Afrojack Wants ‘Take Over Control’ To Be ‘Big All Over The World’
August 31, 2010
The David Guetta protégé also talks 'big' plans: 'Hopefully doing some stuff with Britney Spears.'
By Akshay Bhansali
Afrojack
Photo: MTV News
Afrojack dropped his single "Take Over Control" on Monday, and with its release, the Dutch DJ/producer seems intent on expanding his self-invented "bleepy" sound to a mass audience.
"Popwise, I'm working with a girl called Eva Simons," Afrojack told MTV News earlier this year. "She's also from Holland. We have one track together called 'Take Over Control' that's gonna be the first dance/bleepy pop song," he explained at the time.
Afrojack was widely celebrated at this year's Winter Music Conference in Miami, with many of the genre's heavy-hitters commending his new contribution to electronic/dance music. The song is already a hit in Europe, and after performing it during sets throughout his 2010 North American tour and at Los Angeles' Electric Daisy Festival, "Take Over" has become something of a set staple for DJs.
"I think ... Well, I hope, it's gonna be big all over the world," Afrojack (born Nick Van de Wall) said. "Ministry of Sound wants to push money into it. Everybody wants to push it, and make it into the new revolution song. So, I'm so lucky that they have chosen this song."
Popularizing his bleepy Holland House sound might be a lesson gleaned from his mentor and frequent collaborator, David Guetta, who in a show of support posted a Beatport.com link to "Take Over" Monday morning. Once considered solely a house music star, Guetta has within the past two years become a global crossover pop success by "urbanizing" what the mainstream American music scene had long considered a niche category.
"He's like my big brother. I was never into pop stuff," Afrojack said of Guetta. "I was never into the charts, and TV and everything, but he introduced me to it and let me know how it worked and how it was fun to make. I started making a little bit of pop music on the side just for fun and it actually turned out pretty well. So we are doing some big things. Hopefully doing some stuff with Britney Spears.
"He was in the studio with me the first time he finished the new song for Rihanna," Afrojack continued. "He was like, 'OMG. You gotta hear this ... it's crazy. So I was expecting some crazy club sh--. But he played me that track and it was a good [pop] track. So that's what inspired me to do that."
Fans can purchase the "Take Over Control" download at Beatport.com or hear it live when Afrojack performs this Saturday at New York's Electric Zoo electronic music festival. He's joined on the lineup by Armin van Buuren, Diplo, Avicii, Wolfgang Gartner and Axwell, among many other acts at the two-day event.
What do you think of Afrojack's new single? Tell us in the comments!
Sandra Bullock Shares Love For New Orleans On ‘Today’
August 31, 2010
Actress talked about son Louis' hometown and the school she helped rebuild.
By Gil Kaufman
Sandra Bullock on the "Today" show Aug. 31
Photo: NBC
Much has been made about Oscar winner Sandra Bullock's ties to the college town of Austin, Texas, where the star has retreated to avoid the paparazzi's glare since her divorce from Jesse James. But on Tuesday (August 31), Bullock appeared on the "Today" show to discuss her love for New Orleans, where she has found another home.
Bullock, in her first televised interview since her split with James, told host Matt Lauer that the Big Easy has always been a comfortable place for her, somewhere she has gone often to visit, ring in the new year and most recently, the place where she finalized her adoption of son Louis.
But the reason she was there this week was to celebrate the successful rebuilding of the Warren Easton Charter High School, which suffered more than $4 million in damage five years ago this week during Hurricane Katrina. She sat next to Arthur Hardy, a New Orleans Mardi Gras expert and Easton board member, who said he laughed when Bullock called with an offer to help, thinking someone was pulling his leg.
"She found us ... [and] called me on a Sunday afternoon," he said, laughing.
"I like to cold-call people, people who I think are outstanding community members ... how you doin'?" Bullock joked.
