Thursday, September 30, 2010

Did Lady Gaga Have Any Impact On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Vote?

In spite of DADT vote stalling in Senate, supporters of repeal say Gaga's tireless advocacy has garnered issue global recognition.
By Gil Kaufman


Lady Gaga speaks in in Portland, Maine on Monday
Photo: Cliff Kucine/ Getty Images

There are many different ways for celebrities to leverage their notoriety to help a cause. They can play a concert, write a check, make a PSA or, as in the case of actor Sean Penn, live in a meager tent in an earthquake-ravaged country for six months and run their own relief organization. But few stars have given as much in as short a time as Lady Gaga has to the cause of repealing the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

"The reality is that on Saturday night we were looking at what we could do on Monday, knowing that even if we sent out an alert to our base of 80,000 supporters, we'd be talking to the same people," said Trevor Thomas, spokesperson for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a national organization dedicated to ending DADT. "We wanted to expand our reach and reach more people nationally and, more than anything, the two swing senators [in Maine] who could give us a chance."

The SLDN quickly hatched a plan to organize a rally in Maine on Monday in an attempt to get swing-vote Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to possibly change their votes on the repeal. That's where Lady Gaga came in. The pop icon had walked the white carpet at the VMAs with four SLDN members, shouted them out from the stage, turned her website over to the issue and posted public video pleas about the issue. When word came of this last-minute appeal, once again, she stepped up.

According to Thomas, the singer finished a show in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sunday night, hopped on a bus and took a 15-hour ride to Maine, personally writing her address on the way.

"The dedication from her was amazing," he said. "She wrote the speech, did the research and talked to people, and it did exactly what we need to do — highlight the issue to young people and others who might not have heard about this cause. But most importantly, we did it in this key area we needed it in."

The Gaga speech garnered massive local and national coverage for the issue, with stories in the Denver Post, USA Today and The New York Times, among others. "You can work for months to place one story in the Times' print section, and even if politics prevail and we lose the vote, more people know about the DADT repeal than did yesterday," Thomas said.

And while Gaga's mighty push to lock in the necessary votes didn't save the day when the crucial Senate vote took place on Tuesday (September 21), Thomas said her help undoubtedly had a huge impact and put a global spotlight on the policy.

From the night Gaga first spoke out on the repeal at the 2010 VMAs and redirected traffic from her official website to the SLDN site until 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Thomas said, 314,446 people clicked to the "take action" tab, which sent them to a site listing the phone numbers where U.S. senators could be reached about the vote. While it's unknown how many of those clicks turned into actual phone calls, Thomas said he was "100 percent sure" that the site would not have gotten nearly that many visits without Gaga's efforts.

The total number of visitors was nearly four times the amount of supporters SLDN had gathered pre-Gaga, but Thomas pointed out an even more impressive number. During that same two-week period, the pages on the SLDN website with background information on DADT got 520,298 page views. In contrast, during the first two weeks of the month, the site had 13,000 visitors and 30,000 page views.

"There are many people who are high-profile who speak out in a positive manner on LGBT issues," Thomas said. "But the difference here is she asked, 'What can I do?' at a time when it was critically important for the passage of our bill. Not only did she say that, but she asked how and when to do it. When you look at the past couple of weeks, you see not just strategic tweets but the video address that hit days before the critical vote and which was driving many calls to the Senate switchboard. I don't know of many entertainers who at the critical moment for a bill would stop their website and direct it to a 'take action' page for a relatively small group trying to push an issue crucially important to servicemembers and those who support them."

Before Tuesday's vote, Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — the Nevada senator exchanged DADT-related tweets last week with Gaga — said the Democratic boss welcomed Mother Monster's advocacy. "We appreciate the support of Lady Gaga and her supporters," Manley said. "Sometimes that can have an impact, especially when you are as apparently committed as she is to the cause."

Even with all of Gaga's work, CNN reported that both Collins and Snowe said Gaga's appearance at Monday's rally in Maine had no effect on their crucial votes; the final 56-43 tally helped ensure that the Senate would not open a DADT repeal discussion during its current session. Collins, in fact, supported the repeal, but told the network she felt she had to stay in line with her colleagues and vote against debate for procedural reasons.

What do you think about Gaga's efforts in the fight to repeal "don't ask, don't tell"? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Arthur Penn, Britney Spears On 'Glee' And Michael Bolton Support In Today's Twitter-Wood

Twitter-Wood mourned the passing of "Bonnie and Clyde" director Arthur Penn today. Penn Jillette, who starred in Penn's "Penn and Teller Get Killed," offered his reactions to the news in a post, as did director Edgar Wright.
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CLICK HERE to check out a ton of fabulous pictures from Russell Brand's new book — Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal

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'Social Network' Star Jesse Eisenberg Defends Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg

'He prioritizes Facebook over his personal relationships. This is not something that I think is bad,' Eisenberg says.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf


Jesse Eisenberg
Photo: MTV News

Mark Zuckerberg made a lot of friends through Facebook, but he lost a lot too. And when moviegoers head to theaters this weekend to see "The Social Network," David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's take on the building of the Facebook empire and the man that launched it, they will certainly be left wondering if Zuckerberg is really a bad guy.

