Monthly Archives: December 2008

Not only did Carrie Underwood end 2008 as the top selling country female touring artist, but she also wrapped up the eventful year with many of her music videos breaking records.  She was the most-streamed artist on the Country Music TV website, with her “All-American Girl” video boasting more than 1.4 million streams for the year.  Her video for “Just a Dream” earned the top spot on the year-end edition of CMT’s Top 20 Countdown.  Even more impressive was the fact that the video spent all but two weeks in the Top 5 during its 16-week run on the countdown. Continue reading →

In the mood for a quick update on your favorite American Idol alumni as we head into the New Year?  Look no further than our news blog:

The Idol who started it all, Kelly Clarkson, has a new single that will hit U.S. radio outlets on January 19.  According to Billboard, “My Life Would Suck Without You” will be the song to introduce the as-yet-untitled album, due out March 17.  Although an official track list hasn’t even been announced, the early buzz is that the album is going to be top notch.  Kelly worked with producer/songwriter Dr. Luke and One Republic frontman Ryan Tedder on this CD, which is her follow up to 2007′s “My December”.

Last year, Kelly stopped by to perform on the set of Australian Idol, and we have her post-performance video–watch now!

Jennifer Hudson will join the ranks of Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Tim McGraw, Josh Groban, and other artists to perform at the 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year gala on Feb. 6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  MusiCares, the charitable division of the Recording Academy, will honor the legendary Neil Diamond for his philanthropic work at this year’s event.  These artists will take on a song from the Diamond music gallery.

Fantasia fans will be thrilled to hear that the season three winner is heading back into the studio to work on her new album with singer/producer Raphael Saadiq.

Check out Fantasia in this Idol Alumni video as she talks about what went into making her last album. Continue reading →

With 2008 on the verge of becoming a distant, boozy memory, join the Rock Daily crew as we look back at the year that was. Ah, 2008, the year Chinese Democracy became a reality, Obama was elected President, Britney Spears went from crazy mama to hot mami. To quote our favorite Kanye West rant of [...] Continue reading →

We love it when Breaking Artists make good and wind up on our Best Albums of the Year list, like Fleet Foxes, Jamey Johnson, the Knux and Bon Iver did in 2008. Here’s a look back at their Breaking videos, plus two bonus clips — Deerhunter busking on a Brooklyn street and Sam Champion rocking [...] Continue reading →

Two time zones, two different coasts, 1,000 screaming kids, two live shows, one plane ride, four weddings and one Miley Cyrus — that pretty much sums up my New Year’s ‘09 celebrations and the next 24 hours of my life!
I arrived at LAX yesterday for one of our biggest shows of the year: “FNMTV Presents: [...] Continue reading →

In true Las Vegas fashion, Sin City will usher in the New Year with “Tribute Palooza,” a concert featuring performances by David Bowie, the Eagles, U2, Kiss, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Aerosmith and Billy Joel… impersonators. 2U will substitute for U2, Queen Nation will copycat Freddie Mercury, Aeromyth will channel Aerosmith, the Long Run will [...] Continue reading →

What were the best movies of the year? What were the worst letdowns? Peter Travers explains what was so great about Gus Van Sant’s Milk, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight — and why 007 flick Quantum of Solace, hideous epic Australia and vampire love story Twilight were massive cinematic bummers.
• [...] Continue reading →

The Big News: Taylor Swift managed to keep the top spot on love lockdown for yet another week, selling 262,000 more copies of Fearless (which went double platinum). Platinum was the theme of the week as Britney Spears’ Circus, Nickelback’s Dark Horse, Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak and the Twilight soundtrack all crossed the million-selling [...] Continue reading →

Brooklyn rockers Love As Laughter’s 2008 disc Holy — a Smoking Section favorite — was produced with a little help from Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, who signed the band to his Epic imprint, Glacial Pace. The crew recently popped by the Rolling Stone offices to perform “Crosseyed Beautiful Youngunz” from Holy, as well as their [...] Continue reading →

Jennifer Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law William Balfour was indicted on three charges of murder and one count of home invasion for allegedly killing Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew in October. Prosecutors painted Balfour as a “jealous man” who murdered his ex-wife Julia Hudson’s family because he thought Julia had a new boyfriend.
The Hard Rock amusement park [...] Continue reading →

Well, that was fast. Just days after telling a St. Louis newspaper that Guns n’ Roses were planning a two-year tour set to embark in March, guitarist Richard Fortus is now saying he was “misquoted” in the article. “OK, it seems that I am being misquoted once again,” Fortus told fans in a statement. “I [...] Continue reading →

Not only did Carrie Underwood end 2008 as the top selling country female touring artist, but she … read more Continue reading →

Randy Jackson has teamed up with the American Heart Association for a second year to help people living with type 2 diabetes understand the importance … read more Continue reading →

Randy Jackson has teamed up with the American Heart Association for a second year to help people living with type 2 diabetes understand the importance … read more Continue reading →

