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

<P>"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the <MTVNLINK type="news" id="1604580">Grammy Album of the Year award</MTVNLINK> 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." </P><P> </P><P>He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because <i>Raising Sand,</i> 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.</p><div style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>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. </P><P> </P><P>Really, she's the key to <i>Sand</i>'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 &#8212; so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, <i>Sand</i> was released. </P><P> </P><P>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. </P><P> </P><P>And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on <i>Sand.</i> His arrangements are sparse &#8212; giving the two voices ample room to breathe &#8212; 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. </P><P> </P><P>To date, <i>Sand</i> has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year &#8212; "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. </P><P> </P><P>One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album. </P><P> </P><P>"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?" <i>New York Times</i> 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 <i>good</i> 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." </P><P></p>

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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

<P>Officially, Lollapalooza ended Sunday night in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from the Killers and Jane's Addiction. Unofficially, it ended <i>very</i> early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures. </P><P> </P><P>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. </P><P> </P><P>According to some reports, the Vultures actually turned <i>down</i> 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. </P><P> </P><P>Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures &#8212; Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar &#8212; ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called <i>Never Deserved the Future,</i> 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). </P><P> </P><P>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 &#8212; Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" &#8212; 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 <i>Chicago Sun-Times'</i> Jim DeRogatis. </P><P> </P><P>It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures &#8212; 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. </P><P> </P><P>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 &#8212; posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a <i>Deserve the Future</i> T-shirt. Cost: $30.</p>

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Selena Gomez To Star In Action Flick With Ethan Hawke

Gomez says she's 'halting music for a bit' to focus on acting.
By Jocelyn Vena


Selena Gomez
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Selena Gomez is done being a "Spring Breaker" and now she's getting ready to film her next movie. In an online video Q&A with her fans, she opened up about her edgier movie roles, including her next film with Ethan Hawke.

"I'm doing another movie called 'The Getaway' with Ethan Hawke. It's really, really exciting," she shared. "I go to Bulgaria and then I start filming. It's more of an action movie, which is also different. So we're doing that and then hopefully another movie, but that hasn't really been confirmed yet. Then I'll start working on my fourth album, which will be the best album I'll ever do! But I'm just kind of halting music for a bit."

She added that she's "been really focused on more acting. For me it's been fun to take risks and do things that are completely different. To be honest maybe some of you guys might not be comfortable with it. ... I'm still the same person. Things that challenge me really excite me."

That focus includes the forthcoming Eli Roth thriller, "Aftershock," and the aforementioned "Spring Breakers." Gomez had only praise for that film's director, Harmony Korine ("Kids"). "He is such a brilliant director; he is so smart. He gave us direction but half the time he let us do our thing," she said. "He gave me this freedom, but he allowed me to prove myself. He's so great."

In addition to all the big-screen business, the actress and singer will also get the small-screen treatment on "Glee." According to E! News, in the prom episode, shot last week, Lea Michele reportedly sings Selena's track "Love You Like a Love Song." According to sources, the powerhouse vocalist put out "a really powerful performance" of Gomez's song.

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Second 'Looper' Vignette Compares Film To 'Blade Runner'

We are now just two days away from the premiere of the trailer for "Looper," the highly anticipated sci-fi action flick starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. Every day this week, the trailers site at iTunes will post a small, teasing "vignette" that will lead up the premiere of the full trailer on Thursday. Today's [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/04/10/looper-teaser-blade-runner/

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Melissa Gilbert: I'm "Alright" After 'DWTS' Injuries

'Game Of Thrones' Renewed For Season Three

HBO announces a third season for 'Thrones' after only two episodes of season two.
By Josh Wigler


Nikolaj Coster Waldau as Jaime Lannister in "Game of Thrones"
Photo: Helen Sloan/ HBO

Like winter, we all knew this one was coming.

Baby-killing, incest and decapitations aplenty aside, the world at large really, really loves "Game of Thrones." So much so, in fact, that HBO has already ordered a third season of the critically acclaimed fantasy series, a decision made just two episodes into the currently airing second season.

"Series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss raised our expectations for the second season — and then surpassed them," HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo said of the renewal in a press release. "We are thrilled by all the viewer and media support we've received for the series, and can't wait to see what Dan and David have in store for next season."

A third-season pickup was all but guaranteed following the season two premiere's record-breaking ratings. The premiere, titled "The North Remembers," earned a walloping 3.86 million viewers during its initial airing. Those numbers were very steady in "Thrones'" second week on the air, drawing 3.8 million viewers. Even more impressively, HBO noted in the announcement of the renewal that the "Thrones" season premiere has so far accumulated 8.3 million viewers and is "on track to easily surpass the season one average of 9.3 million viewers."

In short, if you're not watching "Thrones" yet, you're missing out on one of the hottest TV shows on the air. Might want to look into that.

"Game of Thrones" is based on the best-selling "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels penned by George R.R. Martin. The series takes place in the fictional world of Westeros, a realm populated by men with little magic to speak of. It's a savage placed filled with murderers, liars, rapists and worse, with the wicked boy king Joffrey Baratheon flexing his royal muscles on the Iron Throne in King's Landing. But Joffrey isn't the only player in the Seven Kingdoms fancying himself a king; he's at war with several other parties, including his uncles Stannis and Renly — themselves at war with each other — and Robb Stark, the King in the North seeking vengeance against Joffrey for beheading his father, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell.

In the midst of this political tug-of-war are Ned's bastard Jon Snow, currently on a journey in the uncharted icelands north of Westeros; the exiled princess Daenerys Targaryen, who is far east of Westeros with her starving companions and their newborn trio of dragons; and Tyrion Lannister, a man whose small size and stature pales in comparison to his tremendous wit and appetite for women.

Stay tuned to MTV News and our weekly video series "Watching the Thrones" for all of your "Ice and Fire" needs all season long.

What do you think of the "Game of Thrones" renewal? Sound off in the comments!

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Lady Gaga Taps The Darkness To Open Born This Way Ball

Reformed British rockers are 'honoured' to serve as openers on European leg of Gaga's tour, which kicks off August 14 in Bulgaria.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga
Photo: Joe Scarnici/ WireImage

Perhaps looking for some actual Heavy Metal Lovers, Lady Gaga has tapped reunited British rockers the Darkness as the opening act on the first — though we're willing to bet not last — leg of her Born This Way Ball, which kicks off August 14 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Darkness confirmed the news Tuesday morning (April 10) on their official site (which, in a very Darkness move, is called TheActualDarkness.com), writing that they were "honoured [British spelling, extra classy] to announce their addition to the bill as main support for Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball tour 2012."

The glammy, hammy rockers — best known for theatrical hits like "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" and "Growing on Me" — burned bright before imploding in 2006, but announced a reunion (and plans for a new album) just last year. And as a way of kickstarting the next chapter of their career, frontman Justin Hawkins appeared in a well-received Samsung commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLV, in which he starred as a Spandex-clad pied piper who rescued folks from the monotony of everyday life. So, you know, it was basically a documentary.

It's not clear if the Darkness will serve as the opening act on all of Gaga's Euro dates (a spokesperson for the band did not respond to MTV News' request for comment by press time), but, thanks to the Mother Monster herself, we now know that there are European dates for the much-discussed BTW Ball.

Gaga unveiled the first 21 shows early Tuesday morning on her Twitter account. After kicking off August 14 in Bulgaria, she'll make stops in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Germany, France and the U.K. before wrapping October 6 in Barcelona.

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