The Killers went to Japan for their "Read My Mind" music video. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson got "Lost in Translation" for Sophia Coppola. And now the Backstreet Boys have headed to the Far East for the video for their new single, "Bigger."
The video is chock full of things that Westerners equate with Japan: Harajuku girls, karaoke, sushi, lots of flashing lights, arcades and boy bands (Japan still loves boy bands, and by definition BSB is still a boy band). The video is incredibly endearing, showing the guys laughing and goofing around with fans and each other on the streets of Japan, as well as in various restaurants and, of course, karaoke rooms.
The song is certainly a return to BSB form. The first single off This Is Us was the band's take on an R&B club banger, complete with a vampire-themed music video. "Bigger" is quite the opposite: a mid-tempo romp about being in love with a woman who might be too good for you.
But we do admit that seeing A.J. get fed Japanese cuisine by one of the aforementioned Harajuku girls was a bit odd. Then again, it is A.J. we're talking about. Plus, he makes it up by meditating later in a Japanese garden. And seeing the guys sing karaoke all while hugging their fans gives us a good idea of what it would be like to hang out with them. Plus, we wouldn't mind Nick sprawled across our lap while he sings us this tune. Wait, was that an overshare?
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.
"Big in Japan" is usually a dismissive thing that people say in the music industry about artists who don't sell any records, the suggestion being that nobody knows them in their home country. Obviously, there are exceptions, and Mariah Carey is one of them. Her popularity in Japan is merely an extension of her worldwide ubiquity, and yesterday she touched town at the airport in Narita for the latest stop on her promotional tour of Asia in support of her new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. The first single from said album, "Obsessed," is still floating just outside the Top 10 on the Billbaord Hot 100 after 14 weeks on the chart, and she just announced via Twitter that she has sold over 1 million copies of the single, which gives her a dozen for her career — more than any other female artist in history.
Carey wasn't the only star on the move yesterday, as actress and occasional Pete Yorn collaborator Scarlett Johansson showed up at the launch of Mango's Winter campaign and Mary J. Blige walked the carpet at the Stepping Out and Stepping Up event in New York. Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 300 candid shots of Britney Spears, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Adam Lambert, Shakira and Rihanna!
Today sees the opening of "Surrogates," the futuristic sci-fi allegory based on the hit comic book and starring Bruce Willis. After Robert Pattinson and Dustin Diamond, Willis is by far the most popular actor here in the Newsroom. And while it has a lot to do with his many law-enforcement roles and his totally bizarre relationship with his ex-wife's new husband, at least a fraction of that devotion comes from The Return of Bruno, his debut R&B album from 1987.
Back in '87, Willis was just coming into his own as a gigantic star, as "Moonlighting" was fast becoming the most talked-about show on television (his breakout film role as John McClane in "Die Hard" was still a year off). He parlayed his sudden fame into a gateway into the music world, as he was a tremendous enthusiast of American blues and R&B. The Return of Bruno cast Willis as bartender Bruno Radolini, a sort of musical alter ego. The album contains nine covers of Motown gems plus one original composition Willis co-wrote.
In an age when Scarlett Johansson has appeared on multiple albums, it's difficult to grasp how big a deal it was for a major actor to drop into the music world. The fervor surrounding "Moonlighting" (and especially after "Die Hard" hit) actually made The Return of Bruno into a minor hit. For a brief period in 1987, Willis' cover of "Respect Yourself" was somewhat ubiquitous on radio, and the video for the clip is pretty priceless. (That being said, Willis' finest vocal performance comes from his TV ads for wine coolers.)
"Thor and Hulk both make an appearance in this film. They work at a diner. You heard it hear first. Thor is actually in the movie. He eats Tony Stark. He consumes him into his godlike belly and spews him into the world. He turns into stars actually. It's a strange twist. I don't know that they’re going to stay with it. It may not make it to the final cut, but it was cool to see filmed."
-Don Cheadle joking about surprise guests and plot developments in "Iron Man 2." The actor spoke to MTV News a few weeks ago at San Diego Comic-Con, where he was already promoting the 2010 sequel. In the film, he takes over the role played by Terrence Howard in the first "Iron Man," joining Robert Downey, Jr., Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson in the all-star cast. In the meantime, Cheadle has a police drama called "Brooklyn's Finest" hitting theaters in December, and his "Hotel For Dogs" just landed on DVD.
Welcome to the weekly Newsroom Poll, where we will give you a sneak peek into the lives and minds of some of the correspondents, writers, editors and producers here at MTV News. Every week, they'll answer a poll question that will reveal some of what we talk about behind the scenes here in the newsroom. Enjoy!
