Travis McCoy
Photo: MTV News

Travis McCoy and Katy Perry seemed like a couple made in tongue-in-cheek music heaven, and the sarcastic, witty Gym Class Heroes frontman and the sassy pop star did look cute together. But, even as rumors of their engagement began to bubble up on gossip blogs, the pair split in late 2008.

Now, with the year wrapping up, McCoy is back in the studio, working music for the next Gym Class Heroes album as well as a solo project. And he can't help but write a song or two inspired by his former flame.

"I think I've always used my relationships as a tool to write songs, you know what I mean?" he told MTV News at a charity event for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation, where he debuted his new song, "One at a Time." " 'Cupid's Chokehold' was written about probably one of the best relationships I've ever been in in my life.

"I can't sit here and lie and say that what went down between her and I won't be a present on the record," he said. "But we'll have to wait and see."

If you're expecting any salacious details about Perry, who's now dating Russell Brand, to appear in the music, think again. McCoy said he's too much of a gentleman to be nasty to her. "We as musicians, art imitates life — we'll see what happens," he said. "I'm a nice guy, though. I'm a nice guy."

• Travis McCoy
• Gym Class Heroes
• Katy Perry

Katy Perry performs on "MTV Unplugged"
Photo: Scott Gries/PictureGroup

Katy Perry's Unplugged album hits stores on November 17, but you don't have to wait that long to hear her stripped-down set ... because MTV.com is going to give you sneak peek.

Starting at 6 a.m. Monday, November 16 — 24 hours before the album is released — Perry's "Unplugged" performance will air on MTV.com and MTVMusic.com, giving fans a chance to hear her acoustic takes on hits like "I Kissed a Girl" and "Waking Up in Vegas," plus a pair of new songs, too: "Brick by Brick," and a cover of the Fountains of Wayne's "Hackensack."

The special also features an extended interview with Perry, in which she discusses the stories behind some of her biggest songs. Immediately following its debut Monday morning, Perry's "Unplugged" program will also be made available on-demand at MTV.com. MTV will also air highlights from the special across its multiple platforms on-air, including mtvU, MTV Hits and MTV Tr3s.

Leading up to the digital premiere, on November 16 the network's morning all-music block, AMTV, will begin to air performance videos taken from the taping. Palladia, MTV's high-definition television channel, will also air a half-hour version of the special on November 27 at 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET/PT.

Perry's MTV Unplugged album will also be released in a deluxe CD/DVD edition on the same day the regular version hits stores. A teaser clip of Perry's "Unplugged" performance can be viewed at MTV.com.

Perry's also hard at work on the follow-up to her One of the Boys album, and last week, she returned for her second stint as host of the MTV Europe Music Awards.

• Katy Perry

Beyoncé accepts an award at the EMAs
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ Getty Images

Bowler caps, bow ties, corsets, crystals, "boobie thingies" — no, these are not the remnants of last weekend's Halloween rave but rather the accoutrements returning host Katy Perry flounced around in at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards. Together with the theme "Katy Kat Club," the Sally Bowles-inspired garb was only appropriate as the 16th annual EMAs returned to its inaugural location of Berlin, just days before the 20th anniversary of when the Berlin wall came tumbling down.

Jay-Z, Beyoncé, U2, Tokio Hotel, Leona Lewis, David Hasselhoff, Juliette Lewis, Shakira, the Jonas Brothers and Tokio Hotel were just some of the stars that turned up on the red carpet to commence the largest awards show in MTV Europe's history. A staggering 17,000 audience members congregated at Berlin's O2 Arena and Brandenburg Gate, while an estimated 2 billion people tuned in from home.

It was a night contrasted by both the old and new, bad jokes on the German language and crackling political overtones. Veteran act Green Day opened up the show with a blistering two-song performance that had lead singer Billie Joe pogoing his way through the crowd and ending in shooting flames and fireworks as "Minority" slowed to its last four-note chord. (Proving why the group was once synonymous with teenage angst, Joe later returned to the stage after winning for Best Rock with these wise words: "Great that we got the best co-- band — I mean, rock band. Pardon my German.")

A slithering and glittering Katy Perry then took the stage, bellowing out "Herzlich wilkommen meine damen und herren!" and performed a raw-vocal medley that included the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." Curiously, Perry then ribbed Lady Gaga later during the show when she emerged from a set design involving a giant ruby-red shoe. "They say that if a guy has big shoes, then he has ... the funny thing is, I think this belongs to Lady Gaga!"

