Rapper describes plans to film seven videos in one night, including one for Drake.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes

Lil Wayne

Photo: Courtesy Nino Brown

Nino Brown: The Road to Rikers, Part 2

Saturday night Lil Wayne and DJ Scoob Doo sent in a video clip featuring footage they shot that afternoon. Among other things, Wayne said it was time to party before he begins his expected one-year prison term at New York’s Rikers Island.

But in fact he was doing the exact opposite. Wayne was back at work, filming several more music videos before his sentencing on gun charges on Tuesday.

“I’m shooting seven videos today,” said Wayne, in his trailer on-set in Miami, in a brand-new clip you’ll see here exclusively.

One of the videos of the night was for the Rebirth track “Runnin.”

“I’mma show y’all the [work] ethic of a true artist,” Wayne says in the clip. “You know what I’m talkin’ about? Seven videos. I shot 10 in two days before. Now we about to do seven in one night. ['Runnin'] was one. Next we about to do Drake’s song called ‘Afrika Boombatta.’ ”

The New Orleans Fireman then began mulling over his wardrobe for Drake’s shoot. He was deciding between one of his brand-new tees promoting his Twitter account, “@liltunechi,” or a funky interpretation of deceased legend Marilyn Monroe.

“Gotta wear one of my ‘@liltunechi’ shirts on there,” Wayne said. ” ‘Cause that song is a fun song. So I could wear that. Then again it’s Drake, so you might wanna get a little fly for his sh–.”

Wayne then pulled out a T-shirt featuring Monroe with tattoos all over her arm.

“Yeah, that’s stupid,” the Birdman Jr. said of the Monroe shirt. “I might have to rock that.”

This latest clip of Wayne starts with the acclaimed performer showing off all the BET Hip-Hop Awards in his house. Later he says he needs more VMAs.

“I got a house full of BET Awards,” Wayne said with a grin. “I got one MTV Award. MTV, holla atcha boy now. I’m not gonna mess up your function. I’m just gonna come get my award, thank God, thank my ‘hood, thank my fam. I ain’t gotta perform.

“Give me an award for nothin’,” he continued with a chuckle. ” ‘The award for nothin’ goes to Lil Wayne.’ That’s all I need. MTV Award for nothin’, man.”

Wayne and DJ Scoob Doo are also filming the reality DVD “The Nino Brown Story Part 3.” The first two installments are available at DJ Scoob Doo’s Web site.

Check back with MTV News for more of Wayne’s “Road to Rikers.”

Related Artists

• Lil Wayne

J. Lo’s television blitz continues with ‘How I Met Your Mother’ cameo, rumored ‘Glee’ appearance.
By Hillary Crosley

Jennifer Lopez spoofs “We Are the World” on “SNL” on Febuary 27

Photo: NBC

Jennifer Lopez might be between record labels, but her television appearances have been fast and frequent.

After filming an episode of CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” last month, playing a sexy self-help guru who seduces Neil Patrick Harris’ character, Lopez hit “Saturday Night Live” for the first time in almost a decade.

“The first time I was on this show was 10 years ago. … Back then I was single and traveling around with a big entourage,” Lopez said, opening the show in a form-fitting black leather dress. “But people grow up; now I’m married with two beautiful children.”

The singer/actress went on to have an awkward conversation with comedian and “SNL” cast member Kenan Thompson, who was posing as a discarded member of her 1990s entourage, flanked by two drag queens wearing her infamous green barely-there dress and a denim bodysuit. All ended well as Thompson left the stage with the drag queens in tow and J. Lo began the show.

Another skit portrayed “We Are the World 3,” a spoof of the recent remake. Lopez played Rihanna, wearing a black and white Balmain-inspired leather jacket with gold hoops, hipster sunglasses and a blond cropped wig.

“There comes a time, eh!, when we heed a certain call, eh!” Lopez sang, poking fun at the “Rude Boy” singer.

In the next skit, Lopez was part of a Winter Olympics curling team. She played a confused Telemundo reporter covering the Winter Olympics in another.

“We don’t understand these, es loca!” said Lopez, wearing an orange blazer.

The strangest clip had to be a mock celebrity news interview in which Lopez was questioned by Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, leading the Bronx native to scream “paciencia y fe” (”patience and faith”) like a madwoman before stomping out of view.

Lopez also performed two guiter-led songs including the Danja-produced, Wynter Gordon-written “Starting Over” from her forthcoming album, Love? Her LP is slated to hit stores this summer. Lopez still has not specified what label she has signed to, but Deadline Hollywood, the blog that originally broke the story of the Sony split, reported that she is in talks with Island Def Jam. Neither she nor her former label, Sony Records, has discussed what precipitated the split, but Deadline speculated that it might have been a response to the poor critical and commercial reception to the album’s first official single, “Louboutins,” which failed to light up the charts.

Lopez’s episode of “How I Met Your Mother” airs March 8, and she is rumored to be in talks for an appearance on the Golden Globe-winning show “Glee.”

Related Artists

• Jennifer Lopez

But booted contestant wasn’t planning to change for them either: ‘I probably would’ve just stuck to my guns.’
By Katie Byrne

Tyler Grady on “American Idol”

Photo: Fox

While Tyler Grady made a lasting impression with his retro “American Idol” audition in Boston, he virtually went missing from the stage during Hollywood Week.

That disappearing act might have marked the end for the 20-year-old from Nazareth, Pennsylvania — who was kicked off “Idol” on Thursday along with Ashley Rodriguez, Janell Wheeler and Joe Muñoz. Before he reprised his performance of the Guess Who’s “American Woman,” he had some choice words for the judges: “I like all the judges, and I’ve really had a great time with them, but I feel like I didn’t really get much constructive criticism during Hollywood Week, and what they told me was a little too late.”

When we caught up with him Friday (February 26), Grady defended those controversial comments and his ’70s-rocker style.

Q: A lot of “Idol” watchers thought you were out of line to call out the judges during the results show. Do you regret those comments?

A: I’ve seen that I’m getting some heat in the media about my comment before the show ended, and I just wanted to let everyone know that I really meant no disrespect by that. When I watched the show back on Wednesday, I felt that I was too caught up in the moment to stand up for myself, whereas contestants are absolutely encouraged to express themselves when they’re being critiqued, I felt like I was kind of shocked with the criticism, and I just didn’t get the chance to express my feelings, so when I said that, I was just expressing myself. I meant no disrespect. And I’m not bitter at the judges or anything like that. If I would’ve made it through to another week, it would’ve been due to a fanbase that appreciated what I was doing, so I probably would’ve just stuck to my guns and performed in the same style I’ve been performing in. I may have chosen a more recent rock song, but you wouldn’t have seen me coming out in baggy jeans and wearing a headset microphone. I wouldn’t have been changing my performance style at all.

Q: So you wouldn’t have take the judges’ words to heart?

A: I definitely respect the judges, and I think that they’re very qualified to be critiquing the contestants on the show, but at the same time, when you are building a fanbase and your fans are supporting you, they’re supporting you because of what you’re doing, so you can’t turn on your fans. You can’t change up what you’re doing to the point where you irritate your fans. If they’re supporting you, you need to give them what they want and support them back.

Q: How would you be able to tell what your fans want while you’re in the bubble of the show?

A: Essentially, if I would’ve gotten through another week, I think it would’ve been fair to assume that my fans appreciated my style of performance, because I’ve been consistent from the Boston audition to now. And if you see my band play ever, that’s exactly the style of performance I give every time. In response to Ellen’s critique of my lack of honesty and charisma onstage, I do absolutely respect her as an entertainer and as a critic, but I feel like she kind of misrepresented me there.

Q: Do you think your lack of screen time during Hollywood Week hurt you?

A: I don’t want to make excuses. I know that the media is already claiming I’m making excuses, as far as blaming the judges for what happened on the show, and I don’t blame the judges at all. When I made that comment, I was simply expressing my feelings at the time. As a contestant on that show, you need to stand up for yourself and go out with some dignity, but I really don’t make any excuses for what happened. I mean, Kelly Clarkson and Kris Allen, both winners of “American Idol” in the past, didn’t have that much airtime going into the live show, so I wouldn’t say that that would’ve affected the results.

Q: Do you think your stick-by-my-guns attitude is what got you eliminated?

A: I can’t explain to you why I was eliminated. Well, actually, I can explain to you why I was eliminated: I didn’t get enough votes. I got one of the least number of votes out of the 12 guys; that’s why I got eliminated. As a performer, you have to stick to your guns. You have to be honest and true to yourself. If you’re gonna change your style … and be inconsistent, you won’t be able to build a solid fanbase, because people won’t be able to catch on to you. And once you build a fanbase, you need to feed them what they appreciate about you. You can’t constantly change yourself, or you’re not really respecting your fans.

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Related Photos

• ‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances

Comedian jokes about Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest during Friday’s episode of her talk show.
By Gil Kaufman

Ellen DeGeneres and Randy Jackson on Wednesday’s “American Idol”

Photo: FOX

Let’s face it: everyone had a rough first week on “American Idol.” The guys, for the most part, tanked, and the women were only marginally better. Even the judges had some difficulties, with Simon Cowell looking visibly bored at times, the other panelists seeming a bit off and new addition to the panel from the same case of nerves that affected many of the contestants.

But no matter what the critics say, Ellen had a blast at her new gig. The veteran comedian discussed her first week of live “Idol” shows on the episode of her talk show airing Friday (February 26). “It’s been a fun week,” she told her in-studio audience. “I’ll tell ya, I like being live because anything can happen on live television.”

Despite being seated at the other end of the judges’ table from Cowell, DeGeneres said that one of the British judge’s plunging necklines allowed her to get an eyeful of his chest on Thursday night.

“Yesterday, Simon had so many buttons open on his shirt he almost had a wardrobe malfunction,” she joked.

DeGeneres spent some time talking about the differences between watching “Idol” at home and experiencing it live. “I’ve watched from home for years and years and now I get to see what happens behind the scenes. It’s different, very different. I always knew that Ryan worked hard, but I had no idea during the commercial breaks he works another job selling Mary Kay cosmetics.”

After discussing the in-studio sound of the contestants’ live vocals, she reiterated how “totally different” the music comes across in person than it does on television. “The mix is different in the studio, so everyone sounds one way in the studio and then I go home and I listen to it,” she said. “You know, in the studio Simon has a Texas accent and he’s the sweetest guy. He’s totally hairless. Totally different, totally.”

DeGeneres is bringing a blend of good-natured comedy and boundless enthusiasm for “Idol” to the judges’ panel, and she continued that vibe on her own show on Friday. “It’s really exciting, though. There’s energy and excitement in the studio, and there is a lot of suspense,” she said. “That’s what they do. They build up tension and nerves. I won’t do that to you, though. I’m going to tell right now who I think is going to win. I think the person who’s going to win is … a girl or a guy.”

Ellen will be back judging the 20 remaining hopefuls next Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday night, four more contestants will be sent home, and last year’s third-place finisher Danny Gokey, will perform his new single, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me.”

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Related Photos

• ‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances
• The ‘American Idol’ Season 9 Top 24