Singer’s donation to Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is second largest in Nashville museum’s history. By John Mitchell Taylor Swift Photo: Getty Images Taylor Swift has a reputation for being a good girl with a big heart, and when you pair that with her sizable bank account, you get one very large charitable donation that will benefit music education for both children and senior citizens. The six-time Grammy winner has donated $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville to fund what will now be known as the Taylor Swift Education Center, an exhibit and classroom space scheduled to open in 2014. “In terms of what it will allow us to do, we do education very well now,” museum director Kyle Young told the Associated Press (via Billboard ). “It will allow us to do what we do better, serve more people, develop new programs, and I’m happy to say that as we talked through this opportunity with Taylor, she very much wants to be involved in an advisory capacity in what we do. Is there a better person out there who’s in touch with a young audience? I think not. I was joking we should be paying her to do that. I was only joking.” Swift’s donation is the second largest ever gifted to the museum and is the largest given by a musician. The country-pop megastar has a long history with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She signed her record contract there and gave one of her first public performances on the building’s plaza. In the past, she has also volunteered her time to the museum’s “All for the Hall” fundraisers. The Taylor Swift Education Center is part of a larger $75 million expansion of the Hall of Fame that will more than double the size of the museum and include a new concert theater and more space for exhibits and archives. The planned education center will be more than 7,500 square feet spread over two stories. It will have its own exterior entrance that will lead to three classrooms and exhibit space. The expansion will allow the museum to dramatically increase its youth education programs, with plans for it to house a “musical petting zoo” and an art classroom where children can make concert posters and other art projects. The center will also give the museum the opportunity to add new programs and workshops for teens and senior citizens. “For Taylor to want to engage herself in the life of this place in such an appropriate way,” Young continued, “every way you slice it and dice it, it’s great.” Related Videos MTV First: Taylor Swift Related Artists Taylor Swift
Phillip Phillips gets mostly rave reviews and Joshua Ledet praised on path to what appears to be another all-male finale. By Gil Kaufman Joshua Ledet performs on “American Idol” Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images You can understand if the contestants on “American Idol” make some bad song choices when left to their own devices. But on Wednesday night’s triple-play episode, in which Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet had to sing a judge’s choice, a tune picked by mentor Jimmy Iovine and one of their own, the selections were … bizarre. With only two songs from the current millennium, the top three reached back, sometimes way back on a night when it became clear that Sanchez is too green, Ledet is just the right shade of blue(s) and Phillips is, well, whatever he wants to be because he’s probably going to win no matter what happens. So, who made it thisclose, but is probably headed home tonight and who can get their big-boy pants pressed for the finale? Read on to find out! Joshua Ledet : Randy Jackson picked the Etta James song “I’d Rather Be Blind” for Josh, who busted out the retro mic and some sleepy soul for a performance that simmered but took way too long to boil. It was solid, but even Jennifer Lopez seemed a tad bored with it and it didn’t push him any closer to this century. (It was cute, though, how a Kraft commercial using the same song aired right after Ledet performed. Synergy!) Josh went big with his choice, John Lennon’s “Imagine.” And because he’s a preacher’s kid, he skipped the “no religion too” verse. The pageant-y, 1970s AM lite radio arrangement flattened out the song’s emotion, which Ledet tried to pump back in courtesy of some swooping gospel moments. It was a heartstring-tugging layup, but if you really listened it sounded like coasting, or, as JLo politely deemed it, “pulled back and controlled.” Jimmy hit Josh in his sweet spot with Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama.” Someone knows what they’re doing. From the manic bouncing to the nearly out-of-control, bedazzled jacket-dropping spazz at the end, Josh murdered it. That alone made up for the