Bon Jovi tops album chart, David Bowie slips in at #2 with first album in a decade.
By Gil Kaufman
Justin Timberlake##Q##s The 20/20 Experience album art
Photo: RCA
Tag Archives: Bon Jovi
Hurricane Sandy Telethon Gets Help From Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige
In an effort to alleviate some of the suffering caused by Hurricane Sandy‘s devastation earlier this week, NBC Universal hosted a live benefit concert, “Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together,” on Friday (November 2). Proceeds from the hour-long telethon, which featured a slew of charitably-minded A-list celebrities who donated their time and voices to the cause, will go to the American Red Cross.
Hosted by “Today” show’s Matt Lauer, the commercial-free affair included heartfelt performances from East Coast natives Christina Aguilera, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Mary J Blige and Jon Bon Jovi (who rushed home from London to be there).
Aguilera opened the telethon with a moving rendition of her hit “Beautiful,” which was followed by the first of several packages of news footage that summarized the brunt of Sandy’s wrath.
One of New Jersey‘s most famous sons, Bon Jovi was shown paying a visit to a flooded neighborhood in his home state, where he offered words of support and hugs to the residents. The footage provided an intro to his live performance, an acoustic mash-up of his hits “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and “Living on a Prayer.” Billy Joel then took the stage with his almost chillingly relevant song from 1976, “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).”
The performances were interspersed with appearances by a slew of New York’s most famous faces, including Tina Fey, Danny DeVito, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Fallon, who provided a charming moment of levity with an all-star rendition of “Under the Boardwalk” with Steven Tyler, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
“Jimmy Fallon is a bold man to take lead vocals from Steven Tyler, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen,” funnyman Stewart joked following the sing-along, before providing his own sincere request for people to come together and help those in need.
Tyler was later joined by his Aerosmith bandmates Joe Perry and Brad Whitford for “Dream On,” followed by an acoustic version of “Message in a Bottle” by Sting.
Bronx-born Mary J. Blige offered a few heartfelt words of encouragement to the hurricane victims in addition to her moving performance of “The Living Proof.” “My prayers go out to everyone affected by the hurricane,” she said. “Hang in there, be strong and have faith.”
The evening was brought to a fitting conclusion with a few back-and-forth quips from self-proclaimed “Jersey boys” Brian Williams and Stewart, who reminisced about traveling on specific areas of the Jersey turnpike before turning things over to New Jersey‘s most famous and celebrated song man, Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band, who brought it all home with “Land of Hope and Dreams.”
To make a donation, visit RedCross.org, call (800) RED-CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 contribution to the cause.
Christina Aguilera Brings ‘Beautiful’ Spirit To Hurricane Sandy Telethon
Christina Aguilera hails from Staten Island, one of the locations hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy, so it’s no wonder the 31-year-old singer wanted to join Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi to help hurricane victims by performing in the NBC telethon “Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together.”
“I was born in Staten Island. … We are here for you. We will do whatever we can to help. We will not leave any one of you behind, because every single one of you matters,” Aguilera said to open the show, donning a magenta blazer and colorful streaks in her hair, before the familiar opening piano chords of her 2002 hit single “Beautiful” played.
For the emotional performance, Aguilera slowed down the ballad and took some new twists and turns in her signature vocal runs. The song’s lyrics took on a whole new meeting as she sang the uplifting track to Sandy’s victims. Aguilera and the telethon’s other performers are urging viewers to donate to the Red Cross online or by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 through your cell phone carrier.
“Jersey Shore” stars call Sandy’s impact on Seaside Heights “devastating.”
Prior to the telethon, Aguilera took to Twitter to express her support for hurricane victims. “Sending my love and support to everyone on the east coast who’s been affected. Thinking of u all. XoXtina”
The cast of “Jersey Shore” filmed for four years in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, which has damages estimated at $1 billion after Sandy. Now, the reality stars are also asking you to help those affected by the disaster. “We’re spreading a PSA right now to text ‘REDCROSS‘ to 90999,” Vinny Guadagnino told MTV News. “You can donate like $10, and I think if a lot of people do that it will make impacts.”
Hurricane Sandy Brought Out New York’s ‘Warm’ Side, Matt Lauer Says
Tragedy has a tendency of bringing people closer, and as Hurricane Sandy struck down and left massive destruction across the Northeast, once again, we saw people band together to overcome.
In New York City, Hurricane Sandy managed to practically shut down the boroughs, leaving people without homes, power and transportation. Yet, this isn’t the first time this city has had to overcome tragedy.
