Tag Archives: Career

Young Chris Gets His Re-Introduction Courtesy Of Usher Pal Rico Love

DJ Drama and Don Cannon teamed up for the new tape, in Mixtape Daily. By Jayson Rodriguez, with additional reporting by James “FLX” Smith and Rahman Dukes Young Chris and Rico Love Photo: MTV News Main Pick Street King : Young Chris Holding It Down For : Philly Mixtape : The Re-Introduction, hosted by DJ Drama and Don Cannon Real Spit : We’ve known Christopher Ries for a minute now from his time on the Roc, where he inked a deal with Jay-Z and Dame Dash as a member of the Young Gunz and State Property. But since Jay and Dame split, the Philadelphia native has been stuck in limbo, releasing a series of mixtapes but toiling on the bench instead of taking the starting spot his talent calls for. Enter Rico Love. The artist-turned-songwriter/producer (Usher, Beyonc

Christina Aguilera Struts Through ‘Express (Burlesque)’ At AMAs

Xtina gives a glimpse inside her upcoming big-screen debut, at the American Music Awards. By Gil Kaufman Christina Aguilera performs at the American Music Awards on Sunday Photo: Lester Cohen/ WireImage Before she even took the stage at the American Music Awards on Sunday night (November 21), Christina Aguilera had already watched a series of over-the-top performances from show-opener Rihanna , an uncharacteristically sedate Miley Cyrus , the always outrageous Katy Perry and a piano-tinkling, snow-shower summoning Taylor Swift . In other words, she saw the future, and it was a cornucopia of female stars who have taken cues from her career — and she made sure to show them that she’s still got a few tricks up her sleeve. Preparing to make her big-screen debut alongside Cher in the upcoming “Burlesque,” as promised, Aguilera gave a sneak peek at what we can expect in theaters. “It’s going to be fantastic,” she told MTV News. “And it will give you a fitting little look inside the movie.” Seated in a chair with her back to the audience and wearing a black spangly bodysuit, knee-high boots and a bowler, Aguilera snapped her fingers and leaned into the jazzy, skittery rhythms of the new tune “Express (Burlesque).” As the camera pulled out, it revealed a set made up to mimic the backstage at a burlesque club, with Aguilera surrounded by a squadron of equally scantily clad dancers. She flashed back to the “Dirrty”-era Xtina, straddling and shimmying on the chair, then busting into the song’s uptempo chorus and showing off the throaty pipes that made her a star. Shaking her hair along with her lingerie-clad dancers, the singer was clearly back in her element, mixing club beats with a throwback, “Free Your Mind”-style R&B vibe and strutting across the stage confidently with her patented growly sass intact. Even after a career spent in the spotlight as a child star on the “Mickey Mouse Club” and a pop icon since her late teens, Aguilera said the difficulty of trying to reproduce the dancing in the film for the AMAs took a toll on her. “It will be another very new challenge for me,” Aguilera admitted beforehand. “My legs have been incredibly sore as I stepped into the role of Ali for this.” In the film, Aguilera plays a small-town girl with big dreams who stumbles on a burlesque club owned by the feisty Tess (Cher). Aguilera added that, while relearning the dance routines was grueling, the choreography is amazing. “You’re going to get quite the show,” she promised. “Quite the spectacle.” While Aguilera is new to the world of acting, Cher told MTV News that the pop star can dish it out with the best of them. “The scenes that she and I had together, I really enjoyed, and I really believe that she’s got definite chops,” she said. “We worked well together. I enjoyed all of it, and she was toe-to-toe with me the whole time.” What did you think of Christina’s performance at the AMAs? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Videos AMA 2010 Performance Highlights Related Photos Performances At The 2010 American Music Awards 2010 American Music Awards Red Carpet Related Artists Christina Aguilera

Follow this link:
Christina Aguilera Struts Through ‘Express (Burlesque)’ At AMAs

Flo Rida, Alison Sweeney, Melissa Joan Hart Reminisce On ‘When I Was 17’

