Jessica Simpson Comments On Weight-Gain Onstage
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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'I feel like in our world today, we focus on so many things that are completely pointless,' singer says.
By Jocelyn Vena
Jessica Simpson performs in Florida on Sunday
Photo: Chris Gordon/ WireImage
Jessica Simpson, who has garnered much criticism for debuting a curvier figure at a concert earlier this week, vaguely addressed the issue with her fans when she hit the stage on Wednesday night in Virginia.
"Thank you for your support," the leather-pants-clad singer told the crowd at the end of her set in Charlottesville, where she was opening for Rascal Flatts, reports People.com. "Stay positive, and pray out loud! I love you guys, good night."
Although she never specifically mentioned the press she's been receiving regarding her weight gain, she did add, "Please remember, no matter what you go through in life, somebody else might have it harder. So just appreciate. I feel like in our world today, we focus on so many things that are completely pointless." Simpson's family members have come to her defense since people starting gossiping about her weight. Most recently, her brother-in-law, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, spoke out about it.
"I think that the media puts too harsh of a spotlight on women in general, and I think it's a bummer," Wentz said, according to UsMagazine.com. "It's bad for young women." Wentz added. "I see it affecting young girls who come to our shows, and that's a bummer. Real beauty is on the inside, man."
Earlier this week, in a post titled "Since when did a woman's weight become newsworthy," Ashlee Simpson-Wentz wrote that she was "completely disgusted by the headlines concerning my sister's weight. A week after the inauguration and with such a feeling of hope in the air for our country, I find it completely embarrassing and belittling to all women to read about a woman's weight or figure as a headline on Fox News."
Related ArtistsDawn Richard Says Diddy ‘Angry’ Over Danity Kane Split
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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Singer denies rumor that Puff is setting her up for solo career.
By Jocelyn Vena
Dawn Richard
Photo: MTV News
After revealing the surprising news that Diddy's hugely popular girl group Danity Kane had split, Dawn Richard still couldn't find the words to express her own feelings about the breakup.
"I'm shocked," she said of Danity Kane's dissolution, which has saddened and angered fans. "You can tell by my answers — I really don't have them. It's devastating to talk about this over and over again. It is crazy! It doesn't even make sense. I still can't understand it."
Richard insisted that she can't speak for the other girls and doesn't know where they stand on trying to make it work again. "The last time I tried to speak for someone," she said, "they blew it up the wrong way."
Diddy invited all the girls back for the upcoming season of "Making the Band," Richard explained, because he always puts business before any personal problems he has with someone. "Puff's a businessman," she said. "Puff knows what's smart. No matter how much beef you have, [you put it aside] for your business. He knew we have a big fanbase. We got to get this stuff fixed. That's why he kept trying to fix it. We thought everyone was coming back, or at least trying."
She even touched on the rumors that Diddy kicked Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods out of the group last October in order to set Richard up for a solo career. She said that since she doesn't even know if she has any career at this point, that is the furthest thing from the truth.
"No one is in cahoots with Puff," she said. "Puff is in cahoots with himself. Everyone who knows Puff knows Puff rolls with himself. His hustle is money. That's what he does. I'm just devastated. I wish the rumors were true."
She's hoping that Diddy will recognize since she was one of the few willing to try to make Danity Kane work that he'll give her another chance. "Puff only hangs with people who break their necks," she said. "I don't think he's even on that tip yet [regarding a solo career]. He just wants to see how great I can be at what he tells me to be great at, and that's what a businessman does. He wants his employees to be the best.
"It makes you great 'cause it challenges you," she added. "I want to learn. I want to be where he is mentally because if you can be there, you have mastered this interest. And that's brilliant. I want to be here. I'm trying to stay here. I thought everybody was on that plan."
At the end of the day, though, it might be a little bit more than just business for Diddy. It seems that he's pretty upset by the whole situation as well.
"I think he's devastated. I think he thought people would get over it 'cause he's a man," Richard said. "He's just confused. I think that's what makes him crazy the most. He's like, 'I'm the master of all of this, and they totally pulled the wool.' I think he's bitter and angry."
Viewers can see everything unfold on the next season of "Making the Band," which premieres on February 12.
At press time, a rep for Diddy had not commented on Richard's statements.
[This story was originally published at 8:00 am E.T. on 1.30.2009]
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsRick Ross Is Not Impressed With 50 Cent’s Dis Track, ‘Officer Ricky’
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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Ross gives 50 '48 hours' to 'come up with another one!'
