Louie Beck's Rants: March 2011

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Lil Wayne's 'Green And Yellow' Is 'Wild,' Wiz Khalifa Says

'Just seeing that he even heard the song, A, and then knew how to rap to it,' the 'Black and Yellow' MC tells MTV News.
By Matt Elias

Wiz Khalifa
Photo: MTV News

Super Bowl XLV might not have panned out quite like Pittsburgh MC Wiz Khalifa would have wanted, since his beloved Steelers get edged out by the Green Bay Packers. But still, there was an upside for Wiz — namely, hearing Lil Wayne take on his Steelers anthem "Black and Yellow" with his own remix, the aptly titled "Green and Yellow."

When MTV News caught up with Wiz on the set of his "Roll Up" music video in Venice, California, we had to ask what he thought about Weezy's remix.

"I actually thought it was real cool when he did his version," Wiz said. "Just seeing that he even heard the song, A, and then knew how to rap to it. Not saying that he wouldn't, but it was kind of wild, like, hearing Wayne flip how I rap, 'cause that's Lil Wayne. But it was cool."

It's a great compliment to the momentum Wiz has built in the last year. First, he was named MTV News' 2010 Hottest Breakthrough MC, then he signed to Atlantic Records and teamed up with Snoop Dogg for the official "Black and Yellow" remix, and now he's gearing up for the release of his debut, Rolling Papers, next month.

And even though the Steelers lost, Wiz was in characteristically good spirits about the whole situation.

"My reaction to Sunday is just like, we'll get 'em next time," the mellow MC said. "We've been to plenty of Super Bowls. It won't be the last one, and it was kind of a bummer just losing. But we had a great season and a lot of momentum just going into it, so I think that just had everybody boosted anyway. There was a lot of attention on Pittsburgh."

What did you think of Lil Wayne's "Green and Yellow"? Let us know in the comments!

Wu Tang Clan Wyclef Jean Xzibit Zac Efron

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Photos | The Hottest Twenty-Somethings In The Game

The Hottest Twenty-Somethings In The Game

Bob Marley Bon Jovi Brandy Brian Harvey

Kevin Spacey Won't Appear In 'James Bond 23,' But He'd Love To Show Up 'Down The Line'

Contrary to some earlier rumors, Kevin Spacey won't be appearing as a villain in the "James Bond" franchise's next installment ? but that doesn't mean he won't pop up eventually.
Speaking with MTV News on the red carpet at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, the two-time Oscar winner recalled the story about his near-brush with "Bond," [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/03/02/kevin-spacey-wont-appear-in-james-bond-23-but-hed-love-to-show-up-down-the-line/

Billie Piper Billy Idol Bing Crosby Bjork

Hillary Clinton, Chester Bennington Record 'It Gets Better' Videos

Secretary of State, Linkin Park frontman send messages of support to gay teens who have been bullied.
By Gil Kaufman

Chester Bennington in his "It Gets Better" video
Photo: youtube.com/talindab

The "It Gets Better" project got two very big, and very different, endorsements on Tuesday when former first lady and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington released videos aimed at sending strong, positive messages to LGBT youth in light of recent gay teen suicides.

In her YouTube clip, Clinton says she was terribly saddened to learn about the recent spate of suicides by teens who were bullied or harassed for being gay or because people thought they were gay. "Children are particularly vulnerable to the hurt caused by discrimination and prejudice," she explains in the two-and-a-half-minute video. "And we've lost many young people over the years to suicide. These most recent deaths are a reminder that all Americans have to work harder to overcome bigotry and hatred."

Clinton then sends a message to all young Americans who are feeling bullied or alone or are finding it hard to imagine things getting better in the future. "First of all, hang in there," she says. "And ask for help. Your life is so important ... to your family, your friends and your country. And there's so much waiting for you, both personally and professionally. There's so many opportunities for you to develop your talents and make your contributions."

She promises that those opportunities will multiply over the years because the story of America is one of people coming together to tear down barriers, stand up for rights and insist on equality for themselves and for everyone else. Clinton also notes that she's proud of the work done every day at the State Department by LGBT staffers.

"It wasn't long ago that these men and women would not have been able to serve openly, but today they can. Because it has gotten better," she says near the end of the clip. "And it will get better for you. So take heart and have hope and please remember that your life is valuable and you are not alone."

Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, Adam Lambert and Aubrey O'Day also have posted clips or spoken out against bullying over the past few weeks, and Linkin Park's Bennington joined the array of stars making videos in support of "It Gets Better."

