| Nicki Minaj Open To Lady Gaga Collaboration Posted: 29 Oct 2010 05:51 AM PDT 'I'm inspired by her creativity,' the self-proclaimed 'feature queen' says on MTV's 'RapFix Live.
By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Sway Calloway 
Nicki Minaj
Photo: Rachel Goldner/MTV News Lady Gaga is no stranger to hip-hop and R&B collaborations, lending her talents to efforts from Kid Cudi, Wale and Beyoncé. While Gaga hasn't jumped on a record with rap's reigning collabo mistress, Nicki Minaj, the Young Money lyricist says she's down to change that. During her "RapFix Live" interview, Minaj revealed she would be interested in jumping on a track with Gaga — especially if it's guaranteed to be a monster. "I'm inspired by her creativity," Minaj said. "The women in the game, I never say I would never work with them because, in fact, if there's an opportunity for me to work with them, and it's a way that we can kill the game and do something crazy, why would I turn that down?" The Young Money diva added, "I love collaborating with artists. I've been a feature queen for the last year, right?" Like Gaga, Minaj's bi-curious lyrics and zany swagger have helped beef up her hearty gay following. The "Right Thru Me" spitter said in addition to championing the struggles of the LGBT community, she stands up for all of her fans battling hate. "It's important for me to stand up for anyone that is being ridiculed and bullied. I don't differentiate between who I'm speaking on behalf of. If three black kids ... committed suicide and I needed to speak on behalf of them, I would have spoken up," she said. "Because I think that, at the end of the day, you don't have to love everyone's lifestyle. You don't have to embrace everyone. But I do think you have to respect everyone." Minaj, who is careening toward superstardom on the strength of her hard-hitting rhymes, reminded fans that hateful barbs can hurt more than physical jabs. "Some people think like, 'Well, if I don't hit someone, I'm not hurting them.' But those words that you say to a person — that bullying, that ridicule — it hurts them even more," she said. "So yes, I spoke up for the gay community and I will do that for all and any of my fans if they're being tormented, because it's sad." Do you want to see a Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga collaboration? Let us know in the comments below! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Rihanna Initially Against 'Love The Way You Lie (Part II)' With Eminem Posted: 29 Oct 2010 12:46 AM PDT Sequel to appear on Loud; piano version will be iTunes bonus.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway 
Rihanna
Photo: Matt Harper/ MTV News Fans seemed pumped to hear "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)," the follow-up to the smash Rihanna/Eminem collaboration. The track, which is Rihanna's answer to the original version, will appear on her forthcoming November release, Loud, but Rihanna admits she had some hesitation about trying to re-create the magic of that first song. "When I first heard the idea about doing a part two, I was just completely against it," she revealed to MTV News. "I just felt like you couldn't beat the original. There's no way you can outdo that, so why compete with it?" However, after trying out several versions of a sequel track to the 2010 song off Em's Recovery LP, she knew the magic from the first cut was still in the air. "We heard a broken-down version that was stripped down, just piano ... that's going to be a bonus on iTunes," she said. "I fell in love with it. We recorded it, then we did another version to the stripped-down version with drums, then we did another version with drums and Eminem. And then that was the one that just felt really good. "I love both: I love the broken-down version, as well as the new one with Eminem," she continued. Without giving away too much, Em certainly doesn't hold back on his verse, rhyming about trading punches with the song's female protagonist and being obsessively in love with her. Rihanna admits it's a "crazy verse." "Something is wrong with Eminem," she said, laughing. "He has so much in his mind that I almost feel lucky for him that he has music. ... Music is such a great release for him. He's one of my favorite artists." Not only did the original track have everyone buzzing, but its video, which features Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan, also had everyone talking. So, will there be a sequel to that as well? "Who knows?" she teased. Are you excited for "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)"? Tell us in the comments below! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| 'Jersey Shore' Star Ronnie Promises 'More Drama' On Season Three Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:46 AM PDT Vinny and Ron dress as 'Shore' roommates and dish about next season on MTV's 'The Seven.'
