Ain’t no party like a Bill Murray dance party? Vulture had a front row seat at Cannes : “At the request of [ Moonrise Kingdom co-star Jared] Gilman, who just had his bar mitzvah and has a taste for dub-step, Bill Murray led the troop onto the dance floor, where the four kids and their accompanying man-child wiggled and jumped around with abandon. It was a scene of such next-level adorability that nearly everyone in the immediate vicinity pulled out a camera phone. ‘We’re just chilling! We’re just chilling!’ Murray shouted out as he put the kibosh on each video in turn. Then he’d go back to more happy wriggling to songs like ‘I’m So Excited.'” [ Vulture ]
Justin Bieber is becoming a seriously fab dancer, guys. Justin Bieber Looks Like A Boss In Dance Rehearsal For The Billboard Awards (VIDEO) See the rest here: MTV Buzzworthy Blog – Justin Bieber Dances Like A BAWSS At His …
Yeah, oral transactions! Paris Hilton’s biracial boo thang has been sticking up for her to the press: In a new interview with the website CastaNet, the DJ talks about his “Jacked” tour, upcoming album and working with Hilton, who he has reportedly been dating since November. “The thing is with her… she’s like one of the most talented performers I know,” says Afrojack, whose given name is Nick van de Wall. “She may not be a Celine Dion, but she knows how to perform on stage. She knows how to sing, believe it or not.” Afrojack admits that after Hilton’s debut album “Paris” in 2006, he wasn’t sure if she was actually talented. “In the studio with her for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he said. “But the girl can sing. And she loves the dance music so we made some nice music. And it was fun.” While photos have shown Hilton and Afrojack looking quite cozy and clocking a lot of time together, Afrojack claims in the interview that they are just pals. “We are really good friends. It’s simple,” he said. “People say as producers, ‘You can’t work with Paris Hilton, you can’t work with Pitbull, they’re too commercial.’ But they’re my friends. If a friend asks you, would you produce my album… I’m going to do it. She’s my friend, I had the time, I was already working on my own album and I like working in a fast pace so I did some tracks on the album, and did a few tracks and helped her out with some connections with other producers and writers. She created some nice magic.” Hilton revealed earlier this year that she was working on a sophomore album, featuring collaborations with LMFAO and Snoop Dogg. In February, a laugh-worthy video for a song called “Drunk Text” leaked online, featuring the socialite mugging for the camera in a skimpy dress as she recited spoken word poetry. “It was just a drunk text,” Hilton sings in the song. “One stupid reply can lead to the walk of shame.” But Hilton’s rep clarified that the song was not off her upcoming album, but had been recorded as a favor to the electronic music duo Manufactured Superstars. Hilton’s album is expected this summer. Pure comedy. This guy’s been blinded by the white light! You can’t convince us that Paris is talented at anything besides sloring and attention sloring. Source WENN
‘Her songs are so iconic that people use them as shorthand,’ expert tells MTV News about late singer’s tunes being all over pop culture. By Kara Warner Donna Summer Photo: Fotos International/Getty Images The news of Donna Summer’s untimely passing Thursday (May 17) weighed heavily on all those who knew and loved the undisputed Queen of Disco. Despite the fact that “disco fever” lived and basically died in the 1970s, Summer’s music continues to live on. Her many unforgettable hits like “Last Dance,” “Love to Love You Baby” and “She Works Hard for the Money” transcended genres and left an indelible mark on all pop culture , from the music charts to television and film. A quick perusal of Summer’s eclectic IMDb page demonstrates the fact that her music is the go-to for filmmakers and show-runners looking for that perfect dance number in their TV show or film. “Her songs are so iconic that people use them as shorthand either to convey disco or those songs lend themselves to montage-type stuff,” Entertainment Weekly music editor Leah Greenblatt told MTV News. ” ‘She Works Hard for the Money’ is always used for when a lady is going about her business. Songs like ‘Love to Love You’ and ‘I Feel Love’ are almost like a ‘bow-chicka-bow-wow,’ in that they always convey sex, whether that’s in an ironic way or in a real way.” Two relatively recent comedic examples include the memorable love scene/orgy in “Zoolander” set to “Love to Love You” and Cameron Diaz’s group dance number in “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” set to “Last Dance.” “A lot of her songs were almost cinematic in the way that their lyrics and music were arranged,” Greenblatt said of the repeated use of Summer’s songs for television and film. “A lot of [scenes] can go out or end on ‘Last Dance.’ ‘She Works Hard for the Money’ is all about when a woman has to go out and earn in a movie; it’s the perfect music cue. And when someone is having a threesome with a Sherpa [like in ‘Zoolander’], her music was so great for that.” Greenblatt went on to say that Summer’s songs will continue to provide the soundtrack to key moments in our lives. For photos of Donna Summer through the years, click here. “There was a time when disco was really derided and dismissed, but it would be really hard to find a person over 25 or 30 who doesn’t have these songs as part of their DNA. Whether or not you liked disco, it’s really hard to deny her voice and her talent,” she said. “Her music stands out because she was such a great singer and because a lot of her songs were about emotions too. You can really feel in her voice that she means it. “Also, how many artists have music that has been featured on ‘Sex and the City,’ ‘Parks and Recreation’ and in ‘Frost/Nixon’?” Greenblatt added. “For whatever reason, comedians love to use her too. There’s the campy tributes but also a sincere love for her. And anytime anyone takes their clothes off [in TV or film], someone has got to play ‘Hot Stuff.’ ” Share your condolences for Donna Summer’s friends, family and fans in the comments or on Facebook . Related Videos Donna Summer: 1948 – 2012 Related Photos Donna Summer: The Queen Of Disco Related Artists Donna Summer
‘Sometimes you can’t communicate in words, but in a song, you can,’ late Queen of Disco told MTV News in a rare interview. By John Mitchell, with additional reporting by John Norris Donna Summer Photo: MTV News Donna Summer’s death Thursday (May 17) at age 63 after a long battle with cancer saddened music lovers around the world. Fans are mourning the loss of one of the greats, a real pioneer, whose innovative use of synthesized backing tracks blazed the path for the dance music we are all so familiar with today. Hers are some of the most memorable disco songs ever recorded, and her impact on music is almost too large to quantify with words, but for Summer herself, it was all about the voice. “Music is part of my life. For my judgment, music is the greatest of all the gifts,” Summer told MTV News’ John Norris in a rare 1989 interview. “The voice — not my voice, but the voice — to me is the greatest gift. Having a voice. You need no other instrument, all you have to do is sing. Open your mouth, and there it is.” Because her sound was so rooted in the mechanics of disco, with its glittering synths and pulsating beats, some people don’t know that the five-time Grammy winner was also an amazingly accomplished vocalist. Her mezzo-soprano voice transcends even the genre she pioneered. Before she became the Queen of Disco, she sang gospel in church and in her early 20s moved to Europe, where she performed in musicals like “Godspell” and “Showboat” and joined the Viennese Folk Opera. “When I hear other people singing, I think, ‘God, it’s great, it’s a great gift, what a great gift,’ ” Summer told MTV News. “And probably one of the gifts that people want the most is to be able to sing, and for obvious reasons — it’s soothing, it’s stimulating, it’s encouraging, it’s sad, it covers every spectrum of emotion.” It was a gift she was lucky enough to have and good enough to share with the world — one that brought her 14 top 10 hits and four #1’s. “There’s no better way to get into those crevasses, those cracks in somebody’s personality and root out the real person but through singing,” Summer continued. “Sometimes you can’t communicate in words, but in a song, you can.” Share your condolences for Donna Summer’s friends, family and fans in the comments or on Facebook . Related Videos Donna Summer: 1948 – 2012 Related Photos Donna Summer: The Queen Of Disco Related Artists Donna Summer