The film, based on the book "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Mezrich, focuses on the early years of Facebook and Zuckerberg's undeniable ambition. And if you ask Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Zuckerberg in the film, he's really not as bad as he may come off.

"When you spend six months, 14 hours a day doing the same thing, playing the same role, it's impossible to think of that role in the same way the audience might think of that role or the way the other characters might think of that character," he told MTV News at the film's junket in New York City last weekend. "You know, in the same way we can't think of ourselves in kind of an objective way, that's how actors have to think about the roles that they play.

"I didn't think it was that difficult with this one though because he does things that are occasionally hurtful to other characters, but I think it's always coming from a real place. He prioritizes Facebook over his personal relationships. This is not something that I think is bad. His interest is elsewhere, so he severs these personal relationships he has in the movie in order to take Facebook in the direction that it needs to go. I think it's a completely defendable position."

Check out everything we've got on "The Social Network."

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

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Lady Gaga, Eminem Top VMA Nominations

The pop queen vies for a record 13 nods at the show, airing September 12.
By Jocelyn Vena

The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards will feature yet another epic battle: Lady Gaga leading the nominations, with 13, followed close behind by Eminem, who has eight nods. And on September 12 at at 9 p.m ET, the pop diva and the Detroit MC will go head to head for the coveted Video of the Year Moonman.

Gaga will certainly be a dominant presence at the show, thanks to her nods in categories like Best Pop Video, Best Female Video and Best Dance Music Video for "Bad Romance." Gaga is the first female artist to be nominated for Video of the Year twice, for "Bad Romance," as well as her collaboration with Beyoncé, "Telephone."

"I'm so honored for all the little monsters and self-professed freaks of the universe, to have more VMA nominations in a single year than any artist in MTV history. Ironically, I'm even more proud it's an unlucky number: 13," Lady Gaga said. "A long time ago, the world told me and my little monsters we would never be heard. Together we changed the rules. God put me on Earth for three reasons: to make loud music, gay videos and cause a damn raucous. Thank you, MTV!"

Eminem, whose "Not Afraid" video is up for Video of the Year, will try to fend off his competition in categories like Best Male Video and Best Hip-Hop Video. Plus, he's nominated alongside Drake in Best Hip-Hop Video for his contribution to the MC's cameo-filled "Forever."

"Apparently, MTV doesn't care that I have two massive stadium shows on the other side of the country the day after the VMAs. F me, right?!?!" Eminem joked. "I mean, I'll be there, but don't expect me to be nice about it."

Also nominated for Video of the Year are Florence and the Machine ("Dog Days Are Over"), 30 Seconds to Mars ("Kings and Queens") and B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams ("Airplanes").

Katy Perry's ode to her home state "California Gurls," featuring Snoop Dogg, is up for Best Female Video, along with Ke$ha's "Tik Tok"; "Video Phone" with Gaga and Beyoncé; Taylor Swift's "Fifteen" and Gaga's "Bad Romance."

In Best Male Video, Usher's epic "OMG" lands a nod, as well as Jason Derulo's "In My Head," Drake's "Find Your Love," Em's "Not Afraid" and B.o.B's "Airplanes."

Many of the pop world's recent favorites will face off in the Best New Artist category. Justin Bieber ("Baby"), Ke$ha ("Tik Tok"), Jason Derulo ("In My Head"), Nicki Minaj (for her Sean Garrett collabo "Massive Attack") and indie supergroup Broken Bells ("The Ghost Inside") will see who can dominate as this year's reigning newbie.

Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for the winners in general categories, including Best New Artist, from Tuesday (August 3) through September 12.

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Woo Hoo China!

20 Times a Lady has been published in China! On the mainland! Save Karyn only got as far as Taiwan. This is exciting. Maybe I'll get to go to Beijing!

I love Google translating the description of the foreign books into English. They're always so much fun to read.

 

Introduction

Et Dalila is a city of 29-year-old single female. Suddenly one day, she found that she had experienced 20 men, and the damned, "the New York Post" claims that the nation's average is 10.5. She fears to feel that their figures can not be higher, Ever have the "people will change the" optimism and insists that she gave its sad, disappointed that the men pick a Ruyilangjun.

She hired a private detective, found this and thought it would "never in contact with" the ex-boyfriend who frequently create "ah, dear! Is you!" And "Encounter." Then she found the old one now is really all-inclusive love - priests, homosexuality, mental illness, offenders, astronauts, etc. - can be described as "not the most superb, only more gourmet." A big laugh out of this farce staged.

The film adaptation of this book What's Your Number? Will be released in 2011.

