Do Foo Fighters Know Robert Pattinson From Robert Plant?

During band's rehearsal break for Sunday's Movie Awards, we put Foos to the test.
By Ryan J. Downey, with reporting by Jim Cantiello


The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl
Photo: MTV News

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — Hard rock, heavy metal, hardcore and punk have long gone hand-in-hand with evil wizards, magic, vampires and werewolves. And with a collective sub-cultural pedigree that includes stints in the Germs, No Use for a Name, Sunny Day Real Estate, Scream and some band called Nirvana, you'd think the Foo Fighters — set to perform at Sunday's Movie Awards — would know their "Potter" from their Zeppelin. Certainly they can recognize a "wand" reference and pinpoint its origin?

Right? Before we put MTV News' magically crafted trivia to the band, it seemed safe to assume the Foos would accurately distinguish between the words of Harry Potter, a "Twilight" character and Led Zeppelin. But was their underground nerd cred blown to shreds? Read on — and click the video! — to see how the Foo Fighters fared when we caught up with them on the Universal Studios lot, shortly after they finished rehearsing their Movie Awards performance.

Our own Jim Cantiello played dungeon master as Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear were given a series of semi-famous lines and asked whether they originated with "Harry Potter," the "Twilight Saga" or the lyrics of hard-rock pioneers Led Zeppelin.

Here's a sampling of a few of those one-liners:

» "The elder wand, the most powerful wand ever made."

» "Why don't you let me be yours ever truly? Can I make your garden grow?"

» "You're lying, Dolores! You mustn't tell lies!"

Can you guess whether the lines above came from the "Potter" flicks, "Twilight" or Robert Plant?

Watch as the Foos try their best to do exactly that. Then tune in to the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday to catch the Foo Fighters rock the stage with their new single, "Walk."

Will wizards, vampires or dream thieves steal the 2011 MTV Movie Awards? Find out June 5, when the 20th annual show airs live at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT that night for the "America's Best Dance Crew" finale and Movie Awards pre-show, loaded with live action from the red carpet, exclusive movie clips and a special edition of "After Hours."

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Usher Collaborator Rico Love Calls Kelly Rowland's 'Motivation' 'Truly Organic'

Lil Wayne 'jumped on it,' Raymond v. Raymond writer tells Mixtape Daily.
By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Rob Markman


Rico Love
Photo: TTLL

Behind the Beats: Rico Love

If more people read the credits behind some of R&B's biggest hits, Rico Love should be a household name. Born Richard Preston Butler Jr., the former Florida A&M University student is now one of the music industry's most-sought-after singer/songwriters.

After writing hits for Usher ("There Goes My Baby"), Beyoncé ("Sweet Dreams") and Diddy-Dirty Money ("Hello Good Morning"), to name a few, one of Rico's biggest hits to date is Kelly Rowland's "Motivation."

"It came about in a truly organic way," Rico told Mixtape Daily of the Jim Jonsin-produced "Motivation." "We had this meeting in New York: myself and Sylvia [Rhone] and Kelly. And they just were saying, 'We need to find that single; we need that big single.' Everybody was asking for an uptempo, actually.

"I flew down to Miami the next day, and that Tuesday, we got back in the studio, and Jim started playing these chords, and then coming up with these little sounds — the signature sounds that Jim comes up with. I just told him to lay it like a skeleton idea, and I jumped in the booth, and I started with the verse, and I kind of sang my way all the way through the record."

Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child, was in the studio while Rico was laying down the reference track and made her regard for the song known immediately. "Kelly was there and watched the whole process," Rico recalled. "As soon as I finished singing the demo, usually an artist wants to live with it or listen to it for a little while. She just said, 'I want to cut it right now.' So she jumped in the booth, and we cut the record."

"Motivation" became the lead single for Rowland's third album, Here I Am, which was released in April. The song, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, features a verse from Lil Wayne.

"Lil Wayne got out of jail a few days later, and as soon as he got out of jail, [Rowland] went to see him, and he jumped on it," Rico explained. "It was the most organized situation ever. It was nothing contrived about it."

There's been nothing manufactured about Rico's accomplishments either. Starting his musical career as a rapper, he has signed former Roc-a-Fella rapper Young Chris to his Universal/Motown-distributed Division 1 label.

