MTV News |
- Pink Rushed To The Hospital After Onstage Accident
- Fabolous Re-Releasing <i>The Funeral Service 2</i> Mixtape As An EP
- 'Inception' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know
- Lady Gaga Will Be A Lollapalooza 'Centerpiece,' Perry Farrell Says
- 'Inception': Dream Warriors, By Kurt Loder
- Trae Tha Truth Can't Be 'Disputed' As 'Hottest Breakthrough MCs Of 2010' Candidate
- 'Hills' Star Lo Bosworth Says Surreal Finale Was Just 'Poking Fun'
- Vampire Weekend's <i>Contra</i> Cover Girl Sues The Band
- Meet Kevin Todd: 'The Hills' Castmember You've Never Heard Of
- 'American Idol' Wannabes Line Up In Nashville
- 'The Hills' Was 'Not Scripted,' Kelly Cutrone Says
- John Stamos Extortion Trial Ends With Guilty Verdict
- Lady Gaga Says She Wrote 'A #1 Record' In Cleveland
- Actress Vonetta McGee Dies At Age 65
- Lindsay Lohan Spotted At Sober-Living Facility
- 'The Hills' Finale 'Acknowledged' Its Hollywood Setting, Creator Says
- M.I.A-Headlined Hard L.A. Show Wasn't Canceled For Security Concerns
- Too Short Arrested After Idaho Nightclub Fight
- Flo Rida Records Unofficial Miami Heat Anthem
- Pharrell Williams Calls Swedish House Mafia 'Necessary Rock Stars'
| Pink Rushed To The Hospital After Onstage Accident Posted: 15 Jul 2010 05:55 AM PDT Singer fell from her harness onto a steel barricade during concert in Nuremberg, Germany.
Pink received a real-life scare Thursday when she was rushed to a hospital after falling from a harness that suspended her above stage at a concert in Nuremberg, Germany. According to Gossip Cop, the acrobatics enthusiast fell from the harness directly onto a steel barricade; the show ended immediately. Ever upbeat, the 30-year-old singer took time to tweet her fans while riding in the ambulance to the hospital: "to all my nurnberg fans...I am embarrassed and very sorry. I'm in ambulance now but I will b fine." While exact details regarding what song she was performing at the time have not been released, it is likely she was performing her trapeze/ aerial-silk routine to "Glitter in the Air," a show-stopping number for which she received a standing ovation at this year's Grammy Awards. Pink (real name: Alicia Moore) later returned to her Twitter account to explain how the accident happened: "[I] didn't get clipped in2 harness correctly, drug me off stage, fell in2 barricade." Amazingly enough, Moore kept fans updated throughout her hospital visit. "Nothings broken," she reported. "No fluid in the lungs, just seriously sore. I made that barricade my b*tch!!!" Thanx nurnberg :(" Moore's on-again, off-again husband Carey Hart also chimed in via Twitter, adding that his gal was out of the hospital and on the mend. "@Pink is all good," he tweeted. "Just got the sh-- kicked out of her by the barrier. Steel barrier-1 Pink-0" The singer has not yet revealed if her bumps and bruises will keep her from upcoming performances on her Funhouse Summer Carnival Tour, but she is scheduled to continue through Eastern Europe, making stops in Germany, Russia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Share your well-wishes for Pink's speedy recovery in the comments below. Related Artists |
| Fabolous Re-Releasing <i>The Funeral Service 2</i> Mixtape As An EP Posted: 16 Jul 2010 03:50 AM PDT 'It started out as something I wanted to give free to the fans and people who accept my work,' he tells Mixtape Daily.
Midseason Salute: Fabolous' The Funeral Service: There Is No Competition 2 We have to give credit where it's due. Our segment on Fab's mixtape has been one of the most applauded productions we've put together this year. Shot on location at Benta's Funeral Home (shout to b-day girl Whitney!), Loso previewed what would be a front-runner for Mixtape of the Year. The Brooklyn native's street CD was so hot, Def Jam stepped in and told him it was time to make some money off it. Fab is pulling a Drake and re-releasing the tape as an EP, much like Drizzy did with So Far Gone in '09. "It's really incredible how people will connect with the work," Fab said. "I think we put a lot of work into it, with the whole funeral theme. We didn't just say it and you had to daydream it. We went into the funeral homes. We picked caskets out for the competition. Def Jam, this summer, is gonna put the mixtape out as an EP. So I did about four new songs, put 'em with some of the original joints from the mixtape. We got more viral videos coming. We just gonna keep it going and let it end as the classic it is. A lot of people saying it's a classic, one of the, if not the best mixtape of 2010. It's crazy to me, because it started out as something I wanted to give free to the fans and people who accept my work. Def Jam even came in and said, 'Whoa, we gotta get a piece.' It's a good thing, man.
" 'Body Ya' definitely did its thing," he added about one of the standout cuts from the mixtape. "It got added to Hot 97 and Power 105.1. 'Body Ya' grew its own legs. The mixtape itself grew its own legs. People are still asking about it. In this fast-paced music industry, music and mixtapes don't have that much longevity. You might listen to it for a month, somebody else drop they joint and you listening to it the next month. But No Competition 2, people are still listening to it , still on Twitter talking about it. It's crazy." Loso is keeping his production to new guys on the EP. "I worked with Scenario, a producer who just signed to Street Family. He did 'Body Ya.' I worked with the guy who did [Rick Ross'] 'Blowin' Money Fast,' Lex Luger. He did a song for me called 'Lights Out.' The one with Scenario is called 'Body Count.' I did one more with Ryan Leslie called 'You Be Killin' Them.' It's a little bit more for the females but keeping with the theme. I think when people hear these three joints, they gonna be like, 'He's still giving us great music, and it's just a mixtape, just an EP.' And from here, I'm working on the album." Fab's album is Loso's Way 2. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc. Related Videos |
| 'Inception' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know Posted: 16 Jul 2010 03:50 AM PDT MTV News has tracked every hidden layer of this film since word of it first dropped.
