Rabu, 30 Juni 2010

MTV News

MTV News

The Best Albums Of 2010 (So Far)

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 03:52 AM PDT

Vampire Weekend, Janelle Monáe and more have provided the soundtrack for the first six months of the year, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery


Bigger Than The Sound's Best Albums of 2010 (So Far)
Photo: MTV News

The first half of 2010 is in the books, and if you're a fan of oil spills, Tea Parties and vuvuzelas, well, congratulations on having the best six months of your entire life.

For the rest of us, January through June has been a bit of a bummer. If you're like me, you've found refuge from the bad news in good music, and thankfully, there's been a whole lot of that so far this year too.

If you've been asleep at the switch (or hiding out in your bunker), I don't blame you. But there's really no excuse for missing out on soul-charging, life-changing music — even if some of it really is pretty sad. So, as a public service to the trembling masses, here are my picks for the Best Albums of 2010 (so far).

10a. The Wave Pictures, If You Leave It Alone/Instant Coffee Baby
Ultra-literate, supremely swoony Brit pop, courtesy of Morrissey-in-the-making David Tattersall, this double album collects two of their most recent (and best) LPs for the first time here in the States. Of course, given that they came out in 2006 and 2008, respectively, it feels sort of like cheating to include all of this on a Best of 2010 list, so, instead ...

10b. Kate Nash, My Best Friend Is You
The sound of being young and brilliant and tormented and so wonderfully, frighteningly in love that you don't know whether to scream or cry, My Best Friend Is You represents Kate Nash at her most scattershot, squeaky and downright smart. Ditching the studio polish that dragged down her debut (2007's Made of Bricks), she teamed up with Bernard Butler to make an album that's rough, sprawling and unafraid to get plain weird, which is probably how we ended up with songs like "Paris" "Kiss That Grrrl" or "Don't You Want to Share the Guilt," which ram together '60s girl groups, '90s riot grrrl and '70s boho spoken-word punk. Confident one minute, conflicted the next, Nash is a complex gal, indeed, and while it's hard being young and gifted, for the first time, she seems ready to accept the responsibilities and carry the mantle.

9. Tobacco, Maniac Meat
As the frontman of Pittsburgh weirdos Black Moth Super Rainbow, Tom Fec buries his vocals in a marshmallowy mash of vocoders and buzz. As Tobacco, well, he pretty much does the same thing, only he's somehow upped the weirdness. Maniac Meat is a twitchy, witchy listen, darker and more perverse than anything he's previously done. Kind of like a mohair sweater on bare skin, the tracks here itch and irritate (in the best way possible), and you're probably gonna end up with a rash. But you listen anyway. Throw in a couple of Beck cameos (on "Fresh Hex" and the excellently named "Grape Aerosmith") that find the former Odelay madman sounding fresher than he has in years, and Meat only continues to fester. Don't pick at the scabs.

8. Yeasayer, Odd Blood
What happens when one of Brooklyn's brightest bands decides "Screw this, let's make a pop record"? Odd Blood, of course. Perhaps the most fittingly titled album in recent memory, it's a wavy, dreamy listen, full of supple, electronic fields that undulate and dip, creating precipitous peaks and delving canyons, with frontman Chris Keating's otherworldly vocals floating above it all like plump clumps of cumulonimbus — all of which is a rather bookish way of saying that Britney, Katy and Gaga wish they could sound this good. Pop music for the 22nd century and beyond.

7. Against Me! White Crosses
Just as polished and unabashed as their divisive 2007 major-label bow New Wave, still as snarling as 2005's Searching for a Former Clarity, White Crosses somehow also ushers in a brand-new chapter for Gainesville, Florida, punkers Against Me! Frontman Tom Gabel has settled down, gotten married and welcomed a child into the world, which is perhaps why, here, he seems a tad bit, well, reserved. But it could also be that, after more than a decade spent raging against the machine, he's finally realized that the problems haven't changed, the enemies have multiplied, and the rich just keep on winning. So instead, he turns his ire inward, railing against pinheaded crust punks he used to run with (on unlikely radio staple "I Was a Teenage Anarchist") and the suffocating Florida suburbs of his youth. Turns out, the past sucks just as much as the present. And in the process, the snarl somehow only gets fiercer.

6. Sleigh Bells, Treats
Sounds like: cheerleader camp, power tools f---ing, the "level-up" music on any NES game (circa 1988), a really sh---y Sanyo boom box, double Dutch, hyperspace, hellfire, hurricanes, a more polite Motörhead, Three 6 Mafia's "Stay Fly," Funkadelic's "Can You Get to That" ('cause they sample it), Brassy (thanks, Weingarten), Crystal Castles on Quaaludes, Link Wray on Amphetamines, the impending robot apocalypse, "Top Gun," summer, guard dogs, drugs and joy. In theory, Sleigh Bells are just a guy, a girl, a guitar, some (seriously) overworked machinery and a whole lot of distortion. But in actuality, they're so much more.

5. LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening
In 2007, James Murphy wrote the coda for New York's once-bright electroclash scene with "All My Friends," a bittersweet beauty of a song that also doubled as a rather perfect rumination on the unstoppable advance of middle age (something he's been dreading for a while now, actually). Thankfully, he hasn't shuffled off into pleated-khaki obsolescence just yet, and, if anything, on This Is Happening, he seems to be coming to terms with his lack of cool, lamenting, "Everybody's getting younger" (on album-opener "Dance Yrself Clean"), rolling his eyes at the drunk girls on the dance floor, extolling the virtues of finding "good places to eat" in his neighborhood, and picking fights with Village Voice gossip columnists — just because. Acerbic, sarcastic, downright hilarious (and, sometimes, even downright sad), Murphy's like Randy Newman, only for bloggers and kids who still take drugs and dance all night, and minus the paunch and the Hawaiian shirts. For now, at least.

4. Janelle Monáe, The ArchAndroid
So far, it's the year's most un-categorizeable album, a conceptual cluster-frick that leaps between genres with the same glee Monáe seemingly gets from pulling her hair up in that outrageous pompadour. Sweaty funk, honey-dripping soul, pastoral folk, paranoid psych — it's all here, and it's all great. Over the course of 18 tracks, the pint-size Monáe weaves a dystopian narrative that's part "Blade Runner," part "Metropolis," managing to out-Badu Erykah and out ATL-ien Outkast ("Cold War," which just might be the year's best song, rages and wails like the baby sister of Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad"). Ambitious, impressive stuff, even if you can't adequately describe it to anyone who may be interested.

3. Titus Andronicus, The Monitor
Sure, it's flawed — a tad too long, a bit unfocused, a little muddied, production-wise — but one expects those sorts of things, especially when a band this young attempts an album this ambitious. The Monitor is, after all, a concept album, though said concept is sort of hard to define: In part, it's about the Civil War (it takes its name from the first ironclad ship built by the U.S. Navy), but it's also about wild-eyed frontman Patrick Stickles' quest to figure out life in the 21st century, a journey that takes him from the safe confines of New Jersey to the unfriendly confines of Boston and back again. He never quite finds what he's been searching for and, in the end, learns that things are just as fractious as they were 150 years ago — perhaps even more so. Tent-poled by three truly epic tunes ("A More Perfect Union," "Four Score and Seven" and "The Battle of Hampton Road") that keep the whole thing from sagging in on itself, The Monitor is the kind of album so big, so bold and so unabashed that you learn to love it, warts and all. Sometimes it pays to dream big.

