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Taylor Swift Named Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainer of the Year

Katy Perry, James Franco also made the magazine’s list of 2010’s top entertainers. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Swift Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images What does Taylor Swift have in common with James Franco, Katy Perry and Jon Hamm? Well, they’ve all made Entertainment Weekly ‘s Entertainers of the Year list , along with 10 other celebrities. But, the magazine has singled out Swift for its top prize, Entertainer of the Year. The magazine bestowed the honor on the singer thanks to her many accomplishments in 2010, which included multiple hit singles and Grammy wins, a super-successful tour and the #1 debut of her latest album, Speak Now , which sold more than 1 million copies in its first week alone. Speak Now gained tons of buzz in the weeks leading up to its release thanks to much discussion over which exes Swift might be singing about on the record, a subject that the pop star laughs off in the issue, which hits newsstands Friday. “Sometimes I would laugh because I would see it in print and it would say, ‘This song, which is written about her ex, so-and-so …’ And they would write about it as if it was fact,” she says. “The fact is, I haven’t ever confirmed that any song is about any particular person. There’s something kind of freeing about that. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all still up in the air.” 2010 also saw Swift finally laying to rest Kanye West’s now-infamous 2009 MTV Video Music Awards interruption by taking the stage at this year’s VMAs to sing her song “Innocent,” in which she extends her forgiveness to the rapper. “I had decided that I didn’t want to perform on the show. Or even go,” she admits. “Then I woke up in the middle of the night and I realized that I had to, and that I wanted to perform that song.” Is Taylor Swift your Entertainer of the Year? Share your opinion in the comments. Related Artists Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift Named Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainer of the Year

Spider-Man Shares ‘Lots Of Similarities’ With U2’s Bono, The Edge

‘Turn Off the Dark’ musical began previews on Broadway this weekend. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by James Montgomery Bono Photo: ShowBizIreland/ Getty Images After multiple delays, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” arrived on the Great White Way Sunday night amid a series of technical snafus that marred the much-hyped musical, which officially opens on January 11. With a reported budget in excess of $65 million and original music by U2’s Bono and The Edge, “Spider-Man” has become the most costly production in Broadway history and had already been delayed due to technical difficulties. On opening night, the musical had to be stopped five times, according to multiple reports , as the crew struggled to pull-off stunt work that had actors suspended in harnesses high in the air. Granted, previews are meant for working out the kinks, but this kind of debut is rather fitting. After all, Peter Parker is a work-in-progress, a character forever trying to reconcile his regular-guy mindset with the abilities and responsibilities of a superhero. The show’s creators, too, share much in common with the web-slinging wonderboy. “There are lots of similarities,” Bono told MTV News earlier this month. “He grew up in Queens. We grew up on the north side of Dublin — fairly humble origins. He falls in love with the girl next door. I married the girl next door. He starts to put on a silly costume … yes,” he trailed off with a sly smile. The comparisons don’t end there. As The Edge explained it, whether you’re an arena-packing rock star or a science nerd bitten by a radioactive spider, you still have to deal with everyday life. “[H]e’s a superhero; he can do loads of stuff, but when he comes home, he’s put back in his place,” the guitarist said. “There’s nothing that he does out in the world that means anything when he’s with his loved ones.” Hearing this, Bono happily declared he’s got more in common with one of Spider-Man’s archenemies than the Spidey himself. “I think Peter Parker’s more The Edge,” he said. “I’m more the Green Goblin.” Said Edge, “You just want to be careful, because you know who wins that fight.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Artists U2

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Spider-Man Shares ‘Lots Of Similarities’ With U2’s Bono, The Edge

Birdman Delivers Thanksgiving Joy To New Orleans

Cash Money CEO brings turkeys to his hometown neighborhood. By Steven Roberts, with reporting by Travis Laurendine Birdman Photo: Ray Tamarra/ Getty Images We rarely see the soft side of Cash Money CEO Birdman, but MTV News caught up with the 5-Star General in his hometown of New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon for his 15th annual turkey giveaway. The event was in Shakespeare Park, across the street from the housing projects Birdman, born Bryan Williams, grew up in. He said he was very happy to be home. “It feels good to see people that you grew up with, that you’ve been knowing your whole life and your family,” Birdman said. “[They] know more about you than you know about yourself.” He said the drive means a lot to those in the community, not just because of the giveaway, but also because the town is thrilled just to see Birdman and the rest of the Cash Money family. “They see us on TV so much, but never get to see us [in person]. But for them to see us, shake our hands, tell us they know our momma, they know our daddy, so many that watched me as a kid that tried to keep my head straight when I was younger — it feels great, not just good.” Birdman said Cash Money have been giving away turkeys for 15 years, but every year, it gets more exciting. He said that when they started, it was just to help out those that didn’t have anything for Thanksgiving. “We caught ourselves trying to help the neighborhood, the older folks who didn’t have anything,” he recalled. “Now it’s a different trade for me to come home and get [a reception] like this. It still means the world to me.” What are your Thanksgiving plans? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Birdman

