Best And Worst Grammy Fashions
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1657590
Larissa Meek Laura Harring Laura Prepon Lauren Bush Lauren Conrad
Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.
By James Montgomery
Coldplay's new British stamps
Photo: Royal Mail
On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years.
The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed, Led Zeppelin's IV, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Clash's London Calling, New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, Blur's Parklife and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head.
Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design.
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for IV — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery.
"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."
Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their Rush of Blood stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date."
"We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."
Related Photos Related ArtistsAshley Scott Ashley Tappin Ashley Tisdale Asia Argento Aubrey ODay
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=3213641&vid=523194
Genelle Frenoy Georgianna Robertson Georgina Grenville Gina Carano Gina Gershon
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1102&vid=208348
Tricia Helfer Tricia Vessey Trista Rehn Tyra Banks Uma Thurman
Academy picks royal film for its Best Picture, Director and Actor honors.
By Brian Warmoth
Colin Firth poses with his award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in "The King's Speech"
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Director Tom Hooper gave moms watching the 83rd Academy Awards a reason to love his film, and the Oscars gave "The King's Speech" four statues by the end of the night, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay.
"The moral of this story is: Listen to your mother," Hooper told the audience at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre when he accepted his directing prize. The first-time winner and nominee credited his mother for discovering the script, which also won in its category for writer David Seidler.
Seidler's tale, based on King George VI's struggle to overcome a stuttering problem and lead Britain through World War II, entered the night with a royal recipe of previously nominated talent, historical drama and personal strife. When the ballots were finally counted, the classic formula won out, and Hooper, Seidler and star Colin Firth earned a few coveted words to put in front of their names for the rest of their careers: Oscar winner.
Check out backstage photos of the big Oscar winners.
"I have a feeling my career's just peaked," Firth quipped during his acceptance speech. The excitement, however, wasn't enough for him to get funky in front of the crowd. "I'm afraid I have to warn you that I'm experiencing stirrings somewhere in the upper abdominals," he revealed before excusing himself to go backstage and indulge his desire to dance.
"The King's Speech" may not have swept its nomination categories, with Geoffrey Rush losing out to Christian Bale for Best Supporting Actor and Helena Bonham Carter coming up short against Melissa Leo in "The Fighter" for Best Supporting Actress. Likewise, it failed to take home awards in six other categories where it was nominated. But failing to earn Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography won't be the movie's legacy.
"The Social Network" edged out the Oscar night's biggest winner for Best Film Editing and Best Music, and "The Fighter" earning the first statue of the night ensured that the Oscars would be shared this year.
Nevertheless, of the three films, "The King's Speech" will have the most enviable assortment of laurels on its DVD cover when it lands on store shelves.
Stick with MTV News on Oscar night and beyond for red-carpet fashion coverage, analysis of the winners, plus interviews, photos and more from your favorite Hollywood stars!
Related Videos Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658827/oscars-kings-speech.jhtml
Jill Wagner Joanna Krupa Joanne Montanez Jodi Lyn OKeefe Jolene Blalock
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/ZbqWj--OSlo/
Milla Jovovich Minka Kelly Minki van der Westhuizen Miranda Kerr Mischa Barton
The 'Director's Fan Cut' teaser captures the teen sensation performing an acoustic version of 'Baby' with a young girl.
By Eric Ditzian
Justin Bieber in the new "Never Say Never" clip
Photo: Paramount
Earlier this week, "Never Say Never" director Jon Chu promised MTV News that his new "Director's Fan Cut" of Justin Bieber's 3-D flick would deliver 40 minutes of fresh footage, including different songs (such as "Favorite Girl"), some more shirtless shots of the teen singer ("Maybe some abs!") and extra scenes of him interacting with fans.
With the recut movie hitting theaters on Friday (February 25), Paramount Pictures has released a clip showing just that: the Biebs hanging out with some of his young fanatical followers. The 71-second promo shows Bieber — pre-haircut, of course — at an intimate gathering in Phoenix. While the pop star gives an acoustic performance on a small stage, his fans beg him to play "Baby," but he jokes, "I don't know that song."
He then declares to a very young fan, "I'll only sing 'Baby' if you come up here and sing it with me." Cue the cuteness. The girl sits on his lap and together they belt out the hit single.
This isn't the first time we've seen Bieber show off an easy, breezy way with his youngest fans. Last year, he popped up on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to surprise a 3-year-old Belieber named Cody who'd become an Internet sensation after her sister posted a video of her crying over the teen heartthrob on YouTube. As he tweeted later, "Makin faces with Cody!"