Stars remember huge ragers and making out with their hands on latest episode. By Mawuse Ziegbe Flo Rida Photo: MTV Flo Rida didn’t waste any time getting on his hip-hop grind as a teen, starting his career as a member of the rap crew the Groundhoggz. In addition to picking up some practice in the rap game, the “Elevator” rapper also developed an important part of his persona: his moniker. “When I was 17, to be a part of a group like the Groundhoggz, you definitely have to come up with a name,” the MC recalled on the latest episode of “When I Was 17.” “At first, I was going by the name of Ruckus Pimp. I just thought that was like a little bit out there, so I went to over to my boy’s house. He’s just like, ‘Man, we got to come up with a name today.’ ” The MC explained that he and his homie put their heads together to come up with a tag. The rapper eventually thought of a handle inspired by his southern roots. “So, OK, I sat up there for about an hour and finally, it hit me,” he says. “Take Florida, break it in half and there you go: Flo Rida.” While Flo Rida was laying the groundwork for his future, Melissa Joan Hart’s career was in full swing. The star of Nickelodeon’s “Clarissa Explains It All” often spent long stretches of time away from loved ones, so she once threw a huge rager when she had a break from shooting. “One time [Melissa] called and said, ‘Listen, Nicole, I want to have a few people over my dad’s house. Can you organize something?’ ” her friend Nicole remembered. “It’s a small town, not too much happening, so if Melissa was coming home and said she wanted to have a party, everybody was going to show up.” Hart’s sister Trisha remembered that the bash got a wee bit out of hand. “All these people started coming through the door,” she said. “It was unstoppable.” Hart agreed the soiree got pretty raucous. “Pretty much the whole town showed up,” she recalled. “It was probably a few hundred people in and out all night. You couldn’t shut it down. It became chaos.” Like Hart, Alison Sweeney was already a working actress as a teen, starring on the long-running soap “Days of our Lives.” However, when work and school collided is when the drama really began. Sweeney remembered a moment when some of her on-set antics caused a problem in the classroom. “I had a scene with the girl who plays my sister, and Carrie was teaching Sami how to French kiss and Carrie said, ‘Well, you can practice on your hand.’ So we had a whole scene where we’re literally making out with our hands. Making kissing noises, like actually kissing our hands,” she recalled. “Six weeks later, I’m in my U.S. history class and the teacher had a VCR that was broken so he had to go get another one. And while we were waiting for him to come back, the kids are like, ‘Let’s watch ‘Days of our Lives.’ ” And just like some loopy daytime-TV plot twist, the embarrassing make-out scene Sweeney had taped earlier was playing, much to the amusement of her fellow high-schoolers. “It was so horrifying and I didn’t know what to do. I thought about breaking the TV but I sat there at my desk and I just put my hands in my desk and covered my face,” she said. “I was so mortified.” “When I Was 17” airs Saturdays at 11 a.m. on MTV Related Videos When I Was 17 (Season 2) | Ep. 4 | Melissa Joan Heart, Flo Rida, Alison Sweeney Related Photos When I Was 17 (Season 2) | Ep. 4 | Melissa Joan Hart, Flo Rida, Alison Sweeney

See the original post here:
Flo Rida, Alison Sweeney, Melissa Joan Hart Reminisce On ‘When I Was 17’

Daniel Radcliffe Doesn’t Want To Play Harry Potter Again

‘I’m going to be working very hard to establish myself as an actor outside of this series,’ ‘Deathly Hallows’ star tells MTV News. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Daniel Radcliffe Photo: MTV News In spite of the billions of dollars grossed by the “Harry Potter” film franchise and the book series it’s based on, the obsessive devotion of fans, the endless merchandise, blogs and so forth, the wizard series is coming to an end. For real. MTV News caught up with superstar Daniel Radcliffe as he promoted “Deathly Hallows – Part 1,” and we asked him about J.K. Rowling’s recent “Oprah” interview. The author denied to Oprah Winfrey that she had said she’d never write another “Potter” book. So we asked Radcliffe if he could foresee revisiting his Harry Potter character someday. “I think Jo is being very kind to a lot of people by giving them that little bit of hope and me that mild heart attack,” Radcliffe joked. “But I’ve been doing this for 10 years. A team of surgeons would be needed to reapply my jaw to my face if she did this. I would be incredibly surprised but, you know, the other thing is, people have been saying, ‘If she did [write more books], would you be in [the films]?’ And at this point in time, ‘No’ is the answer,” he admitted. “I’ve done it for 10 years and that’s a long time. But I’m also being careful to qualify that with, ‘Better men than me have changed their mind.’ ” Radcliffe went on to say that while he’s resisting the urge to say “never again” to another “Potter” film, he also hopes he’s able to move onward with his career. “I don’t want to say it would be a step backwards because these films have been so good to me, but over the next few years I’m going to be working very hard to establish myself as an actor outside of this series,” he said. “It would seem self-defeating if I went back to them.” Are you sad to see the “Harry Potter” franchise ending? Should the series go on? Tell us in the comments! Check out everything we’ve got on “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Daniel Radcliffe Related Photos ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows’ Premieres In NYC Behind The Scenes With The Cast Of ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows’

