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‘American Idol’ Finalist Lauren Alaina Thinks Judges Are Nailing It

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘When they need to be harsh, they’re harsh,’ said the teen. By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Kara Warner Lauren Alaina Photo: FOX Maybe she’s a bit biased because the judges on “American Idol” have been visibly charmed by her antics since day one, but finalist Lauren Alaina thinks Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are doing a fine job in their first attempt at working together on the show. “I think the judges do exactly what they’re there to do,” said the 16-year-old teen phenom when MTV News caught up with her and the rest of the “Idol” top 13 at Thursday night’s celebration of this year’s top singers. “When they need to be harsh, they’re harsh. I know that sounds crazy, but … they don’t sugar coat it, most of the time. When they need to say something, they’re gonna say it. Which is great, because it makes you stronger.” Alaina, who has gotten a lot of attention (both positive and negative) for her flirtatious attitude with the judges — especially Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler — said she’s not going to let the online chatter throw her off her game. “I’m just gonna try to be myself,” she said. “Everybody talks about my crazy personality, [but] hopefully my voice is good enough to back that up. But I’m just gonna be myself, that’s all I can be.” Alaina will get another chance to be herself on Wednesday, when the top 13 take the stage for the first round of live performance and results shows and get a taste of the pressure that comes with singing on live TV every week. Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” at 10 p.m. Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty ! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: ‘American Idol’ Party Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Top 24 ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances

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Raekwon Battles Himself On Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It’s … dealing in my mind and everything that I been through, and dealing with the crew,’ Rae tells MTV News of new solo LP. By Paul Cantor Raekwon Photo: Roger Kisby/ Getty Images Raekwon the Chef knows a thing or two about Shaolin and Wu-Tang. The title of the MC’s fifth solo album, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, represents the New York City borough he hails from, Staten Island — whose street name in rap circles is Shaolin — and, of course, the MC has been a key member of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan since its founding in the early ’90s. Ultimately, though, Rae’s album, which dropped on Tuesday (March 8), is inspired (like many things Wu-Tang) by the classic 1981 Gordon Liu film of the same name, about a rivalry between two schools of ancient martial arts. “[The film is about] basically two schools fighting with one another,” Raekwon told MTV News recently about the movie’s plot. “But they all come from the same school, and it was an outsider who actually tried to get the Shaolin style and the Wu-Tang style and have them go at one another. On this album, it’s the same thing: It’s two schools and, you know, I’m part of that school. I’m Shaolin but at the same time, I’m Wu-Tang. So really, it’s ego versus discipline, dealing in my mind and everything that I been through, and dealing with the crew.” It’s no coincidence that the concept behind Raekwon’s album focuses on two forces in opposition. Rae began working on Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang back in late 2007, after expressing disappointment with the creative direction Wu-Tang’s nominal leader, the RZA, had taken with the group’s ’07 LP, 8 Diagrams. (Fellow Wu member Ghostface Killah went so far as to call the album

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Raekwon Battles Himself On Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It’s … dealing in my mind and everything that I been through, and dealing with the crew,’ Rae tells MTV News of new solo LP. By Paul Cantor Raekwon Photo: Roger Kisby/ Getty Images Raekwon the Chef knows a thing or two about Shaolin and Wu-Tang. The title of the MC’s fifth solo album, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, represents the New York City borough he hails from, Staten Island — whose street name in rap circles is Shaolin — and, of course, the MC has been a key member of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan since its founding in the early ’90s. Ultimately, though, Rae’s album, which dropped on Tuesday (March 8), is inspired (like many things Wu-Tang) by the classic 1981 Gordon Liu film of the same name, about a rivalry between two schools of ancient martial arts. “[The film is about] basically two schools fighting with one another,” Raekwon told MTV News recently about the movie’s plot. “But they all come from the same school, and it was an outsider who actually tried to get the Shaolin style and the Wu-Tang style and have them go at one another. On this album, it’s the same thing: It’s two schools and, you know, I’m part of that school. I’m Shaolin but at the same time, I’m Wu-Tang. So really, it’s ego versus discipline, dealing in my mind and everything that I been through, and dealing with the crew.” It’s no coincidence that the concept behind Raekwon’s album focuses on two forces in opposition. Rae began working on Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang back in late 2007, after expressing disappointment with the creative direction Wu-Tang’s nominal leader, the RZA, had taken with the group’s ’07 LP, 8 Diagrams. (Fellow Wu member Ghostface Killah went so far as to call the album

