Fashion Highlights

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Britney Spears' Femme Fatale 'Not Done,' Dr. Luke Says

'We're in the middle of it right now,' producer says of March 15 release.
By Jocelyn Vena

Britney Spears
Photo: Eric Charbonneau/ Le Studio/ Wireimage

With a little more than five weeks left until the release of Femme Fatale, it seems that Britney Spears is still working alongside the album's executive producers, Dr. Luke and Max Martin, to put the finishing touches on the album.

"We're in the middle of it right now. It's a little bit fluid right now. I can't even say at this stage what songs for sure are making it and what songs aren't," Dr. Luke told RollingStone.com. "We're working with a lot of producers and overseeing it with her A&R and record label and management and trying to make something cohesive." Bottom line, he said, is that "it's not done."

Not to worry: Spears apparently is so speedy when it comes to hitting the studio, Luke has no qualms that they'll make the March 15 deadline. "Britney's really fast," Dr. Luke said. "She gets it done."

The super-producer also opened up about the album's debut single, "Hold It Against Me," noting that it was meant for another pop princess: "We might have played it for her, but it definitely wasn't a Katy Perry record," he explained. "We had it for a while. I wanted to make sure it didn't sound like everything else I've done. I brought it into [producer] Billboard, and he just killed it. It can be hard in the verse, and the bridge is super, super hard, but the chorus is super pop. You can play that chorus acoustically on a guitar and it's still going to sound great."

Others producers on the album include Bloodshy and Benny Blanco. Dr. Luke took to Twitter to tease fans with possible track titles for the release. He shared, "One of these titles could be a new brit song: a) booga dooga b) the sun is up c) seal it with a kiss d) monkey c monkey do."

Other reported titles are leaking as well. According to a posting on Popjustice.com, other Femme Fatale tracks might include "Antidote" (described as a Ke$ha-esque dance track), "Switch You On" (a mid-tempo song about sex) and "I I I Wanna Go O O" (another dance track).

Are you excited for Britney's new album? Tell us in the comments!

Related Videos

Britney Spears Is A Femme Fatale

Related Artists

Britney Spears

Daniella Alonso Danneel Harris Deanna Russo Denise Richards

Stories Of 2010

Check out artists who had amazing stories in 2010.

Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

Tony Hawk has struck out for the third time in marriage

The professional skateboarder, 42, filed for divorce from his wife, Lhotse Merriam, in North San Diego County, Calif., on Friday, People.com reported. “We have made the difficult decision to file for divorce,” the couple said in a joint statement Monday. “We remain deeply committed and loving parents to our daughter, and out of respect for [...]

Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci

Britney Spears Releases Another 'Hold It Against Me' Teaser

Scenes from 'Slave 4 U' and ' ... Baby One More Time' videos play on monitors in the nine-second sneak peek.
By Jocelyn Vena

Britney Spears in the third "Hold it Against Me" teaser
Photo: Jive

Three teasers down; a bunch more to go! On Friday, Britney Spears kicked off the countdown to her "Hold It Against Me" video premiere by giving fans a sneak peek at the video's space-age, Jonas Åkerlund-directed world. With only a week and a half until the clip drops, Brit is slowly getting fans pumped with more teases.

On Sunday, a day after appearing dressed in red in another teaser, Britney posted a nine-second clip of the video on YouTube. In it, the camera pans to multiple television monitors, as scenes from some of the singer's most iconic videos, including "Slave 4 U" and " ... Baby One More Time," are played. Other monitors show dance rehearsals, and "Toxic" is played before transitioning into "HIAM."

In the room, made up completely of television monitors, the top of Spears head appears — certainly an über-tease about what is still to come. Fans are then told there are 11 days left until the video's release. Along with the clip, Spears tweeted, "Just saw a new cut of #HIAM. SOOOO excited to share it! 11 days to go...."

Brian Friedman, who choreographed the video, recently told MTV News that the clip pushes all boundaries.

