ajahouy's posterous

Ashley Tisdale On The Set Of ?High Stakes?

Here's 'High School Musical' star Ashley Tisdale on the set of her new movie, 'High Stakes.' Here's a description of it:
Sharpay and her pet dog, Boi, travel to New York City for a role in a Broadway hit, only to discover the part wasn't what she expected.
From the wardrobe, I'm guessing this is a campy-type of comedy that's meant to appeal to the Disney crowd (and I don't mean that in a snarky way). I'm tempted to see it just for the dog: what a cutie :)Photos by INF Continue reading →

Whitney Port Willa Ford Xenia Seeberg

Nicole Richie Denies Rumors That Her Wedding Photos Are Selling For $100,000

A representative for Nicole Richie has dismissed reports the star has signed a $100,000 deal with a U.S. magazine to publish snaps of her wedding to Joel Madden. The couple married in front of friends and family during a romantic ceremony at Richie’s father Lionel’s Beverly Hills estate on Saturday. Madden’s twin brother and Good [...]

Tricia Helfer Tricia Vessey Trista Rehn

John Galliano Had No Idea What Online Shopping Was

Photo of John Galliano

"Online shopping—oh, no. I didn't even know what e-commerce was until last week. I like the experience. I like to feel the fur, to smell the tweed. I like the service. I love that you go into Hermès wearing your trainers and they still say, 'Oh Mr. Galliano, may we brush your shoes?' ... I get people to [tweet] for me. When I was here last, I was only here for four or five days and there were 30,000 calls or whatever you call them ... Yeah, there were 30,000. They had nothing to do with Dior, nothing to do with [the company] John Galliano. Just what I look like when I leave the hotel, or people had seen me in a restaurant or going to the gym. Thirty thousand! That's a lot. I could advertise on that site. I think we need to exploit that, don't you?"

—John Galliano goes from not knowing anything about online shopping to trying to figure out how to exploit Twitter in a matter of days. Oh, and he also calls information technology "machinery." [The Cut]

Paige Butcher Pamela Anderson Paris Hilton

Raheem DeVaughn Explains Sexy 'She's Single' Video

'I just really wanted to make a video that captures line by line what it is I'm talking about on the record,' soul singer tells MTV News.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Raheem DeVaughn
Photo: Ray Tamarra/ Getty Images

While many of the 2011 Grammy nominees were celebrating their nods, soul singer Raheem DeVaughn was stirring up Web controversy.

The Washington, D.C., crooner dropped the visual for his Jackin' 4 Beats mixtape cut "She's Single" a day before the Recording Academy recognized his third album, "The Love & War MasterPeace," with a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. DeVaughn also said he dropped the joint a day before World AIDS Day and featured a plug for Magnum condoms to bring attention to the issue of safe sex. However, for many, the accolade and the activism were eclipsed by the sexed-up clip, which features DeVaughn engaging in some acrobatic bedroom moves with a lady friend.

When MTV News caught up with the singer via phone recently, he explained that the video, which became a trending topic on Twitter, wasn't crafted to be overly racy, but rather reflects DeVaughn's creative space at the moment.

"I've shown my soul in so many other different lights. I'm in a real sexy mode right now, grown-man sexy," he said. "That's really just what I wanted to capture. I wanted to really make a video that captures line by line what it is I'm talking about on the record."

In order to embody the baby-making vibe of the song, the video must feature imagery that rivals lyrics like, "I'll let you ride it like Ferrari," and "I hit it, hit it, hit it like a hockey stick." And the "Customer" singer did not hold back with the accompanying visual, packing the clip with crimson-lit scenes of DeVaughn consorting in the nude with a woman who's stepping out on her man. However, DeVaughn doesn't consider the video a raunch-fest, but rather an honest portrait of what goes down between consenting adults who want to indulge privately in a steamy romp.

