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Monday, January 30, 2012

The Wanted Get 'Massive Buzz' From American Fans

As British boy band the Wanted embark on a U.S. tour, the five guys are eating up all the love they've been receiving Stateside. In fact, they kind of can't get enough of all the American fans they have met since kicking off their tour last week.

"Unbelievable, like we never expected it," Max George told MTV News about the shows, which have included sold-out dates. "The States is one territory in the world we always wanted to crack, and that's like the ultimate. It's been amazing."

The Wanted — made up of George, Tom Parker, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes — formed in 2009 and quickly became popular enough in the U.K. to snag touring dates with Justin Bieber. Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, has since taken them under his managerial wing, accelerating their rise to American popularity. In fact, they even opened for Britney Spears for a date on her Femme Fatale Tour. They are currently out promoting their single "Glad You Came."

Parker said he's overwhelmed by the response the guys have been getting city after city since coming over, which includes a performance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "It's all been really quick, actually, and we've only been over here for a week and we've seen it grow massively in just a week," he said of the group's popularity. "Well that's the power of the Internet; social networking crosses over into so many different territories that for us it's been crucial."

Kaneswaran added that the guys have also been connecting to audiences and fans thanks to "the power of music, music defines an act."

As the guys continue to weave spells over American audiences, they weighed in on what makes U.S. fans different from the ones back home. "The American fans are so optimistic, very intense," George said. "They're just really enthusiastic. I get a massive buzz off American people. I think it's really refreshing."

With several weeks left on their trek around America, McGuiness teased future audiences of what they should expect at one of their shows. "I think just don't go expecting the perfect, polished, most beautiful set of things ever," he said. "Basically it's five guys and this absolutely rocking band. Our band is badass and we sing our heads off and it gets sweaty."

The guys are here promoting their album Battleground. Their U.S. tour will wrap up on February 8 in Los Angeles before they kick off an arena tour on February 15 in their native England. "We were always hopeful it would go as good as it started off to be," McGuiness added. "But you never know how a new territory is going to react. I feel like there is an element of luck involved."

Are you planning on seeing the Wanted live? Let us know in the comments!


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Demi Moore's Hospitalization: More Details Emerge

While the many reported reasons for Demi Moore's recent hospitalization have varied from exhaustion to substance abuse, TMZ is now saying nitrous oxide was behind the health scare.

According to the website, friends who were on the scene the night of the hospitalization told EMTs the actress was inhaling nitrous oxide from aerosol cans — also known as whip-its — before 911 was called. TMZ's sources said the actress was exhibiting seizure-like symptoms after inhaling the nitrous.

Demi's hospitalization caps a rough patch for the actress.

People magazine also talked to sources close to Moore, who said they've been worried about their friend for quite some time. "Really, it was over the last year her friends saw a change," one source said about her split from husband Ashton Kutcher. "She wasn't sleeping as well, didn't seem to be eating and looked really gaunt."

Another source told the mag that Moore's recent prescription-drug abuse was a factor in the end of her marriage. "It was a sticking point for Ashton," the source said. "He wanted her to take care of herself and get a hold of things, and she wouldn't."

Check out photos of Demi and Ashton from happier times.

Moore endured a very public and emotional split from Kutcher back in November, publicly announcing the breakup with "sadness and a heavy heart" after months of not-so-quiet rumblings that her husband had been unfaithful. While it was announced earlier this month that Moore would star as feminist icon Gloria Steinem in the upcoming film "Lovelace," her rep said the setback in her health would prevent her from working on the project.


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Russell Brand Sets First Public Appearance Since Katy Perry Split

Russell Brand is set to make his first public appearance since filing for divorce from Katy Perry when he takes the stage at New York's Radio City Music Hall as part of an Amnesty International benefit.

Brand will perform alongside Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Reggie Watts and others at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball, a long-running celebration of free speech and comedy, set for March 4 at the venerable NYC venue.

The event marks the first time the ball has been held in the U.S. and also is Brand's first scheduled appearance since he and Perry split in December; the "California Gurls" hitmaker has already made a pair of public appearances, first filming an Adidas commercial earlier this month and then returning to the stage for a concert in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Check out photos of Russell and Katy from happier times.

In a video promoting a then-upcoming comedy tour of American colleges — which was shot in mid-November, before the couple announced their split — Brand was seen jokingly removing his wedding ring. To date, he's yet to announce any additional appearances.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a crowd of some 6,000 is expected for the Secret Policeman's Ball, which will help mark Amnesty International's 50th anniversary. First launched in 1976, the ball has helped champion free speech and human-rights causes around the globe. Tickets for the event will reportedly go on sale later this month.


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Adele's <I>21</I> Ties Another #1 <I>Billboard</I> Record

Adele's 21 gives a whole new meaning to "Achy Breaky Heart." And since the singer's unstoppable album will notch its 17th non-consecutive week at #1 next week on the Billboard albums chart, she now shares that honor with Billy Ray Cyrus' breakthrough, Some Gave All, which did the same in 1992.

After blowing past the 1997 "Titanic" soundtrack last week, Adele sold another 95,000 copies of 21 to keep the top spot, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. That was more than enough to lock out the 21st edition of the Kidz Bop series, which will debut at #2 on sales of 59,000.

The only other new face in the top 10 is gospel act James Fortune & FIYA's Identity, which moved 18,000 units.

The rest of the top 10: Black Keys' El Camino (#3, 29,000), Drake's Take Care (#4, 29,000), Rihanna's Talk That Talk (#5, 20,000), Young Jeezy's TM 103: Hustlerz Ambition (#6, 19,000), Toby Keith's Clancy's Tavern (#8, 17,000), Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto (#9, 17,000) and Nickelback's Here and Now (#10, 17,000).

Otherwise, it was pretty quiet, with punk band Attack Attack! sliding into the #11 spot with their new one, This Means War (17,000), and the soundtrack to the Dolly Parton/Queen Latifah feel-good movie "Joyful Noise" jumping up nine spots in its second week to #12 (just under 17,000). Down at #26 was protest folkie Ani DiFranco with Which Side Are You On? (11,000) and, at #33, soft rockers Snow Patrol, whose Fallen Empires tumbled 28 spots in its second week on the charts.

Adele might be safe for another week if the latest from country star Tim McGraw doesn't push her out of the top spot. Other new releases include albums from Lamb of God, Kellie Pickler and Amnesty International's four-disc Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan compilation.


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Adam Lambert's 'Better Than I Know Myself' About 'Duality'

Adam Lambert has come a long way since "American Idol" and is taking a reflective look back with his new single, "Better Than I Know Myself." The pop star, who turns 30 on Sunday, tells MTV News that the first release from his forthcoming sophomore album, Trespassing, is "about the relationship you have with yourself, between your dark and light side. It's about duality; it's about that balance and finding it and struggling to maintain it and what it means."

It's been a tumultuous few weeks for the singer, who was arrested in Finland in late December after a verbal argument with his boyfriend, Sauli Koskinen, outside of a Helsinki bar turned physical. Lambert later admitted to Ellen DeGeneres during an appearance on her show last week that alcohol was the main catalyst for the altercation, telling the host, "When you add alcohol to a situation, things can get out of control. ... What happened was, we had too much to drink. We screwed up. There was no injuries, no violence. It was more just childish, foolish messiness."

With the March 20 release of Trespassing nearing, Lambert's focus has returned to his music and his new single.

"It's so universal," Lambert tells MTV News. "It's ... in the middle of a bunch of different genres, and I think that no matter who you are, if you've been in a relationship, you know what that is."

Lambert collaborated on the track with Dr. Luke (Britney Spears, Katy Perry) and songwriter Claude Kelly, who co-wrote his debut single, "For Your Entertainment." He admitted "Better" has a lot in common with his Pink-written top 10 smash "Whataya Want From Me," saying, "There is something similar to "Whataya Want From Me," and I think that's the reason I'm really glad it's the first single."

He also revealed that the upcoming video for the track is "like a cousin" to the "Whataya Want" clip.

Lambert said the song deals with the insecurities that come with being in a relationship. "[It's about] that moment where you're like, 'I need you, I love you,' where you have to reassure your partner," adding, "No matter what kind of relationship, everybody can relate to that moment."


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Demi Moore Hospitalization Caps Rough Patch For Actress

Demi Moore made headlines on Tuesday when she was hospitalized for "exhaustion." The news of the health scare may not have been too surprising to celebrity watchers who have been closely keeping an eye on the actress in the wake of her split from Ashton Kutcher.

In 2011, Moore's personal life became heavily scrutinized when "Two and a Half Men" star Kutcher faced allegations that he was cheating on Moore. The actress has been lying low of late — she appeared in several smaller films in the past year, including "Margin Call" and "Another Happy Day."

Last fall, shortly before she announced her split from Kutcher, Moore had many fans worried about her health after she appeared thinner than usual at several red-carpet appearances to promote "Margin Call." But she kept up a brave face in the wake of all the rumors regarding her appearance and her marriage.

Check out photos of Demi and Ashton from happier times.

It all came to a head in November when Moore and Kutcher confirmed that they were separating. In a statement, Moore said, "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton.

"As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life," the statement continued. "This is a trying time for me and my family, and so I would ask for the same compassion and privacy that you would give to anyone going through a similar situation."

In the months since the announcement, Moore has kept a low profile, but in early January she was cast as feminist icon Gloria Steinem in the "Lovelace" biopic currently shooting in Los Angeles.