Hardy said because he's in the Mardi Gras business, "I deal with crazy people every day. So when she said, 'This is Sandra Bullock,' I said, 'This is Clark Gable,' and I was about to hang up."
Hardy said once Bullock met the kids of the school, it cemented her decision to help out however she could.
Bullock helped raise funds to rebuild the school, which has its own health clinic and close to a 100 percent graduation rate, and she spoke about how Katrina exposed the cracks in New Orleans society around the issue of poverty. "It opened up something that I don't think people knew about or maybe didn't want to see," she said. "But right here under this roof, there are souls and spirits and young people who don't come from any money but carry this extraordinary spirit to override that, suck in every ounce of education that the school provides and get out of here and create a life for them that is beautiful and fulfilling ... let this school be an example of how we don't need to leave anyone behind."
With her adoption of NOLA-born Louie, whom she calls her "little Cajun cookie," finalized, Bullock explained the relief she felt to finally have him all to herself. "It felt like it was time," she said of the long process of adoption, noting that she did not cut any corners or ask for favors based on her fame. "It was nice to have someone say, 'I think you're a fit parent.' "
She also talked about his "healthy" poop schedules, the shift in priorities a child brings to a parent's life and the secret of how she kept Louie's adoption, well, a secret. "It takes good people with integrity," she said, explaining how she was able to hide the bombshell from the prying press even as she was basking in an Oscar win for "The Blind Side."
"Human beings exist that have integrity, that know how to keep their mouth shut. That know the bigger picture, that don't sell out their friends," she said. "Everything passes, they know if they screw up, they're not coming up on the next vacation, I'm not gonna babysit their kids ... I will cut them. I will take them down ... I have friends and family that are filled with massive amounts of integrity. It shouldn't be an oddity."
Though Jesse James and the divorce did not come up and Lauer kept the questions mostly benign, Bullock pointedly used the word "integrity" several times in the interview, perhaps as a not-so-coded statement on her feelings of betrayal in the messy divorce caused by James' multiple infidelities.
Related PhotosJustin Bieber Back To Performing After Illness
August 31, 2010
Pop heartthrob tweets about getting the go-ahead to perform in New York Tuesday night.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber
Photo: George Pimentel/ WireImage
Justin Bieber may have canceled his show Sunday night after being struck down by an illness, but he's bounced back and is ready to headline a show in New York. The VMA-nominated teen star tweeted that he has been cleared by his doctors to perform on Tuesday night (August 31) at Madison Square Garden, where he will film part of his upcoming 3-D movie.
"Ok the doctor said we aren't 100 percent but we are ready to ROcK!! Been cleared. MSG let's do this!!!" he tweeted on Monday. "Let's fill the streets of NYC! Rehearsals tonight were incredible...got off to a rocky start because wasnt feeling right but then after lunch kicked in. 2morrow at MSG!! Thanks to everyone who came to help today...this movie is coming together."
Fans in attendance on Tuesday will get the chance to be a part of his 3-D movie, which made Bieber seem genuinely excited. "2morrow let's fill the streets of NYC with Purple and even if you dont have tix we will b celebratin n maybe u might just find ur way inside," he wrote. "Tomorrow is a celebration....we are living a dream and playing MADISON SQUARE GARDEN in NYC!! WHO IS COMING!!?!?!? SEE U THERE!!!!!"
Rumors have been circulating for weeks that other celebrities will make cameos at the show, and among the big names in the rumor mill is "Never Say Never" guest Jaden Smith. "Special security arrangements are being made for Jaden, who will appear onstage, and his family, including [his father] Will, to be in the audience for the concert," a source told the New York Post.
Earlier this month, the film's director, Jon Chu, spoke to MTV News about the flick. "[It's] a movie for his fans, a movie for people who don't know him, and we're gonna tell the underdog story of where he came from," he explained.
"Because it's a really fascinating story and it has a lot to do with our sort of digital lifestyle now. He was able to do what corporations try to do now when they use YouTube and they don't even know what to do with it yet. It's a pretty cool story for our time."
