marvel's blog

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Jessica Simpson And Beyonce: From One Mommy Mogul To Another

Maxwell's mom can learn a lot from another superstar mama, Queen B.
By John Mitchell

<a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/simpson_jessica/artist.jhtml">Jessica Simpson</a> is basking in the glow of new motherhood after <a href="/news/articles/1684216/jessica-simpson-baby-girl-maxwell-drew-johnson.jhtml">giving birth to her daughter</a>, Maxwell Drew Johnson, on Tuesday, but if we know anything about celebrity moms, she'll be back to work in no time flat.While she hasn't released an album of new material since 2008's country crossover record Do You Know, Simpson remains a true mogul. Her fashion line, the Jessica Simpson Collection, is the most successful ever for a celebrity. What began as a vanity line of bags and shoes has transformed into a billion-dollar brand that now also includes clothing, jewelry, fragrances and sunglasses.<CENTER><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:724613/cp~name%3Dnews%26id%3D1676907%26vid%3D724613%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A724613" width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed></CENTER>The dueling pulls of motherhood and celebrity create a tough balancing act for a new mom, but being a mogul already is evidence enough that Simpson can wear a lot of hats. Just look at <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/knowles_beyonce/artist.jhtml">Beyoncé</a>, another multi-hyphenate superstar with a newborn who is already plotting her return to form.Indeed, Queen B is a perfect example of exactly how to balance early motherhood with the rigors of being a mogul. She's done things her way and is readying her musical comeback with several <a href="/news/articles/1681308/beyonce-memorial-day-atlantic-city-shows.jhtml">planned dates in Atlantic City</a>, currently appears on the cover of<a href="/news/articles/1683832/beyonce-people-most-beautiful-woman.jhtml">People's Most Beautiful issue</a> (a covert and classy post-baby body reveal, in true Beyoncé style) and has even suggested she may at some point create a line of maternity clothes for her House of Dereon fashion line, telling <a href="http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/cover/beyonces-baby-love-interview-1111">Harper's Bazaar</a> late last year, "I love figuring out designs that still make me feel edgy and sexy while pregnant."Here are the three ways Jessica should look to Beyonce for post-baby mommy mogul inspiration:<big>Bouncing Back Professionally</big> Simpson's focus has switched from music to television in recent years, though she has never ruled out returning to the studio. Motherhood is a subject that has proven to be ace songwriting material for several pop divas, most notably Madonna. Madonna's 1998 album Ray of Light was inspired by the changes having a child had on her life, from her pursuit of spirituality post-baby to the change in her priorities once Lourdes entered the picture. The album went on to become one of her best-selling and most acclaimed, scoring five Grammy nominations, including Album and Record of the Year, and winning three awards. Its success reinvigorated the star, who returned to touring a few years later with a bang and has been on the road multiple times since, setting records along the way.Beyoncé is reportedly already working on <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/02/14/beyonce-prepping-two-new-albums">not one, but two records</a>, and it goes without saying that baby Blue Ivy and the experience of motherhood will be a chief topic of her songwriting. She's also set to make her return to the stage for three concerts at the re-launch of Atlantic City's Revel Entertainment Center over Memorial Day weekend.Simpson would be smart to put all the emotions she's feeling now to good use and start penning tracks for her return to music. The very emotions she's feeling now are the things that make for the best songs, something Beyoncé is seemingly well-aware of.<big>Working on Your Fitness</big> Jessica seems intent to make her post-baby weight loss a public affair (Get it? That song is her most underrated jam!) with a reported <a href="http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/02/11490423-jessica-simpsons-baby-wait-is-over-but-weight-watchers-awaits?lite" target="_blank">multimillion-dollar endorsement deal</a> with Weight Watchers, clearly taking a cue from B by keeping it healthy.Unlike so many other celebrities, who rush hard in ways that cannot be good for them to get their figures ready for "How I Got My Body Back" tabloid photo shoots as if it were some sort of competition, Beyoncé didn't appear to feel any sort of rush to get her pre-baby figure back. According to her <a href="http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20360857_20589758,00.html">People interview</a>, she has relied on a healthy, protein-heavy diet and three 90-minute workout sessions per week, mixing things up by combining running, dancing and exercise ball crunches. And the results speak for themselves: Four months later she looks fantastic, if not yet back to her perfect pre-baby figure. (Which is just fine; regardless of what the tabloids tell you, it is unnatural for the mother of a newborn to look as if she never had a baby in the first place just a few months after giving birth.)"I feel my body bouncing back," B told People. "Whatever was tight and muscular, like my legs, I'm seeing it come back. You just have to work at it."And work at it is exactly what Jessica will do — just in a more public setting than B. In the scheme of diets, Weight Watchers is among the healthiest and most effective. The program helps participants lose weight by forming helpful habits, eating smarter, getting more exercise and providing support, and has proven successful for such celebs as Jennifer Hudson.Having negotiated her contract with the company in December, she may not be taking her cues from Beyoncé here, but they clearly share the same mind-set when it comes to post-baby weight loss. Slow, steady, healthy and long-term is the goal.<big>Creating Products</big> While Beyoncé doesn't have a line of baby clothes just yet, she has mentioned being interested in creating a maternity line for her House of Dereon label. Jessica may have a leg up on Beyoncé in this department, given the breadth of products that have popped up under her Jessica Simpson Collection label.As both moms search for ways into the elusive baby market, Christopher Gavigan, who works with Jessica Alba on her Honest brand, <a href="/news/articles/1677997/beyonce-motherhood-business.jhtml">told MTV News</a> that he urges celebrity moms like B and Jessica to stick to what they love when it comes to branding."Find what you're passionate about and go do that," he advised. "You articulate that in a brand or in a way you feel from a business perspective that you feel you get your focus articulated in some meaningful or special way. A lot of it is partnerships and leveraging the greatest assets of each other."What else can Jessica learn from Beyoncé — or vice versa? Let us know in the comments below!<a href="http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1617615"><img src="http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/s/spotted/banner/spotted.jpg"></a>