Since her hospitalization, Moore has dropped out of "Lovelace." Her next film release is "LOL," starring Miley Cyrus and Ashley Greene, due out later this year. "I really loved the movie; I loved working with [Cyrus] and the director. They just put it on pause because they had another film they were focusing on. It's a tough thing when you have a movie you're looking forward to coming out," she said of the flick.


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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Sundance 2012: The Five Most Buzzed-About Movies

For those of us not lucky enough to be in Park City, Utah, right now, the biggest stories coming out of the Sundance Film Festival detail the standing ovations and the distribution deals that filmmakers sign for millions of dollars.

With so many films making their premieres at Sundance, it can be difficult to keep track of which ones you need to be paying attention to and looking out for later this year. To help you out, we've rounded up the five films that are coming out of Park City with the biggest buzz.

Here is our list of the five most talked-about Sundance films.

"The Surrogate"
With Oscar nominations being announced Tuesday, looking forward to the 2013 Oscar nominees may seem a little premature. That hasn't stopped festival attendees from heralding the performances from John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy and predicting Academy Award nominations come next January. In the film, Hawkes plays Mark, a man in an iron lung. Mark decides that he must finally lose his virginity and contacts a sex surrogate played by Hunt. "The Surrogate" earned standing ovations and some of the earliest Oscars talk we've ever heard.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
One of the outright surprises of the festival came in the form of 6-year old Quvenzhané Wallis and her breakout role in Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild." The film virtually came out of nowhere and won over audiences handedly. Set in some alternate but fairly relatable reality, Wallis plays Hushpuppy, who has to navigate a brave new world after her father becomes ill. Arguably the festival's most coveted distributor, Fox Searchlight, snapped up the distribution rights for "Beasts" after paying $6 million for "The Surrogate."

"V/H/S"
What better praise can a horror film get than an audience member fainting during a screening? The horror anthology "V/H/S" supposedly had that exact effect on one unlucky audience member. Six of horror's hottest up-and-coming directors contributed segments to this found-footage film, which follows a group of burglars breaking into a mysterious house to search for a specific VHS tape. The movie scared audiences throughout the festival and is considered a must-see for horror fans.

"The First Time"
Once you find out that a movie called "The First Time" follows a blossoming romance between two teenagers, you'd probably assume you know what's going on. Most of the reviews for the film acknowledge their expectations going into the teen comedy from writer-director Jon Kasdan, but many of those reviews then describe how "The First Time" surprised them with its infectious charm. Set over the course of one weekend, "The First Time" stars Britt Robertson of "The Secret Circle" and Dylan O'Brien of MTV's "Teen Wolf" as high school kids who meet but are tied up in other relationships.

"Celeste and Jesse Forever"
Rashida Jones has charmed audiences in movies and television for years but always remained just outside the realm of leading lady. Perhaps deciding to make the change herself, Jones co-wrote and starred in "Celeste and Jesse Forever," an indie romance with Andy Samberg. The two play a recently divorced couple attempting to remain friends after the breakup. Critics applauded the film's script, which strikes a balance between comedy and poignant romantic drama.

Which of these five films are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!


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Lady Gaga Opens Italian Restaurant With Her Dad

Lady Gaga is known for being ostentatious, outrageous and making the biggest entrance possible. But for a star that has made her name for shocking our senses, Mother Monster's newest venture is decidedly low-key.

After dropping several mentions in interviews over the past few months about a new restaurant she planned to launch with her father, Joseph Germanotta, Joanne Trattoria will finally open its doors on Wednesday.

The modest Italian neighborhood eatery on West 68th Street in New York was described by The New York Times as having a "well-stocked bar, a cozy back patio and seating for about 70 people." The walls are covered with scenes of the Tuscan countryside, and near a fireplace at the entrance, diners will see some Germanotta family photos hanging by a front booth.

The restaurant will be run by Joseph and Gaga's mother, Cynthia, and her proud pop admitted that his daughter "just generates a lot of sizzle," helping to get the word out about the venture. The chef and partner in the business is Art Smith, who met Gaga at a taping for the "Oprah Winfrey Show." Smith was Winfrey's personal chef for several years.

The name was inspired by Joseph's late sister, Joanne, who died of lupus at age 19. Not only is "Joanne" Gaga's middle name, but in a number of interviews the singer has opened up about her strong connection with her late aunt.

"I thought I was gonna die," she said last year. "I wanted to be the artists I loved, like Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol -- and I thought the only way to do it was to live the lifestyle. But then I realized my father's sister Joanne, who'd died at 19, had instilled her spirit in me. She was a painter and a poet -- and I had a spiritual vision I had to finish her business."

The Times noted that Gaga is not officially a part-owner of the restaurant, which Joseph said the family could have afforded to open even if his daughter had not risen to global fame. It has long been his dream to open the eatery, he said, and visitors at Joanne will dine on "Southern Italian," given that Smith is from the South and the Germanottas are Italian.

That means they will chow down on dishes such as "Papa G's chicken," traditional offerings like osso buco inspired by Joanne and "Cynthia's salad," named for Gaga's mother.

Hoping to temper fans' expectations, Joseph said he wasn't sure if he'd post current pics of Gaga among the family photos. Maybe, he said, just an old one in which she's not as recognizable. And though he's happy to have his eldest get the word out about the family business, if fans make the trek expecting to see a trophy case with VMAs and Grammys, "It's not going to happen," he warned.


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Jay-Z Joins T.I., Fat Joe, Fabolous As A Hip-Hop Dad

Jay-Z isn't the first rapper to become a dad, not by a long shot. But now that he and wife Beyoncé welcomed Blue Ivy Carter into the world on January 8, there has been much speculation over what kind of parents they will be.

So how will Jay balance his street-bred rap persona with his new fatherly responsibilities? It's a balancing act that MCs like T.I., Fat Joe and Fabolous have been juggling for some time now.

Before rap, Fat Joe had quite the reputation on the streets of the Bronx, and over the course of his 19-year career, his music has reflected just that. His teenage son, Ryan, sometimes feels the pressure to live up to his dad's rep, but Joey Crack works hard to guide him right. " 'Everywhere he goes people tell him, 'I remember when your father was this, this and that,' so he's tryin' to live up to that," Joe told MTV News. "But I'm tryin' to tell him, 'Yo, we live in a mansion, B, like you know that's done.' "

Ja Rule, who is currently serving a two-year sentence on a gun charge, talked to MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway about how his life decisions ultimately affect his kids when he appeared on "RapFix Live" in April. "She needs her father," Rule said of his teenage girl, Brittany. "My boys, they need me right now too, as well as my wife. They need Daddy, and Daddy f---ed up."

Nick Cannon was recently hospitalized for kidney failure and spoke to MTV News about maintaining a healthier lifestyle to be there for his and wife Mariah Carey's children."There was a second I was thinking like, 'Damn, what if I'm not able to instill the things that I want to instill into my children?' " he said of his time in the hospital earlier this month. "It just makes you think, 'Yo, I need to give them everything I can possibly give them right now,' and obviously it starts with love."

Being a hip-hop father definitely changes things. Before he became a dad, Fabolous rarely rhymed about his personal life, but in 2009 he opened up about his son Johan on "Stay," a track from his Loso's Way album. On his upcoming Loso's Way 2, Fab figures he will open up even more. "[Children] change the way you look at things and do things and I think the music will reflect that too," he said.

T.I. has been balancing rap and family life for almost his entire career. He and wife Tameka "Tiny" Harris now star in the VH1 reality series "T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle," where cameras follow the couple and their six children around. On the show, Tip's kids exhibit a star quality similar to their famous dad; his son Domani is even starting a rap career of his own. "I'm not going to encourage him," T.I. said about his son following in his footsteps. "However, I will support him if I see that he's sincerely passionate."

There's a lot to consider when being a hip-hop dad, so Hov has his work cut out for him. "It's serious being a hip-hop rapper and being a father in the real world," Fat Joe said.

Share your advice for Jay-Z in the comments!


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'American Idol' Introduces Shelby Tweten And ... Magic Cyclops

The change in direction in this year's "American Idol" — focusing on actual contestants rather than the humiliating auditions that result in YouTube infamy — has, thus far, deprived viewers of any great-bad moments. That changed Wednesday (January 25) during the "Idol" auditions from Aspen, Colorado, when viewers were introduced to "professional air guitarist" Magic Cyclops, who showed up in front of Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson in an American-flag T-shirt, a red-white-and-blue bandana and a faux-British accent he said he picked up in Davenport, Iowa, from watching the BBC.

The long-haired, facial-hair-sporting Cyclops refused to give his age — "it's not polite to ask a lady her age," he told Jackson — and claimed to be the proud owner of 11,000 air guitars. "I know there's a guy in Belgium that has, I think, five more than me," he said. When it came time to sing, Cyclops offered the judges their choice between Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie" and Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville" and ended up singing them both in a kind of metalhead growl.

Jackson was already on his way out of the room when Cyclops hit his grand finale — a burst of confetti shooting out of a cannon he had tucked into the back of his pants — but by that time, season 11 had finally given us someone to include alongside William Hung, Renaldo Lapuz and others in the "Idol" Bad Audition Hall of Fame.

Cyclops aside, Aspen had a solid crop of talent to offer, with 31 singers earning Golden Tickets to Hollywood. Perhaps the most unique contestant was 25-year-old Angie Zeiderman of Delray Beach, Florida, a would-be Lady Gaga in a floral-print minidress, pearls and a purple hairdo who rolled around the audition stage while performing "When You've Got It, Flaunt It" from "The Producers." She followed it with a measured take on Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou," leading Jackson to tell her, "You're in your own little world." Lopez complimented her strong voice and her tone, while Tyler told her she had a "great little voice." Zeiderman herself told the cameras, "It is time for a vintage glitter queen on 'American Idol,' " and it seems as though she's right, as she sailed through to the next round of auditions.

