Posted 4/6/11 2:43 pm ET by James Montgomery in Fashion, Music

Through reports of varying degrees of reliability, news broke Tuesday that Kanye West is collaborating with a Parisian design firm on a series of ultra-limited edition scarves, "inspired by his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."
Now, whether or not said news is actually true is merely an afterthought ... after all, this is Kanye West. Designing scarves. Truth is secondary. And while it's not exactly West's first foray into the world of fashion — he's previously interned at Fendi and has designed footwear for Luis Vuitton and Nike — needless to say, we're still pretty pumped to pick up one of the accouterments (which will only be available from the Colette boutique in Paris or via MMParis.com).
But since the scarves are so limited — just 250 will be made — we're not sure we'll be able to snag one ourselves. Which is why we've decided to come up with a list of other possible Dark Twisted Fantasy-themed accessories West could also design, because, really, everyone deserves a little piece of Yeezy.
» Fire-retardant Phoenix legwarmers.
» Fat-booty Celine Dion Spanx.
» Something f---ing ridiculous, like a hat that's also a radio or something.
» "Ghetto University" letterman jackets.
» Gil Scott-Heron signature edition Nike Dunks.
» "Maliboo-ya!" insulated Thermos set.
» That watch Twista had on in The Source.
» Knock-off Nicki Minaj London Fog trench coats, to go with her accent.
» Official Justin Vernon beard-and-flannel dress-up kit.
» Actual p---y sarcophagi.
Posted 4/6/11 1:36 pm ET by Jocelyn Vena in Fashion, Music
These days, it seems like everyone has jumped on the LED-couture bandwagon. It's not just pop stars who are glowing in their clothes; it's also rockers and MCs who have decided that it's all the rage to light up the stage.
When Death Cab for Cutie shot their live, one-take video for "You Are a Tourist," they became the latest to sport light-up clothes. Their suits in the fanciful clip were accessorized with glowing lights where their pocket squares should be.
Kanye West wore a little light-up heart pin at the 2008 VMAs when he debuted his very personal track for "Love Lockdown." Chris Brown let his heart glow in his "Crawl" video back in 2009, and then he once again strung up his clothes like a Christmas tree when he appeared on "Dancing With the Stars" at the end of last month.
Posted 4/6/11 1:03 pm ET by Jocelyn Vena in Music
Britney Spears dances away the apocalypse in her sweaty new video for "Till the World Ends." She and her pals hang out in the sewers, flirting and grind as meteors falling from the sky. This doesn't seem to bother Brit and her friends. They've made a pledge: They will dance until the world ends.
This is hardly the first time a pop star has fended off impending doom in a music video. In fact, as of late, it seems that apocalyptic videos are all the rage.
Alien Katy Perry landed a world that had seen better days in her just released "E.T." video, where she discovers her lover, surrounded by the remnants of a once-great society.
Lady Gaga hinted at the end of one world as she built a new, more understanding species in her "Born This Way" video. And in a similarly positive way, Willow Smith brought a dead and buried civilization back to life in her "21st Century Girl" video.
Posted 4/5/11 4:00 pm ET by MTV News in Music

By Jett Wells
Sometimes a fart joke just works better with a melody. Of course, combining the two is an art form mastered by only an elite few ... a select group of artists who can not only master quality songs, but make us all squirt milk out of our noses at the same time. And, thanks to "Saturday Night Live" and Andy Samberg, we'd like to welcome a new member to that, uh, exclusive club: The Lonely Island, a so-called "joke band" that truly stands alone.
Don’t worry if the name doesn’t ring a bell, because chances are, you know their hits ... classics like "I Just Had Sex (feat. Akon)," "The Creep (feat. Nicki Minaj)" and, of course, "I’m On a Boat," their parody of all things T.Pain that also, amazingly enough, features T.Pain himself. Comprised of Samberg and his pals Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, the Lonely Island just announced the release of their sophomore album, Turtleneck and Chain, featuring all the aforementioned hits, plus new jams like "Attracted To Us," "No Homo" and, of course, "No Homo Outro."
