May 6, 2024

About the author  ⁄ Brenna Ehrlich

Lana Del Rey Burns Up L.A. In ‘West Coast’ Video: Watch

by 05/07/14

Lana Del Rey goes all sad L.A. screen queen in her new video for “West Coast,” off of her upcoming sophomore record, Ultraviolence.

A continuation of a clip that heralded the release of the single, the mostly black-and-white video features Lana swaying on a beach with a long-haired paramour; languidly lying on the shoulder of a shades-sporting older man in a convertible (perhaps that Humbert Humbert “my old man” from “Off to the Races”?); and, finally, engulfed in flames and a livid red dress, her form superimposed on a highway full of palm trees.

It’s like if David Lynch and Francesca Lia Block got together and dropped acid with a movie camera. Check it below:

Brenna Ehrlich is a reporter for MTV News as well as the senior writer/editor for the O Music Awards. In the past, she served as associate editor at Mashable, penned a netiquette column for CNN and co-authored the blog and book "Stuff Hipsters Hate." She likes trying not to die in moshpits and listening to songs on repeat. Follow her on Twitter @BrennaEhrlich for news on cats and punk bands.

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How Did 5 Seconds Of Summer Get Their ‘Don’t Stop’ Super Powers?

by 05/07/14

I’m guessing that you don’t need anyone to save you, but it’s nice to know someone has your back, right? What about four someones — a.k.a. the dudes from 5 Seconds Of Summer?

The boys recently put out a flashy, comic book-themed lyric video for “Don’t Stop” in which the band — kitted out like superheroes — save a mysterious red-headed girl.

Well, get this fans: That girl? She’s you.

“She was inspired by the fanbase that the guys have,” director Sophia Ray told MTV News. “We wanted her to signify all of their fans — all the people that they’re serving through this anti-bullying campaign.”

The video ties into the anti-bullying effort the guys launched in support of Ashton Irwin’s sister.

“We thought it was quite a nice, positive touch going down the superhero route,” Ray said, adding that the band picked their own superhero names and powers.

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“Calum said he wanted to be ‘CalPal’ because everyone loves Calum and thinks he’s really outgoing and he can sort of charm anyone,” she said.

Luke became Dr. Fluke after doing a science experiment to make the perfect hair gel, which “bonded with his mind and showed him the path to righteousness and how good conquers evil,” Ray said.

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Mike morphed into Mike-Ro-Wave when his love of pizza led him to consume a radioactive slice heated in a microwave that Dr. Fluke had tinkered with. “It also aided his video-gaming skills,” Ray added.

Finally, Ashton became SmAsh after saving a ...

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Who Will Neon Trees Frontman Tyler Glenn Make Out With In Future Videos?

by 05/06/14

Neon Trees‘ Tyler Glenn may have come out before releasing the band’s newest effort Pop Psychology, but most of the pronouns in the band’s new songs — and the love interests in their videos — are still female.

Does Glenn plan to whip out some “he”s moving forward? MTV News hit him up to find out.

“I don’t think pronouns matter really with music because music is so universal,” Glenn told MTV News, adding that women are not always the love interests they seem in the band’s work.

In the video for “Sleeping With A Friend,” for example, Glenn says the woman functions as a kind of a villain.

“Technically I’m sort of running from this girl in the video,” he said. “Not to make women out to be bad, but… I kind of spent my life trying to date girls when in reality it just wasn’t my nature.”

Glenn, who was raised Mormon, came out in a recent interview with Rolling Stone after turning 30.

Still, he does say that mixing up the pronouns could be possible in the future.

“I think there might be an opportunity,” he said. “We do have a lot of love-centered songs — whether they’re good love or bad love. I don’t know, maybe it would be fun to make out with a dude and raise some eyebrows in a music video.”

Brenna Ehrlich is a reporter for MTV News as well as the senior writer/editor for the O Music ...

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Together Pangea Saved A Little Girl’s Life On ‘NCIS’ — No Joke

by 05/06/14

File this under “Things That Are So Weirdly Awesome We Literally Clapped With Glee”: Los Angeles garage thrashers together PANGEA saved a child’s life on last week’s episode of “NCIS: Los Angeles.” Yup, still more proof that rock ‘n’ is far from dead.

