Happy 53rd Birthday to one of our favorite artists… Prince !!! And while there is only one Prince Nelson Rogers, there’s a whole slew of other artists who regularly pay homage through their own work. Enjoy the photos of his greatness here along with one of our favorite joints and hit the flip to see who we feel has been trying to follow his footsteps and the covers and original songs we think he influenced.
Presumably Erykah Badu was conscious when she stripped down and climbed into a bathtub while filming the video for “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” her collaboration with Oklahoma freak-pop collective The Flaming Lips . And it’s a safe assumption that her sister Nayrock Badu was also aware she was being filmed when she smeared her totally nude body with glitter, fake blood, and a suspiciously jism-esque (how often do you get to use that word in a sentence?) substance. But despite this, Erykah’s got herself all worked up about the nude content of the video, which apparently was leaked online by Flaming Lips fontman Wayne Coyne without securing the R&B diva’s approval. And as divas are prone to do, yesterday she lashed out at Coyne in a public takedown on Twitter . Here’s some highlights: then… perhaps, next time u get an occasion to work with an artist who respects your mind/art, you should send at least a ROUGh version of the video u PLAN to release b4 u manipulate or compromise the artist’s brand by desperately releasing a poor excuse for shock and nudity that sends a convoluted message that passes as art( to some). .. You begged me to sit in a tub of that other shit and I said naw. I refused to sit in any liquid that was not water. But Out of RESPECT for you and the artist you ‘appear’ to be, I Didn’t wanna kill your concept , wanted u to at least get it out of your head . After all, u spent your dough on studio , trip to Dallas etc.. Sooo, I invited Nayrok , my lil sis and artist, who is much more liberal ,to be subject of those other disturbing (to me ) scenes . I told u from jump that I believed your concept to be disturbing. But would give your edit a chance. You then said u would take my shots ( in clear water/ fully covered parts -seemed harmless enough) and Nayrok’s part ( which I was not present for but saw the photos and a sample scene of cornstarch dripping ) and edit them together along with cosmic, green screen images ( which no one saw) then would show me the edit. . Instead, U disrespected me by releasing pics and rough vid on the internet without my approval. (Contract breech ) That is equivalent to putting out a security camera’s images of me changing in the fitting room… O, And on behalf of all the artists u have manipulated or plan to manipulate, find another way . These things have been said out of necessity. And if you don’t like it you can KiSS MY Glittery ASS . O and Nayrok told me to tell u to kiss her ass too . Almost forgot. Peace Ohhhhhhh, cornstarch ! That’s what it was! Coyne has responded to Erykah’s anger in characteristically cheeky fashion, tweeting a picture of himself with glitter-covered lips along with the caption: “Yessss!!! Nice ass!!!!” Our thoughts exactly, Wayne. See all the good parts of the now-infamous Erykah Badu /Flaming Lips “The First Time I Saw Your Face” video right here at MrSkin.com!
‘Surgery went well,’ a rep for the ‘American Idol’ winner said of the kidney procedure. By Gil Kaufman Phillip Phillips Photo: Getty Images Just days after a source said “American Idol” champ Phillip Phillips was going to skip much-needed kidney surgery, a spokesperson for the 21-year-old singer said he underwent a procedure on Wednesday and is now resting comfortably. “Surgery went well,” the a spokesperson told MTV News about the reportedly six-plus hour surgery in Los Angeles to remove kidney stones so large Entertainment Weekly reported that there was “no chance” he could have passed them on his own. “He’s resting and will be ready for the ‘Idol’ tour kickoff in July!” the rep added about the 45-day summer outing slated to launch on July 6 in Detroit. When you think about it, it’s pretty incredible that Phillip Phillips was able to not only hang in, but win “American Idol” season 11 given the pain he was in from chronic kidney problems . The singer struggled with kidney stones during his entire run on “Idol,” and had a stent implanted in one of his kidneys in March to prevent blockage, and allow him to keep competing on the show. Phillips reportedly went through eight surgeries from the time “Idol” began in January until the May23 finale, but this week’s procedure could help alleviate a lot of the pain he’s been suffering through according to a leading nephrologist. “Kidney stones are fairly common … occurring in more than 10 percent of men and 5 of women and once they’ve formed one, they’re likely to form another,” said Dr. Gary C. Curhan a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Editor-in-Chief