There’s no question as to whether or not Shondrae “Bangladesh” Crawford is a hitmaker. He’s been living up to the meaning of his name—a sound that’s foreign to the ears—for over a decade, and now it’s time for him to take things to a new level. The man behind tracks for the likes of Eminem, Ice Cube, Diggy Simmons, and more, is stepping out on the ledge testing his artistry by signing acts to his own record label, and prepping the release of his debut solo album… Continue
There’s no question as to whether or not Shondrae “Bangladesh” Crawford is a hitmaker. He’s been living up to the meaning of his name—a sound that’s foreign to the ears—for over a decade, and now it’s time for him to take things to a new level. The man behind tracks for the likes of Eminem, Ice Cube, Diggy Simmons, and more, is stepping out on the ledge testing his artistry by signing acts to his own record label, and prepping the release of his debut solo album… Continue
Fans are excited for cult comedy’s return, but reshuffling ‘Parks and Recreation’ could mean trouble for the network’s lineup. By John Mitchell Amy Poehler in “Parks and Recreation” Photo: NBC Fans of cult comedy “Community” are rejoicing at the news that the show is set to return to NBC’s schedule after a three-month hiatus. It will rejoin the Thursday night lineup at 8 p.m. on March 15 to complete its third season, though no decision has been announced as to whether the low-rated, critically acclaimed comedy will get a fourth season. The show’s return will bump “30 Rock,” which has been pulling down series-low numbers in the 8 p.m. time slot since retuning on January 12, to 8:30 and “Parks and Recreation” will go on a five-week hiatus until “Up All Night” completes its season in April. “The Office” will hold on to its 9 p.m. slot. NBC has had a difficult time attracting viewers to what is easily the best comedy block on network TV, but it’s certainly not the first net to have that problem (Fox couldn’t keep “Arrested Development” on the air). This latest decision, however, seems unlikely to help for a few reasons. It was a mistake to pull “Community” in the first place; the show is so full of callbacks and self-referential asides that removing it for any length of time was bound to hemorrhage casual fans who are not as familiar with the storyline as die-hards. And sacrificing the much more welcoming “Parks,” which itself has struggled in the ratings despite widespread acclaim, to bring “Community” back is not going to pull in more eyes. Instead, it’s only going to weaken the already low-rated lineup. Here’s why. “Community” is not a welcoming show for new viewers. I am an avid TV watcher and a big fan of NBC’s smart Thursday comedies, but I’ve never been able to get into “Community” because I missed the boat early on. I’m not questioning its quality — by all accounts it’s a witty and wonderfully weird show — but it is loaded with callbacks and winks to a now three-season-long narrative arc, and if you haven’t been onboard since the beginning, you’re shut out. I’ve tried and failed to get into the show, even though it should be on my must-see list. Consequently, I suspect it is going to perform even worse in its old 8 p.m. time slot than when it left it in December. If it flops at 8, the results will be disastrous for “30 Rock,” which, without a strong lead-in, seems likely to lose even more viewers at 8:30. “Parks and Rec” currently outperforms its “Rock” lead-in; it has its own devout fanbase, many of whom seem to skip “Rock” and tune in specifically for “Parks.” “30 Rock” is arguably past its prime (though last week’s episode was admittedly the best in recent memory) and it is an expensive show to produce. Some expect that NBC may even announce that next season will be its last and that it will be a truncated 13-episode run at that. Matching “Community” with “30 Rock” from 8 to 9 is going to create an hour-long ratings void for NBC that is likely to negatively impact “The Office,” which already has been losing viewers since Steve Carell’s departure, though it remains NBC’s top Thursday comedy. As for “Up All Night,” it’s been managing numbers comparable to “Parks” at 9:30. Though, that means the well-reviewed family comedy is losing 30 percent of it’s lead-in. It’s a foolhardy move to temporarily shelve the only show that is really building on its lead-in (that’d be “Parks”) — I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say that “The Office” ratings function pretty independently of “Parks'” — especially when it’s being done for a show that seems unlikely to rope in new viewers. The reason for the