Posted 4/5/11 1:52 pm ET by MTV News in Music
By Zachary Swickey
On Tuesday, the Kings of Leon unveiled the trailer for "Talihina Sky," their first (and, some might say, inevitable) foray into the wild world of rock docs. Still a work-in-progress, "Talihina" will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival later this month, and gives fans a glimpse into Kings' rise from God-fearing preacher's sons (and nephews) to platinum-plus arena rock icons ... a voyage that, of course, includes plenty of whiskey swiggin’, weed tokin’, vomiting, nudity and an awkward intra-band confrontation or 16. Obviously, we're excited.
And so, in honor of the (really pretty excellent) "Talihina" trailer — and the Foo Fighters' just-released "Back and Forth" doc, too — we decided to take a look back at some of the all-time best rock documentaries. Will the Kings join this list? We'll just have to wait and see.
"Dig!" - There is a reason for the exclamation point at the end of this doc’s title, as it contains some of the craziest stuff you'll ever see from a band on camera. But who is it about? The Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Who? No, it’s actually about two buzz bands from the nineties, the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols, who never quite broke like they should. Just watch the trailer, as words cannot express the complete insanity and erratic behavior of Jonestown mastermind Anton Newcombe.
"The Last Waltz" – Often considered the quintessential rock documentary, "Waltz" showcases The Band's legendary last performance, filmed by none other than Martin Scorsese. Taking place on Thanksgiving Day 1976, the Band were joined by a slew of special guests: Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters and Neil Young, just to name a few. Do you really need more incentive than that to watch it?
"The Fearless Freaks" – Oklahoma oddballs the Flaming Lips finally got the documentary treatment in 2005, and, boy, was it worth the wait. The Lips’ themselves were highly involved in the production, chatting with various relatives, showing the sights of Oklahoma City (including the Long John Silver’s frontman Wayne Coyne used to work at), and basically re-telling the beloved band's rise from fringe acid-punks to mainstage mainstays. It's not all sunny, and an extended scene of guitarist Steven Drozd using heroin is tough to watch to this day.
"Gimme Shelter" – Directed by the legendary Maysles brothers, "Shelter" follows the Stones on their ramshackle 1969 tour, which concluded in the disastrous Altamont concert, where members of the notorious Hell's Angels motorcycle gang — who were hired as security for the event — stabbed a fan to death. Footage of the incident is included in the film, only adding to its notoriety over the years. A mix of debauchery and genuine horror, "Shelter" is practically required viewing for even the most casual of rock fans ... and amateur historians, too.
"Woodstock" – Capturing one of the most important music events in history, "Woodstock" is an invaluable video time capsule. It features performances from nearly every artist on the three-day bill, including Jimi Hendrix's incendiary, fest-closing take on "The Star-Spangled Banner," and moments that summed up an entire generation (like, when a fan joins Canned Heat onstage and swipes a cigarette from singer Bob Hite ... who promptly lights it for him.) Good luck trying that move on just about any band today.
Posted 4/5/11 12:06 pm ET by Jocelyn Vena in Miscellaneous
Justin Bieber literally risked life and limb when he pulled off some insanely dangerous stunts during a cameo on "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory," this week. Bieber proved that he's willing to put himself in the face of danger (and laugh at it) as he rode a go-cart into a foam pit and got dragged around the Fantasy Factory on a skateboard.
Bieber seemed to fit in perfectly in the testosterone-fueled world of the Factory, and he got us wondering what other MTV shows the Canadian superstar might want to visit next.
Read more...
There are a few indelible moments in life that instantly bring evocative memories to the surface: the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttle explosions, the riots following the Rodney King verdict, the September 11, 2001 terror attacks and, for me, the death of Kurt Cobain.
