‘I don’t have anything on my plate other than think-tanking a lot of different ideas for MySpace,’ he tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Justin Timberlake Photo: Getty Images Justin Timberlake has become such a hardworking, multifaceted entertainment personality that it’s become difficult to keep track of all his projects. There’s the music career, which has seemingly been put on hold for the time being; the burgeoning film career, which has taken up most of JT’s time of late; then there are his entrepreneurial efforts, particularly his newly acquired stake in MySpace . When MTV News recently caught up with the very busy jack-of-all-trades as he promoted his new film, “In Time,” we asked him to do a bit of career forecasting for us and reveal what he’s working on next. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that first, he’s going to be hard at work on revamping MySpace and second, he might be planning an actual vacation. “I don’t have anything on my plate other than think-tanking a lot of different ideas for MySpace, which doesn’t require a lot of my literally being present,” Timberlake said. “I can come up with ideas on the golf course. I can come up with ideas on a mountain while I’m snowboarding. Seriously, I don’t have anything on my plate for the rest of the year. I am going to take a vacation. I’m going to find out what a vacation really is.” And in addition to all the exotic-locale-based think-tanking and vacationing, might Timberlake have any free time to pay a visit to his favorite NYC-based variety show, “Saturday Night Live”? “I don’t know,” he said. “Those things are spur-of-the-moment. I don’t have plans to host, but those things are spur-of-the-moment for sure. Even if I had plans, I wouldn’t tell you,” he added with a smile. What do you hope Justin does with MySpace? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Justin Timberlake
Martin takes a unicycle trek through South Africa — dressed as an elephant — in giddy new clip. By James Montgomery Coldplay Photo: Capitol You can add another line to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s rather lengthy list of accomplishments: The man can ride a unicycle. This is the takeaway from Coldplay’s brand-new video for “Paradise” — a standout track on their upcoming Mylo Xyloto album — which premiered Wednesday (October 19) on the band’s site and features Martin, dressed in a plushy elephant costume, embarking on a unicycle trip in South Africa. Among other things, of course. The clip opens with sun-drenched shots of the South African plains, wildebeest silhouetted against the setting sun. We then cut to Martin (as an elephant) jailed against his will in a London zoo but planning an escape. When he finally busts out, he hops on the Tube, makes a beeline for Heathrow Airport and sneaks aboard a plane bound for Johannesburg, his home. After procuring a unicycle (some interpretive dance is involved), he rides through the countryside — at one point removing his elephant head to prove that, yes, it’s him aboard the unicycle — until he discovers his bandmates, who, of course, are also dressed as elephants. We then cut to some actual performance footage from the band’s South African concerts, where they bop and leap (while still wearing those elephant heads), much to the thrill of the audience. The video ends with a gleeful, slo-mo shot of the band sprinting across the plains, in full elephant regalia. And yes, it’s plenty silly. But such is the appeal of Coldplay, certainly one of the biggest bands on the planet and, yet, one unafraid to have a little fun from time to time. And, in a way, it plays perfectly into the “Paradise” lyrics, which are very much about a girl dreaming of escaping her dire situation and disappearing to her own personal heaven. Not to mention the fact that, much like the song’s blissed-out chorus, there is genuine joy in watching the band leaping about in plushy suits while the South African sun beats down upon them. Leave it to Coldplay to make a rather profound point — that we are all caged in some way, and we all long for escape — while still having a laugh too. And leave it to Chris Martin to prove that, even though he’s married to a movie star, has two children, does humanitarian work and fronts one of planet Earth’s hugest rock acts, he still found time to learn how to ride a unicycle. The man is truly capable of anything, it would seem. What do you think of the “Paradise” video? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Coldplay Related Artists Coldplay
