- Artist: Britney Spears
- Label: Jive
- Director:
Cristiano Ronaldo David Beckham Jennifer Aniston Kate Middleton Lindsay Lohan
01/30/2012
Coldplay, Led Zeppelin Album Covers Featured On New British Stamps
Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.
By James Montgomery
Photo: Royal Mail
<P>On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years. The albums featured in the new series are the <a href="/music/artist/rolling_stones/artist.jhtml">Rolling Stones</a>' <i>Let It Bleed,</i> <a href="/music/artist/led_zeppelin/artist.jhtml">Led Zeppelin</a>'s <i>IV,</i> <a href="/music/artist/bowie_david/artist.jhtml">David Bowie</a>'s <i>The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,</i> <a href="/music/artist/mike_oldfield/artist.jhtml">Mike Oldfield</a>'s <i>Tubular Bells,</i> <a href="/music/artist/clash/artist.jhtml">The Clash</a>'s <i>London Calling,</i> <a href="/music/artist/new_order/artist.jhtml">New Order</a>'s <i>Power, Corruption and Lies,</i> <a href="/music/artist/primal_scream/artist.jhtml">Primal Scream</a>'s <i>Screamadelica,</i> <a href="/music/artist/pink_floyd/artist.jhtml">Pink Floyd</a>'s <i>The Division Bell,</i> <a href="/music/artist/blur/artist.jhtml">Blur</a>'s <i>Parklife</i> and — the most recent album on to make the cut — <a href="/music/artist/coldplay/artist.jhtml">Coldplay</a>'s <i>A Rush of Blood to the Head.</i> Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for <i>IV</i> — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery. "Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time." Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their <i>Rush of Blood</i> stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date." "We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."</p>
Related Photos Related ArtistsCristiano Ronaldo David Beckham Jennifer Aniston Kate Middleton Lindsay Lohan
01/29/2012
Britney Spears Fans, Friends Celebrate Engagement
Ryan Seacrest tweets he 'can't think of a better guy' for the pop star than fiancé Jason Trawick.
By Kara Klenk
Jason Trawick and Britney Spears in the "Criminal" music video
Photo: Jive
<P><a href="/music/artist/spears_britney/artist.jhtml">Britney Spears</a> is officially off the market. Reports were confirmed Friday (December 16) that the singer is <a href="/news/articles/1676120/britney-spears-is-engaged.jhtml">engaged to Jason Trawick</a>, her boyfriend of two years and "Criminal" video co-star. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:720382" width="240" height="211"></div><p> Fans of the pop princess sent their love and congratulatory wishes online shortly after the story surfaced. Everyone loves a comeback, and Britney Spears' fans are no exception. After a rough period in 2007 that included losing custody of her children and an infamous public head-shaving, Spears has spent the past three years getting her life together, and fans have taken notice. <a href="/news/articles/1676167/britney-spears-jason-trawick-engaged-timeline.jhtml"><b>Take a walk down memory lane with this timeline of Britney and Jason's relationship!</b></a> Facebook user Rosanna Principessa Fabbro wrote, "So happy for her. She really nailed it, turned her life way around, and look — now with a good man :)" Other fans gushed, while Zakir Khan wrote simply on Facebook, "Best of luck." On Twitter, @Elina_BS made a <a href="http://twitpic.com/7u58ry" target="_blank">Twitpic</a> card for the singer wishing her and Jason well. Many of Britney's fans have been listening to her music for almost their entire lives, so news of her engagement felt especially personal for them. @mollypannell1 tweeted, "Is it weird how happy I am for @britneyspears? So cuuute. I still remember when her first video came out. I was 7!" Celebs also took to Twitter to send their love. Ryan Seacrest <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/RyanSeacrest/status/147786909651972096" target="_blank">tweeted</a> his approval of the union, "I used to work w/ Jason Trawick and can't think of a better guy and more perfect match for @BritneySpears. Congrats guys." Nick Cannon also <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/NickCannon/status/147764341058445312" target="_blank">tweeted</a> "Congrats @BritneySpears is engaged" and included a link to a <a href="http://www.nickcannon.com/post/britney-spears-jason-trawick-engaged" target="_blank">post</a> from his website that included a family photo of Britney, Jason and her two sons. If nothing else, this milestone in Britney's personal life has renewed her fans' love. @Mae_tweet wrote, "You can't help liking @britneyspears! With Britney's infectious, resilience & strength. Born survivor. Credits to her X." <i>Share your well-wishes for the newly engaged couple in the comments below!</i></p>
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Jennifer Aniston Kate Middleton Lindsay Lohan Prince William Angelina Jolie
American Idol to President Obama & Al Green: Sing For Us!
