Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/PeI3VWpFJ64/blacke30
'We did two records for her that she really, really loved,' the Jugganauts producer Verse Simmonds tells Mixtape Daily.
By Rob Markman
Verse Simmonds
Photo: MTV News
Behind the Beats: Verse Simmonds
After finding success crafting the music for Rihanna's "Man Down," the production duo known as the Jugganauts — Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph and Verse Simmonds — are looking to recapture the magic on the Bajan beauty's upcoming sixth album.
"From what I understand, she is closing the album up now, and we did two records for her that she really, really loved and I'm really excited about them as well," Simmonds told Mixtape Daily. "They are records that we wrote and produced as the Jugganauts."
Simmonds is hoping that he and partner Sak Pase land another track on Rihanna's album. And while he couldn't confirm the Jugganauts' contributions will make the final cut, he said was "99.999 percent" certain for now. For those wondering whether the singer's new tunes will sound anything like the reggae-infused "Man Down," Simmonds says no.
"Nah, definitely not, because we always try to constantly — as producers, as artists — we try to always come with something different, a whole new sound," he said without elaborating on what that new record would sound like.
As far as his chemistry with Sak Pase, with whom he did production work on Jay-Z and Kanye West's upcoming Watch the Throne album, the two seem to have a pretty organic working relationship. "In the studio, it can go one of two ways: Most times I'm writing and he's creating the track, and we produce a lot of records like that," Verse said. "Sometimes it'll flip; he'll be writing and I'll be producing the track so it depends on the vibe, and who comes in there first, who's got an idea or concept."
For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668186/jugganauts-verse-simmons-album.jhtml
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'I have not been approached to fill in for Robert Plant on the Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be,' singer says.
By Chris Harris
Chris Cornell
Photo: MTV News
Former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell has spoken out for the first time about rumors that he's been asked to fill in for Robert Plant on a proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The trek would feature original guitarist Jimmy Page, original bassist John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham taking over on drums for his late father, John Bonham.
Cornell has been mentioned — along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, White Stripes mastermind Jack White and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy — as a potential Plant fill-in. Plant has already said that he wouldn't take part in the tour.
"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Cornell told MTV News. "I've heard that from about 200 people now, and it might be one of those situations where it's just an online rumor or it might be true. But if you see anyone from Led Zeppelin around, let me know. I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss tour."
Cornell's denial comes just a day after Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford confirmed reports that frontman Steven Tyler recently met with Zeppelin for an impromptu jam session. "They did it for fun," Whitford said during an appearance on the syndicated show "Todd N Tyler Radio Empire." "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because I think he was trying to light a fire under Robert."
Rumors of a Zeppelin reunion tour have abounded since the iconic band played a single reunion set last year at London's O2 Arena. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider added fuel to the fire last month when he revealed that the group was thinking of touring, with or without Plant.
According to Snider, the rest of the band told Plant, " 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid [Myles Kennedy].' "
"And he can sing the sh-- out of Zeppelin," Snider added. "They're going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in."
In a recent interview, Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought to take over for Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he said. "We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there."
But Jones insists that he, Page and Bonham aren't interested in finding a Plant clone. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be onboard."
Of course, even if Zeppelin were to approach him, Cornell might be too busy to take over vocals for the band. His upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, will be released within the next few months. Cornell told MTV News last month that some of his fans might consider Scream something of a departure, but he doesn't see it that way.
"It makes me happy that there's this perception that I have a group of fans that I'm now sort of throwing a curve at and what their reaction will be," he said. "But I've been in this situation so many times already. When I put out [1999's] Euphoria Morning, my main goal was to create an album that sounded like nothing I'd done in Soundgarden, and I did that. I also had that with Temple of the Dog, where I showed up with songs that weren't necessarily riff-based. And then, of course, the pairing of me and members of Rage Against the Machine had everyone sort of speculating about what that would sound like.
"It feels like I've done this so many times that when it's presented to me as being a departure, I feel that's a misconception," he added. "I feel like that's my theme at this point."
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598367/chris-cornell-debunks-led-zeppelin-rumors.jhtml
Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro advised director, who aimed to 'maintain some mystery and surprises.'
By Eric Ditzian
Daniel Craig in "Cowboys & Aliens"
Photo: Universal Pictures
How do you surprise someone who's seen it all — aliens who snatch bodies and aliens with dreadlocks and aliens who bloodily birth themselves from your stomach and aliens who phone home and aliens who eat cat food and great big blue aliens with tails they use for sex?
Forget about the decades of classic extraterrestrial flicks that stream daily on TV, tablets and desktops. This year alone, movies like "Battle: Los Angeles," "Super 8," "Green Lantern" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" have hit the big screen, each trying to deliver not only eye-popping visuals but the post-credits comment between friends, "Damn, dude, have you ever seen something like that?"
The answer, all too often and quite understandably, is, "Yes, yes, I have." That's the challenge "Cowboys & Aliens" director Jon Favreau faced as he sought to bring alien baddies to the Old West for a genre mash-up that hit theaters Friday (July 29). Favreau, though, counts himself lucky that he was able to lean on some of the most-established sci-fi players in Hollywood for help. The cinematic result is a race of aliens that land in a down-on-its-luck mining town, start to kidnap residents and eventually reveal themselves as extraterrestrial superfreaks on par with anything we've seen at the theater in recent years.
