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  1. Jay-Z At Carnegie Hall: Five Things We Want To See -

    We're hoping for a Beyoncé sighting and some NY-centric rap cameos for Hov's first-ever concert at the famed venue tonight.
    By Rob Markman


    Jay-Z
    Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

    Jay-Z has seen it all and done it all — or so we thought. Just when it looked like there was no new ground for Hov to cover, the multiplatinum rap superstar announced he would be performing a pair of shows at New York's famed Carnegie Hall.

    For the first time ever, Jay will hit the Carnegie Hall stage on Monday night (February 6), followed by a second show on Tuesday, and it's all for a good cause. Proceeds from the privately sold premium-priced tickets will go to Jigga's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and the United Way in an effort to put low-income New York City students in a position to attend college.

    When Hov first announced the concert dates back in December, he told MTV News that he wasn't sure what the night would bring, but Jay-Z fans know the rap mogul often has a trick or two up his Maison Martin Margiela sleeves. Here are some things we hope to see:

    "Glory" featuring B.I.C.
    Two days after wife Beyoncé gave birth to the couple's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, Big Poppa Jay dropped "Glory," a dedication track to daddy's little girl. The Pharrell-produced track featured the "Streets Is Watching" rapper like we've never seen him as he rhymed about the joys of fatherhood. Hopefully, Jay will perform the track ... and maybe even roll out Baby Blue in a stroller for her first public appearance? It would be an incredible, if highly unlikely moment.

    Beyoncé
    "Crazy in Love," "Déjà Vu," "Upgrade U," Jay and Queen B have no shortage of hit records to perform. Granted, Beyoncé is probably on some type of musical maternity leave (and deservedly so). But it sure would be nice to see B make her first post-birth appearance onstage and hand-in-hand with hubby Hov.

    "N---as in Paris" — Multiple Times
    People love Paris. While out on the Watch the Throne Tour, Jay-Z and Kanye West would perform their fan-favorite "N---as in Paris" multiple times each night. On the final stop in Vancouver, the duo rocked the song a record-breaking 11 times. So how many times will he rock the song at Carnegie Hall? "We have to do a rendition of 'N---as in Paris' in Carnegie Hall; it just has to go down," Jay laughed back in December. "I ain't think about that. That'll be great."

    Rap Guests
    Jay has a ton of rap friends. From Big Daddy Kane to Kanye West, Hova's list of hip-hop collaborators is as long as his paper — maybe longer. Will he bring out the LOX for "Reservoir Dogs," Eminem for "Renegade" or Nas for "Black Republican"? You never know with Hov.

    New Material
    During our December interview with Jay, the God MC hinted that 2012 would bring a new solo album for him and possibly another from the Throne. It's still early in the year, but how cool would it be for Jay to debut some fresh material for the Carnegie audience? It's for charity after all!

    What are you expecting when Jay-Z plays Carnegie Hall for the first time? Tell us on our Facebook page!

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  2. M.I.A.'s Super Bowl Middle Finger And More: A Career Of Controversy -

    From her support of the Tamil Tigers to her politically charged music videos, M.I.A. has never shied away from controversy.
    By James Montgomery


    M.I.A. performs at the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show
    Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic

    M.I.A.'s middle finger may currently be the most-discussed digit in America, dominating the post-Super Bowl chatter and earning swift rebukes from NBC and the NFL. But for those who've covered her career from the beginning, well, let's just say this is basically par for the course.

    Because ever since M.I.A. first broke through in 2004, she's courted controversy, first for her outspoken support of the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan separatist organization that engaged in acts of terror and has been linked to the assassination of Sri Lankan and Indian leaders. That support and her overtly political lyrics led to her being denied a travel visa by the U.S. government and earned her a spot on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's risk list in 2006. So, really, a middle finger is no big thing.

    And over the past few years, she hasn't exactly mellowed. In 2010, she raised eyebrows with the graphic video for "Born Free," a clip that saw security forces (with American flags prominently displayed) round up red-headed citizens and summarily execute them in brutal fashion. It was a savage bit of socio-political commentary, though most missed that message entirely, focusing instead on the blood and guts, which earned the video a measure of YouTube ignominy and had critics howling.

    Her outspoken ways also drew the ire of both Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber fans, after she called Gaga "a good mimic" and said the content of "Born Free" was no less offensive than anything Bieber had churned out.

    And then, she launched a lengthy (and much-covered) offensive against New York Times writer Lynn Hirschberg, posting her phone number on Twitter and releasing a diss song called "I'm a Singer" after reading what she believed to be an unflattering feature in the Times. Though Hirschberg remained largely silent on the matter, the Times did eventually admit that a pair of M.I.A.'s quotes were rearranged in the piece.

    Finally, earlier this month, she unveiled the video for "Bad Girls," which re-teamed her with "Born Free" director Romain Gavras and is loaded with socially (and politically) charged imagery, like women cloaked in burqas doing stunts in expensive cars as men in keffiyeh look on, smoldering oil fields and assault rifles.

    Were you offended by M.I.A.'s halftime gesture? Leave your comment below.

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  3. Black Keys Talk Lana Del Rey's Overnight Success -

    Duo also address their own critics tonight on MTV.com following the 'Gold on the Ceiling' video premiere at 7:54 p.m. on MTV.
    By James Montgomery


    The Black Keys
    Photo: MTV News

    On January 8, 2011 — nearly a decade after they first started kicking around in Akron, Ohio — the Black Keys made their first appearance on "Saturday Night Live." Needless to say, it was a pretty big moment for Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, who had spent no small portion of the past 10 years grinding out miles (and shows) in their van.

    On January 14, 2012 — nearly six months after she first became a much-debated blog curio — Lana Del Rey performed on the same "SNL" stage. It was a pretty big moment, too, though mostly for her critics and those who enjoy deriding the current state of popular music. After all, they argue, it's debatable whether Del Rey has ever seen the inside of a van, let alone toured in one.

    So when MTV News sat down with the Black Keys in Berlin — for an exclusive interview you can watch tonight (February 6) on MTV.com, following the MTV premiere of the duo's new "Gold on the Ceiling" video at 7:54 p.m. ET — we had to ask them for their thoughts on Del Rey's overnight success, and what it meant for bands trying to make a living in 2012.

    "On some level, we've seen that Lana Del Rey thing since we first started, like, all of a sudden this new band would be headlining festivals, and we're like, 'Wait, how did they get that? We've been here for two, three, four, five years and we're still working our way up,' " Auerbach said. "But then they're gone. Just as quickly as they get up there, they disappear."

    "It's different for everybody. It took us a really long time to get on 'Saturday Night Live,' and it took her a shorter amount of time," Carney added. "But I honestly feel bad for a lot of bands that are starting out with the way things are. ... The trends kind of flip over so fast — something's cool and not cool and it all happens within two to three months."

    Of course, it bears mention that the same outlets that have criticized Del Rey for her perceived lack of authenticity and quick rise to a major-label deal are the very same outlets that have largely ignored (or largely ripped) the Black Keys, a band that has spent a decade making the slow climb to the top. And when it came to that point, well, the Keys didn't exactly hide their displeasure.

    "Yeah, [it's] 'cause they're pricks," Carney snorted. "It's like, 'What the f--- are you talking about, motherf---er?' "

    And though you'll hear more of their thoughts on the media during our full interview, you can reasonably assume that the Black Keys don't take criticisms kindly. In fact, they've been taking mental notes, and someday they'll even the score.

    Don't miss the premiere of the Black Keys' "Gold on the Ceiling" video tonight at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by an in-depth chat with the band on MTV.com.

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  4. Pussycat Dolls' Post-Super Bowl Plans Include Kim Kardashian -

    Robin Antin talks to MTV News about Kardashian-produced PCD reality show.
    By Jocelyn Vena


    Robin Antin
    Photo: MTV News

    One day after the new Pussycat Dolls lineup made debuted during a Go Daddy Super Bowl commercial, the Dolls are already working on their next small-screen project — and this time, it includes reality-TV queen Kim Kardashian.

    PCD creator Robin Antin stopped by the MTV Newsroom late last month, and she had some fun teases about what fans should expect from their in-the-works, forthcoming show. "We're developing a reality show with Kim Kardashian as an executive producer and Nigel Lythgoe," Antin said of Kim K. and the "American Idol" producer and "So You Think You Can Dance" judge. "He wanted to get into reality TV and was very interested in doing something with me. Obviously, with the Pussycat Dolls, he's always been a big fan."

    Antin appears on "So You Think You Can Dance" from time to time, and as for Kim, she performed as a Doll back in 2008. Also, Antin said, Kardashian "understands reality more than anyone I know."

    "Kim is one of my best friends and has been for many, many years and so supportive and said, 'I'd love to be a part of really showing your world, the empire of really what you have built and the world around you ... and all the girls that revolve around that.' "

    With a new Doll lineup (which includes Chrystina Sayers from Girlicious, "So You Think You Can Dance" contestant Paula Van Oppen, Paradiso Girl and "Party Rock Anthem" collaborator Lauren Bennett, former Laker Girl Vanessa Curry and former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Erica Jenkins), Antin thinks now is as good a time as any to put their ups and downs on tape.

    "The engine of all Pussycat Dolls [projects] is the recording ground, and now having the new recording group, it made sense to focus on the launch of this new group and how that engine opens up all the doors for all the different things that I'm doing that are a part of the brand," she said. "So it's a really fun, interesting, wacky world inside what I do."

    However, Antin noted, the show won't be about catfights or exploiting the lows that come with the highs. "It's not about showing all the drama and all the girls fighting," she said. "I'm not interested in that — although the reality is, there are things that happen and we're OK with showing the reality. We focus so much and want to inspire people to show that girls can work together and act like sisters and get along. And through dancing and singing, I want to inspire everyone. These girls are the next generation."

    What do you want to see from a new PCD reality show? Let us know in the comments!

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