Okay, not really. Don't worry, I'm not a delusional "Idol" fanatic. I just play one on TV. But we did share a brief moment at the finale red carpet when he told me he was a fan of my "Idol" recaps. (I still find it pretty insane that a contestant on the top-rated show on television was actually watching me make fun of him on the Internet for several months.)

So when I got a chance to interview the Top 10 at a recent "American Idols Live!" tour stop in Los Angeles, I was determined to get exclusive scoop on his secretive debut album. "Kris is my buddy — he'll totally give me the dirt," I thought.

I was wrong.

I didn't have a fighting chance, honestly. The dude is really good at dodging questions he doesn't want to answer. (Also possessing black belts in that particular martial art: Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta — I think "Idol" trains them to do that.) Not to mention that the publicist told us we only had time to ask Kris two (only two!) questions because he was running late. (You can hear me mumble/whine to Kris "Two questions!" during the interview, because apparently I'm an unprofessional jackass.)

At the very least, Kris talked to me about ditching "No Boundaries," the victory song written by judge Kara DioGuardi that both he and Adam Lambert had to perform on the show's finale. And he followed through on his "I'll follow you on Twitter" promise. So it wasn't a complete wash, right?

P.S. — Nice jab at MTV, Kris! We'll keep that in mind when your first music video comes out! Just kidding! Maybe!

Last week, MTV News' James Montgomery waxed rhapsodic about "Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell," the viral hit by Das Racist that was remixed by Oakland group Wallpaper. This week, Wallpaper struck again with a remix of Jay-Z's "D.O.A." that mashes up that tune with Jigga's "99 Problems" and tosses in a bunch of Auto-Tune for good measure. The result is a manic, raucous track that culminates in the refrain "I got 99 problems but my pitch ain't one," and it has become an instant favorite here at MTV News.

"My remixes tend to be divisive," explains Wallpaper's Eric Frederic, the man responsible for both remixes. "But I've always thought the best way to win a war is to divide and conquer." He wants to make it clear that while he defends Auto-Tune, he's also a big fan of Jay-Z and the original message of "D.O.A." "I agree with Jay-Z in that I think that too many rappers use Auto-Tune."
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DALLAS — I don't know what happens when you sit me down with the Jonas Brothers, but it feels like magic. The four of us just have an indefinable chemistry that comes naturally to four kids who were all raised in New Jersey. We hit it off so well on my most recent visit — here in Dallas to talk about their tour launch next week — that they invited me to join them on the most sacred of Jonas Brothers activities: They invited me to go dirt biking with them. In all honesty, they get me so much. I've never been on a dirt bike, but there's a first time for everything, and I would want my first time to be with those guys (what girl wouldn't want that?). Plus, it'll be a great way to kick Kevin's butt for always thinking I'm a dude.

Although my sassy attitude may seem frightful to most everyone else I meet, the JoBros (as the kids on the street call them) just get it. They're not scared when I mention the names Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift. In fact, they welcome those kinds of questions from me. We talked about their new album, their tour, their exes, actual fourth brother Frankie, "Camp Rock" and more, so you'll have to stay tuned to MTV News to get the whole scoop.

Over the years, working for MTV News and even before I landed this gig, I've interviewed a lot of celebrities. It's one of the perks of the job, interviewing people whose work you've always admired (which, for me, would include any of the members of Jane's Addiction, Mike Patton, Carcass and Portishead) — at times, you even get to speak to those whose work you don't admire (like, say, Hinder).

I'd say about 40 percent of the interviews I've done have been in person — an artist is in town and they've got something to promote, so they swing by our Times Square offices for a little face time. The rest of them are what we in the biz call "phoners," and these interviews involve calling the subject at his or her home or hotel room to talk shop. These types of interviews are less controlled, basically because there's no publicist around to interfere. But these types of interviews are also just like any other phone conversation you've ever had — call waiting can disrupt the flow of conversation just as easily as a screaming child or a misbehaving pet. Read more...

By Megan Warner

There's nothing like standing under a giant metal stage during a lightning storm — it gets the heart rate up.

But when fellow producers Sarah Muller, Daniela Capistrano and myself headed out with John Norris to interview the Ting Tings, the duo seemed unfazed by the whole we-might-get-electrocuted-out-here thing.

"I think it's dramatic," said Ting Tings frontwoman Katie White, noting that being from England, they are pretty used to the rain. "Maybe the pool will fill up!"

