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Chris Jericho, Ted DiBiase, Jr. Highlight A Wrestling-Heavy Day In The Newsroom

Posted 11/18/09 5:03 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

Here's a strange fact about at least a portion of the staff here at MTV News: Several of us — hip-hop editor Shaheem Reid, rock editor James Montgomery and myself — are big fans of professional wrestling. We all follow it with differing degrees of intensity and all have different taste when it comes to what we like, but give us a hot promo and a cage match and we'll probably walk away smiling. So yesterday was a big day in the Newsroom, as there were a pair of wrestling-related interviews going down (which happily coincided with the WWE's "Raw" show airing live from Madison Square Garden on Monday night).

First, we got a visit from Ted DiBiase, Jr., who sat on the Newsroom couch to talk to Reid about his role in the upcoming film The Marine 2, which will hit DVD and Blu-Ray on December 29. He also talked about the thrill of winning the Tag Team Championship with partner Cody Rhodes, the pressures of being a third-generation performer, how he uses Eminem to get himself worked up during workouts and who among the WWE stars has the best musical taste.

One of those stars he mentioned was Chris Jericho, who happens to front his own metal band called Fozzy and who also called in for an interview yesterday. Jericho has long been one of my favorite performers in all of pro wrestling, so it was a thrill to talk to him about the new Fozzy album Chasing the Grail (which hits stores on January 26, 2010), the response his band gets from metal fans in the U.K., the thrill of meeting some of his idols (including Lemmy, Ronnie James Dio and Ozzy Osbourne) and who among the WWE wrestlers has the worst taste in music ("[ECW Champion] Christian knows the lyrics to Backstreet Boys songs," he said).

There will be more from both of these guys in the coming weeks, but just know that between Reid, Montgomery and I, we would talk to a wrestler every day if we could — so you can be glad that we aren't constantly doing coverage of the ongoing feud between Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston.

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Janet Jackson Flash Mobber Recalls Dancing For Janet Herself

Posted 11/16/09 6:00 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

To celebrate the release of Janet Jackson's new compilation album, Number Ones, fans gathered Saturday for three Flash Mobs that took place in various locations in Los Angeles to dance and pay tribute to some of the veteran diva's best dance moves and songs. The events were produced by Flash Mob America, who posted the locations of the mobs on its Twitter page throughout the day. Hundreds of people gathered to watch, but it was the second Flash Mob stop that grabbed headlines. Soon after launching into their performance at Los Angeles shopping center the Grove, the performers realized that Janet herself was watching the mob from a balcony above the fray.

Joleen Nordstrom was one of those dancers, and she shared her story with the Newsroom:

The first Flash Mob went off flawlessly. The screeching noise at the beginning of the song started, and the Grove shoppers wondered, "What is going on, and why isn't someone fixing it?" The person standing next to me said, "Look at those people grabbing their heads!" I responded, "I know. Crazy!" — right before I started the Janet march and yelled the "huuhs," and we broke out into the dance.

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50 Cent: Too Cool To Self Destruct

Posted 11/16/09 5:36 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

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.

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David Archuleta Fans Deliver Birthday Flowers And Cupcakes To MTV News

Posted 11/13/09 5:06 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

This morning, I casually Tweeted that I'd be celebrating my birthday tonight. My actual birthday isn't until November 22 — the day Adam Lambert will be stealing the show at the American Music Awards — so I was a tad confused when the mailroom called me to say I had to sign for some flowers.

"Uh, you have the wrong number," I said.

"Are you the Jim Cantiello who sits on the 29th floor?" the mail room dude asked.

I slowly said, "Yes."

"Well, then come downstairs and pick up your flowers." Click.

During the elevator ride down to the lobby, I scanned through my mental Rolodex of people who would send me flowers two weeks before my birthday. "Hmm, Shakira seemed to really enjoy our interview together on Tuesday. Maybe she wanted to say thanks?" "I gave a cab driver a 40 percent tip the other day." "Perhaps my grandparents are losing it and forgot my date of birth?"

It turns out a group of David Archuleta fans had banded together and wanted to wish me a happy early birthday by sending me flowers and a giant balloon! The card read, "You made us happy with your support of our 'homey' @davidarchie!"

Wow! I knew the Christmas carol segment I did was popular with his fan base, but I never imagined it would inspire such thoughtfulness! They even quoted the "Archmas" joke, writing in the card, "Last part of your Archmas gift includes an early HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!"

How sweet is that? Although the "last part" reference confused me. Would there be more on its way?

As I was writing this very blog I got another phone call. "You have a delivery from a bakery downstairs."

Bwah?!

The same four fans had also sent me cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery! (Brooke White would be so jealous right now.) This time the card was a poem! "Another part of your Archmas treat. Thanks again, we'd love a Tweet!"

Another part? Is there going to be more? My head's going to explode!

So to @momJulee, @sofansmom, @ClaudiaNRR and @janey79: Thank you for the nicest early birthday gift ever. (My co-workers who helped me devour the delicious cupcakes also send you kisses.) I will definitely sing "Touch My Hand" at my karaoke party later tonight in your honor.

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Wale Beats The Odds To Drop Attention Deficit

Posted 11/13/09 4:51 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

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.

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'America's Next Top Model' Coach Miss J Gives MTV News Staffer A Walking Lesson

Posted 11/12/09 5:46 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Television

I'm not quite sure how to best introduce this next piece of footage, so I'll keep it brief.

