LMFAO
Photo: Steven Lawton/ FilmMagic

Somewhere out there — likely buried underneath a sticky, shot-soaked mound of fur coats, DayGlo T-shirts with Frankie Goes to Hollywood-style party-encouragement mantras and lots of brightly colored shorts — are the members of LMFAO. And while it might not seem like it from the dazed looks on their faces, they're probably hard at work finalizing the talent lineup for their first headlining outing, the soon-to-launch Party Rock Tour.

Specifically, Redfoo and Sky Blu are taking long looks at the entries for their just-finished contest in search of the next Polka Dot Bikini Girl (or, if they had their way, girls).

"There are so many girls that look good in bikinis," 'Foo lamented as he chilled in an airport lounge in one of the aforementioned fur coats. "Girls jump onstage when we do shows all over the world, so there's many different types, but we're just trying to expand the horizons and maybe have multiple girls."

With the departure of original Bikini Girl (no, not the one from "American Idol") Stephanie Arakel, the uncle/nephew duo were forced to cast a wide net to find a new female who looks good in a two-piece and has that ineffable "it" quality that would complement their party-hearty stage show.

"We figured we'd have a contest for the tour and get one girl, or possibly a couple girls," Redfoo said of the talent search that ended Sunday. "They have to feel it and learn some of the moves. Of course, you gotta be cute in a bikini, but you can't drop it like it's hot. It has to be a [classy] 1940s vibe. ... We want someone with personality who can tell us why she should be LMFAO's Bikini Girl."

Whichever of the 18 lovely ladies who submitted their bids wins, Blu promised they will be in for the trip of a lifetime when the tour kicks off November 5 in Reno, Nevada, and runs through December 20. Among the party-equipped support acts LMFAO is taking on the road are Shwayze, the Far East Movement, Paradiso Girls and Lady Gaga DJ Space Cowboy. The show will also feature nightly DJ sets between acts from Million $ Mano.

The electro-hip-hop duo, who have already scored dance-floor hits with "I'm in Miami Trick" and "La La La," are particularly psyched about hitting the road with Shwayze, whose co-founder, Cisco Adler, is an old friend from Sky's childhood in Malibu, California. "Shwayze is definitely a party animal," Redfoo said of the group's MC, also named Shwayze. "We call him the lion. If you leave your girl standing around, he will come up and take her."

"He will grab her by the scruff of her neck and take her to his lair!" Blu growled.

Red said the idea of the tour is to share the duo's party-rock vibe and energy with as many people as possible, so the key was to pick support groups that have "similar party antics and are down to support the whole party-rock movement." In keeping with that tone, he promised pre-parties, onstage wildness, afterparties at the hotel and wherever the day takes them the next morning. "We've been touring for a while, but this is the first tour where we'll get to architect everything that happens, from when the doors open to when the DJ goes on and what the lineup is."

Appropriately, the pair just shot the video for the intoxicating chugging anthem "Shots," directed by "La La La" lensman Mickey Finnegan (Tyga, Keak Da Sneak). The clip unrolls at a, yes, "crazy" pool party at Tao Beach at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas and features a party assist from Lil Jon. "They didn't know what hit 'em," 'Foo said of the unwitting guests who were on hand as the shoot began.

Party Rock Tour dates, according to LMFAO's MySpace page:
» 11/5 - Reno, NV @ Pearl at Grand Sierra Resort
» 11/6 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
» 11/7 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
» 11/9 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
» 11/10 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Gossip
» 11/12 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
» 11/14 - Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
» 11/17 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
» 11/18 - Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
» 11/19 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
» 11/20 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
» 11/21 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
» 11/22 - Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
» 11/24 - Des Moines, IA @ People's Court
» 11/27 - Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo's
» 11/28 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
» 11/29 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel
» 11/30 - State College, PA @ The Cell Block
» 12/1 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
» 12/3 - New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
» 12/4 - New York, NY @ Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
» 12/6 - Farmingdale, NY @ Crazy Donkey
» 12/8 - Richmond, VA @ The National
» 12/9 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
» 12/10 - Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
» 12/11 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
» 12/14 - Orlando, FL @ Firestone
» 12/17 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues
» 12/18 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
» 12/19 - San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit
» 12/20 - McAllen, TX @ Las Palmas Event Center

• Lmfao

Will.I.Am
Photo: MTV News

Will.I.Am has a special place in his heart for several things: the duo LMFAO, Pepsi, Michael Jackson and even Brian Austin Green from "90210." When the Black Eyed Peas mastermind explains it, the mishmash of names isn't quite as odd as it might seem.

Will was approached to work on a new Pepsi campaign to inspire other producers and artists to remix songs. So Will decided that if he were going to remix any song for the campaign, he'd choose a track by LMFAO, who are signed to Will's label.