 

About

Karin • Bosinake (Karyn Bosnak), the United States best-selling author, famous people blog. (Save Karyn) Blog "Save the Karin" (Save Karyn) and the same name novel, and that the "et Dalila and her former boyfriend were" deeply European and American women welcome.

 

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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Usher's VMA Performance Proves He's Still King: Making The Show

Singer held back at rehearsals, harnessing his energy for Sunday's show.
By Jayson Rodriguez


Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

The King is back!

Usher thrilled the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night with his stunning combination performance of "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love."

The singer moved and grooved, proving that he's the R&B star that everyone pays attention to for the big moments.

After a lukewarm reception to his previous album, the singer busted back onto the charts and radio with his latest set, Raymond v. Raymond, and he's been proving doubters wrong since its release.

"We all sat in a room and came up with a concept for the stage, and then we took that concept to Usher," VMA executive producer Dave Sirulnick told MTV News about the star's setup. "We said to him, 'We want to do the best televised dance routine that you've done in years. Let's show why you're the king.' "

Usher handily delivered.

Durng his rehearsals he was as focused as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant on the eve of game seven for the championship.

His choreographer led the way with Usher's backup dancers while the "OMG" star looked on intently; he only jumped in a handful of times, instead choosing to harness his energy for Sunday night's big show.

The crooner has ruled the charts in the past with a mix of uptempo grooves and slow-burning ballads.

But Usher has reinvented himself this year with the will.i.am dance tune "OMG" and his latest single, "DJ Got Us Falling in Love."

Usher plays to win, and after his stirring performance it's clear that the crown still rests securely on his head.

The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there's plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com.

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'Glee' Tackles Britney Spears' Snake-Charming VMA Set

Heather Morris rocks a boa and bikini similar to Spears' 2001 Video Music Awards performance.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Heather Morris on "Glee"
Photo: Adam Rose/ Fox

Hold tight, Gleeks! The all-Britney Spears episode of "Glee" is just days away, and details about the pop star's tribute are trickling in.

We already know the McKinley high-schoolers are going to revamp Brit's debut smash " ... Baby One More Time" and her Madonna match-up "Me Against the Music." The song-and-dance crew has also reached beyond Spears' trendsetting clips to one of her iconic stage performances: the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards rendition of "I'm a Slave 4 U."

A picture surfaced Friday (September 24) of the megastar's "Glee" namesake Brittany (played by Heather Morris) rocking a bejeweled green-and-blue two-piece similar to Spears' skimpy VMA ensemble, with a yellow boa draped over her shoulders.

Morris recently opened up about the arc of Tuesday's episode, dishing that the glee clubbers rebel against Schuester's ban on retooling Spears' hits.

"Through a special substance, I go under and have a couple of dream sequences — not only myself, but with Santana [Naya Rivera]," Morris told Australian magazine TV Week. "A lot of it has to do with Will [Matthew Morrison] not allowing us to perform Britney Spears songs, because he doesn't agree with what kind of entertainer she is, so it's our fight to do Britney. But it's not just us doing Britney in show choir; there are other sequences — it's our homage to her."

Tuesday's show is shaping up to be a busy one for Morris, who is also vamping it up opposite Spears herself in their reworking of "Music." However, the actress insisted her previous encounters with Spears helped her stay cool around the pop icon.

"It wasn't really nerve-racking, because I've met her before and I wasn't really overwhelmed by who she is," she said. "But the idea of what she has given us for the show and, for me, getting to dance with her and play with her on set, I was just staring at her at one point and thinking, 'This is just so frickin' awesome.' "

Are you excited for the Britney takeover on "Glee" next week? Let us know in the comments!

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Guillermo Del Toro Says James Cameron Will Be 'Tough Ally' On 'Mountains'

'He's going to grill me every step of the way,' director tells MTV News about horror film Cameron is producing.
By Eric Ditzian


Guillermo del Toro
Photo: MTV News

Guillermo del Toro has been dreaming about "At the Mountains of Madness" for well over 30 years. He read the H.P. Lovecraft story as a child and wanted to shoot a Super 8-assisted adaptation. Eighteen years ago he pitched his friend James Cameron on the idea of making "Mountains" into a feature. He tried to sell studios on the project too.

But nothing happened — until this July, when news broke that del Toro and Cameron were teaming up to adapt the horror story for the screen. Del Toro signed on to direct the 3-D feature, Cameron came aboard as a producer, and now the duo are deep into preproduction with an eye toward shooting next year.

After years of informally evaluating each other's work, they're now formal creative partners. To hear del Toro tell it, the duo will likely both concur and clash as they push forward on the production. Yet whether they're facing off or giving each other a hearty thumbs-up, both strong-willed men are sure of one thing: It's del Toro's movie.

MTV: The idea of collaboration between you and James Cameron is something that gets a lot of people excited — two seriously impressive movie nerds. Have the two of you been geeking out together on movies, space, aliens, 3-D, that sort of stuff?

