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Ke$ha Collaborating With ... Alice Cooper?

Posted 8/2/11 1:48 pm EST by in Music


Kesha And Alice Cooper

Ke$ha has certainly made a name for herself singing catchy pop tunes about the glory of partying and wearing too much glitter. But her fans might be surprised to hear the "Tik Tok" singer is getting major co-signs from some major rock artists.

The roadkill-loving singer recently hit the stage with legendary rocker Alice Cooper, and she'll also appear on his next album, Welcome 2 My Nightmare.

"I think a lot of my audience is going to go, 'Ke$ha?' but she probably wrote the most wicked lyrics in the song — we had to rein her in," he explained of his collabo with the pop star. "I like people to know that just because artists are put in a pigeon hole, that doesn't mean that's what they are; give people a little room."

Ke$ha is also getting the stamp of approval from Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, who dished that he'd love the chance to work with K-dollar sign.

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Johnny Depp Is Not The First Celebrity Concert Crasher

Posted 6/29/11 4:15 pm EST by in Concerts, Movies


Johnny Depp

By Zachary Swickey

Imagine drinking a beer, waxing nostalgic at an Alice Cooper show and then seeing Captain Jack Sparrow, better known as Johnny Depp, waltz onstage for a song or two. Well, that’s exactly what happened this past weekend at the intimate 100 Club in London.

If you’re wondering how these two souls came together, we assume they are old pals from their time together on the set of 1991’s Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, the sixth installment of the Freddy Krueger franchise.

Some of the crowd already knew what they were in store for, after Cooper posted a backstage pic on Facebook of Depp preparing to take the stage with guitar in hand. “Johny Depp!! Waiting to jump onstage with Alice for ‘18’ and ‘School’s Out,’” he wrote.

No slouch when it comes to music, Depp was a member of P, which included Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers fame, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sex Pistols’ guitarist Steve Jones. P was known to play the Viper Room in the early 1990s when Depp was still a partial owner of the famous venue. He also did some slide guitar work on the Oasis tune “Fade In-Out” from their ‘97 album Be Here Now.
A man of his word, Depp showed off his impressive guitar prowess with Alice and his gang for the promised tunes and a portion of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” which inevitably led into the anthemic “School’s Out.”

You’re bound to have a celeb sighting if you happen to catch some of the must-see shows rolling through bigger cities this summer. From Jason Segel to Sandra Bullock, here are a few examples of celebs crashing the stage. Read More...

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Weezer, My Morning Jacket Join Legendary Musicians By Collaborating With Muppets

Posted 6/28/11 3:00 pm EST by in soundtrack


By Zachary Swickey

We’re all excited for Jason’s Segel’s film The Muppets, which hopes to revitalize the nostalgic franchise, and some notable musicians seem amped up as well. Weezer, My Morning Jacket and Paramore’s Hayley Williams are a few of the contributors who will all appear on The Green Album, which is quite the appropriate title.

Due Aug. 23 – two months before the film’s Nov. 23 release date – the record will consist of artists tackling cover versions of some of the best songs from our childhood. Hayley Williams has the honor of having Weezer as a backing band and the duty of performing Kermit’s most famous piece, “Rainbow Connection.” Amy Lee of Evanescence will also appear, supplying a cover of “Halfway Down the Stairs,” while goth-poppers Alkaline Trio have recreated “Moving Right Along.” My Morning Jacket, who are such big Muppet fans they nearly toured together (seriously, check out the vid above!), will be in charge of covering the classic “Our World.”

It’s great to see modern day musicians covering songs dating back to the original Muppets’ show. You might be surprised by some of the musical guests that were featured on the original program, but lucky for you, we made this list of memorable moments.

Johnny Cash

Yes, even the Man in Black got cozy with Miss Piggy 30 years ago on the show's fifth and final season in 1981. Cash performed his 1965 hit “Orange Blossom Special” before breaking into a duet with Miss Piggy on “Jackson,” which originally garnered Cash and wife June Carter Cash a Grammy award. For “Riders in the Sky,” Cash was joined by Lubbock Lou and his fellow Jugghuggers along with Gonzo running around onstage dressed as an outlaw.