Related Videos

All About Beyonce And Jay-Z's New Arrival

Related Photos

Celebrity Babies Who Ruled The Headlines

Amber Valletta

Is Keshia Knight Pulliam JOINING The Cast Of "RHOA"!!?? + Brandy REVEALS "Two-Eleven" RELEASE Date!

From Bankhead to Peachtree, the streets of the ATL are buzzing that former Cosby kid Keshia Knight Pulliam has joined the cast of "RHOA" for season 5. Get the deets inside and find out the release date of Brandy's Two-Eleven.

Could you imagine a confrontation between sweet-as-pie Phaedra Parks and the even sweeter "Rudy Huxtable?" Well, according to Straight From The A, there's a STRONG possibility that "House of Payne" actress Keshia Knight Pulliam will be mixing it up with the cast of "RHOA."

As rumors are swirling that former Miss USA Kenya Moore has already been added to the show to ramp up the drama, Keshia is being viewed as a soft balance & friend for NeNe Leakes (Keshia already appeared with NeNe during a scene on "RHOA" earlier this year).

Though nothing is "official," BRAVO is set to release the official season 5 cast photo very soon so all the cards will be laid on the table. Should be interesting........

I know I'm not feeling neither Keshia nor Kenya being the Housewives' newest additions. I think they're above it. But oh wells.

And in music news, Brandy has revealed the release date of her upcoming album Two-Eleven. She tweeted,

During an interview with Rap-Up TV, she talked about the album saying,

“It’s just gonna be a different album, but of course expressing the love that I feel now and the struggles and different situations that I’ve gone through in the past. My music always tends to be the soundtrack to my life and definitely inspired by what I see other people go through as well—gritty, edgy, different.”

Fans get ready!

Source: http://theybf.com/2012/06/19/is-keshia-knight-pulliam-joining-the-cast-of-rhoa-brandy-reveals-new-album-title

China Chow Chloë Sevigny

Photos | A History Of Britney Spears At The VMAs

A History Of Britney Spears At The VMAs

Related Artists

Britney Spears

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/a-history-of-britney-spears-at-the-vmas/1669639/6489585/photo.jhtml

Janet Jackson January Jones

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

How Laura Jane Grace Came Out To Against Me!

Against Me! speak for the first time since Laura's Rolling Stone interview, remembering the 'simple' way she told them she's transgender.
By James Montgomery

Laura Jane Grace
Photo:

When Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace announced in Rolling Stone that she was transgender, the majority of the story focused on her life ... with only a few paragraphs dedicated to how she broke the news to her bandmates.

This was understandable, of course, and though the details included in that RS story are scarce, they're also incredibly endearing: On the drive from Laura's St. Augustine, Florida, studio back to their homes in Gainesville, the AM! guys debated whether or not they needed to hit the gym "so that if anyone messed with [her], they'd be able to throw down."

