Sunday, July 31, 2011

Christina Aguilera Will Return To 'The Voice'

Rest of the panel is also signed on to return.
By Gil Kaufman


Christina Aguilera On "The Voice"
Photo: NBC.com

Unlike the typical judges'-panel drama unfolding over at "American Idol," it looks like NBC newcomer "The Voice" has locked down its diva for a second season: Christina Aguilera will be back on the small screen in the spring.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, despite rumors to the contrary, an unnamed source said Aguilera actually agreed to give it another go on the reality singing competition "weeks ago."

The good news for fans of the upstart show is that Aguilera will be seated in the tall-backed chairs next to all her homeboys, as Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine, country star Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green have also officially re-inked.

Citing an unnamed source, Us Weekly reported Thursday (June 30) that the entire quartet have signed on for a second season.

Shelton recently told a Knoxville, Tennessee, radio station that he'd love to come back for another run. "The reality of it is, you've got four different artists who are doing completely different things and a network that has a time schedule that they want things to happen in," he said. "Who knows what'll happen, but I'd hate to miss it."

Levine — who mentored Javier Colon to a win on Wednesday night — also seemed eager to make a return engagement. "Yeah, that's the question that everyone's asking me," he told the Reporter earlier this week about the constant questions about whether he'll be back. "I'd hate to say for sure, but I think so. If they'll have me, I'd be delighted to be back."

The show has been renewed for another season and is expected to make its second bow after the Super Bowl in the spring.

The Reporter also revealed that the pay scale on the show has Aguilera far out-earning her fellow coaches, raking in a reported $225,000 per episode to the men's $75,000 each.

The quick re-sign of Aguilera is in contrast to the drama at the granddaddy of hit TV reality singing shows, "Idol." While veteran judge Randy Jackson and newbie Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler are onboard for the upcoming 11th season, it remains unclear if the other new face of the series, Jennifer Lopez, will be back.

With her music career revived, thanks to the exposure of "Idol," Lopez has been coy about whether she's willing to give it another shot.

"You know, this is the question of the hour," she said earlier this month in an interview with BBC's Radio 1. "I don't know. I haven't been forced to make a decision, and I'm glad about that because, honestly, I'm very on the fence about it. I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it, but I have a lot of other things happening, and it's going to come down to me making a choice of what I want to do for the next year, and we're not really at the breaking point of, 'You have to make a decision right now!' I'm just really enjoying the time of just waiting and seeing."

Are you happy the panel will be back on "The Voice"? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666697/christina-aguilera-the-voice.jhtml

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MTV Buzzworthy: Awkward Photos Of Celebs Blowing Kisses

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MTV Rough Cut: Robert Pattinson

MTV Rough Cut: Robert Pattinson

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MTV Rough Cut: 'Green Lantern'

MTV Rough Cut: 'Green Lantern'

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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Remembering Ryan Dunn

Remembering Ryan Dunn

We take a look back at some of Ryan Dunn's MTV moments.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/videos/?id=1666050

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'Moulin Rouge' At 10: A Spectacular Spectacular MTV News Event

'Moulin Rouge' At 10: A Spectacular Spectacular MTV News Event

Join the cast and filmmakers of "Moulin Rouge" as they re-visit the groundbreaking, influential movie on its tenth anniversary.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/videos/?id=1663048

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Photos | The 2011 BET Awards Red Carpet

The 2011 BET Awards Red Carpet

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Photos | MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Saddest Celebrity Breakups

MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Saddest Celebrity Breakups

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Pop References In Britney Spears' 'I Wanna Go' Video

Pop References In Britney Spears' 'I Wanna Go' Video

From 'Crossroads' to seashells, here's a look at the references in Britney's latest video.

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Friday, July 29, 2011

Lady Gaga And Bette Midler: A Real Mermaid Weighs In!

MTV News goes straight to the source to discuss recent pop-culture mermaid trends and beefs.
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Beyoncé declared her love for mermaids during her MTV special "The Year of 4," while Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Bette Midler have all dressed up like the mythical sea creatures onstage or in videos. Madonna has surrounded herself with mermen during a past tour, and mermaids also show up in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and in several new novels, including a forthcoming book by "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer.

