On the list of things that qualify as good excuses, it seems like maternity leave is an air-tight reason, right? Wrong! A judge in Atlanta denied Stacy Ehrisman-Mickle’s request to postpone a hearing due to the fact that she had a baby only four weeks earlier. In response to her request, Judge J. Dan Pelletier Sr. wrote, “No good cause. Hearing date set prior to counsel accepting representation.”

Clearly, Ehrisman-Mickle was miffed at his decision, especially given that two other immigration judges had granted similar motions that she’d filed with a note from her doctor. She had accepted the immigration case in July, but her clients couldn’t afford to hire her right away and went to their first hearing alone. Then they hired her in the beginning of September, when she agreed to the case, assuming that her maternity leave request would be an acceptable reason to postpone the October date for their second hearing.

“I was in a state of panic. I didn’t know what to do with my baby,” she told The Associated Press in an interview on Thursday (October 16).

Left without options on such short notice—a four-week-old baby is too young for daycare and her truck-driver husband was out of the state—Stacy called her doctor to see if she could bring the baby to court with her. Her pediatrician assured her that as long as the baby was in a carrier facing her chest and didn’t touch anyone in the court room, it should be fine.

But ...

Are Katy Perry and Drake going to be on a song together at last? This internet rumor comes to us courtesy of the the somewhat unexpected source of producer Max Martin.

Martin often works with Perry—among a number of other huge stars—to create massive pop jams, and he chronicles this information on his Maratone production company’s official website.

And though Katy Perry’s sixth studio album Prism dropped last year, she’s continued to release singles off the project. It looks like the next one will be “Legendary Lovers,” which Martin co-wrote and co-produced, but this version will also feature OVO’s Canadian leader Drake as a possible remix.

Here’s a screenshot of Martin’s work with Perry:

Maratone

Okay yes, he spelled a word wrong on the song above. But did you miss that last entry? Here’s a close-up, just in case:

What’s more exciting than your favorite pop star and your favorite rapper on a track together?? And while this isn’t an absolute confirmation, it seems unlikely that Martin would mistakenly include Drake in his credits. Katy recently released a remix of “This Is How We Do” featuring the rapper Riff Raff, and her collaboration with Juicy J for “Dark Horse” went over extremely well, so teaming with Drake seems like a no-brainer.

We’re reaching out for comment from both camps and will obviously keep you updated when we know more! In the meantime, you can listen to the original version of “Legendary Lovers” Read More →

Katy Perry has been having a good year. The pop star is currently on some international dates for her Prismatic tour in support of her 2013 album Prism, and was recently confirmed as 2015′s Superbowl halftime performer, but all those late night performances haven’t stopped her from taking time out to sight see during her travels.

She traveled to Mexico City for two performances—tonight (October 17) and tomorrow (October 18)—but Perry got to the city early to hang out in the Colonia del Carmen neighborhood of Coyoacán and visit the house-turned-museum dedicated to the legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. And apparently, she’s a huge fan! Katy hung out at the La Casa Azul and snapped several pics of the place.

Known as La Casa Azul (or literally the Blue House) due to its striking cobalt blue paint, the structure has become something of a monument to Frida’s legacy, and features both her artwork and items from her personal life.

“Hanging @ Frida & Diego’s,” Perry captioned this pic, referencing Frida’s husband Diego Rivera who lived in the house with the painter after they were married.

She was also stoked to see Frida’s headpiece…

And her paints!

Will we see some of Frida’s style slipping into the rest of the costumes for Katy’s tour? That headpiece does look like something the “This Is How We Do” singer would rock—plus we already know her affinity for incorporating art into her style:

So we’ll keep an eye ...

Iggy Azalea is a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind, and the Australian rapper has had whole heaps of gossip and haters to address this year alone. From her most recent tiff with Snoop Dogg to a supposed sex tape and even marriage rumors, the “Fancy” singer has taken on a lot of negativity in stride after her quick rise to fame.

But her latest bone to pick is with Maxim Australia and her Australia label, who apparently authorized the recycling of an old 2011 Complex magazine cover shoot. The label gave the go-ahead to release the photos, but today (October 16), Iggy took to Twitter to publicly put them on blast for not honoring her wishes:

Related: Iggy Azalea’s Run-In With The Paparazzi: The Rapper Tells Her Side Of The Story

You can see the Maxim Australia cover here—the magazine put her on the cover because they slated her as number one on their annual Hot 100 list. And while she appreciated the love, Iggy seemed to think that a cover deserved an actual, y’know, cover story and original photo shoot.

Do you agree with Iggy’s take on the situation? It seems reasonable that she be consulted on the use of her image, right? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. In the meantime, we’ll let Cher Horowitz speak on it:

Caitlin White

MTV Weekend Editor. Acts like ...

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It’s pretty much impossible to think of twerking anymore without thinking of Miley Cyrus. Her 2013 VMA performance seared the dance into our brain, and sparked so much attention, that apparently, Miley is soooo over twerking. But don’t worry, she’s already set her sights on a new dance craze.

While the pop star was in Australia today (October 16) performing on the morning show “Sunrise,” she publicly disowned twerking as old news and taught the broadcasters her new favorite pasttime: the Nae Nae. The move is referenced by Atlanta’s We Are Toonz in their song and video “Drop That NaeNae” that came out quite a few months ago—you can watch it below for a refresher:

According to Cyrus, she saw her dancers doing the move and immediately demanded they teach her.

“My dancers—the LA Bakers—they taught it to me, they just started doing it and I was like ‘what is that?’” Miley said. “So then I started doing it which is kind of what happened with the twerking too. I keep trying to start it at all my shows and no one is really doing it back at me.”

Well, after this, we can probably expect her fans to catch on to the Atlanta move just like they did with twerking. Watch Miley drop that Nae Nae below:

Caitlin ...

