Toronto singer signs with Republic Records and reveals November 13 release date for Trilogy package.
By Nadeska Alexis
The Weeknd
Photo: Timothy Hiatt/WireImage
Singer will film live music video for 'I Was Here' to support campaign.
By Jocelyn Vena
<P>Last week, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/knowles_beyonce/artist.jhtml">Beyoncé</a> posted a <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/07/26/beyonce-posts-mysterious-announcement-wipes-hard-drives-when-she-leaves-studio/">mysterious message</a> on her website that simply read, "Leave your footprint on 19 August 2012."</P><P>The cryptic note had many fans wondering just what Queen B might be up to come mid-August. Well, the answer is here, and Beyoncé not only wants her Beyhive to leave their footprint that day, but she'll also be doing the same.</P><P><iframe width="415" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yPPBKyIceWY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></P><P>The superstar has joined forces with the United Nations and humanitarian aid organizations for World Humanitarian Day on August 19. It is "a global day to celebrate humanity and the spirit of people helping people," according to a press release.</P><P>The VMA-nominated singer will be in New York City for the big celebration, along with her "I Was Here" songwriter, Diane Warren. The ladies will be on hand at the U.N. General Assembly Hall to film a live music video for the <i>4</i> ballad that they will then donate to the cause. It will be released that same day.</P><P>Beyoncé appears in a black-and-white PSA for the campaign. A close-up of her face, sporting the <a href="/news/articles/1689944/beyonce-baby-blue-ivy.jhtml">braids she debuted a few weeks back</a>, shows her outdoors. "It's high time we rise together," she says. "Do one thing for another human being — nothing is too small. It begins with each of us. Make your mark and say 'I was here.' " Also including footage of people across the world, the message closes out with the track playing and the diva saying, "One day, one message, 1 billion taking action for each other. I'll see you then."</P><P>The <a href="http://www.whd-iwashere.org" target="_blank">World Humanitarian Day website</a> launched this week allows folks to post the "individual acts of good" they have done in their communities. By the day of the event, they hope to reach 1 billion people with a single message. Communities will do their part through commemorations and public events.</P><P>"We all see the headlines, and we think, 'What can I really do to help?' " Beyoncé said in a statement. "World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity for all of us to work together to make a difference. This is our time to leave our mark on the world and show that we were here and we care."</P>
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'I'm getting ready as we speak,' she tells MTV News of this year's tournament, tipping off Monday.
By James Montgomery
<P>Last year, based mainly on her attitude, the fact that she <a href="/news/articles/1644961/keha-tries-shock-world-at-casio-launch.jhtml">plays an AK-47 shaped guitar</a> and the presence of photos like <a href="http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2011/03/13/1226020/684522-ke-ha-drinks-blood.jpg" target="_blank">this</a>, Ke$ha was given an 11 seed in MTV's Musical March Madness tournament — and promptly <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2011/03/15/march-madness-u2-kesha-green-day-adam-lambert/">lost by a huge margin to U2</a> in the opening round.</P><P><CENTER><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:747290/cp~vid%3D747290%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A747290" width="430" height="242" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed></CENTER></P><P>Of course, she's spent the past 12 months fuming over that early exit, and now, she's going to get her shot at redemption. Not only is Ke$ha <i>back</i> in the 2012 MMM tournament — which kicks off Monday — but she's beefed up her rock credentials: working with the likes of <a href="http://www.billboard.com/news/alice-cooper-welcomes-ke-ha-to-his-nightmare-1005326082.story#/news/alice-cooper-welcomes-ke-ha-to-his-nightmare-1005326082.story" target="_blank">Alice Cooper</a>, channeling the <a href="/news/articles/1663946/kesha-new-album.jhtml">"sexiness" of '70s rock</a> on her new album, recording a (genuinely pretty great) <a href="/news/articles/1676260/kesha-bob-dylan-cover.jhtml">cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"</a> and spending time <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/keshasuxx/status/160937170826313728" target="_blank">snorting Tums</a> with Wayne Coyne.</P><P>So, yeah, this year, she's ready to knock off the field of 63 other acts gunning for the MMM trophy — a brimming bracket that includes <a href="/news/articles/1661353/musical-march-madness-winner-green-day.jhtml">defending champions Green Day</LINK>, upstarts <link type="content" id="1680595">Fun.</a> and <a href="/news/articles/1678693/black-keys-kesha.jhtml">good pals the Black Keys</a>, to name just a few — and reign supreme. But just in case all that rock-and-roll prep work isn't enough to put her over the top, well, Ke$ha has another secret weapon at the ready: an incredibly toned pelvic floor.</P><P>"I'm getting ready as we speak. I'm doing Kegels," she told MTV News, while throwing phantom punches at an unsuspecting cameraman. "Vote for me!"</P><P><b>MTV's 2012 Musical March Madness tournament begins Monday, March 12, when we'll unveil the full field of 64 bands that will battle for this year's championship. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act made the cut, it will be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM — but get ready, it's gonna be a war.</b></P><P><CENTER><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:746346/cp~vid%3D746346%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A746346" width="430" height="242" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed></CENTER></P>
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Gold-medal-winning gymnast sets the Internet on fire after landmark victory in London.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Cory Midgarden
<P>It's been an impressive run for Team U.S.A. over in London. As the <a href="/news/articles/1691023/olympics-carly-rae-jepsen-austin-mahone.jhtml">Summer Olympics</a> continue to captivate the world, event after event, it was a girl who has been nicknamed "The Flying Squirrel" who won not only the gold in the women's gymnastics all-around final competition on Thursday, but also the <i>hearts</i> of some of the biggest stars in entertainment.</P><P>What makes Gabby Douglas' win even more impressive is that the 16-year-old is the first African-American woman to take home the honor, a feat that has earned her major kudos from some major players in the music world and beyond. Kelly Rowland spoke to MTV News earlier this week, and she showed love to the soon-to-be gold medalist, proudly exclaiming, "Gymnastics! Gabby Douglas! She's awesome!"</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Kelly Rowland Is A Fan Of Gabby Douglas" id="vid:822664" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>But Kelly's not the only member of Destiny's Child enamored with the headline-making teen. Beyonce <a href="http://www.beyonce.com/news/gabby-douglas" target="_blank">blogged</a> about Douglas' win, sharing that she feels inspired by the teen's impressive Olympics run. "A huge congratulations to 16 year old Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas - WOW - what a thrill to watch you take this Gold! - enjoy this moment, its yours. Thank you for inspiring all of us! Love, B."</P><P>They're hardly the only A-listers showing the tiny teen adoration. Lil Wayne <a href="https://twitter.com/LilTunechi" target="_blank">tweeted</a>, "Glad i lived to see what Gabby Douglas did in the Olympics. Icon." His Young Money pal Nicki Minaj also sent her some viral love. "Kisses to Gabby what an amazing little firecracker. #USA #Olympics," she <a href="https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/231080554223767552" target="_blank">wrote</a>.</P><P>In fact, after Gabby <a href="https://twitter.com/gabrielledoug/status/231268869027790848" target="_blank">responded</a> to Weezy's tweet with "WOW!!!! Im speechless Thank you SOO MUCH!!," Minaj teased back, "Oh wow, I tweeted about #Gabby earlier but she responds to@LilTunechi and not me? U know what? Ima fight u. I've had it!!!"</P><P>Other Twitter love came from a myriad of entertainers, including Oprah Winfrey, Estelle, Ian Somerhalder, Ciara, Gabrielle Union, Timbaland, Elizabeth Banks and athletes like fellow <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/07/31/michael-phelps-wins-19th-olympic-medal-most-decorated-olympian-ever/">gold-medal winner Michael Phelps</a> and Kristi Yamaguchi.</P><P>Shortly after the historic victory, it was <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/olympics-2012-gabby-douglas-gold-medal-corn-flakes-358162" target="_blank">announced</a> that she would appear on the front of the Kellogg's Corn Flakes box; a mock-up was released in the wake of the win.</P><P>"People have asked if I felt like I was on fire here in London, but I just feel normal, the same as I do every day in practice. The difference has been that I was ready to seize the moment, to focus and to trust in what I can do," Douglas wrote on her ESPN <a href="http://espn.go.com/espnw/blog/post/1163/the-biggest-night-my-life" target="_blank">blog</a> about her landmark victory.</P><P>"You say you want to do it and you dream about it every day, but then when it happens, it's hard to believe it really has. Tonight, when the U.S. flag was raised and the national anthem played, there were so many camera flashes going off I felt like I was at a concert. And the crazy thing was, they were all taking pictures of me."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Celebs: What Sport Would You Play In The Olympics?" id="vid:821567" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P><i>Share your thoughts on your fave Summer Olympics stars in the comments below!</i></P>
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Producer Dr. Luke unveils a snippet of a song from her upcoming album.
By James Montgomery
<P>It's not exactly <a href="/news/articles/1663946/kesha-new-album.jhtml">"balls-out irreverent rock and roll"</a> — quite the opposite, in fact — but with one 40-second snippet, Ke$ha is serving notice that her new album is most definitely going to be a departure.</P><P>On Wednesday (June 6), frequent Ke$h collaborator Dr. Luke gave fans <a href="http://soundcloud.com/drluke/snippet-super" target="_blank">a sneak peek</a> at a song from her long-in-the-works new album, an all-too-brief preview that features her cooing about a lover's prowess — "When you take my body to the stars/ I believe it/ Boy, this love is supernatural/ Can you feel it?" over a bed of shimmering synths and knotty bass that gradually builds to a twisting, rapidly contrasting electronic break.</P><P><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F48805816&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff7700"></iframe></P><P>It's the kind of high-gloss production she largely avoided on her breakthrough <a href="/news/articles/1629566/keha-partying-pop-genius-weve-all-been-waiting.jhtml"><i>Animal</i></a> album, and while we certainly can't figure out how the track fits in with her <i>other</i> collaborations (she's reportedly worked with everyone from <a href="/news/articles/1685827/kesha-flaming-lips-tattoo.jhtml">Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne</a> to Iggy Pop on the still-untitled new album), the new track certainly showcases her maturation. And thanks to Ke$h herself, at least we know what the new track is about: having sex with ghosts.</P><P>Yes, just hours after Dr. Luke leaked the snippet, Ke$ha took to her Twitter account to mock-chastise her producer, <a href="https://twitter.com/keshasuxx/status/210428157554196480" target="_blank">writing</a>: "You leaked my song about me having sexy time with a ghost, @thedoctorluke," she wrote. "Now everyone knows I get it on with ghosts!"</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid: 652875" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>Somehow, that doesn't surprise us. There's still no firm release date for Ke$ha's new album, which she began working on in February. But, from the sound of one snippet, at least, it sounds like things are progressing quickly. And, apparently, ghostly.</P><P><i>What do you think of the sneak peek? Let us know in the comments!</i> </P>
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