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Following the unexpected shuttering of the MTV News website earlier this week, Paramount has now largely cleaned house on the sites for several more of its cable channels, in a potential cost-cutting move.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the sites for Comedy Central, CMT, Yellowstone airer Paramount Network and TV Land were instead directing users to the media conglomerate’s streaming platform Paramount+. On Monday, MTVnews.com was taken down, purging some 20 years of stories from the web.
A pop-up window on the Comedy Central site reads, “While episodes of most Comedy Central series are no longer available on this website, you can watch Comedy Central through your TV provider. You can also sign up for Paramount+ to watch many seasons of Comedy Central shows.” Similar language shows up on the CMT, Paramount Network and TV Land sites, as well as that of MTV (which was separate from MTVnews.com).
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aramount said in a statement, “As part of broader website changes across Paramount, we have introduced more streamlined versions of our sites, driving fans to Paramount+ to watch their favorite shows.”
As noted by LateNighter, the cleaning out of the Comedy Central site in particular wipes out a huge trove of archival material from The Daily Show and other late night series, along with clips from South Park, Key & Peele and Workaholics, among many others. Some of that material is available on YouTube, but it’s not as easily searchable or accessible as it was on the network page. (The oldest video on the Daily Show YouTube channel, for instance, is from 2016, while the show’s history stretches back 20 years before then.)
On Paramount+, only the two most recent seasons of The Daily Show are available. The platform has several South Park specials and the 1999 feature film Bigger, Longer and Uncut, but the show’s primary streaming home is on Max. Paramount+ does have the full runs of Key & Peele and Workaholics.
As of publication time, sites for Paramount’s BET, Nickelodeon and VH1 were still active, while MTV.com offered some episodes and clips.
The website changes come on the heels of Paramount’s co-CEOs — George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins — telling employees at a town hall meeting Tuesday that they were embarking on a cost-cutting mission as profits have dropped for the company. Paramount is looking for $500 million in reduced costs, which will mean layoffs for some employees. Cheeks also said at the town hall that “We’re looking at selling certain Paramount-owned assets — in fact, we’ve already hired bankers to assist us in this process — and we’ll use the proceeds to help pay down debt and strengthen our balance sheet.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Gale Sparrow, the former executive who led MTV’s talent and artist relations team during the cable television channel’s golden years, died Sunday (March 31) following a battle with lung cancer. She was 74.
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Born Jan. 20, 1950, Sparrow began her career in the music business at CBS/Epic Records in 1976.
Five years later, in 1981, she was recruited to join MTV’s startup team. MTV switched on in August of that year and started a revolution, one that facilitated a change in the way music was consumed, and how artists and labels presented their music.
Sparrow played her part in that sea change, initially as the talent coordinator. As MTV’s presence and network grew, so did Sparrow’s duties, with a promotion to director of talent and artist relations.
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MTV helped launch, and relaunch, countless careers. Sparrow worked with all of them. Tina Turner’s remarkable solo comeback in the mid-’80s can be attributed, in part, to the late singer’s support from MTV, and savvy guidance from artist manager Roger Davies. Speaking with Billboard in 2023 following the Rock Hall inducted legend’s passing on May 24 at 83, Sparrow recalled Turner as the “hottest ticket in town,” who “just wowed everybody” in person. “She just was a sparkle. She had that spark in her eye,” Sparrow remembered. “Tina gave MTV a kind of second jolt of excitement. It was a whole different persona as an artist: She could have been your best friend. Everybody felt comfortable around her. You don’t have to please her.”
As news spread of Sparrow’s passing, friends and former colleagues paid tribute to the exec and her work. Sparrow was “an integral and passionate part of the original team that launched MTV —and many of those legendary artist moments were directly her contributions,” comments Bob Pittman, former CEO of MTV Networks and co-founder and programmer who led the team that created MTV. “That voice, laugh, and the wickedly mischievous smile will be missed….one of a kind.” The 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards “were in memory of her,” Pittman says.
“There’s no doubt in my mind they needed someone up there in rock ‘n’ roll heaven to handle talent and artist relations,” remarks MTV co-founder Les Garland. “After all the years, I’ve never felt closer to Gale than these past three years. Indeed, we all have Gale Sparrow stories, galore. Please let them bring a smile and a grateful feeling to your soul. RIP ‘Sparrow’, I will miss those phone calls! #Love #Respect.”
