Singer gets positive report from court, but ordered to remain on probation. By Gil Kaufman Chris Brown Photo: Getty Images In a status hearing on Thursday in Los Angeles, a judge said that Chris Brown is doing a good job complying with the terms of his sentence for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, but that he must remain under the supervision of a probation officer for the time being. According to the Associated Press , Brown was not in court for the hearing where his attorney asked that the singer’s supervised probation end thanks to his good behavior. Superior Court judge George Lomeli, however, agreed with prosecutors, who argued that even with Brown’s good marks to date, he should keep reporting to a probation officer in his home state, Virginia. Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos, attempted to end the probation, which is part of the sentence Brown received in June 2009 when he agreed to a plea deal in which he plead guilty to one count of felony assault and was sentenced to 180 days of community labor and five years of probation. Geragos pointed to a probation report that said that Brown had been truthful with officers, passed all required drug tests and “has made great strides” while under probation. To date, Brown has completed half of the six months of roadside cleanup, graffiti removal and other manual labor he was ordered to do under the terms of the deal. But the AP reported that Lomeli didn’t think it was unreasonable for Brown to say under supervision while he finishes the rest of his community service hours. The singer has already completed anger management and domestic violence counseling and a different judge in the case agreed last year to relax a restraining order that barred Brown and Rihanna from contacting each other or getting too close to one another at music industry events. The hearing came just days before Brown and Rihanna are slated to return to the Grammy stage for the first time since the February 2009 assault. In advance, tongues have already begun wagging, with rumors flying last month that the exes have reunited recently and have been spending time together again. Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don’t miss Sway and James Montgomery live from the Grammys red carpet this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn’t end Sunday: MTV News has you covered until the Grammy hangover wears off! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Rihanna A Guide To The Grammys 2012 Related Artists Chris Brown
Singer gets positive report from court, but ordered to remain on probation. By Gil Kaufman Chris Brown Photo: Getty Images In a status hearing on Thursday in Los Angeles, a judge said that Chris Brown is doing a good job complying with the terms of his sentence for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, but that he must remain under the supervision of a probation officer for the time being. According to the Associated Press , Brown was not in court for the hearing where his attorney asked that the singer’s supervised probation end thanks to his good behavior. Superior Court judge George Lomeli, however, agreed with prosecutors, who argued that even with Brown’s good marks to date, he should keep reporting to a probation officer in his home state, Virginia. Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos, attempted to end the probation, which is part of the sentence Brown received in June 2009 when he agreed to a plea deal in which he plead guilty to one count of felony assault and was sentenced to 180 days of community labor and five years of probation. Geragos pointed to a probation report that said that Brown had been truthful with officers, passed all required drug tests and “has made great strides” while under probation. To date, Brown has completed half of the six months of roadside cleanup, graffiti removal and other manual labor he was ordered to do under the terms of the deal. But the AP reported that Lomeli didn’t think it was unreasonable for Brown to say under supervision while he finishes the rest of his community service hours. The singer has already completed anger management and domestic violence counseling and a different judge in the case agreed last year to relax a restraining order that barred Brown and Rihanna from contacting each other or getting too close to one another at music industry events. The hearing came just days before Brown and Rihanna are slated to return to the Grammy stage for the first time since the February 2009 assault. In advance, tongues have already begun wagging, with rumors flying last month that the exes have reunited recently and have been spending time together again. Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don’t miss Sway and James Montgomery live from the Grammys red carpet this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn’t end Sunday: MTV News has you covered until the Grammy hangover wears off! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Rihanna A Guide To The Grammys 2012 Related Artists Chris Brown
Hobnobbing helps you get to know the album’s featured artists through their best works. By Amy Wilkinson Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate On Monday, Taylor Swift will enter the MTV arena to debut the music video for her Civil Wars collaboration, “Safe and Sound,” which appears on the “Hunger Games” soundtrack. And following the premiere, the country cutie will stick around MTV.com for an exclusive 30-minute interview about the lead single, her upcoming projects and more. So for Peeta’s sake, tune in, OK? But as any “Hunger Games” fan can attest, Swift isn’t the only artist to be reaped for the T-Bone Burnett-produced companion album (out March 20). Arcade Fire, the Decemberists, Neko Case and Miranda Lambert are all reportedly contributing to the effort. So to prepare for what’s sure to be an epic soundtrack, we’ve asked several music experts to recommend top tunes from each performer—a pre-Games playlist, if you will. So put down your bow and arrow, grab your earbuds and settle in with these hand-picked selections: The Decemberists “No shortage of truly great tunes (with truly epic titles) from the Pacific Northwest’s leading purveyors of erudite indie. From the hard-charging horns of ‘Sixteen Military Wives’ (off 2005’s Picaresque ) to the 12-string shimmy of ‘Down by the Water’ (from last year’s The King Is Dead ) — with proggy dalliances like ‘You’ll Not Feel the Drowning’ and ‘The Prettiest Whistles Won’t Wrestle the Thistles Undone’ in between — the ‘rists have never met a genre they wouldn’t tackle … or a song title they couldn’t stretch to infinity. — James Montgomery, Rock Writer, MTV News “The Decemberists are often described as ‘indie-folk’ or ‘chamber pop,’ but they are constantly shifting into new genres and playing with foreign sounds. ‘Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect’ is from their first album and doesn’t have the same epic quality that their later albums (most of which are sprawling mini-operas), but it does capture frontman Colin Meloy’s unending melancholy and slightly fanciful worldview. It’s catchy as hell too.” — Kyle Anderson, Staff Writer, Entertainment Weekly “Asking me to choose a favorite Decemberists song is like asking me to choose a favorite pair of shoes — I have so many! It’s almost impossible! But I’ll do it. The apotheosis of the entire Decemberists catalogue, for me, is ‘Shanty for the Arethusa’ off of their 2003 album Her Majesty the Decemberists . This isn’t a song. It’s a sensory odyssey. Dude, the way they bring to life the creaking of the rotten hull of an olde-timey ship feels so real that I can almost feel myself getting scurvy.” — Tamar Anitai, Managing Editor, MTV Buzzworthy Arcade Fire “They broke through with Funeral, thanks in no small part to anthemic, wide-screen melodramas like ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ — songs seemingly created for stadium-uniting sing-alongs — backtracked on that all-encompassing stance with insular, world-weary Neon Bible tracks like ‘Black Mirror’ and ‘My Body is a Cage,’ and, finally, with The Suburbs, ‘Month of May’ and ‘We Used to Wait,’ just decided to ditch all the subtlety and subterfuge and just become Springsteen disciples. Hey, whatever works.” — Montgomery “Canada’s finest indie exports move at only two speeds: Epic and super-epic. ‘No Cars Go’ falls in the latter category, beginning with a simple hum-and-strum, then building into great swirls of chaotic orchestral noise, with the damaged, desperate voices of frontpeople/couple Win Butler and R
With the once-troubled exes poised to return to Sunday’s show, we look back on the assault that changed everything. By Rebecca Thomas Rihanna performs at the 2011 Grammys Photo: Getty Images They were R&B’s answer to Britney and Justin. Young, gifted and famous, Rihanna and Chris Brown had become a favorite of the blogs and mags in 2008; pictures of them coupled up on the beach or just making a fast food run cropped up everywhere. Rihanna once remarked that Brown helped her to feel her age in a very grown-up industry. But everything changed on the night of February 7, 2009. Brown’s assault on girlfriend Rihanna would change the career trajectories of both, catapulting one to superstardom and launching the other on an unlikely comeback trail. Three years later, with the two stars are poised to return to the Grammy stage, MTV News looks back. February 7, 2009 : Rihanna hits the stage at a pre-Grammy party hosted by producer Timbaland in Los Angeles. The Bajan stunner performs her smash “Umbrella,” among other tunes. Earlier that night, she’s snapped looking cheerful with boyfriend Chris Brown at music honcho Clive Davis’ annual Grammy bash. February 8, 2009 : Reports surface that Brown and a female passenger was involved in a car accident. E! News confirms that neither Rihanna nor Brown will appear at the Grammy Awards ceremony that night; both were scheduled to perform. The Los Angeles Police Department begin investigating a felony battery report against the Virginia crooner. February 19, 2009 : TMZ posts a gruesome photo of Rihanna taken by LAPD just after the February assault. The image of the singer — bruised, eyes swollen and mouth split — confirms what had been rumor up until then. Then-19-year-old Brown becomes the subject of public outrage. The backlash is only beginning, though, as radio stations across the country announce bans on Brown’s music. June 22, 2009 : Brown has been mostly quiet, on the advice, he says, of his representatives. In May, Vibe publishes a cover story, “Tainted Love,” delving into how the young couple unraveled. It’s a more nuanced portrait that describes both Brown’s and Rihanna’s upbringings in households rife with domestic violence. It’s also announced that Brown will strike a plea deal giving him 180 days of community service. The same month, the “Forever” singer uploads a video apology to the Web: “I’ve told Rihanna countless times and I’m telling you today, I’m truly, truly sorry that I wasn’t able to handle the situation both differently and better,” he pleads. September 2, 2009 : Brown tapes an interview with CNN’s “Larry King Live.” Accompanied by his attorney, the singer — seldom off-pitch onstage — struggles to strike the right chord. But even his unfortunate choice of neckwear comes under scrutiny. November 6, 2009 : Rihanna sits down for a “20/20” special, detailing for anchor Diane Sawyer her assault at the hands of Brown. November 9, 2009 : Rihanna tells MTV’s Sway she doesn’t want to be the “domestic-violence spokesperson.” November 20, 2009 : Rihanna drops the dark and introspective Rated R, sporting a razor-cut, tough-girl ‘do on the album cover that sparks a frenzy of its own in Stateside hair salons. The LP is widely received as a rumination on her tragic relationship with Brown. May 17, 2010 : Unofficially on ice with his label, Jive, Brown joins with homey and YMCMB rapper Tyga for the Fan of a Fan mixtape. The project yields slow-burning smash singles like “Deuces” and “No Bullsh–.” February 10, 2011 : Two years after the incident, the “Russian Roulette” singer agrees to loosen a restraining order against Brown. Breezy also earns high marks for progress from the judge in his ongoing probation case. November 12, 2011 : Red-tressed Rihanna drops Loud, and the Grammy-nominated album is a sunny departure from the brooding R. That month she and Brown also take to their respective Twitter accounts and signal in a series of posts that they’re ready to move on from the assault narrative. March 22, 2011 : Livid over questions about his relationship with ex Rihanna, Brown smashes a chair in an ABC green room after a “Good Morning America” interview. The outburst threatens to overshadow what will be a highly successful release, the F.A.M.E album. 2011 : It’s a year of triumphs for the former duo: From awards to VMA performances, Grammy nods and critical acclaim, the Rihanna Navy and Team Breezy rally behind their idols. January 19, 2012 : After the blogosphere lights up with rumors that Rih and Brown are hooking up again, a rep for Brown denies the two have reunited, insisting the superstar exes are “just friends.” Brown’s representative also confirms he won’t be doing any press this year. February 8, 2012 : Recording Academy announces that Brown will perform at Sunday’s show; Rihanna has been confirmed for a collabo with rockers Coldplay. The revelation sets up the potential for a public reunion. Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don’t miss Sway and James Montgomery live from the Grammys red carpet this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn’t end Sunday: MTV News has you covered until the Grammy hangover wears off! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Rihanna A Guide To The Grammys 2012 Related Photos 2012 Grammy Nominees Related Artists Rihanna Chris Brown
Lady Gaga and Adele also up for two major pop trophies at Sunday’s show. By Jocelyn Vena Katy Perry in her video for “Firework” Photo: EMI The pop stars nominated at this year’s Grammy Awards couldn’t be more different from one another, both visually and sonically. In the two biggest pop categories, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, every spectrum of pop is represented: from soulful to candy-colored and everything in between. As the Grammy Awards approach, MTV News will break down the contenders in both categories. So, here we go. Best Pop Vocal Album Adele’s 21 has six nominations under its belt at this year’s show, including the biggie, Album of the Year. Since its release nearly a year ago, Adele’s heartbreak opus reigned on radio, the charts and the collective hearts of the lovelorn everywhere. It boasts production from Ryan Tedder, Paul Epworth and Rick Rubin, and tracks the singer’s heartbreak after a split from a former beau. Cee Lo Green gave the world a big “F— You” with his The Lady Killer , which dropped in November 2010, and the album has sustained its momentum thanks to that one track (and Cee Lo’s “The Voice” gig). The album got some songwriting and production help from fellow nominee, Bruno Mars, and in addition to this nod, its track “Fool for You” is also up for some gold. Lady Gaga’s love-yourself album, Born This Way, is a metal-disco composition about romance, New York City and couture. With production from RedOne, Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow, the album was released last May, and while the sound looked to the future, it also paid homage to her past when she enlisted the late Clarence Clemons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and Brian May of Queen. Bruno Mars crooned his way to the top of the charts with his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Displaying his love for melodies and lyrics about love and loss, Mars’ experiment in mixing doo-wop and new millennium production value managed to make him a household name and a big-time nominee. Album of the Year-nominated Loud was Rihanna’s return to form. After a dark turn on Rated R, Ri was feeling sunnier, saucier and sassier on the 2010 album that featured production from Stargate and Tricky Stewart and tracks like the fist-pumping “Only Girl (In The World)” and the reggae-influenced “Man Down.” Best Pop Solo Performance On “Someone Like You,” Adele’s big voice and knack for heartache was on full display. The second 21 single got a songwriting and production assist from Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson (the guy who gave us “Closing Time” in the ’90s) and follows Adele as she comes to terms with the loss of her former flame. Like Adele, Bruno Mars put his heart and soul on the line on the Doo-Wops & Hooligans uber-ballad, “Grenade.” The song, produced by the Mars-fronted the Smeezingtons, tracks a distraught man as he realizes the woman he loves doesn’t feel the same way about him. Lady Gaga had been teasing “You and I” for some time, but before the finished version appeared on Born This Way, no one could have guessed what May, Gaga and super producer Mutt Lange could have cooked up. What they released was a funky, smashing ode to reclaiming lost love. Katy Perry hadn’t touched on deeper issues on earlier singles, but when it came to her Teenage Dream feel-good anthem, “Firework,” she went there and it took on a life of its own. With Ester Dean and Stargate working with Perry on the song, it topped the charts and became the fourth in a record-breaking string of #1 hits off that album. Like Perry, Pink gave a voice to the disenfranchised on “F—in’ Perfect” (off her greatest hits collection that dropped in 2010). Working with Max Martin and Shellback on the track, she hit the top of the charts and empowered her fans thanks lyrics like, “You’re f—ing perfect to me.” Who do you think will “pop” at the Grammys this year? Leave your predictions below! Related Videos A Guide To The Grammys 2012 Related Photos 2012 Grammy Awards Pre-Parties 2012 Grammy Performers Related Artists Katy Perry Rihanna
Lady Gaga and Adele also up for two major pop trophies at Sunday’s show. By Jocelyn Vena Katy Perry in her video for “Firework” Photo: EMI The pop stars nominated at this year’s Grammy Awards couldn’t be more different from one another, both visually and sonically. In the two biggest pop categories, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, every spectrum of pop is represented: from soulful to candy-colored and everything in between. As the Grammy Awards approach, MTV News will break down the contenders in both categories. So, here we go. Best Pop Vocal Album Adele’s 21 has six nominations under its belt at this year’s show, including the biggie, Album of the Year. Since its release nearly a year ago, Adele’s heartbreak opus reigned on radio, the charts and the collective hearts of the lovelorn everywhere. It boasts production from Ryan Tedder, Paul Epworth and Rick Rubin, and tracks the singer’s heartbreak after a split from a former beau. Cee Lo Green gave the world a big “F— You” with his The Lady Killer , which dropped in November 2010, and the album has sustained its momentum thanks to that one track (and Cee Lo’s “The Voice” gig). The album got some songwriting and production help from fellow nominee, Bruno Mars, and in addition to this nod, its track “Fool for You” is also up for some gold. Lady Gaga’s love-yourself album, Born This Way, is a metal-disco composition about romance, New York City and couture. With production from RedOne, Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow, the album was released last May, and while the sound looked to the future, it also paid homage to her past when she enlisted the late Clarence Clemons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and Brian May of Queen. Bruno Mars crooned his way to the top of the charts with his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Displaying his love for melodies and lyrics about love and loss, Mars’ experiment in mixing doo-wop and new millennium production value managed to make him a household name and a big-time nominee. Album of the Year-nominated Loud was Rihanna’s return to form. After a dark turn on Rated R, Ri was feeling sunnier, saucier and sassier on the 2010 album that featured production from Stargate and Tricky Stewart and tracks like the fist-pumping “Only Girl (In The World)” and the reggae-influenced “Man Down.” Best Pop Solo Performance On “Someone Like You,” Adele’s big voice and knack for heartache was on full display. The second 21 single got a songwriting and production assist from Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson (the guy who gave us “Closing Time” in the ’90s) and follows Adele as she comes to terms with the loss of her former flame. Like Adele, Bruno Mars put his heart and soul on the line on the Doo-Wops & Hooligans uber-ballad, “Grenade.” The song, produced by the Mars-fronted the Smeezingtons, tracks a distraught man as he realizes the woman he loves doesn’t feel the same way about him. Lady Gaga had been teasing “You and I” for some time, but before the finished version appeared on Born This Way, no one could have guessed what May, Gaga and super producer Mutt Lange could have cooked up. What they released was a funky, smashing ode to reclaiming lost love. Katy Perry hadn’t touched on deeper issues on earlier singles, but when it came to her Teenage Dream feel-good anthem, “Firework,” she went there and it took on a life of its own. With Ester Dean and Stargate working with Perry on the song, it topped the charts and became the fourth in a record-breaking string of #1 hits off that album. Like Perry, Pink gave a voice to the disenfranchised on “F—in’ Perfect” (off her greatest hits collection that dropped in 2010). Working with Max Martin and Shellback on the track, she hit the top of the charts and empowered her fans thanks lyrics like, “You’re f—ing perfect to me.” Who do you think will “pop” at the Grammys this year? Leave your predictions below! Related Videos A Guide To The Grammys 2012 Related Photos 2012 Grammy Awards Pre-Parties 2012 Grammy Performers Related Artists Katy Perry Rihanna
‘I approached the character like any fan would: with real reverence and terror,’ the ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ star tells MTV News. By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Andrew Garfield Photo: MTV News With the release of the new trailer for “The Amazing Spider-Man,” fans got their first extended look at Andrew Garfield ‘s take on the wall crawler before the movie hits theaters in July. He’s darker and a bit more sarcastic, but with a series reboot coming so soon after the three films directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire, comparisons between the two are bound to dominate much of the conversation. Garfield doesn’t necessarily see the need for comparison and told MTV News’ Josh Horowitz that he would have a hard time describing any differences. “I can’t answer that, really. I don’t know. I know that I saw the Sam Raimi/ Tobey Maguire version before it was legally out. I was so excited to see it, I got a pirate copy,” Garfield told MTV News before a screening event Monday. “I was blown away. [Tobey has] been Spider-Man in my imagination since then, in my mind’s eye.” The star explained how “The Amazing Spider-Man” was made with the series’ history in mind and how that added to the story. “Thinking about those movies outside of just knowing the history that was supporting our movie, we are just another chapter in the legacy,” he said. “I approached the character like any fan would: with real reverence and terror and attempt to do it justice.” Garfield has never kept his own fandom a secret, having even appeared at San Diego Comic-Con in store-bought Spidey regalia. That passion played a big part in how he thinks about the role. “I do feel like he’s in me, like all true fans do,” he said. “That’s what being a fan is of a character like this: feeling like there’s no separation between you and them and that you have ownership over them. Ultimately, you have no ownership over it, because he belongs to everybody.” When it comes down to it, the actor in the suit doesn’t actually matter, according to Garfield. “The symbol is bigger than any actor playing him and any particular movie or comic book,” he said. “The symbol of the mask, the symbol of the suit, it doesn’t even matter who’s in it, as long as somebody’s in it to keep the symbol alive. That’s what’s important to me.” But as Uncle Ben said, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Though it may not matter to Spider-Man fans who is in the suit, getting up every morning to play the man is a different story. “In terms of how I approached it, I just approached it every day I woke up. My first thought was ‘Oh, boy,’ ” Garfield said. “Then my second thought was, ‘Remember, just go from a place of being a fan and caring as deeply as you do.’ You have to just let go and trust from there on. If people like it, people like it.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Amazing Spider-Man.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Andrew Garfield Related Photos The Amazing Spider-Man
‘It was really hard. I love talking,’ singer says during ’60 Minutes’ special. By James Dinh Adele Photo: Getty Images Sunday is shaping up to be quite a big day for Adele . Not only is the big-voiced diva up for six awards at the Grammys , but she will also open up about her recent throat surgery in a “60 Minutes” interview, airing on CBS immediately before the awards show. In a teaser for the TV special, the British songstress speaks with Anderson Cooper about her vocal-cord procedure as well as how she dealt with the post-surgery restrictions. “They put lasers down your throat, cut off the polyp and kind of laser your hemorrhage back together and fix it,” Adele wearily told the news anchor. She was ordered not to speak a word throughout the months of November and December, but the songstress made the best of a not-so-bright situation by using notepads and a text-to-speech cellphone application to communicate with others. “It was really hard. I love talking,” she said. The singer confessed that the advances in technology made it a little difficult to say what was really on her mind. “I love to swear, and most of them you can’t swear on, but I found this one app where you can swear, so I’m still really getting my point across,” she said with a smile. Adele’s road to recovery will come full-circle when the singer performs at Sunday night’s Grammys . The U.K. songstress recently tweeted her excitement about returning to the stage: “Ima be, Ima be singing at the Grammys. It’s been so long I started to forget I was a singer! I can’t wait.” Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don’t miss Sway and James Montgomery live from the Grammys red carpet this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn’t end Sunday: MTV News has you covered until the Grammy hangover wears off! Related Artists Adele
‘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.
TheWrap reports that Xtina is onboard for season three, which could debut in the fall opposite ‘X Factor.’ By Kara Warner Christina Aguilera on “The Voice” Photo: NBC We are only two episodes into the second season of “The Voice,” and already there is some news about the hit NBC show’s third season. According to TheWrap , Christina Aguilera has signed a contract to continue her stint on the judging panel for a third season of the singing competition. Aguilera is the first of the four judges to ink her deal, a payday for which is supposedly in the $10 million realm. TheWrap also reports that the third season could premiere in the fall rather than waiting until 2013; this would potentially put “The Voice” in direct competition with Fox’s “X Factor.” When MTV News reached out for comment from NBC, a show insider said no decision has been made about season three. It is expected that Aguilera’s fellow judges Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton will all renew their contracts in the coming weeks and that the third season will tape from September through December of this year. “The Voice” has proven to be a major hit for NBC. The season-two premiere following the Super Bowl on Sunday earned NBC’s best ratings for an entertainment show in six years. Monday’s episode earned the network’s best numbers for that particular timeslot in nearly eight years, save for broadcasts of the Olympics. When MTV News caught up with the show’s new social media correspondent Christina Milian recently, the singer/actress gushed about the lovefest on set. “It’s been fabulous. I’ve had fun working with the cast already,” she said. “Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Cee Lo, Carson Daly — it’s an awesome super team they have, and from day one, they treated me like family. “This show is about music, it’s about talent, and it’s about this passion and this dream of becoming a star,” Milian added. “Still to this day, every day that I wake up, I have that same dream, so to be involved with the show, [it’s amazing] to watch what they incorporate and how the coaches act as advisers and mentors to the artists and really truthfully help them and push them and want them to be the best so they can win.” Are you hoping all four “Voice” judges are back for season three? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Christina Aguilera