of the “Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.” Typically made up of calcium, Curhan, who is not treating Phillips and has no firsthand knowledge of his case, said stones can be formed for a number of reasons, including low fluid intake (which leads to concentrated urine), dietary factors, certain medications and, in some cases, an anatomical predisposition to forming them. He also noted that the stent is a temporary measure and is typically very painful, but allows urine to continue flowing until the swelling in the ureter (the tubes that move urine from the kidneys to the bladder) goes down. Phillips was slated to have reconstructive kidney surgery right after his “Idol” win, but, according to TMZ the procedure was postponed because of a bad sinus infection that triggered a high fever. TMZ also reported earlier that Phillips suffers from a serious congenital kidney condition that produces stones so large they cannot pass and which has seriously damaged his right kidney. Curhan, who spoke to MTV News before Phillips had the surgery, said most stones will pass on their own, but in doing so will cause a huge amount of pain. Others are too big and require removal by a urologist, either by breaking them up with shockwaves or using a surgical tools to break them up internally or pull them out. He noted that it’s rare for stones to form quickly, as they normally take months, or years and multiple surgeries in a short period of time is also unusual. Cases where stones continually form and are hard to pass are typically caused by an anatomical difference that causes the kidney to drain urine improperly, which predisposes the patient to stones. “If aggressive therapy is not working, you have to have surgery to change the anatomy to help it drain better,” he said. “There is risk involved in the procedure [surgery], but not treating it can also cause risk,” he said. Related Videos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Highlights Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Red Carpet ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Show
‘I did ‘You Make Me Wanna’ when I was dancing,’ the ‘Magic Mike’ star admits to MTV News. By Kara Warner, with additional reporting by Josh Horowitz Channing Tatum Photo: MTV News If you’re a Channing Tatum fan or have been following the very entertaining news surrounding his upcoming movie “Magic Mike,” you know that before his days as a Hollywood heartthrob, the “21 Jump Street” star was a stripper in Florida. When MTV News caught up with Tatum during our special pre- Movie Awards treat, our “Sneak Peak Week event with “Magic Mike,” we enlisted Tatum’s co-star and “True Blood” hunk Joe Manganiello to ask Tatum a question about his scantily clad days in Florida. “Back in your Tampa stripping days, what was your most money-making routine, and can you take the crowd through a little walk-through of it?” Manganiello asked via a pre-taped video interview. “Yeah, what made you the most money?” Matthew McConaughey chimed in. “I know it wasn’t the backflip.” “It was Usher,” Tatum admitted, albeit bashfully. “I did ‘You Make Me Wanna’ when I was dancing.” The actor finished his answer not by demonstrating a portion of that particular money-making routine, but by dashing into the crowd to hug a few lucky screaming female fans. And although there has been much ado over Tatum’s stripper past, particularly with “Magic Mike” being loosely based on his experiences, the “Haywire” star said he will not be talking about or doing any stripping anymore after the film opens. “This will be my swan song, I will never do or talk anything about stripping after this ever, ever again,” Tatum promised , adding that he still can’t believe “Magic Mike” made it to the big screen. “It was just crazy, the whole time we were going through it, we just started laughing,” Tatum said of the movie, which hits theaters June 29. “What I think people don’t realize we financed this ourselves, we wrote and produced it all ourselves, it’s not a studio movie. I’m interested to see what people’s reactions are, it’s a fun movie, the first half and a serious movie the second.” So will Tatum be breaking out his go-to stripper move in the flick? “There is always a go-to stripper move,” he said. “But that’s for the wifey.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Magic Mike.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Movie Awards Sneak Peek Week: ‘Magic Mike’ Related Artists Usher