other two tame performances and locked him into next week’s finale. A- Phillip Phillips : Steven Tyler was going for melody with “Beggin'” by Madcon. But what he likely did was send tens of millions of “Idol” watchers to Google to find out … who the hell Madcon is? So, a 2008 cover of a 1967 Four Seasons hit by an obscure Norwegian dance duo? Wouldn’t you know it, strummy P managed to make it sound like, oh man, do I even need to say it? (Rhymes with Shave It Bath Hues.) The jammy, vanilla soul frat party rocker is exactly what I expect a P Phil album to sound like. “New Springsteen?” Really Steven? The sexy sax player was back for Phil’s choice, “Disease” by Matchbox 20. Yeah, that Matchbox 20. It was moody, conga-y, mid-tempo and so intense he had to sit down on some road cases just to contain the, um, intensity? Like Ledet’s “Imagine,” this one felt too easy, like a sprinter pulling up in the final 20 yards to avoid injury after looking over his shoulder and realizing he’s got it. In a rare bit of real talk from the panel, Lopez called it “easy flowing” and said it lacked the “wow performance” element. Phil’s dad loved Jimmy’s choice of Bob Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonight,” and Iovine dared the pawn shop worker to ignore the 1978 hit’s melody. Without his guitar, Phil was forced to awkwardly stroke and caress his thigh as he muscled through the heartland ballad. Between the sappy strings and the suggesting hand fidgeting Phillips looked like he was waiting out the clock in detention. Randy, of course, called it the “perfect song” and Phil’s best performance. So, now all you have to do to win this thing is sing the melody of the song and not worry about actually hitting the notes correctly? I give up. You can have him, America. Remember how awesome that nighty-night song was when you don’t buy his album in December. B Jessica Sanchez : Lopez aimed for Sanchez’s sweet spot with Mariah Carey’s “My All,” but ended up trapping the singer in a breathy lower register that made Jessica’s powerhouse voice sound weak and pitchy. The snoozy lullaby robbed the high schooler of a big moment and may have punched her card home. Did Randy mention he’s worked with Mariah? Well, if he thought that was one of the best renditions of a Carey song ever on TV, Carey should lose his number. In the ultimate brown noser move, BeBe chose Aerosmith’s power anthem “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” I kept waiting for girls in swimsuits or evening gowns to start parading around her, but this kind of Velveeta ballad is her sweet spot and while she didn’t move the bar any higher, it’s exactly what America wanted to hear. But, ugh, that last shouty note was as off as Jennifer’s pink pantsuit. Iovine went retro with 1970’s “I’ll Be There” by the Jackson 5, which despite what he argued, didn’t really make Sanchez seem contemporary, and dropped her back down into that lower range that doesn’t do her favors. When she kept it up high, Sanchez sounded strong and confident, but the lazy tempo didn’t provide the rocket fuel she needed to lock in a spot next week. B- Who do you think nailed it last night? Who deserves to go home? Let us know in comments below. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Performances
Stern promises real criticism from ‘America’s Got Talent’ judging panel. By John Mitchell “America’s Got Talent” judges Photo: NBC On Monday, America will gets its first taste of controversial radio personality Howard Stern as he joins the judging panel on “America’s Got Talent,” and on the “Today” show Thursday morning (May 10), Stern promised to bring something to the table he says is missing from other reality competitions: actual criticism. The Sirius radio superstar even cited “American Idol” judges Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez as particular offenders. “I think what you’ll find is that we have a panel that unlike these other judging shows, you know, I watch ‘American Idol’ sometimes, and those three judges, they don’t have a word of criticism,” Stern told Matt Lauer. “And I think that’s selfish. I think you owe it to the contestants to offer criticism.” Stern went on to say that while he intends to be compassionate and constructive in his criticism, he will also be honest. “I’m an honest judge and that’s what I think America needs. No more of this kind of ‘Oh, everyone’s wonderful,’ ” Stern continued. “Everyone can’t be wonderful. It’s a talent competition, and what I’m going to offer the contestants is a way to win the competition.” It will be interesting to see how the public reacts to Stern’s judging style. Recently, controversy broke out on “The Voice” when judge Christina Aguilera was criticized by fellow panelist Adam Levine and a contestant, Tony Lucca, for being overly critical. Her pointed criticism of Lucca — specifically that he was a one-dimensional performer — drew the ire of Levine and Lucca, who seemed to imply that she had a personal vendetta against the guitar-slinging singer-songwriter. We’ll have to wait and see whether Stern will be forced to apologize for taking a tough stance on a contestant, as Aguilera did . Do you think Howard Stern will make a good judge on “America’s Got Talent”? Leave your comment below! Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Performances
