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.

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Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones Unveil Supergroup

Them Crooked Vultures make their debut with a post-Lollapalooza set.
By James Montgomery


Dave Grohl (file)
Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Officially, Lollapalooza ended Sunday night in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from the Killers and Jane's Addiction. Unofficially, it ended very early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures.

To the unfamiliar, the Vultures might seem like an odd choice to close out Lolla weekend ... until you realize that they're made up of Foo Fighters frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. And their gig at the Metro was their world premiere.

According to some reports, the Vultures actually turned down Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell's request to replace the Beastie Boys as headliners at the festival, opting to debut in front of some 1,100 super-psyched fans at the Metro, rather than 75,000 in Grant Park (tickets for the gig were announced via Foo Fighter/ QOTSA fan clubs). Meaning that, in a lot of ways, this was the most sought-after ticket in town.

Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures — Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar — ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called Never Deserved the Future, and may or may not be hitting stores on October 23 (early "promo" videos touting both those facts were revealed over the weekend to be hoaxes perpetrated by QOTSA fans).

The songs, with appropriately Homme-ian titles like "Scumbag Blues," "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)," "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes," sounded pretty much how you'd expect, given the band's pedigree. They rocked, hard — Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" — delving off into psychedelic, reverb-filled excursions and exploring proggy territory, "both of the old-school Yes variety, and the more modern Tool flavor," according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Jim DeRogatis.

It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures — there have been whispers of a full-blown tour, but a spokesperson for Homme had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Nor was it clear whether or not they'll have an album out in October.

Early Monday, a Crooked Vultures Twitter account, which had previously posted links to the band's official-looking Web site and the Metro's online ticketing site — posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a Deserve the Future T-shirt. Cost: $30.

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Justin Bieber Designing Nail Polish Line

Singer's polish, with colors inspired by his hits, will be at Wal-Mart in December.
By Gil Kaufman


Justin Bieber
Photo: Kevin Mazur/KCA2010/WireImage

You know what would go great with that eye shadow? Some One Less Lonely Girl lavender nail polish. Luckily, your boy Justin Bieber is thinking only of you and is about to launch an exclusive line of polishes called One Less Lonely Girl at Wal-Mart, inspired by his biggest hits.

According to AOL's Stylelist, Bieber has teamed up with Nicole by OPI to design for a collection of nail polishes that will hit stores just in time for the holidays. Among the primary colors on tap are One Less Lonely Glitter (lavender), Prized Possession Purple (grape), Give Me the First Dance (silver), Me + Blue (dark blue), OMB! (bright red) and Step 2 the Beat of My Heart (heart-shaped glitter). The first six shades will be available in December, with eight others to follow in January.

After debuting exclusively at Wal-Mart, the shades will then be available at Target, Sears and other mass merchandisers in February. That's not the only Bieb schwag that will be hitting stores over the next few months. The singer has his first book, "Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story," out in stores on October 12, a bevy of Halloween costume options, his upcoming line of dolls (also due in December) and his in-process 3-D concert movie, slated for release on February 11.

If none of those is up your alley, Bieber has plenty of other gift ideas in his official store), from a set of Christmas cards ($30), to a full-size cardboard stand-up ($35), aluminum water bottle ($15), lunch box ($30) and rubber bracelet ($10).

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Chris Cornell Filling In For Robert Plant On Led Zeppelin Tour? That's News To Him

'I have not been approached to fill in for Robert Plant on the Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be,' singer says.
By Chris Harris


Chris Cornell
Photo: MTV News

Former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell has spoken out for the first time about rumors that he's been asked to fill in for Robert Plant on a proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The trek would feature original guitarist Jimmy Page, original bassist John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham taking over on drums for his late father, John Bonham.

Cornell has been mentioned — along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, White Stripes mastermind Jack White and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy — as a potential Plant fill-in. Plant has already said that he wouldn't take part in the tour.

"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Cornell told MTV News. "I've heard that from about 200 people now, and it might be one of those situations where it's just an online rumor or it might be true. But if you see anyone from Led Zeppelin around, let me know. I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss tour."

Cornell's denial comes just a day after Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford confirmed reports that frontman Steven Tyler recently met with Zeppelin for an impromptu jam session. "They did it for fun," Whitford said during an appearance on the syndicated show "Todd N Tyler Radio Empire." "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because I think he was trying to light a fire under Robert."

