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Friday, December 31, 2010
Beyonce's Banned Perfume Ad Defended By Company
Beyoncé in her ad for Heat
Photo: Coty UK
Beyoncé's steamy new ad for her perfume, Heat, recently gathered some heat of its own from the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority — which banned the commercial from the country's daytime TV rotation because of its sexy imagery. Now the company that makes Heat is speaking out about the sanction brought against the ad, which features the singer in a skin-tight, hot-red satin minidress, touching herself and showing some skin.
In a statement from perfume maker Coty that was posted on AceShowbiz.com, the company notes that it doesn't think there's anything too explicit about the TV spot, maintaining that it is "intended to reflect the singer Beyoncé's personal 'sexy chic' style." And while Beyoncé's cleavage is exposed at certain parts of the commercial, Coty added that it's not "overtly graphic or explicitly sexual and at no point was Beyoncé naked."
The company continued, "It was aimed at a vast selection of music programs to target a young adult audience. It would therefore be consistent with the expectations of viewers of those sorts of programs."
In a statement posted on its website, the advertising watchdog said that it has received several complaints about the Jake Nava-directed spot, which initially was aired throughout the day during family programming and now only will be shown after 7:30 p.m. The organization said, "We considered that Beyoncé's body movements and the camera's prolonged focus on shots of her dress slipping away to partially expose her breasts created a sexually provocative ad that was unsuitable to be seen by young children."
Do you think Beyoncé's commercial is too sexy to air in the day? Tell us in the comments!
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Gap Contest Winners
So, let's start with the jeans...
C - Sexy Boot 26/2L (I have two pairs)
13 people entered. And the winners are... #6 - Amanda K. and #4 - Amanda R. (the sixth and fourth person to sign up to win C)
D - Sexy Boot 28/6L
13 people entered. And the winner is... #7 - Madeline
E - Sexy Boot 29/8L
12 people entered. And the winner is... #12 - Rachel E.
F - Sexy Boot 31/12L
25 people entered. And the winner is... #16 - Laura R.
G - Real Straight 27/4
19 people entered. And the winner is... #2 - Kristi D.
H - Always Skinny 27/4
16 people entered. And the winner is... #16 - Kathleen S.
I - Always Skinny 30/10
11 people entered. And the winner is... #9 - Sara F.
J - Always Skinny 31/12
14 people entered. And the winner is... #2 - Kara P.
Next, the gift card...
A - $50 Gap Gift Card
121 people entered. And the winner is... #83 - Elena
And finally, the certificates for a free pair of jeans...
B - Gift Certificate for a Pair of Gap 1969 Jeans (I have six)
112 people entered. And the winners are... #54 - Lesli L., #8 - Brenda R., #32 - Ellene, #37 - Heather V., #111 - Megahn K., and #60 - Jennifer R.
Congratulations, everyone!
For the people who didn't win, you will all be getting a boobie prize. Once I get all the jeans sent out, I'll contact you to get your address. Please note, boobie prizes will not be a photo of my boobies. They will, however, be something in my apartment that I don't want anymore... maybe a book or a CD or a vase with a cheetah design on it that my mom gave me a long time ago that I simply do not use.* Your boobie prize is to stay wrapped and under the tree until Christmas morning, at which point you may open it. I'm decluttering my apartment, so it's either you or goodwill, and to be honest, this seemed more fun.
God, I totally feel like Oprah right now.
(And honestly, would you rather win a trip to Australia or an Ally McBeal CD?** Because I have one of those and someone's going to get it.)
*
**
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Bon Jovi, AC/DC, U2 Top World Tours Of 2010
Jon Bon Jovi
Photo: Theo Wargo/ Getty Images
Bon Jovi showed all the newbies how it's done. The veteran rock group had the most successful tour in 2010. And, following closely behind at #2 and #3 are fellow veteran acts AC/DC and U2, concert tracker Pollstar reports.
The New Jersey act sold an impressive $201.1 million worth of tickets worldwide this year in a concert economy that was on the downslide. Around the world, ticket sales for the top 50 tours dropped 12 percent to $2.93 billion, and in North America, they dropped 15 percent to $1.69 billion.
Bon Jovi beat out 2009's top two acts, bumping AC/DC, who grossed $177 million in ticket sales, to #2, and U2, with $160.9 million (impressive, considering they had to postpone their North American leg to 2011 due to Bono's back surgery), to #3 on the list. But hot on the heels of the aging rockers is Lady Gaga, the only woman in the top 10 tours for 2010.
Gaga and her Monster Ball tour placed fourth on the list. According to the report, Gaga's over-the-top spectacle grossed $133.6 million over the course of 138 shows, most of which took place outside of North America. Gaga may have only placed fourth, but she played more shows than the top three: Bon Jovi played only 80 shows, AC/DC played 40 and U2 played 32 shows.
The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by Metallica at #5 (netting $110.1 million), pop crooner Michael Bublé was # 6 with $104.2 million; the live show "Walking With Dinosaurs" placed #7 with $104.1 million; Paul McCartney is #8 with $93 million; the Eagles are #9 with $92.3 million and Roger Waters is #10 with $89.5 million.
In North America alone, Bon Jovi kept their title as the top draw, followed by Roger Waters, Dave Matthews Band, Bublé and the Eagles.
What was your favorite concert of the year? Talk about it in the comments.
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Beyonce Says She Takes Pregnancy Rumors In Stride
Beyoncé
Photo: MTV News
In 2010 alone, Beyoncé was pregnant at least twice, if you believe the rumors.
While the singer shot down the talk both times, she says that at this point she's pretty much to used to people speculating about potential baby bumps. "I mean, it's a part of it. At this point they said I've been pregnant like eight times, so I'm kind of used to it," Beyoncé told MTV News at a screening for her concert DVD, "I Am ... World Tour," in New York City.
"I just hope that one day, when I decide to be pregnant that people are happy for me, 'cause I'm like gosh, like, everyone's like, 'Oh god, please! She's been pregnant 100 times.' One day, hopefully, I will be. So whatever; it's a part of being a celebrity, I guess."
Her mom, Tina Knowles, was also at the screening and when asked if she thought that 2011 might be the year we give up gossiping about Bey's pregnancy status, she played it cool. "You have to ask her those personal things," she said. "I don't know!"
