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+ Justin Bieber made some underprivileged kids' days when he visited Las Vegas' Whitney Elementary School where he performed and donated $100,000 and $100,000 worth of toys. Watch the heartwarming video from "Ellen." (Neon Limelight)

+ Katy Perry is scheduled to appear at the People's Choice Awards on Jan. 11. She's up for seven awards and the PCAs mark her first appearance since husband Russell Brand filed for divorce. (MTV News)

+ She & Him's Zooey Deschanel has officially filed for divorce from Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard. They announced their separation in November. Start lining up, guys. (MTV News)

+ Last night Kanye West weaved stream-of-consciousness tweets about education, fashion development and a new company named after his mom, DONDA. "We want to help simplify and aesthetically improve everything we see hear, touch, taste and feel," read one of 80+ (!!!) tweets. (@kanyewest)

+ Ludacris announced he's opening a "Chicken & Beer" restaurant, named after his third album, at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Luda's also working on his eighth studio album, Ludaversal. (Billboard)

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+ Robyn slayed (as always) during her O Music Awards performance, so much so she said she broke a blood vessel in her eye! She added, "[The show] was not like doing a TV show; it was a concert, in parts. It was weird going on and off, but it was really fun." (MTV News)

+ Britney Spears turned up the heat on show opener Joe Jonas during their London stop, which was his last for the "Femme Fatale" tour. Watch Brit and dancers give Jonas more than a kiss goodbye with a (sorta) lap dance. (Neon Limelight)

+ Rihanna shares why she chose one album cover over another in her "21 Days To Talk That Talk" webisode. Hint: She says it's the "most unpretty cover" she's done (as if that's possible, Ri). Check it out. (Neon Limelight)

+ Watch Justin Bieber and Boyz II Men bring holiday spirit to "Dancing With The Stars" during their performance of "Fa La La." You can also check out Bieb's doing "Never Say Never." (Neon Limelight)

+ Not a good year for indie rock love. First Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon called it quits, and now Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard and She & Him's Zooey Deschanel announced a separation after two years of marriage. (MTV News)

+ Taylor Swift has been doing rad covers throughout her tour. During her stop in Memphis she added an acoustic rendition of Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River." Check it here. (Idolator)

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The 2011 MTV VMA nominees have been announced, and Katy Perry might want to start drafting a VMA acceptance speech, because she's nominated for an extraordinary NINE VMAs, including Best Pop Video, Best Collaboration, Best Art Direction, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Special Effects for "E.T." featuring Kanye West, and Video Of The Year and Best Female Video for "Firework," as well as Best Cinematography for "Teenage Dream." No big deal or anything.

But Katy Perry's not the only star who could be walking out with more than a couple Moonmen on VMA night. Adele earned seven VMA nominations for her smash hit song "Rolling In The Deep." Adele's VMA nominations include Video Of The Year, Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Editing.

Kanye West can proudly claim six VMA nominations for "All Of The Lights" and "Power," while Bruno Mars has been honored with four VMA nominations for Video of The Year, Best Male Video, Best Pop Video and Best Choreography.

+ VOTE FOR THE 2011 MTV VMAS & GET THE COMPLETE LIST OF 2011 MTV VMA NOMINEES AFTER THE JUMP!
Read more...

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With the recent release of their seventh album, Codes And Keys, Death Cab For Cutie are more than ready to get back on the road and perform live. The band's recent live, single-take video for "You Are A Tourist" gave you a sample of their new direction, but now we've got an impressive array of performance videos from their recent "Live in San Francisco" show ready for your eager consumption.

Taking the stage of the legendary Fillmore, Death Cab For Cutie performed a diverse selection of early favorites, including "President Of What" and "Styrofoam Plates," and brand-new songs like "Some Boys" to an intimate crowd. We're a little bummed we were 3,000 miles away for this one.

Fortunately, if you missed Death Cab For Cutie's Fillmore show, we've got some of our favorites below, including "Title and Registration" from the band's landmark 2003 album Transatlanticism, plus "Underneath The Sycamore" and "Stay Young, Go Dancing," from Codes And Keys. You can also watch 12 full-length performances of Death Cab For Cutie's "Live in San Francisco" show. Which, of course, we strongly recommend. Like, now.

"Title and Registration"

"Underneath The Sycamore"

"Stay Young, Go Dancing"

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Death Cab For Cutie's unmissable "VH1 Storytellers" airs tonight at 11 p.m. ET on VH1 and VH1.com, but in case you can't wait that long, we've got a special sneak peek of their "Storytellers" performance, shot in April in Culver City, California.

