socialsilvahotx1: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

MTV Movie Awards Mania Kicks Off With Sneak Peek Week

Stars of 'Fright Night,' 'The Help' and more stop by next week for live interviews and exclusive clips.
By Eric Ditzian

Christopher Mintz-Plasse in "Fright Night"
Photo: DreamWorks

Each year, we jam 12 months' worth of movie magic into just one day for the MTV Movie Awards. This time around, there's simply too much Golden Popcorn goodness to contain, so we're opening up things with a full five days of cinematic treats that we call MTV Movie Awards Sneak Peek Week.

Starting on Monday, May 30, and running through Friday, June 3, we'll be bringing you exclusive looks at some of this summer's hottest films, including "Fright Night," "Horrible Bosses" and more. Each night at 11 p.m. ET, we'll welcome a film's cast onto MTV to present an exclusive clip. Then you can continue the live conversation with the stars online, as our own Josh Horowitz hosts an extended chat with the talent. As always, you'll have the chance to ask the stars your own questions; just tweet at @MTVNews using the hashtag #SPW.

It's all building up to the Movie Awards themselves, which will be hosted by Jason Sudeikis and air live on Sunday, June 5, at 9 p.m. ET from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.

On Monday, we'll be sitting down with "Fright Night" star Christopher Mintz-Plasse and director Craig Gillespie for an early glimpse at this horror remake. Mintz-Plasse and Anton Yelchin play high school seniors who get pulled into their neighbor's creepy world, eventually finding out that the stranger (Colin Farrell) is a vampire preying on the town.

The next night, the stars and director of "The Art of Getting By," a Sundance fave earlier this year, will be stopping by. Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser and director Gavin Wiesen will introduce a clip, then stick around to discuss their indie about a lonely student (Freddie Highmore) and the unlikely friendship he strikes up with Roberts' charismatic and complicated teen girl.

Wednesday brings us what's sure to be one of the funniest comedies of the summer. "Horrible Bosses" director Seth Gordon will present an exclusive clip before diving into a chat about how Jason Bateman and his onscreen cohorts hatch a plan to kill their nasty workplace superiors.

Then on Thursday, Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard will jump into the action in support of "The Help." Based on the #1 New York Times best-seller, the film stars Stone as an unlikely civil-rights activist in '60s-era Mississippi.

Finally on Friday, the folks behind action-comedy "30 Minutes or Less" will bring Sneak Peek Week to a close. Stars Aziz Ansari, Michael Peña and director Ruben Fleischer will be on hand for the festivities, and stars Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride will deliver a special message for fans. The flick follows Eisenberg's pizza delivery boy, who's kidnapped and forced to rob a small-town bank.

After this week-long warm-up, the main event kicks off on Sunday, June 5. At this year's Movie Awards, "Eclipse" (eight nominations) will be facing off against "Inception" (seven noms) and "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1" (six noms). Voting in all the categories, from Best Kiss to Best Fight to Best Scared-as-S**t Performance and beyond, is currently under way over at MovieAwards.MTV.com. Voting is set to close on June 4. But voting for Best Movie will stay open through the show itself, meaning you have the chance to affect the night's biggest winner up until the very last minute.

The 20th annual MTV Movie Awards air live Sunday, June 5, at 9 p.m. ET.

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Lady Gaga Says Fans 'Changed My Life' In MTV Special

The pop superstar describes her Little Monsters as 'a giant disco ball' in 'Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside,' airing tonight on MTV.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga in "Inside the Outside"
Photo: MTV News

Lady Gaga is perhaps a bigger fan of her fans than they are of her. She never passes up a chance to thank her Little Monsters for helping her go from scrappy New York performer to legitimate pop superstar. That appreciation is expressed in the MTV documentary "Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside," airing tonight at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

During the hour-long, exclusive chat, Gaga goes into great detail about her life in New York, her rise to fame, her love for her family and how she began to grow a fanbase on the Lower East Side of New York City thanks to her outlandish stage persona and the way people connected to it. While she's performing to bigger crowds these days, she remains grounded and her gratitude to the people who have bought her records and tickets to her shows seems undying.

"The biggest surprise to me has been my relationship with my fans," she explains in the special. "They've changed my life. The fans are the thing that you can't learn; they were the instrument in the music that nobody taught me about."

