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Wyclef Jean Hangs Up His Haitian Presidency Bid: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 9/21/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


"After weeks of quiet but painstaking reflection with my wife and daughter, I have chosen to end my bid for the presidency of Haiti. This was not an easy conclusion to reach; but it is one that was thoughtfully made, taking into account many, many competing factors and weighing the course that will best advance the healing of the country and help it find the quickest path to recovery."

-Rapper, producer and native Haitian Wyclef Jean, speaking via a released statement about his decision to end his bid to be president of his homeland. A longtime supporter of his home country via his Yele Haiti charity, Jean's outreach profile was raised significantly earlier this year following the devastating earthquake that struck the island, destroying vast swaths of the already troublesome infrastructure in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. But his bid for becoming president of the country was derailed by paperwork problems and bad publicity.

Still, he appreciates the power of exposure, and believes that his failed run was ultimately positive. "Though my run for the presidency was cut short," the statement read, "in this way, I feel it was not in vain; it's something we can use to improve conditions for my Haitian brothers and sisters."

Jean will now shift his focus to his upcoming solo album, which is scheduled to hit in February 2011 (around the one year anniversary of the earthquake) and it tentatively titled If I Were President: The Haitian Experience.

"Some battles are best fought off the field, and that is where we take this now," Jean said via the statement. He hopes that the remaining candidates can use the office to do positive things for "a government that is often ranked as one of the most corrupt on the planet, resulting in a country that is by most measures the poorest in the Western world."

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Kanye West's Next 'SNL' Appearance Will Make Him Their Modern Day MVP

Posted 9/21/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


After a somewhat uneven, lackluster run last year, the new season of "Saturday Night Live" is shaping up to be pretty sweet. They have a number of excellent picks for hosts (including former cast member Amy Poehler, "Glee" star Jane Lynch and new perpetual favorite Jon Hamm) and some top-shelf musical talent. At the top of that heap? Kanye West, who will make his fourth appearance on the late night comedy program. West has become one of the show's great go-to guys in the modern era, as he is always able to deliver excellent performances (if there's one thing that guy can do, it's perform on television).

West's first visit to "Saturday Night Live" was in 2005, when he was the musical guest on the season premiere (hosted by Steve Carell). Having just released Late Registration, West powered through the punchy "Gold Digger" and the spacier "Heard 'Em Say" (the latter of which also featured a guest spot by Maroon 5's Adam Levine). It was a lively debut for West, who looked comfortable and natural on the "SNL" stage.

He was invited back for another season premiere, this time in 2007 opposite basketball phenom LeBron James as host. Having just dropped Graduation and having gained a boatload of confidence, West came armed with an array of smashes, including "Stronger," "Good Life," "Champion" and "Everything I Am." West also appeared in a sketch called "Great Moments in Guidance Counseling," where cast member Kenan Thompson suggested to West (playing himself) that he go to college, drop out and then write a bunch of songs about it.

We last heard from West on "SNL" in 2008, following the release of 808s & Heartbreak. With "House" star Hugh Laurie hosting, West unleashed his weirdest, wildest performances yet. He unleashed "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless," both of which provided fans with a look at how well West's stage presence has evolved. When he takes the stage on October 2 (with "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston as host), it will no doubt be as engaging as he always is (especially if he brings back "Runaway," which totally blew the roof off of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards last week).

What should Kanye West perform on "Saturday Night Live"? Let us know in the comments!

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Jack Johnson's 'At Or With Me' Video: Andy Samberg In His Finest Role

Posted 9/21/10 1:30 pm EST by in Music


When 2010 finally wraps up, it seems inevitable that Jack Johnson's excellent album To the Sea will be looked over on year-end best-of lists. That will not be surprising, as Johnson usually just goes about his business moving albums and selling out arenas on his massive tour. He's a workmanlike entertainer, but that shouldn't be mistaken for mediocrity. Rather, To the Sea contains some of Johnson's best songwriting and most adventurous ideas. But since he doesn't do much to call attention to himself, he doesn't tend to stick out in the minds of the people, and always ends up being slightly underrated despite moving millions of albums since his debut.