By Jayson Rodriguez
Rick Ross
Photo: Frank Micelotta /WireImage
Rick Ross has heard "Officer Ricky (Go 'Head, Try Me)," 50 Cent's response to his "Mafia Music," and he said he's not impressed.
"We all gonna act like we didn't hear that," Ross told Shade45 morning host Angela Yee on Friday morning (January 30). "We gonna give him 48 hours. Time to come up with another one!"
On 50's track, which hit the Net Thursday night, the G-Unit star taunts Ross for his history as a correction officer.
"Officer Ricky radio for backup/ See your a-- anyway, you know I'm gonna act up," 50 raps. "You wanna play with me when I don't wanna play?/ Have my n---as whip the skin off your a-- in broad day/ Screaming, 'Boss,' n---a , you ain't a boss/ Pu--- n---a, you're lost/ Listen, Officer Ross."
"Officer Ricky" is a response to Ross' own dis track, in which the Miami rapper dived into 50's legal troubles with the mother of his child.
Ross wouldn't reveal the reason for the rift between the two rappers, saying "it's not important." 50, however, has been embroiled in a war of words with Ross allies Fat Joe and DJ Khaled for some time now. 50's Web site, Thisis50.com, also posted pictures in the past of Ross in various police uniforms.
The Miami rapper explained to Yee that he wanted to talk to 50 Cent during the most recent BET Awards. He said 50's facial expression, however, left him "disappointed" when he spotted him. Ross compared the expression to the look DJ Vlad wore when he was involved in a physical altercation with associates of Ross.
After that response from 50, Ross said he decided not to approach the G-Unit head.
"When I finally got the opportunity to bump into him, I planned to have words, but he disappointed me, so I kept it moving," Ross said.
Ross reiterated at the end of the interview again how shocked he was by 50's response, which he characterized as poor.
"I was positive that couldn't be the response," Ross said.
Related Videos Related ArtistsRihanna, Fall Out Boy Kick Off Super Bowl Weekend With Pepsi Smash Show
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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Lifehouse also perform their new singles at Tampa's Ford Amphitheater.
By Gil Kaufman
Rihanna performs at the Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Concert on Thursday
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/ Getty Images
Just what exactly does Barbadian R&B pop queen Rihanna have to do with the Super Bowl? About as much as Fall Out Boy. Yet there both acts were, playing to a hyped-up crowd on Thursday night at Tampa's Ford Amphitheater for the VH1-broadcast Pepsi Super Bowl Smash show that served as the unofficial kickoff of Super Bowl XLIII weekend.
The one-hour special, hosted for the second year by easily excited actor Jerry O'Connell and a series of NFL guests, kicked off with a mini-set from FOB. The band stormed out to play "I Don't Care" with their new signature LED-flickering guitars on a huge stage that featured a massive screen with a seizure-inducing series of black-and-white strobe patterns. The band didn't say much as they plowed into their new single, "America's Suitehearts," during which they were backed by multiple giant red, white and blue images of singer Patrick Stump. At one point, bassist Pete Wentz tossed aside his instrument and leaned out into the crowd to high-five some of the screaming girls down front.
Meat-and-potatoes rockers Lifehouse followed with a mid-show set that included their recent singles "First Time" and "Broken." Rihanna closed the broadcast, wearing an all-black outfit that was a mixture of bondage gear and a space-age hockey uniform as she performed a string of her hits.
The set opened with a series of images on the big screen giving way to Ri-Ri appearing at the top of a set of stairs wearing thigh-high boots, a black bikini top with a high-waisted bottom and a black overcoat adorned with hanging straps. As she's done often live, she spiked a hard-rocking take on goth pop single "Disturbia" with a bit of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" as flames shot up across the front of the stage.
She then dove straight into "Breakin' Dishes" without taking a breath, joined by a pair of backup dancers with legs up to there wearing black leather jackets, red bikini tops and black hot pants that matched Rihanna's.
After some more football-related banter from O'Connell, Rihanna closed the show with a slow-grind take through "Rehab" and an amped-up "Shut Up and Drive," which featured a chair dance, lots of funky wah-wah and screaming guitar solos, and graphics of spinning rims and neon speed gauges on the mega screens.
Related Photos Related ArtistsTaylor Swift To Headline Her Own Tour This April
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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'It's going to be really fun just spending the summer with your best friend,' singer says of opening act, Kellie Pickler.