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida is famous for its mermaid shows, so MTV News decided to go right to the source and get a real-deal mermaid on the phone. It's no surprise that "mermaid" Carli Goodworth told us it's officially the Year of the Mermaid.

"It used to be really popular, like, 60 years ago and everybody was all about mermaids, and now today, it's coming back again," Goodworth told MTV News. "The stars are starting to use it, and the people from outside are loving it, and hopefully it'll draw more people to our attraction as well."

So why are pop stars taking on mermaid alter egos? Goodworth said the public persona of mermaids has shifted from the cute and cuddly Disney version to the more accurate version of mermaids who are mysterious, dangerous and sexy.

And the mermaid trend hasn't been free from controversy: There has already been beef between fans of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, accusing the pop stars of lifting the idea, and then between Lady Gaga and Bette Midler, who did the mermaid-in-a-wheelchair routine decades before Gaga did.

"It's becoming so popular," Goodworth laughed about the mermaid beefs. "I think it's awesome. We're used to the few people around here, because we are known as the mermaid country, and it's neat to see all these other people battling it out to be the only mermaid. It's just different."

Being that Goodworth has performed as a mermaid for quite some time now, she's happy to see other people getting excited about it. "We love mermaids, so it's fun to see other people doing stuff with mermaids besides us," she said, adding her advice: "Be creative, do your own thing, really do your research."

What do you think about the pop-culture mermaid trend? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667575/lady-gaga-bette-midler-mermaids.jhtml

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Interviews From The 'American Idol' Red Carpet

Interviews From The 'American Idol' Red Carpet

Jim Cantiello gabs it up with Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Judas Priest.

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'Cowboys & Aliens': The Reviews Are In!

Western meets sci-fi flick is full of 'nifty scenes,' but 'unappealing' overall, critics say.
By Terri Schwartz


Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in "Cowboys and Aliens"
Photo: Universal

With a concept as inspired as "Cowboys & Aliens" and an A-list cast that brings together James Bond and Indiana Jones themselves, it's hard to imagine what could possibly have gone wrong between bringing the movie from the production room to the big screen. MTV's Splash Page blog found a lot to love about the movie despite its flaws, but other critics have not been so kind.

Maybe it was the fact that director Jon Favreau took the summer blockbuster too seriously. Fans hoping for a tongue-in-cheek mash-up of a Western and an alien movie are in for a straight-laced action flick without a lot of room for humor, like in Favreau's "Iron Man" films. Even the movie's charismatic leads couldn't rescue "Cowboys & Aliens" from its identity crisis, critics are saying.

Still, there was plenty to love about the movie as well. "Cowboys & Aliens" is certainly a fun ride to take this summer, so before you head to the multiplex this weekend, take a gander at the "Cowboys & Aliens" reviews we lassoed up for you.

The Story "The whole aliens-on-the-frontier incongruity never comes to much, really. There are nifty scenes, like the horseback riders battling silvery skeletal airplanes, but what 'Cowboys & Aliens' lacks is a good story. Basically, the characters — [Daniel] Craig's enigmatic outlaw, [Harrison] Ford's scowling boss, a tribe of Apache — must put aside their differences to form a posse and defeat the invaders. Who do we care about onscreen? For all of Craig's edgy charisma, no one. 'Cowboys & Aliens' has fun moments, but it's a plodding entertainment because it mostly tastes like leftovers." — Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The Leading Men "In Daniel Craig, the movie has what feels awfully like the second coming of Steve McQueen. Maybe it's the laser blue eyes under the broad forehead, or the laconic refusal to speak except when absolutely necessary, but Craig has a presence here that feels downright mythic. ... The chance to be as mean as he wants to be energizes [Ford], whose storied crankiness finally finds a home. It's a character part, and you can sense Ford's relief at letting another man shoulder the load. Consciously or not, there's a generational passing of the baton just under this movie's surface, and it helps immensely that Craig's up to the task." — Ty Burr, The Boston Globe

