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Is Paramore’s ‘Brick’ The Best 2011 MTV Performance?

Band’s triumphant set at Fueled by Ramen anniversary show captures powerful bond with family of fans — vote now! By James Montgomery Paramore’s Hayley Williams performs at the Fueled by Ramen 15th anniversary concert in September Photo: MTV Paramore had what could charitably be described as an interesting 2011, recovering from the departure of founding members Josh and Zac Farro , rediscovering the joy of playing music in the midst of a South American tour , and reconnecting with fans through the debut of their song-a-month “Singles Club.” In short, it’s been the kind of year that would break lesser bands, and yet, Paramore persist, with a reinvigorated sense of purpose and plans for a new album in 2012. And they make no bones about the fact that both of those things are due in no small part to the fervent support of their fanbase. Theirs is a bond that goes beyond mere fandom; they are, as frontwoman Hayley Williams told MTV News earlier this year, “family.” So it is somewhat fitting that, in a year where so much was focused on the inner workings of the band, we bring 2011 to a close by showcasing Paramore playing what amounted to one huge family gathering: their headlining performance at September’s Fueled by Ramen 15th anniversary show , a rousing run-through of their biggest hits (and a couple new tunes) in front of a sold-out, spirited crowd. It was cathartic, it was energetic, and yes, it was plenty sweaty. In a year when MTV featured plenty of performances, it remains one of the highlights. So it’s equally fitting that Paramore’s “Brick by Boring Brick” is in the running for the Best MTV Live Performance of 2011 , up against the likes of Adele’s chill-inducing VMA moment and Beyonc

Paramore Look To Rediscover ‘Fun’ On New Album

In new interview, Paramore talk about moving on from the Farros and inspiring fans. By James Montgomery Paramore Photo: MTV News Paramore are moving forward, with a song-a-month “Singles Club” and plans for a new album in 2012. But in the new issue of Alternative Press (on newsstands December 1), they aren’t shying away from the past either. For the magazine’s cover story, Paramore discuss the departure of founding members Josh and Zac Farro last winter and how it forced them to realize that perhaps they had been approaching the business of being in a band from the wrong angle. Namely, they forgot all about the fun. “We’ve always enjoyed what we do,” guitarist Taylor York told the magazine, “but we’d watch other bands on tour with us, and they would just be having a blast. They’d be in vans, all cramming in one hotel room. Every day, they were just stoked to be there. In my head, I’m like, ‘Either they’re just really mistaken, or we’re missing something. I don’t think it’s possible to have that much fun.’ ” “I felt so bad for the longest time, because we made being in a band look like it wasn’t fun,” frontwoman Hayley Williams added. “In my opinion. Other people might not have thought that, but you imagine all the interviews we did where it was just like, ‘Uhh … ‘ ” Gee, wonder which interview she’s referring to? Still, after surviving the split with the Farros, Paramore rediscovered the joy of being in a band while on tour in South America, and that’s what gave them the desire to press on with a new album. “This winter, when Zac and Josh left, we went through a really hard time,” York said. “I think we had to go through that. We all love each other, but we had to come together so closely that we really rediscovered how much we really love each other — and how much we love playing music. We had to go through that to realize what we had.” Recharged, Paramore are pressing on with their new record — one that, from the sound of things, will be a spirited affair indeed. “It’s important for young people to know how much fun it is to make music with your friends,” Williams said. “You have to fight for it, of course, but it’s the biggest gift to play music for people, and it’s a gift even if you’re not playing for anybody. It’s fun, and I’m excited. We’re stoked to have that spirit revolving around this [forthcoming] album and just relax into the process.” What are you expecting from Paramore’s next album? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos ‘Paramore: The Last Word’ Related Artists Paramore

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Paramore Look To Rediscover ‘Fun’ On New Album

