Aaron Carter

Aaron Carter Earns Robert Pattinson Comparison On 'Dancing With The Stars'

20 Oct 2009 09:50:00 EDT

Fellow contestant Kelly Osbourne sent to hospital after injuring foot.
By Jocelyn Vena

Karina Smirnoff and Aaron Carter on "Dancing With the Stars" (file)
Photo: Adam Larkey/ ABC

They are both guys in their 20s and both have graced their share of teen magazine covers. Other than that, it's hard to imagine comparisons between "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Aaron Carter and "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson. But "DWTS" judge Bruno Tonioli did just that on Monday night's episode.

Carter took the stage to reclaim the high praise he'd earned in previous weeks. And when he did the tango with his partner, pro dancer Karina Smirnoff, it seemed to work. When he finished his routine, he was enthusiastically rewarded with compliments from the judges.

"It was a little like watching Robert Pattinson tangoing in 'Twilight'!" Tonioli told the singer. Carter and Smirnoff later received a score of 24 out of 30, placing fourth for the night, tying with Joanna Krupa and Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel.

Despite her score, Osbourne had a less positive evening. E! News reports that she injured herself when the buckle of her shoe slammed into her foot during her paso doble to dad Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." Although she stayed for the entire episode, even performing the group hustle at the end shoeless, she was rushed to Cedars-Sinai hospital after the show. There has been no word on how badly she was hurt. Her dad was reportedly with her when she was taken to the hospital.

"At the end of our paso doble, Kelly banged her foot on the floor, which may have caused an injury," van Amstel, told E! News. "She is at the hospital right now to take an X-ray and an MRI to make sure she will be OK to dance. Kelly will keep me updated on her prognosis."

On Tuesday night's episode, as fans wait to hear if Kelly and her fellow stars will make it through to the next round, the "DWTS" pros will stage a Michael Jackson tribute.

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Aaron Carter, Karina Smirnoff Defend Cocky 'Dancing With The Stars' Comments

30 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EDT

'I was pumping myself up,' singer says of his statement that he'd win the show.
By Jocelyn Vena

Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff
Photo: Angela Weiss/ Getty Images

On Tuesday night's episode of "Dancing With the Stars," fans bid a fond farewell to Kathy Ireland, saw Joss Stone and Selena Gomez perform and even got to see Mya strut her stuff on the dance floor again. But it seemed like the hot topic was still the cocky comments that contestant Aaron Carter made in a radio interview on Monday, claiming he was hands-down going to win the show.

Dance partner Karina Smirnoff thinks that everyone has blown the whole thing out of proportion. "He is humble and one of the most non-cocky people on the planet!" she told Usmagazine.com. "All he said was, 'We're going to win.' They take that one sentence and isolate that."

Even Carter thinks people need to relax about his statement on 104.3 MY FM's "Valentine in the Morning" show that "there are no ifs, ands or buts or possibilities or chances, I'm going to win 'Dancing With the Stars.' " He told Us that he said all that in order to psych himself up for competition. "Honestly, I was pumping myself. I'm a big believer in positive energy."

As for rumors that the partners are having any kind of off-screen romance, Smirnoff (who has dated former contestant Mario Lopez and fellow dance pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy) says that is "ridiculous."

Carter actually admitted to having a crush on another pro, Chelsie Hightower, who is dancing with pro snowboarder Louie Vito. "I just realized, 'This girl is really cute!' so I just went up to her and said, 'Are you single?' " Carter said. "I'm going to leave it at that for now. I'm just going to put it out there and see what happens. ... I'm going to visualize that happening!"

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Aaron Carter

Aaron Carter Scores Big On 'Dancing With The Stars'

29 Sep 2009 09:36:00 EDT

Singer predicts, 'I'm going to win 'Dancing With the Stars.' '
By Jocelyn Vena

Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff appear on "Dancing With The Stars" on Monday, September 21
Photo: ABC

If Monday night's episode of "Dancing With the Stars" proves anything, it's that Aaron Carter and his professional dance partner Karina Smirnoff have the chops and the chemistry to make it pretty far in the competition. Their Muppet-themed tango routine earned the pair a score of 27 out of 30.

And they were praised accordingly by the judges. Bruno Tonioli declared the routine, "Spectacular, spectacular!" adding that Carter is "a mini-Fred Astaire." Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said the performance was "truly a pleasure" and that it had "great pizzazz." And the guest judge for the night, "Moulin Rouge" director Baz Luhrmann, said the couple was "clever and inventive.

All this praise may be why Carter thinks he has a shot at winning the dance competition. In an interview with 104.3 MY FM's Valentine in the Morning on Monday, hours before the show, he declared, "There are no if's, ands or buts or possibilities or chances, I'm going to win 'Dancing With the Stars.' "

Carter wasn't quite as confident about his dancing ability when MTV News caught up with him at rehearsals before the season premiere: "I think as a dancer I have a little bit of a competitive edge over some people, absolutely. But who knows?" he said. "We're all coming into this with not knowing what we're doing, so I think it's pretty equal 'cause it's not like this is what I do professionally."

As for his relationship with Smirnoff, as much as he might find her attractive, he promises there will be no office romance. "She's beautiful, but I've got to keep it professional," he explained on the radio show. "I'm sorry, but I'm not that guy. I don't got that kind of time."

