Q-Tip's Documentary Comments Confuse Michael Rapaport

'It was confusing to me,' director tells 'RapFix Live' in response to the MC encouraging rappers to tell their own stories.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Kara Warner


Michael Rappaport
Photo: MTV News

Despite all of the controversy surrounding "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest," ATCQ's Q-Tip has encouraged fans to see the documentary, which opens July 8 in select cities.

The Queens MC has bucked at how the group was portrayed in the film, and during a visit to "RapFix Live" this past March, Tip encouraged other rap artists to tell their own stories.

The doc's director, Michael Rapaport, who has weathered criticism from Tip in the past, appeared on "RapFix Live" Wednesday (June 29) and admitted that he was confused by the rapper's comments on the live stream.

"We crack the mold, we break the rules. We define this culture that we in right now, this Western culture, the sh-- that's moving around the world, whether it be Tribe to Lil Wayne, Drake to Kanye, I don't care," Q-Tip said to Sway back in March. "This hip-hop sh-- is our sh--, and when we start moving in, control your stories, man. Tell your stories — that's what I learned from this."

"I don't understand what [Q-Tip] was talkin' about with 'telling their own stories,' " Rapaport told MTV News. "I don't know if it was like, 'Hip-hop artists should direct movies about hip-hop artists,' or maybe he was saying, 'I should direct a documentary about myself,' which has never been done before."

Rapaport argued that a filmmaker doesn't need to be a hip-hop artist to effectively document the culture on film and used "Goodfellas" and "Casino" director Martin Scorsese to illustrate his point. "Martin Scorsese does movies about gangsters, and if you've ever been around Martin Scorsese, he's the furthest thing from a gangster, so I don't understand the thing about 'tell the stories yourself,' " Rapaport said, sounding perplexed.

"I don't know if he meant, 'We're from hip-hop, it should be a hip-hop director' or — I don't know who would go under the auspices of being a hip-hop director. Or if it was a racial thing like, 'We're black and shouldn't have a white director.' It was confusing to me."

The filmmaker did acknowledge that despite the back and forth between him and the rapper, he did appreciate Q-Tip asking fans to support the movie. Whether the two can reconcile is up in the air. According to Rapaport, the last time he heard from Tip was through email and it seems that the message was less than encouraging. "I haven't talked to Q-Tip," he said. "Last time I heard from Q-Tip he sent me an email and he said, 'All you gotta do is stay white and be privileged.' "

What do you think of Michael Rapaport's response to Q-Tip on "RapFix Live"? Sound off in the comments.

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Taylor Swift, Rihanna Dress To Impress At Billboard Awards

Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha, Selena Gomez also make fashion splash on red carpet, as showgirl style rules at the Las Vegas event on Sunday night.
By Jocelyn Vena


Taylor Swift at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards
Photo: Jordan Strauss/ Getty Images

On Sunday night, some of the biggest names in the music industry hit up the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas and decided that sparkles and sequins make for the perfect additions to any red carpet get-up. Well, it is Sin City after all.

Taylor Swift always seems to bring some of that Nashville sparkle to any red carpet. She arrived at the show in a pale-hued, sequined Elie Saab gown. Nicki Minaj showed off her signature sense of style in her baby-blue, body-hugging spandex Mark Fast catsuit.

Selena Gomez turned up the style dial in a sexy, cut-out black Dolce & Gabbana gown that she paired with red strappy sandals with sparkly bow detailing. Like Gomez, Ke$ha opted for some cut-out detailing in her sparkly, slate-gray dress with tulle skirt. Rihanna looked white hot in her men's tailored Max Azria suit, which she kept sexy and feminine by not buttoning her shirt all the way.

Fergie went S&M chic in her little black bandage-type dress by Hervé Léger. Nicole Kidman also wore black. She paired a casual braid hairstyle with a long black gown and Keith Urban. British pop cutie Kyle Minogue looked funky in her little black lacey dress. Inside the show, Britney Spears sat in the audience wearing a skimpy black dress of her own, her hair in loose curls, with little-to-no accessories.

While some stars kept the color scheme low-key, Keri Hilson decided to stand out in her billowy little yellow dress paired with a turquoise-colored belt. Kelly Rowland showed off some of her best assets in a body-hugging, bright pink bandage dress.

The fellas also looked tight on the carpet. Joe Jonas wore all black with white sneakers, Ne-Yo paired his periwinkle suit with a Yankees cap and Justin Bieber wore black tuxedo pants with a gold-lamé tuxedo jacket.

Which stars' styles caught your eye at the Billboard Music Awards? Tell us in the comments.

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Chris Cornell Filling In For Robert Plant On Led Zeppelin Tour? That's News To Him

'I have not been approached to fill in for Robert Plant on the Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be,' singer says.
By Chris Harris


Chris Cornell
Photo: MTV News

Former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell has spoken out for the first time about rumors that he's been asked to fill in for Robert Plant on a proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The trek would feature original guitarist Jimmy Page, original bassist John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham taking over on drums for his late father, John Bonham.

