‘Hills’ Star Heidi Montag Says She Wants To Record Christian Album
In an interview with USA Today, “Hills” Heidi Montag star opened up about her spirituality, her hopes to release a Christian album one day, and her relationship with boyfriend/manager Spencer Pratt.
In the interview — which also includes mentions of Montag’s clothing line, Heidiwood — Montag said that she and Pratt read the Bible regularly, and described herself as “kind of non-denominational Baptist.” She also mentions plans for a humanitarian trip to Africa in August to “feed children and build things.”
“I have been the most religious person since I was 2 years old,” she said. “I always felt this crazy connection to God.”
Which is where the Christian album comes in, which Montag says she’s interested in making at some point in the future. And while the article doesn’t mention when said album will materialize, there is a video interview including a clip of her video for “Fashion,” which is full of vocal effects but seems short on religious sentiment.
And while she and Pratt have had their share of ups and downs, Montag said that her beau is “the most amazing person to ever exist. Everything you could ever want in a best friend, soulmate and boyfriend.”
In the interview, she was also asked about the sex tape that Lauren Conrad had supposedly shot with ex-beau Jason Wahler. “I don’t even want to talk about that,” Montag said. “There were rumors about a sex tape, but I had nothing to do with that. God knows the truth in all of this, and at the end of the day, that is the only thing that matters. Jesus was persecuted, and I’m going to get persecuted, ya know? But it doesn’t matter to me.”
For The Record: Britney Spears, Ruben Studdard, Kristy Lee Cook, Ticketmaster And More
· Britney Spears quickly took advantage of her new custody arrangement with ex-Kevin Federline by having a 12-hour sleepover with her two sons on Saturday night.
· Former “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard, 29, married fiancee Surata Zuri McCants in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday. The singer — who was recently dropped from his major label contract — did not perform at his own 30-minute ceremony, but he is reportedly working on a new album.
· Speaking of “Idol,” horse whisperer Kristy Lee Cook, one of this year’s finalists, has signed a deal with 19 Recordings/ Arista Nashville and will be releasing her first single, “15 Minutes of Shame,” on August 11. An album is due in the fall.
·Rhapsody (a joint venture with MTV Networks) has announced that it is opening an MP3 store with no digital rights management.
· Ticketmaster was awarded an $18 million judgment in its case against ticketbot company RMG Technologies, which a judge in Los Angeles ruled had worked around the ticketing giant’s software with an automated program in order to help scalpers buy tickets at speeds and volumes that virtually shut out regular customers. Some of the alleged biggest victims of the technology were “Hannah Montana” fans who were unable to get tickets to the Miley Cyrus’ 2007 gigs.
· The non-profit (RED) organization has raised money to fight AIDS in Africa by selling everything from shoes and clothing to special-edition iPods. Now, it’s starting a digital-music subscription service slated to launch in September that will deliver three new pieces of exclusive content a week for a $5 a month. Among the acts that have signed up so far are: U2, Death Cab for Cutie, Bob Dylan and Elton John.
DMX Arrested In Miami For Trying To Buy Cocaine, Marijuana
DMX can’t seem to stay on the straight and narrow.
After a string of arrests, the rapper was busted once more in Miami on Friday (June 27) for reportedly trying to buy cocaine and marijuana, according to TMZ. X (real name: Earl Simmons) was just arrested on Monday for driving without a valid driver’s license.
In May, the MC was arrested for speeding after being caught on camera going 114 mph. Just days after that, he was busted on animal-cruelty and drug-possession charges after detectives raided his Arizona home; he pleaded not guilty to the 11 charges on May 16.
The real question after hearing his rap sheet is, how is he still free? We’ll keep you up to date if X runs into any more trouble.
MTV Newsers See How The Other Side Lives At MTV UK Offices
By Matt Elias
We spent the day at Tim Kash’s old stomping grounds: the MTV UK office. MTV News Associate Producer James Barnes showed us around, and while walking through cubicles and edit bays might be boring for some, it was really rad to see the U.K. operation in action.
In one of the edit bays, they were reworking one of our pieces from the States — 50 Cent and G-Unit’s recent trip to South Africa — to be rebroadcast in the U.K.
We also got a chance to sneak into the studio while on-air reporters Rickie and Laura were doing stand-ups for news hits (or “bulletins” as they call them here). Seeing green screen in person still blows my mind.
Other things that blew my mind: Their water dispensers offer sparkling water, I was able to log on to a computer with my user name and password from L.A., and they haven’t heard of Girl Talk!
But everyone was super-cool and laid-back, just like our office back in L.A. (minus the sparkling water).
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Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Join Forces For Rally In New Hampshire
By Matt Harper
As I write this, rain is pouring down on Western New Hampshire. But this torrential downpour held off for a few hours this afternoon so that a historic union could take place in the sleepy town of Unity, New Hampshire. Of course, I’m talking about of the joint appearance of Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator/presidential hopeful Barack Obama. The two Democratic candidates ran a primary battle for close to a year and half, and with Obama recently stepping up as the presumptive Democratic nominee, there’s been a fair amount of speculation as to when and how the Democratic party would unify.
Well, the answer is here: June 27, 2008, in Unity, New Hampshire. You couldn’t really ask for a more blatantly symbolic spot for Hillary and Barack to take the stage together. Apart from its name, the minuscule town near the Vermont border was the place where both Democratic candidates received 107 votes apiece during the state primary in January.
As expected, the event was heavily attended and obsessively orchestrated by an army of college-age Obama volunteers. While I waited in the approximately half-mile-long line to get into the event, I was offered fresh-picked strawberries by a lady moving up and down the line, was warned by another lady that Barack was a Muslim and should be avoided at all costs, and had about 10 separate petitioners warn me that MoveOn.org is funded by George Soros, who had apparently made millions from investments in Halliburton. I could tell right away that this event had brought out a diverse crop of passionate New Englanders.
The rally itself was straightforward and well-orchestrated, despite starting late to account for the huge number of attendees and heightened security. But the unexpected heat and humidity from the impending rain left the crowd antsy. I saw two people pass out in the crowd, and I overheard a visibly sweaty mother beside me try to convince her two teenage children that they should just “go up the street and watch the rest of the event on TV.”
So after an hour-long parade of local politicians (a governor, a senate hopeful, and an “honorary mayor” who was an admitted, albeit apologetic, Republican), Obama and Clinton finally took the stage together (in noticeably matching blue outfits) amid wild applause and sign-waving. Senator Clinton spoke first and had a calm, surprisingly funny demeanor, joking about how great America was the last time we had a Democrat in the Oval Office — wink, wink — and wouldn’t it be great if that happened again? She was humble but inspiring, even next to the charismatic Obama. She closed her endorsement speech urging for party and national unity — and encouraged all of her supporters (especially the ones who threatened to jump ship if she didn’t get the nom) to put their votes behind Obama.
As Clinton closed her speech, the crowd chanted “Thank you, Hillary!” over and over — until a smiling Obama took the mic and wittily commented that the crowd must have peeked at his speech because they all knew his first line. Obama waited for the crowd noise to die down a bit, and then sang Clinton’s praises, encouraging party unity by noting, “We need the Clintons — not just me, but America.” Once he was done with his thank-yous and his praise of all things Clinton, Obama rolled out his standard policy speech. No surprises there — but to anyone present, it was clear that this day in Unity marked a milestone for the Democratic party, and for the election itself.
The big question, of course, is: Were these two front-running Democrats laying the groundwork for a joint Obama-Clinton ticket for the November election? There were no clear allusions to that, but Obama and Clinton certainly looked happy and comfortable up there together, and they can definitely draw a crowd.
Will Gas Prices Keep You From Making That Radiohead Road Trip?
There’s nothing better in the summer than going to an outdoor festival and enjoying live music under the stars, but jacked-up gas prices could put an end to that warm-weather tradition.
Higher prices at the pump mean less spending money — so is that going to keep you from seeing your favorite act onstage this summer?
As Phish Reunion Talk Heats Up, Pianist Page McConnell Says They’ll ‘Look At Possible Futures’ Together
By Alex Shapiro
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It might be time to grow those dreads back and unpack your tie-dyed Ts, because a Phish reunion might be on the way.
Reunion rumors began to swirl on Internet message boards a month ago, after Rolling Stone published an article in which Phish frontman Trey Anastasio hinted at his desire to bring the band back together. Anastasio (who recently completed a drug-treatment program stemming from his December 2006 prescription-drug arrest) has been recording with longtime writing partner and friend Tom Marshall, at his recording studio in Saratoga Springs, New York. In an interview with PopMatters.com, Marshall poured more fuel on the rumors. “Trey wants Phish to come back,” he said. And when all of the members showed up at the Jammies in May to accept their lifetime achievement award, talk continued.
The buzz has gotten so loud that one bandmember has finally gone on the record: Phish pianist Page McConnell posted an open letter on the band’s Web site on Thursday. McConnell says of his ex-bandmates, “I can honestly say that I’m closer with all of them now than I’ve ever been in our 20-year relationship.” He goes on to say that since they all have projects currently in the works, “the announcement of a reunion is premature.” But he says they plan on getting together “to take a look at what possible futures we might enjoy.”
For Phish fans, it’s good news (and as close to an announcement as you’re going to get until THE announcement). Page ends his letter with some wise words of advice: “Try not to focus too much on secondhand sources and random gossip. If there is anything real to announce, it will come from the four of us as a group.” So, it’s not yet the return of Phish, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed, because, as they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire (or something you can burn, anyway).
Do you want to see a Phish reunion? Tell us what you think!
