Usher's VMA Performance Proves He's Still King: Making The Show

Singer held back at rehearsals, harnessing his energy for Sunday's show.
By Jayson Rodriguez


Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

The King is back!

Usher thrilled the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night with his stunning combination performance of "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love."

The singer moved and grooved, proving that he's the R&B star that everyone pays attention to for the big moments.

The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there's plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com.

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Usher's OMG Tour To Launch In November

Usher's 25-date arena tour will start on November 10 in Seattle.
By Gil Kaufman


Usher
Photo: Michael Caulfield/ WireImage

Usher will reward his fans' patience in November when he finally kicks off the long-awaited tour in support of his platinum Raymond v. Raymond album. Though it won't feature Chris Brown as recently rumored, Usher is promising a major show for the 25-date North American arena tour that kicks off on November 10 in Seattle.

"Songs like 'OMG,' 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love,' 'There Goes My Baby,' 'Papers,' 'Daddy's Home,' 'Lil Freak' with Nicki Minaj and 'Hot Tottie' with Jay-Z have dominated the airwaves since last February," said Randy Phillips, president & CEO of AEG Live, the promoter behind the tour. "Now is the time for one of our greatest entertainers to go live and we are thrilled to be part of the ultimate Usher experience. Usher is bringing his fans an evening they will not soon forget. This will be the 'Must See' concert tour of 2010!"

The singer, who is on tap to perform at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards, will be on the road through late December, hitting major cities from Las Vegas and Los Angeles to Dallas, Detroit, Chicago and Boston, wrapping things up on December 18 with a show at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

Tickets will go on sale beginning September 17, with more information on opening acts and tour details available at Usherworld.com.

Dates for the OMG Tour:
» November 10 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
» November 12 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arenabr
» November 13 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Baybr
» November 14 - Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
» November 17 - San Diego, CA @ Sports Arena
» November 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
» November 19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Jobing.com Arena
» November 23 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
» November 24 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
» November 26 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
» November 27 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
» November 29 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
» November 30 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
» December 2 - Detroit, MI @ TBD
» December 3 - Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena
» December 5 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
» December 7 - Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
» December 8 - Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena
» December 10 - Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
» December 11 - Norfolk, VA @ Scope Arena
» December 13 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
» December 14 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden
» December 16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
» December 17 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
» December 18 - Hartford, CT @ XL Center

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Jay-Z, Beyonce, Usher Support Alicia Keys At AIDS Charity Ball

Jay, Janelle Monae, Swizz Beatz were among performers at Keys' 8th annual Keep a Child Alive event.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Hillary Crosley


Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/ Getty Images

Alicia Keys has proven to be as selfless in real life as she is in song.

The singer held her 8th annual Keep a Child Alive Black Ball event in New York on Thursday night. The fundraiser brought out Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Usher, Jay Sean, Janelle Monae, Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston and more.

Jay-Z and Keys' husband, Swizz Beatz, performed "On to the Next One," and Jay later performed "Empire State of Mind." Monae also hit the stage, as did Keys and Sade, who performed a duet, "Love Is Stronger Than Pride."

"It's my heart and soul," Keys told MTV News about the organization she co-founded. "Since the beginning, we've been very driven to do incredible work. I'm proud to show what four to five women who are very dedicated can do."

The organization benefits children and families who have been affected by AIDS but can't afford to purchase medicine; the event reportedly helped raise $2.4 million.

This year, Keep a Child Alive introduced the "Buy Life" T-shirt. The shirt features a large barcode on the garment; donors can buy the shirt and scan the code with their smart phones to make a donation to the charity. Every time the code is scanned by a phone, a donation goes through. Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian and Katie Holmes are among the celebrity spokespeople appearing in ads for the shirt.

"It's like a dream to me to be among these people singing and performing, and opening people's eyes to what Keep a Child Alive can do," Keys said.

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Adam Lambert Recalls Lady Gaga, Madonna Career Advice

'You just have to count on yourself and go for it,' Lambert says Gaga told him.
By Jocelyn Vena


Adam Lambert
Photo: Kevin Parry/ WireImage

Adam Lambert has managed to speed through every stage of fame during his brief time as a celebrity. He's been loved by his fans, hated by his critics, released an album and hit the road for his first headlining tour. And Lambert has managed to deal with all the pressures of fame thanks to some great advice he's gotten from two very famous ladies.

"She told me about the previous three years. She worked really, really hard before she made it. She told me there's no glamour, you don't get a lot of sleep, you don't get a lot of stability in your social life — you just have to count on yourself and go for it. It was a good pep talk," Lambert told Australia's news.com.au about his pal Lady Gaga's advice. "And she was right."

Like Gaga, Madonna, has warned Lambert about some of the negative sides of fame, including all those haters. "She told me that you can't get wrapped up in all the media and message boards, that everyone's going to have an opinion. People will criticize you, especially when you're doing it well. You can't do much better than getting career advice from Madonna," he said. "She's the queen, right? I've [learned] there are plenty of challenges, but if you work hard enough you can arrive. You find a spot for yourself and get to communicate with your art and hopefully inspire people. That's what I'm working towards."

Like both those iconic women, Lambert has become a bit of a face for the gay community. But he doesn't want that to be the only thing he's known as.

"I'm very comfortable with my sexuality and I have no qualms talking about it," he said. "It's important for me to be bold about it. There are not a lot of examples of that in pop culture. I'm happy to fill that role.

"But I did an interview the other day and every question was a sensationalized question about being gay and the gay lifestyle. There's a fine line," he continued. "As open as I am to mentioning it, I'm not a gay spokesman. I'm a singer. I'm an entertainer who happens to be gay. I'm going to work hard with the next album to make that the message. When the first line is 'Openly gay singer Adam Lambert ...' it gets a little frustrating. The singer part should definitely come first. That's what I do."

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