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'South Park' Uses 'Insheeption' To Tackle 'Inception,' 'Hoarders'

Posted 10/21/10 8:00 am EST by in Television


Last week's episode of "South Park" took its buzzsaw approach to pop culture and cut up "Jersey Shore" and "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." On Wednesday night's (October 20) episode, Matt Stone and Trey Parker focused their acidic approach on the problematic reality show "Hoarders" and the complicated hit summer movie "Inception." In the episode (titled "Insheeption"), Wendy confronts Stan about being a locker hoarder (which, according to the hoarding experts, can lead to room hoarding, house hoarding or even animal hoarding). They stage an intervention, which reveals that Stan really does have a problem letting go (he insists that the expert keep a sandwich covered in maggots). Eventually, school guidance counselor Mr. Mackey and a sheep herder ("It's pronounced 'hoarder'") all end up in regression therapy, which is where the "Inception" parody kicks in.

While not nearly as savage as their take on "Jersey Shore" (which clearly enrages Parker and Stone), their send-up of "Inception" is far more playful. As Mr. Mackey's dream becomes more dangerous, more and more people try to go in after them (including Randy Marsh, a pizza delivery guy, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, a group of firemen — who apparently have the ability to bring ladders into dreams — and the group of dream spies lead by Leonardo DiCaprio). As the experts continue to attempt to explain themselves ("It's like a taco inside a taco inside a Taco Bell inside a KFC inside a mall inside your dream!"), only Stan's mom has a clear head. "Just because something is complicated doesn't automatically make it cool," she notes.

The episode keeps escalating until the experts call on Freddy Krueger, who reluctantly signs up to pull everybody out of the dangerous dream. The only thing it was missing? A spinning top gag.

What did you think of last night's "Inception"-mocking episode of "South Park"? Let us know in the comments!

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Willow Smith's 'Whip My Hair' Gets An Endorsement From Snooki

Posted 10/20/10 4:30 pm EST by in Music


By Nuzhat Naoreen

We knew it would only be a matter of time before tribute videos to Willow Smith's infectious "Whip My Hair" started rolling out, and who better than "Jersey Shore" star Snooki to get things started? That's right, the "Jersey Shore" guidette has made nine-year-old Willow's "Whip My Hair" all her own, and it is nothing short of magical.

Snooki uploaded a home video of her and her dog to YouTube yesterday, and they rocked out to the song. While the video is less than a minute long, it has no shortage memorable moments. In fact, we think it gives Willow's original some stiff competition. Check out this list of can't-miss highlights.

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So what if Willow Smith had cool outfits, nail art and hair pieces? you know what she didn't have? A pair of bright, silver, studded sunglasses that are impossible to see through.

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Willow may have amazing background dancers, but Snooki has the real key to a hit video: a dancing dog. Snook's pooch makes a cameo bopping along to the beat, and he's a total scene stealer. Will Willow's backup dancers be hitting up Snickers' canine companion for moves? Count on it.

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Speaking off moves, we are utterly impressed by Snooki's various methods of acting out the line "Shake it off."

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We'll admit that Snooki's classic "Whip My Hair" move (which basically consists of her holding the sides of her head, while swaying her neck from side to side) is less a whip and more of a casual head toss, but it's not like we blame the girl. After all, who wants to risk straining their neck or actually messing up their finely-crafted hair anyway?

So there you have it. All the gems from Snooki's "Whip My Hair" tribute. Please watch and let us know if it was everything you hoped it would be.

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Kanye West's 'Runaway' Is 'Ambitious,' Says Pete Wentz: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 10/20/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


"I had the chance to sit in the audience as Kanye West had a showing in Los Angeles of the extended video/movie for 'Runaway,' [and] I don't want to spoil the experience for those who haven't seen it yet, but in my opinion it is the single most ambitious 'music video' of the decade, if you could even put it in the category of a 'music video.'"

-Former Fall Out Boy member and current Black Cards mastermind Pete Wentz, discussing his experience watching Kanye West's new short film "Runaway." Wentz was a guest at the premiere screening that West hosted in Los Angeles on Monday (October 18th) and sent his thoughts to MTV News' James Montgomery.