But his just-released video for "At or With Me" should grab him some more high-profile attention, and he has "Saturday Night Live" star and viral video legend Andy Samberg to thank for anything that tumbles his way. In the clip, Samberg (who once played Johnson on "Saturday Night Live" as the host of a program called "The Mellow Show") plays a cartoonish version of himself, showing up to a Johnson concert to drink too much and heckle the singer's performance of the song. Eventually, "the mellow guy" (as Samberg dismissively calls Johnson) finally decides he has had too much and lets the fists fly. The second half of the video is made up entirely of the awesome fight between the two, featuring lots of smashed glass, broken furniture and a nod to Michael Jackson's classic video for "Beat It."

Nobody plays a jackass like Samberg, and the jerkier version of himself appears to be the part he was born to play. Well, that and the role of Jack Johnson.

What do you think of the new Jack Johnson video? Let us know in the comments!

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Jay-Z And Coldplay Team Up For New Year's Eve, Adding To Jigga's Collaboration All-Star Team

Posted 9/21/10 12:30 pm EST by in Music


It is not yet October, but apparently it's not too early to start planning for your New Year's Eve party. The most high-profile gig to celebrate the end of 2010 will most certainly be the planned show featuring Jay-Z and Coldplay. The concert will be an invite-only event that will also celebrate the opening of the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas. Though it'll be difficult to get on that guest list, people hanging out on the Strip will be able to enjoy the show via the hotel's 65-foot marquee (where the concert will be projected).

It won't be the first time Jigga has shared a stage with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin (in fact, they got together just last week for the Home and Home shows in New York), but it will certainly solidify Martin's place among Jay's collaboration hall of fame. That list includes wife Beyoncé (they've hooked up several times, including on stage at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards), Mary J. Blige (they got together for a sweet collaboration with the Roots when Jay recorded his "MTV Unplugged" in 2001), R. Kelly (they went on an entire problematic tour together to support their Best of Both Worlds album), Kanye West (countless times) and Linkin Park (another album length collaboration — 2004's Collision Course).

But of course Jay's most notable — and most recent — on-stage collaborator is none other than Eminem, who just took part in a series of concerts that brought together the two best rappers in the business (and certainly two who would be on the top five of all time).

(Click here for more photos of Jay-Z collaborating with stars like Eminem, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West and Linkin Park!)

Jay has proven time and time again that not only is he a singularity among rappers but he can also shift himself to hook up with just about anybody.

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Spotted: Drake Gets Things Started In Miami

Posted 9/21/10 11:30 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.

Most of the time, rap artists have to rely on the power of their singles and their videos to make an impression on audiences. Rarely do young hip-hop stars get the opportunity to prove themselves on stage, but Drake's rise to fame and fortune has been largely predicated on his presence in the live forum. He has found a great deal of success on the road, which is one of the reasons why he just launched his latest tour on Monday night (September 20) in Miami at the James L. Knight Center. With fellow Young Money artist Tyga along for the ride as his opening act, Drake busted out an extra-long set (nearly two hours in total) featuring all of his biggest hits (including "Best I Ever Had," "Find Your Love" and "Over"). He'll play the same place a second time tonight (September 21), then spend the next six weeks covering the country (including a stop in New Orleans for a spot at the Voodoo Festival).

Drake wasn't the only star getting out and paying the bills, as the new season of "Dancing With the Stars" kicked off in Los Angeles and stars partied for the New York premiere of "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features nearly 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Eminem, Diddy and Madonna!

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Happy Birthday, Jason Derülo!

Posted 9/21/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


We can all legally raise a glass to the great Jason Derülo today, as it's his 21st birthday. Break out the Mylar balloons and fill the pinata with Jolly Ranchers, because it's time to celebrate.

Derülo may only be 21, but he is already something of an industry veteran. He got his first big break when he won the grand prize on the season finale of "Showtime at the Apollo" in 2006 (when he was only 16 years old). That earned him writing credits on songs for the likes of Birdman and Pitbull, and he eventually graduated to performing his own tunes. He made an immediate impact in late summer of 2009 when he released his first single "Whatcha Say," a groovy R&B track that sampled Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" (better known as "that song that played over the end of the season finale of 'The O.C.' when Trey got shot"). The track slowly made its way up the Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at the top spot in November. It turned Derülo into an international superstar and built up incredible anticipation for his full-length album.

