The title of Justin Bieber’s latest single is ” Die in Your Arms .” Now we can only hope this won’t be the singer’s fate as he tries to navigate his way through the streets of Norway. Bieber is in Oslo to perform four songs outside that city’s famous opera house – as part of Justin Bieber: All Around the World , a special that airs June 21 on NBC – but crazed followers from around Europe have created a positively chaotic scene that has led police to nearly declare a state of emergency. Justin Bieber Fans Flip Out in Norway With Justin in a secret, secure location, authorities are urging him to hurry up and take the stage so they can then clear the streets – but so far the Biebs has simply responded to the mass hysteria via a Tweet that reads: “…for the show to happen u must all listen to the police. we are all concerned for your safety and i want what is best for u. please listen.” This is far from the first time that overly enthusiastic Justin Bieber fans have caused violent problems. Heck, fans in New Zealand once trampled his mom ! Seriously, people, try to relax. His hair isn’t that adorable.
Pop Queen’s inclusion of lines from her ‘She’s Not Me’ makes medley seem more like dig than tribute. By John Mitchell Madonna Photo: AFP/Getty Images Madonna ‘s diva rivalry with Lady Gaga may be taken up a notch when her MDNA tour kicks off Thursday at Tel Aviv, Israel’s Ramat Gan Stadium. In new rehearsal footage , the 53-year-old legend is seen singing a mashup of her “Express Yourself” and Gaga’s “Born This Way” that concludes with a few lines from Madonna’s copycat-shaming “She’s Not Me.” Last year, when Lady Gaga released her hit single “Born This Way,” controversy erupted over the song’s similarity to Madonna’s “Express Yourself.” (Never mind that much of the resemblance is rooted in both songs’ use of a pretty common disco chord progression.) At first, things seemed cool between the two singers. They’d always gotten along publicly, and Gaga told Jay Leno that M’s camp reached out to say all was well in the diva-verse with regard to the songs’ similarities (something later denied by Madonna’s people). The whole thing appeared to have blown over until earlier this year, when Madonna was promoting her movie “W.E.” and her Super Bowl halftime performance during an ABC News interview. Madonna was asked what she thought of the comparisons, and in response she called Lady Gaga “reductive.” Gaga’s been pretty quiet throughout, but it’s hard not to wonder if she’ll stay that way once word of this latest swipe makes its way to her ears. (Gaga is currently in Asia on her tour, and she was recently forced to cancel a planned show in Indonesia after receiving threats from fundamentalist Islamic groups in the country.) New leaked footage from rehearsals for Madonna’s own road show showcases a reportedly planned mashup of “Express Yourself” and “Born This Way,” and while the resemblance between the two songs remains as striking as ever, that’s not the real story. Just those two songs layered together could have been fun: The two stars certainly have overlapping fanbases, who no doubt would have delighted in the winking acknowledgement of M’s influence on Gaga. But Madonna complicates things by concluding the medley with a few lines from her Hard Candy track “She’s Not Me,” a song about Madonna being emulated by another woman. The inclusion of “She’s Not Me” makes the medley seem like yet another scathing dig at Gaga. It’s unknown whether Madonna was just goofing around during rehearsals or whether she plans to include that final digging refrain throughout her tour. Is Madonna taking things too far, or are we misreading things? Good-natured ribbing or mean-spirited digging? You tell us in the comments below! Related Artists Madonna Lady Gaga
‘I just wanted a girl to win this year so bad,’ the ‘Idol’ runner-up tells MTV News of losing to Phillip Phillips. By James Montgomery Jessica Sanchez Photo: MTV News To hear her tell it, Jessica Sanchez didn’t exactly have high hopes heading into last week’s “American Idol” finale . In fact, she didn’t have any hopes, high or otherwise. Which, given her supreme talent (and diva-riffic pedigree), is sort of surprising. “I never thought I was going to win,” she told MTV News. “And I think at that moment, during the finale, I knew I wasn’t going to win, and I was like, ‘Let me just sing my songs, let me have fun, let me be in this moment.’ Even making it to the finale surprised me. You saw my face!” Of course, if you ask her to elaborate on just why she felt she had no chance at beating eventual champ Phillip Phillips , she’ll mention one thing: “Change Nothing,” the ( genuinely pretty terrible ) “coronation song” she was saddled with during the finale. Simply put, from the moment she first heard the tune, she knew it wasn’t the right fit for her. But, as she’d done all season, she was determined to give it her all, no matter what. “It was confusing, because it was the winning song, and you try to pick a song that you’d want to put out as a single but also that would sound good when you won the competition. … I felt like I had to sing a vocally strong song but also one that was kind of mainstream, and that was in the middle, kind of,” she explained. “And even listening to it, I was telling them, ‘Some things have to be changed in this, because this is not completely me.’ And when we did that, nothing was really that changed, and that’s why it came out like a pop single. I totally agree with Randy [ Jackson]: That song was not me at all. I want to do pop, but, like, just a sprinkle of it, not a whole bucket.” And while Sanchez has nothing but praise for Phillips (“He’s a really great talent”), and despite her claims that she never believed she had a shot at the season 11 crown, that doesn’t mean she wasn’t disappointed by the results. Because she was definitely looking to reverse recent history and win one for the girls. ” ‘American Idol’ isn’t fixed. It really is America, and if America enjoys [male singers], then they do. I’m just here to please my fans, and make music for them. Now that the competition is over, I can do that and be happy with that,” she said. “But it’s definitely one thing that pushed me to want to really win. … I was doing it for my family, I was doing it for myself because I loved it, but I just wanted a girl to win this year so bad — even if it wasn’t me. It could’ve been Hollie [Cavanagh] or Skylar [Grey]. But I was just like, ‘We gotta show that girl power!’ ” From the sound of things, Sanchez is certainly looking to push the “girl power” agenda with her post-“Idol” debut, mentioning the likes of Beyonc
U.K. pop sensations hit New Jersey’s IZOD Center for a sell-out show on Friday packed with hits and rocking covers. By Sarah Brotherton One Direction perform in East Rutherford, NJ Photo: Uptin Saiidi/MTV News EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Maybe you’ve heard their songs on the radio or caught their TV performances on the “Today” show or “Saturday Night Live” , but nothing quite captures the success of One Direction like the screams. On Friday night, thousands of fans from across the tri-state area hit the IZOD Center, filling the 19,000-capacity arena for the U.K. pop sensation’s latest stop on their headlining Stateside tour. They were there to experience a new wave of a British Invasion, and they weren’t disappointed. Even before the show started, there was an excitement and energy in the air as Directioners — young and old alike — rushed into the building wearing homemade T-shirts, carrying posters and sporting body paint declaring their love for their favorite 1D members, be it Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson or Harry Styles. After two opening acts and a few warm-up songs, including Busta Rhymes and RUN DMC classics, One Direction finally hit the stage as the crowd jumped to its feet. Opening with ” Na Na Na,” the boys — dressed in the matching theme of red, white and blue, but each with their own signature touch — hit the harmonies hard. The concert followed a seasonal theme with corresponding video and costumes to match. A few songs in, Harry told the sell-out crowd, “I think this is our “biggest show” as a band!” which sent fans screaming all over again. Veering from their chart-topping debut album, Up All Night, each 1D member took a shot at a solo cover of some of their favorite songs, including the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Got a Feeling” and the Gym Class Heroes hit “Stereo Hearts.” The boys then sat on stools as they serenaded fans with “Moments.” Cell phone lights took the place of lighters as the audience sang every word of the ballad. After a quick change into the next outfit (and the next season), 1D proceeded with some of their more popular hits, including “More Than This” and the album’s title track, “Up All Night.” The set soon moved onto the live-tweeting portion of the show, where fans tweeted questions from the audience to their favorite bandmember. Then Liam showed off some beat-boxing skills and Harry attempted to do the worm before the guys were back at it with another cover, this time the hit Kings of Leon song “Use Somebody.” To end the night, 1D gave a shout-out to their impressive backing band and closed with singles “One Thing” and, of course, their #1 hit “What Makes You Beautiful.” But a perfect evening of hearty pop wouldn’t be complete without an encore! So the boys returned to perform “I Want” to the delight of their devoted fans. If you missed the 1D performance on Friday, fear not Directioners, a full list of U.S. tour dates is available on their official website . Full Set List : 1. “Na Na Na” 2. “Stand Up” 3. “I Wish” 4. “I Got a Feeling”; “Stereo Hearts”; “Valerie”; “Torn” 5. “Moments” 6. “Gotta Be You” 7. “More Than This” 8. “Up All night” 9. “Tell Me a Lie” 10. “Everything About You” 11. “Use Somebody” 12. “One Thing” 13. “Save You Tonight” 14. “What Makes You Beautiful” 15: “I Want” (Encore) Are you going to check out 1D on tour? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists One Direction
When his tears fell during Wednesday’s ‘American Idol’ finale, Phillips instantly became the most relatable champ in the show’s history. By James Montgomery Phillip Phillips Photo: Michael Tran/ FilmMagic I think I’m finally coming around on Phillip Phillips. Yes, I’m aware that I’ve spent the past 19 weeks making fun of his grouting delivery (that’s “growl/shouting,” for the uninitiated), criticizing his every performance and referring to him as “Kris Allen 2.0,” but none of that comes into play here. Because what changed my opinion of Phillips had nothing to do with his singing — in fact, the moment of reconsideration actually occurred when he wasn’t singing. It happened when he was crying. See, when Phillips broke down in tears during his performance of “Home” on Wednesday night’s “American Idol” finale, it wasn’t just the show’s most touching moment in years, it was the most personal he’s gotten all season. It taught me more about him than any hometown-visit piece or expertly edited contestant-confessional vignette ever could. For the entire season, he’s been an enigma, a slightly scruffy oddball who never really seemed to be that interested in actually winning (or taking Tommy Hilfiger’s fashion advice ). Early on, he built a wall around himself, and he never let viewers get a glimpse at what lay inside — until he finally allowed himself to get lost in the moment of triumph , as the confetti fell and the audience cheered. That’s when the wall came down and the tears began to flow. And that’s when I realized that everything I knew about him was probably wrong. Because Phillips isn’t some aloof, obstinate singer/songwriter dude who’s been to a ton of DMB shows. He doesn’t possess the supreme ego required to believe that his words are poetry and his songs can save the world. He is just a regular kid from Leesburg, Georgia, one who says stuff like “Music’s fun, dude,” and one who was overcome with the emotions of the moment and the sheer magnitude of his “Idol” win, to the point where singing his coronation song became secondary and all he wanted to do was share his triumph with his family. And that’s exactly what he did, performance be damned. In other words, he acted exactly like you or I would, had we just won an internationally famous singing competition and suddenly become a star. In that instant, I realized that Phillips has never had a day of stage training in his entire life, that, unlike pretty much everyone else who auditions for “Idol,” he hadn’t been dreaming of this moment since he was a talent-competition tyke. He truly never believed he could win, because normal people never would. And so he started crying, real genuine tears, the kind that seize your body and make everything else an afterthought — the kind that professional entertainers rarely get, mostly because they prevent them from entertaining. I’ve never been able to fathom how a person could cry and sing at the same time, and yet, each year on “Idol” (and on stages around the world), I see trained talent do exactly that, shed crocodile tears while still nailing the chorus. It is oddly robotic, not to mention slightly off-putting. I’m glad Phillips didn’t try to do it, and now I know why. I’m not sure if his “Idol” victory is good for the show (probably not), or if he’ll be able to buck the recent trend and actually become a superstar (though “Home” is a nice start), but for one night, I wasn’t concerned with either of those things. Phillips’ emotional outpouring may very well have been the Cry Heard ‘Round the World, serving notice that he’s much more than the realest “American Idol” champ in history: He’s an actual human being. In that moment, he became instantly relatable, even to his staunchest of detractors (like me). And because of that, I’m willing to let my icy heart thaw just a little bit and wish him the best. And even though it goes against my every willfully difficult impulse I’ll close with this: All hail Phillip Phillips, the People’s King. Long may he reign. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Highlights Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Show ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Finale Red Carpet
‘I’m just tryin’ to bring a show, man,’ Mac told MTV News just before his high-energy set at Friday’s festival kickoff. By Rob Markman Mac Miller Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News ASBURY PARK, New Jersey — There’s only so much partying on Fifth Ave. that a man can do, so on Friday night, Mac Miller hit the Jersey Shore and threw an old-fashioned beach party. “I’m just tryin’ to bring a show, man. I want to bring a performance, I want to bring them into the Macadelic experience, ” Mac told MTV News hours before he took the stage at the Bamboozle music festival in New Jersey. Skrillex , Mike Posner, Incubus and Miller all took to Bamboozle’s main stage on the opening night of the three-day fest, and they didn’t disappoint. For Mac’s set, which began at 7 p.m. ET, the Pittsburgh MC brought a portion of his Macadelic Tour to concertgoers who had come to see an array of rock, rap and EDM artists. It was all high-energy when Miller, who was dressed in an “RIP MCA” tee, set things off with the title track from his #1 debut album, Blue Slide Park. From there, EZ Mac launched into “Don’t Mind If I Do” from his 2010 breakout tape, K.I.D.S. Always one to represent for his crew, Miller, his DJ, Clockwork, and hypeman Treejay bounced up and down to “My Team,” and then turned things up a notch with the rambunctious “Knock Knock,” all to the youthful crowd’s delight. While a majority of the Rostrum rapper’s catalog is centered on feel-good jams, he does show range on introspective cuts like “Angels (When She Shuts Her Eyes).” Even when he wasn’t ping-ponging frantically across the stage, the crowd responded to Miller’s more subdued tracks by waving their hands side to side, showing him that they too are capable of more than just getting crunk. Before he dove into “Best Day Ever,” Mac took a bit of a breather while old Miller family home movies played on a big screen. All the teenage girls cooed as they watched baby Mac open birthday presents and sing along to the Sugar Hill Gang’s seminal hip-hop track “Rapper’s Delight.” “I wanted to represent the music through visuals, I’ve always been a very visual person,” he explained to us before the show. “I wanted to use that to create the aesthetics of the show and show people what all of the songs mean to me and put them into that world.” Miller picked up the mood with the electric “Frick Park Market” and drew immediate crowd participation with the first line. After spitting, “My name Mac Miller,” the crowd responded right on time with a thunderous, “Who the f— are you?” It was a lesson on how to properly connect with your audience, one that’s invested in every word you rhyme. Last year when Miller dropped his now-gold-selling single “Donald Trump,” he promised to “take over the world,” and despite all of his success he still makes that vow at the end of each and every show. Last night was no different. After a 40-minute set, Mac sealed the deal with a spirited rendition of “Trump” and then marched off to continue to make good on his promise, one stage at a time. Are you hitting Bamboozle this year? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Mac Miller
Serena Williams is apparently a rapper now. The tennis pro recorded a few tracks last year at Baltimore Ravens lineman Bryant McKinnie ’ s studio, and on Friday a clip of one of her songs surfaced. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Gossip Cop Discovery Date : 11/05/2012 17:10 Number of articles : 2
Chris Brown turns 23 on this wonderful Cinco de Mayo. We’d buy him a margarita, but maybe an O’Douls would be better, given the potentially negative effects of alcohol on people prone to … you know. Just kidding … sort of. Anyway, happy birthday CB! With his songs burning up the charts, he’s certainly beaten the haters’ expectations after nearly torpedoing his own career by beating … you know. Point being, man is he hot right now! Chris Brown on the cover of his Webdings-themed new album . All joking aside, the man’s future has never looked brighter. As a tribute to his very special day, check out our pages devoted to Chris Brown videos and click to enlarge some of our absolute favorite Chris Brown pictures below. And in less controversial news, it’s also Adele’s birthday today! Goooo May 5!
‘He’s really good and probably the best singer of the last three or four seasons,’ one ‘Idol’ expert tells MTV News. By Gil Kaufman Joshua Ledet performs on “American Idol” Photo: FOX Just about every season of “American Idol” seems to have at least one: a singer whose talent is so impressive and complete that their weekly performances come off as effortless. Whether it’s winners like Ruben Studdard, Fantasia or Carrie Underwood, or runners-up like Adam Lambert, Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson or Chris Daughtry, these finalists make it seem easy. If you believe Randy, Jennifer and Steven, we are seeing one of those rare moments right now in the form of Joshua Ledet . The old-soul singer has been crushing it without fail just about every week on the show, with just a few missteps along the way. “I’ve been doing this 11 years, and you’re one of the best singers ever on this show. Ever!” Jackson said following Ledet’s take on the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody.” “No matter what goes down, you’re one of the best singers ever on this show, and that is a big feat, that was incredible. Nobody could do that better.” Tyler offered similar praise earlier in the show after Ledet pulled off a near-flawless cover of the Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” telling Josh, “You’ve gotta be one of the top two best ‘Idols’ of all time.” Hell, Lopez, who is 42, called Ledet one of the “best singers I’ve seen in 50 years!” So, is Josh one of the best “Idol” singers of all time? Or just one of the best singer ever, period? We convened a panel of “Idol” experts and asked them to weigh in. “Idol” blogger MJ Santilli said it is undeniable that Josh is a gifted singer, but she begged to differ with Tyler’s claim that Ledet is one of the top “Idol” contenders. “Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard are, arguably, better singers,” she said. “When Joshua is excited, he has the tendency to push his vocals to the breaking point. He’s had missteps along the way — his ‘gospel’ rendition of Billy Joel’s ‘She’s Got A Way’ was a hot mess of over-singing.” And, at just 20 years old, Santilli said she doesn’t get the sense that Ledet has a complete handle on who he is as an artist. “In comparison to DeAndre Brackensick, who demonstrated knowledge of the greats that came before him, Joshua seems to have very little understanding of not only past masters, but current pop trends,” she said. Could it be that Josh’s repeated claims that he’s unfamiliar with the songs he’s crushing is a savvy rope-a-dope move? Maybe. But as far as Entertainment Weekly staff writer Kyle Anderson is concerned, Ledet is “technically very good,” but seems to be good at just one thing. “Even for a show that deals in hyperbole, that seems awfully hyperbolic,” he said of the sky-high judge’s comments on Wednesday night. “He’s really good and probably the best singer of the last three or four seasons, mostly because the past few have tended toward people with gimmicks nor niches, so it’s been a while since a pure voice has blown us away.” Former MTV News “Idol in 60 Seconds” host and “Idol” authority Jim Cantiello thinks the problem might be that while Ledet sings it very well, he excels at a style of music that just isn’t very “now.” “The only pop artist who has success dabbling in retro-ish R&B tunes is Bruno Mars (and, by extension, Cee Lo, which Mars had a hand in). Yet Bruno injects a modern spin to his retro leanings and has the charisma and personality to back it up,” Cantiello said of Ledet’s throwback Otis Redding style of gritty R&B belting. “Joshua has only shown strength going REAL old school and typically has the presence of a sedated patient.” Despite the over-the-top raves from Interscope boss Jimmy Iovine and bestie “Little” Steven Van Zandt, Cantiello wondered whether the label had “a secret top-notch retro unit with the right songwriters and producers that could craft Joshua the perfect throwback album.” There is no doubt that Ledet crushed it when he sang “To Love Somebody” and, earlier in the season, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” but the issue, he said, is that nobody writes those kinds of songs anymore. “In order to have a big radio hit, Joshua and Interscope would literally have to bring an entire genre back to life, and I’m not sure the personality-challenged Ledet is the one to start that movement,” he lamented. Maybe the judges meant that Joshua is “one of the best young male soul singers to come out of the show, versus one of the best singers period,” Cantiello speculated, ticking off a list of others who were more versatile and have massive voices (Lambert, Kelly Clarkson, Melinda Doolittle, Fantasia). Do you think Joshua Ledet is one of the best “Idol” singers of all time? Let us know in the comments! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Performances
Thirty-five students from 20 U.S. colleges are eligible for the 39th Student Academy Awards, AMPAS said Wednesday. Academy members will view the finalists’ films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Prizes include Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000. U.S. winners will join international students winners for a week of industry and social activities June 9 in Los Angeles. The list of finalists follows. Narrative : Benny , Huay-Bing Law, University of Texas at Austin Contra, el Mar , Richard Parkin, University of California, Los Angeles Hatch , Christoph Kuschnig, Columbia University Mr. Bellpond , A. Todd Smith, Brigham Young University Nani , Justin Tipping, American Film Institute Narcocorrido , Ryan Prows, American Film Institute The Recorder Exam , Bora Kim, Columbia University Requited , Madeline Puzzo, Point Park University Under , Mark Raso, Columbia University Documentary : Dignity Harbor: A Home Away from Homeless , Michael Gualdoni, Lindenwood University Dying Green , Ellen Tripler, American University Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment , Keiko Wright, New York University Lost Country , Heather Burky, Art Institute of Jacksonville Love Hacking , Jenni Nelson, Stanford University Pot Country , Mario Furloni, University of California, Berkeley Reporting on The Times: The New York Times and the Holocaust , Emily Harrold, New York University Smoke Songs , Briar March, Stanford University Why Am I Still Alive , Hanzhang Shen, School of Visual Arts Animation Chocolate Milk , Eliza Kinkz, University of California, Los Angeles Cowboy, Clone, Dust , Matthew Christensen, New York University Eyrie , David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts The Jockstrap Raiders , Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles La Lune et le Coq , Raymond McCarthy Bergeron, Rochester Institute of Technology Lizard and the Ladder , Aaron Bristow, Utah Valley University My Little Friend , Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design Reviving Redwood , Matt Sullivan, Ringling College of Art and Design Shinobi Blues , Yue Liu, School of Visual Arts Alternative Falconer , Micah Robert Barber, University of Texas at Austin In Between Shadows , Tianran Duan, University of Southern California Last Remarks , Umar Riaz, New York University Peace at Home , Avital Epstein, Florida State University The Reality Clock , Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California SiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSi , Juan Camilo González, University of Southern California Terra Cotta Warrior , Bin Li, Rochester Institute of Technology Us , Alex Lora, City College of New York