Mother Monster likens her fans to one of the key parts of her aesthetic. "They're a giant disco ball — thousands of tiny little mirrors," she says. "The commercial success that I've had has been mind-blowing. I'm the girl that everyone said 'no' and shook their head and said, 'I don't get it.' "

Well, her fans got it and that love goes both ways. Earlier this week, MTV News caught up with some of Gaga's Little Monsters at a Born This Way album signing and they sang her praises as well. "Being a Little Monster is about letting out your inner freak," Jen Finnegan, an aspiring musician, explained to us about Gaga's influence. "[It's letting out] everything that you are and everything that you want to be through Lady Gaga and her music."

Don't miss "Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside" to hear Mother Monster herself open up about the creative forces behind her generation-defining career. Our exclusive documentary airs Thursday, May 26, at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, followed by a live stream on MTV.com hosted by MTV News' James Montgomery and featuring special guests Lady Starlight, Justin Tranter from Semi Precious Weapons, documentary director Davi Russo, producer Fernando Garibay and Gaga's biggest Little Monsters.

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Justin Bieber, Chris Brown Set To Shoot 'Next 2 You' Video

Scooter Braun, Biebs' manager, teases 'crazy' clip from F.A.M.E.
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber and Chris Brown (file)
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Chris Brown recently took the stage with Justin Bieber during the Biebs' tour stop in Australia, where they performed "Up," and now the two will begin work on a video for Brown's F.A.M.E. track "Next 2 You."

Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, confirmed the video plans on Twitter. "NP- #Next2You w/ @justinbieber and @chrisbrown - video treatment is crazy ... yeah it's coming!!" he wrote.

With little known about what these two have in store for fans, MTV News spoke to Brown in March about working with the teen star on the track. "Being able to collab with [Bieber] was great," Brown said. "He's a young, energetic cat, so being able to work with him, with the fanbase he has, was incredible. I know a lot of little girls are going to love this record.

"I wouldn't say [he's] my protégé. He's doing his thing at a young age, and I was doing mine at a young age, so being able to see him come up is dope."

The midtempo ballad is about the power of love and making the pledge to spend your life with that special someone. The chorus says, "One day when the sky is fallin'/ I'll be standing right next to you, right next to you/ Nothing will ever come between us/ 'Cause I'll be standing right next to you, right next to you."

While it's a feel-good track, Brown joked that when recording the song, he missed his chance to hit the studio with Bieber. "I actually stood him up on accident," Brown recalled. "He was kind of mad ... I was all the way on the other side of town handling some business, 'girl business,' and I was rushing back, and by that time, he's like, 'Man, I'm leaving, bro. I did it — just check it out.' And I looked at it and listened to it and I was like, 'Man, this is crazy.' ... He's a great kid."

Ke$ha - Tik Tok

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Lady Gaga Recalls Beyonce's Inspiration In MTV's 'Inside The Outside'

After being dropped by Island Def Jam, Gaga saw a Destiny's Child video and decided, 'I want that.'
By James Montgomery

Lady Gaga
Photo: MTV News

Sometime around 2006, Lady Gaga wasn't Lady Gaga. Sure, she was using the name back then, but she was still little more than a Lower East Side oddity, not the iconic, globe-spanning superstar she has since become. And so, she was understandably elated to score a meeting — and a subsequent deal — with Island Def Jam impresario L.A. Reid.

But after a few months, for reasons never really explained, her phone calls stopped being returned and she was summarily dropped from the label. In hindsight, it was just a minor bump on her road to stardom, but at the time, Gaga was crushed. It's a pain she's never quite forgotten, as she explained in the just-premiered "Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside" documentary.

"I remember when I got dropped from my first record label, I just said, 'Mommy, let's go see Grandma,' " Gaga recalled. "And I cried on my grandmother's couch. She looked at me, and she goes, 'I'm going to let you cry for the rest of the day, and then you have to stop crying, and you have to go kick some ass.' "

Devastated, but determined, Gaga set forth to do just that. And in addition to her grandmother's words, she drew inspiration from a rather unlikely source — one that would also prove oddly prescient in the years to come.

"You know, I've never told Beyoncé this, but I remember laying on my grandmother's couch crying, and a Destiny's Child video came on," she said. "I remember watching Beyoncé thinking, 'Oh, she's a star. I want that. I want to be on MTV.' And now I'm in music videos with Beyoncé."

It's because of those early rejections that Gaga has learned to savor her success. After all, she's certainly proved her naysayers wrong.

"The commercial success that I've had has been mind-blowing," she said. "I'm the girl that everyone said 'No' and shook their head and said 'I don't get it.' "

Well, it seems that millions of people around the world "get it" now.