See the rest here:
Daniel Radcliffe Doesn’t Want To Play Harry Potter Again

Kanye West Pushed For ‘More Douche Bag’ On ‘Runaway,’ Pusha T Recalls

Clipse MC breaks down the making of the Yeezy track on ‘RapFix Live.’ By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Sway Calloway Pusha T Photo: Sohyung Kang/MTV News Sometimes, there is a certain element that can take a song to another level, and according to Pusha T, Kanye West had a very specific idea about the secret ingredient needed to make “Runaway” a memorable track. The G.O.O.D. Music MC recently revealed to MTV News that ‘Ye was adamant about packing as many “douche bags” into their collaboration as possible. “I’m writing a verse, and I come back to the table, and it’s something that I’m feeling, and he’s like, ‘Naw, but I need more douche bag.’ And I’m like, ‘All right, man, c’mon.’ So I go back, and he’s like, ‘Naw, more douche bag!’ He’s screaming at me ‘more douche bag’ at this point,” Push said during his “RapFix Live” interview Thursday (November 18) about crafting the douche-bag-toasting standout from ‘Ye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. “I just really had to, like, take myself out of it a little bit and then put … the perspective of the guy … who thinks he can fix it, but he’s not being preventative.” Push said the song developed organically but that Yeezy had unexpectedly stumbled upon a subject the Clipse MC was very familiar with: the art of douche-baggery. “It starts from a conversation. We’re talking, and he’s like, ‘I like your perspective on that. Put a verse to that.’ What he didn’t know was [that] I was going through my own relationship turmoil at the time,” Push revealed. “I was being a douche bag,” he said, adding, vaguely, that he was doing “whatever wrong you can do” in a relationship. Although the concept arose naturally enough, Push said ‘Ye was relentless about making the final product just right. “I’ve never worked with anybody like him,” Push said. “He just pushes you and pushes you and pushes you. With ‘Runaway,’ I think I wrote that four times.” While Yeezy lab sessions had their moments of intensity, Push said developing a partnership with the G.O.O.D. Music impresario easily grew out of an excursion to West’s tropical outpost. “It started from a three-day trip to Hawaii,” he said of becoming a part of the G.O.O.D. Music fold. “It was supposed to be a three-day trip, [and] it ended up being a month, just collaborating on his album. The ‘Runaway’ song was done, a couple of the G.O.O.D. Friday joints were done. ‘So Appalled’ was done. It was just a vibe thing. We got in there, and we just started vibing.” Push said Yeezy was also confident that joining forces with the Virginia spitter would be a partnership with the potential to shut down the game — or at least the 2010 MTV VMA stage , where the pair premiered the record. “He was just [like], ‘You know we about to kill this, right? It’s about to be a real problem. This is gonna be, like, one of the biggest moments right now,’ ” Push remembered. “He was like, ‘C’mon, the record’s crazy, I’m debuting it here. When people see us together, we about to shock. We about to hurt some people.’ ” What do you think a recording session with Kanye West would be like? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With Pusha T Related Artists Pusha T Kanye West

Go here to read the rest:
Kanye West Pushed For ‘More Douche Bag’ On ‘Runaway,’ Pusha T Recalls

