Brooklyn noise-pop band Sleigh Bells announced the release of their third record, Bitter Rivals, along with the video for a single by the same name early Tuesday (September 3). That video bears a striking similarity to the new, grittier image embraced by pop princess Katy Perry. Yup, the pop and indie worlds are colliding — not with a whimper but with a bang.

We're by no means suggesting that either party is biting the other. In fact, Perry and Sleigh Bells have markedly different visions for their upcoming records (Bells' Bitter Rivals drops on October 8, and Perry's Prism is slated for October 22). While Perry has been eagerly looking to shed her Teenage Dream persona and sink her talons into the dark side with jams like the "Dark Horse," Sleigh Bells are looking to step out of the blood-splattered Keds from their previous album cover and go lighter.

Guitarist Derek Miller told NME that the songs on Bitter Rivals come from a "different headspace, just more up and positive ... [The record is] not as dark ... I kind of worked through a lot of difficult stuff on the last record," he said, referring to the death of his father in 2009.

So think of it this way: Perry is getting darker, Sleigh Bells are getting lighter, and now the two are meeting the middle with some bizarro similarities. Check out four such parallels below:

Rocking Rocky
The custom boxing robe biz is making a mint on Katy and Sleigh Bells. For Perry's ...

Jay Electronica isn't all bent out of shape because Kendrick Lamar took him to task with his much-hyped verse. If the hip-hop recluse is upset about anything, it's that he can't include "Control" as a track on his upcoming album, Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn).

"It was me and Big Sean, we had verses on there. Then when he told me it wasn't on his album, I was gonna use it for my album," Jay Elect told Vibe.com while he was at the Outlook Festival in Croatia over the weekend.

For those still playing catch-up, on August 12 Big Sean dropped "Control" on the Internet; the track featured Sean, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica. Sean originally intended the song to be included on his own Hall of Fame LP, which was released last week, but had to leave it off the album due to sample clearance issues.

As soon as it was released, the track caused a stir, setting off multiple trending topics on Twitter and dozens of response records. This was thanks to Kendrick's fiery verse in which he made reference to the coveted king of New York title and called out a number of MCs, including Drake, Big Sean, J. Cole and Jay Electronica, saying that he's trying to figuratively murder them on record. Drake kept cool about the lyric. "It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That's all it was. I know good and well that Kendrick's not murdering me, at all, in any platform," he told ...

While other shows go after the youth vote with their judge's panels, "American Idol" is going classic for the upcoming thirteenth season. After months of speculation, producers have signed on former mentor jazz singer Harry Connick, Jr., as the third judge, joining a panel that includes returning country star Keith Urban and second-time-arounder Jennifer Lopez.

There will be shake-ups behind the scenes as well, with Interscope boss Jimmy Iovine out and former O.G. judge Randy Jackson sliding from the table to the in-house mentor position. As usual, Ryan Seacrest will host the show, which suffered through one of its most polarizing (and ratings-challenged) seasons last year when now-departed
 battling divas Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj often drew the attention away from the performers.

"I have always been a huge fan of 'American Idol' and really enjoyed my time as a mentor on the show," said Connick, Jr., 45, who "And I am honored that they've asked me to be a judge this season. As an entertainer, I am truly excited to bring my perspective to 'American Idol,' and to help emerging performers find their way."

Lopez, 44, who was a judge in 2011 and 2012, is back for a third go-round after the raft of other names that were tossed into the ring failed to materialize. Among the stars who were reportedly in talks to join "Idol" were producer/singer will.i.am, producer Dr. Luke, Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun and a number of former "Idol" winners and finalists. Longtime executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick have also left the show.

"Surprise, ...

One Direction scored a #1 debut on the charts last year and nearly pulled off the same move in movie theaters over the weekend.

actually sold more tickets than any other film between Friday and Sunday, although it ultimately lost the top spot by just $2 million. was #1 for the third time once all of the receipts were counted across the four-day weekend. "This Is Us" opened on Thursday night and collected an estimated $18 million through Labor Day, while "The Butler" grabbed another $20 million for a $79.3 million total.

"Getaway" and "Closed Circuit" both flopped while the Spanish-language "Instructions Not Included" did better than expected.

The box-office haul of "This Is Us" was certainly still a victory for Niall, Zayn, Liam, Louis and Harry. While the Directioners who flocked to see the 3-D documentary (65 percent of whom were under 17 and 85 percent of whom were female) didn't outnumber the Beliebers who gave "Never Say Never" a nearly $30 million debut, "This Is Us" managed to beat the recent documentaries from Katy Perry and the Jonas Brothers. Considering the fact that audiences who saw "This Is Us" gave it a CinemaScore of "A" and that it contributed to the biggest overall Labor Day weekend gross in history, it's safe to say Sony Pictures' TriStar brand was happy with the fruits of "Super Size Me" director Morgan Spurlock's labor — especially given that $10 million budget.

"We're the Millers" came in third with $14.9 million across the four-day weekend, putting the new comedy from "Horrible Bosses" co-stars ...

Ben Affleck isn't the only one getting blowback. It didn't take long for the Internet to weigh in on one of the most anticipated casting announcements in years: the leads of the big screen 
 adaptation.

After over a year of speculation, it was revealed on Monday that "Sons of Anarchy" star Charlie Hunnam will play Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson will take on the role of Anastasia Steele.

The casting, of course, drew some serious fire from some fans who didn't agree with the choices, which inspired James to speak out. "To all the supporters, lovers and haters -- thank you so much for the passion that you have for this project," she wrote on Monday. "You all rock. All of you."

Some complained that Johnson ("The Social Network," "21 Jump Street"), daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith," did not have enough of a name to take on one of the leads in the film version of the S&M-heavy book, which has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide.

Others lodged the same concerns over British actor Hunnam, whose film credits include "Pacific Rim" and "Cold Mountain." The grousing came after some other more well-known actors were reportedly in the running, including Emma Watson, Imogen Poots, Armie Hammer and Ian Somerhalder.

"Worst casting ever," wrote Dollolsen on MTV News in reaction to the announcement. "She is wrong for SO MANY REASONS." Alley added, "Sooooooo disappointed! I'm okay with the guy, I guess... but the girl is NOT at all like the book describes anna."

Producer Dana Brunetti also defended the ...

Ariana Grande may have taken the pop music world by storm with but she's just getting warmed up.

On Tuesday (September 3) Grande's debut album, "Yours Truly" hit stores and in addition to big like Mac Miller, Big Sean, The Wanted's Nathan Sykes and Mika, the 13-track debut showcases her impressive vocal range mixed with a '90s R&B throwback vibe.

Grande, who performed during the 2013 Video Music Awards pre-show, recently sat down with MTV News during "Live From MTV" and revealed that she's not only excited for her Arianators to listen to the music, but to get to know Ariana, not Cat, the character she portrayed on Nickelodeon's "Victorious" and the current spin-off "Sam & Cat."

"People got to know me first as an actress, but my mom said I'm a singer who acts on the side, but now they are gonna get to know Ariana the little brunette girl from Boca [Raton, Florida] who loves music more than anything," Grande said. "And that's very exciting to me and it's very relatable. A lot about boys a lot about love, a lot about romance. I'm a hopeless romantic."

Grande co-wrote several songs on the album and teamed up with hitmaker Babyface and to help the singer paint a picture of what she has experienced over the three years it took to create the record.

"I feel like some of the most important years of my life have been captured in this album and some of my most important experiences like relationship-wise," Grande said. "So many things ...

It's a bummer that summer's over, but MTV News has the cure for those blues: our biggest fall releases list. Stick with us all week as we count down the 25 most massive releases on deck over the next three months from A-Z. From Ariana Grande and Beyoncé to Lady Gaga, One Direction, Rick Ross and Zendaya, we've got everything you need to know on the music you'll need to own.

Today's list kicks off with the top-secret latest LP from Britney Spears, as well as new titles from Eminem, Drake and Chris Brown. And don't forget to check out Monday's fall preview, featuring Ariana Grande, Avicii, 2 Chainz and more.

Beyoncé: Unknown

Release date: TBA

The word: At this point, Beyoncé's fifth album is turning out to be the most mysterious release of the year. Although it's been confirmed that artists like Justin Timberlake will be featured on the project, there were rumors that she'd recently scrapped almost 50 songs to start fresh. Her team denied those claims, but still haven't issued an official title or potential release date for the LP. In the meantime, Queen Bey has been continuing to drop several singles tied to advertising campaigns.

Hear this: On the chopped and screwed, Houston-influenced single "Bow Down/I Been On," with a beat courtesy of Hit-Boy, Bey asserts her dominance in the game, while paying homage to the city's legends like UGK. She followed the original track with an all-Houston remix featuring Bun B, Z-Ro, Willie D, Slim Thug, Scarface, Lil Keke.

Key players: Features on the album are set ...