Opinion, Pop Culture

Does Anyone Listen To Music At Rolling Stone?

Nick Nicoludis :: Thursday, March 18th, 2010 1:45 pm

In Rolling Stone Magazine’s latest issue, which hit stands yesterday, they outlined what they believe to be 2010’s best new bands (linked here). I was kind of appalled at their pitiful list. It contains a few good bands, but the problem is that not many of them are actually new. I don’t really get it. I mean, I understand that Rolling Stone is a big time operation, and they have their priorities and record label favors, but still, isn’t their a young intern or something there that could have atleast contributed to the list? Keep reading to see the list. MORE »

The Nightmare Before St. Patrick’s Day and Other Irish Links

Amy Laviero :: Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 1:00 pm

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and as the corned beef slowly begins to simmer on my stove, everyone everywhere is “Irish,” wearing green, and/or planning a night out on the town. The 249th St. Patrick’s Day Parade is currently underway in NYC and will come to a close in about a million hours on 86th Street and Fifth Avenue.

If, like me, you’re lamenting the fact that you’re not at SXSW, and you won’t be celebrating the luck o’ the Irish in NYC or by lifting a car-bomb to the most famous patron saint of Ireland, here are a couple links to check out.

“You can find drunks, it’s true, on any holiday, but there is only one where we throw them a parade.” Although some of their material is lame, College Humor hits the nail on the head with their video “The Nightmare Before St. Patrick’s Day,” which you can check out here. MORE »

MTV Disconnects Gaga’s Telephone

Shannon Hassett :: Monday, March 15th, 2010 12:10 pm

Lady Gaga knew exactly who she was referring to when she named her album Fame Monster, and it wasn’t just the papa-paparazzi. MTV — proving that there’s no limit to the shameless mooching of couture coattails — has done the unthinkable. This past weekend, the network recognized the continued existence of music videos. The cause? Banning Gaga’s latest effort, of course, which is confusing for a number of reasons. For starters, MTV hasn’t aired an actual music video in about fifteen years, making its cheap grab for publicity all the more transparent. The video is a glorified commercial (product placements include Heartbeats Headphones, Virgin Mobile, Chanel, Diet Coke, Plenty of Fish, Hewlett-Packard, Chevy, Little Debbie, Polaroid, Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip), which is exactly the type of gauche advertising MTV prides itself on. If you thought the Italian American fallout was bad, have fun with the 15 million fans about to boycott for their fearless leader.

MTV to Release Daria on DVD !!!

Shannon Hassett :: Sunday, March 14th, 2010 4:10 pm

I am going to die happy. What’s my secret? I swore that if Daria ever came out on DVD, I would die happy. My brother sent me the link yesterday evening, and thus my fate was officially confirmed. TV Shows on DVD reports that for $46.99, on May 11 you will have in your possession all five seasons, both movies, the pilot, the Mystik Spiral music video for “Freakin’ Friends,” a Top Ten video countdown hosted by Daria and Jane, cast and crew interviews and a previously unreleased Mystik Spiral spin-off script. Holy shit! If you’re anything like me, this is all you’ve been hoping for since that summer at tennis camp after eighth grade when everyone nicknamed you Daria and mistook your disposition and bookish glasses for angry lesbianism. Meanwhile, your crush on Trent Lane was so sincere as to manifest itself in the form of Jakob Dylan, a misguided Wallflowers phase that still haunts you eight years later. I obv already preordered mine; here’s to life!

Jenny McCarthy Body Count

Shannon Hassett :: Friday, March 12th, 2010 12:35 pm

Oh, Jenny. You’re dating Jim, and you used to be hot, and you exploited your own unintelligence to make money off of MTV, which I guess makes you smarter (and definitely richer). In 2002, you had a son. That’s fine, it’s something us women do. Your son was diagnosed with autism, which is not a joke, unpreventable and an illness that affects a high percentage of children each year. There are a number of illnesses that kill children that can be prevented, however, and since 2007, you’ve made it your personal mission to thwart such prevention. Yesterday, it was called to my attention (admittedly while this person was smoking a cigarette) that a website was created to monitor the outcome of your opinions. Here are the results.

Heidi Montag PSA is Definitive Sign of the Apocalypse

Shannon Hassett :: Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 3:40 pm

The apocalypse really has nothing to do with Heidi Montag. Nor is it concerned with MTV, a Doctor who agrees to perform 10 consecutive plastic surgeries or Whitney Port unfairly dating that really hot guy from The Buried Life. The apocalypse is centered solely on Ron Howard, and he has just signaled our doom. It all started with Happy Days, when Richie Cunningham was chosen by the Gods as the vehicle for all things right in the world. Obviously only a ginger could uphold such a responsibility. Now Ron is losing his hair, and with that the power to do no wrong. This video, directed by Howard, is the official harbinger of our collective demise.

Band of Horses gets Artsy on Infinite Arms

Shannon Hassett :: Monday, March 8th, 2010 3:15 pm

Band of Horses will release its third and latest full length, Infinite Arms, on May 18. In addition to the new tunes, the band will also see two new members join its recording roster — Tyler Ramsey and Bill Reynolds — both tour veterans with the sedate Seattle crooners. The album’s package will feature art by Christopher Wilson, the group’s longtime collaborator (whose work can be viewed on the Band of Horses site), and Phil Ek will be manning the production, promising at least the proper recipe for a solid release. Fans of Jersey Shore filler My Life as Liz were also recently treated to an Everything All the Time throwback when “The Funeral” was featured as Liz Lee’s talent show act. Am I a bad person for not hating it?

Google Commits Music Blogocide Over MP3s

Shannon Hassett :: Thursday, February 11th, 2010 11:00 am

Had you been up early and browsing for some mp3s this morning, you would have been hard pressed to find the usual suspects. A number of the web’s most highly trafficked music blogs were shut down over the past day and a half, including: I Rock Cleveland, It’s A Rap, LivingEars, Masalacism, Pop Tarts Suck Toasted and To Die By Your Side. In addition to the release of mp3s, the sites share another common bond in their blogging platforms, as all are hosted by Google’s Blogger. Not a huge surprise, then, when overnight the creators all received a similar message from Google alerting them to their apparent copyright infringement and the immediate shutdown of their blogs. MORE »

Pete Wentz Plays God via Twitter

Shannon Hassett :: Thursday, February 4th, 2010 3:00 pm

Fall Out Boy is irrelevant, almost as irrelevant as you’re wishing Twitter could be, but let’s face the harsh reality folks: they’ve both made their way onto the map of cultural relevancy. One can certainly achieve this mark through an inherent mockability — clearly the case of the former — but by capitalizing on the latter, Fall Out Boy has displayed a sense of foresight difficult to overlook. MORE »

Second Lady Gaga Comic Book To Be Released

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 5:55 pm

In October 2009, Marc Jacobs stores sold Lady Gaga-centric comic books for two dollars a pop. The small book was a short, witty piece that focused less on Gaga’s history and more on the Lady’s famously freaky penchant for high fashion. The illustrations, drawn by the artist Brian Enersen, were very simple and sketched in stark black lines. An upcoming comic book, titled “Fame: Lady Gaga,” is another approach to portraying the singer in pictures.

The two covers for the book, featured today on MTV News, are full-color portraits of Lady Gaga. The comic book itself is supposedly biographical. It’s slated to be released in May. Nerdy, comic-book-lovin’ pop enthusiasts, take note.

Jersey Shore 2 Becomes a Reality

Shannon Hassett :: Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 5:45 pm

There is a longstanding tradition amongst New Jersey high school seniors that gets kept quiet in an effort to preserve its existence. Rather than your average post-prom rager, us Jerseyans really dig deep, renting out entire seaside motels and thus extending prom night to three glorious days in the process. Even more sacred than the migration itself is the slew of indiscretions that occur, satiating the small school love of gossip until the graduation party circuit can commence. Among the scandal emerges one King or Queen, however, committing a high enough number of poor decisions to earn them a final crowning title: Shore Whore.

It is with this in mind that I inform you of the earth shattering news today that, yes, MTV’s Jersey Shore will more than likely be returning for a second season. I make no claims regarding the show’s intellectual or cultural merits; I have no desire to express my feelings about the image it presents of a place I often frequented in my youth. I share the above high school memento with you simply to evidence that there are still lessons to be learned from the series, and that these characters have a lot of love left to give. MORE »

Links For A Wednesday At Work

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 1:35 pm

Midday hitting you a little hard? Depending on your inclination (serious, frivolous, or some combination of the two), one of these links will be sure to sate your office-induced boredom. Just make sure you’re wearing headphones if you choose to explore the Jersey Shore soundboard - we’re not responsible for evisceration by co-workers, otherwise.

1. This recent New York Magazine article about a city of homeless people in the woods of New Jersey built by a minister. Social experiment or pure altruism?

2. The Jersey Shore soundboard. Prank call your dearest guido- and guidette-loving pal with panache! Suggested combination of terms: “I like tan Italian boys with muscles” and “BIG FAKE BOOBS.” Oh, the hilarity!

Guido Fist Pump

Matt Kiebus :: Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 3:30 pm

There have been a lot of interesting and popular dance movements throughout the history of music, the twist, robot, hustle, crip walk, and the percolator. However nothing has been more simplistic, ridiculous, or barbaric than the guido fist pump (GFP).

Over the past couple months the world-wide-web has been abuzz over MTV’s introduction of the rare and isolated species of guidos and guidettes to the masses. Being from New Jersey and spending many summers growing up at the Jersey Shore, I have always known the surreal nature that surrounds guido culture. I assure you that reality television’s Mona Lisa isn’t exaggerated, these people exist. They are invading your gyms, bars, beaches, malls, and tanning salons. They are walking advertisements for spray tans, Armani Exchange, breast implants, steroids, and Jagerbombs. And when 10p.m. on Friday rolls around they toss on their Affliction or Ed Hardy t-shirts, hair extensions, sunglasses and get ready to dance. MORE »

Bobby Bottleservice Needs A TV Show

Isaac Lekach :: Friday, December 11th, 2009 12:30 pm

Nick Kroll (The League, Cavemen) performed at Largo in Los Angeles as part of Paul Scheer’s holiday show called The J. Montgomery Scott Christmas Show Spectacular last night. Tim Heidecker (Tim & Eric), Army Navy and a few others performed as well. Scheer, dressed as the elderly and aloof J. Montgomery Scott, hosted the evening and introduced his guests. Kroll’s performance as Bobby Bottleservice, dressed in Ed Hardy and covered in bling, was my personal highlight. I’m not sure how long Kroll has been doing the Bottleservice act for, but I’m pretty sure it’s fairly new. Then again, I have been late on things before. I still haven’t seen MTV’s Jersey Shore. I have however seen The Service’s audition tape for Jersey Shore. Click here to watch it. Big-ups to Paul Scheer for putting together a great show.

Music Video: Vampire Weekend “Cousins”

Isaac Lekach :: Thursday, November 19th, 2009 9:00 am

It’s a shame MTV doesn’t really play videos anymore, because videos are just getting better and better and I’d sure like to see them projected on a screen bigger than my laptop’s. Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Son Of Rambow, and tons of videos including the one for “A Punk”) directed the latest video for Vampire Weekend. It’s for the song “Cousins,” which comes from the groups second record Contra (due out January 12). Peep the video after the jump. Send hate mail to MTV here.