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Beyonce, or as I like to call her, the Queen Of All Things Amazing and Sparkly, took the stage at Glastonbury on Sunday night and dazzled. She not only used it as her BET Awards performance, but once again she proved to the world how marvelous she can be. (Seriously, people, go out and buy 4.)

She also did something quite unexpected during the feisty performance. What was that? Well, read on to find out! Read more...

Tags Beyonce, Lady Gaga

Danny Wood is using his celebrity for a good cause that's very close to his heart. The NKOTBSB member has hooked up with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation to raise money for cancer research. The New Kid is auctioning off a custom painted 2004 Harley Davidson Heritage to help raise funds, and the winner not only gets the bike, but also a bevy of other cool prizes to satiate their boy band appetite.

"My mother passed away 12 years ago from breast cancer and when [the New Kids] got back together, I asked the guys if we could do something to raise money for the Komen Foundation," he told MTV News. "We started selling tank tops [and] we've raised a half a million dollars."

When the New Kids and the Backstreet Boys decided to hit the road together this year, he knew he had to step up his charity game. "I kind of wanted to do something a little bit bigger," he said. "The bike's on display and you can buy raffle tickets and you can win my Harley and a trip to see us."

To learn how to get involved and enter the raffle, read on. Read more...

Tags danny wood, NKOTBSB

June is gay pride month and this weekend marks the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City. The riots are considered the defining moment that started the gay rights movement in the United States. All these years later, the movement is still fighting hard for equality, with marriage rights, bullying and discrimination still a constant battle for the LGBT community. But as last fall’s courageous It Gets Better anti-bullying campaign sought to point out, things are better now than they have ever been.

And who do we thank for that? Our leaders and allies, of course. So much love to people like Lt. Dan Coi, the late Harvey Milk and Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, President Obama, Rachel Maddow, Jon Stewart and Judy Shepard (among many, many others), and groups like PFLAG, HRC and GLAAD. But there is likely no more prominent LGBT ally in the world right now than Lady Gaga. By almost any estimation, with her enormous platform, legion of devoted fans and pro-gay stance, she’s the most vocal LGBT rights advocate on the planet.

Read more...

Tags Lady Gaga

This summer, Justin Bieber is going to take some time to just chill out. As he shared on Today on Thursday, his big plans are to just have some fun, relax and start work on a new album. Luckily, we had the pleasure of catching up with Bieber on Thursday in NYC at an event celebrating the launch of his new fragrance Someday, and he dished on what his favorite thing to do in the summer is.

"Favorite thing to do in the summer?" he pondered for a moment. "Have barbeques."

The answer was actually kind of surprising, since it pretty much confirms there isn't much of anything that Bieber can't do. Between singing, dancing, being awesome and his fledgling acting career, the fact that his skills as a chef are only matched by Food Network star Bobby Flay leads us to believe that he's nearly perfect.

We repeat: nearly. Read on to find out what Biebs isn’t so good at. Read more...

Tags Justin Bieber

By Zachary Swickey

Here in the U.S. we’ve seen a dramatic rise in the number of music festivals being offered ever year, and the size and scope of some of them are nothing short of impressive … unless you know about the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, known to most simply as Glastonbury. You’ve seen the name and you’ve probably heard by now that Radiohead just announced a “surprise” appearance for tonight’s kickoff, but you may not be familiar with its history and sheer awesomeness.

Located in Pilton, England, Glastonbury was founded by a now 75-year-old dairy farmer, Michael Eavis, who concocted the idea after seeing Led Zeppelin perform at a music festival. The very next year, in 1971, 1,500 fans showed up on Eavis’s farm for what would become the first iteration of the iconic fest. Just one year later, there were 12,000 in attendance with David Bowie headlining! By 1990 – the year before Lollapalooza came into existence – the festival had swelled to 70,000 fans and featured top billing from The Cure.

Before headliners (U2, Coldplay and Beyonce) were even announced for this year’s festival, all 137,500 tickets sold out in less than four hours – three times faster than last year, and it would’ve been even quicker if servers could have handled the traffic. An eclectic group of some other notable artists scheduled might indicate why it sold out so fast: Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, Morissey, Wu-Tang Clan, Paul Simon, Fleet Foxes, Bright Eyes, Lykke Li, Kesha, Cee-Lo Green, Big Boi, James Blake, Cold War Kid, and Crystal Castles. Over the last decade, many big-name artists have headlined the festival, including Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M.

The grounds of Glastonbury are unlike anything you could ever see at a stateside music festival. Glastonbury dwarfs all U.S. fests, covering over 900 acres – an 8.5 mile perimeter. Can you say, “Dude, where’s my tent?” Read more...

Tags glastonbury festival

FROM MTV ACT BLOG:

After a trip to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mrs. Obama and the first daughters made their way to historic Regina Mundi Church in the South Western Township, or Soweto. There, the First Lady paid homage to the young activists who fought for change a generation ago, and to 76 young women making those same strides today.

The fight began 35 years ago when a group of students peacefully protested a law that would require them to take their courses in Afrikaans. Their desire to get the education they deserved was met with retaliation, leaving hundreds dead.

