Top 10 CMA Highlights: Kacey Musgraves Gets Censored, King George Reclaims His Throne, and Princess Taylor Stays Sweet

Kacey Musgraves

Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, and Jason Aldean were showing up for a coronation, and they just didn't know it. King George — as in Strait — was reinstalled on the throne as the CMA Awards’ Entertainer of the Year Wednesday night, and his subjects had to divide the spoils. But spoils there were, in one of the better paced and least painful music awards shows in recent memory. Here were the night’s 10 most memorable moments: Kacey Musgraves gets progressive ... and censored! The wider world still doesn't know what the Best New Artist winner was suggesting that people do — "or don't" do— since ABC cut her mic each time the chorus of "Follow Your Arrow" came around to the line "roll up a joint." When asked by Billboard after the show about the network's decision, Musgraves expressed she thought it was a bit ironic. "I guess for some reason people feel the need to censor that word, but they leave 'crack' in," she said. So, in other words, ABC was cool with her singing, "But if you lose too much [weight], then you're on crack," but wasn't cool with the line, "Roll up a joint, or don't" … from the same song? But the fact that an uplifting, life-affirming song with a blatantly pro-gay angle made it onto the CMAs marks some sort of milestone in a show that usually doesn’t go out of its way to poke at the conservative constituencies within country. When Musgraves later beat Florida Georgia Line for the newcomer honor, it was the evening's biggest upset, and a victory for both singer-songwriters and women in country, even if you'd think those battles were lost if you turn on the radio. Brad and Carrie: When you’re looking at them, you’re looking at … comedy gold. Paisley is a natural deadpan, and Underwood has turned into a surprisingly good comedienne over the six years they've co-hosted. Thanks to some deft writing that played to their strengths, they turned in an opening monologue, or duo-logue, we actually didn't want to end. Later, they performed a duet mocking Obamacare and singing, "Why's this taking so long? ... If I sit here too long, we'll have cataracts and dementia. Oh, this is getting on my last nerve ... Obamacare by morning. Over six people served." In a bit about county feuds real and imagined, they got actual feuders Zac Brown and Luke Bryan to hug, then concocted fantasy feuds that included Darius Rucker and black-faced trick-or-tweeter Julianne Hough. We were dreading the inevitable twerking joke, but the punchlines — "Well, have you ever been to a Luke Bryan concert?" "I thought those were mini-seizures" — landed a hilarious punch. It’s high time for a Paisley/Underwood co-headlining tour…no music, just standup.

Eric Church: When you’re looking at him, you’re looking at … prog-metal? Church’s brand new single, "The Outsiders," is a love-it-or-hate-it prospect that has country fans about equally split. We were just hoping Church's combination of metal riffage and Primus-like bass solos wouldn’t kill George Strait before he got to finish his farewell tour. Whatever you thought of it…bonus points for finally losing the ballcap. Taylor Swift: When you’re looking at her, you're looking at … country! Just when traditional country fans want to claim that Swift has gone over completely to the dark (pop) side, she surprises everyone. A few years ago it was with “Mean,” the country-est song to hit the chart in about forever. This year, it was with a delectable CMAs performance of "Red" that transformed the heavily rocking recorded arrangement into a real ballad of deep country longing, with an all-star, all-acoustic combo made up of Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, and Eric Darken. The middle verse became a call-and-response between Taylor, Vince, and Allison. Her next touring band? Well, we can dream.

Swift gets swift justice, in the form of a career achievement award. So what did take the CMA so long, in waiting till she was 23 to give her the Pinnacle, an all-time honor previously bestowed only upon Garth Brooks? This could have seemed like overkill — and a bald excuse to ensure Swift would get up onstage to accept something, since she was shut out of winning any CMAs last year after getting Entertainer of the Year in 2011. But it actually turned into a terribly sweet moment, as the young star faced a lineup of the superstars she opened for when she was a teenager…and spontaneously managed to find something lovely to say about each of these mentors.

George Strait and Alan Jackson salute the other King George. The late George Jones got his due as country's two greatest living traditionalists dueted on "He Stopped Loving Her Today." If only the Possum had merited a full medley, the way that Kenny Rogers did.

