MTV Newsroom ›

Lil Wayne Debuts High, But Katy Perry Still Dominates Hot 100

Posted 12/23/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


Katy Perry will forever be the answer to the trivia question "What was the first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper of 2011?" Her "Firework," the third single from her excellent (and Grammy-nominated) album Teenage Dream, is the top song in the country for the third week in a row. That means that the singles from Teenage Dream — each of which has ascended to the top spot — have spent a total of 11 weeks in the pole position on the Hot 100, which is a stunning accomplishment. The rumor is that "E.T." will be Perry's next single, so it will be interesting to see if she can keep up her streak of Billboard Hot 100 dominance.

While there hasn't been any room at the top for anybody else, there are still a handful of artists making big moves. Fresh off a stint in Rikers, Lil Wayne's first single since breathing free air again posted a big debut in this week's Hot 100, as "6 Foot 7 Foot" broke onto the chart at number nine (likely fueled by big digital sales and a huge radio add). Elsewhere in the top 10, Bruno Mars continues his assault on the music world, as both of his current top 10 singles ("Grenade" and "Just the Way You Are") advanced one place each (with "Grenade" clearly wanting to make a play on the top spot).

One of the biggest leaps of the week belongs to Michael Jackson, whose "Hold My Hand" (featuring a big assist from Akon) went from number 65 to number 39 this week, its highest position on the chart so far. Expect it to make another big jump this week, as sales of Michael are expected to spike. And just in time for Christmas, Mariah Carey's "Oh Santa!" made its chart debut at number 100 this week.

Will Katy Perry have four straight singles go to number one? Let us know in the comments!

Tags , , ,

Happy Birthday, Eddie Vedder!

Posted 12/23/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


Christmas gives plenty of people a number of reasons to celebrate, but Eddie Vedder has one extra thing to raise a glass to today, as it is his birthday. The Pearl Jam frontman is now 46 years old, and though he has been an integral component of the rock world for most of two decades, in many respects it seems like he's just getting warmed up.

(Click here for a look at Eddie Vedder's career in photos!)

Of course, Vedder is best known as the singer for Pearl Jam, the band he joined following the end of about-to-break Seattle band Mother Love Bone. Vedder was something of an outsider in the beginning, as he was living in San Diego and not really considering a music career (he was content to surf). But a friend sent him a tape of some demos put together by guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, and Vedder paired the with his deeply personal lyrics and signature baritone croon. The rest is rock history.

And while Vedder could have easily cashed checks on Pearl Jam for the rest of his life, his anxious artistic spirit has kept him in an experimental mood for most of his career. He has become as well-known as a collaborator and a solo artist as he has for his Pearl Jam duties. Not long after he joined Pearl Jam, he dropped in on a short-lived supergroup called Temple of the Dog that also featured members of Soundgarden and acted as a tribute to late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood. Along the way, he has also shared stage or studio space with the Who, R.E.M., Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, the Strokes, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews and countless others.

Vedder has also proved himself a valuable asset in the film world, providing soundtrack work for classic films like "Dead Man Walking" and "I'm Not There." For the 2007 film "Into the Wild," Vedder performed an entire album's worth of songs for the movie (including original compositions and a cover of Indio's "Hard Sun," which became something of a hit), which lent it another level of gritty majesty.

Of course, Vedder has always prided himself on his social activism as well, and that passion collided with the film world for the 2007 documentary "Body of War," which featured a Vedder solo song called "No More," which is one of the finest protest tunes against the war in Iraq.

(Click here for a look at Eddie Vedder's career in photos!)

Tags , , ,

'Philadelphia' Opens, Tackling AIDS Head-On: Wake-Up Video

Posted 12/23/10 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


The final week of December is always a busy time for the film industry, as it not sees the release of broad populist films (to take advantage of the fact that most people have a bit of down time during the holidays) but also the last of the year's awards bait (so as to get the Oscar buzz rolling right). On this day in 1993, a film opened that seemed to bring together those two universes, as "Philadelphia" hit theaters.

Directed by Jonathan Demme, "Philadelphia" starred Tom Hanks (who was in the midst of ascending to his status as one of the biggest and greatest American actors ever) as a gay lawyer who is fired from his firm because he has AIDS. The film featured a number of excellent performances, including turns from Denzel Washington (as Hanks' homophobic defense lawyer in the wrongful termination suit against the firm), Antonio Banderas (as Hanks' boyfriend) and Jason Robards (as Hanks' boss). Not only was "Philadelphia" a compelling piece of cinema, but it also aggressively tackled the fears and misconceptions that many people still had about AIDS. As the first major Hollywood movie to address the disease head-on, "Philadelphia" acted as a useful tool to burying some of the stigma that the disease carried.