What was the most interesting thing you learned from watching "Inside the Outside"? Let us know in the comments!

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More Set Photos From ?The Hunger Games? Hit The Internets

Last week we got to see a few really great photos of Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth on the set of The Hunger Games and today we get to see a couple new photos from the set. THIS Hunger Games fan site managed to procure a couple of photos from the set that give us [...]

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Learn 'The Art Of Getting By' Tonight With MTV Sneak Peek Week, And Send In Your Questions!

MTV Movie Awards Sneak Peek Week kicked off last night (May 30) with a special first look at "Fright Night," the R-rated vampire thriller starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. But tonight, our week-long look at some of the summer's most anticipated movies takes its fangs out of the blood, guts and gore [...]

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Beyonce 'Nailed It' In 'Girls' Video, Choreographer Says

'It was really important to her to find a world that was unique to her look,' Frank Gatson Jr. of desert location.
By Jocelyn Vena

Beyoncé in her music video for "Run The World (Girls)"
Photo: Columbia

Beyoncé enlisted lots of wild animals, some stunning couture and 242 dancers for her just-released "Run the World (Girls)" video. The moves reflect several genres of dance, from jazz, street, hip-hop to African, and her choreographer tells MTV News that was all part of the plan.

"We prepared a lot for it. We had seen something on YouTube; we had seen these three guys from Africa, this Mozambique African dance troupe ... we were like, 'Wow, this is an amazing movement,' " B's longtime choreographer, Frank Gatson Jr., told us about the Francis Lawrence-directed video. "And that movement has always been in the back of our head for the last year. From there, we talked about a lot of concepts."

The concept the team ended up settling on was a desert landscape ruled by two forces: Beyoncé and her supermodel minions and a very unwelcoming opposing army. "The environment, I have to give her and Francis that credit. She really challenged Francis on finding a world that's unique to her. We could have easily done it in downtown L.A. We could have easily done it in downtown New York, but it was really important to her to find a world that was unique to her look and image to her new project," he explained of the video for the lead single off her June release, 4.

While Beyoncé is the pop star, Gatson is quick to give credit to all of the dancers in the clip, including some that the team enlisted from Africa. "We say, 'Share the light, you sparkle brighter,' and we share our light with a lot of new, creative people. I feel like we really nailed it and, again, my hats off to the Tofo Tofo guys [from Africa], 'cause none of us could imitate that," he said. "We had to bring them around to learn that [move], which is really, really interesting. They had such a great vocabulary of movement."

Those two dancers not only helped shape the moves in the video, but also moved Beyoncé. "That was probably one of the most beautiful experiences for Beyoncé. They were so humbled," he said. "It was hard finding them. They were really in a remote area; we had to get the embassy people involved. That was a process that took about two months or more. Beyoncé really loved them and I'm pretty sure we'll see them again. It was magical."

What do you think of the moves in the "Run the World (Girls)" video? Tell us in the comments!

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Usher - Moving Mountains

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Ke$ha - We R Who We R

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Britney Spears Has Created 'Her Own Genre,' Dr. Luke Says

Femme Fatale producer tells MTV News the pop star defies categorization because she's 'forward-thinking.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias

Britney Spears
Photo: Max Morse/Getty Images

Since Britney Spears emerged on the scene nearly a decade and a half ago, she's run the gamut of pop music: from sugary bubble-gum to dirty, sexy dance tracks. In that respect, her longtime collaborator and Femme Fatale producer Dr. Luke says that the superstar has in many respects become bigger than pop. In fact, he says it's hard to confine her to just one genre.

"I feel like Britney kind of has her own genre: If you look at songs like 'Toxic' and 'Piece of Me' and 'Oops! ... I Did It Again,' they all were sort of influential and led the way," he told MTV News on Thursday (April 28) at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.

So when the pair sat down to work on her latest release, Dr. Luke said her pop-music shape-shifting was very much on his mind. "She wanted to keep on with that and do stuff that was forward-thinking," he continued. "So we put some dubstep stuff in there, in bridges; snuck it in different places and I hope it ended up good. I hope you like it."

It seems every time Spears drops a new album, it's declared her comeback record. But Dr. Luke noted that Brit has really never gone anywhere. "Where'd she go? I don't know. I didn't know she ever disappeared, really," he said. "She's always been selling out concerts and records, so I don't know that she ever disappeared."

