- Rihanna's 'Battleship' Will Join Pantheon Of Singers' First Flicks
From Madonna's 'A Certain Sacrifice' to Taylor Swift's 'Valentine's Day,' pop stars' first forays into acting have been interesting.
By Eric Ditzian
Taylor Swift in "Valentine's Day"
Photo: New Line Cinema
Last February, during a swing through South Korea, Rihanna told MTV Asia that she had dreams of becoming a Hollywood superstar.
"I would love to get into comedic movies," the 22-year-old said. "As well as action. I love action. I would love to play a badass one day."
Well, a badass she very well might be, as she's signed onto "Battleship," a sci-fi action flick based on the classic board game and co-starring Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsgård. Of course, this isn't the first time a celebrated singer has ditched the recording studio for the soundstage. As Rihanna boards "Battleship," she joins a long line of artists-turned-actresses. Let's take a look back at the first movie roles from some our favorite singers.
Beyoncé in "Austin Powers in Goldmember"
No disrespect to the 2001 MTV movie "Carmen: A Hip Hopera," but 2002's "Goldmember" was Beyoncé's first turn on the big screen. And what a debut it was. She essentially played herself, albeit a '70s version of herself with super high hair and a handgun, but that is exactly what Beyoncé needed. The role didn't require very much in terms of acting chops and gave her the chance to get comfortable in front of the camera. Veteran comedic talent like Mike Myers, Seth Green and Michael Caine got the laughs, while Beyoncé benefited from simply sharing the frame. "Goldmember" grossed almost 0 million worldwide, and she went on to star in the critically acclaimed "Dreamgirls" a few years later.
Madonna in "A Certain Sacrifice"
Madge's first high-profile role arrived in 1985 with "Desperately Seeking Susan," but she actually shot her first movie six years earlier. The low-budget "A Certain Sacrifice," a sex-and-violence filled story set in New York's Lower East Side, languished on the shelf for years until Madonna hit the mainstream. She actually did everything she could to prevent the film's release, but "Certain Sacrifice" eventually got a home video release. Madonna might not be proud of the flick, but it certainly didn't have a negative effect on her Hollywood career. She went on to star in a slew of glitzy productions, including "Evita," for which she won a Golden Globe in 1997.
Queen Latifah in "Jungle Fever"
Latifah signed her first record deal when she was just 17. By the time she was 21, she'd also landed a small role in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever." She went on to meatier roles in "House Party 2" and "Juice," opposite Tupac Shakur. By the new millennium, she had an Oscar nomination for "Chicago" on her résumé and a string of starring credits to her name.
Britney Spears in "Crossroads"
At perhaps the height of her fame, Spears took on a starring role in 2002's "Crossroads," a road-trip story featuring musical interludes and the talents of Dan Aykroyd and Zoe Saldana. The film was a critical dud and a box-office disappointment, and Spears has yet to get another chance at the big screen. In recent years, she's contented herself with cameo appearances in "How I Met Your Mother."
Taylor Swift in "Valentine's Day"
The country superstar appeared as herself in 2009's "Hannah Montana: The Movie," but not until this year's hit ensemble comedy, "Valentine's Day," did Swift slip into an acting role. She played a high school student who falls for her classmate, played by none other than Taylor Lautner. No word yet what her next movie project might be, but her, "Valentine's" director Garry Marshall is gearing up for his next ensemble flick, "New Year's Eve." Ms. Swift, ya interested?
Who is your favorite musician-turned-actor? Talk about it in the comments.
Check out everything we've got on "Battleship."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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- Photos | 'Forbes' Magazine's Top-Earning Musicians Of 2010
- U2, AC/DC, Beyonce Top Forbes 2010 Music Earners List
Lady Gaga debuts on the list at #7, after earning more than Madonna in the past year.
By Gil Kaufman
U2's Bono
Photo: Harry Herd/ Getty Images
It just stands to reason that if you put on the biggest rock tour in history, you're going to make some serious coin. That might explain why more than three decades into their career, U2 easily took the top spot on Forbes magazine's list of the world's top-earning musicians, which also included newcomer Lady Gaga, as well as some of the usual suspects like Madonna, Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen.
Like most of the artists on the list, the veteran Irish rockers did it with touring cash, in their case the coin from their gigantic 360 Tour, which netted them 0 million over the past 12 months by selling more than 1.3 million tickets for an average price of apiece in North America. The tour grossed 1 million, and each stop had gross ticket receipts of million, but the band's bottom line was also boosted by healthy merchandise sales, as well as strong radio play for their deep back catalog, which continues to sell well. The outing was temporarily derailed this year due to Bono's back injury, but U2 plan to return to North American shores next summer for a victory lap.
