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Tags: Alicia Keys, An EW Exclusive!, Cable, Pink, Taylor Swift, VH1, VH1 Storytellers, News

Image Credit: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage

VH1 Storytellers is hitting up Grammy-winning ladies for its coming season: Pink, Alicia Keys, and Taylor Swift are the next batch of artists to be featured on VH1′s long-running music-interview franchise, EW has learned exclusively.

“I have always loved Storytellers and, as a songwriter, how much fun it is to be able to tell your stories,” Pink told EW exclusively about being included in the line-up. Of her stories, Pink adds with a wink: “Everyone has heard mine before!”

The newest season of Storytellers launches Nov. 11, with VH1 Storytellers: Taylor Swift airing at 11 p.m. The episode roll-out is fast and furious after that, with VH1 Storytellers: Alicia Keys and VH1 Storytellers: Pink airing at 11 p.m on over the next two days, on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13, respectively. The episodes will also air on the Storytellers website.

As an additional bit of news on this front, Taylor Swift — always looking to connect with her fans in new ways — this morning announced a concert to dovetail with her Storytellers taping. She’ll tape her episode at a winning high school or college in the continental U.S. Through Sept. 23, students can vote for their school at a special website, which also includes more details about the contest. The schools with the top five votes will each receive a $10,000 grant for their music department from Swift and student hub Chegg’s philanthropic program, Chegg for Good.

The episodes, as always, will feature the artists performing and sharing stories in front of an intimate audience about their lives, lyrics, and careers. Over the years, artists as varies as Elton John, Coldplay, Mary J. Blige, and Christina Aguilera have been on Storytellers.

Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky

Jul 10 2012 09:30 AM ET

Watch Gym Class Heroes perform 'Stereo Hearts' with Patrick Stump on VH1's 'Unplugged' -- EXCLUSIVE

by Ray Rahman

Tags: An EW Exclusive!, Downloads and Streams, Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Hip-Hop/Rap, Patrick Stump, Rock, Television, VH1, VH1 Unplugged

Did Adam Levine go blond? Do you need glasses? Just kidding, it’s Patrick Stump!

For their upcoming episode of VH1′s Unplugged series, the band performed a stripped-down version their breakout hit “Stereo Hearts.” With a twist: they replaced The Voice of Maroon 5′s Levine (see what we did there?) with that of former Fall Out Boy Stump, the guy who originally helped put Gym Class in a top-five Chokehold back in 2006. Sneaky move, Heroes.

Don’t believe us? Well, we’ve got an exclusive clip of the performance here. Check it out for yourself in the video below:

Jun 27 2012 05:02 PM ET

VH1's '40 Greatest R&B Songs of the '90s': Bobby Brown, Ginuwine, Boyz II Men -- EXCLUSIVE

Tags: An EW Exclusive!, Attack of the '90s, Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men, Ginuwine, New Stuff, R&B, Television, VH1, TV

Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com

Despite Chris Rock’s protestations (“It’s just people singing over rap beats!”), R&B had a fruitful and vibrant decade from 1990 to 2000: The rise of New Jack Swing, the innovation of hip-hop soul, a bevy of breakout stars, and the ever expanding and collapsing boundaries of the genre.

To celebrate the Age of Irony’s best booty shakers and slow jams, VH1 is airing “40 Greatest R&B Songs of the ’90s” on Thursday night at 9 p.m. With the assistance of stars like Usher and Keith Sweat, the countdown special tips its hat to smashes like Ginuwine’s “Pony,” Boyz II Men’s “Motownphilly,” and Bobby Brown’s immortal “Humpin’ Around.”

In fact, all three of those songs appear in the bottom 10 of the countdown. Check out entries 40 to 30 in an exclusive reveal below.

