Eminem called into his own Sirius/XM satellite radio station Shade45 to drop a little bit of news. First and foremost: Slim Shady will be performing his only show of the year at the Voodoo Festival, the annual three-day concert event in New Orleans. He’ll be sharing the bill with Kiss, Jane’s Addiction and the Flaming Lips.
But that’s not all, as Em was calling from his studio in Detroit where he is working on the sequel to his recently-released, already-platinum Relapse. He said he’s still working on music, but his second album of the year should be out “by the fourth quarter,” just in time for holiday sales.
When hosts Rude Jude and Lord Sear asked whether the incident at the MTV Movie Awards was his idea or Brüno’s, he told them, “He hit me up and asked me if he could put his balls in my face, and I said ‘Certainly.’” They even inquired about the smell, which Em summed up in one word: “Delicious.” Check out the full call here, but be warned: It’s a pretty graphic bit of audio.
West has always been a performance-minded MC, but his last few tours have really added visual flair. His Glow in the Dark Tour was a watershed trek that not only featured N.E.R.D., Rihanna and Lupe Fiasco but also Kanye telling a narrative story on a set that looked like an alien planet. The new set looks like the inside of a crystal from the future, complete with massive video screen and what promises to be a complex light show.
West’s tour begins tomorrow night in Denmark, then moves on to France, the U.K. and Switzerland. In addition to promoting 808s & Heartbreak and his new book, he’s been working with a number of other up-and-coming artists, including Mr. Hudson and Drake.
Auction site Profiles in History have announced that they will be auctioning off a number of Michael Jackson-related items in October. The top item? A glove Jackson wore on the 1984 “Victory” tour, which according to curator Joseph Maddalena should sell for at least $60,000. It’s a pretty amazing piece of memorabilia: Made as a one-of-a-kind item by a designer named Ted Shell (who also went on the tour to take care of the item), it is lined with 50 tiny lights that are connected to a battery in the cuff and twinkle randomly thanks to a series of circuits.
The auction, scheduled for October 1 and 2, also contains a fedora worn by Jackson and the motorcycle jacket and gold belt from the “Bad” video.
As a tribute to their contributions to music, Run-DMC will receive their own street in Queens, New York, where the group first came together. 205 Street, in the Hollis neighborhood, will be renamed “Run-DMC Way.” The re-naming will also act as an appreciation for Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay, as 205 Street is the location of the mural that memorializes the DJ, who was killed in a still-unsolved shooting in 2002.
Today is Canada Day, which celebrates the establishment of our fine neighbors to the north. We’ve been celebrating all day today at MTV News: We had donuts at this morning’s meeting (Canada consumes the most donuts of any country) and Hollywood Crush is tipping its hat to some of Canda’s finest male exports.
They’ve given the world a number of other fine products besides swoon-worthy men: Poutine, universal health care, a fierce devotion to hockey and boundary-pushing one-hit wonders. Here are the five finest flashes-in-the-pan from the Great White North.
Men Without Hats, “The Safety Dance”
Montreal’s Men Without Hats had their moment in the sun in 1982 with a single that had three things going for it: It was from Canada, it was an international hit and it was about a series of dance moves. Like many of the groups on this list, Men Without Hats managed to have other hits in Canada after their U.S. exposure had faded — including a great song called “Pop Goes the World.”
Len, “Steal My Sunshine”
Len are from Toronto and had a song of the summer contender in 1999 with “Steal My Sunshine,” which combines surf rock, hip-hop and helium-infused puppet voices for a remarkably ’90s vibe.
Bif Naked, “Moment of Weakness”
Bif Naked was the name of both the singer and the band behind “Moment of Weakness,” which had its MTV moment in 1999. It wasn’t the last time Naked would cross paths with the network — she performed a version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” for the long-forgotten TRL Christmas compilation in 2001.
Crash Test Dummies, “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”
Winnipeg’s Crash Test Dummies scored the leftest of left-field radio hits in 1994 with “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.” The song and video are extremely strange, telling three narratives about odd people all in singer Brad Roberts’ basso profundo.
Snow, “Informer”
Two words: Canadian reggae. When Snow scored this hit in 1993, it spawned one of those great MTV videos where they used to run the lyrics on the bottom of the image (Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” got the same treatment). Fun fact: “Snow” apparently stands for “Super Notorious Outrageous Whiteboy.”