The Forbes tally, which counted earnings between June 2009 and June 2010, had another veteran band at #2: power rockers AC/DC, who stormed back last year with a tour that grossed http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/knowles_beyonce/rss/highlights_full.jhtml.3 million a night and helped them earn 4 million on worldwide grosses of 6 million.
Making a stand for the ladies, Beyoncé netted million to become the highest-earning female on the list at #3. A healthy dose of her take was courtesy of major endorsement deals with Nintendo and L'Oréal, sales from her House of Dereon fashion line, and the million in gross receipts from her 93-date world tour.
New Jersey rock icon Springsteen also made most of his money on the road, raking in million by selling more than 2 million tickets on his world tour, which grossed 7 million. Heavy radio play and the sales of lots of catalog albums also helped him lock down the #4 slot on the list.
It was another solid year for Britney Spears, who earned the #5 position with the fifth-highest grossing tour of the year, which brought in gross receipts of 0 million. She also rang up big cash for endorsement deals with Elizabeth Arden and Candies, which added to her million in earnings. Jay-Z gave wifey Beyoncé a run for her money, taking the #6 position with million he brought in from his stake in the New Jersey Nets NBA team, 40/40 nightclub chain, the hit Broadway show "Fela!," Blueprint 3 sales and the album's tour, which grossed more than million a night.
Gaga, 24, crashed the list at #7 thanks to strong CD and download sales, her smash worldwide Monster Ball tour and million-dollar endorsement deals with Virgin Mobile, Polaroid, Viva Glam and Monster Cable, which netted her million. She beat out one of her musical and sartorial touchstones, Madonna, who hit the #8 spot with earnings of million thanks to her Sticky and Sweet Tour, the fourth highest-grossing outing of 2009, which raked in million a night for a 8 million gross. The pop legend also made cash from an all-Madonna episode of "Glee" and earned a lump of cash from her lucrative publishing royalties.
Country star Kenny Chesney landed at #9 with million in earnings from a million grossing tour and prominent sponsorships with Corona and MasterCard.
The final spot was a three-way tie between the Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay and Toby Keith, all of whom brought in million. The unstoppable Peas did it with a worldwide tour that brought in 0,000 a night, as well as a raft of endorsement deals with Target, Honda, Bacardi and Apple computers. Coldplay's tour dates for 2008's Viva la Vida grossed more than 5 million as well as millions in merchandise sales. Keith made million in gross concert receipts and earned the rest from a growing chain of restaurants, stakes in several publishing companies and millions a year from publishing royalties.
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- Beyonce's 'Why Don't You Love Me' Almost Didn't Happen, Bama Boyz Say
'It was the last one we expected her to pick,' song's producers reveal.
By Steven Roberts
Beyoncé
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic
If you've listened to Beyoncé's "Why Don't You Love Me" and inexplicably felt like you were a spy in the middle of an international conspiracy, then don't feel like you're weird. When producers the Bama Boyz, created the song, that's exactly how they felt.
The Grammy-nominated production trio of Eddie Smith, Jesse J. Rankins and Jonathan Wells are signed to Mathew Knowles' (a.k.a. Beyoncé's father) Music World Entertainment, and have worked with B for some time. In fact, the song's inspiration came from the time they spent in London at the end of her B-Day Tour.
"After the tour left, we stayed over in the UK, because we fell in love with it. It was a big thing for us, being out there, and we watch a lot of movies, so we all felt like Jason Bourne, to be quite honest with you," Rankins said. "We felt like James Bond or something. We were running around on like — this is kind of embarrassing — pretend missions in our head and we felt like we needed a theme song for it."
He said they started working on the song that would become "Why Don't You Love Me" in London, and completed it once they were back Stateside. They said that the song's structure was unusual, but luckily it ended up in the right person's hands.
"What happen was [B's sister] Solange called us and was like, 'Hey, I'm going to write a couple of records for my sister. Send me some tracks!' We had a lot of bangers that felt more like Beyoncé, but we actually put that one last on the CD because we figured 'This is not Beyoncé,' but we knew Solange would like it," Rankins said. "So we stuck that one there — but we battled with even putting it on there, because it was the last one we expected her to pick. So Solange sent it back with a song written to it, and it was the 'Why Don't You Love Me' lyrics. The song was hot!"
