Singer shares his fond memories of the Movie Awards, which always have him ‘laughing and having a great time.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Kara Warner Justin Bieber Photo: MTV News Justin Bieber ‘s fondness for the MTV Movie Awards dates back to a time way before his 2011 nomination for Best Jaw-Dropping Moment. “My first memory?” he pondered to MTV News. “I remember just watching it from a young age and always laughing and having a great time.” While he didn’t nab any noms this year, he is hoping that “Bridesmaids” walks home with a Golden Popcorn trophy when the 2012 MTV Movie Awards go live this Sunday. “I liked ‘Bridesmaids.’ I need to see ‘Hunger Games’ again. I need to see it because I went there the first night it came out and I feel asleep because it was like super-late. But I need to see it again,” he explained, before breaking down why he loved the raunchy female comedy so much. “I just think it was funny. It’s kind of like the female version of ‘The Hangover,’ ” he said. “I thought it was funny.” Expect more memories to be made and lots of Golden Popcorn statues to be handed out (maybe even to “Bridesmaids”) when the 2012 MTV Movie Awards take place this weekend. The show will be hosted by Russell Brand and feature performances by Fun. , the Black Keys, Martin Solveig and Wiz Khalifa . It all goes down from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, on Sunday. Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Related Videos Behind The Scenes At The 2012 MTV Movie Awards
Band will perform at MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, along with Wiz Khalifa and Black Keys. By James Montgomery Nate Ruess Photo: Fueled by Ramen Two months ago, Fun. promised that their upcoming video for “Some Nights” would be “amazing,” then followed up that claim by teasing that the clip featured (and also xylophones). And now, after all that talk, we are finally getting our first glimpse at the video (which premieres Monday, June 4, at 3:55 p.m. on MTV) — thanks to a teaser clip posted by the band’s label, Fueled by Ramen — and it looks like Fun.’s claims were warranted. In the 30-second clip, we see Fun. performing amidst a Civil War battlefield, as flares erupt in the distance and Union and Confederate soldiers take aim at one another (said xylophone does not make an appearance). Directed by Anthony Mandler — who’s made a career out of helming eye-catching clips for the likes of Rihanna, Jay-Z, Drake and the Killers — the “Some Nights” video appears to be a worthy successor to the band’s breakout “We Are Young” clip, which still stands as one of 2012’s best. Of course, that assessment is based solely on a single sneak peek — you can catch the full “Some Nights” video when it premieres Monday, June 4, at 3:55 p.m. on MTV. And, of course, it comes on the heels of Fun.’s performance at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards , which air live on Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET/PT from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Fun. will share the stage at the big show with previously announced performer Wiz Khalifa and new additions the Black Keys and DJ Martin Solveig . Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Related Artists fun.
Critics love the effects and praise Michael Fassbender’s performance, but some feel the sci-fi flick gets lost in its own high-mindedness. By John Mitchell Michael Fassbender as David 8 in “Prometheus” Photo: Twentieth Century Fox One of the summer’s most anticipated films, director Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus,” doesn’t open until June 8, but early reviews for the sci-fi blockbuster are already trickling in, something many studios would fear so far ahead of a film’s release — that is, if they weren’t as universally positive. So far, the consensus is clear: “Prometheus” is a flawed film with a lot of great things going for it, most notably a breakout scene-stealing performance from Michael Fassbender (“Shame”), inspired and amazing 3-D effects and plenty of “jolt and amaze” moments that all but assure filmgoers “will be right back for seconds” when 20th Century Fox releases the film next Friday. Critics have nothing but praise for the performances of Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace and Idris Elba, though they are particularly emphatic in their appreciation for Fassbender as the android butler David. When MTV News caught up with Theron recently, she gushed about what makes Fassbender worthy of all that praise . And for fans who can’t wait to see the cast in action, Theron will appear at the MTV Movie Awards, airing this Sunday, June 3 at 9 p.m. E.T. on MTV. “Technically, ‘Prometheus’ is magnificent. Shot in 3-D but without the director taking the process into account in his conceptions or execution, the film absorbs and uses the process seamlessly,” The Hollywood Reporter writes. “There is nary a false or phony note in the effects.” “Scott and his production crew compensate to some degree with an intricate, immersive visual design that doesn’t skimp on futuristic eye-candy or prosthetic splatter,” Variety agrees. Those going in expecting a straightforward prequel to Scott’s “Alien” may be disappointed. While it does answer a few questions burning in the minds of sci-fi aficionados, including some insight into the acid-for-blood aliens of the original series and the spacecraft they are discovered aboard, “Prometheus” is very much its own film. “Much of Scott’s audience are expecting a fully-formed prequel to ‘Alien,'”