"Inception" is defined as a beginning — the act of commencement — but in Hollywood these days, "Inception" might just be shorthand for what happens when you make two immensely profitable movies and a studio backs up a truckload of cash onto your front lawn and says, "Thanks, man! Now go make the movie you've always dreamed of making." Because that's essentially what went down between Warner Bros. and director Christopher Nolan, who helmed "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," which grossed a combined $1.4 billion worldwide and resurrected one of the comic world's most beloved film franchises.
Nolan took his pile of cash — a rumored production budget of $200 million — and put together a film about a band of dream thieves, led by Leonardo DiCaprio, that can infiltrate another person's sleep-time reveries and swipe coveted secrets. Their task in "Inception" is to implant an idea rather than steal one — a task so monumental they're forced to construct dreams within dreams within dreams. What follows is nearly three hours of hallucinatory imagery, killer performances and story lines that unfold like origami to reveal hidden layers you never even thought existed. MTV News, however, has been tracking every hidden layer of this production since word of the movie first dropped. Before you hit the theater this weekend, check out our "Inception" cheat sheet for everything you need to know about what is thus far 2010's coolest flick. Gotham Will Have to Wait Aside from that rather vague description, precious few plot details about the new movie would arise for months. Instead, we stood back as the cast came together. DiCaprio signed up in March, and in April, "Dark Knight" vet Michael Caine told us he'd be joining up as well. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe and Tom Hardy eventually rounded out the cast. "I can't wait to talk to you about it, but I've been very specifically asked not to talk about it," Gordon-Levitt told us that June. "I want to respect [Nolan's wishes], because I love his movies, and I'm so honored and grateful to be working with him." "Inception" Commencement The cast continued to reveal almost nothing about the film during interviews. "It's conceptual. It doesn't fit into any genre," Murphy told us. "There are elements of different types of things in it, but it is all from Chris' imagination. I've never read anything close to it before." Nolan's "Inception" was shrouded in secrecy, but as 2010 rolled around, he had to begin telling the world just a little bit more about the movie. "I think it's really a balance between creating intrigue about the movie, getting people excited to see something original, something different that they don't know what they're going to get," the director explained to us in March. "We have to start giving people a little bit of information, a little bit about what 'Inception' is." Then in April, he let loose in a spoiler-filled interview with the Los Angeles Times, shortly before a full trailer appeared on the Web. Welcome to Our Shared Dream "It's a very rare occurrence where you can do a movie that exists on four different planes simultaneously," DiCaprio said of the film's various dreamscapes. "That was the immediate intrigue: delving into the world of the subconscious with Chris Nolan." For his part, Nolan had one specific goal in mind when he decided to take a detour from Gotham City and head straight into "Inception." "I think, for me, my whole career in making films, really every time I set out to make a film, I want to try and give somebody in the audience the experience I had watching ['Star Wars'], where it really felt like anything was possible in that world," he said. "That's a really extraordinary experience to have as a moviegoer. I think that's the highest aspiration of the Hollywood blockbuster." Check out everything we've got on "Inception." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Related Photos |
| Lady Gaga Will Be A Lollapalooza 'Centerpiece,' Perry Farrell Says Posted: 15 Jul 2010 02:10 AM PDT 'Her presentation is so overwhelming that some may overlook the music,' he tells MTV Radio of over-the-top live show.
Perry Farrell remembers Lady Gaga's 2007 set at Lollapalooza, a sweaty, Saturday-afternoon affair that saw the then-brunet, yet-to-conquer-the-globe Gaga parade around in little more than a disco-ball bra and thigh-high stockings. He was impressed, but needless to say, he never thought he'd see the day she'd be headlining the fest. "I remember ... she's got dark-brown hair, she's in a bikini, and she's wearing thigh-highs and she's sweating, because she was on at around 3 o'clock," Farrell told MTV Radio. "Her music was cool, her show was kind of cool, but now, the production of her music, the people she's surrounded herself with, the development of her stage show ... it's something that, when I think about Lollapalooza, in that gorgeous setting of [Chicago's] Grant Park, with the amazing buildings all around us, lit up, I see her and her show as being a centerpiece to the evening."
Yes, from side-stage curiosity to mainstage must-see, Gaga has come a long way in three short years, and Farrell — who's already said that Lollapalooza will spend six figures to accommodate her massive Monster Ball stage — sees it as his obligation to help her continue on that climb. But he's hoping the Lolla crowds won't just focus on her stage show. After all, her music is pretty great too. "Her presentation is so overwhelming that some may overlook the music ... but the truth is, her music, to me, is right where music should be. It's on the cutting edge, but it's [also] in the crosshairs of where every musician is aiming these days," he said. "She's this hybrid of Yoko Ono, sort of the Plastic Ono Band meets Madonna meets Elton John. She's this beautiful crossing of those things [that] every musician is looking to find. Everyone's looking for that sound, and I think she really hits it." And though he realizes that not all Lolla fans are necessarily "little monsters," he also hopes they'll be won over by her set. After all, that's sort of what Lollapalooza has been doing since it first started back in 1991: introducing kids to new artists, new scenes and, most importantly, new sounds. "We're going to help her deliver it, just the way we did in 1991, when people didn't go to rap concerts because they might be considered very dangerous," he said. "[Back then,] a lot of those kids who went to Lollapalooza might not have seen Ice-T, but then, there he was. Same with Ice Cube. And that's one of the things I guess I could say I pride myself in: I'm able to bring music that people are very curious about, and once they meet this music, they'll really dig it." What are you expecting from Lady Gaga's Lolla set? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Related Artists |
| 'Inception': Dream Warriors, By Kurt Loder Posted: 16 Jul 2010 04:51 AM PDT Leonardo DiCaprio's on the case in Christopher Nolan's latest brain-tease.