The Bama Boyz met in junior high and high school and linked back up in college at Alabama A&M University, where they threw parties as DJs. They eventually landed internships at Sony Music before hooking up with Mathew Knowles.
Despite their name, the group's sound doesn't necessarily scream Alabama. Their EP, Socially Awkward, is filled with music that can't readily be classified as electro, R&B or hip-hop.
"We actually like the fact that our name is the Bamaz — people say, 'Ah, they're going to sound like this.' But then we you hear [us], you're like 'What? Are they really from Alabama?' It's just like a gumbo of lots of different genres and styles."
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- Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Oprah Top Forbes 2010 Celebrity Power List
James Cameron, Sandra Bullock, Britney and Madonna also named most powerful celebs of 2010.
By Gil Kaufman
Lady Gaga
Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images
Lady Gaga has won a lot of accolades during the past year and met some pretty impressive dignitaries, but crashing the Forbes magazine annual World's Most Powerful Celebrities list puts her in some truly rarified company.
The singer, who launched her latest iteration of her never-ending Monster Ball Tour in Montreal on Monday night, debuts on the list this year at #4. She landed there thanks to high marks for her Web visibility (#1 on the list) and a million haul between June 2009 and June 2010, million of which came from touring (after a gross of million), with much of the rest courtesy of deals with Virgin Mobile, Polaroid, Monster Cable and MAC.
Gaga joins a top 10 that is dominated by women, including the once-again #1, Oprah Winfrey, who retook her top rank thanks to 5 million in earnings after ceding it last year to Angelina Jolie (now #18). The list ranks celebs based on earnings over the previous 12 months, as well as visibility in print, TV, radio, online and social media.
Beyoncé slipped up two spots to #4 this year, with million in grosses thanks to a 93-date world tour, deals with Nintendo and L'Oreal and her House of Dereon fashion line. The still resurgent Britney Spears leaped from #13 to #6 this year, banking million, most of it thanks to a world tour that grossed 0 million and deals with Elizabeth Arden and Candie's.
Madonna slipped seven spots down from last year's #3 ranking to #10, but at 52, she still had the fourth-highest-grossing tour of the year, which rolled up more than 8 million in gross receipts, as well as significant publishing royalties, including cash from an all-Madge episode of "Glee."
More than 30 years into their career, U2 went from zero to #7 on the list, mostly courtesy of a massive — currently mothballed — world tour that raked in more than 1 million in gross box office, as well as lucrative merchandise sales, copious radio play and a steady-selling back catalog that earned them more than 0 million.
With a 0 million payday from his #1 smash "Avatar," director James Cameron (#3) had a very good year, unlike disgraced golfer Tiger Woods, who hits #5 with 5 million in earnings amid high press rankings, mostly for his infidelity scandal. The top 10 is rounded out by Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock (#8, million), who made headlines for having two hit movies, "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side," as well a divorce from ex-Jesse James. And at #9 is Johnny Depp, who banked million, mostly due to his work in "Alice in Wonderland," which grossed billion worldwide, making Depp the only actor to headline two billion-dollar films.
Taylor Swift made it onto the list for the first time, at #12, thanks to her status as the most-played artist on radio in 2009, multi-platinum album sales, and big endorsement deals with Sony and CoverGirl that netted her million. She's just ahead of Miley Cyrus (#13), who took in a not-too-shabby million. Beyoncé's other half, Jay-Z, also made a giant leap this year, jumping from #32 to #15 with a hit album, his investment in the 40/40 club chain and the Broadway show "Fela!," the New Jersey Nets, and the Blueprint 3 tour, which grossed more than million per show.
Also new on the list this year are the Black Eyed Peas, who debuted at #16 thanks to a million year pumped up by sponsorship deals with Target, Honda, Bacardi and Apple. Singer Pink crashed the party at #27 in her debut year, with million, much of it courtesy of her smash international tour.
Other musicians on the list include: Bruce Springsteen (#17), Coldplay (#35), the Jonas Brothers (#40), Diddy (#68), Lil Wayne (#74) and Akon (#80).
"Twilight" star Robert Pattinson also makes his first appearance on the list, coming in at #50 with million in earnings, followed by co-star Kristen Stewart at #66 with million in earnings. The woman who started it all, "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer, hits the #59 spot with million in pay thanks to the billion in box office the movies have earned so far and continued strong sales of the books from the series.
