Every day a multitude of stars wanders 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.
The American Music Awards are rarely a high-profile event, but that changes this weekend. Sunday night's show features a handful of high-profile performances by Janet Jackson (who will open the show with an eight-minute presentation), Adam Lambert, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Shakira, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and Eminem (among others). Jennifer Lopez will also be performing (she'll roll out her new single "Louboutins" from her forthcoming new album Love?), and she spent yesterday on stage in Los Angeles rehearsing for the show. Based on the photos, the Lopez performance features a guest appearance by Michael Buffer (the "Let's get ready to rumble!" guy) and will have Lopez climbing all over her backup dancers and making a handful of leaps and jumps. It promises to be one of the big highlights in a show that should have no shortage of epic moments.
The American Music Awards air this Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC. Be sure to stay tuned to MTV News for the latest updates and coverage of the big show. In the meantime, click here for the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Chris Brown, Pete Wentz and John Mayer!
Another week has come to a close here in the MTV Newsroom, and it's been an especially busy one. We saw some fascinating video premieres, a few great album previews, some hilarious interviews and at least one modeling lesson for one of our staffers. Before you hit the town to sing karaoke or go to a screening of "2012" (because the stupid Adirondack Mountains have had it coming to them for a while), check out everything you might have missed this week.
» This week was all about Taylor Swift. She brought big laughs on "Saturday Night Live," and then swept the CMA Awards. And just for good measure, producer Butch Walker paid her a tribute with a cover of "You Belong With Me."
» Kanye West probably didn't like this year's CMA Awards broadcast, but he can take solace in the fact that he would make the ideal Super Bowl performer.
» Veteran rock band Aerosmith threatened to come apart at the seams several times this week, so we provided a few helpful suggestions for possible Steven Tyler replacements.
» Looking to find some old, inexpensive music this weekend? Try some semi-forgotten albums from Air and the Strokes, as featured in the new edition of "Bargain Spins."
» New music from two "American Idol" artists got the preview treatment from Jim Cantiello, who really liked Kris Allen's self-titled debut but thought that Allison Iraheta's forthcoming record was a little less promising.
Read more...
By Rya Backer
On Friday morning, Chris Brown's new video for "Crawl," the second single to get the video treatment from his upcoming release Graffiti, made its debut. The clip, which depicts a bespectacled Brown singing about how people need to crawl back to love, also features shaven-head sensation Cassie as Brown’s love interest. The ballad is at least a little bit about Rihanna, and the video seems to make references to her and their relationship.
We took to the streets of Times Square to see what people thought of Brown's latest foray into short film. Reactions to the song and the video were mixed.
"It was a decent song. After everything that's gone on, it's kind of hard to support him," explained Lindsay, a student in town from Kentucky.
"I think it sounded fine," added her friend Katie. "But I don't know, I think it was a kind of failed attempt to tell everyone he's really sorry. I don't think it really did anything for me."
Former Chris Brown obsessive Alysia said, "You could see that there's a lot of Rihanna inferences in there. But after you do something like that, I don't think you can regain the public's trust."
However, Brown has fans in Chiquita and Terell, who both expressed their support for the single. Chiquita thought that the video was "really nice," and Terell said "It seemed like a nice concept. He shouldn't fall back after all that happened with him and Rihanna and all that, so it's just good to see him out again."
What do you think? Is "Crawl" a keeper? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Every day a multitude of stars wanders 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.
The press push continues for Rihanna, who is coming off her big interview with Diane Sawyer last week and currently making the rounds in New York. She stopped by "It's On with Alexa Chung" on Monday (with the entire half-hour show devoted to her) and she also sat down with Sway to talk about her big collaborations, how she feels about Chris Brown and some stories behind her upcoming album Rated R (which stands for "Rihanna," not "Restricted"). Yesterday, she was spotted on the street outside the Gramercy Park Hotel, looking cool and fashion-forward as always (that is an excellent hat). She has managed to keep her name in the news, as she's got a racy new single cover and a video for "Russian Roulette" that is set to premiere this Friday.
