Pop star poses alongside Marc Jacobs for the New York issue of V Magazine.
By James Dinh

Lady Gaga on the cover of <i>V Magazine</i>
Photo: V Magazine, LLC

As evidenced by her recent well-publicized attendance at a Mets game and her glorious Madison Square Garden show, Lady Gaga has always repped for her hometown of New York City. So it's no surprise that Gaga is paying tribute to the Big Apple by posing as the Statue of Liberty alongside fashion guru Marc Jacobs on the fall cover of V Magazine.

Posing with Jacobs, a shopping cart and an old TV set, Gaga stands with her mouth slightly open in a black lace bra and panties with a gray dress sliding off her body. With her toned abs and her hair shaped into a crown, the pop star is holding a burning torch, mimicking the New York landmark. And while Gaga does her best impression of the neoclassical sculpture, Jacobs remains serious and firm, sitting on top of the television in a traditional black-and-white suit. In another photo, the singer is seen crouched in the carriage as she's pushed around by the fashion designer with her torch held high. Just last year, the singer appeared on the fall issue of the magazine donning Jacobs-designed pieces.

In the issue, which is on sale now, V Magazine highlights some of New York's most profound figures, people they say "are making the city their own way."

Editor Stephen Gan revealed that he chose the pop star because her representative values parallel those of the magazine. "Just as the Statue of Liberty was France's gift to America, Gaga is, to us, New York's greatest gift to pop culture and fashion," he said in a statement. "She embodies everything V is about, and is also a beacon of the city's creativity and hope. Exactly one year after her first V cover (the first fashion magazine cover she was on), we decided to do the NEW YORK issue, and she was the first person who came to mind to represent our great city."

Gan declared Gaga "a bonafide genius" and credited her as V Magazine's "muse" of inspiration. "Above all, a New York issue should celebrate people who've done great things. We at V are grateful Gaga came along to put the New back in New York!" he concluded.

But the singer doesn't always leave fashion editors with the best impression. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour spoke about the pop star during her stop at "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday.

"We had Lady Gaga this year," she said of the singer's performance at this year's Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala. "She was communing with God and she was praying in the back, waiting for God to tell her it was all right to actually go onstage." Wintour chuckled before revealing that Gaga left the audience waiting for more than 40 minutes.

To learn more about Lady Gaga's crazy road to fashion icon, watch "VMAs: Revealed Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV.

What do you think of Lady Gaga's Statue of Liberty-inspired cover? Sound off below!

• The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga

• Lady Gaga

'We've got nothing but love for Method Man and Redman,' Violent J tells MTV News.
By Kyle Anderson

Insane Clown Posse's Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope
Photo: MTV News

Back at the beginning of August, one of the biggest music festivals of the year took place over a long weekend in Illinois. No, not Lollapalooza — the 11th annual Gathering of the Juggalos, the four-day extravaganza curated by and starring the Insane Clown Posse.

The festival has grown in both size and stature over the past few years, in part because of the online success of trailers that tout the festival and in part because of its increasingly eclectic lineups.

But this year, the Gathering picked up some attention for more negative reasons. A good portion of the mainstream media coverage of the festival reported on the injuries suffered by reality star and sometimes rapper Tila Tequila, who was pelted with debris during her performance. She suffered a number of injuries and threatened to sue ICP, though according to Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J, nothing of that sort has happened.

The pair regret what happened to Tequila and are still trying to figure out her motivation. "The only reason she got hurt was that she stayed up on stage. It was obvious they didn't want her there, so why did she stay up there?" ICP member Violent J told MTV News.

"It was a shame, because all she had to do was get off the stage," he continued. "Nobody said, 'You have to get on there and stay up there to get paid.' The way I understand it, they paid her before she got up there and they said, 'There's a rumor you're not wanted here, and you're free to take off if you like.' She went up there and stayed up there anyway."

Legendary Wu-Tang Clan rapper Method Man also suffered a facial laceration after getting hit with flying debris during his performance with partner Redman. That bothered the men of ICP, because they feel it misrepresented the tenor of their fans. "What happened to Method Man — that shouldn't even be discussed, because that was one a--hole," Violent J said. "One d---head threw something, and by chance, it hit [Method Man] in the face. But he wasn't speaking for Juggalos or for ICP or the Gathering. And they weren't getting bombed up there — it was one a--hole."

"That kid shouldn't have thrown something and should have played the lottery instead," added Shaggy 2 Dope. "Same chances."

But while ICP aren't sure what their status is with Tequila, their relationship with Meth is copacetic. "We've got nothing but love for Method Man and Redman, and we've talked to them since then. We talked to them that night and we talked to him just the other day," J told MTV News. "And if we had caught the kid who threw that, he'd a got it."

• Insane Clown Posse
• Method Man
• Tila Tequila

'I'm not a dancer and I'm not a singer, and I don't have the kind of ass that should be mooned,' comedian says.
By Gil Kaufman

Chelsea Handler
Photo: MTV News

VMA host Chelsea Handler is good at certain things, like telling cutting jokes, writing hilarious books and making her male staffers get dolled up in clothes from Madonna and Lourdes' Material Girl line.

But the "Chelsea Lately" host knows her limitations.

"I've actually watched a bunch of the VMAs from over the past few years and there was definitely a lot of singing and dancing," she told MTV News' Jim Cantiello about her first time hosting the MTV Video Music Awards, which air on Sunday, September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. "I'm not a dancer and I'm not a singer, and I don't have the kind of ass that should be mooned. I mean it's sweet, it's a sweet ass, but it's little and it's white."