"Philadelphia" was nominated for five Academy Awards (though shockingly not for Best Picture; "Schindler's List" took home the top prize that year), and Hanks won his first of two consecutive Best Actor awards for his role in the movie (he would also collect one for "Forrest Gump" a year later). The only other Oscar "Philadelphia" picked up was for Best Original Song, which went to Bruce Springsteen for his moody tune "Streets of Philadelphia."


Tags , ,

'True Grit' Boosted By The Power Of Alice In Chains, Ice Cube

Posted 12/22/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


It's nearly Christmas Day, which means that we have arrived at the final true release day of the year for movies in 2010. (Next week does see the limited releases of both "Blue Valentine" and "Another Year," but this is the last week for anything that might be filling your local multiplex.) The last 12 months are certainly going out with an eclectic bang, and this year's Christmas films couldn't be more different than one another. There's the broad family comedy of "Little Fockers" (the third installment in the series starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro), but there is also the Jack Black fantasy comedy "Gulliver's Travels," the Gwyneth Paltrow country music movie "Country Strong" and the smaller releases of both Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere" and Sylvain Chomet's ("The Triplets of Belleville") new heartbreaking animated masterpiece "The Illusionist."

But for anybody seeking retribution this Christmas, look no further than "True Grit," the second adaptation of the Charles Portis novel of the same name (the first version earned John Wayne his only Oscar). The new version is written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. The story follows Steinfeld's character and her quest (with the assistance of Bridges and Damon) to get revenge on Brolin, who murdered her father. It's a deft piece of storytelling and another towering performance by Bridges, who inhabits the Rooster Cogburn character with the sort of ferocity and grace that has earned him accolades throughout his career.

In order to properly prepare yourself for "True Grit," check out the playlist below, which features a handful of tunes that pay tribute to the wild west, the quest for revenge and the power of friendship under pressure. But the whole thing kicks off with a tip of the hat to Bridges' performance in the form of Alice in Chains' "Rooster."


Tags , ,

'Jersey Shore' Spoofs Old Spice For New Year's Eve Commercial

Posted 12/22/10 4:30 pm EST by in Television


Do you have plans on New Year's Eve? The cast of MTV's hit series "Jersey Shore" certainly do, as they will be providing hilarious looks at the year that was during MTV's New Year's Eve special, which airs next Friday, December 31 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern. MTV News got the first look at the special with a funny spoof of the instant classic commercials for Old Spice, courtesy of "Jersey Shore" dreamboat Vinny Guadagnino.

With Vinny taking that role and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi busy being lowered in a ball to signify the beginning of 2011, here's what the other cast members will hopefully be doing.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino
The Sitch should take advantage of the wild year in sexting, perhaps sending photos of his abs to former New York Jets employees and women who end up the subject of Kanye West songs.

DJ Pauly D
As the finest thespian of the "Jersey Shore" crew, it should be up to DJ Pauly D to re-enact the key scenes from some of the year's biggest movies. He should slip into that fight scene from "Inception," race a "Tron: Legacy" light cycle and dress up like Buzz Lightyear.

Jenni "JWoww" Farley
It falls JWoww to sum up the year in politics. Don't you think she would do a pretty great Christine O'Donnell impression? Or just recite things that Julian Assange has put up on his website?

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola
The most inseparable couple on "Jersey Shore" should team up to sum up the year in sports, which should include tributes to the UConn women's basketball team, Brett Favre's many injuries, Cain Velasquez's knockout of Brock Lesnar and Spain's victory at the World Cup. The two should also re-enact the dunk of the year.

Deena Nicole Cortese
As the newest member of the cast, it's up to Deena to play the role of Baby New Year. What size sash is she?

Tags , ,

Nicki Minaj Couldn't Predict Her Success: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 12/22/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


"A part of me expected it, because I wanted it so bad, but I never saw all of this. You know, I never would've imagined that I would've signed to [Lil] Wayne, number one. [I] never imagined that Young Money/Cash Money would be the hip-hop crew. To be signed to them is one thing, but to be signed to them when they're at their height, when this has become like an insane movement? No, I never imagined that, because when Wayne first called and reached out, I thought it was a joke. I've wanted this for a very long time, but I couldn't — not even with a crystal ball — I could not have predicted these things would really happen this way."

-Breakthrough rapper Nicki Minaj, explaining how amazed she is by her own rampant success. Minaj has had an incredible run since the release of her well-received mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty in 2009. Since then, she has signed on to Lil Wayne's label, made some of the best guest appearances in the game (including on Kanye West's "Monster") and dropped an incredibly well-received debut album called Pink Friday (which has already gone gold and is well on its way to platinum status).

