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Spotted: The Jonas Brothers And 'Eclipse' Stars In Canada

Posted 8/31/09 2:56 pm EST by in Spotted!


Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with staff members. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

The Jonas Brothers sure know how to draw a crowd. The boys headed to Toronto, Canada, to tape a live interview with MuchMusic before their concert at the Rogers Centre. Thousands of screaming fans flooded the streets around the MuchMusic headquarters to catch a glimpse of the boy band. Elsewhere in Canada, "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Ashley Greene were spotted on the set of "Eclipse" in Vancouver. Meanwhile, after performing a sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium this weekend, Katy Perry had time to stop and take photos with her fans — one of whom looked just like the pop star herself!

Click here to check out all the photos in their full-sized glory, as well as more photos of other celebs we spotted this weekend, like Amber Rose, Ashton Kutcher, the Kardashian sisters, Victoria and David Beckham, Jon Gosselin, and Lindsay Lohan.

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Should Heidi Montag Pose For Playboy Again? The Oh Snap! Poll

Posted 8/31/09 2:21 pm EST by in Oh Snap Poll


By Ben Hockin

Heidi Montag made headlines and turned heads by appearing on the cover of Playboy's September issue. When you saw the "Hills" star wearing that white bikini and covered in dirt, you couldn’t help but think, "Wow!" Well, good news for all you Heidi fans: Montag recently told MTV News she would consider posing for Playboy again.

There was some discussion around the office about whether she should pose again. To end the bickering, we took to the streets to see what the people of Times Square thought.

What our informal poll discovered is that if Heidi poses again, there would be very few complaints: 90 percent of our interviewees said Heidi should appear in Playboy again. Only 10 percent said she should not appear again. (One of those nay voters was a guy — who would have ever guessed?)

Would you want to see Heidi Montag in another issue of Playboy? Let us know below.

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Jay-Z Trades In Bling For Philanthropy In Africa

Posted 8/31/09 1:00 pm EST by in Music


By Gigi Abrantes

Since he first dropped his debut album in 1996, Jay-Z became an instant classic on the hip-hop scene. Now that he is about to drop his 11th album The Blueprint 3, MTV News takes a look back at the history of one of the greatest artists in rap history with The J to Z of Jay-Z.

During his career, Jay-Z has often rapped about the pricey champagne Cristal. But in recent years, Jay-Z has been toasting water: Water for Life, the United Nations' campaign to bring sanitary water to the 2.6 billion people who don't have adequate access to one of the most basic necessities of life.

In 2006, Jay-Z and MTV teamed with the UN and their Water for Life action plan to raise awareness that water is neither endless nor plentiful. According to the UN, one-third of the world's population is suffering from a scarcity of water. In "The Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life," MTV documented Jigga's personal interactions with the people who endure this water crisis every day.

Jay-Z first arrived in Luanda, Angola to a horde of screaming fans outside the airport. He visited Bela and her family who live in a shanty with no sinks, toilets, shower or running water. Bela took Jay-Z on her more than half-mile trip to the nearest water source, where she filled one 20-liter bottle with unsanitary water. She returns on a second trip every day just to provide for her household of six. On this trip, Jay-Z carried the water back for Bela, but even he struggled to carry it.

On another leg of his trip in Durban, South Africa, Jay-Z visited Mid-Illovo Primary School where the students have endured similar tribulations. He arrived again to a crowd screaming fans school children chanting his name and holding up the Roc-A-Fella diamond with their hands. Thanks to Jay-Z's donation, the school was able to build a water tower, where clean water is pumped by a merry-go-round that the students can play on every day.

Want to help out with the Water for Life campaign? Check out more information here and here.

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Jay-Z And Beyonce Heart Grizzly Bear

Posted 8/31/09 12:25 pm EST by in Music


What did you do on Sunday?

Well, if you were Jay-Z or Beyoncé (or Beyoncé's sister Solange), then you braved the be-jorted masses in Brooklyn to check out Grizzly Bear's set down at the Williamsburg Waterfront.

Yes, that's right: In perhaps the summer's biggest fish-out-of-water moment (aside from Kanye at Nine Inch Nails last week) Jigga and B waded into the epicenter of Hipster Nation on Sunday, sending texters and Twitters into a veritable frenzy as they grooved to the hazy, lazy sounds of Grizzly Bear at the final JellyNYC Pool Party of 2009.

Perhaps fittingly, they wore their Bedford Avenue best (Jay in dark shades and a gingham shirt, Bey channeling her inner Debbie Gibson), and by all accounts — i.e. roughly 100,000 Tweets and a few shaky YouTube clips — they were really into the show, drinking booze out of plastic cups (just like us!) and bobbing their heads to the beat (and during GB's sun-dappled "Ready, Able," Jay even threw his hands in the air as if he didn't care). Apparently, Solange is really into the Grizz, and brought Jay and Bey out to the show, which is pretty awesome and gives us hope for a Grizzly Bear/Jigga collabo on The Blueprint IV (which should see the light of day sometime in 2015).

Of course, not everyone shared our enthusiasm. Even though the show was free -- you know, as in "anyone can attend" -- their appearance set blogs ablaze with (predictably hand-wringing) posts, most of which seemed to posit that Grizzly Bear were now officially "over" because Jay and Beyoncé decided to check out the show (you know, despite the fact GB's Veckatimest debuted at #8 on the Billboard albums chart earlier this year).

This sort of ruined our post-weekend high, though we did get a laugh out of one Brooklyn Vegan commenter, who summed up all the hullabaloo thusly: "Do people write about me like this when I show up at Big Daddy Kane or Del La Soul or Dead Prez?"

Good point, dude.

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Michael Jackson's Birthday Party In Brooklyn: The Baddest Of Them All

Posted 8/31/09 11:00 am EST by in Music


By Reneé Jackson

You can't tell me the King of Pop is dead, because I ran into him at least 15 times at the baddest birthday party in history, hosted by director and Jackson friend Spike Lee. Despite the rain, thousands of adoring fans flocked to Prospect Park in Brooklyn on Saturday (August 29) to wish Michael Jackson a happy 51st birthday.

Before making my way in, I stopped to sign the memorial wall where fans were leaving heartfelt messages for the late pop icon. I even put an MTV stamp on the wall to show our appreciation for how Jackson revolutionized music videos (after all, will anyone ever top "Thriller"?). As I made my way through the crowd, I was overwhelmed by a plethora of Michaels: Red leather jacket "Thriller" Michael, white tank top "Dirty Diana" Michael and sequined "Billie Jean" Michael, but my favorite was a six-year-old boy with his hat hung low over his eyes like "Smooth Criminal" Michael. The signature sequined glove covered the hands of thousands of fans both young and old, with most rocking MJ T-shirts, buttons and hats.

Spike opened the festivities by introducing Al Sharpton, who proclaimed "This is Brooklyn at its best ... Michael Jackson style!" Ed Lover, former host of "Yo! MTV Raps," was joined on stage by Tracey Morgan and former "106 & Park" host Free, and the group danced on stage building the momentum. Finally, it came: DJ Spinna dropped "Thriller" onto the turntables and every sequined glove went up in the air, waving in unison imitating the gothic figures from the classic video.

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" and "Wanna be Startin' Somethin'" followed immediately as fans wildly waved bright orange and black signs with the song's famous tag line.

Sharpton nailed the tenor of the day when he said, "We will never forget Michael Jackson. Michael, rock me one more time!"

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Thomas Edison Kickstarts Moving Pictures: Wake-Up Video

Posted 8/31/09 9:00 am EST by in Music, Wake-Up Video


Did you see a movie this weekend? Maybe you took in "Inglourious Basterds"? Then you have Thomas Edison to thank (at least in part). On this day way back in 1897, Edison was granted a patent for the Kinetoscope, a sort of early movie projector. The design allowed a self-contained series of images to run through a box, and the moving images could be viewed through a window by a single person. (Interestingly, many early adopters of the Kinetoscope used the technology to showcase clips of women stripping, proving that pornography is always the first in line when it comes to new technology.) Real public projection didn't come until 1913, and later the dominoes fell, leading to talkies, color, Cinemascope, 3-D, IMAX and whatever the heck the trailer for "Avatar" is.

Another movie technology that created a buzz? Drive-ins. And without those, we wouldn't have At the Drive-In, the aggro-punk collective from El Paso, Texas, who stormed into the musical universe, became huge and quickly splintered into multiple groups. While the Mars Volta is a formidable outfit (the less said about Sparta the better), it's hard to knock the original group's explosive dynamic, especially on their signature tune "One Armed Scissor."

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Tenacious D Fire The Next Shot In The Tweet War With M.I.A. At Outside Lands

Posted 8/30/09 11:30 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music


The last notes have been played at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, which means the 2009 Outside Lands Festival has wrapped up. Tenacious D closed out the weekend with a crowd-pleasing set of their acoustic metal epics. The Beastie Boys were originally supposed to wrap up the weekend, but they had to bow out due to Adam Yauch's cancer treatments. The choice of replacement raised a few eyebrows, including among other performers on the bill. In fact, M.I.A. (who played the set just before the D on the main stage) posted a series of tweets to her official Twitter about her disappointment with having to go on before Jack Black and Kyle Gass. "Can't believe they replaced Beasties with Tenacious D? And if I pull out they sue! So really? Tenacious D after me?" she wrote on August 22. She also noted that the only reason why she took the Outside Lands gig was because she would get to go on before the Beastie Boys. She's clearly a fan, as her set on Sunday evening featured an entire section dedicated to the absent hip-hop trio where she freestyled over the beats to "Intergalactic" and "Sabotage."