"Artistically, this video, I think, surpasses a lot of her other videos," he teased. "So many of her videos are iconic, though. You look at 'Toxic' and you look at 'Slave,' even 'Oops ... I Did It Again': People are gonna remember those videos forever. [In] ' ... Baby One More Time,' she made schoolgirl outfits relevant and so popular. This video is artistically a masterpiece, and I don't think that Britney has pushed the envelope in this way ever in any of her videos."

What are you expecting from the "Hold It Against Me" video? Let us know in the comments!

Related Videos

Reactions To Britney's 'Hold It Against Me'

Related Artists

Britney Spears

Magdalena Wróbel Maggie Grace Maggie Gyllenhaal Majandra Delfino Malia Jones

'Justin Bieber: Never Say Never' Exclusive Clip: Get To Know His Crew!

Before 3-D film hits theaters this weekend, get to know Justin's dream team.
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber in "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Justin Bieber hits the road with a small army. In a new, exclusive clip from his 3-D film, "Never Say Never," out this weekend, fans get an inside look at the men and women who help Bieber stay on schedule and stay sane during those grueling days on the road.

"You know I want people to see me in my everyday life," Bieber says in the clip.

Fans then get to meet Ryan Good, Bieber's stylist. "Ryan's like the coolest older brother ever. When Justin's down, I'm like, 'Ryan go make him laugh,' and Justin's cracking up," Allison Kaye, the tour's general manager, explained of Bieber's sidekick.

So what is Kaye like? "Allison's the stern one," Good explains. "She's the one that handles business."

Other members of Bieber's team include Carin, his "big sister" figure who assists Ryan with wardrobe; Dan Kanter, his musical director; Mama Jan, his vocal coach; and Kenny: "[He] is technically Justin's security guard, but his everything," Kaye explains.

"It's an uncle/nephew relationship," Kenny adds in the clip. "In my phone, I have him programmed as 'nephew.' "

His manager, Scooter Braun, also appears in the sneak peek. He explains that his job is more far-reaching than just a manager. "Ninety percent of my job is helping him become a good man. It's a family, so we're supporting each other," he said. "There's so many people out there who think he's gonna be a teen sensation and he's going to go away. I wouldn't bet against Justin."

Pattie Lynn Malette, his mom, gives props to the team working with her son. "I think it's very important to surround your child with good people," she said. "I love having different people around him that can still encourage those morals."

Check out everything we've got on "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

Related Videos

'Justin Bieber: Never Say Never' Sneak Peeks

Related Photos

Justin Bieber's 'Never Say Never' Hits New York

Related Artists

Justin Bieber

Zooey Deschanel Aaliyah Abbie Cornish Adriana Lima Adrianne Curry

Les News, 020711

The Roommate was the #1 movie at the box office this weekend. Lea Michele performs at Super Bowl XLV and remembers all of the words to her song. Super Bowl XLV sets a new ratings record. Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are officially a couple. Deal with it. Xtina Aguilera, who screwed up the national [...]

Rachel Nichols Rachel Perry Rachel Weisz Radha Mitchell Raquel Alessi

Ke$ha Rises From Oddball To Icon In 2010

This year, nobody defied description quite like Ke$ha, the pop oddity who shows no signs of slowing down.
By James Montgomery

Ke$ha
Photo: Venturelli/ Getty Images

In January, when "Tik Tok" was just starting to hit, I described Ke$ha as "a 22-year-old pop confectionary/cautionary tale." By November, when "We R Who We R" debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, I had crowned her an "outcast icon." The truth probably lies somewhere in between those two statements, but if there's a better way to sum up the pop star's rather incredible rise to fame, I am unaware of it.

Because in 2010, there really was no one else who came close to matching Ke$ha, whether in terms of sheer chart dominance ("Tik Tok," enjoyed the year's longest run at #1, spending nine weeks atop the Hot 100), or pure WTF-ery. She began the year as a belching, squelching, booze-swilling party monster and ended it as perhaps the most unlikely of role models — an unrepentant oddball who not only dared to speak her mind, but defy conventions, too. And through it all, she remained largely unclassifiable, shifting between genres (pop, hip-hop, rock) and personas (dumpster-diving diva, Topanga Canyon bohemian, DayGlo star child) with each successive hit. And because of that, Ke$ha became one of the year's most interesting characters, the kind of pop oddity that leaves critics alternately grasping at adjectives and scratching their heads.

