Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Want To Wake Up With Beyonce? Revealing Photo Spread Takes You Inside Her Morning
The recording of Beyoncé's upcoming B'Day album was kept a secret, even from the singer's father/manager.
B makes the revelation in the new issue of Giant magazine, hitting newsstands Monday.
"I don't mind pressure," the former Destiny's Child leading lady told writer Scott Poulson-Bryant. "I'm very good under pressure. But I wanna put myself under pressure, not be pressured by someone else, or else I'm angry and it blocks my creativity. ... That's why I didn't tell anyone about this album."
According to Beyoncé, the only people who knew she was back in the studio (she was supposed to be vacationing) were her A&R guy and the producers she summoned into different rooms under the same roof: Rich Harrison, Swizz Beatz and Rodney Jerkins.
"I'd go to another one and say, 'Rich got some fire, you gotta come with it, man,' " recalled Beyoncé, who recorded three tracks a day for two weeks. "It was magical. We'd just write a chorus or a verse and go into the next room and work on it. Everyone was excited to be here, just being creative. It didn't have any of that negative competition. And I was very conscious of my budget. I paid for it all myself, so I spent the least money on this project than any I've ever spent on a record, Destiny's Child included."
Along with revealing details of B'Day, the Giant cover story, titled "If I Was Your Girlfriend," also comes complete with a rather revealing photo spread courtesy of Ellen Von Unwerth, who recently shot Christina Aguilera's new album cover.
The concept is to give viewers a chance to see what it might look like if you woke up in the morning with Beyoncé on your bed and watched her get ready for the day. Pics show the singer in a sexy negligee, in the shower (complete with shower cap), and doing her hair (with curlers) and makeup.
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Monday, July 10, 2006
'Back' In Style: Justin Timberlake Mixes Funk, Rock On New Single
"I'm bringing sexy back," Justin Timberlake boasts on his new single, "SexyBack." And Justin's back too.
After nearly four years since the release of his debut solo album, Justified, the singer has new music to share -- though you might not recognize it as his.
"It's been awhile since the last record," Timberlake told MTV News in Paris on Thursday (July 6). "And I just wanted to try something new."
Timberlake worked with Rick Rubin and Will.I.Am forFutureSex/LoveSounds, but it wasn't until he hooked up with producer Timbaland that he figured out the direction he wanted the record to take
"I sort of had an idea in mind where I wanted to go," he said, "and it turned out that I went completely left of that. But that's what music should do."
In "SexyBack," going "left" meant going more rock -- not in how he constructed the song, but in how he sang it.
"I wanted to sing the song like a rock and roll singer, not an R&B singer," he said. "That's the approach." Read more...
Monday, July 03, 2006
Eminem Returned To The Stage Out Of Love For Busta Rhymes
One of the major surprises at the BET Awards on Tuesday night was, of course, Eminem's return to the stage, teaming up with Busta Rhymes and adding a new verse to the "Touch It" remix.
Eminem has recently spoken out on behalf of his fallen friend, Proof, and announced plans to star in a remake of the TV show "Have Gun - Will Travel". Aside from that, though, he has kept quiet, grappling with personal issues like his second divorce from his wife, Kim, and his treatment for addiction to sleeping medication.
We haven't seen him rock the mic since last year's Anger Management Tour, and certainly haven't heard any new verses. So what gives?
According to Em's reps, Slim Shady wrote his new rhyme specifically for the awards show out of love for Busta. And even though there are no official plans to release a new "Touch It" remix with Em's verse, the audio from the BET Awards is all over the Net and will undoubtedly be popping up on mixtapes in the next few days.
"Eminem is one of my favorite artists," Busta said Wednesday night in Los Angeles. "To be able to have him on the same stage with Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Rah Digga, Papoose, Lloyd Banks, Will.I.Am, Kelis and Spliff Star for my performance was one of the biggest highlights of my career."
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