By Mawuse Ziegbe 
"Jersey Shore" stars Vinny dresses like Snooki and Ronnie like Pauly D on MTV's "The Seven"
Photo: MTV When "Jersey Shore" residents Ronnie and Vinny paid a visit to "The Seven," on a Halloween-themed episode of the show, they didn't have to look far for costume ideas. The fellas sauntered onto the set as trick-or-treat-ready versions of their roommates DJ Pauly D and Snooki. Ron rocked a shellacked 'do, black tank top and headphones like record-spinning housemate Pauly, while Vinny squeezed himself into a snug gold halter and donned a high-volume wig like Snooks. When "The Seven" hosts pointed out that Vinny has smushed the real-life version of his Halloween alter ego, the Staten Island native shrugged it off, saying, "I'm pretty hot." Both guys did admit that it's weird seeing people dressing up as the "Shore" cast for Halloween revelry, and Ronnie told fans they may have more material to draw from when season three hits screens. Ron Ron promised that the next outing will be packed with more madness then ever. "[It's] everything you got in season one and season two, just more," he said. "More action, more drama. Makeups, breakups, hookups, smush room — everything." Viewers will have another option for Halloween costumes next year when the newest housemate, Deena, debuts on season three. Vinny and Ron seemed confident that fans will connect with the latest addition to the "Shore" collective. "She's fun," Vinny said. Ron was more straightforward in his assessment, adding, "[She's] better than Angelina." Vinny also described how the "Jersey Shore" kids get down on Halloween. "We go trick-or-treating and stuff; Halloween parties." He also revealed one of his favorite parts of the holiday. "I like when the girls wear all these sexy costumes — like this," he quipped, referencing his Snooki-inspired halter dress. What are you looking forward to from season three of "Jersey Shore"? Let us know in the comments! Don't miss "The Seven" every weekday at 5 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos |
| Are Robert Downey Jr. And Zach Galifianakis A Good 'Due Date' Duo? Posted: 29 Oct 2010 06:23 AM PDT Downey compares them to other comedy teams ... like Ashford & Simpson.
By Kara Warner 
Robert Downey Jr.
Photo: MTV News In the upcoming film "Due Date," Robert Downey Jr. plays the straight man to the zany antics of Zach Galifianakis and a scene-stealing French bulldog named Honey (renamed Sonny by Galifianakis, we're told). If you've seen the trailer, you know that Downey's character is trying to get home to his wife, who is going to have their baby very soon. Zach's character comes into the mix as an alternate mode of transport, which naturally turns out to be a cross-country road trip that destroys cars, friendships and nerves. When MTV News caught up with one-half of this new comedic duo at the Los Angeles premiere of the film recently, we asked Downey to compare his two co-stars: Galifianakis and the French bulldog. "Well, actually, Sonny is supposed to be a boy [and] is largely played by a female dog," the "Iron Man" star explained. "Honey is her real name," Downey's wife Susan chimed in. "Right. Honey is a bitch. Sonny is supposed to be this meat stick in the movie, so they pulled in a male dog, and that's how I think of Zach: He's kind of a hermaphrodite hound," Downey said with a smile. Somehow, we imagine Galifianakis would take that assessment as a compliment. But where might he and the "Hangover" star rank among the great comedic duos in film history? "I'll know a lot more in a couple hours, but I would say kind of Ashford & Simpson right now," Downey said. "We'll see if we get to Hope and Crosby." Check out everything we've got on "Due Date." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| 'The Walking Dead' Lurches From Comic Book To AMC Posted: 29 Oct 2010 05:17 AM PDT TV show, based on Robert Kirkman's zombie series, premieres Halloween night.
By Rick Marshall 
A scene from "The Walking Dead"
Photo: AMC This weekend, hordes of flesh-hungry zombies will finally shamble their way from printed page to television screen as AMC premieres its new post-apocalyptic horror series "The Walking Dead" on Halloween night. Based on writer Robert Kirkman's long-running comic book series that debuted in 2003, "The Walking Dead" chronicles the trials and tribulations of former Kentucky police officer Rick Grimes as he struggles to first find then protect his family in a nightmarish landscape where corpses walk and living humans are an endangered species. The premiere of "The Walking Dead" culminates just over a year of casting, filming and near-constant conversation about the project among comic book and horror fans, and puts Oscar-winning filmmaker Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption," "The Mist") in the director's chair for the pilot episode, "Days Gone Bye." No stranger to horror fare, Darabont also serves as executive producer of the series, and wrote or co-wrote each episode in the initial six-episode arc. When MTV News visited the set of "The Walking Dead" in June, the fan-favorite auteur discussed the project amid overturned cars and abandoned military vehicles in a closed-off section of downtown Atlanta — with a massive crowd of background actors made up to look like zombies milling about just a few feet away. Comparing the tone of the series to a classic western, Darabont likened lead actor Andrew Lincoln to well-known Hollywood heroes of the Old West, such as "High Noon" star Gary Cooper. "I always kind of knew it, but it really came home as we've been shooting the last few days — it really does turn into a Western at times," Darabont said. "You see [Lincoln] riding into the dusty streets of the town here, only it happens to be Atlanta with these skyscrapers, [and] it's a very cool mix of visual elements. There's a little John Ford meets 'I Am Legend' thing going on here." Kicking off with a 90-minute premiere, "The Walking Dead" has AMC hoping it has yet another award-winning series on its hands to tout alongside such recent hits as "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad." In fact, Lincoln recently told MTV News it was the latter of those two series that inspired Darabont's approach to "The Walking Dead." "He said, 'I want you to watch two things,' " Lincoln said of his early conversations with Darabont about the role. " 'Breaking Bad,' which is a show he was a huge admirer of, so I rewatched the first series. And he said, 'Watch Gary Cooper,' so I watched 'High Noon.' " For Darabont, the tonal connection between the two projects was so significant that he recruited "Breaking Bad" director/producer Michelle MacLaren to direct the series' second episode. Still, despite the connections between "The Walking Dead" and any existing movie or television projects, Darabont and the series' creative team and cast have remained adamant about one aspect throughout the project's development: The source of its appeal lies firmly in the characters, tone and visual foundation established by Kirkman and the comic book's artists, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. "What I find is that we're very much on course with the philosophy we approached the show with," Darabont told MTV News earlier this month. "From the very first, I always said to Robert Kirkman, 'I want to follow the narrative path you've laid out, but I want to take as many interesting detours and step off the path for a little bit as [much as] we can, as long as it feels organic to the overall.' " "The Walking Dead" premieres Sunday, Halloween night, at 10 p.m. ET on AMC. For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. |
| Katy Perry's 'Firework' Director Hopes Video Shows 'Substance' Posted: 29 Oct 2010 01:35 AM PDT 'She looks like a pinup, but she's got ... a lot to say,' Dave Meyers tells MTV News.
