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Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff
<P>"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the <MTVNLINK type="news" id="1604580">Grammy Album of the Year award</MTVNLINK> with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."</P><P>He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because <i>Raising Sand,</i> which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.</p><div style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"></div><p></P><P>You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.</P><P>Really, she's the key to <i>Sand</i>'s success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, <i>Sand</i> was released.</P><P>And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.</P><P>And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on <i>Sand.</i> His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.</P><P>To date, <i>Sand</i> has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.</P><P>One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.</P><P>"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" <i>New York Times</i> music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really <i>good</i> record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards." </p>
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Britney Spears admits the other judges 'ganged up' on her when they disagreed with her critique of a contestant.
By John Mitchell
<P>"The X Factor" judges Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid and Louis Walsh, the British "X Factor" panelist who has been sitting in for Simon Cowell while he recovers from bronchitis, are in Kansas City, Missouri, as auditions for the second season of the reality singing competition continue. The group gave their first interview since Spears and Lovato were announced as judges at the Fox upfronts.</P><P>The judges discussed the "bizarre" performances they've seen, how they get along, whether Spears' and Lovato's careers as performers make them more sympathetic or critical of the contestants, and the one time everyone ganged up on Britney.</P><P>"I feel like we've had a little bit of bizarre performances overall," Spears said of the Kansas City performances. "There have been some good ones, but for the most part, there's been some that were pretty bad!"</P><P><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.11NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEzMzk*NTY5MzE5MjMmcHQ9MTMzOTQ1NjkzNTI*MiZwPSZkPSZnPTImbz1jMGY3ZmFmYjY*OTU*MTQzYTBjYWM1Zjdh/NjVlM2ZhMiZvZj*w.gif" /></P><P>Reid admitted that he and Spears "get along good," but that much like Cowell, Walsh has been the quippy thorn in Reid's side.</P><P>Luckily for Walsh, though, he does get along with the two women judges. "Britney likes me and Demi likes me," he said.</P><P>Asked which judge the rest of the team tends to agree with the most, Reid said that Spears has the best eye for contestants that have that special something. "We tend to agree with Britney more than others. Honestly, I'm being funny, but she has amazing taste."</P><P>"You ganged up on me one time though," Spears quickly countered, half-jokingly. "You three guys did. One time, [and] it wasn't nice!"</P><P>"One time out of 75 auditions, that's not bad," Reid replied.</P><P>As for what makes Spears happiest when judging, she said, "It's the best feeling when someone comes onstage and just makes us want to stand up and gives us energy."</P><P>Having made their names as entertainers, both Spears and Lovato admitted that their careers have helped them relate to the contestants because they've "been in their shoes." But it's a double-edged sword because it has made both judges more sympathetic to the show's contestants, particularly when they have to deliver bad news.</P><P>"It's something I've definitely had to learn. At first, I really didn't even want to do it," Lovato said of having to criticize contestants. "It's easier to say, when you're having meetings with people, 'Oh yeah, it will totally come easy,' or something. But when I got in the seat and had to give negative criticism to somebody ... it sucks. But they're asking for your advice, and by stepping on that stage, they also know that you could not like their performance. They're taking a chance, and I'm going to take a chance by telling them something that I believe."</P><P>The interview comes on the heels of news that all four judges walked off the set after a disastrous audition in which a contestant — who reportedly wasn't a particularly talented singer — sang with his back to the panel. "It was really awkward," a source told People.com. "They didn't want to waste their time."</P><P>People also reported that Spears is proving to be a tougher judge than many expected. A source told the magazine, "She's got a really good instinct, and when she loves something, she looks like she wants to dance on the desk. When she doesn't like someone, she is incredibly tough."</P><P>For her part, the pop star insists her firm stance is in the best interest of the contestants. "It's all tough love ... I promise!" Spears tweeted along with a link to the <i>People</i> article.</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Britney Spears Explains Why She Wanted To Be A Part Of 'X Factor'" id="vid:769620" width="415" height="255"></div><p></p>
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It’s hard to imagine being eight months pregnant and competing in the Olympics, but next week one Maylasian mom-to-be will be doing just that! Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi is not only the first woman to represent Malaysia in the sport of shooting, she’s one of just a handful pregnant competitors in history. According to The New York Times, she’ll be the farthest along of any of them, a full eight months pregnant by the time the competition starts.
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From Anne Hathaway's Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises to Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, these fierce femmes bring the pain.
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Incident report released to MTV News identifies a family friend as the man who struck Kyle Glover with a Jet Ski.
By Rob Markman
<P>Details from the tragic Jet Ski accident that left Kyle Glover, stepson to R&B superstar Usher Raymond, brain dead continue to emerge. The incident report, obtained by MTV News from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, identified Jeffrey S. Hubbard as the vehicle's operator.</P><P>According to the report, Hubbard was operating the watercraft in Atlanta's Lake Lanier when he ran over two juveniles being towed on an inner tube by another boat at approximately 3:25 p.m. ET on Friday. Both of the injured children were flown to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. While the incident report didn't identify any of the injured by name, it has been reported that 11-year-old Kyle Glover sustained a head injury and had been declared brain dead by doctors, but officials have declined to speak on his condition, citing privacy issues. The second victim, a 15-year-old girl, is said to have suffered a cut on the head and a broken arm.</P><P>A media representative at Georgia's DNR told MTV News that Hubbard was no stranger to Glover and that he was a friend of the family. Glover's mother, Tameka Foster, spoke to RadarOnline, simply saying, "He's bad."</P><P>According to the site, the distraught mom also took to her Facebook page to send this message: "Kyle, You are strong.. You'll be saved I know it. I love you my baby. I need all #Prayers for my son! thanks you everybody!"</P><P>Foster and Usher were married in 2007, but divorced two years later in 2009 and are currently going through a custody battle. They are both reportedly at the hospital.</P><P>This tragedy comes a month after Usher released his latest #1 album, <i>Looking 4 Myself.</i></p>
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