But Tenacious D were not taking the slight lightly. During their conversation with MTV News just prior to their festival-closing set, Black had some choice words for the singer. "She didn't want to open for the D," said Black. "But you know what? Sticks and stones may break my bones, but tweets will never hurt me." He obviously wasn't that put out, as the duo took the stage to raucous chants of "We Want D!" and by the time they hit the first few notes of "Kielbasa," they gave the thousands on hand one last thrill to close out a memorable weekend.

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Atmosphere's Slug Tips Many Glasses To The Absent Beastie Boys At Outside Lands

Posted 8/30/09 9:15 pm EST by in Music


MTV News has been keeping a close watch on the backstage happenings at the 2009 Outside Lands Festival, and we've been talking to so many artists that it's sometimes difficult to find the time to actually stand in front of a stage and watch a band perform. But there was one person I definitely wanted to be in front of this weekend at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and that person was Slug from Atmosphere. The Minneapolis rapper brought a healthy dose of hip-hop to the early afternoon proceedings and drew an impressive crowd despite the chilly conditions and the normal final day malaise that settles over most festivals.

Those of us who crowded in to see the show were not disappointed, as Slug ripped through a rugged set full of call-and-response anthems like "God Loves Ugly," "Guns and Cigarettes" and "Trying to Find a Balance." He brought out fellow Minnesotan Brother Ali to run hype and tag-team on a few verses, many of which included shout-outs to the Beastie Boys, who were supposed to headline Sunday night's festivities but had to pull out because of MCA's cancer treatment (they were replaced by Tenacious D, who close out the weekend tonight). Slug dropped in references to Beasties hits like "Intergalactic," "Slow and Low" and "Sabotage," all of which were greeted warmly by the rhyme-loving crowd nodding their heads and waving their hands.

It was a classic Atmosphere set, full of equal parts swagger, angst, funk and fury. Slug's lyrics may be complex and hyper-literate, but like any good MC, he still knows how to move a crowd.

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The Dead Weather Appreciate 'Evil' At Outside Lands

Posted 8/30/09 7:29 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music


There's a chill in the air in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which suits Jack White just fine. His latest band, the Dead Weather (a collaboration with members of the Kills, Queens of the Stone Age and the Greenhornes) took the stage in the middle of the afternoon on the final day of the 2009 Outside Lands Festival, but not before sitting down with MTV News to talk about the dangers of festivals, writing on the road and what makes the Dead Weather "evil."

"I had heard that it was going to be 100 degrees here today, so I'm really glad it's a little chilly," White told us. Singer Alison Mosshart's concerns were different. "I'm worried that it's the middle of the day and still light out. It's better in the dark."

The band wears darkness well. Each member was clad in all black, and when asked what each member gets out of the Dead Weather that they don't get with their other projects, Mosshart said that this band was "more evil."

But what makes them so evil? White had the answer. "This guy," he said, pointing to unassuming bassist Jack Lawrence. "He says evil things in his sleep. That's how we write songs."

Lawrence must be doing a lot of subconscious babbling, because White says the group already has 15 new songs ready to go, and they plan to record them (as well as a few covers) as soon as possible. "We're really looking forward to getting back in the studio for a new record," said White. "I'm really excited for these songs."

The crowd was excited too, as the Dead Weather laid out thick slabs of roadhouse art-blues that inspired more than a few mid-afternoon freakouts. And yes, it sounded more than a little bit evil.

(Check out more photos from the 2009 Outside Lands Festival, featuring Black Eyed Peas, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews Band and more!)

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Black Eyed Peas Remember DJ AM At Outside Lands

Posted 8/30/09 2:30 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music


Last night before their bouncy, euphoric performance at the Outside Lands Festival, MTV News caught up with Fergie, Taboo and Apl.De.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas to talk about their recent chart record and the inspiration behind their summer smash "I Gotta Feeling," but they also took time out to mourn a friend. DJ AM had worked and partied with the Peas on multiple occasions, and the news of his death hit them hard.

""We couldn't believe it. We were just with him [last] Friday in Las Vegas," explained Taboo. "We DJed with him and we took a couple pictures, and to hear it is devastating." The night in question was AM's standing Friday night gig at the Palms Casino, which often featured guest appearances by the DJ's famous friends (of which he had many).

Fergie not only appreciated AM as a friend and collaborator but also as an artist who inspired her. "I remember going to this club called Firehouse back in the day," she said. "It was, like, the summer of '98 and he used to spin there. It's a big dance club and this one night I remember there was basically 10 people in the club, but I really wanted to dance that night. They kept the club open and he kept spinning really good music. He was so cool like that."

Like many of the artists paying tribute to him, Fergie noted AM's kindheartedness. "There wasn't a mean bone in that guy's body," she told MTV News. Though the Peas did not acknowledge AM during their performance a few minutes later, the group members are clearly holding their fallen friend in their hearts.

(Check out photos from this year's Outside Lands Festival, including Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews Band, Jason Mraz and more!)

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