Are they handing out joints at the box office for "Inception"? That would make the movie considerably more fun. Christopher Nolan's latest is a terrific-looking picture that bounds around the globe from Paris to Tangiers to Tokyo (among places that actually exist) in the wake of a freelance dream thief named Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). Cobb's specialty is infiltrating the dreams of corporate big shots and extracting their most valuable secrets. His latest assignment, however, is a little different — a Japanese industrialist named Saito (Ken Watanabe) has hired him to implant an idea in someone's head that will allow Saito to take over a rival titan's business empire. Cobb's reward for achieving this goal: an end to his exile from the United States, where he's currently a wanted man, and a yearned-for reunion with his two children.
Right here you may wonder why anyone in search of secret information would break into someone's dreams, which are so often distortions of waking life, rather than their memories, which could be more straightforward recollections. But Cobb is not a memory man, so ... whatever. Gearing up for his mission, Cobb assembles an A-team of dream-work specialists. There's an "architect" named Ariadne (Ellen Page), whose job is to structure dreams; a "forger" named Eames (Tom Hardy), who can pass for any other person in a dream world; and a "chemist" named Yusuf (Dileep Rao), whose drug concoctions allow penetration not only into dreams, or into dreams within dreams, but into dreams within dreams within dreams. There's also a fixer named Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whose purpose is to handle details and look sharp in skinny suits. As we see, the movie all but nudges us to notice that some of these characters' names refer to celebrated figures outside the story. But this is cute to no purpose. Ariadne shares no qualities with her mythological namesake, and Eames displays none of the talents of a famed architectural designer. (Anyway, wouldn't that be Ariadne's turf?) Similarly, there's nothing poetic about a lawyer called Browning (Tom Berenger), and an industrial heir named Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) offers no indication of a chess-master's cunning. Then there's Cobb's estranged wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), who haunts his dreams and does her best to screw up his every plan: as her name unnecessarily denotes, she be bad. And what about Dom Cobb himself? Is his unlikely moniker meant to suggest Dummkopf, the German word for a dope? That would seem entirely counterintuitive. But, as I say, whatever. Many of the movie's effects and digital manipulations are spectacularly imaginative, especially a sequence of weightless action in a rotating hotel corridor, the unexpected arrival of a huge train in a scene without tracks, and the startling sight of a long boulevard peeling up off the ground and rising to double over on itself. These eye-popping amazements are much-appreciated in a story that goes on and on for two and a half hours, with Cobb and his team flashing back and forth disconnectedly from one dream level to another, occasionally touching down in reality (whatever that is). Each of the dream-invaders carries a "totem," an everyday, real-world tchotchke that tips them off as to whether or not they are in fact in a dream, either their own or someone else's. As the dream levels and their far-flung locales piled up and intermingled — a collapsing Japanese mansion, a bullet-pocked snowscape, an exploding Parisian street — I wished I had a totem myself to keep track of what was going on. Unlike Nolan's exceedingly clever 2000 film, "Memento," which was a devilishly complex mystery, "Inception" is basically a complicated heist flick -- there is no mystery to ponder and penetrate. Cobb's goal is clear from the beginning; we spend the rest of the movie attempting to parse its many confusions as he attains it. Nolan says he spent 10 years obsessing over this story (the script is only the second one he has written on his own), which may explain its central problem. Despite its technical brilliance, and its fine cast (Hardy is clearly a star, and DiCaprio brings an emotional depth to the tale that is nowhere else in evidence), the picture is a puzzle palace with far too many rooms. The director himself may have gotten lost in it. Check out everything we've got on "Inception." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Related Photos |
| Trae Tha Truth Can't Be 'Disputed' As 'Hottest Breakthrough MCs Of 2010' Candidate Posted: 15 Jul 2010 06:14 AM PDT Fans decide our 'Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010' -- vote now! The winner will be revealed on July 25.