But Tina was also the lady to shoot down the baby-bump rumors last month when she sat down with talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres.
"I heard that, but I'm here to clear the rumors up. The truth is it's not Beyoncé that's pregnant, it's me," she joked. "No, it's not true. Not right now. I'm looking forward to it. With all the rumors, by now I should have about five or six grandchildren."
What do you think of the constant speculation about Bey and a baby bump? Tell us in the comments!
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New Led Zeppelin On The Way? Jason Bonham Hints At 'Jam' Sessions With Jimmy Page -- But Not Robert Plant
Jason Bonham
Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images
On Friday morning, mere hours before he was due to take the stage with classic rockers Foreigner at Detroit's GM Renaissance Center, drummer Jason Bonham — the son of late Led Zeppelin kitman John Bonham — told Jim Johnson and Lynne Woodison of local rock station 94.7 WCSX that he'd be an ex-member of Foreigner as of September 1. But that's not the only thing he said.
Much to the delight of Led Zeppelin fans everywhere, Bonham revealed that he's been meeting up with Led Zep guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones in recent months and that they've been "trying to do some new material and writing."
It was the first time since Led Zeppelin announced they would re-form for a single performance (which happened late last year at London's O2 Arena, in honor of the late Ahmet Ertegün, who signed the band to Atlantic Records in 1969) that anyone connected to the band has confirmed publicly that new music could be on the horizon for the iconic rockers. While the bandmembers have stopped short of definitively ruling out such a reunion, singer Robert Plant insisted in the wake of last year's show that he intended to focus on promoting and touring behind his critically lauded album with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, Raising Sand.
Not that Bonham knows what — if anything — will happen with the new material he's been working on with Page (who collaborated with pop singer Leona Lewis on an uneven version of Zep's "Whole Lotta Love" at the Olympic closing ceremonies in Beijing on Sunday night) and Jones. He said he just shows up and takes his seat behind the kit.
"I've been over [to England] a couple of times," Bonham said. "I've been working with Jimmy and John Paul and trying to do ... some new material and some writing. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something. At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material. When I get there, I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it. Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing."
He said it's still too early to tell what will become of these "jam" sessions, but admitted that the "possibility of doing something is in the cards. I really felt it was in the cards from the moment we walked offstage at the O2." Bonham also explained that, before there could be a Led Zep LP, "lots of politics [would need to] get ironed out," but added that recording with Zep is "something I've always wanted to do."
Bonham noticeably didn't mention frontman Plant's name during the discussion. A spokesperson for Page's management had no comment on the matter, and a spokesperson for Jones' management could not be reached by press time.
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Is East Coast Blizzard To Blame For Scrooge-Like Christmas Box Office?
Ben Stiller in "Little Fockers"
Photo: Universal Studios/DW Studios
Holiday weekends often equate to big bucks at the box office. And while Christmas weekend doesn't always pack the punch of a Labor Day, Memorial Day or Fourth of July, it has been known to generate its fair share of cash. There are an abundance of revenue-friendly family flicks, Christmas Day movie marathons have become a popular tradition and mall-goers often take a break from hitting up post-holiday sales to catch a film.
But what happens to those Christmas-weekend box-office numbers when almost the entire East Coast, from North Carolina through Maine, is pummeled by a blizzard on December 26? Safe money would bet that B.O. revenues drop as precipitously as 2 feet of snow. And though those numbers probably chilled Hollywood execs to the bone, they weren't just due to the blizzard.
The lackluster $30.8 million take of "Little Fockers" topped the charts for a weekend that was down a whopping 48 percent from last year's Christmas-weekend receipts of $270 million (an all-time record for any weekend, by the way). But a quick look at the numbers suggests that while snowy weather certainly didn't help matters, it was not to blame for the Scrooge-like turnout at the box office.
For starters, Christmas Eve, a notoriously slow movie-going day, fell on a Friday this year, eating into a big slice of the weekend box office. "Fockers" was the day's top-grossing flick with a paltry $4.95 million. By comparison, the movie earned about $7.2 million on both Wednesday (when it opened) and Thursday, and took in $14.6 million and $11.3 million on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. More to the point, "Fockers" saw its box-office haul drop just 23 percent from Christmas Day (Saturday) to Sunday, when the snow hit. That number is in line with normal Saturday to Sunday decreases. Meanwhile, "True Grit" saw its earnings fall a mere 6.5 percent from Saturday to Sunday, while "Tron Legacy" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" dropped only around 1 percent, and "Yogi Bear" and "Tangled" saw their revenues increase over the same two-day period.
Numbers aside, one can't ignore the possibility that the movies in theaters this Christmas simply weren't as appealing to moviegoers as those in previous years. Last year's record-setting weekend was spearheaded by the one-two-three punch of "Avatar," which raked in $75.6 million in its second week of release, "Sherlock Holmes" ($62.4 million) and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" ($48.9 mil).
Though "Little Fockers" had a built-in audience, its 2004 predecessor "Meet the Fockers," which led the B.O. the last time Christmas fell on a Friday, wasn't as well-received as the franchise's first entry, 2000's "Meet the Parents." Combine that with the fact that "Little Fockers" didn't exactly wow critics (it scored only an 11 percent rating on review aggregator RottenTomatoes.com), and it's not hard to see why the threequel failed to snag blockbuster numbers. And, while the Coen brothers' Western "True Grit" rode a wave of critical praise to a second-place finish and an impressive $24.9 million gross (the biggest opening for a Western ever), that wasn't enough to make up for a shallow field of holiday-weekend contenders.
In other words, Mother Nature is off the hook for this one.
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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Thursday, December 30, 2010
New Led Zeppelin On The Way? Jason Bonham Hints At 'Jam' Sessions With Jimmy Page -- But Not Robert Plant
Jason Bonham
Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images
On Friday morning, mere hours before he was due to take the stage with classic rockers Foreigner at Detroit's GM Renaissance Center, drummer Jason Bonham — the son of late Led Zeppelin kitman John Bonham — told Jim Johnson and Lynne Woodison of local rock station 94.7 WCSX that he'd be an ex-member of Foreigner as of September 1. But that's not the only thing he said.
Much to the delight of Led Zeppelin fans everywhere, Bonham revealed that he's been meeting up with Led Zep guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones in recent months and that they've been "trying to do some new material and writing."
