Creator Ryan Murphy confirms to Ryan Seacrest that pop singer will guest star on tribute episode.By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Audrey Kim
Britney Spears
Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images
Lady Gaga: Check. Madonna: Check. "Glee" has featured the music of the pop stars to acclaim in its first season. Yet the show has yet to get high-profile singers Madge and Gaga to appear in person on the show. But another diva is about to change that.
On Tuesday (August 10), show creator Ryan Murphy confirmed to Ryan Seacrest that Britney Spears will make an appearance on "Glee." Now, fans are anxious to see what they'll do with the Spears discography in an episode set to air next season.
And the cast seems just as excited as the Gleeks about what's to come. Heather Morris couldn't wait to have Spears on set when MTV News spoke to her at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday.
"I get to do Britney Spears! I'm hearing rumors from other people that she's supposed to be coming ... that'd be so nerve-racking," she said. "I like 'Toxic' the best or the 'Slave' video. It was always her best performance. She's rocking! I don't care what I do."
"I mean I can't really give away songs, but I know we've seen pictures of Lea [Michele] in a sports bra," Jenna Ushkowitz added, confirming online reports that Michele would sing the classic Britney tune " ... Baby One More Time."
"Some old Britney, some new Britney, some Brittany of our Brittany from the Glee club. So it should be funny," Ushkowitz teased of featured songs. "We're really excited. I love Britney Spears."
Fans also want to know whether Matthew Morrison will go all the way and shave his head as rumored for the episode. But the only thing he would confirm is that he couldn't confirm anything.
"All rumors," Morrison told us. "I think you might be surprised. I don't think I'll be performing any [songs]. I might sing a little bit of 'Toxic,' " he shared. "I'm not sure. We haven't really got too far in the script yet, which is why I don't know too much about the head-shaving thing."
Morrison's castmate Amber Reilly is already convinced the episode will be great.
"I can tell you it's going to be a really great episode and you're going to love it," she said. "And they're doing the big hits from Britney."
Which Britney songs do you think are absolutely essential to the "Glee" tribute episode? Tell us in the comments!
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Thursday, September 2, 2010
Zsa Zsa Gabor To Be Plastinated?
She?s been in and out of the hospital for weeks, and it?s no secret that Zsa Zsa Gabor remains very ill.
Although her passing could come anytime, the former beauty queen?s husband Frederick Prinz von Anhalt recently revealed that he wants to plastinate his wife?s body when she dies.
?My wife has always dreamt that her beauty would be immortal,? he told a German newspaper.
?I would like to show the plastinated body of Zsa Zsa Gabor in the context of a scene in one of her films.?
He added that he would like German anatomist Gunther von Hagens to perform the procedure on his wife after von Hagen's exhibitions showed plastinated bodies with just muscles and tendons still intact.
Although her passing could come anytime, the former beauty queen?s husband Frederick Prinz von Anhalt recently revealed that he wants to plastinate his wife?s body when she dies.
?My wife has always dreamt that her beauty would be immortal,? he told a German newspaper.
?I would like to show the plastinated body of Zsa Zsa Gabor in the context of a scene in one of her films.?
He added that he would like German anatomist Gunther von Hagens to perform the procedure on his wife after von Hagen's exhibitions showed plastinated bodies with just muscles and tendons still intact.
Brittany Lee Brittany Murphy Brittany Snow Brittny Gastineau
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year
Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.By James Montgomery with MTV News staff
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."
He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.
You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.
Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.
And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.
And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.
To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.
One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.
"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."
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Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."
He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.
You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.
Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.
And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.
And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.
To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.
One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.
"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."
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Britney Spears - Do Somethin'
Do Somethin'
Artist: Britney Spears
Label: BMG International
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Album: My Prerogative
Artist: Britney Spears
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Album: My Prerogative
Photos | Lady Gaga's Homecoming Show At Madison Square Garden
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Dancing With The Stars: The Stars That Passed On The Show!
We give you credit for putting yourself out there, DWTS!
Before they were able to land their current roster of dancers for the upcoming season, which includes Jersey Shore?s Mike ?The Situation? Sorrentino, Dancing With The Stars was rejected by many people.
Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, was approached by the show, but he passed. They [...]
Before they were able to land their current roster of dancers for the upcoming season, which includes Jersey Shore?s Mike ?The Situation? Sorrentino, Dancing With The Stars was rejected by many people.
Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, was approached by the show, but he passed. They [...]
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Katy Perry's Teenage Dream Ends Eminem's Chart Run
Fantasia's Back to Me lands at #2, pushing Em's Recovery to #3 on Billboard 200 albums chart.By Gil Kaufman
Katy Perry's <i>Teenage Dream</i>
Photo: Capitol Records
All good things must come to an end and it looks like Katy Perry might be the one to stop Eminem's record-setting run at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. As expected, Perry's Teenage Dream will block Eminem from lodging his eighth week at #1 on next week's Billboard chart by selling 192,000 copies of her second official major label album, or more than four times as many as her first disc, One of the Boys, sold (47,000) in its first week two years ago.
According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, Perry isn't the only one who bested Eminem. Former "American Idol" winner Fantasia bounces back from a dark personal period that included a recent suicide attempt by landing at #2 with Back to Me on sales of 117,000, which pushes Em's Recovery down to its lowest chart position to date, #3, on sales of 98,000.
