After taking on ‘American Idol’ over the winter, ‘The Voice’ will now take on ‘X Factor.’ By Gil Kaufman “The Voice” coaches Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton Photo: NBC Fans of NBC reality singing competition “The Voice” will get a double-dose of spinning chairs and clashing mentors this year, as the show is being moved to the fall for its upcoming third season. The just-wrapped singing competition whose panel is anchored by country star Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and jousting judges Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine, will move to the fall, where it will vie for eyeballs with another singing reality show, Simon Cowell’s “X Factor.” According to Billboard magazine , “The Voice” will benefit from Sunday night NFL promotions in its new slot, where it will run on Mondays from 8-10 p.m. and Tuesdays from 8-9 p.m. The “X Factor” will air on Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. and Thursday 8-9 p.m. Neither show has announced a firm return date. Unnamed sources close to “The Voice” told the magazine that there are a number of revisions in store for the program that could make it look much different from the first two seasons. Among them could be more air time for the top finalists instead of a renewed focus in season two on the blind audition rounds. As “The Voice” has grown into a consistent ratings generator for NBC, executives believe it will become a go-to place for labels looking to push their big fall and holiday releases in the fourth quarter during the show’s live November and December shows. It’s unknown how the double-dip this year will impact the careers of its stars, as Aguilera is working on new music, Levine and his band, Maroon 5, are preparing to release the new disc Overexposed on June 26 and Green has said he’s working on his next solo album and prepping a return from his hip-hop crew, Goodie Mob. The only hiccup from the “Voice” move is that Cowell may steal their thunder on Monday (May 14) when he is expected to announce that Britney Spears and Demi Lovato will join the judging panel of “Factor” for season two. Related Artists Maroon 5 Cee Lo Green Christina Aguilera
Hemsworth’s wife, actress Elsa Pataky, gave birth to the couple’s first child ‘very recently.’ By Jocelyn Vena Chris Hemsworth Photo: WireImage It seems Thor now has an heir to his throne. Chris Hemsworth and his wife, actress Elsa Pataky, welcomed their first child, a daughter named India. The news of the baby’s birth broke on Saturday, while the “Avengers” actor was in London promoting his other big film release, “Snow White and The Huntsman.” “It was just a name we liked, I always kind of liked Indie or Indiana for a boy and she liked India,” the Australian actor told E! News . “We sorta went, ‘Oh well, whether it’s a boy or girl, that will decide.’ It just seemed to fit.” According to People.com , the baby was born on Friday, but Hemsworth refused to confirm that report when chatting with E!, only noting that India was born “very recently.” He did add, “I’ve wanted to have kids for a long time, and here it is, and I couldn’t be happier.” Hemsworth and Pataky, who married in December 2010 , announced they were expecting back in January . “Since it’s our first child, we don’t care if it’s a boy or girl, our only wish is that it’s healthy,” Pataky said at the time. “I’m only going to speak to the baby in Spanish. I already told my husband, ‘Get ready fast with Spanish because, if not, you’re not going to be able to understand what we say.’ ” With “The Avengers” continuing to rule the box office and breaking records while it’s at it (it just crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide), it’s a good time to be a Hemsworth. “Snow White and the Huntsman,” which also stars Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron, opens June 1. Share your well-wishes for Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky in the comments! Related Videos MTV First: Snow White And The Huntsman Related Photos It’s Good To Be A Hemsworth
Following skepticism about Kutcher’s ability to pull off playing Apple founder, photos of the actor in costume have surfaced. By Kevin P. Sullivan Ashton Kutcher Photo: Dr. Billy Ingram/ WireImage It may have been difficult to picture practical joker Ashton Kutcher portraying Steve Jobs after it was announced he would lead an upcoming biopic about the former Apple innovator. Some comparison photos certainly helped, but now TMZ has the first shots of Kutcher in full Jobs regalia, mock turtleneck and all. The paparazzi snapped a few pictures of Kutcher outside of a Starbucks in what is reportedly his full costume for the tentatively titled movie “Jobs: Get Inspired.” In addition to the signature black mock turtleneck, Kutcher is wearing loose-fitting jeans and cross trainers, an outfit anyone familiar with Jobs would recognize as his style. Kutcher joined the film back in April to a decidedly mixed response, but after a comparison image with side-by-side photos of a long-haired Kutcher and Jobs from the 1970s started to pop up on the Web, the resemblance was hard to deny. Directed by “Swing Vote” helmer Joshua Michael Stern, “Jobs” will examine the Apple founder’s life and innovations from the 1970s to the end of the 20th century. “Book of Mormon” breakout Josh Gad signed on a few weeks after Kutcher to play Jobs’ partner and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. The role comes at a tumultuous time for Kutcher. After a very public breakup from wife Demi Moore, Kutcher stirred controversy twice with comments made about former Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s firing and, more recently, a Pop Chips ad that featured the actor made up to appear Indian and adopting a mock accent. “Jobs” is set to be released sometime next year. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
