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Spotted: Mark Ronson Takes Care Of Business In London

Posted 9/29/10 1:30 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.

After spending time working on other people's music (including a titillating D'Angelo project that will hopefully see the light of day next year), Mark Ronson is back with a new band (called the Business Intl), a new album (the just-released Record Collection) and a new shade to his hair (shiny, shiny silver). He gathered his band together to celebrate the release of the album (as well as the success of his two singles "Bang Bang Bang" and "The Bike Song") at Rough Trade West in London. It was an appropriate place for an album launch, as Ronson is a record junkie of the highest order, and Record Collection reflects that entirely. It has bits of britpop, hip-hop, glam rock, R&B, dance music and just about every variation in between. At the center of it is Ronson's charming sense of fun, which makes the whole thing an incredibly thrilling ride of an album.

Ronson wasn't the only star in front of the flashbulbs, as Jon Stewart made a rare appearance away from "The Daily Show" to pay a visit to "The Late Show With David Letterman," while Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil signed copies of his new memoir "Tattoos and Tequila" at a Barnes and Noble in Los Angeles. 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, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna, Shakira and Justin Timberlake!

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Mark Ronson's Next Project: Bringing Back Duran Duran

Posted 9/22/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


Now comes the point in the day where we have to talk about Duran Duran (and specifically frontman Simon Le Bon). Forged from the raw materials of New Wave, Britpop, post-punk and dance music, Duran Duran dominated the radio and early MTV with their splashy, cinematic songs and eye-catching videos. When the '90s came around, they fell a little under the radar but never truly disappeared. Their songs became popular sample fodder for hip-hop producers, they continued to sell well as a live act and the song "Notorious" made a memorable appearance in the cult classic film "Donnie Darko." They've never really gone away, mostly because the songs are just too good. Consider that "Girls on Film," "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" only scratch the surface of their massive storehouse of hits.

The three albums the band has dropped in the 21st century (2000's Pop Trash, 2004's Astronaut and 2007's Red Carpet Massacre) have been interesting if not somewhat forgettable, especially considering the breadth of their output. But they could be making their way to the top of the mountain with their new album King of Nowhere, which should be out late this year or early next. Why does it have that potential? Because it is being produced by hitmaker Mark Ronson, who recently stopped by the MTV Newsroom to chat about his own new album Record Collection but also to gush about the greatness of one of his favorite bands growing up (and also about their spectacularly underrated frontman).

"This man of 50 years old has this voice ... he never lost the power," Ronson explained of his experiences in the recording booth with Le Bon. "In fact, the power has kind of grown a bit. He puts all these indie yelpers to shame. He's brilliant."

Check out Ronson's full thoughts below, including a sly cameo from "A View to a Kill."

What classic '80s band would you like Mark Ronson to produce next? Let us know in the comments!

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MTV News' #MusicMonday: Mark Ronson Gets Lost In The Embassy

Posted 9/13/10 1:30 pm EST by in Music


Really, you should be listening to music every day, but thanks to Twitter, Monday has become the best day of the week to discover new songs, show some love to the tune currently dominating your iPod playlist and quietly judge the listening habits of your closest friends. Yes, it's #MusicMonday, one of Twitter's most enduring trending topics. Hence "MTV News' #MusicMonday," a weekly look at the songs your favorite stars are currently crushing on.

This week, Mark Ronson wants the world to recognize Swedish band the Embassy.

Though all the talk today is about the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, that doesn't mean that we should drop our guards on picking up new music. On the contrary, the close of the Video Music Awards represents a new year in pop music, with a bunch of high-profile albums hitting us in the last few months of the year. One of those albums will be coming from the mind of Mark Ronson, who told us that in addition to the new album by Arcade Fire, he has also been keeping a Swedish band in his own personal heavy rotation.

"I like this band called the Embassy," Ronson told MTV News when he stopped by to talk about his new album Record Collection (which hits stores on October 5). "They fall somewhere in between the Smiths and Swedish pop. It's quite electronic and the production is kind of low-fi, but it's got that Swedish pop sensibility but with very Johnny Marr guitars and mopey Morrissey effete vocals. It's really good."