By Jocelyn Vena
Taylor Swift
Photo: MTV News
It's official: Taylor Swift is now famous enough to headline a tour. The country singer, whose album Fearless is once again #1 on the charts (that's eight weeks for those keeping count), is riding high on the success she's had over the last year. And, although she's opened for acts like Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Rascal Flatts in the past, she's excited to finally get the chance to have her own opening act -- who just happens to be one of her best friends.
"My headlining tour starts in April, so I'm really excited about that. For the past three years I've been writing down ideas for ... a headlining tour, and I get to do one now," the singer told MTV News. "It is unbelievable to me that that is actually happening. But I'm planning the stage and the wheels are all turning."
She also shared why she has another reason to be excited for her tour -- she's taking a good friend and "American Idol" alum with her. "Kellie Pickler is actually going to be my opening act ... she's, like, my best friend. It's going to be really fun just spending the summer with your best friend. [It] solves that issue of ever being bored!"
In addition to her spring tour, Swift will be busy with appearances on both the small and big screens. In February, when "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" hits theaters, fans will get to see Swift as she makes a cameo in the film. "We always have been friends with Taylor. She's a great girl, and she's an incredible musician," Kevin Jonas recently said. "One of the coolest things is that Taylor, she's in ['Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience']. We performed along with her, and it's great. It's a lot of fun."
Also, in March comes her "life-changing" "CSI" cameo. "Basically, when I'm really old and can only remember one story about my life to go back and relive, and tell over and over and over again to the point where my grandchildren roll their eyes and leave the room, that's the story," she blogged about the experience. "Ah, I can see it now. 'You know, when I was a youngster, I got to guest star on "CSI"! It was marvelous! So marvelous, it was!' "
Related Videos Related ArtistsCoachella To Be Headlined By Paul McCartney, The Killers, The Cure
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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Amy Winehouse, Franz Ferdinand, Travis Barker and DJ AM will also play the California festival.
By Gil Kaufman
The Killers' Brandon Flowers
Photo: John Shearer/ WireImage
One of winter's annual waiting games is finally over. After days of speculation, false deadlines, more speculation and a totally bogus leaked lineup posted by none other than Ryan Seacrest, the talent roster for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was announced early Friday morning (January 30), and it's full of surprises.
In keeping with a recent trend of major heritage artists headlining on one night (Prince, Roger Waters), former Beatle Paul McCartney will top the bill for the first night of the 10th annual three-day desert fest (April 17-19) at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. It is McCartney's first-ever U.S. festival appearance, in support of his recent release under the Fireman moniker, Electric Arguments.
The Killers have the top-billing honors on the second night, along with a surprising second headliner, troubled British singer Amy Winehouse, who hasn't played a show in the U.S. in more than a year due to her ongoing struggles with drugs and health issues. The final night is topped by goth rock legends the Cure and reunited shoegazer icons My Bloody Valentine.
As always, the wildly eclectic festival will present a wide range of rock, noise, dance and indie acts, including Morrissey to Franz Ferdinand, iconic poet/crooner Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, mashup DJ Girl Talk, the Ting Tings, the Hold Steady, TV on the Radio, hush rockers Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes, pummeling metalists Mastodon, drum-and-DJ duo Travis Barker and DJ AM (a.k.a. TRAV$DJ-AM), buzzy Glaswegian rockers Glasvegas, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, possibly retiring rapper Lupe Fiasco, hip-hop legends Public Enemy and Swedish dance/trance queen Lykke Li.
The full lineup of the festival:
April 17: Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Beirut, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Silversun Pickups, the Ting Tings, the Crystal Method, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, the Airborne Toxic Event, We Are Scientists, N.A.S.A., Patton & Rahzel, M. Ward, the Presets, tThe Hold Steady, A Place to Bury Strangers, Felix da Housecat, Buraka Som Sistema, Ryan Bingham, Bajofondo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Noah & the Whale, White Lies, the Bug, Alberta Cross, Los Campesinos!, Craze & Klever, Molotov, Switch, Gui Boratto, Steve Aoki, the Aggrolites, People Under the Stairs, the Courteeners, Cage the Elephant, Dear and the Headlights.
April 18: The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Atmosphere, Mastodon, TRAV$DJ-AM, Henry Rollins, Crookers, Turbonegro, Hercules and Love Affair, Superchunk, Glasvegas, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the DBT's, Amanda Palmer, the Bloody Beetroots, Surkin, Para One (Live), Calexico, Liars, Bob Mould Band, Zane Lowe, Electric Touch, Blitzen Trapper, James Morrison, Drop the Lime, Glass Candy, Thenewno2, Gang Gang Dance, Billy Talent, Ida Maria, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Zizek, Cloud Cult, Tinariwen.