The Cowboys and the Aliens "In Hollywood's ancient prime, maybe a third of all movies were Westerns. But those days are as dead as the horse-mounted cavalry; in the past 30 years, the genre has been resuscitated only when some powerful director wanted to make a movie like the ones he grew up loving. So 'Cowboys & Aliens' has got to get to the aliens pretty damn quick. Even here, Favreau and his crew sprinkle a few memorable moments: the aliens' low-flying scout planes, looking like 10-winged titanium dragonflies and lassoing the townspeople for abduction; a desert vision of an upside-down steamship, which momentarily summons the ghost of Werner Herzog's 'Fitzcarraldo'; and the recurring image of Craig retrieving his cowboy hat, whether he's fighting off human varmints or escaping from the aliens' stronghold. A man ain't a man without his Stetson." — Richard Corliss, Time

The Concept "Cowboys versus aliens is a concept that may make you smile in anticipation, but wipe that smile off your face before buying your ticket, because the film takes its subject seriously — deadly seriously in the case of Harrison Ford, who plays a nasty rancher with the snarls and scowls that have become his trademarks, as if in penance for being so charming in the past. One interesting twist has a posse of cowboys teaming up with the Apaches they fear in order to vanquish the aliens, but the storytelling, punctuated by incoherent flashbacks, is often inscrutable." — Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal

The Final Word "A leaden mash-up of western and science-fiction elements that ends up noisy, grotesque and unappealing, this Jon Favreau-directed film features five producers (including Brian Grazer and Ron Howard), six executive producers (Steven Spielberg and Ryan Kavanaugh among them) and six credited writers, led by 'Star Trek' rebooters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and 'Lost's' Damon Lindelof. No wonder the film plays like a business deal more than a motion picture. Listed as a producer, not a writer, is Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, whose concept for the original graphic novel inspired the film. That's right, 'Cowboys' doesn't even retell the story the graphic novel does; it sets out on its own. This is not a satisfying journey." — Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times

Check out everything we've got on "Cowboys & Aliens."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668159/cowboys-and-aliens-reviews.jhtml

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Kanye West, Robyn, More: The Other Videos Of The Year

Before the VMAs air live August 28 at 9 p.m. ET on MTV, we shine a spotlight on some lesser-known clips.
By James Montgomery


Kanye West
Photo: Flanigan/ FilmMagic

Last week, the nominations for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards were revealed in a live special that featured plenty of surprise guests (like multiple-nominees Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and Tyler, the Creator) and just as many actual surprises.

Perhaps nowhere was the latter more apparent than in the Video of the Year category, which saw Perry's "Firework" and Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" grab noms (as predicted), but also featured a trio of rather unexpected inclusions: Mars' "Grenade," the Beastie Boys' "Make Some Noise" and Tyler's "Yonkers."

In fact, though they're all worthy selections, this year's Video of the Year category might best be remembered for the clips that didn't make the cut. And we're not just talking about high-profile vids like Eminem and Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie," Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" or Britney Spears' "Till the World Ends" either. There were plenty of videos that wowed us in 2011, from artists both big and small. And after some rather zesty debate in the MTV Newsroom, we've compiled some of our favorites. Have a look at our picks for the Other Videos of the Year.

Arcade Fire, "The Suburbs"
A stirring, somber clip that's part political treatise (the perils of colonialism, the erosion of civil liberties, etc.), part social commentary (the steady advance of adulthood, the preponderance of the past) and all compelling. It's part of a larger film from director Spike Jonze and the band. Proof that sometimes the best artists actually do make the best art.

Battles, "Ice Cream"
A collection of seemingly random images — Karate! Some dude drinking milk! Bowling! A girl licking a doorknob! — tossed in a blender and whirled into a seizure-inducing syrup. The end result is a blissed-out, kinetic trip, and while it doesn't make an ounce of sense, when paired with Battles' spastic strut, it almost does. Almost being the operative word, of course.

James Blake, "Limit to Your Love"
A clip that's as sumptuously simple as the track it backs, "Limit to Your Love" is little more than scenes of urban malaise — a darkly lit apartment, a decadently unmade bed, a decaying wooden floor — but its true power lies in the wonder it creates within those confines. Appliances limp to life, fruit hovers in the air, and a churning sea appears out of thin air. Like Blake's music, there's magic in the minimalism.