His self-titled debut dropped earlier this year, and has so far spawned two more singles that can be heard coming out of every third car that drives past you. "In My Head" is a bouncy hedonist disco dream of a song, while "Ridin' Solo" has a more rugged approach. After serving as an opening act for both Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, he is currently in the midst of his own headlining world tour (he arrives in the United States on September 27 for a performance in Philadelphia). Derülo just performed in Amsterdam and is on his way to Brussels, which means he is probably celebrating in style. As a toast, check out "In My Head."

What would you get Jason Derülo for his birthday? Let us know in the comments!

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The 'Dancing With The Stars' Situation: A Crunch Time Debut

Posted 9/21/10 9:30 am EST by in Television


Monday night's (September 20) season premiere of "Dancing With the Stars" reminded us of a few things that we already knew (like that Jennifer Grey moves awfully well) and taught us a handful of things we were not already aware of (like that former star of MTV's "The Hills" Audrina Patridge is a pretty good dancer). But all the focus (at least as far as the MTV Newsroom Blog is concerned) was on Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, star of MTV's "Jersey Shore" and one of the more interesting contestants on this version of the show. While the Situation certainly ran into some speed bumps during his first performance (he is in a three-way tie for last place with David Hasselhoff and Margaret Cho, all of whom scored a dreadful 15 points), he did show some potential.

During the Situation's introduction package, the show established that the MTV star only had five days to prepare and rehearse for his first performance because of the "Jersey Shore" shooting schedule (most every other contestant had been working for two weeks or more). The Situation's partner, Karina Smirnoff, seemed a little nervous but was also charmed by his earnestness and his willingness to learn. When the time finally came to dance (their first dance was a cha-cha-cha), it looked competent but still sloppy and unpolished. The judges seemed to think he had potential and appreciated his enthusiasm, but they were ultimately not impressed by what the team put out there.

Still, there will probably be safe passage into week two for the Situation, as Cho seems like the likely candidate for dismissal in the opening week (of the three lowest scores, she probably has the weakest fan base). The "Can the Situation improve?" story line has already made this a compelling season.

What did you think of the Situation's performance on "Dancing With the Stars"? And what about Audrina Patridge? Could she totally win the whole thing? Let us know in the comments!

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Radiohead Start Creeping: Wake-Up Video

Posted 9/21/10 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


All great bands had to start somewhere. The Beatles ground out gigs at the Cavern Club. Led Zeppelin played basements as the New Yardbirds. U2 got booed out of Irish pubs. And Radiohead, one of the most influential and important bands of the past two decades, started with a feedback-drenched single that nobody particularly cared about (at least initially). On this day in 1992, Radiohead's U.K. record label released "Creep," marking the first official release from the band. Though "Creep" was generally ignored in the band's home country, it became a big hit in the United States, landing them in MTV's "Buzz Bin" and scoring them a decent fan base.

"Creep" was something of an inauspicious start for Radiohead, as it didn't do very much to distinguish the band from the parade of grunge wannabes also clogging the airwaves at the time (it certainly didn't help that Stone Temple Pilots — perhaps the most high profile copycat band out there — also had a song called "Creep" come out around the same time). In fact, even the song's signature guitar crunches (the ones that drop in right before the chorus kicks in) happened somewhat by accident, as band legend has it that guitarist Jonny Greenwood tossed them in their in an effort to destroy the tune during the recording, as he was not a fan of it.

But all's well that ends well, as Radiohead's debut album Pablo Honey (which was released in early 1993) made a minor splash and was successful enough to let the band experiment with their second album The Bends (which is where things really started to get interesting). "Creep" remains something of an afterthought for the group, even though it's by far their biggest radio hit.

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Trent Reznor's 'The Social Network' Soundtrack Drops A Free Preview

Posted 9/20/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


If you're anything like us, you spent your weekend cursing the New York Mets, having arguments about "The Town" and getting wrapped up in the big premiere of HBO's new series "Boardwalk Empire." In between all those things, you probably listened to the five track preview of the soundtrack to "The Social Network" that Trent Reznor released late last week. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Atticus Ross (who worked on several Nine Inch Nails albums and is also a member of How to Destroy Angels), the tracks to "The Social Network" are dense, moody soundscapes that certainly sound like they could easily accompany images crafted by David Fincher (which is exactly what they're supposed to do, so mission accomplished).