April 19: The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John, X, Antony & the Johnsons, Roni Size, Public Enemy, Jenny Lewis, Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, Christopher Lawrence, Lykke Li, The Kills, Okkervil River, M.A.N.D.Y., Clipse, Sebastien Tellier, F---ed Up, Perry Farrell, The Horrors, Late of the Pier, K'naan, Junior Boys, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supermayer, No Age, Vivian Girls, Shepard Fairey, Themselves, Gaslight Anthem, the Knux, Mexican Institute of Sound, the Night Marchers, Marshall Barnes.
Tickets for the show go on sale on Friday at 12 p.m. ET, with three-day passes going for $269 and single-day tickets for $99, plus applicable fees. And, for the first time at Coachella, in a nod to the financial struggles affecting many Americans, promoters are offering the option to buy three-day tickets and onsite camping on a payment plan (50 percent down) through February 28.
Related Artists50 Cent Responds To Rick Ross With ‘Officer Ricky’ Track
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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New record alludes to Ross' alleged prison-guard past, also calls out Lil Wayne.
By Shaheem Reid
50 Cent
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images
50 Cent, what took you so long? Almost five days have gone since Rick Ross came out with "Mafia Music," which talks about Fif and the mother of his child.
"I love to pay ya bills, can't wait to pay ya rent/ Curtis Jackson baby mama, I ain't looking for a cent/ Burn the house down," the husky Miami MC rapped on the record, referring to the last year's Ross' alleged prison-guard past and the rumors of a marriage between him and Foxy Brown. 50 later calls Brown a "bimbo."
"Must've thought he knocked me out like Kimbo," the G-Unit General adds. "Officer Ricky radio for backup/ See your a-- anyway, you know I'm gonna act up/ You wanna play with me when I don't wanna play?/ Have my n---as whip the skin off your a-- in broad day/ Screaming, 'Boss,' n---a , you ain't a boss/ Pu--- n---a, you're lost/ Listen, Officer Ross."
As the record comes to a close, in classic 50 fashion, the Queens-bred icon talks over the beat, saying that if Wayne wants to battle Eminem, he has to come through him first.
"This n---a is an appetizer," 50 says of his new beef with Rick Ross. "Where you at, Wayne? You're the full course meal, Wayne. You awfully quiet."
50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct was slated to come out in early February. It has since been pushed back, and no new release date has been announced. Besides "Mafia Music," Rick Ross also released his single "I'm the Magnificent," which features John Legend. Ross' new album Deeper Than Rap should be out sometime this spring.
Related Videos Related ArtistsBritney Spears Gets Restraining Orders Against Adnan Ghalib, Sam Lutfi
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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The duo had allegedly been trying to gain control of the singer's affairs.
By Larry Carroll
Britney Spears
Photo: MTV
Britney Spears has obtained restraining orders against ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib and former friend/manager Osama "Sam" Lutfi, according to The Associated Press. Quoting a source close to Spears, the AP reports that the duo had been trying to gain control of the singer's affairs.
It was barely a year ago that Lutfi was still Spears' manager, until a restraining order alleged that he had drugged Britney in an attempt to control her. "[He] essentially moved into Britney's home and has purported to take control of her life, home and finances," Britney's father, Jamie — who still retains temporary conservator powers over the singer's person and estate — wrote in the complaint at the time. "Mr. Lutfi has drugged Britney. ... He has cut Britney's home phone line and removed her cell phone chargers. He yells at her. He claims to control everything — Britney's business manager, her attorneys and the security guards at the gate."
Meanwhile, Britney rocked the tabloid world when she began dating Ghalib, a paparazzo, around the time of her hospitalization in January 2008. The relationship fell apart shortly after Ghalib began providing his photo agency with exclusive details and photos of their relationship.
The exact nature of the new restraining orders was not immediately clear, as a court official told the AP that the documents were behind locked doors in the judge's chambers. Spears and her father had chosen not to renew a temporary restraining order against Lutfi when it expired this past July.
"Britney has made clear to everyone that she does not want to be further harassed or contacted in any way by Osama 'Sam' Lutfi," Britney's court-appointed attorney Samuel D. Ingham III said in a statement at the time. "Now or at any time in the future."
It was a year ago this weekend that a court placed Britney under co-conservatorship of her father and attorney Andrew Wallete, giving them complete control of her assets, followed by Spears' involuntary psychiatric hold at UCLA Medical Center. Soon after, a restraining order was secured against Lutfi, and in the eyes of some fans, those moves began a year of redemption that would return Britney to her former glory.