Guillermo Del Toro: Jim has been one of my closest friends for the last 20 years, but we haven't collaborated. He always gets a thank-you on my movies and we always visit each other's editing room and design room. I've had the blessing of reading the screenplays before he shoots them. He was the first person who saw a first cut of "Cronos," and he gave me a line that is in the movie: "No, not my nose again!" He came up with that over lunch.

MTV: Why was this the project on which to formally collaborate?

Del Toro: "Mountains of Madness" requires everything we have technologically, pushing 3-D in horror in a way that is not just things coming at you, but to use it creatively in function of the genre, without the gimmicks. The first movie I pitched to him in 1992 was "Mountains of Madness." We got together and he'd seen the design we had generated in a couple weeks. He was blown away by the stuff we were doing. We have a small crew of designers. Five guys. And he came in and said, "You mean five guys in two weeks have done all this?" He has been very helpful with having notes on the screenplay, but the best part of working with Jim is he knows me, I know him and we had a very easy time having "the talk." I said, "Push comes to shove, it's my movie." And he said, "It's your movie, absolutely, no problem, I'm here to support you." He's going to be like he's always been: a tough ally. It's not like he's going to let me get away with everything. He's going to grill me every step of the way.

MTV: It seems like there are few people in this business who could go toe to toe with Cameron like that.

Del Toro: He's a guy I completely admire. This is a guy who, in every sense of the word, is formidable. This guy has literally gone to the depths of the ocean. He has pushed the medium. He's not the most successful filmmaker in history. He's the first and second most successful moviemaker in history.

MTV: Are you nervous at all to finally shoot with 3-D cameras?

Del Toro: My first lesson on 3-D came from the hand of Jim Cameron. I'm there with Jim all morning going through the PACE [camera] system of 3-D and I cannot think of a better teacher, so I was absorbing everything, discussing ideas with him. I'm all about depth. I was saying what attracts me about 3-D is not what comes out of the screen [but] the depth that you gain on the screen, how you are sucked into it rather than attacked by things. Jim had an absolutely Zen, Taoist moment and he said one of the best things I've ever heard about 3-D. He said, "What screen? There is no screen." I go, "Whoa, master." That's the key if you want to use 3-D properly. You truly create a new reality. That moment with Jim was my clarity on the mountain.

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

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Robert Pattinson Shows Off His New Beard In SoCal

In August we learned that Jake Gyllenhaal grew one, then a few weeks later we learned that Zac Efron grew one … today we learn that Robert Pattinson has joined the Bearded Bunch as he showed off his bushy new facial hair at LAX Airport here in SoCal last night: Things have been getting hairy [...]

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Britney Spears On Working With Lady Gaga: 'Anything's Possible'

Singer poses on manga-inspired Pop cover.
By James Dinh


Britney Spears on the cover of <i>Pop</i>
Photo: J-Pop

From schoolgirl to toxic temptress, Britney Spears has played many characters throughout the years. But the singer took a very different approach for her photo spread in the upcoming issue of the U.K.'s Pop magazine by channeling her inner manga character. In the issue, the pop princess dished about the possibilities of a Lady Gaga collaboration and working with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami for the anime-inspired cover.

Despite Gaga overthrowing Spears as the most-followed celebrity on Twitter, the singer had no hard feelings toward pop's newest sensation. "I'm a big fan of hers," she said when asked about working with Gaga. "Anything's possible!"

A collaboration between the pop stars doesn't seem out of the question, as Gaga's mega-hit "Telephone" duet with Beyoncé was originally offered to Spears.

Donning a white wedding dress and a veil with matching gloves, Spears innocently poses in a field of flowers on the cover. In another photo, the singer trades the dress for a leg-baring getup accessorized with a red backpack.

Spears' manga-style shoot was shot by Todd Cole with art direction from Takashi Murakami, who is often referred to as the "Andy Warhol of Japan." While the spread strays from the singer's typical styling, the pop star enjoyed working with the artist. "I loved working with Takashi," she said. "I especially liked how he took high-end fashion and incorporated it with Japanese manga."

The singer's tour to Japan was what originally piqued her interest in Japanese culture. "We looked at a lot of characters and artwork before we shot, so I could get a feel for what he was looking for," she explained. "I was in Japan on my past promo tour, and I loved it."

Editor in Chief Dasha Zhukova spoke to Style.com about the singer's Japanese treatment: "She's feminine, sassy, strong-willed, determined: all the things a great Pop icon should be. Couple that with some Japanese swimsuits and a Rodarte wedding gown, and I think she is pretty much Pop personified!"

Spears couldn't wait to share her excitement for her photo shoot with fans. The pop star took to Twitter, saying, "I just saw the photos for the first time and they are beautiful. Comes out Sept. 1st. Thanks @TakashiPom -- Britney."

Aside from gracing the cover of Pop magazine, the singer has already filmed a cameo for her "Glee" tribute episode and is working on completing the follow-up to 2008's Circus.

