By Zachary Swickey

The Black Keys had a hell of a year in 2011, finally getting some much-deserved attention (selling out Madison Square Garden in the process), but frontman Dan Auerbach is the first to admit that it used to piss him off that they weren’t bigger.

We can’t blame Auerbach (I was notably confused when I saw them play for just a couple hundred people in 2004), as the band has the catchiest, most dynamic blues-pop combination sound out there today. In an interview with the Sun, the singer said that he had grown frustrated with their lack of mainstream success, but claimed that he and his drummer bandmate Patrick Carney now appreciated it more because it took them longer to achieve.

“Stuff used to piss me off and I'd moan about it. Like, 'Why aren't we up here on the bill? Why aren't we playing a higher festival slot?'” stated Auerbach.

"I don't know. I'm glad it took us this long because we appreciate every opportunity that we've got. Every step up we feel better about it," he further explained. "I love our audience – that they are all so different. Old and new fans across the board. The shows have got bigger – but gradually, so it's lessened the blow."

Drummer Carney took a moment to voice his displeasure with the Grammys, saying, “There’s so much good music in the U.S. and there is just a small section that gets recognized at the Grammys. I don’t have any patience and I can’t bulls**t myself by sitting through a Justin Bieber song. I am not interested in that s**t.”

Things were less hostile when MTV News' own James Montgomery caught up with the duo in Berlin of all places – the group referred to 2011 as “absolutely insane.” They premiered their slick new video for their most recent hit off El Camino, “Gold on the Ceiling,” which is basically a fun montage of video footage from the road – a nice “cheap and awesome” summation of how far the guys have come.

They describe their recent stardom as “all very new” but modestly refer to themselves as the “bat boys” of the rock and roll big leagues. These are the same guys who have gone from “mowing dirt fields” in Akron, Ohio, to playing arenas in just under a decade. Dream big, kids, dream big.

We're already immersed in the lifestyles of Karen, Drita, Carla and Renee, but there is one new character of VH1’s "Mob Wives" that has completely stolen the show. Err … stolen may be a bad word, so let’s just she has become the breakout star of season two.

When Angela "Big Ang" Raiola first entered our lives, she was playing mediator in the never-ending feud between Drita and Karen. From her first moment on screen, viewers were immediately drawn to her unique voice and larger-than-life character – she was both endearing and outrageously unbelievable. Of her newfound fame Big Ang told MTV NEWS, "I think it’s amazing. It’s really blown up tremendously and I’m really having fun with it. I’m amazed. I can’t even believe what’s happening. I’ve been getting gifts, constantly getting great gifts [from fans]. I thank everybody who has been giving me good things. That pocket book that I’m carrying right there, great bag. All kinds of organic baskets of lotions. Roses, candy, earrings, everything."

With a growing fan base, it's no wonder her life has changed when she steps out of the door. “Now, it’s totally, ‘Where am I going? Don’t tell no body, we gotta hide!’ I just came from Disney with my grandson. I was stalked all over Epcot and Magic Kingdom. I can’t even tell you what it was like. I’m telling you, it was crazy.

I was actually doing an interview on the phone … and the people are just taking my pictures. [The fans say] ‘Please, please, please! I love you, could we take a picture?’ I’m like, ‘I can’t right now, I’m on the phone.’ ‘We don’t care, we’ll just take your picture!’ I’m like, ‘Okay,’ as I’m talking, as I’m talking I’m just posing with the phone in my hand, they’re taking the picture,” said Big Ang.

Big Ang tells MTV she turns to music to get away from it all. “I listen to everything. Right now, my favorite song is Kelly Clarkson’s 'Mr. Know-it-All.” I love that song,” she said.

For more of Big Ang and the rest of the "Mob Wives," be sure to turn into VH1 on Sunday at 8PM EST.

The Grammys often offer up some of the best musical performances of the year and this year's awards were no exception.

The impact of Whitney Houston's tragic passing on Saturday was felt throughout the ceremony as many of the evening's performers and presenters took a moment to honor the legendary singer. "Make some noise for Whitney!" Rihanna proclaimed during her high energy take on "We Found Love."

Bruno Mars was equally demanding. During his performance of "Runaway," he declared, "Yo, tonight we celebrate. We celebrate the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston. Get off your rich asses and let's have fun!"