Cornell has been mentioned — along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, White Stripes mastermind Jack White and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy — as a potential Plant fill-in. Plant has already said that he wouldn't take part in the tour.

"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Cornell told MTV News. "I've heard that from about 200 people now, and it might be one of those situations where it's just an online rumor or it might be true. But if you see anyone from Led Zeppelin around, let me know. I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss tour."

Cornell's denial comes just a day after Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford confirmed reports that frontman Steven Tyler recently met with Zeppelin for an impromptu jam session. "They did it for fun," Whitford said during an appearance on the syndicated show "Todd N Tyler Radio Empire." "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because I think he was trying to light a fire under Robert."

Rumors of a Zeppelin reunion tour have abounded since the iconic band played a single reunion set last year at London's O2 Arena. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider added fuel to the fire last month when he revealed that the group was thinking of touring, with or without Plant.

According to Snider, the rest of the band told Plant, " 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid [Myles Kennedy].' "

"And he can sing the sh-- out of Zeppelin," Snider added. "They're going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in."

In a recent interview, Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought to take over for Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he said. "We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there."

But Jones insists that he, Page and Bonham aren't interested in finding a Plant clone. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be onboard."

Of course, even if Zeppelin were to approach him, Cornell might be too busy to take over vocals for the band. His upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, will be released within the next few months. Cornell told MTV News last month that some of his fans might consider Scream something of a departure, but he doesn't see it that way.

"It makes me happy that there's this perception that I have a group of fans that I'm now sort of throwing a curve at and what their reaction will be," he said. "But I've been in this situation so many times already. When I put out [1999's] Euphoria Morning, my main goal was to create an album that sounded like nothing I'd done in Soundgarden, and I did that. I also had that with Temple of the Dog, where I showed up with songs that weren't necessarily riff-based. And then, of course, the pairing of me and members of Rage Against the Machine had everyone sort of speculating about what that would sound like.

"It feels like I've done this so many times that when it's presented to me as being a departure, I feel that's a misconception," he added. "I feel like that's my theme at this point."

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Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman


Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.

For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.

Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Transformers: Dark Of The Moon' Premiere Marks 'Graduation Day

'I wish I could have worn one of those funny hats, dude,' Shia LaBeouf jokes to MTV News at NYC debut.
By Josh Wigler


Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Shia LaBeouf attend the "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" premiere in New York City
Photo: Getty Images

Mark your calendars, boys and girls: June 28, 2011, is officially "Transformers" Day in New York City, as announced at Tuesday night's red-carpet premiere of "Dark of the Moon," the third (and potentially final) installment in Michael Bay's robot-smashing, record-obliterating blockbuster trilogy.

On one hand, it was an event packed with more excitement and enthusiasm than a downtown Chicago brawl between Optimus Prime and his Decepticon rivals. On the other, it was bittersweet.

"It feels like graduation day, you know?" Shia LaBeouf told MTV News about his feelings on the night of the premiere. "I never went to college. I spent all of my college years on the set. This is my graduation. I wish I could have worn one of those funny hats, dude."

But even LaBeouf was able to make light of the situation. Asked what he'd wear underneath his graduation gown, he laughed: "Nothing. A unitard. A leopard unitard and a graduation hat."

For Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the Victoria's Secret model making her acting debut and replacing former leading lady Megan Fox in the process, this was the crowning achievement of an already-breathtaking experience.

"It's blowing my mind to be here right now," she said of the premiere, which took place in a packed stretch of New York's famous Times Square. "I'll never, ever forget the last couple of weeks. It's been a dream come true. You see all of your hard work paying off. Look at all of these amazing people that [came out to] support this movie. It's really humbling."

Humbling (and probably overwhelming) isn't a surprising reaction, considering the presence of hundreds upon hundreds of "Transformers" fans holding signs like "I

"It's out-of-body," he said. "I can't really even process it right now. I make my living doing comedies — lately nude scenes in R-rated comedies — so for me to have a part in this movie in any capacity is truly one of the greatest moments of my career."

For months, those involved with "Dark of the Moon" have proudly declared their third "Transformers" film as the very best in the series. And on the night of the premiere, the stars maintained that sentiment.

"We worked really hard to deliver a full experience, and I think Michael pulled it off," producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said. "The third act in this movie is the best third act of the series. It did two things: One, the scale is off the charts. But the human beings also have a purpose to them that we were never able to accomplish before. I think that emotional identity with the characters and the way we didn't have that before [is great]."

Tyrese Gibson, returning to the series for a third time as special-ops soldier Epps, had to tip his hat to Bay as well. "Michael Bay, if you're looking at this interview, you're not the emotional type at all, but I'm proud of you, sir," the "Fast Five" star said. "You really, really delivered on this, man. Believe it or not, Michael on this one was very in tune with the fans. He was on the Internet, reading all of the comments and everything that went down with 'Transformers 2.' Compliments to the chef, man. He really, really delivered."

