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.
+ Season-ticket holder to Crazytown Lil Mama likened Michael Jackson’s passing to the death of THE Jesus Christ. (Rap-Up)
+ Long-forgotten rapper Mase has been inspired by who else to make a comeback? None other than Michael Jackson/Jesus Christ. UGH. Jesus Christ! (Perez Hilton)
+ Sam Lutfi, Britney Spears‘ former best buddie/pal/stalker/drug crusher-upper/phonewire cutter is like the STD bronchitis you just can’t kick. He’s now filed papers in court saying that BritBrit has made him fear for his life. He’s even naming some character witnesses, including Brit’s former paparazzi squeeze Adnan Ghalib. Vat a mess… (TMZ)
The focus during yesterday’s Michael Jackson memorial shouldn’t have been on Mariah Carey’s performance of “I’ll Be There,” but for a while, it kind of was. There was tons of Twitter talk about how Mariah’s lost her chops, she can’t perform live anymore, she isn’t the singer she once was. Yesterday was Michael’s day.
But today, let’s talk about Mariah Carey. I loved Mariah’s performance of “I’ll Be There,” and the fact that an emotional Mariah could hold it together and even get through the whole song with Trey Lorenz was enough for me. Plus, “I’ll Be There” is my favorite Jackson 5 song, one of my Mariah performances, and all-around favorite songs ever, so I’ll take it any way I can get it: wholeheartedly, half-assed, whatever. Just give me those opening piano chords that’ve always sent chills up my spine and that tale of a love so earnest and unselfish that it’s still gonna come back for seconds, and I’m good.
“I’ll Be There” was the Jackson 5’s fourth No. 1 hit, and when Mariah Carey added it as a last-minute addition to her 1992 MTV Unplugged performance, it became her sixth No. 1 hit and the only MTV Unplugged single that ever made it to a No. 1 spot. It was even nominated for a Grammy in 1993.
And 17 years later, it still sounds fresh.
Watch Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz’s 1992 MTV Unplugged performance of “I’ll Be There,” and get lifted.
+ If you’re like me, you probably think at least TWO of the guys in up-and-coming boy band V Factory are hotter than hell. And if you’re like me, you probably had no idea that the eldest member of the band, Nathaniel Flatt, is hotter than hell AND openly gay (that explains it, right?)! Check out this revealing interview with the hotness that is Nathaniel Flatt. (Towleroad)
+ The day would just not be complete without a juicy morsel about Lady Gaga. Today, we bring you her <TOPLESS> photo shoot for V Magazine. (Gabby Babble)
+ Chris Brown was evidently all over Kanye West’s ex-girlfriend Amber Rose at the party Diddy threw for the 4th Of July this weekend… sloppy seconds much? (The Superficial)
+ Quincy Jones gave a shockingly honest interview about Michael Jackson’s transformation from a handsome black man to a white guy with an addiction to plastic surgery. (GQ’s STYLE)
+ Add Mariah Carey’s name to the star-studded list of people who will be on hand at Jackson’s memorial service to be held at the Staples Center in L.A. (P.S. MTV will broadcast the memorial LIVE on air and online beginning at 12pm ET tomorrow). (MTV News)
+ Madonna will not be attending the memorial service, but the Queen of Pop paid tribute to her counterpart during a weekend performance at London’s O2 Arena, where Jackson was scheduled to perform. (MTV News)
+ On the heels of gay pride here in NYC, new photos show Mariah Carey getting all tranny (and by tranny we mean Drag KING, not queen) in her new video for “Obsessed,” the first single off her forthcoming album. She looks bad, people. Not gonna lie… (Cele|bitchy)
+ At a tropical resort far, far away, Amy Winehouse is rounding up all the stray dogs she can find and bringing them back to her hotel room. Does anyone have PETA’s number handy? (Holy Moly!)