shake-up, I suspect, is rooted in the network’s knowledge that the ends of “30 Rock” and “The Office” are near. They really want “Community” to work, and they trust enough that the brief absence of “Parks” from the schedule is unlikely to alienate viewers enough that they’ll abandon the show. (And they’re right. As upset as I am that “Parks” will be gone for five weeks, there’s no way I won’t be there when Leslie, Anne, Tom and Ron Swanson return on April 19.) A smarter choice would have been to move “Up All Night” to 8 p.m., where its star power (Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, Maya Rudolph) and subject matter — a onetime party couple adjusting to parenthood — might attract viewers who normally may look to CBS for Thursday night entertainment. Keep the often-heartwarming “Parks and Rec” at 8:30. “Parks” is, like “Rock” and “Community,” a little weird, but it’s the most accessible of the three and thus the most likely to keep the “Up All Night” audience and maybe build on it. “Community” is simply going to be an awkward fit anywhere on the schedule and is unlikely to ever be strong enough in the ratings to be a top-of-the-hour lead-in. If the net insists on keeping it — though it might want to consider a deal similar to the one reached to keep “Friday Night Lights,” another little-watched but much-loved show with a fervent fanbase, alive — it should consider moving it to 9:30, where it would benefit at first from “The Office.” NBC would be wise to greenlight a 13-episode season for “The Office” to let it wrap up story lines and depart the airwaves on its own terms before it is forced off by flagging ratings. It’s already had a great eight-season run; let it go out with grace. Conclude “The Office” big at Christmastime (the show has always shined with its holiday specials) and bring “30 Rock” back to conclude its own run with a 13-episode season in the spring of 2013. And for goodness’ sake, stop shifting everything around so often. Shuffling your best shows like this makes it difficult for current fans — and especially people who do not follow the ins and outs of entertainment industry news — to find the shows they already like. Do you agree with NBC’s decision to put “Parks and Rec” on a five-week hiatus for “Community”? Leave your comment below.
‘Everything just kind of happened at once,’ 14-year-old tells MTV News about new TV and recording deals. By Kara Warner Rachel Crow Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images Her elimination from “X Factor” made for one of the most shocking (and tear-filled) moments of the show, and now breakout star Rachel Crow will be crying tears of joy thanks to a newly inked recording contract with music-industry powerhouse Columbia Records and a TV deal with Nickelodeon. MTV News caught up with the spunky 14-year-old on Wednesday (February 22) to get the inside scoop on her new endeavors. “Everything just kind of happened at once. It was really cool for me. I’ve never had so many things happen — it’s just amazing,” Crow said of her recent career developments, the first of which we’ll see via Nickelodeon’s new comedy “Fred: The Show.” ” ‘Fred: The Show’ is so much fun to work on. The whole crew, the whole cast, everyone is amazing. What’s really cool is on that show, you get to show both sides — singing and acting — which is right up my alley,” Crow said of her five- to six-episode stint. “I’m loving the acting so much. It’s really fun for me. I have a fun character. She’s spunky and crazy, and she wants to be a star and her name is — drum roll — her name is Starr.” With regard to the pilot the network is developing around the bubbly singer/actress, Crow said the details are still being worked out but promised it will be something we’ve never seen before. “The goal with the pilot is to reach boy and girl audiences, because that’s hard to do. We’re still deciding if it’s going to be one topic or any topic. Hopefully my [character’s] name is Rachel, I hope,” she said. “It’s going to be edgy and really funny. I want to land the moms and the dads too, so hopefully it will be a family show.” In between her work on “Fred: The Show” and her new pilot, Crow is getting ready to record her first studio album at Columbia. “I want my first album to have a lot of high notes in songs,” Crow said. “I want there to be upbeat songs and slow songs, I want it to be retro and very soulful and I want at least one of my songs to have a guy rapping in it, because that is just so cool. Maybe Eminem can rap on it?” What are you expecting from Rachel’s post-“X Factor” career? Let us know in the comments below!
