Come on, Cher, tell us how you really feel about Miley Cyrus. With the 20-year old reeling from her split from Liam Hemsworth , and wondering if her fiance cheated on her with Eiza Gonzalez , the veteran artist has gone ahead and slammed Miley for her controversial MTV Video Music Awards performance. Due to its raunchy nature? Not exactly. “I’m not old-fashioned,” Cher tells USA Today . “She could have come out naked, and if she’d just rocked the house, I would have said, ‘You go, girl.'” No, what was the problem? “It just wasn’t done well. She can’t dance, her body looked like hell, the song wasn’t great, one cheek was hanging out. And, chick, don’t stick out your tongue if it’s coated.” Damn! Oral hygiene shots fired! Cher, of course, isn’t the only celebrity to come down hard on Miley’s routine. Some have even referred to it as racist . But Cher is among the first to focus less on the foam finger-based Twerking and more on the lack of talent involved in the performance. And to those who discredit Cher’s opinion, she says simply: “I can’t spell or do grammar, but I’m smarter and more serious than people think.”
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme is tearing into Jay Z regarding the rock group’s treatment at his Made in America festival this summer. Homme told CBC Radio 2’s Strombo Show that Jay is a “kook” who uses extreme security practices and only gave them champagne for a photo op. “He has his security frisking the bands on the way in,” Homme said. “I just told them, ‘If you open up my bag, I’m not playing, so I guess it’s up to you whether we are playing or not.’ The idea they frisked all my guys, means you’re in some different place.” “No-one has ever done that [to me].” It got worse from there, he says. “He also gave us some champagne and wanted us to take a photo with it,” the 40-year-old singer said. “And I thought that’s not a gift that is a marketing tool.” “So I destroyed it. Because I thought it was rude overall.” “And you shouldn’t frisk my guys, you should fuck off.” Jay Z had yet to address Homme’s comments, but the rocker’s remarks stand out because much of the entertainment community is wary of criticizing him . If the allegations are true, though, it would seem that Beyonce’s better half, who has reached full-on mogul status of late, has gotten too corporate.
‘Those other bands are garbage, brother!’ Fun. say of this year’s tournament, which tips off on March 18. By James Montgomery Fun.’s Andrew Dost and Nate Ruess Photo: MTV News
Headliner White closed out the first day of the beachfront festival in Alabama with a set long on hits, solos. By James Montgomery Jack White performs at Hangout Fest in Mobile, AL Photo: WireImage GULF SHORES, Alabama — Judging by his cadaverous complexion, Jack White probably doesn’t make it out to the beach all that often. Which is probably why his Friday night set at the Hangout Festival felt less like a headlining gig and more like one long (long) victory lap: He was determined to enjoy the experience. Sure, White took the stage long after the sun had set over the stretch of white-sand beach the Hangout calls home (it’s definitely the only fest where going barefoot is not only a viable option, but practically encouraged), but spurred on by the cheers of a raucous crowd and cooled by the gentle breeze of the Gulf, he tore through a wild 90-minute set. It was one that dove deep into his back catalog — featuring not only White’s new Blunderbuss tunes, but also songs from the White Stripes, the Dead Weather, the Raconteurs and the Danger Mouse-helmed Rome project too — and saw him break out roughly 100 fret-assaulting guitar solos, two backing bands … and exactly one fedora. He spoke barely a word (and nary a metaphor ) during his time onstage, preferring instead to let the music do the talking. Or, more precisely, the yelling. Because from the moment he kicked things off with a high-octane version of the Stripes’ “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” to the second the final echoes of “Seven Nation Army” were escaping out into the night air, White was plenty loud. And equally loose. “I Cut Like a Buffalo,” “Love Interruption” and (especially) “Ball and Biscuit” each unspooled over several minutes, with White stomping and pulling solos from his guitar, goofy smile on his face, while both of his crack backing bands followed close behind. It was clear that, on Friday night, White wanted to jam. Which is why, in just about every conceivable way, this wasn’t the kind of show you’d expect from the normally uptight White. Of course, he was still dressed like a country mortician and, sure, he made his backing bands dress in near-matching unis (black for his male band, the Buzzards; white for the female counterpart, the Peacocks), and the lighting scheme onstage never strayed from “ethereal blue,” but he seemed to draw genuine joy from letting his songs breathe: He turned “Hotel Yorba” into a hoedown, lent extra punch to new tracks like “Sixteen Saltines” and “Hypocritical Kiss” and led the audience in an extended chant during “Army,” which has almost inexplicably become his signature song on both sides of the Atlantic. Maybe it had something to do with the Gulf Stream, the postcard-perfect setting of the Hangout Fest (they have palm trees on the beach !) and the day of terrific music he was closing out — Friday also featured standout sets from Wilco, Alabama Shakes and Yelawolf, to name just a few — or maybe White just wanted to cut loose. But last night, his solos rang loud and proud, his voice was voluminous and creaky in all the right ways, and both of his bands proved worthy traveling partners on the lengthy musical excursions on which he led them. In short, White certainly seems to be enjoying life as a solo artist. Especially when he’s playing the songs he made with others. Now, if he could only work on that tan … you get the feeling he’d become a regular down here at the Hangout. Did you catch Jack White’s set at the Hangout Festival? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Artists Jack White
