‘I’m like, ‘OK, let’s keep it professional!’ ‘ the ‘Hills’ alum recalls thinking on her new VH1 show. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa WhiteWolf Heidi Montag Photo: MTV News On Sunday night, Heidi Montag made her return to the reality TV world on VH1’s latest entry into the genre, “Famous Food.” On the show, Montag competes against other celebrities to open up a restaurant in Los Angeles that would be called, as the title says, Famous Food. The show’s cast includes famed call girl Ashley Dupre, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J, “The Bachelor” star Jake Pavelka, “Sopranos” actor Vincent Pastore and feisty “Real Housewives of New Jersey” alum Danielle Staub. What may surprise viewers, though, is which of the celebs end up becoming friends … and then some. “There were some shocking alliances, a little too close for some people,” Montag dished to MTV News. “I’m like, ‘OK, let’s keep it professional!’ And really just people I would never expect [to make alliances, did].” Of course, that might sound like a pretty shocking statement coming from Montag, who while on MTV’s “The Hills” married Spencer Pratt , the hit reality show’s biggest bad guy. But that’s all history. These days, Heidi’s focused on showing fans her business savvy. “It was really important for me and very exciting to win a potential partnership at the end of the show,” she said of wanting to take the prize, which is a stake in the restaurant. “I’m very excited to be a part of the show,” she added. “And I knew it was going to be a great experience and something different, very different from anything I’ve ever done.” Did you catch “Famous Food”? Tell us what you thought in the comments!
MTV News gives fans a preview of the band’s comeback single. By James Montgomery Evanescence’s Amy Lee Photo: MTV News It’s been nearly four years since Evanescence have released a single , and during that time, it appeared very likely they’d never release another. But on Monday (July 11), the wait — and all the drama that surrounded it — finally came to an end, because Evanescence are officially back, with a roaring new single called “What You Want.” Last week, MTV News traveled to Nashville’s Blackbird Studio, where the band were putting the finishing touches on their upcoming, self-titled album (which their label, Wind-Up Records, just informed us is now due October 11 — one week later than previously reported), and they gave us an exclusive first listen at a handful of tracks, including “Want.” And now, we’re going to give you a sneak peek. Frontwoman Amy Lee had previously described the song as being “really different” from anything in the band’s back catalog, and, as you can tell, she wasn’t kidding. “What You Want” is most definitely a departure, quite possibly the heaviest song Evanescence have ever made. The guitars buzz like a hornet’s nest, the drums are pounding and primal, and the strings (arranged by Beck’s dad, David Campbell) swell and stab. Throw in a positively massive chorus and Lee’s vocal pyrotechnics, and you’ve got a song that’s powerful enough to shake rock radio to its very foundation. And that’s pretty amazing, considering its simple roots. “[Bassist] Tim [McCord] and [guitarist] Terry [Balsamo] and I wrote that song at my house in New York. We were just jamming, like, recording demos, and obviously the song has grown a lot since then, with everyone else,” Lee told us. “For me, it was — and I need to remember this, so I can apply it in the future — it wasn’t trying so hard to be some epic, massive chorus. I was just doodling around on the piano and the guys were like, ‘Do that. Whatever you just did, that’s an awesome melody.’ And I was like, ‘Really?’ Sometimes you just need your friends to be like, ‘Do that!’ ” Though it came from humble origins, “What You Want” deals with heady concepts, a trait that’s readily apparent throughout Evanescence’s new album. “It’s about freedom — that’s definitely a constant theme on the record — but, it’s like Evanescence, and me, and my relationship with the music and the fans, and coming to that [realization] of ‘This is what I’m supposed to do … I want to do this,’ ” Lee said. “And when it says, ‘Remember who you really are,’ that’s exactly everything you could assume it means.” For the time being, Evanescence fans are just going to have to make do with a snippet of “What You Want” (the full single is set to premiere in early August, Wind-Up said). But rest assured, you’re going to be hearing the song a lot in the near future, because, as Lee said, it’s not just the band’s comeback single, it’s also the beginning of a mission — one Evanescence are taking very seriously. “I feel like, not that I’m trying to do what’s important for the music industry, I’m doing what I want — we’re doing what we love. But, at the same time, it’s so refreshing for us to play music that we want to hear,” she explained. “It rocks, and not that there’s nothing going on that does, but less and less; that’s definitely not what’s dominating the airwaves. And it would be so amazing and it’s totally our dream to have that happen for us; not even just for us, but, like, we want to hear rock music again. “I think that, as a band, we’re really strong,” she continued. “Everybody’s just playing at the top of their game right now, they’re just putting it all in … and it was, like, that mentality the whole time we were working. Like, whatever it takes to make the most amazing thing possible.” What do you think of the “What You Want” sneak peek? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Videos Evanescence: First Listen
Melancholy love ballad was recorded during Thriller era. By Gil Kaufman Michael Jackson Photo: Eamonn McCormack/ WireImage Yet another new song from the upcoming first posthumous album from Michael Jackson, Michael, has appeared online, and it should appease fans who feared that the 10-song effort would draw primarily from the singer’s less-fruitful later years. “Much Too Soon” dates back to the late King of Pop’s legendary 1982 Thriller album. Like the melancholy “Hold My Hand,” another song from the album due out on December 14, the latest track is an earnest love ballad. “Much Too Soon” premiered on the iTunes’ social networking site, Ping , on Tuesday (November 30). Singing over a gently picked acoustic guitar and soft, majestic strings, Jackson employs his fragile falsetto to moon about a lover who has left him. The tune mixes a folk feel with touches of classical guitar and a Stevie Wonder-like harmonica break. “She was there just sitting at the table/ Thinking now that things won’t be the same/ And wouldn’t you like to go with me?/ And she answered ‘no’ to me/ But I guess I learned my lesson much too soon,” Jackson sings as subtle choir voices rise behind him. “Take away this never-ending sorrow/ Take this lonely feeling from my soul/ If only I knew what things bring tomorrow/ She’d be sitting here beside me.” At just under three minutes, the melancholy ballad has the intimate feel of a credits track that might roll at the end of a tear-jerker movie, and according to notes on the Ping site, it was always a favorite of Jackson’s. “Michael always liked the song and would pull it back out of the vaults for each subsequent album project but never found the right home for it,” the site revealed. “Here it finds its place as the bittersweet closing to the stellar collection.” The song was written by Jackson and co-produced along with one of the executors of his estate, John McClain. The string sections features famed arranger David Campbell (Adam Lambert, Metallica, My Chemical Romance). “Hold My Hand,” featuring vocals from Akon, is the first official single from the album. Its universal plea for peace features some classic Jackson lyrics delivered over a lilting Caribbean beat. “Much Too Soon” is actually the third tune from Michael to surface in recent weeks, following on the heels of the uptempo “Breaking News.” That never-before-heard track — set to a propulsive, robotic beat and layered with MJ’s signature helium-high vocals — was another in a series of songs Jackson penned lashing out at the intrusive media. What do you think of this new Michael Jackson song? Share your reviews in the comments. Related Artists Michael Jackson
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