To call it a rave would be something of an understatement. "It reminds me of when I was younger and no matter what Michael Jackson had done last, the next thing [he did] not only topped it, but completely raised the bar beyond what anyone else was capable of," Wentz declared. "Now I'm not going to compare the content of M.J. to Kanye as they are two completely different artists. I mean in the sheer scope and size of the project."

Wentz encouraged people to embrace Kanye's film even though it is definitely challenging. "There is a dinner table scene that jumps from [something] from a Noah Baumbach film — where the camera stays on the scene just long enough to make the viewer feel a little bit uncomfortable — to something out of what could be a Jim Henson creation ... within the same scene too," Wentz explained. "The caliber and scale of this project is Kanye West at his best — largely artist and artistically large. If you get the chance, check it out, if only for the experience of something so different."

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The 'Live CoCo Cam': Madness And Hilarity Incarnate

Posted 10/20/10 2:30 pm EST by in Television


That excitement you feel in the breaks during baseball games and just before your head hits the pillow at night is the palpable energy that "Conan" is generating in the late night community. Fans, late night aficionados, media analysts and masturbating bears alike are all waiting for the return of Conan O'Brien to television on November 8, which will represent the first time he has been on the boob tube since his strange and horrifying exit from "The Tonight Show" back at the beginning of the year. In the months in between, O'Brien went on a well-received national tour, put out a live album on vinyl, became a Twitter all-star and regularly entertained the virtual world via his new show's official Web site. Today, O'Brien kicked it up a notch, launching the "Live CoCo Cam," which is broadcasting for 24 hours live from the stairwell of O'Brien's show's offices in Los Angeles.

Like most everything Conan O'Brien has ever done, the feed is odd, strangely hypnotizing and flat-out hilarious. As of this writing, it consisted mostly of longtime O'Brien band member Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg sitting at a card table attempting to put together a jigsaw puzzle. People come in and out of the stairwell, sometimes communicating with LaBamba, sometimes now. There's a haunting, almost Lynchian music loop running in the background (which LaBamba occasionally sings along to). All told, it's a bizarre experience.

It's hard to believe they can keep this up for the full 24 hours (it's scheduled to conclude at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, October 21), but if anybody can make this amount of static hilarious, it's the team behind "Conan." (Also, the site promises the possibility of "dancing tacos," which would totally be worth sticking around for if they ever do show up.)

What did you see when you tuned into the "Live CoCo Cam"? Let us know in the comments!

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Wear Purple On Your Playlist Today With Gogol Bordello, Jimi Hendrix And Prince

Posted 10/20/10 2:00 pm EST by in Music


If you see more people than usual wearing purple today, it's not because people are paying tribute to the Grimace or celebrating Barney the Dinosaur. Rather, GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has declared today Spirit Day, meant to be a day of support and solidarity against anti-gay bullying (which has become a national talking point in the wake of the recent suicides of Tyler Clementi and other gay teens). Since purple represents "Spirit" on the official LGBT flag, it made sense that people could show their support via a little splash of eggplant or puce.

The trend has been catching on. Multiple television personalities (including Ryan Seacrest, Ellen DeGeneres and Khloe Kardashian) have included purple into their ensembles today, and the hash tag "#SpiritDay" has been floating around Twitter for most of the day.

But while it's easy to add a little purple to your clothes, it's also quite simple to make your playlist a little purple today as well. Of course, you have to start with Prince, who has a closet full of purple clothes and an album called Purple Rain to match. There's also the Purple Ribbon All Stars, the hip-hop crew lead by Outkast's Big Boi who scored a hit with "Kryptonite" not too long ago. If that doesn't float your boat, then perhaps D12's "Purple Pills" (or "Purple Hills," depending on your capacity for naughtiness) might work better for you (as will late Houston rapper Big Moe's 2002 album Purple World). And if all else fails, there's always Jimi Hendrix's timeless "Purple Haze."

But to properly get into a celebratory Spirit Day mood, look no further than gypsy punk terrorists Gogol Bordello and their rollicking anthem "Start Wearing Purple."


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Spotted: Katy Perry And Russell Brand Head To India For Their Wedding

Posted 10/20/10 1:30 pm EST by in Music


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.

