Doug's Eclectic Mix

Doug B.

50 Cent Says Uptempo Black Magic LP Is 'Still Hip-Hop'

'It's still 50 Cent content; it's just written in a different way,' he tells U.K. DJ Tim Westwood.
By Shaheem Reid

50 Cent
Photo: Getty Images

Earlier this week, an overseas interview with 50 Cent hit the Web in which he said his upcoming LP, Black Magic, would have a different feel.

"I went to a nightclub afterparty," 50 told reporter Jonas Pettersen. "It's a little different music going on before I got there. They play your music when you come. But the music they played before they started playing a lot of what I created was more uptempo, more dance. I wanted to make a song like that. So I went into the studio. Because I'm traveling with my live band, I took my band with me and sequenced it and recorded the actual record while I was out there. I did two other songs I had production for. I had been writing those songs for a while. So I finished them and recorded them while I was out."

The G-Unit General is leaning toward dance music? Fif says not so fast. He clarified his creative direction when he called into U.K. DJ Tim Westwood's show the other day.

"I got a joint that I did that was real uptempo," 50 told Westwood. "It's a different type of vibe. It's still 50 Cent. It's official. If you heard the record, you'd feel different. My Black Magic album, I've been listening to different types of music. I just wanna create something that's outta the box. I'm using different song formats. I'll write a rap song in the sequence of a different kind of record. A traditional hip-hop record may have three 16-bar verses. To write it in a different formant instead of the way a traditional rap record is written, to experiment with different things, it's still hip-hop music. It's still 50 Cent content; it's just written in a different way."

50 also talked about getting sued for posting a sex tape of one of the mothers of Rick Ross' children online.

"That wasn't me; that was Pimpin' Curly," 50 said of his comedic alter ego. "When a person tries to say, 'You've done something that's created mental harm to them in some way,' then they might wanna consider the recordings of Rick Ross saying she's an actual call girl. Or the pamphlets I'm showing you in the actual tape that's saying she's available. How distraught is she? They think I bought the tape. I didn't even buy it."

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The Evolution Of: 50 Cent

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Doug B.

Out With the Oprah, in With the Rosie O'Donnell?

Remember when Oprah Winfrey announced she was pulling her talk show in 2011? While audiences were just bummed to hear the news, network execs have been scrambling to fill the inevitable...

Mena Suvari
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Doug B.

Done with Celebs? Jessica Simpson Warms Up to Dating Cute Chefs

Because Jessica Simpson seems to be having a few napalm qualms about hooking up with entertainment types, Rachael Ray on Monday's show suggests Jess may want to consider dating...

Deanna Russo
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Doug B.

Rosie Returns To Daytime!!!

Now that the Big O is abandoning daytime TV for realsies, is it time for Rosie to return???

Winfrey will be wrapping up her daytime talk show in 2011, and insiders say O'Donnell is contemplating the idea reviving her daytime talk career!

Rosie's The Rosie O'Donnell show was a huge, huge success in the late 90's/early 00's, and before Split-Screen Gate in 2007, O'Donnell was making waves on The View.

Should she return????

[Image via WENN.]

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Doug B.

Patrick Stump Talks First Solo Performance At South By Southwest

'It's something I've been wanting to do for a while,' former Fall Out Boy frontman says.
By James Montgomery

Patrick Stump
Photo: MTV News

AUSTIN, Texas — It is 3:30 p.m. CT, and Patrick Stump is sitting cross-legged on the balcony of his hotel, looking out on the Austin skyline with a smile on his face. He is wearing a gray button-up tucked into skintight black jeans. He looks ridiculously fit, not to mention pretty content. The smile never fades, not even for a second. If you were to see him right now, you'd never guess that in a little less than six hours, he'd be taking the stage for the first time as a solo artist, debuting songs from his upcoming album before a raucous South by Southwest crowd.

It is a very big deal, but Stump is anything but nervous.

"Well, I had a lot of coffee so my stomach is definitely battling it out. But I don't know if that's nervousness or what," he laughed. "It's going to be a bit strange, because this is my first show, and it's at South by Southwest, and it's opening for Hole. But it's kind of a jump-into-the-deep-end kind of thing. I want to get it under my belt so I can move on."

