50 will perform his debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in its entirety at the March 16 show. By Rob Markman 50 Cent Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage The South by Southwest music festival just got a little more star-studded. Just two days after Jay-Z’s livestream SXSW concert was announced, the folks at Eminem ‘s label announced the “Shady 2.0 SXSW Showcase.” 50 Cent will headline the March 16 concert at Austin Music Hall and perform his 2003 debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, in its entirety. The Shady veteran isn’t the only draw: The label’s more recent signees Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse will also take the stage to rep the label. There’s no word yet if Slim Shady himself will show up, but Big K.R.I.T., Schoolboy Q, Action Bronson, Don Trip, STS and the Foodchain are sure to take the stage. MTV News correspondent and Shade 45 radio host Sway Calloway will host the evening. Jay-Z’s SXSW concert will be livestreamed on YouTube on Monday at 8 p.m. ET and then rebroadcast in an on-demand format on YouTube, Twitter and Xbox LIVE the next day. As of press time, there had been no announcement concerning a broadcast of the Shady show. mtvU’s Woodie Awards also take place during SXSW, including a daylong fest of our own on Thursday, March 15, that will feature performances from Childish Gambino, Fun., A$AP Rocky, Kimbra and Chiddy Bang. Jay and Kanye West lead this year’s nominees , which also include the Black Keys, Skrillex, Mac Miller, Frank Ocean, J. Cole and many more. The 2012 mtvU Woodies invade SXSW on March 15 with the Woodies Festival. The best of the 2012 mtvU Woodies will air on MTV and mtvU on Sunday (March 18) at 8 p.m. ET. Related Artists 50 Cent
Critics agree that rapper’s new women’s line is an improvement over last year’s. By Rob Markman Kanye West greets the audience after his show at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Getty Images There is no quit in Kanye West . After critics picked and prodded at the first showing of his women’s wear line in October, Yeezy returned to the big stage on Tuesday night in France at the fall/winter ready-to-wear show with his new collection for Paris Fashion Week. Diddy, Kim Kardashian, Shyne and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour were all there as ‘Ye offered up what many critics described as a Givenchy-inspired look. There were leathers, backless motorcycle jackets, inventive knee-high boots, furs and go-karts — yes, go-karts. Comparisons to West’s first showing are inevitable, even if the rapper/ producer/ overall creative spirit feels that he was unfairly judged during the first go-round. “I got treated unfairly by the press last time. Why would I want to do this?” Kanye said to a roomful of editors after deciding to cancel a pre-show collection preview. Well, whatever doesn’t kill Kanye only makes him stronger. Here’s what the critics had to say about the Louis Vuitton Don’s new threads. Catch up on everything you missed with MTV Style’s Live Blog and Recap! “This show started out OK, with a series of tough-looking black leather and suede outfits based off of a motorcycle jacket. And it ended with go-karts spinning around two tracks on either side of the runway, which made Anna Wintour smile. His leather skirts had a stiff half-ruffle pointing out at the hems. Karlie Kloss wore a leather jacket that, kind of interestingly, had no back, but then there was again a preponderance of questionable fur looks, including pants that were broadtail on the front, clingy fabric on the back.” — Eric Wilson, New York Times “This collection was better. Markedly. I just hope Kanye West continues to show. And learns to show off. If it’s true what they say and he’s formed a think tank of sartorial smartypantses they should help him realize the visual equivalent of what he’s capable of aurally. This is what I expect of him and I refuse to lower my expectations.” — — Mary H.K. Choi, MTV Style . “Yes, the dark haute-goth looks were very Givenchy-Mcqueen-Balenciaga-ish. Very. But given the scathing criticism he got last year, it’s clear Kanye had better planning, better execution, and vastly better fittings this time around. Oh, and once again, his shoe fetish takes center stage. Last year it was those beaded/pearled bangle sandals. This time, sky high Feyd-Rautha-style strap boots.” — Miss Info “First the bad news: This Kanye West collection was so Givenchy-esque that it’s embarrassing that Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci was an expected guest. Kanye, whatever your legal arrangement, cribbing is cribbing. Ten points off for copying the smart guy sitting next to you. Next, the good news: this Kanye collection is a massive improvement. When I asked how he managed it, Mr. West dissembled and said he’d spent a lot of time in ‘libraries.’ ” — Christina Binkley, Wall Street Journal Related Photos Kanye West Paris Fashion Week Fall 2012 Related Artists Kanye West
