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Big Time Rush's Kendall Schmidt's New Tattoo Explained (Exclusive Photos)

Posted 7/31/12 2:35 pm EST by in boy bands

When Big Time Rush’s Kendall Schmidt headed to a tattoo parlor last weekend, he knew exactly what he wanted and why he wanted it.

The boy bander got inked with a sugar skull tattoo, and MTV News has not only the exclusive photos, but also an exclusive breakdown of why Kendall got that particular image inked on his upper arm. According to Kendall, it represents Mexico’s annual All Soul’s Day, which falls on November 2. Coincidentally, that also happens to be his birthday.

>> Big Time Rush Declare Themselves 'Best Boy Band Of All Time'

The personal and original design, which Kendall handpicked himself, also includes wheat and sunflowers to represent his Kansas upbringing. Additionally, the tat has the number 111 inscribed in it. Why, you might be wondering? Well, that's his lucky number. The tattoo also includes a guitar and guitar pick as an homage to his love for music.

>> One Direction, Big Time Rush Talk Joint Tour

Kendall is currently on the road with Big Time Rush, so fans can catch a glimpse of the new tat for themselves. In addition to the tour, the guys also recently released their single, “Windows Down.”

Check out Kendall's new ink below!

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One Direction Tout First Platinum Release Of 2012

Posted 7/27/12 11:40 am EST by in boy bands

By Zachary Swickey

Considering the state of the music industry, a platinum plaque is now a rare and more meaningful feat than ever before. For evidence, look no further than the fact that One Direction’s hit album Up All Night just became the first album released in 2012 to surpass one million in record sales, according to Yahoo Music.

Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee isn’t too far behind with 951K copies sold. Justin Bieber’s Believe and Carrie Underwood's Blown Away trail 1D and Richie with sales of 649K and 644K, respectively.

The days of selling a million albums in a week seem to be over. Sure, Lady Gaga did it last year, but a substantial part of her sales came from a 99 cent offer on Amazon that forced Billboard and Soundscan to readjust the rules for charting albums. Full-length releases priced below $3.49 no longer count.

In other One Direction news, the boys have a live DVD that’s not doing too shabby in sales either. “Up all Night: The Live Tour” has held the number one spot eight weeks in a row on Billboard’s Top Music Videos chart with 223k copies sold.

On December 3, One Direction will have one of the biggest concerts of their career when they perform at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden – a performance that sold out in under an hour. Clearly, demand is quite high for the overseas boy band as they have already booked concert dates in the U.S. for summer 2013.

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Backstreet Boys Announce First Reunion Show

Posted 7/17/12 10:03 am EST by in Bands We Like, boy bands, Music

Backstreet’s Back! Alright!

The Backstreet Boys (all FIVE of them!) are hard at work on their new album, and, hot off the presses, are set to appear on “Good Morning America” on August 31 for a comeback performance that includes the recently reunited Kevin Richardson.

In addition to that highly-anticipated performance, the fivesome are in London right now recording a brand-new album. Don’t believe us? Check out the photo (below) we got out hands on of Nick, Kevin, Howie, Brian and A.J. looking as fine as ever in the studio. They are there working with producer Martin Terefe, who has cooked up hits for the likes of Train, Mary J. Blige and Jason Mraz.

"We all discussed, we want this to be a personal record," Kevin Richardson told MTV News earlier this month. "We want it to be authentic to us and who we are and where we're at in our lives. ... We want to talk about the things that are relevant in our life, and we want to be authentic and make a great record that we're proud of, and that's kind of where we're starting."

The album will hit stores sometime in the spring, just in time for the guys to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2013. Yes, BSB has been BSB for 20 years. Deal. With. It.

The group will also be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame next year. We’re already booking our tickets.

So, if you can’t tell we’re really excited about all of this. Like, really excited!

Get More: Music News

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One Direction Want To Save The Arctic

Posted 6/22/12 2:57 pm EST by in Activism, boy bands

One D

By Bryant Gilmore

Seemingly unstoppable British boy band One Direction have partnered with environmental group Greenpeace for their petition to the United Nations to make the Arctic Sea bed a sanctuary.

Because of environmental and climactic changes, the Arctic has experienced a fluctuation of changes over the years and according to Greenpeace’s official site, oil companies and other conglomerates are using this to their advantage to divide up what is left for exploration. But Greenpeace is ready for this to stop.“We’re not going to sit by while greedy companies and selfish politicians destroy this beautiful, fragile environment," the group says. "That’s why we are demanding that the uninhabited area around the North Pole be protected by the UN and calling for a ban on offshore oil drilling and unsustainable fishing in the Arctic.”