Santana tells MTV News he plans to drop his next solo LP Born to Lose, Built to Win later this year. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Rahman Dukes Juelz Santana Photo: MTV News Juelz Santana and Lil Wayne’s I Can’t Feel My Face LP has been six years in the making and a good number of the tracks have already been leaked onto the Internet, but when fans will get an official version is anyone’s guess. “When Wayne reached out to me at the time I just wasn’t in the position to really do things the right way,” Santana told MTV News at Meek Mill’s 25th birthday bash in Philadelphia. During an interview with MTV’s “Hip Hop POV” host Amanda Seales, Wayne revealed that when he was released from prison in 2010, he hoped he and his buddy Elz could begin new recording sessions for the storied album, but after a January 2011 raid on Santana’s New Jersey studio left him unable to work, Weezy repurposed the beats that intended for Face for his upcoming I Am Not a Human Being II. “At the time my studio had just got shut down, I lost a lot of music so I just had to recuperate,” Elz explained to MTV News. “But I reached out to Weezy, we in a good space.” I Can’t Feel My Face isn’t the only Juelz project that fans have been clamoring for. It’s been seven years since his last solo album, What the Game’s Been Missing! and considering it earned him an RIAA-certified gold plaque, the wait for Juelz’s next LP Born to Lose, Built to Win is quite the head scratcher. But the rapper assured that he’ll have an album out by the end of the year. “I’ll probably drop two mixtapes before the album and we gonna get everything right, we gonna get everything back in the proper perspective where it need to be,” he told MTV News. “When I put out my music it will be well worth the wait, that’s all I can say.” And in case you were wondering about the status of Diplomatic Immunity 3, the long-awaited reunion album with Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz and Freekey Zekey, that idea is still on the table. “Hopefully we gonna get that Diplomat album poppin’,” Santana plugged. “We just want to do that the right way.” Which Juelz Santana album are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos Hip Hop POV | Bonus Lil Wayne Interview Related Artists Lil Wayne Juelz Santana
‘It’s been an amazing 14 years for us, and to top it off, to win this is really, really incredible,’ Nicky Byrne says in a message to fans. By Christina Garibaldi Westlife Photo: MTV News Fans of Westlife spent the past two weeks tirelessly voting for their favorite group to win MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands , and all their hard work paid off. On Monday, the Irish boy band won it all , defeating the Jonas Brothers in the final round. And for all those Westlife fans: Don’t think your voting went unnoticed. All four members, who are in London rehearsing for their upcoming farewell tour, took time out of their busy schedule to send over a message to MTV News thanking each and every one of you for their big win. “Hi, MTV, we just found out that we’ve been voted the #1 ultimate boy band of all time. Thank you very much, guys!” Westlife’s Shane Filan said. “We are very, very honored.” Nicky Byrne added, “I just want to say: Thank you to all of our followers, on Weibo in China, on Twitter around the world, on Facebook and everybody. To all the bands we beat, well done. It’s been an amazing 14 years for us, and to top it off, to win this is really, really incredible, so thank you to everybody who voted. See you on tour!” After the first round of competition, when Westlife took down fan favorites the Backstreet Boys , we talked with Byrne via Skype, who told us a win in this competition would mean a lot to the band, since they have decided to break up after 14 years following the end of their tour next month. “What an amazing story it would be to finish our final 14 years to be named or even get far in this competition,” Byrne said. “But even if we don’t, we’ll hold our heads very high and say we never cracked the States, but we gave them a run for their money.” Well, Westlife, you certainly have! Congratulations to the group and all their dedicated fans. Are you happy that Westlife won the Battle of the Boy Bands ? Let us know in the comments below! Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Artists Westlife
