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We're near the release of Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, one of the most hotly-anticipated albums of the year. The 13-track LP completes something of a comeback narrative for West that began with the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (when he was ostracized for crashing the stage during a Taylor Swift acceptance speech and went underground for a while) and was built up over the course of the past year with some key live performances, the "G.O.O.D. Friday" download series and the recently-released short film "Runaway." In fact, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is so dense and full of gems that it's necessary to take each song and break it down to its bare elements. This time around, we take a look at the references on "Lost in the World."

Bon Iver
Of all the guests to appear on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Bon Iver is probably the one least familiar to West's core group of fans. Bon Iver is actually the recording name of indie singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, who has released a handful of minimalistic indie folk songs across a full album (2008's For Emma, Forever Ago), an EP (2009's Blood Bank) and a handful of singles and other guest spots. His gentle, delicate voice perfectly matches the fractured quality of the lyrics to "Lost in the World," which sees West at his most vulnerable and broken but still vaguely optimistic.

"Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah"
Legendary lyric from Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" that borrows from Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango's disco song "Soul Makossa." West makes a number of allusions to Jackson over the course of the album, and he has made a ton of associations with Jackson over the course of his career.

Gil Scott-Heron
The voice behind the "Who Will Survive in America?" speech at the end of the song. Heron is a revered spoken word performer whose style has deeply influence rap artists and provided a template for early rappers.

Tags Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

The holiday season is upon us, which means it's time to eat too much, tolerate family members you ignore for 11 months out of the year and weep silently as the late night schedule becomes more and more spotty. With Thanksgiving this Thursday (November 25), the lineups this week are a little bare, with most shows going dark Thursday and Friday (November 26) (with a few shows — including the Comedy Central block of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" — taking the whole week off). Still, there will be plenty of entertainment packed into the first three days of this week, as the push for Oscar bait movies and high-profile albums continues. "The Tonight Show" has representatives from both worlds, as Jay Leno will welcome Taylor Swift (Monday, November 22) and Cher (Wednesday, November 24).

Meanwhile, "The Late Show With David Letterman" will feature Natalie Portman and Jessica Simpson (Monday) and Jerry Seinfeld (Tuesday, November 23). The lineup on Jimmy Kimmel's show consists of highlights like Train (Monday), Ke$ha (Tuesday) and Paris Hilton (Wednesday). Fans of both professional football and wacky reality programming should tune in to "The Late Show With Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday night, as both Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco will be on the couch.

The only talk show stars putting in a full week are current late night MVPs Conan O'Brien and George Lopez, who will provide new shows all four days of their broadcast week this week. O'Brien will have the likes of Christina Aguilera (Monday), Maroon 5 (Tuesday) and Eva Mendes (Wednesday) to "Conan," while Lopez will have Ne-Yo (Monday), Ashley Greene (Tuesday), Ice Cube (Wednesday) and Dwayne Johnson (Thursday) on "Lopez Tonight."

Tags Cher, Christina Aguilera, Late Night, Talk Shows

No matter what you think of Mike Tyson (and considering his checkered past, there are many reasons not to like him), you absolutely cannot dispute the fact that on his best night, he was the greatest heavyweight fighter ever to step into a ring. His combination of speed, power, conditioning and tenacity was unmatched by any other boxer in his prime, and it was unfortunate that Tyson seemed to peak at exactly the wrong time, as there were rarely other elite heavyweights for him to battle between the ropes. Still, he had one of those huge nights on this day in 1986, when the 20-year-old Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick to become the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing.

The heavily-hyped fight between Tyson and Berbick ended up being not much of a fight at all, as Iron Mike knocked Berbick out cold in the second round. Tyson wasn't a patient fighter — he was a tornado of power and finesse, and as soon as the bell rang, he danced around Berbick and peppered him with crushing blows. Berbick had decided to try the old rope-a-dope technique (where you take shots from an opponent in the hope that he tires), but Tyson had an infinite reserve of energy and absolutely pounded Berbick. The champ got knocked down in the second round but popped back up, and a few punches later he was down for good (though he managed to answer the 10 count, the referee still stopped it, recognizing that Berbick wasn't fit to continue).

