Tag Archives: mawuse-ziegbe

Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes Rip Avant-Garde BET Awards Performance

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Breezy and Buss hit the stage with ‘Look At Me Now,’ ‘She Ain’t You’ and ‘Paper, Scissors, Rock.’ By Mawuse Ziegbe Chris Brown onstage at the 2011 BET Awards Photo: Joe Scarnici/WireImage Chris Brown ‘s emotional performance at last year’s BET Awards turned out to be a turning point in the singer’s once-ailing career, and with his 2011 performance Breezy is reveling in his hard-won fame. Following a heartfelt, off-prompter intro by host Kevin Hart, Breezy kicked things off with his Michael Jackson-sampling jam “She Ain’t You.” The singer took the stage on a raised platform in the middle of the stage surrounded by a cluster of monitors splashed with psychedelic designs. Breezy worked the midtempo hit in an avant-garde grey suit with voluminous pant legs and a cape fashioned out a jacket. But the F.A.M.E. singer ditched the fashion-forward ensemble in favor of a black jumpsuit to helm his woozy, Diplo-produc ed banger, “Look At Me Now,” as a crew of dancers in similarly street black hoodies joined him on stage. Then Busta Rhymes emerged from a brightly lit cube flanked by dancers in eerie, transparent masks illuminated by blinking lights. The Back On My B.S. lyricist wowed the Shrine with his legendary, breathless, rapid-fire flow — much of which was obscured by super-cautious censors — sporting a unique, black jacket with enormous, ridged sleeves. After ripping his verse, the MC dropped the mic and walked off. Breezy took back the stage for his F.A.M.E. cut “Paper, Scissors, Rock,” busting out some agile choreography, and finishing up the performance with an athletic flip off the stage. When speaking to MTV News earlier this year about how the all-star collabo came together, beatsmith Afrojack gave snaps to Busta’s hypnotic flow . “Busta’s verse on it is really sick,” he said. “It’s like I can’t even hear what he said, but I love the part where he goes [mimics Busta’s rapid flow], and then pauses and goes rapping really quickly. And I don’t know how to do it, I don’t even try. But it was really, really cool.” The bigwigs at BET are also clearly feeling Breezy’s chart-topper. “Look At Me Now” took the Best Collaboration award directly after the set. What did you think of this week’s Chris Brown’s performance at the 2011 BET Awards ? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos 2011 BET Awards Show Highlights Related Artists Chris Brown Busta Rhymes

More:
Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes Rip Avant-Garde BET Awards Performance

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Taylor Swift To Turn Speak Now Rehearsal Into Charity Event

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Country hitmaker will donate ticket sales from May 21 Speak Now Tour dress rehearsal in Nashville to tornado relief. By Mawuse Ziegbe Taylor Swift Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images Taylor Swift will give fans an early taste of her upcoming Speak Now Tour for a very good cause. The country darling announced on Friday (May 6) that she will allow fans to buy tickets to the final dress rehearsal of her tour to benefit communities devastated by tornadoes in the South in late April. According to the Associated Press, Swift has been preparing for her upcoming trek over the past five weeks at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, which will be the site of the “Speak Now … Help Now” benefit. Although the chart-topper is used to speaking frankly about her personal life in her music, Swift has never invited fans to check out how she gears up for her live shows. The songstress explained that witnessing the havoc-wreaking storms while putting the Speak Now Tour together inspired her to switch things up and take action. “I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals, and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage,” Swift told the AP. “I’ve never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now Tour would be a great way to raise money.” The songbird added that the benefit will be different from her other live appearances, as she is still hammering out the kinks of the production. “We will probably still be doing some fine-tuning to the show that night, since this will be a true rehearsal, but I feel like it is so important for me and my fans to help if we can,” she said. Swift’s Speak Now Tour is slated to kick off May 27 in Omaha, Nebraska, but before she hits the road, the Grammy-winning superstar is set to unveil her latest video, “Mean,” on Friday night (May 6) on CMT and CMT.com at 10 p.m. ET. Would you like to check out Taylor Swift’s charity dress rehearsal? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Taylor Swift

See original here:
Taylor Swift To Turn Speak Now Rehearsal Into Charity Event

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ne-Yo Defends Beyonce ‘Dis’ Statements

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I’m tired of being nice to dumb people. … Bottom line, Beyonce is my friend,’ ‘Irreplaceable’ songwriter tweets. By Jocelyn Vena Ne-Yo Photo: Mawuse Ziegbe/ MTV News When a comment from Ne-Yo hit the Internet in which the songwriter said that he wished he could have kept the Beyonc

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trey Songz Wants To ‘Surprise’ Fans With ‘Love Faces’ Video