It's all a whirlwind for Minaj, who takes it all in stride. "Girl power!" she exclaimed to MTV News' Sway in between shots during the filming of her video for "Moment 4 Life" (one of Pink Friday's most head-spinning songs). Minaj had a huge 2010, and you can expect 2011 to be just as massive.


Tags , ,

'Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark' Is The Latest (And Biggest) U2 Debacle

Posted 12/22/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


Usually at this time right now, a matinee preview of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" would be running at the Foxwoods Theater in New York. However, Wednesday's (December 22) show was canceled because they show suffered yet another setback in the form of yet another injury to a cast member. This time, stunt double Christopher Tierney fell eight feet after a cable snapped, breaking several ribs and suffering some serious internal bleeding. The Wednesday matinee was postponed, though the rest of the shows are supposed to continue on schedule.

With the actual opening date bumped yet again, more money being spent to re-work the third act and more concerned groups calling for the show's complete closure, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" is on its way to being the biggest U2-related debacle of all time. (Of course, the technical issues in the show are mostly the fault of director Julie Taymor, but Bono and the Edge will forever be associated with it.) That's no small feat, especially considering some of the complicated boondoggles the band has been involved with over the years.

The PopMart Tour
Sure, it was the second highest grossing tour of 1997, but the worldwide stadium jaunt the band undertook to support Pop was chock full of technical issues and disappointed audiences. It didn't help that the Pop album was full of interesting-but-unsatisfying experiments (which also made up a bulk of the set lists ever night), but the big issues came when elements of the elaborate stage presentation failed. In the most notorious instances, the band became trapped inside the giant lemon-shaped mirrorball that was used to shuttle them back and forth between the two main stages.

Passengers, Original Soundtracks Volume 1
In the wake of the huge ZooTV Tour (and the release of the experimental Zooropa album), U2 teamed with Brian Eno on a series of ambient tracks that featured a number of unusual collaborators (including legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti). The album, while not entirely miserable, was definitely way off the beaten path for U2, and their record label refused to release it under their name. Hence the alternative identity Passengers was born.

The 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards
U2's collaboration with Jay-Z to close out the 2009 MTV EMAs should have been a classic. It took two of the biggest names in pop music, let them close a huge international show and even staged the whole event at the Brandenburg Gate (where the Berlin Wall used to stand). But then Bono decided to rap a little bit, which torpedoed an otherwise excellent musical moment.

Rattle and Hum
For their 1988 film and album project Rattle and Hum, U2 threw themselves headlong into American music, taking their appreciation they showed on The Joshua Tree and diving deep into blues, folk and all the rock-oriented permutations in between. Some of the rootsy tracks are saved by their melodies ("Desire" remains an essential song in the band's catalog), but most of it sounds either tired (at best) or uncomfortably presumptuous (at worst).

The U2 iPod
Actually, the U2 iPod was an extremely pretty piece of hardware. Unfortunately, it was associated with How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

What's your favorite U2 debacle? Let us know in the comments!

Tags ,

'The Social Network,' 'Scott Pilgrim' And The Rest Of The Best Soundtracks Of 2010

Posted 12/22/10 1:30 pm EST by in Music


At some point over the past 20 years, movie soundtracks went from being well-curated mixtapes that served as companion pieces to the actual films in question to a simple conglomeration of throwaway hit singles and up-and-coming artists that labels are desperate to promote. So when a great movie soundtrack comes along, it feels extra special when compared to the developments of recent history. The MTV Newsroom Blog takes movie soundtracks very seriously, which is why we've been keeping close tabs on the developments in the soundtrack universe over the past 12 months. And while 2010 wasn't as great as, say, 1999 (the year that the accompanying albums to "Fight Club," "The Matrix," "Go" and "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" all delivered exceptional results), there were still some excellent soundtracks this year. In no particular order, here are the five best movie soundtracks of 2010.

"The Social Network"
In addition to putting out the excellent debut EP from their new band How to Destroy Angels this year, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross also spent a bulk of their time scoring David Fincher's "The Social Network," crafting desolate soundscapes that provided the perfect compliment to the critically-acclaimed film. Reznor and Ross' music is never showy but does enough to remind you that it's there, and it somehow manages to express an awful lot despite its oft-minimalist qualities. It even manages to sound cold, which is an ideal compliment to Fincher's visual approach.

