Tag Archives: jocelyn-vena

Beyonce Gets ‘Crazy’ With Lady Gaga In ‘Telephone’ Video

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It’s gonna be so crazy,’ B tells Tyra Banks of the stars’ second video together. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga in her video for “Telephone” Photo: Interscope Records Though Lady Gaga and Beyonc

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Justin Timberlake Sings Praises Of New Artists Esmee Denters, Free Sol

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘She’s just so consistently talented. She sings like a little bird,’ singer said of Denters, whom he signed to Tennman Records. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash Justin Timberlake and Esm

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Orianthi Says Recording ‘We Are The World’ Was ‘Just Crazy’

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It was so hot in that room,’ guitarist recalls about recording session. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Harper Orianthi Photo: MTV News With celebrities from Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett to Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne getting together to record “We Are the World — 25 for Haiti,” it’s no wonder we’re still hearing stories about what it was like to be in the studio. Australian guitar virtuoso and pop star Orianthi, who used to work with Michael Jackson, still seemed a little starstruck about the experience. “I just was a part of the ‘WATW’ remake, which was just crazy — being in that atmosphere where you’re singing next to Heart and the Beach Boys, and then Lionel Richie is there with Quincy Jones,” she told MTV News. At the recording session, the 25-year-old also had a chance to catch up with an old friend and idol. “[Carlos] Santana was there, and he was playing guitar, and I actually play guitar on it as well, so it was just really surreal.” Orianthi explained that she performed with the guitar legend when she was 18. “We caught up, that was awesome,” she said. “He’s the reason why I picked up electric guitar when I was 11, and I got to jam with him when I was 18, and he’s been so supportive since then. It’s always great to catch up with him and chat. He’s such a wise person and full of great insight. He’s really funny too.” As great as it was to work toward a good cause with so many stars, Orianthi had one complaint: the temperature of the room. “I think it was for such a great cause, so everyone was just happy to be there, just mingling, just chatting and a great atmosphere,” she said. “You got a bit of a break. It was so hot in that room. We were fanning ourselves with ‘WATW’ sheets. “It was just really cool, and I got people to sign my music sheet,” she was quick to add. “I’ve got it at home, and I was looking at the signatures — so many incredible people.” Related Videos Behind The Scenes Of ‘We Are The World’ Related Photos ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti’ Recording Session

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Semi Precious Weapons Remember When Lady Gaga Opened For Them

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘She was fun and partied,’ Cole Whittle says of Gaga’s early days in New York. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Daniel Montalto Lady Gaga Photo: Kevork Djansezian/ Getty Images Long before Lady Gaga had the Semi Precious Weapons open for her on her Monster Ball Tour, she was supposed to hit the road with Kanye West . So the glam-rock trio might owe West a “thank you” for deciding not to tour with Gaga. “She had us open for her,” lead singer Justin Tranter, who makes a cameo in Gaga’s forthcoming “Telephone” video , told MTV News. “We knew that she always wanted us to open for her for this tour. She put her foot down. I don’t care what anybody says, we pretty much owe our lives to Gaga.” “And Kanye,” bandmate Cole Whittle jokingly added. Semi Precious Weapons go back years with Gaga — all the way back to the days when she had to depend on them to fill the tiny Manhattan venues she used to play long before she was the Grammy-winning phenom she is today. “When we met her, we were doing shows here bringing, like, 300 people or so, and we were looking for bands to open for us,” Whittle recalled. “They were all boring, but she was fun and partied, and her and [Gaga’s performing partner] Lady Starlight had a really cool show. We were like, ‘I’d much rather see this than some hipster band.’ ” So they opted to do the upcoming pop star a favor and have her join them for their shows. Despite the fact that she was playing to very small crowds, she was beyond thankful for the spot. “She was big fans of ours before we met her. She was so grateful to be playing with us, ’cause she loved us so much,” Tranter said. “She was like, ‘I’ve never seen so many people! Thank you so much for letting me open.’ It’s obviously a little different now. Them tables have turned! [Back then,] it was still the most awesome thing we’d ever seen. It’s still the most awesome show we ever saw. She’s always been the coolest girl!” Related Photos The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga

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Semi Precious Weapons Remember When Lady Gaga Opened For Them

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Sarah Silverman Shares Her Valentine’s Day Plans

