MTV News

02/07/2012 08:34 AM

Beyonce Makes First Post-Pregnancy Appearance At Jay-Z Show

Singer makes an entrance at Jigga’s Carnegie Hall show in a form-fitting red dress.
By Gil Kaufman






Beyoncé leaves 40/40 Club


Photo: Splash News

There was no way Beyoncé was going to miss hubby Jay-Z’s first gig at Carnegie Hall
 on Monday night. The new mom made a huge splash just walking into the show, he first public appearance since the birth of Blue Ivy Carter
 last month.

Wearing a form-fitting Alice Temperly dress, four-inch Christian Louboutin heels and holding a gold Alexander McQueen clutch, the singer looked in fighting form for her big night out. According to the New York Daily News, at an afterparty at Jay’s 40/40 club she reportedly said, “it was amazing,” when asked for a response to Jigga’s show.

The newspaper said he chilled out after the concert by having a celery and champagne snack and threw his arms around Bey she she greeted him in the middle of the club just before midnight. They then went up to the VIP section and hung out with Nas and Santigold.
It was the capper to a historic night for Jay, who filled the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall for the first of two benefit concerts for the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and the United Way to raise money for gifted high school students who need financial assistance to attend college.

Backed by a full orchestra that included Roots drummer ?uestlove and Young Guru playing DJ, Hov took the stage just before 9 p.m. in a white tux jacket and holding a bottle of champagne, Jay began the night by shouting the iconic line from his 2003 song “Public Service Announcement” in which he declares “allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov.”

Among the guests who joined him over the course of the show were Alicia Keys and Nas, but the one cameo everyone was waiting for was Blue’s cooing in the song “Glory,”
 which Jay released just days after his daughter’s birth.

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02/07/2012 09:30 AM

Chris Brown To Perform At Grammy Awards

Brown is slated to take the stage in his first Grammys appearance since 2009 assault, sources tell the A.P.
By Jocelyn Vena


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Chris Brown


Photo: Kevin Winter/ AMA2011/ Getty Images

Chris Brown is ready to return to the Grammy Awards. Unnamed sources are telling the Associated Press that the singer will be one of the many performers taking the stage at Sunday’s show. It marks the first time he’ll appear on it since the 2009 incident when he assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna during Grammy weekend. That year both stars were scheduled to perform, but both canceled. Rihanna, however, has since appeared on the show.

Despite being nominated in years since, Brown has not attended the ceremony. The performance is not meant to be formally announced prior to the show.

Brown is up for three Grammys, including Best R&B Album for his 2011 opus, F.A.M.E., as well as Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for his track “Look At Me Now,” which also features Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes.

Rihanna is also slated to attend on Sunday. She’s set to take the stage with Coldplay and is up for a handful of her own awards including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Loud as well Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “What’s My Name?” which features Drake.

Rihanna and Brown have recently denied rumors that they are romantically involved with one another. However, the twosome was spotted at the same Super Bowl party over the weekend in Los Angeles, though reportedly they didn’t cross paths.

Rihanna and Brown won’t be the only two A-listers taking the stage at Sunday’s show. Adele, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Aldean and Nicki Minaj are also confirmed to perform live at the 54th annual awards show, which will be hosted by LL Cool J and take place in Los Angeles.

Who would you like to see perform at the Grammy Awards? Leave your comment below.

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02/07/2012 08:49 AM

Madonna Announces World Tour

Singer will play Israel, London and Paris before hitting U.S.
By Gil Kaufman


src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/news/s/super_bowl_46/celeb_reactions_020512/281x211.jpg"/>



Madonna


Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

She scored a touchdown during halftime at the Super Bowl,
 and now Madonna is properly tuned-up to take her show on the road.

On Monday, the CEO of Live Nation Global Touring announced that Madonna would launch her 2012 world tour in support of her upcoming MDNA album on May 29 with a show in Tel Aviv, Israel. He told Billboard magazine that the outing will be the singer’s most extensive tour in terms of total dates and will take her to Australia for the first time in 20 years.

She’ll play a combination of arenas, stadiums and outdoor sites, hitting 26 European and Middle Eastern markets (including London, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Abu Dhabi and Berlin) before turning her attention to the U.S. Her North American shows start with an August 28 gig in Philadelphia and include 25 dates. Among them are a September 6 show at New York’s Yankee Stadium and an October 10 stop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles before she heads to Latin America after Thanksgiving.

