Senin, 07 Februari 2011

MTV News

MTV News

Lil Wayne's '6 Foot 7 Foot' Video To Premiere On MTV

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 03:52 AM PST

Weezy's visual will debut Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com, followed by an exclusive live Q&A on "MTV First: Lil Wayne."
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Lil Wayne and Sway
Photo: MTV News

Lil Wayne's hush-hush visual "6 Foot 7 Foot" has been dubbed a "game-changer" by insiders, and this week Weezy's legions of fans will finally get a chance to check it out.

On Thursday at 8 p.m. ET MTV and MTV.com will air "MTV First: Lil Wayne," a video-premiere event during which fans can see out the debut of the "6 Foot 7 Foot" clip, as well as go behind-the-scenes of the Hype Williams-directed visual, which was shot in Miami and features upstart lyricist Cory Gunz, who will be featured in the upcoming MTV docu-series "Son of a Gun." Immediately following the premiere, Wayne will also sit down with MTV News' Sway for his first live interview since he was released from prison last year.

Wayne fans will also have the opportunity to interact with Weezy by submitting questions either in advance or during the live event via MTV.com, Facebook or Twitter by adding the hashtag #askweezy.

Wayne supporters have been waiting for a spankin' new visual from the I Am Not a Human Being lyricist ever since the MC finished his months-long 2010 prison stay in November. According to Weezy insiders, the forthcoming video is slated to make a memorable impression when it drops this week.

"I would love to tell everybody the concept but there will be people trying to get the idea and put it out before '6 Foot 7 Foot' drops," Wayne's videographer DJ Scoob Doo told MTV News. "But once people see the '6 Foot 7 Foot,' I guarantee that it's going to be a game changer."

The Young Money captain's protégé Drake also told MTV News recently that Wayne's post-prison creative approach is in top form.

"Watching this man work again, it's crazy," Drizzy said. "To hear '6 Foot 7 Foot' and not hear him waste one bar; didn't sacrifice one moment. It's good, he's back. It's an impressive record and I think it's what he needed to get people talking."

Are you looking forward to checking out Weezy's "6 Foot 7 Foot" video? Let us know in the comments!

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Snooki And Sway Team Up For MTV News' Grammy Red-Carpet Live Stream!

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 03:52 AM PST

Hit up MTVNews.com Sunday, February 13, at 6 p.m. ET to see the 'Jersey Shore' starlet chatting live with your favorite artists.
By Gil Kaufman


Snooki
Photo: MTV News

Over the past year, "Jersey Shore" breakout star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi has gotten used to walking the red carpet. The iconic member of the "Shore" cast will turn the tables this Sunday, though, when she joins MTV's own Sway Calloway at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards.

Instead of working it down the carpet, for the second year in a row, Snooki will be the one asking stars questions. And for the first time, she and co-host Sway will anchor MTV's red-carpet live stream from the event. The pair will be seen live on MTV.com for two hours (6-8 p.m. ET), talking to all the night's big attendees, presenters and performers.

What will she say? We have no idea, but you can bet it won't be the same boring stuff you're hearing on all the other entertainment shows!

"I did do the interviews with the Grammys last year, and I really had no idea what was going on," Snooki admitted to MTV News. "This was all new to me. So now, being in it for a year, I know what to expect. And I'm gonna study a little more [about] what people are up for and who they are. I'm not gonna be like, 'Yo, Kings of Leon, who are you?' That's what I did last year! So I'm definitely gonna study up more."

Things were a little hectic for Snickers last year, as she admittedly didn't know many of the night's stars. (Sorry again, Alice in Chains!) But luckily, plenty of them were well-acquainted with her. Over the course of the evening, she compared pouf-hairstyle secrets with Miley Cyrus, yukked it up with metal icons Judas Priest, got in the middle of an LMFAO sandwich, strained her neck to look up at a towering Katy Perry, made goo-goo eyes at Justin Bieber and nearly got bowled over when Fergie bum-rushed past her Black Eyed Peas cohorts to get a pic with her favorite reality star.

What will Snooki do this year on the carpet? It's anybody's guess, but you know it will be interesting to watch.

Don't miss Snooki and Sway on MTV News' Grammy red-carpet live stream, Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And stick with us all night for coverage of the red carpet, the show, the afterparties and beyond!

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B.o.B's 'Nothin' On You': From Near-Miss To Grammy Nominee

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 03:52 AM PST

Record of the Year contender almost didn't make its way to B.o.B.
By James Montgomery


B.o.B
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about B.o.B's "Nothin' On You" was not its chart-topping success, its earnestness or the fact that it served as an introductory course in two of the year's biggest artists. It's the fact that the song wasn't meant for B.o.B at all.

Yes, before the song — which is nominated for three Grammys, including Record of the Year — found its way to B.o.B, it was originally intended for Lupe Fiasco. Seems the folks at Atlantic Records felt that it would be a perfect fit for the Chicago MC, and they insisted that its producers, the Smeezingtons, send it their way. But, as fate would have it, one of the men responsible for shaping B.o.B's career intervened. And the rest was history.

