Leighton Meester

The ‘Gossip Girl’ star revealed her latest collaboration to MTV News before performing at the new American Eagle store in Times Square on Tuesday night, where she sang a medley of cuts off her yet-untitled album, including a remix of the Cobra Starship track.

“I met [Wayne] a few months ago, and he’s honestly — I don’t even know if he’ll want people to know that he’s incredibly polite and respectful,” she said about the hip-hop wunderkind, with whom she actually presented the award for Best Song From a Movie at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. “He’s so talented and very funny. And really optimistic, and super supportive of me, which I’ve really, really appreciated so much.”

It seems that since their meeting a few months back, Wayne’s been a fan of Blair Waldorf’s budding discography — and even picked which track he’d be featured on. “I sent him a couple of my songs,” she said. “He’s been diggin’ on them for a while. Then he heard ['Make It Rain'], and he was like, ‘All right, I’m gonna kill it!’ ”

While many musical partnerships can be conducted without both artists being in the studio together, Meester and Weezy got some face time during the song’s recording — a feat for any artist, considering Wayne’s notorious nocturnal office hours.

“It was like, literally, 4 o’clock in the morning,” Meester said of the time she showed up at the studio to watch Wayne work himself into her song. “He was so sick — he didn’t even write anything down. He just, like, vibed to the music and dances. I don’t even know how he does it; he’s amazing.”

Article Courtesy of MTV.com, Written by Rya Backer

The band’s electrifying set list will spotlight classic hits and new favorites, including new single “Your Decision,” which impacts radio on December 7th. The band recently shot a video for the song with director Stephen Schuster, who they previously worked with on the video for “A Looking In View.”

Los Angeles-based AIC fans can catch the band performing at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas show at the Gibson Amphitheatre on December 12. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, November 21 and proceeds will benefit two local charities, Para Los Ninos and the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center. On November 24th, the band will also perform three songs acoustically for a special Yahoo! Maximum Performance, which can be seen on Yahoo! Music.

The band (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, guitarist/vocalist William DuVall, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez) is currently touring Europe and recently performed on the UK television show “Later … With Jools Holland.” The international dates followed a sold-out U.S. buzz tour and performances on “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and back-to-back nights on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” All three shows saw AIC perform chart-topping lead single “Check My Brain,” which hit No. 1 on the Modern, Active and Rock formats and was hailed by Spin magazine as “one of the catchiest songs of Alice In Chains’ history.”

Don’t miss your chance to catch Alice In Chains live. Tour dates are as follows:

Date City Venue

Nov. 20 Antwerp, Belgium Trix Zaal

Nov. 21 Weisbaden, Germany Schlachthof

Nov. 23 Dortmund, Germany FZW

Nov. 24 Prague, Czech Rep. Lucerna

Nov. 25 Warsaw, Poland Stodola

Nov. 27 Budapest, Hungary Petofi Csarnok

Nov. 29 Vienna, Austria Gasometer

Nov. 30 Munich, Germany Thearterfabrick

Dec. 2 Milan, Italy Alcatraz

Dec. 3 Fribourg, Switzerland Fri-Son

Dec. 4 Paris, France Bataclan

Dec. 6 Nottingham, UK Rock City

Dec. 7 London, UK Brixton Academy

Dec. 11 Las Vegas, NV The Joint (KXTE radio show)

Dec. 12 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre (KROQ Acoustic Xmas)

