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Katy Perry Announces California Dreams Tour Dates

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Robyn, Marina and the Diamonds set to join ‘California Gurl’ on 41-date North American trek kicking off in June. By James Dinh Katy Perry Photo: Amy Sussman/ Getty Images Get your daisy dukes ready! Katy Perry is going to make this summer hotter than the last as the “California Gurl” announced via Facebook (and then tweeted ) that she’s all set to kick off her California Dreams World Tour. Perry has planned 41 dates for the North American leg of the outing, beginning in Atlanta on June 7. The singer will hit the road throughout the U.S. and Canada before wrapping up in her hometown, Santa Barbara, California in August. Marina and the Diamonds and dance singer Robyn will also join Perry, who made a special live appearance via Facebook on Thursday (January 19) to announce the tour. Before the North American dates get under way, though, Katy will head to Lisbon in Portugal where she’ll hit the stage on February 20; Perry will then travel throughout Europe, the U.K., Australia and Japan. The pop star plans to continue interacting with her fans through a variety of social media networks, including Facebook’s Places function, which will allow concertgoers to get special treats when they check into certain concert venues. Fans will also be encouraged to submit their own photos of the show through Twitter, which will be incorporated into the live show and Perry’s official website. Katy Perry’s tour dates, according to a press release:

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Avril Lavigne ‘Really Excited To Be Back’ With ‘What The Hell’

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Song’s 3-D video will premiere Sunday. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Kelly Marino Avril Lavigne Photo: MTV News Avril Lavigne is as bratty as ever on her new single, the catchy, almost bubbly “What the Hell.” The lead single off Lavigne’s upcoming release, Goodbye Lullaby , due March 8, has not only been burning up the iTunes charts, but it’s also gotten some Twitter love from Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. “I’m just really excited to be back,” the former teen star told MTV News. “It’s been a few years, and I’m excited to see that ‘What the Hell’ [is] doing good so far on iTunes and [with] the fans. The response has been really great, so I’m happy.” The song also just had an impressive debut on the Billboard charts , landing at #6 on the Digital Songs chart, beating Kanye West and Jay-Z’s new song, “H.A.M.” This Sunday, fans will finally get the chance to see the clip for the video when it debuts on ABC Family. “The music video for ‘What the Hell’: It’s kind of a guy chasing me around, and I hop into a random cab, and he’s chasing me,” Lavigne explained. “And I go through a clothing store and he chases me, but at the end of the video, it’s really just me having a bunch of fun with him, and he’s my boyfriend, so I like him in the end.” The video is special because it was shot in 3-D. “The music video’s in 3-D, and my favorite part of the video is the rock-out scene at the end where I jump onstage and I’m with my band,” she said. “When we shot it and I got to watch it back in 3-D with the glasses and actually you can see the crowd’s hands and it felt like you were live in a crowd, so it was kind of cool.” Are you a fan of “What the Hell”? Give us your review in the comments below! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Avril Lavigne Related Artists Avril Lavigne

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‘American Idol’ Exec Says ‘Legend’ Steven Tyler Will Be Good TV

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘You never know what he’s going to say. That, as a TV producer, you’re interested in,’ Nigel Lythgoe tells MTV News. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Matt Elias Nigel Lythgoe Photo: MTV News One thing that fans of “American Idol” can count on each season is a level of unpredictability, particularly once the show narrows the contestants down to 20 and the performance rounds and weekly eliminations begin. This season has upped the unpredictability factor in the form of new and potentially wayward, wacky judge Steven Tyler. When MTV News caught up with the reality show’s returning executive producer Nigel Lythgoe , we asked if he was worried about having to censor the Aerosmith frontman. “Oh yes, [I have] every worry about that,” Lythgoe readily admitted about Tyler’s sometimes-potty mouth. “But we’re on a delay, and he’s already done it. And then he forgets that he’s not allowed to say it, so he’ll say, ‘F—! Did I say f—? Oh f—. Sorry mate.’ ” Lythgoe — who also appears as a judge on Fox’s other reality talent show, “So You Think You Can Dance”— has said that a large part of Tyler’s appeal is not being able to predict what he’ll say or do. “He has come through that whole rock and roll circus,” said Lythgoe of Tyler , whom he also hopes will perform on the show, along with judges Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson, at some point. “Why wouldn’t you want a legend there? You never know what he’s going to say. That, as a TV producer, you’re interested in.” As for 62-year-old rock icon Tyler , he seemed genuinely excited about the entire process but with one concern as the show prepares for its season 10 kickoff. “The part that’s a little difficult is judging young kids,” he said this week. “It took me a couple minutes to get into the role of that, but I’ve grown accustomed to it and it’s fun and I get to sit next to J.Lo and Randy taking [the] you-know-what out of everybody.” Don’t miss our “American Idol” live stream “Judging the Judges: An ‘Idol’ Without Simon,” featuring post-show analysis from Jim Cantiello and special guests, on MTV.com tonight at 10 p.m. ET. Tweet your “Idol” commentary with the hashtag #idolwithoutsimon and we could quote you on the show! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos Before Steven Tyler Was An ‘American Idol’ Judge … Related Artists Steven Tyler