"I was actually working on a session in Chung King [Studios], and [Atlantic Records chairman] Craig Kallman called me during that session with that particular track to work on it for Lupe Fiasco," Jim Jonsin, who signed B.o.B to his Rebel Rock imprint, told MTV News in May. "I told Craig, 'I like the song a lot. It's a smash and could be somebody's single. But it's not Lupe's record. I need this record for B.o.B. Please give this record to B.o.B.' I guess they went through whoever they went through, convinced whoever they needed to, and it got to B.o.B."

Turns out, Jonsin's instincts were right. "Nothin' On You" found its way to B.o.B, and would head to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2010, where it stayed for two consecutive weeks. Bouyed by the success of the single, B.o.B's debut record, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, would open at #1 on the albums chart, and 2010 officially had its first breakout hip-hop star.

And if the whole situation seems a bit, well, magical, you're not alone. Seems that even the Smeezingtons — Bruno Mars, Phillip Lawrence and Ari Levine — were shocked by the fortuitous series of events that led to "Nothin' " topping the charts, and they admitted as much to MTV News.

"Me and Phil always had that hook," said Mars, who, of course, used the song to launch his own successful solo career. "So one day, our other partner ... Ari, he walked into the studio and said he programmed the drums [over]. It had this old-school hip-hop beat. I said, 'Gimme the piano,' and that was the first thing I started playing. Magically, that melody worked with this track we were doing."

Of course, B.o.B would go on to score more hits on his own — the ubiquitous "Airplanes," his duet with Paramore's Hayley Williams chief among them — one could argue that without the success of "Nothin' On You," none of those achievements would have been possible. You can chalk all of it up to magic, but, as he heads into Sunday's 53rd Grammy Awards, B.o.B prefers to give credit to the song's sweet-natured sincerity, which connected with fans in a way a lot of songs just don't. And, really, he's right about that too.

"Introducing B.o.B or Bobby Ray, it takes more than one song to do it," he said. "But I feel like this song is really genuine and really sincere, so I feel good about people finding out about me through 'Nothin' On You.' "

Are you rooting for "Nothin' On You" to win Record of the Year at the Grammys? Let us know in the comments!

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Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash Light Up Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 06:32 AM PST

Foursome is joined by special guests and tons of lights for smash-hit medley.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Black Eyed Peas perform during the Super Bowl XLV halftime show
Photo: Getty Images

The Black Eyed Peas promised a party at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday (February 6), and the pop supernovas definitely delivered, with a performance teeming with lights, dancers and surprise appearances from celebrity pals.

Following a Chatter.com commercial that showed animated versions of the Peas showing off their social-media skills, the group kicked things off with their 2009 smash "I Gotta Feeling," descending from the ceiling on illuminated platforms onto a stage surrounded by a cluster of dancers clad in white bodysuits. The foursome led the team of fist-pumping troops in "Tron"-like getups, with Taboo sporting an outfit covered in flashing lights, will.i.am rocking a shiny hairpiece, Apl.de.ap wearing huge bright studs and Fergie vamping it up in bling-laden shoulder pads.

When the speaker-busting bass of "Boom Boom Pow" dropped, the dancers dispersed across the field to create arrow-shaped formations as the glow-in-the-dark lights on their suits illuminated the stadium. Then rumored surprise guest Slash of Guns N' Roses rose from below the stage for a "Sweet Child O' Mine" duet with Fergie. The GNR great rocked a finger-searing solo in a studded version of his signature black top hat as more angular platforms and dancers moved across the gridiron. The platforms were bearing scores of marching-band musicians who blasted their horns and pounded away on their drums as the Peas went into "Pump It" and blue lights splashed across the production.

Quick streams of fog heralded the arrival of the Peas' second surprise guest, Usher, who swooped in on a long chain to bust out his will.i.am-assisted joint "OMG." Rocking a sparkly collar on an otherwise all-white ensemble, the R&B hitmaker cranked out several counts of energetic choreography, enlivening moves from his "OMG" video and at one point jumping over Will and landing in a split.

A spray of pyro ushered in the collective's breakout 2003 hit "Where Is the Love?" as the oddly shaped platforms spelled out the word "Love" in bright-red letters. The team of dancers, which appeared to have multiplied to over 100, formed hearts across the field as will updated the lyrics of the smash with lines like, "Obama, let's get these educated."

Then the group jumped ahead to their most recent single, 2010's "The Time (Dirty Bit)," as several back up hoofers rocking cubed helmets joined the Peas onstage and dancers lined up along the gridiron to simultaneously bust out the Running Man, a move which drew cheers from the crowd.

The platinum-selling Peas wrapped up the performance with a reprise of "I Gotta Feeling," as the quartet triumphantly signed off amid of blitz of fog, firepower and flashing lights.

Ripping the halftime show was clearly a touching moment for will, who tweeted beforehand, "Me and apl started the peas when we were 16 yesterday we were dreamin now were livin it. Wow. I'm not crying out of sadness or nervousness its joy and pride and memories and the journey."

And once the crew left the stage, the frontman was not only proud, but pumped. "That was so freakin sick," he wrote. "Wow...!!!"

What did you think of the Black Eyed Peas' Super Bowl performance? Let us know in the comments!

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Justin Bieber, Ozzy Osbourne Poke Fun In Super Bowl Commercial

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 06:43 AM PST

Sharon Osbourne asks, 'What's a Bieber?' in Best Buy spot featuring the music stars.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber on the set of the Best Buy Super Bowl commercial
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

Best Buy aimed to make Super Bowl fans Beliebers when they aired their ad starring Justin Bieber and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne during the big game between the Steelers and the Packers.