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Jacob Lusk Shows Off His ‘American Idol’ Happy Dance

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I have a problem,’ he jokes to MTV News about his moves. ‘Pray for me.’ By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Kara Warner Jacob Lusk Photo: 2011 Getty Images The judges on “American Idol” have marveled at the vocal force of Jacob Lusk ever since the gospel-drenched singer blew them away during Hollywood Week . But Lusk isn’t just a potential heir to the Luther Vandross velvet-ballad throne; he’s also a dance machine. On Thursday night, after he and 12 other “Idol” singers made it into the show’s top 13, Lusk showed off his now-signature celebration hoofing . “It’s just a happy dance. When I get happy, it starts off with a stomp, and then I just kind of get a little carried away,” he smiled when asked to demonstrate the move. “It usually happens in church. That’s kind of where it stemmed from, is from church. … I kind of have no boundaries. I have a problem. Pray for me,” he joked about his moves and how the “Idol” ride so far has inspired him to mix in some dancing with his singing. But when it comes to those rich vocals, Lusk said he has a plan for sounding modern without losing his old-school roots. “I want to stay contemporarily classic,” he explained. “For me, whatever music I sing, it doesn’t matter as long as when I’m finished singing that I’ve touched you, that something’s affected you. You can do that with a club joint, you can do that with a ballad … but I’m definitely going to try and mix it up a little bit as the season continues on.” Lusk will get another chance to be himself on Wednesday, when the top 13 take the stage for the first round of live performance and results shows and get a taste of the pressure that comes with singing on live TV every week. Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty ! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: ‘American Idol’ Party

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Jacob Lusk Shows Off His ‘American Idol’ Happy Dance

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I have a problem,’ he jokes to MTV News about his moves. ‘Pray for me.’ By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Kara Warner Jacob Lusk Photo: 2011 Getty Images The judges on “American Idol” have marveled at the vocal force of Jacob Lusk ever since the gospel-drenched singer blew them away during Hollywood Week . But Lusk isn’t just a potential heir to the Luther Vandross velvet-ballad throne; he’s also a dance machine. On Thursday night, after he and 12 other “Idol” singers made it into the show’s top 13, Lusk showed off his now-signature celebration hoofing . “It’s just a happy dance. When I get happy, it starts off with a stomp, and then I just kind of get a little carried away,” he smiled when asked to demonstrate the move. “It usually happens in church. That’s kind of where it stemmed from, is from church. … I kind of have no boundaries. I have a problem. Pray for me,” he joked about his moves and how the “Idol” ride so far has inspired him to mix in some dancing with his singing. But when it comes to those rich vocals, Lusk said he has a plan for sounding modern without losing his old-school roots. “I want to stay contemporarily classic,” he explained. “For me, whatever music I sing, it doesn’t matter as long as when I’m finished singing that I’ve touched you, that something’s affected you. You can do that with a club joint, you can do that with a ballad … but I’m definitely going to try and mix it up a little bit as the season continues on.” Lusk will get another chance to be himself on Wednesday, when the top 13 take the stage for the first round of live performance and results shows and get a taste of the pressure that comes with singing on live TV every week. Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty ! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: ‘American Idol’ Party

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Jennifer Lopez’s ‘On The Floor’ Video Bows On ‘American Idol’