By James Montgomery 
Katy Perry in the teaser trailer for "Firework"
Photo: Capitol Records When Dave Meyers sat down to write his treatment for Katy Perry's "Firework" video, he says he wanted to "play with [her] image a bit ... sort of demystify the candy-colored pop icon that she's become." So you can imagine his disappointment when, as soon as he finished his first draft, the director caught the premiere of Perry's "Teenage Dream" clip, which stripped KP of her "California Gurls" candy coating and, in the process, sent him back to the drawing board. "I had written the treatment already with the idea of deconstructing her a little bit, and then 'Teenage Dream' came out and deconstructed her all the way," Meyers said, laughing. "So I had to switch gears a little bit. But really, it was easy, because I connected with the song. I felt 'Firework' was very personal, and I was very drawn to that. ... We wanted to articulate the meaning of that song: what it means to be an underdog and have the courage, if you're on the outskirts of society, to be your own person." With that goal in mind, Meyers headed to Hungary (Budapest, to be exact) to shoot "Firework," his first-ever collaboration with Perry. From the very beginning, both he and KP were on the same page about one thing: They wanted the video to be totally, 100 percent real. "We were both very into the idea of getting away from Hollywood and featuring real people in the video," Meyers said. "So we featured real people; they weren't actors. Finding two gay guys in Budapest was a challenge, because it's not as accepted there as it is in West Hollywood. I found an actual, real couple. "The girl in the video isn't actually a sick girl, but we got her to shave her head, and, if you're an 11-year-old, that's a massive commitment. The people's commitment to it was really beautiful," he continued. "And then in the last scene, that wasn't 250 extras, that was 250 hardcore Katy Perry fans. Those people were jumping because they were loving life." Those 250 fans were winners of a contest sponsored by Deutsch Telekom (which followed them on the journey from their homes across Europe to the set of the "Firework" video), and when they were finally brought face-to-face with their heroine, much like the video itself, the reaction was very real. "Katy was brought to tears when she met the extras," Meyers said. "And, really, that's her. She looks like a pinup, but she's got a lot of substance and a lot to say, and hopefully this video represents that." But for all the talk of keeping it real, there is one aspect of "Firework" that isn't: the eye-catching shower of sparks that emits from the bodies of Perry and various characters throughout the clip. Turns out, they're mostly special effects. Though, in keeping with the spirit of the entire production, Meyers tried his hardest to figure out some way of using actual fireworks. Sadly, it didn't work out. "I tried to figure out a way to actually rig real fireworks to real people," he said, laughing, "but it ended up being a hazard. Nobody wanted me to get close to Katy with them." What did you think of the "Firework" video? Give us your review in the comments below! Related Artists |
| Liam Neeson Brings 'Gravity' To 'Hangover 2,' Director Says Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:26 AM PDT Plus: 'Hangover' breakout star Ken Jeong is 'just happy' he's involved in the sequel.