Sean Combs fulfills a lifelong dream. "It’s always been a dream of mine to come to the CMAs," said Diddy, co-presenting with Kellie Pickler. Really? Always? This pairing did at least allow for some great alliteration when Little Big Town won the Best Vocal Group award and Kimberly Schlatmanblurted, "We just got an award from Puffy and Pickle!"

Luke Bryan gets sensitive. Bryan is known as a different kind of king than George Jones. He’s one of the kings of "bro-country," as the current wave of party-oriented country-rock is derogatorily referred to. So when folks heard that his new single was called "Drink a Beer," it was easy to assume he was going for the lowest common denominator. But it’s actually a terrific song about missing the dead, dedicated to his late brother and sister. It's a tune even Zac Brown could love, and it showed that the CMAs can allow for a quiet moment or two, too.

The Zac Brown Band gets jammy, with Dave Grohl. Brown debuted a new number, "Day for the Dead," with Dave Grohl on drums. And there is no objective way of knowing how good a song it really is, because everything sounds great with Dave Grohl on drums.Even Taylor Swift’s  acoustic segment, as good as it was, would have sounded better with Dave Grohl pounding the drums. There should be a law that every band should have Dave Grohl on drums. Somehow, we suspect he has the energy to carry the load.

The Strait win: Anything else would have resulted in insurrection. When we polled artists about who they thought would win, most of them named Bryan, with Strait coming in second. But this is an industry-voted show, not fan-voted. And it turns out that industry voters were not about to let the hip-waggling upstart win over a legend who hasn't been nominated since 2006, hasn't won since 1990, and who may have been getting his last and best chance in conjunction with hisfarewell tour. It happened exactly as it should have, as every loser in the category correctly said backstage. No need to get unwound about the result, after all.

Tom Cruise: I Haven’t Cut Suri Out of My Life!

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Tom Cruise at Comic-Con in July. )

Tom Cruise will not be branded a bad dad. The movie star is defending his parenting skills in his defamation lawsuit against Bauer Publishing Co., which ran stories in In Touch and Life & Style magazines following his 2012 divorce from Katie Holmes stating he had "abandoned" their daughter, Suri, to film movies overseas. In a two-page legal filing obtained by the Associated Presson Tuesday, the 51-year-old insists he is still present in his youngest child's upbringing, writing, "I have in no way cut Suri out of my life — whether physically, emotionally, financially or otherwise."

Cruise said that while he has continued to focus on his career, filming multiple movies in a row in late 2012, he remained in constant contact with the 7-year-old, who resides in Manhattan with Holmes per their divorce agreement. And while he has been seen with the girl publicly only a handful of times, he wrote in his declaration that he spoke to the child almost every day during the period in question and also received frequent updates from Holmes.

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Holmes and Suri out in NYC. 

Cruise's legal team wants the German publishing company to admit that the stories were fabricated and that they didn't have any real sources stating he "abandoned" the girl. The company's legal team claimed to have turned over reporting files and statements from sources claiming that Cruise, who also has two grown children with ex-wife Nicole Kidman, missed Suri's first day of school — she attends the posh private Avenues school — when he could have flown to New York to be there.

In a statement issued to "omg! Insider" on Wednesday, a rep for the company stood by their stories, noting that the magazines "had a wealth of evidence substantiating that following his divorce from Ms. Holmes, Mr. Cruise was absent from his daughter for long periods of time, that seeing her was not his first priority and that she was emotionally struggling as a result of her father's extended absences. Mr. Cruise does not challenge the accuracy of any of the underlying facts that informed the opinions expressed by the editorial teams at In Touch and Life & Style."

Further, they note, "The articles reported on an issue of legitimate public interest. Mr. Cruise has repeatedly promoted himself as being a devoted father who made his family his top priority. Now, with his own admissions, it is clear that the picture he strives to paint is not accurate. It is entirely in keeping with responsible reporting to question Mr. Cruise's self-promotion and to inform the public about the truth."

The $50 million lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles federal court in Oct. 2012 and at the time his attorney Bert Fields called the magazine's claims against Cruise a "vicious lie."