Dressed in "Tron"-type clothing, Ozzy appeared on a space set selling 4G service for Best Buy. In the ad, Ozzy shoots a commercial within the commercial for the store. Flubbing his lines, it's announced that a new face will replace the rock icon.

"I'll take it from here," Bieber chimes in. Then Bieber, also dressed in "Tron" clothing, looks into the camera and says, "It's Bieber 6G fever," besting Ozzy's 4G claims.

"What's a 6G?" Sharon Osbourne asks.

"What's a Bieber?" Ozzy replies.

Then Bieber, with facial hair and disguised as a crew member, reappears and says, "I don't know, but it kind of looks like a girl."

According to a press release for the ad, the commercial aimed to "showcase creativity and humor to millions of football and advertising fans throughout the country."

"We're delighted to have Justin and Ozzy help us tell the Best Buy story," said Drew Panayiotou, senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Best Buy. "We know people have high expectations for these ads, and Justin and Ozzy add a whole new dimension of fun."

Bieber made numerous high-profile appearances last week in anticipation of the February 11 release of his 3-D movie "Never Say Never," including stops at the "Today" show, "Late Night With David Letterman," "The Seven" and "Saturday Night Live." Next week, he'll premiere the flick in L.A.

When Bieber sat down with MTV News on Friday, he gave us his pick for the Super Bowl ... sort of. "Either way, whatever team wins, it's not my team," he said. Though he did have props for one team's fan-made theme song.

"Did you hear the Lil Wayne song ... 'Green and Yellow'?" he asked Sway of the New Orleans MC's remix of Khalifa's "Black and Yellow." "I saw it today and I thought that was pretty cool."

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Christina Aguilera Sings National Anthem At Super Bowl

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 04:21 AM PST

Pittsburgh native's performance followed 'Glee' star Lea Michele's rendition of 'America the Beautiful.'
By Jocelyn Vena


Christina Aguilera sings the national anthem at Super Bowl XLV
Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

As football fans gathered on Sunday night (February 6) to watch the match-up between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers at Super Bowl XLV, Christina Aguilera took to the stage to perform the national anthem. Moments earlier, "Glee" star Lea Michele performed "America the Beautiful" before kickoff in chilly Dallas.

Wearing her hair down and donning a black suit, Aguilera belted out the song as both the Terrible Towels and Cheese Heads counted down the moments until the big game. The Grammy winner got the crowd hyped as she hit the crescendos of the song, while celebrities and players looked on, many of the players nervously looking to the sky or holding back tears as they prepared to take the field.

Although her voice never wavered as she paid tribute to the country in song, Aguilera did briefly flub the lyrics, but she handled it like a pro, rendering the mistake barely noticeable.

The singer grew up outside of Pittsburgh and is presumably a Steelers fan.

"I have been performing the anthem since I was 7 years old and I must say the Super Bowl is a dream come true," Aguilera said recently. "I am really excited to be part of such an iconic event."

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Eminem's Puppet Alter Ego Makes Crazy Demands In Super Bowl Spot

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 05:00 AM PST

The Detroit MC pokes fun at his media-wary image in Lipton Brisk ad.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Eminem as a puppet in a Lipton Brisk Super Bowl ad
Photo: FOX

We're all familiar with the maniacal stylings of Slim Shady, but during the Super Bowl on Sunday night (February 5), viewers got the opportunity to see Eminem's latest alter ego in all its animated glory.

The Detroit luminary lent his likeness to a stop-motion commercial for Lipton Brisk which premiered during the football face-off — an ad that proved that cartoon Em can be as entertaining as the original. The spot features Em's self-aware puppet doppelganger — the same dummy he released a photo of late last week — breaking down the many reasons why the notoriously media-shy MC typically doesn't endorse products.

Rocking a gray hoodie, white T-shirt and jeans, the animated Em rampages about, rattling off nutty demands like insisting the spot has to be filmed in his house so he doesn't have to go anywhere, he has to record his own expletive-laced music and he needs some "hot chicks." The cartoon Shady also explains that he usually hates the products he's asked to hawk, but in the apparently unique case of Lipton Brisk, the MC proclaims, "Damn, that is pretty good." But when a stern Lipton exec says they can't change the name, Em shoves him off a building and yells, "That's why I don't do commercials!"

While Em unveiled one of the few commercial endorsements of his career during the Super Bowl, next Sunday is shaping up to be a big night for Shady as well. The Motor City MC is up for 10 trophies at this year's Grammy Awards for his latest chart-topping album Recovery, and will also hit the stage.

In addition to boosting his superstar status with high-profile appearances at the Grammys and the Super Bowl, Em is also hard at work building his stable of in-house talent at Shady Records with the recent signing of rap supergroup Slaughterhouse and hip-hop upstart Yelawolf. The MC outlined his plans for his protégés when he announced the Shady deal.

"It's the new generation of Shady Records, and as we're trying to rebuild our label, it's exciting for hip-hop, and with all of these forces coming together and with what everybody's capable of on the mic, it's gonna be fun," he said.

What did you think of Eminem's Lipton Super Bowl ad? Let us know in the comments!

