Somewhere, the über-mysterious director Bartholomew Cubbins is smiling, as his epic music video for 30 Seconds to Mars' has netted the band three 2013 MTV Video Music Awards nominations. While Cubbins did not exit the shadows to revel in the glory, the band chatted with MTV News from the south of France about their nominations, sitting in the sunshine while yachts cruised by.

"We woke up this morning in one of the most beautiful places in the world, in the south of France, and we found out that not only did we get an MTV award nomination, but we got three MTV award nominations, so we were completely blown away," frontman Jared Leto told MTV News. "It was totally unexpected."

The band is currently playing shows abroad in support of their fourth studio album, LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS. "Up in the Air," which comes off of that album, was released as a single in March of last year in the most unconventional of manners: It was placed aboard a SpaceX rocket and sent off into space, where it docked with the International Space Station.

The video for the single is no less extreme. An eight-minute-plus mini film, the clip includes cameos from the likes of Dita Von Teese, artist Damien Hirst, author Neil Strauss, the U.S. women's gymnastics team, a menagerie of wild animals, and many more artists and performers.

"We worked really hard on the video," Leto said. "We shot for four days. Had hundreds of hours of footage. Edited for three months. Worked our ...

What do you get when you combine Robin Thicke, sexy scantily clad models and pals T.I. and Pharrell? The memorable, viral and newly VMA-nominated video for

On Wednesday (July 17), the Diane Martel-directed video received three 2013 MTV Video Music Awards nominations. The nods couldn't have come at a better time for Thicke, who had a very interesting spin on his accomplishment when he spoke to MTV News just hours after it was announced.

"It's very exciting. MTV, I've been watching since I was a kid, and you always want MTV to anoint you. It's like the video version of the Grammys, so it's a wonderful feeling to be relevant while you're still alive," Thicke joked.

The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards: Complete List of Nominees!

In addition to competing in the Video of the Year category against the likes of Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, the singer is also up for Best Male Video as well as Best Collaboration (which may or may not have something to do with T.I. and Pharrell's awesome dance moves in the video).

"Nothing's cooler than Video of the Year because it's the best of the best, but I'm just honored and excited to be nominated at all," Thicke explained.

Of course, he just might end up taking home the night's most-coveted Moonman. Should a Video of the Year win come his way, he already has his acceptance speech ready to go — sort of.

"Should I win it? Well, if I win Video of the Year, ...

While it doesn't officially hit the streets until Monday, One Direction's upbeat new single, has hit the 'Net early, leaving fans squealing with delight, calling it "different," "perfect" and ... the "best song ever." "I'm screaming," one fan added.

The leaked version of the playful cut opens with a riff that sounds very similar to the Who's "Baba O'Riley" and is all about the guys going out, meeting girls and dancing all night to, you guessed it, the best song ever. With its stomp-along beat, the song keeps up its lively pace, even if some of the lyrics are a bit unexpected — in some ways, they pay homage to Wheatus' quirky songwriting on "Teenage Dirtbag," a song frequently covered by the fab fivesome in concert. A memorable moment includes the lyrics, "She said her name was Georgia Rose/ And her daddy was a dentist/ Said I had a dirty mouth/ But she kissed me like she meant it."

The video will be released on the same day as the song. Based on two teases, the clip looks like it's angling for the best video ever prize. In it, the guys play characters inspired by Hollywood movers and shakers. In a tease released on Tuesday, Niall Horan is dressed up as a fast-talking studio exec named Harvey. On Wednesday, Liam Payne's character was revealed. He'll play Leeroy, a headband-loving, fashion-forward choreographer.

Despite the leak, fans vowed to buy the song when it goes global on Monday. "Best Song Ever" is not only the featured ...

The 2013 MTV Video Music Award nominations were announced Wednesday (July 17), and Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead the field with 6 nods apiece.

That's all well and good, but today, I don't want to discuss the relative merits of "Mirrors" or "Thrift Shop" (or "Suit & Tie," "Can't Hold Us," "Same Love," or any other videos they may have gotten nominated for). I'm also ignoring Bruno Mars' "Locked Out Of Heaven" and "Treasure" — up for a combined four awards — Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" (three), Miley Cyrus' twerk-tastic "We Can't Stop" (ditto), and every other nominated video, save one: Fun.'s "Carry On."

Why? Because I'm in it.

Yes, I make not one, but two cameos in — I'm the dude with the disgusting beard taking shots with frontman Nate Ruess — which, by my estimation, makes me a co-star at least. Shoot, I basically get more screen time than anyone not in Fun., and as such, I'd like to think I'm partially responsible for the two VMA nominations the clip received, Best Pop Video and Best Direction.

In short, consider me a VMA nominee.

After all, who else could drink so convincingly? Or stand behind the bar and pour fake shots for extras while director Anthony Mandler yelled stuff like "more action in the background?" It's the kind of role I spent much of my 20s preparing for — I'm a method actor — and I think I nailed it. Sure, we had to shoot the drinking scene twice, because I kind of spilled booze ...

Having amassed millions of admirers, viral video cred and friendships with the likes of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, Austin Mahone can now add a 2013 MTV Video Music Awards nomination to his growing list of accomplishments.

On Wednesday (July 17), the 17-year-old found out he's nominated for an Artist to Watch, Presented by Taco Bell Moonman for his Colin Tilley-directed video.

Shortly after the nomination was announced, the singer jumped on Skype with MTV News, and he could barely hold his grin back after learning of the achievement. "Thank you so much! It's huge! I'm so excited," he said. "Oh man, I don't even know where to begin. I mean, I never thought I'd be nominated for a VMA. So, I mean, this is a huge honor. I'm just honored to even be going there. I'm excited and I'm ready to go."

