There are many things I would do to listen to new pop music, and yesterday I pushed that willingness to the limit. No, I didn’t do anything shameful or humiliating — this time — but in order to listen to some of Nicole Scherzinger’s new music, I did something that I never thought I would do: take a spin class.

On Thursday night (October 2), I arrived at a Soul Cycle spot located in New York City’s West Village neighborhood. I’d often heard that patrons have a tendency to treat the brand with a devout sort of reverence, almost like a cult. But if I wanted to get an early listen to the former Pussycat Doll’s upcoming sophomore album, Big Fat Lie, I had no choice. I was ready for my baptism.

Me, texting a friend to “pray 4 me rn.”

Epic

Once I was all strapped into my stationary bike, my nerves began to settle. Partially because my shoes were literally hooked into the pedals (#NoEscape), but also because I was ready to fully give myself over to this new experience. Madeleine, our instructor and “expert at bikes that go nowhere,” began giving the “virgins” in the room (i.e., me) a bit of Soul Cycle 101.

And then Nicole walked in.

Epic

Looking casually stunning, in that low-key way only celebrities and distant first-year-of-college friend-crushes seem capable of, she made her way to the podium to join Madeleine on a neighboring bike. With ...

With additional reporting by Janelle Myers

Nice Roster You Got There, Calvin
The countdown is T minus 28 days until Calvin Harris‘ album Motion drops on November 4, and he revealed that Ellie Goulding, Gwen Stefani, Tinashe, Haim and Big Sean are just a few of the big names who collaborated with him on his fourth studio project. In the meantime, you can pre-order it and purchase three of the tracks including “Blame” featuring John Newman.

Swimming Out Of Hot Water
Michael Phelps checked himself into rehab after his second DUI. He was arrested last Tuesday after getting busted driving 40 miles over the speed limit with a blood alcohol level nearly double the state’s legal limit of .08%.

Congrats, Drizzy!
Drake broke a record previously held by the Beatles: he now has 72 singles on the Billboard 100 chart surpassing the previous high point of 71 set by the Fab Four.

Ciara Is My New Idol
After I give birth to my first child, I want to look like Ciara who rocked her Calvin Klein underwear just four months after delivering her son, Future Zahir Wilburn.

Artist To Watch
Meghan Trainor is “All About That Bass” and I’m all about her, especially now that she’s our “Artist To Watch.”

Must-See Video Of The Day
The “Sexually Enlightened R&B Song” pokes fun at objectifying music videos and features a soulful guy who’s all about gender equality in the bedroom ...

One year ago Saturday Miley Cyrus released the album that changed everything: Bangerz. And, believe it or not, there was a time when she was totally stressed out about whether anyone would even show up for the accompanying tour.

Related: Check Out Our One-Year Celebration Of ‘We Can’t Stop’

But we know how this story ends: Miley is now an even bigger global superstar than she was before and the Bangerz Tour is a juggernaut that just keeps rolling. The singer and budding visual artist celebrated her Bangerz-versary over the weekend with the most Miley collage you can possibly imagine. There’s a topless pic, an R.I.P. Hannah Montana epitaph, some candles, plenty of other things that burn and, of course, a pair of FU balloons.

She also shared a bunch of fan gifts, because what’s a Bangerz-versary without a heavenly shot of Miley and all her pooches?

And… then there’s whatever this fan was trying to say. Thanks?

It wouldn’t be a celebration without a gift from her pal Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne, because “emu soap” is a thing, right?

Gil Kaufman

Often guilty, never convicted. Serving 15 years to life at MTV News.

“Gimme that title, title,” Meghan Trainor sings on the chorus of her latest single, “Title.” And though she’s talking about DTR (defining the relationship), she might as well be referring to some sort of official recognition of her hit-maker status on the pop music scene.

For the fourth week in a row, Meghan’s breakout song, “All About That Bass,” sits perched atop the Billboard Hot 100, beating out Top 40 heavyweights like Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea for that coveted #1. And with a debut album in the works, there’s basically nothing that can treble trouble her ascent now.

Just in case you’re not all about MTV’s latest Artist To Watch yet, meet the young woman behind the smash hit.

Related: Watch Videos, Live Performances And Interviews At MeghanTrainor.mtv.com

Who She Is

Epic Records

There once was a girl from Nantucket.

Growing up off the coast of mainland Massachusetts, and then later in the Cape Cod village of Hyannis, Trainor’s formative years were filled with music. Her father, Gary, is a church organist, and her aunt and uncle, Lisa and Burton Toney, perform Caribbean-style soca music together as Island Vybe. Meghan would even perform with them from time to time, as evidenced by this video from 2011.

Writing songs since she was 7 years old, Trainor’s multi-instrumental skills on the piano, guitar, ukelele and all sorts of percussion landed her a deal with Nashville-based music publisher Big ...

Well, the cutest baby animal fail to ever happen to the Internet has arrived: look at this tiny elephant! Look at this wee, adorable little guy fall, only to be rescued shortly thereafter by his parents. This is just the cutest thing!

That poor, little, intrepid baby ‘phant: all he wanted was to make it up that hill, regardless of the odds (and other, far easier ways in which he could’ve done it) stacked against success. Have no fear, the bonds between baby and mother elephant withstand spectators, zoos and more. He seems a little embarrassed after, but his mother lets him shelter from the crowd under her enormous legs.

We won’t say any more, lest we run the risk of ruining it for you. But rest assured, elephants are great parents. They way they run to the rescue here is very touching.

Aww, it looks like this lil wannabe Dumbo got himself well and spooked by his misadventure! Would it make him feel better to know that he just slayed the hearts of at least a thousand Internet folk?

Alicia Lutes

Too much exuberance for one person. Follow her on Twitter @alicialutes.

