Electric Daisy Carnival, A-list residencies and mega-venues solidify Sin City’s global appeal to dance-music community. By Adam Stewart Photo: Las Vegas News Bureau For as long as most dance-music aficionados can recall, Miami has been the Stateside destination for sun, fun and the hottest music year-round. But in just a short period of time, a new player has emerged. In the blink of an eye, America’s Playground has morphed into America’s Dance Music Capital. Consider the 200,000 electronica fans who descended on Las Vegas International Speedway for the Electric Daisy Carnival in June, or the billboards up and down the Strip plastered with dance-music superstars such as Ti
Katy Perry, Odd Future, Demi Lovato will also face off on October 31 in categories like Oops! I Did It Online and Fan Army FTW. By Gil Kaufman Lady Gaga Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage The list of nominees runs from Justin Bieber to Courtney Love, Britney Spears, Scissor Sisters, Katy Perry, Bjork, Nirvana, Dolly Parton and Snoop Dogg, and that can only mean one thing: It must be time for the O Music Awards again. When MTV launched its first-annual digital music celebration earlier this year, we promised that it would be like no other awards show, with trophies handed out before, after and during the show, as well as throughout the year. Sticking to that plan, the O Awards will return for a second round on October 31, with some of the new categories coming courtesy of user suggestions. Among the five new user-generated categories are “Oops! I Did It Online,” in which over-sharing celebs such as Sinead O’Connor and T-Pain will face off against the Game and Courtney Love; and Best Artist with a Cameraphone, which pits Demi Lovato against Bieber, Young the Giant, Katy Perry, the Deftones and Shiny Toy Guns. The other new categories include Best Web Born Artist (MNDR, Odd Future, the Weeknd), Best Vintage Viral Video (Metallica, Nirvana, Notorious B.I.G., O’Connor) and Best Lyrics Video (Perry, Joe Jonas, Lenny Kravitz, Christina Perri). Among Gaga’s two nominations are Fan Army FTW — in which she’ll square off with the followers of Bieber, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Lovato, ICP, Adam Lambert and Tokio Hotel — and Must Follow Artist on Twitter, in which she faces Cher, Snoop Dogg, Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and Blake Shelton. The O Music Awards will also honor a number of artists who are really good at this whole online thing, with Bjork, Chris Milk, Girl Talk and the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne vying for the Digital Genius Award. The other categories include: Best Fan Cover, Hottest Music NILF (think about it), WTF I Love This Award (online craziness), the self-explanatory Too Much Ass for TV award, Most Outrageous Tweet and Best Music Forum. There are also awards coming for Most Innovative Festival, Best Music App, Best Music Hack, Beyond the Blog and Most Addictive Social Music Service, which includes such faves as Spotify, Turntable.fm and Rdio. The first edition of the awards featured performances by Mumford & Sons, Foster the People, Lupe Fiasco, Matt & Kim and a world record freestyle by Chiddy Bang’s Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege The O Music Award’s first-time winners included Gaga (Most Innovative Artist and Must Follow Artist on Twitter), Kanye West (Best Tweet), Tokio Hotel’s Aliens (Fan Army FTW), Thirty Seconds to Mars (NSFW Music Video), Aquarium Drunkard (Best Independent Music Blog) and MJJ Fan Community (Best Fan Forum). The O Music Awards 2 will unfold on Halloween on OMUsicAwards.com , as well as MTV.com, VH1.com, CMT.com, LogoTV.com and MTVHive.com. Fans can vote for their favorites at OMUsicAwards.com. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga Justin Bieber Takes Over The Bodies Of Other Teen Idols Related Artists Lady Gaga Justin Bieber Nirvana
After performing in Las Vegas, Jennifer Lopez let loose and let a man give her a lap dance. One of her dancers did the deed at PURE Nightclub. Find out more about J. Lo’s night of fun in Vegas here . RELATED POSTS: J-Lo (Almost) Bares All In New Vanity Fair Post-Divorce: J.Lo Goes In At Ukraine Wedding [VIDEO]
Chris Brown found himself in a somewhat embarrassing situation during a performance of his hit song ‘Beautiful People’ on his ‘F.A.M.E Tour‘.Breezy was performing on a rain-soaked ramp at his concert last night and while trying to shimmy his way down a wet ramp, he slipped and went SLAM right on his back. But he took it in stride and got back up and continued to dance. Watch the fall and his response to it at the 3 minute 10 mark, below: Bow Wow Joins Chris Brown On F.A.M.E Tour Chris Brown Is Back To Humping People [VIDEO] Chris Brown Kills Birthday Bash 16! [PHOTOS & VIDEO]
Shayne Lamas and Nik Richie are a couple of fame whores. Even so, naming your kid Press? Almost unfathomable. But that’s not even all. The two are reportedly in talks with a management company for Press. Now. Trying to ink a deal for said unborn child to sign talent agency two months before he or she even leaves Shayne’s female parts? We’re at a loss for words. Z Group has made a formal offer to represent the baby and would receive 15 percent of whatever the kid makes in an entertainment job (down the line). That includes as a writer, editor, performer, musician artist, etc. Pretty amazing move, although we’re curious if it involves elementary school plays. Shayne, who won The Bachelor and was engaged to Matt Grant for like 12 hours, and Nik, who runs The Dirty (dot) com, married the night they met. Astoundingly, they are still together after over a year. [Photo: WENN.com]