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Perez Hilton Congratulates Will.I.Am On Super Bowl Performance

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 07:37 AM PST

Former foes bond on Twitter following Black Eyed Peas' halftime set.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


will.i.am performs during Super Bowl XLV's halftime show
Photo: Getty Images

The Black Eyed Peas' halftime set at the 2011 Super Bowl Sunday night (February 6) likely delighted the hitmakers' legions of fans, but it appears the performance has also won over a onetime will.i.am enemy: Perez Hilton.

Following the platinum-selling crew's hit-packed medley - which included a massive team of dancers working it in illuminated jumpsuits and surprise appearances from Usher and Guns N' Roses' Slash - Hilton took to Twitter to opine about the performance and had nothing but love for the Peas' set, despite his history with the group's frontman.

"Pigs are about to fly...... I think that was the best Half Time Show in years!" Hilton wrote. Although he did point out the group's glitches, he added that the performance was miles ahead of previous halftime sets. "So the Peas did not sound amazing, but they were very entertaining! Much better than The Who last year or Tom Petty before!"

Will graciously accepted the compliment, replying, "thanks perez...it means a lot from you..." Perez returned the Twitter love, writing, "I mean it. Great job! You could tell you guys worked very hard on it."

The media personality and MC famously feuded in 2009 when Hilton accused will of assaulting him after an awards show, a claim which the producer/rapper vehemently denied. The drama played out in outlets from Twitter to TMZ, and eventually lawyers were dragged into the fray. However, Sunday night's explosive set apparently prompted Hilton to set aside the past and send out some snaps.

Hilton wasn't the only one who enjoyed the performance. Will proudly tweeted that one of his fellow California hip-pop stars, MC Hammer, was also feeling the set.

"Mc hammer loved our halftime show," he tweeted. "Wow" I'm so happy."

What do you think about Perez and will.i.am making nice on Twitter? Let us know in the comments!

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Eminem's 2011 Super Bowl Ad: Fans React

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 07:08 AM PST

In a spot for Lipton's Brisk iced tea, the potty-mouthed rhyme spitter got the Claymation treatment


Eminem as a puppet in a Lipton Brisk iced tea Super Bowl ad
Photo: FOX

'Glee' Recap: Quinn Quits The 'Cheerios,' Makes Out With Finn

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 10:00 PM PST

Plus, the New Directions and the football players team up to for 'Thriller' and 'Heads Will Roll' in post-Super Bowl episode.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


The glee club performs in a special episode of "Glee" airing after Super Bowl XLV
Photo: FOX

This week on "Glee," we learned that when Sue Sylvester gets bored, she chases some crazy-pants thrill that inevitably sets off a chain of events that threaten to rip apart the social fabric of McKinley and possibly kill some people along the way, which is, really, just standard-issue drama for the Gleeks.

The episode kicked off with the Cheerios' firepower-heavy rendition of Katy Perry's "California Gurls," a spectacle of skimpy costumes, BMX tricks and sparks-shooting bras that still left Coach Sue cold. So that meant bringing in the big guns — literally. As a solution to her pom-pom ennui, Sylvester scored a cheerleader-flinging cannon as a means to take the squad's stunts to new heights. When Principal Figgins objected, she started trashing his office and equipment room before making another bold announcement: she's moving the cheerleader competition to the same night as the football championship.

So where did that leave the team? Stuck rocking their own halftime show; a situation which was further complicated by the fact that Mr. Schuester and Coach Shannon insisted all the anti-glee club football players join New Directions for a week to quell the feuding within the team. Using the example of the Filipino prisoners who stopped getting into trouble during the four months they practiced for a jailhouse rendition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," Schuester decided they should take on the game-changing smash, modernizing it by mashing it up with the Yeah Yeah Yeah's acid jam "Heads Will Roll." But even after Rachel and Puck's soulful rendition of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," the ballers and belters still erupted into a fight, nearly ripping each other's heads off.

Forced to get their sing on, the footballers turned up to practice, where Schuester told lead bully Karofsky that he's get a decent voice — a compliment that appeared to empower him enough to ask Finn to team up for a warm-up number. Pairing their faux undead maquillage with letterman jackets, the team eased into the glee thing by busting out a rendition of The Zombies "She's Not There." But just as they strolled out into the hallway, still buzzing from the high of owning the stage, they got doused with slushees by the wannabe cool kids on the hockey team. Washing the makeup and the sugary ice from their eyes, Karofsky and his crew decided to ditch both New Directions and the football team, which put the future of the team in jeopardy. And due to Sylvester's nonstop meddling campaign Santana, Brittany and Quinn were forced to quit glee club or commit "social suicide" by giving up their high-school supremacy as cheerleaders. (Actually, Sylvester got Brittany to stay on the team and get thrown from the cannon by convincing her it had baby cannons that would die if their mother remained out of work.)

Elsewhere, the New Directions rivals at Dalton Academy were getting along swimmingly, as Blaine helmed an acappella version of Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills," rocking out the sassy DC3 jam in a plush practice room with his other blazer-sporting glee-club members. He also proved helpful when Rachel, Mercedes and Kurt sat down for coffee and he told the ladies that the football team — which was down to five after the Karofsky contingent bounced — only needed four more players in order to compete at the championship.