"I wouldn't necessarily call it raunchy," he said." I think it's more tasteful. If that's the word cats choose to run with it, I've seen a lot more raunchy stuff than that. It ain't like I'm poppin' off with the ménage or got four or five different girls in the room. I'm really just showing the interaction between black man [and] black woman. It's imagery, and it's the most intimate moments. It is what it is. At the end of the day, it's art."

DeVaughn also maintained that the video is consistent with much of his previous work — which ranges from the sultry to the socially conscious — in terms of the level of detail and work he puts in to each clip.

"When I make my socially conscious songs, I go hard with the lyrical content, I go hard with the imagery. It's no different than the risks I've taken in my lyrics ... as far as the artistry. That's where I'm at right now," he said.

He also added that although it's not his first time speaking candidly about gettin' down in his music, he thought it was time to elaborate on the sexy nature of his words.

"My lyrics have always been very sensual. I think people have always wondered, 'What's it's like? What's the image like?' " he said.

While fans may have been curious about Raheem's moves between the sheets, the singer said he didn't expect such a strong response to the video.

"I wouldn't have guessed in a million years, though, that it would get the response that it's been getting. It's really kind of hard to gauge in these ... times who's checking for you. At the end of the day, it's all good," he said. "It's been interesting the feedback I've been getting. I'm surprised. Ninety-five percent of the feedback has been good, though, to know that people out there appreciate art in its purest form and appreciate my music and appreciate the image I gave them."

Have you seen the "She's Single" clip? Share your reviews in the comments.

Related Artists

Natalie Zea Natasha Bedingfield Natassia Malthe

Akon Recalls Meeting Michael Jackson For The First Time

Before recording 'Hold My Hand,' the two spent quality time together.
By James Montgomery


Michael Jackson in the video for "Hold My Hand"
Photo: Sony Music Entertainment

In 2007, long before Michael Jackson's death and everything that proceeded it (including the just-released "Hold My Hand" video and the upcoming Michael album), Akon met with the King of Pop in Las Vegas to work on a batch of songs, then intended for MJ's comeback album.

To date, only two of those songs have ever been released: a remix of Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' " that appeared on the 25th-anniversary edition of the Thriller album, and, of course, "Hold My Hand." And with the Thursday (December 9) premiere of that song's video — and the pending release of Michael — MTV News went back to our August 2009 interview with Akon, to get the inside story of what it was like to work with MJ. And though the two men recorded "days" of music, what Akon remembers most about those sessions was getting to know Michael Jackson, the man.

"My favorite moment was the day we actually met, because I didn't expect him to be that cool," Akon said. "I expected him to be this diva — just hard to deal with, rarely speaks, got to send his message through someone else, you know? Because these are the stories you hear."

But, as Akon quickly learned, Jackson wasn't a diva — quite the opposite, in fact.

"So I'm going upstairs [to meet him], I knock on the door, his bodyguard opens and says, 'OK, he's waiting to meet you.' I walk in, and [Michael's] in this spinning chair, but it's facing backwards," he said. "So I walk in the room, but his back is turned, and the guard says, 'Hey, Mike, Akon's here.' So he spins around, like it was all choreographed — so, off the top, I'm like, 'Oh boy.'

"But as soon as he turns around, gets up, 'Yo, what up, man?!' and I was like, 'What up, Mike?' and he gave me a pound, we hugged each other," he continued. "He's like, 'Yo, I've been waiting to meet you for so long, this is a great honor, thanks for showing up, thanks for making the time.' And in my mind I'm like, 'You know, I should be thanking you for making the time.' "

And though "Hold My Hand" was born out of the sessions that would soon follow, Akon's greatest memory from meeting MJ was that initial meeting, when all his preconceived notions melted away and he got to spend real time with the legend.

"It was the craziest thing, because we sat down, we talked about Africa, we talked about my foundation, we talked about the music, we talked about girls. We had a great, incredible time that day," he said. "He was extremely funny, he told jokes, and he liked to have fun."

What do you think of MJ and Akon's collabo, "Hold My Hand"? Share your reviews in the comments.

Related Artists

Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Minnillo Vanessa Simmons