Rubber! Semi-Naked Men! The New Lady Gaga Video

Topless men, a rubber-clad nun, androgyny, seductive dance moves and a pierced human heart? It's all part of a new music video that could only belong to Lady Gaga.

Directed by fashion photographer Steven Klein, the nearly 9-minute long video for the singer's current single, "Alejandro," premiered Tuesday, featuring Gaga with a new cropped cut in a sequence of black-and-white images resembling both Madonna's "Vogue," "Express Yourself" and Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation."

But there's also signature Gaga touches as well. From the circular goggles to the black veil she dons as a grieving lover, the singer, 24, who told Larry King the video has a "homoerotic military theme," even goes topless towards the end of the video.

Sneak Peek: Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" Video

The wait is almost over!

Fans of Lady Gaga, who've already mastered the dance sequences in the video for "Telephone," will be up for another challenge on Monday when the singer will reportedly release her latest video for the current single, "Alejandro."

A teaser clip that hit the Web Tuesday offers a glimpse of the video, which was directed by fashion photographer Steven Klein.

On CNN, Gaga told Larry King the video has a "homoerotic military theme." While fans will certainly take her for that they can see for themselves that in the clip the video resembles Madonna's "Vogue," "Express Yourself" or even Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation." What do you think?

MUZOPHILE: The Decade Collection #7

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MUZOPHILE: The Decade Collection #37

#37 in the "MUZOPHILE: The Decade Collection" of his 100 favorite dance club mixes goes to Janet Jackson's newest release "Make Me" (Dave Aude Club Mix) from this year.



For more MUZO, visit his blog at: http://blog.muzophile.com/.

American Music Awards Performances

Many of the big names in the music world performed at last night's American Music Awards. Here are my favorite performances:

ADAM LAMBERT


LADY GAGA


JENNIFER LOPEZ


BLACK EYED PEAS


WHITNEY HOUSTON


JANET JACKSON


SHAKIRA


MARY J. BLIGE


KELLY CLARKSON


JAY-Z & ALICIA KEYS


CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Janet Jackson:Michael Was in Denial Over Drug Use

Nearly five months after Michael Jackson's death, Janet Jackson shed new light on her brother's alleged longtime prescription drug addiction.

In a new interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, the pop star revealed that she (and her family) staged a drug intervention on more than one occasion.

"Of course, that's what you do," she says. "Those are the things that you do when you love someone. You can't just let them continue on that way. And we did a few times. We weren't very successful."

Was Michael in denial? "Possibly," says the singer, 43.

She adds, "I wish he could answer this question for you and not me. I felt that he was in denial."

As for Michael's reaction to the family, she says he understood that their motives were "out of love," but adds, "You can't make 'em drink the water. I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer – but it's, it's something that you can't do for them. Something they have to do for themselves."

In the interview, the singer also makes no qualms about who she believes is responsible for Michael's death in June.

"I think [Dr. Conrad Murray] is responsible. He was the one administering," she says, referring to Michael's personal physician. Murray was with Michael the morning he died, and has admitted giving the singer the powerful anesthetic propofol.

Roberts's In the Spotlight with Janet Jackson aired on Wednesday night.

Janet Jackson Blames Doctor for Michael's Death

Janet Jackson is very clear about who she thinks should be held responsible for the tragic death of her brother, Michael Jackson.

Dr. Conrad Murray "was the one that was administering [propofol]," she says in a new interview with Robin Roberts on ABC News, referring to the powerful anesthetic that killed the star. "I think he is responsible."

Murray, who has admitted administering propofol to the singer, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Janet Jackson, 43, also describes how she found out her brother had been rushed to the hospital – and how she later learned the shocking news that he'd passed away.

"I was at my house in New York. You know, another day. Another morning. And I get a call ... [My assistant] said, 'Your brother's been taken to the hospital. It's on CNN right now,'" Janet tells Roberts. "I called everyone's … There's a line busy or someone wasn't picking up. I spoke to mother. I spoke to Tito. I spoke to my nephew Austin. I spoke to my sister La Toya.

"I told them to call me when they got to the hospital. And I remember thinking nobody's calling me back, so I tried calling again, and that's how I found out that he was no longer ... I couldn't believe it," she said. "It just didn't ring true to me. It felt like a dream."

Even now, she says, "It's still so difficult for me to believe. It's, you know, you have to accept what is. But it's hard. You have to move on with your life. You have to accept what is and I understand that."

As for how she's coping she says, "It's been a tough year … And a day doesn't go by that I don't think about him."

Roberts' interview with Janet Jackson will air Wednesday, November 18th at 10 pm (EST) on ABC.

Janet Jackson to Star in Opening Number at the American Music Awards

Janet Jackson is slated to be the opening number at the American Music Awards this year. The "All For You" singer is going to be the star of the medley which will open the show November 22nd. Her late brother Michael is nominated for 5 awards.