We here at MTV News are a pretty diverse bunch, so the views expressed by some in our more official-type year-end lists (like James Montgomery’s Top 25 Albums and Best Songs, and the Mixtape Monday Awards) are not necessarily shared by the rest of the newsroom. So, this week we gave everyone else a chance [...] Continue reading →

Britney’s breakdown (and comeback!); Metallica’s Death Magnetic; the long-awaited arrival of Chinese Democracy; the death of drummer Mitch Mitchell; the crowning of a new American Idol; the crowning of a new president — the year’s biggest stories were all documented right here in Rock Daily. For a month-by-month guide of 2008’s most important album releases, [...] Continue reading →

Buzzworthy blog’s own Tamar Anitai called up today and asked me for “a very special favor.” Minutes later I was sitting at her desk smelling a Post-it note.
With a tester bottle cleverly hidden in her desk drawer, she asked James Montgomery and I to give our first impressions of the fragrance she had sprayed on [...] Continue reading →

Photo: Getty
Tonight the Kennedy Center Honors airs at 9 p.m. on CBS. Why do you care? Because it’s the generally stuffy Washington, D.C. affair’s most rocking ceremony in its 31-year history: As we reported from the scene earlier this month, the Who will be the first-ever rock band honored at the event, which this year [...] Continue reading →

Freak-folk icon Devendra Banhart’s new project Megapuss pals around with Fab Moretti’s (of the Strokes) side project Little Joy — who you may remember from their exclusive Smoking Section performance — in the latter’s new video for “No One’s Better Sake.” Dig the Seventies, Sesame Street-style graphics above.
Related Stories:
• Album Review: Megapuss’ Surfing
• Devendra Banhart’s [...] Continue reading →

For about eight hours on Monday, AFI bassist Hunter Burgan was engaged to actress Zooey Deschanel.
At least, that’s the way In Touch Weekly reported things yesterday morning, erroneously writing that the couple had gotten engaged during the holidays and that they were “so excited” to spend the rest of their lives together. It all sounded [...] Continue reading →

Irish rockers Bell X1 will return March 3rd with Blue Lights on the Runway, the follow-up to this year’s Flock. Singer-guitarist Paul Noonan says the group’s new sound is “a little bit electronic, a little bit Bacharach, a little bit New Orleans Funeral March.” Hmm. Judge for yourself on the Breaking Blog, where you can [...] Continue reading →

We here at MTV News are a pretty diverse bunch, so the views expressed by some in our more official-type year-end lists (like James Montgomery’s Top 25 Albums and Best Songs, and the Mixtape Monday Awards) are not necessarily shared by the rest of the newsroom. So we’re giving everyone else a chance to chime [...] Continue reading →

Irish rockers Bell X1 will return March 3rd with *Blue Lights on the Runway*, the follow-up to this year’s *Flock*. Singer-guitarist Paul Noonan said the group started recording the new disc last November in a “big, draughty, stately home called Ballycumber House, under the beady gaze of musty portraits of the Lords and Ladies of the estate from the 15th century. We wanted to make something different, something tight and coherent from start to finish. Where we’ve landed is a little bit electronic, a little bit Bacharach, a little bit New Orleans Funeral March.” Judge for yourself here, with a free download of a band-new *Runway* track: “How Your Heart Is Wired” [right click and select "save as"] Continue reading →

You’ve read Rolling Stone’s lists of the top albums and singles of the year — and checked out readers’ picks for LPs, songs and videos — but what did the folks who work at RS name their personal favorites? Here’s how critic Will Hermes ranked the year’s best:
Albums
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
TV On The Radio [...] Continue reading →

In Part II of our special Year in Music New Music Report, Christian Hoard dissects Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Singles of 2008 list — led by Beyonc&233;’s “Single Ladies” — and reveals his personal picks for the category, which include tunes by the Knux and Ida Maria. Plus, a look at the Best & Worst [...] Continue reading →

By now, you’re probably aware that Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of former Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth to a son over the weekend, a seven-pound, four-ounce bundle of joy rather majestically named Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.
By naming her son Tripp, Bristol kept in line with the men of the Palin clan (her [...] Continue reading →

By Rachel Josue
It was a very exciting 2008 here in the MTV Newsroom. It was a year of triumph and tragedy, a year of secret weddings and pregnancies, a year of overcoming adversity and a year of inspiration and change.
Surprises around every corner brought us everything from the shocking death of Heath Ledger and the [...] Continue reading →

According to the Chinese calendar, 2008 was the year of the rat. But if you ask us, ‘08 belongs to a different animal: The Collabo. And no artists cross-pollinated more than Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump (he got down with Questlove!), Elvis Costello (he went emo!) and T-Pain (he was permanently attached to a vocoder!) [...] Continue reading →

Famed jazz trumpeter Frankie Hubbard died yesterday in Los Angeles, more than a month after suffering a heart attack. He was 70.  In a career in jazz that spanned 50 years and more than 300 recordings, Hubbard collaborated with musicians like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, just to name a few. [...] Continue reading →