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Rihanna Asks Her Fans To Pick Her Next Single

Posted 12/29/11 3:00 pm EST by in Music, Rihanna, Tweet Beat


Rihanna

Rihanna is on a roll and it doesn’t look like the busy pop princess is planning on slowing down any time soon.

Just days after the release of her video for “You Da One,” the second single from her hot, hot, hot album Talk That Talk, RiRi is already thinking about what’s next and she took to Twitter to get some fan input on what her next single should be.

“I need answers!!!! #NEXTSINGLE #TTT,” the superstar tweeted earlier today. Less than an hour of being inundated with responses from her over 11 million followers later, Rihanna again hit the social network to say, “Ok DONE!!!! I like what I see ... and decisions are MADE!!! #NEXTSINGLE."

But while she didn’t post exactly what song she’d chosen, she assured fans, “We on da same page ... (for the most part).”

We’re partial to "Where Have You Been" ourselves (girl, that breakdown is fierce), but what do we know? "Talk That Talk" or "Roc Me Out" would be just fine with us too.

Which song from Rihanna’s “Talk That Talk” should be the next single? Tell us in the comments below! Read More...

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Adele, Lady Gaga And Michael Buble Help Increase Album Sales For The First Time Since 2004

Posted 12/29/11 1:59 pm EST by in Adele, Lady Gaga, Music


By Zachary Swickey

It’s been no secret that the music industry has been on a sharp decline over the last decade - or at least album sales have. With the emergence of Napster in the ‘90s and the eventual widespread acceptance of purchasing music online, the industry has had a tough time keeping up with these new trends and combating piracy, but things are looking up.

While there’s still a week of reporting left for Soundscan – the company that counts the amount of albums sold – 2011 appears to be the first year boasting an increase in overall album sales since 2004. Granted, the increase is only 1 percent, but that’s coming off 2010, when sales were down 13 percent and the years prior when sales dropped an average of 8 percent regularly year-over-year.

Who does the industry owe a big ups to for this achievement? Well, it’s a no-brainer that Adele’s 21, the best-selling album since Usher’s 2004 effort Confessions, with 5.68 million units moved so far, is the biggest reason - an achievement made all the more impressive considering she had to axe her stateside tour (twice!) due to vocal problems.

Of course, classic crooner Michael Buble has seen his Christmas album move a half milli a week this entire month. Christmas is Buble’s third number one album, and with 2.43 million sold, it’s the second best selling of the year behind Adele – overtaking Lady Gaga’s Born This Way within the last week.

Gaga’s numbers are nothing to scoff at with Born This Way going solidly double platinum this year. Amazon’s 99-cent firesale of her new album during its first week of release helped Gaga to a million-unit debut, but the controversy stemming from the sale also caused Billboard and Soundscan to readjust the rules for charting albums – full-length releases priced below $3.49 no longer count. Read More...

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Nas Decribes Amy Winehouse Collaboration as 'Bittersweet'

Posted 12/29/11 1:15 pm EST by in Amy Winehouse, Nas


Nas

By Zachary Swickey

Rap icon Nas is one of the only hip-hop stars who had the honor of collaborating with Amy Winehouse before her unexpected death earlier this year, and he now recalls the experience as “bittersweet.”

Amy Winehouse’s (first and likely only) posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, was released earlier this month and features their joint-track, “Like Smoke.” During a video interview with World Star Hip Hop, Nas states that he was pleased with how the song came out, but that it serves as a poignant reminder of her death.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling to do something with her now that she’s not here. I’m happy… the sweet part is that we have the music, fans have new music from her,” he explained. “It’s new because they’ve never heard it. The bitter part is that she’s no longer here to really give it to us and to really live her music and for us to see her smile and hear her voice,” he continued.

The rapper also recalls his fond memories of hanging with the songstress in the studio, saying, “She was hilarious, man. She would make you laugh. To her, music came so easy. To everyone else, I guess around her, I don’t know this but I’m assuming that they wanted her to put out a new record.” Read More...

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What Was The Biggest Red Carpet Moment of 2011? (Poll)

Posted 12/29/11 11:59 am EST by in Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Newsroom Poll


For our favorite celebrities, the red carpet is the place to make a big statement. From outrageous fashion to borderline crazy antics, it all happens on the way into an event.

Check out MTV News' Most-Memorable Red Carpet Moments!

But who really brought their A-game to the carpet in 2011? Well, Lady Gaga for one. People will be talking for years to come about her arrival at this year’s Grammy Awards. No, she didn’t have on another meat dress. She arrived in an egg, silly! It had something to do with being in gestational creative state or something. Some thought it was pretty awesome, others considered it just plain weird. Love it or hate it, if you were watching, you won’t soon forget it!