"Tom is a caring father who dearly loves Suri. She's a vital part of his life and always will be," Fields said. "To say it in lurid headlines with a tearful picture of Suri is reprehensible."

If Cruise wins, he promised to give the money to charity.

Bald Woman Wins Beauty Pageant, Also Our Hearts

Miss Philippines Earth USABeauty pageants often evoke images of orange-streaked fake tans, sparkly tiaras, and blindingly white teeth, but one Utah teen has flipped conventional beauty standards by winning a title in the Miss Philippines Earth USAcompetition, despite a condition that’s caused her to go bald.

Angelica Galindez, a 19-year-old licensed cosmetologist from Salt Lake City, has alopecia, a condition in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss. In many cases, the damage to the follicles isn’t permanent, but Galindez was diagnosed at age 12 and went completely bald three years later. Competing in the Miss Philippines Earth USA pageant — and ditching her wig — was her way of conveying that beauty is not one-size-fits-all. “It was really hard to lose my hair during puberty, so I wore a hat to school, but boys teased me and ripped it off my head,” Galindez tells . “As I grew older, I came to terms with the fact that my hair wasn’t growing back, so I decided to own it.” She never dreamed of entering a beauty pageant, but a family friend had other plans, sending photos of Galindez wearing a long brown wig to Bradford Adkins, the director of Miss Philippines Earth USA. “I had no idea that Angelica was bald until one week before the pageant, when she sent me new photos without a wig,” Adkins tells Yahoo Shine. “At that point, I had already decided she was perfect for the competition, so her alopecia wasn't an issue.” Galindez says she wasn’t trying to hide her hair loss; she just needed time to muster the courage to reveal her condition. “But then I decided that this could be an opportunity to show the world that girls like me could be classically beautiful, too,” she says. Although Galindez was a bit wary of how the other women would react, she was pleasantly surprised by their warm reception. “One girl even said she hoped I’d win, even though she was running against me,” she says. After competing in the national costume segment, followed by bathing suits, and a dance number — which Galindez says, she “totally messed up” — she was crowned Miss Philippines Water 2014, one of six titles in the pageant (Air, Fire, Earth, Eco-tourism, and Teen). Galindez’s duties include being a Green Ambassador, raising awareness for the environment, and in April, she’s slated to compete in the Miss Philippines Earth USA Nationals, in Manila, Philippines. In the meantime, Galindez’s studying up on the environment and working as a hair and makeup stylist. “Ironically, hair is my life,” she says. “It’s a little hard because I can’t experiment with my products, but doing hair relaxes me, almost like therapy. And I enjoy working with people who have lost their hair from illness.” Galindez’s win is only one layer of an evolving pageant industry that’s widening its notion of beauty. In recent years, pageants have morphed from a bathing suit-and-baton-twirling feminist punch line to a well-oiled, powerful industry attracting diverse professionals. For example, the Miss America Pageant, a 92-year-old institution, recently churned out political candidates such as Democrat Caroline Bright (Miss Vermont 2010), who pursued a seat in the Vermont Senate, and Lauren Cheape (Miss Hawaii 2011) who represents District 45 in Hawaii’s House of Representatives. In September, Theresa Vail, a 22-year-old hunter and National Guard soldier (who happens to be a blond bombshell), strutted down the Miss America stage wearing a red string bikini that revealed a large tattoo on her rib cage. Competing alongside her was Miss Iowa, Nicole Kelly, a baseball lover born without a forearm. Of her disability, Kelly told the Associated Press, “The reason I'm here is not because I'm a public interest story. I'm here not because I look different but because I have the intelligence, I have the ability and all the things that Miss America needs to have.” Neither won the competition, but 24-year-old Nina Davuluri, the first Miss America of Indian descent, did. Despite the racist backlash that ensued postwin, Davuluri wasn't fazed. "Miss America's branding is so associated with the girl next door, which has always meant blond hair and blue eyes with only a few exceptions, but the girl next door must evolve as the country evolves," she said.

The Reason Why Jennifer Lawrence Cut Her 'Awkward, Gross' Hair

When a beloved star like Jennifer Lawrence makes a sudden, dramatic change, the world can screech to a halt. So it was when the news came out this morning that "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence had shorn her flowing locks into a pixie cut. Lawrence has exclusively revealed to Yahoo the motivation behind the big move. The 23-year-old Oscar-winning actress stopped by Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, on Wednesday, to chat with CEO Marissa Mayer about "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and lots other fun topics suggested by Lawrence fans.

"This isn't how Katniss is going to look in the next movie, don't worry," she assured the fan. "I cut it earlier … then it grew to that awkward gross length." Lawrence explained that she kept putting her hair back in a bun, and simply found it "annoying."

"It couldn't get any uglier."

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Lawrence, before she cut her hair - both images taken in July. 

Lawrence went on to say that since she'd be wearing a wig in the followup to "Catching Fire," there was nothing stopping her from cutting it ultra short.

Fashion Faceoff: Kate Upton vs. Kate Middleton

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Kate Upton vs. Kate Middleton

We wouldn't necessarily expect a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model to channel the look of a duchess, but that's exactly what Kate Upton did when she nearly knocked off the style of the queen of class, Kate Middleton. This time it's a fashion battle of the Kates!

What they wore: The Duchess of Cambridge donned a cream Alexander McQueen double-breasted dress coat and a Lock and Company hat. The 21-year-old model wore a similar cream peplum suit with silver buttons down the front, and a black fascinator.

When they wore it: Upton opted for the demure look at the VRC Oaks Club Luncheon at the Melbourne Cup on Wednesday. Middleton tried out the classic ensemble at Trooping the Colour, the official commensuration of Queen Elizabeth's birthday in July 2011.

How they styled it: As usual, Prince William's gorgeous wife kept her jewelry and makeup minimal and her chestnut locks in polished curls, allowing the cut of her suit to stand out. She concluded the timeless look with her signature nude L.K. Bennett pumps. The Vogue cover girl added more oomph to her outfit, pairing it with a burgundy purse and nude strappy sandals. She finished off her look with wine-colored lips and heavy eye makeup.

Judge's scorecard: Let's face it; it is really hard for anyone to compete with the English princess. Even a supermodel couldn't win this competition. There is something delightful about the way Middleton modernizes classic pieces without overdoing it with makeup and accessories.

Who do you think wins this battle of the Kates?

Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood Put Redneck Spin on ‘Blurred Lines’ At 2013 CMA Awards

What do the cast of "Duck Dynasty" and pop phenomenon Robin Thicke have in common? Yeah, the correct answer to that would be: Absolutely nothing. That is, unless they are subject matter in the hands of Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood at the 2013 Country Music Association Awards. The pair, longtime hosts of the annual awards show — and perpetual jokesters — managed to put their own redneck spin on Thicke's massive summertime hit, "Blurred Lines," using the massively popular redneck reality series as inspiration. "You're a country girl!" the two warbled, in place of "good girl." And, instead of Thicke's suggestive "I know you want it," they substituted "I know you've hunted!" The CMA Awards are a family-friendly show, so there was no representation of Thicke's infamously scantily clad models that accompanied him in the "Blurred Lines" video. However, Paisley and Underwood treated the crowd to something even better: The actual cast of "Duck Dynasty," who boogied on stage with them, much to the audience's delight. "These ducks aren't plastic," Paisley deadpanned.

Paisley and Underwood have been hosting the Country Music Association Awards for five years running, and have missed nary a pop-culture reference in their now-infamous opening monologues — hitting everything from the swine flu epidemic to Hank Williams Jr.'s political commentary in seasons past. However, it's rare the seasoned jokesters manage to kill two birds with one stone (um, would that be literally or figuratively...or both?!).

Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom Celebrating His Birthday Together at Home: "He Is Hopeful"

Lamar Odom's 34th birthday is shaping up to be a very happy one indeed. The basketball player -- who, just a few months ago, was barely speaking to wife Khloe Kardashian -- appears to be back on good terms with both his 29-year-old spouse and her famous family. He even joined them in celebrating Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner's 58th birthday on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

"Khloe and Lamar started talking again," a source tells Us Weekly of the couple, married four years. "Over the last few days they started talking all the time. So [on Tuesday] she invited him to Kris' birthday party. He had a great time."

