Sunday, July 31, 2011
Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy in 'Tower Heist' Trailer (Video)
Jay A. Fernandez
The Universal action-comedy also stars Gabourey Sidibe, Casey Affleck, Michael Pena, Matthew Broderick and Tea Leoni. Brett Ratner directed. 
The Universal action-comedy also stars Gabourey Sidibe, Casey Affleck, Michael Pena, Matthew Broderick and Tea Leoni. Brett Ratner directed.
Ke$ha, Black Eyed Peas, More Featured In O Music Awards Roundtable Debate
Music-video director Wayne Isham will join Most Innovative Video debate, which streams live Monday on OMusicAwards.com and MTV.com.
By MTV News Staff
Ke$ha
Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images
Ever since they were first announced, the O Music Awards have proudly proclaimed themselves the untraditional alternative to the staid world of red carpets, acceptance speeches and celebrity glad-handing.
And for further proof of that point, consider the following: Though the inaugural O Music Awards won't premiere until April 28, the first award will be handed out on Monday at 4 p.m. ET ... and it's a big one.
For weeks, fans have been voting for the Most Innovative Music Video through the O Music Awards official site, and on Monday — in a roundtable debate moderated by MTV News' James Montgomery — a winner will be crowned.
The O Music Awards Debate for the Most Innovative Music Video, presented by FUZE®, will stream live on OMusicAwards.com and MTV.com. Joining Montgomery around the table will be acclaimed video director Wayne Isham, Mashable's Brenna Ehrlich and some super-secret celebrity guests.
The Black Eyed Peas, Ke$ha, My Chemical Romance and more will also take part in the discussion about just what makes a video truly innovative, and the folks who are nominated for the award — a list that includes Arcade Fire, Robyn, OK Go and Andy Grammer — will also Skype in to make the case for why their video deserves to be named Most Innovative.
On Monday morning, the original list of 10 nominees will be whittled down to the top five vote-getters, and then, during the debate, our roundtable and the Internet audience will cut that list down to the final three. At the very end, we'll announce the winner of the very first O Music Award for Most Innovative Video.
The inaugural O Music Awards will stream live from Las Vegas at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on OMusicAwards.com. Tune in to see who will reign supreme in categories like Most Viral Dance, Funniest Music Short and NSFW Music Video!
Related Videos Related ArtistsCharlies Angels Charlize Theron Chelsea Handler Cheryl Burke
Mumbai's mix-and-match approach to relationships
Visitors to Mumbai often ask me how liberal this Indian city really is, given that one arm of its authority appears to be perennially engaged in tamping down our freedom to play and express in public.
An attempt has been made to raise Mumbai?s permissible drinking age to a world-record shattering 25; recently policemen arrested a flock of hapless youth for "dirty dancing"; an aging (and fading) right wing ideologue dusts off the cobwebs each February to spew ire on Valentine?s Day and so on.
Still, visitors ask me this question because regardless of how much moral policing they hear and read about there?s no mistaking the free-and-easy vibe they pick up while they?re in Mumbai.
WME Signs Pro Streetball League Ball Up
Daniel Miller Ball Up features a team of all stars that travels the country and takes on teams of professional players.
Britney Spears - Radar
- Artist: Britney Spears
- Label: RCA, Jive, Zomba Label Group
- Director: Dave Meyers
- Album: Circus
Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, More Rally For 40 Glocc Video
'I just thought it was necessary to get back to the roots,' 40 Glocc tells MTV News of having West Coast icons in 'Welcome to California' clip.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf
40 Glocc
Photo: Brian Ach/WireImage
Who says the California hip-hop scene isn't unified? In his new video for "Welcome to California," rapper 40 Glocc raps alongside E-40, Snoop Dogg, Too Short, Xzibit and newcomer Sevin in a grand show of unity. And to take it up yet another level, artists like Ice Cube, Ice-T, WC and Mistah Fab all make cameos.
" 'Welcome to California,' I just thought it was necessary to get back to the roots," 40 Glocc told MTV News. "I felt like we were out of touch with our peers, so I felt like re-touching everybody from Southern California to Northern California, just bring everybody together. So you got all the O.G. cats and you got me and my homey Sevin, who is from Sacramento."
The track, off of 40's upcoming New World Agenda album, wasn't easy to record — and getting the video shot was even harder. Glocc set up three different shoots in order to capture footage of all of the aforementioned artists who appear in the clip, but it was well worth it for the Cali rapper.
"I felt like bringing us all together and giving California back that motivation. I felt like the motivation was missing for us to be ourselves and just do us," he explained. "It was real hard to get everybody together at once because everybody is busy with schedules, but we pulled it off. I was exhausted after, like, 'Wow.' "
"Welcome to California" isn't the only trick 40 Glocc has up his sleeve; he has friends in high places, and that will be clear on New World Agenda, which is due in the fall. Cee Lo Green will feature on a song called "Electric Lady," and 40 teased collaborations with Ray J, Mobb Deep's Prodigy, Yo Gotti and Twista.
