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Janelle Monae And 'Sex And The City 2' Rule The 'Late Night Lineup'

Posted 5/24/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


Memorial Day is this weekend, which means the unofficial start of summer is finally here. It's time for barbecues, road trips, poolside naps, baseball games and paying slightly less attention at work than normal. It also means that the late night shows will be disappearing more frequently, ducking into reruns so the various writing, production and performance staffs can enjoy their summer vacations without having to worry about making up gags about Robert Pattinson and the coming midterm elections. Take David Letterman's show, which will only have three new episodes this week so everybody can stretch Memorial Day into an extra-long weekend. Still, he'll welcome "American Idol" reject Casey James on Monday (May 24) and Sarah Jessica Parker and the Black Keys (not together, sadly) on Tuesday (May 25). (It should be duly noted that the women from "Sex and the City 2" are literally going to be everywhere this week, so you'll know all of Kim Cattrall's talk show jokes by the time that movie drops on Friday.) Wednesday's (May 26) show is especially odd, as it features Don Rickles, Piedmont Bird Callers and a musical performance by John Prine (featuring My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James).

"The Tonight Show" is delivering a full week of shows, featuring Russell Brand (Monday), "The Celebrity Apprentice" winner Bret Michaels (Tuesday) and a performance by Hanson (Wednesday). Interestingly, band leader Kevin Eubanks is scheduled as a guest on the show on Friday (May 28). Could Leno be revealing his new music chief, or will we find out what's next for Eubanks?

Following his big "Lost" event on Sunday night (May 23), Jimmy Kimmel is back with a handful of shows this week highlighted by two appearances from Stone Temple Pilots on Wednesday and Thursday (May 27). Over on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," you can catch the Black Keys on Wednesday and Reflection Eternal (the team of Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek) on Thursday.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are both already on vacation this week, though George Lopez will have performances from Paper Tongues (Monday) and Janelle Monae (Thursday) on "Lopez Tonight." But the real action this week (strangely) is on "Live with Regis and Kelly." The syndicated daytime show will have interviews with Bret Michaels on Monday, the Jonas Brothers on Tuesday and more cast members from "Sex and the City 2" than you can shake a stick at. This week, Regis is on the pulse.

What guest are you most looking forward to seeing on TV this week? Let us know in the comments!

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'Lost' Still Has Explaining To Do, Says Goodbye Anyway: Wake-Up Video

Posted 5/24/10 9:15 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


After six seasons, over 100 episodes, dozens of deaths, countless twists and at least one polar bear, "Lost" finally called it quits on Sunday night (May 23) with two-and-a-half hour long entry called "The End" that attempted to wrap up one of the most talked-about, blogged-about and argued-about television series of the new millennium. The show attempted to answer a handful of questions (the core mystery about the "flash-sideways" universe was solved), though it still left a heaping ton of stuff left hanging (most notably, it ignored the core question of the series, one that is asked again and again both online and on the show itself: "What is the island?").

When "Lost" first premiered back in 2004, it began as a show about the survivors of a plane crash trying to figure out how to survive and — ultimately — how to get home. Along the way, it spiraled off into a number of different directions. For a show that relied on mysticism and sci-fi fantasy trickery, it hit on a number of issues, most notably environmental preservation (the whole show could easily be a metaphor for conservation and the misuse of natural resources) and the evils that lurk in the cross-section of government and private commerce in the military-industrial complex. (It also taught us about the dangers of time travel.)

But in the end, "Lost" was about the characters, which is why the heartstring-tugging finale worked. It's reasonable to contemplate the greater picture and the nature of fate, but in the end, all you really have are the people around you (at least that seemed to be the message the show wanted to send). That doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of questions still out there, and we'll let OK Go ask the first one.