Earlier this month in Montana, Favreau talked with MTV News about what makes a great big-screen alien, the special-effects decisions that helped his filmmaking process and the advice Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro gave him along the way. (Beware of spoilers below.)
"When you set out to make a movie like 'Cowboys & Aliens,' if you just play it as one joke for the whole movie, you're in trouble," Favreau explained. "You run out of gas after about the length of an 'SNL' sketch. So we really wanted to find an approach that could bear out a whole story. Part of it was identifying what kind of alien movie to make and what kind of cowboy movie to make."
The answer to the alien question was to reach back to classics of the '70s and '80s, before CG glam overtook practical effects as the preferred method of creating otherworldly creatures. "The alien movies I like the most are the ones I grew up with," he said. "It was the pre-CG, almost verging on horror versions of alien films, like 'Alien,' 'Aliens,' 'Predator' and all the Spielberg stuff, and I include 'Jaws' in that, too. They were all the same kind of movie.
"It was before you had computer effects, so you had to, through lighting and mystery and music, slowly reveal the creature. That technique has some somewhat been lost now, thanks to CGI. Even though we have CGI creatures eventually, we do use animatronics and we do use lighting and all the old techniques to reveal them."
The aliens in "Cowboys" have landed in an Arizona town to mine for gold — a metal as precious to humans as it is to these space travelers. What's truly cool about them is their transformative quality: Their faces move and shift to expose layers below, and their bodies open up to unleash hidden, gooey hands. Gross and fascinating and scary, all at once. That's exactly what Favreau was hoping to accomplish.
" 'Predator' and 'Alien': What was fun about those films is, as you saw the creatures, more and more layers were revealed, whether it was armor coming off with 'Predator' [and] weaponry, or in the case of 'Alien,' with the second set of teeth or the metamorphosis that it did from its egg state to the face-hugger to whatever that larval phase was when it busts out of your chest and finally into the big [creature]," he said. "It's the shape-shifting quality of the aliens that I thought was really cool. We wanted to maintain some mystery and surprises with our creature."
To create those surprises, Favreau not only depended on his team of artists and effects masters, but on Spielberg and del Toro. "[Spielberg] was very involved with certain aspects of it preproduction, and one of those aspects was the alien design, because he's been involved with so many," he said. "And now seeing 'Falling Skies' and seeing 'Super 8,' I see that he was not just involved with his own films, but other films and projects he's been producing and overseeing. He had a lot of specific insight into what things were important.
"And Guillermo del Toro, I also know him, and he's masterful," Favreau added. "He always said you've got to get the silhouette right first and then you got to get the color right and then you got to get the detail right, in that order. He's actually somebody who helped out and came in the editing room. I was showing him our animatronic work, because he's very picky about that stuff, and when I knew it passed his muster, I felt very good."
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.
Related Videos Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668176/cowboys-and-aliens-creatures.jhtml
Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro advised director, who aimed to 'maintain some mystery and surprises.'
By Eric Ditzian
Daniel Craig in "Cowboys & Aliens"
Photo: Universal Pictures
How do you surprise someone who's seen it all — aliens who snatch bodies and aliens with dreadlocks and aliens who bloodily birth themselves from your stomach and aliens who phone home and aliens who eat cat food and great big blue aliens with tails they use for sex?
Forget about the decades of classic extraterrestrial flicks that stream daily on TV, tablets and desktops. This year alone, movies like "Battle: Los Angeles," "Super 8," "Green Lantern" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" have hit the big screen, each trying to deliver not only eye-popping visuals but the post-credits comment between friends, "Damn, dude, have you ever seen something like that?"
The answer, all too often and quite understandably, is, "Yes, yes, I have." That's the challenge "Cowboys & Aliens" director Jon Favreau faced as he sought to bring alien baddies to the Old West for a genre mash-up that hit theaters Friday (July 29). Favreau, though, counts himself lucky that he was able to lean on some of the most-established sci-fi players in Hollywood for help. The cinematic result is a race of aliens that land in a down-on-its-luck mining town, start to kidnap residents and eventually reveal themselves as extraterrestrial superfreaks on par with anything we've seen at the theater in recent years.
Earlier this month in Montana, Favreau talked with MTV News about what makes a great big-screen alien, the special-effects decisions that helped his filmmaking process and the advice Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro gave him along the way. (Beware of spoilers below.)
"When you set out to make a movie like 'Cowboys & Aliens,' if you just play it as one joke for the whole movie, you're in trouble," Favreau explained. "You run out of gas after about the length of an 'SNL' sketch. So we really wanted to find an approach that could bear out a whole story. Part of it was identifying what kind of alien movie to make and what kind of cowboy movie to make."
The answer to the alien question was to reach back to classics of the '70s and '80s, before CG glam overtook practical effects as the preferred method of creating otherworldly creatures. "The alien movies I like the most are the ones I grew up with," he said. "It was the pre-CG, almost verging on horror versions of alien films, like 'Alien,' 'Aliens,' 'Predator' and all the Spielberg stuff, and I include 'Jaws' in that, too. They were all the same kind of movie.