Former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell earned a spot behind Madonna at #11 with a hefty million payday, while fellow "Idol" cohort Ellen DeGeneres (#23) earned million from her stint on the reality show and her syndicated daily talker. "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest weighs in at #44 with million from his variety of TV hosting gigs, radio show and producer credits on reality shows.
Do you think Forbes got the rankings right? Share your opinions below.
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- Lady Gaga Thanks Fans For BET Awards Win With Beyonce
'Thank you so much for my first BET award ever,' Gaga tweeted after winning Video of the Year for 'Video Phone.'
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga in the music video for "Video Phone"
Photo: Columbia/Music World
Jay-Z was nominated for two Video of the Year prizes at the BET Awards, but it was his wife, Beyoncé, who took home the trophy on Sunday night, for "Video Phone," her splashy collaboration with Lady Gaga.
And Gaga — who plays second billing on that particular collaboration, which is not to be confused with their work on "Telephone" — didn't wait too long to take to her Twitter to thank her fans for the prize. She wrote, "Thank you so much for my first BET award ever, with Honey B! Videophone won VIDEO OF THE YEAR! Paws up for B! X Mother Monster."
The girls were up against such other worthy contenders as Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna ("Run This Town"), Jay-Z and Alicia Keys ("Empire State of Mind"), B.o.B. and Bruno Mars ("Nothin' on You") and Melanie Fiona ("It Kills Me").
The "Video Phone" clip premiered late last year and was only a prelude to what fans could expect from the ladies in Gaga's "Telephone" video.
In November, Gaga admitted that she went into the video shoot in the Beyoncé headspace. "I said, 'I want to do you in your video, and I want to tribute you. I want to dress up like you,' " she recalled telling her co-star. "And [director] Hype Williams ... was so excited. He was like, 'Gaga, I want no makeup on your face.' It was really stripped down — real Beyoncé hair, and we wore the same outfit in the video, and I [paid tribute to] her."
Do you think Beyoncé and Lady Gaga deserved the top prize? Tell us in the comments!
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- Jay-Z Talks Married Life, Def Jam Presidency In Rolling Stone
He also opens up about his love for indie rock and his one visit to a therapist.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Jay-Z on the cover of "Rolling Stone"
Photo: Wenner Media
Jay-Z is a rapper, a businessman and a husband. We've seen him tear up stages as an MC, and his deals have made headlines — but as Mr. Beyoncé, we know very little.
In the new issue of Rolling Stone, however, the iconic hip-hop star lets his guard down a bit as he relays a story about a piece of art he attempted to purchase. Jay wanted to buy a black-and-white Laurie Simmons photograph that depicted a "lit pistol with a pair of women's legs emerging from the handle."
Beyoncé vetoed the piece. Instead, the singer sought out a similar one, only with the women's legs emerging from a perfume bottle.
Elsewhere in the interview, Jay-Z discusses his affinity for indie rock, his one visit to see a therapist and his days as the president of Def Jam Records. "All of them," Jay answered when asked which meetings were the most frustrating during his tenure as a label head.
In the past, the rapper has spoken out about his interest in indie acts like Grizzly Bear, who he hopes will push hip-hop to be more challenging with their own creativity.
"The thing I want to say to everyone — I hope this happens, because it will push rap, it will push hip-hop to go even further — what the indie-rock movement is doing right now is very inspiring," he told MTV News last year. "It felt like us in the beginning. These concerts, they're not on the radio, no one hears about them, and there's 12,000 people in attendance. And the music that they're making and the connection they're making to people is really inspiring. So I hope that they have a run where they push hip-hop back a little bit, so it will force hip-hop to fight to make better music, because it can happen, because that's what rap did to rock."
The Rolling Stone cover features Jay-Z in a black leather jacket and dark, black sunglasses. The cover is a "peel-off" edition that reveals another image of the rapper underneath, donning a black tuxedo jacket and black framed glasses.
The issue is expected to arrive on newsstands this week.
Are you excited to read Jay-Z's story in the new Rolling Stone? Let us know in the comments!
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- Beyonce To Perform at White House State Dinner Tonight
Obama favorite will be joined by Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Beyoncé
Photo: Getty Images
Beyoncé will perform Wednesday night (May 19) at the White House State Dinner along with Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. The stars will entertain dignitaries on the White House South Lawn following the dinner for Mexican President Felipe Calderón.
Beyoncé, who has rocked stages around the world, is no stranger to performing for the first family. In 2009, the superstar hit the stage at the We Are One inaugural concert and serenaded President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama during the couple's first dance following Barack Obama's historic inauguration. Beyoncé and her mogul husband, Jay-Z — who is fairly chummy with the leader of the free world — made headlines earlier this year when the couple visited the White House with R&B star Trey Songz in tow.