Sparrow died peacefully at her home in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, according to reps.
No funeral is planned at this time per Sparrow’s wishes.
Coco Jones could be enjoying a very special Friday once 2024 Grammy nominations are announced, but she and her fans can kick off their celebrations a little bit earlier: Billboard can exclusively reveal that Coco Jones will be MTV‘s Global PUSH Artist for November.
The announcement comes less than a week after Jones marked the one-year anniversary of What I Didn’t Tell You, her debut EP with Def Jam. That project and its accompanying North American headlining tour helped the powerhouse vocalist transition from Disney star to award-winning R&B dynamo. In the past year, Jones has picked up best new artist honors from both the BET Awards and the NAACP Image Awards, as well as a whopping six nominations at the upcoming Soul Train Music Awards (Nov. 26), including album, song and video of the year.
What I Didn’t Tell You houses Jones’ very first Billboard Hot 100 hit, “ICU.” The DJ Camper-helmed ballad spent 20 weeks on the ranking, peaking at No. 62. The track, which also received a remix from fellow Disney alum Justin Timberlake, topped both Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and R&B Digital Song Sales.
“‘ICU’ really fell into my lap, I feel, because I was so surprised… what I ended up doing that day in the studio… I heard this track by Camper, and I could not skip it,” Jones says in a press release announcing the PUSH news. “Then I had to get really vulnerable and tell this story that I feel like people can relate to: when you love someone and they didn’t do anything wrong to you but you guys are just wrong for each other.”
“ICU” marked a new frontier for Jones’ career, becoming her first RIAA Platinum single and introducing her to scores of new listeners. The song’s success also gave way to the deluxe edition of What I Didn’t Tell You, which arrived earlier this year (Jan. 20) and featured three new songs in addition to the previously released “Simple” (with Babyface).
“I think my favorite line is the first line ‘something about your hands on my body’ because I just feel like it snaps people’s attention… I feel like it gives me a southern twang,” Jones says. “It reminds me where I’m from and it surprised people that I could go that low. It is just a really good line to me. It’s really solid.”
As MTV’s featured Global PUSH Artist for the month of November, Jones will partner with the entertainment iconoclast all month to discuss her roots, the stories and memories behind her music and the artists and eras that inspire her. For Jones, The Cheetah Girls were a formative part of her childhood, specifically the song “Cinderella,” which she hails as a “girl power anthem.” “I was the biggest Cheetah Girls fan,” she gushes. “That was my first concert ever actually and I thought they asked me to come up on stage, but my mom said no.”
Jones is also set to debut two exclusive performance videos for “ICU” and “Double Back,” the latter of which she credits to the “Brandys, Aaliyahs and Destiny’s Childs” of the ’90s and describes as “one of the best songs to get [her] makeup done to or to do [her] makeup to.”
The MTV PUSH initiative aims to connect fans across the globe with a new music artist every month through live performances, exclusive broadcast premieres of music videos, interviews and video content. Previous MTV PUSH artists include Lizzo, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, SZA, Chloe X Halle, H.E.R., Jack Harlow, Jorja Smith, BROCKHAMPTON and more.
Watch an exclusive clip of Coco Jones performing and talking about “ICU” above.
The Surreal Life is returning to MTV, and the network announced its diverse cast for the upcoming season on Wednesday (Sept. 13). R&B/soul singer Macy Gray, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s son Chet Hanks, former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke, rapper O.T. Genasis, TV personality Kim Zolciak, figure skater Johnny Weir and influencer and model […]
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion will give the debut performance of their just-released single “Bongos” during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, which are set to air live from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
The single, which was released Friday (Sept. 8), is the rap icons’ second pairing, following “WAP,” which became the first female rap collaboration to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1.
This will be the first performance on the VMAs’ main show for both artists. Both made their VMAs’ performance debut on the pre-show – Cardi in 2017 performing “Bodak Yellow”; Megan two years later performing “Big Ole Freak,” “Hot Girl Summer” and “Cash Sh–.”