"Hottest Breakthrough MCs of 2010" Candidate: Trae Tha Truth
Apart from music videos, the streets may be Tha Truth's only outlet for getting heard. The only hip-hop station in his hometown, KBXX 97.9, has decided to not play his music on-air. Truth (born Frazier Thompson) is currently suing the station's parent company, Radio One, in an attempt to get the now-infamous "ban" lifted. His music hasn't been played in about a year. It may have been taking a toll on the Texas MC: Trae didn't have on his trademark shades or all of that jewelry when MTV News met up with him just before the Fourth of July weekend at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Houston. "Mr. Thompson's lawsuit seeks to require Radio One to play his songs on their radio station and to let advertisements [air] that either pertain to him [or] help him with his agreements with promoters," Radio One lawyer Victor Vital, told MTV News via phone on Thursday (July 15). "Radio One's position in the case, just like I would imagine any broadcaster's position to be, is that it has the right to decide what its programming would be. Radio One has decided that his music won't be played and advertisement that concerns him won't be aired." While Trae has been occupied mostly with his legal battle, he's still working on a new album titled Tha Truth, set to feature Rick Ross, Lil' Wayne, Bun B and others. He also shouted out all of the fans who've supported him for Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010. "I am Houston," Trae told us. "I doubt if there's somebody that can dispute that. What y'all did to me with the MTV Jams' Jam of the Week and Sucker Free meant more to me than anything [and] to the streets of Houston. They were like, 'They are actually giving us, one of the underdogs, a shot.' With that said, I'm determined." After violence erupted at his Trae Day festival last year, Trae took exception to what he felt were disparaging remarks made by one of the Box's radio personalities. In response, Trae called her "fat" in one of his raps. From there, everything went downhill. Regardless of what happens when Trae and lawyers for Radio One head back to court on August 16, Trae wants to keep giving back to those who've supported him. He's forging on with Trae Day, an outreach fest targeted at the Houston community, but he admitted the annual event is being met with some resistance. As he sat down with MTV News, the original venue he was planning to use backed out. "They can't ban Tha Truth," Trae said, his words measured, his demeanor calm. "Tha Truth is coming. A lot of these kids can't afford shoes, can't afford pencils, paper, a backpack, really can't afford a dollar to go get lunch. You feel right taking this away from them? The event ain't got nothing to do with me. This is strictly for the less fortunate. Everybody needs help at one point in there life. If you would take that help away from them, I lose all respect.Move me out the equation: you would take away from those in need?" At press time, Trae Day was still going on as planned, scheduled for July 22 at Houston's Northwest Mall. (The rapper will have a ferris wheel and super-slides for the kids, among other attractions.) "Somehow, some way,even if I gotta line up on a corner with boxes and sacks for these kids, we gonna find a way to make it work," Trae said."We gonna find a way to get it to them." Trae and 19 other up-and-coming MCs are in the running to become MTV News' "Hottest Breakthrough MCs of 2010" — and the winner will be decided by you! Cast your vote for the "Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010" right here. The top five will be revealed beginning on July 19, and the winner will be announced on the "Sucker Free Summit" July 25. Related Videos Related Artists |
| 'Hills' Star Lo Bosworth Says Surreal Finale Was Just 'Poking Fun' Posted: 14 Jul 2010 11:28 PM PDT 'In truth (and this really is the truth), the relationships with those on the show are real,' she writes on her website.
"The Hills" finale left everyone a little speechless Tuesday night when, during the final scene, the producers revealed that Kristin and Brody's goodbye scene was shot on a backlot in Hollywood. It was, as Lo Bosworth previously said, a "spectacular" ending to a show that had fans wondering week after week if the drama on the show was real.
Well, despite that one scene, Bosworth wants fans to know that everything they watched over the six seasons of the show was, in fact, real. "TWIST! Tuesday night, viewers said in disappointed shock, 'OMG was "The Hills" really fake all this time?' " Bosworth blogged on her new website, TheLoDown.com. "I mean, that's what you guys have been saying forever, right? Ha ha. Don't worry. It wasn't fake. I have never shot any 'Hills' scenes on a stage of any kind. "Rest assured, we were simply poking fun in the way that our viewers have done since the show began to air," she continued. "Our show's undeniable production value sometimes made the validity of it all questionable, but in truth (and this really is the truth), the relationships with those on the show are real." Bosworth noted in the post that many of her friendships on the show date back to a time when no one had even heard of "The Hills." "Lauren, Kristin and I have known each other since we were all under 5 feet tall. No conspiracy there," she said. "As for the others — we met them all when moving to L.A. Sure, some relationships were pushed by producers, but once pushed, blossomed into real-life friendship (or hatred, take your pick)." She concluded the post by reiterating the fact that the ending was really nothing more than fun. "So, lovely reader and watcher of 'The Hills' — it was just a big 'joke's on you,' without it really, truly being one. Just messin' with you guys a little. In the end, we're all in the same boat, right?" she wrote. What do you think of Lo's assessment of the finale? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos |
| Vampire Weekend's <i>Contra</i> Cover Girl Sues The Band Posted: 15 Jul 2010 02:41 AM PDT Ann Kirsten Kennis claims her signature was forged on the photo release.
Well, after months of speculation, we finally know who the wide-eyed WASP-y girl on the cover of Vampire Weekend's Contra album is — but the guys in VW probably would have preferred if everyone were kept in the dark.
That's because on Wednesday, the blond, Polo-wearing woman on the cover of the album — her name is Ann Kirsten Kennis, btw — filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming the band (or, as they're referred to in the suit, "Vampire Weekend, Inc") and photographer Tod Brody used her image without her permission. At the heart of the suit is a photographic release VW obtained from Brody, one Kennis claims contains her forged signature. Kennis — who is suing the band and the photographer for more than $2 million, on the grounds that neither party bothered to verify the legitimacy of the release — also said she took the original photo back in 1983 but had no idea it was featured on the cover of Contra until the band began promoting the album in November. On Thursday (July 15), an officer in the Public Information office of the L.A. Superior Court verified to MTV News that the suit had been filed. A spokesperson for Vampire Weekend's label, XL Recordings, told MTV News she had no comment about the suit. Contra was released back in January and debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart. Back in October, the band stopped by the MTV Newsroom to talk about the album — and the iconic cover image — but they played things close to the vest: "We haven't met her, we don't know her," bassist Chris Baio laughed. "We're not being very specific about it. The picture is from 1983, but the last album cover was from 2006, and they kind of look like they both inhabit the same world," frontman Ezra Koenig added. "When we saw this image, we just found it very striking. And part of it is the look on her face. It's not about the color of her hair, or the fact that she's wearing a Polo shirt. What makes it interesting is her face." What do you think about the lawsuit against Vampire Weekend? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Meet Kevin Todd: 'The Hills' Castmember You've Never Heard Of Posted: 15 Jul 2010 06:14 AM PDT Event producer recounts his many quiet appearances over 'The Hills' six seasons: 'I am pretty stealthy!'
