Eminem Wallpapers

Awards show draws 26.6 million viewers, up 35 percent from last year.By Gil Kaufman Lady Gaga performs at the 2010 Grammys Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images It should be no surprise that major wins and performances by some of last year's biggest-selling artists helped lift the ratings for Sunday night's 52nd annual Grammy Awards. A buzz-inducing performance from Lady Gaga and Elton John, a stunning aerial show from Pink and talked-about nominations for Taylor Swift and Beyoncé helped boost ratings by 35 percent over last year's show. Variety reported that, according to Nielsen, the telecast drew approximately 26.6 million viewers, the highest numbers since the 2004 show. "I think the 12- to 34-year-olds really tune in for this kind of stuff, and they know when their people are going to be on the air," said Stuart Levine, assistant managing editor at Variety, referring to young viewers who are fans of Gaga, Swift and Beyoncé and who likely tuned in to the broadcast in much larger numbers than usual. "Artists like Beyoncé and Gaga are such pop-culture icons at this point that their performances really draw people in. [Big 2009 winner] Robert Plant [who took home five awards last year, including Album of the Year for his bluegrass collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand] and Bruce Springsteen are great for my demo, but my 15-year-old daughter doesn't really tune in for them but will watch anything Lady Gaga and Beyoncé do." A Record of the Year win by young turks Kings of Leon and six trophies for Beyoncé were sure to keep young viewers' interest. Another factor is the big night for Swift, who took home four awards, including Album of the Year. "The fact is that the Grammys don't always tap into country acts as much as rock, and with Swift having such a big year, viewers who might not normally watch, or who typically tune out because they don't think country will get a fair shake, helped the numbers jump too," Levine said, noting that another country act, the Zac Brown Band, won for Best New Artist, which also likely helped lure country fans to the show. Also boosting interest in the show were a pair of special performances, including one by Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige that was a fundraiser for Haiti relief, and a 3-D all-star tribute to Michael Jackson featuring Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson and Celine Dion. The thundering rap summit featuring Eminem, Drake, Lil Wayne and Travis Barker probably didn't hurt when it came to drawing in younger viewers either, Levine said. "They'll watch it on TV the first time, then download the music, watch it on YouTube and Hulu and other sites after, over and over," he said. All in all, the focus on show-stopping performances from some of today's hottest acts — Swift had last year's biggest-selling album with Fearless and Gaga was not far behind with The Fame — and big wins from a new generation of young stars proved a winning combination for the half-century-old awards show. The 2010 Grammy Awards may be over, but MTV News will have much, much more from the show, including reports on your favorite nominees, party photos, behind-the-scenes video and much more from the big show! Related Videos Stars Shine On The 2010 Grammys Red Carpet Related Photos 2010 Grammy Parties Lady Gaga's Grammy Night Fashions The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Performances Related Artists Lady Gaga Michael Jackson

'He gave me that reassurance,' Drake says of Eminem's pre-show pep talk.By Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Sway Calloway Drake performs at the Grammys Sunday Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images "I think it's a great night for hip-hop," Drake said at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (January 31). "Just that medium being acknowledged at all." The 23-year-old Canadian, himself acknowledged with two nominations, also had a great night — he got to close the show with the first-ever live performance of "Forever," joining Lil Wayne and Eminem on the Grammy stage. And while Drake is certainly used to rocking stages with his Young Money boss Weezy, he got some surprising encouragement from Slim Shady during rehearsals. "Em gave me probably one of the best speeches ... not really a speech, but ... he gave me that reassurance." Drake said on the red carpet. "He was like, 'Man, anytime you need to look over at me, don't get nervous. Just look over at me, man, and I'll give it back to you. Everything will be alright. Don't be nervous.' For him to say that to me — I feel like that was an important moment. It was nice." One glaring omission from "Forever," though, was the appearance of Kanye West. The Louis Vuitton Don is apparently back in the lab. "I think 'Ye's in a good creative space right now," Drizzy said of his absence. "I think he's trying to create that next album the world needs. I know he's working very hard somewhere." During the medley, Lil Wayne and Eminem also performed "Drop the World" from Wayne's Rebirth album, in stores Tuesday. The 2010 Grammy Awards may be over, but MTV News will have much, much more from the show, including reports on your favorite nominees, party photos, behind-the-scenes video and much more from the big show! Related Videos Stars Shine On The 2010 Grammys Red Carpet Grammys 2010: Red-Hot Performances Related Photos The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Performances Related Artists Drake Lil Wayne Eminem

