In the rap beef universe, “wins” are almost always a matter of opinion. And here’s yet another “win” to be debated. Almost four months after their “Watch the Throne” album bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the superstar set by Jay-Z and Kanye West yields its first Hot 100 top 10, as “Ni**as in Paris” roars 15-8 with Digital Gainer honors. The track bounds 17-5 on Digital Songs (113,000, up 68%) after the duo performed it on the 16th annual “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,” broadcast Nov. 29 on CBS. With the jump, “Throne” generates its first Hot 100 top 10 after “H*A*M” (included on the album after its January release) reached No. 29; “Otis,” featuring the late Otis Redding, rose to No. 12; and, “Who Gon Stop Me” peaked at No. 44. The set has sold 1.1 million copies. As “Paris” climbs, Jay-Z nets his 18th Hot 100 top 10, passing Lil Wayne and Ludacris (17 each) for the most top 10s among rappers in the chart’s archives. West tallies his 14th top 10 with the advance. So “yay, Hov,” right? Except a) we’re not quite sure how this is the first top ten single from “Watch The Throne” and b) “The Carter IV” already has three top ten singles. But again, all of these “victories” are debatable. Source
‘It is my personal way of seeing things. I am the artist of my own life,’ Gaga says of her self-directed video. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga in her “Marry the Night” music video Photo: Interscope/ VEVO Lady Gaga exorcises her demons in her nearly 14-minute-long clip for “Marry the Night,” which premiered Thursday night. Depicting Gaga’s journey from an early career trauma to her reinvention as a successful pop star, she intended for art to imitate life in the clip. For those wondering what left Gaga so traumatized, she explained it all to E! News preceding the video’s premiere. The video is a metaphor for how she felt when she was dropped from her first record label, Island Def Jam, before landing at her current home at Interscope. “It was one of the worst days of my life and it happened quite quickly. But in my mind, when I think back on that period of my life, it all happened very slow,” she explained. “It is my personal way of seeing things. I am the artist of my own life. I choose to tell you what happened,” she continued. “If you give up after something like that, you were never destined to be an entertainer.” In the video , after hearing from her ballet director that she should quit, she restructures her goal and plots her rise to pop stardom. “In order to be great writing music or at fishing or at being a mechanic or designing buildings, you have to acknowledge what is wrong with your work, or what is dishonest about it,” she said. “What have I not been really great at?” Those obstacles, she says, are a big part of what makes her who she is now. “I love the obstacles,” she said. “To marry your obstacles means I, the artist, wholeheartedly accept everything you throw at me. I am destined to struggle, I am destined to write music about the struggle and I accept it willingly.” There are several scenes where Gaga is naked and experiencing a mental breakdown in her apartment. “Well, I was naked in real life when it happened,” she said, referring to the moment she found out she’d been dropped. “That’s probably the most honest moment in that video of everything I’ve ever done. My directorial decision was for them to just f—ing roll the cameras, because I couldn’t go in and out of the moment. I wonder if I will actually release that scene in its entirety — it’s about 30 minutes long.” “It was intensely important to me that it was not too beautiful,” she added. “It was an incredible experience. It was amazing. It was absolutely amazing.” This marks the first time that Gaga has directed a video all on her own. She recently split from her longtime creative director Laurieann Gibson , however, she clarified how the Haus works during the interview. “I have always been the creative director, and the Haus of Gaga has always been the creative force behind what we’ve done. There really aren’t many tremendous changes. “I know it’s my directorial debut, but I’ve really created everything I’ve ever done in my career,” she continued. “I really didn’t do anything differently on this video that I didn’t do on the ‘Telephone’ video or the ‘Paparazzi’ video or the ‘Bad Romance’ video. I hope my fans will take from this the progression that you have to trust yourself to make mistakes.” While the subject matter of the video is dark, there are also some tongue-in-cheek moments. “I always believe that you walk the line of humor if you’re being so incredibly serious,” she explained. “There’s something quite comical about the opening of the video, even though it’s quite sinister and dark,” she said. “It’s meant to be comical.” So, how would Gaga sum it all up? “In essence, it’s insight into my entire creative process and the way that I view things,” she said. Related Artists Lady Gaga
