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Justin Timberlake Didn't Forget About TLC At 'Justin Timberlake & Friends'

Posted 10/19/09 4:44 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

By Matt Elias

Justin Timberlake's "Justin Timberlake & Friends" concert on Saturday was a culmination of a week's worth of events supporting Shriners Hospitals for Children. It was a busy week for the singer: He planned the concert, hosted a charity golf tournament and met all manner of kids. He said the latter is the most rewarding part, as he gets to hang out with them and "act a fool," as he called it.

So it's no doubt that Justin had a lot on his mind when he met us in the press room to talk about the concert. As he finished his last interview, he realized there was one important thing he forgot to talk about. "TLC! I forgot to mention TLC, that's huge!" He jokingly blamed it on us, "the media." Of course, it was a big deal that TLC were performing their first full-length live concert in six years.

Click here for photos from "Justin Timberlake & Friends," including Taylor Swift and TLC!

Justin realized that none of the outlets had him saying it on camera, which meant it probably wouldn't make it into any of the press coverage. So here we are, Justin, letting everyone know that you didn't forget T-Boz and Chilli.

Later, the ladies told us just how excited they were to support the charity — and Justin. "We've known him for so long," they said, noting that his manly stubble made him look "grown-up."

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'Gossip Girl' Leighton Meester Searches For Robin Thicke In First Music Video

Posted 10/19/09 3:37 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

By Rya Backer

Growing up watching MTV, I was always a big fan of the show "Making The Video." (Favorite episodes: Blink-182's "All The Small Things" and Lindsay Lohan's "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" — so tragic!) Now that I work at MTV and I get to visit the sets of music videos, it's always a real exciting coup.

On Sunday, fellow MTV Newsfolk Lisa Millstein, Saimon Kos and I headed to the SubMercer to check in on Leighton Meester and Robin Thicke's video for Meester's debut single "Somebody to Love." It may not be a Queen cover, but it's some great pop music. (If it played at my little cousin's Bat Mitzvah, I'd be on the dance floor in a big way.) The premise of the video involved Leighton trying to find — you guessed it — somebody to love. Thicke shows up at a hotel, in a crowded club and on the street looking to love her. I'll keep it vague, as it'll be out soon.

More importantly: Costumes. Thicke was wearing a really well-tailored black suit made out of an unconventional-looking material (it looked like hammered silk). When I further pressed him on what his suit was made of, he explained that it was the skin of an exotic land and sea animal (he was kidding). But Leighton was totally wearing animal: a short, black leather dress with buttons going up the back and a pair of 99-inch silver Galliano heels that wrapped around her leg. I feel like she cheated death with every step she took.

Elaborate music videos take a long time to shoot, and there is a lot of "hurry up and wait." That's a lot of what we did while waiting to grab some footage. However, there's something to be said about what happens when they do start to roll camera, as you're watching television magic happen!

It's worth noting that one of the coolest women who every smart girl needs to look up to, Zoe Cassavetes, directed the video. She's Sofia Coppola's BFF, and together they starred in "Ciao, LA" (also featuring three guys "from the hit series 'Sabotage'"). So, Zoe, if you're reading this, I'm a really big fan. And when I apologized because I accidentally knocked my bag into your side, I totally froze up and couldn't tell you why.

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Hall & Oates Address Strange Videos, Practice Punctuality

Posted 10/16/09 12:25 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

By Vanessa White Wolf

On Wendesday, I conducted the biggest interview of my life. I've talked to some pretty big names, like Madonna, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. But in the eight years I've been at MTV News, there has been one pair I have been desperate to talk to.

HALL.

OATES.

Yep, I spent the most amazing 20 minutes of my life (sad?) talking to Daryl Hall and John Oates in the Icon Room over at Sony. And it turns out that in addition to being the most amazing blue-eyed soul act ever, Daryl and John are also extremely punctual: They walked in at the same time we did, a full 30 minutes before cameras were set to roll. They were funny, thoughtful and had a lot to say about Do What You Want, Be What You Are, their new four-CD box set and the reason for the sit-down in the first place.

Hall & Oates discussed a number of topics, including the love they get from newer artists (like Gym Class Heroes and Fall Out Boy), the story behind the box set, how they narrowed down the hundreds of songs they've written and recorded over the years, their hit "You Make My Dreams" and its appearance in "500 Days of Summer," their individual Web series' and yes, they want "Rock Band: Hall & Oates."