Mother Nature didn’t make things easy for anyone at the at the Jelly NYC Pool Party. I had to balance the wireless mic adapter at a certain angle to avoid static, and to keep both the camera and talent dry, we built a dome of umbrellas. But the wind wasn't having it. A sudden gust took John's umbrella (which he referred to as a small lightning rod) out of the picture, and he had to wrestle it back as it flipped inside out.

Find out how we survived the storm and watch footage of the show after the jump!
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by Ryan Kroft

Who "grows up" better: PCD or BCD?

When we got a call from our favorite YouTube sensation Britney Houston, letting us know that she was going to be shooting her own video for the Pussycat Dolls' "When I Grow Up" right here in NYC, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see her in action. Check out the “making of” the new “When I Grow Up” parody right here. Then watch the finished product and let us know who does it better, PCD or BCD?

Now, personally, I always took the Panic At the Disco song “That Green Gentleman” to be more about the, um, 4:20 club than the Sierra Club, if ykwim. The band, however, wouldn’t cop to that when I talked to them yesterday…Whatever.

But Panic did want to talk about the environmental consciousness of their current trek, the 2008 Honda Civic Tour. Before each night’s show, singer Brendan Urie appears in a video, encouraging fans to take part in an “eco-contest” to decide how a large chunk of change raised on the tour will be used to help the planet. (For more info on that, go here.)

Brendan also explained to me that the band is working on the tour with two non-profit eco organizations: Reverb, which facilitates environmentally friendly touring; and Global Inheritance, which seeks to inspire more eco-activism. “Plus, at each show there’s a few things to get kids involved,” he told me. “Honda have a bike setup where you can charge your phone, and there’s pamphlets and information. Lots of good stuff.”

Ryan Ross said the band has been doing good things as well, from traveling on a biodiesel bus, to re-using plastics, and recycling more backstage. “It’s been cool for us because we’re young guys -- we’re still learning about what’s going on, too. So it’s been personal,” he said. “I think it’s been good for everybody to try and do a little something.”

Now fellas, back to this “Green Gentleman”? “Green can be so many things,” Brendan said with a smile. “You’re new to something…You’re jealous…It could be my favorite color…” But Ryan stopped me in my tracks: “You’ll never know, John. You’ll never know!”

Earlier, we visited a behind-the-scenes clip from John Norris's exclusive interview with Madonna and Justin Timberlake backstage after their recent Roseland show. Well, there's more...

We couldn't resist sharing this with you: John getting schooled by the Queen of Pop.

Ever the dutiful journalist, John refuses to give up on his line of questioning about Madonna's "milestone" 50th year -- but Madge is having none of it. She even starts quoting her own lyrics from her song "Give It 2 Me" to prove her point. As the interview ends, John is still trying to defend himself, telling the diva how much she's going to miss him when she's stuck talking to some real idiots during her Hard Candy press junket...

Watch and enjoy. And John, we think you're adorable -- and we kind of suspect Madonna thinks so too.

In case you hadn't noticed in Newsroom, in the 400 articles on MTVNews.com, and on TV, John Norris got to sit down for an exclusive interview with Madonna and Justin Timberlake last week after their surprise NY show at the Roseland Ballroom.

While we've shown you just about everything there is to show from the interview -- from Madge and Justin's take on Miley, to how they created Hard Candy together -- there are still a few amusing moments that hit the cutting room floor.

As here, when John goes fishing for some drama, and Madonna gets all confessional -- about her gardener. Even Justin looks confused...

In the latest edition of "The Loder Files," we head back to 1994, when Kurt Loder spoke with Courtney Love in the wake of Kurt Cobain's suicide.

She talked about the long -- and nearly impossible -- road to recovering from her husband's death: "I don't know, I haven't processed things. I'm just working...I'm putting one foot in front of the other but I'm numb."

Love also talked about their daughter Frances Bean, who was only two years old when Cobain took his own life. "He prayed every night," she told Loder, surprising many Nirvana fans. "He taught our daughter how to pray." She wonders aloud if maybe having a son would have been even harder, since she feels that "the male progeny of a dead celebrity I think might have a harder time."

But most surreal of all is the moment when Love admits how hard it is to help a toddler process the death of her incredibly famous father. "Daddy's a little like Barney," she says, "because he's on TV. And there's videos of Daddy, so we can see Daddy on TV."

From Eminem to Ice Cube and Prince, check out Loder's interviews from the MTV News vault, in The Loder Files. More rolling out soon...