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Adam Lambert Still Floored By His Ama 'Ninja Roll'
25 November 2009 9:56 AM, PST
Singer says his onstage fall felt 'like when you spray a cockroach.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jim Cantiello
Photo: Akshay Bhansali/ MTV News
Adam Lambert shocked fans by kissing his bandmate, dancing provocatively and giving the finger to his critics during his performance of "For Your Entertainment" at the American Music Awards. But he also impressed and amused several of those watching by managing to play off his stumble atop a stage riser like an old pro.
Nope, that tumble wasn't rehearsed; it was a good, old-fashioned fall. "Literally, as it happened my foot got caught in the stair," Lambert told MTV News. "I hit the platform, and I didn't know what was going on. ... I felt like when you spray a cockroach, and its legs are up in the air. That's what I felt I looked like."
Perhaps he had felt inspired by Jennifer Lopez »
50 Cent Brushes Off Soft Sales For Before I Self-Destruct
25 November 2009 9:56 AM, PST
Rapper says online leak caused sales dip.
By Gil Kaufman
50 Cent
Photo: MTV
For a man who has talked big about sales figures for much of his career, 50 Cent seems to have had a change of heart when it comes to his latest, Before I Self-Destruct. The rapper's fourth solo album had the lowest opening week of his career, bowing at #5 on 160,000 sales, trailing his next-smallest debut, 2007's Curtis, by more than 500,000 copies.
Self-Destruct did leak weeks before its release, causing a one-week push-up for the physical release and an even earlier release for the album's digital incarnation. And 50 doesn't appear to be sweating the sales dip.
"For myself, I'm asking myself, 'What did you expect, bro? Your fans got it when it was available, at the first available opportunity,' " he said in an interview on DJ Green Lantern's Sirius Satellite radio show earlier this week, before the numbers were official. »
Beyonce Explains 'Fearless' Stage Persona In 2006 Interview
25 November 2009 9:46 AM, PST
'I'm really more quiet, reserved,' singer said about her offstage personality.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Beyoncé
Photo: Luiss Gene/ Afp/ Getty Images
At 25, Beyoncé was celebrating her independence as a solo artist on her second solo disc, B'Day, the follow-up to Dangerously in Love. And it wasn't just "Déjà Vu" for fans. The album showed Beyoncé's progression towards the heavier, hip-hop- influenced pop music of her 2008 disc, I Am ... Sasha Fierce.
In 2006, she sat down with MTV News to talk about the album, even hinting at her more aggressive stage persona, Sasha Fierce. "I absolutely get scared every time I get on the stage," she said. "I get nervous. I'm actually really scared when I'm not nervous because then I don't transform into that person that people are used to seeing."
She added that in real life, she's nothing like that girl you see in her videos and performances. »
GLAAD Calls Adam Lambert 'Good Morning America' Cancellation 'Disappointing'
25 November 2009 8:23 AM, PST
Gay-rights group met with 'Gma' and confirmed sexual orientation was not behind cancellation.
By Gil Kaufman
Photo: Michael Caulfield/ Getty Images
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) issued a statement late Tuesday about the decision by ABC's "Good Morning America" to cancel a scheduled performance by Adam Lambert on Wednesday morning's (November 25) show in light of the singer's controversial appearance at the American Music Awards on Sunday night.
"Some music performances, regardless of the sexual orientation of the performer, are tailored for a primetime audience but not for a morning show audience," GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said in the statement. "It is disappointing that 'Good Morning America' did not give Adam Lambert the opportunity to tailor his performance to their audience, as he did on their show in August 2009," when he performed the Muse cover "Starlight."
After receiving 1,500 viewer complaints about Lambert's show-closing performance on »
50 Cent's Self Destruct Is Lowest Chart Debut Of His Career
25 November 2009 8:14 AM, PST
John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Norah Jones, Casting Crowns all outsell 50's latest on Billboard albums chart.
By Gil Kaufman
50 Cent's <i>Before I Self Destruct</i>
Photo: Interscope
In a stunning turnabout, 50 Cent will notch the lowest chart debut of his career next week when his long-delayed Before I Self Destruct lands at #5 on comparatively soft sales of 160,000. After his first two albums hit #1, selling 872,000 (Get Rich or Die Tryin') and 1.15 million (The Massacre), and 2007's Curtis sold 691,000 following an infamous chart battle with Kanye West, this fifth-place finish is a major comedown.
