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  1. Obsessively blogging about pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from inside the MTV headquarters in Times Square. We also have a slight Jonas Brothers problem. And a little fixation with Tokio Hotel.

    Contact us as buzzworthy@mtv.com and follow us on Twitter at @MTVBuzzworthy.

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Jack's Mannequin's "Swim," off The Glass Passenger, is a cold-water shock of an anthem about keeping your grasping hope tightly, pulling it toward you, and not letting it go in spite of personal demons. "Swim" is a lifeboat and a life jacket guiding you back to the shore, even if the shore's still away from the light at the end of the tunnel.

The first version of the "Swim" video was a performance piece. But recently Jack's Mannequin released a brand-new "Swim" video, which features friends and fans of all ages, and moving montages of art and animations, all centered on the concept of hope and healing expressed in "Swim."

"Swim" part two was directed by Steven Murashige. Get your high-brow culture fix for the day and watch it, and then check out behind-the-scenes footage from the video and interviews with Andrew McMahon after the jump.

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"Swim" is Jack's Mannequin's most compelling song yet. Clearly there's no shortage of bands whose choruses scream their heads off about feelings right now. Believe me. I see all of their videos. But very few of their bleeding hearts come through the music as genuinely as Andrew McMahon's does.

Listening to "Swim," the frustration of the former Something Corporate frontman invades your guts, tingles in your intestines, snakes up your esophagus, pushes out from behind your solar plexus and bursts out of your mouth as something new. Something hopeful. It feels like McMahon himself is grabbing you by the back of the neck and dragging you forward, no matter what obstacles you've dreamed up to hold yourself back. "Swim" is downright inspiring.

"Swim" is the second single from Jack's Mannequin's The Glass Passenger. The brand-new video is just below. Let it roll.

Last week, Jack's Mannequin mastermind Andrew McMahon rattled off five of his personal obsessions. We learned about his dog Doris, his Polaroid fetish and his unhealthy relationship with Eric Cartman.

This week, we invite Andrew back to Buzzworthy for another round of "The 5," -- and this time the focus is on his latest album, The Glass Passenger.

Though it's been in circulation since September, McMahon is still basking in the afterglow of his second record. A downright herculean effort, Passenger took a year and a half to record, and generated enough frustration to drive McMahon out of town. Literally. Halfway through the recording process, on a routine work trip to Vegas, the piano man got the travel bug and just kept driving. Two weeks later he'd crossed the United States, and had listened to his work-in-progress about 10,000 times. What did he learn on his odyssey? The record wasn't finished.

To find out what happened when he got home, and get more insight into The Glass Passenger's theme of fragility and mortality, watch the exclusive Buzzworthy interview below. After that, keep an eye out for next Jack's Mannequin single, "Swim," and track down California Choke, an original short film that comes with The Glass Passenger!

Great news here for the fellas: according to Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin it's totally possible to watch multiple episodes of South Park every night and convince a woman to marry you! The very minor downside is that you may or may not have to be a major rock star to pull it off. So, uhh, stick to those recorder lessons, eh?

Aside from revealing the fact that he's a big dirty joke junkie, McMahon's interview on "The 5" makes him sound like the perfect gentleman. He's starting a clothing line called River Apparel that donates half its profits to charity, he loves his dog Doris, plays the piano, and he's always looking for new ways to make art.

Get the scoop on five of the former Something Corporate frontman's biggest obsessions in the video below. And if that's not enough dirt for you, McMahon suggests that you scour the lyrics of his latest album, The Glass Passenger. It's very personal. Watch "The Resolution." You'll see.

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So-Cal pop-pranksters Phantom Planet go through identities like most bands go through groupies vans. First they were the band with dude from Rushmore on the drums (before he graduated to Coconut Records) and Ashton Kutcher look-alike Alex Greenwald handling vocals. Then they were the band who sang The O.C. theme song ("Californiaaaaa!").

Right now Phantom Planet is going through a very Buzzworthy phase. The band who take their name from a '60s sci-fi flick spent last summer touring the country with the likes of Panic! At The Disco, Motion City Soundtrack, Paramore and Jack's Mannequin, where they found that -- even though they've been around a while -- their sarcastic tweaker-pop is right at home on the new rock circuit.

Watch "Dropped," their hilarious new video that asks the simple question, "I love you, do you love me?"

+ Plus: Exclusive Phantom Planet photos!

"The Way It Is" won Bruce Hornsby and The Range a Best New Artist Grammy back in '87 and scored them millions of dollars. Nowadays it sounds overblown and cheesy, but back when music was made for and by adults, Bruce Hornsby was straight-up awesome (so were pastel suits :-/). If you don't believe me, consider the fact that even Tupac Shakur picked up on Bruce's sweetness and sampled some of the magic in his mega-jam, "Changes." It's likely that Pac picked up on Hornsby's civil rights-themed lyrics and drew parallels to his own racially-charged rhymes.

Now Jack's Mannequin are a bunch of white dudes and their lovelorn lyrics don't seem to be too concerned with race relations. But the piano that drives "The Resolution" is no doubt dead-on Hornsby. And, like Hornsby and 2Pac before them, that piano-line has served the Something Corporate side-project incredibly well as "The Resolution" is their biggest hit by far. So big that, as Buzzworthy mentioned this morning, the OC rockers have just re-released "The Resolution" as a live video filmed during last year's tour of intimate theaters (as I'm sure you remember, the orig was directed by Stephenie Meyer).

