Britney Spears Says She'd Love To Tour With Usher

In her 'Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale' special, she calls the 'OMG' singer 'really hot right now.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway


Sway Calloway and Britney Spears
Photo: MTV News & Docs

What do Britney Spears and Usher have in common? Well, they are both global superstars with a back catalogue of tunes that have kept fans dancing for a really long time and they both recently hooked up with will.i.am for tracks on their latest releases (the Black Eyed Peas mastermind worked on the pop vixen's Femme Fatale tune "Big Fat Bass"). And, if Spears has her way, she and the "OMG" singer could be hitting the road together.

When Spears sat down to talk with Sway Calloway for her "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale" special — airing Sunday (April 3) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV — the singer revealed that Usher is first on her list of artists she'd like to join her on tour.

"Oh, I'm so excited. I'm really excited about going on tour, very," she explained about her forthcoming summer trek, which happens to have a spot open on the bill now that Enrique Iglesias has pulled out of the gig. "I think Usher's really great right now. I think he's really hot right now. That would be cool [to tour with him]."

The North American road trip is expected to kick off June 17 in Sacramento, California, and will run for 26 dates, winding up on August 13 in Toronto. More details will be announced soon.

The "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale" special is a mixture of behind-the-scenes footage of the singer as she wraps up production on her album, which dropped this week, as well as an inside look at her life and fans. In addition, those who couldn't make Spears' recent nightclub show in Las Vegas will get to see her as she takes the stage in her latest pop incarnation.

Don't miss "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale," airing Sunday (April 3) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

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Lonely Island Talk Turtleneck & Chain Tracks With Snoop, Beck, More

Comedy trio also nabbed Michael Bolton, Nicki Minaj, Akon and Rihanna for their sophomore album.
By Eric Ditzian


The Lonely Island
Photo: Getty Images

Two things we learned during the latest "Saturday Night Live" digital short — a music video for "Jack Sparrow," the absurd and infectious tune that appears on the Lonely Island's latest comedy rap album — are: Michael Bolton is a major cinephile and the dude can lay down a big sexy hook.

Days before the video hit the airwaves, Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island pals Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone kicked even more knowledge to MTV News about their new album Turtleneck & Chain. We ended up walking away with a track-by-track scoop on their collaborations not only with Bolton, but with Rihanna, Snoop Dog, Nicki Minaj, Beck and Akon.

The idea to recruit Bolton for "Jack Sparrow," Samberg told us, was that "the chorus sounded like the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' soundtrack to us. Then Akiva was saying how amazing it would be to get Michael Bolton, who we all have known and loved for years. Then we just stalked him."

Their collaboration with Akon on "I Just Had Sex" evolved not from dogged pursuit, but because the R&B singer and the comedians shared a basic appreciation for bumping and grinding. "He's a fan of sex," Samberg said. "He understands the mechanics, the biology of it."

The music video for the track also appeared as an "SNL" digital short and has garnered more than 86 million hits on YouTube since December. A little over a month earlier, Lonely Island debuted another video as an "SNL" short. Following up on the 2009 original, the troupe recruited Rihanna for "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde."

"The streets wanted that one," Schaffer said. "Just letter after letter."

Wondered Taccone: "That's how the streets get in contact with you?"

How they communicated with Minaj and director John Waters for "The Creep" was made possible by technology. Nicki was in the studio to contribute a verse about being a stalker, but Waters had to beam in his contribution from San Francisco during a book tour stop. "We talked to him a lot," Taccone said. "He kept saying there's a fine line between perv and a--hole, and can we keep him on the perv side? We're like, 'No problem!' "

To describe their track with Beck, "Attracted to Us," the Lonely Island guys reached back into the musician's discography.

"He's really like mellow gold," Samberg cracked.

"There's two turntables and a microphone in there in the studio," Schaffer said.

"Then when you're in there," added Taccone, "you're like, 'Odelay!' "

And then there's the album's title track, featuring Snoop Dogg, a guy Lonely Island said was a blast to hang out with in the studio. "Weird thing about Snoop, we found out: Snoop doesn't smoke weed," Taccone said.

"Yeah, he doesn't smoke weed," Samberg picked up. "He smokes weeeeeeeed. He smokes weeeeeeeed. He does not smoke weed."

What are you expecting from Lonely Island's latest? Let us know in the comments!

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Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift Nab CMT Music Awards Nods

Bieber recognized for 'That Should Be Me' featuring Rascal Flatts.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber (file)
Photo: Michele Crowe/MTV

The nominees for the 2011 CMT Music Awards are out, and it seems that there's no awards show Justin Bieber won't be nominated for.

