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Jay-Z Bringing His 40/40 Club To Airports

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Jay-Z Bringing His 40/40 Club To Airports

Rapper’s sports bar may end up in as many as 20 airports. By James Dinh Jay-Z Photo: Neil Mockford/ Getty Images If you’ve never visited New York City, Las Vegas or Atlantic City, then you have yet to visit Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club . But fear not! On Tuesday, it was announced that Hova has inked a deal that will bring the celebrity hot spot to select airports throughout the U.S. Alongside his business partners, Juan and Desiree Perez, the hip-hop heavyweight united with Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services for the deal, which may put the club in as many as 20 major U.S. airports. “We are thrilled to partner with the 40/40 Club, to bring a stylish sports bar and lounge to airports across the country,” Robert Stanton, vice president of business development of Delaware North Companies, said in a statement. “From the personalized, one-of-a-kind jerseys on the wall, to every sports game you can think of on the television screens, the club will bring a new experience that we are sure travelers will welcome.” Co-owner Perez is also looking forward to the joint partnership and said she hopes to bring the club’s “first-class experience” to travelers. “We want to see our club grow and to bring those experiences to travelers,” she said. “A partnership with Delaware North will do just that.” Back in 2003, the venue’s first location opened up in Manhattan, New York. However, the sports lounge is set to close temporarily from April to July 2011 to undergo a complete location renovation. In addition to expanding his empire, the MC recently scored a spot on the New York Times Best Sellers list with “Decoded.” The book, the rapper’s first, is a memoir that also explains his lyrics with the help of co-author Dream Hampton. Would you visit Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club while passing through an airport? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Jay-Z

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Kanye West Tops Billboard Chart With My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Kanye West Tops Billboard Chart With My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Nicki Minaj a strong #2 with her debut, Pink Friday. By Gil Kaufman Kanye West Photo: Ben Hider/Getty Images It’s an understatement to say that Kanye West is on a roll. As predicted, ‘Ye’s fifth album, the hotly anticipated My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , will easily top the Billboard 200 albums chart next week, after selling a robust 496,000 copies, giving the Chicago MC his fourth #1 debut in a row. Just behind him at #2 is the debut from Young Money First Lady Nicki Minaj , who moved 375,000 copies of her Pink Friday . The pair of rap superstars lead a parade of new faces in the top 10 during the biggest week of new album releases of the year, which helped propel the top 11 discs past the six-figure mark. After nearly two years of mixtapes and guest spots on other artists’ songs for Minaj and months of leaking tracks by West, the two friendly rivals prove that the traditional way of setting up albums may officially be a thing of the past. In fact, Minaj’s total is one of the highest ever for a female MC’s debut, falling just short of the 423,000 copies former Fugees singer Lauryn Hill scored in 1998 with her smash The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Justin Bieber ‘s Walmart-exclusive acoustic disc, My Worlds Acoustic, comes in at #7 on sales of 115,000, with My Chemical Romance just behind at #8 (112,000) with Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Also breaking into the top 10 is Ne-Yo , whose Libra Scale hit #9, as the in-demand singer/songwriter sold just a shade under MCR. The rest of the top 10 features Susan Boyle at #3 with The Gift (263,000), Taylor Swift ‘s Speak Now, which moves up five spots to #4 as sales picked up by 64 percent after five weeks in stores to 241,000, putting her within spitting distance of 2 million albums sold. Jackie Evancho ‘s O Holy Night EP falls a few spots to #5 (142,000), while Rihanna slips three to #6 with her latest, Loud (141,000), and the cast of “Glee” round out the top 10 with their first Christmas collection (108,000). Kid Rock ‘s time in the top 10 was brief, as his classic-rock-influenced Born Free falls six spots to #11 in week two on sales of 104,000, mirroring the tumble by popera singer Josh Groban , who slips eight slots to #12 in the second week for his latest, Illuminations (99,000). Despite a digital hit with “We R Who We R,” Ke$ha ‘s second album of 2010, Cannibal, has a modest debut, landing at #15 (74,000), even as fellow pop provocateur Katy Perry ‘s Teenage Dream shoots up 18 slots to #16 (72,000) as sales increased by nearly 180 percent from the previous week. The soundtrack to the Christina Aguilera/Cher movie “Burlesque” matches the so-so box-office returns of that hoofing drama, with a soft debut at #18 (63,000), and G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks has to settle for a #26 bow (44,000) for his H.F.M.2 (Hunger for More 2). It was also not stellar news for a pair of greatest-hits collections, as Pink ‘s Greatest Hits So Far! drops 14 spots to #29 in its second week (41,000), and Jay-Z ‘s Hits Collection sneaks into the top 50 at #43 (28,000) in its chart debut. Things are also looking grim for season-nine “American Idol” winner Lee DeWyze after his major-label debut, Live It Up, craters in its second week, nose-diving 74 slots to #93 as sales trailed off by 63 percent. DeWyze scored the worst-selling debut figures ever by an “Idol” winner last week. Over on the iTunes albums chart, it was mostly the same story, as Kanye took the #1 spot, followed by Nicki, the “Burlesque” soundtrack, the “Glee” Christmas album, Ke$ha, Rihanna, MCR, Swift, Mumford & Sons’ Sigh No More and Kings of Leon’s Come Around Sundown. Perry still ruled on the iTunes single tally with her latest single, “Firework,” with Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” just behind, Ke$ha holding at #3 with “We R” and the Black Eyed Peas hitting #4 with “The Time (Dirty Bit).” iTunes doesn’t provide detailed sales results, but Rihanna was probably happy with locking down #5 with “What’s My Name?” and #7 with “Only Girl (in the World),” with Bruno Mars slipping in at #6 with “Grenade.” Rounding out the top 10 was Mars again at #8 with “Just the Way You Are,” Far East Movement with “Like a G6” and Trey Songz with “Bottoms Up.” The battle for the top will start all over again next week with the arrival of the Black Eyed Peas ‘ The Beginning , as well as new albums from Chrisette Michele , Jazmine Sullivan , Tim McGraw and Flo Rida , as well as yet another “Glee” cast disc. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Kanye West ‘Nicki Minaj: My Time Now’ Related Artists Kanye West Nicki Minaj