"It was before you had computer effects, so you had to, through lighting and mystery and music, slowly reveal the creature. That technique has some somewhat been lost now, thanks to CGI. Even though we have CGI creatures eventually, we do use animatronics and we do use lighting and all the old techniques to reveal them."
The aliens in "Cowboys" have landed in an Arizona town to mine for gold — a metal as precious to humans as it is to these space travelers. What's truly cool about them is their transformative quality: Their faces move and shift to expose layers below, and their bodies open up to unleash hidden, gooey hands. Gross and fascinating and scary, all at once. That's exactly what Favreau was hoping to accomplish.
" 'Predator' and 'Alien': What was fun about those films is, as you saw the creatures, more and more layers were revealed, whether it was armor coming off with 'Predator' [and] weaponry, or in the case of 'Alien,' with the second set of teeth or the metamorphosis that it did from its egg state to the face-hugger to whatever that larval phase was when it busts out of your chest and finally into the big [creature]," he said. "It's the shape-shifting quality of the aliens that I thought was really cool. We wanted to maintain some mystery and surprises with our creature."
To create those surprises, Favreau not only depended on his team of artists and effects masters, but on Spielberg and del Toro. "[Spielberg] was very involved with certain aspects of it preproduction, and one of those aspects was the alien design, because he's been involved with so many," he said. "And now seeing 'Falling Skies' and seeing 'Super 8,' I see that he was not just involved with his own films, but other films and projects he's been producing and overseeing. He had a lot of specific insight into what things were important.
"And Guillermo del Toro, I also know him, and he's masterful," Favreau added. "He always said you've got to get the silhouette right first and then you got to get the color right and then you got to get the detail right, in that order. He's actually somebody who helped out and came in the editing room. I was showing him our animatronic work, because he's very picky about that stuff, and when I knew it passed his muster, I felt very good."
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.
Related Videos Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668176/cowboys-and-aliens-creatures.jhtml
Here's a photo of my niece Lila eating a nectarine:
Don't you love her ears? (The one on the left is a little big.) (My sister doesn't like to talk about it.)
Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/7/29/happy-friday.html
Band will tour U.S. and Europe in October, singer tells MTV News.
By James Montgomery
Evanescence's Amy Lee
Photo: Jason Squires/ WireImage
Evanescence's self-titled album isn't due in stores until October 11, but that hasn't stopped the band from giving fans a preview of what they can expect to hear on the disc — or, you know, threepreviews: first single "What You Want," the booming "The Other Side" and the epic, ethereal "Lost in Paradise" — or from lining up a handful of early tour dates in support of the album.
So far, Amy Lee and Co. have committed to a one-off show in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 17, a pair of big-ticket gigs in Brazil and Puerto Rico in October and a run of concerts in the U.K. in November. That leaves a rather sizeable hole right around the time of the album's release — one the band plan to fill very quickly, Lee told MTV News.
"We'll be touring the U.S. and Europe in October. It's not all [confirmed], but it's going to happen," she said. "We're doing Rock in Rio on the 2nd, and then I think Puerto Rico, and that's going to be awesome, because we've never played [there]. ... That's the beginning of the tour; the tour will start there, we'll come back to the States, do a few weeks in the bigger cities, and then go do the same thing in Europe, and then the next thing will happen."
So just when will the full slate of Evanescence tour dates be revealed? Soon. A spokesperson for the band's label, Wind-Up Records, told MTV News the band will begin announcing dates in two weeks, something Lee seemed to confirm Thursday when she took to Twitter to let her fans know the wait is almost over.
"Guys, the tour dates that have been announced are only the beginning!" she wrote. "Don't be sad if you don't see a date in your town yet! We're coming!"
Are you excited to see Evanescence on tour? Tell us below!
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668171/evanescence-tour-us-europe.jhtml
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As Jon Favreau's flick hits theaters, we lasso up all the details about the much-anticipated flick.
By Terri Schwartz
Daniel Craig in "Cowboys and Aliens"
Photo: Universal Pictures
"Cowboys & Aliens" may be lassoing its way into theaters on Friday (July 29), but the movie's journey to the big screen began a long time ago in a galaxy ... well, not so far away.
The current incarnation of Jon Favreau's adaptation of Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's 2006 graphic novel is a far cry from what the director had originally envisioned. When we first heard about the project back in '08, it seemed to be shaping up to be "Iron Man 2.0," with Favreau directing, "Iron Man" screenwriters penning the script and Robert Downey Jr. pegged as the flick's leading man.
"Cowboys & Aliens" was initially set to begin filming in 2009, but with Downey Jr. unsure about committing to the role and Favreau still not officially onboard, things were still up in the air.
Also by then, the "Cowboys & Aliens" script was in the capable hands of "Star Trek" writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who admitted that they had veered from the source material.
In January 2010, Downey Jr. parted ways with "Cowboys & Aliens." Fortunately, things started looking up only two days later, when it was announced that Daniel Craig was in talks to replace the "Iron Man" star as protagonist Zeke Johnson. In addition, the movie was set to start filming in July, potentially in 3-D.
