DC academy players stand out in Reserve League game

WASHINGTON ? It?s becoming commonplace for D.C. United academy players to get a chance in MLS Reserve matches. But it?s not every day they get to play a prominent role.

Turns out Tuesday wasn?t just any ordinary day. Not only did five academy players see significant time in DC?s 2-2 draw against New England, but academy midfielder Collin Martin scored the tying goal, and Brad Volv managed to hold his own at the back.

Source: http://feeds.dcunited.com/~r/DCUnited/all/~3/GSVB8DxYJbM/dc-academy-players-stand-out-in-reserve-league-game

Samantha Mathis Samantha Morton Samantha Mumba Sanaa Lathan Sara Foster Sara Spraker

Steve-O Says He Should Top Justin Bieber For MTV Movie Award

'Jackass' star also competing with Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page, and James Franco for Best Jaw Dropping Moment.
By Kara Warner


Steve-O
Photo: Matt Elias/ MTV News

One of the many ways the MTV Movie Awards distinguishes itself from all the other awards shows out there is the unique categories for which performances by actors, actresses and assorted moments in film are nominated and awarded.

The Best Jaw Dropping Moment is a perfect example. This year's nominees run the gamut from cringe-worthy and painful moments to larger-than-life concert experiences, amazing special effects and being covered in poo.

The nominees are: Natalie Portman for her hangnail moment in "Black Swan," Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page for the dream-within-a-dream "café scene" in "Inception," James Franco between a rock and a hard place in "127 Hours," Justin Bieber performing in his 3-D concert doc "Never Say Never," and the mighty Steve-O for his Porta-Potty moment in "Jackass 3D."

When MTV News caught up with poo and Porta-Potty expert Steve-O recently, we asked him how he feels about going up against fan favorite Justin Bieber.

"I'm not sure exactly what Justin Bieber's jaw-dropping moment is. From what I gather, it's not actually that spectacular," Steve-O said, pointing to the fact that Bieber's concert performance isn't quite as intense as Portman's or Franco's painful scenes. "But with his following, I'm pretty much showing up at this Movie Awards feeling like I'm a spectator and I'm going to watch him win," he continued. "I'm fine with that."

The "Jackass" star went on to say that the big reason he is a fan of the Biebs is not for his singing career, but his skateboarding skills. "Justin, I'm glad you know how to ride a skateboard and you have passion for the sport," he said to Bieber. "I consider skateboarding a sport, and I like Justin Bieber because he rides," he revealed.

In thinking a bit more about how Bieber's nominated moment stands out from his fellow "jaw-dropping moment" nominees, Steve-O suggested that we think about re-naming Bieber's big scene. "It should be called a 'panty-dropping moment,' " he said with a laugh. "The jailbait panty-dropping moment of all time, [by] Justin Bieber."

And although Steve-O doesn't expect to win, he did give himself a little plug, since in his infamous Porta-Potty bungee scene, his jaw did drop. "I should win, because my jaw was completely dropped the whole time," he said. "I had my mouth wide open and poo flying in there, and if I didn't drop my jaw, then that wouldn't have happened, so I should win."

Will wizards, vampires or dream thieves steal the 2011 MTV Movie Awards? Find out June 5, when the 20th annual show airs live at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT that night for the "America's Best Dance Crew" finale and Movie Awards pre-show, loaded with live action from the red carpet, exclusive movie clips and a special edition of "After Hours."

What Will Happen at the Start of the Awards?

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665046/steve-o-justin-bieber-jaw-dropping-moment-mtv-movie-awards.jhtml

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Lady Gaga's Born This Way Banned In Lebanon

Officials have reportedly impounded copies of Gaga's latest disc, calling it 'offensive to Christianity.'
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty

On Monday night, Lady Gaga attended the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards in New York City, where she accepted the Fashion Iconprize.

Donning a green wig and a black dress with mesh and spikes, the superstar opened up about her love of fashion and how it shaped her as an artist.

"All of you made me feel like a star before I was," she told the CFDA crowd at Lincoln Center, where guests included fashion luminaries like Marc Jacobs, Anna Wintour, and onetime star of MTV's "The City," Diane von Furstenberg. She continued, "As much as this award means to me personally ... I just want you to know how much this means to young Americans."

Gaga will continue to show support for her fans when she makes an appearance in Italy on Saturday at Rome's Circus Maximus to mark the close of 2011 Euro Pride.

