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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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The leaves are leaving the trees and the kids are back in school. It's starting to look like Woodie weather out there, no?

MTVU's annual award show--held this year on December 4th--honors those artists who put it down on college campuses everywhere; celebrating the music the kids listen to while studying to become the future leaders of America, etc. And the best part about this show? You can vote to determine who wins!

This year features a really healthy crop of artists. Let's take a gander at some of the categories and nominees, shall we?

For the Woodie of the Year Award, for the artist who made the biggest splash on college campuses this year, we've got Asher Roth, Kings Of Leon, Drake, Silversun Pickups and MGMT.

In the category of Breaking Woodie, which honors up and coming artists who have made headway with the kids, the nominees are Grizzly Bear, Never Shout Never, Wale, La Roux, Friendly Fires and Passion Pit.

Probably my favorite category, Left Field Woodie, which features artists who defy classification, features nominees like Amanda Blank, Major Lazer, Janelle Monae and P.O.S.

You can also vote in the categories Performing Woodie, Good Woodie and College Radio Woodie, BMOC Woodie and Best Video Woodie.

You know you're in the presence of top-notch marketing when an "ad" not only absorbs you into its highly-produced, trippy video love-in, but the spot also gets away with omitting its brand name. Watching the new Coca-Cola segment -- part of the company's 2009 "Open Happiness" campaign -- I see big-name performers, I see fantastic production, I see a wacky-ass drug trip (whoops!), but I don't see "Coca-Cola" anywhere. Ah, the powers of branding...

Like Coke's legendary "Hilltop" commercial (watch it from last week's "Open Happiness" preview, if you're unfamiliar), this up-with-people number goes far beyond "jingle"; in this case, with producers Polow Da Don and Butch Walker (who co-wrote the "Open Happiness" track with Cee-Lo Green).

Yeah, it's all fun and "happiness" until Travis McCoy gets smacked in the face with a jump rope, isn't it?

OK, that's only one element of this 'toon-time craziness, directed by Alan Ferguson, which you should definitely watch below. Be prepared to follow a zebra-printed Cee-Lo down a yellow brick(ish) road, encountering a Newsie-clad reporter in the form of Panic at the Disco's Brendon Urie, along with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. And last up is crazy-hip schoolteacher Janelle Monae, who gets down with her similarly-coiffed students after her lesson.

You're probably too young to remember this, but in 1971, the "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)/ I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad campaign blurred the line between advertising, propaganda, and pop music, and made the entire globosphere DESPERATE for an icy-cold soda. (I'm not old enough to remember it PER SE, and GOD KNOWS if I were old enough to remember it, I'd be running off to my weekly Botox appointment later today.)

Anyway, the songvertisement, also known as Coca-Cola's "Hilltop" commercial, sold over 1 million copies in a year, was donated to the Library of Congress in Washington DC in 2000, and was selected by British TV channel ITV as the greatest TV ad ever made.

Fast foward to now, and "Open Happiness" -- a collaborative Coca-Cola spot recorded by Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo Green, Panic! At the Disco's Brendon Urie, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Janelle Monae, and Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes -- could be this generation's "pop" music (excuse the pun) for the offspring of "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" set.

Will "Open Happiness" have the same monumental impact of its predecessor? We're about to find out.

Watch a 30-second sneak peek of the "Open Happiness" video, directed by Alan Ferguson, starring Cee-Lo Green, Brendon Urie, Patrick Stump, Janelle Monae, and Travis McCoy, and stay tuned for the full-length video, coming soon.

+ Watch the 1971 "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) commercial after the jump!

Read more...

Last night was the the Met's Costume Institute Gala (yet ANOTHER excuse for really wealthy, famous A-listers to dress up and then congratulate themselves for dressing up), and aside from Madonna's Wackadoo Bo Peep Redux outfit, the post-Met Gala talk today was about Rihanna's official return to the public spotlight -- and the red carpet.

Rihanna wore a Dolce & Gabbana suit with severely exaggerated shoulders (think Gareth Pugh, who Beyonce wore in her "Diva" video and to the 2008 EMAs), and sculptured YSL black platform stilettos.

Rihanna, who also performed two songs with Kanye West at the Met Costume Gala, refused to do any press and her she-tux -- and her mere presence -- speak for itself.

But what did Rihanna's man-glam outfit say about her? My take: Rihanna in menswear says that she's a strong enough woman to embrace her masculine side, with a healthy dose of style, of course. (She also may be Annie Lennox fan. And I'd be remiss not to point out that Rihanna was basically totally copping Janelle Monae's man-glam steeze.

