Ke$ha, Black Eyed Peas, More Featured In O Music Awards Roundtable Debate

Music-video director Wayne Isham will join Most Innovative Video debate, which streams live Monday on OMusicAwards.com and MTV.com.
By MTV News Staff


Ke$ha
Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images

Ever since they were first announced, the O Music Awards have proudly proclaimed themselves the untraditional alternative to the staid world of red carpets, acceptance speeches and celebrity glad-handing.

And for further proof of that point, consider the following: Though the inaugural O Music Awards won't premiere until April 28, the first award will be handed out on Monday at 4 p.m. ET ... and it's a big one.

For weeks, fans have been voting for the Most Innovative Music Video through the O Music Awards official site, and on Monday — in a roundtable debate moderated by MTV News' James Montgomery — a winner will be crowned.

The O Music Awards Debate for the Most Innovative Music Video, presented by FUZE®, will stream live on OMusicAwards.com and MTV.com. Joining Montgomery around the table will be acclaimed video director Wayne Isham, Mashable's Brenna Ehrlich and some super-secret celebrity guests.


The Black Eyed Peas, Ke$ha, My Chemical Romance and more will also take part in the discussion about just what makes a video truly innovative, and the folks who are nominated for the award — a list that includes Arcade Fire, Robyn, OK Go and Andy Grammer — will also Skype in to make the case for why their video deserves to be named Most Innovative.

On Monday morning, the original list of 10 nominees will be whittled down to the top five vote-getters, and then, during the debate, our roundtable and the Internet audience will cut that list down to the final three. At the very end, we'll announce the winner of the very first O Music Award for Most Innovative Video.

The inaugural O Music Awards will stream live from Las Vegas at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on OMusicAwards.com. Tune in to see who will reign supreme in categories like Most Viral Dance, Funniest Music Short and NSFW Music Video!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1662511/o-music-awards-most-innovative-video.jhtml

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Justin Bieber's Grammy Performance Will Be 'A Crossover,' Usher Says

The 'O.M.G.' singer looks forward to sharing the stage with his protégé on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery


Usher
Photo: Amanda Edwards/ Getty Images

HOLLYWOOD — At Sunday's 53rd Grammy Awards, Usher will be pulling double duty as both a nominee and a performer. Of course, given the massive year he just completed — with the success of his smash single "O.M.G." and as a mentor to rising phenom Justin Bieber — Ush's Grammy plans seem rather fitting.

Especially since he'll be performing with Bieber (and Bieber's pal Jaden Smith), a move that's just as much about celebrating Usher's successes as it is the successes of his young protégé.

"Having been through [the Grammys] so many times, you couldn't want for anything more than for your young protégé to have the opportunity to have one, so, in support of him having his moment, I wanted to be here," Usher told MTV News on Thursday, hours before his performance at the (Belvedere) RED launch party in Hollywood. "And also to be there to perform, to kind of tell the story of how we came together. This music business has definitely been good to both of us, and this year we have a lot to be happy for."

And just how will the dynamic duo tell that story? Well, Usher wasn't about to reveal all the details, but he did say that he's hoping their performance will show another side of Bieber ... a side most tend to overlook.

"The performance will be fun," Usher explained. "We want to get up there and just do what we do. Be comfortable, and have a great time. ... This is kind of a crossover for Justin. Having performed on so many different stages, this is the way that I wanted him to be seen and an opportunity to show the industry — a lot of the industry, that didn't believe [in him] — some of his other talents. He's going to play acoustically, and also, we'll get down a little bit."

And though Ush is up for a pair of Grammy awards on Sunday — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary R&B Album for Raymond v. Raymond — he's most looking forward to sharing the stage with Bieber and giving fans a look at where the young artist will be heading next.

"I'm very proud, man. I definitely saw it from the beginning, but thanks to the team that we have around us, it was made to happen. And that story has only just begun," Usher said. "The story of Justin Bieber doesn't stop with screaming girls; we need screaming fans all around the world ... a cultural experience that's much more than just fanfare. And that's what this is. That's what the Grammys will be; that's what my next phase for Justin is. This is the way I found him: I found him with a guitar in his hand, so I want him to be seen that way."

Don't miss "Snooki & Sway: Live From the Grammys," a red-carpet live stream kicking off Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And stick with us all Grammy night for coverage of the red carpet, the show, the afterparties and beyond!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657728/usher-justin-bieber-grammy-performance.jhtml

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Latest Dish!

