Cali Swag Talk Inspiration Behind M-Bone Tribute ‘How To Do That’
May 31, 2011
'We wanted to do a song that's not sad, because M-Bone, he wasn't a sad person,' CSD's Yung tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Vanessa Whitewolf
Cali Swag District's M-Bone
Photo: Getty Images
Mante "M-Bone" Talbert was the life of the party, and for their tribute song to their fallen bandmate, Cali Swag District wanted to reflect that. Last week CSD released "How to Do That," a single dedicated to M-Bone, who was tragically gunned down in Inglewood, California, on May 15.
"We wanted to do a song that's not sad, because M-Bone, he wasn't a sad person," Cali Swag's Yung told MTV News. "He was always hyper, had a lot of energy, loud. We want people to dance, we don't want people to sit down and cry when they think about M-Bone. We want people to smile and dance."
The track, which was produced by Poly Rob, has popping 808s and hand-clapping snares. Over the dance track, JayAre, Yung and C-Smoove all eulogize Bone in their own unique ways. But for Smoove, it wasn't easy, as he is still getting used to being in the studio without Talbert. "They did their verses and then I came later, but it was just like, it's weird being at the studio now. I feel like, 'Ehhh,' " he said. "I go up there, I still check in and stuff, I still record, but it's just different. I stay home most of the time, and then if I need to do a song, I'll go do a song, then I'll probably leave. I don't know, at the moment, I still gotta sit back and take it all in, before I can go back and just chill up there all the time."
Smoove took his time writing his portion of the song, making sure that his lyrics felt right. "I took forever to write my verse. I took a long time to write 16 bars. I wanted it to be and feel like I meant what I was saying," he said. "I had to make the lyrics fit the beat and make people still want to move to it and not bring 'em down by what I was saying."
On Friday, Talbert's family, friends and fans laid him to rest. His funeral service and burial were open to the public. Inglewood police are still investigating his murder and are asking anyone with information to come forward and call its homicide division at (310) 412-5246 or its 24-hour anonymous hotline at (888) 41-CRIME (888-412-7463).
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsDeath Cab For Cutie’s Guide To Seattle: Humble Beginnings
May 31, 2011
To celebrate the release of Codes and Keys, we unveil our week-long Death Cab for Cutie: Seattle Sonics series.
By James Montgomery
Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard
Photo: MTV News
SEATTLE — When Ben Gibbard first moved to Seattle, he spent most of his time wishing he could just go back to Bellingham, Washington. That was where he had gone to school (Western Washington University) and where, sometime around 1997, he had formed Death Cab For Cutie (whose new album, Codes and Keys, is out Tuesday, May 31). And it was with his bandmates that he had packed up and moved 90 miles south, to the Emerald City, in the hopes of making it as an honest-to-goodness professional rock-and-roll band.
Only, things didn't really work out that way, not at first, anyway. For the first time in their career, the guys in Death Cab were scattered — back in Bellingham, they lived together in a shabby rental on Ellis Street — and the band lost focus because of it. But there was also another factor at play: the cloying advance of early adulthood, which meant making music took a back seat to rather soul-crushing endeavors like working low-paying jobs. Or, in Gibbard's case, the eternal search for said gigs.
So, when he first took up residence in Seattle, in an apartment building on Corliss Avenue North in the Wallingford neighborhood, times weren't exactly great. He poured over help-wanted ads (the inspiration for the DCFC tune "The Employment Pages"), got turned down for a job at a local hardware store and fretted about the status of the band. But mostly, he just missed the easy life back in Bellingham.
"I was literally just going and applying for jobs, and I couldn't get a job, and I was getting more and more broke, and you find yourself groveling for jobs you don't even want," Gibbard said. "So I wrote a lot of songs [here] about Bellingham and how much I missed [it], because I wanted to go back to the life we had up there, because it was so much more simple than this."
And those themes were reflected in the songs he wrote in the Corliss apartment — songs that would eventually become the band's second and third albums, 2000's We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes and 2001's The Photo Album. At the time, Death Cab were in a state of flux, struggling to make the leap from local band to touring act, and they had moved to Seattle to help facilitate that transition. But living in the city (and lacking a steady drummer) was actually making that dream hard to achieve.