"I think 'What is Ke$ha?' is definitely the question, more than 'Who is Ke$ha?' because the 'What?' is really the thing," New York Times writer Jon Caramanica told MTV News. "When she first came into the game, she was this pop singer with a little bit of a country background, but [doing] this sort of whiny, white-girl rap ... but, if anything, 'Tik Tok' proved there's an entire audience of people who are pop fans, but who have a really high tolerance for rap music. Maybe they're not going to buy a Kanye West record, but they're not unafraid of hip-hop. And with Ke$ha, and her loose, 'I don't give a f---' approach to making these songs resonates with the loose, 'I don't give a f---' approach of the fans in listening to the songs. They hear something of themselves in her."

Of course, Ke$ha suffered for her, uh, art, becoming one of the year's most popular punching bags — particularly following a pair of bizarre performances on "Saturday Night Live" — but as the year draws to a close, her grip on the pop world seems to be permanent. Not only is she the unlikeliest of stars, she's also one of the most persistent ... and love her or hate her, you've got to admit that she made 2010 just a bit more bearable, even if it was with her willingness to push the boundaries of absurdity. Well, her songs were pretty great, too. And she did it entirely her way.

"I think Ke$ha's definitely gone way past her 15 minutes of fame, [but] the appeal with her is that there's an honesty," Noah Callahan-Bever, editor in chief of Complex magazine, said. "In a market of totally prefab pop stuff, there's almost a sloppiness to her whole persona, and I think that realness appeals to people. I think it doesn't hurt that she works with the best producer in pop music, either," he said, referring to right-hand man Dr. Luke.

In 2010, thanks to that winning combination of pitch-perfect pop and pure, unfiltered weirdness, Ke$ha pretty much conquered the world. She won over fans and earned begrudging respect from the critics. And she wore dead animals on her head. Wherever she goes in 2011, I'll follow. And I'll likely be just as perplexed as the rest of you.

Do you expect Ke$ha's party to stop or keep rocking in 2011? Let us know in the comments.

Related Videos

Stories Of 2010

Related Photos

Ke$ha's Amazing Year

Related Artists

Ke$ha
T.I.

Rozonda Thomas Saira Mohan Salma Hayek Samaire Armstrong Samantha Mathis

Watch: Christina Aguilera Proves That She Knows The Words To The National Anthem

On Sunday the world watched (well, only 111 million people, to be exact) as Christina Aguilera flubbed the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner as she performed out national anthem live in front of Super Bowl XLV and poor Xtina has been catching heck for it ever since. Today, TMZ brings us video from her Super [...]

Sofía Vergara Soft Cell Sophia Bush Stacy Keibler Summer Altice

Photos | The 2010 Soul Train Awards Nominees

The 2010 Soul Train Awards Nominees

Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love

DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love

Artist: Usher
Label: LaFace

Ashley Tisdale Asia Argento Aubrey ODay Audrina Patridge Autumn Reeser

Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Muse Added To Grammy Show

Usher, Jaden Smith, B.o.B, Janelle Monae and Lady Antebellum will also perform on February 13.
By Gil Kaufman

Justin Bieber and Usher
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

While Willow Smith is the one who made music headlines with "Whip My Hair" last year, it's her brother, "Karate Kid" actor Jaden Smith, who will take the stage at the upcoming 53rd Grammy Awards in a special performance alongside Usher and Justin Bieber, with whom he collaborated on the song "Never Say Never" last summer.

The trio joins a list of new performers added to the show on Thursday (January 20) that will also include another power trifecta made up of B.o.B, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe, according to a press release from the Recording Academy announcing the additions to the February 13 telecast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Also taking the stage next month will be nominees Muse and Lady Antebellum. They will join a roster of previously announced performers that includes Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, Cee Lo Green and Miranda Lambert. It will be the first time on the Grammy performance stage for Bieber, B.o.B, Lambert, Mars, Monáe, Muse and Smith. Eminem, Green, Gaga, Perry, Usher and Lady Antebellum will be making return visits for the occasion.