Irish boy band easily defeated Jonas Brothers in the championship matchup. By Christina Garibaldi Westlife Photo: Getty Images The fans have spoken. After two weeks of intense matchups and more than 12 million votes, Westlife have come out on top in MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands . The Irish boy band easily defeated the in the final round, with more than 70 percent of the final vote. It was a hard-fought finale with both bands’ fanbases tirelessly voting in the hopes of giving their band the championship, but in the end, the international firepower of Westlife was too much for JoBros fans to handle. Westlife may not have been favored to win this competition, but from day one they proved they were fighters and were out to make a statement. They got everyone’s attention early on when, amidst accusations of cheating, they fairly beat out fan favorites the Backstreet Boys in the first round. They had no trouble at all beating out their next two opponents, O-Town and the Beatles, and managed to get past newcomers the Wanted in the Final Four to ultimately take on the Jonas Brothers in the championship. This win in the Battle of the Boy Bands seems to come at a perfect time for the group because their 14-year career is about to come to an end. Westlife have decided to go their separate ways after the conclusion of their Greatest Hits Tour, which kicks off later this week and wraps up at the end of June in front of a hometown crowd in Dublin, Ireland. Congratulations to Westlife and to all their extremely loyal fans: You have certainly proved your devotion and didn’t let up no matter how tough the competition was. Thanks to all the bands that participated. From newcomers One Direction, Mindless Behavior and Big Time Rush to veteran groups Boyz II Men and the Backstreet Boys , it was truly an epic tournament. But it wouldn’t have been possible without all of you, the fans. All of your vigorous voting resulted in some shocking upsets , some heated matchups and some rally-from-behind wins, making this a true battle of the boy bands. Are you happy with Westlife winning the Battle of the Boy Bands ? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Artists Westlife Jonas Brothers
Actress tells MTV News why ‘NSYNC is her favorite boy band and how Justin Timberlake stole her early-teenage heart. By Christina Garibaldi, with reporting by Kara Warner Selena Gomez Photo: MTV News If there is one thing we have learned in MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands , it’s that all those boy band fans are extremely dedicated. Fans have proudly bonded together to show their allegiance to their favorite groups to help them advance to the next round, and as a result, we have had some shocking eliminations . Yet, this bracket has also served as a reminder of why we fell in love with these groups to begin with. Whether it was their boyish good looks or catchy hit songs that hooked them, most people can probably name their favorite boy band of all time. So when we got the opportunity to sit down with Selena Gomez when she was promoting her new fragrance, we had to ask, which boy band stole her heart in her early teens? ” ‘NSYNC all the way, of course,” Gomez revealed. “It was the first for me and then they did that tour with Britney [Spears] and I like lost my mind and will always remember that time in my life.” And when you have a favorite group, you have to have a favorite member, and Gomez’s boy band crush coincidently has the same name as her current beau. “It was Justin Timberlake,” Gomez revealed. “But I think I also, I think I liked Lance Bass as well. … He has pretty eyes.” Unfortunately for Gomez, ‘NSYNC were knocked out in a battle against British boy band 5ive in the first round of competition. Luckily, she can still vote for the new wave of boy bands, The Wanted and One Direction. “It’s cool, that’s kind of awesome that they’re coming back and they legitimately are,” Gomez said of boy bands making a comeback. “I like it.” Voting in round two of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands runs until noon ET on Monday, April 30. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits for their boy-band video takeovers each day and make sure to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates! Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Battle of the Boy Bands interactive bracket! Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Artists Selena Gomez *NSYNC
In honor of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands, Above the Buzz breaks down boy-band mania and why picking a favorite really matters. By Jocelyn Vena The Wanted Photo: Island Def Jam There’s a full-on war happening out in the pop trenches. That war is being fought on the battlefield of the hearts of teen girls everywhere. The soldiers? Well, they are the new bevy of boy bands that are dominating the charts, the airwaves and the conversation. Some people ( mostly some older men that I know ) are confused by it. They may not understand why anyone should care about boy bands. Well, here’s why we do care: I think the rest of us are kind of into that joyful feeling of youthful exuberance that comes with boy bands. That feeling those five guys give you when they sing to you about love and how pretty you are. Heck, we’ve all been there. We’ve all had our Nick Carters or Justin Timberlakes. These days, some girls are proudly waving their freak flags and declaring their devotion to always-cheeky British boy band the Wanted . Meanwhile, other girls prefer the floppy-haired, puppy love vibe of One Direction . Either way, these guys are using well-produced pop tunes about the nuances of romance to win you (or your little sister or teen cousin or some other young woman you know) over. And those girls feel they must decide — they have to pick a band. Girls, I understand that strife. Listen, I’ve been there. I spent my formidable early teen years at the height of the greatest boy-band battle of all time: the Backstreet Boys vs. ‘NSYNC . Yep, I survived it. Like Katniss in “The Hunger Games.” They were like the Peeta and Gale of the pop world. Who would I choose? Well, I chose. And I’ve never doubted my choice. So, to aid you with this modern-day boy-band dilemma, here’s some handy advice to help you navigate the murky