Oh yeah, we forgot the entire opening-for-Hole thing, but it's true that Stump will debut his solo project on a bill that also features the roaring return of Courtney Love's Hole — which only kind of adds another level of pressure to things. But to hear him tell it, Stump can't wait to get onstage tonight at the Dirty Dog Bar — and in keeping with the whole "solo artist" vibe, he'll be going it alone.

"Tonight I'm going to be playing everything myself. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while. The video I posted online kind of foreshadowed it," he said. "It's kind of great because you can improvise with yourself. It's way more complicated than I imagined it would be, so I kind of composed around it. I'll have my guitar, and I'm going to try and play the saxophone, plus some other stuff. I didn't bring the trumpet with me, but now I'm thinking I probably should have."

So tonight — and perhaps on dates down the road — Stump will be a regular one-man band. And yet, he's still not nervous. He knows expectations are high, and that one way or the other, more than a few Fall Out Boy fans might not like what they hear — but he's itching to get his new music out there. And Friday night's (March 19) SXSW gig is the first step in that direction. He's so ready to go that he's already written a review of his first show, which goes a little something like this:

"I think, my prediction is: I'm going to be very comfortable. I'm going to have a pretty good time. I'm going to screw up a couple of things, but I'll get beyond it," he smiled. "And [tomorrow], all the reviews will say I was nervous as hell."

MTV News is at SXSW all weekend long, so check back for more show reports, interviews and blog posts on what's going down in Austin.

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Doug B.

Which 8 Simple Rules Star Is Dressing Under the Influence?
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This funny gal obviously missed out on the Simple Rules for sporting the menswear-inspired trend. We understand that the whole masculine look is in, but that doesn't mean you have to walk...

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Doug B.

Nicki Minaj Explains Why She Skipped XXL's Freshmen 10

'With all due respect, we felt like we kinda had graduated from the freshman class,' MC says of her and Drake's exclusion from the issue.
By Shaheem Reid

Nicki Minaj
Photo: MTV News

Nicki Minaj said she told XXL magazine, "No disrespect, but no thanks." The sexy rapper declined the invitation to be a part of the 2010 Freshmen 10 issue because, like her Young Money compatriot Drake, she felt she should have been down last year.

"Drake and I, we love XXL," she told us recently on the set of her video for "Massive Attack." "We just shot for XXL. With all due respect, we felt like we kinda had graduated from the freshman class. We felt that XXL missed the mark when they didn't put us on the cover prior to that. They have to pay for that. They can't say, 'Hey, get on the next one.' But we love XXL. That's like a hip-hop classic. So we said, 'Can we have something just a little bit more catered to us, so that we feel like we have still grown as artists, so we're not at all disrespecting the magazine?' They were cool with that.

"We didn't dictate, we just asked nicely," Nicki smiled.

"Technically, we were freshmen when they didn't put us on," Drake told ImFlashy.com in February. "I feel now it's just returning the favor."

Earlier this month, the publication revealed their Freshmen 10. The roster consisted of OJ Da Juiceman, Nipsey Hussle, Jay Rock, Pill, Donnis, Fashawn, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifah, Freddie Gibbs and Big Sean.

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Doug B.

TV's Top Couples: And the Last Two Standing Are...
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Our TV's Top Couples tournament has reached its almost happy ending, and once again the fans have proven that love is worth fighting for. After inching out the...

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Doug B.

Jesse James Sighting Day Two: Ring Is Still the Thing
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Apparently, for Jesse James, it ain't over till Sandra Bullock decides whether or not it's over. Just one day after releasing a statement regarding the reports of...

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Doug B.

David Guetta Featured On Akon's Upcoming Album

'He's an incredible producer,' 'Kon says of Guetta, set to perform at WMC 2010 in Miami.
By Akshay Bhansali, with reporting by Damian Vaca

Akon
Photo: MTV News

For the past two years, David Guetta has been on a house music DJ/producer's dream run. He has had commercial success doing what few of his colleagues in the electronic world have been able to do: He's making club music that has American urban artists biting at his heels, has soared into the U.S. charts with a series of monster singles and, after being nominated in three categories, he walked away with the Grammy for Best Remixed Recording for his single "When Love Takes Over," featuring Kelly Rowland.

One of his most lasting accomplishments was last year's Black Eyed Peas single "I Gotta Feeling," a track he produced that spent 14 weeks at the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100, selling over 5 million downloads through February of this year.