Viewers were also told the story of Shelby Tweten, 17, of North Mankato, Minnesota, who was diagnosed bipolar last year but who said "American Idol" keeps her balanced and gives her a reason to stay on her medication. Her version of Carrie Underwood's "Temporary Home" brought a tear to Lopez's eye and inspired Jackson to give her a "big, huge yes!" to Hollywood.

Haley Smith, meanwhile, doesn't have just one job she has to leave to head to Hollywood, but three. The hardworking 18-year-old from Orem, Utah, brought a little flower power to Wednesday's show, as her throwback hippie vibe gave Steven Tyler flashbacks. "I love your voice so much. You're right out of my era, and I'm honored to be here listening to your voice," he told the Janis Joplin-like Smith, following her earthy version of Rufus and Chaka Kahn's "Tell Me Something Good."

Then there was 19-year-old Jairon Jackson of Denver, Colorado, whose original song "So Hard" inspired Lopez to exclaim, "That kid is a real artist!" and also provided enough of a tie-in for producers to play will.i.am.'s Lopez-assisted "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)." Cross-promotion is key, kids.

Other singers ushered through to Hollywood on Wednesday's episode included elementary school teacher Jenni Schick, 24, of Sterling, Virginia, who managed to steal a kiss on the lips from Tyler before leaving the judge's room; Curtis Gray, 28, of Spring Hill, Florida, who was called a "major talent" after his version of Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"; Scotty McCreery sound-alike Richie Law, 19, of Centennial, Colorado; Devan Jones, 26, of Aurora, Colorado, a hotel clerk who moved the judges with his version of the Script's "The Man Who Can't Be Moved"; and 25-year-old Mathenee Reco of Centennial, Colorado, a dance instructor who gave an animated version of the Beatles' "Hey Jude."

On Thursday, "Idol" is off to Galveston, Texas, to find out if everything really is bigger in Texas.

What did you think of Magic Cyclops and the rest of Wednesday's "Idol" contestants? Let us know in the comments!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.


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Madonna Made 'Magic' With William Orbit On <i>M.D.N.A.</i>

Madonna is readying the release of her album M.D.N.A., and for it she headed back into the studio with a familiar face. She hooked up once again with producer William Orbit, who worked on a number of tracks on the album, including her Golden Globe Award-winning "Masterpiece."

The relationship between Madonna and Orbit has been a fruitful one. He produced most of the songs on 1998's Ray of Light, including "Ray of Light," "Nothing Really Matters," "Frozen" and "The Power of Good-bye." The album later won several Grammy Awards and VMAs.

Their work together didn't end there. One year later, they produced Madge's "Austin Powers" soundtrack song, "Beautiful Stranger," which nabbed a Grammy Award in 2000. In the years since, she worked with Orbit on several unreleased tracks.

So, when it came to their latest collaboration, words weren't needed. "With William, I didn't really have a discussion," she told MTV News at the New York premiere of "W.E." "We've worked on stuff for so many years that we kind of finish each other's sentences. He knows my taste and what I like."

With "Masterpiece" serving as a tease, the singer later added, "Magic happens when we get into a recording studio together."

As fans prep for the release of her studio album, they can look forward to her halftime Super Bowl performance and her video for the Martin Solveig-produced "Gimme All Your Luvin" (which also features Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.).

Are you excited for M.D.N.A.? Leave your comments below!


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Joe Jonas, Jennifer Love Hewitt Cozy Up In 'Cleveland'

Jet-setting actor/musician Joe Jonas has once again made time in his busy schedule for a little stop through Cleveland — "Hot in Cleveland," that is, the popular show on TV Land starring Valerie Bertinelli, Betty White, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves.

Jonas has a guest-starring role on the sitcom as the wayward son of Bertinelli's character. MTV News was lucky enough to visit the set of "Cleveland" on the day Jonas filmed his second guest spot, which premieres Wednesday night (January 25) at 10 p.m. ET. When we caught up with him for a few minutes between scenes, he shared some details about his return to the show.

"Being back on the show, [my character Will is] engaged, and I have to be engaged to Jennifer Love Hewitt, which is really nice," he said. "We're both sons and daughters of characters on the show, and we show up and surprise everybody. They don't expect us to be engaged."

Jonas said that while it was fun to work with Hewitt, their characters' engagement doesn't exactly last for long. "Both of our characters are really different. I think I'm a little bit blinded by the fact that she may not be the perfect person for me. I think we last probably less than Kim Kardashian in this," he joked.

Long engagements or no, Jonas said he loves his time on the show and would be happy to come back any time.

"I would love to be able to return again. The first episode when I left, people were like, 'Are you going to be back soon?' and I said, 'I think so.' I don't think my character passed away, so I think we're good. I don't die in this episode either," he added. "So I'm still around, so I could definitely come back if they'd like me to. I have a fun time being on the set and I love the cast; it's kind of like a family."

Are you excited to see Joe in "Cleveland" again? Let us know in the comments!


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Ne-Yo Aims To Revitalize Motown To Its 'Original Glory'

Ne-Yo never sought to be a music executive, but when Motown approached him to become the senior vice president of A&R, he couldn't say no.

"Sometimes the music that feeds your soul isn't necessarily the music that feeds your family. So I never envied those cats who had to make those types of decisions," Ne-Yo told MTV News.

On Tuesday, news broke that Ne-Yo made a move from Def Jam, where he started his career, to Motown, where he will now record and help to develop new talent. The Grammy Award-winning singer explained to MTV News that he still has close ties to Def Jam, which like Motown falls under the Universal umbrella. It was Universal Republic and Island Def Jam Motown chairman/CEO Barry Weiss and senior vice president of Motown Ethiopia Habtemariam who were instrumental in bringing Ne-Yo over in an effort to re-brand the storied label that Berry Gordy started back in 1959.

"They sat me down and talked to me about the whole revitalization of Motown, bringing Motown back to its original glory," Ne-Yo said. "I gotta say, beyond anything else, I was just flattered that they thought me worthy of such a responsibility."

Music legends like Diana Ross, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson all at one time recorded for Motown. "It's great big shoes to fill. I was told at one point the title that I now hold is the title that Smokey Robinson held when he was there," he said.

Yes, he's been named an executive, but the "So Sick" singer has not lost his passion for music. His upcoming fifth album, which was originally titled The Cracks in Mr. Perfect, has now taken a new turn. Though fully confident in his new material, Ne-Yo said he's undecided on a title. For now, he is just creating.

"As I'm writing and recording records, the project would take on a whole new personality within itself. That's just the creative process," he said. "So as of right now, there is no title for the album. I'm still working on that ... the running title was The Cracks in Mr. Perfect, but I'm in a whole 'nother head space now."


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Vanessa Hudgens, Shailene Woodley, More Reveal Red Carpet <i>Don't</i>s

With awards season is in full swing — Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday, the Screen Actors Guild Awards are set for Sunday — the stars have been stepping up their fashion game in hopes of taking home one of the most important honors: Best Dressed.

But a lot of work goes into making that coveted list. MTV News asked some of the biggest actresses in the business for advice on what not to do on a red carpet.

"Don't wear something that's uncomfortable," said "Descendents" star Shailene Woodley when asked about how to leave a lasting impression. "Wear something that's super comfortable."

Hudgens had some unusual advice for what not to do on the red carpet. "A cartwheel ... in a dress," she said.

Comfort may not have been at the top of the list for Reese Witherspoon and Charlize Theron, who wowed at the 2012 Golden Globes, but they were certainly dazzling. Similarly, young starlets like Demi Lovato and Vanessa Hudgens made daring fashion choices at the People's Choice Awards and came out winners.

"The Help" star Jessica Chastain — who just got her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress — seemed to agree with Woodley.

"You should never wear something that makes you uncomfortable because then you look uncomfortable," Chastain said. "We've all done that, right? We've all been talked into something we didn't love, by our grandmothers, our aunts, my great aunt."

Chastain's fellow Oscar nominee and "Help" co-star, Viola Davis, has a busy red-carpet season ahead of her, but don't expect her to strike a pose. "My big thing, I never do over-the-shoulder shots," Davis told us. "I just don't. I think they're cheesy.

"I think absolutely you should be who you are, it has a huge calming effect as opposed to adding anxiety to yourself and trying to channel another persona; it really doesn't work," the Best Actress nominee continued. "Can you imagine the over-the-shoulder, hair-flip kinda pose for myself?"

Of course, it's not just about the dress or the most flattering pose — viewers keep an eye on carpet etiquette, too. According to Dame Helen Mirren, a star should always be on their best behavior.

"Don't be drunk, absolutely do not be drunk or high on anything," Mirren said. "Don't be nervous and do enjoy it. Think [to yourself], 'This is crazy, this is ridiculous, it's absurd, it has absolutely no place in the modern world. I'm just gonna love it.' "

Share your favorite red-carpet looks of the season so far in the comments!

Stay with MTV Style during awards-show season, and every day!


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'SpongeBob' Cameo Gives Johnny Knoxville 'Street Cred'

You would think Johnny Knoxville is a pretty big deal around the offices of Dickhouse Productions, but, apparently, you'd be wrong. It seems no one paid much attention to him until late last year, when he let it be known he'd be appearing on an upcoming episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants." Then everything changed.