Acoustic-guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela will also perform at the dinner. However, unlike Beyoncé, the performance marks the pair's first time at the White House. The duo tweeted earlier Wednesday, "Just landed in DC ... in a little while we'll do soundcheck at the White House for 2moro's performance. Never been there b4 as tourist either."
Rodrigo y Gabriela, who have gone from heavy-metal fans to street performers to world-music stars, will tour the world this summer in support of their latest album, 11:11. Despite performing at the White House for the first time, the pair seem confident about the show and tweeted some words of encouragement to President Obama and President Calderón as the world leaders apparently handled some official business earlier Wednesday. "2nd soundcheck at White House today at 3 30 ... gig's around 9! I think the 2 presidents are in an official meeting right now....good luck."
Fans who want to experience the evening don't need an official invite. The performances and a toast from Presidents Obama and Calderón will be streamed live on the White House website.
Will you watch the White House performances? Let us know in the comments below!
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- Photos | Jay-Z, Beyonce, Bieber And More Nominated For 2010 BET Awards
- BET Awards Nominations Led By Jay-Z, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Drake ... And Justin Bieber
Bieber scores a surprise nod for Best New Artist.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Jay-Z
Photo: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images
After performing at the World Series, headlining a 9/11 benefit concert at Madison Square Garden and being named MTV News' Hottest MC in the Game, it's no surprise that Jay-Z received the most nominations for the upcoming 2010 BET Awards.
The Brooklyn MC scored nods in the Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, Best Collaboration ("Empire State of Mind"), Video of the Year ("Empire State of Mind" and "Run this Town") and Viewer's Choice categories to lead the way with five nominations, it was announced Tuesday (May 18).
Teen heart throb Justin Bieber picked up a surprise nomination for Best New Artist, his only recognition. "That was not a joke," BET executive Stephen Hill said, laughing in response to the singer's nod.
Beyoncé (Best Female R&B Artist), Alicia Keys (Best Female R&B Artist), Trey Songz (Best Collaboration, for "Successful" and "Say Aah") and newcomer Melanie Fiona (Centric Award) were among the other multiple nominees, each receiving four nods.
Lil Wayne's protégés did well too, with Drake picking up three nominations, including Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, Nicki Minaj scoring two nods and Young Money as a collective earning three nominations, including as the only crew up for Best New Artist.
Drake and Nicki Minaj will also be among those scheduled to take the stage to perform during the evening, in addition to Trey Songz and Diddy-Dirty Money.
Rihanna, Fabolous, B.o.B, Monica, and Maxwell round out the multiple nominees with two nominations apiece.
New categories introduced for the show, now in its 10th year, include Best Movie and Young Stars Awards, in which Selena Gomez and Will Smith's daughter Willow will compete against each other.
Queen Latifah is set to host the festivities live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on June 27. "Mo'Nique will slap the sh-- outta me if I don't do a good job," Latifah told the gathered media, in regards to following in the footsteps of the comedian and Jada Pinkett-Smith as female hosts.
Diddy will host the post-show, as he counts down the release of his album, Last Train to Paris, which arrives June 28.