Although you may not recognize him at first, Kevin Todd has been a part of many of the biggest moments of "The Hills." He was standing by when Heidi and Lauren had that huge blow-up over that rumored LC sex tape. He witnessed the drama when Justin Bobby made out with another girl in front of Audrina. He was part of the festivities at the ladies' 2006 New Year's Eve bash and he has even presented Lauren with a cake at her birthday.
He's the tall guy with the beanie who has popped up in many different scenes throughout "The Hills," or as he puts it, "I'm the guy that's always around, but never around." Viewers have tossed out a range of ideas about just who this mystery guy is. "Fans are always speculating that maybe I'm a producer, a publicist, a bodyguard, or maybe I'm Batman!" Todd said. And now that "The Hills" is wrapping up, it's time to reveal his true identity. Todd is an event producer who has had a hand in organizing some of the fabulous events where the "Hills" girls often find themselves running into drama. He runs his own company entitled Kevin Todd Presents. He has his own blog and keeps up with "Twilight" (he's Team Edward). He's a Taurus and, in his own words, he's "a generally nice guy." Now he can add "credited castmember" to his résumé, as MTV recently hooked him up with his first-ever onscreen ID (It says "Kevin Todd/Lauren's Friend). But even if you look back on some of the major moments of "The Hills" and you still can't remember his name, Todd has a very simple solution: "You can remember me as 'Lauren's Friend!' " Related Videos |
| 'American Idol' Wannabes Line Up In Nashville Posted: 15 Jul 2010 03:22 AM PDT Around 10,000 hopefuls show up for first audition of 10th season, producer says.
As "American Idol" heads into its 10th season, legions of wannabe pop stars have descended on Nashville for a shot at overnight fame. "Idol" supervising producer Patrick Lynn told The Associated Press that around 10,000 people braved the sweltering heat to line up for wristbands Thursday morning (July 15), days before auditions kick off Saturday at the city's Bridgestone Arena. (According to the show's website, "Idol" wannabes are not allowed to camp out and must return Saturday with their wristbands.) In addition to the show's track record for producing pop megastars, there might be an increase of hopefuls for the upcoming season due to the show's recent change in eligibility guidelines. An "Idol" producer announced in June that the minimum age for contestants had been lowered from 16 to 15. "A lot of young, talented people are now seeking careers and representation before they turn 16," "American Idol" Executive Producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said in a statement at the time. "Lowering the age limit allows us to tap into this talent pool." Lynn conceded that the breakout success of teen phenom Justin Bieber was a factor in the change. The show is also soldiering along without caustic judge Simon Cowell but has yet to announce a replacement. The AP reports that some "Idol" auditioners in Nashville were disappointed that they wouldn't be subjected to Cowell's no-nonsense critique, while others were grateful they wouldn't have to perform for him on the upcoming season. In addition to the show's current judges — Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres — several celebrities have appeared as guest judges in recent years, including Mary J. Blige and Joe Jonas. The show will head around the country to find the next Idol, and upcoming auditions will take place in several cities, including New Orleans, Austin and San Francisco. Will you miss Simon at the judges' table? Let us know in the comments! Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. |
| 'The Hills' Was 'Not Scripted,' Kelly Cutrone Says Posted: 15 Jul 2010 03:22 AM PDT 'It's a whole piss-take on everybody going, 'Is the show scripted?' ' the PR vet and 'The City' star insists of finale.
Was it real or fake? That's the question many fans seem to be considering since credits rolled on "The Hills" for the last time on Tuesday night. The show's creator, Adam DiVello, revealed on Thursday (July 15) that the final moment between Brody and Kristin was staged. But a onetime castmember of the hit reality series, PR maven Kelly Cutrone — now on MTV's "The City" — insists that everything else on the show is for real.
"Well, not really, because the show's not scripted," Cutrone told MTV News when asked whether fans should now re-think the show given the finale episode. "It's just not. I've been on the show, it's not scripted. I think it's a whole piss-take on everybody going, 'Is the show scripted? Is it not scripted?' " Plus, Cutrone said, it was the best possible way to end a show that is, in fact, a reality show. "I mean the show's got to end somehow, and if the show's based in reality, how do you end something that's real? I mean, what do you do? So the whole [thing] was a flip," she concluded. "I thought it was funny that it ended with Brody!" "Hills" star Lo Bosworth also reacted to the finale (and its implications) on her blog on Thursday. "Don't worry. It wasn't fake," she promised fans on her new site, the Lo Down. "I have never shot any 'Hills' scenes on a stage of any kind. Rest assured, we were simply poking fun in the way that our viewers have done since the show began to air. Our show's undeniable production value sometimes made the validity of it all questionable, but in truth (and this really is the truth), the relationships with those on the show are real." Meanwhile, show creator DiVello said he felt the ending paid homage to the city that served as its backdrop for six seasons. "We had come up with a bunch of ideas, and then I had this idea to focus it on the Hollywood sign and really just kind of incorporate Hollywood into the ending of it," he told us. "Our show's one that's based in Hollywood and these kids live, work and play here and never, never really kind of acknowledged in the series that Hollywood is where shows are made." What's your take on the "Hills" finale? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos |
| John Stamos Extortion Trial Ends With Guilty Verdict Posted: 15 Jul 2010 03:59 AM PDT Michigan couple face up to five years in prison for trying to con hundreds of thousands of dollars from the actor.