By Kara Warner 
Todd Phillips
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images With all the talk surrounding "Hangover 2" — specifically Mel Gibson's heavily hyped cameo being scrapped/ switched to Liam Neeson due to alleged disgruntled reactions from Zach Galifianakis and the rest of the cast — what we're really missing are details about the plot. Here's what we know so far: The film is being shot in L.A. and Thailand, with the boys (Bradley Cooper, Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha) headed to the Far East on some sort of all-dude excursion. When we caught up with director Todd Phillips and breakout star Ken Jeong at the premiere of "Due Date," we asked them for a few sequel teases. What takes the boys to Thailand? "A plane," Phillips answered cheekily, indicating he wouldn't be divulging any secrets at all. And how did Phillips choose Neeson for the cameo? "There's a lot of people [we considered]," he said. "He has gravity. Liam brings a sense of gravity. But, you know, it's a cameo, and we don't like to talk about it, because it's [supposed to be] a surprise and now it's ... I don't like to justify it." As for Jeong, we tried our best to find out what his zany character might be up to as well. "No comment!" he exclaimed. "I'm just happy that I'm in it. For me, this is not predestined to happen so I'm just so happy I'm involved in any moment. Anything Todd asked me to do, I would do. Anything." What do you think of all the "Hangover 2" talk? Will it be as good as the first film? Share your thoughts in the comments! For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| Willow Smith, Kings Of Leon, More Reveal Halloween Costume Plans Posted: 29 Oct 2010 01:38 AM PDT Kings' Caleb and Jared Followill say they're going as Taylor Swift and Kanye West.
By MTV News staff 
Willow Smith
Photo: Getty Images Halloween is right around the corner, and since you're probably spending the last precious hours before Candy O'Clock furiously stitching flank steaks together for your Lady Gaga costume (or getting your Snooki poof just right), we figured you'd like to know that you are not alone. Some of the biggest names in music and pop culture are also working overtime to get their costumes just right ... because there truly is no night more important than Halloween. In order to inspire you to go for greatness on Sunday night, we asked some of your favorite artists (and one mega-rich multimedia conglomerate) to tell us what they'll be dressing as for Halloween. It turns out there's not going to be a Gaga among them, but we can't help but wonder: What will Gaga be going as? Willow Smith "I'm going to be myself, and I'm going to go around the neighborhood saying, 'Do you like Willow Smith?' And then I'm going to be like, 'Ta-daa, it's me!' " The Kings of Leon "I'm going as Taylor Swift this year," frontman Caleb Followill laughed. "And he's going to be crying, and I'm going as Kanye West, like, running behind him yelling at him," his brother (and Kings bassist) Jared Followill added. Jesse McCartney "[We're going as] the BBM emoticons ... the BlackBerry faces, we're all going to wear white shirts with yellow faces. It seemed like a fun idea." Matt and Kim "This Halloween we're playing a show, we're in Albany, and we're trying to think of what we're going to be ... like, duos throughout time," Matt Johnson explained. "Last Halloween, we were opening for Weezer at [New York's] Hammerstein Ballroom, and I was Andy Warhol and she was Edie Sedgwick and, Kim, basically, her outfit consisted of her not wearing pants ... and just three songs into it, I had, like, the white wig on, and it was so hot that I took it off, and then I saw pictures afterwards, and I was just some jerk wearing a black turtleneck onstage. So we need to come up with something to top that." Stephanie Pratt "The easiest is just to put on fake blood. And put on some fangs and be something dead. You can be a dead schoolgirl, a dead cop, anything." Martha Stewart "Well, I have several costumes. ... I like to just do my makeup myself, I like to put in cracked-ice contact lenses, so your eyes have cracks in them. So you have white eyes with black cracks, and a little red, and then I like to draw scars on my face. We went out last year on Halloween with a friend, and a man sitting at the bar said, 'You're all dressed up for Halloween!' And I said, 'What are you talking about? I was in a terrible car accident!' " Related Videos Related Artists |
| T.I.'s Wife, Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle, Charged With Drug Possession Posted: 29 Oct 2010 03:19 AM PDT She is due in court Monday on the charge.
By Mawuse Ziegbe 
T.I. and Tameka "Tiny" Cottle
Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department T.I.'s wife, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, was charged with one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance Friday (October 29), a spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office confirmed to MTV News. The charge comes more than a month after Cottle and her husband, superstar rapper T.I. (born Clifford Harris), were picked up in Los Angeles for possession of Ecstasy. Cottle is due in court Monday, L.A. District Attorney's Office spokesperson Jane Robison said. While it is up to a judge to determine Cottle's punishment, Robison said outpatient rehab in lieu of jail time can be a potential option in cases similar to the reality star's. However, a judge has to find Cottle eligible for that option. A rep for Cottle did not respond to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Cottle's new spouse was sentenced to 11 months in prison October 15 for probation violation. The jail time was handed down after the Atlanta rapper was found to have violated the terms of his supervised release. T.I., however, will not face charges stemming from the Los Angeles arrest. He's slated to start his prison sentence Monday. Although T.I. has been keeping a fairly low profile as he prepares to return to prison, just months after he wrapped up a sentence for weapons charges, the past few weeks have been eventful. The MC lost endorsement deals from AXE and Rémy Martin, released a song with Chris Brown and helped save a man on the brink of suicide. "I'm gonna take it a day at a time," T.I. said of his current situation during a radio interview last week. "I got a little while to plan. One thing I'm not gonna do is, I'm not gonna talk and make a whole lot of promises and do this or do that. I'm gonna speak more through my music and my actions. And I'm gonna let God lead me wherever that may be." Related Artists |
| Nicki Minaj Calls Kanye West 'A Genius' Posted: 29 Oct 2010 09:12 AM PDT 'Kanye West is everything that I didn't think he was,' Queens lyricist says on 'RapFix Live.'
