By Zachary Swickey

NORMAN, OKLA. – I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read that the world’s greatest party-thrower, Girl Talk, was going to be at the Opolis – a tiny venue in the college town of Norman, Oklahoma, that showcases indie acts and local bands with a capacity well below 200. This must be some kind of mistake, I thought, but just the thought of seeing such a huge act in such an intimate setting was awesome.

Turns out, Girl Talk – also known by his common name, Greg Gillis – is in the midst of a guerilla tour of sorts that is hitting up only eight college cities across the states. For the AXE One Night Only Tour 2011, Gillis is going old-school by performing secret shows in low capacity venues, announcing details of the gigs just days before show time via the AXE Facebook page (four more secret stops are scheduled for this Tuesday through Friday, so be on the lookout). Gillis treated me to a quick phone chat before the show and said this tour is a way to give back to the fans and reminisce over his pre-breakout gigs. "Prior to 2006, I would play anyplace, anytime," he told MTV News. "The circumstances did not matter."

Gillis performs anywhere from 150-200 plus times a year, so I knew he'd have some strange show stories. Asked if anything stuck out, in particular, he recounted opening for Blues Traveler and the Violent Femmes at Colorado’s famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre on the 4th of July in 2007. "I think they were expecting me to be some kind of background DJ or something who played music as everyone walks in," he said. "Instead, I was up there shirtless and screaming doing what I do right as the doors were opening and the first 100 people were shuffling to find their seats."

I was also curious as to whether any of the musicians that Gillis has sampled have approached him to give their seal of approval, and was surprised when he told me that Big Boi caught his show in a "small, sweaty club" in Atlanta sometime in 2007-08. An even bigger glowing sign of approval apparently came from Mike Patton (singer of Faith No More). Gillis samples Patton’s group along with Busta Rhymes in a song and when a reporter asked Patton how he felt about it, he responded, "It was an honor to work with Busta Rhymes." (How’s that for a glowing recommendation?)

When Gillis finally took the stage Saturday night, the crowd showered him with applause before things even began, and it didn’t take long for our party commander to lead us into "Oh No," the opening track of his 2010 release, All Day, which finds the mash-up mastermind mixing the rhyming talents of Ludacris over the notorious "War Pigs" riff from Black Sabbath. I was wondering what a Girl Talk show without his onstage party henchman was going to be like, but lo and behold, he brought them! Two or three crew members (it’s hard to tell who was official or not) still managed to fit into the small venue to shoot confetti cannons and blast spiraling toilet paper rolls over our heads (not to mention the hundreds of small and giant-size balloons being tossed about).

It’s a good thing Gillis wraps his laptops in saran wrap for protection – he told me he’s had "only one" computer casualty this year – because by the time he got to "Bodies Hit the Floor" (which is the only time you’ll hear Foo’s "Hero" next to Luda’s "Move B**ch") midway through the set he was drenched in sweat from head to toe and dripping all over the place as he danced while hovering over his laptop.

One of the crowd favorites – another All Day track, “Steady Shock” – was a trip down memory lane that brought together Outkast’s "B.O.B.," Nirvana’s "Aneurysm" and some Bones Thugs N Harmony, while also keeping it modern with a little Nicki Minaj and J. Cole thrown in the mix. Time flew by as the show soon ended and Gillis flung himself into the crowd with high-fives coming from all directions.

I asked Gillis if he’ll be continuing his pattern of giving us a new release every two years (we’re due for one in 2012), and while he wouldn’t comment specifically on what he’s up to, he assured me he'd be releasing something in 2012 and that it might be "something different."

By Zachary Swickey

Despite their jet lag and still donning their Mariachi outfits from their set at Austin City Limits, Ray Suen and Jorma Vik sat down with MTV News to discuss Mariachi El Bronx, the Spanish-flavored side project of LA’s finest punk rock bands, The Bronx. Their ACL appearance was a one-off break from their much-coveted opening slot on the Foo Fighters fall tour. El Bronx’s new, niche sound is winning the hearts of many, and the guys were kind enough to shed some light on the project for us.

