MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Mario

+ We knew something great was going to come from the Jason Segel-penned The Greatest Muppets Movie Ever Made. Apparently, a major plotline of the in upcoming film involves Miss Piggy becoming a "Lady Gaga-esque character living in Europe." I feel a musical number coming on—and a potential collaboration?! (PopEater)

+ Speaking of Gaga, the Lady fancies herself something of a role model. At yesterday's "An Electric Audience" panel sponsored by MAC Cosmetics, Gaga said, "I know that may sound strange to some people, but most important is my connection with my fans and the connection that they breed with one another," said Gaga to a gathering of reporters at a charity event in London. (MTV News)

+ Already hard at work on her new dance-friendly album, Rihanna has enlisted the skills of talented songwriter Sean Garrett to help out with her follow-up to Rated R. Garrett, who has written for everyone from Britney Spears to Jay-Z to Usher (and is the man behind Mario's beautiful "Break Up") says, "I gave her a humongous radio record." That was rather nice of him! (Rap-Up)

+ Chris Brown recently made the possibly unwise public move of comparing his recent problems to that of Tiger Woods. This has, somewhat predictably, really annoyed some people. (Buzznet)

+ Congratulations to The-Dream and his wife, Christina Milian, who gave birth to their first child together. Looks like the musical power-couple created the biggest hit of all—a baby girl named Violet. (E! Online)

Tags Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Christina Milian, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Mario, Rihanna, Sean Garrett, The-Dream, Tiger Woods, Usher

As Tamar rightly pointed out, despite the death-knells, obituaries, and eulogies for album sales, good music was still alive and well in 2009.

As the ideas of genres went the way of the dodo bird, and definitions like "indie," "emo" and "pop" got smashed and re-assembled, we were left with dozens of tracks that pushed boundaries while remaining utterly familiar and listenable. Here are some of my favorite tracks of 2009 that mixed and matched to perfection this year.

+ Number 5: Mario, "Break Up"
One of the best beats of the year, provided by Bangladesh (Beyonce's "Video Phone (Extended Remix"), somehow finagling the sounds of minimal techno into modern R&B.

How does lonely sound? Like these spare repeating snare hits, like a kid playing with a drum, alone in his room, accompanied by robot-crying synths and Mario's muffled wail: "Lovin' you, lovin' you, lovin' you, why would you want to break up?" And just when things are getting too serious (hello Ingmar-Bergman-in-Baltimore-video!)...it's Gucci! Hip-hop's breakout success of the year comes through like Donald Trump: "I'm no longer hired, she said I've been fired."

+ Number 4: Paramore, "Where The Lines Overlap"
My favorite jam from Paramore's most recent album that keeps on giving, Brand New Eyes. Hayley and Co. have taken the basic tenets of emo; the rushing, heart-string-tugging chords, the breakdowns, the emoting, and beefed it up with Foo Fighters/Weezer modern rock dynamics.

To me, "Where The Lines..." is a love letter to their fans and a self-reminder that, despite the band's past internal strife, they're having the times of their lives.

+ Listen to Paramore's "Where The Lines Overlap," and watch Mario's "Break Up" video.

Tags Beyonce, Foo Fighters, Gucci Mane, Hayley Williams, Mario, Paramore, video, Weezer

When Jay-Z resurrected his Blueprint series with Blueprint 3,  he did it by putting one of the most prevalent trends in pop music on blast. The album's lead single, "D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)," was a shot across the bow to those artists who take the easy way out -- keeping their voice in key (kinda) with the help of Auto-Tune and generally, unabashedly, sounding like T-Pain. (Or Cher.)

When "D.O.A." dropped, radio DJs gabbed and bloggers blogged with breakneck pace about how the game would be changed. Auto-Tune boxes would be gathering dust in studio closets in no time.

Wrong. Auto-Tune weathered Jay-Z's storm (not an easy feat), and many of the year's biggest hits wound up containing the equally maligned and popular piece of trickery.

