If you've ever seen "Grease," you know that dance-offs were a thing back in the 1950s. But MTV's O Music Awards are updating the bop-till-you-drop tradition with an attempt to break the Guinness World record with an upcoming shot at snagging the 55-hour dance marathon title.

Some dedicated hoofers will trying to keep it poppin' right up until the second the O Music Awards kick off at 11:30 PM on October 31 in Los Angeles.

That got us thinking about other wacky music-related records tallied by Guinness and, believe it or not, trying to dance for more than two days is not close to the strangest record in the books.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Fastest rap artist: Sure, Twista is fluid, but it's fellow Chicago MC Rebel XD who has the title of swiftest rapper, dropping a mind-blowing 683 syllables in 54.5 seconds in June 1998. That's 12.5 syllables per second.

Most expensive music video: As if it's any surprise, the most expensive video of all time belongs, of course, to the late King of Pop. Michael Jackson's space-age 1995 duet with sister Janet, "Scream," cost $7 million.

Most pseudonyms by a pop star: Eminem and Lil Wayne have a gang of nicknames, but its late Beatle John Lennon who recorded and produced music under no less than 15 pseudonyms, including The Honorary John St. John, Dr. Winston O'Boogie, the Rev. Fred Ghurkin, Dr. Winston OGhurkin, Kaptain Kundalini, Beatcomber and Dwarf McDougal.

Loudest band: Classic rock icons The Who claim to have played a show at the ear-bleeding volume of 125 decibels, the point at which pain begins and just a shade under the sound of a jet engine (140db). Hard rockers Man-O-War, though, claim to have reached 129.5 db at a 194 show, but are still grumbling about not landing the record because, they claim, Guinness didn't want to encourage others to try and break it.

Youngest drummer: Detroit's Julian Pavone became the youngest member of the Cleveland Cavaliers' drumline when he was just 15 months old and recorded his first album, Go Baby!, just five months later.

Longest concert by multiple artists: While most Taylor Swift fans likely wish her concerts would keep going and anyone who has seen Parliament-Funkadelic will tell you it sometimes feels like their concerts never will end, neither holds the record for the longest concert. That feat was achieved at the Red Rabbit Pizza Pub in John's Creek, Georgia in July 2010 when over 200 bands and hundreds of volunteers helped raise money for the Children's Restoration Network by playing live music for 343 hours, 7 minutes and 52 seconds.

In addition to packing stadiums and arenas around the world for teenage dream-like concerts featuring her own songs and a procession of big set pieces from a wedding march to snowfall and a balcony that flies out over the audience, Taylor Swift is turning heads on her current "Speak Now" tour by performing oddball covers.

Sometimes, they're keyed to whatever city she's in, such as her choice of Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down" in Chicago this week. (FOB are from Chicago, BTW.) It added to a list that already included Pink's "Who Knew" (in Philadelphia), Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" (New Jersey), Eminem's "Lose Yourself" (in Detroit), Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Alanis Morissette's "You Learn" (Toronto) and the Dixie Chicks' "Cowboy Take Me Away" (with Chicks member Martie Maguire in the house.)

So, we looked at Taylor's upcoming tour schedule and came up with a week's worth of suggestions of tunes she could take on, as well as a few that the good girl would probably shy away from:

August 13 – St. Louis – Nelly, "Hot in Herre" (probably not: Taylor Momsen and the Pretty Reckless' "Goin' Down")

August 18 – Alberta, Canada – Feist, "1,2,3,4" (probably not: Nickelback's "Something in Your Mouth")

August 23 — Los Angeles – Sara Bareilles, "Love Song" (probably not: NWA's "Straight Outta Compton")

September 1 – San Jose – Stevie Nicks, "Rihannon" (probably not: Motley Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls" – bassist Nikki Sixx is from San Jose)

September 6 – Portland – Elliott Smith, "Miss Misery" (probably not: Dandy Warhols' "Not if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth")

September 10 – Vancouver – Michael Buble, "Haven't Met You Yet" (probably not: Dirty Beaches' "Sweet 17")

September 16 – Nashville – Johnny Cash, "Big River" (probably not: Ke$ha, "Sleazy')

Which songs would you like to see Taylor perform? Tell us in comments below.

Music videos can thrill, shock, confound and elate, but when they weave in a serious message they can also make a difference and teach us a little something. That's why MTV is proud to introduce a new category at this year's 2011 Video Music Awards, Best Video With a Message, which will spotlight clips from Lady Gaga, Pink, Katy Perry, Eminem, Taylor Swift and Rise Against that have a pro-social message.