On Friday (November 2) MTV News sat down with the “Today” show’s Matt Lauer, who is a New York resident and is hosting the NBC Universal benefit concert special, “Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together” on Friday at 8 p.m ET, and he admitted that he’s thrilled, but not surprised, that New Yorkers showed one another an outpouring of support during this difficult time.
“One thing that always surprises me when people say, ‘Wow, even New Yorkers are coming together.’ I think we have this reputation of being cold-hearted for some reason,” Lauer said. “Nothing could be further from the truth, a lot of the people who live in this region are the people that reach out to others in times of need, and New Yorkers always help one another, I see it all the time. This is not the New York of several decades ago where that had a bad reputation, this is a very warm city and for the most part people go out of their way to do what they can for other people.”
And doing their best for the people who have been affected by the storm are the elected officials. Political stakes become high during a time of recovery with media coverage and residents critiquing their every move, but according to Lauer, who has reported on this story at length, he feels that these officials are doing the best they possibly can.
“I think they are all doing absolutely as well as they can be expected to do,” Lauer said. “There is no script for something like this. You do what you can with the resources available to you, and you try to help people anyway you can, and these people all have their hearts in the right place. Governor of New York, governor of New Jersey, Governor Malloy out in Connecticut, they came in a very difficult position, everybody needs something right now, they can’t deliver something for everyone, but they are doing the best they can and I think we should be patient with them and give them our full support.”
One thing Lauer can’t give his full support to is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision to hold the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Many are speaking out against this decision, saying that city services should focus on Hurricane Sandy relief, and not the thousands of runners that will participate in the 26.2-mile race.
“Opinions are like blank, everybody’s got one,” Lauer said. “I will only tell you that while I’m a big fan of Mayor Bloomberg and a big fan of the marathon, I don’t think this was right to keep it going and that’s just my opinion. I hope it goes off without a hitch and I hope it doesn’t sap resources from other areas where they are needed, but if the decision had been up to me, I wouldn’t have done it.”
“Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together,” airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET and features performances by Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith and Sting. All the money collected will be donated to the American Red Cross relief efforts.
Michael Jackson’s Bad: 25 Years Later, Does It Hold Up?
On August 31, 1987, Michael Jackson set out to do the impossible: Try to outdo Thriller, his classic 1982 LP.
“It was the follow-up to the greatest-selling album of all time. A lot of people slept on it,” Spike Lee told MTV News of Bad, which the King of Pop released 25 years ago today.
It’s a story that the critically acclaimed film director explores in his new “Bad 25″ documentary, which will premiere at the Venice Film Festival and will be broadcast in the U.S. on Thanksgiving.
Ultimately, Mike fell short of his goal. It’s estimated that Thriller sold over 110 million copies since its release, while Bad has moved over 30 million, but Spike believes in MJ‘s 1987 release so much that he issues a challenge to all music fans:
“Go to the charts … and see what were the top albums 25 years ago, play those albums now and then play Bad, and then see which one still sounds fresh and doesn’t sound dated.”
MTV News figured we’d take Spike’s task to hand, but it was no easy feat. In a year where Bon Jovi, U2, Beastie Boys, Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen all notched #1 long players, maybe Bad isn’t such a slam dunk.
The year started off with Springsteen’s Live/1975-85 at the top of the charts, but we omitted that album and the “La Bamba” and “Dirty Dancing” soundtracks from our breakdown, choosing to focus solely on studio albums.
Bon Jovi‘s Diamond-certified Slippery When Wet dropped in 1986, but didn’t hit the top of the charts until January 1987. Similarly, the Beastie Boys‘ debut Licensed to Ill also took several months before topping Billboard. While both LPs were widely successful and spawned iconic singles, neither really hold up today. In the case of the Beasties, the sound of hip-hop has changed so drastically that it’s hard to find a place for it in 2012′s hustle-centered Rick Ross-isms.
Springsteen’s studio effort, Tunnel of Love, spent only a single week in the top spot and was a downgrade from the Jersey rocker’s previous triumph, Born in the U.S.A., so his ’87 LP isn’t much of a match for MJ‘s.
While Whitney Houston‘s second album (Whitney) ruled the summer thanks to powerful singles like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “So Emotional” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” it’s U2‘s Grammy award-winning The Joshua Tree that comes closest to touching Bad. The classic LP cemented the rockers as global superstars, setting a blueprint for just about every band who followed.
