Monday, March 26, 2012

'Hunger Games' Vs. 'Twilight': Are Comparisons Fair?

If you read any of the reviews or box office reports from this weekend's reign of "The Hunger Games," you no doubt read some comparisons to "The Twilight Saga." Both are based on a series of YA novels with female leads, but how apt are those comparisons? We've taken a look at the key elements [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/03/26/hunger-games-twilight-comparisons/

Lisa Snowdon Liz Phair Lokelani McMichael Lori Heuring

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Britney Spears Offered $10 Million To Join 'X Factor'

Contract could be signed as early as next week.
By Gil Kaufman

<P>Simon Cowell has hinted that he wants to reload the judges panel on "X Factor" with two new women and according to reports, he's close to landing a superstar who might make the second season of his talent contest much more interesting. </P><P> </P><P>While names including Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey have been bandied about as possible replacements for <a href="/news/articles/1678191/paula-abdul-exits-x-factor.jhtml">Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul,</a>&#8232; the buzz has continued to focus on <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/spears_britney/artist.jhtml">Britney Spears</a>. According to <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/britney-spears-x-factor-judge-jason-trawick-297730" target="_blank"><i>The Hollywood Reporter,</i></a> Spears' fiancé/agent, Jason Trawick, is on the verge of closing a deal as early as next week. </P><P> </P><P><center><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:698603/cp~id%3D1672066%26vid%3D698603%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A698603%26instance%3Dmtv" width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="." flashVars=""></embed></center> </P><P> </P><P>Cowell has played it coy with the Spears rumors over the past several weeks, telling reporters in a conference call that "there's going to be a lot of twists and turns over the next few weeks and a lot of things we're going to announce." A spokesperson for "Factor" could not be reached for comment at press time. </P><P> </P><P>After some major hype from Cowell, "Factor" underperformed in its first season -- putting up solid numbers, but not the gaudy ones Simon had predicted. As a result, he blew up the judging panel, keeping just music executive L.A. Reid by his side and canning host Steve Jones. </P><P> </P><P>If Spears dos take the gig, which <a href="http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/britney-spears-x-factor-10-million-simon-cowell-fox/" target="_blank">Deadline Hollywood</a> reported could come with a $10 million payday, she will join her fellow Mickey Mouse Clubhouse mate Christina Aguilera in the hot seat of a major reality singing show. After a few rough professional and personal years, Aguilera has gone a long way toward reclaiming her A-list status thanks to the success of her performance on "The Voice." </P><P> </P><P>Cowell reportedly reached out personally to Spears to get the conversation rolling and he's been talking her up lately, saying in that same conference call, "are we flattered there would be interest from Britney Spears? Yes." In a later interview, he said he was "fascinated" with Spears and praised her resilience after a rough period during which she endured some very public personal struggles. </P><P> </P><P>Jackson's name was in the hopper until recently, when she revealed that, while flattered by the offer, the TV gig just would not jibe with the <a href="/news/articles/1680297/x-factor-janet-jackson.jhtml">professional commitments</a>&#8232; already on her calendar this year.</p>

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Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1680782/britney-spears-x-factor-judge-offer.jhtml

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Beyonce's Baby, Britney's Betrothal And More: 2012 Predictions

We forecast the year that will be for your favorite stars, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery

<P>Welcome to 2012, the year that will either bring us <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon" target="_blank">the end of civilization</a> as we know it or perhaps flying cars (finally!) Of course, between those two events, there's also going to be a presidential election, the London Olympics and that last "Twilight" movie (finally x 100!), not to mention a whole lot of activity within the lives of your favorite stars, too: Babies, weddings, honorary doctorates in nanotechnology; <i>this</i> is the year it'll all happen. </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="2012 Star Predictions" id="vid:722495.id:1672369" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>Which is why, with the new year upon us, I've decided to get my <a href="http://www.amazingkreskin.com/" target="_blank">Kreskin</a> on with these predictions for 2012. Don't ask me to gaze deep into my crystal ball and try to foresee who'll win the White House or the World Series, because, seriously, if I knew that, don't you think I'd be wagering right now? Instead, I'm tackling the <i>important</i> topics. Here's my 2012 forecast for the Beyonc&#233;s and Britneys of the world ... partly cloudy, with a zero-percent chance of accuracy. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/knowles_beyonce/artist.jhtml">Beyonc&#233;</a> and <a href="/music/artist/jay_z/artist.jhtml">Jay-Z</a> will welcome a daughter, who, upon her, uh, <i>release,</i> will also release her debut single, "Run the World (Me)." </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/adele/artist.jhtml">Adele</a> will win every single Grammy, including a stunning upset of <i>Eres Un Farsante</i> in the Best Regional Mexican Or Tejano Album category. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/spears_britney/artist.jhtml">Britney Spears</a> and Jason Trawick will tie the knot in an elaborate, multi-denominational ceremony held &#8212; eh, I don't even care enough to finish this one. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/perry_katy/artist.jhtml">Katy Perry</a>, having finally run out of singles to release off <i>Teenage Dream,</i> will spend the entirety of 2012 shooting videos for objects around her house. Her hits will include "Toaster," "KitchenAid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer" and "This Towel Set Someone Gave Russell and I for Our Wedding That We Keep in the Guest Bathroom." </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/dr_dre/artist.jhtml">Dr. Dre</a> will indefinitely scrap <i>Detox</i> and instead drop a more age-appropriate album called <i>The Chronic Arthritis.</i> </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/lady_gaga/artist.jhtml">Lady Gaga</a> will wear a crazy hat or something. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/rihanna/artist.jhtml">Rihanna</a> will release six albums in 2012, each more raunchy than the last. Titles include <i>Speculum,</i> <i>[Censored] [Censored] On My [Censored],</i> and <i>Songs About F---ing,</i> which, oddly, will be a note-for-note remake of Big Black's <i>Songs About F---ing.</i> </P><P> </P><P>&#187; Dave Grohl is sure to do something awesome. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/drake/artist.jhtml">Drake</a>'s sweater game will become so advanced that he will surpass Bill Cosby as the world's foremost expert on multi-hued knitwear. On a related note, he will also release a comedy album called <i>To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With.</i> </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/minaj__nicki/artist.jhtml">Nicki Minaj</a> will stun the fashionistas when she appears at the annual Met Ball wearing a nice pantsuit she bought at Bealls. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/bieber_justin/artist.jhtml">Justin Bieber</a> will finally get that bike without the training wheels, since he's a big boy now. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/black_keys/artist.jhtml">The Black Keys</a>, buoyed by the success of their <a href="http://www.mtv.com/videos/the-black-keys/706819/lonely-boy.jhtml">"Lonely Boy" video</a>, will shoot another dance-only clip for "Gold on the Ceiling," this one set at Gallagher's 2000 and featuring nothing but topless women. Surprisingly, it will become the most-viewed music video in the history of everything. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/lil_wayne/artist.jhtml">Lil Wayne</a> will come full circle, get a tattoo <i>of</i> his face <i>on</i> his face. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/guns_n_roses/artist.jhtml">Guns N' Roses</a> will reunite at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April, only with that dude who plays a guitar shaped like a foot filling in for Slash and Tommy Stinson replacing Duff on bass. So, actually, it won't be Guns N' Roses at all. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/coldplay/artist.jhtml">Coldplay</a>'s Chris Martin is just going to be fingerpainting everything. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/ross__rick__rap_/artist.jhtml">Rick Ross</a> will be named the Memphis Restaurant Association's Restaurateur of the Year for his tremendous achievements in <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2011/08/05/rick-ross-wingstop">Wingstop-ery.</a> </P><P> </P><P>&#187; <a href="/music/artist/west_kanye/artist.jhtml">Kanye West</a> will <i>literally</i> explode. </P><P> </P><P>&#187; Fans of <a href="/music/artist/skrillex/artist.jhtml">Skrillex</a> will stop and realize that, in 1997, EDM was poised take over America too, and we ended up with Limp Bizkit as a result.</p>

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Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676621/beyonce-baby-britney-spears-wedding-2012-predictions.jhtml

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Friday, March 16, 2012

'Dark Shadows' Trailer: Five Key Scenes

Tim Burton opts for gonzo comedy that should please many but may rile fans of the original soap opera.
By John Mitchell


Johnny Depp in "Dark Shadows"
Photo: Warner Bros

The wait is over! With less than two months to go before the May 11 release of "Dark Shadows," we finally have a trailer, and it's a doozy.