2. Vampire Weekend, Contra
Four years ago, Vampire Weekend were thrust into the spotlight with their self-titled debut and suffered all the slings and arrows that come with that kind of overnight success. Sure, with their pique polos, boat shoes and penchant for, uh, borrowing from the Soweto sound of South Africa, they brought a lot of it upon themselves — but you couldn't blame them for being a bit taken aback by it all. After all, one can only be picked apart by critics (and anonymous blog commenters) for so long before they snap. And, well, Contra is the result. It's by no means an angry album; rather, it's a determined one, a well-conceived, flawlessly executed "f--- you" to their detractors. From the WASPy gal on the cover to the culturally loaded content of tunes like "Horchata" and "Holiday," this is VW at their most resolute. "This is who we are," they seem to be saying. "Deal with it." Of course, they back it all up with a boatload of really great tunes — "Cousins," "Giving Up the Gun," the album-closing title track — making Contra perhaps the most polite middle finger in music history. You catch more flies with honey, after all. And then you crush them.

1. The National, High Violet
Somber. Brooding. Beautiful. These are some of the things the National do better than anyone, and on High Violet, they're doing it best. Over the course of 11 knee-buckling tracks, frontman Matt Berninger weaves fractured tales of genteel, upper-middle-class guilt, regret and sadness. He's skilled (and confident) enough to never tell us the entire story, however, instead giving us mere pieces of the picture — a party upstate, a glass of pricey booze, a stray tennis shoe, a kid on your shoulders, a debt that cannot be resolved — and leaving the rest up to our imaginations. And, surprise, surprise, when left to our own devices, we conjure up things more horrible and morose than anything he could have written. His bandmates match him every step of the way, creating a wall of sound that's sometimes paranoid (check the guitars on "Afraid of Everyone"), sometimes gorgeous (the piano/horns that just keep building on "England") but always artfully, woefully sad. Whenever you see a dad standing in his driveway, staring out into nothing while his kids play in the yard and his interest rates compile onward toward infinity, High Violet is what's playing in his head. Safe and secure but dead, or dying, beyond saving and beyond hope. Never, in his wildest dreams, did he think he'd end up like this.

Honorable Mentions

Beach House, Teen Dream
Forget Katy Perry; Baltimore's Beach House wrote 2010's best soundtrack to teenage melodrama. Teen Dream is full of gauzy harmonies, sun-dappled guitars, swoony histrionics and songs like "Zebra" and "Walk in the Park" that just keep opening up, until they gently burn out and fade away. I'd like to hear them take on "California Gurls."

The Black Keys, Brothers
An album of nocturnal grooves, Brothers finds Akron, Ohio, blues hammers the Black Keys mellowing a bit, giving their usually tightly constructed tunes some space to breathe. The end result is wildly sensual stompers like "Everlasting Light" and "Next Girl" and their first-ever radio tune, the spindly, unspooling "Tighten Up" — which is kinda funny, since, you know, they're doing the exact opposite.

Freeway and JakeOne, The Stimulus Package
Free just can't catch a break. But unlike some of his Roc-A-Fella brethren, he's not content just to shiver in the shadow of Jay-Z. So he jumped to Rhymesayers, teamed with producer JakeOne, and produced The Stimulus Package, a gripping, urgent album dripping with sweltering soul samples, staccato drums and swelling strings. "Never Gonna Change" masterfully blends all three and stands as one of the year's best tracks.

The Gaslight Anthem, American Slang
Pro: Is really Springsteen-y. Con: Is really Springsteen-y.

Gorillaz, Plastic Beach
I sort of lambasted this one earlier this year for being too longwinded, and while that still holds true, it has definitely grown on me, thanks to the run of songs that starts with "White Flag" and ends with "On Melancholy Hill." It's an unmatched string of eight great tunes, but the thing is, after it's over, Plastic Beach just keeps on going and going ...

The Hold Steady, Heaven Is Whenever
The great songs are still great ("The Sweet Part of the City," "Barely Breathing," "The Weekenders"), but for the first time in the Hold Steady's career, they've released an album that features its fair share of clunkers too (pretty much everything else on here). Sure, I love them, which is why I'm including Heaven Is Whenever here, but I'm starting to worry a bit about them too. This is what happens when your favorite bar band gets a little too big for its britches. Like frontman Craig Finn predicted all those years ago, they're slipping soft rock into the set now.

Rick Ross, The Albert Anastasia EP
Like Rick himself, this one gets a little doughy around the middle, but there's no denying the impact of songs like "MC Hammer" and "Blowin' Money Fast (B.M.F.)," which swing hard and swagger even harder. Full of style, sophistication and a bit of streetwise grit, Albert Anastasia has me positively drooling to hear his much-discussed Teflon Don LP, which is due later this year.

Robyn, Body Talk, Part I
Swedish pop tart Robyn plans to release three albums this year (though, to date, this is the only one that's surfaced — better get crackin', Robs). And, thanks to the sumptuous songs here, my appetite has officially been whetted. Only eight songs long but definitely not short on notable moments — like "Fembot," "Don't F---ing Tell Me What to Do" and "Dancing on My Own" — Body Talk might just be the most satisfying appetizer in recent memory.

Shabazz Palaces, Shabazz Palaces
Claustrophobic, stoned-out glitch-hop from one of the dudes who used to be in Digable Planets. The Palaces — who, aside from Ishmael Butler, is comprised of a series of mystery musicians — released two seven-song albums this year, and their second, full of sparse, prime-era Def Jux beats and Butler's world-scarred verses, has really latched on with me. And terrified me too.

Surfer Blood, Astro Coast
These blurry-eyed, bed-headed Florida boys have exactly one truly amazing song (that would be the surging "Swim"), but the rest of the album ain't bad either. Reminds me of Dinosaur Jr.'s major-label days. Plus, two of their songs feature the phrase "Jabroni" in the title, which is good enough for me.

Villagers, Becoming a Jackal
Conor O'Brien just very well may be the Irish Bright Eyes, and Becoming a Jackal could end up as his Fevers and Mirrors. I've only given this one a few listens, but the (largely self-produced) wall of sound he's created here is definitely noteworthy. Dark, transcendental and unashamed to be either of those things.

The Young Veins, Take a Vacation!
Crackling, shuffling, downright snug retro pop from Ryan Ross and Jon Walker, the guys who left Panic! at the Disco to crawl around in the canyon, fire up the one-hitter, and unsheathe the Rickenbacker. You've got to admire their commitment to following their own peculiar muse, even if this stuff probably won't sell one-tenth of what their former band did.

What did we miss? Share your favorite albums of 2010 (so far) in the comments!

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'Eclipse' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 03:52 AM PDT

If you're not already in line to see the latest 'Twilight Saga' installment, check out these fun facts!
By Eric Ditzian


Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in "Eclipse"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

It's been 222 days since the November 20 release of "New Moon." Over 5,300 hours. Some 319,000 minutes. Not that you've been counting or anything. Now here comes "Eclipse" on Wednesday (June 30) to sate your vampire thirst. What's happened in the time since the "Twilight" franchise has been absent from the multiplex?

That's a question we're here to answer with a jam-packed edition of MTV News' cheat sheet. We've pulled together almost everything — every interview, video clip, photo and news update — that we have to offer on this third installment in the series. Read on, and trust us when we say that, afterward, you'll know everything there is to know about what it took to bring "Eclipse" to the big screen.

The Solar System Aligns
The movie history of "Eclipse" goes back to November 2008 — before "Twilight" even opened — when Summit Entertainment optioned the movie rights to "New Moon," "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn." Studio execs probably felt pretty smart when, one week later, "Twilight" opened to $69.6 million in box-office receipts. The phenomenon was under way, and soon, "Eclipse" had a release date. What it didn't yet have was a director. Rumored names included Drew Barrymore and Juan Antonio Bayona, but the job ultimately went to "30 Days of Night" helmer David Slade.

By spring 2009, casting for new roles was under way and the shoot schedule had been revealed, with photography slated to run from August 17 through October 31. By August, of course, the newcomers had signed on: Xavier Samuel as the vampire Riley; Jodelle Ferland as the vampire Bree; Jack Huston as a Depression-era playboy named Royce King; Catalina Sandino Moreno as the vampire Maria; Julia Jones as Leah Clearwater; Tinsel Korey as Emily; and BooBoo Stewart as Seth Clearwater. But the biggest casting move came in July, when Bryce Dallas Howard controversially replaced Rachelle Lefevre in the role of Victoria.