Tyson improved to a record of 28-0 with 27 knockouts, and he held the belt through nine title defenses until he was upset by James "Buster" Douglas in 1990. His life went south after that, though he has recently made quite a public recovery (despite having retired permanently from the ring in 2005). In honor of the greatest fighter who ever strapped on a pair of gloves, crank up Christina Aguilera's "Fighter."

Tags Boxing, Christina Aguilera, mike-tyson, video

There was no shortage of big moments during Sunday night's (November 21) broadcast of the 2010 American Music Awards, which aired live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. There were stunning performances from the likes of Taylor Swift, Pink, Rihanna and Kid Rock. There were great fashion turns care of Miley Cyrus and Pink. There were some great collaborations, notably between Usher and the Swedish House Mafia and the show-closing Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block. But the night's biggest winner was undoubtedly Justin Bieber, who not only took home four awards and performed an epic version of his new single "Pray" but also made the rounds and hung out with some of the biggest stars in music.

(Click here for more photos from Justin Bieber's big night at the 2010 American Music Awards!)

Bieber won a total of four trophies, though the biggest one was surely his prize for Artist of the Year. During his acceptance speech, he graciously shared the moment with Usher, who helped sign the young singer and has helped guide him as his mentor (an appropriate match, as Usher knows a thing or two about being a teen star). Bieber gave several shout-outs throughout the night, including one to legendary late pop sensation Michael Jackson.

In between winning and performing, Bieber also made his way around the Nokia Theatre for some photo ops with some of the night's biggest stars. He spent some quality time with superstar siblings Jaden and Willow Smith, chilled with friend and mentor Usher and managed to get between newly married celebrity couple Russell Brand and Katy Perry.

(Click here for more photos from Justin Bieber's big night at the 2010 American Music Awards!)

Tags AMAs, American Music Awards, Justin Bieber, photo

Sunday night's (November 21) American Music Awards show was a study in contrasts. Rihanna's show-opening performance combined one of the most fun songs on her new album Loud ("What's My Name?") with one of the heaviest ("Love the Way You Lie (Part II)"). The technology-heavy appearance by the Black Eyed Peas was only a few segments away from Miley Cyrus' relatively subdued run through "Forgiveness and Love" (which saw the teen star dressed in a dramatic black gown). Kid Rock stripped everything down for the quiet, simple "Times Like These," while Justin Bieber (who won a total of four awards last night) cranked everything to 11 for an epic rendition of his new single "Pray." But the evening's best showing came from 10 individuals from all across the stylistic map: Taylor Swift and the combined powers of the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block.

Dressed dramatically and wearing her hair straight (she actually looked a bit like Kristen Bell), Swift sat down at the piano for a passionate push through "Back to December," one of the best ballads on her new album Speak Now and also one of its stickier melodies. Swift lent the song a heft that is typically missing from awards show performances (and that is often lacking in her songs), and her voice sounded the best it has ever been. Combined with her performance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards (where she powered through the epic track "Innocent"), Swift's performance of "Back to December" may make her the music-on-TV MVP for the year.

The show-closing performance from the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys (who will be touring together as NKOTBSB next spring) was the exact opposite of Swift's "Back to December." Rather than create drama, the nine boy band veterans combined for an incredibly fun, thrilling run through a mash-up of some of their best tunes. They've all still got great voices, but more importantly, they all still know how to work a crowd.

What was your favorite performance from the 2010 American Music Awards? Let us know in the comments!

Tags AMAs, American Music Awards, new-kids-on-the-block, Taylor Swift, video

Some of the biggest names in music are gathered under one roof on Sunday night (November 21) for the 2010 version of the American Music Awards. The show is always a headline-grabbing affair (last year's broadcast featured the now-infamous kiss between Adam Lambert and one of his band members that incited complaints from viewers), and this year's should be no different. While everybody is curious about who will win the prizes in the 21 different categories, the main attraction is the series of performances. The lineup is pretty impressive, headlined by Justin Bieber (who will be performing his brand new song "Pray," which comes from his forthcoming album My Worlds Acoustic), Rihanna (who told MTV News that her performance would actually be kicking the show off, just as she did with Eminem at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards), Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, Christina Aguilera and a host of others.

