Most Thanksgiving traditions involve food, and the rest all involve television. There is always football on, the evening inevitably ends up centered around the worst movie you can find and the morning always starts with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Every year, there is always a heavy emphasis on music from marching bands, Broadway stars and rock groups alike, and this year's is no different. While they will probably never reach the apex they hit at last year's parade (which featured an appearance by Rick Astley, possibly the greatest Rickroll in history), there are still plenty of opportunities for music to shine on Turkey Day.
Perhaps the most notable act at event is Boys Like Girls, who will perform their new single "Two is Better Than One" during the parade. That particular tune features a guest vocal by none other than Taylor Swift, who is not scheduled to be in New York that day, though her drop-in would be an especially ratings-friendly surprise. Boys Like Girls are currently on tour with Cobra Starship, but after getting national exposure on one of the bigger television events of the year, look for them to break out big soon.
The other big guest appearance will be Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, who will be rolling on a float and (theoretically) kicking up some Thanksgiving jams. (Who doesn't want to hear how Black Thought freestyles on topics like "cranberry sauce" and "tryptophan"?) Again, hopefully Fallon will grab a little more attention for his excellent late-night show, which is worth tuning into if only to see the Roots play every night of the work week.
The rest of the lineup is typically eclectic, featuring Andrea Bocelli, Gloria Gaynor, Katharine McPhee, Jay Sean, Ziggy Marley and, of course, Kermit the Frog.
Though Kings of Leon scored the prize for Woodie of the Year at the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards, the most popular kids in the room were most certainly bubbly Brooklynites Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, better known to the music world as Matt and Kim. They stirred up a tremendous amount of fervor during their performance of "Lessons Learned," which opened up the show and featured Kim stage diving and a group of backup singers who gradually stripped down to their underwear as the song rolled on.
The performance was a nod to the video for "Lessons Learned," which features the pair running around nude in Times Square — a clip that took home the Woodie for Best Video. What with all the baring of skin in Matt and Kim's idiom, they must be naked all the time, right?
Not so, or so they told MTV backstage at the show. "I only want to get naked in my house," Schifino told MTV's Kim Stolz.
That statement was quickly rebuffed by Johnson. "That is not true," he said. "We have been to a lake in Vermont in the middle of nowhere, and Kim's like, 'I really want to take this top off!'"
The pair then revealed that Schifino even experimented with augmenting her assets at the show, but ultimately decided not to. "I almost wore this padded push-up bra," she explained. "It was too weird."
Really, her wardrobe choice was somewhat irrelevant, as nobody will remember what she wore (or didn't wear) to the Woodie Awards (which air Friday, December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU). But everybody will remember Schifino's raucous performance (as well as her pixelated buttocks).
Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.
U2 get a lot of credit for rising to prominence in the 1980s and still managing to be relevant in the 21st century. (Bruce Springsteen is often mentioned in the same sentence.) However, not enough people acknowledge Bon Jovi as a band who has managed to transcend their origins and become a massive institution. They dropped some of the biggest albums and singles in the hair metal era (namely Slippery When Wet and "You Give Love a Bad Name"), ran into some rough waters in the '90s (where they became mostly treacly balladeers) and then had an unlikely reinvention once the millennium turned over. They're now as much a classic rock band as anybody, and their country-inflected new batch of tunes The Circle debuted at the top of the Billboard album chart last week. This morning, they wore up early to play on "Today," and despite having more than three decades in the game, they still sound fresh (and frontman Jon Bon Jovi can still hit all the notes).
Kris Allen is seriously funny. He didn't really get a chance to show off his sparkling wit while on "American Idol." It's not the forum for that. (See Danny Gokey's unintentionally vicious Matt Giraud impression for proof.)
So anytime the "Idol" winner stops by for an interview, I try my best to get Kris' snarky side to come out to play. Doing press is never fun for a celeb. (Imagine being asked the same three questions 80 times in one day.) Why not shake things up with a few offbeat topics or a quip about Brazilian cuisine? Kris appreciates the variety, and I appreciate the laughs he sends in my direction.
