Beyonce's Boyz II Men Sample On 'Countdown' Is 'Clever' Band Says

'I guess you can say we finally got our duet with Beyoncé,' Wanya Morris tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena


Nathan Morris and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men
Photo: MTV News

When Beyoncé dropped 4 earlier this year, she paid homage to her roots by sampling Boyz II Men. The singer used the countdown portion of their track "Uhh Ahh" on her I'm-so-in-love party track "Countdown."

The song is all about the rapture of true love, with Beyoncé happily declaring her devotion to that special man in her life. So were the guys happy about her decision to include them on the album? "I thought it was very clever," Wanya Morris told MTV News earlier this week when he stopped by to chat about the latest Boyz II Men album, Twenty. "She's a clever artist. She's one of the best in the business right now. I guess you can say we finally got our duet with Beyoncé."

The guys are certainly having a moment this year, thanks to the sample and their work with Justin Bieber. They say that Beyoncé's decision to use their song on the lively track was pretty surprising, even though they have a bit of history with Queen B.

"It wasn't something we expected, but we do have a bit of a relationship," Nathan Morris explained. "A lot of people don't really know that when they had Destiny's Child, the first time they went on tour they opened up for us for quite a long time. And we tried our best to look after them and make sure everything was good. And back then they were incredible."

Even that long ago they knew Beyoncé stood out from the pack. "We all saw that she would wind up doing her thing," Morris added. "There is a connection, and at the end of the day we didn't know she would use that record. Game respects game, I guess you would call it."

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1671121/beyonce-boyz-II-men-countdown-uhh-ahh.jhtml

Missi Pyle Missy Peregrym Molly Sims Monet Mazur Monica Bellucci

Usher Gets 'Emotional' On David Guetta's 'Without You'

DJ/producer calls their collabo the 'biggest record' on his just-released Nothing but the Beat.
By Akshay Bhansali


Usher
Photo: Todd Williamson/ WireImage

David Guetta recently told MTV News that the Usher collabo "Without You" is the "biggest record" on his just-released Nothing but the Beat.

It's a rather bold statement, considering his latest album also features Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, will.i.am, Akon, Timbaland, Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Hudson, just to name a few. But Guetta has a soft spot for the cinematic team-up with Ush, which he says is equal parts sentimental and hands-in-the-air euphoric.

"It's just totally emotional," Guetta said. "Some of the record is a proper ballad, and then it goes to that crazy dance beat. It's perfect for him, because he's famous for his ballads. And he's also now famous for those big club records that he comes with. He's an amazing dancer, so I felt like he was the artist that I needed."

Usher and Guetta first previewed the song in Ibiza, Spain, earlier this summer, with the crowd demanding an encore performance of the sure-to-be-hit song.

"It was amazing," Guetta gushed. "We were not supposed to do this. I always do these kinds of stupid things, playing records when I'm not supposed to play them. And Usher was so excited for this time to be in Ibiza performing in front of those people. He called me onstage and said, 'Come on. Let's do it.' So we did it, and, yeah, they loved it. We had to do it again! They asked for one more."

For some, the combination of Usher and Guetta might seem out of left field. While the DJ/producer works with a variety of artists, he has a pretty tight-knit musical family — but it may come as a surprise that Guetta has known Usher the longest.

"I actually speak very often about how thankful I am to will.i.am because he called me to produce 'I Gotta Feeling'; Akon, when we started to work together, because I wasn't famous in America; Kelly Rowland and all those guys that came to me when I was not known yet," Guetta said. "But I have to say that the very first time when someone big from America asked me if I want to work with him, it was Usher. Like, a really long time ago, but we never had the time to do it. So I was so happy to be finally in the studio with him, because he spotted me when I was really not famous yet."

Usher and Guetta already shot the video for "Without You" in Ibiza. The song will follow up Guetta's current single, "Little Bad Girl," which features Ludacris and Taio Cruz.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670301/usher-david-guetta-without-you.jhtml

Minka Kelly Minki van der Westhuizen Miranda Kerr Mischa Barton Missi Pyle

Amanda Knox Verdict: Celebrity Twitter Reactions

Amanda Knox Verdict: Celebrity Twitter Reactions

Some thought she was innocent, some less so -- but everyone seemed stunned yesterday when an Italian appeals court found Amanda Knox not guilty. American college student Knox had already served four years in prison for the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher, after she was declared guilty in a 2009 trial. The trial was a news media sensation -- and unsurprisingly, was a trending topic on Twitter all day Monday. Here's what famous Tweeters of all opinions had to say about the verdict.