After leaving Florida A&M to pursue music, Rico caught the attention of Usher, and penned songs for the R&B singer, including "Throwback." Other artists soon benefitted from his songwriting, including T.I., Pleasure P and Mario. Rico takes pride in being versatile with his talents, preferring not to make specific songs intended for specific artists only.

"Sometimes, when you keep an artist in mind, you'll limit yourself," Rico explained. "You won't go a place that they probably would go because you're thinking, "Nah, she wouldn't say this," or "He wouldn't do this," or "He wouldn't say this," and "This melody is out of the way for them."

"When I get a chance to just get into the studio and just write music and just produce music and sit at the piano and tell a guy where I want to hear the chords and create the progressions and just freely make music, it's a lot more fun."

Lately, Rico has been back in the studio with Usher. In 2007, he was signed to the singer's former US Records via J Records. But his debut album was never released, and he and Usher went their separate ways.

But as Rico become a songwriting force, the two eventually started working together again. The first song they recorded was the Grammy-winning "There Goes My Baby" from 2010's Raymond v. Raymond. Now, Rico is working on Usher's forthcoming album and embracing the pressure of surpassing its predecessor's platinum sales and critical success.

"I feel like this is what separates the boys from the men," Rico said of working with Usher. "This week, we been creating records together. We had two mics, two headphones set up in the booth, and we just sit there and vibe out.

"These first few days have been amazing. We got four records cut so far that sound super amazing. I'm super excited about it. I'm just anxious for the world to hear it."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Is 'Glee' Dissing Ashley Fink's Character Lauren Zises?

Is 'Glee' Dissing Ashley Fink's Character Lauren Zises?

Glee fans, prepare for even more upsetting character news. Ashley Fink, who plays the snarky plus-sized charmer Lauren Zises, will not be on the series as much as she was last season.

Although the character played a key role in the New Directions last year, even winning the heart of school lothario Puck (Mark Stalling), E! News confirms that Zises will have dramatically less face time in the third season, which debuts on Fox Sept. 20.

The news caps a summer of conflicting reports about which characters are coming, going, or graduating after the coming year. In Zises' case, (spoiler alert!) the writers will reportedly push her into the periphery by having her quit the glee club and subsequently break Puck's heart.

Although the producers haven't officially explained why Fink's character will no longer be a regular player, the news isn't all that surprising. Fink was reportedly not invited to attend the primetime Emmy Awards with the rest of the cast, and she was not included in the recently released McKinley High School Portraits.

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Will Lady Gaga And Jo Calderone Ever Collaborate On A Song?

' I tried to show her that I could work hard to be with her,' Jo told MTV News backstage at the VMAs.
By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Rob Markman


Lady Gaga as Jo Calderone at the 2011 VMAs
Photo: Getty Images

You can imagine why Lady Gaga would be a bit pissed. After all, not only did her male alter ego/ pretend boyfriend Jo Calderone air out their relationship woes in an monologue opening the VMAs, but then he shared a kiss with Britney Spears after presenting her Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

"I'm hopin' that she'll take me back," said a clearly emotional Calderone backstage after the show, as he clutched Jo Gaga's two Moonmen for Best Female Video and Best Video With a Message. "I'm hoping she's gonna wanna roll around with me again in bed, you know what I'm sayin'?"

The pair, who shared the screen in the video for "Yoü and I," may be reuniting professionally too. "Well, tonight I got to show a little bit of what I can do," he said, alluding to the show-opening monologue and piano-pounding tear through "Yoü and I" that featured Queen guitarist Brian May. "But I'm just an amateur, you know. I just don't really do this, but I tried to show her that I could work hard to be with her, and I hope she likes it. That's all."

See photos of Lady Gaga as Jo Calderone backstage at the VMAs.

Gaga was clearly jacked about the wins, writing on Twitter after the show, "I couldn't be more overwhelmed+grateful as I am tonight. Little Monsters inspire me. Never give up on your vision, you were born this way," she wrote. "To win 2VMAs, Best Video with a Message + Best Female Video for 'Born This Way' means the world. I have never believed in a work so much."

She also thanked her fans for throwing their love to Calderone. "Thank u monsters for supporting @jocalderone attending instead of myself," she wrote. "He came over last night with 2 moonmen, whiskey + we watched VMAs."

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Justin Bieber Thanks God For Best Male At VMAs

Biebs takes home Moonman for 'U Smile' video.
By Eric Ditzian


Justin Bieber accepts the award for Best Male Video at the 2011 VMAs
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Eminem showed no fear last year at the MTV Video Music Awards, nabbing Best Male Video for "Not Afraid" over Drake, Usher and B.o.B. But in 2011, fearless, lie-loving Eminem was no match for the feverish smile of Justin Bieber.

The Biebs took home the win for "U Smile," winning out over Em's "Love the Way You Lie," Cee Lo Green's "F--- You," Bruno Mars' "Grenade" and Kanye West's "All of the Lights."

After presenter Kim Kardashian announced his name, Bieber popped up, snagged a smooch with girlfriend Selena Gomez, and headed up onstage, where he delivered a heartfelt message about the role of a higher power in his ascendance to the top of the young pop crop.

"I just want to say thank you so much, not only to God but to Jesus," Bieber said. "Because I wouldn't be here without Him. He's really blessed me. He's put me in this position. So I want to say thank you so much."

The win marked two Moonmen in two years for Bieber, who nabbed Best New Artist for "Baby" at the 2010 VMAs (besting Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and Jason Derülo) and who is quickly making certain his name and music are deeply engrained in the MTV award show. Last year, of course, Bieber opened the VMAs with a medley outside in Nokia Plaza. This time around, he skipped a performance but still found himself at the center of the action inside the theater.

"Also, I want to say thank you to all the other nominees," Bieber said. "They were amazing. I'm a true fan of all of them, so I want to share this award with all them. You guys are amazing."

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards are live now! Stick with MTV News for winners, photos, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything going down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest.

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New Sports Car for Kate Gosselin an Audi TT

Just a few days after the announcement of Kate Plus Eight ending this season and Kate talking publicly about her future and finances, Kate is spotted sporting a new Audi TT 2 door sports car. Some might find this an odd choice for a mother of 8 children. Usually parents of children choose something a bit more family oriented and save the mid life crisis cars for later once the children are off to college. Kate had recently reported that after the show ended she would have to go back to her nursing job to make ends meet. So how then can she afford such a lavish gift? Will Kate be able to keep her farmhouse on 24 acres in Pennsylvania? And what about her good looking bodyguard? Kate has vowed that she wants to keep the same lifestyle for her kids (and herself) that they have become used to. It seems her first priority after losing her current job was to go purchase something for herself. Jon Gosselin reports that he is hoping that his kids’ lifestyle will go back to normal and be more simple. He says there is nothing wrong with his normal lifestyle and when his [...]

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Amber Rose & Wiz Khalifa Married! Amber Rose Pregnant!?

Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose have married in Vegas, according to rumors. Even bigger news in the rumor mill, is that Amber Rose is pregnant as well! According to MediaTakeOut.com Amber and Wiz Khalifa wed in Vegas on Thursday night. Amber reportedly wore a white gown and Khalifa wore a suit. They have a picture to go along with their story, but there is no way of telling if it is an actual wedding photo or just a pic of them dressed up. Amber has mentioned wanting to wed ad have babies though, so you never know. ?We are definitely going to get married and have babies?not right now because we?re still busy and we still want to enjoy each other first. We want to go on vacation, travel and just enjoy each other?s company, but he?s definitely he one. We?re definitely going to lay it down and get it done.? She also had already taken to calling him her husband tweeting, My Husband’s B-Day is coming up! I got thee most awesomest gift for him! I’m not really good with gifts but I’m proud of myself 4 this 1 Wiz Khalifa?s birthday was also Thursday so perhaps they just [...]

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Latina magazine: 15th anniversary issue

Latina magazine

Some of Hollywood?s hottest ladies are on the cover of the15th anniversary issue of Latina magazine. The pullout photo features big names like Shakira, Selena Gomez, Salma Hayek, Zoe Saldana, Eva Longoria, and Jessica Alba. But that?s just the beginning- super-hotties like Gloria Estefan, Michelle Rodriguez, Daisy Fuentes, America Ferrera, and Rosario Dawson are also in the mix. And Latina went to great lengths to pull off the monumental feat- they scheduled seven photo shoots, used over 100 red dresses, and included around $10 million in fabulous jewelry. [gallery=766]

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