Giving the city of Indianapolis something to cheer about amid another Colts loss, Chris Brown went down hard during a rendition of “Beautiful People” Sunday. Unlike his image, which never fully seemed to recover following the whole incident with Rihanna a few years back, Chris bounced back instantly this time. It really is pretty impressive how he falls and how quickly he goes right on with it. Keep grindin’ it out, Breezy. Keep your eye out after the three-minute mark … Chris Brown Falls in Concert
50 Cent was there when Ray J and Fabolous fought at the Palms in Las Vegas, and here’s what really happened. Plus, 50 talks about why Ray J came across so gangsta in his interview after the fight , and his alleged role as the instigator in the Ray J/Fabolous beef. RELATED POSTS: Ray-J & Fabolous Fight Footage Surfaces! [VIDEO] Ray-J & Fabolous Fight Footage Surfaces! [VIDEO] Fabolous After Getting “Punched” In The Face By Ray J [PHOTOS] Ray J On Fabolous Rant: “I Lost Control” Fabolous Clears Up Ray J Altercation On The Radio [AUDIO] Ray J After His Fight With Fabolous [VIDEO] Ray J Gets Heated Talking About His Fight With Fabolous [AUDIO] Fabolous & Ray J Brawl In Vegas! SOURCE
The past week has been an emotional and challenging one, as people across the world have mobilized to get the word out regarding the pending execution of Georgia inmate Troy Davis in the face of serious doubts about his guilt in a 1989 murder. As we speak, protesters are at the White House letting the POTUS know just how they feel about this miscarriage of justice. Davis is scheduled to be put to death at 7pm EST tonight. If Davis’ life is not spared, was it all in vain? And if he is freed, does the fight stop tonight? Absolutely not. This man’s case can be the catalyst to spark new interest in abolishing the death penalty in the US for once and for all. First, everyone should understand why capital punishment does not work. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has put together a list of the top ten reasons why we should oppose legal murder: 1. Executions are carried out at staggering cost to taxpayers: It costs far more to execute a person than to keep him or her in prison for life. 2. Capital punishment does not deter crime: There is no evidence that the threat of death prevents crime. The Southern US has both the highest capital punishment and murder rates in the country. 3. States are unable to prevent accidental executions of innocent people: 138 people to date have been pardoned while on Death Row. If someone is executed and then found innocent, then what? 4. Race plays a role in determining who lives and who dies: While the numbers of Black and White murder victims have been similar since 1977, some 80% of people executed were convicted of murdering a White person. Is the crime of murder more terrible if the victim is White? The death penalty seems to indicate so. 5. The death penalty is applied at random: There are 22k homicides every year, but only 150 people sentenced to death. Why? The NCADP fingers “politics, quality of legal counsel and the jurisdiction in which a crime is committed”. 6. Capital punishment goes against almost every religion: While there is supposed to be a separation between church and state, it doesn’t stop the same religious people who oppose abortion (yet often support the death penalty) from citing faith as a reason to prevent legal killings. 7. The U.S. is keeping company with notorious human rights abusers: Over 128 nations worldwide have abandoned the death penalty. And only China, Saudi Arabia and Iran put more people to death each year than America. 8. Millions of dollars could be diverted to helping the families of murder victims: The money used to execute people could be used to provide therapy, compensation of lost wages and other more tangible methods of recompensing victims of murder. 9. Bad lawyers are a persistent problem: Incompetent lawyers have been a huge factor in determining who lives and who dies. The better the quality of the legal representation, the less likely the accused will face death…is that fair? 10. Life without parole is a sensible alternative to the death penalty: Almost every state has a life sentence option available for sentencing criminals. You can take someone’s life without taking their breath. You can also be sure that someone who is later exonerated is alive to receive justice. With this information, where do we go next? Well for starters, continue contacting local government/government officials in jurisdictions that use the death pentalty. Georgia should hear the voice of the people long after tonight for what has transpired there, regardless of the final outcome. Also, get involved with orgs such as the NCADP. Use your cyber presence (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc) to spread the word about pending executions. VOTE your feelings! Demand accountabily from candidates and officials seeking re-election. Don’t let Troy Davis’ 20 year fight be in vain. After #TroyDavis, Then What? A Message From Troy Davis Parole Board Stands By Their Decision To Execute Troy Davis! Race To Save Troy! FBI, Sharpton Protest Controversial Execution Risky? Troy Davis Willing To Take Polygraph To Prove Innocence Troy Davis’ Lawyers To File Late Appeal Before Georgia Execution
