Posted 7/29/11 4:40 pm ET by Jocelyn Vena in Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is letting fans into her world. The singer is set to release a photo book, giving her Little Monsters an intimate peek into the behind-the-scenes life of Mother Monster. Shot by Terry Richardson, the book will hit shelves in November.
Terry got an all-access pass to the superstar, meaning we might get to see Gaga acting more like Stefani Germanotta than the larger-than-life Lady Gaga. And, with that in mind, here are five regular people things we want to see Gaga doing in this book. Read more...
Posted 7/29/11 3:44 pm ET by MTV News in Movies, comic-con
From Hollywood Crush:
Ahhhh, Comic-Con! It's a place for movie gossip, a place for celebrity sightings and, of course, a place for seeing full-grown adults dressed up in spandex superhero suits without so much as a hint of embarrassment. But, above all, it is a place for GEEKS. Which is why, when MTV News' Josh Horowitz got a few famous people to sit down with him for our latest After Hours, we put them to the test with a little Game of Geekery. Which "Twilight" star knows his Tolkien trivia? Which sultry starlets are secret nerds? Can't anyone do a decent impression of Yoda anymore?! Find out, in...."GEEKS OR POSERS!"
Things get off to a sad start when Josh asks his assembled guests to begin by naming Elijah Wood's character in "Lord of the Rings." Amanda Seyfried stutters, "It's, uh... y'know. That guy?" before giving up. And Elizabeth Reaser and Nikki Reed look like a pair of deer in the headlights as they each look to each other for help. Bzzzzt! Posers! Deer-lookin' posers!!!
Watch the video, which also features Taylor Lautner, Justin Timberlake and new “Superman” Henry Cavill, after the jump. Read more...
By Zachary Swickey
Brian Joseph Burton, the man the music world knows and loves as Danger Mouse, turns 34 today, and his many milestones are rather mindboggling. Growing up on the music of Pink Floyd and Portishead, Burton fit right in while living in London, where he moved to make a name for himself as a trip-hop DJ but instead found himself focusing on making hip-hop beats. But it was a moment of true serendipity that led Burton to where he is today.
While cleaning around his apartment and listening to the Beatles’ White Album, Burton came across his a capella copy of Jay-Z’s The Black Album, and inspiration struck. After completing one song successfully and with surprising ease, Burton took to mashing up the entirety of both albums, creating The Grey Album. The result was clearly not exactly legal since it was the music of two separate iconic acts (Burton promptly received a cease and desist letter from EMI), but the mix became a viral sensation and has likely been downloaded millions of times. Burton quickly became a hot-commodity – GQ Magazine named him one of their Men of the Year in 2004, while Entertainment Weekly named The Grey Album their pick for album of the year.
Burton got his next big break when a well-known musician asked him to produce his new group’s follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut album, Gorillaz. We’re talking about Damon Albarn, of course, lead singer of Blur and mastermind behind many other notable projects. Burton would go on to receive a 2005 Grammy nomination for his production work on the finished product, Gorillaz’s Demon Days.
Burton then made a splash in the art world in 2006 when British graffiti artist/prankster Banksy enlisted his services for a special project. Banksy “obtained” 500 copies of socialite Paris Hilton’s debut album and altered the album artwork – including an album sticker that boasts song titles like “Why Am I Famous?” – while Burton swapped the discs with a 40-minute music mix containing various sound bites from Paris herself.
Posted 7/29/11 12:04 pm ET by John Mitchell in Soulja-Boy
Yesterday was Soulja Boy’s 21st birthday, and in honor of the milestone, the rapper decided to get himself something nice. Very nice.
TMZ reportedly spoke to a member of Soulja’s management team, who said the "Crank That" singer purchased a, ahem, $55 million private jet to celebrate the occasion. Well, the jet itself was only $35 million, but Soulja is spending another $20 million to customize it with Italian leather seats, flat screen TVs, multiple bars, tiled floors and Brazilian hardwood cabinets.
So, first things first: Happy belated birthday, Soulja Boy. Have fun at the $300,000 party you are throwing for yourself in Miami tonight. Second, Soulja Boy has $55 million to spend on a private jet? That’s crazy!
Celebrities are well-known for spending insane amounts of cash to pamper themselves with the best of everything – Madonna reportedly slathers $500 cream on her visage, Jennifer Aniston regularly jets down to Los Cabos, Mexico, for five-star vacations, and rappers the world over have been singing the praises of Cristal champagne, which sells for several hundred dollars a bottle, for years. And as anyone who’s ever watched “Cribs” knows, celebs love to splurge on fancy cars, motorcycles and boats.
In honor of Soulja’s big boy toy, here’s a rundown of some of the most lavish rides of the rich and famous.
Posted 7/29/11 9:19 am ET by John Mitchell in MTV News, Music
Last week we brought you the pilot episode of “Bigger Than The Buzz” and now here’s the first official ep. Two of MTV’s foremost pop culture connoisseurs, Tamar Anitai of Buzzworthy and MTV News’ own James Montgomery, are back to let loose on the biggest stories from the week that was in pop culture.
This time around, the dynamic duo are talking up Jay-Z and Kanye West’s superstar collaboration Watch the Throne and whether there’s a bigger superstar combo out there (hint: James and Tamar think there just might be).They also address the cultural scourge that is “owling” and the unlikely stardom of VMA-nominated newcomer Kreayshawn.
Check the first official episode of “Bigger Than The Buzz” out after the jump. Read more...
Posted 7/28/11 4:00 pm ET by John Mitchell in Lady Gaga, Tweet Beat, Twitter, listicle
Lady Gaga, unofficial headmistress of Twitter, has reached yet another milestone on the ubiquitous social network. The “Born This Way” songstress now has over 12 million followers. (Justin Bieber is hot on her heels with about 11.3 million.)
So congrats to Mother Monster on amassing one of the biggest fan communities on the Internet. In the spirit of having a little fun, we decided to crunch the numbers and see where else in the larger culture that big total arises.
Gaga’s Twitter following tops the populations of Cuba (11.204 million) and Greece (11.283 million), and there are only six U.S. states that have populations exceeding 12 million (California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas).
While 12 million is a towering number, it represents just 3 percent of the total number of views for her “Bad Romance” video on VEVO.
When you apply the figure to money, you get to have all sorts of fun. For example, when you go back to your tiny apartment this evening to spray cheese out of a can onto a cracker for dinner, think of Nicole Kidman, who was paid $12 million for a two-minute Chanel No. 5 directed by her “Moulin Rouge” helmer Baz Luhrmann in 2004. Take a minute (or two!) and let that sink in.
Posted 7/28/11 2:00 pm ET by MTV News in Britney Spears, Interviews, VMAs
By Christina Garibaldi
Many artists aspire to have a career like Britney Spears. Earlier this year, she released her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, she’s currently on her seventh concert tour and recently she picked up two more MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best Pop Video and Best Choreography (that’s 28 total VMA noms!). Not a bad resume for someone that’s not even 30.
Yet, with so many artists wanting to emulate Spears, we wanted to know who inspires her. So when we sat down with Brit recently, she revealed which artists she admires.
“To this day still, Madonna. I’m a huge fan of her,” Brit said about the pop queen, who she infamously shared a kiss with at the 2003 MTV VMAs and collaborated with on the hit song “Me Against the Music.”
But that’s not all. Britney used to un-break her heart listening to a little Toni Braxton. “I grew up listening to Toni Braxton,” Spears told us, “and now I think she has a reality show that she does. I love her.” (She’s right, Braxton stars with her sisters on “Braxton Family Values.”)
Britney’s love for divas doesn’t even end there – she’s also a big fan of Beyonce. Read more...
Posted 7/28/11 1:00 pm ET by MTV News in Metallica, anniversary
By Zachary Swickey
Heavy metal juggernauts Metallica have revealed they will celebrate 30 years of thrashing mayhem with a week-long residency at San Fransisco’s historic Fillmore Auditorium. Yes, a band that formerly went by the nickname “Alcoholica” not only survived the ‘80s and ‘90s, but today the group is as relevant as ever.
Of course, that’s something worth celebrating, so Metallica is truly giving back to the fans with the intimate residency that is going down December 5, 7, 9, and 10. The ticket prices are heading back to the ‘80s too, with single tickets priced at only $6 each or a four-pack for the clever price of $19.81 (to spell out it – the year the group was conceived). Making things more special, Metallica promises rare songs, varied set lists, and surprise guests (here’s hoping for Lou Reed). There is a catch, though – in an attempt to give back to the fans (rather than the scalpers), tickets are only available through a reservation system that is exclusively available to members of Metallica’s fan club.
If you’re not a So-Cal resident, Metallica also have another stateside “Big 4” show (with Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) lined up for September 14 at Yankee Stadium after finally bringing the special metal bill to the West Coast earlier this year. Read more...
Posted 7/28/11 12:00 pm ET by MTV News in Behind The Scenes, MTV News, Television
By Matt Goodhue
Sure, '90's Nickelodeon played a key role in shaping our childhood. Doug and Patty provided us with fashion sense. Kenan and Kel made us fond of orange soda. “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” encouraged us to use a nightlight. These shows were crucial in the development of our young, innocent brains, but it was the radical movement of MTV that really had an impact on how we are today.
As young interns for MTV News, we can't ignore the influence certain programs had on us. It's one of the reasons we wanted to come here in the first place. So, while Nickelodeon’s re-airings of hits like “Doug” and “Clarissa Explains It All” are thrilling our slightly older MTV News colleges, we're hoping MTV will be inspired and re-play our favorite classics from the late '90s and early 2000s.
“Celebrity Deathmatch,” 1998-2002 – Matt Goodhue
In a time when WWF ruled my Monday nights, I needed another program to meet my wrestling needs during the week. “Celebrity Deathmatch” was the missing link. Not only could I watch claymation characters kick each other's asses in brutal ways, the matches featured celebrities and historical figures that I would have loved to see square off in the ring. Beavis vs. Butt-head. The Backstreet Boys vs. The Beastie Boys. Busta Rhymes vs. William Shakespeare. Pure genius. With commentators Johnny Gomez and Nick Diamond giving the play-by-play, “Celebrity Deathmatch” provided endless entertainment and a copious amount of blood and physical injury. Bring back the clay!
Posted 7/28/11 10:49 am ET by John Mitchell in Lady Gaga, So You Think You Can Dance
Lady Gaga is an emotional person. We already know this. And last night on “So You Think You Can Dance,” the pop star did not hold back.
Gaga was so overcome with emotion following a performance by finalist Marko Germar that she had tears running down her face. “I’m just so proud of you,” Gaga said. “There were so, so many things I did wrong when I was younger and so many things that I wish I could take back, and I felt every moment of that through your dance tonight.” For his part, Marko was having trouble keeping it together too.
This is just the latest example of Gaga getting emotional on camera. The pop star has made wearing her heart on her sleeve her calling card, and from the VMAs to her HBO “Monster Ball” special, it seems like Mother Monster is always crying about something. Read more...
Posted 1/26/12
Posted 1/13/12
Posted 1/5/12
Posted 10/14/11
Posted 5/20/11
Posted 5/19/11