So what do Spears and Luke have up their sleeve now? "Not yet ... give me a second to breathe, come up for air!" he told us.

Plus, even with Femme Fatale already in stores, it seems like the pair are always finding ways to update the songs. Take, for example, the recent remix of "Till the World Ends," which features Ke$ha (the track's songwriter) and Nicki Minaj.

"Well, we already had Ke$ha on the song 'cause she co-wrote the song ... and she sounded really good on it," Dr. Luke explained. "And then Nicki got on the Femme Fatale Tour so we put Nicki on it and it just sounded amazing. She killed it."

Which version of "Till the World Ends" do you prefer? Tell us in the comments!

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Michael Jackson - Thriller (Long Vers.)

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Photos | Lady Gaga's Runway Debut At Mugler Fashion Show

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Ke$ha Is Channeling 'Sexiness' Of '70s Rock For New Album

Glitter-heavy pop star tells MTV News she's going for 'balls-out, irreverent rock and roll.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

Ke$ha
Photo: MTV News

Ke$ha's already got the face paint down pat, and, during recent live sets, she's even taken to guzzling blood out of a human heart, so it should come as no surprise that, on her upcoming album, the pop star is taking things back to the most theatrical era of rock: the prop-heavy, arena-spanning heyday of the 1970s.

Ke$h revealed her plans over the weekend in Los Angeles, on the red carpet of KIIS FM's annual Wango Tango concert, where she told MTV News that the follow-up to her breakout Animal album (and, we suppose, Cannibal too) would be heavy on hard riffs and light on pretty much everything else.

"The next album ... I've been working on writing on the road, but as far as a sound, I just know it's gonna be balls-out, irreverent rock and roll," she said. "I've been pretty much in this '70s rock and roll kick and I just want to capture some of the true essence of what rock and roll is, and that's just irreverence and sexiness and fun and not giving a f---, so we'll definitely put a bit of rock and roll in it."

So, does that mean that fans can expect the likes of Alice Cooper or Peter Frampton to show up on her new album? Perhaps. Because while Ke$ha's new album is still a ways off, she's already begun calling in favors, hoping to line up a killer collabo for the new disc.

"I'm trying, trust me," she laughed. "I really would love to connect with one of my idols, I mean, that's my dream. I'm working on it."

What do you think of Ke$ha going rock for her next album? Tell us in the comments!

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'Hangover Part II' Director Todd Phillips Is 'Willing To Do' Another 'Hangover' Sequel

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Beyonce Does The Math On New '1+1' Track

Singer debuted the dreamy love song from her forthcoming 4 album on Wednesday night's 'American Idol' finale.
By Jocelyn Vena

Beyoncé's "1+1"
Photo: Columbia Records

Beyoncé may not know a thing about algebra, but when it comes to the math of power ballads, she totally gets it. On Wednesday night, Beyoncé premiered her new track "1+1" during her performance on "American Idol."

After changing into a gown following her medley performance with former "Idol" contestants, B was up on the stage surrounded by soft red mood lighting and smoke, slowing things down a bit and proclaiming her love for that special someone in song. The lyrics make sweeping statements about the power of her relationship.

She sings, "Hey! I don't know much about guns but I ... I've been shot by you/ Hey! And I don't know when I'm gonna die, but I hope that I'm gonna die by you/ Hey! And I don't know much about fighting, but I, I know I will fight for you/ Hey! Just when I ball up my fist, I realize that I'm laying right next to you."

The song is the second officially released single from her album 4, which hits stores on June 28. On Wednesday, Beyoncé revealed the full track listing for 4.

"1+1" opens the album and is one of 12 songs. The remaining 11 are: "I Care," "I Miss You," "Best Thing I Never Had," "Party" (featuring Andre 3000), "Rather Die Young," "Start Over," "Love on Top," "Countdown," the recently leaked "End of Time," "I Was Here" and the album's lead-off single, "Run the World (Girls)."

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Britney Spears - Womanizer

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'Hangover Part II': The Reviews Are In!

'The stock dismissal 'more of the same' has rarely been more accurately applied to a sequel,' one reviewer writes.
By Eric Ditzian

Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis in "The Hangover Part II"
Photo: Warner Bros.

By this point, if anyone is still doubting whether "The Hangover Part II" will be a massive worldwide hit, Wednesday's midnight screenings should quiet skeptics. Warner Bros. announced that the follow-up to 2009's record-smashing hit roped in $10.4 million in those early showings, setting a new midnight opening record for an R-rated film on its way to what many are predicting will become a $125 million opening over the five-day holiday weekend.