The re-released "Never Say Never" represents an effort both to goose box-office receipts three weeks after the film's initial opening and to feed the Beliebers' seemingly insatiable appetite for anything and everything connected to the star.
"We originally had a two-and-a-half-hour version of the movie, which we obviously couldn't release," Chu explained to us. "So we started to think about putting stuff back in that didn't have to do with our story but that we knew people would love."
Are you planning to go see the "Director's Fan Cut" of "Never Say Never"? Let us know in the comments.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658725/justin-bieber-never-say-never-clip.jhtml
Leighton Meester Leila Arcieri Lena Headey Leonor Varela Leslie Bega
Ashley Tappin Ashley Tisdale Asia Argento Aubrey ODay Audrina Patridge
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1102&vid=208348
Foxy Brown Freida Pinto FSU Cowgirls Gabrielle Union Garcelle Beauvais
'I'm still kind of amazed that they let me drink beer out of somebody's skull,' Nicolas Cage marvels to MTV News.
By Kara Warner
If the trailers haven't already sold the fact that "Drive Angry" is outrageous, in every sense of the word, allow the cast of the film -- Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, Billy Burke and William Fichtner -- to expand on the subject, particularly the scenes they thought would be left on the cutting-room floor.
"I'm still kind of amazed that they let me drink beer out of somebody's skull," Cage admitted to MTV News recently of his character's most over-the-top antics. "That that's still in the movie, and it's a credit to [director] Patrick Lussier that he had the guts to go in the most far-out places."
"Only in our movie, in the world of 'Drive Angry,' " Heard said.
"I wanted it to look good, like, 'My cup runneth over,' " Cage explained of the big moment. "I wanted the beer to come sploshing out of the eye sockets."
Burke, who plays a very disturbed and psychotic cult leader hell-bent on infant sacrifice in the film, said he figured that one of the film's climactic scenes would receive a less intensely violent edit.
"I thought that we would probably change sacrificing a baby to maybe a lamb or something like that," Burke said. "I didn't think that we'd actually go forward with wanting to kill a baby, but we did, and that's the kind of movie this is. So if you can't take that, for the fun and spirit in which it's intended, then you shouldn't go see this movie," he advised.
For scene-stealer Fichtner, who plays the mysterious character the Accountant, he was most surprised that a very racy/violent love scene made the cut.
"There was one scene in the movie, we all know which one I'm talking about [a 'creative' sex scene in which Cage engages in a gunfight with a naked woman still on top of him] where I thought, 'Wow, that's interesting,' " he said. "That's a challenge."
In addition to the outrageousness of wrapping your head around what happens in that scene, Fichtner said he has great respect for the actors and stunt coordinators who made it happen.
"Patrick [Lussier] did an amazing job and so did Charlotte [Ross] and Nic," he said. "It's much more than just a sex scene."
Check out everything we've got on "Drive Angry."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658785/drive-angry-nicolas-cage.jhtml
Joanne Montanez Jodi Lyn OKeefe Jolene Blalock Jordana Brewster Josie Maran
'I still think there's a movie out there that can be done for the real 'Joe' fans,' Chu said of helming sequel.
By Shawn Adler
Jon Chu
Photo: Francois Durand/Getty Images
He's survived gunfights, and bombings, and enough doomsday machines to make James Bond blush, but action icon G.I. Joe may have finally met one affliction he couldn't counter: Bieber Fever.
"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" director Jon Chu is going from helming a flick about a boy wonder to helming one about a toy wonder, with news that the 31-year-old has been chosen to direct "G.I. Joe 2," according to a report on Deadline.
As Paramount's first choice for the action sequel, Chu beat out rumored competitors Gary Grey and Jaume Collet-Serra.
For Chu, the chance to direct "G.I. Joe 2" is a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream, having been a fan of the character since he was a little child.
"'Joe' is something I've loved since I was a kid," Chu confessed to MTV News when word of his possible involvement first leaked. "My era was 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' 'G.I. Joe' and 'Transformers.' When 'Joe' changed their theme song from the old style 'Go Joe!' to 'Got to get tough, go Joe!' That was the era I was in. Those are the fun, glory years that I remember."
Directed by Stephen Sommers and starring, among others, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum, and Sienna Miller, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" was released in 2009 to over $300 million worldwide but mostly middling reviews.
While it is unclear which of the stars will return for the sequel, Chu believes there's a definite opportunity to build on the first film's successes, while possibly taking the sequel in another direction.
"I still think there's a movie out there that can be done for the real 'Joe' fans," he said, "the one we've been waiting for that hasn't been done before."