Still, Spike looks at the King of Pop’s offering and its record-setting singles “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Dirty Diana” as clear-cut proof of why MJ can’t be beat.
“What people didn’t realize, that unlike Thriller, Bad had five consecutive #1 singles, which had never been done before until recently; Katy Perry tied the record,” he said.
Now, the choice is yours.
Which of the following top 1987 albums has stood the test of time?
Rosco Bandana Go From Mississippi To Main Stage With Hard Rock Records
Last year, Rosco Bandana reached a very important milestone in their young career: They got to play on a stage with lights.
Yes, it was a big moment for the seven-piece band from Gulfport, Mississippi, especially since said stage was in London, and they were playing the annual Hard Rock Calling festival (also on the bill: the Killers, Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart). What’s more, they had earned the slot after winning the Hard Rock Rising battle of the bands, a victory that would also earn them the distinction of being the first act signed to Hard Rock‘s new label. So, yeah, there was a lot going through their heads that day … but let’s start with those lights. They were a big deal.
“It was a great stage; it had lights and everything!” vocalist Jennifer Flint laughed. “When you have lights on stage, it gives you such a good feeling and energy. That helps a lot. We’re from Mississippi, and we don’t have that kind of stuff down there. We play in little bars and dives, not even stages. Like, back then, we were used to playing in the back of a restaurant.”
“We never have a professional sound crew or even working monitors sometimes,” percussionist Barry Pribyl Jr. added. “Usually, it’s [bassist] Josh [Smith] playing and mixing at the same time; it’s pretty intense. So, man, a sound crew, and lights … they were luxuries.”
And after spending years sweating it out on tiny Mississippi stages — “We’d usually play three- or four-hour shows,” Flint sighed. “That’s just what you had to do” — you can certainly understand why Rosco were blown away by that London gig … not to mention the, uh, reception they received from the locals, who tend to have a thing for scruffy Southerners (just ask the Kings of Leon).
“[Singer] Jason [Sanford] and I got into a little mischief there … nothing I can get into here,” Pribyl winked. “We really got the hospitality of all the Londoners, and we ate tea and biscuits every morning.”
And it would appear that the good times may keep on rolling Stateside, too. Their one-year deal with Hard Rock Records — which begins with the September 25 release of their debut, Time to Begin — has led to their first-ever national tour (it kicks off September 20 in Atlanta and runs until November) and raised their profile exponentially. And, at the very least, it’ll make the gigs of their past a distant memory.
“One of the venues [we used to play], the Julep Room, it has six-or seven-foot ceilings, and it fits, packed out, like, 20 to 30 people,” Pribyl explained. “And one night we packed the place out and we were all so excited, like, ‘Man, this place is packed!‘ And then we went in there the next day and looked at it empty and realized how small of a venue it was, it was a little embarrassing … we made, like, nothing at all and there was nobody there at all. So it’s quite a change to be playing on big stages and have a light system and an actual sound guy who can do the sound right.”
But how far can Rosco go? Well, thanks to their new deal … and the success of bands like Mumford Sons and the Avett Brothers, the time appears right for their mix of widescreen vocal harmonies and broiling bluegrass. And depending on which member you ask, they’re either preparing for a life on the road, or a world-uniting smash. Either way, it’s better than playing restaurants in Mississippi.
“My goal is to solidify something and make this go as long as it possibly can,” mandolin and lap steel man Jackson Weldon said. “I’ve wanted to do this my whole life, and so making it a lifelong thing is what I want. I don’t really care how big it gets, I just want to keep it going.”
“Nah man,” Sanford smiled. “I want to heal the world.“
Taylor Swift, Usher, Rihanna Set For iHeartRadio Music Festival
Wondering who will take the stage at the second annual iHeartRadio Music Festival this year? Well, on Monday (July 9), the A-list-filled roster was announced.
In a press release, Clear Channel confirmed that Taylor Swift, Aerosmith, Rihanna, Usher, Bon Jovi, Lil Wayne, Green Day, Swedish House Mafia, No Doubt, Brad Paisley, Pitbull, deadmau5, Miranda Lambert, Enrique Iglesias, Linkin Park, Jason Aldean, Pink, Mary J. Blige, Calvin Harris and Shakira will all take the stage during the two-day festival. Ryan Seacrest will host.
“The iHeartRadio Music Festival is a unique celebration of music — it’s the biggest names in the industry coming together for an impressive weekend of live entertainment,” Seacrest said in a statement. “The momentum, energy and music experience around the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival was incredible, and I’m excited to be a part of this must-see event.”
