Rihanna, Eminem, Justin Bieber Lead Billboard Music Award Finalists

Rihanna leads the pack with nominations in 18 categories.
By Gil Kaufman


Rihanna
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ WireImage

It was strictly A-list names at the top of the list when the lead finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards were announced Wednesday (April 13).

In the lead among all nominees was Rihanna, a finalist in 18 categories, who was followed by fellow multiple-award finalists Eminem, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber.

Among the categories Rihanna is up for awards in are: Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Female Artist, Top R&B Artist and Top Dance/Electronic Artist, while her smash collaboration with Eminem, "Love the Way You Lie," racked up notices in six song categories. Right behind her was Slim Shady, a finalist in 16 categories, including Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Artist, Top Male Artist and Top Rap Artist.

Lady Gaga was next with nods in 12 categories, including Top Dance/Electronic Album, which included three of her releases, The Fame, The Fame Monster and The Remix

Mars and Bieber had 11 nominations each and will face each other in the Top New Artist and Top Male Artist categories. The other contenders in Top New Artist include Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and Taio Cruz.

The Top Artist category will pit Bieber against, Eminem, Gaga, Rihanna and Taylor Swift, while the Top Rap Album category will be a showdown between Drake, Eminem, Minaj, Lil Wayne and Kanye West. The Top Alternative Artist race will feature Muse facing the Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Linkin Park and Mumford & Sons.

The event honors artists who have appeared on the Billboard charts during the period of February 28, 2010, through March 1, 2011. Winners are also determined by album, single and digital sales, touring, streaming and social interactions on MySpace, Facebook and other popular online destinations for music.

Winners will be announced at the Billboard Music Awards on May 22 at 5 p.m. PT. Among the announced performers are Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Cruz, Lady Antebellum, the Black Eyed Peas and Keith Urban.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661913/rihanna-eminem-justin-bieber-billboard.jhtml

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Ke$ha's 'Blow' Director Addresses Lady Gaga 'Unicorn' Flap

Unicorn cameos in 'Born This Way' and 'Blow' videos is 'just weird coincidence,' Chris Marrs Piliero tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena


Ke$ha in her video for "Blow"
Photo: RCA

The brand-new videos for Ke$ha's "Blow" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" couldn't be more different. But fans on the Web have been comparing the clips, thanks to a special cameo the two videos have in common. With unicorns appearing in both "Blow" and "BTW," some Gaga fans are accusing the K-Dollar of stealing from their Mother Monster.

But MTV News spoke to "Blow" director Chris Marrs Piliero, who explained that it's pure coincidence his video and the Nick Knight-directed video both feature unicorns.

"It's very odd. It's one of those weird things, and I think a lot of people on the Internet don't grasp the sense of time [that goes into making videos]. Some Gaga fans, they don't realize that just because it was announced there might be a unicorn [in Gaga's video], it's like, we didn't film the video after that announcement," he said.

"It's like [the movies] 'Dante's Peak' and 'Volcano' and then there was 'Armageddon' and 'Deep Impact.' I don't know, I know when things like that happen when I was a part of the audience, I was like, 'That's weird and fishy,' but now being on the other side, it's just weird coincidences," he explained. "What are the odds of that?"

In fact, Piliero had a gut feeling that he should use unicorns many, many moons ago and he thought Ke$ha was the right artist to join with the mythological creatures onscreen.

"Ke$ha was looking to make kind of something different, a video that was cool and random, and I had this idea running in my head with just the idea of unicorns," he recalled. "If I massacred unicorns, they could bleed rainbows. I'm a fan of violence and I'm always trying to find a way to make it OK."

The rainbow-spewing unicorns weren't the only cameo that Piliero hoped to nab. He also wanted "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek to appear in the clip. "He's such an awesome guy. He was down for it," he said. "He had seen the Black Keys video [I shot] and he was stoked on the idea. It was so much fun. He and Ke$ha kind of went for all the craziness. I think he has a fantastic comic side. He's good at being naturally funny. It's about the delivery."

Ke$ha, of course, was onboard for all the zaniness. "Before we started filming, we had quite a few talks. She was adamant you can't back away from the crazy; everything about the idea she loved and she enforced the fact that she wanted to embrace every aspect of it and really go for it," he recalled. "On set, she was having fun. She was like, 'I want to lick a unicorn.' It was rad working with her because there definitely wasn't a sense of her feeling awkward about stuff or detached; no ego. It felt like we had worked together before."

Which video do you prefer: "Blow" or "Born This Way"? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659284/kesha-blow-unicorns.jhtml

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'Superman' Star Henry Cavill Talks 'Pressure' Of Iconic Role

'The question is whether you allow yourself to be affected by it,' he tells MTV News.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Henry Cavill at WonderCon 2011
Photo: James Lacsina

Henry Cavill didn't know quite what he was about to encounter. The mild-mannered Brit, who'd been cast as Superman in the Warner Bros. reboot of the franchise in January, found himself at WonderCon on an April day in San Francisco, about to meet the fans that may make or break the success of the upcoming film. Was he ready to stand in front of the frothing masses and stake his claim to pop culture history?

"Let's hope so," he told MTV News with a nervous laugh. "I better do a good job."

He's certainly had a long time to prepare. Cavill was cast as the Man of Steel years ago for director McG's planned adaptation. But after that project fell apart, Bryan Singer recast the role and delivered 2006's underwhelming, "Superman Returns."

For Cavill, with the passage of time came a new understanding of what it means to portray the most iconic superhero on the planet. "As much as I wanted it at a younger age, you get to a certain point where you go, 'OK, I'm ready for most things now.' Back then, you believe you're ready for it," he said. "But as soon as it happens, you think that it's a little heavy. I'm glad it's happening now as opposed to any other time."

