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Who Covered Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' Better? 'Glee' Or The Grammys

Posted 8 hours ago by in Music, Newsroom Poll, Television, whitney-houston


Jennifer Hudson

On last night's Valentine's episode of "Glee," Mercedes (Amber Riley) sang one of the biggest and best love songs ever, "I Will Always Love You," after her conscience forced her to walk away from Sam (Chord Overstreet). It was a high point in the episode and Twitter immediately lit up with praise…

…Much like it did Sunday night when Jennifer Hudson performed the Dolly Parton-penned ballad as a tribute to the late Whitney Houston on the Grammy Awards.

There's no doubt both performers nailed the song, but their interpretations were a little different – Hudson took a bit more ownership of the track, singing in a lower register, while Riley's delivery and the song's arrangement were nearly identical to Houston's.

With two performances of Houston's signature song in one week, it's hard not to compare the two. But which one was your favorite. Vote in our poll below.

Related:
>>> "Glee" Recap: "Heart"

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Madonna's World Tour Sells Out U.S. Stadiums, Adds Shows

Posted 10 hours ago by in Madonna, Music, Tour Dates


Madonna

Adele isn't the only one proving that a little good exposure goes a long way.

On the heels of Madonna's much-watched, well-received Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, the Queen of pop's summer upcoming world tour is unsurprisingly selling out arenas and stadiums across the U.S. and has even added multiple dates to accommodate demand. Now, a Madge sellout is a pretty common thing – her 2008-09 "Sticky & Sweet Tour" is the highest grossing ever for a solo artist – but the pop superstar appeared to have adopted a "go big or go home" attitude with this tour, booking massive venues like London's Hyde Park and New York's Yankee Stadium, and it seems to have paid off. Her Sept. 6 concert at Yankee Stadium sold out in hours, forcing a second date, on Sept. 8, to be added.

All told, Madonna has already added five shows – two in Europe and three in the U.S. – to what was already her largest tour itinerary, 90 planned dates that would take Madonna to five continents, including M's first trek through Australia in over 20 years. So far, the added shows include NYC's Yankee Stadium on September 8, Washington DC’s Verizon Center on September 24 and Seattle on October 3 as well as Europeans dates in Berlin June 30 and in Amsterdam July 8. Tickets for the additional shows in the U.S. go on sale February 21.

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The Black Keys Used To Lament Lack Of Mainstream Success, Have Little Love For The Grammys Or Justin Bieber

Posted 2/13/12 3:39 pm EST by in Music, Video


By Zachary Swickey

The Black Keys had a hell of a year in 2011, finally getting some much-deserved attention (selling out Madison Square Garden in the process), but frontman Dan Auerbach is the first to admit that it used to piss him off that they weren’t bigger.

We can’t blame Auerbach (I was notably confused when I saw them play for just a couple hundred people in 2004), as the band has the catchiest, most dynamic blues-pop combination sound out there today. In an interview with the Sun, the singer said that he had grown frustrated with their lack of mainstream success, but claimed that he and his drummer bandmate Patrick Carney now appreciated it more because it took them longer to achieve.

“Stuff used to piss me off and I'd moan about it. Like, 'Why aren't we up here on the bill? Why aren't we playing a higher festival slot?'” stated Auerbach.

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Jack White Solo Track 'Machine Gun Silhouette' Finds Its Way Online

Posted 2/9/12 4:44 pm EST by in Music


Jack White

Eccentric former White Stripe Jack White is all set to release his debut solo set Blunderbuss on April 24. The album's lead single, "Love Interruption," dropped last week and now, another song from the album, "Machine Gun Silhouette," has made its way online for your listening pleasure.

The track recalls some of White's best work with the White Stripes and his side project The Raconteurs, combining the Renaissance man's trademark guitar licks with a fiddle and piano. It's a bigger, less subtle track than "Love Interruption," but when taken together, we are seriously vibing on the sound he is cultivating for Blunderbuss. There's an air of country here that also reminds us of White's excellent production and songwriting work on Loretta Lynn's brilliant 2004 album Van Lear Rose.

Stream the track at Hype Machine and let us know what you think in the comments.

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O Music Awards Look To Liven Things Up With Unboxed Events

Posted 2/7/12 2:04 pm EST by in awards, events, Music


O Music Awards

When it comes to the O Music Awards, fun is always at the top of the agenda, and this year things are about to get even crazier with the addition of O Music Awards Unboxed.

O Music Awards Unboxed is a New York-based event series that will pull together all aspects of the O Music Awards, MTV’s awards show honoring achievements in music and technology, into one big night.
The first Unboxed event goes down at The Studio at Webster Hall in New York City on February 23 and will focus on the theme of interaction. Cameo, a new application from the Fast Society team primed to launch at SXSW, will be previewed at the event, which will also feature performances from classical instrument-wielding indie rockers Miracles of Modern Science and O Music Award nominee MNDR. The night will also include visuals from The Rainbow Machine, and the chance to participate in a crowd-sourced music video shoot directed by Eli Stonberg.

In other words – this thing is going to be awesome! Tickets go on sale beginning Thursday (February 9). Get full details on the event over on the O Music Awards blog.

Brandy And Monica Reunite For R&B Ballad 'It All Belongs To Me'

Posted 2/7/12 9:26 am EST by in Brandy, Music, Newsroom Poll


Brandy and Monica

Fourteen years ago, Brandy and Monica made musical magic with "The Boy Is Mine," now the pair have reunited for the slow jam "It All Belongs To Me." Instead of sparring, the fierce twosome are joining forces against to kick the no-good men in their lives to the curb, demanding they return "those clothes, those cars those rings and that Macbook" … because "it all belongs to me."

