Usher's VMA Performance To Be Worthy Of A 'King'

Awards-show executive producer teases Ush's 'best televised dance routine' in years.
By James Montgomery


Usher's VMA rehearsal on September 9
Photo: Ciel VanderVeen/MTV

LOS ANGELES — The success of Usher's "OMG" is as much a testament to his unyielding popularity as an artist as it is his ability to, well, dance his ass off. That's particularly apparent in the Video Music Award-nominated video for the song, which features Ush and a bevy of beauties popping, locking, pivoting and posing in ways we never thought possible. Quite simply, the man can move.

So when it came time to plot out his VMA performance, well, Usher's team -- and the brain trust behind the show -- didn't have a whole lot of trouble coming up with a concept. The dancing was going to be front and center. The only question was: How could they take things to the next level.

"We all sat in a room and came up with a concept for the stage, and then we took that concept to Usher," VMA executive producer Dave Sirulnick told MTV News. "We said to him, 'We want to do the best televised dance routine that you've done in years. Let's show why you're the king.' "

And Ush's Sunday night performance is very much an affair worthy of royalty. Full of eye-popping moves, hip-dipping dancers and more special effects than a Hollywood blockbuster, it makes full use of not just the epic VMA stage (which practically engulfs the entirety of Nokia Theater), but the space behind it.

While we can't give away too many details, based on the rehearsals we saw Thursday, the off-the-wall choreography is only part of the attraction. There are lasers and LED lights, stunts, slides and even some props. Like we said, it's kind of like a Hollywood blockbuster. And kind of a coronation too. After all, Usher is the king.

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.

Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647532/20100910/usher.jhtml

Rachel Nichols Rachel Perry Rachel Weisz Radha Mitchell Raquel Alessi Rebecca Mader

Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars To Play Grammy Nominations Show

B.o.B and Miranda Lambert also on bill for December 1 show.
By Gil Kaufman


Justin Bieber
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

The show before the show is already shaping up to be pretty massive. On Wednesday (November 10), the folks behind the Grammy Awards announced the lineup for the "Grammy Nominations Concert Live" show on December 1, which will feature appearances from such Grammy newbies as Justin Bieber, B.o.B and Bruno Mars.

Joining the fellas on the show will be Katy Perry and country star Miranda Lambert. Rapper LL Cool J will again host the one-hour affair from the Club Nokia in Los Angeles. More performers and announcers will be announced shortly for the third nominations special from the Grammy organization.

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 13.

Before that though, the 11th annual Latin Grammys will take place on Thursday night, November 11, with performances by Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias and Nelly Furtado. Ricky Martin will be on tap to present the 2010 Latin Person of the Year award to opera great Placido Domingo.

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1651909/20101110/bieber_justin.jhtml

Salma Hayek Samaire Armstrong Samantha Mathis Samantha Morton Samantha Mumba Sanaa Lathan

Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year

Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff


Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."

He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.

You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.

Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.

And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.

And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.

To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.

"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."

Related Videos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604582/20090209/plant_robert.jhtml

Roselyn Sanchez Rozonda Thomas Saira Mohan Salma Hayek Samaire Armstrong Samantha Mathis

Michael Jackson's 'Hold My Hand' Debuts Online

Song featuring Akon is first single off posthumous album Michael.
By Gil Kaufman


Michael Jackson and Akon
Photo: Getty Images

"Hold My Hand," the official first single from the upcoming posthumous album from Michael Jackson album, was released on MJ's official website over the weekend. The lead track from Michael, due on December 14, is a universal plea for peace on which Akon and MJ weave their voices together over a wash of dramatic strings and a subdued beat.

Akon, who recently went back into the studio to put finishing touches on the song, spoke to MTV News back in 2007 about working with the King of Pop, who reportedly wrote a hand-written note in which he expressed a desire to have "Hold My Hand" released as a single.

"Just to be in the same room [with him], I felt like everything I wanted to achieve in life had already been achieved," Akon said. "That's how incredible that aura [is]."

Unlike "Breaking News," the beat-heavy anti-media screed that was streamed on the MJ site last week, the uplifting "Hold My Hand" is one of Jackson's classic love ballads, a heart-stirring call to unity with a touch of a Caribbean lilt.

"This life don't last forever," Jackson sings in the opening lines in his signature quavering falsetto. "So tell me what we're waiting for/ We're better off being together/ Than being miserable alone."

Then together, the men sing, " 'Cause I been there before and you've bee there before/ But together we can be all right/ 'Cause when it gets dark and when it gets cold we hold each other till we see the sunlight."