But, when Against Me! sat down with MTV News for their first interview since the Rolling Stone piece shone a spotlight on their band, they revealed that there was another reason the story skimped on particulars about Laura's big revelation: Namely, to them, it wasn't really all that big of a revelation to begin with.

"We went to the studio just to hang out, we weren't even practicing, we were just having a meeting, and talking, and she just told us," longtime bassist Andrew Seward said. "It was kind of simple in a way ... [and then] on the drive back, because it's 80 miles from the studio back to Gainesville, I was just going through past lyrics and stuff going 'God, how did I not think of that?' "

"I didn't want to be melodramatic about it when approaching friends ... for me, it is a non-issue. It's something that's always been there for me, I've just never verbalized it before," Laura added. "I didn't really plan on it, I forget what exactly we were talking about, but I got to this point where I felt really frustrated that I wasn't making the point I wanted to make, and I realized I wasn't making it because I wasn't fully explaining myself, and the part I was leaving out was this big integral piece of myself. So it just came out of my mouth, you know, and we were just sitting there and it was like, 'So this is the way it is.' "

Still, Laura admitted she had no idea how her bandmates would take the news, or even if they'd still be her bandmates after she told them. All she knew was that, both personally and professionally, she was tired of keeping secrets ... she wanted everyone to know she was transgender, repercussions be damned.

"I reached a point for myself where writing, I couldn't focus on anything else but writing from a trans perspective or writing about trans issues, and as the album we're working on came together, it became more and more apparent to me that, at some point, I was going to have to say something to the rest of the band," she said. "Otherwise, if you're taking the lyrics to these songs out of context [they're] going to be misinterpreted ... so we kind of reached that point where once we started getting in to doing vocals and you're hearing the lyrics I was like, 'OK, this is the deal. ... There are going to be things that are going to be happening for me that, if I don't tell you this right now will probably look more like I'm insane as opposed to this is what I'm doing.' "

And yet, no one did. And, after being assured by her bandmates that Against Me! wasn't going anywhere — "It was just kind of like, 'Let's still do the band; let's still do everything we normally do.' That's pretty much the extent of it," drummer Jay Weinberg said — they're hard at work on their new album; a conceptual record they're calling Transgender Dysphoria Blues. It represents Laura's most personal work to date, an exploration of her battles with shame and depression, and the freedom of her new life. And, with her band backing her, she can't wait to bring the music to the masses.

"For me, the fear was, if I don't do this and I don't come out with this now, that the band can't go on. It was just feeling like this is what I need in order to continue to be doing this," she said. "Feeling like you're stereotyped into this role of an angry young male, especially in the punk rock scene, was just suffocating to me ... And feeling like so many of the things I was trying to express in my lyrics were being lost on people because it wasn't being framed in the right context, I didn't even want to do it anymore. ... But now, I do."

Related Videos

Laura Jane Grace: A Life Unburdened

Related Artists

Against Me!

Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1687895/laura-jane-grace-against-me-came-out.jhtml

Britney Spears Brittany Daniel

Michael Jackson - Gone Too Soon

Gone Too Soon

Artist: Michael Jackson
Label: Epic
Director: Bill Dicicco

Source:
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1102&vid=208381

Gina Philips Gisele Bündchen

Photos | 2011 Pre-Grammy Celebrations

2011 Pre-Grammy Celebrations

Related Artists

Usher

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/2011-pre-grammy-celebrations/1657727/5687439/photo.jhtml

China Chow Chloë Sevigny

Dimmu Borgir Release Live DVD; Plus Led Zeppelin, Brujeria, & More News That Rules, In Metal File

'It shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums,' guitarist says.
By Chris Harris