So, watch it. Listen close. Think about the fact that McMahon and Hornsby have both fronted multiple groups, all of which were tied together by piano and a passionate voice. Look at the length of their faces and their funny haircuts... Is there really any difference?

Well, yes. There is one difference. Now, instead of perms and private detectives in banana-colored blazers snapping along with underbites and their eyes closed, the audience is loaded with kids like you singing along at the tops of their lungs on the verge of tears. Strange times, eh? That's just the way it is.

+ Watch Jack's Mannequin live "The Resolution" video

Jack's Mannequin was probably already your favorite band before Stephenie Meyer gave them her co-sign and helped create the official video for "The Resolution."

But the fact that the woman single-handedly responsible for your undying Edward Cullen obsession calls Jack's Mannequin one of her favorite bands too is a pretty good reason why so many girls at your high school -- and in this live concert video filmed at the Blender Theater in New York City -- are singing along to every word of Andrew McMahon and the boys' Glass Passenger anthemic sing-a-long.

Watch Jack's Mannequin's live video of "The Resolution" now.

+ PLUS: Daniel explains why Jack's Mannequin may be the new Bruce Hornsby.

What'd you guys do Wednesday night? Nothing? Sounds like fun! Hey! Wanna know what we did?? We went to mtvU's 2008 Woodie Awards, flirted with Boys Like Girls on the red carpet, got rejected (and un-rejected!) by the All American Rejects, found out Paramore's favorite movie and sat with Locksley and Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin.

Okay, rewind. We've (occasionally) been known to exaggerate (or, as we like to call it, "make the story better') so we should probably back up and start at the beginning. Which brings us back to 5:45pm yesterday, the time we arrived at the mysteriously dark/freezing place called New York's Roseland Ballroom, grabbed our press pass and saw Santogold (looking super cute n' cozy in a gray hoodie and hoop earrings!) rehearsing on stage with Spank Rock.

Note: There were no pictures allowed inside before the show (Not that they would've come out, anyway -- mysteriously dark place, remember??) so you'll have to settle for this red carpet shot of Santogold wearing a shiny, silvery dress by Marc Jacobs that appears to be made from 100% Reynold's Wrap (though Santo swears it's actually way "softer" and more skin-friendly). And she's posing with Lykke Li. (LOVE her!)
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We're still recovering from that crazy, sleep-deprived time in our lives we like to call the 2008 VMAs (and, more recently, from VH1's Hip Hop Honors bonanza), but that doesn't mean we're not already gearing up for the next big televised awards show. Fortunately, we don't have long to wait, seeing as the mtvU Woodie Awards kick off Wednesday, November 19th.

And whether you're a sorority girl (like Elle Woods!) a pre-frosh (like Serena and Blair!) or someone who religiously watches Hannah Montana, we have a feeling you're not gonna want to miss THE definitive college awards show (where all the nominees are chosen by poor, ramen-noodle-eating university types!) And since the polls are officially open from now through November 7th, here's a painstakingly complete list of the categories and nominees. You're welcome!

+ Lil Wayne, Paramore, Tokyo Police Club, MGMT and Santogold duke it out for Woodie of the Year. Note that as much as we would love to see the nominees breakdance fight, the winner for this category (and all subsequent categories) will be chosen solely on the basis of your votes.

+ We love charity. Just today, we selflessly scarfed down three oatmeal raisin cookies (purchased from a Breast Cancer Bake Sale!) all in the name of good health -- and late-afternoon sugar rushes. Now, cheer on your fave do-gooders as Eddie Vedder, Ludacris, Jack's Mannequin, Mary J. Blige and Emmanuel Jal fight for the right to take home the Good Woodie.

+ Ever heard that song "Video Killed the Radio Star?" Yeah, that's a bunch of bull. So hit the polls to see Adele and Motion City Soundtrack take on heavy hitters like Gnarls Barkley, Vampire Weekend and Erykah Badu for the Best Video Woodie.

+ We've always had a secret soft spot for the New Kid. So we'll definitely be checking back to find out which of these rookies (All Time Low, We The Kings, There For Tomorrow, Lykke Li and Tyga) is gonna walk out of here with the title of Breaking Woodie.

+ You know those amazing can't-live-without artists you never heard of 'til, like, yesterday? Well, you still have three more weeks to choose between No Age, Chromeo, Yelle, She and Him and The Cool Kids for Left Field Woodie.

+ And you gotta give it up for the performers who ALWAYS know how to put on a good show. Or as we like to call them, "the Michael Jordans of music." Yeah, we're talkin' about you, Kanye West, Atmosphere, N.E.R.D., The Ting Tings and Simian Mobile Disco. May the best one win! A Performance Woodie, that is.

****Psssst! Not only can you vote for your favorite artists -- you can also campaign for them on your Facebook/MySpace pages(!!) For more details about voting, campaigning and general Woodie goodness, go to mtvU's official Woodies Awards site. GO WOOD!

Over the past month or so, we've seen the guys from Jack's Mannequin hungover, airborne, doin' a little dance and layin' it down in the studio. And now, with a heavy heart, it's time for us to bid the boys farewell as they get ready to head BACK out on the road for The Glass Passenger tour.

And since we've never been very good at goodbyes, we'll let Andrew McMahon do all the talking. Watch the JM frontman say TTYL in his fifth -- and final -- tour installment, then preempt the separation anxiety by taking in the guys' new video, "The Resolution." ('Course, you already know the song -- you watched them record it last week.) Sigh. Nostalgia, anyone?