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Jennifer Lopez’s ‘American Idol’ Past: A Look Back

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

J.Lo first surfaced on season six as a mentor, drawing on her dance roots to motivate ‘Idol’ wannabes. By Eric Ditzian “American Idol” judge Jennifer Lopez Photo: Tony Duran / FOX Who could have predicted that when Jennifer Lopez appeared on “American Idol” in 2007 and pronounced her love for the infamous Sanjaya Malakar that the diva-turned-guest mentor would one day return to the reality competition? But return she has, this time as a judge. As we prepare for her debut Wednesday night (January 19), alongside Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler , we’re taking a look back at J.Lo’s season-six “Idol” appearance, looking for clues as to how she’ll handle the tricky task of being both entertaining and instructive in the course of a seconds-long sound bite. Lopez stepped into “Idol” world for Latin night, when there were eight contestants still vying for the crown. What shines through most during her rehearsals with the singers is her desire to be supportive. When Haley Scarnato struggled to inject some passion into her performance, Lopez invited beat-boxing impresario Blake Lewis into the room to provide some energy. And instead of slamming Phil Stacey for butchering Santana’s “Maria Maria,” she urged him to imagine singing to someone as a way to connect with the emotional core of the tune. “The songs have to mean something,” Lopez explained. “They have to come from somewhere. Otherwise you just leave people feeling vacant.” That’s a key insight, even if it’s a bit obvious, and it’ll bear repeating again and again as the new contestants move onto increasingly bigger stages as the competition progresses. But it’s not just compassion and assistance with vocals that Lopez provided to the season-six crew. She also drew on her years as a dancer to help with the contestants’ theatricality. “Ride the rhythm,” she told LaKisha Jones as the two shimmied side by side. J.Lo also hoped that eventual winner Jordin Sparks would infuse her performances with more hip-shaking mojo, saying, “Let the rhythm in her body just move her a little bit.” Mentoring contestants for one day, of course, is a very different task than judging them for an entire season. It remains to be seen if Lopez will channel her ’07 performance during the new season, or whether she’ll seek to stake out new territory or fill in perceived personality gaps left by the departures of Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi. What is clear is that even before she became an official “Idol” employee, she understood what separates the also-rans and wannabes from the singers who make it to the very end. “When [viewers] watch you guys every night, they’re like, ‘Who’s going to give me goosebumps?,’ ” she told the final-eight. “It doesn’t necessarily mean the one who hits the highest note. It’s the one who makes them feel good.” How do you think J.Lo will do on “Idol”? Tell us in the comments! Don’t miss our “American Idol” live stream “Judging the Judges: An ‘Idol’ Without Simon,” featuring post-show analysis from Jim Cantiello and special guests, on MTV.com tonight at 10 p.m. ET. Tweet your “Idol” commentary with the hashtag #idolwithoutsimon and we could quote you on the show! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos Jennifer Lopez: From The Block To ‘American Idol’ Related Artists Jennifer Lopez

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Afrojack Talks His Part In Chris Brown’s ‘Look At Me Now’