Underwood wins Video of the Year for ‘Good Girl’ and Collaborative Video By Gil Kaufman Carrie Underwood at the 2012 CMT Music Awards Photo: FilmMagic “American Idol” has struggled to produce hit rock and R&B stars lately, but the show clearly has a knack for pumping out country acts. Just look at the winner’s circle for Wednesday night’s CMT Music Awards ceremony, where “Idol” winner Carrie Underwood took home two major honors and Scotty McCreery went home with some hardware as well. Underwood, who also performed on the broadcast hosted by Toby Keith and actress Kristen Bell, snagged her third Video of the Year honor for the “Good Girl” clip, and hit the podium once again for Collaborative Video of the Year for her work on the “Rescue Me” video with Brad Paisley. Underwood’s man, professional hockey player Mike Fisher, played the role of dutiful husband by giving his wife a big hug and kiss when she and Paisley won their award, then held her purse during the acceptance speech. Paisley had some fun, too, wrapping his arms around Fisher before taking the stage and giving him a long hug before thanking, “this beautiful woman for being in the video, or else it’s just a dork walking through the desert.” He concluded, “to my wife at home, there’s nothing between me and Mike,” to which Underwood added, “not yet!” Season 10 “Idol” champ McCreery continued his winning ways by scoring the USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year for “The Trouble With Girls,” which he accepted just hours before his high school graduation ceremony. Other winners included Luke Bryan for Male Video of the Year for “I Don’t Want This Night To End,” Miranda Lambert for Female Video of the Year for “Over You” and Lady Antebellum for Group Video of the year for “We Owned The Night.” Bryan was clearly excited about his win, saying, “When you’re at this level of what we do as singers, and your fans vote, it speaks huge volumes and it’s crazy to be fan-voted for an award and win it … I don’t really get caught up in trying to be cool, trying to play a part. I just freaking get so excited about this stuff and I will always enjoy it.” Lambert’s acceptance speech was one of the most emotional of the night. Celebrating her third straight Female Video win for the song she co-wrote with husband Blake Shelton about the death of his brother, she thanked Shelton’s brother, “from heaven, for inspiring us to write this song.” Thompson Square accepted the Duo Video of the Year (“I Got You”) and Jason Aldean took home his first belt buckle with CMT Performance of the Year for “Tattoos On This Town.” The show opened with a bang, with a video bit pitting the hosts against each other in a battle to anchor the show alone that featured cameos from Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bon Jovi, President Obama and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. “This is one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make since I’ve been in office, but I decided I want them both,” Obama said when forced to decide between the country star and the actress. Not wanting to offend any potential swing voters, Romney split the difference too, suggesting the pair work together. “See, I just put two people back to work,” he joked. The show also featured performances from Willie Nelson with Toby Keith, Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker and Zac Brown Band, as well as Paisley with Hank Williams Jr., Lambert and Journey with Rascal Flatts. Related Artists Carrie Underwood
Digital Domain Media Group is working on a ‘virtual’ Elvis for a series of film and TV projects. By Gil Kaufman Elvis Presley Photo: Getty Images We may not be getting those Left Eye, Michael Jackson or Notorious B.I.G. holograms we were hoping for anytime soon, but one of rock’s royal court will be digitally resurrected. Digital Domain Media Group, the company behind the earthshaking Tupac Shakur hologram that created a global sensation at this year’s Coachella festival announced this week that it is planning to create a virtual Elvis Presley. Working with the Core Media Group — which owns the rights to Elvis’ estate — Digital Domain said it is working on a series of “virtual” Elvis likenesses for a wide range of entertainment projects that could include everything from film and TV to “multi-platform productions throughout the world.” DDMG, the Oscar-winning folks behind the special effects in films such as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” has already started on some of the Elvis virtual renderings and plans to announce plans for a full roll-out soon. “Elvis Presley is the king of rock and roll … you have to start with the king,” Ed Ulbrich, Chief Creative Officer at Digital Domain told MTV News when asked why the company’s next major project would focus on the first wave rock star. “We’re in the creative development stages now. Instead of a single application we’re looking to bring Elvis back across a host of platforms, including live concerts in venues.” Like the Tupac stunt, Ulbrich said the Elvis rendering would not be based on archival footage, but original, exclusive performances by the King using the company’s bleeding-edge technology. He was not at liberty to describe how that process is managed, but Ulbrich promised that like in “Button” and “TRON: Legacy,” it would involve the holy