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Musical March Madness 2012: Video Highlights

05 Apr 2012 11:18:00 EDT

The world's best bands duke it out for ultimate rock supremacy. Will your favorite band be crowned the winner? It's up to YOU.
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Ke$ha Out For Vengeance In Musical March Madness

08 Mar 2012 06:53:13 EST

'I'm getting ready as we speak,' she tells MTV News of this year's tournament, tipping off Monday.
By James Montgomery

Last year, based mainly on her attitude, the fact that she plays an AK-47 shaped guitar and the presence of photos like this, Ke$ha was given an 11 seed in MTV's Musical March Madness tournament — and promptly lost by a huge margin to U2 in the opening round.

Of course, she's spent the past 12 months fuming over that early exit, and now, she's going to get her shot at redemption. Not only is Ke$ha back in the 2012 MMM tournament — which kicks off Monday — but she's beefed up her rock credentials: working with the likes of Alice Cooper, channeling the "sexiness" of '70s rock on her new album, recording a (genuinely pretty great) cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and spending time snorting Tums with Wayne Coyne.

So, yeah, this year, she's ready to knock off the field of 63 other acts gunning for the MMM trophy — a brimming bracket that includes defending champions Green Day, upstarts Fun. and good pals the Black Keys, to name just a few — and reign supreme. But just in case all that rock-and-roll prep work isn't enough to put her over the top, well, Ke$ha has another secret weapon at the ready: an incredibly toned pelvic floor.

"I'm getting ready as we speak. I'm doing Kegels," she told MTV News, while throwing phantom punches at an unsuspecting cameraman. "Vote for me!"

MTV's 2012 Musical March Madness tournament begins Monday, March 12, when we'll unveil the full field of 64 bands that will battle for this year's championship. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act made the cut, it will be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM — but get ready, it's gonna be a war.

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Will Black Keys Team Up With Ke$ha? First They Want Jim Nabors

07 Feb 2012 12:19:30 EST

The duo sat down with MTV News in Berlin to discuss a pair of unlikely collaborations.
By James Montgomery

Theirs is a relationship that has spanned time and Twitter, seafood and shaving, but over the years, the unlikely bond between the Black Keys and Ke$ha has grown to become something more: a genuine friendship, marked with the occasional trespassing charge.

"We're friends with her, we've known her since way before she was famous, before she was even a singer, I guess," Keys drummer Patrick Carney told MTV News. "When she was 16 years old, she used to sneak into our shows. We kind of became friends with her by kicking her out of our backstage room, over and over again. She actually has snuck into shows in L.A., San Diego, Coachella ..."

"She snuck in and [got] kicked out of one show, like, five times," frontman Dan Auerbach added. "[She] snuck in through the kitchen. I don't know if she's such a big fan; she just likes breaking the rules."

So, when MTV News sat down with the 'Keys in Berlin during the premiere of their "Gold on the Ceiling" video, we had to ask if their friendship with Ke$ha would take the next step: an actual musical collaboration. It's not all that far-fetched, considering both Ke$h and Auerbach live in Nashville ("I see her every once in a while flying by in her T-Top [convertible]," Auerbach laughed), and recently, the glittery one has logged studio time with the Flaming Lips. So, could we see a team-up on the next Black Keys album?

"I guess, I don't know," Carney said. "We don't really do that many collaborations, really."

OK, so if a Ke$ha collabo isn't in the cards, just who would the 'Keys like to work with next? Well, as it turns out, they've got their eyes set on landing a very big star for the next record ... even if they mistakenly believe he's deceased.

"We both want to work with Jim Nabors very badly, but apparently he's not with us anymore," Carney said. Oh, but he is. Which means that, much like Nabors, the dream is alive. The Ke$ha collabo? Eh, probably not so much.

Should the Black Keys hit the studio with Ke$ha? Leave your comment below!

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Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Lea Michele Up For PETA Awards

21 Dec 2011 09:52:02 EST

Peta2 is bestowing awards including Most Animal-Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist to celebs for their support of animal rights.
By Jocelyn Vena

PETA's youth division, peta2, is giving props to celebs like Justin Bieber, Ke$ha and "Glee" star Lea Michele at this year's Libby Awards for their efforts in support of animal rights.

