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Tegan And Sara's 'On Directing' Video: The Key Scene

Posted 7/28/10 9:30 am EST by in Music


Canadian duo Tegan and Sara produced one of the most underrated albums of 2009 in Sainthood, a collection of 13 blissfully melancholy blasts of 21st century New Wave. It contains all of the elements that made Tegan and Sara indie rock darlings (vocal harmonies, layers of strummy guitars, esoteric melodies) as well as a handful of new twists (including more experiments with electronics and a bigger focus on production care of Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla). Songs like "Arrow," "Hell" and "Alligator" all seem to be smashes-in-waiting, as they are full of gigantic hooks and easy-going singalong choruses.

The pair just released a video for the album's best song "On Directing," which is probably the finest example of the "classic" Tegan and Sara sound: Jangly guitars, insistent rhythms, subtle melodies and a building sense of urgency. The clip is a fairly straightforward affair, with both Tegan and Sara appearing in a dark space surrounded by flashing stage lights. But it perfectly reflects the way the song spins faster and faster as it chugs along, and as the delivery becomes more heated, the video effects become more pronounced and intense. When the song hits its climax, the silhouettes of the two women get reduced to colorful laser outlines, creating a fantastically '80s-tastic effect.

Tegan and Sara just kicked off their latest gig as one of Paramore's support acts on the Honda Civic Tour (they are off tonight and Friday but will return to the tour for this Saturday's show at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland). They also just issued their five major releases in vinyl format as part of a deluxe box set (which is available via their official Web site).

What do you think of Tegan and Sara's new video? Let us know in the comments!

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The WikiLeaks Papers And Lady Gaga: The Connection

Posted 7/27/10 6:00 pm EST by in Music


You can blame a lot of things on Lady Gaga. From the eruption of "little monsters" thinking they can pull off some of her signature looks, to the vapidization of modern girl pop (we think) and, now, the leak of 90,000 Afghanistan war documents on WikiLeaks.

By now you've surely heard about how the whistleblower site posted tens of thousands of documents about the war on Sunday (July 25), much to the Obama administration's chagrin. But the part of the story you might have missed was how Gaga played a crucial part in the process. No, it wasn't tied to that awesome video of enlisted men dancing to "Telephone."

As it turns out, the soldier accused of leaking the documents to WikiLeaks, disillusioned Pvt. Bradley Manning, would carry in a CD-RW labeled "Lady Gaga" and then log onto classified military networks when preparing to snatch the intel. According to ABC News, while he was downloading secret information he pretended to sing along to "Telephone" while actually erasing the music on the disc and overwriting it with intelligence information.

The combined documents amount to what is being called the greatest leak of government information in 40 years. Which go us wondering: What if this technology had been available in a previous generation? Which pop artist of the moment's music might they have used to mask their nefarious activity?

Would the scoundrels behind the leaking of the Pentagon Papers — which in 1968 blew the lid off the Johnson administrations lies to the public and Congress about the Vietnam war — have carried in a disc by Country Joe and the Fish (of "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag" fame)?

What about good old Deep Throat, who was behind the leaking of the Watergate Tapes in 1973 that implicated President Nixon in illegal activities in the White House? If he hadn't had Woodward and Bernstein, would he have dubbed Nixon's insane ramblings onto a reel-to-reel tape labeled "Black Oak Arkansas, 'Jim Dandy'"?

Only history will determine if Lady Gaga's name will forever be tied to the monumental WikiLeak or if it will quickly fade and become a minor footnote on her Wiki page. Frankly, we wish Manning had picked an artists with longer range prospects, like Justin Bieber or Ke$ha.

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Snoop Dogg Rolls With A Seal At Sea World

Posted 7/27/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


Throughout his long and storied career, Snoop Dogg has been responsible for classic hits ("Who Am I? (What's My Name?)," "Gin and Juice," "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Sexual Seduction"), incredible collaborations (with legends like Dr. Dre, Tupac, Mariah Carey and Eminem), amazing feats of cross-promotion (Snoop has endorsed clothes, malt liquor, hot dogs, skateboards and just about everything in between). But as far as we can tell, he has never once spent quality time with a blinged-out seal at an aquarium.

