Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo, Tilapia: VMA 'Experts' Weigh In!

Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice -- who may or may not be in Cobra Starship -- sound off on 2011 nominees.
By James Montgomery


VMA "experts" Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice
Photo: MTV News

In addition to looking a whole lot like Cobra Starship's Ryland Blackinton and Alex Suarez, world-renowned journalists Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice are also the go-to guys for hot scoops and slightly unnerving personal revelations. So it makes sense that they'd be in Los Angeles this week: After all, it's the location of the 2011 Video Music Awards. After a few hours spent marinating in the SoCal sun, boy, do the revelations get personal.

Earlier this week, as Cobra Starship were rehearsing for their VMA Pre-Show performance, MTV News was lucky enough to catch up with the dynamic duo to get their take on the field of nominees for the big show. Much like our previous encounters, Bagwell and Twice had an awful lot to say.

For example, both are beyond excited to see what Lady Gaga will do in her VMA-opening number ("If I could put my money on it, I'm gonna bet she's gonna be walking out in somebody else's skin!" Twice enthused), and both can't wait to see who takes home the Moonman for Best Male Video (Bagwell is partial to Cee Lo Green's "F--- You," since "[It's] how my ex-wife Teresa says good morning to me!").

And while they seemed mystified by most of the VMA noms -- in response to Nicki Minaj's Best Female Video nod for "Super Bass," Bagwell let it be known that he's "more of a tilapia fan," and Twice was convinced that not only were the Foo Fighters Asian, but their Best Rock Video-nominated "Walk" clip was actually spelled "Wok" — they both agreed on a favorite in the night's biggest category, Video of the Year.

"I'm going to have to go with [Tyler, the Creator's] 'Yonkers,' " Bagwell enthused. "I once dated a gal who lived up there whose [censored for your protection]. I miss you, Cheyenne. Give me a buzz sometime."

You know what? Perhaps it's best if you just watch it all for yourself. Check out the video above for Bagwell and Twice on the 2011 Video Music Awards. View at your own peril.

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for Best New Artist by visiting VMA.MTV.com.

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Vampire Diaries Season Three Spoilers!

Vampire Diaries season three spoilers are here!! You guys know I am super amped and am counting down the days! Woot! Last season was season of the witch ? Kat was back but it turned into more of a battle between the originals, all playing up to this season which is all about the originals. Kevin Williamson revealed that ALL of the originals will make an appearance this season. Did I say the originals enough? Lol. Leaving off with the finale as it was, I imagine it would be all about Klaus and his even more evil and powerful brother. There was a reason they showed where Klaus and the rest of the originals were being kept. Here is the official synopsis: “Season three opens the door to learn more about Klaus and The Original Family as his motives for wanting Stefan on his side are finally revealed. As Stefan sinks deeper into the dark side, Damon and Elena struggle with the guilt of their growing bond even as they work together to bring Stefan back from the edge. The ghosts from Jeremy’s past have a powerful message they’re trying to deliver to him, not to mention the impact they’re [...]

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The First Promo for Rosies New Show

The First Promo for Rosies New Show

Rosie O'Donnell just wants you to know one thing: She's not Kathy Bates or Roseanne Barr. "People in the mall sometimes mistake me for them," she explains cheekily in the first promo for The Rosie Show, which will premiere Oct. 10 at 7p.m. ET on Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network.  for it. Watch it here:


“How are you? Good to see you!” says the actress and comedian, sounding a lot like the chummy Rosie who helmed The Rosie O'Donnell Show of the '90s. “I haven’t seen you in, like, a decade. Where you been?”

O'Donnell implies that her return to work is due to the fact that her four children are teenagers now. When her youngest daughter, Vivienne, 10, a cutie-patootie with a lopsided hairstyle, wanders into the shot, O'Donnell says, "Come over here. Oh, did you do your hair yourself? That's a great look." The overall effect is charming and familiar.

The idea being conveyed? O'Donnell may have left you in 2002 to pursue other interests (motherhood, activism), but she's still your funny, straight-shooting pal. And now she's back with a show that will feature "a lot of entertainment and comedy."

“I think by doing a little bit of a behind-the-scenes incorporated in the new show, you’re going to get to see how what it feels like to be 50 years old, moved to another city, to be divorced, which I never thought I would be, to have one child living with me and another child living at school,” O’Donnell, who split with partner Kelli Carpenter in 2009, told the Television Critics Association last month. “It wasn’t what I thought my life would be and I think that’s the truth for most people who are 50. You got a game plan, you got a blueprint in your 20s or your 30s and by the time you get to 50, you’re like, 'Holy crap, I didn’t expect these kinds of turns.' (You’ll get) to see how that has evolved for me since you have known me publicly in the pop culture way since my early 30s.”

Those who have caught O'Donnell's stand-up act in the last several years, or seen her on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, may have to readjust their impression. Her humor is darker and dirtier in her live shows, and in guest spots on Curb over the past few years, she's portrayed herself as an abrasive lesbian with a violent streak. Well, at least towards Larry David's infuriating character, which is understandable. And in last Sunday's episode, she and David competed for the same woman.

This promo, though, seems to forecast a return to her former persona as the Queen of Nice. At least for this TV show, anyway.

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Coldplay, Led Zeppelin Album Covers Featured On New British Stamps

Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.
By James Montgomery


Coldplay's new British stamps
Photo: Royal Mail

On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years.

The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed, Led Zeppelin's IV, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Clash's London Calling, New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, Blur's Parklife and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for IV — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery.

"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."

Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their Rush of Blood stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date."

"We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."

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Britney Spears: "Nobody Can Prepare You for This Industry"

Britney Spears: "Nobody Can Prepare You for This Industry"

If anyone knows how tough fame can be at a young age, it's definitely Britney Spears.

With her quick rise to stardom to her very rough fall from grace to her miraculous comeback, the musical maven has had a rocky journey. But Spears, 29, still says she would let her two sons get into showbiz if that's what their hearts desired.

"I'd definitely keep an eye on them, but if that's what they wanted to do then I'd let them go after it," she says of Sean Preston, 5, and Jayden James, 4. "I'd just be very protective."

"I wouldn't want them to go into it feeling fearful," she told PopJustice.com. "And also nobody can really prepare you for this industry and what you experience. So I'd just have to trust that they have the instincts to know what's right and wrong and help guide them along the way. I think I have the experience."

So, what would Britney be doing if she hadn't made it to the top of the charts?

"I'd probably be a teacher," she says. "I love kids, and even in what I do now one of my favorite parts of my day is getting to meet my fans before the show. Especially the little ones. They are always so cute."

"I'd specialize in reading and history," she says, adding that her favorite historical period is the 1920s.

But even if that was the road Ms. Spears had taken, Brit says one thing's for sure -- she'd still be "raising my family (and) being a mom" today. 

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