There's one reason Macklemore & Ryan Lewis started making videos: to get to the VMAs. Well, thanks to three #1 hits and their three amazing videos, the Seattle duo are not only invited to the August 25 show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, they're tied with Justin Timberlake for the most nominations!

"When we started making music videos, it's always the goal is to get a VMA nomination — it's really to take home a Moonman," Macklemore told MTV News on Wednesday, just hours after he found out about the pair's six nominations
.

"Once the song ['Thrift Shop'] started doing better, it was like, 'Maybe we might actually get a nomination, maybe that might happen,'" he said. Well, it happened, with their massive hit up for the coveted Video of the Year and it's equally huge follow-up, 
 landing nods for Best Hip Hop Video, Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Editing.

The latter is a wide-screen epic that took 16 days to shoot and found them hopping across six continents, where they starred alongside camels, got chased by wolves, mushed on dogsleds, partied on a clipper ship and planted their flag all over the globe. Mack and Lewis also got recognized in the Best Video with a Social Message for their equality anthem 


Even after all their success, the fiercely independent Macklemore said he was really not expecting all that VMA love. "[We were] hoping for it and the news came in today that we got nominated six times, tied with JT," he said. ...

Earl Sweatshirt will finally drop his debut album, Doris, on August 20, and when that date rolls around, the Odd Future rapper would like fans and critics to finally stop blabbing about his personal life and instead focus on the music.

"I just want it to be out so there can be conversation about sh-- other [than my life]," Earl told MTV News. "So there can be music conversation as opposed to life conversation, which has been going since I've been home."

The 19-year-old is referring to the time he spent at the Samoan boarding school Coral Reef Academy a couple years back, which became public knowledge when Complex published an investigative report pinpointing his location, to the dismay of his family and even his "big brother" Tyler, the Creator, who publicly lashed out at the outlet at the time.

"Most of the sh-- that I get, and that I've gotten in my entire career, has been based on sh-- that's going on in my life and not music stuff," he added. "So when the album comes out, it'll give everyone 15 songs to talk about."

Earl most recently addressed the media fiasco on "Chum," rapping, "I know you're happy now/ Craven and these Complex f--- n---as done track me down/ Just to be the guys that did it, like I like attention/ ... Supposed to be grateful, right/ Like thanks so much, you made my life/ Harder and the ties between my mama are strained and tightened."

The topic will certainly be broached in some capacity on other tracks as well. ...

Just how many times can one family come under attack from vengeful ghosts?

September's "Insidious: Chapter 2" returns us to the spirit-plagued Lambert family, who might have survived their first encounter in 2010's surprise horror hit "Insidious," but find something worse has followed them back into the land of the living. The "Saw" writing/directing team of Leigh Whannell and James Wan return to the "kitchen sink" storytelling that made the first film so successful with fans three years ago, and this time out, they're building a franchise around the dark things that reside in The Further, a sort of netherworld that allows the filmmakers to pack in more mythology around things that go "bump" (and worse) in the night.

Set immediately in the aftermath of the first film, "Insidious: Chapter 2" sees parents Renai and Josh Lambert (Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson) slowly discovering that their ghost problem might have something to do with a buried secret in Josh's past. If you've seen (and loved) any of the "Saw" films, you'll appreciate the way Whannell and Wan have layered in more backstory into the sequel — but it wasn't all part of some master plan from the start.

Speaking with MTV in L.A., screenwriter Whannell explained that the first film's franchise potential was the furthest thing from their mind, and that each film they make is done somewhat by the seat of their pants. Director Wan has another haunted-house thriller out this week, the based-on-true-events "The Conjuring," and like "Insidious: Chapter 2," that film works ...

It may be harder to find the new issue of Rolling Stone at your local chain pharmacy or quickie mart this week. After concerns were raised about the magazine's decision to put the now-infamous selfie of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev on the its cover to illustrate the story titled "The Bomber: How a Popular, Promising Student Was Failed by His Family, Fell Into Radical Islam and Became a Monster," a number of major retailers have announced that they won't carry the issue.

7-Eleven joined the list of boycotters on Thursday (July 18), which already includes CVS, Walgreens, Kmart and Rite Aid. The New England-based Tedeschi Food Shops also said it would not carry the issue. Before it was posted online, the article's author, Janet Reitman — who reported the piece over two months and spoke to childhood and high school friends, neighbors and law enforcement sources — wrote, "It's kind of astonishing. No one has even read it yet!"

Much of the controversy has focused not on the content of the piece, but rather on the decision to put Tsarnaev on the cover, in what many have said is a pose that seems to glamorize him and make him look like a pop star. The same image has also appeared in the New York Times and other media over the past few months. The magazine, which has long mixed music journalism with world affairs and political coverage, has released a statement defending its decision to feature Tsarnaev.

"Our hearts go out to the victims of ...

It may be harder to find the new issue of Rolling Stone at your local chain pharmacy or quickie mart this week. After concerns were raised about the magazine's decision to put the now-infamous selfie of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the its cover to illustrate the story titled "The Bomber: How a Popular, Promising Student Was Failed by His Family, Fell Into Radical Islam and Became a Monster," a number of major retailers have announced that they won't carry the issue.

7-Eleven joined the list of boycotters on Thursday (July 18), which already includes CVS, Walgreens, Kmart and Rite Aid. The New England-based Tedeschi Food Shops also said it would not carry the issue. Before it was posted online, the article's author, Janet Reitman — who reported the piece over two months and spoke to childhood and high school friends, neighbors and law enforcement sources — wrote, "It's kind of astonishing. No one has even read it yet!"

