Here are two upcoming events at UVU:

Thirty Seconds to Mars along with Neon Trees and New Politics will perform on Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. at the Brent Brown Ball Park located at UVU. General public = $26.00 and UVU Students = $15

On Oct. 12, B.O.B (above) and Jason Derulo with Iyaz and Auburn will perform at 7 p.m. at the McKay Events Center. General Public = Floor = $41.00; Lower bowl = $31, upper bowl = $21.00 ($5.00 discount available for UVU Students.)

Tix available at www.SmithTix.com

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

When Hulu spoke to Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto about the band’s latest video last week, he was calling from the beach in Tel Aviv, where he and the rest of his band were set to play another show on their world tour. By now, 30STM has played in more than 100 cities across the globe, hitting Europe, Sydney, Singapore and Japan in just the past few weeks. (It’s been so many, Leto’s lost count himself.)

Of course, the band isn’t adverse to travel. After all, many of their previous videos were shot in exotic locales, including China (“From Yesterday“) and even the Arctic (“A Beautiful Lie“). Their last video, “Kings and Queens,” however, was shot in their hometown of Los Angeles, with Leto calling it his “love letter to the city of Angels.”

Although their latest video, “Closer to the Edge,” isn’t as cinematic in scope, it was an epic undertaking, a video documentation of their “adventure around the world,” says Leto, who rocked a pink Mohawk in this video (it long gone now). And while some so-called “road videos” may depict the highs and lows that come with life on tour, “Closer to the Edge” is all about the fans as real kids talk to the cameras. “I picked people out at different shows,” Leto says. “I have 20 to 30 hours of interviews and filtered it down to make this video.” The singer teamed up with a group of five video editors and a pair of cameramen to piece together the video on what they called the “edit bus.” “We’d shoot days and work all night, until 5, 6, 7 in the morning. It was inspiring,” he says.

As for the song’s success, it’s been a bit of a surprise for Leto and his bandmates. “It seems that it has connected with our fans, and the fact that it managed to push “This Is War” to the top of the iTunes charts in Germany — knocking out Eminem, in fact — is just another thing for this modest band to be grateful for.

The band’s tour continues overseas for a few more weeks, then it’s off to Mexico before kicking off their U.S. tour and making an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards next month, where Leto and his bandmates are nominated for four “Moonman” statues. “We’re happy to be nominated. We found out in New Zealand and it was such a surprise. Winning would be one of those great moments for us as a band. These awards are really just a way to take it all in and show our gratitude to our fans.” — Rebecca Harper

Source: Hulu Blog

The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards are fast approaching, which means that in only a few weeks you’ll be treated to an excellent night of performances and appearances by the likes of Eminem, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence and the Machine, B.o.B and Deadmau5 (who will serve as the house DJ at the show). While people tend to remember the classic performances and the unhinged moments, the coveted Moonman is the reason why people show up and tune in. This year, there are 16 categories wherein some of the biggest music stars in the universe will compete for the coolest trophy in awards shows. Today, we take a look at the nominees in the Best Art Direction category.

The MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction might be the most esoteric of all the Moonmen handed out, if only because it’s so difficult to quantify what makes great art direction. It’s a measurement of overall excellent, with the most colorful, visually creative, aesthetically stunning clip usually taking the prize. That will be easy this time around, as the five videos nominated in this category all create incredibly deep worlds that feel completely lived-in and thoroughly thought out, whether they are based in relative reality (the abandoned streets of Los Angeles in 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Kings and Queens”), highly stylized alternate worlds (Beyoncé’s “Video Phone”) or fantastic dystopias (Eminem’s “Not Afraid”). Those three clips will get competition from Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”

In the past, the winner of Best Art Direction typically contains visual cues that have rarely been seen in the past. For example, Gaga’s “Paparazzi” took home the prize in 2009, as that clip featured sets, costumes and effects that were fully integrated into the narrative and the vibe of the song. Other past winners include Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California” in 2006, Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” in 2004, Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream” in 1995, Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” in 1994 and Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” in 1987.