It was the first time since Led Zeppelin announced they would re-form for a single performance (which happened late last year at London's O2 Arena, in honor of the late Ahmet Ertegün, who signed the band to Atlantic Records in 1969) that anyone connected to the band has confirmed publicly that new music could be on the horizon for the iconic rockers. While the bandmembers have stopped short of definitively ruling out such a reunion, singer Robert Plant insisted in the wake of last year's show that he intended to focus on promoting and touring behind his critically lauded album with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, Raising Sand.
Not that Bonham knows what — if anything — will happen with the new material he's been working on with Page (who collaborated with pop singer Leona Lewis on an uneven version of Zep's "Whole Lotta Love" at the Olympic closing ceremonies in Beijing on Sunday night) and Jones. He said he just shows up and takes his seat behind the kit.
"I've been over [to England] a couple of times," Bonham said. "I've been working with Jimmy and John Paul and trying to do ... some new material and some writing. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something. At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material. When I get there, I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it. Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing."
He said it's still too early to tell what will become of these "jam" sessions, but admitted that the "possibility of doing something is in the cards. I really felt it was in the cards from the moment we walked offstage at the O2." Bonham also explained that, before there could be a Led Zep LP, "lots of politics [would need to] get ironed out," but added that recording with Zep is "something I've always wanted to do."
Bonham noticeably didn't mention frontman Plant's name during the discussion. A spokesperson for Page's management had no comment on the matter, and a spokesperson for Jones' management could not be reached by press time.
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Michael Jackson Asked Album-Cover Artist To Paint Him Before He Died
Kadir Nelson
Photo: MTV News
When it came to putting together Michael, the first posthumous album of material from late King of Pop Michael Jackson, everyone was working with half a playbook. The producers of the singer's first studio album since 2001 had to figure out what the notoriously detail-oriented Jackson would want them to do with the grab bag of songs he was working on at the time of his death.
Even the artist behind the album's iconic cover, a Renaissance-painting-like mash-up of iconic images from throughout Jackson's career, was forced to go on his understanding of what Michael would have approved of.
That artist, Kadir Nelson, sat down with MTV News last week to walk us through the thicket of images on the cover and explain how he came to create the visual summary of the pop icon's solo career.
Nelson said the ball started rolling in 2003, when Michael was working on songs for his Number Ones collection at Marvin's Room, the legendary Los Angeles recording studio founded by R&B great Marvin Gaye in 1975. Jackson saw a pair of paintings Nelson had made chronicling Gaye's life and fell in love with the images.
"As a result of seeing it, he called me one afternoon and he said, 'I really like your Marvin Gaye painting ... I want one, about me ... but I want it bigger.' Because Michael liked things to be big," Nelson said. But, as with so many projects begun by Jackson, after Nelson followed the singer's advice and read the autobiography "Moonwalker" and did some research on the painting that was to hang in Michael's home, other things came up and the project fell through the cracks.
Then, following Jackson's death in June 2009, his longtime friend and now estate co-executor John McClain rang Nelson up and said the gig was back on. "[He said], 'It's time for you to do that painting that Michael wanted you to do,' " Nelson recalled. " 'Don't ask any questions, just do the painting and we'll figure out what to do with it later.' "
The resulting image plays into Jackson's lifelong belief that bigger is better, with a regal Michael staring out in the central image while wearing a prince's Victorian blouse with a high, ruffled collar, a silver-gloved hand placed over his heart and a jewel-encrusted crown hovering over his head. Around that central image are painted nods to everything from such classic videos as "Beat It" and "Thriller" and a spaceship from one of his favorite movies, "E.T." and MTV's Moonman, a reference to the fact that Jackson's videos helped make the channel the force it is today.
The sadness of Jackson's death made Nelson a bit hesitant at first, but he said he realized he was getting a rare second chance to follow through on the abandoned project, so he was quick to say yes. "I did it because I felt that it would be a very important document ... and a tribute to Michael's life," he said of the finished work, titled "The King of Pop."
He described it as a "panoramic celebration of Michael's life, music and career" and said he strode to make it as perfect as possible to match the level of perfection Jackson insisted on in his music and art. "I felt that I owed it to him, to his family, to his fans, to do the best job possible."
Though Nelson only spoke to Jackson that one time in 2003 over the phone, he worked with the singer's brother, Jackie Jackson, on the image over a five month period at the studio where the Michael album was being completed and said that Jackie gave some insight into his sibling's thoughts. When the final image was produced, MJ's brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson and McClain gave it a thumbs-up and said he did a good job.
Like the video for the first single, the Mark Pellington-directed "Hold My Hand," it's an artistic leap that attempts to tap into Jackson's elusive magic, but Nelson feels like he succeeded.
He considers the final product — his biggest-ever canvas at more than 9 feet wide by 4.5 feet tall — his Sistine Chapel. And like Michelangelo's signature work, Nelson labored long and hard on the painting, putting hours in from August 2009 until January 2010 and then again on and off until October.
What do you think of the finished product? Share your reviews in the comments!
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Justin Bieber Calls Selena Gomez 'An Amazing Person'
Justin Bieber attends the "Stuff Bieber's Bus" press conference on Dec. 23 in Atlanta
Photo: Prince Williams/FilmMagic
ATLANTA — As the debate among teen girls rages on about whether Justin Bieber is dating his tourmate, Disney princess Selena Gomez, the megastar teen is confident about one thing: Gomez's awesomeness.
MTV News caught up with the 16-year-old sensation as he got the word out about his holiday toy-collecting campaign, "Stuff Bieber's Bus," in Atlanta on Thursday (December 23), and while he didn't suggest that the two were more than friends, he did gush a little bit about the "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress.
"She's really cool," Bieber said. "She's an amazing person."
The "Baby" singer also commented about the nonstop fan frenzy and media mania that accompany any rumors about who the Biebs is or is not dating, and said that despite his outsize fame, he plans to keep his private life private.
"I think that people are always gonna be interested in my personal life ... but I gotta keep some things to myself," he said of the constant buzz surrounding his relationship with Gomez. "I'm just having fun being a teenager."
