Valentine's Day Playlist: Top 10 Make-Out Songs

12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

Britney Spears, MGMT and other jams that inspire great tonsil-hockey matches.
By Sarah Muller

Britney Spears in "Slave 4 U"
Photo: Jive/Zomba

Valentine's Day — you either love it or hate it. It makes sweethearts swoon and others want to stab fat cherubs with a bow and arrow. Between the chocolate hearts, the red roses and the teddy bears shoved in our faces, the holiday stirs up a cocktail of emotions: happiness, despair, jealousy, grief, sadness, desire ...

MTV News has all your mood swings covered. In honor of this beloved and dreaded holiday, we're rolling out the Best Love Songs, Best Breakup Songs, Best Make-Out Songs and Worst Love Songs in recent memory. It's our Valentine's Day gift to you, minus the dinner-and-a-movie part. So slip into something comfortable, and stay for a while.

Lust is in the air tonight — impress your love with your vast knowledge of iPhone apps another night. Grab your valentine-of-the-moment and get your groove on.

10. Tweet (featuring Missy Elliott) - "Oops (Oh My)"
Follow along to this striptease with your crush tonight.

9. Rufus Wainwright - "Instant Pleasure"
Rufus swaps foreplay for instant gratification in this indie classic. Hey, at least he's direct with his intentions.

8. John Mayer - "Your Body is a Wonderland"
John sings about getting touchy-feely in this 2003 track. Even Alice is blushing.

7. Christina Aguilera - "Dirrty"
Christina takes it from the couch to the wrestling pit for full-on body contact.

6. The Donnas - "Take It Off"
I guess I can take off my shirt — I mean, coat. Only if you assist — I mean, insist. That came out funny. Is it a little hot in here?

5. MGMT - "Electric Feel"
Granted, most of us here at MTV News spaced out in bio class. But, we're pretty sure this "electrical eel" business is a reference to sex. We also know kids come from cabbage patches.

4. Nine Inch Nails - "Closer"
Get your freak on to the driving beats of this intense R-rated wonder. File this one under the "hot & heavy" category.

3. Kings of Leon - "Sex on Fire"
The Followill boys ignite our libidos with "Sex on Fire." Let the track consume you and your hookup hottie.

2. Chris Isaak - "Wicked Game"
This airy lullaby has been one of the dreamiest make-out songs on the planet for the past gazillion trillion years.

1. Britney Spears - "I'm a Slave 4 U" Brit snags the top spit-swapping spot for making us sweat along to this smash hit single.

Do you love it or are you just not that into our picks? Tell us why in the comment section below.

Now that you have the tracks to set the mood, you should gauge your plans with what the celebs are doing. No date? Don't forget that there are single, hot guys that you might have a chance with. Happy Valentine's Day!

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Valentine's Day: Best Make-Out Songs

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New Releases: Queens Of The Stone Age, Moby, Tweet, C-Murder, M.I.A. & More

21 Mar 2005 09:19:00 EST

Also due Tuesday are LPs from buzzed-about acts Bloc Party and Louis XIV.
By Alyssa Rashbaum

Queens of the Stone Age's Lullabies to Paralyze
Photo: Interscope Records

After a three-year wait, mounting anticipation and months of rumors and internal struggles, rock and roll kings Queens of the Stone Age are finally ready to release Lullabies to Paralyze.

Since the 2002 release of QOTSA's highly touted Songs for the Deaf, the band has seen the departure of bassist Nick Oliveri and singer Mark Lanegan. For Lullabies, lead singer Josh Homme called in a little help from friends including ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, the Distillers' Brody Dalle and Garbage's Shirley Manson, to help fill in the gaps.

Following an equally long absence, Moby returns with the double-disc Hotel. After penning somewhere between 200 to 300 songs for the album, Moby settled on 25 tracks: an 11-song disc of ambient mellow music and another disc that features one song ("Beautiful") that takes aim at notorious "Newlyweds" Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.

On her second album, It's Me Again, Tweet gets personal with listeners, giving a window into her love life. For the follow-up to 2002's Southern Hummingbird, Tweet got support from daughter Tashana, whom she duets with on the track "The Two of Us," and from Missy Elliott, who helped out with nine of the album's 15 tracks.

Finally, the embattled MC with the unfortunate moniker, C-Murder, releases his Truest Sh-- I Ever Said. The album was recorded while the rapper was behind bars, convicted of second-degree murder.

Buzzed-about British indie-rockers Bloc Party and Sri Lanka-raised rapper M.I.A. release their albums Silent Alarm and Arular, respectively. San Diego rockers Louis XIV release their The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, while Lifehouse drop a self-titled album.

Also hitting stores this week are albums by Frankie J (The One), Decemberists (Picaresque), Trust Company (True Parallels), Clinton Sparks (Get Familiar Vol. 1 - Maybe You Been Brainwashed), Brendan Benson (The Alternative to Love), John Doe (Forever Hasn't Happened Yet) and Prefuse 73 (Surrounded By Silence).

