Reviews MP3

MC leads off CBS’ kickoff show with ‘Run This Town’ intercut with football footage.By Hillary Crosley

Jay-Z Photo: CBS

Jay-Z is not one to let an event like Superbowl XLIV pass without leaving his mark, and on Sunday (February 7), the MC kicked off CBS’ Super Bowl kickoff show accompanied by the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra for a “Posthumous Zone” version of “Run This Town,” from last year’s Blueprint 3 LP.

Opening with a single pianist on a Steinway, the song began with Rihanna’s recorded ..read more

Queen Latifah performed ‘America the Beautiful’ before Underwood’s rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’By Kyle Anderson

Carrie Underwood sings at Super Bowl XLIV Photo: CBS

Carrie Underwood excels no matter what the context. Fresh off her headline-grabbing contribution to the Michael Jackson tribute at this year’s Grammy Awards (where she adroitly weaved her way through Jackson’s “Earth Song”), Underwood took the microphone in front of a sold-out Sun Life Stadium in Miami to deliver a killer rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the kickoff ..read more

Medley includes ‘Pinball Wizard,’ ‘Baba O’Riley,’ ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ and more.By James Montgomery

The Who’s Roger Daltry and Pate Townshed Photo: Win McNamee/ Getty Images

The first half of Super Bowl XLIV might not have provided the offensive fireworks many had expected, but luckily for pyrotechnics obsessives, there was still the halftime show, featuring a bombastic set by the Who.

On Sunday night (February 7), the London legends brought out the big guns, ripping through a hit-filled set and leaving the skies over ..read more

Rapper is as busy as ever, shooting videos and recording Tha Carter IV, prior to Tuesday’s sentencing.By Shaheem Reid

Lil Wayne Photo: Sarah A. Friedman/Contour by Getty Images

It’s hard to say that Lil Wayne has been working overtime in preparation for his 12-month prison sentence, since the guy always works overtime. But on Tuesday, Wayne will be forced to take a break when he goes to prison for felony gun possession.

Wayne’s Rebirth LP just came out last week, and under normal circumstances, ..read more

Wyclef Jean, Keri Hilson, Robin Thicke and Nas also perform at the BET telethon.By Shaheem Reid

Justin Bieber and Chris Brown at BET’s “SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti” on Friday Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

Queen Latifah, Pharrell and Diddy spearheaded BET’s “SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti” telethon Friday night (February 5) at Miami’s American Airlines Arena, encouraging viewers to donate to the quake-ravaged island.

From the onset, the mood was upbeat, thanks to Wyclef Jean’s opening performance of “Hold On” with ..read more

Young Money duo think the New Orleans Saints have it because they’re ‘playing with a lot of heart.’By Shaheem Reid

Backstage at the Grammy Awards, artists were milling about — some greeting one another, some in their dressing rooms getting ready to take the stage. Lil Wayne and Drake, meanwhile, were as calm as if they were sitting in Weezy’s Miami condo watching “SportsCenter.”

Drake brought up Sunday’s Super Bowl: “You exited about it?” he asked Wayne.

“I’m a Brett Favre fan,” Wayne ..read more

Yes, you’re still debating about Swift, the Grammys and the debate itself.By James Montgomery

Taylor Swift performs at the 52nd annual Grammy awards Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

At some point, this all has to end, right? All week long, MTV News and our very vocal readers have been talking about the so-called “Taylor Swift Backlash,” which started after her performance — and subsequent Album of the Year win — at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards. It picked up steam on Tuesday, when we declared ..read more

‘It was pretty surreal,’ the 30STM frontman says.By James Montgomery

30 Seconds to Mars’s Jared Leto Photo: MTV News

On Thursday (February 4), Jared Leto decided to hold an impromptu gathering of 30 Seconds to Mars fans at The Hive, the gallery/communal space he and his bandmates run on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The plan was to treat them to a glimpse of “Artifact,” the 30STM documentary he’s been working on for more than a year now.

The fans turned up in droves ..read more

‘I could really care less about where I sit on the plane,’ he blogs about a rumored altercation over plane seats.By James Montgomery

Kanye West Photo: Michael Caulfied/ WireImage

Kanye West may be keeping a low profile in the wake of September’s Video Music Awards outburst, but dude is seriously wearing out his blog.

In early January, he made his triumphant return to the world of overly enthusiastic blogging with a capped-out missive about his upcoming album, in which he compared himself to Kobe ..read more

Pharrell Williams, Justin Bieber, Wyclef and more are scheduled to participate in the telethon.By Jayson Rodriguez

Drake Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

The talent roster for BET’s “SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti” telethon continues to expand as the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams will join Diddy and Queen Latifah as co-hosts of the proceedings, while Drake, Chris Brown and Nas have been added to the performance slate.

Wyclef, Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson and Akon have also been added to the bill; Pete Wentz, Gloria Estefan and ..read more