JB was inspired by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men — also collaborators on the album — to make a holiday EP. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by James Montgomery Justin Bieber Photo: MTV News Justin Bieber managed to deck the halls and stack the decks when it came to collaborations for his November 1 holiday album, Under the Mistletoe, with everyone from Mariah Carey and Usher to Boyz II Men and the Band Perry — and even Busta Rhymes! — popping up on the record. And some of those collaborators are even behind the idea for Bieber making a Christmas album in the first place, as he revealed to us during Tuesday’s “MTV First” premiere of his “Mistletoe” video . “I love Boyz II Men’s Christmas album, I love Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, and luckily enough, I got them both on my album,” he said. “So that was amazing. I wanted to make a Christmas album that everyone would remember. Those are albums that people remember, so to have them be able to collaborate with me was incredible.” Another collabo Bieber is excited about is his version of “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” with mentor Usher, which he revealed Wednesday (October 19) on Facebook would be the next single to arrive. Bieber thanked his fans for their support of the “Mistletoe” video, writing, “u guys got it to #1 worldwide. … and next tuesday we are putting out THE CHRISTMAS SONG (Chesnuts) with Usher!!” The song is a mixed bag of original tunes as well as brand-new songs Bieber hopes will one day become classics. “I just picked my favorite Christmas songs. I picked ‘Silent Night,’ I picked ‘Santa [Claus Is] Coming to Town,’ because everyone loves those songs. Those are classics,” he said. “They get people excited for Christmas,” he continued. “And then, for songs that we wrote, we wanted to make enough new songs for people to hear new music and not just hear some classics. There’s a lot of new stuff on there.” Considering that the holidays are the perfect time to give back, portions of the sales from the album will go to charities like Pencils of Promise and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. But Bieber isn’t waiting until then to give back: “We donated $10,000 to the food bank where I grew up, and I used to actually get food from there,” he said. “It was an incredible feeling, just because they were needing a lot of stuff, and it made me feel good.” What’s your favorite Christmas album? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Artists Justin Bieber
‘I really don’t want to go anywhere,’ Drake tells MTV News of rumblings that he’s ready to leave Lil Wayne’s label. By Rob Markman Drake Photo: MTV News Drake made quite a few headlines when he announced his upcoming Club Paradise Tour at the top of October, though it might not have been the press he was looking for. When Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky, two non-Young Money artists, were revealed as the tour’s other acts, rumors began to swirl that Drake is unhappy and wants to leave Lil Wayne ‘s label. “I never really know where those rumors stem from,” Drake told MTV News. “I’m really happy at Young Money; I really don’t want to go anywhere. Me and Wayne have a great relationship.” With the lesser-known Room for Improvement and Comeback Season mixtapes under his belt, Drake caught Weezy’s attention through a mutual friend and was invited out on tour with the YM boss several months before releasing his breakout tape, So Far Gone. Under Wayne’s tutelage, Drizzy Drake became a star, but as big as he’s gotten, he still salutes the man who put him in prime position. “At the end of the day, that’s my boss. I’m his soldier. I’m cool with that. I’m good with that,” he said. “That’s the role I want to play. He put me here.” In a separate interview with MTV News, Wayne gave Drake his full support and offered Take Care a glowing endorsement “I can tell, you know, I don’t know nothing else out there that can touch it, including my stuff. That kid is on another planet,” he said of Drake’s upcoming album. The OVO general also pointed out the Young Money artists’ ability to co-exist with one another, despite all the individual success, counting Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Tyga and the rest of the crew as friends. But Drake also has another group of friends, guys he grew up with in his native Toronto. When he drops Take Care on November 15, through his music, Drake will introduce you to his other crew. “I spent a lot of time out there [in Toronto]; that’s what this album is about. That’s what I’m gonna showcase,” Drake explained. “It’s the same thing with the tour: I wanna bring Kendrick, I wanna bring A$AP. Those are guys that I love. “It has nothing to do with people on my label,” he continued. “Tyga’s out, Nicki’s working on an album, and everybody is doing their thing on the road with Wayne or with Wayne in the studio, so I just sort of showcased the music that I happen to love right now, and those are the two guys that I’m bringing out.” Is Drake a Young Money lifer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Drake Related Artists Drake Lil Wayne Kendrick Lamar