What do you think of 40 Glocc bringing the West together on Welcome to California? Tell us in the comments!
Jennifer Gareis Jennifer Garner Jennifer Gimenez Jennifer Love Hewitt
Beyonce Debuts At #1 With 4
Big Sean, Selena Gomez and Scotty McCreery also debut in top 10.
By Gil Kaufman
Beyoncé
Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty Images
There wasn't much question about whether Beyoncé's fourth solo effort, 4, would debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart this week — it was just a matter of what the final tally would be.
Beyoncé does indeed top the chart with sales of 310,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. But that's about 172,000 less than the first-week tally for her last effort, 2006's double-disc smash, I Am ... Sasha Fierce, and marks the softest opening sales for the singer's solo albums to date (edging out her 2003 solo debut, Dangerously in Love, which moved 317,000).
Bey leads a parade of new faces in the top 10, including the debut from Kanye West protégé Big Sean, Finally Famous: The Album, which lands at #3 (87,000). Also new to the top 10: the latest from Selena Gomez & the Scene, When the Sun Goes Down (#4, 78,000); the second effort from former "American Idol" winner David Cook, This Loud Morning (#7, 46,000); and the debut EP from this year's "Idol" winner, Scotty McCreery, which hits #10 on sales of 40,000.
As for the rest of the top 10, Adele's 21 continues to defy expectations and recent music-industry logic by scooting up one spot to #2 on sales of 92,000 as her year-to-date figures pass the 2.5 million mark. After debuting at #1 last week, Jill Scott falls to #5 with The Light of the Sun, which was down 60 percent on sales of 55,000. Country singer Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party moves up four spots to #6 (48,000), "America's Got Talent" mini-opera diva Jackie Evancho falls four to #8 with Dream With Me (44,000) and the Eminem and Royce da 5'9" collabo, Hell: The Sequel, slips three spots to #9 (42,000).
While sensitive folkie Bon Iver takes a major 63 percent tumble to #11 (39,000) with his self-titled second album after a #2 debut last week, it is the steady decline of Lady Gaga's Born This Way that continues to make headlines. Even as U.K. breakout star Adele has managed to hover around the top five for most of the year and rack up the biggest figures to date for a 2011 release on the back of just one single ("Rolling in the Deep"), despite a string of singles and high-profile videos, Gaga's album has steadily faded after just six weeks.
This week marks its first outside the top 10, as Born This Way falls another four spots to #12, with sales dipping another 22 percent to 38,000 as total sales passed the 1.5 million mark.
Elsewhere on the charts, the all-star Buddy Holly tribute album, Rave on Buddy Holly, comes in at #15 (28,000), just ahead of the comeback attempt from 1990s nu-metal icons Limp Bizkit, Gold Cobra (#16, 27,000), and the self-titled album from a reunited Taking Back Sunday (#17, 27,000).
Country star Blake Shelton clearly benefited from his turn on the NBC hit reality singing program "The Voice," as his Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton rises 42 spots to #18 as sales ballooned by 182 percent to 25,000. Meanwhile, Maroon 5's latest, Hands All Over, also saw a bump thanks to singer Adam Levine's gig on "Voice," jumping 47 spots to #26 as sales went up 139 percent to 18,000. Judge Christina Aguilera saw a more modest uptick, with her 2008 greatest-hits album, Keeps Gettin' Better, re-entering the charts at #46 on sales of 12,000.
Fans also welcomed back beloved dusty folk singer Gillian Welch, whose first album in eight years, The Harrow & the Harvest, hits #20 (23,000).
Also charting: rapper Curren$y with Weekend at Burnie's (#22, 23,000), "Idol" season 10 runner-up Lauren Alaina with her debut EP (#24, 20,000) and third-place finisher Haley Reinhart with hers (#37, 14,000).
Over on the iTunes charts, Beyoncé rules the albums list, followed by Sean, Adele, Gomez, Shelton's greatest hits, Bon Iver, the resurgent Maroon 5, Cook, Eminem and Royce and Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More. In an indication of why her sales might be less than impressive, Bey doesn't have a single song on the iTunes singles chart, which is led by LMFAO's "Party Rock," which beats out Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," Pitbull's "Give Me Everything," Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" and "Voice" winner Javier Colon's "Stitch by Stitch."
Adele holds on to the #6 slot with "Rolling in the Deep," with "Voice" runner-up Dia Frampton just behind with "Inventing Shadows." She is followed by Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight Tonight," Lil Wayne's "How to Love" and Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory."
With no major releases hitting stores this week, look for Beyoncé and Adele to duke it out for the top slot in the next cycle.
