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John Mayer Chokes Up Onstage Over Playboy Interview

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘In the quest to be clever, I completely forgot about the people that I love,’ Mayer tells Nashville crowd. By MTV News staff John Mayer Photo: Mat Szwajkos/ Getty Images Following the publication of inflammatory remarks in a recent Playboy interview , John Mayer unleashed a barrage of apologies on his Twitter account. But that wasn’t the end of it for the 32-year-old rocker. On Wednesday, at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Mayer interrupted his live set to apologize further and attempt to give insight into his previous way of thinking about fame and the media, according to video of the concert. “In the quest to be clever, I completely forgot about the people that I love and the people that love me,” he said. During the Playboy interview, Mayer uttered the N-word several times, spoke of his lack of attraction to black women and bragged about “why black people love me.” As his bandmates, some of whom are African-American, played backup music at Wednesday’s show, Mayer blamed both himself and the media for his ill-advised comments. “I went, as I have begun to do, into a wormhole of selfishness and greed and arrogance,” he said, “thinking that if I would just continue to be speedy and witty and pull together as many fast words and phrases as I could, I could be clever enough to buy myself another day without anybody pinning me down and saying, ‘You’re a creep.’ “I think it’s important that you know that everybody on this stage is here playing with me, not because they condone what I say in any given interview,” he continued. “They’re on this stage because they support [me] as a possible future grownup.” As the crowd roared its approval, Mayer seemed to fight off tears as he declared that the fallout from the interview had made him change his ways. “It’s just not worth being clever,” he said. “I just can’t. I quit the sound-bite game. I quit the media game. I’m out. I’m done. I just want to play my guitar to whoever is around.” What do you think about John Mayer’s apologies? Sound off in the comments! Related Artists John Mayer

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Rihanna Shows Her True Colors In ‘Rude Boy’ Video

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Video is a colorful romp in the world of pop art and Caribbean style by ‘Hard’ director Melina Matsoukas. By Jocelyn Vena Rihanna in “Rude Boy” Photo: Def Jam Rihanna ‘s new video for “Rude Boy” is a colorful departure from the dark fare previously released from her Rated R album, like “Russian Roulette” and “Hard.” In it, Rihanna writhes around in a kaleidoscope of prints and colors, embracing her Caribbean roots in Jamaican-inspired costumes. The singer told Carson Daly on his Amp Radio show that the pop-art-inspired video was shot by Melina Matsoukas, who also worked with the pop star on her equally sexy “Hard” music video . In it she goofs around and gets sexy with a male extra, a zebra, a motorcycle and a stuffed lion in between whaling away on a drum kit. The video, which premiered on PerezHilton.com on Wednesday night, appears aristically influenced Andy Warhol’s pop art vibe as well as Keith Haring, thanks to its funky graffiti room. Rihanna once again shows off her fashion sense in the video, with lots of tight-fitting hot pants, a gold catsuit paired with a long wig and another catsuit inspired by the print in the Haringesque room. While Rihanna keeps the sexy factor up in the video, she also manages to throw in a little humor when she sings the line “Babe, if I don’t feel it, I ain’t faking,” giving an all-telling wink to the camera about the song’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics. “[It’s] completely different from any other video I’ve shot before,” she told Daly, describing it as “pretty freakin’ cool.” “A lot of my videos are really dark and edgy and tough. ‘Rude Boy’ is more playing along the lines from my roots. We used a lot of color, but also the costumes were very Jamaican dance-hall-queen type,” the singer said. Have you seen Rihanna’s video for “Rude Boy”? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below, or upload a video to Your.MTV.com ! Related Artists Rihanna

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Watch Pink, Justin Bieber In ‘We Are The World’ Footage