"It was a real attention-getter. Everyone around the office was immediately psyched. Lots of street cred around the office," the "Jackass" star laughed. "It went over huge. Everyone's big fans of 'SpongeBob' around here. It's a tough office to get a reaction in, but this got it."

In the upcoming episode, Knoxville plays Johnny Krill ("some extreme sports, motorcycle guy," as he put it), the leader of the high-octane Drastic Radicals sports team, which SpongeBob and his pal Patrick are dying to join. And while we suspect he's kidding about the cred thing, Knoxville was dead serious when he said lending his voice to an upcoming episode of the long-running Nickelodeon cartoon was not only a total thrill, but an automatic no-brainer — for reasons other than just office acceptance.

"It took me two seconds to say 'yes,' " Knoxville said. "I know my 16-year-old daughter was very happy, and my other two kids, one's 2 and the other's three months, so one day, hopefully they'll be proud of pop.

"I also need to add that Johnny Krill is very handsome and very well hung, so, you know, it's really suspending belief," he continued. "And that's also probably why it took me two seconds to say 'yes.' "

And the benefits didn't stop there: "They loaded me up with a bunch of schwag! Every toy they ever made — skateboards, wristbands, all kinds of great stuff. They just don't quit with the perks. Then I got to do a photo shoot with SpongeBob. They let me do my own stunts for this episode. It was amazing."

The Knoxville episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants" — called "Extreme Spots" — is set to air this summer on Nickelodeon.


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Bow Wow 'Needed To Live Life' To Make <i>Underrated</i>

Bow Wow has grown up in hip-hop, but in order to deliver his upcoming seventh album, Underrated, the Cash Money MC had to go through some real-life experiences.

"I feel like with this album, it's so different, because I had to live life to make this album," the 24-year old rapper told Sway when he visited "RapFix Live" on Wednesday.

"I had to go through a lot of things for me to be able to write the type of things I'm writing now, to understand my fans, to be on the ground level. Not above my people, but right there with my people," he continued. "I would probably need another three years to live before I can create another one. Just so I could go through different things."

As far as the album title, Bow used it as motivation. "The more and more I kept sayin' the word 'underrated,' I realized how many others of millions of people out there probably tuning in right now who probably feel like they're underrated," he said. "I'm sure there is an underground rapper out there who can rap hard and he want his break."

Despite all his platinum plaques and sold-out tours, Bow Wow still feels like he doesn't get his just due. He hopes that will change once the album drops. Bow recently debuted the first video from the album, for "Sweat" with Lil Wayne, and he has already clocked in collaborations with Lloyd Banks. Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Jadakiss and Meek Mill and still plans to record with Wiz Khalifa.

Though there isn't a concrete release date in place, Bow Wow estimates Underrated will drop in April.

What are you expecting from Bow Wow's latest album? Let us know in the comments!


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Dwight Schrute Spin-Off From 'The Office' In Works

Up until now, we've gotten just an occasional glimpse at the bizarre happenings at the Schrute family beet farm. But if NBC has its way, we may be seeing a lot more of agritourism hotel owner and Assistant to the Regional Manager at Dunder Mifflin, Dwight Schrute.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, an unnamed source at NBC confirmed that the network is thinking about a spin-off centered on Rainn Wilson's paintball-loving character and his family's farm. The show would delve deeper into life at Schrute Farms and include a number of other Schrutes.

With "The Office" not yet picked up for a ninth season, the plan is to start testing the concept in an episode later this season. So far, it's believed that Wilson, as well as actor/showrunner Paul Lieberstein and executive producer Ben Silverman are involved.

"Paul and Rainn have been joking for years about Dwight's life on the farm, his family and how ill-suited he is to run a B&B," a source told Deadline Hollywood. "A while ago, it started to feel like a show to them. NBC agreed, it's been further developed to include multiple generations, many cousins and neighbors. At its base it will be about a family farm struggling to survive and a family trying to stay together."

As the Reporter noted, while Wilson's quirky character has a devoted cult following -- as evidenced by such comprehensive fan sites as Schrute Space -- the spin-off concept is not necessarily a slam-dunk. Just as the short-lived, unfunny "Friends" spin-off "Joey" crashed and burned, it's possible that the shrinking "Office" fanbase might not follow Dwight off into the beet fields.

"The Office" got a major overhaul at the end of last season, when star Steve Carell left and actor James Spader was brought in as new boss Robert California. So far, the strong ensemble cast has struggled to find its legs without Carell's outrageously clueless Michael Scott to ground them and average ratings have slipped down by more than a million viewers since last season. Given the show's legacy and appeal to young male viewers, though, the trade magazine said it was likely "The Office" would be picked up for another season.


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Justin Bieber Makes 'Huge Impact' On Organ Donor Registrations

Justin Bieber is a charitable guy. So when a fan of his reached out to him on Twitter to help spread the word about organ and blood donation, one particular bank quickly saw more and more people in the giving spirit.

Belieber Helene Campbell, 20, tweeted the teen star last week about her own struggles (including how she herself needs a lung transplant). Bieber then began tweeting to her and about her, shedding more light on the cause than the fan could have ever anticipated.

In the days since the online correspondence, the Ontario-based Trillium Gift of Life Network has seen donations skyrocket to more than 1,200 people, four times the amount the network usually receives. In part it had a lot to do with Bieber, but also the campaign started by Campbell, who suffers from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

"Helene has done an incredible job inspiring and motivating Ontarians to register their consent to organ and tissue donation. On an average day we would expect about 50 new online registrations," President and CEO Ronnie Gavsie said in a statement on Wednesday (January 25). "Since Helene's campaign began last Thursday, the average has been closer to 200 per day! There are over 1,500 people in Ontario waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, on behalf of all them and Trillium Gift of Life Network, thank you Helene and thank you Justin Bieber!"

Shortly after his initial tweet, she shared with him, "@justinbieber you have made a huge impact, not only on my life, but for many others in need of the gift of life now and in the future!"

His response: "@alungstory glad to be able to help. best part of what i do."

Bieber's other charity work includes his Believe Charity Drive as well as his participation with the Pencils of Promise foundation.


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Russell Brand To Star In Michael Bay's 'Hauntrepreneur'

Russell Brand has nabbed a starring role in the Michael Bay-produced "The Hauntrepreneur."

The movie will revolve around a "peculiar man" (presumably Brand, given his penchant for those types of roles) who is hired by a family to help them adjust to living in a new town. Calling himself the "Hauntrepreneur," he creates a haunted house full of kooky characters to try to help them get acclimated to their new surroundings, Variety reports.

Paramount has yet to comment on the casting. It marks the latest move Brand has made since filing for divorce from Katy Perry over New Year's weekend.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Brand will perform as part of an Amnesty International benefit March 4 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. It marks his first public appearance since news broke of his split from Perry. Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Reggie Watts and others will also appear at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball.

Brand will next be seen in "Rock of Ages," alongside Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige and Alec Baldwin. The big-screen adaptation of Broadway's rock musical will open June 1. He's also attached to Diablo Cody's "Untitled Diablo Cody Project," which also will feature Hough.

Additionally, he's working with the FX network on a series of six half-hour late-night comedy specials that will be filmed in front of a live audience as well as an animated comedy he co-created that will air on the Fox network.


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Lindsay Lohan Sued After Car Crash With Nanny

Lindsay Lohan can't stay out of the headlines for more than a few weeks. The problem-plagued actress has been sued by a woman claiming Lohan hit her with her car.

According to TMZ, the accident occurred way back in September 2010, when Lohan was reportedly seen running a red light in West Hollywood, California, and hit a nanny, Nubia Del Carmen Preza, who was pushing a stroller across the intersection.

A witness, Brayan Jaime — who was an aspiring paparazzi photographer at the time of the hit-and-run — told the website the accident was a "major hit." He claims he saw the bumper of Lohan's sports car hit Preza in the leg and lift three of the stroller's four wheels into the air on impact.

Jaime also said he heard crying but that the child didn't appear to have been injured; he didn't comment on Preza's condition. When asked why he didn't immediately call the police after witnessing the crash, Jaime said he didn't have a good reason. "I should have. I'm not sure," he told TMZ. "I didn't want to get involved."

There was talk that Jaime and another fellow paparazzo managed to capture video of the incident, but nothing has surfaced yet. Perhaps the filing of the lawsuit will change that.

Preza has reportedly filed for unspecified damages in her suit. There is no word on whether Preza sustained any lasting injuries from the crash or why she didn't immediately file the lawsuit or police charges against Lohan at the time.


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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Demi Moore Replaced By Sarah Jessica Parker In 'Lovelace'

A report from Us Weekly on Friday (January 27) claimed that "Weeds" star Mary-Louise Parker was stepping in to replace Demi Moore in "Lovelace." However, according to a press release, a different Parker — Sarah Jessica Parker — will step in for Moore as Gloria Steinem in the Linda Lovelace biopic.

Moore dropped out of the film earlier this week after being hospitalized for "exhaustion," and the search for her replacement began soon afterward. The film, which is currently filming in Los Angeles, stars Amanda Seyfried as the famous 1970s porn star.

Photos: Demi Moore through the years.

On Thursday, actress Chloë Sevigny joined the cast of "Lovelace" as a journalist, sparking speculation that she could be the one to replace Moore. When sources confirmed to Us Weekly that Mary-Louise Parker would take the role of Steinem, this no longer appeared to be the case. Hours after Us' initial report, the film's directors, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman ("Howl"), confirmed with Entertainment Weekly that Sarah Jessica Parker was Moore's true replacement, declaring the previous report erroneous. A press release announcing the news was sent to MTV News shortly thereafter.

