From her support of the Tamil Tigers to her politically charged music videos, M.I.A. has never shied away from controversy. By James Montgomery M.I.A. performs at the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic M.I.A.’s middle finger may currently be the most-discussed digit in America, dominating the post-Super Bowl chatter and earning swift rebukes from NBC and the NFL. But for those who’ve covered her career from the beginning, well, let’s just say this is basically par for the course. Because ever since M.I.A. first broke through in 2004, she’s courted controversy, first for her outspoken support of the Tamil Tigers , the Sri Lankan separatist organization that engaged in acts of terror and has been linked to the assassination of Sri Lankan and Indian leaders. That support and her overtly political lyrics led to her being denied a travel visa by the U.S. government and earned her a spot on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s risk list in 2006. So, really, a middle finger is no big thing. And over the past few years, she hasn’t exactly mellowed. In 2010, she raised eyebrows with the graphic video for “Born Free,” a clip that saw security forces (with American flags prominently displayed) round up red-headed citizens and summarily execute them in brutal fashion. It was a savage bit of socio-political commentary, though most missed that message entirely, focusing instead on the blood and guts, which earned the video a measure of YouTube ignominy and had < href=" http://"www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/27/mia.music.video/index.html?iref=allsearch" target="_blank"> critics howling . Her outspoken ways also drew the ire of both Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber fans, after she called Gaga “a good mimic” and said the content of “Born Free” was no less offensive than anything Bieber had churned out. And then, she launched a lengthy (and much-covered) offensive against New York Times writer Lynn Hirschberg, posting her phone number on Twitter and releasing a diss song called “I’m a Singer” after reading what she believed to be an unflattering feature in the Times . Though Hirschberg remained largely silent on the matter, the Times did eventually admit that a pair of M.I.A.’s quotes were rearranged in the piece. Finally, earlier this month, she unveiled the video for “Bad Girls,” which re-teamed her with “Born Free” director Romain Gavras and is loaded with socially (and politically) charged imagery, like women cloaked in burqas doing stunts in expensive cars as men in keffiyeh look on, smoldering oil fields and assault rifles. Were you offended by M.I.A.’s halftime gesture? Leave your comment below. Related Photos Infamous Middle Fingers Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson Related Artists M.I.A.
Lady Gaga, Eminem, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry have also given the one-finger salute. By Gil Kaufman M.I.A. performs during the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show on Sunday Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic The big hype (around these parts, anyway) going into the Super Bowl on Sunday was what Madonna would do during her halftime performance . But, as you surely know by now, one of her guests, rapper/singer M.I.A., stole some of Madge’s thunder by unexpectedly flipping the bird at the end of “Give Me All Your Luvin’.” While your granny was probably shocked and your little brother/sister got a naughty giggle out of it, M.I.A. wasn’t exactly reinventing the rebel wheel with her one-finger salute. Everyone from punk icon Iggy Pop to Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain, late Wu-Tang Clan rapper ODB, Kid Rock and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong have made flipping people off a standard part of their eff-the-man personas over the years. In fact, tossing up the middle-digit salute is a time-honored tradition for musicians that dates back more than 40 years to the original rock rebel. Johnny Cash : In one of the most iconic pictures in music, the Man in Black famously gave an impassioned finger to the camera in 1969 during his San Quentin prison performance. It was later used in an ad in 1998 Billboard magazine to express his “thank you” to the Nashville country music industry after he won a Grammy for Best Country Album as a response to their abandonment of him in his later years. Tupac : The late rap icon was fond of laying down both single and double birds in some of the most iconic pictures of him over the years, including one taken of him on a gurney after he’d just been shot at a New York recording studio in 1994. Eminem : After being called out for some of his gay-bashing lyrics, Slim Shady made a huge statement by appearing with openly gay Elton John at the 2001 Grammys , where he hugged the piano-pounding icon and then gave the audience a view of both his middle digits. Lady Gaga : Mother Monster can’t go anywhere these days without being hounded by the paparazzi. So, when Gaga attended a Mets game in 2010, she let the paps know how she felt when they caught her chilling in a private suite. Justin Bieber : He may be a (young) man of faith, but even the Biebs has his limits. Last March, while out celebrating his 17th birthday , the “Baby” singer was accosted by photos, so he showed them his tall man … and then apologized later, saying, “I know better than to react in anger.” Katy Perry : We can’t remember where this awesome GIF came from, but last year, the good girl gone (sometimes) bad made flying the finger flag seem almost cute. Cobra Starship : Hell, CB are so enamored of the eff-you salute that they wrote a whole song about it and invited Mac Miller along to help them spread the word, one digit at a time. Related Videos Super Bowl 46: Movie Spots Related Photos Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson Infamous Middle Fingers Related Artists M.I.A.
