Posted 10/19/11 10:34 am EST by MTV News in Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake
Just like you, we gasped at the nearly NSFW video for Britney Spears' 'Criminal.' It's by far her most risqué look yet, and that's saying a lot from the woman who reinvented the mile high club in the classic 'Toxic' video.
There's plenty of chatter about that shower scene with Brit's real life beau Jason Trawick and one of our favorite responses came not in words, but in animated GIF form, reuniting Britney with Justin Timberlake in full 'Cry Me a River' mode.
Posted 10/18/11 5:30 pm EST by MTV News in Justin Bieber
By Kara Warner
All this talk about Justin Bieber's forthcoming holiday-themed album "Under The Mistletoe," and our exclusive debut of the video for its first single, "Mistletoe," has got us to thinking, where the heck did that whole kissing-under-the-mistletoe tradition start?
Here's a quick primer of the most interesting mistletoe-themed facts: Read More...
Posted 10/18/11 3:54 pm EST by MTV News in Britney Spears, Celebrity, Video
By Christina Garibaldi
Britney Spears just released the ultra-steamy video for “Criminal,” which stars her boyfriend of over two years, Jason Trawick. The two give us a glimpse into their bedroom behavior in the clip and it got us thinking, what other couples have turned co-stars in music videos? Well, wonder no more, here’s our list!
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, “My Prerogative” (2004)
Jason Trawick wasn’t the first boyfriend Britney teamed up with for a music video. Brit starred alongside then fiance Kevin Federline for the video for “My Prerogative." In the vid, K-Fed’s cameo remains a mystery for most of the clip (even though everyone knows it’s him) as he watches a barely clothed Britney roll around on a bed. The video concludes with the two walking down the aisle and locking lips, which later happened in real life. Yet, after two kids, the two called off their marriage in 2006.
Beyonce and Jay-Z, “Crazy in Love” (2003), "Bonnie and Clyde" (2003), “Déjà vu” (2006), "Upgrade U" (2006)
The super private couple certainly has had no trouble showing their love through their music. The two have appeared been in four music videos together, including “Crazy in Love,” which got the rumors swirling that these two were actually a couple. Now, not only do the two make great music together, they are also making babies! Beyonce is expecting their first child this February.
Posted 10/18/11 3:07 pm EST by MTV News in Concerts
By Dionne Buxton
What group do you know of that can basically disappear from mainstream, nearly 15 years removed from the hit most people know them for, and still have diehard fans sleeping outside for concert tickets?
Hanson, of course.
The trio of brothers performs tonight at the Best Buy Theatre in Times Square (right next door to the MTV offices), and there are already more than 30 fans with sleeping bags waiting outside for a chance to get as close as possible to the group.
The band, best known for their 1997 hit “Mmmbop,” haven’t been able to reach that top spot again since their label merged with another and left them without a label that understood them “creatively,” according the fans we talked to. But they don’t need a popular label backing them; they never stopped making music.
“They put out their fifth album last year, they’ve been doing tours almost every year,” said Amber Hopper, 27, who’s been on-site since 3 AM. “People haven’t heard so much because they haven’t been on the radio, because of the fact that they left the major record label. But they’ve never stopped making music. They haven’t taken any breaks, they’ve still been going.” Read More...
Posted 10/18/11 1:53 pm EST by MTV News in Concerts, Radiohead
By Zachary Swickey
Many Radiohead fans have been scratching their heads wondering when the experimental group plans on hitting the road for their first proper tour following the release of their last album, King of Limbs, which came out way back in February. Well, rest easy folks, because the group has finally shed some light on their future touring plans.
Talking to Britain’s BBC 6Music, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien revealed the band will be on the road for the majority of 2012. “We’re finalizing dates now, we’ll be on the road from the end of February to November and we’ll be playing in both the UK and US, the usual ports of call,” he said.
The usual ports of call indeed, as Radiohead’s scant appearances since KOL’s release have been a pair of much-hyped club shows in New York City and a semi-surprise gig at this year’s Glastonbury Music Festival. O’Brien then elaborated on the set list concert-goers can expect, saying, “Last time we went out it was In Rainbows and a greatest hits. It’s not going to be like that this time. It’s going to be predominantly from this record and the last one and then we’ll see which songs fit around that.” Read More...
Posted 10/17/11 4:54 pm EST by MTV News in Britney Spears
By Sterling Wong
It’s been quiet in Britneyland, USA, as pop princess Britney Spears has been busy conquering Europe with her Femme Fatale tour. What’s a news-starved American Britney fan to do in the meantime? Look out for the star’s soon-to-be released video for her fourth Femme Fatale single, “Criminal,” of course!
The video, shot last month in London, is due to be released this week, and yesterday, Britney made fans’ hearts go aflutter by releasing on her official Tumblr five GIF files that feature short clips from the video.
To be sure, this first look we’re getting at “Criminal” defines the term sneak peek – the footage we get probably totals less than 3 seconds. But, nonetheless, we took out our Britneyscope to see what we can gleam from this brief glimpse of Britney in action: Read More...
