On last Thursday’s X Factor results show, Astro was voted into the bottom two – and then nearly got himself eliminated by initially refusing to sing for the judges’ vote. It was a disgraceful show of poor sportsmanship . But it also came from a young rapper who is only 15 years old, as Astro took to Facebook over the weekend and apologized for acting like a spoiled brat. Astro Sings for Survival “What I do, I do for the love of Hip-Hop and my fans, and I would never doing anything to hurt either,” he wrote. “I believed I was being mistreated… My guards are always up, and maybe I took the situation too heavy. I seriously apologize to my fans, what I said and my emotions weren’t directed toward you. I’m 15 and I think I know everything, but the truth is, I don’t, and I handled the situation wrong! Win or lose next week, I will make you all proud!” Astro added that he wants to be the “new ambassador” for hip hop, while Simon Cowell said he’s met with Astro and his father and everything is “much calmer now.” If true, that’s too bad. The X Factor was just getting exciting!
Footage of police in riot gear pepper spraying students at point blank range has surfaced and caused outrage at the University of California-Davis and beyond. University of California Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, who has been called upon to resign , said in a statement that she was forming a task force to investigate. She called police action and video images, which circulated Saturday, “chilling.” Police say it was “fairly standard police procedure.” You watch and decide … Police Pepper Spray UC-Davis Students In the video, an officer dispassionately pepper-sprays a line of several sitting protesters who flinch and cover their faces but remain passive, arms interlocked. As the images and clips spread on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter over the weekend, the university’s faculty decried the school’s “gross failure of leadership.” At a news conference, Katehi said what the video shows is “sad and really very inappropriate” but defended her leadership and said she had no plans to resign. “I do not think that I have violated the policies of the institution,” she said. “I have worked personally very hard to make this campus a safe campus for all.” The protest was reportedly held in support of the overall Occupy Wall Street / Occupy Oakland movement and in solidarity with protesters at UC-Berkeley.
‘The most important thing is that the people that are coming to the concert are leaving there thrilled,’ Hov tells MTV News. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Jim Cantiello Kanye West and Jay-Z Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images The fans aren’t the only ones having a ball during Jay-Z and Kanye West ‘s Watch the Throne Tour. A hoarse Jay walked the red carpet of the GQ Men of the Year party in Hollywood on Thursday, and he could hardly contain his excitement. “We’re having a great time,” Hov told MTV News’ Jim Cantiello. “The most important thing is that the people that are coming to the concert are leaving there thrilled and we’re having an amazing time. As you see, I don’t have a voice,” he laughed. The tour, which kicked off last month in Atlanta , has been running for less than a month but has been met with rave reviews on each outing. Noted for its dual elevated stages and artsy video montages, Hov and ‘Ye’s grandiose WTT run has been one worthy of the royal rap duo. Aside from their Throne cuts, Jay and Kanye have pulled from their respective solo catalogs, performing early hits like “Where I’m From” and “Through the Wire,” as well as new favorites like “Empire State of Mind” and “Runaway.” The highlight, however, is the duo’s current single “N—as in Paris.” Toward the end of the opening show in Atlanta, the two MCs performed the song twice, the next night, three times. At recent New York and Miami concerts, the track has been performed as many as four times in a single night. The Throne are slated to hit Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun on Friday night (November 18) and Atlantic City on Saturday. “It’s like the best party you’ve ever been to every night,” Jay said. “It’s star-studded and it’s music and it’s just unbelievable.” Related Artists Jay-Z Kanye West