Katy Perry may have a line of nail polish and a new perfume coming soon, but her primary focus at the moment is fiancé Russell Brand. The pair have been planning their wedding in secret for some time, and it appears as though the two will be joined together in wedded bliss sooner rather than later. The pair arrived at the airport in Jaipur, India earlier today (Wednesday, October 20), trying to maintain a low profile (that's Perry in the middle, hiding underneath a coat) and rolling with a group of friends and presumed wedding guests. Rumor has it that Perry and Russell will be married at Taj Rambagh Palace, a gorgeous spot in Jaipur. No word on whether or not MTV will get a reference in their vows, as their relationship can be traced back to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, which Brand hosted and at which Perry performed a cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" (with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry providing the assist).

Perry and Brand weren't the only stars moving and shaking, as Hilary Duff signed copies of her book "Elixir" at a book store in Los Angeles and the Black Eyed Peas filled the Parque de Exposicoes in Salvador, Brazil. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, the Jonas Brothers, Madonna, Rihanna and Eminem!

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Taylor Swift's Next Big Hit: A Wax Statue

Posted 10/20/10 12:30 pm EST by in Music


Next week, Taylor Swift will reach another milestone in her career. The same week her album Speak Now hits your local record store, she will also be immortalized in wax by Madame Tussaud's in New York City.

Swift joins the ranks of other A-listers like President Barack Obama, the Jonas Brothers (awkward!), Robert Pattinson (good thing it's not Taylor Lautner), Madonna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Diddy, Brangelina and Elvis Presley to have a figure in the hallowed, fame-filled halls of the New York outpost of the wax museum. Swift will be on hand for the unveiling next Wednesday (October 27). two days after Speak Now starts storming the charts.

Her statue will be donning a dress the singer herself donated for the exhibit. The embellished black and silver costume was created by designer Jenny Packham. MTV News has gotten our hands on a photo of the dress that fans for generations to come will get the chance to see in person when they visit the Swift was figure.

We don't yet know what the face of the statue looks like (they keep it a secret right up until the unveiling), but if the Gwen Stefani, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna statues are any indication, it will most likely be a pretty accurate portrayal of the fair-haired country chanteuse.

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Happy Birthday, Snoop Dogg!

Posted 10/20/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


It's October 20, which can only mean one thing: It's time to celebrate the birthday of one Calvin Broadus, known best to the rest of the world as Snoop Dogg. The veteran rapper/actor/entrepreneur turns 39 years old today, and it's staggering to think about everything that Dogg has done over the course of his career. It's an incredible body of work that includes some truly killer records (including modern classics like "Gin and Juice," "Murder Was the Case," "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Sexual Seduction" and the recent "I Wanna Rock"), memorable film roles (notably appearances in "Training Day," "Bones," "The Wash" and "Starsky and Hutch") and countless business successes (there are Snoop Dogg-branded skateboards, video games, porn films, action figures, hot dogs and pet products). He also provides a voice for Tom Tom GPS products, which is amazing.

But Snoop's side projects are often overlooked, which is a shame, because some of those records are spectacular. Obviously his collaborative projects with Dr. Dre and Pharrell are excellent, but he has also done a handful of full-length collaborations that have been great. In 2004, he delivered an album with a group he called 213, which was a three-way dance between himself, Warren G and Nate Dogg. The trio's first and only album The Hard Way is a delight, full of throwback jams and old-school G-funk workouts like "Twist Yo Body," "Absolutely" and "So Fly."

Snoop also made two albums with Tha Eastsidaz, a collective consisting of Snoop, Tray Deee and Goldie Loc. Their self-titled debut is even more of a throwback than the 213 record, and their follow-up Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way expands the sounds even further (both those albums very much sound like the types of albums you believe that Snoop would have liked to listen to growing up in Los Angeles). In honor of Snoop's birthday (and his incredible spirit of collaboration), check out Eastsidaz' "G'd Up."


