Lana Del Rey may not have put on the worst musical performance in Saturday Night Live history, but she is definitely living through the worst fallout. Following her appearance on the program (below) a few weeks ago, an email written by NBC anchor Brian Williams was leaked which referred to its as “one of the worst outings” ever on the sketch series, while many celebrities bashed Del Rey on Twitter. Now, sources tell The New York Post that management has decided to cancel a tour Del Rey had lined up to promote her debut album, “Born to Die.” Lana Del Rey SNL Performance “They figure it allows time for her to clear her head, then go back to selling tickets,” an insider says . “More importantly, they figure, the extra time gives them more distance from SNL .” This past Saturday, Kristen Wiig both mocked Del Rey and sort of made fun of those who went over the top in their criticism of the artist. A rep for label Interscope, meanwhile, told The Post : “Interscope had nothing to do with booking or postponing a tour. Jimmy [Iovine] is excited and thankful that Lana is performing at a Grammy event in his honor this week.”
‘She should be looking for more positive publicity,’ one fan tells MTV News. By Uptin Saiidi M.I.A. performs at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage NEW YORK — M.I.A. made headlines during Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show Sunday when she flipped off the cameras … and the 100 million-plus viewers tuning in at home. It was reported Tuesday that the controversial MC might be responsible for any FCC fines incurred because of her middle finger. But who should be held responsible? And why did she do it in the first place? MTV News ventured to Times Square — where the New York Giants’ Super Bowl victory was celebrated earlier in the day with a parade — to see what people thought of M.I.A.’s flip decision. “It was not good for her, because she’s still a young and up-and-coming artist, so she should be looking for more positive publicity,” Valon Jaloshey, 22, told MTV News. “That’s not the way to get it when you’re giving the middle finger at the biggest performance of your life.” Maureen Kelley, 26, wasn’t surprised by the artist’s action but thinks her timing was inappropriate. “It’s definitely very M.I.A. to have done that,” Kelley said. “She probably shouldn’t have done it at the Super Bowl.” Kelley does have some advice for dealing with a potential fine: “Maybe she could just pretend that she was wiggling her fingers, I don’t know.” M.I.A.’s fellow halftime performer Cee Lo Green , meanwhile, exclusively told MTV News late Monday that he knew nothing about the flip-off until the game was long over. “Honestly, I did not hear anything about it,” he said. “There was no talk about it in the dressing room afterwards and we didn’t stay long after the performance, because it was honestly a relief we had had it done. So I didn’t hear anything until I got up to do the morning show, ‘Today.’ And television is a very sensitive [thing].” What did you think of M.I.A.’s halftime flip-off? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson Related Artists M.I.A.
We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime,’ an NBC spokesperson said about M.I.A.’s middle finger during halftime. By Gil Kaufman M.I.A. performs at the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage M.I.A. topped her guest rap with a defiant flip of the middle finger and a not-safe-for-prime time s-bomb lyric . NBC’s censors were not fast enough to obscure the gesture, or completely blot out the expletive, and following the game the network issued an apology for the incident. “We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime,” a spokesperson said. “It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late.” The NFL — which hires the performers and produces the halftime show — pointed the finger directly at NBC. “There was a failure in NBC’s delay system,” the league said in a statement. “The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans.” According to Deadline Hollywood , M.I.A. was kept things clean during rehearsals, but clearly got excited during the performance. M.I.A. is no stranger to controversy. After the New York Times magazine wrote a lengthy feature on the singer (born Mathangi Arulpragasam) in 2010, she lashed out at the writer over some unflattering descriptions via music. In addition to posting the writer’s phone number on Twitter, M.I.A. lambasted journalist Lynn Hirschberg in public, threatened to release the unedited tapes of the interview and, finally, issued a dis track, “I’m a Singer” , in retaliation. She was also denied a travel visa in 2005 by the U.S. government and appeared on a U.S. Homeland security risk list in 2006 as a result of her controversial political lyrics. What did you think of M.I.A.’s halftime gesture? Were you offended? Let us know in comments below. Related Photos Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson Related Artists M.I.A.
