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Young The Giant Rehearses A Soon-To-Be Legendary VMA Performance

Posted 8/26/11 11:11 pm EST by in Celebrity, Music, Must See, VMAs

When was the last time someone made good use of a tambourine on the VMA stage? Not recently enough, in my opinion. But that's gonna change Sunday night. (No, Lil Wayne will probably not be shaking a tambo during his performance... although I guess you never know.) When indie darling Young The Giant take the stage at the Nokia Theater for their first-ever VMA performance, they'll be entering unchartered waters of this year's awards show. (And not just because of the tambourine.) Of the entire line-up of performers at the 2011 VMAs, Young The Giant will be the VMAs' only rock act.

Young The Giant released their self-titled debut album just less than a year ago, but the strength of haunting hits like "My Body" and "Cough Syrup" -- a soaring bald eagle of a song that takes off and never lands -- earned them instant obsession status amongst music bloggers and then festival-goers, landing them spots on Sasquatch Festival, Lollapalooza, Philadelphia's Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party, and the KROQ Weenie Roast festival. They'll be heading out on tour with Incubus almost immediately following the VMAs. And they would've played a big role in the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds Festivals, except they cancelled to do the VMA. (And America thanks you!)

Like Florence + The Machine who performed at the 2010 VMAs and became an instant household name, the California band is this year's VMA musical wild card. As lead singer Sameer Gadhia told MTV News, they get that you might not know exactly who they are. So how will Young The Giant manage to wow music fans who tune in to the show for bloody meat dress moments or exactingly choreographed routines? "We're not really doing any gimmicks," Gadhia said in Young The Giant's MTV News interview. "It's just us doing what we do: playing live with lots of energy." And after watching this little band with a very big sound (and even bigger potential) rehearse a performance that felt like a Coldplay- or even U2-big, I'm convinced their VMA performance is about to awaken a sleeping giant.

Watch Young The Giant perform live at the 2011 MTV VMAs live from Nokia Theatre L.A. in Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and MTV.com. Catch the live preshow at 8 p.m. ET/PT and cast your votes for Best New Artist up until the show airs!

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VOTE: What's Your Favorite Britney Spears VMA Moment?

Posted 8/26/11 8:59 pm EST by in Celebrity, Music, Photos, Videos, VMAs

We've seen a cat pay tribute to Britney Spears' VMA legacy with its adorable rendition of her 2001 performance of "I'm A Slave 4 U," and we've walked you through some of our favorite past Britney VMA moments. But now we want to hear from you!

With so many memorable moments of Britney Spears at the VMAs (and memorable outfits -- R.I.P., late '90s), it was pretty difficult to narrow down the list to make this poll. Every Britney Spears appearance is an amazing Britney Spears appearance! But with a little effort (and our tenth cup of coffee -- no seriously, what day is it?), we got the job done! And we MUST KNOW: What is your Favorite Britney Spears VMA moment?

+ VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE BRITNEY SPEARS VMA MOMENT AND CHECK OUT PHOTOS OF BRITNEY AT THE VMAS AFTER THE JUMP!

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Ne-Yo Serenades Me, Asks Me To Be His Date To The VMAs!! (!!!!1!)

Posted 8/26/11 8:15 pm EST by in Celebrity, Interviews, Must See, Videos, VMAs

There's a lot you need to know about Ne-Yo's upcoming "Give Me Everything" VMA performance with Pitbull Sunday night. First of all, it's Ne-Yo's first VMA performance! Ever! Second of all, listening to him rehearse "Give Me Everything" inside of the Nokia Theater reaffirmed that his voice is legitimately, undeniably perfect. Even if you already knew that, it bears repeating. Which is kind of why I asked him to sing to me when I interviewed him backstage at his VMA rehearsal. Luckily he said yes! And I said yes... to being his date to the VMAs! (More on that coming soon!) Oh, and third, Ne-Yo, who prefers to go by "The Black Barry Manilow" (just watch), is so sexy it's almost devastating. It's almost impossible to look directly at him because it's like staring at the sun. Do I sound like a fan girl? Well I am. Run and tell that.

But the most important thing is that HE ASKED ME TO BE HIS DATE TO THE VMAs! Am I bragging? Did I totally dork out? Uh, well yeah. But you would too if NE-YO ASKED YOU TO BE HIS DATE TO THE VMAs. Was he serious? Probably not. I mean, I'm not delusional. Am I dressing up VMA night just in case? Obviously.

Watch Ne-Yo serenade me with the hook of "Give Me Everything" before he performs it live with PItbull at the 2011 MTV VMAs on Sunday.