waters of a boy-band-pocalypse. Back then, I happily declared “BSB for life!” Sure, I enjoyed ‘NSYNC a lot. I had all their albums, saw them in concert, may have wondered what it would be like to date one of them. I was hardly a boy-band rookie at that point. As a kid, I had already been pretty obsessed with the New Kids on the Block. “Please Don’t Go Girl?” Psh, try, “Please don’t go guys … ever.” My love for boy bands has been and will always be a lifelong commitment. The fever I had for the Backstreet Boys was beyond. It was “wake up early to wait in line for concert tickets” obsessed. It was “get my VCR ready to tape their appearance on ‘TRL’ ” crazed. It was “break out my boom box and make mixtapes of their radio appearances and play them back … over and over” fevered. I had posters and T-shirts and concert stubs and more posters and T-shirts and albums and concert specials and everything BSB. I loved the guys so much that I may have even attempted to pen songs that I thought the guys might want to sing. (And no, you can’t ever read them or hear them. I’m no Max Martin.) So, as you can see, I get it. I get how you can love a band that much. But you might be wondering, how did I pick a side? Well, that’s not easy to put into words. I just did it — I just picked with my heart. I think when it comes to identifying with a boy band, it’s just something you feel in your gut. It’s their music, their brand of boy-band bravado, their flavor. Their sheer existence and the way it speaks to you. Why did I pick the Backstreet Boys? I don’t know. I just loved them. Those songs, those melodies. Man, it didn’t get better than that. They just spoke to me on some subatomic level. I mean, who could not pick a band who tells you “I’ll never break your heart/ I’ll never make you cry”? Now, as I watch a new generation of girls caught up in boy-band mania, I get it. These are the boys you crush on. These are the boys you pin your girlhood dreams on. So, get caught up in the fever, girls. It only happens once. Blast the tunes, go to the shows, buy the merchandise. I promise you, one day when you’re all grown-up, you’ll look back on this time fondly. Why? Well, to put it simply, nothing is better than your first boy band. Nothing. Voting in round two of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands runs until noon ET on Monday, April 30. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits for their boy-band video takeovers each day and make sure to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates! Related Videos Exclusive: Follow The Wanted Around NYC! MTV News Extended Play: One Direction Related Photos MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Battle Of The Boy Bands!
MTV News follows the Wanted to ‘Today’ appearance in the lead-up to their ‘MTV First’ and ‘Chasing the Sun’ video premiere. By Jocelyn Vena The Wanted’s Max George in the “Chasing The Sun” music video Photo: Universal Music Group NEW YORK — It’s the Wanted day here at MTV News. And that means we are kicking off our full day of Big Apple festivities with the five guys as they celebrate the release of their debut U.S. EP , as well as the premiere of their new video for “Chasing the Sun.” The guys have allowed an MTV News crew to tag along with them for exclusive access into their lives as they continue to win the hearts of girls across America. In the lead-up to their day with MTV News, the guys had this message for their fans, “Please stay tuned to MTV all day today where we will be teasing you with the premiere of our new video, ‘Chasing the Sun,’ which will premiere live on MTV. And we’ll be answering your questions during MTV First at 7:53 p.m. on MTV. Do you feel teased?” First up, the guys will head to “Today” to chat up Matt Lauer and the crew about the release, which includes several new tracks such as “Chasing,” as well as their hit, “Glad You Came.” We were on hand with the fellas as they made their way to the famed morning news chat show, knocking yet another notch off their list of milestones and accomplishments. From there, the five Brits will go all across Manhattan for various media appearances to help spread the gospel of the Wanted. With the day just starting, anything is possible, so stay tuned for all the inside scoop of what the guys are up to in-between and during their media blitz. MTV News will let you in on what it’s like to be a fly on the wall. Once the guys are finished with all of those appearances, they will sit down with Sway Calloway for “MTV First: The Wanted,” airing tonight (April 24) at 7:53 p.m. ET on MTV, during which they will premiere the “Chasing” video. Immediately following the MTV premiere, the fivesome will stay on for an additional 30-minute live Q&A session with Sway on MTV.com. Fans can get in on the action by submitting video or text questions via MTV.com or @MTVNews on Twitter, using the hashtags #MTVFirst or #AskTheWanted. The guys are also one of the 32 hopefuls in MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands , which pits some of the greatest groups of all time against one another, until fans vote their favorite group to #1. The battle rages on at BBB.MTV.com , with the first round ending Thursday. Fans can weigh in on the matches on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB. The winner of Battle of the Boy Bands will be announced Monday, May 7, live on “AMTV” on MTV. Voting in round one of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands is now open and runs until noon ET on Thursday, April 26. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates!