As previously reported, Kris celebrated turning 58 at a get-together with her loved ones at the Kardashian-Jenner brood's Calabasas, Calif., home on Tuesday night. Daughter Kendall Jenner -- who marked her own birthday on Sunday, Nov. 1, with a masquerade-themed meal -- shared a photo of the festivities on Instagram.

Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom Celebrating His Birthday Together at Home: "He Is Hopeful"

"Spontaneous dance party at the Jenners!" she captioned the shot, which showed a DJ set up in the backyard. "Come one, come all."

Odom, 34 as of Wednesday, Nov. 6, is now looking forward to his own little celebration. A source says the athlete and his wife are planning to spend his birthday together at home.

"Khloe invited him over and has a little party planned," the insider shares. "It may be just the two of them -- he doesn't know yet. But he is hopeful and going."

Time will tell whether an official reconciliation is in the cards for the couple, but Odom, at least, believes their bond is a lasting one. "We're wonderful. We're unbreakable," he told Us Weekly on Oct. 30. "That's why I wear my wedding ring. It is a beautiful ring. From a beautiful wife."

Miley Cyrus Got a Granny Tat

Miley Cyrus sure loves her grandma! The "Wrecking Ball" songbird adores her "Mammie" (aka Loretta Finley) so much that she had her face tattooed onto her right forearm on Tuesday afternoon.

Naturally, Miley kept fans looped in on her latest ink, which was done by "L.A. Ink" star Kat Von D, and posted pics to her social media accounts with proof of the long process.

In the images, Kat Von D can be seen using a vintage photograph of Miley's Mammie to replicate her likeness into a black and white tattoo. It looks like it took three different shading techniques to get the tattoo perfect, but the finished product is nearly identical to the photograph. Von D posted the photo of the three-step process with the caption, "Grandma's rule" and also gushed about how much she loved tattooing Cyrus.

Miley returned the favor by thanking Von D on Twitter and saying she was " the s--t." 

The "We Can't Stop" singer can't seem to stop adding ink to her bod, and has turned to Von D several times before for her body art. She has two arrows on her elbow, a Leonardo DaVinci-inspired anatomical heart, and a curved animal tooth, which she got on her arm in August. This latest brings the former "Hannah Montana" star's tattoo count up to at least 21.

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Miley Cyrus and her "Mammie," and the tatoo in action. (Instagram)

But why did Miley Cyrus get her grandma's face tattooed on her arm, you ask? According to Miley's Twitter, she chose the new tribute tat because she and her grams have a really tight bond.

Later, Miley posted lyrics to Roy Orbison's "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and also posted a shot of her and her grandmother with the caption, "Still just as beautiful. @thekatvond look who left the house today :) happy birthday Mammie."

Mammie, who is Miley's maternal grandmother, has also been Miley's longtime fan club manager and regularly tours with the pop star and her mom, Tish.

Cyrus, who is only 17 days shy of her 21st birthday, is quickly filling up the bare skin on her body. Perhaps Mammie's portrait is the start of a full sleeve of family tattoos?

Why Is Kim Kardashian Obsessed With Wearing White?!

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Kim in a mini on Thursday and a lace dress (exposing her undies!) 

We know Kim Kardashian loves being a bride — at 33, she's gearing up for her third trip down the aisle — but she also seems to love dressing like one. Since Kanye West popped the question on Oct. 21, the reality TV star has worn white for every big appearance she's made — and then some. For those in need of a klothing rekap (sorry, couldn't resist), that would be her "The Tonight Show" chit-chat on Wednesday, Las Vegas birthday party on Oct. 25, and the Dream for Future Africa Foundation gala one day earlier. Plus, while out and about in L.A. yesterday, she wore this mini from the family's line for Lipsy.
Now that's a whole lotta sexy white outfits in a short amount of time, so we wondered: Is she trying to send the world some type of message? And if so, what the heck is it? "For me, it's like she's saying, 'I'm back and I'm not going anywhere,'" celebrity stylist Jason Bolden tells omg!. "'Now that I have a baby, I want everybody to see this body. I want everybody to see this silhouette. Furthermore, this is my third time [getting married] and I think this time is right.'" He continues, "So her statement is: 'Who says you can't wear white again? Not only am I going to wear it — I'm going to wear it every day."

