Posted 10/14/11 5:00 pm ET by James Montgomery in Music
We landed at the Aeropuerto de Santiago at 8 a.m., and already they were there: the squealing throngs of Justin Bieber's Chilean army. They were packed in tight against guardrails in the arrivals lounge, holding signs, waiting with bated breath for just a glimpse of JB, even though he had wrapped a pair of shows in Argentina less than 12 hours ago (and, as he would later reveal on Twitter, he wouldn't arrive in Chile until six hours later).

Still, that didn't stop them from eyeing each and every arriving passenger, searching them up and down for some semblance of Bieber. They were egged on by a local newscast playing on a TV in the corner, which showed JB no less than four times in 30 minutes and, in one particularly cruel move, actually deployed a Bieber look-alike on the streets of Santiago to further froth the frenzy. It was, in no uncertain terms, rather amazing to watch ... the mania, the devotion, the excitement in the air. Make no mistake about it, Chile is ready for Justin Bieber.
Posted 10/14/11 3:32 pm ET by Jocelyn Vena in Music

Pregnant women are notorious for their cravings, and expecting superstars are no different. We here at the MTV Newsroom got some some insight into what mom-to-be Beyoncé's been craving. The singer and husband Jay-Z went out for some dinner this week at New York City hotspot Beauty & Essex, and we have the inside scoop on just what B, who's due to give birth in February, felt like eating.
The pair (well, actually trio) were spotted on Tuesday at the downtown NYC restaurant, where DJ (and rapper) Talib Kweli was spinning the tunes. Sounds like they were having a fun little pre-baby date night.
Posted 10/14/11 2:58 pm ET by Jocelyn Vena in Music
Justin Bieber is just a few weeks away from dropping his holiday album, Under the Mistletoe, and he's getting his fans hyped for its release with the premiere of his "Mistletoe" video next week on MTV.
Oh, and did we mention that he'll be sitting down with MTV News for a 30-minute interview after Tuesday's premiere? As we amp up for what will certainly be one very awesome chat, we're looking forward to the superstar collabos Bieber has promised on the upcoming album.
The teased team-ups from the November 1 release have yet to drop, but there's a good chance they'll start to roll out soon. Today, Bieber tweeted, "Spoke to bday boy @usherraymondiv - he says if we get #MISTLETOE to #1 on ITUNES we can release our DUET from the album the next week!!!!!"
Well, we certainly can't wait to hear that. But we want to know: What song from the holiday album are you most excited for?
Posted 10/14/11 2:11 pm ET by MTV News in Exclusives
Happy "Footloose" remake release day! The wait to cut loose with Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough's new spin on the Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer-led original is over and to celebrate the occasion, we have a very special, exclusive treat for you in the form of the exclusive video premiere of rising star Ella Mae Bowen's version of "Holding Out For A Hero."
For those of us who grew up with the 1984 original, the film's iconic soundtrack is just as memorable as the film, particularly Bonnie Tyler's inimitable power anthem. That said, Bowen's stripped-down, heartfelt version is so beautiful and brilliant, we're betting that even Tyler would approve. Check out Bowen's debut video below, followed by our interview with the talented 15-year-old (yes, she's only 15!) herself.
Posted 10/14/11 10:26 am ET by Jason Kaufman in Breaking News
Just like thousands of Apple fans across the globe, we were in line first thing this AM to get our hands on the new iPhone 4s. We couldn't wait to have our first meeting with Siri, the personal assistant that, according to Apple's Website "lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it."
Understands what you say, knows what you mean! OK, we felt confident she could help us find good Thai food or know to retrieve text messages, but would she grasp some of the most important questions in all of pop culture? We put her to the test, asking her the following:
The answers to most questions? "I do not understand." Apple has said that Siri will improve over time, because she can adapt to you and Apple will also upgrade her brain. We plan on putting her to the test again soon here in our Newsroom. Please leave suggestions for other pop culture mysteries we can pose to her below or on our Facebook page.
Posted 10/14/11 7:04 am ET by MTV News in Television
By James Dinh
It's clear "X Factor" isn't scared to tack on some star power to their much-hyped talent competition; just take a look at the judging panel. And after catching Thursday's night's delayed episode, which featured Rihanna, Pharrell, Enrique Iglesias and Mariah Carey (sort of), it's even clearer.
In an episode that sent all 32 contestants around the world to their assigned judges' homes, Simon Cowell (mentoring under-30s girl acts), L.A. Reid (mentoring under-30s boy acts), Paula Abdul (mentoring group acts) and Nicole Scherzinger (mentoring over-30s acts) took the wannabes under their wings, calling on their very famous friends to help out.
We here at the MTV Newsroom thought we'd take a closer look at the celeb mentors and their words of wisdom. Here's how they fared:
Rihanna
Partnering with L.A. Reid, the record bigwig who discovered her, Rihanna was open to voicing her opinions on contestants' vocal talents, confidence and commercial relatability. Right off the bat, the pop titan compared young rapper Brian Bradley (also known as the Astronomical Kid) to the likes of current industry MCs like J. Cole. Score: 8/10
Posted 10/13/11 1:00 pm ET by Jim Cantiello in Television, Video, reality tv
When you get to be as famous as “The X Factor” judges (except for Nicole Scherzinger, who is about as A-list as the cast of Logo’s “The A-List”), your schedule gets fills up quickly with high-profile social engagements like movie premieres and business dinners. You rarely have time to carve out much TV time, and even if you did, you’d never in a million years admit to watching your own show when it airs.