Kanye West, "Monster"
The disclaimer at the beginning states that "Monster" is "an art piece and it shall be taken as such," but as is the case with pretty much everything Kanye does, it's not that simple. Because while some decried the clip for its (frankly pretty brutal) misogynistic leanings — and with the abundance of half-nude women, fully deceased women, who can blame them? — few could deny that "Monster" is also a jarring, compelling, decidedly dark masterstroke. Deeply troubling torture porn or totally realized work of art? Probably both.

Manchester Orchestra, "Simple Math"
The year's most brilliant, beautiful (and quite possibly best) video, "Simple Math" twists time and space — the whole thing plays out over the time it takes frontman Andy Hull's truck to spin violently off the road — into a Möbius strip of memories, and the result is powerful enough to send shivers down your spine. Sure, it's about the fleeting nature of life, but really, it dares to ask an even bigger question: What do you see when you die? Your regrets? Your triumphs? Your loves? How about all the above?

My Chemical Romance, "Na Na Na"
A breakneck, candy-colored, full-throttle thrill ride through pop culture's past, set in the postapocalyptic future. Only My Chemical Romance could make a video this deliriously over-the-top, not to mention this dedicated to being flat-out ridiculous. It's a talent, really.

Portugal. The Man, "Sleep Forever"
A 13-minute mini-movie shot in and around frontman John Gorley's native Alaska, it gradually dissolves into a metaphoric tale of survival — one man wandering the wilderness — with an appropriately gruesome conclusion. Part fever dream, part epic, wide-screen experience, it may not end on a particularly positive note, but really, neither does life.

Radiohead, "Lotus Flower"
The video that spawned a million memes, "Lotus Flower" isn't flashy like Radiohead's older clips; it's just Thom Yorke, in a bowler hat and button-up, spazzing out to the song. And yet, it's infinitely watchable, both as a curio case and a compelling little bit of art. Also because, man, it's fun to try and replicate Thom's moves. And then go to the chiropractor.

Robyn, "Call Your Girlfriend"
Part of Robyn's endearing charm lies in the fact that she's never afraid to go it alone. And in "Call Your Girlfriend," she does just that. It's just her, dancing in a warehouse, while lights dazzle and the song soars. Of course, the video is oddly sad too (mostly because she's all by her lonesome, singing for a love she cannot have), which goes to yet another part of that aforementioned charm: Even her most sugary bonbons come with a bittersweet filling.

What are your picks for Other Videos of the Year? Let us know in the comments!

The 2011 Video Music Awards air live Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667802/vma-video-nominees-kanye-robyn.jhtml

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Was Amy Winehouse Crushed By Sudden Fame?

The kind of sudden popularity Winehouse achieved can be disorienting and paralyzing, experts say.
By Gil Kaufman


Amy Winehouse
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Some stars seem born to be in the spotlight, thriving in the attention and adulation of their adoring fans and finding a way to navigate the downsides of intense public scrutiny with seeming ease. Others, such as troubled singer Amy Winehouse, appear to have difficulty handling the harsh spotlight and retreat into a destructive cycle of substance abuse and self-harm from which they never return.

Winehouse died at age 27 on Saturday. And though her cause of death has not been determined, it would seem with her sadly short career, which saw her rocket from obscurity in 2006 to tragic demise just five years later, she is the latest example of an artist for whom fame was to be too much, too soon.

"Anyone who is thrust into that kind of celebrity with that kind of attention needs a solid, well-built foundation and support system that they can wrap around them like a blanket," said Dr. Charles Sophy, a psychiatrist who has appeared on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" and "The Housewives of Beverly Hills" and is the author of a new book on conflict-free communication for mothers and daughters, called "Side by Side."

"If you don't have those key elements, you're more likely to implode and hit a wall," Sophy said.

Read what Winehouse producer Salaam Remi had to say about working with the singer.

Winehouse, a child of divorce, appeared drawn to destructive personal relationships — including a tumultuous marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil that resulted in a number of public spats and arrests. To the public at least, it seemed she lacked some of the foundation Sophy says is necessary.