The trio of MCs are backed by Travis Barker on drums.By Shaheem Reid Lil Wayne and Eminem perform at the 2010 Grammy Awards Photo: Michael Caulfield/ WireImage Lil Wayne, Eminem and Drake closed out the Grammy Awards on Sunday (January 31) — and gave the censors a workout — with a medley of "Forever" and unannounced surprise track "Drop the World," marking the first time the group had performed either song live onstage. The performance started with Wayne, wearing a white jacket and white T-shirt that read "Listen to Lil Wayne," spitting his opening verse from "Drop the World." "I got ice in my veins, blood in my eyes/ Hate in my heart, love on my mind/ I seen nights full of pain, days of the same/ You keep the sunshine, save me the rain." After his verse and chorus, Eminem walked onstage to audio problems — his live vocals were inaudible over the track. Slim Shady — who filmed the video to the song Saturday with Wayne — kicked in with his rapid-fire flow just as the mic began to work again. A live band, which included Blink-182's Travis Barker on drums, backed the MCs. When the beat changed to "Forever," Drake joined the crew while Wayne and Em hyped in the background. The studio version of "Forever" also features Kanye West, however he didn't make it to the awards — Drake said before the show that 'Ye was in a "creative space." On Friday, Travis Barker didn't offer much more in the way of details. "I don't know," he said about West's whereabouts. "Someone said he's in Hawaii writing an album. I would stay there." West's friends and musical collaborators have been tweeting that Kanye is working on an "inspiring" new album. The 2010 Grammy Awards may be over, but MTV News will have much, much more from the show, including reports on your favorite nominees, party photos, behind-the-scenes video and much more from the big show! Related Videos Grammys 2010: Red-Hot Performances Related Photos The 2010 Grammy Awards Red Carpet The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Performances Related Artists Lil Wayne Eminem Drake

Performances from Lady Gaga and Elton John, Pink, the Black Eyed Peas and others steal the show.By James Montgomery Beyoncé at the 2010 Grammy Awards Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic There were plenty of over-the-top moments during Sunday night's (January 31) 52nd annual Grammy Awards, but none of them could outshine Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Yes, the dynamic duo — who were nominated for a combined 16 Grammy Awards — took home 10 of them, with Beyoncé winning six, including Song of the Year, and Swift snagging four, including the night's biggest trophy, Album of the Year. "I hope that you know how much this means to me ... that we get to take this back to Nashville!" Swift squealed while accepting the Album of the Year award. "Our families are freaking out in their living rooms! My dad and my little brother are losing their minds in our living room right now!" Swift's three other Grammys came in the country category, with Fearless winning Best Country Album and her hit "White Horse" grabbing Best County Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Beyoncé's haul was spread out across many categories. Her ubiquitous "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" won three Grammys, for Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. "Halo" won for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance, and her version of Etta James' "At Last" took home the award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. "This has been such an amazing night for me," B said while accepting her Best Female Pop award. "I'd like to thank my family, including my husband. I love you." Following close behind Beyoncé and Swift were a pair of artists who won three Grammys, including Jay-Z (Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration) and the Kings of Leon, who shocked many (but not us) when their "Use Somebody" took home Record of the Year, a win they were definitely in the mood to celebrate. "We're a little drunk, but we're happy drunk," Kings drummer Nathan Followill laughed while accepting the award, before rattling off a lengthy "thank you" list. "If there's anyone else I forgot; I'll buy you shots later." Later in the telecast, while accepting the Grammy for Best Rock Album, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong sounded like he was looking to party too, signing off with, "And now, I'm gonna have shots with Kings of Leon!" Also in the mood to celebrate: the Black Eyed Peas, who won three Grammys (one for Best Short Form Music Video); Eminem, who took home two awards; and Lady Gaga, who won two of her own (though both were during the pre-televised ceremony). 2010 Grammy Awards Performances But for all the award-accepting merriment, it was the performances that shined brightest on this Grammy night. Or at least they shined the loudest. Show producers gave out only a handful of awards during the actual telecast, deciding to focus instead on the talents they had assembled inside the Staples Center, and that talent delivered, with one massive spectacle after the next. Lady Gaga kicked off the show with a theatrical version of "Poker Face" — which featured a steam-powered set dubbed "The Fame Factory," some flames and a pair of seriously sparkly shoulder pads — then welcomed Elton John to the stage for a dueling-piano take on Gaga's "Speechless" (and a few bars of the John/ Bernie Taupin classic "Your Song"). And, in keeping with the rather flamboyant nature of both artists, show producers made sure their conjoined piano was topped with severed mannequin arms. It was a pretty epic opening, but Beyoncé didn't back down from the challenge. She stormed into Staples with an army of riot-gear-clad escorts, then got down to belting out a fiery version of "If I Were a Boy," complete with a shredding backing band and a brief foray into Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know." She wrapped up her performance by channeling her inner Tina Turner, dropping to her knees and singing for the rafters. By the time B had gotten to her feet, so had the audience, who showered her with applause. Pink got aerial (and soaking wet) during her performance of "Glitter in the Air," which saw her wrapped in linen, sent soaring above the crowd at Staples, then dipped into a pool of water. The Black Eyed Peas rattled the roof with a booming medley of their hits, which featured a battalion of electric-clad dancers, Fergie donning her Robocop finest and Will.I.Am rocking an inexplicable black molding of his head on his head. And Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake and Travis Barker roared versions of Weezy's "Drop the World" and D's "Forever," though, judging by the frequent audio drops, it would seem the network censors got a little too anxious with the "delay" button. And then there was the much-hyped 3-D tribute to the late Michael Jackson, which featured Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson performing Jackson's "Earth Song," while 3-D images played around them (and featured unintentionally hilarious shots of stars like Rihanna, Beyoncé and Will.I.Am wearing their 3-D glasses in the audience). It will probably be remembered best for what happened next, as two of Jackson's children — son Prince and daughter Paris — accepted an honorary lifetime-achievement award in their father's memory. "I want to thank the fans, our father loved you so much," Prince said, his voice wavering slightly. "We will continue to spread his message and help the world." "Daddy was going to be here; he was going to perform this year, [because] he couldn't perform last year," his daughter Paris added. "Thank you. We love you, Daddy." It was an emotional moment in a night largely bereft of them, though the Dave Matthews Band's stirring performance of "You & Me," and Wyclef's from-the-heart speech about his native Haiti — in which he spoke in Creole and thanked the world for their support, before adding, "We will continue" — did manage to tug on the heartstrings. But this night will probably be best remembered for Beyoncé and Swift's dominance, not to mention the sheer spectacle of the performances, which proved that even in dour times, the music industry knows how to throw a party — a massive, eye-popping, over-the-top one at that. The 2010 Grammy Awards may be over, but MTV News will have much, much more from the show, including reports on your favorite nominees, party photos, behind-the-scenes video and much more from the big show! Related Videos Grammys 2010: Red-Hot Performances Related Photos The 2010 Grammy Awards Red Carpet The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Performances Related Artists Beyoncé Taylor Swift Elton John Black Eyed Peas Lady Gaga P!nk

'We're about to start working on it,' drummer says of new LP.By James Montgomery Travis Barker Photo: MTV News Travis Barker has heard what both of his Blink-182 bandmates have had to say about the status of the group's much-anticipated new album ... that it would be coming out in 2011 or, alternatively, that it would be coming out much sooner. And now, he's wading into the fray. When MTV News caught up with Barker backstage at the Grammy Awards on Sunday (January 31) — minutes after he rocked the stage with Lil Wayne, Eminem and Drake — we asked him for an update on Blink's follow up to their self-titled 2003 effort. And, from the sound of things, it's gonna be a long year for Blink fans. "We're about to start working on it. I'm gonna try to wrap up my album and, uh, Tom has his band, he's wrapping up that album, and they we'll start working on a Blink record," Barker said. "We go to Europe in August for all the festivals ... we do, like, six weeks out there, and then our album will come out probably early next year." A spokesperson for Blink-182's label Interscope did not respond to MTV News' request for comment at press time. So while the band seem to be following bassist Mark Hoppus's plan of "just getting back in the studio and do what we do," the fruits of that plan might not be heard for a while. But Barker maintains that a new Blink record is still very much the top priority for all three men, especially after they passed their first test — a high-profile reunion tour — with flying colors. "This summer was the test, and we got out there, and it was the best time I've had playing with those two dudes in my life," Barker said. "It felt even better than old times, so I can't wait to do an album together again." Are you looking forward to the new Blink-182 album? Let us know in the comments below, or upload a video to Your.MTV.com! Related Videos Stars Shine On The 2010 Grammys Red Carpet Related Photos The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Performances Related Artists blink-182 Travis Barker