Many future main-show performers made their VMAs performance debut on the pre-show. Here’s a complete list.
Cardi has appeared on the main telecast in the past – she just hasn’t performed. In 2018, she garnered global headlines when she teased fans with a first glimpse of her daughter Kulture only to reveal a Moon Person trophy hidden in a baby blanket instead. The following year, she presented Missy Elliott with the MTV Video Vanguard Award.
This year’s VMAs are going heavy on hip-hop. Nicki Minaj is set to “emcee” and perform at the show. Diddy is set to receive the Global Icon Award and perform. Lil Wayne and Metro Boomin are also on the performance lineup. Metro Boomin will be joined by Future, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Swae Lee and NAV.
And the show is set to have a 50th-anniversary salute to hip-hop, following the lead of many other awards shows in the past year.
Megan and Cardi are both VMA nominees this year. Megan is nominated for best direction, best choreography and best art direction, all for “Her.” Cardi is nominated for best hip-hop in tandem with GloRilla for “Tomorrow 2.”
Megan has won two VMAs – best power anthem in 2019 for “Hot Girl Summer” (featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign) and best hip-hop in 2020 for her solo version of “Savage.”
Cardi has won four VMAs, three of them in 2018 – best new artist, best collaboration (as a featured artist on Jennifer Lopez’s “Dinero,” along with DJ Khaled) and song of the summer (for “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin). She won best hip-hop for “Money” in 2019.
Hip-hop fans aren’t the only audience being served by this year’s VMAs. Latin music fans can look forward to performances by Shakira, this year’s Video Vanguard award recipient, as well as Anitta, Karol G and Peso Pluma.
Pop fans may tune in for Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo and Demi Lovato.
Rock fans can look forward to Fall Out Boy and Måneskin.
K-pop fans will have Stray Kids and TOMORROW X TOGETHER.
Kelsea Ballerini is on the bill for fans of country music.
The MTV Video Music Awards are adding a new category this year – best Afrobeats. The Grammys are adding a similar category, best African music performance, this year (for the awards that will be presented on Feb. 4, 2024). The American Music Awards were the first major music awards show to add such a category. They added favorite Afrobeats artist at the show that aired on Nov. 20, 2022. Wizkid was the inaugural winner, beating Burna Boy, CKay, Fireboy DML and Tems.
The apparent front-runner for best Afrobeats at the VMAs is Rema & Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down,” which is nominated in two other categories, best song and best collaboration. “Calm Down” has been a giant crossover hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song dips a notch to No. 6 in its 49th week on the Hot 100, as it spends a seventh week atop Radio Songs.
Ayra Starr has two nominations in the VMAs’ best Afrobeats category – for her own “Rush” and as the featured artist on Wizkid’s “2 Sugar.”
The other nominees in the category are Burna Boy’s “It’s Plenty,” Davido featuring Musa Keys’ “Unavailable,” Fireboy DML & Asake’s “Bandana” and Libianca’s “People.”
Best Afrobeats is the third genre-specific category to be added at the VMAs in this century, following Latin (2006) and K-pop (2019). The VMAs’ five other genre-specific categories were all introduced in the last century — rock (1989), alternative (1991), R&B (1993), and pop and hip-hop (both 1999).
The Grammy nominations will be announced on Nov. 10, at which time we’ll learn the nominees in their new best African music performance category.
The Recording Academy announced the category (one of three being added this year) on June 13. The Rules and Guidelines for the upcoming 66th Annual Grammy Awards describes the category thusly: “Eligible recordings include vocal and instrumental performances with strong elements of African cultural significance that blend a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content and/or musical representation found in Africa and the African Diaspora. The African Diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas.”
The 2023 VMAs will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Taylor Swift, who last year became the first three-time winner of the VMAs’ marquee award, video of the year, is nominated in that category again this year for “Anti-Hero.” Could she possibly win that award again when the VMAs are presented at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Sept. 12? Of course she could. “Anti-Hero” […]
Taylor Swift is the top nominee for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards with eight nods, followed by SZA (six); Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith (five each); and BLACKPINK, Diddy and Shakira (four each).