Adele, Nicki Minaj, Dave Grohl and more make Bigger Than The Sound ‘s look back on music’s biggest night. By James Montgomery Adele backstage at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards Photo: Christopher Polk/ WireImage How you felt about Sunday night’s 54th Grammy Awards probably had a lot to do with whether or not you were Adele . Or Dave Grohl. Or Nicki Minaj . For different reasons, of course. If you were Ms. Adkins, you undoubtedly loved the show, because you won darn-near everything (and slayed in your comeback performance ). If you were the Foo Fighters’ frontman , you also undoubtedly loved it, not just because you won darn-near everything, but also because you appeared to be having a thoroughly awesome time whilst doing so. Grohl was the secret-MVP of the telecast, thanks to his Slayer T-shirt, rambling acceptance speech, that shot of him totally feeling Deadmau5’s performance, and everything that happened in the last three minutes of Paul McCartney’s night-closing jam, especially the 45-second stretch where he stood directly behind McCartney during “The End,” grinning like a new enrollee at Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp. If you were Minaj, well, let’s just say that eventually, after spending years convincing yourself it wasn’t that bad, you’ll end up watching the footage on YouTube and discover it was actually worse. From arriving on the Grammy carpet with a dude dressed like the pope to an odd, over-the-top, obtuse-to-the-point-of-self-parody performance of “Roman Holiday” (your move, Gaga) — with a Best New Artist loss to a guy dressed like a social-studies teacher thrown in at some point in-between — it was not a great night for you. Nor was it much fun for Lady Gaga , who, despite bringing a scepter to the show (inspired!), was essentially an afterthought. Or Katy Perry, whose performance never truly seemed to get on track. Or Mumford & Sons, who went winless in four categories on Sunday night, meaning they didn’t get to leave their seats once during the three-and-a-half hour show. There were, of course, artists who managed to shine from beneath Adele’s and the Foos’ respective shadows. Jennifer Hudson, whose tribute to the late Whitney Houston was both nuanced and emotional (a tricky thing to pull off), surely only added to her ever-growing legend. Taylor Swift displayed class and sass — and maybe grew up a little bit before our very eyes — with her performance of “Mean.” The Civil Wars appeared to be genuinely likeable people. Shoot, even David Guetta, Chris Brown and Lil Wayne managed to make it out of that whole “EDM Tribute” debacle relatively unscathed. But what about the viewers at home? Well, I’m sure the folks who were outraged last year when Arcade Fire beat Eminem for Album of the Year — folks like Steve Stoute, the marketing exec/music vet who was so upset by incident that he penned an open letter to the Grammy governing body that compared Em to Bob Dylan — really liked the show a lot. So, too, one can assume, did dudes who like Dubstep (more often than not, these are the same people). It was, after all, the first Grammy telecast in recent memory that went almost entirely by the books, giving the year’s best-selling artist three-quarters of the year’s biggest awards (Album, Record and Song of the Year). Was that a result of Grammy voters bowing to public pressure to make the show more representative of the actual whims of music-buying community, or was Adele’s 21 the rare album that so seized the collective conscience that anything less would seem outrageous? I’m inclined to think it was the latter. But still, at the end of the day, peering up and down the winner’s list … these were very much the people’s Grammys. On the other hand, if you were someone who was slightly inspired by Arcade Fire’s AOTY win (even though you’d never admit to your kickball team/artesian cheese monger/barista girlfriend), well, there’s a pretty good chance you’re feeling conflicted about the Grammys. On one hand, you love everything Adele stands for — and in opposition to — and you’re happy she won. On the other, well, dude, you were sort of rooting for Bon Iver … especially if his wins might have symbolized some profound change in the minds of Grammy voters. Alas, we ended up with more of the same … though, in a pinch, we’ll take Best New Artist. In short, the 54th Grammys were the show we’re always complaining about whenever we’re complaining about the Grammys. Predictable. Poorly paced. Pandering. By the same token, they were perfectly representative of the year in music, which is all the Steve Stoutes of the world were asking for in the first place. And so, once again, the awards remain caught between those two extremes. And in a year where both sides could at least agree on Adele, that doesn’t exactly bode well for the future. Then again, I suppose that no matter what happens, there will be some segment of music fans who will be upset. If the 54th Grammys taught us anything, perhaps it’s that you really can’t win. But you most certainly can lose. Just ask Nicki Minaj. What did you think of the 54th Grammy Awards? Leave your comment below! Related Videos 2012 Grammy Awards Red Carpet Highlights Related Photos 2012 Grammy Awards: Backstage And Audience 2012 Grammy Awards: Main Show
The most nominated artist of the night, West wins Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Collaboration. By Gil Kaufman Kanye West Photo: Don Arnold/ WireImage It didn’t look like Kanye West, the most nominated man at Sunday (February 12) night’s Grammys , was going to make an appearance at the show, but even before the curtain came up, he was already a big winner. West came into the night with a leading seven nominations, and though he was controversially shut out of the Album of the Year race, he pulled off a near clean sweep in hip-hop categories handed out before the show. ‘Ye scored a win in the Best Rap Album race, taking the award for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, beating out his collabo with Jay-Z on Watch the Throne, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV, Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers and Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday. “Everybody’s working hard and he’s definitely another big artist in the game,” Tyga told MTV News’ Sway on the Grammy red carpet when news broke about the West wins. With 17 nominations for the YMCMB crew, label boss Baby didn’t have much to add about West’s win, though Weezy had plenty to say in a pre-Grammy freestyle in which he took shots at West and Jigga . West also scooped up Best Rap Song for “All of the Lights” and Best Rap Song Collaboration for that song’s hook-up with Rihanna, Fergie and Kid Cudi. In that category he beat out some other major players, including Beyonc