+ You just HAVE to see Lady Gaga’s new ‘do. It is so utterly and ridiculously STUPID it can only be Lady Gaga. Is it art? No. It’s just Gaga. (ICYDK)
+ What the EFF has Debbie Gibson looking so good these days??? Evidently she’s returning to the music scene after a 20-year absence… (Hollywoodtuna)
+ P.S. have you seen the new HUGE ring and brand-new brown hair Britney is sporting? And this time it’s not even a wig (remember the Allure magazine photo shoot? I do. Because it’s taped to the wall of my cube). (PopSugar)
+ OMJ!!!!!! The Jonas Brothers performed on Good Morning America this morning in Central Park in front of throngs of sweaty tween girls. We could hear the screaming all the way in our Times Square offices. (PopCrunch)
+ While we’re on the kiddie tip, Her Madgesty Madonna fought hard and won the battle to add another Malawian child to her brood. Good? Bad? What say ye? (Bitten & Bound)
+ Eminem done messed with the wrong woman. Mariah Carey is putting on her boxing gloves! The first track off her forthcoming album is called “Obsessed,” a direct response to his songs about their alleged affair. It’s gonna get NASTY and we can’t WAIT. (Rap-Up)
+ Bonnaroo is ON this weekend and for these kids, their party (and business venture) came to a screeching halt. (Murfreesboro Post)
+ Former American Idolrunner-up Clay Aiken will NOT throw a Strawberry Shortcake-themed pity party for this year’s runner-up Adam Lambert, or any of his fans for that matter. Never one to put things “gingerly,”
the red-headed heartthrob went on to say that his ears bled at the sound of Lambert’s voice. Seems a bit harsh, no? (E! Online)
+While we’re on the subject of our little “Lam,” check out this video of Adam singing at his graduation ceremony, and how everyone starts clapping (around the 2:55 mark) in fear for their lives. (Towleroad)
+ And now, calling all Twitter “Lambs!” In case you missed Mariah Carey’s tweet last night, here’s the name of her new album. (Pink Is The New Blog)
+ As we were crumbling the last bits of our “Flake” bar into our ice cream, British rock band Blur announced that they may possibly add some U.S. dates to their upcoming world tour. Are you ready ‘Girls & Boys?” (The Tripwire)
+ Amerie (remember her?) returns with a new single “Just Tell Me U Love Me,” but the record sounds dated and just too similar to her first single from back in the day, “One Thing.” What do you think? Do u love it? (Neon Limelight)
+ In what must have been perfect weather here in NYC, Fall Out Boy performed “Dance, Dance” live on the TODAY show. Today. (Bitten & Bound)
+ Calling all cavedwellers: married “Chairman of the Bored” Kris Allen somehow managed to beat truly truly truly glamrageous M.A.C. board member Adam Lambert on last night’s American Idol results show. Watch the hilarious 60-second recap! (MTV News)
+ Green Day potentially lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales for refusing to censor their new album so that retail giant Wal-Mart would stock it. Good work, boys. Way to fight “the man.” (NME)
+ Speaking of sticking it to “the man,” Coldplay announced that they were releasing a FREE 9-song live album as a thank-you to their fans. We know, right? Download it. (Coldplay.com)
+ Bidding has started on a pink dress that was Inspired by Mariah Carey’s new fragrance “Luscious Pink” (the dress was also worn by Carey while out to anniversary dinner with hubster Nick Cannon). Good news is that ALL proceeds benefit cancer research foundation Susan G. Komen For The Cure. (eBay)
+ In case you were completely and disgustingly sucked into the America’s Next Top Model Cycle 12 marathon this weekend like we were and missed it, Justin Timberlake and 2009 MTV Movie Awards host Andy Samberg blew our minds on SNL with a Mother’s Day treat that picked up in the same raunchy place where “D*** In A Box” left off. (MTV News)
+ So, we told you last week Friday that Amy Winehouse was going to be performing. Well, she made it to the stage and there was no fainting involved, but we don’t know if you can really call it “performing.” Judge for yourself (spoiler alert: it sucks). (Perez Hilton)
+ Beyonce is thinking about taking some time off after she finishes touring. Time off as in two. years. (Seriously? OMG! WTF?)
