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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Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman


Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.

For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.

Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.

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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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610709/adam-lamberts-whole-lotta-love-story-behind-cover.jhtml

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Robert Pattinson: I Want to 'Beat the S--- Out' of Paparazzi

Robert Pattinson: I Want to 'Beat the S--- Out' of Paparazzi

Well here's a surprise: another celebrity who hates the paparazzi.

In a new interview with Elle magazine, Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson says he dreams of one day getting up close and personal with those pesky photographers -- and not in the nice way we've come to expect from the gentlemanly English actor.

"When the whole thing dries up and there's hardly any paparazzi around – I don't know, in 15 years or something -- I like the idea of just one paparazzo coming out and trying to get a picture, and I just beat the s--- out of him," Pattinson, 24, says. "I mean, out of nowhere, when my picture's not even worth [money], and I've spent all my money, so you can't sue me!"

No doubt Pattinson is besieged by snap-hounds trying to get the latest image of him, with or without costar Kristen Stewart (who he either has or has not broken up with).

Rob does what he can to stymie them, describing a recent attempt to shut them down at Venice Beach. "A bunch of paparazzi were following me, and I thought the best way to deal with it was to stop my car in the middle of the street and say, 'I'm not leaving, and I'm not going to speak to you anymore,'" he says. "They got all pissed off because they can't just keep taking the same picture."

They apparently tried to fight back: "They kept trying to get all these drug dealers to come up to the car. I was like, 'Oh my God, this is insane.'"

Pattinson's story certainly does paint the paparazzi in an unflattering light. But, right or wrong, being hounded by photographers is the price celebs pay -- and maybe even owe some of their success to -- for all that fame and adulation. But yeah, perhaps the paps can leave the drug dealers out of it next time, huh?

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/robert-pattinson-i-want-beat-s-out-paparazzi/1-a-339381

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Linkin Park? U2? Ke$ha? Behind MTV's Musical March Madness Selection

With the tipoff of our tournament set for Monday, Bigger Than the Sound breaks down your favorite band's chances of busting the bracket.
By James Montgomery


Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington
Photo: Frank Hoensch/ Getty Images

Last year, when we launched the inaugural Musical March Madness tournament, we did it largely on a whim.

As I wrote when I revealed my original (handwritten) bracket, the basic idea was to combine my love of college basketball, gambling and rock music (and superfluous lists) into one magical event, and it really didn't matter that I hadn't figured out how bands would advance in the tournament or even what they'd get for winning. All I knew was that it seemed like a fun idea (especially since I didn't have anything else to write my column about that week) and that somewhere, there had to be someone who cared about these seemingly disparate things nearly as much as I did.

As it turned out, there were a lot of people who cared, and when it was all said and done — thanks to the efforts of a whole lot of folks, including Newsroom blog editor Kyle Anderson, who basically decided "You know what? People should vote on this!" — not only was Musical March Madness a certified success, but we somehow even managed to get an actual trophy to present to the winners, Coheed and Cambria, too. So, really, everybody won.

Of course, given the success of the original MMM, attention quickly shifted to the 2011 tournament. Last year, I basically just threw together a list of 64 bands (65, actually; who could forget the epic Against Me!/ Creed play-in battle?). For the 2011 tournament, however, I did research, monitored album sales and basically became a Selection Committee of one. And, yes, it took way longer than I ever could have imagined.

So, with the 2011 Musical March Madness set to tip off Monday — when we reveal our full bracket of 64 bands and launch voting in first-round matchups — I decided to pull back the curtain on that selection process. Some teams have all but locked up their spots in the 2011 tournament, while others still have some work to do. In the spirit of all things bracketological, here's my up-to-the-minute look at where your favorite bands stand for this year's MMM:

