By Cara Alwill
Bob Bryar, the drummer for My Chemical Romance, has filed charges against Daniel Schaffer, the self-proclaimed "dog trainer to the stars" after the death of his German shepherd mix, Dixie. The trainer has given conflicting explanations for the death.
According to People, Bryar brought his pooch to Schaffer's kennel for intense training to help him recover from abuse and emotional trauma caused by his former owner. Bryar spent $7,500 on the training in April, but when he called to check in on the dog, the trainer reported that Dixie was killed when a drunk driver struck the vehicle in which Schaffer was carrying several dogs, according to the court papers filed in Burbank Supreme Court. Bryar then received a call that evening stating that the dog had died from a different cause.
"Schaffer called (Bryar) again and informed him that he could not say goodbye to Dixie for she had been 'cremated due to her condition,'" the lawsuit says. Two days later, the trainer "delivered an urn allegedly containing Dixie's remains." After Schaffer could not produce a police report documenting the car accident, he changed his story and said the dog died in her sleep, and later changed that story to say she died under other circumstances.
"I don't even know what happened to my best friend and miss her more than anything in the world," Bryar said. "The devastation I feel is beyond words."
My Chemical Romance may have thrown a Black Parade back in 2006, but in the three years since its release the guys haven't released much new music. But there's been a lot of buzz over their cover of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" for the hotly anticipated "Watchmen" film out this Friday.
With new music out there, fans are wondering when will MCR hit the studio and release a new album?
See what MCR have to say about their writing style after the jump! Read more...
By Adrienne Day
Get your "American Idol" fix here! We follow the first batch of the top 36 as they sing through Billboard magazine's Top 100 hits, and we live-blog the show last night.
My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way explains why their new album will be "very direct, very honest" — and a return to the band's Jersey roots.
Fabolous reveals who's numero uno in his life — his 1-year-old son — but explains there's still room in his heart for the ladies, as evinced by his upcoming album, "Loso's Way," featuring Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry and The Dream.
Kurt Loder reviews Polish director Andrzej Wajda's dark World War II masterpiece, "Katyn," nominated for an Academy Award in '08 but only now getting a US release.
Our Movies Blog gets wind of a new Robert Rodriguez flick — and this one, a futuristic thriller, has an actual release date!
Over the years, working for MTV News and even before I landed this gig, I've interviewed a lot of celebrities. It's one of the perks of the job, interviewing people whose work you've always admired (which, for me, would include any of the members of Jane's Addiction, Mike Patton, Carcass and Portishead) — at times, you even get to speak to those whose work you don't admire (like, say, Hinder).
I'd say about 40 percent of the interviews I've done have been in person — an artist is in town and they've got something to promote, so they swing by our Times Square offices for a little face time. The rest of them are what we in the biz call "phoners," and these interviews involve calling the subject at his or her home or hotel room to talk shop. These types of interviews are less controlled, basically because there's no publicist around to interfere. But these types of interviews are also just like any other phone conversation you've ever had — call waiting can disrupt the flow of conversation just as easily as a screaming child or a misbehaving pet. Read more...
Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Eric Clapton ... David Cook? That's what Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo's résumé will look like soon. The man who helped make American Idiot and The Black Parade modern classics is dipping his toes into the "American Idol" pool, signaling one of two things: Either Cook is the real deal, or, well, a gig's a gig.
A rep for Cook's label, 19 Recordings/ RCA Records, told MTV News that Cavallo — who is currently in the studio with the Dave Matthews Band — has teamed up with the "Idol" winner to work on all of the songs on Cook's debut, which is due this fall.
Read more...
By Larry Carroll
Now that we've all seen the dazzling first trailer for next year's "Watchmen" flick, it has officially become my most-anticipated movie of 2009. And the news just keeps getting better, as director Zack Snyder has revealed exclusively to MTV News that the only post-1985 song in the film will feature one of today's hottest bands.
"My Chemical Romance is absolutely awesome," the "300" director revealed. "And Gerard [Way] is a huge fan of 'Watchmen.' "
Read more on our new comic-movie blog, Splash Page.
Last September, 13-year-old Hannah Bond, a My Chemical Romance fan in Kent, England, committed suicide. This month, the coroner, in announcing a verdict of suicide, suggested there was a link between her suicide and her obsession with emo music: "The emo overtones concerning death and associating it with glamor I find very disturbing."
The British tabloids then had a field day with the tragedy, with The Daily Mail going so far as to calling emo "a suicide cult."
Finally, MCR has responded to the coverage of the tragedy in the following post on their official website:
We have recently learned of the suicide and tragic loss of Hannah Bond. We'd like to send our condolences to her family during this time of mourning. Our hearts and thoughts are with them.
My Chemical Romance are and always have been vocally anti-violence and anti-suicide. As a band, we have always made it one of our missions through our actions to provide comfort, support, and solace to our fans. The message and theme of our album "The Black Parade" is hope and courage. Our lyrics are about finding the strength to keep living through pain and hard times. The last song on our album states: "I am not afraid to keep on living" -- a sentiment that embodies the band's position on hardships we all face as human beings. If you or anyone that you know have feelings of depression or suicide, we urge you to find your way and your voice to deal with these feelings positively.
British MCR fans are planning to march in London's Hyde Park this coming Sunday in protest of the media's portrayal of the band.
· My Chemical Romance’s special live edition of The Black Parade comes in a pinewood coffin box, with hand-painted Day of the Dead masks designed by each band member.
· My Bloody Valentine are going to remaster and re-release their classic albums Isn’t Anything and Loveless next month.
· Michael Jackson’s Thriller has been added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
· Contrary to some rumors out there, Nate Dogg did not pass away last weekend. Turns out his MySpace page was hacked.
· Adorable Nashville pop-punks Be Your Own Pet are touring.
· Guess we missed this: The Police announced their last-ever show ever. (Sting’s so over it…?)
· The moody Icelandic pixies of Sigur Ros are bringing their ambient sounds to a town near you.
· A British emo girl -- and huge My Chemical Romance fan -- committed suicide, and some are blaming the music.
Viva los emos!!
After weeks of harassment and violence, Mexican emo kids can rest a little easier -- their heroes have come to the rescue.
When My Chemical Romance took the stage in Mexico City (this past Saturday at Zero Fest), Gerard Way spoke to the crowd:
“I want to say something today before we continue. Recently we’ve been hearing a lot of stuff about some violence here in your country having to do with kids who want to wear black t-shirts...or some kind of bulls--- stuff like that. We don’t want to see any f---ing violence! We came here for one reason, and that’s to be at the f---ing rock show!”
MTV News was on the scene reporting on the recent rash of emo bashings. Our producer's experience talking to local emo kids after the jump. Plus, more pics of MCR at ZeroFest... Read more...