grail of the industry: creating a synthetic likeness of a human being that is just as believable as the real thing. The company is in the process of building the Elvis programming now and Ulbrich said there was no timetable on when we might see the first fruits of this new experiment because the Digital Domain team is determined to take as long as necessary to get it right. “We take this very seriously because we want to pay great respect to Elvis and his legacy,” he said. In a statement announcing the deal, Elvis Presley Enterprises President and CEO, Jack Soden said, “This is a new and exciting way to bring the magic and music of Elvis Presley to life. His lifelong fans will be thrilled all over again and new audiences will discover the electric experience of Elvis the performer.” While Ulbrich said he was not at liberty to discuss what other music legends may get the Tupac/Elvis treatment next, he acknowledged that is not to say that, “we’re not talking about other things or looking at other things.” For the time being, though, the focus is on Elvis. Now, as whether we’ll see young, hip-swiveling Elvis or the latter-period Las Vegas version, Ulbrich would only say, “you’ll have to [wait and] see.” Related Artists Elvis Presley Tupac
Fat Joe tells MTV News his latest single is ‘what hip-hop is supposed to be.’ By Rob Markman Fat Joe Photo: MTV News During the early 1990s, the Native Tongues was one of rap’s most influential collectives. Comprised of groups A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers, the crew collaborated on beloved hip-hop tracks like De La’s “Buddy” and “A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’.” It’s unifying tracks like those that inspired Fat Joe ‘s latest single “Pride N Joy.” “That’s exactly what it was,” Fat Joe said of the song’s Native Tongues comparisons. “It was like Native Tongues, it was like crazy, everybody was in there, and that’s what hip-hop is supposed to be.” The track was produced by Kanye West and brought Miguel, Roscoe Dash, Jadakiss, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes and DJ Khaled all together in the studio. It was Yeezy who put the plan in motion. ” ‘Ye hit me up and said, ‘Yo Joe, it’s time.’ He don’t even get on the phone, so when he said it was time, I flew into New York,” Joe explained while backstage at Hot 97’s Summer Jam concert on Sunday. “We were up in there working in the lab for like three, four days.” Originally the track featured a bridge sung by R&B stars Trey Songz and Miguel, but West felt the song was better served with a harder rap vibe. “He was like, ‘Yo we gotta turn it into hip-hop, we gotta chant the hook. He called a bunch of people, I called a bunch of people, they came down,” Crack said. “And even if she all about the money, I don’t really care,” the MCs chant in unison while clapping their hands. “We was all in there together and it was an ill vibe,” the Terror Squad leader said describing the scene in the studio. “We brought the microphone outside the studio and no Styrofoam [sound proofing] and everybody together just going in.” Though he is already two singles deep (“Pride N Joy” and the Chris Brown-assisted “Another Round”), Joe isn’t going to rush his eleventh album. There is currently no release date. “I’m taking it back to the ’80s, when artists where putting out like four singles in a row,” he said. “That way you smash ’em and the fans officially know, ‘Yo, this dude got nothin’ but hits on this thing, I’ma go cop the album.’ ” What do you think of “Pride N Joy”? Is it “what hip-hop is supposed to be”? Leave your comment below! Related Artists Kanye West Fat Joe
But Doctor Dre tells ‘RapFix Live’ Nicki should have played Summer Jam: ‘You go out there and you perform for your fans.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Nicki Minaj Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage When it comes to Nicki Minaj versus Hot 97 , it’s hard not to have an opinion. And, of course, Sunday’s Summer Jam drama came up during Wednesday’s (June 6) “RapFix Live.” During the special episode, MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway shared hosting duties with “Yo! MTV Raps” legends Ed Lover and Doctor Dre, who weighed in on the situation. “You can’t look at anybody that crosses over and achieves pop appeal as a sellout, because that’s what you’re trying to do when you put a record out,” Ed Lover said. “So if Nicki Minaj ain’t real hip-hop, then Public Enemy wasn’t real hip-hop, then Run-DMC wasn’t real hip-hop, then Eminem ain’t real hip-hop.” After Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg criticized Nicki’s “Starships” single, suggesting the track wasn’t real hip-hop, Minaj’s Young Money boss Lil Wayne decided to cancel the Summer Jam performance. According to Doctor Dre, that’s a no-no: The show must go on. “First of all, Nicki Minaj was the only one who ruined 55,000 fans’ expectations of the