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| 1 Comment

Lionel Richie explains the need for ‘current’ stars in song’s re-recording. By Eric Ditzian Justin Bieber Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage In 1985, it was Michael Jackson , Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner leading the “We Are the World” charge to ease a devastating famine in Africa. Twenty-five years later, as the recording industry once again mobilizes to face an unspeakable crisis — the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti — a new generation of artists has risen up for a fresh spin on the iconic song. Lionel Richie, an original co-writer of the tune and organizer of the remake, says solving a 2010 crisis requires singers relevant to the 2010 public. “[I]t was time for a group of faces that this world knows now,” he said in a recent interview. “We have the standard group. I call them the Marines, the ones who went in first and charted the course. But for it to be current, you have to make it current.” Newly release footage from the recording session in early February, prominently shows those new faces, including Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne , Wyclef Jean, Miley Cyrus, Drake, T-Pain, Kanye West and Keri Hilson. They joined veterans such as Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand in the studio, singing as photos of the Haitian devastation played on oversize screens behind them. Quincy Jones, a producer on the original song as well as the new one, stood in front of the group, listening to the proceedings via headphones. The video also gives us glimpses of some solo recording sessions by Bieber , Pink, Josh Groban, Mary J. Blige, Akon and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. “You couldn’t get one person to recognize Haiti three months ago,” Richie said. “It was just business as usual before, and if you died on the street, you died on the street. Now, the whole world is forced on Haiti. We had to lose 250,000 people to do it. But now we can’t walk away from it. Now we have to pay attention to it.” All proceeds from sales of the “We Are the World” will go toward Haitian relief efforts . “Donate,” Jones urged viewers. “Give it up, whatever you got, to help people who cannot help themselves at this point and to rebuild the country.” Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti , and for more information, see Think MTV . Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now. Related Videos Behind The Scenes Of ‘We Are The World’ Related Photos ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti’ Recording Session Related Artists P!nk Justin Bieber Lionel Richie

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Tyga Says Lil Wayne’s Sentencing Delay Is ‘A Blessing’

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘He could spend more time with his family, get what he needs to get done,’ Young Money MC says. By Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Matt Elias Tyga Photo: MTV News On Tuesday (February 9) in New York City, a judge delayed Lil Wayne’s prison sentencing until March, allowing the MC time to recover from dental surgery. Wayne’s camp is obviously pleased they have been afforded a little more time to spend with their friend and mentor before he has to report to jail for a year. “That’s still a blessing, man,” Tyga said. “He could spend more time with his family, get what he needs to get done. “We talk about it all the time,” Tyga said of Wayne’s upcoming time in prison. “It’s not really a subject that’s gonna hurt us [Young Money artists] as much. We’re used to being around Wayne all day, everyday, and his work ethic, so we just look at it like we need to work harder. Even though we work very hard, we need to work harder. This man shot six videos in one day in, like, five hours. That was motivation — that was a lot of inspiration right there to see somebody do that.” Tyga is referring to Weezy’s production spree over Super Bowl weekend, in which he shot a total of nine videos in about 36 hours in Miami. The Cash Money/ Young Money family want to make sure the hub of their crew has plenty of visuals to tide the fans over while he is gone. Weezy also got in front of the cameras for two of Tyga’s songs. “We just shot a video for my single featuring Wayne, called ‘I’m On It,’ ” Tyga explained. “That’ll be coming out real soon. We got cameos from Drake, Juelz Santana was there — we did that. We did another song of mine that’s on Birdman’s album as well as my album — that’s called ‘Leave Home.’ It’s me and Wayne, featuring Birdman. That one’s crazy too. Look for ‘I’m On It,’ that one’s coming real soon. Wayne did a lot of videos in one day. We did what we needed to get done.” Related Videos Lil Wayne Goes To Jail Related Artists Lil Wayne Tyga

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John Mayer Apologizes For Controversial Playboy Interview