Moore officially left the film Tuesday amid controversy surrounding her hospitalization, which a rep for the actress referred to as Moore's decision to "seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health." Since Moore's hospitalization, rumors have run rampant seeking an explanation for the medical emergency. Claims of drug and nitrous-oxide abuse arose shortly after word of the incident broke.

Check out everything we've got on "Lovelace."

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


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Demi Moore Replaced By Mary-Louise Parker In 'Lovelace'

Editor's note: While Us Weekly originally reported that "Weeds" star Mary-Louise Parker would replace Demi Moore as Gloria Steinem in "Lovelace," the filmmakers have confirmed to MTV News that Moore's actual replacement is Sarah Jessica Parker.

Amid her personal woes, Demi Moore, who had been set to play Gloria Steinem in the Linda Lovelace biopic, has been replaced by "Weeds" star Mary-Louise Parker.

Sources confirm to UsMagazine.com that the TV star will fill in for Moore, who had to drop out of the film earlier this week after she was hospitalized for "exhaustion." On Thursday, there was speculation that Chloë Sevigny would play the feminist icon when she was cast as a feminist journalist, but now it seems that those are two different roles.

"Lovelace" is currently shooting in Los Angeles with Amanda Seyfried playing the film's central character, '70s porn actress Linda Lovelace.

As the Demi drama rolls on, there are reports that Madonna reached out to the actress shortly after she was hospitalized. Moore has since been released from the L.A.-area hospital.

Sources tells E! News that the singer called her actress pal. "Madonna told Demi she was there if she needs anything," the E! source says, adding, "They're pretty tight."

The ladies last hung out during Golden Globes weekend, and they reportedly were going to see one another again over Super Bowl weekend; Madge is slated to perform during the halftime show. The status of their annual post-Oscars bash is currently up in the air.

While speculation runs rampant about why Moore was hospitalized, sources say that her ex, Ashton Kutcher, is "deeply concerned" for her. Moore is rumored to have been doing nitrous oxide before landing in the hospital. "He still cares about her and wants the best for her," the source added. "But their marriage is ending and they are both moving on with their lives."


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Rihanna's Tattoos: From Stars To 'Thug Life'

Rihanna had everyone buzzing this week when she debuted a tattoo with the words "Thug Life" scrolled across her famous fingers. The flesh-colored ink was done up by Los Angeles tat artist Mark Mahoney at the Shamrock Social Club parlor in Hollywood. While the body art pays tribute to late rapper Tupac, it is certainly not the first time that Rihanna has gotten a tattoo.

In fact, the singer is no novice. She's already covered in ink, ranging from the sugary sweet to the more hard-core.

She made headlines back in 2009 when she debuted a gun tattoo on her rib cage. Rihanna's tattoo was scandalous as it came only months after her Grammy-night altercation with her ex, Chris Brown. "People are going to react all different ways," tat artist BangBang explained to MTV News at the time, noting that it had been in the works long before the incident. "She's great. She's perfect. We had a blast, and we had a lot of fun."

BangBang and Rihanna have quite the history together when it comes to the many tats on her body. He is also responsible for the star tattoos on her back, the Roman numerals on her shoulder and the word "Shhh ... " on her finger.

But Rihanna hasn't stopped there. She has also been branded with a musical note on her ankle, a Pisces sign behind her right ear, the word "love" on her middle finger and a tribal tattoo on her hand. She reportedly has the birthday of her manager Melissa Forde written in Roman numerals on her shoulder: XI-IV-LXXXVI. As an homage to her perfume line she also has the French words for rebellious flower, "rebelle fleur," on her neck.

The singer also has a Sanatana Dharma Sanskrit prayer on her right hip.

Reportedly misspelled, the phrase was supposed to mean "forgiveness, honesty, suppression and control," but actually ends up meaning "long suffering, truthfulness, self-restraint, inward calm, fear and fearlessness."

On her rib cage, she also has the Arabic phrase "Al Hurria fi Al Maseeh," which means "Freedom in God." Proving to be some sort of billboard for sage advice, she also has the motto "Never a Failure, Always a Lesson" scrolled across her collarbone. Other Ri tats include a star in her ear and a skull and cross bone on her ankle.

In fact, Rihanna loves tattoos so much that in July 2009, she was spotted giving BangBang a tattoo at New York's East Side Ink, where he works. Owner Yadira said at the time, "We had a blast. It was so funny and cute."

When BangBang spoke to MTV News in 2009, he added this philosophy when it comes to tatting the singer: "You don't want to be staring at tats. You want to be staring at her face."


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Lana Del Rey's <i>Born To Die</i>: The Reviews Are In!

The now-infamous "Saturday Night Live" performance fail. All the hype about her looks, her path to the spotlight and the obligatory album leak a week before her debut dropped.

Lana Del Rey survived a lifetime's worth of slings and arrows before her major-label debut, Born to Die, was even released. But now that it's officially out, critics have had a chance to listen to the atmospheric tracks she's put together, and for the most part, they're pretty impressed.

The Chicago Tribune gave it two out of four stars and said the finished product is not always as interesting as the run-up to its release. "[The album] positions itself as a knowing retro commentary. It borrows heavily from B movies starring various second- and third-level 'Rebel Without a Cause' bad boys on motorcycles, string-drenched 'Last Kiss' pop tunes in which young lovers die in each other's arms, beehived teens-with-attitude declaring, 'He hit me and it felt like a kiss,' " music critic Greg Kot wrote. While Kot said Del Rey wishes to be taken seriously as "the bad girl in a gown, the cabaret singer with a masochistic streak," he said she's not always up to the task, even as he praised her distinctive, draggy vocal delivery and the dramatic, eerie arrangements from producer Emilie Haynie.

Over at BBC, the focus was squarely on the music, saying above and beyond the drama, Born to Die is about "something older and more mysterious than that; the extraordinary, resilient power of the pop song." The reviewer lamented that nothing on the 12-track album quite reaches the exquisite bummerness of lead single "Video Games," with several of the songs running "perilously close, while revealing there's more to her than the love-stunned torch singer [of that song]." What makes the album so fascinating and sets Del Rey apart from the typical "I'm hot, you're hot" pop tart is her "preoccupation with Hollywood archetypes of American femininity, and her ability to shape-shift between them."

MTV News' own James Montgomery believed the hype, writing that the album was "positively brimming with atmospherics — soaring, sonorous strings, echoing electronic boom-bap, morose, maudlin guitar crescendos — all of which imbue it with a truly epic (if not unnecessarily dramatic) scope." For him, the album is a "thrilling headphone experience" that sounds like the $1 million he suspected it cost to make.

The U.K.'s Guardian also praised the "sumptuous" orchestration and Del Rey's "fine" voice. But after being impressed by the "beguiling description of a mundane love" affair in "Video Games," the reviewer said the album's other lyrics are "incredibly heavy-handed in their attempts to convince you that Lana del Rey is the doomed but devoted partner of a kind of Athena poster bad boy, all white vest, cheekbones and dangling ciggie." If anything, the Guardian critic didn't buy the Del Rey tough-girl personality and said the best bet is to mostly ignore the lyrics and focus on "how magnificently most of the melodies have been constructed."

Leave your own review of Born to Die in the comments!


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Friday, January 27, 2012

'I Just Want My Pants Back' Cast Calls 'Jersey Shore' 'A Great Show'

NEW YORK — On Thursday night, the cast of MTV's latest scripted comedy, "I Just Want My Pants Back," gathered at the Public Assembly in Brooklyn, where they not only celebrated the show's imminent arrival, but also got to hang out with their Thursday night cohorts, the cast of the "Jersey Shore."

The pilot for the series originally got some love when it made its debut after the VMAs in August, and now it will officially kick off its run next Thursday. The cast, it seems, can't wait to finally have it on air.

"At last! I know everyone's been asking," Jordan Carlos joked to MTV News about the long-simmering delay. "My parents can finally get off my back; it's real. It'll be on on Groundhog Day, which happens to be my birthday as well."

"We've been seeing the commercials for the show for years now," Sunkrish Bala teased. "Slow burn, but it's all coming to a beautiful conclusion right now."

"It feels so crazy to be here right now," co-star Kim Shaw said. "We wanted people to see it at the VMAs to give people a taste of what we were filming, and now that we're finished with the series, we're so excited that everyone gets to see the whole thing."

Having already had one very high-profile premiere, it seems that next week it will get one more thanks to the "Jersey Shore" as its lead-in. "It's awesome," Elisabeth Hower said. "The fact that the network has so much confidence around us really means a lot, and I think that says a lot about the show. Please watch the show. We're nice people."

"It's an amazing lead-in," said Peter Vack, leading man of "Pants Back." " 'Jersey Shore' is a great show."

While "Jersey Shore" and "Pants Back" may seem like different shows on the surface — one's scripted, one's a reality show; one's about hipsters, one's about guidos — they both deal with a group of friends navigating their love lives. "Pants Back" follows a group of twentysomethings in New York City as they pilot love, friendship and the job market with a good dose of dirty humor and some heart thrown in for good measure.

"The show just goes so many fun places," Vack teased. "It's just a crazy ride, and I'm excited for people to take the ride with us."

"Pants Back" premieres on February 2 at 11 P.M. ET/PT right after "Jersey Shore."

Are you excited for "I Just Want My Pants Back"? Let us know in the comments section!