Regardless of how small the Internet sometimes makes the world feel, reality is quick to remind us of its enormity: like with this 100-year-old abandoned town, which a hiker recently re-discovered within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Few things are cooler than seeing the true power of nature, particularly when it wins battles against what we humans have done since we started turning everything into stuff for us. And hiker/abandoned place enthusiast Jordan Liles got a first-hand look at such business when he was hiking in the Elkmont section of the park, taking an old, unused road to a hidden gem: the disintegrating remains of the town and subsequent hotel that brought visitors to the now-abandoned area.

The town of Elkmont began as a lumber outpost, harvesting trees and transporting them down the Little River to mill the trees over in neighboring Townsend. The Little River Railroad Company — the folks that did the log transporting after the waterways method was axed — brought logging operations employees to the town and resulted in the construction of a fancy hotel and rich folk summer houses. There was even a section of the town called “Millionaires’ Row.”

But once the railroad skipped town, well, so did all the people. The Wonderland Hotel ran what was left of the place as a resort until it was purchased in the 1930′s by the New Smoky Mountain National Park, but the town itself vanished long before.

By Andres Tardio

There may not be any more Saturday morning cartoons, but thanks to Curren$y, we just got More Saturday Night Car Tunes.

“This’ll get you where you gotta go,” Spitta Andretti says on the intro of the 7-track EP. “This’ll get you to work. This’ll get you to the store. This’ll get you over to that girl’s house. This’ll get her to your house. This’ll get all y’all to the club…This’ll get you through yo’ smoke session.”

Providing a soundtrack for your travels, the Louisiana-based MC rhymes over beats by Joey Fatts, Cardo and SAP on this project. He’s also joined on the EP by Mac Miller on “Money Shot” and frequent collaborator Wiz Khalifa on “Countin Money.” Wiz also appeared on Curren$y’s August 2014 project, Saturday Night Car Tunes.

Of course, More Saturday Night Car Tunes picks up where Saturday Night Car Tunes left off. Spitta Andretti’s fascination with vintage cars is often center stage here also, as he raps on “Callin” about how he likes to end recording sessions.

“I step into the booth, layin’ something new,” he rhymes with his trademark smooth Spitta delivery. “And then I’m in the old school when that session is through.”

Whether you’re riding in an old school ride or not, you can stream or download Curren$y’s More Saturday Night Car Tunes below.

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Oct 5, 2014 | No Comments on Ride Along With Curren$y For ‘More Saturday Night Car Tunes’

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Alright, prepare yourselves for the ultimate in second-hand gawking: we’ve got a behind-the-scenes video of a sex scene.

Here, at long last, is a look at how Hollywood makes the dirty deed look au natural on screen. Between the pretending, the intimacy, the natural and sometimes unavoidable bodily reactions to pretending to rock each other’s worlds, there is little doubt in our minds that getting intimate with a relative stranger (or someone who isn’t your current paramour) has infinite potential for total awkwardness.

When you’ve gathered a whole movie crew, a bevy of cameras, and a few pages of orgasms into one room for, uh, completion, the most important thing is to keep it light, keep it funky, and just lean into the moment’s absurdities — just like Brooklyn Decker and Patrick Wilson here!

The duo get a little bit of on-screen action time while shooting the Joe Carnahan-directed movie “Stretch.” What’s sexier than getting sprayed down with an aerosol can??

Watch the moderately NSFW clip below:

Alicia Lutes

Too much exuberance for one person. Follow her on Twitter @alicialutes.

Say it ain’t so!

Are Harry Styles’ signature curls gone for good? Probably not, but that didn’t stop Harry from sharing another fresh look with the world courtesy of the instagram account of lavender-maned hair stylist Lou Teasdale.

Described as “her male grooming skillz,” Lou gave Harry a unique half-man bun, half-cornrow style that has us intrigued. She joked about the look on Twitter:

And yes, on anyone else, this look would be questionable, but Harry pulls it off with the same effortless cool he’s known for again and again.

Related: Here’s The Harry Styles Man Bun Tutorial You’ve Been Waiting For

It was only recently that Harry adopted the man bun, a seriously sexy style that only the most confident of men can sport. And despite what Lily Allen might think, we love the many ways Harry can rock his long, luscious locks.

What do you think? Are you a fan of Harry’s new look?

Britt Julious

I'm actually a disco ball in human form.

By Andres Tardio

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards won’t be for another 126 days (who’s counting?), but Drake is ready to hand out #HoodGrammys now!

Drizzy hit Instagram today (October 5) to hand out #HoodGrammys to some of his favorites of the year, including Bobby Shmurda, who earned a Drake nod for “Vocal Performance of the Year,” likely for his Shmoney Dance anthem, “Hot Ni–a.”

@bobby_shmurda for Vocal Performance of the Year…we need it.

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Shmurda wasn’t the only artist mentioned in the Drake posts. Rae Sremmurd’s “No Flex Zone” and Rich Gang’s Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan-assisted “Lifestyle” were both up for “Best Performance By A Group Or Duo.” Drake couldn’t come up with a decisive winner there, so it might be the only tie in his #HoodGrammys list. Elsewhere, OG Maco ran away with the “Best All Around Turn Up” for – you guessed it – “U Guessed It.”

No Flex Zone or Lifestyle best performance by a group or duo…haaaaa Grammy's need to have a rap year. Run it up.

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OG Maco ft key! – Bitch You Guessed It for best all around turn up…#HoodGrammys

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Of course, OVO Sound acts also got some #HoodGrammys as PARTYNEXTDOOR took home Drake’s “Mixtape of the Year” trophy for a 2013 self-titled tape. ILoveMakonnen earned his award for “Tuesday,” which Drake considers the “Best Latin Club Anthem” of the year. Now, Drake’s remix ...