Banned in France! Well, kinda: Movie posters featuring Oscar -nominated Jean Dujardin , up for Best Actor for his turn as a silent film star in the sweet and wholesome The Artist , have been deemed too racy by French censors who recommended that certain billboards for Dujardin’s French language film Les Infidels ( The Players ) be taken down. Judging from the film’s redband trailer, Les Infidels is a comedy that features lots and lots of sex. Dirty sex. Upside down sex, suggest the naughty, naughty posters! According to The Hollywood Reporter , who picked up the trail after French media went to town on the racy materials, Les Infidels is “a series of sketches from directors including Dujardin, Lellouche, Fred Cavaye, Eric Lartigau, Emmanuelle Bercot, Alexandre Courtes and Michel Hazanavicius all centering around the theme of male infidelity.” Dujardin and co-star Gilles Lellouche appear in the posters in pseudo-in flagrante poses, boasting douchey looks of self-satisfaction accessorized by faceless women and female body parts. Of course, pointing out the ridiculousness of these fellas’ wanton use of women for sex is probably the entire point of the film (I’m guessing/hoping), but y’know… Above tagline translation, per THR: “It’s going to cut out. I’m entering a tunnel.” Tres classy! But you tell me: Are these posters (courtesy of the film’s Facebook page) so bad? And, more relevant to this season: Can these raunchy images damage Dujardin’s hold on the Best Actor race? For more of a sense of the film, and to see Oscar’s leading man get down and dirty, watch the French language redband trailer (via EW ): [ THR , EW , Facebook ] Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
‘Once you rep the MMG flag, I’ll never step on your feet,’ Rick Ross tells MTV News of his former Maybach affiliate. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Rick Ross Photo: MTV News God Forgives, I Don’t may be the name of Rick Ross ‘ upcoming LP, but the Bawse isn’t as coldhearted as his album title may suggest. When it comes to former Maybach Music affiliate Pill , Rozay wishes the Atlanta MC all the best. “I’m a real dude and I’m a real boss and once you rep the MMG flag, I’ll never step on your feet; Imma give you a pass anyway,” Ross told MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway of Pill while at French Montana’s “Shot Caller” remix video shoot in Miami on Sunday. In December, P-I-Double L took to Twitter to vent about his label situation with Warner Music Group , blaming WMG for his lack of radio and television support. Because of his prominent appearance on Maybach Music’s Self Made Vol. 1 compilation, many believed that Pill was signed to Ross’ label , but in an exclusive interview with MTV News in January, Pill revealed that he was never technically signed to Rozay and that his deal went strictly through MMG’s parent company, Warner. “Pill’s situation was a special situation because he was already signed to Warner before I did my label deal at Warner. So when I did do my deal, it was a business opportunity that was presented where Pill could run with the team for a year,” Ross confirmed. “I took that opportunity. That year ran its course and it was pretty much up to Warner what decisions they wanted to make with Pill as an artist after that point. I think they made it.” Pill told MTV News in January that he was working on getting a release from Warner and made it clear that he had no problems with anyone in MMG personally — though he did say that he and Ross didn’t speak very often. “I ain’t got nothing against none of them, nobody. It’s just the situation don’t work,” Pill said matter-of-factly. “It’s cool with us, I don’t got nothing against Ross either. It’s just I don’t talk to him.” Some believed that Pill’s outspokenness would anger the Boss, but Rozay didn’t take any of it to heart. “He made sure he reached out to me and called me and clarified,” Ross said. “He expressed that in no way was he disrespecting the team or the brand, because it’s a great opportunity and a great look.” As far as why the “Trap Goin’ Ham” rapper’s situation didn’t work out, Ross thought the young MC just needed a hit record and a little luck to build his momentum. He used the success of MMG’s Meek Mill and Wale to exemplify his point. “Certain things happen for certain people at certain times and none of us could really predict that,” he explained. “I couldn’t predict that Meek Mill would bring ‘Ima Boss’ to me or we couldn’t predict that Wale would bring ‘That Way.’ ” Even though Pill and WMG are now going their separate ways, Ross is looking forward to seeing his former Maybach affiliate rack up a win. “Hopefully, in the future he’ll bring him a hit record, and get him some paper and do his thing,” he said. “I wish him much success.” What do you hope to see from Pill in the future? Leave your comments below! Related Artists Rick Ross
