September 20, 2024

Review Category : TMZ Music News

Owl City’s Oreo Commercial Has Him Feeling ‘Wonderfilled’

On Sunday night, sandwiched between the dour denouement of Don Draper's latest affair and a whole lot of discussion about margarine on "Mad Men," Oreo officially unveiled its brand-new "Wonderfilled" campaign with a cutesy, 90-second cartoon featuring a jingle sung by Owl City.

Over some seriously whimsical animation — seriously, it's like Etsy exploded — Adam Young ponders the life-altering powers of the frosting-filled cookies (sample line: "Wonder if I gave an Oreo/to a vampire in creepy show/Would he not act so undead/Would he thirst for milk instead?") And, in an era where most folks simply fast-forward through commercials thanks to the magic of TiVo, the "Wonderfilled" spot managed to stop and make people pay attention ... which, is nice and all for Young; though, to be fair, he's more interested in the message the ad conveys.

"They came to me with the idea of sharing wonder with the world, or making days brighter," he told MTV News on Monday (May 13). "And those themes are similar to what I'm drawn to, musically and lyrically."

Young said that the majority of the lyrics for the commercial were written before he even became attached to the project, and the whole process began more than six months ago ("There weren't really that many changes," he explained. "There was a line in there about Darth Vader. But I guess the people at Lucasfilm said 'No' to it.") And though some cynics may scoff at the idea of an artist scoring a commercial spot, he said that he was honored to be considered ... ...

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Birdman Has A Rich Gang, But ‘Nothing Came Easy’

Birdman is a hustler at heart. Before partnering up with Universal Music in 1998, Baby built his Cash Money brand as an independent juggernaut, and none of the success that he's experienced over the past 15 years has softened his stance. Enter Rich Gang, Birdman's new rap collective that includes Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Meek Mill and Future just to name a few.

"First it's based on hard work, a grind," the Cash Money CEO began to explain of the crew when he appeared on "RapFix Live" on Wednesday. "I've been doing this half of my life, 22 years of my life — I'm 44 years old and I think it's just a symbol of hard work and it pays."

On June 25, Baby will drop his Rich Gang: Flashy Lifestyle compilation, and while the project will be released on Cash Money Records, it will feature music from non-YMCMB stars as well. "We have other artists like Future, who is not signed to us but a part of us. French, Ross, Meek and all these [guys] are friends that we rock with and call on," Birdman promised. "A lot of business we do don't necessarily have to be about money, it's about relationships and this is about people that we have relationships with."

The compilation's first single, boasts an all-star lineup including Weezy, Nicki Minaj, Mack Maine, Birdman and Future on the hook. Birdman, Christina Milian, Paris Hilton, Bow Wow, DJ Khaled and Detail all appear in the Hannah Lux Davis-directed video.

Of course the #1 Stunna appreciates the finer ...

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Demi Lovato Has ‘Crazy Idea’ For Britney Spears’ ‘X Factor’ Seat

And then there were two. Right now, Demi Lovato and Simon Cowell are the only two folks sitting on the "X Factor" judges table after both L.A. Reid and Britney Spears parted ways with the series. So, what's next?

Well, Lovato, who is stopping by the MTV Newsroom on Tuesday for an MTV.com live stream at 3 p.m. ET, dished that there are some A-list acts in the running to join the show. Simon has even reached out to Demi for ideas. "Yes! He has! I'll like text him and be like 'I have a crazy idea!' And he's like 'Who? Talk to me!' And I'll like call him or whatever and we'll talk," she told MTV News on Monday (May 13) at the Fox upfront presentation. "I'm not letting you know any of them. You'll find out soon enough. We have to make a decision soon."

As it turns out, the sky's the limit when it comes to the names being tossed around. She added, "Simon is like 'Anything is possible.' Last year we had Britney Spears. That was incredible."

While Spears won't be back for more "X Factor" fun for the show's third season, her mentoring was felt by more than just the contestants before her departure. "What I learned from Britney is that you don't have to change. Her family, we laughed several times, 'cause our families are so similar. Our moms are super close now," she revealed. "And our dads are really similar. She has this southern down-to-earth family. And she's still a southern down-to-earth girl. I ...

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Daft Punk’s <i>Random Access Memories</i> Debuts On iTunes

The wait is over. One week before its official release in the U.S. — and four days before its grand unveiling in Wee Waa, AustraliaDaft Punk have unveiled their highly-anticipated Random Access Memories album on iTunes.

The epic record can be heard in full on Daft Punk's artist page on iTunes, which means that, if you're still hoping for a productive work day, well, there's always tomorrow.

Random Access Memories kicks off with the starry, sumptuous "Give Life Back To Music" and concludes with the rushing, rattling "Contact," and in between, there's more than 60 minutes of conscious-expanding, disco-tinged dance, including cameos from Giorgio Moroder (on the standout "Giorgio by Moroder,") Pharrell Williams (on first single and "Lose Yourself To Dance,") the legendary Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams (or "Rainbow Connection" fame) and Animal Collective member Panda Bear.

