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We Love You, But Don't Quit Your Day Job: 5 Celebs Who Shouldn't Pursue Rap Careers

Posted 8/18/11 9:13 am EST by in Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, rap, Television


Anne Hathaway

By Kara Warner

Inspired in large part by actress Anne Hathaway's Lil Wayne-style rant rap that she performed for Conan O'Brien, we got to thinking about all the other famous faces we've heard rap in public and/or via YouTube whose vocal talents "shine better elsewhere," so to speak.

In no particular order, here are five individuals whose lyrical stylings, while at times courageous, unique and sometimes really cute, shouldn't be repeated. With ONE surprise exception.

Joaquin Phoenix
Who can forget the actor-turned-rapper-turned-trickster's hoax during which he had some folks convinced he was giving up acting in order to become a legit rap artist? It was all very confusing, even when he announced that his year of extraordinary eccentric behavior was part of filming the mockumentary, "I'm Still Here." Of all those on this list, Phoenix's attempts at rapping were the most unsettling.

Britney Spears
When you think of Ms. Spears, there are visions of squeaky-clean, bubble-gum humble beginnings on Disney's "Mickey Mouse Club." Or the still-innocent-but-semi-scandalous Catholic school girl outfit she sported in the video for "Baby One More Time." Both interesting and excellent moments for a pop star - not a rapper. The evidence: Spears' impromptu ill-suited attempt filmed during an early episode of MTV's "Punk'd" with Ashton Kutcher (Hint: it's at the 4-minute mark). Read More...

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Abercrombie and Fitch Messes With The Situation, Which Messes With Their Stock

Posted 8/17/11 7:57 pm EST by in Jersey Shore


On Tuesday, Abercrombie and Fitch offered "substantial payment" to MTV's "Jersey Shore" cast members, specifically Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, to refrain from wearing their product.

"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans," an A&F spokesperson said in the statement.

Some thought brilliant publicity stunt, but the street didn't see any humor in this, um, situation.

Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF) posted one of Wednesday's biggest percentage decreases after trading stopped on the NYSE, falling nearly 8.7 percent to close at $64.87.


Read More...

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Lady Gaga Gets Jazzy In VMA Promos

Posted 8/17/11 4:53 pm EST by in Lady Gaga, VMAs


From MTV Buzzworthy:

Fresh off the Noritaka Tatehana heels of today's big news that Lady Gaga will be performing live at the 2011 MTV VMAs comes three brand-new Lady Gaga VMA promo videos.

In her 2011 MTV VMA promo videos, we see Lady Gaga behind the piano singing her latest single "You And I." This time, however, Gaga and a jazz quartet, set in black and white, rearrange the song into a jazzy, beat-era torch song, followed by Gaga seductively removing her bra, turning "You And I" into a coquettish, near-burlesque strip tease, ending with Gaga posing in what almost feels like a reference to the classic 1988 L'Instant Taittinger Champagne ad.

Check out another promo after the jump, and get the full story at Buzzworthy. Read More...

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Exclusive Sneak Peek Of Avicii's 'Fade Into Darkness'

Posted 8/17/11 4:04 pm EST by in dance, Music


The moment Avicii fans everywhere have been waiting for is finally almost here … the exclusive video premiere of “Fade Into Darkness”!

“Fade Into Darkness” is the evolution of Avicii’s (AKA Tim Bergling) huge hit “Penguins,” now complete with some beautifully layered vocals. The video, which was directed by Tobias Hansson and Karl Aulin, starts off with a seemingly happy couple just enjoying their time in a beautifully bright room, but of course, as the lights start to fade everything changes.

The video will be premiering exclusively on MTV’s brand new electronic dance music hour, “CLUBLAND,” tonight! Well, technically it’s tomorrow morning at 4AM, but after seeing the exclusive teaser we have for you, who’s really planning on sleeping tonight?

