Songwriter Bonnie McKee opens up to MTV News about the “real” songs she’s writing with Perry. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias Katy Perry Photo: Jeff Bottari/ Getty Images Katy Perry ‘s new single, “Part of Me,” certainly shows a not-often-explored side of the pop singer. The scathing break-up track is all about the end of a great love and the empowerment one feels after watching that person walk away. It’s darker than “California Gurls,” that’s for sure. Considering the timing of the track’s release, it’s hard not to think that it’s about her former husband, Russell Brand . It’s the lead single off her March release, Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, and it kicks off a new era of songwriting for the usually candy-coated pop star, her pal and frequent collaborator Bonnie McKee told MTV News last week, just days before she dropped the track. “I’ve been working with Katy Perry a lot more, so I’m excited for what we have coming out next,” she explained. The twosome already have a long history with one another having already cooked up hits like “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” off 2010’s Teenage Dream. “I’m working with Katy and it’s great,” she continued. “I’m really excited and I think everyone is going to really relate to and love what she’s doing next. It’s kind of a departure from what she’s been doing in the past. We are a great team when we write together because we don’t let each other settle; every single line is a philosophical debate.” That means that while their past collaborations have focused on the sugary-sweet, this time they are looking deeper for their lyrical content. “She’s going through some major life changes, so it’s not all about bubble gum and fun; it’s real and it’s deep and she has a lot to say. So I think people are anxious to hear it,” she said, adding that while there are those people who are rooting for the star, there will also always be the haters. “You know what? The numbers don’t lie,” she said to those folks. “Katy Perry is a star for the people … she’s unstoppable and she’s proven that.” What do you think of “Part of Me”? Leave your review in the comments section! Related Photos Katy Perry Returns To The Spotlight At 1Oak In Las Vegas Related Artists Katy Perry
Just-premiered clip includes plenty of imagery from the best-selling book series to tide fans over until film’s release. By John Mitchell, with reporting by Sway Calloway Taylor Swift Photo: MTV News Talking exclusively to MTV News following the premiere of her new video for “Safe & Sound” from “The Hunger Games,” Taylor Swift revealed that the clip contains several references to the best-selling YA book series that fans should recognize. “I felt like I was really needing to pay tribute to this movie and tell this story,” Swift said. “There’s this moment in the music video where I find this mockingjay pin and hold it up.” For those who have not read the books, the mockingjay pin is one of the most iconic symbols from the series. It was given to the main character, Katniss Everdeen (played in the film by Jennifer Lawrence), as a token to take into the arena to remind her of her home district — District 12. The mockingjay and the pin itself are both symbols of rebellion in the books. The mockingjay is a species of bird inadvertently bred when the Capitol released “jabberjays” throughout the nation of Panem in an attempt to spy on its citizens. After the mission failed and the citizens of Panem learned how to feed lies to Capitol spies through the jabberjays, the Capitol ended the project but the birds bred with mockingbirds in the wild, creating the mockingjay, which the Capitol was never able to eradicate. We won’t spoil the rest, but the third book in the series is titled “Mockingjay,” and that isn’t just a reference to the bird or the pin anymore. “Having a music video with that much symbolism in it is something I’m not used to,” Swift continued. “Everyone who is a ‘Hunger Games’ fans knows what it means when there’s fire in the trees and they know what it means for the house to be burnt and they know what it means for the ‘Hunger Games’ pin to be covered in rust and old. Everybody can take their own meaning away from it, but it all goes back to the symbolism of the book.” To avoid spoiling the books and film, the only bit here that we’ll address are the burning trees, which can be seen throughout Swift’s video and briefly in the film’s second trailer. In the arena, the Gamesmakers use fire to keep the tributes from hiding in trees and to push groups of them into the same area so they can fight to the death for all to see. Swift’s “Safe & Sound” video has us psyched for the release of “The Hunger Games,” due March 23. “I’m now sort of like an infomercial for it,” Swift, a fan of the books, joked to MTV News about the series. Stick with MTV News as we roll out more from our exclusive interview with Taylor Swift about her “Hunger Games” soundtrack song! Related Videos MTV First: Taylor Swift Related Artists Taylor Swift