More artists are expected to be added to the lineup closer to the show, which will take place on September 21 and 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Tickets for the two-day fest will go on sale on July 14.
“The iHeartRadio Music Festival is the ultimate celebration of what’s hot in all genres of music, from rock, pop and country to electronic dance music, RB and hip-hop,” Tom Poleman, president of Clear Channel national programming and executive producer of the festival, added in the release. “For the first time, fans from across the country will get to see today’s megastars like Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Usher on the same stage as legends like Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige and Bon Jovi. I’m sure we’ll have hundreds of memorable moments throughout the festival. It’s the concert line-up of the year for both fans and artists.”
Mac Miller, Foo Fighters, A$AP Rocky Set To Rock Bamboozle
The Bamboozle is back, and music fans are gearing up to hit Asbury Park on the world-famous Jersey Shore to see their favorite acts take the stage during the three-day-long festival.
It all kicks off Friday (May 18) evening, when Mac
Miller, Incubus, Mike Posner and Kreayshawn all rock the crowd on a night headlined by electro party-starter Skrillex.
Expect Mac to perform choice cuts from his recently released Macadelic mixtape and for Skrillex to spin dance joints from his Grammy-winning discography.
On Saturday (May 19), Pauly D returns to the Jersey Shore that made him famous to DJ for the crowd. Too bad Deadmau5 isn’t scheduled to appear — the two are currently involved in a back-and-forth beef over Twitter. The Foo Fighters and My Chemical Romance will surely rock the house, and the All-American Rejects will also rip through tracks off their newly released Kids in the Street LP. The great part about Bamboozle is that it brings dozen of acts from multiple musical genres, so if rock isn’t your thing, you can check out rap rookies A$AP Rocky, Iggy Azalea, Action Bronson and Mr. MFN Exquire as they continue to get their first tastes of festival life.
Sunday (May 20) promises to be the homecoming of all homecomings as Jersey boys Bon Jovi headline the evening. Soulja Boy’s buddy Riff Raff, who recently signed a deal with Diplo, is set to entertain the crowd with his off-the-cuff cuts like “Larry Bird” and “Time.”
T. Mills is also scheduled to kick-start his stage show with his new single “Vans On,” and funnyman Andrew Dice Clay will bring a bit of comedy and controversy to the stage. For tickets and additional information, head to the Bamboozle website.
Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna Land Atop Forbes Celebrity 100 List
Rihanna and Kim Kardashian debut on the list in grand fashion, coming in at 4 and 7, respectively. The two benefited from the inclusion of a “Social Rank” among the factors, which include money earned, TV/radio presence and level of press attention, used to formulate the listing, which aims to reflect the level of influence a celebrity has in the entertainment industry. With her millions of followers on Twitter and Facebook, Rihanna came in second in the Social Rank category.
Explaining Lopez’s position on the list, Forbes writes, “['American Idol'] gave her a platform to promote her music and turn her image around. It didn’t hurt that she also split from her husband, Marc Anthony. Suddenly a single mother, Lopez lapped up the media attention and scored lucrative endorsement deals with companies like L’Oreal and Gillette. She now has a line of clothing at Kohl’s, a top-selling fragrance and she was able to secure a nice bump — to $20 million — on her’ Idol’ salary for a second season. With 6.6 million followers on Twitter and 12 million fans on Facebook, she’s also proved a master of social media.”
Oprah Winfrey held on to the #2 spot on the list and was its top earner ($165 million) despite a tough year that saw her syndicated talk show come to a planned end after 25 years and her OWN cable network struggle in the ratings.
Justin Bieber also held onto the #3 position he debuted in last year. The “Boyfriend” pop star earned an impressive $55 million in the last 12 months and garnered top 10 rankings elsewhere across the board, coming in at #3 in the Social Rank and #4 in the TV/Radio Rank.
Her long list of chart-topping singles and the press attention around her divorce from Russell Brand, in addition to her strong Twitter presence and largely sold-out California Dreams world tour, were enough to push Katy Perry into the top 10 after debuting on the countdown last year at #12. She leaps six spots in this year’s ranking, placing at #6 with a not-too-shabby $45 million earned.