The Stars Give Us Sneak Peeks
As the start of production neared, we began to hear the cast dish dirt on the upcoming film. Taylor Lautner revealed his excitement about working with Slade. Jackson Rathbone and Kellan Lutz spoke about their intense preparation for some fight sequences. And Kristen Stewart got excited about the movie's proposal scene, one of her favorite "Eclipse" scenes

"Well, to decide you're gonna marry someone at 18 is a pretty hefty decision," she told MTV News. "And I didn't want to look stupid. I didn't want it to look like kids getting married. You know what I mean?"

Gazing at "Eclipse"
Filming had barely begun when we got our first look at the cast in action: Howard and Samuel locking lips. Slade also posted pictures on his Twitter account, including a stunning one of Lautner flipping through the air. The first official still arrived in October: Robert Pattinson and Stewart together in a field of wildflowers.

Then in March, the first trailer hit the Web, giving us Pattinson and Stewart together in bed, Lautner without his shirt on and even some acrobatic vampire action. "It's badass," Lutz told MTV News about the footage. "The action really drew me in, and I think the guys are really going to like this movie."

A second trailer arrived the next month, courtesy of Oprah Winfrey's show. If the first trailer was all about Edward, Bella and Jacob's love triangle, then this one focused squarely on violent action. And in June, Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner took the stage at the MTV Movie Awards to present an exclusive clip from the film. More clips followed: Rosalie's advice to Bella; Edward's warning to Jacob; and the Volturi's observation of the newborn vampire army.

The Stars Welcome Us Back
By the summer, the "Eclipse" stars were in full PR mode. We chatted with Elizabeth Reaser, Rathbone, Alex Meraz, Peter Facinelli and many more. We also sat down for extensive conversations with Pattinson, Stewart and Lautner.

"It's my favorite, because it's the most guy-friendly by far," Lautner said of "Eclipse." "It's dangerous. There's a lot of action. The romance is still there, but the action level is stepped up way more. It's great."

Last Wednesday marked the film's glittering red-carpet premiere in Los Angeles, which MTV News streamed live. Stewart chatted about her "passion" for the franchise, and Pattinson likened the end of the series to "divorcing someone."

But just one premiere ain't enough for the "Eclipse" kids. On Monday night, Stewart and Lautner stopped by a secret screening in New York, and, of course, MTV News was on hand to chat with the stars once again. After months of shooting and publicity rounds, with the film's release just hours away, the talk turned to lighter topics. Stewart revealed that she's actually an accomplished chef, while Lautner said you will never see him join up for a role in a big-screen musical.

"No," he laughed. "I mean, people actually tell me that I can [sing], but I think they're just being nice — because I definitely can't! No 'Hairspray 2'!"

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Hard Rock Calling Festival Acts Weigh In On Best British Slang

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 03:52 AM PDT

Corinne Bailey Rae, the Hives and more count 'cheeky,' 'sort it out' and some naughty obscenities among fave Brit-isms.
By Matt Elias


Corinne Bailey Rae at Hard Rock Calling 2010
Photo: MTV News

The Brits have a long history of catch-tastic slang, from the cheeky monkeys to the shagadelic mods. Over the weekend at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London, MTV News asked some of the artists sharing the bill to give us their favorite words and phrases. Consider it British Slang 101 — it might be useful should you ever find yourself across the pond.

The Gaslight Anthem
Cu--: "I love the Northern U.K. people when you can say cu-- for anything," dummer Benny Horowitz said. "Like if I hear an American girl say that word, it just makes me, ugh, it's gross, but when they say it, it's hilarious. We toured with a band called Former Cell Mates who basically just called us that about 15, 20 times a day: 'What's up, you f---ing cu--?' "

Sort it out: I'd say mine would be 'sort it out,' " bassist Alex Levine said. "MTV, sort your stuff out.

Corinne Bailey Rae
Don't be daft: "I always say, 'don't be daft,' apparently, and that was pointed out by my American makeup artist. She was like, 'You're always saying, "don't be daft." ' So that means 'don't worry about it.' Your Italian-Americans might say 'fuggedaboutit' — it's the Yorkshire equivalent of 'forget about it.' "

The Hives
Wanker: "Oi, wanker!" frontman Pelle Almqvist shouted. "A packet of crisps and a pint of lager, s'il vous plaît, or is that the wrong language?" To which bandmate Niklas Almqvist responded, "Oh, that's cockney."

Joshua Radin
Bullocks: "If you get angry, I like saying, 'Oh, that's bullocks, mate! It's bullocks mate!' I think you can say that. Or I like cheeky: 'You cheeky bastard.' "

What's your favorite bit of Brit slang? Share with us in the comments!

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'Eclipse' Moviegoers Get Pumped Up Outside NYC Midnight Screening

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 09:05 AM PDT

'I'm going to see it again and again and again,' one eager Twilighter tells MTV News.
By Josh Wigler


"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Photo: Summit

Only eight months have passed since "New Moon" hit theaters, but fans of "The Twilight Saga" have still waited anxiously for "Eclipse" to finally arrive. Thankfully, the waiting ends at midnight. "Eclipse" is officially here, bringing Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner back to the big screen once again. MTV News hit a New York movie theater to gauge fan excitement over the release of "Eclipse," and unsurprisingly, the masses proved quite anxious for the movie's first frames.

"I'm really excited," Hortencia Caires said. "I've read all of the series, all of the books, and I've watched all of the movies. I'm pretty darn stoked! I'm excited for Bella to finally make her choice. People portray Jacob as the guy she wants, but technically, I think she's always wanted Edward. This is the right choice for her."

Indeed, the merit of Team Edward vs. Team Jacob was a hot-button issue among the many Twilighters we spoke with. "I'm Team Edward, duh!" Oladayo Idowu exclaimed proudly. "First, I was Jacob, and then I was Edward, because he's best for [Bella]."

"I'm on Team Jacob because he's cute," Cecilia Le said. "I don't know. There are a lot of reasons!"

Even fellow fans and friends Ellie Miltner and Amanda Lawrence couldn't agree between Edward and Jacob. "I personally just like the vampire thing," Amanda said, while Ellie declared: "I'm a werewolf kind of girl!"

The two friends could agree on one thing: their most anticipated scene. "I'm most looking forward to the scene in the tent where Edward and Jacob are there together," Ellie said, a notion Amanda agreed with. "They said it was really fun to film, so we're excited about that, and he's naked, so that's the best part!"

Other fans were excited to watch the highly touted action scenes, courtesy of acclaimed horror director David Slade. "I'm most excited for the scene where the vampires come out of the water and the big battle begins," Stacey Harris said.

Amanda Scully agreed with Stacey: "The scene where they fight at the end. It's action-packed, and I like the action!"

Even if fans had trouble agreeing on their favorite characters and scenes, they all shared the same infectious enthusiasm for the "Twilight" franchise. One fan even drove all the way to New York from Pennsylvania just to make sure her first viewing of "Eclipse" was extra special.

"I live in Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, and I wanted to come to an IMAX theater," Erika Abad said. "I've never been to one."

"I'm really excited," Oladayo said. "I'm here for [the midnight showing], so I'm surprised my mom even let me out! I've been waiting for this movie since I saw 'Twilight.' I'm going to see it again and again and again."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Chris Brown's BET Awards MJ Tribute Was 'Spectacular,' Jermaine Jackson Says

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:24 AM PDT

'He deserves to perform, because it's healing for him,' Michael Jackson's brother tells 'Extra.'
By Gil Kaufman


Chris Brown performs during the 2010 BET Awards on Sunday
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

Chris Brown wasn't the only one getting misty-eyed at Sunday night's BET Awards during his tribute to Michael Jackson. The King of Pop's older brother, Jermaine, told "Extra" that he was also overcome with emotion during the dance routine, in which Brown paid homage to some of MJ's most famous moves and then attempted to sing "Man in the Mirror" before being overcome with emotion and weeping onstage.