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The ‘Idol’ judge’s sultry dance clip premiered during Thursday’s first results show. By Kelley L. Carter Jennifer Lopez in her “On The Floor” video Photo: MTV News With just about 10 minutes left on “American Idol” Thursday (March 3), Jennifer Lopez debuted her new music video, “On the Floor.” The clip was cued up right as suspense built up over who the judges would grant second-chance passes. The single marks the first time Lopez has hit the Billboard top 10 since her 2003 #1 track “All I Have.” The new song, featuring Pitbull, debuted at #9 on Billboard Hot 100. Dressed in a glittery, gold outfit, Lopez is seen in several long shots, dangling lazily on a couch. Between shots of the Miami rapper, the video returns to scenes of Lopez dressed in a sexy, skintight catsuit dancing in front of a gold cardio barre. “If you’re an animal, tear up the floor,” she sings, giving the camera her fiercest gaze and moving her shoulders aggressively. “Don’t stop, keep it moving/ Put your drinks up.” The video set looks like the kind of lounge-y nightclub that you’d find in one of the exotic locations that she shouts out in the song, one that only caters to a VIP clientele. In another scene, Lopez is wearing a bikini top when she makes her way to the center of a stage and breaks it down “fly-girl” style. In still another shot, the star’s mane is piled on top of her head, very elegantly as she sexily implores everyone to dance the night away and spend it on the floor. What do you think of J.Lo’s “On the Floor” video? Tell us in the comments! Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty ! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Jennifer Lopez Related Artists Jennifer Lopez

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Jagged Edge Reflect On Their Favorite Songs

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Quartet tell Mixtape Daily which of their tracks mean the most to them. By Jayson Rodriguez Jagged Edge Photo: MTV News Celebrity Favorites: Jagged Edge The four-man collective Jagged Edge are readying their next album, The Remedy, due later this month and featuring the standout cuts “Baby” and “Lay You Down.” It’s the veteran group’s seventh album, following the release of projects like J.E. Heartbreak and Jagged Little Thrill. And while J.E. are focused on the future — The Remedy is their second album released through their 581 Music imprint and first recorded under contract with Slip-N-Slide Records — here, they take a look back at their catalog and talk about some of their favorite tracks. Kyle Norman : “One of my favorite songs would be ‘Let’s Get Married.’ And it’s really written, of course, if you have any heart and soul you want to get married one day. And I heard it’s like one of the number-one wedding songs of all time, behind ‘Ribbon in the Sky.’ So for us to have a song like that being mentioned among the other great wedding songs, that means a lot. We were 19, 20 making that.” Brian Casey : “For me, I’d have to say it was our very first hit record, ‘Gotta Be.’ All of the above, it touched me at certain times in my life and what it has meant to my life. It was our first legitimate hit record. Your first hit record is so jarring, ’cause you go from nothing to something like that. And that song represents a lot for me.” Brandon Casey : “We all come from two-parent households, and we know we’re the rarity; most of our friends don’t. So, for me, it’s a song called ‘Nothing Without You.’ My dad always wrote poetry, and as much credit as my mom gets for our voice, because she sings, my dad doesn’t get much credit for our writing ability and, at least, our attempt to be poetic. So that song, my brother made mention to my dad, and every time I hear it, it just make me think of my dad.” Wingo : “The song ‘Respect’ came about because I had a friend, she was going through something crazy with one of her ex-boyfriends. He used to put his hands on her. She came by the studio, and the guys saw her one day after an episode. And we was like, ‘Let’s do a song about respect, guys keeping his hands off a woman.’ Women are God’s gift to man, it’s like dropping diamonds on the ground; you supposed to take care of them. It’s one of my favorite songs.” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines .

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Snoop Explains Why ‘Dogg’-Lovers Span Generations

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I don’t think of it as reinventing myself, ’cause it’s all within me,’ the ‘Wet’ rapper tells MTV News. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Rahman Dukes Snoop Dogg Photo: MTV News Snoop Dogg has continued to reinvent himself throughout his career, from a fresh-faced spitter to his current role as a hip-hop elder statesman. And he’s clearly embracing his position. It’s evident in how he’s reached across the generational aisle to befriend upstart Wiz Khalifa . Snoop’s current single, “Wet,” is a transformation, of sorts, for the Southern California rapper — it sounds more like an offering from Usher than Tha Doggfather — but he said the many “faces” of Snoop allow him to establish roots in more than one home. “I don’t really think of it as reinventing myself, ’cause it’s all within me,” Snoop told MTV News. “It’s all who I am. It’s more or less, faces of Snoop Dogg or characters of Snoop Dogg that’s in this one spirit. But at the same time, he’s able to embellish different parts of the character to create this look, that style, that sound. But it’s all the same. Because when I do it all at once, when I do a concept that has all the songs, I don’t have enough time to change and act like this; it’s still me.” As his career has progressed, Snoop said he’s noticed the effect songs that span his catalog have on audiences. “Gin and Juice,” he said, strikes his older fans how an Al Green song gets to him, while the younger set appreciates a song like “Drop It Like It’s Hot” much more. “I have different songs for different generations and different genres,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me that I’m growing old, that the fans are growing old and my music is growing old, ’cause that’s the whole purpose of doing it, is to grow old and let your music be here when you’re gone.” What’s your favorite Snoop Dogg track? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Snoop Dogg

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Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ Creative Director Explains: Why NYC?

