Singer tells MTV News there’s ‘friendly competition’ with fellow judges Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Matt Elias Cee Lo Green Photo: MTV News Given his gigs fronting ATL rap crew Goodie Mob, Gnarls Barkley and his recent mega-viral success with the song “F— You,” you’d think the last thing Cee Lo Green would do is join the cast of a reality singing competition. But you’d be wrong. “At first, I thought it was a very cool and original concept,” Green said of the script-flipping conceit of the soon-to-launch “The Voice,” in which judges sit with their backs to contestants to focus on their vocals instead of their looks as they decide whether to mentor them through later rounds. Secondly, after years of touring and grinding it out on the road, Green said he was looking forward to staying put in Los Angeles and pursuing the new opportunities that have come his way thanks to the exposure from the Grammy-nominated “F— You.”
The 2011 MMM title game went down to the wire, but in the end, it’s Green Day who stand triumphant. By James Montgomery Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Photo: C Flanigan/ FIlmMagic It’s all over but the shouting (and there’s still plenty of that): Green Day are the champions of MTV’s 2011 Musical March Madness tournament, knocking off an upset-minded Paramore in Monday’s title game to claim the crown. Check out our MMM Bracket right here! In a contest that was waaay more thrilling — and higher scoring — than the actual NCAA basketball championship game, the guys in Green Day jumped out to an early lead, then held on for dear life as Hayley Williams and company staged a furious second-half comeback … one that, ultimately, fell short as polls closed at midnight. All in all, more than 120,000 votes were cast in the matchup, and Green Day ended up winning by fewer than 2,500. It was a nail-biter, a squeaker, and it came down to the wire. In other words, it was everything you could possibly want in a title game. And, in Green Day, we have everything we could possibly want in a champion. After an ugly opening-round loss in last year’s MMM tournament, the pop-punk veterans committed themselves to redemption, and tipped off the 2011 competition by blasting Adam Lambert in round one. Focused, Green Day then took out their frustrations on fellow heavyweights U2 and Blink-182, before surviving scares from Panic! at the Disco in the Elite Eight and Disturbed in the Final Four. And now, having bested Paramore, they stand atop the MMM mountain … battle tested, redeemed and, ultimately, triumphant. So congratulations to Billie Joe, Tr
The 2011 MMM title game went down to the wire, but in the end, it’s Green Day who stand triumphant. By James Montgomery Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Photo: C Flanigan/ FIlmMagic It’s all over but the shouting (and there’s still plenty of that): Green Day are the champions of MTV’s 2011 Musical March Madness tournament, knocking off an upset-minded Paramore in Monday’s title game to claim the crown. Check out our MMM Bracket right here! In a contest that was waaay more thrilling — and higher scoring — than the actual NCAA basketball championship game, the guys in Green Day jumped out to an early lead, then held on for dear life as Hayley Williams and company staged a furious second-half comeback … one that, ultimately, fell short as polls closed at midnight. All in all, more than 120,000 votes were cast in the matchup, and Green Day ended up winning by fewer than 2,500. It was a nail-biter, a squeaker, and it came down to the wire. In other words, it was everything you could possibly want in a title game. And, in Green Day, we have everything we could possibly want in a champion. After an ugly opening-round loss in last year’s MMM tournament, the pop-punk veterans committed themselves to redemption, and tipped off the 2011 competition by blasting Adam Lambert in round one. Focused, Green Day then took out their frustrations on fellow heavyweights U2 and Blink-182, before surviving scares from Panic! at the Disco in the Elite Eight and Disturbed in the Final Four. And now, having bested Paramore, they stand atop the MMM mountain … battle tested, redeemed and, ultimately, triumphant. So congratulations to Billie Joe, Tr
Gaga is giving some proceeds earned from the just-released “Country Road Version” of her hit song to the gay-advocacy group GLSEN. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Late last month, Lady Gaga unveiled a guitar-searing, harmonica-infused, countrified version of her smash hit single, “Born This Way,” via her Twitter account. Ten days after its debut, Gaga has officially released the track, and will donate some of the proceeds from the tune to charity. A portion of the money earned from sales of “Born This Way (Country Road Version)” will go to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which, according to the organization’s website, “strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.” The country remix of the hit song, which was co-produced by Gaga and Fernando Garibay, boasts some new lyrics that play up the track’s twangy influences. Over picked mandolin accompaniment, Gaga sings, “If I wanna make it country, baby, it’s OK/ ‘Cause I was born, I was born, I was born this way/ From London, Paris, Japan back to USA/ I was born on the road, I was born to be brave.” In February, during a chat on Gayle King’s talk show, Gaga confirmed that there would be two videos for “Born This Way.” The Nick Knight-directed, sci-fi-influenced clip for the song’s original version dropped at the tail end of February. Meanwhile, there’s no word when or if Gaga will ever release a video for the “stripped-down” country version of the track considering she just wrapped up work on her clip for Born This Way ‘s second single, “Judas.” Do you plan to buy “Born This Way (Country Road Version)”? Tell us in the comments. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga Related Artists Lady Gaga
