Going on tour and destroying hotel rooms, guzzling buckets of pills, mainlining whiskey, and bedding overeager, underage groupies is so 1985. Not even Slash still parties like that anymore. Modern times call for modern music by modern men. Men like The Spill Canvas, who spend their downtime during in Europe doing discreet things, like catching up on election news and messing around with Final Cut Pro.

The Spill Canvas touches down in Paris — where the wallpaper is particularly compelling — and checks in from Switzerland in their second tour diary video. Watch it below, and watch Part 1 here.

Since Buzzworthy talked to Sara Bareilles last month, she’s been beamed into nearly every TV in the country on the wings of her Rhapsody commercial, and she scored a gold record for her album, Little Voice. Yet despite the increased exposure, she’s as grounded as ever.

We caught up with Sara after her TRL Spankin’ New Ladies Week performance yesterday (watch it below), and she told us what was it was like to perform in front of the MTV cameras and why we probably won’t see her on the cover of In Touch for hurling milkshakes at paparazzi.

Buzzworthy: What’d you do to prepare for your first TRL performance?

Sara Bareilles: I was so excited because this was the only TV show that’s let us play the whole song in its entirety, so I was like, great! We’ll just play the song as we know it! We didn’t have to make any cuts or edits. The kids were singing along. So it was really fun.

BW: What was going through your head while you were playing?

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When we got word that Silversun Pickups would be premiering their new video, “Little Lover’s So Polite,” next week, we just had to get singer Brian Aubert on the phone to find out more. And indeed we did. He told us that the bare-bones video, which was directed by Joaquin Phoenix, features the band on the back of a pickup truck speeding through downtown L.A. in the middle of the night. Here’s what he had to say about the video, working with Joaquin and when the band will be releasing a new album.  

Buzzworthy: How did you and Joaquin Phoenix team up?

Brian Aubert: I wish there was an exciting story, but there isn’t. He’s just starting to become a video director and he’s also a fan of music and he swims in pretty independent worlds. So, somehow or another, he heard that there was a video being made.

BW: So he came to you?

BA: Yeah, pretty much … according to me and him. But I’m sure there were some handshakes and stuff going on behind us.

BW: What was it like working with him?

BA: The timing was amazing — we were in between tours and he was in between movies. We really liked the experience ’cause it was so crazy. We were crazy. And he was so mental. [Laughs.] We kinda wanted the video to be a little bit surreal, so he decided there was going to be no effects, no nothing. However it was shot was gonna be how it was. We shot it in downtown L.A., so when it looks like the city is spinning behind us we’re really on the back of some crazy truck that was doing that. It was crazy. Read more…

First Lily Allen allegedly gets dropped from her Agent Provocateur gig. Now Amy Winehouse may be negotiating a line of her own apparel and beauty products, including hairspray and perfume. So, not only can you look like an “after” photo from “Faces of Meth,” but you can smell like one too!

Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s crack and syrup!

True to our word, and truer to the trend of throwback videos (Snoop’s “Sensual Seduction”), here’s Gnarls Barkley’s paranoia-inducing Club MTV/ Dance Party USA/ grand mal seizure salute, starring a Shock G-ed Justin Timberlake.

It’s almost too bad Mika already named his debut album Life In Cartoon Motion (unless of course you’re Mika — dude sold 5 MILLION copies of that piece!), because that title totally applies to Kid Sister — the Chicago rapper known for her electro-dance track, “Pro Nails.” Girl’s more animated — and exponentially more entertaining — than both Garfield movies combined.

Now, don’t get it twisted: in person, Kid Sister is straight smokin’. But she isn’t just easy on the eyes. Kid Sister (born Melissa Young) is also sharper than one of those scary metal nail files and has more style than the latest issue of V.

We hit her up backstage while she was getting in make-up for her Spankin’ New Ladies Week TRL appearance today and talked nail polish (of course), wrestling and classic Chicago hot dogs… you know — the usual. In short, we wanted her to be our IBFL (Instant Bestie Fa Lyf).

