Mac Miller Makes It The Best Day Ever At Bamboozle

'I'm just tryin' to bring a show, man,' Mac told MTV News just before his high-energy set at Friday's festival kickoff.
By Rob Markman

Mac Miller
Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News

ASBURY PARK, New Jersey — There's only so much partying on Fifth Ave. that a man can do, so on Friday night, Mac Miller hit the Jersey Shore and threw an old-fashioned beach party.

"I'm just tryin' to bring a show, man. I want to bring a performance, I want to bring them into the Macadelic experience," Mac told MTV News hours before he took the stage at the Bamboozle music festival in New Jersey.

Skrillex, Mike Posner, Incubus and Miller all took to Bamboozle's main stage on the opening night of the three-day fest, and they didn't disappoint. For Mac's set, which began at 7 p.m. ET, the Pittsburgh MC brought a portion of his Macadelic Tour to concertgoers who had come to see an array of rock, rap and EDM artists.

It was all high-energy when Miller, who was dressed in an "RIP MCA" tee, set things off with the title track from his #1 debut album, Blue Slide Park. From there, EZ Mac launched into "Don't Mind If I Do" from his 2010 breakout tape, K.I.D.S. Always one to represent for his crew, Miller, his DJ, Clockwork, and hypeman Treejay bounced up and down to "My Team," and then turned things up a notch with the rambunctious "Knock Knock," all to the youthful crowd's delight.

While a majority of the Rostrum rapper's catalog is centered on feel-good jams, he does show range on introspective cuts like "Angels (When She Shuts Her Eyes)." Even when he wasn't ping-ponging frantically across the stage, the crowd responded to Miller's more subdued tracks by waving their hands side to side, showing him that they too are capable of more than just getting crunk.

Before he dove into "Best Day Ever," Mac took a bit of a breather while old Miller family home movies played on a big screen. All the teenage girls cooed as they watched baby Mac open birthday presents and sing along to the Sugar Hill Gang's seminal hip-hop track "Rapper's Delight."

"I wanted to represent the music through visuals, I've always been a very visual person," he explained to us before the show. "I wanted to use that to create the aesthetics of the show and show people what all of the songs mean to me and put them into that world."

Miller picked up the mood with the electric "Frick Park Market" and drew immediate crowd participation with the first line. After spitting, "My name Mac Miller," the crowd responded right on time with a thunderous, "Who the f--- are you?"

It was a lesson on how to properly connect with your audience, one that's invested in every word you rhyme. Last year when Miller dropped his now-gold-selling single "Donald Trump," he promised to "take over the world," and despite all of his success he still makes that vow at the end of each and every show. Last night was no different. After a 40-minute set, Mac sealed the deal with a spirited rendition of "Trump" and then marched off to continue to make good on his promise, one stage at a time.

Are you hitting Bamboozle this year? Let us know in the comments!

• Mac Miller

Jack White Rocks Hangout Fest, Avoids Getting A Tan

Headliner White closed out the first day of the beachfront festival in Alabama with a set long on hits, solos.
By James Montgomery

Jack White performs at Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama
Photo: WireImage

GULF SHORES, Alabama — Judging by his cadaverous complexion, Jack White probably doesn't make it out to the beach all that often. Which is probably why his Friday night set at the Hangout Festival felt less like a headlining gig and more like one long (long) victory lap: He was determined to enjoy the experience.

Sure, White took the stage long after the sun had set over the stretch of white-sand beach the Hangout calls home (it's definitely the only fest where going barefoot is not only a viable option, but practically encouraged), but spurred on by the cheers of a raucous crowd and cooled by the gentle breeze of the Gulf, he tore through a wild 90-minute set. It was one that dove deep into his back catalog — featuring not only White's new Blunderbuss tunes, but also songs from the White Stripes, the Dead Weather, the Raconteurs and the Danger Mouse-helmed Rome project too — and saw him break out roughly 100 fret-assaulting guitar solos, two backing bands ... and exactly one fedora.

He spoke barely a word (and nary a metaphor) during his time onstage, preferring instead to let the music do the talking. Or, more precisely, the yelling. Because from the moment he kicked things off with a high-octane version of the Stripes' "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," to the second the final echoes of "Seven Nation Army" were escaping out into the night air, White was plenty loud. And equally loose. "I Cut Like a Buffalo," "Love Interruption" and (especially) "Ball and Biscuit" each unspooled over several minutes, with White stomping and pulling solos from his guitar, goofy smile on his face, while both of his crack backing bands followed close behind. It was clear that, on Friday night, White wanted to jam.

