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From Breaking Grammys To Crashing Cars: Our Favorite Stories From This Week's 'When I Was 17'

Posted 8/22/11 11:33 am EST by in MTV News, Television


You know, when we were 17 our lives consisted of school, never-ending phone convos and the occasional unsupervised party. We were living it up, or so we thought until we watched the season premiere of "When I Was 17" on MTV this Saturday featuring Bow Wow, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Colbie Caillat. From breaking Grammy Awards to crashing cars, each star shared outrageous stories from their teen years that totally put our own ones to shame. But which star's teen tales were the most memorable? Keep reading below to find out our top three favorites below.

3. Bow Wow Fails His License Test...Three Times!: Most teens can't wait to get behind the wheel, but few look forward to the driver's license exam they have to take to get there. Bow Wow was no different. At 17 he was already a star, and more than ready for his first set of keys. Unfortunately, he failed his driver's license exam...not once, but three times. In the series, Bow Wow reveals that the only reason he eventually passed the test was because a sympathetic DMV worker broke the rules to help him out. Wisely, he didn't name her. Otherwise, we're sure teens everywhere would be flocking to her booth.

2. Colbie Caillat Breaks Her Father's Grammy: When we attended raucous high school parties the most that got destroyed was the carpet. But at 17, Colbie's out-of-control house party resulted in a much more valuable casualty: her father's Grammy Award. The trophy was knocked over and split in two after a fight broke out at her house. Luckily for the singer though, she went on to win two of her own Grammys in the following years. We're guessing at least one of them went straight to her dad.

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Happy Birthday, Bow Wow!

Posted 3/9/11 9:30 am EST by in Music


Fill up the pinata with Fun Size Snickers and break out the good champagne, because today we celebrate the birthday of Shad Moss — better known to the universe as Bow Wow. The rapper and actor is only 24 years old, but when you sign your first recording deal at age 11 and drop your debut album at 13, you can cram in a pretty full career by your mid 20s.

Bow Wow was first introduced to the music world as Lil Bow Wow. He was rapping as early as age six, using the name Kid Gangsta and busting out relatively hardcore rhymes for a child. He attracted the attention of Snoop Dogg, who gave him the name Bow Wow. Later, he took that moniker to record producer Jermaine Dupri, who helped construct Bow Wow's debut album Beware of Dog. It's a particularly engaging and accomplished release, and it proved that despite his youth, his skills were pretty sharp. He followed that release up with 2001's Doggy Bag and dropped the "Lil" from his name for 2003's Unleashed.

By then, Bow Wow had already dipped his toe into the film world, scoring a starring role in the family basketball comedy "Like Mike." Over time, he has become as known for his acting as he has been for his rapping, and his starring role in "Lottery Ticket" and his stint on the HBO series "Entourage" (where he played an up-and-coming stand-up comedian) are both excellent accomplishments. (He also turned in a memorable performance in a classic episode of the Ashton Kutcher prank show "Punk'd.")

But must remains his first love, and the latter half of the last decade was filled with smash albums for Bow Wow (including 2005's Wanted, 2006's The Price of Fame and 2009's New Jack City II). He has another album scheduled to hit the streets later this year, but in honor of his birthday, crank up "Fresh Azimiz," one of his highest-charting hits and a signature tune from Wanted.


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Brett Favre Returns, Just Like Jay-Z And Kiss

Posted 8/19/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


In a move that couldn't possibly have surprised anyone, veteran NFL quarterback Brett Favre announced that he will be returning to the Minnesota Vikings for a 20th season. Favre already owns most of the National Football League's quarterback-related records, but Favre only has one Super Bowl victory to his name and would like to tack on a second. He returns to a Vikings team that went toe-to-toe with the New Orleans Saints in the conference finals, a game undone by an ill-timed Favre interception (and the Saints, of course, went on to win the Super Bowl). He returns to a Vikings team that is largely the same and should be considered a favorite in the NFC (along with the Packers, Saints and Giants).