Handler's plan is to leave the singing and dancing to the professional musicians on the bill, such as performers Usher, Eminem, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, B.o.B, Drake, Linkin Park, Nicki Minaj, Paramore and Florence & the Machine — along with Travie McCoy, Jason DeRulo and Robyn, who will take the stage with this year's VMA house artist, deadmau5.

"I'm there to be funny, kind of, so hopefully I'll just kind of doing that," she said. She will, of course, bring along her trusty "little nugget" sidekick, Chuy Bravo, who, she realized, is a good dancer and might just show off his moves during the show. "He's like a Moonman," she said. "He's great to look at. It's, like, very easy to start laughing once you see him."

As for any pressure she might be feeling to top past hosts such as fellow comedians Chris Rock and Russell Brand, the veteran stand-up said she's not sweating it. "I don't think you can really try to top anyone, you just kind of have to do your thing," she said. "It's gonna be great, it's gonna be fun. It's the perfect kind of loosey-goosey environment for me to get away with what I do."

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through September 12.

• MTV News Extended Play: Chelsea Handler

• Can You Handle VMA Host Chelsea Handler?

Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato return to camp and face off against new rivals.
By James Dinh

The Jonas Brothers at the "Camp Rock 2" premiere
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images

Before the summer ends, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato will return to the wilderness one more time in "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam." While on "Good Morning America" and on tour, they've teased fans with new songs from the movie's soundtrack. But what's the most exciting thing about the flick itself? MTV News caught up with some of the "Camp Rock 2" stars to find out.

"I'm excited for everybody to see the dance numbers and performance numbers," Matthew Finley said. "I feel like we worked really hard. There were several genres of music in there. Listening to the soundtrack gets me amped and excited, so I'm ready to see it with action and with the movie."

In the sequel to 2008's "Camp Rock," Lovato and her fellow campers are heading toward a showdown with their rivals in Camp Star. "We just battle it out and see which camp wins and there's a lot of cool, fun songs and dances," Jasmine Richards said.

But it wouldn't be summer without a little romance either. Chloe Bridges, who plays Nick Jonas' love interest, said that the movie will surprise people.

"It doesn't lack realness and emotionality, which might not be what people are expecting because there's obviously very fun entertainment," Bridges told MTV News. "It's fun to watch. Its big dance numbers and fun music, but there's also very real moments — especially with the romance, which is where I come in. So it's really cool."

Roshon Fegan said, "I'm just looking forward to the fans' response. I want to know what they think about it. I think that's what we all are really excited for."

The Jonas Brothers described the sequel to the 2008 film as "next level", in part because of where the film was shot. "The staging was phenomenal for the film. We were always filming somewhere different. Every other day was a new location. For us, that was really exciting because for the first one we stuck to about three different sets, and this time probably having 15, 16 different sets, for us, that was really exciting," Joe Jonas explained.

"Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" airs Friday (September 3) on the Disney Channel.

Are you looking forward to "Camp Rock 2"? Let us know in the comments!

• Opening Night: Summer Movie Premieres

• JoBros, Demi Lovato, More At 'Camp Rock 2' Premiere

• Jonas Brothers
• Demi Lovato

The 'OMG' singer overcame personal drama and proved his staying power on the charts over the past year.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Usher
Photo: Brad Barket/ Getty Images

Usher has reigned as Pop & B royalty since he hit the scene as a teen crooner in the '90s. Back when his 16-year-old protégé, Justin Bieber, was still a toddler, the ATL singer was making the ladies faint with hits like "You Make Me Wanna" and "Nice & Slow." But his early success was just a prelude to the music-world domination he's achieved with club bangers and deeply personal slow jams in the years since.

Usher's divorce from Tameka Foster was the latest personal development to fueled his 2010 chart-topping album Raymond v. Raymond. Now the singer is set to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, and his smash "OMG" will battle it out for a Moonman in three categories: Best Male Video, Best Dance Video and Best Choreography. Here's a look at how the singer's recent success has steered him toward VMA accolades:

Following the release of the divorce-themed "Papers," his more upbeat video "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" premiered in January 2010. The clip followed the romantic superstar as he tried to juggle the demands of his professional and personal life.

In March, Usher talked to MTV News about incorporating that balance into Raymond Vs. Raymond. "I think this is the one time where I'm able to put it all in, emotionally and the good times — super-freaky and then also super-emotional."

So, it wasn't a big surprise that when Raymond Vs. Raymond finally landed on shelves after several delays, it landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 300,000 scans during its first week.

He went from romantic to racy, busting out his signature, fluid, hip-swiveling moves in the video for "Lil Freak," featuring Nicki Minaj. The star didn't hold back in the visuals or the lyrics, which both detail a freaky rendezvous with some very game ladies. Usher revealed that this track, like many of his other hits, was inspired by real-life experiences.

The club anthem "OMG" featured Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am and revealed the R&B kingpin's more club-friendly side. The accompanying video showcased Usher's easy swagger and ever-sharp dance skills.

Raymond was such a hit that in August the singer released Versus, an extension of the smash album featuring songs like the Jay-Z collabo "Hot Tottie."

Usher, who has a history of tearing up the VMA stage, will return to the main event this year. He recently reminded his fans that live television paired with his onstage wizardry can result in some seriously unforgettable moments. "You never know what's gonna happen on an MTV VMA stage," he said. "I look forward to making it a night to remember."

The star has also made one of the most savvy moves in recent pop music history by signing teen phenom Bieber, who has gone on to induce global tween hysteria and set YouTube records.

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through September 12.

• Usher