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Aaron Carter Won't Get Brother Nick's Vote On 'Dancing With The Stars'

21 Sep 2009 06:51:00 EDT

'My brother's like, 'I love Michael [Irving]. I'm gonna vote for him,' ' the younger Carter says.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Grace Jackson

Aaron Carter and his "DWTS" partner Karina Smirnoff
Photo: MTV News

Aaron Carter is ready for the latest season of "Dancing With the Stars," premiering Monday (September 21) on ABC. He will be competing against the likes of Macy Gray, Kelly Osbourne, Tom Delay and Mya, but thinks that his toughest competition will be the guy in the mirror.

"Honestly, the biggest competition I feel is myself. The reason why I feel like my biggest competition is probably me," he told MTV News while rehearsing with partner Karina Smirnoff. "It's all about how much we rehearse and how much we take advantage of [those rehearsals]. I'm all about how much I push myself."

But his brother, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, pegged someone else as his younger sibling's biggest competition: football star Michael Irving. "I told my brother about [Michael Irving] and my brother's like, 'I love Michael. I'm gonna vote for him.' "

Carter isn't too worried though, given his job has required him to dance before. "I think as a dancer I have a little bit of a competitive edge over some people, absolutely. But who knows? We're all coming into this with not knowing what we're doing, so I think it's pretty equal 'cause it's not like this is what I do professionally."

He's finding the ballroom dancing in particular a bit challenging. "I always try to give you a little bit more. It's completely out of whack, if that makes any sense," he said. "Like it just doesn't click — it doesn't make any sense to me yet."

Carter also revealed that he had been asked to appear on the show before, but didn't accept until the time was right. "There was a couple of other times they approached me about it ... it just wasn't the right time and I had to go ahead and get my mind right and my body right and come into it with a clear conscience," he explained. "This time was time just 'cause the third time's a charm. It was a great opportunity that I just couldn't turn down anymore. I love competition."

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Aaron Carter On 'Dancing With The Stars': 'I Love Competition'

18 Aug 2009 01:34:00 EDT

'I love learning new things, so it's going to be really good,' singer says of mastering the dance routines.
By Jocelyn Vena

Aaron Carter
Photo: George Pimentel/ WireImage

Aaron Carter is ready to hit the dance floor this September as a contestant on "Dancing With the Stars." The onetime pop singer and star of "House of Carters" is already training for the show and is ready to tackle whatever dancing style they want to throw at him.

"I want to compete on 'DWTS' 'cause I love competition. I love learning new things, so it's going to be really good," he told "Entertainment Tonight." "I'm not really too prone to this dancing style, but you got to learn new stuff all the time. I don't know any ballroom steps, nothing like that, so it's a whole new kind of thing for me."

Carter will be competing against the likes of Kelly Osbourne, Mya, Macy Gray and Donny Osmond, knowing that each of them bring something different to the table. "Everybody brings their own sort of talent anyways to the show. Like I said, I don't have any training in ballroom, but I love to learn new dances," he explained. "I learned Capoeira from some of my dancers before. That is like martial arts/Brazilian movies."




	'Dancing With The Stars' Cast Announced

But out of all the people on the show — many of whom have a background in entertainment — Carter can't wait to compete against football player Michael Irvin. "I know about them football players. They have good footwork. I had been doing this football-combined training in Tennessee when I heard about this opportunity, so I started training in endurance and stamina," he said. "I was doing the ladders and footwork stuff. I know what it is with those football guys. They got it."

Although the Carter family has had its share of issues, Carter is hoping that now, with things settled, his relatives will be in the audience week after week cheering him on. "I love my family and everything's the best it's ever been, so I'm sure they'll be there with big signs."

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For The Record: Quick News On Notorious B.I.G., Guns N' Roses, Steven Tyler, Nine Inch Nails, T.I., Nelly & More

25 Sep 2006 09:04:00 EDT

Reward offered for Biggie information; GN'R reschedule tour dates, add shows; Tyler battles Hepatitis C.
By MTV News staff report

Notorious B.I.G.
Photo: Bad Boy

Almost a decade after the unsolved murder of Notorious B.I.G. the Los Angeles City Council voted on Friday to reinstate a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever was responsible for his drive-by-shooting death. According to KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, the move came as a judge prepares to hear arguments scheduled for February 27 in a wrongful-death civil case brought by B.I.G.'s family against the city that claims rogue LAPD officers were involved in the killing. ...

Guns N' Roses have postponed five dates on their U.S. tour — shows originally booked for September 27 through October 5 — according to Ticketmaster. Four of those five have been rescheduled: The band will be playing Fresno, California, on December 13 instead of Wednesday; Bakersfield, California, on January 11 instead of Friday. Saturday's show set for Reno, Nevada, has been bumped to January 13, and the Sacramento, California, gig scheduled for October 2 will now take place January 10. The band's October 5 performance in San Diego has not been rescheduled yet. Guns N' Roses have booked two additional tour stops, with shows set for the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk in Universal City, California, on December 17 and December 19. ... Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler told "Access Hollywood" on Monday that for three years he's secretly been battling Hepatitis C, a viral infection of the blood that can lead to chronic liver disease. After a year of interferon treatments, which "about killed me," Tyler said, the infection is now nonexistent in his bloodstream. ...

Nine Inch Nails will be releasing a high-definition live DVD early next year titled "Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time." A teaser for the effort has been posted to the band's Web site. The DVD will feature live footage captured during Nine Inch Nails' 2006 trek. ... Boost Mobile had something for everyone when they rewarded their volunteering fans with a concert Saturday in New York. The Rock Corps concert at Radio City Music Hall featured big names like T.I., Taking Back Sunday, Young Jeezy, Nelly and Panic! at the Disco. Nas was a special guest performer with his wife Kelis, and Paul Wall made a surprise visit onstage with Nelly. After the show, T.I. had a birthday party at the Maritime Hotel in Manhattan. Jeezy, Maino, B.G. and Zab Judah all showed up to wish Tip a happy 26th. ...