The Biebs, who appeared in a campaign for the organization at the top of the year using Bieber-fied catch-phrases like "My world includes passion for animals, yours should too" and "Animals can make u smile. Adopt from your local shelter," is taking on fellow animal-loving pop star Ke$ha and rappers k-os and Waka Flocka Flame in the Most Animal-Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist category. Ke$ha appeared in an ad campaigning against the slaughter of Canadian seals.

Michele, who speaks out against the mistreatment of carriage horses in New York City, faces off against "Jackass" star Steve-O, Cobra Starship's leading man and peta2's Sexiest Vegetarian Gabe Saporta, and "Victorious" star Daniella Monet in the Top Animal-Friendly Celebrity category.

The Ready Set, Tokio Hotel, Hellogoodbye and the Swellers are all up for Most Animal-Friendly Band. Ke$ha and Tokio are also up for Best peta2 ad along with Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness and Yelle.

The Libby (as in "Liberation") Awards will be decided on January 17 by fan votes as well as peta2. Voting ends December 23.

"Our nominees have all worked hard to shine their spotlights on a variety of important animal issues," peta2 Division Manager Marta Holmberg said about the nominees, which honors animal-friendly people and products. "As our accomplished stars demonstrate, compassion isn't just a virtue — it's also a road to success."

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Ke$ha Calls Bob Dylan Cover 'An Emotional Purging'

19 Dec 2011 18:24:12 EST

Pop singer sings 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right' for Amnesty International anniversary album.
By Jocelyn Vena

It's hard to associate Ke$ha with songs about anything other than hot guys, body glitter and partying. But she's defying her usual topics of interest for human rights organization Amnesty International. The singer is one of the many musicians on the org's Chimes of Freedom compilation of Bob Dylan's music, out January 24.

When MTV News spoke with K-Dollar Sign last week about her all-star remix of "Sleazy," she also opened up about switching gears vocally and emotionally for her version of Dylan's classic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."

"I mean, I think it's pretty well known that he's one of, if not my most, favorite artists of all time and ... one of the most amazing lyricists as well — the original storyteller," she explained. "So I love Bob Dylan and this was just, like, a dream. When they asked me to do a cover, I was just, like, salivating and going through all my records. It was so fun. It was the best homework assignment you could possibly have."

K's version of Dylan's song is a slow-burning, heartbreaking ode to the already heartbreaking classic, where she channels Dylan through lyrics like "Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say/ To try and make me change my mind and stay/ We never did too much talkin' anyway/ So don't think twice, it's all right."

Ke$ha had originally intended to record another Dylan track, but when she heard that someone else had their sights set on it, she settled on "Don't Think Twice," prompting a catharsis she could never have imagined.

"This song was kind of an accident. I sat down and this is the first take that I ever sang," she recalled. "I just sat down on my bed for the first time after months of being on tour and I just started crying, and it was kind of like an emotional purging, and you can hear it on the record."

In addition to Ke$ha and her contribution, the album will feature 75 other Dylan classics recorded by nearly 80 artists including Adele, Miley Cyrus, "Glee" star Darren Criss, My Chemical Romance, Evan Rachel Wood and Sugarland. The album pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International.

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Ke$ha Drops Lil Wayne, T.I., Wiz Khalifa 'Sleazy' Remix

13 Dec 2011 11:24:01 EST

Remix also features Andre 3000 and is a bit racier than the original track.
By Jocelyn Vena

As promised, Ke$ha and her boys Lil Wayne, T.I., Wiz Khalifa and Andre 3000 dropped a new remix of "Sleazy" on Tuesday (December 13).

The Bangladesh-produced song originally appeared on K-Dollar's 2010 Cannibal album before a remix featuring Andre popped up earlier this year. The latest version of the song is available for purchase and is all over blogs like Rap-Up.com. The song gets a bit dirtier and introspective thanks to verses from the guys that play up the track's bumping beat.

Wiz kicks it off, rapping about designer clothes and his lady love, Amber Rose. "OK, I'm young and I'm tatted/ I get them bucks like an addict/ Rocking this Christian Dior/ I spend so much on my fabric/ I got a wifey at home/ And what she wants she can have it," he spits before going on about chilling on the beach, being rich and his prowess in the bedroom.