If you haven't seen the video of President Obama singing Al Green at a fundraiser at New York City's legendary Apollo Theater last week, you need to.
No matter what you think of his views, the Prez proved with his riff on "Let's Stay Together" that he's got pipes! And we weren't the only ones impressed.
Friday, American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe Tweeted an official offer to the Commander in Chief that he can't refuse. Or at least he shouldn't:
"@BarackObama we loved your vocal performance so much we'd love to invite you on to #AmericanIdol this Season for a duet with Al Green."
Now that would be the DVR moment of the decade.
We're gonna guess that Obama will cite scheduling conflicts and pass, but if you think about it, what better way to win over voters in an election year?
Okay, perhaps a robust economy would be a bigger ballot box boost, but you get the idea. The guy's vocal chops are legit and deserve a wider audience.
President Obama in 2012?
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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
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox
<P>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 <MTVNLINK type="url" id="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/led_zeppelin/artist.jhtml">Led Zeppelin</MTVNLINK>'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 <a href="/news/articles/1610708/adam-allison-shine-on-idol-rock-night.jhtml">"American Idol" rock night</a> 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 <I>Rolling Stone</i> magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004. </p><div style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"> <embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtvmusic.com:84215" width="256" height="223" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="dist=http://www.mtvmusic.com" allowFullScreen="true" AllowScriptAccess="always"></embed></div><p> 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 <I>Led Zeppelin II.</i> 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. <b>Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' <a href="/news/articles/1486475/mtv-news-american-idol.jhtml">"American Idol" page</a>, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.</b></p>
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Ke$ha Drops Lil Wayne, T.I., Wiz Khalifa 'Sleazy' Remix
Remix also features Andre 3000 and is a bit racier than the original track.
By Jocelyn Vena
Ke$ha performs at Bayfront Park Amphitheater on August 7, 2011 in Miami, Florida.
Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images
<P>As promised, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/kesha_/artist.jhtml">Ke$ha</a> and her boys Lil Wayne, T.I., Wiz Khalifa and Andre 3000 dropped a new <a href="/news/articles/1672529/lil-wayne-kesha-ti-wiz-khalifa-remix.jhtml">remix of "Sleazy"</a> on Tuesday (December 13). </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="id:1661961" width="240" height="211"></div><p> The Bangladesh-produced song originally appeared on K-Dollar's 2010 <a href="/news/articles/1651081/keha-gets-sleazy-on-new-cannibal-track.jhtml"><i>Cannibal</i> album</a> before a <a href="/news/articles/1656039/andre-3000-pops-up-on-kehas-sleazy-remix.jhtml">remix featuring Andre</a> popped up earlier this year. The latest version of the song is available for purchase and is all over blogs like <a href="http://www.rap-up.com/2011/12/12/new-music-kesha-f-wiz-khalifa-andre-3000-ti-lil-wayne-sleazy-remix/" target="_blank">Rap-Up.com</a>. The song gets a bit dirtier and introspective thanks to verses from the guys that play up the track's bumping beat. Wiz kicks it off, rapping about designer clothes and his lady love, Amber Rose. "OK, I'm young and I'm tatted/ I get them bucks like an addict/ Rocking this Christian Dior/ I spend so much on my fabric/ I got a wifey at home/ And what she wants she can have it," he spits before going on about chilling on the beach, being rich and his prowess in the bedroom. Sitting in between Wiz and Tip is Andre's recycled verse, before T.I. gets his shot and gets sexy, asking Ke$ha, "Do you know what to do with me?" before he launches into a verse all about how good he is to the ladies. "Bad bitches know me/ So don't bother introducing me/ They want me more than diamonds," he brags before explaining that it has a lot to do with his impressive anatomy. Wayne closes it out, adding his own signature flair. "We be on that sh-- that no one be on/ That's what we on/ Smoke that neon, Kings of Leon/ Dynamite, Napoleon/ Got some skinnies and a tee on/ And some Vans," he rhymes about his famous sense of Weezy-fied style before the song circles back to the funky chorus, where Ke$ha declares that she doesn't "need you or your brand-new Benz/ Or your bougie friends/ I don't need love lookin' like diamonds/ Lookin' like diamonds." If any of K's fans or critics were wondering if she has the swagger to chill with the guys, she displayed some of her sass when she <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/KESHASUXX" target="_blank">tweeted</a> about the remix. "Question ANIMALS ... who can say they got with Lil Wayne, T.I., Andre 3000 and Wiz Khalifa on a f---ing hot track??" she asked. "ill give u one clue ... Its $." <i>What do you think of the "Sleazy" remix? Tell us in the comments!</i></p>
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