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Are Madonna And Britney Spears Collaborating On MDNA?

Amid rumors that Spears will appear on Madge’s ‘Girls Gone Wild,’ MTV News looks back at their history together. By Jocelyn Vena Madonna and Britney Spears Photo: Jason Merritt/ FilmMagic Could it be that Madonna has enlisted her pal Britney Spears for MDNA ? Well, according to a leaked album jacket, it seems that Spears is making an appearance on the album’s lead track, “Girls Gone Wild.” This would mark the second collaboration on the album. Madonna nabbed Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. for the album’s first single, “Give Me All Your Luvin’.” While the leaked jacket, which appeared on Britney fansite Breatheheavy.com can’t be confirmed as authentic, a rep for Madge had no comment about the rumor, neither confirming nor denying it. Meanwhile, a rep for Spears never returned MTV News’ request for comment. This is hardly the first time that the two ladies have worked together. In fact, they have quite a history with each other. The duo kicked off their nearly decade-long friendship at the 2003 VMAs when, in case you haven’t heard, they shared an onstage kiss while performing together. It was the kiss seen and heard around the world, and nearly ten years later still is often talked about as one of the most memorable moments in the show’s storied history. After they shared that smooch, Spears was inspired to get the Queen of Pop on her lead In the Zone single, “Me Against The Music.” “I was in the middle of rehearsals for the VMAs and I played her the song, and she was like, ‘That’s your first single, right?’ ” Britney recalled in a vintage interview with MTV. “I was like, ‘Yeah, hopefully.’ She was like, ‘I really like it.’ I was like, ‘Really?’ I was like, ‘Well, you wanna do it with me?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’ ” They later appeared together in the warehouse-set video with one another, playing a pop star cat-and-mouse game that featured a near kiss. Five years later, as Spears was prepping her return to the pop spotlight, she appeared onstage with Madonna during a Sticky & Sweet Tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The singer hit the stage with the pop icon to perform “Human Nature” by her side. That same year, Madonna appeared in Spears’ documentary, “For the Record,” where she spoke about the younger singer. “I admire her as an artist,” the Material Girl said, adding that she sees a lot of herself in Spears. In 2011, as Spears was prepping the release of her album Femme Fatale, in an interview with Out magazine , she noted that she truly admires her friend. “Madonna. No question. She is an amazing entertainer,” she said when asked whose career she most would want to emulate. As Madonna preps the release of MDNA in March, Spears is also the topic of conversation in a recent interview with her. When asked by ABC News what it was like to smooch the pop princess, she commented, “Nice moment, good kisser. Cool,” she said, clarifying that she wouldn’t do it again. “No, I already did it. I don’t like to repeat myself.” Well, perhaps a kiss would be “reductive” (her word, not ours), but it seems given the love that Madge and Spears fans have for the two pop stars, they wouldn’t mind them cooking up some musical magic. The track, “Girls Gone Wild,” was teased in a megamix that dropped last week and it certainly feels like it would lend itself to both Madonna and Brit’s musical sensibilities: It’s fist-pumpingly dance-y, sexy and all about going out and having a good time with Madge proclaiming, “Girls, they just want to have some fun/Get fired up like a smoking gun/On the floor till the daylight comes/Girls, they just want to have some fun.” What would you think of a new Britney Spears/ Madonna collabo? Leave your comment below! Related Videos Inside The Best Of Britney Spears’ Music Videos Related Artists Britney Spears Madonna

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Are Madonna And Britney Spears Collaborating On MDNA?

Adele’s 21 Poised For Album Of The Year Grammy

‘Rolling in the Deep’ helped propel U.K. singer’s chart-smashing album. By John Mitchell Adele Photo: Getty Images Adele ‘s 21 has owned the albums charts since its late-February 2011 release and it continues to dominate, tallying 18 non-consecutive weeks at #1, more than any album since Garth Brooks’ 1991 smash Ropin’ the Wind and just a few weeks shy of tying the 20-week record set by “The Bodyguard” soundtrack and Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii . It’s fitting that the much-acclaimed mega-selling set heads into Sunday’s Grammy Awards as the odds-on favorite to score one of the night’s biggest trophies: Album of the Year. The bulk of the songs on 21 were inspired by Adele’s failed relationship with a man 10 years her senior. Following the success of her moody, ballad-heavy debut, 2008’s award-winning 19 , the singer sought to make a more-upbeat and contemporary-sounding record. Sessions for the set fell apart, however, resulting in only one completed track, “Take It All.” The song was written after a fight with her boyfriend, and when Adele played him the song, it instigated a heated argument that ended their relationship. Heartbroken but musically reinvigorated, Adele immediately hit the studio and began channeling her heartbreak into lyrics, pouring her feelings into songs that tackled her failed relationship from a variety of angles. To help her carve out the album’s sound, she assembled a top-notch team of veteran producers, including OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder (who has helmed tracks for Beyonc