Much of the controversy has focused not on the content of the piece, but rather on the decision to put Tsarnaev on the cover, in what many have said is a pose that seems to glamorize him and make him look like a pop star. The same image has also appeared in the New York Times and other media over the past few months.

The magazine, which has long mixed music journalism with world affairs and political coverage, has released a statement defending its decision to feature Tsarnaev.

"Our hearts go out to the victims of the ...

This year's San Diego Comic-Con may be crawling with all kinds of creatures and freaks — including Godzilla, Wolverine and all manner of YA-spun monsters — but the freakiest of the bunch is undoubtedly Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, should he decide to make it to San Diego to support his first comic book, "The Sun Is Sick."

When MTV News spoke with Coyne about his upcoming comic book — set to go on sale at Comic-Con Thursday (July 18) and on the band's website on July 22 — he was still undecided about whether or not he would attend the event.

"I should go and see what it's all about," Coyne said. "It's just not really my trip. I'm not very interested in comics, per say."

Despite his lack of interest, however, Coyne did make a comic book — a 40-page-long strange trip set in the "Virgo 2151 Eruption Galaxy" where two maintenance workers battle against the grim reaper to save the sun. The comic also features a blind princess who gives birth to a giant eyeball and is very, very NSFW. What else would you expect from the band that released a 24-hour song inside a human skull?

Coyne said that he never really intended to make a comic book. The work was born during long interviews that saw the musician doodling for hours at a time.

"While I'm doing an interview — exactly what I'm doing with you — I would have pencil and paper sometimes and I would start a doodle and it would turn ...

Justin Bieber has a myriad of tattoos dedicated to all sorts of interests and folks (including one that looks a bit like Selena Gomez). But it's his latest piece of ink that just might have the most sentimental value for the 19-year-old pop star.

Earlier this week, Bieber stopped by Bang Bang Tattoos in New York City, knowing he wanted to pay homage to his mom, Pattie Mallette, who has been quite vocal in the past few weeks about her son's very public ups and downs. The latest tat of an eye, located in the crease of his elbow, is meant to symbolize the idea that "Mom's always watching," Bieber wrote Wednesday on Instagram.

Tattoo artist Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy told MTV News about the ink he designed for Bieber: "It felt like a good spot for it to sit for him. I didn't feel like it was bizarre at all, people often get an eye to symbolize many things. For him, it was just like his mother watching over, kind of like a protective thing. It's totally from mama. We were talking about how we both have tattoos for our mothers and how it's something you'll never regret."

During the "mellow" tattooing session, which was attended by Bieber and a small group of pals, the singer was very clear about his ink selection. "The first time I tattooed him, we were playing with a couple ideas," McCurdy explained. "This time, he knew exactly what he wanted. He knew exactly where it was going to go, and he just let ...

If you ever see Jeff Bridges on the street, don't feel the need to be so formal: the actor has given his permission for you to call him "The Dude."

Bridges made his first appearance in the hot seat well-known to MTV After Hours viewers as "The Yes/No Show" this week, while promoting his new action-comedy, based on the Dark Horse comic book. He didn't exactly adhere to the rules — rather than answering "yes" or "no," he often opted for "sure" and "false" — but he did reveal some interesting information, including his willingness to be referred to as his iconic "Big Lebowski" character, and his opinions on the legalization of marijuana.

The Oscar-winning actor appeared alongside Ryan Reynolds, his "R.I.P.D." co-star. Unlike Bridges, Reynolds is a "Yes/No Show" veteran, and came prepared to answer host Josh Horowitz's hard questions. Among his revealing answers: he's happy to be known as Van Wilder, he's met fellow Canadian Justin Bieber and he wore an adult diaper when he ran the New York Marathon.

But Reynolds' most revealing answer by far was his opinion on a different comic book movie role from his past: Hal Jordan, the intergalactic space cop at the heart of "Green Lantern." With rumors of a "Justice League" movie heating up, it's possible that Reynolds could return for the team-up, despite the disastrous "Green Lantern" box-office results.

Possible — but not likely.

Horowitz asked Reynolds if he would buy the domain name for greenlanternsequel.com, and the answer was not encouraging.

"I don't think you can sell that to anyone," ...

If you ever see Jeff Bridges on the street, don't feel the need to be so formal: the actor has given his permission for you to call him "The Dude."

Bridges made his first appearance in the hot seat well-known to MTV After Hours viewers as "The Yes/No Show" this week, while promoting his new action-comedy, based on the Dark Horse comic book. He didn't exactly adhere to the rules — rather than answering "yes" or "no," he often opted for "sure" and "false" — but he did reveal some interesting information, including his willingness to be referred to as his iconic "Big Lebowski" character, and his opinions on the legalization of marijuana.

The Oscar-winning actor appeared alongside Ryan Reynolds, his "R.I.P.D." co-star. Unlike Bridges, Reynolds is a "Yes/No Show" veteran, and came prepared to answer host Josh Horowitz's hard questions. Among his revealing answers: he's happy to be known as Van Wilder, he's met fellow Canadian Justin Bieber and he wore an adult diaper when he ran the New York Marathon.

But Reynolds' most revealing answer by far was his opinion on a different comic book movie role from his past: Hal Jordan, the intergalactic space cop at the heart of "Green Lantern." With rumors of a "Justice League" movie heating up, it's possible that Reynolds could return for the team-up, despite the disastrous "Green Lantern" box-office results.

Possible — but not likely.

Horowitz asked Reynolds if he would buy the domain name for greenlanternsequel.com, and the answer was not encouraging.

"I don't think you can sell that to anyone," ...