Britney Spears, In 10 Minutes, Backstage At The VMAs

Meeting the princess of pop, behind the scenes at the biggest awards show of the year, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery


Britney Spears
Photo: Getty Images

I'm not sure how many times this has happened to you, but when you're in the middle of recording voice-overs during the Video Music Awards and all of a sudden you get an email from the assistant of your bosses' boss telling you that you have to interview Britney Spears in her dressing room in 10 minutes -- man, that's weird.

Because it's Britney Spears. One of the hugest pop stars on the planet, constant target of the tabloids, decided enigma. She's not exactly forthcoming with the press (for reasons that are certainly understandable) and not particularly interested in sitting down for a chat -- especially when said chat is supposed to take place in her dressing room, surrounded by her team of publicists, makeup artists and friends. Needless to say, the odds of the whole thing going down in a ball of flames are pretty high.

And yet, there I was on Sunday night, winding my way through the backstage corridors of the Nokia Theatre, the VMAs literally happening all around me, on my way to meet Britney. Armed only with an email (and a rather paltry level of security clearance), I talked my way past the stone-faced security guards -- who, it should be noted, didn't seem to believe that I was about to interview Britney Spears either -- found my way to her dressing-room door and awaited further instructions. As I stood there, my mind raced: What, exactly, was I going to ask her, anyway? And, perhaps more importantly, what is she really like?

After a few minutes, the door swung open, one of her publicists poked his head out and told me, quite matter-of-factly, "Britney's ready." I entered the tiny dressing room, scanned the faces lining the walls (publicist one, publicist two, manager Larry Rudolph, makeup artist, sister Jamie Lynn) and suddenly came face to face with Britney herself, eyes wide and sparkling, head cocked slightly, big smile on her face. I noticed the tiny pair of red dice she has tattooed on her left wrist, the hem of her black dress, the way she crossed her ankles. And then, I noticed she was looking right at me.

"Hi, I'm Britney," she said.

No kidding.

I am happy to report that Britney Spears is a very nice person; she is funny and carries herself with a relaxed grace that belies her superstardom. We spoke about her VMA tribute -- during which she spent much of the time praising others -- and how, even after winning a boatload of awards, she's still blown away each and every time her name is called. Shoot, we even laughed about Lady Gaga's alter ego, Jo Calderone ("She's definitely in character," Brit laughed). In fact, the thing that struck me the most about her was her quick wit: She cracks jokes like they're going out of style.

And while I guess you could say that I learned an awful lot about Britney on Sunday night, the biggest lesson was probably this: Basically everything you think you know about her is wrong. It's sort of a shame she doesn't do more interviews, because, really, I think most folks would leave feeling the same way I do. Then again, I can understand why she doesn't. It's sort of an uphill battle at this point.

Regardless, interviewing her was definitely a highlight, and not just because she's press-shy. It most certainly ranks as my greatest VMA moment, even ahead of the pre-show I hosted live Sunday night. So the next time you get a panicked email and an invite to sit down with Britney, I highly recommend you respond immediately. It will definitely be worth your time.

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards have wrapped, but the real action is just getting started! Stick with MTV News for winners, fashion pics, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything that went down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1669958/britney-spears-vmas.jhtml

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Lloyd Banks, Trina, More On 'RapFix Live' Anniversary Special!

Maino, the Outlawz also join host Sway on the red couch for one-year anniversary live stream Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com.
By Rob Markman


Lloyd Banks and Sway on "RapFix Live" in November 2010
Photo: MTV News

What a year! From the ascent of Wiz Khalifa to the rise of Rick Ross' Maybach Music empire; from Lil Wayne's 2010 prison release to T.I.'s latest incarceration; from the tragic death of Nate Dogg to the murder of M-Bone; not to mention the release of the highly anticipated Watch the Throne and Tha Carter IV, "RapFix Live" has been the number one source of all things hip-hop.

After 12 months of hard work, MTV News will celebrate on the "RapFix Live" one-year anniversary show, set to kick off Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com. Lloyd Banks, Maino, Trina and the Outlawz will join host Sway in taking a look back at the past year in hip-hop. In this special celebratory broadcast, "RapFix" will also relive the show's greatest moments. Who could forget when Rick Ross graced the "RFL" couch for the very first time, or when Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose professed their love for each other in front of our cameras?

After announcing their reunion, the Diplomats appeared on "RapFix Live" in January — but without Juelz Santana. While the Dipset, covering for their boy, told us Elz had suffered an allergic reaction, we later learned that the Harlem spitter had his studio raided by police. Santana stopped by himself in June to set the record straight.

Cam'ron and crew weren't the only rap supergroup to stop by "RFL," though. Before releasing their Bad Meets Evil EP, Royce Da 5'9" and Eminem invited Sway out to Detroit for a special sit-down. Fans also tuned in, in record numbers, when Consequence swung through the MTV Newsroom and aired out his grievances with onetime label boss and friend Kanye West. Yes, there have been some memorable moments on "RapFix Live" and a wide range of guests, including Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, Game, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Ja Rule and J. Cole.

But the exclusive interviews aren't the only thing that fans tune in to see on "RapFix Live." At the end of every broadcast, the show's guest isn't allowed to leave until he or she kicks a freestyle rhyme. Pusha T, Fat Joe, Beanie Sigel, Nicki, Reek Da Villain and Fabolous have all blessed the show with their bars.

The ridiculous rhymes and the standout moments — we're celebrating it all on Wednesday's one-year anniversary show! Fans can also vote on their favorite "RapFix Live" freestyles and "RapFix Live" moments on our blog. Be sure to join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive.

Catch Lloyd Banks, Maino, Trina and the Outlawz on the "RapFix Live" one-year anniversary show on Wednesday, September 14, at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com!

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Gwyneth Paltrow Parties It Up with Lenny Kravitz

Treating herself to a rockin' night on the town, Gwyneth Paltrow attended an afterparty following musician Lenny Kravitz's gig with Absolute Radio in London on Monday night (September 12).

The "Contagion" actress was all smiles as she posed arm-in-arm with the rocker at The Box Soho locale - with the event being part of Lenny's launch efforts for his new album 'Black and White America'.

The outing comes on the heels of another accolade for Miss Paltrow - as she ended up being named as the winner of a Creative Arts Emmy Award during the annual ceremony on Saturday night.

Gwyneth was named as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as substitute teacher Holly Holiday on "Glee".

With the 38-year-old not on-hand to collect her trophy, presenter Alison Brie jokingly told the audience, "She couldn't be here because it's happy hour at the Starlight Room."

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Justin Bieber Can't Stay Away From Cobra Starship's Drums

'He could beat me up, so I can't say anything,' Cobra drummer Nate Novarro says of Bieber hopping on his kit before VMAs.
By James Montgomery


Justin Bieber (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Anyone who was inside the J.W. Marriott in downtown Los Angeles during rehearsals for the 2011 Video Music Awards pre-show can surely attest to two things: the catchiness of Cobra Starship's "You Make Me Feel ..." (especially since they sound-checked it roughly 52 dozen times) and the fact that, during a quick break from all that sound-checking, Justin Bieber totally snuck behind the band's drum kit and let it rip.

Bieber, of course, was there to support his girlfriend, Selena Gomez, who was serving as MTV News' special pre-show correspondent, and he's definitely no stranger to the occasional drum solo, so the whole thing sort of made sense (though, to be fair, pretty much everyone who saw it go down couldn't believe their eyes).

But, when we caught up with Cobra Starship backstage at the Fueled by Ramen 15th anniversary show in New York on Wednesday, we had to ask them: Were they aware of Bieber's impromptu drum performance? And, more importantly, did they take umbrage to it?

"I heard about that, that Justin Bieber was playing our kit," Cobra bassist Alex Suarez laughed.

"It's a rental," drummer Nate Novarro added.

Of course, you'll notice that Novarro didn't say whether Bieber's actions angered him. Is the drum kit, much like the pitcher's mound, a sacred space in which only a select few dare tread?

"Kind of, but [Bieber] could beat me up, so I can't approach him and say anything," Novarro said.

It should be noted, however, that this is not the first time Bieber has hijacked Cobra Starship's kit. At the 2009 Jingle Ball in Sacramento, California, he took the stage during the band's set after frontman Gabe Saporta challenged him to a dance-off, but, since JB was still recovering from a broken foot, all he could do was sit down behind the drums and bang out a searing solo. And that, Novarro believes, set the precedent for the VMA pre-show incident.

"He showed me what he could do, and it was good, so I was like, 'You can come back and do it whenever you want,' " he said. "I think he just took full advantage of that."

And it was at that exact minute that Cobra guitarist Ryland Blackinton — perhaps wanting to quash any beef with the Biebs (especially since the two are set to tour Mexico and South America next month) — stepped in to diffuse the situation and let it be known that they were cool with any and all Bieber-related drum performances.

"He didn't overstep any boundaries," Blackinton said.

Phew.

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FROM MTV MOVIES: It's a horror-movie question almost 30 years in the making: What the hell happened to the Norwegian researchers discovered toward the beginning of the 1982 John Carpenter cult fave "The Thing"? Kurt Russell and his crew do end up stumbling into some terrifying answers, but Carpenter's flick concentrates on the alien horrors the [...]

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