Amy Winehouse

Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse Top Fans' Hologram Wish-Lists

27 Apr 2012 18:46:23 EDT

Departed artists like Whitney Houston, Queen's Freddie Mercury and John Lennon also get mentions from fans in Times Square.
By Kate Callahan

NEW YORK — After the Tupac hologram performance at Coachella made such a huge splash, the team behind the projection system floated the possibility this week of an Elvis hologram to perform with Justin Bieber. Even '90s girl group TLC is rumored to be considering a virtual version of the late Left Eye on their upcoming tour.

With all that talk, MTV News hit Times Square to ask fans which departed artists they would most like to see perform in hologram form. While some of those interviewed wanted to see other rappers like the Notorious B.I.G. or Nate Dogg, one fan thought Whitney Houston should get the honors.

"I love her, I grew up singing her [songs], just walking around the house when I was seven or eight," Shayana of Houston said.

Brits Amy Winehouse and John Lennon of the Beatles were also popular picks, and a few rock fans mentioned Queen's flamboyant frontman. "It would have to be Freddie Mercury because Queen were one of the all-time greatest bands and he was a showman," said a fan named Rob.

Blane Mader would like to see a hologram of another great showman, Michael Jackson.

"It's a really cliché answer, but in my time I've never seen him and it would just be something awesome to watch," Mader said of the King of Pop.

Members of the Jackson 5 recently announced that they would love to have a virtual Michael on their upcoming Unity Tour. "Wouldn't that be wonderful? As a matter of fact, we had that idea two years ago for Michael's Cirque du Soleil show," Michael's brother Jackie Jackson told E! News.

Share your wish-list for future hologram performers in the comments below!

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Amy Winehouse's Family To Share Her $4.6 Million Estate

29 Mar 2012 08:34:27 EDT

Because Winehouse did not leave a will, the money will go to her parents.
By Gil Kaufman

Amy Winehouse did not prepare a will before she died  on July 23 in her London apartment. But records show that the 27-year-old singer did leave behind a nearly $5 million fortune. According to the Associated Press, Winehouse's estate, worth approximately $4.66 million, will go to her parents. Probate documents revealed on Wednesday showed that Winehouse left assets totaling more than $6.7 million, with $4.66 remaining after taxes and debts. Winehouse's father, Mitch, is listed as the administrator of her estate and nothing will go to her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, whom she divorced in 2009 after a tumultuous courtship that landed the couple in the tabloids, and jail, on numerous occasions.

The singer passed last summer from accidental alcohol poisoning after years of struggling with drug and alcohol issues. In March it was announced that the charity established by Mitch Winehouse in his daughter's honor, the Amy Winehouse Foundation, would fund a new performing arts scholarship. The grant will pay tuition for a child to attend the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where Amy trained as a teenager. An album of Winehouse's final studio recordings, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, was released in December.

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Amy Winehouse's Inquiry May Be Reopened After Coroner's Resignation

02 Feb 2012 11:58:06 EST

Suzanne Greenaway resigned in November after questions were raised over her legal and medical experience.
By James Montgomery

The coroner who headed up the official inquest surrounding the death of Amy Winehouse has resigned, and a judicial investigation has been launched over her qualifications, raising concerns that the circumstances of the singer's death may need to be re-examined.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Suzanne Greenaway — the coroner who ruled in October that Winehouse died of "misadventure" — has become the subject of an investigation headed up by the Office of Judicial Complaints, after concerns were raised that she did not possess sufficient legal experience in the U.K. when she was appointed by her husband (a fellow coroner who chaired the inquest) to serve on the legal investigation into Winehouse's death.

Greenaway resigned from her position as an assistant deputy coroner in November after it was discovered she had not been a registered lawyer in the U.K. for the required five years. Her resignation was announced on Wednesday. According to British law, Greenaway would have needed either five years with the Law Society or five years of experience as a qualified medical practitioner. She has met neither set of criteria.