American Music Awards producer Larry Klein said: “We’re thrilled about having Janet Jackson open this year’s show. She is an incredibly dynamic performer and I think the audience will be excited to see what she has in store.”

This will be the fourth AMAs performance for the star, who has won 9 of the awards in previous years, and follows her moving tribute to her brother at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in September.

It was announced earlier this week Whitney Houston, who has won a huge 21 AMAs from 37 nominations, will be honored with the International Artist Award and perform her new single 'I Didn't Know My Own Strength' at the star-studded ceremony. Other stars to perform at this year's AMAs at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre include Lady Gaga, Eminem, Jay-Z, Shakira, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Green Day, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

Star Sighting: Ciao Bella!

Janet Jackson shows off her sparkling smile as she arrives at amfAR Milano, the organization's inaugural event to benefit AIDS research, Monday in Milan. The singer was on hand to chair the event, which is held in conjunction with Milan Fashion Week 2009.

MUZOPHILE: The Decade Collection #99

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Michael Jackson Tribute on the MTV VMAs

After Madonna's opening speech, the tribute to Michael Jackson continued with great choreography to some of his hits and an amazing performance of "Scream" by Janet Jackson.

MTV Shows

Taylor Swift Wins Best Female Video – Upsetting Kanye West

In true VMA form, the MTV awards show did not stick to the script.

The first winner of the night, Taylor Swift for best female video, was victim to this when she was rudely and quickly interrupted by Kanye West, who cut off her acceptance speech. He stole the microphone to announce that fellow nominee Beyoncé had "one of the greatest videos of all time," in "Single Ladies."

"I was standing on stage and I was really excited because I'd just won the award and then I was really excited because Kanye West was on stage," Swift recalled after the show. "And then I wasn't excited anymore after that."

For her part, Beyoncé appeared shocked by the outburst and the crowd booed the rapper. Off-camera, when West returned to his seat, audience members gave a still-stunned Swift (who was ushered off the stage before finishing her speech) a standing ovation.

After the incident, West, who was photographed drinking what looked like liquor on the red carpet, was not in his seat at Radio City Music Hall. A security guard said the rapper left the venue and would not be allowed to come back inside.

"I don't want to start anything," Swift said after the show when asked about hard feelings. "I had a great day tonight. I've been sent so many text messages and everyone's been really nice. I've had a really, really fun night."

Stars watching the show and tweeting immediately posted their thoughts on the incident. "Kanye needs to learn how to wait his turn," Zac Hanson wrote. "I am sure he will get plenty of mic time to say something stupid later in the show."

Country singer John Rich went even further with his tweet: “KanyeWest is a lowlife. He needs to have his @@@ kicked in the middle of the stage right now! What a piece of @@@@!!! Go TAYLOR SWIFT.”

Pink, who was also nominated for best female video, tweeted: “Kanye west is the biggest piece of s– on earth. Quote me.”

And Katy Perry followed suit: “F– U KANYE. IT'S LIKE U STEPPED 0N A KITTEN.”

Later, when Diddy and Jamie-Lynn Sigler took the stage to announce the best male video winner (rapper TI took it), they mentioned each of the nominees, including West, who was loudly booed by the crowd.

The show, however, got off to a more respectful start, with a heartfelt tribute to Michael Jackson in which Madonna called him, "so unique, so original, so rare. He was a king." And, she added, he's got a loyal following of royal subjects.

"My sons, age 9 and 4, are obsessed with [him]. There's a whole lot of crotch-grabbing and moonwalking going on in my house."

After her speech, Janet took the stage at the end of a Michael Jackson medley. Performing in front of the brother and sister's "Scream" video, Janet channeled her late brother's dance moves.

MTV's VMA Awards Tonight!

Before MTV settles into its annual teenybopper party known as the Video Music Awards, the ceremony will have a tender moment.

Janet Jackson will kick off the show tonight with a tribute to her late brother. Michael Jackson's death on June 25th was soon followed by the BET Awards (where Janet Jackson also appeared), but the King of Pop was more closely aligned with MTV, the music network.

Though MTV dragged its feet at first in showing the music videos of black artists, the network's meteoric rise in the 1980s came in tandem with Jackson's, whose music videos such as "Thriller" and "Bad" set the standard for the form.

The VMAs are familiar ground for the family. Janet Jackson has won nine VMAs. Michael Jackson famously opened the 1994 VMAs by kissing his then-wife, Lisa Marie Presley.

MTV will also premiere the trailer for "This Is It," the documentary about Jackson's preparations to hold 50 concerts in London.

"There's obviously lots of emotion around Michael and the memory of Michael, but I think it's going to be a pretty celebratory kind of night all around," said Dave Sirulnick, the show's executive producer and vice president of production at MTV. "It's all about that balance."