And though it's impossible for outside observers to know for sure, Sophy speculated that genetics may have also played a part in Winehouse's difficulty in dealing with fame, especially if there is a history of addiction or mental health issues in her family. "If those things are not dealt with, then they are huge issues too," he said. "And if all that hits at once, you need coping skills and if those aren't there ..."

Though her legend was based almost entirely on a single album, 2006's Back to Black, which spawned just two singles that charted in the U.S. — "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good" — Winehouse was among the few young women in recent pop history to have attained worldwide critical and commercial success only to either spin out or retreat in the face of the rigors of fame.

Some, such as former Fugees star Lauryn Hill, continue to perform sporadically, but have been unable (or unwilling) to release a proper follow-up. Others, like Alanis Morissette, survive their moment and go on to solid careers that never quite reach the same zenith. And some live somewhere in between, such as Courtney Love, who cracked up for years before getting clean and continuing her career at a lower orbit, or Fiona Apple, who seemed uninterested in playing the fame game and retreated into privacy, releasing just three albums over a 15-year career.

None of those examples really fit the Winehouse mold, though, according to Jenny Eliscu, a Sirius satellite radio host and Rolling Stone contributing editor who profiled Winehouse for the magazine in 2007, as the singer's star was about to go supernova.

"It would be easy and understandable to think that this is a phenomenon that afflicts female artists, but the parallel that makes the most sense for me is Kurt Cobain," she said of the troubled Nirvana singer, who committed suicide at age 27, after years of battling with drugs and struggling to deal with the limelight.

"He had a band to say, 'What the f---?' But when you're solo, it's entirely your own operation with no one there to keep you in check," Eliscu said. "You can languish in your problems. ... It's easy to get in your own cave."

Even if you're not abusing drugs or alcohol, getting it together to make a follow-up to a huge album is hard. But Eliscu said that if you compound that with the loneliness of being a solo artist, particularly one who probably never expected her authentically pained music to reach such a wide audience, you have a recipe for major trouble.

For every Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan who spin out after achieving early celebrity, there are Justin Timberlakes and Taylor Swifts, who appear able to handle the pressure. Sophy said that could be because they have that support system in place early on to help them deal with the pressure.

"Someone who is 27 is not necessarily 27 years old emotionally," said Sophy. "A 27-year-old can often act like an 18-year-old, because oftentimes addicts stop growing emotionally at the age they started using."

Even if, as father Mitch Winehouse said in a statement released after Amy's funeral, his daughter had been drug-free for three years, Sophy said it can take a long time for the brain's chemistry to return to normal long after a patient leaves rehab.

Sophy said that any artist who puts themselves in the spotlight is taking a huge risk, regardless of their sobriety. As they look for affirmation that they're talented enough, once success begins coming in a rush, it can make them doubt their skills more than ever.

"When they hit it and it becomes a big thing, then there's more pressure on them and their self-esteem, which might have been an issue to begin with and that's a bigger mountain to climb," Sophy explained.

It's hard for even the most self-assured person to say, "I'm really good at this," and so, Sophy said, when that doubt creeps in while the world is watching, it sometimes makes it difficult to stay on the straight and narrow without self-medicating or finding some other way to cope with the pressure.   "Instant fame is like a drug," he said. "It starts out slowly and then you can get a big rush from a big blowup and that little high you got from your first big interview or show is like a drug and you get addicted to the rush and adrenaline. Then you have that big [magazine] feature, and that really sends you over the top. And how do you beat that attention? You have to get another one."

Find out what music experts think will be Amy's musical legacy, beyond "Rehab."

While Winehouse often seemed unaffected by the attention, if not downright uninterested in it, her music came from what seemed like a genuine wellspring of pain and emotion. Because of that, Eliscu said it's not surprising that someone in that state of turmoil might retreat into a kind of cocoon of safety and escape the public world they've been thrust into.