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Taylor Swift has never been one to do things in a conventional manner, so it’s no surprise that the roll-out for her first major pop album, 1989, has been unusual.

For one thing, she’s been holding listening parties all over the country and inviting fans to come eat cookies, hang out, and listen to the entire album way before it even comes out. Obviously, most of the fans *died* of happiness at this incredible opportunity.

Related: Taylor Swift Wears ‘No Its Becky’ Shirt, Internet Officially Done

But for those of us who didn’t get the chance to munch on a cookie, pet Olivia Benson and hear “Out Of The Woods” with Taylor lip-syncing along, we now get a closer look than just the polaroids at how the sessions actually played out.

If you thought you were jealous before, this behind-the-scenes clip is going to stoke those flames even higher. But you can’t look away can you?

Oh, did you just start the video over for the third time to watch her sneak out into the backyard? Yeah, me too. Sigh. Maybe we’ll get an invite next album cycle.

Caitlin White

MTV Weekend Editor. Acts like Madonna but listens to Merle.

@harmonicait

Damien Rice was put on this earth solely to break our hearts, and after eight years without his gut-wrenching songwriting, he has finally returned. Just in time for the lonely, nostalgia-inducing months of winter that will undoubtedly have you feeling things again, Rice has announced his first new album since 2006.

Out on November 10, My Favourite Faded Fantasy was produced by Rick Rubin, and based on the release of today’s video for “I Don’t Want To Change You,” it will evoke the same kind of unstoppable sadness that his last two albums contained.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Irish singer’s solo debut O snagged international attention back in 2002, and the follow-up, 9, in 2006 was received with similar enthusiasm. Practically the whole world used “The Blower’s Daughter” or “Cannonball” to recover from whatever sadness they were facing at the time, and his new water-soaked video will help a whole new generation cope.

Shot in Iceland and directed by the enigmatic duo Arni & Kinski, Damien stands at the end of a dock, attempting to accept the finality of someone else’s decision. As the lyrics detail his struggle to let go of love, the visuals mimic his battle by rewinding and replaying his plunges into the water. There’s no better imagery to simulate how hard it is to disengage from a failing relationship than jumping in and out of an idyllic, isolated lake in Iceland.

Watch below for yourself, but prepare to tear ...

Taylor Swift has been sweeping across the country like a tide, building anticipation for her first major 100% pop album 1989, so it seemed fitting that she release a cover that plays off that same notion.

The “Shake It Off” singer has been traveling Europe doing press, so naturally she stopped by the BBC Radio 1′s Live Lounge to lay down a little session of her own—a live rendition of Vance Joy‘s touching “Riptide.”

The track is full of romantic longing and slightly tinged with sadness AKA it’s already completely in Taylor’s wheelhouse.

Is anyone else getting “All Too Well” Grammy performance flashback vibes from her subdued, emotional piano performance?! I love the big pop star moments, but I also love it when she strips and delivers her signature barren, barbed verses over simple melodies.

“I love you when you’re singing that song / and I got a lump in my throat ’cause / you’re gonna sing the words wrong,” goes the chorus. But we never have to fear that with Taylor—she nails every lyric. Watch it below:

Caitlin White

MTV Weekend Editor. Acts like Madonna but listens to Merle.

@harmonicait

Kanye and Kim Kardashian are doing their part to maintain their status as #WORLDSMOSTTALKEDABOUTCOUPLE, but in the meantime, their daughter North West is quickly becoming the world’s most talked about baby.

From getting her own front row seat during Paris Fashion Week, to her recent CR Fashion Book spread, North has been doing a lot of grown up stuff lately.

But don’t worry, she’s still a baby and therefore, still plays with dolls. But of course, since it is Nori we’re talking about here, she plays with dolls made to look like her own parents. Yup, Nori has custom Kimye dolls and they’re freakin’ adorable.

The Brooklyn-based company Celine Dolls has apparently made miniature versions of the entire family, complete with their IRL accessories.

Kim’s sister Khloe first posted the Instagram picture of the cloth dolls a few days ago:

And then the company Instagrammed the dolls too, in response to what must have been a slew of inquiry!

The company captioned the picture with more information: “Since @khloekardashian ‘s post, people have asked a few things: Mini Kanye is wearing a faux mink vest and slightly shiny distressed faux leather pants. And yes, Mini Kim has hips!”

And the Kanye doll even has his Red Octobers:

Icing on the cake? There’s also a doll of North herself:

Want to order your own custom dolls? Or maybe get your own mini Kim and Kanye? Go here to the doll maker’s website for more info! Honestly, I would love ...

The Beatles are such an iconic force in pop culture that when current artists break records the Fab Four set, it always feels like an important landmark. So that’s why it feels extra important that thanks to his remix of ILoveMakonnen’s “Tuesday,” Drake just passed the Beatles for number of singles to be featured on Billboard Hot 100.

The “Tuesday” remix hit number 90 on that chart, so it comes in as the 72 single to hit that chart for Drake, passing the Beatles’ 71 and putting him in eight place overall for all-time number of singles in that chart. His competition? “Glee” cast songs, Elvis, Lil Wayne, James Brown, Jay Z, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. Not bad company to be in eh?

That list is in order, which means, yup “Glee” has the most entries in the Hot 100 of all time somehow with a whopping 207. Jay Z has 82, which doesn’t seem that out of reach for Drizzy at the rate he’s been going.

As for the song that helped him edge out the British quartet, we might have found out earlier this week why this song goes down soooo smooth. Plus, it’s Makonnen’s first-ever appearance on the chart, which seems like a fitting counterpoint to Drake’s record. Champagne, anyone?

Caitlin White

MTV Weekend Editor. Acts like Madonna but listens to Merle.

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