Check out Hov's anti-Auto-Tune salvo as well as some of the better (Mario's delicate "Break Up"), sillier (Ron Browz's "Pop Champagne") and more comical (Jamie Foxx's "Blame It") uses of the gimmick, below in MTV's Auto-Tune Ain't Dead Yet video playlist.

Tags Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z, Mario, Ron Browz, T-Pain, video

Directed by famed rap-vid auteur Chris Robinson (Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, Nas), baby-faced R&B crooner Mario's clip for "Break Up," off his album, D.N.A., starts out normally enough: a Gucci Mane guest verse comparing the emotional wreckage of a break-up to public bus schedules, some tooling around in nice whips on abandoned sets from The Wire, etc. But midway through "Break Up," things get Fosse-tastic, with a startling interpretive dance number set in a living room. From there it's the same old ur-dumped song and dance; our star holding a "Dear, Mario" letter, while his ex-girl is on to the next guy (in this case R&B singer and apparent amateur boxer Sean Garrett).

One thing's for sure: Mario's breakup is modern dance's loss. Those two had some choreographed chemistry. Watch yourself, Beyonce.

Tags Buzzworthy Obsession, Gucci Mane, Mario, Sean Garrett, video

I know that Tom Kaulitz's black cornrow braids aren't exactly new news -- he's been rockin' the 'rows since early 2009, right? (And if not, Tokio Hotel fans, I KNOW you'll correct me quicker than you can say "Trümper." Which is why I love you...)

... But back to Tom Kaulitz's hair. In Tokio Hotel's promo photo for their new single, "Automatic," Tom's cornrows are seriously... SERIOUS... They're black like BOLDFACE black, and I can only wonder if Tom's been getting hair help from R. Kelly. Why? BECAUSE HIS HAIR LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE R. KELLY'S! (Except Tom's hair is more awesome because it grew out of Tom's head. I mean, obviously.)

+ Wanna braid Tom Kaulitz's hair? Watch Mario's video, "Braid My Hair," and see how that works. And tell me what you think of all of Tokio Hotel's new looks!

Related Content Listen To A Clip Of Humanoid!, Bill Kaulitz's Hair Idol = Stevie Wonder?, Tokio Hotel Checks In From London

Tags Buzzworthy Style Files, Mario, R.-Kelly, Tokio Hotel, tom kaulitz, video

Today our mission is to rewrite the list of the cheesiest, most ridiculous prom songs ever. Some of them will be wonderful. Others, just plain terrible. But none of them will be Chris DeBurgh's "Lady In Red." Why in the world are they still playing that slop at prom? It's the romantic equivalent of "The Hokey Pokey." And while we're at it, are you familiar with the mind-boggling lyrics of Eric Clapton's unkillable prom wrecker, "Wonderful Tonight"? Read them and weep:

We go a party/ And everyone turns to see/ This beautiful lady/ Thats walking around with me/ And then she asks me/ Do you feel alright?/ And I say, Yes. I feel wonderful tonight.

Unreal, right? Are prom DJs living underground?? Do they work for your parents?!? It's appalling. But, bad as cheesy prom ballads can be, they play an important role in our culture. Without "Lady In Red," can you imagine how many boring old people would never have fallen in love? That is why I offer you the following cheeseballs. So that maybe we can get through our lives and still fall in love, without ever hearing "Lady In Red" or "Wonderful Tonight," ever again.

+ "Truly Madly Deeply," by Savage Garden
One of the first questions I ask when judging a prom song is, "Does this amazing love ballad inspire me to ball both of my hands into fists, hold them out in front of my face and sing along with my eyes closed really tight?" Savage Garden is a major "YES." This means that it packs the emotional wallop of a Creed video without bumming you out by being a Creed video.

+ "Thunder," by Boys Like Girls
Your voiiiiiiice! Oh MAN! If you're already slow-dancing face-to-face when the epic chorus of this new-school tear-jerker hits and you don't make out, check your chest for a heart.

+ "Kiss From A Rose," by Seal
This song was meant to be heard outside in the pouring rain. For chicks, it's the ultimate, because all of them dream of making out with Batman. Bonus points for including "Kiss" in the title.