Taylor Swift Reveals Wonderstruck Perfume Inspiration

Scent’s name comes from her song ‘Enchanted,’ singer tells MTV News. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Swift at the launch of her new perfume in New York City Photo: Getty Images NEW YORK — Taylor Swift took over Manhattan on Thursday for the launch of her first-ever perfume, Wonderstruck. In addition to a number of television appearances, the singer also made an appearance at Macy’s to introduce the world to her fragrance. Like Swift, the perfume is sweet and sparkling. And her devoted fans swarmed the famed New York department store to buy a bottle as well as to try to meet and greet the star, who arrived at the event in a sequined dress befitting of Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” “You know, for me, the feeling of being wonderstruck, it’s an excitement of something new,” she told MTV News at the event while hordes of screaming fans shouted. “And lately, for me, that’s been being on tour and having all special guests come out and doing performances and surprising the audience. That’s been one of my favorite things of the entire year.” Swift is, of course, referring to the duets she’s been doing during her Speak Now tour . So far, she’s shared the stage with everyone from Nicki Minaj to Hayley Williams to Justin Bieber, not allowing genre to define her as she performs alongside her pals. While these days she’s been inspired by her live performances, it was one of her own songs that influenced the name she chose for the perfume. “I wrote the lyric, ‘I’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home’ for the song ‘Enchanted,’ about the first time you meet someone,” she said. “A fragrance can help shape someone’s first impression and memory of you, and it’s exciting to think that Wonderstruck will play a role in creating some of those memories.” Related Photos Taylor Swift Launches Wonderstruck Perfume Related Artists Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift Reveals Wonderstruck Perfume Inspiration

Seth Rogen Talks Cancer, Sex And ’50/50′

Rogen and screenwriter Will Reiser discuss the challenges of making a comedy about a guy with a terminal disease, in our Fall Movie Preview. By Josh Horowitz Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in “50/50” Photo: Summit Entertainment Thus far in MTV News’ Fall Movie Preview, we’ve looked at comedies about drug-buying babysitters , people who hang out with puppets and stoners shooting Santa Claus in the face. Unconventional topics for big-screen laughs, all. “50/50” sees those flick’s giggles-from-unexpected-places efforts, and raises ’em one: This is a comedy about having cancer, surviving it and figuring out a way to laugh about the whole thing. Based on the experiences of Will Reiser (who penned the script), “50/50” stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Kyle, a young man suddenly diagnosed with the disease. Seth Rogen plays his best friend, the guy trying to cheer him up and get him laid and distract him from the very real possibility of an untimely death. Rogen and Reiser recently called up MTV News to talk about the film’s real-life inspirations, the challenges of marketing a comedy about cancer, and how Reiser’s disease once gained them early access to “Batman Begins.” MTV : So we’re looking at “50/50” as part of our Fall Movie Preview. Where does your cancer comedy fit in with the likes of “Breaking Dawn” and “Sherlock Holmes” and “Mission Impossible”? Seth Rogen : I think it’s funnier than all those movies. It is about something somewhat serious, but I really think it’s as funny as any of our movies. That’s what is really interesting about it to me. We’d always talk about how it’s not a creative challenge to take something depressing and make something depressing out of it. To us, it was much more interesting to take something that’s inherently depressing and try to make something really, really funny out of it. To me, the movies that are about something you generally don’t want to watch but you keep watching for decades to come, the only reason you do that is because they’re funny. A movie like “Dr. Strangelove,” no one wants a movie about f—ing nuclear war, but if it’s funny, you keep watching it. Tonally, that’s what we were trying to do. Will Reiser : Yeah, challenging that idea of what’s acceptable. People are really afraid to laugh at illness in general. MTV : Did the pragmatists in both of you worry about marketing a movie like this? Rogen : I think it’s challenging, but I know people like the movie, and if the movie was in any way disappointing, we would really have a challenge. But because it’s a satisfying movie and ultimately not depressing and our trailers have been good; it’s no bigger challenge than some of the other movies we’ve done. At the time, a weed action movie was not easy to market. MTV : How true to life is this film for you? Reiser : It’s definitely fiction. I took from my own experience and created something that’s a work of fiction. I can relate to the character and I really tried to draw on my own experiences. And the other characters, like my mother in the movie — that’s not my mother — but there are elements of my mother and there are elements there in our relationship that are things we really went through. A lot of the alienation and isolation and the absurdity you feel when you’re sick, that all speaks to my experience. At the time, Seth and I would laugh about it. When you’re that young, you don’t sit around and talk about your emotions. We’re comedy writers. We would joke about it. Rogen : It was never, “What happens when you die?” It was, “Are you too old to get a Make-A-Wish? We should at least go for it. Worst comes to worse, we hang out with Led Zeppelin for a day.” Reiser : It’s dark humor, but that’s who we are and that’s how we came up with the idea for the movie. We were at a party one night and we came up with this idea for a buddy comedy. Rogen : The first version was an R-rated version of “The Bucket List.” MTV : What about the element of encouraging Kyle to use his illness to benefit his sex life. Is that true to life? Rogen : I don’t think it was as specific as, “You can use this to get laid.” But I did aggressively push Will to always look on the bright side and make something good out of it. Maybe we can get a free drink, maybe we can go on a trip somewhere. Reiser : I remember in 2005 I had just had this horrible back surgery and I could barely walk, and Seth and I were waiting on line to see this huge action movie — I think it was “Batman Begins” — and Seth walked to the front and said, “My friend has cancer, can we skip the line?” Rogen : And it worked! So yes, I may or may not have used Will’s cancer to get into “Batman Begins” for free. From “Abduction” to “Muppets, “Moneyball” to “Breaking Dawn,” the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films’ biggest stars. Check out everything we’ve got on “50/50.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Fall Movie Preview 2011 Related Photos Exclusive Photos From Fall’s Biggest Flicks