"Amanda Knox is free! :)" -- Hayden Panettiere, who portrayed Knox in the Lifetime movie Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy.

"Congratulations to amanda knox and the knox family for the overturning of her guilty verdict in italy. What a relief it must be for them!!" -- Nick Lachey

"Listen, I believe she was wrongly accused. Now maybe they can concentrate on what really happened." -- The band Matchbox Twenty, defending themselves after tweeting their congratulations to Knox.

"Congratulations to Amanda Knox & her family for their victory today." -- Slash

"Former OJ jurors on Mediterranean cruise, Amanda Knox not guilty... coincidence?" - Ann Coulter

"I felt proud that justice was served. 'DNA not reliable' said it all." -- Jill Zarin

"This amanda knox thing is unsettling. Let's get her out of jail and into maxim as soon as possible." -- David Spade

"Judging by Twitter, most Americans think #AmandaKnox is innocent, most Brits think she's guilty...What do I think? Honestly, I can't decide if Amanda Knox is guilty of murdering Meredith Kercher or not. My sympathies to both families." -- Piers Morgan

"Would it be an understatement to say Amanda Knox and her boyfriend have had a bumpy relationship?" -- Kevin Nealon

"Shouldn't type while crying. Happy to see Amanda Knox, Raffaelle Sollecito freed. RIP Meredith Kercher." -- Nia Vardalos

"Hurray for the amanda knox verdict!! That poor girl - I hope they find the murder/s and lock them away 4 life. Her poor family has gone thru too much." -- Roseanne Barr

The trial may be over, but Amanda Knox isn't out of the spotlight yet. Lifetime will air an updated version of their movie about the murder case, and pundits are already weighing in on how soon Knox should start doing interviews.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/amanda-knox-verdict-celebrity-twitter-reactions/1-a-387937

Rachel McAdams Rachel Nichols Rachel Perry Rachel Weisz Radha Mitchell

Chris Christie Will NOT Run For President


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced today that he would not seek the Republican presidential nomination for president, saying "now is not my time."

Urged to run by many Republicans of late, Christie made his FINAL decision last night, "knowing exactly what I wanted to do" for the first time in weeks.

The New Jersey governor vowed not to run approximately 700 times before, but "felt an obligation to earnestly consider" the appeals of "serious people."

He said he "explored the options" and thought about running but "in the end, what I've always felt was the right decision remains the right decision today."

"I have a commitment to New Jersey that I will not abandon," Chris said during a lengthy, nearly hour-long press conference, adding with typical humor:

"New Jersey, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me."

No matter where you are on the political spectrum, this decision is disappointing for the entertainment value alone. A rarity in his profession, Christie truly tells it like it is ... and bluntly at that. He does not mince words. See above and below.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/chris-christie-will-not-run-for-president/

Leslie Bega Leslie Bibb Lil Kim Lily Allen Lindsay Lohan

Amanda Knox Released From Prison; Prosecution to Appeal Not Guilty Verdict


After four years in an Italian jail, 24-year-old American Amanda Knox boarded a British Airways flight with her family at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci Airport late Tuesday.

Knox is free following yesterday's not guilty verdict.

Amanda and then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of killing Meredith Kercher in 2007, but their 2009 convictions were appealed and overturned in a Perugia, Italy, court Monday after an emotional plea from Knox.

Before leaving, Knox thanked the court and her supporters.

Expressing gratitude for those "who shared my suffering and helped me survive with hope," Amanda singled out the Italy-U.S. Foundation, which seeks to promote ties between the countries and supported Knox throughout her ordeal.

"Those who wrote, those who defended me," she wrote. "I love you, Amanda."

Not even two hours after the verdict, she was free and en route to Seattle.

What looms ahead for Amanda Knox remains to be seen, however.

The prosecution, which painted her as a monster and sought to extend Knox's prison term from 26 years to life, says it will appeal Monday's decision.

The BCC notes that it seems quite unlikely Knox would be extradited back to Italy from the U.S. for a retrial, even after Monday night's stunning verdict.

Public outcry against Amanda's imprisonment and key DNA evidence that was found to be unreliable proved instrumental in overturning her conviction.

It looks as though she's free for good. How she responds to it and whether she will be able to lead a healthy, productive life after this is another story.

Your take: Amanda Knox ...

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/amanda-knox-released-from-prison-prosecution-to-appeal-not-guilt/

Joss Stone Jules Asner Julia Stiles Julianne Hough Julie Benz