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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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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InStyle Australia: Blake Lively

Blake Lively

The 25-year-old actress, Blake Lively showed off her gorgeous gams in the October 2012 issue of InStyle Australia. A few of the highlights from Miss Lively's interview are as follows. For more, be sure to pay a visit to InStyle Australia! On not looking at pictures of herself after red carpet events: "I think the biggest faux pas is to actually look at the picture, you know? Things always photograph differently and it's about how you feel on the night. It's walking out the door and [thinking], 'Ah, I feel great about this.' Why would you go home and be like, 'Oh no. That's what I look like?' Why ruin the illusion?" On picking what to wear: "I don't know, it just has to feel right. There are a lot of things that I see on other people that I love, but I would never put on myself just because it wouldn't look good. I think the most important thing is to feel good. That's something I learned young." On nabbing a standout piece from the "Gossip Girl" set: Is there any one standout piece that you have been able to snare from the set of Gossip Girl? "It's the first piece that I saw [while filming] Gossip Girl?a Gucci handbag, embroidered, with a bamboo handle wrapped in leather and rose-gold details. It was so beautiful that I said to the costume designer, 'Oh. I can't imagine?do you think one day I could buy something like that?' She called Gucci, came back and said, 'They said you can have it.' It's still one of my very, very favourite pieces." [gallery=829]

Source: http://www.celebritygossiphollywood.com/celebrities/blake-lively/instyle-australia-blake-lively/

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Matthew McConaughey Announces Arrival Of A Baby?

… Boy! TMZ got it wrong this time. Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves welcomed a baby boy, not a girl, on Friday. Matthew made the announcement on his WhoSays webpage. Camila (@iamcamilaalves) gave birth to our third child yesterday morning. … Continue reading »

Source: http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2012/12/30/matthew-mcconaughey-announces-arrival-of-a-baby/

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Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Sentenced

Conrad Murray faces another hearing in January to potentially provide more than $101 million in restitution to the Jackson family.
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Jessica Chastain: Rainy Day Chic

Heading to work on a rainy day, Jessica Chastain arrived at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York City on Saturday (December 29).

Looking effortlessly chic in a brown skirt, tan trench, and grey knee-high boots, the 35-year-old star accessorized her look with a leopard-print scarf and a large grey bag as she headed inside for her role in "The Heiress."

Fans can see Jessica on the big screen soon, as her latest film "Zero Dark Thirty" is slated to hit theaters on January 11.

The chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his death at the hands of Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 also stars Joel Edgerton and Chris Pratt.

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/jessica-chastain/jessica-chastain-rainy-day-chic-783314

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Ke$ha Calls Bob Dylan Cover 'An Emotional Purging'

Pop singer sings 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right' for Amnesty International anniversary album.
By Jocelyn Vena

<P>It's hard to associate Ke$ha with songs about anything other than hot guys, body glitter and partying. But she's defying her usual topics of interest for human rights organization Amnesty International. The singer is one of the many musicians on the org's <i>Chimes of Freedom</i> compilation of Bob Dylan's music, out January 24. </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Ke$ha Calls Bob Dylan Cover Choice 'An Accident'" id="vid:720838" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>When MTV News spoke with K-Dollar Sign last week about her all-star remix of "Sleazy," she also opened up about switching gears vocally and emotionally for her version of Dylan's classic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." </P><P> </P><P>"I mean, I think it's pretty well known that he's one of, if not my most, favorite artists of all time and ... one of the most amazing lyricists as well &#8212; the original storyteller," she explained. "So I love Bob Dylan and this was just, like, a dream. When they asked me to do a cover, I was just, like, salivating and going through all my records. It was so fun. It was the best homework assignment you could possibly have." </P><P> </P><P>K's version of Dylan's song is a slow-burning, heartbreaking ode to the already heartbreaking classic, where she channels Dylan through lyrics like "Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say/ To try and make me change my mind and stay/ We never did too much talkin' anyway/ So don't think twice, it's all right." </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="What Is The Biggest Perk Of Being A Headliner?" id="vid:642810" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>Ke$ha had originally intended to record another Dylan track, but when she heard that someone else had their sights set on it, she settled on "Don't Think Twice," prompting a catharsis she could never have imagined. </P><P> </P><P>"This song was kind of an accident. I sat down and this is the first take that I ever sang," she recalled. "I just sat down on my bed for the first time after months of being on tour and I just started crying, and it was kind of like an emotional purging, and you can hear it on the record." </P><P> </P><P>In addition to Ke$ha and her contribution, the album will feature 75 other Dylan classics recorded by nearly 80 artists including Adele, Miley Cyrus, "Glee" star Darren Criss, My Chemical Romance, Evan Rachel Wood and Sugarland. The album pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International.</p>

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