"When we moved to Seattle, everybody kind of disappeared into different corners of the city and it was a very difficult time for the band," Gibbard explained. "It was a time where ... there was the possibility we might break up or stop playing music. So, yeah, it was kind of difficult."
Which is why it's somewhat fitting that Gibbard and bassist Nick Harmer chose the apartment as the first stop on their guided tour of Seattle, a week-long trek we've dubbed "Death Cab for Cutie: Seattle Sonics." where they struggled with doubt, where Gibbard wrote "some of [his] favorite Death Cab songs" and where they came through the dark times and eventually put it all together, becoming one of the decade's most acclaimed — and successful — indie acts. Shoot, they even managed to overcome the building's lack of a buzzer, thanks to some fishing line and bells, as you'll see in the piece.
For all intents and purposes, Death Cab's career begins here, in a brick building on Corliss and 45th Street. And it continues with Codes and Keys, which is very much about the search for home, wherever that may be. So, without further ado, we'll let you watch Gibbard and Harmer take you on a tour of the place ... and the very fancy Taco Time just up the block, too.
Death Cab for Cutie: Seattle Sonics continues all week on MTVNews.com. Come back on Wednesday to find out where DCFC like to caffeinate and ship packages in their adopted hometown.
Related Videos Related ArtistsLady Gaga’s Born This Way Could Post Highest First-Week Sales In A Decade
May 31, 2011
Album is projected to sell more than 1.15 million copies, the most since 'NSYNC's Celebrity in 2001.
By James Montgomery
Lady Gaga
Photo: Credit KCSPresse / Splash News
Lady Gaga's Born This Way is projected to sell more than 1 million copies in its first week and could post the highest opening sales numbers in nearly 10 years, according to projections by Billboard.
Spurred by huge sales through Amazon.com — which priced Born This Way at 99 cents during its first two days of release (just one of a myriad of promotional schemes tied to the album — Gaga's new album is on track to move 1.15 million units, which would not only outpace the last artist to break the million mark (that would be Taylor Swift, whose Speak Now bowed with sales of 1,047,000 copies in November 2010) but would give her the biggest opening week since 'NSYNC's Celebrity, which sold 1.88 million copies in its first week way back in 2001.
Billboard reports that Born This Way sold more than 500,000 copies on its first day of release alone, including 330,000 copies on Amazon and 104,000 copies through iTunes. The album also dominated physical retail, selling more than 45,000 units through Best Buy and 35,000 through Target on the day it was released. It was also made available in an unprecedented amount of non-traditional retailers — more than 20,000 nationwide — including CVS Pharmacies, Whole Foods and Walgreens.
Given the number of locations in which it was sold, the pricing schemes implemented and the promotional ploys to which it was tied, there was some concern about just how to tally Born This Way's first-week sales. In the end, Billboard decided to count sales figures from Amazon (despite the 99-cent pricing) but not some from Best Buy, which gave the album away for free with a smartphone.
On Sunday, the album debuted at #1 on the U.K. album charts, selling more than 215,000 copies — the biggest first-week sales of the year — and also accomplishing the rather remarkable feat of outselling the rest of the U.K. top 10 combined.
Final U.S. sales results will be revealed on Wednesday.
Related Videos Related Photos- Lady Gaga Joins Her Little Monsters At Best Buy Signing
- Lady Gaga Is A Three-Headed Monster In V Magazine
‘Hobbit’ Movies Journeying Into Theaters In December 2012, 2013
May 31, 2011
The titles of the two 'Lord of the Rings' prequels will be 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' and 'The Hobbit: There and Back Again.'
By Gil Kaufman
Martin Freeman
Photo: Samir Hussein/ Getty Images
There is finally some daylight at the end of the long, twisty journey to the screen of the two-film telling of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Over the holiday weekend, director Peter Jackson announced the names of the two movies he's filming based on Tolkien's preview novel to "The Lord of the Rings" and the release dates for the eagerly anticipated flicks.
The first part, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," is slated to open on December 14, 2012, while the second, titled "The Hobbit: There and Back Again," will open almost a year later, on December 13, 2013. After years of setbacks and false starts, Jackson finally began shooting the 3-D "Hobbit" movies in March in New Zealand with a cast headed by Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, as well as such returning "Lord of the Ring" stars as Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Sir Ian McKellen and Hugo Weaving.