Best New Artist nominees ‘really honored to represent country.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias The Band Perry Photo: MTV News The Band Perry is up for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards this February. They are up against some stiff competition in the form of Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver, J. Cole and Skrillex. With artists from such a wide range of musical styles making the final cut, the category sets up one of the year’s most-interesting contests. The group’s leading lady spoke to MTV News on Wednesday night backstage at the Grammy Nominations Concert in Los Angeles, where artists including Lady Gaga took the stage . “Our parents were here with us tonight, so we all hugged, and I cried a little bit, and the second thing that popped into my mind was, ‘What a diverse category!’ ” Kimberly Perry shared. “There’s so many genres represented just in the new artist batch, and we’re just really, really honored to represent country in that.” The band, composed of three siblings, has been getting attention in the mainstream thanks to the success of their self-titled album, released in October 2010, and its breakthrough hit “If I Die Young,” a ballad about the perils of, well, dying young. But, the group was less focused on the morose and more focused on Nicki Minaj when they chatted with us. Think Beyonc
From Taylor Swift’s major-category shutout to the army of collaborators on Kanye’s ‘All of the Lights,’ we take a closer look at this year’s nods. By Gil Kaufman Kanye West Photo: Flanigan/ Getty Images The big headline out of Wednesday night’s “Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!” event was that Kanye West came away with the night’s gaudiest number at seven nods. He bested heavily tipped Grammy bait Adele , who scored six, tying her with veteran rockers Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars , with Lil Wayne and party-starting DJ Skrillex just behind at five. Yes, there were some surprises, such as Justin Vernon’s sedate folkie solo project Bon Iver snagging four nominations and British tweed revivalists Mumford & Sons rolling up an equal amount. But it’s some of the other facts and figures we were more interested in. So enjoy the 2011 Grammy nominations, by the numbers: 0 : Number of major nominations scored by Taylor Swift for her smash Speak Now album. She did pull down three nods for Best Country Album and Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for “Mean.” 4 : Grammy nominations for the coaches from NBC reality singing show “The Voice,” Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine. 0 : Grammy nods for the judges (Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger) on “American Idol” and “The X Factor.” 6 : Age Rihanna was in 1994 when the first Foo Fighters album was released. RiRi is up against the veteran rockers in the Album of the Year category, where Dave Grohl (42) and company are the elder statesmen in a race where none of the competition cross the three-decade mark: Bruno Mars (26), Adele (23) and Lady Gaga (25). Think Beyonc
We take a look at the surprises — and outright outrages — of the Grammy nominations, in Bigger Than the Sound. By James Montgomery Lady Gaga Photo: Leon Neal/AFP Here’s about all you need to know about the nominations for the 54th Grammy Awards , which were announced Wednesday night in Los Angeles: Bon Iver got more of them (4) than Lady Gaga did (3). So did Mumford & Sons, Radiohead and Skrillex. Call it the residual effects of Arcade Fire’s Album of the Year triumph at the previous Grammys or perhaps the first creaks of a seismic shift in voter tastes, but there’s definitely something going on with this year’s field of nominees … it’s just difficult to say exactly what. Because, sure Gaga got