Chris Marrs Piliero opens up to MTV News about working with non-actor Jason Trawick in new video. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa WhiteWolf Jason Trawick and Britney Spears in “Criminal” Photo: Jive Britney Spears certainly had everyone talking when she dropped her steamy “Criminal” video . Sure, fans were talking about the sex and gunplay, but they were also going bananas over the appearance of Brit’s real-life boyfriend, Jason Trawick, who plays her criminally handsome beau in the clip. The idea to include Trawick in the video was all Britney’s, but director Chris Marrs Piliero wasn’t sure he was so into it. “When she first hit me up, she had a basic story in mind, and she actually always originally planned to have Jason, her boyfriend, play the role, and I wasn’t super stoked on that idea at first, actually,” he told MTV News. Most of his reservations were because Trawick isn’t a professional actor and he wasn’t sure his rookie acting skills would translate well in the mini-movie. “I wanted to make a really rad, epic video, and I definitely got the sense from her she wanted something really cool,” he explained. “And in my mind, I was just thinking then, ‘We really should not be using your boyfriend; we should get an actor.’ So, I mean, I didn’t say that, but in the back of my mind, I’m like, ‘I don’t like this idea at all.’ ” Trawick and his abs, however, managed to impress Piliero — and Britney loyalists everywhere. “At the end of the day, Jason killed it. That was one of those things I was really stoked [about], as much as I went into it like, ‘Wow, he’s not an actor. This is going to be interesting,’ but I really do like a challenge, and I really do like the idea that I’m a director and my job is to direct and get the performance. For me, it was a fun challenge to be like, ‘I’m gonna make sure that you are awesome,’ and he was.” Piliero also worked with Spears on her video for “I Wanna Go,” and he was once again dazzled by her sassy acting skills. “Of course, Britney was rad,” he said. “She does a good job at nailing and doing the little acting thing. She’s cool at it.” What did you think of the “Criminal” video? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Artists Britney Spears
‘We made an album we’re really proud of and now we get to watch it fly,’ Amy Lee tells MTV News. By James Montgomery Amy Lee of Evanescence Photo: MTV News On Wednesday (October 19), Evanescence officially completed their comeback when it was announced that their self-titled third album would top next week’s Billboard albums chart , with sales of more than 127,000 copies. It’s the band’s second-consecutive #1 debut: As any Ev fan surely knows, their last was five years ago, when The Open Door bowed atop the charts in 2006. And in the time since, they’ve shed members, gone on a hiatus and, as frontwoman Amy Lee told MTV News , very nearly called it quits entirely. So you can certainly understand why Lee and her bandmates are feeling so happy today. In an e-mail to MTV News, the singer decided to share a bit of that happiness with us and with Evanescence’s fanbase. “What can I say, we’re thrilled about it!” she wrote. “We made an album that we’re really proud of and now we get to watch it fly. We weren’t expecting this and we’re just so grateful to our fans.” It’s certainly been a long road back. After coming back together, Evanescence holed up with producer Nick Raskulinecz in Nashville and unveiled the fruits of that labor to MTV News in July. They then premiered the first single, “What You Want,” live on MTV in August and played a raucous release-day show in Los Angeles last week. They’ll play a run of U.S. and U.K. shows until early November, and, armed with a #1 album, they’re planning a full-blown Stateside tour in early January. Related Videos MTV First: Evanescence Related Artists Evanescence
‘The point we were actually trying to push was that Taylor is irresistible to virtually everyone,’ mag says in a statement. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Lautner Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic In a recent interview with GQ Australia, the subject of Taylor Lautner’s sexuality came up and, despite his publicist telling him not to answer personal questions, the “Twilight” star set the record very much straight. The writer asked Lautner if his recent dinner companions — director Gus Van Sant and “Milk” writer Dustin Lance Black, both gay — had hit on him during the meal. “It’s not a coincidence that there was a writer, a director and an actor at dinner,” he explained, as reported by E! News . “No, definitely not. I think they know I’m straight. But they’re great guys. They’re a lot of fun.” Days after the interview made its way online; Black took to his blog to weigh in on the magazine’s line of questioning. “Really Mr. GQ writer? I’m curious, will you be asking all of the handsome actors I’ve ever had the privilege