What do you think of Britney's manga-inspired photo shoot? Would you like to hear a Britney and Gaga collabo? Share your thoughts below!

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I'm A Total Loser Dot Com

A friend of mine started this website...

It's so funny! Post away! (And if you scroll down, you might see someone familiar!)

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Judas Priest Frontman Avoids Killing Producer On Halford IV

Rob Halford recalls how a medical emergency turned into comedy while recording Made of Metal.
By Jon Wiederhorn


Rob Halford
Photo: Angela Weiss/ Getty Images

Last spring, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford was in the studio working on material for his new album Halford IV — Made of Metal (in stores this week) when things almost went very wrong.

Halford had noticed his guitarist, co-writer and producer Roy Z was chugging coffee like Gatorade to stay awake after a late night. "Two hours later, we're working on a track and he turns to me and goes, 'Whoa, I have to stop and take a break. My heart's racing. I'm really freaking out here,' " Halford recalled.

Fearing he was having a heart attack, Roy called 911 and an ambulance screeched into the studio parking lot, lights flashing.

"They took Roy out of the room and I sat alone in there for a little bit," Halford said. "Then this paramedic comes in and says, 'We want to take Roy to the hospital just to check him out and put him on an EKG.' "

In such instances, medical professionals are usually in a hurry. However, before taking the producer to the hospital, the EMT turned to Halford and said, "Hang on, you're the Metal God!" Then, he left the room and returned with a half-dozen other paramedics.

"They took pictures I signed autographs while Roy was just waiting," Halford said. "Then when they were done, they rolled Roy away and I'm just sitting there thinking, 'God, I can't believe this. My producer's going to die on me.' "

The experience inspired Halford to write the song "Heartless," a reflective, stomping love song with a rousing chorus.

Other than the pre-"Heartless" incident, the creation of Made in Metal was pretty free of drama. Moreover, it was one of the easiest and most enjoyable albums Halford has worked on in years. The singer decided to start working on the follow-up to last year's Christmas album, Halford III: Winter Songs after Judas Priest got off the road and began a year-long hiatus. But the real jumpstart came when the Halford band was invited to play on the 2010 Ozzfest.

"I thought, 'Oh, God, wouldn't it be great if the Halford band could get together and play some brand new material?' " he said. "It's kind of like buying a new pair of shoes. You want to get out and go, 'Hey, check these out.' It's the same with the music. I was excited about showing off some new songs on the tour."

Seven of the albums 14 tracks were entirely written by Halford, the first time he has taken the musical reins on a project since the 1993 Fight album War of Words.

"As a musician, you can't control these things when they happen to you," Halford explained. "The ideas just take over your body and it can be pretty scary. You've got to get them down quickly. It feels like there's a spark you have to grab, like lightning in a bottle, and if you don't get it down, there's a chance it's going to escape. So, for two weeks, these things kept flooding through my brain. And then suddenly, they stopped and that's when I got together with Roy, [guitarist] Metal Mike Chlasciak, [bassist] Mike Davis, and [drummer] Bobby Jarzombek and came up with the other songs."

Like many of Judas Priest's best tunes, Made of Metal is raw and immediate, simple in structure, but crafty in design. "For me, music has always been about riffs and melody," Halford said. "These songs — bang! — they get right into your head and they sink in right away. It's like 'She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.' That's the type of music I was brought up on as a kid. This is just a little bit louder."

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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

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Fat Calves

I have fat claves.

I have fat calves.

I have fat calves and I have a problem buying tall boots in the Fall/Winter because of them.

Even when I'm skinny, I have fat calves. I've always had them. I remember being a size four and not being able to find boots that fit. I just have fat calves.

I told this to Mark tonight and said, "I can't even blog about it because it's embarrassing," and he said, "Own it!"

So I am. I have fat calves.

What's prompting this is that I got a pair of Hunter boots today. I thought if anything is going to fit, surely it will be these gigantic rain boots. But low and behold, I tried one on and it got stuck on my leg. I seriously thought I was going to have to cut it off. (The boot. Or the leg.) And you know, the boots are rubber, so the harder I pulled, the hotter my leg became and the tighter the boot got. When I finally pulled it off it was like "Pop!"—it was like a suction.

I'm so bummed out.

I have fat calves.

I have fat calves.

I have fat calves and I hate them.

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'Breaking Dawn' Casts Maggie Grace As Irina

'Lost' and 'Taken' actress will play a 'vegetarian' vampire who turns on the Cullens.
By Kara Warner


Maggie Grace
Photo: Katy Winn/ Getty Images

With production set to begin very soon, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1" continues to add members to its already-crowded cast.

Last month we learned that "The Pacific" actor Rami Malek had joined the "Dawn" ranks in the role of Egyptian vampire Benjamin. On Monday (September 27), it was reported that "Lost" and "Taken" actress Maggie Grace has signed on to play "vegetarian" vampire Irina.

A rep from Summit Entertainment confirmed the casting to MTV News, and the original story appeared first on Deadline.com.

