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Jay-Z Says Jay Electronica Album Is ‘Really Close’

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Him as a lyricist is almost scary. He’s scary good,’ Jigga tells MTV News of his Roc Nation signee. By Rob Markman Jay-Z Photo: MTV News There’s nothing typical about Jay Electronica . In fact, many wondered how the enigmatic MC would fit in with the major-label system at all. Luckily for Jay Elec, his Roc Nation boss Jay-Z is sympathetic to the sensibilities of his creative spirit. “I love that, I want to support that sort of energy. I want people to be creative and not traditional, not just a single [at] this time, this time [and] this time,” Jay-Z told MTV News on Monday, when he was in Philadelphia to announce his two-day Made in America music festival . “You know, he operates at his own time, but the album is really close.” Hov announced in November 2010 that he signed Elect to his budding Roc Nation label. Jigga insisted then that his goal was to “reintroduce magic to hip-hop,” and a year and a half later, the God MC is still excited by the New Orleans rapping wizard. Electronica has long hyped his official debut, Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn), with gleeful tweets, sending periodic updates on the LP’s progress. In March he messaged fans, stating that the wait was finally over and the album was complete, though he made no reference to any release date. “Dear Believers and Patient Supporters. Thank you for your patience and support. The Album will be turned in Tomorrow evening. The wait ends,” he tweeted. Still, when it comes to the “Exhibit C” rapper’s sporadic music-release patterns, there is no telling. In April he dropped “Dear Moleskine.” Before that, in October 2011, it was the Prodigy-assisted “Call of Duty” , and before that, back in November 2010, there was “Shiny Suit Theory.” It’s not a pace traditionally suited for today’s rap race. But Jay-Z assures us that there is an album and that it’s pretty damn good, if he does say so himself. “It’s exactly what it should be — it’s amazing. Him as a lyricist is almost scary. He’s scary good,” Jigga gushed. “I’m doing something to it that’s really untraditional, so we’ll see how it works.” Are you eagerly anticipating Jay Electronica’s debut album? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Jay-Z Jay Electronica

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‘Jersey Shore’ Star Vinny Tells All In ‘Control The Crazy’ Book

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It’s a perfect opportunity to help people now,’ Vinny tells MTV News about his book, which chronicles the star’s battle with anxiety. By Christina Garibaldi Vinny Photo: MTV News “Jersey Shore” fans saw a different side of Vinny Guadagnino during season five, when he opened up his life-long battle with clinical anxiety and temporarily left the show . Now, he’s opening up even more in his tell-all book, “Control the Crazy: My Plan to Stop Stressing, Avoid Drama, and Maintain Inner Cool,” in stores Tuesday. The book reveals why he decided to go public with his disorder and includes tips on how to fight anxiety. Vinny talked to MTV News on Monday (April 16) about the flood of support he has received how surprised he was when he realized he had become a role model. “Every day people were like, ‘Thank you, thank you for putting light on this,’ ” Vinny told MTV News on Monday (April 16). “Cause it’s embarrassing a little bit, because it’s a fearful thing, you don’t know what the hell is happening.” Vinny said “Control the Crazy” is his way of sharing his struggles so that other people can overcome anxiety. “This has always been something I developed for myself and I always said one day I want to share this with people. I don’t know when I’m going to have the courage to come out and say like, ‘Guys, I get stressed out a lot,’ because you don’t want to admit that stuff,” Vinny said. “I didn’t have to make that decision because obviously I went through it on the ‘Jersey Shore’ and everybody saw it, so once that happened was like, ‘You know what? It’s a perfect opportunity to help people now.’ ” And Vinny is the first to admit that even though he returned to finish filming last season, his short break at home wasn’t enough time away to control his anxiety. “Those five days were nothing,” Vinny said of his time back home in Staten Island. “I was in a really bad place and five days isn’t gonna do it, especially to go back in that. I needed two months of sleep.” Yet, Vinny doesn’t regret going back to Seaside to end the summer with his “Jersey Shore” housemates. “Part of healing and going through life in general is getting through tough things,” Vinny said. “No matter how tough it was — I don’t care if it was the worst experience of my life at the time — getting through it is an accomplishment.” Vinny will be back with the rest of the “Jersey Shore” crew, including what will be a very pregnant Snooki , for season six , which begins filming this summer in Seaside. “I’m ready,” Vinny said about getting back to the boardwalk. “I just have to keep working on my program, gotta eat right, stay healthy and just have fun.” For continuing “Jersey Shore” coverage, be sure to check in with MTV’s Remote Control blog.