"To see [Chris'] performance, it was very emotional for me, because it was an acceptance from his fans from what has happened to him and also paying tribute to my brother," Jermaine said. "It was just a spectacular moment."

Fans and critics have been split on the performance, which some saw as the bursting of an emotional dam for the singer, making his first major public appearance since he pleaded guilty to felony assault in his assault of former girlfriend Rihanna last June. Others speculated that Brown may have manufactured the tears to gain sympathy from fans who abandoned him in the wake of the Rihanna attack.

Jermaine Jackson said he thought Brown — a longtime devotee of Michael's and, at one point, considered a modern heir to the R&B throne — had every right to pay homage to his brother. "He deserves to perform, because it's healing for him," Jermaine said. "How can he learn from his mistakes if you don't give him a chance? He needs that. I love Rihanna, and I'm not supporting what he did, but I support him [as a singer] 100 percent. ... I'm just very emotional just knowing what has happened. Chris Brown is a human being, and we all make mistakes. We can't condemn him for what has happened. We hope he has learned from it."

Brown hasn't made any public statements since the BET performance, but on Monday, he did tweet, "My fans are my world," a follow-up to a message earlier in the day when he wrote, "I Love you ... (ever single one of #teambreezy)."

What did you think of Chris Brown's emotional performance? Let us know in the comments.

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'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse': Vampires Wanted, By Kurt Loder

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 03:52 AM PDT

Third time's not the charm.


Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in "Eclipse"
Photo: Summit

"Eclipse" might be as good as the "Twilight" films are going to get. The main actors have settled comfortably into their roles in this third installment of the franchise. Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed and Ashley Greene, the more interesting of the home-team vampires, have a welcome new prominence, and Robert Pattinson even has a scene in which he displays a twinge of character-development. The movie also has some actual action, as everyone must know by now — a big vampires-versus-vampires-versus-werewolves battle sequence at the end of the picture.

However, having imposed something like narrative clarity on the story, new director David Slade is still stuck with the story — which, deriving as it does from the paceless goop of Stephenie Meyer's books, and having been wrestled into a script by Melissa Rosenberg, is a threadbare quilt of pre-teen romantic clichés padded out unconscionably with long character flashbacks and rambling dialogue that's deader than any of the vampires in attendance. (The picture runs two hours, and might have been more enjoyable — and certainly less exasperating — if it had been cut down into a one-hour TV special.)

We begin where the last movie left off, with chaste young lovers Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Pattinson) nuzzling in a sunlit flowery field. She's reading him poetry. He's glistening a bit, as the "Twilight" vampires ridiculously do whenever they're out and about in the daytime. He asks her to marry him. "Change me," she replies — meaning, turn her into a vampire, too. He doesn't want to do this. But we already know that, and we wish he'd just get over it and get it over with, because we've been through this wearying routine before, and we know lots more of it lies ahead.

Bella's dad (Billy Burke) doesn't like her hanging out with Edward so much. Why can't she spend more time with the other kids, like that nice Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner)? Jacob, of course, as we also know, is a member of the local werewolf clan, and he's in love with Bella, too. Possibly in vain, though. "I don't feel that for you," she says. "I don't buy it," he snaps. Then he tries to kiss her, and she punches him in the face. (And sprains her hand — werewolves are very ... hard, or something, apparently).

You could count the minutes Lautner doesn't spend topless in this picture on the hands of a cartoon character. ("Doesn't he own a shirt?" says Edward, deploying one of the movie's several self-aware wisecracks.) This is an understandable strategy on the part of the filmmakers, since Lautner, a formidable physical specimen and a mildly appealing presence, does most of his acting with his abs. (True, he hasn't been given a lot to work with by the script, but who here has?)

Jacob and Edward's territorial sniping over Bella continues even after the need arises for both of their families to band together against an attack by the rogue vampire Victoria (now played by Bryce Dallas Howard) and her army of "newborns" — vampires who've only recently been turned. Here we puzzle once again at Stephenie Meyer's complete indifference to traditional vampire lore — to the basic characteristics that make these creatures fun. Apart from the fact that her bloodsuckers can walk around in the sunlight and have no fangs, we're now informed that newborns are the most powerful of all vampires because they still have traces of human blood running through their veins. Traditionally — logically — the most ancient vampires are the most powerful. And anyway, don't most vampires have human blood coursing through them? Isn't human blood what they live on? The contending vampire contingents in this movie could as easily be rival biker gangs or feuding hillbilly families with little adjustment required in the story.

This brings us once again to the sex question. There comes a scene where Bella and Edward are canoodling on a bed, and she asks him — begs him, actually — to have sex with her. But after a quick montage of button-fumbling, Edward backs away. "Believe me, I want to," he says. "I just want to be married to you first." Then he says, "I'm from a different era." If I had to guess, I'd say that era was the 1950s, when sex, if it happened to rear its troublesome head, was consummated offscreen, following a tasteful fade-out. In the "Twilight" films, carnal possibilities aren't even implied. No one's saying that Bella and Edward should get naked, in the manner of HBO's immeasurably superior "True Blood" series. But their dinky cuddling and cooing has no erotic charge. It's like a pepperoni pizza without the pepperoni. It's all cheese.

Just as our patience with this picture is about to collapse — following mini origin stories for two of the Cullens, and a meandering campfire chat with the tribal elders of the Black clan, and a scene in a tent with Bella, Edward and Jacob that may still be going on, for all I know — we finally get the big battle between the local vampires and werewolves and Victoria's invading army of newborns. The werewolves are meticulously animated CGI (although as always in "Twilight" land we wonder how guys in pants can transform into pantsless wolves and then transform back again to guys in pants). But the battle itself is oddly earthbound — the two groups of antagonists simply charge across a field at each other and collide. There's lots of thrashing and gnashing and flying through the air, but what this smackdown summit of vampires and werewolves boils down to is a big street rumble.

The people behind the "Twilight" films clearly feel that fans will sit through anything that brings the books they love to the screen. I wonder how long that'll hold true, though. Could this really be as good as the series is going to get? Without ever getting good?

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Lady Gaga Fans Show Their Love, Get Engaged At Monster Ball Kickoff

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 09:39 AM PDT

Montreal's little monsters say Gaga's speaking moments are as important as her over-the-top musical performances.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga performs in Montreal on Monday
Photo: Matt Harper/ MTV News

MONTREAL — They wore leather and lace, stiletto heels, studded jackets, crowns and Diet Coke-can curlers. Two of them even got engaged.

Yes, Lady Gaga's little monsters were out in full force on Monday night at the Bell Centre, for the kickoff of the latest North American leg of her Monster Ball Tour. And in a show of dedication that's practically unparalleled in pop music today, they got there early, waited in lines that stretched all the way down the Avenue Des Canadiens-de-Montreal and around the Rue de la Montagne (trust us, that's far), braved brutal winds and some genuinely ominous thunderclaps ... all in the name of Gaga.

And after the show was over — after two-plus hours, not to mention all the time they had spent waiting just to get inside the Bell Centre, was it all worth it?

"Absolutely. It was the most emotional night of my life," said Melissa Sassone, wearing a pair of signature Gaga shades. "When she was speaking to the crowd, she touched us all. We know her, we feel her, we know what she's been through, we've all been through it. So when she's speaking to the crowd, we all feel it. It was beautiful, inspirational. My life began tonight."

"I love her, and she does everything that I want to do. My favorite moment was 'Alejandro,' " Gaga fan Michael Perry added. "The costume changes were great. The whole show was so great. It was like the 'The Wizard of Oz,' Judy Garland all over again. It was the best thing I've ever been to."

And while some monsters loved the fashion, the attitude and the songs (set-closer "Bad Romance" was a particular fave), most said the best parts of Gaga's performance were the moments when she simply spoke to the crowd.

