Amanda Bynes has agreed to lay low after her agent and manager ordered her to stop being a fixture of the Hollywood nightlife scene. Is a trip to rehab next? As has been widely reported, Bynes was arrested for DUI after she hit a police car, then returned the next night to the same club she went to beforehand. She was then involved in another traffic incident last week. As she keeps on partying (and some say crashing), friends are urging the star to go to rehab. “Amanda has been in a downward spiral for six months. Even though her dad publicly said she doesn’t drink he knows she has a problem,” says a friend. As a source told The New York Post , “She is not the same girl. She just does whatever she wants. Friends are concerned; it’s not the Amanda they know.” “It’s truly sad to witness. She is refusing to go [to rehab].” Says another alleged source close to the situation: “Amanda was just going out without thinking after her DUI arrest. She was spotted texting and driving and just putting herself in really horrible situations.” “Amanda’s agent and manager have ordered her to lay low and avoid clubs. She desperately wanted to go to Coachella last weekend and she has been told not to go the second weekend of the festival, but she is an adult.” “It would just look very bad if she were to go against her advisers and end up going to Coachella. She has promised that she won’t go and she hasn’t been spotted at any nightclubs in almost a week, which is a beginning for her.” In any case, Amanda did agree to lay low … as far as we know. Perhaps the comparisons to another troubled Hollywood starlet finally struck a nerve? “Amanda thinks its extremely unfair that people are calling her the new Lindsay Lohan,” says a source. “Comparisons between the two are just ridiculous as Amanda has never been arrested for drug possession or for stealing anything.” “Yes, she got arrested for a DUI, but that doesn’t mean she is headed down the same road. Amanda doesn’t harbor negative feelings towards Lindsay, she doesn’t even know her, she just thinks it’s sexist that the two are being compared.” “Men in Hollywood that get arrested for DUI don’t face the same scrutiny that women do; that really irks Amanda. She isn’t taking the DUI lightly.”
In 1998, Monica and Brandy paired up for “The Boy Is Mine,” and this duet turned into a Grammy-winning hit. The two have reunited for a new song “It All Belongs To Me,” and this week, it touced the Urban charts for the first time. Celebrities Spotted Partying In N.O. [PHOTOS] Only time will tell if “It All Belongs To Me” will become a number one song and win a Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Grammy like “The Boy Is Mine” did. But you can find out right now what Monica and Brandy’s reunion represents, how they feel about the comparisons, and more in this exclusive video.
There are many historic “firsts” associated with the Obama administration , but none more curious than the appointment of the first known tax cheat as Treasury Secretary. Tim “TurboTax” Geithner is a partisan hack of the first order and his recent testimony before the House Budget Committee should be required reading for all Americans . Testifying before the House Budget Committee today, U.S. Treasury… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Doug Ross @ Journal Discovery Date : 16/02/2012 20:57 Number of articles : 3
Coverage? is an iOS app that tells you where to expect coverage from all the major US carriers. The maps are based on coverage maps from the cell companies, but they are interpreted, updated, and quite a bit more useful. You can see all major US carriers, and overlay them. I initially looked at Coverage? in 2010 when the iPhone was only on AT&T. At the time, I found the comparisons a bit depressing…. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Unofficial Apple Weblog Discovery Date : 16/02/2012 20:57 Number of articles : 2
Having stayed in hiding since the birth of her baby daughter Blue, Beyonce took to her website to give a statement on the passing of Etta James, the legendary singer she played in the film “Cadillac Records.” She wrote: “This is a huge loss. Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime. Playing Etta James taught me so much about myself, and singing her music inspired me to be a stronger artist. When she effortlessly opened her mouth, you could hear her pain and triumph. Her deeply emotional way of delivering a song told her story with no filter. She was fearless, and had guts. She will be missed.” Michelle Williams Reveals Beyonce Was “Anti-Children” Brandy Talks Beyonce Comparisons, Goes Off On Fans: “Stop Putting Us Against Each Other!” Watch Beyonce take on “I’d Rather Go Blind” as Etta below:
