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Conor Oberst: Exhausting Democratic Primary Only Making Party Stronger

Posted 5/21/08 4:31 pm EST by in Interview


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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.” Read More...

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Method Man Reminisces About the Day He Complimented Britney On Her Terrific Backside

Posted 5/19/08 2:04 pm EST by in Interview



This in from MTV News reporter Shawn Adler:

There are moments in a man’s life that remain indelibly marked in his mind, those brief instances where serendipity combines with ecstasy to change one’s very existence. “I will never be the same,” you think, soaking in the sounds, the sights, the smells. The birth of a child. Your first time with a woman. And then, for the very specific few: the first time you got a chance to look at Britney Spears’ rear end.

And, you are right, you will never be the same again. (Every male 20-27 is high-fiving himself mentally right now, by the way. I know it’s hard to imagine, what with how totally insane Britney is now, but nobody can ever take away 1999. Britney and I are almost exactly the same age. I was a senior in high school when “Hit Me Baby One More Time” came out. It was awesome.)

That’s also the story according to the one and only Method Man, who recalled for MTV News the first time he met Britney like it was the day Kennedy got shot. And what was the focal point of this great meeting of the minds on the "TRL" set? Britney’s mind-blowing backside, of course.

Method Man giddily recalled: "I leaned over and said into Britney’s ear, ‘You have a fat a-- for a white girl.’ She didn’t say a word. She didn’t say a word. She waited until everybody was done taking pictures, paparazzi turned their backs, she turned around and looked at me with this face, [and said] ‘Thank you.’ Just like that. I loved it.”

Oh, not as much as we do! Actually, you know what? I could write about the rest of what he said, but it’s not nearly as funny as seeing it for yourself. So check out the clip above.

Memories…misty water color memories…of the way Britney was...

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Tyson Says New All-American Rejects CD Will 'Give You Hell'

Posted 5/19/08 10:52 am EST by in Behind The Scenes, Interview, Movies, Music, New Music Update


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This in from MTV News producer Matt Elias, out in LA:

We just recently shot with Tyson Ritter, aka lead singer of All-American Rejects. We were up in Runyon Canyon, and boy are my calves killing me! For those not in the know, Runyon Canyon is the spot for all of Hollywood's hardbodies to get their cardio on, which was the perfect contrast to the waify wisecracker. Seriously, the dude should be in contention for funniest frontman in rock, if such an award existed (you hear me VMAs?). He had our whole crew in stitches.

While he was there to dish on his upcoming role in "House Bunny," which you'll hear about closer to the Movie Awards -- including Tyson picking up dog doody (yup!) -- we were able to squeeze some music news out of him as well. He and the rest of the Rejects are still holed up in the studio, finishing their yet untitled album. But while the disc doesn’t yet have a name, one of his new favorite songs does: "I Hope It Gives You Hell." Here's what Tyson had to say about it:

"It probably won't come out first, but it will be the one that opens up the power kegs. The chorus is, 'Every time I see your face, I hope it gives you hell.' It's kind of a bitter song about people…It's mainly towards people back home that never thought it could happen. It's really full of rage and fun. It’s definitely going to be a beer-drinking, party song."

Tyson told us to look out for the new album in September.

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Rick Ross Co-Signs 'Hottest MCs In The Game 2008'

Posted 5/16/08 3:06 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, hottest mcs, Interview, Music


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Bawwwssssse! Rick Ross is one of the coolest dudes you're gonna meet, period.

He swung through HQ for another one of them MTV News exclusive interviews. (While I was talking to Rick, Sway was downstairs chopping it up with the Game. Now that's one heavyweight afternoon at 1515.) On the way out, we showed him the "Hottest MCs In The Game" promos, which he enjoyed. Said he hopes he makes the cut this time.

Big ups to the biggest boss, his manager Gucci Poochie, and super PR man Gabe -- excuse me, "Hollywood Gabe" the homie...