"She was just so beautiful ... and she said things that were so touching. She said it doesn't matter who you are, just be yourself," Catherine Dupressoir said. "She makes me feel free. I feel like I could do anything I want to."

"It made me cry the whole time," Dupressoir's friend, Olivia Bellemara added. "She's so inspirational. She's my idol. If I could meet her, I would cry in her arms."

Of course, for others — like 11-year-old Gabriella Bagnoli, who got tickets to the concert as a conformation gift from her godmother (who also accompanied her to the show) — the reasons for loving Gaga's performance were a bit simpler.

"Yeah, it was amazing. Lady Gaga was so extraordinary. I like when she the turns and dances," Bagnoli beamed. "I like her fashion styles and the way she sings. She has a good voice and attitude, too. She inspires me."

Bagnoli's 7-year-old sister, Olivia, liked "the big ball" Gaga donned for "Bad Romance." And speaking of romance, it was alive and well at the Bell Centre, thanks mostly to David Hopps, who raised the bar for Gaga fans everywhere when he proposed to his girlfriend, Jenny Smith, during the show.

"I had no idea!" Smith said afterward, showing off her brand-new engagement ring. "I was really obsessed with her, and he had no choice but to be obsessed with her too. He bought me these tickets as a pre-birthday present, and then he proposed to me during 'Love Game.' "

"I was pretty nervous," Hopps laughed. "I really, honestly thought she'd say no, because she's way too pretty for me."

Do you plan on seeing Lady Gaga during this leg of the Monster Ball Tour? What are you going to wear? Talk about it in the comments.

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'Eclipse' Werewolves: Five Secrets Revealed

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 02:42 AM PDT

Visual-effects master Phil Tippett tells MTV News how he remade Jacob Black and the wolf pack into primordial animals for third installment.
By Eric Ditzian


Photo: Summit

You've met Jacob Black and his pack of werewolves before, but you've never seen them like this. Fans were first introduced to the hirsute shape-shifters last November in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," but when director David Slade took over directing duties from Chris Weitz on "Eclipse," he brought with him a new vision for the wolves.

And it was up to visual-effects legend Phil Tippett — his studio engineered a dizzying array of hits, including "Cloverfield," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "Men in Black II" — to translate Slade's vision into computer-generated effects worthy of the big screen. With just hours to go until the midnight opening of "Eclipse," Tippett called MTV News and gave us a behind-the-scenes look at these cinematic wolves.

The Wolves Have New Fur, Eyes and Behavior
Weitz requested wolves that had more of a rangy look to them, with matted fur and eyes that more closely resembled human eyes than wolf ones. By contrast, Slade wanted his wolves just a bit more, well, coifed.

"They weren't supposed to look like poodles, but [Slade] wanted them a lot sleeker looking and with shinier, shimmering coats," Tippett explained.

Slade was also adamant that the "Eclipse" wolves revert to the wolf eyes you might see in nature. But it wasn't just the wolf pack's physical attributes that got a makeover for the third installment. Tippett and his team were also directed to adjust the wolves' overall behavior.

"The 'New Moon' wolves, we played them as heroic sentries," said Tippett. "When the wolves met the humans, we attempted to make it appear as though the wolves had a center of conscience that was definitely human. And David really wanted to play it that the wolves were far more primordial and much more wolflike. The wolves became less sentries sent from God and a lot more twitchy, uncertain, fairer animals."

Perhaps the biggest similarity between both films' wolves, however, is that neither set actually has genitals — a compromise necessary to secure a PG-13 rating. "We just deal with it by putting extra fur down there," he laughed.

Taylor's Wolf Is Sad
Tippett and his crew spent countless hours perfecting each member of the wolf pack, but obviously Taylor Lautner's wolf receives the most screen time and thus required the closest attention. Specifically, they had to capture Jacob's unrequited love for Bella while he was in wolf-form.

"Through non-language pantomime on the wolf's part, he had to appear to be engaged and try to make his expressions telegraph the tragic love that is their relationship," Tippett said. "So there is a sad kind of a longing and protectiveness that we try to imbue him with."

To get the look right, crew members traveled up to a wolf preserve, and actually got into pens with the 200-pound animals and sketched out what they observed.

"I'm a huge advocate of that. Anytime you can get close to an animal, that's the closet model you can find," he said. "And the animators are cast just like actors. Certain animators are really strong on action and there are animators that are really strong on the emotional moments. And the animators strong on emotion were the ones creating the emotional response of Jacob's wolf."

The Vampires Fought With a Potato
Since the wolves are entirely CGI creations, the actors are presented with a challenge: how to interact with — and often fight hand-to-paw against — imaginary beings. What's more, they had to do all this in such a way that would allow Tippett and his animators to plug in their digital creations. The solution they hit upon was what came to be known as the "potato."

"We came up with this object that we called the potato," Tippett said. "And the potato was roughly a very rudimentary wolf form that was kind of like a big pillow that matched the dimensions of the wolves without hair. And those would be set on location by the special-effects department, and they would rig these potatoes with wires so they would hang and we would be able to manipulate them in a way that we knew later on we would be able to match with the wolves in a realistic confrontation."

Taylor Dressed Up in a Gray Leotard
Alas, the potato wouldn't always suffice. For one scene in which Jacob's wolf nuzzles up against Bella, filmmakers required something just a bit more lifelike than a big pillow.

"David was very insistent that Taylor actually perform with Kristen, and so he had the wardrobe department make up a gray leotard and a hoodie that Taylor wore, and he would kind of crouch down and try as best he could to fit that space where we knew later the wolf would be," Tippett said. "And Taylor could remain in character and ensure that the performance was a performance based on contact between two performers, not just Kristen talking to a golf ball or something like that."

Fantasy Trumped Physics
In the climatic fight scene, when the wolves take on a newborn army of vicious vampires, the effects team found itself in a conundrum: How could a 1,200-pound wolf and a 180-pound vampire get into a realistic fight?

"We have to be true to Earth's specific gravity in the performance work to make it seem like the wolves are really there," Tippett said. "But if a 1,200-pound object is slamming into a human being at 30 miles an hour, it's going to have pretty severe consequences. And so there are these scenes where it's like, 'Oh my God, how are we going to pull this off?' "

Their solution was to sprinkle a hefty dose of magical realism into their physical calculations.

"David's justification for it was, 'OK, the newborns are made out of some material that increases their mass and that they are closer to 500 pounds," Tippett said. "The actors didn't actually play it like that — I don't think they ever told them that because they didn't start walking around like the Hulk or anything — but what it did is gave us an excuse to be able to choreograph these things. So when a wolf runs and attacks and slams into one of the newborns at the tail end of the third-act battle, we have a performance justification for how that works. That was actually planned out and made sense and didn't look stupid."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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The-Dream Is Mulling An Acting Career, 'Make Up Bag' Co-Star Says

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 04:56 AM PDT

Singer is working on a yet-untitled film project, Jason Weaver tells MTV News.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Matt Elias


The-Dream and Jason Weaver
Photo: MTV News

The-Dream began hinting at possible retirement in the weeks leading up to the release this spring of Love King, the third project in his trilogy.

But now that the collection is out, what exactly will the songwriter do?

According to his "Make Up Bag" video co-star, Jason Weaver, the Atlanta singer is set to venture into acting.

"The name of the project is tentatively titled 'Road to Beaverton,' " the actor told MTV News. "Pretty much what this video is, 'Make Up Bag,' is the setup for the film."

The yet-unreleased "Make Up Bag" video is set against a 1930s motif and in the clip, The-Dream, Weaver and T.I. all don pinstripe suits. Weaver and The-Dream didn't offer any additional details about the video.

The songwriter has said in the past that the grind of a solo career is too much for him to juggle with his duties as production partner to Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. The pair have an enviable track record, collaborating on hits for Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna, among others. And while The-Dream hasn't formally indicated Love King would be his last word as a solo artist, with a schedule that includes work on T.I.'s upcoming solo project, he'd be as busy tending to the rapper's career as his own. In the past, he hasn't seemed to mind the balancing act, going out of his way to praise his collaborators, including the Grand Hustle boss.