Elton John

Sam the Eagle wasn’t thrilled with Elton John’s appearance on the show, claiming he “dresses like a stolen car.” Kermit defends John’s honor and says artists like Mozart were known for dressing extravagantly. Sam promptly bets that information is false, but when proven wrong, the stoic eagle is forced to don a glittery patriotic outfit when introducing the closing song. John was backed by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem on his classic “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” before joining Miss Piggy for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”

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Spotted: Lady Gaga Meets Alice Cooper

Posted 3/28/11 3:30 pm EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

Over the weekend, Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour made a stop in Phoenix, Arizona for another fantastically theatrical presentation of her excellent batch of pop songs. This particular stop was extra special because it was attended by a recent inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as Alice Cooper (who makes his home in the Arizona desert) visited the venue to check out the show. Cooper, who in many respects is the godfather of the over-the-top rock show, stopped backstage to say hi to the artist (who happens to be celebrating her birthday today, March 28th) and pose for a picture. Gaga was so excited that she didn't even bother to clean up after her show's bloody climax, and she posed for a photo with Cooper while still drenched. "I just died and went to hell," Gaga tweeted right after the picture was snapped. The two even talked about the possibility of collaborating in the future, which would end up being an eye-popping tag-team indeed.

She wasn't the only star out in the world, as Thom Yorke of Radiohead handed out newspapers in London to promote his band's new album The King of Limbs and Justin Bieber made his way through the streets of Paris on a press tour. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Eminem, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Madonna, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West!

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March Madness, 'American Idol' And Snooki's Wrestling Career: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 3/20/11 12:50 am EST by in Deep Cuts


The week is over, and it has been an incredibly hectic one here in the MTV Newsroom. March Madness has kept us captivated, and MTV's Musical March Madness has lead to some lively discussions and incredible developments among rival acts. There's more basketball and more voting going down over the weekend, but there will be more competition at UFC 128. We'll be live at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, observing the spectacle that is UFC and cheering on 23-year-old light heavyweight contender Jon "Bones" Jones as he takes on reigning champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

In between voting for your favorite bands in MTV's Musical March Madness and watching men elbow each other inside a cage, be sure to catch up with everything you might have missed on the MTV Newsroom blog this week.

» Seriously, just vote for your favorite bands in MTV's Musical March Madness.

» "The Celebrity Apprentice" rolled on, and this week Lisa Rinna got her walking papers.

» Lady Gaga maintained her stranglehold on the Billboard Hot 100, but watch out for Katy Perry's "E.T."

» Do you love Snooki but are bummed that "Jersey Shore" has its season finale next week? No worries — she'll be grappling at WrestleMania.
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Spotted: Rob Zombie Salutes Alice Cooper At Rock Hall Induction

Posted 3/15/11 2:30 pm EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes it on the chin an awful lot, mostly because of outrage over who gets in versus who doesn't and the stunning lack of representation from women and minorities. But when the dust clears, they do put on an awfully interesting induction show, which went down on Monday night (March 14) at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The show brought together inductees like Tom Waits, Darlene Love, Dr. John and Neil Diamond for a celebration of their work and influence. But the big moment of the night belonged to Alice Cooper (who was inducted into the Hall) and Rob Zombie (who helped induct him). Zombie talked about Cooper's influence not just on himself but on the greater rock world. "He invented the rock show," Zombie said. "Before Alice Cooper, there was no rock show." Later, the two shared the stage for an all-star spook jam on Cooper's "School's Out."

They weren't the only stars out and about, as Vanessa Hudgens watched the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Orlando Magic at the Staples Center in L.A., while Justin Bieber celebrated the unveiling of his new wax statue at Madame Tussaud's in London. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers, Jay-Z and Kanye West!

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Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Invites Neil Diamond, Snubs LL Cool J

Posted 12/15/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


With any hall of fame, there are always going to be arguments about who belongs in and who doesn't, and there will typically be outrage about people who have been overlooked. Every hall of fame has its mysterious choices (baseball has Phil Rizzuto and Jim Rice, basketball has Adrian Dantley, football has Rickey Jackson), but this year's batch of inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is pretty confusing. The new class includes Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Dr. John and Darlene Love.

Taken in a vacuum, that's not a horrible group of musicians (Waits' inclusion is especially inspiring, considering he has been consistently turning out great work for decades without a lot of mainstream recognition). But when you look at the nominees that got denied (especially LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and Bon Jovi) and the groups who continue to get overlooked (Kiss, Rush), it seems especially insane that this is the group. By rule, the Hall of Fame can only really induct old guys (you're only eligible 25 years after the release of your first album), but these picks seem especially tired and distant. Neil Diamond is a particularly ridiculous inclusion. Sure, the guy has had some hits and is a "legend," but was there ever a time when he was considered a vital, cutting-edge artist?