"We got our start in Los Angeles," he told MTV News of the beginning of the Black Eyed Peas. "Our first demo was recorded in three people's houses — one was Brian Austin Green from '90210,' the second was Ben More [from Blood of Abraham] ... and another person who allowed us [to record] was Redfoo from LMFAO, and with that demo, we got a record deal."

Will added that he's known Redfoo since seventh grade and even tried to score a record deal from Red's dad, Berry Gordy, when he was a freshman in high school. "To make a long story short, here we are in 2009, and I'm doing this campaign inspiring other producers to go out and remix this LMFAO song," he said. "Berry Gordy is his pops, and Berry Gordy birthed Michael Jackson['s career]."

And the relationships go even deeper than that. "Michael Jackson did Pepsi," he said. "And I worked with Mike. BEP did a Pepsi campaign — just full-circle. It's kind of mind-blowing. And it's kind of dope."

• Will.I.Am
• Lmfao

LMFAO
Photo: MTV News

Iconic filmmaker John Hughes died August 6 of a heart attack, and while the tributes to him have not been as plentiful as they were for Michael Jackson, there have still been plenty of stars who have paid tribute to the late director in their work.

The latest comes from over-the-top dance-music duo LMFAO, whose new video for their second single "La La La" is an homage to Hughes' 1985 classic "Weird Science."

The video features LMFAO member Redfoo dreaming up a computer application that creates virtual women, just like the protagonist of "Weird Science." The program then sends the duo into the computer, where they dance with Chelsea Corka from Paradiso Girls and Jonna from "The Real World: Cancun."

MTV News' Tim Kash caught up with the pair a few weeks ago (on the day Hughes died) and asked them about the clip. "We're doing a 'Weird Science' thing," Redfoo said. "We create two girls in a virtual world. It's all green screen and has effects, and it's that feeling of 'on top of the world!' "

They also talked about the interactive opportunity they are offering with the clip. "There's going to be a program and an iPhone application where you're gonna be able to put your picture and the picture of the person you have a crush on on our bodies. So now you're in the video," he said.

"La La La" is the second single from LMFAO's debut album Party Rock, following their breakout hit "I'm in Miami Trick."

• Lmfao

LMFAO in Times Square
Photo: MTV News

"It was a shock to me — that the man was up and practicing the night before and then boom! On the floor. That's not the way it was meant to be," lamented Redfoo, one-half of the electro-hip-hop group LMFAO, in New York last week. He and nephew/bandmate Sky Blu join the millions of Michael Jackson fans around the world still reeling from the loss of arguably the greatest entertainer in history.

In just over a month, artists from across the globe have shared their sorrow at the falling of the pop-music icon, but for Red and Sky — who are the son and nephew, respectively, of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy — Michael Jackson's passing runs deeper. It was a death in the family.

"We are in the Gordy family," said Red. "Berry Gordy found Michael and the Jackson 5. And we basically grew up around Michael and Jermaine. Jermaine is married to my sister. Married to his aunt," he said, pointing to Sky.

In fact, the LMFAO duo were among those seen seated near the Jackson family during the globally televised memorial service for Jackson in Los Angeles. And as the media storm ensued and the business of retrospectives swelled in the weeks that followed, the twosome tried to make sense of what was going on around them.

"I tried to look at it as, 'What can I learn from this?' " said Red. "Society just ... he must have wanted to check out ... or escape, because of these critics. And it's funny, because we have critics now. They say if you buy the Party Rock album, it inspires one to drink."

"Another thing they say is, 'If you buy the album, it inspires sexual activities,' " said Sky.

"So we clap to that," confessed Red. "We are not gonna let it get us down so we feel like we can't go out in the public anymore. He was exactly who he wanted to be. And we model ourselves after that."

In the end, the LMFAO guys take comfort in the fact that while they were not able to share their music with Michael Jackson personally, they heard he'd given them his stamp of approval.

"We have a mutual friend," recounted Sky. "And a month before he passed, she was hanging with him, Michael, on a porch. They talked for about an hour about how proud he was about us, and how he was into the music and really digging it. And I was like, 'Wow!' Because my dream was to talk to him about it, as a man. And say, 'Man, look what we are doing now.' "

• Lmfao

LMFAO in Times Square
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — If one succeeds in coming up with a summertime anthem, well, maybe it is appropriate to conduct an interview in the middle of Times Square in just shorts and socks. At least, that's what Sky Blu and Redfoo, the uncle/nephew duo that make up California's LMFAO, led us to believe.

"It's the summertime and we are out here in Times Square," said Red. "So any chance we get to do some tanning, relax and sip on something, we are going to do it. Our music is a soundtrack to our lives, and the lives of party animals!"

Yes, Redfoo, son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, and nephew Sky Blu have parlayed party life into a chant-driven, electro-hip-hop movement that's made their album's first single, "I'm in Miami B---h" (also known by its more polite, family-friendly title "I'm in Miami Trick"), a certified hit single.