Which is why, in just about every conceivable way, this wasn't the kind of show you'd expect from the normally uptight White. Of course, he was still dressed like a country mortician and, sure, he made his backing bands dress in near-matching unis (black for his male band, the Buzzards; white for the female counterpart, the Peacocks), and the lighting scheme onstage never strayed from "ethereal blue," but he seemed to draw genuine joy from letting his songs breathe: He turned "Hotel Yorba" into a hoedown, lent extra punch to new tracks like "Sixteen Saltines" and "Hypocritical Kiss" and led the audience in an extended chant during "Army," which has almost inexplicably become his signature song on both sides of the Atlantic.

Maybe it had something to do with the Gulf Stream, the postcard-perfect setting of the Hangout Fest (they have palm trees on the beach!) and the day of terrific music he was closing out — Friday also featured standout sets from Wilco, Alabama Shakes and Yelawolf, to name just a few — or maybe White just wanted to cut loose. But last night, his solos rang loud and proud, his voice was voluminous and creaky in all the right ways, and both of his bands proved worthy traveling partners on the lengthy musical excursions on which he led them.

In short, White certainly seems to be enjoying life as a solo artist. Especially when he's playing the songs he made with others. Now, if he could only work on that tan ... you get the feeling he'd become a regular down here at the Hangout.

Did you catch Jack White's set at the Hangout Festival? Share your reviews in the comments!

• Jack White

50 Cent And Wiz Khalifa Collaboration: 'Stay Tuned'

'I responded to him and I told him, 'Let's work,' ' Fif tells MTV News of a Twitter collabo request from Wiz.
By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Ade Mangum

50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

50 Cent was admitted to the hospital earlier this week when he began to suffer from severe stomach pains, but by the time he was released Thursday, the G-Unit CEO had already put plans into motion for a new collaboration with Wiz Khalifa.

MTV News caught up with Fif at his G-Unit offices in NYC after his release, and he explained that a tweet from Wiz gave birth to the collaboration. The tweet in question: "I Gotta Song I Wanna Put @50Cent On."

"While I was sitting in the hospital, I saw Wiz Khalifa send a tweet out saying he got something, and he felt like it would be cool if I was actually on a record with him," 50 said. "So I responded to him and I told him, 'Let's work.' I'm feeling good, I was feeling better by the time that tweet went through, so I said, 'Send it,' and I'll speak to him a little later on.

"Stay tuned to hear what happens next because it's gonna go down," he added, confirming that the collaboration is for real. Fif's guest verse is likely to pop up on the Taylor Gang MC's upcoming LP O.N.I.F.C., which is set to debut August 28. It would mark their first collaboration together. Thus far, Wiz has revealed that features on his Rolling Papers follow-up will include Pharrell, Cam'ron, Curren$y and the Weeknd.

50 Cent has made a full recovery since his release from the hospital, and next Tuesday, he will drop The Lost Tape, hosted by DJ Drama.

During his stay in the hospital, the Queens mogul received a phone call from longtime friend and collaborator Eminem, who had a few firm words for him. "He goes, 'Yo, Fif, you were shot nine times, man, if you die over a burger, this sh-- ain't gonna go right,' " 50 told MTV News just hours after his release. " 'People ain't gonna be feelin' this.' "

Stay tuned to MTV News' Mixtape Daily for more on 50 Cent and DJ Drama's The Lost Tape.

• 50 Cent
• Wiz Khalifa

Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Dictator' Is A Snooki 'Supporter'

Admiral General Aladeen also confesses to the murders of Tupac and Biggie Smalls during MTV News interview.
By Fallon Prinzivalli, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Sacha Baron Cohen as the Dictator at 2012 Cannes Film Festival
Photo: Getty Images

"Welcome! Death to the West!" That is how the Dictator greeted MTV News' Josh Horowitz when he sat down with him for an interview.

latest infamous character is Admiral General Aladeen, a dictator who oppresses his people and dislikes democracy. In "The Dictator," he's mistaken for a refugee and taken under the wing of Zoey, played by Anna Faris. Aladeen's misadventures in America lead to an array of hilarious culture clashes. Thus, the interview was nothing less than we'd expect — offensive, outrageous and, yes, very, very funny.

After inquiring about Horowitz's knowledge of the rapper Tupac Shakur, the Dictator reveals it was him who killed the MC. "He came to play at my birthday party and all the time he get on the microphone, and you know what he tell me?" Aladeen questioned. "You know what he tell me? He said, 'Put your hands' — he ordered me! — he ordered me to put my hands in the air and wave them like I just don't care. Why would I, Dictator, wave my hands like I don't care? I wave my hands like I do care, like this. I don't do it like I don't care. How dare he come to my palace and my birthday and tell me how to wave my hands like I don't care? I care about the hands!"

