NEW YORK — Hanson fans packed Irving Plaza on Monday night to celebrate a milestone with the trio of brother's from Tulsa, Oklahoma: the brothers' 21st anniversary as a band! Believe it or not, Zac, 27, Taylor 30, and Isaac, 32, started in the music business back in the 1990s when they were barely pre-teens. Now, their sixth studio album, Anthem, is in stores (June 18) and they're set to hit MTV's O Music Awards stage on Wednesday.

"We are going to celebrate 21 years of music," Taylor told the crowd of enthusiastic New York City fans, many of whom had camped out overnight and traveled from as far as Florida to see the band perform.

Hanson kicked the night off by playing a set of six songs — to represent each of their six albums. The guys started with "Thinking of You" from their multiplatinum 1997 LP, Middle of Nowhere, and ended with "Fired Up" from their latest, Anthem.

"[Anthem] really garbs a slice of each influence of our band," Taylor told MTV News when we caught up with them at their concert. "You really do hear some true rock and roll. You hear a lot of soul music, which we have always talked about. Anybody that's followed Hanson knows that '50s and '60s music is the catalyst, and you hear that in the first single, 'Get the Girl Back.'

Throughout the nearly-90-minute set, Hanson delighted their devoted fans, affectionately known as "Fansons," by playing a mix of old and new songs. And that's not surprising, considering Taylor told us, "The ...

Backstreet Boys had a special treat for their fans on Tuesday as they inch closer to their July album release. BSB debuted their lead single, "In a World Like This," an up-tempo track about finding love when you need it most.

"In a world like this/ Where some back down/ I know we're gonna make it," the recently reunited fivesome declare on the chorus, rich with their signature harmonies. "In a time like this when love's 'round/ I know we got to take it."

So, what does that all mean to the group, who are celebrating 20 years in the industry? Well, they recently shared with MTV News what significance that title holds for them.

"I think 'In a World Like This,' both in a pop world that we've been living in for the past 20 years, and just the world that we live in with all the different things, positive things [and] negative things going on in this entire world," A.J. McLean told MTV News last month. "We're still here 20 years later, living in this world that we've created. And I think it's positive actually. It does kind of sound a little dark, but I think it's positive."

The song, produced by the group's longtime collaborator Max Martin ("I Want It That Way," "Shape of My Heart" and "The Call"), is the official lead single for their album of the same name. They released the track list for the July 30 album late Monday. And starting August 2, BSB will be joined by DJ Pauly D and ...

There's only a few hours left until "The Voice" finale airs on Tuesday (June 18) night. And the competition is stiff, with Team Blake's Danielle Bradbery, Blake's Swon Brothers and Team Usher's Michelle Chamuel all facing off, hoping to go home as champ.

It's been another intense season for the NBC series — team shake-ups, the introduction of a semi-new judging panel (Usher in for Cee Lo Green and Shakira sitting in for Christina Aguilera) and, of course, a myriad of A-list guest performances. So, with all that drama almost behind them, fourth-place contestant Sasha Allen is placing her bets on Bradbery.

"I mean it seems Danielle is probably going to win based on her sales and how she's been doing for her whole time," the former Team Shakira contestant told MTV News last week about the country singer, who has also received praise from Blake Shelton himself in a recent chat with us. And, on Monday's episode, she was also declared the early winner by "Voice" vet Adam Levine.

She added, "And I think it's actually pretty cool. She's so sweet. She's really and her mother is the most adorable person and kind person, so it's always nice to have kind people that you're rooting for." Though, she hasn't made it to the top three based solely on her congenial nature. Allen notes this 16-year-old has got the skills to pay the bills. She said, "But besides that, I think she has a great voice and people will be able to grow with her and I think that that'll be ...

For Mac Miller, buying music is not just a purchase, it's "an event" — one that, in the age of the Internet, kids these days are missing out on.

"The moment that these kids aren't getting... is when you put that cd into the cd player," the Pittsburgh MC told "RapFix Live" last week. "That half-second, one-second wait until the music starts is everything."

And it seems that with his sophomore effort, Watching Movies With the Sound Off, he's made something that's well worth the wait.

While its release on Tuesday (June 18) coincided with such hip-hop heavyweights as Kanye West's Yeezus and J. Cole's Born Sinner, Mac's LP offers something unique .On his #1 Billboard debut, Blue Slide Park, the Pittsburgh spitter paid homage to his boyhood haunts, a quaint playground that the rap star has outgrown. Even in 2011, when Mac released BSP, he knew he could never go back, so Watching Movies is all about progression.

On the opening "The Star Room," Mac begins his journey of cloudy introspection. The young rapper has plenty of unresolved issues surrounding fame and his personal relationship. "Would he recognize his son when he hears my voice/ I put this music against my life, I think I fear the choice," he raps about his father a few bars after he takes on the burden of making sure his "mom and dad are still somewhat in love."

Much of WMWTSO is subdued, and while the album does have its fun moments ("S.D.S. " and the bonus tracks "Goosebumpz" and "O.K."), Miller spends the ...

Much to his consternation, Kanye West has never won the Grammy for Album of the Year ... which is why we can't even begin to imagine how he feels about the Best Recording Package award. After all, he's never even been nominated for that one.

True, Watch The Throne did pick up a nod a few Grammys ago, but it was 'Ye's creative partner Virgil Abloh who scored the honor (according to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the award is given out to art directors) ... and, really, it's not like it matters, since WTT lost Best Recording Package to the Arcade Fire's Scenes from the Suburbs deluxe edition, anyway.

So, to date, the award has eluded him, a trend that seems certain to continue with his brand-new Yeezus album ... especially since its packaging consists of little more than a clear CD jewel box, a strategically placed piece of tape, and a single sticker affixed to the back cover. But, that may not actually be the case, because according to Academy guidelines, as long as it's submitted for Grammy consideration, Yeezus is more than eligible for Best Recording Package, provided "the package is the standard commercial version that is nationally distributed for sale."

Basically, that means that as long as all the copies of Yeezus in stores are the same — and, as far as we can tell, they are — then the album could finally bring West his first Recording Package Grammy. And it would truly be his: according to a spokesperson (whom we ...

Jay-Z is intent on writing some #newrules
 with the unconventional release plan for his upcoming album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. But some rules are not meant to be broken, or rather, just can't be.

Case in point: Nielsen SoundScan's regulation governing what kind of album sales count. As we all learned in a three-minute commercial during Sunday night's game 5 NBA finals , Jay has partnered with Samsung in a promotion for the album that will have the company giving away one million copies of Magna Carta to users of its Galaxy line of products three days before its July 4 release.

And while that appears to guarantee Jigga instant platinum status before the album even hits shelves, Nielsen thinks otherwise. "Nielsen doesn't count bulk sales," a SoundScan spokesperson told MTV News. That longstanding edict means that if anyone, even, say, Beyoncé, buys a million copies of Magna Carta and gives them away as Independence Day party favors they can't be counted as sales according to Billboard magazine's long-standing policy on bulk purchases.

The source said this differs from major retailers like Wal Mart or Target who buy large quantities of popular albums with the intent of selling them to consumers for a set price.

Jay seems to know that his envelope-pushing deal with the South Korean electronics giant is setting a new standard, but he's not letting the possibility that instant platinum may not be a thing stand in his way. "If 1 million records gets SOLD and Billboard doesn't report it, did it happen? Ha. #newrules #magnacartaholygrail Platinum!!!," ...

Generally when you think of electronic music, the last things that come to mind are acoustic guitars and grand pianos. But on Monday, Tuesday (June 19) and Wednesday, British trance trio Above & Beyond are ditching their CDJs and lighting rigs to showcase their musical talent at the first of three rare, sold-out acoustic performances at London's Porchester Hall, which will be recorded for album release.

The group revealed the inspiration behind the project to MTV News, saying that playing acoustic just came naturally.

"Ever since we've started we've been a band. That's what we are," said Paavo Siljamäki. "We all play instruments. A lot of our songs are written in more acoustic form than they actually end up in so this whole acoustic project has been something that has been at the back of our minds for a very, very long time."

Above & Beyond recently wrapped up their Las Vegas residency called Group Therapy, a night-after-night dance-music party. So Siljamäki said the acoustic project is "totally the right thing for us to do" following the demanding Sin City shows. And though these type of sets are otherwise unheard of for A&B, member Tony McGuiness, who is credited with the original idea, pointed out that he is no stranger to live performance, having played for years with English indie band Sad Lovers & Giants.

"I actually play in another band and that's been going forever," McGuiness said. "We do maybe four or five shows a year and one of the great pleasures I get from life is when I'm onstage making ...

Creating a solid superhero sequel is hard to do, especially when the first movie had an unrelentingly unique point of view. "Kick-Ass" surprised audiences in 2010 with its harsh language and even harsher violence, earning every bit of its hard-R rating. But the film also surprised hardcore comic book fans by accurately bringing creators Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s darkly comedic tale of a powerless teenage hero to life. Every bit of the blood and bruises onscreen came from the comic.

This summer's "Kick-Ass 2" promises to do the same with its even more extreme source material. MTV News paid a visit to the "Kick-Ass 2" set, capturing the filming of the climactic showdown between Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and The Mother F---er (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), alongside their respective supergroups: Justice Forever and The Toxic Mega C---s.

The behind-the-scenes peek includes a few sneak peeks at the film's new characters, as well as a hint of what Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl have been up to.

Colonel Stars & Stripes
Jim Carrey joins the cast in a mash-up role from the comics. His character, Colonel Stars & Stripes, was originally two violent do-gooders: Colonel Stars and Lieutenant Stripes. Both characters worked for a huge crime family before becoming born-again Christians and vigilantes. Because of his faith, Colonel Stars carries empty guns and seldom swears in the comics.

Mother Russia
It takes a bodybuilder like Olga Kurkulina to bring a character as intimidating as Mother Russia to life. Judging by this picture of her carrying Hit-Girl over her head, she's doing ...

Katy Perry has topped the charts and set new records with her hit songs but posing for the cover of Vogue is a first.

For the July issue of the fashion bible — on newsstands now — Perry dons chic, floral couture, but inside the 28-year-old opens up about her prominent pop career as well as her equally high-profile relationships. The article not only serves as something a love letter to her hometown of Santa Barbara, California, with Perry taking the magazine's writer to some of her favorite spots. The star talked candidly and revealed she hasn't heard from her ex-husband Russell Brand since he texted her in December 2011 to tell her he was filing for divorce after 14 months of marriage.

Last summer, Perry was spotted with singer John Mayer, and the two began what would be an on-again, off-again relationship that ended this past spring. (Mayer confirmed the break-up during an April appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show.")

But Perry told Vogue she was "was madly in love with [Mayer]. I still am madly in love with him. All I can say about that relationship is that he's got a beautiful mind," she added. "Beautiful mind, tortured soul; I do have to figure out why I am attracted to these broken birds."

Right now, Perry is focused on her next album, the follow-up to 2010's massive release, Teenage Dream, which spawned chart-toppers like "Teenage Dream," "Firework" and "California Gurls." It was re-released in 2012 as The Complete Confection, with several new tracks including ...