“I’ll spend months working with an actor, and I think I spent four months with Ashton,” the filmmaker said recently about his time prepping Kutcher for 2005’s Elizabethtown . But the actor, who was still starring in That 70’s Show at the time, refused to devote a few weeks to the ill-fated project co-starring Kirsten Dunst. At the time, Crowe realized, “This is not meant to be,” dropped Kutcher and replaced him with Orlando Bloom. Although the film bombed at the box office, Crowe still remembers it favorably: ” Elizabethtown was a movie made for all the right reasons, and people who connect with the movie really connect to it.” [ THR ]
Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry also get AMA love, while Justin Bieber and Chris Brown rep for the fellas with their performances. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Swift at the 2011 AMAs on Sunday Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ AMA2011/ FilmMagic On Sunday night (November 20), the music industry’s A-listers gathered inside Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre to celebrate some of 2011’s most memorable musical moments. It was a night dominated by chart-toppers like Taylor Swift , Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez . Minaj and David Guetta were the first to electrify the stage. The two stars joined forces to get the room jumping with their track “Turn Me On,” which transitioned into Nicki’s breakthrough hit “Super Bass.” Maroon 5 were the first big winners, taking home Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group. “This is our first one. This is crazy. I think in order to get one of these, you have to have loyal fans,” lead singer Adam Levine said. Next up, Swift nabbed a trophy for Favorite Country Female Artist. After hugging pal Selena Gomez, Taylor excitedly accepted her award wearing a glittering gown. “I want to thank my band and my crew and the fans for filling up stadiums,” she said. “And my mom and my dad and my brother who came with me tonight, and my fans who continue to amaze me.” Sean Kingston was onstage to welcome his “true friend” Justin Bieber, whom he noted kept in touch with him continually during his recovery earlier this year. Bieber brought a little Christmas to the stage, performing his Under the Mistletoe song “Mistletoe.” The flurry of performances continued, including one from the Band Perry (who appear on Bieber’s UTM ) singing their crossover track “If I Die Young.” Then 50 Cent took the stage to proclaim the following about Chris Brown: “You haven’t seen this guy till you’ve seen him perform onstage. It’s the main event.” Brown gave the room a little medley , slowing it down with “All Back” then transitioning into “Say It With Me.” Nicki Minaj took home her first award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. She was the only girl up against Yeezy and Weezy. “I didn’t think I was going to win it,” she told the room. “I have to thank God … and Taylor Swift, wherever you are. I want to thank my Barbz. There’s power in your peace. Hold your peace.” Kelly Clarkson performed a big-band-inspired version of her song “Mr. Know It All” before Favorite Soul/R&B Album was handed out to Rihanna for Loud. In a pre-taped message, Rihanna said, “This means a lot to me. I love you guys. Thanks to all my fans.” Enrique Iglesias took the stage with a little help from a marching band to perform his feel-good track “I Like How It Feels” then recalled his performance last year when he once again performed “Tonight.” Jennifer Lopez followed up her fellow Latin superstar, kicking off her performance in a very diva way, complete with a flowing gown and wind machine, before kicking into high gear with “Papi,” for which she changed into a sparkly, body-hugging outfit. For her third costume change, Pitbull took the stage with her for “On the Floor.” Lady Antebellum locked in the prize for Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group. Leading lady Hillary Scott said, “We just want to say thank you to the fans. It starts and ends with you.” Adam Lambert made his return to the AMA stage two years after his memorable (and divisive ) debut performance, welcoming OneRepublic, who performed “Good Life” and had Bieber bopping his head from the audience. Then, Minaj was back again, winning Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for Pink Friday. Swift handed it off to her before Minaj said, “This one can actually make me cry. I can’t believe this is happening … just chase your dreams,” she told her fans. “Shout out to all the female rappers, past, present and future.” Pitbull was joined by hypeman Lil Jon and Marc Anthony for “Rain Over Me” before Katy Perry took the stage . All decked out in pink, she embraced the sadness of her track “The One That Got Away” by keeping it simple and acoustic. Immediately after performing, Perry was surprised with a special award of achievement for being the first woman in the history of pop music to have five #1 singles from one album . “Can I just say, thank you so much for letting me be a chameleon this year. I love you so much, and I also love my fans. I want to thank my band and all of the people who came out to see me.” Hot Chelle Rae won for New Artist of the Year before J.Lo took it home for Favorite Latin Artist. “I’m shaking,” she said. “I didn’t expect to win. It’s been a really amazing year in so many ways. It’s been up and down. It’s been exciting and overwhelming. I’m just grateful for all my blessings.” Mary J. Blige brought some swagger to the stage for “Mr. Wrong” before paying homage to late MC Heavy D . “Rest in peace to my dear friend, the lovable, the great Heavy D. I miss you so much, brother.” The Favorite Soul R&B Female Artist went to Beyonc
Edward Burns’s newest film Newlyweds closed out the Tribeca Film Festival this year, and the director/writer/star is happy to tell you how he allocated the $9,000 in its budget: “5k for actors, 2k insurance, 2k food and drink. 9k in the can.” That’s according to Burns’s Twitter , which is a pretty fun and inspiring scroll for independent filmmakers. Movieline premieres the new poster for Newlyweds after the jump.