Speculation that the fresh-faced duo are more than friends has ramped up ever since the two were spotted hanging out and getting pancakes arm-in-arm. However, Gomez has batted away rumors that she and the "Somebody to Love" crooner are anything more than buddies who occasionally enjoy getting a bite to eat.
"It was pancakes. Who doesn't like pancakes?" Gomez told MTV News earlier this month.
Gomez has also talked about her "brotherly" relationship with Bieber, saying that she tries to keep an eye out for him as he continues to skyrocket toward megastardom.
"I love Justin. When he first started to come over from Canada, his manager contacted me and he just said that he would like to meet me and he was just such a good kid," she told MTV News in February. "And I feel like a big sister now, 'cause I want to protect him. So I'm always very cautious with him, but he is so talented and he's so sweet, so that just started us wanting to work together. Now he's just become one of my good friends."
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Lady Gaga To Make Born This Way Announcement New Year's Eve
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Lady Gaga is kicking 2011 off with a bang. The singer shared with her little monsters that, come New Year's Eve, she will have a special announcement for her loyal fans about her upcoming album, Born This Way.
She tweeted over the weekend: "Merry Christmas little monsters! I love you with all my heart. My gift to you is a BORN THIS WAY announcement Midnight on NEW YEARS EVE. -MM."
The Mother Monster didn't reveal anything else about the announcement but did react to a fan-made video sending Christmas love to the superstar. "This is so darling!" she wrote. "You make me so happy, Im sending you monster kisses!"
Gaga had always planned to end 2010 on a high note. She shared with Rolling Stone back in June that she had every intention of making an announcement on New Year's Eve, even if what she had planned to announce was pre-empted. "I think I'm gonna get the album title tattooed on me and put out the photo," she said of her plans six months ago. "I've been working on it for months now, and I feel very strongly that it's finished right now. It came so quickly. Some artists take years; I don't. I write music every day."
Since she already revealed her album title at the VMAs, what she plans to announce on New Year's Eve is a mystery, but we're sure her fans are counting down the moments.
Gaga recently shared that the album will be her "most innovative." A single is expected in February, and the album will follow shortly thereafter.
"[The album is] a marriage of electronic music with major, epic, dare I even say, metal or rock and roll, pop, anthemic style melodies with really sledge-hammering dance beats," Gaga said. "I think that lyrically this album is more poetic ... It's really written by the fans, they really wrote it for me because every night they're funneling so much into me. So I wrote it for them. Born This Way is all about my little monsters and me, mother monster."
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Thursday, December 23, 2010
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Cher Recalls VMA Meeting With Justin Bieber
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Cher turned heads at the VMAs back in September when she proudly showed up in the same barely there outfit she wore for her 1989 "If I Could Turn Back Time" video. However, the 64-year-old pop icon admits that she began feeling a bit inappropriately dressed when she was introduced to Justin Bieber that evening.
"I thought, 'I'll do myself in a decade', and that [body stocking] was the closest thing I had. And then someone said, 'Will you take a picture with Justin Bieber,' and I said, 'Sure', not knowing who he was," she recently recalled to British talk-show host Graham Norton. "And then this child, who came up to here [my chest], and I felt like I should cover up before I take a picture with this baby."
Of course, Bieber wasn't the only up-and-coming star Cher had the pleasure of meeting that night. She also had the honor of holding Lady Gaga's meat purse when the latter singer took the stage to accept a Moonman in the now-infamous meat dress.
"Well, I wear that every night in Las Vegas, so I just whipped it out," Cher said recently to MTV News of her scanty VMA getup. "I didn't have time to think of, like, getting a costume. So I had it and thought it would just be fun to just take off on myself, not knowing I was going to be handling the meat purse.
"But, you know, there's those moments you just remember [forever]," she added. " 'Here, Cher, will you hold my meat purse?' "
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Beyonce Says She Takes Pregnancy Rumors In Stride
Beyoncé
Photo: MTV News
In 2010 alone, Beyoncé was pregnant at least twice, if you believe the rumors.
While the singer shot down the talk both times, she says that at this point she's pretty much to used to people speculating about potential baby bumps. "I mean, it's a part of it. At this point they said I've been pregnant like eight times, so I'm kind of used to it," Beyoncé told MTV News at a screening for her concert DVD, "I Am ... World Tour," in New York City.
"I just hope that one day, when I decide to be pregnant that people are happy for me, 'cause I'm like gosh, like, everyone's like, 'Oh god, please! She's been pregnant 100 times.' One day, hopefully, I will be. So whatever; it's a part of being a celebrity, I guess."
Her mom, Tina Knowles, was also at the screening and when asked if she thought that 2011 might be the year we give up gossiping about Bey's pregnancy status, she played it cool. "You have to ask her those personal things," she said. "I don't know!"
But Tina was also the lady to shoot down the baby-bump rumors last month when she sat down with talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres.
"I heard that, but I'm here to clear the rumors up. The truth is it's not Beyoncé that's pregnant, it's me," she joked. "No, it's not true. Not right now. I'm looking forward to it. With all the rumors, by now I should have about five or six grandchildren."
What do you think of the constant speculation about Bey and a baby bump? Tell us in the comments!
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Chris Cornell Filling In For Robert Plant On Led Zeppelin Tour? That's News To Him
Chris Cornell
Photo: MTV News
Former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell has spoken out for the first time about rumors that he's been asked to fill in for Robert Plant on a proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The trek would feature original guitarist Jimmy Page, original bassist John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham taking over on drums for his late father, John Bonham.
Cornell has been mentioned — along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, White Stripes mastermind Jack White and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy — as a potential Plant fill-in. Plant has already said that he wouldn't take part in the tour.
"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Cornell told MTV News. "I've heard that from about 200 people now, and it might be one of those situations where it's just an online rumor or it might be true. But if you see anyone from Led Zeppelin around, let me know. I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss tour."
Cornell's denial comes just a day after Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford confirmed reports that frontman Steven Tyler recently met with Zeppelin for an impromptu jam session. "They did it for fun," Whitford said during an appearance on the syndicated show "Todd N Tyler Radio Empire." "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because I think he was trying to light a fire under Robert."
Rumors of a Zeppelin reunion tour have abounded since the iconic band played a single reunion set last year at London's O2 Arena. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider added fuel to the fire last month when he revealed that the group was thinking of touring, with or without Plant.
