Welcome to the MTV News Blog, where you'll get a sneak peek at what happens in our newsroom on a daily basis. Staffers will keep you updated on what goes on behind the scenes, from what it's like interviewing our favorite artists to how we dig up news exclusives. newsroom@mtv.com
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…
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.
Nick Hogan, nee Nick Bollea, the 17-year-old son of former wrestler Hulk Hogan, was sentenced Friday (May 9) by a Florida judge for his role in the August car crash that left his best friend, John Graziano, critically injured, according to TMZ.com.
Pleading nolo contendere (or “no contest” for those of you who don’t watch 5 hours of “Law & Order” every night), the mini-Hulkster will serve eight months in jail, after which he will be put on five years’ probation. After his release from prison, Nick must perform 500 hours of community service, as well as complete a DUI school within his first year on the outside.
Finally, throughout his probation, Nick is prohibited from drinking alcohol of any kind.
In a statement to the court, Nick reportedly apologized to the victim’s family.
So was the jail sentence just? Too much? Too little? All I know is that Jack McCoy would have been a lot tougher on him. Sound off below.
MTV News has been following the charges against R&B superstar R. Kelly for years now, through several delays, and now jury selection has finally begun in the child pornography case. With the trial itself still days away from beginning, things are already looking dark for the R&B superstar.
As part of our coverage of what is easily one of the most high-profile legal battles of the year — and possibly one of the most complex — we’ve updated our original show on the case, “R. Kelly: When the Gavel Drops.”
In this first segment of the show (above), Sway and John Norris walk us through a recap of the charges against Kelly. Part of what makes this case so complex is the fact that the alleged victim, who the prosecution is claiming was 14 years old when she engaged in very graphic sexual acts with Kelly, denies that she is the girl in the infamous sex tape. The prosecution will try to make the case that the young woman (now 24) and/or her family were paid off by Kelly’s people in order to prevent her from ever testifying against him.
And this segment reveals much more — particularly creepy is the footage of the interior of Kelly’s house at the time he allegedly made the sex tape, as well as images of the custom-designed private room in which the acts allegedly took place.
It’s incredible to think that it’s taken six years for this case to come to trial. And it’s even more incredible to think how much Kelly’s been able to rehabilitate his persona in the meantime, with the runaway success of his oddball “Trapped in the Closet” series managing to turn talk of child pornography into a thing of the past. Does the public have that short of an attention span…?
If he is found guilty, however, there’s only one possible effect this could have on his juggernaut of a career. Simply put, in the words of Dr. Dre in our special: “He’s over.”
In the following segments of the show, we learn how the prosecution plans to establish a “pattern of behavior” in Kelly’s sexual interest in underage girls: not only did he marry Aaliyah when she was only 15, but there were a three other civil suits brought by women who claimed Kelly had sex with them when they were minors.
Tune in when the complete show airs this Sunday at 2pm on MTV2. Or you can watch the other two segments right here online, after the jump. Read more…
For those of you who’ve been following our “Idol In Iraq” series here at Newsroom, here’s a little bit of backstory about Private First Class Nathan Puckett — the 19-year-old soldier who made our weekly “Idol” installments happen.
Nathan came to the attention of MTV News strictly by chance…through my Facebook account.
About three months ago, I received a friend request from Nathan. We had no friends in common, so after accepting, I asked why he’d reached out to me. He told me that I looked like someone who had been in “a military class” with him. “Looks like I’m wrong,” he concluded. “Anyways, how’s New York? I’ve never been. After I get out of Iraq, I’m probably gonna try to visit one of my friends up there.”
The two of us struck up a friendship online. Our stations in life, it seemed, couldn’t have been farther apart, geographically or otherwise: I was the executive producer of MTV News, while Nathan had enlisted in the Army “right out of high school.” But we soon discovered common ground… Read more…
All hands on deck! Once again, the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust members are picking, sorting and battling over their choices for the top 10 Hottest MCs in the Game. They are considering everyone who has been active from the time of the highly controversial first “Hottest MCs in the Game” — which published in July of last year — up until now.
The artists are being judged on lyrics, flow, swagger and overall impact. You’ll get to see the Brain Trust go at it again on Friday, May 16, at 10 p.m. ET on MTV, when MTV News Presents the second edition of “The Hottest MCs in the Game.”
Obviously, true hip-hop fans will have more than a mouthful to say after the results are in — but why wait? We’re giving you the chance to have your say right now: While we encourage you to send in your full top 10, right now we want you to participate in this poll and tell us your pick for the #1 Hottest MC in the Game right now.
Please note: This audience poll will have no impact on the Brain Trust’s final top 10, but the results will be included in our coverage.
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.
Working at MTV News is always exhausting, often hilarious, sometimes crisis-inducing, and frequently surreal. As it was earlier this week, when on a single afternoon we played host to a slew of artists who have literally zip in common. We talked YouTube with Tokio Hotel, ate hot dogs with The Teenagers, and got all misty with Snoop as he talked about visiting Amsterdam “coffee shops” with Willie Nelson. Amazing.
Our own John Norris, riding the waves of ironic pop ecstasy, sat down with lead singer Quentin Delafon, guitarist Dorian Dumont, and bassist Michael Szpinern to talk about their Reality Check CD — and, of course, “Gossip Girl,” which featured their anthem “Feeling Better” in a recent episode. (Actually, they’re asking their adorable female fans to shoot their own music videos for the single, which they say they’re planning to edit into one self-referential masterpiece.)
The band also told us why they decided to make themselves a pronunciation-challenged English-language band, why the French music scene is kind of awful [Ed: MC Solaar!!], and how disappointed they were when they first learned that Britney Spears wasn’t really a virgin. Sigh. Check back with MTV News for all of that.
After the interview, the boys were craving some authentic American cuisine, so they wandered down Madison Avenue to the nearest street vendor for hot dogs. After wolfing down his wiener, Quentin turned to the camera and exclaimed, “We love New York!”
Oh, Quentin, we hope you are not toying with us. We can never tell.
More pics from the shoot — and their weekend NY show — after the jump. Read more…