“And it is because of them that we are able to gather here today,” Mrs. Obama said. “It is because of them that so many of these young women leaders can now pursue their dreams. It is because of them that I stand before you as First Lady of the United States of America.”

Mrs. O went on to explain the importance of Africa's role in the future of all nations. Sixty percent of Africans are under age 25, and two-thirds of South Africans are under age 30. The African youth of today, no doubt, will play a huge role as future leaders--combating corruption, building a strong democracy, battling disease and poverty, and creating jobs.

For more, visit MTV Act Blog, and check out video from Mrs. Obama's trip to Africa below. Read more...

Tags Michelle Obama

In 2006, Stephen Colbert introduced fans of The Colbert Report to Stephen and the Colberts, his 1980s new wave band, and their hit single "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You).”

Now he’s back with a follow-up, “Charlene II (I'm Over You).” “Charlene II” is a rock jam backed by the Black Belles, and features the Grammy winner (seriously, Colbert took home the Best Comedy Album prize in 2010 for A Colbert Christmas) singing about how over the titular Charlene he really is – though his email address is still Stephen@CharleneForever.com if she happens to still have feelings for him.

Check it out below, and if you happen to be in New York City today, look out for the comedian, who is scheduled to appear all around Manhattan with Jack White selling copies of the song from White’s "rolling record store,” which goes all over the country selling music from Third Man Records (White’s label). Colbert is also making “Charlene II” available through iTunes, vinyl and the Third Man Records’ website.

Read more...

Tags Jack-White, Stephen Colbert

By Morgan Schwartz

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that our beloved Britney Spears released the music video for her new single, “I Wanna Go,” on Wednesday. If you’re not acquainted with the song or the video (where have you been and what are you waiting for?), perhaps you’re familiar with the “Summer by Bravo” TV commercial. That’s right, that fun song you’ve been hearing as all the Bravo stars play at camp is Britney’s newest release. It’s also the perfect example of how popular artists can benefit from licensing out their music. The song, now forever associated with summer fun by anyone who has seen the Bravo ad, helped Brit’s newest single rapidly rise to the top of everyone’s summer playlist (and helped Brit out by giving her a few extra bucks, we’re sure…). Bravo didn’t get the short end of the stick either – everyone is talking about the new ad and it shows just how beneficial a licensing deal can be to both parties involved.

If you’re not a fan of Bravo, that doesn’t mean you can escape Britney’s reign. Britney’s music can also be heard on the commercial for So You Think You Can Dance. The pop princess’s tune “Till the World Ends” plays in the background and provides the perfect soundtrack to get fans of the show hyped about Britney and fans of Brit to get into the reality program.

Is Brit a business genius? Well … let’s just say she isn’t the first artist to license out her music for commercial use. In fact, some of our favorite songs have been put into television ads to help endorse products. Read more...

Tags britney spears, kings of leon, Lady Gaga, martin solveig, Sara Bareilles, Train

Chris Brown is the latest celebrity to issue a Twitter mea culpa to the LGBT community after using a gay slur. On Tuesday, the singer lashed out at photographers in Los Angeles after getting a ticket for parking illegally, saying, "Y'all n***as is weak. Did you call them to try and film me. Y'all n***as is gay!"

He joins The Voice judges Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton, both of whom have had to do that same thing in the last month or so.

In his apology, Brown said, “I have total respect for gay community and my intention was not to insult anyone in it.” We might even almost believe Brown if we hadn’t been down this road with him before. In late December, Brown attacked former B2K singer Raz-B on Twitter after he made a critical comment, saying, “N***a you want attention! Grow up n***a!!! D**k in da booty ass lil boy.”

He apologized then too, and all was forgiven. Whatever.

Because there’s no more modern way to convey that you didn’t mean to reinforce hate and encourage violence against an entire segment of the population like a 140-character or less explanation of your actions, the Twitter apology is the new thing. Read more...

Tags blake shelton, Cee-Lo Green, Chris Brown, The Voice, Tracy Morgan, Twitter

A year ago, MTV News production assistants Rya Backer and Steven Roberts realized that their devotion to chasing stories was seriously getting in the way of their love lives. That's why they dreamed up "First Date," a regular feature that allows them to get up close and personal to some of our favorite hot new artists.

By Rya Backer

When I first heard of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, their name reminded me a lot of this. And for that, I was grateful and nostalgic. But then I actually got a copy of their outstanding self-titled debut, and I was pleasantly surprised.

All nine tracks are fun and rocking and shimmery and distorted and all those other adjectives that make for a perfect summer soundtrack (seriously, “Nerve Damage” and “Bicycle” beg to be played at some sort of beach or pool situation).

Lead singer Ruban Nielson, who was once a part of New Zealand’s equally great Mint Chicks, wanted sushi, and so we went (along with his bandmates Jake Portrait and Julian Ehrlich) to Haru around the corner from our Times Square offices. What ensued was easily one of the most fun “first dates” I’ve ever been on, with a ton of content that was certainly not suitable for the MTV audience – or any audience, really. Let’s just say these guys love fun.

Read on for more. Read more...

Tags unknown mortal orchestra