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Nicki Minaj Tweets About Regis Philbin ‘Bootygate’ Incident

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Nicki Minaj Tweets About Regis Philbin ‘Bootygate’ Incident

Veteran talk-show host inappropriately touched Nicki after her performance on ‘Live With Regis and Kelly.’ By Gil Kaufman Nicki Minaj Photo: Steve Granitz/ WireImage Nicki Minaj has a lot to be thankful for this week. Her debut album, Pink Friday , is headed for a #2 bow on the Billboard 200 albums charts, with one of the highest first-week totals ever for a female rapper’s first effort. But after a bizarre incident during a Monday taping of “Live With Regis and Kelly,” the Young Money queen took to Twitter to air her feelings about the show’s legendary 79-year-old male co-host. After Minaj sang her hit single, “Right Thru Me,” on the program, Philbin and co-host Kelly Ripa came over to greet the 25-year-old MC. That’s when Philbin looked her up and down, said, “I love the way you dress,” and tapped Nicki on the rear end with his hand. After years of putting up with Philbin’s bizarre antics, even Ripa was surprised, yelping “Regis! What just happened?” Minaj tried to play it off, answering Philbin’s follow-up about how she hooked up with label boss Lil Wayne. “So, what advice does Lil Wayne give you?” an unphased Philbin asked. “Wayne tells me to go hard,” Minaj answered. “Go hard?” Philbin deadpanned to the audience’s groans. “I wish I could.” After the show, Nicki took to Twitter to answer a question from a follower who asked, “What went thru your mind when Regis had slapped ya? That was epic!” Minaj wrote back, “LOL. I was in shock!” Related Videos ‘Nicki Minaj: My Time Now’ Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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Nicki Minaj Tweets About Regis Philbin ‘Bootygate’ Incident