On the one hand, the guy who made The Elephant Man , Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive is entitled to some kind of lifetime exemption to direct whatever he wants whenever he wants — Duran Duran concert videos , Dior commercials , debt-ceiling riffs , pop albums , whatever . On the other hand, David Lynch may as well be the art-house Donald Trump at this point, pursuer of nominal glories bordering on the fetishistic at best and the gratuitously stupid at worst. Take this new coffee ad, for example — probably better than anything you’ll see on Super Bowl Sunday , but still an ad for a beverage branded by a master filmmaker turned hobbyist mythmaker. There’s nothing here you didn’t see 22 years ago in an episode of Twin Peaks ; there is no other new Lynch cinema in any legitimate stage of development. Or maybe that’s just how it feels! Your mileage may vary. Related: Here’s Lynch writing about his love for coffee , also old news . I am running out of things to give up on! [ AdWeek via THR ]
Gina Carano had her very first paparazzi experience today. The HAYWIRE star was running errands in Beverly Hills today, when she was shocked to see cameras following! Gina says she’d love to appear in more films, and frankly, we’d love to see more. However, we’d still love to see Gina kick butt every now and then!
Hough also tells MTV News she’s ‘super excited’ to reunite with ‘Rock of Ages’ co-star Russell Brand on the still-untitled Diablo project. By Jocelyn Vena Julianne Hough Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic add link: Julianne Hough is building quite the film r
From VW’s ‘Star Wars’ spots to Brad Pitt’s Heineken run, advertisers have long used films in their Big Game commercials. By Eric Ditzian Matthew Broderick in his Honda CR-V commercial Photo: Honda Super Bowl kickoff is just days away, and while we couldn’t be more psyched to watch the New York Giants dismantle the New England Patriots (because, folks, that’s what will happen, end of story), we’re nearly as pumped to check out the game’s high-profile movie ads. Every year, corporate America pours millions of dollars into movie-related spots — some starring Hollywood A-listers, others riffing on classic films — in an attempt to convince inebriated football fans to buy cars, beer, junk food, deodorant and whatever else we probably don’t need but which might make our sad, empty lives have more meaning. At least that’s how we think ad agencies approach the biggest sporting event of the year. In preparation for the commercial excellence coming our way Sunday, we took a look at Super Bowls past — as well as this year’s pigskin classic — to pick the 10 greatest movie-related ads of all time. 10. Honda’s Riff on “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” This one sneaks onto the list neither because it’s a great commercial (it’s not) nor because it’s hilarious to see Matthew Broderick once again telling us that life moves pretty fast (it’s just depressing). No, this 2012 Honda ad makes the cut because there’s never, ever going to be a “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” sequel, and if this is a close as we get, hey, we’ll take it. 9. Nissan’s “Top Gun” Pigeons Imagine being inside an ad agency when some creative exec pitches an ad in which a bunch of flyboy pigeons take flight, to the tune of “Top Gun” hit song “Danger Zone,” and attempt to poop all over a Nissan Maxima, but the car is too damn speedy and the birds — one of them voiced by “Cheers” mailman John Ratzenberger — can’t unload on it. And the Nissan suits say, “Hell yes! Let’s fork over a million dollars and air this baby during the Super Bowl.” The late ’90s were weird. And awesome. 8. Budweiser’s Alcoholic Dog Would a dog’s most traumatic memory be the time he tried to chase after a Bud truck? Would this be the recollection a dog, in the best tradition of a method actor, turns to on a movie set to cry on cue during a maudlin death scene? Do dogs drink beer? Listen, it’s the Super Bowl. These things don’t have to make sense. 7. Visa’s Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Everyone’s favorite movie-related drinking game made a very amusing appearance in the 2002 Super Bowl, as Kevin Bacon attempted to pull off what just might be a bit of credit-card fraud. Now drink! 6. Heineken’s Brad Pitt Beer Run We suppose there’s a world in which Brad Pitt doesn’t have an army of underlings to send out on a beer run and instead has to stroll, under cover of darkness and as a thousand rabid paparazzi converge on him, to the market to pick up a six-pack. In a far different world, Heineken spent roughly the GDP of a third-world country to hire Pitt, license the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” and produce ad in 2005. 5. FedEx’s “Cast Away” Resolution Who didn’t want to ring Tom Hanks’ neck in “Cast Away” and be like, “Dude, just open that FedEx box, ’cause there’s totally a satellite phone, a GPS locator, a fishing rod and a water purifier in there”? This 2003 Super Bowl ad gave us the next best thing. 4. Noxema’s Cream Ad with Farrah Fawcett and Joe Namath This ad, starring the movie star and the New York Jets QB, might not make it by today’s network censors. So it’s simply amazing that it aired during the 1973 Bowl and had Namath cooing, ”I’m so excited, I’m going to get creamed!” as Fawcett slid into frame. 3. Pepsi’s Michael J. Fox Apartment: “Apartment 10G” (1987) In 1987, Michael J. Fox had it all — except some Diet Pepsi to offer his very new, totally bodacious next-door neighbor. So MJF does what anyone in his position would do: He jumps out his window in the rain to fetch her some calorie-free pop. Gentlemanly! Of course, when he returns with soda can in hand, he learns the new gal has an equally gorgeous roommate. Both of them love Diet Pepsi. And Michael J. Fox. City living is the best! 2. Volkswagen’s Bark Side Eleven dogs. One “Star Wars” theme song. Nothing more needs to be said. In fact, nothing is said the entire time (in the same, savvy style as spot ). Just Budweiser’s 1995 frog watch it before it airs during this year’s game. Genius. 1. Volkswagen’s Force When a little boy clad as Darth Vader held up his hands, attempting to use the Force to start a Passat, he also jumpstarted the hearts of every Super Bowl viewer on the planet. Last year’s classic ad was the perfect synthesis of everything a Big Game spot should aspire to be: cute but not too cute, funny without trying too hard, nostalgic yet utterly fresh. Though we somehow doubt parents raised on “Star Wars” rushed over to the local VW dealership seeking the sense of familial togetherness apparent in the commercial, that’s not really the point (at least outside ad agencies and automobile manufacturers). Honestly, most of the people talking about the ad probably couldn’t even name what kind of car the kid Force-ifies. What’s key is people were talking — and still are talking a year later. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
There’s a big old mammal heart beating softly but steadily at the center of Big Miracle , which recounts the true story of how, in 1988, humans from all over the world raced to save three California gray whales trapped by rapidly forming Arctic Circle ice. The whales’ plight made great television footage, captivating viewers everywhere; it also galvanized plenty of people who wanted to use their alleged or sort-of genuine concern for these poor creatures as a political tool or a means to financial gain. With whale-sized good intentions, Big Miracle works hard to capture the drama of the situation and also sweep an adequate quota of feel-good vibes into its wide-ranging net. But there’s so much going on in Big Miracle that the biggest miracle of all – the whales at the center of the story, magnificent, crusty beasts dotted with barnacle appliques, as if the sea gods had gone nuts with their own version of the Bedazzler – get lost amid all the criss-crossing love stories, political wheeler-dealing and well-intentioned but inadequate rescue missions. Maybe that suits the whales just fine – they are unassuming-looking creatures, after all – but they still deserve a little more majesty than the movie gives them. John Krasinksi plays Adam Carlson, a TV news reporter doing a series of stories set in sleepy Barrow, Alaska. It’s at least a small stroke of inspiration to cast Krasinski as a TV newsguy: He’s got the rubbery-handsome face of a cartoon-character — like a human Scooby Doo — and like so many of those TV guys, he manages to look both enthusiastic and nonplussed at the same time. Just when he thinks he’s exhausted the number of stories to be found in Barrow – his missives include a report on the world’s northernmost Mexican restaurant – he finds himself out on