Related Videos Related ArtistsSaturday, July 30, 2011
Les News, 072911
Somewhere Out There. Mario Lopez doesn’t need a shirt to be a daddy. Science Fiction Tarot Cards are awesome. Um, who doesn’t think Pippa Middleton is foxy. The Trillion Dollar Coin. MTV attempts to get back into the music video biz. Hello Kitty does Numero Homme magazine. Ben Cohen is the hottest anti-bullying champion ever. [...]
Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry: Who's The Most Patriotic Diva?
Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Christina Aguilera are also in the running this Fourth of July.
By John Mitchell, with additional reporting by Danielle Genet
Beyoncé
Photo: Columbia
Today is the Fourth of July — happy birthday, America! — and that means it's time to celebrate the most patriotic ladies in music! Whether they're singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in front of millions or wearing their love of their country on their sleeve (sometimes very literally), these ladies are living the American dream.
And this isn't some arbitrary ranking, either! To determine who the most patriotic divas are, we got positively scientific (just go with it). We assessed these ladies' patriotism based on four areas. Each was awarded one point if she, A) appeared at a patriotic event or in a pro-America public service announcement, B) was photographed wearing American flag-related clothing, C) sang the national anthem at a public event or D) released an America-themed song. The lady with the most points won.
So who are the top America-lovin' ladies in music today? Check 'em out!
Britney Spears
Spears famously appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 2000 wearing an American-flag belly shirt with a play on Uncle Sam's famous saying running beside her: "Britney Wants You!" We decided to be pretty liberal with what constitutes a patriotic event, so we are going to give Spears a combined single point for appearing at two very American (but not specifically about America) events: the NASCAR Winston Cup Pepsi 400 in 2001 and the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show.
Alas, Spears has not released a song specifically about America, despite being "Miss American Dream since I was 17." She also, curiously enough, hasn't performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" in her pop-star era. (There is a six-second YouTube clip of her performing the national anthem at age 8, but she wasn't a sanctioned diva back then.)
Score: 2
Miley Cyrus
We thought of Cyrus for this list specifically because of her good-times jam "Party in the U.S.A.," which is not only about America but weirdly became a bona fide anthem that reflected the mood in the country following the death of Osama Bin Laden.
But just when we thought we could award the young pop star only one point, we stumbled upon her PSA for the American Red Cross, asking for support in the wake of the earthquake that ravaged northern Japan earlier this year. Way to lend your celebrity to both a very American organization and an allied country in dire need, Miley!
Score: 2
Lady Gaga
America is all about being yourself. We are a melting pot, after all. And Lady Gaga is all about being herself, and she wants you to be yourself too — there's nothing more American than that!
We'd love to see her put those killer pipes to use and sing the national anthem, but she hasn't done it just yet. She does earn points, however, in the three other areas of our survey. Gaga is, interestingly, perhaps the pop star most involved in the democratic process. Last year she spoke at the National Equality March and at rallies in Maine to encourage the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. She even appeared in a PSA for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network asking her fans to contact their senators to voice their displeasure with the policy.
On the sartorial front, she sported an American-flag bikini in her "Telephone" video. (Wouldn't you have been more surprised if we had told you that Lady Gaga had never worn the American flag?) She also has a song on her most recent album, Born This Way, called "Americano."
Score: 3
Christina Aguilera
Aguilera is known for her awesome singing voice, so it's no surprise that she has performed the national anthem at several major events, including this year's Super Bowl, where she mangled the lyrics something fierce in an uncommon bout of nervousness. (That's what it was, right? Seriously, she's done "The Star-Spangled Banner" about a thousand times!)
The "Beautiful" singer also filmed PSAs for "Rock the Vote" in 2008 to encourage young people to get out and do their duty as U.S. citizens. In the clips, she sings "America the Beautiful" a cappella while holding her newborn son Max, who is wrapped in an American flag (double points!). Yes, Aguilera herself isn't draped in the flag, but we thought we'd give her the point anyway because of her USO-themed video for "Candyman."
Score: 3
Katy Perry
Perry impresses in three of our categories. Late last year, she performed at the "USO Presents: VH1 Divas Salute the Troops" concert at Miramar, California, where she also wore an American-flag bustier. That is not the only instance of flag-waving clothing Perry has sported, however. During an appearance on British TV show James Corden's "World Cup Live!," Perry wore a latex flag dress.
Given her frequent pro-America attire, we're going to give Perry the benefit of the doubt and count her pro-tolerance anthem "Firework" as an America-themed song, because in America, all men and women are created equal, and that's basically what "Firework" is all about. Also, it's the Fourth of July, people. Fireworks!
Score: 3
Beyoncé
Was it even really a contest? Beyoncé sang (and nailed) "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 2004 Super Bowl in her hometown of Houston, Texas.