Rumors of a Zeppelin reunion tour have abounded since the iconic band played a single reunion set last year at London's O2 Arena. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider added fuel to the fire last month when he revealed that the group was thinking of touring, with or without Plant.

According to Snider, the rest of the band told Plant, " 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid [Myles Kennedy].' "

"And he can sing the sh-- out of Zeppelin," Snider added. "They're going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in."

In a recent interview, Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought to take over for Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he said. "We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there."

But Jones insists that he, Page and Bonham aren't interested in finding a Plant clone. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be onboard."

Of course, even if Zeppelin were to approach him, Cornell might be too busy to take over vocals for the band. His upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, will be released within the next few months. Cornell told MTV News last month that some of his fans might consider Scream something of a departure, but he doesn't see it that way.

"It makes me happy that there's this perception that I have a group of fans that I'm now sort of throwing a curve at and what their reaction will be," he said. "But I've been in this situation so many times already. When I put out [1999's] Euphoria Morning, my main goal was to create an album that sounded like nothing I'd done in Soundgarden, and I did that. I also had that with Temple of the Dog, where I showed up with songs that weren't necessarily riff-based. And then, of course, the pairing of me and members of Rage Against the Machine had everyone sort of speculating about what that would sound like.

"It feels like I've done this so many times that when it's presented to me as being a departure, I feel that's a misconception," he added. "I feel like that's my theme at this point."

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Justin Bieber Reportedly Under Investigation For Laser Tag Scuffle

Teen idol was allegedly involved in a scrap in his native Canada.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Justin Bieber (file)
Photo: James Devaney/ Getty Images

Teen superstar Justin Bieber is reportedly involved in an investigation in his native Canada for an alleged assault at a Richmond, British Columbia laser tag center.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed Sunday (October 17) that an investigation was underway regarding an incident at a "Richmond entertainment facility" just before 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The father of a 12-year-old boy told authorities that his son was assaulted by another young male at the facility. The tween didn't need medical attention and walked away with "minimal injuries."

Since the suspect is under 18, police have not released the name of the accused party. However, many reports have stated that 16-year-old Bieber is being pegged as the attacker and the RCMP has stated, "We are aware of speculations concerning the identity of one of the parties allegedly involved."

A rep for Bieber did not respond to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Bieber, an avid tweeter, has not yet addressed reports either.

Unnamed sources have told TMZ that the incident went down at Planet Lazer, a laser tag chain that has a location in Richmond. The website, however, paints a different picture of the incident, reporting that Bieber was targeted by an overzealous laser tag participant who lobbed an anti-gay slur at the teen idol. When the 12-year-old stuck his hand out toward Bieber, the pop sensation apparently batted it away and then left the center.

The incident comes during a busy time for the "Baby" crooner. The singer announced Friday that his buzzed-about 3-D flick "Never Say Never" will be released in February. His illustrated memoir, "Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story," just hit shelves and he is helming a nail polish line. His chart-topping music continues to make an impact and the singer is up for four American Music Award trophies.

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Lady Gaga Challenged To $1 Million Sing-Off By L.A. Performer

'This contest gives people a chance to choose which they prefer: plastic or real,' singer Alisa Apps says.
By James Montgomery


Alisa Apps and Lady Gaga
Photo: Alisa Apps/ Reverb Nation

Alisa Apps is a Los Angeles-based singer who really, truly believes she is better than Lady Gaga ... and she's willing to go head-to-head with her to prove it.

On Tuesday, Apps challenged Gaga to a televised sing-off — which she proposed would take place at either New York's Madison Square Garden or London's O2 Arena — with the winner taking home a cash prize of $1 million. Each artist would perform a series of songs, with a panel of judges determining just who is the superior singer.

Challenging the reigning queen of pop music is a pretty ingenious way to garner headlines, but according to Apps, she's not stepping to Gaga to make a name for herself. She's doing it out of pity — and to prove a point.

"I feel sorry for Lady Gaga — she's just a plastic doll generated by the music money marketing machine," Apps said in an alliteration-heavy press release. "I stand for the voice of your heart. Be real with me. Come to my world and feel. I want to hear you and for you to hear me. This contest gives people a chance to choose which they prefer: plastic or real."