"Tip is in a zone, man," The-Dream told MTV News earlier this year. "He's in one of those things. But me just being a lyric guy, what makes songs, I think, hits is when it comes from the heart and you really are saying something you mean. And you can feel it through the passion. Every record he played me, I was like, 'Wow.' I could just feel it."

Are you interested in seeing The-Dream take his talents to Hollywood? Talk about it in the comments!

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Taylor Lautner Talks 'Breaking Dawn' Split, 3-D Possibility

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 01:21 AM PDT

'I definitely think it was the right thing to do, for the movie and for the book,' Lautner tells MTV News of making two 'Breaking Dawn' films.
By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Taylor Lautner
Photo: Charley Gallay/ Getty Images

Once "Eclipse" hits theaters at midnight, there will only be one book left in "The Twilight Saga" to mine for the big screen. But thanks to Summit Entertainment's decision to split "Breaking Dawn" into two films, fans can look forward to two more installments of their beloved franchise.

It's a decision that was universally embraced not just by fans of the series, but by several of the films' stars as well — like Taylor Lautner, for instance.

"I definitely think it was the right thing to do, for the movie and for the book," Lautner told MTV News of the "Breaking Dawn" split. "It's hard enough to condense 500 pages into a script, but to condense 800 and everything that's going on in 'Breaking Dawn,' it would have been impossible."

Lautner will spend his summer shooting the lead role in the action/thriller "Abduction," but he returns to the role of hunky werewolf Jacob Black when the cameras roll on "Breaking Dawn" in the fall. Already a veteran of the "Twilight" franchise, Lautner confessed that there are elements of "Breaking Dawn" that have him a bit on edge.

"It's the part I'm most looking forward to and the part I'm most nervous about: Renesmee, the baby," he said, referring to the vampire baby spawned by Edward and Bella. Upon Renesmee's birth, Jacob finds himself inexplicably drawn to the baby, effectively ending his feud with Edward over Bella's heart. "That should be very interesting to film. But I'm looking forward to it! I've got the direction of Bill Condon, so I'll be fine."

Speaking of Condon, Lautner said he's already met the recently appointed "Breaking Dawn" director. "I met him briefly, very quickly, but not about 'Breaking Dawn.' He seems like a very nice guy," the actor said. "Obviously, he's ridiculously talented, so I'm excited that I'm getting to work with him twice."

As the shoot date on "Breaking Dawn" draws ever nearer, there are fewer and fewer questions about the film left to answer. One question that lingers, however, is whether it will be released in 3-D.

"Usually, 3-D is best when it takes you into another world," he explained. "I could see it going both ways. As long as we have the story line down and as long as we bring what was written on the pages in the book to life, then we'll be fine no matter what we do."

Would you like to see "Breaking Dawn" in 3-D? Let us know in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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What Will B.o.B's Next Hit Be?

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 03:42 AM PDT

The star says 'Don't Let Me Fall' is the song fans have 'embraced naturally'
By By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Kelly Marino


B.o.B
Photo: MTV News

B.o.B has had a breakout year with his chart-topping debut, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which has yielded the hits "Nothin' On You" and the Hayley Williams-assisted "Airplanes".

The ATL star already has a couple of scorchers under his belt, but he's still deciding between two other cuts from Bobby Ray for his next single. The MC said it's a tossup between "Magic" and "Don't Let Me Fall."

"I think 'Magic' is one where, in terms of the pop crowd, it'll really be the hit, the record of choice," B.o.B told MTV News Sunday on the 2010 BET Awards' red carpet, flanked by fellow Grand Hustle artist Ricco Barrino.

"Magic" may have pop appeal and a feature from Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, but the MC said that fans have already connected with "Don't Let Me Fall."

"I think 'Don't Let Me Fall' is the song that people just kinda embrace naturally. It doesn't even have to be pushed or on the radio," B.o.B said, adding that the crowd response for "Don't Let Me Fall" parallels his earlier hits. "When I perform and do shows, people sing 'Don't Let Me Fall' just as much as 'Nothin' On You' and 'Airplanes.' "

The Atlanta MC didn't have much time to think it over, since he then went on to wow the audience with his performance at the 2010 BET Awards. The rookie rapper teamed up with venerable hip-hop superstar Eminem — who also makes an appearance on Bobby Ray — and recruited R&B songstress Keyshia Cole to step in for Hayley Williams for a performance of "Airplanes, Part II."

What do you think B.o.B's next single should be? Sound off in the comments below!

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Eminem Talks <i>Recovery,</i> 'Hottest MCs'

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 03:17 AM PDT

'I broke free from the chains of addiction and it was just like 'Ahh, I'm happy again. I'm not a prisoner,' ' Em says.
By MTV News staff


Eminem
Photo: Interscope

As his critically praised new album looks set to have the biggest first-week sales of 2010, Eminem talked with Vibe.com about Recovery, (both the album and his own recovery from drug addiction), his placement in MTV News' "Hottest MCs in the Game" rollout last year and his relationship with hip-hop.

Asked about a line in the song "25 to Life" where he talks about taking control of his relationship with hip-hop, Em said, "What the whole song is saying is that I have a strange relationship with hip-hop because I love it so much. I go through this thing in my head a lot, which I'm sure every rapper does, where you give your life to this thing. You literally give everything that you got. I come to work some days wearing the same thing two days in a row — baggy sweats — just dedicating my life to this. And there are times that I feel like I get the respect that I deserve and there are times where I feel like I don't."

He was then asked about being left out of the top 10 of last year's "Hottest MCs in the Game."

"That 'Hottest MC' list that I was left off, it was one of those things that I was glad that I am at where I'm at. I'm glad I'm in this place now, because a few years ago I would've let it bother me more than it did. I took it not as a slap in the face but more so like, 'Maybe I'm not on that list for a reason. Maybe I'm not doing the things that I need to be doing. Maybe I need to look at myself and step it up.' I don't know what I would have thought being in the mind state that I was in. I just felt like maybe I need to do better."

The conversation then turned to his recovery from drug addiction and how the experience has changed him. "I handle things a lot differently now," he said. "I'm proud to be able to say that I'm an addict without any shame in it. I'm proud that I'm able to admit that I have a problem with a certain thing and I have to leave it alone and accept it. I'm proud that I'm strong enough to be able to walk away form those things."

Em also spoke about his decision not to release a second volume of Relapse, as he'd planned, and instead focus on Recovery.

"On a record like the new record, when I mention the third verse of 'Talking to Myself,' I try to sum up the last two records in a nutshell," he said. "Mr. Porter, who produced 'On Fire,' had this analogy of Encore and Relapse that stuck with me: 'Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushing them out.' His view on Relapse was that I was flushing the drugs out my system and looking back at it, I probably was. My mind was coming back, my writing skills were coming back, so I was able to write again because I had writer's block from the pills. I was backed up. I was writing so much and so quickly that I didn't have a chance to stop and say, Are these good songs? Are they great songs? I was just going. I was like, 'I got so much material for three albums, but let's narrow it down to two. Let's put out Relapse 2 months later. That was the original plan.

"There are so many drug references on the last album; that's just where my head was at," he continued. "I came to life again and everything was like new. When they say 'in recovery' or 'in rehab', it's like being born again when you get clean and sober. You start appreciating sh-- that you never thought you would appreciate, like, 'Wow, look at those trees. Look at nature.' Before, it didn't matter. I just started appreciating things more. I got happy when I got sober, broke free from the chains — not to sound corny. I broke free from the chains of addiction and it was just like 'Ahh, I'm happy again. I'm not a prisoner.' I was just happy to be back."