Who bested the once-dominant G-Unit General? According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, Twitter-lover John Mayer's Battle Studies took the top spot with sales of 286,000, followed by My Christmas by tenor Andrea Bocelli (185,000), the debut of Norah Jones' rock-tinged Fall (180,000) and Christian rock group Casting Crowns' Until the Whole World Hears (167,000).
The only other debut in the »
Rihanna Celebrates Album Release With Jay-z, Diddy, More
25 November 2009 7:58 AM, PST
Singer's Rated R party marks the culmination of a month of heavy, soul-baring promotion.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Rihanna attends her 'Rated R' album release party in New York City on Tuesday
Photo: Jerritt Clark/ Getty Images
New York — To quote a track from her just-released album, Rated R, the wait is over for Rihanna.
The singer was feted at her album-release party in Manhattan on Tuesday night as Jay-z, Diddy and Fabolous, among others, turned out at Juliet's Supper Club to celebrate Rihanna's first project since her February assault earlier this year by Chris Brown.
The Barbadian beauty arrived at the festivities fashionably late, just after 1 a.m., but the cameras were at the ready, capturing Rihanna's red-carpet strut. The fashion icon sported a shimmering gold micro-dress with long spikes sporadically jutting out all over and matching shoes.
Rihanna was quickly escorted inside where DJ D-Nice was spinning tunes ranging »
Lady Gaga Tells Fans 'It's Ok' To Be A Freak
25 November 2009 7:57 AM, PST
Singer says she hopes fans 'feel like they have a freak in me to hang out with' in appearance on 'Ellen DeGeneres Show.'
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga performs on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show"
Photo: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
With her flamboyant outfits and stage persona, Lady Gaga certainly doesn't look like a traditional pop star. She admits that she finally feels cool with being that kooky person after years of trying to figure out how to fit in. And, as always, she says it's all about pleasing her fans.
"The whole point of what I do — the Monster Ball, the music, the performance aspect of it — I want to create a space for my fans where they can feel free and they can celebrate," she said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" airing Friday. "I didn't fit in in high school, and I felt like a freak. So »
Adam Lambert's Mom Defends Him On 'The Early Show'
25 November 2009 7:27 AM, PST
'I was a little taken aback, but I just went with the flow, and it's all good,' says Leila Lambert of controversial Ama performance.
By Jocelyn Vena
Adam Lambert and his mother, Leila
Photo: CBS
Adam Lambert has addressed the American Music Awards brouhaha several times already, including in a candid interview with MTV News, but it was his mom, Leila, who opened up about her son's controversial performance during a Wednesday (November 25) appearance on CBS' "The Early Show," admitting that even she was a little shocked by Lambert's onstage behavior on Sunday.
"He always wanted to entertain, even just in our family, so he took it a few steps further. It's my kid. He's doing great. He is entertaining everyone, including me," she said on the show. "You know, I was a little taken aback, but I just went with the flow, and it's all good."
She added »
Donny Osmond Wins 'Dancing With The Stars'
25 November 2009 6:43 AM, PST
Show business vet beats out Kelly Osbourne, Mya.
By Jocelyn Vena
Photo: Michael Bezjian/ WireImage
Kelly Osbourne may have been the underdog and Mya may have been the pro in the group, but on Tuesday night show business vet Donny Osmond was crowned this season's "Dancing With the Stars" champ. And just what does Osmond win? Bragging rights and the coveted disco ball trophy.
"If you saw the work that went into this season," Osmond told People magazine after the win, adding that season nine had been "an emotional roller coaster" for him. "[My partner] Kym [Johnson] is so amazing. Of all the things I've done in my career, this is right up there."
Although the whole season's worth of contestants came out to celebrate the show's big finale, Osmond was the star of the night, even singing his classic tune "Puppy Love." As his name was announced »
Adam Lambert Explains American Music Awards Performance Frame By Frame
25 November 2009 6:36 AM, PST
Singer takes us through every controversial, planned and improvised moment of the show.
By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Jim Cantiello
Photo: MTV News
As it turns out, two of the most controversial moments of Adam Lambert's American Music Awards performance on Sunday night were total ad libs. That's what Lambert told MTV News on Tuesday, when he sat down to discuss the show-closing set that turned him into a global Internet sensation all over again.