Other cities on the itinerary include: Boston, Atlantic City, Chicago, Washington, Seattle, Las Vegas, Dallas and New Orleans. Tickets for the North American dates will go on sale beginning on February 13.

The bar is already set high for Madonna, since her 2008-2009 Sticky & Sweet tour grossed $408 million, which is the highest amount ever raked in by a solo artist and third-best of all time.

Madonna tour dates:

»August 28 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
»August 30 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
»September 1 — Quebec City, QC @ Plains of Abraham Site
»September 4 — Boston, MA @ TD Banknorth Garden
»September 6 — New York, NY @ Yankee Stadium
»September 10 — Ottawa, ON @ Yankee Scotiabank Place
»September 12 — Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Center
»September 15 — Atlantic City, NJ @ Boardwalk Hall
»September 19 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
»September 23 — Washington, D.C. @ Verizon Center
»September 29 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
»October 2– Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
»October 6 — San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
»October 10 — Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
»October 13 — Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand
»October 16 — Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center
»October 20 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
»October 24 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
»October 27 — New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
»October 30 — Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
»November 1 — St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
»November 3 — St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
»November 10 — Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
»November 15 — Charlotte, N.C. @ Time Warner Cable Arena
»November 17 — Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena

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02/07/2012 09:10 AM

Clint Eastwood Hits Back Against Super Bowl Ad Critics

‘It was meant to be a message about … job growth and the spirit of America,’ filmmaker/actor tells Fox News.
By Eric Ditzian


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Clint Eastwood


Photo: Getty Images

Clint Eastwood is not going to take your crap. Don’t accuse him of anything. Don’t even look at him the wrong way. Mr. Eastwood will not stand for it.

And so the 81-year-old Hollywood legend has spoken out following the strange — though not entirely unexpected, based on the political rancor in this election year — fallout from his Super Bowl commercial that aired on Sunday night. In an otherwise lackluster year for big-game ads, Eastwood’s inspiring Chrysler spot about the rebirth of Detroit stood out from the pack of ho-hum beer and junk food ads — not only because of its utterly awesome Clint Eastwood-ness, but as a result of the hot air it generated on both sides of the political spectrum.

And that’s not cool, Eastwood told a producer of Fox News‘ “The O’Reilly Factor.” “I just want to say that the spin stops with you guys, and there is no spin in that ad,” he said. “On this I am certain.”

Eastwood, who has been politically active for decades, supporting John McCain in the 2008 presidential election and expressing admiration for Ron Paul in this year’s GOP primary, went on to say, “I am certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama. It was meant to be a message about, just about job growth and the spirit of America. I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was OK.”

Not everyone agreed. Former George W. Bush advisor Karl Rove accused the Obama administration of having a hand in the ad following the White House’s costly bailouts of the auto industry. “The leadership of auto companies feel they need to do something to repay their political patronage,” Rove said, according to Reuters. “It is a sign of what happens when you have Chicago-style politics, and the president of the United States and his political minions are, in essence, using our tax dollars to buy corporate advertising.”

The Obama administration, for its part, seized on the ad as a high-profile affirmation that its auto bailouts, while controversial, were ultimately the right call made by a gusty leader. At a White House briefing, Obama press secretary Jay Carney said, “This president made decisions that were not very popular at the time that were guided by two important principles: one, that he should do what he could to ensure that 1 million jobs would not be lost, and two, that the American automobile industry should be able to thrive globally, if the right conditions were created.”

That’s certainly not a bad message to broadcast to the 100-plus million people who tuned in to see the New York Giants surge past the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI. Eastwood, while continuing to decline to endorse a candidate, explained that anyone who embraces the ideas in the Chrysler is OK by him.

“I am not supporting any politician at this time,” the five-time Oscar winner explained. “[But if] Obama or any other politician wants to run with the spirit of that ad, go for it.”

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02/07/2012 06:53 AM

Grammys Pit Nicki Minaj Vs. Skrillex For Best New Artist

Bon Iver, J. Cole and the Band Perry also in the mix for coveted statue come Sunday.
By Gil Kaufman


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Nicki Minaj


Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Whoever ends up staying in their seat when the Best New Artist trophy is handed out at Sunday’s Grammys shouldn’t feel so bad: They’re in pretty good company. Recent years have seen such multiplatinum stars as Justin Bieber, Drake, Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift come out on the short end in the category.

