‘All of this comes with the territory,’ Ush tells MTV News of paternity-suit drama.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber and Usher
Photo: Ben Rose/ WireImage
<P><a href="/music/artist/usher/artist.jhtml">Usher</a> might not have known how big <a href="/music/artist/bieber_justin/artist.jhtml">Justin Bieber</a> would become when he discovered him a few years back, but he was pretty sure he had found something special.
Since Bieber burst on the scene with his <i>My World</i> EP back in 2009, the 17-year-old has grown up with the world watching. He's gone from up-and-comer to full-fledged pop sensation, racking up chart-topping albums and a box-office hit and becoming an all-around mega-heartthrob — all in two years.
Of course, with the good does come negative attention as well. Recently, Bieber was hit with a <a href="/news/articles/1674509/justin-bieber-paternity-suit-dropped-2.jhtml">paternity lawsuit, which has since been dropped</a>.
Usher, no stranger to his own controversies, had these words for the Biebs: "Stay strong. And know that all of this comes with the territory."
Aside from the drama, Usher is especially proud of Bieber's charitable side. His mentor said he "absolutely" knew the kid from Stratford, Ontario, had a big heart from the start.
"To write a check is only half of it, but when you truly take on a responsibility to be a philanthropist, you accept an effort, and I really think that Pencils of Promise is something that has a very bright future," <a href="/news/articles/1674628/justin-bieber-new-york-city.jhtml">Usher told MTV News at an event for the charity</a>, noting that Bieber is a only a small part of it.
Usher — who appears on Bieber's new Christmas album, <a href="/news/articles/1673032/justin-bieber-usher-christmas-song.jhtml"><i>Under the Mistletoe</i></a> — gives credit to the folks surrounding the teen superstar, including manager Scooter Braun. "Just judging from the determination and the will power of the entire team around Justin, I see a very, very promising [future] for him as a philanthropist," Usher said.</p>
Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
<P><P>"I'm bewildered," <a href="/music/artist/plant_robert/artist.jhtml">Robert Plant</a> said onstage as he accepted the <MTVNLINK type="news" id="1604580">Grammy Album of the Year award</MTVNLINK> with <a href="/music/artist/krauss_alison/artist.jhtml">Alison Krauss</a> 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 <i>Raising Sand,</i> which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/grammys/">Grammy</a> album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.</p><div style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:338316" width="256" height="223" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="configParams=instance%3Dnews%26vid%3D338316" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed></div><p>
You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his <a href="/music/artist/led_zeppelin/artist.jhtml">Led Zeppelin</a> 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 <i>Sand</i>'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, <i>Sand</i> 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 <i>Sand.</i> 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, <i>Sand</i> 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?" <i>New York Times</i> 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 <i>good</i> 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."
</p></p>
The flap involving Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and President Obama is the latest example of politicians behaving badly. Behavior that would have been seen as inappropriate in earlier eras now is viewed as principled confrontation.
Introducing French artist (now living in India, which is a new location for COTW’s artist base); Dominique Amendola. Dominique paints a vast array of subject matter, but her ‘surf art’ is particularly interesting and something ‘new’… She takes famous paintings from great artists (e.g. Van Gogh) and gives them a surfing twist! She calls this the "Amadeus series" and she tells us there are more on the way, so watch this space…
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has faced questions on immigration and taxation. John McCormack, using Romney’s words, notes distinctions between capital gains, corporate, and dividend taxes.
After I returned from South Korea – the trip was cool and I could score better in the last race of the event – I try to remember, what I learnt at Jinha Beach about racing, sail trim, body trim in between my rigg and board, pumping technique, jibing.. Additionally the time in South Korea [...]
Edson Barboza was cruising towards a solid victory, but that wasn’t enough. The Brazilian decided to try a spectacular spinning heel kick (some called it a wheel kick) and Terry Etim’s face was the unfortunate recipient.
Etim went down in a heap, his right arm stuck in the air. The Brazilian scored the third-round finish at the 2:02 mark to record his fourth victory in the UFC in the opener of the pay-per-view portion of UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro.
What a way to kick off the PPV show at HSBC in Barboza’s homeland. The fight was actually starting to get a little stale. Barboza used his low kicks to settle into a good scoring groove, but he didn’t look like he was going to try for the kill.
The kick was perfectly executed and Etim never saw it coming. UFC analyst Joe Rogan said it was the first spinning heel kick knockout in the history of the UFC.
“When you fight in Brazil, it’s unlike fighting in any other place in the world. In a fight, you try things and hope they work. Tonight, it (the kick) worked. It’s something I’ve practiced a lot and I finally was able to land it hard,” Barboza said.
Barboza (10-0) is a perfect 4-0 in the UFC while Etim (15-4, 6-4 UFC) has lost 2-of-3.
As Amazonian deforestation increases, archaeological sites emerge that tell a surprising tale about how forest peoples, hundreds of years ago, farmed intensively and creatively. Should this knowledge impact how we plan for Amazonian conservation today?