Women account for six of the seven nominees for video of the year – Doja’s “Attention,” Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl,” Rodrigo’s “vampire,” SZA’s “Kill Bill” and Swift’s “Anti-Hero.” The seventh nod is for a history-making collab – Smith & Petras’ “Unholy,” which made Smith and Petras the first openly non-binary and openly transgender solo artists, respectively, to have a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.
For the first time since the VMAs introduced the artist of the year category in 2017, all of the nominees are women – Beyoncé, Doja, Karol G, Minaj, Shakira and Swift. This is also the first time that two of the nominees have come from the world of Latin music. The first Latin artist to be nominated in this category was Bad Bunny, who won last year.
In addition to her nod for artist of the year, Swift is up for seven awards for her megahit “Anti-Hero”– video of the year, song of the year, best pop, best direction, best cinematography, best visual effects and best editing.
Swift and Kendrick Lamar are both nominated for best direction. Lamar is nominated for “Count Me Out,” which he co-directed with Dave Free. Both Swift and Lamar have won twice in this category for videos they directed or co-directed. Swift won for directing “The Man” (2020) and “All Too Well (The Short Film)” (2022). Lamar won for co-directing “Alright” (2015) and “Humble.” (2017).
Despite tallying six nods, SZA was not nominated for artist of the year. Her smash “Kill Bill” is up for five awards – video of the year, song of the year, best direction, best art direction and best editing. “Kill Bill” was not nominated in a genre category; SZA’s “Shirt” is up for best R&B instead.
This year boasts a record 35 first-time VMAs nominees, including Petras (five); Metro Boomin and Rema (three each); and Ayra Starr, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma, Reneé Rapp and Yung Miami (two each).
Other artists receiving first-time nods include Aespa, boygenius, Burna Boy, Davido, Eslabon Armado, Fletcher, Fifty Fifty, JVKE, Lauren Spencer Smith, Musa Keys, PinkPantheress, Saucy Santana, Stephen Sanchez and Toosii.
Double nominees GloRilla, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma and Reneé Rapp are nominated for best new artist, along with Kaliii and PinkPantheress.
The VMAs added a category this year – best Afrobeats. This is the third genre-specific category that the VMAs have added in this century, following Latin (2006) and K-pop (2019). The VMAs’ five other genre-specific categories were all introduced in the last century — rock (1989), alternative (1991), R&B (1993), and pop and hip-hop (both 1999).
The 2023 VMAs will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.. The host has not yet been announced. Jack Harlow, LL Cool J and Nicki Minaj hosted last year’s show, which was held in the same venue.
Beginning Tuesday (Aug. 8), fans can vote for their favorites across 15 gender-neutral categories by visiting vote.mtv.com through Friday, Sept. 1. Voting for best new artist will remain active into the live show. Nominations for social categories including group of the year and song of summer will be announced at a later date.
Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic are executive producers of the 2023 VMAs. Barb Bialkowski is co-executive producer. Alicia Portugal and Jackie Barba serve as executives in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is music talent executive.
Here’s the complete list of nominations for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards:
Video of the year
Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records
SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records
Artist of the year
Beyoncé – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
Doja Cat – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Karol G – Interscope Records
Nicki Minaj – Republic Records
Shakira – Sony Music US Latin
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
Song of the year
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records
Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit” – L-M Records / RCA Records
SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records Records
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records
Best new artist
GloRilla – CMG / Interscope Records
Ice Spice – 10K Projects / Capitol Records
Kaliii – Atlantic Records
Peso Pluma – Double P Records
PinkPantheress – 300 Entertainment
Reneé Rapp – Interscope Records
Best collaboration
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – “I’m Good (Blue)” – Warner Records
Post Malone, Doja Cat – “I Like You (aHappier Song)” – Mercury Records / Republic Records
Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On” – Motown Records
Karol G, Shakira – “TQG” – Universal Music Latino
Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)” – Boominati / Republic Records
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records
Best pop
Demi Lovato – “Swine” – Island Records
Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)” – Atlantic Records
Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed” – Atlantic Records
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records