of working with or meeting if I made passes at them as well?” he wrote. “I’d love to be there when you ask Sean Penn that same question. Or, Mr. GQ writer, were you projecting your own unprofessional desires onto me and Gus? Perhaps? Or worse still, are you a homophobe? “Above and beyond this clear attack on my character, I’m shocked that GQ would allow their writer to lean on the scurrilous, outdated stereotype that gay men are by nature sexual predators,” he continued. “I mean, would you have asked this same question if it were Diablo Cody and Kathryn Bigelow at dinner with Mr. Lautner? Leaning on lies, myths and stereotypes about gay people is hateful, harmful and outdated.” It seemed the backlash from Black, as well as Internet commenters, was enough for the magazine to issue an apology on its Facebook page. “We’ve seen some of the comments floating around regarding our recent interview with Taylor Lautner and apologise if anyone was offended by anything in the article. It certainly wasn’t our intention to paint anyone in the story as a sexual predator,” the statement reads. “The point we were actually trying to push was that Taylor is irresistible to virtually everyone — regardless of sexuality or gender. Hence the film crew cheering at his shirtless scenes while shooting ‘Twilight,’ and Mark Wahlberg deeming him better looking than Leonardo DiCaprio.” The statement argues that they initially wanted to include Lautner as their cover boy because he defines the GQ man and meant no harm. “Taylor is an extraordinary young gentleman, and we can’t wait to see him achieve even greater success in the future. That’s why he’s on our cover — because GQ Australia prides itself on offering readers the best possible advice and insights that help you be modern, successful gentlemen,” it reads. “Whether you’re into fashion, food, fitness, pop culture, politics, travel, technology or cars, GQ Australia strives to provide you with top-quality editorial content that allows you to make your own discerning choices.” Do you think the GQ writer was out of line? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos MTV First: Taylor Lautner
Debut album from ‘American Idol’ runner-up Lauren Alaina enters chart at #5. By Gil Kaufman Evanescence Photo: Wind-up Records Amy Lee and Evanescence will be back in a familiar place next week with their first album in five years. Evanescence’s self-titled effort will hit #1 on the Billboard 200 on sales of 127,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. While impressive, the sales were less than half of what the band’s 2006 sophomore album, The Open Door, sold (447,000) in its first week in 2006. Hard rockers Five Finger Death Punch lock down the #3 slot with American Capitalist (91,000), easily besting “American Idol” runner-up Lauren Alaina, whose Wildflower hits the chart at #5 on sales of 69,000. Also debuting in the top 10 are Ryan Adams ‘ 13th effort, Ashes & Fire, which sold 49,000 copies, and country star Martina McBride , whose Eleven sneaks in at #10 (40,000). Rounding out the top 10: Adele , 21 (#2, 111,000); “Idol” champ Scotty McCreery ‘s debut, Clear as Day (down 55 percent in its second week to #4 on 88,000); Tony Bennett , Duets II (#6, 55,000); Lady Antebellum , Own the Night (#8, 47,000); and Lil Wayne , Tha Carter IV (#9, 45,000). In a week when most of the hold-over in the top 15 lost ground, the only gainer is Foster the People ‘s five-month-old debut, Torches, which is up 19 percent to #12 (27,000). Joe Jonas ‘ debut solo album, Fastlife, pops in at #15 (18,000) and the soundtrack to the shoots up 120 spots to #16 as sales soared by more than 400 percent to 18,000. Further down the line, Icelandic conundrum Bj
We take a look at Coldplay’s least subtle — and perhaps finest — album ever, in Bigger Than the Sound. By James Montgomery Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto Photo: Parlophone Records You can accuse Coldplay of being many things — mawkish, maudlin, bland, boring, grandiose, geeky, preachy, polished, M.O.R., A.O.R., E.L.O. — and more often than not, their (countless) critics do just that. You cannot, however, accuse them of being subtle. Not ever. That’s OK, though. None of the hugest bands on the planet (the U2s, Linkin Parks, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.) are practiced in the art of subtlety. It is simply not in their nature. Instead, they deal in universal themes, paint with the broadest of brushstrokes. That is, one could reasonably assume, at least partially why they are so popular: They make music that is massive and, of course, for the masses. I mention all that not to slag Coldplay, a band I actually like very much , but to A) point out that they have never focused on the smaller aspects of life (their first hit, “Yellow,” opened with the line, “Look at the stars/ Look how they shine for you,” and even their most