The verdict is in for the Michigan couple who tried to con hundreds of thousands of dollars out of actor John Stamos: guilty. The Associated Press reports that Allison Coss, 24, and Scott Sippola, 31, were found guilty of conspiracy and using e-mail to threaten a person's reputation. It is a charge that could land the couple in prison for up to five years. Last fall, Coss and Sippola reportedly threatened to sell old photos of the former "Full House" and "ER" star with strippers and cocaine to the tabloids unless he paid them $680,000. Stamos received two e-mails from a "Jessica T," who claimed she was pregnant and that Stamos was the father, according to the prosecutor. Those were followed by several e-mails from a "Brian L" describing the allegedly compromising photos, which he said would be sold to tabloids if Stamos did not buy them for $680,000. Prosecutors have claimed that Coss and Sippola sent the e-mails, and though defense attorney Sarah Henderson acknowledged that Coss used the pseudonym "Jessica T," the lawyer dismissed the e-mails as a trick to test Stamos' reaction in hopes of determining whether he was preying on young girls. Stamos and his lawyer have denied the actor's romantic involvement with Coss from the beginning. Stamos, who was not present to hear the verdict, arrived in time to hear the judge poll each juror. He was reportedly greeted by dozens of supportive fans upon exiting the federal courthouse. He reiterated the couple's false claims in a written statement to the AP, adding that he was "shocked and perplexed by Coss and Sippola's actions." "These slanderous allegations to smear my reputation were part of their defense to redirect attention away from the federal crime of extortion," he said. "There was no hot tub, no drugs, no nudity and nothing sexual in nature involved in my friendship with this woman. They lied about everything." |
| Lady Gaga Says She Wrote 'A #1 Record' In Cleveland Posted: 15 Jul 2010 08:38 AM PDT Gaga told her audience Wednesday night that she'd spent the day in her bus writing a new hit.
When Lady Gaga took the stage at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday night, she managed not to discuss the town's recently departed superstar LeBron James. But she did announce to the sold-out crowd that earlier in the day, she had written a brand-new song that was destined to be a hit. "I wrote a #1 record in Cleveland," she told her throngs of little monsters, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer, adding that she had skipped a private tour of the city's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to work on the song in her tour bus recording studio. Earlier in the day, she took to her Twitter account to proclaim the same thing, writing, "Emerging from studio coma. Voted no visit to RockNRoll Hall of Fame, rather write a hit that puts me in it." Gaga didn't actually play the song in question, but she did rip through a rousing version of "You and I," the new song she premiered at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball last month and has been performing at Monster Ball stops ever since. In theory, it's all leading up to Gaga's much-anticipated new album, which, according to a recent Rolling Stone interview, is totally finished but won't be released until "early next year." Gaga also told the magazine that she plans on getting the title of the album tattooed on her body and then releasing the photo at midnight on New Year's Eve. What kind of songs do you want hear on Lady Gaga's next album? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Actress Vonetta McGee Dies At Age 65 Posted: 15 Jul 2010 04:48 AM PDT She appeared alongside Clint Eastwood in 'The Eiger Sanction' and in many blaxploitation films.
Actress Vonetta McGee, best known for her leading roles in the blaxploitation films "Blacula," "Hammer" and "Shaft in Africa," has died at age 65. The Los Angeles Times reports that McGee died Friday (July 9) after being admitted to a Berkeley, California, hospital for cardiac arrest, for which she was put on life support for two days. Born Lawrence Vonetta McGee in San Francisco on January 14, 1945, she caught the acting bug while attending college and landed her first film role in the 1968 spaghetti western "The Great Silence." Times movie reviewer Kevin Thomas called McGee "one of the busiest and most beautiful black actresses" in 1972, the year "Hammer" and "Blacula" were released. She later appeared alongside Clint Eastwood in the action-thriller "The Eiger Sanction." Other film credits include "The Lost Man," "Detroit 9000," "Brothers," "Repo Man" and "To Sleep With Anger," as well as many successful roles in television. Her "Hammer" co-star Fred Williamson said he was most pleased to see her alongside Clint Eastwood. "Not many black actors had that opportunity to be in a movie where color doesn't matter," he said. "Vonetta McGee was like a lot of actors and actresses at that time, like myself, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, Billy Dee Williams and Pam Grier, in that we had more talent than we were allowed to show because everything was perceived as a black project. Once they categorize you, your marketability becomes limited." Though she is known primarily for her roles in blaxploitation films, McGee outwardly criticized Hollywood's profligation of the term. She told the Times in 1979 that the wording was "like racism, so you don't have to think of the individual elements, just the whole. If you study propaganda, you understand how this works." She is survived by her husband, Carl Lumbly; son Brandon; her mother; three brothers; and a sister. Share your memories of Vonetta McGee in the comments below. |
| Lindsay Lohan Spotted At Sober-Living Facility Posted: 15 Jul 2010 09:36 AM PDT Actress, who is slated to report to jail next Tuesday, was filmed entering rehab on Wednesday.