Michael Bay’s summer blockbuster has critics praising his deft handling of eye-popping 3-D. By Eric Ditzian Sentinel Prime in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Photo: Paramount Pictures As even Michael Bay has admitted, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” had almost nowhere to go but up after the writers’ strike-affected, audience-alienating previous installment . And insofar as Bay and company had something to prove — and to improve — this time around, they’ve succeeded. While “Dark of the Moon” isn’t currently the highest rated film in the franchise, according to the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator, the general consensus among critics is that the new 3-D flick is best of the “Transformers” bunch. That’s not to suggest reviews have been universally positive; many have been as brutal to the film as the film’s robots have been to certain American cities. Reviewers have taken issue with poor plotting, weak characters and brain-scrambling action set pieces. But then there are a slew of reviewers utterly onboard with what Bay has created, celebrating some of the finest 3-D visuals since “Avatar” and a story that is the most fully fleshed out of the series. For those opinions and others, take a deep dive into the “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” reviews. The Story “A sweet prologue (marred only by a phony-looking digital JFK) recounts the war for Cybertron and the real reason behind the U.S.-Soviet space race of the 1960s. Cut to the present where Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) struggles to find his first post-college job, while the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the U.S. military’s NEST team led by Lt. Col. Lennox (Josh Duhamel) work in tandem to take out the remaining Decepticons around the world. However, the evil ‘bots eventually get the upper hand and begin an invasion to conquer the Earth with Chicago as Ground Zero in this final war between the Autobots/humans and Decepticons. There’s more going on, but for the sake of spoilers we’ll keep it at that. Transformers: Dark of the Moon definitely has more of a plot than either of its predecessors. There are genuine stakes this time.” — Jim Vejvoda, IGN The 3-D “[For] the first time since ‘Avatar,’ I am going to recommend that you find the biggest and best 3-D theater you can find and buy yourself a ticket, because ‘Transformers: Dark Of the Moon,’ especially seen in IMAX 3-D, is an overwhelming sensory experience. The sound mix alone is more exciting than anything in the billion-dollar-bore of ‘Pirates 4.’ This is gigantic action we’ve never seen before, and Bay’s reaction to shooting and cutting his film for 3-D is to get better at what he does. It raised his game, and as a result, I feel like we just saw a dare thrown down by one of Hollywood’s biggest action specialists: ‘Top this.’ — Drew McWeeny, HitFix The Comparisons “Bay’s hammering technique works, in a commercial sense. Executive producer Steven Spielberg is the richer for it. But it’s telling to compare any good minute in Spielberg’s ‘War of the Worlds,’ for example, with any of the 153 minutes in ‘Dark of the Moon.’ The former, which isn’t even Spielberg at his best, offers the thrill and the uneasy, complicated spectacle of destruction you get from a first-rate entertainer. Bay’s endless love of nastiness and chrome and aggression offers less. And that’s the only ‘less’ about it.” — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune The Characters “All that matters is the long, slow slog to the Chicago-set, theater-rattling finale, which seems to last about four hours. That’s not a compliment, by the way. There’s so much potential in a Transformer, which can, after all, transform into anything. But Bay misses every opportunity to make something interesting out of his characters; instead, he’s content to spend his enormous budget on grinding destruction so generic and visually convoluted, it’s often hard to tell who we’re supposed to be rooting for.” — Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News The Final Word “More than either of the previous films, this ‘Transformers 3’ feels like an ultra-violent version of the two-dimensional cartoon it’s based on. I think I’m almost alright with that, when it’s done this well, in this kind of summer blockbuster. We’d probably all be happier watching another movie like ‘Inception,’ but as long as those movies still get made, I guess there’s nothing wrong in sitting down with a ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon,’ once in awhile.” — Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend Check out everything we’ve got on “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Transformers: Dark Of The Moon’ Related Photos ‘Transformers: Dark Of The Moon’
