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.

+ Mariah Carey gave a big "F U" to the R.I.A.A. (Recording Industry Association of America) and their silly little Grammys by pushing back the release date of her new album to a day after the cut-off date for it to be considered eligible for this year's awards. Personally, we think she's pulling a bitch move in light of fellow megastar Whitney Houston releasing her new album on September 1st. Nothing like a little competition between two DIVAAAAAAAAAAAAAS, right lambies? (The Frisky)

+It's so wonderful seeing the excitement on Kanye West's face to be out and about with someone as overtly glamorous as Amber Rose (especially in a barely-there bikini, and by "barely-there" we mean linguine-draped meatballs with a leg of lamb. Seriously?? Her body was assembled by spare parts. AND WE LIKES IT.) (The Blemish)

+ New pictures have surfaced of a hotter-than-ever Ricky Martin hanging out on the beach with his angelic one-year-old twin boys. ME ENCANTO! (Socialite Life)

+ Apple now accounts for 25% of total music sales via iTunes. (CNN Money)

+ Oh, and in case you're one of like four people in the world who wasn't annoyed when songs would auto-play on MySpace Music, they've disabled that feature to save a buck or two. (TechCrunch)

+ Be on the lookout for Yeah Yeah Yeah's frontwoman Karen O and MGMT to guest on the new Flaming Lips record, Embryonic. Evidently Karen did her portion of the two songs she recorded right over the phone. (NME)

+ Emo kids, get out your eyeliner and prepare for a reapplication: Conor Oberst just announced that Bright Eyes will release its final album next year. Perma sad face. :< (Pitchfork)

+ I wonder if some days Lady Gaga just wants to put on a pair of sweatpants that say "PINK" on the ass, and like, a ratty t-shirt and walk to the store on the corner to buy a Nesquik and a Cowtail. I mean, sure -- she's not in a unitard or a crazy dress, but is this her idea of comfy/casual? Um, and check out the headline on her crotch. Stay classssssay, Gags! (Seriously? OMG! WTF?)

+ Nas was just ordered to pay almost $44,000 a month in child support to Kelis for the baby she had on Tuesday. Who wants to go to Discovery Zone??? Nas' treat!!! (Star Magazine)

+ In the wake of the Beastie Boys' sad announcement about Adam Yauch's cancer diagnosis, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's have stepped up to take their place at Lollapalooza. (The Tripwire)

+ And in a unifying show of solidarity, none other than Jay-Z is subbing out for the Beasties at All Points West. (The Tripwire)

+ Also, on the Jay-Z tip, weird or WOW that MGMT will be contributing to his next album? Boys better be gettin' paaaaaaaaid. (Reuters)

+ Miami-based heavy metal band Black Tide are doing a lot of trash talking about our boys from Tokio Hotel, and guitarist Zakk (uh... right) has gone so far as to put together a playlist of songs he thinks are way better than anything TH could ever do. Sounds like someone's totes jelly of Bill's hair (and, oh.. the 40 or so awards like this one they've won for being so awesome)?! What do you think about Black... who? (The Rad Report)

+ Hollywood Records confirms that sister act Aly & AJ have officially changed their name to 78 Violet. Huh? (Tommy2.net)

+ This week's Most Awkward Moment award goes to the barista who works at the Aroma coffee shop in the Valley. Said barista had NO IDEA that the person standing in front of him ordering a chai latte was NICK. JONAS. AGH!!!!! Are you kidding me??? You could recognize that puss a mile away! (Celeb Snacker)

+ Katy Perry is fearless in fashion and is utterly unremorseful -- check out this editorial spread she did for Canadian magazine Flare. (Styleist)

+ Even though my Production Assistant was slightly unimpressed by MGMT's recent concert in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, I'm totally going to check out their recently remastered Time To Pretend EP that was just released. There is NO pleasin' some people. (The Tripwire)

+ It's hard not to mention the emotional Michael Jackson memorial service held today at the L.A.'s Staples Center. MTV has the entire show on demand, plus every scrap of MJ memorabilia you could ever want, to help you immortalize the King of Pop. (MTV)

+ ON franSAY, see voo PLAY?! Britney's in Paris for the European leg of her cash cow Circus tour, and she's done a lot more than just change her hair color and her pantyhose. (The Blemish)

Amazing Baby is a tribe of Brooklyn weirdos on a hardcore vision quest. On their debut full-length, Rewild, the sonic explorers glam out in the far reaches of a dozen imagined mini universes, introducing mystical creatures ("The Narwhal"), gruesome danger ("Bayonets," "Deerripper") and fantastic real estate ("Invisible Palace"). In league with fellow Brooklyn heavyweights MGMT and Chairlift, Amazing Baby have been generating high-intensity buzz since the first sky-ripping growl of their neo-psychedelic revolution.

Amazing Baby's latest single, "Smoke Bros," is a cosmic boogie about starving cannibals that's half smirk, half snarl. The single's heady pomp and swagger is pure T.Rex, but its outer space guitar sounds and cynical edge are pure Brooklyn, 2009. Don't miss this new glam-rock (hey, aren't Tokio Hotel kinda glam...?) juggernaut.

Watch the mind-blowing video for "Headdress" below, to get a feel for the level of Arcade Fire intensity we're dealing with here, then download "Smoke Bros" for free on Amazing Baby's website.