‘We walk away with a great sense of gratitude,’ band says Wednesday, bringing to close a 30-year career. By James Montgomery R.E.M. Photo: Anton Corbijn After 30 years, 15 studio albums, dozens of iconic music videos and boundary-pushing tours (and just four core members) — not to mention a sphere of influence that extends from the nascent days of college radio to the buzzy blogosphere of today — R.E.M. are calling it quits. The band made the announcement Wednesday (September 21) on their website , posting a message that, like most things they did, was almost unyieldingly humble: “To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band,” their statement reads. “We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.” The band — frontman Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry (a lineup that wouldn’t change for some 17 years) — formed in the fertile music scene surrounding Athens, Georgia, in 1980, and after spending their early days touring the Southern states, they found their first modicum of fame with 1981’s “Radio Free Europe,” which garnered them critical acclaim and a contract with indie label I.R.S. Records. In 1982, they released their debut EP, Chronic Town, quickly followed by their first full-length, 1983’s Murmur, which sold modestly but earned R.E.M. even more praise — particularly Buck’s jangly guitar tones and Stipe’s cryptic lyrics. With each subsequent release — ’84’s Reckoning, ’85’s Fables of the Reconstruction, — R.E.M.’s fanbase only grew, and they quickly became pillars of the burgeoning “college rock” scene. They’d also continue to flirt with mainstream audiences, and by the time they released the overtly political Document in 1987, they finally consummated that relationship. Spurred by radio hit “The One I Love,” it became the first R.E.M. album to go platinum. They signed with Warner Bros. soon after and finally achieved massive success with 1991’s Out of Time, a hugely influential album that featured the breakout hit (and accompanying eye-catching video) “Losing My Religion.” It earned R.E.M. seven Grammy nominations, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and has since become a tentpole of the alt-rock heyday of the 1990s. It also made them one of the hugest rock bands on the planet. Undaunted, they followed the success of Time with the equally huge Automatic for the People (featuring hits “Everybody Hurts,” “Drive” and “Man on the Moon”) and the snarling Monster. But on tour for the latter, drummer Berry suffered an onstage aneurysm and Stipe underwent emergency surgery to repair a hernia. Still, they pressed on, re-signing with Warners (for a reported $80 million) and releasing the noticeably darker New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which didn’t meet expectations from critics or fans and marked the end of their string of huge commercial successes. Berry left the band in 1997, but the remaining members of R.E.M. pressed on as a three-piece (with a variety of drummers filling in behind the kit), releasing a string of albums —′ ’98’s Up, ’01’s Reveal, ’04’s Around the Sun — that garnered critical acclaim but sold poorly in the U.S. (though it should be noted that worldwide, the band remained a huge commercial force). They wrote the instrumental score to the Andy Kaufman biopic “Man on the Moon” and continued to record, releasing their final album, Collapse Into Now, just this year. Of course, though their commercial power faded during their later years, R.E.M. remained hugely influential throughout their entire career, thanks to their music, their activism and their unflappable, DIY ethos. They championed causes like environmentalism, voter registration, animal rights and handgun control, and everyone from Sonic Youth and the Replacements to Pavement, Radiohead and Nirvana cited them as huge inspirations. And, in 2007, when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , it was Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder who gave their keynote speech and brought it all back to the beginning, joking that he’d listened to Murmur “1,260 times … even though you can’t understand a f—ing thing [Stipe] is saying.” Share your favorite R.E.M. memories in the comments below. Related Artists R.E.M.
‘That’s why ‘Nasty’ is out there, it’s an M-80,’ Nas says of first single off upcoming album. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Gil Kaufman Nas Photo: C Flanigan/ Getty Images Few would argue that Nas lit a spark with “Nasty,” the first single off of his upcoming 10th solo album, but let the Queensbridge MC tell it and the old-school inspired hip-hop track actually packs a bigger boom. “You know ‘Nasty’ is what I would like the game to be right now in a lot of ways; back to the realness,” Nasir told MTV News before performing with Damian Marley at Austin City Limits last weekend. “That’s why ‘Nasty’ is out there, it’s an M-80. I lit an M-80.” The song’s video was shot in Nas’ native Queensbridge housing projects back in August, but its release has been delayed. Not to worry, says God’s Son, it is on its way soon. “Yeah, the ‘Nasty’ video is coming. I can’t wait ’til it hits, it’s perfect timing,” he said of the clip, which is directed by Decon. “It got pushed back ’cause — I mean, I guess I got busy, but we shot it, so it’s coming out for the people.” Though Esco wouldn’t give out any details surrounding his upcoming album, he did insist that it was coming out this year. Back in June, in an interview with DJ Envy on MTV2’s Sucker Free, the Illmatic One said that the album would be called Life Is Good, but later backtracked. “A lot of people around me didn’t understand where I was coming from. They kinda thought I was saying, ‘Let’s pop bottles, we’re rich, everything’s good.’ That’s not where I was coming from,” Nas cleared up in a June interview with MTV News. “So, there’s another title that came, that kind of fits a little better, and you might hear about that. There might be a change coming real soon.” Regardless of the name, Nas has a good feeling about “Nasty” and the trend that it will set in hip-hop. “So ‘Nasty’ is one of the songs to come and bring the sh– back to the real sh–,” he said. Related Artists Nas Damian Marley
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