Houston’s ex-husband debuts ‘Don’t Let Me Die’ during a visit to the ‘The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.’ By Nadeska Alexis Bobby Brown appears on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Wednesday Photo: NBC Since Whitney Houston passed away in February, her ex-husband, Bobby Brown, has only opened up about her death in one interview on the “Today” show, but during a Wednesday night appearance on the “Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” the R&B singer paid tribute to Houston with a new song. “Don’t Let Me Die” finds Brown musing on mistakes he made during his relationship with Houston. “I didn’t realize that every breath I took was from you,” he sang, dressed in black, “You were my air.” The new song will be featured on Brown’s upcoming album The Masterpiece, set to debut on June 5. It will be his first album since 1997’s Forever. “I guess I [messed] up pretty bad/ I didn’t know who you were/ I didn’t know what we had,” Brown continued to sing. “Now I’m stuck living in the past/ Trying to get the pieces back/ But I guess now you’re gone.” Brown’s tumultuous marriage to Houston was well-documented on their reality TV series “Being Bobby Brown,” which showed the couple’s difficult battle with drugs. When Houston died, she left behind 19-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina, who reportedly has a strained relationship with her dad. During his visit to the “Today” show in April, Brown defended himself against constant accusations that he was responsible for Houston’s drug use, saying she was using drugs before they met in 1991. “I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I wasn’t the one that got Whitney on drugs at all,” Brown told “Today” host Matt Lauer .”It’s just, it’s just unexplainable, how one could [say that I] got her addicted to drugs. I’m not the reason she’s gone.” Houston’s family — including daughter Bobbi Kristina, brother Gary Houston and sister-in-law Patricia Houston — are set to appear in an upcoming Lifetime reality series . Related Photos Whitney Houston: A Life In Photos Related Artists Bobby Brown Whitney Houston
‘Love to Love You Baby’ singer dies on Thursday (May 17) after long battle with cancer. By Gil Kaufman Donna Summer Photo: Fotos International/Getty Images Donna Summer, the powerhouse singer known as the “Queen of Disco,” died on Thursday (May 17) in Florida after a battle with cancer, according to TMZ . The five-time Grammy winner who set dance floors ablaze in the 1970s with such anthems as “Last Dance,” Hot Stuff” and her most iconic hit, “I Feel Love,” was 63-years-old. In a genre that was filled with many one-hit wonders and fly-by-night studio acts that were unable to keep the disco inferno stoked after scoring hits, Summer was a lifer, consistently charting even after the dance craze faded in the late 1970’s. For photos of Donna Summer through the years, click here. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Summer set herself apart with strong vocals backed by her songwriting skills, as well as some creative luck in hooking up with producers/songwriters Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. The pair helped her pumped out hit-after-hit and provided her with a sensual, almost ethereal sound on tracks such as “I Feel Love,” which seduced both on and off the dance floor. Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts to a butcher father and schoolteacher mother, Summer showed promise as a singer from an early age. She made her public debut at age 10 at her church when the scheduled singer didn’t show up and she filled in. After appearing in a number of musicals and plays in high school and singing with the psychedelic rock band The Crow, she joined the cast of German production of the musical “Hair” in 1967 at age 18. She stayed in Munich after the show’s run ended and recorded her debut solo album there in 1974, Lady of the Night . Though it spawned a hit overseas with “The Hostage,” she didn’t crack the U.S. market until a year later with the song that would make her an international superstar, the seductive disco anthem, “Love to Love You Baby.” The tune she created with Moroder and Bellotte was a #2 hit in the U.S. and landed her an American record deal with the it label of the era, Casablanca Records. The 17-minute club remix of the single, which featured such real-sounding ecstatic moans that some radio stations refused to play it, became a huge hit and set a new standard for sophisticated arrangements in a genre often marked by cheesy sounding instrumentation and lazy songwriting. She released two albums in 1976, A Love Trilogy , which featured the nearly 18-minute epic “Try Me (I Know We Can Make It Work),” and the winter/spring/summer/autumn-themed Four Seasons of Love . In a singles genre where the song as the thing, Summer continued to put out consistently artistic albums, including 1977’s I Remember Yesterday , which featured the song that would secure Summer’s place at the top of the disco diva pecking order, “I Feel Love.” That hypnotizing song was also the first one recorded with a backing track made up entirely of