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.
A year ago, Susan Boyle was a simple woman living in Scotland with her cat and volunteering at her local church. Back in April, her appearance on "Britain's Got Talent" changed her life completely. Boyle walked onto the stage to chuckles and derision from the live crowd, but then delivered a stunning vocal rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Broadway musical Les Miserables that nearly brought professionally snippy talent judge Simon Cowell to tears. She immediately attracted the attention of record companies, who were not only interested in Boyle's impressive instrument but also in the buzz she created on the Internet (clips of her singing "I Dreamed a Dream" have been watched over 100 million times on YouTube alone). Today marks the incredible culmination of her journey, as her debut album I Dreamed a Dream is out in stores, and she celebrated with a performance on "Today." Once again, Boyle was in fine voice as she churned out "I Dreamed a Dream," her cover of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" and the torch song "Cry Me a River" (made popular by Ella Fitzgerald).
Boyle wasn't the only star taking care of business in the last few days, as Spencer Pratt was spotted signing copies of his new book "How to Be Famous" at a bookstore in Los Angeles. Elsewhere in L.A., it was all about leisure, as Jay-Z, Polow Da Don and members of the Black Eyed Peas all took in yesterday's Lakers game (Kobe Bryant and friends scored another victory, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder). Click here for these pictures as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Shakira, Adam Lambert and Mariah Carey!
Even though there was big money moved around at a Michael Jackson auction and plenty of people are buzzing about last night's American Music Awards, the weekend was really about one story. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" stormed into theaters just after midnight last Thursday (November 19) and racked up massive numbers care of some devoted fans, who nursed the film to the third biggest film opening of all time (though still falling $18 million short of the impressive tally brought in by "The Dark Knight" last year). There's no doubt that the "New Moon" stars are everywhere, from our talk shows to our meals at Burger King to our local Volvo dealer.
In fact, there are plenty of places where "New Moon" characters have shown up that you might have missed. For instance, when Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed "Empire State of Mind" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, everybody remembers Lil Mama crashing the stage and posing alongside the two stars. But did you notice that Caius (played by Jamie Campbell Bower) also got in on the action? Take a look.
MTV News' resident photo expert Sohyung Kang has combed through the archives and unearthed a number of revelatory shots that show the "New Moon" characters dropping into the most unlikely of scenarios. Which of the "New Moon" crew was spotted cruising around with Kristin Cavallari? Which character did a sexy dance at the Teen Choice Awards? Which one snuck into an episode of "Glee"? Which one infiltrated one of Michael Jackson's most famous album covers? Click here to see all of your favorite "New Moon" characters — including Bella, Edward, Jacob, Jasper, Rosalie and Esme — sneaking into all corners of pop culture!
"It's gonna be sexy, I think. The wardrobe is amazing. I'm working with 10 dancers that I'm so impressed by. I was looking for a certain sensuality — five guys, five girls and they're all incredible."
-"American Idol" runner-up and For Your Entertainment mastermind Adam Lambert, telling MTV News about his upcoming performance on this Sunday night's American Music Awards broadcast, which marks the first time he'll sing in prime time since the "American Idol" finale in the spring. It'll be a big week for Lambert, as he will perform on Sunday and then drop his debut album on Monday, challenging a number of other high-profile artists (including Rihanna, Susan Boyle, Beyonc&233;, Lady Gaga and Shakira) to a Thanksgiving-week sales war. Lambert also talked about the band he brought together (the same group he just debuted online). "I auditioned a band a couple weeks ago that I've been working with," he told MTV News' Larry Carroll. "I'm so impressed by [them] and it feels really good to be part of a team situation again. It's great because I'm back in a team environment and it reminds me of my roots in musical theater." Check out Lambert — as well as the rest of the AMA performers, like Jay-Z, Rihanna, Eminem and Janet Jackson — this Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC.
When Beyoncé took the stage at the O2 Arena on Monday (November 16), she not only brought Kanye West and Jay-Z on stage with her, but also busted out a big concert trope that seems to have gone by the wayside but may be making a comeback. In the middle of "Halo," she ran directly at the crowd and hurled herself onto the outstretched hands of the mass of fans in a stage dive.
