Monday, September 3, 2012

Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones Unveil Supergroup

Them Crooked Vultures make their debut with a post-Lollapalooza set.
By James Montgomery

<P>Officially, <a href="/news/articles/1617945/janes-addiction-killers-turn-up-heat-on-lollapaloozas-last-day.jhtml">Lollapalooza ended Sunday night</a> in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="1244299">the Killers</MTVNLINK> and <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="702">Jane's Addiction</MTVNLINK>. Unofficially, it ended <i>very</i> early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures.</P><P>To the unfamiliar, the Vultures might seem like an odd choice to close out Lolla weekend ... until you realize that they're made up of <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="986">Foo Fighters</MTVNLINK> frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="503135">Queens of the Stone Age</MTVNLINK> mastermind Josh Homme and <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="993">Led Zeppelin</MTVNLINK> legend John Paul Jones. And their gig at the Metro was their world premiere.</P><P>According to <a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2009/08/them_crooked_vultures_at_metro.html" target="_blank">some reports</a>, the Vultures actually turned <i>down</i> Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell's request to replace the Beastie Boys as headliners at the festival, opting to debut in front of some 1,100 super-psyched fans at the Metro, rather than 75,000 in Grant Park (tickets for the gig were announced via Foo Fighter/ QOTSA fan clubs). Meaning that, in a lot of ways, this was the most sought-after ticket in town.</P><P>Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures &#8212; Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar &#8212; ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called <i>Never Deserved the Future,</i> and may or may not be hitting stores on October 23 (early "promo" videos touting both those facts were revealed over the weekend to be hoaxes perpetrated by QOTSA fans).</P><P>The songs, with appropriately Homme-ian titles like "Scumbag Blues," "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)," "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes," sounded pretty much how you'd expect, given the band's pedigree. They rocked, hard &#8212; <a href="http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2009/08/concert-review-them-crooked-vultures-at-metro.html" target="_blank"><i>Chicago Tribune</i></a> critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" &#8212; delving off into psychedelic, reverb-filled excursions and exploring proggy territory, "both of the old-school Yes variety, and the more modern Tool flavor," according to the <i>Chicago Sun-Times'</i> Jim DeRogatis.</P><P>It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures &#8212; there have been whispers of a full-blown tour, but a spokesperson for Homme had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Nor was it clear whether or not they'll have an album out in October.</P><P>Early Monday, a <a href="http://twitter.com/crookedvultures" target="_blank">Crooked Vultures Twitter account</a>, which had previously posted links to the band's <a href="http://www.themcrookedvultures.com/" target="_blank">official-looking Web site</a> and the Metro's online ticketing site &#8212; posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a <i>Deserve the Future</i> T-shirt. Cost: $30.</P>

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Beyonce Backs U.N.'s World Humanitarian Day: Watch Now!

Singer will film live music video for 'I Was Here' to support campaign.
By Jocelyn Vena

<P>Last week, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/knowles_beyonce/artist.jhtml">Beyonc&#233;</a> posted a <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/07/26/beyonce-posts-mysterious-announcement-wipes-hard-drives-when-she-leaves-studio/">mysterious message</a> on her website that simply read, "Leave your footprint on 19 August 2012."</P><P>The cryptic note had many fans wondering just what Queen B might be up to come mid-August. Well, the answer is here, and Beyonc&#233; not only wants her Beyhive to leave their footprint that day, but she'll also be doing the same.</P><P><iframe width="415" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yPPBKyIceWY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></P><P>The superstar has joined forces with the United Nations and humanitarian aid organizations for World Humanitarian Day on August 19. It is "a global day to celebrate humanity and the spirit of people helping people," according to a press release.</P><P>The VMA-nominated singer will be in New York City for the big celebration, along with her "I Was Here" songwriter, Diane Warren. The ladies will be on hand at the U.N. General Assembly Hall to film a live music video for the <i>4</i> ballad that they will then donate to the cause. It will be released that same day.</P><P>Beyonc&#233; appears in a black-and-white PSA for the campaign. A close-up of her face, sporting the <a href="/news/articles/1689944/beyonce-baby-blue-ivy.jhtml">braids she debuted a few weeks back</a>, shows her outdoors. "It's high time we rise together," she says. "Do one thing for another human being &#8212; nothing is too small. It begins with each of us. Make your mark and say 'I was here.' " Also including footage of people across the world, the message closes out with the track playing and the diva saying, "One day, one message, 1 billion taking action for each other. I'll see you then."</P><P>The <a href="http://www.whd-iwashere.org" target="_blank">World Humanitarian Day website</a> launched this week allows folks to post the "individual acts of good" they have done in their communities. By the day of the event, they hope to reach 1 billion people with a single message. Communities will do their part through commemorations and public events.</P><P>"We all see the headlines, and we think, 'What can I really do to help?' " Beyonc&#233; said in a statement. "World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity for all of us to work together to make a difference. This is our time to leave our mark on the world and show that we were here and we care."</P>

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Beyonce's Shout-Out Floors Snuggie-Clad 'Countdown' Video Mastermind

Seeing praise for his 'Snuggie Version' tribute on B's website was 'the best moment of my life,' 16-year-old superfan tells MTV News.
By Cory Midgarden

<P>When Ton Do-Nguyen uploaded his shot-for-shot <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/07/18/beyonce-fan-video-countdown-snuggie">recreation of Beyonc&#233;'s "Countdown" video</a> to the Web, he didn't expect it to be seen by anyone other than his friends and family. But with more than 500,000 views on YouTube and the stamp of approval from the Queen B herself, the junior class president from Pennsylvania has quickly learned the power of the Internet.</P><P>"I'm going on her website, and I just start screaming," Ton said about reading a post in which <a href="http://www.beyonce.com/news/brilliant" target="_blank">Beyonc&#233; praises his "Snuggie Version,"</a> calling it "brilliant."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Ton Do-Nguyen Made His Beyonce Parody For 'Fun'" id="vid:816890" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>"That was literally the best moment of my life &#8212; hands down," the 16-year-old told MTV News. "I was scared she would get mad. ... When she posted it on her wall and everything, it was so positive."</P><P>It's not just the superstar singing Ton's praises either: Everyone from <a href="https://twitter.com/PerezHilton/status/225726296385277952" target="_blank">Perez Hilton</a> to "Glee" star <a href="https://twitter.com/iharryshum/status/225651447864360960" target="_blank">Harry Shum Jr.</a> are bowing down to the Snuggie-clad tribute, with the same question on everybody's mind: How the heck did he do it?</P><P>"For each specific part, I would just look on YouTube and try and get it down to a T in front of my mirror and go off and film it," Ton explained. "It's so tiring, and do you know what it's like to be in a Snuggie in the middle of July?"</P><P>And while the sleeved blanket was originally used merely as a fashion statement to set the two clips apart, Ton revealed that the body-length fleece ended up serving useful in the production as well: "I used my Snuggie as a blue screen and wore a blue shirt and then I just did my thing."</P><P><i>What do you think of Ton Do-Nguyen's recreation of "Countdown"? Tell us in the comments below!</i></P>

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Sunday, September 2, 2012

Shia LaBeouf Is A Total Tom Hardy Fanboy, Convinced Him To Join Lawless Cast

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