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I think it’s gonna be a lot different than what people expect it to be,’ singer tells MTV News. By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Rebecca Thomas Trey Songz Photo: MTV News Trey Songz can crank out bedroom burners with ease — this is the same guy behind “I Invented Sex” — but for the visual to his latest single, the Virginia crooner said fans shouldn’t expect the typical Trey treatment. MTV News recently sat down with the singer to chat about the newest video from his Passion, Pain & Pleasure LP, and Trey dished that “Love Faces” may throw fans for a loop. “I love the treatment so much. I think it’s gonna be a lot different than what people expect it to be and a lot of that is contributed to the narrative, and I want people to be surprised when they see it,” he said. “But it’s a great video. It’s shot very well. It’s myself and [director] Justin Francis. We did it in Miami, and it was a two-day shoot and we have a beautiful leading lady. I’ll give away that much.” Trey remained tight-lipped about the details of the visual, but he did break down how the song came together, saying that the track was inspired by another, less sensual track. “When I first wrote the song it was actually a concept I got from a Houston record with … the same name, different kind of faces, and I was like, ‘That’ll be a dope love song,’ ” Trey revealed. The “Bottoms Up” belter added that the song is an ode to the sultry expressions lovers make while in the throes of passion. “I’m sure any man can relate when you look at a beautiful woman and you imagine those things, and I’m sure [women] do those things too when they get into that mental frame when looking at someone,” he said. “So I thought it would be a great concept: Beautiful women make beautiful faces when they making love.” What do you think Trey Songz’s “Love Faces” video will look like? Let us know in the comments!

See the original post here:
Trey Songz Wants To ‘Surprise’ Fans With ‘Love Faces’ Video

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Britney Spears’ Tenth ‘Hold It Against Me’ Preview Packed With Technology

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Beauty shots of television monitors marks four more days until video premiere. By Mawuse Ziegbe Photo: Jive There are just four more days until Britney Spears ‘ “Hold It Against Me” premieres, and the pop supernova continues to keep the suspense high. After doling out super-short snippets of the visual to her latest dance floor-filler for over a week, the preview she gifted fans on Sunday (February 13), doesn’t feature a flash of her toned legs, or a scene where she and her dancers prepare to bust out some heart-racing choreography, but her presence is felt. In the tenth, slickly produced teaser, a lofty chamber dotted with monitors looping many of her old videos takes center stage, as the bass from her insta-smash throbs in the background. The seconds-long teasers will culminate in the premiere of the entire video, which goes down on MTV on Thursday at 9:56 p.m. ET, just before a brand new episode of “Jersey Shore.” The video, which is the first single from her upcoming Femme Fatale LP, will also simultaneously premiere on MTV.com. According to the video’s choreographer, enduring days of teasers will be worth the wait. Dancer Brian Friedman recently assured MTV News that Spears is “definitely setting the bar” with “Hold It Against Me.” “She’s showing that you have to push it as an artist: that you can’t just settle, that you can’t be calm with your choreography, that you have to make a statement,” he said. “There’s so many people out there competing in this world to be the queen of pop, and she’s definitely claiming her throne.” Even with a top-flight track record of memorable clips, Friedman maintained that “Hold It Against Me” will be game-changing. “Artistically, this video I think surpasses a lot of her other videos,” he teased. “So many of her videos are iconic, though. You look at ‘Toxic’ and you look at ‘Slave,’ even ‘Oops … I Did It Again’: People are gonna remember those videos forever. [In] ‘… Baby One More Time,’ she made school-girl outfits relevant and so popular. This video is artistically a masterpiece, and I don’t think that Britney has pushed the envelope in this way ever in any of her videos.” What do you think the rest of Britney’s video will look like? Sound off in the comments! Related Videos Britney Spears Set To Reveal ‘Hold It Against Me’ Video Related Artists Britney Spears

Read more here:
Britney Spears’ Tenth ‘Hold It Against Me’ Preview Packed With Technology

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Will.i.am Says Artists Should Be ‘Scared’ Of iTunes