Out Tuesday, March 22:

A-Frames - Black Forest (Sub Pop)
Acetate - This Band Makes Me Feel (Sanctuary)
Trace Adkins - Songs About Me (Capitol)
Buy Now: Songs About Me (Capitol)
All Hours - In Flagrante Delicto (Hybrid)
All Stars - All City (Thump)
Apocalyptica - Reflections (Nuclear Blast)
Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful (Columbia/RED Ink)
Jim Baker - More Questions Than Answers (Delmark)
Brendan Benson - The Alternative to Love (V2)
Buy Now: The Alternative to Love (V2)
Scott Biram - Dirty Old One Man Band (Bloodshot)
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (Atlantic)
Read: "Franz Ferdinand Give Bloc Party A Leg Up"
Buy Now: Silent Alarm (Atlantic)
Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un M'a Dit (V2)
Kelly Buchanan - Bastard Daughter (Redeye Distribution)
Johnny Budz - Hit Factory 2 (Tommy Boy)
C-Murder - Truest Sh-- I Ever Said (Koch)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - B-Sides & Rarities (Mute U.S.)
Buy Now: B-Sides & Rarities (Mute U.S.)
A Change of Pace - An Offer You Can't Refuse (Immortal)
Vic Chesnutt - Ghetto Bells (New West)
Buy Now: Ghetto Bells (New West)
The Chicago Luzern Exchange - Several Lights (Delmark)
Crystal Skulls - Blocked Numbers (Touch and Go)
Darediablo - Twenty Paces (Southern Records)
Decemberists - Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars)
Lea DeLaria - Double Standards (Telarc)
Devoted Spirits - A Tribute to Earth, Wind and Fire (Thump)
DMBQ - The Essential Sounds from the Far East (Touch and Go)
John Doe - Forever Hasn't Happened Yet (Yep Roc)
Buy Now: Forever Hasn't Happened Yet (Yep Roc)
Dog Faced Gods - Stoned Council (Pyramid)
Edie Sedgwick - Her Love Is Real ... But She Is Not (Desoto)
Eldar - Eldar (Sony Classical)
Fingers Cut Megamachine - Fingers Cut Megamachine (Thick)
Foxymorons - Hesitation Eyes (Heatstroke)
Gogol Bordello - East Infection (Rubric)
Grave Digger - The Last Supper (Nuclear Blast)
Hella - Church Gone Wild/Chirpin Hard (Touch and Go)
The High Speed Scene - The High Speed Scene (Interscope)
High Tension Wires - Send a Message (Dirtnap)
Hollywood Blue Flames - Soul Sanctuary (Delta Groove)
Billy Idol - Devil's Playground (Sanctuary)
Buy Now: Devil's Playground (Sanctuary)
Dave Insley - Call Me Lonesome (Redeye Distribution)
Frankie J - The One (Columbia)
Read: "Frankie J Brings Obsession, Irv Gotti To New LP — But Not At The Same Time"
Buy Now: The One (Columbia)
Mitch Kashmar - Nickels & Dimes (Delta Groove)
Kneebody - Break Me (Green Leaf/Koch)
Kylesa - To Walk a Middle Course (Prosthetic)
Last Train Home - Bound Away (LTH)
Manny Lehman - Freedom Party (Tommy Boy)
The Letters Organize - Dead Rhythm Machine (Nitro)
Lifehouse - Lifehouse (Geffen)
Buy Now: Lifehouse (Geffen)
Lights of Euphoria - Gegen Den Strom (Metropolis)
Los Super Seven - Heard It on the X (Telarc)
Buy Now: Heard It on the X (Telarc)
Louis XIV - The Best Little Secrets Are Kept (Atlantic)
Read: "Louis XIV: Killers-Endorsed Quartet With King-Sized Egos"
Buy Now: The Best Little Secrets Are Kept (Atlantic)
Love Tractor - Black Hole (Fundamental)
M.I.A. - Arular (Beggars Banquet)
Read: "Her Name May Be M.I.A., But Her Career Is Anything But"
Mahjongg - Raydoncong (Cold Crush)
Midnight Evils - Breakin' It Down (Touch and Go)
Moby - Hotel (V2)
Read: "Moby Takes Aim At Nick And Jessica With 'Beautiful'"
Buy Now: Hotel (V2)
Mark Mulcahy - In Pursuit of Happiness (Mezzotint)
Munk - Apertivo (Gomma)
Nocturnal Rage - Way Out Your Mind (Noc-On-Wood)
Nottz - Nottz Presents DMP (Koch)
Omnium Gatherum - Years in Waste (Nuclear Blast)
Out Hud - Let Us Never Speak of it Again (Kranky)
John Pizzarelli - Knowing You (Telarc)
Prefuse 73 - Surrounded by Silence (Warp)
Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze (Interscope)
Read: "Queens Of The Stone Age Keep LP, Tour Shrouded In Mystery"
Buy Now: Lullabies to Paralyze (Interscope)
Sugar Ray & the Bluetones - Hands Across the Table (Severn)
Alasdair Roberts - No Earthly Man (Drag City)
The Robot Ate Me - On Vacation (Touch and Go)
Sakesho - We Want You to Say ... (Heads Up)
Maia Sharp - Fine Upstanding Citizen (Koch)
Shipping News - Flies the Fields (Touch and Go)
Sinch - Clearing the Channel (Rock Ridge Music)
Buy Now: Clearing the Channel (Rock Ridge Music)
Six Feet Under - 13 (Metal Blade)
Buy Now: 13 (Metal Blade)
Smoke or Fire - Above the City (Fat Wreck Chords)
Clinton Sparks - Get Familiar Vol. 1 - Maybe You Been Brainwashed (Koch)
Spitalfield - Stop Doing Bad Things (Victory)
Buy Now: Stop Doing Bad Things (Victory)
Michael "Patches" Stewart - Blow (Koch)
Sunday Runners - Sunday Runners (Machine)
Toxic Audio - Rewind: The Best of Toxic Audio (Koch)
Trust Company - True Parallels (Geffen)
Buy Now: True Parallels (Geffen)
Tweet - It's Me Again (Atlantic)
Buy Now: It's Me Again (Atlantic)
The Wonder Stuff - Escape From Rubbish Island (Reincarnate Music)
Yellowjackets - Altered State (Heads Up)
Various artists - A Night Out with the Boys (EMI)
Various artists - Nashville Star: 2005 Finalists (Universal South)
Various artists - Trance Divas 2 (Varèse Sarabande)
Various artists - "Summerland" soundtrack (Image)
Various artists - "The Cave" soundtrack (Lakeshore)
DVD: Drive-By Truckers - "The Dirty South - Live at the 40 Watt" (New West)
DVD: Snoop Dogg - "The Puff Puff Pass Tour: Special Edition" (Eagle Rock)
DVD: Various artists - "Okayplayer Tour 2004" (Deconstruction)
DVD: Various artists - "Return to Sin City: A Tribute to Gram Parsons" (Image)

