MTV News cameras capture L.A. collective’s 2011 SXSW journey. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Christopher “CJ” Smith Odd Future’s Tyler, the Creator Photo: MTV News By now, the carnage has been cleared and the backlash has already begun, but earlier this month, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All — the 10-member Los Angeles rap collective/sleeper cell with whom we are currently obsessed — stormed the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, playing more shows than anyone could possibly fathom (officially/unofficially, the number stands at seven), leaving a path of destruction and laceration in their wake.
Record is projected to sell 275,000 to 300,000 units in its first week. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: Jive Britney Spears’ new album, Femme Fatale , is a chugging dance-pop album full of sexual innuendo and thumping beats, made even sexier by Spears’ flirty singing style. It’s Spears’ latest release since 2008’s Circus, which sped straight up the charts as soon as Britney’s dedicated fans could get their hands on it. While Spears remained somewhat under the radar for her last release, this time around, the pop star has been on a media blitz, and as of press time, Spears had the #1 album on iTunes. Hits Daily Double Senior Editor Roy Trakin explained to MTV News that judging from sales so far, Spears will likely have the #1 album by next week. “We’re going out with the projection 275,000 to 300,000 [albums sold]; probably below label projections but those are always inflated. I think everything’s kicking in. There seems to be a lot of press attention,” he said of the album. “I think this is still a healthy total for her given the market and given where her career has been. This is a good showing.” Not only have sales been strong, music critics have also been loving the album. “The critical reception seems to be fairly positive, as well. That doesn’t have much to do with sales, but the general feeling is positive. She’s gonna be #1,” Trakin said. “300,000 is the over-under.” This week, some of Spears’ biggest competition comes from Adele, whose 21 has been selling consistently well for weeks, Jennifer Hudson’s newest release, I Remember Me, which sits at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, Chris Brown, whose album F.A.M.E. is currently the #1 album in the country, and this week’s other big new release, Wiz Khalifa’s debut album, Rolling Papers . “Given the state of the market right now, this will probably be, I would think, this will end up being the second biggest debut of the year. Only Adele would be larger this year,” Trakin said. “That’s pretty good, actually. The real big story this week is Wiz Khalifa with Rolling Papers, with between 190,000 and 215,000.” Is there any chance of an upset that forces Spears out of the #1 spot? Trakin explains that that is unlikely, saying, “The Wiz Khalifa showing is strong, but it’s about 100,000 below what Britney’s gonna do.” To see what Spears has to say about the album and to watch her as she puts the finishing touches on it, don’t miss the “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” special, airing Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Britney Spears Drops Her Femme Fatale Album! Related Artists Britney Spears
Record is projected to sell 275,000 to 300,000 units in its first week. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: Jive Britney Spears’ new album, Femme Fatale , is a chugging dance-pop album full of sexual innuendo and thumping beats, made even sexier by Spears’ flirty singing style. It’s Spears’ latest release since 2008’s Circus, which sped straight up the charts as soon as Britney’s dedicated fans could get their hands on it. While Spears remained somewhat under the radar for her last release, this time around, the pop star has been on a media blitz, and as of press time, Spears had the #1 album on iTunes. Hits Daily Double Senior Editor Roy Trakin explained to MTV News that judging from sales so far, Spears will likely have the #1 album by next week. “We’re going out with the projection 275,000 to 300,000 [albums sold]; probably below label projections but those are always inflated. I think everything’s kicking in. There seems to be a lot of press attention,” he said of the album. “I think this is still a healthy total for her given the market and given where her career has been. This is a good showing.” Not only have sales been strong, music critics have also been loving the album. “The critical reception seems to be fairly positive, as well. That doesn’t have much to do with sales, but the general feeling is positive. She’s gonna be #1,” Trakin said. “300,000 is the over-under.” This week, some of Spears’ biggest competition