synthesized sounds. This being the era of excess, her second 1977 album, Once Upon A Time , was another concept disc, this one retelling the Cinderella story in the disco era on tracks like “Once Upon a Time,” “Fairy Tale High,” “Working the Midnight Shift” and “Queen for a Day.” She transitioned into acting in 1978 in the disco comedy “Thank God It’s Friday,” which earned her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal for the hit “Last Dance.” By 1979’s two-album Bad Girls she was indisputably a star, logging six weeks at #1 and scoring hits with the sexy “Bad Girls” and more rock-oriented “Hot Stuff.” When Summer released a double-album greatest hits disc later that year she became the first artists to ever score three #1 albums in a row with double-disc releases. She went on to score hits with a Barbra Streisand duet and moved over to the then-new Geffen Records, where her success began to wane a bit. By 1983, she’d moved past the disco sound and into a synth-heavy R&B/new wave sound with the female empowerment anthem “She Works Hard For the Money.” That song, though, would effectively mark the end of her hit-making days. Summer continued to release albums through the late 1980’s, but was never again able to capture her disco peak. In fact, by the end of the decade she spoke out against the “sinful” nature of her disco hits and turned her back on her earlier material and focused on painting. After a 17-year break, she released her first studio album of original material, Crayons , in 2008. Related Photos Donna Summer: The Queen Of Disco Related Artists Donna Summer
‘Love to Love You Baby’ singer dies on Thursday (May 17) after long battle with cancer. By Gil Kaufman Donna Summer Photo: Fotos International/Getty Images Donna Summer, the powerhouse singer known as the “Queen of Disco,” died on Thursday (May 17) in Florida after a battle with cancer, according to TMZ . The five-time Grammy winner who set dance floors ablaze in the 1970s with such anthems as “Last Dance,” Hot Stuff” and her most iconic hit, “I Feel Love,” was 63-years-old. In a genre that was filled with many one-hit wonders and fly-by-night studio acts that were unable to keep the disco inferno stoked after scoring hits, Summer was a lifer, consistently charting even after the dance craze faded in the late 1970’s. For photos of Donna Summer through the years, click here. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Summer set herself apart with strong vocals backed by her songwriting skills, as well as some creative luck in hooking up with producers/songwriters Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. The pair helped her pumped out hit-after-hit and provided her with a sensual, almost ethereal sound on tracks such as “I Feel Love,” which seduced both on and off the dance floor. Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts to a butcher father and schoolteacher mother, Summer showed promise as a singer from an early age. She made her public debut at age 10 at her church when the scheduled singer didn’t show up and she filled in. After appearing in a number of musicals and plays in high school and singing with the psychedelic rock band The Crow, she joined the cast of German production of the musical “Hair” in 1967 at age 18. She stayed in Munich after the show’s run ended and recorded her debut solo album there in 1974, Lady of the Night . Though it spawned a hit overseas with “The Hostage,” she didn’t crack the U.S. market until a year later with the song that would make her an international superstar, the seductive disco anthem, “Love to Love You Baby.” The tune she created with Moroder and Bellotte was a #2 hit in the U.S. and landed her an American record deal with the it label of the era, Casablanca Records. The 17-minute club remix of the single, which featured such real-sounding ecstatic moans that some radio stations refused to play it, became a huge hit and set a new standard for sophisticated arrangements in a genre often marked by cheesy sounding instrumentation and lazy songwriting. She released two albums in 1976, A Love Trilogy , which featured the nearly 18-minute epic “Try Me (I Know We Can Make It Work),” and the winter/spring/summer/autumn-themed Four Seasons of Love . In a singles genre where the song as the thing, Summer continued to put out consistently artistic albums, including 1977’s I Remember Yesterday , which featured the song that would secure Summer’s place at the top of the disco diva pecking order, “I Feel Love.” That hypnotizing song was also the first one recorded with a backing track made up entirely of synthesized sounds. This being