For Bay — who, like Shia, says that this is his last go with the Autobots — the night was something of a send-off as well. But it was just the final night in a long leg of goodbyes, as the "Transformers" crew has traveled to Germany and Russia and now back to the good old US of A to bid adieu to the "Moon."

"We've been traveling the globe, but this is what we came for," Bay said. "This is really fun. Yes, you do get tired, all right, but this is awesome. This is a moment in life you can't [miss]. It's fun."

But even if this might be the last time Bay and LaBeouf get together for a grand "Transformers" event such as this, there's at least one person — the new kid on the block, as it were — who's ready to keep going.

"I'd love to do another film!" Huntington-Whiteley enthused. "Making this movie, we had such fun. It's the hardest I've ever worked and probably ever will work. It's hot, it's dirty, it's sweaty, it's exhilarating. I've been around the best comedians and the best actors in the business. The best director and the best crew. They all became my family, and I thank them very much for supporting me."

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Justin Bieber, Chris Brown's 'Next 2 U' Video Leaks

Early cut of clip depicts dramatic love stories for both singers intertwined with apocalyptic theme.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: Getty

Director Colin Tilley promised that the video for Chris Brown and Justin Bieber's "Next 2 U" would be "big," and a leaked early cut of the video is just that.

The whole thing plays out like a movie, complete with dialogue, drama, lots of action, and of course, singing and dancing. It opens with Brown and his love interest dancing, kissing and joking around with one another. Justin Bieber is then seen hugging and kissing his girlfriend and telling her, "I've been waiting for you all day," before presenting her with a necklace. Things get dark when the pair are caught together by her dad, who then takes her away.

"I told you not to see him again," he tells his daughter. Bieber's story is intercut with Brown's. Brown is dreaming of his girl when he looks outside and sees that the world appears to be ending around them. Cars are exploding and people are running around in a panic.

As the destruction continues, Brown stands in the street singing the love song. Meanwhile, Bieber stands on a rooftop, pining for his lady, also singing the tune.

More shots of each of the happy couples play as reminders of times when things weren't so uncertain. Viewers are reminded of the destruction by the song's lyrics, "One day when the sky is falling/ I'll be standing right next to you/ Right next to you." The couples do eventually make their way back to one another, but it's not all peachy keen when they do. Just as Brown finally meets up with his love interest after running through the streets, she's hit by a car.

As the video closes out, a big dance break takes place as Bieber's lady runs around trying to find him. They meet up on the roof where he was singing, and it appears that both couples will somehow survive their tragedies.

Before the video leaked, Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, seemed confident that fans wouldn't be disappointed by the clip. He tweeted, "Just saw a rough cut of the #NEXT2YOU video with @justinbieber and @chrisbrown ! @ColinTilley is goin' in!!"

What do you think of the rough cut of Bieber and Brown's "Next 2 U" video? Tell us in the comments.

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Britney Spears Captivates L.A. With Fresh And Classic Hits

Nicki Minaj joined the bedazzled pop star onstage at the Staples Center for 'Till the World Ends.'
By Kelley L. Carter


Britney Spears performs at the Staples Center on Monday
Photo: David Tonnessen/ PacificCoastNews/ Newscom

LOS ANGELESBritney Spears is back. Not that she'd entirely left, mind you.

But the Spears that captivated the audience at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night was the old, fun-loving, free-wheeling Spears — with a sexy, showgirl twist. There wasn't much pretense, though those glamazon outfits blinded in the best way possible. Instead, there was just good dance music.

Spears opened her Femme Fatale Tour last week in Sacramento, and for the most part she stuck to script. There was flash and substance, and Spears appeared as the 29-year-old version of her former self, looking amazing in bedazzled leotards, barely-there cutoffs and midriff-baring outfits.

Show openers Jessie and the Toy Boys, Nervo, and Nicki Minaj set the stage for what was to be a fast-paced night. In her own skintight outfits, Minaj did exactly what an opening act should do: whet the appetite for the main course.

Photos: Britney brings it in Los Angeles.

For Spears' part, she went through about nine songs from her most recent album, Femme Fatale, opening her set with her lusty dance track "Hold It Against Me."

She spent nearly two hours grinding her way through a series of her biggest hits including "3," "Piece of Me," "If U Seek Amy" and a remix of "Boys." A highlight of the night — though, let's face it, nearly every twist and turn she made was met with ear-piercing shrills from the Spears Faithful — was when she straddled a larger-than-life-size guitar to perform a cover of Madonna's "Burning Up." And she nearly brought the house down when she performed "Slave 4 U" with the original choreography (minus the snake).

One tweak, perhaps, from last week's shows, is that instead of having Minaj appear via video for "Till the World Ends," the rapper joined the pop singer onstage.

There were times throughout the night when it was obvious that Spears was lip-synching, but no one in the audience seemed to mind one bit. They were there to be served a shot of Spears straight-up. And they got what they came for.

Have you seen Britney on tour? Share your own show reviews in the comments!

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