Then, of course, there was Jennifer Hudson's take on "I Will Always Love You," which brought the house down!

But which performance was your favorite? Vote in our poll below and let us know!

Eccentric former White Stripe Jack White is all set to release his debut solo set Blunderbuss on April 24. The album's lead single, "Love Interruption," dropped last week and now, another song from the album, "Machine Gun Silhouette," has made its way online for your listening pleasure.

The track recalls some of White's best work with the White Stripes and his side project The Raconteurs, combining the Renaissance man's trademark guitar licks with a fiddle and piano. It's a bigger, less subtle track than "Love Interruption," but when taken together, we are seriously vibing on the sound he is cultivating for Blunderbuss. There's an air of country here that also reminds us of White's excellent production and songwriting work on Loretta Lynn's brilliant 2004 album Van Lear Rose.

Stream the track at Hype Machine and let us know what you think in the comments.

By Kevin Lavi

Are you ready to be on a track with Beyonce?

Following her first public appearance since the birth of her daughter Blue Ivy Carter on Monday at Jay-Z's Carnegie Hall gig and 40/40 club, Beyonce had a major announcement for her fans on Wednesday.

The "Love on Top" singer is holding a contest to see which one of her fans can come up with the best remix to her song "End of Time" from her album 4. Fans can submit their remixes on Beyonce's website, where they can also download stems from the 4 song.

The fan that submits the best remix will win $4,000 and be included on a future release by Beyonce. While no exact details on the future release were given, the opportunity to be on any Beyonce release should have fans racing to make the best remix they possibly can.

The contest hints to “End of Time" – which following 4's release charted on Billboards Bubbling Under Chart based on digital downloads alone – possibly being the fifth single from 4.

For more on the contest, read on.

You can enter by submitting your version of the “End of Time” remix through BeyonceOnline.com . Your chances of winning might come down to having the most friends – the top 50 submissions with the most votes will be considered by Queen B's team.

By Adam Stewart

If the idea of having your eardrums explode and your chest crushed by disgustingly filthy riffs and thunderous bass lines turns you on, then we suggest you become quickly acquainted with Qulinez and their Scandinavian beast "Troll" , which will be released tomorrow, February 10.

Pronounced "Cool Lines," Swede's Johannes Gustafson and Alex Lager's exotic moniker has been plastered all over set lists from Arty to Pete Tong and everyone in between. Recently, the boys took some time away from the studio and their busy schedule to give MTV News a little insight in to who they are and just what they’re capable of.

“I grew up in a small town called Laholm, with my mom, dad and my sister,” Gustafason says. “I didn’t like the school time so much, because I wasn’t so interested in studying. I choose the music classes and that was the best part of the school.”

“I grew up in the town we still live in, Varberg,” Lager added. “I grew up with my mom, dad and sister too and wasn’t the best in school either!”

Luckily for them, focusing a more on music and less on who won the Battle of 1812 has brought them to the cusp of global dance music recognition.

“I played a lot of instruments in my early days, drums, guitar, bass, and piano, I got my first drum set when I was eight and my first guitar when I was ten,” says Gustafson. “Back in the day, I played in some punk rock bands as well, so my music background is large.”

“I played the triangle for many years now, but all I got was tinnitus!” says Lager with a laugh. “I don’t have as much of a musical background. I was 15 years old when I first got Fruity Loops Studio, so I guess I started to produce at that moment.”

Now, they are receiving recognition from dance music’s most elite acts.

“When Steve [Angello] contacted us by email, I was the first who read it,” Alex recalled. “I tried to call Johannes many times but, like always, he didn’t answer the phone! So I had to drive my car to him and wake him up! Then he opened the door and I was like, ‘WE’VE GOT MAIL FROM STEVE ANGELLO AND HE WANT TO SIGN US!’ So we started to jump around, and the whole apartment was shaking!”

Angello’s Size Records imprint has been one of the most influential and prominent tastemakers in the EDM underground for the past two years. Having given light to such talent such as Thomas Gold, Junior Sanchez, Tim Mason, Third Party and many others, getting the nod from one of house music’s biggest names and most respected labels has these young Swedes in disbelief.

“To have a blessing from Swedish House Mafia is unbelievable and awesome,” Gustafson gushed. “We don’t yet understand what to think!”

Now that the “Troll” is about to be let out from under its bridge, many are wondering what else the boys have up their sleeves.

“We have a lot of new tracks, remixes and bootlegs. We´re working on new things every day, including a new single to follow up on 'Troll' – it's a heavy bouncing track, with a lot of energy,” Lager says with a laugh. “We think it will be a good upcoming track after 'Troll,' but if we say too much, we will have to kill you.”

You can get your hands on “Troll” this tomorrow on Beatport, and be sure to follow the guys on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all they’ve got brewing in their lab!

Ellen DeGeneres used her daytime talk show today to address the controversy that erupted after conservative group One Million Moms urged a boycott of J.C. Penny after it signed DeGeneres as its new celebrity face.

The good-time girls from One Million Moms are very upset that J.C. Penny went with Ellen. The group, a project of the American Family Association, which according to GLAAD has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, just doesn't know what to do with itself now that a lesbian, gasp, will represent their favorite mid-priced clothing purveyor.

Watch:

In a statement on its website, the group said it would urge people not to shop at the retailer because hiring DeGeneres revealed that it does not share the same "values." Yawn.

Ellen hit back, explaining that her own values included "honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people they way you want to be treated and helping those in need."

"To me, those are traditional values," she added.

Related:
>>> Conservative Group Upset That Ellen DeGeneres Is New Face Of J.C. Penny
>>> What Are Your Thoughts On Schweddy Balls? One Conservative Group Doesn't Like Them One Bit

When Katy Perry wed Russell Brand in an elaborate ceremony at the Aman-i-Khas luxury resort in India, adjacent to the tiger sanctuary where he proposed, on October 23, 2010, they pulled out all the stops except one: they never signed a pre-nup.

So many wondered if Brand would go after what the law says is his – 50 percent of what she earned during their marriage. (That's the law, as crappy as it seems in cases like these.) In Perry's case, that'd be around $22 million, as Forbes reported that Perry earned approximately $44 million in 2011 from touring, album and singles sales and endorsement deals … far more than Brand earned for his star turn in "Arthur."

But sources tell People that Brand just isn't that kind of guy and won't pursue a penny from his famous former wifey. (We knew we liked him for some reason.)

Brand's lawyers reported filed finalized divorce papers asking for zero support from Perry on Tuesday. Their divorce will be finalized on June 30 following the mandatory six-month waiting period.

When it comes to the O Music Awards, fun is always at the top of the agenda, and this year things are about to get even crazier with the addition of O Music Awards Unboxed.

O Music Awards Unboxed is a New York-based event series that will pull together all aspects of the O Music Awards, MTV’s awards show honoring achievements in music and technology, into one big night.
The first Unboxed event goes down at The Studio at Webster Hall in New York City on February 23 and will focus on the theme of interaction. Cameo, a new application from the Fast Society team primed to launch at SXSW, will be previewed at the event, which will also feature performances from classical instrument-wielding indie rockers Miracles of Modern Science and O Music Award nominee MNDR. The night will also include visuals from The Rainbow Machine, and the chance to participate in a crowd-sourced music video shoot directed by Eli Stonberg.

In other words – this thing is going to be awesome! Tickets go on sale beginning Thursday (February 9). Get full details on the event over on the O Music Awards blog.

Fourteen years ago, Brandy and Monica made musical magic with "The Boy Is Mine," now the pair have reunited for the slow jam "It All Belongs To Me." Instead of sparring, the fierce twosome are joining forces against to kick the no-good men in their lives to the curb, demanding they return "those clothes, those cars those rings and that Macbook" … because "it all belongs to me."

We learned that Brandy and Monica reunited in early January when the singers began tweeting back and forth about being in the studio together. "We have Both Been Blessed Beyond Measure..14years later.. #TURNTHELIGHTSON,” Monica wrote. “Love @4everBrandy.”

Billboard reports the new track is set to appear on both Monica's latest solo set, New Life, and on Brandy's still-untitled new album, both of which will reportedly drop in March.

What did you think of "It All Belongs To Me"? Let us know in the comments below!