Favre, of course, seems to threaten retirement at every opportunity. His indecision always seems to throw people into a tizzy, but the reality is that Favre is no better than a lot of musicians who have often threatened to hang it up (or who actually have) only to get back in the ring for one more round.

Jay-Z
Jigga's 2003 release The Black Album was supposed to be his send-off from the rap world so that he could concentrate on other things. But he kept showing up in guest appearances and eventually came back to the game full-time with 2006's Kingdom Come.

Mick Jagger
One of the best moments of Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert film "Shine a Light" was a piece of interview footage with Mick Jagger, who claimed that his band probably only had one more year in them. The twist? They had only been around for two years at the time. While Jagger never claimed retirement, it seems like his band has spent most of its career about to pack it in — only to make another comeback later.
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MTV News Intern Insider: Bow Wow, Whitney Port And Rick Ross

Posted 4/3/09 4:31 pm EST by in bow-wow


MTV News InternsBy MTV News interns

Hey everyone, we're back with our update on what we've been up to this week! Like last week, it was filled with excitement and the opportunity to meet several celebrities.

On Tuesday, we were invited to attend a CD release party for Bow Wow, so a couple of us went to check it out and had a blast. We also got to go along to a shoot at the London Hotel for The City star Whitney Port. And, one of us was lucky enough to tag along to an interview with rapper Rick Ross at New York's Philippe restaurant — we'll have more on that next week!

When we weren't involved with the more glamorous side of the job, we were busy writing blogs, brainstorming story ideas and helping the staff in any way we can. Next week we have a whole lot to look forward to (sorry, it's confidential information!), so be sure to check out next week's edition!

Meet the Interns
» Talia Manzo - Seton Hall University (South Orange, New Jersey)
» Kathleen Newman-Bremang - Ryerson University (Toronto, Ontario)
» Angelique Smith - Marymount Manhattan College (New York)
» Nicole Tahan - Kean University (Union, New Jersey)
» Jenna Talavera - St. John's University (Queens, New York)
» Lindsay Wallace - Pace University (New York)
» Matt Wenzel - Queens College (Flushing, New York)
» Melanie Wolfson - Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey)


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I Admit It: I Am A Bow Wow Fan

Posted 4/1/09 2:41 pm EST by in bow-wow


By Angelique Smith

Last night at Santos Party House, I was expecting to cover Bow Wow's album release party for New Jack City II. That's it — nothing else. I expected the press line, celebs, screaming girls and an excited Bow Weezy celebrating the release of his seventh album. Little did I know that this would bring me back to my first concert: the Scream Tour.

Yes, I am admitting it — I am a Bow Wow fan! And last night took me back to being a giddy fan, singing his hits word for word, blending in with the 12- to 16-year-olds screaming at the top of their lungs. "Hair nappy but I'm happy/ Pocket full of dough/ From the C.O., representing So-So!" I will admit that it was worth the wait, after freezing for hours before his arrival.

I just might have to go dust off my Bow Wow posters and bring out my Beware of Dog album and sing along like I did last night, taking part in the New Jack City II fan phenomenon. When he releases his eighth album, I might just have to be one of the many standing in line screaming, "I love Bow Wow!" We will see. But for now, I have been exposed!

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Bow Wow Definitely Isn't Lil' Anymore

Posted 2/26/09 2:42 pm EST by in bow-wow


Bow WowBy Angelique Smith
 
Bow Wow has never been a stranger to MTV. With more than six albums under his belt and now progressing into what he surprisingly loves the most — acting — Bow Wow has certainly grown up right before our eyes.

I was able to tag along on a shoot for the 21-year-old heartthrob to discuss his latest projects, learned lessons through past endeavors and future goals as an artist. And while one may think that this guy is still rather young and hardly matured, I was surprised by his eloquent and well-thought-out responses. (I like how being an MTV News intern offers you the chance to see that these celebrity figures are actually real people. As Bow Wow would say, "We put on our pants the same way you do.")

All in all, I was taken aback by his respectful and mature response to the Chris Brown and Rihanna domestic situation. He said that he, too, had been in a highly publicized relationship and knows how hard that can be, even without the situation CB and Rih Rih face. He wants both to recover from this downfall and get back on top of doing what he, Chris and Rihanna love to do and do best — and that's make music. He sees both of them as friends and good people, and he respects them enough to give them the proper space that is needed for this comeback to happen.

Wow, Bow-Weezy has in fact come into his own and shows it well.

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On 'MTV Detox': 'Real World' Gets Messy, And So Does Bow Wow

Posted 2/26/09 10:32 am EST by in Detox


On the new Web show "MTV Detox," our pop-culture superfan Jim Cantiello recaps the wildest happenings from the network's prime-time programming. Stream the show on your mobile phone and on MTV.com. New episodes air Sunday-Thursday at 11 p.m. ET.

On Wednesday night's "Detox," Jim tries to make friends with Real Worlder Sarah by making her a lighthouse, but once again Sarah refuses his advances. It might be best for Jim that they don't become friends, because that "Real World: Brooklyn" house is a total pigsty! Plus, with friends like Bow Wow stopping by, who needs Sarah? To see which "Real World" castmember does a killer Madea impersonation, check out "Detox."


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Bow Wow Shows Off His Stamina As He Encourages Voter Registration

Posted 10/13/08 2:39 pm EST by in bow-wow


By Conor Bezane

It was complete and utter chaos as Bow Wow brought his Walk Across America tour to New York City on Friday. MTV News hung out with the rapper for seven hours (most of it on foot) to cover the event, designed to encourage young people to vote.

Our day with Bow Wow started at Long Island University in downtown Brooklyn, where he spoke to students about why it's more important than ever to vote. In a short interview on campus, he told us that the economy is the number-one issue because the recession is affecting young peoples' daily lives. "I want [students] to feel comfortable when they go to class and not have to worry about no student loans, no credit, no high gas prices," he said.
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After Almost 10 Years In The Game, Bow Wow Still Manages To Trip Us Out

Posted 7/23/08 11:35 am EST by in Music


Wow, Bow. Of all the artists whose careers I've had the pleasure of watching blossom over the years, I think Bow Wow definitely trips me out the most. I met him back in 1999 or 2000, way before I even started working at MTV. I was an editor at Vibe magazine, and Jermaine Dupri was pitching him to be featured in a section I handled called "Next," devoted to up-and-coming acts.

I had a couple of miscues while trying to tell the world whom to look out for (Kobe Bryant as a rap star? Ehhhhck!). But I had successful calls, too (Jessica Simpson, 50 Cent, Pink, who introduced me to my favorite restaurant). Some, like then-Lil' Bow Wow, were easier to predict than others. At 12 or 13, homie had so much swagger (his iced-out Mickey Mouse pendant was sick) and was so charming, you knew he was going to be big.

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For The Record: Tommy Lee, Bow Wow, Flaming Lips & More

Posted 5/23/08 4:59 pm EST by in For The Record


tommylee.jpg· Tommy Lee is getting animated as the star of "The Life and Times of Jimmy Jaxx," where he voices a rocker who is constantly distracted when his tattoos come to life and try to lead him down the wrong path. That's right, Tommy, blame the ink.

· Bow Wow is going to chill on the rapping for a while to focus on acting. He's joined the cast of "Entourage" and will play a New Orleans high school baller in "Patriots."

· We love the Flaming Lips, but lending your song about fighting repressive government authority and fearing nuclear annihilation to a salad dressing commercial? Hmm.

· Former "American Idol" contestant Luke Menard, 29, has been diagnosed with lymphoma. Doctors found a mass behind his heart and removed a node from under his collarbone, but they say his odds for survival are good.

· What's it take to get a private two-song concert from Madonna? Try $500,000, which is how much she raised on Thursday during a charity auction for the AIDS charity amfAR.

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