So who is Irina? Those familiar with Stephenie Meyer's source material will recall that she is a member of the Denali coven, one of the only other "vegetarian" vampire covens and allies with the Cullens — that is, until Irina blames the family for the death of her former lover, Laurent, and vengefully reveals a Cullen family secret to the Volturi.

The other "Dawn" newbie, Benjamin, is a member of the Egyptian coven who comes to help Bella and the Cullens battle the Volturi. Benjamin is a young vamp blessed with the special ability of controlling the elements (à la Storm from X-Men), though he has yet to fully master his powers.

"I think it's going to be great," Rami told "ET" of his joining the cast last month. "It's going to be super exciting, and I'm thrilled."

Summit announced in June that "Breaking Dawn" would be divided into two parts; the first of the two films is scheduled to hit theaters November 18, 2011, and the second on November 16, 2012.

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

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

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'Wall Street 2' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

Put your money on our cheat sheet to give you lots of juicy details about 'Money Never Sleeps.'
By Eric Ditzian


Michael Douglas in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

In the fall of 2008, a few weeks after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and Washington Mutual collapsed — and the tenor of the U.S. financial crisis turned from panicky to nearly apocalyptic — Fox gave the go-ahead for "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

Hooray for capitalism! There's always room for shareholders to profit from even the most dismal economic news. Two years later, with the country still shackled by high unemployment and out-of-control debt, "Wall Street 2" bullied its way into theaters Friday (September 24). The Oliver Stone-directed film arrives nearly 23 years after the Oscar-winning original. The first film also opened in the shadow of financial uncertainty, just a few months after the stock-market crash known as Black Monday. Now, as then, the timing is right for a story about greed.

Michael Douglas returns as Wall Street mover-and-shaker Gordon Gekko, fresh off a jail sentence and determined, at least initially, to expose his industry's borderline criminal excesses. Gekko is set, as well, on repairing his relationship with his daughter (Carey Mulligan), a quest that brings him into an alliance with a young trader named Jacob (Shia LaBeouf). Throughout the film, we get both MBA-level corporate discourse and you-abandoned-me familial hurt feelings.

You needn't know the first thing about a credit default swap, though, before you head to the cinema. MTV News has been betting big on this movie for years, and now we're ready to collect — and share our profits with you: Enjoy our "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" cheat sheet.

Returning to the "Street"
Fox had been developing a "Wall Street" sequel since 2007, when the economy first began its downward spiral. A green light only came in October of '08, amid those bankruptcies and bank failures. Allan Loeb ("21") was tapped to pen the script, and Douglas was reportedly interested in reprising his iconic role.

But in February, Stone told MTV News he had dropped out of the project. "I didn't want to do another 'Wall Street' movie. I think everything I had to say came through," he told us. "I'm just not interested because it's so complex now. I don't think people can understand security derivatives."

By April, however, Stone had changed his mind. He was said to be blown away by Loeb's script and jumped at the chance to helm the sequel. It probably didn't hurt, as well, that Douglas appeared likely to return and that LaBeouf was in negotiations to join up. Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon and Frank Langella eventually signed on as well.

Getting Down to Business
Shooting kicked off in fall 2009, and we got our first look at Douglas and LaBeouf on set in October: the elder statesman rocking a casual-Friday look, the young buck in some designer duds. Charlie Sheen, who starred in the original, agreed to appear in a cameo for the new flick. "He came in. It was fun for a day. It was good to see him again," Douglas told us later.

The trailer dropped in January, giving us a grizzled, post-jail Gekko, copious shots of the go-go-go Wall Street and the supposition that greed, once good, has become legal. The movie debuted in May at the Cannes Film Festival.

Letting the Bulls Loose
As the release date approached, we got an opportunity to chat with the cast in New York and at the Toronto International Film Festival.

What convinced Stone to return for the sequel, he told us, was the chance to create "a completely new Gekko" and to dramatize an economic crisis he called "a heart attack, a real triple bypass to capitalism."

LaBeouf, meanwhile, was pulled in by the opportunity to work with Stone, whom he dubbed "the most dangerous filmmaker alive" in the 1980s and '90s. Plus, the actor views Gekko as even more compelling than key characters in two of his other starring franchises: Optimus Prime of "Transformers" and Indiana Jones.

"He's got more bite, he's more dangerous, he's the most dangerous of the three," LaBeouf said. "Also the most interesting, I think. There's something in how tangible and visceral it is. Whereas the other films are fantasy films where the suspension of disbelief is necessary for you to get into the movie. This isn't that. It's a very tangible world, and you're living in the midst of the twilight of American economic dominance."

Check out everything we've got on "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

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

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Michael Jackson Doctors Won't Be Charged In Singer's Death

California state investigators will not file charges against seven other doctors who treated the late star.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Michael Jackson
Photo: Getty Images

Seven doctors who treated the late Michael Jackson will not be charged in the singer's death. According to The Associated Press California officials said Wednesday (July 28) that they will not file charges against the doctors who were under scrutiny as part of an investigation launched by the state's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.