March 29:

Beck - Guero (Geffen)
Read: "Finished Version Of That Beck LP You Downloaded Due In March"
Buy Now: Guero (Geffen)
The Bravery - The Bravery (Island)
Read: "The Bravery Bring Today's Technology To Yesterday's Sounds"
Buy Now: The Bravery (Island)
Will Smith - Lost & Found (Interscope)
Read: "Will Smith Has 'Sumthin' For Eminem' On New LP, Due In March"
Buy Now: Lost & Found (Interscope)

April 5:

Faith Evans - First Lady (Capitol)
Hot Hot Heat - Elevator (Sire)
Read: "Hot Hot Heat's Ups And Downs Inspire Elevator"
Buy Now: Elevator (Sire)
Various artists - Music from the O.C. Mix 4 (Warner Bros.)

April 12:

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi (Island)
Garbage - Bleed Like Me (Interscope)
Read: "Garbage Breakup Ends With New LP — If They Did Actually Break Up"
Mudvayne - Lost and Found (Sony)
Read: "Mudvayne Lose The Makeup, Find Inspiration In Isolation"

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Tweet Leaves Her 'Dark Place,' Lightens Up On New Album

18 Mar 2005 09:00:00 EST

It's Me Again pairs personal lyrics with a warmer, more classic sound.
By Carolyn E. Davis, with additional reporting by Shaheem Reid and Jasmine Dotiwala

Tweet (file)
Photo: Matthew Peyton/Getty Images

Tweet isn't afraid to get personal in her lyrics, but the woman you thought you knew from Southern Hummingbird may not be the same one you hear on her new LP, It's Me Again. In the three years since her debut, the singer has crafted an album that reflects her maturation and a decidedly warmer outlook.

"The idea is still the pages in my diary, and just to let my fans know I'm not in that dark place anymore. I'm a happier Tweet," she said. "My life experiences have changed me. I embrace the change and allow them to be experiences that don't keep me stuck in one position or in one place."

What fans will find on her album is a lot of love talk, though mostly about past relationships. As for her own romantic situation, Tweet declared that she is happily single. "I don't need anybody else to validate me or to complete me," she said. "I'm on the hunt for a man that believes in monogamy, somebody that can be committed, God-fearing and just be able to love me for me." Working out the depression of her last relationship resulted in the song "I'm Done."

A song called "The Two of Us" holds a different kind of love connection for Tweet. A duet with her teenage daughter Tashana, the track focuses on their mother-daughter relationship. "She deals with me not being there and handles it like a champ," Tweet said. "Just to see her [in the studio], I think I cried the entire time because I can remember her being a baby. It feels good for me to share this experience with her. I have a beautiful daughter, and I want the world to know that." Though her daughter (a Mario, Bow Wow and Omarion fan) may want to get in the music business, her mother says she is keeping Tashana away from the industry until she's older.

For Tweet, writing is a form of therapy, whether she is doing it on the train or in the bathtub. She is inspired by listening to the music of Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder as well as Van Hunt, John Mayer, Maroon 5 and of course, Missy Elliott. Missy lent her hand to nine of It's Me Again's 15 tracks. "She is totally involved," Tweet said. "We both feel there is a void in the music business now where the soul is missing. We wanted to get this old classic sound back, and she came up with the idea of the old vinyl records."

"Turn Da Lights Off," the first single from the follow-up, was written by Elliott and produced by Kwame (see "Tweet's Forthcoming LP: A Self-Help Guide To Romance, With Beats"). Tweet thinks the song serves as a good reintroduction for fans and a more accurate representation of her music. "A lot of people thought I was a hip-hop artist from 'Oops' and 'Call Me,' but this is a great opening of a new chapter in my life." When it came time to do the video, she wanted something atypical with strong but beautiful imagery. Tweet specified that the video, which has a glamorous vibe á la Diana Ross in "Mahogany," should be free of "half-naked women or drink bottles."

Although she had no hand in 50 Cent's remix of "Turn Off Da Lights" (see "50's Next Date: Jennifer Aniston, Tyra Banks, Paris Hilton?"), Tweet loved the outcome and would love to do a video for it.

Up for consideration for the second single off her album is "My Man," "Sports, Sex and Food" and "Cab Ride," which includes the theme music from the classic television series "Taxi." Tweet got clearance from the creator to use it on the ballad, and according to the singer, that is the first time anyone has been given that permission.

And speaking of TV theme songs, Tweet has already shot a video for "When I Need a Man," the theme for the USA Network's "Kojak." The series, starring Ving Rhames, starts Friday, and Tweet hopes that the song will make fans think, " 'Who loves you baby?' every time you hear my voice!"

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For The Record: Quick News On Britney Spears, R. Kelly, Static-X, Hilary Duff, Tweet, Def Leppard & More

8 Mar 2005 05:58:00 EST

Britney admits marriage was rocky at first, R. Kelly loses a round in court, Debbie Rowe puts the Jacko ring up for auction.
By MTV News staff report

Britney Spears on the cover of April's Allure
Photo: Michael Thompson/Allure Magazine

In the April issue of Allure magazine, Britney Spears admits that she let herself go in recent months and that the beginning of her marriage to Kevin Federline has been somewhat rocky. The singer said that she was grateful that paparazzi shots revealed she was gaining more pounds than usual because "it made me see that I needed to lose weight." Pointing to her stomach, she told the magazine, "As you can see, I still have the honeymoon aftereffect ... I was just lounging around and eating and laying out and just didn't have a care in the world." That didn't help the honeymoon transition into a successful marriage, she said, because "hardcore" reality set in after the first three weeks. "Before we got married, we were on tour, and we were like kids, ordering room service, saying, 'Let's go out tonight.' And then all of a sudden, you have the kids," she told the magazine, referring to Federline's children, Kori and Kaleb, "you have the diapers, get the dogs to the vet. It's this whole reality, you know. But we handled it fine, and now things are starting to go really smooth." However, she's no longer hoping to have a child of her own in the immediate future. "I'm not pregnant," she said. "It's not something I've striving for." ... (See photos of Britney Spears in April's Allure.)

