M.I.A.

M.I.A. Ropes Anderson Cooper Into Twitter Feud

15 Mar 2012 11:32:08 EDT

Rapper tweets, '@AndersonCooper called me a terrorist.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Another day, another feud. Just days after "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm and reality star Kim Kardashian exchanged words, it seems the always-controversial M.I.A. and journalist/talk-show host Anderson Cooper are going head to head on Twitter themselves. It all started when the outspoken MC took to Twitter to claim that Cooper had called her a terrorist. "@AndersonCooper called me a terrorist for speaking out, and expressed support for the SLgov when this was happening," she tweeted about the documentary "The Killing Fields," which chronicles the 2009 assault on the Tamil Tigers by the Sri Lankan army. M.I.A. is of Sri Lankan descent, and her father, Arul Pragasam, is a Tamil activist.

She continued, "Someone should make @AndersonCooper watch it / film it and show the world what happens when respected journos get it wrong #killingfields." He didn't take the accusation lightly when he tweeted in response to her claim, initially asking her "What are you talking about?" before adding, "@miauniverse, you are mistaken. I never called you a terrorist. I don't even know who you are other than the lady who sang at superbowl. @miauniverse. by the way, I defended your finger pointing at the superbowl, so check your facts. I've no idea what youre tweeting about." (He was referring to her middle-finger flash during her Super Bowl performance with Madonna.) She then tried to explain where she believed he called her a terrorist: "@andersoncooper YOU CALLED ME A LADY TAMIL TIGER when i talked about tamil civilians dying, and u printed a retraction," she said, linking to an editorial on the "AC 360" blog, not written by Cooper. She continued, "@andersoncooper in 2009 u linked to a articl that was written about me with false info. there was a rebuttal on ur 360 site. @andersoncooper 2 months later 1ce every tamil had been silenced including me, the SLGOV carried out the killing of 40,000 civilians." Cooper then went on to explain, "@miauniverse you've gone from saying 'I wrote', 'I called you,' to saying my cnn show blog had a link to an article. Big difference. we link to many articles with different viewpoints, and we gave you an opportunity to respond. I can understand your frustration if someone wrote untrue things about you, and I'm glad you were able to respond. ... and the brutal war in SL has not gotten enough coverage in the US, and I know that very upsetting." In the end, it seems the two were able to settle their differences. The rapper added, "@andersoncooper p.s thank you for defending my finger , please watch Channel4 #killingfields by @jonsnowC4. im glad u understand but please watch #killingfields because this is what i was trying to say." Share your thoughts on this story below.

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Grammys Live Stream: What Shocking Entrances Will We See?

10 Feb 2012 17:32:15 EST

How will Lady Gaga arrive this year? Join Sway and James Montgomery on the red carpet, starting 5 p.m. Sunday on MTV.com.
By Gil Kaufman

What's the point of getting all dolled up for the Grammy Awards if no one notices your outfit? Since not everyone can earn a nomination or score a performance slot, sometimes you have to make your own news by crashing the red carpet with an eye-popping outfit that is sure to get tongues wagging.

It's anyone's guess what this year's attendees will be wearing on Sunday night at the 54th annual awards show, but MTV News will be camped out on the carpet for a full three hours before the festivities kick off and we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for all the outrageous looks and fashions.

Click for photos of our most-shocking Grammy red carpet moments!

In the meantime, we thought it was worth a look back at some of the legendary entrances from Grammys past:

Lady Gaga egg: Sure, Justin Bieber toted his pet snake to last year's show, but it was, of course, Lady Gaga who turned the most heads by getting carried down the carpet in a giant, see-through egg that she incubated in before emerging later in the night for her performance of "Born This Way."

Britney gets bodied: Britney Spears has long prided herself on wearing what she wants, when she wants. But someone should have pulled her aside in 2010 before she exited the car in an oddball Dolce & Gabbana bodysuit overlaid with a lace dress that turned heads for all the wrong reasons.

M.I.A.'s pregnancy chic: With her middle finger firmly tucked into place, the rapper/singer made her way into the 2009 show while nine-months pregnant in a cartoony, ruffled blue maternity dress and matching sneakers.