Meanwhile, people like LL Cool J got left out in the cold. It's impossible to underestimate the man born James Todd Smith and his influence on popular music. Unlike a lot of early hip-hop crossovers, LL came from a background that was heavily focused on lyricism (rather than samples or one-off novelties). He showed the world just how well hip-hop can work in a live setting (Beastie Boys also made waves doing this, but they always had arena-rock moves to fall back on), and he was at the forefront of the integration of rap and R&B. His latter-day work has been less planet-moving (he has focused more on acting in the past few years), but there are still gems buried in albums like G.O.A.T., The DEFinition and Exit 13. Plus, the dude wrote that amazing song for the "Deep Blue Sea" soundtrack and Diamond didn't.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame generally lack integrity, but a guy like LL should have been automatic and not left on the outside looking in.

Who do you think should have gotten into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Let us know in the comments!

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Katy Perry Gets 17 Stitches But Plays Through The Pain, Just Like Justin Bieber And Drake

Posted 6/23/10 12:00 pm EST by in Music


Apparently, it's a little bit dangerous being Katy Perry. Over the weekend, she was apparently dancing so hard in a club that she fell down and cut her leg. The cut was so intense that it even required 17 stitches. But she is a professional and a soldier, so she slipped a flesh-colored bandage over it and continued on with the promotional tour for her upcoming second album Teenage Dream. "17 stitches later," she tweeted after seeing a doctor. "Don't make fun of my dance moves tomorrow. That's what got me here in the 1st place! Thanks for the souvenir Canada."

While Perry's injury is just a cut, it's still an inconvenience that she is working through. It's difficult to go on tour and not hurt yourself every once in a while, which means that Perry has excellent company on the list of stars who have been knocked down only to get right back up again.

Justin Bieber
While opening up a handful of shows for Taylor Swift in the U.K., Bieber took a misstep and managed to break his foot. Despite having to wear a cast, he still played through the pain and finished the tour (mostly seated).

Crystal Bowersox
In one of the greatest comebacks of all time, the "American Idol" runner-up was hospitalized due to complications related to her diabetes on a Tuesday morning but managed to get on stage the next day for a performance of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "As Long as I Can See the Light," one of her signature moments on the show.
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Spotted: Alice Cooper Makes New York A Little More Metal

Posted 2/19/10 2:07 pm EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

New York Fashion Week is almost complete, and the parade of stars wandering down red carpets, showcasing their own lines and attending runway shows is ending. Still, not all of the star-studded events in Manhattan this week have to do with couture. For example, Thursday night (February 18) saw a number of rock stars show up for a party at the Metropolitan Pavilion celebrating Guvera, the latest technological experiment to help try to save the music industry. Guvera, which launches in the U.S. on March 30, provides artists with an ad-supported outlet for music, video and licensing opportunities to fans. It's a way to help try to satisfy music loves in an age of rampant digital piracy, and the party was attended by rockers the Donnas, rapper Jim Jones and, in a fantastically hardcore team-up, shock rock legend Alice Cooper and earnest Staind frontman Aaron Lewis. Every event should be lucky enough to have that much metal added to its lineup.

On the fashion front, Kate Moss and Pixie Geldof both attended Naoimi Campbell's Fashion for Relief in London (which raised money for Haiti) while Brooklyn Decker, Kate Bosworth and Kellan Lutz all showed up to the Calvin Klein after party. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 400 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Jessica Simpson, Mariah Carey, Adam Lambert, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Robin Thicke, Ryan Seacrest and Shakira!

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Justin Timberlake: Singer, Dancer, Golf Mogul

Posted 7/14/09 4:04 pm EST by in Music


Justin Timberlake is one of those guys who can apparently do anything he wants and do it extremely well. Sing? No problem. Dance? Piece of cake. Comedy? In his sleep. Timberlake's skills run so deep that they even extend to golf — the guy has a handicap under 10, hosts his own annual tournament in Las Vegas, is writing a book about the game and will soon be opening his own course outside Memphis.

Timberlake first honed his golf skills as a kid on the same course he now owns and has kept up his game, often playing in celebrity pro-ams. There was even talk of him getting into a few PGA Tournament events a few years back. Timberlake joins shock rocker Alice Cooper, No Doubt drummer Adrian Young and former Hootie & The Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker (among many others) as musicians who have made names for themselves driving and putting.

Want to shoot on Timberlake's green? You can start to make reservations at the course starting tomorrow. The one problem with it? It's called "Miramichi Lakes" and not "Justin's Timberlinks."

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