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway 
Nicki Minaj
Photo: Rachel Goldner/MTV News Nicki Minaj might have read Kanye West wrong at first. Years ago, the Lil Wayne protégé thought the megastar would "hate" her because of his cushy relationships with conscious-leaning rappers Common and Talib Kweli. In 2010, though, 'Ye would praise her, saying she had the potential to be the world's second-biggest rapper — with only Eminem ahead of her. "I had this conversation, 'Kanye West is gonna hate me,' " Minaj told MTV News. "[But] I met him and it was, 'Oh, come here, I want you to look at these naked girls.' Kanye West is everything that I didn't think he was, and a genius." Minaj and West collaborated on two tracks for West's forthcoming My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and the Queens lyricist supplies the opening narration for 'Ye's short film "Runaway." After having worked with West, the Queens lyricist said she learned to appreciate his passion for music. "He doesn't limit himself," she explained. "I heard him say the other day, not in these words, 'I'm not doing this for the masses, I'm not doing this for mainstream, you have to come to me, come get this art if you want it.' I think that's important for all artists to feel that way — we make so many changes because we want to please everybody. But at the end of the day, you can't please everybody." Are you excited to hear Nicki Minaj collaborate with Kanye West? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Nelly Recalls His First Gold Tooth, On 'When I Was 17' Posted: 29 Oct 2010 02:06 AM PDT Rapper reveals how he spent his cash from crap games in episode premiering Saturday.
By Mawuse Ziegbe 
Nelly
Photo: MTV News Nelly has a few gold records tucked under his belt, but the MC's obsession with the shiny stuff goes back to when he was a teen with a penchant for a quick gamble. On the latest episode of "When I Was 17," the St. Louis spitter recalls his dice-throwing skills and reveals what he bought with some of his big winnings. "I was the best dice shooter I knew," Nelly grins in the episode, which also features Karina Smirnoff and Joanna Garcia. The rapper's homeboy Lashondo agrees: "He had more good luck than he had bad luck." And the soon-to-be-superstar tried to milk that luck as much as possible, taking every opportunity to get in on a game. "We used to shoot dice in the band room, in the bathroom. If there was a crap game, I was getting out of class to attend that crap game," he says. "This is how I got money for the new J's [Jordans] that was coming out; this is how I got my lunch money. This is how I ate." Flinging the dice proved to be a lucrative hobby for Nelly, and the "Grillz" rapper knew exactly what he wanted to do with his newfound green. "I remember the first time I won a large amount — I won, like, 120 bucks," he says. "I took a buddy of mine with me and I said, 'Yo, we gonna go down here, and I'm about to get this gold tooth.' " The dental bling was far from mom-approved, so Nelly tried to ease his mother, Rhonda, into the idea of gold caps with some practice jewelry. "I had been putting these fake gold tooth caps up in my mouth, just trying to see how my mom would react," he says. "I came in the first time, and she was like, 'Boy, what you got in your mouth?' I said, 'No, look, it's fake.' " Mom didn't really care if the caps were fake and ordered Nelly to let the look go. "I really couldn't tell if it was real or not," she says. "I told him, 'Do not put any more of that mess in your mouth.' " Despite the parental warning, Nelly stuck to his original plans to trick out his grill. "I won that 120 bucks and I was like, 'I'm gonna get a real one now,' " he says. "So I went and I got a real one." "When I Was 17" — this week featuring Joanna Garcia, Karina Smirnoff and Nelly — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Ryan Kwanten Will Tap Into His 'Dark Sides' To Play Charles Manson Posted: 29 Oct 2010 02:24 AM PDT 'True Blood' actor will star in 'The Family' movie.
By Amy Wilkinson 
Ryan Kwanten
Photo: MTV News A charismatic cold-blooded killer is a far cry from the dim-witted yet endearing country bumpkin Ryan Kwanten portrays on the sexy HBO series "True Blood" — but the Australian actor is taking on the challenge. Kwanten has signed on to play Charles Manson, one of America's most notorious criminals, in the movie "The Family." Kwanten announced the news during a press conference for his Western, "Red Hill," TheWrap.com first reported. Written and directed by "The Machinist" scribe Scott Kosar, "The Family" follows Manson during the late 1960s, when he instructed his acolytes to commit several murders, including, most famously, the slaying of actress Sharon Tate in 1969. Manson has spent nearly four decades in prison. When MTV News spoke with Kwanten this week, he admitted the role will be a massive undertaking. "It's going to be quite a challenge," he said. "[Manson] is undoubtedly a huge iconic figure and not necessarily for the best of deeds." Though Kwanten is no stranger to bloodstained killing sprees — he is on "True Blood," after all — the actor said this latest role will require a bit of soul searching. "It's going to be tapping into sort of dark sides of myself and obviously trying to find out as much as you can and then using what's going to be beneficial in making the film," he explained. The movie will begin production in 2011 during Kwanten's next "True Blood" hiatus. "The Family" won't be the first movie to immortalize — or demonize — Manson and his followers. In 1976, CBS aired a two-part television movie called "Helter Skelter," based on a book of the same name by prosecuting attorney Vincent Buliosi and Curt Gentry. A second TV movie based on the book was made in 2004, and the 2003 film "The Manson Family" also details the group's horrible misdeeds. Can Ryan Kwanten pull off the role of Charles Manson? Tell us what you think in the comments below! For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| Diddy Says 'Young Gun' Drake Gave Him Valuable Advice Posted: 29 Oct 2010 12:21 AM PDT Toronto MC 'went above and beyond,' Diddy says of MC jumping on Diddy-Dirty Money track 'Loving You No More.'
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Ricky Louis 
Kalenna Harper, Diddy and Dawn Richard
Photo: MTV News According to Diddy, he had a specific plan when he mapped out Last Train to Paris. "I wanted to be smart enough to go to the newest generation, the flyest, young gun of MCs and writers and humbly ask them for help," he told MTV News. "To be honest, a lot of cats were busy. I can respect that. But Drake took the time to stop what he was doing and he was the hottest one in the game. He came to my house for two days, we went to Canada for three days." The result was "Loving You No More," the latest single from Diddy's Dirty Money project, Last Train. Diddy and Drake shot the video in Miami with Gil Green, and the Bad Boy Records head explained that "Loving You No More" is about losing yourself by trying to please someone else. "[The video] is really about me being in a relationship with a young lady and you're constantly loving this person," he said. "And hoping that this day comes where they change and they love you back." The long-delayed Last Train to Paris is set for a December 14 release and Diddy credits Drake, among others, with helping to push the project along. "[Drake] gave me advice for records when I needed somebody else, a fresh ear and he went above and beyond," Diddy said. "I appreciate him for that. This is a big record for us because of that and because of the way he treated me and we didn't really know each other. He treated me with so much respect, so much love. And he's one of my favorite MCs, period, so working with him was dope." What do you think of Diddy-Dirty Money's new video featuring Drake? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists |
| Snoop Dogg Celebrates 'New Year's Eve' A Bit Early Posted: 29 Oct 2010 01:52 AM PDT New single from Doggystyle 2 is "about celebrating the anticipation of 2011," says MC.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Matt Elias 
Snoop Dogg
Photo: MTV News Halloween may still be around the corner, but Snoop Dogg is already thinking about flipping the calendar to 2011. The Los Angeles lyricist recently released the first number from his forthcoming album Doggystyle 2: The Doggumentary. And you can probably figure out its topic, given that it's called "New Year's Eve." "It's about celebrating the anticipation of 2011, 'New Year's Eve,'" Snoop told MTV News while on the set of the video for Play-N-Skillz' "Things We'd Do," which features the rapper. "You know how everyone looks at the clock at 11:59 and counts it down? You want to be in a celebratory mode and this is the song that puts you in the right mode for that. "I'm just jumping the gun," he continued. "I'm making it ahead of time instead of waiting until the last day of. 'Cause there's a spirit of waiting until you get to New Year's Eve, so I want to make people feel real good about a new year coming. it's a great situation and that's what the song represents. " Last month, Snoop revealed Katy Perry would appear on Doggystyle 2. In a Bubble Tweet message with Swizz Beatz, Snoop said that the forthcoming album will serve as a sequel to his seminal debut Doggystyle, and that he and Swizz had worked on 18 tracks together already. "Man, this is big Snoop Dogg coming to you live from the studio somewhere," Snoop said in the clip. "With Swizzle, and he just laced my boots up for my new record. He gave me some gangster sh--, some Crip sh--, some R&B sh--, some hip-hop sh--, some hard sh--, some mean sh--." What do you think of Snoop's new song? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists |
| Lady Gaga Now Subject Of College Course Posted: 29 Oct 2010 12:37 AM PDT Class at the University of South Carolina is called 'Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame.'