According to Snider, the rest of the band told Plant, " 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid [Myles Kennedy].' "
"And he can sing the sh-- out of Zeppelin," Snider added. "They're going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in."
In a recent interview, Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought to take over for Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he said. "We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there."
But Jones insists that he, Page and Bonham aren't interested in finding a Plant clone. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be onboard."
Of course, even if Zeppelin were to approach him, Cornell might be too busy to take over vocals for the band. His upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, will be released within the next few months. Cornell told MTV News last month that some of his fans might consider Scream something of a departure, but he doesn't see it that way.
"It makes me happy that there's this perception that I have a group of fans that I'm now sort of throwing a curve at and what their reaction will be," he said. "But I've been in this situation so many times already. When I put out [1999's] Euphoria Morning, my main goal was to create an album that sounded like nothing I'd done in Soundgarden, and I did that. I also had that with Temple of the Dog, where I showed up with songs that weren't necessarily riff-based. And then, of course, the pairing of me and members of Rage Against the Machine had everyone sort of speculating about what that would sound like.
"It feels like I've done this so many times that when it's presented to me as being a departure, I feel that's a misconception," he added. "I feel like that's my theme at this point."
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Wednesday, December 22, 2010
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Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' Could Be Next Single
Britney Spears
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
Britney Spears, who has kept relatively quiet since her high-profile guest spot on "Glee," is reportedly readying the release of a new single called "Hold It Against Me" off her yet-untitled new album, due in March.
According to PopJustice.com, "Hold It Against Me" will be first single from her new album and features production credits from Spears hitmaker Max Martin and Dr. Luke (Ke$ha, Katy Perry). Rumored lyrics to the tune recently surfaced on the Internet, but Dr. Luke took to Twitter to dismiss them: "I / we never wrote a song called 'don't hold it against me'.... BewaRe of InaccuraTe info kids ;-) We did write 'hold it against me' but those lyrics are NOT the lyrics ...."
Spears hinted about her work with the duo just a few weeks ago tweeting, "Just finished recording a monster with @TheDoctorLuke and #MaxMartin. Get ready..."
Word of new Spears music originated from the pop star herself one week ago, when she thanked fans for their birthday wishes and announced that her new album would drop in March. "I'm almost done with my new album and it will be coming out this March," she said on Twitter. "I AM IN L-O-V-E WITH IT!"
But what would Britney's music be without her signature choreography? It looks like the megastar is also gearing up to reunite with her former dancer/choreographer Brian Friedman, who worked with the singer on the remix clip for her tune "Overprotected." In a Facebook message, the dance mastermind wrote, "Hey everyone... won't be back from London till the late teens of December. Y'all better get your dancing shoes out cuz it's time for me to 'Hit you baby one more time...' Yes, Britney and I are back in action! Werque!"
If that weren't enough, the songstress also announced on Twitter that she teamed up with high-fashion photographer Mario Testino for a new photo shoot.
Are you excited for new Britney music? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Taylor Swift Tops Billboard Again, While Michael Jackson Debuts At #3
Taylor Swift's <i>Speak Now</i>
Photo: Big Machine Records
It's the most wonderful time of the year ... especially for the music industry. Album sales surged thanks to all you holiday shoppers, and you put Taylor Swift back on top of next week's Billboard 200 albums chart. Swift barely edges out Susan Boyle in a week that saw plenty of big numbers put up across the board.
Swift's Speak Now sold more than 259,000 copies (up 30 percent from last week) to claim the #1 spot, according to figures provided by Neilsen SoundScan. Meanwhile, Boyle's The Gift sold more than 254,000, ending her run atop the chart. The week's highest debut belongs to the late Michael Jackson, whose posthumous Michael album sold nearly 228,000 copies to open at #3. A pair of holiday-themed releases — Jackie Evancho's O Holy Night and the "Glee" cast's Christmas album — round out the Top 5, selling nearly 191,000 and 158,000 copies, respectively.
Up next at #6, it's R. Kelly's Love Letter, which debuts with sales of nearly 154,000 copies, and, at #7, it's Diddy-Dirty Money, whose long-delayed Last Train to Paris opens to the tune of nearly 101,000 copies sold. The rest of the Top 10 is filled out by Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday (#8, more than 97,000 copies sold), Kid Rock's Born Free (#9, nearly 94,000) and the "Glee" cast's The Music, Volume 4 (nearly 87,000).
Outside the Top 10, there are debuts from "American Idol" runner-up Crystal Bowersox, whose Farmer's Daughter sold nearly 58,000 copies — 20,000 more than "Idol" champ Lee DeWyze sold in his first week — to open at #28. Smoove R&B crooner Tank's Now or Never bows at #35 (more than 43,000 sold), and Ciara's Basic Instinct, has a meek debut at #44, with sales of nearly 37,000 copies.
Nearly every album in the Billboard top 50 posted a sales increase from the previous week's numbers, including Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (#15), which saw a 26 percent increase in sales, Justin Bieber's My World 2.0 (#18, with a 36 percent bump in sales) and Eminem's Recovery (#22, with a 39 percent jump). And that trend looks to continue on next week's Billboard chart, too, since there are still two shopping days left before Christmas.
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Is Katy Perry's Next Single 'E.T.'?
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Photo: Bill McCay/ WireImage
Katy Perry kicked off the summer proclaiming that "California Gurls" wear Daisy Dukes and bikinis on top. Then she pulled at our heartstrings and made us believe in true love on "Teenage Dream." Finally, she empowered her fans with "Firework." All three of her Teenage Dream singles have shot to the top of the charts, and she apparently is now ready to see if the fourth time's the charm.
Perez Hilton reports that Perry's next Teenage Dream single will be the upbeat tack "E.T." A rep at Perry's label declined to confirm the report when reached by MTV News.
Perry took to Twitter earlier this month to ask fans to help her pick her next single. There was some speculation that her choice would be "Peacock," but the pop star didn't reveal what tune would be next up for release. "Thanks for all your great suggestions for the next single today!" she tweeted on December 13. "Your voice has been heard! We're on the same page..."
Perry has been playing "E.T." live as of late. Recently at Z-100's Jingle Ball, the spirited singer joked about the spacey dance track, telling the crowd, "This next song is about falling in love with a foreigner, like far away ... Not even in England."