shunted. But Kanye didn’t. In fact, he’s this year’s most-nominated artist, collecting seven of them (though his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, by all accounts a commercial and critical success, failed to pick up an Album of the Year nod) in a move by the Grammy voters that certainly poked a lot of holes in what everyone believed would be the story line of these awards: Namely, that women would dominate, since, you know, they’ve basically done that on the charts all year long. Adele, who you’ve probably heard of (and whose 21 album you probably own), ended up snagging six nods, including Album, Record and Song of the Year. But most expected her to get more, or at least be the most-nominated act. Instead, she’s tied with a bunch of dudes ( Bruno Mars and those old Grammy faves the Foo Fighters) in second. Nicki Minaj ended up with five noms, while Rihanna — who is usually the one left out at these kinds of shows — got four. And then the drop off begins. Taylor Swift, who won Album of the Year not too long ago, and whose Speak Now sold a million copies in a week, was shut out of the so-called “Big Four” categories and ended up with just three nominations total, all of which came in the country categories. Katy Perry, who has three #1 singles to her name this year, earned two noms. So did Beyonc
The 2012 Grammy nominations are in! Kanye West leads the pack with 7 nominations, but the ladies are doing well also, with Rihanna following quickly behind with 6 nods. Adele is up for 5 awards, and Nicki Minaj has the chance at winning 3 statues. Momma-to-be Beyonce is only up for 1 this year, but we’re sure next winter will be different! Music’s biggest night will air live from L.A.’s Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. on CBS. TOP AWARDS Album Of The Year Loud , Rihanna 21 , Adele Born This Way , Lady Gaga Doo-Wops & Hooligans , Bruno Mars Wasting Light , Foo Fighters Record Of The Year (Given to artist & producers) Rolling In the Deep , Adele Firework, Katy Perry Grenade, Bruno Mars Holocene , Bon Iver The Cave , Mumford & Sons Song Of The Year (Given to writer) All of the Lights (performed by Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie) Rolling In the Deep (performed by Adele) Grenade (performed by Bruno Mars) The Cave (performed by Mumford & Sons) Holocene (performed by Bon Iver) Best New Artist Nicki Minaj J. Cole The Band Perry Bon Iver Skrillex R&B R&B Album F.A.M.E. , Chris Brown Love Letter , R. Kelly Pieces of Me , Ledisi Kelly , Kelly Price Second Chance , El DeBarge R&B Song (Given to writer) Far Away (performed by Marsha Ambrosius) Fool For You (performed by Cee Lo Green and Melanie Fiona) Not My Daddy (performed by Kelly Price and Stokley) Pieces of Me (performed by Ledisi) You Are (performed by Charlie Wilson) R&B Performance Far Away , Marsha Ambrosius Pieces of Me , Ledisi Not My Daddy , Kelly Price and Stokley Is This Love , Corinne Bailey Rae You Are , Charlie Wilson Traditional R&B Performance Fool for You , Cee Lo Green and Melanie Fiona Radio Message , R. Kelly Sometimes I Cry , Eric Benét Good Man , Raphael Saadiq Surrender , Betty Wright and The Roots POP Pop Vocal Album Loud , Rihanna 21 , Adele The Lady Killer , Cee Lo Green Born This Way , Lady Gaga Doo-Wops & Hooligans , Bruno Mars Pop Solo Performance Someone Like You , Adele Yoü And I , Lady Gaga Grenade , Bruno Mars Firework , Katy Perry F***in’ Perfect , Pink Pop Duo/Group Performance Paradise , Coldplay Moves Like Jagger , Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera Body and Soul , Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse Dearest , The Black Keys Pumped Up Kicks , Foster the People Traditional Pop Vocal Album Duets II , Tony Bennett and various artists The Gift , Susan Boyle In Concert on Broadway , Harry Connick Jr. Music Is Better Than Words , Seth MacFarlane What Matters Most , Barbra Streisand RAP Rap Album Watch the Throne , Jay-Z and Kanye West Pink Friday , Nicki Minaj My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , Kanye West Tha Carter IV , Lil Wayne Lasers , Lupe Fiasco Rap Song (Given to writer) Look At Me Now (performed by Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes) Otis (performed by Jay-Z and Kanye West) All of the Lights (performed by Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie) Black and Yellow (performed by Wiz Khalifa) I Need A Doctor (performed