By Jayson Rodriguez
Perhaps inspired by Lil Wayne's new song about him, Kobe Bryant powered the Los Angeles Lakers to victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night.
Kobe once again led the way for Los Angeles, as his 29 points and 8 assists helped the Lakers top the Orlando Magic in overtime, 101-96. The win gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The veteran guard has played two of his best finals games ever since Wayne released a new pro-Kobe track last week titled, naturally enough, "Kobe Bryant."
Coincidence? Probably. It likely has more to do with his team taking a butt-whipping from the Celtics in the first two games of last year's championship.
Among the many stars spotted watching Bryant's performance yesterday were Diddy, Rihanna, Will.I.Am, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and "High School Musical" star Zac Efron. Longtime Laker fans Jack Nicholson, Andy Garcia, Penny Marshall and Denzel Washington were also in attendance.
Game 3 is set for Tuesday night in Orlando: Get ready paparazzi shots of high-profile Magic fans like Tiger Woods and ... er, that's really it. Maybe Rick Ross and Flo Rida can make the drive up from Miami to spice things up?
By Jocelyn Vena and Sabrina Rojas Weiss
When we saw how hot Rihanna looked in her tuxedo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala on Monday night, we were reminded that she's certainly not the first chica to turn fancy menswear into an androgynous fashion statement. Here are some of our favorite ladies to go black-tie in the public eye:
Celine Dion: For the 1999 Academy Awards, the diva mixed things up by opting for white and then, apparently styled by by Kris Kross, she wore the jacket backwards! Let's not even get started on the hat.
Madonna: Of course, what Madonna wore at the 2005 VMAs was greatly overshadowed by the fact that she made out with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
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By Lisa Gonzalez
Chris Brown was expected to appear in court today in Los Angeles but ultimately didn't show, with his lawyer revealing that he's trying to get the case dismissed. Every media outlet in the greater L.A. area, however, did show up — though most of them had swine flu on the brain.
I arrived at the courthouse at 7:30 a.m. to cover Brown's court appearance, along with my camera guy Erick. We circled the building repeatedly, checking every possible entrance, but found no sign of Chris. Now, I find it difficult to form thoughts before my morning cup of coffee, so it took me awhile to realize there were no other press outlets there. Or protesters. Or even paparazzi! (And those guys always show up anywhere in L.A. a celeb might be.)
By this time, we got word that Brown wasn't coming, but I noticed several media trucks gathering at another courthouse. The first thought in my caffeine-free mind was: "Rihanna must be here!"
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By Angelique Smith and Kathleen Newman-Bremang
In honor of Britney Spears' return to the road, MTV takes you all the way back to 2004, when Brit last set out on her Onyx Hotel Tour.
The Jonas Brothers' road to pop-culture domination hit a rough patch this weekend. The boys' "3D Concert Experience" underperformed at the box office. Looks like Nick, Joe and Kevin will just have to settle for selling out arenas instead of theatres.
Paramore's leading lady is still on the market. Contrary to reports by a Canadian blogger, Hayley Williams is not engaged to Chad from New Found Glory.
Chris Brown was photographed on a jet ski just three weeks after the alleged altercation between him and Rih Rih. If this was before the domestic-violence case, no eyebrows would be raised; now, however, it creates concern and raises many questions.
Beyoncé, R&B's reigning diva, finally opens up about life with Jay-Z. While in the public eye, she is all put-together, but she reveals her messy side — a side that Jay-Z actually gets bothered by.
Check out what Ne-Yo had to say about what went down between Rihanna and Chris Brown. Ne-Yo has worked with both musicians and said he's holding back from any judgment.
Did Beyoncé lip-synch at the Oscars? While host Hugh Jackman's breathing and laughter could be heard at times, B's vocals appeared to be mimed.
In the four years between Blink-182's hiatus and reunion, these guys didn't exactly sit on their hands. Take a look at what Mark, Tom and Travis have been up to since 2005. Read more...
We here at MTV News are a pretty diverse bunch, so the views expressed by some in our more official-type year-end lists (like James Montgomery's Top 25 Albums and Best Songs, and the Mixtape Monday Awards) are not necessarily shared by the rest of the newsroom. So, this week we gave everyone else a chance to chime in with their own lists and explain (or defend) their choices. You'll find all of the staff faves of 2008 here.
By Christina Garibaldi, Daily News Coordinator
Pop music seemed to rule the airwaves this year, from the Jonas Brothers to Miley Cyrus to Taylor Swift, so here's a look at the biggest pop stars of 2008.
10. Pink: Turning her heartbreak into a smash single with "So What," Pink made a huge comeback in 2008.
9. Leona Lewis: I believe there was a period of two months this year when you could not go anywhere without hearing "Bleeding Love."
8. Demi Lovato: She's adorable and talented, and she and best friend Selena Gomez had a YouTube fight with Miley Cyrus. What more can you ask for?
(Find out what who Christina picked as the top pop start for 2008, after the jump!)
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The Teen Choice Awards aired on Monday night and America's reigning teen — Miley Cyrus, duh — was true to her overachieving self by not only hosting the show, but also performing her hit "7 Things" and winning three awards (for Choice TV Actress, Comedy; Choice TV Show, Comedy; and Choice Music Female Artist). Not bad!
Not surprisingly, high school was a pre-eminent theme of the night, as teen soap "Gossip Girl" walked away with six surfboards, including Choice TV Show, Drama and TV Breakout Show.
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by Rya Backer
Some 20-year-olds prepare for summer by, among other things, sending out resumes for that dream internship, stocking up on sun protection or registering to retake a class they just couldn't get right the first time. Rihanna, however, spends the warmer months far differently from her peers: protecting her title as reigning Queen of the Summer Jam.
From 2005's "Pon de Replay" to 2006's "S.O.S." to last year's "Umbrella" (ella-ella-eh-eh ... sorry, I had to), the leggy songstress takes her role as purveyor of catchy tunes very seriously. As she once told MTV News, "It's important for me to make sure that my hottest song comes out in the summer." Hottest song in the summer! Get it!? Anyway!
Naturally, she's got something ready for 2008: "Disturbia," penned by boyfriend Chris Brown, her latest single off her new reissue, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, promises to be the song of the season. At least, that's what she says. It's a tune she so took to that she "couldn't wait," to put it on the next album. So she opted to offer it to the masses, just in time to remain on her throne for the time being.
It does have some of those magical Rihanna summer-jam ingredients: simple dance beat, machine-enhanced vocals, random syllable repetition (move over "ella," and make room for "bum-bum-bee-dum"). But what do you think? Can Rihanna claim the title for yet another year? Or should the queen prepare to abdicate? And if "Disturbia" isn't the song that'll permeate my brain from all directions on the beach, then what will it be? You tell us!