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Seth Rogen Talks Cancer, Sex And ’50/50′

Paramore Debut ‘Renegade’ At Fueled By Ramen Show

Band promises churning new track will be available online ‘soon,’ at 15th anniversary concert in NYC. By James Montgomery Paramore’s Hayley Williams performs at the Fueled by Ramen 15th anniversary concert Photo: MTV During Wednesday night’s Fueled by Ramen 15th anniversary concert, Paramore pulled the curtain back on a brand-new song, “Renegade,” and promised that fans will be able to hear a full studio version very soon. The new song — recorded along with their roaring single “Monster” back in March with producer Rob Cavallo — is a churning, spiky thing, full of roiling bass and guitars, and seems to bridge the gap between the band’s punky Riot! past and the more plaintive expanses of 2009’s Brand New Eyes. Paramore have been using a recorded version of the brand-new track as their intro music during their recent run of Warped Tour dates. Now, as frontwoman Hayley Williams promised the crowd at New York’s Terminal 5, fans will be able to get their hands on it in the very near future. “This song, we will be putting online for you to have as soon as possible, we’re working on it!” she shouted. Of course, it’s not clear when (or even where ) “Renegade” will be made available. A spokesperson for the band’s label told MTV News that the release date “has yet to be confirmed.” Paramore didn’t just use the FBR anniversary show as a platform to premiere new songs, though. They also worked a classic into another new track, spinning a few refrains of Fleetwood Mac’s stirring “Landslide” into their sonorous acoustic track “In the Mourning,” and the crowd definitely appreciated the move, singing along to the iconic verses and cheering wildly. And Williams responded , telling fans that they’ll be able to own that track too. After all, she’s been promising new material in 2011, and she did it again on Wednesday night. “Thank you so much, goodness!” she said. “Well, if you like that, we’re going to release it later this year for you guys to have … hey, we promised we’d put some new songs out for you. You guys sounded amazing on that, thanks for singing along.” Are you excited for new music from Paramore? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Fueled By Ramen 15th Anniversary Concert: Paramore Live Related Photos Fueled By Ramen 15th Anniversary Concert: Paramore Live Photos Related Artists Paramore

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Paramore Debut ‘Renegade’ At Fueled By Ramen Show

