Eminem Fans Divided Over His Comments On Brüno Incident

Hard as it may be for some to believe that Eminem was in on his incident with Brüno at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night, the MC's comments on the stunt have certainly gotten fans talking.

After Eminem said he was "thrilled that we pulled this off better than we rehearsed it," the response was sharply divided over whether the bit was a hilarious display of good humor by Slim Shady or a bad look for a rapper.

Many of the comments applauded Eminem and Brüno for pulling off the stunt so well. MTViewer89 labeled it "one of the best pranks of all time had so many people fooled including me. People were getting so emotional about it. Hell yeah, Shady, best prank ever."

Shorty333 chalked it all up to Marshall Mathers' marketing genius. "He can take a joke better than most entertainers ... and laugh all the way to the bank! Shock value sells. Not only is he a truly talented artist ... but he is a stable cultural icon and I give him an immense amount of credit for all he has accomplished!!! Congrats!" And asid12345678 wrote, "lol ... this guy shud get an MTV award ... classic acting!"

Hislady4lyfe said haters were focusing on all the wrong things. "Props to MTV, Eminem and Sacha Baron Cohen for this absolutely hilarious display of pure acting talent!" Lyfe wrote. "This was fantastic. Whether it's 'gay' or not for Eminem to have agreed to this stunt really isn't the issue here ... Honestly, there were nominees in the Best Kiss category for male/male saliva swapping ... who cares that Em let Borat do this? It's pretty f----n funny if ya ask me."

However, others were more skeptical. "I'm not buying it," wrote HotMilk. "Eminem is trying to save his 'tough guy' image." Jlupi agreed, writing that "the incident was worse if it was staged."

Itaintme simply didn't believe the whole story. "Watch the clip again. I'm sorry I really don't think EM knew about this," Aintme wrote. "He looks pissed off. And I don't think he would have gone back to the hotel and laugh about it, why didn't he laugh then and stay at the show?"

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1613272/20090604/story.jhtml

Eminem and Bruno’s MTV Awards Stunt Was Staged, Writer Says

After the now-epic collision of Brüno and Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards, a debate raged in the comments of Rock Daily and across the Net: Was the failed stunt — which featured Borat mastermind Sacha Baron Cohen dressed in feathers and a thong flying through the air and landing extremely uncomfortably on the seemingly shocked Slim Shady — staged, or was it scripted? Sources tell EW it was no surprise, and according to the head writer of the awards show, the incident was planned and rehearsed.

As the Los Angeles Times’ Pop & Hiss blog first spotted, a Tumblr post by the show’s head writer Scott Aukerman, who was hired by host Andy Samberg and his cohort Akiva Shaffer, stated, “Yes, the Bruno/Eminem incident was staged. That’s all anyone wants to talk about, so let’s get it out of the way. They rehearsed it at dress and yes, it went as far as it did on the live show then.” So not only did Eminem get a face full of Brüno in front of all of America, he had to stomach a similar dose during rehearsals. Eminem, such a good sport.

Aukerman, likely being forced to adhere with MTV’s post-show “It wasn’t staged!” claim, has since took down that Tumblr post. Still, what are the odds Eminem would be miked for sound while sitting in the audience if he wasn’t in on it, what are the chances MTV would allow for a high wire stunt to take place over hundreds — OK, dozens — of celebrities if they didn’t control every facet of the landing, and how convenient was it that every camera in the house was ready to focus in on Em?

Still, many Rock Daily readers are convinced the stunt was a prank on an unwitting and P.O.’ed Eminem. Reader kett posted, “That definitely was NOT staged. Em was furious, and I for one do not blame him. Joke or not, no grown man wants another mans balls and junk in his face.” Other commenters helped spread a false rumor that Cohen was beat up by Eminem’s bodyguards post-show. Even though the incident was staged, it won’t prevent the Eminem and Cohen sandwich from becoming one of the greatest, most hilarious moments in MTV awards show history.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/06/02/eminem-and-brunos-mtv-awards-stunt-was-staged-writer-says/

Eminem out-sells other US albums

Eminem's new record Relapse has sold more copies in its first week of release than any other album released in the US this year.

Nielsen SoundScan, the firm that tracks music sales, said his first album in nearly five years sold 608,000 copies.

The record beat Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown, which topped the charts last week, after selling 215,000 copies in three days.

Eminem is currently number one in the UK and US album chart.

Relapse is Eminem's fifth straight number one album.

His last record in 2004, Encore, sold 711,000 in its first week - though that was only across four days.

It went on to sell 5.1 million copies.

In February the star's long-awaited comeback single broke a download record and topped the US Billboard singles chart.

Crack A Bottle, which also features Dr Dre, sold more than 418,000 online copies, the most ever in a first week of release.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8071848.stm

Are Eminem And 50 Cent Touring Together This Summer?

Are Eminem and 50 Cent touring together this summer? For now, fans can only hope — MTV News' requests to label reps for comment had not been answered at press time — but according to G-Unit member Lloyd Banks, there's been preliminary talk about possibly ramping up the Anger Management Tour again.