‘We’re saying, ‘Let’s just vibe out, write a million songs and see what we’re feeling most,’ Nick Jonas tells MTV News. By Jocelyn Vena Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas of Jonas Brothers Photo: El Universal It’s on! The Jonas Brothers promised they’d be hitting the studio very soon, and it seems they are men of their word. This week big bro Kevin tweeted out some footage of Joe and Nick in the studio whipping up some musical ear candy that will surely delight their fans. While there’s no certainty that the teased track will make their next studio release, the song certainly does blend the guys’ love for mixing genres, touching on soul, rock and disco. When Nick dropped by the MTV News offices recently, he said that when this next album drops, all bets are off as to what it will sound like. “We have spoken about it, and the thing we’re doing which is different to any record we’ve made in the past is we’re saying, ‘Anything goes, let’s just vibe out, listen to a million songs, write a million songs and see what we’re feeling most.’ Our statement, as a band, for this record has to be really strong. We feel like we want to deliver the best record we can.” Individually, the guys have been busy churning out albums, but there hasn’t been a proper JB album since 2009, when they dropped Lines, Vines and Trying Times. The guys are well aware that the music scene is vastly different three years later. “We pay attention to it, definitely,” Nick said. “That’s part of your job as an artist, too, is to be aware of what other people are doing. … We pay attention and have been paying attention just to see where we want to fall. But first we just want to write great songs, and as far as how it sounds, that’ll come second.” There has yet to be a release date for the album, but the Jonas Brothers have teased that it may drop before the end of the year. The hashtag #JonasBrothers2012 attached to the studio video may be the best hint so far. “We don’t know how long it’s going to take us to write this record,” Nick warned. “It may take a couple weeks, it may take months, it could take years, but we’re ready to go on that journey. It’s been a while and there has been a lot of growth as individuals and musically as well. We’ve all gone on our journeys musically. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of that.” What are you hoping to see on the Jonas Brothers’ next album? Leave your comment below! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Nick Jonas Related Artists Jonas Brothers Joe Jonas
‘I will close the book on Teenage Dream soon, but [ Complete Confection ] just felt really organic,’ Perry tells MTV News. By Christina Garibaldi Katy Perry Photo: Jeff Bottari/ Getty Images Katy Perry may already be thinking of what direction she will take on her next album, but before she does that, she wanted to do something special for her fans. On March 26, Perry will release Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection , which features all of her songs from her chart-topping album Teenage Dream plus some bonus tracks. “With Teenage Dream, the reasons why I wanted to put out this special edition, Complete Confection, is two major reasons for me: One, I’m doing it mostly for the hard-core fans because they always love all the extras,” Perry told MTV News in Los Angeles. “The second reason I wanted to do it is because it’s my one last push, to push that person that is on the precipice of becoming a fan. They’re thinking to themselves, ‘I bought four or five singles, maybe I should actually complete my album and now I should really complete my album because I’m gonna get 19 songs for a really great price.’ I think it’s like a bargain and I’m doing it for my fans.” Perry revealed that she wrote several songs that didn’t make the cut on Dream, which is why Confection will feature not only Perry’s new hit single “Part of Me” but several other songs, including the Tricky Stewart-produced track “Dressing Up.” “This song is really special. It’s called ‘Dressing Up,’ so it’s going to be a big record,” Stewart told MTV News in October. “It definitely fits. It’s right there in what her sensibilities are as a musician and a songwriter. She doesn’t change much. She has a very keen musical taste. It’ll be really good.” Even though there are several new tracks on Confection, Perry says she is not considering this a whole new album. “I’m really excited and I’m not putting it out there as, like, another album — you know how you find different artists do their version, like eight songs or something. I’m am ready to make a new record, and I will close the book on Teenage Dream soon, but [ Complete Confection ] just felt really organic.” Are you excited for Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection ? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Katy Perry Related Artists Katy Perry
Jack White’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ performance proves he has awesome to spare, in Bigger Than the Sound. By James Montgomery Jack White and Lindsay Lohan on “Saturday Night Live” Photo: NBC The most distracting thing on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend wasn’t Lindsay Lohan’s face (or overall lack of preparation); it was Jack White and his general awesomeness. This is, of course, nothing new. Back in 2010, when writing about the White Stripes’ “Under Great White Northern Lights” film, I compared White to “a woodblock printer, a missionary, a wheelwright [and] a buckskin-clad frontiersman” (among other things), all of which are thoroughly awesome in their own way. Shoot, before that, I praised White for phoning a Chicago radio station — from Spain, nonetheless — to accuse them of cowardice (always awesome) after they played a leaked copy of the Stripes’ Icky Thump album. ( White subsequently rationalized the call to me thusly : “Jack White the singer and songwriter isn’t reacting to you; it’s the president of Third Man Records calling you