Apparently someone forgot to inform the tyrant that it's a figure of speech here in America.

"To put your hands in the air like you don't care?" he continued. "You think Hitler put his hands in the air like he don't care? It was a very careful gesture that he did. I won't do it here. And this Biggie Smalls, he then performed the next night for my weekend of birthday. That fat bastard ate all of the buffet. It cost over 120 Euros per head."

When our correspondent noted that his phrase is not respectful to the dead, the admiral general replied, "It's not respectful to the people who wanted to eat the buffet."

Note to self: Eat before heading to Aladeen's palace. Although, it's possible not much eating will take place on a trip to his home. Shortly after assuring Horowitz he has nothing to worry about and sliding a gun on the table between them, he talked of his latest tryst with reality-TV star Kim Kardashian.

"I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of [stars in America] that come to the palace and negotiate with the pimps," he said. "Kim Kardashian, she came two weeks ago. I negotiated with her pimp, who is also her mother. Three-hundred-thousand dollars for one hour — not bad. Good rate."

But Kardashian isn't the only American entertainer the Dictator is fond of. He happens to enjoy Snooki and has a list of movies he's enjoyed — one of which is definitely in the wrong category.

"I am a huge supporter of your Snooki," he said. "I find him a very funny, little, orange man. And we have many of your sci-fi and fantasy films like 'Transformers' or 'Harry Potter' or 'Schindler's List.' "

Check out everything we've got on "The Dictator."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

'Vampire Diaries,' Justin Bieber Lead Teen Choice Award Nominations

'The Avengers,' 'The Vow,' Katy Perry and Adele also land multiple nods.
By John Mitchell

Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder in "The Vampire Diaries"
Photo: CW

The nominations for the 2012 Teen Choice Awards have been announced, and the CW's hit drama "The Vampire Diaries" snagged a leading six nominations, with "American Idol" and Justin Bieber following close behind with five each.

"Diaries" earned nominations for Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi nods for both Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, and Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi nominations for Nina Dobrev and Kat Graham. Somerhalder is also vying for Choice Male Hottie against Bieber, multi-nominee Ryan Gosling, Liam Hemsworth and Robert Pattinson.

The Choice Female Hottie contest pit pals Katy Perry and Rihanna against Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and model Kate Upton.

Among the other top TV nominees are "Pretty Little Liars," "Gossip Girl," "Supernatural" and, oddly, "Bones," and HBO's racy "True Blood," which is up for Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi and Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi for Anna Paquin.

All of the usual candidates are among the top film nominees, with "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" scoring nominations for Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy for both Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner (who is also up for Choice Movie Actor: Action for "Abduction"), and Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy for Kristen Stewart.

They face stiff competition in the Sci-Fi categories against "The Hunger Games," which landed nominations for Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy and acting nominations for leads Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, and "The Avengers," which along with its Choice Movie nominations scored individual acting nods for Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson.

Among the other top film nominees are "The Help" (Choice Movie: Drama and Choice Actress: Drama nominations for Emma Stone and Viola Davis), "The Vow" (Choice Movie: Drama, Choice Actress: Drama for Rachel McAdams and Choice Actor: Drama for Channing Tatum, who is also up for his comedic performance in the much-nominated "21 Jump Street") and, inexplicably, the released-today comedy "What to Expect When You're Expecting," which earned four nods, for Choice Movie: Comedy, Choice Actor: Comedy for Chris Rock, and Choice Actress: Comedy nods for both Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez.

On the music side, the Choice Single by a Female Artist nominees are "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele, "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson, "Dance Again" by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull, "Part of Me" by Perry and "Eyes Open" by Taylor Swift. On the guys' side are Bieber ("Boyfriend"), Drake ("Take Care"), Flo Rida ("Good Feeling"), Bruno Mars ("It Will Rain") and Pitbull ("Give Me Everything [Tonight]").

Many of the same artists will vie for Choice Male Artist (Bieber, Drake, Mars, Pitbull and Blake Shelton) and Choice Female Artist (Adele, Lopez, Perry, Rihanna and Swift).

The genre-by-genre breakdown of the nominations mean there are a lot of Teen Choice Award contenders. For a full rundown of the nominees, visit the Teen Choice Awards website, where you can also vote for your favorites.

The Teen Choice Awards air live on Sunday, July 22, at 8 p.m. ET.