"I'm in and out the office, and there's conversations," Banks told MTV News recently. "I'm just as excited as the fans are. The first Anger Management Tour, I wasn't a part of."

Banks said that if Em and 50 do go out, he'll definitely be on the show with the rest of G-Unit.

Eminem was recently a guest on BBC's "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross," and he told the host that he hasn't solidified his touring plans yet.

"As far as touring, I haven't got that far to really figure it out yet. I haven't got that part," he said. "I'm kinda in album cycle right now and promoting. But we'll see how it goes."

Em has been back onstage in promotion of his new LP, Relapse,which officially drops Tuesday. He performed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Friday, will rock the Kimmel stage again this week, and he announced a special free MySpace concert in Detroit on Tuesday night.

Em's new DJ, acclaimed producer the Alchemist, told Mixtape Daily that he really gets a charge out of seeing Em do the Relapse record "Underground."

"When I first heard [Relapse], that was the song I said, 'This is gonna shut mutha----ers up.' Straight up. It would not be an issue," Al said. "Nobody would be like, 'I didn't like this, I didn't like the flow.' ... When we perform that song, Em takes a spot on the stage, and that's it. He picks a spot and dumbs out. There's not a lot of moving.

"When we're rehearing the song, you know, 'This is gonna be something crazy.' He says, 'Turn the lights down,' they put the spotlight on Em, and it's just snap rap. In the current day and age, you don't hear songs like that. It doesn't seem like any of that other sh-- going on in the world or in the music industry was going on in his mind when he [made the song]. He was strictly into the craft. I don't think anybody is f---ing with that."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1611612/20090518/eminem.jhtml

Eminem's Next Single, '3 A.M.,' Leaks Online

With all the hoopla surrounding the release of Eminem's first solo album since 2004, it seems like everyone is forgetting about Slim Shady.

Well, Em's evil rhyme persona blasts his way back on the Detroit lyricist's "3 A.M.," a track from the upcoming Relapse that leaked online Thursday night (April 23). Over a menacing Dr. Dre beat, Shady exhibits a pronounced zigzag flow as he paints the picture of a fictional late-night homicidal crusade.

"I duck and I splash/ Lights and gas/ Last night was a blast/ I can't quite remember when I had/ That much fun with a half-pint of the Jack/ My last Vic and half/ A flashlight up Kim Kardashian's ass," the rapper spits on the third verse of the more-than-five-minute opus.

Eminem appeared on his Sirius satellite radio channel Shade 45 on Thursday morning and discussed his project. The rapper said Dr. Dre produced the majority of the album, with the exception of one track Em did himself. He said stepping away from the boards enabled him to play with his flow more, resulting in different rhyme styles from the rapper.

"I tried to pick the [Dre beats] that challenged me, rhythm-wise," Em said. "I ended up experimenting with a bunch of different flows. I try to do that every album, but this time I had a chance to go all out with it. Make every flow different and pick unique beats."

Em also confirmed that he had filmed a video recently for "3 A.M." The rapper said the clip was shot in Detroit and would be the next video from his project, which is due May 19. Em called the darker song more in line with what his album would sound like. The first single from the effort, "We Made You," is a spoof track that takes aims at celebrities.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1609928/20090423/eminem.jhtml

He's the King of Detroit and they're the Kings of Rock. Sounds like royalty will be in the building next month as Eminem is scheduled to induct Run-DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4. Em was announced as a participant in the festivities late Friday afternoon (March 20).

According to The Associated Press, Em will join Jimmy Page, the Rolling Stones' Ron Wood, Flea and Smokey Robinson as presenters during the ceremony, held at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland.

The reclusive rapper is slowly starting to re-enter the public consciousness. Recently, his label, Interscope, announced the rapper would release his forthcoming project, Relapse, on May 19. Slim Shady's protégé, 50 Cent, told MTV News it was his idea for Eminem to also put out a second album before the year's up.

"You can't ask for more excitement from a hip-hop perspective than two Eminem albums," 50 said. "One is great. It's a treat. But the second one is exciting.

"Actually, it was my idea for him to release two albums, because he had so much material over a time period," the G-Unit star added. "The [second album] kind of feels like a sequel. They're both written to one topic almost ... it felt like part one and part two of the [same album]. They tie together."

Before he adds more credits toward his own future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Em is sure to speak graciously about Run-DMC. In interviews, the Detroit lyricst often name-checks artists who have had an influence on him, and certainly the trio from Queens made the list.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1607474/20090320/id_3082568.jhtml

Universal Music wins Eminem royalties trial

Eminem's record label, Universal Music, has won a jury verdict after being sued for money the rapper's former publishing company, FBT Productions, claimed it owed to the artist.

FBT Productions chiefs claimed that Universal owed Eminem $1.47 million (£1 million) in damages due to under-paying him royalties for music downloads. They would have collected 40 percent of any money going to the rapper.

Yesterday (March 6) the jury at the U.S. District Court in California judged in favour of the record label. They did, however, deem that Universal should pay FBT $159,000 (£113,000) with regards to a separate case focusing on misallocation of royalties.

Eminem was not personally involved in the case.

http://www.nme.com/news/eminem/43296