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They say that the best way to secure longevity in pop music is to adapt with the times and always keep people guessing. People always heap praise on Madonna for being able to transition smoothly between the various phases of her career. It's an impressive trick, and one that few artists are truly capable of pulling off. You wouldn't normally associate the Material Girl with "Weird Al" Yankovic, but he is one of the few musicians who has managed to stay on the cutting edge while subtly shifting what he does and adapting to changes in trends (and technology). On this day in 1999, Yankovic released Running With Scissors.

Yankovic was coming off an incredible run of hits in the 1990s, including 1992's Off the Deep End (which featured the classic Nirvana parody "Smells Like Nirvana"), 1993's Alapalooza (an album that contained the hit tune "Jurassic Park") and 1996's Bad Hair Day (which was the album that provided the world with "Amish Paradise" and "Gump"). "Amish Paradise" was an especially huge song for Yankovic, who took the Coolio track "Gangsta's Paradise" (itself a Grammy-winning song) and turned it on its head with a series of rhymes about churning butter and raising barns.

A spin through any one of Yankovic's albums is a great peek into what the country's pop culture obsessions were at the time, and Running With Scissors is no different. There was a fixation on the first of the "Star Wars" prequels (captured in the tune "The Saga Begins," a parody of Don McLean's "American Pie," which was also making something of a comeback at the time). It was also the height of Jerry Springer's popularity, which lead to Yankovic recording "Jerry Springer" (wisely choosing the Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" as the jumping off point). And there was a simultaneous fascination with faster computers and the work of Diddy, which is what gave birth to "It's All About the Pentiums." Check out the video below, and be sure to also check out "Weird Al" on Twitter, as his feed is one of the sharpest on the Internet.

Tags video, Weird Al Yankovic

By Joel Hanek

It's no secret that All Time Low's Alex Gaskarth has fallen deep into a summer bromance with fellow tour mate Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins on this year's Bamboozle Roadshow. The tour itself ended this past weekend, but thanks to the Internets, various videos of the two performing 3EB's seminal '90s radio anthem "Jumper" have surfaced. This past weekend, the two talked to MTV News about how the collaboration was conceived on the Roadshow.

"Everybody's sort of been jumping on stage for other bands' sets and that's kind of one of the things that have made this tour such a good experience for the bands," Gaskarth explained of the tour's atmosphere. "As I said, I'm a fan of your band," Gaskarth told Jenkins, who has cited Third Eye Blind as one of his major influences, "and I got to come out and sing a song with you guys."

"You sing it into my mic and you sing it really loud because I think you're voice is louder than mine," Jenkins said, mimicking Alex's vocals. "It's powerful!"

"I think it's just because I'm nervous," Alex joked. "It's like when people are nervous and just start yelling."

"It's all about that authentic exchange with the audience," said Jenkins. "To have other people come out and sing and play — that, to me, that's the most fun part of the show."

What do you think of the collaborations? What other collaborations do you think All Time Low or Third Eye Blind should do? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @mtvnews!

Tags all time low, Stephan Jenkins, Third Eye Blind, video

In the aftermath of Sunday night's (June 27) 2010 BET Awards, much of the attention was focused on Chris Brown's emotional breakdown during the show's tribute to the late Michael Jackson (and, too a lesser extent, the triumphant return of El DeBarge). But there were a number of excellent performances and at least one other high-profile comeback that should be considered memorable and excellent. Kanye West took the stage to deliver a scorching version of his new track "Power" with the help of some killer video footage behind him (including an unfortunate shot of a volcano spewing from underneath West's feet). West was his typical passionate self in his performance and delivery, but the real significance is in the fact that West is back on stage (at an awards show, no less) for the first time since his run-in with Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards.

But really, the big headline was West's bling. While he was performing, it appeared as though he was rapping with a giant G.I. Joe "Cobra" logo around his neck (which would have been tremendously awesome). But West's blog cleared up the confusion today when he revealed that he was actually wearing a chain that had a Horus on the end of it. (He was also wearing a pyramid ring, which wasn't terribly clear on television.)

Horus was one of the oldest and most powerful deities in Ancient Egypt. He served a number of different purposes, but was most notably the God of War and the God of the Sky. Horus protected hunters and warriors and gave might to all those who paid tribute to him. It's a powerful image, and it's not mystery why West would be attracted to such an intense icon.

Tags BET Awards, Horus, Kanye West

It's MTV's World Cup of Rock! The World Cup is the greatest sporting event on the planet, a super-sized stage where legends are born with every strike of the ball, where infamy is just a moment away and where the dreams of millions live or die by the minute. That's why, in the spirit of the 2010 MTV Musical March Madness competition, we've created "The World Cup (Of Rock)," a FIFA-style tournament that takes 16 of the biggest nations — rock-wise (sorry Algeria) — and pits them against one another to determine just which is the most rockingly awesome. Heavyweights like the U.S.A., England, France and Germany are all here, but so are a handful of surprisingly strong sleeper countries. As the Cup progresses, we'll be unveiling the match-ups, and it's up to you to vote your favorites through. In the end, only one nation will be left standing: the world champion of rock.