Of course, chances are, you probably knew all of that already. After all, fans have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of RAM ever since rumors of its existence began circulating back in March, when a cryptic commercial aired during "Saturday Night Live." Then, the following month, the dynamic duo unveiled an album teaser during the Coachella festival, and a series of "Creators Project" spots, which, of course, spawned a series of supposed leaks of "Get Lucky."

That single officially bowed on April 19 at 12:01 a.m. ET (a story we here at MTV News broke), and since then, it's quickly climbed the charts around the world ... and now, well, the album can finally be ...

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Kanye West Shows No Mercy On ‘Anchorman 2’ Set

Stay class, Kanye!

Will Ferrell and Kanye West are finally making good on their plans to collaborate. (You may recall that the actor and rapper had hoped to film a little something for the Watch the Throne tour after West sampled Ferrell on "N---as in Paris.")

West was photographed Thursday (May 9) filming a cameo for a day after reports surfaced that he had been spotted on the Atlanta set. Clad in a wolf T-shirt and black leather pants and jacket, the 35-year-old used a hockey stick to put a fellow cast member into a headlock.

West is among a number of stars — including Kirsten Dunst, Jim Carrey and Tina Fey — reportedly involved in the melee being filmed in Atlanta's Woodruff Park.

Details surrounding the plot of the highly anticipated sequel have been anything but fodder for the nightly news, shrouded in a thick blackout curtain of secrecy.

"I can't give it away because it's more secret than the next 'Star Wars,'" producer Judd Apatow told MTV News back in December. "All I can say is that there are no Wookies in it. But it's top-secret. You can't give away the Brick jokes."

What we do know is that stars Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and Christina Applegate will all reprise their roles, with Harrison Ford, Kristen Wiig and James Marsden signing on, as well. Whether they'll also face off (fin off?) with a shark remains to be seen.

The film is slated for a December 20 release.

Check out everything we've got on ...

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Beyonce Previews Appropriately ‘Epic’ Track, ‘Rise Up’

So, how grandiose does Beyoncé get on "Rise Up"? Well, excuse our pun, but pretty epic.

A low-quality snippet of her "Epic" soundtrack tune has made the rounds, and it's an empowering mid-tempo track where Bey belts out anthemic lines like "Take it from me/ Stand and be proud." Later on, she sings, "Fight for you and me / Look into my eyes and believe / We're the ones who will fight / We will fight and together; we'll rise." The song was written by Sia and features production from Hit-Boy, as well as Chase N. Cashe.

The project is especially close to the Queen Bey's heart, she also has a role in the film playing Queen Tara. "You know I was honored when they asked for me to do this role and I was actually pregnant at the time," she recalled to "Good Morning America." "And I thought, you know, by the time this comes out my daughter will understand it's my voice, and what an incredible, cool point. It's a beautiful role and it has so much depth. It's so emotional. I was crying when I did the voiceover. And it was the first thing I did after giving birth."

The film, which also stars Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Pitbull and Steven Tyler, opens on May 24. Beyoncé also appears on thesoundtrack for "The Great Gatsby" which opened this past weekend. The singer, along with Andre 3000, covers Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black."

In addition to stepping up her soundtrack game, Bey will drop an ...

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‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’: Get To Know The Rhino

As speeds through its shooting schedule, a lot of focus has been placed on Jamie Foxx and his villain character, Electro. But another foe has emerged to give Spider-Man a hard time.

This past weekend, Paul Giamatti stepped behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler on the set of "Amazing Spider-Man 2" as Aleksei Sytsevich, the man also known as the Rhino. While we've yet to see Giamatti don Rhino's signature horned helmet, the first set photos of the character prove that Marc Webb is remaining relatively faithful to the villain's Marvel Comics roots.

The Rhino first appeared in "Amazing Spider-Man" #41 in 1966. The villain is only the second big-screen Spider-Man villain not co-created by legendary artist Steve Ditko (the first being Venom in "Spider-Man 3"). The Rhino was created by writer Stan Lee and Ditko's successor as "Amazing Spider-Man" artist, John Romita. Here's how the character created by Stan Lee and John Romita stacks up against Marc Webb and Paul Giamatti's creation.

He Lives A Thug Life
The only thing we know for sure about Giamatti's Rhino is that he's a thug for the Russian mafia. This is right in line with the character's comic book origin. Sure, members of the Russian mafia in the mid-'60s most likely favored fedoras over forehead tattoos, and the suit Aleksei is wearing is actually a tracksuit, but the profession remains the same.

He's Gone Toe-To-Toe With The Hulk
Two years after his debut, Marvel put the super strong Rhino up against their behemoth, the Hulk. The Rhino was hired to kidnap Bruce Banner, not ...

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