Wednesday’s show will also pay tribute to fallen Beastie Boy Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch. By Rob Markman Travis Porter Photo: Getty Images There’s no telling what’s going to happen on Wednesday’s “RapFix Live” when host Sway Calloway brings Atlanta’s wild boys Travis Porter and hip-hop legend Scarface to the red couch. Ali, Quez and Strap of Travis Porter have been on their rap grind for quite a few years, but now that they’re getting set to release their major-label debut, From Day 1, on May 29, things really look to be paying off. TP’s first official album features 2 Chainz, Jeremih, Tyga, Mac Miller and Mike Posner, but more importantly will be filled with the same type of rambunctious party starters that the trio has hung their hat on. So “RFL” fans can expect the same type of energy when Travis Porter make their way onto the MTV News set on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com. That’s not all, though. Houston rap icon Scarface will be making his very first appearance on the show, as he and Sway will run down his 20-plus-year career in rap. After getting his start with the Geto Boys in the late 1980s, Mr. Scarface went on to build a storied solo career. By mixing true grit and raw emotion with introspective lyrics and heartfelt flows, Scarface has delivered unforgettable hip-hop tracks like 1994’s “I Seen a Man Die” and his powerful 1997 duet with Tupac Shakur, “Smile.” Face dropped his last official album, Emeritus, in 2008 but went on to drop his first official mixtape, Dopeman Music, two years later. In 2010 he was locked up and spent 10 months behind bars for failure to pay child support. It was reported that the rapper owed more than $123,000 in support, but now Face’s focus is back in the studio after he and frequent collaborator Beanie Sigel announced plans for a collaborative Mac & Brad LP . “RapFix Live” will also honor the life of fallen Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch , who died on Friday after a three-year battle with cancer. Catch Travis Porter and Scarface on “RapFix Live” Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com, and be sure to join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive. Send your questions for the artists @MTVRapFix! Related Artists Travis Porter Scarface
Final four also perform with their judges before the winner is chosen Tuesday night. By John Mitchell Jermaine Paul performs on “The Voice” Photo: NBC The final night of competition proved intense and tough to call Monday night (May 7) on “The Voice” as rocker Juliet Simms, singer/songwriter Tony Lucca, former R&B backup singer Jermaine Paul and classically trained Chris Mann brought everything they had to the stage hoping to land enough votes to take home the title in Tuesday’s live grand finale. But it wasn’t all business, as each of the final four also took the stage with their respective coach for a series of powerhouse performances that showcased the onstage chemistry born from both compatibility — looking at you, chill rocker boys Adam Levine and Lucca and vocal dynamos Christina Aguilera and Mann — and unlikely pairings (think country crooner Blake Shelton and Paul and funky soul man Cee Lo and Simms). First up was Team Blake’s Jermaine, who wasn’t taking any chances with his song choice, going straight for a mid-’90s jam that has practically become an R&B standard, R. Kelly’s inspirational “I Believe I Can Fly.” His simple, clean and emotional performance — Adam called it “elegant” — earned plenty of praise, with Christina admitting, “That song was made for you. You came out classy and positive.” Blake couldn’t have been more pleased, adding, “My heart is in my throat right now. I’ve heard that song a million times, but I don’t feel like I’ve ever really heard it before tonight.” As a surprise thank you to their coaches, the final four also hit the stage to sing one of their mentor’s biggest hits. Juliet Simms, looking great with newly raven locks and powering through throat issues that Cee Lo revealed at the top of the show, was up first with a