What's your #MusicMonday jam? Let us know in the comments!

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Lady Gaga Just Like 'Madonna And Janet Jackson,' Says Mark Ronson

Posted 9/10/10 2:30 pm EST by in VMAs


In his ever-expanding career, musician and producer Mark Ronson has worked with an eclectic mix of artists. His resumé includes collaborations with names like Amy Winehouse, Ghostface Killah, Rivers Cuomo, Lily Allen, Boy George, Q-Tip and Sean Paul. And though he has never worked with any of the nominees for Video of the Year at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, he still has a definitive sense of who should win. If the decisions were left up to Ronson (who is currently touring through Europe to promote his upcoming new album Record Collection), Lady Gaga's "Telephone" would take home the biggest prize of the night.

"The minute I saw 'Telephone' ... You can tell it's an expensive video that a lot of time and love and care went into," Ronson told MTV News. "I haven't seen a video like that in a really long time — a really big, colorful, silly expensive pop video."

Ronson, whose sense of pop history is seemingly encyclopedic, also said that Gaga joined some rare company with the "Telephone" clip. "She does it in the same way that Madonna and Janet Jackson — all those great visual icons," Ronson said. "She can pull it off because she's a force of personality, she can sing, she looks good, she can dance — so she's gonna look good in the video."

In order to capture the Moonman for Video of the Year, Gaga will have to fight off clips by 30 Seconds to Mars, B.o.B, Florence and the Machine, Eminem and herself ("Bad Romance" is also nominated in the same category). Will Ronson's prediction prove to be true? You'll have to tune in to find out.

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET.

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Mark Ronson Remembers Jamming With Akon At The 2007 VMAs

Posted 9/8/10 2:30 pm EST by in VMAs


The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards was one of the boldest and most unusual broadcasts in the show's history. Rather than just be confined to a single theater, arena or studio, the 2007 VMAs took over the entirety of the Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas. Awards were handed out in one area, while performances were going on in suites, penthouses and at the pool. The show was thrilling in its chaos, because not only did you now know what was going to happen next, but you also didn't know where it was going to happen.

At the center of all this madness was producer and rock icon Mark Ronson, who was brought in to be in charge of the house band for the duration of the show (much in the same way that Jack White did the year before in New York and the way Deadmau5 will do this Sunday). On that night, Ronson collaborated with a number of eclectic artists, including Maroon 5, Wale, Justice and Daniel Merriweather, but the one tag-team effort that really sticks out in Ronson's mind was his collaboration with Akon.

"The concept was to take the Dap Kings horns section and myself and figure out a way to incorporate in all the people they wanted to use," Ronson recently told MTV News. "We figured out our sort of James Brown arrangement of 'Smack That,' and he sang over it. We had only rehearsed 30 seconds of it, but even after we had stopped, he got so into it that he was still singing for 20 seconds before he realized we had stopped playing."

That performance has stuck with him in more ways than one. "I still listen to it. I only have the 30 second snippet of it, but I love that version of it," Ronson said. "I think Akon could make a whole record that sounds like that, because it sounds so cool."

Ronson enjoyed himself at the 2007 show, his second as an attendee (he went as a spectator in 2002), though he won't be making it to the show this Sunday, September 12 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. He has a good excuse, though, as he's doing a tour with his new band the Business Intl for their forthcoming album Record Collection. It's a stellar collection of groovy rock tunes and collaborations with the likes of D'Angelo (making his first recorded appearance in nearly a decade), Ghostface Killah, Boy George, Simon Le Bon and Q-Tip. The only other place to get a lineup as that star-studded will be at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET.

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Lollalohan: Lindsay Lohan Turns Out For Samantha Ronson Lollapalooza DJ Set

Posted 8/2/08 6:48 pm EST by in Lollapalooza


TMZ-land officially arrived at Lollapalooza Saturday afternoon – and you have Mr. Lolla himself, Perry Farrell to thank for it.

Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson backstage at Lollapalooza on Saturday
A mid-afternoon set at the dance tent Perry’s by Farrell and a “special guest” took on a whole different meaning when that guest was revealed to be none other than Samantha Ronson, accompanied to the endless fascination of all, by her ubiquitous gal pal, Lindsay Lohan. When we arrived to an already packed dance tent, were escorted into a predictably cluster f--- of a backstage area, under a searing afternoon sun, and got even more of a celeb eyefull than we were expecting. There was Perry on stage, in a glittery black and white number, spinning and pumping up the crowd for his ‘guest DJ.’ There was LiLo, hanging with a friend and trying not to pay attention to the fact that everyone in the area was looking at her. There was Samantha, waiting to go on. And then there was the even better known member of the Ronson family, DJ and uber producer brother Mark, an attention magnet himself. And to throw a certifiable rock god into the mix, there was the man himself, Slash -- yet another surprise guest for Perry to spring on the crowd.

Soon it was showtime for Sam – decked out in an Average White Band t-shirt and a fedora, she spun a 15 minute set heavy on “upbeat” tunes at Perry’s request, she told me, and with a healthy dose of ‘80’s. “Yeah, so I included some Foreigner,” she said, “some Depeche Mode, some Hot Chip. I tried to mix it up.

“I’m just psyched to see Slash,” Sam said of first Lolla experience, “Perry and Slash, I’ve never been to Lollapalooza, and after this I don’t think I need to go to another.” Samantha’s in and out of Chicago – she has to be back in LA tonight – but Mark is hanging all weekend, checking out a ton of favorites -- from Black Keys and Radiohead yesterday to Rage tonight -- and then playing his own set tomorrow night, on one of the festival’s biggest stages.

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Solange Knowles: Being Beyonce's Kid Sis Doesn't Guarantee A Foot In The Door

Posted 6/12/08 5:40 pm EST by in Beyonce, Pharrell, Solange


(by Dan 'Monty' Montalto)

It's not easy being the younger sister of a mega-famous-the-world-over pop icon.

No, seriously. Just ask Solange Knowles, Beyoncé's 21-year-old kid sis. Let's face it, when your sister is so famous that she practically owns the rights to the second letter of the alphabet, it's pretty hard to convince anyone that based solely on your artistic merits, some of the biggest and most creative names in music helped out with your record. But when we sat down with her earlier this week, Solange told us that it took some pretty serious convincing (and even a little stalking) to get names like Cee-Lo, Pharrell and Mark Ronson onboard for her latest record. As she puts it, when they first heard she wanted to work with them, they had no way of knowing if she was a serious artist or "someone's little annoying sister trying to do a record."

Cee-Lo, who co-wrote three of the songs on Solange's album, didn't exactly jump all over the opportunity when Solange first came calling. Initially, she couldn't even get him on the phone, and seemingly endless "scheduling conflicts" on the part of the Gnarls Barkley vocalist kept her from meeting with him. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but as Solange told us herself, "no one can be that freakin' busy." But she wasn't about to get blown off. She decided to take matters into her own hands — by essentially stalking Cee-Lo and forcing him to listen to her album.

Solange tells us how she stalked Cee-Lo (with the help of an MTV alum) in this video.

Read More...

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For The Record: Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and James Brown, THE GODFATHER OF SOUL

Posted 4/3/08 12:10 pm EST by in For The Record


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· We actually don't think this is a bad look for Britney Spears. She's in talks to reprise her role as the ditzy dermatology receptionist on "How I Met Your Mother," which is now officially the only on-camera appearance she’s made in the past few years that didn’t end in disaster.

· Ever wanted to own the chair James Brown sat in? How about one of the Godfather of Soul’s pianos or sparkly stage costumes? Christie’s International will be putting nearly 400 items from Brown’s estate up for auction in July, including photos, awards, cars, clothes, furniture and musical instruments to pay off some of the late singer’s legal bills and estate taxes.

· Amy Winehouse and her producer, Mark Ronson, were among the 100 or so mourners who attended Wednesday’s funeral for British saxophonist Jason Rae, late husband of singer Corinne Bailey Rae.

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