We learned that Brandy and Monica reunited in early January when the singers began tweeting back and forth about being in the studio together. "We have Both Been Blessed Beyond Measure..14years later.. #TURNTHELIGHTSON,” Monica wrote. “Love @4everBrandy.”

Billboard reports the new track is set to appear on both Monica's latest solo set, New Life, and on Brandy's still-untitled new album, both of which will reportedly drop in March.

What did you think of "It All Belongs To Me"? Let us know in the comments below!

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Exclusive: Backstreet Boy Howie D Announces Tour Of Israel

Posted 2/7/12 8:00 am EST by in Exclusives, Music, tour, Tour Dates


Howie D

Have you always wondered: When is Backstreet Boy Howie D going to hit the road for his own tour around the sacred land of Israel? What, you have? Well, then it’s good that he is heading there this September and he wants some of his biggest fans to join him.

The singer has announced a Howie D-themed trek around Israel (yes, you read that right!), which includes a lot of face time with Mr. Dorough. What kind of face time, you’re wondering? Well, lucky fans will get dinners with him, tours of various tourist attractions alongside the singer and will even attend some events hosted by Howie. The lengthy trip to the country kicks off on September 2 and wraps up on September 11.

“All of my fans know I love to travel and learn about new cultures – especially trying new cuisines! So I’m excited to visit Israel (for the first time) with them!” Howie told MTV News in an exclusive statement. “We’ll absorb all of the history and I’ll personally have a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform my new music while we cruise the Sea of Galilee together. This is going to be an amazing experience that I get to share with true fans. This is going to be an unforgettable trip!”

Fans who want to learn more and buy tickets can visit the trip's website as well as Howie's personal site.

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'Saturday Night Live' Has Some Fun With the Lana Del Rey Backlash, Makes a Few Good Points In The Process

Posted 2/6/12 9:59 am EST by in Music, Television


While we were preoccupied with early Super Bowl festivities, "Saturday Night Live" took the opportunity of its first show following the Lana Del Rey debacle to address the controversy.

Kristen Wiig suited up to play Del Rey, sporting long flowy locks and a lace dress, on a "Weekend Update" segment with Seth Meyers. The pair mostly mocked the level of vitriol directed at Del Rey, declaring it overkill, saying, "The music stage on 'Saturday Night Live' is hallowed ground, and I failed to reach the high bar set by past guests like Bubba Sparxxx, The Baha Men and Shaggy."

Check it out below:

"SNL" boiled down the ridiculous amount of attention paid to Del Rey's lackluster showing thusly: "Based on the public's response, I must have clubbed a baby seal while singing the Taliban national anthem."
Boom.

Wiig and Meyers continued to shoot arrows in the media's evisceration of Del Rey, mocking the attention paid to her stage name – "No serious musician would ever change their name, except maybe for Sting, Cher, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, everyone else in hip-hop and of course Bob Dylan" – and even making a point about how the media takes on bullying as a cause, but only when it's convenient.

"No, I'm grateful that all of you made your voices heard," Wiig as Del Rey said. "In this age of dangerous school bullying, you have sent an important message: If you think someone is weird you should criticize them as much as possible."

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Are You Luvin' Madonna's New Single? (Poll)

Posted 2/3/12 2:28 pm EST by in Madonna, Music, Newsroom Poll


Madonna

If you've been living under a rock all day, you might not know that Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin" featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., hit the ground running today.

"Luvin" is a bouncy dance-pop track reminiscent of the pop queen's Grammy-winning "Beautiful Stranger." Driven by glittery synths, marching band drums and claps, the song features guest raps from Minaj and M.I.A. and a deep nostalgia streak. With its simple, impossibly catchy chorus and "dance our lives away" message, the song, which was written and produced by Madonna and dance music master Martin Solveig, feels like classic Madonna re-imagined by the production dynamic that brought her widespread acclaim beginning with her 1998 electro-dance album Ray of Light.

We're luvin' M's new single, but are you? Check it out after the jump and vote in our poll! Read More...

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John Legend Takes On Tim Tebow Mania With 'Extra-ordinary Tebow' Parody Tune

Posted 2/2/12 6:53 pm EST by in Music, Super Bowl


Sure, he won't be playing in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, this Sunday, but some people just can't let go of Tim Tebow mania. From his faith to his Jokey underwear campaign, the Denver Broncos' quarterback is a lightening rod, but Grammy winner John Legend has had enough.

A big sports fan, Legend visited ESPN yesterday to appear on ESPN2’s "First Take" after contacting commentator Skip Bayless via Twitter to request a throw-down – which has become an odd sort of hip-hop/R&B tradition, with LL Cool J, Lil Wayne, Common and Queen Latifah all stopping by "First Take" to take him on.

Legend spent the full episode debating the day’s sports topics with Bayless and Stephen A. Smith but it should come as no surprise that Bayless' passionate support for Tebow was one of the hottest topics.

The soulful singer later put his feelings on the matter into song, spoofing his own smash “Ordinary People” by turning it into “Extra-ordinary Tebow.”

“Now it’s the Super Bowl, and while you are sitting home, Skip and Stephen debate you every day," Legend sang, "Extra-ordinary Tebow, your power we can’t know.” Legend went on to conclude that while it's understandable to discuss Tebow, “Skip won’t you let it go.”

Check it out, after the jump! Read More...

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