Kim Kardashian, Ashton Kutcher and Christina Aguilera praise Queen of Pop’s halftime performance. By James Dinh Madonna performs at Super Bowl XLVI Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic Madonna does everything big, and her Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday night (February 5) was no exception. From her elaborate staging, wave of synchronized dancers and surprise onstage guests, the Queen of Pop has all kind of stars, including Kim Kardashian and Ashton Kutcher, abuzz — and probably singing along, too. Taking to Twitter to dish about Madge’s over-the-top medley of songs, Kardashian kept her praise short and sweet: “Madonna is EVERYTHING! She looks soooo good!” she wrote. Kutcher was another fan of the pop titan’s high-energy performance as he confessed, “#fact Madonna is crushing it!” Not only did Ryan Seacrest find a liking to Madonna’s set, but also her surprise performers. “Loved the madonna performance, i think she nailed it. Great job by @LMFAO, @NickiMinaj, @CeeloGreen too,” he tweeted. With the season premiere of “The Voice” scheduled for right after Sunday’s big game, Christina Aguilera also showed support for her fellow co-star, tweeting, “@CeeLoGreen you killed it with Madonna at half time!” Love for Madonna’s show was also spread to another Kardashian sister, as Kourtney wrote, “Nobody is better than Madonna. She was perfection. Like a Prayer was my favorite part. Did everyone LOVE it as much as I did?” Despite his remarks on the singer’s backing track, Perez Hilton was extremely impressed by the superstar’s “Like a Player” finale, writing, “Wow. That ‘Like A Prayer’ finale was one of the best things #Madonna has EVER done! Soooo epic!!!” Paula Abdul was full of compliments, calling the pop performer’s halftime show “brilliant.” “I was dancing &singing along w/ @CeeLoGreen #Madonna Like A Prayer was AWESOME!” she wrote. “Well played #Superbowl WELL PLAYED-amazing #HalfTime show!” Age proved nothing but a number to the rest of the Twitter-verse when “Madonna is 53” became a trending topic shortly after she wrapped up her performance. Share your review of Madonna’s halftime performance in the comments below. Related Photos Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson Related Artists Madonna
Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., LMFAO and Cee Lo Green help pull out all the stops for elaborate show featuring Cirque du Soliel and high-tech staging By John Mitchell Madonna performs at the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show Photo: Win McNamee/ Getty Images Madonna promised pom-poms for her Super Bowl XLVI half-time performance but she delivered a whole lot more, a high-energy spectacle packed with Roman warriors, Cirque du Soliel dancers, marching bands, cheerleaders and some very famous guests. She made quite an entrance, that’s for sure, riding onto the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on a throne dressed in full-on Cleopatra mode pulled by dancers dressed like Roman warriors. Decked out in a gold cape and massive headpiece with banners flying behind her, Madonna took the stage to “Vogue” as the song’s title flashed among the images on the high-tech LED stage and amazing digitized field below her. Cirque du Soliel’s theatrical presentation and acrobatic dancing were apparent throughout, but never more so than during “Vogue,” when the lavish staging met with tight choreography and Madonna sounding and looking great for an inspired spectacle and perhaps one of the biggest and boldest live performances of its kind ever attempted. She displayed none of the nerves she’d uncharacteristically been copping to in the lead-up to the event, tearing through her hits with plenty of superstar swagger and hitting all her dance moves just right. She had a good reason to be nervous though: Tonight’s (February 5) game in Indianapolis, Indiana is expected to be the most-watched television event of the year. Last year’s Super Bowl drew over 162 million viewers in the US alone. Next up, Madonna and a