Jackson passed away in June 2009 after suffering cardiac arrest. His personal doctor Conrad Murray — who was not one of the seven doctors included in the investigation — has been charged in his death and pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter after allegedly giving the star the potent anesthetic propofol.

"I am very disappointed," said Brian Oxman, an attorney for Michael Jackson's father Joe Jackson. "The misuse of medications by Michael Jackson in the last years of his life was excessive and to fail to bring that to the public eye is ignoring reality." Oxman is serving as Joe Jackson's lawyer in a wrongful death suit against Murray.

Bureau spokesperson Christine Gasparac told the AP that one of the doctors who was under investigation was referred to the California Medical Board for prescribing drugs to one of Jackson's aliases, however, a spokesperson for the board did not confirm the referral. A spokesperson for the Drug Enforcement Agency told the AP that it has also dropped its investigation into Jackson's doctors.

Murray lawyer Ed Chernoff has maintained that the doctor did not administer a fatal dose of propofol and has suggested that either Jackson gave himself the anesthetic or another person may have supplied the late star with the dose. However, an anesthesia expert has said the possibility of Jackson administering the drug himself is unlikely.

A preliminary hearing in the Jackson manslaughter case is slated for August and Murray faces a sentence of up to four years in jail.

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Lady Gaga's VMA Meat Dress To Become 'Jerky'

Designer Franc Fernandez says headline-making dress will be preserved and archived.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Lady Gaga
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Lady Gaga's meat dress is among the most outrageous outfits the superstar has ever sported. She's rocked cigarette-adorned shades, teetered on freakishly high Alexander McQueen heels and posed in flame-throwing undergarments, so topping herself in the what-is-she-wearing-now? department is definitely an achievement.

The songstress is rarely seen in the same thing twice, but an ensemble crafted from raw meat isn't the type of look the wearer can keep around — without risking the smell of decaying beef in one's closet — let alone bust the thing out for another flesh-frock-appropriate occasion.

Apparently, the dress hasn't been tossed out or repurposed as tartare for some adventurous eater. After the beef dress' headline-snagging debut at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, the look will be preserved and saved, presumably to provide inspiration for some far-out designer's future sartorial creation.

"The dress will go through a process where it becomes a sort of 'jerky' and will be archived," designer Franc Fernandez told E! Online.

However, don't expect Gaga to bring back the look and shake up another awards show in, say, a jerky jumpsuit anytime soon. Fernandez recently explained to the MTV Style blog that, even though the dress may not decompose, it's still just a single-use outfit.

"The meat dries out, rather than rotting. It becomes jerky," Fernandez said. "But it shouldn't be worn again."

Just like Gaga should leave the jerky-fied dress in the past, Fernandez insisted he's not going to hook up anyone else with carcass couture in the future.

"I think it's just that — it's just the meat dress," Fernandez observed. "There's not going to be meat dresses in the future. This was made for a specific purpose. It's what it is."

Would you like to see Lady Gaga's jerky dress? Let us know in the comments!

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Justin Bieber Snapped Kissing 'Baby' Video Co-Star

Photos of Bieber locking lips with tourmate Jasmine Villegas in backseat of a car pop up online.
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber may have recently insisted he's too busy for girls, but he seems to have found time in his schedule for one lucky girl. The pop star was reportedly snapped kissing his "Baby" video co-star and current My World Tour opening act, Jasmine Villegas.

While the pair have been romantically linked for some time now, both have denied a romance. Photos of the pair caught in a lip lock were posted on TMZ on Tuesday (September 21), and it may be the evidence Bieber's fans needed to confirm the two are more than just friends. According to TMZ, the photo was snapped on September 9 in Venice, California, around the same time Bieber landed in Los Angeles for his VMA appearance.

Although the photos of the pair in the backseat of a Honda were taken weeks ago, they only recently surfaced online. According to TMZ, they were taken by a Canadian tourist who spotted the singers. A rep for Bieber could not be reached for comment.

Villegas, 16, is currently on the road with Bieber, but fans may also recognize her from her guest turn as his love interest in the bowling-themed video for "Baby." Recently signed to Sony, Villegas was once a member of the girl group School Gyrls. She also has cameos in Bieber and Sean Kingston's "Eenie Meenie" video and Kanye West's for "Jesus Walks." The teen singer also has two solo videos of her own: one for "I Own This" and the other for "Serious."

When asked about his relationship status this month, Bieber told MTV News, "I mean, girlfriends are trouble at this age. Girls are fun to hang out with but, like, having that one steady girl ... we're constantly traveling and one girl's not gonna really [work]. You can't really have one girl. I don't really have any crushes at the moment. ... Right now, the best thing is [that we're] just teenagers having fun doing what we love. We're just staying ourselves and remaining humble."