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Birdman Delivers Thanksgiving Joy To New Orleans

Ke$ha Proclaims ‘We R Who We R’ At AMAs

Ke$ha destroys hate with her American Music Awards performance. By Jocelyn Vena Ke$ha performs at the 2010 American Music Awards Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images Whirring sirens and post-apocalyptic stage design certainly set the tone for Ke$ha’s energetic American Music Awards performance on Sunday (November 21). Surrounded by keyboards, Ke$ha kicked it all off in a glowing robot helmet and began her Animal track, “Take It Off.” Soon she was surrounded by dancers, some of whom broke through mirrors to join the singer on the stage as she transitioned into her Cannibal track “We R Who We R.” For the performance, Ke$ha let her hair down and graced the stage in a mirrored bodysuit and leather jacket. She danced and gyrated her way through the track off her latest release, out this week. When she wasn’t dancing, she played a white guitar as confetti fell from the ceiling toward the song’s synth filled and Auto-Tuned finale. As the song wrapped, she turned the guitar around and revealed that it said “hate” with a slash through it. She destroyed the guitar as sparks flew from behind her. “This year has been carnivorous and life-changing. I have my rowdy, gorgeous fans to thank for taking me on the ride of a lifetime,” she said in a statement. “My only goal with this record is to keep them dancing,” she said of the new album. “The songs on Cannibal were made to inspire people to ignore any hate or judgment and be themselves unapologetically. It’s the perfect companion to Animal and I hope you guys like it. And if you don’t like it — bite me.” What did you think of Ke$ha’s AMA Performance? Related Videos AMA 2010 Performance Highlights Related Photos Performances At The 2010 American Music Awards 2010 American Music Awards Red Carpet Related Artists Ke$ha

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Ke$ha Proclaims ‘We R Who We R’ At AMAs

Pink Toasts AMA Crowd With ‘Raise Your Glass’

Pregnant singer performs one of her Greatest Hits … So Far!!! . By Gil Kaufman Pink performs at the American Music Awards on Sunday Photo: Kevork Djansezian/ Getty Images Not long after Bon Jovi took the stage at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles at the American Music Awards on Sunday night to play a mini-set of greatest hits, Pink dropped by to celebrate her own just-released career retrospective, Greatest Hits … So Far!!! . But instead of trolling through her catalog, she stuck to the new single “Raise Your Glass,” another sparky bit of pop-foolery on which she once again encourages you to get the party started. The always-unpredictable (and did we mention pregnant?) singer is clearly not done with the acrobatic feats of daring that she showcased on her most recent tour. But in keeping with her new status as a mom-to-be, she left the acrobatics to the skateboarders and punk cheerleaders who crowded the stage around her as she danced like a B-girl beamed down from the set of 1984’s “Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo, ” rocking a mini-gold jacket, black high-waisted Hammer pants, black bra and bedazzled black headband. With a colorful, multi-level set that mixed candy-colored risers and half-pipes, Pink worked the stage as she swayed her head side-to-side amid female dancers being tossed up in the air like they were on the sidelines at a Saturday afternoon college football game. When one of her cohorts offered her a wine glass, she lamented that it was empty, but, you know, that’s probably a good thing at this point. And then, inexplicably, in the middle of the song, she tossed a bucket full of glitter at a portly extra hanging from an aerialist perch. He responded by yelping, off key, “I freakin’ love glitter! ” By song’s end, she was back center stage and out of breath, beaming as a shower of streamers, balloons and confetti rained down on the crowd. In other words, the perfect ending to a Pink party. What did you think of Pink’s performance? Related Photos Performances At The 2010 American Music Awards Related Artists P!nk

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Pink Toasts AMA Crowd With ‘Raise Your Glass’

Enrique Iglesias Didn’t Want To Sound ‘Arrogant’ On AMA Song ‘Tonight’

‘Some songs are supposed to be taken seriously; some songs are not supposed to be taken as seriously,’ he tells MTV News of new single. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias Enrique Iglesias Photo: MTV News When Enrique Iglesias took the stage at the American Music Awards on Sunday (November 21), he not only performed the mega-hit “I Like It,” but also his self-proclaimed raunchy new single “Tonight.” While he cleaned up the lyrics in the chorus from “Tonight, I’m f—ing you” to “Tonight, I’m loving you,” he told MTV News he’s pretty connected to both versions. “For me, the most important thing when I was in the studio singing it was, ‘How do I sing this and not sound arrogant, like an idiot or way too out there?’ And that’s really what it came down to,” he told MTV News. “I did it a bunch of times, and I heard it back, and it felt good for me, the phrase: ‘Please excuse, I don’t mean to be rude, but tonight, I’m [f—ing] you.’ I thought I didn’t want it to be one of those songs I heard on the radio and say to myself, ‘Man, I wish I would have sang that.’ And I felt it was one of those special ones.” Iglesias isn’t known to use expletives in his music, but admits that there was just something about this song. “There wasn’t [any reservations]. … The minute I put vocals on it and it felt good, I’m like, ‘I got to go with it.’ … ‘Cause it’s not that I was trying to push it; I just liked the song,” he said. “Really, that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day: If I like the song, the melody, the message. Some songs are supposed to be taken seriously; some songs are not supposed to be taken as seriously. This one, you can take both ways,” he smiled. What did you think of Enrique’s AMA performance? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Enrique Iglesias Rehearses For The 2010 American Music Awards