Feb. 2 Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre

Feb. 4 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre

Feb. 6 Salem, OR Salem Armory

Feb. 11 Oakland, CA Fox Theatre

Feb. 17 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre

Feb. 19 Denver, CO Fillmore

Feb. 21 Kansas City, MO Midland

Feb. 22 St. Louis, MO Pageant

Feb. 23 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace

Feb. 25 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle

Feb. 27 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues

Mar 1 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium

Mar 2 Charlotte, NC Fillmore

Mar 3 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall

Mar 5 Richmond, VA The National

Mar 6 Mashantucket, CT Foxwoods

Mar 8 New York, NY Terminal 5

Mar 12 Atlantic, City, NJ Borgata

Mar 13 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre

Mar 14 Boston, MA Orpheum

Mar 16 Montreal, QC Metropolis

Mar 17 Toronto, ONT Sound Academy

Mar 19 Detroit, MI Fillmore State Theatre

Mar 20 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom

Mar 21 St. Paul, MN Roy Wilkens Auditorium

David Guetta

David Guetta continues to reach new heights around the world since the August release of One Love. The album reached #1 in Europe has sold over 900,000 copies worldwide. Both “Sexy Bitch” and the album’s first single “When Love Takes Over” featuring Kelly Rowland were both #1 songs on the European airplay and sales charts and both hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard dance chart. As a producer, Guetta produced one on the year’s biggest hits, The Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling.” He was recently named the European ambassador and spokesperson for DJ Hero. The game features 3 tracks from One Love, “Sexy Bitch,” “When Love Takes Over” and “On the Dancefloor” – in an exclusive download package format. One Love’s 3rd single, the title track featuring Estelle, is currently climbing the charts overseas and with a stellar remix package including re-rubs by Calvin Harris and DJ Chuckie, will impact U.S. clubs and dance radio next week.

Guetta released One Love, a non-stop, party-thumping musical hybrid of dance beats and hip-hop/R&B vocals to rave reviews in August. People Magazine called ‘One Love’ “a party-rocking album” and the Associated Press agreed, “Guetta’s CD is one big party,” The album features vocals from some of music’s biggest names that includes Akon, apl de ap, Estelle, Kid Cudi, Ne-Yo, Novel, Kelly Rowland, will.i.am and Chris Willis. One Love, Guetta’s fourth studio album has already reached platinum in France, Gold in Canada, South Africa and Belgium…to name a few.

Leona Lewis

After proving her commercial potency on the three-time Grammy-nominated Spirit, which entered both the U.K. and U.S. album charts at No. 1, spawned the best-selling single of 2008 (“Bleeding Love”), and sold more than six million copies worldwide, ECHO gave Lewis the opportunity to take a few chances. “I knew that I had evolved as a singer, songwriter, and performer,” she says, “so it was important to me to take the songs on ECHO to the next level and show what else I could do.”

To that end, Lewis co-wrote nine songs on the album, collaborating with a host of A-list songwriters and producers, including re-teaming with One Republic frontman and “Bleeding Love” co-writer/producer Ryan Tedder on three tracks, including the first single “Happy.” She also worked with Swedish studio vet Max Martin and songwriter/producer Novel, as well as new collaborators Justin Timberlake, multi-platinum Bon Jovi/Kelly Clarkson producer John Shanks, and in-demand hitmakers Evan Bogart and Kevin Rudolf. Each helped Lewis deliver raw emotion through the melodies and lyrics and make full use of her “titanium-caliber voice” (as the New York Times has described it). Once again, Clive Davis and Simon Cowell joined forces to co-produce ECHO.

ECHO also finds the 24-year-old London native expanding her palette and exploring adventurous sonic territory. The dancefloor-friendly “Outta My Head” is sleek, stylish electro-pop, while the rock-driven “Love Letter” and “I Got You” show an edgier side of Lewis. Then there’s “Brave,” which soars with a Middle Eastern influence and pounding timpanis, and the sultry, synth-driven “Fly Here Now.”

“I really wanted a dramatic, almost cinematic quality to the songs,” says Lewis, a self-described “film nerd” who namechecks ’80s fantasy film The Labyrinth as her all-time favorite. “We would even put on movies in the studio to inspire us; it was a cool way of writing. I’m always thinking of scenes in my head.” Of course, ECHO features plenty of epic, lush ballads to satisfy Spirit fans, including the uplifting first single “Happy,” which Lewis says is “about overcoming obstacles and striving for happiness,” and People magazine called “passionate and soul-searching.”

It’s that passion and soulfulness that permeate ECHO, which Lewis can’t wait for the public to hear. “I’m actually more confident with this album than the last,” she says. “I’ve taken more control this time and I feel more at ease with everything. To me, it’s all about great songs. I hope they move people as much as they move me.”

Lewis was “discovered” in 2006 after auditioning for The X Factor, a British talent show executive-produced by American Idol’s Simon Cowell, who is also a judge. The then-22-year old — who attended performing arts academy The BRIT School, and famously worked as a Pizza Hut waitress to support her fledging music career — won the competition after endearing herself to fans week after week with her soaring voice, down-to-earth personality, and striking beauty. Certain he had a superstar on his hands, Cowell phoned legendary music executive and J Records founder Clive Davis, who teamed up with Cowell to sign Lewis to J Records/Syco Music, Cowell’s joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment in 2006.

The track-listing for ECHO is as follows:
“Happy”

“I Got You”

“Love Letter”

“Can’t Breathe”

“You Don’t Care”

“Outta My Head”

“Brave”

“My Hands”

“Alive”

“Don’t Let Me Down”

“Fly Here Now”

“Broken”

“Lost Then Found” (with One Republic)

Waking Up, recorded in their hometown Denver, is the band’s most sweeping, cinematic effort to date, with even more strings and movie-like moments, thanks in part to the use of the same children’s choir and orchestra used by Batman and Edward Scissorhands composer Danny Elfman (with whom Tedder has shared ideas). Plus, OneRepublic has recently added co-writer and bass and cello player Brent Kutzle to its lineup. “All he listened to before getting into this band was soundtracks,” Tedder says. “He can name every score and soundtrack guy from the last 15 years.”

Sporty Spice Interview

One of 2008’s most anticipated new album releases, I AM… SASHA FIERCE is Beyoncé’s first new studio collection since her Grammy-winning multi-platinum-selling B’DAY debuted at #1 on charts around the world shortly after its international release on September 4, 2006 (in celebration of Beyoncé’s 25th birthday).

Each of the discs on Beyoncé’s new double album reveals a distinctly different side of her personality, character and sensibility, a forum for the yin-and-yang of her developing artistry.

One of the discs, titled I AM…, provides Beyoncé with a musical showcase for a group of intimate heartfelt ballads while the SASHA FIERCE disc gives voice to Beyoncé’s up-tempo dance-oriented other side.

“SASHA FIERCE is my alter ego,” says Beyoncé, “and now she has a last name. I have someone else that takes over when it’s time for me to work and when I’m on stage, this alter ego that I’ve created that kind of protects me and who I really am. That’s why half the record, I AM…, is about who I am underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights, and underneath all the exciting star drama. And SASHA FIERCE is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I’m working and when I’m on the stage. The double album allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that people only know me see.”

With I AM…, Beyoncé reveals a variety of musical aspects and interests that may take her fans by surprise. Citing a range of influences including “folk songs and alternative songs and acoustic guitar…stuff that’s different from what I sing,” Beyoncé has produced, written, recorded and performed a finely crafted selection of contemporary ballads that combine the best elements of pop and soul music while expanding the possibilities of both genres.

“You can hear with ‘If I Were A Boy,’ (one of the album’s first singles), it’s not a traditional R&B song,” she offers. “It’s difficult to grow and to break out and do new things because people have strong expectations. I feel like at this point, I wanted people to hear songs with stronger lyrics and songs that made you feel. I love singing ballads because I feel like the music and the emotion in the story is told so much better. It’s a better connection because you can hear it and it’s not all these other distractions. I really wanted people to hear my voice and hear what I had to say.”

For her I AM… collection, Beyoncé collaborated with some “writers and producers that I normally hadn’t worked with” including producer Toby Gad on “If I Were A Boy” and UK songwriter Amanda Ghost on “Disappear,” which reminds Beyoncé “of the Beatles a tad bit,” “Satellites” and “Ave Maria,” in which Beyoncé re-imagines a classic aria in a new and original musical setting. “When I knew that certain things I wanted to say, I couldn’t say myself, I invited other writers to come in,” she says. “Lyrically, it’s the best album I’ve ever had. If a song didn’t say anything or mean anything to me, I didn’t put it on the record.”

According to Beyoncé, “SASHA FIERCE is kind of the opposite, she’s more the other side because sometimes you don’t want to think; sometimes you just want to feel good. She’s the party girl, she’s Bootylicious. She is but I’m not. She’s my alter ego. I’m finally revealing who I am.”

The lead-in track on the SASHA FIERCE disc is “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Beyoncé’s scorching anthem of personal empowerment. “That song is all about: ‘I’ve been with you all this time, you’re taking too long and now I’m looking hot and you see it and you gotta suffer because you shoulda put a ring on it,’” Beyoncé explains. “In my life, when I put on the stilettos, it’s all about being confident, sometimes overly confident, and hearing all the things that women need to hear to boost themselves and go out and to move on.”

“SASHA FIERCE is fun. There’s an up-tempo song called ‘Radio’ that basically talks about my childhood. It just seems like a feel-good record but when you really listen to the lyrics, it’s about me growing up. In my household, I didn’t go to all of the parties and I didn’t do all the things that a lot of the other teenage girls did because I was so in love with my radio and my music. I was so in love with this radio and my parents were happy that I was into something positive. I try to make up-tempo records that feel good but underneath they’re still saying something. SASHA FIERCE is a collection of the kinds of songs that I’m usually known for and I love just as much as the more intimate side of me.”

Songs on Beyoncé’s I AM… include “If I Were A Boy,” “Halo,” “Disappear,” “Broken Hearted Girl,” “Ave Maria,” and “Satellites.” Beyoncé’s SASHA FIERCE records include “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” “Radio,” “Diva,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Video Phone.”

Producers and writers collaborating with Beyoncé on I AM… SASHA FIERCE include Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Stargate, C. “Tricky” Stewart & Terius “The Dream” Nash, Rodney “DarkChild” Jerkins, Sean “The Pen” Garrett, Solange, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love and Ryan Tedder.

I AM… SASHA FIERCE is Executive Produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Mathew Knowles for Music World Productions, Inc.

In addition to the multiple artistic achievements on I AM… SASHA FIERCE, Beyoncé has recently completed work on a pair of high profile movie projects including her role as R&B legend Etta James in Darnell James’ “Cadillac Records.” According to Beyoncé, becoming Etta James on-screen, “was a challenge for me emotionally because Etta had a lot of challenges in her life, things that I’ve never experienced. I had to really dig deep so that I could have the right performance and represent her well. One thing she taught me is her fearlessness; she was Etta all the time. She was bold and she did not try to change who she was for anyone. She was one of the queens. If it weren’t for her crossing over -she was the first African-American woman to cross over on the radio, I wouldn’t have the opportunities that I have. It was the best performance I think I’ve done on screen. It gave me the strength and the confidence to step out of my comfort zone even more.”

“American Carnage” will kick off on January 18 in Seattle, WA for a 26-date trek across North America that will include the six Canadian dates postponed earlier this month. Tickets for most shows go on sale this Friday, November 20. Ticketmaster is offering a special presage for most shows from Wednesday, November 18 at 10AM until Thursday, November 19 at 10PM.

“American Carnage” is the first time that Slayer and Megadeth will have toured the U.S. together since 1991’s epic “Clash of the Titans” tour. To celebrate that, and in recognition of the tough economic times that many of their fans are having, Megadeth and Slayer have decided to roll back the price of a chunk of tickets at every U.S. show to the “1991 price” of $10.00. These specially-priced tickets will be limited and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Megadeth has also teamed with iloveallaccess.com to provide an Ultimate Fan Package including premium seats, meet and greets, pre-show parties and more.

In addition, Testament, who was also on the ‘91 “Clash of the Titans” bill, will be Special Guests on the entire tour, marking the first time that all three bands have shared a stage together in more than 18 years, and making this a “must see” metal event.

Both Megadeth and Slayer will hit the road supporting new albums: Megadeth’s 2009 album, ENDGAME, and Slayer’s World Painted Blood, the band’s 10th studio venture, which hit stores November 3. Testament’s The Formation of Damnation: Special Tour Edition, will be released on February 23, 2010 with special unreleased bonus tracks.

Slayer and Megadeth have already massacred territories together outside of the U.S., first with four explosive dates in June 2009 across Western Canada – “Canadian Carnage” – marking the first time the bands had shared a stage anywhere in 18 years; and then six co-headlining “Carnage” dates in Australia followed in October.

According to various Canadian press outlets last summer: “It was a night of thrash impossible to trash…” “Tales about war, death, destruction, Satan, aliens and serial killers have never been so much fun…” “The two heavy metal heavyweights…went head-to-head on a level playing field. Both bands brought their ‘A’ game. And the results were anything but pretty – unless you include pretty freakin’ loud and pretty freakin’ awesome.”

Slayer. Few bands come close to matching the intensity that Slayer – guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, and drummer Dave Lombardo – bring to its live shows, having been named “Best Live Band” by numerous media outlets including Revolver, SPIN, and Metal Hammer. World Painted Blood offers a Slayer-ized point of view of our world – God’s terrifying global genocide, the chaos of our broken political system, the way-too-close proximity of world horrors that technology has brought us, and a chilling hypothesis of how the rest of the world might view America. The album was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. World Painted Blood was produced by Greg Fidelman who has spent time in the studio with Metallica, the Gossip, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, Slipknot and others, and executive produced by long-time Slayer colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project. One reviewer called the album “the heaviest, bloodiest and best album in almost two decades.” Fans got a couple of early morsels of the brutal new Slayer material — “Psychopathy Red,” a Hanneman song inspired by the heinous Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who confessed to savagely murdering 56 children, was recorded last October and then leaked online. Then, the King-penned track, “Hate Worldwide,” was made available in July as a limited-edition single through Hot Topic. For “American Carnage,” Slayer’s Tom Araya promises, “no ballads, no acoustic numbers, no slow tempos.”

Megadeth. 2009 saw the release of ENDGAME, which has been heralded as Megadeth’s best album in years. It’s the record where it all comes full circle in a career that has not only set standards in hard rock and metal, but defined them. Megadeth’s signature shredding and rousing lyrics are the hallmarks of ENDGAME, with vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine once musing and making declarations about the world we live in, having named the album after a government document that should strike fear in the hearts of Americans! But that’s Mustaine and Megadeth, using the vehicle of music to shake things up, to make a point and to rattle your brain, literally, figuratively and sonically. Revolver magazine said of ENDGAME, “One of their best albums.” VH1’s ‘That Metal Show’ deemed it “One of the metal albums of the year,” and Popmatters said, “the record positively scorches with an intensity not heard since Rust in Peace.”

Legendary thrash metal titans Testament, whose latest award-winning release (2008 Album of the Year, Metal Hammer’s Golden God Award) The Formation of Damnation, displays them as the quintessential modern heavy metal band, whose experience and accumulated skill allows them to attack with reserves of anger, energy and finesse that make them more powerful than ever. Lead singer Chuck Billy says, “Uniting these bands is the heavy metal event of generations. We are so proud to be a part of it.”

Slayer and Megadeth are also rescheduling the east coast leg of the “Canadian Carnage tour, postponed from this fall.

Confirmed dates for “American Carnage” are as follows:

JANUARY

18 WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA

19 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR

21 Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA

22 Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA

23 Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

25 Magness Arena, Denver, C

26 Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM

27 El Paso Coliseum, El Paso, TX

29 Verizon Wireless, Houston, TX

31 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN

FEBRUARY

1 Gwinnett Arena, Duluth, GA

2 Broadbent Arena, Louisville, KY

4 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN

5 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL

6 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI

9 Chevrolet Theatre, Wallingford, CT

11 Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ

13 Susquehanna Center, Camden, NJ

14 Tsongas Arena, Lowell, MA

16 Pavillon de la Jeunesse, Quebec City, QC

18 John Labatt Centre, London, ON

19 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

20 Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

22 Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, NB

23 Metro Centre, Halifax, NS