Stage diving used to be a common occurrence during the alt-rock era, which saw frontmen like Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain channeled the spirit of Iggy Pop and constantly tossed themselves at the swirling crowds at their shows. But at some point around the turn of the century, stage diving got a bad name. It's possible that Fred Durst sunk the whole concept, as he famously used a piece of the security fence to surf across the hands of thousands of revelers at Woodstock '99 while Limp Bizkit played and women were sexually assaulted. But there's no real event that ended the practice — like the dinosaurs, stage diving died slowly and inexplicably.
But clearly it isn't completely extinct. In addition to Beyoncé's head-first dive, there were plenty of human missiles tossed off the stage at the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards, which were taped this past Wednesday night (November 18). After accepting an award on behalf of Green Day, rapper Asher Roth leaped into the crowd for a brief surf, and the beginning of the show saw Kim Schifino (of Matt and Kim) crawl across the outstretched arms of the people closest to the stage and stand up on top of them in a makeshift pyramid.
So if one of the biggest stars in the world, one of the slickest rappers in the hip-hop game and one of the coolest indie bands about to pop are all hopping off stages and into crowds, it's clearly an equal-opportunity deal. Who would you like to see stage diving? Should Taylor Swift let herself be carried away by fans? Should the boys from Tokio Hotel risk dismemberment in crowd surfing? Make your pleas 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 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!
Considering how many chart-topping albums he has had and the number of smash singles he has released, it's amazing to think that Jay-Z has never had a song top the Billboard Hot 100, the definitive pop songs chart. That changed this morning, as his "Empire State of Mind" took the top spot in its tenth week of release. The track, which of course features a memorable hook care of Alicia Keys, picked up a ton of radio airplay in the wake of the New York Yankees' World Series win (the team ended up adopting it as a victory anthem). Meanwhile, "Run This Town," the first single from The Blueprint 3, remains in the top 20.
While it does mark the first time Jigga has had one of his own songs at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, it's not the first time his name has been associated with the top spot. He has been a guest on three other number one tunes: Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker," Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" and Rihanna's "Umbrella." Keys is no stranger to the summit of the pop mountain either, as she has had two of her own songs hit the top spot ("Fallin'" and "No One") as well as another collaboration ("My Boo," with Usher).
Elsewhere on this week's Hot 100, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" jumped seven spots up the chart to #11, which suggests that it should bust into the top 10 the same week that her The Fame Monster gets its official release. Other big gainers included 50 Cent's "Baby by Me" and the version of "Defying Gravity" as performed by Chris Colfer and Lea Michele from "Glee."
During his tenure on "American Idol," Adam Lambert always showed signs of a glam rocker buried deep beneath the network television-friendly exterior. Now that he is dictating his career, the floodgates have opened. Last week, we saw the first photos from the video shoot for "For Your Entertainment," which appears to be set at an S&M club in the "Mad Max" universe. Yesterday, Lambert hopped on Twitter and revealed the first photo of his band to the universe. The five person combo keeps the theme going, combining Rihanna's taste for bondage with the end-of-humanity styling in John Carpenter's "Escape from New York."
The band will be appearing in the "For Your Entertainment" video and will also perform on stage with Lambert when he plays the American Music Awards, which air live this Sunday, Novmeber 22 on ABC and will also feature Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Jay-Z.
One striking thing about the photo of Lambert's band: In those costumes, they sort of look like goth New Wave futurists Orgy. This is an excellent development, as Orgy were a perpetually underrated band that were strangely lumped in with nü metal (being on Korn's record label probably didn't help) but actually dealt in glammy, pulsating futurist rock that featured healthy doses of Bowie and the Cure. Of course, we already have a sense of what For Your Entertainment is going to sound like, and it's nothing like Orgy, but it's refreshing to have a group that deals in such interesting aesthetic choices. For Your Entertainment is less than a week away, and it promises to be a huge juggernaut.