Rihanna wasn't the only star on the move yesterday, as Shakira was caught leaving the MTV building (shortly after her conversation with MTV News' Jim Cantiello, which will be rolling out soon) and Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were seen getting off a plane holding hands, further fueling speculation about their relationship. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Adam Lambert, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Jay-Z and Mariah Carey!
The first week of November is almost behind us, and while the march toward the holidays is already on, that doesn't mean the music world took any time off. In fact, the next few weeks should be quite exciting, with oodles of new music, video and tour news coming at a rapid pace. The MTV Newsroom team will be all over everything as soon as it breaks, but for now, catch yourself up on everything that you might have missed.
» Some samples of Adam Lambert's new album hit the Web, and Jim Cantiello broke down every second of them.
» The Weezer Snuggie (or "The Wuggie") is pretty incredible, though even frontman Rivers Cuomo has no idea why.
» Both Chris Brown and Rihanna talked extensively about the assault back in February. Brown sat down with Sway to talk about the aftermath while Rihanna spoke to ABC about expectations and the future.
» Justin Bieber had a busy week: He dropped a new single, announced his golden ticket contest and impressed Ellen DeGeneres during his guest spot on her talk show.
» The Bieber performance was part of a busy week for Ellen, who also spent time scaring the heck out of Taylor Swift.
Read more...
Ever since the news broke of Chris Brown's assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna back in February, we knew what the results were but details were always hazy about what exactly lead up to Brown's actions. Some of that was cleared up this morning on "Good Morning America," where another portion of Rihanna's "20/20" interview aired. She confirmed the rumor that the argument started over a text message Brown had received from another woman. "I caught him in a lie, and he wouldn't tell the truth," she told interviewer Diane Sawyer. "I couldn't take that he kept lying to me. And he couldn't take that I wouldn't drop it, so it escalated into him being violent towards me and ... it was ugly."
She went on to describe Brown's demeanor once he became violent. "He had no soul in his eyes, just blank," she said. "He was clearly blacked out. There was no person when I looked at him. All I kept thinking the whole time: When is it going to stop?" The full interview with Rihanna airs tonight on ABC.
MTV News' Sway interviewed Brown about the case this past Monday (the result of which airs tonight at 6 p.m. on MTV as "Chris Brown: The Interview"). He talked about the many personal and public apologies he has made over the past few months. "When I apologize, I really apologize, definitely, about the situation, like me and her personally, obviously," Brown told MTV News. "We've exchanged, I've exchanged my apologies for her, but when I do it publicly, it's for [the others] I've let down: It's for the fans, it's for all the people ... even the people that have invested in me and thought that I was good enough role model." The remainder of Brown's interview, which includes details about his court-mandated community service and some explanations of some of his recent Internet postings, airs tonight at 6 p.m. on MTV.
In this age of 24-hour media, it's crazy to imagine that Rihanna has managed to go so long without really sitting down for an interview about the night of February 8, when she was assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown. Friday night (November 6), she'll appear on ABC's "20/20" for a full sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer. A portion of that interview debuted on "Good Morning America" this morning, and the singer spoke tearfully about the aftermath. "People put me on a very unrealistic pedestal," she said. "And all these expectations ... I'm not perfect."
She was talking about the questions that arose when she and Brown were spotted vacationing together only three weeks after the assault, but she could have easily been discussing the way her music is currently being consumed.
The uphill battle for Rihanna is avoiding the "victim" tag in her return to the music world. So far, the new singles, images and video that she has produced for her new album Rated R cast her as a strong, independent, almost otherwordly woman. "I pitch with a grenade/ Swing away if you're feeling brave/ There's so much power in my name," she sings on "Wait Your Turn (The Wait Is Ova)." While the music we've heard so far is a little more deliberate than her past singles (and not nearly as catchy as something like "Umbrella" or "Disturbia"), there's an underlying toughness in her lyrics, as though she's daring everybody to question her spirit.