+ "Imma Put It On Her," by Day26
Subtlety is great, but sometimes you gotta just cut right to the chase. Day26 pull no punches on this prom-ready, perv-out, egging on the shiest of dancers with lines like, "Booty bumpin’ like the sounds in my car (she should)/ Let me take it up a notch/ Get her off the block/ Take her to my spot and it’s on!"

+ "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" by Timon, Pumbaa, Simba, Nala and Jungle Chorus
As a prom ballad, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" is interchangeable with any Disney love theme of the past 20 years ("Did you ever hear the wolf cry at the blue corn moon?," anyone?). This one's only downfall is that it's not sung by Peabo Bryson, who, if cheesy love songs had their own country, would be a shoo-in for President. Its greatest asset: inclusion of the word "vagabond," which, let's face it, is one of the world's most romantic words.

+ "Let Me Love You," by Mario
Dudes. No matter how bad of a scrub you are, when Mario's bumping hard out of the PA, you become righteous just by association (although if you're really bad it may have the opposite effect). Look: "If I was your man, baby you'd/ Never worry 'bout what I do/ I be comin' home back to you/ Every night, doing you right." On top of that, this beat could make a corpse do a neckpop. See also: The Remix.

+ Get more cheesy prom songs after the jump!

Read more...

Tags All-4-One, Bow Wow, Boys Like Girls, Chris DeBurgh, Cutting Crew, Day26, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Green Day, Jonas Brothers, Lifehouse, Mario, Peabo Bryson, prom, Sarah McLachlan, Savage Garden, Seal, The Jonas Brothers, Vitamin C

+ Breaking Jonas Brothers news: check out the cover art for their new CD Lines, Vines and Trying Times. What say ye?? And in case you missed it yesterday, it was just announced that the trifecta will be hosting the Teen Choice Awards on August 10th.  Woot! Woot! (Buzzworthy)

+ Lauryn Hill will headline the Stockholm Jazz Festival in July of this year, just one stop on her 10-city European tour. Personally, we'd rather see the Swedish chef sing about spaghetti and meatballs... (Yahoo! News)

+ New pals Katy Perry and Rihanna took time to have a girls' day out in Barbados on Tuesday, looking all fresh faced and cute. (PopSugar)

+ Bumpwatch 2009 update: Sources close to Jennifer Hudson confirm that she is indeed preggo! Considering the year she's had, this seems like welcome news. Congrats, Jen... (Bossip)

+ Um, New Moon werewolves, anyone? We say YES (with an extra spoon, please)! (MTV News)

+ Why are celebrities doing all sorts of crazy s*** with their hair lately?? Mario shaved his head? BALD?? (Singersroom Celebs)

+ Does Lady GaGa love the lady cha-cha? See for yourself. (E! Online)

Tags Jennifer-Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry, Lauryn-Hill, Mario, Rihanna

As any true fan will tell you, 29-year-old Shaffer Chimere Smith got his stage name from producer Big D Evans, who told him, "You see music the way Neo sees The Matrix." What exactly that means, the interviewer at SoulMusic.com never asked, but if you listen to Ne-Yo's work -- from Mario's "Let Me Love You" to his own "Closer" -- it's not hard to see what Big D saw. Ne-Yo's songs are intuitively constructed, brilliantly simple and impossibly catchy. It's as if he knows music so well that the path of a song is clear to him before it's even written. Trippy.

But Ne-Yo's road to success hasn't been all movie magic. The whole reason he started writing songs in the first place was to deal with his anger over his parents' divorce. Growing up in Las Vegas, he wrote song after song for his own group, Envy, and for other artists. And although he achieved modest success through Marques Houston's recording of "That Girl," nothing took hold.

Until it did. After "Let Me Love You" struck gold, Ne-Yo could do no wrong. He penned hit after hit after hit. "So Sick" launched his debut album, In My Own Words, into the stratosphere and Ne-Yo was #1 on The Billboard 200 album chart, with more than 300,000 copies sold in his first week.