Then again, there’s a distinct possibility this year’s winner could make history by becoming the first dubstep act (Skrillex) to take the prize, the first true indie rocker (Bon Iver) to snatch it or just the second female MC (Nicki Minaj) bestowed with the honor.

This could also be the year when the music industry fully embraces the fact that just putting a traditional album out is not the surest (or only) path to Grammy glory. Among those in the mix are acts like J. Cole and Minaj, who’ve slowly built up careers by mining the mixtape path to glory and Skrillex, who went from indie punk rock to the top of the glow-stick-waving heap by perfecting a stomach-rumbling mix of dance music, techno beats and rock energy through a series of EPs and singles in front of ever-expanding, sweaty live crowds.

Bon Iver (the nom de rock of sensitive singer Justin Vernon) brings his own unique path to the mix. On two acclaimed independently released albums of sensitive, wistful forest folk, Vernon has provided an antidote of sorts to Minaj’s hyper, in-your-face rhymes with music that washes over you instead of hitting you over the head. But his commercial prospects have not dimmed at all due to his chosen path, as Bon Iver tunes have shown up in Miller Genuine Draft ads and have landed him on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album and, reportedly, in the studio with Alicia Keys.

With just her debut album, Pink Friday, to her credit, Minaj has gone from mixtape queen to pop/rap icon in just four years, culminating with her Super Bowl halftime appearance on Sunday alongside Madonna. Along the way, the Queens native has made spotlight-stealing cameos on songs by Kanye, Mariah Carey, Ludacris, DJ Khaled and Drake.

Like Minaj, Cole slowly bubbled up on the mixtape circuit to a deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label, dropping a number of impressive guest verses along the way for Jigga, Wale, B.o.B and Young Chris. By the time his major-label debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, dropped in May, he was already being touted as one of the hottest young stars in the business.

Though they’ve been playing together since 2005, country trio the Band Perry didn’t release their first full-length album until October. They’ve since recorded with Bieber for his Under the Mistletoe album, scored three American Music Awards nominations as well as a trio of hit singles.

Who is your pick to win the Best New Artist Grammy? Let us know in comments below!

MTV News is all over the Grammys! Stick with us from now through Sunday’s show as we bring you everything you need to know.

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02/07/2012 06:53 AM

‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Trailer: Five Key Scenes

Latest preview reveals Spidey’s new mask — and his attitude.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


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Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man”


Photo: Marvel / Columbia Pictures

“Spider-Man” fans who stayed up late Monday were treated to the second trailer from the superhero’s upcoming reboot. The preview for “The Amazing Spider-Man” showed off new action sequences, a transformed reptilian villain and the smart-ass attitude fans of the comics have missed in recent years.

We’ve watched the trailer more times than we care to mention and took the opportunity to break down our favorite moments. Here are the five key scenes from the “Amazing Spider-Man” trailer:

Mask
You’d have to think back hard, but believe it or not, the first trailer only included a glimpse at Spider-Man’s mask. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but it isn’t until you see the old red-and-blue for a period longer than half a second that you realized what you were missing. The new suit looks good, if slightly over-stylized, but the mask brings it home and makes it feel like a “Spider-Man” movie.

Attitude
“Spider-Man 3″ may have caused you to forget that Spider-Man is actually kind of a smart-ass and not just an emo guy who dances in the street with side bangs and zero self-awareness. In “Amazing,” the wisecracking Spidey returns to make a carjacker feel like a complete dumbass, as he should. Andrew Garfield’s take on the hero brings back the fun, intentionally.

Mr. and Mrs. Parker
The official plot synopsis released a few weeks ago focused on Dr. Connors’ connection to the flighty parents that Mr. and Mrs. Parker were. The trailer plays off that new information and shows Peter hunting down the one-armed doctor to find out what happened to the parents he barely knew. It’s an element we haven’t seen in the previous films and one “Amazing” wants to put front and center.

Lizard
With the extra emphasis on Curt Connors comes an extended look at his bigger, greener side. After teases with flipped cars, we get to see the Lizard fully transformed, albeit a fleeting peek. They wouldn’t want to spoil it all for us, but we saw enough to confirm that the PEZ dispenser was, in fact, accurate.