Andy Samberg and his co-stars present the clip during Sneak Peek Week, leading up to this Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards. By Kara Warner Justin Weaver in “That’s My Boy” Photo: Columbia Pictures Are you ready for the raunchiest, most inappropriate-yet-hilarious father/son comedy of the year? Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg are hoping so with Sandler’s first-ever R-rated comedy, “That’s My Boy.” MTV News premiered the film as part of our second annual Sneak Peek Week ahead of the 2012 MTV Movie Awards , and a slew of the film’s stars were on hand to help present an exclusive clip to the lucky audience: Samberg, Vanilla Ice, Will Forte, Ciara, Milo Ventimiglia and Eva Amurri. The film revolves around deadbeat dad Donny (Sandler), who got his teacher pregnant when he was just a teenager and raised his son Han Solo Berger (Samberg) as a single parent until Han turned 18. After a financial mishap, Donny reappears in Han’s life on the eve of his wedding. As Donny tries desperately to reconnect with his son, who has changed his name to Todd, Donny must face the consequences of his terrible parenting. The clip provides the background — or an explanation of sorts — for how teenage Donny ended up sleeping with his teacher. In a nutshell, the teacher started it. We see teenage Donny (Justin Weaver) sitting in what appears to be detention for writing an inappropriate note about his teacher (Amurri), who asks if he has a crush on her. Donny looks visibly uncomfortable with the question, particularly after she says, “So, you don’t want me?” and takes her hair out of a ponytail and twirls it around her fingers. “No!” says Donny. “Yeah? I don’t know what I’m supposed to say right now!” “Is that gum in your mouth, Donny?” she asks, putting her hand in front of Donny’s mouth so he can spit the gum out, which naughty teacher puts into her mouth and begins to chew. As is the case with many a Sandler comedy, the scene is both funny and gross at the same time. If you enjoyed the clip, don’t miss the rest of our Sneak Peek Week action with stars from “Magic Mike” and “Rock of Ages,” all leading up to the 21st annual MTV Movie Awards live on Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Related Videos Movie Awards Sneak Peek Week: ‘That’s My Boy’
‘What counts to me is the fact that the affiliation is so known,’ Drizzy tells MTV News of fellow Toronto artist. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Drake Photo: MTV News The Weeknd has a ton of fans, but Drake may be the biggest fan of them all. Of course, there is some bias: Drizzy embraced the Toronto singer last year and has since worked with him on fan favorites like “Crew Love,” “The Ride” and “The Zone.” The two have even brought their respective OVO and XO cliques together to form OVOXO. So what’s the real deal with Drake and the Weeknd? “As far as on paper, it’s all being worked out, but that’s not really what counts anyway. What counts to me is the fact that the affiliation is so known, and that’s all I really care about,” Drake told MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway during his May 17 tour stop in Houston . The Young Money star didn’t shed much light on the Weeknd’s career, but then again, since the release of his breakout mixtape House of Balloons last year, the singer has been shrouded in mystery. Though he performed at Coachella last month and embarked on his own solo tour, the Weeknd has yet to give a definitive interview or released very many music videos. Still, Drake recognizes the magic they create together and whether or not he actually signs his Toronto running mate, he insists there will always be a union of some sort. “I want to continue being involved in his career and vice versa and keep making music together, because you take songs like ‘Crew Love’ and ‘The Zone,’ that’s what people wait all night to hear,” he said. Drizzy welcomed the “Wicked Games” vocalist onstage to perform with him during his Concord, California, stop in the Bay Area at the beginning of May. “If you want to talk about evolution — a quick evolution — that’s definitely somebody who, everywhere I go, they love him,” he said. “They’re that loud every single night when I say the Weeknd’s name and when he came out at the show in the Bay, it was crazy. “We’re definitely a family,” Drake added. “It’s definitely a Toronto thing. That’s not changing at all.” Where should the Weeknd sign? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Drake The Weeknd