Or do you?
I recently caught up with “X Factor” stars Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid and asked them what they did on Wednesday and Thursday nights at 8 PM. I was shocked to hear their answer!
Posted 10/13/11 9:00 am ET by MTV News in Movies, Music, Television
By Zachary Swickey
Did you know that overall album sales dropped 13 percent in 2010, but that vinyl sales increased by 14 perfect for the same year (a new record for the format since 1991)? My dad called me just a few weeks ago and asked confused, “What the hell is Best Buy selling records for? They still make those?” Yes, they most certainly do and the majority of album packages released today include vinyl editions in their bundles. This is just one of the many examples of nostalgia’s continued popularity in today’s pop culture world.
What do “Hot Tube Time Machine,” “Take Me Home Tonight” and “Drive” all have in common? Well, how about mad love for the '80s! One of the finest jokes from “Hot Tube Time Machine” came when “The Office” star Craig Robinson asked a woman what color Michael Jackson was – a classic “era” joke. “Take Me Home Tonight” may not have been the best flick but there were plenty of '80’s clichés to go around: neon, popped collars, headbands and more neon! If you’ve seen Ryan Gosling in “Drive,” then you are already aware of his bitchin’ retro satin cream-colored jacket with a giant scorpion emblazoned on the back, which is sure to inspire some outfits for this Halloween (or guys who simply want to look like a badass).
Let’s not forget about all of the band reunions that are hot commodities right now – covering nostalgia for every music era. In quite possibly the oldest reunion ever, the Beach Boys recently announced a 50th anniversary reunion (senior citizens around the globe rejoice!) and even hinted that they may end up back in the studio to produce a new album. Hipster faves Pulp finally reunited with their frontman Jarvis Cocker this year for a round of festival dates. And, of course, Blink-182 released that new album, Neighborhoods which we were beginning to think we’d never hear. The most random reunion (although still well-received) goes to indie noise rockers Death From Above 1979, who only have one 2004 album to their name, but came back to rock many a face off during 2011 (notably causing a small riot at this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival during their first performance back).
What about television? The days of yesteryear have been infiltrating the networks too. The 80’s classic “Teen Wolf” has been revamped and adapted into a new television series here at MTV. The iconic MTV program “120 Minutes” that focused on rising rock acts originally aired for 14 years from 1986-2000, and this summer the show was brought back to life with host Matt Pinfield and all. My generation was thrilled to see Nickelodeon bringing back several of its classic shows from the '90s for a block of programming appropriated dubbed “The 90s Are All That,” which includes all of the channel’s greatest hits – "All That,” “Kenan & Kel,” “Doug,” and soon the Christine Taylor-starring (Ben Stiller’s wifey) “Hey Dude." One of the newest and most anticipated revivals belongs to VH-1’s “Pop-Up Video,” which was brought back just this week after a nine-year absence. Now, you’ll finally know all the details behind OK Go’s treadmill romp “Here It Goes Again.”
Posted 10/12/11 3:18 pm ET by MTV News in Music
By James Dinh
It's safe to that Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" is a bona fide hit with just about everybody under the sun. Since its release back in May, the Pink Friday cut has spawned celebrity covers from Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and even a couple members of the Kardashian clan, but the bouncy pop track was recently covered by even more wannabe MCs: 8-year-old Sophia Grace Brownlee and her 5-year-old cousin Rosie.
You may not recognize their names, but you'll most likely recognize the British youngsters' YouTube cover of the Minaj hit (or matching princess dresses) that spread like wildfire across the Internet. The duo took their cutesy talents to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Wednesday to perform the song and screamed in excitement when the Young Money raptress surprised them with an appearance. How else do young girls react when seeing their musical idol in person? Well, lots of screaming and jumping, of course.
"Within five seconds of seeing this video, I was calling everyone I knew and I was also receiving a billion emails," Minaj told DeGeneres. "Everyone is like, 'You have to see this little girl.' She blew me away! I have a hypeman, and you have a hypegirl."
Alongside her "hypegirl" cousin, Grace later performed her version of the record-breaking tune with the Harajuku Barbie as they sporadically shared lines. Despite applauding her talents and bright future, Minaj stressed the importance of school. "We feel like we're watching a journey that's about to be amazing, right?" she said. "You are incredible. I just want you to stay in school, the both of you. Music is beautiful, but I want you to stay in school. Put your books first and singing second."
Posted 10/12/11 3:00 pm ET by Jim Cantiello in Television, Video, reality tv
Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul may have been heavily featured in all the promos leading up to “The X Factor’s” premiere, but once the show debuted, a new TV star emerged: L.A. Reid.
From his steely stare to the way he grooves to his use of the word “ensemble” over the less-classy word “group,” TV viewers instantly fell in love. (As soon as host Steve Jones mentioned L.A.’s A-list resume, which includes Pink, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, he trended worldwide on Twitter.)
But how does Simon – whose ego is bigger than some continents – feel about being upstaged by a co-star during his triumphant return to American TV? And to be outshined by a TV television newbie?! That’s gotta sting.
Judging from Simon’s reaction when I asked him to ‘fess up to some jealousy, it did.
Check out the hilarious video below, in which I tell L.A. Reid to put on ear-muffs and get a delightfully honest answer from Mr. Cowell.
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