the era of excess, her second 1977 album, Once Upon A Time , was another concept disc, this one retelling the Cinderella story in the disco era on tracks like “Once Upon a Time,” “Fairy Tale High,” “Working the Midnight Shift” and “Queen for a Day.” She transitioned into acting in 1978 in the disco comedy “Thank God It’s Friday,” which earned her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal for the hit “Last Dance.” By 1979’s two-album Bad Girls she was indisputably a star, logging six weeks at #1 and scoring hits with the sexy “Bad Girls” and more rock-oriented “Hot Stuff.” When Summer released a double-album greatest hits disc later that year she became the first artists to ever score three #1 albums in a row with double-disc releases. She went on to score hits with a Barbra Streisand duet and moved over to the then-new Geffen Records, where her success began to wane a bit. By 1983, she’d moved past the disco sound and into a synth-heavy R&B/new wave sound with the female empowerment anthem “She Works Hard For the Money.” That song, though, would effectively mark the end of her hit-making days. Summer continued to release albums through the late 1980’s, but was never again able to capture her disco peak. In fact, by the end of the decade she spoke out against the “sinful” nature of her disco hits and turned her back on her earlier material and focused on painting. After a 17-year break, she released her first studio album of original material, Crayons , in 2008. Related Photos Donna Summer: The Queen Of Disco Related Artists Donna Summer
We have lost another music legend Via TMZ reports : Donna Summer — the Queen of Disco — died this morning after a battle with cancer … TMZ has learned. We’re told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63-years-old. Summer was a 5-time Grammy winner who shot to superstardom in the ’70s with iconic hits like “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls.” She continued her dominance in the ’80s with “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.” Summer and her producer Giorgio Moroder defined the dance music era of the ’70s and influenced acts like Duran Duran and David Bowie to enter the genre. Summer married Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Sudano back in 1980. They had two daughters together. Donna Summer defined a decade of music, her talent will surely be missed. We hope she’s doing the “Last Dance” in the big disco in the sky!
Bieber’s mentor and dance-off foe will debut his new track ‘Twisted’ on ‘MTV First: Usher,’ airing tonight at 7:54 p.m. on MTV. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway Justin Bieber Photo: Valery Hache/ AFP/ Getty Images Justin Bieber and his mentor, Usher , believe it or not, have engaged in a dance-off or two. While Bieber is certainly known for his ability to cut a rug, he noted that his pal has the smoother of the dance moves. “Dance-offs? We had one the other night. He did this little show in New York,” Bieber explained to MTV News earlier this month about facing off against Usher during his stint in the off-Broadway “Fuerza Bruta” in April . “Mid-show, he comes in the middle of the dance floor and does a dance battle with me. And I’m like ‘I’m too tired for this.’ He pulls out moves and I can’t not dance battle Usher. “So I go in there, do my whole thing,” he recalled. “I’m pretty sure I lost, but it’s all good.” When they aren’t battling it out on the dance floor, it seems Usher is offering up some sage advice to the 18-year-old singer. “He’s just given me the advice of ‘Always keep the people that were there in the beginning, keep them with you because those are the people that really care. They want to see you succeed,’ ” he said. “I think that’s probably pretty much the main thing he’s always told me.” Usher has even more to share about working with his superstar mentee. He will open up during “MTV First: Usher,” set to take place tonight at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV. He will introduce exclusive footage from “Fuerza Bruta” and his new single, the Pharrell-produced “Twisted,” and will stick around for an interview with MTV News’ Sway Calloway to discuss it all, including his new June release, Looking 4 Myself , on MTV.com afterward. Fans can submit questions via MTV.com or Twitter @MTVNews with the hashtag #MTVFirst or #AskUsher. Don’t miss “MTV First: Usher” tonight at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by an interview with the singer on MTV.com! Related Videos Get Ready For ‘MTV First: Usher’! MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Artists Usher Justin Bieber
