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Last night’s Billboard Music Awards attempted to differ from other awards shows in that producers focused less on the awards and more on the performances. With an audience comprised of thousands of Las Vegas music fans packed in the MGM Grand, acceptance speeches were shorter and the pace of the show was seemingly faster. Despite being dominated by acts like LMFAO, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna etc., it was still one of the most watchable award shows for rock fans.

Coldplay did the most damage in the rock category, taking home Top Rock Artist, Top Alternative Artist, Top Rock Album and Top Alternative Album. U2 stole Best Touring Artist from the hands of Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift while Adele kept the gold statues out of the hands of Bieber, LMFAO, Perry, Gaga and Lil Wayne in the Hot 100 and Hot 200 categories.

Coldplay won four awards at last night's @Billboard Awards! Info at coldplay.com/newsdetail.php… A—
Coldplay (@coldplay) May 21, 2012

Linkin Park’s performance stood out from the seemingly endless supply of teen-soaked pop. Chester Bennington and crew brought the heat with “Burn It Down,” the first single from their upcoming album Living Things.
Watch Linkin Park’s performance, see Miley’s legs.

Mitt Romney loves things. (Photo by Edward Linsmier/Getty Images)

On this edition of the Internet Roundup: Will Smith smacks a reporter, Courtney Stodden is at it again, a solar eclipse warning and Gilbert Gottfried reads Fifty Shades of Grey.

Also, Reggie Watts is Skrillex, Mitt Romney loves things, Mac Lethal is back, Granny G’s music video, SNL’s 100th Digital Short + more.

Check out the videos.

Photo: Cody Black

In an interview with Ted Stryker just prior to a dress rehearsal for a small group of fans, the band recollected the early Hybrid Theory days of their career–the days of dog collars and jelly bracelets–and how it compares to twelve years later in the Living Things stage of their musical journey.

Shinoda told a funny story, about two years into their career, when Bennington was hungover and had to get through an airport security line with all his rock and roll metal.

“There was a day when he was wearing a dog collar, he had the metal in his ears, he had the metal in his lip, he had spike bracelets from his wrist to his elbows, he had a belt that had metal all over it with like a chain, and metal in his boots and he goes to the airport with us,” says Shinoda. “And we see him, we get to the airport, we’re in the security line with this guy going, ‘Ummm, there’s like two people in front of you and we don’t say anything to him because clearly he was hungover.”
Continue with Shinoda’s funny memory.

The meme of the “Ginger” never dies away, mostly because “gingers” are still fighting for their red-headed rights and recognition amongst non-gingers. Personally, we love ourselves some “gingers”; Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and Shirley Manson from Garbage are some of the most talented people in music and they just happen to be sexy “gingers.”

About two years ago, a young red-haired gentleman that goes by the name CopperCab posted a video talking about how he doesn’t appreciate South Park talking about how gingers “don’t have souls.”

There have been many responses over the last couple of years, but none as infectious and funky as the recent one “Songify the Classics,” classic viral video songifying by The Gregory Brothers who are most infamous for the Antoine Dodson “Bed Intruder” Song.

Watch the video here.

Staples Center has an insane weekend ahead. photo credit: Dave Sanchez

On today’s Kevin & Bean show: The Movie Beat, Justin Bieber is interviewed in GQ magazine, the Afro line (323-520-2376), Kurt Sutter talks about “Kurt Sutter’s Outlaw Empires”, penis injuries, Amy Guion talks about the Pacific Pole Championships, Staples Center General Manager Lee Zeidman, Adam Carolla and more.

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Photo courtesy of Amy Guion

Guys, do you like chicks dancing on poles? How about a full day of it?

I know it’s a stretch, but if your Saturday is open you may want to head over to the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in  Los Angeles, where 75 hopefuls will compete for Pole Queen (or Champion…same thing).

Did I mention its a pole dancing competition? What more do you need? This morning, Kevin and Bean will talk to Amy Guion, co-founder of the event.
Get competition info & check out Amy in action

Photo: Jay Lightning Tilles

It all started with a simple challenge at a Weenie Roast. Comedian and friend of the show, Brad Williams runs into Psycho Mike backstage and challenged him to a push up contest.

Psycho Mike accepted and defeated Brad, but not with out controversy. That sets the stage for yesterday’s encounter.

Check out the rematch!