Kanye West To Debut New Collection At Paris Fashion Week

Kanye West Photo: Jim Spellman/ WireImage Related Artists Kanye West

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Kanye West To Debut New Collection At Paris Fashion Week

Black Keys Talk Arena Tour, El Camino Follow-Up

Band already having discussions about a new album — but need to find time to do it. By James Montgomery Black Keys Photo: MTV News Next month, the Black Keys will kick off their first-ever North American arena tour, an accomplishment the dynamic duo never thought possible 10 years ago, when they were mowing lawns (and working the buffet circuit ) in their hometown of Akron, Ohio. And, truth be told, they’re still trying to wrap their heads around playing such massive venues, though, thanks to the success of their Brothers and El Camino albums, they’re slowly beginning to realize that things have changed — for the best, of course. “Things are obviously different; we’re playing arenas everywhere, and it’s crazy,” frontman Dan Auerbach told MTV News. “I don’t know; it’s all very new for us. I think we’re still trying to get used to the idea of playing such big shows wherever we go.” “[When we first started], I’d never even been to a concert that was larger than maybe 2,000 people, so I never thought we’d be able to play places this big,” drummer Patrick Carney added. “I do know things have changed a little bit, because we’ve been touring for a very long time, and every single show, I sweat through an entire shirt and pair of pants, and after almost every show, I ask our tour manager if I could have some laundry done; and yesterday, my laundry was done for the first time.” Clean pants are very important. And while the Keys are still very firmly in the eye of the El Camino storm, they’ve already laid out a list of goals they’d like to accomplish in 2012 (“We just want to make it through without getting some pneumonia or something like that,” Auerbach joked), which, as they told MTV News following the premiere of their “Gold on the Ceiling” video, also includes plans for a new album — if they find the time, of course. “We actually just talked about it a couple days ago,[but] we can’t really [write on the road],” Auerbach said. “It’s kind of impossible, because we’re both so insecure that we don’t like messing up in front of people, and that’s all we do when we try to write songs, is mess up over and over again. [But] Maybe [by the] end of this year, who knows?” What are you expecting from the Keys’ next album? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV First: The Black Keys’ ‘Gold On The Ceiling’ Related Artists The Black Keys

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Black Keys Talk Arena Tour, El Camino Follow-Up

‘American Idol’ Hollywood Week Gets Off To A Cutthroat Start

Jane Carrey and Ramiro Garcia were among the 68 contestants sent home at the end of day one. By Adam Graham Jennifer Lopez in “American Idol” Photo: Fox When it comes to “American Idol,” everyone wants to go to Hollywood. But the euphoria from that Golden Ticket doesn’t last long for contestants, as the slash-and-burn process of the notoriously cutthroat Hollywood Week takes hold. This year, 309 contestants made it through to Hollywood, and the whittling-down process started immediately. Wednesday’s (February 8) “Idol” focused on the beginning of Hollywood Week, when 68 contestants were shown the door by the end of day one. Among those going home was Jane Carrey, daughter of actor Jim Carrey, who failed to make much of an impression with her timid take on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.” Because of her family ties, Carrey was one of the most noteworthy contestants from the audition episodes, but the 24-year-old didn’t make it far before feeling the wrath of Hollywood Week. Also cut was 28-year-old Ramiro Garcia, who was born without ears and whose version of “Amazing Grace” was a standout in the Galveston, Texas, auditions. He was dismissed along with 18-year-old Travis Orlando, the Bronx native who was cut at the same point in Hollywood Week a year ago. Standouts in Wednesday’s episode included 23-year-old Johnny Keyser of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who had Randy Jackson shouting, “Amen! Amen! Amen!” after his version of Amos Lee’s “Dreamin’ “; ladies man David Leathers Jr., the 17-year-old from Fayetteville, North Carolina, who doesn’t look a day over 12 but had the judges and his peers alike applauding his impressive version of Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me”; Lauren Gray, the 23-year-old star of the St. Louis auditions who brought the house down with her version of Adele’s “One and Only”; the unforgettably named Phillip Phillips, the 21-year-old who busted out “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and moved one step closer to immortality; and 26-year-old Jessica Phillips — no relation to Phillip, at least as far as we know — who had the gall to do Whitney Houston’s “All the Man That I Need” and pulled it off admirably. Other singers advancing included 22-year-old Heejun Han, who made up for the lack of confidence in his looks with his strong vocals on Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”; 16-year-old Shannon Magrane of Tampa, Florida, daughter of former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Magrane, whom Steven Tyler awkwardly dubbed “hot, humid and happening” during her initial audition; and 26-year-old Reed Grimm of Ellsworth, Wisconsin, who’s been performing on stage all his life and showed it with a campy version of “I Got a Golden Ticket” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The episode ended with a cliffhanger after 16-year-old Symone Black of Rancho Cucamonga, California, got woozy and took a scary spill off the front of the stage following her rendition of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Hollywood Week has enough drama without people collapsing off the stage, but “Idol” is making us tune in Thursday to find out what happens to Black and see if she makes it to the utterly ruthlessness known as Group Round. What did you think of the beginning of Hollywood Week? Let us know in the comments! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Artists Jennifer Lopez Steven Tyler