One Direction joins other celebs like Edward Norton, Emily Blunt, Woody Harrelson, Robert Redford, Sir Paul McCartney, Pamela Anderson, Radiohead, Penelope Cruz, Hugh Grant, Lucy Lawless and Rita Ora, who have added their names to a list that they hope will reach a million signatures to help Greenpeace in their quest.

Greenpeace will “place those names in an indestructible pod and take it to the Arctic. We’ll lower it through 4km of freezing water, planting your name on the bottom of the ocean at the top of the world. We’ll mark the spot with a Flag for the Future designed by the youth of the world.” Even One Directioner Liam James took to his Twitter and offered a heartfelt plea, “if you love polar bears like me then you need to look at this too.”

If you want to save polar bears like Liam, you can add your name to the list by visiting Greenpeace's website.

When they’re not dominating the charts or saving the planet, the boy banders are gearing up for a performance at the closing ceremonies at the London Olympics alongside another British blockbuster – Adele.

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One Direction Fail At Attempt To Recreate 'The Hangover'

Posted 6/21/12 1:30 pm EST by in boy bands, Celebrity

One Direction

By Zachary Swickey

Teen heartthrobs One Direction have been taking the globe by storm, but the global takeover hit a snag when the boy band charmers arrived in Sin City and were reportedly tossed out of a string of Vegas casinos for being underage. (To their credit, overseas they’re quite legal to booze and gamble as much as they want.)

Adding to the snafu is the fact that the boys were told their luxurious suite was the same one found in the instant-classic flick “The Hangover" – only to discover that the 2009 comedy was actually filmed at locations in Los Angeles.

“The boys were hoping to go wild in Vegas by boozing and gambling into the early hours,” a source revealed to British tabloid The Sun.

However, things didn’t go as planned. The source continued, “But security at every casino in town knew who the lads were and threw them out because the legal drinking and gambling age in the U.S. is 21.”

And yeah, they supposedly weren’t happy about not having the “Hangover” suite either: “Finding out the hotel suite they had ordered wasn’t the one in ‘The Hangover’ was also pretty annoying.”

The basketball court in their several thousand dollar suite must not have been enough! The Palms hotel suite they did book is two floors with its very own hot-tub, pool table and basketball court.

The gentlemen of One Direction are still on the road for their stateside tour, which hits Dallas Saturday and will later return to the scene of the crime with their final US date in September in Las Vegas.

Related:
>> Is Olly Murs The Next Brit to Break? Four Other Pop Stars Who Paved the Way (Poll)
>> One Direction Tease Video Project, Need Your Help
>> Are One Direction's Niall Horan And Demi Lovato A Couple?
>> Best Dad Ever Cries Because His Daughter Got to Meet One Direction

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Are One Direction's Niall Horan And Demi Lovato A Couple?

Posted 6/14/12 4:45 pm EST by in boy bands, Celebrity, Demi Lovato

By Elizabeth Lancaster @lizzydl

It doesn’t get much hotter than One Direction. Except maybe if you took their token blonde hottie and match him up with sweetheart songbird and "X Factor" judge Demi Lovato. Now, that'd be a young pop power couple!

Which brings us to the question that everyone is asking — are these two young superstars the newest couple in Hollywood?

Ryan Seacrest got the scoop on his radio show today (June 14) straight from Niall Horan himself. He explained that he and Lovato have been using Skype to chit chat – and that Demi "is a cool girl."

>> One Direction Tease Video Project, Need Your Help

Well, if Niall thinks Demi is "cool," and 19-year-old Demi has already admitted to finding him "adorable," it seems like they are leaning in the direction of their rumors! However, Horan went on to tell Seacrest, "We’ve spoken alright, yeah … So, I got in contact with her, she’s really nice. Um, I don’t know what’s going to happen."

They might not know what’s in store for them yet, but we bet the two teen dreams will figure it out fast.

It looks like they will have plenty to Skype about in the near future, huh?

Listen to Niall talk Demi and One Direction's next album below! Read More...

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One Direction Tease Video Project, Need Your Help

Posted 6/12/12 4:29 pm EST by in boy bands, Tweet Beat

One Direction

One Direction are planning a little something special for fans and took to Twitter to reveal their plans … and ask their fans to get in on the action.

The "What Makes You Beautiful" stars (or a representative for them, based on the language of the tweet) told their 4.3 million followers, "We will be filming some special video content with the boys whilst they are over in the US … And will be asking them a selection of your best questions! Tweet us with the hashtag #Ask1D 1DHQ x"

In other 1D news, fans looking to get romantical with member Harry Styles need not get their knickers (we're British now too) in a twist over rumors that he has a little somethin'-somethin' going on with 32-year-old talk show host Caroline Frack. Apparently, their relationship was purely physical!