Regardless of which tune Perry chooses as her next single, can expect the video for the track to be an event. "I guess I'm looking forward to making music videos on this new album," she said earlier this year about Teenage Dream.
"There's a story to the songs. ... I'm really excited about ... making those music videos that are going to be larger than life."
Do you think "E.T." should be Katy's next single. Share your opinion in the comments.
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Stone Temple Pilots Reunited In Hopes Of Opening For Led Zeppelin, Bassist Says
Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo and Scott Weiland
Photo: Charley Gallay/ Getty Images
There are a number of reasons why Stone Temple Pilots decided to reunite after nearly five years apart — some are obvious, and others, not so much.
Of course, the financial windfall of reviving the grunge stalwarts for an extensive U.S. tour was too good to pass up, and bassist Robert DeLeo readily admits as much. And then there are the fans, the ones who had been with STP since the very beginning as well as those who discovered the band only after it first split back in 2003 and who, woefully, have yet to catch the Pilots live.
On a more personal level, though, Stone Temple Pilots' resurrection was purely selfish, and very much an anticipatory (not to mention optimistic) move on the band's part: If, after the months and months of rumors and denials, there ever is a full-on Led Zeppelin reunion tour, STP wanted to be ready to offer their services as an opening act.
"Believe me, that was one of the reasons," laughed DeLeo. "We thought, 'We should get together now, in case Zeppelin does tour.' I'm serious, man. That would be one hell of a bill: STP and Led Zeppelin. I mean, we could play a doghouse, out in the middle of the ocean, and if I got to play with Zeppelin, that would be a highlight of my life."
Yes, DeLeo — and the rest of the band — had several reservations about raising STP from the dead — a feat DeLeo jokingly referred to as "Mission Impossible." For the band's members, the idea of regrouping was terrifying at first, but with time, the boys settled their differences and tried to think positive.
"For me, it was about putting down some of the things that I was used to getting bitten by," explained the bassist — who, with guitar-playing brother Dean DeLeo, has been collaborating with Peter Frampton on material for his next LP. "After you get bitten, it's hard to go back. I wanted to go into this with an open frame of mind and a positive attitude and just have fun with it. We should have fun with it, which God knows we didn't always have with our career when we were younger. If that's all I can say, and that's what I can get out of this reunion, great.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say there's a lot of unfinished business that we didn't get around to the first go," he continued. "Enough time has gone by, and it feels really good to be back. I don't really want to put too much thought into how it feels — I'm just kind of going with it and keeping a good positive attitude about it. I just needed to get over the things that we all needed to get over, and that's been working so far. If everyone shows up and does this thing, I think it's going to be really amazing."
DeLeo claims that during recent rehearsals, STP were "sounding as good as ever," and he credits sobriety as part of the reason the band's in tip-top shape.
"My brother's going on four years of sobriety," he said. "We have a lot more clarity in the band now, and I think with clarity comes appreciation. I saw that the other night, when we played [a secret gig in Los Angeles]. I saw it in my eyes, and in the eyes of the rest of the band. There's a lot more rock in this band now."
As for an STP record, DeLeo is not 100 percent sure that's going to happen. The goal for STP over the next few weeks, he said, is to reacquaint themselves with their songbook and prepare for their return to the road. Once the band is back in that mindset, the bassist said new STP material is very possible.
"I've always got stuff written, and there's always a long list of songs that are always there — it's a matter of timing," DeLeo said. "If time allows, there will definitely be new music. I think it would be silly not to release new music. I'd like to believe we still have a writing relationship, but the first step is getting reacquainted with what we know."
While STP were on hiatus, frontman Scott Weiland teamed up with Velvet Revolver, and the DeLeo brothers joined forces with Filter's Richard Patrick for Army of Anyone — who are now on hiatus after releasing a poorly received self-titled LP. Does DeLeo foresee an AOA reunion somewhere down the line?
"You never know," he said. "It's just like STP — I didn't know if I was going to return. Whether we get back together and do anything, I think we made a great record, bottom line. That's all that matters to me. If we make another one, I want to make sure it's great, and that applies to STP and anything I do. But I was pretty heartbroken over [the feeble response to AOA's album]."
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Tuesday, December 21, 2010
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Britney Spears Inspired 'Country Strong' Lead, Director Says
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Photo: Fame Pictures
Gwyneth Paltrow may have honed her country-music skills for her role in the upcoming flick "Country Strong," but her troubled character was actually inspired by a pop sensation.
In the film, Paltrow plays embattled crooner Kelly Canter, who fights to resurrect her struggling career as a music superstar. Writer/director Shana Feste recently told the Los Angeles Times that Paltrow's onscreen drama was inspired by the very public meltdown of pop megastar Britney Spears.
"That's where this movie came from. I mean, I was seeing what was happening in the media to Britney Spears," Feste said.
The filmmaker also added that wrapping up the script coincided with the outsize media frenzy surrounding another superstar. "I finished the script when Michael Jackson passed away," she revealed.
Feste also lamented the dark side of celebrity-making, which entails ripping apart a once-beloved public figure at the first misstep. "I think it's tragic how we treat people who give us so much, and we love to see them knocked down to build them back up again, to knock them down again," she said. "It's a weird fascination."
Paltrow has said that work on the project was challenging, due to both the physical and creative demands of the role.
"It was brutal," she told MTV News in September. "It was a brutal shoot. I mean, I wasn't naked, naked, but I was semi-naked, in various stages of undress. [My character] has a drug and alcohol problem, so she's struggling a lot. It was a lot of fun for me, as an artist."
Check out everything we've got on "Country Strong."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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'Tron Legacy' And Jeff Bridges: Behind Film's Most Challenging Effect
Jeff Bridges in "Tron Legacy"
Photo: Disney
For the last few days, MTV News has been taking you inside some of the coolest aspects of "Tron Legacy," from the creative process behind Daft Punk's violins-meet-synthesizers soundtrack to the generation of the film's neon-pulsing motorcycles and warships. Now we're going to take you behind the creation of the film's single-most jaw-dropping visual effect: turning Jeff Bridges from 60-something Oscar-winner into the Bridges of 1984's "Against All Odds."
We caught up with visual-effects supervisor Eric Barba, the driving force behind the CG work on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," for which technicians both aged Brad Pitt into an old man and turned back time to capture the actor's 20-something look. What they managed to accomplish was nothing short of astounding, and Barba won an Oscar for his efforts.