That other direction almost certainly won't include casting Justin Bieber. Asked if he could envision the pop superstar in fatigues, Chu simply laughed.
"That's hilarious," he chuckled.
Currently in its third week of release, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" has earned nearly $60 million at the domestic box office. A "Director's Fan Cut" of the film with extended footage is currently in release for an exclusive one-week run.
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related VideosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658788/jon-chu-gi-joe-2.jhtml
Autumn Reeser Avril Lavigne Bali Rodriguez Bar Refaeli Beyoncé
2008 Video Of The Year: Britney Spears "Piece of Me
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=501686&vid=421943
Emilie de Ravin Emma Heming Emma Stone Emma Watson Emmanuelle Chriqui
Justin Timberlake also wanted to sign Bieber, 'Never Say Never' star said in 2009.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber
Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News
Just as the world was learning who Justin Bieber was, MTV News caught up with the shaggy-haired singer in September 2009. He was gearing up to release his debut album, My World, and plotting his pop-world domination. In the year and a half since that interview, Bieber has done the nearly impossible, launching himself into the pop mega-sphere.
In the chat, Bieber recalled how he and his manager, Scooter Braun, met and eventually got big names interested in signing the teen.
"My manager found me on YouTube. He flew me out to Atlanta for the first time — I'd never actually been on a plane before. He flew me to Atlanta where i was going to the studio to meet some people," he recalled.
"And Usher happened to roll up in his Range Rover. I ran up to him, and I was like, 'Usher, I love your songs. Want me to sing you one?' The politest possible way he could say no, he did. ... I took the hint. I didn't get to sing for him: He had to run into a studio session."
But later, Usher was beckoning the teen back to the ATL. "He actually watched my videos — after my manager got to talking to him — and was like, 'I should have let this kid sing,' and flew me back to Atlanta where I got to sing for him in a proper setting. A week later, I had a meeting with Justin Timberlake, who also wanted to sign me, so they both kind of wanted me."
As the story goes, Bieber went with Usher, and the two never looked back.
"As far as Usher being my mentor, he's definitely given me words of wisdom. I hear it from everybody, but definitely to hear it from Usher is great, just to stay humble and grounded is very important," he explained.
"There's a lot of people, especially young stars, that have gone down the wrong path, and I definitely plan to stay humble and stay grounded and keep my family first, because that stuff really is important in life."
On Friday, Justin Bieber's 3-D documentary, "Never Say Never," opens. The film takes a look at how the teen star worked to hit it big. MTV News has been chatting with him along the way, from the time he first burst on the scene in 2009 until now, as he embarks on a huge 2011 that will include a tour and more new music.
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657425/justin-bieber-usher-video.jhtml
Rozonda Thomas Saira Mohan Salma Hayek Samaire Armstrong Samantha Mathis
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=288236
Emmanuelle Chriqui Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmy Rossum Erica Leerhsen Erika Christensen
But is it here to stay? Our music-industry experts weigh in.
By Akshay Bhansali
Ke$ha
Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images
In 2010, pop princesses, R&B icons and chart-dominating newcomers all danced to the same beat. Not only did dance music go pop, but pop music caught the club-music bug.
Between Katy Perry's "Firework," Ke$ha's "We R Who We R," Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)," Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It," Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" and "OMG" and countless other singles, established artists definitely looked to dance beats for surefire hits. And two of this year's biggest success stories in music were Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz; could there be a soul left in this country who hasn't heard "Dynamite" or "In My Head"?
The love went both ways, with dance music's biggest stars finding mainstream success this year. Dance-music maestro deadmau5 took up house-artist duties at this year's VMAs, and Swedish House Mafia and Usher teamed up for a medley of their gems at the American Music Awards.
So how did this happen? We caught up with some music-industry experts to get their takes.
"You definitely saw tempos go up this year," Jon Caramanica of The New York Times told MTV News. "And I think what you had are a lot of producers who are really familiar with nightclub stuff. They are familiar with Europe. Things are happening on a more global scale now."
"I think everything from Europe, and sometimes even Asia, it comes to America, and we just adopt things a little bit slower," said Jared Eng of JustJared.com. "I think it was just a change. People like different types of music at different times. And dance was of this moment."
Noah Callahan of Complex magazine added: "I think 2010 saw the merging of the pop and dance genres. Pop artists realized that there were best practices that could be borrowed from dance music. And, ultimately, [all] pop music that has been made in the past 20 years had ended up being remixed for the club by dance artists. I think they basically just cut out the middleman and went straight there."