‘I don’t want to perform for people who don’t want me here,’ mini-MC says after landing in the bottom two. By Adam Graham Stacy Francis on “X Factor” Photo: FOX Stacy Francis — the 42-year-old diva who once pleaded to Simon Cowell, “I don’t want to die with this music in me!” — was eliminated from “The X Factor” Thursday night (November 17). But the bigger story was 15-year-old hip-hop dynamo Astro , who found himself in the bottom two with Francis and was none too pleased with his fate. Asked to sing for his life in front of the judges, Astro nonchalantly strolled onto the stage and announced, “I really don’t wanna perform. I feel like it’s unnecessary.” He turned to his mentor, L.A. Reid: “But I’mma leave it up to you. You’re my mentor. Do you think I should perform?” Reid told Astro he had come a long way in the competition and that he should perform. Astro turned back and proceeded to give a halfhearted, visibly jaded performance of a song in which he talked about his experiences on the show. Francis, for her song, belted out “Amazing Grace.” When it came time for the judges to make their decision, Astro was scolded for his attitude by the panel, with Reid telling him, “You acted a little bit like a quitter, and it upset me.” But Cowell was the hardest on the Brooklyn MC — whom Rihanna once compared to “a mini J. Cole” — telling him, “I don’t like your attitude right now.” “Look at me, and think about your mum watching the show,” Cowell said to him. “Because you are showing disrespect to your mom. You are showing disrespect to the audience at home, and I don’t like people with this attitude.” Astro retorted, “No disrespect to you or this show, but I just feel like if you’re going to put me in the bottom two, I don’t want to perform for people who don’t want me here, you know what I’m saying? That’s it.” By this time, Astro was being showered with boos from the audience, and a tear that had welled up in his eye began to stream down his face. Cowell asked if he’d take the same attitude if put in the position again, and Astro apologized, telling him, “Honestly, man, it’s cool.” With the audience chanting, “Stacy! Stacy!” Cowell cast his deciding vote. “I really don’t want to do this,” he said, voting for Astro to stay, saying he thinks he had a better chance of winning the show and ultimately sending Francis packing with a 3-1 vote in favor of her ouster. (Nicole Scherzinger, Francis’ mentor, was the sole vote for her to remain.) Francis thanked the judges for her time on the show and took responsibility for her so-so rendition of Meat Loaf’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” the night prior, which was slammed by Cowell. “I don’t believe I did great last night. I go with that, and I have to suck up my pride and take responsibility for the performance I gave,” Francis said. “I just want to thank Simon Cowell for giving me a chance, because I’m 42 years old, and he allowed me to sing for the world week to week.” Earlier in the night, Paula Abdul — who had already seen two of her groups get kicked off the show — caught a break when she learned her sole remaining group in the competition, Lakoda Rayne, was voted through to next week. Upon hearing the news, Cowell looked as though William Hung just won a Grammy, while Abdul proudly crowed, “I told you so, I told you so!” During the commercial break following the announcement, Cowell tweeted, “How the hell did that happen?” The episode also featured a performance from Rihanna, who showcased her current Billboard chart-topping single “We Found Love.” While it was presented as live, the performance was taped following Wednesday’s episode. The top 10 contestants opened the show with a group rendition of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” celebrating the week’s rock and roll theme . What did you think of Astro’s reaction to his near-elimination? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos ‘X Factor’ Top Twelve Performances
Chris Brown is so over being asked questions about his ex-girlfriend Rihanna that he had another meltdown on Twitter and has decided to delete almost his entire time line, leaving only a couple of tweets consisting of positive messages from fans. The 22-year-old singer couldn’t ignore the negative comments about viciously beating up Rihanna two years ago and exploded into a rant: “I don’t say s**t to anybody and everyone feels its cool to attack me. GROWN ADULTS!!!! that s**t happened three years ago!” he wrote on his Twitter account. “I know alot of you wack @ss(OLD) celebrities probably wanna f**k my ex but talking s**t on me wont get u far,” he continued. He then wrote: “And to be REALLY HONEST… yall wonder why n**ga spazzes all the time? Lol.” Another tweet read: “MY MUSIC DOESNT PROMOTE VIOLENCE nor will it ever! only thing it will increase is the pregnacy rate! (sic).” Do you think Breezy is being immature and needs anger management or should folks just leave him alone? Draya Speaks On Relationship With Chris Brown: “We Really Didn’t Discuss Her [Rihanna]“ Rihanna On Chris Brown: “I’m Really Excited To See The Breakthrough He’s Had In His Career” Rihanna Softens Restraining Order Against Chris Brown, Addresses Decision On Twitter
