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Taylor Swift Joins Rare Company As Host And Musical Guest On 'Saturday Night Live'

Posted 11/4/09 5:34 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

Taylor Swift will join an exclusive group of VIPs that includes Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears when she appears on this weekend's episode of "Saturday Night Live."

Pulling double duty as both host and musical performer, Taylor has her work cut out for her this week. When we stopped by the "SNL" studios to catch up with the starlet, it was pretty clear that Taylor is very excited.

It was my first time visiting the "SNL" studio, and despite not growing up with the show in England, the nostalgia was not wasted on me. Back home in the U.K., we have our ways of getting the show, even though "SNL" doesn't air on TV. We're pretty innovative when we want to be.

At the show, Taylor walked in looking casually chic in an argyll jumper and tights. She greeted everyone in the room with a big "Hi guys!" Standing on the mezzanine with the "SNL" studio over our shoulder, Taylor and I talked on her upcoming double duty, her sense of humour and the fact that she bravely told writers that nothing was off limits.

And we couldn't let Taylor go without squeezing in some questions about her favourite new songs off the re-released Fearless album, what and who she's writing about and the musical direction of her next album. Look out for more from the interview with Taylor Swift in the coming days.

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Weezer Visits The Newsroom And Rivers Gives Me Shivers

Posted 11/4/09 4:32 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

I spent Monday afternoon in the presence of a guy who has informed not only my musical history but also my overall world view. I sat down with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo to talk about his band's new album Raditude, his current mental state (he's pretty happy) and his recent collaborations with Katy Perry and Adam Lambert. Cuomo was his usual genial and thoughtful self, and he was totally game to talk about everything — including the Weezer Snuggie.

I've actually interviewed Cuomo a lot, but this was the first time we were in the same room together, and it was sort of a surreal experience. His band's development and evolution has basically mirrored my life as a music fan, a lifestyle that has obviously informed my current career choice. Weezer's self-titled debut came out in the middle of 1994. I was in the sixth grade and still didn't really have a clean grasp on what was cool in rock music (I'm pretty sure I thought Crash Test Dummies were the best band ever at that point). But the first time I heard "Buddy Holly," I knew that rock music was going to lord over my life in a significant way. I'll admit something to you: Even though I wrote a book about the grunge era, I didn't know who Kurt Cobain was until he died, and Nirvana's records didn't become meaningful to me until the summer before going into eighth grade. I'm supposed to have fuzzy feelings about "Smells Like Teen Spirit," but for me, the song that changed everything was "Buddy Holly."

As Weezer progressed, so did I. They put out their "difficult" second album (the moody Pinkerton) right around the time I was embracing the outer fringes of rock music. When the band went on hiatus around the turn of the century, I didn't really notice because I was distracted by a latent education in hip-hop. (My hip-hop Nevermind was Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, if that makes any sense.) When they returned in 2001, I was first getting my feet wet thinking about pop music in a more critical, analytical way (the self-titled "Green" album was one of the first CDs I attempted to review).

Your idols almost always disappoint you (I've had countless disappointing encounters with artists who were on posters on my wall at age 15), but Cuomo was different. I can safely say that he is exactly the guy you think you're going to get, which make his records honest in a way that most people don't think is possible. So thanks for being real, Mr. Cuomo, and keep kicking out those nerdy jams.

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Alicia Keys: The Nicest Guest In The Newsroom

Posted 10/26/09 5:56 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

One question I get asked a lot is, "Who is the nicest celebrity you've ever interviewed?" It's a tough question to answer, but the very talented Alicia Keys is definitely up there.

I remember "falling" hard for Ms. Keys when I first saw her perform a small showcase in London back in 2001. She was all smiles then, and I remember thinking she might be one of the nicest girls I'd ever met. Eight years on, it seems nothing has changed.

There was an air of confidence surrounding Keys when she walked into the newsroom last week following her appearance on "It's On with Alexa Chung." She's graceful and elegant, but you'd be a fool to forget that Alicia Keys is a real New Yorker.

I'm not so up on female fashion, but it must be said she was wearing some very impressive boots — half black and half metallic. She looked, as they say, fierce.

We talked about her upcoming album The Element of Freedom, her next single "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart," her favourite songs from the album (including "Love is Blind"), her obvious musical evolution (there are lots of synths on The Element of Freedom), the hotly-anticipated video for the Jay-Z track "Empire State of Mind" (a real New York video for the new New York anthem) and working with Whitney Houston and Swizz Beatz.

Alicia spoke on what it's like working with uber-producer Swizz (a personal favourite of mine) and the admiration she has for him as a "musical genius" and a "mad scientist" behind the mixing desk. For the rest, you'll have to check out the interview.

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David Archuleta's Christmas Sweaters Took Some Convincing

Posted 10/26/09 2:16 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

Last week, David Archuleta and I serenaded MTV staffers with Christmas carols in celebration of his new holiday album Christmas from the Heart. Needless to say, Archuleta's fans were happier than Ryan Seacrest at a tanning salon. Aside from the expected flailing we received from the Archie-Angels, we got a lot of questions about the Christmas sweaters he and I donned during the shoot. Where did they come from? Is he going to wear that on his upcoming Christmas tour? Did you have to twist his arm to play dress up?