The Spire
The trailer finishes with a shot from an action sequence that most likely takes place near the end of the film. Peter stands on the spire of a skyscraper, dressed in Spider-Man attire from the neck down, but he won’t be standing for long. The spike begins to tumble, and Pete struggles to not fall with it. The shot brings the serious action notes the first trailer lacked and makes us question how much we haven’t seen from the film.

Check out everything we’ve got on “The Amazing Spider-Man.”

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

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02/07/2012 06:53 AM

Megan Hilty: From Broadway Sensation To Small-Screen ‘Smash’

‘Smash’ leading lady talks to MTV News about her ‘dream-come-true job.’
By Christina Garibaldi


src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/news/h/hilty_megan/who_is_megan_hilty_020612/promo/281x211.jpg"/>



Megan Hilty in “Smash”


Photo: NBC

From Broadway sensation to television newcomer, Megan Hilty might just be the next “Smash” hit. The 30-year-old is taking on her first leading lady role on the small screen in the new series “Smash,” where she plays the role of Ivy, a singer who competes for the role of Marilyn Monroe in a new Broadway play.

“She is a person who eats, breathes, sleeps theater and grew up doing theater, and all she ever wanted to do was be a leading lady on Broadway,” Hilty told MTV News about her character. “When you meet her she’s spent about ten years in the ensemble. She feels stuck and wants to make that next step to become a leading lady, and she’s willing to do just about anything to make that happen.”

At the age of 25, Hilty was starring on Broadway in the hit musical “Wicked,” and in 2008 she joined the musical adaptation of the film, “9 to 5.” With such an extensive musical background, stepping into the shoes of Ivy for “Smash” was an easy transition for Hilty.

“When I saw the script I was like, ‘This is too good to be true, to do a television show about my world.’ ” Hilty said. “I am one of those kids that grew up eating, breathing sleeping theater, I still do it. It’s literally a dream-come-true job. I do identify with her and I think a lot of people can identify with this character, regardless of what profession you’re in. I think everybody knows what it feels like to feel stuck and not feel like people understand your full potential, so I think she is very identifiable.”

This isn’t the first time Hilty has been in front of the camera. She has made several television appearances, including small roles on “Desperate Housewives,” “Ugly Betty” and the Disney series “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” Yet, with all these guest roles, Hilty never would have imagined she would make the leap to leading lady.

“It was something that I never really thought was possible.” Hilty admitted. “I always thought Broadway’s the goal, and then I moved out to L.A. with “Wicked” and started doing guest-star spots and little recurring things and I was like, ‘Well, this is pretty great, I’m kind of digging this.’ ”

So now that Hilty is on the road to stardom, she hopes to follow in the footsteps of some of her idols. “I look at the people’s careers who I want to emulate, like Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters.” Hilty said. “They’ve all found the key to longevity in this business, and that is diversifying, doing as many things as possible to keep yourself relevant, and so hopefully I’m on the same track as all those amazing women.”

What did you think of “Smash”? Let us know in the comments!

02/07/2012 12:19 PM

Jay-Z Brings Brooklyn ‘Glory’ To Carnegie Hall

Jay performs his song to daughter Blue Ivy Carter and a host of other hits at the famed venue, with help from Alicia Keys and Nas.
By Rob Markman


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Jay-Z performs at Carnegie Hall


Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

NEW YORK — From Marcy to Madison Square and now from Crooklyn to Carnegie. Jay-Z has come a long way since releasing his 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt, and the magnitude of his travels wasn’t lost on the God MC when he performed at Carnegie Hall on Monday evening (February 6).

The swanky crowd filled the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall for the first of two benefit concerts, which joined Jay’s Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation with the United Way of NYC to raise money for gifted high school students who aren’t financially positioned to attend college. The premium-priced charity tickets brought out the likes of Liza Minnelli and New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia.

With a full orchestra that included ?uestlove and Young Guru playing DJ, Hov took the stage at 8:45 p.m. ET after a dramatic string build. Emerging from the stage’s side door in a white tux jacket toting a gold bottle of Ace of Spades champagne, Jigga began his evening shouting, “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov,” the iconic opening line from 2003’s “Public Service Announcement.”