team of dancers, now a bunch of Adidas-wearing b-boys, met on some light-up bleachers for an athletic take on “Music” that segued straight into a dance-heavy remixes of “Party Rock Anthem” and “Sexy and I Know It” featuring guest’s LMFAO , proving that the 53-year-old pop legend can still keep up (and then some) on the dance floor. The promised pom-poms Madonna surfaced when she lit into her new single, “Give Me All Your Luvin,” along with a blonde Nicki Minaj and a, ahem, bird-flipping MIA . That’s right, the lone bit of controversy around the often provocative Madonna’s Super Bowl show will most like have to do with the Sri Lankan singer briefly flipping off the camera. The otherwise slickly produced show went off without a hitch. The Queen of Pop gamely picked up some gold pom-poms to cheer alongside Minaj, M.I.A. and a team of cheering dancers during the track, giving off the look and feel of the recently released clip for the song. Minaj and M.I.A. both got a chance to shine too, rapping their parts on the track’s breakdown. As expected, she performed three vintage tunes (“Vogue,” Music” and “Like a Prayer”) and one new one, “Give Me All Your Luvin,” the lead single from her forthcoming 12th studio album, MDNA . She partnered with a creative team from Cirque du Soleil, her longtime choreographer/creative director Jamie King and multimedia artists from Moment Factory, to plan the spectacular show. For the finale, Cee Lo Green marched on stage as the drum major to a large marching band, starting briefly into small bites of “Open Your Heart” and “Express Yourself before suiting up into sparking robes for a full-voiced rendition of “Like a Prayer.” Madonna and Cee-Lo were joined for a choir for the performance, which saw Madonna falling to her knees as she sang her classic track. She then stepped to the back of stage and vanished into a cloud of smoke, disappearing beneath the stage and leaving the still-cheering stadium wanting more. Did you love Madonna’s Super Bowl half-time performance? Let us know in the comments below! Related Photos Super Bowl XLVI Performance: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson Related Artists Madonna Lmfao Nicki Minaj Cee Lo Green M.I.A.
‘The glaring similarity is that we both have musical numbers in the show, but that’s about it,’ ‘Smash’ star tells MTV News. By Christina Garibaldi Megan Hilty in “Smash” Photo: NBC It’s safe to assume that if you’re watching the Super Bowl on Sunday night (February 5), you will see several promos for NBC’s newest musical drama, “Smash,” which premieres Monday. The show centers on two potential Broadway stars — played by former “American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee and newcomer Megan Hilty — who are competing for the lead role in a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. “Smash” has it all: flashy musical numbers, well-choreographed dance routines and, of course, entertaining drama. Does that all sound a little similar to Fox’s hit show “Glee”? Not so fast, says Hilty, who told MTV News the two shows couldn’t be more different. “Obviously, the glaring similarity is that we both have musical numbers in the show, but that’s about it that we have in common,” Hilty said. “We’re very different in tone and theme and pretty much everything. We’re kind of like a glam soap opera with some splashy musical elements in between.” But Hilty admits that if it weren’t for “Glee,” “Smash” might have never gotten off the ground. “Thank God for ‘Glee,’ because they really opened doors for our show, specifically, to make it possible for us to do this,” Hilty said. “They made it socially acceptable and even cool to love the arts, and hopefully our show will do the same, but they really were the people who started that and busted down those doors, so thank God for that.” Hilty’s co-star, McPhee, agrees. “We’re just actually really grateful that ‘Glee’ has opened the door,” McPhee told MTV News on the Golden Globes red carpet last month. Will you be watching “Smash”? Let us know in the comments!
‘Star Spangled Banner’ was preceded by Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton performing ‘America the Beautiful.’ By James Dinh Kelly Clarkson performs at Super Bowl 46 Photo: Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images Kelly Clarkson rose to fame singing on national television, so it’s no surprise that the original “American Idol” champ soared high with her rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday night (February 5). Wearing a sleek black dress, Miss Independent stood confidently on a small blue-and-white stage at the showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Giants at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. As Clarkson belted out “The Star Spangled Banner” alongside a full marching band and a crowd of children, cameras panned to several members of the teams as they looked toward the sky. Proving herself as a true big-voiced diva, the singer hit all the right notes, adding in some signature riffing at the end of the song. Even though her performance went smooth, KC admitted having some early jitters about singing the patriotic tune. On Friday, she took to her Who Say account to share her two cents about rehearsal time: “Just finished rehearsing the anthem in Indy … wow, I’m actually really nervous about singing at the Super Bowl ha!” she wrote. “Here’s hoping I nail it and don’t screw it up!” Clarkson’s performance was preceded by country music couple Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, who delivered a duet of “America the Beautiful” during pre-game festivities. Share your review of Kelly Clarkson’s performance in the comments below! Related Photos Super Bowl XLVI: Kelly Clarkson Sings National Anthem Related Artists Kelly Clarkson
Chris Brown has been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards this year. He’s been healing and it is evident that he has been able to rebound since the Rihanna assault at the Grammys 3 years ago. The BIG QUESTION folks want answered though is will Breezy perform? According to E Online, execs are tight-lipped about the possibility of a Chris Brown performance while plans are still being worked out. Now, it has already been confirmed that Rihanna will hit the stage with Coldplay, so it should be pretty interesting to see how things unfold. Check out how E Online is reporting it HERE
Born to Die singer hits back at critics, saying, “I thought I looked beautiful and sang fine.” By John Mitchell Lana Del Rey on “Saturday Night Live” Photo: NBC Lana Del Rey was raked over the Internet coals following her January 14 performance on “Saturday Night Live.” Her takes on “Video Games” and “Blue Jeans” were greeted with near-universal vitriol from critics, music bloggers and even NBC News anchor Brian Williams, who in a now-infamous email to Gawker Media founder Nick Denton called her performance “one of the worst outings in ‘SNL’ history.” But the emerging pop star, whose debut album for Interscope, Born to Die, hit stores Tuesday (January 31), thinks she did a perfectly fine job on the legendary sketch show, telling Rolling Stone, “I actually felt good about it. I thought I looked beautiful and sang fine … I know some people didn’t like it, but that’s just the way I perform, and my fans know that.” Del Rey did admit to being nervous, though in a more general sense, saying live performance has never been her strong suit because she is “not a natural performer or exhibitionist” and that when she was younger she “hated the focus; it made me feel strange.” As the backlash intensified, Daniel Radcliffe, who hosted the January 14 show, came to Del Rey’s defense, telling reporters at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations, “It was unfortunate that people seemed to turn on her so quickly. I also think people are making it about things other than the performance … if you read what people are saying about her online, it’s all about her past and her family and stuff that’s nobody else’s business. I don’t think [the performance] warranted anywhere near that reaction.” Del Rey echoed those same sentiments during her brief sit-down with Rolling Stone, chalking the intensity of the criticism up to people’s general disdain for her public persona. “There’s backlash about everything I do. It’s nothing new,” she told the music mag. “When I walk outside, people have something to say about it. It wouldn’t have mattered if I was absolutely excellent. People don’t have anything nice to say about this project.” Regardless of the criticism, Del Rey is moving forward. Whether she’s a particularly strong live performer or not, her Born to Die album is enjoying a mostly positive reception from music critics … those able to set aside their feelings about her as a public figure and focus on the music itself anyway. Slate ‘s Jonah Weiner commented that he liked the album more after a few listens: “The more time I spend in its company, the more I feel as though I’m approaching it on something like its own terms.” MTV News’ own James Montgomery appreciated Born to Die even more, writing that Del Rey’s set is “positively brimming with atmospherics — soaring, sonorous strings, echoing electronic boom-bap, morose, maudlin guitar crescendos — all of which imbue it with a truly epic (if not unnecessarily dramatic) scope.” The verdict on Del Rey’s musical future — and the impact the “SNL” fiasco and the endless think pieces that popped up in its aftermath — will likely come more sharply into focus this time next week when her first week sales figures are released. What did you think of Lana Del Rey’s “SNL” performance? Leave your comments below. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Lana Del Rey Related Artists Lana Del Rey