The full list of nominees, according to BET:
Best Female R&B Artist
» Beyoncé
» Mary J. Blige
» Melanie Fiona
» Alicia Keys
» Rihanna
Best Male R&B Artist
» Chris Brown
» Raheem DeVaughn
» Maxwell
» Trey Songz
» Usher
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
» Ester Dean
» Lil Kim
» Nicki Minaj
» Rasheeda
» Trina
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
» B.o.B
» Drake
» Fabolous
» Jay-Z
» Ludacris
Best New Artist
» Justin Bieber
» Melanie Fiona
» Nicki Minaj
» Wale
» Young Money
Best Gospel
» The Anointed Pace Sisters
» Kirk Franklin Presents: Artists United for Haiti
» Tamela Mann
» Marvin Sapp
» Vickie Winans
Best Group
» Black Eyed Peas
» Clipse
» Diddy-Dirty Money
» New Boyz
» Young Money
Best Collaboration
» Beyoncé (featuring Lady Gaga) - "Video Phone"
» B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) - Nothin' on You
» Drake and Trey Songz - "Successful"
» Drake (featuring Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem) - "Forever"
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
» Trey Songz (featuring Fabolous) - "Say Aah"
Video Director of the Year
» Benny Boom
» Gil Green
» Anthony Mandler
» Chris Robinson
» Hype Williams
Video of the Year
» Beyoncé (featuring Lady Gaga) - "Video Phone"
» B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) - Nothin' on You
» Melanie Fiona - "It Kills Me"
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
» Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West - "Run This Town"
Best Actress
» Taraji P. Henson
» Regina King
» Mo'Nique
» Zoe Saldana
» Gabourey Sidibe
Best Actor
» Quinton Aaron
» Don Cheadle
» Idris Elba
» Jamie Foxx
» Denzel Washington
Best Movie
» "Avatar"
» "Law Abiding Citizen"
» "Michael Jackson's This Is It"
» "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
» "The Blind Side"
Young Stars Award
» Selena Gomez
» Lil JJ
» Keke Palmer
» Willow Smith
» Tyler James Williams
Subway Sportswoman of the Year
» Tamika Catchings
» Vanessa James
» Candace Parker
» Serena Williams
» Venus Williams
Subway Sportsman of the Year
» Carmelo Anthony
» Usain Bolt
» Kobe Bryant
» LeBron James
» Tiger Woods
Viewer's Choice
» Beyoncé - "Sweet Dreams"
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
» Monica - "Everything to Me"
» Rihanna (featuring Young Jeezy) - "Hard"
» Trey Songz (featuring Fabolous) - "Say Aah"
» Young Money (featuring Lloyd) - "Bedrock"
Best International Act
» Kojo Antwi (Ghana)
» Chipmunk (U.K.)
» Dizzee Rascal (U.K.)
» Estelle (U.K.)
» Hip Hop Pantsula (South Africa)
» K'NAAN (Somalia)
» M.I. (Nigeria)
» P-Square (Nigeria)
» Corinne Bailey Rae (U.K.)
» Sade (U.K.)
Centric Award
» Melanie Fiona
» Maxwell
» Chrisette Michele
» Monica
» Sade
Who are you looking forward to seeing at the 2010 BET Awards? Let us know in the comments!
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- Beyoncé - Why Don't You Love Me
- Beyonce Plays Suffering Housewife In 'Why Don't You Love Me' Video
Singer does housework in latest clip from I Am ... Sasha Fierce LP.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Beyoncé in her "Why Don't You Love Me" video
Photo: Columbia
Beyoncé may have killed off Sasha Fierce, but it looks like she's introducing a new alter ego in her latest video, "Why Don't You Love Me," which premiered Tuesday (May 4) via her Vimeo page.
In a nod to classic American television, the clip opens with a narrator — in an advertising-styled voice-over — introducing B, "starring as B.B. Homemaker."
Beyoncé then does her best impersonation of Betty Draper, the embattled wife in "Mad Men," who endured the philandering ways of her husband, Don Draper.
"Why don't you need me," B croons throughout, smoking cigarettes, drinking martinis and crying the mascara down her face. "When I make it so damn easy to need me."
The '50s-styled video finds Beyoncé suffering through a number of household chores, including cleaning the kitchen, dusting (her Grammy Awards, no less), and watering the plants, all with no sign of her man.
The video was co-directed by Melina Matsoukas (Eve, Rihanna, Ne-Yo) and Beyoncé.
"Why Don't You Love Me" is the ninth video overall from Beyoncé's 2008 album I Am...Sasha Fierce, following "If I Were a Boy," "Diva" and "Sweet Dreams," among others. It's also her first clip since collaborating on back-to-back visuals with Lady Gaga: her own "Video Phone" and Gaga's "Telephone."
Earlier this year, in an interview with Allure magazine, Beyoncé surprised her fans when she proclaimed that she'd killed off her Sasha Fierce character.
"I don't need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I've grown and now I'm able to merge the two," she explained to the magazine.
It remains to be seen if B.B. Homemaker makes it past the "Why Don't You Love Me" video.
What do you think of Beyoncé's new video? Let us know in the comments below!
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- Coachella 2010 Features Blistering Sets By Jay-Z, Muse, Thom Yorke
Faith No More, Gorillaz, Pavement and other age-defying acts heat up the desert fest.
By Corey Moss
Jay-Z performs at Coachella 2010
Photo: Lee Barth
INDIO, California — Leave it to the least likely star to grace the Coachella headlining stage to best sum up 2010's festival.
"I wanna be forever young," Beyoncé sang as fireworks erupted Friday, helping husband Jay-Z close his much-anticipated set.
