Amy winehouse

Eternally troubled singer Amy Winehouse was forced to scrap her entire European comeback tour after a disastrous performance in Belgrade, Serbia, during which the singer seemed incredibly intoxicated, stumbled around the stage and was unable to remember the words to her own songs. Winehouse has a long, storied and sad history of substance abuse, but seemed to have been doing better recently. She put on a stellar show in London just a few days before her botched show in Serbia, leading to more than a few “Amy Is Back” headlines.

The announcements were prophetic, but not in the way fans hoped. The Amy that took the stage in Belgrade was not the soulful songstress that thrilled audiences in 2006, when her “Back to Black” record ruled the charts. Instead, fans got the troubled star that emerged a year later.

It’s easy to assume the “Valerie” singer will never be able to get it together, but Dr. Karen Khaleghi of Creative Care Malibu tells MTV News that the singer is far from a lost cause: “What it will take for Amy to be clean and sober is to tackle the twin demons of the physical addiction of what she has become hooked on and the emotional issues that got her to the place she is today.”

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Ryan Dunn

Ugh! We hate even giving them ink because we know that’s exactly what they want, but we think you should be aware that in their ongoing quest for publicity, the horrible people at the Westboro Baptist Church – of “God Hates F**s” fame (ah hate, what a Christian thing to be known for, right?) – plan to picket any memorial or funeral service held for Jackass star Ryan Dunn.

The folks from Westboro, led by disbarred attorney Rev. Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper, are known for these sorts of stunts. They have protested the funerals of soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, gay hate crime victim Matthew Shepherd and Michael Jackson. They even recorded a song called “God Hates The World,” a play on Jackson’s charity single “We Are the World,” which should not be confused with their summer 2010 jam, “God Hates Lady Gaga – No Poker Face.” These people are the worst.

You can check out a clip from the press release this pack of clowns unleashed after the jump (warning: the language is offensive and disgusting). But rather than pay them any more attention, we’re going to point you to one of the awesome things Ryan Dunn was doing just a few days before his passing. On June 6, Dunn appeared on Minute to Win It with Steve-O, where they played for their respective charities, National Down Syndrome Congress and the Teammates for Kids Foundation. Dunn’s obituary asked that all contributions be sent to Teammates for Kids.

Sounds more Christian to us than anything the Westboro Baptist Church has ever done.

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Lil Wayne

By Zachary Swickey

Talking with Zane Low on BBC Radio 1, The Killers revealed they have begun work on their fourth album. Asked if they had started writing the follow-up to ‘08’s Day & Age, frontman Brandon Flowers responded, “We have about four or five [songs]. We’ve put them up on a board and they’re sounding good. We think they’re strong.”

The Killers’ last album was ambitious and took the group’s core sound to the next level. We look forward to hearing what the guys have up their sleeve, but it got us thinking about all of the other new albums that we hope to hear before our final year on earth (2012, from what I hear). These albums are “supposed” to come out in 2011, but we’re just going to have to wait and see.

Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne

A joint album from the two biggest names in hip-hop is bound to get even the most casual fans excited. The effort was first envisioned as an EP to be released by the end of 2010. Then it graduated to a full-length album with a hopeful release date sometime in March, but as of today, it’s still “TBD.” The single that has seen the light of day, “H.A.M.”, is a solid jam from the two, but it’s not as good as the sum of their parts should be. Perhaps they realized this, and are taking their time making an album that is worthy of their talents.

Blink-182, Untitled Sixth Album

I recall Blink-182 being listed as presenters at the ‘09 Grammys and thinking, “Oh, well they’re getting back together,” which is exactly what they announced at the awards. A reunion tour soon followed that summer and the band mentioned writing a new song that they would play on the road (which they never played). Throughout the second half of 2010, Blink provided updates with hopeful release windows that have all come and gone. They canceled their European tour for this summer, because the album is still incomplete. The group has until July 31 to hand their work over to Geffen Records, and since they’re headlining the Honda Civic Tour with My Chemical Romance later this summer, it better be ready.

Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV

It hasn’t been all that long since we’ve heard from Lil Wayne – it never is, considering he guest appears on every other rapper’s song (I’m counting 13 so far in ’11). He released two albums in 2010, neither of which were particularly well-received (compared to his past work), but neither of those were bearing the banner Tha Carter either. Weezy’s The Carta IV is sure to wow us and be the best thing we’ve heard in rap since Kanye’s Dark Twisted Fantasy. It will likely feature some other huge names in hip-hop, like Drake, Rick Ross and Yeezy himself. After 3-4 delays, the current “hopeful” release date is August 29. Fingers crossed!

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By Natasha Chandel

It seems like no one trusts Britney Spears’ judgment! Aside from the court ordered conservatorship of the pop star and her legal affairs by her father, Jamie Spears, this distrust rings especially true when it comes to Britney’s love life. “I’ve been told who I should do it with / To keep both my hands above the blanket / When the lights out,” sings Britney in her new song, “I Wanna Go.”

We don’t get it. It’s not like she dated a paparazzo or eloped in Vegas or married a deadbeat ex-dancer! Oh wait…

But we still love the Britster here at MTV News, and want to pay homage to the skeletons in her closet.

Although things seem peachy keen with current boyfriend Jason Trawick, we can’t say the same about her past relationships, which explains everyone’s apprehensions.

Let’s take a look at Britney’s men together, shall we. Read More...

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By Stefan Doyno

Last night was the semi-finals on The Voice, and as with any two-hour live show, there were some pretty awkward moments. Here are some of evening's more uncomfortable moments.

-Christina Aguilera's homage to her "Lady Marmalade" hair.

-Cee Lo getting sentimental during the elimination round, referring to Nakia as "my brother from another mother" and sisters Tori and Taylor Thompson as "delicate little flowers" that he "didn't want anybody to hurt." Coincidentally, they did look a lot like delicate little flowers, but then he stomped on them and eliminated them from the competition.

-Cee Lo wearing two watches while name dropping – “Wonderful song choice. Chris and Gwyneth are great friends of mine."

-Christina Aguilera seemed to be caught a little off guard when Carson Daly asked her, "What advice did you give to Beverly and Frenchie?"

"I'm sorry? They already know all my advice," she fired back.

Of course they do, Christina, but remember you are on a television show – we want to know too.

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Lady Gaga

Why so serious, Lady Gaga?

Today, Britney Spears released the video for her new single “I Wanna Go.” It’s all the things we’ve come to expect from Spears at her best: silly, sort of derivative and a whole lot of fun. In the video, Britney Jean holds a press conference but quickly tires of the reporters’ nonsensical questions and lets them have it. She then takes to the streets to flash a child, get frisky with a sexy policeman and take out a bunch of cyborg photographers with a microphone.

“The video did what it was supposed to and then some,” Perez Hilton told MTV News earlier today. “Not only do you see Britney having lots of fun, but you also hear her speak and are just watching her look very normal.”

Spears is having a banner year, with a well-reviewed tour, her sixth No. 1 album, her biggest hit in years (“Till The World Ends”) and now yet another buzzed-about video. Good for her! But what we’re most excited about is that she’s done it all with a smile on her face. For the first time in a long time, Spears seems at ease and ready to have a good time.

Which brings us to another woman we love: Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga is deadly serious about everything. And that’s fine, we guess; she’s a very different type of pop star than Britney. But sometimes it kills the vibe. Right? Wouldn’t it be nice if she dropped all the posturing for just a second and let lose a little bit?

We don’t mean to over think things, but in a weird way, it’s almost as if Britney Spears is more self-aware than Lady Gaga. (Yeah, we said it!) Read More...

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From MTV Act Blog:

@MTVbaseAfrica is live-tweeting First Lady Michelle Obama's youth empowerment trip to Africa this week, starting with today's stop at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa. Check out pics from the tour:

(Above) The First Lady arrives at the South African Apartheid Museum. Apartheid was a period of racial segregation enforced by law in South Africa from the 1940s to the 1990s. Citizens were classified into four groups--"white", "black", "coloured" and "Asian"--that often led to violence and nonwhite groups being subjected to limited employment, housing and schooling options.