Looking at the list and the various artists’ rankings in the five categories used to determine their placement, there’s a sense that the actual positions are more arbitrary than usual. For example, Lopez is #1 despite not ranking inside the top 10 in any of the categories (and is as low as #30 in money, #22 in press rank and #19 in social), while both Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber earned top 10 placement in all of them except the Money Rank, the top tier of which is dominated by multimedia moguls like Winfrey, Steven Spielberg (#10 overall), Simon Cowell (#18), Dr. Dre (#26), Howard Stern (#30) and Michael Bay (#35).
And then there’s Adele, who despite having the top-selling album in six years, three #1 singles (including the year’s most ubiquitous song, “Rolling in the Deep”), six Grammy wins and mountains of positive press, ranks at only #24, behind Glenn Beck (#23) and Jennifer Aniston (#22) and one spot ahead of Bon Jovi.
Other notable entries on the Forbes Celebrity 100 include Taylor Swift at #11, Beyoncé at #16, Jay-Z at #38, Kristen Stewart at #43 and Kanye West at #45. Further down the power rankings are Lil Wayne (#69), Skrillex (#92) and Zooey Deschanel (#96).
Jennifer Lopez Tops Forbes Celebrity 100
There’s no doubt Jennifer Lopez has experienced one of the most meteoric comebacks in recent memory, and it seems Forbes is taking note, granting the multi-hyphenate mogul the top spot on its annual Celebrity 100.
Lopez unseats Lady Gaga, who took top honors last year but falls to #5 in this year’s ranking; her visibility and earnings were lower in the last 12 months because she wasn’t touring, having wrapped her Monster Ball in May of last year and only recently launching her latest road show, the Born This Way Ball.
Rihanna and Kim Kardashian debut on the list in grand fashion, coming in at 4 and 7, respectively. The two benefited from the inclusion of a “Social Rank” among the factors, which include money earned, TV/radio presence and level of press attention, used to formulate the listing, which aims to reflect the level of influence a celebrity has in the entertainment industry. With her millions of followers on Twitter and Facebook, Rihanna came in second in the Social Rank category.
Explaining Lopez’s position on the list, Forbes writes, “['American Idol'] gave her a platform to promote her music and turn her image around. It didn’t hurt that she also split from her husband, Marc Anthony. Suddenly a single mother, Lopez lapped up the media attention and scored lucrative endorsement deals with companies like L’Oreal and Gillette. She now has a line of clothing at Kohl’s, a top-selling fragrance and she was able to secure a nice bump — to $20 million — on her’ Idol’ salary for a second season. With 6.6 million followers on Twitter and 12 million fans on Facebook, she’s also proved a master of social media.”
Oprah Winfrey held on to the #2 spot on the list and was its top earner ($165 million) despite a tough year that saw her syndicated talk show come to a planned end after 25 years and her OWN cable network struggle in the ratings.
Justin Bieber also held onto the #3 position he debuted in last year. The “Boyfriend” pop star earned an impressive $55 million in the last 12 months and garnered top 10 rankings elsewhere across the board, coming in at #3 in the Social Rank and #4 in the TV/Radio Rank.
Her long list of chart-topping singles and the press attention around her divorce from Russell Brand, in addition to her strong Twitter presence and largely sold-out California Dreams world tour, were enough to push Katy Perry into the top 10 after debuting on the countdown last year at #12. She leaps six spots in this year’s ranking, placing at #6 with a not-too-shabby $45 million earned.
Looking at the list and the various artists’ rankings in the five categories used to determine their placement, there’s a sense that the actual positions are more arbitrary than usual. For example, Lopez is #1 despite not ranking inside the top 10 in any of the categories (and is as low as #30 in money, #22 in press rank and #19 in social), while both Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber earned top 10 placement in all of them except the Money Rank, the top tier of which is dominated by multimedia moguls like Winfrey, Steven Spielberg (#10 overall), Simon Cowell (#18), Dr. Dre (#26), Howard Stern (#30) and Michael Bay (#35).
And then there’s Adele, who despite having the top-selling album in six years, three #1 singles (including the year’s most ubiquitous song, “Rolling in the Deep”), six Grammy wins and mountains of positive press, ranks at only #24, behind Glenn Beck (#23) and Jennifer Aniston (#22) and one spot ahead of Bon Jovi.
Other notable entries on the Forbes Celebrity 100 include Taylor Swift at #11, Beyoncé at #16, Jay-Z at #38, Kristen Stewart at #43 and Kanye West at #45. Further down the power rankings are Lil Wayne (#69), Skrillex (#92) and Zooey Deschanel (#96).
What do you think of this year’s Forbes Celebrity 100? Let us know in the comments below.