Watch the 2011 MTV VMAs live from Nokia Theatre L.A. in Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and MTV.com. Catch the live preshow at 8 p.m. ET/PT and cast your votes for Best New Artist up until the show airs!

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VMAs Gone Wild: A Cute Cat Reenacts Britney's 2001 'I'm A Slave 4 U' VMA Performance!

Posted 8/26/11 7:16 pm EST by in Celebrity, Music, Videos, VMAs

Britney Spears, who's been a fixture at the VMAs for much of the last 12 years (!!!) -- and will enjoy a must-see tribute at Sunday's VMAs -- has served the VMA viewers and Britney fans countless memorable moments, from her first0ever performance of "Baby (One More Time)" with *NSYNC at the '99 VMAs all the way through 2009 when she took home the award for Best Pop Video. The VMAs and Britney Spears go together like, well... MTV and Britney Spears. And also like Britney Spears and adorable cats.

But one major VMA moment that sticks out in our minds here at Buzzworthy was Britney's EPIC, INSANE, INCREDIBLE performance of "I'm A Slave 4 U" at the 2001 VMAs. From her buff body adorned in practically nothing (seriously, I squatted for weeks on end after I saw this performance) to the SIX-FOOT BOA AROUND HER NECK, it was a stand-out VMA performance not only that year, but for the entire history of the VMAs.

So with all this talk of A Britney Spears tribute taking place at this year's VMAs, we came up with own way to pay homage to the VMA queen -- WITH AN ADORABLE KITTEN REENACTING HER FAMOUS 2001 VMA PERFORMANCE! The ideas don't stop here, guys. Try us!

Mazzy the kitten plays Britney Spears in the MOST ADORBZ TRIBUTE EVER. The video, which stays true to the original 2001 performance, starts out with Mazzy in a cage about to unleash her fury (read: HUGE ADORABLE BLUE EYES OMG) on the audience in front of her. She writhes around (read: sits there like SUCH A GOOD KITTY KITTY, KITTY KITTY) through the song and handles that snake like a pro (read: sits there adorably). The end product? Yet another memorable performance from (Kitty) Britney Spears!

Watch a REALLY cute cat bring Britney's 2001

+ BRITNEY SPEARS TRIBUTE: A CAT REENACTS BRITNEY SPEARS' 2001 VMA PERFORMANCE OF "I'M A SLAVE 4 U."

Watch the Britney Spears tribute during the 2011 MTV VMAs live from Nokia Theatre L.A. in Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and MTV.com. Catch the live preshow at 8 p.m. ET/PT and cast your votes for Best New Artist up until the show airs!

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Lady Gaga's VMA Performance: Here's What We Know!

Posted 8/26/11 5:05 pm EST by in Celebrity, Music, Videos, VMAs

Credit: Getty Images

In 2009 Lady Gaga won the VMA for Best New Artist, which she recently spoke to MTV News about being a life-changing moment for her. Here we are a mere two years later -- Lady Gaga has practically taken over the world, and she's about to take over the VMAs! One might think that after a live performance where the artist ended their set in a (fake) bloody death as Gaga did with her 2009 performance of "Paparazzi," the producers of the show might not exactly be racing to invite said performer back. WRONG. It's the VMA, guys! Bring on the blood and guts! (No seriously, my money's on Gaga literally bringing blood and guts on stage.)

Lady Gaga announced that she'll be opening the VMAs this year when she stopped by MTV to premiere her "Yoü And I" video and answer fan questions during "MTV First: Lady Gaga." When asked about what fans can expect at her VMA performance, the ever-elusive Mother Monster didn't give us much insight: "It will be a continuation of everything I've been doing." Oh gee, thanks! That means... nothing?

Luckily though, MTV News sat down with Laurieanne Gibson, Gaga's friend and choreographer, to get the inside scoop about Gaga's VMA performance. And Laurieanne had some gems for us! And by gems I mean "something will come down from the ceiling." And that's about it. Come on!

So, to recap, we know that Lady Gaga's opening VMA performance this year is: It will be a continuation of all of her previous performances and something might come down from the ceiling. We're sure she'll fill in the spaces with signature Gaga moves like decapitated unicorns and a naked Muppet chorus or something. OK. It'll be way better than that. And the wait is killing us.

Watch Lady Gaga open the 2011 MTV VMAs live from Nokia Theatre L.A. in Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and MTV.com. Catch the live preshow at 8 p.m. ET/PT and cast your votes for Best New Artist up until the show airs!