She spilled out of this ensemble in Vegas and showed her stomach at a charity gala

Bolden says the color also conveys a message of extravagance — fitting for one half of a Hollywood powercouple.

"Here's the thing with white: It screams luxury," he says. "It screams wealth. If someone wears that color, they have to have some kind of disposable income and not really care what's going to happen to it, because you know it's not going to be white after you wear it."

As for what fiancé Kanye may have to do with all her white outfits? "Everything," says Bolden. "Everyone can see the transition she's made since they got together until now — what her style evolution has been. She's definitely more designer driven. More that that, she's created a point a view — a high fashion point of view. And he is obviously the guru in the relationship."

Just because Kim, perhaps at Kanye's urging, is wearing white non-stop since she became betrothed, don't expect this to be a trend with all brides-to-be.

"By and large, brides do not flock to stores to buy white uniforms to wear for the next six to 12 months of their life," laughs Harmony Walton, founder of the wedding concierge service The Bridal Bar. "However, there may be times you find them in white over the course of their wedding planning — at an engagement party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, wedding, and post-wedding day brunch. So there are reasons for the bride to go out and buy more white outfits than they typically do, but there's no trend taking shape that brides-to-be are going to start wearing white five days a week to the office, that's for sure."

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Kim also wore white for her first post-engagement event with Kris — though we know how that story ended. 

As for whether it's tacky for Kim, who has been married twice before, to wear the color while celebrating her engagement (interestingly, she also wore white when stepping out for the first time after getting engaged to Kris Humphries in May 2011), the answer, as far as wedding etiquette goes, is no. And she has a green light to wear the hue on her big day as well.

"Originally a bride wore white on her wedding day to symbolize purity and feminine wholeness, but once people started having premarital sex, that went out the window," says Walton. "Now we even see women wearing color for their first wedding or white at their second wedding, that's totally acceptable."

But expect Kim's dress to be different than the princess Vera Wang gown she wore when she married Kris. According to reports, she'll go with a different designer — likely one selected by Kanye — for the wedding, which she has hinted will be a destination wedding, perhaps in Europe, next summer.

"Kanye is so fashion intense, I could see him having a small role in the design of the dress and getting a very different look than what she would typically wear," says Walton. "In order to honor him and his input, we're going to see something very different. But still really big, very over-the-top with her style. But still a showstopper because, at the end of the day, that seems to be what Kim Kardashian wants to be."

That's the truth: the future Mrs. Kim Kardashian West is an expert at getting attention ... no matter what color she wears.

Outrage Over Burning Twin Towers Halloween Costume Worn by Teens in the UK

Every year we hear about people who choose to wear inappropriate Halloween costumes. Well, for some reason, 2013 seems to be topping all other years as far as offensive costumes are concerned. You may have heard of the fury over costumes representing Trayvon Martin and Boston Marathon bombing victims, as well as criticism of celebrities like Julianne Hough for wearing blackface for her "Orange Is the New Black" attire. Now photos of two girls in the United Kingdom are causing even more outrage. They chose to dress up, if you can believe it, as the Twin Towers burning, complete with fiery explosion accessories and American flags: University of Chester students Amber Langford and Annie Collinge, both 19 years old, wore the matching costumes, one labeled "South Tower," the other "North Tower," to a party at Rosie's nightclub in Chester. Langford's father, Martin, is even a pilot. And as if all that wasn't enough, the club awarded the girls Best Dressed for their costumes, winning them a cash prize!