Come game day Rachel, Mercedes, Tina and Lauren marched down the field ready to take on the competitors. Not surprisingly, the novice football players were quickly trounced, but not before Tina scooped up the ball and bolted toward the end zone in a moment of courage. When she was sacked, the whole field gasped and Mike rushed over to, you know, make sure she's not dead. Everyone's spirits were lifted when she rolled over and asked, "Did we win?" After Tina's tackle, Finn convinced Brittany, Quinn and Santana to ditch the Cheerios and head to the game for the big "Thriller" number, while Puck wrangled up the departed football players.

The New Directions crew turned out the long-awaited "Thriller" revamp, with the guys stiffly marching across the field in tattered, filthy uniforms and the ladies working disheveled bag lady looks topped with unkempt locks. The glee-clubbers moaned, writhed and staggered along, throwing the crowd into a frenzy as they belted the chorus to "Heads Will Roll" before segueing into the Jackson's lyrics. Even after stubbornly hating on the Gleeks all episode long and fearing the loss of his cool-kid status, Karofsky immediately jumped in as soon as he saw the crowd get live and they ended the mash-up as a team.

Newly unified, the fellas hit the locker room to celebrate, and after seeing how the creepy zombie look empowered the guys, Coach Shannon told them not to take off the makeup. So they kept up the undead act, moaning and freaking out the other team, until they eventually took back the field.

With her ego badly bruised, Sylvester imagined a sit-down with Katie Couric, who tells her that she beat out the economy and Brett Favre's cell phone to be named "Loser of the Year" for letting her seventh national cheerleading championship slip through her fingers. Sue didn't take the news well, seething, "I hate you Diane Sawyer."

Even though they owned the gridiron and the big song-and-dance number, Karofsky ultimately made it clear to Finn that he's not willing to risk the social consequences of staying in glee club. But Quinn, who actually hit the halls of McKinley without her red-and-white Cheerios garb, made it clear that she has no plans to revert back to her old ways as a status-obsessed cheerleader. She did, however, show there is one thing she wanted to salvage from her past, planting a kiss on Finn and telling him his bravery was why she loved him before strolling away.

What did you think of "Glee" this week? Let us know in the comments!

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'Rio' Trailer Contains Embedded Code For 'Angry Birds' Game

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 08:19 AM PST

Movie tie-in connects hit bird-slingshotting game to upcoming animated film starring voice of Jesse Eisenberg.
By Adam Rosenberg


A scene from "Rio"
Photo: Fox Filmes do Brasil

Fox aired a 30-second spot for its forthcoming animated family comedy "Rio" during the fourth quarter of a tense showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers at Super Bowl XLV. In an advertising first, the trailer contained an embedded code for an unlockable level in the top-selling Apple App Store game "Angry Birds."

The level connects to a larger contest that offers participants the opportunity to win a trip to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for the film's March 22 premiere. Also out in March is "Angry Birds Rio," a movie tie-in that brings developer Rovio Mobile's hit bird-slingshotting game to the characters and locales of the Fox film.

"Rio" is the work of "Ice Age" director Carlos Saldanha and "Big Momma's House" writer Don Rhymer. "The Social Network" star and Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg lends his voice to the lead bird role of Blu, a rare species of macaw living in Minnesota who is sent off on a high-flying adventure to Rio de Janeiro where he is meant to find fellow macaw Jewel (Anne Hathaway) and ... ahem ... repopulate the species.

Things don't quite prove to be that simple however, with everything from poachers to Blu's pesky fear of flying getting in the way. Blu encounters a range of colorful characters on his journey, voiced by the likes of George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, Leslie Mann, Tracy Morgan, Will.i.am, Jamie Fox and Jane Lynch, among others.

The trailer features Blu flapping his way through a series of wacky situations, all of them involving a multicolored rainbow of tropical birds. "Rio" hits theaters on April 15, an American/Brazilian production from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Lea Michele Belts 'America The Beautiful' At Super Bowl

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 04:30 AM PST

'Glee' star helps kick off football face-off with patriotic staple.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Lea Michele sings "America The Beautiful" at Super Bowl XLV
Photo: FOX/NFL

The cast of "Glee" is set to shake things up after the Super Bowl with their highly anticipated post-championship episode Sunday night (February 6), but viewers got a taste of "Glee" star Lea Michele's pipes early in the evening.

The singer and actress, who is nominated for a Grammy alongside her "Glee" castmembers, belted a straightforward version of "America the Beautiful" to help kick off the game (she was followed by Christina Aguilera's vampy rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner"). Sporting a cream-colored coat and camel-hued wide-leg trousers with her brown locks in soft waves, Michele coolly crooned the patriotic standard surrounded by service members in navy suits under the shadow of red, white and blue flags. The star gently cooed throughout most the performance, but showcased her robust pipes by holding the last note for few seconds.

Although Michele opened the Super Bowl with a conservative, family-friendly set, the "Glee" opening number on Sunday night's show is all skin-baring looks and heart-racing stunts. A preview of the Cheerios' rendition of Katy Perry's saucy hit "California Gurls" landed online last week, and features flame-wielding cheerleaders in skimpy outfits and BMX riders slicing through the air. "Glee" producers have admitted that they turned up the heat to attract a new set of fans.

"I think our opening number is going to retain a lot of male viewers," co-creator/ executive producer Ian Brennan recently told Entertainment Weekly.