Mac gives MTV News his take on ‘The Baddest,’ amateur rapper Krispy Kreme’s viral video that features a shout-out of sorts to the Pittsburgh MC. By Rob Markman Mac Miller Photo: MTV Internet sensations come and go, sometimes with no rhyme or reason. Though they may be elementary, rapper Krispy Kreme has rhymes; it’s the reasoning behind “The Baddest,” his viral video that has folks scratching their heads. The clip has amassed more than a million views on YouTube since the end of April. In it, Kreme raps in his basement, bragging of his street cred and sexual prowess, all while brandishing a fake pistol. His partner, Money Maker Mike, doesn’t say a word; instead he just stares into the camera, holding a pellet rifle, wearing a light blue Mac Miller T-shirt. When MTV News caught up with Mac Miller , we asked what he thought of the clip he makes a sort of cameo in. “I don’t know, but that sh– is hilarious though,” he said. “That’s my artist. Sike, I’m just playin’. “I don’t know if he’s serious or not, but the dude with the Mac Miller shirt on has the rifle from ‘A Christmas Story’ aimed at the camera all the time and that was tight,” Mac said hours before he performed at the Bamboozle Music Festival on May 18. Clearly a parody, a snot-nosed Kreme taunts, “I bet I got more money than Jay-Z/ Compared to me Jay-Z is lazy/ Plus Beyonc— thinks that I’m cute/ It’s OK, Beyonc—, I think you’re cute too.” Krispy’s second video , “Haters Wanna Be Me” features more of the same tomfoolery. “I been shot about 500 times and I’ve done about one million crimes,” he spits in a slow, amateur drawl. Once again Money Maker Mike appears in that same Mac Miller tee. “That type of sh– is cool to me because I’m like, ‘Man I’m really makin’ it when random big videos on YouTube, they’re wearing my clothes,” the Blue Slide Park MC said. “That’s hella promotion for my clothes.” What do you think of Kripsy Kreme’s “The Baddest” video? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Bamboozle Festival Performances Related Artists Mac Miller
Despite rumors that the track takes aim at Weezy and Drake, producer Rico Beats says they weren’t part of the conversation. By Rob Markman Pusha T in his “Exodus 23:1” video Photo: Universal If Pusha T intended to dis anyone on his “Exodus 23:1” single, the track’s producer, Rico Beats, wasn’t aware. “Honestly, when we were in the room listening to that record, I didn’t hear none of these guys’ names brought up,” Rico told MTV News on Wednesday of rumors that Pusha was taking shots at Drake and Lil Wayne on the track. “It was none of that. Dream got in his zone and he went in the booth. Pusha got his pen, like I didn’t hear nobody mentioned.” On the track, the Clipse rapper spits, “You signed to one n—a, that’s signed to another n—a, that’s signed to three n—as now that’s bad luck,” a verse that many fans thought targeted the two rappers and their YMCMB squad. Wayne took immediate offense to the song, tweeting, “F– pusha t and anybody that love em,” and firing back with a dis song “Ghoulish” two days after. But before making the beat for “Exodus 23:1,” Rico says that the only instruction he received from Pusha was to make him something with a dark sound. He immediately went to work found inspiration in Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 underground favorite “What’s Beef,” which he sampled from and then built his sounds around. “Pusha kept tellin’ me, ‘I need something dark, man. The album sounds crazy, but I still need somethin’ for my fans’. So I was like, ‘I got you, give me by six o’clock,’ ” Rico recalled. “I went down to the studio and I was just listening to Biggie. I was just playin’ pure Biggie. So [“What’s Beef”] came on and once I heard [B.I.G.’s] ‘ha-ha-ha-ha’ [vocal] I was like, ‘Oh sh–‘.” If Pusha’s “Exodus” left things up to interpretation, Weezy’s dis did not. On “Ghoulish,” Tunechi took direct aim with lines like “Brrrr, what happened to that boy/ He was talkin’ sh– we put a clappin’ to that boy” making direct reference to Birdman and Pusha’s 2002 single “What Happened to That Boy.” Rico, a Brooklyn native, says he hasn’t heard Wayne’s record in its entirety, but did admit that it was playing in the background during a Memorial Day weekend barbecue. And while he doesn’t know whether Pusha plans to respond, the producer confirmed that he and the Virginia lyricist will collaborate more in the future, as he is slated to produce about half of Pusha’s next solo album. What do you think of Rico Beats’ “Exodus 23:1” beat? Let us know in the comments Related Artists Pusha T Lil Wayne
