Tag Archives: beautiful-dark

Kanye West May Join Rihanna At NBA All-Star Halftime Show

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Yeezy is expected to make a surprise appearance at Sunday’s game. By Gil Kaufman Kanye West Photo: Ben Hider/Getty Images The talent roster at this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game is starting to get out of control. The Deadspin sports blog cited an unnamed “in-the-know-tipster” on Wednesday in reporting that Kanye West will “make a surprise appearance during Rihanna’s halftime show at the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles on Sunday.” It’s possible the two will perform the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy track “All of the Lights,” which features Rihanna singing alongside ‘Ye, Elton John, Fergie, Alicia Keys and more. It would make sense since that song is tipped to be the next single from West’s album and a music video is reportedly in the works. It’s not like Yeezy hasn’t expressed his love for the game before, including just recently, when he appeared in the Robert Rodriguez-directed short film promoting Kobe Bryant’s new line of Nike shoes. A representative for West had no comment when reached by MTV News to confirm the rumor, and reps for Rihanna and the NBA had not returned calls for comment at press time. In addition to Rihanna, Lenny Kravitz has been tapped to play at the game, performing before the tip-off during player introductions. Josh Groban will sing the national anthem and Melanie Fiona will do the honors on the Canadian anthem, while the “What’s My Name?” singer will provide the entertainment during the half. On Saturday, during the All-Star Saturday Night show, Keri Hilson will sing the national anthem and Cee Lo Green will serve up some “Forget You” during the three-point shooting contest. The Sprite Slam Dunk contest will be preceded by Far East Movement, who’ll perform their new single, “Rocketeer.” Friday night’s entertainment will be provided by Cali Swag District, who will “Teach Me How to Dougie” during the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam, which, like all of the All-Star events , will be shown on TNT. The NBA All-Star Game airs Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on TNT. Related Artists Kanye West Rihanna

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They Must Be Building Snowmen In Hell: Kanye West Finally Learns How To Keep His Damn Mouth Closed

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Kanye, forever a showman, brings us another epic moment in his illustrious career, his first ever silent interview. Last night, at the opening for George Condo’s exhibit “Mental States” at the New Museum, we’d just asked the artist — who recently painted the covers for Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy — if there were another musician he’d consider designing album artwork for (“Jimi Hendrix, but he’s not around anymore”), when we were suddenly joined by Kanye himself. The newly humble rapper granted us a brief but thoughtful interview. Are you happy with the paintings George did of you? [Kanye nods head yes.] You are happy? [Nods head.] Would you make any changes if you were to do a self-portrait? [Shakes head no.] Are you mute tonight? [Nods head.] Do you want to do sign language? [Nods head. Pretends to sign, then shakes our hand and walks away.] Even in silence Ye still seems to come off a lil cocky, guess you can only ask him to tone it down but so much. Source

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They Must Be Building Snowmen In Hell: Kanye West Finally Learns How To Keep His Damn Mouth Closed

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Kanye, forever a showman, brings us another epic moment in his illustrious career, his first ever silent interview. Last night, at the opening for George Condo’s exhibit “Mental States” at the New Museum, we’d just asked the artist — who recently painted the covers for Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy — if there were another musician he’d consider designing album artwork for (“Jimi Hendrix, but he’s not around anymore”), when we were suddenly joined by Kanye himself. The newly humble rapper granted us a brief but thoughtful interview. Are you happy with the paintings George did of you? [Kanye nods head yes.] You are happy? [Nods head.] Would you make any changes if you were to do a self-portrait? [Shakes head no.] Are you mute tonight? [Nods head.] Do you want to do sign language? [Nods head. Pretends to sign, then shakes our hand and walks away.] Even in silence Ye still seems to come off a lil cocky, guess you can only ask him to tone it down but so much. Source

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Decemberists Lock Down First Billboard #1