The casting announcements continued flowing in, including Olivia Wilde who came onboard as the movie's leading lady. With the majority of the major players set to go, "Cowboys & Aliens" was given a July 2011 release date.
In April 2010, rumors began to swirl that Harrison Ford would join "Cowboys & Aliens". Favreau confirmed on Twitter that Han Solo himself would star opposite Craig and Wilde, making this one of the coolest casts around.
The casting news just kept coming, with Noah Ringer, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine, Clancy Brown and Walton Goggins added as well.
The buzz for the flick continued to grow right through to its 2010 Comic-Con presentation, where fanboys salivated at the news that Wilde had filmed a nude scene just days before the event.
But it wasn't until November that the rest of the world got a taste of what was in store. The first trailer arrived on November 17, and Favreau stopped by MTV's offices to offer his own commentary on it. Then in February, another exciting new trailer aired during the Super Bowl. MTV News was lucky enough to get Favreau back for more trailer dissection.
Plenty more "Cowboys" trailers followed, as well as clips.
In mid-July, MTV News headed to Montana, where we chatted with the cast, including Craig and Wilde. Not long after that trip, Favreau stopped by our San Diego headquarters to talk about the movie's big Comic-Con world premiere. It was the nerd event of the convention.
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.
Related Videos Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668135/cowboys-and-aliens-cheat-sheet.jhtml
Bigger Than the Sound tries to predict the nominees for this year's Video Music Awards.
By James Montgomery
Katy Perry
Photo: Amy Sussman/ Getty Images
I've been told that the nominations for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards -- which air live Sunday, August 28, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV -- are going to be announced on MTV and MTV.com on Wednesday night (July 20) at 11 p.m ET, and that means you should probably get ready for a whole lot of Katy Perry. And Adele. And Britney Spears. And Lady Gaga. Oh, and Rihanna too.
That's because, to paraphrase Beyoncé (oh yeah, she'll probably get nominated too), it's been girls who've run the world in 2011, and the VMAs will probably be no exception. Perry — who has basically been unstoppable since last summer — figures to be the most nominated artist, with this year's breakout star, Adele, close behind. Britney, Gaga and all the rest figure to be in the hunt too. In fact, one has to wonder if the folks behind the show will just go ahead and eliminate the Best Male Video category altogether. More room for the ladies that way.
Of course, we won't know for sure until those nominations are officially revealed, but while we wait, I figured it was time to dust off the old Prognostication Cap and try to predict the 2011 VMA nominees in advance. I've done this for seemingly every awards show in the past, and sometimes I even manage to avoid embarrassing myself completely (not always, though).
So without any advance knowledge — and using as many sweeping generalizations as humanly possible — here are my picks for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Accuracy not entirely guaranteed.
Best Male Video
In a year dominated by females, I suppose someone has to win Best Male Video. I think it's a given that Bruno Mars, Chris Brown and Eminem all land nods here, and I suspect Justin Bieber will sneak in too, if only because it builds off his Best New Artist win last year. The fifth spot is up for grabs, though in a pinch, I'll go with Pitbull, if only because of the recent success of "Give Me Everything." Lupe Fiasco or Trey Songz are also viable choices. My picks:
» Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
» Chris Brown, "She Ain't You"
» Eminem feat. Rihanna, "Love The Way You Lie"
» Justin Bieber, "U Smile"
» Pitbull, "Give Me Everything"
Best Female Video
Sure, Video of the Year is the night's biggest award, but given the success of every artist with a pair of X chromosomes, the Best Female Video might be the toughest — and not just to win. Predicting who even gets nominated is a challenge, considering there are only five spots available. Adele and Katy Perry seem mortal locks, and Rihanna is close. Britney will probably earn a nom too, which means that either Beyoncé, Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj will be left on the outside looking in. Told you this was going to be tough. My picks:
» Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
» Britney Spears, "Hold It Against Me"
» Beyoncé, "Run the World (Girls)"
» Katy Perry, "E.T."
» Rihanna, "S&M"
Best Rock Video
My official title at MTV News is "rock editor," but even I had a hard time coming up with five nominees here. Since 30 Seconds to Mars won last year, I suspect they'll be back to defend their crown. Folks were excited about the Foo Fighters' return, so pencil them in too. Mumford & Sons may very well be the year's most unexpected success, which should earn them a nod. The other two slots? I'm not gonna lie, I just picked names out of a hat.
» 30 Seconds to Mars, "Hurricane"
» Foo Fighters, "Rope"
» Foster the People, "Pumped Up Kicks"
» Linkin Park, "Waiting for the End"
» Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man"
Best Hip-Hop Video
A wide-open category, and one that raises several questions: Can Eminem win for the second year in a row? Will Nicki Minaj manage to bum-rush the boys' club? Is Kanye West's epic "Runaway" mini-movie even eligible? I'm not going to pretend to know all the answers, but it certainly makes for an interesting field. In the end, I left Em off — since "Love the Way You Lie" was released in such a nebulous time (August 2010, a month before last year's VMAs and a full 12 months before this year's) — and went with the Beastie Boys, since I have a creeping suspicion they'll earn a nod or two, and this seems as logical a place as any. Nicki and Kanye are in (though I went with the latter's "Monster" video), and so is Lil Wayne. For the last spot, I went with Lupe Fiasco, though it wouldn't surprise me to see Tyler, the Creator here instead.
» Beastie Boys, "Make Some Noise"
» Kanye West (featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver and Nicki Minaj), "Monster"
» Lil Wayne (featuring Cory Gunz), "6 Foot 7 Foot"
» Lupe Fiasco, "The Show Goes On"
» Nicki Minaj, "Super Bass"
Best Pop Video
Another big-time category, another bunch of deserving artists destined to be left out. I like Britney's, Katy's and Gaga's chances, and I'll toss Rihanna into the mix too. For the fifth spot, I went with Bruno Mars, since, otherwise, this category would basically just be Best Female Video, Part II. Of course, in doing that, I excluded Adele, Beyoncé, Ke$ha and about a dozen other worthy acts too. Prognostication is hard work, people.
» Britney Spears, "Hold It Against Me"
» Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
» Katy Perry, "E.T."
» Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"
» Rihanna, "S&M"
Best New Artist
Who will follow in the footsteps of Biebus Christ (and Lady Gaga) and take home the Moonman for Best New Artist? Good question! This is always one of the hardest categories to predict, and this year is no different: The only sure things seem to be Mumford & Sons and Wiz Khalifa, and though Robyn isn't exactly new, she's new enough here (and made some terrific strides over the past 12 months), so I think she's a lock. In a pinch, I'll pick Foster the People (big radio hit) and Tyler, the Creator (big buzz), though Kreayshawn could sneak in too.
» Foster the People
» Mumford & Sons
» Robyn
» Tyler, the Creator
» Wiz Khalifa
Video of the Year
Last year's Video of the Year race featured a trio of underdogs — 30 Seconds to Mars, B.o.B, Florence and the Machine — thrown into the mix. Will 2011 follow suit? Probably not. Adele seems to be a no-brainer, even if most folks have never seen the video for "Rolling in the Deep." Katy, too, but it remains to be seen which of her videos gets the nod. (I went with "Firework." It's mad inspirational.) Em will be back — though one has to wonder if "Love the Way You Lie" peaked too early to be considered a genuine front-runner — and Gaga should return also. I went dark-horse with my fifth pick, taking the Foo Fighters' "Rope" over bigger clips from Beyoncé and Rihanna, mostly because I've got a sweet spot for VHS.
» Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
» Eminem (featuring Rihanna), "Love the Way You Lie"
» Foo Fighters, "Rope"
» Katy Perry, "Firework"
» Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"
Did we get it right? Share your picks in the comments!
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667535/2011-vma-nominations-katy-perry-adele.jhtml
Chris Marrs Piliero explains why the cat in 'Faith (When I Let You Down)' comes across an Easter egg from 'I Wanna Go.
By Jocelyn Vena
Photo: Warner Bros.
Taking Back Sunday's video for "Faith (When I Let You Down)" is a social commentary about the fleeting nature of Internet fame, as illustrated by a fake cat trying to make it in Hollywood. It also happens to be the latest installment in the kooky videography of music video auteur Chris Marrs Piliero.
"It was an idea that I had floating around in my head, and when I listened to the song ... the meaning of the song clicked in my brain," the director said of the clip, which follows his cheeky video for Britney Spears' "I Wanna Go."
"People just love cat videos," he explained. "And I just thought it would be fun to see what it would like if a cat had the brain to be like, 'Sh--, I'm a big deal.' "
In the video, Taking Back Sunday post a clip of their cat online, and soon "OMG, WTF TBS Cat" goes viral. The cat eventually hops on a bus to L.A. (with a quick nod to Guns N' Roses "Welcome to the Jungle"), finds fame, disses the TBS guys, fails to make it as an actor, winds up in porn and eventually can't handle the pressure. Then, of course, TBS Cat heads back home.
Was that cat as difficult in real life as he was in the video?
"I was like halfway into the shoot, and he was throwing out demands," Piliero recalled, laughing. "It got to the point where no one was allowed to make eye contact with him on set. I had to sit him down and have a heart to heart with him."
Along with the GNR homage and a few other pop-culture references, the video includes a cute Easter egg for Britney fans: One of TBS cat's discarded audition scripts is for the fantasy Spears sequel, "Crossroads 2: Cross Harder," which is also on the marquee in "I Wanna Go."
"I made the TBS video right after the Britney video," he said. "I felt like the cat could exist in the same world as the 'I Wanna Go' world, so I thought it would be a fun little Easter egg. Also, [frontman] Adam [Lazzara] from TBS texted me after watching the Britney video, and I didn't even realize that during the paparazzi fight when she swings the mic around — that is something that Adam does all the time, which is something I was very conscious of — but I didn't realize the scene happened in front of a store called Keaton's, and his son is called Keaton!"
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Band will tour U.S. and Europe in October, singer tells MTV News.
By James Montgomery
Evanescence's Amy Lee
Photo: Jason Squires/ WireImage
Evanescence's self-titled album isn't due in stores until October 11, but that hasn't stopped the band from giving fans a preview of what they can expect to hear on the disc — or, you know, threepreviews: first single "What You Want," the booming "The Other Side" and the epic, ethereal "Lost in Paradise" — or from lining up a handful of early tour dates in support of the album.