Sitting in between Wiz and Tip is Andre's recycled verse, before T.I. gets his shot and gets sexy, asking Ke$ha, "Do you know what to do with me?" before he launches into a verse all about how good he is to the ladies. "Bad bitches know me/ So don't bother introducing me/ They want me more than diamonds," he brags before explaining that it has a lot to do with his impressive anatomy.

Wayne closes it out, adding his own signature flair. "We be on that sh-- that no one be on/ That's what we on/ Smoke that neon, Kings of Leon/ Dynamite, Napoleon/ Got some skinnies and a tee on/ And some Vans," he rhymes about his famous sense of Weezy-fied style before the song circles back to the funky chorus, where Ke$ha declares that she doesn't "need you or your brand-new Benz/ Or your bougie friends/ I don't need love lookin' like diamonds/ Lookin' like diamonds."

If any of K's fans or critics were wondering if she has the swagger to chill with the guys, she displayed some of her sass when she tweeted about the remix. "Question ANIMALS ... who can say they got with Lil Wayne, T.I., Andre 3000 and Wiz Khalifa on a f---ing hot track??" she asked. "ill give u one clue ... Its $."

What do you think of the "Sleazy" remix? Tell us in the comments!

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Lil Wayne, T.I., Wiz Khalifa To Get 'Sleazy' With Ke$ha

14 Oct 2011 12:52:39 EDT

Tip confirms second remix in the works for track, which previously featured a remix verse from Andre 3000.
By Jocelyn Vena

Ke$ha's already gotten "Sleazy" with Andre 3000. Now, a few more rappers want to get dirty with the glittery pop singer.

XXLmag.com reports that T.I. plans to jump on the track, and Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa will also be joining Andre and Tip on a new version of "Sleazy." Weezy should be a welcome addition to Ke$ha's dance tune, as it sounds somewhat like Wayne's single "A Milli." And while not much else is known about the remix, T.I. promised that he's going to go big with his verse.

"I haven't heard anybody but mine. ... I'm gonna put my money on mine," the newly freed rapper, who ended an 11-month prison sentence in September, told the website.

The Andre 3000 remix dropped earlier this year and appears on K-Dollar Sign's album Cannibal. The guys will have a lot of swagger to compete with because when Andre appeared on the first remix, he had this to say: "We start out so cute in our baby pictures/ That mama shot for our daddy so that he wouldn't forget you/ He forgot anyway, but hey, one day he'll remember/ If not, he's human, I'm human, you human, we'll forgive him/ I call her Keisha, she like it because it's 'hood to her/ She call me Andre 6000 because I'm good to her."

Tip told XXLmag.com that his appearance on the Ke$ha song is just one of many remixes he's amped about. He has also worked on remixes for Meek Mill and Rick Ross's "Ima Boss," as well as Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne song "N---as in Paris."

"I'm looking for some more records to jump on," he said. "That's what I'm doin' right now. I'm commandeering hit records right now. I'm hijacking hit records. If you got a hit, I'm on it."

Are you looking forward to the new "Sleazy" remix? Tell us in the comments!

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Ke$ha Celebrates National Coming Out Day

11 Oct 2011 10:33:34 EDT

'We R Who We R' T-shirts support the Human Rights Campaign.
By Jocelyn Vena

Kesha has joined forces with the Human Rights Campaign to help celebrate National Coming Out Day on Tuesday (October 11).

The pop singer created a special message T-shirt, featuring a purple zebra, that proclaims "We R Who We R," the title of her hit anthem about individuality. The shirts sell for $35, with all proceeds supporting the HRC's work to achieve equality for the LGBT community.

According to the HRC website, only 1,000 shirts will be produced.

Others are also using the day to bring awareness to LGBT issues. Several notable celebrities will be honored by the Equality Forum, which is hosting an event and profiling notable LGBT members in pop culture.

As LGBT History Month rolls on throughout October, Ricky Martin, Wanda Sykes, "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy and Pedro Zamora, a former "The Real World" castmember turned AIDS activist, all will be profiled by the organization.

"We're the only minority worldwide that's not taught history at home, in school or religious institutions," said Malcolm Lazin, Equality Forum's founder and executive director. "Like every group that's been marginalized, it really helps to make the case why we should take real pride in ourselves and our community."