+ Watch Lady Gaga's thoughts on opening the 2011 VMAs.

+ Watch Laurieanne Gibson discuss what to expect from Lady Gaga's opening VMA performance.

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THEY'RE HERE: VMA Seat Cards Photos!

Posted 8/26/11 1:17 am EST by in Celebrity, Must See, Videos, VMAs

Hokay, Internet. Everybody CTFO... Or actually... DON'T! It's the VMA moment before the VMAs you've all been waiting for. VMA seat cards are up, and we've got all of the photos! They're all set up in their places in the place of the places where the VMA's biggest stars will sit inside of the Nokia Theater this Sunday night!

Is a two-dimensional piece of tagboard with a photo of, say Nicki Minaj or Kim Kardashian more exciting than the real-life three-dimensional human (or super-human, actually) versions of Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian? Of course not! But the VMA floor will be absolutely packed with celebrities. Celebrities mingling, gossiping, air-kissing, tweeting, dealing with the just-like-us mortal wound of becoming massively starstruck at the mere sight of Beyonce's stunningness. The celebrity action and camaraderie on the VMA floor is like the equivalent of the dizzying din of a high school cafeteria on the first day back to school. Except there's champagne, no lunch, and people like Justin Bieber and VMA Pre-Show host Selena Gomez don't go to your high school.

The reveal of the VMA seat cards are a yearly rite of passage that means that the VMAs are thisclose and that we're saving a seat for celebrities like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, your favorite Jersey Shore cast of characters, and even legends like Tony Bennett. (Seriously.)

Tide yourself over until actual celebrities sit in their actual seats at the VMAs by checking out photos of the 2011 MTV VMA celebrity seat cards to see who's got a direct view of Beyonce, who may not be able to see over Bruno Mars' impressively tall hair, who'll be sitting next to Joe Jonas (me, duh), and who's should come wearing body armor because they're sitting next to Odd Future.

+ Check out more seat cards photos in MTV's VMA behind-the-scenes photo gallery, and watch Jim Cantiello's VMA seat card video after the jump!

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Go Inside VMA Pitbull's 'Give Me Everything' Rehearsal With Ne-Yo & Nayer

Posted 8/25/11 10:55 pm EST by in Celebrity, Music, Must See, Videos, VMAs

Pitbull's fully and undeniably pretty dominating. Everything. He's crushing charts and airwaves (oh yeah and the Internet, at over 3 million downloads and rising) right now with his unstoppably huge hit, "Give Me Everything," and at this point he's officially earned his nickname, Mr. Worldwide. To watch Pitbull in action is to watch a man on top of his game and on top of the world. But when Pitbull steps onto the VMA stage to perform "Give Me Everything" this Sunday night, he's gonna have the world at his feet. As well as a couple of seriously sexy (and highly flexible) dancers.

While I was lucky enough to sit in on Pitbull's VMA rehearsal (having had "Give Me Everything" stuck on repeat in my head since March, I was totally fine with the opportunity to hear it live several times in rehearsal) I can't give away too much of what's going to happen VMA night other than to confirm that the golden-voiced Ne-Yo and the seriously sexy newcomer Nayer will join him and that the performance will be a full-blown spectacle.

+ Find out more about Pitbull's "Give Me Everything" VMA rehearsal after the jump!

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The Most Incredible VMA Photos Ever!

Posted 8/25/11 6:21 pm EST by in Celebrity, Music, Must See, Photos, VMAs

The VMAs are home to some of the most memorable moments in pop music and pop culture history. From the time Madonna stunned audiences at the very first VMAs in 1984, hitting the stage in risque bridal attire for her "Like A Virgin" performance, Eminem's army of Eminems at the 2000 VMAs, Britney and Madonna's jaw-dropping kiss in 2003, through Lady Gaga's almost unbelievable meat dress at the 2010 VMAs, the VMAs are known for leaving an indelible mark on the pop landscape.

So, to honor the VMA's rich tradition of leaving people talking (and wondering what meat feels like against human flesh), we're taking a year-by-year look at the most epic, most incredible VMA moments of all time in our MOST INCREDIBLE VMA MOMENTS EVER PHOTO GALLERY!

We've highlighted one photo from every year of the VMAs, including some of the ubiquitous stand-out moments, like Britney Spears presenting Michael Jackson with a birthday cake in 2002, as well as some of the more intimate moments backstage that you may have missed, like a very smiley Kurt Cobain getting ready for the 1992 VMAs with his Nirvana bandmates.

Check out some of our all-time favorite most epic VMAs photos, and be sure to check out the entire MOST INCREDIBLE VMA MOMENTS EVER PHOTO GALLERY!

Credit: Getty Images

Before Madonna was seeing "rays of light" and practicing pilates 30 hours a day, the superstar was teaching us how to "Vogue" in Victorian-era costumes at the 1990 VMAs. She's not the supposed "Queen Of Pop" for nothing -- this performance is an all-time stand-out.

+ Check out photos of most incredible VMA moments ever after the jump:

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Joe Jonas Guests On Bigger Than The Buzz, May Steal Britney's Stuff + Is That A Baby Gaga In A Meat Dress?

Posted 8/25/11 3:34 pm EST by in Bigger Than The Buzz, Celebrity, Music, Must See, Videos, VMAs

When our "Bigger Than The Buzz" producers asked us which celebrities we'd want to appear on our episode 5 of "Bigger Than The Buzz," we had only three answers. Oprah, Kate Middleton and Joe Jonas. Oprah was busy (whatEVER), Kate Middleton declined but sent us a lovely box of macrons. And Joe Jonas stepped up to the plate, making him our very first celebrity guest! (Also, Oprah and Kate Middleton are OFF my Christmas card list.)

So, not only did MTV News' James Montgomery and I get to share a tall, cool glass of milk with Joe, but we got a chance to find out his take on the VMAs -- he's a VMA presenter, and he'll be kicking off VMA weekend by performing live at mtvU's VMA Concert to Benefit Lifebeat - Music Fights HIV concert with Cobra Starship and Miguel. And, since he's going on tour with Britney Spears, he told us what he plans to steal from her dressing room. Watch out, Brit. If your feather boa goes missing, you know who to call.

Also, inspired by my current favorite video -- Chromeo's dangerously fertile "When The Night Falls" video -- James, Joe and I discussed artists who are so hot they should come with their own birth control. Joe Jonas' answer: Michael Bolton. AMAZING! And speaking of babies, we speculated on Lady Gaga's VMA opening performance. If I were running things, I'd try to arrange for Lady Gaga to give birth to a baby Gaga wearing a meat dress. Wait... What? No? Not gonna happen? Okay, that's not gonna happen. She's probably got something even than that bigger planned.

We also got Joe Jonas' style tips for guys (specifically, for James). What it comes down to is that "fashion hurts." Amen, (Jonas) brother.

And for you Joe Jonas fans out there who wanna know what Joe's like in person, well, you probably won't be surprised to hear that he's not only incredibly down-to-earth -- he arrived on set with almost no entourage, excited to be part of the show ("I saw the show! It's really fun. But why milk?" he asked me before the cameras started rolling), but he's also dangerously funny and really knows his shiz when it comes to music. Actually, I'm a little worried they'll replace me with him. Anyway, big thanks to Joe Jonas for being our first celebrity guest on "Bigger Than The Buzz." (And also, please don't take my job.)

Watch Episode 5 of "Bigger Than The Buzz," featuring special guest star Joe Jonas. And after the jump, watch  episode Episode 4, featuring Britney's Pauly D lap dance. And catch up on Steve Urkel's musical career in "Bigger Than The Buzz" Episode 3! And check out Episode 2, featuring new band Emily's Army and a cat with a job, and episode 1, where we kill owling.

+ BIGGER THAN THE BUZZ EPISODE 5 WITH JOE JONAS:

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Kreayshawn To Host 2011 VMA Red Carpet Report!

Posted 8/25/11 12:45 pm EST by in Celebrity, Music, Videos, VMAs

Credit: Michele Crowe/MTV

Our well-dressed pals at MTV Style have just confirmed that Kreayshawn will be hosting the 2011 VMA Red Carpet Report for MTV.com! Taking over for past hosts like Adrienne Bailon and Christian Siriano, in her own words, the boisterous "Gucci Gucci" singer admits what she's most looking forward to: "I can harass celebrities about what they're wearing, what they ate before they got to the carpet, all sorts of funny stuff."

Yo, we totally get that girl. Truth be told, we've always wondered which starlets do a pre-VMA juice cleanse, and which ones thrown down hard for a Big Mac and fries. If Kreayshawn could hook up that 411, we'd greatly appreciate it!

Watch Kreayshawn interview VMA celebrities on the red carpet all night on MTV.com. And until then, watch Kreayshawn take the VMA quiz!

Watch the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards live from Nokia Theatre L.A. in Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and MTV.com. Cast your votes for Best New Artist up until the show airs!

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