Just-premiered clip includes plenty of imagery from the best-selling book series to tide fans over until film’s release. By John Mitchell, with reporting by Sway Calloway Taylor Swift Photo: MTV News Talking exclusively to MTV News following the premiere of her new video for “Safe & Sound” from “The Hunger Games,” Taylor Swift revealed that the clip contains several references to the best-selling YA book series that fans should recognize. “I felt like I was really needing to pay tribute to this movie and tell this story,” Swift said. “There’s this moment in the music video where I find this mockingjay pin and hold it up.” For those who have not read the books, the mockingjay pin is one of the most iconic symbols from the series. It was given to the main character, Katniss Everdeen (played in the film by Jennifer Lawrence), as a token to take into the arena to remind her of her home district — District 12. The mockingjay and the pin itself are both symbols of rebellion in the books. The mockingjay is a species of bird inadvertently bred when the Capitol released “jabberjays” throughout the nation of Panem in an attempt to spy on its citizens. After the mission failed and the citizens of Panem learned how to feed lies to Capitol spies through the jabberjays, the Capitol ended the project but the birds bred with mockingbirds in the wild, creating the mockingjay, which the Capitol was never able to eradicate. We won’t spoil the rest, but the third book in the series is titled “Mockingjay,” and that isn’t just a reference to the bird or the pin anymore. “Having a music video with that much symbolism in it is something I’m not used to,” Swift continued. “Everyone who is a ‘Hunger Games’ fans knows what it means when there’s fire in the trees and they know what it means for the house to be burnt and they know what it means for the ‘Hunger Games’ pin to be covered in rust and old. Everybody can take their own meaning away from it, but it all goes back to the symbolism of the book.” To avoid spoiling the books and film, the only bit here that we’ll address are the burning trees, which can be seen throughout Swift’s video and briefly in the film’s second trailer. In the arena, the Gamesmakers use fire to keep the tributes from hiding in trees and to push groups of them into the same area so they can fight to the death for all to see. Swift’s “Safe & Sound” video has us psyched for the release of “The Hunger Games,” due March 23. “I’m now sort of like an infomercial for it,” Swift, a fan of the books, joked to MTV News about the series. Stick with MTV News as we roll out more from our exclusive interview with Taylor Swift about her “Hunger Games” soundtrack song! Related Videos MTV First: Taylor Swift Related Artists Taylor Swift
Pop star will be laid to rest at New Hope Baptist Church in her native Newark, New Jersey, with no planned wake. By Rob Markman Whitney Houston Photo: Ebet Roberts/ Getty Images After much speculation, the plans for Whitney Houston ‘s funeral have been set. The fallen pop diva will be laid to rest in her native Newark, New Jersey, a week after her death in a Los Angeles hotel room. A Houston family rep confirmed to MTV News that Houston’s invitation-only funeral will take place at New Baptist Church at noon on Saturday. Los Angeles County coroner officials completed Houston’s autopsy Sunday, and her body was released to her family the very next day and then flown back east, according to CNN. There have been rumors that there will be a public memorial at Newark’s Prudential Center with a ceremony similar to Michael Jackson’s high-profile farewell, but USA Today is reporting that such a plan was never in place and as of right now, the funeral is the only scheduled sendoff for the 48-year-old star. As a youth in Newark, Houston attended New Hope Baptist Church. In a statement issued to MTV News on Sunday, the Houston family expressed their grief in this trying time. “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy, and we will miss her terribly,” the statement read. “We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends.” The cause of Houston’s death is still unknown. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office continues to quell any speculation. “I know there are reports that she maybe was drowned or did she overdose, but we won’t make a final determination until all the tests are in,” he told CNN. Share your condolences with Whitney’s family and friends on our Facebook page. Related Videos Whitney Houston: Life And Music Of An Icon Remembering An Icon: Whitney’s Top MTV Moments Related Photos Whitney Houston: A Life In Photos Related Artists Whitney Houston
Pop star will be laid to rest at New Hope Baptist Church in her native Newark, New Jersey, with no planned wake. By Rob Markman Whitney Houston Photo: Ebet Roberts/ Getty Images After much speculation, the plans for Whitney Houston ‘s funeral have been set. The fallen pop diva will be laid to rest in her native Newark, New Jersey, a week after her death in a Los Angeles hotel room. A Houston family rep confirmed to MTV News that Houston’s invitation-only funeral will take place at New Baptist Church at noon on Saturday. Los Angeles County coroner officials completed Houston’s autopsy Sunday, and her body was released to her family the very next day and then flown back east, according to CNN. There have been rumors that there will be a public memorial at Newark’s Prudential Center with a ceremony similar to Michael Jackson’s high-profile farewell, but USA Today is reporting that such a plan was never in place and as of right now, the funeral is the only scheduled sendoff for the 48-year-old star. As a youth in Newark, Houston attended New Hope Baptist Church. In a statement issued to MTV News on Sunday, the Houston family expressed their grief in this trying time. “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy, and we will miss her terribly,” the statement read. “We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends.” The cause of Houston’s death is still unknown. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office continues to quell any speculation. “I know there are reports that she maybe was drowned or did she overdose, but we won’t make a final determination until all the tests are in,” he told CNN. Share your condolences with Whitney’s family and friends on our Facebook page. Related Videos Whitney Houston: Life And Music Of An Icon Remembering An Icon: Whitney’s Top MTV Moments Related Photos Whitney Houston: A Life In Photos Related Artists Whitney Houston