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Larry King Ending His CNN Show After 25 Years

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 05:33 AM PDT

'Larry King Live' will conclude later in 2010, the TV personality announces on his blog.
By Josh Wigler


Larry King
Photo: Getty Images

It's the end of an era for Larry King. The 76-year-old host of "Larry King Live" has announced his decision to step aside from his longstanding CNN TV series, the network reports. He'll hang up his suspenders and close shop on the 25-year-old-show later this year.

King announced the decision to end "Larry King Live" earlier Tuesday (June 29) on his blog. "I want to share some personal news with you," he wrote. "Twenty-five years ago, I sat across this table from New York Governor Mario Cuomo for the first broadcast of 'Larry King Live.' Now, decades later, I talked to the guys here at CNN and I told them I would like to end 'Larry King Live,' the nightly show, this fall and CNN has graciously accepted, giving me more time for my wife and I to get to the kids' little league games.

"I'll still be a part of the CNN family, hosting several Larry King specials on major national and international subjects," he added.

Jon Klein, president of CNN/US, said of King's departure: "He will end his run with 'Larry King Live' on his own terms, sometime this fall. Larry is a beloved member of the CNN family and will continue to contribute to our air with periodic specials."

"I'm incredibly proud that we recently made the 'Guinness Book of World Records' for having the longest-running show with the same host in the same time slot," King said of his decision to conclude "Larry King Live." "With this chapter closing I'm looking forward to the future and what my next chapter will bring, but for now it's time to hang up my nightly suspenders."

What do you think about King's decision to end his show? Let us know in the comments.

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Kris Allen Aims For 'Street Cred' On Tour With Radiohead Cover

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 01:35 AM PDT

After 'Paranoid Android,' the 'American Idol' alum is working on a cover of MGMT's 'Electric Feel.'
By Jim Cantiello


Kris Allen
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

While you should never judge a book by its cover, "American Idol" season-eight champ Kris Allen hopes concertgoers judge him for his cover. More specifically, his out-of-left-field take on Radiohead's epic prog-rocky anthem "Paranoid Android," which he's currently performing on his first headlining tour.

"It's our street-cred song," Allen told MTV News backstage at Yankee Stadium, where he was about to play the CBS Radio Expo. "I've always loved the song, and I've always loved playing it, and so we worked it out as a band, because we thought it would be cool."

Street cred is a tricky thing when you're a dude from a show that forces contestants to sing songs from the Barry Manilow songbook. But Kris and his band are eager to prove to audiences that their music tastes reach wider than the mainstream tunes fans might expect from an artist with an "Idol" past. And, in some cases, the Radiohead cover — now a fan favorite — expands the musical horizons of Allen's "Idol" followers. "Some people come up to me after the show, they didn't even know the song, and they were like, 'That was incredible!' My brother, he has no idea who Radiohead is, and he thought it was awesome," Allen said.

Not all audiences are ready, however, to hear the good-natured Southern boy sing lyrics like "When I am king, you will be first against the wall." "We won't play it every night. We'll play it every once in a while," the Arkansas native said. "I think we played it in Shreveport [Louisiana], and people were just like, 'What is this? This guy's creepy!' And then we move on to the next song," Allen laughed.

This isn't the first time Kris has taken a risk with his set list. In addition to rocking songs from his self-titled debut album, including the hit "Live Like We're Dying," Kris and the band have performed straight-faced, sincere mash-ups of Kanye West's "Heartless" and Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," as well as a "Falling Slowly"/ "With or Without You" interpolation that caught the eye of original artist the Swell Season. (Glen Hansard even performed Kris' U2-ified arrangement on their last tour).

Kris Allen has his fingers crossed for a similar shout-out from Radiohead. "What if Thom Yorke sees this?" the singer said wide-eyed. "And what if he's like, 'This is great'? That would be incredible!"

While Kris and his band daydream about props from the Radiohead frontman, they're busy working on another cred-grabbing cover to add to their set. "We've been trying to work up 'Electric Feel' for a while, the MGMT song, which would be pretty cool."

Kris Allen is on tour with his band through September, performing both headlining shows as well as opening for Barenaked Ladies, Keith Urban and Maroon 5.

What song would you like Kris to cover on tour? Let us know in the comments!

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Britney Spears' Next Album Will Be 'Hard-Hitting,' Danja Says

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:56 AM PDT

The producer reveals he's in pre-production on pop star's LP; Darkchild also teases Gaga-esque 'hits' for Spears, in new online video.
By James Dinh


Britney Spears
Photo: Jeremy Cowart/ WireImage

Britney Spears has kept quiet since wrapping up her Circus Tour, a 97-date extravaganza that took her around the world last year. But according to some of the producers helping to prep her next album, it won't be long before we hear from the pop star again. In fact, a musical storm is brewing, and producer/songwriter Danja told Rap-Up TV of what to expect from Spears' next project.

"We're getting things together," Danja revealed. The pair have collaborated on Spears' last two LPs, and Danja is the man responsible for giving Brit her comeback single "Gimme More." "I've actually been doing tracks that I love, and I can't wait to go into full production mode, but more or so [we're in] pre-production than anything," he said.

Asked what direction the pop princess' material will take, the producer said it was hard to tell; things tended to be unpredictable in the studio.

"We can start one way and end up a totally different way, I really don't know," Danja told Rap-Up TV. "I'm definitely gonna do my part and try to make it hard-hitting, uptempo, high-energy. That's what I think we need and that's what I'm gonna shoot for."

While Danja has worked with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, the producer revealed that the chemistry between him and Spears is "so easy and fun." "It's one of the easiest — probably the easiest — sessions I've had in my career, so I'm looking forward to getting back in," he gushed.

And after all the commotion that erupted after Spears' demo version of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" leaked online, it's maybe not surprising that Darkchild is also onboard for the singer's next album. The hitmaker, who penned and produced the Gaga/Beyoncé smash, took to Ustream last week to tease some of the tracks he'll soon be presenting to Britney and her people.

"In a minute, I'm going to play some music that I think is the bomb for Britney," says Darkchild, who's also known for crafting much of Brandy's catalog. "What I think is [some] incredible stuff for Britney. I'm gonna start with my meetings in a couple of weeks and start playing these records for them, for her and her team.

"Hopefully, you know, she'll get these hits and not let anyone else get 'em and keep 'em for herself. Y'know what I mean," he said seemingly referring to Spears' decision to pass on "Telephone," which, of course, later went on to become another megahit for Lady Gaga.

In May, Darkchild talked about creating new music for the singer, declaring that he would "write an international smash for her new album." No release date for Spears' album has been announced.

Are you excited that Britney seems to be at work already on her new album? Tell us in the comments!

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'Eclipse' Gets Widest Domestic Release In Hollywood History

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 01:54 AM PDT

Opening in 4,416 theaters, the latest 'Twilight' film breaks record held by 'Iron Man 2.'
By Josh Wigler


Robert Pattinson in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

Fans of "The Twilight Saga" are used to watching dreamy vampire Edward Cullen face down routinely shirtless werewolf Jacob Black over the heart of the beautiful Bella Swan — but it seems that Edward and Jacob have put aside their differences to team up against a new, unexpected opponent: Tony Stark.

Deadline Hollywood reports that "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" has already earned its first record without even officially landing in theaters. According to the report, "Eclipse" is currently slated to open in 4,416 theaters across North America, making it the single widest domestic release in Hollywood history. That same record was most recently held by Marvel Studios and Paramount's "Iron Man 2," which initially unspooled in 4,380 locations. Before that, "The Dark Knight" held the record in 2008 with 4,366 theaters.

There is currently no official count of how many locations plan to launch "Eclipse" with midnight showings on Wednesday (June 30).

Having already sunk its fangs into one record, the David Slade-directed "Eclipse" is well poised to cement its status in Hollywood history as it launches into theaters this week. In November, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" enjoyed a massive $140 million opening weekend, more than doubling the initial numbers for the first "Twilight" film. With the summer season in full session, there's no telling how much damage "Eclipse" could do at the box office.

Are you going to a midnight screening of "Eclipse"? Share your plans in the comments.