On October 14, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/borgir_dimmu/artist.jhtml">Dimmu Borgir</a>Dimmu Borgir — who just happen to be <a href="/news/articles/1593780/demi-lovato-metalhead-metal-file.jhtml">Demi Lovato's favorite black-metal band</a> — will release a a three-disc DVD/CD set called "The Invaluable Darkness," the band's first visual offering since 2002's "World Misanthropy." Boasting live footage shot last year, during gigs in Norway, Germany and England, "The Invaluable Darkness" demonstrates the unbridled furor of seeing Dimmu live, guitarist Silenoz said."It shows the honest rawness and atmospheric darkness of our concerts," the Norwegian told Metal File last week, after <a href="/news/articles/1596201/this-moment-make-dream-reality-metal-file.jhtml">dismissing recent online rumors that his band's next LP would be coming out through Roadrunner Records</a>. "Basically, it shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums. It's just a different side to the band, basically."Dimmu Borgir began thinking about "The Invaluable Darkness" two years ago, but didn't start capturing footage until last summer, Silenoz explained, adding that the band will use its current stint on the Blackest of the Black Tour — which got underway Thursday night in Miami Beach, Florida, and also features the tour's founder, Danzig, along with <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/moonspell/artist.jhtml">Moonspell</a>Moonspell, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/winds_of_plague/artist.jhtml">Winds of Plague</a>Winds of Plague and Skeletonwitch — to promote the DVD. Dimmu Borgir will not, however, use the tour to write material for their next LP."It's our first time on Blackest, but Glenn [Danzig] had wanted to bring us out before [on the tour], but we weren't available until now," Silenoz said. "We've done Ozzfest before, but we're looking forward to this tour more. We did the main stage on Ozzfest, playing in f--_ing broad daylight. This tour will let us play in bigger places, but at the same time showcase more of what the band's about, visually. We are going to concentrate on the tour for now. Some years ago, we tried putting [material] together on the road, but once we got home, we listened back to it, and were like, 'What the f--- is this?' So, we just scrapped it all. We find it's so much better to totally focus on one thing at a time, and then, when that's over, you move on to the next [thing]. We don't really feel like we need to rush things, anyway, so we'll just take our time, and it's going to be what it's going to be."Dimmu Borgir hope to reconvene in late December to begin writing the follow-up to 2007's diabolically titled In Sorte Diaboli. "We have some ideas floating around already, but we haven't arranged any material yet," he said. "We'll start doing that once the touring for this DVD is over." The band's frontman, Shagrath, is also due to marry soon — he's engaged to actor Nicolas Cage's ex-girlfriend, Christina Fulton, so that may have an effect on when Dimmu finish their next album, which Silenoz said could be out this coming spring."I'm sure [Shagrath] won't let anything get in the way [of] the band — I think, I hope," the guitarist said. "We don't need a Yoko [Ono] situation."While Dimmu have been at it going on 15 years now, Silenoz said he doesn't think their forthcoming material will be much of a departure from their previous black-metal offerings."And we have always been about more than just that term, 'black metal,' " he said. "Luckily for us, the older you get, the less concerned you get with the categorization and putting labels on your music. Things start getting more and more limitless with us, and we know that we operate within certain frames. But we try not to analyze things too much, because it's just going to be working against you in the end. When we write new stuff, we don't think about what we should write — we just get together, and put material together, and if we like it, we keep it. That's the formula, if we even have a formula."Dimmu Borgir are definitely getting older — guitarist Galder will be missing Blackest because of a recent addition to his family, and <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/susperia/artist.jhtml">Susperia's</a>Susperia's Cyrus will be filling in for him; while former <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/vader/artist.jhtml">Vader</a>Vader drummer Dariusz Brzozowski takes over for Hellhammer, who had to leave the band in 2007 after sustaining a neck injury that's now limited the use of his right arm. As Dimmu has gotten on in years, Silenoz admits they have failed to keep pace with some of the more extreme black-metal acts that have followed in their wake."We helped open doors for the more extreme bands out there," Silenoz said. "I'm sure we helped open doors for bands like Watain, [insomuch as] people that had maybe started listening to us first then went on to the more extreme stuff. Let's face it — we're not as extreme as Watain and other bands like that, but we're fine with that."The Blackest of the Black Tour continues through November 10 in San Francisco.The rest of the week's metal news:Dimmu's tourmates on Blackest, Winds of Plague, have announced ex-Azusa drummer Art Cruz has joined their ranks — he replaced Jeff Tenney. According to the band's blog, "Art has already added a new spark to the band and has provided us with a solid backbone that will allow us to continue our rampage stronger than ever." ...What the world really needs is another <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/led_zeppelin/artist.jhtml">Led Zeppelin</a>Led Zeppelin box set, so, on November 4, Rhino Records will issue the Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection Mini LP Replica CD box set. For just $200, you'll get 1969's Led Zeppelin, 1969's Led Zeppelin II, 1970's Led Zeppelin III, 1971's Led Zeppelin IV, 1973's Houses of the Holy, 1975's Physical Graffiti, 1976's Presence, 1976's The Song Remains the Same, 1979's In Through the Out Door and 1982's Coda, as mini-LP replicas, with artwork from the original U.K. LP sleeves. Now, you know what you can get your dad for Christmas. ...Former <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/killswitch_engage/artist.jhtml">Killswitch Engage</a>Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach and current Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz have teamed up for a new project they're calling Times of Grace, and they've already started working on material for their debut album. According to Leach, "We have two songs to go and we will be finished with all of the vocals. Adam has taken lead vocals in three songs as of yet and he is doing a great job. We also worked on a track yesterday that is so epic — we trade vocals and do two different melodies at the same time. This album went from a melodic metal album to an epic mix of metal/rock/pop/shoegaze and punk. So all of your metal expectations will be incorrect — we are pushing genre boundaries." To quote "Meet the Parents," we'll look forward to that, Greg. ...The Funeral Pyre and Early Graves will be hitting the road together next month, starting November 7 in South Lake Tahoe, California. Dates are booked through November 21 in Hollywood. ...The latest incarnation of Brujeria, which features <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/carcass/artist.jhtml">Carcass</a>Carcass frontman Jeff Walker and <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/napalm_death/artist.jhtml">Napalm Death's</a>Napalm Carcass's Shane Embury, have lined up several U.S. dates for this winter. The band will begin its brief trek November 28 in Denver, and wrap things up in Dallas on December 7. ... <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/demiricous/artist.jhtml">Demiricous</a>Demiricous will be touring with the Gates of Slumber starting November 9 in Denver, for a jaunt that's scheduled to run through December 6 in Indianapolis. ...Nearly three years after <a href="/news/articles/1518428/roadrunner-holds-all-star-anniversary-bash.jhtml">Roadrunner Records' Roadrunner United concert</a>, which took over the Nokia Theater in New York's Times Square, the label is now releasing footage from that special night as "Roadrunner United: The Concert." The DVD, which hits stores December 9, will boast two discs and 24 live tracks, including <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/life_of_agony/artist.jhtml">Life of Agony's</a>Life of Agony's "River Runs Red," <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/king_diamond/artist.jhtml">King Diamond's</a>King Diamond's "Abigail," Killswitch's "My Last Serenade," <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/type_o_negative/artist.jhtml">Type O Negative's</a>Type O

