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Saturday, April 14, 2012

Britney Spears Would Be 'Great Fit' For 'X Factor,' Marcus Canty Says

'She would give me that pop I need,' last season's fourth-place finisher tells MTV News of rumored addition to judges' table.
By Christina Garibaldi

During his final appearance on <a href="/news/articles/1676110/x-factor-marcus-canty.jhtml">"The X Factor," Marcus Canty</a> promised his fans it was "not over" for him yet, and he was right. The fourth-place finisher, who wowed viewers with his energetic stage presence and smooth R&B style, recently signed to Epic Records and has released his debut single, "Won't Make a Fool Out of You." Yet at one time it seemed like we might never have heard his music at all. Before "X Factor" Canty tried but failed to get through the audition rounds for <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/topic/american_idol/">"American Idol."</a> "I tried 'American Idol.' I got in front of the judges, I sang my little heart out, but I guess I didn't make it," Canty revealed to MTV News. "I guess they didn't want me." <embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:754173/cp~vid%3D754173%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A754173" width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed> "Idol" may not have wanted Canty, but "The X Factor" did. With help from his mother, Canty reluctantly decided to step in front of the judges, hoping to get his chance to go to Hollywood. "The funny thing is that I didn't want to do 'X Factor' at first. I was just like, 'Man, I'm gonna do it myself,' then I look on the bill and I see L.A. Reid, and I'm like, 'Wait a minute, that's L.A. Reid!' " Canty said. "For so long I've been trying to get music to him. When it came that time, my mom was like, 'Look, you should just try it." With Reid as his mentor, Canty battled his way to a fourth-place finish with some show-stopping performances that gained him comparisons to Al Green and Bobby Brown. Canty also developed relationships with the other judges on the show, including former mentors <a href="/news/articles/1678191/paula-abdul-exits-x-factor.jhtml">Paula Abdul</a> and <a href="/news/articles/1678186/nicole-scherzinger-steve-jones-leaving-x-factor.jhtml">Nicole Scherzinger</a>. "I actually was kind of surprised," Canty said of the departures of Abdul and Scherzinger. "I thought it was a lot of drama on the show with Paula and Nicole, but they were so nice." Canty was no stranger to drama himself. The R&B crooner found himself in the bottom two during several episodes, most notably edging out <a href="/news/articles/1680940/rachel-crow-simon-cowell.jhtml">Rachel Crow</a> in an emotional and <a href="/news/articles/1675936/x-factor-rachel-crow-elimination-reaction.jhtml">controversial finish</a>. "I feel like Paula was honest. I feel like Nicole was honest — even in certain situations on the show that they got into, with me and Rachel and at one point, me and Drew," Canty said. "If I was in that situation I probably wouldn't know what to do." With Scherzinger and Abdul out of the judges' seats, rumors have been swirling that pop star <a href="/news/articles/1680782/britney-spears-x-factor-judge-offer.jhtml">Britney Spears may fill</a> one of the vacant spots. "Oh wow, I haven't heard that one. Britney Spears, wow. That should be interesting," Canty said in response to the news. "Britney Spears can be my mentor because, first of all, I was the entertainer. I know she would give me that pop I need. That's definitely a great fit."

Related Artists

Britney Spears

Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682052/marcus-canty-britney-spears-x-factor.jhtml

Kate Bosworth Jaime King Lisa Marie Samantha Mathis Blu Cantrell

Justin Bieber Says Believe 'Definitely' Has More Rapping

Of his rap alter ego Shawty Mane, who appears on 'Boyfriend,' Bieber tells MTV News, 'It's something that I love to do.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Kelly Marino