"When you get to the level of someone like the Jonas Brothers, you have so many people protecting you that you can almost be sheltered from expectations of what people want," she said. "But [Winehouse] never had that level of structure in place around her. Even after the success of the first album in the U.K., she could never have known how well [Back to Black] would have done."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668091/amy-winehouse-death-fame.jhtml

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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me

You Belong With Me

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=2389485&vid=377889

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Photos | 'Forbes' Magazine's Top-Earning Musicians Of 2010

'Forbes' Magazine's Top-Earning Musicians Of 2010

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Lady Gaga In The May 2011 Issue Of Harper's Bazaar

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Lady Gaga Dishes On Sex, Drugs, Born This Way On Howard Stern

Gaga sang 'Edge of Glory' and talked about her difficult early years.
By Gil Kaufman


Lady Gaga visits SiriusXM July 18, 2011
Photo: Maro Hagopian/SiriusXM

For months, Sirius radio host Howard Stern has been bellyaching about how Lady Gaga seemed to be talking to everyone except him. So, when the singer stopped in to chat on Monday morning (July 18), the notorious radio host made sure to make the most of it, indulging in one of his show's longest celebrity chats in recent memory, a nearly 90-minute ramble in which he got Gaga to talk about fame, fashion, sex, drugs and rock and roll.

For the most part, the interview hit many of the highlights of Gaga's now-legendary rise to superstardom: her childhood fascination with piano, the first song she ever wrote, her move to Manhattan as a teenager and the one-year ultimatum her dad gave her after she dropped out of college. But she also revealed a bit more about her offstage self and the inspirations behind some of her most beloved tunes.

"I really don't give a f--- about money at all," Gaga said when Stern tried to get the singer to dish on how much money her album sales and tours have grossed. In fact, she said she still lives in a tiny Brooklyn apartment and has only bought two things with her newfound riches: heart surgery and a car for her dad. "The Monster Ball was really expensive and the next show will be really expensive and I will pay for it," she said of the 2012 extravaganza that she's planning.

There was, however, one topic even the famously prying Stern couldn't goad Gaga could into talking about: her love life.

"What boyfriend? ... Who's Jean Luc?" she joked when Stern asked about what her closest friends call her offstage. (Even her parents call her Gaga at this point, she said, especially when they're mad at her.) "It's hard to find a boyfriend who doesn't mind a good tuck," she added, throwing more fuel on the fire of the absurdly tenacious Internet rumors about her gender.

"My first love is music," she explained, though when Stern asked whether she had been intimate with anyone recently, she laughed, "I got laid last night ... the guys who are here are my best friends in the whole world. You're talking about Luc Carl; he's been my best friend since I was 19."

Gaga stressed that Carl is still her best friend, sidestepping the boyfriend issue once again — and that he's going to launch a Sirius satellite radio show soon.

One of the stories Stern was predictably fascinated with was the fact that Gaga's first piano teacher was a stripper who danced at one of the radio host's favorite New York gentleman's clubs, Scores, leading him to wonder if he'd ever gotten a lap dance from Gaga's instructor.

Back in the day, in fact, before she was famous, Gaga said she used to dance on fire escapes and pretend she was a star, an image she re-created for her "The Edge of Glory" video. But those pre-fame days were also difficult, as she toiled at waitressing jobs and turned to drugs when she felt lonely, something she now really regrets. "To any little sweethearts that are listening ... don't touch [cocaine], it's the devil."

Though she's best known for writing her own songs, Gaga discussed the two tracks she's written for Britney Spears, "Quicksand" (which appeared on the Circus album), and "Telephone," which Spears recorded, but never released. Asked if it bummed her out that "Telephone" was rejected by Spears, Gaga said, "Hell no! Frickin' Britney Spears sang my record! I was doing back flips and ordering drinks!"

After describing how she came up with "Born This Way" while in the shower, Gaga pulled out her BlackBerry and played a number of early demos of her songs, including the first, vocals-only take on "Highway Unicorn," her first pass on the chorus to "Judas" and a snippet of a bouncy new song she wasn't ready to unleash yet. She also described how "Marry the Night" was inspired by the moment when she decided that she was not willing to become another one of those California club people after spending some time on the Left Coast early in her career trying to fit in. " 'No thanks ... see you later, it's been nice in the sun,' and I went back to New York and I married the night," she said of why she would never move to Cali, preferring the divey, shots-and-pool-table bars in her native city.

"Do I feel like a powerful person in show business? Yeah," she said when Stern wondered if she will use her newfound powers in the industry for good or evil.

