Oops! Might have been a good idea to settle the legality of using Jimi Hendrix songs before launching into production on a Hendrix biopic , but anyway: The filmmakers behind the Andre Benjamin-starring ’60s-set pic announce that the rapper-actor will instead cover a greatest hits of period rock, including ditties by the Beatles, for the flick. “The film – set in London in 1966 and 1967 – will include Benjamin’s new versions of covers that Hendrix performed during those years, shortly before the release of his landmark debut, Are You Experienced ,” reports Rolling Stone. “Audiences will see Benjamin singing ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (which Hendrix famously performed in a London club with members of the Beatles in the audience), ‘Wild Thing,’ ‘Hound Dog,’ Muddy Waters’ ‘Mannish Boy’ and Elmore James’ ‘Bleeding Heart,’ plus two songs, ‘Future Trip’ and ‘Driving South,’ that Hendrix played as a backup musician for Curtis Knight and the Squires.” [ Rolling Stone ]
‘MTV First: Snow White & the Huntsman’ debuts new clip and cast interview Tuesday night at 7:56 p.m. on MTV and MTV.com. By Josh Horowitz Kristen Stewart Photo: MTV News At a time when it seems like virtually every movie at the multiplex is based on a fairy tale, comic book or best-selling YA novel, “Snow White & the Huntsman” checks off all the boxes even if it’s none of the above as well. Confusing? Well, the cast is clearly borne of past successful franchises, namely Kristen Stewart (have you heard of her?) coming off of “Twilight” and Chris Hemsworth dropping his Thor hammer in favor of an ax this go-round. And of course the film is inspired by one of the most cherished fairy tales of our youth. But look more closely at “SWATH” (as fans have quickly taken to calling it) and the film clearly owes more to Tolkien than to Walt Disney. And I think that’s why we’re all excited for its June 1 release. I know that’s the case for me. It doesn’t hurt that Charlize Theron looks to be chewing some scenery in a fun way with a diabolical take on the evil queen (much more fetching than the one in the cartoon of my youth, as I recall). Tuesday night (at 7:56 p.m. on MTV & MTV.com to be precise) we’re debuting “MTV First: Snow White & the Huntsman.” As usual, we’ll be debuting a never-before-seen clip, and I’ll be sitting down with the cast (Stewart, Hemsworth, Theron and Sam Claflin, who portrays the prince in the tale) for a 30-minute interview. We taped the special a little while back, which means I can share something fun and exciting with you: Kristen Stewart’s very first participation in “After Hours.” And what better franchise to start her off on than “The Yes/No Show”? [EMBED YES/NO SHOW] There’s a lot more where that came from on the full show Tuesday night, including tons of insight into the filming, the actors’ takes on their iconic characters, Chris and Kristen’s weapons technique and a near-breakup fight between Kristen and me. It’s all in good fun, and we’re quite proud of it. And there’s more exciting “SWATH” news to come as I’m headed out to England later this week to reunite with the entire cast, so as always, feel free to send your questions to me @JoshuaHorowitz with the #MTVSWATH. A Second Look I got a chance to see “Avengers” for the second time over the weekend, this time in good old 2-D (and I’d recommend seeing it this way, by the way). And by gosh, I might have enjoyed it more the second time around. I have a bunch of conflicting feelings about the movie. After my first viewing, I was pretty convinced that while I had a great time watching it, it’s less satisfying to me than most of the previous films. If we’re looking at the recent bevy of Marvel flicks, “Captain America” is my favorite, delivering the most full-bodied experience (i.e., it’s got the cool stunts and humor but it’s also got a great character arc at its core). But a funny thing happened as “Avengers” rolled the second time around: I let go of my hang-ups with the story (er, there isn’t much of one) and I let myself fully geek out for two hours at what Joss Whedon and company expertly did: create the purest fanboy-friendly film ever made. Check out everything we’ve got on “Snow White & the Huntsman.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV After Hours With Josh Horowitz