But what Barba and director Joseph Kosinski set out to create for "Tron Legacy" was something far different — and far more challenging. "It's the hardest thing that's ever been done in visual effects," Barba explained.
See, the film stars two different versions of Bridges' character Kevin Flynn. One is the Flynn who's been trapped inside a computer-generated world for 20 years and who looks exactly like a 60-something Bridges. The other is Clu, a digital manifestation who does not age and thus still looks about 35 years old. To create Clu, Barba's team essentially had to wrap a CG mask around Bridges' face, making him look young again.
What made that task harder than the one in "Benjamin Button" was that, for "Tron," Barba had to do everything in 3-D. "What scared us with Jeff was that we're at the beginning of this technology," he said. "People were very happy with the way Benjamin came across. But there's leeway because we've never seen Brad Pitt as an old man. This was 10 times harder. We all know what Jeff Bridges looks like at 35. Right off the bat, we were setting ourselves up for other people's expectations."
To begin, the filmmakers brought in makeup-effects master Rick Baker ("Men in Black") to build a likeness of a young Bridges' head that would serve as a basis for their CG work. But that likeness soon had to be thrown away, after filmmakers decided they wanted an even younger version of the actor. There was no time to build another head, so Barba's team had to re-sculpt everything in the computer. Then in came Bridges himself.
"We had to derive the face from Jeff's performance, so we built this four-camera, head-mounted system that Jeff would wear on set with the other actors," Barba said. "We'd take the data from those four cameras and triangulate each point and get a floating, 3-D point cloud of his face. We ran that through sophisticated software we wrote and it rebuilt his performance on the younger visage."
Yet that was just the beginning. The effects team also had to mirror the particular movements of Bridges' face — muscles, skin, expressions and the like — so that the CG face would approach a photo-realistic representation rather than dipping into the much-dreaded "uncanny valley" in which CG creations fail to look appropriately human.
Early viewers have been split over the success of Clu: Some have applauded the work, while others have argued the character has not escaped that digital valley. The filmmakers knew exactly what they were getting themselves into when they started out, and Barba remains ecstatic over what they were able to accomplish.
"We knew Clu would be a much, much more difficult challenge then Benjamin," he said. "But hey, someone's got to take those chances and those risks and go for it. We thought this was a great project to do that."
Are you going to check out "Tron Legacy"? Tell us in the comments!
Check out everything we've got on "Tron Legacy."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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Michael Jackson's Michael Has King Of Pop's 'Spirit,' Producer Says
Teddy Riley at the Michael Jackson album-release party
Photo: MTV News
Teddy Riley had a long-standing working relationship with Michael Jackson, and the producer said Jackson's latest project, Michael, is as authentic an LP as any of the superstar's past work.
"Oh, they're gonna say this is him, that's the first thing," Riley told MTV News about fan's anticipated reaction to the set. "And this feels good. This feels like Michael, this feels like the spirit of Michael. And we love him, that's what they're gonna say."
The project, which arrived in stores and online Tuesday (December 14), is the first posthumous MJ collection since the singer died in June 2009.
Riley, along with Akon, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart (Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, The-Dream) and a host of other producers and songwriters were commissioned to complete the project, which was birthed from a spate of unfinished material in Jackson's archives. In the past, Riley has helmed MJ's Dangerous album, on which he produced "Remember the Time" and "Jam," among other tracks.
For Michael, which Riley was called in to work on during the last three months of production, the former Guy and Blackstreet member had a handy trick to help him retrieve the vibe he shared with MJ.
"Just by bringing his spirit in the room, in the actual studio," Riley explained. "I had his pictures all over the place. Time after time, I would [also] go back and forth to Thriller and listen to all the music to get the spirit and keep his spirit in the room. To keep the bad energy out of the room. He was always about the good energy. Anytime there was a negative energy, nothing would happen. The computers would react, they would just go out. There was serious spirits in the room. Shutting down computers. That was the problems we were going through. But when it felt good and the energy was good, everything went smooth and we got through the project."
Have you heard Michael yet? Share your reviews in the comments!
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Katy Perry Stands By Her Man
And here's what Katy had to say on twitter about the incident:
If you cross the line & try an put a lens up my dress, my fianc� will do his job & protect me. #standbyyourman #don'tf**kwiththeBrands.
If it's true that the paparazzo was trying to get a picture under Katy's skirt, then the paparazzo is the one who should've been arrested! Talk about crossing the line. And I've heard of paparazzi trying to do that, so it doesn't sound so improbable to me.
Hopefully this will be resolved without too much fuss.
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Monday, December 20, 2010
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'Never Say Never' Director Was 'Nervous' About Justin Bieber Flick
Justin Bieber
Photo: John Shearer/ WireImage
In February fans will finally get the chance to see Justin Bieber's long-awaited "Never Say Never." And the flick's director, Jon Chu, recently dished to MTV News that things are coming along fine as he puts the finishing touches on the February 11 release.
"Oh, we stand pretty tall. It's nuts! This is a world that I have never experienced before," he laughed to MTV News about the 3-D film. Chu, who was promoting the DVD release of "Step Up 3D," said getting the fans' support has been invaluable.
"Again it's like dance, where music tells the story. It's really interesting and his fans have been amazing, shooting him in 3-D in Madison Square Garden, exploring his life, going to his hometown. We're almost done with our cut right now and I'm really proud of it. I think people are going to be surprised about the story that they're going to get. Something is really special."
Bieber tweeted about seeing the film recently and gave it his seal of approval. And Chu admitted to us that he's feeling the pressure now to make the best possible film.
"I mean, I'm always nervous. We're always trying to make our movies better," he explained. "We're never done with it though. I just keep going until they tell me I've run out of time. So [Justin] got to see it this week, which was really exciting and he loved it, which is always scary when you try to show someone the story of their life, but he's been very supportive, he and his family and his team. I'm excited to share it with the world and show another side of 3-D. With 'Step Up 3D,' we learned a lot of lessons and we discovered a lot of things, and it's just the beginning."
Are you excited to see Justin's "Never Say Never" movie next year? Tell us in the comments!