The #1 Seeds
The biggest bands in the land. Last year, I gave out #1's to Nickelback, Coldplay, Blink-182 and the Kings of Leon. Somewhat surprisingly, three-quarters of them ended up losing in the opening round of the tournament (only Blink survived, making it to the round of 32 before losing to 30 Seconds to Mars). Obviously, I overestimated the popularity of some of those acts, which means that, in 2011, to be a #1 seed, you have to have proven yourself as not only a rock-solid commodity, but an actual threat to win the championship too. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to have an album either in stores or coming soon. So here are my latest contenders for top seeds:

» Foo Fighters
» 30 Seconds to Mars
» Linkin Park
» My Chemical Romance
» Arcade Fire
» Vampire Weekend
» Muse
» The Black Keys
» Blink-182
» Radiohead
» Coldplay
» Mumford & Sons

The Foos have a hotly anticipated album coming down the pipeline, as does Coldplay. Are expectations enough to make them #1's? Or will the committee recognize the breakout success of the Black Keys, Muse and Mumford? Does a #1 album and a shocking Grammy win earn the Arcade Fire a top seed? Linkin Park and MCR both scuffed a bit with their latest albums, but does that matter, especially since they're both legacy acts with loyal fanbases (and, in the case of My Chem, are tournament-tested)? And will the committee ignore the fact that, by most accounts, Radiohead's latest was a bit of a letdown or that Blink-182 may never actually release their new album? As you can see, there are still plenty of questions left to be answered.

The Old Guard
Legacy acts with something left in the tank. In 2010, time-tested faves like Slipknot, the White Stripes, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, Pearl Jam, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band all got invites to the big dance based largely on reputation alone (just think of them as the Dukes or Kansases of MMM). Of course, nearly all of them got knocked off in the first round, which means that this time around, reputation isn't going to be enough to punch their tickets. Shoot, some of these acts aren't even around anymore, which means that some deck-shuffling is in order. Here are the established acts that are still fighting for their tournament lives:

» Green Day
» Dave Matthews Band
» U2
» Red Hot Chili Peppers
» Rage Against the Machine
» Kid Rock
» Pearl Jam
» R.E.M.

Some (like the Chili Peppers and U2) have announced new albums this year, while others (like DMB) are planning to take 2011 off entirely. Still, whatever their status may be, the old guard remain forces at the cash registers and on radio, even if their latest albums didn't exactly light the world on fire. And ignoring that entirely just isn't possible. So how does the committee decide which make the field of 64? Good question. I'm still trying to figure out the answer.

The New Blood
Upset-minded young guns. The 2010 MMM featured up-and-coming acts like the Young Veins, 3OH!3, Owl City and MGMT. One year later, none of them are even on the radar. Picking new bands for MMM is always a challenge, though in 2011, there seem to be a handful who have all but secured their spots in the tournament, thanks to their breakout successes. I'm talking about the likes of:

» Mumford & Sons
» Florence and the Machine
» The Black Keys
» Cage the Elephant
» Sleigh Bells
» Adele

If the tournament started today, all of the above have been in (and some may even earn high seeds). But do any of them have enough to actually win the tournament? We'll just have to wait and see.

The Bracket Busters
Bands with solid, if not spectacular, résumés (weak out-of-conference schedules, etc.). Last year, this included eventual champs Coheed and Cambria, Final Four acts like Tokio Hotel, Elite Eight bands like Panic! at the Disco and Owl City, and even Patrick Stump, who rumbled all the way to the Sweet 16. In other words, the 2011 champion could very well come from this group. Here's my list of under-the-radar threats:

» Panic! (once again)
» Weezer
» The Decemberists
» Cake
» Paramore
» Avril Lavigne
» Crystal Bowersox
» Adam Lambert
» Death Cab for Cutie
» All Time Low

Two of the above — Cake and the Decemberists — have recent #1 debuts under their belts, while others have new albums on the horizon (DCFC, ATL, Avril). Others, like Bowersox and Lambert (who made the Sweet 16 last year), command insane fanbases, which make them dangerous on any day. Lavigne and ATL still have some work to do, but I'd consider all of the acts I just mentioned as safe for now.

