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'Sarah Palin Can Get Off My Street?': Musicians Who Should Stick To What They Do Best

Posted 10/10/08 5:52 pm EST by in Election, Madonna, sarah palin


For years, many of us at MTV News headquarters have been lamenting (OK, complaining ad nauseam) that the music community has been way too tame in protesting the sorry state of our world. Sure, acts like Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Green Day, the Dixie Chicks, Nas and Pearl Jam have released protest songs and said things from the stage that have either gotten them censored (Pearl Jam at the 2007 Lollapalooza), or, in the Chicks' case, hounded by their own fans.

But sometimes we wish we'd never said anything and instead just encouraged artists to stick to what they do best — making pretty songs and insisting we not look them in the eye when they pass us backstage. A few cases in point:

Madonna: The pop icon has been railing against Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain and his running mate almost nightly on her current Sticky & Sweet Tour. Read More...

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Who Do You Think Won The Second Debate?

Posted 10/8/08 12:41 am EST by in Election


Barack Obama and John McCainJohn McCain failed to land the knockout blow he needed, and Barack Obama still pulled his punches a bit more than he should have. The debate's format stunk and prohibited the candidates from really talking to each other. One CNN pundit said he learned that McCain wanted to "buy everyone a house" and Obama wants to "give everyone free health care," commitments that are "remarkable for a country that's broke."

McCain made too many references to the past and weird jokes about hair transplants, while Obama pulled a Clinton-esque move and hung around shaking hands and talking to voters in the venue long after McCain had left.

Our old friend Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post lamented that "there was no game changer," saying each man stuck to their tried-and-true attacks, with McCain's condescending reference to Obama at one point as "that one" getting "HUGE" play in the immediate aftermath of the debate, what he termed an unlucky break for McCain on what was probably just an offhand comment. And, indeed, the talking heads on CNN repeatedly brought up the gaffe, saying it could come to define the evening and take its place alongside Bill Clinton's reference to "that woman" when discussing the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Read More...

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Kim Stolz Spit On Me -- To Promote Voter Registration

Posted 10/7/08 5:33 pm EST by in Election


Being an MTV News correspondent isn't always glamorous. Sure, we get invited to red-carpet events (not really), get to hear all the hottest CDs before anyone else (like Darren Hayes from Savage Garden's latest solo double-album!!) and have tons of celebrities' phone numbers in our Rolodex (not true for me, with the exception of Sweet P ... and a fake phone number a friend once gave me for Paul Thomas Anderson).

But yesterday was an especially horrific day in the life of this correspondent — because for the better half of the morning, Kim Stolz was spitting in my face, over and over again. You see, we were doing a "fun" little shoot for a promo that will remind our audience to register to vote, and if there's any cause that deserves a Stolz Spit Shower, it's telling y'all to make sure you're registered in time for what may be the most important election in the history of the country. (Head here for state deadlines and more registration info.) Read More...

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Van Halen None Too Thrilled About John McCain Using 'Right Now'

Posted 8/29/08 4:41 pm EST by in Election, election 2008


Van Halen

Friday morning, minutes before presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain revealed Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, he strutted out onto a stage in Dayton, Ohio, where 15,000 supporters had gathered for a rally the day after Senator Barack Obama made history during his DNC-closing address, with Van Halen's inspirational 1991 track "Right Now" booming through the speakers at the Nutter Center.

Read more of Van Halen's reaction and see the video after the jump.
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Joe Biden's Greatest Accomplishment: Pete Wentz?

Posted 8/27/08 3:13 pm EST by in Election, election 2008



We're not sure if Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden would want to add the following accomplishment to his already-lengthy bio, but it would probably be a wise move if he's looking to corral the desirable tween vote for running mate Barack Obama: Without him, there would be no Pete Wentz.

This is because, according to a report on People.com and then confirmed to MTV News by Wentz himself, his parents — Pete Sr. and Dale — met while working on a Biden Senate campaign in (he thinks) 1972.

"Yeah, it's true," he told MTV News in an e-mail Wednesday (August 27). "Maybe [it was in] '72? I'm not even sure. I'd have to ask my dad. I was born in '79, so it might've been later."

We're not sure either. Biden ran again for the Senate in 1978, so it could've been then too. Whatever. The '70s were a confusing time for everyone. Regardless, when we first heard the news, something went off in our MTV News brain: Where had we heard this story before? And then it hit us.