Co-creator/ executive producer Brad Falchuk added, "We put stuff in there understanding that there are a lot of dudes who watch the Super Bowl." Falchuk said producers deliberately kicked up the vamp factor hoping to lure testosterone-powered viewers who would typically miss the weekly musical hit. "It was making sure that the dudes who refuse to watch 'Glee' are like, 'Wait a second!' "

What did you think of Lea Michele's performance at the Super Bowl? Let us know in the comments!

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'Super 8' Super Bowl Clip Presents Even More Mystery

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 08:04 AM PST

J.J. Abrams/Spielberg collabo teaser depicts train wreck, a Super 8 camera and a foreboding voice-over.
By Katie Calautti


A scene from "Super 8"
Photo: Paramount

Super Bowl XLV ushered a double dose of "super" — namely, the premiere of the 30-second trailer for the highly-anticipated J.J. Abrams-directed, Stephen Spielberg-produced vehicle "Super 8."

The creative force behind "Lost," "Star Trek" and "Cloverfield" has kept his upcoming project ensconced in secrecy, refusing to divulge details about the science-fiction blockbuster — letting slip only that it'll be set in 1979 as something of a throwback to Spielberg's most beloved tales. What we had to sate our curiosity until tonight was the film's release date, cast list and a painfully cryptic teaser screened before "Iron Man 2."

The "Super 8" Super Bowl XLV spot aired toward the last portion of the second quarter, and features a more elaborate view of the teaser's train wreck, soundtracked to whimsical, John Williams-esque music. The only dialogue comes in the form of a foreboding voice-over: "Do not speak of this. If you do, they will find you."

It opens on a view of what could be any Main Street in small-town America, as our young protagonist rides his bike into what turns out to be an epic train wreck. A quick shot shows him dropping a Super 8 camera. Presumably, he's captured footage of something that's meant to be kept under wraps (our money's on whatever's attempting to forcibly pound its way out of the train car in the next shot).

We're given quick glimpses of Kyle Chandler (playing, perhaps, a concerned parent?) and Elle Fanning (standing with a group of kids, the Super 8 camera propped between them), masses of people being herded off army trucks and into shelters, perplexed-looking government officials and explosions — all with a somewhat otherworldly bent to it (think: "E.T." meets "War of the Worlds" meets "The Goonies" meets "Cloverfield").

It appears that the film will largely be seen through the perspective of the young boy, and it certainly looks like an homage to Spielbergian style, with some J.J. Abrams action and mystery thrown in for good measure.

Can we perhaps get 30 more seconds, J.J.?

What did you think of the "Super 8" trailer? Let us know in the comments! Check out everything we've got on "Super 8."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

'Captain America' Trailer Premieres During Super Bowl XLV

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 06:57 AM PST

Clip offers glimpses of Hugo Weaving's Red Skull and Cap's transformation to super-soldier.
By Adam Rosenberg


A scene from "Captain America: The First Avenger"
Photo: Paramount

The debut trailer for "Captain America: The First Avenger" made its bow tonight with only minutes remaining in the second quarter of Super Bowl XLV. The highly anticipated first look at the Joe Johnston-directed Marvel Comics adaptation did not fail to deliver, with glimpses of Hugo Weaving's Red Skull and Cap's transformation from puny weakling to genetically enhanced super-soldier.

The 32-second trailer opens with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) stepping into the machine that infuses his body with the serum responsible for giving him superhuman strength and reflexes. "How do you feel," Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter — Cap's World War II love interest — asks Rogers as he steps out of the oversize metal coffin. "Taller," Evans quips.

A series of shots from different parts of the movie flash by next as Cap, shield in hand, runs, jumps and swings into action against a variety of bad guys, including a pair of armored HYDRA agents wielding flamethrowers. The money shot comes toward the end, of course, with Hugo Weaving's Red Skull peeling off what appears to be a mask and revealing the scarred, red face beneath.

The trailer ends with Atwell and Evans. Cap's got what must be an early, unpainted prototype of his shield in hand, whose effectiveness Atwell tests with a pistol. "What do you think," Evans asks, holding the shield up just in time to catch the oncoming bullets. "I think it works," she fires back with a smirk.

"Captain America: The First Avenger" hits 2-D and 3-D screens this summer on July 22.

Check out everything we've got on "Captain America: The First Avenger."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

'Transformers' Super Bowl Trailer: Explosions! Robots! Victoria's Secret Model!

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 06:10 AM PST

New 30-second 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' trailer premieres during Super Bowl XLV
By Aly Semigran


A scene from "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Photo: Paramount

Just in case there wasn't enough testosterone coursing through Super Bowl XLV, the preview trailer for "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" should have done the trick.

The new 30-second trailer for the third "Transformers" installment brought with it a bevy of battling robots, concerned-looking humans (the movie's stars Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, and Megan Fox's replacement, Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), and the general destruction director Michael Bay tends to bring along with any project.

Unlike the movie's first trailer, which has already hit theaters and features Neil Armstrong's journey to the moon in 1969 turning out a little differently (apparently in Bay's world, one small step for man was one giant step for sneaky robots), this spot was short, and for "Transformers" fans, pretty sweet.

With a tagline that warns "On 7/1/11 Earth Will Go Dark" spliced in with all the action (and that's really all there is, as not a single line of dialogue is uttered in the spot), viewers only saw blips of what can be expected on the big screen this summer.