Her husband, Andrew Reid, said in a statement that he believed that Greenaway's legal and medical experience in Australia qualified her to lead the legal inquest, but admitted in a statement that he "had made an error in good faith."

Reid also said that, while he was "confident" all the inquests handled by his wife were done so correctly, he would be writing to the 30 families whose relatives were subject to those inquests (including Winehouse's) "to personally apologize and offer for their cases to be reheard if requested."

It is not known whether the Winehouse family will opt to have the late singer's inquest reopened. In a statement released to the Independent newspaper, the family said they were "taking advice on the implications [of the investigation into Greenaway's qualifications] and will decide if any further discussion with the authorities is needed."

Winehouse's father, Mitch Winehouse, later took to his Twitter account to add, "Don't worry about coroner nonsense. We are all okay."

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Amy Winehouse: We Bid Farewell To A Titanic Talent In 2011

27 Dec 2011 10:04:30 EST

Singer's death at age 27 and the comeback that never was is our #10 Newsmaker of the year.
By Gil Kaufman

If I had gone to journalism school, I'm sure one of the first things they would have taught me would have been to remain objective in my reporting and not get too emotionally involved in the subjects I cover.

But, just like the deaths of Kurt Cobain, Aaliyah and Sublime's Brad Nowell, I cared more than was probably professionally prudent when I found out that Amy Winehouse had died.

I didn't personally know Winehouse, had never interviewed her and had only seen her perform a few times. But something about her titanic talent spoke to me, almost as much as the fascination I (and all of us, I suspect) had about her madcap, edge-of-a-knife life. We love reading (and writing) about the chaos of stars' lives because it allows us to live vicariously through the insanity they reap from the safety and security of our by-comparison tame lives.

We shook our heads when she had that disastrous show in Belgrade in June, fearing that it meant we would have to wait even longer for her forever-gestating follow-up to her 2006 breakthrough second album, Back to Black.

The news Winehouse had made since her 2008 Back to Black Grammy triumph was mostly bad — arrests, drug possession, punch-ups, divorce, rehab, canceled shows — but her pugnacious attitude and promise kept us interested. I was pulling for her because I know all too well from experience how this one usually ends. There was a part of me that couldn't wait for Winehouse to defy the critics and stage a triumphant comeback that would surprise and delight us all over again.

Once she passed, though, we paid tribute the only way we know how, with essays about her importance to music, shout-outs from contemporary acolytes like Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj (and the cast of "Glee"), a look back at her career highlights on MTV and as much information as we could give you about the details of her death. (That enduring interest in Winehouse's legacy became the #10 Top Newsmaker of 2011.)

We wondered if there would be more music from the singer who'd only managed two studio albums before her death, measured her influence beyond "Rehab" and dug up every bit of tape we had to shed more light on her creative process.

Because I wondered it myself, we also asked experts if sudden fame had crushed the fragile, troubled singer. And we told you everything we could about the VMA tribute to her featuring Bruno Mars and Russell Brand.

Once her cause of death was revealed, the first question that needed to be answered was, "how is that even possible?" And when details were revealed about her first posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, we spoke to everyone we could about the tracks, fearing it might be the last we'd hear from this suddenly silenced voice.

We were as sad as you were, but we kept it together to bring you the news. Well, almost.

In a Newsroom post, I reminisced about the first time I saw Winehouse perform, at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, in March 2007. I dug through the tens of thousands of pictures in my iPhoto folder to find the series of shots I'd snapped of her from just a few feet away at her Stateside debut. I remembered how blown away I was by the enormous, tear-stained sound coming from this tiny woman.

I wrote about how I sometimes reveled in reporting on her bad behavior. But mostly, I admitted that like a lot of you, I'm just sad we won't have Amy around anymore.

How did Amy Winehouse's death affect you? Share your thoughts below.