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Kanye West Bests Nicki Minaj In Billboard Battle

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Kanye West Bests Nicki Minaj In Billboard Battle

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sold nearly half a million in first week. By Gil Kaufman Kanye West Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images In the end, the chart battle between Kanye West and Nicki Minaj wasn’t much of a contest. In the biggest album release week of the year, Yeezy easily bested the Young Money honey. Preliminary figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan peg his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy debuting with more than 495,000 copies sold compared to 375,000 for Minaj’s long-awaited major-label debut, Pink Friday. Though some questioned Kanye’s decision to leak a song a week in the months leading up to the release of Fantasy, including nearly all of the album’s major tracks, in the end, fans still appear to have come out for the rapper’s fifth studio album. Fantasy matched the #1 debut of Kanye’s previous effort, 2008’s vocal-heavy 808s & Heartbreak, which moved 450,000 copies in its first week. Neither, however, come close to reaching the MC’s chart peak, which he achieved in 2007 with Graduation , which also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart after selling a whopping 957,000 copies in its first week in the midst of a much-hyped chart battle with 50 Cent’s album Curtis . After more than two years of headline-grabbing guest spots on tracks by everyone from Gucci Mane to Mariah Carey, Trey Songz, Bobby Valentino, Mya, Robin Thicke, Ludacris and, of course, Kanye, anticipation was high for Minaj’s Friday . In the end, Minaj just narrowly missed the record for the best debut album sales by a female rapper, falling a bit short of the mark set by former Fugees member Lauryn Hill in 1998 with her smash hit The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which moved 423,000 copies in its chart bow. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Kanye West ‘Nicki Minaj: My Time Now’ Related Artists Kanye West Nicki Minaj

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Bizarre Insects Inspire Unintentionally Surreal Art

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Bizarre Insects Inspire Unintentionally Surreal Art

Photo: MFN Berlin In the first half of the last century, a German blacksmith named Alfred Keller began crafting some of the most surrealistic, alien-seeming sculptures the world had ever seen — delicate works which took months to complete. These incredible creations, meticulous in detail, rivaled even the most imaginative pieces from contemporary artists — but they weren’t inspired by some absinth-induced vision or fit of madness. Indeed, Keller’s mu… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Yellowcard Return With ‘Awesome’ New Album

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Yellowcard Return With ‘Awesome’ New Album

When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes marks band’s return since dissolving in 2008. By James Montgomery Yellowcard’s Ryan Key Photo: MTV News Back in 2006, things were starting to go bad for Yellowcard . They had parted ways with longtime guitarist Ben Harper , under less than amicable terms. They were forced to scrap a run of shows when frontman Ryan Key underwent vocal surgery . Lights and Sounds, the ambitious follow-up to their breakout Ocean Avenue album, had tanked, and the band began taking swipes at one another in the press as a result. Things only get worse from there. Their next album — 2007’s Paper Walls stiffed to such a degree that their label, Capitol, refused to continue promoting it — and by the end of 2008, Yellowcard were left without a label and decided to call it quits. So, it may have come as a surprise to their die-hard fans when YC announced that they were re-forming in August, with plans to record a brand-new album, to be released on a brand-new label (Hopeless Records) in March. Though, according to Key, the news really shouldn’t have shocked anybody. After all, despite what you may have thought, Yellowcard never really went away in the first place. “We took a break in ’08, and it just felt like it was time to step back a little bit, and everybody went off and did their thing,” Key told MTV News. “And earlier this year, our drummer, Longineu [Parsons], was the one that kinda started making phone calls, just saying, ‘What do you guys think about maybe getting back together?’ And then all the rest of us started talking and, uh, it just seemed like the right thing to do.” Of course, given their rather rocky history — not just Harper’s departure, but the constantly changing status of long-time (and now former) bassist Pete Mosely — getting the band back together wasn’t as easy as a few phone calls. There were things that needed to be said (and unsaid), and they needed to be done face-to-face. “We definitely sat down with each other and talked about all the things in Yellowcard that had worked and not worked, and what we would need it to be this time around to make it work, and everybody really seemed to be on the same page,” Key explained. “The record is just awesome. … We’re so excited about it, and it was because, I think, we did get some of that stuff worked out and talked about and, you know, you’re friends for 15 years … so there’s stuff that you gotta work out with each other to be able to keep working together.” And though neither Harper nor Mosely are taking part in the 2010 version of Yellowcard, Key is determined to press on with the core of the band — himself, Parsons and violinist Sean Mackin — intact. And as proof, he offers up the title of YC’s new album: When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes a handle he probably couldn’t have thought up back in 2006. “It actually came from a young lady I was trying to, uh, take out for an evening, and she had mentioned that she was kind of seeing someone else, and had to think about it,” he laughed. “I wrote her a text message back that said, ‘When you’re through thinking, say “yes,” ‘ and it just kind of resonated, I guess. As lame as it may be, it’s from a text message.” Related Artists Yellowcard