With the band (apparently) calling it quits after 25 years, Bigger Than the Sound offers a eulogy. By James Montgomery Dean Ween Photo: Chris McKay/ WireImage In my review of Ween ‘s 2007 album La Cucaracha (which also happens to be the last time they were mentioned on this website), I referred to them as “musical cockroaches,” the kind of scurrying, scrounging band that — much like the titular (and totally gross) arthropod on the record’s cover — was capable of surviving nuclear holocausts and subsisting on a bar of soap for weeks at a time. “In essence, Ween are indestructible,” I wrote. “They will be here long after you and I are gone.” It turns out, I was wrong about that last point. Because on Tuesday, Aaron Freeman, better known to bong-rippers and Scotchgard-huffers everywhere as Gene Ween, told Rolling Stone that he was retiring the mantle and ending Ween, saying, simply, “It’s been a long time; 25 years. It was a good run.” Of course, this apparently came as a surprise to Freeman’s partner for the past quarter-century, Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo, who reportedly wrote on his private Facebook page that the band’s breakup “is news to me, all I can say for now I guess.” There’s been no official announcement on Ween’s site , and as late as 2010, the duo were talking about entering the studio to begin work on the follow-up to Cucaracha, though, from the sound of things, those sessions probably didn’t go all that well … if they ever happened at all. But if this really is the end of the band, well, most fans probably saw it coming. After an infamous onstage meltdown at a Ween show last year, Freeman entered rehab (and just released a solo album, Marvelous Clouds ), and in recent years, Melchiondo has devoted most of his time to his side-job as a fishing guide (he describes himself as both a “pretty good conversationalist” and “fully insured”). Still, none of that makes the news any less of a bummer, especially for folks like me, who grew up with Ween, got sh–faced at their live shows — a genuine rite of passage for any fan — spent endless smoky nights dissecting their wildly divergent back catalog and, as a result, would go on to process popular music through their own uniquely cracked spectrum. Freeman is right: It was a good run. And that’s why it’s taken me almost a day to write this column. After all, how does one encapsulate their 25-year career, which began in eighth-grade typing class and has encompassed tape-machine schlock, bizarre, brain-addled semi-hits — 1993’s “Push Th’ Little Daisys” — critical acclaim and Pizza Hut commercials (and master classes in old-school country & western, nautical prog, Beatles-y psych, Buffett-y calypso and, uh, Philly Soul, to name just a few of the dozens of genres they’ve skewered)? Because of all that, they most certainly rank up there as one of weirdest acts of all time, earning their rightful place alongside the likes of Zappa, Spike Jones, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Captain Beefheart … though, to me, Ween were always something more: They were an entry point to all that oddity, the first of their kind. The moment I heard “Dr. Rock” or “The Stallion, Pt. 1” (from 1991’s The Pod ), I could practically feel my musical consciousness being expanded, and from that moment on, everything was different. In a lot of ways, Ween made me. I followed them through every twist and turn, often as puzzled as I was delighted ( 12 Golden Country Greats and The Mollusk remain two of my favorite albums ever). But through it all, Ween remained an important band for me, an old favorite, a reminder of the good times when I didn’t know better and when it was socially acceptable to wear basketball shorts and sit cross-legged in smoky dorm rooms all day long. And while nothing I write can effectively eulogize them, I do think that, in closing, it’s important to defend them in one regard: No matter what anyone tells you, Ween were never a “joke” band. They were a terrific band, one adept at doing anything — mostly because they wanted to — and brilliant enough to carry it out to the nth degree. The attention to detail on albums like White Pepper or Mollusk was the kind of thing only true musicians (and music aficionados) could muster — if Ween were gonna do a prog record, you’d better believe it was gonna sound like a prog record — and that held true to the very end. On what might very well end up being their final album track (the smooth-jazz-slaying “Your Party,” from La Cucaracha ), not only did they nail the buttocks-clenching uprightness of the genre, but they went out and got none other than David Sanborn to play satin-sheet sax on the thing. That goes beyond mere humor; it’s pure genius. And that’s what Ween were, to me, and to a whole lot of other people too: musical geniuses. They just managed to hide it for 25 years — though those of us who worship at the altar of the Boognish knew otherwise. Ween may not have lasted forever, but the memories they’ve soundtracked certainly will. It’s a Brown day, indeed. Related Artists Ween
