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.
Like a splash of rock opera Aqua Viva to the face, this new Fall Out Boy song, "Alpha Dog," from their forthcoming Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits collection is sure to wake you the hell up.
It being a Fall Out Boy song, you can expect the following: breakneck pace, guitars that change lanes without signaling, cocksure choruses, and singer Patrick Stump's voice hopping all over the map, spitting out Pete Wentz's personal/political lyrics.
Listen to "Alpha Dog" here. Fall Out Boy's greatest hits compilation drops November 17.
No, Pete Wentz doesn't *necessarily* die in Fall Out Boy's highly hush-hush new video "What A Catch Donnie" and no, "What A Catch, Donnie" isn't *necessarily* their last video.
"What A Catch, Donnie" is all Patrick Stump's Elton John-ian vocal acrobatics (and Elvis Costello's guest vox, don't hurt), set against a misty, wistful Hemingway/ Decemberists backdrop of nautical metaphors. It's kind of like the movie Castaway but with 100 percent better art direction and no volleyball or whatever that busted thing was.
The "What A Catch Donnie" video was shot off the waters of Los Angeles by Alan Ferguson. Speaking of cameos, watch for Panic! At The Disco's (SO... hard to remember whether or not to use the "!") Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith.
Okay, watch "What A Catch, Donnie" now because I don't wanna spoil anything else for you and get thrown overboard.
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.
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!
Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz, along with Yellowcard's Ryan Key star in the upcoming short film Moustachette, and if "King of Voiceovers" Don LaFontaine hadn't gone to that great big screening room in the sky, he'd have been the BEST at reading Moustachette's "Quest for truth in a blanket of stupidity" tagline in a booming, awe-inspiring voice.
Patrick, Pete, and Ryan, you guys had me at "blanket of stupidity." And penguins.
In the half-animated, super-saturated video for "America's Suitehearts," Fall Out Boy takes the whole Hollywood media circus to new levels with their hyper-literal interpretation. Decked out in skeleton suits and flaming hats, the boys greet visitors from "Normal World" and watch as their faces are transformed into pizza-y cartoon monstrosities by paparazzi flashes.
But you probably already know that. The video's been in circulation for a minute now. What I wanna know is, is Fall Out Boy mocking the overblown music scene that they've come to represent? Or are they celebrating it? Sure the video has an ironic tone. And it's pretty standard for bands who go big to immediately bite the hand that feeds them. But Fall Out Boy isn't just any band. And, sarcastic as they may be, they also sing, over and over again, "I'm in love with my own sins." Love? That sounds pretty positive. So, tell me... When they sing "Let's hear it for America's Suitehearts," do they really mean it?
+ Rumor has it, Rihanna's been keeping Chris Brown on a tight leash, holding her "friend" to rules like "no girls past midnight" and no unsupervised visits from members of his female entourage. Sheesh, possessive much? (Scandalist)
+ Rapper Lil' Kim's character plays a big part in the Biggie documentary, Notorious. But that didn't stopped the Queen Bee from blasting the film, skipping the premiere, and waging war with Biggie's widow, Faith Evans. (MTV Movies)
+ More praise over Britney Spears' "comeback!" This time, critics credit Brit with looking "toned" and "stunning" for her brother's wedding. Not mentioned: the fact that her plunging neckline stops about two inches above her belly button. (The Sun - UK)
+ And speaking of Wentzes, Bronx Mowgli can officially sleep easy tonight knowing that there's a celebrity baby out there called Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. (Huffington Post)
+ After 11 years of marriage, three years of separation, and some kiddie porn charges, R. Kelly's marriage to now-ex-wife, Andrea, is officially over. (MTV News)
+ Forget what you heard -- The Hills' Holly Montag will NOT be rushing into a quickie engagement/wedding anytime soon. Unlike some OTHER Montags we know... (Remote Control)
+ There are days when Britney Spears would rather be a prison inmate than an international celebrity. "Even when you go to jail you know there’s the time when you’re gonna get out," says the singer in her upcoming MTV documentary, For The Record. "But in this situation, it’s never ending. It’s just like Groundhog Day every day." (The Sun - UK)
+ Ever wondered what Prince wears around the house? Now The New Yorker has your answer! "Prince padded into the kitchen, a small fifty-year-old man in yoga pants and a big sweater, wearing platform flip-flops over white socks, like a geisha." (The New Yorker)
