Welcome to Episode 7 of "The MTV Iggy Show," where our sword-swallowing hostess Heather Holliday shows off her terrifying skill while introducing us to new music from around the world. In this episode she takes us through some live sets in Puerto Rico, Australia and Morocco. What makes a live act exceptional, you ask? Rehearsals and stage presence, if you ask Heather. And, "Above all, spontaneity."
Our first stop brings us to Puerto Rico where garage rockers Davila 666 tear it up live. You can check out their live performance of "Obsesionao" in this episode. Apparently their bassist AJ originally planned to audition for Menudo, but his dad put the kibosh on that. Good thing, as the group has opened for Black Lips and have two solid albums under their belt.
Next, we travel all the way down to Melbourne, Australia to get synthy with quartet Miami Horror. They've been making waves in the scene for a couple years now with their single "Sometimes," which you can check out at "The MTV Iggy Show."
Finally we head over to Morocco for the spiced-up rap of Soultana. She's a conscious rapper on her song "Sawt Nssa," which addresses the prostitution issues in her homeland. "Her message: respect," says Holliday. As Soultana told MTV Iggy, "If I can talk like about prostitution, we have our sisters in the streets. They are struggling, so we have to talk about those things." Tune into her fearless flow.
+ Watch Episode 7 of "The MTV Iggy Show" to explore more music from around the globe.
While you spent your holiday weekend dodging the "when are you getting married?" attacks excitedly catching up with your folks, Taylor Swift also took a well-deserved breather from being a supreme talent to snag some QT time with her mom. Stars' holiday family reunions -- they're just like ours!
The "Story Of Us" singer and Billboard's Woman Of The Year (!!!) took a break from making snow globes and was snapped taking a casual stroll through a park in Nashville with her mom over Thanksgiving weekend (after enjoying a few helpings at our ultimate pop star Thanksgiving!) looking adorbz in a very-fall sweater. We can only imagine their mother/daughter gossip: Maybe Taylor was spilling the beans on her latest boy crushes or even better -- dishing on who she plans on performing with next! We want in on that family secret, ladies!
On the other hand, perhaps Taylor and her mom were planning a different kind of duet: The Swift Shopping Domination Duo. The pair look to be in deep convo on how to beat those Black Friday crowds to a pulp. Sure, we may have dubbed Taylor "the pin-up girl of nice," but it doesn't matter how sweet or famous you are -- when stores are giving away $2 waffle irons, nice girls always finish last. Tay's Team ain't going down with out a fight.
Finally! Someone sat Insane Clown Posse down for a real, in-depth interview and a look into their insane clown minds! Well, kind of. OK, not really, but comedian Mike O'Brien got Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope to agree to an intimate interview in a closet for his HILARIOUS video series "7 Minutes In Heaven." Even though we think the dudes were along for the ride and down with the jokes, we were a little afraid for Mike's safety during the mock interview. I mean, have you seen what goes on at the annual Gathering Of The Juggalos? #ThingsYouCannotUnsee
While standing disturbingly close to one another during the video, ICP lets us in on their creative process while writing lyrics (they're big fans of cartoon sound effects). We also learn that the dudes are surprisingly not calorie counters, and they "cannot stress enough" what huge fans they are of strong toilet paper.
Later on, Violent J does his best "mom angry that her sixth-grader is listening to ICP" impression, and we see O'Brien try to end the interview the way he ends all of his interviews -- with a kiss. (Get it? Seven minutes in heaven?) We're pretty sure that makes Mike O'Brien the BRAVEST PERSON ON THE PLANET.
+ Watch the Insane Clown Posse LOLZ on "7 Minutes In Heaven." (Some language NSFW.)
You and I both know that stars almost always have hotter bodies than regular people. Maybe they're just genetically predisposed to look like models, or maybe they can afford machines that suck the fat out, personal trainers, live-in chefs, etc. But there aresome celebs who truly work for their smokin' bods, and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine is one of them.
Adam's been taking his shirt off a lot lately (praise!), and that's not because he's an exhibitionist (well, maybe not). It's just because he's proud of his crazy-sculpted, Greek godlike physique. In a recent Details magazine spread, Adam admits, "Weights made my neck thick, and I would be like, 'I'm turning into a monster!' Yoga takes what you have and molds and sculpts it, which is a much more natural way to look and feel."
If Adam's rockin' bod has you inspired, then check out "Rock-Star Yoga With Adam Levine," a brief instructional video courtesy of Adam and Details mag. In the video, Adam shows you how to do absolutely insane simple moves like the one where you stand on your head, and that other psycho beginner pose where you put all your body weight on your elbow while it rests on your knee. (Warning: Try this in a carpeted room! You will probably fall!)
Look, mad props to Adam for staying fit and using yoga to make his body the best it can be. However, I still think my theory that celebs are born to be model hot is true since yoga doesn't really effect your face, now can it?And have you checked out Adam's smokin' mug lately? Case closed.
We've seen a playful Cee Lo Green in "F*** You," and dude recently goofed around with The Muppets for a cover of the tune on their new movie soundtrack. So it's easy to forget that the sometimes silly guy also has a sensitive, vulnerable side. He unveils it in his new video "Anyway," cowritten by Weezer's Rivers Cuomo and featured on the platinum edition rerelease of his album, The Lady Killer.