Wentz had first told us about his Biden connection way back in January, when we were out in Chicago to cover the Obama fundraiser he threw at Lakeshore Broadcasting Company, the dive bar he co-owns in his hometown. Both his parents were there to show their support for their son and Obama, and at one point, Wentz introduced us to his dad ... all while mentioning that his folks had met while campaigning for Biden.

We've got the video — plus a little bit of Pete Sr. stumping for Barack — after the jump.
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Ghostface, Raekwon, Pharcyde Talk Obama At Rock The Bells Show

Posted 8/25/08 4:33 pm EST by in Barack-Obama, Election, election 2008


NasBy Liz Nord and Kristin Grimmett

DENVER — If hip-hop and Barack Obama were on Facebook, their relationship status would be: "It's complicated." So when the ladies of Choose or Lose descended upon the Mile-High City Saturday to cover the Democratic National Convention, where Obama will officially be named the Dems' presidential candidate, we went backstage at the Denver Rock the Bells show — where we saw so much Obama gear that you'd have sworn it was an Obama concert — and talked politics with everyone from Ghostface Killah to the Pharcyde, and even got a special message for Obama from Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon. Read More...

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Ron Paul Drops Out Of Presidential Race, Starts Campaigning For Others

Posted 6/13/08 2:58 pm EST by in Election, election 2008


You can fold up the dirigibles and wind down the local meet-ups. After announcing that he would throw his own convention during the GOP coronation in St. Paul, Minnesota, in September, maverick Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has officially thrown in the towel, again. The anti-Iraq war, small-government candidate with the rebel streak and rabid army of volunteers announced the decision on Thursday, but not before unveiling a second campaign that will divert the many gigawatts of youthful energy he collected during his pugnacious White House bid into a new effort.

"It is time now to take the energy this campaign has awakened and channel it into long-term efforts to take back our country," Paul told supporters.
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Ron Paul To GOP: Fine! I'll Throw My Own Convention!

Posted 6/12/08 3:31 pm EST by in Campaign '08, Election


You can try to push Ron Paul to the sidelines, but you can't tell him he can't play the game. The feisty Republican presidential candidate with the impressive money machine and an anti-war, never-say-die attitude that appeals to the college kids has decided to hold his own convention in September. Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, sez you!

Since the party isn't exactly rolling out the red carpet for him and his way-wired constituents at its official shindig at St. Paul, Minnesota's Xcel Energy Center, Paul says he's setting up shop eight miles down the road at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena in Minneapolis on the second day of the event, September 2. His spokesperson told The New York Times, "This isn't a protest. ... This is a celebration of limited government and Republican principles." Don't get it twisted, though: He's not doing it because he's angry at his party.

One thing's for sure, you're not likely to see John McCain holding a "Freedom Rally and Ice Cream Social" anytime soon. Details on the parallel convention are expected to be announced tonight, but considering John Mayer has given the good Dr. his stamp of approval, we predict lots of banana splits and guitar face come September 2.

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Hillary Clinton Grants Us Exclusive Interview

Posted 1/8/08 3:30 pm EST by in Chelsea Clinton, Election, Hillary Clinton, Interview, new hampshire


It's a beautiful day here in New Hampshire. It's slightly warmer than yesterday, and the sun is out in the snow-covered state capital of Concord, where about a hundred people gathered to see Senator Hillary Clinton make an appearance at the local polling station, her last event before tonight.

The objective was clear: get an interview with potentially the next president of the United States. Easier said than done. With a mixed crowd of young and old calmly lining the road in anticipation of meeting her, it was the press who were behaving badly, pushing and shoving each other to get the perfect shot and perfect position.

At one point, everyone seemed happy with their position, but when the huge Clinton convoy (two buses and three SUVs) rolled through and the senator got out followed closely by her daughter, Chelsea, an organizer decided it was a good idea to ask the press to "take 15 steps forward." In press-talk this translates to: "Scramble to the front, show no mercy, and it's every news organization for itself." A local reporter who was standing next to me — an average-looking woman wearing a bucket-load of makeup — suddenly turned into a banshee, yelling at her cameraman while elbowing me and pushing my cameraman Aaron out of the way. It's all good, though. This isn't the first sticky situation Aaron and I have been in. Seeing that everyone was rushing blindly forward, we hung back for a second, quietly walked around the mob and sidestepped to the front. Perfect.

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