The new category spotlights the intersection of music and social activism, highlighting artists who've made videos with positive messages that raise awareness of some of the most pressing issues facing today's youth, from bullying and LGBT discrimination to domestic violence and self-image struggles.

“During the past year, we’ve seen a remarkable number of artists create music videos that went above and beyond simply offering entertainment value,” said MTV President Stephen Friedman. “Instead, these artists used their influence and voices to explore deeply personal experiences and issues they were passionate about to create meaningful music that resonated with millions inspiring life anthems for their fans.”

Each clip nominated for Best Video with a Message will be accompanied by some action steps from MTV Act – MTV’s online platform designed to amplify youth efforts to make things better – where the MTV audience can learn more about and take action on the issue addressed.

Read on for the nominees.

The nominated videos are:

>>> Lady Gaga, "Born This Way" – Praised for its message of equality and striving for a world without prejudice or judgment.

>>> Katy Perry, "Firework" – An uplifting anthem that celebrates the originality and uniqueness in all of us.

>>> Pink, "F**kin' Perfect" – A four-letter ode to loving yourself and not letting others’ opinions bring you down.

>>> Taylor Swift, "Mean" – The ultimate nice girl warns haters that being mean will get you nowhere except Bitterville.

>>> Eminem feat. Rihanna, " Love The Way You Lie” – A stirring hit that takes on the tricky topic of domestic violence and the cycle of abuse.

>>> Rise Against, “Make it Stop (September’s Children)” – After the string of teen suicides, the punk band provides a poignant reminder to LGBT teens feeling alone and despondent that "it gets better" and that life is worth living.

A number of these songs were inspired by media reports about the age-old difficulty of feeling like an outsider, but also by the bullying and harassment of LGBT teens, an issue MTV took on with it’s a Thin Line anti-cyberbullying and digital abuse campaign – launched in December 2009 – and now through this special VMA category.

Viewers can vote for Best Video with a Message starting today, as well as other general VMA categories, by visiting the VMA website or m.mtv.com on their mobile phone.

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 PM ET/PT.

For more information on MTV ACT, visit act.mtv.com.

In which case Tuesday (June 7) morning was either a huge relief or a major bummer if you're planning on trekking to Chicago on August 5 for Lollapalooza. First, the good news: With the exception of a few headliner conflicts, the schedule is actually one of the most fan-friendly rundown in years.

Yes, Muse and Coldplay are playing at the same time on Friday night, which will probably cause major headaches for thousands of fans of falsetto-driven, pomp and circumstance English rock. (To say nothing of the fact that party hardy DJ Girl Talk and excellent post rockers Ratatat are also playing at the same time as the headliners, which may pull some Lollers in yet more directions.)

But the rest of the day has a pretty open schedule that allows for some decent stage hopping. If you start the day off with some solid indie rock courtesy of Wye Oak, it's just a hop, skip and jump to latest English lad rock sensations the Vaccines, with perhaps a stop-off for some psychedelic bits from the Delta Spirit, a touch of hippie-pop from Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and new-wave reminiscing with Foster the People, at which point things pile up a bit.

Awesome Smiths-inspired rock from the Smith Westerns, or English rap from Tinie Tempah? Brainy rock from the Mountain Goats or the latest from Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz's new band, Black Cards? Noise avalanche from Sleigh Bells or arty stomp from a Perfect Circle?

The headliner choice on Saturday night is actually one of the easiest in memory. There's almost no cross-over between Eminem's fans and devotees of My Morning Jacket's trippy excursions, so that's a slam dunk. The rest of the day is easygoing as well, allowing for a taste of the Black Lips' transgressive garage, a bit of modern soul from Mayer Hawthorne, beats from the reunited Death From Above 1979 and some sample-tastic bites from the reformed Big Audio Dynamite.

Cee Lo Green has a pretty open lane around dinner, which can be topped off by Lykke Li's beat-fueled Nordic pop.

Sunday's headliner showdown is another fairly easy call, as rocker Foo Fighters face off against headgear-wearing electronic dance music guru Deadmau5, with Kid Cudi providing another alternative on a small stage. Otherwise, it's a nice glide from the modern country of Ryan Bingham to Jay Electronica's outré rap stylings, into the My Bloody Valentine-like noise wash of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a touch of the Cars' nostalgic new wave, some Irish stomping from Flogging Molly, surf sounds from Best Coast, indie soul with Portugal, the Man and a tough dinnertime choice between lad rockers Arctic Monkeys, Southern rockers Manchester Orchestra and the dynamic duo of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and Nas.

What's the toughest call of your Lolla schedule? Let us know in comments below!

Here are five celebs we would love to have seen in a compromising position courtesy of Brüno:

5. Doug Reinhardt
Because then something interesting would have happened in the life of Paris Hilton's boyfriend.

4. Kristen Stewart
The self-professed super-awkward, trophy-dropping actress' reaction would have been priceless. And by priceless, I mean completely disinterested, except when she managed to tangle herself in the cable and then accidentally take off into the air like a villain caught by Batman. Besides, who wouldn't love to see another RPattz LOL reaction shot?

3. Ben Stiller
He needed something to distract us from that haircut of his, and Kiefer Sutherland's weeping wasn't enough.

2. Megan Fox
Hell, the look on her face already suggested she was smelling poop that night.

1. Abigail Breslin
OK, this crosses many lines of appropriateness, but we would love to see the New York Post headline the next day: "Little Miss Moonshine."

Who would you have liked to see get a butt in the face Sunday night? Or was Eminem the perfect target? Leave your comments below.

If you're hungry for more Mathers, check out his first ever MTV News interview or part one of our special week-long series, Road to Relapse.

Matt Giraud finally had to face his fate last night on "American Idol." Check out our recap of the show, and see how fans of Kris Allen and Adam Lambert reacted to the front-runners' appearance in the bottom three.

Check out our analysis of the trailer for Eminem's rather bloody upcoming "3 A.M." video.

Heidi Montag is done shooting her music video in Mexico, and it's time for Speidi's honeymoon. Will they Tweet throughout that too?

Forget all the hype about Susan Boyle, we'd like to concentrate on Allison Iraheta, the original underdog with the amazing voice.

Aren't 7-Eleven Slurpees delicious? Hmm, are they still delicious when there are Terminator robots stuck to the straws?

And his new video, for "We Made You," is no different. In fact, you might even say he's taken the art of celeb skewering to new heights with the clip. The targets come fast and furious, lyrically and visually, so to help you keep track of them all, we've compiled a list.

Continue reading Eminem's slam list at MTVNews.com.

To me this is the greatest night in hip-hop!!! Run-DMC in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, wow! Remember the "King of Rock" video? "You don't belong here; this is for rock stars only." Now we're here, and we do belong!!!

Even though my best friend in the world, Jason Mizell, couldn't be here, I look up in the sky and feel him smiling and watchin' down!!! 1st to go gold, 1st on MTV and still making moves!! I see his boys, and I know he'd be (and is) so proud of them and his wife, Terri!!!! What an honor this is!!! We love and miss you, Jason!!!

]]> http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/04/05/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-jmjs-friend-reports-from-the-show/feed/ 0 4/5/09 12:17am EST http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/03/24/is-eminems-new-name-rain-man/ http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/03/24/is-eminems-new-name-rain-man/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:20:01 +0000 Eric Ditzian http://newsroom.mtv.com/?p=11467 Quick: What do Eminem and Dustin Hoffman have in common? What about Dr. Dre and Tom Cruise? Until today, we here at MTV News couldn't have come up with much besides them all being really, really rich. But check out this photo from the set of Em's latest music video and tell us it doesn't look like the rappers are doing their best "Rain Man" impression.

Go with us on this one for a second. First off, there's Slim Shady all clean-cut, with dark hair sculpted into a neat side part. What, you don't immediately see the resemblance to Hoffman's autistic genius Raymond Babbitt? Fine. But now note those matching gray suits and white shirts. Hoffman and Cruise wore almost the exact same outfits in "Rain Man."

And where did they get all dressed up to go? The casino. Cruise's Charlie had a get-rich-quick scheme to use Ray's ridiculous counting skills to win big at the Vegas blackjack tables. Now back to the music-video photo: What are Dre and 50 Cent doing? They're staring intently at something Em is trying to explain, as if he's got some sort of trick up his sleeve and they're trying to learn from him. What game are they playing? Blackjack. Where is the video being filmed? The Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Still not convinced yet? Really? Recall a track off Em's 2004 album Encore called — you guessed it — "Rain Man." Check out the lyrics: "My name was not to become what I became with this level of fame/ My soul is possessed by this devil/ My new name is/ Rain Man."

Case closed! You heard it here first: Eminem's new video for "We Made You" — the first single from his upcoming album Relapse — is a riff on 1988's Academy Award winner for Best Picture.

See for yourself April 7 when the video hits the airwaves.

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