Matt Baume, whom regular New Civil Rights Movement readers know well, discusses what today’s Prop 8 ruling from the California Supreme Court really means. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The New Civil Rights Movement Discovery Date : 17/11/2011 05:00 Number of articles : 3
Protesters at UC Berkeley were joined overnight Wednesday by former Defense Department official Daniel Ellsberg. The 80-year-old Ellsberg is credited with leaking the so-called Pentagon Papers to The New York Times in 1969, which revealed that the government had lied about the progress of the Vietnam war, among other things. “I’ll be staying here tonight,” the former whistleblower told filmmaker John… Broadcasting platform : Vimeo Source : Raw Story Discovery Date : 17/11/2011 14:36 Number of articles : 2
Momma always said “don’t play with God”. Clearly these celebrities never heard of that. Whether it’s Jay-Z calling himself “Hova” or Lady Gaga doing…whatever it is she does, people have been effing with God for ages. If he ever comes and starts striking people down Old Testament style, here are a few stars that might want to take cover.
‘The date is still tentative because of my health situation,’ Ross tells ‘RapFix Live.’ By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting from Sway Calloway Rick Ross Photo: MTV News Rick Ross appeared on Wednesday’s (November 16) “RapFix Live” to give fans an update on his health and the status on his fifth solo album, God Forgives, I Don’t, after suffering two seizures in October. With Maybach Music rapper Meek Mill at his side, Ricky Rozay confirmed that the December 13 release date for his album is subject to change because of the lull in his workflow. “The date is still tentative, December 13. [Because of] my little health situation, I had to postpone a lot of my groundwork,” Ross said. “And I feel like that’s important for artists like myself. “If I wanted to, I’m pretty sure I could still meet that date, but I think for the people, it’s more important [to lay groundwork] for when I get out there and look them in the face and touch them hands,” Ross said, explaining the likelihood of a delay. “We’ve just gotta lay ground for it, and I’mma keep y’all updated.” During his rest and recovery period, Ross had time to link up with Jay-Z for a new track, which is set to appear on God Forgives, I Don’t. “Just expect the biggest collabo we’ve ever made together. It’s just gonna make the project mean that much more,” he said. “Any time me and the Big Homie get together, you know I’m coming with my A-game, ’cause I wanna make sure the homie is impressed with whatever I’m coming to the table with — and he was. He blessed me, so y’all get ready for it.” Until Rick Ross finally releases God Forgives, I Don’t, he continues to heavily promote Ambition, the sophomore album from his Maybach Music artist Wale. Are you sad about Ross’ delay? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos Rick Ross, Meek Mill, N.O.R.E. And More On ‘RapFix Live’ ‘RapFix Live’ With Wale Related Artists Rick Ross
Plus more inside scoop from backstage, where Jermaine Dupri was spotted hanging out. By Jim Cantiello Backstage at “X Factor” Photo: Jim Cantiello/Brendan Kennedy MTV News’ own Jim Cantiello is exclusively covering “The X Factor” rehearsals. Read on for his fly-on-the-wall backstage report! LOS ANGELES — The top 10 contestants on “The X Factor” are taking on rock and roll this week, and everyone backstage is on edge. Production closed off all rehearsals so contestants couldn’t sit in while their competitors practice. During the dress rehearsal, many of the top 10 were glued to a monitor backstage scoping out the competition for the first time. Tense! It may be rock week, but Jermaine Dupri was spotted hanging out backstage with L.A. Reid’s right-hand man. You think deals are happening on the lot? Let the irresponsible rumor mongering commence! Here are some other “X Factor” backstage tidbits so juicy I have to make them blind to protect my job. (Don’t be mad.)