Based on those past winners, it seems like the video that goes the most over-the-top is destined to win, which is why Beyoncé’s “Video Phone” appears to have this one in the bag. But she could easily see a challenge from “Bad Romance” and “Dog Days Are Over,” as both of those clips are visually striking and seem to created entirely different universes in which the artists can explore and play. To find out who reigns supreme in the Best Art Direction category, you’ll just have to watch.

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 for Verizon subscribers) to vote for the winners from now through September 12.

Source: MTV Newsroom

5FM and Big Concerts have just announced that rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars will be returning to South Africa headlining two dates on 19 November at the Coca-Cola Dome Joburg and in Cape Town on 21 November 2010 at the Grand Arena, Grand West.

Thirty Seconds to Mars feature Jared Leto on lead vocals/guitar, Shannon Leto on drums and Tomo Milicevic on guitar. Together they’ve sold over 3.5 million albums worldwide and have been viewed over 100 million times on Youtube.

In 2002 they released their self titled debut album. This was followed by ‘A Beautiful Lie’ (2005) which produced two Top 5 Modern Rock singles in ‘From Yesterday’ and ‘The Kill’ which set a record for the longest running hit in the history of Modern Rock radio when it remained on the national airplay chart for more than 50 weeks following its No. 3 peak in 2006.

Their latest release ‘This is War’ (2009) has been called their strongest and most accomplished work to date, spending 12 weeks on the 5FM Top 40. For this they enlisted two of the most influential producers in the world: Flood (U2, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins) and Steve Lillywhite (U2, Rolling Stone, Peter Gabriel) who gave the band freedom and confidence to explore different sound, textures and ideas.

“5FM is thrilled to be welcoming 30 Seconds to Mars back to South Africa!” says Aisha Mohamed, station manager for 5FM.

Thirty Seconds to Mars have won numerous awards including an MTV Music Video Award, three MTV EMAs, MTV Latin, Asia and Australia Awards, a Fuse Award and three Kerrang! Awards. The band have played over 500 shows around the world including Lollapalooza in the US, Download in the UK, Germany’s Rock Am Ring, Japans Summer Sonic and South Africa’s My Coke Fest in 2008.

Tour itinerary

Johannesburg
Friday, 19 November 2010
Coca-Cola Dome

Cape Town
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Grand Arena, Grandwest Casino and Entertainment World

Tickets are available at www.computicket.com.

Source: Biz Community

Make your way over to Buzznet and cast your vote!

The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards are fast approaching, which means that in only a few weeks you’ll be treated to an excellent night of performances and appearances by the likes of Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence and the Machine, B.o.B and Deadmau5 (who will serve as the house DJ at the show). While people tend to remember the classic performances and the unhinged moments, the coveted Moonman is the reason why people show up and tune in. This year, there are 16 categories wherein some of the biggest music stars in the universe will compete for the coolest trophy in awards shows. Today, we take a look at the nominees in the Best Direction category.

Music videos have often been a proving ground for film directors, who then go on to direct features and win awards hand over fist. Though the artists in the clips are at the forefront of the category, the Moonman has provided a boost for a handful of accomplished directors. Past winners of the prize for Best Direction at the MTV Video Music Awards include David Fincher (who won two years in a row for Madonna’s “Express Yourself” in 1989 and “Vogue” in 1990; he later made modern classics like “Se7en,” “Fight Club” and “The Curious Case for Benjamin Button”), Tarsem Singh (scored a Moonman for R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” in 1991 and later directed “The Cell” and “The Fall”), Spike Jonze (scored for Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” in 1994 and later created “Being John Malkovich” and “Where the Wild Things Are”), Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (won two Moonmen for direction for Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight Tonight” in 1996 and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication” in 2000) and “Nightmare on Elm Street” director Samuel Bayer (who won for Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dream” in 2005 and Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around … Comes Around” in 2007).