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Believe me, I love Apple … but iTunes shouldn’t be the answer,’ MC says at Grammy Foundation event. By Mawuse Ziegbe will.i.am Photo: Ian Gavan/ Getty Images Will.i.am is clearly tech-savvy — the MC was just named director of innovation at Intel — but the Black Eyed Peas frontman thinks artists’ interest in technology shouldn’t end with just releasing their tracks via an online retailer. The rapper/producer recently chatted it up with attorneys and music industry insiders at the Grammy Foundation’s annual Entertainment Law Initiative Luncheon in Los Angeles, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, will urged his fellow recording artists not to think of mega-successful e-retailer iTunes as a panacea for moving units. “Believe me, I love Apple … but iTunes shouldn’t be the answer,” will said, adding, “[For artists], it should be the scariest thing in the world.” The message may appear to be a bit harsh toward Steve Jobs’ empire, but “The Time (Dirty Bit)” star ultimately maintained that aspiring artists should actively embrace technology as a means of enhancing their creative expression. “We need to inspire kids to take notice of how and why a computer works,” he said. “It’s the marriage of art and science.” The BEP lyricist is already doing his part to conflate the tech and music worlds at his new post at Intel. When his partnership with the processing giant was announced, the star explained that he was looking forward to tinkering on game-changing projects. “Nearly everything I do involves processors and computers, and when I see an Intel chip I think of all the creative minds involved that help to amplify my own creativity,” Will said in a statement. “Teaming up with the scientists, researchers and computer programmers at Intel to collaborate and co-develop new ways to communicate, create, inform and entertain is going to be amazing.” What do you think of will.i.am’s thoughts about artists relying on iTunes? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Will.I.Am

Continued here:
Will.i.am Says Artists Should Be ‘Scared’ Of iTunes

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Kobe Bryant Recalls Fast-Food Trips On ‘When I Was 17’

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Cafeteria pizza ain’t gonna cut it,’ NBA great says on latest episode, premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. By Mawuse Ziegbe Kobe Bryant on “When I Was 17” Photo: MTV Sure, Kobe Bryant was already scoring acclaim for his basketball prowess as a high-schooler, but when he was off the court, he was just another teen tired of lame cafeteria food. On the latest episode of “When I Was 17,” premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, the NBA superstar recalls skipping class to stock up on some tasty eats. “I had taken the bulk of my classes my first three years. So my senior year was a pretty easy year. Every day was senior cut day,” he says. “We used to just talk in between breaks or in between periods. [We’d just say] ‘You hungry?’ ‘Yeah, I’m hungry. Let’s roll, let’s go.’ ” His friend Jermaine explained that they weren’t hooligans; they just spent their free time on the hunt for junk food. “We didn’t have anything else on the agenda. When we left, we just went to get food,” he says. Bryant added he and his crew would split immediately once the hunger pangs set in, saying, “They wouldn’t see us no more.” “I was starving. I mean, c’mon, I was a buck-20. I needed to eat something. Cafeteria pizza ain’t gonna cut it. It’s just, like, prison food,” he says. “We used to go to McDonald’s, Taco Bell.” Jermaine adds, “When Kobe and I would skip school, you know, we were smooth.” Besides chowing down on whatever Dollar Menu items their heart desired, ditching class had an additional allure: “Think of how cool you are that you’re not at school and everybody else is,” Bryant smiles. “That’s pretty much it.” “When I Was 17” — this week featuring Kobe Bryant, Brooklyn Decker and Candice Accola — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Sneak Preview Of This Week’s ‘When I Was 17’ Related Photos When I Was 17 (Season 2) | Ep. 8 | Kobe Bryant, Brooklyn Decker, Candice Accola

See the article here:
Kobe Bryant Recalls Fast-Food Trips On ‘When I Was 17’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kobe Bryant Recalls Fast-Food Trips On ‘When I Was 17’

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Cafeteria pizza ain’t gonna cut it,’ NBA great says on latest episode, premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. By Mawuse Ziegbe Kobe Bryant on “When I Was 17” Photo: MTV Sure, Kobe Bryant was already scoring acclaim for his basketball prowess as a high-schooler, but when he was off the court, he was just another teen tired of lame cafeteria food. On the latest episode of “When I Was 17,” premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, the NBA superstar recalls skipping class to stock up on some tasty eats. “I had taken the bulk of my classes my first three years. So my senior year was a pretty easy year. Every day was senior cut day,” he says. “We used to just talk in between breaks or in between periods. [We’d just say] ‘You hungry?’ ‘Yeah, I’m hungry. Let’s roll, let’s go.’ ” His friend Jermaine explained that they weren’t hooligans; they just spent their free time on the hunt for junk food. “We didn’t have anything else on the agenda. When we left, we just went to get food,” he says. Bryant added he and his crew would split immediately once the hunger pangs set in, saying, “They wouldn’t see us no more.” “I was starving. I mean, c’mon, I was a buck-20. I needed to eat something. Cafeteria pizza ain’t gonna cut it. It’s just, like, prison food,” he says. “We used to go to McDonald’s, Taco Bell.” Jermaine adds, “When Kobe and I would skip school, you know, we were smooth.” Besides chowing down on whatever Dollar Menu items their heart desired, ditching class had an additional allure: “Think of how cool you are that you’re not at school and everybody else is,” Bryant smiles. “That’s pretty much it.” “When I Was 17” — this week featuring Kobe Bryant, Brooklyn Decker and Candice Accola — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Sneak Preview Of This Week’s ‘When I Was 17’ Related Photos When I Was 17 (Season 2) | Ep. 8 | Kobe Bryant, Brooklyn Decker, Candice Accola