Less than a week before she's scheduled to begin a 90-day jail sentence in Los Angeles, Lindsay Lohan has moved into a sober living facility, X17Online.com reports. The site claims that Lohan, 24, was spotted entering the facility in West Hollywood on Wednesday afternoon and was visited later in the day by her mother, sister and ex-girlfriend, DJ Samantha Ronson. In addition to the 90-day jail sentence for probation violation, Lohan was ordered to check into an in-patient rehab facility following her stint in jail. According to TMZ, the troubled actress is in the process of hiring famed O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Shapiro in an attempt to get her sentence either reduced or tossed out in favor of an immediate trip to rehab. Shapiro has not publicly confirmed that he is representing Lohan, and a spokesperson for the "Mean Girls" star could not be reached for comment at press time. Lohan is currently without a lawyer after attorney Shawn Chapman Holley quit last week. X17 posted videos purportedly showing Lohan checking into Pickford Lofts, a sober living facility started by Shapiro in the wake of his son's drug overdose death in 2005. Another video shows the arrivals of her visitors throughout the day. Lohan, who has been in rehab several times in the past, has been lying low since her sentencing and the scandal that erupted thanks to an obscene message she had airbrushed on her fingernail before her court appearance. She did somewhat break her silence this week by engaging in a Twitter feud with comedian Joan Rivers and addiction specialist Dr. Drew. Do you think Lindsay's latest move will save her from jail? Let us know in comments below. Related Photos Related Artists |
| 'The Hills' Finale 'Acknowledged' Its Hollywood Setting, Creator Says Posted: 15 Jul 2010 01:49 AM PDT 'It's a nod to how much work goes into making it feel like a scripted show,' Adam DiVello explains to MTV News.
After six seasons, marked by streams of mascara-stained tears and countless barbecues, "The Hills" finally bowed for good on Tuesday. But instead of playing it straight, the last few moments of the series cleverly addressed years of rumors about the reality show's, well, realness, by panning out to reveal that Kristin's goodbye with Brody had been filmed on a Hollywood backlot. And although some "Hills" fans have taken issue with the surreal ending, creator Adam DiVello said he was just going for a "wink." "We had joked early on about different ways to do kind of a wink to whether it was real or not," DiVello admitted to MTV News.
"There were a lot of ideas thrown around, from even Lauren waking up and this whole thing was a dream, which would have been a little 'Newhart,' " he revealed. "We had come up with a bunch of ideas, and then I had this idea to focus it on the Hollywood sign and really just kind of incorporate Hollywood into the ending of it. Our show's one that's based in Hollywood, and these kids live, work and play here and never, never really kind of acknowledged in the series that Hollywood is where shows are made." Of course, that final shot had some fans wondering if it was confirmation from the show itself that what they'd been watching all these years was fiction. But DiVello argued that it confirms the opposite. "It's a nod to how much work goes into making it feel like a scripted show," he said. "When we set out to make the show, it was a reality show without the conventions of a reality show. When we showed up to Paramount that day we kind of walked Brody through it, and he was shocked," DiVello recalled of shooting the finale. "I believe Kristin kind of started to cry a little bit. I think she was surprised when she showed up as well. We had a great time. [Viewers wondered,] 'Were these things shot on soundstages or were they shot in their apartments?' But I think everyone knows it was a reality show, obviously." So would he change anything about that ending? "I think it was great. I think we did tie up some stories with the cast and I think, ultimately, not only myself, but the people that work on my team and I think the network and I think America wants to see the kids happy," he said. "And I think it showed that. You always want to leave the audience wondering what happens next. At the end of the day we were telling stories. I hope people leave it [as] a fun, six-season trip to California," he said of the "Hills" legacy. "I hope they leave with fond memories of it. We make this show for the fans." Do you feel any differently about "The Hills" finale having heard the show creator's assessment? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related Videos Related Photos |
| M.I.A-Headlined Hard L.A. Show Wasn't Canceled For Security Concerns Posted: 14 Jul 2010 10:35 PM PDT But in wake of Electric Daisy Carnival fatality, tighter city regulations added 'unforeseen costs,' promoter says.
When promoters abruptly canceled this Saturday's M.I.A.-headlined Hard L.A. concert in Los Angeles State Historic Park on Monday, they cited "security concerns." But now the Los Angeles Times is reporting that security was not a factor in the decision to pull the plug, but rather new rules and costs indirectly stemming from the death of a 15-year-old girl at a rave held at the L.A. Coliseum last month. "I don't want anyone to think that this cancellation had anything to do with the events that occurred at Electric Daisy Carnival, because it didn't," Hard Events promoter Gary Richards told the Times' Pop &Hiss blog, referring to last month's rather disastrous rave that left one dead and more than 100 hospitalized. But in the wake of those events, he said, city officials forced producers to add "a lot of extra stipulations and requirements" that "resulted in unforeseen costs to the event," ultimately leading to Hard L.A.'s cancellation. (At press time, a spokesperson for Hard Events had not returned MTV News' request for clarification on what those new requirements and costs were.) The promoters plan to go ahead with an August 7 concert in the same park, and some of the canceled show's scheduled artists will play then, Richards said. "We've been working with the city for months, and all our security plans were approved," Richards said. "We just thought it would be better to put both events together. This didn't have anything to do with security issues." Following Electric Daisy, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to establish a task force to "enhance rave safety," the Times reported. The Board of Supervisor's motion defines a rave as "musical events [that] tend to be held over ... long periods of time — sometimes days — in large venues on both public and private property. Richards told Pop & Hiss that he doesn't consider his events to be raves. He declined to comment on whether slow ticket sales influenced his decision to pull the plug on Hard L.A. The Times reported last week that the concert was rumored to be suffering from slow advance-ticket sales for the 25,000-capacity event in the 36-acre park. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Too Short Arrested After Idaho Nightclub Fight Posted: 15 Jul 2010 01:49 AM PDT Rapper charged with three counts of misdemeanor battery after a tussle with security.