The band doesn’t have a song on the episode’s tracklist — or a guest-starring role. Nope, the “Too Drunk To C-m” singers are integrated directly into the plot. Allow me to break it down:

When a 10-year-old girl that NCISLA agent Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) once provided protection for in Saudi Arabia goes missing, he’s certain that her disappearance is related to the theft of a fancy new plane designed by her engineer father.

Why? Well, the only thing left in the getaway van is the CD booklet for together PANGEA’s new record, Badillac, and the little girl is a HUGE TP fan. She used to play the band’s jam “Snakedog” all the time on the drums when she was in Saudi Arabia with LL — I mean, Sam.

“It’s a little girl’s SOS,” Hanna says of the CD.

So how did this gloriousness — which includes LL Cool J muttering “together PANGEA” in a “it’s a clue!” voice — come about?

According to music supervisor Mark Wike, he had been aware of the band for a while and was looking for a way to integrate them into the show.

“Jon Granat [who signed the band] and I were barreling down a killer single-track trail in the Santa Monica mountains on our ...

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Lorde Calls OUT Scary, ‘Stalking’ Paparazzo

by 05/05/14

From flip-flopping journalists to Photoshop, Lorde isn’t one to stay silent when it comes to her feelings on the media.

The latest issue to get stuck in her craw? Paparazzi — specifically New Zealand photographer Simon Runting, who she says is “stalking” her.

“this man has been stalking me, photographing me and refusing me privacy. i am scared of him. he frequents central akl [Auckland],” Lorde tweeted, including a photo of Runting.

“this should not be an accepted standard for young women or anyone in this industry,” she added. “i refuse to stay complicit and i refuse to stay passive about men systematically subjecting me to extreme fear. i understand that this comes with the territory. i do not understand why I should be complacent.”

Lorde also posted a link to his Facebook page.

Lorde isn’t the first person to call out Runting for his practices. Rihanna has also taken the photog to task in the past, posting a shot he took of her on her hotel balcony to Instagram with the caption: “I hate these n—az more than the Nazi,” a reference to Kanye’s “Flashing Lights.” She later removed the image.

Runting was also the defendant in famous New Zealand privacy case “Hosking v Runting,” in which TV presenter Michael Hosking took on the pap over photos that Runting took of his children.

It’s unclear whether Lorde plans to take further action against Runting — aside from turning the privacy tables.

Boots Is Only Going To Tell His Story Once — But You Can Hit ‘Repeat’

by 05/05/14

“Congratulations, you made it,” Boots says as we speed through the gauntlet of Times Square neon, rain slashing the Uber windows as Beyoncé‘s “Partition” blares from the speakers. The car erupts into seat-dancing — dancing that becomes even more fervent when “Drunk In Love” comes on.

No one tells the driver that he has unwittingly sound-tracked tonight’s car ride with jams dear to the man currently sitting in the backseat — the man who produced about 80% of Beyoncé’s self-titled surprise record and co-wrote a good portion of the songs therein.

I am hyper-aware, however, of the oddness of the situation. I had started out that night at a listening party for Boots’ debut mixtape, WinterSpringSummerFall, and continued it dancing to music penned by the man himself and sharing whiskey at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right. I had “made it,” I guess.

Despite “making it,” however — a state of affairs that I’m certain I achieved because I kept my phone sheathed during the party — that doesn’t mean I get all the answers. In fact, I came out of my very first meeting with Boots with more questions than I went in with. And guess what? I kind of like it that way…

Boots, a Miami native who previously played in a bevy of bands, including Blonds, first found his place in the music world in the form of a question mark when Beyoncé sprung her self-titled record unto the world at the end of 2013. His name was all over the ...

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Boots Is Only Going To Tell His Story Once — But You Can Hit ‘Repeat’

by 05/05/14

“Congratulations, you made it,” Boots says as we speed through the gauntlet of Times Square neon, rain slashing the Uber windows as Beyoncé‘s “Partition” blares from the speakers. The car erupts into seat-dancing — dancing that becomes even more fervent when “Drunk In Love” comes on.

No one tells the driver that he has unwittingly sound-tracked tonight’s car ride with jams dear to the man currently sitting in the backseat — the man who produced about 80% of Beyoncé’s self-titled surprise record and co-wrote a good portion of the songs therein.