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Social Distortion and the Script also debut in the top five. By Gil Kaufman The Decemberists’ The King Is Dead Photo: Capitol/ EMI A week after Cake landed their first #1 debut , the Decemberists also put up their best-ever career numbers, easily taking over the top spot on the Billboard 200 with a strong debut for their most straightforward work to date, The King Is Dead. The big debut crushes their previous chart best, notched in 2009 when their rock opera The Hazards of Love moved 19,000 copies in its first week and came in at #14. The King smashes that debut figure by selling nearly 94,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, halting the string of record-low #1 sales figures. The Decemberists lead a stampede of new names into the top five, which also includes the Kidz Bop 19 collection at #2 (70,000); Science & Faith, the latest from Irish soft rockers the Script (#3, 49,000); a career-best bow for punk lifers Social Distortion with Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (#4, 46,000); and a #5 debut for Allman Brothers Band singer Gregg Allman for his first solo album in 14 years, Low Country Blues (36,000). The rest of the top 10: Bruno Mars , Doo-Wops & Hooligans (#6, 34,000), Katy Perry , Teenage Dream (#7, 33,000), Taylor Swift , Speak Now (#8, 31,000), Nicki Minaj , Pink Friday (#9, 28,000) and Mumford & Sons , Sigh No More (27,000). Just outside the top 10 at #11 is the third album from soft rocker James Blunt , Some Kind of Trouble (26,000). With plans to unleash at least two more albums by summer, Kanye West ‘s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy drops six spots to #16 on sales of 22,000 as West comes within spitting distance of one million units sold. Speaking of Cake , the quirky indie rockers drop steeply from the top, plunging 24 spots in week two to #25 as sales of Showroom of Compassion declined 67 percent to 15,000. Also facing a big comedown is last week’s #2 album, Cage the Elephant ‘s Thank You, Happy Birthday, which falls 26 spots to #28 on sales of 14,000. On the heels of a Golden Globe win and just before receiving an Oscar nomination, the Trent Reznor-helmed soundtrack to “The Social Network” climbs 23 slots to #49 as business picked up by 52 percent (9,000). The Decemberists also triumph on the iTunes albums chart, taking over the #1 spot, followed by the Script, Perry, Mumford & Sons, Social D, Blunt, the “Country Strong” soundtrack, Mars, West and Swift. The iTunes singles chart still belongs to Mars’ “Grenade,” which, despite a Steelers playoff win, beats out Wiz Khalifa ‘s “Black and Yellow,” which is followed by Britney Spears ‘ “Hold It Against Me,” Enrique Iglesias ‘ “Tonight,” Perry’s “Firework,” Pink ‘s “F—in’ Perfect” and Pitbull ‘s “Hey Baby.” Rounding out the top 10 are Diddy-Dirty Money with “Coming Home,” the Black Eyed Peas with “The Time (Dirty Bit)” and Ke$ha ‘s “We R Who We R.” The top 10 should remain mostly unchanged next week, as the only notable releases include new albums from Iron & Wine , Cold War Kids , Amos Lee and David Guetta . Related Artists The Decemberists

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Cake, Cage The Elephant Take Top Spots On Billboard

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Cake debut at #1, but with lowest sales in SoundScan era. By Gil Kaufman Cake’s John McCrea Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images Droll Sacramento, California, rockers Cake might never again have the chance to snatch away one of the umpteen records held by platinum darling Taylor Swift . But next week, the group can say they bested Swift, even if it is, in this case, a somewhat dubious distinction. The good news is that Cake’s Showroom of Compassion marks the band’s first #1 debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart and their first album to chart in the top 10. The bad news is that their total sales of 44,000 also mark the poorest-selling #1 debut figures for a new album in the modern SoundScan era. (Swift had set the new standard last week, when her Speak Now moved just 52,000 copies .) Another indie band took advantage of the slow new-release traffic to notch a career high. According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, Cage the Elephant’s Thank You, Happy Birthday will come in at #2 on sales of 39,000, an impressive feat for the hard-touring band’s second major-label album. The only other new face in the top 10 is country act Steel Magnolia , whose self-titled effort lands at #7 (28,000). The rest of the top 10: Swift, Speak Now (#3, 35,000), Bruno Mars , Doo-Wops & Hooligans (#4, 32,000), Nicki Minaj , Pink Friday (#5, 32,000), the “Country Strong” soundtrack (#6, 29,000), Rihanna , Loud (#8, 28,000), Mumford & Sons , Sigh No More (#9, 26,000) and Kanye West , My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (#10, 25,000). Otherwise, it’s mostly single- and double-digit dips for the majority of the albums in the top 50, with just a few exceptions, including Cage the Elephant, whose self-titled debut surges back onto the charts at #59 as sales spiked by 113 percent to more than nearly 7,000. Over on the iTunes singles chart, Britney Spears sprints to the top with “Hold It Against Me,” which pushes Mars’ “Grenade” down to #2, followed by Enrique Iglesias ‘ randy “Tonight,” Katy Perry ‘s “Firework,” Wiz Khalifa ‘s “Black and Yellow,” Avril Lavigne ‘s “What the Hell,” the Black Eyed Peas ‘ “The Time (Dirty Bit),” Ke$ha ‘s “We R Who We R,” Lil Wayne ‘s “6 Foot 7 Foot” and Kanye West and Jay Z ‘s “H.A.M.” Gwyneth Paltrow’s well-received “Saturday Night Live” hosting gig surely helped the second collection of “Country Strong” songs hit #1 on the iTunes albums chart (the company does not release specific sales data). Right behind are Mumford & Sons, Cage the Elephant, the first “Country Strong” disc, Cake, the Black Keys ‘ Brothers , Christian act Lecrae ‘s Rehab: The Overdose, Kanye West, Daft Punk ‘s “Tron: Legacy” soundtrack and Mars’ debut album. It should be another modest week next time around, with new releases from the Decemberists , the Script , James Blunt and Social Distortion , as well as the latest Kidz Bop collection. Related Artists Cake Cage The Elephant