Related Photos Related ArtistsKe$ha Breaks Through To The Big Time: A VMA Cheat Sheet!
August 31, 2010
'Tik Tok' singer/nominee racked up massive digital downloads, opened for Rihanna and survived 'SNL' on road to Video Music Awards.
By James Montgomery
Ke$ha
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images
Ke$ha is, without question, one of the biggest breakout stars of 2010. A slurring, whirling, hard-partying pop oddity (who may also be a genius) with a #1 album and a boatload of hit singles to her name, not to mention more than a few enemies. She even has under her star-spangled belt, her very own, very public WTF debacle in the form of a rather, uh, divisive "Saturday Night Live" performance.
Ever since Ke$ha came stumbling into our lives last year with "Tik Tok" (we named it one of the Best Songs of 2009, by the way), she's been nothing if not consistently entertaining, if slightly confounding. She's always coming back with another massive single or eye-popping video, always saying — or wearing — something outrageous. In the process, she's made a rather indelible impact on popular culture and, earlier this month, MTV showed its recognition of that fact, rewarding her with multiple Video Music Award nominations, including nods for Best Female Video and Best New Artist.
But how did she go from unknown pop curio to one of the fastest-rising starlets on the planet? Here's a look back:
In January 2010, "Tik Tok" rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a record for digital downloads in the process. That same month, she was named one of three female Artists to Watch , as part of MTV News' Pop Week 2010. Buoyed by the success of "Tik Tok," Ke$ha's debut album, Animal, opened at #1 on the Billboard albums chart, selling more than 152,000 copies and ending "Britain's Got Talent" phenom Susan Boyle's six-week run at #1. Ke$h would pay homage to Boyle soon after, declaring to MTV News that the cat-loving singer "knows how to party."
She followed up "Tik Tok" with "Blah Blah Blah," another party-ready anthem featuring her pals in 3OH!3. The song cracked the Top 10 and has sold more than 2 million digital downloads to date.
Ke$ha then took to Twitter, where she flirted with John Mayer and then drew the ire of both Britney Spears and Justin Bieber fans, after she (sorta) swiped at Britney in a demo of an old tune ("Styrofoam") and called Biebus "a tiny little baby." In both instances, she apologized ... though, not before Perez Hilton weighed in, calling her a "trash-talking train wreck."
In April, she was announced as the opening act on Rihanna's Last Girl On Earth Tour, and then got to work on another video, this one for "Your Love Is My Drug." That month, clad in a bizarre bodysuit (and later, nothing but glow-in-the-dark bodypaint), she performed a pair of songs on "SNL," a debacle which was described by some as "the worst ['SNL' performance] ever." Never one to back away from a good brawl, Ke$ha responded thusly: "F--- the cynics."
In May came the premiere of the "Drug" video — a bonanza of beards, boulders, Beatles and bodypaint — and the pop singer quickly followed that up with a cameo on 3OH!3's "My First Kiss" and yet another Animal video, this one for "Take It Off."
Later that summer, she hit the road with Rihanna, and described the dynamic duo's backstage relationship thusly: "We braid each other's hair ... naked." She then began discussing plans for a follow-up to Animal, saying she could foresee getting into country music but would definitely stay away from jazz. She also began laying the groundwork for her very own headlining tour. Oh, and of course, she revealed she's planning a fashion line, too, featuring capes and haberdashery made out of "roadkill ... and recycled feathers."
Seems strangely fitting, if you ask us.
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. Go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for the Best New Artist video through September 12.
Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists‘Buried’ Preview: Moviegoers Get Trapped In A Box With Ryan Reynolds
August 31, 2010
'This is not a film to be seen but a film to be experienced,' director Rodrigo Cortés says.
