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'The band is devastated,' a statement to MTV News reads.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by James Montgomery

Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill (file)
Photo: Getty/ Jeff Kravitz

After cutting a show short in Dallas on Friday night, the Kings Of Leon have announced plans to scrap the remainder of their U.S. tour.

"We are so sorry to say Kings of Leon are canceling their entire US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion," reads a statement from the band to MTV News. "The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break."

The band had planned to reschedule the Dallas show, where frontman Caleb Followill had fallen ill, and had to postpone a Saturday night gig in Houston. But now it seems even those plans have also been shelved. "Unfortunately, the US dates cannot be rescheduled due to the band's international tour schedule," the statement continues. "Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase. Tickets purchased online or via phones will be automatically refunded."

For now, Followill will get the rest he seems to need. The band will kick off the next leg of the tour next month but also a bit later than originally planned. "The band will resume touring in Canada at the Rogers Center in Vancouver, BC, on September 28th," the band further announced. "That show was originally scheduled for September 14th."

While Followill's illness has been cited as the official cause for the delayed and canceled dates, KOL bassist and Caleb's brother, Jared Followill, cited some internal issues as a cause for the tour hiatus as well. "There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed ... I can't lie," he tweeted. "There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade."

Share your well-wishes for Caleb Followill in the comments below.

• MTV News Extended Play: Kings Of Leon

• Kings Of Leon

The 'Turbulence' producer lays out his strategy for his next single with Example, and another with Wynter Gordon.
By Akshay Bhansali

Laidback Luke
Photo: Tomorrowland Festival

Veteran Dutch producer Laidback Luke is known for leveling some of the most explosive live sets in the business, as was certainly the case last month, at the main stage of Boom, Belgium's Tomorrowland Festival. Luke dropped his rendition of Kanye West's, "All of the Lights," "Timebomb" (with Jonathan Mendelson) and crowd favorite "Turbulence," his hit single with Steve Aoki and Lil Jon.

In the pantheon of Laidback Luke bangers, according to the producer himself, "Turbulence," ranks among the greats.

" 'Turbulence' is one of the harder tracks I've made," Luke told MTV News just before his set at Tomorrowland. "Steve is a big influence in that. When we made it, I could see him doing his stage dive and taking shirts off. And for me, when I play that track in my set, it's definitely a peak. I'll be jumping myself too, not taking shirts off or stage-diving, but Steve definitely adds up the energy for me."

With Tomorrowland now behind him, Luke has big plans for the rest of the year: He's linked up with British singer Example for a whopping single called "Natural Disaster," the instrumental mix of which is out already (and the version with Example's vocals has leaked online too). Judging by the TL crowd's response to the song as his set-opener, it certainly makes sense that Luke and Example are hoping to do more with it.

" 'Natural Disaster' is doing really well for me right now," Luke said. "We are shooting a video soon, looking at treatments right now. We have a couple of young directors we are looking at, so it's gonna be great."

And after the success of his remix of Wynter Gordon's "Dirty Talk" last year, he may come to New York to shoot the video for another collaboration with her.

"Wynter came through with a video concept for, 'Speak Up,' " the producer explained. "She wanted to have, like, a block party, and we are gonna shoot it where she grew up in New York."

"All the focus is on, 'Natural Disaster,' for the moment," Luke added, when pressed for details on the new single. "And then we'll go full force on, 'Speak Up.' "

While, like most dance music artists in the summer, he's busy touring the world in the world, but he did drop one sliver of a "maybe," EDM fans will be excited to hear: He just might be working with Steve Aoki again.

"DJs are working hard this summer!" Luke exclaimed. "We'll see after the summer is done, [then] we'll do more studio time."

• Tomorrowland Festival 2011

• Laidback Luke

Why was alien/Western mash-up's $36.2 million debut considered a failure?
By Eric Ditzian

Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in "Cowboys & Aliens"
Photo: Universal

Hollywood box-office quiz time! One Steven Spielberg-produced alien flick based on an original idea hits theaters this summer, earns $35.4 million in its opening weekend and is roundly praised as proof that original ideas (those not based on board games and theme-park rides and the like) can thrive in the pop-culture marketplace. Another Steven Spielberg-produced alien flick that might as well have been based on an original idea (considering how few people had actually read the graphic novel on which it was based and how screenwriters changed everything except the title) hits theaters this summer, opens to $36.2 million during its first weekend and is tagged a major disappointment.

What gives? Well, in the comparison between the praised "Super 8" and the rebuked "Cowboys & Aliens," a lot, including budget, talent and a certain genre hybrid that just never seems to connect with moviegoers.

" 'Cowboys & Aliens' arrived with big-budget Hollywood hype — the stars (Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig), the huge budget ($160+ mil), and the above-the-line pedigree (Jon Favreau, Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg)," said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "On the other end of the spectrum, 'Super 8' carried none of the big production clutter, and most impressively, was made for a third of what 'C&A' cost."

Projections heading into the weekend pegged "Cowboys" to gross in the $40 million to $50 million range, on par with something you'd expect from a movie based on an original idea with marquee talent on both sides of the camera. But reviews were tepid, the public has never shown a deep love for alien/Western mash-ups and, as Gitesh Pandya of Box Office Guru notes, "Cowboys" was the eleventh action movie released this summer. Its audience was also 53 percent male, leading Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com, to speculate that Universal could have tried to appeal more to women.

"[Star] Olivia Wilde wasn't included in the marketing blitz as much as she should have been," he said. "Going after fanboys can be a risky bet, because it often means that you're alienating other groups."