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Greg Dulli Unplugs, Cuts Loose, Sexes Up New York Show

Posted 10/20/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


If you were to ask me who the greatest living songwriters were, I would have no hesitation naming the one I consider to be number one: Greg Dulli, former frontman and mastermind behind Afghan Whigs and current member of both the Gutter Twins (his collaboration with former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan) and the Twilight Singers (his New Orleans-centric solo project that features a rotating cast of collaborators). There's a new Twilight Singers album coming out early next year, but on Tuesday night (October 19), Dulli brought three band members onto the stage of New York's Bowery Ballroom and delivered an acoustic set of songs from just about every corner of his long career. The set only drove home just how great Dulli has been (and continues to be).

Bathed in almost complete darkness (he asked that the lights be turned down, and two songs later asked they be turned down even more), Dulli powered through slightly tweaked versions of songs made popular by the Whigs (including the sultry, heartbreaking "Let Me Lie to You" and the punishing "Summer's Kiss") and the Twilight Singers (the savage singalong "Forty Dollars" and the show-closing "The Twilite Kid," whose liquid groove picked up some welcome grit in unplugged form). Dulli's songs are heavy (not like metal heavy — more like a Jim Jarmusch movie heavy), but he seemed almost effervescent on the small Bowery Ballroom stage, exchanging "Isn't this awesome?" glances with his bandmates and cracking wise with the rapt audience ("I'm back like a motherf---er," he said at one point. "I wish I had a fast one to play now, but I just looked at the set list ... I'm going to have to start scripting my s--- better").

Along the way, Dulli test drove three songs from the forthcoming (and complete) Twilight Singers album, and each one sounded more potent than the last. Though the final products will no doubt be layered with psychedelic effects, layered keyboards and funky percussion, the new songs held up on their own in the mostly acoustic environment. They fit right in next to fan favorites like the punchy "Get the Wheel," the spooky interpretation of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," the drowsily passionate "Step Into the Light" and a particularly savage take on "Teenage Wristband" (on which Dulli also dropped in a taste of the Who's "Pinball Wizard," a delightfully meta joke).

Dulli's songs are quite adult (and not just because he's in his mid 40s). They tell stories about making mistakes late at night amidst cigarette smoke and dive bar stank, and they appeal to anybody who has contemplated heartbreak over their fourth scotch. These are leathery, lived-in songs that are smart, sad and sexy all at the same time. Is anybody else doing these things as well? With little more than an acoustic guitar, three sidemen and his voice, Dulli threw down the gauntlet and said "Not f---ing likely."

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Madonna Gets Kinky With Erotica: Wake-Up Video

Posted 10/20/10 9:15 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


For any artist who came to prominence during the 1980s, the '90s were a little bit weird. The music world was rapidly evolving, and the evolutions of different formats, the introduction of new sounds and the beginnings of the Internet all had a profound effect on how top stars operated. U2 had a pretty weird decade that saw them go off the art rock deep end and dabble in disco. Madonna stretched herself even further, starring in a lavish movie musical, releasing scary concept albums about nightmares, exploring the outer reaches of dance music and, on this day in 1992, dropping Erotica, a concept album about how kinky it is inside Madonna's head.

Erotica was released during a tumultuous time in Madonna's career. It was released alongside a coffee table book called Sex that delved deeper into the singer's fantasies and desires and featured a batch of softcore photos of Isabella Rossellini, Big Daddy Kane, Vanilla Ice, Naomi Campbell and Madonna herself (in addition to a handful of lovely but anonymous nude models). These projects completed a trifecta that had begun in 1991 with the release of the hit tour documentary "Truth or Dare," which saw the Material Girl evolving from the cheeky suggestiveness of her early work into a more in-your-face, confrontational performer who wasn't going to shy away from her darkest, most twisted sexual urges. She caused quite a stir in '92, and it represented her first real reinvention (a process she has gone through multiple times throughout her long and fruitful career).

Because the content is so obsessed with sex, the music on Erotica often gets short shrift, but it's one of the strongest albums of Madonna's career. The tracks — most of which were co-produced by Madonna and house music pioneer Shep Pettibone — cherry-pick elements from classic disco, modern house, techno and the ever-evolving New Jack Swing sound for a tough, rugged batch of tracks (though Erotica does leave behind the sugary melodies of Madonna's early work, which is probably why the singles from the album were not as big). The title track remains an important entry in Madonna's catalog, and the video (directed by fashion photographer Fabien Baron and clearly borrowing heavily from Andy Warhol) still feels controversial all these years later.


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