But "The Social Network" (which stars Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in the tale of the Internet giant's creation) doesn't hit theaters until October 1, so at the moment it's impossible to know how, where or why these tracks factor into the cinematic drama. So as an experiment, we did the next best thing: We surfed around Facebook while listening to the songs.

Not surprisingly, they certainly make Facebook seem like a much more dangerous, dark place than it probably is. Every "Like" was unnerving. Each check-in seemed to threaten to unmoor us from reality forever. Scrolling through photos of friends' vacations became a dangerous detour into a carnival of souls. And when "On We March" kicked in just as we were going to suggest our friends like Nine Inch Nails, we got the sneaking suspicion that we were being watched by some unidentifiable but certainly malevolent entity hellbent on taking our souls. "The Social Network" is not a horror movie, but it does deal with the darkness of capitalism and the isolation felt by Eisenberg's character, which makes Reznor a perfect match.

This isn't Reznor's first visit to the soundtrack dance: He famously scored the video game "Quake" and contributed songs and compositions to the soundtrack to David Lynch's 1997 film "Lost Highway." But "The Social Network" already feels like his most complete score job yet, and it will certainly aid in the storytelling once the movie is finally unleashed on the masses. Don't be surprised if Reznor earns himself some early Oscar buzz, and for a guy who has been around as long as he has and accomplished the things he has accomplished, there would be no more deserving party.

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Come Back To Us, 1990s Bjork

Posted 9/20/10 4:30 pm EST by in Music


Over the past few weeks, I have been diving into my stash of old copies of Spin magazine, mainly entries from between 1996 and 1999 (the same era when music meant the most to me, not coincidentally). The search has yielded some awesome gems from the era, mostly because Spin was at the forefront of the "electronica" movement of the late '90s (wherein we were all supposed to trade our guitars in for samplers and artists like the Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin and Roni Size were supposed to represent the future of rock and roll). So in the midst of all the indie rock that still sticks around the magazines, there is an alarming amount of page space devoted to breaking down wacky subgenres and talking about the business of making dance music. The December 1997 issue is an excellent example of this, as it focuses on American electronica and discusses the new album by Bjork (at the time, she had just released Homogenic).

It got me thinking: Wouldn't it be awesome to have Bjork back?

Of course, Bjork hasn't left us since 1993's Debut, which established her as an envelope-pushing songstress straddling the black hole between the universes of pop, dance, rock and Lilith Fair-style Earth Mother movements. She has bounded across genres and experimented with most everybody who is willing to experiment, and her personal relationship with experimental filmmaker Matthew Barney has only pushed herself even farther past the horizons of music. But as her goals have gotten loftier, so has her music become more remote and impenetrable. Her last proper album — 2007's Volta — was the Bjork idiom pushed to incredible extremes. Full of worldbeat experimentation, hallucinogenic a capella work, ramshackle percussion and great swarms of noise, Volta was thrilling on one level and frustrating on many others.

Since then, she has rolled out a handful of musical projects, including the charity single "Nattura," a song for the soundtrack to the Finnish children's movie "Moomins and the Comet Chase" and has recently stated her intentions to collaborate with Dirty Projectors and Antony and the Johnsons. But though these things are all interesting in their own right, it's not quite the Bjork of Debut or Post or even Homogenic. Those albums all balanced Bjork's stranger urges with razor-sharp songcraft and a knack for haunting melody.

It's obviously counter-productive to Bjork's entire ethos to wish that she devolve a bit as an artist, but that's exactly what I'm asking. Sometimes the boundaries created by the forms of pop music can actually help somebody like Bjork, as they will give her a playground in which she can spread her ideas around. I get stuff like Volta, but I miss stuff like "Human Behaviour," which combined haunting beat science with a thrilling melody and jittery counter-rhythms, all pulled together by Bjork's entrancing vocal chops.

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