In the video, close-ups catch a rare sunglasses-less Cee Lo serenading us in front of a scrolling "love" sign while beautiful women sing and dance around, accessorized in colorful fur (because it's a Cee Lo video, duh). As cuddly Cee sings about being accepted by his boo even with his laundry list of flaws, we can only imagine his video inspiring new ways to say "I do" at any wedding. Forget those cheesy vows (who needs 'em?). Say your "for better and worsts" like the flashy singer -- with ample booty shaking.
It's nice to see that Cee Lo's throwing around more "I love you"'s and less F-bombs these days. Relationship baggage is so exhausting.
Amy Winehouse's forthcoming posthumous LP Lioness: Hidden Treasures is due out Dec. 5, but we've been lucky enough to get sneak peeks of several of the album's tracks. We've seen the moving video for "Our Day Will Come," and we've heard "Like Smoke," Amy's gritty collaboration with Nas. Today we've got a hauntingly simple and completely gorgeous ballad, "Halftime."
Produced by Amy's longtime friend and collaborator Salaam Remi, Amy's voice lilts its way through the jazzy track while whimsical flutes add floral flourishes. But the main event is (and will always be) Amy's incredible vocals. As one of Amy's more lighthearted songs, "Halftime" speaks about music and its ability to shift one's perspective: "Humbled by the bass/So when the beat kicks in/Everything falls into place/And it devours me/I can't help but dance/You can try to stop me now/But you won't get the chance/Halftime, time to think it through.../See it from a different view."
As the official release date for Lioness: Hidden Treasures draws closer, we're not only excited to hear new music from Amy Winehouse, but we're also reminded that her voice was truly one of a kind.
While performing a live set for"BBC Radio 1"Florence Welch paid homage to her friend Drake by covering his Rihanna-assisted tune, "Take Care." Before delving into her ethereal and whimsical rendition, Florence admitted: "This is pretty exciting, because it's sung by one of my… well, two of my favorite... well, three [of my favorite artists] actually because it's 'Take Care,' which is produced by Jamie xx and is by Drake and Rihanna -- so three of my absolute favorite artists and I hope we can do it justice."
Decked in a boho chic dress and black hat, Florence's wispy vocals add an organic and unadorned vibe to Drake's originally carefully produced record. Toward the end of her rendition, thanks to the help of a giant string section, Florence takes the song to an entirely new level and infuses it with her signature dramatic, orchestral vibe.
What do you think of Florence's take on Drake's track? Let us know in the comments.
I bet when Miley Cyrus released the song "Can't Be Tamed," she didn't think it would virtually become her middle name. Miley turned 19 last week (happy birthday, girl!), and her gal pal Kelly Osbourne threw her a birthday party in L.A. Fun was had by one and all (we assume -- our invite got lost in the mail), and the newly minted 19-year-old celebrated with a Bob Marley cake. Innocent enough, right?
Miley's been quiet since the video surfaced, but Kelly Osbourne took to Twitter (which basically counts as an official statement platform) to talk about the cake, which was apparently a joke: "Let me make something very clear after @MileyCyrus salvia incident we started calling her bob miley as a JOKE! the cake was also A JOKE! it makes me sick that @MileyCyrus so called 'friends' would sell her out and lead people 2 believe she is someone that she is not!" Honestly, "Bob Miley" is hilarious. Where do I sign up to become friends with Kelly Osbourne?
Listen, guys, joke or no joke, we only care about one thing: more Vanessa Bayer "The Miley Cyrus Show" skits on "Saturday Night Live"! Her own show, even! She is a national treasure!
Isn't pregnant Beyoncé tired? Like, isn't she just a little ready to sit on the couch in a Forever Lazy and gorge on pickles dipped in peanut butter or whatever? Apparently not -- while carrying around the dopest fetus ever a real, live human in her womb, Beyoncé's also been out promoting her Live At Roseland: Elements Of 4 DVD, which not only includes incredible footage from her gig at NYC's Roseland Ballroom, but the deluxe version is jam-packed with extra music as well.
Included on the DVD is "Dance For You," a moody, black-and-white, film noir style video in which Bey plays a fierce yet sultry woman in need of some detective services. Decked only in a trench coat and a minidress, Beyoncé slinks her way into the detective's office and seduces him with her come hither and give me a discount eyes. She hops up on the detective's desk, dramatically sweeps some papers to the ground and proceeds to give him a private lap dance rife with hair tossing, tie grabbing and leg twirling moves.
With an impermeable smirk on his face, the detective watches in delight as Beyoncé confidently struts toward him. While there's no way to tell if Bey and Mr. Detective take things all the way, I am absolutely positive he's about to give Beyoncé a voucher for a year's worth of free detective services... and then some.
There are some things you can always count on around the holidays: at least one heated fight about politics at your family dinner table, falsely promising yourself you'll never shop on Christmas Eve again and Avril Lavigne wearing fingerless gloves with a skull and her own name printed on them. The "What The Hell" singer was on hand for the famed Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC, and she perched on a giant pumpkin while greeting the crowd. She's all, "I'M ON A FLOAT!" (Lonely Island-style).
Avril was ready for winter in black boots, black leggings and a white coat ("with the furrrr") as she waved at parade goers. We're not sure if it was all that holiday cheer or if she had just seen one too many giant Peanuts character balloons, but it looks like she wasn't really down for the standard beauty queen parade wave -- she instead gave us more of a "beauty queen if your beauty queen exclusively wears Dr. Martens combat boots" wave. And that's OK.
Consummate MTV music fans obsessively covering pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from MTV headquarters in New York. Plus, trends, LOLs and stuff we love.