‘How Will I Know,’ ‘The Greatest Love of All’ among Houston’s most iconic videos. By Gil Kaufman Whitney Houston in her “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” video Photo: Arista Records Long before Lady Gaga rolled around nearly naked in viscous goo, Rihanna showed off her S&M fetish, Christina squeezed into leather peek-a-boo chaps or Nicki Minaj dressed up like a male fantasy Barbie, Whitney Houston proved you could make a fuss without making a spectacle. The legendary R&B singer, who died Saturday at age 48 after reportedly consuming prescription drugs and alcohol on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards , became one of the most important artists of the early music-video era by taking the road less traveled. While such fellow trailblazers as Michael Jackson and Madonna created video fantasy worlds full of monsters, gangsters, street-fighting men and naughty brides, Houston mostly skipped the drama and stood front and center in her most iconic clips doing the thing that she did best: singing her heart out. With her model-worthy looks and luminous smile, Houston knew exactly how to telegraph her charm through the TV — and later on the big screen in “The Bodyguard” and three other starring roles — which may explain why most of her most notable videos involve just a bit of perfunctory storyline and focus on her performance. Here are some of our favorite Houston video moments: “I Will Always Love You” : Is it even possible to come up with a concept for a clip that could match the grandeur and emotional heft of the breakout single from “The Bodyguard” soundtrack? It is, and smartly, that big idea was to focus on an elegantly suited up, forlorn-looking Houston sitting in an empty theater and staring into the distance as she watched clips from the movie scroll by. Houston blasted into the song’s towering finale via a quick zoom to her face, eyes closed, and then popping open as she hit the money note. How bad was Houston? She perfectly delivered the titanically tear-jerking drama of the song without ever once getting up from her chair. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” : Whitney did ballads like nobody’s business, but she also knew how to throw down, as she did in the “Dance” video, the first single from her second album, Whitney . Dressed in a body-hugging purple dress, towering curly wig and colorful dangly earrings, Houston again focused on singing directly into the camera while a series of dancers showed off their moves in wide-shot cutaways. When it was Houston’s time to shine, though, the camera pulled in close to capture that sparkle in her eye and that 1,000-watt beam as she changed through a series of going-to-the-club outfits and mostly shimmied adorably in place. “How Will I Know” : The third single from Houston’s debut album was the one that changed everything. The clip helped introduce the singer to a wider audience when it became one of the first videos by a black female singer to earn heavy rotation on MTV. The concept was simple: Whitney in another of her trusty big hair bows and sexy minidresses sang right at the lens while dancers high-kicked and sashayed through a rainbow-paint-splashed maze of a set. All Houston had to do was walk, sing and smile and the rest was history. We’re still not sure, though, what was up with that dude in the half-suit, half-wedding dress. “Greatest Love of All” : The final single released from Houston’s debut album helped cement the M.O. for the classic Whitney video. Standing on yet another stage in an empty theater, Houston, wearing one of her beloved leather jackets, belts the big ballad with vigor as stage hands work around her, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the star of the show is crushing it right in front of them. While there appears to be some backstory involving Houston making her stage debut as a child, once Whit changes into that beaded white dress and matching chunky earrings to do her slinky saunter to center stage for the big finale … forget about it. “I’m Your Baby Tonight” : The title track from Houston’s third album, released in 1990, is what passed for a high-concept clip from the singer. Dressed in a white suit, with matching bowler and cane, Houston hip-swayed through a Cotton Club-type nightspot before transporting into a Manhattan penthouse. She walked through another mirror into a third scene where she was all three members of a Supremes-style girl group and finally ended up in a beatnik club, her haired pulled back as she rocked chopped bangs. As always, the focus was on images of Houston lip-synching the song’s lyrics with attitude as the camera lingered on her luminous skin and smile. Share your condolences with Whitney’s family and friends on our Facebook page. Related Videos Whitney Houston: Life And Music Of An Icon Related Photos Whitney Houston: A Life In Photos Related Artists Whitney Houston