Death Cab For Cutie's Guide To Seattle: Well-Worn Studios, Bathroom Libraries

In the final stop on our 'Seattle Sonics' tour, DCFC take us to the city's legendary Avast! Studio.
By James Montgomery


Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla at Avast! Recording Co. in Seattle
Photo: MTV News

SEATTLE — The Avast! Recording Company, the final stop on our "Death Cab for Cutie: Seattle Sonics" tour, jokingly proclaims on their official site, "We pledge to have a website by 2010." Of course, they've got one, but the humor lies in the fact that the pledge is a very Seattle statement: slightly self-effacing, sure, but also steadfastly defiant. This is a town that, when it comes to music, likes to adhere to the old standard that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Which is why, in the many studios that dot the landscape here, you won't find a whole lot of high-end gadgetry. Instead, the rooms are packet with rickety pianos, dented Fenders and, in Avast!'s case, a massive Trident A-Range console, a legendary bit of gear (only 13 were ever assembled) that has attained near-mythic status in the recording industry. It's just part of the reason local bands have flocked to the studio over its 20-year history — everyone from Soundgarden to Fleet Foxes have recorded here — and it's most definitely why Chris Walla decided to take us here.

Because not only is Walla an unapologetic studio guy (he operates his own, called Hall of Justice, which was in the middle of a rather messy overhaul when we were in town), but he's worked here too: DCFC's Transatlanticism was mixed at Avast!, and he used the studio to put the finishing touches on their just-released Codes and Keys. And, above all else, he considers Avast! to be a second home ... and a key cog in the city's studio scene.

"I think Seattle has my favorite collection of studios and studio community of any town I've worked in," he said. "This is really a town where you can call the studio down the street and say, 'My tape machine's broken; do you have something you're not using?' And someone will probably say, 'Yeah, we can totally help you out.' "

And the epicenter of that comfortable, community feel seems to be Avast!, which, with its wood-paneled walls, vintage consoles (in addition to the Trident, they've also got Lenny Kravitz's old API Legacy board in Studio B — "I feel like I'm sitting at the captain's chair of the Enterprise," Walla joked from behind its expanse) and delightfully worn décor, recalls nothing more than a massive rec room ... albeit one that comes with an espresso machine. It's where bands come to work on their records in a way that's largely unchanged from 20 years ago: no bells and whistles, just time-tested methods and well-aged gear. And it will probably never change.

For further proof of that, Walla showed us the studio's tape library — shelves of precariously stacked master recordings that contain a large portion of the recorded history of Seattle. And, somewhat fittingly, it's located in the bathroom.

"It's like half of what has ever been recorded in Seattle, I think, is probably stored in here," Walla laughed, ducking inside the tiny room. "[It's a] tape library; Seattle style."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665076/death-cab-for-cutie-codes-and-keys.jhtml

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THG Week in Review: May 28-June 4, 2011


Welcome to THG's Week in Review! Below, our staff takes a look back at the stories, stars and scandals that made these last seven days so memorable.

If you don't already, you can FOLLOW THG on Twitter and Facebook for 24/7/365 news. Day in and day out, let us be your #1 celebrity gossip source!

Now, a rundown of the week that was at The Hollywood Gossip:

Blake Lively, Phone


Breaking Dawn Wedding Tease


I'm Just a Cat and I'm Doing Cat Stuff Music Video

Pregnant Pink and Carey HartCandice Crawford and Tony Romo

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/06/thg-week-in-review-may-28-june-4-2011/

Eva Mendes Evangeline Lilly Eve Fergie Foxy Brown

Jessica Simpson & Eric Johnson: Out and About in NYC

They are as cute as they come, and Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson were spotted out and about in New York City on Friday (June 3).

The paparazzi caught up to the ?Come On Over? singer and her handsome fiance as they made their out of a restaurant after enjoying a nice meal together.

In other news, Jess and sister Ashlee are teaming up and designing a new clothing line directed towards ?tweens.?

Jess told WWD, ?Creating a tween apparel collection was a natural extension for the brand. I?m excited to bring my sister, Ashlee, along as co-creative director of this division, because she brings a savvy rocker edge that defines today?s ?tweens.?

