Music Artists, Videos and News

Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that’s why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

The summer is just getting started, which means that we are in need of a quality set of summer jams to crank up while we barbecue, drive to the beach and stand in line to see “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.” No songs have risen to the top just yet, but we can still recycle last summer’s tunes, which were dominated by Black Eyed Peas. Between “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling,” the summer of 2009 was all about Will.i.am, Taboo, Apl.de.ap and Fergie. Nearly a year later, they continue to cover the world to wish their fans “Mazel tov” and to rake in the spoils of their success. On Thursday (May 13), Fergie spread some of that “I Gotta Feeling” money around when she hit the streets of Milan, Italy with husband Josh Duhamel to get a little shopping done. You’ll be able to hear some fresh Fergie content when her voice appears in this summer’s “Marmaduke” movie.

She wasn’t the only star getting out among the people, as Liam Gallagher hung out at the Cannes Film Festival in celebration of his work on the film adaptation of “The Longest Cocktail Party,” a book about the Beatles. Click here for these photos as well as the entire “Spotted!” archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Ludacris, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Madonna and Jessica Simpson!

No Comments »

On Thursday (May 13), we took a sneak peak at some old school photos from some of the subjects of this week’s new edition of “When I Was 17,” the new MTV show that takes a look at the high school lives of some of your favorite pop culture superstars. As some of you correctly guessed, the cute baby in the photo we posted was actually rap star Drake, who is one of the subjects of the latest episode (which airs this Saturday, May 15 at 11 a.m. on MTV). In addition to revealing his baby photos and a brief history of his embarrassing hair styles, Drake also discusses his strange obsession with eBay and the early snags he hit in his music career.

The new episode of “When I Was 17″ also features rapper-turned-actress-turned-singer-turned-rapper-turned-actress Queen Latifah, who talks about being voted “Most Popular” and “Most Comical” by her high school peers and also playing a show at the famous Apollo Theater in New York. Olympic softball star Jennie Finch rounds out the episode with her tales of cruising in her dad’s classic car and doing her signature dance (it’s called “The Cat Claw” and clearly influenced Lady Gaga’s fan-specific gang sign).

Check out a preview of this weekend’s edition of “When I Was 17″ below, and be sure to tune in for all the great stories, anecdotes and embarrassing revelations when the show airs on Saturday, May 15 at 11 a.m. on MTV.

What were you doing when you were 17? Let us know in the comments!

No Comments »

It’s Friday, and you know what that means: It’s time to prepare for the cinema this weekend. A number of eclectic pictures open up today, including the Queen Latifah/Common romantic comedy “Just Wright” and the Amanda Seyfried-starring chick flick “Letters to Juliet.” But if your vision of summer consists of action, drama, archery and speeches by Russell Crowe, then there’s one choice for you this weekend. “Robin Hood,” directed by Ridley Scott (”Gladiator,” “Alien”) and starring Crowe and Cate Blanchett, tells the origin story of a great English folk tale. The stories surrounding Robin Hood are essentially about the empowerment of the public over tyranny, and the character’s signature move of stealing from the rich to feed the poor is an almost saintly bit of heroism. “Robin Hood” turns the story into a piece about guerilla warfare and puts Crowe in the title role.

Such a sprawling action epic requires the right soundtrack, so while you get ready to shout along with Robin, Friar Tuck, Maid Marion and Little John, take the video playlist below for a spin. You can explore Robin’s core philosophy (Jane’s Addiction’s “Been Caught Stealing”), dip into some tunes about Robin’s weapon of choice (Jupiter One’s “Flaming Arrow,” ABC’s “Poison Arrow”) and check out how Robin’s right hand man’s namesake is doing (Lil Jon’s “Get Low”). There are also a few nods to elements from the movie, including the famous forest (Sherwood’s “You Are”), Friar Tuck (Hootie & the Blowfish’s “Tucker’s Town) and the one of the reasons for Robin’s rebellion (Erase Errata’s “Tax Dollar”). There’s also N.E.R.D.’s “Lapdance,” just because of the “I’m an outlaw” lyric.

But let’s begin with DJ Khaled, who reminds us something that Robin probably would agree with: “I’m So Hood.”

No Comments »

Thursday (May 13) was a great day for birthdays, as “Twilight” vampire Robert Pattinson and former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker both celebrated becoming one year older. The same went for former basketball star Dennis “The Worm” Rodman and late night host Stephen Colbert, who celebrated his 46th birthday by inviting the Hold Steady to play on his show “The Colbert Report.”

Following riffs on new Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan and the ongoing psychosis of Glenn Beck, Colbert sat down with Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn and guitarist Tad Kubler (the same pair who chatted with MTV News two weeks ago). The main point of discussion was the title of the band’s new album Heaven Is Whenever, which got into a surprisingly legitimate debate about the concept of the afterlife and Finn’s lapsed Catholicism. “I still go to church,” he told Colbert. “But I don’t think the Pope would agree with my concept of Catholicism.”

“Well, then there’s the door my friend,” Colbert joked in response. “It’s either Yahweh or the highway.”

The pair also joked about their look. “Are you sure you’re in a rock band and not graphic designers?” Colbert asked (an ironic question, considering that Kubler handles a lot of the art direction for the band). Following the interview, the rest of the group joined Kubler and Finn for a run through “Hurricane J,” the band’s powerful, heavy first single from Heaven Is Whenever.

<td style=’padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;’ colspan=’2′The Hold Steady - Hurricane J

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

No Comments »

Sneak Peek: ‘When I Was 17′ Episode 3

Check out preview clips of Queen Latifah, Drake and Jennie Finch from upcoming episode of “When I was 17,” airing Saturday (May 15) at 11 a.m. on MTV.

Related Artists

• Drake
• Queen Latifah

No Comments »