The appearance also featured a performance of "Glory," with Gaga prefacing with a story about how it was inspired by her grandfather's passing, the first death of a close family member she'd ever experienced. "When my grandma was saying goodbye [to my grandfather], there was something so intense that happened for me that I saw ... as sad as the moment was, they both were acknowledging that they had really won in life because they had each other," she said of the 60-year marriage of her grandparents.

On the day her grandpa died, Gaga said she and her father sat down at the piano in their home and traded shots of tequila and she told her pops, "Grandpa's about to cross over into his glorious moment. It's hard now because he's on the edge." Right then, Gaga said she began playing piano and the song just tumbled out of her. She recorded it and played the emerging tune for her grandfather that day over the phone, and she's convinced he could hear it. He passed just hours later.

"It's about also knowing in your heart that you may never reach that glorious moment until you die, so live life on the edge — halfway between heaven and hell — and let's all dance in the middle in purgatory," she said before playing an affecting solo piano version of the tune.

And, in honor of Stern's notoriously luxurious locks, she also performed the Born This Way tune "Hair," explaining that it was inspired by her rebellious teenage Grateful Dead phase, when her mother would sneak in and chop off her gross, dread-y hair in her sleep to keep her looking neat and clean.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Photos | 'Forbes' Magazine's Top-Earning Musicians Of 2010

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Death Cab For Cutie's Guide To Seattle

Death Cab For Cutie's Guide To Seattle

Death Cab for Cutie revisit the band's early days in Seattle.

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Katy Perry 'May Take Over The World,' 'The Smurfs' Co-Stars Say

Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria are proud of their Smurfette's nine VMA nominations.
By Jocelyn Vena


Katy Perry
Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Katy Perry is making her big-screen debut as the voice of Smurfette in "The Smurfs," out Friday. She brings her kooky cool personality to her role as the sole female in Smurf Village. Her "Smurfs" co-stars were happy to congratulate Perry on another big milestone she will be celebrating four weeks from now, when she'll attend the 2011 VMAs as the most-nominated artist of the year.

"Katy Perry can do no wrong in my book," Neil Patrick Harris gushed to MTV News. "She's tall, she's funny, she can sing and has a sharp wit and is a savvy businesswoman. I say Katy Perry may take over the world. I will be her vice president."

Hank Azaria, who plays bad guy Gargamel in the partially animated, 3-D romp, had similar sentiments for the larger-than-life pop star, though he actually just met her for the first time at the movie's premiere. "Congratulations, Katy Perry/Smurfette," he said, before admitting, "I'm just not up on the young people's music of today. I've heard of her [and] the fact that I know who she is is tremendous, because if I know who she is, and she's a recording artist under the age of 35, that means she's very big."

So, what kind of impression did Perry leave on Azaria? "It was rather exciting," he said. "She's a genuine pop idol; my heart raced. She's beautiful and a huge star."

Perry will be competing for Video of the Year and Best Female Video for "Firework"; Best Pop Video for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"; and Best Collaboration, Best Art Direction, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Special Effects for the Floria Sigismondi-directed "E.T.," which features fellow nominee Kanye West. Her "Teenage Dream" clip also nabbed a nomination for Best Cinematography.

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for your favorites in the general categories by visiting VMA.MTV.com.

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MTV News Extended Play: 'Jersey Shore'

MTV News Extended Play: 'Jersey Shore'

"Jersey Shore" stars Deena Cortese and Vinny Guadagnino talk about the season finale and preparing for Italy.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Taylor Swift Recalls Shooting 'Story Of Us' Video During Tornadoes

'We had to hide in a room where there were no windows,' she tells MTV News of Nashville shoot.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway


Taylor Swift
Photo: MTV News

The video for "Story of Us" follows Taylor Swift's collegiate character as she falls in love in the stacks of her Ivy League library ... and falls very much out of love in the hallowed hallways of that same school.

Shot at Vanderbilt University near her home in Nashville, the video was complicated not by the tumultuous relationship, but instead by some very dangerous weather conditions.

"There were a few complications. This was actually when a bunch of tornadoes were hitting Nashville," she recalled in Tuesday's (May 24) chat with Sway during "We had to hide. All of us, we had to hide in a room where there were no windows, so that was a little bit crazy. [But] other than that, it was incredibly fun."

