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The Take Action Tour -- featuring We The Kings, Mayday Parade, A Rocket To The Moon, There For Tomorrow, Call The Cops, and Stereo Skyline, with proceeds benefiting Driving For Donors, which seeks to save lives by finding a match for bone marrow donors and those in need --  is well under way and about to swing into your town or hopefully some place that's near your town so you can go.

The other night, My Life As Liz's eponymous star Liz Lee checked out the Take Action Tour and caught up with Derek Sanders of Mayday Parade. Check out Liz and Derek's video. If that doesn't encouraging you to catch a Take Action show, then I don't know will. Plus get the Take Action Tour dates and buy the Take Action Tour Volume 9 double-disc album, which comes (February 9), featuring all of the band on this year's tour, plus This Providence, All Time Low, Cobra Starship and more.

+ Take Action Tour dates after the jump!

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+ Not only has Miley Cyrus participated in the recording of both major Haiti benefit singles (Quincy Jones' "We Are The World" and the Simon Cowell-organized cover of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts"), she's also organizing a charity auction as well. Miley, along with Demi Lovato and Britney Spears, is auctioning off clothing and memorabilia at Ebay.com/Miley. Proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross. (People)

+Last night's Super Bowl, which, in case you were doing your laundry or something, was won by the Saints (WHO DAT!), featured plenty of music. Queen Latifah sang "America The Beautiful," Carrie Underwood performed the national anthem, and The Who rocked (or wheezed) their way through the half-time show. But the whole thing was kicked off by Jay-Z, who, in a pre-recorded segment, performed a version of "Run This Town," backed by the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra. The only thing missing was Rihanna, who, though her vocals were used in the segment, did not appear. (MTV News)

+ Maybe it's because girl was busy! Rihanna is apparently back on he studio grind, hard at work with dance-pop producer/hitmaker David Guetta. You have to wonder if Guetta, who recently worked with Kelis, will move Rihanna away from the murky, atmospherics of Rated R and towards the dancefloor. (That Grape Juice)

+ Last week we mentioned that Ke$ha had released a video in which she defaced the famous Holllywood sign so that the letters read "Ke$hawood." Some thought it was a prank then; a bit of viral video trickery. Well, some were right. Entertainment Weekly did the while "news gathering" thing (I think it's called "reporting") and talked to someone at the Hollywood Sign Trust who called you-know-what on the whole escapade. (EW)

+ Justin Timberlake was awarded Harvard's coveted Hasty Pudding Man of the Year Award. Naturally, when accepting an award from such a hallowed institution, one dons a blond wig and a bra. (Rolling Stone)

+ In a recently released Twitvid, R. Kelly announced he had 15 (FIFTEEN!) more chapters of Trapped In The Closet ready to go. Much like with the three additional Star Wars films, I'm hoping for the best but fearing the worst. Wait, what am I saying? The worse these things are the better! Bring 'em on, Kells! (Idolator)

Given our penchant for Kerli, Tokio Hotel, and Hello Kitty, you can imagine how squeeeee we got over these new photos of Kerli on the set of her upcoming video, "Tea Party," from the upcoming Almost Alice album, inspired by Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland remake.

"Tea Party" is Kerli's solo song on the Almost Alice album, which will also feature her collaboration with Tokio Hotel on the song "Strange" (perfect, right?).

Check out more photos of Kerli in her amazing "Tea Party" outfit, inspired by the intersection of goth, Harajuku, Hello Kitty, and Versailles (I want to live at that intersection, might I add). Almost Alice is out March 2.

Kerli with stylist Mika Fowler of Gavert Atelier

+ The Simon Cowell-assembled Haitian benefit single, "Everybody Hurts" has begun to appear online and on the radio. The cover of the R.E.M. classic features Susan Boyle, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi and contestants from Cowell's U.K. talent shows, X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent. The track will be available to download on Sunday, February 7th. (Rolling Stone)

+ The other major Haiti benefit single is, as you probably know, a remake of the 1985 song "We Are The World." A new version of the track was recorded yesterday, overseen by Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones and Lady Gaga's producer, RedOne. Participants included Kanye West, Justin Bieber, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus (again!), Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Hudson, Lil' Wayne, Wyclef and dozens more. (MTV News)

+ Does Taylor Swift need to grow up? The New York Times wonders whether, in the wake of her Grammy night triumph, if it's time for Taylor to abandon wide-eyed innocence for the realities of adulthood. (New York Times)

+ Speaking of Taylor, some fans in Liverpool, England were probably a bit chuffed off when a local radio station announced that Swift would be playing a junior high school in the area. Chuffed turned into being cheesed off when they arrived to find the actual night's entertainment was up and coming singer, Taylor Bright. Blimey. (Pop Eater)

+ Rihanna did the post-Grammy chat show run yesterday, hanging out with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show. Some folks (we're looking at you, Idolator), did not care for her sedated-'80s fashion. (Idolator)

+ Fall Out Boy is kinda done? At least as far as Pete Wentz is concerned? Basically? (PeteWentz.com)

(Credit: Liza Chrust, MTV)

The VH1 Critics' Choice Movie Awards are live tonight at 9pm ET/PT, with host Kristin Chenoweth, live from the Hollywood Palladium.

Now you may not care that the movie Nine is up for Best Sound, but if you're a Jonas Brothers fan you may care that Nick Jonas And The Administration are the house band for the evening.