The preview for the not-yet-rated flick featured scenes of disarray and panic on the streets (at times looking awfully reminiscent of another summer blockbuster with a Super Bowl ad: "Battle: Los Angeles"), burning cities, helicopter collisions and a car crash, which transforms into, well, Transformers. And, of course, there's the return of both Bumblebee and Optimus Prime.

All this in the span of about 30 seconds, America!

What did you think of the "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" trailer? Let us know in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Britney Spears' Second 'Hold It Against Me' Teaser Surfaces

Posted: 05 Feb 2011 12:23 AM PST

'If I said you have to wait 12 more days, would you hold it against me?' pop star tweets about new clip.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Britney Spears on the set "Hold it Against Me"
Photo: Britney Spears

The countdown to Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video continues.

On Saturday (February 5), just a day after the pop megastar released a five-second clip of the forthcoming visual to her synthy dance hit, Spears tweeted another seconds-long teaser marking 12 days until fans can check out the entire video.

The latest clip is packed with more color than her first teaser, with the title "Hold It Against Me" lit up in neon yellow, green and pink hues. The wreath of microphones fans caught of glimpse of a few weeks ago when Spears tweeted a picture from the set is back, and this time instead of seductively gazing over her shoulder through the mics, the pop diva looks straight ahead as a crew member slams a clapperboard in front of her face. The superstar stares directly into the camera as she sports a sparkly red top, bling-laden choker and dark eyeliner with platinum blonde curls framing her face.

"If I said you have to wait 12 more days, would you hold it against me?" Spears wrote when she tweeted the video. The pop starlet has promised a daily sneak peak at the highly anticipated clip until the entire visual drops in two weeks.

Britney may be rationing out brief looks of the lead video from her Femme Fatale album, but the project's director Jonas Åkerlund said the multiplatinum songstress didn't hold back when it came to turning out a show-stopping performance on set.

"[Britney's] been great throughout the entire process. At the end of the shoot I got the warmest hug I ever got from an artist, and I look forward to hugging her again very soon!" Åkerlund said statement recently. He added, "I've been around long enough to know when an artist gives it their all, and to me it doesn't get better than this. This video is gonna be f---ing awesome. It's all Britney."

What do you think the rest of Britney's video will look like? Sound off in the comments!

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Diane Kruger Denies Possible 'Superman' Casting

Posted: 05 Feb 2011 03:33 AM PST

'They're all false rumors,' actress says of reports she's in the running to appear in the upcoming superhero reboot.
By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Kara Warner


Diane Kruger
Photo: Universal Pictures

Now that British star Henry Cavill has been officially tapped to play Superman, rumors have been swirling about how the rest of the flick's cast will shape up. Recently, industry insiders mused that three starlets are up for the female lead — which is not Clark Kent's well-known main squeeze Lois Lane — in the Zack Snyder-helmed project: "Sex and the City 2" actress Alice Eve, Rosamund Pike from "An Education" and Diane Kruger from the "National Treasure" series.

However, when MTV News sat down with Kruger on Saturday (February 5), the German-born actress — who is currently promoting the film "Unknown" — flatly denied that she's in the running for the role.

"They're all false rumors," the "Inglourious Basterds" star said. "I don't know who launched them but it's not true." Kruger emphatically batted away reports that she has been in talks or auditioning, saying, "No. None."

Even though Kruger is officially out of the leading-lady race, speculation about who will star opposite Cavill's Superman — among other questions — still remains. In addition to Pike and Eve, A-listers like Kristen Stewart, Jessica Biel, Natalie Portman and Rachel McAdams have been among the names to pass in and out of the "Superman" rumor mill.

With casting for female lead still up in the air, the identity of the character has also not been revealed. However, a Lane-free flick might be a hint that the storyline will propel the Man of Steel outside of the fictional urban locale of Metropolis.

Production on "Superman" is slated to kick off this summer. Fans can expect the superhero adventure to arrive in theaters in December 2012.

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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'Cowboys & Aliens' Super Bowl Spot Features Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig

Posted: 06 Feb 2011 02:05 AM PST

'Hopefully it will leave you wanting more,' film's writer/producer Bob Orci says.
By Kara Warner


Roberto Orci
Photo: MTV News

With a healthy amount of folks tuning in to watch the Super Bowl as much for the TV commercials — if not more so — than the actual Packers vs. Steelers showdown, it's no surprise that more and more movie studios use the Bowl to build buzz for their upcoming blockbusters. And they often spend up to $3 million for the privilege.

This year is no exception, with at least five movies getting the Super Bowl ad treatment. MTV News recently caught up with "Cowboys & Aliens" writer/producer Roberto Orci during a screening of the new "Transformers: Prime" animated series to get the scoop on the highly anticipated film's new teaser.

"The problem with the Super Bowl spot is that it's not enough. Literally 30 seconds," Orci said. "You never realize how fast 30 seconds goes in your life until you're trying to show everything you have of this movie. Especially when you start throwing people's names in there," he explained. "It's Daniel Craig, I don't know if you know him. Harrison Ford is in there too — he was in a bunch of movies back in the day," Orci joked.