The most nominated artist of the night, West wins Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Collaboration. By Gil Kaufman Kanye West Photo: Don Arnold/ WireImage It didn’t look like Kanye West, the most nominated man at Sunday (February 12) night’s Grammys , was going to make an appearance at the show, but even before the curtain came up, he was already a big winner. West came into the night with a leading seven nominations, and though he was controversially shut out of the Album of the Year race, he pulled off a near clean sweep in hip-hop categories handed out before the show. ‘Ye scored a win in the Best Rap Album race, taking the award for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, beating out his collabo with Jay-Z on Watch the Throne, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV, Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers and Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday. “Everybody’s working hard and he’s definitely another big artist in the game,” Tyga told MTV News’ Sway on the Grammy red carpet when news broke about the West wins. With 17 nominations for the YMCMB crew, label boss Baby didn’t have much to add about West’s win, though Weezy had plenty to say in a pre-Grammy freestyle in which he took shots at West and Jigga . West also scooped up Best Rap Song for “All of the Lights” and Best Rap Song Collaboration for that song’s hook-up with Rihanna, Fergie and Kid Cudi. In that category he beat out some other major players, including Beyonc
The Grammy’s are tonight but let’s look back at some of the most controversial and WTF moments of the past awards! Besides the occasional surprise win, awards ceremony are usually unnecessarily long events where fans have to sit through hours of dull speeches before the good awards get handed out. With the 54th Grammy Awards taking place in L.A.’s Staples Center tonight, we decided put together some of our favorite Grammy moments, all of them full of drama in some way, naturally. Flick through our gallery to take a stroll through some of the awards’ most jaw-dropping moments…
Will Yeezy capitalize on his double nods in the category, or will Lil Wayne or Nicki Minaj take the throne on Sunday night? By Rob Markman Kanye West Photo: Don Arnold/ WireImage Who would’ve ever thought that hip-hop would take it this far? The Notorious B.I.G. posed the question on his 1994 classic “Juicy,” and the 2012 Grammy nominations prove that hip-hop continues to rise to new heights. For the second year in a row, a rap artist is leading in Grammy nods: Last year it was Eminem, this year Kanye West . Yeezy’s seven nods take the cake. Two of West’s nominations come in the hotly contested Best Rap Album category; one for his solo My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the other for his and Jay-Z ‘s Watch the Throne tag-team LP. Lil Wayne ‘s Tha Carter IV, Nicki Minaj ‘s Pink Friday and Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers round out the category, and while the odds are clearly in the Louis Vuitton Don’s favor, he isn’t exactly a lock. If record sales are any indication, it will be tough to ignore the first-week sales of Wayne’s Carter IV . The approximate 960,000 units Weezy sold in his first week didn’t earn him a platinum plaque right out of the gate, but it stood as one of the biggest hip-hop stories of 2011. CIV has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA, and though some critics panned it, high-powered singles like “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “She Will” and “John” helped cement Wayne’s ninth solo album as a fan-favorite. Just like her Young Money boss, Nicki Minaj reigned throughout the year thanks to Pink Friday. Released at the end of 2010 and anchored by the infectious and inescapable bonus track “Super Bass,” Nicki’s debut LP helped her to penetrate the pop space while still keeping a foot firmly planted in the streets with her “Did It On ‘Em” single. Lupe Fiasco may be the dark horse of the group but considering the Recording Academy’s knack for acknowledging hip-hop with a message, don’t be surprised if the Chicago MC takes home the golden gramophone. Lasers was a commercial success thanks to its radio-friendly sound, but it didn’t sit well with some die-hard fans because it was a departure from Fiasco’s earlier work. Regardless of the LP’s sound bed, Lupe’s message remained potent. His criticism of President Obama on “Words I Never Said” was polarizing and opened up much political debate. Kanye’s MBDTF was highly touted when it dropped in November 2010, but was seemingly eclipsed by the meteoric Watch the Throne collaboration with Jay-Z. Discussing MBDTF ‘s Album of the Year snub , Yeezy blamed himself, saying that he should have spaced his releases out “just a little bit more.” But in the Best Rap Album category, his maddening pace only increases his chances. Who will emerge with the Best Rap Album Grammy? Share your predictions on our Facebook page! Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don’t miss Sway and James Montgomery live from the Grammys red carpet this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn’t end Sunday: MTV News has you covered until the Grammy hangover wears off! Related Videos A Guide To The Grammys 2012 Related Artists Jay-Z Kanye West