The show kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern, but MTV News' own Tim Kash and James Montgomery will be on the ground at the red carpet watching for all of the big entrances and chatting with music's biggest stars. Check out the dispatches from Kash and Montgomery in the live blog below, and stay tuned to MTV News for more coverage of one of the biggest nights of the year for pop music.

8:05 That's it for the red carpet, but we'll be inside all night for the entire show, so stay tuned to MTV News for the latest updates and hottest news.

8:00 Diddy just hauled ass into the house because he was running late. He did take a moment to remove his grill from his bottom teeth. (Or maybe it was his Invisalign — it was hard to tell.)

7:58 Katy Perry and Johnny Weir hug each other on the carpet. They have the same pink and purple highlights in their hair — it's strangely fitting. (On second blush, it appears as though Perry's hair is just black. Does she have magic color-change hair or are we just fooled by the California sun?)

7:54 Pink and Carey Hart walk the carpet hand-in-hand. Her hair is silver now, for the record.

7:50 Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block walked the carpet together, sort of like a Voltron of teenage heartthrobbery.

7:45 Ke$ha's mohawk stands tall and proud above the hustle and bustle of the AMA carpet, like a solemn bird of prey.

7:40 Nicki Minaj is wearing a golden ribcage. There's no other way to describe it. It sort of looks like she's channeling the cover of Florence and the Machine's Lungs album. Or H.R Geiger.

7:35 Heidi Klum just whirled around right into Usher, who feigned shock then hugged her. They spent a moment conversing on the carpet. "You look amazing," he smiled. He's not wrong.

7:31 Meanwhile, John Legend just posed for a picture with an overzealous reporter from Telemundo. "Don't kiss my girlfriend," he jokingly warns him.

7:28 Gavin Rossdale (of recently reunited alt-rockers Bush) is rocking a samurai hairdo. It works for him.

7:25 Sometimes walking the red carpet requires a little bit of multi-tasking. Take Taio Cruz, for example. He is spending his red carpet time actively snacking. He's got cocktail napkins and everything.
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Tags AMAs, American Music Awards, Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Live Blog, Taylor Swift

The clock on the wall says it's just about time for us to call it a week here in the MTV Newsroom, but our pre-holiday work is hardly done. Be sure to check back in this space and at MTV News for coverage of the American Music Awards (which features Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kid Rock, the Black Eyed Peas and the Backstreet Boys, among others) this Sunday, November 21. We'll be live-blogging the red carpet where MTV News' own Tim Kash and James Montgomery will be on hand to chat with the biggest names in music, so don't miss out.

But before you get distracted by the fact that the makeshift football field they have installed at Wrigley Field will only have one working end zone this weekend, check out what you might have missed on the MTV Newsroom Blog.

» Kanye West's new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy comes out next week, but you can get a jump on all the cultural references before you enjoy it when it drops.

» Jessica Simpson announced that she is engaged to former NFL tight end Eric Johnson, making her the latest pop star to find love in the NFL.

» Girl Talk surprised everyone with a free album called All Day that broke the Internet and reminded us fondly of his golf cart adventure at Lollapalooza.

» A little movie called "Harry Potter" is out this week, and that meant that Emma Watson was everywhere.
Read more...

Tags dancing with the stars, girl-talk, harry-potter, Jessica Simpson, Kanye West, My-Chemical-Romance, Paramore, Pink

The end of the "Harry Potter" road is in sight, as today marks the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1," the first installment of a two-film tag-team that will close out the series (the second flick will hit theaters next year). The movie is being embraced by casual fans and hardcores alike as an intense, scary, visually arresting, well-told story that does the much-beloved book series a great deal of justice. It has been an especially long road for the film's three stars, as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were all plucked from relative obscurity as children to embody Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, three of the most beloved fictional characters of this generation.

While they all admit that the experience has been great, they are all glad to have the freedom to do other things. All three will get all sorts of offers, but Watson has been talking for a while about taking time off to go to school (she even contemplated not coming back as Hermione, though she knew that she would become public enemy number one among "Potter" fans if she bowed out early).

But just in case Watson is looking for a new avenue, she should know that she has a future as a music video star. She has only appeared in one, but it's a pretty excellent first pass. The clip is for British band One Night Only's single "Say You Don't Want It," and she ended up getting the gig because she dates frontman George Craig. It's an excellent little romp that wholeheartedly expresses the subtle sexuality and air of mystery that Watson has brought to the role of Hermione, and it's a pretty killer little tune to boot.