First off, your name and all of the instruments that you played on the album?
Jorma: I’m Jorma and I play the drums and handle percussion for Mariachi El Bronx.
Ray: I’m Ray and I play violin … and some other stuff. (Editor’s note: I’ll throw Ray a bone here: He plays violin, guitar, harp, requinto jarocho, vihuela, jarana as well providing backing vocals.)

What is the technical term for the Mariachi outfits?
Jorma: They’re called Charro suits. C-H-A-R-R-O.
Ray: We had ours made out in East LA by a guy named Alyas. How did you find Alyas [asking Jorma]?
Jorma: There’s a really f**king cool part of LA and it’s like maybe a half mile square and it’s all these taco shops, mariachi shops and all these places that make the suits or instruments. There’s this one little corner called “Mariachi Plaza” where a bunch of Mariachi dues will be all dressed up and they stand there waiting for people to pick them up to play parties or whatever.

Why no Mariachi hats?
Jorma: We thought it was a little campy. You know people would think, like, the "Three Amigos" or whatever.
Ray: Well, we’re already combating some kind of prejudice and we don’t want to make a mockery of anything, so yeah, it’s exactly that. When people think of Mariachi, especially in the UK, people will say, “Oh like 'Three Amigos'?” It’s like, “Nooo, not so much like 'Three Amigos.'”

How was the seed fist planted for the Mariachi spin-off of The Bronx? Was alcohol involved?
Jorma: We got asked to play a TV show as The Bronx, but they wanted us to do it acoustic. We were kind of like, “Ah, that’s not really going to work so well,” so [guitarist] Joby had the idea of getting Mexican instruments and taking one of the slower songs we wrote and turning it Mariachi before we even knew what we were doing at all.

What song was that?
Jorma: It was “Dirty Leaves” off our second record, which is like the slowest song we have. And so we did that, and it was so much f**kin’ fun. We just, you know, had the instruments and just kept writing on them then it just kind of snowballed from there.

How did the recording process differ between the first and second Mariachi record?
Jorma: It was actually very similar. One of the cool things is, we have Ray in the band now where with the first record we hired someone to write the violin lines and then hired a few people that are actually from "American Idol." They had to come in and play under assumed names, because it’s like they couldn’t even do anything.

It just sounds like there is a lot more going on musically with the new album?
Jorma: Definitely having Ray as part of the process, and having somebody there when we’re writing who’s thinking about the violin parts. You know that just helped a lot.
Ray: People were much more comfortable with the form. From everything I’ve heard from the first record, they were still figuring out or getting comfortable with a lot of the forms and stuff. With that being under everyone’s belt, it was like, “Now we can be more dramatic or strip it down if we want too” with just a lot more options. That’s why I feel like there’s a lot more different kinds of material on the new album.

Ray, what was it like to join and record with a notorious punk band under such a different project?
Ray: It was great because I used to get hyped to the first Bronx record. The first band I ever toured with, we would listen to the first Bronx record and get hyped to it. Then when I found out Mariachi El Bronx was a Swami [Records] band, my mind was just completely blown. But I got over the awestruck thing pretty quickly and felt, “Yeah, I want to help make this better.”

Did you already have experience in playing any Mariachi-esque music at all?
Ray: You know, I used to play in a tango band when I was younger, and the same kind of mellow-drama that happens in tango music is there. There’s no way you can be over-the-top, at least string-wise, in Mariachi El Bronx. So I already had a little bit of that in my system.

How does a band with eight members get from St. Louis to Austin in a single night (which they had to do for their appearance at Austin City Limits)?
Jorma: [laughs and sighs] We woke up at 4 AM today. Got to the airport at 4:30 and flew to Dallas with all our gear. Then flew here [to Austin]. Got here, landed, got driven straight to stage. Set up our s**t. Played our set.

And tomorrow you play in?
Jorma: Detroit.
Ray: Our flight is at 6AM.

