Mary J. Blige Dishes On Her 'Crazy' Led Zeppelin Covers

'I've listened to their music since I was a child,' says the R&B diva, who recorded 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Larry Carroll


Mary J. Blige
Photo: MTV News

You wouldn't peg Mary J Blige as the black-light-and-tapestry sort, but, as has become readily apparent in recent weeks, she absolutely loves Led Zeppelin.

In early February, reports began circulating that Blige had re-recorded Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven," working with Travis Barker, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson and guitarist Steve Vai on the track, which is slated to appear on the international reissue of her Stronger With Each Tear album, due Monday.

But after she had recorded "Stairway," Blige continued to get the Led out, covering another Zeppelin classic — the thunderous "Whole Lotta Love" — for the album too. And when MTV News caught up with her on the Essence Black Women in Hollywood red carpet, she told us all about channeling her inner Robert Plant for the tracks, a process that came much easier than you'd probably imagine.

"I did Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' — it's crazy," she said. "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I'm not going to say I've been to their concerts, but I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway to Heaven,' and 'Whole Lotta Love' is just fun."

Blige also said she recorded another new song — a "club record" called "I Can't Wait" — for the re-release. And while it's only slated to hit shelves outside the U.S., she hopes her fans will get a chance to hear all the new songs pretty soon.

"I want y'all to hear it," she laughed.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1633563/mary-j-blige-dishes-on-her-crazy-led-zeppelin-covers.jhtml

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Britney Spears Says Femme Fatale Tour Will Be 'Spectacular'

Singer also hopes her choreographers create the 'most outrageous things.'
By James Dinh


Britney Spears
Photo: Jive

Britney Spears is known for delivering an over-the-top stage show, and she promises that her forthcoming Femme Fatale Tour alongside Nicki Minaj will be no different.

In a new video interview posted on her website, the pop princess opens up about her 26-date summer venture, which is set to kick off June 16 in Sacramento and make its way across North America, before concluding August 13 in Toronto.

"The Femme Fatale Tour will hopefully just be outrageously spectacular," Spears said when asked about the trek. "I'm just hoping that the choreographers will come up with just the most outrageous things, and I'm really excited."

While it's been just over a month since the release of Femme Fatale, Brit gushed about the outing, saying, "This is one of the most excited I've been about a project in a really long time, so I can't wait."

While a set list has yet to surface, it would make sense that some of Spears' personal favorite Femme Fatale cuts will be performed throughout her concert, which she revealed as "He About to Lose Me," "Criminal" and "Till the World Ends."

Fans caught an early glimpse at the forthcoming tour last week when video footage of the pop star rehearsing the Bloodshy & Avant-produced "How I Roll" surfaced online. Wearing a baby-blue sports bra and sweatpants, a smiling Spears showed off some playful dance moves surrounded by a group of dancers.

Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph, told MTV News back in March that the tour is expected to have a postapocalyptic theme in tune with her latest single, "Till the World Ends." "This is exactly the direction we're moving in," he said. " 'Till the World Ends' keeps becoming a theme for us. ... The way we come up with a concept for a show like this is we sit with Britney, she talks to us about what she's interested in and what excites her."

Have you purchased tickets to Spears' tour yet? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663210/britney-spears-femme-fatale.jhtml

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Sarah Jessica Parker & James: Walkin' In The Warm Weather

Sarah Jessica Parker and her son James Wilkie did their usual stroll to school on Friday morning (June 10).

The two dressed appropriately for the warm weather. The actress wore a black bra under a white tank while James had on a more colorful assemble of shorts and a tee.

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Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/06/10/sarah-jessica-parker

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Kardashians Promise Two Weddings On 'Keeping Up'

'But I'm not going to tell you who,' Khloé teases us about new season of the reality series kicking off Sunday.
By Jocelyn Vena


Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian
Photo: MTV News

On Sunday, Kourtney, Kim and Khloé will kick off another season of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." What should fans expect? Well, according to the sisters, more than one person will be tying the knot.

"We're still a family, so you're gonna see what normal families do, but it's different this time around 'cause we all have our own families," Khloé teased about the E! reality show. "So trying to combine families is hard and sometimes the men want to rip their hair out. It's always going to be that family dynamic."

Then she added, "There's two weddings this season, but I'm not going to tell you who."

Since Kim recently announced her engagement to NBA player Kris Humphries, we figured there's a good chance her wedding might be one of the two featured this season. Then Khloé hinted, "But it's not me and it's not Kim, so you figure it out."

If may seem as if the Kardashians are always on TV, what with "Khloé & Lamar" only recently wrapping up, but the girls are quick to point out there's nothing like when the whole family gets together.

Kourtney said the season premiere will let fans in on what each of the Kardashians has been up to (as if we don't already know). "I think, too, it's just a lot of catching up," she said. "We haven't all been together so, you know, just seeing us all together and what we've been up to."

"We haven't been off TV long, but 'Keeping Up,' I feel has been off TV for a while, so we're so excited," Khloé said. "And doing a family show, we love to do it 'cause we're all together all the time. So we feel like we're back and in full effect.

"The first episode, I mean, you get to really see how Kim and Kris first started dating, and especially Kim and I have a lot of arguments about it because she comes to my house and I have a lot of old memorabilia from a lot of old exes and she doesn't like that," she continued. "But I don't know who Kris is [in the beginning]. I feel like I didn't get the memo to change the pictures; a lot of just feuding going on."

Are you excited for a new season of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians"? Tell us in the comments!

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665513/keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-preview.jhtml

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Lady Gaga's Born This Way Banned In Lebanon

Officials have reportedly impounded copies of Gaga's latest disc, calling it 'offensive to Christianity.'
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty

On Monday night, Lady Gaga attended the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards in New York City, where she accepted the Fashion Iconprize.

Donning a green wig and a black dress with mesh and spikes, the superstar opened up about her love of fashion and how it shaped her as an artist.

"All of you made me feel like a star before I was," she told the CFDA crowd at Lincoln Center, where guests included fashion luminaries like Marc Jacobs, Anna Wintour, and onetime star of MTV's "The City," Diane von Furstenberg. She continued, "As much as this award means to me personally ... I just want you to know how much this means to young Americans."

Gaga will continue to show support for her fans when she makes an appearance in Italy on Saturday at Rome's Circus Maximus to mark the close of 2011 Euro Pride.

U.S. Ambassador to Italy David Thorne said he is "very proud to have an Italian-American artist of [Gaga's] stature'' attending the Euro Pride festivities, which are held in a different European city every year. He added that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said, "Human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights."

It's not all love for Gaga, however. According to The Guardian, officials in Lebanon have banned Born This Way, describing it as "offensive to Christianity." The office of general security reportedly impounded copies of the chart-topping album when it arrived at the airport in Beirut. "Distributors are prohibited from circulating media that diverges from public decency and morality or is at odds with nationalistic or religious beliefs," officials told The Guardian.

Despite the report, Lebanon's information ministry insists that it "is, and always has been, against all forms of censorship." The Los Angeles Times reported that the Lebanese office of general security confirmed "[copies of the album] are still in our offices. We are still deciding what to do with them."

What do you think of Born This Way being banned overseas? Tell us in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665288/lady-gaga-born-this-way-banned.jhtml

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