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/jessica-simpson/jessica-simpson-eric-johnson-out-and-about-nyc-510898

Giulianna Ramirez Grace Park Gretha Cavazzoni Gwen Stefani Halle Berry

Movie Awards Tip To Celebs: Pass (And Drop) The Golden Popcorn!

'Let it slip. It's no problem!' laughs Suz-Anna Dela Rosa, in search of good post-show gossip.
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Jim Cantiello


Jim Cantiello
Photo: MTV News

If there's one request Suz-Anna Dela Rosa, the woman in charge of handling the Movies Awards' Golden Popcorn trophies, has for celebs as they prepare for Sunday's big show, it's please, please drop the Popcorn.

It all started back in 2009, when Kristen Stewart dropped the Golden Popcorn statue she'd just received for Best Female Performance in "Twilight." The starlet was awkward (and adorable) about the misstep, and the moment is now part of MTV Movie Awards history.

Fast-forward to 2010: no dropped awards. Apparently last year's celebs didn't want to repeat KStew's stumble, so they came prepared — with steady hands and good balance. And, of course, that was a good thing, except that it meant Dela Rosa didn't have too many juicy celeb anecdotes for us when we asked her to dish some dirt after the show. Stewart's slip in '09 had gotten us a cute story about how the "Breaking Dawn" star asked Movie Awards staff for her broken Popcorn only to find out they had already tossed it.

But last year? "Nothing, not a thing," Dela Rosa said. "Celebrities, please help us out. Give us a story."

She even suggested that stars give the audience a little fake-out, a tease. "Drop it. Let it slip. It's no problem!" she joked.

With Jim Carrey set to present at the Movie Awards and Jason Sudeikis as the show's host, she may get her wish.

Will wizards, vampires or dream thieves steal the 2011 MTV Movie Awards? Find out June 5, when the 20th annual show airs live at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT that night for the "America's Best Dance Crew" finale and Movie Awards pre-show, loaded with live action from the red carpet, exclusive movie clips and a special edition of "After Hours." To get into the magical movie mood, it's Sneak Peek Week — five days of exclusives and interviews with the casts of "Fright Night," "Horrible Bosses" and more. Check out everything there is to know about Sneak Peek Week, the Movie Awards and the pre-show at MovieAwards.MTV.com!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665130/mtv-movie-awards-golden-popcorn.jhtml

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Lady Gaga Recalls Beyonce's Inspiration In MTV's 'Inside The Outside'

After being dropped by Island Def Jam, Gaga saw a Destiny's Child video and decided, 'I want that.'
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga
Photo: MTV News

Sometime around 2006, Lady Gaga wasn't Lady Gaga. Sure, she was using the name back then, but she was still little more than a Lower East Side oddity, not the iconic, globe-spanning superstar she has since become. And so, she was understandably elated to score a meeting — and a subsequent deal — with Island Def Jam impresario L.A. Reid.

But after a few months, for reasons never really explained, her phone calls stopped being returned and she was summarily dropped from the label. In hindsight, it was just a minor bump on her road to stardom, but at the time, Gaga was crushed. It's a pain she's never quite forgotten, as she explained in the just-premiered "Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside" documentary.

"I remember when I got dropped from my first record label, I just said, 'Mommy, let's go see Grandma,' " Gaga recalled. "And I cried on my grandmother's couch. She looked at me, and she goes, 'I'm going to let you cry for the rest of the day, and then you have to stop crying, and you have to go kick some ass.' "

Devastated, but determined, Gaga set forth to do just that. And in addition to her grandmother's words, she drew inspiration from a rather unlikely source — one that would also prove oddly prescient in the years to come.

"You know, I've never told Beyoncé this, but I remember laying on my grandmother's couch crying, and a Destiny's Child video came on," she said. "I remember watching Beyoncé thinking, 'Oh, she's a star. I want that. I want to be on MTV.' And now I'm in music videos with Beyoncé."

It's because of those early rejections that Gaga has learned to savor her success. After all, she's certainly proved her naysayers wrong.

"The commercial success that I've had has been mind-blowing," she said. "I'm the girl that everyone said 'No' and shook their head and said 'I don't get it.' "

Well, it seems that millions of people around the world "get it" now.

What was the most interesting thing you learned from watching "Inside the Outside"? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664720/lady-gaga-beyonce-inside-the-outside.jhtml

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