With Year Of The Gentleman, Ne-Yo delivers on his fervent support of Barack Obama, complementing the President's vision for an era of accountability with a more grown up approach to music. And that goes beyond pressed suits and fedoras. His mature approach to relationships and fame, as depicted in his songs, set an example for fans. An example that Ne-Yo has taken from his own source of inspiration: The Rat Pack.

But when Ne-Yo, our featured artist, comes face to face with his creativity, it's not wearing a bow tie. MTV's exclusive "Meeting Inspiration" clips envision Ne-Yo's muse as a ball of light, raining sparks in a phosphorescent room. Watch as Ne-Yo glides across the floor in a series of performances and interviews about harnessing the inventive electricity that runs through all of us.

+ Exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of "Meeting Inspiration."

Tags Barack Obama, Mario, Marques Houston, Ne-Yo, The Rat Pack

Maybe you don't remember because you were like eight, but back in '04 Mario's "Let Me Love You" was EVERYBODY's jammy (and back in '07 he saved his ma from smack!). And with good reason. It's mellow R&B perfection. Lovelorn lyrics delivered flawlessly smooth over a simple piano loop and popcorn beats (courtesy of Scott Storch!) with a melody that's just plain ol' dangerous. It was #1 for nine weeks straight and it's been downloaded almost 2 million times in ringtone form. Massive.

Despite all that, popular indie MP3 blog Music For Robots claims that the mega-jam has been topped by a nameless genius (update: now believed to be mysterious, unsigned act, Ocotillo) who recorded a cover of "Let Me Love You" in his bedroom. And you know what? It's insanely good. Been on repeat across the office since it popped up. Mario's seductive swag is switched out for heartache and desperation. The Storch production is replaced by a deadly Paul Simon drum loop and minimal, Kanye-esque synths. Actually, this brooding, drum-heavy "Let Me Love You" cover would be right at home on 808s And Heartbreak. Basically what I'm saying is you gotta hear this song right now and decide for yourself. What do you like better: The cover or the original?

+ Download the "Let Me Love You cover here.

+ Watch the original here:

Tags Kanye West, Mario, Ocotillo, Scott Storch

While the 2008 VMAs were going down in Hollywood, Fashion Week totally took over NYC. And, as always, the front row was the only place to see and be seen. And since a picture's worth a thousand words, we've put together a pictorial peek of the action for your voyeuristic viewing pleasure. Check it out and see which music-minded celebs bombarded NYC's Bryant Park, presided over the promenade and triumphed at The Tents...

John Legend pulled double duty, racing back from the VMAs red carpet in time to take in Tommy Hilfiger with a pixie-haired Hilary Swank. Meanwhile, Ashanti peeped Reem Acra with actress Perry Reeves and Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day held court at Custo Barcelona with socialite (and Gossip Girl guest star!) Tinsley Mortimer.

Elsewhere, R&B star Mario came out of hiding to mingle with The Veronicas at G-Star, while Jennifer Lopez dazzled at Oscar de la Renta and Day 26's Q got dangerously cozy with fellow Making the Band-er Dawn Richards at Aurelio Costarella.

Plus, Kelly Osbourne and Bow Wow were total suckers for Betsey Johnson while Natasha "I Wrote The Hills Theme Song" Bedingfeld joined the rest of the fashion world in blowing air-kisses at Max Azria.

+ Want to see more of your fave artists dressed to impress? Check out our VMAs Fashion Flipbook or catch the 30-second recap in our Red Carpet Rewind.

Tags Ashanti, Aubrey O'Day, Aurelio Costarella, Betsey Johnson, Bow Wow, Custo Barcelona, D. Woods, Danity Kane, Day 26, Hilary Swank, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, John Legend, Kelly Osbourne, Mario, Max Azria, Natasha Bedingfeld, Oscar de la Renta, Perry Reeves, Q, Reem Acra, the veronicas, Tinsley Mortimer, Tommy Hilfiger