rocking take on Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” She was followed later in the show by Chris Mann singing Christina’s emotional ballad “The Voice Within,” Paul’s clean take on Shelton’s country hit “God Gave Me You” and Tony’s faithful rendition of Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe.” When it came time for the first coach/contestant pairing, Christina and Chris found a song that was so clearly recorded specifically for them to sing live on “The Voice” tonight, we wonder if Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion had a crystal ball with them when they hit the studio. That song was “The Prayer,” and Xtina hit it on the nose during the rehearsal montage, saying, “We connected so perfectly together, it was effortless.” And they did, of course; the two were meant to perform together. The next competitive performance came from Team Adam’s Tony Lucca, who Adam admitted needed “another moment” (like his rock remix of Britney Spears’ ” … Baby One More Time” a few weeks ago) to increase his shot at winning the competition. He found it in a rockabilly reimagining of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems,” complete with a harmonica and washboard (like you’d use for laundry) for accompaniment. Unsurprisingly, Christina, who has taken issue with her former “Mickey Mouse Club” co-star often in the past, found fault in Lucca’s song choice, saying the B-word that Lucca muted from the song (but which we all know is there) was disrespectful to women. Adam was smartly ready for Christina to slag on Lucca, explaining that the term was more of a metaphor for all the things that drag you down. Indeed, Christina’s criticism of Lucca was so anticipated by Adam that while explaining the song choice, he ripped off his flannel to reveal a sparkling “Team Xtina” T-shirt that forced even the temperamental Aguilera to laugh off the obviously good-natured snarking. (Also, we’ll be needing one of those T-shirts. As a superstar musician, Adam, we have a feeling you know how to find us at MTV HQ in New York City.) Like Xtina and Chris, Cee Lo and Juliet managed to find a perfect song for their coach/contender performance, Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.” Their take on it, despite an abundance of studded leather and onstage motorcycles, however, fell kind of flat. (Lucky for Juliet, this wasn’t the performance that really counted for her.) We’re starting to wonder if Blake is getting jealous of Lucca, because it seems his bromance with coach Adam blossoms more and more each week, coming to a chemistry-filled fruition when the two hit the stage together to sing the Beatles’ “Yesterday.” Tony plucked the guitar, both crooned and, in all seriousness, the pair delivered a simple, clean take on the classic that left both grinningly pleased when they reached those key final chords. For his competitive performance, Mann went for his nearest peer in popular music, Josh Groban. It’s no surprise that Mann nailed “You Raise Me Up,” bringing his coach Christina to tears. Cee Lo called his voice “incomparable,” and it’s a fact that no one can argue. For their joint performance, Blake, who throughout the show has always proven a little more willing than the other judges (save maybe music Renaissance man Cee Lo) to step outside his comfort zone, leapt off the deep end and joined Jermaine for a funky, horn-filled “Soul Man” that was anything but country. It was a joyous and lively performance that makes us wonder if Adam is the one who should be jealous. There was definite onstage chemistry between Blake and Jermaine — and so another “Voice” bromance (we know, they hate that word, but we don’t care) is born. The night ended on a high note: Juliet Simms’ blistering tear into Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” The only woman in the final four, Simms stunned in a Florence Welch-esque gown and cape that Christina Aguilera gave props to. From one diva to another, Xtina also offered Juliet words of encouragement, as she was also under the weather — though you might not know it from her performance. Juliet tore the song up, and along with an amazing accompanying guitar riff, it was a performance that simply screamed “rock star.” She earned a standing ovation from her judge Cee Lo, but it was Adam that perhaps gave the most astute observation, saying, “I have no grit in my voice and you have all of it.” Don’t knock yourself down, Adam, but you are right &8212; Juliet’s voice is one of a kind. With a Universal Republic Records contract on the line, we’ll learn Tuesday who America has chosen as “The Voice.” Which performance was your favorite of the night? Let us know in the comments below!