For more on "I Just Want My Pants Back," be sure to check in with MTV's Remote Control blog.


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Megaupload Users Plan To Sue FBI Over Lost Files

The drama surrounding file-sharing site Megaupload continued Friday (January 27) as users announced a plan to sue the FBI over files lost during the site's shutdown last week.

Last week, the federal government took action against Megaupload.com, arresting several members of the company on racketeering and copyright-infringement charges. A federal indictment alleged that the site, which allows users to transfer large files, has generated more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and costs copyright-holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated movies, albums and other materials.

According to TorrentFreak.com, Pirate Parties around the world are banding together to file an official complaint against U.S. authorities in an effort to recover the large amounts of non-pirated data, research documents and personal videos that are shared among users on the site.

"The widespread damage caused by the sudden closure of Megaupload is unjustified and completely disproportionate to the aim intended," they announced in a statement obtained by TorrentFreak. "For this reason Pirates of Catalonia, in collaboration with Pirate Parties International and other Pirate Parties, have begun investigating these potential breaches of law and will facilitate submission of complaints against the US authorities in as many countries as possible, to ensure a positive and just result.

"This initiative is a starting point for legitimate internet users to help defend themselves from the legal abuses promoted by those wishing to aggressively lock away cultural materials for their own financial gain."

The Department of Justice said the case against Megaupload is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States. The news broke just a day after major websites like Wikipedia and Google protested against the U.S. House of Representatives' controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and the Senate's similar Protect IP Act.


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Reese Witherspoon Opens Up About Acting In 1991 MTV Interview

Reese Witherspoon is slated to sit down with MTV News on Tuesday for an exclusive interview and premiere of a previously unseen clip from her upcoming film "This Means War." The special, "MTV First: Reese Witherspoon," will air on Tuesday at 7:56 p.m. ET on MTV.

But before we look to the future, we are going to take a peep at her past. MTV News has uncovered a precious vintage gem, a 1991 interview with the then up-and-comer. "Ever since I was 7," the already precocious and sassy rookie told MTV News when asked whether she had always had her sights set on a career in Hollywood. "I just thought, I always wanted to do something really outgoing 'cause when I was little I was really kind of quiet, but you know, I'd always be really creative at home and stuff, and finally I started, you know, speaking out and doing little things to impress everybody."

She further explained that once she had decided that acting was something she wanted to do, she took the necessary steps to make sure she'd be ready for fame and stardom. "I started taking little acting classes and improv classes and, you know, [that] turned out to be what I was going to do," she said. "I was always going to do something really out there, really far away. Does that make any sense? No, not really."

Later mocking herself and her answer, she teased, "That's nice, Reese. That's real nice."

Following the on-air "First" segment, Academy Award winner Witherspoon will stay for an additional 30-minute interview on MTV.com with MTV News' Josh Horowitz. Fans can be part of the action right away by submitting video or text questions starting Monday on MTV.com or via Twitter by using hashtag #MTVFirst.

"This Means War," the McG-directed comedy-action film, stars Witherspoon as a seductive female dating two of the world's deadliest CIA operatives (played by Chris Pine and Tom Hardy), whose partnership and friendship are put in jeopardy when they begin to battle for her affections. Instead of talking to her about the love triangle, they try to settle the matter using all of the weapons at their disposal.

The film also stars one of Witherspoon's real-life pals, comedian and "Chelsea Lately" host Chelsea Handler, who gives Reese's character the terrible advice that she should continue dating both men.

Check out everything we've got on "This Means War."

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


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Ferris Bueller Super Bowl Ad Likely A Honda Commercial

A 10-second preview of a Super Bowl ad took the internet by storm on Thursday. The clip featured actor Matthew Broderick throwing open the curtains of a window, looking into the camera and asking, "How can I handle work on a day like today?"

That's before the classic "bow-bow-chicka-chicka" from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" plays, ending the preview with just the date of the Super Bowl left to tease us.

It seems clear that Broderick reprises the role of Ferris Bueller, but the preview told us nothing else. The YouTube video listed no company and didn't suggest the product that the ad would ultimately feature.

MTV News reached out to both Broderick and one of the producers of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Tom Jacobson, for comment, but neither responded to our requests.

Then Friday (January 27), the automotive blog Jalopnik reported that a source "familiar with Honda's operations" revealed that Ferris will appear in a commercial for the car company during the Super Bowl. "The source also added that the spot was going to mimic much of the original film, except this time prominently featuring Hondas," Jalopnik reported. "The big jump the two valets do in Cameron's dad's Ferrari? We hear this time it's going to be a Honda CR-V."

Jalopnik's source also said Honda apparently put a lot of money behind the ad, even going as far as to hire "The Hangover" director Todd Phillips to create the spot.

Although the Honda story sounds likely, we will have to wait until February 5 to find out exactly what Ferris has been up to.


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2 Chainz Praises 'Father Figure' Too $hort On 'RapFix Live'

No doubt 2 Chainz is the hottest underground rapper in the streets right now, so when he threw a nod to rap legend Too $hort on Rick Ross' "F--- Em," it proved that the ATL spitter's hip-hop ties were deep-rooted. "Dad wasn't around; my father figure was Too $hort," 2 Chainz spit when he appeared on Rozay's Rich Forever mixtape.

So when Chainz and Short Dog appeared on Wednesday's "RapFix Live," they shared quite a moment. It was $hort's 1988 album Life Is ... Too $hort that provided 2 Chainz with his earliest musical memories after he sent someone much older than him to the store to buy the explicit CD LP for him. "I remember being in the neighborhood and all the other kids' parents thought I was bad because I was tryin' to get them to get on that," 2 Chainz said.

2 Chainz went on to praise $hort for his beef-free career as well as his way with the ladies. "I can only imagine why $hort has never had beef with nobody," 2 Chainz told "RapFix" host Sway Calloway. "He's a straight-up businessman. He got a savvy and it is about the women. And at the end of the day, it's about getting your money."

Getting money is something 2 Chainz knows plenty about. His current single, "Spend It," is a lyrical celebration of life's excesses. Industry insiders expect Chainz to go on to cash even bigger checks once he signs with one of the major labels that have been pursuing him. "I'm coming up to New York to have a few finalized meetings," 2 Chainz said about his plans for next week.

Chainz is also headlining his first major NYC show at SOB's on Monday and will stop by "RapFix Live" next Wednesday.


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Nick Offerman Talks 'Juicy' 'Parks And Recreation' Developments

As the latest season of "Parks and Recreation" rolls along, fans of the quirky NBC comedy have been rooting for the show's leading lady, Leslie Knope, as she tries to win the hearts of the folks in Pawnee, Indiana, by running for a spot on the city council.

But Leslie isn't having all the fun. Pawnee's resident curmudgeon, Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman), is finding himself caught up in an unexpected friendship with the always-optimistic government star Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe). As always, Swanson is working to make sure government doesn't run smoothly, and of course he faces the possibility that one of his ex-wives could show up and bring their own brand of trouble to his life.

"If we can help it," Offerman told MTV News at the Sundance Film Festival when asked if there would be a chance to bring back one of his character's former wives, both named Tammy (one played by his real-life wife, Megan Mullally, and the other by Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson). "I know that there's one juicy story coming up in the fall for Tammy Two, the evil Tammy Two [Mullally]."

But until then, Offerman, offscreen, will be wearing another hat. He recently wrote one of the show's upcoming episodes, and in addition to some more Knope-related election excitement there will also be a shakeup in his character's romantic life.

"Oh gosh. It was so fun and exciting and crazy. The episode is called 'Lucky.' Leslie Knope gets this really lucky interview with sort of the Anderson Cooper of Indianapolis. But then the interview is canceled and it comes back on, and some hilarity ensues," he explained. "Meanwhile, Ron Swanson and Chris Traeger are vying for the attentions of Andy Dwyer's women's studies college professor. It's very funny."


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'Jersey Shore' High Five: Operation Rescue Vinny!

The Situation's back and he got a Hugh Hefner-themed surprise party, what with the strippers and the wheelchairs. Here now, my five favorite moments from this week's "Jersey Shore."

5. Hungover Situation
You can't get any more DTF than a stripper, right? Wrong. Just ask the Situation, who brought home one of his party favors.

"I don't even remember her name. It might as well be A-nita because all night she was saying 'I need a cigarette. I need French toast.' Well I need you to get the hell out of my house!"

I think Hungover Situation is my favorite Situation. On the other hand, dude, she's a stripper who never actually took her clothes off. That's like being mad at your anorexic friend for giving you a crappy restaurant recommendation.

4. Old Man
With Vinny gone, Danny the T-shirt guy is looking to find a new employee/housemate and made J-Woww write up a "Help Wanted" sign after she tore down the first one.

J-Woww says, "What should the sign say, because Danny's being a douche ..."

"You should write, 'See old man inside for details!' " the Situation laughs.

The Situation - 1, Danny - 0.

The Situation walks away, and J-Woww says under her breath, "But then people would think they should talk to you."

The Situation - 1, J-Woww - 1,000,000!!

3. Operation Rescue Vinny!
What better way to help a guy with anxiety than to crowd him, shout loud things in his ear and bum-rush him in the comfort of his own home?!

Um ... get better Vinny!

2. Crack Is Wack!
In all seriousness, Vinny was happy to jump in the car and return to Seaside with his roomies. Too bad they nearly died on the way back ...

[They moon each other. Snooki sees "a ball." They all scream.]

Don't drink and drive. Don't text and drive. Don't try to blind people with your ugly-ass ass and drive.