U.S. Ambassador to Italy David Thorne said he is "very proud to have an Italian-American artist of [Gaga's] stature'' attending the Euro Pride festivities, which are held in a different European city every year. He added that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said, "Human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights."

It's not all love for Gaga, however. According to The Guardian, officials in Lebanon have banned Born This Way, describing it as "offensive to Christianity." The office of general security reportedly impounded copies of the chart-topping album when it arrived at the airport in Beirut. "Distributors are prohibited from circulating media that diverges from public decency and morality or is at odds with nationalistic or religious beliefs," officials told The Guardian.

Despite the report, Lebanon's information ministry insists that it "is, and always has been, against all forms of censorship." The Los Angeles Times reported that the Lebanese office of general security confirmed "[copies of the album] are still in our offices. We are still deciding what to do with them."

What do you think of Born This Way being banned overseas? Tell us in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665288/lady-gaga-born-this-way-banned.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/mary-j-blige-dishes-on-her-crazy-led-zeppelin-covers.jhtml

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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."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604582/plantkrauss-win-album-year-grammy.jhtml

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Preview: DC vs San Jose

A pair of teams riding month-long unbeaten runs meet at RFK Stadium when D.C. United return home to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. United are coming off a two-game unbeaten Western swing, concluding with a scoreless draw at the LA Galaxy. The Quakes are back on the road at an Eastern Conference opponent after a stirring 2-0 win against the Houston Dynamo at home last weekend.

REFEREE: Andrew Chapin. SAR (bench): Greg Barkey; JAR (opposite): Corey Parker; 4th: Alex Prus MLS Career: 30 games; FC/gm: 27.5; Y/gm: 4.8; R: 8; pens: 4

Source: http://feeds.dcunited.com/~r/DCUnited/all/~3/rrD-Q_IWbeA/preview-dc-vs-san-jose

Scarlett Chorvat Scarlett Johansson Selita Ebanks Shakara Ledard Shakira Shana Hiatt

Lady Gaga Is 'Just A Normal Girl' ... On 25-Inch Heels

As Born This Way rules the charts another week, producer DJ White Shadow says Gaga hasn't changed since they first met.
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

As Lady Gaga holds onto the #1 spot on Billboard, for the second straight week, with her chart-topping album Born This Way, DJ White Shadow is no doubt enjoying the success. When we caught up with the producer recently, he told us how their collaboration started off as a long-distance relationship.

Back in 2009, White Shadow was approached to work on a co-headlining tour for Lady Gaga and Kanye West. After their Fame Kills Tour was canceled, though, Shadow was asked to focus on the next phase in Gaga's career. The producer and the pop star had already built quite a foundation by the time they finally met in person in the summer of 2010. And while Shadow wasn't completely sure what the encounter would be like, he had some clue that they would get along famously.

"We had talked for so long before [we met in person]. We had talked on the phone or talked on iChat, in emails; I think we kind of knew about each other's personalities," he told MTV News. "I mean, obviously, I was excited to meet her. I felt like we were long-distance pen pals."

What he found out is that despite all of the unusual costumes, Gaga is a pretty regular 25-year-old. "She's, like, super cool. I think everybody gets weirded out by 'Oh, she looks so crazy on those 25-inch heels and the hair-bow,' or whatever's going on at the time, but she's just a normal girl. Like, she's funny. She's really funny and super cool."

Shadow worked closely with Gaga and BTW musical director Fernando Garibay to create a pop album that would push the envelope. The DJ/producer worked on heavy-hitting tracks like "Born This Way," "Government Hooker," "Americano" and "Bloody Mary," to name a few.

So, how is Gaga as a boss, we wanted to know. "She's the best boss. She's a great friend," he said. "She's amazing.

"Here's the funny thing about this: People ask that question but I'm telling you, 'cause everyone wants to [know], 'Does she say something to you as her friend or someone you know that she writes music with that she doesn't say to us? Does she talk about New York in a way that she wouldn't have done into a camera?' And the answer is no," he explained. "I've never seen her say something that was disingenuous."

Bottom line: Gaga is always Gaga. "The stories that she tells, the way that she looks on camera and the way that she acts ... that's how she is. That's her character. She is the same."

In fact, like most New Yorkers, Gaga loves to shop for a good bargain. "I was walking down the street in front of the studio one day and she's shopping for $20 shoes. She's New York. We've been to dinner a couple times ... just go to normal restaurants. It's New York, it's her home, right?" he said. "So, I've definitely heard all the stories that she's telling. She's very open."

What's your favorite Born This Way track? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665407/lady-gaga-born-this-way-producer.jhtml

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