Five Guys with One Mission: Take Over the Burger Biz

The Burger Wars just got real, you guys.

For those of us here in Los Angeles, we all know that the undisputed reigning champ in the fast-casual burger restaurant market is In-N-Out Burger. But that could all be changing pretty soon, if the Murrell boys have anything to say about it.

Matt, Jim, Chad, Ben, and Tyler Murrell are the five brothers that make up the Five Guys burger chain that has been steadily creeping west across North America. Like some kind of culinary Manifest Destiny, the Murrells have been conquering palates wherever they’ve decided to set up shop. They’ve taken over Vegas and are currently spreading like wild fire across Southern California, opening franchises in Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton. Before long, we will be seeing restaurants on Wilshire and Figueroa, right here in L.A., as well as on Tampa Avenue in Northridge, right next door to where an In-N-Out currently resides! Those sound like fighting words to me... And I can’t wait.

Though I haven’t yet had the pleasure of sampling the Five Guys menu, from what everyone has told me, it blows In-N-Out out of the water. And for anyone who has had an In-N-Out burger, that’s some pretty incredible praise. So, what makes a Five Guys burger so amazing? It could have something to do with Five Guys’s food being named among some of the unhealthiest food in America by Men’s Health – and everyone knows that, the worse it is for you, the better it tastes. Okay, so, maybe Five Guys shouldn’t be part of your daily diet, but for those major, unavoidable burger cravings, it sounds like this is the place to indulge. The chain has received awards from no less than 20 major cities, considering its fare the best around. Pretty impressive for a chain that avoids any sort of national ad campaigns!

The Five Guys menu is fairly simple, but unlike In-N-Out, it does offer a few more options, such as additional (free) toppings, hot dogs, and two different styles of French fries. And if the lines get too long, you can keep your appetite in check by snacking on the free un-shelled peanuts that most restaurants have available. They make their own buns in-house, use only fresh (not frozen) beef, and the entire menu is trans-fat free.

Sounds good to me. I’m ready for my first Five Guys burger; how about you?

Andy Grammer: From 3rd Street to the House of Blues

If you turned on the radio recently and suddenly found yourself feeling especially warm and fuzzy inside, chances are you just heard “Keep Your Head Up”, the debut single from up-and-coming singer/songwriter Andy Grammer. In an industry where most musicians seem to find inspiration in pain and bad break-ups, Grammer is turning the “brooding artist” stereotype on its ear and churning out music that celebrates the fun in life.

It’s not surprising either, considering his background. His father, Red Grammer, is a children’s singer who writes tunes that teach kids about values and being good little people. This positive outlook obviously rubbed off on his son, Andy. The 27-year-old didn’t exactly have it easy, having to work his way from the singing in the streets of Santa Monica before being discovered and signed to S-Curve Records. So, he likely knows exactly what he’s talking about when he advises the rest of us to “Keep Your Head Up”!

And it’s been nothing but up from there. The CSUN grad has gone on to earn some pretty prestigious gigs, such as performing at this year’s SXSW festival, and opening for such acts as Plain White T’s, Natasha Bedingfield, and Colbie Caillat. It won’t be long before he’s headlining his own tour and spreading his musical message of how great life can be!

Check out his MTV O Award-winning music video for “Keep Your Head Up” below, which features a great cameo by “The Office” star Rainn Wilson:

Happy Birthday, MTV!

It’s hard to believe, but it’s no less true – today, MTV turns 30!

We take it for granted now, but I remember when MTV debuted when I was just a kid and all the crazy excitement that surrounded it – music videos, 24 hours a day?? I can’t even imagine what the music scene would have been like in the ‘80s (and beyond) without MTV. Music was now a visual medium; some of the most brilliant filmmaking in the last three decades have come from some of the amazing music videos we all first saw on MTV.

But the cable channel was so much more than that. There’s a reason folks my age are referred to as the “MTV Generation”; because MTV was just for us. While the parents were watching the news on broadcast networks or our little brothers and sisters were glued to Saturday morning cartoons, we were locked into MTV, letting us know what was hot in all aspects of pop culture. (Sound familiar? Ahem!)

“Yo! MTV Raps”... “Headbanger’s Ball”... “Total Request Live”... “Remote Control”... “The Real World”... Yep, if revolutionizing television and the music industry wasn’t enough, MTV pretty much invented reality TV too!

And MTV has not lost that cool factor at all. In 2011, the channel is still at the forefront of what’s new and exciting in the entertainment world. The “M” in MTV might have been since retired, but it continues to dictate pop culture trends and inspire artists and entrepreneurs everywhere – including yours truly. Oh yeah, I’d be crazy if I didn’t give props to MTV for inspiring what we do at Young Hollywood, helping shape the flavor of the new generation!

In kind of a cool, ironic twist, when MTV first debuted at 12:01am on August 1st, 1981, the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll” were spoken over footage of the first-ever Space Shuttle launch, which had happened earlier that year. Thirty years later, we’re celebrating this momentous anniversary for MTV after having just witnessed the retiring of the Shuttle program within the last month! Hopefully, though, MTV’s journey does not end here, and the revolutionary cable channel reaches for new heights. YH will be right there with them!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane... No, It's a Flying Car!

The 21st century car has finally arrived, you guys. Several media outlets have confirmed that a flying car could be on the road -- and in the air -- by the end of next year.

Ever since cars were invented, we've been dreaming about ways to get them in the air. From "The Jetsons" and Chitty Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the '60s to Back to the Future's DeLorean and Ron Weasley's Ford Anglia more recently, many concepts for the flying car have been dreamt up. But this decade will bring the real thing -- the Terrafugia Transition.

