Pro-Perry Flash Mob in Times Square

In honor of Katy Perry's new video for "E.T." (which you can watch online right now and catch the on-air premiere tonight on MTV), the rumor floating around MTV News headquarters was that there was going to be a pro-Perry flash mob that assembled and performed in Times Square on Wednesday (March 30). It sounded like it had the potential to look especially crazy, so we sent a crew down to try to document the madness.

A group of black hoodie-clad characters wearing cardboard alien masks did descend on Times Square in the early evening, but the intrepid NYPD broke things up before anything could really happen. The performers were undeterred though, as they skulked around the area, grabbing innocent bystanders, busting out crazy dance moves, mounting telephone kiosks and bowing before images of Perry. It was a wild scene, and while we may never know what the performance was actually supposed to look like, it still provided a nutty, unexpected early evening Times Square experience.

Perry has been on a roll lately, as her second album Teenage Dream continues to sell well, her tour is extremely popular and "E.T." just ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, knocking out Lady Gaga's long-running "Born This Way." That means that every single from Perry's album has gone to the top of the charts, which is a remarkable and unprecedented accomplishment.

Don't miss the on-air premiere of Katy Perry's "E.T." video, featuring Kanye West, at 7:53 p.m. ET tonight on MTV, followed by our live "MTV First" interview with Katy Perry on MTV.com!