Those who thought Jigga would conform to the stuffy artistic standard typically associated with the famed concert hall were mistaken. Jay strutted across the stage drinking from his gold bottle promising the crowd, “It’s just tea.”

On this night, Hov pledged to eradicate the divide that separates musical genres, only differentiating between good and bad music. “All those lines that divide us, we gonna step on ‘em,” he announced to the electric crowd.

As he’s done most of his career, Jay continued to stomp out the misconceptions that rap can’t be considered highbrow art as he tore through radio hits and street favorites like “U Don’t Know” and “Where I’m From.” Jay did balance things out when he invited Alicia Keys onstage for “Empire State of Mind” but got extra-gritty on the very next song, making way for Nas to perform his own “N.Y. State of Mind” from the Queensbridge MC’s 1994 classic Illmatic. There was a perfect juxtaposition throughout. The biggest musical clash came when Jay performed the “Annie”-sampling “Hard Knock Life.” Jigga rapped the song’s verses, while the wealthy crowd song the downtrodden chorus. By the time Hova rolled into the set’s next song “Izzo,” a marijuana smell filled the air. That must be a first for Carnegie.

Ever the master of ceremonies, the Brooklyn rap juggernaut slowed things down properly easing into “Girls, Girls, Girls,” then “Song Cry” and then “Glory,” the song he released days after the birth of his and Beyoncé’s first daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. “One hand in the air for Blue,” he screamed before delivering his heartfelt daddy raps.

“I didn’t think I was gonna make it through that one, that was tough,” Jay said at the close of the number.

The veteran MC launched into the set-closing “Encore,” but fans know by now that despite his exit at the end of the Kanye West-produced track, he would be back for more. During Jay’s overtime session, he re-emerged onto the stage with a Yankee snapback, diamond chain and black tee. Ever the showman, Jay climbed into the balcony and performed an array of hits from his early catalog like “So Ghetto,” “Ain’t No N—a” and “Can’t Knock the Hustle.”

By the night’s close, Jay-Z had kicked in another door. He wasn’t the first rapper to play Carnegie Hall, but lord help the MC who has to come after him.

Share your thoughts on Jay-Z’s first Carnegie Hall show in the comments!

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02/06/2012 11:28 AM

‘The Voice’ Season 2 Continues With Angie Johnson, Jamar Rogers

Judges Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and Cee Lo Green kick off second episode with a Prince medley.
By John Mitchell


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Cee Lo Green on “The Voice”


Photo: NBC

The blind auditions continued on Monday night’s (February 6) two-hour episode of “The Voice,” with each judge picking up two more contestants to fill out the 12-person teams they’ll take to the battle phase later in the season.

The episode opened with a flashy medley of Prince hits “1999,” “Little Red Corvette” and “Kiss” performed by judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, before the crew got right to business with the auditions.

Team Christina
Aguilera picked up two acts, including the evening’s first performers: platonic duo the Line. The pair’s rendition of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” got all four judges’ attention, but despite much protest from Shelton, they picked Aguilera. Shelton later told the camera he thought they were “fooled by flash and boobs.”

She also scored an interesting choice in chanteuse Lindsay Pavao, who got Shelton and Cee Lo to swivel their chairs too. In one of the more unique performances of the night, Pavao transformed a Trey Songz tune into a ballad that Green compared to Fiona Apple. It was that uniqueness that won Christina over, and Pavao chose to join the “Beautiful” singer’s team.

Team Adam
After being denied by two different singers, the Maroon 5 frontman picked up his first team member of the night in 50-year-old Kim Yarbrough — who revealed during an interview segment that one of her many past odd jobs was working security for the Dave Matthews Band. Her soulful rendition of Rufus and Chaka Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good” had all the judges dancing in their seats, but Adam won her over after asking for her name. When she said “Kim,” he corrected, “No, your name is Chaka Khan, baby.” Which is probably what any aspiring diva wants to hear after an audition.

Levine also added the night’s final contestant, 23-year-old Angel Taylor, to his team. The Los Angeles native grew up in an abusive household and turned to music to get through the tough times. Her performance of Adele’s “Someone Like You” packed an emotional punch.