Juliet Simms and Jermaine Paul also pull out all the stops for their mentors and America. By John Mitchell Tony Lucca on “The Voice” Photo: NBC With a trip to the finals on the line, Monday night’s (April 30) “Voice” semifinals saw the remaining two artists from each team take the stage to sing their hearts out for America’s votes and high scores from the coaches, which, combined, determine who moves on to next week’s finals. First up was Mouseketeer-turned-rocker Tony Lucca, who ditched his guitar for the first time in the competition to show off a different side of himself, singing “How You Like Me Now.” Lucca upped his game last week with his rocking rendition of Britney Spears’ ” … Baby One More Time” and knew he had a lot to prove. Without his guitar to hide behind, Lucca delivered plenty of pop-star swagger. Blake summed it up most succinctly, saying Lucca’s swinging performance was reminiscent of similarly suited-up Robert Palmer in his prime. Even Christina, who has often been Lucca’s harshest critic, went on and on with praise for so long that host Carson Daly cut her off. (Didn’t he notice her tiara? Who cuts off a pop diva in fishnets and a bejeweled crown?) Erin Willett entered the ring with a “special song choice”: a rearranged take on David Guetta and Usher’s dance thumper “Without You.” It was a risk, but that’s what Erin, who said during rehearsals she felt like she’s “never had a moment” on the show, was after. She was expectedly powerful, earned a thumbs-up from the judges and got very emotional onstage when she finished singing, but we’re not sure everything came together just right to make the performance memorable for the right reasons. Throughout the competition, Christina has pushed classically trained Chris Mann into pop and rock territory to prove — both to himself and the voting public — that he could do more than sing opera (as he did during the blind auditions). However, as the contest winds down, Aguilera was keen to show off what attracted her to Mann in the first place (his perfect voice) and gave the singer one of the most well-known classical songs ever, “Ave Maria.” He nailed it, so much so that Aguilera caught Cee Lo tearing up. Aguilera was so moved by Mann’s performance that she jumped from her chair and joined him onstage to give him a hug. Fan favorite Jamar Rogers from Team Cee Lo was next to the stage with the classic “If You Don’t Know Me by Now.” A born entertainer with a penchant for high-energy performances, Rogers reeled it in this time, hoping to showcase his voice, and the judges took notice. “Forget the competition for a minute,” Adam said. “I’m just a fan of what you do.” Though they are ostensibly competitors, there’s always a good bit of camaraderie among the contestants on “The Voice,” and that showed through when the teams joined forces for group performances of the Killers “All These Things That I’ve Done” (Teams Cee Lo and Adam) and Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” (Teams Christina and Blake). Similarly, though they may bicker in their judges’ chairs, Christina was bobbing her head (a task given how much that jeweled tiara must weigh) along to Blake’s performance of his new single “Over.” Hoping to show that Mann isn’t the only true powerhouse male vocalist in the competition, Blake paired former Alicia Keys backup singer Jermaine Paul with Journey’s massive ballad “Open Arms.” Jermaine rose to the challenge, digging deep into the song’s emotion and tackling the song’s runs with aplomb. The judges were not shy about praising Paul’s performance. “You came in and you murdered that song,” Christina said. “Jermaine, I would like to congratulate you, because you are no longer a background singer, my friend,” Adam added. But his own coach made the most crucial point, given how close Paul is to the finals, saying, “You’re peaking at the right time.” Katrina Parker also opted to change things up, singing “Killing Me Softly” in the style of the Fugees’ remake. Outside her usual Adele-like belting, she showed off a new vocal personality — more sultry and raspy than ever. Noting that later in the night the judges would be forced to award percentages to the contestants and that Tony Lucca and Adam are maybe a more natural mentoring fit, Christina championed Parker, telling Levine to “take a look at Katrina Parker because she’s a star.” Having saved her from elimination twice in the competition, we think he gets it, Christina. While many singers opted to show off a different side of themselves, being in the bottom two last week chased Lindsay Pavao right back into her hipster-indie wheelhouse, where she found Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” waiting for her. The performance was very Florence and the Machine-lite, with Pavao looking ethereal while strumming a guitar and sounding as unique as ever. Even Blake complimented Christina’s strategy of returning her contestants to their roots (Mann with opera and Pavao with light indie rock). The final contestant to hit the stage was rocker Juliet Simms, singing James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” She earned a standing ovation from her coach Cee Lo and fawning praise from the rest of the judges (Adam said she was “the one to beat” tonight), but Aguilera’s words of support — saying that Simms sings for herself and that often leads to the most gut wrenching performances — were perhaps the most important, as she tore the roof off the 2007 Grammys with her take on this song. At the very end of the show, the coaches were given 100 points to divide between their two contestants, the results of which will be tabulated alongside America’s vote and revealed Tuesday to determine who moves on to the finals. Who are your picks for the finals? Let us know in the comments below!