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The comedian and her new boyfriend will go low-key, with ‘Modern Warfare.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Sarah Silverman Photo: MTV News After her very public on-again, off-again relationship with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman has a new man in her life: “Family Guy” writer Alec Sulkin. Unlike Kimmel, Sulkin is Jewish, which the comedian says is a big deal for both her and her father. “My dad was shocked,” Silverman told MTV News when she spoke with us to promote the return of her show, “The Sarah Silverman Program.” “He asked me if [my boyfriend] was Jewish jokingly, because I never go out with Jews, and he is. “We, like, fast together; every day’s Yom Kippur with us,” she added, joking. “No, neither of us is religious.” Silverman said she’ll spend Valentine’s Day in a low-key way, even though the day also happens to be Sulkin’s birthday. “Valentine’s Day is actually the new guy’s birthday,” she explained. “I asked him what he wanted to do, and he’s a man after my own heart, which is we like the same things: order in, watch TV, play ‘Modern Warfare.’ I always loved ‘Golden Eye’ and I find that in ‘Modern Warfare’ and those games like ‘Call of Duty’ you can find each other, kill each other.” Even though that might not be everyone’s idea of the perfect date night, Silverman does seem like a romantic at heart. “Every day should be Valentine’s Day when you’re in love,” she said. “The actual Valentine’s Day is like to make it extra special. Take a second to remember how lucky you are to have a Valentine.”

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Sarah Silverman Shares Her Valentine’s Day Plans

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Lauren Conrad Admits She’s Not A Fan Of Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I’ve never really had an amazing Valentine’s Day,’ said the ‘Sweet Little Lies’ author and former ‘Hills’ star. By Jocelyn Vena Lauren Conrad Photo: MTV News These days novelist and former “Hills” star Lauren Conrad may be happy dating actor Kyle Howard, but it seems that she’s been burned enough in the past to have some negative feelings about Valentine’s Day. So, when asked if she’s got any fond memories of the holiday, she simply said she does not. “I’m not really a Valentine’s Day girl. I’m not big on celebrating it. I’ve never really had an amazing Valentine’s Day,” she told MTV News while promoting her best-selling novel Sweet Little Lies . “I’m kind of the guy in that way. … I’m home for the weekend. I don’t really do dinner because dinner reservations are hard to get. I just prefer takeout and a movie.” Perhaps Conrad has found that she isn’t into Valentine’s Day thanks to some crummy experiences with boyfriends in the past. She recently told Seventeen magazine that she’s finally gained enough self-confidence to make sure men are treating her properly. “Oh, I knew back then when I was being cheated on. But I overlooked it. The more confident me has come to the point where I’ve finally realized it’s not something that everyone does,” she shared. “And it’s not okay to have your guy hook up with someone else. You deserve better.” And it seems she’s found something better in current beau Kyle Howard , who loves Conrad for who she is, boyfriend layers and all. “I just ask Kyle, ‘You feel like working out?’ It’s more fun than hitting the gym alone,” she said. “We like doing outdoor stuff: tennis, bike riding, kayaking, stand-up surfing, hiking in the canyons around L.A.”

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Lauren Conrad Admits She’s Not A Fan Of Valentine’s Day

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Justin Bieber ‘Remarkable’ On ‘We Are The World,’ Director Says

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘The quality of that voice is remarkable for a kid his age,’ Paul Haggis says. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Eric Ditzian Justin Bieber at the “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” recording session in Hollywood on February 1 Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage While the “We Are the World” shoot may have had some “chaos” here and there, the video’s director, Paul Haggis, says that he was surprised less by the hectic nature of the shoot than by the incredible talent brought to the table by none other than Justin Bieber . “I thought he was … fascinating because he has a really good voice,” Haggis told MTV News on Thursday when asked about having the pop superstar join the celebrity-filled ranks for the 25th anniversary recording of the classic charity tune. He jokingly added, “I gave him some advice that I thought he should start doing this professionally. The kid has a career, don’t you think?” All joking aside, Haggis explains that he was taken aback by how truly talented Bieber is. “No, he was remarkable. This kid comes in that I don’t really know. … I knew the name, and he opened his mouth, and my god the quality of that voice is remarkable for a kid his age,” the “Crash” director said. “And the presence he has and the confidence.” Haggis adds that it wasn’t just Bieber whose vocal chops left an impression on him. “That was the great thing of working with these people,” he said. “These are artists of the highest quality and caliber. When they’re all coming together to sing this kind of song, you don’t expect Lil Wayne to be singing like that or even Tony Bennett to be singing like that. So it was wonderful how people morphed together.” Related Videos Behind The Scenes Of ‘We Are The World’ Related Photos ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti’ Recording Session Related Artists Justin Bieber

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Justin Bieber ‘Remarkable’ On ‘We Are The World,’ Director Says

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LL Cool J Is Glad Hip-Hop Was ‘Embraced’ On ‘We Are The World’ Remake