We're going to come right out and say it: We love the trailer. It's Tim Burton doing what Tim Burton does best. The look is dark and Gothic, but the feel is certifiably gonzo with a heaping side of camp and comedy. Based on its soapy source material, Burton could have taken "Shadows" one of two ways: He could have stripped it of the over-the-top camp and played it as a straight romantic drama where the protagonist was a conflicted vampire, which is what the creators of the early-'90s TV remake did, or he could turn the volume all the way up and have a little fun, flipping the super serious vibe of the original soap opera upside down and making a blood-splattered comedy. He clearly chose the latter, and that's just fine with us.

"Shadows" stars Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, a rich and powerful playboy who is turned into a vampire and buried alive by the jealous witch Angelique (Eva Green). Two centuries later, in 1972, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb by thief Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley) and finds the world quite changed and his once great estate, Collinwood Manor, in disrepair. His descendants, including reclusive family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), her drunken, snobby brother Roger Collins (Johnny Lee Miller) and bratty teenage daughter Carolyn (Chloe Moretz), haven't fared much better. In the present, not only does he have to again face Angelique, but he has to contend with nosy psychologist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter, who has more than a few secrets of her own.

Here are our five key scenes from the "Dark Shadows" trailer:

First Glimpse of Barnabus as a Vampire
After a fleeting look at a pre-vamp Depp in his 18th-century prime (and seriously, can we talk about how this guy never ages?), we see Angelique working her evil magic and casting her spell. Cut to Depp's Barnabas taking in his monstrous new self from the crashing waves at the bottom of Widows' Hill, the cliff where his love, Josette duPres (Bella Heathcote), took her own life. "What have you done?" he yells up at her.

The aesthetic created for Widows' Hill is pure vintage Burton. The dark, rocky facade builds up to a point that looks like something from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" brought to life. Which means it's pretty awesome.

Meet the Collins Family
Sitting around the dinner table to welcome their long lost relative, we get introduced to all the key players in the film. "Who the hell is this?" Bonham Carter's straightforward Hoffman asks."I'm a vampire, Madame," Barnabas responds.

The whole gang — Miller, Moretz, Pfeiffer, Bonham Carter and Gulliver McGrath (David Collins) — is there, and boy are they curious about this pale-faced creeper in some very vintage wares, but Barnabas is ready to hit the road to take care of business. "How soon can the horses be ready?" he asks. "We don't have horses; we have a Chevy," Pfeiffer admits.

"What Sorcery is This?"
Barnabas just can't seem to grasp the technological innovations that happened while he was chained up in that casket for a few hundred years. Of particular concern is the television, which he seems certain is nothing more than witchcraft.

"Reveal yourself, tiny songstress," he demands before tearing into the back of the set. It's a pretty random scene, but it perfectly sums up the tone of the humor the film seems after. Things are so weird nowadays, you guys, and the old dead guy just can't wrap his head around it. Depp's delivery is spot-on though, and we can see why test audience reaction to this scene was so warmly received.

Angelique Rides Back Into Town
Burton has taken many liberties with his film, but the most interesting of them might be his characterization of Angelique as a sassy fox with a mean-girl streak and plenty of attitude. When she returns from the late-1700s, she isn't wearing her old corsets and talking about the old days; she pulls up to Collinwood in a cherry red convertible wearing modern clothes.

"You cursed me to be this hideous creator," Barnabas cries. "You may strategically place your wonderful lips upon my posterior and kiss it repeatedly."

Barnabas and Angelique's Freaky, House-Trashing Makeout
Even though she, you know, cursed him to eternal damnation because he just wasn't that into her, we can certainly see why Barnabas can't keep his claws off Green's sexy witch. At the end of the clip, Depp and Green engage in some very rough foreplay. The magical pair throw each other from wall to wall before ending on the floor, where Angelique gives Barnabas one last lick with her very long tongue.

"That was a regrettable turn of events," Barnabus says, taking in the destruction left in the wake.

So "Dark Shadows" fans, are you loving the fun and campy way Burton decided to tackle the sudsy soap? Or do you think he should have gone a different direction? Let us know in the comments below and hit me up on Twitter @JohnMitchell83 with your thoughts and suggestions on all things "Shadows."