Dance music being introduced into the hip-hop and R&B realms was particularly notable this year.
"I think David Guetta kind of at the end of last year and the beginning of this year spearheaded it," said freelance writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd. "He produced a lot of tracks. I think as trends go, people revile 'unst-unst.' But it's just coming back around. Big-room techno was a way for people to get decadent in a year that no one could get decadent."
"You have someone like will.i.am, who's like, 'Well, I spent all this time in Ibiza, and this is what they are doing,' and he wants to find a way to bring that into his music," Caramanica said of the Black Eyed Peas mastermind. "R&B especially became dance music. And especially with your Jason Derülos, Taio Cruzes. Guys like that would have literally been blocked at the border two years ago. That would not have made it through customs. And now all of a sudden they have #1 songs. I think will.i.am had a lot to do with that last year."
Elliott Wilson of RapRadar.com added: "It's actually even affected hip-hop. I was talking to Q-Tip, and his next record, I feel like that's gonna kind of go in that vein. I know that was also Jay-Z's thought process with Blueprint 3 at first, that he wanted to make a little bit more of a world music [vibe], a little more dancey. I think the kids today want to go to the clubs. They wanna have a good time. They wanna dance. So I think the artists of today are trying to kind of feed that audience."
"I think it's caught on this year because the people who've done it have been successful," offered Clover Hope of Vibe magazine. "Like 'OMG,' with usher, he didn't have success until he made a dance record. He had 'There Goes My Baby' and these really, like, adult-contemporary records that didn't really catch on. And then once you see that everybody is doing it and that people are liking it, they are like, 'OK, let me just try this out.' It's like Auto-Tune. Like, 'Let me see what I sound like on a record by David Guetta.' They end up liking it and doing more of it."
So does the club-music trend have staying power. According to our tastemakers, not so much.
"I do think it's a blip," Caramanica said. "I don't think that's gonna be something that lasts in America. I think this is gonna be a moment we'll all look back on and go, 'Wasn't that weird when Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz had #1 records?"
"At some point, these R&B artists will get kind of sick of it and be like, 'Let me go back to my soul background,' " Hope said. "When you actually have to say something, dance doesn't really lend itself to substance. And I think that R&B artists, they really want to talk about love and in a deep way, and to do that, you need to do, like, a soul or a traditional R&B record. I want to say that it's kind of a fad."
"I think music is very cyclical," Eng offered. "So I think dance music might be here for a little bit, but I'm sure it will phase out at some point."
Wilson called dance music "the sound of today. I think that people want more aggressive, faster beats, and I think that that probably has legs until at least next summer."
What do you think? Is dance music here to stay? Let us know in the comments!
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655031/usher-keha-more-help-dance-music-go-pop-2010.jhtml
Julie Berry K. D. Aubert Karen Carreno Karolína Kurková Kasey Chambers
MTV News has been on the road with the Nicolas Cage flick since the start.
By Eric Ditzian
David Morse and Nicolas Cage in "Drive Angry"
Photo: Summit Publicity
"Drive Angry" is perhaps the Nicolas Cage-iest Nicolas Cage movie ever. The ever-unpredictable, often wacky, potentially out-of-his-gourd actor stars as a man who literally breaks out of hell to exact a bloody, muscle-car-assisted revenge plot ... in 3-D. It's deeply weird stuff, and yet, with Cage at the center of it all, it makes a whole lot of sense.
MTV News, it should be said, has been at the center of "Drive Angry" coverage, securing the very first interview about the project and continuing to track it from the first trailer to the brink of opening weekend. Read on for everything you need to know about the movie before it hits theaters Friday (February 25).
Going on the Road
Coming off the $100 million success of 2009's "My Bloody Valentine," director Patrick Lussier and his writing partner, Todd Farmer, asked themselves one question: "What movie do we want to see and what movie do we want to shoot in 3-D?" as Lussier later explained to us.
"We didn't really have anything in mind beyond that," he added. "We started writing an opening scene about a guy named Milton killing these three guys called the F---ers, who are totally scared sh--less and totally deserve it. From there, 'Drive Angry' was born. We wanted to come up with something that wasn't a horror movie but was just a hard-R, action-driven road movie, because that would be a great film to see in 3-D."
Ditching any notion of converting the film to three dimensions during post-production, Lussier hauled 3-D cameras down to Shreveport, Louisiana, and began shooting in the spring of 2010. To share the screen with Cage, Lussier hired Amber Heard to play a sassy waitress who gets pulled into Cage's scheme and William Fichtner as the agent of the devil's evil agenda.