By Adam Rosenberg
Ryan Reynolds in "Buried"
Photo: Lionsgate
You open your eyes and are greeted by nothing but darkness. Fumbling around blindly, you can tell that you're in tight quarters but there's no obvious way out. Discovering a butane lighter in your pocket, you flick it on and discover the grim truth of your situation: You are completely sealed inside a plywood box with no aid of any kind beyond what's in your pockets.
This is the ride you take for 94 minutes with yan Reynolds, who plays kidnapped, Iraq-stationed civilian contractor Paul Conroy in director Rodrigo Cortés' sophomore feature "Buried." MTV spoke with Cortes as part of our ongoing Fall Movie Preview week — the Sundance-spawned thriller will be released by Lionsgate on October 8 — and he admits that the challenges Chris Sparling's script presented are what originally got him interested in the project.
"I was sent this script that many people loved but everybody thought it was impossible to make a movie with. But I felt exactly the opposite," he explained. "I saw the possibility of doing something that had never been done. I love to go against common sense, and everything in this project has been done against common sense. This is the kind of movie that shouldn't be done, it's totally nonsense. It's foolish. It's impossible to make. And that's exactly what attracted me."
Alfred Hitchcock's influence reverberates loudly through the tiny chamber in which our protagonist is stuck — along with the viewing audience — for the length of the film. The confined setting is essential to the staging of the narrative, in that you don't ever really know who to trust. Cortes doesn't shy away from the comparison to the legendary filmmaker either.
"Hitchcock ... came to my mind, because I thought of 'Lifeboat,' for instance, just one boat with six characters never leaving the boat," he said. "So those [sorts of] technical challenges, like 'Rope' and [giving the illusion of] shooting [an entire movie] in a single take, and 'Rear Window,' with respect to [a fixed] point of view." Cortes is quick to name Hitchcock among his five favorite filmmakers, describing his film as " 'North by Northwest' in a box."
Even with aspirations to create a tale of Hitchcock-level suspense, it was a tough sell initially. "Nobody could understand [why I wanted to do it]," Cortes said. "Everybody thought it was an experimental, obscure, strange, dark film."
Sparling's script is where it all started. The pages didn't specify it, but Cortes revealed that a lot of the doubters he spoke to believed that in order to make the film accessible to mainstream audiences, both speakers participating in the film's various phone calls should be shown onscreen. He wasn't having it.
"In my opinion, that was a perfect way to spoil everything, to ruin an amazing idea," Cortes said. "Stories don't have to do with cubic inches, they have to do with [narratives] that evolve or change, you want to know more from them. And that's exactly what happens.
"I didn't want to leave it to the point of view of Paul Conroy," he continued. "I wanted everybody to be inside his shoes. I thought [it was] the key to the whole project. That was the only way of [bringing across] this physical experience. To make everybody feel what being buried for an hour and a half is."
Asked what he'd like viewers to know going into the movie, Cortes said that, in this case, less is more. "That's part of the magic of the film: You never know where you are. And every time you trust a character, you find out that you shouldn't have. At the beginning of the film, you try to trust everybody and at the end of the film you suspect everybody. This is part of the game. This is the roller coaster.
"This is not a film to be seen but a film to be experienced," he continued. "That's the way I made it. I didn't want the film to be seen only with the eyes but also with the muscles and with the bone and with the skin and with the blood. People watch it on the edge of their seats. It's a physical and sensorial experience."
From the saucy Jessica Alba in "Little Fockers" to James Franco's grueling journey in "127 Hours," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest flicks of fall 2010. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.
Check out everything we've got on "Buried."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related Videos Related PhotosKanye West, Justin Bieber Fans Split On ‘Runaway Love’ Remix
August 31, 2010
Remix featuring Raekwon has some pop and hip-hop purists on the fence.
By Peter de Saint Phalle
Justin Bieber
Photo: George Pimentel/ WireImage
Kanye West forced fanbases to collide on Monday, when he released his Justin Bieber "Runaway Love" remix, which also features Raekwon.