and asking for an explanation.” And referring to yourself in the third person is most definitely awesome.) In reality, there is no end to White’s inherent awesomeness. He makes his entire road crew dress in matching suits and bowler hats. He haggled like a pro (and wore an excellent fedora) on “American Pickers.” He runs his entire Third Man empire out of a record shop/ warehouse located next to some train tracks in a less-than-desirable section of Nashville. He’s recorded with auctioneers and the Insane Clown Posse (and just about everyone else). He made the “Treat Me Like Your Mother” video. And the sentiments he expressed when announcing the end of the White Stripes — namely, “The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want” — well, they were certainly incredibly awesome too. Anyway, here’s the point: As you are probably aware, next month, White will release his first solo album, Blunderbuss. And this weekend on “Saturday Night Live,” while Lohan flailed, he performed a pair of songs from that album: sublime first single “Love Interruption” and the spastic, space-truckin’ stomper “Sixteen Saltines.” They were notable for several reasons, the least of which being that, unlike the recent spate of “SNL” musical, uh, efforts — I’m looking at you, Lana Del Rey and Karmin — they were actually really good. And the pair of songs probably served as a reminder to some about White’s power and prowess. But that’s not what made them so distracting. Rather, it was the fact that, for reasons apparent only to him, White decided to bring two backing bands to the show: one all female, the other entirely male. And sure, you could probably argue that the lithe “Love Interruption” could only be played by females, while the more muscular “Sixteen Saltines” benefited from male musicians ( Noel Gallagher certainly believes both of these things to be true ). In fact, that might actually be why White did it, though I’d prefer to think that he had another reason: Because he is awesome. From his earliest days, White has excelled at turning the most minute of details into the most important of points: everything from the Stripes’ unflagging color scheme to the “official tartans” the band had made for their “aluminum anniversary” (that’s 10 years, FYI). It’s sort of what makes him stand out from his rock-star contemporaries — he genuinely seems to care about stuff like connecting the dots and cultivating a mystique. And his “SNL” stunt is just the latest example of this; not only were his backing bands uniform in their sex, they wore color-coordinated, outfits too. Is there anyone else who would go to these lengths, for no particular reason? Of course not. And yet, the best thing about White is the fact that, even though we’ve come to expect the unexpected from him, we’re always surprised by what he does. Or how effortlessly he seems to do it. Blowing the likes of Lana Del Rey off the “SNL” stage isn’t difficult, but doing it with style to spare — well, that’s something else entirely. It’s awesome. And it’s inherently Jack White. He’s back and badder than ever, with two new bands at his disposal. For his next trick, perhaps he’ll try to revive Lohan’s career — and who knows? He might even succeed. What do you think of White’s latest incarnation? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Jack White Lindsay Lohan
Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, will finally break her silence on her mother’s death to talk show maven Oprah Winfrey Photo: Steve Granitz/ WireImage Related Artists Whitney Houston
‘We both kind of stayed in our own lanes but made it make sense,’ Ne-Yo tells MTV News of collaboration.’We both kind of stayed in our own lanes but made it make sense,’ Ne-Yo tells MTV News of collaboration. By Rob Markman Young Jeezy Photo: Chris McKay/ Getty Images While the literal definition of a movie is a motion picture, the DJ Khaled definition of a movie can range from a really great party to a hit record or a classic album. When it comes to the upcoming video for Young Jeezy and Ne-Yo ‘s new single “Leave You Alone,” the former definition applies, but judging from the video’s trailer , which was released online on Thursday, the DJ Khaled definition is also applicable. “Make sure you check for that video coming real soon. It’s a movie. Not even in a DJ Khaled sense; like, it’s really a movie,” Ne-Yo told MTV News on Sunday when he walked the red carpet before the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. Ne-Yo didn’t want to give too much of the video’s plot away, but he did hint that Jizzle would be moving just a bit out of his comfort zone in the TAJ_TPK-directed clip. “We both kind of stayed in our own lanes but made it make sense,” Ne-Yo said. “I moved just far enough out of my lane to make sense for him and he moved just far enough out of his to make sense for me, but it’s still Ne-Yo, it’s still Jeezy, and it’s all good, trust.” Trailers for videos aren’t normally this dramatic, but the Jeezy-narrated clip is more Hollywood than hip-hop. The Snowman’s new female-friendly TM 103 single is a departure from his normal trap anthems, though Jeezy does well to stay in his character of thug motivator. On the track, Young raps about a forbidden love, while Ne-Yo’s R&B hook puts the age-old good-girls-love-bad-boys narrative in perfect context. The dramatic minute-and-a-half trailer does even more to illustrate the story. From the start, the ATL spitter reminds viewers of the pitfalls of his hustling lifestyle, having to watch his back and not being able to trust anyone. Doesn’t seem like love is in the cards for Jeezy, until a young beauty from a rival Latin crew catches his eye. “She been on my mind, but the problem was I could never see her face until now,” Jeezy said, setting up the video’s main plotline. “My life, this life, will never be the same again/ Her name is Olivia, yeah.” Young Jeezy’s “Leave You Alone” video will be out March 9. Related Artists Ne-Yo Young Jeezy