Tune in to watch the red carpet and the show -- Death Cab For Cutie is performing, Adam Lambert, Zac Efron and tons more celebs are presenting, but, most importantly, Nick Jonas And The Administration will be performing.

Watch the red carpet at 8:30. The show starts at 9!

You probably refer to Kevin Jonas's new wife, Danielle Jonas (nee Deleasa) as the luckiest woman ON EARTH. (Or, possibly, "Yoko.") But to Nick Jonas, his new sister-in-law (and the first-ever Jonas Sister!) is "just Dani."

See what else Nick Jonas -- who's been taking names on tour with his side project, Nick Jonas & The Administration -- had to say about the latest addition to the Jonas family in this new MTV News interview. Plus, see what Nick has to say about Nick Jonas & The Administration's highly anticipated new song, "Stay," as well as Joe Jonas' new gig as a guest judge on American Idol.


(Credit: Liza Chrust, MTV)

We're not even a week into the year 2010, but the new year is already proving to be a good one to Nick Jonas. The buzz on his upcoming album, Nick Jonas & The Administration's Who I Am, out February 2, is only getting stronger. Nick Jonas & The Administration's shows, with soloist Diane Birch, are winning over critics for Nick's solo material and in-the-know covers (Kings Of Leon!). And his brand-new video, "Who I Am," is positioning him as a formidable solo act and the next John Mayer.

So it's almost unfair that Nick Jonas has already accomplished ALL of that -- on top of BEING A JONAS BROTHER! -- while looking as good as he does in these brand-new MTV photos taken when he stopped by to tell us five secrets of Nick Jonas & The Administration. Thankfully, Nick (like any good president), is an excellent multitasker.

You already knew that Nick Jonas & The Administration's debut single, "Who I Am" is a perfect slice of blue-eyed soul. Musically, the song -- as well as Nick Jonas & The Administration's overall sound -- is far more rootsy (think early John Mayer) and less pop-rock than Nick Jonas' and his brethren. And while many Jonas Brothers songs are more about looking outwards, "Who I Am" is far more introspective than the sum of several Jonas Brothers songs. "Who I Am" the song is about facing fears ("I'm frightened to death, I'm frightened that I won't be strong"), while the video is all about looking inside for meaning and identity.

With its raw, confessional style, the "Who I Am" video pays homage to Bob Dylan's classic "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and subtly references Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" and The Fray's "How To Save A Life" video. And ultimately -- as evidenced by the very last scene of Nick Jonas' realization that he's "Just Me" -- the "Who I Am" video is about acceptance and quiet emancipation.

+ Watch Nick Jonas & The Administration's brand-new video, "Who I Am," and watch Nick Jonas share five facts you need to know about his new side project.

It's been a tumultuous year for Rihanna. After the whole Chris Brown episode, she could've been forgiven for just shutting it down and chilling out in Barbados for the rest of '09. Instead she went into action, recording a dense new album (Rated R), making brilliant videos, and popping up everywhere fashionable and making it more fashionable. Let's revisit some of our favorite Rihanna moments of the year. (Besides her topless GQ cover.)

+ She got by with a little help from her friends. Rihanna got back in the mix flanked by two of her closer industry supporters, Jay-Z and Kanye West. Her inimitable, ghostly wail punctuated Hova's Blueprint 3 anthem, "Run This Town."

+ She made us laugh. What? Yeah, Rihanna, not really known for bringing the LOLs, did just that when, during her musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live she co-starred in the digital short, "Shy Ronnie," with Andy Samberg, playfully lampooning her own songs in the process.

+ She made two incredible videos ("Russian Roulette" and "Hard") that showed us she wasn't just developing as a recording artist, but as a music video artist as well.

+ She re-established (and actually wildly improved) herself as a live performer, bringing the atmospheric sounds of Rated R to the state. Check out this footage from her November live stop in London (with bonus Jay-Z duet included).

+ She made the Polar Bear look WORK. Seriously, who can pull this off and not look ridiculous other than Queen Ri?

We leave you with three sick Rihanna videos from '09: "Run This Town," "Russian Roulette" and "Hard."

Don't care if you've got a million dollar budget or you're working on a shoestring: if you even bothered making a music video for your song in 2009, it was essential that you brought it.

Don't just have some lame performance piece; actually tell us something deeper about the music by using images. Wow us. Make us laugh. Make us hit rewind. Okay, I'll stop sounding like an Obama speech and get to the clips.

Behold, my top 5 videos of 2009. Promise, after each one you will consider it brought.

+ Number 5: Rihanna, "Russian Roulette"
As a song, my allegiance probably lies with "Hard"'s Young Jeezy cameo and room-shaking beat. But as don't-call-it-a-comeback music videos go, Rihanna's "Russian Roulette" was stellar. It's a dizzying interrogation room play, where the seat of power is traded back and forth multiple times and plumes of colored smoke obscure the truth. Director Anthony Mandler's slow-moving tracking shots somehow perfectly capture the feeling of regret within the song.

+ Number 4: Vampire Weekend, "Cousins"
From the dark hallways and claustrophobic rooms of "Russian Roulette," we  move on to the sunny setting of Vampire Weekend's breakneck-paced "Cousins." In this Garth Jennings-directed clip (the first video from VW's sophomore album, Contra), Ezra Koenig and his pals keep winding up where they started from, telling a story with found objects, surf-punk-rockabilly guitars and whatever else they pick up along the way.

about this blog

  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.