Bay Area rapper Too Short was arrested and charged with three counts of misdemeanor battery Thursday morning (July 15) stemming from an incident in an Idaho nightclub. According to police records, the 44-year-old MC (real name: Todd Shaw) was released after posting bail and is scheduled to return to court August 4. Another man was also charged in the incident, which the Idaho Statesman is reporting as a fight with security workers who attempted to stop the rapper and his associate from inviting underage women to the backstage area. Short performed at the Boise Knitting Factory on Wednesday night as part of a lineup that also included E-40 and Mack 10. After his performance, the rapper and his associate, who was charged with two counts of battery, reportedly were involved in a tussle with club security, eyewitnesses told police, after the gentlemen warned Too Short about his behavior. Police were called to the scene and took the two men into custody. If Too Short is found guilty of all charges, he could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. As of press time, Too Short nor a representative for the rapper could be reached for comment. Related Artists |
| Flo Rida Records Unofficial Miami Heat Anthem Posted: 15 Jul 2010 12:48 AM PDT Inspired by LeBron James' arrival, the Florida MC says he hopes 'We Already Won' will 'get the city hype.'
Miami Heat fans have been celebrating ever since NBA phenom LeBron James announced his move to the Florida team last week. (After 'Bron made his announcement, Miami's DJ Irie described the mania in the city in an e-mail to MTV News: "Miami is literally in a frenzy right now! Leftover fireworks from the Fourth of July are going off left and right.") Now, one of the state's hitmaking stars has hit the studio to record a track to help Heat fans get their party on. Flo Rida jumped in the lab to make "We Already Won," a banger that he dubs an unofficial anthem for the Miami Heat. Flo broke down the creation of the song to NBC Miami's Niteside blog. "Being a part of the Poe Boy family, we always trying to do something to get the city hype," Flo said. "So I called my colleagues Billy Blue, Brianna, Desloc [Piccalo], Ball Greezy, Brisco. We just trying to build up the morale of Dade County. Having LeBron come in, having [Chris] Bosh come in, we think that's a great thing. So we just got in the studio and did what we always do — go in there and make a great record." The Florida rapper, who's broken chart records with party-starting hits like "Right Round," also chopped it up for the blog about his next album, which he's expecting to drop in the fall. Flo talked to MTV News last month about crafting the David Guetta-produced jam "Club Can't Handle Me," which will be featured on the LP, as well as the "Step Up 3-D" soundtrack. "It's called The Only 1, Flo told NBC Miami, adding that the buzz surrounding the Heat's new lineup is inspiring his latest effort. "It definitely feels special for the fact that we got LeBron and this crazy team, you know, [Dwyane] Wade and everybody." Who else would you like to hear take a stab at a Miami Heat anthem? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists |
| Pharrell Williams Calls Swedish House Mafia 'Necessary Rock Stars' Posted: 15 Jul 2010 01:33 AM PDT 'If you can do something that moves people, you are necessary,' he tells MTV News of his 'One (Your Name)' collaborators.
When we caught up with Dutch dance-music producer Tiësto just before Winter Music Conference earlier this year, he said he was most excited to see "rock stars of the scene" Swedish House Mafia perform. N.E.R.D mastermind Pharrell Williams recently stopped by MTV News headquarters and used the same words to describe the Mafia gents (house-music stars Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell and Steve Angello).
"I see those guys as rock stars," Williams said, seemingly affirming the shift in the way dance music is being received by not only major players in hip-hop (French producer David Guetta can certainly attest to this), but popular music in general. Swedish House Mafia recently signed a record deal with EMI (complete with a hilarious "thank you" video message to the label), a partnership that will bear an upcoming greatest-hits album and DVD documentary. Their first official release, "One" — a part sinister, part euphoric house-music summer anthem — dropped in late June. The song leaked earlier this year with Williams' vocals, titled "One (Your Name)," though when asked at the time, reps for Swedish House Mafia called it an "anonymous bootleg." "I wanna know your name," Williams coos. "You just killed me/ Could you at least do that?/ I wanna know your name/ Or, better yet, stand there and just do that." When we spoke with Skateboard P, he gave us some insight into how the song came together more than a year ago and how his vocals were intended for another song, before finding their way onto "One (Your Name)." "We just kept seeing each other at festivals," Williams said. "We were doing a show and they did this beat that they played in their set, and I was like, 'Man! That beat is crazy!' Finally, he was like, 'Look, just one of these days, can you drop by the studio and just do something?' I played a couple of chords and sang, 'I wanna know your name.' It was really quick and really simple. So those guys just chopped it up and just used it as they did. They are really talented guys." This week, SHM premiered videos for "One" and "One (Your Name)" online; visually, they are virtually the same. The clip prominently features Teenage Engineering's OP-1 controller/synthesizer, taking the viewer from what would seem to be an ordinary home-studio recording session to an all-out SHM house party, complete with writhing hotties and even a mouse. With SHM on the verge of crossing over to pop, Williams — who is not featured in the video for "One (Your Name)" — underscored their relevance in music today. "The rock stars are the dance DJs, because they ultimately know how to go in and make people move by rocking their turntables and their sounds," he said. "We have a huge admiration for that. Music is music, and at the end of the day, if you can do something that moves people, you are necessary!" Do you think it's just a matter of time before Swedish House Mafia are household names? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists |
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