I’ve seen any number of rock stars pass both before — and right around — their time in my life, but for some reason Cobain’s death struck me harder than any other. It was 17 years ago today that the man who (reluctantly) became the voice and face of a generation yearning to be heard took his life after years of struggles with depression, drugs and the crushing pressures of global fame.
Though Cobain’s body would not be found for several more days, the ripple effect of his tragic suicide continues to this day, as his limited musical output inspires succeeding generations of musicians to follow their muse, down whatever dark path it takes them. Cobain was just 27 when he died, but in three short years of mainstream exposure, he and bandmates bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl managed to turn the music business on its head with a sound that owed as much to the Beatles and the Pixies as it did to garage rock and the Stooges. Read more...
Posted 4/4/11 4:36 pm ET by MTV News in Music, Television
Lady Gaga just wrapped up production on her music video for "Judas." And while she's relied on the instincts of professional music video directors in the past, this time around the singer (along with creative director Laurieann Gibson) has decided to helm the video herself.
This isn't the first time, however, that Gaga has taken on a directorial role. She had a hand in her "Born This Way" video as well, enlisting her Haus of Gaga to co-direct the video along with fashion photographer Nick Knight.
Gaga is hardly the first pop star to direct his or her own music video. 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto acted as a director, under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins, for five of his band's clips. He even got the band a 2010 VMA for the "Kings and Queens" video.
Read more...
Posted 4/4/11 3:58 pm ET by MTV News in Music
By Adam Stewart
That sneaky lil' deadmau5. Apparently, modern science has perfected a teleportation device — or so it would seem. If there is one thing that we've learned over the past few years it's that you can always expect the unexpected from our pal Joel Zimmerman (deadmau5), and at the recent Miami Music Week festivities, the charismatic Canadian took the Project Blue Book gang by surprise.
Let us set the stage: It was one of our more entertaining interviews of the week. After all, how could sitting down for a chat with 3/4ths of the Project Blue Book crew be anything less than utterly fantastic? With the young, talented, and extremely witty Porter Robinson telling me about the chemistry test he had to take that Tuesday back at his North Carolina high school, and DJ Aero explaining in detail how Skrillex's tour manager, "The Road Hog," was nearly cited with a health code violation for being nude from the waist down in the DJ Booth at LIV nightclub just a few nights before — it was a rather humorous chat from the get go. All while Tommy Lee worked a shake weight and blew bubbles at his girlfriend (and deadmau5 vocalist) Sofi, as she sat and chatted off camera with her most recent collaborator, Moguai (who she had just met for the very first time in the lobby just five minutes earlier). I mean seriously, Bob Ross (rest his soul) could hardly paint a better picture himself. Read more...
Posted 4/4/11 2:17 pm ET by MTV News in Music
Last week, Enrique Iglesias pulled out of Britney Spears' upcoming Till the World Ends Tour. With rumors floating around about who would replace the Spanish pop star, MTV News intern Benny Adams came up with his own dream list of performers he'd like to see go on the road with the Femme Fatale this summer. Check out his picks!
Christina Aguilera
Yes, they've had their differences in the past, but it would be pure pop heaven if these two rivals joined forces onstage together, performing classic hits such as " ... Baby One More Time" and "Genie in a Bottle," they would get the crowd dancing like it's 1999.
Justin Timberlake
We know this one is a long shot, but we can dream, right? Britney and JT sharing a stage would get everyone talking and would shake up the music industry. From their provocative dance moves to suggestive songs, this would be one tour Britney fans would never forget.
Ke$ha
The free-spirited party girl would be a great addition to the tour. Both performers have fun, upbeat songs that would keep the crowd wanting more.
Justin Bieber
Seriously, though: How great would it be if the Biebs and Britney toured together? Yes, he is only 17, but he's one of the biggest artists out there. The kid even has a fever named after him — how much bigger can he get? With Britney's and Justin's loyal fans combined, tickets would sell out in a heartbeat.
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