MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 18th, 2010

LUDACRIS DEBUTS AT NUMBER ONE

Ludacris scores his fourth number one on the Billboard album chart as Battle of the Sexes debuts at the top, selling over 137-thousand copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.   The Gorillaz debut at number two with Plastic Beach selling over 112-thousand copies.   Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now slips down to number three after climbing back to the top of the chart last week.   Jimi Hendrix’s Valleys of Neptune bows at number four.   It marks the legendary guitarist’s highest-charting album since The Cry of Love reached number three back in 1971. Gary Allan’s Get Off on the Pain debuts at number five and Sade’s Soldier of Love falls four spots to number six.   Broken Bells, the collaboration between Brian Burton (a-k-a producer Danger Mouse) and the Shins’ singer James Mercer, opens at number seven.   Lady Gaga’s The Fame is down one notch to number eight, the Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D. drops one spot to number nine, while Blake Shelton’s Hillbilly Bone falls seven slots to number 10.    

PEAS, KEYS & MORE TO PLAY FIFA WORLD CUP

The Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Juanes, Shakira and more will perform at the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert.   The event takes place on June 10th, the night before the first match, at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Fans who are going to be in South Africa can get tickets at CompuTicket.com.

BEP’S LA AFTER PARTY BENEFIT

The Black Eyed Peas are hosting an after-show party at L.A. LIVE’s Club Nokia on Monday, March 29th with special DJ sets from will.i.am and apl.de.ap plus LMFAO and a DJ set by RedFoo. A portion of the proceeds raised will benefit the Haiti and Chile earthquake relief efforts.   The party will feature a specialty cocktail in honor of the tour called the Bacardi V.I.Pea.   Tickets for the March 29th Official After-Show Party go on-sale tomorrow at 1 PM Eastern.   The Peas are playing two sold out concerts at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, March 29th and Tuesday, March 30th.   The latter show will be beamed out live to movie theaters across the country.  

TICKET INFO: Reserved VIP seats (including access to the club’s private lounge) are available for 30 dollars.   General Admission tickets are 25 dollars if purchased in advance and 30 dollars the day of the event, if available.   Fans attending either of the Staples Center concerts can purchase General Admission tickets for 10 dollars in advance or 15 dollars the day of the show, if available, by showing their show their Black Eyed Peas ticket.

MADONNA TO DESIGN SUNGLASSES?

Madonna recently announced that she will be creating her own clothing line to be sold in Macy’s.   But is the Queen of Pop getting into the accessory game as well?   According to British paper The Sun, Madge is now set to design sunglasses with Dolce & Gabbana.   No word yet on when they will hit stores.

FOX NEWS RIPS GAGA FOR “TELEPONE” VIDEO

Fox News has taken aim at Lady GaGa’s new “Telephone” video. During a segment on America Live, host Megyn Kelly interviewed Sandy Rios of The Culture Campaign. Rios ripped the video for showing mass murder and said it should be banned because it is “poison for the minds of our kids.”   Kelly stated that Madonna has done many of the same things and Rios, who seemed to know nothing about the Material Girl, stated that Gaga’s “Telephone” video is much worse than anything Madge has done.  

http://thatgrapejuice.net/2010/03/fox-news-slam-lady-gaga-telephone-video/

ORIANTHI ON THE TONIGHT SHOW

Orianthi performed her song “According To You” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night.   Don’t worry if you missed the performance, because you can catch it online now.   Head to Hulu.com to check it out.

LADY ANTEBELLUM WEBISODE WEDNESDAY FOR FANS

In honor of Lady Antebellum’s 100th Webisode Wednesday video blog, the trio has asked fans to record their favorite Webisode Wednesday moment. On Wednesday, April 7th, Lady A will choose their favorite fan submitted video to air on an upcoming Webisode. The winner will also receive a Lady Antebellum flip camera equipped with a personal message from the band. For more information, fans can visit the group’s Web site at LadyAntebellum.com.

LADY ANTEBELLUM JOINS FORCES WITH JOHN LEGEND

Lady Antebellum shares a special bond with R&B star John Legend after co-writing a song together. Hillary Scott told The Boot they’re unsure if they will cut the song or if someone else will, but one thing is certain – the track will stay on Hillary’s iPod. She said, “Just to be able to turn on my iPod and listen to a song we wrote with him, and hear him sing the demo is awesome. I’m so happy we were able to do that.”

DAVID ARCHULETA MAKES ANOTHER TRIP TO NASHVILLE

David Archuleta, the latest American Idol finalist who has gone country, was in spotted in Nashville last week, ready to write more songs for his next album. According to USA Today, David met up with singer-songwriter Joy Williams and together they collaborated with other writers who have worked with hit-makers like Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw. When all was said and done, David left the studio with about 20 songs for his new album.

ROB THOMAS APP FOR BLACKBERRY

Rob Thomas has just released an application for BlackBerry, so now you can take the matchbox twenty frontman with you wherever you go.   The app connects directly to the singer-songwriter’s official Web site, giving you access to tour dates, music, images and much more.   Learn more at RobThomasMusic.com.

SEE DAUGHTRY REHEARSING

Daughtry’s tour kicks off tonight in Baltimore, Maryland.   The band has been in rehearsals in the days leading up to the first show, and frontman Chris has just posted some pictures on his Twitter page.   Check them out now at Twitter.com/Chris_Daughtry.

THE SCRIPT ON REGIS AND KELLY

On Tuesday, The Script performed their hit song “Breakeven” on Live with Regis and Kelly.   The band has just posted the performance on their official Web site, so head to TheScriptMusic.com to check it out.

WHAT KIND OF MAN IS JESSICA SIMPSON LOOKING FOR?

Jessica Simpson has come out and said that John Mayer won’t get her “sexual napalm” ever again, so what kind of man is she looking for exactly?   The singer, who has also been romantically linked to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, went on Barbara Walters’ radio show and said, “What is attractive to me about a man is a man’s spirituality. Just the way he carries himself. I kind of like a rough man a little bit.   A man’s man.”   She also said that her man must be “confident” and able to “deal” with her life.

WOMAN IN “TELEPHONE” VIDEO SPEAKS

You may remember one scene in Lady Gaga’s epic video for “Telephone” where, in the prison yard, the pop star makes out with another woman.   Well that lady is Heather Cassils, and she was interviewed by Out magazine about necking with one of the world’s most successful musicians.   Cassils called the experience “intense,” that it “happened naturally,” and that it was actually Gaga who “put her tongue” in Cassil’s mouth.   Read the whole article, and re-watch the video, at Out.com.

KATE VOEGELE AND KRIS ALLEN WRITE TOGETHER

Kate Voegele is at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, but the singer-songwriter had some business to attend to before she left her home in Los Angeles.   Kate posted on her Twitter that she “wrote a great song” with the reigning American Idol Kris Allen, and that he’s “a sweetheart and so talented.”   No word yet on when we can hear the song.

KATE VOEGELE TO SUPPORT JORDIN SPARKS

Kate Voegele has just announced that she will be supporting Jordin Sparks on her forthcoming spring tour.   In a post on her official Web site, Kate wrote that she’s “beyond excited” for the opportunity.   The trek kicks off on April 25th in Sayreville, New Jersey, and will wrap up on May 23rd in Anaheim, California.   Head to KateVoegele.com to see when Kate and Jordin are coming to a town near you.

GREEN DAY ANNOUNCE SUMMER TOUR WITH AFI

Green Day has announced that they’ll be hitting the road this summer. The trio will embark on a U-S tour with AFI, starting on August 3rd in Camden, New Jersey. The band is set to announce a complete list of tour dates soon so stay tuned for details!

LIL WAYNE IS WANTED IN ARIZONA

TMZ has learned Lil Wayne has been issued a bench warrant in Arizona even though he’s currently serving a year-long sentence at Riker’s Island. Weezy is wanted by the Yuma County police in connection with his January 2008 arrest when the DEA allegedly found him with multiple firearms, 29-grams of cocaine, 41-grams of ecstasy and 105-grams of marijuana! Wayne was expected to appear in court yesterday, however due to his current circumstances he failed to show up.

50 CENT WANTS TO MAKE DANCE RECORDS?

ContactMusic.com reports 50 Cent wants to leave hardcore gangsta rap and record a European-inspired dance album. The mogul plans to make “more up-tempo music” and could potentially title the project Black Magic. In fact, 50 already recorded a song with his live band while visiting Europe. Fiddy stated, “I won’t allow myself to be placed in a box where I can only do one style, or do one kind of music.” He added, “They should expect the unexpected on this one. If they can understand how I enjoy different genres of music and different styles, for the people who have various tastes in music, they’ll really like it.”

JAY-Z TAKES BP3 TOUR OVERSEAS

SingersRoom.com has learned Jay-Z has announced that he is taking his BP3 tour to Europe. The rap mogul is expected to play several festivals in June, including the Rock am Ring Festival in Germany. In addition, Hova will perform in France, Scotland, Switzerland and Ireland during the summer. Visit LiveNation.com for all dates and venues.

DRAKE GIVES DETAILS ON “OVER” VIDEO

During a recent interview with MTV News, Drake revealed that he’s working hard to make a great video for his new single, “Over.” The emcee is approaching the clip with a director that he truly respects, Anthony Mandler. Drizzy explained, “We talked colors, we talked epic, emotion-evoking visuals. The story is actually interesting. The song is so aggressive, and it’s sort of a love story in the video.” Fans can expect Drake’s debut album, Thank Me Later, to arrive in stores later this year.

WYCLEF JEAN’S UNICEF BENEFIT CONCERT

Wyclef Jean will be making a guest appearance at a benefit concert for UNICEF to aid the children of Haiti. The event, which will also include a performance from acclaimed pianist Lang Lang, will be held at Carnegie Hall this Sunday. The GRAMMY Award-winning artist said in a statement, “This concert will allow us even more so to raise money for a cause that is so close to my heart.” All proceeds from the tickets will be donated to the U-S fund for UNICEF. Visit CarnegieHall.org to learn more.

NICKI MINAJ EXPLAINS “MASSIVE ATTACK” VIDEO

While shooting the video for her new single, “Massive Attack,” in the deserts of Lancaster, California, Nicki Minaj told MTV News what the concept is all about. The leading lady of Young Money Entertainment explained the clip was done in “an unexpected fashion, like I didn’t want to shoot the typical new artist video.” Nicki added, “We’re just invading the game right now, this is really a massive attack.” The video includes a cameo from Kanye West’s girlfriend, Amber Rose, and was directed by Hype Williams. No word on when it will be released.

ICE CUBE FILM AT TRIBECA/ESPN SPORTS FILM FESTIVAL

We’ve just learned Ice Cube’s Straight Outta L.A film is scheduled to premiere at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. The movie reportedly “explores the unlikely marriage between the NFL’s rebel franchise, the Raiders, and America’s glamour city, Los Angeles.” Learn more about the festival at TribecaFilm.com.

ESPN will also televise the film on May 11th.

DMX SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IN JAIL

Trouble continues to follow DMX, who must now serve six months in jail. According to TMZ, the rapper reportedly violated the terms of his probation after he failed a drug test. The emcee will serve his sentence inside a Phoenix jail and must also undergo a mental health evaluation. In addition, Dr. Drew’s Pasadena Recovery Center has offered to assist the troubled entertainer by letting him serve his time inside the rehabilitation center. Head over to TMZ to learn more.