May 30 2012 11:55 AM ET

Jason Mraz gets emotional on 'VH1 Storytellers': Watch the sneak peek here -- EXCLUSIVE

by EW staff

Tags: Jason Mraz, VH1, VH1 Storytellers

Image Credit: Ben Hinder/PictureGroup

For this week’s season premiere of VH1 Storytellers, Jason Mraz showed up with his guitar and his beanie — but forgot to bring a tissue.

In an exclusive preview clip of this Friday’s episode, we see the singer getting emotional as he shares with the audience the songwriting process behind “I Won’t Give Up,” the lead single off his recent album Love Is a Four Letter Word.

“I meant to bring a handkerchief,” Mraz tells the crowd as he wipes a tear from his face.

Nonetheless, he powered through. “I was really bummed out,” he explained. “But the song was coming out whether I like it or not.”

And in the end, he’s glad it did: “Now every day I get to sing this song, and it’s my mantra.”

Mraz’s VH1 Storytellers visit premieres this Friday, but you can watch his intimate performance of “I Won’t Give Up” — and find out what choked him up — in the exclusive sneak peek below:

May 10 2012 12:53 PM ET

'VH1 Divas' will tribute Whitney Houston: Who should participate?

Tags: Divas!, Music, News, Television, VH1, Whitney Houston

Image Credit: Matt Sayles/AP

EW has confirmed the recent news that VH1 is planning a tribute to Whitney Houston to air as a part of its long-running Diva series. The special will tape in Los Angeles in December, with her longtime musical director Ricky Minor serving as executive producer. Whitney’s family — and her label at Sony — have given their blessing for the special to move forward.

Since the taping is several months away, no artists have yet to be confirmed. But that’s where we fans of Whitney can come into play, mostly by answering the question: Who is best to fete Whitney at a Divas tribute? Let’s look at the most likely suspects that might turn up:

+ JENNIFER HUDSON: She’s an obvious choice, seeing as how she already paid tribute to Houston earlier this year at the Grammys, when she flawlessly sang “I Will Always Love You.” But in the spirit of mixing things up — and Hudson maybe not wanting to overshadow what she did for Houston at the Grammys — she could also opt not to participate and let someone step into the spotlight.

+ THE DIVAS PAST: Any number of former participants would be welcome additions to a Houston tribute, as Houston herself showed up on the special in 1999 (singing “Ain’t No Way” with Mary J. Blige and “I’m Every Woman” with Chaka Kahn), 2002 (helping Mary J. Blige out with “Rainy Dayz”), and 2003 (“Something in Common/My Love is Your Love” with ex-husband Bobby Brown and “I Was Made to Love Her” in a Stevie Wonder tribute). Divas, despite their competitive nature, do tend to run together. Others Divas alums who could potential show up include Mariah Carey (who also sang “When You Believe” with Houston), Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Diana Ross, Cher, Tina Turner, Beyoncé, Adele, and Kelly Clarkson.

+ BOBBY BROWN: There’s little chance Houston’s ex-husband and New Edition singer won’t be there. The big question is: Will he perform? And if so, what will he perform?

+ STEVIE WONDER: Houston sang the mid-tempo duet “We Didn’t Know” (from her 1990 album I’m Your Baby Tonight) with the legend and also paid tribute to him at the 2003 Divas concert, so it’s pretty much a lock that he’ll be there to fete her in some way.

+ DIONNE WARWICK: She’s Houston’s cousin — and a legendary singer herself. Seems only natural that, if she’s up for it emotionally, she’d be there.

READ FULL STORY »

Mar 12 2012 02:12 PM ET

Ingrid Michaelson joined by PS 22 Chorus for take on 'Blood Brothers' -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Tags: An EW Exclusive!, Good Causes, Indie Rock, Ingrid Michaelson, Kris Allen, Pop, PS 22 Chorus, VH1, Video Exclusive

Ingrid Michaelson, who recently released her fifth album, Human Again, proves that you can also go home again.

The native of New York City’s Staten Island recently teamed with the borough’s most famous non-Wu-Tang-related musical collective: The PS 22 Chorus (last seen “Rolling in the Deep” in a commercial for Target).

