2010 MTV EMAs By The Numbers: 1 Lady Gaga Designer, 600 Chickens

Lady Gaga's designer crafts rotating cube in Madrid's Caja Magica for 2010 Europe Music Awards performers.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

MADRID — Metrically speaking, the 2010 Europe Music Awards might not be the biggest production in the 16-year history of the show, but it's certainly the "boxiest."

That's because this year's EMAs will be broadcast live from Madrid's Caja Magica, a new clay-court tennis facility (and home to the city's legendary Real Madrid basketball team) which, literally translated, means "The Magic Box." Opened just last year, the Caja features multiple retractable roofs, wandering water features and seating for more than 12,000. And Sunday, when it'll play host to the EMAs, the stage also will be a box — a four-sided, rotating, multidimensional cube courtesy of British theater designer Es Devlin, who's worked with Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Muse.

The stage is entirely constructed of steel shipped from London, and rotates 360 degrees to reveal four distinct settings for the EMA performances, which will include B.o.B and Hayley Williams, Miley Cyrus and Ke$ha, to name a few. And, in the city itself, Linkin Park, Katy Perry and 30 Seconds to Mars will perform live from the Puerta de Alcala, a monument commemorated in 1778.

The show itself will feature eight costume changes by host Eva Longoria (including an outfit designed by Victoria Beckham), and more than 600 sets of eyelashes, 300 wigs, 300 shades of eye shadow and blush, and 100 sets of pre-painted nails, modeled by 97 dancers from 12 different countries.

And while all that is plenty big, the behind-the-scenes stats are equally eye-popping: Stars can luxuriate in 34 different dressing rooms, dine on special macrobiotic meals crafted by a team of international chefs or be waited on by a staff of first-class Lufthansa airline attendants.

Meanwhile, the crew — some 1,300 workers, technicians, talent wranglers and caterers — will communicate on more than 800 walkie talkies, backed by 1,200 batteries and 450 headsets. And they'll eat meals cooked by 30 chefs (who will go through some 600 chickens and a half-ton of beef every day) and pastries created by three Madrid bakeries and chug their way through 10,000 bottles of water (all of which will be recycled).

Oh, and in the days leading up to the show, more than 110 limousines and vans will move artists around the city of Madrid, and more than 100 buses will transport VIP guests and the media to and from the Caja.

Looking at all those numbers, maybe the 2010 EMAs is the biggest production in the show's history. We can't imagine anything bigger.

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.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1651659/20101105/lady_gaga.jhtml

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Usher's VMA Performance Proves He's Still King: Making The Show

Singer held back at rehearsals, harnessing his energy for Sunday's show.
By Jayson Rodriguez


Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

The King is back!

Usher thrilled the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night with his stunning combination performance of "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love."

The singer moved and grooved, proving that he's the R&B star that everyone pays attention to for the big moments.

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/1647708/20100913/usher.jhtml

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Mary J. Blige Dishes On Her 'Crazy' Led Zeppelin Covers

'I've listened to their music since I was a child,' says the R&B diva, who recorded 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Larry Carroll


Mary J. Blige
Photo: MTV News

You wouldn't peg Mary J Blige as the black-light-and-tapestry sort, but, as has become readily apparent in recent weeks, she absolutely loves Led Zeppelin.

In early February, reports began circulating that Blige had re-recorded Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven," working with Travis Barker, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson and guitarist Steve Vai on the track, which is slated to appear on the international reissue of her Stronger With Each Tear album, due Monday.

But after she had recorded "Stairway," Blige continued to get the Led out, covering another Zeppelin classic — the thunderous "Whole Lotta Love" — for the album too. And when MTV News caught up with her on the Essence Black Women in Hollywood red carpet, she told us all about channeling her inner Robert Plant for the tracks, a process that came much easier than you'd probably imagine.

"I did Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' — it's crazy," she said. "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I'm not going to say I've been to their concerts, but I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway to Heaven,' and 'Whole Lotta Love' is just fun."

Blige also said she recorded another new song — a "club record" called "I Can't Wait" — for the re-release. And while it's only slated to hit shelves outside the U.S., she hopes her fans will get a chance to hear all the new songs pretty soon.

"I want y'all to hear it," she laughed.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1633563/20100309/blige_mary_j.jhtml

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