The video not only features one very good-looking guy, but also Swift's whole band in varying roles. Who got the best role? Her backup singer Liz Huett, who got to make out with Swift's love interest in the clip. And the story of Taylor and Liz is almost more interesting than the story of Swift and the boy who inspired the song and video.

"We met in a meet-and-greet line. I started out playing small bars and clubs a few years ago, and she came to one of the shows, and I would sign autographs ... and she waited three or four hours," Swift recalled. "And she came up and asked if she could sing for me. ... She sang for me, and [I said], 'You've got to audition for some TV talent show.' And I ran into her a few months later, and one thing led to another and she ended up being my backup singer on tour and making out with a guy in my video."

What did you think of Swift's new video? Share your reviews in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664519/taylor-swift-story-of-us-video-shoot.jhtml

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'Boyz N The Hood': A Look Back

'Boyz N The Hood': A Look Back

20 years after it's release, this John Singleton film still resonates. Ice Cube, John Singleton and more weigh in on the film's impact.

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Photos | The Men & Women Of 2010

The Men & Women Of 2010

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Monday, July 25, 2011

#8: Intuition - Jamie Foxx

(C) 2008 .

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#6: Right Round - Flo Rida

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'RapFix Live' With CyHi The Prynce

'RapFix Live' With CyHi The Prynce

Cy joins Sway live in the MTV News room to discuss G.O.O.D. Music, touring and his upcoming release, <i>The Hard Way Musical.</i>

Source: http://www.mtv.com/videos/?id=1666511

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Forget Humans, Paramore Rocks Out To "Monster"

Forget Humans, Paramore Rocks Out To "Monster"

Source: http://www.vh1.com/video/paramore/672032/monster.jhtml#id=1643092

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Taylor Swift - Mine

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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Jennifer Lopez - I'm Gonna Be Alright

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Track By Track: Lady Gaga's Born This Way

Track By Track: Lady Gaga's <i>Born This Way</i>

MTV News caught up with Gaga producer Fernando Garibay to get inside information on the album.

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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Photos | The 2011 BET Awards Red Carpet

The 2011 BET Awards Red Carpet

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Photos | Lady Gaga Is A Three-Headed Monster In V Magazine

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'The Voice' Stars Say Show Is 'Serious' But 'Fun'

'I think the commonality between all four of our coaches is their passion for music,' show host Carson Daly says.
By Kara Warner


"The Voice" coaches Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton
Photo: NBC

For die-hard fans of reality TV singing contests who just can't get enough, NBC has a treat for you in the form of "The Voice." Hosted by Carson Daly and featuring superstar mentors Christina Aguilera, Cee-Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, the show hopes to discover yet another future pop star.

MTV caught up with the new reality TV cast recently to get some scoop on the music veterans working on the show.

"I'm really excited about 'The Voice,' " Daly said. "I think the commonality between all four of our coaches is their passion for music, and they're all excellent voices, they're all very business savvy."

Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine guaranteed that while they are taking the job seriously, there's plenty of lightheartedness too.

"This show is just fun, and throughout the whole thing, we're interacting with each other," he said. "And yeah, it's serious, it's a competition, [and] we want these guys to succeed."

"We've been a little apprehensive about allowing ourselves to be considered or called judges," Green admitted. "At the end of the day, we're doing a bit more mentoring and a little more coaching more than we're judging."

Green has also said that part of the draw of "The Voice" is its unconventional concept.

"At first, I thought it was a very cool and original concept," Green said, speaking of the format in which coaches sit with their backs to contestants to focus on their vocals instead of their looks as they decide whether to mentor them through later rounds. ‪"We're all coming from such different worlds that there's a coexistence," he added. "[But] there's a bit of friendly competition because we're all playing to win."

After getting advice from the professional singers during battle phases — where they can also call in choreographers, stylists and producers to help their charges — the wannabe stars will go on to live performance shows where the TV audience will vote on who advances and wins the $100,000 prize and recording contract.

"The Voice" premieres Tuesday (April 26) at 9 p.m. ET.

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