With the band (apparently) calling it quits after 25 years, Bigger Than the Sound offers a eulogy. By James Montgomery Dean Ween Photo: Chris McKay/ WireImage In my review of Ween ‘s 2007 album La Cucaracha (which also happens to be the last time they were mentioned on this website), I referred to them as “musical cockroaches,” the kind of scurrying, scrounging band that — much like the titular (and totally gross) arthropod on the record’s cover — was capable of surviving nuclear holocausts and subsisting on a bar of soap for weeks at a time. “In essence, Ween are indestructible,” I wrote. “They will be here long after you and I are gone.” It turns out, I was wrong about that last point. Because on Tuesday, Aaron Freeman, better known to bong-rippers and Scotchgard-huffers everywhere as Gene Ween, told Rolling Stone that he was retiring the mantle and ending Ween, saying, simply, “It’s been a long time; 25 years. It was a good run.” Of course, this apparently came as a surprise to Freeman’s partner for the past quarter-century, Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo, who reportedly wrote on his private Facebook page that the band’s breakup “is news to me, all I can say for now I guess.” There’s been no official announcement on Ween’s site , and as late as 2010, the duo were talking about entering the studio to begin work on the follow-up to Cucaracha, though, from the sound of things, those sessions probably didn’t go all that well … if they ever happened at all. But if this really is the end of the band, well, most fans probably saw it coming. After an infamous onstage meltdown at a Ween show last year, Freeman entered rehab (and just released a solo album, Marvelous Clouds ), and in recent years, Melchiondo has devoted most of his time to his side-job as a fishing guide (he describes himself as both a “pretty good conversationalist” and “fully insured”). Still, none of that makes the news any less of a bummer, especially for folks like me, who grew up with Ween, got sh–faced at their live shows — a genuine rite of passage for any fan — spent endless smoky nights dissecting their wildly divergent back catalog and, as a result, would go on to process popular music through their own uniquely cracked spectrum. Freeman is right: It was a good run. And that’s why it’s taken me almost a day to write this column. After all, how does one encapsulate their 25-year career, which began in eighth-grade typing class and has encompassed tape-machine schlock, bizarre, brain-addled semi-hits — 1993’s “Push Th’ Little Daisys” — critical acclaim and Pizza Hut commercials (and master classes in old-school country & western, nautical prog, Beatles-y psych, Buffett-y calypso and, uh, Philly Soul, to name just a few of the dozens of genres they’ve skewered)? Because of all that, they most certainly rank up there as one of weirdest acts of all time, earning their rightful place alongside the likes of Zappa, Spike Jones, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Captain Beefheart … though, to me, Ween were always something more: They were an entry point to all that oddity, the first of their kind. The moment I heard “Dr. Rock” or “The Stallion, Pt. 1” (from 1991’s The Pod ), I could practically feel my musical consciousness being expanded, and from that moment on, everything was different. In a lot of ways, Ween made me. I followed them through every twist and turn, often as puzzled as I was delighted ( 12 Golden Country Greats and The Mollusk remain two of my favorite albums ever). But through it all, Ween remained an important band for me, an old favorite, a reminder of the good times when I didn’t know better and when it was socially acceptable to wear basketball shorts and sit cross-legged in smoky dorm rooms all day long. And while nothing I write can effectively eulogize them, I do think that, in closing, it’s important to defend them in one regard: No matter what anyone tells you, Ween were never a “joke” band. They were a terrific band, one adept at doing anything — mostly because they wanted to — and brilliant enough to carry it out to the nth degree. The attention to detail on albums like White Pepper or Mollusk was the kind of thing only true musicians (and music aficionados) could muster — if Ween were gonna do a prog record, you’d better believe it was gonna sound like a prog record — and that held true to the very end. On what might very well end up being their final album track (the smooth-jazz-slaying “Your Party,” from La Cucaracha ), not only did they nail the buttocks-clenching uprightness of the genre, but they went out and got none other than David Sanborn to play satin-sheet sax on the thing. That goes beyond mere humor; it’s pure genius. And that’s what Ween were, to me, and to a whole lot of other people too: musical geniuses. They just managed to hide it for 25 years — though those of us who worship at the altar of the Boognish knew otherwise. Ween may not have lasted forever, but the memories they’ve soundtracked certainly will. It’s a Brown day, indeed. Related Artists Ween