The Canadian superstar managed to nab a CMT nod for his collaboration with Rascal Flatts on the reworked version of "That Should Be Me." He's up against Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson for "Don't You Wanna Stay," Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow for "Collide," Aaron Lewis featuring George Jones and Charlie Daniels for "Country Boy" and Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow for "Coal Miner's Daughter" in the Collaborative Video of the Year category.

Taylor Swift got three nods for her video for "Mine": She's up for Best Web Video of the Year (for her performance at her Speak Now album-release party), Female Video of the Year and Video of the Year. Carrie Underwood is up for two prizes, facing off against Swift in the Female Video of the Year and Video of the Year categories with her video for "Undo It."

Other Female Video of the Year nominees include Sara Evans ("A Little Bit Stronger"), Miranda Lambert ("The House That Built Me") and Reba McEntire ("Turn On the Radio").

A number of other crossover acts such as Sugarland, Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert are up for the night's big award, Video of the Year. Other nominees in the category include Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band and The Band Perry.

Fans can vote for the winners on the CMT website. The show takes place June 8 in the home of country music: Nashville, Tennessee.

Tell us your predictions for the CMT Music Awards in the comments below!

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Britney Spears Drops Official 'Till The World Ends' Remix

New track with Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha follows leaked version, plus Brit tweets single's cover art.
By Jocelyn Vena


The "Till the World Ends" Femme Fatale remix
Photo: Jive

Just days after it was leaked on Friday, Britney Spears and her femme fatales, Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha, dropped their official remix of "Till the World Ends."

The new version of the song was produced by Dr. Luke and Dream Machine. Brit half-whispers " 'Till the World Ends' remix" before the beat kicks in and Nicki hits her verse hard. She spits fierce lines like, "Sniff, sniff, cries/ I done slayed your whole entire f---ing life."

Then Britney's sex-kitten vocals kick in for the song's first verse. "That's Britney, bitch! I'm Nicki Minaj and that's Ke$ha," the Queens MC declares before K sings the chorus. The beat is harder, the loops are sassier and the song is grimier than the original version, which was the second single from Femme Fatale. The newly added dubstep portion takes the one from "Hold It Against Me" to a new level by adding in bass-heavy synths.

Ke$ha, of course, wrote the track for Britney, and the ladies certainly don't seem to mind sharing the spotlight with each other. The official track isn't much different than the version that leaked over the weekend, though Spears did have something brand-new to share with her fans just as the song dropped on iTunes and streamed on her website.

Spears tweeted the artwork for the single, which features the original press photo of Spears along with separate photos of Nicki on the left and Ke$ha on the right. Spears wrote, "@NickiMinaj @Keshasuxx Too much fierceness for one cover! Thanks for lending your voices girls... #TTWEREMIX — Brit"

Spears and Minaj have been hanging out a lot in the lead-up to their summer tour. They hung out at the Factory nightclub on Friday night after Minaj's show in Los Angeles. Spears later wrote, "Early rehearsal after a late night with my girl @NickiMinaj. Can't WAIT to get out on the road with you."

What do you think of the "Till the World Ends" remix? Tell us in the comments!

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Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Muse Added To Grammy Show

Usher, Jaden Smith, B.o.B, Janelle Monae and Lady Antebellum will also perform on February 13.
By Gil Kaufman


Justin Bieber and Usher
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

While Willow Smith is the one who made music headlines with "Whip My Hair" last year, it's her brother, "Karate Kid" actor Jaden Smith, who will take the stage at the upcoming 53rd Grammy Awards in a special performance alongside Usher and Justin Bieber, with whom he collaborated on the song "Never Say Never" last summer.

The trio joins a list of new performers added to the show on Thursday (January 20) that will also include another power trifecta made up of B.o.B, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe, according to a press release from the Recording Academy announcing the additions to the February 13 telecast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Also taking the stage next month will be nominees Muse and Lady Antebellum. They will join a roster of previously announced performers that includes Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, Cee Lo Green and Miranda Lambert. It will be the first time on the Grammy performance stage for Bieber, B.o.B, Lambert, Mars, Monáe, Muse and Smith. Eminem, Green, Gaga, Perry, Usher and Lady Antebellum will be making return visits for the occasion.

While 11-time Grammy winner Eminem leads the pack in nominations this year (with 10 nods), Mars has seven nominations, and Gaga and Lady Antebellum are not far behind with six nods each. B.o.B has notched five, Perry and Green are each up for four, and Arcade Fire and Lambert are vying for three awards. Bieber, Muse, Usher and Monáe are each nominated for two Grammys.

No details of the collaborative performances were released, but the Grammy announcement promised a rare, never-before-seen event for the Mars, B.o.B and Monáe segment.