3-D, From Scratch
When we caught up with Cage in the spring at Wonder-Con, he joked that the pollen in Louisiana made him sound like an "old blues singer" and raved about how the flick would meld an old-school cinematic vibe with cutting-edge technology.
"It's like if you got to see an old '70s action movie, but in 3-D," he explained. "We're doing something semi-historical, because it's the first 3-D movie shot [in the] style of a '70s action film. You could see Charles Bronson or [Clint] Eastwood [starring in a film like this] in those days."
Months later, with the shoot behind him and his voice back to normal, Cage marveled at how he escaped the production injury-free. "In this case, I did quite a few stunts with people literally on the hood of the car driving at very high speeds, so it reminded me of those old movies where you have people on top of the wing of a biplane," he said. "It was a little intense. That was definitely new to me and I was always very concerned about the stunt people I was working with."
Hell on Earth
The film's first trailer popped up online in October and featured everything we could have hoped for: big guns and fast cars, Cage walking slowly away from explosions without looking back, and fab lines like, "Hell already is walking the Earth." Months later, a Super Bowl ad delivered further peeks at the hard-R craziness. There's action aplenty, and that's exactly how Lussier planned it.
"We have this great car chase with Nic's character chasing after Amber Heard's character, who's in the middle of a fight inside this RV," he teased of one scene. "You're in this claustrophobic space, and suddenly you're outside with Nic in hot pursuit. There's all sorts of gunplay on the road. It's spectacular."
Check out everything we've got on "Drive Angry."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658681/nicolas-cage-drive-angry.jhtml
Liz Phair Lokelani McMichael Lori Heuring Lorri Bagley Lucy Liu
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1270&vid=285678
Malin Akerman Mandy Moore Maria Bello Maria Menounos Maria Sharapova
'It is a monster,' Larry Rudolph tells MTV News about 'Hold It Against Me' follow-up.
By Jocelyn Vena
Britney Spears' <i>Femme Fatale</i>
Photo: Jive
With a little more than a month to go before the March 29 release of Britney Spears' Femme Fatale, we spoke to her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, on the same night her eagerly anticipated "Hold It Against Me" video premiered.
Rudolph revealed to MTV News during our "HIAM" live stream on Thursday night that fans will likely hear another new song before the album — executive-produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke — comes out.
"We have a second song that I think we're gonna end up putting out before the album drops," he teased. "I can't say with 100 percent certainty, but I think we probably will. But we're talking about it now and it is a monster. It really is."
Rudolph has been by Brit's side since the beginning of her career, and he predicted that if fans love "HIAM," then they're in for a real treat with the next song.
"I don't think I've been this excited about releasing a Britney single in many, many years," he added. "It's that good. That's all I'm gonna say about it at the moment. I haven't heard a final mix of it, but I should get it in the next day or two. So far, what I've heard is just extraordinary. It really is amazing. Her fans will be very happy with it. I'm trying hard to get it out before the album comes out."
Spears teased some upcoming promotional plans for the album last week during a Twitter Q&A. "I'm doing a lot of promo," she said. "There will be some major announcements in the next few days." She added, "I'm thinking about the tour right now and I would [love] to visit a lot of places I didn't get to go to on my last tour."
What did you think of Britney's "HIAM" video? Tell us in the comments!
Related Videos Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658324/britney-spears-next-single.jhtml
Jennie Finch Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Gareis Jennifer Garner Jennifer Gimenez
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/FAQU8DpkMLw/
Garcelle Beauvais Genelle Frenoy Georgianna Robertson Georgina Grenville Gina Carano
'I plan on making a lot more records, and hopefully one of them will be Grammy-worthy,' singer tells Vanity Fair.
By James Dinh
Ke$ha
Photo: Jordan Strauss/ Getty Images
Last year was full of breakout music stars, including Ke$ha, who ruled the scene with a string of dance-pop hits (and a massive overflow of glitter). But not everyone is a Ke$ha fan: The singer was snubbed when the 2011 Grammy nominees were announced in December.
The starlet recently spoke to Vanity Fair about the Grammy snub and said she's determined to score a nod sometime later in her career. And after calling the Recording Academy's award "not that big a deal," Ke$ha admitted that she was saddened by her lack of nominations.
"Of course I do," the singer said when asked if she wanted a Grammy. "I was disappointed that I didn't get nominated. But I've only been around for a year. I'm friends with the Black Keys, and they were nominated for the first time this year. And they've been around for a decade. That's like half my life, so I really can't be a brat about it."