All pictures provided by Selae Thobakgale of MTV Base.

For more, visit MTV Act Blog.

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Adele

By Zachary Swickey

With July quickly approaching, we are about to wave goodbye to the first half of 2011. And what a year it has already been: current reigning Queen of Pop, Lady Gaga, sold a million records in a week; the Beastie Boys proved they still have it; and everyone’s favorite Parliament-smoking hipsters, The Strokes, sold-out Madison Square Garden!

We’ve already seen a slew of solid album releases from music veterans and some second efforts that show no signs of the sophomore slump. We have plenty of records to look forward to in the second half of the year – Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye and Jay-Z’s Watch the Throne project, Modest Mouse, Santigold and new Outkast and Dr. Dre records (if we’re lucky) – but before we get ahead of ourselves, here are ten of our favorites albums (so far) in 2011.

10. The Strokes – Angles

After making their return at last year’s Lollapalooza, The Strokes finally graced us with their first new music since ‘05. Taking a cue from bands like MGMT and Crystal Castles, Angles featured more synth and MIDI bits than most Strokes fans are used to. Nonetheless, the outcome was well-received and showed the experimentation the band was capable of.

9. My Morning Jacket – Circuital

Recorded in a church gymnasium in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Jim James and Co. wanted their sixth offering to go back to the roots of their earlier works. There might not be much synth akin to their classic “Touch Me or I’m Going to Scream Pt. II,” but that didn’t stop the group from covering a vast musical soundscape, ranging from space rock to psychedelic funk.

8. Lady Gaga – Born This Way

The first artist to sell a million records in a single week since Taylor Swift accomplished the same feat late last year, Gaga’s “little monsters” obviously can’t get enough. Her Monster Ball Tour was one of the top draws of 2010, outselling many popular veteran music acts, and we suspect her upcoming Born This Way Ball will be no different. Our only complaint is that the disc sounds more like a sequel than a true evolution of her sound. Regardless, these delicious pop tunes are too good to deny.

Who else made our countdown? Read on. Read More...

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Britney Spears didn't play into her sexy pop star persona for her LOL-worthy "I Wanna Go" video. Instead, she made fun of it by verbally flipping off annoying reporters, battling cyborg paparazzi, flirting with sexy street cops and buddying up to Weeds30 Rock star Jack McBrayer. The bottom line is sometimes it's nice to know pop stars are in on the joke.

And, it seems that those who work in the world of pop culture and know all things Britney agree. "The video did what it was supposed to and then some! Not only do you see Britney having lots of fun, but you also hear her speak and are just watching her look very normal," Perez Hilton shared with us early Wednesday, right after the Chris Marrs Piliero-directed video dropped. "Normal is an adjective Spears' team must be thrilled to hear people use when talking about Britney.”

Read on for more expert reaction! Read More...

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Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is easily one of the most mainstream anti-gay politicians in America. She believes legalized gay marriage will result in the indoctrination of homosexuality in children (because that’s how it works, duh!), and lead the charge to pass a constitutional amendment in Minnesota, which she represents in the U.S. Congress, banning gay marriage. Bachmann has said teaching children that being gay is OK is akin to child abuse and that being gay is “part of Satan.” She also said, “If you're involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it's bondage. It is personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement.”

So it’s pretty odd that she is using Katy Perry’s smash “Firework” as a campaign anthem. Over the weekend, she entered the conservative RightOnline conference (where she was “glitter bombed”) in Minneapolis to the song.

Which begs the question: Does Michele Bachmann know what “Firework” is about? Is she aware it is a pro-tolerance anthem, with a video that includes a storyline about a young man coming to terms with his sexuality and kissing another man? Perry dedicated the video to the It Gets Better campaign, which was started last fall to encourage LGBT teens to stay strong following the bullying-related suicides of several gay teens.

At the Nassau Coliseum on Friday night, we were there when Perry told the audience what inspired the song. "I wrote this song for anyone who ever needed a song,” Perry said. “To help them, to lift them up.”

We suspect Perry wouldn’t be pleased that her song about lifting people up is being used by a politician best known for her attempts to keep people down. Read More...

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