. This morning, stories on Simon Monjack's death, Paula Abdul's new television show and the box office take of "Shrek" lead the way.

Paula Abdul To Return To TV With "Got To Dance"
Nearly a year after walking away from her chair behind the judges' table on "American Idol" comes the news that Paula Abdul will be returning to television in the fall. She'll be the lead judge and executive producer on CBS' "Got to Dance," a reality dance competition that is based on a hit British series.

"Shrek" Dominates The Box Office
Though it didn't make nearly as much opening weekend bank as the two previous sequels (both of which are among the 12 biggest first weekends of all time), "Shrek Forever After" still turned a pretty penny over the weekend. The fourth entry in the series raked in $71.3 million over the course of three days, easily putting it in first-place on the chart. "Iron Man 2" came in second, followed by "Robin Hood" and "Letters to Juliet." Meanwhile, "MacGruber" took a dive, as the high-profile "Saturday Night Live" film scored a paltry $4.1 million and sixth-place on the box office chart.

Brittany Murphy's Husband Simon Monjack Dies
A mere five months after the tragic death of "Clueless" actress Brittany Murphy comes the sad news that her husband Simon Monjack has also passed away. The 39-year-old screenwriter was found dead on Sunday evening (May 23) of as-yet-unknown causes. He was discovered by Murphy's mother Sharon, who also found her daughter's body back in December.

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Ashley Tisdale Toasts Miley Cyrus On #MusicMonday

Posted 5/24/10 2:40 pm EST by in Music


Really, you should be listening to music every day, but thanks to Twitter, Monday has become the best day of the week to discover new songs, show some love to the tune currently dominating your iPod playlist and quietly judge the listening habits of your closest friends. Yes, it's #MusicMonday, one of Twitter's most enduring trending topics. Hence "MTV News' #MusicMonday," a weekly look at the songs your favorite stars are currently crushing on.

This week, Ashley Tisdale shouts out the latest hit from Miley Cyrus.

24-year-old actress and pop star Ashley Tisdale has already had plenty of chart success herself (both as a solo artist and as a member of the cast of "High School Musical"), so she knows her way around a killer pop hook. So on this #MusicMonday, Tisdale will be cranking up the latest single from 17-year-old phenom and fellow Disney Channel actress-turned-pop-maven Miley Cyrus.

"[I love] 'Can't Be Tamed' by Miley Cyrus. I said 'Music Monday' because it's Miley. M-M-M!" Tisdale told MTV News' Jocelyn Vena at the upfront presentation for the CW network. "I think it's great. It's got a great beat, it's got a great hook. I love it."

Cyrus' latest hit (which has only just begun its assault on the charts) is from her forthcoming album of the same name, which is due out on June 18. According to Cyrus, it will be the last pop album she produces for a while, as she wants to focus on movies (perhaps an excellent decision, as her latest film "The Last Song" was a major box office hit).

What's your #MusicMonday jam? Let us know in the comments!

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Spotted: Ke$ha Brings Some American Values To Wales

Posted 5/24/10 1:45 pm EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

The spring and summer months mean that the next several months will feature a handful of international festivals every single week. This past weekend was no different, as a number of superstars (including Rihanna, Jason Derülo and Perez Hilton favorites Marina & the Diamonds) gathered on a single stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend Festival in Bangor, Wales. Of all the headliners, Ke$ha definitely made the biggest splash, as she performed in a pair of hot pants with a design of an American flag on them and broke out a special guitar shaped like a giant rifle. She looked like the ultimate cartoon of the American Dream, combining firearms and patriotism for one wacky stew. But make no mistake about it: Ke$ha is fast becoming a nearly-ubiquitous pop star who you won't be able to escape for most of the summer months (and it seems that everybody wants it that way).

She wasn't the only star hitting poses over the weekend, as Limp Bizkit lit up the Rock on the Range Festival and Backstreet Boys performed live on CBS' "The Early Show." Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Adam Lambert, Katy Perry, Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and the Jonas Brothers!

