Paul McDonald Brings Nashville Cool To 'American Idol'

Scruffy top 24 semi-finalist wowed judges and became a Twitter trending topic after Wednesday's Las Vegas episode.
By Adam Graham


Paul McDonald performs on "American Idol" Wednesday
Photo: FOX

The coolest contestant of season 10's "American Idol" has stepped out in the form of Paul McDonald.

The 25-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, was voted through to the "Idol" top 24 on Wednesday's (February 23) episode, and his laid-back, easygoing style makes him an early standout among the semi-finalists.

The scruffy-bearded McDonald, who auditioned for "Idol" in his hometown of Nashville, was first seen on Wednesday singing the Beatles' "Blackbird" during the Las Vegas round with his duet partner Kendra Chantelle. McDonald's smooth vocals — which have sort of a Jason Mraz-meets-Mike Posner quality — caused judge Steven Tyler to exclaim, "Yeah! I love his voice," mid-song, while Jennifer Lopez turned to Tyler to show him the goose bumps on her arm. Lopez later praised McDonald's "soft, beautiful tone," saying it "cut right through" and made him stand out.

His voice wasn't the only thing that made McDonald stand out. For his final audition, McDonald sported a white Nudie Suit, complete with embroidered roses and that looked like something out of Jeff Tweedy's closet. Not only that, but he chose to forgo popular logic and sang an original song for his final shot in front of the judges instead of a cover. The guy couldn't blend into the background if he tried.

"I've gotten this far based on, you know, just doin' my thing, and if it's meant to be, it's meant to be," McDonald said in voiceover. It was meant to be: In his final sit-down with the judges, they praised his unique qualities and said while they're not quite sure where he'll land in the competition, it will be those same attributes that could potentially take him far. "We're gonna bank on that and put you through," Lopez told him.

McDonald took the news in stride; raising his arms in victory, he let out a hearty laugh before thanking the judges. And while he said he's spent the last few weeks "relaxin,' hangin' out," now, he admitted he's got some work ahead of him. "I gotta learn some songs!" he said.

While he works on those new songs, his fanbase is already starting to grow. By the end of Wednesday's episode, McDonald was a worldwide trending topic on Twitter, and he already had at least one former "Idol" contestant in his corner. "Paul McDonald is the man," "Idol" season-eight finalist Matt Giraud tweeted. "Really impressed me."

What did you think of Paul McDonald? Let us know in the comments!

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

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658580/american-idol-paul-mcdonald.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Vintage Video: His First Meeting With Usher

Justin Timberlake also wanted to sign Bieber, 'Never Say Never' star said in 2009.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News

Just as the world was learning who Justin Bieber was, MTV News caught up with the shaggy-haired singer in September 2009. He was gearing up to release his debut album, My World, and plotting his pop-world domination. In the year and a half since that interview, Bieber has done the nearly impossible, launching himself into the pop mega-sphere.

In the chat, Bieber recalled how he and his manager, Scooter Braun, met and eventually got big names interested in signing the teen.

"My manager found me on YouTube. He flew me out to Atlanta for the first time — I'd never actually been on a plane before. He flew me to Atlanta where i was going to the studio to meet some people," he recalled.

"And Usher happened to roll up in his Range Rover. I ran up to him, and I was like, 'Usher, I love your songs. Want me to sing you one?' The politest possible way he could say no, he did. ... I took the hint. I didn't get to sing for him: He had to run into a studio session."

But later, Usher was beckoning the teen back to the ATL. "He actually watched my videos — after my manager got to talking to him — and was like, 'I should have let this kid sing,' and flew me back to Atlanta where I got to sing for him in a proper setting. A week later, I had a meeting with Justin Timberlake, who also wanted to sign me, so they both kind of wanted me."

As the story goes, Bieber went with Usher, and the two never looked back.

"As far as Usher being my mentor, he's definitely given me words of wisdom. I hear it from everybody, but definitely to hear it from Usher is great, just to stay humble and grounded is very important," he explained.

"There's a lot of people, especially young stars, that have gone down the wrong path, and I definitely plan to stay humble and stay grounded and keep my family first, because that stuff really is important in life."

On Friday, Justin Bieber's 3-D documentary, "Never Say Never," opens. The film takes a look at how the teen star worked to hit it big. MTV News has been chatting with him along the way, from the time he first burst on the scene in 2009 until now, as he embarks on a huge 2011 that will include a tour and more new music.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657425/justin-bieber-usher-video.jhtml

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Jay-Z, LeBron James Talk Two Kings Charity, Doing 'Good All Over'

Rap Mogul and Miami Heat star tell MTV News why they teamed up with Mr. Cartoon to give back to L.A.-area Boys & Girls Club.
By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Rahman Dukes


Jay-Z and LeBron James
Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage

Jay-Z and LeBron James don't just want to hold a can of soda and smile for the cameras. The two men prefer to be hands-on when it comes to giving back to the community. So during NBA All-Star weekend festivities this past Saturday, Hov and King James personally greeted children at the Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles and unveiled a newly renovated gymnasium at their facility.

For the third year in a row, Jay-Z and LeBron's Two Kings charity teamed up with Sprite to promote a worthy cause at All-Star Weekend. MTV News spoke to James and Jay about their participation.

"If you stay focused and you follow your dream, stay in school, you can be ... well, you might not be this tall," Jay told the club members, gesturing at James as wife Beyoncé looked on. "But you can definitely make it in life."

Although the duo are longtime friends, they're also technically rivals of sorts. James, of course, now plays for the Miami Heat, while Jay is a minority owner of the New Jersey Nets. Nevertheless, the pair are close and have used their popularity for philanthropic purposes.

"You've seen LeBron James on TV," Jay-Z told MTV News of why someone like the Heat star is an effective role model. "Just that thing that's tangible, that they can touch him and shake his hand and know that this is a young man who comes from the same areas as they do, and look where he's made it to. So it makes it real."

James, who was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, echoed the Brooklyn-born MC's sentiments.

"Could you imagine if Michael Jordan showed up to your community?" James said. "Or whoever that you just dreamed and loved and watched every day on TV and you thought that was superhuman, just showed up to a community [center]? That one moment right there could be the difference between you making a left or making a right."

In addition to making renovations to the Boys & Girls Club gym, Jay and LeBron also unveiled a mural by famed graffiti artist and designer Mr. Cartoon, who was also present at the event.

"Whenever I'm doing a big mural like this, I gotta think about, 'It's there for the youngsters, it's there for the kids, but I want it to be on a hard-core graffiti website," the Los Angeles native told us. "I want to motivate and inspire the youngsters. I want kids to look at it like, 'Man, I want to do that!' "

According to Jay-Z, actively participating in events like these, as opposed to just posing for pictures, is essential.

"We wanted to just have a further dialogue with the people we were doing business with," Jay explained. "To let them know we weren't just paid endorsers and gonna sit there and just be smiling with a can in our hand or something. We wanted to take this [business] relationship and do some good. Take all these people, put them in a room, take their power and influence, and use them. But use them in a good way. Use them to affect good all over."

That same evening, the Two Kings charity held its fifth annual dinner, which was sponsored by Microsoft's Bing search engine. Some of the heavyweights in attendance included Ne-Yo, Miami Heat player Chris Bosh, Kanye West, Leonardo DiCaprio and Drake.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658570/jay-z-lebron-james-two-kings.jhtml

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Justin Bieber's 'CSI' Appearance: A Cheat Sheet

Everything you need to know before Thursday's (February 17) episode.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber appears on "CSI"
Photo: CBS

Last September, Justin Bieber made his first of two appearances on "CSI." In the episode, he played a troubled teen named Jason McCann. Amid plot twists and bomb explosions, fans were left wondering if young Jason was more trouble than he seemed.

Bieber returned to the "CSI" set in January, and while on set, he was hospitalized with an allergic reaction. But Bieber was fine enough to finish shooting his big second episode, "A Target of Obsession," which airs Thursday night (February 17).

"CSI" star George Eads, who plays Bieber's foil in the episode (Nick Stokes), revealed that Jason wouldn't live to see another day by the episode's end. "One of my crew guys goes, 'Man, you're going to split the country down the middle — half of them are going to hate you and half of them are going to love you,' " Eads said. "In the context of the story, he deserved it. I think in a way I was also at fault for killing Taylor Swift, too. Man, I'm going to have to stay away from a lot of people. Tell Miley Cyrus not to come on our show."

Bieber told MTV News earlier this month that he really loved being involved in the whole process of making the episode, including his fake death.

"Yeah, I get killed in the episode. I definitely get murdered," he revealed. "It was really cool because I actually — I get shot, like, several times," he revealed. "I fall down, and there's fake blood and everything. It's crazy how the whole process is."

Bieber also shared that he enjoyed stretching his bad-boy muscle for the part. "I'm not a bad person, so it's funny to play a bad person," he explained.

As for why the pop star chose "CSI" for his acting debut, he said, "I wanted to do something that's going to be challenging for me, and it's definitely going to be. It has been."

Will you be watching Justin Bieber on "CSI"? Tell us below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658255/justin-bieber-csi.jhtml

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Nuggets' Masai Ujiri: 'We Got Killed' on Carmelo Deal

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Masai UjiriDENVER -- Considering the circumstances, a general belief is the Denver Nuggets didn't do too badly in getting what they could for Carmelo Anthony.

Surprisingly, Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri doesn't look at it that way.

"We feel we got killed in the trade because we lost a couple of pretty good players,'' Ujiri said. "Obviously, Carmelo Anthony. I feel sad for the city of Denver. I feel bad that this was done on my watch. To lose a guy like that. And also Chauncey (Billups). But I think we had to do it.''

That's heavy stuff. But Ujiri (right) is well aware how important superstars are to winning in the NBA. He traded one Tuesday, knowing Anthony had asked to be dealt and he wasn't going to re-sign with the team this summer when he could have become a free agent.

So Anthony and Billups were the key pieces shipped to New York in a three-team deal. When the dust had settled, the Nuggets had ended up with guard Raymond Felton, forwards Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, center Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 first-round pick, 2012 and 2013 second-round picks (that used to belong to Golden State) and $3 million from the Knicks. The Nuggets also sent forwards Shelden Williams and Renaldo Balkman and guard Anthony Carter to New York and also sent a 2015 second-round pick to Minnesota for center Kosta Koufos.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/23/nuggets-masai-ujiri-we-got-killed-on-carmelo-deal/

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Miami Heat Blow Out Sacramento Kings in Return Home

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MIAMI -- Picking up where they left off before the All-Star break, the Miami Heat easily cruised by the overmatched Sacramento Kings, 117-97, for their 12th victory in their last 14 games. With 76 combined points from the Big 3, the All-Star trio stormed out of the gates and had their way against a lifeless team that put up little resistance as the Heat's lead kept getting bigger.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had little to complain about afterward.

"For the most part tonight, it was a very good energy game, a focused game and played the right way," he said. "LeBron really had a different look in his eye at the start of the game. It set the tone on both ends of the court."

With Tyreke Evans out for at least three weeks to receive foot treatment and Carl Landry held out of the game because of a possible trade to the New Orleans Hornets, the Kings didn't have the firepower or talent to keep up.

Kings coach Paul Westphal summed it up rather easily: "They started fast in the first quarter and took care of business."

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/23/miami-heat-blow-out-sacramento-kings-in-return-home/

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'Glee'-Cap: Rachel Berry Drives Us To Drink

For our musical recap of the 'Blame It on the Alcohol' episode, we got really into the spirit of things.
By Jim Cantiello


Dot-Marie Jones and Matthew Morrison on "Glee" Tuesday night
Photo: FOX

This week's "Glee" seems to have inspired a one-man party here in the MTV Newsroom. After Rachel's wild party, our own Jim Cantiello seems to have hit the sauce and, well, to quote Jamie Foxx, if you can't follow along with this song, blame it on the alcohol.