"To all the kids out there who feel like they've been pushed down, picked on, looked at funny, feel strange because you're different," Bennington says in his clip. "You know what? That makes you cool. Don't let anybody make you feel bad for being who you are. Trust me, it gets better."

Related Artists

Linkin Park

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1650398/hillary-clinton-chester-bennington-record-it-gets-better-videos.jhtml

Holly Valance Hoobastank Hope Ice Cube

Flo Rida - Sugar

Sugar

Artist: Flo Rida
Label: Atlantic Records, Poe Boy Ent.
Director: Shane Drake
Album: R.O.O.T.S. (Route of Overcoming the Struggle)

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=2583152&vid=391435

Eminem Emma Bunton Enrique Iglesias Erasure

Photos | Paris Hilton, Diddy, Timbaland, Janet Jackson, More Hit The Vegas Party Scene

Paris Hilton, Diddy, Timbaland, Janet Jackson, More Hit The Vegas Party Scene

Paul Weller Paula Abdul Paulina Rubio Peter Andre

Florence And The Machine Drew On 'Emotional' '127 Hours' At Oscars

'When the song comes, it's a very emotional moment,' Florence Welch says of 'If I Rise' before live performance.
By Aly Semigran, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Florence Welch attends the 2011 Academy Awards
Photo: Getty Images

Florence Welch wasn't a nominee at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday (February 27), but the breakout music star approached the evening as if she were up for a trophy.

Welch, who stepped in to help sing Dido's portion of Best Original Song nominee "If I Rise" (from "127 Hours"), talked to MTV News on the Oscar red carpet about her responsibility to do the song from the Best Picture nominee justice.

"When the song comes, it's a very emotional moment," said the Florence and the Machine frontwoman, who was making her Academy Awards debut. "It's the moment when James Franco's ... character realizes what he has to do."

Best Picture nominee "127 Hours" chronicles real-life hiker Aron Ralston's harrowing story of survival, including his decision to amputate his own arm when faced with possible death on a hiking trip. Clearly a fan of the film, Welch recalled her experience of watching the film.

"You know what's going to happen, but you're with him from the very beginning," the red-haired songstress said of Franco's portrayal, which also earned the Oscar host a nod for Best Actor.

In spite of the not-easy-to-watch moments in director Danny Boyle's film, Welch described the scene in which "If I Rise" begins to play "actually, a very calm moment."

Drawing inspiration from the movie and that particular moment scene, Welch told us she prepared to perform live alongside Oscar winner A.R. Rahman — he penned the song with Dido and Rollo Armstrong — by telling herself to "try and be calm."

As for Florence and the Machine fans, the singer told us they can expect new music very soon. "Right now, I'm just working on my second album," she said. But while many are still hoping Florence and the Machine will wind up on the upcoming "Breaking Dawn" soundtrack (they appeared on the "Eclipse" soundtrack), Welch confirmed that she hasn't been called to contribute to the project yet.

Stick with MTV News on Oscar night and beyond for red-carpet fashion coverage, analysis of the winners, plus interviews, photos and more from your favorite Hollywood stars!

Related Videos

2011 Oscars Red Carpet Interviews

Related Photos

2011 Academy Awards Red Carpet

Related Artists

Florence + the Machine

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658828/florence-and-the-machine-oscars.jhtml

Dolores O Riordan Don Henley Duncan James Elton John

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Rihanna Adds Loud Dates, Cee Lo Green Joins Tour

'I'm a huge fan of Cee Lo since his days with Goodie Mob and with Gnarls Barkley,' Rihanna says in statement.
By Gil Kaufman

Rihanna
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images/DCP

Fresh off a pair of steamy performances at Sunday night's Grammy Awards, Rihanna is doubling down on her upcoming summer tour. In addition to adding 10 more dates to the Loud outing, the singer has also invited "F--- You" singer Cee Lo Green to join her for the tour, which is scheduled to begin on June 4 in Baltimore.

With the 10 additional dates announced on Wednesday (February 16), the North American Loud tour is now up to 17 shows, with promoter Live Nation promising that more stops could be added in the future. The added dates include stops in Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Houston, Dallas, Albuquerque and Boston. Tickets for the new dates will go on sale on Friday (February 18).

"I'm a huge fan of Cee Lo since his days with Goodie Mob and with Gnarls Barkley. He's a musical genius, continually reinventing himself, and I'm thrilled to have him join me on tour," said Rihanna in a statement announcing the new dates.

"I want to thank Rihanna for inviting me on our version of '50 First Dates,' only difference is she's unforgettable fine," Cee Lo added in the statement. "Don't tell her I have a crush on her, don't wanna mess everything up. But honestly it's an honor and a blessing to be able to go out with a talent such as hers and I look forward to doing my part to make the tour unforgettable for the fans that come out and see us."