Murphy tells The Hollywood Reporter that he respects it ‘when artists don’t want a show … to interpret their songs.’ By Gil Kaufman Kings of Leon Photo: Gareth Cattermole/ Getty Images On second thought, “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy didn’t exactly mean it when he said “f— you” to Kings of Leon back in January. Yes, he was a bit miffed that the sibling rockers (whom he also called “self-centered a–holes”) had mouthed off about not wanting their song “Use Somebody” to appear on the high school musical sensation, but given some time to reflect, Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter this week that perhaps he could have expressed himself differently. “I didn’t speak with as much clarity as I would have liked,” Murphy explained to the magazine. “Who am I to say, ‘F–k you?’ That’s not what I meant. I completely understand when artists don’t want a show or another artist to interpret their songs. In fact, I respect it. It’s their personal work and I’d feel the same way. We get turned down all the time and [I] don’t fight it or even go back after a rejection.” Murphy even revealed that he got turned down by another artist recently, Icelandic enigma Bjork, who passed up the opportunity to have one of her songs used in the show. “She read the scene and didn’t think it was the right fit for her song,” he said. “I told her, ‘That’s completely cool,’ and she said to come back to her down the road. We deal with that every day.” Murphy came under fire again recently when Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl said he didn’t think the show runner should complain when bands don’t want their tunes used on the hit Fox series. “It’s every band’s right, you shouldn’t have to do f—ing ‘Glee,’ ” Grohl told the Reporter . “And then the guy who created ‘Glee’ is so offended that we’re not, like, begging to be on his f—ing show. … F— that guy for thinking anybody and everybody should want to do ‘Glee.’ … I watched 10 minutes. It’s not my thing.” Though the comments hit home with Murphy, a Foos fan, he said he understood where Grohl was coming from and politely disagreed with his comments. “I’ve never felt that if you don’t give ‘Glee’ your music, there’s something diabolical about you,” Murphy responded. “To the contrary: I support artists and what they choose to do … I think Kings of Leon are cool as sh–. The Foo Fighters are brilliant. We’d love to do one of their songs, if they were ever interested. But if it’s not their thing, then OK. I personally wish them luck [and] will still listen to their music.” Chastened by the incident, Murphy said he’s learned not to drop f-bombs on other artists in the press — and has, in fact, starting exchanging texts with Kings of Leon — but added that he won’t stop pushing to have cool and interesting music on his program. “I’m really proud of the fact that we can introduce songs to younger kids or their parents because I’m the biggest music fan,” he said. “The show is about the love of performing and arts education — things I think are very special.” What do you think about Murphy’s latest remarks regarding the Kings of Leon flap? Tell us in the comments. Related Artists Kings Of Leon
Boneta will play Drew in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway show alongside Tom Cruise. By Jocelyn Vena Diego Gonzalez Boneta Photo: Valerie Macon/ Gettu Images Diego Boneta has gone from living it up on “90210” to guesting on “Pretty Little Liars,” and now the Mexican actor and former star of the telenovela “Rebelde” has landed the much coveted male lead in the big-screen adaptation of “Rock of Ages.” “To be authentic, I like to cast as close to the real age as possible and wanted someone who has all the innocence and guilelessness of Drew,” the movie’s director, Adam Shankman, told The Hollywood Reporter . “And that’s Diego.” Shankman also confirmed the casting on his Twitter account, writing, “He is the perfect movie Drew. He’s going to blow your minds.” Boneta will star as newbie rocker Drew alongside the flick’s leading lady, former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Julianne Hough. The film also stars Tom Cruise as an established rock star who has his sights set on Hough, plus Alec Baldwin and Mary J. Blige, whose character runs the club where Hough’s character works as a stripper. Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti and Amy Adams are also reportedly in negotiations for roles in the film. Last month, Brand revealed to MTV News that there was one big thing holding up the deal. “I think they’re trying to work out what I like to call ‘scheduling,’ ” he joked, alluding to the fact that his salary was still being discussed. The film will begin production on May 19 in Miami, which will double as the story’s Los Angeles setting. “I can’t shut down the Sunset Strip for six weeks, and in Miami we’re turning four blocks basically into a backlot,” Shankman explained. “We’ll digitally add in the hills.”