Rachel Berry's dads left her alone in a big empty house.
They're off on Rosie's gay cruise.
Her songwriting sucks, she says, "Aw shucks, I live like a church mouse;
It's time for me to drink some booze."

They play Spin the Bottle,
Rachel and Blaine kiss.
His loins start to throttle,
Does it mean he's into misses?

Kurt freaks out 'cause his buddy who's out
Now might be bi or living a lie.
Again their lips lock, now he's sober and shocked
Confirms that he's gay, no vagina any day!

It's Alcohol Awareness,
Such unfairness!
Teachers are hypocrites, getting sloppy and
sh--faced on their nights off.
Will and Beiste's honky tonk!
Tries to chase Emma's tail,
But leaves Sue a voicemail.

I started drinking tonight because "Glee" taught me that it's alright
And now I want another pour.
[guzzle guzzle, burp]
Like Rachel, Sam and all the gang, I drank everything in sight.
I'm so trashed I want to dance just like Thom Yorke.

[Footage goes black and white. Jim, in a fancy hat, twitches around the office à la Radiohead's "Lotus Flower" video.]

" 'Glee' inspires kids to join choirs,"
Said Ryan Murphy to the press.
Until minute 55, drinking was glorified,
Forgot about those 7-year-olds, I guess.

Rachel hits the sauce
Like she's livin' with the Hoff.
She sneaks in liquor
Glee kids get sicker.
[Jim is increasingly inebriated, wobbly and emotional.]
I puke when I hear Ke$ha too.
I don't know what to do,
I'm so frickin' drunk
And my favorite show's in a funk. The stories are crazy,
But one-liners save the day.
... Hold me ...

Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-lcohol,
I blame it on the writers o-o-o-o-on call,
Wish they would reca-a-a-a-all
How to enthra-a-a-a-all.

[Jim is totally sloshed, just rhyming stupid things now.]

Shopping ma-a-a-a-a-ll
Urban spra-a-a-a-awl
Montrea-a-a-a-al
City ha-a-a-[yawn]-all
Bocce ba-a-a-all.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658521/glee-recap.jhtml

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Ke$ha Pokes Fun At Disney In New Funny Or Die Clip

Pop singer plays a dirty Disney princess in online parody.
By Jocelyn Vena


Ke$ha in Funny or Die's "Disney's Princess Ke$ha" video
Photo: Funny Or Die

Ever wonder what it would be like if Disney gave Ke$ha her very own movie? Well wonder no more, since the folks over at Funny or Die have dreamed up a new Ke$ha-starring satire, "Disney's Princess Ke$ha."

The clip opens with Ke$ha in a castle bedroom addressing her animated pals, complaining about her alarm clock waking her up. "Oh that clock. What a killjoy," she says as she stares out of her window in the castle tower. Just as she begins singing a very Disney melody, she proclaims it "gross" and says "f--- it," before kicking off a signature Ke$ha-style tune, complete with her rap-sing style and club-ready beat.

"Time to get the day going/ Dress it up to the nines/ Yo, critter crew/ Make Princess Ke$ha look fine," she sings. "Add a little pinch of magic from my fairy-tale life and off we go." Then she goes into the chorus: "I'm getting ready so nice / I'm getting customized."

The pop star is later catapulted into the real world. In an alley, she meets up with an animated rat, a pumpkin and a cross-dressing hobo fairy godmother. The rat and pumpkin are transformed into a shopping cart and a man who take off with Ke$ha.

This is the singer's second appearance on the site. Last November she appeared in a clip where she jokingly explained "The Story of the $."

"I used to be Kesha with an S, instead of a dollar sign, and then one year I had my birthday party at Shakey's Pizza," she said in the clip. "On the sign, the big sign where they write 'Happy birthday,' they replaced the S with a dollar sign. It ruined my life. I wanted to be a CPA, but you know who H&R Block doesn't hire? People with dollar signs in their name. I pretty much had to be a pop star."

What do you think of Ke$ha's latest Funny or Die video? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656695/kesha-disney-princess-funny-or-die.jhtml

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