: ‘Justin Bieber is the epitome of [a] big star, so it was cool for me,’ McCreery says of his new nickname. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Rya Backer Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery Photo: MTV News Throughout his championship run on the just-completed 10th season of “American Idol,” Scotty McCreery never really wavered from his country roots … even when he was singing Stevie Wonder. And while you’ve certainly got to give him credit for playing to his strengths, McCreery’s down-home crooning — not to mention his rather boyish good looks — also earned him a rather bizarre nickname: “Country Bieber.” And while he can laugh at the comparisons, if he’s being honest, McCreery can’t really understand why anyone would equate him to the teen-pop prince. But his fellow “Idol” finalist, Lauren Alaina, certainly can. “Country Bieber … I mean, Justin Bieber is the epitome of [a] big star, so it was cool for me,” McCreery smiled. “I mean, Justin’s a whole lot further ahead than I am … so, I guess it’s mainly because of our age. …” “Girls love Scotty McCreery like they love Justin Bieber,” Alaina interjected. “It’s true.” “Thank you, Lauren,” McCreery laughed. “I just figure it’s because of our age. Me and Justin are pretty much two young guns.” And with the “Idol” title in the bag, McCreery can now focus on expanding on that whole “young guns” thing … his first official single, the ballad “I Love You This Big,” is already the biggest-selling coronation song since season 7 champ David Cook’s “The Time of My Life,” and he’s beginning to contemplate how his debut album will sound. And, not surprisingly, it’s going to be a country affair. “It’s gonna be a good ol’ country album,” McCreery said. “I like to have that old flavor in my music, but with a contemporary feel, so we’ll see where that leads me. I think it’ll be a good little mix.” And if you just can’t get enough of “Love,” well, you’re in luck … McCreery said that you’ll have plenty of chances to see him perform it in the coming months on the American Idols Live! Tour . ” ‘I Love You This Big’ is a great song, it’s done me really well so far,” he said. “And I’ll be singing it a couple hundred more times, so I’m sure you’ll be hearing it,” he joked. Related Videos Interviews From The ‘American Idol’ Red Carpet ‘Idol Party Live’ Season 10 Finale Show Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Finale Performances ‘American Idol’ Finale 2011 Red Carpet Related Artists Justin Bieber
With Angles just released a month ago, band is already working on new material. By Matt Elias Julian Casablancas Photo: MTV News BEVERLY HILLS, California — The Strokes aren’t the first band that comes to mind when you think of glitzy Hollywood events. Maybe that’s why they seemed to be sporting WTF grins when they hit the carpet for T-Mobile’s Sidekick 4G launch party in Beverly Hills on Wednesday night. Perhaps it was seeing the latest “Dancing With the Stars” cast members on the same carpet or attempting to talk over the thumping base from the DJ inside, but you got the impression that the indie band was a little bit outside of its element. But hey, T-Mobile has some rock cred on its side — after all, Blink-182 chose the last Sidekick launch event to play their first reunion show. And the Strokes had the same duties on Wednesday night — playing to Hollywood’s young and beautiful. So when it comes to scaling down their set at a party like this, the band has conflicting views on playing new material versus the familiar hits. “I guess me personally, I prefer playing new songs, but the crowd prefers old songs, reaction-wise,” singer Julian Casablancas told MTV News. “So it’s always weird ’cause you could play a song that’s mind-blowing and they’d just be like ‘wow,’ shedding a tear, but they’ll be silent. So you’ll think, ‘That sucks and we’ll never do that again.’ And then you play like an old hit that you played a thousand times, it’s kind of boring, but they’re loving it. So you’re like, ‘Let’s do that!’ ” Speaking of even newer songs, the Strokes, who recently played the South by Southwest festival in Texas, confirmed that they’re starting work next week on the follow up to Angles, which they released just a month ago. But Casablancas admits that they’ve gotten “zero far” on the new project. Whether it will share anything sonically with Angles, Casablancas said, “I don’t know, we haven’t even started. We’re gonna play each other’s songs and then who knows what they might be? I’m curious myself.” Related Artists The Strokes
‘To anyone that was hurt, please know that it was furiously unintentional,’ singer says. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images When Lady Gaga dropped “Born This Way” earlier this year, the tune immediately drew comparisons to Madonna’s “Express Yourself.” Shortly after the song was released, Gaga shared with the world that the pop queen liked the song and gave the pop princess her seal of approval. Now Gaga has once again been asked about the comparisons in a new interview with NME . And she didn’t seem pleased by the line of questioning. “That’s retarded. If you put the songs next to each other, side by side, the only similarities are the chord progression. It’s the same one that’s been in disco music for the last 50 years. Just because I’m the first f—ing artist in 25 years to think of putting it on Top 40 radio, it doesn’t mean I’m a plagiarist, it means I’m f—ing smart. Sorry.” The issue hit newsstands on Tuesday and by late Wednesday night the singer had issued an apology to her fans about her choice of words when defending herself and the chart-topping tune. “I consider it part of my life’s work and music to push the boundaries of love and acceptance. My apologies for not speaking thoughtfully,” she said in a statement to Perezhilton.com . “To anyone that was hurt, please know that it was furiously unintentional. An honest mistake requires honesty to make.” She then went on to quote some lyrics from the feel-good dance track: “Whether life’s disabilities left you outcast, bullied or teased, rejoice and love yourself today.” What do you think of Gaga’s apology for using the “R” word? Tell us in the comments. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga Related Artists Lady Gaga
Critics are divided over Danny McBride and James Franco’s epic stoner comedy. By Eric Ditzian Natalie Portman, Danny McBride, James Franco and Zooey Deschanel in “Your Highness” Photo: Frank Connor/ Universal Pictures The critics don’t know quite what to do with “Your Highness.” Some have tagged it a worthy successor to the stoner comedy legacy, one that reaches back to swords-and-sandals epics but is still very much in keeping with contemporary comedic traditions. Far more critics, though, argue that the jokes fall flat, the story is kind of a mess, and the performances — especially considering the presence of two recent Oscar nominees in Natalie Portman and James Franco — are nothing short of puzzling. Will you agree? Read on for a deep dive into some “Your Highness” reviews and decide for yourself. The Story “Danny McBride and Ben Best’s script for ‘Your Highness’ has its moments. The whole affair might be described as an amped-up version of ‘The Odyssey’ for ‘Star Wars’ fanboys and High Times subscribers. The story follows a king’s two very different sons: Fabious (James Franco) is the stereotypical dashing prince with a resplendent mullet and a yen for noble, death-defying quests, while Thadeous (McBride) is a chubby, lazy ne’er-do-well. Saddled with an inferiority complex, the latter prefers smoking the funny stuff and chasing sheep to slaying dragons. But when Fabious’ bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), is kidnapped by the evil, gerbil-toothed wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), the king orders Thadeous to help his brother retrieve the damsel in distress.” — Stephanie Merry, The Washington Post The Laughs “Not every joke lands in the movie, but that’s okay. It’s the sort of film that is willing to try anything along the way, and it demonstrates both an affection for the genre as well as a deconstructionist’s eye for how to tear it down from the inside. There are so many little touches in the film that appealed to me, from the ‘Ghostbusters’-looking visual effects to the straight-faced epic second unit work to the monsters that are state-of-the-art while also managing to be both ridiculous and profane.” — Drew McWeeny, HitFix The Performances “McBride has written a genuinely funny script, but he can’t help overplaying each crudely adolescent punchline. And as an actor, his instincts are equally broad. It’s as if a chemically altered college kid watched a bunch of Judd Apatow movies, and then decided to remake ‘The Princess Bride.’ The overall effect gets tiresome, but [director David Gordon] Green has wisely instructed McBride’s co-stars to approach the proceedings with complete seriousness. While the majority of the cast handles this task easily (only Deschanel seems lost), Franco truly saves the day. His hilarious deadpan in the midst of utter insanity turns a bawdy goof into a most welcome lark indeed.” — Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News The Comparisons “The most painful movie so far in a year that’s already scraping the bottom of the barrel, ‘Your Highness’ is a tedious, dung-colored misfire that sullies the genre of ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ and ‘The Princess Bride.’ Taken in small doses, in movies such as ‘Due Date’ and ‘Tropic Thunder,’ McBride can be hilarious, and he played well with Franco in Green’s ‘Pineapple Express,’ comedy gold next to this. As a lead, he’s unbearable, a charmless lout who thinks being gross is the same thing as being funny. ‘Your Highness’ is thus potty-mouthed, peepee-obsessed, and devoid of such comedy basics as timing or punch lines.” — Ty Burr, Boston Globe The Final Word “In the absurdly bloody hackings and thwackings, director David Gordon Green (who worked with both leads in ‘Pineapple Express’) more or less hits his marks and even works up some suspense — unusual in this sort of broad comedy. At bottom, he and McBride respect the genre even as they travesty it. … ‘Your Highness’ delivers on its title: a royal high.” — David Edelstein, New York Check out everything we’ve got on “Your Highness.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: James Franco And ‘Your Highness’