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Jazmine Sullivan Is Showing Her ‘Softer Side’ On New Album

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Jazmine Sullivan Is Showing Her ‘Softer Side’ On New Album

But fans will ‘still get some fire’ on Love Me Back, R&B singer tells MTV News. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Joel Hanek Jazmine Sullivan Photo: MTV News Jazmine Sullivan announced she was Fearless in 2008 when she released her debut album. And while the LP shares a title with the Taylor Swift album released the same year, it was vastly different in musical style, thanks to help from Missy Elliot, Stargate, Salaam Remi and Wyclef Jean. Two years later, Sullivan is back with her follow-up, Love Me Back, and she gets an assist again from Elliot and Remi, as well as contributions from Ne-Yo, No I.D. and Los da Mystro. When MTV News caught up with Sullivan, she explained that she hoped to overcome the sophomore slump on this project. “This is my sophomore album, I definitely felt a lot of pressure during the beginning of it, but I kind of just released it and that’s when everything started to flow,” Sullivan said. “So I’m excited what people have to say about it.” The singer has released two singles — “Holding You Down (Goin’ in Circles)” and “10 Seconds” — from the album, which has been getting high scores from reviewers. Sullivan said this time around she wanted to show fans a different side of herself. “I think you’ll definitely see a softer side,” she said. “You’ll still get some fire — I can’t give that up — but definitely going to get a softer side. There are different sides of love, good and bad.” What do you think of Jazmine Sullivan’s new album? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Artists Jazmine Sullivan

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Justin Bieber’s ‘Latin Girl’ Leaks

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Justin Bieber’s ‘Latin Girl’ Leaks

There’s no word yet where the club-ready track will end up or when it was recorded. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber Photo: Sohyung Kang/ MTV News Justin Bieber only released one new track, “Pray,” on his just-released My Worlds Acoustic, but it seems that he is working on some more music. A track called “Latin Girl” leaked online late Monday with no information about where it came from or when it was recorded. On the track, Bieber pines for a girl, singing, “I was on the beach, yeah/ I was on vacation/ I was doing nothing/ I was just sittin’ patient/ Then you walked by/ You caught my eye/ I said, ‘Who’s this girl? She’s lookin’ superfly’/ Hey, miss beautiful, I’ve never seen you before/ And I would like to be the one to show you I am cool and all/ Hey, little momma, what you got on ya/ Looking so good that I just want to telephone her.” Later on, with a club-ready beat pumping on the Latin-flavored track, he sings, “She’s my Latin girl/ Ooh, pretty lady, don’t you think it’s crazy/ She’s my Latin girl/ Oh she tries to fight, but she knows she likes it.” There are two rumored inspirations for the song, both of whom have been romantically linked to the singer: Jasmine Villegas and Selena Gomez . No further information about where the track will eventually end up was available, and a rep for the singer had not responded to MTV News’ request for comment by press time. Bieber has admitted that he is working on new music for an album to be released sometime in 2011. “[It’ll] probably [come out] fourth quarter next year,” he revealed to MTV News in September. “Drake is gonna be on that album; I’m not sure [who else]. I’m gonna ask him if he can get [Lil] Wayne on there.” What do you think of “Latin Girl”? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Artists Justin Bieber