The first award of the night went to U2 for Best Live Act. Taking the stage, Bono introduced the Edge, who in an emotional speech expressed how the recording of "One" in Berlin — inspired by Germany's then-recent reunification and symbol as the new Europe — "brought the band together." More East/West references abounded. Upon winning the award for Best Urban, Jay-Z, donning sunglasses and a black leather jacket, succinctly said, "The will come a day when the only walls that come down are just music," then said something about the Jonas Brothers.

Both Lady Gaga (Best New Act) and Eminem (Best Male) accepted their awards remotely through televised acceptance speeches.

	EMA 2009 Show Highlights

And what is an awards show in Germany without the Hoff? Clad in a dazzling chrome silver dinner jacket, David Hasselhoff returned the country's seemingly undying love for him by flashing his select knowledge of the native language. "Yo! Twenty years! Alles klar! I am not responsible for the wall falling down," the former "Baywatch" actor announced with an apparent slur. "Wie gehts? Alles klar! Gut!"

But it was three-time winner Beyoncé (Best Song, "Halo"; Best Female; Best Video, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)") who had the best line of the night. Having performed earlier in a silken red set straight out of a Daphne du Maurier novel, the visibly weary singer simply said upon receiving her final award: "There is one person I want to thank, and that is Jay — for putting a ring on it!" then shot her fist into the air to loud cheers. "You go, B!" Katy Perry shouted from the sidelines.

Despite other spirited performances from Jay-Z, Shakira and overwhelmingly popular local androgynoids Tokio Hotel, the true stage spectacle of the night came from Leona Lewis. What started off as a rather standard rendition of "Happy," set against a starry background, experienced a jaw-dropping special effect as a green vortex whirred around the singer then dramatically vanished into glittering stardust.

In the much-publicized highlight of the evening, Dublin rockers U2 performed a free 20-minute set in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate for the rabid 10,000 fans who had secured a spot online. Shot several hours earlier and beamed into the arena, the concert moved the audience even remotely as the giant pillars were emblazoned with the words "One Love" and "Freedom." "Happy birthday, Berlin!" frontman Bono crowed during a performance of "One," his voice both soaring and sage.

U2 returned to the big screen to close out the show, this time with Jay-Z freestyling over a performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Jay-Z rapped in the lyrics from Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up." The gates behind them lit up in the holiday colors of green and red, like an early present. Bono leaned in to hold to Jay-Z's hand as the duo raised them up triumphantly in the air.

• EMA 2009 | The Entire Show On Demand
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• EMA 2009 | Show Highlights
• EMA 2009 | Full Fashion Recap

• Beyoncé
• U2
• Jay-Z
• Green Day
• Tokio Hotel

Tokio Hotel arrive at the EMAs on Thursday
Photo: Ian Gavan/ Getty Images

If silver rocked the VMA red carpet, then black definitely ruled the MTV Europe Music Awards red carpet on Thursday (November 5). A galaxy of stars rocked the red carpet of the show, which was held in Berlin to honor the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The night's host, Katy Perry, may have donned a white gown on the red carpet, but it was the lacy black detailing that gave it that vintage Perry charm. Green Day went more formal than punk for the red carpet in their slim-fit suits, all of which were in shades of black or dark gray.

	2009 EMA Red Carpet Fashions

Pete Wentz also wore a black suit to the show, and he embellished his with a newsboy cap. His big fashion statement, however, was a cat-eye shaped black eye he drew on, using makeup.

Leona Lewis also wore black. She turned up in a one-piece, capri-length romper with sparkles on its bottom half. Nickelodeon star Miranda Cosgrove wore a blue-and-black-printed, one-shoulder, sequined minidress. Much like Cosgrove, the look was very young and hip.

The standout fashionistas of the show had to be Tokio Hotel, who surprisingly went for a more couture, mod look than their usual glam rock fashion choices. Bill Kaulitz, rocking a fantastic Mohawk, wore a slim-fitted blazer with sequined pockets and paired it with gray very skinny jeans. The other boys in the group decided to go with function instead of fashion and rocked their dark-colored winter jackets on the carpet.

• EMA 2009 | Red Carpet Report With Joss Stone And Joko Winterscheidt

• EMA 2009 | Full Fashion Recap
• EMA 2009 | Show Highlights

• Tokio Hotel
• Katy Perry
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Katy Perry and Russell Brand
Photo: Eric Ryan/ Getty Images

Since they were first seen kissing at a VMA after party two months ago, Katy Perry and Russell Brand have been photographed together all over the world, including at her recent 25th birthday party. But Brand says he wants to keep their relationship as private as he possibly can.

"She's lovely, and I don't want her to read anything about herself," he said in an interview with the Sunday Times in London, adding that whenever he jokes about the situation with reporters, it seems like his words are continually being taken out of context.