Posted 10/14/11 6:44 pm EST by MTV News in Music
By Nick Philippou
Steve Aoki may have hit his musical sweet spot with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo on his latest, upbeat, electro-rock track "Earthquakey People" already climbing the Beatport dance chart ,where it's being sold exclusively.
MTV News pried the track's brand-new video from Ultra Records and Aoki's Dim Mak Records, which can be described as pure fun. It's the first song featuring a vocal from Aoki's new album, Wonderland, due in December.
"It's a very diverse album," Aoki told MTV News. "I think I'm going to throw a curveball at people, because I think the songs I'm writing, they're not these big club anthem records. They're proper songs."
Posted 10/14/11 2:11 pm EST by MTV News in Exclusives
Happy "Footloose" remake release day! The wait to cut loose with Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough's new spin on the Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer-led original is over and to celebrate the occasion, we have a very special, exclusive treat for you in the form of the exclusive video premiere of rising star Ella Mae Bowen's version of "Holding Out For A Hero."
For those of us who grew up with the 1984 original, the film's iconic soundtrack is just as memorable as the film, particularly Bonnie Tyler's inimitable power anthem. That said, Bowen's stripped-down, heartfelt version is so beautiful and brilliant, we're betting that even Tyler would approve. Check out Bowen's debut video below, followed by our interview with the talented 15-year-old (yes, she's only 15!) herself.
Posted 10/14/11 7:04 am EST by MTV News in Television
By James Dinh
It's clear "X Factor" isn't scared to tack on some star power to their much-hyped talent competition; just take a look at the judging panel. And after catching Thursday's night's delayed episode, which featured Rihanna, Pharrell, Enrique Iglesias and Mariah Carey (sort of), it's even clearer.
In an episode that sent all 32 contestants around the world to their assigned judges' homes, Simon Cowell (mentoring under-30s girl acts), L.A. Reid (mentoring under-30s boy acts), Paula Abdul (mentoring group acts) and Nicole Scherzinger (mentoring over-30s acts) took the wannabes under their wings, calling on their very famous friends to help out.
We here at the MTV Newsroom thought we'd take a closer look at the celeb mentors and their words of wisdom. Here's how they fared:
Rihanna
Partnering with L.A. Reid, the record bigwig who discovered her, Rihanna was open to voicing her opinions on contestants' vocal talents, confidence and commercial relatability. Right off the bat, the pop titan compared young rapper Brian Bradley (also known as the Astronomical Kid) to the likes of current industry MCs like J. Cole. Score: 8/10
Posted 10/13/11 9:00 am EST by MTV News in Movies, Music, Television
By Zachary Swickey
Did you know that overall album sales dropped 13 percent in 2010, but that vinyl sales increased by 14 perfect for the same year (a new record for the format since 1991)? My dad called me just a few weeks ago and asked confused, “What the hell is Best Buy selling records for? They still make those?” Yes, they most certainly do and the majority of album packages released today include vinyl editions in their bundles. This is just one of the many examples of nostalgia’s continued popularity in today’s pop culture world.
What do “Hot Tube Time Machine,” “Take Me Home Tonight” and “Drive” all have in common? Well, how about mad love for the '80s! One of the finest jokes from “Hot Tube Time Machine” came when “The Office” star Craig Robinson asked a woman what color Michael Jackson was – a classic “era” joke. “Take Me Home Tonight” may not have been the best flick but there were plenty of '80’s clichés to go around: neon, popped collars, headbands and more neon! If you’ve seen Ryan Gosling in “Drive,” then you are already aware of his bitchin’ retro satin cream-colored jacket with a giant scorpion emblazoned on the back, which is sure to inspire some outfits for this Halloween (or guys who simply want to look like a badass).
Let’s not forget about all of the band reunions that are hot commodities right now – covering nostalgia for every music era. In quite possibly the oldest reunion ever, the Beach Boys recently announced a 50th anniversary reunion (senior citizens around the globe rejoice!) and even hinted that they may end up back in the studio to produce a new album. Hipster faves Pulp finally reunited with their frontman Jarvis Cocker this year for a round of festival dates. And, of course, Blink-182 released that new album, Neighborhoods which we were beginning to think we’d never hear. The most random reunion (although still well-received) goes to indie noise rockers Death From Above 1979, who only have one 2004 album to their name, but came back to rock many a face off during 2011 (notably causing a small riot at this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival during their first performance back).
What about television? The days of yesteryear have been infiltrating the networks too. The 80’s classic “Teen Wolf” has been revamped and adapted into a new television series here at MTV. The iconic MTV program “120 Minutes” that focused on rising rock acts originally aired for 14 years from 1986-2000, and this summer the show was brought back to life with host Matt Pinfield and all. My generation was thrilled to see Nickelodeon bringing back several of its classic shows from the '90s for a block of programming appropriated dubbed “The 90s Are All That,” which includes all of the channel’s greatest hits – "All That,” “Kenan & Kel,” “Doug,” and soon the Christine Taylor-starring (Ben Stiller’s wifey) “Hey Dude." One of the newest and most anticipated revivals belongs to VH-1’s “Pop-Up Video,” which was brought back just this week after a nine-year absence. Now, you’ll finally know all the details behind OK Go’s treadmill romp “Here It Goes Again.”