Maroon 5 leading man owns up to a fear of the creepy FX show that he will appear on next season. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by James Montgomery Adam Levine Photo: MTV News
‘It was a learning experience and it hurt my feelings, but I want to apologize to everyone that was offended,’ singer says. By Nadeska Alexis Mary J. Blige Photo: Scott Weiner/PictureGroup
After controversy surrounding nudity-filled video, frontman Wayne Coyne says the Lips might re-record song and clip with Amanda Palmer. By Ryan J. Downey, with reporting by Jim Shearer The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne performs during the O Music awards Photo: Rick Diamond/ Getty Images
Host tells MTV News the experts on ABC’s reality singing competition actually ‘have the credibility to back up what they’re saying.’ By John Mitchell Quddus Photo: MTV News
Channing Tatum reveals to MTV News that Joe Manganiello’s eye-popping penis pump scene was inspired by real-life events. By Kara Warner Channing Tatum in “Magic Mike” Photo: Warner Bros.
MMG rapper was denied entry to Tenjune nightclub Tuesday morning, nearly two weeks after the Drake/ Chris Brown club brawl. By Rob Markman Meek Mill Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News
‘Everything is still very fresh, very prevalent,’ star Beau Mirchoff tells MTV News about premiere, airing tonight (June 28) on MTV. By Jocelyn Vena “Awkward” castmembers Brett Davern, Molly Tarlov and Beau Mirchoff Photo: If you thought things couldn’t get any more — dare we say it — “Awkward” for Jenna on the hit MTV comedy of the same name, you should brace yourself for what’s to come in season two. After Jenna (played by Ashley Rickards) learned who wrote the infamous letter in season one that led many of her school peers to think she tried to commit suicide, she’s now dealing with the aftermath at home. Oh yeah, she’s also in the middle of a bit of a love triangle between new boy, Jake, and old beau, Matty. And given the fast pace of tonight’s (June 28) season premiere, expect her family and relationship drama to move along at a very rapid speed. “Season two takes place two weeks after the finale of season one, so everything is still very fresh, very prevalent,” Beau Mirchoff, who plays Matty, explained to MTV News. “The love triangle hasn’t been resolved, Sadie is as villainous as ever, all of her colors have shown. Jenna Hamilton has a lot of decisions to be made. I think the fans are going to love it.” Molly Tarlov, who plays aforementioned mean girl Sadie, explained that if you thought you were going to get lulled into Jenna’s life drama this season, think again. “We really start season two in the first episode just full force into it. The story moves along so quickly in the first episode,” she said. “There’s a lot of stuff that I will not just say surprising, I will say absolutely shocking, and is gonna, if you watch the first episode, is going to be really shocking to you.” [Warning: Spoiler ahead!] In addition to having to keep her love life in check, Jenna is also reeling from the news that her mother was the one who wrote the letter that forever changed her life. And that news will only make things harder for her at home as her mom tries to make it up to her, albeit not always in the most productive ways. “There’s a lot of, ‘Anywhere Jenna Hamilton goes, awkwardness is gonna follow,’ and that is very true with the letter as well,” teased Brett Davern, who stars as Jake. “I think it’s gonna cause some problems at home for her and within her family. And so, not only is her drama surrounding her school life, with us, the love triangle and all her friends and stuff, but also her at-home drama, I think, increases in season two as well.” Mirchoff added, “It doesn’t become known to Matty and Jake. [They] possibly find out about it later in the season, but not right away.” Don’t miss the season two premiere of “Awkward,” tonight (June 28) at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (9:30 Central) on MTV! Related Videos Awkward. (Season 2) | Ep. 1 | Sneak Peek
Director Anthony Mandler talks to MTV News about Del Rey and A$AP Rocky’s controversial new clip, which has them playing JFK and Jackie O. By James Montgomery Lana Del Rey and A$AP Rocky in the video for “National Anthem” Photo: Ever since Anthony Mandler wrapped production on Lana Del Rey ‘s “National Anthem” video a month ago, he has spent just about every day trying to avoid talking about it … mostly because he knew there’d be no shortage of folks doing just that when the clip premiered. After all, the video — which premiered Wednesday (June 27) and features Del Rey in dual Jacqueline Kennedy/Marilyn Monroe roles and A$AP Rocky as John F. Kennedy — was seemingly destined to create conversation, if not controversy. But now that it’s finally been unveiled, he’s weighing in on the social and political contexts of the clip (from Portugal, via Skype) to MTV News. “You see why I held back on talking about it; I didn’t want to spoil anything. Anytime you’re dealing with the American Camelot of the Kennedys, you’re dealing with a packed powder keg,” he said. “And really, what Lana was trying to do — this was her concept, she came to me with it, and I kind of dug it out with her — was really look and explore an archetype; just like Shakespeare wrote ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ and that became the archetype of the forbidden love story. “And I think the Kennedy relationship, certainly the triangle of Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O and Jack Kennedy, became this kind of ideal of what seemed perfect from the outside was maybe rotting from the inside,” he continued. “And Lana was really interested in exploring this loss of innocence, this idea that what you think you’re experiencing is maybe not what it’s always going to be. Because when you say ‘Kennedy,’ that immediately evokes something, just like when I say ‘It’s a Romeo and Juliet story.’ So I think using that power, that pedigree of the story is a really fascinating place to show the loss of something, the breakdown of something.” Of course, building off that archetype, the “National Anthem” video takes the socially charged stance of re-imagining the main characters as an interracial couple. It was a decision that was bound to raise some eyebrows, which, according to Mandler, was precisely the point. “We used the Kennedy framework to kind of implement this new Camelot, this racially diverse Camelot, this maybe socially diverse Camelot … bringing it into the modern era, but still keeping that classic framework,” he explained. “There’s a kind of micro-commentary of ‘This is the new royalty,’ you know, A$AP and Lana, trying to pick two people to maybe represent the next generation of something. I think even with an African American president, it’s still controversial to see him sitting and playing JFK, it’s still taboo, even if it shouldn’t be. You’re kind of like ‘Is this right or wrong? This feels very right, but also feels very wrong at the same time.’ And I think in all of Lana’s songs, and her image in general, and the person she is, it all fits in. It’s kind of like there are two sides of a mirror, and you’re not sure which side you’re looking at.” And though he’s aware the video may rankle some, Mandler wanted to make it clear that “National Anthem” isn’t meant to disrespect the Kennedy legacy … and to that end, he points to the climactic final scene, which re-enacts JFK’s 1963 assassination, minus any of the grisly details. Because, to him, the video is less about reinterpreting history and as it is about examining loss, historical or otherwise. “We didn’t want it to be a mockery. How many artists and rappers and singers have you seen running around in badly fitted suits, acting like the president? And I think it may have worked with other people to mock, but that was not what we wanted; we want this to be very serious,” he said. “The whole movie kind of hedges on the gunshot, it hedges on that close-up of the hand when the gunshot happens, and you don’t see anything violent. What you’re used to seeing with the Zapruder film, is this very kind of violent, destructive act; I didn’t want to go anywhere near that. “It was never about re-creating a death scene, it was always about the person sitting next to him,” he continued. “It was always about seeing it through her eyes, seeing this kind of castle crumble in the moment, and that shot where she’s coming up out of the car, and the pain in her eyes, that destruction, it’s like the whole castle is crumbling around her. That’s what we were going for.” Related Videos A$AP Rocky Rips Up ‘RapFix Live’ Related Artists Lana Del Rey
Despite a ‘funny’ and ‘intellectual’ premiere, ‘Breaking Bad’ has not gone soft in its penultimate season, Bryan Cranston tells MTV News. By Josh Wigler “Breaking Bad” cast Photo: They’re done when he says they’re done — and for Bryan Cranston , he’s not done yet. Television’s most notorious meth cook, Walter White, is coming back with more of the blue stuff when “Breaking Bad” premieres its fifth season July 15. With Gus Fring gone, Walt’s future as a criminal mastermind is wide open and full of twists and turns — and bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. MTV News caught up with Cranston earlier in the week with just two days remaining before wrapping the fifth season. (The show resumes production on its sixth and final season in about five months, he said.) Keep reading for five season-five teases from the one who knocks! Gone With The Fring The only thing more deep-fried than Los Pollos Hermanos’ delicious chicken is Gus Fring’s charred corpse. The drug kingpin and neighborhood businessman died a brutal death at Walt’s hands at the end of season four, a brilliant act of violence that resulted in the sad departure of actor Giancarlo Esposito . Cranston mourns the actor’s dismissal but also knows there’s much more to “Breaking Bad” than the rise and fall of Gus. “The Gus Fring story took two and a half years. He came in midway into the second season and we finished it at the end of the fourth — that’s almost an ending in and of itself,” the actor told MTV News. “With only 16 episodes after that, Walt has to decide whether he’s out or in and how does this story wrap up. It’s almost like starting anew. It’s a brand-new story line as far as developing other adversaries.” Cooking Up Big Laughs Even with new villains and obstacles on the horizon for Walt, fans can expect some measure of levity when “Breaking Bad” returns. In fact, Cranston thinks you’ll be surprised by just how much the season-five premiere, titled “Live Free or Die,” will make you laugh. “As violently surprising as the season-four premiere [‘Box Cutter’] was, this premiere is nonviolent,” he said. “The season-five opener is funny, intellectually curious and stimulating. It’s a really good episode to start us out.” Let The Bodies Hit The Floor A nonviolent premiere doesn’t mean a nonviolent season, however. Indeed, it’ll be hard to dwell on the glorious death of Gus Fring for too long when there are so many other awful casualties to look forward to. Fring’s fiery exit stands out as one of the show’s most memorable demises, yes, but Cranston warns that the bloodshed is very far from over. “Even though the first episode is calmer and more intellectual, that doesn’t mean that ‘Breaking Bad’ has gone soft,” he said. “There are more people who will perish this season. Quite a few more.” All Hail Heisenberg Walter White’s journey to fully break bad is not at an end. Once the upcoming season concludes, there will still be eight more episodes to look forward to. And every step along the way, there’s one thing you can count on: the return of the Heisenberg hat. Wherever Walt goes next, his drug-dealing alter ego won’t be very far behind, promises Cranston. “He can’t do it without the hat. Walt needs Heisenberg,” the actor said. “He needs that heft and power in order to control situations. He calls upon him when he needs him. He’s a great ally to Walter White.” Teasing The Teaser There is virtually nothing else we can tell you about the season-five premiere that won’t spoil some of the show’s greatest surprises yet. If there’s one thing to look forward to, it’s this: the premiere’s cold open. Once again, “Breaking Bad” delivers an enormously satisfying opening scene that’s sure to raise a lot of eyebrows and blow a lot of minds. “The teaser is so bizarre,” Cranston said. “It tells a lot — and it doesn’t tell anything. ” Are you looking forward to the “Breaking Bad” season premiere? Let us know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @roundhoward!
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