R. Kelly lost another round in court on Friday, when a Chicago judge rejected his bid to declare the Illinois child-pornography statute unconstitutional (and thereby dismiss the charges against him). Kelly's defense tried to make the argument that if it's not illegal to have sex with a 17-year-old, since that's the age of consent, it shouldn't be illegal to take pictures of a 17-year-old engaging in a sex act. Cook County Assistant State Attorney Shauna Boliker, however, successfully argued that the state lawmakers broadened the scope of the pornography statute and that the charges should stand. Kelly is due back in court on April 21. ... The diamond wedding ring Michael Jackson gave to ex-wife Debbie Rowe is on the block on eBay with a starting bid of $50,000. "This beautiful ring was given to Debbie and she would love someone to have it who appreciates the beauty and intention in which it was given," reads a note on the auction site. The bidding on the platinum ring — which has a two-carat, center-cut diamond surrounded by 14 brilliant-cut diamonds — is being sold on a reserve basis, which means the buyer must meet an unspecified target price. There were four early bids, but as of Tuesday (March 8), no legitimate bids had been made for the sale, which ends Thursday. ...

A week after confirming their split with guitarist Tripp Eisen — who was recently arrested on charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child — Static-X leader Wayne Static announced on the band's Web site on Monday that former guitarist Koichi Fukuda has rejoined the group. Fukuda played on the band's debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, and toured with the group for two years before leaving to spend more time with his family. Fukuda has been recording with Static-X since October and will perform live with them at the Galaxy in Santa Ana, California, on March 25. ... Hilary Duff, poet? Well, at least for one night, when she guest stars on "George Lopez" as a feminist named Kenzie who enters a poetry slam. Her episode airs Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

Tweet has just finished shooting a video for the theme song to the updated version of "Kojak," which premieres March 25 on USA. Ving Rhames plays the title role. The clip for "When I Need a Man" was directed by Antti J. Jokinen (Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This"). "What I wanted to do was give Kojak a great intro," Tweet said in a statement. "I wanted to make a statement with this song — 'Don't mess with Kojak.' " The track will also appear on Tweet's album It's Me Again, out March 22. ... Carmen Electra is going to be a sex slave — for her new role on the Sci Fi Channel's half-hour animated series "Tripping the Rift." Electra is joining the voice cast for the second season, which debuts in July, as "Six," a sexy android whose function is to serve the carnal needs of a stumpy purple alien named Chode. She has the added value of being brainy as well, and acts as the unheeded voice of reason on Chode's smuggling vessel. ...

Several celebs are donating the clothes off their backs to benefit the Children's Defense Fund, Cure Autism Now, and the UNICEF Tsunami Relief Fund. The "Clothes Off Our Back" auction at www.clothesoffourback.org features clothing and accessories worn during the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Golden Globes, and movies such as "Be Cool," including Tyra Banks' Elie Saab gown, Leonardo DiCaprio's Prada tuxedo, Mark McGrath's Holland ESQ suit, Cate Blanchett's Judith Leiber handbag, Jimmy Jam's Stetson hat and Sarah Jessica Parker's Vivienne Westwood pants. ... The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers slapped an Illinois watering hole with a copyright-infringement lawsuit on Monday, after it was learned that the Led Zeppelin classic "Whole Lotta Love" was performed there by a cover band back in October. Each year, ASCAP files an average of 200 lawsuits against businesses that "present musical entertainment" to the public without permission, an attorney representing the organization said. ASCAP has issued licenses to more than 100,000 music venues nationwide; one is required if a bar or club wants to bring in a cover band or DJ to perform, for example. The bar in question, 602 North in Glendale Heights, could not be reached for comment. ...

If it's good enough for Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, it's good enough for, um, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams? The British metal act and Canadian rocker will join forces this summer for the Rock 'N Roll Double-Header Tour, in which they'll play shows at 26 minor-league baseball stadiums. The tour is scheduled to kick off with a June 1 date in Portland, Oregon, at PGE Park (home of the Beavers), and end on August 10 in Lansing, Michigan, at Oldsmobile Park (home of the Lugnuts), according to a Def Lep spokesperson. The stage will be setup in the outfield and fans will be encouraged to sit on blankets on the field or watch from the stands. ... British buzz band Aqualung have the first single from the soundtrack to the upcoming Ashton Kutcher/ Amanda Peet romantic comedy, "A Lot Like Love." The band's "Brighter Than Sunshine" will be heard in trailers for the film, which traces the lives of a would-be couple as they keep running into each other over the course of seven years. Other artists featured on the soundtrack are Jet, the Cure, Travis, Butch Walker and Hooverphonic. The film hits theaters April 22, the soundtrack is in stores April 12, and Aqualung's first U.S. album, Strange and Beautiful, drops March 22. ...

Mandy Moore will soon add another stamp on her passport when she plays host for a series of events benefiting UNICEF in Japan. Moore, who has already been tapped to be the face of Coach's international spring advertising campaign, will travel to the land of the rising sun next month to cut the ribbon at the handbag and accessory brand's flagship store in Nagoya. The limited-edition Coach Scribble Signature wristbands will serve as a ticket to the charity concert at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on April 9, which will feature Moore as well as N.E.R.D. ...