P!nk – “Trustfall” – RCA Records
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records
Best hip-hop
Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On” – Motown Records
DJ Khaled ft. Drake & Lil Baby – “Staying Alive” – We the Best / Epic Records
GloRilla & Cardi B – “Tomorrow 2” – CMG / Interscope Records
Lil Uzi Vert – “Just Wanna Rock” – Atlantic Records / Generation Now
Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz & DMX – “Kant Nobody” – Young Money Records
Metro Boomin ft Future – “Superhero (Heroes and Villains)” – Boominati / Republic Records
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records
Best R&B
Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye – “Stay” – RCA Records
Chlöe ft. Chris Brown – “How Does It Feel” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia
Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)” – Boominati / Republic Records
SZA – “Shirt” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Toosii – “Favorite Song” – South Coast Music Group / Capitol Records
Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj – “Love in the Way” – Empire Distribution
Best alternative
blink-182 – “Edging” – Columbia Records
boygenius – “the film” – Interscope Records
Fall Out Boy – “Hold Me Like a Grudge” – Fueled By Ramen
Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace” – Interscope Records
Paramore – “This Is Why” – Atlantic Records
Thirty Seconds to Mars – “Stuck” – Concord Records
Best rock
Foo Fighters – “The Teacher” – RCA Records
Linkin Park – “Lost (Original Version)” – Warner Records
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Tippa My Tongue” – Warner Records
Måneskin – “The Loneliest” – Arista Records
Metallica – “Lux Æterna” – Blackened Recordings
Muse – “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween” – Warner Records
Best Latin
Anitta – “Funk Rave” – Republic Records
Bad Bunny – “Where She Goes” – Rimas Entertainment
Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma – “Ella Baila Sola” – DEL Records, Inc. / Prajin Parlay, Inc. Grupo Frontera Bad Bunny – “un x100to” – Rimas Entertainment
Karol G, Shakira – “TQG” – Universal Music Latino
Rosalia – “Despecha,” – Columbia Records
Shakira – “Acróstico” – Sony Music US Latin
Best K-pop
aespa – “Girls” – SM ENTERTAINMENT Co., Ltd.
BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records
Fifty Fifty – “Cupid” – ATTRAKT / Warner Records
Seventeen – “Super” – HYBE / Geffen Records
Stray Kids – “S-Class” – JYP / Republic
TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records
Best Afrobeats
Ayra Starr – “Rush” – Mavin Global Holdings
Burna Boy – “It’s Plenty” – Atlantic Records / Spaceship Entertainment Ltd
Davido ft. Musa Keys – “Unavailable” – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records
Fireboy DML & Asake – ”Bandana” – Empire Distribution
Libianca – “People” – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records
Wizkid ft Ayra Starr– “2 Sugar” – Starboy / RCA Records
Video for good
Alicia Keys – “If I Ain’t Got You (Orchestral)” – Netflix
Bad Bunny – “El Apagón – Aquí Vive Gente” – Rimas Entertainment
Demi Lovato – “Swine” – Island Records
Dove Cameron – “Breakfast” – Columbia Records
Imagine Dragons – “Crushed” – KIDinaKORNER / Interscope Records
Maluma – “La Reina” – Sony Music US Latin
Push performance of the year
August 2022: Saucy Santana – “Booty” – Arena Records / RCA Records
September 2022: Stephen Sanchez – “Until I Found You” – Mercury Records / Republic Records
October 2022: JVKE – “golden hour” – AWAL
November 2022: Flo Milli – “Conceited” – ’94 Sounds / RCA Records
December 2022: Reneé Rapp – “Colorado” – Interscope Records
January 2023: Sam Ryder – “All the Way Over” – Elektra Entertainment
February 2023: Armani White – “Goated” – Def Jam
March 2023: Fletcher – “Becky’s So Hot” – Capitol Records
April 2023: TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records
May 2023: Ice Spice – “Princess Diana” – Heavy on It / 10K Projects / Capitol Records
June 2023: FLO – “Losing You” – Uptown/Republic Records
July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith – “That Part” – Island Records
Best direction
Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records – Directed by Tanu Muiño
Drake – “Falling Back” – OVO/Republic Records – Director X (Julien Christian Lutz)
Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Directed by Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Directed by Colin Tilley
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Directed by Floria Sigismondi
SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Directed by Christian Breslauer
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Directed by Taylor Swift
Best cinematography
Adele – “I Drink Wine” – Columbia Records – Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra
Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Natasha Baier
Janelle Monae – “Lipstick Lover” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Allison Anderson
Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records 0 Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records – Cinematography by Marcell Rev
Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records – Cinematography by Russ Fraser
