‘Caged’ Star Wes Reflects On Series Premiere
‘In a cage fight it’s only two people. You’ve just got to live with what happens,’ Wes tells MTV News.
By Tami Katzoff
Wes in the series premiere of “Caged”
Photo: MTV
MTV’s new docu-series “Caged” premiered Monday night, and after seeing it, the first reaction of castmember Wes had little to do with his performance in the cage. “Damn, I was fat and out of shape,” the amateur mixed martial arts fighter told MTV News via Skype. “I guess because I hadn’t trained and fought in so long [before] the first episode, and then me getting back into it I was just like, wow, I didn’t really realize how big I was, and then the camera, it adds, like, 10 pounds.”
“Caged” follows Wes and two fellow cage fighters, Daniel and Danger, as they try to better their lives in their small town of Minden, Louisiana. A revealing (and somewhat revolting) subplot in the premiere involved Wes trying to cut weight before a fight. He needed to shed several pounds in a short period of time. “We don’t have a sauna to go to in Minden, and I had three or four hours to make weight. And if you don’t make weight, you don’t fight,” Wes said. He decided to use the brutal Louisiana heat to his advantage. “I was like, the inside of my car’s leather, it will be like a sauna in there. So we get our sauna suit and I get in there and I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, I’m dying.’ You do what you got to do, I guess,” Wes said.
The episode’s climax, fittingly, was the big night during which Wes, Danger and Daniel all had fights. Wes recalled that the time leading up to him stepping into the cage was filled with his usual pre-fight jitters. “Can you just imagine being somewhere, and then a guy comes running up at you and he’s like, ‘I’m about to fight you right now.’ And you take that little split second that you’re so scared, and then magnify it times a hundred and then stretch it out for about two weeks long,” he said. “Because two weeks before a fight you’re like, ‘Oh, sh–, I’ve got to fight a guy in a cage. And he’s going to try to kick me in the face, and he’s going to try to hurt me.’”
During the final moments before the fight, the second-guessing comes. “You’re just sitting there and you’re waiting on them to call your name. You’re just like, ‘What am I doing here? I just want the electricity to go out, or some kind of natural disaster to happen so I don’t have to fight,’ ” Wes said. “And then they start playing your walk out music and you’re just like, ‘OK, this is what I’m here for, this is why I do this. I love this.’ And you go out there and it’s such an adrenaline rush, you really can’t explain it. It just takes over your body.”
After Wes won his fight, he watched Daniel struggle in the cage. “Daniel, I’ve known him for a long time,” Wes said. “He’s unsociable and he looks like Justin Bieber, but he’s a cool cat.”
It was clear that Daniel was having trouble. “I’m stressed out watching him,” Wes recalled. “And then he gets hit and I’m just like, ‘Oh my God.’ ” Daniel was down, and all Wes could do was watch. “You can’t do anything because in a cage fight it’s only two people,” he said. “You’ve just got to live with what happens.”
Did you catch the premiere of “Caged”? Leave your comments on the episode below!
“Caged” airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on MTV.
Related Videos
Related Photos
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677035/caged-wes-series-premiere.jhtml
‘The Divide’ Narrow Escape
Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Rosanna Arquette, Ashton Holmes, Lauren German, Jennifer Blanc and Michael Biehn
Source: http://feeds.hollywood.com/~r/hollywoodcom_entertainment_highlights/~3/Z4FbDhErnGc/13317265
Demi Lovato Says Working With Eminem Would Be ‘Amazing’1676850
She’s just one of several pop stars bridging the gap between hip-hop and rap.
By Jocelyn Vena
Demi Lovato
Photo: MTV News
Demi Lovato and Eminem are not two names often tied together. But the pop singer recently shared that she’d like to change that, saying she’d love to hit the studio with the legendary rapper.
“Hopefully, I can work with Eminem,” the singer told E! News about her dream collaboration. “He’s my favorite rapper, so anything with him would be amazing.” Hip-hop fans might be surprised to hear about Lovato’s love for the genre, but Lovatics are more familiar with it. She made headlines last fall with her gut-busting cover of “How to Love” by Lil Wayne. When she spoke to MTV News about the deeply personal track, she fessed up about her love for the rapper and his song. “I just loved the way that Lil Wayne took a risk doing the song ‘How to Love,’ and when I really listened to it, it’s such a great song,” she said. “It has such a deep meaning to it and I wanted to perform that, and I put a little spin on it and tried to make it a little more empowering. And I think it fit with the platform and the message that I have with my fans.” Lovato’s one of many artists crossing over between pop and hip-hop. Taylor Swift was at the forefront of the trend in 2011, hitting the stage with the likes of T.I. and Nicki Minaj. And Justin Bieber said he’ll likely work with Drake and Kanye West on his 2012 release, Believe. So it seems this trend isn’t going away anytime soon.
What hip-hop/rap duo would you like to see in 2012? Let us know in the comments!
Related Videos
Related Artists
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676850/demi-lovato-eminem.jhtml
Links for 2007-11-23 [del.icio.us]
- Hayden Panettiere is GQ’s Obsession of the Year
Heroes star Hayden Panettiere has been named Obsession of the Year in a recent issue of GQ. The teen celebrity is photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth. She is adorable in the photos and actually now that she?s eighteen, it?s okay to look at her ?in tha
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/PeI3VWpFJ64/blacke30
Britney Spears – Till the World Ends
- Artist: Britney Spears
- Label: Jive
- Director: Ray Kay
- Album: Metamora
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=501686&vid=639722
Katy Perry – Firework
- Artist: Katy Perry
- Label: Capitol Records
- Director: Dave Meyers
- Album: 1000 Fires
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=3274550&vid=591991
Britney Spears Is Engaged1676120
Sources tell UsMagazine.com that the singer’s beau proposed on his 40th birthday.
By Jocelyn Vena
Jason Trawick and Britney Spears
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Could it be that Britney Spears is ready to walk down the aisle again?
After a report surfaced on TMZ that the singer’s longtime beau and “Criminal” co-star Jason Trawick planned to pop the question Friday night (December 16) in Las Vegas, the singer took to Twitter early Friday and had this mysterious message for her fans. “OMG. Last night Jason surprised me with the one gift I’ve been waiting for,” she wrote. “Can’t wait to show you! SO SO SO excited!!!! Xxo” A rep for the singer hadn’t responded to MTV News’ request for comment by press time, but sources confirmed the news to People magazine. TMZ further reports that Jason asked Britney’s dad, Jamie, for his daughter’s hand before he popped the question. According to reports, Britney already knew about the engagement and the couple will sign a prenuptial agreement. As for her conservatorship, her conservators have signed off on the couple’s plans to marry; a judge will most likely give them the go-ahead to tie the knot. A source tells Usmagazine.com that Trawick asked his lady love to marry him on Thursday night while the two were at a romantic dinner celebrating his 40th birthday. The couple will celebrate the engagement at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on Friday. “This is something they’ve both wanted for a long time,” the source told the site. “It’s a way to cement their family. They’re both extremely happy and can’t wait to become man and wife.” The Neil Lane ring is a four-carat, round-cut diamond with micro pave diamonds around the band, according to E! News. “It’s classic, simple and beautiful,” a rep for the jewelry company told the site. The rep added that Trawick worked with the designer to design a “dream ring” for his future wife. While there’s no confirmation from Spears’ camp just yet about the engagement, Spears did reveal something on Twitter: what she bought Jason for his birthday. “Hbday Jason! He looked so cool in the video, that I had to get him a new motorcycle,” she wrote. “Check out this new Confederate Bike I got him!”
Send congrats to Britney and tell us your thoughts on Facebook!
Related Videos
Related Photos
- The Evolution Of: Britney Spears
- A History Of Britney Spears At The VMAs
- Lovebirds: Britney Spears And Jason Trawick
Related Artists
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676120/britney-spears-is-engaged.jhtml
Justin Bieber Kicks Off New Year With New Track1676649
Pop star debuts ‘Happy New Year,’ a swaggerfied slow jam featuring Jaden Smith.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber performs during his “Home for the Holidays” concert special in Toronto
Photo: George Pimentel / WireImage
Justin Bieber isn’t new to creating holiday songs using his new-millennium, R&B swagger, as evidenced on his Christmas album, Under The Mistletoe. And this weekend, he gave New Year’s a try. The singer tweeted a New Year’s-themed track, “Happy New Year,” which features his pal Jaden Smith rapping.
The slow jam is certainly swaggerfied but also reflective, featuring lyrics that both play up the singer’s pop-star image and look ahead to a more hopeful year. “I’m gonna make your cheeks red when I kiss your neck/Girl I’m never leavin’ ’cause you are the best baby,” he sings. “I wanna give you everything/Never feel ’cause girl you’re coming home with me.” In a spoken breakdown, he says, “2012 is the year to be better, stronger and closer to the people around you. So grab someone special, and just, you know.” Smith also shows some bad-boy personality and proves that rapping runs in the Smith DNA. He raps, ” ‘Cause 2012 is the year of the love/And we gon’ start it off/We can get a plane today and get a car toma’/We don’t do it small at all/No girl tell me what I gotta to do/I can be the beat that you rockin’ to/I can do anything, nothing is impossible, especially with you girl/And I never need a new girl/This love is true girl/Aye welcome to the crew girl.” Not only was Bieber gracing fans with new tracks over the weekend, but he also took the stage during “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2012″ in Times Square, not far from where his lady love Selena Gomez was hosting “NYE in NYC 2012.” The twosome later partied together at Glass House, E! News reports. A source says, “He…danced with Selena, showing off, picking her up and swinging her around like it was ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ ” Bieber recently debuted another track“Be Alright,” during his holiday special, “Justin Bieber: Home For The Holidays.” He’s expected to drop his new album, Believe, later this year. Want Exclusive Justin Bieber News and Video? Friend Up MTV News on Facebook Now
Related Videos
Related Photos
Related Artists
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676649/justin-bieber-happy-new-year-track.jhtml