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Spotted: Black Eyed Peas And John Legend Prepare For The World Cup

Posted 6/9/10 11:30 am EST by in Music, Politics


Every day a multitude of stars wander 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.

There are less than two days until the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off, which means that the international community will be treated to a month of thrilling soccer action. The 32 teams who will battle on the pitch over the next few weeks represent the most balanced field the tournament has seen in decades. Though there are a handful of perpetual favorites like Spain, Brazil and England, but there are also plenty of dark horses who could separate themselves from the pack (like the Netherlands, Chile, Portugal and the United States) and threaten to take home the trophy. But before the matches begin, the music has to kick things off. On Thursday night (June 10), the World Cup opening ceremony will begin the tournament with a host of international stars like Alicia Keys, John Legend and the Black Eyed Peas. The latter two gathered in Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa to prepare for the big event.

The Black Eyed Peas and Legend weren't the only international stars making waves, as La Roux performed live on "Good Morning America" and 30 Seconds to Mars took the stage in New Zealand. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent and Diddy!

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President Obama's Health Care Speech Should Have Ended With Him Beating Congress With A Live Cow

Posted 9/10/09 9:00 am EST by in Politics


Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his much-anticipated address on health care to a joint session of Congress. The President used the speech to attempt to clear up any misunderstandings about his health care reform bill and to get into the details of what the plan would actually accomplish. The results were mixed, as the speech was hampered by tired partisan grandstanding on both sides and an unfortunate heckle care of Joe Wilson, a Representative from South Carolina.

Generally, the decorum was pretty poor for the duration of the speech, which is why it's a shame the President didn't just lift up a commuter bus and start swinging it around, knocking Senators and Representatives around the chamber. Naturally, that's impossible in real life (and almost certainly bad statesmanship), but it's possible in a video game called "Angry Barry." Released back in May and available as a download on the XBox 360 Marketplace, "Angry Barry" lets you take control of a character that looks an awful lot like the current head of state to punch, kick and throw your way through a cavalcade of shady characters. The best part of the highlight video below? It has to be using a live cow as a weapon. Take that, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee! Eat hoof, Sam Brownback of Kansas! And hey, if health care reform can't become a reality, at least we can take out our aggressions on digital enemies (provided we're not so sickly we can't pick up a controller).

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Ted Kennedy On MTV: Teaching A Goo Goo Doll How To Be A Senator

Posted 8/26/09 4:35 pm EST by in Music, Politics


The country mourns today for the passing of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, who died yesterday at the age of 77 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Part of one of American politics' pre-eminent families, Senator Kennedy followed in the footsteps of his fallen brothers John and Bobby, both of whom worked tirelessly to serve their country. The man who was known as "The Liberal Lion of the Senate" served in his elected position for 46 years and was a champion for the rights of young people. He worked to help teachers get fairer pay, got the voting age lowered from 21 to 18, protected women from discrimination in college sports and reached out for the rights of the disabled.

During the march toward the 2000 election, MTV News sent a special correspondent to spend a day with Senator Kennedy to get a sense of what exactly an elected official's day is like hour-to-hour. The reporter — Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznick — sat in on the Senator's meetings, followed him to press conferences and sat down with him for multiple conversations about his current legislative priorities and his basic job description. What he found was a man open to ideas and eager to hear out and embrace the issues of young people. The people who met Kennedy — including Rzeznick — were equally at ease and in awe of him, and ultimately found him open, accessible, personable and proactive. Check out this very special piece of tape from the MTV News archives.

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