We have this guy here at MTV News called CJ. We love him. He's awesome. But CJ has a problem. He walks funny. There's really no way to describe it apart from the fact that he walks like he's possessed. Even if its just a few steps or a couple of blocks, CJ walks everywhere like he's being chased by a serial killer or worse. Arms flail, his mop-hair bounces and people stop and stare. We've all kind of become immune to it here at MTV News, but for CJ's own sake, we felt that something had to be done.

When J. Alexander — also known as Miss J, the runway coach and judge from hit reality show "America's Next Top Model" — stopped by the MTV Newsroom for an interview (he's promoting his new book "Follow the Model: Miss J's Guide to Unleashing Presence, Poise, and Power"; stay tuned for more from the interview later in the week), MTV News' Rya Backer and I decided to stage an intervention for our friend CJ.

Miss J has made a career out of teaching girls how to strut on "Americas Next Top Model" and has helped some of the world's most iconic models develop signature walks. But we knew that this was going to be his most daunting task yet. Could Miss J help CJ unleash his own poise and power? Check out the video below to find out.

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Jordan Knight Says His Rag Doll Was The Weirdest Piece Of New Kids Merchandise

Posted 11/12/09 4:03 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

The New Kids on the Block were on every kind of merchandise you could possibly imagine: Posters, bedspreads, T-shirts, PJs, lunchboxes, watches, backpacks, books, magazines and, of course, dolls.

In my youth, I had the Jordan Knight-approved Ken doll, complete with rat tail and microphone for when you wanted to have him sing to you while listening to a cassette of some of the most choice NKOTB songs. (In case you're wondering, "Tonight," "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" and "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" are all primo tunes.)

Anyway, as it turns out there were also rag dolls of the guys. I wasn't too familiar with them, so I played along. But it seems that Jordan doesn't really care for those dolls. In fact, he thinks they are kind of strange.

"The weirdest thing? Well there's these dolls that don’t even look like us. They were supposedly us. Mine had a rat tail. They were rag dolls," he said before clarifying that he's not talking about my Ken doll. That Ken doll was cool!

"No, the Ken doll was cool," he explained, much to my relief. "We had the Raggedy Ann kind of dolls out too and they looked nothing like us. [Yeah the other doll] kind of [looked like me]. It's a Ken doll."

Fair enough. Either way, Jordan, you're still a doll!

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Shakira Brings Her International Flavor To The MTV Newsroom

Posted 11/12/09 3:25 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

By Akshay Bhansali

Shakira first impressed me with her Bollywood-inspired rendition of "Hips Don't Lie" at the 2006 Video Music Awards. Sure, she's always exemplified what it means to be a truly global superstar, dabbling in urban and folk sounds from the Americas to the Middle East and Asia. But I'm South-Asian, and for the occasion she hired India's famed cinema choreographer and director Farah Khan to help her prepare and plan her VMA number. It indicated an intention to do something truly honest.

Honesty and instinct seem to be at her core. At some point early this week, instinct drove her to make a hair change, as we saw on Tuesday when a soft-dread-locked Shakira strode into our newsroom in Times Square. Apparently, something just clicked and she felt like going with dreads, almost mirroring something she said to me back in July. "I just woke up and felt like using a blow dryer," said a more straight-haired, lighter-blonde Ms. Mubarak. Read More...

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Jordan Knight Brings 'Jordan Idol' To The MTV Newsroom, Helps To Expand My Career

Posted 11/6/09 4:49 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

Jordan Knight is currently touring the country in order to record an album. And while he's doing that, he's holding "Jordan Idol" events in various cities trying to find the best up-and-coming talent this great land has to offer, with the winner getting a personal boost into the industry from Knight himself. So, when I heard he was in New York City working on some new music and that I could have a chance to talk to him about his new music and "Jordan Idol," I literally jumped at the chance.

Back in the day, I kind of had the biggest crush on him ever. So imagine my surprise when he came in and I actually got the chance to meet the cutest of the New Kids on the Block. So, while he started talking about this weekend's "Jordan Idol" (which is being held this Saturday night at Le Poisson Rouge club in NYC), he decided to stump for me to get my big shot at fame.

But instead of giving my less-than-impressive singing voice a chance at superstardom (no, I didn't embarrass myself and sing for him), he decided I might be better suited to do something I actually have some skill doing: Interviewing celebrities. Except with me on camera with them. I'm not saying he's onto something here, but hey, stranger things have happened. And he's not the first singing star to suggest that I should have my own show — Brandy has already given me her support!

So watch Jordan make his case for me and let me know what you think!

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Dane Cook Likes Scaring People

Posted 11/5/09 3:37 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

Sometimes when the mood strikes us, we ask some of our favorite celebrities to list off five things we'd be surprised to know about them. So when I spoke to Dane Cook yesterday, he seemed like the perfect candidate for that line of questioning. He was pretty down with sharing five random facts about himself.

For instance, he's "very shy." Additionally, he's "an excellent cook." Lets' also not forget this fact: "I love to iron. I iron all my own clothes. I don't like wrinkly stuff."

Oh yeah, he also really loves Celine Dion. Without any irony, either. "I listen to Celine Dion sometimes," he shared. "No [I'm not kidding]. There's a couple songs that Jim Steinman wrote that she sings incredibly."

But it's this last fact that got me in on the joke. Cook told me he likes to scare people, and I got to learn that first-hand when he scared me right there in the middle of our interview.

"I'm obsessed with scaring people. It's really like I had to do that [and scare you right there]. I had to do it. I would hide in a closet and scare total strangers for a living. If I could get paid doing it, I would quit everything and just hide in peoples closets and scare them and be like 'Where's my check?'" he said. "I've scared pilots on planes. I had a girl break up with me because I scared her too much."

Check out the scare below. It really does seem like a legitimate problem — though it's definitely a funny problem to have.

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