"I asked him what it was like with a woman that much older. He said it was weird but more physical than anything he’d experienced before," Harry's bro Will Sweeney told The People (via Hollywood Life). "He definitely enjoyed his time with Caroline but the age gap was too much, I think. Harry is just making the most of it and living every boy’s dream. All his mates think he’s a bit of a legend though. It’s classic Styles. He definitely enjoys the attention and he’s making the most of it."

A "legend" with the ladies at just 18 years old. Impressive!

One Direction's U.S. tour continues tomorrow night (June 13) at the San Jose's Events Center before they head to Oakland, California, for a show on June 14.

What do you think One Direction's secret video project could be? Let us know int he comments below!

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JC Chasez Says 'NSYNC Reunion Just Isn't Going To Happen

Posted 5/4/12 9:36 am EST by in boy bands

Nsync

Boy bands are back in a big way. One Direction are topping the album charts and making history in the process. The Wanted are making girls lose their minds with their Billboard top five hit "Glad You Came." And Justin Bieber (who is a solo act and not technically a band, but you get why we're including him here) is just about the biggest male pop star in the world right now.

But fans of one of the biggest boy band ever, 'NSYNC, have been dealt an unexpectedly hard blow this fair Friday morning, with news that a reunion of the band, at least according to JC Chasez, is "just not in the cards."

Kevin Richardson's recently announced reunion with the Backstreet Boys definitely has people thinking back on the good old days of boy bands, but Chasez seems more than happy to pass the torch and move on.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, he had nothing but praise for the current crop of boy banders, saying, "I think that The Wanted put out a great record. The One Direction kids – I think they’re a breath of fresh air."

He went on to rule out reuniting with Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, telling THR, "I’m sure that everybody in my group has been asked at one time or another – I know I get asked, I know the other guys get asked – but we’re happy with what it was and we’re happy to move on."

It seems increasingly clear that JT wouldn't be into the idea either, as he told Details magazine recently that he feels like he often "ended up looking like a moron" as a member of the group. (We couldn't disagree more. It was just a different time with a different style and, well, he was a much younger guy, playing to a younger audience … and no matter what he thinks he looked like, some of those later 'NSYNC songs were JAMS!)

Speaking of boy bands:

Voting in the Final Four of MTV's Battle of the Boy Bands runs until noon ET today, May 4. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits for their boy-band video takeovers each day and make sure to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates!

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Best Dad Ever Cries Because His Daughter Got to Meet One Direction

Posted 4/20/12 9:43 am EST by in boy bands, Music

Awe!

While most dads probably only know One Direction as that noise they pound on their daughter's bedroom doors demanding they turn down, one man in Australia totally gets what it's like to be obsessed with a boy band and set out to help make his teenage daughter's dream come true by meeting OneD.

Perhaps the best part of it all though is that he got a little weepy when everything worked out for his little girl. (We know!)

Anthony Lee and his daughter Catie tried everything, according to the Huffington Post, to meet One Direction in person – "every competition, you name it, we've done it," Lee told Australia's "Today." But alas, nothing seemed to be working out.

So imagine how happy they were when they were one of just a handful of people who caught the entire band leaving a photo shoot. Lee explained that he teared up because Catie was so happy. "Just seeing her happy because she tried so hard," he said. "She tried so hard for everything."

(And because their story has won so much attention, "Today" gave them tickets to One Direction's next concert … which caused a whole other crying display.)

Check out the happiness below.



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Cody Simpson To Join Big Time Rush On Summer Tour

Posted 3/14/12 10:24 am EST by in boy bands, tour, Tour Dates

With One Direction storming the plaza at "Today" and Bieber fever heating up again as the release of "Boyfriend" nears, teenage boy pop is all the rage again. And now, two of the genre's hottest acts are teaming up for a summer tour.

Australian teen dream Cody Simpson is set to hit the road with the boys of Big Time Rush for a summer tour behind his still-untitled debut. The poster also debuted the album's first single, "So Listen," a clubby dance track featuring T-Pain.

Although Simpson is drawing comparisons to Justin Bieber, the young singer told MTV News that he really aspires to be more like Justin Timberlake. "He has such a sophisticated presence," Simpson said of Timberlake. "I watched his FutureSex/LoveSounds tour, and it's something you really get inspired by. He does so much in the show: He plays piano and guitar and he just is always singing. He sounds amazing live and he dances great. He's just an all-around entertainer. That's something I want to strive to be. It's always good to have someone you want to be like."

Listen to "So Listen" and check out Simpsons summer tour dates with Big Time Rush after the jump! Read More...

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