Here’s why:

Buzzworthy: You just finished a tour. Tell us about the best show you played.

Kid Sister: Sydney! Sydney was really great! There were so many people! I wish I could show you the pictures! Just people for miles. It was the Good Vibrations festival. It was a blast. I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout. We were there with Sinden — he does the “Beeper” song. Kanye was there. It just felt like a family. Like a traveling Partridge family. Except we’re a little bit ghetto.

BW: The Partridge Family was a little ghetto too! That bus!

KS: There were so many conversations about like the industry, man! “The industry is over!” Why downloading is bad. It was so ghetto. It was so ridiculous. It was really fun though.

BW: What’s going on with your album?

KS: It’s being finished! I’m almost done! So, summertime! Summertime, summertime, ohhhh yeah!

BW: And the name?

KS: KoKo B. Ware!

BW: Can you provide some insight into KoKo B. Ware for the unfamiliar?

KS: Well my brother Josh (J2K of Chicago remix masters Flosstradamus) and I, we used to watch a lot of wrestling when I was little. He was more into it, but I really wanted to have something to relate to him on, so we watched it together. It was the one thing we could do that didn’t entail me kicking his ass. Or him screaming at my mom to help and bring in some assistance. So, KoKo B. Ware, that was one of our favorite wrestlers. We have a whole slew. Sounds so baaad! Mm! KoKo B. Ware!

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Gnarls Barkley’s sophomore album, The Odd Couple, won’t be out until April, but tomorrow, we’re dropping the video for their first single, “Run.”

It’s their most eye-popping effort to date and features a cameo by Justin Timberlake who, as a favor to Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse, makes an unfortunate yet righteous return to his Jheri curls.

Two stills from “Run”

Oh you did that, Gnarls.

Until tomorrowsville, watch their anachronism-packed “Smiley Faces” video, and check out a photo of the dystopic duo in wedding attire on the official Gnarls Flickr page.

She’s got Pharrell on speed dial, she choreographed Beyonce’s “Ring the Alarm” video, laid down a few of her own moves in Jay-Z’s “Blue Magic” video and has serious views on Obama, even though she’s not even old enough to vote.

While Teyana Taylor’s mainly known for her stint on a particularly infamous episode of My Super Sweet 16 — recall the girl who entered her skate-themed shindig done up like a lifesized Barbie in rainbow brights — the Harlem-bred dancer-rapper is about to drop her debut album, From A Planet Called Harlem, and, in pop culture parlance, become to Google what Lil Mama is to lip gloss.

Backstage at MTV Studios, before her TRL appearance, Teyana Taylor took a break from practicing high kicks to talk to Buzzworthy.

Buzzworthy: Tell us how you went from appearing on My Super Sweet 16 to being back here in the MTV building with your own video.

Teyana Taylor: It’s pretty amazing, man. I’ve come a long way, and I worked hard. I was really grinding. I was on Sweet 16, but I’m really working hard and not trying to ride off the success of Sweet 16. Before I was on the show I was already signed, so I was already working pretty hard. But I didn’t get on Sweet 16 for extra press — it was something I always wanted to happen since I was younger since, when the show first aired. I’d always been a Sweet 16 fan.

BW: How’d you get signed to Star Trak?

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Inspired by Ashanti, who takes a turn in the tub in her new video, “The Way That I Love You,” Buzzworthy done did a little deep dive of our own… for our favorite videos soaking in bathtub cliches, from sexy — George Michael’s billion-dollar bathing beauties in “Freedom” — to pseudo-suicidal — Britney’s (eerie) rebirth in “Everytime” — to downright dirty — Fiona Apple’s “Criminal” classic.

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As promised, Ashanti made her triumphant return to MTV today with a stop on TRL. Oh, and the backstage report, by the way: Ashanti rolled up into the studio — with Momanger Tina, natch, and no sign of Nelly — in some totally “they’re just like us” comfy sweats and Uggs, and then turned it out like a full-on fashionista in some smart plaid pants and two-tone up-do. After the show, she spotted tiny Christina Ricci and gave her some famous-people props. Cute!

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