'Breaking Dawn' Star Taylor Lautner Praises 'Dream' Directors

'Twilight' heartthrob tells MTV News that working with pros like Bill Condon and John Singleton has helped him grow as an actor.
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Taylor Lautner
Photo: MTV News

Taylor Lautner has had quite an impressive career for a 19-year-old. Since "Twilight" came out in 2008, he's worked with some of Hollywood's biggest stars and hottest directors and is primed to become the film industry's next big action star when "Abduction" hits theaters in September.

MTV News caught up with the "Breaking Dawn" actor at San Diego Comic-Con, and he talked about getting the opportunity to work with and becoming more comfortable around so much A-list talent.

"All the directors in the 'Twilight' franchise have been amazing, [and] ending with Bill Condon, who's just a dream," Lautner said, "and then John Singleton [on 'Abduction']. And then all the actors and actresses I've been surrounded by, really, I couldn't have done it without them, but they have definitely helped me throughout the past few years."

With "Abduction" and "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" both wrapped and set for release this fall, Lautner will be busy with press for those films but he also has some free time on his hands. And while the actor doesn't have any projects lined up right now, he told us he's looking at some possibilities.

"We're reading a lot [of scripts] right now and we will probably make that decision while I'm promoting," he explained. "I'm gearing up because in two weeks, I'm off to the races. I start off in Australia and then I'm around the entire world for 'Abduction,' and then once again for 'Breaking Dawn.' "

Lautner added that he would love to do a comedy after the good feedback he got for his Funny or Die sketch "Field of Dreams 2." He also teased that something could come of his recent meeting with director Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

But Lautner is really looking forward to spending time with fans, many of whom would visit his "Abduction" set in Pittsburgh. The actor said he was always thankful rather than distracted by their presence.

"There's moments where it could impede the job, but I'm able to stay focused and be in character when I need to and snap right out of it and go over and talk to the fans and be with them for a while and go right back into it, which is great, because I have a lot of fun with them and I love them coming out and hanging with us," he said.

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" and "Abduction."

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

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Britney Spears Says She'd Love To Tour With Usher

In her 'Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale' special, she calls the 'OMG' singer 'really hot right now.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Sway Calloway and Britney Spears
Photo: MTV News & Docs

What do Britney Spears and Usher have in common? Well, they are both global superstars with a back catalogue of tunes that have kept fans dancing for a really long time and they both recently hooked up with will.i.am for tracks on their latest releases (the Black Eyed Peas mastermind worked on the pop vixen's Femme Fatale tune "Big Fat Bass"). And, if Spears has her way, she and the "OMG" singer could be hitting the road together.

When Spears sat down to talk with Sway Calloway for her "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale" special — airing Sunday (April 3) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV — the singer revealed that Usher is first on her list of artists she'd like to join her on tour.

"Oh, I'm so excited. I'm really excited about going on tour, very," she explained about her forthcoming summer trek, which happens to have a spot open on the bill now that Enrique Iglesias has pulled out of the gig. "I think Usher's really great right now. I think he's really hot right now. That would be cool [to tour with him]."

The North American road trip is expected to kick off June 17 in Sacramento, California, and will run for 26 dates, winding up on August 13 in Toronto. More details will be announced soon.

The "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale" special is a mixture of behind-the-scenes footage of the singer as she wraps up production on her album, which dropped this week, as well as an inside look at her life and fans. In addition, those who couldn't make Spears' recent nightclub show in Las Vegas will get to see her as she takes the stage in her latest pop incarnation.

Don't miss "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale," airing Sunday (April 3) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

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Lady Gaga To Release Photo Book

'Lady Gaga' will feature more than 350 pictures by fashion photographer Terry Richardson.
By Gil Kaufman

Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images

Move over, Oprah. Lady Gaga is truly the new Queen of All Media. Mother Monster announced on Thursday that she will be releasing a hefty coffee-table book on November 22 featuring more than 350 pictures of her taken over the past year by controversial fashion photographer Terry Richardson.

According to Publishers Weekly, "Lady Gaga" will feature never-before-scene images of the singer taken during a 10-month period in which Richardson followed Gaga on the road, in the studio and everywhere in between as he was given complete access to her everyday life. The pictures range from the Lollapalooza festival in August 2010 to the final shows of this year's Monster Ball.

See photos of what Lady Gaga may be up to in her new book!

Gaga will write the foreword, and Jamie Raab, executive vice president and publisher of Grand Central Publishing, which is issuing the book, said in a statement, "We are proud to be publishing this remarkable collaboration between Lady Gaga and Terry Richardson and anticipate that it will be one of the most stunning, provocative and coveted books of the 2011 holiday season."

A limited edition of the book will be released next year.

Some of the images Richardson has been taking of Gaga over the past year have already raised eyebrows. Richardson, who is known for his provocative, often explicit images, took some topless shots of the singer in February for a Supreme ad as well as the instant classic shots of Gaga draped in a bikini version of her infamous raw-meat dress for the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan, which also featured shots of her male alter ego, Jo Calderone.

He also collaborated with Gaga for the May issue of Harper's Bazaar, in which he captured her on all fours in just fishnets, a nude bra and white boots on top of a mirror-covered piano.

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'Smurfs' Cast Imagines Navigating NYC -- In Miniature

'I've always been fascinated by what really goes on in the subways,' Neil Patrick Harris tells MTV News of what he'd do first.
By Jocelyn Vena

"The Smurfs (In 3-D)"
Photo: Sony Pictures

"The Smurfs" are three apples high, as the legend goes, and in this week's big-screen adaptation of the beloved children's cartoon, Hollywood takes a stab at re-telling the tale for a new generation of kids.

The 3-D tale (with some CGI) is voiced by an A-list cast, including VMA-nominated Katy Perry, George Lopez and Alan Cumming, to name a few. In the movie, the Smurfs land in the Big Apple, where they end up staying with expecting newlyweds played by Neil Patrick Harris and "Glee" star Jayma Mays. Of course, they're also trying to stay as far as possible from their nemesis, Gargamel, played by Hank Azaria.

The little creatures find themselves in some silly situations as they try to navigate the big city. When MTV News caught up with Harris, Mays and Azaria in New York, we asked what they would do if they suddenly found themselves having to survive the city in Smurf-sized bodies.'

"I've always been fascinated by what really goes on in the subways," Harris said.

His onscreen lady love, Mays, agreed, "That's a good one," before warning him, "but then the rats would be bigger than you. So that'd be a little scary."

"Maybe I'd sneak into really fun buildings," Mays added. "I would get into clubs that won't let me in now."

Harris later quipped of a popular Broadway show, "You could sneak into the 'Book of Mormon.' That's a hard ticket to get right now."

The actor who plays the movie's bumbling bad guy had a less glitzy answer. "If I were three apples high and I lived in New York, I would sneak into the Mets game. That's what I'd do," Azaria said. "And I'm blue, so they'd probably just mistake me for some kind of mascot. I'd wear orange to go with it. You see Gutsy's beard there? It's orange; that's Mets colors right there. I'm sure Gutsy is a Mets fan."

Are you going to check out "The Smurfs" this weekend? Tell us in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "The Smurfs."

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

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'Crazy, Stupid, Love': Second Trailer and Additional Scenes Released (Video)

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