"Tron: Legacy"
Part of the excitement surrounding "Tron: Legacy" was the fact that Daft Punk would be releasing their first batch of original music since their awesome 2005 album Human After All. And while some may have been disappointed by the lack of dancefloor-shakers on the album, their futuristic approach to orchestral score (which is delightfully lush) turned heads in an all new way. "Tron: Legacy" proved that Daft Punk clearly have a lot more up their sleeves, and that's just as thrilling as "Derezzed."

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Say what you will about the quality of the "Twilight" series, but the soundtracks have all been roundly excellent, featuring a good cross-section of tracks from the outer reaches of the rock world. Though "Eclipse" may have been the least commercially visible of all the soundtrack albums so far, it was also the most consistently great. The two singles (one by Muse, the other from Metric) are both fantastically sharp tunes, and the contributions from Vampire Weekend, the Dead Weather, Cee Lo Green, Bat For Lashes and the Black Keys (among many others) are all top-shelf and worthy of being centerpieces on their own albums.

"Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World"
"Scott Pilgrim" may have been the most music-centric flick of 2010 (the protagonist was a heroic bass player, after all), so it shouldn't be surprising that the accompanying soundtrack was clearly put together with a great deal of affection for the material. The borrowed songs are incredibly well curated (including Frank Black's "I Heard Ramona Sing," T. Rex's "Teenage Dream" and the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb"), but the true joys are the tracks by Pilgrim's fake band in the film (the most important of which — Sex Bob-Omb — is actually just Beck).

"Jonah Hex"
Sure, it was one of the worst-received movies of the year, but "Jonah Hex" did have at least one thing going for it: Mastodon, the progressive metal band who provided a bunch of new music to underscore the nightmarish tale of an undead something-or-other doing something-or-other. And here's the kicker: Apparently, the original soundtrack the band wrote was much heavier, but it unfortunately had to be scrapped because it accompanied scenes that were excised from the movie.

What was your favorite movie soundtrack of 2010? Let us know in the comments!

Tags , , , ,

Spotted: Dr. Dre Watches Kobe Bryant Get Ejected In Los Angeles

Posted 12/22/10 12:30 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.

Though he is the driving force behind one of the most hotly-anticipated albums of 2011 in Detox, that doesn't mean that Dr. Dre doesn't carve out a little leisure time for himself. On Tuesday night (December 21), Dre broke away from the studio to head over to the Staples Center in Los Angeles to catch the Los Angeles Lakers square off against the Milwaukee Bucks. Perhaps he should have stayed in the studio, because the Lakers put on an all-time terrible performance, falling to the lowly Bucks by a score of 98-79. And on top of that, Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant spent the last two minutes of the fourth quarter in the locker room, as he was ejected after getting a pair of technical fouls. Still, the terrible performance didn't temper Dre's mood, as he happily signed autographs for a handful of fans. Meanwhile, the Lakers will play the Miami Heat on Christmas Day in one of the most high-profile games of the season, so they'll be looking to recover via some yuletide cheer.

Dre wasn't the only star rubbing elbows with the rest of the world, as Lady Gaga continued her takeover of Paris and Jamie Foxx threw a listening party for his new album Best Night of My Life in New York City. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Diddy, the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Madonna, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake and Mariah Carey!

Tags , , ,

Katy Perry, Hilary Duff And Carrie Underwood: The Year In Weddings

Posted 12/22/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


The last 12 months have been full of ups and downs as afar as personal relationships are concerned, and it often seemed like MTV News was constantly reporting news of famous people calling it quits. Even just in the past month or so, we've heard that story from the likes of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson and Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter (also known as "The 'Dexter' Couple").

But it wasn't all sadness, as just as many couples decided to tie the knot. Some of the biggest names in music got together for some eternal bliss this year, including Katy Perry and Russell Brand (a relationship that began at the MTV Video Music Awards — you're welcome, kids), Carrie Underwood and professional hockey player Mike Fisher, Nicole Richie and Good Charlotte memeber Joel Madden and Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz. Those are the big names that make up the MTV News compilation of the biggest weddings of the year.

But that clip does overlook the MTV Newsroom Blog's favorite wedding of 2010. Singer and actress Hilary Duff began dating professional hockey star Mike Comrie back in 2007, and in February of this year he turned a lot of heads with a giant engagement ring for Duff. A few months later, the pair married in California in one of the more delightfully decadent ceremonies of the year. Duff has always been slightly underrated both as an actress and a musician, so it's nice to see her find wedded bliss in 2010.

What was your favorite superstar marriage of the year? Let us know in the comments!

Check out the rest of the rest of the 2010 MTV News Superlatives, including Best Dressed Stars and Best Feuds!

Tags , , , ,

Page 5 of 21« First...345671020...Last »
SPONSORS
AD:
©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.