It was announced on Friday that Bloom would be donning his golden wig again to play the role of the elf Legolas. "The Hobbit" is set 60 years before "The Lord of the Rings" and follows the journey of plucky hobbit Bilbo, who is drawn into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the vicious dragon Smaug.
The cast also features Richard Armitage, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O'Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas and Aidan Turner.
Check out everything we've got on "The Hobbit."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Will vampires and werewolves own the 2011 MTV Movie Awards? Can wizards or dream thieves steal the Golden Popcorn? Find out on June 5, when the 20th annual show airs live at 9 p.m. ET/PT. To get into the magical movie mood, we're kicking off a Sneak Peek Week starting on May 30 — five days of exclusives and interviews with the casts of "Fright Night," "Horrible Bosses" and more. Check out everything there is to know about Sneak Peek Week and the Movie Awards at MovieAwards.MTV.com!
Sean Kingston Gets Twitter Support From Rihanna, Nicki Minaj
May 31, 2011
Singer remains in critical, but stable condition after Sunday's jet-ski accident.
By Gil Kaufman
Sean Kingston
Photo: Getty/ Jon Kopaloff
No news was good news on Tuesday, as "Beautiful Girls" singer Sean Kingston remained in critical, but stable condition at a Miami hospital after crashing his See Doo jet ski into the Palm Island Bridge on Sunday evening.
Pal and former tourmate Justin Bieber "Eenie Meenie", "Sean we praying for u baby."
Nicki Minaj tweeted, "My love & prayers are with Sean Kingston & his family." And rapper LL Cool J wrote, "I hope and pray that Sean Kingston recovers quickly.... #staystrong."
Soulja Boy also offered his thoughts, writing, "Praying for my brother @seankingston. I hope he makes a full recovery ... smh it's always something :("
No information has been released about the extent of Kingston's injuries. The 21-year-old was moved from the trauma unit to the intensive care unit on Monday, a day after crashing the personal watercraft and sustaining serious injuries. His unidentified 23-year-old female passenger was also hurt and thrown into the water in the incident. A passing boater saw the crash and pulled the two victims into his boat according to reports.
Miami's Local 10 News reported on Monday that police had taken the dark blue and white See Doo into evidence, noting that the steering column and parts of one side appeared to be smashed in from the impact. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but TMZ reported that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that alcohol was not a factor in the crash.
The person who fished Kingston and his companion out of the water, Coast Guard member Jonathan Rivera, told TMZ that Kingston was responsive and spoke during his rescue, even as he was vomiting blood.
Related Photos‘The Hangover Part II’ Smashes Box-Office Record
May 31, 2011
Todd Phillips' sequel has biggest opening weekend for a live-action comedy.
By Ryan J. Downey
Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Zack Galifianakis in "The Hangover Part II"
Photo: Warner Bros.
Two years ago, "The Hangover" writer/director Todd Phillips told MTV News: "I love 'The Hangover' so much and I think we could crush it with the sequel." In terms of ticket sales, at least, he was right.
"The Hangover Part II" crushed a box-office record over the weekend, grossing $86 million from Friday-to-Sunday, the biggest opening ever for a live-action comedy. Thanks to the Memorial Day holiday and a Thursday debut, the buddy sequel (which swaps Las Vegas for Thailand) has already made $117 million. "The Hangover" opened with $45 million in 2009. "Part II" stands just behind "The Matrix Reloaded" on the list of R-rated openings.
Another sequel, "Kung Fu Panda 2," was the #2 movie at the box office, according to studio estimates. Featuring the voice of Jack Black in the title role, the animated kids' flick debuted with $47.8 million over the four-day weekend. The movie's 3-D screenings accounted for about 45 percent of its business. The film's opening weekend total was less than that of the first film, despite many positive reviews. "The Hangover Part II," by comparison, was a flop with critics.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" took in $39.5 million for a two-week $153.1 million domestic total. "Bridesmaids" held strong with $16.5 million to come in at #4 with an $85.1 million total. "Thor" rounded out the top five with $9.4 million for a $159.7 million total.
Filmmaker Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" managed to enter the top 10 despite playing at only 52 locations. (By comparison, "The Hangover" sequel was available at over 3600 locations). Starring Owen Wilson and bolstered by strong reviews, "Midnight" was #7 at the box office with $1.9 million for a two-week total of $2.8 million. Also in limited release, "The Tree of Life," starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, opened at four locations with $373,000.
