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We Love You, But Don't Quit Your Day Job: 5 Celebs Who Shouldn't Pursue Rap Careers

Posted 8/18/11 9:13 am EST by in Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, rap, Television


Anne Hathaway

By Kara Warner

Inspired in large part by actress Anne Hathaway's Lil Wayne-style rant rap that she performed for Conan O'Brien, we got to thinking about all the other famous faces we've heard rap in public and/or via YouTube whose vocal talents "shine better elsewhere," so to speak.

In no particular order, here are five individuals whose lyrical stylings, while at times courageous, unique and sometimes really cute, shouldn't be repeated. With ONE surprise exception.

Joaquin Phoenix
Who can forget the actor-turned-rapper-turned-trickster's hoax during which he had some folks convinced he was giving up acting in order to become a legit rap artist? It was all very confusing, even when he announced that his year of extraordinary eccentric behavior was part of filming the mockumentary, "I'm Still Here." Of all those on this list, Phoenix's attempts at rapping were the most unsettling.

Britney Spears
When you think of Ms. Spears, there are visions of squeaky-clean, bubble-gum humble beginnings on Disney's "Mickey Mouse Club." Or the still-innocent-but-semi-scandalous Catholic school girl outfit she sported in the video for "Baby One More Time." Both interesting and excellent moments for a pop star - not a rapper. The evidence: Spears' impromptu ill-suited attempt filmed during an early episode of MTV's "Punk'd" with Ashton Kutcher (Hint: it's at the 4-minute mark). Read More...

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Spotted: Joaquin Phoenix Returns To David Letterman's Show

Posted 9/23/10 10:30 am EST by in Television


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.

Months after his notoriously weird visit and only a few weeks after the release of the tripped-out faux-documentary "I'm Still Here" (and the admission by director Casey Affleck that the whole thing was a complicated performance art ruse), Joaquin Phoenix returned to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City for a visit to "The Late Show With David Letterman." Phoenix, the actor and theoretical rapper who spent the past year developing an alternate persona that saw him take a bunch of drugs, break down in public and try to get a bunch of meetings with Diddy, was apologetic towards Letterman (who, as it turned out, was in on the whole thing from the beginning). Wednesday night's (September 22) interview was a lot more low key, and it appears as though everything has gone back to normal for Phoenix (who sounded somewhat contrite about the whole thing, even though at this point he doesn't seem to really have offended anybody). Clearly, the "I'm Still Here" ordeal hasn't made him any less popular, as he signed autographs for a swarm fans outside the theater before the show.

Phoenix wasn't the only star working the crowd, as Madonna and Taylor Momsen helped Lourdes Leon launch her Material Girl clothing collection at Macy's in New York. 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, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna!

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Joaquin Phoenix's 'I'm Still Here' Hoax Reminds Us A Lot Of The Network

Posted 9/17/10 1:30 pm EST by in Music


The mysteries surrounding "I'm Still Here," the documentary film directed by Casey Affleck that tracks Joaquin Phoenix's supposed breakdown, appear to have been solved. In an interview with the New York Times, Affleck admitted that the entire project was not actually a legitimate documentary (which followed Phoenix's attempts to start a rap career, do a bunch of drugs and generally fall apart) but rather a massive piece of performance art conceived by Phoenix. Even Phoenix's legendary interview on "The Late Show with David Letterman" was part of the act. Knowing that it's mostly for show certainly makes "I'm Still Here" better and lets everybody stop worrying about Phoenix and his mental health.

Hoaxes in the music world are a dime a dozen, but this particular project recalls the strange tale of the Network, the mysterious New Wave band that started to make noise in 2003 in the run-up to their debut album Money Money 2020. Their brand of twitchy New Wave didn't take the world by storm, though they did get an awful lot of ink because they started a feud with Green Day (frontman Billie Joe Armstrong put out their album on his label) while also fending off rumors that they were made up of the members of Green Day.

"I just wanted to talk about the rumors and the bulls--- that has been going on lately," Armstrong wrote in a statement in the summer of 2003. "All I gotta say is f-- the Network. These guys are totally spreading rumors. I try to do those guys a favor by bringing them to this country and putting out their record and this is how I get repaid, by talking s--- about my band. Unfortunately there is a contract and I have to put out their record. The only thing I can say is f--- you, Network. Bring it on."

