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Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Gets Endorsed By Madonna: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 2/15/11 3:00 pm EST by in Music


"There is really no one that is a more adoring and loving Madonna fan than me. I am the hugest fan personally and professionally. The good news is that I got an e-mail from her people and her, sending me their love and complete support on behalf of the single, and if the queen says it shall be, then it shall be."

-Grammy winner, international pop sensation and excellent talk show guest Lady Gaga, letting the world know that Madonna has co-signed "Born This Way," the first single from the forthcoming Gaga album of the same name. Wearing a see-through black dress, a lacquered mask and the same prosthetic facial pieces she wore on the Grammys, Gaga was a guest on "The Tonight Show" on Monday night (February 14), and the conversation swerved around to the response to "Born This Way." Since the release of the single last Friday (February 11), the discussion has surrounded exactly how much Gaga has borrowed from pop legend Madonna, who operated in much of the same idiom when she first came up over 20 years ago. It's hardly the first time Gaga and Madonna have been entangled (there was similar hand-wringing back when Gaga dropped the Madonna-referencing video for "Alejandro" last year), and it certainly won't be the last.

Gaga is particularly proud of the vibe and the message of "Born This Way" (which is already a massive hit). "I think today in music, the freedom in the song, the sort of R&B, early-'90s vibe that it has, it's so full of love and spirit, and I think it's the spirit that people are reacting to the most," she told Leno. "I just want everyone to rejoice and celebrate and be unafraid to be happy with music. It doesn't always have to be so dark. It doesn't always have to be so sexy. Sometimes it's wonderful just to celebrate life and go to church with it."

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Randy Moss' Return To The Vikings And Other Pop Culture Homecomings

Posted 10/6/10 6:46 pm EST by in Television


Minnesota Viking fans and Brett Favre fantasy footaball owners rejoiced on Wednesday (October 6) when the NFL squad traded for wide receiver Randy Moss. The move brings the future Hall of Famer back to his original team, after years spent with the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots.

It'll be quite a homecoming for Moss, though he's never played alongside Favre before (in 2004, Moss' last season with the Vikings, Daunte Culpepper was under center for the team and Favre was throwing TDs for the Green Bay Packers).

Nonetheless, a merry homecoming it shall be. And being the pop culture wackos that we are here at MTV News, we immediately thought of other memorable homecomings. From top bands to hit shows, here are some of our favorite second acts.

Jay Leno & "The Tonight Show"
Who would have imagined that when Leno left the most iconic post in late-night TV, he'd be gone for less than a year? After his primetime show flopped and Conan O'Brien's "Tonight Show" struggled in the ratings, Leno executed something of a bloodless coup. NBC execs gave O'Brien a seriously golden parachute and now Jay can be seen back where he always wanted to be: on TV at 11:35 p.m.

David Lee Roth & Van Halen
Drama! It would take almost as many words as are housed in the Oxford English Dictionary to fully tell the tale of Van Halen's intra-band dysfunction. So let's just discuss lead singer David Lee Roth. Following a string of hits like "Jump," he and Eddie Van Halen were at each other's throats. Eddie kicked him out of the band and hired Sammy Hagar in 1985. Over a decade later, Roth rejoined the group for a studio session for their band's greatest hits record. The band then appeared together at the '96 MTV Video Music Awards. If Van Halen fans got their hopes up, though, they were sorely disappointed. Weeks later, Roth was once again outta the band. Draaaaama!

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Conan O'Brien's Emmy Nom Another Win For Host In The Ongoing Late Night War

Posted 7/8/10 1:30 pm EST by in Television


By Eric Ditzian

As the 2010 Emmy nominations were announced Thursday morning, it's quite possible you could have heard some restrained jubilation coming out of Conan O'Brien's household.

That's because "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien," on the air for a scant seven months and canceled in the midst of a nasty intra-NBC feud with Jay Leno, was recognized in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category. Meanwhile, neither the short-lived "The Jay Leno Show" (apparently not officially submitted) nor the re-animated "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" got any Emmy love.

Make that one more win for CoCo in his contretemps with Chinny McGimmeMyShowBack — a victory that once again seems to demonstrate that no one except Leno's (rapidly dwindling) audience is on the side of the elder late night host. Let's recap, shall we?

It all began in January, after word first dropped that NBC wasn't happy with its new "Tonight Show" host and was looking for ways to re-install Leno in primetime. Read More...

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'American Idol,' Jay Leno And Ron Howard: Three To See

Posted 4/20/10 1:25 pm EST by in Music


Every morning, MTV News delivers the top news stories in music, movies and pop culture hot and fresh for your reading and watching pleasure. We then bring together a trio of the biggest headlines for "Three to See," the daily digest of the top stories making noise on our site and across the Internet.

Simon Cowell Talks About Leaving "American Idol"
The quartet of "American Idol" judges appeared on "Larry King Live" on Monday night (April 19) to discuss the upcoming "Idol Gives Back" special and to talk about the future of the series. "I've had the best time of my life," Cowell said about his impending departure from the series. "I'm very grateful. But you always know when it's the right time to go. And I'll look back and say we've had a great time. And I always promised myself I wanted to leave and be able to say that."

Jay Leno Weighs In On Conan O'Brien's New TV Show
"Access Hollywood" caught up with Jay Leno on the red carpet of the TV Land Awards over the weekend and asked him about rival Conan O'Brien's new television show. "I knew he'd land on his feet," Leno told them, adding that he is looking forward to the competition between late night shows when O'Brien returns to the air in November.

Ron Howard And Brian Grazer To Produce 'The Great Escape' Reality Series
In other Turner network news, Imagine Entertainment co-founders Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon") and Brian Grazer are producing a reality show for TNT called "The Great Escape." The program, whose pilot has already been shot, puts normal people into extreme circumstances borrowed from action and adventure films.

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Jennifer Lopez And Smashing Pumpkins On This Week's 'Late Night Lineup'

Posted 4/19/10 12:45 pm EST by in Television


David Letterman missed out on all the big news in late night last week, from the revelations about Conan O'Brien's new show to all of the excellent music on various shows. "The Late Show with David Letterman" returns this week with an incredibly deep, varied lineup. Are you interested in the new Jennifer Lopez movie? She'll be on the show on Monday (April 19). Do you dig that new Jakob Dylan album? You should tune in on Wednesday (April 21) to see him perform. Are sprawling Canadian jams more your speed? Letterman will give you Broken Social Scene on Thursday (April 22). Or maybe you just want to look forward to your weekend with a little funk. That's not a problem, as Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings will play on Friday (April 23).

Jay Leno has an unusually strong musical lineup on "The Tonight Show" this week, as he'll welcome Phoenix (Monday), Smashing Pumpkins (Tuesday, April 20), Maxwell (Thursday) and Creed (Friday). Mixed in there, you'll also hear from Heidi Klum on Tuesday and Lopez again on Wednesday. Meanwhile, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will play host to another great batch of music, including Devo on Tuesday and Rob Zombie on Wednesday. Wednesday's episode will also feature an interview with Ice Cube, who is one of the best talk show guests on the circuit.

After-hours gets a little cagier, as Carson Daly and Jimmy Fallon are both off this week (though Tuesday night's Fallon show will feature the host's visit with New Kids on the Block). But Craig Ferguson will talk to "The Wire" and "Treme" creator David Simon on Tuesday, which will be a can't-miss conversation.

Daytime is a little shakier this week, though both Lopez and Sarah Silverman will be on "Live with Regis and Kelly" on Tuesday.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing on talk shows this week? Let us know in the comments!

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Terry Bradshaw Gets Kara DioGuardi's 'Idol' Treatment On 'The Tonight Show'

Posted 3/16/10 12:05 pm EST by in Television


By Eric Ditzian

"American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi certainly seems to be delivering more perceptive, often justifiably harsh commentary this season, but she was all smiles — and understandably less brutal — when it came to critiquing the singing talents of Terry Bradshaw on "The Tonight Show."

On Monday night (March 15), Jay Leno enlisted the help of DioGuardi in picking apart a vintage clip of Bradshaw — the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback who has become an NFL Hall of Famer and a current Fox Sports analyst — busting out a rendition of Johnny Rodriguez's "Pass Me By."

Rocking a pinky ring and some thick sideburns in the video, Bradshaw tried on his best honky-tonk tone and, well, the results probably wouldn't earn the guy a golden ticket to Hollywood. But it's certainly amusing to watch him try. Check out the video to see why all Kara could say to Bradshaw afterward was, "It was a more sensitive side of you."

DioGuardi was visiting "The Tonight Show" to promote the current season of "American Idol," which is celebrating "Rolling Stones Week" this week. Each of the Top 12 contestants will bust out a tune made famous by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on Tuesday night's (March 16) performance show.

What did you think of Terry Bradshaw's singing? Did Kara DioGuardi do well during her "Tonight Show" guest spot? Let us know in the comments!

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Crystal Bowersox, Justin Bieber, 'Dancing With The Stars' And Sarah Palin: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 3/5/10 5:30 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


The week is done, but that doesn't mean the work is. This Oscar weekend, be sure to stay tuned to MTV News, MTV Movies Blog and Hollywood Crush, all of which will be bringing you wall-to-wall coverage of the red carpet, the show, the after parties and everything in between. Meanwhile, keep thinking about who else needs to go home on "American Idol" and be sure to get your submissions in for our big 311 contest.

In between doing all that, check out everything you might have missed on the MTV Newsroom Blog this week, including stories about Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, "The Tonight Show," "Dancing With the Stars" and Ke$ha.

» The top headline of this week belonged to Crystal Bowersox, who was nearly disqualified from "American Idol" after having to go to the hospital. But then she staged one of the greatest musical comebacks of all time.

» The week opened with the end of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and we got an exclusive report from one of the dancers who performed during the closing ceremony. We miss you already, Olympics. See you in London in 2012.

» The new cast of "Dancing With the Stars" was announced this week, and though the producers didn't take any of our advice, they still managed to draft an interesting group of people. Of course, we're rooting for Buzz Aldrin.

» It was a big birthday week, as Ke$ha blew out some candles on a cake.

» Justin Bieber turned 16 years old on Monday, so we laid out the 16 reasons why we love him.

» And because Ke$ha and Bieber share a birthday, we decided to mash the two up.
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'The Tonight Show' With Jay Leno: Meet The New Show, Same As The Old Show

Posted 3/2/10 12:20 pm EST by in Television


Well, that went about how we expected. On Monday night (March 1), Jay Leno returned to a place he held for 17 years: The 11:35 time slot on NBC as the host of "The Tonight Show." It was business as usual at LenoCo, and he managed to handle just about everything entirely wrong.

The cold open was a parody of "The Wizard of Oz," starring Leno waking up saying "There's no place like home." Kevin Eubanks (who apparently isn't going to lose his job to Randy Newman, Ben Folds or any of the other excellent alternatives) was there to wake him up, as was Betty White (who made a joke about NBC cutting Leno's budget). It was a little bit flat and brings up this question: If you're going to do a bit like this, why wouldn't you do the rumored proposed "Dallas" parody, which also has the same "it was all a dream" joke and sounded much funnier?

Leno was clearly more concerned with moving forward (or moving in place, for the most part), as he didn't make any more references to the ugliness surrounding his return to the host slot on "The Tonight Show." As expected, the monologue consisted mostly of Olympics jokes and cracks about politicians (though he did take a shot at sideways shot at NBC). In perhaps the funniest bit, he inserted himself into a piece of video of Olympic skier Jeret "Speedy" Peterson punching him in the face (not unlike the sort of thing he did with Kanye West a few weeks ago).

The rest of the show was inoffensive if not entirely revolutionary. Leno looked for a new desk, jawed passively with Jamie Foxx and Lindsey Vonn and didn't really seem to miss a beat. It really is as though he had never left and the previous nine months were just something of an unpleasant fever dream. Despite the somewhat somber nature of the show, it seems like Leno would get a nice bump from NBC's Olympic hangover (as well as a top-shelf "Law and Order" at 10 p.m.). How will "Leno vs. Letterman 2" play out? Only time will tell, though there is something to be said for Dave's consistency. As he said during his understated monologue last night, "My name is David Letterman — same time, same host."

What did you think of the first episode of "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno back as host? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

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'The Tonight Show' Returns: Five Things We'd Like To See

Posted 3/1/10 3:45 pm EST by in Television


The month of January was rife with tension at the 11:30 p.m. time slot. That's where a showdown happened between NBC, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, with the future of the nearly six-decade-old "Tonight Show" hanging in the balance. When the dust settled, O'Brien exited as the host after only seven months, Leno's primetime show was canceled and NBC re-installed Leno as the host of "The Tonight Show." Following a brief hiatus for coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Monday night (March 1) sees the return of Leno's version of "The Tonight Show."

Leno spent 17 years at the helm of "The Tonight Show," so the audience should know what they're in for at this point. But just because Leno has a comfort zone that elevated him to the top of the ratings heap in late night, that doesn't mean there can't be some curveballs. Obviously, Leno's version of "The Tonight Show" won't be as delightfully off-kilter as O'Brien's was (that's just not Leno's game), but there can be a few subtle shifts that could lead to something great. Here are five things we'd like to see from the Leno 2.0 version of "The Tonight Show."

More Upstart Comedians
One of the aspects of the much-derided "The Jay Leno Show" that worked was Leno's commitment to upstart comics. "The Tonight Show" was initially the big break that a stand-up looked for to get his career going on other avenues. But as the show got more and more Hollywood, it became less about that. Leno should re-commit himself to giving funny people a leg up.

More Remote Action
One of the big problems with "The Jay Leno Show" was the fact that it was basically tethered to the studio. Sure, they sometimes went out back to race cars, but that always seemed like a cool idea that was never particularly entertaining. Jay should get outside the studio with remote shoots and hit the road more often. When you get outside the comfort zone of the studio, some real unpredictable fun can happen.

Retire "Headlines"
This is probably wishful thinking considering this is probably Leno's signature segment. Read More...

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Jay Leno Returns, Robert Pattinson Invades In This Week's 'Late Night Lineup'

Posted 3/1/10 9:10 am EST by in Television


Less than a month ago, Neil Young took the stage of "The Tonight Show" to perform "Long May You Run" to help send off departing host Conan O'Brien. At Sunday night's (February 28) Winter Olympics closing ceremony, Young again performed "Long May You Run" on NBC, which is somewhat poetic given that Monday night (March 1) marks the return of Jay Leno as the host of "The Tonight Show." Leno's comeback has brought out the best in the late night performers, as not only is his show stacked with top-shelf guests, but David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are all back with new episodes and great lineups.

Let's start with "The Tonight Show." Monday night's show is a little weak (Jamie Foxx and Olympian Lindsey Vonn are on), but things really get going on Tuesday (March 2) with Sarah Palin, gold medalist Shaun White and Adam Lambert. Wednesday (March 3) features the cast of "Jersey Shore" and Avril Lavigne, while Thursday (March 4) will have Brett Favre. Leno finishes off the week on Friday (March 5), featuring Morgan Freeman and Meredith Vieira.

Over on current ratings champ "The Late Show with David Letterman," Monday features Bill Murray and Ludacris. On Tuesday, Letterman welcomes Mitt Romney, while Wednesday features Jerry Seinfeld. Thursday will have Tom Hanks and Spoon, while Friday will have Matt Damon. That's a pretty killer lineup that should make for an interesting toe-to-toe between rivals Letterman and Leno.

Leno's return could really provide a boost to Jimmy Fallon, whose show also has a big week ahead. It kicks off on Monday night with "Remember Me" heartthrob Robert Pattinson. Fallon will also jaw with Wesley Snipes on Tuesday and Zach Galifianakis on Thursday. Fallon's show always features excellent music, and this week's is no exception, as Ludacris and Silversun Pickups will both play sets on the show. Even Carson Daly has a high-powered set of shows this week, with Phoenix on Tuesday and Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner on Wednesday.

Jimmy Kimmel will talk to Anne Hathaway on Tuesday, Ethan Hawke on Wednesday and Queen Latifah on Thursday. In perhaps the week's most intriguing match-up, Robert Pattinson will be a guest on "The Daily Show" on Tuesday. (Pattinson will also visit with the ladies of "The View" on Tuesday, which should be a whole different ball of wax.)

Whose show are you most looking forward to this week? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

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