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Amber Langford and Annie Collinge dressed in Twin Towers costumes

 The pair released a statement saying: "We never meant to be offensive, but we apologize if any offense was caused. The idea was to depict a modern-day horror that happened in our lifetime and was not intended as a joke.' As you can imagine, families of 9/11 victims are among those disgusted with the costumes. Patricia Bingley, who lost her 43-year-old son Kevin Dennis in the attacks, said, "This is unbelievable — 9/11 happened in their lifetime. It's hard to understand where they've come from to do this without a thought for those who died or the families left behind." The offensive outfits bring up the question of costume regulation. The University of Colorado Boulder has banned costumes that portray racial and cultural stereotypes, including blackface makeup. The school posted flyers like these around the campus  to get the point across: 

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Poster from University of Colorado Boulder

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Poster from University of Colorado Boulder

Vive Le Rock: Adam Ant Looks Back at His Classic Videos

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Adam Ant in 1978 [photo: Brad Elterman/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic

On Nov. 3, the artist born Stuart Goddard turns 59. You might know him better as Adam Ant, the dandy highwayman who made a major mark on the music scene in the '80s fronting the Ants, and then went on to solo success, before disappearing from the music scene for years.

He returned early this year with the ambitious Adam Ant Is the BlueBlack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter, which referenced elements of his former glory while staking claims toward the future.

To celebrate Adam's birthday, we rang him up at his London office and asked him about some of his best known video clips. For those unfamiliar with Adam's story, he emerged from the British punk scene with tracks like "Car Trouble" and"Plastic Surgery," before eventually mixing Indian and pirate imagery, Burundi-style drum beats, and surf guitars with dramatic effect to bridge the gap between punk, glam, and the then-burgeoning New Romantic scene. Here's a look back and some of Adam's most memorable videos.

"Antmusic," 1980

"That's the one that really broke Adam & the Ants," Adam says. Shot in a London nightclub with an illuminating disco floor, Adam famously encouraged his followers to "unplug the jukebox and do us all a favor." It was illustrated with a giant electrical plug. As always, Adam was over-the-top, perhaps a bit ridiculous, but undeniably entertaining and fun.

"Prince Charming," 1981

"That was the one after 'Stand and Deliver' for the second major album, so it was very important to make an impact. We had a lot riding on the Prince Charming project," Adam says. It also featured a famous leading lady, this time blonde bombshell Diana Dors in one of her final onscreen appearances as the Fairy Godmother in this Cinderella-spoof clip. "She was Britain's Marilyn Monroe," Adam says. "In one scene she was asked to walk up to this black panther and did it with no fear at all." Adam recalls the clip being quite a big production, with a lot of choreography. "It was trying to make it like an Errol Flynn film and all the images I grew up with."

"Stand and Deliver," 1981

This is perhaps the ultimate Adam Ant clip, with the singer in the role of the "dandy highwayman" swashbuckler. Adam, who went to art school and film school, was trained to do storyboards and did them for this clip. Props from Hammer horror studios were used for the mini-movie, including the stagecoach. Adam performed his own stunts in the clip, even jumping through a window with breakaway glass. "They kept telling me that it's not going to hurt, and I split my head open. It was a quite painful." Adam adds that several of his friends were featured in clip, including his girlfriend, then-18-year-old Amanda Donohoe, who went on to a career as a successful actress in roles on "L.A. Law" and other TV shows and films. In the U.K., the clip was banned due to the hanging sequence. "It was quite a controversial number when it came out," Adam says.

"Ant Rap," 1981

In the clip for this 1981 single from the Prince Charming album, Adam didn't do all of his own stunts. He recalls dancing around in a suit of armor in the "freezing cold," but when it came time for him to jump off the castle into a moat, Adam called on a stuntman. "I think even he injured himself," Adam recalls. "It was a dangerous stunt." The clip was shot at Hever Castle, once home to Henry the VIII.

The track brings back bittersweet memories for him, since it was the last single released by Adam & the Ants. "It was primarily due to fatigue, because we hadn't had a break," he says. "We were good mates."

"Desperate But Not Serious," 1982

Adam directed this clip, shot in an old Victorian theater. "It was quite a lot of responsibility to direct it, but I quite enjoyed it," he says. It includes the famous voodoo-gingerbread cookie scene in which a woman breaks off a chunk of a cookie and it affects poor Adam. It also served as an introduction to Adam's post-Ants band, including a brass section.