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Dutch dance producer tells MTV News how he contributed to C. Breezy’s Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Diplo collabo. By Akshay Bhansali Afrojack in an MTV News Skype interview Photo: MTV News Afrojack already had reason to celebrate as he headed into the New Year. The Dutch dance-music producer’s pop-dance single “Take Over Control,” featuring singer Eva Simons, made the top 25 on Billboard ‘s Dance/Club Play Songs chart in December. And now his second U.S. release, packed with hip-hop heavy-hitters, seems primed for chart success. MTV News caught up with the EDM producer (born Nick van de Wall) for a skype chat last week, and he talked about his contribution to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” the latest offering from the singer’s upcoming F.A.M.E. album. The track is a fast-rapping flurry of awesome self-indulgence courtesy of Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne and Chris, with an eerie downtempo beat cooked up by chefs Afrojack and Diplo. The pair of producers previously collaborated on “Pon De floor,” off Diplo’s Major Lazer full-length release, and according to Afrojack, “Look at Me Now” is the product of a beat he’d passed along to the Philadelphia beatsmith. “Yeah, Diplo called me,” Afrojack recalled. “He was like, ‘We are in the studio right now, and we are gonna do a track on the beat.’ And I was like, ‘OK, whatever. Have fun.’ ” Eventually, “Look at Me Now,” was born. While Afrojack sounded casual about the song’s evolution, he said he’s certainly pleased with the finished product. “I just love these kind of people on a track like this,” he said. “It’s like hip-hop, but really weird kind of hip-hop. “Busta’s verse on it is really sick,” he continued. “It’s like I can’t even hear what he said, but I love the part where he goes [ mimics Busta’s rapid flow ], and then pauses and goes rapping really quickly. And I don’t know how to do it, I don’t even try. But it was really, really cool.” So what’s next for Afrojack? Apart from working on a remix for Pitbull , he premiered a new single exclusively for MTV News that we will be sharing with you very soon. All you Afrojack fans stay tuned! What do you think of how Afrojack’s beat turned out on Chris’ song? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Afrojack

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Afrojack Talks His Part In Chris Brown’s ‘Look At Me Now’

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Dutch dance producer tells MTV News how he contributed to C. Breezy’s Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Diplo collabo. By Akshay Bhansali Afrojack in an MTV News Skype interview Photo: MTV News Afrojack already had reason to celebrate as he headed into the New Year. The Dutch dance-music producer’s pop-dance single “Take Over Control,” featuring singer Eva Simons, made the top 25 on Billboard ‘s Dance/Club Play Songs chart in December. And now his second U.S. release, packed with hip-hop heavy-hitters, seems primed for chart success. MTV News caught up with the EDM producer (born Nick van de Wall) for a skype chat last week, and he talked about his contribution to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” the latest offering from the singer’s upcoming F.A.M.E. album. The track is a fast-rapping flurry of awesome self-indulgence courtesy of Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne and Chris, with an eerie downtempo beat cooked up by chefs Afrojack and Diplo. The pair of producers previously collaborated on “Pon De floor,” off Diplo’s Major Lazer full-length release, and according to Afrojack, “Look at Me Now” is the product of a beat he’d passed along to the Philadelphia beatsmith. “Yeah, Diplo called me,” Afrojack recalled. “He was like, ‘We are in the studio right now, and we are gonna do a track on the beat.’ And I was like, ‘OK, whatever. Have fun.’ ” Eventually, “Look at Me Now,” was born. While Afrojack sounded casual about the song’s evolution, he said he’s certainly pleased with the finished product. “I just love these kind of people on a track like this,” he said. “It’s like hip-hop, but really weird kind of hip-hop. “Busta’s verse on it is really sick,” he continued. “It’s like I can’t even hear what he said, but I love the part where he goes [ mimics Busta’s rapid flow ], and then pauses and goes rapping really quickly. And I don’t know how to do it, I don’t even try. But it was really, really cool.” So what’s next for Afrojack? Apart from working on a remix for Pitbull , he premiered a new single exclusively for MTV News that we will be sharing with you very soon. All you Afrojack fans stay tuned! What do you think of how Afrojack’s beat turned out on Chris’ song? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Afrojack

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Afrojack Talks His Part In Chris Brown’s ‘Look At Me Now’