+ FINALLY! After being shelved multiple times, Keri Hilson's new album. In a Perfect World is set to drop on March 24th. Special K's lookin' hot-to-def on the album cover, as usual. (Neon Limelight)

+ Just a few questions for you this Friday afternoon:  Does Kristen Stewart wash her hair?  Can her friends recommend a better stylist?  DOES SHE KNOW SHE'S STANDING IN A STEAMING HOT MEATBALL SUB THAT IS ROBERT PATTINSON AND TAYLOR LAUTNER??????  Maybe she needs lasik.  (PopSugar)

+ Speaking of Twilight, what's this about Drew Barrymore being on the short list of directors for three-quel Eclipse?  Is there a long list?? (Entertainment Weekly)

+ Imagine being on stage in six-inch heels and having Rachael Ray spewing at you like a broken sewer main, telling you how attractive you are.  This is a recurring dream of mine.  And it really happened to Justin Tranter of Semi Precious Weapons. (Page Six)

+ MGMT is laying the smack down on music stealer French President Nicolas Sarkozy for using their song "Kids" in online videos and elsewhere, without permish.  What a loser... (E! Online)

+ If performing is therapy, then she must have maxed out her copay!  Jennifer Hudson visited Oprah and let everyone know she's "in a very good place."  We're pullin' for you, lady. (People)

Kuroma sounds like about a million different bands. Some of them are British, some are American, old, new, rocky, hippie, indie, everything. "In New York, Everything Is Tropical," for example, sounds like MGMT covering a super poppy Hood Internet mash-up of Wilco's "War On War" and Fiery Furnaces' "Tropical Iceland" with a South African accent.

Also, Kuroma -- whose real name is Hank Sullivant -- has actually been in about a million different bands. Or at least two, anyway: Whigs and MGMT. And his all-over-the-place sound is totally appropriate for a band-hopping Brooklyn longhair, one who happens to be your New York City tour guide for the next few minutes.

Follow Kuroma down the graffiti-bombed back alleys of Williamsburg and the leftover tenement-lined avenues of the Lower East Side as he lazies out the lyrics of "In New York, Everything Is Tropical," amid constant-popping psychedelic animations. Kuroma disagrees, Pete Wentz. This is a scene, and he seems to know it inside and out. Watch the video and just wait... Your kids are gonna be like, "Whoooaaaaa, so that was what it was like?" And you're gonna be all, "No way, kid. That's just a music video." More Kuroma after the jump!

+ Listen to most of Kuroma's debut album, Paris, for free!

Read more...

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!

Attention budding directors, design nerds, After Effects tinkerers and Tay Zonday fans. Six new 2008 VMA categories have just been announced, and you'll be glad to know (or at least I am), that Erykah Badu, Death Cab for Cutie, and Weezer did not get overlooked.

Erykah Badu's "Honey" homage is up for three out of the six new categories, Death Cab for Cutie's meat locker love song "I Will Possess Your Heart" is up for two, and Weezer's "Pork and Beans" squeaked in too. Good damn thing too, because it would've been a crime if that gem had been overlooked.

The new categories focus on video design, direction, and ... DANCE! They're sorta like the technical Oscars, but more exciting. And speaking of the Oscars, the new categories are:

+ Best Art Direction: Welcome, MGMT and White Stripes!

+ Best Choreography: Two Chris Brown videos up in here. Big shocker there. And Adele and Gnarls Barkley make an appearance!

+ Best Cinematography: Breakneck competition here between Badu, Death Cab, Katy Perry, White Stripes and Pussycat Dolls, who now have SIX nominations -- the most of any artist this year.

+ Best Direction: Panic At the Disco, and Rihanna pick up their second noms of the year. Link Park picks up their third.

+ Best Editing: Will Katy Perry, Erykah Badu, Death Cab, and Ne-Yo get served by Weezer's "Pork and Beans"?

+ Best Special Effects: Coldplay enters the race with "Violet Hill," and so Kanye doesn't throw a fit, his "Good Life" video's in there too.

Check out the full list of new categories and nominees, check out Buzzworthy's interview with "Pork and Beans" director Mathew Cullen, and watch the epic meme montage yet again.

+ FNMTV host Pete Wentz divulges his extensive role in Fall Out Boy's creative song-writing process: "I'll go over to Patrick's house, and he’ll kind of just sit there and play songs, and I’ll be like, ‘Ah, that one’s awesome!'" (Rolling Stone)

+ Rumor has it Taylor Swift and Joe "The Middle One" Jonas are "goin' steady." (The Evil Beet)

+ Nas to Jesse Jackson: "We don't need [you]; I'm here. I got this." (MTV)

+ Radiohead's new video does not employ cameras but lasers. Or something. Science is confusing. (Tripwire)

+ VH1's tribute to the Who shaping up to be a veritable "Who's Who" of rock legends. (Billboard)

+ The Strokes, Santogold and Pharrell Williams are all officially playing for the same team. (NME)

+ Amy Winehouse walks into a nightclub, walks out with a table lamp. (MTV)

+ Kerli's debut album, Love is Dead, lives up to the hype. (Neon Limelight)

+ MGMT: A coming of age story. (New York Magazine)

+ Normally dance remixes make us want to hurl ourselves in the path of the closest, speediest bike messenger, but the Masterbeat.com (insert self-love joke here) dance remixes of Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" make up for the travesty of dance mixes past.

+ Still funny: "Makin' Music With John Mayer" video on FunnyorDie.com. Plus: new pix of John's "O-face." (Metromix)