"I think we knew it was big when we went to a place called the Clevelander [in Miami]," Sky recalled. "They played our song, and by the second chorus people were singing along with the song like they already knew it. And this song had never been played in a club!"

"And mind you, we were at the Winter Music Conference [dance-music festival]," said Red, "where travelers and DJs from all over the world are coming. People were singing our song that didn't even speak English — because partying is universal!"

The next single from their Party Rock album is "La La La," the video for which is a bit of a 1980s throwback.

"We do, like, a 'Weird Science' thing where we create two girls," Redfoo said. "There are backgrounds and it's all green-screen, so there's things floating in the sky. And here's the cool part: We are going to make an application online and on the iPhone where you are going to be able to place your picture, or the person you have a crush on, you can put their pictures on our bodies, and any other bodies that are on there. Now you are in the video!"

The duo were back in California for the Powerhouse concert on Saturday night, which was headlined by Jay-Z.

• Lmfao

Jay-Z performs at the Power 106 Powerhouse Concert in Anaheim on Saturday
Photo: Jared Milgrim/FilmMagic

ANAHEIM, California — It seemed like a perfect opportunity for the lines to be drawn. After all, the lineup for the evening would play perfectly on a variety of rivalries in the world of urban music: rookie vs. veteran, electro-hop vs. sample-driven and even baggy vs. skinny trouser selection.

But instead, the artists that took the stage Saturday night at Los Angeles radio station Power 106 FM's annual Powerhouse concert served as a sampling of the cultural convergence that has trended so heavily over the metropolis' airwaves as of late. In true Powerhouse form, a Latino-dominated crowd filtered in from around Southern California to Anaheim's Honda Center and got their first glimpse at a handful of new artists that have been in that heavy rotation.

	Jay-Z & BEP Play Powerhouse

While the Powerhouses of previous years have boasted bills brimming with rap's heavy hitters (Eminem, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Nelly, the Game), this year saw a host of skinny-jeans-wearing up-and-comers, some ringtone/radio-ready favorites, a special surprise performance and, of course, Jay-Z.

While Hova, a little over a month away from the release of his highly anticipated The Blueprint 3, was certainly the man most came to see, many of opening acts set out to make their first performance in front of thousands memorable — and to stake a claim for their own brand of hip-hop.

Brief, electro-fused, neon-clad performances by jerk movement leaders New Boyz, the Bay area's Ya Boy, Asian-American hip-hop collective Far East Movement and Cleveland's Kid Cudi ran like the radio station sponsor's drive-time playlist and were well-received by the throngs of young concertgoers.

"Embrace it, don't try and erase it," LMFAO's Redfoo said immediately following a performance of their L.A.-tagged rendition of "I'm in Miami," in reference to Jay Z's anti-Auto-Tune anthem. "I think he should go along with it. Evolve with the sound. It would be interesting to see someone of his caliber embrace what we're doing."

With hit after hit, Sean Paul, Flo Rida and Pitbull (who had the advantage of rambunctious hypeman Lil Jon) ripped through sets that read like an iTunes singles chart, before a surprise performance from the Black Eyed Peas. A night after their tour stop at the neighboring Orange County Fair, the foursome's two-song set ("Boom Boom Pow" and "I Got a Feeling") came complete with a full stage design with giant inflatable robots and tickertape.

The irony in the air was noticeably thick as Jay-Z began his outing with a no-holds-barred rendition of "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" to set the mood for his performance. He was armed with his requisite JumboTron and full backing band (whose usual "Reservoir Dog"-inspired getups were noticeably replaced by black fatigues emblazoned with the same three horizontal red stripes that will adorn his coming album cover).

Hov nimbly maneuvered through his well-worn catalog of classic material. From the old ("Can I Get A ...") to the brand new ("Run This Town"), in his vintage style, Jay served hit after hit, rarely pranced around the stage and often allowing the thousands on hand to deliver his punch lines. In stark contrast to the night's earlier performances, Jay almost seemed amused at how easy it was to invite the intro to one of his many memorable ditties and let the nostalgia seduce concertgoers into doing his work for him.

"How many of you all are waiting on that Blueprint 3?" Jay asked before getting a bellowing response from the packed house. After a prolonged pause, Jay delved into the a cappella freestyle with an in-passing mention of the Game that he's been giving his audiences at several recent shows. Since this performance was so near the Compton MC's hometown, there had been Internet speculation before the show that Jay would address Game's recent rebuttals.

Instead, while rumors of a possible "Summer Jamming" (the mention did incite some boos, however) and various "secret" guest appearances fizzled, Jay reeled in the crowd by picking dozens of random audience members and individually thanking them for their support during his long and illustrious career.

No matter if you were draped in a baggy jersey or purple skinny jeans, it was hard not appreciate not only the well-crafted performance of a hip-hop icon, but also the unanticipated cohesiveness of the night as a whole.

• Jay-Z And Black Eyed Peas Play Powerhouse In California

• Jay-Z
• Sean Paul
• Lmfao