So, by popular demand, here's the sweater song. (Cue Weezer.)

As I mentioned in my recent blog, the "American Idol" runner-up was a sweetheart, but convincing him to wear that silly Christmas sweater involved a little bit of begging.

At the end of our sit-down interview — where we discussed both the Christmas record and his upcoming "more personal" pop album — it was time to get our yule on. Although David knew we were going caroling for the shoot, I'm not so sure he knew it involved props and a specific wardrobe. His defeated "Christmas ... sweaters ..." says it all. (Note the desperation in my voice mere nanoseconds after he sounded less-than-enthused.)

Being the gracious young man that he is, though, it didn't take too much cajoling to convince David to play along. He even added a scarf for flair! By the end of the shoot, Archuleta was so comfortable in the itchy old sweater that he almost left the building still wearing it, along with our microphone. Whoops! (Fun semi-related "Idol" journalist trivia: After a recent interview, Kris Allen left Z-100 wearing Entertainment Weekly's microphone, forcing EW.com's Michael Slezak to race out of the building and chase down Kris' car. Now that I think of it, I'm 99 percent sure Slezak did that on purpose to score an extra couple of seconds with the "Idol" winner. Sneaky!)

It pains me to admit it, but the red and green snowflake sweaters are all mine. Read More...

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Spotted: Bret Michaels Goes To Work For The Donald

Posted 10/23/09 12:40 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

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.

A few years ago, it looked like Donald Trump's reality show "The Apprentice" was on the ropes, as ratings were sagging and interest had waned. (Plus, how many people was that guy really going to hire?) But then the focus of the show shifted and became "The Celebrity Apprentice," which now tests the business acumen of various groups of famous people. The formula worked, as the numbers are up and the show is infinitely more entertaining (every season feels like the Miami edition of "The Real World," which forced the housemates to start a business and it was a perpetual stillborn disaster). Past winners have included "Britain's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan and talk show legend Joan Rivers, and this coming season promises to be another incredible batch crazy people all attempting to work together. Though the cast for the coming season hasn't been officially announced, the group has been spotted around New York City working for the show. The list includes Poison frontman/serial dater Bret Michaels, Sharon Osbourne, disgraced Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, Cyndi Lauper and former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg. The show is filming now but won't air until next spring, so mark your calendars now.

Bret Michaels wasn't the only star out and about yesterday, as Britney Spears took one of her sons to the movies and Hilary Duff found herself in West Hollywood, California. Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which includes over 300 candid shots of Madonna, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert!

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David Archuleta Celebrates An Early 'Archmas' With Carols At MTV News

Posted 10/23/09 10:03 am EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

They don't come sweeter than David Archuleta. I know Paula Abdul got a lot of flack for saying she wanted to decapitate the boy and dangle his head from her rearview mirror (as a compliment), but after spending time with him this week I know exactly where Paula is coming from. By the end of our hour together, I was looking all over MTV for a hacksaw.

David just released a (fantastic) new Christmas album, so I thought it would be fun to don a set of Holiday sweaters, load up a satchel with recycled promo CDs and go caroling around MTV with the "Idol" runner-up.

Who cares that it's only October?!

The mere fact that David and his team agreed to our silly idea shows what a cool guy he is. I can't think of many celebrities who would be willing to throw on an ugly, itchy sweater, walk into strangers' offices and belt out Christmas carols for fun. (Although I will admit that the wardrobe took a fair amount of cajoling on my part. I might have to leak the video of his reaction when I said the words "Christmas sweaters." Priceless.)

I took David around to Archie fans here at MTV. And, as I expected, they all turned to goo as soon as he appeared in their doorway, ready to serenade them with his angelic pipes. But his appeal spread over to innocent bystanders as well. Read More...

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The Center Of The Whedonverse Is In The MTV Newsroom

Posted 10/22/09 5:08 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Television

It's a busy day in the MTV Newsroom today. At the moment, Tim Kash is sitting down for a chat with Alicia Keys (she says her new album The Element of Freedom will be a big, synthesizer-heavy departure from her past work). But there's another interview happening just around the corner: "Gossip Girl" and "Mercy" star Michelle Trachtenberg is here to talk about straddling two hit TV shows.

Trachtenberg is probably best known for playing Dawn on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," a show created and produced by Joss Whedon. In the past few months, it seems as though we've had a regular rotation of alums from Whedon shows stop by to hang out and chat about their new projects. They are all members of a tightly-wound, closely-followed community known as the "Whedonverse," which represents the various projects that Whedon has worked on in his two-decade career.

For example, just a few weeks ago we were visited by Eliza Dushku, who is the star of Whedon's current show "Dollhouse." She also got her biggest break in Hollywood when she picked up a recurring role in the third season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She talked a lot about "Dollhouse" but also about "WET," the video game she recently lent her voice to.

Before that, we were visited by David Boreanaz, who stopped by to talk about his hit show "Bones" but is best known as the heroic vampire with a soul from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." Boreanaz talked about the joys of working with Cyndi Lauper and the current vampire trend that he was way head of the curve on.

Earlier in the summer, "Castle" star Nathan Fillion sat down with Multiplayer editor Russ Frushtick to play a little "Halo 3: ODST" (he provided voices for both that game and for "Halo 3"). But what was Fillion's original claim to fame? He was Captain Malcolm Reynolds on the short-lived but much-loved Whedon sci-fi western "Firefly" (as well as the film "Serenity").

So to any members of the Whedonverse who want to sit down for a talk with MTV News — including Alyson Hannigan (Willow from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Neil Patrick Harris (the titular character from "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Amy Acker (Fred from "Angel"), Adam Baldwin (Jayne from "Firefly") or Alexis Denisof (Wesley from "Buffy" and "Angel") — just drop us a line and we'll carve out some time for you at the center of the Whedonverse.

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Spotted: 50 Cent Hits Up Jolly Old England

Posted 10/22/09 2:09 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

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.

50 Cent took some time out of his preparation for the release of his new album Before I Self Destruct (which hits stores on November 23) to fly across the pond to promote a new movie. 50 stars in "Dead Man Running," a British gangster picture that hits cinemas next week. The man born Curtis Jackson plays Thigo, a mob boss who gives an associate 24 hours to repay him the 100,000 pounds in cash he is owed, and the film follows the breathless search to scare up the money before 50's character can strike. 50 hit London for the premiere and was spotted at the Mayfair Hotel, a top-shelf luxury spot in England's capital. But he's not going to let his intercontinental travel get in the way of the march for Before I Self Destruct: According to his official Web site, the video for his new song "Crime Wave" will premiere tonight on the page.

Mr. Jackson wasn't the only star on the street yesterday. The boys from Tokio Hotel paid a visit to a Best Buy store in New York, while Ciara enjoyed a meal at the Phillipe Chow restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which includes over 300 candid shots of Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, the Jonas Brothers and Mariah Carey!

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Turn Your Pumpkin Into Robert Pattinson, Win A Prize!

Posted 10/21/09 1:39 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes

We're only a month out from the release of the vampire-heavy movie "New Moon" and a mere ten days from Halloween, and we've been trying to figure out the best way to celebrate both of those events simultaneously. Luckily, the folks over at Hollywood Crush have figured out a way to bring it all together and give away some excellent swag as well. They're hosting a contest to decide who can do the best job carving Robert Pattinson's face into a Halloween pumpkin. All you need is a pumpkin, a carving knife and a little creativity.

The winner will receive his or her very own Pattinson-centric post on Hollywood Crush as well as a copy of "Scene It? Twilight."

Entering is simple: Just turn your pumpkin into the spitting image of Edward Cullen, snap a picture of it and post it to Your.MTV.com (make sure you label it "Rob O'Lantern Contest") by this Friday, October 23. The intrepid experts at Hollywood Crush will appraise the best entries and name the winner on Friday, October 30 (just in time for the spookiest night of the year).

So take a good look at the photo of RPattz above (or check out any of the others housed at Hollywood Crush), grab your knife, scoop out that pumpkin and carve Robert Pattinson's face into it. Remember: You only have until Friday!

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Tokio Hotel Talk Fashion, Fans And Theme Parks In Candid Sit-Down

Posted 10/20/09 4:12 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

There's something very likeable about the boys from Tokio Hotel. They may be siblings and share the same screaming girl demographic as the JoBros, but the similarities stop there.

With no disrespect to Gustav or George (who sit quietly in the back row chiming in once in a while), most of the attention is commanded by the two brothers sitting up front, Bill and Tom Kaulitz. After all, they are the Noel and Liam of the group.

After talking about their latest offering Humanoid — which features a bigger, bolder and more electronic sound — we talked on the importance they place on being in control of their own image, music and lives.

In Bill's case, you might think he has the perfect frontman image for a pop-punk band that was cleverly devised by a room full of record label executives. But it was interesting to hear that the now-famous trademark spiky hair, eye make-up, leather jackets and chains are all his own creation. Since the beginning of their deal, Bill has turned down his label's offers to hire him a stylist. Instead, he prefers to stick to his guns and design, cut-up, make outfits and dress himself. A fan of fashion, Bill has aspirations to have his own line of clothing one day.

And then there's Tom. He too has a trademark look, and while Bill talks about hoping to one day meet his soul mate and fall in love, Tom is ... let's just say a little different, preferring to fall in love with a different girl each night.

It wasn't all groupie talk. We spoke about the sci-fi image around their new album and where it came from. We talked about what it was like being in one of the most popular bands around right now. While so many actors and artists complain about the fame, these guys love it, with Tom openly admitting that he wants more. But what choice do they have? The hopes of a normal life are well and truly out the window. There aren't many places in the world that they can go without getting mobbed by their fans. So when I asked them what was the last "normal" thing they did, I was a little surprised when Bill said it was when they rented out an entire theme park for a day. If that's a normal day with Tokio Hotel, I'd love to see what they do on a special day.

We look forward to seeing big things from Tokio Hotel in the future!

Check out the interview in full to see Tokio Hotel talking "Twilight," girls, crazy fans, style and Adam Lambert.

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