comes from Adele, whose 21 has been selling consistently well for weeks, Jennifer Hudson’s newest release, I Remember Me, which sits at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, Chris Brown, whose album F.A.M.E. is currently the #1 album in the country, and this week’s other big new release, Wiz Khalifa’s debut album, Rolling Papers . “Given the state of the market right now, this will probably be, I would think, this will end up being the second biggest debut of the year. Only Adele would be larger this year,” Trakin said. “That’s pretty good, actually. The real big story this week is Wiz Khalifa with Rolling Papers, with between 190,000 and 215,000.” Is there any chance of an upset that forces Spears out of the #1 spot? Trakin explains that that is unlikely, saying, “The Wiz Khalifa showing is strong, but it’s about 100,000 below what Britney’s gonna do.” To see what Spears has to say about the album and to watch her as she puts the finishing touches on it, don’t miss the “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” special, airing Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Britney Spears Drops Her Femme Fatale Album! Related Artists Britney Spears
Record is projected to sell 275,000 to 300,000 units in its first week. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: Jive Britney Spears’ new album, Femme Fatale , is a chugging dance-pop album full of sexual innuendo and thumping beats, made even sexier by Spears’ flirty singing style. It’s Spears’ latest release since 2008’s Circus, which sped straight up the charts as soon as Britney’s dedicated fans could get their hands on it. While Spears remained somewhat under the radar for her last release, this time around, the pop star has been on a media blitz, and as of press time, Spears had the #1 album on iTunes. Hits Daily Double Senior Editor Roy Trakin explained to MTV News that judging from sales so far, Spears will likely have the #1 album by next week. “We’re going out with the projection 275,000 to 300,000 [albums sold]; probably below label projections but those are always inflated. I think everything’s kicking in. There seems to be a lot of press attention,” he said of the album. “I think this is still a healthy total for her given the market and given where her career has been. This is a good showing.” Not only have sales been strong, music critics have also been loving the album. “The critical reception seems to be fairly positive, as well. That doesn’t have much to do with sales, but the general feeling is positive. She’s gonna be #1,” Trakin said. “300,000 is the over-under.” This week, some of Spears’ biggest competition comes from Adele, whose 21 has been selling consistently well for weeks, Jennifer Hudson’s newest release, I Remember Me, which sits at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, Chris Brown, whose album F.A.M.E. is currently the #1 album in the country, and this week’s other big new release, Wiz Khalifa’s debut album, Rolling Papers . “Given the state of the market right now, this will probably be, I would think, this will end up being the second biggest debut of the year. Only Adele would be larger this year,” Trakin said. “That’s pretty good, actually. The real big story this week is Wiz Khalifa with Rolling Papers, with between 190,000 and 215,000.” Is there any chance of an upset that forces Spears out of the #1 spot? Trakin explains that that is unlikely, saying, “The Wiz Khalifa showing is strong, but it’s about 100,000 below what Britney’s gonna do.” To see what Spears has to say about the album and to watch her as she puts the finishing touches on it, don’t miss the “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” special, airing Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Britney Spears Drops Her Femme Fatale Album! Related Artists Britney Spears
Record is projected to sell 275,000 to 300,000 units in its first week. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: Jive Britney Spears’ new album, Femme Fatale , is a chugging dance-pop album full of sexual innuendo and thumping beats, made even sexier by Spears’ flirty singing style. It’s Spears’ latest release since 2008’s Circus, which sped straight up the charts as soon as Britney’s dedicated fans could get their hands on it. While Spears remained somewhat under the radar for her last release, this time around, the pop star has been on a media blitz, and as of press time, Spears had the #1 album on iTunes. Hits Daily Double Senior Editor Roy Trakin explained to MTV News that judging from sales so far, Spears will likely have the #1 album by next week. “We’re going out with the projection 275,000 to 300,000 [albums sold]; probably below label projections but those are always inflated. I think everything’s