With the addition of Antebellum, all five Album of the Year nominees (Eminem, Arcade Fire, Gaga, Perry) are now scheduled to perform on the show. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.

Which Grammy performance are you most looking forward to? Talk about it in the comments!

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Is Beyonce Prepping Her Next Music Video?

Photos and reports surface of a B video shoot featuring couture fashion and 200 dancers.
By Jocelyn Vena


Beyonce on the set of her next music video
Photo: Robero Cavalli's Twitter

Last week a photo appeared on NYMag.com of Beyoncé, dressed in a blue Roberto Cavalli jumpsuit and a funky maroon fur coat, reportedly shooting a video in New Jersey for her forthcoming studio album.

A rep for the singer never returned MTV News' request for comment and now, nearly two weeks later, details about the video shoot are being revealed. According to Ace Showbiz, the video will be directed by music video auteur Francis Lawrence, who has gone behind the lens for Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Pink and Bey's former girl group, Destiny's Child.

Rumor has it that 200 African dancers and eight choreographers were hired for the clip. According to several online message boards, auditions for dancers were held in Los Angeles. Fan sites such as BeyonceDaily.com have posted blurry pictures that appear to show the singer on the set of the video, which is reportedly for the song called "Girl."

In the snapshots, Beyoncé's hair is done up in a faux-hawk, and she's wearing a white jumpsuit and sunglasses. The outfit is reportedly Givenchy couture.

The song is a "female empowerment/girl power type of song that is a definite club banger with Top 40/Worldly appeal," according to one commenter who talked about the open call after his friend attended. "The beat is driven by a sample of a popular club song that a lot of you will probably recognize. There's a breakdown in the song that is described as absolutely disgustingly sick! Definitely an anthem in the style of her singing." The post also backs up the claim that there will be upwards of 200 dancers in the video.

Rumors are floating around that Beyoncé's new album may drop this June. Sony Music Australia boss Denis Handlin told The Telegraph in Australia that "it was just amazing." He added that while he was in New York, the star herself was on hand to play some of the new music.

"She came in and played us six tracks from the album. She wants to do a big tour off the back of this record, which will include Australia," he explained. "These songs, the best description I can give is groundbreaking; she's gone to another level."

Over the course of recording the new album, Beyoncé has been rumored to hit the studio with a number of big industry names like Diplo, Sleigh Bells and Kanye West's producer S1. When she spoke to MTV News last November, she made it clear that sonically she was thinking outside the box.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm inventing a new genre," Beyoncé explained. "I'm mixing every type of genre that I love and I'm inspired by every type of genre. ... I'm not in a box. It's not R&B. It's not typically pop. It's not rock. It's just everything I love all mixed together in my own little gumbo of music."

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Usher To Donate Gadhafi Money To Charity

'I will be donating all of my personal proceeds...to various human rights organizations,' singer says of concert linked to Libyan dictator.
By Shawn Adler


Usher (file)
Photo: Getty Images

R&B superstar Usher announced Friday (March 4) that he was donating to various charities proceeds from appearing at a private event at St. Barts linked to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, according to a statement made to the Associated Press.

The Grammy award winner's renouncement comes after similar announcements from singers Mariah Carey, Nelly Furtado, and Beyoncé, all of whom were revealed to have performed at private concerts linked to the Middle Eastern leader, who has faced open revolt and major political uprisings since February.

"I am sincerely troubled to learn about the circumstances surrounding the Nikki Beach St. Bart's event that took place on New Year's Eve 2009," Usher said of the concert, at which he appeared alongside Beyoncé but did not perform. "I will be donating all of my personal proceeds from that event to various human rights organizations."

Usher has already begun the process, having made a donation to Amnesty International, the AP reports. The exact size of the donation is not known.

The New Year's Eve gig was reportedly for Moammar's fourth son Muastassim, who an unnamed music industry source told MTV News has a history of throwing lavish parties "jammed" with supermodels.

Beyoncé, who sang at the event, donated all proceeds from her performance to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, established in the wake of the Haitian earthquake.

"All monies paid to Beyoncé for her performance at a private party at Nikki Beach St. Barts on New Year's Eve 2009, including the commissions paid to her booking agency, were donated to the earthquake relief efforts for Haiti over a year ago," the "Halo" singer's publicist said in a statement to The Huffington Post. "Once it became known that the third-party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause."

Singer Nelly Furtado tweeted February 28 that she plans to make similar amends.

"In 2007, I received 1million$ from the Gadhafi clan to perform a 45 min. show for guests at a hotel in Italy," she tweeted. "I am going to donate the $."

The leader of Libya since a successful military coup in 1969, Gadhafi has reportedly lost control of much of his country as a result of widespread uprisings. The United Nations voted unanimously to refer the dictator to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

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