Sirulnick declined to give specifics to the Jackson tribute, but said that there's been "quite a few people working hard on it for quite a number of weeks now."

Since the Jacksons' heyday, though, the importance of videos has diminished greatly - a development ironically evident at the Video Music Awards. The network's trademark Moonmen trophies will be handed out (Beyonce and Lady Gaga lead the pack with nine nominations), but the awards will be a minor part of the spectacle.

Instead of a parade of speeches, the ceremony will include performances from Beyonce, Jay-Z, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Muse and Pink. The rapper Wale and go-go band UCB will serve as the house band.

"Twilight," the teenage vampire sensation, will also be a constant presence. Footage from the eagerly anticipated sequel, "New Moon," will be presented by the film's stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. Ashley Greene, a co-star in "New Moon," will serve as a fashion correspondent on the red carpet.

"It's an opportunity for a worldwide audience to look in and see what is hot right now - what is at the epicenter today," said Sirulnick.

Last year's host, British comedian and actor Russell Brand, returns for a second time to preside over the festivities. In his first time hosting, Brand memorably mocked the Jonas Brothers' purity rings.

This year's VMAs will be broadcast live on MTV and MTV.com from Radio City Music Hall in New York, beginning at 9:00 pm (ET).

Janet Jackson on Michael: 'It's Really Hard To Believe He's Passed'

Janet Jackson who will honor her late brother Michael during a special appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night, admits in her first interview since his death, "I've been doing okay," but adds, "It's really hard to believe he's passed."

The singer, 43, who appears on the cover of the October issue of Harper's Bazaar, tells the magazine the last time she saw Michael alive was at family gathering on May 14, where they cracked each other up over Thai food. "We had so much fun that day ... [He] would laugh so hard, he would just start crying," she says.

Jackson was on the Atlanta set of her upcoming Tyler Perry movie when she heard the tragic news; she flew to Los Angeles to grieve with the family – and was there to comfort Michael's "sweet" daughter Paris, 11, after she spoke at the Staples Center memorial on July 7. "I was really proud [of her]," she says, adding that Paris and her brothers Prince, 12, and Blanket, 7, "are all so smart. "

As for how the kids (now being raised by grandmother Katherine Jackson) are coping, Janet tells the magazine, "They're with all their cousins. That family love, that will keep them going."

What's keeping Janet going is an inner strength inherited from her mother. "I always wanted to have my mother's strength, but I didn't know if it was really there. ... Now at least I know that I can step up to the plate and not crumble when I'm needed. When it comes to something like this that is so, so serious, so painful, so traumatic, I can handle it."

Brotherly Love

In the interview, the singer, nicknamed "Dunk" by Michael, reminisces about her brother's sense of humor – "Sometimes his humor would be corny, sometimes dry," she says – and their special relationship.

Says Janet, "He was always very protective of me."

And she took care of him, as well: "When I was 14 years old, I would shop for him, washed his clothes, cleaned his room. When Mother would go out of town, she'd say ‘I'm leaving you in charge, take care of Mike.' I would head home from school, see what he needed, then go straight to the stores."

Janet also reveals the origin of the now-iconic sequined black jacket Michael wore for Motown's 25th anniversary: "That's our mother's! He grabbed that from her closet!"

Expanding Family

Twice-married Jackson, who is single since splitting with longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, also talks to the magazine about her romantic prospects.

"I've had people ask me out," she says, but she hasn't taken anyone up on their offers.

As far as she is concerned, whether she ever marries again – or even has kids ("Sure, I'd adopt," she says) – is out of her hands.

Says the singer, "I'll put it like this: if God wants me to, then I will."

Janet Jackson to Honor Michael at VMAs

The Video Music Awards will pay homage to Michael Jackson when his sister Janet opens the show at Radio City Music Hall in New York on September 13th, MTV announced Tuesday.

It's not known whether Janet will perform – it's being billed as a "special appearance" – but her mere presence on stage is expected to give the show an emotional punch.

Michael, who died June 25th at age 50, was finally laid to rest last week in a mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. His death was ruled a homicide – death at the hands of another – and several doctors and pharmacies are under investigation

Janet Jackson Speaks at BET Awards About Her Beloved Brother, Michael

Last Night's BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium was turned into a tribute to the late Michael Jackson who died Thursday.

His little sister Janet Jackson, a superstar in her own right, made a surprise appearance on the show and tearfully said to the audience: “My entire family wanted to be here tonight but it was too painful.”

Here is the rest of what Janet said:

“To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in our hearts. On behalf of my family and myself thank you for your love and support. We miss him so much. Thank you so much.”

After Janet left the stage, host Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo sang a tribute duet to Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.”

Here is Janet's speech and the performance by Jamie and Ne-Yo.