Ush combined his legendary dance skills with spectacular special effects.
By Rochell D. Thomas
Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
Call it what you will: talent, swag, skills. But one thing's true about Usher Terry Raymond IV: When he steps on the dance floor, some mysterious thing comes out of him and puts the G in groove. After he was tapped to perform at the 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards, executive producer Dave Sirulnick challenged Usher to "show why you're king," and the 31-year-old Grammy winner didn't disappoint.
As predicted by the lucky few who got a peek at Thursday's practice performance for his hit "OMG," Ush pulled off moves that would make the late great Michael Jackson jealous in a mammoth stage production that included more special-effects bells and whistles than a summer blockbuster.
Usher opened the performance with "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," perched two flights above the stage on a ledge surrounded by blinding green laser lights. Then he slid, with the help of barely visible wires and mounts, down a flight, all the while popping and locking. When the father of two finally ticked his way down to stage level, he was surrounded by an army of dancers also clad in black suits with white stripes designed to toss and catch special effect lights.
Directed by Anthony Mandler, Usher's "OMG" clip earned Best Male Video, Best Dance Music Video and Best Choreography Moonman nominations. During the pre-show, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" beat it in the Best Dance category, where Raymond was, for many, the lead contender.
If Usher was disappointed, he didn't let it show. When he launched the "OMG" portion of his performance, the stage seemed to disappear, as red laser lights moved forward in blinding configurations spelling out O.M.G. and Usher's name. More dancers lowered from the ceiling on Cirque du Soleil-esque contraptions, dipping in and out of the red beams. Such a 3-D light display could probably have been seen from the moon, if it weren't for the roof of the Nokia Theatre.
Usher ended his set standing, head back, with his arms outstretched in the Jesus pose. He didn't say a word. Didn't need to.
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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Troubled actress' family reportedly looking into taking over her affairs.
By Gil Kaufman
Lindsay Lohan
Photo: Pool/ Getty Images
It looks like troubled actress Lindsay Lohan might be borrowing a page out of the Britney Spears playbook. Much like Spears, who emerged from a troubled period of erratic behavior, legal problems and forced hospitalization thanks to a strict conservatorship overseen by her father, Lohan's family is reportedly considering putting a similar program in place to help her get her stalled career, and life, back on track in light of her latest trip to rehab.
Spears began to emerge from a dangerous career spiral in early 2008 when her father was named conservator of her estate, giving him control over the management of her personal and financial affairs, as well as her health care. In Spears' case, that power extends to hiring security guards, removing people from his daughter's residence, approving or revoking contracts on her behalf and having access to her medical records and limiting who can visit her in the hospital.
CNN reported Thursday (September 30) that following Lohan's decision to check into rehab this week in the wake of her recent jailing for a failed drug test, her estranged father, Michael Lohan, is considering a similar program. Michael was slated to meet with a lawyer on Thursday as preparation for an appearance before the judge in Lindsay's case to ask that he give approval for two conservators to assume control over Lindsay's day-to-day affairs.
In the typical chaos that surrounds the fractured Lohan family, though, Michael was reportedly rushing to file conservatorship papers before his ex-wife, Dina Lohan, and Lindsay's manager, Lou Taylor (who has also worked with Britney), file their own request to serve as Lindsay's conservators.
"Since Dina and Lou are going to try to be co-conservators, I had a choice of fighting it or petitioning for the purpose of appointing two conservators who don't have an interest in Lindsay's money, but rather her as a person and human being," Michael Lohan said. His plan calls for one conservator to oversee Lindsay's finances and another to handle the more personal aspects of her life, from what she eats and wears to where she lives and who she can associate with.
"I just want Lindsay's life and career to be guided by people who are in it with their hearts, not their hands," Michael Lohan said.
Lindsay checked into rehab in Southern California on Monday and is expected to remain there until a probation violation hearing on October 22, at which point it's possible a judge could send her back to jail for the positive drug test, which violates the terms of the actress' probation.
Spears was back in court herself Thursday for a meeting with a judge to review the status of her conservatorship. TMZ reported that the brief meeting resulted in Judge Reba Goetz saying that "at this time, all orders will remain in full force and effect."
By most accounts, Spears has thrived under the reportedly very strict measure enforced by her father, Jamie, in her conservatorship, getting her musical career back on track and mounting one of the most successful tours of 2009.
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'She knows exactly what she wants to do,' Ne-Yo says of Bey's Sasha Fierce follow-up.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash
Beyoncé may have killed off Sasha Fierce for her next album, but that doesn't mean that whatever she turns out won't be just as, dare we say, fierce as her previous effort. And Ne-Yo, who reveals he is working with the megastar on the follow-up to 2008's I Am ... Sasha Fierce, says that it's easy-peasy working with Bey, mostly because she knows exactly what she wants.
"The thing about working with Beyoncé is that she definitely has her own agenda," the "Irreplaceable" songwriter told MTV News about the hush-hush song (or songs) the pair worked on together. "She's an artist that knows exactly what she wants to do."
Additionally, producer Jim Jonsin reveals that he has been submitting some tracks and angling to get in the studio to work with Beyoncé on the forthcoming album, noting that he wants to go retro for the record. "I'd like to take it even more Depeche Mode-ish, like '80s electro with just some hard drums," the "Beautiful Nightmare" producer told Rap-Up. "I'd love to go there."
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Here's everything you need to know before tonight's premiere of the singer's latest clip.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
It's only a matter of hours before Justin Bieber bestows his latest video gift upon the world in the form of the clip for "U Smile." The video is the fifth off his March release, My World 2.0. It follows videos for his singles "Baby," in which he went bowling with Drake and Ludacris, "Never Let You Go," in which he hung out at Atlantis, "Somebody To Love," in which he threw a karate-themed dance party with Usher and finally "Eenie Meenie," in which he and Sean Kingston partied in the Hollywood Hills.
While details are scant about what will go down in the Alfredo Flores-directed video, which premieres on Thursday evening (September 30), Bieber has tweeted that it will focus on wooing a young woman who will apparently be an actress playing a fan that he falls in love with. It seems the idea was inspired by people wondering if he would ever date a fan.
"I took the opportunity 2 make a video 4 the fans, about a fan, and how we could fall IN LOVE," he tweeted about the forthcoming video. "Love Grows. #LoveGrows."
As for what Bieber and his lady pal might be doing in the video, photos taken from the shoot show him and his female lead outside a closed, run-down movie theater trying to break in.
Bieber spoke to MTV News in March about working on the track alongside songwriters Jerry Duplessis, Arden Altino and Dan August Rigo. "I worked with August. I got him. He's a really good writer," the singer said. "The song is amazing. We really love the song, so we decided to cut it. It's really amazing."
At the time he further explained via Twitter, "It really is a throwback to the great records I listened to growing up. ... I wrote it for all my fans who got me here."
Are you looking forward to the "U Smile" video? Let us know in the comments!
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