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Dutch dance producer tells MTV News how he contributed to C. Breezy’s Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Diplo collabo. By Akshay Bhansali Afrojack in an MTV News Skype interview Photo: MTV News Afrojack already had reason to celebrate as he headed into the New Year. The Dutch dance-music producer’s pop-dance single “Take Over Control,” featuring singer Eva Simons, made the top 25 on Billboard ‘s Dance/Club Play Songs chart in December. And now his second U.S. release, packed with hip-hop heavy-hitters, seems primed for chart success. MTV News caught up with the EDM producer (born Nick van de Wall) for a skype chat last week, and he talked about his contribution to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” the latest offering from the singer’s upcoming F.A.M.E. album. The track is a fast-rapping flurry of awesome self-indulgence courtesy of Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne and Chris, with an eerie downtempo beat cooked up by chefs Afrojack and Diplo. The pair of producers previously collaborated on “Pon De floor,” off Diplo’s Major Lazer full-length release, and according to Afrojack, “Look at Me Now” is the product of a beat he’d passed along to the Philadelphia beatsmith. “Yeah, Diplo called me,” Afrojack recalled. “He was like, ‘We are in the studio right now, and we are gonna do a track on the beat.’ And I was like, ‘OK, whatever. Have fun.’ ” Eventually, “Look at Me Now,” was born. While Afrojack sounded casual about the song’s evolution, he said he’s certainly pleased with the finished product. “I just love these kind of people on a track like this,” he said. “It’s like hip-hop, but really weird kind of hip-hop. “Busta’s verse on it is really sick,” he continued. “It’s like I can’t even hear what he said, but I love the part where he goes [ mimics Busta’s rapid flow ], and then pauses and goes rapping really quickly. And I don’t know how to do it, I don’t even try. But it was really, really cool.” So what’s next for Afrojack? Apart from working on a remix for Pitbull , he premiered a new single exclusively for MTV News that we will be sharing with you very soon. All you Afrojack fans stay tuned! What do you think of how Afrojack’s beat turned out on Chris’ song? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Afrojack

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Afrojack Talks His Part In Chris Brown’s ‘Look At Me Now’

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Dutch dance producer tells MTV News how he contributed to C. Breezy’s Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Diplo collabo. By Akshay Bhansali Afrojack in an MTV News Skype interview Photo: MTV News Afrojack already had reason to celebrate as he headed into the New Year. The Dutch dance-music producer’s pop-dance single “Take Over Control,” featuring singer Eva Simons, made the top 25 on Billboard ‘s Dance/Club Play Songs chart in December. And now his second U.S. release, packed with hip-hop heavy-hitters, seems primed for chart success. MTV News caught up with the EDM producer (born Nick van de Wall) for a skype chat last week, and he talked about his contribution to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” the latest offering from the singer’s upcoming F.A.M.E. album. The track is a fast-rapping flurry of awesome self-indulgence courtesy of Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne and Chris, with an eerie downtempo beat cooked up by chefs Afrojack and Diplo. The pair of producers previously collaborated on “Pon De floor,” off Diplo’s Major Lazer full-length release, and according to Afrojack, “Look at Me Now” is the product of a beat he’d passed along to the Philadelphia beatsmith. “Yeah, Diplo called me,” Afrojack recalled. “He was like, ‘We are in the studio right now, and we are gonna do a track on the beat.’ And I was like, ‘OK, whatever. Have fun.’ ” Eventually, “Look at Me Now,” was born. While Afrojack sounded casual about the song’s evolution, he said he’s certainly pleased with the finished product. “I just love these kind of people on a track like this,” he said. “It’s like hip-hop, but really weird kind of hip-hop. “Busta’s verse on it is really sick,” he continued. “It’s like I can’t even hear what he said, but I love the part where he goes [ mimics Busta’s rapid flow ], and then pauses and goes rapping really quickly. And I don’t know how to do it, I don’t even try. But it was really, really cool.” So what’s next for Afrojack? Apart from working on a remix for Pitbull , he premiered a new single exclusively for MTV News that we will be sharing with you very soon. All you Afrojack fans stay tuned! What do you think of how Afrojack’s beat turned out on Chris’ song? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Afrojack

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Afrojack Talks His Part In Chris Brown’s ‘Look At Me Now’