Are there any pre-show rituals and do they differ from that of The Bronx?
Jorma: You know, we kind of do the same thing. We all huddle up like a f**kin’ football team and bro down for a second. We put our hands all together and dedicate the show to something, whatever is on our minds, usually something goofy, stupid, some kind of inside joke.
Ray: Today we gave it up to “street justice.”

Are there going to be anymore double-bill shows with Mariachi El Bronx and The Bronx playing sets like you had been doing previously?
Jorma: Yes, we’re doing a mostly Mariachi tour in the UK and Europe in November and December, but we’re doing I think four Scandinavian shows that will feature both bands. And we’re playing Finland for the first time, so that’ll be cool. Yeah, shows in Sweden and Norway have been f**kin’ rad.

You recorded two Mariachi records and The Bronx appears to still be on hold. Is this a bad sign for fans of The Bronx?
Jorma: We did, didn’t we? [laughs] When started writing this Mariachi record, we were writing The Bronx stuff at the same time, and the Mariachi stuff just started coming quicker so we just went with that.

Are you making a lot of new fans or are fans of The Bronx enjoying both?
Jorma: It’s a little of both. It’s wild when people come to see us play as a Mariachi band and they have no idea about The Bronx. So when we go on [as The Bronx] they’re like, “What the f**k is this?” But for the most part, all The Bronx fans have been real cool and opened-minded about it. I think that speaks a lot about the people who are into the band.

In the special, Gaga wears a leather jacket, and MTV News had the opportunity to speak to Russo about how she chose that particular piece of clothing for the chat. "This is one of those things where you know you're going to meet this person that's bigger than life. And, people are just people. When she came out, there was this amazing moment where it's like she comes waltzing out in this pink majestic outfit with this huge bow on her head and she's coming out with the entourage," he recalled.

The fashion turning point came when she realized she'd be reflecting on her days grinding in New York City and working to make her dreams of pop superstardom come true. "I just remember kneeling down next to her, everything is in full swing, and I said, 'I want to talk to you about New York, I want to talk to you about your childhood, I want to take you back,' and she looked at me, I remember, and she said, 'I need to change,' " he said. "And so she gets up and they escort her back into the room, and 15 minutes later she comes out in this amazing leather jacket, just total New York City punk rock. … I just saw that person transform."

Don't miss "Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside" to hear Mother Monster herself open up about the creative forces behind her generation-defining career. Our exclusive documentary airs Thursday, May 26, at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, followed by a live stream on MTV.com hosted by MTV News' James Montgomery and featuring special guests Lady Starlight, Justin Tranter from Semi Precious Weapons, documentary director Davi Russo, producer Fernando Garibay and Gaga's biggest Little Monsters.

On Sunday evening, the Tony Awards, celebrating the best of Broadway, will be presented at Radio City Musical Hall. And while the shows on the Great White Way this season might not be the most MTV-friendly fare (another "Guys and Dolls" revival?), the Tony producers chose a host with a broad spectrum of fans: star of stage, screen and Internet, Neil Patrick Harris.

"This is certainly a different way to go than a rock concert," Harris told MTV today, "but it's story-based, and I think a lot of the music is really great.

"A lot of people attribute, I think, Broadway and musicals with, like, jazz hands and razzmatazz, but there's a show this season called 'Next to Normal' about a woman that's going through mental issues. 'Rock of Ages' is a jukebox musical full of '80s hits with Constantine Maroulis, which is really a pretty kick-ass show.

"If people think Broadway's not for them, this demographic, there's a lot of cool shows to see."

One thing you won't see? A barely clad Brüno landing on someone's face, though Harris jokingly claims that the Tonys had the idea first.

"It's a shame," Harris said, "because we were really looking forward to that bit. But you guys copped it before we were able to get to it. Maybe next year.

"We couldn't get Eminem here," he continued. "Liza Minnelli isn't going to face-plant anywhere."

If you know anything about Rose McGowan, it's probably that the actress used to date over-the-top rocker Marilyn Manson or that she's notorious for bad-girl, vixen-esque acting roles.