kicking in. There seems to be a lot of press attention,” he said of the album. “I think this is still a healthy total for her given the market and given where her career has been. This is a good showing.” Not only have sales been strong, music critics have also been loving the album. “The critical reception seems to be fairly positive, as well. That doesn’t have much to do with sales, but the general feeling is positive. She’s gonna be #1,” Trakin said. “300,000 is the over-under.” This week, some of Spears’ biggest competition comes from Adele, whose 21 has been selling consistently well for weeks, Jennifer Hudson’s newest release, I Remember Me, which sits at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, Chris Brown, whose album F.A.M.E. is currently the #1 album in the country, and this week’s other big new release, Wiz Khalifa’s debut album, Rolling Papers . “Given the state of the market right now, this will probably be, I would think, this will end up being the second biggest debut of the year. Only Adele would be larger this year,” Trakin said. “That’s pretty good, actually. The real big story this week is Wiz Khalifa with Rolling Papers, with between 190,000 and 215,000.” Is there any chance of an upset that forces Spears out of the #1 spot? Trakin explains that that is unlikely, saying, “The Wiz Khalifa showing is strong, but it’s about 100,000 below what Britney’s gonna do.” To see what Spears has to say about the album and to watch her as she puts the finishing touches on it, don’t miss the “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” special, airing Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Britney Spears Drops Her Femme Fatale Album! Related Artists Britney Spears
‘I grew up watching Britney Spears,’ pop newcomer tells MTV News about landing a feature on ‘(Drop Dead) Beautiful.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Audrey Kim Sabi Photo: MTV News There are three collaborations on Britney Spears’ brand-new Femme Fatale. Black Eyed Peas leading man will.i.am produced and appears on “Big Fat Bass,” Travis Barker lends his drumming skills to the bonus track “Don’t Keep Me Waiting,” and the club track “(Drop Dead) Beautiful” features a newcomer: singer/rapper Sabi. MTV News caught up with Sabi a few weeks before Britney’s album dropped on Tuesday and, at the time, the pop newbie was still pretty floored about her appearance on the album, which is the focus of “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale,” a special airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. on MTV. “The way I understand is that Britney Spears is constantly looking for [new stuff and] had an ear out for new talent and fresh music,” she explained. “Somehow, she stumbled upon me in my old group days. I was in a group called the Bangz. “And it’s just pretty crazy, I mean, I grew up watching Britney Spears,” she added. “All my friends watched Britney Spears and we even had a routine to ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ that we were gonna perform, like, for a middle-school talent show. So it’s a dream come true. Never did I ever think that I’d be in the mix with Britney. I’m just lucky.” In fact, the opportunity to work with the pop star was so surreal that Sabi refused to believe her luck until the ink was dry. “I was like, ‘Absolutely not,’ ” she joked about her initial response to the collaboration offer. “Duh! I was like, ‘Yeah!’ I don’t know, it was crazy. I was like, ‘This is surreal.’ I’m the kind of person that’s like, once I hear good news, until it’s solidified and I see the actual proof it’s a done deal, I [don’t] get excited. I was like, ‘This is great, but so many things can happen in between the time I’m supposed to record it.’ But when it was solidified, I was like, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ It’s dope.” What do you think of Britney’s collabo with Sabi? Tell us in the comments! Don’t miss “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” on Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Britney Spears Drops Her Femme Fatale Album! Exclusive Preview Clips Of ‘Britney Spears: I Am The Femme Fatale’ Related Artists Britney Spears