‘Between the two of us, we probably got five or six records,’ T.I. tells ‘RapFix Live’ about possible joint album with Jeezy. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway T.I. on “RapFix Live” Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News After the success of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne, fans are excited at the thought of two favorite MCs working in tandem. There’s been talk of a Lil Wayne and Drake LP, a Rick Ross and Drake mixtape, and whispers of a T.I. and Young Jeezy full-length collaboration. We haven’t received any updates from Wayne, Drake or Rozay in a minute, but Tip says he and the Snowman already have songs in the stash. “I got a few albums that I’m workin’ on: the Man and the Martian project with B.o.B; me and Jeezy been talkin’ about doin’ this project for a minute,” T.I. told Sway when he held court on “RapFix Live” on Wednesday. “It wouldn’t take us long to do. We got records already in the can and it don’t take us no time to put it together. It’s just a matter of when they would be released.” Right now Tip is focused on Trouble Man , his eighth solo album, which is slated for a September 4 release. Then there is the tag-team LP with B.o.B — considering that Bobby Ray is signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle label, the pair’s Man and the Martian album is more than a fantasy project. When it comes to a project with Jeezy, the King of the South says that the studio work isn’t the problem: Getting the album out in stores is the tricky part. “It’s not the recording, the recording is easy. It’s a matter of when we would have time to market and promote ’em and release ’em,” T.I. said. “We got maybe 30 or 40 [percent done]. Between the two of us, we probably got five or six records.” How interested are you in a T.I. and Young Jeezy project? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos T.I. Brings The Grand Hustle To ‘RapFix Live’ Related Artists T.I. Young Jeezy
Philadelphia band gets an assist from Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams on standout new album, in Bigger Than the Sound. By James Montgomery mewithoutYou’s Ten Stories cover art Photo: Pine Street In September 2009, Hayley Williams gave me a tour of her home in Franklin, Tennessee. It wasn’t the usual kind of rock-star pad, for about a million reasons (there were a lot of “I Love Lucy” Barbie dolls), most notably what was playing on her Michael Jackson turntable at the time: a copy of mewithoutYou’s It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright. I only mention it now for a couple of reasons: One, it led to the first — and, to this day, only — conversation I’ve ever had with someone about mewithoutYou (they aren’t exactly what you’d call a “unifying” band), and two, because as luck would have it, they have a new album out Tuesday (May 15), Ten Stories, which features Williams on a pair of tracks and is probably the best thing they’ve ever done. Or at least the most recent. That’s the thing about mewithoutYou, who, in case you aren’t aware (and you probably aren’t), hail from Philadelphia, have been making albums for a decade now (in between losing members to grad school/ their frontman threatening to quit and donate all his possessions to the poor ) and have fashioned a sort of anti-career out of coming dangerously close to success, only to veer away at the last possible second (usually into an embankment or something): They are not exactly an easy band to like. Or pin down. Wait, that didn’t come out right. What I meant to say is that they are a challenging band to like. And an impossible one to pin down. Which is, I suppose, why I only know two people who are actually fans. Their first two albums, 2002’s [A→B] Life and ’04’s Catch for Us the Foxes, were careening, crashing exercises in sheer volume (I think the kids called it “post-hardcore”), the latter of which featured the sorta-single “January 1979,” brought them a fair amount of mainstream attention and was, according to me at least, one of the best rock records of the past decade . They started wandering off the leaden path with ’06’s Brother, Sister and then fully embraced lead singer Aaron Weiss’ spiritual voyages (and Sufi mysticisms) on It’s All Crazy, ditching the wattage in favor of hushed tones and a genuine grace. Of course, they also thoroughly confused what remained of their core fanbase in the process, but that was almost beside the point. Because with Ten Stories (which, in true mwY fashion, features 11 tracks), they’ve made it clear that they’re never going to be the same roaring act they were in the early aughts. Instead, they seem to have stumbled into a kind of beatific balance: Sure, they still call songs stuff like “Fox’s Dream of the Log Flume” and “Grist for the Malady Mill,” and, yes, on occasion Weiss still