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘When you get a call from Quincy Jones to pick up a pen, you pick it up,’ LL says of writing lyrics for benefit single. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jayson Rodriguez LL Cool J Photo: MTV News In case anyone was wondering if Barbra Streisand and Kanye West could make sweet music together, they’ll find out when the star-filled remake of “We Are the World” premieres Friday during the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Thanks to some lyrics from hip-hop legend LL Cool J , the hip-hop community appears to be well represented on the track, which will benefit earthquake-ravaged Haiti. “Mr. [Quincy] Jones just called me and asked me if I would take a shot at writing the hip-hop section or the rap section of the song,” LL Cool J told MTV News at BET’s “SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti” telethon Friday night at Miami’s American Airlines Arena. “And I took a shot at it and recorded it.” With the OK from Jones and Lionel Richie, LL then sought the approval of his hip-hop contemporaries. “It seemed like the other artists that were there liked it,” he said. “Will.I.Am, Wyclef, Kanye — a lot of people were there, and they all seemed to be onboard with it. So we went on and recorded it.” LL was glad that his peers liked the lyrics, but he was even more pleased to see that stars like Celine Dion and Streisand were down with adding some hip-hop flavor to the charity single. “I’m just honored that I’m able to make a contribution and blessed,” he said. “When you get a call from Quincy Jones to pick up a pen, you pick it up. So if they would have not used it, it would have been all right. The point is to have the opportunity to do it and to know that the money is going to go to Haiti and help some people. From a hip-hop standpoint, yeah, it’s great to be a part of it [and that the other artists] didn’t say, ‘Keep hip-hop out of it,’ but embraced it.” Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti , and for more information, see Think MTV . Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now. Related Videos Behind The Scenes Of ‘We Are The World’ Related Photos ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti’ Recording Session Related Artists LL Cool J

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Ke$ha Gets Into Battle Of The Sexes With 3Oh!3 For ‘Blah Blah Blah’ Video

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Dudes are way more annoying,’ says Ke$ha, explaining her bratty song’s message. By Jocelyn Vena Ke$ha on the set of her video “Blah Blah Blah” Photo: RCA Ke$ha makes no apologies for her brash personality, which she’s managed to channel into catchy, raucous party songs . And with her first single “Tik Tok” still pumping loudly from stereos, it’s time for Ke$ha to assault radio airwaves with her new single, “Blah Blah Blah,” off her chart-topping debut album, Animal. The up-and-comer recently shot a video for the song along with the boys of 3Oh!3 , who appear on the bratty club anthem. “The whole concept of the video was a bunch of douche-y guys macking on me as usual, and me making them eat their toupees or other various items,” she told MTV News at the shoot. “At one point, I get to be strapped to this harness and bouncing around everywhere, and it was really cool.” In the song, Ke$ha ridicules a would-be suitor for “ta-ta-talking that bla-bla-bla” when all she really wants is to have sex with him. Ke$ha explained that the dance tune originated from a discussion she had in the studio on the politics of female-male relationships. “The song came about when the people that wrote it — me, Benny Blanco, Neon Hitch and [3Oh!3’s] Sean Foreman — all got in a room, and they were talking about how chicks talk too much,” she said. “And me and Neon were like, ‘No, no, no, guys talk too much,’ ” she continued. “So, we had this war of who were more obnoxious, chicks or dudes. And the song kind of came around from that conversation. I think I make a pretty fair point both in this video and in the song, that dudes are way more annoying.” Related Artists Ke$ha

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Ke$ha Gets Into Battle Of The Sexes With 3Oh!3 For ‘Blah Blah Blah’ Video

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Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper Pucker Up For MAC’s Viva Glam Lipstick

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The pop divas launch their own lipsticks in the line that raises money for HIV/AIDS. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Kristian Dowling/ Getty Images It seems like a match made in pop-music heaven: Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper. The two flashy blondes aren’t collaborating musically, however; they’re appearing together in MAC’s new Viva Glam campaign and lending their names to new lipsticks that benefit the MAC AIDS fund . The Viva Glam Cyndi and Viva Glam Gaga lipsticks will be available on March 18 and will retail for $14.00. This Wednesday both Gaga and Lauper will appear on “Good Morning America” and the “Today” show to promote the lipstick and the cause, according to MusicFascination.com . The ladies also look appropriately glamorous in “From Our Lips” ads, which were shot by Ellen Von Unwerth and are set to appear in magazines later this month, Idolator.com reported. As Gaga and Lauper pose like adorable retro pinup girls, one ad reads, “You know you’ve got a sexy voice. Use it! Let’s talk about how to keep your love life safer, seductive and satisfying. Just between us girls!” Gaga and Lauper join a list of famous singers who have worked on the Viva Glam campaign. Fergie, Christina Aguilera, Eve, Mary J. Blige and Lil’ Kim have all helped sell the lipstick line, which MAC started in 1994, donating every dollar of its sales to help men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga Related Artists Lady Gaga Cyndi Lauper

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Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper Pucker Up For MAC’s Viva Glam Lipstick

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