All this box-office talk gets even more impressive when you note reviews for the film have been decidedly mixed. While the first "Hangover" won over both critics and moviegoers, the sequel is currently languishing at just a 31 percent approval at the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator. Critics have pointed out how the second film follows the plot points of the original far too closely. They've also argued that the sequel simply isn't as funny as the first. Other reviews, however, are still getting a kick out of watching the Wolf Pack flail and fail all over again, similarities are not. Read on for a deep dive into the "Hangover Part II" reviews:

The Story
" 'The Hangover Part II' opts for the most popular cure: the hair of the dog that bit it. In other words, the sequel is almost identical to the first 'Hangover.' This time, dweeby Stu (Ed Helms), slick Phil (Bradley Cooper) and attention sponge Alan (Zach Galifianakis) are at a wedding (Stu's) in Thailand, instead of Las Vegas, but the rest is pretty much the same. The movie starts with the three waking up after a night of debauchery, with one of their pals missing, with a threatening crook on their tails and with vague knowledge of peccadilloes both sexual and chemical. Oh, and Mike Tyson is tangentially involved (Stu has a facial tattoo just like the former champ's). They spend the rest of the movie trying to make it to the wedding while piecing together clues to what happened the previous night and searching desperately for their missing bud." — Chris Hewitt, St. Paul Pioneer Press

The Laughs
"[The] laughs aren't just staged, they're superlatively engineered — even if that means, at moments, that they feel like they're falling into formatted slots. When they don't, the movie can be flat-out hilarious. As the guys begin their desperate search for a missing bank account number (they have to give it to a drug lord or he'll kill them), it's no surprise to discover that they went to a Bangkok strip bar. And when we learn what happened in that club to Stu — who hasn't shaken his tendency to fall drunkenly head over heels in love with hookers — you may see the twist coming, but you won't foresee the casual outrageousness of the dialogue, the kind that keeps on giving. Yet that sort of choke-on-your-popcorn laugh is more the exception than the rule." — Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The Performances
"Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis slide into their roles as if they didn't go on to play other characters in the interim, although at least two of the three (Helms being the exception) have seen significant career upticks. Phil is the good-looking leader, Stu is the worry-wart nerd, and Alan is quite possibly the most loathsome individual to have crawled out from under a rock. He's not a loveable loser; he's a detestable loser — and that's where a lot of the comedy comes from. Galifianakis stole the show in 'The Hangover,' and he steals it here. Refreshingly, [director Todd] Phillips does not feel the need to give Alan a heroic moment of redemption." — James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The Comparison
"The stock dismissal 'more of the same' has rarely been more accurately applied to a sequel than to 'The Hangover Part II,' which ranks as little more than a faded copy of its predecessor superimposed on a more brightly colored background. One can understand director Todd Phillips' initial reluctance to tinker with a formula that made the 2009 romp the highest-grossing R-rated comedy ever, but the rote professionalism on display verges on cynicism, and despite some occasional sparks, this ranks as a considerable disappointment. Box office should be huge all the same." — Andrew Barker, Variety

The Final Word
That comfortable air of familiarity provided by the returning characters also extends to many of the original's more inspired bits — but to less potent effect. Still, even a milder 'Hangover' manages to deliver more laughs than most of the competition. ... In addition to that hard-to-replicate element of surprise, also in short supply here is the manic energy that made the original such a delightfully unpredictable ride. The reunited cast looks to have been up for a greater challenge, especially gonzo Galifianakis, who emerged as the breakout star of the first 'Hangover.' " — Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter

Check out everything we've got on "The Hangover Part II."

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

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Michael Jackson - History

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Britney Spears Says Femme Fatale Tour Will Be 'Spectacular'

Singer also hopes her choreographers create the 'most outrageous things.'
By James Dinh

Britney Spears
Photo: Jive

Britney Spears is known for delivering an over-the-top stage show, and she promises that her forthcoming Femme Fatale Tour alongside Nicki Minaj will be no different.

In a new video interview posted on her website, the pop princess opens up about her 26-date summer venture, which is set to kick off June 16 in Sacramento and make its way across North America, before concluding August 13 in Toronto.

"The Femme Fatale Tour will hopefully just be outrageously spectacular," Spears said when asked about the trek. "I'm just hoping that the choreographers will come up with just the most outrageous things, and I'm really excited."