Irish boy band easily defeated Jonas Brothers in the championship matchup. By Christina Garibaldi Westlife Photo: Getty Images The fans have spoken. After two weeks of intense matchups and more than 12 million votes, Westlife have come out on top in MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands . The Irish boy band easily defeated the in the final round, with more than 70 percent of the final vote. It was a hard-fought finale with both bands’ fanbases tirelessly voting in the hopes of giving their band the championship, but in the end, the international firepower of Westlife was too much for JoBros fans to handle. Westlife may not have been favored to win this competition, but from day one they proved they were fighters and were out to make a statement. They got everyone’s attention early on when, amidst accusations of cheating, they fairly beat out fan favorites the Backstreet Boys in the first round. They had no trouble at all beating out their next two opponents, O-Town and the Beatles, and managed to get past newcomers the Wanted in the Final Four to ultimately take on the Jonas Brothers in the championship. This win in the Battle of the Boy Bands seems to come at a perfect time for the group because their 14-year career is about to come to an end. Westlife have decided to go their separate ways after the conclusion of their Greatest Hits Tour, which kicks off later this week and wraps up at the end of June in front of a hometown crowd in Dublin, Ireland. Congratulations to Westlife and to all their extremely loyal fans: You have certainly proved your devotion and didn’t let up no matter how tough the competition was. Thanks to all the bands that participated. From newcomers One Direction, Mindless Behavior and Big Time Rush to veteran groups Boyz II Men and the Backstreet Boys , it was truly an epic tournament. But it wouldn’t have been possible without all of you, the fans. All of your vigorous voting resulted in some shocking upsets , some heated matchups and some rally-from-behind wins, making this a true battle of the boy bands. Are you happy with Westlife winning the Battle of the Boy Bands ? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Artists Westlife Jonas Brothers
‘We’ll just leave right now,’ Nicky Byrne jokes when told Westlife are facing Beatles in third round of Battle of the Boy Bands. By Christina Garibaldi Westlife and The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and John Lennon Photo: Getty Images MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands is certainly heating up. We have seen some shocking eliminations throughout the first two rounds, with the Backstreet Boys , ‘NSYNC and New Kids on the Block all making early exits in the competition. And as we head into the Final Four on Wednesday, fans will be tirelessly voting for their favorites to move on, hoping to land a spot in the championship matchup. A clear fan favorite in this battle has been Irish boy band Westlife . The group so far has taken down the Backstreet Boys and O-Town, but in the Elite Eight round, they are up against the original boy band, the Beatles . We spoke to Westlife member Nicky Byrne via Skype from Dublin, Ireland, as the group rehearses for their final farewell tour, and he told us what he thought their chances were for beating their latest opponent. “We’ll just leave now, we’ll just leave right now,” Byrne laughed when told he was facing the Beatles. “The only thing we have in our favor is that our fanbase would still be very, I suppose, relatively young and want for Westlife to win. I mean, it goes without saying the Beatles are the ultimate boy band and nobody is ever going to take that crown.” Westlife still have a good chance of advancing to the next round. And if they continue to maintain momentum, they could ultimately face the new wave of boy bands, which Byrne admits he is a fan of. “You’ve got the Wanted coming through and One Direction , and it’s brilliant for them. I’ve met the guys, both bands, lovely guys, an Irish guy in each band, which is great,” Byrne said. “It’s brilliant for pop music. The Wanted, they’re supporting our stadium shows here in Ireland, so they’ll be our support band, so that’s pretty cool. I suppose a little bit of me probably thinks I wish I was 20 again to do it all over again. But you have to hold your hands up — we’ve had a wonderful time and it’s time to pass the reins on to someone else.” Voting for the Elite Eight in MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands runs until noon ET on Wednesday, May 2. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits for their boy-band video takeovers each day and make sure to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates! Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Battle of the Boy Bands interactive bracket! Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Artists Westlife The Beatles
Westlife and 5ive could upset two of the biggest boy bands of all time in the first round. Vote now! By Christina Garibaldi N’SYNC Photo: Getty Images We are still in the first round of voting in MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands , and already we are seeing some big surprises. Backstreet Boys are finding themselves behind Irish boy band Westlife , ‘NSYNC are trailing former boy band 5ive and New Kids on the Block are neck-and-neck with British boy band Take That . It seems like fans are rallying behind their favorites and battling it out to make sure they move on to the next round. “I don’t see how BSB and ‘NSYNC are losing?!?!” MTV News reader Britney commented. Another fan, nickestlife, wrote, “Please VOTE WESTLIFE!!!! Don’t let them LOSE!!!” But the question on a lot of minds is: Why aren’t the boy bands that dominated the U.S. pop charts not easily