What began as a mere social-networking brainstorm both utilizes the contemporary pop-chart topping talents of both West and the Biebs and incorporates some of Raekwon's vintage verses from "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F--- Wit." So how do loyal fans react when a teen pop sensation, a master producer-turned-rapper and a hip-hop legend combine forces?
For the answers, we've looked across different blogs and MTVNews.com to see fan comments and reactions to the new record. While the remix seemed acceptable to most listeners, others thought the blend of Bieber with the two MCs went together like oil and water.
McShanful wrote on the hip-hop blog 2dopeboyz.com: "I thought this turned out pretty dope. But judging by the comments, this remix is a fail because Wu-Tang fans don't want to hear JB on a classic beat. And JB fans don't know or even care who Raekwon is, nor do they appreciate this classic beat. Nice try, 'Ye."
Readers on both pop and hip-hop websites couldn't see the benefit of including Bieber's song in the collaboration, stating that the current prince of bubblegum pop discredited the rappers' integrity.
"I'm a hard-core fan of Kanye's earlier music, but now I honestly think he will do anything if it gives him some fraction of publicity or money," Leni wrote on JustJared.com. "Justin Bieber? I mean really?"
Legacye wrote on on PerezHilton.com: "Oh ... dear ... lord. That was awful. Kanye's part of the track sounded fine, but Justin's music is just TOO tweeny-pop to fit in well with adult R and B. 1/5 from me."
And though Bieber's collaboration with Ludacris on "Baby" has been a huge hit with his followers, some were less than pleased by this much this harder-edged track.
"OMG !! That is just horrible," KT wrote on on Popeater.com. "Justin is the only good thing on the song, but you have to sit thru that no talent thug mumbling and talking his way thru the verses before Justin sprinkles his magic on the song. PLEASE Justin don't team up with these no talent thug rappers because your management says so. All it shows is how much talent you have and how little talent the rappers have. No wonder they all want a piece of Justin's genius. YAYYY JUSTIN!!"
But other fans were supportive of the boundary-breaking trio.
"The song actually wasn't that bad, and as much as I hate to say it, Bieber sounded a little like Michael Jackson," Ericarbo436 wrote on MTVNews.com.
"A young youth, rockin' the gold tooth!" Börte Petrarchia wrote on PerezHilton.com. "What a great collaboration that was. I think some were uneasy about it when they first heard, but I wasn't. F--- this elitist bullsh-- about who should work with who in music. It's all about creating wonderful tracks, and this is fantastic. Kanye's back, better than ever, so I'm happy."
Rwar wrote on 2dopeboyz.com: "So good I had to post twice. Can we collectively acknowledge how important Kanye West is to music? Who else could make this happen?"
What do you think of the "Runaway Love" remix? Keep the conversation going in the comments below!
Related ArtistsKe$ha Breaks Through To The Big Time: A VMA Cheat Sheet!
August 31, 2010
'Tik Tok' singer/nominee racked up massive digital downloads, opened for Rihanna and survived 'SNL' on road to Video Music Awards.
By James Montgomery
Ke$ha
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images
She is, without question, one of the biggest breakout stars of 2010. A slurring, whirling, hard-partying pop oddity (who may also be a genius) with a #1 album and a boatload of hit singles to her name, not to mention more than a few enemies. She even has under her star-spangled belt, her very own, very public WTF debacle in the form of a rather, uh, divisive "Saturday Night Live" performance.
She is Ke$ha, and ever since she came stumbling into our lives last year with "Tik Tok" (we named it one of the Best Songs of 2009, by the way), she's been nothing if not consistently entertaining, if slightly confounding. She's always coming back with another massive single or eye-popping video, always saying — or wearing — something outrageous. In the process, she's made a rather indelible impact on popular culture and, earlier this month, MTV showed its recognition of that fact, rewarding her with multiple Video Music Award nominations, including nods for Best Female Video and Best New Artist.