delicate singles — stuff like “The Scientist” and “Fix You” and “Clocks” — could casually be described as “arena-size”) and B) to defuse any and all criticisms of their latest album, Mylo Xyloto, which is very fine indeed but is not in any conceivable way a subtle thing. And, again, that’s just fine with me. My favorite thing about Coldplay has always been their willingness to experiment, to push the boundaries of what a (very) major-label rock band can and should do. They work with Brian Eno (who is credited with “Enoxification and additional composition” on Xyloto ) Jay-Z and Jon Hopkins; they put Baudot Code on their album covers; and they are constantly, occasionally frustratingly, trying very hard to be overly complex. Sometimes, like on 2009’s Viva la Vida , they try to do too much, which dulls the impact of their tunes. On Xyloto, due Tuesday (October 18), that is not the case. This is precision-honed Coldplay, which seems like an odd thing to say about a vaguely conceptual album that spans 14 tracks and features more electronic wallop than a dozen Creamfields, more skyward guitars than a million planetarium shows and more vocal chants than a season at Old Trafford. Oh, and Rihanna too . And yet, it all works. The biggest moments, like “Paradise,” “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,” “Princess of China” (that’s the RiRi track) and “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart,” pile each of those elements on with aplomb, and the results are gloriously giddy and appropriately anthemic. The several musical interludes on the disc show the Eno influence, each mercury-slick and slipstream shiny (they also serve as excellent onramps to those bigger tunes). And the few quiet moments on Xyloto, like the acoustic “U.F.O.” and album-closing “Up With the Birds,” draw maximum emotional impact out of minimal dynamic (and, as all quiet songs should be, are genuinely pretty too). Of course, Mylo Xyloto is also Coldplay’s most electronic album, a fact that may bother some of their more centrist fans. But it’s also their most adventurous, their most gigantic and, at least in terms of both of those things, their most impactful. And that, in and of itself, sets it far apart from most of the other major-label rock albums released this year, or any year. You can continue to criticize them all you want, but that just means you’ve never listened to their albums. With Xyloto, Coldplay have pulled off the rather impossible feat of expanding their repertoire while, at the same time, honing their focus. And that’s a lot more difficult to pull off than subtlety, whether you’re the smallest band in the world or the biggest. What do you think of Coldplay’s new music? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Bigger Than The Sound: Stories Behind The Bands
On the upcoming Under the Mistletoe, JB also teams up with Busta Rhymes for a ‘genius’ take on ‘Little Drummer Boy.’ By James Montgomery Justin Bieber Photo: MTV News Justin Bieber ‘s upcoming Under the Mistletoe album — you know, the one powered by Christmas cookies and promoted by the first single, “Mistletoe” — also features more than its fair share of eye-opening collaborations. That’s counting Bieber’s mentor Usher (who appears on a version of “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”), Boyz II Men, the Band Perry and, rather amazingly, Busta Rhymes , who teams up with JB on an updated take of “Little Drummer Boy.” As Bieber told MTV News during the live stream that followed the premiere of his “Mistletoe” video , the Busta collaboration is one he’ll always remember … mostly because he considers it to be quite brilliant. “If you really think about it, it’s genius, because it’s rapping on a Christmas album … and, like, I’m rapping on it. And then it’s singing,” he explained. “It’s cool. [Busta’s] got, like, a percussive voice to him [and] the beat was so crazy. I’m actually playing drums on that song, playing the snare.” And then, of course, there’s his collabo with none other than Mariah Carey , on a version of her instant-classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” If you thought he was blown away by his Busta team-up, well, you haven’t heard anything yet. And he owes it all to none other than Randy Jackson. “Mariah Carey is doing it with me! It’s incredible. So excited,” he said of “All I Want.” “We wanted Mariah from the beginning, but we kind of thought it was really hard, so we didn’t really push the idea. But she’s on my label, so we reached out to some people, she got in contact with us, and Randy Jackson was actually at the studio with us, and I was like, ‘Yo, you think you can help get Mariah on the Christmas album?’ And he was like, ‘I’m actually going to see her in New York on Monday,’ and I was like ‘Yo, go do that!’ ” Which Bieber Christmas collabo are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber
