MTV Newsroom › John Mitchell

Easy Ways To Get Involved In the Fight Against AIDS

Posted 12/1/11 3:26 pm EST by in Activism

Today is World AIDS Day and this year marks the 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). There remains no vaccine or cure for the disease, which has killed over 30 million people.

"Learning With Science, Uniting For Action" is the theme of this year's World AIDS Day and, per our friends at MTV Act, "reminds us that while researchers and scientists hustle for treatment options, the rest of us can bind together with information, support and human kindness."

There are countless ways you can get involved in the fight against AIDS and MTV Act has rounded up some of the simplest things you can do to help make sure AIDS soon becomes a thing of the past. From a simple retweet to creating a panel on the digital AIDS quilt, it's never been easier to get involved. For a full rundown, visit MTV Act.

Tags ,

Grammy Snubs: Beyonce And Britney Were Robbed, Kanye West, Lady Gaga And Taylor Swift Should Have Gotten Even More Love

Posted 12/1/11 1:24 pm EST by in Beyonce, Britney Spears, Grammys, Kanye West, Lady Gaga

Last night's announcement of the nominees for the 2012 Grammys came with them few surprises: Kanye West earned a leading seven nominations for his solo work on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the Jay-Z collaboration Watch the Throne and Adele's mega-selling 21 and its ubiquitous lead single "Rolling in the Deep" dominated the top categories. There were, however, several notable snubs among the nominations, the most glaring of which we've cataloged below.

Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Album of the Year

How Kanye West could score the most nominations, including Best Song for "All of the Lights," and not see his critically adored Fantasy nominated for Album of the Year is beyond us. The set enjoys a 94 out of 100 rating on album review aggregator Metacritic, a full 18 points better than the highest-rated album to make the Grammy cut (Adele's 21 with a 76).

Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory," Song of the Year

Lady Gaga has released so many singles off her hit album Born This Way that we sometimes lose track, but the one track that has really stuck is "The Edge of Glory." Lyrically inspired by the death of her grandfather, the song features soaring hooks and the most anthemic chorus to hit Top 40 radio this year. That the Academy chose to honor only four songs with nominations in this category rather than the usual five while overlooking the highlight of an album it chose to award a nomination for Album of the Year is silly business.

Read on for more. Read More...

Tags , , , ,

The Final Two! 'I'm A Slave 4 U' And 'Criminal' Go Head-To-Head In Britney Spears: 30 Videos For 30 Years

Posted 12/1/11 9:45 am EST by in Britney Spears, Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years

It's time for the Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years, MTV News' celebration of all things Britney to honor the pop star's 30th birthday! In the lead up to the big day, we're asking you, Brit's most loyal fans, to help us decide which video from her legendary career is your favorite by participating in a winner-take-all tournament. MTV News' resident Britney experts assigned 30 of Britney's videos seeds and put them up against one another in a series of single-elimination match-ups. Fan voting will determine which of her amazing clips is named the fan-favorite. So vote now and vote often for your favorite video. The winner will be announced on December 2 – Britney's 30th birthday!

It's down to the Final Two!

This is it, Britney fiends. We are down to the final two videos in MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years. Each new round has brought fantastic surprises to the MTV Newsroom, as videos we assumed to be sure things got knocked out of the race early and clips we thought might get left in the dust dominated.

Our showdown to find out which video is the Britney fan favorite comes down to "I'm A Slave 4 U" and "Criminal," two of the pop star's sexiest clips ever. "Slave" is classic Britney – a "TRL" favorite from her third album, Britney – while "Criminal," the most recent single from her hit album Femme Fatale, showcases Britney Version 2011, as our girl goes on a crime spree with her real-life boyfriend Jason Trawick (and hits the showers for a particularly steamy sequence).

It's getting down to the wire and we only have one day to go until Britney's big day. Our winner will be determined on Friday, Dec. 2 – Britney's 30th birthday! Cast your vote below now through tomorrow at 7AM and be sure to check back tomorrow to see which video takes the title of Best Britney Video of All Time!

Watch both videos after the jump! Read More...

Tags ,

Does Beyonce Have A Smoke And Mirrors Plan To Have Her Baby In Peace?

Posted 11/30/11 4:32 pm EST by in Beyonce

Beyonce

Beyonce is one smart cookie.

Today, everyone is going a little crazy with the news that the pop star may be welcoming her baby with hubby Jay-Z a little earlier than everyone expected. In a YouTube clip from the set of her video for "Countdown," King Bey holds up the Sept. 23 edition of the New York Daily News and responds to its "Oh Baby!" headline by saying she is six months pregnant.

"Hello, it's Sept. 23. Oh baby! Oh baby! Oh baby! Oh baby! This was on the cover of the Daily News. Right now I'm actually shooting the video for 'Countdown' and I'm six months pregnant, pretending that my stomach is flat in body suits," the superstar says in the clip. "But thank god you can't really tell from the front, but when I turn to the side ... Oh baby! Oh baby!"

But wait! That would mean that she is due in mid-to-late December and not February, as was reported earlier during a sit-down interview with the star on Australia's "Sunday Night." That's a pretty dramatic shift in time! And it makes us wonder if Beyonce isn't maybe trying create a little bit of confusion around when she's actually due so she can give birth in peace. It's a totally understandable trick – Beyonce is notoriously private and unlike many modern celebrities, who quite literally invite cameras into the delivery room, our girl Bey has never been one to give in to the prying eyes of the press.

We've compiled a little evidence after the jump. Read More...

Tags

This Week In Taylor Swift Being Taylor Swift: OMG CHRISTMAS!

Posted 11/30/11 1:35 pm EST by in Taylor Swift

Now that Thanksgiving is over, Taylor Swift can now focus on her absolute favorite thing – Christmas! With her massive, special guest-heavy "Speak Now" world tour wrapped, Taylor can focus on the important things, like making homemade snow globes.

Yes! Swift posted a bunch of completely adorable pics to her Instragram feed with captions like, "Home made snow globes with friends. The whole fleet!" and "Christmas in a jar, with glitter."

Taylor is also ramping up her collaboration with American Greetings with a holiday collection includes collectible ornaments and Christmas cards. "The latest cards from Taylor are highlighted by her appealing casual writing style, inspiring photography, expressive hand lettering, and joyful designs that make every greeting memorable," an American Greetings press release wrinkled its nose and said. "This year's holiday collection features everything from festive scenes like stockings hanging on a mantle, beautifully wrapped packages, and elegant decorations to the small, charming joys of children catching falling snow and a deliciously warm cup of hot chocolate just begging for a little whipped cream."

But that's not all. The greeting card giant and the pop-country megastar are taking things even further with its "13 Days of Taylor" sweepstakes, which features 13 days of giveaways "inspired by the singer-songwriter's love of the season." The fun begins tomorrow and continues through Dec. 13, Taylor's birthday (squeal!), with three winners being selected randomly to receive gift packages that change daily but always include a copy of Swifts "Speak Now World Tour – Live" DVD. Fans can register now on American Greetings Facebook page.

Check out some of Taylor's holiday handiwork after the jump. Read More...

Tags

It's Time for the Final Four In Britney Spears: 30 videos For 30 Years

Posted 11/30/11 10:00 am EST by in Britney Spears, Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years

Britney Spears

It's time for the Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years, MTV News' celebration of all things Britney to honor the pop star's 30th birthday! In the lead up to the big day, we're asking you, Brit's most loyal fans, to help us decide which video from her legendary career is your favorite by participating in a winner-take-all tournament. MTV News' resident Britney experts assigned 30 of Britney's videos seeds and put them up against one another in a series of single-elimination match-ups. Fan voting will determine which of her amazing clips is named the fan-favorite. So vote now and vote often for your favorite video. The winner will be announced on December 2 – Britney's 30th birthday!

Man, you Britney fans are a surprising bunch!

We've pretty much given up trying to forecast the outcome of MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos For 30 Years because as we go into the Final Four things look nothing like we expected … with one notable exception!

From the beginning, we had a feeling "I'm A Slave 4 U" would be one of the clips to survive the intense competition and we were right. The sexy clip marked a major transition in the Princess of Pop's career as she moved away from the wholesome image she'd carved out with her first two albums, …Baby One More Time and Oops! I Did It Again, and moved into more adult territory with her third album, Britney, and was one of her biggest "TRL" hits.

The other remaining videos indicate fans' affection for Britney Spears: Version 2011. Early on, we thought nostalgia would rule the day and her older videos would dominate the competition. That hasn't been the case as newer clips have proven themselves to be Britney fan favorites. So much so that two of the final four videos come from her most recent album, Femme Fatale. One of the biggest surprises of the whole competition – as far as the Britney experts here in the MTV Newsroom are concerned – has been the incredibly strong performance of Brit's latest clip "Criminal." It's a great video (and we know she loves it), but we are shocked that such a recent clip has destroyed Britney classics like "Baby" and "Stronger" to make it to the final four.

It's getting down to the wire and we only have three days and two rounds to go until Britney's big day. Our winner will be determined on Friday, Dec. 2 – Britney's 30th birthday! Cast your vote now through tomorrow, Dec. 1 at 7AM in the Final Four showdown after the jump. Read More...

Tags ,

Miley Cyrus And Our Other Favorite Celebrity NoH8-ers

Posted 11/29/11 9:52 am EST by in Activism, Gay Rights, Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus is a girl with a cause (or nine)!

Yesterday, we gave Miley a little grief for her inability to stop her friends from recording her saying and doing silly things but perhaps we were a little too hard on the 19-year-old pop star because time and time again she steps up to prove her heart is always in the right place.

She recently unveiled a video for a remixed version of her track “Liberty Walk” to support the Occupy Wall Street movement, and now photographer Adam Bouska has posted a behind-the-scenes photo to his Facebook profile of Cyrus posing for the NoH8 campaign. NoH8 is a silent protest campaign that supports same-sex marriage equality.

Cyrus has been long been a vocal advocate for gay rights, going so far as to tattoo an equal sign on her middle finger in a showing of her support for marriage equality. After she posted a pic of her new ink on Twitter in late July, some of her followers criticized the political statement she was making but Cyrus did not back down, saying, “Where does it say in the bible to judge others? Oh right. It doesn't. GOD is the only judge honey. GOD is love.” Later, she added, “If u don’t stand 4 something you’ll fall for anything.”

Tell it, Miley!

The young pop star’s decision to further involve herself in the NoH8 movement got us thinking about a few of our other favorite stars who have taken a stand for LGBT equality. Read on for a few more and why we think their commitment goes above and beyond the rest. Read More...

Tags , ,

Experts Weigh In On Round Three Of Britney Spears: 30 Videos For 30 Years

Posted 11/29/11 7:00 am EST by in Britney Spears, Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years

Shocking is the only word to describe the results of Round Two of MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos For 30 Years.

Two of Britney's most iconic videos – "…Baby One More Time" and "Oops! I Did It Again" – were knocked out of the competition and even though thousands of votes were cast in each showdown, the winner in several brackets was determined by only a handful of votes. We are now down to the Elite 8 – "Hold It Against Me" vs. "Me Against The Music," "Toxic" vs. "I'm A Slave 4 U," "Till The World Ends" vs. "Lucky" and "Stronger" vs. "Criminal."

Don't forget to vote in Round Three of Britney Spears: 30 Videos For 30 Years:
>>> Round Two, East Division
>>> Round Two, West Division

Voting continues through Tuesday, Nov. 29 at midnight. Voting for top four will begin Wednesday, November 30.

As we head into the homestretch (Britney's 30th birthday is Friday!), things start to get more and more serious, so we called upon our resident team of Britney experts, MTV News' Christina Garibaldi and Jocelyn Vena, who are joined by Celebuzz's Amber James, to talk about the surprises from Round Two and give their predictions for Round Three.

Watch below:

Read More...

Tags ,

Is 'Me Against the Music' Your Favorite Britney Spears Video?

Posted 11/28/11 2:48 pm EST by in Britney Spears, Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years

We are now in the third round of the competition in our Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years! From now until December 2, Britney Spears' hottest, sexiest and most iconic videos are battling it out for the title of Best Britney Video of All Time. We know that this is not an easy decision to make, which is why we are here to help! We will be taking a look back at several of Ms. Spears' videos throughout the years to get insight from directors, set visits and Britney herself.

Next up is Britney’s video for “Me Against the Music.” The video, which barley edged out "(You Drive Me) Crazy" in the second round, faces off against “Hold it Against Me” for a spot in the final four. This video had Britney team up with the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna. The two play a cat-and-mouse game in the video, teasing not only the viewers, but each other as well.

"Madonna is an icon of an earlier generation, and then Britney of the newer generation," director Paul Hunter told MTV News in 2009. "She was at her peak at that point, so it was a challenge to kind of bring both of the worlds together."

The video, which was the lead single from Britney’s 2003 album In the Zone¸ shows off some of her sharpest dance moves and teases us with near repeat of their VMA kiss, which is where this collaboration came together. Read More...

Tags ,

Miley Cyrus Admits To Smoking 'Way Too Much F--king Weed,' Needs To Ask Her Friends To Put Down The Camera

Posted 11/28/11 10:42 am EST by in Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus should know better.

We're not even talking about smoking weed, which she admitted to doing – in a video that is now all over the Internet – a little too much at her 19th birthday party this weekend, we're talking about getting caught saying or doing things that she has to know are going to cause the odd bit of public outrage on camera.

"You know you're a stoner when friends make you a Bob Marley cake—you know you smoke way too much f***in' weed," Cyrus said as pal Kelly Osbourne presented her with a birthday cake.

Cyrus has a long and ridiculous history of letting people film her doing silly things. Whether she's grinding on director Adam Shankman, hitting a bong packed with salvia or posing for pictures while slanting her eyes, Cyrus, who's been doing her thing in the entertainment industry since she was eight years old, has repeatedly endured criticism for her off-screen behavior ... behavior none of us would even know about if she'd simply ask her "friends" to put the camera down.

We want to be very clear here: We are not shaking our finger at Cyrus. She is young and it's her life, man. She's even been pretty clear that she doesn't see herself as a role model. "My job isn’t to tell your kids how to act or how not to act because I’m still figuring that out for myself," she told Harper's Bazzar last year. "To take that away from me is a bit selfish. Your kids are going to make mistakes whether I do or not. That’s just life."

We think she makes a pretty valid point. But she'd still be doing herself a major solid by asking her friends to put the cameras away and enjoy the party. Read More...

Tags

567891011121314
SPONSORS
AD:
©2013 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.