MTV continues our Best of 2011 coverage by looking back at the biggest pop-culture stories of the year. As we count down the newsmakers that mattered to you most, also check out our Best Artists, Best Songs, Best MTV Live Performances and Best EDM Artists of 2011.

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In Memoriam: Nate Dogg, Heavy D Among Stars We Lost In 2011

23 Dec 2011 08:54:16 EST

MTV News remembers 'Jackass' daredevil Ryan Dunn, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr and Cali Swag District's M-Bone, among others.
By Tami Katzoff

This year we lost some of our brightest stars: artists that spanned the genres of rock, hip-hop and pop, as well as TV and film. They were at different stages in their careers — some just starting to rise, others already legends — but all left a distinct mark on pop culture, and their deaths affected us deeply.

Beloved hip-hop icons Nate Dogg and Heavy D influenced the generations of artists who followed them. Nate (born Nathaniel Hale) died at age 41 after suffering several health setbacks related to a stroke. One of the key players in the birth of the West Coast G-Funk sound, the crooner's silky smooth vocals touched classic tracks from Snoop Dogg and Warren G to 50 Cent and Ludacris. Fun-loving Heavy D, a major force in the New Jack Swing era, had hits with songs like "We Found Love" and "Nuttin' But Love," but he had also branched out into film and theater. He was 44 when he died this past fall.

Photos: The celebrities gone too soon in 2011.

We lost Mike Starr, former bassist for the groundbreaking Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains. Like Amy Winehouse, who also died this year at the age of 27, Starr's talent was often overshadowed by dependency on alcohol and drugs.

Gun violence claimed the life of 22-year-old Montae Talbert, the Cali Swag District dancer otherwise known as M-Bone. And Australian actor Andy Whitfield, who got his big break when he was cast as the lead in the Starz TV series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," was 39 when he succumbed to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Finally, the MTV family mourned the death of "Jackass" daredevil and "Viva La Bam" star Ryan Dunn. The 34-year-old died on a rural Pennsylvania road along with his 30-year-old passenger, Zachary Hartwell, when their car slammed into a guardrail and caught fire.

Share your memories of those we lost this year in the comments below.

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Amy Winehouse Tribute Steals Show At 'VH1 Divas'

19 Dec 2011 22:42:44 EST

'VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul' featured performances by Kelly Clarkson, Florence Welch, Jessie J and many others.
By Jocelyn Vena

NEW YORK — Glittering clothes, big voices and sassy songs about love, loss and everything in between ruled the night during "VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul." The concert was filled with booty-shaking, sing-along performances from Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, Florence and the Machine, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, Jessie J and others, who rocked the Hammerstein Ballroom for the show, which aired Monday night (December 19) on VH1.

With an assist from the night's house band the Roots, it all kicked off with Hudson, Clarkson and Blige channeling the Supremes for "You Keep Me Hangin' On," before launching into a medley of their own tracks, "Spotlight," "Real Love" and "Since U Been Gone."

The performance set the tone for the night, which not only paid homage to the women in the room, both legendary and up-and-coming, but also the cities that birthed some of the most soulful songs in music history, including Chicago, London, Detroit, Philadelphia and Memphis, Tennessee.

Through the night, divas from all walks of life, including Erykah Badu, Estelle, Mavis Staples, Chaka Khan, Martha Reeves, Marsha Ambrosius and Ledisi, as well as a few divos (Boyz II Men and Travie McCoy), sang some of the biggest hits from soul music's lush history. The set list included a sampling of tracks like "Nowhere to Run" by Martha and the Vandellas, "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox, "I'll Take You There" by the Staple Singers and "Ain't Nobody" by Khan herself.

When the cities themselves weren't being honored, the divas were, with solo performances that demonstrated the ladies' killer vocal prowess. Florence Welch, Clarkson, Sharon Jones, Jessie J, Scott, Hudson and Blige each took the stage to give some shine to their own tracks and pop styles, proving that soul music is a genre that is still alive and well.