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Dane Cook Talks ‘Very Strange’ Taylor Swift Tattoo

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Dane Cook Talks ‘Very Strange’ Taylor Swift Tattoo

‘The minute it went to commercial, she goes, ‘What the f— was that?’ comedian jokes about Swift’s reaction to ‘Tonight Show’ tribute. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias Dane Cook Photo: MTV News Dane Cook shocked Taylor Swift with an original song when both were guests on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” last week. Cook sang a tune about how much he loves Swift and it was a moment made more comical because he performed it shirtless with a portrait of Swift and her name tattooed on his chest. “You’re speaking of the Taylor Swift ‘Tonight Show’ viral sensation, which is burning up the Internet charts. Well, that was years of planning,” Cook joked to MTV News when we met up to talk about his new album, I Did My Best – Greatest Hits. “It’s a real tattoo, so I had to do it over three stages of nine months … either that version of the story [about how it happened or] it took about 15 minutes the night before to write the little ditty. “I have a friend who’s a tattoo artist [and] I came off the tour, slopped that on there and I can’t get it off,” he continued. “I’ve tried rubbing alcohol. I’ve tried abrasive toothpaste, and it freaks me out. I looked in the mirror after my shower, like, ‘Taylor Swift’s face is staring back at me, very strange.’ ” Cook admitted that Swift had a great sense of humor about the whole thing. “You know, she comes across as very sweet but the minute it went to commercial she looked at me and she goes, ‘What the f— was that?’ No, I’m kidding,” he said. “She actually was really super sweet. We did get to talk a little bit and she thought it was really a very, very nice moment and then afterwards we took some pictures. We’re fast friends. We’re Twitter friends now so, you know, once you’re on Twitter with somebody it’s a camaraderie that can never be broken.” So what will the comedian do if he can’t get that tattoo off? “I figure, date really beautiful blondes and change the name — just keep getting that removed,” he joked. What did you think of Dane’s musical tribute to Taylor? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Taylor Swift

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Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis Support Co-Star James Franco As Oscar Host

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis Support Co-Star James Franco As Oscar Host

‘They’re going to do a great job,’ Kunis says of Franco and co-host Anne Hathaway. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Natalie Portman at the 2010 Gotham Awards Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images News broke Monday morning that Anne Hathaway and James Franco had been tapped to host the 83rd annual Academy Awards , but those reports never reached two of Franco’s co-stars. That evening, at the red-carpet premiere for “Black Swan” in New York, MTV News asked Natalie Portman, who stars alongside Franco in the upcoming comedy “Your Highness,” what she thought of the hosting news. “I didn’t hear about that!” she told us. “That’s awesome. That’s really cool.” Earlier in the day, Franco’s “Date Night” co-star Mila Kunis (who also happens to star with Portman in “Black Swan”) stopped by the MTV Newsroom, and when we asked for her thoughts on the Oscar development, she too confessed she hadn’t heard. “What? That’s awesome,” she said. “I think they’re going to do a great job.” Both women will likely be on hand for the festivities, as “Black Swan” is a front-runner to nab nominations in a slew of categories, from Best Picture to Best Actress for Portman. There’s even an outside chance Kunis could reel in a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Franco, meanwhile, has been a leading contender for an acting nod based on his turn as a trapped hiker in “127 Hours.” How his hosting duties will affect his chance of receiving a nomination and then winning the award is anyone’s guess. All Portman knows is that with Franco and Hathaway emceeing the ceremony, the 83rd Oscars should be a whole lot more entertaining than past versions of the show. “That’ll be more fun to watch than usual,” she said. Check out everything we’ve got on “Black Swan.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards

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