"For most people, this Super Bowl spot is going to be the first time they see what we're up to with 'Cowboys & Aliens,' and I think the title can lead you to believe, actually like with 'Transformers,' [which Orci co-wrote] when the first movie was going to come out, it was always like 'Is it a cartoon? Is it a joke? What is it?' And it's not until you start seeing the materials that you realize, 'Oh wow, they're really positing what would happen if aliens landed in the Old West,' " he said. "What happens if you're in the middle of this genuine Western and all of the sudden this other genre intervenes?"

Orci went on to say that what sets "Cowboys & Aliens," opening July 29, apart from other summer fare is that it is a totally original story.

"You're going to see from the Super Bowl spots, this summer there are going to be a lot of superhero movies, a lot of sequels, many of which I want to see, but this is going to be one of the few truly original franchises out there," he said. "We couldn't believe the people we got in front of the camera and behind. We've got Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Steven Spielberg producing, we've got Jon Favreau directing the thing, and even outside of Harrison Ford, it's Paul Dano, it's Sam Rockwell."

Orci also elaborated on the fact that Westerns are known for even the smallest cameos being populated by amazing actors, and that they were blown away by the amazing actors who started coming out of the woodwork to be a part of the film.

"You don't even see them all in 30 seconds — we don't have enough time — so hopefully it will leave you wanting more."

'The Roommate' Moves Into First Place At Friday Box Office

Posted: 05 Feb 2011 02:30 AM PST

College-stalker creep-fest snatches up $6.4 million.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Minka Kelly in "The Roommate"
Photo: Sony

Leighton Meester's dorm-based thriller "The Roommate" received a warm welcome from moviegoers during its debut Friday.

The "Gossip Girl" star's turn as an accommodating turned obsessed roomie who goes all crazy-pants on Minka Kelly's unsuspecting character raked in $6.4 million when it arrived in theaters. Perhaps part of the film's draw is the fight scenes — fist-flinging showdowns which Kelly said the actresses worked hard to imbue with a sense of it's-going-down authenticity.

"We worked really hard to make sure it looked like a real girl fight," she explained. "I Googled 'girl fights' on YouTube, and we made sure it was messy and hair was everywhere."

Kelly added that the starlets didn't bother faking the combat, leaving their Hollywood images behind and lobbing actual punches. "We fought to kill, because unfortunately, when girls fight, they fight to kill, and that was very true and real in our fight. We did our own stunts. We were pretty banged up by the end of it," she admitted.

The James Cameron-produced adventure "Sanctum" debuted in the second place. The flick, which treads familiar Cameron man-against-the-elements territory as it follows a team of explorers who get caught in a labyrinthine underground cave system following a dramatic storm, scored $3.5 million.

"No Strings Attached slipped to third place. The casual-sex rom-com, which features Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, scored $2.9 million on Friday. The haul kicks the film's box-office bank to about $46.3 million.

Still riding the boost from its boatloads of Oscar love, "The King's Speech," kicked off the weekend in fourth place. The film made $2.3 million, a figure that pumps the project's total estimated tally to $78 million.

Screen legend Anthony Hopkins' latest flesh-crawling flick, "The Rite," spent Friday in fifth place, with $1.9 million. The movie's total estimated gross now stands at around $20 million.

Check out everything we've got on "The Roommate," "Sanctum" and "No Strings Attached."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Justin Bieber Weighs In On Super Bowl Matchup

Posted: 04 Feb 2011 06:22 AM PST

While he likes Lil Wayne's 'Green and Yellow' Packers anthem, he isn't rooting for either team.
By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Sway Calloway


Justin Bieber
Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News

During Sunday's Super Bowl, we know celebrity fans like Snoop Dogg, Diddy and Wiz Khalifa will be rooting for their beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, and Lil Wayne will be going hard for the Green Bay Packers. However, there's one superstar who probably won't care either way which team goes home with the shiny Vince Lombardi Trophy: Justin Bieber.

The pop megastar stopped by the MTV Newsroom on Friday (January 4) to chop it up with Sway, and when asked which team he wants to see rule the gridiron Sunday night, the Canadian native admitted that he doesn't have an allegiance to the Packers or Steelers.

"I'm not, like, a fan of either teams," Bieber conceded. He was similarly noncommittal about who he thought might dominate the field, shrugging, "I don't know," when pressed about he thought would win.

The football rivalry hasn't been entirely out of the teen idol's orbit. Bieber dished that he was feeling Wayne's recently released Packers tribute "Green and Yellow."

"Did you hear Lil Wayne's song ... 'Green and Yellow'?" he asked Sway of the New Orleans MC's remix of Khalifa's "Black and Yellow." "I saw it today and I thought that was pretty cool."

Even with each team heading into the championship face-off with dueling hip-hop anthems, Bieber maintained that the final score card won't faze him.

"Either way, whatever team wins, it's not my team," he said.

While Bieber may not show his sports-fanatic side during the Super Bowl, the "Baby" singer will be seen by millions during the game. The Biebs has teamed up with metal legend Ozzy Osbourne in a futuristic Best Buy ad that the company said in a statement will "showcase creativity and humor to millions of football and advertising fans throughout the country." Plus, viewers will get an additional dose of Bieber fever when a promo clip for the star's upcoming 3-D movie "Never Say Never" airs during a post-Super Bowl episode of "Glee."

Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl? Let us know in the comments!

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