Since launching the program five years ago, over 200 icons have been profiled, including Jane Lynch, Lady Gaga and Neil Patrick Harris. Lazin called LGBT month "empowering and life affirming."

The message comes amid increased awareness about young people being bullied, including MTV's A Thin Line campaign. The MTV film "DISconnected," which premiered Monday night, focuses on issues in a world where technology controls personal lives.

"I see the viciousness of people every day," said "Jersey Shore" star Vinny Guadagnino on the "DISconnected" after show. "I kind of want to be a soldier in the field, so to speak, and try to combat the negativity with a positive message. I want to help open people's eyes up, like this movie does, to the negativity."

Check out the Facebook page for "DISconnected."

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Taylor Swift, Rihanna Dress To Impress At Billboard Awards

23 May 2011 12:05:18 EDT

Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha, Selena Gomez also make fashion splash on red carpet, as showgirl style rules at the Las Vegas event on Sunday night.
By Jocelyn Vena

On Sunday night, some of the biggest names in the music industry hit up the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas and decided that sparkles and sequins make for the perfect additions to any red carpet get-up. Well, it is Sin City after all.

Taylor Swift always seems to bring some of that Nashville sparkle to any red carpet. She arrived at the show in a pale-hued, sequined Elie Saab gown. Nicki Minaj showed off her signature sense of style in her baby-blue, body-hugging spandex Mark Fast catsuit.

Selena Gomez turned up the style dial in a sexy, cut-out black Dolce & Gabbana gown that she paired with red strappy sandals with sparkly bow detailing. Like Gomez, Ke$ha opted for some cut-out detailing in her sparkly, slate-gray dress with tulle skirt. Rihanna looked white hot in her men's tailored Max Azria suit, which she kept sexy and feminine by not buttoning her shirt all the way.

Fergie went S&M chic in her little black bandage-type dress by Hervé Léger. Nicole Kidman also wore black. She paired a casual braid hairstyle with a long black gown and Keith Urban. British pop cutie Kyle Minogue looked funky in her little black lacey dress. Inside the show, Britney Spears sat in the audience wearing a skimpy black dress of her own, her hair in loose curls, with little-to-no accessories.

While some stars kept the color scheme low-key, Keri Hilson decided to stand out in her billowy little yellow dress paired with a turquoise-colored belt. Kelly Rowland showed off some of her best assets in a body-hugging, bright pink bandage dress.

The fellas also looked tight on the carpet. Joe Jonas wore all black with white sneakers, Ne-Yo paired his periwinkle suit with a Yankees cap and Justin Bieber wore black tuxedo pants with a gold-lamé tuxedo jacket.

Which stars' styles caught your eye at the Billboard Music Awards? Tell us in the comments.

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Ke$ha Is Channeling 'Sexiness' Of '70s Rock For New Album

16 May 2011 14:37:40 EDT

Glitter-heavy pop star tells MTV News she's going for 'balls-out, irreverent rock and roll.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

Ke$ha's already got the face paint down pat, and, during recent live sets, she's even taken to guzzling blood out of a human heart, so it should come as no surprise that, on her upcoming album, the pop star is taking things back to the most theatrical era of rock: the prop-heavy, arena-spanning heyday of the 1970s.

Ke$h revealed her plans over the weekend in Los Angeles, on the red carpet of KIIS FM's annual Wango Tango concert, where she told MTV News that the follow-up to her breakout Animal album (and, we suppose, Cannibal too) would be heavy on hard riffs and light on pretty much everything else.

"The next album ... I've been working on writing on the road, but as far as a sound, I just know it's gonna be balls-out, irreverent rock and roll," she said. "I've been pretty much in this '70s rock and roll kick and I just want to capture some of the true essence of what rock and roll is, and that's just irreverence and sexiness and fun and not giving a f---, so we'll definitely put a bit of rock and roll in it."

So, does that mean that fans can expect the likes of Alice Cooper or Peter Frampton to show up on her new album? Perhaps. Because while Ke$ha's new album is still a ways off, she's already begun calling in favors, hoping to line up a killer collabo for the new disc.

"I'm trying, trust me," she laughed. "I really would love to connect with one of my idols, I mean, that's my dream. I'm working on it."

What do you think of Ke$ha going rock for her next album? Tell us in the comments!

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