"Goody Two Shoes," 1982

The playful clip for Adam's post-Ants hit features Hammer horror film actress and Bond girl Caroline Munro as the journalist that becomes Adam's love interest. "She certainly fit the bill of the sort of naughty, sexy secretary," Adam says. "She looked amazing." As for the song's lyrics and message, Adam says his clean-living lifestyle was inspired by boxer Muhammad Ali and was sometimes mocked by members of the press. "Goody Two Shoes" is "a bit of a manifesto and a statement of how I wanted to run my career. It wasn't very rock 'n' roll, but I thought it was a good idea for a lyric and it worked."

"Strip," 1983

When Adam performed "Strip" on his tour to support the album of the same name, he used a Houdini-like immersion tank, which he'd jump into after stripping off all his clothes onstage.

The video featured Adam on horseback, which he says was a bit out of his comfort zone. "I'm not a horse rider, so it was a bit dangerous," he says. Swedish actress Mary Stevens, a onetime Miss World and Bond girl who appeared in Octopusy and A View to a Kill, was Adam's co-star and appeared in the shower scene. It was all a bit much for the BBC, which banned the clip, but it did receive some play on MTV in the U.S. "Americans are a bit more open-minded," Adam says.

A side note -- the album was co-produced by Phil Collins and recorded at his studio in Stockholm, Sweden, where ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad also happened to be working. As a favor to Collins, Lyngstad performed the spoken-word part on this song. "It's nice to have a member of ABBA in your catalog," Adam says. "She was very cool as well. When we were recording, she wore the headphones upside down so she didn't spoil her haircut."

"Wonderful," 1995

Adam's 1995 solo hit featured the singer going in a different direction, dropping the costumes for a more straightforward mostly black-and-white clip for the acoustic-based song. "That was pretty much of a different record for me," Adam says. "The video has me coming into a little village in Wales and it's shot in sepia. It's tearful about splitting up with a girl, so it's a little more serious." He adds that he wasn't as involved in that clip's direction as his previous efforts. "I kind of handed that one over, but it's an interesting piece to watch and a nice diversion."

"Cool Zombie," 2013

Adam's comeback clip for the track off his latest album opens in black-and-white with Adam in a rowboat traveling down the river, before moving into a full-color performance of Adam performing with his new band. "I'm returning for exile in the boat, having been away," Adam says, "coming back to do what I like doing, which is playing rock 'n' roll." In his return, Adam wears garb familiar to those who followed him in his heyday, notably the 19th century Hussar waistcoat, designed by Adam himself, along with a hat designed by a friend.

"The basic concept is the guy who did 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' coming back 30 years later." Adam also notes that the clip served as an introduction to the members of his new band before they hit the road on tour. To keep the look of the clip authentic, even the security guards on the set were dressed as Victorian garb.

Justin Bieber Allegedly Spotted at Brothel in Brazil:

 

Justin Bieber Allegedly Spotted at Brothel in Brazil: 

Justin Bieber, is that you? During his downtime from gearing up to perform in Brazil, the "Heartbreaker" singer has allegedly been spending his off hours at a brothel. According to the New York Post's Page Six (and several photos), the 19-year-old singer was reportedly trying to sneak out of a brothel on Friday, Nov. 1.

In the photos, Bieber is supposedly seen leaving the popular brothel Centauros in Rio de Janeiro while trying to cover up underneath a bed sheet. Page Six claims that the "Boyfriend" singer and a friend were inside the sex den for three hours, and when he came out to leave his bodyguards began to spray water at photographers.

But, did the photographers stop taking pictures? Nope! In fact, the Post reports that Bieber was escorted into the back seat of a car while two ladies from the brothel were then spotted getting escorted into a separate vehicle on its way back to the singer's hotel. (A rep for Bieber has no comment.)

The incident is just the latest shocking alleged situation connected to Bieber. Just last month, the "Never Say Never" entertainer was accused of assaulting DJ Michael Woods' tour manager, Alex Madden, in mid-October during a night out at a club in South Korea. Bieber allegedly threw a cheap shot at Madden after a heated exchange began after the young star requested hip hop music to be played.