The pair will have plenty to chat about on the road, as they both won Grammys on Sunday night, with Rihanna picking up Best Dance Record for "Only Girl in the World" and Green taking Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Forget You." Both were also winners on Tuesday night at England's Brit Awards.

Rihanna recently premiered the bondage-themed clip for her latest single, "S&M," which spurred a lawsuit from fashion photographer David LaChapelle, who claimed that it was "directly derived" from his work.

Here are the Loud North American tour dates:

» June 4 - Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena
» June 7 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
» June 10 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
» June 18 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
» June 19 - Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
» June 21 - Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
» June 22 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
» June 24 - Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
» June 28 - Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
» June 30 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
» July 4 - Albuquerque, NM @ Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents the Pavilion
» July 8 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
» July 9 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
» July 19 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
» July 21 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
» July 23 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
» July 24 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden

James Blunt James Brown Jamiroquai Janet Jackson

Lil Wayne Beat By Kenny Chesney On Billboard

Weezy's I Am Not a Human Being comes in at #2, Gucci Mane is #4.
By Gil Kaufman

Lil Wayne
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Somewhere, probably on a beach, country sand bum Kenny Chesney is likely celebrating the #1 debut of his latest album, Hemingway's Whiskey, which will top the Billboard 200 chart next week thanks to sales of 183,000. He easily beat out the week's other top debut, the digital release of incarcerated rapper Lil Wayne's I Am Not a Human Being album, which sold 110,000 copies, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. The physical release of Weezy's album, with bonus tracks, is due on October 12.

The pair lead a stampede of new faces on the charts this week, which also include Gucci Mane at #4 with Georgia's Most Wanted (60,000) and guitar legend Eric Clapton at #6 with Clapton (47,000).

The rest of the top 10: Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give (#3, 70,000), Eminem, Recovery (#5, 59,000), Trey Songz, Passion, Pain & Pleasure (#7, 42,000), Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns (#8, 42,000), Maroon 5, Hands All Over (#9, 41,000, down 71 percent in week two) and Selena Gomez & the Scene, A Year Without Rain (#10, 38,000).

Just outside the top, Jimmy Eat World land at #11 with Invented (38,000), Lil Boosie is just behind at #13 with the aptly titled Incarcerated (30,000), rock icon Neil Young comes in at #14 with Le Noise (30,000) and Nine Inch Nails maestro Trent Reznor skates into the #20 position with his score to the Facebook move, "The Social Network."

Veteran rapper-turned-family-movie-actor Ice Cube has a soft landing at #22 with I Am the West (22,000), grunge giants Soundgarden are at #24 with their hits collection Telephantasm (19,000), Jeremih is hot on their heels at #17 with All About You (18,000) and smooth crooner Seal crashes in at #31 with Seal 6: Commitment (17,000).

It was also chart debut time for brainy punkers Bad Religion, whose The Dissent of Man comes in at #35 (16,000), just head of Ben Folds' collabo with author Nick Hornby, Lonely Avenue (14,000) and Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest (#37, 14,000). Also debuting this week: Mushroomhead, Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children (#44, 11,000), Gin Blossoms, No Chocolate Cake (#73, 7,000), Mark Ronson and the Business Intl., Record Collection (#81, 6,000) and No Age, Everything in Between (#103, 4,000).

The iTunes charts sees the first major shakeup in a while, with the top 10 albums getting a number of new faces, including Wayne's Human Being at #1, followed by Chesney, Zac Brown, Lecrae with Rehab, Jimmy Eat World, Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More, Eminem, Clapton and Gucci.

Though iTunes does not divulge sales figures, the singles chart has a new #1 while otherwise remaining mostly unchanged. Far East Movement move into the top spot with "Like a G6," followed by Bruno Mars ("Just the Way You Are"), Nelly ("Just a Dream"), Rihanna ("Only Girl (In the World)"), Katy Perry ("Teenage Dream"), Flo Rida ("Club Can't Handle Me"), the "Glee" Cast ("Toxic"), Usher ("DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"), Taio Cruz ("Dynamite") and Lil Wayne ("Gonorrhea").

Look for more shuffling at the top next week with new releases from Toby Keith, Mars, Waka Flocka Flame and David Archuleta.