+ Much to the chagrin (LOVE that word) of our Senior Editor, it seems not a day goes by that we don’t talk about Lady GaGa and her silly (and sexy) antics. This time, however, we’re not just talking about our “Lady” in waiting, we’re talking about rap’s Royal Highness Queen Latifah, who recently laid down a verse or two on top of GaGa’s radio-saturating hit “Poker Face.” Whaddaya think? (Popbytes)
+ Finally, some Rihanna news that doesn’t involve leaked photos (police file, nudie, or otherwise). At last Friday’s 3rd Annual DKMS Gala, uber-hottie RiRi honored a five-year-old girl named Isabelle whose mission it was to save her best friend Jasmina from leukemia. Rihanna was genuinely moved to tears and helped shed light on Jasmina’s fight, ultimately helping to find two bone marrow donors for the little girl. (Access Hollywood)
+ Nick Cannon was apparently more than wild n’ out about a leaked record from Eminem’s forthcoming album. (Em namechecks Nick and Mariah Carey, along with a few choice expletives). We can’t tell what’s worse: Nick trying to be a tough guy or Eminem’s cheesy lyrics. (MTV News)
No matter how much we love Mariah Carey — and we love us some Mariah Carey — it must be said — Mimi’s um, eccentric? But you would be too if you were larger than life and had a Hello Kitty bathroom. Us normal people just can’t relate to stars that big. But this week the MTV Vault reminds us that Mariah wasn’t always an unreachable diva.
Back in 1993, the year that Music Box solidified her super-big-deal status with standards like “Dreamlover” and “Hero,” Mariah came in for an MTV News interview. You won’t even recognize her. When anchor Tabitha Soren pulls a fast one and confronts Mariah with a quote from her high school yearbook, her embarrassment (or her “Emotions,” if you will) is so real and easy to relate to that you forget for a moment that she’s one of the music world’s biggest stars. You also find out that hubby Nick Cannon is not exactly what she was looking for at 18.
Hop into the MTV time machine for a talk with a very down-to-earth Mariah Carey — she was wearing TRACK PANTS for crap’s sake! Then hear about the Glitter-y years that followed, in a 2005 MTV News interview after the jump.
+ After battling cancer for eleven long years, Adam Cook (brother of American Idol winner David Cook) lost the fight on Saturday. Our thoughts are with the entire Cook family during this time. (People)
+ A morsel of (un)shocking news “came out” this weekend: P!nk is — wait for it — BISEXUAL! <GASP!> (News Of The World)
+ If you ever thought your parents were weird, we guarantee that your mom wasn’t playing “Naked Twister” while you had your friends over after school. Hot/Dirty Transformers star Shia LaBeouf’s mom, however, was. P.S. and if he could marry his mother, he would! How ’bout THEM coconuts?? (Gabby Babble)
+ While her record label gets its s*** together, we applaud singer JoJo for deciding to take the bull by the horns and enroll at Boston’s Northeastern University. She’s double majoring in International Affairs and Anthropology, and no, she’s not putting her career on hold. (Singersroom)
+ O.M.G. if you haven’t already heard, some fanboy rushed the stage at Britney’s concert at Mohegan Sun Arena in CT this weekend and tried to dance with her! We secretly applaud his valiant effort but remind everyone that what she does up there can’t really be classified as dancing. It’s more “softshoe.” (IDLYITW)
+ Amy Winehouse was rushed to an emergency room in St. Lucia, where it was determined she was suffering from “dehydration.” She doesn’t seem to be a person that was ever “hydrated,” does she? (PopCrunch)
+ Happy One Year Grossiversary, Mariah and Nick! Here’s to hoping someone went “traditional” and gave you some paper masks while we ride this Piggy Flu out. (Seriously? OMG! WTF?)
+ Madonna and daughter Lourdes were among the celebs in attendance at Lady GaGa’s NYC concert at Terminal 5 this past Friday. We’re not sure how it could have topped her recent Philly show where she showed her cha-cha to the crowd, but… (PopCrunch)
No matter how much we love 