Not only was there a cavalcade of age-defying acts among the three day festival's 100-some performers, it was often the over-40 club delivering the most commanding sets, Jigga Man included.
Before Jay powered through more than 30 songs on Friday, super group Them Crooked Vultures (featuring Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme) and Street Sweeper Social Club (starring Rage Against the Machine/ Audioslave guitar hero Tom Morello) both won over large crowds — not with familiar songs, but with sheer performance flair. Ditto Thom Yorke, Faith No More, Devo, the Specials, a reunited Pavement and many more throughout the weekend.
Even Coachella itself has improved with age. Now in its 11th year, the festival set attendance records, selling out 75,000 three-day passes. (Single-day tickets were not available for the first time ever.)
Because flights were grounded overseas due to the ash cloud created by the volcanic eruption in Iceland, seven bands missed Coachella, including the Cribs and Frightened Rabbit, as well as Phoenix's light tech. "So, we're just gonna go simple and make it about the music," Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars said, before deftly staying true to that promise.
Also absent was Dr. Dre, who was widely rumored to guest during Jay-Z's set. Actually, with the exception of Beyoncé and his own 10-piece band, Hova had no guests, a bit surprising considering the tall order at hand as the festival's first hip-hop headliner. Instead, Jay relied on his own swagger and arsenal of hits, beginning with "Run This Town" and ending with, of course, "Encore."
As California first lady Maria Shriver enjoyed the set next to Beyoncé and Hayden Panettiere, video screens showed President Obama doing the "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" gesture.
After cheering from the sidelines (and enjoying a cold beer), Beyoncé took the stage with a giant smile and a punk-rock T-shirt with the Never Mind the Bullocks logo (perhaps a nod to Sex Pistol Johnny Lydon, whose Public Image Limited was playing at the next stage over).
Jay, who entered by rising from a platform below the stage, hardly played a song in its entirety and could have done more for this crowd with his rock-leaning songs like "99 Problems." At Glastonbury in 2008, after Noel Gallagher said there was no place for hip-hop at the festival, Jay opened with Oasis's "Wonderwall." His DJ played that song at Coachella too, but it felt out of place in the middle of his set and without context.
As has been his habit at concerts lately, Jay gave several shout-outs to specific crowd members. "To the guy who looks like The Situation," he said to much laughter. It was a genuine, raw moment the set needed.
It was Saturday's headliner, Muse, who clearly delivered the best performance, giving a master class in energizing an audience, beginning with a rollicking "Uprising." And just to ensure that every single person sang along to the epic tune, the words flashed behind them as singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy hit each one. Heck, the band's light and pyro show was worthy of its own Coachella slot.
Bellamy borrowed from the best throughout the 90-minute set, windmilling around the stage like Pete Townsend and picking through the national anthem like Jimi Hendrix. (The Brit also wore an American flag shirt to go along.) He even paid tribute to big band, a genre memorialized across Palm Springs, by crooning Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" from a clear grand piano.
Coachella's best cover actually came from Faith No More, whose Mike Patton took the stage in a red leisure suit and cane, and sang a deadpan rendition of Peaches and Herb's "Reunited" with the fitting chorus, "Reunited and it feels so good." Somehow the song blended right in among classics like "We Care a Lot" and "Epic." It was difficult to hear their hard-fueled rock and not think of all the bands they influenced, from System of a Down to Incubus, whose Brandon Boyd was spotted backstage.
Gorillaz headlined Sunday and got off to a good start with a video of an animated Snoop Dogg introducing the band, who appeared in the flesh. Damon Albarn was in prime vocal form, but the show lacked the visual excitement expected of the group. The animated members rarely appeared, let alone as holograms or anything else. Bonus points, however, for bringing on some real guests, including De La Soul, members of the Clash and Bobby Womack, who sings on the new single "Stylo."
Headlining Sunday's second stage was Thom Yorke, who showcased his own super group, Atoms for Peace, which includes Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Beck drummer Joey Waronker and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. The virtuosos made Yorke's solo record The Eraser their playground, inflicting jittery beats and funky bass grooves all over the singer's wide-ranging vocals.
At first the blue-haired Flea looked almost bored, but he quickly got into the show, dancing with Yorke, or whatever you call the shaking they did many times through the 90-minute set. For an encore, Yorke returned solo and played a new song on which he layered his own vocals with looping pedals. Then he treated his fanboy audience (which included Jay-Z and Russell Simmons) to a couple of Radiohead tunes, including "Everything in Its Right Place."