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Summer Song Flashback: Santana Owns The Opening Of The Millennium

Posted 5/24/10 12:40 pm EST by in Music


All this week, MTV News will be going through the nominees for this year's official summer jam. You'll be able to vote all week on the official 2010 summer song poll for one of our five nominees, which include Usher's "OMG," Katy Perry's "California Gurls," B.o.B's "Airplanes," 3OH!3's "First Kiss" and Lady Gaga's "Alejandro." You can also endorse your own pick for the official 2010 summer song (Drake's "Find Your Love" and Taio Cruz's "Dirty Picture" have already received endorsements from intrepid readers).

In addition to the new songs, we're going to take a look back at some classic summer songs from the past 10 years. Today's flashback takes us to 2000 and 2001, when "Mission Impossible III" and the original "Shrek" ruled the multiplexes, Al Gore actually thought he could become President of the United States and Cal Ripken, Jr. ended his storied baseball career.

2000: Even though the first year of the new millennium was flush with pop starlets and boy bands, the summer months belonged to a pair of middle-aged dudes. Fresh off their collaboration "Smooth" (which ruled the charts during the fall of 1999 but was still in heavy rotation by the time the summer of 2000 rolled around), legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas each scored big follow-up hits that made them the kings of radio. Santana's "Maria Maria" (a collaboration with Wyclef proteges the Product G&B) topped the Billboard Hot 100 during the early part of the summer and kept both singles from his hit album Supernatural in heavy rotation throughout the season. Meanwhile, Thomas' band Matchbox Twenty had one of their biggest hits with "Bent," a track that became the season's definitive rock song despite the fact that it was sort of a downer. Just call 2000 the "Summer of Carlos." Other Contenders: Aaliyah's "Try Again" (groovy but too cool-sounding), Faith Hill's "Breathe" (too country), Destiny's Child's "Jumpin Jumpin" (too jumpin).

2001: First of all, do you realize that the top single on the Billboard Hot 100 for all of 2001 was Lifehouse's "Hanging By a Moment"? What was going on there? But though that song made for a great anthem and a fine soundtrack to a spring fling, it certainly wasn't the jam of the season. While there were a few hot R&B tracks that sounded good at beach parties, one stands tallest: Blu Cantrell's (remember her?) "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)." It was the perfect combination of catchy chorus, bouncy beat, simple lyrics and just the right amount of stupidity to have it appeal across a number of different genre-lovers. Though it never hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, it deserves its rightful place as the summer jam of 2001. Other Contenders: Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" (too much jelly), Nelly's "Ride Wit Me" (pretty awesome, but he had a far superior song that was the official jam of 2002), Destiny's Child's "Independent Women Part I" (too associated with "Charlie's Angels").

What were your favorite summer songs of 2000 and 2001? Let us know in the comments!

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Paramore's Hayley Williams Predicted The 'Lost' Finale Without Having Seen The Show

Posted 5/24/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


Now that the dust has settled and the series finale of "Lost" is in the books, there is no shortage of discussion among both fans and critics on the Internet about what happened (and in many instances what didn't happen). Despite the rampant amount of speculation about how crazy the last episode was going to be, it ended up focusing more on the characters and their relationships than any of the wackadoo mythology about the origins of man and electro-magnetism. When you came right down to it, knowledge of the inner workings of the more granular sections of the "Lost" universe ended up being something of a hindrance, as anybody who was looking for answers was probably so hung up on the fact that little was resolved that they missed the fact that everybody generally got a happy ending (despite being dead).

Still, you would have had to have watched at least some of the series to really appreciate the finale, which is what makes Hayley Williams' analysis of the show so incredible. A few weeks ago, MTV News visited with Paramore right before their headlining set at the Bamboozle in East Rutherford, New Jersey. When asked if she could explain "Lost," Williams admitted that she had never seen the show before. Still, she was game to attempt to work through it. "It's about people on an island. They get off the island but they're still on it, and they go back on. And one day, they're going to be somewhere happy, whether it's on the island or not," she breathlessly explained while sitting on her tour bus. In the end, she wasn't especially far off, as everybody did manage to get to a place where they were happy, whether they stayed on the island or made their way off.

Check out the compilation of stars working through "Lost" below, including Stone Sour's Corey Taylor, Slash and Sean Foreman of 3OH!3 (who also accurately deducts that the island is the gateway to purgatory, which is kinda sorta correct as well). Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to get Williams to predict the next Powerball numbers.

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