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Cinematography by Rina Yang
Best visual effects
Fall Out Boy – “Love From the Other Side” – Fueled By Ramen – Visual Effects by Thomas Bailey and Josh Shaffner
Harry Styles – “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” – Columbia Records – Visual Effects by Chelsea Delfino and Black Kite Studios
Melanie Martinez – “VOID” – Atlantic Records – Visual Effects by Carbon
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Max Colt and Sergio Mashevskyi
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Visual Effects by Max Colt / FRENDER
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Parliament
Best choreography
BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Choreography by Kiel Tutin, Sienna Lalau, Lee Jung (YGX), Taryn Cheng (YGX)
Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)” – Atlantic Records – Choreography by Charm LaDonna
Jonas Brothers – “Waffle House” – Republic Records – Choreography by Jerry Reece
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Choreography by Sean Bankhead
Panic! At The Disco – “Middle of a Breakup” – Fueled By Ramen – Choreography by Monika Felice Smith
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Choreography by (LA)HORDE – Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel
Best art direction
boygenius – “the film” – Interscope Records – Art Direction by Jen Dunlap
BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Art Direction by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)
Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records – Art Direction by Spencer Graves
Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace” – Interscope Records – Art Direction by Brandon Mendez
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Art Direction by Niko Philipides
SZA – “Shirt” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Art Direction by Kate Bunch
Best editing
BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Editing by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)
Kendrick Lamar – “Rich Spirit” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Edited by Grason Caldwell
Miley Cyrus – “River” – Columbia Records – Edited by Brandan Walter
Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records – Edited by Sofia Kerpan and David Checel
SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Edited by Luis Caraza Peimbert
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Edited by Chancler Haynes
Thirty-six years after MTV News was created to expand the stable of programming that defined the cable channel MTV, it is no more.
MTV News was shuttered this week as part of larger layoffs at parent company Paramount Global.
What launched as a single show in 1987 (The Week in Rock, led by correspondent Kurt Loder) eventually became a bona fide news outlet for Gen X and older millennials who found that traditional TV programming on the broadcast networks and CNN wasn’t cutting it.
Correspondents like Loder, Tabitha Soren, SuChin Pak, Gideon Yago, Alison Stewart and others covered music, pop culture, politics and other topics with an eye toward the younger generation that was tuned to MTV, rather than the network evening newscasts.
Along the way, MTV News created some pop culture moments itself, perhaps none bigger than in 1994, when President Clinton appeared on MTV’s Enough Is Enough, a town hall addressing violence in America.
The special was led by Soren and Stewart and saw them, as well as audience members in attendance, asking questions of Clinton about fighting crime and balancing personal freedom with social responsibility. But it was a section of lighter questions and answers that made national headlines, when an audience member asked Clinton, “Mr. President, the world’s dying to know, is it boxers or briefs?”
“Usually briefs. I can’t believe she did that,” Clinton responded, to laughter from the crowd.
MTV News subsequently held town halls with Barack Obama, John McCain, Bill Gates and others, and boxers or briefs would become a running joke still referenced to this day.
Coverage of topics like sexual health, the Iraq War and devastating natural disasters earned the news division and its correspondents Emmys and Peabody Awards, while it continued to deliver news and criticism of music and pop culture.
On April 8, 1994, MTV broke into regular programming after it had confirmed the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, with Loder breaking the news to the channel’s viewers.
To be certain, the MTV News of 2023 was much smaller and far less high-profile than the MTV News of the 1990s and early 2000s, when it could help define pop culture and cover stories more traditional outlets wouldn’t touch.
MTV News was already significantly reduced in size back in 2017, when it largely abandoned a strategy to take on outlets like BuzzFeed and Vice with a team of digital journalists led by Grantland alum Dan Fierman. The company said at the time it would refocus on shortform content and video in a return to its roots (MTV News used to have interstitials at the top of the hour on the cable channel with news updates). The most recent iteration focused on entertainment and pop culture news and criticism.