"That wasn't in the original choreography," Lambert explained of the bit where he took a male dancer's head and shoved it into his crotch to mimic oral sex. "I was supposed to look at him, and I just grabbed him. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think he would have been cool with it. ... It might look real forceful, but we all respect each other and were doing it »
Shakira Talks Lil Wayne, Hip-Hop Influences On She Wolf
25 November 2009 3:52 AM, PST
'I'm trying to incorporate them within my own music,' singer says of hip-hop sounds.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jim Cantiello
Shakira
Photo: MTV News
Shakira probably isn't the first name that comes to mind when you think of hip-hop. But since the Colombian pop superstar enlisted the services of Pharrell and Lil Wayne on her latest album, She Wolf, that could change.
"[I'm] starting to understand and assimilate and internalize hip-hop music and hip-hop influences, so I'm trying to incorporate them within my own music," she told MTV News. "Which is a new thing in my life, and I'm completely over the moon. I'm like a kid with a new toy. I'm playing with these new ideas."
The video for her collaboration with Lil Wayne, "Give It Up to Me," recently debuted, and while she realizes she'll never be the next Foxy Brown, Shakira explains that her use »
Britney Spears Channeled 'Classy' Madonna In 'Radar' Video
25 November 2009 3:52 AM, PST
'I felt empowered by referencing Madonna's video,' director Dave Meyers says.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias
Britney Spears in her "Radar" video
Photo: Jive
Britney Spears has been compared to Madonna since she leapt onto the pop scene, dancing around in a schoolgirl uniform. The two did eventually hook up for "Me Against the Music," but Britney's video for "Radar," from her Circus album, really paid tribute to the pop queen and her ultra-glamorous Bedtime Stories period.
In the video, Britney is stuck in a love triangle with two very sexy polo players, who spend a good part of their time trying to woo Spears or riding their horses. Spears hooked up with "Boys" director Dave Meyers for an ode to Madonna's "Take a Bow."
"That was the premise behind 'Radar.' [We were] looking for a way to take her into a contemporary, classy environment, »
Lady Gaga Wanted To Show Her Death During Vma Performance
25 November 2009 3:52 AM, PST
'If you're wondering what I'm going to look like when I die, here it is,' she tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Lady Gaga at the 2009 Video Music Awards
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic
Lady Gaga could have easily gone up in flames during her fiery American Music Awards performance on Sunday night, but things got really dangerous during her bloody Vma performance back in September.
In a recent interview with MTV News, Gaga recalled leaving MTV execs speechless when she brought up her bizarre plan for the performance.
"For my MTV performance, I still keep learning about what I was trying to say," she told MTV News. "I just knew I had to bleed to death for four minutes on TV, and I remember telling MTV, and they were really quiet on the other end of the line. And it was silent, and then they said, »
DJ Khaled Gets A Ride From Drake And Usher In 'Fed Up' Video
25 November 2009 3:52 AM, PST
Young Jeezy and Rick Ross are also featured in the star-studded clip, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid
Young Jeezy and Drake
Photo: Derrick G
The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive
"Denzel, watch out," DJ Khaled laughed. "I'm coming!"
Khaled not only got a chance to say lines, but he also was involved in action scenes during the recent filming of his video for "Fed Up." Usher, Drake, Young Jeezy and Rick Ross all came to Miami for another of the DJ's now-signature mammoth posse cuts.
The chaos starts when Khaled brings a briefcase — with special contents — to a meeting with some underworld bosses.
"I can tell they trying to set me up," Khaled described of himself in the Gil Green-directed video. "The boss that I am, I'm on my P's and Q's. When they said the deal is off, I let them know the streets is fed up. »
Shakira Talks Lil Wayne, Hip-Hop Influences On She Wolf
25 November 2009 3:52 AM, PST
'I'm trying to incorporate them within my own music,' singer says of hip-hop sounds.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jim Cantiello
Shakira
Photo: MTV News
Shakira probably isn't the first name that comes to mind when you think of hip-hop. But since the Colombian pop superstar enlisted the services of Pharrell and Lil Wayne on her latest album, She Wolf, that could change.
"[I'm] starting to understand and assimilate and internalize hip-hop music and hip-hop influences, so I'm trying to incorporate them within my own music," she told MTV News. "Which is a new thing in my life, and I'm completely over the moon. I'm like a kid with a new toy. I'm playing with these new ideas."