"The other day a journalist from a tabloid in a ludicrous fedora said to me, 'Russell, are you in love with Katy?' And I said, 'You look like a character from a Graham Greene novel. I think I'm in love with you.' I said that to defuse the situation," he explained. "But what do they print? They print, 'I think I am in love.' "

In the interview, Brand also opened up about being comfortable with monogamy these days. The comedian has previously admitted to suffering from many addictions, including sex, but he claims to be reformed. "I am living in a different way at the moment. Regardless of what happens in my current situation," he said. "I am unlikely to be satisfied with the calamitous promiscuity of the preceding five or six years."

He went on to say that monogamy is not the only change he's made since getting sober about seven years ago. He's living a much healthier life overall. "I'm living in a disciplined way, do lots of yoga, exercise and transcendental meditation. It's not half good," he said. "They give you a mantra. ... You feel attuned to a consciousness that is beyond your identity and beyond life."

There are still moments in his life as an international celebrity that remind him of the old days, he said.

"When Britney Spears was on the VMAs, between takes, hair and makeup people would come over. We didn't need hair or makeup, it was just like monkeys comforting us, grooming us in a primal way, and I think a lot of my liaisons were just like that, grooming," he explained. "I am trying not to be glib about it. It's not like there's been an endless carousel of strippers and lap dancers, but there have been times when I have been in the company of prostitutes, and they were the most wonderful women in the world."

• Lovebirds Katy Perry And Russell Brand Attend Paris Fashion Show
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Katy Perry and Russell Brand on Friday
Photo: David Aguilera/ BuzzFoto/ FilmMagic

Katy Perry celebrated her 25th birthday over the weekend in Hollywood, and in true Katy style, the party was star-studded and colorful. The singer decided to throw herself a "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"-themed blowout.

Perry's good pals — including Taylor Swift, blogger Perez Hilton and Julianne Hough of "Dancing With the Stars" — stopped by to party with the singer. Perry's boyfriend, Russell Brand, was also on hand. Guests were all required to wear white. When they left the party, they were seen splattered in multicolored paint.

Justjared.com reports that Perry wore Oompa Loompa nail decals to the bash. "THAT was MAGIC!" the singer tweeted afterwards. "I'm SO happy!!!! I am just giggling at random. ... I think this is how it will be for a while."

New York DJs the Misshapes spun tunes at the Beach restaurant on Sunset Boulevard to celebrate with Perry, according to "Access Hollywood." Hilton described the party on his site, saying, "Dinner included lots of yumminess, especially some deelish yellow and green mashed potatoes — and there was so many sweets downstairs for dessert that we're surprised we didn't go into a food coma." He added that the party was "INSANELY AMAZING."

Taylor Swift even took to Twitter to share with everyone the good time she had at the party. Before the party she wrote, "@perezhilton see you in a few! Can't wait to see your white outfit! I look kind of like the tooth fairy in mine. Party!!"

Afterwards, she said, "@Katyperry knows how to throw a birthday party! I would even go as far as to say it was party-licious. Best EVER. Happy bday, pretty girl! @juliannehough you are FUN! I love how we walked in wearing white, and walked out with each other's initials painted on our clothes. Hahaha."

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Katy Perry and Nathaniel Motte in the "Star Strukk" video
Photo: Photo Finish

It seems like a match made in party heaven — 3OH!3 having Katy Perry jump on the remix of their track "Starstrukk." The band's former tourmate and superstar pal even made a cameo in the video, all dolled up in a skimpy leopard-print dress, which is sure to capture fans' attention.

"Katy did this 'cause we had, like, a million dollars," 3OH!3 frontman Sean Foreman joked to MTV News. "No, Katy did this because we toured with Katy, we are good friends with Katy and we worked on the song together — we worked on the remix together. She came in and did the vocals and it's a great song."

The track will be featured on the upcoming Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel rom-com, "When In Rome," and makes its big video premiere Monday (October 26). So in honor of the film's title locale, the trio made sure the video included a fountain like the ones that can be found in the Italian city.

Perry also chatted with MTV News on the video's set and gave the real backstory of how she worked with the guys on the dance track. "I came in on the song after they had finished, and they said, 'Katy, just come in and do, like, 16 bars,' and I was like, 'Yeah, whatever. It's nothing,' " she joked about her contribution to the song. "And I just went in and blew in the studio like that."

Perry's happy that the guys are on their way to joining Perry in the pop stratosphere. "I had been on Warped Tour with the 3OH!3 guys and we had had a lot of fun times. We have come up together ... and it's nice to be around them when they're exploding — like in a musical sense, not in the other explosion sense," she joked. "But it's really fun. It's going to be a fun music video."