03.07.2005

After months of speculation, there's finally substantive information on Weezer's upcoming fifth studio album. Namely, the name: Make Believe. The band confirmed the title in a post on Weezer.com, adding that the artwork for the LP was also very close to being completed. The group stopped short of giving up all the info, though; there's still no confirmed release date. ...

Foxy Brown turned herself in to New York City police late Monday evening (March 7) to face assault charges stemming from an incident at a nail salon in August. Details are scarce, but Foxy was issued an appearance ticket and released without bail, according to an NYPD spokesperson. ...

The Velvet Teddy Bear, Ruben Studdard, is involved in a not-so-cuddly lawsuit with his godfather/former business adviser. A lawyer for the "American Idol" crooner has slapped Ronald Edwards with a suit alleging that Edwards withdrew checks that add up to $90,000 from Studdard's account, ran up big charges on his credit cards and misused $246,000 without getting Studdard's permission. The suit is asking for unspecified damages. Edwards' attorney says that his client came to the aid of Studdard when the "Idol" contest starting heating up and had power of attorney to help Studdard by paying his rent and cell-phone bills as well as his accountant. The next step for Edwards in the battle against his godson will come in the form of a counterclaim, which his attorney says will be filed next week. ...

Snoop Dogg's Puff Puff Pass Tour is dropping like it's hot — on DVD. The two-disc set, featuring live performances of such hits as "Gin & Juice" and "Murder Was the Case," is due out March 22. The second disc features behind-the-scenes footage as well as the rapper's thoughts on the war in Iraq, Al Sharpton and George W. Bush. ... Snoop, Twista and WC are among the guests on Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper Layzie Bone's debut solo album, It's Not a Game, due May 31. Krayzie Bone and the Outlawz also make appearances on Layzie's first recording since the 2001 side project Mo Thugs Family Presents Thug by Nature. ...

The cost for expediting the visa process for U.K. bands coming to perform in the U.S. has some rockers' knickers in a twist. In the ramp-up to South by Southwest — which starts at the end of the week — many British bands are complaining that getting temporary visas has become increasingly difficult. With a 15-day express fee running more than $1,000 per visa request, some British advocacy groups, like the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, are grousing that U.K. bands will lose money by hauling themselves across the pond. The London Times has said that bands like Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand, who are well established in the States, may be awarded travel grants to ease the difficulty of entering the U.S. ... British rockers Muse will headline this year's Campus Invasion Tour. Razorlight will open on the trek, which begins April 8 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, and ends April 28 at Kent State University in Cleveland. ...

Last week a few tracks trickled out to the Internet via Seattle radio station the End 107.7, and now the entirety of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine has leaked online. The album, which has been in label limbo for more than two years, features such tracks as "Oh Sailor," "Red Red Red" and "Window." Sony still has yet to set a release date for the album. ... The same day the traditional version hits stores, Bruce Springsteen's upcoming album Devils & Dust (April 26) will also be released in DualDisc format. The two-sided disc will have the full album on one side, and live acoustic performances of the title track, "Long Time Comin'," "Reno," "All I'm Thinkin' About" and "Matamoras Banks" on the DVD side, with spoken introductions from the Boss. ...

Oasis have titled their sixth studio album Don't Believe the Truth. The record, due May 31, includes "Lyla," which recently hit the singles charts in the U.K. ... Scottish alt-rockers Teenage Fanclub will drop their latest effort, Man-Made, in May, via their own PeMa label. Fans anxious for the Fanclub's new material will get their chance to hear it in late March, but will need to cross the Atlantic to get it: a pair of shows has been set, the first in London at the Scala on March 29 and the second at Glasgow's Mitchell Theatre on March 31. Man-Made will be the band's first studio album since 2000's Howdy! ...

Hoboken, New Jersey's Yo La Tengo are officially an institution. The indie rockers will release the career-spanning retrospective Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs, 1985-2003 on March 22. The collection will be available in two versions: a two-disc "best-of" set and a three-disc anthology with a disc of 16 rarities and outtakes. The trio also recently completed soundtracks for the Sundance films "Game 6" and "Junebug," and they have a DVD slated to drop later in the year. ... Finch and Vendetta Red are pairing up for a spring tour that kicks off April 14 in West Hollywood, California, and wraps up April 30 at the Bamboozle festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Vendetta Red, who are playing several dates near their hometown of Seattle beforehand, will be previewing songs from their next album, Sisters of the Red Death, due this summer. ...

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Tweet's Forthcoming LP: A Self-Help Guide To Romance, With Beats

27 Dec 2004 06:01:00 EST

It's Me Again is due in March.
By Rashaun Hall, with additional reporting by Curtis Waller

Tweet (file)
Photo: Gregg Delman

In 2002, more than a few people debated the meaning of Tweet's red-hot debut single, "Oops (Oh My!)." But this time she's making her intentions crystal-clear with her new single, "Turn the Lights Off."

"It's about being home with someone that you're into and telling him to play some music that might take you to a certain place," Tweet said. "It's like, 'Turn the lights off, let's have a toast, put the needle on the record and let's get to know each other.' It's all about romance."

In fact, romance is the theme of almost every song on It's Me Again, which is due in March and has been revised considerably from the version that was planned for release last June (see "Tweet Gets Happy With Missy's Help, Duets With Daughter On It's Me Again"). Tweet's mentor, Missy Elliott, wrote six songs for the LP, including "Turn the Lights Off" and "My Man."

" 'My Man' is about having a boyfriend whose ex keeps coming back and you have to have this conversation with him and the girl: 'He's my man, my turf/ That's why I come first,' " Tweet explained.

In addition to Missy, Tweet also worked with producers like Timbaland, Kwame and Walter Milsap, among others. And while she and Missy wrote the majority of the album, songwriter Harold Lilly contributed "Sports, Sex & Food."