the ice one day and, gazing into the distance, spots first one gray nub, then another, emerging from a hole in the surface. These are the three whales, unable to continue the route they’ve been swimming because the Arctic ice has formed faster than expected; being mammals, they have to poke their snouts above the water’s surface in order to breathe. Adam jumps on the story, which is then picked up by the major TV networks. It also attracts the attention of Greenpeace activist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore, done up to look mousy, though not even the drab, no-makeup look can tamp down her natural radiance), who also happens to be Adam’s ex-girlfriend. Rachel both exasperates Adam and inspires protectiveness, and her arrival on the scene rattles him, not least because she distracts him from his longtime ambition: He dreams of getting out of sleepy Alaska and going to work for a “real” TV station in the lower 48. But there’s not much time for any chemistry to develop – or redevelop – between Adam and Rachel. Before long, a host of individuals, each toting his or her own kit bag of self-interest, descend upon the frigid little berg of Barrow: There’s frosty Los Angeles TV-news reporter Jill Jerard (Kristen Bell), who temporarily puts stars in Adam’s eyes; oil tycoon J.W. McGraw (Ted Danson), who’s interested in raping the land but who also harbors at least a semi-genuine desire to help; Reagan henchwoman Kelly Meyers (Vinessa Shaw), who’s dispatched to the North to make the president look adequately concerned about this big-news issue and thus secure the upcoming election for George Bush; and Colonel Scott Boyer (Dermot Mulroney), the guy in charge of moving an ice-breaking hovercraft into the area in a valiant attempt to cut an escape path for our nobbly-headed gray friends. The framing story involves a young Inupiat boy named Nathan (Ahmaogak Sweeney) who’s more obsessed with his Walkman than he is with whale sounds (though you can bet that changes). Also, at various times in the movie, assorted Inupiat characters pop up to espouse whale-oriented wisdom. Admittedly, director Ken Kwapis (director of the 2005 Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, as well as episodes of The Office and The Bernie Mac Show ) had his work cut out for him in trying to organize all these interlacing stories. (The screenplay is by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, adapted from Thomas Rose’s book Freeing the Whales .) And there are a few moments of grace here and there, including a sequence in which Rachel dons a wetsuit and dips into the water – brrr! – to swim with these magnificent prisoners of the ice. The resulting encounter is less underwater ballet than woman-to-whale mind-meld; as Rachel shimmies around these prehistoric-looking beasts, she seems to understand them less and respect them more, and we do, too. Kwapis wants, of course, to keep the tone light, and so he does. It’s fun to see James LeGros show up as a toque-clad Minnesota guy, one of the inventors of a device that helps get the whales swimming on their way. (It’s named, rather delightfully, the Hootkin De-Icer.) And at the end, look for a Sarah Palin cameo, thanks to the wonders of vintage video footage. Big Miracle is harmless and big-hearted, and it’s also handsomely shot (by the reliable John Bailey). But it could use a lot more bite. The battle for the whales, who become PR pawns in the process of just trying to survive, isn’t sharply delineated: Everyone wants a piece of these poor guys for their own gain, but the movie underplays that angle –by the windup, everybody forgets their differences and winds up in a group hug. And the victory for the whales, in the end, is bittersweet. Their story has more pathos and depth and nuance than that of the humans – there’s no way to give them dialogue, but they could have had more of a voice. Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
This week, Paul McCartney released a new album of standards called Kisses on the Bottom . It’s a title that’s more “Beat the Meatle” than “Meet the Beatles”, and for that, Mr. Skin salutes Sir Paul with the top 10 skinematic butt-kissing scenes! Pucker up for the smoochable booties of Pamela Anderson , Maria Conchita Alonso , and more. You’ll twist and shout with yourself! 10 Denice Duff in Vampire Resurrection (2001) … De nicest duff. 9 Nicki Micheaux and Jessica Collins in The Ranch (2004) … Fanny-frenching. 8 Tara Deffenderfer in Life of a Gigolo (1998) … SWAK on the crack. 7 Malu Mader in Sexo, Amor e Trai