1. Funny Bunnies
Gotta hand it to MTV. Always looking to lure in new audiences for their programming. This week they dedicated a segment entirely to furries!

Snooki and Deena hump each other in giant bunny costumes. Later, Snooki uses her new bunny costume for evil when she scares J-Woww.

Amazing. Let's just hope she doesn't pull that on Vinny for a few days.

For continuing "Jersey Shore" coverage, be sure to check in with MTV's Remote Control blog.


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Demi Moore 'Breakdown Isn't Surprising,' Expert Says

As more details about Demi Moore's recent hospitalization emerge, celebrity watchers are getting an inside look at the actress' personal life since her split with Ashton Kutcher in November. While some revelations may seem too personal, one expert told MTV News this sort of nothing's-off-limits coverage comes with the territory.

"When you're a celebrity, it's open season for the press to scrutinize every aspect of your life, specifically your personal life. Most celebrities are used to being under the microscope like this, but when the scrutiny involves their personal relationships, especially a split, everything is magnified," celebrity magazine editor David Caplan told MTV News on Friday, just as the 911 call from the night of her health scare hit the Web.

"The scrutiny, the press coverage ... can be very stressful for a celebrity, because the majority of the information being disseminated about the relationship and the split in the press is often highly critical of the celebrity," he added.

Photos: Demi Moore's career evolution.

When one bit of bad news — like a divorce or substance abuse — comes to light, the media has a field day trying to uncover even more dirt.

"As the press seeks to explain why the split occurred, skeletons in a stars' closet are revealed, and demons are revealed. In the case of Demi and Ashton, she was basically humiliated since it came to light that Ashton was blatantly cheating on Demi, with younger women, making Demi look like she was manipulated in the relationship — let alone reports claiming they had an open marriage," Caplan said. "Once this was revealed, the floodgates were open and stories emerged of Demi's alleged low self-esteem, how her partying put strain on the marriage and other aspects about her life. For someone who already seems to be on an emotional roller coaster, this doesn't bode well for Demi's mental health and well-being."

As the Demi story continues to hold the public's interest, expect the focus to also fall on her famous ex. "It's also exacerbated by the fact that Ashton seems to be going on with his life and enjoying himself," Caplan noted. "Combining all this together takes such a mental toll, a breakdown isn't surprising."


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'So You Think You Can Dance' Choreographer Gets 10 Years In Prison

"So You Think You Can Dance" fans haven't seen Alex Da Silva on the show since season four back in 2008, and there's a reason the choreographer has been off the radar: He has been in jail since being charged with raping a former dance student and assaulting another one. On Friday (January 27), Da Silva was sentenced to 10 years in prison for those crimes, TMZ reports.

While the 43-year-old was accused of raping and sexually assaulting four women, he was convicted in September of only one count of rape and one count of assault with intent to commit rape; the jury was deadlocked on the other charges. He was arrested back in 2009 and charged with multiple felonies. Unable to pay the bail set at $2 million, Da Silva has remained in jail for the past two years. On top of his 10 years in prison, he is now required to register as a sex offender for life.

Da Silva appeared on seasons one through four of "So You Think You Can Dance" as a guest choreographer specializing in Salsa dancing. In season two, eventual winner Benji Schwimmer named his Da Silva-choreographed mambo as his favorite routine of the show.

After his arrest, Da Silva did an interview with SalsaFreak.com to clear his name, insisting that he had done nothing wrong with his students. "I know the truth, and I don't even know who the others are," he said, claiming to not even be acquainted with some of his accusers. "It's all a bunch of lies, and people just want to bring me down. If something like that really happened, then they should have gone to the police that night, or the same day, but it was never that way. I have too much to lose. I don't need that type of thing in my life."


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'Man On A Ledge': The Reviews Are In!

If your impressions about the new action thriller "Man on a Ledge" are based on the film's very-literal title, you're very likely correct in assuming to know a decent amount about the film before entering the theater. "Ledge" is the story of ex-cop and fugitive Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), whose seemingly obvious suicidal plan to jump off a building is slowly revealed to be something much more.

Thus far, the critical reception for the film is very different from initial audience reactions. The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer has "Ledge" at a 22 percent fresh rating from critics, versus a 65 percent fresh audience rating.

Read on to see what has the two viewing bodies so divided as we sift through the "Man on a Ledge" reviews:

The Premise
"It's an arresting image, Sam Worthington out on that 40th-story ledge. He's a fairly tough-looking guy, after all, and we know him best as the tooth-gritting blockbuster hero of 'Avatar' and 'Clash of the Titans,' so it's head-spinning to see the man's beefy figure as a speck hovering so precariously close to New York's infinite sky. The camera swirls around Worthington's disgraced former cop Nick Cassidy, inching out past that thin strip of architecture, then back in. What if he trips, or jumps? For a while, anything seems possible, and it's both exhilarating and terrifying. Then the wool comes off, and it's clear that director Asger Leth and screenwriter Pablo Fenjves have ambitions considerably less grand than their protagonist's perch. Cassidy's ledge game — with all the studio-unfriendly moral ambiguities it entails — is just a con, a photo op for the crowds, and Nick's apparent desire to exit the material world is a front. What he truly, passionately wants to do is steal some jewelry." — Andrew Lapin, NPR

The Impact of Practical Effect
"I, on the other hand, was gripping anything in reach, palms dripping, thinking I might not have survived the effects had they been 3-D. Though there were other production sites, serious time was spent actually shooting on that 14-inch ledge wrapping the 21st floor of the Roosevelt Hotel to create the vicarious sensation of being there. Which worked frighteningly well, at least for the vertiginous among us. Oh, that the actual human dynamics of the unfolding story could have been as dramatic, as on the edge as that ledge." — Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

The Direction
"Mr. Leth, the son of renowned Danish documentarian Jorgen Leth, has directed only one other film, 'Ghosts of Cité Soleil,' a highly stylized doc that revealed a soul yearning to breathe free of nonfiction. He has an instinct for weaving sturdy narrative fabric out of intersecting plot lines. ... Amid the hoopla, Mr. Leth takes sobering assessment of media-circuses and mob mentalities: The people down below taking cellphone pictures, the ones yelling 'Jump!'; the callous nature of cops for whom it's all routine. There's the occasional goofy grace note: Kyra Sedgwick, playing a voracious and obviously Anglo television reporter named Suzie Morales, rolls the 'R' in her surname as she signs off, just in case someone missed the point (we've all heard it). In another scene, Mr. Leth takes such pains to strip the shapely Ms. Rodriguez down to her underwear that audiences, who may well be leering, will also be laughing at how obvious it is." — John Anderson, Wall Street Journal

The Final Word, Pro/Con Style
"Director Asger Leth, making his U.S. feature-film debut with 'Man on a Ledge,' keeps the pace brisk and never allows the tone to stray into self-seriousness, which is crucial for a movie whose premise is so devoutly ridiculous. The script, from Pablo F. Fenjves, provides enough feints and twists to keep us engaged. Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriguez aren't the most believable of couples, but there's a screwball charm to their comic routine as amateur thieves charged with aiding Nick's scheme. (Leth can't resist inserting an entirely superfluous — but nonetheless greatly appreciated — scene of the criminally gorgeous Rodriguez stripping down to a thong in the middle of a heist.) Worthington makes for a likable populist protagonist, even if his Australian accent betrays him on copious occasions, and Harris' disturbingly emaciated frame lends an added menace to his devious plutocrat villain." — Thomas Leupp, Hollywood.com

"Like last year's action comedy 'Tower Heist,' 'Man on a Ledge' becomes something of a parable of the 99 percent, with Cassidy initially an object of prurient interest for the massed crowds below, then becoming a blue-collar folk hero. That gives the movie at least a frisson of contemporary relevance, but the filmmakers blow that advantage with plot and characterization that require not just a suspension of disbelief but a suspension of eye-rolling reflexes and the nagging impulse to burst into derisive laughter." — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Check out everything we've got on "Man on a Ledge."

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


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Demi Moore 911 Call: Was Rumer Willis There?

Ever since news of Demi Moore's hospitalization broke, more details have emerged each day to paint a clearer picture of the circumstances that led to the actress' ambulance ride to the ER on Monday night.

Some reports have claimed Moore was inhaling nitrous oxide from aerosol cans, also known as whip-its, the night the 911 call was placed from her home in Los Angeles, the recording and details of which were released Friday (January 27). Several people were heard on the call describing various symptoms the actress was experiencing at the time, as well as a few comments that seemed to indicate that Moore's friends were just learning of her alleged substance abuse.

Photos: Demi Moore through the years.

One question that is causing a buzz online is whether Moore's 23-year-old daughter, Rumer Willis, was present during the ordeal. Careful listening of the 911 call reveals an exchange between one of the callers and someone named "Ru," who is asked for the specific address and instructions for how the paramedics can get to the house.

"Hey, Ru, what's the name at the gate so that we can buzz them in from here?" a man is heard asking on the call.

There has been no confirmation regarding Rumer's presence at the scene, but she reportedly goes by the "Ru" nickname and references it on her Twitter account.

Sources told E! News that Moore's three daughters are doing fine since their mom's health scare. Rumer reportedly visited her mother several times at the hospital before she was discharged earlier this week. Tallulah, 17, is with her dad, Bruce Willis. "She's doing great," the source said. "Her grandmother [Bruce's mom] is also there with her." Moore's other daughter, 20-year-old Scout, goes to Brown University in Rhode Island and reportedly hasn't been home since the incident.


