| Paramore Reveal Secrets Of 'Brick By Boring Brick' Video Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:20 PM PDT 'There's a castle in it, but there's no dragons,' bassist Jeremy Davis reveals of fairy-tale clip.
By James Montgomery 
Paramore's Hayley Williams
Photo: MTV News Paramore's "Brick by Boring Brick," the second single from Brand New Eyes, is basically an extended fairy-tale metaphor. So, you can probably guess what the video for will feature castles, dragons, faeries, the occasional broadsword and all sorts of medieval props. Or, at least, that's what we thought when we asked the band about it backstage at the Ulalume Festival in Columbia, Maryland, on Friday. We were right ... and wrong too. "There's a castle in it, but there's no dragons," bassist Jeremy Davis laughed. "We essentially came up with the treatment and had a bunch of directors send in their other ideas, and each was a little bit different that the others. It's our first video that's not performance based. We're not performing at all. We're in it for, like, two seconds, some of us. It's out first video that's all green screen and has a whole story behind it, and there's a lot of people acting in it, so it's cool." "Hopefully, it will look more like 'Pan's Labyrinth' or something like that," guitarist Josh Farro added. OK, so we're getting the idea: dark, sorta spooky, definitely takes place in another realm/ dimension/ time period, right? "What's cool about it is there's dark elements to it ... and there's a fair amount of color too. It should be well-rounded, different, if anything," frontwoman Hayley Williams explained. "Our fans, for a long time, we've noticed them kind of saying, like, 'Man, I'd really love to see Paramore not do a performance video for once,' so here it is." Paramore didn't want to reveal too many details about the "Brick" video, which they shot earlier this month in Los Angeles with director Meiert Avis (who helmed U2's iconic "Where the Streets Have No Name" clip). But Davis apparently didn't know about their code of silence on the subject, because he just kept on talking. "We were all, like, characters in a fairy-tale land," Davis said. "You're giving up the whole video right now!" Williams laughed. "Fine, then ... what happens is the prince comes and he just kisses me, and that's the end of the video." "I wasn't aware," Davis said sheepishly. "Sorry!" The video for "Brick by Boring Brick" is scheduled to premiere next month. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Taylor Swift Makes A Point In 'Hard-Core' Chewbacca Halloween Costume Posted: 27 Oct 2009 03:52 AM PDT 'All the girls in our school kind of used Halloween as an excuse to take all their clothes off,' singer recalls.
By Jocelyn Vena 
Taylor Swift
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Taylor Swift might be a girly girl — frequently photographed wearing sparkly dresses and heels, with her hair perfectly curled — but when it comes to Halloween, Swift wonders why girls decide to be so provocative for the creepy holiday. That's why she decided to go wacky instead of sexy last year. "I think my most memorable Halloween costume was last year's Halloween costume. My best friend Abigail and I have always been sort of anti-teeny-tiny, little costumes," she said in an interview with CMT. "And so last year, Abigail and I dressed up as twin Chewbaccas, which was an actual Halloween costume." She easily made her way around town as the "Star Wars" character without being spotted, since she was completely covered. "I got, like, the special-edition costumes," she said. "It was hard-core. It was really exciting for me." The singer, who re-released her Fearless album this week, said it was just the right costume — even if people didn't really get it. "It was really, really wonderful. I just am never going to forget it. There was lots of Chewbacca noises being made," she said. "People were like, 'You're an abominable snowman.' I'm like, 'It's Chewbacca!' " Plus, she wanted to make sure she kept with her mantra of not being sexy on what's supposed to be a scary holiday. "I felt all the girls in our school kind of used Halloween as an excuse to take all their clothes off and parade around," she said. "They would tan weeks in advance so that they could bare it all on Halloween. I'm like, 'That's not the point.' You're supposed to be scary." It's Halloween Week, the spookiest time of the year and also the most fun. So as the leaves fall and it gets a bit colder, we here at MTV News decided to pay homage to the holiday by rounding up some of your favorite celebrities' Halloween memories and costume ideas — some even offer advice on how to dress up like them this year. So brace yourselves: You're in for one horrifying week! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Chris Brown's 'I Can Transform Ya' Video: A Shiny, Sexy Throwback Posted: 26 Oct 2009 10:57 PM PDT Singer's new clip matches the grown-up club track.
By James Montgomery 
Chris Brown in "I Can Transform Ya"
Photo: Jive Records Chris Brown is back. And judging by his brand-new "I Can Transform Ya" video, he can turn himself into a fire truck. Or a Ducati motorcycle. Or an expensive sports car. This seems to be the basic premise behind the clip, the first single from his upcoming Graffiti album. After all, this is a very shiny, very expensive-looking clip, helmed by master of all things shiny and expensive, Joseph Kahn (see his work on Britney Spears' "Toxic" or "Womanizer" for proof). It's a blockbuster, loaded with eye-popping special effects — the titular transformations are particularly great looking, as are the scene-to-scene transitions — and frighteningly precise pop-and-lock moves from Brown himself. There are cameos by Swizz Beatz, who produced the track (and, not surprisingly, it's great, a fact you can probably attest to since you've no doubt heard the song on the radio by now), and Lil Wayne, who basically steals the show with his nebular verses. Really, the plot of the thing isn't important at all. It looks great, it sounds great, it is pretty great — a showcase for Brown's grown-man swagger and the first taste of the more mature side he'll reportedly explore on Graffiti (he even goes so far as to mention legends like Prince and Michael Jackson as inspiration for the album). And despite the fact that Wayne nearly steals the show here, there's no missing the fact that this is a very adult club track (it also has no apparent references to his incident with former flame Rihanna earlier this year). It's a sexy and cocky listen, Brown promising great things to potential lovers, and though he also spends a large portion of the video mimicking ninjas and transforming into very costly vehicles, the message is clear: He's a man now. Based on this early evidence, Graffiti seems promising: "Transform Ya" has already begun to ascend the Billboard Hot 100, and there's no denying that the song is a bold move for him. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Soulja Boy Tell'em Ready To Drop <i>Paranormal Activity</i> Mixtape Posted: 27 Oct 2009 03:52 AM PDT Soulja will drop three tapes on Halloween, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid 
Soulja Boy Tell'em
Photo: Jared Milgram Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables Mixtapes: Paranormal Activity, DatPiff and Cortez Headliner: Soulja Boy Tell'em Co-Starring: DJ Woogie and DJ Neptune (Paranormal Activity), DJ Holiday (DatPiff) and DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Scream (Cortez) Essential Info: Soulja Boy is taking a page out of homie Gucci Mane's handbook and putting out three mixtapes at once — he's letting them thangs fly on Halloween. Utilizing the skills of five different DJs, Soulja said the tapes will feature three different varieties of his music. "I wanted to have more music out and I wanted to have three different styles on three different tapes," he explained. "DatPiff, I'm just going in on all the beats. Holiday sent me a whole lot of jacked beats and said, 'Lets go in on whatever's hot,' you feel me? Zaytoven sent me 10 beats. I used, like, three. The other one [Cortez] is just how I am in the game right now and [has] all the features I did. Me and Gucci are doing all types of features together like the joint I did, Teairra Marí's new single, 'Sponsor,' then there's one with Sean Garrett called 'Throw Money' and, of course, the 'LOL :-)' joint with Trey Songz. And I have the 'Gucci Bandana' joint — all the features I recently did. The Paranormal Activity sh--, that's really the Halloween mixtape: dark beats that's gonna keep you vibing." For the latter, Soulja said he wanted to make his musical project "better" than the hit movie. "I actually went to the movies to see it," he said of the thriller. "But why I really wanted to drop one with that title was because it was like, 'I'mma make this one better than the movie.' The movie was straight, but I was on Twitter and the movie has been a trending topic on Twitter for, like, a month straight. Plus it's Halloween-themed — it's dropping on Halloween. "Cortez is the beginning of a series," he added. "That's my middle name. If you go on the Web, they got my middle name listed as Ramon all over the Web sites. I don't know why. That's the beginning of a series — I might put out three or four more after I dropped that one." DatPiff is a tip of the hat to the highly regarded mixtape site DatPiff.com, where all three mixtapes will be available for download. Other Heat This Week » Play N Skillz - Recession Proof
» Gucci Mane and Shawty Lo - Fright Night For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos Related Artists |
| U2 Announce Second Round Of 360 Tour Dates Posted: 26 Oct 2009 10:03 PM PDT Rock superstars will return to North America next summer.
By Gil Kaufman 
Bono at the Pasadena, California stop of U2's 360 Tour
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images You don't build the most high-tech, enormous stage in the history of rock and then just put the thing in mothballs. And that's exactly why U2 will be bringing their massive 360 Tour back to North America next summer for another string of dates in a handful of the cities they missed the first time around and a few they clearly just can't leave behind. The return engagements will find the Irish superstars hitting up Chicago and Toronto again, along with new dates in Oakland, California; Edmonton, Alberta; Anaheim, California; Denver; Seattle; East Lansing, Michigan; Miami; Philadelphia; and Montreal. The first gig on the 2010 12-city trek is a June 6 stop at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California and the swing is slated to take the group through a July 19 show at the new Meadowland Stadium in East Rutherford. A string of European dates will follow in August and run through early October. After a live broadcast of Sunday night's show at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, the current leg of the tour will wrap on Wednesday night with a show at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. Though they've played to more than 3 million fans in 44 cities, smashed attendance records at the Rose Bowl and New York's Giants Stadium, the band has said the massive tour has yet to break even due to the enormous production costs of setting up and designing the 170-ton, $40 million stage. To add insult to injury, singer Bono recently told The Associated Press that he laments that sales of the group's latest album, No Line on the Horizon, have been somewhat soft, making for U2's lowest-selling CD in more than a decade. U2 360 Tour dates, according to their Web site:
» 6/6 - Anaheim, CA @ Angel Stadium
» 6/12 - Denver, CO 2 Invesco Field at Mile High
» 6/16 - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Coliseum
» 6/20 - Seattle, WA @ Qwest Field
» 6/23 - Edmonton, Alberta @ Commonwealth Stadium
» 6/30 - East Lansing, MI @ Spartan Stadium
» 7/3 - Toronto, Ontario @ Rogers Centre
» 7/6 - Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
» 7/9 - Miami, FL @ Land Shark Stadium
» 7/12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
» 7/16 - Montreal, Quebec @ Venue to be announced
» 7/19 - East Rutherford, NJ @ New Meadowlands Stadium Related Artists |
| Har Mar Superstar Breaks Through With 'Tall Boy' Video, Fallon Performance Posted: 27 Oct 2009 09:23 AM PDT Funk singer made a memorable appearance on 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' this week. 
Har Mar Superstar performs on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on Monday
Photo: NBC You'd be excused if the word "legend" was not the first honorific that sprang to mind after watching Har Mar Superstar on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on Monday night. But that's how the former "SNL" star referred to the Minnesota funketeer (a.k.a. Sean Tillman) after he tore down the house with a performance of his body-quaking new single, "Tall Boy." The electro tune — which is full of double entrendres about sex, big beers and ... well, mostly sex — has been turning heads over the past few weeks, thanks to an appropriately WTF-worthy sci-fi video, starring actress Eva Mendes. The "2 Fast 2 Furious" star spends most of the clip getting blasted with glitter amid scenes of girly pillow fights, a portly break-dancing spaceman and blue slime and milk attacks, as the full-figured Har Mar jiggles around in his too-tight silver space suit. The retro-rific space disco video is the first for Superstar's new album, Dark Touches, and it also features cameos from "Arrested Development" star Alia Shawkat and bizarre comedy genius Eric Wareheim of "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" Though the Fallon gig made his name unexpectedly jump to the top of the Google Trends list for a period early Tuesday morning, Har Mar not a household name. The 31-year-old singer has been making music for more than a decade under various guises and has gained a cult following in Hollywood with his insanely catchy tunes and anything-goes live performances. Born Sean Tillman in Owatonna, Minnesota, Har Mar started out in the St. Paul punk act Calvin Krime in the mid-1990s, then jumped to another group, the still-active power-pop band Sean Na Na, whose sometimes depressive lyrical edge is tempered by sunny musical arrangements. Har Mar had a cameo in the 2004 "Starsky and Hutch" move as Dancin' Rick, a disco champ who takes on Ben Stiller's David Starsky. Now he's teamed up with Shawkat and "Whip It" star Ellen Page for a new HBO pilot, "Stitch N' Bitch," which follows the adventures of two hipster girls who relocate from New York to Los Angeles in the hopes of striking it big. He also recently co-wrote and starred in the latest "Crappy Holidays" clip "Crappy Canadian Thanksgiving," starring Page, Justin Long and Kathryn Aagesen. So, while his hopes of landing songs on albums by Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, JC Chasez and INXS haven't really worked out yet, nor did the Adult Swim and VH1 pilots he told us about in 2005, Har Mar has at least become legend in his own mind and Fallon's. Related Artists |
| Chris Brown's 'I Can Transform Ya' Video Hits The Net Posted: 27 Oct 2009 07:28 AM PDT R&B singer morphs into slick vehicles in the clip, alongside Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz.
By James Montgomery 
Chris Brown in "I Can Transform Ya"
Photo: Jive Records On Tuesday (October 27), Chris Brown officially returned to the masses with the premiere of his "I Can Transform Ya" video, a super-slick clip that showcases not just his dance moves, but his newfound sense of swagger. The video, Chris Brown's first since pleading guilty to assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna, has no visible reference to his troubled year. Under the direction of Joseph Kahn — who has made memorable clips for Britney Spears ("Toxic," "Womanizer"), Eminem ("We Made You") and Lady Gaga ("LoveGame"), to name just a few — Brown pops and locks and croons about his Black Card and, thanks to the magic of special effects, changes form, morphing into, among other things, a sports car and a fire truck. Earlier in the month, Brown posted a handful of photos from the "Transform Ya" set, which showed him goofing around with Kahn, producer Swizz Beatz and guest star Lil Wayne; doing some ninjutsu (because, you know, why not?); and dancing in a military-esque get up. And now that the video's here, we're happy to report that all those things made the final cut. "Transform Ya" is the first single from Brown's Graffiti album (due in December), and while it's already beginning its ascent up the Billboard Hot 100, it's not the only song fans can hear from the disc. Just last week, "Crawl," which is reportedly the second single from the album, leaked to the Web and is a decidedly different tune: a ballad, on which Brown pensively croons about a relationship gone awry. "Everybody see it's you/ Well, I never want to lose that view," Brown sings. "Everybody says we're through/ I hope you haven't said it too." What do you think of Chris Brown's new video? Let us know below! Related Videos Related Artists |
| Lady Gaga Opens Up About Her Dad's Heart Condition Posted: 27 Oct 2009 09:19 AM PDT Singer wrote new song, 'Speechless,' 'to remind [fans] that you only get one set of parents.'
By Jocelyn Vena 
Lady Gaga
Photo: Ian Gavan/ Getty Images Lady Gaga has become such an otherworldly icon, what with her wigs and unusual getups, that it's sometimes easy to forget that she's really Stefani Germanotta, a nice Italian girl From New York who wanted to be the next Madonna. A reminder of that came during her interview with New York's Z-100 radio station on Tuesday morning (October 27), when, along with promoting her forthcoming The Fame Monster expanded re-release, she also talked about her dad. The re-release features a song, "Speechless," for her father, Joseph, in which she hopes he'll be convinced to seek the medical treatment he needs for his heart condition. "I've known about my father's condition for about 15 years. He told me whatever happens, happens," she said. "I was getting ready to lose my dad and I wrote this song." She said she brought up the song not to plug her album but to remind her fans, especially the younger, rebellious ones, that they should treasure their parents. "I say this with such sincerity," she said. "I wrote this song called 'Speechless' that was this plea to my father. I sent it to him. I have a lot of fans who are really lovely, young, troubled fans, but I want to remind them that you only get one set of parents." She performed a snippet of "Speechless" as part of a piano medley on "Saturday Night Live" earlier this month. Last week, when her dad was in the hospital recovering from the open heart operation he received, she took to Twitter to let her fans know that all was well with him. "My Daddy had open-heart surgery today. And after long hours, and lots of tears, they healed his broken heart, and mine. Speechless," she wrote. "At the hospital. Giving daddy a foot rub while he falls asleep. He's my hero." Lady Gaga launches her Monster Ball Tour on November 27 in Montreal. Related Artists |
| 50 Cent Shows Off His Kids In Exclusive 'Baby By Me' Video Preview Posted: 26 Oct 2009 12:34 AM PDT Kelly Rowland is Fif's leading lady in the clip, which premieres November 2 on MTV.
By Shaheem Reid 
50 Cent in "Baby By Me" video
Photo: Interscope At the recent Los Premios MTV awards show in Los Angeles, 50 Cent met up with Destiny's Child alum Kelly Rowland. Several hours later, they were in each other's arms. Rowland plays Fif's leading lady in the upcoming "Baby by Me" video. "I actually ran into her," 50 told us recently on the clip's set. "I said, 'Wow, it'll be great if I could get her to come tomorrow.' " Fif said he also had his eyes on Columbian model/actress Sofia Vergara, who was at Los Premios too. "I had some ideas," 50 said. "Actually, I was talking to Sofia. I presented with her at the actual awards, and her schedule didn't allow for her [to participate]. Kelly was getting ready to fly back to Miami. I was lucky enough to catch her. I kinda begged my way into her doing it. I didn't want to do the normal video situation, where you have the vixen or somebody no one knows from anywhere. I think it intensifies the whole song." As you'll see in MTV News' exclusive preview of the video, 50 and Kelly appear to have some kids together, and the world-famous rapper shows a wide grin when he carries his baby boys in his arms. The full "Baby by Me" clip debuts November 2 on MTV, MTV2, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, mtvU, MTV Tres and MTV.com. 50's next album, Before I Self Destruct, comes out November 23. On Monday (October 26), iTunes revealed the album's track list for pre-orders. Some of the records include "The Invitation," "Death to My Enemies," "Gangsta's Delight" and "Crime Wave," which has a viral video on the Net now. Related Artists |
| Bruce Springsteen Cancels Show Due To Cousin's Death Posted: 27 Oct 2009 06:08 AM PDT Assistant road manager Lenny Sullivan, 36, was found dead in Kansas City hotel, hours before concert.
By Gil Kaufman 
Bruce Springsteen
Photo: Marc Broussely/ Redferns Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band canceled their Monday night show at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, following the death on Monday of the band leader's cousin, who had worked as the band's assistant road manager for the past 10 years. According to a statement posted on the official E Street site, Springsteen's cousin Lenny Sullivan died at the age of 36 of undisclosed causes. "A warm and sensitive person, he was beloved by Bruce, the Band, the crew, and the entire Thrill Hill family," read the statement. "Bruce and the Band deeply appreciate the understanding of our Kansas City audience and look forward to returning at the earliest opportunity." The Kansas City Star reported that Sullivan was found dead at Kansas City's Intercontinental Hotel just three hours before the group was slated to perform. A spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department said officers were investigating the death, which they did not believe was suspicious. The announcement of the show cancellation came just 90 minutes before the scheduled 7:30 start time, after the gear had already been loaded in and just minutes before the doors were going to open for fans. The E Street Band's next scheduled gig is Thursday night at Madison Square Garden for the opening night of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concerts, where Simon & Garfunkel (and Paul Simon's solo act); Crosby, Stills, Nash & Friends; and Stevie Wonder are also set to perform. It was announced on Monday that Eric Clapton, who was slated to perform at Friday night's show, has pulled out because of gallbladder surgery; he will be replaced by fellow English guitar legend Jeff Beck. Related Videos Related Artists |