So far, Amy Lee and Co. have committed to a one-off show in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 17, a pair of big-ticket gigs in Brazil and Puerto Rico in October and a run of concerts in the U.K. in November. That leaves a rather sizeable hole right around the time of the album's release — one the band plan to fill very quickly, Lee told MTV News.
"We'll be touring the U.S. and Europe in October. It's not all [confirmed], but it's going to happen," she said. "We're doing Rock in Rio on the 2nd, and then I think Puerto Rico, and that's going to be awesome, because we've never played [there]. ... That's the beginning of the tour; the tour will start there, we'll come back to the States, do a few weeks in the bigger cities, and then go do the same thing in Europe, and then the next thing will happen."
So just when will the full slate of Evanescence tour dates be revealed? Soon. A spokesperson for the band's label, Wind-Up Records, told MTV News the band will begin announcing dates in two weeks, something Lee seemed to confirm Thursday when she took to Twitter to let her fans know the wait is almost over.
"Guys, the tour dates that have been announced are only the beginning!" she wrote. "Don't be sad if you don't see a date in your town yet! We're coming!"
Are you excited to see Evanescence on tour? Tell us below!
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668171/evanescence-tour-us-europe.jhtml
Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams also appear in photos from the recording sessions.
By Alvin Blanco
Jay-Z recording <i>Watch The Throne</i>
Photo: Life + Times
Having one of the year's most anticipated albums means fans will eat up any morsel of new info they can get their hands on about its release. Via his Life + Times website, instead of an audio sneak peek, Jay-Z has revealed a visual look into the creation of Watch the Throne in the form of more than 20 photos taken during the recording of his collaborative album with Kanye West.
In the pictures, besides Yeezy and Hova, a number of celebrities are seen milling about as the two hip-hop stars were going about creating their album. Some of the familiar faces include rapper/producer Pharrell Williams and Jay-Z's wife, Beyoncé.
CHECK OUT EXCLUSIVE STUDIO PHOTOS.
In one particular photo, Kanye is seen looking down at a yellow pad that appears to have a track list for the album. Earlier this week, the official Watch the Throne track list was also revealed on Jigga's site.
Watch the Throne was recorded across a few continents, including Europe and Australia. At least some of the photos were taken in New York City's Mercer Hotel, where parts of the album were recorded and where Jay-Z held an exclusive listening session of the album last week for select media, including MTV News. During the same session, Jay also confirmed that part of the album was recorded at NYC's Tribeca Grand Hotel.
At the listening event, Jay-Z spoke about being in awe of the people who gathered around the room he was sitting in, much like the assembled journalists, while he and Kanye were creating songs. Some of the notables he remembered stopping by off the top of his head included Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci, who designed the album-cover artwork, and heralded fashion designer Phoebe Philo.
Although the release date is still unconfirmed, Watch the Throne appears to be set to drop August 2.
What do you think of the studio pictures? Let us know in the comments!
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New track with Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha follows leaked version, plus Brit tweets single's cover art.
By Jocelyn Vena
The "Till the World Ends" Femme Fatale remix
Photo: Jive
Just days after it was leaked on Friday, Britney Spears and her femme fatales, Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha, dropped their official remix of "Till the World Ends."
The new version of the song was produced by Dr. Luke and Dream Machine. Brit half-whispers " 'Till the World Ends' remix" before the beat kicks in and Nicki hits her verse hard. She spits fierce lines like, "Sniff, sniff, cries/ I done slayed your whole entire f---ing life."
Then Britney's sex-kitten vocals kick in for the song's first verse. "That's Britney, bitch! I'm Nicki Minaj and that's Ke$ha," the Queens MC declares before K sings the chorus. The beat is harder, the loops are sassier and the song is grimier than the original version, which was the second single from Femme Fatale. The newly added dubstep portion takes the one from "Hold It Against Me" to a new level by adding in bass-heavy synths.
Ke$ha, of course, wrote the track for Britney, and the ladies certainly don't seem to mind sharing the spotlight with each other. The official track isn't much different than the version that leaked over the weekend, though Spears did have something brand-new to share with her fans just as the song dropped on iTunes and streamed on her website.
Spears tweeted the artwork for the single, which features the original press photo of Spears along with separate photos of Nicki on the left and Ke$ha on the right. Spears wrote, "@NickiMinaj @Keshasuxx Too much fierceness for one cover! Thanks for lending your voices girls... #TTWEREMIX — Brit"
Spears and Minaj have been hanging out a lot in the lead-up to their summer tour. They hung out at the Factory nightclub on Friday night after Minaj's show in Los Angeles. Spears later wrote, "Early rehearsal after a late night with my girl @NickiMinaj. Can't WAIT to get out on the road with you."
What do you think of the "Till the World Ends" remix? Tell us in the comments!
Related ArtistsGaga performed the song twice on Thursday, on 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Photo: ABC
Perhaps it wasn't that big of a secret to begin with, but on Thursday night when Lady Gaga stopped by "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the singer finally confirmed what everybody already presumed: "You and I" will be her next single from Born This Way.