Do you think and Justin and Jasmine would make a good couple? Let us know in the comments!

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Ke$ha: VMA Noms Are 'Blowing My Mind'

'I'm getting more and more nervous,' 'Tik Tok' singer says of finding out whether she'll take home a Moonman.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jayson Rodriguez


Ke$ha
Photo: MTV News

Ke$ha is ready to storm the VMAs on Sunday to see if she can turn any of her three nominations into Moonmen. The "Tik Tok" singer — who is up for Best Female Video, Best New Artist and Best Pop Video — is not only feeling some pre-show jitters, she's still floored by the fact that she's up for any awards at all.

"I'm getting more and more nervous," she told MTV News on Saturday in Los Angeles, where she performed at the 2010 MTV VMA Concert to Benefit Lifebeat. "To be nominated at all has been just crazy. It's still kind of blowing my mind."

And there's a bit of fear in there as well. "I'm a little terrified about it still," she continued. "It's amazing really to be recognized for things I've written, really just being honest. And now I'm being nominated for three VMAs for that."

While she faces stiff competition across the board, she admits that her toughest rival might be Justin Bieber, who's also nominated for Best New Artist. "It's gonna be hard taking the Biebs down," she explained. "It's gonna be hard, but my fans — we can do it!"

Ke$ha may have a wild rep, but she only has nice things to say about the ladies she's facing in the Best Female Video category. "Gaga and Beyoncé and Taylor Swift — everybody in there I respect, so it's kind of like I have no disses to throw," she said. "That's a tough category."

Tune in tonight for the 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards, broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles! The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET/PT. You can still vote for Best New Artist at VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if you're a Verizon subscriber).

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Usher's VMA Performance Proves He's Still King: Making The Show

Singer held back at rehearsals, harnessing his energy for Sunday's show.
By Jayson Rodriguez


Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

The King is back!

Usher thrilled the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night with his stunning combination performance of "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love."

The singer moved and grooved, proving that he's the R&B star that everyone pays attention to for the big moments.

After a lukewarm reception to his previous album, the singer busted back onto the charts and radio with his latest set, Raymond v. Raymond, and he's been proving doubters wrong since its release.

"We all sat in a room and came up with a concept for the stage, and then we took that concept to Usher," VMA executive producer Dave Sirulnick told MTV News about the star's setup. "We said to him, 'We want to do the best televised dance routine that you've done in years. Let's show why you're the king.' "

Usher handily delivered.

Durng his rehearsals he was as focused as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant on the eve of game seven for the championship.

His choreographer led the way with Usher's backup dancers while the "OMG" star looked on intently; he only jumped in a handful of times, instead choosing to harness his energy for Sunday night's big show.

The crooner has ruled the charts in the past with a mix of uptempo grooves and slow-burning ballads.

But Usher has reinvented himself this year with the will.i.am dance tune "OMG" and his latest single, "DJ Got Us Falling in Love."

Usher plays to win, and after his stirring performance it's clear that the crown still rests securely on his head.

The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there's plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com.

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Diddy, Trey Songz Applaud Chris Brown's Emotional BET Awards Performance

'He left his heart on the stage,' Songz says of singer's Michael Jackson tribute; host Queen Latifah and others also react.
By Rochell Thomas


Chris Brown at the 2010 BET Awards
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Folks had nothing but love for Chris Brown, who fell apart during his tribute to Michael Jackson at the 10th annual BET Awards on Sunday night (June 27).

At the afterparty, hosted by the tag team of Diddy and "Hustle & Flow" actress Taraji P. Henson, everyone from a show producer to the cast of the soon-to-be-revived BET series "The Game," as well as some of the night's winners and presenters, had something to say about Brown's emotional performance of "Man in the Mirror," during which the singer fell to his knees crying, genuinely unable, it seemed, to sing the song.

"You know who stole my heart tonight?" Henson asked.

"Chris Brown!" answered Diddy, host Queen Latifah, BET personality Tigger and a group of others in near-unison.

"He was so vulnerable," Henson continued. "I love you, Chris!"

During the tribute, Brown channeled Michael as he danced to "Remember the Time," "Smooth Criminal" and "Billie Jean."

The winner in the Best Male R&B Artist category, Trey Songz, said, "Chris killed that. He left his heart on the stage. He gave genuine emotion. I was proud of him and I was happy for him for having that moment." Songz didn't mention Brown choking on the lyrics during the song: "He did that justice. Everybody's been waiting for that."

Brown may have been waiting for his turn to do a tribute to his idol Michael Jackson, but he also was happy to have an opportunity to speak to his fans later in the show.

"I let y'all down before, but I won't do it again," he said as he accepted the award for the AOL Fandemonium prize, which was presented by siblings Brandy and Ray J. "I promise." Fans voted online, giving Brown the win over Nicki Minaj, Trey Songz and Justin Bieber.

What did you think of Chris Brown's Michael Jackson tribute? Tell us in the comments

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