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Cake, Cage The Elephant Take Top Spots On Billboard

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Cake debut at #1, but with lowest sales in SoundScan era. By Gil Kaufman Cake’s John McCrea Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images Droll Sacramento, California, rockers Cake might never again have the chance to snatch away one of the umpteen records held by platinum darling Taylor Swift . But next week, the group can say they bested Swift, even if it is, in this case, a somewhat dubious distinction. The good news is that Cake’s Showroom of Compassion marks the band’s first #1 debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart and their first album to chart in the top 10. The bad news is that their total sales of 44,000 also mark the poorest-selling #1 debut figures for a new album in the modern SoundScan era. (Swift had set the new standard last week, when her Speak Now moved just 52,000 copies .) Another indie band took advantage of the slow new-release traffic to notch a career high. According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, Cage the Elephant’s Thank You, Happy Birthday will come in at #2 on sales of 39,000, an impressive feat for the hard-touring band’s second major-label album. The only other new face in the top 10 is country act Steel Magnolia , whose self-titled effort lands at #7 (28,000). The rest of the top 10: Swift, Speak Now (#3, 35,000), Bruno Mars , Doo-Wops & Hooligans (#4, 32,000), Nicki Minaj , Pink Friday (#5, 32,000), the “Country Strong” soundtrack (#6, 29,000), Rihanna , Loud (#8, 28,000), Mumford & Sons , Sigh No More (#9, 26,000) and Kanye West , My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (#10, 25,000). Otherwise, it’s mostly single- and double-digit dips for the majority of the albums in the top 50, with just a few exceptions, including Cage the Elephant, whose self-titled debut surges back onto the charts at #59 as sales spiked by 113 percent to more than nearly 7,000. Over on the iTunes singles chart, Britney Spears sprints to the top with “Hold It Against Me,” which pushes Mars’ “Grenade” down to #2, followed by Enrique Iglesias ‘ randy “Tonight,” Katy Perry ‘s “Firework,” Wiz Khalifa ‘s “Black and Yellow,” Avril Lavigne ‘s “What the Hell,” the Black Eyed Peas ‘ “The Time (Dirty Bit),” Ke$ha ‘s “We R Who We R,” Lil Wayne ‘s “6 Foot 7 Foot” and Kanye West and Jay Z ‘s “H.A.M.” Gwyneth Paltrow’s well-received “Saturday Night Live” hosting gig surely helped the second collection of “Country Strong” songs hit #1 on the iTunes albums chart (the company does not release specific sales data). Right behind are Mumford & Sons, Cage the Elephant, the first “Country Strong” disc, Cake, the Black Keys ‘ Brothers , Christian act Lecrae ‘s Rehab: The Overdose, Kanye West, Daft Punk ‘s “Tron: Legacy” soundtrack and Mars’ debut album. It should be another modest week next time around, with new releases from the Decemberists , the Script , James Blunt and Social Distortion , as well as the latest Kidz Bop collection. Related Artists Cake Cage The Elephant

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‘Glee’ Stars Stayed Up All Night For ‘Thriller’ Cover