• Katy Perry And 3oh!3's 'Starstrukk' Video Premiere

• Katy Perry
• 3Oh!3

Photo: John Parra/ WireImage

Rivers Cuomo is busy these days promoting Weezer's upcoming album, Raditude (out in November), but he's also managing to make some time to hit the studio to work on some new music with a certain pop star who has a penchant for strawberries.

In an interview with Buzznet.com on October 14, the Weezer frontman spilled the beans about hitting the studio with Katy Perry. "We're writing together next week," he revealed. "Can't wait."

And on Tuesday, Perry took to her Twitter to announce that she was heading into the studio to work on music for an upcoming album, her follow-up to her hit-spawning "One of the Boys." "MORNIN'! TODAY'S the 1ST day back in the studio! I have lots of layers to get through, thankfully @greg_wells is there to do the peeling ... " she wrote about working with the guy who produced Perry's hits "Waking Up in Vegas" and "Ur So Gay."

Recently Perry spoke to MTV News about the vibe she'd like to have for the new record. She hoped that her new music would up the fun factor of her last album. "I'm kind of thinking I want to do my record like a mesh between 'Lovefool' by the Cardigans and ['The Sign'] by Ace of Base," she explained. "I want to make songs that people want to hold hands and roller-skate to."

But she also said that she didn't want to produce One of the Boys 2.0. "I'm not looking to alienate my fans, but I can't be that grown-up Shirley Temple girl wearing the stupid strawberry in her hair all the time ... because I'd kill myself or someone else would for me," Perry explained. "So I'm really excited to always be evolving and changing — with my look, with my music, it keeps me entertained as well."

• This Week's Biggest News

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• Katy Perry
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Katy Perry performs at "MTV Unplugged"
Photo: Scott Gries/PictureGroup

Eric Clapton did it and won six Grammys. Tony Bennett did it and won a pair of Grammys himself. And now, Katy Perry's looking to do the same: She's getting unplugged for the masses.

On November 17, she'll release MTV Unplugged: Katy Perry, a limited-edition CD/DVD set that captures the stripped-down set she taped for MTV earlier this summer. Featured in the package are rearranged takes on hits like "I Kissed a Girl," Waking Up in Vegas," "Thinking of You" and a pair of brand-new songs: Perry's version of the Fountains of Wayne's "Hackensack" and a never-before-released original "Brick by Brick." The DVD also features exclusive interview footage.

Songs from Perry's "Unplugged" will debut during MTV's morning video block "AMTV" on November 16, and the full program, along with interview material, will air on MTV.com that day before it debuts on Palladia, MTV's hi-def channel, November 27 at 9 p.m. and midnight.

Fans should savor the unplugged Perry while they can. She's recently begun work on the follow-up to her breakthrough One of the Boys album, and, as she told MTV News last month, it's shaping up to be a fairly plugged-in affair, drawing inspiration from the saccharine pop of Swedish acts like the Cardigans and Ace of Base. Only, you know, at the roller rink.

"I'm kind of thinking I want to do my record like a mesh between 'Lovefool' by the Cardigans and ['The Sign'] by Ace of Base," she said. "I want to make songs that people want to hold hands and roller-skate to."

• Katy Perry

Katy Perry and Rihanna attend the Karl Lagerfeld show on Sunday in Paris
Photo: Eric Ryan/ Getty Images

It is Paris Fashion Week, and the world's biggest and brightest fashionistas have been hanging out in the City of Lights to see what all the great designers are planning for spring 2010. Lindsay Lohan, Naomi Campbell and Dita von Teese have all been seen eyeing the runways. And Katy Perry and Rihanna hit up two shows this weekend.

On Saturday, the besties went to the Jean Paul Gaultier show, where they posed with the designer backstage. Of course, that meant that the Gaultier bondage-inspired top Rihanna wore was more talked about than his collection. Perry, however, kept it more conservative in a black halter number.

At the Karl Lagerfeld show on Sunday, the girls sat in the front row, where they were interviewed by the press and joked around a bit. In photos from the show, the girls were seen laughing and fooling around as Perry covered her face with a bag with Lagerfeld's face printed on it. This time, Rihanna wore a sheer black minidress and tights, while Perry wore a slate-colored dress with a big, black belt.

Earlier this year, Perry told MTV News that she likes to hang out with Rihanna because "she's one of those unaffected people." "We're friends and we're both kind of on this crazy roller coaster, and ... it's nice to have good girlfriends. I pride myself on having cool chicks in my life, and she's a cool chick," Perry explained. "She's a really cool chick. I love her style."

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