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Conor Oberst Talks Mexico, The Solo Life & Obama

Posted 5/16/08 1:10 pm EST by in Campaign '08, Interview, MTV News, Music, New Music Update


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Yesterday I got the chance to sit down with one of my favorite musicians on the planet, Conor Oberst.

The setting was a Mexican restaurant in the East Village, about halfway between his house and mine -- though admittedly it was a pretty obvious location choice. You see, earlier this year, Mexico was the place where the nomadic Oberst holed up with a bunch of pals to work on his first solo album in many years, a self-titled release due out August 5th. And yes, he sees a big difference between a solo record and a Bright Eyes record, something he explained in our nearly hour-long conversation.

Conor was in great spirits, and in addition to the new album -- which is more spare and stripped down than last year’s terrific Cassadaga -- we also talked about California (he likes it, I don’t), relationships (not his forte), his aversion to hospitals, and, of course, politics. O, as you might have heard, is a big supporter of O.

So check back with MTVNews.com in the coming weeks for all that -- plus a track-by-track rundown of the entire album...

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The Game's Ready to Drop 'L.A.X.' -- And Vote For Obama

Posted 5/16/08 12:34 pm EST by in Interview, MTV News, Music, New Music Update


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This in from Sway, who just sat down with the Game here at MTV HQ:

The Game is back and appears to be extremely focused. I enjoyed talking with him -- it wasn't really an interview, but more like two homies bringing each other up to date on life.

No matter what adversities the Game is facing in life (thoughts of suicide, beef, jail), he has always managed to create great music. Judging from the songs I've heard already and the song concepts and featured artists L.A.X. has to offer, it seems that he's on his way to another quality project.

Talking about the bigger picture, the Game also said that, in this day and era, it's impossible for anybody not to be political. So to answer your question: the man endorses Obama.

For more on the Game and the seriously anticipated L.A.X., check back with MTVNews.com.


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Clinton: ‘Are My MTV Boys Still With Me?’

Posted 1/9/08 9:27 am EST by in Campaign '08, Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Interview, new hampshire


"Are my MTV boys still with me?" Senator Hillary Clinton asked as she exited the auditorium where, moments earlier, she'd delivered one of the finest speeches of her career after winning the New Hampshire primary. And yes, we were!


Just before, as Hillary made the rounds, warmly thanking her supporters, I thought it would be a good time to say thank you to her daughter, Chelsea, for making our exclusive interview with her mother happen earlier in the day. Chelsea, who has rarely been more than a few steps away from her mother over recent weeks on this campaign, was doing what I had seen her doing earlier — making friends, taking photos, shaking hands and, most importantly, talking to young people, who had turned up to see her mother win the primary. Now, after what Chelsea had done for us, I must admit I felt a little cheeky asking if her mom would like to talk to us again. But I figured there was no harm in asking — and again, the lovely Chelsea came through, for which we are very grateful.
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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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Up Close With Bill Clinton

Posted 1/6/08 1:41 pm EST by in Campaign '08, Interview




BRENTWOOD, New Hampshire — "New Hampshire: Live Free or Die" was the sign that greeted us as we arrived here in the state early Saturday afternoon for the upcoming primary.

Obama supporters promote change.As soon as we arrived, it was clear that this chapter in the 2008 presidential race was already well underway. Lining the side of the road all the way into the city were what must have been hundreds of campaign posters planted in the snow, proudly bearing candidates’ names — and from what I saw, most of them were Barack Obama (who, of course, won the Iowa Democratic caucus last week) and Hillary Clinton.

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LL Cool J Talks About His New Album, Issues With Jay-Z

Posted 11/8/07 2:23 pm EST by in Interview, LL Cool J


At the end of last week I got a phone call from LL Cool J and his manager, the lovely Claudine, telling me that he was spending his Friday night down at New York's legendary Chung King Studios laying down the final touches to his latest album, Exit 13 — and would I like to come down with a camera crew for an exclusive first listen?

We jumped at the chance — after all, this was an opportunity to witness history in the making.

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