Now, however, amid a larger upheaval in the entertainment business, and with Paramount looking to cut costs, MTV News is one of the pieces that just didn’t fit in the larger strategy at play. According to Comscore, MTV drew 6 million monthly visitors to its flagship website in March, up slightly from 5.6 million in the same month a year earlier.
It was a real digital presence, but small potatoes compared to competitors like BuzzFeed and Vice, which have also shuttered or downsized their news divisions in recent months.
At its peak, beyond covering pop culture, MTV News was a part of the culture, as were its correspondents, none more so than Loder, the former Rolling Stone writer who spanned multiple decades at the news division.
“He never wishes his audience a good night or a pleasant tomorrow,” wrote New York Times reporter Judith Miller in a 1993 story about MTV News’ embrace of politics. “Attired in funereal black, he looks as if he hopes that it will thunder and rain all day. He is, in short, the contemporary Reverend Dimmesdale of rock.”
Loder appeared as himself in episodes of shows like The Simpsons, That ’90s Show and Kenan & Kel.
In fact, Loder made one final MTV News appearance for corporate parent Paramount in March … sort of.
It was a fictional segment meant as an ad to tee up the new season of the Showtime series Yellowjackets.
Loder played himself at the MTV News desk, reporting on the missing soccer team whose “whereabouts are still unknown,” as Loder told viewers.
It was a throwback in more ways than one, with deepfake technology used to age Loder down to make him look and sound as he did in the early 1990s (he is now 77), the glory days for MTV News.
“Later, we’ll catch up with Grammy winner Alanis Morissette, fresh off her Jagged Little Pill tour,” Loder said to end the fictional segment, before it signed off with MTV News’ tagline: “MTV News, you hear it first.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Austin Butler and Doja Cat are among the nominees for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The show, hosted by Drew Barrymore, will air live May 7 from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Gomez is up for best performance in a show for her role in Only Murders in the Building and best kiss for her smooch with Cara Delevingne in that show. In addition, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me is nominated for best music documentary.
The other nominees in the latter category are Love, Lizzo, The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie, Halftime (about Jennifer Lopez) and Sheryl (about Sheryl Crow).
Styles is nominated for best villain for his role in Don’t Worry Darling and best kiss for his smooch with David Dawson in My Policeman.
Bad Bunny is nominated for two awards for Bullet Train: breakthrough performance and best fight, for a confrontation with Brad Pitt.
A few of the nominees also received Oscar or Emmy nominations. Austin Butler, an Oscar nominee for his breakthrough role in Elvis, is nominated here for best performance in a movie, but his four rivals were not Oscar-nominated. They are Florence Pugh in Don’t Worry Darling, Keke Palmer in Nope, Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick and Michael B. Jordan in Creed III. (The latter film was released in 2023, so Jordan may land an Oscar nod next year.)
It’s a similar story in the nominations for best song. Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick and Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, both of which were Oscar-nominated, are nominated here too, but the other four nominees here were not Oscar-nominated, for a variety of reasons. OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” (Top Gun: Maverick) and Taylor Swift’s “Carolina” (Where the Crawdads Sing) simply didn’t receive enough support. Doja Cat’s “Vegas” (Elvis) was ruled ineligible because it borrowed so heavily from the 1950s classic “Hound Dog.” Demi Lovato’s “Still Alive” is featured in a 2023 film, Scream VI.
The event, honoring work in both movies and television, across scripted and unscripted, will air on MTV internationally in more than 170 countries.
Top nominees for scripted programming are Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things and The Last of Us, with six nods each, followed by The White Lotus and Wednesday, with four nods each.
Top nominees for unscripted programming are Jersey Shore Family Vacation, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules, with two nods each.
There are two new categories – best reality on-screen team and best kick-ass cast.
Beginning Wednesday (April 5), fans can vote for their favorites across 26 gender-neutral categories by visiting vote.mtv.com through April 17 at 6 p.m. ET.
Executive producers for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards are MTV’s Bruce Gillmer, Wendy Plaut and Vanessa Whitewolf, along with Den of Thieves’ Jesse Ignjatovic and Barb Bialkowski. Jackie Barba and Alicia Portugal are executives in charge of production and Lisa Lauricella and Mike Ostolaza serve as the music talent executives.
Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards:
Best movie
Avatar: The Way of WaterBlack Panther: Wakanda ForeverElvisNopeScream VISmileTop Gun: Maverick
Best show
Stranger ThingsThe Last of UsThe White LotusWednesdayWolf PackYellowstoneYellowjackets
Best performance in a movie
Austin Butler — ElvisFlorence Pugh — Don’t Worry DarlingKeke Palmer — NopeMichael B. Jordan — Creed IIITom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick
Best performance in a show
Aubrey Plaza — The White LotusChristina Ricci — YellowjacketsJenna Ortega — WednesdayRiley Keough — Daisy Jones & The SixSadie Sink — Stranger ThingsSelena Gomez — Only Murders in the Building
Best hero
Diego Luna —AndorJenna Ortega — WednesdayPaul Rudd — Ant-Man & The Wasp: QuantumaniaPedro Pascal — The Last of UsTom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick
Best villain
Elizabeth Olsen — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessHarry Styles – Don’t Worry DarlingJamie Campbell Bower — Stranger ThingsM3GAN – M3GANThe Bear — Cocaine Bear
Best kiss
Anna Torv + Philip Prajoux – The Last of UsHarry Styles + David Dawson – My PolicemanMadison Bailey + Rudy Pankow – Outer BanksRiley Keough + Sam Claflin – Daisy Jones & The SixSelena Gomez + Cara Delevingne – Only Murders in the Building
Best comedic performance
Adam Sandler – Murder Mystery 2Dylan O’Brien – Not OkayJennifer Coolidge – Shotgun WeddingKeke Palmer – NopeQuinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Breakthrough performance
Bad Bunny – Bullet TrainBella Ramsey – The Last of UsEmma D’Arcy – House of the DragonJoseph Quinn – Stranger ThingsRachel Sennott – Bodies Bodies Bodies
Best fight
Brad Pitt (Ladybug) vs. Bad Bunny (The Wolf) – Bullet TrainCourteney Cox (Gale Weathers) vs. Ghostface – Scream VIJamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) vs. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) – Stranger ThingsKeanu Reeves (John Wick) vs. Everyone – John Wick 4Escape from Narkina 5 – Andor
Most frightened performance
Jennifer Coolidge – The White LotusJesse Tyler Ferguson – Cocaine BearJustin Long – BarbarianRachel Sennott – Bodies Bodies BodiesSosie Bacon – Smile
Best duo
Camila Mendes + Maya Hawke – Do RevengeJenna Ortega + Thing – WednesdayPedro Pascal + Bella Ramsey – The Last of UsSimona Tabasco + Beatrice Grannò – The White LotusTom Cruise + Miles Teller – Top Gun: Maverick
Best kick-ass cast
Ant-Man & The Wasp: QuantumaniaBlack Panther: Wakanda ForeverOuter BanksStranger ThingsTeen Wolf: The Movie
Best song
Demi Lovato – Still Alive (Scream VI)Doja Cat – Vegas (Elvis)Lady Gaga – Hold My Hand (Top Gun: Maverick)OneRepublic – I Ain’t Worried (Top Gun: Maverick)Rihanna – Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)Taylor Swift – Carolina (Where the Crawdads Sing)
Best docu-reality series
Jersey Shore Family VacationThe Real Housewives of Beverly HillsFamily Reunion: Love & Hip Hop EditionThe KardashiansVanderpump Rules
Best competition series
All-Star ShoreBig BrotherRuPaul’s Drag Race: All-StarsThe Challenge: USAThe Traitors
Best host
Drew Barrymore – The Drew Barrymore ShowJoel Madden – Ink MasterNick Cannon – The Masked SingerRuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag RaceKelly Clarkson – The Kelly Clarkson Show
Best reality on-screen team
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Vinny Guadagnino, Pauly D (MVP) – Jersey Shore Family VacationTori Deal and Devin Walker – The Challenge: Ride or DiesRuPaul Charles and Michelle Visage – RuPaul’s Drag RaceAriana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, LaLa Kent – Vanderpump RulesGarcelle Beauvais and Sutton Stracke – The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Best music documentary
HalftimeLove, LizzoSelena Gomez: My Mind & MeSherylThe Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie