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An Open Letter To Conan O'Brien: Come To MTV!

Posted 1/22/10 8:33 am EST by in Television


Dear Conan O'Brien,

I should probably get this out of the way right off the bat: I have absolutely no authority to make the proposal I'm about to make. But I've been such a big fan for such a long time that I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't extend a hand to you.

It's a real bummer about your show, man. Back when you were awarded "The Tonight Show," it seemed like an exciting bridge into a whole new realm of late night comedy. But unfortunately, you've become the victim of corporate shortsightedness and the utter decomposition of NBC. Just remember that it's not your fault, and that so many of the things you've done on "The Tonight Show" — from "Twitter Tracker" to your moody vampire assistant to the recent "Bugatti Veyron Mouse" bit — have become instant classics in my mind.

You're walking away with a big check, and as of this weekend you won't have a job anymore. I know Fox wants you real bad, but here's a modest proposal for you: Come to MTV.

Seriously! We've had talk shows before, so you can join the ranks of titans like Jon Stewart and Tom Green. But we don't want you to stop there. If you've got a whim for a show, MTV can make it happen. Want to get the cast of "Jersey Shore" back together for a second season featuring you as "The Solution"? That can be arranged. Want to spend all your quality time with Rob Dyrdek on "Fantasy Factory"? Consider it done. Perhaps you'd rather compete for prizes on "The Real World/Road Rules Challenge" or spend your days gossiping with Kristin Cavallari on "The Hills." We can do all these things for you. In fact, the latter might look a little something like this.

(Check out more photos of Conan O'Brien on MTV shows, including "Jersey Shore," "The Osbournes" and "America's Best Dance Crew"!)

As I said, I don't have the authority to actually make you any offers, and MTV probably can't afford the sort of money you're worth anyway. (Little known fact: "American Idol" expert Jim Cantiello gets paid in Papa John's gift certificates.) But I'm sure we can sweeten the deal somehow. You can have your pick of any office at 1515 Broadway, and we could expand the hours at the Lodge to suit your eating schedule. Plus, you'd get to hang out with Sway, which would instantly up your street credibility. And Fridays in the Newsroom are Backstreet Boys Fridays, so there's always dancing to look forward to at the end of the week.

So think it over, Coco. And even if you decide MTV isn't for you, just know that I'll be watching wherever you end up (as long as it isn't on Fuse).

Best,

Kyle Anderson
Editor, MTV Newsroom Blog

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Katy Perry And Russell Brand: Their Best MTV Moments

Posted 1/7/10 3:09 pm EST by in Music


Russell Brand proposed to his lady love Katy Perry over the holidays while in India (in case you haven't heard, she said yes). And in case you didn't know it, MTV has been there during the couple's entire history with each other. Not that we like to take credit for these sorts of things, but we hope to see our wedding invite in the mail. MTV did play matchmaker for these two crazy kids. And, here are some of our favorite MTV moments with the couple.

In 2008, Katy sang the classic Madonna tune "Like a Virgin" while Russell played host at the VMAs that year. It's to be noted that Katy also hosted the EMAs in 2008. The couple that hosts in the same award season stays together. These are facts.

However, they kicked off their love affair at the 2009 VMAs in NYC. Read More...

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No Doubt Warned Against The End Of The World On New Year's 1999

Posted 12/30/09 4:40 pm EST by in Music


A decade ago, MTV played host to a slew of celebrities hanging out in Times Square to ring in the New Year. Although everyone was there to party, the big question was: Is the world going to end tonight? The Y2K bug* was plaguing the world. Would we make it to the millennium? (Spoiler alert: We did! We made it!)

Up until those final seconds of panic, Diddy performed, as did Jay-Z and Bush (which is funny because Gwen Stefani and No Doubt were also on hand to perform), Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson cuddled and Christina Aguilera chatted with Carson Daly.

As the final countdown took place, the clock struck midnight, confetti fell and the world (obviously) didn't end. But just in case, No Doubt was on hand to ring in the New Year with the classic R.E.M. tune, "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." How ironic! They then segued into their own tune, "Ex-Girlfriend." The fact that the world didn't end doesn't leave us very much surprised, but you may be surprised to know that in 1999, Gwen Stefani had pink hair, blunt bangs and braces. We wonder what look she'll use to ring in 2010 with?

*For those of you who may not be familiar with the problem, yourdictionary.com defines it as: "The predicted malfunction of some computer systems prior to or at the beginning of the year 2000 because of their inability to distinguish between dates in the 1900s and dates in the 2000s. This inability results from the coding of year dates in some software and chips with only the final two, rather than all four, digits." Anyways, it doesn't matter because it didn't happen, but that's what we were worried about ten years ago.

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Adrienne Bailon Reveals Her Favorite Picks At The Lodge, MTV's Cafeteria

Posted 11/19/09 5:30 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music


By Rya Backer

Being an MTV employee has its perks: Access to concerts, meeting famous people you like, spending your day just yards away from Tim Kash. But the greatest gift MTV has given its workers is a large room on the seventh floor with a balcony the length of half a city block. It may look like little more than a cafeteria, but it's called the Lodge, and sometimes it's like a second home.