British boy banders prove they know ‘NSYNC from the Jonas Brothers. By Jocelyn Vena The Wanted Photo: Steve Thorne/ Redferns The Wanted are taking over America. Their single “Glad You Came” is a certified hit, and they’ve even amassed enough U.S. exposure to get covered on “Glee” and tour with Justin Bieber . The British fivesome (along with fellow Brit boy banders One Direction , who are also getting love Stateside) are proving that the new millennium is ready for a new crop of boy bands. When the Wanted stopped by MTV News while they were in the U.S. for their tour, they played a little Boy Band Pop Quiz with us, and they did surprisingly well! See for yourselves … What boy band featured Justin Timberlake? The Wanted : ‘NSYNC Did they get it right? : Yes What boy band released the song “I Want It That Way”? The Wanted : Backstreet Boys Did they get it right? : Yes What band launched the career of Robbie Williams? The Wanted : Take That Did they get it right? : Yes What group from Boston formed a supergroup with the Backstreet Boys? The Wanted : New Kids on the Block Did they get it right? : Yes What band’s name is actually a temperature? The Wanted : 98 Degrees Did they get it right? : Yes, eventually, with some hints from us! What band’s brothers are also the stars of “Camp Rock”? The Wanted : The Jonas Brothers Did they get it right? : Yes Having gotten high marks on our Boy Band Pop Quiz, the guys will come back our way later this month to be part of mtvU’s Spring Break festivities . They will head to Sin City to chill with rapper Young Jeezy and MTV Artist to Watch 2012 Dev at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. It’ll all go down March 20 to 22! How would you have done on the Boy Band Pop Quiz? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists The Wanted
Latest Dr. Seuss adaptation isn’t winning over too many critics. A scene from “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” Photo: Universal Studios There are few authors whose oeuvre is as universally beloved as that of Dr. Seuss. The love for Dr. Seuss is so great that plenty of his stories are rife for big-screen treatment. We’ve seen movie versions of “The Cat in the Hat,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Horton Hears a Who,” and now we have “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” which hit theaters Friday (March 2). Led by an all-star cast of voice talent including Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Danny DeVito, Betty White, Ed Helms and Rob Riggle, the story follows the journey of a young boy who fights to reintroduce endangered trees to the plastic-obsessed town of Thneedville in hopes of winning a girl’s heart. Despite the warm-and-fuzzy sheen of the film, critics were not as wowed by the colorful adaptation. The film currently has a 56 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes but an 85 percent positive rating from audiences. Read on as we sift through “The Lorax” reviews! The Adaptation “Director Chris Renaud and writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (the team responsible for 2010’s ‘Despicable Me’) were just the right people to bring Dr. Seuss’ (a.k.a. Theodor Geisel) 1971 environmental fable to vivid, eye-popping life. It has a similar blend of humor, bouncy silliness and sweetness. And it remains faithful to the spirit of Seuss. The pro-conservation, anti-consumerist message of the book is heartily intact. And, like the Seuss story, the film never resorts to sermonizing. … Disappointingly, Seuss’ trademark lilting language and clever rhymes are only sporadically integrated into the story. The film does add pleasantly loopy, if rather forgettable, songs.” — Claudia Puig, USA Today The Animation “As with ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ four years ago, the production design and computer-generated animation in this new ‘Lorax’ respect the basic lines of Theodor Seuss Geisel’s illustrations, his voluptuously curvy universe of serious whimsy. Both the ‘Horton’ and ‘Lorax’ films work better, certainly, than the live-action Seuss pictures ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ and the seriously not-good ‘Cat in the Hat.’ ‘The Lorax’ is a little more like it. A little. But you couldn’t accuse the film of practicing what it preaches: careful stewardship of a precious resource. The message tends to get lost in all the clanging slapstick and ‘WALL-E’ imagery. ‘WALL-E’ had the courage of its convictions as well as beauty and artistry; ‘The Lorax’ is just another OK feature-length animated edition (in 3-D, if you choose to pay for it) of a Dr. Seuss book.” — Michael Phillips, The Chicago Tribune The Final Word, Pro-Con-Pro Style “Directors Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda and their team honor Seuss’ original designs — those fuzzy-top trees and the comical bears and fish — while inventively creating the artificial world of Thneedville, where all the shrubbery is inflatable and it can be all four seasons simultaneously. While the film isn’t a full-on musical, the creators weave in a handful of catchy songs that nestle comfortably in the ear and push the plot forward, a rare combo in most cartoons these days. The voice cast is just fine, with Helms’ Once-ler traveling smoothly from protagonist to antagonist and back again. (A little of DeVito’s hectoring Lorax goes a long way, and the film wisely doles him out in small doses.) Conservative commentators like Lou Dobbs are absolutely right when they say that ‘The Lorax’ preaches in favor of the environment and against corporatism and waste and the destruction of the atmosphere. Parents who find that to be a message that’s somehow dangerous have every right not to go, but those Grinches, out of their terror of tree-hugging propaganda, will miss a real treat.” — Alonso Duralde, TheWrap “Don’t be fooled. Despite its soft environmentalist message ‘The Lorax’ is an example of what it pretends to oppose. Its relationship to Dr. Seuss’ book is precisely that of the synthetic trees that line the streets of Thneedville to the organic Truffulas they have displaced. The movie is a noisy, useless piece of junk, reverse-engineered into something resembling popular art in accordance with the reigning imperatives of marketing and brand extension. … ‘The Lorax,’ while it nods in the direction of Dr. Seuss’ distinctive, trippy drawing style, treats his sensibility as, at best, a decorative element. The movie’s silliness, like its preachiness, is loud and slightly hysterical, as if young viewers could be entertained only by a ceaseless barrage of sensory stimulus and pop-culture attitude, or instructed by songs that make the collected works of Up With People sound like Metallica. The simple fable of the Lorax and the Once-ler is wrapped in gaudy, familiar business and festooned with grim, forced cheer. What do the kids want? Car chases! Kooky grandmas! Pint-size villains flanked by thuggish minions! Things that fly! Taylor Swift!” — A.O. Scott, The New York Times “As much as this looks like Dr. Seuss, some of the most intriguing ideas of the original story have been changed and not always for the better. Altering the ending into one big happy party was slightly disappointing, if understandable. It was much more interesting that this strange creature would tell his story to a curious young boy and hope that this child would be able to plant the very last truffula tree seed. Not surprisingly, the movie changes that ambiguous hope into a happy-heavy ending. Sure it may be more child friendly, but the books weren’t exclusively made for grown-ups. If done right, young viewers would be able to search for hope with a less obvious finale. Yet with all the over-the-top joyfulness and an extraneous villain, there is fun to be had with ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.’ This is an enjoyable kid’s flick with a message for a new generation. The environmental aspect might anger a few people but that same idea is in the book itself, there is nothing new about that here. Much like Bob Holt’s take on him, I really warmed up to the character of the Lorax and what DeVito brings to this little critter that speaks for the trees. And yes, Betty White voices another wacky grandma, and everybody loves her, right?” — Jimmy O, JoBlo.com Check out everything we’ve got on “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Lorax’
‘It’s a different show every night, a different audience every night,’ he tells MTV News of his eight-shows-a-week schedule. By Jocelyn Vena Nick Jonas Photo: MTV News In January, Nick Jonas kicked off his run as Finch, the lead role in Broadway’s hit revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” With six weeks under his belt (and another few to go before he wraps it up in June), he says that he’s still getting to know the ins and outs of the show, but he’s enjoying every minute of the part, even its eight-shows-a-week schedule. “It’s interesting. The thing that I think I’ve realized, having played Finch every night, eight shows a week, is that the title of the show is ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,’ however the thing about Finch that’s really exciting and appealing to the audience, and me as actor, is that he does try really hard,” he explained to MTV News. “Although he does rise to the top really quickly, he never lies, he never cuts anyone down, he never does anything that makes him a bad person,” he continues. “However, he’s just really driven. I think when it says ‘Without Really Trying,’ it’s more just saying how easy it really is when you get into the setup he falls into. It’s fun to dig in and see how quickly and easily you can rise to the top.” And, the experience of the show has been enriched even more by the folks watching. “It’s a different show every night, a different audience every night and although we’re saying the same thing, it’s so different with each show and the audience plays just a much a part into the way the show runs as with the actors do. We have to pay attention and keep the pace of the show up,” he said. “It’s been fun to have a different show every night and to see the fans, not only Jonas fans, but also fans of ‘How to Succeed’ and theater fans in general.” Have you seen “How to Succeed”? If so, what did you think of Nick Jonas’ performance? Leave your comment below! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Nick Jonas Related Artists Jonas Brothers Nick Jonas & The Administration