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Enrique Iglesias Didn’t Want To Sound ‘Arrogant’ On AMA Song ‘Tonight’

We’re Live-Blogging From The AMAs Red Carpet

Get the scoop in the Newsroom as your favorite artists arrive at the Nokia Theatre for the big show. Whitney Port and guest arrive at the 2010 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 21, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Michael Buckner/ AMA2010/ Getty Images

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We’re Live-Blogging From The AMAs Red Carpet

Avril Lavigne Experimenting With Hip-Hop, Alex Da Kid Reveals

‘It’s a mixture of pop/rock and what I do,’ producer says of new album. By James Dinh Avril Lavigne Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images When Avril Lavigne splashed onto the scene eight years ago, the punk princess fueled her angsty, rebellious image with a pop-rock sound that had fans hooked. On her new album, the singer is ready to push her musical boundaries by mixing her signature sound with hip-hop elements, according to producer Alex Da Kid. “It’s a mixture of pop/rock and what I do,” the “Love the Way You Lie” hitmaker told Rap-Up TV . “We’ve got some things that are hip-hop leaning, and we’ve got some things that are more pop/rock leaning, so it’s what we both do just kind of combined into one thing.” The British producer explained that the songstress had her label reach out to him after hearing B.o.B and Hayley Williams’ mega-hit “Airplanes.” As hinted in the letter Lavigne posted on her website to her fans this past week, Alex suggested that the singer has experienced some hardships with her record label when it comes to the release of the yet-to-be-titled album. “I’m not sure what’s going on with the album, just because she’s been working on this album for a long time,” he said. “So I think there’s a lot of stuff going on politically and behind the scenes. “I really liked working with her,” he added. “She’s really cool and down to earth. It was a good experience.” He recalled their drunk studio sessions, but kept tight-lipped about other track details, saying, “We’re working it all out, so it’s probably too early to talk about it.” While he might not know exactly when the LP will drop, Alex knows all too well about fans’ pleas for new Avril Lavigne material. “Her fans hit me up on Twitter every day about ‘When’s the album coming out?’ ‘When’s the single coming out?’ so I know there’s a big demand for it,” he said. “Hopefully, it’ll be out soon, and we’ll see what happens.” Are you excited for Avril’s new album? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related Artists Avril Lavigne

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Avril Lavigne Experimenting With Hip-Hop, Alex Da Kid Reveals

Beyonce Says She Wants To ‘Make My Own Genre of Music’

Singer is in the studio working on Sasha Fierce follow-up. By Gil Kaufman Beyonc

Lady Gaga Says Born This Way Is Nearly Finished, ‘Almost Perfect’

‘It won’t be much longer, it’s almost perfect. But I (we) don’t want almost,’ Gaga tweets about forthcoming album. By James Montgomery Lady Gaga Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images By now, you are probably aware that Lady Gaga’s upcoming Born This Way album is “incredible,” “shocking,” “bold and beautiful,” “utter liberation,” and, of course, “crazy amazing.” But what you might not have known is that it is finally, totally, completely finished. Almost. That’s according to Gaga herself, who took to her Twitter account on Wednesday to announce that she’s nearly wrapped production on Born, and that her little monsters’ long wait is just about over. Unless she’s not satisfied with every last detail, of course. “Endless melodies, hooks [and] poetry sledge-hammering my skull,” she tweeted . “It won’t be much longer, it’s almost perfect. But I (we) don’t want almost.” Of course, there’s still no release date (tentative or otherwise) for Born This Way, though Gaga has been playing songs from the album — like “You And I” and “Living on the Radio” — since the summer, and has discussed the project at length during her Monster Ball performances. In September, at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards , she announced the title of the album after winning Video of the Year. Those who have heard Born This Way can’t seem to stop gushing over it. On Tuesday, MTV News caught up with Gaga’s label boss, Akon, who said the album “is definitely … a notch up” from her previous work, and that she’s “taking things to the next level.” Gaga’s manager, Troy Carter, said that he’s just starting to play music from Born for Interscope Records, and that the songs on the album are “incredible.” He also hinted that the album would be “coming soon.” Related Photos The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga Related Artists Lady Gaga

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Lady Gaga Says Born This Way Is Nearly Finished, ‘Almost Perfect’