But how did she go from unknown pop curio to one of the fastest-rising starlets on the planet? Here's a look back:
In January 2010, "Tik Tok" rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a record for digital downloads in the process. That same month, she was named one of three female Artists to Watch , as part of MTV News' Pop Week 2010. Buoyed by the success of "Tik Tok," Ke$ha's debut album, Animal, opened at #1 on the Billboard albums chart, selling more than 152,000 copies and ending "Britain's Got Talent" phenom Susan Boyle's six-week run at #1. Ke$h would pay homage to Boyle soon after, declaring to MTV News that the cat-loving singer "knows how to party."
She followed up "Tik Tok" with "Blah Blah Blah," another party-ready anthem featuring her pals in 3OH!3. The song cracked the Top 10 and has sold more than 2 million digital downloads to date.
Ke$ha then took to Twitter, where she flirted with John Mayer and then drew the ire of both Britney Spears and Justin Bieber fans, after she (sorta) swiped at Britney in a demo of an old tune ("Styrofoam") and called Biebus "a tiny little baby." In both instances, she apologized ... though, not before Perez Hilton weighed in, calling her a "trash-talking trainwreck."
In April, she was announced as the opening act on Rihanna's Last Girl On Earth Tour, and then got to work on another video, this one for "Your Love Is My Drug". That month, clad in a bizarre bodysuit (and later, nothing but glow-in-the-dark bodypaint), she performed a pair of songs on "SNL," a debacle which was described by some as "the worst ['SNL' performance] ever." Never one to back away from a good brawl, Ke$ha responded thusly: "F--- the cynics."
In May came the premiere of the "Drug" video — a bonanza of beards, boulders, Beatles and bodypaint — and the pop singer quickly followed that up with a cameo on 3OH!3's "My First Kiss" and yet another Animal video, this one for "Take It Off."
Later that summer, she hit the road with Rihanna, and described the dynamic duo's backstage relationship as "We braid each other's hair ... naked." She then began discussing plans for a follow-up to Animal, saying she could foresee getting into country music but would definitely stay away from jazz. She also began laying the groundwork for her very own headlining tour. Oh, and of course, she revealed she's planning a fashion line, too, featuring capes and haberdashery made out of "roadkill ... and recycled feathers."
Seems strangely fitting, if you ask us.
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 12, at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for the winners in general categories, including Best New Artist, from now through September 12.
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsJustin Bieber Fans Hope To Squeeze Into His 3-D Movie At NYC Show
August 31, 2010
'I'll probably cry if I see myself,' one die-hard says of Biebs' upcoming flick, which is filming at Madison Square Garden concert.
By Peter de Saint Phalle
Justin Bieber (file)
Photo: Jeffrey Ufberg/ Getty Images
NEW YORK — A sea of tween girls clad in purple flooded the steps of Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night (August 31) as Justin Bieber fans made their way into the sold-out arena.
It was no secret that the show was going to be a special one. Director John Chu previously revealed that much of the upcoming Justin Bieber 3-D movie would be filmed during the night's performance. Fans traveled far and wide with hopes of making it onscreen.
"Me and my friend drove from Virginia for five hours," Erin Sweeney told MTV News. "Since I'll see [the 3-D film] in the theaters, I'll probably cry if I see myself."
When fans were asked whether Biebs had a shot at winning Best New Artist at the upcoming VMAs, most were pretty confident in the teen dream — especially since fan voting is involved.
"Most of the fans he has are really big fans," Bailey Solomons reasoned. "So if they vote for him, they'll vote for him every single day, so he has a good chance."
Some Bieber enthusiasts proved you did not have to be between the ages of 8 and 18 to enjoy Bieber's music.
"Love has no age," Amanda Farina said when asked if she had Bieber fever. "We caught it. We heard the song on the radio, and then suddenly we bought it on iTunes, and then it was a phenomenon. It doesn't matter how old we are. We just love him."
How excited would you be to end up in Bieber's 3-D movie? Let us know in the comments!