‘You Are a Tourist’ clip will air live at 7 p.m. ET on MTV.com. By Matt Elias Death Cab For Cutie Photo: MTV News On Monday afternoon, Death Cab for Cutie were holed up in a Hollywood soundstage rehearsing for an exceptionally ambitious music video project. The band plans to shoot a music video for their single “You Are a Tourist” in one take while being simulcast to the Web. And while single-take videos are nothing new (OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass” and Feist’s “1234” come to mind), they’ve had the luxury of shooting multiple takes until they got it right. With “You Are a Tourist,” Death Cab have one chance to do it, and they’re doing it live. Adding to the difficulty, the band has mapped out a complex arrangement of moves and visual effects — but describing the video’s treatment might be the trickiest part of it all. “It’s kind of hard to describe because it’s kind of like … I liken it to a 5-year-old trying to explain their trip to Disneyland,” frontman Ben Gibbard said. “It’s sensory overload, so there’s a lot of things happening, and trying to kind of walk anybody through it would be very difficult. But there are lights and dancers, and smoke and projections, and it’s gonna be kind of a little bit of a Busby Berkeley -type of spectacle.” And a spectacle it is. Joining the band are a bevy of background actors and a troop of a dozen or so dancers, and just about as many computers controlling the action. The entire set glows with a series of projections (an abstract cityscape, geometric designs and triangles that flicker in sync with the music). Oh, and the band’s suits light up in sync with the song too. But despite the entire performance being highly intricate, the foursome seemed pretty relaxed during rehearsal. As Ben pointed out, “I think the trick here, or the balance here, is to try to have there be a legitimate amount of choreography involved, but not so much that if one thing goes wrong, the whole thing topples like a house of cards. And there are some very, kind of, tight moves throughout the video, but nothing that, you know, if I’m not standing here at this one point, the Rube Goldberg kind of thing falls apart and you’re standing there for the next three minutes looking like a moron.” You can catch the video in all its live glory Tuesday (April 5) at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on MTV.com , VH1.com and YouAreATourist.com . Related Artists Death Cab For Cutie
‘Great shoot, can’t wait to share it with you!!’ singer tweets from Mexico. By James Dinh Jennifer Lopez on the set of “I’m Into You” Photo: Jennifer Lopez’s Twitter Despite a busy schedule that includes “American Idol” and motherhood, Jennifer Lopez found time to film the video for her Lil Wayne-assisted new single, “I’m Into You.” Beginning at the top of the weekend, the comeback kid took to Twitter to provide fans with behind-the-scenes photos and updates from the clip’s exotic set in Mexico. “Excited about my day tomorrow in Chichen Itza!!!” she wrote on Friday. “First day of shooting the video for #imintoyou… I’ll send u pics tomorrow #LOVE?” As promised, Lopez gave fans their first glimpse of the video when she tweeted a photo the following day. Sitting atop the steps of the historic pyramid, the singer glares seductively with her legs crossed as a camera crew hovers above her. She wears a long snake-print sundress with matching bracelets and headband. Another on-set photo shows Lopez in a metallic two-piece, showing her midriff and a lot of leg. Based on her early-morning tweet on Monday (April 4), it appears that Lopez spent most of her weekend shooting the clip. “Hello #LOVE?RS!!! Leaving beautiful Mexico… Great shoot, can’t wait to share it with you!! #imintoyou,” she wrote . Until the video for “I’m Into You” drops, J. Lo is still enjoying much success from her comeback single “On the Floor,” which features Pitbull. Over the weekend, it was announced that the dance tune sold more than 130,000 copies in its first week in the U.K., scoring the top spot on the Official Singles Chart . “On the Floor” is the singer’s third #1 single in the U.K., following previous hits “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and “Get Right.” What do you think of J. Lo’s “I’m Into You” video look? Share your opinions below! Related Photos Jennifer Lopez: From The Block To ‘American Idol’ The Evolution Of: Jennifer Lopez Related Artists Jennifer Lopez