“CLUBLAND” is non-stop electronic dance music featuring classic dance videos and the latest from artists such as deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Martin Solveig, Wolfgang Gartner and many more. You can follow @MTVCLUBLAND for the latest on upcoming exclusive premieres, playlist updates and more. “CLUBLAND” runs every Thursday at 4AM, only on MTV.

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Bands We Like: Holy Ghost!

Posted 8/17/11 3:30 pm EST by in Bands We Like


By Zachary Swickey

It’s hard to argue that Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel, who collectively form Holy Ghost!, weren’t destined to make music together. The duo met at ages 7 and 6, respectively, and their musical kinship grew right along with their burgeoning friendship. Their debut album is a catchy-as-hell throwback to the disco pop sounds of yesteryear, and we have become quite enamored with the new group, who hail from the Big Apple.

Millhiser and Frankel grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and met in elementary school. Their musical endeavors first began in fourth grade during an elective rock band class, where they found themselves playing covers of classics like “Lean on Me.” Their love for the rap of the mid-to-late ‘90s led them to create Automato in their high school years. The group even got a record deal and released an album in 2004. Unfortunately, the rap crew soon dissolved, but they met a key person along the way, James Murphy, the mastermind behind now-defunct LCD Soundsystem.

A few years later, Millhiser and Frankel formed Holy Ghost!, a departure from the duo’s original hip-hop sound. The friends slowly but surely began writing and laying the groundwork for a full-length album, while also dabbling in remixes on the side. In keeping with their quirky personalities, the guys released a cassette-only mixtape that was a round-up of several remixes they had worked on, including the likes of Cut Copy, MGMT and Datarock. The duo signed to indie label DFA Records, founded by none other than the previously-mentioned James Murphy, and earlier this April, released their long-awaited debut album. Read More...

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Today In Music History: Woodstock Wraps Up

Posted 8/17/11 2:30 pm EST by in Woodstock


By Zachary Swickey

Forty-two years ago today, the iconic Woodstock Music Festival was wrapping up after three days of peace and music. The fest is easily one the most legendary events to take place in all of music history. It’s clear that the big music festivals of today – Coachella, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza – attempt to recapture the same spirit, but even at their best, modern festivals pale in comparison to the lighting-in-a-bottle moment that was Woodstock.

Woodstock began when hippie concert promoter Michael Lang was approached by a group of investors looking to put on a three day music festival – inspired by success of the Monterey International Pop Festival of 1967. Lang found dairy farmer Max Yasgur, who was willing to lease 600 acres of his land for the event at the price of $75,000, and set out to plan a big weekend for an expected 50,000 people. Tickets were priced at $18 in advance (around $105 in today’s money, which ain’t bad) or $24 at the gate for late-comers.

Let’s just say more people showed up than expected. An official headcount is sketchy, but at least 500,000 hippies were estimated to be in attendance. To put that into perspective, Lollapalooza has the biggest capacity of any US festival, and it’s only at 90,000 (Bonnaroo and Coachella trail with 80,000 and 75,000, respectively). So much for those $24 gate tickets, because a severe lack of security pretty much allowed any fan to walk in ticket-free. Gates were torn down, roads were blocked for miles, and towns were insanely overrun by the music-loving masses (imagine inviting five friends to a party and fifty show up – that’s pretty much what happened). Several artists had to be flown in by helicopter because roads were rather impassable after thousands of fans simply abandoned their vehicles. Read More...

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Don't Forget To Vote For Best Video Of The 1980s

Posted 8/17/11 1:30 pm EST by in Newsroom Poll, VMAs


As we gear up for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, we’re looking back at all of the awesome VMA moments that remind us why this is the most exciting time of year, and we’re asking you to help us single out the best of the best.

It all goes down at the VMAs and here in the MTV Newsroom we’re right in the thick of it, so we have a hard time keeping things straight. That’s where you come in, beloved viewers.