Also causing a stir at the Grammy was our girl Snooki, who co-hosted MTV’s coverage with Sway Calloway. But the real buzz came from MTV’s own red carpets. At the Movie Awards, “Twilight” starlet Nikki Reed announced her engagement to “American Idol” finalist Paul McDonald (the pair wed in October). And at the VMAs, Justin Bieber introduced us to his snake, Johnson. His pet snake, a baby boa constrictor, just to be clear.

Then there was Beyonce. Oh, Queen Bey! Without warning the R&B superstar, who was one of MTV News' Top Newsmakers of 2011, showed up on the VMA red carpet in a striking orange Lanvin dress, and though she didn’t talk to the press, she caressed her belly in a way that pretty much said it all!

Which red carpet moment was tops in 2011? Let us know by voting in our poll after the jump! Read More...

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Justin Bieber And Emma Watson Are The Reason Your Kid Wants That Haircut

Posted 12/29/11 10:22 am EST by in Celebrity, Justin Bieber


Justin Bieber

Short and shaggy manes are in and we can all thank Justin Bieber and Emma Watson.

This according to the Wall Street Journal, which reports, “The fastest-rising searches for celebrity haircuts on Google are for Ms. Watson and Mr. Bieber.”

Pixie cuts haven’t been truly popular since the ‘90s (apparently? Quick, someone tell every thirtysomething mother at the supermarket), but leave it to the endlessly trendy “Harry Potter” starlet to bring the style back into vogue. After wrapping the final “Potter” flick, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (which made MTV’s list of the Top Newsmakers of 2011), Watson chopped off her long, curly locks in a concrete display that she was leaving Hermoine Granger in the past and moving on into adulthood.

As for the “Bieber swish,” as the Journal hilariously calls it, well, you probably don’t even have to look out your front door to see one of those if you have a teenage son. The side-swept style popularized by the “Mistletoe” singer is everywhere … even though he has stopped sporting the famous cut himself.

Check out Watson’s pixie chic style as MTV News' own Josh Horowitz teaches the cast of "Harry Potter" a little "American Talk," after the jump! Read More...

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MTV News' Most Viewed Stories Of 2011: Nos. 5-1

Posted 12/29/11 8:00 am EST by in Best Of, Year End 2011


It's that time of year when we look back to see what stories really popped in 2011. From happy stories like Beyonce's big VMA baby bump reveal to sad stories like the tragic passing of Amy Winehouse, we were working hard in the MTV Newsroom to bring you all the news you were craving. Below are the top five stories in our countdown of the most viewed stories of the year from MTV News.

5. Cali Swag District Rapper M-Bone Killed In Drive-By Shooting (411K)

Early on May 16, hip-hop fans learned that Cali Swag District member M-Bone was the victim of a drive-by shooting the previous night and passed away from two gunshot wounds to the head, according to police in Inglewood, California. M-Bone, born Mante Talbert, was one-fourth of the group that rose to fame with their 2010 single "Teach Me How to Dougie."

When police arrived on the scene, they found the rapper in the driver's seat of an unspecified black vehicle and transported him to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Witness accounts confirm that the gunmen pulled alongside Talbert in a separate vehicle and let off at least two rounds. The suspects then fled the scene. The following day, Cali Swag frontman C-Smoove tweeted, "Ma life changed drastically in the blink of an eye. rip mbone."

Read on for more. Read More...

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What Will Our Favorite Hot Guys Be Up To In 2012?

Posted 12/28/11 2:45 pm EST by in drake, Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Music


The new year means that some of the hottest ... we mean our favorite ... male musicians will be busy once more after the ball drops on New Year's Eve and everything gets back to normal.

As 2011 comes to a close, MTV Newsroom is looking ahead and rounding up what some of the studliest fellas in the music biz have planned for the coming months. What will the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Drake, Foster The People and even Justin Timberlake be up to in the next twelve months? Well, you asked and we got the answers!

Read More...

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Chris Martin Kicks Coldplay-Crooning Intruder Out Of His London Garden

Posted 12/28/11 1:20 pm EST by in Coldplay


Coldplay

By Zachary Swickey

Coldplay crooner Chris Martin has revealed that he had to throw out a singing intruder who had forced his way into the singer’s personal garden.

It clearly wasn’t a hostile situation as Martin recounted the story to the Daily Mirror: “I had a guy the other day who climbed over the gate of our house and started singing Coldplay songs to his friends on the street.”