Also playing late, although not intentionally, was Sly Stone, who in perfect Sly fashion, missed his 7 p.m. slot, showed up 40 minutes late to his rescheduled 10:30 slot, and then performed what could only be described as a train wreck. He ranted for 10 minutes about his old manager, stopped songs midway through, forgetting lyrics, and abruptly jumped off the stage and left. Axl Rose has got nothing on this guy.
On the opposite end of the spectrum were Matt & Kim, the band happiest to be playing Coachella, or at least the one who showed it the most. The duo recounted their favorite memories from the weekend ("Beyoncé gave me goose bumps," Matt said), shared manscaping tips and had their very own streaker ("Hooray for that man's penis!" Matt cheered). And the music was just as entertaining, like when the drum (Kim) and keys (Matt) duo broke into "Apache" during the middle of their awesome single "Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare." They also pounded ferociously through Gary Glitter's "Rock & Roll Part 2."
Other Sunday stand-outs included French sensation Phoenix, who gathered one of the largest crowds of the weekend and whipped them into a frenzy from the opening "Listomania" to the closing "1901" and everything in between. Spoon had the most sing-alongs, but it was Yo La Tengo and Pavement who educated the main stage audience on alternative rock's roots, while Sunny Day Real Estate, featuring Foo Fighters Nate Mendel on bass, reminded the second stage of emo's origins.
Julian Casablancas ignored the desert heat and donned a black leather jacket for a set that included both solo and Strokes material, while Miike Snow took the stage in matching black suits and white masks, looking like a scene out of a Stanley Kubrick movie, and kinda sounding like one too.
On Saturday, maybe it was that Muse and Faith No More were so good, but the highly anticipated MGMT and Dead Weather sets seemed to fall flat. Both acts waited until mid-show to play their best-known material, which can be risky when there are four other stages going at the same time.
Coheed & Cambria are not exactly hit-makers, but the MTV March Madness champions are performers and proved the perfect warm-up for FNM and Muse. For their closing, the Rush-inspired rockers brought out members of the USC marching band, adding to an already full sound.
Band of Skulls turned in a break-out set, putting a more radio-friendly spin on blues rock. Think Wolfmother or the Black Keys meets Blink-182. Other Saturday afternoon highlights included perennial partiers the Gossip (who were also remixed later in the 2 Many DJs set) and Australian newcomers the Temper Trap, whose "Sweet Disposition" was one of those perfect hot Coachella afternoon anthems.
Friday's show-stealers were Them Crooked Vultures and Street Sweeper Social Club, the former fronted by Indio's own Josh Homme, who mixed some subtly humorous banter in with his guitar shredding. While introducing the band, for instance, he said "and on pretty much everything, John Paul f---ing Jones!" The Zeppelin legend played mostly bass, but opened the show on a stand-up electric slide guitar contraption, and later took to the piano for a beautiful interlude (a nice smoke break for Homme). Grohl's drumming was ferocious from the first beat, a reminder of what Kurt Cobain saw in him years ago. The dude just loves to rock out and it shows.
Similarly, Tom Morello was on fire throughout Street Sweeper Social Club's 5 p.m. set, soloing on nearly every song, pumping his fist like he meant it and leading the charge on a masterful re-creation of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes." Boots Riley could be a slightly better MC, but the band still brings something special live.
LCD Soundsystem are a special live act too, but fell a little short by playing several new songs and saving the favorites for the end. Vampire Weekend followed a similar strategy, but what hurt them most was a 10 p.m. set time. Late afternoon would have been a much better fit for their sun-soaked, eclectic song collection.
She & Him had that slot instead and owned it with a breezy, relaxed set. For an actress, Zooey Deschanel could have a little more stage presence, but her voice is angelic like Jenny Lewis, who has fit in nicely at past Coachellas.
Friday's breakout act was Sleigh Bells, a Brooklyn duo featuring Derek Miller's metal riffs and firecracker Alexis Krauss' rhymes over sampled beats. Sounds odd and very 1999, but it's infectious and fun.
And finally a special shout-out to DJ Lance Rock, who not only spun the kids' songs from his show, "Yo Gabba Gabba," but also brought along all his friends from the show. Forget Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens; Kristen Stewart, John Mayer or Katy Perry. Forget Paris Hilton, Kate Bosworth and Mischa Barton. The biggest celebrities at the fest were the felt favorites Muno, Broobee and Foofa.
Were you at Coachella? Share your own reviews of the fest in the comments below!
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