Obsessively blogging about pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from inside the MTV headquarters in Times Square. We also have a slight Jonas Brothers problem. And a little fixation with Tokio Hotel.
The track has been ubiquitous (especially for New Yorkers) since it unofficially debuted at the MTV Video Music Awards (along with that infamous Lil' Mama cameo); it gets played at least once in almost every club in the 5 boroughs on any given night, and was the unofficial theme song for the Yankees march to the World Series championship (Jay and Keys performed before Game 2, and Hov did it today at the Yankees victory parade).
But is it too soon to go back to the well? Will Jay and Alicia strike oil twice? It ain't easy. Here are a few (some good, some bad) song sequels/remakes.
Jessica Simpson's remake of "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'". Pretty much a FAIL in every conceivable way. Took Nancy Sinatra's all-time jam and turned it into a honky-tonk strip tease jingle.
"Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang is one of the all-time classics.
We can talk all we want about sequels, but Jay-Z's been down this road before. He and Beyonce remade Tupac's "Me And My Girlfriend" as "'03 Bonnie & Clyde."
Can you think of any other dope remakes or sequels? Any not so dope one's? Let us know in the comments!
I'm almost nonplussed by how dope this video is. Don't you hate when that happens? You read about something being in the works -- in this case, legendary hip-hop video auteur Hype Williams getting behind the camera to lens Jay-Z and Alicia's Big Apple anthem, "Empire State of Mind" -- and you think, "That will be excellent."
And then it happens, and it's excellent, and the very fulfillment of your expectations winds up being something of a minor letdown!
Talk about splitting hairs. This rules. Hype still has that gloss that he applied to all this mid-'90s Bad Boy classics. The montage of still photos reminds me a little of Mark Romanek's amazing clip for Jay's "99 Problems," but the star is really the city; all helicopter shots of skyscrapers and splendorous lights. That's the anthem, get your damn hands up.
+ Watch Jay-Z and Alicia Keys perform "Empire State Of Mind" live at the 2009 VMAs.
"Jay-Z has arrived! Jay-Z has arrived" shouted a security guard over his walkie-talkie. An Escalade pulled up to 50th street, idled, the driver jumped out, popped open the door, and Jay-Z wearing a shiny black jacket, jeans, and black hi-tops, talking on his phone and not missing a beat, poured out like liquid. Jay and his entourage (some modest security, nothing crazy despite the fact that he's... JAY-Z!) rolled down the stage right stairs inside Radio City.
The security guards wanded everyone, and Jay yelled "Boom" as he got Garretted.
Jay entered the floor of Radio City as Alicia Keys herself began to play a few haunting piano notes of "Empire State of Mind" filled the room. Boom. Welcome to Roc-A-feller Center, Hov.
+ Check out more photos of Jay-Z hitting the 2009 MTV VMA rehearsals, and watch Jay-Z's arrival!
We're just days away from the 2009 MTV VMAs at Radio City Music Hall, and the celebrity guests and big-name announcements and appearances are flooding in.
+ Eminem will appear on stage at the VMAs! (Will he get a bare ass to the face again? Probably not, but he was such a good sport at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards...)
+ AND, this just in... JUSTIN BIEBER will present a VMA too! (Get it? JUST IN? JUST IN?) Stay tuned for more VMA news, and follow the MTV Buzzworthy Blog on Twitter at @MTVBuzzworthy for more VMA news, backstage reports and celeb spottings!
+ Don't miss the 2009 VMAs live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, September 13 at 9pm!
When's hype not just hype? When it's HOVA. And because it's Jay-Z, you've probably already heard most if not all of his eleventh official album, The Blueprint 3 -- sorry, Jay. People just couldn't wait. But people just couldn't wait for keys to the Roc Nation. This is the OFFICIAL MTV.com Blueprint 3full-length album leak.
Dudes, Alicia Keys is SO SO SO beautiful, but she's just NOT looking like herself these days! She had some full-effect cat eyes at the Oscars, and in the photo above, taken at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party last night, she almost looks like she's gone redhead.
Moreover, Alicia appears to be totally morphing into Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air star Tatyana Ali. Which is totally fine -- Tatyana's gorgeous -- but they're nearly indistinguishable now. Alicia, honey! You're beautiful! Don't go changing!
And I know Tatyana did The Young and the Restless and some producing and helped with the Obama campaign (yay!), but here's the most recent music video we have on record. Old-school jam!
When we say Ne-Yo's a man who wears many hats, we're not just talking about dude's amazing ability to accessorize. Sure, the sultry R&B crooner knows how to make a statement on the red carpet -- but behind that fine-lookin' fedora lies a sensitive soul -- the soul of somebody who's done some deep thinking about relationships and came up with only one rule: live every day like it's your last.
Combine that insight with the old adage "never let the sun go down on an argument," and you've got the basis for Ne-Yo's latest black-and-white video, "Mad." Set to soft, melodic harmonies (Think Usher, with a beat borrowed from OneRepublic's "Apologize," and the piano from Brian McKnight's "Anytime,") "Mad" highlights the pettiness of everyday relationship squabbles and urges us to take a step back and see the big picture.
So check out "Mad" off Ne-Yo's The Year of The Gentleman, and get ready to feel the love, Sixth Sense-style!
+ Madonna-n-A Rod sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G ... or at least, enjoying a nice tall glass of holy Kaballah water. After rumors of his Thanksgiving plans hit the interwebs last week, A Rod did indeed show up front-row-and-center to Madge's concert last Wednesday eve. He even passed her a bottle of water mid-show. Awww. (Evil Beet )
+ Goodbye innocent childhood, hello Goth Punk Barbie. (Idolator)
+ Pharrell and Shakira R maybe/probably making some beautiful music together. The two were spotted in the studio recently and are reportedly at work on Shakira's sixth album. We've got no "Objection" to that. (Rap-Up)
+ Looks like Miley Cyrus is hoping to reach beyond the limitations of her pesky iPhone camera and study photography for realzies. In London! With her bra and undies on! (Perez Hilton)
+ Whitney Houston to World: Me and Bobby Brown back together again? Hell-to-the-no . (Yahoo)
Remember when Amy Winehouse was completely facehoused like every single day almost from like late 2006 or something up until about four minutes ago except for about a half hour at the Grammys this past February? Well one of the consequences of all that crack is that she got dropped from voicing the theme song to the next Bond flick, a gig that instead went to the White Stripes' Jack White, who composed the song, kicked Meg out from behind the drum kit, pulled in Alicia Keys and called it a duet.
The result: "Another Way to Die," the sexy-plucky Quantum of Solace theme song (check out the trailer below -- the movie's in theaters November 14th) about killing people, because someone always dies in Bond movies, and by the 22nd Bond movie, you sorta need to come up with a more creative way to do it.
Watch for a metric ton of CGI and a quickie cameo by Daniel Craig at the very end. More obvious: Jack White's insane-looking hair and the amount of Coke Zero marketing you're about to have shoved down your throat pretty soon. (Except I honestly do LOVE Coke Zero like Amy Winehouse probably loves... "classic" coke.)
I personally think "Another Way to Die" is compelling, but it's no "Die Another Day," and it sure as hell ain't no Dame Shirley Bassey purring out "Diamonds Are Forever," and it's no "Goldfinger." But really, what is? Anyway, does it live up to your Bond song standards?
+ Amy Winehouse exposes her husband's ding dong, gives whole new meaning to the term "overshare." (The Sun - UK)
+ Avril Lavigne releases her new clothing line. You'll know it's hers because of its unique punk rebelliousness! And because it has her face plastered all over it. (ONTD)