Until now, that is.

Snoop paid a visit to SeaWorld San Diego (following a recent concert in the area) to spend some time with Clyde the Sea Lion. Snoop also interacted with a number of other animals at SeaWorld and also made an appearance with Clyde at the park's Sea Lion and Otter Stadium venue.

"SeaWorld San Diego's Clyde the Sea Lion wanted the rapper to know that he too can bring the bling," a press release from SeaWorld read. "Clyde said he'd be happy to collaborate with Snoop Dogg on one of his future hip-hop songs!" It's unlikely that Clyde will be appearing on any future Snoop Dogg releases, though there's no reason why he couldn't provide some backing barks on a remix of "Gangsta Luv."

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Nick Cave Taking On 'The Crow,' So Lady Gaga Should Tackle 'Star Wars'

Posted 7/27/10 4:30 pm EST by in Music


In addition to being an iconic star in the underground music scene, Nick Cave has also carved out an incredible niche for himself in the film world. He worked on the music for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," penned the screenplay for the 2005 indie hit "The Proposition" and contributed to the Leonard Cohen tribute film "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man." His most recent project is his most intriguing yet. According to the Wrap, Cave is working on a screenplay for a remake of "The Crow," the 1994 action film directed by Alex Proyas about an undead avenger (originally played by Brandon Lee). The original flick was a Goth-punk asskicker of a movie that was incredibly dark and featured a killer soundtrack (featuring Nine Inch Nails, the Cure, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine and the Jesus and Mary Chain), and the new version (to be directed by "Blade" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" helmer Stephen Norrington) should have the same kind of dark underbelly and cutthroat attitude.

Cave has experience in screenwriting (he also wrote a sequel to "Gladiator" that was never made), but lack of experience doesn't necessarily disqualify the following musicians from dipping into the screenwriting game. Here are six musicians and the remakes they should attempt.

Lady Gaga, "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace"
No, seriously. It'll totally work. Even among hardcore "Star Wars" fanatics, everybody pretty much agrees that "The Phantom Menace" is a mess, full of preposterous exposition, endless scenes of parliamentary procedure and far too much Jar Jar Binks. Considering the elaborate, otherwordly story that Lady Gaga tells over the course of her Monster Ball shows, why not let her dream up some stuff that might actually reset the "Star Wars" universe properly?

Dave Grohl, "Mallrats"
The premise of Kevin Smith's second film — two slackers hit up the mall to try to win back the hearts of their respective exes — is primed for comedy greatness, but the finished product is somewhat airless and flat. Hand the reigns over to the manic, fun-loving frontman of Foo Fighters. He's got a killer sense of humor, a great sense of play and enough heart to totally make it work.
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Ke$ha Considers Country: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 7/27/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


"I'm really inspired by country music. My mom wrote country music and I love Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash. I think at some point there might be some country collaborations or records in the future. But I'm also really digging being called, like half-jokingly, a white-girl rapper. I think it's really funny and I'm going to ride that train for a little bit."

-Esoteric pop star Ke$ha, discussing her inspirations and the possible future she may have in country music. She told Paper magazine that though she adores old Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash albums and think she will dabble in country music eventually, she is enjoying her current place in the pop music landscape.

Elsewhere in the interview, Ke$ha also talked about her various tattoos (and the unusual way she goes about getting them). "A friend of mine told me you can [create a tattoo] with pen ink and a safety pin, and I was like 'That's amazing. I could give tattoos at anywhere in the world at any hotel,'" she told Paper. "I saw this hot dude recently and I gave him a tattoo sitting in the lobby of the hotel. I was just like 'Can I borrow a pen and a sewing kit?' I think I got an admirer out of that one."

Ke$ha is currently on the road with Rihanna as part of the Last Girl on Earth Tour, which is taking her across the country. She continues her assault on the pop charts, as both her current solo single ("Take It Off") and her collaboration with 3OH!3 ("First Kiss") are smashes.