Public memorial for Houston tentatively slated for Friday in New Jersey. By Gil Kaufman Whitney Houston in her “I Will Always Love You” video Photo: Arista Records We may not know for several more weeks what caused the death of
Hudson’s stirring cover of Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ was an emotional homage to late singer. By Gil Kaufman Jennifer Hudson performs at the Grammys on Sunday Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images There is a whole generation of modern divas who grew up worshipping at the altar of Whitney Houston . Everyone from Mariah Carey to Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna and Beyonc
The hotel has been a celebrity hot spot ever since it opened in 1955, hosting scores of red-carpet events every year. By Kara Warner The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles Photo: Splash News Despite the fact that the Beverly Hilton is currently in the news for being the site of Whitney Houston’s tragic death , the historic hotel has been making headlines for 57 years — the vast majority of those being positive news stories — ever since its opening in 1955. The Who’s Who in Hollywood hot spot has played host to the most A-list guests and star-studded events for nearly six decades by holding more than 175 red-carpet events annually. The Hotel’s first major event was coincidentally the first-ever Grammy Awards in 1959. Best Female Vocalist Ella Fitzgerald took home two awards that year, along with Domenico Modugno, Henry Mancini, and Ross Bagdasarian (made famous by “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”). In July 1960, then-presidential hopeful John F. Kennedy held a gala fundraiser for which his friend Frank Sinatra helped gather the “Jack Pack,” a group of celebs that included Milton Berle, Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, Judy Garland and Mort Sahl. The Hilton was host to the first-ever Golden Globe Awards in 1961, where Stanley Kubrick’s “Spartacus” took home the top prize of Best Picture. The Globes returned to the hotel in 1971 and have not left. The annual event draws an international audience of millions, in addition to the ceremony itself, multiple viewing parties and afterparties, all staged at the Hilton. Other notable events include Richard Nixon’s so-called final press conference in 1962 following his loss to Pat Brown in the California gubernatorial election. The hotel hosted the one-time-only tribute to screen legend Cary Grant in 1988, which raised funds for Grace Kelley’s Princess Grace Foundation. In 2004, former First Lady Nancy Reagan made major news by speaking out against the Republican Party and publicly announcing her support for stem-cell research while being honored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Also for the past thirty years, the Hilton has hosted the prestigious Oscars nominee luncheon. Share your condolences with Whitney’s family and friends on our Facebook page. Related Videos Whitney Houston: Life And Music Of An Icon Related Photos Whitney Houston: A Life In Photos Related Artists Whitney Houston
Author Suzanne Collins even worked on the last draft of the script, director Gary Ross tells MTV News. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Jennifer Lawrence in the Girl on Fire costume in “Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate Thanks to a recent sit-down with charismatic director Gary Ross, we’ve gotten a great glimpse into what we can expect from the big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian bestseller when it hits theaters on March 23. When we asked Ross about his interaction with Collins, we were delighted to learn that he and the author had formed a close bond and ended up working on the script together and that Ross was completely impressed by the author’s talents as a screenwriter. “She wrote the last draft of the script with me,” Ross said. “We collaborated. We were in a room together! We locked ourselves up in a room and literally wrote the last draft of the script together. It was a blast. I hadn’t worked with anybody else as a team since Anne Spielberg on ‘Big,’ so just being in a room with someone was a phenomenal experience. Just having the electricity of two writers was great.” Ross went on to assure us and the millions of other “Hunger Games” fans that the movie version is as faithful as it could be, given the different parameters of the two mediums. “It’s very, very faithful in the literal sense, but it’s even more faithful in the tonal sense. My job is to give you that same visceral feeling you felt when you read the book,” Ross explained, adding that he wants audiences to experience the film from Katniss’ perspective. “[I want you] to feel that same kind of urgency, feel that same uncertainty she feels, to feel uncertain about Peeta’s motivations — that’s essential.” Finally, we asked Ross if we should prepare for any major deviations in the movie from the book, and he said there is nothing to prepare for in that sense. “Oh no. No, no, no. It’s a faithful adaptation. There are obviously differences, because I’m adapting a book to the screen, but no,” he said. “It’s not like Peeta leaves the story or anything like that.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Hunger Games’ Director Gary Ross Related Photos The Hunger Games