Tags Emma Watson, George Craig, harry-potter, One Night Only, video

MTV News has known for awhile that Kris Allen is a fun-lovin' goofy son of a gun with a killer sense of humor and a low-key down-for-whatever attitude. In fact, we often take advantage of those qualities. (Exhibits A, B, C, D, E, F — you get the idea).

Yet both of his official music videos — "Live Like We're Dying" and "The Truth" — have been angsty affairs filled with desert metaphors and passionate guitar strumming. (We get it, Jive Records. Kris Allen is a serious musician. He's even forlorn on his album cover. In leather, no less.)

Thankfully, last night Allen tweeted a link to a music video for his catchy new single "Alright With Me" that shows off his personable side in a huge way. (Watch the video at his official website.)

The video, directed and edited by his Arkansas buddy Matthew Leonard, is one of those "on the road" diaries that hair metal bands churned out back in the day. But where Journey's "Faithfully" and Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" relied on slow-mo melancholia ("Sigh, it's so hard to be a rock star on the road earning millions of dollars and having sex with anonymous groupies"), "Alright With Me" takes the opposite approach. "Hot diggity, touring with my good friends and meeting fans and rocking out is totally the best thing ever." (Also, no groupies.)

In between artfully-shot live footage of the Kris Allen Band taken from their current fall tour with Lifehouse, we see the "American Idol" winner shimmying backstage, getting his nipples clamped by a dude named Big Daddy (!!!) and making enough silly faces to make Jim Carrey go, "Dude, chill."

Ironically the charming, silly clip (made to say "thanks" to his fans) sells Kris as a serious music artist far better than his first two music videos ever did. Whether they're on stage in front of thousands or by themselves in a studio, Allen and his band are having so much fun playing music together that it's hard to watch the "Alright With Me" video and not buy them as legitimate musicians madly in love with what they do for a living. No over-dramatic symbolism or wind machines needed, thank you very much.

Some have compared the playful video to the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" flights of fancy. It might be a reach, but then again, Kris once told MTV News that he was going for "a George Harrison vibe" when he recorded "Alright With Me." Nothing in Kris' video matches the Fab Four racing around a field in fast motion, but then again, not much in the world does. At the very least, Allen and his team have finally figured out that it's time to unleash their best kept secret: his personality. And that's alright with me.

After you watch the new music video, why not watch his latest MTV collabo? A few weeks ago the jokester stopped by for an appearance on my weekly musical Glee-cap segment. It's "Rocky Horror" themed, so if you've ever wanted to see Kris Allen channel a young Meat Loaf (hip wiggles and all), click play at once.

What do you think of the "Alright With Me" video? For now it's just a treat for the fans, but do you think it could work as the official video for the single? Leave a comment below, and for more "Idol" chatter, follow me on Twitter@jambajim!

Tags kris allen, video

The release of Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, one of the most hotly-anticipated albums of the year. The 13-track LP completes something of a comeback narrative for West that began with the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (when he was ostracized for crashing the stage during a Taylor Swift acceptance speech and went underground for a while) and was built up over the course of the past year with some key live performances, the "G.O.O.D. Friday" download series and the recently-released short film "Runaway." In fact, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is so dense and full of gems that it's necessary to take each song and break it down to its bare elements. This time around, we take a look at the references on "Blame Game."

"Blame Game" appears to be the most deeply personal of all the tracks on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, so there are more specific references to cell phone conversations West has had than to any pop culture icons. Still, Chris Rock's (hilarious) appearance at the end of the song makes up for it.

Chloe Mitchell
Just before Rock's cameo starts, West blurts out the name "Chloe Mitchell," which doesn't rhyme with anything and doesn't seem to have much context. A quick search shows that Mitchell is a character on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless." According to Wikipedia, Chloe is said to have rejuvenated the dying breed of classic soap opera vixens."

Jimmy Choo
Malaysia-born, London-based designer of shoes for women. He counted Princess Diana as one of the biggest fans of his footwear.

Cirque du Soleil
Massively successful live show that mixes circus performers, sideshow acts, acrobatics, modern dance and a multitude of other mediums. Literally translates to "Circus of the Sun."
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Tags Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy