Her name might not be Rio, but she sure danced like she was on a pile of sand.

Madonna took her Sticky & Sweet Tour down to Rio de Janiero on a rainy night last weekend, but her footing onstage was neither sticky nor sweet: Dressed in an outfit that might have been more age-appropriate for her 12-year-old daughter Lourdes, 50-year-old Madonna took a pretty awesome nosedive.

Rain on concert days is not Madonna’s friend, as anyone who’s seen “Truth or Dare” can attest. And after her spill here, she did her best to pass off the fall by writhing around on the stage. This, of course, only made things more awkward. Read more…

Hey there, Beyoncé.We here at MTV News have a theory you might be interested in hearing.

Your music is great, don’t get us wrong. We can’t stop bopping to “Single Ladies” here in the newsroom. But we suspect that the album-buying public can’t get past the fact that you come across as, well, boring. Even though you cooked up this crazy, metal-glove-wearing alter ego Sasha Fierce, people still don’t know how relate to you, and perhaps your record sales are being affected.

This isn’t a problem for Taylor Swift and Britney Spears, who live their lives constantly in the media. We know everything about them. Where they shop, what kid of coffee they like (Fraps, y’all), whom they date, what happens on their dates … Read more…

It seems like everyone wants to get in on President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony in January. Can we add Shakira to the growing list of celebrities offering their services for January 20 in Washington D.C.? (MTV is in on it too: We’ll be hosting our own event, the Be the Change Inaugural Ball.)

First off, Beyoncé was quite vocal about her dream to perform for Obama. Then Obama’s camp had to deny the rumor that his fellow Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson was onboard to perform at the show.

Now, according to Latina.com, the Peruvian paper El Comercio reports that the Colombian pop star may make an appearance at Obama’s inauguration. Shakira is a stout Obama supporter. “Obama can restore peace and the world’s confidence in the United States,” she said in a statement back in October. And Obama responded by saying, “It’s an honor for me to receive support from someone with so much talent, from an artist who has been so generous.”

Linda Douglas, a spokeswoman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, wouldn’t confirm or deny the reports to Latina, saying only that announcements of official performers are “way down the road.”

But news organizations keep on guessing. FoxNews.com, for instance, speculates that early supporters like Oprah Winfrey, Will.I.Am and Bruce Springsteen will be on hand to ring in Obama’s presidency.

We might as well get in on the game: Who do you think should show up on January 20?

Last month, Camilla Belle found herself in the spotlight when it was reported that she was dating teen heartthrob and “Lovebug” video co-star Joe Jonas. Soon after, pictures surfaced of Joe and Camilla, along with Kevin and Nick Jonas, vacationing in Mexico. But things got complicated when Joe’s ex Taylor Swift began telling the press that he left her for Camilla, a claim he later denied.

Then a week later, Camilla was seen cavorting with Robert Pattinson at the “Twilight” premiere in L.A. It was then discovered that the two were also seen together hanging out at another Hollywood function only a month before. The photos got everyone asking: Are Joe and Camilla over already, or are Camilla and Robert just friends?
Read more…

In footage from Britney Spears‘ recent Rolling Stone photo shoot, the singer gets down in a sparkly gold bodysuit and platforms. She dances to songs like the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps.” It looks like the pop star is having a grand old time doing what she does best: being a pop star.

And the inspiration for the shoot was simple: stripped-down Marilyn Monroe — not glossy, sexy Marilyn Monroe. “We wanted her to be natural. Almost as a reference was Marilyn Monroe in the Actors Studio,” Jodi Peckman, the magazine’s director of photography, explained to MTV News. “We just let her under the beautiful light and let her be herself. We kept it simple.”

The theme for the shoot, which accompanies a cover story on Britney’s return, was no theme at all. Peckman wanted to show everyone the natural Spears. No costumes, no sets, no drama. “She’s still a young girl, but she looks more mature. There’s something about her. She’s a mom now, and she’s been through a lot, and maybe just her motherly aura comes through.”

She added, “She’s so great that she can do high-concept and stripped-down. She really gives it to the cameras. … We just wanted to make her look like a beautiful woman.”

Check out what else the RS director of photography had to say about Britney here.

Lately, there’s been a mess of speculation that Mariah Carey and hubby Nick Cannon are expecting a little bundle of joy. And Mariah’s appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which airs today, is only raising the alert level on the baby-bump watch.

When asked by the talk-show host if she is pregnant, the singer gave this response, “No, that’s OK [to ask],” E! Online reported. So, the wily Ellen instead offered the pop star a glass, saying, “You don’t have to answer that. Let’s just toast with champagne.”
Read more…

Dear Joe Jonas:

We get it. Teen girls think you’re dreamy. You can sing, you have a TV show, you’ve got some movies in the works, and you even have a book out. You can get any lady you want and leave her heartbroken when you’re done with her.

That’s all fine by me. I only ask that you don’t follow through on your latest dream of becoming a comedian. Why? Well, if your performance on “The Tonight Show” Monday night tells me anything, it’s that you’re just not funny.

“You know, I did [want to be a comedian]. I never really got the chance,” the 19-year-old revealed when Jay Leno asked about his dream. “I want to do stand-up.” So the talk-show host handed him a microphone — and probably immediately regretted it. Let’s take a look at some of Joe’s, er, finer moments.

“Kevin was in People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue, and he’s quoted [saying,] ‘Did they get the right person?’ ” the singer began. “Let me answer that question for you, Kevin: No!” Read more…

You know how your parents like to sit you down and tell you stories about their misbegotten youth, hoping to share with you the excitement of their teen years? That’s what I’m about to do as I remember “TRL.” To sit here now, a decade after the show premiered and on the (almost) eve of its finale, and explain how that show changed my after-school life makes me feel old.

I remember being at a computer in the school library, supposedly working on a school project, and sneaking over to the “TRL” Web site to vote for the Backstreet Boys or Christina Aguilera. Heaven forbid I missed an episode! I had a friend who would tape important ones for me, in case I had to go to cheerleading practice or go to a creative-writing club meeting, so I wouldn’t miss seeing my favorite stars get interviewed.
Read more…

Sometimes, when you interview a celebrity, you just click. When it happens, it can be golden. Take my interview with Brandy last week. Everything was pretty much going by the book, as we discussed her new album, her plans as an actress, etc. — but then we started brainstorming about our own TV show.

Brandy was waxing nostalgic about the end of “TRL.” ” ‘TRL’ is the show you dreamed of being on as a kid,” she said. “I’ll never forget the experiences I had. That’s a question I’ve been thinking about. Like, where are we going to have our pop music? I’m sure something will be figured out. We’ve got to do something. This is our station. I don’t know the answer. Do you?” Read more…

“Sex and the City” star and real-life New Yorker Cynthia Nixon made her way to Florida for this Election Day. Florida Street Teamer Anthony Wojtkowiak caught up with the actress at the University of Miami today, where she was encouraging students to vote.

“I’m just talking to students here, making sure everyone is voting,” she told MTV News. “If they haven’t, I’m telling them the clock is ticking. Today is D-day. Gotta vote.”

Nixon was also there to speak out against Florida’s Proposition 2, which would define marriage as being between a man and a woman, effectively banning same-sex marriage. “It’s an antigay initiative,” said Nixon, who is in a lesbian relationship. Read more…