I am hyper-aware, however, of the oddness of the situation. I had started out that night at a listening party for Boots’ debut mixtape, WinterSpringSummerFall, and continued it dancing to music penned by the man himself and sharing whiskey at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right. I had “made it,” I guess.

Despite “making it,” however — a state of affairs that I’m certain I achieved because I kept my phone sheathed during the party — that doesn’t mean I get all the answers. In fact, I came out of my very first meeting with Boots with more questions than I went in with. And guess what? I kind of like it that way…

Boots, a Miami native who previously played in a bevy of bands, including Blonds, first found his place in the music world in the form of a question mark when Beyoncé sprung her self-titled record unto the world at the end of 2013. His name was all over the ...

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Cinco De Mayo Explained In Just 10 Seconds (Hint: It’s Not About Margaritas)

by 05/05/14

Happy Cinco De Mayo! We know you’re itching to celebrate, folks, but before you go busting out the margaritas, might we suggest kicking back with the briefest of history lessons first? Because, you know, knowledge is power and today isn’t just about lime and liquor.

MTV has a lightening fast 10-second lesson for all you revelers out there detailing why we party on the 5th of May — and why today is such an important date in Mexican history.

Take a look before you take another sip.

Brenna Ehrlich is a reporter for MTV News as well as the senior writer/editor for the O Music Awards. In the past, she served as associate editor at Mashable, penned a netiquette column for CNN and co-authored the blog and book "Stuff Hipsters Hate." She likes trying not to die in moshpits and listening to songs on repeat. Follow her on Twitter @BrennaEhrlich for news on cats and punk bands.

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EXCLUSIVE: ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Author Has A Totally Creepy New Series — And We’ve Got A Sneak Peek

by 05/01/14

Attention “Pretty Little Liars” fans: Do I have an almost-weekend treat for you. Sara Shepard, author of the creepastic series, is coming out with a new spine-chilling saga — and we’ve got the cover AND the first chapter right here.

I’m willing to wager your face looks a little like the below at present. Am I right?

Cool. Now compose yourself! We have some reading to do.

“The Perfectionists” — the first book in the series, set to drop in October — has everything that PLL does: murder, romance and TONS of intrigue. It tells the tale of popular jerk Nolan Hotchkiss and a group of girls who want to teach him a lesson — before someone beats them to the punch and he ends up dead. Intrigued yet? I thought so.

“It’s different from ‘Pretty Little Liars’ in that the characters in some ways create their own trouble and their own predicament, whereas in ‘Pretty Little Liars,’ the girls were kind of bullied,” Shepard told MTV News. “I think a few of the characters are a lot darker and kind of intriguing in that way. There’s more just really scary stuff going on just right from the get-go.”

Well, I won’t string you along any further. Let’s get right into said scary stuff!

Perfectionists

IN MANY WAYS, BEACON HEIGHTS, Washington, looks like any affluent suburb: Porch swings creak gently in the evening breeze, the lawns are green and well kept, and all the neighbors know one another. But this satellite of ...

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Katy Perry Agrees — Watching Hamsters Eat Tiny Burritos Is The Best

by 04/30/14

Are you having a rough day? Do your parents have you down? Is your BF/GF being a total you-know-what? Did someone just spontaneously kick you in the face?

Well, Katy Perry has your back — along with a cadre of fluffy little hamsters just munchin’ on burritos. Burritos, I say!

Miss “Dark Horse” herself hit up Twitter Humpday (April 30) to bestow upon us the following message: “When life gets overwhelming just watch tiny hamsters eating tiny burritos.”

You are as wise as you are beautiful, Katy.

Perry then posted a video that is 100% guaranteed to turn your day all the way around and back again — and then back again.

I’m not going to say much else — why gild perfection? — just feast your eyes on these cuties feasting…

Brenna Ehrlich is a reporter for MTV News as well as the senior writer/editor for the O Music Awards. In the past, she served as associate editor at Mashable, penned a netiquette column for CNN and co-authored the blog and book "Stuff Hipsters Hate." She likes trying not to die in moshpits and listening to songs on repeat. Follow her on Twitter @BrennaEhrlich for news on cats and punk bands.

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