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‘Glee’ Star Dianna Agron Talks About What’s Next For Quinn

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Tuesday’s episode picks up in the aftermath of a car crash that left fans wondering the fate of Quinn. By Christina Garibaldi Dianna Agron Photo: MTV News The break is finally over for “Glee” fans, who, after a seven-week wait, may finally get their burning questions answered on Tuesday night (April 10). In the closing moments of the February 21 episode, Dianna Agron ‘s character, Quinn, is driving to Rachel and Finn’s wedding when she receives a text message. Her decision to reply resulted in a cringe-worthy crash and left viewers with a shocking cliffhanger . “Well, I knew [the crash] was coming because Ryan [Murphy] called me and said, ‘How do you feel about this?’ ” Agron told MTV News on Monday. “For me, the year after I graduated there were seven teens that died in car-related accidents, it was from drunk driving, texting and speeding … so I did think it was something that was important to be explored and could have an impact on people, so I wasn’t shocked or surprised.” It hasn’t always been easy for Quinn, who gave her baby daughter up for adoption, but it seemed like things were starting to look up for her after she was accepted to Yale and offered her old spot on the cheerleading squad. “I think everybody wants to know what happened because if that’s the last we see of Quinn, it’s very shocking,” Agron said. “But again, I think that the way it turned out to be, I think people will be satisfied with it and hopefully it will resonate with some people.” SPOILERS AHEAD So what happens to Quinn? “Well, they [Fox] released two songs yesterday for the next episode … and that very well might be my voice on those songs, it sounds an awful lot like my voice,” Agron laughed. The actress “has been filming the whole break,” and while she couldn’t give away too many details, she did say that Tuesday’s episode will not pick up exactly where we left off. “It’s not supposed to be the next week, it’s meant to be a couple months later,” she said. “It’s not the immediate aftermath.” Until the finale, “Glee” will chronicle the final days of McKinley’s High’s seniors as they gear up for graduation. “I think it will be fun and interesting for people to keep watching because it’s a lot of our last couple of weeks before graduation and it really explores a lot of that, and those feeling and what that entails,” Agron said. “I just think that everything that one experiences in that time period is what is going on there. For me, it’s nice to know and relive and think about those times.” Yet, what fans really want to know, will we be reliving Finn and Rachel’s wedding? “There’s still a ring!” Agron said Are you excited for the return of “Glee”? Let us know in the comments.

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Diddy ‘Playful But Serious’ About Machine Gun Kelly Arrest

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I talked to Puff today, and he’s like, ‘It’s all good,’ ‘ Bad Boy rapper tells MTV News. By Rob Markman Machine Gun Kelly Photo: MTV News When Diddy first announced that he signed Machine Gun Kelly to Bad Boy Records, he said he wanted the Cleveland, Ohio, breakout to stay “true to himself.” Since the deal, the “Wild Boy” rapper doesn’t seem to have changed very much. And after his arrest for misdemeanor disorderly conduct on Sunday morning, Puff didn’t seem too bent out of shape. “@machinegunkelly where the f— are you at? Are you ok? Do you need Bail or a lawyer?????!! Eveyrone hit him to see if he’s ok,” Diddy wrote jokingly on Twitter . “@machinegunkelly WtF!!!!!! Call me at miami crib now!!!!! Everyone hit him and tell him to call me NOW!!!!! Pls thanks!!!!” “You can tell he’s, like, playful with it, but there’s a serious tone behind [it],” Machine Gun Kelly told MTV News on Monday (January 30) about his boss’ reaction to the incident in a Florida club that led to the arrest. “I talked to Puff today, and he’s like, ‘It’s all good. Do what you do. You did what you had to do.’ ” Diddy was very understanding — that is, until he misread a tweet while on the phone with Kells, which led him to believe his new prot

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‘X Factor’ Judge Simon Cowell ‘Pretty Cool’ To Astro

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

‘Simon knows what he’s talking about,’ former contestant tells MTV News. By Rob Markman Astro Photo: MTV News In a rare moment of self-examination, the typically unwavering Simon Cowell admitted he was wrong. When hip-hop whiz kid Astro refused to perform for his life after being placed in the bottom two during the November 17 episode of “X Factor,” Cowell tore into the 15-year-old MC. But Astro, who was eventually eliminated from the competition weeks later, isn’t holding any grudges. Actually, he thinks Simon — who later admitted he felt “a bit” bad for Astro — is a pretty cool guy overall. “Simon knows what he’s talking about. Everybody has different opinions, so I’m not always 100 percent agreeing with Simon, but it is what it is,” he told MTV News on Monday before giving the reality-show judge his props. “I don’t think he’s a jerk like they portray him on TV; he’s actually pretty cool.” Throughout his run on “X Factor,” the Brooklyn rapper was criticized for his confident and at-times cocky attitude. Still, he isn’t too concerned with what others think. “Everybody has different opinions,” he said. “You can’t really control what this person thinks of your performance or what that person thinks.” A clear standout in the competition, Astro did hit bumps in the road. During the November 17 elimination show, after Cowell came down on the Astronomical Kid, things got tense. “I gotta say, on the night, I was really annoyed, and not for anything else other than for him,” Cowell told MTV News. “And then I watched it back that night, and then I felt sorry for him.” Astro did live to see another day but was eventually eliminated on the November 30 show. Now, the teenage MC is looking forward to completing his mixtape and hopefully signing a deal eventually. “I just want to be in a place where I’m comfortable 100 percent. I just want to be able to release my music, do my movies [and] everything is fair,” he said of his dream deal. “I just want to be able to have fun doing it. I don’t want music to be a job for me; I want it to be something I’m doing for fun. As long it’s not a job, then you’re straight.” Will you follow Astro’s post-“X Factor” career? Let us know in the comments!