The Amy Winehouse tribute was the culmination of the night. Although "VH1 Divas" was all about the living performers who belted out songs at the concert, the presence of one diva gone too soon was certainly felt. Instead of focusing on the loss suffered when the British songstress died over the summer, the show focused on a celebration of her music.

"What's up New York?" the tribute's MC, Nas, asked the room. "When the legendary Amy Winehouse sang about me in her song 'Me and Mr. Jones,' I was so honored. Amy Winehouse was my true soul sister." The two worked together on her Lioness: Hidden Treasures track, "Like Smoke." "I'm here to honor a woman who had enough soul to last a lifetime," he added.

The presence of his "home girl" was felt in the room thanks to her game-changing music as reimagined by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (the latter of whom worked with her on her Back to Black album), Florence Welch and Wanda Jackson. The medley included her soul-killing breakup track "Back to Black" and her sassy anthem "You Know I'm No Good."

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Amy Winehouse To Be Honored At 'VH1 Divas' Concert

16 Dec 2011 09:38:52 EST

Florence Welch, Nas and others will pay tribute to the late soul singer on Sunday night.
By Jocelyn Vena

Amy Winehouse will be remembered on Sunday at the "VH1 Divas concert. Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, Wanda Jackson, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings will all take the stage to honor the late singer. The tribute will be introduced by Nas.

Jackson and Welch will perform Winehouse's "Back to Black," while Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings will take the stage with "You Know I'm No Good." The Dap-Kings played on the singer's Back to Black album. Nas and Winehouse worked together on the track "Like Smoke," which appears on her posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures.

Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, Florence and the Machine, and Jessie J will participate in the star-studded lineup for the long-running concert event, which airs Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on VH1.

This year, VH1 is paying tribute to prominent birthplaces of soul music, including Chicago, Detroit, London, Memphis and Philadelphia. The divas are expected to pay homage to these cities and the genre with their own soulful tracks as well as some of soul music's classic tunes onstage at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom.

And the celebration is not exclusive to women. The Roots have been confirmed as the event's house band, and ?uestlove is set to pull double duty during the concert as musical director. Boyz II Men and Travie McCoy will also perform.

Bruno Mars, Russell Brand and Tony Bennett paid tribute to Amy Winehouse at the VMAs back in August. Mars performed Winehouse's cover of the Zutons' "Valerie," while Bennett was on hand to present footage of their recording session for his album Duets II.

"This is not just another London chancer, not just another person milling about waiting to be famous," Brand recalled of seeing Winehouse perform during the tribute. "What is this incredible sound? This timeless sound like a roar from the guts of humanity? The kind of voice that Billie Holiday sung with, the kind of voice that Ella Fitzgerald sung with."

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Amy Winehouse Family Open To Biopic

14 Dec 2011 10:19:44 EST

Dad Mitch Winehouse reversed course and said he'd consider a movie.
By Gil Kaufman

Singer Amy Winehouse had a brief career full of jubilant highs and crushing lows. From Grammy wins and multiplatinum worldwide sales for her breakthrough Back to Black album and recording with Tony Bennett  to drug arrests, struggles with substance abuse and her untimely death at age 27  as a result of excessive alcohol intake, Winehouse's roller-coaster ride seems primed for the big screen.

After initially rejecting reports that a biopic was in the works and saying that the family would not grant the rights to the "Rehab" singer's music for such a project, a spokesperson for the Winehouses clarified on Tuesday that "[father] Mitch [Winehouse] and the family would entertain ideas perhaps for a film but only one they were sure would tell the truth," according to Entertainment Weekly.

On Monday, Mitch Winehouse told England's Daily Mail that he would not let Amy's music be used in a rumored biopic that is reportedly being shopped and produced by his daughter's boyfriend, Reg Traviss. "It would hardly be a biopic without the music and we'd never allow the songs to be released," Winehouse told the paper.