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2010 In 60 Seconds: Comebacks By Kanye, Eminem, Betty White And More
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Photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/ WireImage
Well, 2010 is nearly in the books, and if you're a fan of octogenarians on the comeback trail, "California Gurls" gone wild and swoop-haired Canadian teenagers, congratulations on the best year of your life!
Yes, it was quite a ride ... Kanye West returned to top form, Eminem recaptured his old magic, Taylor Swift moved a million, Rihanna proved to be unstoppable, Katy Perry proved the doubters wrong and Ke$ha, well, she just proved to be Ke$ha. Lady Gaga dared to speak out, Weezy went away, and a host of new stars — everyone from Drake to Justin Bieber to Willow Smith — stepped up to the plate.
In pop culture, we were mesmerized by the exploits of everyone from Amber Portwood to Zac Efron, obsessed with the likes of Antoine Dobson and the "Pants on the Floor" guy, cheered on Betty White and vilified Mel Gibson (and probably Miley, too). We watched as our favorite couples went their separate ways, said goodbye to "Lost," "The Hills"
and Jay Leno (whom we then said hello to all over again), and went absolutely crazy for the iPad. Oh, and everything in the universe was made in 3-D.
And all of that was just the tip of a rather sizeable iceberg. It's pretty difficult to sum up 2010 in any way, so let's just say it was the "most" year in recent memory. The most stars, the most scandals, the most use of the word "vuvuzela." There were more shake-ups, breakups and comebacks than we can even remember ... so it's a good thing we've got MTV News' pop culture expert Jim Cantiello to do it for us. Here's his look back on the year that was ... in 60 seconds, of course.
Ready? Go.
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'Tron Legacy' Owns Weekend Box Office With $43.6 Million
A scene from "Tron Legacy"
Photo: Disney
In a box office heavy with fresh takes on time-tested material, "Tron Legacy" led the pack when it came to filling theaters over the weekend.
The 21st century revisit of the 1982 sci-fi flick "Tron" owned the box office during its debut. The high-tech adventure, which stars Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund, rang up $43.6 million in ticket sales.
The CGI-assisted, live-action romp "Yogi Bear" debuted in second place, although it lagged far behind "Tron." The contemporary take on the beloved kids cartoon, which features voice-over performances from Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake as the mischievous partners in picnic-basket-snatching Yogi and Boo Boo, nabbed $16.7 million.
"Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" spent its second week in theaters in third place. Audiences shelled out $12.4 million to catch the latest installment in Hollywood's adaptation of the classic C.S. Lewis book series. The film's total estimated tally now stands at $42.7 million.
In fourth place is the "The Fighter," a Mark Wahlberg vehicle inspired by the true-life story of a Massachussetts-bred boxer.
The flick, which also features performances from Christian Bale and Amy Adams, snagged $12.2 million over the weekend.
Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp's glossy thriller "The Tourist" landed in fifth place. The country-hopping caper, which was filmed in France and Italy and also features Paul Bettany, scored $8.7 million during its second weekend on screens. The weekend number kicks the film's total estimated haul to about $30.8 million dollars.
Check out everything we've got on "Tron Legacy," "Yogi Bear" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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'Tron Legacy' And Jeff Bridges: Behind Film's Most Challenging Effect
Jeff Bridges in "Tron Legacy"
Photo: Disney
For the last few days, MTV News has been taking you inside some of the coolest aspects of "Tron Legacy," from the creative process behind Daft Punk's violins-meet-synthesizers soundtrack to the generation of the film's neon-pulsing motorcycles and warships. Now we're going to take you behind the creation of the film's single-most jaw-dropping visual effect: turning Jeff Bridges from 60-something Oscar-winner into the Bridges of 1984's "Against All Odds."
We caught up with visual-effects supervisor Eric Barba, the driving force behind the CG work on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," for which technicians both aged Brad Pitt into an old man and turned back time to capture the actor's 20-something look. What they managed to accomplish was nothing short of astounding, and Barba won an Oscar for his efforts.
But what Barba and director Joseph Kosinski set out to create for "Tron Legacy" was something far different — and far more challenging. "It's the hardest thing that's ever been done in visual effects," Barba explained.
See, the film stars two different versions of Bridges' character Kevin Flynn. One is the Flynn who's been trapped inside a computer-generated world for 20 years and who looks exactly like a 60-something Bridges. The other is Clu, a digital manifestation who does not age and thus still looks about 35 years old. To create Clu, Barba's team essentially had to wrap a CG mask around Bridges' face, making him look young again.
What made that task harder than the one in "Benjamin Button" was that, for "Tron," Barba had to do everything in 3-D. "What scared us with Jeff was that we're at the beginning of this technology," he said. "People were very happy with the way Benjamin came across. But there's leeway because we've never seen Brad Pitt as an old man. This was 10 times harder. We all know what Jeff Bridges looks like at 35. Right off the bat, we were setting ourselves up for other people's expectations."
To begin, the filmmakers brought in makeup-effects master Rick Baker ("Men in Black") to build a likeness of a young Bridges' head that would serve as a basis for their CG work. But that likeness soon had to be thrown away, after filmmakers decided they wanted an even younger version of the actor. There was no time to build another head, so Barba's team had to re-sculpt everything in the computer. Then in came Bridges himself.
"We had to derive the face from Jeff's performance, so we built this four-camera, head-mounted system that Jeff would wear on set with the other actors," Barba said. "We'd take the data from those four cameras and triangulate each point and get a floating, 3-D point cloud of his face. We ran that through sophisticated software we wrote and it rebuilt his performance on the younger visage."
Yet that was just the beginning. The effects team also had to mirror the particular movements of Bridges' face — muscles, skin, expressions and the like — so that the CG face would approach a photo-realistic representation rather than dipping into the much-dreaded "uncanny valley" in which CG creations fail to look appropriately human.
Early viewers have been split over the success of Clu: Some have applauded the work, while others have argued the character has not escaped that digital valley. The filmmakers knew exactly what they were getting themselves into when they started out, and Barba remains ecstatic over what they were able to accomplish.
"We knew Clu would be a much, much more difficult challenge then Benjamin," he said. "But hey, someone's got to take those chances and those risks and go for it. We thought this was a great project to do that."
Are you going to check out "Tron Legacy"? Tell us in the comments!
Check out everything we've got on "Tron Legacy."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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