The Bubble Bands
On-the-verge acts that need a little help to make it in. Maybe they win their conference championship, or maybe they PayPal the selection committee some cash, but these are the bands on the brink. In 2010, that included Panic! (no new album or single), the Gaslight Anthem (up-and-comers just learning to play together) and Coheed (largely ignored by mainstream radio). Most of those bands managed to do quite well in the tournament, while others, like Hollywood Undead, Lil Wayne, Them Crooked Vultures and the National, all flamed out in the tournament's opening round. Somewhat fittingly, it's a real feast-or-famine type of thing. Here's my updated list of bubble bands:

» Cobra Starship
» Ke$ha
» Tokio Hotel
» MGMT
» Train
» Adele
» Bret Michaels
» Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
» Taylor Swift

Right off the bat, neither Ke$ha nor Swift really rock (though Ke$h does use Jack Daniels as mouthwash), which makes them long shots. Tokio Hotel have done next to nothing since last year's tournament, but was their success enough to earn them a spot this year? Bret Michaels is basically indestructible at this point, so I'd consider him a lock. Cobra Starship are largely dormant but command a big enough fanbase to warrant consideration. MGMT's last album stiffed in spectacular fashion, which places them squarely on the soapy surface of the bubble.

So, will your favorite band make the cut for the 2011 Musical March Madness tournament? As you can see, the Selection Committee still has plenty of work to do — which means that, between now and Monday, I'll be burning the midnight oil, busting out the brackets and then re-busting them once again. It'll be a chore, but I bet it will be worth it. And I hope you'll be along for the ride. Your band needs you, after all.

MTV's 2011 Musical March Madness Tournament begins Monday, March 14, when we reveal the full field of 64 bands that will battle for the championship. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act makes the cut, it'll be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM — but get ready, it's gonna be a war.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659479/musical-march-madness.jhtml

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Beastie Boys Unleash Celeb-Packed 'Fight For Your Right Revisited' Trailer

Danny McBride, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and John C. Reilly star as past and future Beastie Boys.
By Gil Kaufman


Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and Danny McBride in the "Fight for Your Right Revisited" trailer
Photo: Capitol Records

Adam Horovitz must throw some epic pool parties. That's one of the major takeaways from the two-minute trailer released on Thursday for the Beastie Boys' celebrity-packed short film "Fight for Your Right Revisited."

The trailer dropped just as fans got their second taste of Beastie goodness from the group's upcoming Hot Sauce Committee Part Two album (due out May 3), the funktastic throwback jam "Make Some Noise."

One of the short's stars, "Your Highness" star Danny McBride, broke down the action for MTV News a few months ago at Sundance, dishing on his portrayal of B-Boy MCA alongside Elijah Woods' Ad-Rock and Seth Rogen's Mike D after the film's debut.

But even his description of the demented action in the film that chronicles what happened to the Beasties after the events of the original "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" video in 1987 couldn't prepare fans for the window-smashing, F-bomb dropping, "Wait, was that ...?" action in the finished product.

Among the other celebs popping up in the clip: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Jack Black, Rainn Wilson, Rashida Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Chloë Sevigny, Will Arnett and a "Back to the Future"-era DeLorean.

You can expect a bit more wattage in the final product, which will also feature bits from "The Hangover Part II" star Zach Galifianakis, Orlando Bloom, Amy Poehler, Alicia Silverstone, Maya Rudolph, David Cross, Kirsten Dunst and Laura Dern.

Based on the trailer for the 30-minute short film, Reilly, Ferrell and Black play the old-school version of the pioneering rap trio, facing off against their young doppelgangers in a street battle for rap supremacy. "We bring a super-fresh, old-school throwdown dance contest from the future," challenges Ferrell as McBride drops a motherf'in bomb and kicks some not-so-fresh moves on a black-and-white linoleum break mat set up in the middle of the street.