While 11-time Grammy winner Eminem leads the pack in nominations this year (with 10 nods), Mars has seven nominations, and Gaga and Lady Antebellum are not far behind with six nods each. B.o.B has notched five, Perry and Green are each up for four, and Arcade Fire and Lambert are vying for three awards. Bieber, Muse, Usher and Monáe are each nominated for two Grammys.

No details of the collaborative performances were released, but the Grammy announcement promised a rare, never-before-seen event for the Mars, B.o.B and Monáe segment.

With the addition of Antebellum, all five Album of the Year nominees (Eminem, Arcade Fire, Gaga, Perry) are now scheduled to perform on the show. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.

Which Grammy performance are you most looking forward to? Talk about it in the comments!

Related Photos

2011 Grammy Performers

Beyonce's Mom Says Daughter's Style Has Always Been 'Edgy'

'It's just a result of her constantly evolving,' Tina Knowles says of the fashion in Beyonce's "I Am ... World Tour" DVD concert special.
By Jocelyn Vena

Beyoncé
Photo: Paul Warner/ WireImage

Beyoncé has never been shy about hitting the stage in stunning costumes. Her appearance has always been a mixture of showgirl sparkle and pop star razzle-dazzle. And her style is on full display in her new DVD concert special, "I Am ... World Tour."

Her mom and stylist, Tina Knowles, said that while the looks may seem a bit edgier than what fans have seen from the singer in the past, she thinks that her superstar daughter has always been ahead of the style curve.

"Well, the wonderful Thierry Mugler designed the costumes, and I actually worked on some of the dancers and the band, and it was just amazing to work with him because he is so creative," Knowles told MTV News at a New York screening of the special. "So it's just a result of her constantly evolving, but she's been edgy. It's funny for people to say she went more edgy, but she's been wearing body suits and that type of thing."

And while Knowles may act as her daughter's stylist and costume designer, she says that Bey's style decisions are all her own. "Well, we discussed her working with Thierry Mugler, and I'm the biggest fan. And so she had seen some of the fashions and she loved it," she said. "So we always discuss things, but it's her decision, it's her career."

Beyoncé, who also directed the concert special , said it gave her a better understanding of the filmmaking process. "It was hard work," she said. "I learned so much. I have a new respect for directors and I think I would like to do more of it. ... Well, I've done some co-directing for music videos [but] this was definitely a big step for me, and I'm so thrilled."

Related Artists

Beyoncé

Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich Amber Heard

Monday, February 7, 2011

Photos | The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Performances

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Performances

Beyoncé - Ego

Ego

Artist: Beyoncé
Label: Columbia, Music World Music
Director: Beyonce, Frank Gatson, Sheryl Murakami
Album: I Am...Sasha Fierce [Deluxe Edition]

Anna Friel Anna Kournikova Anna Paquin AnnaLynne McCord Anne Marie Kortright

Usher Gets Sick, Walks Offstage Mid-Show In Berlin

Singer cancels kick off date of European leg of his OMG Tour due to illness.
By Gil Kaufman

Usher (file)
Photo: Michael Caulfield/ WireImage

Usher was forced to delay the kick off of his European OMG Tour on Wednesday night in Berlin because of illness. In a statement released to fans, the singer apologized for the last-minute scratch, saying he felt he was suffering from a "sinus complication." Although the gig was rescheduled for Thursday night at the O2 World arena in Berlin, his German fans apparently weren't appeased by his effort.

"I am truly sorry to all my fans in Berlin who were inconvenienced by tonight's postponement of the show," the singer said in a statement about Wednesday's aborted concert. "I was ill and felt that I would not have been able to give them the show that they properly deserve. ... I am looking forward to performing tomorrow and giving Berliners a great show."

According to the statement, the singer received treatment from doctors for a sinus issue that affected his balance, but a visibly still-ailing Usher was unable to finish the Thursday make-up show, reportedly abandoning the stage after just five songs.

On Friday (January 14), a follow-up statement from his spokesperson confirmed that he was too ill to play Thursday night's Berlin date and has been forced to reschedule the next three dates on the tour as well. The Rotterdam show originally scheduled for this week has been moved to March 1 and a show in Antwerp, also slated for this week, has been bumped to March 7.