So when we ran into the star at the Burberry event celebrating the opening of the British company's new headquarters in New York and asked her who her Hollywood crush is, we kind of expected McGowan to say something that made more sense — like Johnny Depp. Or Adam Lambert even — someone with at least a little bit of edge or controversy. But no.

Instead, we got an answer no one was expecting: Cary Grant (also random) and — wait for it — Zac Efron.

Yes, Disney's boy wonder and generally squeaky-clean teen heartthrob is Rose McGowan's celebrity crush.

Say what? Aside from being 14 years her junior — not that he has a problem with older women — Zac just doesn't seem like McGowan's type.

The revelation even seemed to shock Rose herself. The look on her face after she made the confession was pretty priceless. And when I finally picked my jaw up off the floor and asked her why Efron, McGowan said, "I don't know! Because there's something wrong [with me]."

Hey, there's nothing wrong with loving Zefron — he's a big hit in the MTV Newsroom. But we have to admit, a McGowan/Efron pairing is, as one of our writers put it, a little "twisted."

But we couldn't let the former "Charmed" star go without asking her about her secret crush's chances at this Sunday's MTV Movie Awards. McGowan stood by her man when I asked if Efron will take home the trophy: "Odds are!" she yelled.

Oh Rose, you know the teen girls so well.

"I tried to get an apartment in Williamsburg once," admits Virgins frontman Donald Cumming, "but this is home, man."

And unlike so many of those bands that now call Brooklyn home, three-fourths of the Virgins are that rare breed: native New Yorkers. Cumming grew up in the Tribeca neighborhood — before it was Tribeca — guitarist Wade Oates was a West Village kid, bassist Nick Zarin-Ackerman is from the Upper West Side. Only drummer Erik Ratensperger, a Connecticut native, did not grow up in the city.

And as we take a walk through the East Village — their 'hood and mine — they acknowledge how much the area has changed in the past 15 years, washed by a deluge of luxury condos and NYU dorms. And yet the guys still have their favorite hangouts. There's a burger joint (Paul's), a 24-hour diner (Moonstruck), the Chrystie Steps and Lit Lounge, where the Virgins shot their video for "Rich Girls," and where their pal Leo Fitzpatrick (of "Kids" fame) hosts a party.

Ah yes, "Kids" — Larry Clark's 1995 fictionalized account of out-of-control teens in the big city may have shocked, but it was hardly far from the truth. Late '80s/ early '90s New York, back in the days before Rudy Giuliani made the city safe for Starbucks and strollers, was a different place, where both cigarettes and 16-year-olds were common sights in nightclubs. I remember it, and so does Cumming.

"I started going out when I was 14", he says. "I just started by going to '80s night, [at Don Hill's, home to legendary parties Squeezebox and Misshapes] and then I went to ['90s hotspot] Life. The door guys there would see me every night and be like, 'You are not coming in.' But eventually I got in."

Cumming and his bandmates have that seen-it-all quality that comes with having grown up as city kids — something that, as a product of the sheltered suburbs, I've always envied.

Here are a few more New York people and places near and dear to the Virgins' hearts:

RYAN MCGINLEY No single person has been more significant in the Virgins' story than Vice's favorite naked-kids-lovin' photographer. "I first met Ryan at a party," Cumming recalls. "He came up to me and told me he wanted to photograph me and my girlfriend having sex." After that icebreaker, Donald found himself cavorting naked before the camera all over New York, and even doing something that we can't describe here in one photo that hung on the walls of the renowned Whitney Museum in McGinley's 2004 exhibition. But it was a McGinley shoot in Mexico — "a bunch of naked kids on a flatbed truck bouncing around the jungle," as Cumming recalls — that Donald and guitarist Wade Oates first, ahem, laid plans to start a band.

ROBIN BYRD The doyenne of lovably cheesy public-access striptease has so many fans in New York, we should probably name a park after her. Count the ever-randy Virgins among them — in fact, their video for "Private Affair," short shorts, headbands and all, is an homage to the long-running Robin Byrd Show.