While it's been just over a month since the release of Femme Fatale, Brit gushed about the outing, saying, "This is one of the most excited I've been about a project in a really long time, so I can't wait."

While a set list has yet to surface, it would make sense that some of Spears' personal favorite Femme Fatale cuts will be performed throughout her concert, which she revealed as "He About to Lose Me," "Criminal" and "Till the World Ends."

Fans caught an early glimpse at the forthcoming tour last week when video footage of the pop star rehearsing the Bloodshy & Avant-produced "How I Roll" surfaced online. Wearing a baby-blue sports bra and sweatpants, a smiling Spears showed off some playful dance moves surrounded by a group of dancers.

Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph, told MTV News back in March that the tour is expected to have a postapocalyptic theme in tune with her latest single, "Till the World Ends." "This is exactly the direction we're moving in," he said. " 'Till the World Ends' keeps becoming a theme for us. ... The way we come up with a concept for a show like this is we sit with Britney, she talks to us about what she's interested in and what excites her."

Have you purchased tickets to Spears' tour yet? Let us know in the comments!

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Monday, May 30, 2011

Photos | Ke$ha On The Set Of Her Video For 'Take It Off'

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'Squattertown': World's first 'dim sum Western'

When German filmmaker Marco Sparmberg moved to Hong Kong three years ago, he had visions of indulging in the kind of cinematic life that spawned great directors like John Woo and Tsui Hark. It turns out that particular movie left cinemas a long time ago.

?Hong Kong is not a film city,? says Sparmberg with an obvious tinge of disappointment in his voice. ?I had dreams of the 1980s, but things have changed.?

In the 1980s, Hong Kong was one of the world?s film capitals, churning out hundreds of blockbusters and B-films every year, including many that reinterpreted established film genres in inventive and exhilarating ways.

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Britney Spears Hosts As Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, More Bring Wango Tango To L.A.

Pitbull, Matthew Morrison, Selena Gomez, Far East Movement and others filled the Staples Center on Saturday night.
By Matt Elias

Britney Spears hosts KIIS FM's Wango Tango 2011 on Saturday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears makes headlines at concerts, even when she's not performing. That's probably why Los Angeles radio station KIIS FM tapped the pop princess to guest-host their annual Wango Tango music festival along with Ryan Seacrest on Saturday night at the Staples Center.

The bill was a balance of pop and hip-hop, with acts like Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Selena Gomez, "Glee" 's Matthew Morrison, Lupe Fiasco, T-Pain, Jason Derülo, Far East Movement, New Boyz, Cobra Starship and newcomer Cody Simpson.

Backstage, the media room went into a frenzy when Spears arrived in a red, geometric-print dress and a beaming smile. Owning her "femme fatale" moniker, Spears worked the carpet for a few moments while all of the cameras in the room were pointing at her. It was the second red carpet appearance by Brit this week, after her Beverly Hills benefit on Wednesday night for the St. Bernard Project.

Check out photos from Wango Tango 2011.

Spears' Femme Fatale collaborator Ke$ha, who was returning to the festival for the second time, said that an onstage collab between to the two would have to require one thing.

"That would have to include me finding her and attacking her," Ke$ha told MTV News, with the best intentions. "I'm planning on pouncing her."

While that never happened, at least not onstage, Ke$ha delivered on her promise of a set heavy on her glitter gun. And she assured us she knew the dos and don'ts of handling that kind of firepower.

"Do not spray yourself in the face with it," she said. "Do spray everybody else with it. That's pretty much it."

While Joe Jonas wasn't performing at the show, he took a break from recording his solo debut to catch up with almost everyone backstage.

"I didn't see Britney backstage, just said 'hello' to a couple of my friends," Jonas said. "Backstage is always [full of] people, especially having it at the Staples Center this time, I think compared to all the way out in the desert, it changes everything."

Also happy to have Wango Tango in Los Angeles were locals Far East Movement.

"Man, we grew up literally a few blocks away from here, and you can only imagine basketball games being played here," Kev Nish said. "So to come in here as performers, to be able to do our songs in this arena is a little crazy. We used to pass out CDs a few blocks [away], so we're very thankful. And the lineup is nuts, so we're extremely excited to be a part of this lineup."

Were you at Wango Tango? Share your experience in the comments below!

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'Dark Knight Rises' Cast Grows By Two

Brett Cullen and Chris Ellis have signed on for roles in the next installment of the Christopher Nolan-directed 'Batman' franchise.
By Eric Ditzian

Brett Cullen
Photo: Getty Images

The population of Gotham City continues to grow, as "The Dark Knight Rises" has added two more actors to its swelling ranks.