"I think that's for real because it's coming from a man's point of view," Tweet said of the song. "You don't have to be a sports fanatic, but sit down and watch a basketball game with him instead of getting mad because he wants to watch one. Just enjoy each other with that.

"As for food, my mother always told me the way to a man's heart is through the kitchen," she continued. "I don't want to touch on the sex too much because I do believe in waiting until marriage, but this is 2005 and that usually doesn't happen, so safe sex and things like that I will go for. [The song is] hitting on three great points."

Tweet kept the guest appearances light on It's Me Again with Missy, R&B soulster Rell ("Could It Be") and Tweet's daughter, Tashana ("The Two of Us"), weighing in.

"Because I have been gone so long, I didn't want to bring too many featured people," said Tweet. "I think people want to hear me, so I just added a few special things on there."

One of the "special things" Tweet is particularly proud of is the self-penned "You."

"That's my record," she said enthusiastically. "I was getting over another relationship [when I wrote it.] When a relationship is over you think back and wonder why you wasted your time: 'I was looking for a love that could be all mine, but instead I found you.'

"Sometimes you fall in love with the idea of being in love and not the person," she added. "I think that's what happened. I wanted to be in love so much till I didn't even see the person; I just saw the word 'love' and misconstrued it. I was blinded by the feeling. I'm changed now. I met a new friend and we're friends right now — we're taking it easy. I am getting to know him. We've talked about our pasts and futures. You have to get to know a person before you shoot out that four-letter word, because it's a powerful word."

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Tweet Gets Happy With Missy's Help, Duets With Daughter On It's Me Again

13 Feb 2004 07:29:00 EST

Elliott helps out on singer's Southern Hummingbird.
By Jon Wiederhorn

Tweet and Missy Elliott on the set of "I'm Really Hot"
Photo: Arnold Turner

The troubled performer who once contemplated suicide and sang "I'll be sure to meet you with no panties on" on her 2002 debut, Southern Hummingbird, is looking at life from a different perspective.

Tweet's upcoming album, It's Me Again, features a spirited duet with her daughter, Tashana, called "The Two of Us," and other similarly upbeat cuts. "It's not as dark as the first one," Tweet said of the album, set to drop in June. "It's a happier way of saying what's going on in my life right now."

The singer is currently in Los Angeles mastering the 17-track album. It will feature production by the singer herself, Missy Elliott (who worked on Southern Hummingbird), Nissan Stewart, Craig Brockman and the Vidal and Dre team. Guest stars include Missy, who recorded vocals for "Mr. DJ," while Free, co-host of the BET program "106 & Park," appears on the dancey, mid-tempo "Shook Up," which is being considered for the first single.

Other songs include "Taxi," which borrows the eponymous TV show's theme music; "Football Love," a track about her football-playing ex-boyfriend; and "Things I Don't Mean."

Tweet began work on the album last summer and has recorded in Los Angeles, New York and Miami.

Track list for It's Me Again, according to Elektra Records:

"Intro"
"Face to Face"
"Taxi"
"See Ya"
"Mr. DJ"
"Proceed"
"Whisper"
"Things I Don't Mean"
"Iceberg"
"Where Do We Go"
"Could It Be"
"Football Love"
"Tu Tu"
"I'm Done"
"Shook Up"
"Two of Us"
"Small Change"
"If You Don't Love Me"

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Fabolous, Missy, Tweet, Jadakiss On 'Honey' Soundtrack

23 Sep 2003 08:19:00 EDT

Movie stars Jessica Alba and Lil' Romeo.
By Shaheem Reid

Fabolous
Photo: Desert Storm

Fabolous, Missy Elliott, Tweet, Nate Dogg, Jadakiss and Amerie have all contributed songs to the soundtrack to the movie "Honey," but Blaque will have the honor of releasing the disc's first single, "I'm Good."

" 'I'm Good,' it's not a male-bashing song for people who have heard it and say we don't like guys," explained the group's Shamari Fears. "We love the men!"

"Girls are saying, 'We're good with you or good without you,' " her partner Brandi Williams chimed in. "We can handle our own business. If you wanna come along, we can accept your love as well. But we can pop bottles and be in the VIP and do us without the men."

"Honey" opens in theaters December 5, and the soundtrack drops November 25. In the movie, Jessica Alba plays a video choreographer who becomes a dance instructor (see "Lil' Romeo Finds Big Sis In Co-Star Jessica Alba"). Lil' Romeo and Mehki Phifer co-star, while Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Missy Elliott, Ginuwine and Tweet play themselves.

"Honey" soundtrack track listing, according to Elektra:

Jadakiss and Sheek Louch - "J-A-D-A"
Yolanda Adams - "I Believe"
Erick Sermon - "React"
Mark Ronson f/ Ghostface Killah and Nate Dogg - "Ooh Wee"
Missy Elliott - "Hurt Sumthin"
Tweet - "Thugman"
Goapele - "Closer"
Fabolous - "Now Ride"
Sean Paul - "Gimme the Light"
Blaque - "I'm Good"
Amerie - "When I Think of You"
Nate Dogg f/ the Roc-A-Fella crew - "Leave Her Alone"

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G-Unit, Missy, Busta, Others Lined Up For New Violator LP

19 Sep 2003 12:30:00 EDT

Lil' Mo, Tweet, Mobb Deep, a Tribe Called Quest also set for V3: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, due December 9.
By Shaheem Reid

Missy Elliott
Photo: MTV News

Violator Management has once again called upon its artists to participate in one of the company's star-studded compilations.

V3: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly will feature appearances by such acts as Missy Elliott, Lil' Mo, Tweet and Mobb Deep, according to a spokesperson for Jive Records. While the lineup for the album is still being solidified, the project's rep said that the G-Unit will rap on a track called "Gangsta Sh--" and the first official single will be a still-untitled cut featuring Busta Rhymes, Mystikal and a new MC named Dirtbag.

In addition to the participation by Violator acts, V3, which is scheduled to be released on December 9, will also include the reunion of a Tribe Called Quest on a song titled "(ICU) Doin' It."

In 1999, Violator released Violator: The Album and in 2001 the company put out Violator: The Album V2.0.

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For The Record: Quick News On Limp Bizkit, Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, Neptunes, Vanessa Carlton, Tweet & More

20 Aug 2003 05:21:00 EDT

Fred Durst
Photo: MTV News

It's Fred Durst's birthday, so he's bestowed upon himself the gift of yet another title change for the next Limp Bizkit album. The newly christened Results May Vary, Durst wrote on his band's Web site, is "like a prescription drug, each person's reaction to the ingredients will be differnet (sic)." The first pressings of the album will contain 35 minutes of DVD footage culled from a massive four-hour DVD called Poop, expected to come out before the end of the year. ...

A candlelight vigil will be held for Aaliyah on Monday, the two-year anniversary of her death. Fans are welcome to join and celebrate the singer's life at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, from 4-7 p.m. ... On August 29, a day after their performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, Metallica will perform a rare club show at New York's Bowery Ballroom. Details on how to get tickets will be announced on radio station WXRK (K-Rock) on Friday. ...

Justin Timberlake, Swizz Beatz, DJ Clue, members of the Star Trak family and Kelly Osbourne in a "Clockwork Orange"-like getup all came out to New York's Chelsea Piers on Tuesday night for Pharrell Williams and his partner Chad Hugo's Neptunes Presents ... Clones album-release party. ... Tweet has titled her second album It's Me Again. A release date has not been set, but the singer says the first single is called "Thug Man." ...

Vanessa Carlton, Hootie & the Blowfish and Billy Bob Thornton have been added to the lineup for Farm Aid 2003, scheduled for September 7 in Columbus, Ohio. Emmylou Harris and Daniel Lanois will also join Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp and others at the event. ... Das EFX will release their first studio album in five years on September 23. How We Do includes the Dame Grease-produced single "Greezy," along with a collaboration with Sean Paul called "Memories." ...

Ever-quotable punk icon Jello Biafra countered a press release from his former Dead Kennedys bandmates, who invited him to participate in what he called "their cash-in nostalgia show in Hollywood on August 19th," with a press release of his own. "What's the matter, not enough Hot Topic bozo teens flocking to stuff cash in their bikinis? [Were] they having that much trouble selling tickets to a bar that holds less than 600 people?" he said, adding, "If they really want to 'bury the hatchet,' why won't they stop suing me? ... I feel sorry for anyone duped into paying top dollar for a ticket because they heard, 'I might be there.' But I hardly think I'm 'letting fans down' by refusing to be part of a nostalgia scam." ... Guided by Voices, Isaac Hayes, Phantom Planet, Rilo Kiley, the Dandy Warhols, Circle Jerks and Earlimart are among the performers slated for this weekend's Sunset Junction Street Fair in Los Angeles. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Sunset Neighborhood Alliance, a neighborhood improvement group. More information on the event and the organization can be found at www.sunsetjunction.org. ...

Along with a DVD he is directing, Moby will release a collection of B-sides from 18 on November 4. The album will include "Love of Strings," one of the most downloaded songs at Apple's iTunes store. ... Purchasers of Andrew W.K.'s The Wolf, due September 9, just might receive a thank-you call from Andrew himself — the zany rocker has announced a promotion to personally phone over a thousand of his fans who purchase his record. The first 250 people to pre-order the album on either his official site or www.amazon.com will receive a call; then, post-album release, he will ring up an additional 100 winners per week through a random drawing he will have on his site. ...

Kittie are taking another legal swing at Artemis Records in their effort to divorce themselves from the label. The band has filed a lawsuit claiming, among other things, that Artemis interfered with its ability to develop new income streams and to tour internationally, and that it offered Kittie inadequate promotion, resulting in a $2 million loss for the rockers. ... Orgy will release their third LP, tentatively titled Punk Statik Paranoia, in January on frontman Jay Gordon's new D1 Music label. ... A two-disc DVD collection called "The Ed Sullivan Show Featuring the Beatles" is set for an October 28 release. The four-hour compilation includes 20 live performances by the band, including "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Yesterday." ...

08.19.03

Jay-Z's got new beef, this time with Fat Joe. Not really, but the rappers' respective basketball teams in this year's Entertainers Basketball Classic tournament at New York's famed Rucker Park got into a disagreement before the championship game on Monday night. A dispute over which team would occupy the home team's bench resulted in Jay-Z's team refusing to play. Rucker Park commissioner Greg Marius called the game a forfeit — over a bench — and said Fat Joe's squad would remain defending champions. ...

Good Charlotte will perform alongside Britney Spears, Aerosmith and Mary J. Blige at the NFL Kickoff Live 2003 event at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on September 4. The all-star performance will end with Aretha Franklin's singing of the national anthem. ... DMX debuted his line of dog apparel, dubbed Boomer 129, at the Q Lounge in New York on Monday night. Pit bulls and rottweilers modeled such items as rain jackets, doo-rags and tank tops. Meanwhile, Fox Searchlight Pictures has acquired the rights to X's next film, "Never Die Alone," and will release the flick later this year. ...

With so many artists already confirmed it's scary, the fifth annual Voodoo Music Experience will once again take place in New Orleans on Halloween, but this year it's a three-day affair. 50 Cent, Marilyn Manson, Godsmack, Queens of the Stone Age, P.O.D., A Perfect Circle and the Donnas top the list of 31 acts slated to perform at New Orleans' City Park. ...

