Mary J. Blige Dishes On Her 'Crazy' Led Zeppelin Covers

'I've listened to their music since I was a child,' says the R&B diva, who recorded 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Larry Carroll


Mary J. Blige
Photo: MTV News

You wouldn't peg Mary J Blige as the black-light-and-tapestry sort, but, as has become readily apparent in recent weeks, she absolutely loves Led Zeppelin.

In early February, reports began circulating that Blige had re-recorded Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven," working with Travis Barker, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson and guitarist Steve Vai on the track, which is slated to appear on the international reissue of her Stronger With Each Tear album, due Monday.

But after she had recorded "Stairway," Blige continued to get the Led out, covering another Zeppelin classic — the thunderous "Whole Lotta Love" — for the album too. And when MTV News caught up with her on the Essence Black Women in Hollywood red carpet, she told us all about channeling her inner Robert Plant for the tracks, a process that came much easier than you'd probably imagine.

"I did Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' — it's crazy," she said. "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I'm not going to say I've been to their concerts, but I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway to Heaven,' and 'Whole Lotta Love' is just fun."

Blige also said she recorded another new song — a "club record" called "I Can't Wait" — for the re-release. And while it's only slated to hit shelves outside the U.S., she hopes her fans will get a chance to hear all the new songs pretty soon.

"I want y'all to hear it," she laughed.

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Stone Temple Pilots Reunited In Hopes Of Opening For Led Zeppelin, Bassist Says

'If time allows, there will definitely be new music,' Robert DeLeo adds of STP's future.
By Chris Harris


Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo and Scott Weiland
Photo: Charley Gallay/ Getty Images

There are a number of reasons why Stone Temple Pilots decided to reunite after nearly five years apart — some are obvious, and others, not so much.

Of course, the financial windfall of reviving the grunge stalwarts for an extensive U.S. tour was too good to pass up, and bassist Robert DeLeo readily admits as much. And then there are the fans, the ones who had been with STP since the very beginning as well as those who discovered the band only after it first split back in 2003 and who, woefully, have yet to catch the Pilots live.

On a more personal level, though, Stone Temple Pilots' resurrection was purely selfish, and very much an anticipatory (not to mention optimistic) move on the band's part: If, after the months and months of rumors and denials, there ever is a full-on Led Zeppelin reunion tour, STP wanted to be ready to offer their services as an opening act.

"Believe me, that was one of the reasons," laughed DeLeo. "We thought, 'We should get together now, in case Zeppelin does tour.' I'm serious, man. That would be one hell of a bill: STP and Led Zeppelin. I mean, we could play a doghouse, out in the middle of the ocean, and if I got to play with Zeppelin, that would be a highlight of my life."

Yes, DeLeo — and the rest of the band — had several reservations about raising STP from the dead — a feat DeLeo jokingly referred to as "Mission Impossible." For the band's members, the idea of regrouping was terrifying at first, but with time, the boys settled their differences and tried to think positive.

"For me, it was about putting down some of the things that I was used to getting bitten by," explained the bassist — who, with guitar-playing brother Dean DeLeo, has been collaborating with Peter Frampton on material for his next LP. "After you get bitten, it's hard to go back. I wanted to go into this with an open frame of mind and a positive attitude and just have fun with it. We should have fun with it, which God knows we didn't always have with our career when we were younger. If that's all I can say, and that's what I can get out of this reunion, great.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say there's a lot of unfinished business that we didn't get around to the first go," he continued. "Enough time has gone by, and it feels really good to be back. I don't really want to put too much thought into how it feels — I'm just kind of going with it and keeping a good positive attitude about it. I just needed to get over the things that we all needed to get over, and that's been working so far. If everyone shows up and does this thing, I think it's going to be really amazing."

DeLeo claims that during recent rehearsals, STP were "sounding as good as ever," and he credits sobriety as part of the reason the band's in tip-top shape.

"My brother's going on four years of sobriety," he said. "We have a lot more clarity in the band now, and I think with clarity comes appreciation. I saw that the other night, when we played [a secret gig in Los Angeles]. I saw it in my eyes, and in the eyes of the rest of the band. There's a lot more rock in this band now."

As for an STP record, DeLeo is not 100 percent sure that's going to happen. The goal for STP over the next few weeks, he said, is to reacquaint themselves with their songbook and prepare for their return to the road. Once the band is back in that mindset, the bassist said new STP material is very possible.

"I've always got stuff written, and there's always a long list of songs that are always there — it's a matter of timing," DeLeo said. "If time allows, there will definitely be new music. I think it would be silly not to release new music. I'd like to believe we still have a writing relationship, but the first step is getting reacquainted with what we know."

While STP were on hiatus, frontman Scott Weiland teamed up with Velvet Revolver, and the DeLeo brothers joined forces with Filter's Richard Patrick for Army of Anyone — who are now on hiatus after releasing a poorly received self-titled LP. Does DeLeo foresee an AOA reunion somewhere down the line?

"You never know," he said. "It's just like STP — I didn't know if I was going to return. Whether we get back together and do anything, I think we made a great record, bottom line. That's all that matters to me. If we make another one, I want to make sure it's great, and that applies to STP and anything I do. But I was pretty heartbroken over [the feeble response to AOA's album]."

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Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray's Trial To Be Televised

Judge rules that camera will be allowed in the courtroom for manslaughter case.
By Gil Kaufman


Conrad Murray
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images

For what promises to be one of the most bizarre and riveting legal proceedings in years, a Los Angeles judge ruled on Monday that a television camera will be allowed in the courtroom when Michael Jackson's doctor goes on trial for involuntary manslaughter.

Reuters reported that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, approved the presence of a camera in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray as long as it does not interfere with the proceedings in the closely watched case.

The judge asked for the "absolute least-intrusive placement" of a TV camera in the courtroom, but blocked cameras from documenting jury selection.

Pastor also announced that he would bump up the opening date of the trail by four days to March 24, at which point jury selection will begin. Murray, who faces up to four years in prison if convicted, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial is expected to last around six weeks.

Cardiologist Murray was hired to be Jackson's personal physician in the run-up to the King of Pop's planned 50-date comeback series of shows at London's O2 arena in the summer of 2009. The doctor told police that he provided Jackson, 50, with sedatives and the surgical anesthetic propofol in order to combat the singer's chronic insomnia. He said he did so on the morning of June 25, 2009, when Jackson died of what a coroner deemed acute propofol poisoning.

TMZ reported on Tuesday (February 8) that Murray's lawyers plan to argue that Jackson was already in weak health before he died and that it's unfair to blame propofol for his passing. Unnamed sources close to the case told the gossip site that at the time of his death, Jackson's body was already failing him in part because concert promoter AEG Live had "driven [him] over the edge" with a rigorous rehearsal schedule for the shows.

Murray's lawyers reportedly plan to call witnesses to say that Jackson was not showing up for rehearsals and when he did he showed "clear signs" of frail health. They also reportedly plan to argue that it was Jackson who administered the final, fatal dose of propofol to himself while Murray was out of the room.

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Britney Spears 'Hold It Against Me' Teaser Shows Lights, Cameras, Action

Old-fashioned cameras and flashes add to the frenzy in latest sneak peek.
By Jocelyn Vena


Britney Spears in her 12th "Hold It Against Me" Teaser
Photo: Jive

We're two days away from the world premiere of Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video. For nearly two weeks now, we've been piecing together clips and trying to figure out just what the theme of the Jonas Åkerlund-directed video is going to be, and on Tuesday (February 15), one more teaser was added to the mix.

In the latest clip, Spears does not appear in the video. Instead, images of old-fashioned cameras burst on the screen before a flash goes off. A hand then appears in the frame slamming down a clapper board.

Spears will debut her new music video for "Hold It Against Me" on Thursday at 9:56 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com, and in celebration of Brit's epic return to the medium that made her a star, MTV News is hosting a live discussion on MTV.com following the premiere, with a full hour of special guests breaking down the new video and discussing what we can expect from her album Femme Fatale.

Our Britney Spears and "Hold It Against Me" discussion, hosted by MTV News' Jim Cantiello, will stream live on Thursday at 11 p.m. ET on MTV.com, an hour after her big video's world premiere.

From what we can tell, the vibe of the video seems to fit in with what Britney's collaborators have said of the album. "I would say ['Hold It Against Me' is] the tip of the iceberg because that's the very beginning of a whole album," songwriter Claude Kelly explained, adding that this album will be "darker" and "edgier" than 2008's Circus, though it will "still [have] fun pop records."

"[Dr. Luke and Max Martin are] in charge, but I've written a couple songs," he further explained. "I'm not even sure myself what made the cut. I know there's something workable in there, but I worked on her last album as well, so it's kind of a continuation of that. But it's a little edgier this time, darker. It sounds grimier and dubstep and danceable."

Don't miss Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video premiere Thursday, February 17, at 9:56 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com, followed by a live discussion on MTV.com at 11 p.m. about the new clip and what's next for the pop star!

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Adam Sandler's Box-Office Victory Over Justin Bieber Explained

Experts weigh in on how 'Just Go With It' beat 'Never Say Never.'
By Eric Ditzian


Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler in "Just Go With It"
Photo: Sony Pictures

Contrary to Bieber Fever-induced speculation that "Never Say Never" was going to gross seven gajillion dollars this weekend, Justin Bieber's 3-D concert flick fell just short of the #1 box-office spot.

Instead, Adam Sandler's weakly reviewed rom-com "Just Go With It" came out on top, with the film's estimated $31 million haul just besting the $30.3 million that "Never Say Never" took in. Both films deserve B.O. kudos, but the question remains: With a rabid fanbase and a premium ticket price, why didn't Bieber's movie do better? After all, "Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" opened in 2,400 fewer theaters in 2008 yet managed to open with $31.1 million. So what happened?

"I think two reasons why Justin didn't beat Miley were that the 'Hannah Montana' movie came at the beginning of the 3-D boom, so it was more of a special and rare event," Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com, told MTV News. "Plus it was promoted as a one-week-only run, so fans felt there would not be another time to see it. In addition, tickets were $15 each for Miley where they varied across the country for Justin but were mostly lower."

There's also potentially a gender-based explanation, according to Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "Tween girls showing their 'love' for another girl is widely acceptable, because at that age, they are more than likely to have mostly girls as friends," he said. "As a tween-ager, often admitting you like boys is still a bit of a taboo, which makes the nearly $30 million debut of Biebs all the more impressive."

The "Never Say Never" audience, it should be noted, was 84 percent female, according to Paramount's exit data. "Just Go With It," meanwhile, appealed to a vastly different demographic. So the two films didn't suffer from audience cannibalization. The truth just might be that $30.3 million, at this point in time, is as high as "Never Say Never" could ever go. As Bock put it, the movie "definitely maxed out its box-office appeal over the weekend."

That being said, it remains impressive that "Just Go With It" — which received a measly 18 pecent freshness rating at the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator — was able to notch a $30 million-plus opening. To begin with, while it didn't benefit from premium 3-D ticket prices, Sandler's comedy debuted on about 700 more screens than "Never Say Never." And though Bieber is new to Hollywood, Sandler has become one of its most reliable brands.

"Reviews are irrelevant in Sandler's world," Pandya said. "He makes formulaic comedy vehicles that are easy to digest and require little thinking and a lot of people like that sort of thing. It's the same formula for hit sitcoms but used in a multiplex. Say what you want about his talents, but the man has had $100 million hits in 10 of the last 13 years and has accomplished this without doing sequels, even though it seems he plays the same guy every time."

Check out everything we've got on "Just Go With It" and "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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