He also threw cold water on rumors that Lady Gaga could be up for the role of his late daughter. "I never said Lady Gaga will play Amy in film," he tweeted on Monday. In the meantime, Mitch is working on a memoir, "Amy, My Daughter," due out in October. Winehouse's posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures,  debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 charts this week on sales of nearly 114,000.

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Amy Winehouse 'Didn't Record Like 2Pac'

14 Nov 2011 19:29:42 EST

So don't expect never-ending posthumous albums, producer Salaam Remi tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman

Thanks to the upcoming posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures, fans will be able to hear a collection of new Amy Winehouse material, but beyond that, the public shouldn't expect a ton of unheard material. That's just not the way Winehouse recorded, friend and producer Salaam Remi told MTV News during a November 4 interview in New York's Jungle Studios.

"She didn't record like 2Pac, so that's not the case," Remi told MTV News of Winehouse. "There are definitely things that people hadn't heard that have been recorded, but they're in different modes in different forms. But she wasn't a recorder like that."

One such song is "Like Smoke," the singer's collaboration with Nas, which was completed after she died in July.

"Amy sang on records that we never put out with Nas," Remi said. "As far as them now getting on the same record, that was a conversation in play for the last couple of years but that just didn't happen yet. And when I listened to that song, I was like, 'You know what? This makes sense,' to actually make that happen as far as things that she wants to do that didn't happen yet."

According to Remi, Winehouse didn't record just for the sake of recording. "She'd just do one take of a song, she'd write it and then she'd go sing it. Back to Black was a short album in comparison; it was like 37 minutes," Remi said of Winehouse's 2007 breakout album. "[She was like,] 'This is what I'm writing, this is what you get, underline, bye.' "

Still, the producer said there is some material waiting in the wings. "It's not that type of recording process, but there are definitely a lot of things that people haven't heard before or weren't aware of," he said.

Are you hoping for more Amy Winehouse music? Let us know in the comments!

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Nas Put Amy Winehouse Song 'In Perspective' For Producer

08 Nov 2011 18:08:31 EST

'He put that energy back into [the song], because she repped for him,' Salaam Remi tells MTV News of 'Like Smoke.'
By Rob Markman

The late Amy Winehouse and Nas had a mutual bond that few knew about.

Not only do Amy and Nas share the same September 14 birthday, but according to producer Salaam Remi, they have a number of collaborations that were left on the cutting-room floor. The recently released "Like Smoke" is the first time fans got to hear them in tandem.

"Amy sang on records that we never put out with Nas," the multiplatinum hitmaker told MTV News last month in New York's Jungle Studios. "As far as them now getting on the same record, that was a conversation in play for the last couple of years but that just didn't happen yet, and when I listened to that song, I was like, you know what? This makes sense, to actually make that happen as far as things that she wants to do that didn't happen yet."

"Like Smoke" will appear on Amy's December 6 posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, and features Nas dropping a pair of brand-new verses in between Winehouse's bluesy vocal. Though Amy wasn't around to hear the rhymes Nas dropped just a couple of weeks ago, Salaam is confident that based off her admiration for the Queensbridge rapper, she would approve.

Amy famously sang about Nas on "Me and Mr. Jones" from her breakout Back to Black album, and the two became acquainted through their mutual friend Salaam. "He just put it in perspective for me," Remi said of Nas' mind-set before writing his portion of "Like Smoke."

"I never wanted you to be my man, I just need your company," Amy starts out singing to an unknown lover. Nas on the other hand speaks directly of his fallen friend when he spits, "I be out in London, Camden, hunting for the answers/ Why did God take away the homey," he questions.

"As far as myself, I feel like I'm repping her musically because that's what I know of her more than anyone else," he said. "And then as far as where [Nas is] at, he put that energy back into [the song], because she repped for him. I mean, who writes songs for people, unless you really respect them?"

What do you think of "Like Smoke"? Let us know in the comments!

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