Backpackers rejoice! First underground-rap stalwarts Talib Kweli and Mos Def announced that they'll each release new material this fall, and now their frequent collaborator Hi-Tek is set to drop his sophomore album, Hi-Teknology 2, October 17 on Babygrande Records. The sequel to his 2001 debut will feature tracks with Nas, Busta Rhymes and the Game, as well as Hi-Tek's former Rawkus labelmates, Mos and Kweli. Hi-Tek, who has a production deal with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, will produce the entire project himself. ... In addition to the band's previously announced tour dates, which were set to run through November 26 in San Francisco, the reunited surviving members of Alice in Chains announced over the weekend that they'll be playing the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on November 27. The band's Web site will offer a presale for the concert on Thursday. ...

Mario made an appearance at Fergie's album-release party on Thursday and talked a bit about his own upcoming LP, Mario Barrett - Effortless, due November 28. "The album is very important to me," he told MTV News. "It's a very intense album, really passionate and much more upbeat than my last project. My personality gets shown a lot in this project, in terms of the song titles, and in terms of the subject matter that I am talking about." ... Lacuna Coil have been added to Glen Danzig's forthcoming Blackest of the Black tour, scheduled to kick off with a string of West Coast shows in November — no official dates have been released yet. Danzig will serve as the tour's headliner, and Marduk will also be on the bill, which is still being finalized. ...

The Pogues, who reissued several albums last week, are coming to the West Coast for the first time with the original lineup in 15 years. The trek begins October 9 through 12 in San Francisco and ends October 18 through 20 in Los Angeles. ... Our Lady Peace have set a November 21 release date for their greatest-hits collection, A Decade. The album will also feature two previously unreleased songs from the band's 2005 Healthy in Paranoid Times sessions. ...

Looks like Elijah Wood has interesting taste in music. The first act signed to "The Lord of the Rings" star's Simian Records is modern psychedelic popsters the Apples in Stereo. On February 7, the band will release its first album in five years together, New Magnetic Wonder, which features 14 new songs and 12 musical interludes, as well as contributions from reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel leader Jeff Mangum, who is credited with adding drums, backing vocals, handclaps and "cow object." Apparently Apples leader Robert Schneider has been busy during the layoff, inventing a new music scale he calls the "Non-Pythagorean Scale," which will be explored on an enhanced portion of the CD that includes a video explanation of the scale by Schneider and digital MIDI files that can be manipulated by users. ... That didn't last long. Just a week after he proposed to former Playboy Playmate Kari Ann Peniche onstage in Las Vegas, Aaron Carter has changed his mind about marrying older brother Nick's ex. Us Weekly reported Sunday that Carter, 18, told the magazine, "I got caught up in the moment and proposed. I then realized it was a hasty thing to do and I am not ready for marriage quite yet." The Carter family is the subject of a reality series on E! Entertainment Television that debuts next week. ...

Twenty years after they first hit the U.S. charts with "West End Girls," Pet Shop Boys are launching a 22-date tour in support of their latest album, Fundamental and the best-of collection, PopArt, due October 3. The run kicks off October 10 in Montreal and hits cities including Boston, New York, Atlanta, Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles before wrapping up with a November 16 show in Monterrey, Mexico. Pet Shop Boys' book retrospective "Catalogue," featuring photos spanning the duo's 20-year career, is due next month. ... Straylight Run will preview new material from their just-finished second album (due in the spring) on a fall tour kicking off November 1 in New Haven, Connecticut. The trek, which will also feature Kevin Devine, Matt Pond PA and Street to Nowhere, wraps up December 5 in Philadelphia. ...

Cat Stevens, the 1970s folk singer who converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam in 1977, weighed in Sunday on the controversy surrounding recent comments by Pope Benedict XVI about Islam. According to a report, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, former Catholic-schoolboy Islam said that, "At one point, I used to believe that the pope was infallible." But now, said Islam, the pope, "should have looked elsewhere if he wanted to quote but we respect the pope and his position." The singer was reacting to a recent speech in Germany, in which the pope quoted the words of a Byzantine emperor that characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman." Islam is slated to release his first pop album in 28 years this November. ...

Musician Danny Flores, who played saxophone and shouted "tequila" in the 1958 Champs hit "Tequila!" died Tuesday in Huntington Beach, California, from complications of pneumonia, The Associated Press reports. He was 77. Flores' wife Sharee said her husband was pleased when a new generation of fans latched on to the song after it was featured in 1985's "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure." "I can honestly tell you he never got tired of playing that song," she told the AP. ... Influential blues guitarist Etta Baker died Saturday in Fairfax, Virginia, the AP reports. She was 93. Baker, a North Carolina native who influenced the folk revival with her 1956 recordings of "Railroad Bill" and "One-Dime Blues," balanced music with a day job for 26 years and finally quit the textile mill at age 60 to pursue music full time. She toured into her 80s, and recently focused on banjo playing when the guitar proved to taxing to her strength. A banjo collection from Baker is due next year, and she is also featured on guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd's upcoming album, due in November. "Like B.B. King and single-string blues, anybody who has picked up acoustic finger-style guitar has been influenced by Etta whether they know it or not," friend and colleague Tim Duffy said.

09.22.2006

Christina Aguilera has some advice for fans: "Never believe everything you read or see or hear." The singer shared that pearl of wisdom in Jane magazine's October issue, on newsstands Tuesday — and added, "Which I'm sure you are not going to want to print." They did print it, along with Aguilera's thoughts on documenting her life with Jordan Bratman for television: "My marriage is sacred to me, and I feel that they would exploit it." But while reality TV doesn't appeal to the singer, acting does. "I'm going to read scripts while I'm on the road working this record," she said. "I think so many people who start off as musicians and cross over just end up playing themselves. To me, that's not a challenge whatsoever. I want to quote-unquote act." ...

Last month, Hilary Duff predicted that she'd be done with her forthcoming album by mid-September. But when she was in New York last week to launch her new perfume With Love at Macy's, the singer admitted that she hadn't met her deadline. "Is it mid-September already?" she said. "It's probably going to be a bit longer. We've done a lot — I would say we're a little more than halfway finished, but I'm not done." Though Duff's record label had said the yet-untitled album would still come out November 21 as originally planned, the singer is in fact getting a little more breathing room — the label confirmed Friday (September 22) that it's pushing back Duff's next LP until December 5. ...

As NBC weighs whether to air the mock crucifixion in an upcoming Madonna concert special scheduled for November, the singer spoke out Thursday to defend the controversial element of her Confessions world tour. In a statement, Madonna said that the bit — which has been criticized by the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church — is not "anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous," but a plea for "mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole. I believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing." She added that the intent of the staged crucifixion — which ends with a quote from the Bible's Book of Matthew about taking care of the hungry and sick — is to bring attention to the plight of impoverished children in Africa. ...

It doesn't seem to be too hard out here these days for Three 6 Mafia. MTV announced this week that it's partnering with the Oscar-winning rappers for "Adventures in Hollywood," a comedic reality series that will follow them as they try to make headway in Tinsel Town. The show will trail remaining members DJ Paul and Juicy J as they relocate from their Memphis hometown to Los Angeles along with their entourage, including artist and protégé Project Pat. ...

Fergie talks health in Shape magazine's October issue, and sings the praises of one food that's dear to her heart: pizza. The Black Eyed Peas singer, who said she hikes with boyfriend Josh Duhamel to stay in shape, has two takes on the cheese-topped treat, naming "pizza dipped in ranch or blue-cheese dressing" as her favorite food splurge and "a bagel with cottage cheese and tomatoes" as her #1 breakfast. "I heat it up, so the cheese melts a bit like a pizza." ... Reports that Michael Jackson plans to open a leprechaun theme park in Ireland are not true, according to the singer's spokesperson. Jackson's camp dismissed the Irish Daily Mirror story, which quoted a source that claimed the singer planned to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in the plan because he "loves the whole idea of leprechauns and the magic and the myths of Ireland," as "erroneous and ridiculous." ...

Perhaps smarting from the commercial beat-down they suffered with this year's Lights and Sounds, Yellowcard have been writing new songs and are preparing to enter the studio this winter to begin work on a new album. According to their label, Capitol Records, there is no word on just who will produce the new album, but Yellowcard hope to have it in stores by mid-2007. ... Tommy Lee makes a cameo in Jack's Mannequin's video for "Dark Blue," directed by Brett Simon (the Killers, New Found Glory). The 1950s-set clip is inspired by the dance-contest movie "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" Lee played drums on the album, the side project from Something Corporate singer Andrew McMahon. ... Dancehall reggae singer Buju Banton is facing his latest ban in the U.S. over violent lyrics about gays and lesbians. The Los Angeles Times reports that e-mail complaints and concerned callers prompted the manager of the Highland nightclub in Hollywood to research Banton's past and cancel the singer's show scheduled for October 2. ...

A seventh-grade teacher in Kentucky's Jefferson County school district will not be arrested for burning two American flags in class, Louisville newspaper The Courier-Journal reports. Still, Dan Holden — who was removed from the classroom after giving his lesson on free speech — will not go back to teaching until the district decides whether or not he violated school rules. He has since been assigned to perform noninstructional duties. The Louisville Fire & Rescue arson squad said in a report that Holden had left the students with the flags ablaze as he went to get water to put out the flames, but authorities said criminal charges are not warranted. ...

Alice Cooper will be joining the Rolling Stones for three guest appearances as part of his annual Halloween Tour, which kicks off Saturday in Halifax, Nova Scotia — where the legendary rockers will be joined by Kanye West and local favorites Sloan. Cooper and the Rolling Stones will also join forces at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, September 29. He will then hit cities including Nashville, Cleveland and New York without the Stones, before joining the band one last time to inaugurate the new Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and close out his tour. ... The Rolling Stones, who launched their tour Wednesday, have added a November 22 show in Honolulu, Hawaii, to their schedule. ... Original Bad Company bassist and King Crimson member Raymond "Boz" Burrell died Thursday at his home in Spain, according to a statement released by Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records, which put out Bad Company's first six studio LPs. The cause of Burrell's death was not given. He was 60 years old. ...

Plenty of artists have used the Old Testament as inspiration for their music, but an upcoming album called 10 Plagues (due November 7) takes a new approach. The 10-track compilation collects songs by a diverse group of artists — including Rufus Wainwright, Brian Eno, Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields), Laurie Anderson, Imogen Heap and Cody Chesnutt — who each take on one of the plagues associated with the Passover story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt. Song titles include "Blood," "The Meaning of Lice," "Flies," "Boils," "Hailstones," "Darkness" and "Katonah (Death of the Firstborn)." ... Joseph Arthur, a singer/songwriter known for using looping techniques in his live solo show, is touring with a band for the first time in his career. Arthur's trek begins Monday in Philadelphia and ends November 3 in Brooklyn, New York. ...

Fresh off a stint opening for Madonna in Europe, electronic-music hero Oakenfold is heading back to the U.S. for a string of club dates in support of his new single, "Sex 'N' Money," which features Pharrell. Oakenfold's run starts Friday in San Diego and winds down October 14 in Miami Beach, Florida. ... Stephanie McKay — a Bronx, New York, singer who has worked with Tricky, Mos Def and Kelis — will release her Stateside debut, a self-titled EP, on Tuesday. Geoff Barrow of Portishead produced her U.K. debut, which was released in 2003. ... British singer Lily Allen will release her debut album, Alright, Still, in the U.S. on January 30. In the meantime, a four-song digital EP that includes the single "Smile" is out Tuesday.

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Fergie Celebrates Her Album Release With The Peas In New York, 9.21.2006

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For The Record: Quick News On Ashlee Simpson, Beyonce, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Angels & Airwaves, Matisyahu & More

1 May 2006 06:36:00 EDT

Ashlee credits boyfriend for keeping her scandal-free; Chili Peppers headlining Weenie Roast.
By MTV News staff report

Ashlee Simpson on the cover of Teen People's June/ July issue
Photo: Teen People

Ashlee Simpson has been scandal-free since November, and she tells Teen People for its June/ July "25 Hottest Under 25" cover story that the shift can be attributed to now-serious boyfriend Braxton Olita, the guitarist in her band. "He's the yin to my yang," Simpson told the magazine. "People call him my little Buddha. When he comes around, everything changes. ... I'm more peaceful and chilled out. I honestly couldn't be more content." Though she's "absolutely in love and in a committed relationship," Simpson says she's in no rush to speed up the pace, especially after what she's seen happen with her sister's much-publicized marriage and divorce. Instead, "We live day to day," she said. "Marriage is definitely not on my mind. There's a lot of growing up you do in your 20s, and I definitely want to wait until my late 20s or 30s or whenever the time is right." Ashlee's big sister Jessica Simpson also made the cut for Teen People's "25 Hottest Under 25" list, along with Amanda Bynes, Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Chris Brown, Ciara, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, JoJo, Kristin Cavallari and Natasha Bedingfield. ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline KROQ's annual Weenie Roast festival in Irvine, California. The May 13 event will also feature Matisyahu, AFI, Dashboard Confessional, Angels & Airwaves, Rob Zombie, She Wants Revenge, Panic! At the Disco, Taking Back Sunday, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, H.I.M., Wolfmother, Atreyu, Matchbook Romance, the Academy Is ... and Rock Kills Kid. ... Gap stores in four major cities are giving away tickets to a handful of summer concerts through a Rock Color instant-winner game-piece contest. Participating stores in New York and Chicago will have tickets to John Legend, Panic! At the Disco and Counting Crows with Goo Goo Dolls shows; ones in Los Angeles and San Francisco will offer shoppers a shot at those shows, plus Dave Matthews Band. ...

American V: A Hundred Highways, the final album Johnny Cash recorded before his death, is due July 4. Like the rest of the American series, it was produced by Rick Rubin; this album features the last song Cash ever wrote plus others written by Bruce Springsteen, Hank Williams and more. ... My Morning Jacket will collaborate with conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra on June 21 and 22 at the Boston Symphony Hall. The band is otherwise touring this summer with Pearl Jam beginning May 9 in Toronto. ... The Blood Brothers have entered Robert Lang Studios in Seattle — where they recorded 2004's Crimes — with Fugazi guitarist Guy Picciotto (Blonde Redhead) and John Goodmanson (the Like, Bikini Kill), who'll co-produce the band's yet-untitled disc. While the LP isn't slated for release until this fall, the Brothers will issue an EP to tide them over. Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck will hit stores May 23 with a live version of the title track, an alternate version of "Crimes," a remix of "Peacock Skeleton With Crooked Feathers," a couple of British B-sides ("Ladies and Gentlemen" and "Metronomes") and the band's remix of the Gang of Four track "Anthrax." ...

Sonic Youth will kick off their summer tour beginning June 13 at the seminal New York rock club CBGB. The trek will span 22 dates, including festival appearances at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, opening for Pearl Jam as well as straight-up SY headlining shows in support of their forthcoming album, Rather Ripped, due the same day their tour kicks off. Additional dates are expected shortly. ... Another prolific indie-rock band, the Fiery Furnaces, just released two full-length CDs within the span of seven months. Now the duo's male half, Matthew Friedberger, is releasing his solo debut, Winter Women/ Holy Ghost Language School, August 8. The double-disc was recorded over the course of three years and was co-produced by Bill Skibbe, who engineered, mixed and performed on the Fiery Furnaces' Bitter Tea. Friedberger wrote and performed the entire album, minus some drumming help from Tortoise's John McEntire, who plays on a few tracks. ...

"You Hear It First" veterans Danko Jones have a North American tour planned in support of their upcoming LP, Sleep Is the Enemy, due May 23. The road trip — which is currently scheduled to kick off in Montreal on May 5 and finish up in Buffalo, New York, May 28 — will hit cities including Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia, as well as New York's CBGB. ... You think your life is a mess? Just wait for the debut this fall of "The Carters," an E! Entertainment show chronicling the life of pop singers and brothers Nick and Aaron Carter as they work through family conflicts. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Backstreet Boy, his kid brother and three sisters will be the subjects of an eight-part half-hour series in which they live together and try to figure out their futures. ...

Napster is launching a new service Monday (May 1) that allows users to stream any complete song in their library up to five times for free. "It's the first time we've gotten back to the original Napster roots," Laura Goldberg, Napster's Chief Operating Officer, said Friday. "We see it as an exciting way to introduce people to what a subscription service is like, with the unlimited access and listening to anything you want." ... The only thing we know for sure is that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards suffered a concussion on the island of Fiji at some point in the past few days and is recovering in New Zealand. Though she's not denying it, the band's publicist wouldn't confirm that Richards, 62, suffered the injury after falling out of a coconut tree, as widely reported by the media. ... British glam rocker Gary Glitter will appeal his three-year jail sentence for molesting children in Vietnam on May 19, according to a Reuters report. The 61-year-old singer was sentenced on March 3 in the resort town of Vung Tau and was imprisoned there for sexually abusing two 11-year-old girls.

04.28.2006

Jessica Simpson loses her mind in an upcoming Keith Barry magic special, in which the magician and psychological illusionist performs stunts on Eve, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, Wilmer Valderrama, Elijah Wood and others. Barry drives while blindfolded, induces memory loss and takes control of Simpson's mind in a series of stunts on "Keith Barry: Extraordinary," which will air May 12 at 8 p.m. on CBS. ...

Nick Lachey, Sean Paul and Jagged Edge will provide "Style Stage NYC" — the self-proclaimed "largest shopping party in the U.S." — with some musical entertainment. The event will be held Friday and Saturday at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building at 125 and 135 W. 18th St. ...

Oprah Winfrey gathered a who's who of urban artists for what you might call "Oprahpalooza" over the course of one recent weekend. First, the talk-show host held a private luncheon at her Montecito, California, home, where music legends such as Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick were honored by Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Brandy, Natalie Cole, Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott. Winfrey also invited Usher, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones and others for a white-tie ball the next night. And to cap the weekend, Winfrey held a gospel brunch the next morning with performances by LaBelle, Knight, Warwick and Chaka Khan. Winfrey's "Legends Ball" special airs May 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. ... Jewel is getting a facelift of sorts — by performing on an upcoming episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." In an episode called "Arena Family," the show renovates the home of a husband and wife in Somers, New York, who recently lost their only son. New York Yankee Jorge Posada donates an item for the house, while Jewel performs at a memorial. The episode airs May 14 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

Shakira is calling ahead for her upcoming tour, sending multimedia personal video invitations to each city she's hitting on her Oral Fixation jaunt. The messages, which will come through on Verizon Wireless phones, give users the option to buy barcode tickets that can be scanned to get them into the show. Shakira's also inviting fans to text which songs they want to hear on the tour, and a select few concertgoers will be picked to head backstage. The arena tour, which was announced Friday (April 28), kicks off August 9 in El Paso, Texas, at the Don Haskins Center, and wraps September 25 in McCallen, Texas, at the Dodge Arena. ... The singer lit up the stage in Hollywood, Florida, on Thursday night for the Latin Billboard Awards, scoring six awards and performing "Hips Don't Lie" with Wyclef Jean. Shakira took Latin pop album of the year for Fijacion Oral Vol. 1, while her single "La Tortura" won four awards, including hot Latin song of the year. She was also presented with the Spirit of Hope Award, honoring her work through the Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet) Foundation, aiding children in Colombia. Daddy Yankee, who scored three awards at the ceremony, opened the show performing "Rompe" and took prizes for Latin album artist and top reggaetón album. He was also honored along with collaborators Baby Ranks, Tonny Tun Tun, Wisin y Yandel and Hector "The Father" for "Mayor Que Yo." ...

With a little one on the way, Gwen Stefani is planning to expand her L.A.M.B. line to include baby tennis shoes. "Little gold ones, you wouldn't believe it. They're so cute," the singer told Women's Wear Daily. She's also widening her footwear line for adults to include boots and stilettos, as well as adding other accessories, such as a watch line. "I want to do lingerie and makeup at some point," she said. "I want to do everything, eventually." ... While the tabloids love to link Jessica Simpson and Adam Levine, Victoria's Secret thinks the Maroon 5 frontman and Shakira would make a better match, according to their "What Is Sexy" list — the two singers won sexiest male and female musicians, respectively. But Simpson wasn't entirely shut out. Her "These Boots Are Made For Walkin' " clip still gets mileage, nabbing sexiest video. Meanwhile, the sexiest real couple honors went to Seal and Heidi Klum.

An exclusive Beck remix is available as part of a comic manga series. "Go It Alone," remixed by Superthriller, is a free download in the fourth volume of "Mongolian Chop Squad," to be released in June. But once the page goes live at the end of May, the download will be available at www.tokyopop.com/beckvsbeck. ... The Allman Brothers Band and Cheap Trick filed suit Thursday in New York against Sony BMG alleging that they were being shortchanged by the Sony Music division on profits from digital downloads. According to the Los Angeles Times, the suit by the two classic rock acts seeks class-action status and contends that Sony currently counts downloads sales as "physical phonorecords," with the standard 20 percent deduction for packaging even though the downloads are electronic. It also claims that Sony Music deducts 15 percent for a standard "breakage" fee, as it would with CDs or cassettes. The suit alleges that bands should be getting 30 cents per download from Sony Music versus the 4.5 cents they get now. ...

Apparently you shouldn't mess with Hoboken, New Jersey, indie rockers Yo La Tengo. Their 12th album, due September 12, is called I Am Not Afraid of You, and I Will Beat Your Ass according to a spokesperson for Matador Records. The 15-track LP includes the songs "Pass the Hatchet," "Black Flowers" and "The Story of Yo La Tango" (You read that right — it's "Tango"). Having done movie-soundtrack work for the films "Junebug" and "Old Joy" recently, the group has also written music for "Shortbus," John Cameron Mitchell's directorial follow-up to "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." ... Montreal rockers the Dears have completed work on their third record, the self-deprecatingly titled Gang of Losers. Tentatively due August 29, the 12-track record has been described by the band as a more stripped-down and raw affair than its past expansive orchestral work. Tracks include "The Ballad of Humankindness," "Find Our Way to Freedom" and "Death or Life We Want You." The track "Fear Made the World Go 'Round" can currently be heard on the group's MySpace page.

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New Releases: Aaron Carter, Aqualung, Pink Floyd, Breaking Laces

13 Jan 2006 07:33:00 EST

Also due Tuesday are reissues by Nina Simone and a Doctors Without Borders benefit set.
By Kurt Orzeck

Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter
Photo: Jive

Aftershocks: Aaron Carter's been off the music radar since his 2002 album Another Earthquake!, living the actor's life instead with flicks like "Popstar" and "Fat Albert." While Carter can get some more mileage out of his "teen idol" moniker — he just turned 18 — his record label's giving him vintage status with Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter. If you already have 2003's Most Requested Hits, you might want to put away your purse: This comp has virtually the same track list, but with three fewer tunes. Ones that didn't appear on Most Requested but crop up here are "A.C.'s Alien Nation," "My Internet Girl" and "Bounce."

Aqua Pink: In case you haven't heard him on the Volkswagen Beetle ad or read raves about him in Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly, Aqualung is getting one more big push this week before he goes out on the towns with David Gray. Matt Hales' U.S. debut, Strange & Beautiful, is getting a DualDisc makeover and will be finessed with video content like a short film, two live performances and an instructional clip called "It's Easy to Play the Aqualung Way - How to Play 'Strange & Beautiful.' " Dive right in.

Speaking of "colorful" video content, Pink Floyd will be giving Aqualung a run for their money with "Pulse," a two-disc souvenir from the psych gods' 14th night at London's Earls Court on their 1994 Division Bell Tour. Crowning the affair is a first-ever filmed version of Pink Floyd's red letter, Dark Side of the Moon, performed by David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright. There's also some original screen films from the band's '70s shows and behind-the-scenes content, plus the packaging transforms into its very own laser-light show (well, at least you can pretend).

Reissue Roundup: Up for some vault spelunking? RCA/Legacy is touching up its Nina Simone catalog with two expanded editions — Nina Simone Sings the Blues and Silk & Soul — as well as a new compilation the label's releasing in time for Black History Month in February, Young, Gifted and Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit. Legacy's dishing up a handful of other collections this week: Do You Love Me Like You Say: The Very Best of Terence Trent D'Arby has rare concert cuts and 12-inch mixes, saluting the poet/musician whose 1987 debut sold more than 12 million copies; The Best of the Guess Who has three bonuses not included on the original 1971 pressing; Daryl Hall & John Oates' Rock & Soul Part 1 also has a pair of extras; and Cult of Personality: The Very Best of Living Colour provides a single-disc overview.

Song Title of the Week:

Breaking Laces - "(The) Ocean (That Lies Between Us)" (Lemonade)

Other Notables:

Various artists' Not Alone: Sick of all those flimsy single-disc benefit releases that don't seem to reflect the enormity of their causes? Not Alone to the rescue! More than 75 artists have banded together for this humungous, five-disc set, which encompasses unreleased contributions by Damon and Naomi, Matmos, Allen Ginsberg and Devendra Banhart — and that's just on the first disc. Also stepping up to the plate are Jarboe, Richard Buckner, Six Organs of Admittance, Angels of Light, Michael Yonkers, the Bevis Frond, Jad Fair, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Teenage Fanclub, Isobel Campbell, James William Hindle, Marc Almond, Jim O'Rourke, Ghost and Thurston Moore. That impressive lineup will hopefully give Doctors Without Borders an extra boost as they work on the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Sarissa's Masters of Sins: Last week saw the release of R&B singer Sharissa's Every Beat of My Heart. This week sees the release of metal band Sarissa's Masters of Sins. Weird, huh?

New Releases:

Breaking Laces - Lemonade (Meeka Salise)
Bob Brozman - Blues Reflex (Ruf)
Juanita Bynum - A Piece of My Passion (Flow)
Canvas Solaris - Penumbra Diffuse (Sensory)
Aaron Carter - Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter (Jive/Legacy)
Buy Now: Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter (Jive/Legacy)
Mark Dvorak - Every Step of the Way (Waterbug)
Toulouse Engelhardt - Martian Lust (Lost Grove)
Everchanging Nomad - Hero Today Gone Tomorrow (Turner)
Go Set Go - Ordinary World (TSR)
Hiromi - Spiral (available as hybrid SACD or limited-edition enhanced CD; Telarc)
Ayanna Hobson - I Wish for Love (PPL)
Candye Kane - Diva La Grande (Ruf)
Amy LaVere - This World Is Not My Home (Archer)
Bradley Leighton - Back to the Funk (Pacific Coast Jazz)
Luis Mario Ochoa - Luis Mario Ochoa and Friends (Cuban Music Productions)
Sarissa - Masters of Sins (Black Lotus)
T.N.T. - All the Way to the Sun (MTM)
Various artists - Baddest Ting (VP)
Various artists - Not Alone (five-CD box; Durtro Jnana)
Various artists - The Now Sound of Brazil, Vol. 2 (Six Degrees)
Various artists - "B You" soundtrack (BMG Strategic Marketing)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