Mutant superhero prequel "X-Men: First Class" hits theaters this weekend. As of press time, the latest entry in Fox's "X-Men" franchise boasts a perfect 100 percent positive rating with critics, according to movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. This weekend's limited releases include "Beginners" (starring Ewan McGregor), "Beautiful Boy" and the Ben Stiller produced "Submarine."
Will vampires and werewolves own the
Check out everything we've got on "The Hangover Part II."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit
Rihanna Pulls The Trigger In ‘Man Down’ Video
May 31, 2011
Jamaica-set clip shows pop star locked in a violent confrontation.
By James Dinh
Rihanna
Photo: Lester Cohen/ WireImage
Rihanna has always repped her island roots, so it was only fitting that the red-haired diva took to Jamaica to film the new video for her reggae-inspired single "Man Down." But, as fans may have guessed from the song title, things take a turn for the worse in the clip when the pop star guns down a man after a late-night struggle.
"Man Down" begins on a dramatic note when Rihanna shoots a man who's making his way through a busy train station. After committing her crime, the songstress flees the scene. But in order to give viewers some backstory, the video travels back in time to the previous day, when the singer is seen riding her bike and socializing on the streets of Jamaica, as well as embracing the island's hotspots. Director Anthony Mandler also cuts back and forth to scenes of the star singing the tune alone inside a bedroom at dusk.
At a nightclub, Rihanna begins to dance alongside another clubgoer. But it's not until after she leaves the venue that fans understand the motive behind her crime. After she leaves the club, the singer's dance-floor partner soon follows the songstress outside and begins to get violent. "Man Down" cuts straight to the scene of a disheveled Rih crying in the street, after what appears to have been a rape. The video concludes with the singer grabbing a gun hidden in a dresser drawer.
Before the video's premiere, the Barbadian beauty released a behind-the-scenes teaser. "I've always wanted to do a video here. 'Man Down' is just a song that you can't do anywhere else. We need to be authentic," she said, adding, "You can't get any realer than Jamaica."
The Rihanna Navy shouldn't be too shocked at the clip's intense story line as they've received a number of hints from both the 23-year-old pop star and video director in recent weeks. Just yesterday, the singer took to Twitter to unveil a bit about the visual's theme, tweeting, "Its #Gritty #GULLY #Emotional #JAMRock Very strong underlying message 4 girls like me! #listentoyomama."
MTV News spoke with Mandler a few weeks ago about the clip, and he revealed that Rihanna let him take the visual to the extreme. "We shot the video last month in Jamaica and it's my favorite song she's ever recorded, so I was really excited to get involved," he said. "And it's just one of those songs that demands a strong narrative and visual, and let's just say, she let me go all the way. So I think you can expect something that's dramatic and shocking and intense and emotional and uplifting and enlightening."
What do you think of Rihanna's "Man Down" video? Share your reviews below!
Related Artists‘X-Men: First Class’ Stars Talk ‘Humanizing’ The Mutants
May 31, 2011
'You take all of the effects out of the movie, you still have the basis for an entertaining story,' Kevin Bacon tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Eric Ditzian
Nicholas Hoult in "X-Men: First Class"
Photo: 20th Century Fox
The summer movie season of 2011 is poised to be one full of superheroes. Things have already been kicked off by the mighty God of Thunder, "Thor," but following quickly in his path are not one, but a whole pack of mutants-turned-superheroes in "X-Men: First Class."
When MTV News caught up with two of the actors who make up the mutant-tastic movie, January Jones and Kevin Bacon, we asked them to explain what separates this latest "X-Men" film from the rest of the DC and Marvel-based movies slated to open in the coming months.
"To me, I think it's the emotional content of the movie," Bacon said. "There's a lot of emphasis on humanizing these mutants. They're falling in love, they're having sex, they're angry with each other, they're getting drunk, they're acting childish and grown-up and learning things," he explained of the younger characters in the film. "You take all of the effects out of the movie, you still have the basis for an entertaining story."
Speaking specifically about the look and feel of their characters, who are inspired by a rich and lengthy history, Jones, who plays telepath Emma Frost, revealed she was happy to jump into the world of comic books, even if it meant wearing a bikini for most of the film.
"I was aware [of the costume]," she said. "I read the comics, I did my research. I'm more dressed in the movie than she is in the comics," she pointed out. "So I was actually quite relieved."
With regard to Bacon's character, the villainous Sebastian Shaw, we wondered if his nuanced performance might have been influenced by the evildoers in the James Bond franchise.
"No, I really didn't [draw from any of those films]," he said. "This was the first that I've even thought about Bond, but it's come up quite a bit. I love those movies," he revealed. "I grew up with those movies. They were very, very influential on me as a kid. My son, when he was about 10, he became a huge fan. We went back and watched them all again. If something feels Bond-ian, it was subconscious."
Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
Related Videos Related Photos‘Twilight’ Director Weighs In On Kristen Stewart’s MTV Movie Awards Nods
May 31, 2011
Catherine Hardwicke says a tie would be 'safest solution' for Stewart's dual nominations in Best Kiss category.
By Jocelyn Vena
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in "Eclipse"
Photo: Summit
Earlier this month, we asked whether "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" would rule the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. Well, that question will finally be answered on Sunday night when the show goes live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles with "SNL" star Jason Sudeikis serving as host.
The third "Twilight" flick is up for eight Golden Popcorn statues this year, and given the series' past record, Twilighters probably don't have to worry too much about its chances. The director of the first "Twilight" flick, Catherine Hardwicke, says she is not surprised that people are still as frenzied about the movies as they were back in 2008.
"Well, I think it's great. I love it that people are so passionate about it and that people are really into it and following the characters," she told MTV News when we chatted with her about the June 14 DVD release of "Red Riding Hood," which she also directed. "I think it's a great tribute, obviously, to what [author] Stephenie Meyer created. ... Rob and Kristen and everybody's been able to just keep it going and keep people loving it all this time, and, of course, all the directors, everybody. I think it's awesome. It's great."
Stewart is nominated in the Best Kiss category for locking lips with both Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson. So which kiss does the director think she should win for? "Maybe it can be a tie? That would be perfect! I think [that's] the safest solution to this problem," she laughed.
Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."
For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.
Related PhotosTity Boi Delivers ‘Drop-Top Music’ On Codeine Cowboy
May 31, 2011
'I'm just looking at the game from a whole 'nother perspective as far as being creative,' he tells Mixtape Daily.
By Rob Markman
Playaz Circle
Photo: DTP
Mixtape Daily Main Pick
Artist: Tity Boi
Representing: Atlanta
Mixtape: Codeine Cowboy (A 2 Chainz Collective)
Real Spit: Tity Boi has set the streets on fire before. As one-half of the Atlanta group Playaz Circle, Tity (a.k.a. 2 Chainz) and his partner Dolla Boy broke ground with their 2007 Lil Wayne-assisted breakout "Duffle Bag Boy." Well, Tity is back on his grind with his new mixtape Codeine Cowboy (A 2 Chainz Collective).
The DJ Teknikz and DJ Franke White-helmed tape is filled with a variety of trap anthems. "Cowboy" samples Bon Jovi's 1986 hit "Wanted Dead or Alive," adding a head-nodding Southern roll to the rock classic. The Lex Luger-produced "Too Easy" fits perfectly in today's rap landscape, and "Role Model" finds 2 Chainz reunited with his Playaz Circle partner Dolla Boy.
"I'm just looking at the game from a whole 'nother perspective as far as being creative. We got thinkers on this end," Tity told Mixtape Daily. "You know I make that drop-top music. I make that music where you can drop your top and still turn your AC on."
With features from Busta Rhymes, Young Jeezy, CyHi Da Prynce, Bun B, Vado and Pusha T, Tity Boi proves on Codeine Cowboy that he is still the star of the show, even among such hip-hop notables.
Joints to Check For
» "Spend It" - "One of my most exciting records to record is 'Spend It,' produced by Drumma Boy. It's basically a summer anthem. I feel like I'm out here, I'm still in the streets. We need something to really inspire us, and that's what I'm here for."
» "Lala" - "Another record that I really enjoyed making — it's one of my biggest as far as response when I perform, is 'Lala' featuring Busta Rhymes. It's really not much to say. I let the record and the music speak for itself."
For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.
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