Perhaps "Cowboys" might have excelled at the box office in March, when even something like "Battle: Los Angeles" (a poorly reviewed original movie, its most recognizable face Aaron Eckhart's) was able to gross $35.6 million. Between the crowded summer calendar, the weak reviews and the unpalatable subject matter, "Cowboys" simply had too many cards stacked against it to thrive. It's likely to drop hugely in its second weekend. While hardly an outright bomb like "Sucker Punch," another original concept, "Cowboys" has stumbled enough to provide Hollywood with some valuable lessons.

To begin, studios are likely to stay far away from the alien/Western concept for a while. What's more, "Cowboys" shows once again that even A-list talent can't ensure a big opening. But what "Cowboys" won't do is make Hollywood shy away from basing films on less-recognizable properties or even original ideas altogether.

"Studios are already gambling on properties that are not based on recognizable properties, and most of them are big-budget sci-fi spectacles," Bock said. "Call it the 'Avatar' effect. Currently, there are nearly a dozen in production, many in 3-D. Most of them do have one thing in common: a dearth of big-name stars. Look for that trend to continue, as studios continue to bulk up the budget with SFX instead of stars."

Check out everything we've got on "Cowboys & Aliens."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

• MTV Rough Cut: 'Cowboys and Aliens'
• MTV Rough Cut: 'Super 8'

• 'Cowboys & Aliens'
• The 'Super 8' Trailer's Key Moments

'Saturday Night Live' funnyman serves as Chief Shark Officer for Discovery Channel's annual shark fest.
By Eric Ditzian

Andy Samberg
Photo: MTV News

It's Shark Week, people! It's that time of year when it's too damn hot to go outside and we're all too willing to embrace a shameless and brilliant marketing ploy in which Discovery Channel devotes much of its schedule to the sharp-toothed fishies and we stay glued to the TV because the whole thing honestly is freaking badass. To wit, get ready this week for documentaries called "Shark Feeding Frenzy," "Sharkman," "Air Jaws: Sharks of South Africa" and "Top Five Eaten Alive."

Yes, the narration will be heavy on machismo, the soundtracks will veer between horror-movie strings and staccato, annoy-your-neighbors bass lines, and the whole thing will be overseen by Andy Samberg. We're not exactly sure why, and we're certainly not complaining, but the "Saturday Night Live" funnyman has been appointed Discovery's first-ever Chief Shark Officer. Tops among his awesome responsibilities, we found out during a chat with Samberg and his Lonely Islands pals this spring, is the requirement that the CSO taunt all non-CSOs.

"Chief Shark Officer! In your face, other dudes!" he cracked.

"We're kind of the Chief Shark brain trust on this," Jorma Taccone offered.

"No, you guys haven't helped me at all on this," Samberg shot back with killer instinct.

So it's Samberg and Samberg alone guiding us through the hazards and happiness of Shark Week. Can he handle the pressure? After debuting in 1987, the weeklong block of programming was watched by almost 31 million people last year — the highest-rated shark-themed week in Discovery's history. Samberg ain't scared.

"I've already been in the water with sharks," he said of a trip to the Bahamas to shoot promotional material for the week.

"Did you get to slap five with a shark?" Taccone wanted to know.

"Yes, me and a shark slapped five!" Samberg replied.

Are you looking forward to the Samberg-helmed Shark Week? Let us know in the comments!

Maybach Music Group MC joins Big Sean and Future on list of 2011's hottest new hip-hop upstarts.
By Rob Markman

Meek Mill
Photo: Jerritt Clark/FilmMagic

Meek Mill is just trying to live up to his name. After receiving the rap moniker "Meek Millionaire" from a deceased friend as a teen, the Philadelphia MC decided to tweak his handle — at least until his dreams become reality.

"I was using that rap name when I was like 14, 15. But then, as I got older, 18, I started being in the streets. I ain't calling myself no millionaire running around the streets and I'm hurting, so I just ended up cutting it short to 'Meek Mill,' and I left it at that," he told MTV News.

Now, Meek is part of Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group and MTV Jams' 2011 Fab 5 lineup, and well on his way to the money.

Conceived on MTV Jams in 2005, the Fab 5 is a collection of the year's most outstanding new hip-hop artists who have made a visual impact on the road to releasing their debut albums. Fab 5 alumni include Juelz Santana, Tony Yayo, Paul Wall, Young Jeezy, Kid Cudi, Drake and 2011 inductees Big Sean and Future. This year, MTV Jams, MTV News and Sucker Free will bring you 2011's hottest new hip-hop upstarts, and Meek Mill is at the top of the list.

Locally, Mill made a name for himself in Philly thanks to his fiery freestyles and street mixtapes, particularly his Flamerz series. His early efforts caught the attention of T.I. and Rick Ross, who collaborated with Meek on his "Rosé Red (Remix)" and eventually signed the young rapper to MMG.

"Before this, I ain't have nothing I was actually chasing. I was just in the street living the life," Meek said. Now, the rap rookie has a starring role on MMG's Self Made Vol.1 compilation. Mill's performances on standout tracks like "Tupac Back" and "I'm a Boss" have made the rap world take notice and, in the process, have made MM a ton of fans.

"My fans love me, they love what I do. If I don't put out music for a long time, they anticipate all my mixtapes, they support me," he said. "That's why when I'm in the streets with my fans, if I can, I try to do everything that I can as far as how many pictures I take."

Still, Meek insists he is a normal person and wants to live a normal life. He better soak it up while he can because things are changing quickly.

"Now, Ross be calling me 'Meek Millionaire,' actually; he always be saying it on new songs we be doing," the MC said. "I ain't there yet; I should be real soon: I'm gonna get my millionaire's club membership real soon."

Check back next Monday to find out who will join Meek Mill, Big Sean and Future in the Fab 5. And tune into "RapFix Live," where each artist will be highlighted.

• Fab 5 Summer: Artists To Watch

• Meek Mill