In our previous interviews, Kris wasn't allowed to share much information (the 19 Entertainment folks keep their talent on a leash tighter than the ones Adam Lambert uses on his backup dancers). They left us with no choice but to goof around during our interview.
But with his self-titled album now in stores he's finally allowed to gab. And boy did he! (Have you watched our in-depth interview yet?) Luckily for Krim fans, that didn't keep us from joking around with each other.
Here's nearly six minutes of random leftovers the fans have demanded to see. Find out how Kris Allen feels about his mom's Twitter habits, what superhero power he wishes he had and which Alaskan troubadour he's looking to for career advice.
"The Hills" star and aspiring pop star Heidi Montag is back with more new music. She already revealed her "Body Language" at the Miss Universe pageant a few months back, and now she's feeding into the stereotype by mockingly titling her official debut album, aptly titled Superficial.
Dressed in a strapless, polka-dotted leotard (what pop singer isn't wearing leotards these days?) in front of a wall of cassettes, the singer plans to release the album on January 12. "This cover is a shout out to the '80s," she told People. "It makes you remember when you just had to run out to the record store and get your favorite album."
Liz Ciganovich, who worked with Montag on the album as its production and art director, said the photo is an homage to mixtapes. "I thought, 'Let's do a shot that says '80s — lets pay homage to the mix tape!'" she said. "The hunt was on. I believe I purchased every tape in Los Angeles!"
If you think that Heidi is just using her fame to cash in with her pop music, think again. Her sister-in-law, Stephanie Pratt, reveals that she's always wanted to be a famous singer. "When I first met her, she said she wanted to be a pop star, and this was like three years ago," she said. "Who really can be a pop star unless you've been singing and dancing forever?"
Are we in the middle of the great Muppet resurgence? "Sesame Street" is celebrating its triumphant 40th anniversary, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" star Jason Segal is working on a new Muppet film and the felt friends will put out a new album called Muppets Revisited in February of next year (it will feature bands like Weezer, the Fray and My Morning Jacket covering classic Muppet tunes). For the video below, the Muppets paid tribute to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" with a spot-on parody of both the song and the classic video.
The clip features plenty of Muppet heavy hitters like Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and Rizzo the Rat, but also has drop-ins from Sam Eagle, Swedish Chef and Camilla the Chicken. The best moment comes during the "Mama" portion of the tune, which features a lead vocal from Animal (Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem make their appearance later). Most notably, Kermit the Frog doesn't drop in until the very end of the clip (for a pretty good zinger to close things out).
The Muppet "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not only a great comedy clip (the Beaker gags are especially sharp), but it also sort of rocks. Check out the clip below, and look out for your favorite Henson character. This could easily become the best Internet meme in the history of the Web, but which classic tune should the Muppets tackle next?
Another season of "Dancing with the Stars" came to a close last night, and in a fairly ridiculous upset, Donny Osmond ended the night walking out with that wacky mirrorball trophy. Mya, who by all accounts should have walked away the champ, came in second, and Kelly Osbourne ended up in third place.
Here's the thing: It's not that Donny Osmond is a bad dancer. He worked extremely hard over the course of the season and never really had an off night. And he was certainly an underdog coming into the finale, considering how much older he was than the other finalists and how limited his costume choices were week to week (anybody who doesn't think that the scantily-clad ladies on this show don't have an advantage is sorely mistaken). But if they really wanted to reward sheer skill, you can't argue with Mya. On the other hand, Osbourne has been by far the better underdog story, having spent some time facing elimination and coming through some truly disastrous dances and at least one minor injury. The Osmond victory feels a little milquetoast, but perhaps ABC was just playing it safe following Lambertgate.
Now that the season is over, what have we learned? "Dancing with the Stars" may have hit the wall this season, as the entertainment factor was wildly inconsistent from episode to episode. The stories that did emerge (especially Osbourne and the bipolar struggle of Aaron Carter) were pretty compelling, but most of the performances have either been delightful disasters or too on-the-nose. For example, was there anything compelling about Joanna Krupa? She was a pretty good (but not transcendent) dancer and didn't have much of a personality. Where was the joy in watching her every week? If this show wants to have any sort of relevance and entertainment value when it returns next spring, perhaps the script needs to be flipped, perhaps adding a more playful mix of dance styles (the super-progressive "So You Think You Can Dance" makes "Dancing with the Stars" look like a trip to the retirement home in comparison). And let's trim those results shows — last night's finale lasted two hours and featured little more than a bunch of middling returns and Osmond singing "Puppy Love." On the bright side, maybe now Mya can get back to the business of crafting slinky R&B jams.
Earlier today, MTV News' Jim Cantiello sat down with "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert, who just dropped his debut album For Your Entertainment but has been grabbing headlines this week for an entirely different reason. On Sunday night (November 22), Lambert took the stage at the American Music Awards to perform his single "For Your Entertainment," which included plenty of pelvic gyrations, an impromptu kiss, Lambert slipping and falling, a handful of missed notes and Lambert's middle fingers. The performance caused quite a stir, as ABC (the network broadcasting the American Music Awards) received several hundred complaints about it, and it lead directly to "Good Morning America" (also an ABC property) canceling Lambert's appearance on Wednesday (November 25) morning's show. (Lambert will still appear on morning television — CBS' "The Early Show" booked him almost immediately.)
Lambert was candid about his performance of "For Your Entertainment" and the intentions that he had. As a very special part of the interview, Lambert took Cantiello through "For Your Entertainment" step by step, and the video below shows him to be honest and revelatory. Stay tuned for much more from Lambert in the coming days, but for now check out his look back on the event that is already defining his young career.
When the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards air next Friday, you'll be able to see a number of instantly classic moments, from Matt and Kim's half-naked performance to Asher Roth's stage dive to Mary-Louise Parker's f-bomb while introducing the Dead Weather. (There will be just as many moments that will not end up on the air — like the Clipse's run-in with a cockroach.) One of the most definitive portions of the show is delivered by 3OH!3, who walked on stage to present an award dressed like Lady Gaga.
But clearly that game of dress-up required a little preparation. For example, the duo shared their grooming tips. "This beard is made by Versace," joked Sean Foreman. "I would not dry this beard on warm — I would probably hand dry this beard when you're done washing it."
But "Beardvember" wasn't the only thing on their minds that night. When MTV asked them what the next big trend in movies would be once vampires have run their course, they gave it some thoughtful consideration. "I'd like to see some sexy zombies," joked Foreman. "It would give brain a whole new meaning."
That earned a high five from Nathaniel Motte, who added, "I'd like to see sexbots. Those are sexual robots."
Whether or not they'll be creating young adult literature based around sexy robots remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: They've dressed as Lady Gaga, have well-manicured beards and can be seen on the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards, which air Friday, December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU.
This morning, "Good Morning America" devoted a full 30 minutes of the program to Rihanna, where she spoke briefly and performed three songs: "Wait Your Turn (Tha Wait is Ova)," "Russian Roulette" and "Umbrella." It's incredible to think that only four years ago, she was an unknown singer who first grabbed attention with "Pon De Replay," an infectious island-inflected dance tune that introduced her unique point of view and approach to pop music.
Though Rihanna hadn't yet adopted her very particular style (which was best on display in videos like "Disturbia"), she was still a confident artist who sent herself head-first into her music. "It's just imagination, being creative; that's what my music is composed with," she said in her first interview with MTV News. "Being creative and thinking of situations, whether situations I went through or situations I've observed people going through."
Since she hadn't even cut the video for "Pon De Replay" yet (and was years away from delivering definitive performances on the 2007 and 2008 MTV Video Music Awards), her vision of the future was simple. "I can't tell you where I'll see myself in five years, but I can tell you I will work my best to be the most successful artist that I can be," she told MTV News.
Four years, three albums, a bunch of top-shelf collaborations and one massive, chart-topping single later, Rihanna has blossomed into one of the most forward-thinking artists in the hip-hop and R&B world. Take a look at her first interview with MTV News below, where it's clear that she may be young, but she wasn't naive.