What's more American than singing the national anthem at America's most-watched sporting event? Well, perhaps being personally asked by the president to perform at his inauguration. The girl (who runs the world) was asked to sing "At Last" while Barack and Michelle Obama had their first dance as president and first lady of the United States.
Beyoncé recently released a cover of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." to benefit the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund. (Seriously, could she be more awesome?) Having worn the American flag as a dress to get down opposite Lady Gaga in the video for "Telephone," Queen B is the only diva who fulfills all our categories.
When it comes to Beyoncé and America, we could go on and on — she recently repurposed one of her hits for Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" anti-obesity campaign, and in 2001, she performed with Destiny's Child at the United We Stand: What More Can I Give? benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. — wearing American-flag pants, we might add. But it's the Fourth of July, and we think a real patriot like B would prefer you get out and celebrate America's 235th birthday instead of celebrating her dedication to the US of A!
Score: 4 (OMG, you guys, not only is 4 B's lucky number, it's the name of her latest record!)
Who did we miss? Share your pick for the most patriotic diva in the comments below!
Related Photos Related ArtistsJoanne Montanez Jodi Lyn Keefe Jolene Blalock Jordana Brewster
Beyonc� - Video Phone (Extended Remix)
- Artist: Beyoncé
- Label: Columbia, Music World Music
- Director: Hype Williams
- Album: I Am...Sasha Fierce
Rachael Leigh Cook Rachel Bilson Rachel Blanchard Rachel Hunter
'Cowboys & Aliens': Everything You Need To Know!
As Jon Favreau's flick hits theaters, we lasso up all the details about the much-anticipated flick.
By Terri Schwartz
Daniel Craig in "Cowboys and Aliens"
Photo: Universal Pictures
"Cowboys & Aliens" may be lassoing its way into theaters on Friday (July 29), but the movie's journey to the big screen began a long time ago in a galaxy ... well, not so far away.
The current incarnation of Jon Favreau's adaptation of Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's 2006 graphic novel is a far cry from what the director had originally envisioned. When we first heard about the project back in '08, it seemed to be shaping up to be "Iron Man 2.0," with Favreau directing, "Iron Man" screenwriters penning the script and Robert Downey Jr. pegged as the flick's leading man.
"Cowboys & Aliens" was initially set to begin filming in 2009, but with Downey Jr. unsure about committing to the role and Favreau still not officially onboard, things were still up in the air.
Also by then, the "Cowboys & Aliens" script was in the capable hands of "Star Trek" writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who admitted that they had veered from the source material.
In January 2010, Downey Jr. parted ways with "Cowboys & Aliens." Fortunately, things started looking up only two days later, when it was announced that Daniel Craig was in talks to replace the "Iron Man" star as protagonist Zeke Johnson. In addition, the movie was set to start filming in July, potentially in 3-D.
The casting announcements continued flowing in, including Olivia Wilde who came onboard as the movie's leading lady. With the majority of the major players set to go, "Cowboys & Aliens" was given a July 2011 release date.
In April 2010, rumors began to swirl that Harrison Ford would join "Cowboys & Aliens". Favreau confirmed on Twitter that Han Solo himself would star opposite Craig and Wilde, making this one of the coolest casts around.
The casting news just kept coming, with Noah Ringer, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine, Clancy Brown and Walton Goggins added as well.
The buzz for the flick continued to grow right through to its 2010 Comic-Con presentation, where fanboys salivated at the news that Wilde had filmed a nude scene just days before the event.
But it wasn't until November that the rest of the world got a taste of what was in store. The first trailer arrived on November 17, and Favreau stopped by MTV's offices to offer his own commentary on it. Then in February, another exciting new trailer aired during the Super Bowl. MTV News was lucky enough to get Favreau back for more trailer dissection.
Plenty more "Cowboys" trailers followed, as well as clips.
In mid-July, MTV News headed to Montana, where we chatted with the cast, including Craig and Wilde. Not long after that trip, Favreau stopped by our San Diego headquarters to talk about the movie's big Comic-Con world premiere. It was the nerd event of the convention.
Check out everything we've got on "Cowboys & Aliens."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
Related Videos Related Photos'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
Usher
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!
Related ArtistsFashion meets art, with a little help from Vogue
30 artists and fashion designers pair up for a special exhibition in Seoul
Fifteen top fashion designers were given the chance to choose their favorite artists to collaborate on a special exhibition called ?Fashion into Art.? The result? Art, art and more art.
The exhibition was organized by Vogue Korea, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Lee Myung-hee, editor-in-chief of Vogue Korea, was present at the preview last Monday, dressed in chic black and white, beaming and ushering visitors to the best spots to admire the artworks.
?It was indeed difficult to gather such celebrated artists together and display their works at a single venue, but they all agreed on the experimental project and eventually came up with an original and creative event,? Lee says.
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