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘This was the place that birthed her,’ Laurieann Gibson tells MTV News of choosing location. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Lady Gaga knew exactly where she wanted to shoot her trippy music video for Born This Way. If she was going to properly tell the story about the birth of a new race that doesn’t judge or hate, the New York native knew she had to take it home to the Big Apple. “We took two days and when Gags was making the album, she wanted to be in New York,” Gaga’s creative director , Laurieann Gibson, told MTV News on Monday. “This was the place that we started. This was the place that birthed her. This was the place that birthed my dance. New York just has something so real about birthing something specific.” Before cameras even started rolling, Gibson and Gags, as she calls her, decided there was only one place to work on the avant-garde, modern dance routine for the video. “So I took her to Alvin Ailey [where I studied dance], and we rehearsed there because the choreography is really modern-based. It’s, like, more technical than anything she’s ever done,” she recalled. “That was a great moment to engulf her in a real dance world and push her ability choreographically. “And we shot the video in Brooklyn over two days and it was freezing cold. And we had to hide the location and we were quite successful except at the last day there was one paparazzi sneaking around,” she added. “We had to build these boards and move because she was so passionate about it [not] getting out to her fans before it was ready.” But planning for the video started long before the Haus of Gaga landed in New York City to shoot the Nick Knight-directed clip. Gibson recalled how she and Gaga birthed the idea. “I’ve created, directed and choreographed for Lady Gaga since the beginning, so ‘Born This Way,’ this was musically such an amazing evolution and such a brilliant record, so when she played it for me, it took me a while to find out the visual interpretation that I could give back to her. “I woke up one night and I got it and I said, ‘I got it: We have to birth a new race,’ ” she recalled. “As genius as she is, she then begins to create all of these elements that make her Lady Gaga. When I saw the final edit I, of course, was loving some stuff and then I was like, ‘But oh, here we go.’ It was brilliant. Nick is amazing.” What do you think of the “Born This Way” choreography? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ Video Premieres MTV News Extended Play: Lady Gaga Creative Director Laurieann Gibson

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Willow Smith ‘Living Life’ On Rebellious ’21st Century Girl’

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Tween star’s second single premieres on ‘On-Air With Ryan Seacrest.’ By Alex Chapman Willow Smith Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/ Getty Images After temporarily taking over the globe (and probably inducing some permanent neck problems) with her chart-smashing “Whip My Hair,” pint-size prodigy Willow Smith is back in action with her new electro-pop banger “21st Century Girl.” The 10-year-old superstar premiered the track on Monday morning (February 28) on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, where it was announced that the song will be available exclusively on iTunes starting Tuesday. The song is as current as they come — she sounds like a fusion of Ke$ha and Rihanna. Willow celebrates being a girl of the moment, all the while backed by a hyper-dancey beat. “The rules don’t own me/ I’m living life on the edge,” the singer coos. Smith will also be performing the track, produced by Twin and Alke, on Tuesday’s episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” All this news comes on the heels of Smith’s newly announced addition to 13 U.K. dates on Justin Bieber’s journey across the pond with his super-successful My World Tour. The young talent may be relatively new to the music scene (and the world in general), but her work ethic is inarguably beyond her years. “It felt like all the hard work paid off, mostly that,” Willow told MTV News last October about the success of her first single. “Like all the hard work that I’ve done, like recording ‘Whip My Hair’ — it’s paid off.” Willow has also recently hinted at an upcoming album, tweeting , “Are you excited for my album!? It’s coming soon….. VERY soon!!” Although there’s no official release date for the LP, a video for Smith’s new single is said to be coming out shortly. What do you think of Willow Smith’s new song? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Willow Smith Related Artists Willow Smith

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