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Maroon 5 Had No 'Distractions' Recording <i>Hands All Over</i> In Switzerland

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 02:30 AM PDT

'The obligation we had was to dig really deep, and we did,' Adam Levine says of working on album with producer Mutt Lange.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Kelly Marino


Maroon 5's Mickey Madden and Adam Levine
Photo: MTV News

For their latest pop-rock opus, Maroon 5 headed overseas and into the arms of Mutt Lange (AC/DC, Shania Twain, Nickelback). The band made a getaway to Switzerland, the super-producer's home base, where they worked on their upcoming LP, Hands All Over. And the serene backdrop was just the great escape they needed, frontman Adam Levine says.

"Our biggest weakness is laziness and lack of focus, which mostly comes from me, because I am like that," Levine confessed when MTV News visited the set of Maroon 5's "Misery" video. "But the coolest thing about being [in] Switzerland, we weren't distracted at all. There was nothing to be distracted by, except scenery, which was very beautiful. But once you kind of took all that in, you were left with your own thoughts."

Levine also revealed that apart from battling distractions, the next challenge was to make sure the album rocked.

"It was nice to kind of have that quiet mind, especially for me, because I have the hardest time quieting my mind," the singer said. "It was nice having nothing bothering me, nothing on my mind, nothing to do, no obligations," he recalled. "The obligation we had while we were there was to make the best record we possibly could, and to kind of dig really deep, and we did."

Maroon 5 have sold millions of records, enjoyed the perks of fame (Levine has dated a few Hollywood starlets) and had a number of radio hits, but they say there's still room for even bigger successes. And Hands All Over, due in September, couldn't have come out any better, Levine said.

"I'm so satisfied. I think we all are with what we did, because I literally think it's the best that we could do."

Are you excited for a new Maroon 5 album? Tell us in the comments!

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'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows' Trailer: Six Key Moments

Posted: 28 Jun 2010 11:13 PM PDT

We break down the best parts of the new sneak peek.
By Terri Schwartz


Bonnie Wright and Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"
Photo: Warner Bros.

The first full-length "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" trailer comes at the perfect time to remind everyone why they loved the story about the boy with a lightning-bolt scar to begin with — and to ask everyone else who didn't what they were possibly thinking.

While previous trailers for "Harry Potter" movies — even the especially dark "Half-Blood Prince" — mixed humor with the action and magic, this sneak peek shows that the "Deathly Hallows" films, like the book, will take themselves very seriously.

There's a lot packed into the two-minute teaser, as well as some hints as to when the split between the two films will lie, so we're going to break down some of the best parts.

The Attack at the Ministry
There are only two quick shots of the Ministry battle, but they promise greatness from that scene. At 1:24, there is a shot of Ron (Rupert Grint) running away terrified, and then at 1:46, there is another shot of the Ministry employee who is pursuing him.

Godric's Hollow
Another section of "Part 1" that made it to the trailer is Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione's (Emma Watson) journey to the home of Harry's parents, Godric's Hollow. Their entrance can be seen at the one-minute mark, and even though it looks like only Hermione is walking, that is because Harry is under the invisibility cloak. There is a lot more to the location than meets the eye, though, and you can see Harry being attacked by Voldemort's snake Nagini inside Bathilda Bagshot's home at 1:47.

Ron Destroying the Slytherin Necklace Horcrux
In the scene that has long been assumed will close out "Part 1," Ron reunites with Harry in the woods and helps him destroy one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. At 1:17, Ron can be seen looking terrified of the images the Horcrux is showing them (some pretty scandalous scenes between Harry and Hermione), and then at 1:48, Harry can be seen encouraging Ron to "kill it!"

The Gringott's Break-In
Switching to moments that will (presumably) occur in "Part 2," it might seem a bit confusing to see Harry riding alongside his enemy Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) with a goblin named Griphook (Warwick Davis) at :54, but that's actually because Hermione is impersonating Bellatrix, a scene Carter said she enjoyed playing. The shot of a half-blind dragon at 1:16 also comes from the Gringott's scene, and the dragon flying away from the wizarding bank at 1:39 is the trio's escape route to safety.

Harry's First Confrontation With Voldemort
It was an interesting move to open up the trailer with one of the final scenes in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," but the shots of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) standing with his Death Eaters in the woods and Harry approaching them actually come toward the end of the story. "Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, come to die!" Voldemort announces dramatically in the trailer, before seemingly casting the killing curse — Avada Kedavra — on Harry.

The Final Battle
A good portion of the action scenes that are shown in the trailer are taken from the final battle sequence that will take place at the end of "Part 2." USA Today reported that the battle was expanded for the film, which means those shots of people running at each other in the woods are probably from the creative mind of director David Yates. But the wand confrontation between Harry and Voldemort at 1:59 is right out of the book, and Voldemort's final line of the trailer — "Only I can live forever" — is a daunting way of teasing the final installments of the "Harry Potter" franchise.

What did we miss? Share your favorite parts of the trailer in the comments below!

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Rihanna Cancels July 2 Tour Kickoff In Washington

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 08:58 AM PDT

Last Girl on Earth Tour is now slated to start on July 4 in Vancouver.
By Jocelyn Vena


Rihanna
Photo: Christopher Peterson/ FilmMagic

Rihanna has canceled her July 2 concert at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington, which was scheduled to be the opening night of her tour, according to the Auburn Reporter. A press release from Live Nation states that the date had to be canceled due to "production changes."

That means Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour will now kick off on July 4 in Vancouver. The paper didn't have information on what the production changes entail. Refunds will be given for the show in Auburn at point of purchase. The July 22 show in Phoenix and the July 24 show in Dallas have also been nixed.

Nicki Minaj was originally scheduled to be one of the opening acts for the tour alongside pop party girl Ke$ha. But Minaj had to back out of the tour in order to work on her album. Travie McCoy is slated to take her spot.

Ke$ha told MTV News that Minaj's exit was a "bummer," but the "Tik Tok" singer had big plans for what she wanted to wear on the tour. "I want to wear a lot of laser beams," she said.

She added that her show will be one big party. "It definitely is going to have, like, a dance-party vibe," she explained. "I just want it to be really, really fun. Let's just say I can't disclose, but I have, like, a really, really awesome thing that's going to happen ... and you can only understand it if you see it in person."

By press time, a rep for Rihanna had not responded to MTV News' request for comment about the cancellation.

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Eminem Has 'Beef' With Adrian Grenier On 'Entourage' Season Finale

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 09:09 AM PDT

Em will celebrate the success of his real-life album Recovery on the show; Christina Aguilera will also perform.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Eminem
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Eminem will help close out the seventh season of HBO's "Entourage" with a guest spot on the cable hit's finale. According to Entertainment Weekly, the rapper will appear as himself on the show, celebrating the success of his real-life album, Recovery, with a blow-out bash. Show creator Doug Ellin told EW that some drama will go down between Em and Adrian Grenier's character. "He has a little conflict — a little beef — with Vince," said Ellin.

RapRadar.com also posted a photo of Em shooting the scene, which features the hip-hop star in the foreground as a gigantic First Aid sign — which is part of the artwork for Recovery — looms above a crowd of actors and crew members.

Even though Recovery dropped just last week, Ellin is confident that the album will be a smash. Ellin told EW that the Eminem scene is set "at a platinum record party for his album, which by the time this airs [on September 12] will be platinum, I'm sure."

Em's "Entourage" guest spot also probably means that everything is cool between the hip-hop star and the show's executive producer Mark Wahlberg, with whom Mathers shared a famously tense appearance on MTV's "TRL" in 1999.

Christina Aguilera will also appear on the "Entourage" finale as a client of Ari Gold. "She's doing Ari a favor and performing at a party for him," Ellin said. The season-seven send-off is shaping up to be a star-packed episode as John Cleese, Minka Kelly, and professional athletes like Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees and more are set to appear.

Are you excited for the star-studded season-seven finale of "Entourage"? Sound off in the comments below!

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