"GOSSIP GIRL" The show famously took the Virgins to heart last year, when the band's entire 5-song debut EP was featured in a fall 2007 episode. Castmember Jessica Szohr wore Virgins T-shirts, and that helped build the buzz. All that's left is a Virgins cameo on the show. Says Cumming, "I just want to meet those girls."

THE STROKES Musically, the Virgins' danceable pop-rock (with occasional bursts of Cumming falsetto) sometimes veers into Scissor Sisters terrain, albeit without the camp. But between the leather jackets, skinny jeans, the East Village connection ... I guess it was inevitable that New York's last great "It" band would be the band to whom they are most often compared. And some tracks, like "Fernando Pando," do feature the Strokes' spare, bass-slapping sound. Not that being likened to Julian and the boys bothers them. "We love the Strokes," they say. "Those comparisons are fine with us."

ATLANTIC RECORDS Not only do the Virgins not live in Brooklyn, they're not on an indie! The funny thing is, the way they got their major-label deal. "I basically bluffed them," says Cumming. "We signed our Atlantic contract before we were even a band. I made a demo, had a meeting and I was basically spinning lots of lies. They offered me a deal, and then I had to backtrack and put a band together! Since then we've been teaching ourselves how to play and how to be a band."

You've gotta love the guy's honesty. And if it seems like Atlantic is doing a soft sell with the Virgins, that is exactly what the band asked for. Says Zarin-Ackerman, "We wanted it to happen naturally and hopefully become successful because of the amount of fans we garner.” Adds Cumming, "We don't want our faces plastered everywhere. But Atlantic has been real helpful with gear and getting equipment fixed."

As for pressure to perform on the charts, he says, "SoundScan? I don't even know what that is."

Almost anyone who's heard of 50 Cent would assume he is the epitome of a player. After Monday's experience with G-Unit, a few of our female interns now know just how big of one he truly is.

As a News intern, I sometimes get to sit in and watch how interviews are conducted. When word spread that 50 and G-Unit were on their way over for a sitdown with Tim Kash, a bunch of us jumped at the opportunity to help out. What ensued was both entertaining and slightly uncomfortable.

Now, to be completely honest, I don't know a whole lot about G-Unit, but it was interesting to observe the dynamic between 50 Cent, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. With many of Tim's questions directed more toward Fiddy, it's hard to understand how the other two live in his shadow, chiming in only to support whatever argument 50 was making. At one point, Lloyd Banks even turned his back to the cameras, giving up on the whole interview.

50 may not have been paying much attention to his bandmates but he was definitely showing some interest in the News interns that came down to watch. For the record, there were seven of us and we were all female.

"What's up, baby!" he blurted at our direction (some would argue it was me) with a "come hither" grin right in the middle of the interview ... very awkward!

But things were about to get weirder. Just as Tim was wrapping up, 50 inexplicably sauntered away from the cameras and proceeded to kiss each of the female interns on the cheek.

"I get to kiss all the lovely white girls!" Fiddy proudly declared.

Generally, we unpaid helpers are looked at by the famous as "Intern 1, Intern 2," etc., and even more often we go unacknowledged. So it was nice to get some attention, but I don't know if getting a wet one from such an outspoken ladies man is anything to rave about.

None of us were too excited about the lips on our cheek that have probably been on hundreds of other women, but we all took one and laughed. Either way, it was a moment I don't think any of us will ever forget: getting smooched by one of the biggest hip-hop artists of our time.

This in from production manager Adam Stewart, who shot with LL Cool J in Hollis, Queens, yesterday:

LL took us to the rock in Hollis where he used to hang out and where a music video of his was shot. Once people got word he was there, they started flocking to us -- dozens of fans interrupted our interview several times for a chance to snap a picture with LL and shake his hand. At one point, a city bus stopped, and kids tried to jump out of it just to meet him. Then we headed to his friend’s barber shop, Heads Up Barber Shop on Linden Boulevard (in the pic above).