‘If it doesn’t hurt the first time, I’ll keep popping them out,’ singer tells Ellen DeGeneres. By James Montgomery Katy Perry and Russell Brand Photo: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images Katy Perry and Russell Brand celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary last month, and now Perry is talking about starting a family … eventually. During her appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which airs Friday (November 11), Perry was asked whether she and Brand have been making baby plans (you know, when she’s not out on her unending California Dreams Tour), and she answered that yes, they’ve discussed it, but that’s about as far as things have gone. “I would love to have children. I think that’s one of the reasons you get married, and especially to the person that you marry. You think, Hmmm, that person is going to be a good partner, a good parent,” Perry told DeGeneres. “But I’m not sure it’s yet. We’ll see, you know?” DeGeneres asked whether Perry wanted to have more than one baby, to which the singer replied, “If it doesn’t hurt the first time, I’ll keep popping them out.” “Word around town is it hurts ,” DeGeneres joked. “But people keep doing it anyway — they don’t care.” Perry also talked about how she and Brand manage their busy schedules, saying they have a self-imposed two-week limit on time apart. “I saw him yesterday,” she said. “[It had been] two weeks, that’s the longest we ever go. Anything longer than that is not fun.” The couple were married on October 23, 2010, in a “private and spiritual ceremony” in India, one that not surprisingly received more than its fair share of tabloid coverage. A few weeks after the wedding, Perry told MTV News that she found all the rumors and speculation to be quite amusing, and added that she was “too busy getting married” to keep up with all the coverage. “I don’t mind my wedding has turned into kind of a myth. It’s kind of cool,” she said. “We kept it kind of private, so when we heard some of the things that were going around we were like, ‘Ah, that’s hilarious.” Related Artists Katy Perry
But Stellan is ‘such a douche bag’ in the Lars von Trier movie, Alexander laughs to MTV News. By Amy Wilkinson Alexander and Stellan Skarsg&#aring;rd Photo: Jeff Vespa/Getty Images ” Melancholia ” certainly isn’t the first film to contemplate the end of the world as we know it, but the dreamy drama from writer/director Lars von Trier does boast its own noteworthy debut: the teaming of father/son duo Stellan and Alexander Skarsg&#aring;rd In the movie, out Friday (November 11) in New York and L.A., Alexander plays mild-mannered Michael, the man who marries Kirsten Dunst ‘s slightly unhinged Justine. Father Stellan plays Justine’s boss and Michael’s best man, Jack – a role that required the elder Skarsg&#aring;rd to act out some less than savory behavior. “He’s such a douche bag in the movie,” Alexander said with a grin. “Your dad’s a douche bag?” Dunst answered, laughing. “Well, he is,” Alexander confirmed. “What I thought was interesting about Michael was that he’d pick this guy as his best man at his wedding. This is not his best friend. It’s his wife’s boss, and he does it just to kind of help his wife in his career. It says a lot about Michael.” (Not to mention the trajectory of their love affair.) Despite Jack’s unpleasant demeanor, working with dad Stellan was an experience Alexander truly cherished. “It was awesome,” he enthused. “We’ve never worked together before. He’s one of my best friends. I love hanging out with him. Being able to hang out for two months – we shot in [our home country of] Sweden, and I thought it was great that he wasn’t my dad.” “They’re really cute together as father and son,” Dunst chimed in. “They’re like bros.” “He’s pretty rad. He’s a cool cat,” Alexander said. Check out everything we’ve got on “Melancholia.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Star’s spokesperson confirms to MTV News a test has been scheduled. By Gil Kaufman Justin Bieber Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images As soon as Justin Bieber returns from a European promotional jaunt in two weeks he will take a paternity test to prove that he did not father a child with a fan who has claimed the pair had a backstage tryst. Bieber’s spokesperson, Matthew Hiltzik, confirmed for MTV News that the test has been scheduled. “I can confirm that the team has proactively made arrangements for Justin to be tested upon his return and we’re going to hold everyone who is involved responsible.” Bieber, 17, has denied that he is the father of accuser Mariah Yeater’s four-month-old child and his team has promised legal action following