sings/shouts/spouts like a freegan preacherman, but there is a honed focus to the album, a willful maturity and a confidence that only comes when bands realize they can pack as much of a punch with instrumentation as opposed to sheer volume. Part of this was probably inevitable, of course, but it bears mention that Ten Stories draws thematic inspiration from a book Weiss read about a circus-train crash in Montana (hey, why not?) and as such earns the distinction of not only being their most cohesive record, but the first where they don’t seem all that concerned with converting the masses (sample quote from Weiss, circa the Brother, Sister album: “I want to tell people God is love. That’s my eternal, unchanging reality”). Instead, this time out, they just seem content. And that’s exactly where they should be. From the pastoral guitar work of “Cardiff Giant” and the plaintive drift of “Aubergine” to the woozy dramatics of “Bear’s Vision of St. Agnes” and blooming surge of album closer “All Circles,” Ten Stories is very much an album born out of quiet confidence, of willful resignation. Sure, Weiss is still on his lifelong spiritual quest — on “East Enders Wives,” he keens, “I’m still counting on you like an invisible rosary” — but he’s mellowed significantly as the decade has worn on, perhaps finally finding some semblance of inner peace. They even manage to weave Williams into the mix with startling restraint (she is unquestionably the biggest name they’ve ever collaborated with, unless you could Sunny Day Real Estate’s Jeremy Enigk): Her voice is less of a main attraction as it is an additional instrument, another part of the sonic flourish. It’s a truly great album — the kind only a group like mewithoutYou could make, and only at this point in their career (or whatever you want to call it). Call it maturity, if you want to, I prefer to think of it as artistic growth: an accomplished, beautiful record from an equally accomplished (if not severely overlooked) band. But who knows, with Ten Stories, that last bit might change. Hey, Hayley Williams is on it. What do you think of mewithoutYou’s latest music? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Bigger Than The Sound: Stories Behind The Bands Related Artists Mewithoutyou
Drizzy shared the stage with T.I., Future, 2 Chainz and Waka Flocka Flame on his Club Paradise Tour stop in Atlanta. By Rob Markman Drake Photo: Getty Images ATLANTA — Drake and several thousand of his friends partied hard in Atlanta on Sunday night when Drizzy brought his Club Paradise Tour to Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood. The festivities started early as French Montana, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz and Waka Flocka Flame all rocked solo sets while the sun was still up and the crowd was filing in. Not even a few late-afternoon raindrops could dampen the electricity that seemed to only intensify as the evening beat on. Shortly after the sun set, at about 8:30 p.m., J. Cole took the stage to warm up the crowd for Drake, who would take the stage about an hour later. When the OVO general did emerge front and center, he was greeted with deafening screams as he quickly tore through tracks like DJ Khaled’s “I’m on One” and his own “Over.” After the Thank Me Later favorite, the crowd showered him with welcoming applause and the Toronto MC, of course, stood under the spotlight and soaked it all in. Drake has a genuine love for this city and paid homage to it on his 2009 mixtape cut “Houstatlantavegas.” “Atlanta, Georgia, for some reason, they kept us apart for like a year and a half, and I’ve been waiting so f–kin’ long for this show right here,” he said, noting the last time he was in the Southern rap capital. “Well, I go by the name of Drizzy Drake and I’d like to formally welcome you to the greatest motherf—in’ club in the world: Club Paradise.” For Drake, the purpose of Club Paradise was to bring the hottest hip-hop talent to one central place, and he didn’t disappoint. After he rocked joints like “Crew Love,” “She Will,” “Up All Night” and “We’ll Be Fine,” he rolled out the red carpet for 2 Chainz, and together the pair rocked to Deuce’s new single, “No Lie.” The crowd erupted but took it up another level when 2 Chainz rocked “Spend It” and then brought out T.I. for his remix verse. Waka Flocka strolled out next and he and Drizzy performed “Round of Applause” as fireworks shot out during the song’s hook. Drizzy then welcomed Future to the stage to perform their collaboration “Tony Montana” and then French Montana to do “Stay Schemin’.” The truth is Drake has a powerful enough catalog to hold down the stage by himself, but it’s always more fun with friends. For Club Paradise’s last act, the Young Money star concentrated his energy on his sophomore album, Take Care, performing “Over My Dead Body,” “Practice” and the Lil Wayne-assisted singles “HYFR” and “The Motto.” Tunechi wasn’t in attendance, but for the latter track, the crowd spit Weezy’s words on his behalf with precision. To close, Drake and the band that backed him the entire night launched into “Headlines.” It’s been almost two years since Drake last rocked Atlanta and judging from the crowd’s reaction, they clearly missed him a little when he was gone. Related Artists Drake