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I’ve created somewhat of a monster,’ singer says on Twitter about his open demeanor in interviews and arguably racist comments. By MTV News staff John Mayer Photo: Stephen Lovekin/ Getty Images Not surprisingly, given his copious use of Twitter in the past, John Mayer tweeted Wednesday about the uproar over his controversial interview with Playboy, in which he talked freely about sex, former girlfriends Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson, and — most controversially — made comments about black women and his lack of a ” ‘hood pass” that many have perceived as racist. In a series of tweets on Wednesday afternoon (February 10), Mayer wrote: “Re: using the ‘N word’ in an interview: I am sorry that I used the word. And it’s such a shame that I did because the point I was trying to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize using it, because I realize that there’s no intellectualizing a word that is so emotionally charged. “And while I’m using today for looking at myself under harsh light,” he continued. “I think it’s time to stop trying to be so raw in interviews. It started as an attempt to not let the waves of criticism get to me, but it’s gotten out of hand and I’ve created somewhat of a monster. I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don’t have the stomach for it. “Again, because I don’t want anyone to think I’m equivocating: I should have never said the word and I will never say it again.” What do you think of John Mayer’s apology? Let us know in the comments section below. Related Artists John Mayer

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John Mayer’s Playboy Interview Causes Uproar Online

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer talks freely — probably too freely — about Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Aniston, his non-attraction to black women. By MTV News Staff John Mayer and Jessica Simpson in 2007 Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images John Mayer has never been one to hold his tongue, whether freely tweeting his innermost thoughts or confessing his insecurities in the middle of a concert. But his latest foray into the familiar territory of speaking-his-mind-no-matter-the-consequences comes in a new interview with which has already unleashed a strong backlash online. During the lengthy chat, the 32-year rock star spoke brazenly about his relationships with Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson (calling the later “sexual napalm”), his sloppy kiss with Perez Hilton and his lack of sexual attraction to black women. “I don’t think I open myself to it,” Mayer said of dating black women. “My d— is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a f—–‘ David Duke c—. I’m going to start dating separately from my d—.” Such comments have already lit up the Internet with cries of racism . Yet Mayer also spoke about “why black people love me.” “Someone asked me the other day, ‘What does it feel like now to have a ‘hood pass?’ ” he told Playboy. “And by the way, it’s sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a ‘hood pass, you could call it a n—a pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a ‘hood pass if you really have a ‘hood pass? But I said, ‘I can’t really have a ‘hood pass.’ I’ve never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, ‘We’re full.’ ” Mayer also delved into detail about his two most high-profile romances. When it came to dating Simpson, Mayer said he didn’t think very much about the intrusion the paparazzi would make on his existence. “It wasn’t as direct as me saying ‘I now make the choice to bring the paparazzi into my life,’ ” he explained. “I really said, ‘I now make the choice to sleep with Jessica Simpson.’ That was stronger than my desire to stay out of the paparazzi’s eye. That girl, for me, is a drug. And drugs aren’t good for you if you do lots of them. Yeah, that girl is like crack cocaine to me. … Sexually it was crazy. That’s all I’ll say. It was like napalm, sexual napalm.” During the interview, Mayer also spoke about his on-going feud with Perez Hilton and how they once kissed at a club. “I remember seeing Perez Hilton flitting about this club and acting as though he had just invented homosexuality,” he said. “All of a sudden I thought, I can out-gay this guy right now. I grabbed him and gave him the dirtiest, tongue-iest kiss I have ever put on anybody — almost as if I hated fags.” Perez has already hit back against Mayer, but so far the usually Twitter-happy singer has not addressed any element of the Playboy interview. What do you think of John Mayer’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below. Related Artists John Mayer

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Jessica Biel, Kenna’s Treacherous Trek Featured In ‘Summit On The Summit’