Team Cee Lo
The night’s two most compelling stories came from Jamar Rogers and Angie Johnson, both of whom opted for team Cee Lo. Rogers is a 29-year-old former drug addict from New York who was also featured on “American Idol” during season eight alongside his best friend and eventual finalist Danny Gokey. During his addiction, he contracted HIV. Now that he is clean and sober, Rogers volunteers for food-delivery services for the disabled in the Bronx. He also idolizes Cee Lo, so it’s good that the “Forget You” Grammy winner turned his chair around for Rogers’ performance of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.”

Cee Lo also picked up Staff Sergeant Angie Johnson, who was discovered and pushed to audition for “The Voice” after her fellow soldiers uploaded a video to YouTube of Johnson singing Adele on a military base while deployed in the Middle East. The video eventually tallied over a million views, which gave Johnson the confidence to hit the stage with a gutsy rendition of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker.” “I love a girl with guts and confidence,” Cee Lo told the singer.

Team Blake
Blake’s first choice of the night fit firmly in his country wheelhouse: North Dakota native Gwen Sebastian, a musician who agreed with her drummer husband to hold off on having kids so she could take a go at being a performer. After her performance of “Stay,” Shelton remarked, “You are a great country vocalist … and I’m a country guy. I’m your man.”

A more surprising choice for the country superstar came late in the show, when he promised he’d do everything he could for Jermaine Paul, a backup singer who has toured the world with Alicia Keys. Keys even sent Paul a video message wishing him good luck. He made a surprising song choice in Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated,” which also earned props from Cee Lo, who told Paul he could “hear the swag” in his voice. And even though it looked like Paul was favoring Cee Lo, he opted to move out of his R&B comfort zone and into Shelton’s country/rock genre.

Four singers got the ax during the show when no judges swiveled around to offer a spot on their team. The judges went back and forth over country crooner Neil Middleton and pop singer Dez Durmon and ultimately regretted their decisions to pass on the singers. Durmon in particular had the judges all worked up, and when they turned around to see a handsome Yale football player standing in front of them, they practically slapped themselves across the head. “And it’s a good-looking guy,” Shelton sighed.

Such is the point of “The Voice,” though. Durmon would have been a sure thing if the judges had gotten a look at him beforehand, but it’s all about the pipes — at least for now — on NBC’s reality hit, which kicked off its season to some pretty great post-Super Bowl ratings.

Who was your favorite singer on the latest “Voice” episode? Let us know in the comments!

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02/06/2012 08:34 AM

Rick Ross And Pharrell Cooking Up ‘A Special Record’

‘He has his own paintbrush and his own colors,’ Neptunes producer tells MTV News, nominating Rozay for ‘Hottest MCs in the Game.’
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ricky Louis


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Rick Ross


Photo: Getty Images

When it comes to MCs, Pharrell has worked with some of the greats. Skateboard P has produced and rhymed with the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, T.I. and Snoop Dogg, and for this year’s hottest MC in the game, P has a nomination: “Rick Ross is on his way, he’s working his way. He’s been doing it for a minute, and he’s been really consistent,” the Neptunes producer told MTV News on Friday in Miami.

The debate rages on, and Sunday, February 19, the “Hottest MCs in the Game VII” will premiere on MTV2. During the half-hour special, MTV’s Hottest MCs Hip-Hop Brain Trust will gather at the roundtable and decide the top five rappers in the game. Beginning February 13, MTV will reveal MCs 10 through six online, but only one spitter can snag the #1 spot.

If Pharrell has his way, Rozay will conquer all in this highly contested debate. “That guy is an animal; he’s an animal with it. Lyrically, he’s crazy, and he’s just got a very distinct style, it’s his own,” P campaigned. “There were a lot of comparisons made at the beginning of his career, but along with the test of time, he’s proven that he’s his own person and he has his own paintbrush and his own colors.”

Skateboard might be just a bit biased as he reveals to MTV News that he and the Bawse have some very exciting things in the works — then again, Pharrell has worked with a number of MCs who could contend for the crown. “He and I have something special too. We have a special record too, but we’re still working,” the multiplatinum producer said. “I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Tune in to MTV2 on Sunday, February 19, at 10 p.m. ET/PT to catch “MTV2 Presents: Yo! MTV Raps Classic Cuts,” then watch “Hottest MCs in the Game VII” immediately after at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT before capping the night off with “Sucker Free Certified” at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

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