the results of the test. “It’s sad that someone would fabricate malicious, defamatory, and demonstrably false claims,” Hiltzik said in a statement. “We’ll vigorously pursue all available legal remedies to protect Justin and to hold those involved with bringing this suit accountable for their actions.” Bieber — who was a big winner at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday night with wins for Best Pop and Best Male — appeared on the “Today” show on Friday to promote his just-released Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe, and addressed the situation. “I’d just like to say, basically, that none of those allegations are true,” he told Matt Lauer. “I know I’m going to be a target, but I’m never going to be a victim.” Bieber explained on “Today” that the logistics of her claim don’t fit with his hectic schedule. “I think it’s crazy because every night after the show, I’ve gone right from the stage right to my car,” he explained. “So it’s crazy that some people want to make up some false allegations, but to set the record straight, none of it is true. Never met the woman.” It was also reported last week that the incident could spark a statutory rape investigation by Los Angeles police because the woman was 19 years old at the time and Bieber was allegedly 16. After he returns to the U.S. on November 17, Bieber will visit “Today” again on November 23 to perform a concert on the morning show. He is also slated to sit down with the ladies of “The View” that day. Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Artists Justin Bieber
‘There’s no other experience,’ one fan tells MTV News of the Throne’s first stop in Jay’s hometown New York City. By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Rahman Dukes Kanye West and Jay-Z in “Watch The Throne” tour (file) Photo: The Washington Post/Getty Images Jay-Z and Kanye West brought their much-heralded Watch the Throne Tour to New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Monday night after two shows at New Jersey’s IZOD Center over the weekend. After kicking off the eagerly anticipated jaunt last week in Atlanta, the Throne began their trek north, stopping in North Carolina, and now they’ll stay put for one additional show at the Garden on Tuesday night (November 8). MTV News headed to the show on Monday, where the allure of seeing Jay and Kanye run through their catalog of hits at the World’s Most Famous Arena wasn’t lost on fans who filed into the newly renovated stadium for a 9:30 p.m. start time. Sticking to the script of their previous shows, the duo opened up with the WTT bonus track “H.A.M,” but “Welcome to the Jungle” hit a soft spot when Jay-Z spit his line, “Rest in peace to the leader of the Jackson 5.” The reference was especially touching just hours after the guilty verdict in the Michael Jackson manslaughter case was finally passed down. As expected, Jay and ‘Ye performed their #1 single “Ni–as in Paris” multiple times during the show’s final minutes, adding in a mix of Jay-Z’s early hits like “Lucifer” and “Money Ain’t a Thing,” along with Kanye’s “Get Em High” and “All Falls Down.” And post-show, fans who spoke to MTV News were still brimming with excitement. “This is where it all started,” said one excited fan, referring to Jay-Z’s first hometown stop on the tour. “This is where he’s gonna start, this is where he’s gonna finish, so this is the best feeling ever. If you’re a Jay-Z fan — or anybody’s fan for that matter — you’ve gotta see them in the Garden. There’s no other experience.” “It was unreal to watch them together, feeding off each other’s chemistry,” another fan added, after watching Jay and ‘Ye throw it down. “Watching them own the stage like they did — it was ridiculous.” The Throne will perform one additional show at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night before they head to Florida. Share your reviews of the Throne tour in the comments! Related Videos Welcome To Jay-Z And Kanye West’s ‘Watch The Throne’ Week Jay-Z, Kanye Enlist Lucky Few Producers For Watch The Throne Related Photos Jay-Z And Kanye West ‘Watch The Throne’ Listening Related Artists Kanye West Jay-Z
