Mixtape Daily: Rico Love, Gunplay

Britney Spears' 'Criminal' Director Talks Gun Controversy

'It blew me away that members of [the British] Parliament were speaking about this,' Chris Marrs Piliero tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf


Britney Spears and Jason Trawick on the set of her "Criminal" video shoot
Photo: Eagle Eyes / Splash News

When Britney Spears hit London to shoot her "Criminal" video, she caused quite a stir. The singer immediately was criticized by local officials for her use of a gun in the sexy, crime-fantasy clip. Spears addressed the issue, shrugging off the controversy, and this week, fans finally got to see what all the fuss was about when the steamy clip dropped.

MTV News spoke to the video's director, Chris Marrs Piliero, who said he was surprised the video's gunplay became such a big deal.

"Holding the gun became a controversial thing 'cause we filmed it in London, and they don't have a lot of gun use out there," he explained. "That doesn't mean that there's no gun use, so I did find it really interesting. For me, the thing is, it blew me away that members of [the British] Parliament were speaking about this. One, because it's a music video, and two, because don't you guys have television shows out there that show crime?

"It's really strange to me," he continued, adding just what bothered him most about the controversy: "I don't understand why pop stars are put on such a high pedestal over other celebrities. Why do members of Parliament feel that they need to scrutinize her for having a gun, and 'She's in the public,' and 'She should know better,' and 'She's a role model,' but what about every other celebrity out there? What about every other actor? That's very strange to me. I was really surprised at how much the gun use was scrutinized."

Plus, Piliero said it makes sense that the couple, played by Britney and her real-life boyfriend, Jason Trawick, are using guns. "He's a professional criminal, so it makes sense he has a gun," the director said. "We shouldn't censor ourselves."

Share your opinion on the controversy in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1672848/britney-spears-criminal-director-gun.jhtml

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First Lady Michelle Obama Reveals New KITCHEN GARDEN Portrait With Bo, Talks New Garden Book

How lovely.  First Lady Michelle Obama just revealed her brand new official portrait in the White House Garden, which she aptly created and calls the Kitchen Garden.  Check out her new pic with First Dog Bo, plus what she's revealing about her brand new book about her signature project of a garden....

Mrs. Obama and Portuguese Waterdog Bo sat for the first official portrait in the White House Garden recently.  All in preparation of the First Lady's new book about the very garden her family eats from.

First Lady Michelle is well known to pick fruits and vegetables from the garden with school kids and chefs as she continues her mission of health and fitness across the country. 

She created the garden as part of a change of eating habits and health for the First Family, and the White House chefs use ingredients from the garden everyday.  In her upcoming book releasing April 2012, she speaks on the joy and productivity her new creation has brought people's lives.

According to the publicity blurb from Crown Publishing Group, First Daughters Sasha & Malia "were the catalysts for change for their family's eating behavior which inspired her national initiative to address childhood obesity and resulted in the idea to plant a vegetable garden on the South Lawn."

On why she chose Bo to pose in the official portrait with her:

“It is me and Bo and we’re in the garden. And one of the reasons we did this picture is because we get so many letters from kids, mostly, who want to hear about the garden, they want to see it, and they also want to see Bo. Bo is really the most popular…We’ve heard so many great stories from kids who’ve been inspired and doing things like changing the way their families do things. And those letters are always just a joy to get. So we want to have something a little more tangible than just a letter to give to kids, because often it’s the visual thing that makes it real.”

She told the NY Times about the First Family's involvement in their Kitchen Garden:

"Virtually the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, “whether they like it or not,” Mrs. Obama said with a laugh. “Now Grandma, my mom, I don’t know.” Her mother, she said, will probably sit back and say: “Isn’t that lovely. You missed a spot.”

By the way, Bo just turned 3 a couple of weeks ago.  Cute!

 

Source: http://theybf.com/2011/10/19/first-lady-michelle-obama-reveals-new-kitchen-garden-portrait-with-bo-talks-new-garden-bo

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No hay más Led Zeppelin

A pesar de lo dicho ayer, Peter Mensch, manager del guitarrista Jimmy Page, se retractó totalmente en eso que la banda buscaría un reemplazo al ultragenial Robert Plant para seguir rockeando y toureándola por el mundo tras su show de 2007 en el O2 Arena de Londres por el poder de la música más sexual de la historia. No habrá más Led Zeppelin, no hay planes de que lo haya.

Mensch comentó: "Led Zeppelin se acabó. Si no los vieron en el 2007, se los perdieron. Probaron reemplazantes a Robert Plant, pero nada funcionó. Se acabó. No hay planes para continuar. Francamente, ojalá todos dejaran de hablar al respecto."

Los fans no están nada contentos, especialmente los británicos, considerando los precios delirantes de las entradas del show reunión.

¿Y a ti? ¿Qué te parece todo esto?

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602369/.jhtml

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Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year

Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff


Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."

He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.

You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.

Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.

And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.

And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.

To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.

"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604582/plantkrauss-win-album-year-grammy.jhtml

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Amy Winehouse Works The Bar At Local Pub

Oh Amy Winehouse… Amy Amy Amy Why does her camp still allow her to be around drugs and alcohol? She needs to hire a new team. Here’s Miss Winehouse frequenting her favorite pub, The Hawley Arms. Not only did she … Continue reading

Source: http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2011/03/24/amy-winehouse-works-the-bar-at-local-pub/

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Love It Or Hate It: Beyonce In Paris

Beyonce and Jay-Z have been enjoying a bit of work and play in Paris this past week. The couple were spotted again this afternoon taking a stroll together. What do you think of Beyonce’s ensemble? Jay-Z must be one tall … Continue reading

Source: http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2011/04/25/love-it-or-hate-it-beyonce-in-paris/

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ABC Cancels ?Charlie?s Angels?

Bad news for fans of ‘Charlie’s Angels‘!  After several disappointing weeks of ratings, ABC has officially pulled the plug! ABC shut down production on the show today, but will reportedly still air the episodes that are already completed. This is … Continue reading

Source: http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2011/10/14/abc-cancels-charlies-angels/

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Reader Reviews

The movie tie-in edition of "20 Times a Lady"—now called "What's Your Number?"—is now available wherever fine books are sold!

To celebrate its publication, a few of my favorite readers came up with these great reviews...

"What's Your Number? is like Harry Potter minus the wizards, wands, and Lord Voldemort." —Michelle Bell

 

"‎What's Your Number? is like Gone With the Wind except with less hoop skirts and poverty and more beaus..." —Karen Meyer

 

‎"What's Your Number? is like To Kill a Mockingbird without all the racism and children." —Julie Stone

Thanks ladies!

Please add your review in the comments!

Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/9/7/reader-reviews.html

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