night. It has nothing to do with Rosenberg. You go out there and you perform for your fans,” he said. While Dre feels that Nicki should have performed that night, he also believes Rosenberg was out of line. “We have too many what I call ‘semi-super experts’ who always try to redefine hip-hop from its infancy,” he argued. In the late 1990s, Ed and Dre hosted “Yo! MTV Raps,” and on Thursday, they will be the subjects of VH1’s new Rock Doc “Yo: The Story of Yo! MTV Raps.” During their iconic run, they’ve interviewed artists such as 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G. and Rakim, just to name a few. They’ve seen many artists come and go. “She’s an artist whether I like her or I don’t like her. My daughter loves her and thinks that she’s the world, and that’s the case,” Dre said before issuing a challenge to Rosenberg. “You make your record and get in the ring and let’s see how you react, whether you start to sell out or not.” Where do you stand in the Young Money/ Summer Jam drama? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ Goes Big With K.R.I.T., N.O.R.E And A ‘Yo! MTV Raps’ Reunion Related Artists Nicki Minaj Doctor Dre & Ed Lover
Dr. Alessandro Olivi tells MTV News the diagnosis shouldn’t change Crow’s lifestyle: ‘She can still sing!’ By Kara Warner Photo: Bryan Steffy/Getty Images Despite the severity of the news that Sheryl Crow has been diagnosed with a brain tumor , the good news is that the type of tumor, a meningioma, is non-cancerous. MTV News caught up with Dr. Alessandro Olivi, a professor of neurosurgery and director of the Meningioma Center at Johns Hopkins University, who spoke very positively about Crow’s prognosis. “If they elected to observe it [and not perform surgery], that means the tumor is an incidental finding and considered, like it is in the majority of these cases, biologically favorable,” Olivi said. “It’s benign and doesn’t need to come out, because it’s not causing any problems and can be monitored safely.” Olivi, who also serves as the vice chairmen of the department of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, went on to say that doctors don’t yet know what specifically causes the tumors, just that they tend to occur in women and that estrogen might play a role. “We don’t know what causes them. We know that there is preponderance in women over men. Some people have said it’s related to estrogen. There might be some receptor, but not to the point where I would say to change hormone treatment,” he said. “For example, with menopause, you produce less estrogen and people are on hormone replacement. I don’t consider that a reason not to do it. In other words, the correlation [between estrogen and meningioma] is loose. We don’t know in reality what the cause is. The good thing is that in the vast majority, they are self-limiting, and the biological behavior is not one of an aggressive cancer.” Speaking to how the tumor will affect Crow’s day-to-day lifestyle moving forward, Olivi said she’ll likely only need routine checkups. “She just needs to do what she is told as far as monitoring and imaging, which will probably be once every six months if everything is OK and can be moved up to once a year,” he said. “But no change in lifestyle; she can still sing!” Related Artists Sheryl Crow
Band launches Instagram account to keep fans updated on the progress of their follow-up to Brand New Eyes. By James Montgomery Paramore’s Hayley Williams in the studio Photo: Paramore Paramore first entered the studio back in April to begin work on the follow-up to their Brand New Eyes album, tapping Justin Meldal-Johnsen to helm the sessions … and since then, aside from the odd tweet, there’s been little in the way of progress updates. But over the last week, all of that has changed. Paramore recently launched an in-studio Instagram account , which so far has been populated with pics of the band recording new material — Hayley Williams seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time playing with keyboards and organs, for what it’s worth — shooting hoops and taking the occasional burrito break. They’re also apparently making tremendous progress on the still-untitled album: Earlier on Wednesday (June 6), Williams took to Twitter to reveal that Paramore were beginning pre-production work on a song, and they’d previously recorded a song called “Daydreaming.” In the meantime, Meldal-Johnsen has also recently been doing work on the new Tegan and Sara album, in addition to playing bass for Beck on his just-wrapped tour. There’s still no tentative release date for the new album — emails to Paramore’s label, Fueled by Ramen, were not responded to by press time — though by all appearances, things are speeding along rather nicely. And, hey, Para-maniacs … while you’re waiting, you can always marvel at this shot of the band’s in-studio toilet situation. Hey, it’s better than nothing, right? Related Artists Paramore