Photo: Faith-Ann Young

Mysterious Spanish-French musician Anthony Gonzalez is the genius behind M83′s lush, atmospheric indie pop. Gonzalez’ double-disc 2011 album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, modeled after the Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was named by many music critics to be one of the best albums of 2011; his single “Midnight City” (which includes a saxophone solo by Fitz and the Tantrums’ James King) peaked at an enviable number five on the Billboard alternative charts.

Throughout all this popularity and his breakthrough into mainstream radio and across genres, Gonzalez has maintained an elusive aura punctuated with interesting explanations into his bohemian creative process.

At M83′s performance at the Red Bull Sound Space at KROQ, Gonzalez talked with Nicole Alvarez about how a childhood spent in beautiful south of France inspired his music, how his family has been a huge part of his art, and whether he prefers In-N-Out hamburgers over Fatburger.

Watch them perform ‘Reunion’ and ‘Midnight City.’

(Photo by Gabriel Olsen)

On today’s Kevin & Bean show: Omaraoke for American Idiot tickets, cell phones on planes, Manny Ramirez will play in the Minor leagues, The Psycho Body with Mike Catherwood, Dr. Drew, Push up contest with Mike Catherwood and Brad Williams and more.

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Don’t have iTunes? Download the podcast here.

Photo by Malcolm Taylor//Getty Images

Eccentric genius Jack White has always possessed a quirky Willy Wonka quality to his many experimental endeavors including sending out singles for Billboard-topping debut solo album Blunderbuss via balloon and creating a triple-layer show poster.

So, when White and former partner Meg tried to play the shortest concert ever in Newfoudland, Canada by performing only one note in the form of a clash of a cymbal and the Guiness Book of World Records people turned down their entry, White was less than thrilled.

“We were in Newfoundland and the idea that I came up with at breakfast was, ‘Let’s play one note today,’” explained White in an interview. “I told Meg as we were getting out of the car. I said, ‘Make sure you grab your cymbal and when you hit the cymbal, grab it so that the note only lasts a millisecond.’”

Read more about his beef with Guinness.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

On today’s Kevin & Bean show: Anna Faris talks about “The Dictator”, Bean is going to be an internet millionaire, The Armenian Comedian has a new gig, CBS 2′s report on deadly eyelashes,  You bought a celebrity item on Ebay, Citizen of the Day, Listeneroke for American Idiot tickets and more.
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Courtesy Fueled by Ramen

“It’s a miracle of technology.” The phrase relegated to the elderly seems rather appropriate here.

Nestled comfortably in BBC Radio 1′s Live Lounge, fun. performed a live collaboration yesterday with Paramore’s Hayley Williams who sat thousands of miles away in the legendary Capitol Records studio in Los Angeles.

Typically, when artists contribute parts to a song, they send recordings back and forth via email. An engineer is involved and time is spent mixing and tweaking before the track is sent back and forth a few more times. This was something far more adventurous. While fun. strummed away live in London, Hayley sung live in L.A. And, the song they performed is currently #1 on the Billboard Top 100: Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.”

Listen to Fun and Williams cover Gotye.

Courtesy James Winters

James Winters, an aspiring film maker from Portland, Oregon, along with his wife, kids and nephew spent last week creating an entertaining tribute to the Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch a.k.a. MCA.

The family followed the original Spike Jonze-directed music video as closely as possible. The end result is a fun twist on one of the most iconic videos of all time, the 1994 classic “Sabotage.”

In a phone interview this morning with Winters he explained that not only is he a fan but his sons recently fell in love with The Beastie Boys, “When their last album came out, Hot Sauce Committee, we got that and and somehow managed to get a clean version so we’ve just been bumpin’ the heck out of it and they’ve just been lovin’ it.”

“When we decided to do the project I showed them the Sabotage video and one of the recent videos for “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” featuring G.I. Joe figures getting blown up… and they loved that.”

When asked about the response so far, Winters says that this is the first interview he’s accepted, “This was done because I’m a fan. And I’ve been a fan since I was a kid. I saw them when I was 14 at the Palladium in Hollywood and they changed my life.” He continues about his 1987 concert experience, “I was a punk rock kid and they introduced me to hip hop. When I was at the show it was general admission, open floor, and there were gang bangers and punk rockers and jocks and cholos but everybody was united under these guys. To me, that what the Beastie Boys represent… this spirit of joy no matter who you are, get into the moment and get down.”

Watch Winters’ Sabotage tribute to MCA.