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Beyonce dropped her candy-coated, trailer park party-themed video for "Party" last night, and while she switched out Andre 3000 for J. Cole, we have to say the cheeky clip didn't disappoint.

Beyonce kicked off her 4 era with the hard, dystopian video for "Run The World (Girls)" but her more recent clips for "Love on Top," "Countdown" and now "Party" have proven more lighthearted and fun. In "party," the colorful couture fashions, the summer BBQ vibe and the celeb cameos (hey there Solange and Kelly Rowland! But, wait, where are you Kanye?) really recall the summery vibe of R&B videos from the '90s. Its' happy! It's sexy! It's cool! … It's crazy, sexy, cool. See what we did there? Shout out to TLC.

While much of Beyonce's Alan Ferguson-directed "Party" video is certainly a big, well, par-tay, the key scene really comes close to the end of the video. What stands out most to us is when her Destiny's Child sibling Kelly Rowland appears, dancing side by side with her bestie. Sure, B's real sister is also in the clip doing her downtown hipster DJ thing, but there's something really cool about seeing Kells and B chilling out, looking ghetto chic and having a laugh with one another.

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Tags Beyonce, The Key Scene

By Zachary Swickey

When your work is praised by Jay-Z and Trent Reznor, you know you’re onto something special. I’m talking about Brooklyn indie rockers Grizzly Bear, who've been charming us with their hypnotizing melodies for many years (they would slay as a barbershop quartet). The group’s last album, Veckatimest, found praise from all sorts of unexpected places, including Hova, who is an enthusiastic fan. After nearly two grueling years on the road, the guys were all ready to take a break. Well, everyone but member Chris Taylor, the group’s bassist and backup vocalist, who wasn’t very keen on the idea of taking time off and instead opted to craft a solo project with his newfound time. The result is CANT, a studio collaboration with George Lewis Jr., who we know and love from '80s throwback act Twin Shadow.

Taylor first teased his solo abilities two years ago with the release of “Ghosts,” a non-album track, which sounded more like Grizzly Bear than CANT’s current material, but it was the singer’s first venture out on his own (if you don’t count his production duties with groups like Dirty Projectors or The Morning Benders). Taylor and his brothers in Grizzly Bear are critical favorites, but the man is no diva – he didn’t need or demand a fancy schmancy studio to hunker down in for recording, rather a simple big bedroom and vintage Yamaha synthesizers. Read more...

Tags Bands We Like

By Kara Klenk

Halloween is a few days away, so stragglers will be picking apart the remains of costume shops or paying extra for shipping all week. Some people opt for funny (Angry Jet Blue Flight Attendant), political (Kim Jung Il), or cultural memes (keyboard cat). But sadly, a majority of the adult female population tries to go sexy. While it’s pretty easy to make a Snooki or Tinkerbell costume revealing, costume companies also push some “sexy” options that should be anything but.

10. Sexy Ninja Turtle Michelangelo:
There must be a better way to pay homage to your late '80s/early '90s upbringing besides trying to make an anthropomorphic turtle look hot. Plus, there is NO way a girl stands would stand a chance against Shredder in this kind of get up.

9. Bollywood Ho:
Seriously? Not even “Bollywood Star” or “Bollywood Hottie”? You’re just going with “Bollywood Ho”? You know, to be an actual “ho” in Bollywood all you have to do is publicly embrace Richard Gere; you can actually be wearing pants.

8. Big Bad Sexy Wolf/Sexy "Twilight" Wolf:
Now you can channel your inner Taylor Lautner! Not a fan of the "Twilight" movies? Don’t sweat it! You can just be a regular sexy wolf! Rawr. Er … Woof . Whatever … wolf noise.

7. Sexy Nurse:
Was there a point in time where nurses didn’t wear baggy pastel scrubs and white Crocs and actually dressed in skin-tight-vinyl? Don’t think so. Ironically, this costume brings the word “unsanitary” to mind.