This year’s crop of nominated directors is an excellent mix of newcomers and veterans. In the latter category, you’ve got Hype Williams (nominated for Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”), Francis Lawrence (Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”) and Dave Meyers (Pink’s “Funhouse”). The (relative) newcomers include Bartholomew Cubbins (the pseudonym used by Jared Leto, who directed his band 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Kings and Queens”) and Rich Lee (who directed Eminem’s “Not Afraid” and who has less than 10 years in the game.

The criteria for great direction is sort of vague, but for sheer accomplishments, the MTV Newsroom Blog thinks Leto might have the upper hand. “Kings and Queens” is gorgeous and epic, and was clearly logistically complicated. But all of the videos nominated are deserving.

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 for Verizon subscribers) to vote for the winners from now through September 12.

Source: MTV Newsroom

‘It’s a work in progress,’ lead singer Jared Leto says of the project.
On Monday, 30 Seconds to Mars premiered the epic video for “Closer to the Edge,” a far-reaching, all-encompassing affair that was shot in 89 cities in 27 different countries on the band’s Into the Wild Tour.

Featuring emotional interviews with 30STM fans, copious amounts of thunderous live footage and an inspirational “We are family” message, “Closer” is certainly everything the band’s so-called Echelon could’ve hoped for, and probably a little bit more. But the release of the clip also raises a rather interesting question: What ever happened to 30 Seconds to Mars’ other big-idea, even-bigger-scope music video, “This Is War”?

After all, “War” was the second single released off the band’s album of the same name, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and even cracking the Hot 100. And back in April, 30STM frontman Jared Leto spoke at length about the accompanying video, which saw the band don military fatigues and brandish real assault rifles as members of a combat battalion on patrol in the desert. Working with director Edouard Salier, Leto said that 30STM hoped to create a thoroughly epic clip that explored “the inevitability of conflict, the blessing of conflict, and what we can learn from it.

“A lot of people are going to interpret this piece in a lot of different ways,” he added. “And hopefully it will start some debates and some conversations.”

Leto was clearly enthused, and so were his bandmates, even going so far as to send MTV News a series of behind-the-scenes pictures taken on-set. And though there was no firm release date for the “War” video back in April, Leto said that 30STM had shot it before kicking off the U.S. leg of their Into the Wild Tour, presumably with the hopes of having it completed by the time that run of shows wrapped. In mid-March, the band released a pair of teaser trailers for the video, promising, “The War Is Coming.”

And yet, “War” still hasn’t come. 30 Seconds to Mars have finished the first U.S. leg of their tour, and will begin a second run of Stateside shows next month. And considering the release of “Closer to the Edge,” it would seem that everyone has forgotten about the “This Is War” video. Everyone, that is, except for Jared Leto.

Earlier this month, when MTV News spoke to him about 30STM’s four Video Music Award nominations, we asked him about the status of the “War” clip, and just why it was being held up. And though he didn’t go into great detail about the nature of the delay, he assured us that the video will still see the light of day, somehow.

” ‘This Is War’ has taken so long that I shot, edited and finished another video before it was even finished,” Leto said, referring to “Closer to the Edge.” ” ‘This Is War’ is the first video that I let someone else direct, and let’s just say we won’t be doing that again anytime soon. It’s a work in progress. We’re still working on it, and it’s like we’re waiting for the kidney … it’s on the helicopter, on ice, and as soon as we get it, we’re going to rush to surgery.”

So, the short answer is: Leto and company are still working on “This Is War.” The long story, well, it sounds a lot more involved than that. A spokesperson for 30 Seconds to Mars’ label, Virgin/EMI, did not respond to MTV News’ request for comment on the “This Is War” video. And an e-mail to Salier seeking comment was not returned by press time.

Source: MTV News