Pop star says she will join Twitter to promote the show, which premieres in April. By Gil Kaufman Christina Aguilera Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images Is the age of the mean judge over? With the new “American Idol” panel going pretty easy on this year’s top 13 so far, it’s starting to sound like there will be more of the same back-patting on the upcoming NBC singing competition “The Voice.” “There is no good and bad,” said Christina Aguilera , one of the show’s mentors, in her first public appearance since her arrest for public intoxication earlier this month. Aguilera sat in one of the oversize swivel chairs alongside fellow judge/coach Adam Levine on Tuesday to talk up the show, which premieres on April 26. “This isn’t about tearing people down. I want to bring these people up,” she added, according to Entertainment Weekly. ” ‘The
“I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my attempt at humor regarding the tragedy in Japan,” Gilbert Gottfried, 56, the voice of the duck since 2000, says in a statement. “I meant no disrespect, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families.” A day after Gilbert Gottfried was fired as the Aflac duck for making light of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the comedian is saying sorry. After Gottfried sent a series of joke-filled Tweets, Aflac#39;s Senior Vice President a
When Robyn isn’t serving up her own noteworthy material, she’s lending her recognizable pipes to tracks by other quirky, pop-minded artists. And this time around it’s Stockholm act Teddybears who get the Robyn vocal touch, on their new single “Cardiac Arrest.” Listen below. Teddybears, of course, are headed up by brothers Joakim and Klas Åhlund, the … More » Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Idolator Discovery Date : 15/03/2011 19:13 Number of articles : 2
When Robyn isn’t serving up her own noteworthy material, she’s lending her recognizable pipes to tracks by other quirky, pop-minded artists. And this time around it’s Stockholm act Teddybears who get the Robyn vocal touch, on their new single “Cardiac Arrest.” Listen below. Teddybears, of course, are headed up by brothers Joakim and Klas Åhlund, the … More » Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Idolator Discovery Date : 15/03/2011 19:13 Number of articles : 2
Red Letter Media’s Mike Stoklasa finishes evisceration of ‘Star Wars,’ creates ‘Half in the Bag’ to skewer movies on more regular basis. By Shawn Adler Mike Stoklassa Photo: Logan Jacobs His video eviscerations of the “Star Wars” prequels were among last year’s most anticipated, widely viewed online videos, garnering millions of views, inspiring new discussions of copyright in the digital age , and making celebrity fans ranging from Simon Pegg to Roger Ebert. But now that Mike Stoklasa, aka Mr. Plinkett, has finished carving up George Lucas — his “Revenge of Nadine: Episode III Review Epilogue” dropped Thursday (March 10) — the Milwaukee based writer/director turned millennial critic is breaking out the entire cutlery set for his next target. And this time, nobody will be safe, Stoklasa laughed in an interview with MTV News. Titled “Half in the Bag,” Stoklasa and friend Jay Bauman have launched a new online review program which will skewer current Hollywood movies in a more traditional review format, a “mix between ‘Pee-Wee’s Playhouse’ and ‘At the Movies,'” Stoklasa revealed in an email conversation. Their first effort, which imagines the pair as VCR repairmen sent to Mr. Plinkett’s house, premiered late Friday evening (March 11). The show is an attempt to cross something like “Siskel and Ebert” with a 80s era sitcom, Stoklasa explained, with the two hosts sitting across from each other while discussing new releases. For Stoklasa, it means that for the first time he’ll be lobbing critical bombs in front of the camera, rather than from behind, a switch he said he made, not without some trepidation, to avoid “the same old thing.” “I was a bit concerned with revealing the ‘man behind the curtain,’, but it’s just not in my nature to go on doing the same thing. If I did that people would say ‘The Plinkett reviews are getting old and worn out,'” he wrote. “We don’t want things to stay the same.” An expansion of and not a replacement for the trademark video stylings of Mr. Plinkett, the program is also an attempt to “make new material for people on a regular basis” while avoiding the labor intensive process inherent in the earlier reviews, Stoklasa wrote. “I like talking about movies and analyzing them, but sometimes it’s fun to deviate into other things and the traditional Mr. Plinkett reviews just take a really long time to make,” he wrote. “I will still continue to make the Mr. Plinkett reviews where I do the voice and everything, but we’re going to do this too.” But not all will be different, Stoklasa cautioned. Fans of his earlier reviews will see a familiar through-line, he said, as the program will contain cutaways, random sound effects, and even skits, such as a portion of the first review where George Lucas comes to destroy their set. Of those familiar tropes, perhaps the most familiar will be Plinkett himself, who will appear to audiences in front of the camera played by Rich Evans. “We toyed with the idea of never showing his face and me dubbing over all of his lines, but it would have been very time consuming to light that for each shot and to have to do all the ADR,” Stoklasa wrote. “Plus, I think Rich is funny in the part, he adds a lot to the role and makes it his own. Rich is really great with awkward physical comedy and comes up with a lot of good ideas on set. Hopefully people will appreciate that there is ‘Plinkett A’ and ‘Plinkett B’ and to understand that Plinkett A is not going away.” Since the show takes place in the fictional construct of Mr. Plinkett’s living room, where the pair are on a never ending quest to fix an old VCR, Stoklasa believes there’s room to criticize not just new movies, but any film that Plinkett might have in his expansive video catalogue, meaning that while the first episode centered on new films like “Drive Angry” and “The Adjustment Bureau,” older films are not off-limits. “The format is open to us doing anything,” he said. “We’ll probably wind up with more current stuff for the primary reviews, but we’ll do old B-movies and stuff like that too. We love terrible old B-Movies quite a bit and I have a sick fascination with movies that are so bad they’re funny.” For now, “the hope is to do it weekly,” Stoklasa wrote. The next episode of “Half in the Bag” premiers early next week.
Gaga dissolved relationship with retail giant over reported political contributions made to antigay gubernatorial candidate. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Tom Briglia/ WireImage Retail giant Target has issued a statement in reaction to the news that Lady Gaga has decided not to release an exclusive deluxe edition of Born This Way, due May 23, through the store as originally planned. In a statement released to MTV News, Target explained that Gaga’s reservations about working with the company came as a shock. Gaga had reportedly dissolved her relationship with the chain megastore after LGBT groups began investigating certain donations the store made, including a 2010 donation of corporate funds to MN Forward, a political action committee that supported antigay candidate Tom Emmer in his 2010 run for governor of Minnesota. “We were very surprised and disappointed by the statements made by Lady Gaga’s organization related to her partnership with Target,” the company wrote. “Target remains committed to the LGBT community as demonstrated by our contributions to various LGBT organizations, our recently established Policy Committee to review our political giving and our respectful, inclusive workplace environment.” Gaga, an outspoken gay activist, had previously addressed concerns about Target’s political leanings but hoped that they would be able to work to expand their LGBT horizons with her onboard. “That discussion was one of the most intense conversations I’ve ever had in a business meeting,” Gaga said. “Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they’ve made in the past. … Our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they’ve made supporting those [antigay] groups.” Related Videos Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ Video Premieres Related Photos Lady Gaga’s Runway Debut At Mugler Fashion Show Related Artists Lady Gaga
Gaga dissolved relationship with retail giant over reported political contributions made to antigay gubernatorial candidate. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Tom Briglia/ WireImage Retail giant Target has issued a statement in reaction to the news that Lady Gaga has decided not to release an exclusive deluxe edition of Born This Way, due May 23, through the store as originally planned. In a statement released to MTV News, Target explained that Gaga’s reservations about working with the company came as a shock. Gaga had reportedly dissolved her relationship with the chain megastore after LGBT groups began investigating certain donations the store made, including a 2010 donation of corporate funds to MN Forward, a political action committee that supported antigay candidate Tom Emmer in his 2010 run for governor of Minnesota. “We were very surprised and disappointed by the statements made by Lady Gaga’s organization related to her partnership with Target,” the company wrote. “Target remains committed to the LGBT community as demonstrated by our contributions to various LGBT organizations, our recently established Policy Committee to review our political giving and our respectful, inclusive workplace environment.” Gaga, an outspoken gay activist, had previously addressed concerns about Target’s political leanings but hoped that they would be able to work to expand their LGBT horizons with her onboard. “That discussion was one of the most intense conversations I’ve ever had in a business meeting,” Gaga said. “Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they’ve made in the past. … Our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they’ve made supporting those [antigay] groups.” Related Videos Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ Video Premieres Related Photos Lady Gaga’s Runway Debut At Mugler Fashion Show Related Artists Lady Gaga
Drizzy verse is reportedly different from the one he recorded for earlier version. By Jayson Rodriguez Kanye West Photo: Getty Images Kanye West has been quiet, by his standards, ever since releasing his last album, and most assume the MC/producer went off the radar to finish working on his collaboration album with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne. But now, it seems, ‘Ye has more in store than just his project with Hov. According to a tweet by Los Angeles spin doctor DJ Franzen, West has recruited Big Sean and Drake for the remix to his current single, “All of the Lights.” “Drizzy murdered the ‘All of the Lights’ remix with @kanyewest,” the DJ wrote . “He played it at the Suite Party last night! I heard it 1st last Sat.” A verse from the Thank Me Later star originally appeared on an early version of “All of the Lights” that landed online before the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. But on the album version, Drake is one of a many vocalists, including Rihanna , Elton John, Fergie, La Roux , John Legend and more, and his voice is indistinguishable from the others on the track. Drake’s earlier verse will reportedly be replaced with a new set of rhymes for the remix, according to Complex magazine. Last last year, in an interview with Eminem’s Shade 45 satellite radio show, Drake talked about his “All of the Lights” contribution not making Yeezy’s album. “Kanye’s creative process is ever-changing,” Drake explained. “We make music differently. I make what comes to me and I hate changing it, whereas ‘Ye will change something 30 or 40 times to get it perfect. To each their own, and the change was to put all those people on it, and I wasn’t one of them. That’s completely OK.” Check out what fans are already saying about anticipating the “All of the Lights” remix on Rapfix . Related Artists Drake Kanye West
‘Dangerous’ Durbin surprises judges with his rendition of the Wings staple ‘Maybe I’m Amazed.’ By Adam Graham James Durbin performs on “American Idol” Wednesday Photo: FOX James Durbin has one of those big, overpowering voices that can be difficult to rein in. But on Wednesday’s (March 9) episode of “American Idol,” he was able to keep it in check, and turned in one of the evening’s standout performances. After tearing through Judas Priest’s heavy metal classic “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ ” on last week’s show, one may have expected Durbin to go back to the metal playbook this week, when contestants were asked to sing a song by one of their personal idols. Instead, Durbin threw a curveball and opted to sing Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” which was recorded by Wings in 1976 (and may be familiar to fans of “The O.C.” as the song played at Julie Cooper’s wedding in the season-one finale). Durbin said he admired McCartney for his versatility and for being one of the best musicians, writers and singers in rock history, and said he one day also hopes to be remembered in those terms. In the studio, Durbin teamed up with producer Jim Jonsin (Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop,” T.I.’s “Whatever You Like”) to work on the song’s arrangement, and Jonsin pumped up the song with a bit of a hip-hop backbeat. Interscope Records head honcho Jimmy Iovine praised Durbin’s mighty pipes, saying “Idol” is a perfect vehicle for a voice like Durbin ‘s to be discovered. “You don’t hear many voices like that,” he said. “I didn’t even know kids were out there singin’ like that!” On the “Idol” stage, Durbin — flaunting a fresh haircut, a clean-shaven face and without the scarf “tail” he wore last week — did justice to “Amazed,” and didn’t drive it over a cliff with his over-the-top vocal wails. Instead, he held back and showed a more reserved side of himself, and displayed a range, both vocally and emotionally, that proved he was more than the one-trick-pony/ Adam Lambert clone as his detractors had him pegged. The judges dug the way he changed things up and managed to “slay” it, in Randy Jackson’s words. “I was like, ‘Yo, this dude can do anything, man!” the Dawg told him. “James Durbin is dangerous, America. This guy can sing!” Steven Tyler followed suit, saying Durbin took everything he ever felt and “kicked it into the middle of next week” — apparently that’s a good thing — and Jennifer Lopez complimented his vocal skills. “The truth is you have what the greatest rock singers have, which is a melodic quality to your voice,” she said. And it appears as though we’re going to hear plenty more of that voice in the weeks to come. What did you think of James Durbin’s performance? Let us know in the comments! Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty ! In the meantime, 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 10 Performances
‘Dangerous’ Durbin surprises judges with his rendition of the Wings staple ‘Maybe I’m Amazed.’ By Adam Graham James Durbin performs on “American Idol” Wednesday Photo: FOX James Durbin has one of those big, overpowering voices that can be difficult to rein in. But on Wednesday’s (March 9) episode of “American Idol,” he was able to keep it in check, and turned in one of the evening’s standout performances. After tearing through Judas Priest’s heavy metal classic “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ ” on last week’s show, one may have expected Durbin to go back to the metal playbook this week, when contestants were asked to sing a song by one of their personal idols. Instead, Durbin threw a curveball and opted to sing Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” which was recorded by Wings in 1976 (and may be familiar to fans of “The O.C.” as the song played at Julie Cooper’s wedding in the season-one finale). Durbin said he admired McCartney for his versatility and for being one of the best musicians, writers and singers in rock history, and said he one day also hopes to be remembered in those terms. In the studio, Durbin teamed up with producer Jim Jonsin (Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop,” T.I.’s “Whatever You Like”) to work on the song’s arrangement, and Jonsin pumped up the song with a bit of a hip-hop backbeat. Interscope Records head honcho Jimmy Iovine praised Durbin’s mighty pipes, saying “Idol” is a perfect vehicle for a voice like Durbin ‘s to be discovered. “You don’t hear many voices like that,” he said. “I didn’t even know kids were out there singin’ like that!” On the “Idol” stage, Durbin — flaunting a fresh haircut, a clean-shaven face and without the scarf “tail” he wore last week — did justice to “Amazed,” and didn’t drive it over a cliff with his over-the-top vocal wails. Instead, he held back and showed a more reserved side of himself, and displayed a range, both vocally and emotionally, that proved he was more than the one-trick-pony/ Adam Lambert clone as his detractors had him pegged. The judges dug the way he changed things up and managed to “slay” it, in Randy Jackson’s words. “I was like, ‘Yo, this dude can do anything, man!” the Dawg told him. “James Durbin is dangerous, America. This guy can sing!” Steven Tyler followed suit, saying Durbin took everything he ever felt and “kicked it into the middle of next week” — apparently that’s a good thing — and Jennifer Lopez complimented his vocal skills. “The truth is you have what the greatest rock singers have, which is a melodic quality to your voice,” she said. And it appears as though we’re going to hear plenty more of that voice in the weeks to come. What did you think of James Durbin’s performance? Let us know in the comments! Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty ! In the meantime, 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 10 Performances
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