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‘American Idol’ Hollywood Week Gets Off To A Cutthroat Start

Jay-Z And Kanye West’s ‘Paris’ Video Drops Thursday!

The Throne will finally premiere the visuals for their Watch the Throne single Thursday at 12:05 p.m. ET on MTV.com. By Nadeska Alexis Jay-Z and Kanye West Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/ WireImage Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne Tour swept North America last fall, and one highlight of the large-scale production was the duo’s multiple performances of their hit single “N—as in Paris.” When the Throne rolled through Vancouver in December, they played the song a record 11 times, and on Thursday, they will finally roll out an official video to accompany the single. The video will hit MTV.com at 12:05 p.m. Thursday and will feature footage from the Los Angeles stop of their Watch the Throne Tour. During that Vancouver show, the Throne performed “Paris” for 40.25 minutes, according to Rolling Stone, while the average time per date was approximately 18 minutes. Thus far, the Throne have released only one video to accompany their album. The Spike Jonze-directed clip for “Otis” premiered in August with a brief cameo from comedian Aziz Ansari, but a bulk of the video found ‘Ye and Jay taking a chainsaw to a Maybach , which they then filled with models. During an interview with MTV News last summer, producer Hit-Boy explained how he crafted the popular “Paris” beat . ” ‘N—as in Paris’ came about from me having a beat idea already. When I went to New York, I just further went into it,” Hit-Boy said of linking up with the Throne. “It was just a batch of beats. Kanye asked me for some beats, and that was one of the beats I gave him. … [Kanye and Jay-Z] actually went over to Paris; I didn’t get to make that trip. Next thing I know, they’re like, ‘Yo, I need all the files for that beat.’ ” Tune in to MTV.com at 12:05 p.m. Thursday to catch the new video for the Throne’s “N—as in Paris.” Related Artists Kanye West Jay-Z

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Jay-Z And Kanye West’s ‘Paris’ Video Drops Thursday!

Scarlett Johansson Rallies For Obama: ‘2012 Will Not Be Easy’

Actress teams up with Vogue ‘s Anna Wintour for ‘Runway to Win’ fashion fundraiser. By Uptin Saiidi Scarlett Johansson before attending Runway to Win Tuesday night Photo: Alo Ceballos/FilmMagic Scarlett Johansson , a vocal Barack Obama supporter during his first election campaign, lent a hand to the President’s re-election run on Tuesday night. The actress co-hosted a fundraiser event with Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour at a Theory store in New York City, where they also promoted new merchandise. The “Runway to Win” event brought together 23 of the biggest fashion designers, all of whom designed Obama swag to sell in support of the campaign. According to the Huffington Post , Johansson gave a talk in which she ticked off Obama’s various accomplishments in the last three years, from signing the Fair Pay Act to ending Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. But while the actress has been supportive during the president’s first term, some of Obama’s A-list supporters have been slower to sign on again. The “We Bought a Zoo” star seemed to hopes the fashion project will help reignite hope. “There is so much at stake in this campaign,” Johansson said in a press release. “2012 will not be easy. We have to fight even harder this time around, and that’s where Runway to Win will make a real difference.” The campaign collection includes merchandise, like tote bags, designed by Marc Jacobs, Sean John, Beyonc