Today's 2010 FIFA World Cup action saw the end of the road for both Slovakia and Chile, both of whom fell to superior teams in the Netherlands and Brazil. Meanwhile, the MTV World Cup of Rock continues its run to the end of the group round. Check out the final match-up from Group A, where Mexico, France and Uruguay are currently fighting for supremacy.

Uruguay vs. Nigeria
Nigeria will need a miracle in order to advance, as they already appear to be on the short end of two other games. But that doesn't mean they can't play spoiler for Uruguay, who will take their Gabe Saporta-powered attack against the entirety of Afrobeat. Which team will stand victorious? Only you can decided.

Be sure to vote in all the games in the MTV World Cup of Rock! Which nation's stars rock the hardest and best? Only you can decide!

Tags cobra-starship, Nigeria, Poll, Uruguay, World Cup

"I didn't even get a chance to finish the record. The vocals are real rough, it's not blended right ... a hook is not even on the song. It's not done. The music isn't done. It's just like one of the things that we have to deal with today in the business. Because of technology and the Internet and all that, it's like, real easy for somebody to steal your sh--. What can you do?"

-Legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who was lamenting the fact that a new track called "Under Pressure" — his hotly anticipated collaboration with Jay-Z that will be included on the forthcoming and long-awaited Detox — was stolen and leaked before he had the chance to finish it. During a visit to the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards on Friday (June 25), Dre spoke about the song and also about the status of Detox. "I'm leaving this event and going right to the studio. I'm getting it cracking," Dre told HardKnock.tv. "[I'm] trying to put it out by the end of the fall. Trying to give everybody what they've been waiting for and make sure they're not disappointed — that's all I'm doing."

Dre later accepted the ASCAP Founders Award for his long career and key contributions to the evolution of all of popular music and hip-hop in particular. In the meantime, the release of Detox will be a massive event, as Dre has been talking about the album for well over a decade. Still, he has stayed busy, as he has produced tracks on recent albums for Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Raekwon.

Tags Dr.-Dre, Jay-Z, Quote

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

While the music world was paying attention to the two high-profile music festivals in the U.K. (Glastonbury and Hard Rock Calling) over the weekend, there was one musical extravaganza that made plenty of noise on domestic shores. Eric Clapton's annual Crossroads Guitar Festival took place over the weekend in Bridgeview, Illinois. The salute to six-string wizardry brought headliner and organizer Clapton together with a handful of the world's best axe-slingers, including John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Sheryl Crow, B.B. King, Ronnie Wood, Johnny Lang, Robert Randolph, Billy Gibbons and Jeff Beck. The entire festival was hosted by actor and guitar enthusiast Bill Murray, who appeared in the guise of Elvis Presley during one segment. Later, Murray also dressed up as Jimi Hendrix for a bit of comedy and jammed with a handful of the all-stars on hand.

Murray wasn't the only star rocking out over the weekend, as the Jonas Brothers hung out at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in London's Hyde Park and Aerosmith tore it up at a show in Barcelona, Spain. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 400 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Eminem, Jay-Z, Rihanna, 50 Cent, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and Madonna!

Tags aerosmith, Bill Murray, Elvis Presley, eric clapton, Jonas Brothers, photo

It has been a few years since we heard from Maroon 5, the multi-platinum-selling quintet from Los Angeles who have scored giant hits with tracks like "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," "Makes Me Wonder" and "Wake Up Call." Their last studio album was 2007's It Won't Be Soon Before Long, which lead the group on a world tour and found them rubbing elbows with some of the biggest stars in music (including tourmates OneRepublic and collaborator Rihanna).

The group spent the better part of 2009 in Switzerland with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange (the man behind such stone cold classics as AC/DC's Back in Black, Def Leppard's Pyromania, Nickelback's Dark Horse and Shania Twain's Come On Over) to produce their latest album Hands All Over. The new collection of tunes is set to hit stores on September 21, but the single "Misery" just crash landed on the airwaves last week. This Thursday (July 1) sees the release of the video for "Misery," but the 30-second preview is available right now.

The action-packed preview features singer Adam Levine (dressed in his 1950s greaser best) taking a beating from a beautiful blonde woman before being hit by a car in a pretty impressive stunt. Those scenes are intercut with clips of the band playing outside at a block party, and the vibe looks to match the funky, sunshiney vibe of the song itself.

Maroon 5's videos are always big events, as their past work has always contained plenty of eye-catching and sexually suggestive imagery. Their clip for "This Love" famously featured sex scenes between Levine and his then-girlfriend, while the videos for "She Will Be Loved" and "Wake Up Call" also contained explicit content. Will the balance of the video end containing more super-sexy scenes? You'll have to wait until Thursday, July 1 to find out.

Tags maroon-5, video

Every morning, MTV News delivers the top news stories in music, movies and pop culture hot and fresh for your reading and watching pleasure. We then bring together a trio of the biggest headlines for "Three to See," the daily digest of the top stories making noise on our site and across the Internet. This morning, stories about the dominance of "Toy Story 3" at the box office, Lady Gaga's newest song and rumors about the Black Eyed Peas' break-up lead the way.

Lady Gaga Premieres New Song "You and I"
The relationship between Lady Gaga and Elton John continues to pay dividends. Following their stellar duet at this year's Grammy Awards, Gaga took to the stage at John's annual White Tie and Tiara Ball to debut a brand new tune called "You and I." Later, Gaga tweeted that the tune was a "new song ... written in NY on the piano I grew up on."

"Toy Story 3" Dominates Box Office Again
Despite some high-profile competition, "Toy Story 3" topped all other films at the box office this weekend. The latest Pixar juggernaut took in another $59 million, easily besting the superstar ensemble comedy "Grown Ups" and the Tom Cruise vehicle "Knight and Day." After only two weeks of release, "Toy Story 3" is already the fourth most successful film of the year and should find itself within striking distance of "Shrek Forever After," "Iron Man 2" and "Alice in Wonderland" very soon.

Will.I.Am Says Black Eyed Peas Are Not Breaking Up
In response to rumors that Fergie was leaving the group, Black Eyed Peas producer and mastermind Will.I.Am emphatically declared that those rumors were untrue. "Don't believe gossip about Fergie leaving the group," he tweeted. "We are never breaking up. It's all lies!"

Tags black-eyed-peas, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Three to See, video

It's MTV's World Cup of Rock! The World Cup is the greatest sporting event on the planet, a super-sized stage where legends are born with every strike of the ball, where infamy is just a moment away and where the dreams of millions live or die by the minute. That's why, in the spirit of the 2010 MTV Musical March Madness competition, we've created "The World Cup (Of Rock)," a FIFA-style tournament that takes 16 of the biggest nations — rock-wise (sorry Algeria) — and pits them against one another to determine just which is the most rockingly awesome. Heavyweights like the U.S.A., England, France and Germany are all here, but so are a handful of surprisingly strong sleeper countries. As the Cup progresses, we'll be unveiling the match-ups, and it's up to you to vote your favorites through. In the end, only one nation will be left standing: the world champion of rock.

The first batch of knockout round matches over the weekend in the 2010 FIFA World Cup delivered some excellent soccer action with a healthy dose of controversy on the side. Uruguay, Ghana, Germany and Argentina will all live to fight another day. In the meantime, the MTV World Cup of Rock saw some startling developments, mostly due to the continued surge of Japan and the tremendous push Tokio Hotel fans are giving to Germany (whose World Cup of Rock team looks as dominant as its soccer-playing counterpart). There are only four more matches left in group play for the World Cup of Rock, so keep voting for your favorites and prepare yourself for the knockout round, which begins later this week.

South Korea vs. U.S.A.
Each of these national soccer teams suffered crushing defeats on Saturday (June 16), as neither South Korea nor the United States could spin their late rallies into victories against Uruguay and Ghana, respectively. But in the World Cup of Rock, they are the two favorites to advance out of Group B, so this match will essentially decide which team will win the group outright. Will it be the Rain-fueled South Korean team, or will it be the United States of America, this time represented by Paramore, Kings of Leon and Taylor Swift, the dominant Tennessee contingent? Only you can decide!

Be sure to vote in all the games in the MTV World Cup of Rock! Which nation's stars rock the hardest and best? Only you can decide!

Tags kings of leon, Paramore, Poll, rain, South Korea, Taylor Swift, U.S.A., World Cup

Really, you should be listening to music every day, but thanks to Twitter, Monday has become the best day of the week to discover new songs, show some love to the tune currently dominating your iPod playlist and quietly judge the listening habits of your closest friends. Yes, it's #MusicMonday, one of Twitter's most enduring trending topics. Hence "MTV News' #MusicMonday," a weekly look at the songs your favorite stars are currently crushing on.

This week, Allison Iraheta mopes around with Portishead.

"American Idol" has come a long way since its debut, not only in presentation and format but also in the types of singers the show attracts. Gone are the days when "Idol" was mostly a showcase for balladeers and Broadway babies looking for a big break. Not to discount early contestants, but the past few seasons have allowed for some singers who have been able to tap into some pathos and darkness. Allison Iraheta, who finished third during the eighth season of "Idol" (largely considered to be the best season of all time), is one such performer whose debut album Just Like You is full of the sort of muscle that you wouldn't normally associate with "Idol" contestants. So it's no wonder that the 18-year-old Iraheta chooses a darker, more complicated jam on this #MusicMonday.

"Portishead! Third. That's good," Iraheta told MTV News' Jim Cantiello. "It's very mellowed out. I know a lot of people said that it's very different from what they did before. But it's not. It's the same dark stuff. Very soldier, like 'I'm gonna shoot you.'"

What's your #MusicMonday jam? Let us know in the comments!

Tags #MusicMonday, Allison Iraheta, American Idol, video