Usher Dazzles On The VMA Stage With 'DJ' And 'OMG'

Ush combined his legendary dance skills with spectacular special effects.
By Rochell D. Thomas


Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Call it what you will: talent, swag, skills. But one thing's true about Usher Terry Raymond IV: When he steps on the dance floor, some mysterious thing comes out of him and puts the G in groove. After he was tapped to perform at the 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards, executive producer Dave Sirulnick challenged Usher to "show why you're king," and the 31-year-old Grammy winner didn't disappoint.

As predicted by the lucky few who got a peek at Thursday's practice performance for his hit "OMG," Ush pulled off moves that would make the late great Michael Jackson jealous in a mammoth stage production that included more special-effects bells and whistles than a summer blockbuster.

Usher opened the performance with "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," perched two flights above the stage on a ledge surrounded by blinding green laser lights. Then he slid, with the help of barely visible wires and mounts, down a flight, all the while popping and locking. When the father of two finally ticked his way down to stage level, he was surrounded by an army of dancers also clad in black suits with white stripes designed to toss and catch special effect lights.

Directed by Anthony Mandler, Usher's "OMG" clip earned Best Male Video, Best Dance Music Video and Best Choreography Moonman nominations. During the pre-show, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" beat it in the Best Dance category, where Raymond was, for many, the lead contender.

If Usher was disappointed, he didn't let it show. When he launched the "OMG" portion of his performance, the stage seemed to disappear, as red laser lights moved forward in blinding configurations spelling out O.M.G. and Usher's name. More dancers lowered from the ceiling on Cirque du Soleil-esque contraptions, dipping in and out of the red beams. Such a 3-D light display could probably have been seen from the moon, if it weren't for the roof of the Nokia Theatre.

Usher ended his set standing, head back, with his arms outstretched in the Jesus pose. He didn't say a word. Didn't need to.

The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there's plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647658/20100912/usher.jhtml

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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.

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

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Justin Bieber's 'Pray' Hits Internet

Singer pleads for 'better day' on inspirational track, which will be on upcoming My Worlds Acoustic.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Justin Bieber is set to release an acoustic album, My Worlds Acoustic, on Black Friday, November 26. But the album's only new track, "Pray," hit the Internet Friday (November 12). The song isn't acoustic, but, as Bieber and his musical director Dan Kanter had promised, it's an inspirational track with world-music influences.

The song opens with Bieber singing, "And I pray" over a keyboard. Then he sings, "I just can't sleep tonight/ Knowing that things ain't right." He describes some of the suffering in the world before concluding, "But I know there's sunshine behind that rain/ I know there's good times beyond that pain/ Hey, can you tell me how I can make a change."

The track — which features a mid-tempo, world-music beat, synths and Bieber's vocals in a lower key than we've heard before — repeats one simple refrain in the chorus. Bieber sings, "I close my eyes and I can see a better day/ I close my eyes and pray."

"I really think that I did an acoustic album because there's a lot of haters out there that say, 'Justin Bieber can't sing. His voice is all Auto-Tuned,' " he told MTV News. "And there's a lot with production, it kind of drowns out your voice, and it takes away from the singer, over the synths and everything. ... I think kind of stripping it down and having it kind of really mellow and being able to hear my voice is why I wanted to do it."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652123/20101112/bieber_justin.jhtml

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Usher's OMG Tour To Launch In November

Usher's 25-date arena tour will start on November 10 in Seattle.
By Gil Kaufman


Usher
Photo: Michael Caulfield/ WireImage

Usher will reward his fans' patience in November when he finally kicks off the long-awaited tour in support of his platinum Raymond v. Raymond album. Though it won't feature Chris Brown as recently rumored, Usher is promising a major show for the 25-date North American arena tour that kicks off on November 10 in Seattle.

"Songs like 'OMG,' 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love,' 'There Goes My Baby,' 'Papers,' 'Daddy's Home,' 'Lil Freak' with Nicki Minaj and 'Hot Tottie' with Jay-Z have dominated the airwaves since last February," said Randy Phillips, president & CEO of AEG Live, the promoter behind the tour. "Now is the time for one of our greatest entertainers to go live and we are thrilled to be part of the ultimate Usher experience. Usher is bringing his fans an evening they will not soon forget. This will be the 'Must See' concert tour of 2010!"

The singer, who is on tap to perform at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards, will be on the road through late December, hitting major cities from Las Vegas and Los Angeles to Dallas, Detroit, Chicago and Boston, wrapping things up on December 18 with a show at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

Tickets will go on sale beginning September 17, with more information on opening acts and tour details available at Usherworld.com.

Dates for the OMG Tour:
» November 10 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
» November 12 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arenabr
» November 13 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Baybr
» November 14 - Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
» November 17 - San Diego, CA @ Sports Arena
» November 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
» November 19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Jobing.com Arena
» November 23 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
» November 24 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
» November 26 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
» November 27 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
» November 29 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
» November 30 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
» December 2 - Detroit, MI @ TBD
» December 3 - Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena
» December 5 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
» December 7 - Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
» December 8 - Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena
» December 10 - Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
» December 11 - Norfolk, VA @ Scope Arena
» December 13 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
» December 14 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden
» December 16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
» December 17 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
» December 18 - Hartford, CT @ XL Center

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647336/20100908/usher.jhtml

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Michael Jackson's New Single, 'Breaking News,' Teased in Video

A 42-second promo for posthumous track, to be released Monday, appears on King of Pop's official website.
By James Dinh


Photo: Epic

With a title that plays perfectly into the controversy that surrounded Michael Jackson's career, the lead single, "Breaking News," off the King of Pop's first posthumous album, Michael, is set to premiere Monday. Fans who'd like a preview might want to head to the singer's official website: A 42-second trailer has been posted for the never-before-heard track.

The video teaser, which appears below a "Breaking News" headline, begins with a slew of reporters announcing: "As the plot thickens to destroy Michael Jackson ..."

The camera then pans between Sony televisions screens, all showing media reports on the late singer. The montage intensifies as the screens flicker, one after another, until the rumble of reporters is silenced with a thud and a voice-over announcing a breaking news story.

The teaser concludes with flashing text displaying Monday's world premiere date for the new single, then showing cover art for the new album. The instrumental music playing in the background may be from the song "Breaking News." While no vocals are present on the dance-tune snippet, the pop star's signature croon ends the video.

According to a press release, the entire new song will stream on the singer's website for one week. The track, which was recorded in 2007, was recently completed by the producers of Jackson's posthumous album, Michael. The LP is scheduled to hit stores December 14.

It has been reported that Jackson was continuously creating music until his death in 2009.

"The creative process never stopped for the King of Pop, who was always planning for his next album; unbeknownst to many fans around the world, Michael Jackson was writing and recording songs continuously everywhere from a friend's home in New Jersey to studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with a small group of handpicked collaborators," the press release says.

Are you excited to hear "Breaking News"? Share your thoughts below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1651664/20101105/jackson_michael.jhtml

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