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

MTV doc airing March 14 shows Emile Hirsch, Lupe Fiasco and others climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro for clean-water awareness. By Gil Kaufman Jessica Biel and company are shown the quality of drinking water used in parts of Africa Photo: MTV The dramatic journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, to raise awareness about the global clean-water crisis will be documented in an MTV special titled “Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro.” The 90-minute documentary, which will air at 9 p.m. ET on March 14, follows musicians Kenna, Santigold and Lupe Fiasco , actors Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch and Isabel Lucas and a group of scientists and activists on their journey to the top of the highest peak in Africa as they learn about water issues and climb through snow, sleet, rain and treacherous terrain on their way to 19,340 feet. While the January climb was chronicled on SummitOnTheSummit.com through tweets, photos and video in real time, the documentary will provide never-before-seen footage and insight into the climb while spotlighting the urgency of water issues. “MTV has a long history of educating its audience to raise awareness on issues that are important to them,” Dave Sirulnick, MTV Multiplatform, News and Docs executive vice president, said in a statement. “More than 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. By airing this documentary, MTV hopes to mobilize a new generation of young people who may not be aware of this global cause to take action and get involved in helping find solutions to the water crisis.” Battling crippling altitude headaches, freezing temperatures, sore bodies and soaking wet clothes and boots, the group trekked their way up the mountain, pushing themselves and each other to make the summit. “When I was younger, my dad pointed out Kilimanjaro on a huge atlas. It stood in my mind as one of the wonders of the world,” said trip leader Kenna , who was determined to reach the summit on his second try. “This climb is dedicated to my father. As a child in Ethiopia, he lost his brother and lost his friends and family to water-borne diseases. A billion people in the world don’t have clean water. I had to do something about it. For me it’s personal. I could have been one of those kids. I needed to come up with something that would command attention. And the only thing I could think of that was that massive was climbing Kilimanjaro.” From a dramatic demonstration in a steamy Tanzanian village at the foot of the mountain, where the climbers watched first-hand as sludgy brown liquid was turned into drinkable water using the PUR water filtration system, to their bone-chilling final assault on the summit, the documentary traces the climbers’ dramatic path up the iconic mountain. In addition to raising awareness about water issues, the climb also raised funds for the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Water for People’s PlayPumps Technology. “I know all of you want to be at the top of this mountain,” Kenna told the trekkers as they neared the summit and conditions got so treacherous that they were warned about their corneas possibly freezing. “But your safety comes first.” Reflecting on the journey, the Grammy-nominated musician said, “I think it’s honestly something more powerful than any of us could imagine.” Among the other participants on the climb are: Alexandra Cousteau (National Geographic Emerging Explorer and granddaughter of famed explorer and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau), Elizabeth Gore (executive director for Global Partnerships for the United Nations Foundation), Simon Isaacs (international development and water expert), award-winning photographers Michael Muller and Jimmy Chin, Kick Kennedy (environmental activist and granddaughter of Robert Kennedy), Bernise Ang (social entrepreneur and recipient of the YouthActionNet Award and Fellowship from the International Youth Foundation), Dr. Greg Allgood (director of the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program at Procter & Gamble), mountaineering expert Melissa Arnot and renowned trainer Jason Walsh. Tune in to “Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro” on March 14 at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Photos Summit On The Summit Crew Climbs Kilimanjaro Related Artists Kenna Lupe Fiasco Santigold

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White Stripes Complaint Leads Air Force To Pull Super Bowl Ad

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Force says the ad soundtrack’s similarity to ‘Fell in Love With a Girl’ was unintentional. By Joel Hanek White Stripes’ Jack White Photo: MTV News The U.S. Air Force has pulled the ad in which the White Stripes claim a re-recording of their song was used without permission. The Detroit rock duo band alleged that the 30-second recruitment commercial that aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl used music from “Fell in Love With a Girl” without their consent. The ad has been taken down from the Air Force Web site, but a statement on the site says the association with the Stripes was unintentional. “The Air Force Reserve commissioned an original piece of music for its one-time, 30-second Super Bowl regional advertisement,” said Lt. Col. Leslie Pratt, Air Force Reserve Command director of public affairs. “As soon as we realized there was a question about our ad, we immediately pulled it and have no plan to re-use it. Our goal was only to attract the best and brightest Americans to become Citizen Airmen.” The statement also claims that a contractor, Fast Forward Music, was hired by their advertising agency to compose an original score of music. “We had no intention to use existing music from the White Stripes or any other performer,” Pratt said. “Any similarity to them or other artists was certainly not intentional.” Shortly after the ad aired, the Stripes took to their site to object to their implied backing of military recruitment. “We believe our song was re-recorded and used without permission of the White Stripes, our publishers, label or management,” the statement read. “The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve’s presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support.” Related Artists The White Stripes