Do you think Ke$ha should go country? Let us know in the comments!

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Selena Gomez Goes Silent, Wyclef Jean And Oliver Stone: Three To See

Posted 7/27/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


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 Selena Gomez's silent appearance on "Lopez Tonight," Wyclef Jean's thoughts on running for president of Haiti and Oliver Stone's apology for calling out "the Jewish-dominated media" lead the way.

Selena Gomez Can't Talk But Still Sends Up Justin Bieber On "Lopez Tonight"
Though she temporarily lost her voice, nothing could stop Selena Gomez from making an appearance on Monday night's (July 26) episode of "Lopez Tonight." With the aid of a voice synthesis machine, she promoted her recently-released film "Ramona and Beezus" and talked about egging on Justin Bieber about his height. "Your short," she said she told Bieber. "Embrace it!"

Wyclef Jean Not Contemplating Running For President Of Haiti
The rumors surrounding Wyclef Jean's potential run for the top office in Haiti appear to be fale. "Do I have political intentions? At this time, no," he told The Associated Press. But he will be working to get young people to vote when the elections do come around later this year.

Oliver Stone Apologizes For Remarks
Film director Oliver Stone ("W," "Wall Street") issued an apology regarding statements he made in a U.K. newspaper about the state of Israel, the Holocaust and the "Jewish domination of the media." "In trying to make a broader historical point about the range of atrocities the Germans committed against many people, I made a clumsy association about the Holocaust, for which I am sorry and I regret," he said in the statement. "Jews obviously do not control media or any other industry."

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Eminem's Next Collaborator: Who Should It Be?

Posted 7/27/10 1:30 pm EST by in Music


Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" appears to be on its way to topping the Billboard Hot 100 for another week. The collaboration with Rihanna is about to get another boost, as the video is scheduled to get a premiere some time this week.

In addition to "Love the Way You Lie," Recovery also features a handful of excellent collaborations, including tag-teams with Pink ("Won't Back Down"), Lil Wayne ("No Love") and newcomer Kobe ("Talkin' 2 Myself"). Slim Shady has also appeared on recent hits for Drake ("Forever") and B.o.B ("Airplanes Part II"), and there are hotly-anticipated team-ups coming with T.I. and Dr. Dre.

Slim Shady has always been an in-demand collaborator, but it seems like lately he has been lending himself out with far more frequency. So who should Eminem team up with next? Here are a few artists he should consider. Vote for your favorite in the poll below, and leave your thoughts (and any names we might be forgetting) in the comments!

Rick Ross
The Boss' excellent new Teflon Don is about to finally knock Eminem's Recovery off the top of the Billboard album chart. What better person to team up with you than the guy who finally beat you? Em and Ross don't have similar styles, but they could easily play off each other over a big, banging track.

Nicki Minaj
Though Eminem has shared songs with a number of female artists, he has never traded lines with a female MC as talented and sharp as the "Your Love" hitmaker. Since both Nicki and Em are able to switch back and forth between rapping and singing, their collaboration could be an incredibly sweet, dynamic workout.

Ludacris
Though Em and Luda have had disagreements in the past, the Atlanta rapper recently expressed his interest in trading verses with Mr. Mathers in the studio. Slim Shady has previously teamed up with southern rappers Lil Wayne and T.I., so why not make it a trifecta with the mouth of the south?

Katy Perry
Perry's music is probably a little too pop to accommodate Eminem; then again, her penchant for cheekiness and her sly sense of humor might make her an ideal collaborator for the man who once wrote "Cum On Everybody."

The Clipse
The bottom line: Malice and Pusha T are two of the rawest MCs in the business, and a three-way throwdown between Em and the Clipse would be a lyric-based rap fan's dream.

Justin Bieber
The rumor is that Bieber has rap skills. Why not have your hip-hop coming out party with one of the best in the business?

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Spotted: The 'Jersey Shore' Cast Brings GTL To The NYSE

Posted 7/27/10 12:30 pm EST by in Television


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.