By Gil Kaufman 
Lady Gaga
Photo: Amy Sussman/ Getty Images Fame is so hard to define these days. How does a star know when she's truly made it? Is it when the hosts of "Today" dress up as you for Halloween? When you reach 1 billion views on YouTube? Are multiplatinum album sales and sold-out tours still a good barometer? Or does one only reach true icon status when a college professor decides that person is important enough to base a university-level course around? If so, welcome to the club, Lady Gaga! According to the New York Times, University of South Carolina sociology professor Mathieu Deflem is planning to offer a course next semester entitled "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame." Deflem plans to delve into what makes a person famous and what it means to be famous in today's society. "The central objective is to unravel some of the sociologically relevant dimensions of the fame of Lady Gaga," Deflem states in the course description for the class, which he says is the first of its kind in the nation. Deflem said that after being smitten with Gaga during a "Tonight" appearance last January, he attended a concert of hers in Atlanta and went on to catch 28 Gaga shows all over the globe. He's since become a superfan, collecting more than 300 CDs and records and launching the fan site gagafrontrow.net. He's also met Mother Monster five times. Does that mean she'll swing by for a lecture sometime? "I will get the word out to her that I'm doing the course," he said when asked if he'd like her to drop in. "But it might be logistically too difficult for her to come because she will be on tour for most of the spring semester." Gaga joins a venerable list of courses that will likely elicit a call from parents asking just what their money is going toward, including Georgetown University's "Philosophy and Star Trek," the University of California-Irvine's "The Science of Superheroes," Frostburg State University's "The Science of Harry Potter" and University of California-Berkeley's "Simpsons and Philosophy." What do you think of a university teaching a course on Gaga? Tell us your thoughts in the comments! Related Artists |
| Kanye West Tweets Details Of Jay-Z Collabo <i>Watch The Throne</i> Posted: 29 Oct 2010 09:53 AM PDT Yeezy writes from a U.K. recording studio, calling new Jay tracks 'so modern, so hood, so club, so hip-hop... all of the above!'
By James Montgomery 
Jay-Z and Kanye West
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/ WireImage Kanye West is continuing his jet-setting ways (dude's frequent-flier status is downright Ryan Bingham-y at this point), as he's currently holed up in a studio outside London working on Watch the Throne, his full-length team-up with Jay-Z. Early Friday morning (October 29), 'Ye took to Twitter to share his excitement about the project — and, really, life in general — and gave fans an update on how the album is shaping up. "Sitting here in the studio two hours out of London," West wrote. "It's really setting in on me that I'm actually doing a rap album with Jay-Z. "The [beats] and raps are stuuuupid already! One song down, on to the next!" he added in another tweet. "I was in the audience at [Jay's 1999] Hard Knock Life Tour!" Last week, West told MTV News that the initial sessions for Throne — originally planned as just a five-song EP featuring both iconic rappers — had been so productive that he decided to scoop some of the best tracks for his upcoming My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album. But West added that he was so inspired by the work he'd done with Jay that the dynamic duo were going to turn Throne into a proper album, and said that he and Jay had already booked studio time in the South of France to finish work on it. "We putting out a whole album now," West told MTV News' Sway. "We had done five [songs] so far, but then a few more of them were out there, and I put them on my album. Sorry, Jay. But we got some more, and we're going to the South of France at the end of the month to just record new ideas. But we'll probably be done with the album in a day." In his Friday messages, West didn't mention the South of France (though we hear it's lovely this time of year), but did give a bit of information about those new songs he and Jay were working on ... which sound rather, uh, all-inclusive. "I can never get use[d] to this!" he wrote. "This sh-- we doing is so modern, so hood, so club, so hip-hop ... all of the above!" Are you excited to hear new music from Kanye and Jay? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' Star Says She's 'Done' With Lisbeth Salander Posted: 28 Oct 2010 11:35 PM PDT 'I've moved on and I don't want to repeat myself,' she says of the Swedish adaptations of Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium' trilogy.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz 
Noomi Rapace
Photo: MTV News There's probably a country somewhere in the world where Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy hasn't become a best-seller. For years, the Swedish author's crime thrillers — starting with "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and concluding with "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" — have been flying out of bookstores all over the world. But as Larsson fans know, the series about journalist Mikael Blomkvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander may not be over. Though Larsson died in 2004, he reportedly completed three-quarters of a fourth "Millennium" book, and he may have even started on a fifth. The first three novels have already been made into Swedish films; in those movies, Salander was portrayed by Noomi Rapace, an actress now co-starring in the sequel to "Sherlock Holmes" and rumored to be up for the "Alien" prequel. Though the "Millennium" films have launched Rapace to international stardom, she has vowed never again to play Salander, even if films were to be crafted from Larsson's other manuscripts. "It's done. I'm done with her," she told MTV News while promoting "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest." "I did everything I could and she was in my life very strong for one and a half years, and then I left her. I've moved on and I don't want to repeat myself." Stepping into the role of a character who has become something of a folk hero in Sweden was no easy task: She spent more than half a year learning to kickbox and ride a motorcycle, and she had to overhaul her eating habits to more closely resemble the small-framed Salander. "When I was preparing, I did a lot of physical things and I felt like she was coming," Rapace explained. "I didn't want to force her. ... I drove a lot of motorcycles and I was on a diet, so my body changed slowly into her. Then I felt like she was coming. It was like small puzzle pieces that came into the right places." Rapace is ready to turn the page. "[Larsson] wrote three books and no one really knows how much there really is," she said. "There's a lot of rumors and I feel like it's better to leave it and say, 'This is it, OK, bye, now I'm off to something else and to new things.' " Check out everything we've got on "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| Halloween Preview: Exorcisms, Anthony Hopkins And 'The Rite' Posted: 29 Oct 2010 12:04 AM PDT Hopkins plays a priest in the supernatural drama, which comes out January 28.