There's been a lot of talk about Taylor Momsen and her band the Pretty Reckless in the Newsroom this week. Who does the band most remind us of? Are they any good? And will Momsen have to fight off Courtney Love? But mostly it made us think about other actors who have tried their hand at music. So this week's question is: What is the best — or worst — actor-turned-musician transition? Read the Newsroom's answers below, then leave your own thoughts in the comments.
Kyle Anderson
This is one of those debates that gets me into trouble and forces people to question my rock critic membership card, because I tend to think that these projects are never as bad as people think. I thought Scarlett Johansson's collection of Tom Waits tunes was actually pretty good, and I've always had a little weak spot for Bruce Willis' blues album. But the one person who stands out for me is Zooey Deschanel, who teamed up with M. Ward for one of my favorite albums of last year as She & Him. I don't care for Deschanel as an actress (she sort of reminds me of Katie Holmes on "Dawson's Creek," where her entire acting range consists of looking vaguely spacey and adjusting her hair), but the things that bother me about her in movies totally hit home on record. Sure, the album blatantly borrows from Dusty Springfield and any number of country balladeers, but her voice is simple and the songs are unfussy and sweet. (I don't even mind her in that cotton ad that plays before videos on this site). The thought of seeing "500 Days of Summer" makes me want to stab my cuticles repeatedly with knitting needles, but "This Is Not a Test" and "Sentimental Heart" are in constant rotation on my iPod.
Read more...
By Rya Backer
Did you have the sing-songy chorus of Estelle and Kanye West's Grammy-winning "American Boy" stuck in your head for a good amount of 2008? Well, so did Estelle. That's why she's happy to reveal that she's working on new material as we speak.
"I'm sick of singing 'American Boy,' so we need something else," the West London native confessed at a recent party for the fashion line Chloé.
Recently, Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio — who has produced work for Scarlett Johansson and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs — helped her record a track. "He's amazing," Estelle gushed, "I'm really excited. We just finished a song together. I listened to it all the way here. I'm having a moment. He's really, really cool.'' Read more...
By Kathleen Newman-Bremang
Well, taking cues from Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Love Hewitt before them, Mariah Carey and Scarlett Johansson are the latest famous ladies to bite back at bloggers for focusing on their weight. Both stars are no strangers to tabloid drama and both would like you to know that you can't believe everything you read.
After Carey was snapped on Easter Sunday in a form-fitting pink dress, blogs were reporting that the singer was pregnant. Mariah took to her Twitter account yesterday to set the record straight. Carey Tweeted that the reports were "B.S." and that "she could've definitely lived without" the unflattering pictures.
"I don't know what was worse, the bleak angles and bright peach dress just to be festive ... or the B.S. commentary/blogs," she wrote. "For the record [the] dress and hair were not 'red carpet' attire!" Read more...
By Matt Wenzel
- Kanye West and 88-Keys make a great comedy duo in their new video for the song "Stay Up (Viagra)." The photos show how cool the video shoot was.
- U2 played a surprise show last night in Boston to the delight of many fans.
- Casting details are beginning to surface for "Iron Man 2." So far Mickey Rourke has been cast as a Russian villain, and Scarlett Johansson may be replacing Emily Blunt as Black Widow.
- Thanks to the success of "Twilight," Kristen Stewart's latest film, "Cake Eaters," which opens this weekend, is receiving more attention than originally expected, according to director Mary Stuart Masterson.
- David Hasselhoff, who will be parodied in the upcoming "Ready 2 Rumble Revolution" for the Wii, describes his quest to buy a Wii for his daughter.
Scarlett Johansson, you are a lovely young actress. Why is it also your mission to prove to the world that you are a singer?
First, you sang at Coachella with the Jesus and Mary Chain, which was OK because you were hardly audible, and it was that song from "Lost in Translation." Then you released that Tom Waits cover album — because you have a deep voice? Some people thought it was OK, but I just don't think someone new to music should tackle anything that weighty.
When we spoke to you in December, you said you probably wouldn't want to do another album of covers. Instead, you'd tackle your own original material. That might be interesting, since your life certainly can't be boring, and you might have some insights to share about being a hot young Hollywood star. Read more...
Chace Crawford has teamed up with Leona Lewis for the video for her new single, "I Will Be." In the clip, the "Gossip Girl" star and the Grammy nominee play Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque characters. Chace follows in a time-honored tradition of handsome young guys and beautiful starlets mugging for the camera as a pop star sings their heart out.
It's a tradition that everyone from Angelina Jolie (Rolling Stones' video for "Anybody Seen My Baby") to Selena Gomez (Jonas Brothers' video for "Burnin' Up") has taken part in. Here we look back on some recent celebrity cameos in some of your favorite music videos.
Milo Ventimiglia in Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry": The "Heroes" star plays Fergie's Camaro-loving boyfriend in the video. He rolls with a rough crowd and has a ponytail, so we imagine there's only so much of that the Dutchess can take.
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