When <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/bieber_justin/artist.jhtml">Justin Bieber</a> dropped "Boyfriend," he definitely channeled his rapper alter ego Shawty Mane on the verses, spewing <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1681514/justin-bieber-boyfriend-lyrics.jhtml">lyrics</a> like, "If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go/ I can take you places you ain't never been before/ Baby take a chance or you'll never ever know/ I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow/ Swag swag swag, on you." The song now has many fans wondering whether more rapping will appear on his upcoming album, Believe. When MTV News caught up with the teen star on the set of his <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682789/justin-bieber-boyfriend-video-believe.jhtml">"Boyfriend" video</a>, he shared just how much rapping will make the final cut. <CENTER><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:757411/cp~name%3Dnews%26id%3D1682760%26vid%3D757411%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A757411" width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed></CENTER> "There's not a lot of rapping on the album," he said. "As people know, I'm a singer, and I don't want to get people confused with that, but it's something that I love to do, so you guys will definitely hear more of it." Fans will also hear more rapping from Bieber's pal <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678841/justin-bieber-drake-collab-believe.jhtml">Drake</a>, who recently opened up about working with his friend on the release. "It sounds like everything you'd imagine a great Justin Bieber and Drake song would sound like," the Take Care MC teased in an interview with <a href="http://www.capitalfm.com/artists/drake/news/justin-bieber-collaboration-believe/" target="_blank">Capital FM</a>. Describing the process of making the track, he said he went about creating the song in a way he hadn't done in the past. "We meet on the ground of melody. He's always like, 'Yo, your melodies are so crazy,' and 'Give me the craziest melody.' So, we sat there for a night, and it was actually a great studio process," Drake explained. "What we would do is he would go in the booth for 10 minutes, and he would hum melodies, and then he would walk out, and then I'd be like, 'I like this one,' and then I'd go in, and we started coaching each other and amping each other up." Bieber also got a <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678337/justin-bieber-lil-wayne-studio-visit.jhtml">studio visit from Lil Wayne</a>, but there's been no word on whether the pair worked on any tracks for the album, dropping later this year. For anyone wondering if Bieber truly does have the swag to pull of those kinds of collaborations, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1681863/justin-bieber-believe-album.jhtml">"Boyfriend" writer/producer Mike Posner</a>, who describes the song as "super hip-hop," assures critics that Bieber has what it takes. "I think we've all known Justin since he was 13, and that's not the kid I was in the studio with anymore," Posner said. "He's an 18-year-old. He skateboards with Lil Wayne and hangs out with Lil Twist. Those are his homeys. And he listens to hip-hop, and he's a really cool kid. He's not a corny guy." Would you like to hear more rapping from Justin on Believe? Tell us in the comments below! <a href="http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1617615"><img src="http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/s/spotted/banner/spotted.jpg"></a>

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MTV News Extended Play: Justin Bieber

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Justin Bieber

Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682856/justin-bieber-believe-rapping.jhtml

Xenia Seeberg Vanessa Marcil Kristin Kreuk Camilla Belle Paris Hilton

Friday, April 13, 2012

Justin Bieber - Fa La La (a cappella)

Fa La La (a cappella)

Artist: Justin Bieber
Label: Island Records
Director: Colin Tilley
Album: The Greatest Hits, So Far

Source:
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=3187077&vid=742745

Leeann Tweeden Scarlett Johansson Lena Headey Joss Stone Marisa Miller

Photos | 2011 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet

2011 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet

Tara Reid Angela Marcello Shannyn Sossamon Jennifer Morrison Eliza Dushku

Beyoncé - Dance For You

Dance For You

Artist: Beyoncé
Label: n/a
Director: Beyonce, Alan Ferguson
Album: Euphonia

Source:
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=717061

Roselyn Sanchez Michelle Obama Busy Philipps Elisabeth Röhm Dido

'Eastbound & Down': The Best F---ing Show On HBO

As Kenny Powers (presumably) rides off into the sunset this Sunday night, we pay homage to HBO's best-kept secret.
By James Montgomery

Danny McBride in "Eastbound and Down"
Photo: HBO

"Stevie, you weak mother----er, you listen to me right now. You have made an ass-ton of stupid choices in Myrtle Beach; this is the moment of truth. Now is not the time to lay on the ground like a bald f---ing baby. Now is the time to be a f---ing man."

That was Kenny Powers on last Sunday's penultimate episode of "Eastbound & Down," moments after learning that recently shorn sycophant Stevie Janowski had lost his son (which would lead to Powers subsequently decking him in the face, hence the reason Stevie was laying on the ground like a bald f---ing baby), and I took the time to transcribe it for two reasons: One, because I love the phrase "an ass-ton of stupid choices." And two, because it was unquestionably the most important scene in the show's three-season history.

Why? Well, for starters, it kicked off a series of events that included Powers and Janowski setting off to rescue KP's kidnapped son (while dressed as Rambo and Freddy Krueger, respectively), a near street-fight, a heartwarming détente between two former foes, a racist "Old South" KIA dealer being immolated and, ultimately, Powers' triumphant return to glory. Secondly, though Powers was giving the speech to Janowski, you got the feeling he was also giving it to himself; after all, he's made "an ass-ton" of poor decisions too — in Myrtle Beach and pretty much everywhere else — and was actually determined to do something about it for once. Thirdly, the speech represented not just the moment when Powers moved from brutish buffoon to genuine hero, but when the show segued into the third and final act of its story, moving from "confrontation" to "resolution."

And finally, it's because the speech marked the exact moment when "Eastbound & Down" became the greatest show on HBO.

Of course, in a typically Kenny Powers-ian move, "Eastbound" waited until midway through its second-to-last episode to make the leap (it all comes to a close this Sunday — at least that's what its creators have said in the past), but rest assured, it's finally done it. Long considered the odd program out at HBO — or certainly the least-discussed (except for maybe "How to Make It in America," though the less said about that show, the better) — thanks to a sweeping third season, it's no longer just the goofy comedy about the dude with the mullet. It has quietly, almost secretly, become a genuinely excellent show: funny, fabulously acted (seriously, both Danny McBride and Steve Little deserve Emmys for their work this year), fantastically shot and edited and scored, unafraid to veer off into decidedly dark territory. It is brave and bold and basically everything you could ask for from a show that started off as a sort of piss-take on former MLB reliever John Rocker's epic fall from grace.

It's less ponderous than "Boardwalk Empire" or "Treme," doesn't contain one ounce of the import "Game of Thrones" carries with it, and is certainly funnier than "Life's Too Short" (even in those aforementioned dark moments). Oh, and it has definitely killed fewer horses than "Luck."

To be fair, "Eastbound" took a while to find its legs. There were standout moments in the first season — Powers' pro-level meltdown ("Get me paid, bitch!"); his slo-mo stroll through the halls of his former middle school, the Black Keys' "Your Touch" blaring in the background; his ecstasy-fueled dance-off, the harrowing and heartbreaking backyard BBQ scene in episode four — though, for the most part, you weren't sure if you were supposed to laugh or wince. Season two, which picked up after Powers left his former flame at a gas station and hightailed it to Mexico, was largely viewed as a disappointment, though we did meet his deadbeat father (played by none other than Don Johnson), and really, as is the case with all great three-act productions, we couldn't appreciate all that had happened until we reached the conclusion. Kenny needed to go Down South, it would now seem, because he needed to bottom out.

And now, finally, we're entering the home stretch. The third season of "Eastbound" has unquestionably been its best, full of shudder-inducing dark comedy (Powers storming into a college classroom to win back the affections of his sorta-girlfriend, a boom-box-aided funeral scene, and a memorable sequence in which he attacks a crowd with bottle rockets while dressed as Uncle Sam) and actually dark moments (Janowski has certainly been through the wringer, to say the very least). Through it all, Powers has only grown as a character, becoming a father to his son Toby, putting the demons of his past to rest, settling scores, and, as of last week, recapturing that old fire. I'm not gonna lie, when he finally uncorked his "You're f---in' out!" on Sunday, I actually leapt off the sofa.

It's a testament to the creative team behind the show — McBride, Jody Hill, Ben Best and David Gordon Green chief among them — that they've managed to craft a story line that has ebbed and flowed but, really, always remained on track. With all the ephemera "Eastbound" tosses our way, they've managed to keep their grand designs hidden, though on Sunday, it became apparent that this show is, at it's very heart, nothing more than a classic bildungsroman, a tale of a protagonist's psychological and moral growth (my good pal Andy Greenwald once referred to it as a "bil-dongs-roman," which, given the show's proclivity for dick jokes, is spot-on).

Through three seasons of topless Jet Ski rides, frat-guy-pleasing quotables and more profanity than Al Swearengen on a bender, "Eastbound" has somehow become an actual show, one with heart and soul and a cast of characters that are cartoonish, to be sure, but unquestionably real. They make terrible decisions, they hurt those closest to them, and yet, redemption is ultimately still within their reach. And in that regard, it has succeeded where any and all its HBO brethren have failed. Which is why it's the best.

With one episode left, I'm not sure how "Eastbound" is going to end. Will Kenny finally put his dreams of a return to MLB glory to bed and become the man (seemingly) everyone knows he should be? Or will he head off into the sunset, ever the gunslinger, looking for one final duel? Either way, it's been a heck of a ride — not to mention an improbable rise, both for Kenny Powers and the show itself. It'll always be an underdog — no one's ever going to put it in the same class as "The Wire" or "The Sopranos" or even "Curb Your Enthusiasm" — but maybe it deserves to be in the discussion.

And to think: It all started with a man with a mind for victory and an arm like a f---ing cannon. How it ends, and how it will be remembered, is anybody's guess.

How do you think "Eastbound & Down" will end? Share your predictions in the comments!

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1683110/eastbound-and-down-season-three.jhtml

Whitney Able Katie Cassidy Drea de Matteo Paz Vega Asia Argento

Survivor One World, Episode 9 Recap

We begin our recap of Episode 9 of Survivor One World on Day 23. Not everyone in the Tikiano Tribe had a good night of sleep. Jay dreamed that he was shot! He was not happy that Mike was voted out the night before. Troyzan is happy, as he believed the women who told him that Mike was out gunning for him. But now in the clear light of day, Jay and Troyzan are growing worried that the women are becoming too powerful. Troy tells Jay that there is a hidden immunity idol out there and that it may hold the key to success. Jeff Probts tempts the contestants of Survivor One World with food. Image Credit: PNP / Wenn.com. The whole tribe goes to fetch the day?s tree-mail. There are a bunch of parts and a message for the Reward Challenge. Its a bolo-throwing contest. They divide into two teams of five each and take a turn throwing the bolo at a target. Different ?branches? of the target are worth between 1 to 5 points. The team with the highest score wins a BBQ on a secluded beach. The Black Team has Chelsea, Christina, Kim, Sabrina and Leif. The [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/AQyWymFP8uA/

Kim Smith Kelly Rowland Missi Pyle Kelly Clarkson Bianca Kajlich

Photos | Celebs Bid Farewell To Oprah Winfrey At Her Final Show Tapings

Celebs Bid Farewell To Oprah Winfrey At Her Final Show Tapings

Minki van der Westhuizen Charlize Theron Keira Knightley Megan Ewing Leelee Sobieski

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

'American Idol' Top Seven Rock Songs Of Today

Joshua Ledet gets a standing O and Elise Testone is declared 'back' on Wednesday's show featuring music from this decade.
By Gil Kaufman

Elise Testone on "American Idol"
Photo: Fox

They may have been dressed like they were going to a prom in the 1980s, but the top seven finalists on "American Idol" finally dragged themselves into the present on Wednesday (April 11) for the "Songs From This Decade" theme night. With a playlist of tunes released between 2010 and this year, they had help from guest mentor Akon on a night that featured hits by everyone from Eminem to Pink, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson and Maroon 5.

After crushing it last week and cementing her status as a front-runner, country girl Skylar Laine played some small ball with the lesser-known Kellie Pickler tune "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You." Akon was blown away, saying he couldn't stop thinking about Laine's voice, which was a good sign.

On a stage dressed up with flaming hobo barrel fires, Laine busted out her acoustic guitar and turned an obscure tune into another twangy tour-de-force, raising her gritty vocals skyward to match the bursts of pyro from the stage props. "This is what you should do, you could have a hit with a song like that," said Randy Jackson, who dubbed it "crazy hot and crazy good," not to mention pitch perfect. Steven Tyler offered up one of his all-time head-scratching compliments, praising the ladies of season 11 as only he can with the line, "the crows may crow, but the hens deliver the goods." Right, what he said.