Oh snap. Apps — who, according to her MySpace page, is signed to a "major" label (but has, to the best of our knowledge, yet to release a major-label album) — does command a rather robust YouTube fanbase, with a video of her performing an original song called "How Do I Make Right?" racking up more than 1 million views. It also bears mention that, back in 2008, on her official YouTube channel, she took aim at diva Mariah Carey with a stunt she called "The Pop Star Challenge".

Apps did not respond to MTV News' request for comment on the Gaga challenge by press time; nor did a rep for Gaga, though, really, that didn't surprise us all that much.

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Chris Brown's BET Performance Joins List Of Greatest Pop-Culture Crying Fits

Halle Berry, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake and more have had their moments.
By Kyle Anderson


Chris Brown performs at the 2010 BET awards on Sunday
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

Despite the triumphant TV returns of Kanye West, T.I. and El DeBarge at Sunday night's 2010 BET Awards, the big headline from the show was Chris Brown's moving tribute to late superstar Michael Jackson. Brown flawlessly executed all of Jackson's most classic dance moves (including a scorching moonwalk), but when it came time to lend his voice to Jackson's "Man in the Mirror," Brown broke down in tears and could not sing, apparently overwhelmed by the emotion of the situation.

Crying in public is hardly a new phenomenon in the world of popular culture. Brown joins the list of some of the biggest stars in the world who have also broken down on television.

Halle Berry When Berry won the Oscar for Best Actress at the 74th Annual Academy Awards in 2002 (for her work in "Monster's Ball"), she became the first African-American woman to take home the prize. That, combined with the overwhelming experience that was making the emotionally-charged "Monster's Ball" and the huge standing ovation she received, threw Berry into hysterics during her acceptance speech. "This moment is so much bigger than me," she said.

Kelly Clarkson When Kelly Clarkson won the very first season of "American Idol," she was initially in a state of shock. Unable to express how she was feeling to the television audience who voted her the victor over Justin Guarini, she moved on to her performance of "A Moment Like This." When she hit the lyric, "I can't believe it's happening to me," she finally broke. She managed to get through the song, but to continuously apologized for her emotion.

Justin Timberlake Ashton Kutcher's hit MTV show "Punked" certainly pushed a lot of his famous friends to the brink, but few had a reaction like Timberlake. When Kutcher's crew of actors pretended to be federal officers seizing most of his possessions for failure to pay back taxes, Timberlake flipped out and wept. Usually, Kutcher's reveal at the end of the episode throws the celebrity in question into laughing jags or fits of anger, but Timberlake was clearly just filled with relief.

Tonya Harding Athletes cry all the time, but it's usually because of the overwhelming thrill of victory or the agony of bitter defeat. Rarely do they weep during a particular competition, but that's exactly what Harding did at the 1994 Winter Olympics. After dealing with her connection to the attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan in the run-up to the games, Harding took the ice only to realize that a lace on one of her skates had broken. In between sobs, she pleaded with the judges to allow her to get new laces and start over. They allowed it, though Harding still only finished eighth.

Crystal Bowersox The season nine "American Idol" runner-up had an extremely emotional run to the finals (including a harrowing health scare), but it took merely the presence of her father and a particularly heartfelt song to push her to tears. Bowersox slipped a handful of sobs into her performance of Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions' "People Get Ready" during Inspirational Week on the show. It was one of the many performances that put Bowersox in the discussion of the best "Idol" contestants of all time.

Tracy Morgan The always unpredictable star of "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock" has had a tough life and a challenging career, but the mere mention of co-star Tina Fey sent Morgan on the crying train when he visited with Oprah Winfrey on an episode of her show back in April. "She's my friend. Tina is my friend. I love her," he told Winfrey as he was fighting back tears.

"Crying Girl" There are an awful lot of "American Idol" moments on this list, aren't there? Ashley Ferl gained notoriety during the show's sixth season not as a contestant but as a particularly emotional audience member. The 13-year-old Ferl was so taken with "Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar's take on the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" that she sobbed uncontrollably, earning herself a great deal of screen time and the privilege of becoming an Internet meme for a while.

Did we miss any? What is the best incident of celebrity crying? And what did you think of Brown's performance? Let us know in the comments!

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