By Eric Ditzian 
Anthony Hopkins and Marta Gastini in "The Rite"
Photo: Warner Bros. Halloween is almost upon us. What better time to plunge into a world of demon possession, exorcisms and the unsettling feeling that something very freaky is taking place? That's what "The Rite" is dialing up for audiences come January 28, and MTV News has an exclusive look at the production with a photo of stars Anthony Hopkins and Colin O'Donoghue exorcising a supernatural force. Yet this is a film that takes a rather agnostic stance on the entire concept, as O'Donoghue told us. "It's more of a psychological drama, more so than horror," he said. "The point of the film is to explore the idea of whether it's a psychological illness or a true possession, trying to take as unbiased a position as possible. (Check out an exclusive photo from "The Rite") "There are some moments that will make you jump," he added. "People are bound to be a little freaked out by it." The 29-year-old Ireland native, who plays a seminary student thrust into the world of the Vatican's exorcism school, is playing his highest-profile role to date. And when O'Donoghue found out he'd be going toe-to-toe with Hopkins — who plays a Roman Catholic priest with rather atypical methods — he was more than a little unsettled. "To be honest, I freaked out a little bit," he laughed. Yet O'Donoghue said that Hopkins immediately made him feel comfortable. "He mentored me when I was struggling to get where I wanted to be in the scene," O'Donoghue said. "He was really patient and we'd run lines together. He'd say, 'At the end of the day, sometimes you just have to let it go and the scene will actually work.' " The actor also attended actual exorcisms with the assistance of Matt Baglio, who wrote the book on which the movie is based. "The idea of going to them was more frightening than actually being in them," O'Donoghue said. "[Matt] had been to the exorcism school and he knew some exorcists who were willing to let me in, as long as it was okay with the people who were being blessed. Some people were and one woman wasn't and she wanted to close the door. It's a different experience than you expect it to be. It's like going to a therapist. It was fascinating to watch." Check out everything we've got on "The Rite." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| Miley Cyrus' Movie 'LOL' Picked Up By Distributor Posted: 28 Oct 2010 10:14 PM PDT Remake of 2008 French hit co-stars Demi Moore and Ashley Greene
By Gil Kaufman 
Miley Cyrus
Photo: Fotonoticias/ WireImage Miley Cyrus will cement her transition from kiddie TV star to teenage vixen in her upcoming movie "LOL," which was just picked up for distribution by Lionsgate, according to Variety. The English-language remake of the 2008 French hit reportedly includes a number of scenes that might make Cyrus' "Hannah Montana" fans blush; her character is said to lose her virginity, smoke pot and kiss two girlfriends on the lips. Co-star Demi Moore told MTV News in April that though Cyrus — whose parents announced their divorce this week — plays a wild child in the film, in real life she's "incredibly grounded" and not at all like her "LOL" character. "[Miley] is a true professional, and she truly has a wonderful family," Moore said. "It really shows." The veteran actress plays the overbearing, confounded mom of Cyrus' character, who gets freaked out after accidentally reading her daughter's journal and finding out just how out of touch they have become. The movie, which also stars "Twilight" alum Ashley Greene, does not have a release date. Like the French original, it is written and directed by Lisa Azuelo; the cast also includes Thomas Jane ("Hung"), Gina Gershon ("Rescue Me"), Marlo Thomas ("That Girl"), Fisher Stevens ("Awake"), Adam Sevani ("Step Up 3D"), Jay Hernandez ("Takers") and Austin Nichols ("One Tree Hill"). Cyrus and Greene were spotted shooting scenes for the film in Detroit earlier this summer and recently moved to Paris to continue production. In photos released last month, a smiling Cyrus, embraced at the waist by co-star Douglas Booth, is standing alongside a pensive-looking Greene and other castmembers Ashley Hinshaw and Lina Esco. In other shots, Booth and Cyrus are snuggling on a double-decker bus while Greene is on another bus. Booth and Cyrus also were filmed standing on a bridge chatting. Cyrus has said that in her post-"Hannah Montana" career, she's looking to film more serious, mature movies, and that she intends to take a break from music to pursue her film career. "I'm working on lots of different films: drama, action, comedy," she said. "I like challenges, so I'm doing a little bit of everything. "The more I make music that doesn't truly inspire me, the more I feel like I'm blending in with everyone else," she added. "I'm taking some time off [from music]." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Photos Related Artists |