For those at 1515 Broadway, the Lodge has become the place to eat in midtown Manhattan. The staff is friendly, there's an amazing mac and cheese station, and most importantly, they have a wing bar every Friday which has made me gain approximately 40 pounds solely because of my blue cheese dressing intake.

So when my co-worker Steven and I hit the red carpet for the grand opening of the American Eagle store across the street from our building in Times Square, we had the chance to talk to fellow MTV-er Adrienne Bailon for her thoughts on the corporate canteen.

It turns out that while she enjoys some of its offerings ("I'm actually a fan of the pizza section and the sandwiches. I'm really into that," she told us), she's a bigger fan of Times Square Bagel, a hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop store right across the stree. I can order from there every single morning when I'm in hair and makeup," she revealed. "I order a bagel every morning. I try to go pumpernickel. It's less carbs."

Check out the clip below. And seriously Adrienne: I'm on 29, and any time you get bored of wearing that top, I'll happily take it off your hands.

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Ken Ober's 'Remote Control' On MTV: Where High And Low Culture Collided

Posted 11/17/09 4:53 pm EST by in Television


Yesterday's news about the untimely death of Ken Ober is still being felt by family, friends and colleagues. As Kurt Loder wrote in his remembrance of the veteran comedian and TV producer, "Remote Control" was so ahead of its time that the rest of television has yet to really catch up to it. "Remote Control" was a remarkable half hour of programming, somehow simultaneously supporting the quiz format, sketches, stand-up, music videos and the occasional foray into pick-up baseball.

The game show portion was especially brilliant, as it brought together the sort of knowledge found in dusty boxes of "Trivial Pursuit" with garbage facts left behind after hours of television viewing (movie theme songs, cast members on "The Partridge Family," details about "The Facts of Life"). In essence, Ober was a nerd who managed to spin his obsession with junk culture into a point of view and a career. In the age before the Internet, this was a remarkable accomplishment.

There may be no more definitive 90 seconds of "Remote Control" than the clip below. Ober introduces a lightning round called "Gershwin, Beethoven or Partridge Family," wherein he names song titles and the contestants must choose which of the above wrote that particular tune. It's followed by Ober's casual dismissal of the contestant, a wacky stunt exit and an incredible blast of audience participation. It's an incredible amount of comedy and zaniness crammed into a minute and a half, and it's all fueled by Ober's lightning fast wit.

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Ken Ober Remembered: Colin Quinn Called Him 'Hilarious And Spontaneous'

Posted 11/17/09 10:42 am EST by in Television


Ken Ober was a unique talent. As the host of the MTV game show "Remote Control" (which ran on the network from 1987 until 1990), he was given the task of not only driving the show (reading questions, announcing prizes, keeping up the pace) but also providing laughs, pausing for skits and interacting with his wacky team of sidekicks, which included future stars Adam Sandler, Dennis Leary and Colin Quinn. The veteran stand-up comic and television producer passed away over the weekend at age 52.

Quinn weighed in on Ober's passing yesterday, but the top MTV News archivists resurrected an interview with him from 1999 (which was taped for an episode of "Uncensored" that contained a behind-the-scenes look at "Remote Control"). Ober and Quinn began on the stand-up circuit in New York in the '80s, so they were old friends who managed to elevate themselves to the strange cable creation that was "Remote Control." "We knew each other from comedy clubs," Quinn explained. "When we first started, all we cared about was what 20 comedians thought. We hoped they wouldn't see the show, because even then the 'Brady Bunch' jokes were hack. But all the comedians thought it was funny."

The former "Saturday Night Live" cast member and host of "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" had nothing but praise for Ober, even going so far as identifying himself as an "acolyte" of his. "Kenny was hilarious. He was just very spontaneous," Quinn said. "And he had a hard thing: Being funny and still reading all those damn questions for 45 minutes."

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Remembering Ken Ober, The Voice Of 'Remote Control'

Posted 11/16/09 6:16 pm EST by in Music, Television


This was a sad day at MTV, as we had a death in the family. Ken Ober, the longtime comedian, television producer and host of early MTV game show "Remote Control," passed away at age 52.

Arguably, Ober's most indelible legacy is "Remote Control," which premiered in 1987 and was one of MTV's first attempts at crafting an original television series. The premise was delightfully low-fi: Ober posited that he hosted a media-obsessed game show out of the basement of his parents' house, and he was joined by a cast of characters who wandered through the set (including fellow comedian and former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Colin Quinn, who acted as the Andy Richter to Ober's Conan O'Brien). The show featured three contestants getting asked a barrage of pop culture questions about movies, music, television shows, sports and, of course, music videos. Along the way, the show was interrupted by comedy skits, guest appearances, projectiles thrown at the contestants and plenty of Ober's trademark wit.

It can't be understated how important Ober was to the show. His jokes were always acerbic and steeped in irony, but his love for junk culture gave him a warmth that made him lovable. He kept the MTV audience connected to the world of comedy and also provided exposure for a ton of videos and pop culture touchstones that were hard to access at the time. In the age before the Internet, DVD and video on demand, it was sometimes difficult to find a place where lines from "Jaws" could be mentioned alongside David Bowie lyrics. Ober brought the geeks and the cool kids together to hang out in his basement, and that melding of two worlds helped make MTV the definitive television destination for youth across the country.

But mostly, "Remote Control" was just supremely weird, and made MTV a place where you could find subversive comedy (most of it Ober's). For example, take the clip below: It features a college student playing for a series of prizes by being spun around on a wheel, Colin Quinn as the "Evil Dwarf," a random model and a ton of confetti. It was loose, it was loud and it was incredibly fun to watch.

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Strikeforce Preview: MTV's Jason 'Mayhem' Miller Will Become Middleweight Champion

Posted 11/6/09 3:46 pm EST by in Television


Before you watch Taylor Swift hosting and performing on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, spend some time on CBS checking out "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers," an MMA event live from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The main event features legendary heavyweight Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko in a match against undefeated up-and-comer Brett Rogers. The card also features another excellent heavyweight match-up between Brazilians Fabricio Werdum and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and an intriguing head-to-head with Gegard Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. It should be a fun night of fighting (if you're into that sort of thing).

But even if you're not into the sweet science of kickboxing and grappling, one particular fight is not to be missed. The wildly entertaining Jason "Mayhem" Miller — host of MTV's "Bully Beatdown" — will compete for the Strikeforce middleweight championship against friend and rival (and multi-time "Bully Beatdown" guest fighter) Jake Shields. Miller is a singularity in the MMA world who is more than willing to put his personality ahead of his fighting record (though he is an impressive 22-6). As anybody who watches "Bully Beatdown" can attest, he is a manic presence with a sick sense of humor and a seemingly boundless storehouse of energy. In a world where the elite are sometimes overly serious, Miller introduces a welcome bit of liveliness and humor into the proceedings. Need proof? Check out Miller's breakdown of the upcoming fight.

He's also likely to walk out of the cage on Saturday night with a championship belt around his waist. Though Miller's unhinged personality sometimes bleeds too much into his fighting style (he's been known to lose patience or become reckless for the sake of entertainment), Shields is more of a ground fighter. As long as Miller can keep the fight on the feet (where he has a clear advantage), he can probably knock out Shields. Besides, he has by far the best entrance in all of MMA.

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John Mayer Endorses Miley Cyrus' Exit From 'The Hate-rix': The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 10/14/09 5:05 pm EST by in Music


"I think she's smart enough to realize there is some interference of the brain that she doesn't want to deal with. Artists have enough to deal with. She's a child, she's a fantastic artist — I think there's enough mental real estate being taken up by dealing with all of that stuff. For whatever reason, I am old enough and smart enough to tell someone to go f--- themselves if they tell me to go f--- myself. I think if you're in Miley's situation, it might take a little too much time to play goalie for your own heart and mind. So I totally get it."

-Twitter enthusiast John Mayer, commenting on Miley Cyrus' decision to delete her account on the microblogging service, which caused quite a media stir last week. Mayer sat down with MTV News' Tim Kash to talk about his new album Battle Studies, the just-premiered video for its first single "Who Says" and a reality he calls "The Hate-rix." "I call it that because it's not really happening. It's just this fake world of people criticizing other people," he laughed. "It's a shame, but look, that's what it comes down to in America. Miley is somebody who's made a bunch of money doing something she loves. Most people do things they hate, for less money. If somebody can repurpose something that somebody loves doing for a lot of money, in order to make a little bit of that money, they're gonna do it. So nobody hates Miley Cyrus; they're just picking up on her brand, repurposing it, to try to make a little bit of Miley cash. It's damaging people's minds."

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How You Can Help Free Laura Ling And Euna Lee From North Korean Prison

Posted 7/15/09 3:15 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes


By Lisa Chudnofsky

A long time ago, before I became the editor of MTV's Remote Control blog, I did some honest-to-goodness real news reporting. I'm a bit rusty, but today I'm attempting to write seriously about a topic both newsworthy and personal to me.

It's been 120 days since my old colleague from Channel One News and former MTV documentary producer Laura Ling ("Breaking It Down With Serena") was detained at the North Korean border, along with fellow Current TV journalist Euna Lee. In that period of time, both women were arrested, tried and sentenced to 12 years of "hard labor" for illegally crossing the border and for committing a "grave crime."

I simply can't imagine the mental and physical toll this has taken on Laura and Euna, their families and close friends. The word from Laura's sister, TV journalist Lisa Ling, is that an ulcer has been giving her trouble. Euna is also struggling with poor health, having already lost 15 pounds. Her 4-year-old daughter is in anguish, awaiting some type of communication.

There's no way for any of us in the States to ensure that Laura and Euna are getting proper treatment — the most we can do is push and bug and press and shout about this story until something gives.
Read More...

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