by Dr. Dre, Eminem and Skylar Grey) The Show Goes On (performed by Lupe Fiasco) Rap Performance Look At Me Now , Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes Otis , Jay-Z and Kanye West Moment 4 Life , Nicki Minaj and Drake Black and Yellow , Wiz Khalifa The Show Goes On , Lupe Fiasco Rap/Sung Collaboration Party , Beyoncé and André 3000 I’m on One , DJ Khaled, Drake, and Lil Wayne I Need A Doctor , Dr. Dre, Eminem and Skylar Grey What’s My Name? , Rihanna and Drake Motivation , Kelly Rowland and Lil Wayne All of the Lights , Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie DANCE Dance Recording Raise Your Weapon , Deadmau5 and Greta Svabo Bech Barbra Streisand , Duck Sauce Sunshine , David Guetta and Avicii Call Your Girlfriend , Robyn Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites , Skrillex Save the World , Swedish House Mafia Dance/Electronica album Nothing But the Beat , David Guetta Body Talk, Pt. 3 , Robyn Zonoscope , Cut/Copy 4×4=12 , Deadmau5 Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites , Skrillex ROCK Rock Album Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul , Jeff Beck Wasting Light , Foo Fighters Come Around Sundown , Kings of Leon I’m With You , Red Hot Chili Peppers The Whole Love , Wilco Rock Song (Given to writer) The Cave (performed by Mumford & Sons) Down By the Water (performed by The Decemberists) Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall (performed by Coldplay) Lotus Flower (performed by Radiohead) Walk (performed by Foo Fighters) Rock Performance Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall , Coldplay Down By the Water , The Decemberists Walk , Foo Fighters The Cave , Mumford & Sons Lotus Flower , Radiohead Hard Rock/Metal Performance On the Backs of Angels , Dream Theater White Limo , Foo Fighters Curl of the Burl , Mastodon Public Enemy No. 1 , Megadeth Blood In My Eyes , Sum 41 Alternative Album Bon Iver , Bon Iver Codes and Keys , Death Cab for Cutie Torches , Foster the People Circuital , My Morning Jacket The King of Limbs , Radiohead COUNTRY Country Album Speak Now , Taylor Swift My Kinda Party , Jason Aldean Chief , Eric Church Own the Night , Lady Antebellum Red River Blue , Blake Shelton Here for A Good Time , George Strait Country Song (Given to writer) Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not (performed by Thompson Square) God Gave Me You (performed by Blake Shelton) Just Fishin’ (performed by Trace Adkins) Mean (performed by Taylor Swift) Threaten Me With Heaven (performed by Vince Gill) You and Tequila (performed by Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter) Country Solo Performance Dirt Road Anthem , Jason Aldean I’m Gonna Love You Through It , Martina McBride Honey Bee , Blake Shelton Mean , Taylor Swift Mama’s Song , Carrie Underwood Country Duo/Group Performance Don’t You Wanna Stay , Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson You and Tequila , Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter Barton Hollow , The Civil Wars Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not , Thompson Square OTHER Producer (non-classical) The Smeezingtons Ryan Tedder Danger Mouse Paul Epworth Butch Vig Read more about the 2012 Grammy Award nominees by clicking here. RELATED: 2011 Grammys Red Carpet [PHOTOS] 53rd Grammy Awards Performances [VIDEO] Aretha Franklin Releases Statement On Fantasia Boycotting The Grammy’s Steve Stoute Says Grammys Are Out Of Touch With Popular Culture
He’s won a Tony Award (for Red ) and held his own onscreen opposite everyone from Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon ( The Good Shepherd ) to Julianne Moore ( Savage Grace ) to Cate Blanchett ( Elizabeth: The Golden Age ). But there’s something about Eddie Redmayne’s role in My Week With Marilyn — as Colin Clark, a glorified film-set gofer mediating the relationship between Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and her Prince and the Showgirl co-star and director Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) — that hints at just the right screen role at just the right time.
It’s that time of year for the Independent Spirit Awards to recognize the best and brightest indie films. Today, the panel announced their nominations with The Artist and Take Shelter leading the pack with five nods each. Click ahead and start placing bets on who will take home the awards this February.