Ricky Martin, Thalia and Alexandre Pires with Kelly Clarkson are among the first wave of performers announced for the fourth annual Latin Grammy Awards, to be held September 3 in Miami. ... Marc Anthony and his wife, former Miss Universe Dayanara Muñiz, welcomed their new seven-pound bundle of joy into the world this weekend. The couple's second child, Ryan Anthony Muñiz, was born in New York at 11:40 a.m. on Saturday. ...

Old-school L.A. punk figure Brendan Mullen — who promoted shows at the Masque, among other claims to fame — is taking on Jane's Addiction for his next project. He's writing the first authorized biography on the band, to be called "Whores: An Oral History of Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction." The book is due in 2005 from Da Capo Press. ... To promote his upcoming album, Some of My Best Friends Are DJs, due out in October, turntablist Kid Koala is staging a contest through mom-and-pop record stores around the country. One lucky winner will receive a private home performance by the DJ maestro and will get to keep all the equipment, including turntables, a Rane mixer and speakers. Koala's girlfriend has also promised to cook dinner for the lucky fan. For a list of participating stores, check the Coalition of Independent Music Stores site, www.cimsmusic.com. ...

While Scott Weiland focuses his energy on Velvet Revolver and Robert and Dean DeLeo anxiously await the reception to the Alien Ant Farm record they produced, Atlantic Records is gearing up to release a Stone Temple Pilots greatest-hits collection called Thank You that will include 14 songs culled from the band's five albums as well as an acoustic version of "Plush" and the previously unreleased track "All in the Suit That You Wear." Both the CD and a DVD (compiling all of the band's videos with live and home-video footage) are tentatively scheduled to be released November 4, according to the Stone Temple Pilots Web site. The Alien Ant Farm record truANT hit stores this week. ...

Icelandic critical darlings Sigur Rós have begun work on their fourth full-length album, according to the band's official news site. Live recordings of three new tracks — "Gong," "Milanó" and "Salka" — can be found at www.sigur-ros.co.uk. ... Illvastar, the ex-bassist of the Norwegian black metal band Svartahrid, has been sentenced to a year in prison for defiling a corpse. The metal maniac broke into a mortuary on June 14, decapitated a corpse with a knife, and brought the severed head to a party near the southeastern town of Skien. A guest at the party reported Illvastar to the police. The bassist, who had been drinking moonshine and smoking, had no memory of the beheading. ...

Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider's brother-in-law was shot and killed on Monday while walking to work in Midtown New York. Vincent Gargiulo, 34, was slain one block from where he was employed as a construction worker. Police have no substantial leads. ... Despite their name, Rush are in no hurry to release their massive triple-CD live album, Rush in Rio. It, and its accompanying double DVD, have been pushed back to a late October release. ...

Outtakes from Johnny Cash's work with producer Rick Rubin, which yielded four American Recordings albums over the last decade, will surface on the tentatively titled Unearthed box set. Expected to drop by Christmastime, four of the set's five discs will be composed of previously unreleased material, while the fifth will serve as a greatest-hits disc. ... Singer/songwriter Howie Day will follow-up his debut, Australia, with Stop All the World Now on October 7. The LP's first single, "Perfect Time of Day," has begun to surface at radio, and beginning September 28, Day will be accompanied by a full band on tour for the first time. ...

Ben & Jerry are watching their dreams melt before their eyes. A week before the ice-cream-making duo's scheduled 25th anniversary party in Middletown, New York, their One World One Heart Festival has been canceled because of poor ticket sales. The bash was to take place August 23 and 24 and feature such acts as Third Eye Blind, George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, Tracy Chapman and others. But only 1,000 of the venue's 30,000 seats were sold. ... Chapman, Alicia Silverstone, Woody Harrelson and others have signed on to participate in We the Planet, an eco-friendly tour hoping to spark dialogue concerning global issues. The group will travel the country in hippie-like fashion, via a bus powered by vegetable oil and bio-diesel fuel, and hit up universities and communities across the nation from September 11 to November 9. ...

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Ashanti, Amerie Lead Pack Of Nominees For Soul Train Awards

4 Feb 2003 02:19:00 EST

50 Cent, Nappy Roots, Justin Timberlake also nab nominations.
By Shaheem Reid

Ashanti
Photo: Jason Campbell

It seems like Ashanti's been nominated for just about every music award this year, and she might have the chance to add even more trophies to her mantle soon. The Murder Inc. princess was at the head of the pack when the list of nominees for the Soul Train Awards were announced Tuesday morning (February 4) in Beverly Hills.

The singer is up for Best R&B/ Soul Single - Female, Best R&B/Soul Album - Female and R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year. And while Ashanti's props probably don't come as a shock to most, people may be surprised to see who she's running neck and neck with for nominations: newcomer Amerie.

Amerie is against Ashanti in the female-only soul categories and will square off against Heather Headley, Nappy Roots and Tweet for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.

Other notable nominees include Maxwell's "This Woman's Work," Musiq's "Dontchange," Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" and Usher's "U Don't Have to Call," which are all up for Best R&B/Soul Single - Male.

Busta Rhymes' "Pass the Courvoisier Pt. 2," Missy Elliott's "Work It," Nelly and Kelly Rowland's "Dilemma" and 50 Cent's "Wanksta" are all nominated for the Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video.

While 50 Cent did get love from the folks at Soul Train, the man who signed him to a record contract didn't. Eminem isn't up for any awards this year, despite having the biggest hip-hop album of 2002.

There will be no surprises for LL Cool J and Nelly, at least when they are handed one award. They have been named recipients of the 2003 Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding Career Achievements in the Field of Entertainment - Male (Dionne Warwick gets the female award) and the 2003 Sammy Davis Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year, respectively.

The Soul Train Awards will air in syndication on March 1. Arsenio Hall and Queen Latifah will host.

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