The brand new season of MTV's hit show "Jersey Shore" kicks off this Thursday, July 29. In the months since the first season closed up shop, the cast of the show — Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Paul "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio, Jenni "JWoww" Farley, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola, Vinny Guadagnino and Angelina "Jolie" Pivarnick — have gone from unknowns to full-blown stars. In addition to the show, they have a book dedicated to their bon mots, a soundtrack album to score their exploits and a number of individual projects (including the Situation's book and workout video). On Tuesday morning (July 27), the entire group got together at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell on business. Perhaps their golden touch will give the market a boost (though as of this writing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down a point from yesterday).

They weren't the only stars making noise, as Angelina Jolie landed in Japan for the premiere of "Salt" and Billy Corgan took over New York City's Terminal 5 for a Smashing Pumpkins show to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Spin magazine. 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, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Usher, the Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Jessica Simpson, Adam Lambert, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake!

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Robyn's 'Hang With Me' Video: The Key Scene

Posted 7/27/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


The slow-but-steady international invasion from Robyn, the lovely, funky, occasionally foul-mouthed electro-pop starlet from Sweden, continues in September with the release of Body Talk Pt. 2. It's the second part of a planned trilogy of albums expected to hit in 2010 (Body Talk Pt. 1 hit stores in June, and Body Talk Pt. 2 should be available by December), a series that follows up on her breakthrough self-titled album that became a cult hit in 2005 (mostly on the strength of the singles "With Every Heartbeat" and "Konichiwa B----es").

Her latest single "Hang With Me" might be her best yet. It's a frothy, jittery disco track that really lets Robyn's voice — a clean, sweet instrument — dance around the beats with a throw-your-hands-in-the-air melody. It would be very easy to see it become a massive hit. "Pop should be seductive and sweet when it can," Robyn said of the song. "I felt like I could be on 'Hang With Me,' in a uncompromising way. It's like a sweet and sour bon-bon wrapped in melancholy. Yum."

The single won't be formally released for a while, but the video just premiered. It's a classic road video that follows Robyn on tour and points out the highs (riding roller coasters, meeting fans, playing live) and the lows (eating terrible food, taking never-ending bus rides, anonymous hotel rooms, constant packing and re-packing) of the touring life of a star. In the clip's key scene, she sits at a nondescript restaurant and nibbles on an English breakfast while people look on curiously. It's a perfect distillation of the strangeness of the road.

What do you think of the new Robyn video? Let us know in the comments!

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Funny Or Die Takes Down M.I.A. With 'Paper Planes' Parody

Posted 7/27/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


It hasn't been the easiest year for M.I.A., the envelope-pushing international alt-dance sensation. Though she released what many people believe is her most accomplished album yet in /\/\/\Y/\, she has gone through a series of rough patches, including a minor feud with New York Times writer Lynn Hirschberg over a story and a number of concert-related issues (including a show in Los Angeles that had to be canceled and a recent performance in New York marred by sound problems). She has been taking shots on all sides, which is unfortunate considering she was coming off her biggest success with the smash single "Paper Planes."

The Funny or Die folks are the latest to take a shot at M.I.A. in a new video that parodies the lyrics of "Paper Planes." Jumping off the image of the singer painted in the Hirschberg piece (which posits M.I.A. not as a revolutionary but as the sheltered wife of a millionaire with limited understanding of the politics she preaches), the video takes a handful of brutal shots at M.I.A.'s lifestyle. Actress and comedian Lindy Jamil Gomez plays M.I.A., and she delivers a fairly convincing impression of the singer while also sending up her attitude.

The strikes are pretty brutal. The chorus of the song has been transposed to "All I wanna do is invest my money/ All I wanna do is/ Check out my Monet," and in a particularly savage verse, the singer in the video sings, "We love tasting wine/ Oak and fruit and a little bit of pine/ Let's play 'Cranium'/ Spelling backwards is a lot of fun/ This is why I care/ Give my baby to the au pair/ This is what I feel/ Yeah, my rock is totally real." It's funny, but also pretty brutal, so here's hoping that M.I.A. doesn't have access to Gomez's phone number.

What do you think of the parody of "Paper Planes"? Let us know in the comments!

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