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'The Celebrity Apprentice' Recap: Bret Michaels Wins

Posted 5/24/10 8:15 am EST by in Television


While most of the television-watching audience was trying to parse out whatever was happening during the finale of "Lost" on Sunday night (when was the last time you had a memory in the third person?), the real drama was going down a few clicks away on the season finale of "The Celebrity Apprentice." In a dramatic two hours of rapid-fire reality TV, Bret Michaels and Holly Robinson Peete squared off in an epic duel that ended not only with Michaels' amazing recovery but also with his Snapple-fueled victory.

Most people would assume that Michaels' victory was simply a feel-good move by Donald Trump in order to provide a fitting end to what has been a great story that has accidentally incorporated the Poison frontman's real-life health struggles. While Michaels seemed to be perfectly healthy on the live portions of Sunday night's (May 23) episode, he was still in the hospital and in relatively ill health as late as Thursday of last week. But Michaels' win was also because he simply did better in the challenge, out-dueling his opponent in just about every aspect the Snapple executives cared about (Michaels' commercial, featuring former baseball great Darryl Strawberry wearing a beret and talking about pears, was especially excellent). Holly didn't even seem that upset in the very professional boardroom scene, as though she knew that Michaels' had outdone her (though you had to feel a little sad that her daughter was rooting for Bret and not for her).

Of course, the competition was just one aspect of last night's show. The finale brought back all of the already-fired contestants (well, except for Sharon Osbourne and Bill Goldberg, whose absences were not explained at all), which reminded everybody why this season was so incredibly entertaining in the first place. Cyndi Lauper rolled around on a desk for reasons that nobody could quite figure out, and even though he didn't say much of anything, Rod Blagojevich managed to look like he didn't know where he was or what was going on (which is exactly what made him charming in the first place). And look! There's Sinbad!

In the end, this season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" stood tall as one of the most surprising series of the television season. Though the two hour length was often punishing (even the finale felt just a touch soggy), it brought together some incredible personalities and put them in usually silly situations. And it also solidified Michaels' as one of the finest stars of the celebrity genre (which, in 2010 terms, is about the equivalent of being the best hair metal frontman).

What did you think of the finale of "The Celebrity Apprentice"? Was it better than "Lost"? Let us know in the comments!

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Katy Perry? Lady Gaga? Usher? 3OH!3? B.o.B? Vote In The Summer Songs 2010 Poll!

Posted 5/24/10 7:30 am EST by in Music


With Memorial Day right around the corner to signify the official start of summer (featuring beach trips, barbecues, lounging by the pool and sleeping through the afternoon), that means it's also time to figure out exactly what the soundtrack to the summer of 2010 will be. Everybody has their own personal playlists that end up establishing exactly what the season in the sun will sound like, but every year there is always one song that stands above all others and provides the collective soundtrack to getting sunburned, watching baseball and taking road trips to Maine (just like they did on that one episode of "Dawson's Creek").

With that in mind, the experts at MTV News have put their collective heads together and come up with five nominees for the 2010 version of the official summer jam. They are the five tunes that we think have the best chance of joining the likes of Rihanna's "Umbrella," Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling," Nelly's "Hot in Herre" and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's "Summertime" in the pantheon of great summer jams. All this week, MTV News will be introducing a new song each day and making the case for why it can be the jam that makes you throw your hands up all summer long.

The five nominees come from a veritable murderer's row of hitmakers, including Usher ("OMG"), Lady Gaga ("Alejandro"), Katy Perry ("California Gurls," which features a guest spot from the immortal Snoop Dogg), B.o.B ("Airplanes," featuring an assist from Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams) and 3OH!3 ("First Kiss," their collaboration with Ke$ha).

So place your vote in the poll below. And since we believe in true democracy, feel free to vote for "Other" and let us know your real endorsement in the comments. By the end of the week, we'll have a winner. So get voting, and enjoy your summer.

What's your vote for the official summer jam of 2010? Let us know in the comments!

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'Lost,' 'American Idol' And Justin Bieber's Tattoo: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 5/21/10 6:15 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


It's the weekend, but that doesn't mean we're necessarily folding up the tent for the next two days. In fact, there's plenty going on to keep you titillated until Monday morning. The big news is the series finale of "Lost," which airs at 7:30 p.m. this Sunday, and MTV's Movies Blog and MTV News for live blogs, fan reactions and any other fallout from one of the biggest television events in years. And while you've got the television on this weekend, check out "When I Was 17" on Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV. This week's excellent episode features high school stories from Bret Michaels, Katharine McPhee and Kevin Jonas. (Michaels can also be seen on "The Celebrity Apprentice" this Sunday night.)

But before you park yourself on the couch to try to watch all six seasons of "Lost" before the finale, check out all the stuff you might have missed this week on the MTV Newsroom Blog.

» Like we said, "Lost" is ending. Don't know what it's about? Neither does Hayley Williams, but that didn't stop her from trying to explain it.

» Justin Bieber got a bird tattooed on his hip, but we hope he at least thought about Mike Tyson's legendary face ink.

» In local news, MTV announced that Katy Perry would be performing at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, June 6. Can she top her famous cake dive? We think she might.

» "American Idol" is very close to being finished, and the show will end without Casey James.

» With only Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze left on "Idol," we tried to figure out what the best final "Idol" pairs were.
Read More...

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'American Idol' Reject Michael Lynche Confronts Jim Cantiello About Recaps

Posted 5/21/10 5:40 pm EST by in Music


When Michael Lynche stopped by MTV News earlier this week for his "I Just Got Voted Off 'American Idol' And All I Got Was This Endless Media Tour" interview, he wasted no time letting me know that he knew I wasn't a huge fan of his on the show. Before cameras rolled, he called me out for writing not so nice things about him during my weekly recaps and "Idol in 60 Seconds" videos. Whoops!

We had an awkward chat where I admitted his showmanship turned me off even though I always complimented his vocals. And he admitted he read my reviews because they were usually the first result that came up when he Googled for "Idol" recaps. But to his credit, Big Mike was a big sweetie about the whole thing. (If I was the size of a house and some twerp blogger compared me to various cheeses on a weekly basis, I'd probably choke the fool. That makes him the bigger man, both literally and metaphorically.)

Check out highlights from our chat below. Hot topics include his older brother Marque (who competed on "American Idol" way back in the third season), which celebrity did not like being physically picked up, our mutual frustration with the judges praising off-key contestants and some tidbits about what it was like to room with Tim Urban. And of course you won't want to miss Big Mike confronting Little Me about my "Idol" recaps.

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Kevin Jonas Used To Be A Duct Tape Wallet Designer

Posted 5/21/10 5:00 pm EST by in Music


Apparently when Kevin Jonas was 17, he used to be on the track team and he used to mow lawns. But Kevin also had other interests. In fact, there was one interest in particular that veered very far away from his love of pole-vaulting.

"I was a total nerd and I thought skateboarding..." he started to tell MTV News before Nick chimed in with, "Yeah he was [a nerd]."

And then Joe revealed, "He was making duct tape wallets and selling them." It's a sticking point that made Kevin feel like he needed to defend his efforts. "I was an entrepreneur," he explained.

But was he successful? Nick said, "He spent more money on the duct tape then he made on the wallets."

Poor Kevin! All he wanted was a creative outlet for himself, so he asked his brothers, "I wonder what people said to like Tom Ford at 17 when he was making clothes and stuff?"

Joe quipped, "They probably said, 'Wow that's really awesome. I want to wear it.'" Still, though Joe showed his support: "I wore your stuff."

Even if a lot of people didn't wear it, Nick insists the quality was great. "One thing's for sure," he joked. "The money never fell out of the wallet."

What were you doing when you were 17? Let us know in the comments!

Be sure to tune in to this weekend's brand new episode of "When I Was 17," which airs this Saturday (May 22) at 11 a.m. on MTV. This week, get inside the high school minds of Kevin Jonas, Poison frontman Bret Michaels and former "American Idol" finalist Katharine McPhee.

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The Quest For The FreeCreditScore.com Band Begins!

Posted 5/21/10 4:20 pm EST by in Music


You've seen the ads on TV for Freecreditreport.com, which feature bands crafting those tunes about not being able to get a loan or working a terrible job because of bad credit. What's the one thing they have in common? They're all incredibly catchy and dig deep into your gray matter. But with the launch of Freecreditscore.com, they need a whole new batch of bands to get their message (and their five newly-crafted songs) out there, and they've asked MTV to help.

Over the course of the summer, MTV will be conducting a talent search in a number of different major cities to find some great bands operating in any genre (from country to indie to metal to funk), and bands not in those cities can submit their entries online. The four finalists will get introduced during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 13. From there, America will vote for the band they think is best, and said group will receive a killer prize package, including $10,000, a set of instruments from Gibson, free studio time, a spot on the MTV VMA Tour, an opportunity to walk the red carpet at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles and the honor of having their first music video premiere during said broadcast.

Earlier this month, MTV News got a sneak peak into the state of the search at the Gramercy Theater in New York City. Check out Sway's report live from the scene, including some words with some of the hopefuls.

For more information, visit FreeCreditScoreBand.com.

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'Lost' Explained By Paramore, David Guetta, 3OH!3 And Slash!

Posted 5/21/10 3:45 pm EST by in Music


The series finale of "Lost" airs this Sunday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. The two and a half hour episode will wrap up six season's worth of puzzles, clues, twists, turns, births, deaths, captures, time jumps and at least one special guest appearance from Bai Ling (perhaps the biggest mystery "Lost" has ever presented). Even the most diehard "Lost" fans have accepted the fact that many of the questions the show has asked won't actually be answered (there simply isn't time), and there will probably be many story threads that will be left out in the open.

But we started to wonder: Once the show ends, will there be a coherent story that we can tell again later? Is it possible — or even worth it — to try to sum the show up? We quickly realized that those questions were way too complicated for us, which is why we reached out to some of our famous friends, like Hayley Williams of Paramore, David Guetta, the members of 3OH!3, Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor, the men from Rooney and legendary guitarist and top hat enthusiast Slash.

What did we learn? Watching people trying to explain "Lost" is wildly entertaining (and depending on how you think this final season has been going, it might even be more rewarding than actually watching the show). Everybody took a different tactic: Williams tried to sum up the themes of the show, while Taylor got caught up in the very specific "WTF?" moments from the show (including the revelation that Locke can walk). Guetta just seemed frustrated that things didn't happen, and Slash took a zen approach to his summary (even though he's never seen the show).

Check out the compilation below. It's probably not going to be any more revelatory than anything else, but at least you can watch 3OH3's Nathaniel Motte confuse the show with "Friends."

Can you explain "Lost"? Try your best in the comments!

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'Fringe' Stars Promise You Won't Know Who To Root For: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 5/21/10 3:00 pm EST by in Television


"The other thing about 'Fringe,' and we hope this will happen, is that while it's very clear-cut now — everyone's sort of rooting for the old team — I'm hoping that it won't [remain] so clear-cut. In the long run, viewers may find themselves torn between both sets of characters. The people on the other side have a very good case to make here. And then you say, 'Who do [we go for]?' If we can do that, we've created a great drama."

-"Fringe" star John Noble, explaining that the end of the second season of the show will lead to more ambiguity in the next season. Noble, who plays both brilliant scientist Walter Bishop and the alternate reality version of himself (cheekily called "Walternate") on the show, promised that the struggle between the team from our world and their corresponding characters in the parallel universe will each have their own agendas, and it won't necessarily be clear who the good guys truly are.

Co-star Joshua Jackson (one of the few characters on the show who doesn't have a double) also promised more development of the characters from the other side. "The other Olivia is sort of the polar opposite to the Olivia we have, or seemingly right now," the former "Dawson's Creek" star explained. "And Walternate is a bit of a polar opposite to the Walter that we've known, but if we do it well, you'll get to know those alternates better. And you'll see that they are fully fleshed-out characters as well."

What did you think of the second season finale of "Fringe"? Let us know in the comments!

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