Coldplay play dress up: It was kind of cool when Coldplay stuck with their bold Sgt. Pepper's-style suits for the whole Viva La Vida tour. But when they wore them to the 2009 show, it just felt ... silly.

OK Go ... back to the drawing board: Viral icons OK Go are experts at drawing attention to their music with trippy, how-did-they-do-that videos. They drew mostly sniggers, though, when they donned matching brocade curtain-looking red-and-gold suits to the 2007 show. Their smartest move may have been to cover their faces with red cloth.

R. Kelly, man of mystery: Kels has made a career out of being inscrutable , but his bold sartorial choice at the 2004 Grammys was, well, weird. From the neck down he wore an elegant three-button black suit and tie, but the matching Robin mask? Who knows?

Alicia Keys gets funky: Nobody really knows what Keys was thinking in 2002 when she walked the carpet wearing embroidered jeans, sandals, a white tank and a sheer green sari-like shift with a built in, bedazzled headdress.

Toni Braxton lets it all hang out: Sometimes it's what you don't wear that gets attention. In 2001, singer Braxton sported a barely-there white "dress" that hardly covered her assets with strips of material that dangled in the front and back.

Jennifer Lopez's plunging neckline: Way before she was an "American Idol" judge, Lopez sent hearts racing in 2000 with her instantly infamous plunging neckline Versace gown.

Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don't miss our Grammy red-carpet live stream this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn't end Sunday: MTV News has you covered for all the Grammy red-carpet fashion, Grammy winners and Grammy news until the hangover wears off!

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Madonna Thinks M.I.A. Super Bowl Finger-Flip Was 'Out Of Place'

10 Feb 2012 12:04:00 EST

Pop star also addresses rumors that Britney Spears is on MDNA in interview with Ryan Seacrest.
By Jocelyn Vena

In the days since M.I.A. hit the Super Bowl stage and threw her middle finger up in the air, Madonna has remained mum on the subject. Until now.

The singer called into Ryan Seacrest's radio show Friday morning and finally shared her sentiments on the rapper's naughty hand gesture and the headlines it made in wake of the show.

Sarcastically calling it "punk rock," Madge said she didn't realize it happened until after she walked off the stage, noting that she couldn't keep track of everything that was happening while the performance was taking place. But, once she did find out, she wasn't amused by her "Give Me All Your Luvin' " collaborator's actions.

"I was really surprised. I didn't know anything about it. I wasn't happy about it. I understand it's punk rock and everything, but to me there was such a feeling of love and good energy and positivity; it seemed negative," she said. "It's such a teenager, irrelevant thing to do. ... There was such a feeling of love and unity there. What was the point? It was just out of place."

She later added that despite the snafu she "was overwhelmed. I started crying. I felt an incredible sense of warmth, love, and support. To see an entire stadium light up like candles it was ... like a religious experience."

Much like Madonna, fellow Super Bowl halftime performer Cee Lo Green had no idea that M.I.A. had given the middle finger during the show. "Honestly, I did not hear anything about it," he continued. "There was no talk about it in the dressing room afterwards and we didn't stay long after the performance because it was honestly a relief we had had it done. So I didn't hear anything until I got up to do the morning show, 'Today.' And television is a very sensitive [thing]."

With that controversy behind her, Madge is looking to the future. She's next set to start work on her world tour and shoot her video for the second MDNA single, "Girls Gone Wild."

As for those rumors that Britney Spears is on the track she said, "No, it's just little, ol' me. She can come on stage and perform with me."

What did you think of M.I.A.'s Super Bowl gesture? Leave your comment below.

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M.I.A.'s Boyfriend Fires Back At Critics

10 Feb 2012 08:38:59 EST

'All this stuff about Maya being a bad mom is completely out of bounds,' Benjamin Bronfman tweets.
By Gil Kaufman

Hell hath no fury like a baby daddy scorned. Days after tabloid reports alleged that M.I.A. was no longer dating her longtime beau and father of their child,  Benjamin Bronfman, the heir to the Seagram's fortune took to Twitter to lash out at the allegations that the singer/rapper has been an absentee mother.

Less than 24 hours after M.I.A. made global headlines for flying the middle finger  and cursing during her bit in Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show, a tabloid report surfaced that she was no longer living with  Bronfman and that she sometimes goes "six weeks" without seeing their 3-year-old son, Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday and Thursday, Bronfman (referring to the rapper by her given name, Maya) threw cold water on those allegations. "All this stuff about Maya being a bad mom is completely out of bounds," he wrote. "She's a really great mom." He also lashed out at the media for being in such a "state [of] unfounded gossipy nonsense when there are real problems in the world ... media needs to rethink it's code of ethics. To consistently tear down a working mother is just beyond me."

Bronfman then took a minute to praise M.I.A.'s new song and video for the tune "Bad Girls" and to give her props for what he deemed a "great" performance at the Super Bowl. "MIA as a mom, great," he added. Then, in a message to his boo, he wrote, "Can't say it enough -- Don't let them flip the script -- you're a great mom and Ikhyd loves you."

NBC and the NFL apologized to viewers for what they called the "inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime," though M.I.A. has not made any public comment on the incident.

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M.I.A. Splitting With Fiance?

08 Feb 2012 11:38:57 EST

The rapper is said to be living apart from Benjamin Bronfman and their son.
By Jocelyn Vena

Just days after M.I.A. threw up her middle finger during the Super Bowl halftime show, there's a new report that she is no longer dating her longtime beau and baby daddy, Benjamin Bronfman.

Sources tell the New York Daily News that the controversial rapper and her fiancé are no longer together and are currently living apart. She's residing in her native London while he's in New York with their son, Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman, who turns three this weekend.

M.I.A. "sometimes goes six weeks without seeing" her son, the source said. Sources add that Bronfman's mother, philanthropist Sherry Bronfman, is helping to raise Ikhyd. Reps for M.I.A. and Bronfman had not responded to MTV News' request for comment by press time. Bronfman is a musician and the heir to the Seagram fortune. He also works at Global Thermostat, which, according to its website, is "a brain trust of leading experts in the fields of energy, science and climate policy."

In 2010, M.I.A. opened up to Fader magazine about any future plans to tie the knot with Bronfman. She said, "That's what they want me to do, but I'm not going to lose my integrity for that sh--. I actually want a nice wedding. I'm not going to blow that."

Those plans now seem to be on hold. The Daily News further reports that Bronfman was spotted out on a date at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

In addition to unleashing her middle finger at the Super Bowl, last week M.I.A. also released a new Romain Gavras-directed video for "Bad Girls." The song is a single off her forthcoming fourth album.

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M.I.A.'s Super Bowl Middle Finger: Fans Weigh In

07 Feb 2012 19:32:06 EST

'She should be looking for more positive publicity,' one fan tells MTV News.
By Uptin Saiidi

NEW YORK — M.I.A. made headlines during Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show Sunday when she flipped off the cameras ... and the 100 million-plus viewers tuning in at home. It was reported Tuesday that the controversial MC might be responsible for any FCC fines incurred because of her middle finger.

But who should be held responsible? And why did she do it in the first place? MTV News ventured to Times Square — where the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory was celebrated earlier in the day with a parade — to see what people thought of M.I.A.'s flip decision.

"It was not good for her, because she's still a young and up-and-coming artist, so she should be looking for more positive publicity," Valon Jaloshey, 22, told MTV News. "That's not the way to get it when you're giving the middle finger at the biggest performance of your life."

Maureen Kelley, 26, wasn't surprised by the artist's action but thinks her timing was inappropriate. "It's definitely very M.I.A. to have done that," Kelley said. "She probably shouldn't have done it at the Super Bowl." Kelley does have some advice for dealing with a potential fine: "Maybe she could just pretend that she was wiggling her fingers, I don't know."

M.I.A.'s fellow halftime performer Cee Lo Green, meanwhile, exclusively told MTV News late Monday that he knew nothing about the flip-off until the game was long over. "Honestly, I did not hear anything about it," he said. "There was no talk about it in the dressing room afterwards and we didn't stay long after the performance, because it was honestly a relief we had had it done. So I didn't hear anything until I got up to do the morning show, 'Today.' And television is a very sensitive [thing]."

What did you think of M.I.A.'s halftime flip-off? Let us know in the comments!

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M.I.A.'s Super Bowl Flip-Off A Mystery To Cee Lo Green

07 Feb 2012 11:23:25 EST

Singer tells MTV News exclusively that he 'did not hear anything about' the U.K. rapper's middle-finger salute until Monday morning.
By Jocelyn Vena

While NBC and the NFL are apologizing for the middle finger that M.I.A. flashed during her portion of the halftime show at the Super Bowl on Sunday, her fellow halftime performer, Cee Lo Green is making no apologies for the fumble — mostly because he didn't know anything about it until the game was long over.

"Well, I know that there's a lyric that says that 'I don't give a sh--,' and that I know that that part is censored," he told MTV News late Monday when he jumped on the phone with us to talk about hitting the stage with Madonna and company during her elaborate halftime spectacle.

For those who are not familiar with all the controversy, when M.I.A. hit the stage to perform her portion of Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'," she gave home viewers the middle finger at the tail-end of her performance. It quickly prompted outrage from viewers, the Parents Television Council and had TMZ sources speculating that if a fine is thrown down by the FCC, the rapper would be responsible for it.

Regardless of the outcome, Cee Lo is brushing it all off.

"Honestly I did not hear anything about it," he continued. "There was no talk about it in the dressing room afterwards and we didn't stay long after the performance because it was honestly a relief we had had it done. So I didn't hear anything until I got up to do the morning show, 'Today.' And television is a very sensitive [thing]."

In the end, Cee Lo was more focused on his own moment, when he got to share the stage with the Queen of Pop during the halftime finale. The pair brought some gospel to the show during "Like a Prayer."

"It was definitely that chaos moment, just the entire event; just the entire experience was the biggest moment for me, personally in my entire career," he said. "So it all was equally wonderful for me."

What did you think of M.I.A.'s Super Bowl gesture? Leave your comment below.

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M.I.A.'s Super Bowl Middle Finger And More: A Career Of Controversy

06 Feb 2012 15:58:59 EST

From her support of the Tamil Tigers to her politically charged music videos, M.I.A. has never shied away from controversy.
By James Montgomery

M.I.A.'s middle finger may currently be the most-discussed digit in America, dominating the post-Super Bowl chatter and earning swift rebukes from NBC and the NFL. But for those who've covered her career from the beginning, well, let's just say this is basically par for the course.

Because ever since M.I.A. first broke through in 2004, she's courted controversy, first for her outspoken support of the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan separatist organization that engaged in acts of terror and has been linked to the assassination of Sri Lankan and Indian leaders. That support and her overtly political lyrics led to her being denied a travel visa by the U.S. government and earned her a spot on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's risk list in 2006. So, really, a middle finger is no big thing.

And over the past few years, she hasn't exactly mellowed. In 2010, she raised eyebrows with the graphic video for "Born Free," a clip that saw security forces (with American flags prominently displayed) round up red-headed citizens and summarily execute them in brutal fashion. It was a savage bit of socio-political commentary, though most missed that message entirely, focusing instead on the blood and guts, which earned the video a measure of YouTube ignominy and had critics howling.

Her outspoken ways also drew the ire of both Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber fans, after she called Gaga "a good mimic" and said the content of "Born Free" was no less offensive than anything Bieber had churned out.

And then, she launched a lengthy (and much-covered) offensive against New York Times writer Lynn Hirschberg, posting her phone number on Twitter and releasing a diss song called "I'm a Singer" after reading what she believed to be an unflattering feature in the Times. Though Hirschberg remained largely silent on the matter, the Times did eventually admit that a pair of M.I.A.'s quotes were rearranged in the piece.

Finally, earlier this month, she unveiled the video for "Bad Girls," which re-teamed her with "Born Free" director Romain Gavras and is loaded with socially (and politically) charged imagery, like women cloaked in burqas doing stunts in expensive cars as men in keffiyeh look on, smoldering oil fields and assault rifles.

Were you offended by M.I.A.'s halftime gesture? Leave your comment below.