What did you think of Rihanna's gender-bending tuxedo look at the Met Costume Gala?

Appropriately, watch Beyonce's "If I Was A Boy."

These days, everyone who's anyone is partying over in the Twitterverse (bonus -- you don't even have to leave your couch!), and celebs are no exception. Also, if you don't know what Twitter is, a.) Seriously?!, and b.) Watch this.

Anyway, we here at Buzzworthy love Twitter because, well, we Tweet! But also, we love Twitter because the sheer entertainment value of following your favorite celeb CANNOT be overlooked. We've laughed, we've cried, we've poked our eyes out (after reading John Mayer's penis-falling-asleep Tweet) and attempted to set our keyboards on fire (ENERGY!). But we always come back for more.

So, herewith is our roundup of our favorite, must-follow celebrities who Twitter.

CLASS A CRAZIES: This group includes the "must-follows" -- the celebrities whose Tweets are so friggin' BANOODLES you simply cannot miss them.
+ Diddy (@iamdiddy) -- If you follow NO ONE else on this list, please, please, please follow Diddy. (LET'S GO, PEOPLE!)
+ MC Hammer (@MCHammer) -- Apparently he was hiding an early adopter in those glittery Hammer pants!
+ Shaqille O'Neill (@THE_REAL_SHAQ) -- Shaq lives in Twitteronia.
+ Snoop Dogg (@snoopdogg) -- His "izzle" talk just slays me every time. Occassionally Tweets while toking.
+ Steve Buscemi (@steve_buscemi) -- He hates penguins!
+ Solange Knowles (@solangeknowles) -- Love Solange, but when is she NOT Twittering. I think she's the sole reason Twitter keeps crashing.
+ Xzibit (@mrxtothaz)
+ Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) -- Dude Tweets DURING COMMERCIAL BREAKS of American Idol! HOW IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED?
+ Lily Allen (@lilyroseallen) -- Lily still kinda hates Perez Hilton, and they are FOREVER back-and-forthing forever on Twitter.
+ Heidi Montag (@montagheidi) -- I swear to the Lord, you will S--T when you see how many of Heidi's Tweets are about Jesus!
+ Spencer Pratt (@prattspencer) -- Sometimes he's on the Bible train too, and he once even compared himself to Jesus. Epic.

FAMOUS BUT KINDA BORING: This group is dependable though almost never shocking. But they're all famous, so they've usually got somewhat interesting things to say. Just don't expect ALL CAPS Diddy rants or Lily Allen vs. Perez Hilton feuds):
+ Britney Spears (@britneyspears) -- Sometimes Britney's team posts for her, but this is still a good one.
+ Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) -- Yay, Selena!
+ Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) -- Demi and Selena leave each other little Twitter notes. 'Scute!
+ Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) -- W00t Taylor! Predictably, Taylor Swift's Tweets are sweet.
+ Dave Matthews (@davejmatthews)
+ Soulja Boy Tell 'Em (@souljaboytellem) -- Mostly Soulja wants you to click on shiz for him and make him more famous. Soulja Boy also Tweets his beef with 50 Cent. (That was one of the weirdest sentences I've ever typed.)
+ Dave Navarro (@davenavarro6767) -- Tweets about being bored and playing video games. Fair enough, we say!
+ John Mayer (@johncmayer) -- He's become a bit of a mad Twitterer lately, and I'm actually a little tempted to move him to the above category. He once Tweeted about his penis falling asleep.
+ Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) -- Sara Bareilles really needs to Twitter more.
+ Mark Hoppus (@markhoppus) -- He's been Tweeting about blink's new album a lot.
+ A Cursive Memory (@acursivememory) -- They really need to Tweet more.
+ Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) -- Yay! We LOVE Simon Curtis! Posts fun pix of his trips.
+ Regina Spektor (@reginaspektor)
+ Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) -- Surprisingly, this feed is not so crazy. Bummer.
+ LeAnn Rimes (@leannrimes)
+ DJ AM (@DJ_AM)
+ REM (@remhq)
+ Duran Duran (@duranduran) -- Yes, they ARE still around!
+ Nick Cannon (@nickcannon4real) -- Mr. Mariah Carey is livin' large in the Twitterverse too.
+ William Beckett (@billbeckett)
+ Bjork (@bjork) -- Hers are crappy, unfortunately.
+ Four Year Strong (@fys)
+ Janelle Monae (@janellemonae)
+ Katy Perry (@katyperry) -- More exciting IRL than on Twitter. Oh wells.
+ Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) -- Ditto. Lady Gaga's Twitter sorta reeks of label Tweeting.
+ Ingrid Michaelson (@ingridmusic) -- Hers are cool and make me wanna hang out with her even more than I already do.
+ Cinema Bizarre (@cinemabizarre) -- Lady Gaga's German tourmates are also Twittering!

More celebrities on Twitter after the jump!

Read more...

+ According to Us Weekly, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's marriage is on the verge of disintegrating. According to People, they're more in love than ever. Tabloids ... can't live with 'em, can't not look at the pictures. (Usmagazine.com)

+ Katy Perry takes to her blog to shoot down the Daily News' report that Travis McCoy popped the question. "NOT engaged!" she wrote on her Tumblr. So what about the rock? Just a promise ring, Perry insists. "But thanks for the free press, New York Daily News!" (Katy Perry's blog)

+ Lily Allen's in deep shiznit with her record label. (Something about leaking her cover of Britney's "Womanizer" online?) Fortunately, Lily's a big girl and she's willing to step up and take responsibility -- by placing the blame squarely on Mark Ronson's shoulders. (AceShowbiz)

+ Here's your official 2008 JoBros recap! And as an extra special bonus, we'll even throw in our fave memories from the weekend we actually got PAID to hang out with our most favorite band ever. (Jonas Brothers Fan)

+ And speaking of recappage packages, revisit the craziest (and most cringeworthy) moments from Season 4 of The Hills in preparation for Monday night's finale! (Remote Control)

+ Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy may (or may not!) be married! Either way, they're crazy in love. (Hollyscoop)

+ Taylor Swift isn't gonna to let a little thing like having her wisdom teeth (painfully!) extracted keep her down. At least, not for long. (Celebrity MySpace)

+ Akon is way too diplomatic accuse Christina Aguilera's of stealin' Lady Gaga's style. But he's not above pointing out a few (ahem) latent similarities. (Rap-Up)

+ Super snaps to Santogold and Janelle Monae for helping to push the Afro-Punk movement into the mainstream. (MTV News)

The Gap's celebrity holiday ads are almost as much of a cold-weather tradition as spiking your egg nog, and/or returning that sweater that same clueless family member got you yet again. This year, celebs like Jennifer Hudson, futuro-Billie Holiday singer Janelle Monae (shown below with Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder) plus Flo Rida, The Dixie Chicks, Ashanti, and Trey Songz, and actors... including Saturday Night Live cast members AND Twilight's Cam Gigandet... are starring in print ads and in online videos featuring jingles, remixed carols, and lots of knitwear. Trust me, your friends will be bombarding your inbox with these Flash-heavy vignettes as soon as the puppy cam gets old.

Now doesn't that make you wanna go buy a holiday sweater (by the way, "Holiday Sweater" by Pas/ Cal is such a great song) or at least some socks? No? Too much crass commercialism for you? 'Kay. Watch Weezer's "Undone (The Sweater Song)," you big Grinch! And thanks for RUINING CHRISTMAS!

Diddy may not have had many kind words for dissed -- and dismissed -- Danity Kane-er, Aubrey O'Day (whom Puff blasted as "raunchy" and "promiscuous" on last week's MTB Live Finale) but he's been full of praise for the newest member of his Bad Boy family, Janelle Monae. And he's not the only one. Monae's atypical blend of hip-hop, soul and old-school cabaret first attracted the attention of Outkast's Big Boi -- landing her two songs on his CD plus a memorable guesttrack on the Idlewild soundtrack.

'Course, now that she's been signed to the Bad Boy label, Monae's ready to break out and show everyone why Diddy's already touting her as the next Billie Holiday. And judging by her first music video, "Many Moons," the faux-hawked singer's already living up to the hype. Check it out, but don't be fooled by Monae's uptight, choir girl garb -- or put off by her futuristic alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather.

Monae may sing like she's from the year 2719 (seriously, that's her thing) and dress like she works at a funeral home, but girl throws down like she's on Warped Tour. Hence this totally amahzing footage of Monae taking a mosh-dive at Afro-Punk.

+ Bonus: Compare "Many Moons" to Outkast's B.O.B. and note the similarity of the crazy-intense opening drums. It's like the music video equivalent of three Venti espressos!!