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



Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

<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." 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> 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 <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. 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 <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. 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. 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?" <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>

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'This Means War': The Reviews Are In!

Critics aren't buying into the love triangle between Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy.
By Kara Warner


Tom Hardy and Chris Pine in "This Means War"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

"This Means War" has all the makings of a perfect romantic comedy/ action flick, including the very attractive and high-caliber stars Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, the capable direction of McG, comic relief from Chelsea Handler and a script from the guys whose combined talents have brought us "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," "Sherlock Holmes," "Role Models" and "Just Go With It."

The story revolves around two best friends and highly skilled CIA agents who fall in love with the same woman and go to war with each other in an effort to win her heart. We imagine the filmmakers set out to make a fun, if only slightly farfetched, popcorn flick, but the critical masses couldn't seem to suspend their disbelief. The film has a 30 percent Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Read on as we fight through the "This Means War" reviews!

The Story
"Having great-looking stars who have the added bonus of actually being able to act makes the noisy romp 'This Means War' more tolerable that it ought to be. It's essentially a love-triangle version of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," rendered even more bombastic in the hands of "Charlie's Angels" director McG. (Simon Kinberg, who wrote the 2005 film that spawned Brangelina, shares script credit here with Timothy Dowling.) So you've got your sport utility vehicles tumbling in slow motion, your gravity-defying shootouts and your obligatory explosions galore. Naturally, the premise is the most high-concept, contrived confection: Two CIA agents (Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) who happen to be best friends also happen to fall in love with the same woman (Reese Witherspoon), who has no idea these guys know each other. They promise their shared pursuit won't ruin their friendship, but good luck with all that." — Christy Lemire, The Associated Press

The Bromance Factor
"The relationship that truly sizzles — from the sentiment to the satire — is the one between FDR (Pine) and Tuck (Hardy), with Pine and Hardy pulling off one of the better bromances in recent memory. ... Hardy ('Inception') and Pine ('Star Trek') are the heart of the film — proving to be excellent opposing sides of the same coin. Both balance their characters' cynicism with a certain sweetness, their chemistry fairly crackling, electrifying the screen almost any time they're sharing it, whether taking down a bad guy or squabbling about who is more lovable (it's a tossup). With Lauren, on the other hand, they are basically gentlemen, so not electrifying." — Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

The Suspension of Disbelief Factor, or Lack Therof
"And in the film's opening minutes, it feels as if that might be the desired effect: It's loaded with overblown action chestnuts like from-the-hip gunplay, people dangling from the sides of skyscrapers and a gruff commanding officer. (That would be Angela Bassett, who shows up periodically to growl at her charges in a role that might have been hilarious had anyone thought to write anything legitimately funny for her.) But a good parody takes a finesse that isn't in the vocabulary of McG, a bargain-basement Michael Bay more concerned with cool than coherence. Instead we get utter nonsense like a video store with a database that conveniently includes customer photos for the CIA to tap into. (Related: These characters are, in 2012, going to a video store?) In another scene, FDR wrestles on the floor with a small dog that has just attacked him, as Lauren stands 5 feet away, oblivious. The Farrelly brothers should sue the producers not for stealing the scene outright from 'There's Something About Mary,' but for imitating it so badly." — Ian Buckwalter, NPR

The Final Word
"Part spy caper, part buddy picture, part romantic comedy, part raunchy-girl-talk sex farce, This Means War has been assembled with all the haphazardness of an amateur science experiment. The project was directed by the amped-up industry go-getter McG (Charlie's Angels), and it's had a long trial-and-error history. The initial script dates back a century — or at least about a decade — and the string of famous guys who didn't take the dual lead male roles reportedly includes Bradley Cooper, Seth Rogen, Sam Worthington, and, stretching even further back, Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence. All this fiddling and fumbling shows on the screen. And yet, and yet ... I confess I enjoyed everything that's all over the place about the finished product. 'This Means War' may have been hammered together by brute Hollywood force, but there's this going for it: It's game to throw in anything that'll keep the motor running." — Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Check out everything we've got on "This Means War."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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"Offended" Adele Flips Middle Finger at Brit Awards

Adele may have won some major awards at the 2012 Brit Awards in London Tuesday, but her trophies for Best British Album and Best British Female artist isn't what she'll be remembered for at the annual awards ceremony.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/offended-adele-flips-middle-finger-brit-awards/1-a-430655?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aoffended-adele-flips-middle-finger-brit-awards-430655

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2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue shoot

2012 Illustrated Swimsuit

The new 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue features the gorgeous Kate Upton on the cover, an impressive feat given that last year she was just a rookie in some sexy bodypaint. Also included this time around is legendary supermodel Bar Refaeli, who poses in some seriously high heels along with LA Clippers stud Chris Paul. Last year?s cover girl Irina Shayk is looking as hot as ever in her pictorial, and Chrissy Teigen, who got engaged to John Legend over the holiday season, works her magic in a loosely-knit red top with blue bottoms. Enjoy the pictures from the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue shoot! [gallery=819]

Source: http://www.celebritygossiphollywood.com/models/bar-refaeli/2012-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue-shoot/

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Kate Middleton Unveils Royal Puppy?s Name

There?s nothing as cute as a little puppy, and Kate Middleton has announced the name of her and Prince William?s furry friend- Lupo.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been thoroughly enjoying pet ownership, and chose the moniker (Italian for ?wolf?) for their black cocker spaniel despite the apparent irony.

Kate slipped and shared the name while she was spending time with disadvantaged kids at Oxford?s Art Room charity locale.

A student approached Ms. Middleton with a stuffed animal dog, and she declared, ?Why don?t we call it after my dog? He?s called Lupo.?

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/kate-middleton/kate-middleton-unveils-royal-puppy%E2%80%99s-name-587993

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