6. Sexy Bee:
This is what a bee looks like. How did we end up sexualizing this insect? Where is the sexy grasshopper? The hot cricket? The flirty mosquito?

5. Sexy Girl Scout:
It’s been a while since my days as a Brownie, but I don’t recall the Girl Scout Motto starting, “On my honor, I will try, to look as smoking hot as possible, and keep my abs tanned and ripped.”

Read on for the rest… Read more...

Tags Halloween, Holiday

By Christina Garibaldi

Think all you Lovatics know everything about Demi Lovato? Well, think again!

Demi recently stopped by MTV News, where we talked all about her next single off of her album Unbroken, her upcoming tour and her love of Nicki Minaj. But before we wrapped up the interview, we wanted to get personal with Demi, and of course, we needed your help.

We asked you tweet us your questions and out of the hundreds we received, we narrowed it down to six. We put Demi to the test as she played along in our “Rapid Fire Twitter” round. Check out the super fun video, after the jump! Read more...

Tags Demi Lovato, Twitter

By Sara Waber

Everyone here in the MTV Newsroom has been having nightmares the past three Wednesday nights because of the disturbing new FX series "American Horror Story." "AHS" comes to us from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the TV geniuses who brought us the underdog loving "Glee" and the two very sexy and missed plastic surgeons of "Nip Tuck," and while the commercials portray just another pee-your-pants horror show, "AHS" has more substance than you expect.

The show debuted to mixed reviews by critics and audiences, both of whom were discouraged by the same things. The first episode was overloaded with “ghouls and gross-outs that some viewers will squeal with delight while others wonder whether they can possibly tune in for this sort of fright every week,” according to the Washington Post, and there is too much sex and violence for the show to keep an audience … But hello? Has anyone ever heard about a little show called "True Blood"? Those not fortunate enough to have HBO now have "AHS" on basic cable to get their fix of gore and sex. But even "True Blood" pales in comparison to the unsettlingly unique quality that "AHS" has, which is why I totally fell in love with it.

"While we were writing this, I was constantly thinking about how good 'Dark Shadows' was, how gothic it was, and how it had all these interwoven stories about sex and marriage and obsession," Murphy says of the show. "I don't feel there's anything on the air quite like that now."

(We're also obsessed with the forthcoming "Dark Shadows" movie starring Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer! Read all about it on MTV Movies Blog.)

Believe me, I was not at the head of the line to see "Paranormal Activity 3," so I’m not just a sucker for horror, but the back story of this family keeps me intrigued and rooting for them. Read more...

Tags american horror story, Newsroom Obsessions, Newsroom Poll

By Zachary Swickey

I can still recall the intense anticipation I felt upon purchasing A Perfect Circle’s second album, 13th Step. I rushed back to my car, shredded the packaging open and shoved the CD into my stereo for my first official taste of the album other than the single “Weak and Powerless.” This is how things used to be, not even very long ago – if you wanted an album, you had to drive to a store, purchase it and then put it in a CD player. Oh how things have changed!

At only 25 years old, I’m already beginning to preach like an old man about how “things used to be,” but I can’t help it, considering how rapid technology has progressed. The most revolutionary thing to impact my later youth is without a doubt, the iPod. Before, I had a gargantuan case that held my prized collection of about 350 CDs (goodbye lunch money). The thing was practically luggage and I had to update and alphabetize it regularly, otherwise finding the right album was virtually impossible. When I tell my future children about vinyl, cassettes and now CDs, they’re going to be befuddled since the great majority of music is now digital without any physical object representing it. For over 50 years, music was always available in the form of a tangible product – until Steve Jobs set us free in the world of mp3.

At the end of 2005 (four years after the inception of iTunes), CD sales still accounted for 86 percent of the music market, and it appeared that iTunes would just be just another option for the consumer to purchase music, but not necessarily kill the CD. Fast-forward just five years to 2010 and things looked drastically different – at 49 percent, physical CD sales accounted for just under half of all music sales. It’s also worth noting that the popularity of iTunes has shifted the focus back on singles and individual songs rather than full albums, since the service has always been a la carte – allowing you to purchase whichever specific songs you’d like. This has made it more crucial than ever to have multiple hit songs on a record since the consumer may now opt to purchase a single song and might never even hear the full album. (Ed. Note: Sad.)