When asked what she planned to perform that night in addition to "The Edge of Glory," Gaga replied, "I'm going to sing my brand-new single 'You and I.' " She recently shot the video for the track in Nebraska.
Gaga also performed those two tracks on "So You Think You Can Dance" on Thursday night, following her appearance on the show the day before as a guest judge.
Before taking the "Kimmel" stage and pounding the keys on her piano for the track, she joked around with the host about her killer cooking skills, her five Emmy nods for her HBO special and, of course, her nomination for the Bowling Hall of Fame.
"I am a good bowler pre-Budweiser," she laughed. "And then once the beers start loading up, I become worse and worse, which is really great for whoever takes me out on the date, 'cause I'm a good, cheap date and a terrible bowler."
So, does Gaga ever don bowling shoes? "Absolutely not!" she said. "What if one of my fans walked into the bowling alley and saw me in flats? They'd have a heart attack."
When Kimmel asked if one day she planned on actually creating any Little Monsters of her own, the always forthright Gaga shared that she does plan on starting a family someday. "Do I want to have kids? Someday ... long, long day from now," she said. She joked about whether or not she'd love her kids even if they didn't turn out to be gay, telling Kimmel, "No, I actually don't even like you 'cause you're not."
Gaga also just announced the planned release of a coffee-table book, called "Lady Gaga," the photos for which are by fashion photographer Terry Richardson. The book is due out in November.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668141/lady-gaga-you-and-i-single-confirm.jhtml
'I've always been fascinated by what really goes on in the subways,' Neil Patrick Harris tells MTV News of what he'd do first.
By Jocelyn Vena
"The Smurfs (In 3-D)"
Photo: Sony Pictures
"The Smurfs" are three apples high, as the legend goes, and in this week's big-screen adaptation of the beloved children's cartoon, Hollywood takes a stab at re-telling the tale for a new generation of kids.
The 3-D tale (with some CGI) is voiced by an A-list cast, including VMA-nominated Katy Perry, George Lopez and Alan Cumming, to name a few. In the movie, the Smurfs land in the Big Apple, where they end up staying with expecting newlyweds played by Neil Patrick Harris and "Glee" star Jayma Mays. Of course, they're also trying to stay as far as possible from their nemesis, Gargamel, played by Hank Azaria.
The little creatures find themselves in some silly situations as they try to navigate the big city. When MTV News caught up with Harris, Mays and Azaria in New York, we asked what they would do if they suddenly found themselves having to survive the city in Smurf-sized bodies.'
"I've always been fascinated by what really goes on in the subways," Harris said.
His onscreen lady love, Mays, agreed, "That's a good one," before warning him, "but then the rats would be bigger than you. So that'd be a little scary."
"Maybe I'd sneak into really fun buildings," Mays added. "I would get into clubs that won't let me in now."
Harris later quipped of a popular Broadway show, "You could sneak into the 'Book of Mormon.' That's a hard ticket to get right now."
The actor who plays the movie's bumbling bad guy had a less glitzy answer. "If I were three apples high and I lived in New York, I would sneak into the Mets game. That's what I'd do," Azaria said. "And I'm blue, so they'd probably just mistake me for some kind of mascot. I'd wear orange to go with it. You see Gutsy's beard there? It's orange; that's Mets colors right there. I'm sure Gutsy is a Mets fan."
Are you going to check out "The Smurfs" this weekend? Tell us in the comments!
Check out everything we've got on "The Smurfs."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668131/smurfs-movie-cast-miniatures.jhtml
'Lady Gaga' will feature more than 350 pictures by fashion photographer Terry Richardson.
By Gil Kaufman
Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images
Move over, Oprah. Lady Gaga is truly the new Queen of All Media. Mother Monster announced on Thursday that she will be releasing a hefty coffee-table book on November 22 featuring more than 350 pictures of her taken over the past year by controversial fashion photographer Terry Richardson.
According to Publishers Weekly, "Lady Gaga" will feature never-before-scene images of the singer taken during a 10-month period in which Richardson followed Gaga on the road, in the studio and everywhere in between as he was given complete access to her everyday life. The pictures range from the Lollapalooza festival in August 2010 to the final shows of this year's Monster Ball.
See photos of what Lady Gaga may be up to in her new book!
Gaga will write the foreword, and Jamie Raab, executive vice president and publisher of Grand Central Publishing, which is issuing the book, said in a statement, "We are proud to be publishing this remarkable collaboration between Lady Gaga and Terry Richardson and anticipate that it will be one of the most stunning, provocative and coveted books of the 2011 holiday season."
A limited edition of the book will be released next year.
Some of the images Richardson has been taking of Gaga over the past year have already raised eyebrows. Richardson, who is known for his provocative, often explicit images, took some topless shots of the singer in February for a Supreme ad as well as the instant classic shots of Gaga draped in a bikini version of her infamous raw-meat dress for the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan, which also featured shots of her male alter ego, Jo Calderone.
He also collaborated with Gaga for the May issue of Harper's Bazaar, in which he captured her on all fours in just fishnets, a nude bra and white boots on top of a mirror-covered piano.
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Critics single out memorable performances by Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell in this 'crazy smart film.'