We’ve asked you before, now we’re back to ask again: Help us single out the Best VMA-Winning Video of the 1980s by voting in our Newsroom poll. The polls are now open and the competition is getting intense – so get in there and help push your favorite artist to the top!

Get ready. Get set. Vote (after the jump). Read More...

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Breaking: Teenage Pop Stars Make More Money Than You Ever Will

Posted 8/17/11 12:10 pm EST by in Justin Bieber, listicle


Justin Bieber

It should come as no surprise that Justin Bieber made bank last year. After all, the teen phenom sold a bunch of albums, turned his concert film “Never Say Never” into a box office smash, launched a bestselling fragrance and filled arenas all over the world with his ongoing “My World” concert tour. That he raked in a staggering $53 million, however, is enough to make every PhD holder in the world weep over their silly decision to major in medicine instead of pop stardom.

(Ed note: How long do you think it will take for a college to offer pop stardom as a major? “Madonna Studies” is already a legit subgenre in many media studies departments and Bowling Green State University will award you a master’s degree in pop culture.)

Bieber wasn’t the only teen star making big money last year. Miley Cyrus came in second to Bieber (but not by much), earning $48 million. Often-shirtless “Twilight” wolf Taylor Lautner cashed checks totaling $16 million, while no-longer-jailbait (ogle accordingly) Nick Jonas did well for himself too, with $12.5 million in earnings. Jayden and Willow Smith added some coin to the family piggy bank too – Jayden made $5 million, and Willow whipped her hair to the tune of a cool $4 million.

How does that stack up against what regular people make? Read on to find out! Read More...

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Gangster Rapper Anne Hathaway Lets The Paparazzi Have It 'In The Style of Lil Wayne'

Posted 8/17/11 10:02 am EST by in Movies, The Interweb


Anne Hathaway

Looks like our friends over at MTV RapFix better adjust their beat because there’s a hot new female MC on the block and she’s coming at you “in the style of Lil Wayne.”

Last night on “Conan,” Princess of Genovia Mia Thermopolis Anne Hathaway put her distaste for the paparazzi plaguing the set of “The Dark Knight Rises” into verse and busted out a hardcore rap:

Yo I’m a paparazzi / I don’t play no Yahtzee / I go pop pop pop pop pop / My camera’s up your crotch / See I tell the truth from what I see and sell it to Perez Hilty / Don’t call me skuzzy, makin money, that’s my job, celeb photography / What, hell no, I’m not needy / I’m legit, not stalkerazzi / Don’t act so hotsy totsy b**ch, I know that you from Jersey / pop pop pop pop pop / Scream all you, won’t make me stop / pop pop pop pop pop / I know you love to feel my pop

Watch it, after the jump! Read More...

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Kings Of Leon Called Out On Bad Behavior By ... Isaac Hanson

Posted 8/17/11 8:40 am EST by in kings of leon


Kings of Leon

By Zachary Swickey

Kings of Leon are clearly going through some inner turmoil with the recent cancellation of their national tour, and fellow Okie Isaac Hanson, who fronts a family-band himself, has no problem voicing his disapproval of KOL’s actions.

In a conversation with WENN, Isaac said, “I have a hard time with musicians who act like pricks because it just makes me mad.” He also feels that artists should be more humble. He continued, “If you’re actually making a living doing it, pinch yourself every day, because it goes if you don’t love it and people will eventually get pissed off.”

Echoing the sentiment of some downtrodden fans, Isaac took on KOL specifically. “I’m gonna call somebody out on it – the Kings of Leon are running some risks,” he said. “They’re irritating people and you can’t do that too much. Eventually the bad boy image affects fans’ willingness to show up.”

Isaac then focused his discontent on another band known to have sibling issues – Oasis. “Oasis got that too and it hurt them ultimately, because it made it hard for people to have a lot of fun at their shows – because they were worried that Noel was gonna get pissed off and walk off,” he explained. Read More...

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