T.I. ‘Sick And Tired’ Of Being In And Out Of Prison

‘This experience is truly a pain I have never felt before,’ rapper says in new prison-penned letter. By Mawuse Ziegbe T.I. Photo: Shareif Ziyadat/ FilmMagic T.I.’s latest prison bid is apparently changing the MC’s perspective on getting locked up. Tip was hauled back to jail earlier this month to kick off his second stint behind bars in a year after he violated his probation by getting arrested on a drug charge in Los Angeles in September. In a message posted on the Atlanta spitter’s website Thursday (November 18), the trap star, who has a litany of arrests and periods of incarceration that pre-date his chart-busting hip-hop career, described his current prison bid as a turning point in his history with the penal system. “This experience is truly a pain I have never felt before and that’s saying a lot for a n—a who’s been down locked up as many times as I have,” Tip wrote. “I see this as a real ass whoopin’. The kind you don’t just go back outside to play afterwards. You take ya ass to bed and don’t come out of your room until it’s time to go to school.” T.I. also said that switching between life as a free man and an inmate was getting old. “I don’t know what effect this will have on my life moving forward but I’m certainly sick and mother f—ing tired of going to jail, juve, prison, the pen, correctional facilities or whatever else you want to call it,” he said. “I’d have been better off doing a 5-10 year bid one time than going in time and time again for days, weeks and months for the last 15 years of my life.” Even though his legal run-ins have “been a long road,” T.I. maintained that “I’m still standing, barely, but nevertheless still standing.” He also said that instead of looking to others for inspiration and encouragement, he’s going to turn inward for a sense of purpose. “At one time I thought my motivation for continuing was for my fans, my partna Philant, my pops, my grandmama, even for the haters or the people I let down. But nah… I got to do this sh– for me!!!” he said. “I’ll be God damned if I’ve come all this way and made it through so much hell to let it go down like this! F— that! If an hour in the dark is worth a second in the sun then pass me my mother—-in’ shades cause I’m ready to cash my darkest hours in…ASAP!!!” The MC reflected on his lack of a consistent and positive father figure in his life as a factor in his development as a young man, saying, “My mother and grandparents did the best they could but I found my manhood in the trap and in prison systems.” The “Get Back Up” MC then promised that his children won’t follow in his footsteps as a felon. “[None] of mine will ever have to feel the cold tight grip of a handcuff or grace the presence of a jail cell if I can help it,” he wrote. “Over my dead body! So if you can’t respect that you ain’t rocking with my movement, then f— you dog!” T.I.’s album No Mercy is slated to hit shelves December 7. What do you think about T.I.’s latest letter? Let us know in the comments. Related Photos T.I.’s Career Highs And Lows Related Artists T.I.

More:
T.I. ‘Sick And Tired’ Of Being In And Out Of Prison

Drake Reveals Next Album To Be Called Take Care

GQ Man of the Year tells the mag follow-up to Thank Me Later will be ‘catchier.’ By Gil Kaufman Drake on the December 2010 cover of GQ , “Man of the Year” edition Photo: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin/ Conde Nast It’s a long way from mixtape infamy to the cover of GQ magazine . But Drake has successfully made that transition, and in the 2010 “Men of the Year” issue of the venerable men’s mag, Drizzy models some high-end Burberry and Billy Reid duds while dropping a bit of news about his next move. Among the biggest revelations is that he’s decided to call his next album Take Care. Due next spring, Drake promised his second effort will be packed with more inescapable hits like “Best I Ever Had.” “Don’t think for a second I can’t do better,” he told the magazine. “For Take Care, I’m trying to find a way to make my raps shorter but catchier. I’m trying to condense my thoughts down to 16 bars. And it’s coming out more potent.” He also explained that after the mega-hype created by his smash 2009 mixtape So Far Gone, he decided to call his major label debut Thank Me Later as a way to preemptively deflate the anticipatory hype he knew he couldn’t live up to. Among the other revelations the 23-year old Canadian MC coughs up is the story of how way back in May 2009, when he “wasn’t even really Drake yet,” he was robbed at double gunpoint while on a date with a girl in his hometown of Toronto. Just back from a tour, Drake said, “I knew it was a setup, because I had on a sweater and a jacket … but when they banged on the car window with a gun and opened the door, the first thing he said was, ‘Yo, run that chain.’ They didn’t rob her, and her purse was sitting right there. So I was like, ‘OK, yup — you set the whole thing up.” After being relieved of $4,000 in U.S. currency and a chain that new mentor Lil Wayne had just given him, Drake said he learned a valuable lesson. From then on, he vowed to steer clear of the negative energy that can sometimes surround the rap world. Once his career began to take off a month later, he was prepared to handle it. And while fans will have to wait a while to hear those smart-bomb tracks from Take Care, they can slake their thirst with new Drizzy courtesy of Young Money cohort Nicki Minaj, whose debut, Pink Friday, leaked online on Wednesday (November). The pair team up for the tune “Moment 4 Life,” in which Drake teases the couple’s fake Twitter marriage , rapping, “F— it, me and Nicki getting married today/ And all you bitches hating can catch the bouquet.” What do you think of Drake’s proposed next album title? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Drake Related Photos Drake’s ‘Light Dreams And Nightmares’ Show In Las Vegas Related Artists Drake

Read the rest here:
Drake Reveals Next Album To Be Called Take Care

Eva Longoria & Tony Parker: Divorce Rumor Untrue!