Ke$ha isn't bitter about the situation either, telling the magazine, "I plan on making a lot more records, and hopefully one of them will be Grammy-worthy."
While she may not be gearing up for the big show on Sunday night, Ke$ha is prepping for the launch of her first North American headlining tour, the Get $leazy Tour. The country-wide trek is scheduled to kick off on Tuesday in Portland, Oregon, and continue through May.
Do you think Ke$ha deserved a Grammy nomination? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657756/kesha-grammys.jhtml
Gwen Stefani Halle Berry Hayden Panettiere Haylie Duff Heidi Klum
Source: http://perezhilton.com/2011-02-24-christina-aguilera-spiraling-out-of-control
Grace Park Gretha Cavazzoni Gwen Stefani Halle Berry Hayden Panettiere
Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges and Oprah Winfrey also will hand out Academy Awards on Sunday.
By Aly Semigran
Scarlett Johansson
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
With the countdown to the 83rd annual Academy Awards in its final phase (there's just five days left until the big night), there's still news coming out about the ceremony: It was announced Tuesday morning (February 22) that actress Scarlett Johansson and funny man Russell Brand will attend the 2011 Oscars as presenters.
Johansson, who appeared in last year's hit "Iron Man 2" and is currently filming Cameron Crowe's upcoming "We Bought a Zoo," has recently been the focus of the media attention due to her divorce from actor Ryan Reynolds.
Meanwhile, Brand, who wed singer Katy Perry last year and stars in the upcoming "Arthur" reboot with Helen Mirren, tried out his own style of edgy comedy during his hosting stint on the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009 and just this month on "Saturday Night Live."
This will mark the first Oscar appearance for the "Get Him to the Greek" star, who joked on his Twitter page Tuesday, "I am presenting an Oscar. I shall also choose the recipient. At last my work as Aldous Snow will be honoured, for best actor-ing."
Brand and Johansson will join fellow A-list presenters Sandra Bullock (last year's Best Actress recipient will hand out this year's Best Actor trophy), Jeff Bridges (2010 Best Actor winner to hand out the Best Actress award), Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Hugh Jackman, Reese Witherspoon, Cate Blanchett and Marisa Tomei, as well as two of this year's Best Actress nominees, Nicole Kidman and Annette Bening.
The Academy Awards, which will be co-hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, will air live from the Kodiak Theater in Hollywood at 8 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC.
Who are you most looking forward to seeing on Oscar night? Tell us below!
Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658400/russell-brand-scarlett-johansson-oscar-presenters.jhtml
Shiri Appleby Sienna Guillory Sienna Miller Simone Mütherthies Sofía Vergara
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1102&vid=26721
Mía Maestro Michael Michele Michelle Behennah Michelle Branch Michelle Malkin
'It gives her a whole new look and it shows how creative I am,' Grammy-nominated producer says of Cannibal singer.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Producer Bangladesh's biggest break came when he powered Lil Wayne's "A Milli." Then he upped the ante on Weezy's recent release "6 Foot 7 Foot." So, what does the Grammy-nominated beatsmith have in store for the new year? More of the same, actually.
Bangladesh hopes to continue his genre-bending ways, whether it's lending rock-leaning sensibilities to Lil Wayne or injecting a pop star's work with edgy hip-hop drums. He and Dr. Luke (Britney Spears, Pink, Katy Perry) recently worked together on Ke$ha's "Sleazy," from her Cannibal LP.
"I met Luke through a mutual friend, so it was like me walking into a stranger's house," Bangladesh told MTV News. "I really didn't know what to expect. But it was all love. It was kind of like the roles were reversed, like I was the biggest producer and he just had a couple of hits. Once I saw how he felt about me, I was like man, I might be the truth. [He laughs.]"
After hitting it off, they joined forces for "Sleazy," the first of many collaborations Bangladesh is shooting for with the "Tik Tok" star.
"That's a good look, because it gives her a whole new look and it shows how creative I am," he explained. "It shows how music is changing. And it shows that I'm kind of the changer behind it. The leader. I'm trying to mix the different genres where it's still convincing, like, I believe them doing this."
Related ArtistsCarrie Underwood Cat Power Catherine Bell Chandra West Charisma Carpenter
Reports say Oscar-winner will play Man of Steel's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, in Zack Snyder's reboot.
By Shawn Adler
Kevin Costner
Photo: Getty Images/ Kevin Winter
Kevin Costner is a man of interest for the Man of Steel, with director Zack Snyder and team keen to cast the "Bull Durham" and "Dances With Wolves" star in their Superman reboot, according to a Deadline report.