Paramore, Gym Class Heroes Pick Best Fueled By Ramen Releases

In celebration of the FBR’s 15th anniversary, the label’s biggest bands rifle through its back catalog. By James Montgomery Paramore Photo: MTV News In 1996, Fueled By Ramen released the now-famous Take-Out Sampler, a cassette compilation that came packaged to look like it was ordered from your neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Last week, they released Cobra Starship ‘s Night Shades, the 130-somethingth album to bear the FBR name … and no, it wasn’t available on cassette. Still, that should give you a pretty good idea of just how far the label has come over the course of 15 years. And this week, FBR will celebrate its ongoing legacy with a pair of shows at New York’s Terminal 5 — Wednesday night’s show, featuring Paramore, the Swellers, This Providence, the Stereo and fun., will stream live on MTV.com beginning at 7 p.m. ET. And we here at MTV News are doing our part to aid in the festivities. We’ve already brought you some of the label’s biggest bands recalling the moment they signed with FBR , and now, those same bands are talking to us about their favorite albums from the label’s rather expansive back catalog. From Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco to Jimmy Eat World and Discount, here are their picks. Cassettes not included. Travie McCoy and Matt McGinley, Gym Class Heroes McGinley : “I’m going to go with Take This to Your Grave, by Fall Out Boy. You might have heard of them. [It’s a] super awesome record, and we definitely listened to it on repeat in the van all the time.” McCoy : “It’s beautiful how they kind of hid such dark and demented lyrics in such happy and poppy punk music. Genius.” McCoy : “The Academy Is … Almost Here. Front to back, it’s an amazing, amazing album, and it shoots us back to when we used to tour with those guys all the time.” McGinley : “Panic! at the Disco’s A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out !” McCoy : “I remember hearing some of the demos for that album, and I was blown away and when the record actually came out, it was like, ‘Wow, these dudes are about to smash, and they tore it up.” Paramore ‘s Hayley Williams : “A really awesome release … was [the] Jimmy Eat World EP, and it had early versions of the Clarity songs. I think it makes this list because we love Jimmy Eat World so much, and it’s so awesome that they released something on our label. We’re really proud of that.” “My all-time favorite FBR release is the Impossibles’ Anthology, it’s sort of all the best Impossibles songs, and it’s incredible. They’re kind of like if Weezer were ska.” “When we were writing Brand New Eyes, I sent an email to some folks at the label requesting some music. I actually got back a Discount EP … they did a cover EP of Billy Brag songs called Love, Billy, and the cover art was really cool, I remember liking that a lot. I just really like Discount. If you don’t know who [they] are, you should check them out; I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this or not, but it may or may not be Alison from the Kills and Dead Weather fronting a pop/punk band. It’s awesome and there’s so much cool, raw energy, and her voice is great. I love the music and I think it’s very telling of that time in music for pop/punk music. Good stuff.” Help MTV celebrate Fueled by Ramen’s 15th anniversary on Wednesday, September 7, as we present a live party featuring some of your favorite FBR acts, including Paramore. Check out MTV.com at 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday to catch all the action! Related Artists Paramore Gym Class Heroes

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Paramore, Gym Class Heroes Pick Best Fueled By Ramen Releases

Paramore, Gym Class Heroes Pick Best Fueled By Ramen Releases

In celebration of the FBR’s 15th anniversary, the label’s biggest bands rifle through its back catalog. By James Montgomery Paramore Photo: MTV News In 1996, Fueled By Ramen released the now-famous Take-Out Sampler, a cassette compilation that came packaged to look like it was ordered from your neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Last week, they released Cobra Starship ‘s Night Shades, the 130-somethingth album to bear the FBR name … and no, it wasn’t available on cassette. Still, that should give you a pretty good idea of just how far the label has come over the course of 15 years. And this week, FBR will celebrate its ongoing legacy with a pair of shows at New York’s Terminal 5 — Wednesday night’s show, featuring Paramore, the Swellers, This Providence, the Stereo and fun., will stream live on MTV.com beginning at 7 p.m. ET. And we here at MTV News are doing our part to aid in the festivities. We’ve already brought you some of the label’s biggest bands recalling the moment they signed with FBR , and now, those same bands are talking to us about their favorite albums from the label’s rather expansive back catalog. From Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco to Jimmy Eat World and Discount, here are their picks. Cassettes not included. Travie McCoy and Matt McGinley, Gym Class Heroes McGinley : “I’m going to go with Take This to Your Grave, by Fall Out Boy. You might have heard of them. [It’s a] super awesome record, and we definitely listened to it on repeat in the van all the time.” McCoy : “It’s beautiful how they kind of hid such dark and demented lyrics in such happy and poppy punk music. Genius.” McCoy : “The Academy Is … Almost Here. Front to back, it’s an amazing, amazing album, and it shoots us back to when we used to tour with those guys all the time.” McGinley : “Panic! at the Disco’s A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out !” McCoy : “I remember hearing some of the demos for that album, and I was blown away and when the record actually came out, it was like, ‘Wow, these dudes are about to smash, and they tore it up.” Paramore ‘s Hayley Williams : “A really awesome release … was [the] Jimmy Eat World EP, and it had early versions of the Clarity songs. I think it makes this list because we love Jimmy Eat World so much, and it’s so awesome that they released something on our label. We’re really proud of that.” “My all-time favorite FBR release is the Impossibles’ Anthology, it’s sort of all the best Impossibles songs, and it’s incredible. They’re kind of like if Weezer were ska.” “When we were writing Brand New Eyes, I sent an email to some folks at the label requesting some music. I actually got back a Discount EP … they did a cover EP of Billy Brag songs called Love, Billy, and the cover art was really cool, I remember liking that a lot. I just really like Discount. If you don’t know who [they] are, you should check them out; I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this or not, but it may or may not be Alison from the Kills and Dead Weather fronting a pop/punk band. It’s awesome and there’s so much cool, raw energy, and her voice is great. I love the music and I think it’s very telling of that time in music for pop/punk music. Good stuff.” Help MTV celebrate Fueled by Ramen’s 15th anniversary on Wednesday, September 7, as we present a live party featuring some of your favorite FBR acts, including Paramore. Check out MTV.com at 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday to catch all the action! Related Artists Paramore Gym Class Heroes

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Paramore, Gym Class Heroes Pick Best Fueled By Ramen Releases

Demi Lovato Teases Tour Plans

Following two shows slated for September and the release of her album Unbroken, Lovato says a bigger tour may be in the works. By Jocelyn Vena Demi Lovato Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images When fans heard that Demi Lovato would be playing two intimate shows in mid-September, they promptly bought up the tickets. Lovato’s concerts , slated for the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on September 17 and Club Nokia in Los Angeles on September 23, sold out in minutes — 30 minutes, to be exact. When MTV News caught up with Lovato last week in Los Angeles, the singer explained that the gigs are meant to serve as a “thank-you” to her fans, who have been so supportive of her and her new music, including the chart-topping “Skyscraper.” “It definitely is [a preview]. I wanted to say thank you to my fans,” she said. “I wanted to show them how thankful I am for the support they gave me for ‘Skyscraper.’ At this point, ‘Skyscraper’ has done so well because of them, and I want to show them how thankful I am. “And hopefully when I perform the concerts, Unbroken will be coming out. I’ll be really nervous to get back onstage for the first time since then, but I’ll be really excited,” Lovato said of her new album, which drops September 20. Does this mean that Lovato is planning a bigger tour for her Lovatics? “It could be a tease for a bigger tour. I don’t know,” she said. In addition to “Skyscraper,” Unbroken will feature songs with Iyaz, Missy Elliott and Timbaland , Jason Der

