A world that’s dull, controlled, and lacks color is not one a vibrant being like Adam Lambert wishes to live in. But that’s exactly where he resides in the sci-fi video for his new single, “Never Close Our Eyes.” The glamazon is forced to live a mundane existence in an institution ruled by one big watchful eye. But he can’t suppress his desire for a different, better life for long. He rebels against his captors and starts a revolution with his fellow drones. But as they try to break free, they’re stopped by guards. Will they get away? Or will they be forced to scrub floors, pop pills, and wear — *shudders* — nothing but earth tones for the rest of their lives? You’ll have to watch and see.
In a behind the scenes clip released prior to the “Never Close Our Eyes” premiere, Adam explained how the video’s concept correlates with the song. “All the things that happen in the video are meant to be symbols for what we’re trying to say,” Adam said. “What I was trying to say with this is if you make a decision to just look at things a different way and just flip your perception a little bit, maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe it does get better if you want it to.”
“Never Close Our Eyes” is the second single from Adam’s chart-topping sophomore album, Trespassing. Watch the clip below:
“I feel it. Tonight’s going to be magical,” said Beyonce.
Sure, when Beyonce, a vision in a sparkly gold dress designed by her mom, Tina Knowles, appeared on stage at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City for her final concert in her four-night stint at approximately 10pm — two hours later than the start time the ticket for the event touted — it was surely safe to assume some magic would happen. But it sure as hell didn’t start that way for fans who began lining up for the concert hours earlier.
A thunder storm rolled in just after 7pm, soaking many of the fans who expected clear skies — and who expected to be let into the venue at the top of the hour. As thunder boomed and lightning crackled, fans began to panic; they abandoned the orderly line they formed and began breaking through barricades and running — and screaming, loudly! – down the street to the entrance of Roseland. It looked like a scene pulled straight from James Cameron‘s Titanic film.
The NYPD were called in to control the angered crowd, who wondered why they weren’t being let into the venue, even as the rain continued to pound down. The cops’ plan only led to even more confusion — officers at the front of the venue told fans to cross the street to form a new line; officers across the street had no clue where the new line began. As the chaos and confusion continued to play out, Roseland staff and police threatened to cancel the show if order wasn’t restored.
The line calmed some, and, of course, the show did go on despite the nightmarish start. And if anyone could make up for the disastrous, unorganized chaos, it’s Beyonce. She put on a show so brilliant, it made many forget about their ruined hair-dos and the water sloshing around in their shoes.
With her fabulous, full-figured background singers and her all-female band backing her, Beyonce began the show with a trip down memory lane that chronicled her pre-diva status rise (singing the Jackson 5‘s “I Wanna Be Where You Are” as a kid, getting signed to a record deal, getting dropped, losing on Star Search, and getting signed again).
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Then there were the Destiny’s Child years. Girl power-championing hits like “Bootylicious,” “Independent Women,” and “Survivor” played out in bite-sized snippets with a quick shout out to DC members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, both of whom B admitted she “wouldn’t be here without.” (Take notes on respecting where you come from, Justin Timberlake.)
Solo star Beyonce took shape again as B ran down a quick medley of her hits from her solo albums, finding love with Jay-Z and recording their first song together, “’03 Bonnie and Clyde,” making movies, and performing Etta James‘ “At Last” at President Barack Obama‘s inauguration, a moment she said was fate because her birthday is September 4, the president’s birthday is August 4, he’s the 44th president, her husband’s birthday is December 4, and on April 4, Jay “put a ring on it!” Cue all the hand-clapping, foot-stomping, “Girl, that’s my SONG”-ing excitement that is “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).”
“What do you do after winning 16 Grammys? Anything that makes you happy,” Beyonce shared with the crowd. For her, that was traveling the world and pouring those experiences into her most creative, her most heartfelt, and her best album yet, 4, which she performed almost in its entirety (she left out “Start Over”).
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From the yearning “1+1,” which she performed perched atop a white piano, to the dramatic, Chi-lites-inspired “Rather Die Young,” the bouncy “Love On Top,” the showstopper dedicated to the one she loves “Countdown,” the magnificent choreography of “End Of Time” and “Run The World (Girls),” and the soul-stirring closer about leaving a lasting legacy, “I Was Here,” Beyonce wowed everyone at Roseland with her powerful vocals, domineering confidence, and unmatched showmanship.
At the end of the concert, Beyonce confirmed that it was being taped for a DVD. Sure, those fans who buy the DVD will feel lucky that they get to see the concert without having to drip rain instead of Swagu, a term Kanye West so eloquently coined in one of the night’s biggest rockers, “Party,” but nothing compares to seeing Beyonce live in the flesh. It truly is magical.
Rihanna surprised fans at the 2010 Video Music Awards when she hit the stage with Eminem to perform their track "Love the Way You Lie." At the time, Rihanna was in the midst of shooting her first-ever feature film, the action-packed "Battleship," in Hawaii, and there was a bit of a logistics problem in trying to get the flame-haired singer to the show.
While her fans were excited to see her hit the stage with Shady, a wardrobe mishap almost derailed her performance altogether. "The morning of the show, she flew in very, very early," Malika Quemerais, MTV coordinator of music and celebrity talent, tells us in "VMAs Revealed," a special that takes fans behind-the-scenes of some of the biggest moments from last year's VMAs.
Rihanna wanted her look to be just right and wanted her wig's red shade to perfectly fit the vibe she was going for. Unfortunately, that meant that it would require more work than planned.
"When the wig arrived, the wig was orange," celebrity hairstylist Ursula Stephen said. "I'm telling you, bright orange, straight-up Nicki Minaj orange. And she's flipping out."
Want to know how it all worked out for Rihanna so that she could take the stage with Eminem? Check out "VMAs Revealed" this Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. The show will also look at Lady Gaga's unforgettable and controversial meat dress, 30 Seconds to Mars' unconventional white-carpet arrival and Chelsea Handler's big night as the show's host, when she got to hang out with Lindsay Lohan and last year's breakout star Justin Bieber.
Drake must’ve enjoyed surprising fans by joining Nicki Minaj on “Moment 4 Life” (and for a lap dance) in his hometown last weekend, because he made another unexpected appearance in Toronto last night — this time with Lil Wayne. The “Good Girls Gone Bad” rapper stopped by Weezy’s I Am Still Music tour at the Molson Amphitheater, which resulted in a rousing performance of “I’m On One” — but unfortunately, no lap dance this time around. Oh well. Take a look after the jump!
Now who’s the next big artist performing in Toronto, and should we expect Drake to appear?
Uh-oh — looks like the Queen Bee wants her throne back! After quite some time out of the spotlight (not to mention behind bars), Lil Kim has been vying to reclaim her fame lately. But thus far, the highs of her heyday have eluded her (with no help from Notorious B.I.G.’s mom). Now the Rihanna fan is eyeing The Throne in hopes of winning some fans, taking after hip hop royals Jay-Z and Kanye West by dropping her own verse from “It’s All About The Benjamins” over “Otis” at Melbourne’s WinterBeatz Festival. (Yeah, it’s winter there.) Catch it below.
Lil Kim has been busy Down Under, tributing (?) Michael Jackson and performing old cuts. Is this a fun way to pay homage to Watch The Throne, or is Lil Kim just using someone else’s success to get attention again?
When will the world wake up and realize how talented Adele is? Just kidding — we long ago ran out of synonyms for “great” to describe the upcoming VMA performer, and we’re certainly not alone in our Adele-oration. The UK songbird’s smash LP 21 has shown some serious legs on the charts. Luckily for us, the Amy Winehouse fan is showing no signs of slowing down, as she performed a rousing set at the Open Air Theater at San Diego State on Thursday. Hear Adele take on “Rolling In The Deep,” “Set Fire To The Rain,” and several more below!
In 'Move Your Body,' the video she released earlier this year in conjunction with First Lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign, Beyonce gets down with a cafeteria full of kids, urging her young charges to bust various dance moves -- the eternally glorious "running man" among them" -- and embrace the act of sweating. Could this be the hint of a new career?
Speaking recently with InStyle, the pop diva said she'd like to add educator to a list of vocations that already includes singer, dancer, actress and entrepreneur.
"I want to someday open a dance school for young kids," Beyonce says. "I want to do whatever I can to keep the arts in schools."
No word yet on where the Beyonce Institute of Fierceness and Pop Cultural Ubiquity might be housed, but we're hoping hubbie Jay-Z will sign on to teach English.