Check out everything we've got on "Dark Shadows."

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

Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1681161/dark-shadows-trailer.jhtml

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Happy Friday

Here's a photo of my niece Lila eating a nectarine:

Don't you love her ears? (The one on the left is a little big.) (My sister doesn't like to talk about it.)

Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/7/29/happy-friday.html

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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Eva Longoria & Eduardo Cruz Are Dunzo!

Back in February of 2011, we learned that newly single (at the time) Eva Longoria started up a new romance with Pen�lope Cruz‘s younger brother Eduardo Cruz. For the better part of 2011, we saw photos (HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE) of Eva and Eddy smoochin’ and lurvin’ all up on one another all [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/jGvotimAbTM/

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

James Franco Channels Robert Mapplethorpe On The Cover Of German ?GQ Style?

Actor James Franco is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of German GQ Style magazine in a photospread wherein he channels his inner Robert Mapplethorpe. As you may recall, we learned back in 2009 that Eliza Dushku is producing a biopic film on the life of Mapplethorpe and we [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/gYcGjL4aMOI/

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Friday, March 2, 2012

Is Britney Spears Getting Closer To 'X Factor' Gig?

'I'm fascinated by her,' Cowell says of singer, who's rumored to be contender to join show.
By Jocelyn Vena


Britney Spears at the World Premiere of Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story 3" on June 13, 2010 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California
Photo: Eric Charbonneau/ Le Studio/ Wireimage

<P>There are several women's names currently being tossed around as potential judges for the upcoming season of "X Factor." Avril Lavigne, <a href="/news/articles/1679730/x-factor-new-judges-hosts.jhtml">Janet Jackson and Britney Spears</a> are the leading rumored contenders to replace <a href="/news/articles/1678191/paula-abdul-exits-x-factor.jhtml">Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul</a> for the show's completely revamped second season, which kicks off later this year. In a recent press call, Simon Cowell would not confirm who producers were talking to, but he did not deny that Jackson was on the table. "You can probably count on two girls," fellow judge L.A. Reid added. "That we can confirm." Cowell recently addressed the Britney buzz on Billy Bush's <a href="http://www.accesshollywood.com/billy-bush/simon-cowell-x-factor-would-be-a-walk-in-the-park-for-britney-spears_articletab_61327" target="_blank">radio show</a>, continuing to play coy about the chatter. "Well, I'm fascinated by her. The fact that she's still one of the most talked-about &#8212; not just pop stars, but people &#8212; in the world today means that you've got this star power. This girl's got resilience, and the fact that she's survived this and she's still hot, she's still having hit records and she's still controversial ... there's a reason for that. "I would think that if she's managed to sustain a family, a career, which is tough, this is a walk in the park," he added, noting that he believes she would be a good judge. While Cowell seems to be dancing around the issue, British "X Factor" judge Louis Walsh may have let the cat out of the bag in an <a href="http://www.breatheheavy.com/2012/02/uk-x-factor-judge-confirms-talks-with-britney/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed" target="_blank">interview</a> on U.K. talk show "Craig Doyle Live." He shared that Spears was indeed talking to producers about possibly joining the show. "I know he is talking to Britney. I know he's definitely talking to Britney to do the American show. Absolutely true and maybe Janet Jackson," he said. In the end, Cowell summed up the current spate of rumors on that conference call. "There's a load of speculation, some true, some not true. It's true to say that a lot more people have entered the frame this year. We were waiting to see who was going to contact us before we actually contacted people," he said last week. "We're in that place right now, which is a good place to be in. We will meet a number of people over the next few weeks, mainly to explain to them that this is a big commitment when you do a show like this because of the mentoring aspect."</p>

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Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1680114/britney-spears-x-factor.jhtml

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Thursday, March 1, 2012

SuBo Musical Announces Its Full Cast!

The Dream is one step closer to a reality!
Rehearsals are underway for the Susan Boyle themed musical, I Dreamed A Dream, and the full cast has been revealed.
As reported earlier, Elaine C. Smith will play Scottish lass with a powerful voice. Joining her will be James Paterson and Karen Mann playing Poppa and Momma Boyle, [...]

Source: http://perezhilton.com/2012-02-29-susan-boyle-musical-full-cast-announced

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