This flying car will be a two-seat plane made of carbon-fiber that you can drive straight out of your garage, fly to work (beat the annoying rush hour traffic!), and land to get that perfect parking space. The car can go 115 mph in the air and 62 mph on land, the wings fold up in about 15 seconds, and it is about the size of a large sedan... so, if parking is a problem, hey, just land on a rooftop!

CEO Carl Dietrich received $60 million from the Defense Department to build the ultimate flying car in just 5 years. Last week, The U.S. National Highway Safety Administration said the car is cleared for takeoff for the nation’s highways! With the next impending Carmageddon 11 months from now, they must have known the importance of getting around those typically backed-up freeways.

The Terrafugia Transition will be sold for $227,000, but this price tag is certainly not scaring away potential owners. Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit for their first flying car. Dietrich says his creation is expected to go global (of course!), and Europe says they want in on the action too. So do about 20 Britons.

To fly a Terrafugia Transition, you will need a light-aircraft license and 20 hours of training, so start enrolling in those flight classes now. Oh, and don't forget the insurance too…

An Ansane Adventure: Drinking Coke Around the World

What do you call someone who travels nearly 50 countries in a year, puts themselves $27,000 in debt and can prove Coca Cola runs the world? Insane?

Well, actually, the adventurous man goes by the name of Ansane, and this trip was anything but insane. About to turn 30 (30 is the new 20, right?), Ansane went on the ultimate study abroad experience. But it turns out there wasn't as much studying as there was drinking … Coca Cola!

From the mountains of Switzerland to the Great Wall of China to the plains of Kenya to New York City, Ansane documented his experiences drinking a Coca-Cola in 48 countries through YouTube. Some of the cans may feature different languages or alphabets or are in a different bottle altogether, but for the most part, Ansane shows you the vast international appeal of this 125-year-old beverage.

Let's face it -- everyone wants to travel the world, but many are held back by money, the daunting task, the inevitable obstacles and, well, life. But Ansane wasn't about to let that stop him from this creative and innovative quest. The trip wasn't without obstacles of course (he didn't end up getting to Japan due to the earthquake and tsunami earlier this year), not to mention some crazy debt he racked up! But he still maintains it was worth it -- I certainly dug watching it, for sure, and I think you will too. Check it out below:

Ansane created a Facebook page called “Reset, Live, Grow” which shows video clips from each country from the past year. He is also on Twitter at @Ansane where he has the conversation hashtag #CokeAroundTheWorld.

Now it just remains to be seen what the famous soft drink company will have to say about this...?

LMFAO FTW!

By now it should be a no-brainer that whenever you need a little guidance as to how to party, you look no further than LMFAO. You know exactly what you are getting when it comes to the band; it’s right there in those initials, after all... 

The unique uncle and nephew team of Red-Foo and Sky Blu have catchy jams in their blood, and it's no wonder as the son and grandson of the legendary Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records. If you couldn’t tell just by looking at them, these guys love to have a good time and they have the musical resume to back it up. Since their hit single, “I’m in Miami Trick”, off of their first album Party Rock, we have been schooled every step of the way to ensure the best “party rocking” experience under the influence of the '80sand dance! 

You can usually find these guys at the bar taking shots, shots, shots, shots and doing their signature shuffle dancing, but don’t expect to find them slacking off andchillin’in the doldrums. They are back by popular demand, having released their second studio album, Sorry for Party Rocking. Their singles “Party Rock Anthem” and “Champagne Showers” continue the rally for unfiltered fun, even if you are a Zombie or a Vampire! It is “meant to take you away, to escape to this world of fun, dance, sex, craziness, do-what-you-want attitude. It’s our lives,” says Red-Foo. 

We all deserve a moment of I just don’t give a damn, and that’s what party rock is for!

Hip-Hop's New Wiz Kid: Wiz Khalifa Taking Over the Game

Even before he collected the Best New Artist trophy at the BET Awards last night (June 26), Wiz Khalifa had already pretty much cemented his place in the hip hop community.

It must have been a surreal moment for an artist to be named the best “new” artist when he has been steadily in the game for around six years now! His first real single, “Say Yeah”, was released way back in 2007, and he already had two albums under his belt before this year’s Rolling Papers. But the numbers (not to mention a major label studio album) can sometimes make all the difference – Rolling Papers hit Number 1 in both the R&B and Rap charts, and it peaked at Number Two on the overall Billboard 200.

And the fact that Wiz’s first two singles from Rolling Papers, the infectious “Black and Yellow” and the Euro-synthy “Roll Up”, both went platinum no doubt had a big influence on his victory at last night’s awards ceremony. 

Aligning himself with a nearly endless list of other award-winning artists doesn’t hurt either! The Pittsburgh-born Chuck Taylor enthusiast has been featured on a ton of other great tracks with equally gifted artists, such as Cee Lo Green, Far East Movement, Soulja Boy, Wale, Rick Ross, Chris Brown, Lil’ Kim, Tinie Tempah, Chiddy Bang, and… well, I could go on all day! Mix that kind of experience with nine mixtape releases, not to mention appearing in no less than 35 music videos, it was only a matter of time before the 23-year-old started collecting some serious hardware and recognition for his contributions to the industry. And how can you not love this guy’s easy-going attitude and contagious grin? He reminds me of Snoop in his prime.

I can’t wait to see what else this kid has in store for the genre. Now that he’s broken out of the background and into the spotlight, the sky’s the limit!

Check out his latest single, “On My Level” ft. Too Short (NSFW!).