For more and to let us know if you think music is still a great gift, read on and vote in our poll. Read more...

Tags Holidays

By Maura Gavaghan

Annual costume contest at work? Halloween party during lunch? After work drinks for All Hallows Eve? However your office chooses to celebrate, there are certain do's and don'ts when choosing a costume to wear around your co-workers (and more importantly, your boss). Here at MTV News, we care about you and your future employment, so we are highlighting what you should and should not do as you prepare for your Halloween festivities!

DON'T show too much skin or use too much fake blood
Save your hot pants for another time! Some women and men (yes, this applies to you too) use Halloween as a time to show off what their mama gave them, but this puts you and your co-workers in a potentially awkward and uncomfortable situation! Likewise, if you happen to have an infatuation with fake blood and gore, consider wearing a toned down version to the office.

DO show off your personality with your costume
Halloween is a chance to step out of your boring work clothes and show your co-workers your sense of humor, creativity and character. If you are a Gleek at heart, dress up as Sue Sylvester. If you are obsessed with Will Ferrell, show up to the office as Ron Burgundy. (Disclaimer: Some costume choices may change your co-workers' opinions of you … but let your freak flag fly!)

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Tags Halloween

In the world of music, we already know that one of the biggest releases of 2012 isn't an album, but Baby Bey who is supposed to drop sometime in February. What can proud parents Beyonce and Jay-Z buy for their bundle of joy? Apparently a lot of square footage.

Our pals at Buzzworthy brought our attention to an Us Magazine story stating that sources are estimating that the infant will be residing in a 2,200 square foot nursery. More Details on the Nursery From Buzzworthy >>>

If you believe that, you'd have to close your eyes and imagine that the bundle of joy would be tucked away in enough square footage to become a lovely home.

Peaking at floor plans on ThePlanCollection.com, we found some places we'd move into today that would be dwarfed by just the nursery alone. Read more...

Tags Beyonce, Beyonce Baby, Jay-Z

New candid, behind-the-scenes footage of Beyonce chilling out with a man named Frank (most likely her choreographer, Frank Gatson Jr.) hit the Internet this week and it's causing a bit of a stir.

In the clip, Bey says, "Nobody's gonna want us to go to their shows, Frank, cause we're gonna take everything." When Frank points out that everyone borrows from each other in pop culture, Beyonce continues, "Everybody does. But we go and meet everybody and say, 'Hey, great show,' and then steal." The video then ends as she trails off with her head in her hands, giggling.

Watch:

There's been minor controversy surrounding Bey's videos for "Love On Top" and "Countdown," with some arguing they borrow heavily from other videos and art pieces. With that in mind, fans might be wondering what this little off-the-cuff conversation might mean. To be clear, we have no idea what the context of this conversation was or where this video came from, so it's difficult to really boil down what point she's trying to make. Regardless, it's out in the world and we wanted to share it with you and see what you have to say about it.

Let us know what you think by voting below.

Watch the videos for "Love on top" and "Countdown," after the jump.

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Tags Beyonce, Newsroom Argument, Newsroom Poll

Katy Perry is having such a huge year that she hardly needs more reasons to celebrate, but she woke up to another one this morning – she turns 27 today.

Happy birthday, Katy!

In 2011 alone, the pop star tied Michael Jackson's record for the most No. 1 hits from a single album, won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year for "Firework," scored four Grammy nominations and has been touring the globe on her sold-out "California Dreams Tour." (We saw her at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island this summer and thought the show was great!)

In her honor, we've rounded up some of our favorite Katy videos after the jump. Enjoy! (And don't forget to send her some birthday love on Twitter @katyperry!) Read more...

Tags Katy Perry