Ernie Halter Talks 'Ridiculously Awesome' Justin Bieber Surprise

'I still can't wrap my brain around it,' singer/songwriter tells MTV News about being joined onstage by the Biebs.
By Jocelyn Vena


Ernie Halter
Photo: Ernie Halter

Justin Bieber joined Ernie Halter onstage to perform Halter's "Come Home to Me" (off his album Franklin & Vermont) on Thursday night in Costa Mesa, California. When Halter got on the phone with MTV News bright and early Friday (May 20) morning, he was still reeling from the experience.

"I still can't wrap my brain around it. It's bizarre," he told us. "I was really impressed with how humble and very sweet him and Selena [Gomez] were to me. They're both incredibly nice people. It's pretty crazy."

He then described how Bieber ended up taking the stage with him. "Well, I mean, him coming to the show, I don't know why I didn't see that coming. I just didn't. I guess I'm slow, but I had no idea until I actually saw him and Selena. I went probably mentally not there for a minute or two.

"I was at the gig last night, which is not close to L.A. at all. He really wanted to go and then I'm talking to someone and out of the corner of my eye I look over and that really looks a lot like Selena Gomez," he continued. "I looked to see who she was with and I went speechless for a couple minutes. I asked him [to perform with me] and he said yes. It was a little bit of a surprise because I didn't think he would do it."

With Bieber's blessing hitting Twitter, the Internet is quickly following and Halter's Internet stock is rising. "I have a tweet deck on my computer and it flashes every second [now] and there's no way I would have been able to envision that," he said. "It's ridiculous. It's ridiculously awesome."

While Bieber has made it clear he's a fan of Halter, is Halter a fan of Bieber?

"Entirely [I get it]. I've been a fan and I really believe he's extremely talented," he said, explaining that his 3-year-old son got him into the Biebs. "The type of reach that he has worldwide is really iconic, on a level that we haven't really seen. I think he's very, very talented."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664291/ernie-halter-justin-bieber.jhtml

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Preview: DC at LA

One of the oldest rivalries in MLS kicks off the weekend on FOX Soccer as the LA Galaxy put their winning and shutout streaks on the line, entertaining D.C. United. The Galaxy have won four in a row, three in a row by 1-0 scorelines, after winning at New England last weekend. United are on the second game of a two-game Western swing, the first club to come away from Portland with any points after defeating the Timbers 3-2 last Sunday.

REFEREE: Silviu Petrescu. SAR (bench): Daniel Belleau; JAR (opposite): Mike Rottersman; 4th: Drew Fischer

Source: http://feeds.dcunited.com/~r/DCUnited/all/~3/XPGkZDvsNj0/preview-dc-at-la

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D.C. United in the media ahead of LA Galaxy match

In preparation for tonight?s game we start the round up by looking at Steve Goff?s (The Washington Post) article on Blake Brettschneider?s development from rookie to starter. From the Washington Examiner, Craig Stouffer writes about Ethan White and his defensive performance to date.

Source: http://feeds.dcunited.com/~r/DCUnited/all/~3/QAq800iScaQ/dc-united-in-the-media-ahead-of-la-galaxy-match

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Justin Bieber's 'Never Say Never' DVD: Top 5 Moments

With DVD hitting stores Friday, here are the documentary's highlights.
By Jocelyn Vena


"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" DVD
Photo: Paramount

Already a successful documentary film, Justin Bieber's flick, "Never Say Never," hits the streets Friday (May 13) on DVD.

The film is an in-depth look at Bieber's meager beginnings as he puts in the work to become a pop megastar. It features interviews and concert footage, and as Bieber once explained to MTV News, he hopes it finally quiets his haters who might think he's some pre-packaged pop phenom.

"People didn't really know," he explained to MTV News. "They didn't understand that I've been playing music ever since I was born, and it's always been in me. And this movie is really going to show that I'm not just some packaged thing that some A&R put together. It was actually just me living my dream and just making music."

The film is an eye-catching look at the life of the star, and there are some very memorable moments. Here are our Top 5.

His Hair Swoop in 3-D
OK, the hair really did help make Bieber a star, and in a pre-haircut world, those bangs had girls swooning. Turns out, when you have Bieber swoosh his bangs around in slow-motion 3-D, it really puts butts in theater seats.

His Grandfather's Taxidermy
Going home with Bieber is particularly interesting (you get to see his childhood bedroom!), but seeing him play with his grandfather's stuffed dead animals, well, that's priceless.

Vintage Videos
Whether he's singing on a stoop or meeting with Usher, these vintage clips paint a picture of a young man dedicated to getting his voice heard. They help shape the story of Bieber's life and the movie's arc.

Meeting Bieber's Team
Getting to know the men and women who work tirelessly to keep Bieber happy really gives fans the nitty gritty of what it takes to keep the Bieber machine on track.

The Performances
Never been to a Bieber concert? No problem. These glittery 3-D moments give viewers a perfect idea of what a Bieber show is like: screaming fans, A-list cameos (Miley Cyrus, Usher) and all.

Will you buy the "Never Say Never" DVD this weekend? What are you excited to see? Tell us in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663800/never-say-never-justin-bieber.jhtml

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Michael Jackson's 'Thriller': Story Behind The 'Glee' Cover

MJ classic is mashed up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Heads Will Roll' for post-Super Bowl episode.
By Aly Semigran


"Glee"
Photo: FOX

Madonna, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and now, finally, Michael Jackson. The cast of "Glee" has covered plenty of icons during their first two seasons, but it's taken 33 episodes to get around to the King of Pop.

With a huge catalog of Jackson songs, the singing, dancing students of McKinley High paid homage to the late singer with one of his biggest staples (and, arguably, the greatest music video of all time) with their take on "Thriller."

