We're already a handful of days into October, which means that Halloween is only a few weeks away. Musically, it's one of the best times of the year, because the songs surrounding the holiday tend to be either fantastically campy novelty tunes or genuinely scary hard rock and metal tunes. MTV Music's Halloween playlist covers both ends of that spectrum, from Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" to Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" to My Chemical Romance's "The Black Parade" to Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters." Each of these songs — along with "Monster Mash" and anything by a band fronted by Glenn Danzig — would make any Halloween playlist extra spooky.

But the one genre in the heaviest rotation this month should always be horrorcore, the short-lived, much-maligned gangsta rap subgenre that didn't last very long and produced very few memorable records. Tha Flatlinerz made one underrated album that was forever undone by a goofy video, Natas rarely got people outside of Detroit to listen and Eminem has only dabbled in it since the very early years (though his "3 A.M." is vintage horrorcore). But the best and brightest horrorcore career went to a supergroup called Gravediggaz, which brought together Prince Paul, RZA, Too Poetic and Frukwan. Their debut album, 1994's 6 Feet Deep, is an incredible concept album full of spooky beats and freaky imagery. The Prince Paul-produced "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" brings together a handful of great samples into a swirling, thumping stew that is just as scary as it is banging — something the Insane Clown Posse (and the rest of those dopey groups on their label) have never managed to accomplish.

It sounds like Adam Lambert will be making his big screen debut this November. But don't worry, "Idol" fans. It won't be another "From Justin to Kelly" catastrophe (although I imagine there's a small contingent of "Idol" freaks who would kill to see a musical romance between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert). Nope, instead this disaster will be of the Roland Emmerich-fueled sci-fi kind, meaning lots of stuff will get blown up.

After weeks of speculation and coy remarks to the press, it has been confirmed by legendary Queen guitarist Brian May that Adam Lambert has recorded a song for the upcoming Emmerich opus "2012." In a blog post dated Friday, August 14th, Mr. May gushed like a total fan-girl over the track, which he heard while hanging with producer Rob Cavallo. Read his comments (in a British accent, for full effect) below:

"I have to say I was completely blown away ... it's truly sensational. In fact it's so obviously a number one smash, any bookie would be mad to take bets on it. I am not kidding. I'm not easily moved to jelly by male vocalists ... but Adam's voice reaches out with sensitivity, depth, maturity, and awesome range and power which will make jaws drop all around the world. Its an awesome performance. No doubt about it. The world of Rock has a bright new star."

You think he liked it? Seriously, I haven't seen someone freak over an "Idol" like that since ... well, since I interviewed Kris Allen last week.

So here's what we know: The song was produced by Cavallo, whose name you know from working with David Cook, Green Day, My Chemical Romance and — randomly — Paris Hilton. Meat Loaf's drummer John Miceli was involved in some capacity. We assume the tune will be rolling over the end credits after (potential spoiler alert!) John Cusack and his band of misfits probably save the world, and ... that's about all we know.

But rest easy, Glamberts! We are working overtime to get as many details as possible over the highly-anticipated tune. What's it called? Will it also be on his major-label debut album this fall? Will it be "Rock Gawd" Lambert or "Gentle Jeff Buckley Balladeer" Lambert? And how badly does Brian May want Lambert to be in Queen? We're making as many phone calls as humanly possible to get to the bottom of this. So stay tuned...

By Cara Alwill

Bob Bryar, the drummer for My Chemical Romance, has filed charges against Daniel Schaffer, the self-proclaimed "dog trainer to the stars" after the death of his German shepherd mix, Dixie. The trainer has given conflicting explanations for the death.

According to People, Bryar brought his pooch to Schaffer's kennel for intense training to help him recover from abuse and emotional trauma caused by his former owner. Bryar spent $7,500 on the training in April, but when he called to check in on the dog, the trainer reported that Dixie was killed when a drunk driver struck the vehicle in which Schaffer was carrying several dogs, according to the court papers filed in Burbank Supreme Court. Bryar then received a call that evening stating that the dog had died from a different cause.

"Schaffer called (Bryar) again and informed him that he could not say goodbye to Dixie for she had been 'cremated due to her condition,'" the lawsuit says. Two days later, the trainer "delivered an urn allegedly containing Dixie's remains." After Schaffer could not produce a police report documenting the car accident, he changed his story and said the dog died in her sleep, and later changed that story to say she died under other circumstances.

"I don't even know what happened to my best friend and miss her more than anything in the world," Bryar said. "The devastation I feel is beyond words."

Billy Bob Thornton's latest musical venture got derailed over the weekend when the actor's band, the Boxmasters, canceled the rest of their Canadian tour due to a sudden bout of the flu. The announcement was shocking only because it was the second time in less than a few days that the Canadian tour curse had struck an American artist.

Just days earlier, Britney Spears was forced to walk offstage in Vancouver when a cloud of cigarette smoke grew so thick that it impeded the noted smoker's ability to perform.

That was a novel excuse, and much better than the one the Boxmasters offered. They canceled their remaining slots opening for Willie Nelson in Canada just a day after being roundly booed at a Toronto show following a contentious radio interview during which the "Sling Blade" star was evasive and compared Canadian audiences to mashed potatoes with no gravy. The failed sit-down earned the actor an eternal spot in "crazy interview" history, while the halfhearted spin from his camp raised the bar for lame excuses everywhere. Read more...

Like most badass dudes, My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way is looking to buy a Trans Am.