The identities of the members of the Network remained closely guarded. They always wore masks and were never photographed very cleanly, and they went by odd pseudonyms like Fink and the Snoo. Meanwhile, Green Day band seemed really intent on selling the idea that they were not in fact the Network, though eventually there was too much evidence against it (namely that their names showed up in the writing credits for the songs on Money Money 2020). But that didn't stop Green Day from really trying to sell the drama, even going as far as having their publicist issue statements about how badly the Network were ruining the group's lives. They never stretched it as far as Phoenix did, but they still managed to keep people talking for a while.

What is your favorite musical hoax? Let us know in the comments!

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Who Would Win In A Crazy-Off: Billy Bob Thornton Or Joaquin Phoenix?

Posted 4/9/09 2:53 pm EST by in Billy Bob Thornton, Joaquin Phoenix


There's a reason that sign on the wall in the guitar shop in "Wayne's World" says "No 'Stairway to Heaven' " — because unless you're going to face-meltingly smash it, you just don't mess with the best.

Clearly, Billy Bob Thornton has not gotten this memo. The actor, best known for writing and directing the 1996 Oscar-winner "Sling Blade" — in which he played the creepy mentally impaired Karl Childers — tried to snatch the crazy-talk-show-appearance crown from reigning king Joaquin Phoenix on Wednesday morning when he appeared on a Canadian radio show.

Offended that the genial interviewer dared to mention his 20-plus-year, critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning career, Thornton shut down and flat-out refused to play ball, offering up bizarre non-sequitur answers about baseball and building monster-movie models and, at one point, comparing himself to Tom Petty.

You can read all about the details here, but the most pressing question in all of this is: Who wins in a Billy Bob vs. Joaquin crazy-off?

Read More...

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Joaquin Phoenix, Crispin Glover Top All-Time Most Awkward 'David Letterman' Interviews

Posted 2/12/09 2:11 pm EST by in Joaquin Phoenix


Joaquin PhoenixBy Rya Backer

If you didn't see Joaquin Phoenix on "Letterman" last night, chances are you've read about it — it clearly ranks with one of the late-night king's all-time most awkward interviews.

Whether or not Joaquin is really that despondent and detached — or just the most media-savvy man in showbiz — is open to debate, but that's not the point. At times like this, we can reflect on some of Letterman's interviews that have gone terribly wrong ... Read More...

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Did You See This? Bikini Girl, Joaquin Phoenix, Travis Barker And More

Posted 2/4/09 6:38 pm EST by in Headlines Of The Day


Katrina Darrell

By Melanie Wolfson

There's a lot going on in the world that doesn't necessarily get addressed in our Newsroom blog. Here's a look at some top stories making headlines today.

The progress of certain "American Idol" contestants — we're looking at you, Bikini Girl, and not for the reasons you might hope — has some wondering why they're making it to Hollywood.

Joaquin Phoenix literally threw away — as in crumpled them up and threw them over his shoulder — any hopes celebrity DJ/ former Fall Out Boy tour manager Dan Suh had of being his DJ. Check out Dan's response!
Read More...

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Joaquin Phoenix: This Man Wants To Be Your DJ

Posted 2/3/09 1:43 pm EST by in rap


Joaquin Phoenix

While debate continues to rage about the validity of actor Joaquin Phoenix's rap career — is he keeping it real or simply fronting? (I am extremely white, BTW) — there's one dude out there who refuses to believe this is anything less than legit ... so much so that he's actively looking to work with Phoenix.

His name is Dan Suh, the former tour manager for Fall Out Boy who now earns a living as a jet-setting superstar DJ. Fans of FOB might recognize him as "Korean Tom Cruise," a handle Pete Wentz stuck him with a few years back. And he would like very much to be Joaquin Phoenix's DJ.
Read More...

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Are Those Really Joaquin Phoenix's Rap Songs On MySpace?

Posted 1/23/09 4:03 pm EST by in Joaquin Phoenix


Upon hearing that actor-turned-rapper Joaquin Phoenix now has a MySpace page featuring alleged "demos," I instantly had two (fairly obvious) questions:

1) Is this for real?

2) Are the songs any good?

So, first things first: I am about 85 percent sure that the page is a hoax — even though there are photos of a portly, heavily bearded man rapping in a booth on it. From the (very) little I've heard of Phoenix's "rapping," the voice on the songs just doesn't sound like him. It sounds like some crusty white backpacker kid from Florida (I should know, I grew up there). And upon further examination — lo and behold! — it appears that the songs are the work of a pair of DJs (Heart Collapse and LeStereo), one of whom is most definitely from the Sunshine State, both of whom are white and sort of hairy. Read More...

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