The statement also updated the singer's condition: "Usher is suffering from upper respiratory illness, which is currently preventing him from performing a proper show. After consultation with doctors, he has been advised to reschedule the upcoming dates in order to get the rest he needs to ensure a complete recovery."

Footage posted on YouTube that was purportedly taken at the make-up performance in Berlin shows Usher standing silently at the microphone seemingly unable to sing, with fans booing him at first and then chanting, "Usher, Usher," as he approaches the microphone and apologizes to them for his struggles. "I appreciate your support," he told the fans wearily.

"I have been very excited about my European Tour and I deeply regret having to reschedule the shows," the singer said in the new statement. "I am truly sorry for any inconvenience I have caused my fans. My fans are the best in the world and I am looking forward to getting better so that I can give them the show they deserve."

Usher wrapped up the North American leg of his tour in December and his overseas dates are slated to last through the spring.

What do you think of the fans' reaction to Usher's walking offstage mid-show? Tell us in the comments.

Related Artists

Usher

Kelly Monaco Kelly Ripa Kelly Rowland Kerry Suseck Kim Kardashian

Photos | EW's Power List: Top 10

EW's Power List: Top 10

Photos | 2010 Grammy Award Performers

2010 Grammy Award Performers

Pink's Baby Belly Tweet

Not afraid to show off her growing baby bump, Pink posted a pic of her belly on Twitter over the weekend.

The ?Please Don?t Leave Me? singer wrote, "Because paparazzi of today have absolutely no photograhic [sic] skill or artistry whatsoever, and their pictures are hideous....I'm going to post a self-portrait I took yesterday morning for all of you asking to see belly shots."

"3 wks of photo classes for me...and I am already a far better photographer than any one of them," she added.

Pink and hubby Carey Hart are about six months along with their first child.

Vanessa Minnillo Vanessa Simmons Veronica Kay Veronika Vaeková Victoria Beckham

Nicole Kidman Cried Over Oscar Nomination, Much to Her Daughter?s Dismay

Nicole Kidman wept when she earned her third Oscar nomination last month, for Rabbit Hole ? and then had to explain to her 2�-year-old daughter that they were tears of joy.

Michelle Branch Michelle Malkin Michelle Obama Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Trachtenberg

Usher's 'OMG' Gets Celeb Endorsement As Song Of The Year

'It's undeniable,' Travie McCoy says of the track that topped MTV News' Top 25 Songs of 2010.
By Jocelyn Vena

Usher
Photo: Getty Images

2010 had some great jams, and all week, MTV News has been counting down some of its best. Everything from Lady Gaga's "Telephone" and Rick Ross' "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" to two of Kanye's West's killer My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy tracks, "Power" and "Runaway," made the top 10. But it was Usher's bombastic party jam "OMG" that rose to the top and came in at #1.

So what made that song such a party anthem? "Oh my God! That's exactly what I would say! Oh my God!" Pauly D joked about 2010's top party jam. "Dope, dope track. I love playing it. The crowd goes crazy when I play it. Usher's the man!"

Travie McCoy added: "It's a great song. It's undeniable, you know what I mean?"

"Dancing With the Stars" pro Lacey Schwimmer admitted that "OMG" was the track that got dancers, both professional and amateur, on the dance floor. "You guys got a great dance anthem," she said. "So be prepared for people who do not know how to dance just going to town!"

Producer Alex Da Kid gave props to will.i.am for the song's epic beat. "I love 'OMG.' I think it's definitely something different for Usher," he said. "And it still has all the dance performance elements Usher's known for, but it's something slightly different and done in a will.i.am kind of way, and it's different and that's why it connected to so many different people. It's a great song."

Celebrities also weighed in on their favorite jams of 2010, choosing everything from Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" and Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" to B.o.B and Hayley Williams' "Airplanes."

Why did you love "OMG" in 2010? Tell us in the comments!

Related Videos

MTV News' Top Songs Of 2010

Related Photos

MTV News' Top 25 Songs Of 2010

Related Artists

Usher

Kelly Carlson Kelly Clarkson Kelly Hu Kelly Monaco Kelly Ripa