But one of my favorite parts of the interview came when I asked the two of them about their extensive music video library. Daryl immediately started laughing and warned me that I was on "shaky ground." The guys went on to acknowledge that they always tried to just have fun with videos and make them very tongue-in-cheek — and that every one of them managed to be pretty ridiculous. When I brought up a post that appeared on Stereogum a few years ago (which was devoted to the brilliance of the clip "She's Gone"), they cracked up remembering how the whole thing came about.

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'Big Buck Safari' Blasts Its Way Into The Newsroom

Posted 10/14/09 3:40 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes

If it seems like the output on MTV News gets little sluggish in the next year or so, you can chalk it up to the latest digital distraction. Just before lunch today, Multiplayer editor Russ Frushtick rolled into the Newsroom with two delivery men, who were carting a full-scale arcade cabinet that contained "Big Buck Safari."

See that photo? That's James Montgomery, Frushtick and Rya Backer contemplating the best way to gun down elk. Bets are already being taken. Complaints have already been filed. This will not end well (which is to say it will likely end awesomely).

Of course, the game isn't just for our enjoyment. Frushtick brought the game in to challenge various stars to one-on-one encounters for a new recurring feature on Multiplayer. But in the meantime, it'll be living in the center of our universe, taunting us with its shooty digital goodness.

It's not the first time MTV News has had access to an arcade game that destroyed focus and threatened productivity on a daily basis. A few years ago, there was a "Hydro Thunder" cabinet sitting in one of the conference rooms. For the uninitiated, "Hydro Thunder" is a powerboat racing game that is unspeakably difficult but also incredibly awesome. No one is entirely sure what became of "Hydro Thunder," though the general consensus is that "Big Buck Safari" is an upgrade (mostly because it involves firearms). As James put it, "This place is one ball pit away from becoming a Dave & Buster's." (Or, as Jim Cantiello said, "It's just like the loft from 'Big' now.")

Frushtick hasn't talked about whom he's going to challenge, though it seems obvious that Ted Nugent would have to make an appearance in the Newsroom at some point. Who else would you like to see test their mettle at the game? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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AFI Come Back Around (Again) For Punk And Pac-Man

Posted 10/13/09 1:08 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

Last week, AFI (that's "A Fire Inside" to newbies) came by the MTV Newsroom for an interview about their latest album Crash Love, their newest video "Medicate" and their current tour. In my career, I'm fairly certain that I've talked to the members of AFI (particularly singer Davey Havok) more than anybody else. In fact, I've interviewed Havok for every single outlet that has ever employed me. Luckily, I happen to be a huge fan of their records and Havok happens to be a tremendously quotable human being. He once told me a fantastic story about the worst summer job he had as a kid. He was paid to sort pears in a shed in the California sun for hours at a time, and it was horrible. In that same interview, we also talked about the uncomfortable groupies on the Warped Tour. Havok isn't afraid of any topics, and he has thoughtful things to say about most everything you throw at him.

Friday was no different. In addition to talking about their awesomely old-school fan club, they also discussed how nervous they were working with producer Jacknife Lee (the band is used to crafting albums bit by bit, and Lee prefers a more "live" sound) as well as the strange band comparisons they've heard over the years (Havok will never forget one of the first reviews ever written about his band, which compared them to the Ramones). But by far the topic that excited Havok the most was "Pac-Man." He raved about playing it in an arcade as a kid, claimed he had a "Pac-Man" backpack and even crooned a little bit of the disco cult classic "Pac-Man Fever." (Stay tuned to Multiplayer for snippets of that amazing piece of tape.)

Clearly, Havok is a man of many talents, and wearing fake shiny earrings is only one.

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Alicia Silverstone Brings The Vegan Message To The MTV Newsroom

Posted 10/13/09 11:29 am EST by in Behind The Scenes

By Holly Lunn

After I was told that I would be sitting in on the interview with Alicia Silverstone, I was super excited. I had no idea why she was coming in, as she isn't in any upcoming movies or TV shows. The buzz in the Newsroom was about flirting and superheroes. I was so confused — was she doing a new movie where she played a flirty superhero? The camera started rolling and the discussion began of her new diet cookbook "The Kind Diet," which was the primary reason for her visit.