Ryan Seacrest, MJ producer Darkchild and other stars also weigh in. By James Dinh Dr. Conrad Murray reacts after the jury returned with a guilty verdict in his involuntary manslaughter trial at Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday Photo: Al Seib/Pool/Getty Images Just like Michael Jackson’s legions of die-hard fans , stars are also sounding off about the guilty verdict for former Jackson doctor Conrad Murray . Shortly after the announcement Monday afternoon (November 7), the blogosphere was flooded with celebrity opinions, from Nicki Minaj, Ryan Seacrest, sister LaToya Jackson and more. “People are cheering but there really are no winners here,” Minaj tweeted . “This has been an utter tragedy from beginning to end. #RIPMichaelJackson.” Seacrest questioned how much time Murray will actually serve behind bars, writing , “Big question is will conrad murray serve time? Judge has 20 days to sentence him, and can give him up to 4 years in prison.” MJ producer and collaborator Darkchild was content with the news, tweeting ,”#GUILTY Justice has been served but we still lost a great man, great father, greatest entertainer, and a great friend of mine! R.I.P MJ.” “VICTORY!!!!!! Michael I love you and I will continue to fight until ALL are brought to justice! Thank you EVERYONE for your love and support! It will ALWAYS be appreciated!” sister Latoya Jackson wrote on her Twitter , with the entire family also releasing a joint statement . Piers Morgan described Murray’s behavior as “unethical for a doctor.” “#ConradMurray didn’t deliberately kill #MichaelJackson, but his negligent actions allowed the death to occur,” he wrote on Twitter . Tyrese sent his wishes to the Jackson family, hoping they found closure in the ruling. “MICHAEL JACKSON YOU WILL FOREVER BE MISSED BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN… REST IN HEAVEN!! REST IN HEAVEN!! I hope the family has closure!! RIH!” he tweeted . While some celebs, like ?uestlove of the Roots, had mixed feelings about the verdict (“Guilty. now what?” he wrote ), Bravo star Patti Stanger rejoiced in the news: “The karma kat got Conrad Murray…guilty! Greed is never worth a person’s life. X0,” she tweeted . MTV News will be covering the Conrad Murray case live. Go to MTVNews.com for breaking news, reactions and analysis from Los Angeles or tune to MTV for the latest updates. Celebrate the life and legacy of Michael Jackson tonight at 9 p.m ET/PT when VH1 presents the World Broadcast premiere of “Michael Jackson’s This Is It.” Related Photos Michael Jackson: A Life In Photos Related Artists Michael Jackson
‘In a tough situation I’m trying to do the best that I can,’ she says on radio show while promoting handbag line. By Jocelyn Vena Kim Kardashian in Sydney on Tuesday Photo: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images The hoopla around the Kim/Kris split has yet to die down. Kim Kardashian is currently in Australia promoting a line of handbags with her sister Khlo
Marc Anthony, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry are also performing at November 20 show. By Gil Kaufman Chris Brown Photo: Jeff Fusco/Getty Images The performer roster for the upcoming 2011 American Music Awards continues to grow. The show, which airs on November 20 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT, will feature performances from party starters LMFAO , Chris Brown and Marc Anthony . The three stars will join a previously announced group of performers that includes Justin Bieber , Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson , Mary J. Blige , Christina Aguilera , Pitbull and Maroon 5. The host-free event will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live and be preceded by a one-hour red carpet ABC special at 7 p.m. The action will start even earlier with an online pre-show beginning at 5 p.m. EST hosted by former ‘NSYNC member Lance Bass, with help from Michael Buckley, Estelle, Sarah Hyland, Audrina Patridge, Josh Sussman and Xzibit. Aguilera and Maroon 5 will hook up to play their current smash hit “Moves Like Jagger.” Last month, in a nomination special hosted by Pitbull and Nicki Minaj , it was revealed that Perry would head into the show as one of the night’s most-nominated acts (along with fellow females Adele, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift), up for Artist of the Year, Pop or Rock Music: Favorite Female Artist and Adult Contemporary Music: Favorite Artist. It’s somewhat fitting, given not only the rather huge year she’s had, but that she also delivered a full-throttle version of her hit “Firework” at last year’s AMAs . For the fifth year, American Music Award winners will be determined by online voting. Fans can support their favorites in all categories by heading over to AMAVote.com . Related Artists Lmfao Chris Brown
