Search Posts

Follow Us

  1. Get the latest updatest in your favorite RSS feed reader.

LOS ANGELES — We're in between filming here at the legendary Warner Bros. studio lot where tonight, America will decide who will take home the coveted title of "America's Best Dance Crew" — and here's what we've seen so far.

As we were filming some live hits, Beat Freaks, Team Millenia and Boxcuttahz all hit the stage together to rehearse their finale-opening performance, and were soon joined by Quest Crew, Dynamic Edition and Strikers All-stars. Then came the turn of Fly Khicks, Ringmasters and GOP.

In between, Mario Lopez was hard at work reading lines while talking on the phone at the same time — busy guy!

We caught up with JC Chasez backstage as he was getting ready to block the show and he's as curious as anyone about who tonight's winner will be.

The wardrobe department is working hard putting together several different outfits for almost 60 crew members, and there's even someone who goes around all the crews with a wet-wipe cleaning their shoes. (It's a tough job but someone's got to do it, I guess.) My personal award for best outfit has to go to the Fly Khicks — you'll understand why when you see the show tonight.

America's Best Dance CrewIn between rehearsals, all nine crews kick it backstage like one big family, comparing moves, trying out new tricks and listening to music together. Even Dynamic Edition join in!

Out of curiosity, I took a look at the guest list. The award for biggest entourage for tonight is a tie between host Mario Lopez and judge JC Chasez, with Lil Mama following close behind — but with Mario actually on JC's personal guest list I think Mr. Chasez takes the award. It's a celebrity-packed audience as well, with Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon, some of the cast of "90210" and former "ABDC" winners SupaCrew all in attendance tonight.

Make sure you are too — the show airs tonight, live at 10 p.m. on MTV!

And even though the show may be over at 11 p.m., the party will continue as I host the live “America's Best Dance Crew” finale post-show, where we'll be talking to the winners, the runners-up, the judges and bringing you the real inside track from the "ABDC" finale! And be sure to check out the "America's Best Dance Crew" insider blog for all the latest!

Britney Spears

The only thing missing behind the scenes at Britney Spears' Circus tour is a clown car. And who knows, maybe they've got one of those hidden around here somewhere ...

Minutes after Britney and her entourage arrived (at precisely 6:32 p.m. local time, btw) in a fleet of black SUVs, I was escorted through a labyrinth of corridors beneath the New Orleans Arena, past stagehands pushing platforms, dancers limbering up, crates of wardrobe, stressed-out makeup techs and stern-looking security guards to the nerve center of the entire operation: Britney's dressing room.

Of course, no photos were allowed, and I wasn't even here to talk to Britney ... I was there with the night's opening act, the Pussycat Dolls.

The Dolls were a bit tired -- after all, they had just flown in from Eastern Europe last night, and they were still working the kinks out of the evening's routine -- but I managed to ask them about the challenges of performing on an “in the round” stage, which gives the audience a 360-degree view of the action.

"The problem is, someone in the audience always has a view of your heiney," lead Doll Nicole Scherzinger explained.

Good to know. And while we'll have more on our chat with PCD tomorrow, I have to jet ... we're being led up to the press box right now. Looks like the Circus is about to begin!

Brandon FlowersAs far as I can tell, there have been two water-cooler topics (meaning, of course, the virtual water cooler that is the blog world) surrounding the Killers as they have gradually made their way back into the limelight in advance of the November release of their third album, Day & Age. Last Friday night, in the 15 minutes-plus we got with half the band in a noisy loading-dock hallway backstage at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, I managed to — sort of — bring up both of them with Brandon Flowers, the band's stylish, affable and sometimes-inscrutable frontman. If you think his lyrics are hard to decipher, try getting him to elaborate on something he'd seemingly rather not discuss.
Read more...

Britney SpearsFROM BUZZWORTHY: We've said it before, and we're saying it again: Spotting celebrities at the VMAs is like shooting fish in a damn barrel. From red-carpet arrivals to backstage buzz, we'll be live blogging the movie magic and surprises behind every set and all of our 2008 Hollywood VMA star sightings all night.

6:41 p.m. ET — Fatman Scoop arrives wearing boxer shorts, a tank top and dress socks. No shame whatsoever. He has a huge smile as he steps out of the limo with his wife, Shanda. Damien from "TRL" chats with John Norris about sports. Of course they talk Tom Brady and Chad Pennington's first games of the NFL season. Floor manager says, "Tokio Hotel are five cars away!”

7:16 p.m. ET — Heavy D walks up. No car — just D calmly strolling and talking on his BlackBerry. Soon the roar of the motorcycles traveling with Jeezy can be heard. They're nowhere in sight, though, they just have very loud pipes.

7:18 p.m. ET — Sean Garrett just told us he's working with Beyoncé. He said it was supposed to be a secret, but now the secret is out.

Read more about all the backstage celebrity madness at buzzworthy.mtv.com!