"There's always pressure," he added. "The question is whether you allow yourself to be affected by it. Ultimately, it's a destructive force if you're going, 'Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,' and you're panicking. [I] just go do my job and hope everyone likes it."

So far, most everyone does. As Cavill looked down at the WonderCon floor he couldn't quite comprehend that he's become a major celebrity in his own right, telling us that if walked out among the fans "probably not much" would happen "at this stage." Considering the reaction that a dude in a Wookiee costume can get, we have a feeling Cavill would have caused a near riot. The fact that he doesn't get that yet is what makes the guy truly endearing.

Getting the call that he'd won the job, Cavill told us, was an "absolutely surreal" moment. "I got the phone call, then ran round the house screaming for 20 minutes, then sat down and thought, 'Wow, I'm Superman. That's insane,' " he continued. "It took me a good long time to get used to the idea. I'm still not used to it. I think until I actually physically don the cape and I'm on set, will it sink in."

Check out everything we've got on "Superman: Man of Steel."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661766/henry-cavill-superman-wondercon.jhtml

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Michael Jackson's 'Thriller': Story Behind The 'Glee' Cover

MJ classic is mashed up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Heads Will Roll' for post-Super Bowl episode.
By Aly Semigran


"Glee"
Photo: FOX

Madonna, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and now, finally, Michael Jackson. The cast of "Glee" has covered plenty of icons during their first two seasons, but it's taken 33 episodes to get around to the King of Pop.

With a huge catalog of Jackson songs, the singing, dancing students of McKinley High paid homage to the late singer with one of his biggest staples (and, arguably, the greatest music video of all time) with their take on "Thriller."

The groundbreaking single from Jackson's best-selling album of the same name was mashed up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Heads Will Roll" for the post-Super Bowl episode (titled "The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle"), featuring a zombie-fied "Glee" cast.

Bound to become a smash all over again (though with its nonstop rotation at Halloween parties and wedding receptions until the end of time, it's never truly gone away), here's a brief history of the dance/pop classic.

Released on January 23, 1984, "Thriller" was the seventh, and final, single to be released from Jackson's smash record. According to the RIAA, the album (released by Epic Records) has gone gold 29 times, narrowly edging out the Eagles' Greatest Hits 1971-1975 for the title of best-selling album of all time.

In 2009, MTV News estimated that the Thriller album was poised to go triple diamond, meaning 30 million records sold in the U.S. alone.

After Thriller's other singles (including "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Wanna Be Startin' Something") dominated the charts, it was time for the spooky, undeniably original track to take over. The song "Thriller" also appeared on many of Jackson's other albums, including the compilations HIStory and Number Ones.

Clocking in at a little under six minutes (though the radio edit was closer to four-and-a-half), the song features pop-music mainstays like synthesizers but shakes things up with its spooky sound effects, including creaking floors, howling and thunder.

The song was produced by Quincy Jones and written and composed by Rod Tempterton and spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #4.

But it's the music video for "Thriller" that truly made it the phenomenon it was in the '80s and continues to be today. Less a music video than a mini-motion picture, the video (over 13 minutes long and directed by John Landis) won three MTV Video Music Awards and has been named the best music video of all time by many outlets, including VH1 for the special "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos."

The chiller features Jackson in that iconic red leather jacket on a date with his girlfriend (played by Ola Ray) before things go terribly awry. After all, as Jackson (whose disclaimer at the start of the video reads, "This film in no way endorses a belief in the occult") sings in the opening line, "It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark." Cue werewolves, zombies, Vincent Price's soliloquy and one of the most memorable dance sequences ever.

The video was (no pun intended) a monster hit. As the Los Angeles Times notes, "At the height of the song's popularity, MTV would run the 14-minute 'Thriller' video twice an hour."

Choreographed by Jackson and Michael Peters (who, as the LA Times also reported, appears in the video as one of the zombies) and with makeup by Oscar-winner Rick Baker (also an undead "Thriller" extra) was made with a huge budget of an estimated $500,000.

Still, the efforts paid off. Landis (who told the "Today" show back in 2009 that no one wanted to give them the funds to make the risky vid) made the accompanying 45-minute documentary about the venture, called "The Making of Thriller." Featuring the behind-the-scenes wizardry, as well as the music video in full, it would go on to move more than 10 million copies.

Since then, the signature song and video have seen their share fair of tributes in movies (notably in the 2004 comedy"13 Going on 30") and TV ("South Park," "Family Guy," "30 Rock," among others), not to mention the countless flash mobs that have gone viral. (Remember the prisoners in the Philippines who became overnight phenomenons on YouTube?)

Even with the "Glee" number, this likely won't be the last incarnation of "Thriller." Billboard reported in October that a "Thriller" film is in the works. With a plot allegedly revolving around Price's narration, Kenny Ortega, who directed Jackson's last effort, "This Is It," will reportedly helm the project.

Since Jackson's untimely passing on June 25, 2009, the song and video's legacy continue to live on. In the week following Jackson's death, "Thriller" was the best-selling track in the U.S., with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles chart.

Then, in December 2009, "Thriller" was the first music video to ever be inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It seems "no mere mortal can resist ... the thriller" after all.

What did you think of the "Thriller" mash-up on "Glee"? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657395/glee-thriller.jhtml

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The Cast Of ?The Facts Of Life? Reunite At The TV Land Awards

Last weekend the principal cast of The Facts of Life reunited on stage at the 2011 TV Land Awards to collect this year’s Pop Culture Award. Altho we have to wait until this coming weekend to watch the awards show, we do get to check out some photos from the event below … along with [...]

Source: http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2011/04/the-cast-of-the-facts-of-life-reunite-at-the-tv-land-awards/

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