They joined up for a run through “Blood Brothers,” one of the twangier tunes from Human Again. Check out the exclusive video below. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2012 11:34 AM ET

Britney Spears gets an unlikely compliment from Method Man on 'The TRL Decade': Watch the EXCLUSIVE clip here!

Tags: An EW Exclusive!, Britney Spears, EW Exclusives, Hip-Hop/Rap, Method Man, MTV, New Stuff, Pop, Rock, Television, VH1, Video Exclusive, Britney Spears

Between its launch in 1998 and its finale in 2008, MTV’s Total Request Live acted as the center of the television universe for pop music, movie stars, and whatever else fell into teen culture during the turn of the century. Airing every day after school live from MTV’s studio overlooking Times Square, TRL was an institution that not only counted down the most popular music videos of the day but also acted as a clearinghouse for what was cool in an age before social networking.

That note gets hit on a lot in the new documentary The TRL Decade, an hour-long special that premieres this Sunday, January 29 at 9:30 PM on VH1 as part of their RockDocs series. The film traces the origins of the show, which was constructed from the DNA of two other MTV shows (Total Request and MTV Live), and follows it through its huge peak during the pop music boom period that saw acts like the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera rule the radio.

It also highlights a number of huge moments in the show’s history, from wild star visits from Michael Jackson and Tom Cruise to serious business like the Columbine shooting and September 11th. As the show points out, TRL was the place where young people came to see what other teens were talking about, and in the days before Facebook, it was a gateway to both arguments and cultural consensus.

But of course, it was also a place where stars would collide in unpredictable ways. In the exclusive clip below, rapper Method Man tells the tale of the time he and Redman showed up on an episode of TRL that was being guest-hosted by Britney Spears and Sabrina the Teenage Witch star Melissa Joan Hart. According to Meth, they had quite an unusual exchange when they went to pose for a picture. Get the reveal below.

Nov 21 2011 12:13 PM ET

December's 'VH1 Divas' adds Chaka, Eryka, Estelle, and -- yes -- some boys

Image Credit: Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic.com

Divas, make way! VH1 has added a bevy of other ladies — and, yes, some dudes, too — to the line-up for its annual special VH1 Divas, including Chaka Kahn (pictured here), Erykah Badu, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Estelle, Marsha Ambrosius. The non-diva entities –i.e. those who have a Y chromosome — added include Boyz II Men and Travie McCoy.

The seven new acts join the previously announced divas, which include Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, Florence Welch, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J, and Jill Scott. The Roots will serve as the house band for the engagement.

VH1 Divas will celebrate soul this year, honoring so-called “soulful cities” — Chicago, Detroit, London, Memphis, and Philadelphia — that inspired the participating divas and their art. The special airs Monday, Dec. 19, at 9 p.m. on VH1.

Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky

The Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix

Nov 17 2011 09:30 AM ET

'VH1 Divas': See Kelly Clarkson's promotional poster -- FIRST LOOK

Tags: Divas!, EW Exclusives, Kelly Clarkson, Ladies, Pop, VH1, News, TV

A few weeks back, Kelly Clarkson, Florence Welch, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J, and Jill Scott were all announced as the headliners at this year’s VH1 Divas, which is set to celebrate soul music this year when it airs Dec. 19 at 9 p.m.

As we steamroll closer to that date, VH1 has shared with EW the first look at fave Kelly Clarkson’s poster promoting the big night. In it, Clarkson is, in a word, looking Stronger, mostly because the photo used is taken from the artwork from her latest album. Clarkson has been in bed with VH1 quite a bit lately, as she also recently did an Unplugged special for the network to raise awareness for Stronger.

Anticipate Ms. Clarkson’s return to the Divas stage by taking a gander at the poster here:

Oct 27 2011 04:24 PM ET

Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, Florence Welch, and Jennifer Hudson to headline this year's 'Vh1 Divas'