The video for her collaboration with Lil Wayne, "Give It Up to Me," recently debuted, and while she realizes she'll never be the next Foxy Brown, Shakira explains that her use »
Britney Spears Channeled 'Classy' Madonna In 'Radar' Video
25 November 2009 3:52 AM, PST
'I felt empowered by referencing Madonna's video,' director Dave Meyers says.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias
Britney Spears in her "Radar" video
Photo: Jive
Britney Spears has been compared to Madonna since she leapt onto the pop scene, dancing around in a schoolgirl uniform. The two did eventually hook up for "Me Against the Music," but Britney's video for "Radar," from her Circus album, really paid tribute to the pop queen and her ultra-glamorous Bedtime Stories period.
In the video, Britney is stuck in a love triangle with two very sexy polo players, who spend a good part of their time trying to woo Spears or riding their horses. Spears hooked up with "Boys" director Dave Meyers for an ode to Madonna's "Take a Bow."
"That was the premise behind 'Radar.' [We were] looking for a way to take her into a contemporary, classy environment, »
Lady Gaga Wanted To Show Her Death During Vma Performance
25 November 2009 3:52 AM, PST
'If you're wondering what I'm going to look like when I die, here it is,' she tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Lady Gaga at the 2009 Video Music Awards
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic
Lady Gaga could have easily gone up in flames during her fiery American Music Awards performance on Sunday night, but things got really dangerous during her bloody Vma performance back in September.
In a recent interview with MTV News, Gaga recalled leaving MTV execs speechless when she brought up her bizarre plan for the performance.
"For my MTV performance, I still keep learning about what I was trying to say," she told MTV News. "I just knew I had to bleed to death for four minutes on TV, and I remember telling MTV, and they were really quiet on the other end of the line. And it was silent, and then they said, »
DJ Khaled Gets A Ride From Drake And Usher In 'Fed Up' Video
25 November 2009 3:52 AM, PST
Young Jeezy and Rick Ross are also featured in the star-studded clip, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid
Young Jeezy and Drake
Photo: Derrick G
The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive
"Denzel, watch out," DJ Khaled laughed. "I'm coming!"
Khaled not only got a chance to say lines, but he also was involved in action scenes during the recent filming of his video for "Fed Up." Usher, Drake, Young Jeezy and Rick Ross all came to Miami for another of the DJ's now-signature mammoth posse cuts.
The chaos starts when Khaled brings a briefcase — with special contents — to a meeting with some underworld bosses.
"I can tell they trying to set me up," Khaled described of himself in the Gil Green-directed video. "The boss that I am, I'm on my P's and Q's. When they said the deal is off, I let them know the streets is fed up. »
Damon Dash Brings Artists Together With DD172
24 November 2009 11:41 PM, PST
Mos Def, RZA, the Black Keys can be found collaborating at the hip-hop mogul's new art gallery/ music studio.
Photo: MTV News
Damon Dash recently took MTV News on a tour of his new Lower Manhattan art gallery/ studio compound, DD172. It's weird to think that the shirtless guy exposing his six-pack abs and splashing models with Armadale vodka in the "Big Pimpin' " video has an art gallery, but Dame would like to broaden the definition of a hip-hop mogul.
"I've always loved art and wanted to get involved in it," he said. "I'm always trying to do different new things and things that don't define what the perception of a hip-hop cat is. We don't only do the things they perceive us to do. We're pretty sophisticated."
One artist Dame said he's a big fan of is Graham Gilmore, whose work he's been buying »
Shakira Shares Her 'Rock And Roll Heart' With MTV News In 2001
24 November 2009 11:12 PM, PST
'I just don't wanna be put in the same category of the Latin boom,' singer said.
By Jocelyn Vena
Shakira in 2001
Photo: MTV News
In July 2001, Shakira hadn't yet become the global sensation that she is today — she was still working to hit the mainstream in the U.S. Nearly a decade later, Shakira has released her latest effort, She Wolf, and she's officially become a superstar in the States. But back then there seemed to be a new Latin artist hitting the American music market causing a stir and then fading out.
"I just don't wanna be put in the same category of the Latin boom," she said in 2001, in one of her first interviews with MTV News. "Because a boom, what is a boom? An explosion. And, what's after an explosion: the ashes. So I don't want to be a part of the ashes."
At the time, »
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