Related Photos Related ArtistsBristol Palin, Mark Ballas Paired For ‘Dancing With The Stars’
August 31, 2010
Palin will compete alongside Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino and 'The Hills' star Audrina Patridge this season.
By Jocelyn Vena
Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas on "Good Morning America" Tuesday
Photo: ABC
After lots of rumors and speculation, "Dancing With the Stars" fans learned Monday that the likes of "Hills" star Audrina Patridge, "Jersey Shore" star the Situation and David Hasselhoff would compete on the next season of ABC's hit. On Tuesday (August 31), Bristol Palin appeared on "Good Morning America" to talk about competing for the show's coveted mirror-ball trophy.
Palin, who will dance with two-time champ Mark Ballas, said that she agreed to do the show because she was looking to try something new. "I was excited to jump onboard and be a part of something that was positive and fun, leave the drama behind and get out of there for a while and be in California," she said. She did let her parents — one of whom is 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin — know about her new venture before it was announced. "I gave [my parents] a little bit of a heads-up, like, 'Hey, Mom! I signed a contract with 'Dancing With the Stars.' "
Palin is looking forward to showing off a new side of herself. "I want people to see this side of me and my work ethic and see my personality," she explained. "We're starting from scratch. I'm really looking forward to getting outside of that box and doing something new. I am trying to coordinate myself and get some rhythm and stuff ... it's gonna be an awesome experience. Hard work is definitely going to have to be put into it. I want to have fun and, like I said, step outside my comfort zone."
Ballas had no doubt that he would eventually "pull out her dancing demon and get her going," and he added that the two are still introducing themselves to one another. "I think you have to get to know each other as quickly as you can and learn about your partner 'cause everyone is different and everyone has different learning curves," he said. "You have a few weeks to train ... the main thing is to focus on yourself and make sure you're happy with what you're doing."
More couples will be announced on Wednesday on "Good Morning America." The new season of "Dancing With the Stars" kicks off September 20.
Related PhotosMariah Carey Is ‘Spiritual’ About Pregnancy, Nick Cannon Says
August 31, 2010
Couple hasn't confirmed or denied rumors Mariah is expecting their first child.
By Jocelyn Vena
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/ Getty Images
Is she or isn't she? While many of Nick Cannon's and Mariah Carey's recent comments would lead fans to believe that the singer is indeed expecting a baby, it seems that no one will own up to anything until the singer is good and ready to make an announcement herself.
"I think 'superstitious' might be the wrong word," Cannon explained to Usweekly.com about all the speculation surrounding whether or not his wife is pregnant. "I think it's more of a spiritual thing, like trying to stay true and stay private for as long as you possibly can. She wants to keep as much privacy as she possibly can."
"She'll talk when she's ready to talk," he explained, adding that she is feeling "good" and currently hard at work on a new album in Los Angeles. He joked, "I love kids, I'm all about kids. I'm a big kid! Octomom. Nine kids at once. Whatever happens, whatever life God blesses you with, you have to take it and appreciate it."
While the couple has neither confirmed nor denied anything regarding the speculation, Carey did coyly address rumors last week in a blog post to her fans. "I appreciate everyone's well wishes. But I am very superstitious," she wrote on her website on Wednesday. "When the time is right, everyone will know — even Cindi Berger [my publicist]."
Despite his wife appearing at a recent concert in maternity clothes, Cannon continues to dodge the subject, even when addressing the rumors on his radio show earlier this month. "I've said it before and I'll say it time and time again — when my wife feels like talking about whatever she wants to talk about, you will hear it directly from her," he said. "We all know it's extremely personal, and it is for a woman to deal with things with her body, and especially when dealing with the idea of childbirth and all that stuff.
"That's something you want to keep near and dear and as close to you as you possibly can, until you're 100 percent sure, in any situation," he continued. "There's a certain time limit you're supposed to wait before you can actually officially say that you are and all that stuff. You don't want to mislead anybody."
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