Perhaps Martin was digging the intruder’s cover versions, because the (likely drunk) fan was already on Coldplay hit number three or four when Martin finally intervened, saying, “Listen, you’re not doing that right.” No, Martin didn’t join him in the sing-a-long, but he didn’t call the cops either. “He politely left. It was bordering on intrusion. Still, it’s nice that people like the songs,” Martin continued. No word on whether his wifey, Gwyneth Paltrow, got to hear the renditions.

Haven’t we all wanted to scale Chris Martin’s fence and serenade our passing friends on the street? OK, maybe you haven’t, but if you’re itchin’ to hear Coldplay in person you’ll have plenty of chances coming up in 2012. Read More...

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Which Celebrity Breakup Was The Biggest of 2011? (Poll)

Posted 12/28/11 11:59 am EST by in Celebrity, divorce, Jennifer-Lopez, Newsroom Poll


Yesterday, we gave a big shout out to our favorite couples of 2011 and asked which was your favorite (right now, it looks like you’re still basking in post-engagement afterglow with Britney Spears and Jason Trawick, but the Biebs and his lady love, Selena Gomez, aren’t far behind - vote here!) but today, we take a walk down a far more dreary memory lane to count down the biggest celebrity breakups of 2011.

Check out MTV News’ full rundown of 2011’s Biggest Celebrity Breakups!

Of course, the dissolution of Kim Kardashian’s 72-day marriage to husband Kris Humphries has dominated the headlines since it was announced on Halloween. Following their elaborate multimillion-dollar wedding and equally televised courtship, skeptics wondered (many of them very loudly) whether Kim and Kris’ marriage was even the real deal or a ploy to pull in ratings for the myriad Kardashian reality shows on E! and bring more tabloid attention to a family that can’t get enough of it. Stay classy!

Two other big-name divas filed for divorce from their respective husbands in 2011 as well: Jennifer Lopez and Demi Moore. With Lopez’s career of an unexpectedly huge upswing after she joined “American Idol” in January, things reportedly started to get weird with husband Marc Anthony as she got super busy again with TV, movies and endorsement deals (goodness gracious does this girl have herself some endorsement deals!). By all accounts, she and Anthony remain friendly for the sake of their joint business endeavors and young twins, Max and Emme. For Moore, who at one time was the highest paid actress in the world, things were a little more cut and dry. After a long run of infidelity rumors, the “Margin Call” actress decided the time was right to walk away from her marriage to her much-younger husband, “Two and a Half Men” star (is there something about that role?) Ashton Kutcher.

Two other divorces make MTV’s list of the years biggest, though both are decidedly more low-key (and in one case, one might even say indie) than their headline grabbing counterparts in lost love. This year, hipster fave actress Zooey Deschanel and folkie hubby Ben Gibbard parted ways. As you’d expect from these two, the split was reportedly “mutual and amicable.” Another breakup we didn’t see coming occurred just before Valentine’s Day when Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz announced their split. Sure there were rumors, but these two always seemed to have each other’s backs. Le sigh!

Which breakup do you think was the biggest of the year? Vote in our poll after the jump! Read More...

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MTV News' Most Viewed Stories Of 2011: Nos. 10-6

Posted 12/28/11 8:00 am EST by in Best Of, Year End 2011


It's that time of year when we look back to see what stories really popped in 2011. From happy stories like Beyonce's big VMA baby bump reveal to sad stories like the tragic passing of Amy Winehouse, we were working hard in the MTV Newsroom to bring you all the news you were craving. Below are numbers 10 through six in our countdown of the most viewed stories of the year from MTV News. We'll have the top five for you tmorrow.

10. Kim Kardashian Files For Divorce (240K)
It was the early Christmas gift that just keeps on giving for tabloid editors and gossip bloggers. When Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from her husband of 72 days, Kris Humphries, everyone sort of lost their minds. The announcement inspired a major public backlash, as everyone with intact brain cells felt like the curtain had been pulled back on the Kardashian reality empire. Accusations that the couple's entire relationship had been faked for the cameras abounded and the public felt duped by the massive, millions-making wedding spectacular that aired on E! Of course, momager Kris Jenner was conveniently on her book tour when the announcement was made and denied the claims.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage. I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision," Kim told MTV News in a statement. "I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best." The thing is, they do not remain friends: Humphries recently counter-filed for an annulment from Kim claiming fraud. If you are at all interested in watching the one-time couple's true love come undone, E! is currently airing "Kourtney & Kim Take New York," which focuses largely on the downfall of the Kardashian-Humphries relationship.

Read on for more. Read More...

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