The groundbreaking single from Jackson's best-selling album of the same name was mashed up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Heads Will Roll" for the post-Super Bowl episode (titled "The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle"), featuring a zombie-fied "Glee" cast.

Bound to become a smash all over again (though with its nonstop rotation at Halloween parties and wedding receptions until the end of time, it's never truly gone away), here's a brief history of the dance/pop classic.

Released on January 23, 1984, "Thriller" was the seventh, and final, single to be released from Jackson's smash record. According to the RIAA, the album (released by Epic Records) has gone gold 29 times, narrowly edging out the Eagles' Greatest Hits 1971-1975 for the title of best-selling album of all time.

In 2009, MTV News estimated that the Thriller album was poised to go triple diamond, meaning 30 million records sold in the U.S. alone.

After Thriller's other singles (including "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Wanna Be Startin' Something") dominated the charts, it was time for the spooky, undeniably original track to take over. The song "Thriller" also appeared on many of Jackson's other albums, including the compilations HIStory and Number Ones.

Clocking in at a little under six minutes (though the radio edit was closer to four-and-a-half), the song features pop-music mainstays like synthesizers but shakes things up with its spooky sound effects, including creaking floors, howling and thunder.

The song was produced by Quincy Jones and written and composed by Rod Tempterton and spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #4.

But it's the music video for "Thriller" that truly made it the phenomenon it was in the '80s and continues to be today. Less a music video than a mini-motion picture, the video (over 13 minutes long and directed by John Landis) won three MTV Video Music Awards and has been named the best music video of all time by many outlets, including VH1 for the special "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos."

The chiller features Jackson in that iconic red leather jacket on a date with his girlfriend (played by Ola Ray) before things go terribly awry. After all, as Jackson (whose disclaimer at the start of the video reads, "This film in no way endorses a belief in the occult") sings in the opening line, "It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark." Cue werewolves, zombies, Vincent Price's soliloquy and one of the most memorable dance sequences ever.

The video was (no pun intended) a monster hit. As the Los Angeles Times notes, "At the height of the song's popularity, MTV would run the 14-minute 'Thriller' video twice an hour."

Choreographed by Jackson and Michael Peters (who, as the LA Times also reported, appears in the video as one of the zombies) and with makeup by Oscar-winner Rick Baker (also an undead "Thriller" extra) was made with a huge budget of an estimated $500,000.

Still, the efforts paid off. Landis (who told the "Today" show back in 2009 that no one wanted to give them the funds to make the risky vid) made the accompanying 45-minute documentary about the venture, called "The Making of Thriller." Featuring the behind-the-scenes wizardry, as well as the music video in full, it would go on to move more than 10 million copies.

Since then, the signature song and video have seen their share fair of tributes in movies (notably in the 2004 comedy"13 Going on 30") and TV ("South Park," "Family Guy," "30 Rock," among others), not to mention the countless flash mobs that have gone viral. (Remember the prisoners in the Philippines who became overnight phenomenons on YouTube?)

Even with the "Glee" number, this likely won't be the last incarnation of "Thriller." Billboard reported in October that a "Thriller" film is in the works. With a plot allegedly revolving around Price's narration, Kenny Ortega, who directed Jackson's last effort, "This Is It," will reportedly helm the project.

Since Jackson's untimely passing on June 25, 2009, the song and video's legacy continue to live on. In the week following Jackson's death, "Thriller" was the best-selling track in the U.S., with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles chart.

Then, in December 2009, "Thriller" was the first music video to ever be inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It seems "no mere mortal can resist ... the thriller" after all.

What did you think of the "Thriller" mash-up on "Glee"? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657395/glee-thriller.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Vintage Video: His First Meeting With Usher

Justin Timberlake also wanted to sign Bieber, 'Never Say Never' star said in 2009.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News

Just as the world was learning who Justin Bieber was, MTV News caught up with the shaggy-haired singer in September 2009. He was gearing up to release his debut album, My World, and plotting his pop-world domination. In the year and a half since that interview, Bieber has done the nearly impossible, launching himself into the pop mega-sphere.

In the chat, Bieber recalled how he and his manager, Scooter Braun, met and eventually got big names interested in signing the teen.

"My manager found me on YouTube. He flew me out to Atlanta for the first time — I'd never actually been on a plane before. He flew me to Atlanta where i was going to the studio to meet some people," he recalled.

"And Usher happened to roll up in his Range Rover. I ran up to him, and I was like, 'Usher, I love your songs. Want me to sing you one?' The politest possible way he could say no, he did. ... I took the hint. I didn't get to sing for him: He had to run into a studio session."

But later, Usher was beckoning the teen back to the ATL. "He actually watched my videos — after my manager got to talking to him — and was like, 'I should have let this kid sing,' and flew me back to Atlanta where I got to sing for him in a proper setting. A week later, I had a meeting with Justin Timberlake, who also wanted to sign me, so they both kind of wanted me."

As the story goes, Bieber went with Usher, and the two never looked back.

"As far as Usher being my mentor, he's definitely given me words of wisdom. I hear it from everybody, but definitely to hear it from Usher is great, just to stay humble and grounded is very important," he explained.

"There's a lot of people, especially young stars, that have gone down the wrong path, and I definitely plan to stay humble and stay grounded and keep my family first, because that stuff really is important in life."

On Friday, Justin Bieber's 3-D documentary, "Never Say Never," opens. The film takes a look at how the teen star worked to hit it big. MTV News has been chatting with him along the way, from the time he first burst on the scene in 2009 until now, as he embarks on a huge 2011 that will include a tour and more new music.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657425/justin-bieber-usher-video.jhtml

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