In addition to Rowland, his album One Love featured notable singles with Estelle ("One Love") and Kid Cudi (the internationally charting "Memories"). And then there is his most successful single as a solo artist, "Sexy Chick" featuring Akon, which peaked in December of last year at #5 and now, months later, is still perched at #20 on the Hot 100 list.

MTV News had a chance to catch up with Akon recently on the set of Quincy Jones' video for his forthcoming album single, "Strawberry Letter 23," where he broke down a bit of Guetta's genius for us.

"He's an incredible DJ, first of all," 'Kon said. "Second, he's an incredible producer. He's the kind of guy that goes outside the box, so we spoke the same language on the production side of things. We just wanted to do something that no one had thought to put together and before you know it, man, we just got together and came up with the most incredible record."

Lately rumors have been swirling that Guetta has produced a song for Rihanna, and that he also recorded with one of Akon's artists, Lady Gaga, but that turned out to have been just a meeting of mutual appreciation. Still, 'Kon did reveal to expect another treat courtesy of the "Sexy Chick" pair on his forthcoming album, Stadium.

"I got some incredible collaborations," Akon said. "I just can't let you know yet. But I can give you a hint: Guetta will be a part of that record as well. It's gonna be ... just wait. I don't want to overhype it. I just want to put it out and let you see."

If you can't wait that long, Guetta will be headlining the Ultra Music Fest at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. Also featured at the fest will be Will.I.Am, Deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia, Major Lazer, Calvin Harris, LMFAO, Tiesto, A-Trak and many more.

Stick with MTV News for more coverage of the Winter Music Conference, which kicks off Tuesday in Miami.

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Doug B.

Ke$ha Slams Britney Spears, Again

Okay, this bitch needs to shut her trap! The gays are going to turn on her SO fast.

The swamp thing otherwise known as Ke$ha is still taking digs at our beloved Brit Brit, only this time girlfriend thinks she's being clever by throwing it in one of her songs!

She warbles in her new track, Styrofoam:

"In 10 years, Britney Spears…Britney, who?"

Yeah. Because she's only been consistently making hits since 1998!

Let's see how relevant you are in ten years!

Listen to the diss below at the 2:15 mark.

BTW, the song is awful!

Thoughts???

[Image via Fame Pictures.]

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Doug B.

Gossip Girl Sneak Peeks: Is Little J Ready for Sexytime With Damien?
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Anyone else want to reach out and give Gossip Girl's Jenny Humphrey a big ol' bear hug, because the girl is in serious need of one! Little J is still under drug-dealing...

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Doug B.

Gossip Girl Sneak Peeks: Is Little J Ready for Sexytime With Damien?
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Anyone else want to reach out and give Gossip Girl's Jenny Humphrey a big ol' bear hug, because the girl is in serious need of one! Little J is still under drug-dealing...

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Doug B.

British Airways Cabin Crew Going On Strike!

Yikes! This could mean some foiled travel plans!

The British Airways cabin crew members will go on strike for 3 days beginning at midnight tonight after the talks between the union and airlines fell through.

Tony Woodley of the Unite union says of BA, "This company does not want to negotiate. This company wants ultimately to go to war with my members and the union."

As for BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh he says he "deeply regrets" the inconvenience, but they're going to try and operate as many flights as possible and that he's "disappointed the union has not been able to see the sense of the proposal we tabled today."

More business for Virgin!

[Image via AP Images.]

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Doug B.

Christiane Amanpour To Host This Week!

ABC News President David Westin announced that CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour will be replacing George Stephanopoulos as the anchor of This Week!

He said in a statement:

"I am delighted to announce that Christiane Amanpour will join ABC News as the new anchor of This Week. A highly respected journalist recognized around the world for her reporting, she brings to her new position a wealth of experience and knowledge, as well as a deep commitment to bringing news of the world to the American people."

Amanpour adds:

"I'm thrilled to be joining the incredible team at ABC News. Being asked to anchor This Week and the superb tradition started by David Brinkley, is a tremendous and rare honor and I look forward to discussing the great domestic and international issues of the day.

I leave CNN with the utmost respect, love and admiration for the company and everyone who works here. This has been my family and shared endeavor for the past 27 years and I am forever grateful and proud of all that we have accomplished."

What do U think?

Will Christiane be a good fit on This Week??

[Image via WENN.]

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Doug B.