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The 'Nightmare On Elm Street' Trailer Is Missing One Thing: Dokken!

Posted 9/28/09 10:08 am EST by in Movies, Music


In the wake of last year's restart of "Friday the 13th" comes the resurrection of the other great slasher franchise of the 1980s. "A Nightmare on Elm Street," the movie that established New Line Cinema as a true studio player and awakened the careers of Wes Craven, Johnny Depp and Robert Englund, will be coming back in April of 2010, and the trailer just premiered this morning. The new film is directed by Samuel Bayer (who has made a name for himself as a video director for Green Day, Metallica, Garbage and others) and stars Jackie Earle Haley as supernatural baddie Freddy Krueger.

Based on the trailer, it appears as thought the new movie gets back to the general creepiness that inhabited the first of the franchise back in 1984. The subsequent films in the series had a more carnival atmosphere, and while they had their charms, they typically became wackier (and paler) versions of the original. One thing that is missing from this particular trailer, however, is Dokken. (Rhymes with "Rockin'!") Their song "Dream Warriors" was the official theme for "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors," and it's one of the most fantastic hair-metal film tie-ins of all time. The third movie in the series saw the return of Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson and also starred a young Patricia Arquette, who makes an appearance in the Dokken video. Though it relies heavily on scenes from the movie, the band is seamlessly integrated into the clip's dream world, and it represents the only time the boys from Dokken looked even vaguely badass.

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Happy Birthday, Hilary Duff: Wake-Up Video

Posted 9/28/09 9:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


A heart-shaped cupcake and a copy of the "Raise Your Voice" DVD to Hilary Duff today, as she'll be celebrating her 22nd birthday today. Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and whoever else is currently cashing checks on Disney crossover careers should buy Duff a shot today, as she was the guinea pig for the current crop of breakout stars currently enjoying success in the worlds of television, film and music. Duff first came to the attention of the populace as Lizzie McGuire, the feisty teen kid with an animated alter-ego (or something) on the show of the same name. Her ubiquity on what became the Disney Channel's flagship program allowed her to make the jump into movies, where she starred in hits like "A Cinderella Story" and "Agent Cody Banks." Her music career followed soon after, debuting with 2003's Metamorphosis. 2004 must have been a special year for Duff, as her second, self-titled album happened to drop on her birthday.

That album spawned the hits "Fly" and "I Am," though her biggest success remains her debut, which contained the smashes "So Yesterday," "Why Not?" and "Come Clean." The latter tune got a ton of traction by being the theme song to the MTV series "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" (where Kristin Cavallari and Lauren Conrad — the current stars of "The Hills" — first got national media attention). But "Come Clean" probably would have become a hit on its own, as it's a top-shelf mix of rock and pop sounds that absolutely predicted the rampaging success of Miley Cyrus that would come later.

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William Safire Dies, And He Was About More Than Words

Posted 9/27/09 5:15 pm EST by in Music


Legendary speech writer and New York Times columnist William Safire died this morning at age 79. Safire's "On Language" column appeared in every Sunday's newspaper, and his studies of rising colloquialisms and slang always provided a tremendous amount of insight into both current events and the human condition. His politics were the topic of much debate, which was not shocking considering he was a speech writer for the embattled Richard Nixon.

In my career as a writer, I'm quite proud of the fact that I once provided insight to one of Safire's "On Language" columns, which focused on the origin of the word "cover" and how it came to mean a band recording another person's song. I was just starting out as a magazine writer and was more than happy to contribute to somebody whose work I read every Sunday.

Safire's insight into language was always sharp and interesting, and even in his latter years, he rarely came across as an old man wishing that these kids and their text messages would get off his lawn. Rather, he always attempted to embrace and contextualize modern language, as he believed it was the best window into the human condition. Safire fashioned himself into an anthropologist as well as a writer and a critic, and he will be missed. He was about more than just words, which is why you should watch Extreme's video for "More Than Words" in his honor.

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Miley Cyrus, 'Dancing With The Stars' And Kanye West: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 9/25/09 6:00 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


It's time for another weekend, which means there must be a fresh week's worth of news and insight here in the archives of the Newsroom blog. The smoke finally cleared on the Kanye West "interruption" incident at the Video Music Awards, but plenty of other things filled the void: The premiere of "Dancing with the Stars," the emergence of the friendship between Hayley Williams and Taylor Swift, the premiere of a new Miley Cyrus video and a possible new job for Paula Abdul. This week, we also went behind the scenes with the likes of LeBron James, Paramore, Justin Bieber and Kris Allen. Check out the week's highlights below before you pack the kids in the car and drive to the lake.

» Miley Cyrus premiered the new video for her hit single "Party in the U.S.A." this week. We polled the public and asked the question: Too sexy? Not sexy enough?

» Paramore invited MTV News down to Nashville for a visit, and we even got the guided tour of frontwoman Hayley Williams' car.

» "American Idol" winner Kris Allen dodged a bunch of questions but still came across as charming.

» The "Kanye West interrupts" meme was successfully killed by the Emmy Awards.
Read More...

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Tokio Hotel Help Me Learn Ein Bisschen Deutsch

Posted 9/25/09 5:30 pm EST by in Music


Watch out, MTV Germany! I'm not sure if you have MTV News Correspondents there, but as you can see in the Tokio Hotel segment below, I am fully capable of reporting the news in your language! (Sort of.)

Okay, I'll come clean. I don't know how to speak German at all. (Big shocker there, I'm sure.) Before today, the only German word I've ever even pronounced was "Volkswagen." So when MTV News producer Saimon Kos asked me to do a Tokio Hotel stand-up in the band's native tongue, you could imagine I was feeling a little verklempt. (Oh wait, that's Yiddish? I just can't win with these Germanic languages.)

As you can see from the approximately 462 edits, I was a lost cause. We had to shoot the segment in chunks, with Saimon (who spent the first 10 years of his life in Germany) feeding me pronunciations right before we taped. I felt a lot like Paula Abdul on "American Idol." I wasn't sure if what I was saying made sense, I was more concerned about my fashion accessories and my mouth felt all sorts of weird.

Wait, does this mean a lesbian comedian is going to replace me next week? Meet your new MTV News Correspondent: Wanda Sykes!

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Jessica Simpson, Ashley Tisdale And Diablo Cody In This Week's Tweet Beat

Posted 9/25/09 5:00 pm EST by in Tweet Beat


By Joel Hanek

Here at MTV News, we are obsessed with celebrity Twitter. And why wouldn't we be? Not only do you get first row seats to celebrity stream-of-consciousness without the restraint of a publicist/muzzle, you also get a delightful little package of reality entertainment and voyeurism rolled into one!

That's why the scientists here at MTV News laboratories came up with Tweet Beat. Hosted by MTV News' resident pop-culture expert, Jim Cantiello, Tweet Beat fills you in on all the best celebrity tweets of the week. We've got you covered with everything from "American Idol" stars past and present (Archuleta to Allen) to MTV royalty (King Spencer and Queen Heidi). After all, somebody's gotta do it, right? Wait, don't answer that.

So what's happening in Twitter this week? It appears that the VMA shockwaves have finally subsided and Kanye West has retreated back into the darkness, leaving the residents of the Twitterverse to once again tweet freely and openly. In this episode, we check in on Jessica Simpson and her ongoing battle with sleeping arrangements, the pithy smarm of Diablo Cody and the eternal high schooler Ashley Tisdale.

Remember kids, Tweet Beat comes from a place of love, and we always love to hear what celebrities you love to follow, so sound off in the comments below or follow our beloved host on Twitter!

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Akon Respects Lady Gaga's Hoops: The MTV Quote Of The Day

Posted 9/25/09 4:24 pm EST by in Music


"She's definitely paid her dues. She's been through all kinds of strings and ropes. She's jumped through all kinds of hoops. It was just a matter of time for her. You can't stop true talent. And you can't stop the truth. If that's what it is, that's what it is. At the end of the day, she's one of those rare finds. A diamond in the rough that you just have to polish out and let shine, and that's exactly what she's doing."

-Akon on Lady Gaga, the artist he signed to his Kon Live Distribution label back in 2008. In addition to his own success in music, Akon has also helped jumpstart the careers of T-Pain, Rock City and Kat DeLuna. But he calls Gaga his "franchise player" and credits her sweeping success with lots of hard work.

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LeBron James Rates Shaq's MC Skills 'A 10'

Posted 9/25/09 4:08 pm EST by in Music


LeBron James may be the best player in the NBA (and there are arguments for him being the game's best of all time), but he hasn't yet tested his skills on the microphone like some other basketball stars. Allen Iverson, Ron Artest, Chris Webber and Kobe Bryant have all dipped their toes into the rap game with varying degrees of success, but perhaps the most successful (and ubiquitous) baller-turned-MC is Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq has put out several hit records and dropped a couple of popular singles (especially during the beginning of his career), and he happens to be James' newest teammate on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs got to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Orlando Magic last season, but maybe Shaq is the missing piece of the puzzle.

James may not have any experience as a rapper, but he certainly knows his way around the hip-hop game. (You need only look at the soundtrack to his new movie "More Than a Game," which features appearances from T.I., Jay-Z, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne and Kanye West, for proof.) So he knows a thing or two about quality rapping. But how would James rank his newest teammate as an MC?

So there you have it. While LeBron named Jay-Z as his number one pick for the annual MTV News Hottest MCs list, he thinks that Shaq could easily hold his own with the likes of J. Hova. Along with a championship, maybe LeBron can broker a long-awaited collaboration between Jigga and Shaq.

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'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Fans Getting Special Tickets

Posted 9/25/09 3:14 pm EST by in Music


The crowds are already gathering outside Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre in anticipation for "Michael Jackson's This Is It." Of course, the lines aren't to get in to see the movie — they're simply to buy tickets to the premiere screening of the film, which will take place simultaneously in 15 different cities on October 27. There are no Internet sales for the 3,000 tickets that will be made available for the first screening, so the people currently standing in line out in Los Angeles are the only ones who will have access to that first screening.

But it isn't just the opportunity to see the film — culled together from over 100 hours of rehearsal footage of Jackson, his band and the team of backup dancers practicing for the singer's planned residency at the O2 Arena in London — isn't the only thing drawing out the hardcore fans. The first 500 people will score themselves special commemorative tickets, inspired by the designs created for the London concerts. Fans in line are also eligible to receive commemorative "Michael Jackson's This Is It" T-shirts and posters. They're also being invited to sign the memorial wall set up outside the theater, which is open for anyone who wants to leave a message or memory for the late King of Pop.

Click here for more photos from the line of people waiting to get tickets for "Michael Jackson's This Is It" outside Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre!

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Vintage Lady Gaga Video Shows Stripped-Down Version Of Star

Posted 9/25/09 1:50 pm EST by in Music


By Cara Alwill

2006 wasn't all that long ago on an evolutionary scale, but for Lady Gaga, the past three years have transformed her into both an international pop sensation and a head-turning fashion spectacle.

But after coming across this video of Gaga performing live as the Stefani Germanotta Band (named after herself) at the Bitter End in New York City back in '06, it is evident that she wasn't always the wild child we have come to know and love. Sure, she wore crazy outfits from time to time and often boasts about her live stage performances that rocked the Lower East Side before she was signed at the age of 19, but based on this clip, she's more reminiscent of Alanis Morissette than idols David Bowie and Donatella Versace.

As she proved during her performance of "Paparazzi" at the MTV Video Music Awards (and as this clip demonstrates), there's a lot of soul in Gaga's voice that is buried beneath the layers of technology and studio trickery on her album. It raises an interesting debate: Would Lady Gaga be so popular if she still looked like her former self? Probably not. After all, her over-the-top look makes up a big part of her draw. There's something about those shocking costumes, eccentric makeup and platinum locks that has absolutely captivated the public since her debut album The Fame dropped. But should she ever want to go back to being a brunette, she can feel comfortable that she's got the chops to back up a career without all the space-fashion hocus pocus.

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