Our talk with LL was all over the place…

He talked to us about changes in the hip-hop lifestyle –- how he claims that he brought champagne and gold chains to rap in ’88, because that was the life he lived. (He remembered arguing with Jam Master Jay about who had the bigger chains!) He believes the people weren't ready for that yet, and it took another eight or nine years before that style came back.

LL turned to politics and told us he’s convinced Barack Obama can take the general election, even though there are still pockets of racism in the US. LL also gave a shout-out to Hillary Clinton, saying he has plenty of respect for her, and he’s glad his own daughter has had the chance to see a woman run for president. "Americans have the ability to makes things happen,” he said. “It’s not easy to make it happen, but it can -- I'm from Queens.”

From the campaign to his music, LL said, “I'm not keeping up with the game, I'm winning! I'm ahead with the delegates, I'm ahead with the popular vote!" He wasn’t upset that he wasn’t included in MTV News’ latest “Hottest MCs in the Game” list, saying that it’s based mainly on chart positions and what people are talking about in the moment. "I could go outside and light an old lady on fire, and suddenly I'm the hottest rapper," he joked. “Next year, I'll be on the list."

Check back with MTVNews.com in the coming weeks for more from our talk with LL Cool J.

With the results of Tuesday’s Kentucky and Oregon primaries in, Barack Obama now has a majority of pledged delegates for the Democratic Party nomination, leading many to dub him the nominee. Calls continue to come out of the Obama camp for Hillary Clinton to once and for all drop out of the race and begin the process of helping the party to unite behind the senator from Illinois.

At least one Obama supporter, though, is in no hurry: Conor Oberst.

Omaha’s folk-rock prince was one of Obama’s earliest musician supporters, playing at a rally for the candidate in Iowa on New Year’s Day, and several since then. And though O backs O as enthusiastically as ever, when I spoke to him last week, he said he has no problem letting the remaining primary states have their say.

“No, at this point [they] might as well,” he told me. “I don’t think there will be an issue with people coming together. Because it’s true there’s such a stark contrast with McCain. And I think everyone will understand that there are two clear choices.”

In fact, Conor says, the protracted primary battle has been a good thing. “It definitely got bad there for a minute, and I think everyone is experiencing fatigue with the whole process,” he said. “But I think, in the end, that it’s a great thing for the Democrats that it’s gone on this long -- just from a practical standpoint of organization in all those states and voter registration. The fact that so many more states have felt that their vote mattered.”

Other Obama supporters in the music world I have spoken to in recent months, including Michael Stipe and Chris Walla, have expressed disgust at what they saw as the “dirty” way the Clinton campaign at times conducted itself. And while Conor says he had similar moments of dismay, he’s a realist. “You gotta keep in mind that is politics…That’s the way the game has been played for so long. I don’t think it should come as a surprise to anyone that it would be like this,” he said. “[But] that is what is so exciting about Obama is that it seems it doesn’t have to be this way anymore.”

Conor said that he takes issue with the notion that his candidate is some out-of-touch elitist. “It’s really laughable for me, this ‘elitist’ argument,” he said. “Look at his tax returns. At the height of his wealth, when his book sold a lot, it was like $1.7 million or something that he was worth. But you know, the Clintons are like $20 or $30 million, McCain’s like $100 million. It’s like -- so who’s out of touch?”

Conor went on: “And then the other argument [Clinton] uses is look how he outspends her 2 to 1. Well, the reason he’s got all that money is that people all across America have donated in like $50 to $100 increments, and to me that means more than anything in terms of people putting their money where their mouth is. Him having accumulated this much wealth through this campaign -- to me, it’s the opposite of the way the Clinton campaign is trying to paint it.”

The way things are going it looks as though Oberst will have plenty more chances to play Obama rallies as the year goes on, and he said he’s open to the idea of organizing something with like-minded “Barack rock” musicians.

R.E.M., Arcade Fire, Death Cab For Cutie -- you listening?