Whitney Houston

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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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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By Damian Vaca

We're already immersed in the lifestyles of Karen, Drita, Carla and Renee, but there is one new character of VH1’s "Mob Wives" that has completely stolen the show. Err … stolen may be a bad word, so let’s just she has become the breakout star of season two.

When Angela "Big Ang" Raiola first entered our lives, she was playing mediator in the never-ending feud between Drita and Karen. From her first moment on screen, viewers were immediately drawn to her unique voice and larger-than-life character – she was both endearing and outrageously unbelievable. Of her newfound fame Big Ang told MTV NEWS, "I think it’s amazing. It’s really blown up tremendously and I’m really having fun with it. I’m amazed. I can’t even believe what’s happening. I’ve been getting gifts, constantly getting great gifts [from fans]. I thank everybody who has been giving me good things. That pocket book that I’m carrying right there, great bag. All kinds of organic baskets of lotions. Roses, candy, earrings, everything."

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The Grammys often offer up some of the best musical performances of the year and this year's awards were no exception.

The impact of Whitney Houston's tragic passing on Saturday was felt throughout the ceremony as many of the evening's performers and presenters took a moment to honor the legendary singer. "Make some noise for Whitney!" Rihanna proclaimed during her high energy take on "We Found Love."

Bruno Mars was equally demanding. During his performance of "Runaway," he declared, "Yo, tonight we celebrate. We celebrate the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston. Get off your rich asses and let's have fun!"

Then, of course, there was Jennifer Hudson's take on "I Will Always Love You," which brought the house down!

But which performance was your favorite? Vote in our poll below and let us know! Read More...

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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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Beyonce

By Kevin Lavi

Are you ready to be on a track with Beyonce?

Following her first public appearance since the birth of her daughter Blue Ivy Carter on Monday at Jay-Z's Carnegie Hall gig and 40/40 club, Beyonce had a major announcement for her fans on Wednesday.

The "Love on Top" singer is holding a contest to see which one of her fans can come up with the best remix to her song "End of Time" from her album 4. Fans can submit their remixes on Beyonce's website, where they can also download stems from the 4 song.

The fan that submits the best remix will win $4,000 and be included on a future release by Beyonce. While no exact details on the future release were given, the opportunity to be on any Beyonce release should have fans racing to make the best remix they possibly can.

The contest hints to “End of Time" – which following 4's release charted on Billboards Bubbling Under Chart based on digital downloads alone – possibly being the fifth single from 4.

For more on the contest, read on. Read More...

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Qulinez

By Adam Stewart

If the idea of having your eardrums explode and your chest crushed by disgustingly filthy riffs and thunderous bass lines turns you on, then we suggest you become quickly acquainted with Qulinez and their Scandinavian beast "Troll" , which will be released tomorrow, February 10.

Pronounced "Cool Lines," Swede's Johannes Gustafson and Alex Lager's exotic moniker has been plastered all over set lists from Arty to Pete Tong and everyone in between. Recently, the boys took some time away from the studio and their busy schedule to give MTV News a little insight in to who they are and just what they’re capable of.

“I grew up in a small town called Laholm, with my mom, dad and my sister,” Gustafason says. “I didn’t like the school time so much, because I wasn’t so interested in studying. I choose the music classes and that was the best part of the school.”

“I grew up in the town we still live in, Varberg,” Lager added. “I grew up with my mom, dad and sister too and wasn’t the best in school either!”

Luckily for them, focusing a more on music and less on who won the Battle of 1812 has brought them to the cusp of global dance music recognition. Read More...

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Well, that settles that.

Ellen DeGeneres used her daytime talk show today to address the controversy that erupted after conservative group One Million Moms urged a boycott of J.C. Penny after it signed DeGeneres as its new celebrity face.

The good-time girls from One Million Moms are very upset that J.C. Penny went with Ellen. The group, a project of the American Family Association, which according to GLAAD has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, just doesn't know what to do with itself now that a lesbian, gasp, will represent their favorite mid-priced clothing purveyor.

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In a statement on its website, the group said it would urge people not to shop at the retailer because hiring DeGeneres revealed that it does not share the same "values." Yawn.

Ellen hit back, explaining that her own values included "honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people they way you want to be treated and helping those in need."

"To me, those are traditional values," she added.

Related:
>>> Conservative Group Upset That Ellen DeGeneres Is New Face Of J.C. Penny
>>> What Are Your Thoughts On Schweddy Balls? One Conservative Group Doesn't Like Them One Bit

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