Just days before the May 31 release of their seventh album, Codes and Keys, Death Cab For Cutie's "VH1 Storytellers" performance is an intimate set of new material and evergreen classics including "The New Year," "Photobooth," "I Will Follow You Into The Dark," "Codes And Keys" and "Stay Young, Go Dancing," along with the stories behind the songs and reminiscences of their early days as a band, living in bucolic Bellingham before moving to the "big city" (Seattle) in hopes of one day making it.

Watch Death Cab For Cutie's "VH1 Storytellers" performances of "You Are A Tourist" and "Title And Registration" before the show airs tonight at 11 p.m. ET on VH1 and VH1.com.

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We first labeled Hey Champ a Buzzworthy Obsession back in June after we saw their sleek video for "Cold Dust Girl," which is filled with sweaty hipsters partying, under-the-table games of footsie, and two girls (who happen to look like American Apparel models) stealing a kiss from each other.

In the months since our initial discovery, we've only become more obsessed, thanks to the song "Anything At All," off the band's new EP of the same name. At first, the tune might sound upbeat and bubbly, but listen closer and you'll hear frontman Saam Hagshenas singing, "I was all for the future when the future was possible," and realize the song is far more desperate than it sounds.

Who loves sad songs with happy instrumentation? We do! We do! If you're a fan of Death Cab For Cutie and Two Door Cinema Club, you should totally indulge in the sunny grooves (and somewhat melancholy lyrics) of Hey Champ.

+ Listen to Hey Champ's "Anything At All"

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Hey party people. Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Leslie Simon. In addition to being an editor at MTV.com, I'm also the author of two books -- Everybody Hurts: The Essential Guide To Emo Culture and Wish You Were Here: An Essential Guide To Your Favorite Music Scenes -- and I'm currently putting the finishing touches on my third. It's called Geek Girls Unite: How Fangirls, Bookworms, Indie Chicks, And Other Misfits Are Taking Over The World and it comes out this fall! Before I came to MTV, I spent a bunch of years at Alternative Press magazine, covering everyone from Paramore to Brand New to My Chemical Romance. In other words, I'm your garden variety music geek.

When I was asked if I'd be interested in writing a column for Buzzworthy, I immediately jumped at the chance. (Actually, I think I did the Dougie and then ended with the Bernie. Even I can admit it wasn't cute.) Regardless, each week I'll be offering up a themed music playlist. For you podcast lovers, think of it as "This American Life" but without all the talking... and no Ira Glass. OK, you get the point.

Some weeks, I might be inspired by what highly glamorous thing I did over the weekend (i.e. Songs You Should Practice Yoga To That Don't Involve Weird Chanting). Other weeks, my inspiration could stem from a trip to the grocery store (i.e. Songs I Wish Had Muzak Remixes). Just like a stop on Charlie Sheen's Violent Torpedo Of Truth Tour, you never know what you're gonna get!

This week, I'm kicking off my inaugural column with a theme I'm particularly smitten by: dudes in suits. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing in life that can't be fixed by listening to a cute guy in a blazer play an electric guitar and sing with a British accent. (American accents are OK, too. I'm an equal opportunity dudes-in-suits supporter.) Get ready for music from The Wombats, OK Go, Patrick Stump and Death Cab For Cutie.

Finally, if you'd like to keep up with all my musings, please visit my website and follow me on Twitter (@redpatterndress).

1. The Wombats' "Anti D": I'm sorry but how can you not fall in love with a tune that opens with lyrics like, "Please allow me to be your antidepressant/I, too, am prescribed as freely as any decongestant." Brilliant! I've been a fan of The Wombats ever since I heard their first single, "Let's Dance To Joy Division," and my obsession for this British trio has only gotten more intense with time. Poppy yet perverse, indie yet accessible, The Wombats provide the perfect soundtrack to everything from a debaucherous evening to a lonely morning and everything in between.

Watch The Wombats' "Anti D" video.

2. OK Go's "This Will Be Our Year": This classic jam appears at the end of The Romantics, which I wasted two hours watching last weekend. The movie is just mediocre, but the song is fantastic. Originally recorded by The Zombies in 1968, "This Will Be Our Year" is a supersweet power-pop ballad that barely shows its age, especially when carted out over the ending credits of a St. Elmo's Fire-esque romantic comedy. OK Go re-recorded the song a couple years ago, and their version appeared in the flick John Tucker Must Die, which I actually enjoyed a bunch. (Yes, I just admitted that.)

Listen to "This Will Be Our Year"

3. Patrick Stump's "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)": I was lucky enough to catch Patrick perform this past weekend at Joe's Pub here in New York, and he totally blew me away, especially when he played "Spotlight"... twice. Honestly, he could've played it 10 more times, and it still wouldn't have been enough. This song is musical Prozac: Play it when you see storm clouds on the horizon, the skies will part instantly and you'll feel like you can conquer the world. If that doesn't work, watch this video.

Listen to "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)"

4. Death Cab For Cutie's "You Are A Tourist": Frontman Ben Gibbard wears a mean suit and writes an even meaner rock song. From the tune's galloping guitars to lyrics like, "If you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born/Then, it's time to go/And you find your destination with so many different places to call home," "Tourist" encourages you to stop being a spectator in your own life. Get out there and live it! Oh, and it also didn't hurt that the Death Cab cuties cleaned up real good for the song's live one-take video, which was a visual spectacle of neon lights and kaleidoscopic choreography. Seeing is believing.

Listen to "You Are A Tourist"

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Credit: Danny Clinch

Multiple takes? Nope. Computer-generated effects? Zilch. Do-overs? Nada.

Death Cab For Cutie went all in last night for their "You Are A Tourist" video, shooting the intricately choreographed clip live, then committing the results to history no matter what happened.

Luckily for the band, the shoot was free of any disasters or calamities -- though the viral potential for a falling lamp or sprained ankle would be limitless -- and remains one of the most audacious acts in music video history.

In the video, Death Cab For Cutie, dressed all in black with glowing red lights near their hearts, walk through a kaleidoscopic set featuring psychedelic triangles, flashing lights and a slew of Busby Berkley-style dancers contorting around them. It's a mystifying video on any level, but knowing one wrong move could derail the entire project made it that much more alluring.

For the Tim Nackashi-directed video, the band told MTV News after the shoot that all their years of performing on live television made them feel at ease with the live video concept. And admittedly, the dancers, whose intricate, complex routines are at the center of "You Are a Tourist," probably had more to be worried about than the band.

"I liken it to a 5-year-old trying to explain their trip to Disneyland," frontman Ben Gibbard told MTV News earlier this week. "It's sensory overload, so there's are a lot of things happening and trying to walk anybody through it would be very difficult."

You don't have to now, Ben. They can see for themselves below.

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+ UPDATE: Watch Death Cab For Cutie's "You Are A Tourist" video below!

Tonight, Death Cab For Cutie is going to be making history, making a music video and making music video history. Death Cab will be shooting their new video for their "You Are A Tourist" single -- off their Codes And Keys album (May 31) -- and they'll be shooting the video live, in a single take. There's a script, but, like any live act (and like Las Vegas!), whatever happens... happens.

The concept for Death Cab's new video is just the band on a bare stage playing instruments over a track... Actually, NO! The "You Are A Tourist" video concept literally involves an intricately scripted system of highly synchronized Busby Berkley-style dancers, effects and a Rube Goldberg machine of sorts. I am NOT making that up. Fortunately, they've got director Tim Nackashi helping out. And hopefully divine guidance.

Still, and I can't emphasize this clearly enough, what happens in that one complex, well-timed take is the video. One take, one video. No resets, reshoots and do-overs. Whatever happens during the single take, which you can livestream in the video below, is the finished product. It's daring, ambitious, and if it works, you've got Death Cab to blame or thank for what could signal the end of the multiday, highly produced video shoot forever.

Watch the livestream of Death Cab For Cutie's "You Are A Tourist" video shoot below at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. And check back tomorrow to see the "You Are A Tourist" video.

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(Credit: Danny Clinch)

Death Cab For Cutie fans first got a taste of the band's new material when a couple songs from Ben Gibbard's solo Noise Pop concert leaked online. However, the recordings were grainy and you could totally hear people talking in the background. (Not cool!)

However, Death Cab just released the first single off their new album, Codes And Keys. It's called "You Are A Tourist" -- and it's a beaut.

Musically speaking, "Tourist" is definitely a throwback to the band's earlier era, with its mounting drums and galloping guitars. Think "The Song Of Settling" (off 2003's Transatlanticism) or "Movie Script Ending" (off 2001's The Photo Album).

Lyrically, "Tourist" is all about listening to your heart and following your dreams. Sample lyrics include: "If you feel like a tourist in the city you were born/Then it's time to go/And then find your destination/There are so many different places to call home."

If this song is any indication of the album's direction, sign me up for the preorder! Plus, I can't tell you how nice it is to hear a Death Cab song that doesn't make me wanna cry. (I mean, just try to listen "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" without weeping like Dawson Leery. Go ahead. I dare you.)

+ Listen to Death Cab For Cutie's "You Are A Tourist." And, if you need to let it out, watch the band's video for "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" below.

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