Daily Archives: March 5, 2012

Montrose, 64, played with Sammy Hagar, Van Morrison.
By Gil Kaufman

Ronnie Montrose


Photo: FilmMagic

Rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose, who played on recordings from a wide variety of rock artists over a 40-year career, died on Saturday at age 64 after a long battle with prostate cancer.

A tribute posted on his official website read, “A few months ago, we held a surprise party for Ronnie Montrose’s 64th birthday. He gave an impromptu speech, and told us that after a long life, filled with joy and hardship, he didn’t take any of our love for granted. He passed today. He’d battled cancer, and staved off old age for long enough. And true to form, he chose his own exit the way he chose his own life. We miss him already, but we’re glad to have shared with him while we could.”

Born in San Francisco on November 29, 1947, Montrose picked up the guitar in his late teens and formed his first band, Sawbuck, in 1969.

He quickly established a reputation as a reliably fiery guitar hero sideman, beginning with his first major gig at age 23 when he was tapped to play on Van Morrison’s legendary 1971 album, Tupelo Honey. Montrose went on to play with such rock acts as Boz Scaggs and the Edgar Winter Group, including the latter’s stand-out hits, “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride.” In addition to appearing on two more albums by Van Morrison, he recorded tracks with Herbie Hancock, Gary Wright, Dan Hartman and the Beau Brummels.

Once he’d established his name, in 1973 Montrose formed a power trio with the then-unknown singer Sammy Hagar, who would go on to his own solo success and worldwide fame as the second lead singer of Van Halen. They recoded two major-label albums before Hagar took off to become a solo act. To this day, Hagar continues to play some of Montrose’s most beloved tunes in his live show, including songs such as “Bad Motor Scooter” and “Rock Candy” and “Make it Last.”

Montrose was initially diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and took two years off to recover from surgery, but hit the road again with his band after that, playing nearly 50 shows last year and continuing to appear on other artist’s recordings throughout his second cancer fight.

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‘It would be inaccurate to portray this show as anything other than completely dangerous,’ Robert Kirkman tells MTV News.
By Josh Wigler

Jeffrey DeMunn in “The Walking Dead”


Photo: AMC

Warning: Major spoilers for the latest episode of “The Walking Dead” lurk ahead!

Death is par for the course on “The Walking Dead,” but that knowledge wasn’t enough to prepare for the shocking death of fan-favorite character Dale. Veteran actor Jeffrey DeMunn made his final appearance on the AMC survival horror series on Sunday night, and as is custom for the show, his exit was a gruesome one: While strolling along the quiet fields of Hershel’s farm, Dale was mortally injured by a roaming zombie and, ultimately, euthanized by a bullet to the head from antihero Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus).

“Dale’s death comes at a time where he’s very much needed,” executive producer Robert Kirkman told MTV News about the shocking decision to kill DeMunn’s character. “[Rick and the gang] are trying to make this decision on what to do with Randall. The farm is becoming increasingly dangerous. There is still tension between Rick and Shane, despite the fact that it appears that they’ve put much of their differences behind them for now. They need that moral compass [in Dale], and it’s been taken away.”

Losing Dale will have massive repercussions on the rest of the “Walking Dead” cast, Kirkman promised. Chief among those feeling the sting will be Carl (Chandler Riggs), who was partially responsible for Dale’s death. Earlier in the episode, Carl wandered into the forest by himself and taunted a seemingly immobile zombie — the very same zombie that ripped Dale’s guts out.

“It’s interesting to see Carl doing kid stuff: going out on his own, trying to prove he’s strong enough to kill a zombie, proving that he’s deserving of carrying a gun,” Kirkman said. “He instigated this whole situation. We’re going to deal with his emotions and what comes from him causing Dale’s death to a certain extent. That’s definitely one of the big repercussions where Dale’s death affects these characters.”

Once again, Dale’s death proves that the “Walking Dead” TV series is more than willing to deviate from the “Walking Dead” comic books. In Kirkman’s comics, Dale survives dozens and dozens of issues before finally succumbing to a fatal zombie bite. Seeing the popular character leave the show so soon is bound to be a shock for longtime fans then — but that wasn’t the only kind of shock value Kirkman and company were aiming for.

“One of the things we wanted to do is show how dangerous these zombies actually are,” Kirkman said. “We were sitting around the writers’ room early on in the planning of season two, and we thought, you know, there aren’t a lot of zombies actually succeeding in what they’re trying to do. They eat people here and there, but we’ve never really had a zombie actually take down one of our main characters — at least not for a while, not since the first season. We wanted to remind people how dangerous these creatures are. It also threw a wrench in everyone’s plans to take Dale off the table, so those two ideas merged into one until we eventually came to offing this character.”

Fans aren’t just losing Dale, of course: they’re also losing DeMunn, one of the finest actors “The Walking Dead” has to offer. Taking an actor of such high caliber off the playing field is not something the “Dead” team treated lightly, Kirkman said.

“It’s a tremendous loss,” he admitted. “It’s difficult. It’s difficult for the cast, because they’ve become pretty much a family hanging out in rural Georgia. They keep each other company. It’s definitely a big deal [losing Jeffrey]; it sucks for everybody. Jeffrey in particular brought a serious sense of gravitas to the role and definitely legitimized this show by gracing us with his presence. We were lucky to get an actor of his caliber. He added a lot to the show, and his presence is definitely going to be missed.

“But,” Kirkman added, “this is ‘The Walking Dead.’ It would be inaccurate to portray this show as anything other than completely dangerous, and in order to do that, you have to lose characters from time to time.”

Were you shocked by Dale’s death? Tell us what you think in the comments or let me know on Twitter @roundhoward.

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‘It’s really exciting for me, ’cause I’m able to break out of my shell,’ Bieber tells MTV News about his next album.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa WhiteWolf

Justin Bieber


Photo: WireImage

With Justin Bieber expected to drop Believe later this year, he’s also hoping to expand his fanbase. Of course his first priority is to make his fans happy, but he’d also like to prove to any haters out there that he’s more than just a tween dream; he’s a certifiable pop star who can make music that appeals to all demographics.

“You can’t really expect anything from my album. It’s really, really different,” he told MTV News. “And it’s new; it’s not the same thing everyone’s used to hearing right now on the radio. It’s really exciting for me, ’cause I’m able to break out of my shell and show my fans what I’m all about and show other people who might not like my music that maybe they can like my music.

“I’m not trying to lose any of my young fans,” he continued. “I’m not trying to lose any of my fans, I’m just trying to gain fans, and I think that’s the best way to do it. Rather than try to grow up and lose your fans, you can get better and evolve and gain respect from more people.”

Bieber is slated to drop the album’s first single, “Boyfriend,” on March 26, and he said it will certainly please his most devoted fans.

“This new album is crazy. I’ve spent the most time on it creatively, just writing myself and being involved in the whole process. It’s something that comes from my heart,” he explained of the 2012 release. “I hope all my fans and all my Beliebers like it. With my new album, Believe, there’s so many different songs and so many different styles. It’s really versatile and fun. My first single is going to be amazing — everyone’s going to love it.”

And while it’s still a ways off, Bieber confirmed he will take the album on the road. “I don’t know if it’ll be called the Believe Tour,” he said. “I don’t know yet, I really have no clue. But there will be a tour for my album, Believe. 100 percent. And I will be on the road, hanging out.”

What are you expecting from Bieber’s next project? Let us know in the comments!

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