Brett Cullen ("Lost") and Chris Ellis ("Catch Me If You Can") have signed on to director Christopher Nolan's third "Batman" film, Variety reports. Cullen is set to play a judge and Ellis will portray a priest. The two men join Matthew Modine, Tom Conti and Joey King, whose castings were announced on Friday.

Cullen is perhaps best known for his small but integral role in "Lost" as Goodwin, a member of the Others. More recently, he played Dakota Fanning's father in "The Runaways" and will be seen in this summer's "Monte Carlo," as well as the forthcoming "Red Dawn." Ellis portrayed a special agent opposite Tom Hanks in "Catch Me If You Can" and took on a short arc on Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Both men also appeared in Ron Howard's "Apollo 13."

These newcomers join Christian Bale, who again plays the lead roles of Bruce Wayne and Batman, plus Michael Caine as Wayne's butler and confidant, Alfred; Gary Oldman as Police Commissioner Gordon; and Morgan Freeman as Wayne's right-hand man, Lucius Fox. Other new faces in the cast include Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (who becomes Catwoman in comic-book lore), Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake and Tom Hardy as Bane. We got our first look at Bane — his freaky head mask, his hulking frame — on Friday, when Warner Bros. kicked off a viral marketing campaign that led to the discovery of a photo of the villain.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is set for release on July 20, 2012.

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

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'Hangover Part II' Stars Talk Bradley Cooper's Head-Shaving Skills

'I did such a good job shaving his head they had to mess it up more,' actor tells MTV News of Zach Galifianakis' new look.
By Kara Warner

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Photo: MTV News

Those crazy boys of summer are back. We're talking, of course, about Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, stars of the highly anticipated "Hangover Part II." At the film's NYC premiere earlier this week, the guys told us about the "chaos" of their pre-release press blitz, and now, MTV News takes you inside the chaos of filming the "Hangover" sequel.

When talking about how the photo montages at the ends of both films were compiled, Cooper and Galifianakis ended up in a back-and-forth about Cooper's head-shaving skills.

"It runs a similar course as the filming of the movie," Cooper said when asked about when the photos for the montages were taken. "We would allocate time in the shooting day to do stills throughout the movie, so at the end, you have all the stills, but it's not like we have two days and we shoot all the stills; it's throughout the whole film."

With regard to Galifianakis' shaved head, which occurs during a scene in the film, we wanted to know if the actual clipping was performed by Cooper.

"Yeah," Cooper said. "I did a nice job."

"I mean, it's pretty easy," Galifianakis pointed out.

"It's not that easy," Cooper protested. "Your ears are very tight to your face."

"Bradley, everybody has a template. I mean, look at that picture," Galifianakis said, pointing to the film's promo poster, which features a photo of Galifianakis with a perfectly buzzed coif. "What I'm saying is, it's so easy to shave someone's head."

"I'm telling you, I did such a good job shaving his head they had to mess it up more, right? Tell them," Cooper insisted. "Tell them, Zach."

"Yes. That's true," Galifianakis said, relenting. "He did such a great job they had to mess up my hair more."

"Thank you," Cooper said, sounding pleased to receive the recognition.

Check out everything we've got on "The Hangover Part II."

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Sabi To Join Britney Spears At Femme Fatale Shows

'I'm gonna go and just kill it,' the '(Drop Dead) Beautiful' rapper/singer says about her planned appearances with Spears.
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Sabi
Photo: MTV News

On select dates of Britney Spears' Femme Fatale tour, which kicks off next month with opening act Nicki Minaj, look for the singer to be joined by her "(Drop Dead) Beautiful" collaborator, Sabi. The fledgling rapper/singer dished about the gig to MTV News on Wednesday night at a private event hosted by Spears to benefit the St. Bernard Project, charity that aids Hurricane Katrina victims.

Sabi revealed that, first up, she'll appear in Los Angeles this Saturday at KIIS-FM's annual Wango Tango concert, which Spears will co-host. "That's this week and when Britney goes on tour, I'll be doing a couple shows, like L.A., Las Vegas and New York," explained Sabi. "So that's kind of what's going on right now."

While Spears has been busy prepping for the tour, Sabi has yet to hit up rehearsals with the femme fatale herself. "No [I haven't rehearsed yet]. I've been rehearsing for Wango Tango," she said. "I don't know [what will happen up there], I'm just excited. I'm gonna go and just kill it. You don't get this type of opportunity all the time, so I'm just ready to go kill it."