‘Twilight’ flick stays on top, besting family fare including ‘Muppets,’ ‘Hugo.’ By Ryan J. Downey Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in “Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” Photo: Summit Entertainment The reemergence of Kermit and his pals wasn’t enough to knock Bella Swan and her new husband off the box-office throne. remained the #1 movie in America over the long holiday weekend as the romantic vampires-and-werewolves flick fended off competition from PG-rated newcomers “Arthur Christmas” and “Hugo.” The second-to-last “Twilight” movie generated an additional $62.3 million from Wednesday to Sunday for an overall domestic total of $221.3 million, according to estimates released by Summit Entertainment. Despite suffering from the same critical drubbing typically inflicted upon “Twilight” movies, “Breaking Dawn” triumphed against a trio of well-reviewed flicks with broad family appeal. Comedic actor Jason Segel’s “Muppets” debuted with $42 million over the five-day period. The celebrity-cameo-filled revival of the beloved television and movie franchise opened much more strongly than previous Muppet movies. Even with adjustments for ticket-price inflation, the newest “Muppets” overtook 1996’s “Muppet Treasure Island,” the previous series’ strongest box-office debut. The reboot of sorts was a labor of love for co-writer and star Segel, who made his adoration for felt puppets clear in 2008’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” “Happy Feet 2” was the #3 movie over the weekend. But with a production budget nearly triple that of “The Muppets,” the animated sequel’s $44 million gross ($18.5 million of which was collected over the weekend) couldn’t keep the Australian digital production facility that worked on the movie from laying off 600 of its 700 employees, according to a report from Australian film news site . “Arthur Christmas” opened far behind “The Muppets” at #4 with just $17 million. The 3-D movie, from the British animation house behind “Wallace & Gromit,” cost Sony Pictures an estimated $100 million to produce. Aardman Animations’ “Flushed Away” and “Chicken Run” earned more in their respective three-day opening weekends than the five-day total for their latest movie. Despite playing on 2,000 fewer screens than “Arthur Christmas,” Martin Scorsese’s live-action 3-D love letter to classic cinema, “Hugo,” was #5 with $15.4 million. The filmmaker best known for violent adult dramas like “Goodfellas” based his first foray into family fare on the popular children’s book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” Roughly 75 percent of the film’s grosses were reportedly from pricier 3-D screenings, according to Paramount. “Hugo” played at 1277 venues and is scheduled to expand to 2000 on December 9. The weekend wasn’t without Oscar-bait dramas for adults. The Weinstein Company’s “My Week With Marilyn” made $2 million in 244 theaters while the company’s black-and-white silent film, “The Artist,” made $210,000 in just four New York and Los Angeles theaters. The box office was down 12 percent overall from the same period last year, when “Tangled” was new in theaters against a “Harry Potter” movie and “MegaMind.” “Tangled” was #1 with $68.7 million compared to the $62.3 million made by “Breaking Dawn.” Check out everything we’ve got on and “The Muppets.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet MTV Rough Cut: Kristen Stewart MTV Rough Cut: Robert Pattinson
It was definitely all about R&B music at the 2011 edition of the Soul Train Awards , and there were more performances than awards given! Performers included The Time, Joe, Robin Thicke, Common, Marsha Ambrosius, Kenny Lattimore, Dave Hollister, Freddie Jackson, Gladys Knight, Mindless Behavior, Tamar Braxton, Chrisette Michele, Anthony Hamilton, BeBe Winans, Boney James, Mary Mary, Natalie Cole, Cee Lo Green, Melanie Fiona, Lloyd, Eric Benet and Joe. Plus, there was a Heavy D tribute featuring Doug E. Fresh, Goodie M.O.B., Naughty By Nature, Whodini, Big Daddy Kane and Kurtis Blow. Here’s a look at this year’s winners… Best New Artist Award Miguel Album Of The Year Award Chris Brown Legend Award Gladys Knight Best R&B/Soul Artist – Female Jill Scott Ashford & Simpson Songwriter Of The Year Award Marsha Ambrosius Lifetime Achievement Award Earth, Wind & Fire