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Demi Moore 911 Call: 'She's Been Having Some Issues'

In the 911 call made the night of Demi Moore's hospitalization, a female caller is heard describing the events that led to the actress' Monday health scare.

Describing Moore's condition as "semiconscious, barely," the caller told the 911 operator, "She smoked something. It's not marijuana, but it's similar to it. It's similar to incense. She seems to be having convulsions of some sort."

The first caller then passed the phone to another woman, who added, "She's shaking, convulsing, burning up. I'm taking cold water and putting it on her back because she's burning up. I don't know what would have made her do it."

Demi's hospitalization has soon-to-be ex-husband Ashton Kutcher "deeply concerned."

There appeared to be several other people present at the time of the call, as they all frantically tried to keep the actress afloat. When asked if it was common for Moore to react in this way, one caller said, "There has been some stuff recently that we're just finding out." Another caller added: "She's been having some issues lately with some other stuff, so I don't know what she's been taking or not."

As the seven-minute phone call wrapped up, the paramedics arrived to the residence. On Tuesday, Moore's rep said she had been hospitalized due to "exhaustion"; however, there has been speculation that she had been inhaling nitrous oxide at the time of the incident.

Moore's health scare caps a rough patch for the actress.

Sources told E! News that her three daughters are doing fine. Rumer, 23, visited her mother several times at the hospital before she was discharged earlier this week. Tallulah, 17, is with her dad, Bruce Willis. "She's doing great," the source told E! "Her grandmother [Bruce's mom] is also there with her." Moore's other daughter, 20-year-old Scout, goes to Brown University in Rhode Island and reportedly hasn't been home since the incident.

On Friday (January 27), news broke that Mary Louise-Parker has replaced Moore in the "Lovelace" film, currently filming in Los Angeles.


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Madonna Calls <i>M.D.N.A.</i> 'Action-Packed'

Madonna has teased fans not only inadvertently with a leaked demo of her first single for "Gimme All Your Luvin," but also with "Masterpiece" (which also appears on the soundtrack for her film, "W.E."). So far it seems that the two very different tracks show the two very different sides that the Queen of Pop is pursuing on her next studio release, M.D.N.A.

While "Gimme" plays up Madge's playful, upbeat persona, "Masterpiece," as she explained to MTV News, is a different story. " 'Masterpiece' is one of the few kind of more down-tempo songs, more reflective," she told MTV News at the New York City premiere of "W.E."

"I think the majority of the record is more action-packed," she teased. "More high-energy." It seems, then, that what fans have heard of "Gimme" is more of what they will hear on the album.

The album will reportedly get a March release date. It features production from Martin Solveig on its lead single, which gets some presumably sassy assists from two fierce female MCs, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. Both ladies will reportedly take the stage with the pop icon to perform the track at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Madonna also worked with longtime collaborator and Ray Of Light producer William Orbit, who produced the Golden Globe-winning "Masterpiece." "We've worked on stuff for so many years that we kind of finish each other's sentences. He knows my taste and what I like," she explained at the premiere. "Magic happens when we get into a recording studio together."

At the Globes, Madonna recalled how "Masterpiece" came together. "[My manager Guy Oseary] harangued me for the entire time I was filming and editing my movie to write a song," she said during her acceptance speech for Best Original Song. "And I said, 'Please, Guy, I'm trying to focus on being a director and I want people to pay attention to the film and I don't have time.' So then I finished the film and I started making my record and somehow magically and miraculously the song emerged, 'Masterpiece,' so thank you, Guy Oseary, for being so irritating."

What are you looking forward to on Madonna's next album? Let us know in the comments!


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'Man On A Ledge': A Man, A Ledge And 'So Much More'

While some filmmakers go the mysterious or fanciful route with their titles, there are just as many who tell their prospective audiences exactly what they're going to see. "Man on a Ledge," which opened Friday (January 27), is about as literal a film title as you can get.

When MTV News caught up with the cast recently, we asked them to explain the inherent intrigue in the title, as well as why the film has so much more going for it than just a man and a ledge.

"[The film is about] a desperate man in a desperate situation," star Sam Worthington said of his character and the man on a ledge himself, Nick Cassidy. "As the movie goes on, we get to see why he's there and how's he's going to get out of it."

Worthington went on to say that "Man on a Ledge" takes a few cues from action films like "The Negotiator" and "Phone Booth."

"I like those movies. I've always said I like doing movies that I would go and see and this is in the same vein as those movies," Worthington said. "It's exciting, thrilling and interesting for the audience because they've got a lead character who they're wondering, 'What's going to happen next?' "

"The basic premise of the movie is that there is a man on a ledge, and the great thing is that there is so much more behind that basic premise," added co-star Elizabeth Banks, who plays determined hostage negotiator Lydia Mercer. "Why is he there? What is he there for? What's really happening? Those are all the questions that my character has and I get to sort of be the surrogate for the audience.

"The whole time we're watching the movie we're learning more about what's going on. I'm the truth-seeker of the movie, I'm really interested in understanding why he's there in the first place," she explained. "Sam's character says to me at one point, 'You need to listen, I'm prepared to die' and what he's really saying is 'Even if I die, I need you to carry on and tell everyone what happened,' and that's the great mystery of the movie. The action that drives the movie is, 'What the heck is going on here?' "

Jamie Bell, who plays the man on the ledge's younger brother, conceded that the title basically sells the film. "It's quite literal," he said.

"I think that's what throws people off," offered Genesis Rodriguez, who plays the girlfriend of Bell's character. "They're like, 'Oh, it's a movie about a man on a ledge.' It really isn't. There's more to it.' You should check it out because you don't know it all."

Are you planning on seeing "Man on a Ledge" this weekend? Leave your comment below!

Check out everything we've got on "Man on a Ledge."

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


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'The Grey': The Reviews Are In!

For the third January in a row, Liam Neeson returns to kick ass more than any other 59-year-old we know. This time he isn't taking down sex traffickers like in "Taken" or whatever he was fighting in "Unknown." No, this time, it's wolves.

For a movie that was sold on the notion of wolf punching, "The Grey" has received primarily positive reviews for its deeper-than-you'd-think story and characters.

Check out what the critics are saying about "The Grey."

The Story
"We meet Neeson's character, a heartbroken loner named John Ottway, on the verge of suicide and thinking back, obsessively, to the woman who got away. His demons temporarily quelled, Ottway boards a small plane with his fellow refinery workers and in one of the most nerve-racking flights ever put on film, the aircraft runs afoul of bad weather and crashes. (For a turbulence wimp like me, this scene was not easy.)" — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

The Star
"Having paid his quality biopic dues as Oskar Schindler, Michael Collins and Alfred Kinsey, Mr. Neeson has, at least for now, turned to the rougher and perhaps more lucrative work of action heroism. It takes nothing away from his earlier achievements to note that he's really good at it. He conveys a ferocious and absolute seriousness even when the going gets silly, and he finds the soul in each new angry-everyman cipher he is asked to play." — A.O. Scott, New York Times

The Wolves
" 'The Grey' is an unrelenting demonstration that wolves have no opinion. When they attack, it's not personal. They've spent untold millennia learning how to survive, naked and without weapons, in fearsome places like the Arctic Circle in the dead of winter. They aren't precisely unarmed; they have their teeth and claws, but how far would that get us, even if we had rifles?" — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The Director
"We've come, in vain, to see [Neeson] danse-macabre with wolves, and the film's director, Joe Carnahan, provides the occasional horror-film sneak attack. He also manages to create one of the movies' more nightmarish plane crashes and conclude with just the sort of ludicrous finale that paying customers who've seen the ads might assume they would be getting a whole film of." — Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

The Final Word
"For all its macho standoffs and action set pieces and menacing off-screen howling, 'The Grey' is at heart a simple moral fable about how true heroism consists in helping other human beings to live as long and die as well as they can, which is, after all, the task all of us face each day, even when we're not fending off wolves with broken glass duct-taped to our knuckles." — Dana Stevens, Slate

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

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


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One Direction To Appear On 'iCarly'

"iCarly" is about to feel the effects of a British Invasion. The show has just booked British boy band One Direction to appear on the fifth season of the Miranda Cosgrove-starring show.

The guys will be on set Monday to tape their appearance on the episode, during which they will play themselves and perform "What Makes You Beautiful."

According to a synopsis of the episode, "Carly returns home sick after a trip and discovers that One Direction has accepted an invitation to perform on their web show. Not long after arriving, bandmate Harry becomes sick and we see Carly doting over him. Realizing Harry is playing sick for the attention, they hatch a plan to get him back in the group by telling him Gibby has become their newest bandmember. Meanwhile, Spencer becomes a personal trainer and gives a bratty girl a makeover."

The guys of One Direction, who got their start after appearing on "The X Factor" in 2010, are already superstars in their native U.K., and now it seems they are poised to break Stateside. Their debut album, Up All Night, is set for U.S. release on March 20, and they will be touring with Big Time Rush starting next month.

Cosgrove stopped by the MTV News offices recently and teased that there were some big plans in store for season five. "We're just getting started to start the next season, so I'm not really sure what's going to come, because it's sort of a surprise for all of us even," she said. "But I've heard Carly's getting a boyfriend, so that's exciting, and we're gonna have some more musical guests, some big, different musical artists," she said, noting that she'd love to get Katy Perry on the show. "There are a lot of different musical acts that I love, so it's fun whenever we get to have music in an episode."

Michelle Obama made an "iCarly" appearance earlier this month on a special episode that honored military families.

Are you excited for the fifth season of "iCarly"? Leave your comments below!


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