My name is Hailey, I’m 14 years old, I’m Canadian and I’m a huge belieber! December 21, 2011 was when Justin was in Toronto for his concert ‘Home for the Holidays’ at Massey Hall. I found out about him coming home about 2 weeks in advance, but I had no clue where he was going to be. About 2 weeks before I knew any of it, my best friend Maggie and I decided we would plan out what we will do to see him! By that, I mean we wrote down what we were going to do to get noticed, what would we say to him if we met him, how we will get tickets and so much more! We did a whole wack of stuff like the for about 2 weeks. Then on December 16 we found out that he was having a concert at Massey Hall and tickets were going on sale December 18! Short time notice! On the day the tickets went on sale, we stayed on the website for an hour with our mouse on the “Get Tickets” button. There it was, 1 minute until they went on sale, my heart was pounding so much! 3.2.1 TICKETS WERE ON SALE. We tried SO hard to get tickets on that website but we weren’t giving up. We stayed on for an hour trying to get tickets until it said, “All Sold Out”. We were devastated but we told each other to Never Give Up and to Stay Positive! We were still going to go and wait outside of Massey Hall and try to get tickets, until i get a Facebook chat from Maggie saying, ”MY MOM GOT TWO FRONT ROW TICKETS ON EBAY FOR $2000” I couldn’t believe it, but I did! It was REAL not a dream, I was crying so much from happiness. I was so thankful! Two days before the concert we got EVERYTHING ready! Then December 21 2012, was the day! We skipped school to get ready and to go earlier! We waited outside of Massey Hall and we saw all these girls crying with the saddest faces. We told them to stay positive because that’s what we did and look were we got! The concert stared and I was SO happy. I started crying as soon as he came out! After he was done playing guitar, I looked at his guitar pick and thought to myself, ‘what if he threw it and I caught it’, and guess what, he threw it and I got it! Later, during ‘Mistletoe’ he came near my side of the stage and he was really close. He put his hand out and I grabbed it for about 5 seconds. A little while after that Justin said to the crowd, “Does anyone have any songs they want me to sing?” and I rose my hand as quickly and as I could, he pointed at me and said “You” and I said, “Pray”. He’s like “Pray” and I’m like “Yea!” and he sang it. It was absolutely the best day of my life. I’m so thankful for for everything! Stay Positive like we did, and something good will come out, I promise. This isn’t a full on meeting him, but everyone has their own Bieber Experience and this was mine. -@xxTEAMBELIEBExx At 2:53 you can see Justin pick me when I asked him to sing PRAY! More here: My name is Hailey, I’m 14 years old, I’m Canadian…
Ronan Park Edge Of Glory cover. www.benjamingruschwitz.de.tl http://www.youtube.com/v/itKjhdATyJo?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Go here to see the original: Ronan Parke – Lady Gaga cover Edge Of Glory (on OK! TV)
Ronan Park Edge Of Glory cover. www.benjamingruschwitz.de.tl http://www.youtube.com/v/itKjhdATyJo?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Go here to see the original: Ronan Parke – Lady Gaga cover Edge Of Glory (on OK! TV)