He added, "It's a huge honor to be nominated for Artist to Watch. It means I'm getting noticed out there and I'm getting that exposure. I'm pretty excited and I really can't wait to go and hang out."

The nomination is a dream come true for the young pop star, who recalls early memories of watching the annual party. "It's so incredible because I can remember back in like, 7th, 8th grade ... I would be supposed to be doing my homework, but I would stay up watching the VMAs, just admiring everyone on the show," he said. "It's really cool to be on the other side for once."

Mahone needs to mark Sunday, August 25, on ...

The couple in Demi Lovato's video know a good thing when they see it — and that includes each other.

The video, released Wednesday (July 17), follows the story of a couple — played by "Friday Night Lights" actress Aimee Teegarden and "90210" actor Dustin Milligan — through a sequence of images and scenes that allows fans to piece together their relationship, which includes romantic, tender moments as well as relationship woes.

The video celebrates young love, with the couple first catching a glimpse of each other at a carnival. Lovatics will spot Demi, who co-directed the video along with Ryan Pallotta (Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke), as she walks around the carnival offering up a soundtrack to the encounter.

Time moves loosely in the dreamy visual, playing out like a series of memories. When fans aren't at the carnival with Lovato (who strums her guitar and performs for the revelers) and the two lovers, they are treated to an inside glimpse at the tender romance between the two young people, who are trying to hold on to their relationship, which includes "The Notebook"-inspired steamy kisses in the rain, even as he gets shipped away to fulfill his duties in war.

It's not always easy for him to be away from home, and just when fans think the story might not end so pleasantly for the two lovers when it seems like he won't make it home, he comes back, much to his love's delight.

is the second single from Lovato's May album release, Demi. The song's producer, Jason Evigan, told MTV ...

The Jonas Brothers are getting wet and wild in Sin City for their video, which premiered on Wednesday (July 17).

With the glittering lights and hazy sunshine of Las Vegas serving as the backdrop, the trio declare, "We should do it again" in the party-themed clip before it speeds ahead, giving fans an inside peek at their antics. For the video, they enlisted real-life besties, including Wilmer Valderrama and Kevin's wife (and mom-to-be) Danielle.

Between wide shots of the guys living it up, other frames are shot to look like selfies, giving the video an intimate vibe. And if the glitchy song sounds more mature than past JoBros cuts, the video has a more grown-up feel as well, with the guys cruising around town with the top down, gambling like high rollers and even partaking in some poolside beer pong. The video wraps up with the brothers and their friends partying it up in a hotel suite.

"First Time" is the second single off the band's next album, reportedly called V (as in the number, not the letter). And they recently explained to MTV News why it was the perfect follow-up to their peppy lead single, "Pom Poms."

"I think it felt right. It felt like the kind of song that people that weren't maybe as familiar with our music and maybe wouldn't have called themselves fans would respond positively to because it's so different for us," Nick said about the song. "Or, at least, I hope they will, and it's one of my favorites, ...

NEW YORK — Earlier this year, Mac Miller celebrated his 21st birthday in Las Vegas, went to a Sin City nightclub, legally popped bottles and probably did a host of other unspeakable things that coming-of-age guys do. Still, it was in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom that Mac exhibited the most growth — when he took his Space Migration Tour to the Big Apple on Tuesday night.

The crowd was already pumped after a frantic performance from newcomer Chance the Rapper, who exhibited a veteran's command of the stage while tossing out songs from his Acid Rap mixtape and spraying fans with Super Soaker water guns. By 9:40 p.m., the pack of rabid concertgoers began to shout their hero's name: "Mac, Mac, Mac, Mac," the sold-out crowd chanted, as purple and red lights lit the ballroom and DJ Clockwork played an operatic intro.

The Most Dope Family leader marched onto the stage, wearing denim overalls, while rapping to "Loud," from his 2012 Macadelic mixtape. For the first half of his show, Miller rocked with his DJ, and together, they ran through some old favorites including "Smile Back" and "Nikes on My Feet" as well as new selections from his Watching Movies With the Sound Off album — "Goosebumpz," "Red Dot Music" and the Tyler, the Creator-produced "O.K." Mac thrilled fans when he invited Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q and Earl Sweatshirt to collaborate, but kicked the entire set up a notch when he took a brief intermission to allow Odd Future-affiliated band The Internet to set up.

When Mac returned to the ...

DreamWorks Animation hopes to re-create the surprise success they had with the prehistoric family adventure "The Croods" by giving kids "Turbo," the tale of a bored snail (Ryan Reynolds) who dreams of becoming a big-time racer. A mollusk-heavy supporting cast rallies around Turbo to make his dream come true, with Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Schwartz all playing snails. Michael Peña, Michelle Rodriguez, Luis Guzmán and Bill Hader round out the human cast.

While critics seem to be on the same page regarding the film's outstanding visuals and score, the fact that Turbo only succeeds following a freak dosage of nitrous oxide — which gives him the power boost normally given to drag racers — has some worried about a message that might seem to support performance-enhancing drugs. But despite some iffy plot points, the film's tried-and-true "if you can dream it, you can be it" theme should please parents. Even more pleasing is the ethnically diverse cast, which hopefully marks a trend towards an all-inclusive future for animation.

Read on for a sample of "Turbo" reviews.

Standout Visuals
"Although the dialogue becomes repetitive, the voice performances are all solid and distinctive. But better than that are some of the visuals, particularly in nocturnal scenes around the taco stand, which create both a heightened realistic evocation of shabby San Fernando Valley environs and an echo of classic noir visions of semi-desperate L.A. characters deciding to put all their chips on one roll of the dice. Kudos to the director and the animators on this score, but it should ...