Related Videos Related ArtistsBret Michaels Gives His Super Bowl Odds
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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Poison-frontman-turned-'Rock of Love' superstud is torn about which team he's rooting for, but not that torn.
By James Montgomery
Bret Michaels
Photo: Nancy Mazzei
Bret Michaels is in a rather unique position — and it's not the kind you might think ...
See, the Poison-frontman-turned-"Rock of Love" superstud grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and considers himself a "die-hard" Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Yet, for the past four years, he's called Scottsdale, Arizona, home, which means that, when it comes to this Sunday's Super Bowl — which pits his beloved Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals — he's torn, but not that torn.
"I go black-and-gold, all the way," Michaels told MTV News on Friday (January 30). "I grew up a member of Lambert's Lunatics [a group of fans who worshipped at the altar of the Steelers' punishing middle linebacker Jack Lambert] in the '70s, and remember all the insanity of the old Three Rivers Stadium. It's truly in my blood. But, I have a place in Scottsdale, and there's no doubt that the Cardinals are my NFC team, too. I've hade some great times out here, and they've got great fans."
Having said that, he paused for a second, then added the following caveat:
"Now make sure you put this in the article: I would root for the Cardinals if they were playing any team but the Steelers. So this Sunday, it's going to be Steelers all the way. I am a true, die-hard Steelers fan. They are my only team."
This is clearly very important to Michaels, who says some of his fondest memories were going to Steelers games in Pittsburgh, watching his dad "getting plastered at tailgate parties" and throwing snowballs at opposing players. He has very, er, fond memories of Pittsburgh — and all of Pennsylvania, for that matter.
"Growing up there I had some good times," he said. "I lost my virginity at the Mechanicsburg fish hatchery, so that should tell you the kind of times I'm talking about."
Still, his connection to his new home is very strong.
"Out here, the weather is beautiful. I mean, it's 70 degrees on Christmas Day, and you can't beat that," Michaels laughed. "Here, the worst thing that can happen to you is that you sweat too much before you can get the air conditioning working in your car. And, you know, I love the women in Pittsburgh. Love them. But desert women ... man, they're smoking hot."
But women and weather aside, Michaels can't be swayed from his Steel Curtain loyalties, which is why he's picking the Steelers to beat the Cardinals — 27-24 — in the Super Bowl. He's confident but still a little bit worried. Seems he thinks his team might waltz into the game expecting to roll over the Cards, which is why, as we wrapped up our conversation, he had just one final piece of advice for his beloved black-and-gold.
"The Cardinals are a good team — don't take them lightly. So, here's my advice: Go balls-to-the wall, play the Cards hard and do not underestimate them," he said. "Both teams know each other's tendencies, so it's going to come down to which team is stronger. So, please, Steelers, go out there with guns a-blazin'. And that concludes my drunken coach's corner."
MTV News will be all over the Super Bowl's music and movie highlights — be sure to check in on Sunday!
Related ArtistsBruce Springsteen Talks Super Bowl, ‘We Are One’ Performances
January 30, 2009 by MTV News
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'This is a really busy month, [but] I'm lucky — I don't work, I play,' the Boss tells MTV News.
By Lindsay Wallace
Bruce Springsteen
Photo: Scott Boehm/ Getty Images
Just days after his latest album, Working on a Dream, hit stores, and just a couple of weeks after his rousing appearance at the "We Are One" concert, Bruce Springsteen is set to play the halftime show at the Super Bowll on Sunday.
"This is a really busy month," Springsteen said, "though I'm more than happy with everything going on. I'm lucky — I don't work, I play."
And to emphasize that point, he's beginning another world tour in April. Springsteen talked a bit about his version of "The Rising" at "We Are One."
"It was truly an experience to be on that stage," he said. "There were people as far as I could see, and the choir behind me sang their hearts out for me. It was a beautiful feeling."
(Check out this shot of Bruce from the "We Are One" rehearsals.)
Of course, the Super Bowl, given its enormous global audience, is a colossal event as well. While Bruce didn't say which songs he's got in mind for the performance, he's aware of just how much emotion and personal connection his audience brings to his songs.
"The thing is, records used to be about telling a story, and that's what I'm great at — and I'm modest about it, too!" he laughed.
Anyone who's seen Bruce and the E Street Band in concert knows just how much they bring to those songs during their high-energy, three-plus-hour-long sets — and they're sure to rock just as hard on Sunday.
MTV News will be all over the Super Bowl's music and movie highlights — be sure to check in on Sunday!
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