As the three-and-a-half-minute single comes to a close, the strings swell and a gospel choir comes in, clapping hands and giving the tune a majestic feel.

The 10-track album will also feature cameos from 50 Cent ("Monster") and Lenny Kravitz ("(I Can't Make It) Another Day".

Even though he worked with Jackson on tracks late in the singer's career on what was slated to be MJ's comeback album, one person who is not excited about the new MJ disc is the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am.

"Whoever put it out and is profiting off of it, I want to see how cold they are," he told Entertainment Weekly. "To say that what [Michael] contributed during his life wasn't enough. He just wasn't any ordinary artist. He was a hands-on person. To me it's disrespectful. There's no honoring."

Considering how meticulous and particular Jackson was about his music, Will said he thought it was callous of Jackson's label, Sony Music, to release what he suspects are unfinished works. "Michael Jackson songs are finished when Michael says they're finished," said Will, who earlier this year revealed that he worked on the songs "Dreaming" and "Still the King" with Jackson, as well a tribute to James Brown called "I Will Miss You."

"Maybe if I never worked with him I wouldn't have this perspective," the producer told "Access Hollywood," noting that those songs will never be released because MJ didn't give his final approval on them. "He was very particular about how he wanted his vocals, the reverb he used. ... He was that hands-on. ... He kept his vocals and I kept the music. We had that understanding."

What do you think of the new Michael Jackson song? Share your reviews in the comments.

Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652219/20101115/jackson_michael.jhtml

Poppy Montgomery Portia de Rossi Rachael Leigh Cook Rachel Bilson Rachel Blanchard Rachel Hunter

Drake, Usher, Alicia Keys Top Soul Train Awards Nomination List

Nicki Minaj, B.o.B, Ne-Yo scored two nods apiece at this year's show set to air November 28.
By Jayson Rodriguez


Alicia Keys
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/ Getty Images

Alicia Keys, Usher and Drake lead the list of nominees for the 2010 Soul Train Awards, it was announced on Monday (October 18).

New mother Keys and Usher are tied for the most nods with four apiece; Keys is up for Best R&B/Soul Artist Female, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Record of the Year, while Usher is up for Best R&B/Soul Artist Male, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Dance Performance.

Drake is just one nom behind the pace-setters. The Toronto lyricist scored nods in three categories: Best Hip Hop Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

Nicki Minaj, Ne-Yo, B.o.B Erykah Badu, Monica, Sade and Fantasia are among the other big nominees, each scoring two nods apiece. This year's Legends Awards recipients are veteran singers Ron Isley and Anita Baker.

R. Kelly is set to open the show, hosted for a second-straight year by actor Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Rick Ross, Cee-Lo and Keyshia Cole are among the acts scheduled to perform. The 2010 Soul Train Awards are set for November 10 at Atlanta's Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and will air November 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on BET and Centric.

Last year marked the return of the seminal awards show, founded by "Soul Train" creator Don Cornelius, after a two-year hiatus. The 2009 production also took place in Atlanta and featured tributes to Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, L.A. Reid and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.

For the full list of nominees, visit BET.com.

Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1650235/20101018/drake.jhtml

Sarah Silverman Sarah Wynter Scarlett Chorvat Scarlett Johansson Selita Ebanks Shakara Ledard

Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber Top EMA Winners List

30 Seconds to Mars, Katy Perry, Ke$ha also take home trophies.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Lady Gaga appears via video link during the 2010 MTV EMAs on Sunday
Photo: Getty Images

The 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards Sunday (November 7) brought tons of star power and memorable performances to Madrid. In turn, many of pop music's biggest stars took home some hardware from Spain for their chart-topping hits. Catch the EMA show Sunday (November 7) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV2 and Friday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV, and check out a list of the winners below:

Best Song
Lady Gaga "Bad Romance"

Best Live Act
Linkin Park

Best Pop
Lady Gaga

Best New Act
Ke$ha

Best Female
Lady Gaga

Best Male
Justin Bieber

Best Hip Hop
Eminem

Best Rock
30 Seconds to Mars

Best Alternative
Paramore

Best Video
Katy Perry "California Gurls"

Best Push Act
Justin Bieber

Best World Stage Performance
Tokio Hotel

Best European Act
Marco Mengoni

The 2010 EMAs will air on MTV2 on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, and an edited, performance-heavy version will be broadcast Friday, November 12, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1651713/20101107/bieber_justin.jhtml

Rachel Bilson Rachel Blanchard Rachel Hunter Rachel McAdams Rachel Nichols Rachel Perry