All Mighty Senators - Checkered Past, New Tomorrow: Essential AMS (1988-2005) (Severn)
Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful (DualDisc also available; Columbia)
Buy Now: Strange and Beautiful (Columbia)
Bad Company - Bad Company (gold disc; Audio Fidelity)
Paul Butterfield - North-South (Wounded Bird)
Jonathan Cain Band - Windy City Breakdown (Wounded Bird)
Felix Cavaliere - Destiny and Felix Cavaliere (Wounded Bird)
Terence Trent D'Arby - Do You Love Me Like You Say: The Very Best of Terence Trent D'Arby (Columbia/Legacy)
Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste (Repertoire)
The Guess Who - The Best of The Guess Who (RCA/Legacy)
Daryl Hall & John Oates - Rock & Soul Part 1 (RCA/Legacy)
Living Colour - Cult of Personality: The Very Best of Living Colour (Epic/Legacy)
Gershon Kingsley - God Is a Moog (Reboot Stereophonic)
Mac Dre - Bobble Head Thizzelle Washington Doll (Thizz Entertainment)
Romeo Void - Benefactor (Wounded Bird)
Nina Simone - Nina Simone Sings the Blues, Silk & Soul and Young, Gifted and Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit (RCA/Legacy)
Buy Now: Nina Simone Sings the Blues (RCA/Legacy)
Sparks - A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing and Sparks (Wounded Bird)
Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Johnny "Guitar" Watson and the Family Clone, Love Jones and What the Hell Is This? (Shout! Factory)
Jesse Winchester - Jesse Winchester (Wounded Bird)
Various artists - Big Country Hits (RCR)
Various artists - Bluegrass Heaven (Landmark)
Various artists - Crossroads Chartbusters (Crossroads)

DVDs:

The Clash - "Punk Icons" (Classic Rock Legends)
Chick Corea - "Remembering Bud Powell Live" (Image Entertainment)
Chick Corea and Gary Burton - "Duets" (Image Entertainment)
Genesis - "The Ultimate Review" (Classic Rock Legends)
Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band - "Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band in St. Lucia" (Image Entertainment)
Pink Floyd - "Pulse" (EMI)
Thin Lizzy - "The Ultimate Collection" (three DVDs; Classic Rock Legends)
Yes - "Inside Yes Plus Friends and Family" (three DVDs; Classic Rock Legends)

Coming Attractions:

January 24:

Cat Power - The Greatest (Matador)
P.O.D. - Testify (Atlantic)
Buy Now: Testify (Atlantic)
Yellowcard - Lights and Sounds (with DVD; Capitol)

"Yellowcard Move To New York, Write LP About Hating Los Angeles"

Buy Now: Lights and Sounds (Capitol)

January 31:

Heather Headley - In My Mind (RCA)
She Wants Revenge - She Wants Revenge (Geffen)
Warren Zevon - Reconsider Me: The Love Songs (Artemis)

February 7:

Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (Matador)
Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers (Astralwerks)
Dem Franchize Boyz - On Top of Our Game (Virgin)

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Aaron Carter's 18th Birthday Plans Include Working With Pharrell

13 Sep 2005 08:25:00 EDT

Nick's little brother says new music will be 'more adult oriented.'
By Brandee J. Tecson, with reporting by Corey Moss

Aaron Carter
Photo: Jason Merritt

MIAMI — When we first met Aaron Carter, he was a pre-pubescent, mop-topped singer best known for being Backstreet Boy Nick's little brother. Now, as the blond heartthrob nears adulthood, Carter is looking to ditch his teenybopper persona and churn out, well, grown-up music.

"I'm taking my time trying to transition because the Aaron Carter you saw back then — now [I'm] a completely different person," the 17-year-old singer told MTV News. "My voice has changed. It's gotten more mature. It's going to be more adult oriented and not just for little kids."

The pop crooner was only 10 when he found international fame with his 1998 self-titled LP. U.S. success came with 2000's Aaron's Party (Come Get It), which went double-platinum in the U.S. and hit #4 on Billboard's albums chart thanks to the in-your-dreams single "That's How I Beat Shaq."

Now, Carter is looking to recruit one of the industry's most sought-after beat makers to produce a follow-up to 2002's Another Earthquake, which failed to make a blip on the charts.

"I'm actually going to be working with Pharrell Williams probably at the end of the year, when I turn 18," the singer said. "When that big day comes, we're gonna lay down some hot tracks."

Carter is also intent on having more creative input this time around. "I'm starting to write all my own music and own my own style," he explained.

But before he hits the recording studio, the singer/actor — who can currently be seen onscreen in the motorcycle-racing action flick "Supercross" starring Mike Vogel ("Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") and Sophia Bush ("One Tree Hill") — will be in Los Angeles for the next two months making his rounds in the über-competitive audition circuit, looking for his next big-screen gig.

In the meantime, Carter has the teen romance "Popstar" ready for release. The singer plays — you guessed it — a famous pop star in the film. Riding high on his fame, Carter's character is slapped back to reality by his mother, who forces him to go back to high school to raise his failing home-school grades. If the teenage superstar doesn't pass his classes, his sold-out summer tour gets scrapped.

"It's a love story," Carter explained. "I [get this girl to tutor me] and end up falling in love with her."

Brace yourself for some '70s throwbacks — former teen idols David Cassidy and Leif Garrett make appearances in the film, set for DVD release in November.

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