Actually, calling "The Kind Diet" a cookbook sort of undersells it. It's more of a lifestyle guide that helps change what you are eating to avoid hurting both yourself and animals. She explained that cutting out meats and dairy would cause amazing changes in your skin, energy level, nails and waistline.

She also clarified the idea of "flirts" and "superheroes." Silverstone described a "flirt" as a beginning-level vegan, a person who still eats meat and diary but has started to gradually cut down. A "superhero" is the third level, which means an all-plant diet.

I was not convinced that I would ever stop eating meat or dairy until she mentioned ice cream, which is my all time favorite food. She went into a detailed description of how cows are milked and that most of the time it is done quite forcefully and cruely, which is not only painful for the animal but dangerous for the milk drinkers. In fact, when blood sneaks into the milk, they don't even take it out — they just dye it! Let's just say I don't think I will ever eat it ice cream again.

When the interview wrapped, I realized that Silverstone had accomplished everything she set out to in her 15 minutes in the chair: She got me (and a number of other people) interested in her diet and also probably saved a few animals along the way. I would call that a good day indeed.

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'Boiling Points' Actress And Producer Talk About Pulling Prank On Not-Yet-Famous Lady Gaga

Posted 10/8/09 5:47 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

By Saimon Kos

With all the young people who find themselves in front of the camera on MTV, it's no surprise that a handful would end up becoming famous for more than that first 15 minutes. Literally hundreds of kids have dated someone's mom, told a potential date "Next!" or even reached their "boiling point" without even knowing that they were being taped. But who would have ever guessed that back in 2005, Lady Gaga fell victim to MTV, when she still went by her birth name Stefani Germanotta.

So what did the people working on "Boiling Points" think of Lady Gaga? I did a little research and tracked down a few people involved to see what they could tell me about Gaga before she put on her "poker face."

Rebekka Johnson was the actress playing the waitress for this restaurant prank. When I got her on the phone, she told me that she had just recently found out about her close encounter with Lady Gaga. She's actually a big Gaga fan, and when the "Boiling Points" video started making the rounds, she found out about it through Facebook. As friends who saw it started recognizing her, it didn't take long for Rebekka to start getting a ton of messages and comments about it. Interestingly, Rebekka told me that they almost pulled the plug on the Gaga prank. "I remember when she went downstairs she stayed on her phone for a long time," she told me. "We almost decided to end the shoot because we weren't sure when she was coming back up."

During the prank Rebekka remembered, "her cursing at me and saying that obviously I would eat garbage because I was disgusting." Still, when it was all done and the cameras were revealed, she thought that Lady Gaga was "pretty cool" about the whole thing.

Elizabeth Levin was a producer for the segment, and thought Gaga was the "best mark in the piece!" She recalls that it was her friends that helped MTV set up the prank. They were all in the makeshift control room in the back of the restaurant with Elizabeth watching the whole thing go down.

So as it turns out, Lady Gaga was a part of the MTV family long before she appeared on the VMAs!

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Floyd 'Money' Mayweather: Toe To Toe With The Best Boxer In The World

Posted 10/8/09 10:42 am EST by in Behind The Scenes

It's a little embarrassing to admit, but even with both the gorgeous Eliza Dushku and Olivia Wilde passing through our office this week, the one person I was most excited to meet was a dude. With a total of 40 fights, 40 wins and 25 KOs, Floyd "Money" Mayweather is an undeniable force in the world of boxing, with an almost perfect combination of lightning quick speed, real knockout power and incredible showmanship. He's my favourite fighter in the world of boxing, and yesterday he stopped by the MTV News studios for the first time.

What's funny is that with all the rappers, pop stars, actors and actresses who drop in for interviews, the only time some of the fellas in the office (naming no names, except for Nick, Monty and Sean) get even slightly impressed is when an athlete (or Mr. T) walks into the building. Today was one of those occasions.

Floyd is in New York for the next few days on the grind looking to expand his ever-growing empire. With concert tours, boxing events, real estate and music, it's not difficult to see why they call him "Money." Floyd is a lot shorter than I expected (he stands at 5 feet, 7 inches), but made up for it with a big personality and an even bigger entourage (I counted 10), some of whom I recognised from one of my favourite shows: the HBO behind-the-fight documentary series "24/7."

Dressed in a brand new Gucci leather jacket (we saw him pop the tags), Floyd was game to answer pretty much every question I threw, from the ever-controversial Hottest MCs list to his thoughts on Rick Ross and Shane Mosley.

It was only last month when Ross dropped the track "War," which took a few jabs at Mayweather (who is a close ally of 50 Cent), so I had to ask Floyd about his thoughts on Ross. Someone else who would love to trade jabs with Mayweather is boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley, who famously stepped into the ring to bait Mayweather into a match-up moments after Floyd's recent decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez. I asked the obvious question: Will they ever face off in the ring? Let's just say Floyd had some choice words for Shane.

For the boxing fans, we spoke about Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, and for the hip-hop heads I asked Floyd who his favourites in the rap-game are. He named all of the top five on the list of Hottest MCs in the Game, gave extra props to Drake and said that Young Jeezy's album Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 is the pick before a big fight!

Look out for all of this and so much more coming soon, so stay tuned to MTV News for more from Floyd "Money" Mayweather.

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Floyd 'Money' Mayweather Jukes Into The MTV Newsroom

Posted 10/7/09 5:41 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes

By Chad Bullock

"Money" is pro boxer Floyd Mayweather's nickname for a good reason. Mayweather dropped by the MTV Newsroom to talk to MTV News correspondent Tim Kash about practically everything (fighting, music, Hannah Montana), but mostly about his money. If I were worth over $200 million, I would probably talk about my money, too. He recently walked away with over $10 million for his highly-anticipated comeback fight against lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.

While he is flashy and very vocal about his success (he has yet to lose a fight as a pro), he also has a good sense of humor about it all. He joked about how he ran out of candy on Halloween last year and ended up giving all the kids $100 bills. (Why didn't I have a multi-time champion living in my neighborhood growing up?)

He also joked about how he and Diddy always get together just to talk about their money. "We both like private jets," Mayweather joked.

Although Mayweather is only five feet, eight inches tall and fights at 147 pounds, he still strikes an imposing figure. He told Tim that it would be hard for anyone to beat him. "There is no blueprint to beat me because I haven't lost yet," he told Kash proudly. He said it simply but powerfully, and it hit me so hard that I immediately wrote it down so I could tweet about it and use it as my Facebook status.

Whether it's in the boxing ring, at a club, on WWE programming or behind the scenes of his music business, Floyd "Money" Mayweather always makes an impact, and he certainly did the same during his visit to MTV News. It's not certain who he will fight next nor what his next business venture will be, but one thing is for sure: It will be all about the money.

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Pink Tweets A Thank You To MTV News

Posted 10/7/09 4:00 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

Even before she tweeted about me, I liked Pink a whole lot.

I had gotten to know her a bit last summer, when I was shooting "FNMTV" with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and some British guy. She was just about as nice as you'd imagine, cracking jokes and hanging out backstage. She was pretty much the most down-to-earth celeb I had ever met. She didn't come to the set with an army of handlers and hangers-on, demand a private dressing room or pout about her own make-up artist. She was just a normal person (albeit one who had sold something like 25 million albums worldwide). Oh, and she said I could call her Alecia, too.

Anyway, at the time, she was still writing her Funhouse album, and she talked about the struggles she was having, about working long hours with Butch Walker to try and get the songs just right. She said it was going to be her most personal album (dealing mostly with her separation from husband Carey Hart) and that she was hoping her fans would be willing to listen. Needless to say, I didn't hold out much hope.

But luckily, I am a terrible judge of these things. Nearly a year after its release, Funhouse is a hit, selling more than 4 million copies around the world and giving Pink her first-ever Billboard Hot 100 #1. Still, she wasn't a household name here in the States, and that bothered me. I decided to turn my weekly Bigger Than The Sound column into an appreciation of Pink's career, her fearlessness and her bravado. I expected to hear from a few of her fans, but I didn't expect to hear from Pink herself.

Only I did. Earlier today, Pink tweeted a thank you to me (okay, and New York Times critic Jon Pareles, too). It was very sweet, and earned me a whole bunch of new Twitter friends. And it was just more proof that Pink — er, Alecia — really is about as nice as you'd imagine. Perhaps even more so.

Want to stay up on everything going on in the world of music, movies and celebrity? Follow us @mtvnews!

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