Along the way, bodega windows are smashed, many cans of beer are sprayed into the fisheye lens and, in a tip of the limo driver's cap to one of Ferrell's most beloved "Saturday Night Live" skits, the jelly-bellied funnyman is seen at the end of the trailer smiling into the camera while hitting a cowbell.

Based on the full screening in January, the 30-minute film is part music video, part improv-heavy comedy. It begins directly after the conclusion of the '87 video, with the Beasties crawling out of the raging apartment party in a cloud of smoke, the original tune playing in the background. They head down the stairs and immediately run into the parents of the kids whose party they crashed. Sarandon and Tucci play the parents, who seem dumbfounded by the rappers' antics.

From there Rogen, Wood and McBride head out onto the New York City streets — the film was apparently shot in three days on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles — looking to keep the party going.

"It felt super cool," McBride told us earlier. "The moment you start rapping into a fisheye lens, you realize you've been training for it your whole life."

What did you think of the "Fight" trailer? Let us know in comments below.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661582/beastie-boys-fight-for-your-right-revisited-trailer.jhtml

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'Hanna' Star Saoirse Ronan Recalls Her 'Rigorous' Training

'I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I guess, so I pushed myself quite a bit,' she tells MTV News.
By Josh Wigler


Saoirse Ronan
Photo: MTV News

She's a 16-year-old actress best known for starring in period pieces and surrealist trips through the afterlife. He's the man who brought Prince Hector of "Troy" and the menacing superhero Hulk to life. Which one would you bet on in a fight?

Let's just say that, despite all appearances, Saoirse Ronan is not down for the count. For her latest film, the high-octane coming-of-age action fairy tale "Hanna," Ronan put herself through a brutal two months of training to become a believable teenage assassin.

"It was rigorous, but it was great," Ronan told MTV News of her training process. "I trained for about two months before we started shooting, and I learnt new skills like knife fighting, stick fighting, how to shoot a gun, martial arts. There was a style designed by Jeff Amada, who's the stunt coordinator, and it was created specifically for the character of Hanna. It was based on the strength and energy and body type and things like that. We worked on that every single day, and I felt like I was starting to walk differently. I'd hold myself differently. I felt stronger, just after a few weeks. It was amazing. It was a great way to focus."

All those skills and more were invaluable for her portrayal of Hanna, a 14-year-old girl raised in a remote snow-covered forest in Europe with only Erik (Eric Bana), her father figure and cruel mentor, for company. Erik's methods are brutal, yes, but they're not without cause: He's training Hanna in the art of the assassin so she may one day venture off into the world and seek vengeance upon Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), the woman who ruined both their lives.

"I didn't think I couldn't do it, but I wanted to do my best," Ronan said of tackling such an action-heavy role. "I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I guess, so I pushed myself quite a bit. I had a personal trainer to push me quite a bit as well. It was probably the most preparation I've ever done for a film, definitely the most physical preparation."

That preparation paid off in spades for Ronan's action scenes, particularly against co-star Eric Bana. There's one scene early on in the movie where the two companions spar on a snowfield without holding anything back — but as Ronan tells it, it was only Bana who pulled his punches.

"I think he held back a little bit, because he was fighting a little girl," she said. "But I had a little voice in my ear — maybe it was Joe Wright, I don't know — and he said, 'Just go for it! Just do it!' So I went for it. You just gotta do it."

And don't expect her to feel guilty about it, either. "It was good fun, kicking the Hulk's ass!" she laughed.

"Hanna" arrived in theaters nationwide Friday (April 8).

Check out everything we've got on "Hanna."

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

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661642/saoirse-ronan-hanna.jhtml

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Lollapalooza 2011 Early Bird Tickets Sell Out Fast

It’s clear people want their Lollapalooza. Even though we have only three confirmed acts for Lollapalooza 2011, the three-day music festival still had zero problem selling out of its desirable Early Bird Passes. The 20th anniversary of the music festival, created by Jane?s Addiction Perry Farrell, will take place in Grant Park in Chicago Aug. [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/beatcrave/~3/dMIKwgwbJUE/

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