We won't know if Rihanna's entire musical focus has shifted until we hear the rest of Rated R (which hits stores November 23), but one thing is for sure: The perception of her music will certainly shift, at least for the time being. Plenty of people are already wondering why there weren't more direct references to Brown in the single "Russian Roulette," but that seems like an unfair set of expectations. She has gone through a traumatic event in a very public forum, and it's almost certain that whatever she felt in the aftermath exists in the subtext of whatever she's going to put out.
After a few months of relative silence following his altercation with Rihanna, Chris Brown is back with a new album (Graffiti, due in stores December 8), a fresh set of singles, an otherworldly video and a "Fan Appreciation" tour. It's a long road back, and Brown is taking it one step at a time.
But plenty of questions still remain, which is why MTV News correspondent Sway traveled to Brown's home in Virginia for an extended sit-down with the singer. It was a no-holds-barred conversation, and the result will be revealed on Friday (November 6) when "Chris Brown: The Interview" airs at 6 p.m. on MTV.
Brown was ready for Sway's questions, as he said he has posed them to himself over and over again since the fateful night in February. "My thoughts [when I look back on it now] is like, 'Why did it happen?' Like, 'What was I thinking? What is wrong with you?' That's what I'm thinking with myself."
The singer said that it was "anger" that drove him to strike Rihanna, adding "Young people, we do before we think." But he's clearly struggling to make amends and figure out what he must take away from the experience. "It's like, 'How do we get past it? How do you, Chris' — talking to myself — 'how do you go from point A to point B? How do you learn from your mistakes, turn it into a positive and help other people with the situation, and at the end of the day become the person that you want to be?'"
For more, be sure to tune into "Chris Brown: The Interview," this Friday, November 6, at 6 p.m. on MTV.
Though Chris Brown appeared to be pining for ex-girlfriend Rihanna on Twitter earlier this week (despite the court's stay away order), he's been seen spending time with other ladies.
TMZ reported that the singer has been romantically linked to Natalie Nunn, a contestant on this December's edition of "The Bad Girls Club."
The gossip website posted two photos of the singer and Nunn: In one she is seen sitting in Brown's lap while he's smiling and giving a peace sign. In the other, Brown, in a cap and sweatshirt, is seen smiling while Nunn is cozied up to him.
According to Reality TV World, Natalie is "a spunky self-proclaimed socialite, Natalie enjoys cruising in her sugar daddies' expensive cars and painting the town red with her cool celebrity friends. With a degree in Sociology, Natalie operates her own fashion boutique in Northern California. This flamboyant rebel proclaims to 'run L.A..'" The California native's photo on the show's Web site calls her "the gold digger."
TMZ goes on to report that the pair has hung out a couple of times. Their most recent "date" was on October 16, when they attended a roller-skating party. The catch, however, is that Brown says he isn't dating that girl.
He took to Twitter to clear up the rumors: "TMZ … omg ... U guys have nothing better to do. And by the way. I don't mess wit 'that girl.'"
In this age of digital music, it's unusual for a major artist to take her cover art so seriously. But Rihanna clearly has a stake in how she appears on the covers surrounding her new album, Rated R. The cover of the single "Russian Roulette" was already unveiled last week, and it cast Rihanna as a badass sorta-pirate bound by barbed wire. Today she revealed the proper album cover for Rated R. It's a black-and-white image that retains her new "R" logo and shows her covering her right eye (the same eye blackened by Chris Brown back in February). The image, shot by fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth (who has also worked with Britney Spears and Janet Jackson) is everything that makes Rihanna interesting: sparse, slightly futuristic and gorgeous.
But what do the fans think? We sent an MTV News crew to a rainy Times Square today to gather some reactions, and the results were decidedly mixed.
Many people saw the correlation between the covered eye and the altercation with Brown, but many more just seemed hyper-aware of the more "adult" vibe. "She looks quite scary and somewhat intriguing," one respondent noted.
"I like it, but it's a little dark," another added.
Based on "Russian Roulette" and now this album cover, it seems like there will be more musical comment coming from Rihanna about Brown. Rated R hits the streets on November 23.
What do you think: Is Rihanna's album cover a beauty or a beast? Leave your thoughts in the comments or head over to Your.MTV.com to make your voice heard!