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M.I.A. Super Bowl Middle Finger Joins Long List Of Celebrity Flip-Offs

06 Feb 2012 12:43:34 EST

Lady Gaga, Eminem, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry have also given the one-finger salute.
By Gil Kaufman

The big hype (around these parts, anyway) going into the Super Bowl on Sunday was what Madonna would do during her halftime performance. But, as you surely know by now, one of her guests, rapper/singer M.I.A., stole some of Madge's thunder by unexpectedly flipping the bird at the end of "Give Me All Your Luvin'."

While your granny was probably shocked and your little brother/sister got a naughty giggle out of it, M.I.A. wasn't exactly reinventing the rebel wheel with her one-finger salute. Everyone from punk icon Iggy Pop to Oasis' Noel Gallagher, Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain, late Wu-Tang Clan rapper ODB, Kid Rock and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong have made flipping people off a standard part of their eff-the-man personas over the years.

In fact, tossing up the middle-digit salute is a time-honored tradition for musicians that dates back more than 40 years to the original rock rebel.

Johnny Cash: In one of the most iconic pictures in music, the Man in Black famously gave an impassioned finger to the camera in 1969 during his San Quentin prison performance. It was later used in an ad in 1998 Billboard magazine to express his "thank you" to the Nashville country music industry after he won a Grammy for Best Country Album as a response to their abandonment of him in his later years.

Tupac : The late rap icon was fond of laying down both single and double birds in some of the most iconic pictures of him over the years, including one taken of him on a gurney after he'd just been shot at a New York recording studio in 1994.

Eminem: After being called out for some of his gay-bashing lyrics, Slim Shady made a huge statement by appearing with openly gay Elton John at the 2001 Grammys, where he hugged the piano-pounding icon and then gave the audience a view of both his middle digits.

Lady Gaga: Mother Monster can't go anywhere these days without being hounded by the paparazzi. So, when Gaga attended a Mets game in 2010, she let the paps know how she felt when they caught her chilling in a private suite.

Justin Bieber: He may be a (young) man of faith, but even the Biebs has his limits. Last March, while out celebrating his 17th birthday, the "Baby" singer was accosted by photos, so he showed them his tall man ... and then apologized later, saying, "I know better than to react in anger."

Katy Perry: We can't remember where this awesome GIF came from, but last year, the good girl gone (sometimes) bad made flying the finger flag seem almost cute.

Cobra Starship: Hell, CB are so enamored of the eff-you salute that they wrote a whole song about it and invited Mac Miller along to help them spread the word, one digit at a time.

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M.I.A. Super Bowl Middle Finger Prompts NBC, NFL Apology

06 Feb 2012 08:28:06 EST

'We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime,' an NBC spokesperson said about M.I.A.'s middle finger during halftime.
By Gil Kaufman

Madonna has built a nearly 30-year career on her ability to shock and surprise, especially during awards shows and live TV appearances. And though her glittery, high-energy halftime extravaganza at Sunday's Super Bowl drew praise from the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Christina Aguilera and Perez Hilton, it was a slip of the finger, and the tongue, by one of her guests that grabbed headlines.

During a performance of Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin', " singer M.I.A. topped her guest rap with a defiant flip of the middle finger and a not-safe-for-prime time s-bomb lyric. 

NBC's censors were not fast enough to obscure the gesture, or completely blot out the expletive, and following the game the network issued an apology for the incident. "We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime," a spokesperson said. "It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late."

The NFL -- which hires the performers and produces the halftime show -- pointed the finger directly at NBC. "There was a failure in NBC's delay system," the league said in a statement. "The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans."

According to Deadline Hollywood, M.I.A. kept things clean during rehearsals, but clearly got excited during the performance.

M.I.A. is no stranger to controversy. After the New York Times magazine wrote a lengthy feature on the singer (born Mathangi Arulpragasam) in 2010, she lashed out  at the writer over some unflattering descriptions via music. In addition to posting the writer's phone number on Twitter, M.I.A. lambasted journalist Lynn Hirschberg in public, threatened to release the unedited tapes of the interview and, finally, issued a dis track, "I'm a Singer,"  in retaliation.

She was also denied a travel visa in 2005 by the U.S. government and appeared on a U.S. Homeland security risk list in 2006 as a result of her controversial political lyrics.

What did you think of M.I.A.'s halftime gesture? Were you offended? Let us know in comments below.

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