See the rest here:
Kobe Bryant Recalls Fast-Food Trips On ‘When I Was 17’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kobe Bryant Remembers Skipping School On ‘When I Was 17’

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

NBA great recalls ditching class for fast food on latest episode, premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. By Mawuse Ziegbe Kobe Bryant on “When I Was 17” Photo: MTV Sure, Kobe Bryant was already scoring acclaim for his basketball prowess as a high-schooler, but when he was off the court, he was just another teen tired of lame cafeteria food. On the latest episode of “When I Was 17,” premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, the NBA superstar recalls skipping class to stock up on some tasty eats. “I had taken the bulk of my classes my first three years. So my senior year was a pretty easy year. Every day was senior cut day,” he says. “We used to just talk in between breaks or in between periods. [We’d just say] ‘You hungry?’ ‘Yeah, I’m hungry. Let’s roll, let’s go.’ ” His friend Jermaine explained that they weren’t hooligans; they just spent their free time on the hunt for junk food. “We didn’t have anything else on the agenda. When we left, we just went to get food,” he says. Bryant added he and his crew would split immediately once the hunger pangs set in, saying, “They wouldn’t see us no more.” “I was starving. I mean, c’mon, I was a buck-20. I needed to eat something. Cafeteria pizza ain’t gonna cut it. It’s just, like, prison food,” he says. “We used to go to McDonald’s, Taco Bell.” Jermaine adds, “When Kobe and I would skip school, you know, we were smooth.” Besides chowing down on whatever Dollar Menu items their heart desired, ditching class had an additional allure: “Think of how cool you are that you’re not at school and everybody else is,” Bryant smiles. “That’s pretty much it.” “When I Was 17” — this week featuring Kobe Bryant, Brooklyn Decker and Candice Accola — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV Related Videos Sneak Preview Of This Week’s ‘When I Was 17’ Related Photos When I Was 17 (Season 2) | Ep. 8 | Kobe Bryant, Brooklyn Decker, Candice Accola

Follow this link:
Kobe Bryant Remembers Skipping School On ‘When I Was 17’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Justin Bieber Weighs In On Super Bowl Matchup

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

While he likes Lil Wayne’s ‘Green and Yellow’ Packers anthem, he isn’t rooting for either team. By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Sway Calloway Justin Bieber Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News During Sunday’s Super Bowl, we know celebrity fans like Snoop Dogg, Diddy and Wiz Khalifa will be rooting for their beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, and Lil Wayne will be going hard for the Green Bay Packers . However, there’s one superstar who probably won’t care either way which team goes home with the shiny Vince Lombardi Trophy: Justin Bieber. The pop megastar stopped by the MTV Newsroom on Friday (January 4) to chop it up with Sway, and when asked which team he wants to see rule the gridiron Sunday night, the Canadian native admitted that he doesn’t have an allegiance to the Packers or Steelers. “I’m not, like, a fan of either teams,” Bieber conceded. He was similarly noncommittal about who he thought might dominate the field, shrugging, “I don’t know,” when pressed about he thought would win. The football rivalry hasn’t been entirely out of the teen idol’s orbit. Bieber dished that he was feeling Wayne’s recently released Packers tribute “Green and Yellow.” “Did you hear Lil Wayne’s song … ‘Green and Yellow’?” he asked Sway of the New Orleans MC’s remix of Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow.” “I saw it today and I thought that was pretty cool.” Even with each team heading into the championship face-off with dueling hip-hop anthems, Bieber maintained that the final score card won’t faze him. “Either way, whatever team wins, it’s not my team,” he said. While Bieber may not show his sports-fanatic side during the Super Bowl, the “Baby” singer will be seen by millions during the game. The Biebs has teamed up with metal legend Ozzy Osbourne in a futuristic Best Buy ad that the company said in a statement will “showcase creativity and humor to millions of football and advertising fans throughout the country.” Plus, viewers will get an additional dose of Bieber fever when a promo clip for the star’s upcoming 3-D movie “Never Say Never” airs during a post-Super Bowl episode of “Glee.” Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Justin Bieber Related Photos Justin Bieber Interview Related Artists Justin Bieber

Read more:
Justin Bieber Weighs In On Super Bowl Matchup

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,