moving on to the next round? “Remember that in America, while Westlife and Take That and 5ive were all a blip on the radar in the U.S., in the U.K. Take That and Westlife are enormous,” Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts/retail at Billboard told MTV News. “Westlife, for example, has had 14 #1 singles on the U.K. singles chart, the second most among groups only behind the Beatles , so they’re kind of big.” According to Melissa Maerz, senior writer for Entertainment Weekly, the fact that these older boy bands are British may work in their favor, especially with the emergence of One Direction and the Wanted . “I think probably what’s happening is a combination of things. I think the fact that One Direction is in the news for having the biggest debut of a British band of all time, including the Beatles, has really made everyone pay attention to them and everyone is talking about One Direction,” Maerz said. “And because they and the Wanted are coming at the same time, people are starting to pay attention to British boy bands, and the kids who are just discovering One Direction and the Wanted probably have parents who can say to them, ‘Oh, this is kind of the same thing that happened when Westlife and Take That came to our shores.” But no matter what their chart performance may be, or where they come from, their advancement in the next round depends on only one thing: the fans. “It frankly just comes down to: Are there passionate fans that are going to bother to spend the time on voting?” Caulfied said. “I think, generally speaking, when you have two acts going against one another, whoever has the most motivated, contemporary, engaged fanbase on the Web will win.” Voting is under way in round one of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands and closes at noon ET on Thursday, April 26. Winners are determined by fan ballots, so if your favorite band made the cut, keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits daily for boy-band video takeovers. And don’t forget to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates! Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Battle of the Boy Bands interactive bracket! Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Artists Backstreet Boys *NSYNC
Director Len Wiseman tells MTV News about Kate Beckinsale going bad and Bryan Cranston’s complex villain. By Kara Warner Colin Farrell in “Total Recall” Photo: Sony Pictures We still have a while to wait for the August 3 release of the new “Total Recall,” but now that we’ve seen and obsessed over the official full-length trailer , we have a better idea of what to expect from Len Wiseman’s re-telling of the classic Philip K. Dick story, as well as how it compares to the 1990 cult favorite starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Paul Verhoeven. In addition to providing MTV News with his expert commentary about the well-received trailer , Wiseman also gave us some in-depth insight into how he’s handled the precedents and expectations set by Verhoeven’s film, how closely the 2012 film sticks to Dick’s original story, as well as what fans can appreciate and expect from stars Colin Farrell and a villainous Kate Beckinsale . MTV : How much fun has incorporating all the new technology been? Wiseman : It’s great. And, I will be honest: It’s a blessing and a curse for me, because I’m so of a school of practical effects and practical stunts. And when you develop a movie like this, which is an entire world you’re creating, you can only build so much, and then you go into your effects world. And actually, there’s a lot of practical elements in here that people assume are CG, because CG is used so often. In the trailer, we did this really complicated shot of Colin doing a fight sequence shootout. The camera is spinning around, it’s 100 percent practical. And it’s funny when I really kicked the “how much time and how expensive” nightmare kind of math in to figure that all out and everything to put in, and what surprised me is a lot of people think that is CG. I think because you maybe don’t immediately process how that’s being done. But it’s funny, because I look at that and go, “That’s actually the shot that’s entirely 100 percent practical.” So I really do find it a blessing and a curse, because I started as a prop guy. I actually started building models initially and then went into the prop department, and I’m so much of a practical mind. But then you get into a point where, “OK, now we have to build a world that is 100 and some odd years in the future.” And your construction budget, that’s a surprise. MTV : How will fans be impressed by Colin’s performance? Wiseman : I think they’re absolutely going to love him. It’s a very different take on the character. It’s much more of the internal struggle that he’s faced with, and he did such a great job with this mystery of his own soul, really. It’s such a mystery, this film. It’s got the action and sci-fi, everything hovering on the perimeter of what makes it feel like a big action film. But in its core, it’s a mystery, and it’s a mystery of himself. And I just think people will be really captivated by following his journey. He really does allow you to be him. So I really think they’ll be excited by him. MTV : What about seeing Kate Beckinsale playing a villain? Wiseman : It’s fun for us as well. She’s never done anything like that. So to be able to have some fun with playing a villain — and she had fun doing it too, because she’s always like, “You have to be so earnest when you’re saving the world. Wow, you can actually just loosen up and just, the bad guys have more fun.” I would love to get, I’ll probably put this out on the DVD, but these girls are just kicking each other’s asses and really brutal. We wanted to attack it. It was just a really vicious brawl, and in between the cuts, they both get so girly. Right on “cut.” There’s plenty of times when Kate actually just nicked Jessica [Biel]’s nose or same thing with Jessica, and they immediately just go from these vicious badass lethal killers to immediately very apologetic and very polite and girly. It’s great to see. MTV : Will we see Mars? Wiseman : We won’t see Mars. And I got to say, it’s one of the things that attracted me to the script, because I really, I along with a lot of other people, I really loved the Verhoeven film. I was very skeptical on just the reboot, just the idea. And until I read the script, with a lot of speculation going, it takes it in such a different direction from that film. Because it didn’t go to Mars, funny enough, is why I was interested. And it’s also just like I said: It plays a little bit into the threat of what the Philip K. Dick story had of, much more of bringing the threat back, really Doug’s mission to save Earth, not Mars. MTV : What can you tell us about getting Bryan Cranston? Wiseman : He’s got one really fun personality. I think a lot of people, if you’ve seen him in his prior TV show, I’m sure, I happened to be introduced to him through films and then “Breaking Bad” as well. I’ve never seen “Malcolm in the Middle,” and I was taken by how fun and charming and funny the guy is. I probably came late to that game. That’s no surprise to anyone else. He really has a balance of evil and charming, which I really like. He plays off great [with Colin]. I wish they actually had more scenes together. It’s a bit of a weird structure, where the villain is kind of split between Kate and Cranston. So when they’re together, though, it’s great. He’s really got a good balance there, where when there’s a pure tendency that a lot of people have to play just very villainous, he has a little bit more passion for what he’s doing, where you actually believe it is the right thing, rather than twirling your mustache a bit too much. It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012 ‘Total Recall’ Trailer Breakdown Related Photos Get Psyched For 2012’s Summer Movies!
One Direction, ‘NSYNC, Boyz II Men just a few who’ll duke it out for MTV’s coveted title of Greatest Boy Band of All Time. Voting begins Monday! By Christina Garibaldi MTV News’ Battle of the Boy Bands Photo: MTV News Given the undeniable popularity of British bands One Direction and the Wanted , it’s safe to say that boy bands are back, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! In celebration of their triumphant return, MTV News decided to pose the question: Who’s the greatest boy band of all time? Sounds impossible, right? Well, you, the fans, are going to help us answer that question as we officially kick off our Battle of the Boy Bands! Beginning on Monday, April 23, 32 groups — they span several decades and have all released music Stateside — will battle it out in our interactive bracket to determine the big winner. The first round of voting kicks off on Monday and ends on Thursday, April 26, when 32 bands will be narrowed down to 16. You can help your favorite band advance to the second round by voting as many times as you wish and by spreading the message on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB. But you won’t be the only ones fighting for your favorite band. The groups will be soliciting your votes with their own campaign videos urging fans to grant them the title of Greatest Boy Band of All Time. Will newcomers the Wanted and One Direction make it to the finals? Or will veteran acts like the Backstreet Boys , ‘NSYNC and New Kids on the Block stake their claim as the ultimate boy band? Do they even stand a chance against the first-ever U.K. boy-band sensations, the Beatles ? It’s up to you to decide. Find out if your favorite band made the bracket on Monday and to cast your votes early and often. The winner of the Battle of the Boy Bands will be announced Monday, May 7, so be sure to check back with MTV News for daily updates as we narrow the pool of 32 to a final champion. Voting in round one of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands begins Monday, April 23, at 7 a.m. ET and runs until noon ET on Thursday, April 26. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates!