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It was probably one of the most physical numbers that we’ve ever done,’ Cory Monteith says. By James Dinh “Glee” cast films their “Thriller” performance Photo: Ramey Photo When “Glee” returns from hiatus in the high-profile post-Super Bowl slot, it’s returning in a big way, covering Michael Jackson ‘s “Thriller.” On Tuesday, the cast spoke to “Access Hollywood” about re-making the iconic tune, which will reportedly be mashed up with another yet-to-be-revealed hit. “It was a huge production. We we’re shooting that until 6:30 in the morning,” Cory Monteith told “AH” at the Television Critics Association press tour. “We shot all night, and it was probably one of the most physical numbers that we’ve ever done. I was lifting Naya Rivera at one point in the dance. It was really active. We had the whole USC band wrapped in to this number as you can see in the photos. It was awesome.” Photos of the cast filming “Thriller” surfaced on the Internet recently, depicting a prom night turned zombie affair. Jackson’s tune is just one of the many hits to be covered in the broadcast. Other songs featured in the post-Super Bowl episode include hits by the Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry and Lady Antebellum. Kevin McHale revealed that Jackson is his “favorite artist ever” and that he has been continuously requesting to cover a tune by the late King of Pop. “I’ve been pushing very obnoxiously for a very, very long time, so I’m beyond thrilled that we do Michael Jackson,” said the actor. Like the iconic music video, the “Glee” cover was an extravagant production, which was just fitting for star Dianna Agron, who couldn’t help smile throughout filming. “The whole night, everybody kept saying, ‘Why are you laughing so much? Why are you smiling so much?’ ” she said. “I was just in my element. I was in huge makeup, huge hair, huge costume, the stuff that I loved the most, which is why I loved ‘Rocky [Horror Picture Show’] so much.” Matthew Morrison isn’t in the number, but he watched it being shot. “We actually shot it, like, a couple nights ago,” Morrison told “AH.” “I actually went out to see it. We shot it in Long Beach and at a high school that we used their football field at. It was stunning. It’s so weird with this show. We keep outdoing ourselves. It’s like, ‘What is there left to do?’ This number is just fantastic.” Related Artists Michael Jackson

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Taylor Swift Tops Billboard Again In Slow Sales Week

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer’s Speak Now notches lowest #1 figures in SoundScan era. By Gil Kaufman Taylor Swift Photo: Steve Granitz/ WireImage Taylor Swift has smashed a host of records in her short career, but next week the 21-year-old, newly single star will notch another one that probably won’t land in her bio. In a dismally slow week on the Billboard albums chart, Swift’s Speak Now held on to the #1 spot again while posting the lowest totals ever for a #1 album in the SoundScan era. According to SoundScan, the disc moved 52,000 copies, which helped vault it over the 3 million mark, but also broke the dubious record set by the soundtrack to the movie “Dreamgirls” in January 2007, which had the previous #1 low at 66,000. Only one new title moved into the top 10, the soundtrack to Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Country Strong,” which came in at #10 on sales of 28,000 after climbing up from the #149 slot in its first week. The rest of the top 10 suffered double-digit percentage losses, including: Nicki Minaj , Pink Friday (#2, 39,000); Bruno Mars , Doo-Wops & Hooligans (#3, 38,000); “Tron Legacy” soundtrack (#4, 34,000); Eminem , Recovery (#5, 33,000); Rihanna , Loud (#6, 33,000); Kanye West , My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (#7, 33,000); Mumford & Sons , Sigh No More (#8, 31,000); and Jason Aldean , My Kinda Party (#9, 29,000). The Black Keys got a major bump before their “Saturday Night Live” appearance , moving up 12 spots to #14 with Brothers (25,000), which pushed the band over the 500,000 mark. Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx ‘s latest, Best Night of My Life, slid a bit more, dropping 5 spots to #16 on sales of 23,000. “Country Strong” fared much better on the iTunes album charts, coming in at #1, followed by the Black Keys, “Tron,” Mumford & Sons, West, Mars, Swift, Rihanna, a second “Country Strong” soundtrack compilation and Eminem. The iTunes singles chart was topped by Mars’ “Grenade,” followed by Katy Perry ‘s “Firework,” Enrique Iglesias ‘ “Tonight,” the Black Eyed Peas ‘ “The Time (Dirty Bit)” and Wiz Khalifa ‘s “Black and Yellow.” Though iTunes doesn’t provide sales figures, it was also a good week for Ke$ha, who came in at #6 with “We R Who We R,” followed by Lil Wayne ‘s “6 Foot 7 Foot,” Pink ‘s “Raise Your Glass,” Rihanna’s “What’s My Name” and Waka Flocka Flame ‘s “No Hands.” Things will probably stay mostly steady again next week with just a few new releases, including the latest from ornate rockers the Decemberists and albums by Cake , Cage the Elephant , James Blunt and the Script . Related Artists Taylor Swift