There are some other newcomers in the top 10, though, including Usher, whose Versus mini-album comes in at #4 (46,000), followed by country rock act Little Big Town's The Reason Why (42,000), the Randy Rogers Band's Burning the Day (#8, 29,000) and hard rockers the Devil Wears Prada, whose Zombie EP sneaks in at #10 thanks to just under 25,000 units shifted.
The rest of the top 10: Kem, Intimacy (#6, 30,000); Justin Bieber, My World 2.0 (#7, 29,000); and Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise (#9, 28,000).
After a nice run in the top 10 for three weeks, the Arcade Fire's Suburbs falls nine spots to #16 (21,000) as they pass the 250,000 mark, while Usher's five-month-old Raymond v. Raymond disc has a nice resurgence thanks to his new deluxe edition with seven new songs and a remix, surging up 12 spots to #19 as sales pick up by 57 percent to 20,000.
Beloved indie folkie Sufjan Stevens has a strong showing at #27 with All Delighted People (15,000), as do college rock faves Ra Ra Riot, whose Orchard lands at #36 (10,000). Though his single "Cooler Than Me" has lit up the charts all summer, Mike Posner's major label debut, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, has slid steadily down the chart since its debut two weeks ago, falling another 26 spots to #72 as sales dip to less than 6,000.
The news is the same on the iTunes singles and albums charts as Perry took over the pole position on both with the album and the title track single. Em hangs in at #2 on the album tally, followed by the Rogers Band, Fantasia, Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More, Usher's Versus, Stevens, Never Shout Never's Harmony, LaMontagne, and the Devil Wears Prada.
Though iTunes does not divulge sales data, it was a good week for Perry, as her single led a group that was relatively unchanged from the week before, with Taio Cruz at #2 with "Dynamite," followed by Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are," Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie," Enrique Iglesias' fist-pumping anthem "I Like It," Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," Nelly's "Just a Dream," B.o.B's "Magic," Ke$ha's "Take It Off" and newcomer Kid Cudi with the Kanye collabo "Erase Me."
Perry should be able to retain her perch next week, as the new faces in the crowd include the latest from Disturbed, the Goo Goo Dolls, Fabolous, Papa Roach and Lyfe Jennings.
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Katy Perry's <i>Teenage Dream</i>
Photo: Capitol Records
All good things must come to an end and it looks like Katy Perry might be the one to stop Eminem's record-setting run at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. As expected, Perry's Teenage Dream will block Eminem from lodging his eighth week at #1 on next week's Billboard chart by selling 192,000 copies of her second official major label album, or more than four times as many as her first disc, One of the Boys, sold (47,000) in its first week two years ago.
According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, Perry isn't the only one who bested Eminem. Former "American Idol" winner Fantasia bounces back from a dark personal period that included a recent suicide attempt by landing at #2 with Back to Me on sales of 117,000, which pushes Em's Recovery down to its lowest chart position to date, #3, on sales of 98,000.
There are some other newcomers in the top 10, though, including Usher, whose Versus mini-album comes in at #4 (46,000), followed by country rock act Little Big Town's The Reason Why (42,000), the Randy Rogers Band's Burning the Day (#8, 29,000) and hard rockers the Devil Wears Prada, whose Zombie EP sneaks in at #10 thanks to just under 25,000 units shifted.
The rest of the top 10: Kem, Intimacy (#6, 30,000); Justin Bieber, My World 2.0 (#7, 29,000); and Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise (#9, 28,000).
After a nice run in the top 10 for three weeks, the Arcade Fire's Suburbs falls nine spots to #16 (21,000) as they pass the 250,000 mark, while Usher's five-month-old Raymond v. Raymond disc has a nice resurgence thanks to his new deluxe edition with seven new songs and a remix, surging up 12 spots to #19 as sales pick up by 57 percent to 20,000.
Beloved indie folkie Sufjan Stevens has a strong showing at #27 with All Delighted People (15,000), as do college rock faves Ra Ra Riot, whose Orchard lands at #36 (10,000). Though his single "Cooler Than Me" has lit up the charts all summer, Mike Posner's major label debut, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, has slid steadily down the chart since its debut two weeks ago, falling another 26 spots to #72 as sales dip to less than 6,000.
The news is the same on the iTunes singles and albums charts as Perry took over the pole position on both with the album and the title track single. Em hangs in at #2 on the album tally, followed by the Rogers Band, Fantasia, Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More, Usher's Versus, Stevens, Never Shout Never's Harmony, LaMontagne, and the Devil Wears Prada.
Though iTunes does not divulge sales data, it was a good week for Perry, as her single led a group that was relatively unchanged from the week before, with Taio Cruz at #2 with "Dynamite," followed by Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are," Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie," Enrique Iglesias' fist-pumping anthem "I Like It," Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," Nelly's "Just a Dream," B.o.B's "Magic," Ke$ha's "Take It Off" and newcomer Kid Cudi with the Kanye collabo "Erase Me."
Perry should be able to retain her perch next week, as the new faces in the crowd include the latest from Disturbed, the Goo Goo Dolls, Fabolous, Papa Roach and Lyfe Jennings.
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Shanna Moakler Shannon Elizabeth Shannyn Sossamon Shiri Appleby
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