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Zachary Quinto ‘Grateful’ For Support After Coming Out

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Star Trek’ actor tells MTV News the response has been ‘enormously supportive — universally, unanimously supportive.’ By Eric Ditzian Zachary Quinto Photo: MTV News Since Zachary Quinto pronounced himself a “gay man” in a New York magazine interview and then took to his blog to pen an explanation about his decision to come out, the “Star Trek” actor has been overwhelmed by the positive response across the Web. “It’s been enormously supportive — universally, unanimously supportive,” he told MTV News on Monday morning (October 17) while promoting his Wall Street drama “Margin Call.” “I’m really grateful for that.” Quinto explained that the recent suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer, a young teen who was the victim of gay bullying, made him realize that he could no longer live a gay life without acknowledging in public that he was, in fact, gay. From the timelines of Twitter to the comments section on his blog, the response to his announcement has been supportive. “I admire your courage for looking inside yourself and realizing what kind of real power you have for making a difference,” one commenter on his blog wrote. While the actor has been an outspoken advocate on gay issues in the past, recording an “It Gets Better” video last fall, Quinto told us he’s now looking forward to diving more fully into the ever-evolving conversation about teen sexuality and bullying. “I feel like I made that declaration so that I can be a part of this conversation moving forward,” he told us. “I did it in my own time, on my own terms, in my own words. That’s exactly the way that I wanted to do it, and I’m really proud of that. When the time is right to continue the conversation forward, I certainly will do that. That’s why I took those steps in the first place.”

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Miranda Cosgrove Calls Best Coast Video Cameo ‘Surreal’

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘She’s really like your best friend,’ the ‘iCarly’ star tells MTV News about ‘Our Deal’ director Drew Barrymore. By Christina Garibaldi Miranda Cosgrove in Best Coast’s Supervideo for “Our Deal” Photo: Mexican Summer On Tuesday (August 2), California punk/pop rockers Best Coast premiered the video for “Our Deal,” a single off their debut album, Crazy for You. The Drew Barrymore-directed vid features a ton of up-and-coming-celeb cameos, from Donald Glover to Miranda Cosgrove. MTV News recently caught up with “iCarly” herself , and she told us the highlight of that very fun shoot was getting to work with Barrymore. “I had a great time,” Cosgrove said. “I’ve been watching Drew Barrymore movies ever since I was really little, so I was nervous to meet her.” Once on set, though, Cosgrove got over any nervousness about working with one of her biggest role models. “She’s really like your best friend,” Cosgrove said. The video, which was shot back in June, takes pages from classic forbidden-love movies like “West Side Story,” “Grease” and “Rebel Without a Cause.” Cosgrove’s co-stars, “Kick Ass” actress Chlo

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Lady Gaga Calls Terry Richardson Book ‘Completely Unfiltered’

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I didn’t hold anything back,’ Gaga tells MTV News about upcoming photo book. By James Montgomery Lady Gaga Photo: MTV News Late last month, Lady Gaga announced she was teaming with photographer/provocateur Terry Richardson to release a hefty coffee-table book, one that features more than 350 photos of the singer taken by Richardson over the course of 10 months. The two have worked together — with appropriately pulse-quickening results — several times in the past, most notably a September 2010 cover shoot for Vogue Hommes Japan that served as a sneak peek of the now-infamous meat dress she wore to the 2010 VMAs, and a clothing-optional campaign for Supreme in February 2011. But if you thought those shots were shocking, well, get ready for the duo’s book, which, as Gaga told MTV News on Monday night in New York, will push things even further. “Terry was with me for [almost] a whole year, and, gosh, I didn’t hold anything back from Terry … he was with me every minute, every moment,” she said. “It’s completely unfiltered. He has photographs of me waking up in the morning, brushing my teeth, in the bathroom, in the bathtub, the shower. And the thing about Terry, if you know anything about his photography, is that nothing is staged; I mean, that’s sort of what he is renowned for. He can get you to do things and he can capture things that no one can ever capture. “What I love so much about Terry is that he thinks everything is so beautiful. I’m always, ‘Oh Terry, get out of here,’ and he’s like, ‘Oh, it’s so beautiful, let me just shoot it,’ ” she continued. “I felt so comfortable with Terry. I love him so much. He’s a really close friend, and I feel really honored that he traveled [with me].” Gaga said the self-titled book (which hits stores November 22) not only showcases her whirlwind life — it follows her from the main stage of Lollapalooza to her Maine rally to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” to the final shows of her Monster Ball Tour in Mexico City — but the lives of her ultra-dedicated fans too. That was as much a goal as the unfettered access was. And, from the sound of things, the book manages to accomplish both. “My favorite thing, honestly, is that [Richardson] loved the fans. He shot the fans the same way he shot me: with no pretense. No ‘Well, she’s put out records and they haven’t.’ None of that. The music was all of ours,” she said. “He would come backstage and he would say, ‘Oh my God, the fans! ‘ And I’d say, ‘I know … I know what you just photographed.’ And he’d say, ‘Baby, wow! ‘ And then he’d film me, like, peeing in a cup and, like, ridiculous things.” Related Photos A Day In The Life Of Lady Gaga Related Artists Lady Gaga

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Lady Gaga ‘Loves’ ‘Born This Way’ Video, Laurieann Gibson Says

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘She’s very proud of it,’ Gaga’s creative director reveals to MTV News. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images Fans have weighed in on Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” video, but how does Mother Monster herself feel about her latest entry into the world of music videos? The video’s creative director and Gaga’s choreographer, Laurieann Gibson, stopped by MTV News on Monday, the same day the Nick Knight-directed clip dropped, and she opened up about Gaga’s reaction to seeing the trippy “Born This Way” . “She loves it! She loves it so much and she’s so happy,” Gibson told us. “She loves it. She watches it all the time. Every time I walk in the dressing room [she says], ‘Ah! Look!’ She’s very proud of it.” Gibson shares that excitement and she said she’s pleased that Gaga and her team are spreading their message of love and acceptance. “I’m happy for her because she’s so fearless,” Gibson explained. “And she works so hard and, for me, those types of artists don’t come around that often.” Those sentiments were mirrored by one of Gaga’s producers, Fernando Garibay , who worked on many of the songs on the upcoming Born This Way. Garibay told us he thinks the video reflects the song’s feel-good message. “Well, I’ve seen pieces. We were privy to watching her make the video and stuff, and as we were watching her do the choreography and everything, we were just blown away, of course,” he said. “It’s amazing. Her talent, I mean, she’s so talented, but in combining the imagery, the dance and how it’s expressed with the song is truly amazing. … I’m still blown away by it. I saw it this morning and I was like, ‘Wow.’ ” What do you think of “Born This Way”? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Lady Gaga Creative Director Laurieann Gibson Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ Video Premieres Related Artists Lady Gaga

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Swizz Beatz Says ‘Pressure Was On’ For Kanye ‘Power’ Remix

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘When he made that announcement, we didn’t have what we had,’ Swizz reveals of ‘Ye’s on-air promise. By Jayson Rodriguez Swizz Beatz Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage Kanye West’s “Power” remix had just as much manpower on the record — ‘Ye, Jay-Z, John Legend, Swizz Beatz — as it did behind the scenes. According to Swizz Beatz, the studio sessions that ultimately led to the production of the number featured not only the aforementioned artists, but also input from Q-Tip, Mos Def and the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams. “Just multiple combinations,” Swizz told MTV News on Monday (August 23). The MCs and producers were all working on each other’s albums as the “Power” remix was being put together. The pressure was on Kanye to deliver after the rapper announced in an interview with Angie Martinez on August 11 that a remix of “Power” featuring Jay-Z would be delivered by that Friday, August 13. “He definitely, definitely was focused,” Swizz said. ” ‘Cause when he made that announcement, we didn’t have what we had. But you know when something feels right and it’s time to let something to go. ” ‘Ye was trying to put it out the best way possible, to give it to the people,” Swizz explained of the delay that followed; the remix arrived a bit later than what Yeezy promised. “And then the day before, the last day, before the remix dropped, it just felt like the song needed to change up. I heard it changing up on something different, something that was already on the beat. And I was trying to explain it, but I didn’t want to go in too much because [Kanye] was writing his verse. But it sparked an idea.” Once work on the track was complete, though, there was little if any lag time from the studio to the airwaves. Swizz said that after they finished the three-part remix — one part Jay and ‘Ye ; one part a solo ‘Ye over slower music; and the third, Swizz’s contribution featuring Snap’s “I’ve Got the Power” — Funkmaster Flex had premiered the track on NY radio station Hot 97, before Swizz had even made it home from the studio. Who would you have wanted to hear jump on a remix of “Power”? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Swizz Beatz Kanye West

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