‘I grew up watching Britney Spears,’ pop newcomer tells MTV News about landing a feature on ‘(Drop Dead) Beautiful.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Audrey Kim Sabi Photo: MTV News There are three collaborations on Britney Spears’ brand-new Femme Fatale. Black Eyed Peas leading man will.i.am produced and appears on “Big Fat Bass,” Travis Barker lends his drumming skills to the bonus track “Don’t Keep Me Waiting,” and the club track “(Drop Dead) Beautiful” features a newcomer: singer/rapper Sabi. MTV News caught up with Sabi a few weeks before Britney’s album dropped on Tuesday and, at the time, the pop newbie was still pretty floored about her appearance on the album, which is the focus of “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale,” a special airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. on MTV. “The way I understand is that Britney Spears is constantly looking for [new stuff and] had an ear out for new talent and fresh music,” she explained. “Somehow, she stumbled upon me in my old group days. I was in a group called the Bangz. “And it’s just pretty crazy, I mean, I grew up watching Britney Spears,” she added. “All my friends watched Britney Spears and we even had a routine to ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ that we were gonna perform, like, for a middle-school talent show. So it’s a dream come true. Never did I ever think that I’d be in the mix with Britney. I’m just lucky.” In fact, the opportunity to work with the pop star was so surreal that Sabi refused to believe her luck until the ink was dry. “I was like, ‘Absolutely not,’ ” she joked about her initial response to the collaboration offer. “Duh! I was like, ‘Yeah!’ I don’t know, it was crazy. I was like, ‘This is surreal.’ I’m the kind of person that’s like, once I hear good news, until it’s solidified and I see the actual proof it’s a done deal, I [don’t] get excited. I was like, ‘This is great, but so many things can happen in between the time I’m supposed to record it.’ But when it was solidified, I was like, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ It’s dope.” What do you think of Britney’s collabo with Sabi? Tell us in the comments! Don’t miss “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” on Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Britney Spears Drops Her Femme Fatale Album! Exclusive Preview Clips Of ‘Britney Spears: I Am The Femme Fatale’ Related Artists Britney Spears
30 Seconds to Mars, Tokio Hotel, Panic! at the Disco also locked in tight matchups in the final hours of the Sweet 16. By James Montgomery Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty When MTV’s Musical March Madness tournament moved on to the Sweet 16 on Monday, we warned that the challenge for bands and their fans would only get tougher from here on out. And we weren’t kidding. Check out our MMM Bracket right here!
Pop star gives fans an intimate look at her life in the special, airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears on the set of “Till the World Ends” Photo: MTV News & Docs This Sunday at 9 p.m., ” Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale ” makes its world premiere on MTV. In the special, the singer offers an intimate peek inside her world, taking fans behind the scenes of her big nightclub show in Las Vegas and chatting with MTV News correspondent Sway about her life and career. The MTV special follows Britney as she makes her way into the studio to listen to “Big Fat Bass,” produced by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, who tells Spears, “I did some tweaking to the ‘Big Fat Bass’; the bass is even bigger.” Spears later explains the difference between recording tracks versus performing them live. “When you’re in the studio, you’re just really focused, you’re really in your head and in your ears and on the notes,” she explains. “And when you’re performing, it’s more a connection on the outside and more of — like a tiger and more in your body.” The pop star says it’s fans who fill the audience at those live shows who get her excited to perform. “When they’re screaming like that, they just hype you up,” she says, “and make you feel larger than life.” Spears has been a public figure since she was on the “Mickey Mouse Club” as a kid, and in 2011, she turns 30 years old. In the special, Spears admits that she wanted to be a famous performer since she sported a schoolgirl uniform in her ” … Baby One More Time” video nearly a decade and a half ago. “I think I hoped I would be [doing this],” she says. “I genuinely love what I do. This is what I love to do.” Don’t miss ” Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale ” on Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Exclusive Preview Clips Of ‘Britney Spears: I Am The Femme Fatale’ Related Photos Britney Spears Brings Down The House In Las Vegas Related Artists Britney Spears
Darren Aronofsky responds to comments by Portman’s body double that only 5 percent of the dancing in the film was actually performed by Portman. By Terri Schwartz Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman on the set of “Black Swan” Photo: Niko Tavernise Since “Black Swan” hit theaters in December, the film required a certain suspension of disbelief as to whether leading lady Natalie Portman was actually performing the pirouettes, bourr