‘If you are serious about the meeting, I want Randy’s Donuts, swivel chairs and a megaphone,’ Tyler, the Creator tells record exec. By Alvin Blanco Photo: Roger Kisby/ Getty Images Los Angeles’ OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All) are one of the most lauded and debated acts in hip-hop today. Being a hot commodity has granted the collective the luxury of having music executives seek out their services, and Odd Future have in turn conceived some odd requests in order to gain their audience. Odd Future is asking record label execs to meet with them to discuss business at the Supreme skate shop in Fairfax, California, according to the New York Post . SRC Records founder Steve Rifkind was able to get them to his office but allegedly only after acquiescing to Odd Future mouthpiece Tyler, the Creator’s demands. “If you are serious about the meeting, I want Randy’s Donuts, swivel chairs and a megaphone,” Tyler reportedly told Rifkind. It was also revealed that Bad Boy Records head honcho Sean “Diddy” Combs was the one who set up the meeting between Justin Bieber and one of his biggest fans, Tyler, the Creator . Although Tyler has signed a one-album deal with XL Recording and MellowHype is having the album BlackendWhite formally released by Fat Possum Records, Odd Future itself is still unsigned. Some of the other major rap industry players trying to earn Odd Future’s services include Interscope/ Geffen/ A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine, who signed Eminem, and Jay-Z, who signed Rihanna to Def Jam while he was the label’s president and whose Roc Nation is currently home to Jay Electronica and Willow Smith. Jay-Z met with Odd Future during the South by Southwest Festival — over tacos — and left quite an impression. “It was hard for me to look at Jay-Z for 10 minutes. Like, real sh–, this is the godfather of music,” MellowHype’s Hodgy Beats told MTV News. “I just shook his hand in his house. Honestly, it made me want to work harder. Jay-Z is amazing.” Related Videos The Wonderful Adventures Of Odd Future At SXSW 2011 Related Artists Odd Future Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All Diddy
The Band Perry, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum big winners. By Gil Kaufman Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood at the ACM Awards on Sunday Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images You could be excused if you tuned into the 46th Academy of Country Music Awards show on Sunday night and thought that maybe you’d overslept and missed the Grammys. In addition to the usual compliment of cowboy hats and bedazzled boots, there was a healthy dose of rock and pop glitter at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In addition to “American Idol” judge Steven Tyler lending his formidable pipes to a duet with Carrie Underwood on her hit “Undo It,” the pair chewed up the stage for Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” with Underwood looking comfortable screeching the song’s chorus into a microphone with a glittery whip on the end. There were also some awards handed out, including four to Miranda Lambert, who won Best Female Vocalist, as well as Single, Song and Video of the Year honors for her tune “The House That Built Me.” But her roll ended at the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year trophy, which went to Taylor Swift, 21, the youngest-ever winner of that honor. “This is the first time I’ve ever won this, and I’m just losing my mind,” a teary Swift said in her signature breathless manner. “The fact that this is from the fans makes it so beautiful. … You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Ever … We just got back from touring in Europe and Asia, so thank you for this wonderful welcome-home gift.” Earlier in the night, Swift premiered her new single, a get back tune at critics who’ve slagged her live singing in the past, which she performed while plucking a banjo. It was a big night for Grammy winners Lady Antebellum as well, with the country trio winning Top Vocal Group and Album of the Year for Need You Now, while bluegrass newcomers the Band Perry snagged Best New Artist. It was five in a row for Brad Paisley, who once again went home with the Best Male Vocalist hardware and the Gwyneth Paltrow-starring “Country Strong” took the Tex Ritter Award for films that emphasize country music. The performance-heavy three-hour show also featured the sight of Rihanna being joined by Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles for a dramatic duet on Ri’s new single, “California King Bed,” and folk pop icon James Taylor joined Zac Brown for a medley of “Colder Weather” and “Sweet Baby James.” Among the presenters were “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest, as well as Robert Pattinson , who appeared on the show with his “Water for Elephants” co-star Reese Witherspoon. Related Artists Aerosmith Taylor Swift Rihanna