Cash Money CEO Birdman confirms to MTV News that the label will continue to support the New Orleans rapper. By Nadeska Alexis Mystikal Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images Mystikal inked a new deal with Cash Money Records in December to release his upcoming sixth studio album, Original, but the New Orleans rapper will have to delay work on his LP due to legal troubles. Mystikal, born Michael Tyler, has been sentenced to three months in jail for probation violation. On Monday, Louisiana State District Judge Tony Marabella handed down the three-month sentence for the 41-year-old rapper, who was arrested in February and charged with a misdemeanor for domestic abuse battery. The arrest was in violation of his five-year probation, stemming from sexual battery and extortion charges that landed him in a Louisiana prison from 2004 to 2010 . A spokesperson for Cash Money CEO Birdman issued a statement to MTV News, confirming the label will continue to support Mystikal’s career, emphasizing that the arrest will not affect their relationship. Birdman’s rep added that Mystikal will turn himself in on May 14 to being the sentence, but he will only serve 81 days, since Marabella is crediting him for the nine days he spent behind bars after the February arrest. During a March visit to “RapFix Live,” Mystikal revealed a few details about his anticipated album, including an upcoming collaboration with Cash Money labelmates Drake and Busta Ryhmes. “I’m telling you, this album is gonna be so well worth the wait, Sway, believe that,” Mystikal told MTV News’ Sway Calloway. “Busta [Rhymes] was one of the first artists I worked with when I first came home. Busta came out there, came all the way to Baton Rouge. I’m talking about we got it in.” In mid-March, Mystikal dropped the video for his album’s lead single, “Original,” which featured appearances from Lil Wayne and Birdman and gave fans a glimpse of the luxurious YMCMB lifestyle. Original will be Mystikal’s first album since 2001’s Tarantula. Related Videos Hurricane Mystikal Storms ‘RapFix’ Related Artists Mystikal
‘It’s not something that would be particularly easy for another artist to emulate,’ says veteran manager Danny Goldberg. By Gil Kaufman Tupac hologram at Coachella Photo: Getty Images Sure, the laser Pink Floyd show is totally awesome and the Beatles cover band totally nailed “Penny Lane.” But after the rapturous response to the Tupac Shakur hologram at Coachella, you can be sure phones are ringing off the hook this week all over Hollywood with calls to the Digital Domain wizards behind the stunt. Think of the possibilities: The Doors resurrected with a young Jim Morrison, Nirvana on tour with a virtual Kurt Cobain or a resurrected Tupac and Biggie sharing a stage for a greatest hits show. But does the success of the Tupac mini-set mean that holograms are the touring industry’s version of 3-D movies? “I thought it was great in that particular moment,” said veteran manager Danny Goldberg, who has worked with everyone from Nirvana and Led Zeppelin to Sonic Youth and the Hives, who he was on hand to see at Coachella. “They were evoking a certain nostalgia for [the era of] gangsta rap and I thought it worked in that context and was exciting and special. I think it’s not something that would be particularly easy for another artist to emulate.” Goldberg said certain things work best the first time and if someone else was to try a holo-show they would have to find a way to make it new again, otherwise it might just seem cheesy and derivative. Part of that potential pitfall is the legacy of the artist. For example, if Paul McCartney announced a tour with a virtual John Lennon, Beatles fans would likely see that as being in bad taste and not show up. “It’s another tool in the toolbox of technology, but some tools should only be used sparingly,” he said, adding that he thought the execution at Coachella was stellar. Making the trick to work on a larger scale, or even on a full-blown tour is unlikely given the unique aspects of the Coachella gig. “Part of what made that effective was that it was a surprise, coupled with authentic living, breathing superstars in Dre and Snoop and not over-relying on it,” said Goldberg. “I wouldn’t look at it as the beginning of a big trend, but as an amazing moment.” Fans may get another chance to experience the trick when the upcoming Cirque du Soleil-created Michael Jackson show in Las Vegas opens next year. While a spokesperson for the Jackson estate would not confirm that the MJ show would use similar technology, when MTV News spoke to Cirque President and CEO Daniel Lamarre in 2010 he said that, “The new technology that we want to bring to [the permanent] Vegas [show] will be more theatrical,” promising that fans, “Will see Vegas become the home of Michael Jackson and people will come from all over the world to experience the uniqueness of the technology that we want to bring there.” At the time, Lamarre hinted at the use of “3-D technologies and hologram technologies to allow people to see Michael Jackson onstage.” Also on hand to watch holo-Pac at Coachella was Dave Brooks, managing editor of live entertainment trade magazine Venues Today . He said he could definitely see the technology employed in several ways. “Obviously the posthumous thing is one idea,” he said. “Think about the Michael Jackson Cirque tour, or the Who bringing back a hologram of [late drummer] Keith Moon. [Bringing back] dead band members could be a way to enhance the show and plenty of people would be impressed to see a hologram of Keith Moon.” As for whether an all-hologram tour could win over audiences, based on what he’s seen so far, Brooks said it wasn’t likely … yet. “Anything is possible, but from that one glimpse of the technology I can’t say it’s enough to make a whole tour of just that.” In fact, he said having the hologram Tupac on stage for two songs was great, but it would likely have gotten tired if the West Coast legend had hung around all night. Given the amount of all-star collaborations among pop and hip-hop stars these days, Brooks said the other way he could see the technology deployed is to briefly bring some of those one-off singles to life in concert. “Because of the nature of pop music these days, with collaborations like Calvin Harris and Rihanna and Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, this could definitely add a ‘wow’ factor,” he said. “It’s one thing to have [the other singer] on a screen, but if you could have them there in 3-D it would impress more.” Related Photos Tupac’s Hologram At Coachella Related Artists Tupac
After thousands turned out to see the British group perform on ‘Today,’ we look at who they are and how they got so big so fast. By John Mitchell One Direction Photo: Courtesy of Columbia Records On Monday morning (March 12), One Direction made their American television debut on “Today,” performing their hits “What Makes You Beautiful,” “One Thing” and “More Than This” in front of what was, according to Matt Lauer, one of the biggest crowds ever to pack the plaza — right up there with the numbers attracted by top pop acts like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. If the throngs of screaming teenage girls left you scratching your head, wondering what all the fuss was about, it’s not your fault. These guys seem to have come out of nowhere and already have people asking, “Are One Direction the next Beatles?” Why is everyone suddenly talking about One Direction? Let’s take a look. What is One Direction? We’re glad you asked. One Direction is a five-member boy band. They are already very popular in their native U.K. (hence the Beatles comparison), where their debut album, Up All Night, has already gone double-platinum . Night is being released in the U.S. on Tuesday. Though the lead single from Night, “What Makes You Beautiful,” has only recently been added to U.S. radio, it is already a hit, with sales of 255,000 in just three weeks, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #28 in late February, giving the boys the highest debut chart position of any U.K. act since the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” opened at #11 in January 1997. “Beautiful,” a carefree pop ditty with an infectious chorus, bested Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” to take home the fan-voted Best British Single prize at the BRIT Awards last month. The fan frenzy around One Direction is reminiscent of the early days of Bieber Fever. When the band made its first public appearance in the U.S. at Boston’s Natick Mall on March 4, more than 5,000 screaming fans descended on the shopping center. It was a relatively peaceful scene, though, especially when compared to the riot that broke out in 2009 when the 3,000 fans who had gathered at Long Island’s Roosevelt Field Mall to see Bieber began pushing and shoving as they got word that police were canceling the event because the crowd had become too rowdy. A likely reason the band already has such a large and fervent fanbase here in the U.S. despite being new to the scene is their accessibility on YouTube, where the video for “What Makes You Beautiful” has nearly 69 million views. YouTube is also largely credited with launching Bieber. Who is in the band? The five English and Irish gents in One Direction are Niall Horan, 18, Zayn Malik, 19, Liam Payne, 18, Harry Styles, 18, and Louis Tomlinson, 20. In typical boy-band fashion, each guy has his own shtick. This morning on “Today,” we learned that Horan is the “cute little Irish one,” Malik is the “quiet and mysterious” one, Payne is “the sensible one,” Styles is “the charming one” and Tomlinson is “the funny one.” Each group member appeared on the 2010 season of the U.K. version of “The X Factor,” where they tried and failed to make the cut in the individual boys category. At the suggestion of the show’s producers, they joined forces and re-entered as a group . Together as One Direction, they ultimately finished third in the competition and were signed to “X Factor” creator Simon Cowell’s Syco Records. What’s next? The sky’s the limit. One Direction recently wrapped up a small joint tour with another boy band, Big Time Rush , and its success inspired Entertainment Weekly to run a story with a headline asking, “Are Boy Bands Officially Back?” Considering the success of the Wanted , who just wrapped their tour of the U.S. and U.K. at Dublin’s massive O2 Arena on Friday and will release their U.S. debut April 24, it’s a question many are now asking. It’s been a long time since the Backstreet Boys, ‘NSYNC and 98 Degrees ruled pop radio, and the out-of-nowhere success of the Wanted and One Direction have a lot of people wondering whether, after several years of hip-hop stars and pop divas ruling the charts, we’re in for a boy-band revival. One Direction are already booked to perform at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on March 31 as well as on “Saturday Night Live” on April 7. The band’s December-January Up All Night tour of the U.K. sold out in minutes, prompting the band to add an Oceania leg with five dates planned across Australia and New Zealand in April. The next logical step would be a tour of the U.S., though no plans have been announced. What do you think of One Direction? Is it all just hype or will the boys be around for a while? Let us know in the comments below! Related Photos One Direction Light Up The ‘Today’ Show Related Artists One Direction