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Seth Rogen Based His ‘Green Hornet’ Character On Paris Hilton

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘We wanted to start out with a guy who was the last guy you would ever expect to be a superhero,’ actor tells MTV News of Britt Reid. By Eric Ditzian Seth Rogen Photo: MTV News The first time we meet the adult Britt Reid — the scion of a Los Angeles media magnate — he’s gleefully trashing a hotel, one part Keith Moon-style rock star, one part reality-TV celebutant. The party boy, of course, will go on to become the superhero who gives “Green Hornet” its name. But in the beginning, Britt is simply a hard-drinking, model-humping, spoiled brat. And, as Seth Rogen explained to MTV News, he and co-writer Evan Goldberg turned to some real-life inspiration to create the character. “We kind of based him off a male Paris Hilton, as embarrassing as that is to say,” he told MTV News. “That is what we looked at — those people who are the sons or daughters of people who have accomplished great things. We probably give them a little more credit than they’ve gotten in the past and we explore why they’re such jerks and why they act out. Maybe it’s because they didn’t get the attention they wanted.” That’s certainly the case for Britt. His dad looks at his son, who’s more likely to end up in the newspaper for his antics than his professional accomplishments, as nothing short of an embarrassment. It’s just that fatherly disappointment that fuels Britt’s transformation into the Green Hornet. “We wanted to start out with a guy who was the last guy you would ever expect to be a superhero and slowly make that guy a hero instead of starting with a guy who’s already pretty morally centered, just doesn’t quite have the idea yet,” Rogen explained. And who knows? Perhaps Hilton herself might get a few ideas about a new career path. “She’s going to become a superhero,” Rogen laughed. “I hope so.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Green Hornet.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos ‘Green Hornet’ Clips

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Kanye West And Jay-Z: A Timeline To Watch The Throne

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Two of rap’s undisputed hip-hop kings began drafting the blueprint for their upcoming joint LP more than a decade ago. By Jayson Rodriguez Kanye West and Jay-Z Photo: Lester Cohen Archive/ WireImage/ Getty Images Jay-Z and Kanye West are undoubtedly hip-hop royalty, so it’s only fitting the pair titled their forthcoming joint effort Watch the Throne. The credits between the two justify the name: multiple Grammy nods, millions of sales and trend-setting moves. The standout rappers kicked off their project with the release of their first single “H.A.M.” first thing Tuesday (January 11), and now, MTV News looks back at the pivotal moments that led to this event. “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” When Kanye met Jay: In 2001, the upstart producer powered Hov’s breakout hit from his classic LP The Blueprint and, in the process, reignited (along with Just Blaze) the soul-sample movement reminiscent of hip-hop’s Golden Era. Chaining Day It’s the Roc!: After providing hits for everyone on Roc-A-Fella’s roster from Beanie Sigel to Cam’ron, ‘Ye took his talents from behind the board to in front of the microphone, as he joined the label as an artist — and got a shiny new necklace to commemorate the occasion. “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” Remix Shining side by side: Yeezy wasn’t exactly a natural fit for the Roc — his prep-inspired look didn’t jibe with the hustler’s ethos projected by the crew — but on this rumbling remix, which was released amid the Jay-Z/ Dame Dash split, ‘Ye moved to the forefront and proved to be one of the label’s biggest acts. The Blueprint 3 Respect: With West having ascended to superstar status in his own right, Jay-Z brought in the Chicago MC/producer to helm the majority of his 11th studio album . It was an undeniable acknowledgement of ‘Ye’s gifted musicianship and continually growing prowess. Watch the Throne The rulers: West holed up in a Hawaii studio to work on his most recent album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but before he wrapped up the project, he relocated to New York for a residency at the Electric Lady Studios. There, he launched his “G.O.O.D. Fridays” sessions, which West said inspired him and Jay to put out an EP that has evolved into an eagerly anticipated full-length album . Are you excited for Kanye and Jay to drop their Watch the Throne ? Tell us in the comments!

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