Sabi says that since Spears' album dropped earlier this year, she's been enjoying more and more visibility in the pop music world. And she is not complaining at all.

"Life's been increasingly busy since then," she explained. "Before, it was kind of like working, but it's a slow grind and now things are coming to [fruition]. So it's dope, 'cause this is what I wanted. I wanted to get to that level where I'm able to make really serious moves for my career and I'm here now, so it's dope."

Would you be excited to see Sabi at some of Britney's Femme Fatale shows? Tell us in the comments.

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'Hangover Part II' Stars Promise 'A Lot More Comedy' In Sequel

'It was just utter excitement to play these characters again,' Bradley Cooper tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner

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Photo: Warner Bros.

Given the incredible box-office success of 2009's mega-hit comedy "The Hangover," it seemed as though a future installment of the outlandish antics of "Wolf Pack" members Alan, Stu and Phil would be inevitable. Which brings us to "The Hangover Part II," which is opening in theaters this weekend.

MTV News caught up with the men behind the magic recently, actors Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, who not only explained Cooper's head-shaving skills, but also revealed that the main castmembers were originally hesitant to venture into sequel territory.

"I think it was more excitement once we got the second script, which was really wonderful — actually stronger than the first one," Cooper said of getting the gang back together again. "It was just utter excitement to play these characters again and hopefully deliver a movie where fans will be excited to see what happened. We get to see where Alan lives, we get to see Stu progress to two years, Phil as well, so I think it was just exciting to hopefully provide a lot more comedy for people who liked the first one."

Helms has also said that there was some hesitancy to try and make lightning strike twice in a second film.

"We had no idea that 'The Hangover' would do what it did, so we were all kind of blown away," Helms told us at a New York screening of the film. "But then very quickly a conversation for a sequel started, and we were all kind of like, 'I don't know.' And then Todd showed us the script, and it was amazing, so we were like, 'Yeah, let's do that.' "

Regarding what audiences can expect from "Hangover Part II," Helms said to expect a bit more of the same.

"[It's] disturbing, horrifying, unnerving," he said. "Oh, and also hilarious. I forgot that ... Lots of craziness happened on set, and you'll see all of that in the movie."

Check out everything we've got on "The Hangover Part II."

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Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year

Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."

He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.

You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.

Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.

And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.

And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.

To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.

"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."

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'Glee' Season Finale Exclusive: Listen To 'Yeah!' Here

An a cappella girl group covers Usher's hit for Nationals in next week's episode.
By Aly Semigran

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Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

During this week's episode of "Glee", the gang from New Directions took a big risk when they decided they would compete in Nationals by singing their own original songs. Well, the stakes just got a little higher.

MTV News has an exclusive first listen to one of the rival groups who will go up against the McKinley High glee club in New York City during next Tuesday's (May 24) big season two finale. In the upcoming episode, an all-female a cappella group sings Usher's 2004 club and radio smash "Yeah!," which may have the Nationals judges saying just that.

Singers replace synthesizers for the four-note melody that repeats throughout the song, and lead vocalists RaVaughn Brown and Missi Hale match the high energy that Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris brought to the track.

Granted, a few things have been tweaked in the version for the tween-friendly show, including the length (the original is over four minutes long, while the "Glee" version comes in at three and a half minutes) and the tune's instructions to "Take that and rewind it back ... got the rhythm make ya booty go."

Also, instead of Ludacris' verse, "We want a lady in the street/ And a freak in the bed," one girl sings, "You know you want a kiss on the lips, old red." The line, "Ludacris fill cups like double D's" has also been cut from the song.

But, it's not all PG. At one point in the girls' rendition of the track, they page homage to Lil Jon's crunk hit "Get Low," singing, "From the windows to the walls" and even Mystikal's booty-happy single "Shake Ya Ass," when they urge, "Show me whatcha' workin' with."

At the 2005 Grammy Awards, the power trio of Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris won the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Yeah!" But, will the song bring the same sort of fortune to this girl group at Nationals? Or will the glory all belong to New Directions this time? Gleeks will still have to wait a few more days to find out.

The "Glee" season finale airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Fox, while "Glee": The Music, Volume 6, including the three new original songs "Light Up the World," "Pretending" and "As Long as You're There," will be available on Monday.

What do you think of this a cappella group's version of "Yeah!"? Let us know in the comments section below!

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