While the Red Hot Chili Peppers were on fire when they joined Bruno Mars onstage during the Super Bowl halftime performance, fans couldn't help but notice that something was undeniably off about their rendition of "Give It Away" on Sunday night. And, as bassist Flea confirmed in a lengthy letter on Tuesday (February 4), something was: their guitars — and they weren't any less disappointed than you were.

As he explained in a post on the band's website, the NFL had told the Peppers long before they hit the stage that they would not be able to play their drum, guitar and bass live. Anthony Kiedis' vocals were live, but Super Bowl organizers only had "a few minutes to set up the stage," adding that "a zillion things" could have gone wrong in the setup. So instead, the guys pre-recorded the track and didn't bother plugging in for appearance's sake — "we thought it better not to pretend," he explained — and, as expected, the world definitely noticed.

"There was not any room for argument on this, the NFL does not want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period," he wrote. "The Red Hot Chili Peppers stance on any sort of miming has been that we will absolutely not do it. The last time we did it (or tried to) was in the late 80's, we were thrown off of 'The Top Of the Pops' television program in the U.K. during rehearsals because we refused to mime properly, I played bass with my ...

They've been searching for answers, and according to Shay Mitchell, this is the season the cast of "Pretty Little Liars" is going to get them. For the last four cycles of the show, the main characters, including Shay's Emily Fields, have been on the hunt trying to figure out just who their anonymous antagonist "A" could be.

And while the "PLL" star is waving her white flag — "I gave up my predictions on who was on the 'A' team, like, season 2" — she's certain someone from her inner circle is going to crack the code ... or at least get that much closer to doing so.

"I feel like Emily has given her detective role up and Hanna [Marin, one of Emily's best friends, played by Ashley Benson] has put on the detective hat, weirdly enough," Shay told MTV News at the 2014 DIRECTV Celebrity Beach Bowl over the weekend. "We saw in the last episode that Spencer [Hasting, another bestie, played by Troian Bellisario] had her predictions about Ezra [Fitz, played by Ian Harding] so we will be finding a little more about that and whether or not we can trust our teacher."

Is Lucy Hale The 'Ultimate A'? The 'Pretty Little Liars' Star Weighs In

It was recently revealed that Mr. Fitz is in cahoots with whoever is plotting against Emily and her gal pals; a role the 26-year-old says she'd have mixed emotions about playing.

"I'd be terrified because there'd be a lot of angry little girls at my doorstep," she laughed. "[But I also] think it ...

Forget about Hulk smash — it's time to talk about Hulk lift?

While specific details about "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" have been hard to come by, but it would appear that we now know what Tony Stark and his Avenger pals will be doing their leg presses on, at least.

Behold the Canali System, a weirdo spaceship-looking new kind of exercise equipment that we would definitely need expert guidance to use. As MTV News has learned, S.H.I.E.L.D. appears to be prepared to share that expertise with its recruits.

While Joe DiAngelo, owner of Superstar Gym in New York City's downtown Tribeca neighborhood, which manufactures the equipment, wouldn't specifically confirm the film's title, it seems pretty clear that it starts with "A" and ends with "Vengers: Age of Ultron."

He has, however, posted the totally hint-hint above picture on the company's Instagram, as well as a post on the company's website touting the get and billing the film as "The Superhero Movie."

"Our fitness equipment Canali system will be featured in new American superhero movie (with the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time)," the page reads. "The movie will be filmed in April. We are excited to see the most advanced equipment being used by American superheros. [sic]"

Of course, "Marvel's The Avengers" grossed just under $207.5 million its opening weekend, clinching the all-time number one slot, and "Age of Ultron" is set to shoot in the U.K. this spring.

"I'm really not allowed to like speak about that yet fully," DiAngelo said, calling ...

The last time that MTV News spoke with Chloë Grace Moretz, it wasn't the best of times for the young actress. She was forced to choose between Britney Spears and Rihanna, a decision that cut her to the core.

When we met back up with her at the Sundance Film Festival a couple weeks ago, the wounds were still fresh but she had moved past the initial shock. Instead of reliving the difficult decision she had to make, Moretz decided to help her "Sam Rockwell learn the difference between the Britney and Rihanna.

Because as cool as Sam Rockwell is, he doesn't know the difference between Britney and Rihanna.

The world's favorite acting and dancing virtuoso isn't quite as hip to popular music as Moretz is, so on a balcony in Park City, Utah, we watched as the two bonded over some Rihanna hits. It was a truly special moment that we get to share with you now.

"Third time's a charm" is not always the way when it comes to the last book in a trilogy; the final book is often the most incendiary, the most divisive.

When it comes to Tahereh Mafi's "Ignite Me" — the final chapter of her "Shatter Me" series — however, the author is relieved. Her fans have been decidedly accepting of the way she chose to close out the series, honoring her choices rather than shoving the tear-stained pages in her face while shouting, "Why!?"

"To be perfectly honest, I was terrified to let things play out the way that I knew they needed to, because I knew that no matter what happened, there would be a group of people who would be unhappy," Mafi told MTV News as she sat on the couch, powering through a cold to celebrate today's (February 4) release of "Ignite Me."

"I really did [anticipate readers being upset with the end]," she added. "And now that the book is out I'm hearing from a lot of people and I'm relieved! I think even for people who didn't get the exact ending that they wanted, I think they are sort of like, 'OK, I get it.' And I think that's what I really wanted."

The "Shatter Me" series — for those who haven't already consumed the first two books, "Shatter Me" and "Unravel Me" — tells the tale of Juliette Ferrars, a girl imprisoned by new government order "The Reestablishment" because she can kill with only the touch of her hand.

Over the course of the series, Juliette discovers ...

It's definitely not OK to call someone "chunky." But what if that person is yourself?

Soon-to-be-mom Gwen Stefani posted a throwback picture of herself on Twitter before the Super Bowl, and now it's getting some backlash.

When I first saw the photo, I was like, "Whoa, Sting on a motorcycle! Sweet." But the photo also shows an almost unrecognizable Stefani from 1983, getting an autograph from the Police frontman... who seems to be channeling Billy Idol in the pic.

Dirty blonde and sporting a T-shirt and khaki shorts, Stefani tilts her Synchronocity copy toward Sting at what seems to be a county fair. Her next tweet closed the circle by showing a video of No Doubt and Sting performing at the 2003 Super Bowl. "#dreamsdocometruetimestwo."

Despite the celebration, the photo has stirred up controversy with fans. Some found her use of "chunky" offensive to those who may be the same size as 1983 Gwen.

Reports on Yahoo! and E! (who both love exclamation points) have also solicited less than savory comments and tweets. But it raises an interesting debate: Should women in the spotlight watch what they say... even about themselves?

The use of "chunky" is equivalent to excusing yourself to a houseguest for a messy apartment or apologizing for a bad hair day to your coworkers — both things I think are stupid and unnecessary, yet I still do it. A woman (or man, for that matter) should never have to apologize for their appearance, whether they're going makeup-less or describing how they looked in the '80s. ...