Of all the artists that pass through the MTV headquarters here in New York every week, there are few that bring the same level of excitement to the building that 50 Cent does. With his fourth studio album Before I Self Destruct set to hit stores, the G-Unit General is hard at work on the promo trail talking about everything from music to his rivals. Interviewing 50 never gets old. He has as much charisma as he does bottles of Vitamin Water in his fridge, so whenever he comes in for a big sit-down interview you never know what to expect.
It's an interesting time for 50. He's nearing the end of his five album deal with Interscope, and he appears to have come full circle, as the aggression of his debut Get Rich or Die Tryin' is matched only by the new album. Despite having a reported $300 million in the bank and an empire that spans clothing, beverages, books and movies, it's refreshing to see that 50 still approaches each interview as if it was his first.
We started by breaking down the album, picking out some key songs including "Baby By Me" and his collaboration with Eminem on "Psycho." We touched upon his recent rivalry with Jay-Z and his longstanding relationship with Dr. Dre and Eminem both inside and outside of the studio. He broke down some standout lyric,s including the line on "So Disrespectful" that addresses Dre's position in 50's beef against the Game.
In the video for "Baby By Me," 50 takes on the role of a suburban father complete Kelly Rowland playing his wife and three Argyll-wearing kids. So we asked him if this could ever be a possibility for the hip-hop heavyweight or if it will have to remain a video fantasy. And somehow we got into that game you play with your friends: Halle Berry or Megan Fox? Halle or Angelina Jolie? Megan or Jessica Biel?
Yes, we went there. And he answered. Stay tuned to MTV News all week for more on 50 Cent.
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.
Has anybody promoted his debut album better than Justin Bieber? The precocious 15-year-old posted some footage of him singing on the Internet, inspired a bidding war between Justin Timberlake and Usher (the latter won), amassed a ton of Twitter followers and Facebook friends, dropped a series of catchy singles (including the latest one, "Favorite Girl") and appeared on just about every television show available to musicians. Bieber's debut album My World hits the streets tomorrow, and Bieber kept up his push up on Sunday (November 15) with an appearance on "Good Morning America." He performed his first single "One Time" live on the show, and then when the cameras stopped rolling he sang a pair of Ne-Yo songs: "Because of You" and the new "Never Knew I Needed" (which is from the upcoming Disney animated film "The Princess and the Frog"). He won over yet another crowd (both live in the studio and on television), which bodes well for the debut of Bieber's album.
Bieber wasn't the only star who put in some work over the weekend, as Rihanna showed up in London to prepare for a big concert event and Janet Jackson appeared in Los Angeles to check out one of the flash mobs paying tribute to her. Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which includes over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Adam Lambert, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers and Madonna!
With Attention Deficit finally hitting stores, I'm officially naming Tuesday, November 17 as the Day of Wale. It's been a long time coming for the D.C rapper's debut album, and it has certainly been worth the wait. People underestimate how difficult it is to actually get to the stage where you can put out a debut album, but Wale is making it work.
There's no question whether Wale is a skilled MC. He's one of the brightest young stars in music today and some would argue the best lyricist in hip-hop's new school. The question is: Can Wale survive in a harsh music climate?
Wale's debut single "Chillin" (featuring the hottest woman in pop, Lady Gaga) set him on the right track, and with an album filled with great collaborations (including Pharrell Williams, J. Cole and Gucci Mane to name but a few) and hits like "Pretty Girls," "Let it Loose" and a personal favourite "Contemplate" (featuring a great Rihanna sample), I'm gonna bet yes.
When he stopped by the MTV News studio on the day of release, one thing was pretty clear: Wale had a late one. The night before, his label mate Daniel Merriweather had performed a great set here in the city, and after the show everyone moved to celebrate Wale's official album launch party at the Marquee nightclub.
Dressed casually, Wale spoke on how he feels this album means more to him than any album has ever met to any other artist in history, the breakdown of his favourite songs on the album, the meaning of the album cover, the music, how the album musically lives up to its name Attention Deficit, his relationship with Jay-Z, what separates him from the likes of Drake and Cudi, the experience of working with the likes of Pharrell, Gucci Mane and the other collaborators on the album and a lot of other stuff. Look out for the interviews on MTV News.
