the scoop

the scoop

just do something

Rock band Death Cab for Cutie has joined the Grammy Foundation and Do Something to launch Key Change Grants, a program created by students attending the 2008 Grammy Camp that encourages young people to create and promote social change through music. “We know firsthand about music’s power to help transform important issues,” said Death Cab’s bassist Nick Harmer. “When we heard about Key Change Grants, we wanted to be part of this unique partnership that will put the power for change directly in the hands of young people.”

The program will award a total of $25,000 to young people across North America for grassroots projects in their communities that use music to foster social change. Twenty finalists will each receive a $500 community action grant to further develop their projects and ideas. Five grand-prize winners will be chosen by a panel of music industry professionals. They will take home grants of $3,000 for their projects and be flown to Los Angeles for three nights where they will attend the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8. Grant applications are online at DoSomething.org and are open to all U.S. and Canadian citizens age 19 and under. The deadline to apply is Dec. 15; winners will be announced Jan. 9.

marriage or pr stunt?

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the reality-TV couple whose on-again, off-again relationship has been chronicled by MTV’s “The Hills” and celebrity magazines, appear on the Wednesday cover of Us Weekly with the headline “Heidi & Spencer Elope!” But were their nuptials a legal marriage, or just an elaborate photo shoot?

Several Us Weekly images, both posed and candid, show the couple at various stages of a wedding ceremony at a chapel near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Nov. 20. The accompanying story features an interview with the pair, as well as details about the rings, Montag’s dress, and the content of their handwritten vows.

The story does not address whether they obtained a marriage license or took part in a separate civil ceremony, which is required by Mexican law to make the union binding.

back to berlin

MTV Networks International has announced that Berlin, Germany, will host the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards. This is the fourth time that the awards will be held in Germany as it returns to the original city where it was launched in 1994 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards will be held in front of the Brandenburg Gate as well as at the O2 World Arena in Berlin, which opened in September.

travel the globe

If you have a passion for travel, or are simply convinced you were put in America mistakenly and have spent your whole life trying to get back to Paris, Rome or London, we have a gift for you.

Tam Helmin of XO Handworks (XOHandworks.etsy.com) makes custom map pendants, where you get to pick a spot in the world and have it placed in a two-sided soldered pendant. It comes in various sizes and you can have both sides show map locations, or put a dictionary entry, such as “travel,” “globe” or “passion,” on the other side.

Custom pendants are $24, or check the site to see if she’s already made one with your city.

inaugural ball

MTV is throwing an inaugural ball for President-elect Barack Obama.

The network announced Tuesday that it will host the “Be the Change Inaugural Ball” at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington on Jan. 20.

The event will be televised live across MTV’s many channels and platforms, including MTV and MTV.com.

The Viacom Inc.-owned network said the event will feature leading artists, celebrities and government officials. To celebrate the large youth voter turnout in the election, hundreds of young people will be chosen to attend based on their demonstrated volunteerism.

MTV’s announcement comes as a host of organizations are planning inaugural balls in Washington, where more than a million people are expected to be drawn to the nation’s capital for the occasion.