Paramore, Panic! At The Disco Celebrate Label’s 15th Anniversary

Fueled by Ramen will mark the occasion with two nights of concerts in New York, and MTV.com will stream Wednesday’s show live! By James Montgomery Paramore’s Hayley Williams Photo: MTV News Fifteen years ago, Fueled by Ramen began life in the dorm room of John Janick, a student at the University of Florida. These days, thanks to a catalog that includes releases by Fall Out Boy , Paramore , Panic! at the Disco , Jimmy Eat World and Yellowcard (to name just a few), an unusually strong commitment to their roster of artists and a harnessing of social media that borders on masterful, FBR headquarters is now located many stories above Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, in a space shared with the very major Atlantic Records. Needless to say, things have improved slightly since those dorm-room days. And on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the label will celebrate both their journey and their birthday with a two-night stand at New York’s Terminal 5, a double bill that will include the likes of Paramore, Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes. Wednesday night’s show will stream live on MTV.com , beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET, but to kick off the celebration, we asked some of Fueled by Ramen’s biggest acts to think back to the day they inked their deals with the label — starting with Wednesday night’s headliners, Paramore. “We were playing a lot of local shows, it was around 2004. The guy we were working with in Franklin [Tennessee], he was kind of our manager at the time, and he was like, ‘This guy, he has this label,’ ” frontwoman Hayley Williams laughed. “A couple people from [FBR] came down and watched us play older songs and newer ones — I think we played ‘Hallelujah’ for them, ‘Here We Go Again,’ I don’t know, like a total of five songs — and thank God they liked it. We were really excited. From then on, I was like, ‘OK, what are we going to do?’ and we recorded most of those songs, and they showed up on our album, which was on Fueled by Ramen!” The signing story of another of the label’s breakout stars, Panic! at the Disco, is a little less traditional. Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz discovered the band online and rushed to their hometown of Las Vegas to add them to FBR’s roster. Of course, given the label’s strong Web-based presence, it would become the blueprint for the way they’d do business moving forward. “We started doing demos ourselves, just on our laptop, and posting to our personal websites, like MySpace or PureVolume, and just tried to send out links to anybody that was in a band that we were fans of in hopes they would listen. And somehow, we got lucky enough, and Pete contacted us, so that was our first introduction to Fueled by Ramen,” Panic! drummer Spencer Smith explained. “Pete drove out and bought us Del Taco and listened to the songs and said that he wanted to sign us as we were driving him back to his hotel. So it all just happened within two weeks, I think, from him listening to the songs.” Help MTV celebrate Fueled by Ramen’s 15th anniversary this Wednesday, September 7, as we present a live party featuring some of your favorite FBR acts, including Paramore. Check out MTV.com at 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday to catch all the action!

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Paramore, Panic! At The Disco Celebrate Label’s 15th Anniversary

VMA Nominations To Be Announced Tonight!

Special guests will help unveil this year’s nominees on a live stream following the MTV special. By Gil Kaufman Photo: MTV All will be revealed on Wednesday night (July 20) when MTV presents a live 2011 MTV Video Music Awards nominations announcement special, unveiling the roster of artists who will be vying for Moonmen at the August 28 show. The special will air at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT and feature surprise guests spreading the good news. It will be followed by a special VMA nomination live stream on MTV.com that will serve up even more special guests and music experts employing Skype, Twitter and Facebook to give post- VMA nominee -announcement commentary and reactions. This year’s VMAs return once more to Los Angeles, where the 28th annual show will air live on Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The 2010 VMAs put up the best ratings numbers for any MTV telecast since 2002, with 11.4 million viewers turning in to catch much-anticipated performances by Taylor Swift (who debuted a new song, “Innocent,” addressing last year’s controversy with Kanye West) and West himself, who also debuted a new track, “Runaway,” which addressed his fall from pop-culture grace. The show also featured performances by rappers Eminem, Drake and Best New Artist winner Justin Bieber. Then newcomer Nicki Minaj announced her arrival on the world stage with her first-ever solo TV performance, a memorable take on her single “Your Love.” The show was action packed, with additional performances from Linkin Park, Florence + the Machine, Usher, and B.o.B with Bruno Mars and Hayley Williams of Paramore. To watch video of the biggest moments from last year’s VMAs, get the full list of last year’s show winners, and check out fashion, celebrity, and music commentary from the show’s red carpet, check out VMA.MTV.com . Plus, vote for your nominee picks in our Newsroom poll .

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VMA Nominations To Be Announced Tonight!