Keane Keisha Buchanan Keith Duffy Kelly Clarkson

Bruno Mars, B.o.B, Janelle Monae Turn In Throwback Grammy Set

Pompadour-sporting stars rock medley of 'Grenade,' 'Nothin' on You' and 'Cold War.'
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Bruno Mars performs during the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards
Photo: The Recording Academy/CBS

Bruno Mars headed into Grammy night on top, with seven nominations under his belt for his singing and songwriting efforts. He has already scored snaps for his studio work, but on Sunday night, the 25-year-old Doo-Wops & Hooligans crooner showcased his stage skills with fellow promising genre-bending stars B.o.B and Janelle Monáe.

Following a string intro, Mars helmed the keys and gently crooned a softer version of his #1 smash with B.o.B, "Nothin' on You." The ATL hitmaker then took the mic, rocking a dapper old-school look and adding a scholarly touch with a monocle as he sang and rhymed the lyrics. Monáe kept the menswear theme going in a voluminous cape, quietly chiming in at a clear podium as B.o.B turned to croon to her.

Check out pictures from the Grammy show here.

Suddenly, a faux mid-century black-and-white broadcast introducing Mars took over the screen, and then the live telecast switched to a retro two-tone look. Mars looked perfectly in place as he belted a slowed-down yet soul-injected version of his own #1 single "Grenade," with B.o.B on the piano. A crew of background singers helped transform the pop hit into a doo-wop effort, complete with a few stuttering dance steps; Mars even got on his knees during the bluesy arrangement in a move that would have made legendary funkateer James Brown proud.

Then Monáe stepped up for her ArchAndroid cut "Cold War" in her trademark button-down shirt-and-slacks outfit. Mars hopped on the drums as the lights flashed, fog rolled in and Monáe added her own vocal pyrotechnics to the mix. The songstress then took the performance from retro to rowdy by sailing into the audience for a brief crowd-surf as B.o.B strummed away on the guitar. The upstart trio's upbeat set scored a standing ovation.

Last year, Mars was floored when he first heard he'd racked up seven nods, but added that scoring accolades isn't even his favorite part of his hitmaking gig.

"The funnest part of our job is that we don't know who we're working with next," Mars told MTV News in December about working his songwriting and production crew the Smeezingtons. "We're fans and students of music, and we just love to work with whoever wants to work, whoever wants to write a song. Rock, hip-hop, R&B — we just want to do music. And we're happy just doing that."

What did you think of Bruno Mars' Grammy performance? Let us know in the comments!

For Grammy Awards winners list, analysis, interviews, fashion and more, stick with MTV News during the big show and beyond.

Related Videos

53rd Annual Grammy Awards Performances

Related Photos

REM Richard Ashcroft Ricky Martin Rihanna

Bruno Mars Pleads Guilty In Las Vegas Cocaine Case

Singer granted probation over September incident.
By Gil Kaufman

Bruno Mars
Photo: Steve Granitz/ WireImage

After winning a Grammy, getting a standing ovation from his musical peers at Sunday night's show and announcing his upcoming co-headlining tour with Janelle Monáe, Bruno Mars has a lot to celebrate.

The 25-year-old singer got a bit more good news Wednesday (February 15), when he avoided a possible jail sentence by pleading guilty to a count of felony cocaine possession stemming from an arrest in Las Vegas in September. According to TMZ, as part of an earlier plea deal negotiated by his lawyer, Blair Berk, Mars appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday morning to enter the plea.

As part of the deal, if he stays out of trouble for 12 months, Honolulu native Mars (born Peter Hernandez) can petition to withdraw his plea and the case against him will be dismissed and removed from his record.

In the meantime, he will be on probation for a year and is required to complete eight hours of private drug counseling, pay a $2,000 fine and perform 200 hours of community service with a charitable organization.

Berk told TMZ: "We are very pleased that the prosecution has agreed to dismiss the charge."

The Las Vegas Sun reported that in his brief appearance in front of Clark County District Judge Jessie Walsh, Mars answered the judge's questions in a quiet voice and avoided looking at cameras. The paper also reported that Berk asked if Mars could perform his drug counseling online rather than travel from his California home to Las Vegas for the sessions; prosecutors agreed to allow him to take counseling from a private company in California.

The "Grenade" singer was arrested September 19 after security at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino confronted him in a bathroom and found him in possession of 2.6 grams of cocaine.

Related Artists

Bruno Mars

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658117/bruno-mars-guilty.jhtml

Paul McCartney Paul Weller Paula Abdul Paulina Rubio

Photos | T-Pain, Lil Mama, Snoop, More At BET's 'Rip The Runway'

T-Pain, Lil Mama, Snoop, More At BET's 'Rip The Runway'

Willie Nelson Wu Tang Clan Wyclef Jean Xzibit