Unlike most badass dudes, he's taking to Twitter to find it.

Yes, citing the need for "research and exploration" (we're assuming for MCR's upcoming "raw" new album), Way is searching for a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am — "T-Tops a BIG Plus" — and he's begun posting a series of Tweets about his quest for the perfect muscle machine.

Read more...

My Chemical Romance may have thrown a Black Parade back in 2006, but in the three years since its release the guys haven't released much new music. But there's been a lot of buzz over their cover of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" for the hotly anticipated "Watchmen" film out this Friday.

With new music out there, fans are wondering when will MCR hit the studio and release a new album?

See what MCR have to say about their writing style after the jump! Read more...

President Obama threw a wrench in “Idol’s” sink last night, what with his “I’m so important I’m going to talk and talk and talk and ruin Jim Cantiello’s favorite show schedule and make his whole week feel weird” speech thingy, so here we are on a Wednesday night gearing up to watch the next batch of 12 semi-finalists try to melisma their way into the finals. I feel like a dog in a dress, honestly. An “Idol” performance show on a Wednesday? But this is the night we normally watch 58 minutes of filler before 2 minutes of results! The sky is falling!!

Before we get to tonight’s “American Idol” live-blog, I must admit that I’m live-blogging at work this week. I couldn’t make it home in time for the show, so I’m sitting here with headphones on. I’m watching on a crappy monitor with bad reception. (Seriously, MTV. We’re a cable network. Why don’t we get reception in the building?!) I miss my cats. I have that odd “airplane hunger” ping in my tummy – when regardless of how much you shoved down your gullet at the airport, as soon as you step on the plane you’re automatically hungrier than Kate Moss during fashion week.

We’ll work through this together, shall we?

So last week, we saw Michael “Non-deserving” Sarver, Danny “Ghost Whisperer” Gokey, and Alexis Grace make it to the finals, or as MTV.COM user bsriddle called her, “the 12 year old with the helmet hair.” Snap!

Now let's get live-blogging!

7:57 pm - Any latecomers to the season, don't fret. You can quickly catch up with what you missed last week by watching my handy dandy "Idol in 60 Seconds" recap here.

8:00 pm - Ryan Seacrest: "Where else can you find a bartender, a font designer and a comedian...?" I don't know, dude, but I'm pretty sure you can find a porno for any fetish out there. Keep lookin'.

8:00 pm - Wait a hot minute second! Is Megan Corkrey a FONT DESIGNER?! She is even sexier now. Do you think she can speak "Wingding?" Swoon!!

8:01 pm - The three finalists are there. Is it just me or does Alexis Grace remind you of Keri Strug? She is tiny!

8:02 pm - The judges have changed their seating assignments. Why do they have to mess with perfection?

8:03 pm - Oooh: the performing order has been revealed. Jasmine the Pageant Queen is up first, which can only mean that she won't make it through this week. Small victory for me. Matt Giraud is #2, which, after Alexis Grace last week, might be the new pimp spot? Nick "Normund Gentle" is dab smack in the middle (poor guy), and Megan Corkrey has added a "Joy" to her name. Obviously it's a shout-out to me, since she knows she brings me so much. Or, at least she did in the 14 seconds we heard her sing in an audition episode. Boy, do I hope she's good tonight.

8:03 pm - Jasmine Murray is a 17-year old. She looks like a skinny Mo'Nique. That's a compliment.

Read more...

By Adrienne Day

Get your "American Idol" fix here! We follow the first batch of the top 36 as they sing through Billboard magazine's Top 100 hits, and we live-blog the show last night.

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way explains why their new album will be "very direct, very honest" — and a return to the band's Jersey roots.

Fabolous reveals who's numero uno in his life — his 1-year-old son — but explains there's still room in his heart for the ladies, as evinced by his upcoming album, "Loso's Way," featuring Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry and The Dream.

Kurt Loder reviews Polish director Andrzej Wajda's dark World War II masterpiece, "Katyn," nominated for an Academy Award in '08 but only now getting a US release.

Our Movies Blog gets wind of a new Robert Rodriguez flick — and this one, a futuristic thriller, has an actual release date!

Over the years, working for MTV News and even before I landed this gig, I've interviewed a lot of celebrities. It's one of the perks of the job, interviewing people whose work you've always admired (which, for me, would include any of the members of Jane's Addiction, Mike Patton, Carcass and Portishead) — at times, you even get to speak to those whose work you don't admire (like, say, Hinder).

I'd say about 40 percent of the interviews I've done have been in person — an artist is in town and they've got something to promote, so they swing by our Times Square offices for a little face time. The rest of them are what we in the biz call "phoners," and these interviews involve calling the subject at his or her home or hotel room to talk shop. These types of interviews are less controlled, basically because there's no publicist around to interfere. But these types of interviews are also just like any other phone conversation you've ever had — call waiting can disrupt the flow of conversation just as easily as a screaming child or a misbehaving pet. Read more...

Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Eric Clapton ... David Cook? That's what Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo's résumé will look like soon. The man who helped make American Idiot and The Black Parade modern classics is dipping his toes into the "American Idol" pool, signaling one of two things: Either Cook is the real deal, or, well, a gig's a gig.

A rep for Cook's label, 19 Recordings/ RCA Records, told MTV News that Cavallo — who is currently in the studio with the Dave Matthews Band — has teamed up with the "Idol" winner to work on all of the songs on Cook's debut, which is due this fall.

Read more...