By Kara Warner
Ryan Gosling in "Crazy, Stupid Love"
Photo: WB
Although the summer season is packed with big, noisy, CGI-enhanced blockbusters, studio executives are wise to the fact that not everyone wants to see flashy, action-heavy films, so they smartly offer up counter-programming in the form of romantic comedies. This week's star-studded "Crazy, Stupid, Love." is a perfect example, underscored by its 74 percent "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
The film revolves around Cal Weaver (Steve Carell), whose wife (Julianne Moore) has recently announced her infidelity (the "other man" is played by Kevin Bacon) and requested a divorce. Cal takes his sorrows to a singles' bar, where he's adopted by local ladies' man Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). Jacob educates Cal in the new ways of wooing the ladies, and although Cal picks up some decent skills, his heart is in the wrong place: He's looking for that elusive true love, a soul mate.
Cal is also dealing with the fact that his adolescent son Robbie (Jonah Bobo) is in love with his teenage babysitter (Analeigh Tipton), who in turn is in love with Cal. Meanwhile, Jacob eventually realizes that he's still pining for the woman (Emma Stone) who got away.
Critics seem to be most pleased with the film's ensemble cast, with only a few grumbles about clichéd plot twists and turns. Without further ado, let's dive into the "Crazy, Stupid, Love." reviews.
The Story
"Just because it stars smart actors and isn't aggressively dumb doesn't automatically make it good, and while 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.' works in fits and starts, its wildly inconsistent tone and Dan Fogelman's overwritten screenplay make it too frustrating to properly enjoy. Every time one of the many plot threads hits its stride, another careens wildly out of control, leading up to a conclusion so clichéd it seems the movie has moved into parody." — Katey Rich, Cinema Blend
Ensemble Cast and Performances
"Frequently, the zaniness stops and some genuinely impressive acting breaks out. The accomplished Moore is an obvious candidate and, even in a confined role, she delivers — here a nervous look, there a tender gesture. Cast against type, his customarily troubled characters, Gosling is all dressed up (and occasionally undressed) in a fashion guaranteed to set hearts aflutter. But the guy is too skilled to settle for a hunky stereotype; rather, he rescues the roué from cliché by adding a certain delicacy, a repressed yet palpable sensitivity. ... Although not in their performing league, Carell is blessed to have a faint hint of Buster Keaton in his otherwise handsome face — a mug whose deadpan stare is fraught with comic nuance. Even the kid actor is a cut above here. Jonah Bobo brings to Robbie that adolescent knack of travelling at warp speed from deep cynicism to idealistic innocence." — Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail
The Final Word
"It's hard to ignore the fact that very little in the movie feels true — no one clicks as a couple, and there are carefully contrived coincidences around every corner. ... But while the filmmakers bungle the romance, they handle the comedy with skillful precision. I laughed all the way through, thanks to both consistently clever dialogue and deft delivery from Carell and Gosling, who clearly relished a chance to flex his comic muscles." — Elizabeth Weitzman, Daily News
"This film is the total of all its parts, from the string-bean beauty Tipton to the sly adolescent Bobo and all the veterans. It's notable that no one — not even Bacon's character — is a villain in this film. They're all just people looking for, wrestling with and falling in love. ... This is the sort of film that Oscar generally ignores come awards season. It shouldn't. "Crazy Stupid Love" is a crazy smart film." — Tom Long, Detroit News
Check out everything we've got on "Crazy, Stupid, Love."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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My good friend Caprice Crane's new book, With a Little Luck, is out today. Yay, Caprice!
It's gotten great reviews:
"Crane is one of the funniest writers of popular fiction around. The dialog (inner and outer) is laugh-out-loud, snort-inducing hilarious . . . Readers will want to cross their fingers and spit while throwing salt over their shoulders if it helps Berry reach her dreams. Highly recommended."
—Library Journal
"Fans of Stacy Ballis and Cara Lockwood will appreciate Crane's effortlessly funny style, which is often attempted in popular fiction but is rarely this well executed...Lighthearted and charmingly honest."
—Booklist
"[A] satisfying romantic comedy...[with] real character growth."
—Kirkus Reviews
And even better blurbs:
"Romantic, poignant and funny—this book is a lucky find for lit fans. Caprice Crane is a nimble and gifted storyteller."
—Diablo Cody, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Juno
"A hilarious romp that oozes charm and giddy fun. Caprice Crane is a true talent."
—Molly Jong-Fast, author of The Social Climber's Handbook
"Witty, fast-paced, and sheer fun. Caprice Crane is a master of dialogue. Half the time I was reading this book I was smiling, which made me look like a crazy person on the subway."
—Jancee Dunn, author of Don’t You Forget About Me and Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?
"Absolutely charming and hilarious."
—Missy Peregrym, star of the movie Stick It and ABC's Rookie Blue
"With a Little Luck scores in humor, head, and heart. In other words, it’s a perfect trifecta."
—Karyn Bosnak, author of 20 Times a Lady (soon to be the major motion picture What's Your Number?)
(Omg, who is that last fantastic blurber?) (I meant every word of it.)
And most importantly, she has the cutest dog ever (who likes to video chat with Bev):
Anyway, check it out, buy it—it's fantastic!
Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/7/26/with-a-little-luck-a-novel.html
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