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Jessica Stroup Fills Us In On Seth MacFarlane's Raunchy Directorial Debut 'Ted' And The Next Season of '90210'

Posted 6/21/12 10:51 am EST by in Interviews, Movies

Jessica Stroup

By Zachary Swickey

Actress Jessica Stroup is best known for playing Erin Silver on “90210” – The CW’s revitalization of '90s fave “Beverly Hills, 90210 – and being a modern day scream queen after starring in a string of horror flicks: “Prom Night,” “Vampire Bats” and “The Hills Have Eyes 2.” Stroup's latest role, however, comes in a comedy and it's a high-profile one at that – "Family Guy" Guy creator Seth MacFarlane’s feature directorial debut, "Ted," hitting theaters June 29.

The kind folks at AXE Hair have partnered with the film and hooked MTV News up with Stroup for a quick phone chat about her new role, the R-rated nature of the flick and what’s goin’ on in the 90210.

So tell us about your character in 'Ted.' You're Mila's co-worker/gal-pal in the movie, correct?

Yes. Well, there’s a lot of underlying storyline with my character. It was more about the fact that Seth MacFarlane is one of my best friends and I knew he was coming up with this idea for this project and I just wanted to be involved however I could. So, I got to go up to Boston for a month and watch them film and got to play a little part. It’s definitely one of the funniest scripts and movies I’ve seen in a while.

What was it like working with Kunis and the rest of the hilarious cast (Mark Wahlberg, Joel McHale, Patrick Warburton, Giovanni Ribisi)?

Mila is just such a normal, down-to-earth, chill, cool girl and we were already friends. So it was a good experience to hang out with her in her downtime. But watching Seth, Mark, Patrick, Joel and Giovanni was inspiring you know? You get around kind of a boy’s club and you’re dancing around getting let in or whatever, but I got really close with a lot of the writers and with Seth being a good friend, he would just let me sit behind him and watch him at work. I had to do everything I could to contain my laughter and not get kicked off the set.

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Bill Hader On Stefon's 'SNL' Return, Dream Guest Hosts

Posted 9/28/11 12:42 pm EST by in Interviews, Television

By Amy Wilkinson

If Gush and its guest list of geeks, sherpas and that fat kid on a Slip 'n Slide seem passé, you're no doubt ready for a few new hot-spot recommendations from "Saturday Night Live" city correspondent Stefon (hilariously brought to life by regular Bill Hader). So as a public service to all you club kids, we begged Hader at this week's "50/50" red carpet to reveal when Stefon would make his highly anticipated return to the Studio 8H stage.

As it turns out, Hader is as sadly in the dark as we are. "I have no idea," Hader replied. "Those usually come up on Thursdays. We'll be hanging out, and on Thursday, we'll be like, 'Why don't we do Stefon?' Sometime soon."

One thing Hader would more readily go on the record about was his line-up of dream guest hosts for upcoming "SNL” episodes. Read More...

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Nicki Minaj Teases Solo 2012 Tour: We Can Apply To Be Road Manager!

Posted 9/27/11 3:02 pm EST by in Interviews, Music, Twitter

Nicki Minaj confirmed on Twitter that she's readying a headlining tour for 2012. The fierce MC already has been on several high-profile tours, opening for the likes of Lil Wayne and Britney Spears, and now the Pink Friday rapper knows it's her Moment 4 Life.

Minaj has always gone over-the-top for her stage shows, even when she wasn't the headlining act, so we're excited to see what she has in store now that she's going out and doing her own thing.

"I wanted my set to be more than an opening act, 'cause, you know, I did that already," she told MTV News while on the road with Spears on her Femme Fatale tour, referring to her opening gig alongside her mentor Lil Wayne on the I Am Still Music Tour. "I always like to raise the bar for myself, and that's what I did. I think it's important to give people what they paid for." Read More...

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Britney Spears Still 'A Huge Fan' Of Madonna, Also Loves Beyonce And Toni Braxton

Posted 7/28/11 2:00 pm EST by in Britney Spears, Interviews, VMAs

By Christina Garibaldi

Many artists aspire to have a career like Britney Spears. Earlier this year, she released her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, she’s currently on her seventh concert tour and recently she picked up two more MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best Pop Video and Best Choreography (that’s 28 total VMA noms!). Not a bad resume for someone that’s not even 30.

Yet, with so many artists wanting to emulate Spears, we wanted to know who inspires her. So when we sat down with Brit recently, she revealed which artists she admires.

“To this day still, Madonna. I’m a huge fan of her,” Brit said about the pop queen, who she infamously shared a kiss with at the 2003 MTV VMAs and collaborated with on the hit song “Me Against the Music.”

But that’s not all. Britney used to un-break her heart listening to a little Toni Braxton. “I grew up listening to Toni Braxton,” Spears told us, “and now I think she has a reality show that she does. I love her.” (She’s right, Braxton stars with her sisters on “Braxton Family Values.”)

Britney’s love for divas doesn’t even end there – she’s also a big fan of Beyonce. Read More...

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Kris Allen And I Are Totally Best Friends

Posted 7/21/09 8:07 pm EST by in Interviews, MTV News, Television

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!

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Exclusive: Jay-Z's Auto-Tuned 'D.O.A.' Remix — The Creator Speaks!

Posted 6/19/09 1:10 pm EST by in Interviews, Music

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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The Jonas Brothers Invite MTV News' Reporter To Race Dirt Bikes!

Posted 6/8/09 4:27 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Interviews, Jonas Brothers

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.

Phoner Interruptus: Musicians Say The Strangest Things

Posted 11/12/08 2:12 pm EST by in Interviews, Music, My-Chemical-Romance, phoner interruptus

Frank Iero of My Chemical RomanceOver 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...

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The Ting Tings Won't Let A Little Tornado Ruin Their Fun At McCarren Park Pool

Posted 7/28/08 5:38 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Concerts, Interviews, John Norris, mccarren park pool, the-ting-tings

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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Pussycat Dolls Vs. Britney Cat Dolls: Who Does It Better?

Posted 7/3/08 9:26 am EST by in Interviews, MTV News, Music, Video, youtube

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?

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