+ 50 Cent explains the real reason why he pushed back his album release date for Before I Self-Destruct: "I'm just looking for the opportunity to present more of my material," he says. "["Get Up"] is not the strongest effort on my album; it's just a great start for me." Sexy MFer indeed! (MTV News)
+ Meanwhile, elsewhere in the universe, Prince is accused of being a stinky perfume promoter...to the tune of $2.5 million. (Associated Press)
+ Check out the trailer for Metro Station's new video, "Seventeen Forever," then tune in on December 5th (mark those calendars!) to catch the VP on FNMTV. (PopDirt)
+ Pete Wentz's fellow Fall Out Boy, Patrick Stump, says he has no idea whether there's a wittle Wentzlee wunning awound. Either way, Stump says he's way psyched about "the first Fall Out Kid." (MTV News)
The men of Fall Out Boy hail from comfie Chicago suburbs and built an emo empire on wittily wordplayed rock anthems, zip-up hoodies, and bringing up baby bands (and, in the case of Hollywood power couple Pete Wentz and wife Ashlee Simpson, an actual baby in a matter of days). But while they're not necessarily a political band per se, mall rats these boys are not; despite their clothing line affiliations and various forays into retail and side projects, do not expect to find them spending all of their downtime at Northbrook Court or The Grove OMGing over distressed denim. Fall Out Boy is a band that's done the math, does their homework, and keeps up with the world beyond Soundscan and Perez Hilton and encourages their fans to do the same.
Pete Wentz has been an outspoken advocate for young adults suffering from mental health issues, and he's made no secret of his support of gay rights, posing on the July cover of Out magazine.
And the band's made no secret of their endorsement of hometown hero Barack Obama for U.S. president, speaking out about the candidate in interviews, holding fundraisers and performing at Rock the Vote at the Democratic National Convention.
And while Fall Out Boy is about to release their highly anticipated new album, Folie à Deux -- their fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2007's Infinity on High, which debuted at #1 -- and while their lead single, "I Don't Care," is a tongue-in-cheek faceplant into megalomania and narcissism, their MTV Artist of the Week run is not a blatant big-guys-in-business-suits-and-board-meetings-inspired dog-and-pony album push. Instead, Fall Out Boy's using their airtime as an end-of-the-line, last-ditch, no-seriously-we-really-mean-it opportunity to inspire young Americans to vote on November 4th.
Ne-Yo -- still warm from the Spankin' New stage lights after hisTRLperformance with Plies today -- made room for us on the couch in the MTV Studios green room, where he talked hats and hat boxes, Barack and Jay-Z, post-feminism, and schooled us in the rules of being a true gentleman.
Ne-Yo: Am I Buzzworthy? Really?
Buzzworthy: You totally are, Ne-Yo. Nice shoes by the way! Are those customized Filas or something?
Ne-Yo: Thanks. No, they're Dolce & Gabbana. I don't get customized anything!
BW: What? That's ridiculous. Anyway, you've got a new album coming up soon. Why did you name it Year of the Gentleman?
Ne-Yo: I named it Year of the Gentleman after what started as an assessment of the business became an assessment of men in America in general. Just looking at how the essence of what it is to be a gentleman is very much lacking nowadays. Someone said to me the other day chivalry is dead, and I hated to have to agree, but it's true.
BW: What do you attribute to that?
Ne-Yo: As men, we just kinda got to the point where we didn't care no more. I don't wanna blame women or anything like that, but maybe the feminist movement had something to do with it, where women wanted to be viewed as equals to men. So men were like, 'You wanna be viewed as equal to me, then open your own damn door.' But I still don't view it as an excuse to be an a**hole. The essence of being a gentleman is to understand the way you're supposed to treat a respectable woman. So this album is me trying to lead by example. I always refer back to the days of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, the Rat Pack. Back when everyone wore a suit because that's what it was to be an entertainer. You were stylish and you were fly, and it was an effortless fly. It wasn't 'Hey everybody, look at how big my chain is.' It was 'I'm charming in my swagger so you're gonna look at me anyway, so I don't gotta try so hard to get your attention.' You don't really see that effortless cool a lot these days.
BW: Who are some of the biggest gentlemen in the business?