Citing "well-placed sources," Latino Review reported that Costner will play Jonathan "Pa" Kent, Kal-El's adoptive Earth father. With the film shrouded in secrecy, though, it might take Brainiac himself to figure out exactly for what role Costner is being courted. But, given Costner's screen history in films like "Field of Dreams," the role of "Pa," played by Glenn Ford in Richard Donner's 1978 "Superman," seems likely.
What little is known about the film suggests Costner also could play the role of Perry White, editor-in-chief of Metropolis mega-paper The Daily Planet, or General Zod, hinted as a companion to a rumored fellow Kryptonian villain. It's possible Costner might even step into the shoes of fellow Oscar-winners Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey to play archenemy Lex Luthor.
Whoever he plays, Costner would be alongside Brit Henry Cavill, pegged to wear the Man of Steel tights in Snyder's re-imagining. Fans recently got their first glimpse of "The Tudors" star on the cover of Entertainment Weekly sporting a T-shirt with the iconic Superman shield.
Would you prefer to see Costner play a good guy or a villain? Sound off in the comments!
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock —, visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658437/superman-kevin-costner.jhtml
Kristanna Loken Kristen Bell Kristin Cavallari Kristin Kreuk Kristy Swanson
DAS Communications' lawyer claims producer Dr. Luke convinced her to breach contract.
By Jocelyn Vena
Ke$ha
Photo: Fotonoticias/ Getty Images
Ke$ha is being sued by her former managers at DAS Communications for upwards of $14 million, Ken Freundlich, who is representing DAS in the case, confirmed to MTV News.
"DAS was Ke$ha's manager since the beginning of 2006, and there was a written agreement, and they worked closely, and sometime in September 2008 [producer] Dr. Luke, for his own personal gain, somehow induced her to breach that contract," Freundlich said. "And she unceremoniously terminated DAS without justification and then ended up with Luke, basically. So we sued Ke$ha for breach of contract and Luke for interference, and that was last year, and the defense's reaction was to try and delay us. They made motions.
"The judge denied all their motions, and now we're going forward. We're going to have our day in court," he continued. "And we're going to prove that Dr. Luke induced her to breach the contract. She had no right to do so, and we're gonna get damages from her."
Freundlich explained how he and his team came to the $14 million sum, explaining, "We don't know exactly how much, but we assume it's in that range. She's been quite successful. The case is set. It's gonna go on the rest of this year. We're gonna go straight to the trial if we have to."
Ke$ha has filed a suit in California against the management team, but Freundlich is confident nothing will come of her claim that they acted as an "illegal talent agent." "That's pending out in California. Even though that case is still pending, I don't think it has any merit," he said.
Calls to Ke$ha's legal team and rep were not returned to MTV News by press time.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656650/kesha-sued-former-managers.jhtml
Christina Applegate Christina DaRe Christina Milian Christina Ricci Chyler Leigh
Source: http://perezhilton.com/2011-02-23-liza-minnelli-backstage-at-lady-gagas-new-york-show
Krista Allen Kristanna Loken Kristen Bell Kristin Cavallari Kristin Kreuk
'If time allows, there will definitely be new music,' Robert DeLeo adds of STP's future.
By Chris Harris
Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo and Scott Weiland
Photo: Charley Gallay/ Getty Images
There are a number of reasons why Stone Temple Pilots decided to reunite after nearly five years apart — some are obvious, and others, not so much.
Of course, the financial windfall of reviving the grunge stalwarts for an extensive U.S. tour was too good to pass up, and bassist Robert DeLeo readily admits as much. And then there are the fans, the ones who had been with STP since the very beginning as well as those who discovered the band only after it first split back in 2003 and who, woefully, have yet to catch the Pilots live.
On a more personal level, though, Stone Temple Pilots' resurrection was purely selfish, and very much an anticipatory (not to mention optimistic) move on the band's part: If, after the months and months of rumors and denials, there ever is a full-on Led Zeppelin reunion tour, STP wanted to be ready to offer their services as an opening act.
"Believe me, that was one of the reasons," laughed DeLeo. "We thought, 'We should get together now, in case Zeppelin does tour.' I'm serious, man. That would be one hell of a bill: STP and Led Zeppelin. I mean, we could play a doghouse, out in the middle of the ocean, and if I got to play with Zeppelin, that would be a highlight of my life."
Yes, DeLeo — and the rest of the band — had several reservations about raising STP from the dead — a feat DeLeo jokingly referred to as "Mission Impossible." For the band's members, the idea of regrouping was terrifying at first, but with time, the boys settled their differences and tried to think positive.
"For me, it was about putting down some of the things that I was used to getting bitten by," explained the bassist — who, with guitar-playing brother Dean DeLeo, has been collaborating with Peter Frampton on material for his next LP. "After you get bitten, it's hard to go back. I wanted to go into this with an open frame of mind and a positive attitude and just have fun with it. We should have fun with it, which God knows we didn't always have with our career when we were younger. If that's all I can say, and that's what I can get out of this reunion, great.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say there's a lot of unfinished business that we didn't get around to the first go," he continued. "Enough time has gone by, and it feels really good to be back. I don't really want to put too much thought into how it feels — I'm just kind of going with it and keeping a good positive attitude about it. I just needed to get over the things that we all needed to get over, and that's been working so far. If everyone shows up and does this thing, I think it's going to be really amazing."
DeLeo claims that during recent rehearsals, STP were "sounding as good as ever," and he credits sobriety as part of the reason the band's in tip-top shape.
"My brother's going on four years of sobriety," he said. "We have a lot more clarity in the band now, and I think with clarity comes appreciation. I saw that the other night, when we played [a secret gig in Los Angeles]. I saw it in my eyes, and in the eyes of the rest of the band. There's a lot more rock in this band now."
As for an STP record, DeLeo is not 100 percent sure that's going to happen. The goal for STP over the next few weeks, he said, is to reacquaint themselves with their songbook and prepare for their return to the road. Once the band is back in that mindset, the bassist said new STP material is very possible.
"I've always got stuff written, and there's always a long list of songs that are always there — it's a matter of timing," DeLeo said. "If time allows, there will definitely be new music. I think it would be silly not to release new music. I'd like to believe we still have a writing relationship, but the first step is getting reacquainted with what we know."
While STP were on hiatus, frontman Scott Weiland teamed up with Velvet Revolver, and the DeLeo brothers joined forces with Filter's Richard Patrick for Army of Anyone — who are now on hiatus after releasing a poorly received self-titled LP. Does DeLeo foresee an AOA reunion somewhere down the line?
"You never know," he said. "It's just like STP — I didn't know if I was going to return. Whether we get back together and do anything, I think we made a great record, bottom line. That's all that matters to me. If we make another one, I want to make sure it's great, and that applies to STP and anything I do. But I was pretty heartbroken over [the feeble response to AOA's album]."
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1586020/stone-temple-pilots-reunited-tour-with-zeppelin.jhtml
Kristen Bell Kristin Cavallari Kristin Kreuk Kristy Swanson Kylie Bax
Judge rules that camera will be allowed in the courtroom for manslaughter case.
By Gil Kaufman
Conrad Murray
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images
For what promises to be one of the most bizarre and riveting legal proceedings in years, a Los Angeles judge ruled on Monday that a television camera will be allowed in the courtroom when Michael Jackson's doctor goes on trial for involuntary manslaughter.
Reuters reported that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, approved the presence of a camera in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray as long as it does not interfere with the proceedings in the closely watched case.
The judge asked for the "absolute least-intrusive placement" of a TV camera in the courtroom, but blocked cameras from documenting jury selection.
Pastor also announced that he would bump up the opening date of the trail by four days to March 24, at which point jury selection will begin. Murray, who faces up to four years in prison if convicted, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial is expected to last around six weeks.
Cardiologist Murray was hired to be Jackson's personal physician in the run-up to the King of Pop's planned 50-date comeback series of shows at London's O2 arena in the summer of 2009. The doctor told police that he provided Jackson, 50, with sedatives and the surgical anesthetic propofol in order to combat the singer's chronic insomnia. He said he did so on the morning of June 25, 2009, when Jackson died of what a coroner deemed acute propofol poisoning.
TMZ reported on Tuesday (February 8) that Murray's lawyers plan to argue that Jackson was already in weak health before he died and that it's unfair to blame propofol for his passing. Unnamed sources close to the case told the gossip site that at the time of his death, Jackson's body was already failing him in part because concert promoter AEG Live had "driven [him] over the edge" with a rigorous rehearsal schedule for the shows.
Murray's lawyers reportedly plan to call witnesses to say that Jackson was not showing up for rehearsals and when he did he showed "clear signs" of frail health. They also reportedly plan to argue that it was Jackson who administered the final, fatal dose of propofol to himself while Murray was out of the room.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657464/conrad-murray-trial.jhtml
Brittany Lee Brittany Murphy Brittany Snow Brittny Gastineau Brody Dalle