Anna Friel Anna Kournikova

Britney Spears, Demi Lovato Walk Off During 'X Factor' Audition

Sources say judges 'didn't want to waste their time' with lousy contestant in Kansas City.
By Jocelyn Vena

One "X Factor" contestant learned what happens when you attempt to pull a fast one on the judges. Over the weekend, while <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/spears_britney/artist.jhtml">Britney Spears</a>, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/lovato__demi/artist.jhtml">Demi Lovato</a>, L.A. Reid and seat-filling judge Louis Walsh (who was assisting an ill Simon Cowell) were in Kansas City, Missouri they walked out on one contestant who attempted to audition with his back to the judges.According to <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20602844,00.html" target="_blank">People.com</a> sources, not only did the contestant audition with his back to the panel, but he also wasn't all that talented of a singer, adding insult to injury. "It was really awkward," an eyewitness told the site of the kooky audition. "You could tell the judges were done. I don't think they had a choice. They didn't want to waste their time."<div class="player-placeholder right" title="Britney Spears Explains Why She Wanted To Be A Part Of 'X Factor'" id="vid:769620" width="415" height="255"></div>Another onlooker added that the male contestant didn't leave the judges much of an option given his lack of talent. "He was one of the worst singers and had a bad attitude ... [The judges] all hated it and walked off," the source said. Additionally, he had no idea they had walked out since his back was to them for his entire performance.Everyone except Britney eventually made their way back to the judges' table to hear the last contestant. Spears' absence was met with the audience chanting, "Where's Britney?" However, she was only gone for a short time, as she returned later on for another batch of contestants.Spears and Lovato made their debut as <a href="/news/articles/1685844/britney-spears-x-factor-judging.jhtml">"X Factor" judges in late May</a>, weeks after Cowell and Reid appeared at the <a href="/news/articles/1685206/britney-spears-x-factor-concept.jhtml">Fox upfront</a> alongside the singers to announce them as additions to the show. "Just really being able to be there and inspire the other contestants ... they're so young and they're trying to fulfill their dreams," Spears said at the event. "It's just a whole beautiful concept. It's just really cool."<a href="http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1617615"><img src="http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/s/spotted/banner/spotted.jpg"></a>

Blake Lively Blu Cantrell