Kanye, Jay-Z Battle Young Money For Best Rap Album Grammy

Will Yeezy capitalize on his double nods in the category, or will Lil Wayne or Nicki Minaj take the throne on Sunday night? By Rob Markman Kanye West Photo: Don Arnold/ WireImage Who would’ve ever thought that hip-hop would take it this far? The Notorious B.I.G. posed the question on his 1994 classic “Juicy,” and the 2012 Grammy nominations prove that hip-hop continues to rise to new heights. For the second year in a row, a rap artist is leading in Grammy nods: Last year it was Eminem, this year Kanye West . Yeezy’s seven nods take the cake. Two of West’s nominations come in the hotly contested Best Rap Album category; one for his solo My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the other for his and Jay-Z ‘s Watch the Throne tag-team LP. Lil Wayne ‘s Tha Carter IV, Nicki Minaj ‘s Pink Friday and Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers round out the category, and while the odds are clearly in the Louis Vuitton Don’s favor, he isn’t exactly a lock. If record sales are any indication, it will be tough to ignore the first-week sales of Wayne’s Carter IV . The approximate 960,000 units Weezy sold in his first week didn’t earn him a platinum plaque right out of the gate, but it stood as one of the biggest hip-hop stories of 2011. CIV has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA, and though some critics panned it, high-powered singles like “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “She Will” and “John” helped cement Wayne’s ninth solo album as a fan-favorite. Just like her Young Money boss, Nicki Minaj reigned throughout the year thanks to Pink Friday. Released at the end of 2010 and anchored by the infectious and inescapable bonus track “Super Bass,” Nicki’s debut LP helped her to penetrate the pop space while still keeping a foot firmly planted in the streets with her “Did It On ‘Em” single. Lupe Fiasco may be the dark horse of the group but considering the Recording Academy’s knack for acknowledging hip-hop with a message, don’t be surprised if the Chicago MC takes home the golden gramophone. Lasers was a commercial success thanks to its radio-friendly sound, but it didn’t sit well with some die-hard fans because it was a departure from Fiasco’s earlier work. Regardless of the LP’s sound bed, Lupe’s message remained potent. His criticism of President Obama on “Words I Never Said” was polarizing and opened up much political debate. Kanye’s MBDTF was highly touted when it dropped in November 2010, but was seemingly eclipsed by the meteoric Watch the Throne collaboration with Jay-Z. Discussing MBDTF ‘s Album of the Year snub , Yeezy blamed himself, saying that he should have spaced his releases out “just a little bit more.” But in the Best Rap Album category, his maddening pace only increases his chances. Who will emerge with the Best Rap Album Grammy? Share your predictions on our Facebook page! Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don’t miss Sway and James Montgomery live from the Grammys red carpet this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn’t end Sunday: MTV News has you covered until the Grammy hangover wears off! Related Videos A Guide To The Grammys 2012 Related Artists Jay-Z Kanye West

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Kanye, Jay-Z Battle Young Money For Best Rap Album Grammy

Lady Gaga Drops Tour Poster, Fashion Film

Image for Born This Way Ball revealed as Mother Monster releases Jo Calderone-featuring ‘You and I’ clip. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga in her “Born This Way” tour poster Photo: Interscope Lady Gaga is amping up her fans for the Born This Way Ball , set to kick off later this year. On Tuesday, she dropped a sketch of her gothic castle-themed stage design , and in the very early hours of Wednesday morning (February 8), she teased fans with a poster for the trek. The black-and-white poster, which includes touches of neon purple and turquoise, features an omniscient image of Gaga, decked out in her full “BTW” horned look, looking down from the sky. Underneath, in a castle that looks an awful lot like the one from the tour sketch, Gaga, wearing a piano dress, hangs with a group of suit-wearing dudes. And, for those paying close enough attention, Zombie Boy even makes an appearance, peeking out from one of the castle windows. In her long-simmering latest “Yo

Simon Cowell Squashes Beyonce, Mariah Carey ‘X Factor’ Rumors

Judge also takes shot at ‘The Voice,’ asking, ‘How many artists have they discovered?’ By John Mitchell Simon Cowell Photo: FOX Simon Cowell is finally opening up about the cast shakeups on “The X Factor” as well as about rumors that two very famous divas are in talks to join Fox’s reality singing competition. Late last month, it was announced that judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones had been fired from “X Factor” and would be replaced in its second season. The announcement came as a shock to fans, but Cowell tells “Extra” in an interview airing Wednesday (February 8) that the decision was a long time coming and was ultimately made “at the beginning of the year — and we were told it had to happen straight away.” While her dismissal came as a surprise, Cowell says Abdul “was very gracious” about it. “She understands it’s business,” Cowell said of his real-life friend. “It’s never personal.” Scherzinger, according to Cowell, was “disappointed” with the producers’ decision to replace her. But the former Pussycat Doll insisted in a new “Access Hollywood” interview that she “had a wonderful experience on the show.” “What happened? Well, all I know is that I gave 110 percent to that show,” she said. “I know everybody’s talking about it, they’re saying good, bad, they love me or hate me, but the one thing you can’t say is that I didn’t give it my all.” Cowell also used his time with “Extra” to squash rumors that Beyonc