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Dutch dance producer tells MTV News how he contributed to C. Breezy’s Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Diplo collabo. By Akshay Bhansali Afrojack in an MTV News Skype interview Photo: MTV News Afrojack already had reason to celebrate as he headed into the New Year. The Dutch dance-music producer’s pop-dance single “Take Over Control,” featuring singer Eva Simons, made the top 25 on Billboard ‘s Dance/Club Play Songs chart in December. And now his second U.S. release, packed with hip-hop heavy-hitters, seems primed for chart success. MTV News caught up with the EDM producer (born Nick van de Wall) for a skype chat last week, and he talked about his contribution to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” the latest offering from the singer’s upcoming F.A.M.E. album. The track is a fast-rapping flurry of awesome self-indulgence courtesy of Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne and Chris, with an eerie downtempo beat cooked up by chefs Afrojack and Diplo. The pair of producers previously collaborated on “Pon De floor,” off Diplo’s Major Lazer full-length release, and according to Afrojack, “Look at Me Now” is the product of a beat he’d passed along to the Philadelphia beatsmith. “Yeah, Diplo called me,” Afrojack recalled. “He was like, ‘We are in the studio right now, and we are gonna do a track on the beat.’ And I was like, ‘OK, whatever. Have fun.’ ” Eventually, “Look at Me Now,” was born. While Afrojack sounded casual about the song’s evolution, he said he’s certainly pleased with the finished product. “I just love these kind of people on a track like this,” he said. “It’s like hip-hop, but really weird kind of hip-hop. “Busta’s verse on it is really sick,” he continued. “It’s like I can’t even hear what he said, but I love the part where he goes [ mimics Busta’s rapid flow ], and then pauses and goes rapping really quickly. And I don’t know how to do it, I don’t even try. But it was really, really cool.” So what’s next for Afrojack? Apart from working on a remix for Pitbull , he premiered a new single exclusively for MTV News that we will be sharing with you very soon. All you Afrojack fans stay tuned! What do you think of how Afrojack’s beat turned out on Chris’ song? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Afrojack

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Afrojack Talks His Part In Chris Brown’s ‘Look At Me Now’

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Dutch dance producer tells MTV News how he contributed to C. Breezy’s Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Diplo collabo. By Akshay Bhansali Afrojack in an MTV News Skype interview Photo: MTV News Afrojack already had reason to celebrate as he headed into the New Year. The Dutch dance-music producer’s pop-dance single “Take Over Control,” featuring singer Eva Simons, made the top 25 on Billboard ‘s Dance/Club Play Songs chart in December. And now his second U.S. release, packed with hip-hop heavy-hitters, seems primed for chart success. MTV News caught up with the EDM producer (born Nick van de Wall) for a skype chat last week, and he talked about his contribution to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” the latest offering from the singer’s upcoming F.A.M.E. album. The track is a fast-rapping flurry of awesome self-indulgence courtesy of Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne and Chris, with an eerie downtempo beat cooked up by chefs Afrojack and Diplo. The pair of producers previously collaborated on “Pon De floor,” off Diplo’s Major Lazer full-length release, and according to Afrojack, “Look at Me Now” is the product of a beat he’d passed along to the Philadelphia beatsmith. “Yeah, Diplo called me,” Afrojack recalled. “He was like, ‘We are in the studio right now, and we are gonna do a track on the beat.’ And I was like, ‘OK, whatever. Have fun.’ ” Eventually, “Look at Me Now,” was born. While Afrojack sounded casual about the song’s evolution, he said he’s certainly pleased with the finished product. “I just love these kind of people on a track like this,” he said. “It’s like hip-hop, but really weird kind of hip-hop. “Busta’s verse on it is really sick,” he continued. “It’s like I can’t even hear what he said, but I love the part where he goes [ mimics Busta’s rapid flow ], and then pauses and goes rapping really quickly. And I don’t know how to do it, I don’t even try. But it was really, really cool.” So what’s next for Afrojack? Apart from working on a remix for Pitbull , he premiered a new single exclusively for MTV News that we will be sharing with you very soon. All you Afrojack fans stay tuned! What do you think of how Afrojack’s beat turned out on Chris’ song? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Afrojack

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