Less than an hour ago, we reported that Eva Longoria and Tony Parker were splitting after three years of marriage, and that Tony filed for divorce in Texas. Now her rep says it’s completely false! Two clerks at the Bexar County Courthouse in Texas told TMZ the case was filed and sealed by a family law judge, but Eva’s rep says Tony did not file. The San Antonio Spurs star does not even have a divorce lawyer, she says, and another clerk now says no such divorce case has crossed her desk. Eva Longoria (no longer Parker) is back on the market! The Desperate Housewives actress and the San Antonio Spurs star married back in July 2007, and has his initials and jersey number tattooed on her body. Longoria was to appear at the taping of Anderson Cooper’s CNN Heroes of 2010 special this weekend, but canceled, sparking rumors something was up. Fortunately, it looks like the rumors, however they started, simply spiraled out of control and people jumped the gun. Hopefully, they’re happy as ever!

Excerpt from:
Eva Longoria & Tony Parker: Divorce Rumor Untrue!

Source: Jake Gyllenhaal on "Cloud Nine" Over Taylor Swift, Planning Rendezvous in Paris

Reports indicate that Taylor Swift is more serious about her career than Jake Gyllenhaal. But the same can’t be said about the actor’s feelings regarding this young singer. According to Hollywood Life sources, Jake has dated since his split with Reese Witherspoon, but “no one has put a smile on his face like Taylor. He’s really on cloud nine.” Call them Swiftenhaal or Gyllenwift. Just don’t call Taylor and Jake a casual couple any longer. Following casual dates in NYC and California, things between Swiftenhaal will allegedly heat up this December, as insiders claim : “The two are planning to spend the holidays together. And Jake plans to meet Taylor in Paris at the beginning of the new year, where she’ll be performing.” How did these two even cross paths? Maggie Gyllenhaal supposedly met Swift at a charity event and thought she was a “sweet girl with a good head on her shoulders.” She told her brother the same. But might she have walked her sibling into a trap? Will Swift soon pen a revenge song titled “Dear Jake?” Unlikely, a source says. “He’s not like the other men Taylor has dated. Jake is no John Mayer. He’s a very sweet and sensitive guy. He treats women with respect.”

Excerpt from:
Source: Jake Gyllenhaal on "Cloud Nine" Over Taylor Swift, Planning Rendezvous in Paris

Kid Rock Announces Born Free Tour

Dates include biggest headlining show in Kid’s career at Detroit’s Ford Field. By Gil Kaufman Kid Rock Photo: JulNeil Lupin/ Redferns Some people celebrate their 40th birthday with a nice dinner out, maybe a trip to Las Vegas or an extravagant purchase like a car they really can’t afford. Kid Rock, as you must surely have noticed at this point, is not most people. That’s why the American Badass is tipping his hat to the big 4-0 with the biggest headlining date of his career at Detroit’s Ford Field, his hometown 60,000-seat football stadium, as part of the upcoming tour in support of his new album, Born Free. With country outlaw Jamey Johnson set to open the first leg of the tour, Rock will get things started right on January 15 with the blowout gig at the home of the Detroit Lions, which will be renamed “40 Field” for the night in honor of Rock’s b-day. According to a press release announcing the tour, fans can expect surprise guests to join Rock at the gig, with tickets going on sale November 26. From there, Rock and his trusty Twisted Brown Trucker band will hit the road hard through mid-March, with dates in Ohio, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia, with the initial round of gig currently scheduled to wind down March 12 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. More dates are planned later in the year. Rock will appear live at the American Music Awards on Sunday, and a new documentary about him, “Kid Rock: Born Free,” will start airing on MTV, VH1 and CMT on Tuesday night (November 16). Kid Rock’s Born Free tour dates: