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The 2013 Oscars, a lengthy and stuffy show as usual, this year kicked off with a seemingly eternal monologue by Seth MacFarlane. Despite a multitude of dips and low points on Sunday night, all was well for about three minutes when Adele took the stage for her performance of "Skyfall," the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name.
Following wins at most of the major awards ceremonies leading up to Sunday's Academy Awards, Anne Hathaway appears to be all but locked in for an Oscar. The former "Princess of Genovia," as she referred to herself last month in her Golden Globes acceptance speech, is nominated for Supporting Actress for her role in Les Misérables. But if her previous speeches are any indication, we'd rather just skip this one.
Following his performance of "Mirrors" this week at the BRIT Awards, Justin Timberlake—sporting that brand new wedding ring—stopped by to sit down with Jonathan Ross. During the chat, which at times seemed slightly awkward for Timberlake, he discussed his hiatus from performing and his decision to return, his newlywed life with Jessica Biel and working with Jay-Z on the forthcoming album The 20/20 Experience.
Remember back in December when Kanye West went on that rant about the press and the media and the Grammys ahead of his performance of "Clique"? On the same day it was reported he is expecting a daughter with girlfriend Kim Kardashian, West on Saturday took the stage in London, and this time following his performance of "Clique," he divulged in another long gripe, spitting fire at a number of targets—including Justin Timberlake, corporate dollars, hypocritical businessmen and the Grammys—despite winning a couple earlier this month.
First Lady Michelle Obama on Friday stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where she discussed the Obamas' plans for Oscar night, the President's dance moves and daughters Sasha and Malia's influence on their music playlists. Apparently, the younger Obamas have introduced their parents to the sounds of Elle Varner and Frank Ocean, and according to Mrs. Obama, they are "Beyoncé dévotés." The latter is probably less of a surprise.
Kendrick Lamar on Friday released his latest music video, this one for the Drake-featuring “Poetic Justice,” which is off his incredible 2012 debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city. The dark, smoky set of visuals appear to be greatly inspired by by the work of director John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice) Drake also goes back to his Degrassi roots, albeit briefly, with his featured role. Meanwhile, Lamar's character is half of a heart-rending duo, whose love—in Singleton fashion—is ill-fated.
In more uplifting Lamar news, as we previously reported, the West Coast MC lends his voice this week to British songstress Emeli Sandé's remix of "Next to Me."
Watch the gut-wrenching clip below:
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Mac Miller, who is currently touring Australia, took the stage in Sydney on Friday and introduced a new song for fans. "Matches," which Miller had previously not released publicly, is expected to be on his forthcoming album, Watching Movies With The Sound Off.
Photo by Michael Parmelee/NBC
Apparently Law & Order: Special Victims Unit isn't a big Chris Brown fan. In a new ad out this week, next Wednesday's episode—titled "Funny Valentine—is being promoted by NBC as "a familiar story of two celebrities." A quick glance of the 30-second promo glaringly resembles Brown's relationship with Rihanna.
Justin Timberlake on Wednesday debuted his latest track "Mirrors" at the 2013 Brit Awards, performing the song live for the first time since releasing the single to iTunes last week. This newest cut is also included on his forthcoming album The 20/20 Experience, which is due March 19 via RCA.
Sister trio Haim has unveiled the video for their single "Falling," which is off their forthcoming EP of the same name. The visuals find the three members in the jungle, practicing archery and fishing with their bare hands. We're pretty excited for the EP, and the video certainly adds to that.
Fans of Vampire Weekend got a short, quick surprise on this week's episode of HBO's Girls, as frontman Ezra Koenig made a brief cameo on the series. In the quick scene, he delivers a one-line punch to The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone (Booth), who claims he "never" cries. As of Sunday, the only available clip comes by way of Team Vampire Weekend, which faithfully tracks down all things VW.
Sigur Rós last week revealed plans to unveil a whole lot of newness this year, and this week the Icelandic outfit has begun rolling out some of the new material they promised. Kicking off their European tour, the trio (albeit looking a little different than before) introduced new songs “Kveikur,” “Yfirborð” and “Hrafntinna.”