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Yo Gotti, Young Jeezy And Gucci Mane Here To ‘Save’ Street Music

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I feel that’s who the streets look at as far as trap music,’ Gotti tells Mixtape Daily. By Shaheem Reid Yo Gotti Photo: Polo Grounds Celebrity Favorites Yo Gotti just wants to preserve the environment. The Memphis, Tennessee, MC wants to uphold the integrity of the streets in hip-hop. He has talked about the responsibility on the shoulders of himself, Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane as three of the ‘hood’s ambassadors. “Keep getting it, I respect you and salute you, my n—a,” Gotti says on the record “Save Da Trap,” talking directly to Jeezy. “I knew you for this rap sh–/ We used to speak on trap sh–/ You represent the streets and you know I do the same/ From one gangsta to another, dawg, I hope you never change.” The last verse of the song addresses Gucci Mane. “I don’t really f— with rappers but you/ You like my brother,” Gotti says to Gucci. “We was in the spot/ We looked out for one another/ The first time I met, three songs in one night.” Gotti explained his musical letters to us. “I feel like it’s our job, between me and Jeezy and Gucci — I feel that’s who the streets look at as far as trap music,” Gotti explained. “So if it’s gonna be saved, we have to save it. That [song is] me telling myself and them, ‘Don’t do it.’ We gotta save the trap — the streets want us here. We still can do what we wanna do, make any kinda music we want to do — but we gotta keep representing the trap for the trap, ’cause that’s what’s made us.” Yo Gotti’s next album, Live From the Kitchen, comes out later this year. He recently filmed a video for “Women Lie, Men Lie” in Los Angeles. “It’s a mystery video,” Gotti said. “Women lie, men lie — it’s kind of a mystery video. You’ll see what’s going on and what’s not going on. I’m rapping about numbers. It’s self-explanatory, a lot of things I’m talking about — figures … what jewelry cost, what my deal is worth. It’s just different things where I come from in the streets — a lot of numbers.” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines . Related Videos Mixtape Daily: Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, More

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Manchester Orchestra Prepare For Bonnaroo, Hair-Raising New Album

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I really want hair to be standing up on your arms for the whole record,’ frontman Andy Hull says of next effort. By James Montgomery Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull Photo: MTV News Manchester Orchestra main man Andy Hull is a pretty hirsute dude. So when he starts talking about recording a new album and he mentions that his main goal is to make the listener’s hair stand straight up, well, then you know he means business. “We’re gonna record a new record in June. It’s going to be different, really beautiful and very wide — not wide stylistically, more like it’s gonna be a broad and big,” Hull told MTV News. “I really want hair to be standing up on your arms for the whole record — that’s kind of my goal.” And while the Orchestra are still riding high on the success of last year’s Mean Everything to Nothing — which bowed at #37 on the Billboard albums chart, earned them tons of critical acclaim and even generated a modest radio hit (“I’ve Got Friends”) — they’re already working on the follow-up. That’s just the way they tend to operate. “We’ve never been afraid of hard work,” Hull smiled. But a new album isn’t the only thing they’ve got lined up for June. They’ve just been confirmed to appear at the 2010 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival , taking place that same month in Manchester, Tennessee. Joining them are some of the biggest names in the game (Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, Weezer), but they’re not nervous. After all, they’ve learned from some of the best — and weirdest — bands out there. “You tour with, like, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Kings of Leon for three months, you just have to turn up and become a rock band. And we were very influenced by that and a bunch of bands that we were able to tour with,” Hull said. “We were able to tour with weirder bands, like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and play with Okkervil River, where Clap Your Hands are, like, this kind of weird music and the Okkervil is beautiful folk music, so we got to tour with a bunch of awesome bands and kind of get to know all these people, and we’re definitely influenced by it.” Related Artists Manchester Orchestra

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