Jimmy Iovine said Colton Dixon needed to step out of Phillip Phillips' shadow, so he encouraged the Tennessee titan to up the ante on the song co-written for Eminem by Skylar Grey, "Love the Way You Lie." Posting up behind a white grand piano and accompanied by a string section, Colton hit his falsetto repeatedly to up the drama. And while the big note in the middle was impressive, the soft rock arrangement came off as a bit, well, limp.

As usual, though, the ladies loved it and Jennifer Lopez was again impressed with how Colton coaxed his own unique notes out the tune, which she wished would have been "more of a song." Tyler thought it was so flawless that it could go out as a single right now, with no overdubs. At first, low-key pawn shop worker Phillips didn't impress Akon and Jimmy with his attempt to do something a "bit different" with a strummy, DMB-ified cover of Maroon 5's "Give a Little More." Saxophone assist or not, Phillips managed to turn the pop tune into another one of his signature scatty, fratty jam rockers.

Despite the sameness of nearly all his performances, Steven praised Phil's melodic evolution on the show, inexplicably comparing the singer to a mix of late tough-guy actor Steve McQueen and country icon Johnny Cash. "It was a little bit underwhelming," said Lopez, still yearning to hear Phil Squared break out and do something different.

Jimmy drew a blank on "Stuttering," the Jazmine Sullivan tune chosen by California girl Jessica Sanchez. But he and Akon were blown away by the teen's power and control, which 'Kon — who predicted she'd go far before the live shows started — dubbed "crazy."

Her confidence paid off, as Sanchez killed the sultry ballad, showing shades of everyone from Alicia Keys to Jennifer Hudson in a controlled, silky smooth performance that mixed elements of jazz, soul and timeless R&B. Randy loved the arrangement and said BeBe Chez set the bar at the "highest degree." Lopez could feel Sanchez digging into the story behind the song in the middle and said the high schooler had a chance to take the "Idol" audience on a ride they've never been on before as next month's finale approaches.

Joshua "Mantasia" Ledet got a 20th birthday shout-out from season 3 "Idol" winner Fantasia and celebrated being almost legal by exiting the ballad barrio and rocking it out to Bruno Mars' "Runaway Baby." Rolling his hips, strutting his stuff and showing off some previously hidden ladies'-man moves, Ledet proved that he's got just as much soul and grit singing uptempo as he does on the slow jams.

Cleary it worked, since he got the night's first standing O from the judges, with Tyler gushing, "you can sell us all like a work of art." Jackson said the performance was, simply, "unbelievable," from the fly white jacket and pink socks to the utter command of the stage.

It was do-or-die week for bottom three staple Texas firecracker Hollie Cavanagh, who hoped to turn things around with Pink's "Perfect." Akon and Jimmy said she has the vocals, but just needs to cross the chasm from an amateur to a confident professional. Singing to an acoustic guitar, Cavanagh finally combined her powerful pipes with some controlled, heart-tugging emotion, ending with a gigantic diva-rific note that slammed an exclamation mark on the performance.

"I feel you fighting. ... You sang beautifully tonight," said Lopez, though Tyler rebutted that it wasn't, in fact, perfect, but a bit flat.

Resident rocker Elise Testone closed the night with the Lady Gaga tune "Yoü and I." She planned on opening on drums, but Jimmy and Akon immediately nixed that idea as too gimmicky. Conscious of not letting her emotions get the most of her again, she started out at the piano and eased her way through the tune with her patented honeyed growl, busting out some serious blues power on the choruses.

"America, Elise is back!" Randy yelled, dubbing it Testone's big comeback.

The show also featured a trio of non-competition performances. Phillips was again paired with Elise Testone for a plinky, waltz-like duet on Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know"  that bubbled, but never really rose above a simmer. Fake couple Laine and Dixon hooked up for another dramatic country duet, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson's "Don't You Wanna Stay." Despite Tyler's icky comment about them musically "making love" on stage, their chemistry was ... more like cold fusion.

Finally, besties Cavanagh and Ledet were joined by Sanchez for a shaky run through Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" whose individual, showy parts never quite added up to a coherent whole.

What did you think of "Idol" on Wednesday? Let us know in the comments!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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