‘Bridesmaid’ star sheds tears as she waltzes with TV pals one last time. By Gil Kaufman Kristen Wiig on SNL’s Season Finale Photo: NBC There are many different ways to leave “Saturday Night Live.” Some cast members get dumped after a few episodes and are never heard from again and others have long, productive runs and graduate to movies. But most just kind of disappear and are replaced by someone younger, prettier, more versatile or just newer when the next season rolls around. Kristen Wiig was never a typical “SNL”er. The stand-out star of the show that has minted a galaxy of them has always had a little something extra and when it came time for her final curtain call you could tell. During Saturday night’s season finale, Wiig was given a rare chance to say goodbye to the show that helped make her a TV and movie star when she, literally, danced her last dance with the people who helped her achieve her dreams. In the episode hosted by Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger, the “Bridesmaids” star appeared in a mock graduation sketch in which she got to toss aside her cap and gown and make the transition to her new life. With Jagger playing a school principal praising one of his favorite students in the night’s final sketch, the rock icon smarmily said, “I’d like to take a moment to say goodbye to one particular student who is leaving this summer to become a nun. Kristen?” Wiig, trying to hold back the waterworks, stood by Jagger as he joked, “You meant quite a lot to us over the past seven years. She got held back. So our music department got together and prepared a song to say goodbye. This one’s for you.” Wiig then tore off her cap and gown to reveal a miniskirt and top combo and did a series of Victorian slow dances and hand jives with her cast mates as Arcade Fire performed the Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow” and “Ruby Tuesday.” Andy Samberg almost caused a wardrobe malfunction when he picked Wiig up and spun her around after the actress had taken turns with pals Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, Kenan Thompson, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, Jenny Slate, and Jason Sudeikis. The biggest ovation came when she went cheek-to-cheek with show founder Lorne Michaels. On the line, “still I’m gonna miss you” from the Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday,” Wiig pointed to the crowd as old pals Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch boogied one more time on the show with their friend. NBC has not confirmed that Wiig is leaving the show, but the last waltz seemed like a fitting end to a memorable run in which she created a host of iconic characters. From mischievous Gilly, to crude baby-armed crooner Dooneese Maharelle, enthusiastic Target Lady, and improvisational singer Kat, as well as great impression of Kris Jenner, Bj
‘I know if I read too far ahead, I’d start preempting character traits or decisions he makes,’ Richard Madden tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Richard Madden as Robb Stark in season two of “Game of Thrones” Photo: Helen Sloan/ HBO The only negative thing about the fact that we’ve passed the halfway mark in this second season of “Game of Thrones” is the fact that there are precious few new episodes left until the expectedly epic season finale. But let’s dwell on the positive, shall we? As in this season’s action-packed last two episodes and what that means for where we’ll find our favorite characters in season three. For those of us who’ve read the books, we have a pretty good idea of where things are headed, depending on how many more changes the show-runners make to George R.R. Martin’s source material. But we’re always curious to know how much the actors know about the fate of their characters. MTV News recently caught up with dashing Scottish actor Richard Madden, who plays Robb Stark , and asked him how much he knows about Robb’s story line ahead of time. (His response is spoiler-free, for those who are concerned.) “I know what happens to him, I know where he goes. It’s quite different because obviously in the second book, Robb’s not in it,” Madden said. “We got green-lit for season two and I got really excited and picked up the book and started reading it, and I was like, ‘This is great! My character is going to come in at any minute!’ and then kind of halfway through it got to be, ‘Yeah, he’s gonna come in at some point?’ and then I got to the end [of the book] and I was like, ‘This sucks. I’m in the TV show but I’m not in it!’ Then luckily, David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] have brought in my story line and brought it to life, which is really great because we get so see bits that you didn’t get to see in the book. Hopefully when we get to season three, we’ve really set up these relationships. I’m keen to see how the dynamic between the two women in Robb’s life plays out going into season three.” So Madden’s familiar with the ins and outs of Martin’s second book in the series, “A Clash of Kings,” but has he ventured into the even more twisted and action-packed happenings in the third novel, “A Storm of Swords”? “It’s one of the things I try to avoid doing. I only read season by season, I don’t read ahead,” Madden revealed. “It’s one of the great things about the books that I loved is that you are constantly surprised by these characters and the story, and as an actor I want to try and stick to that. I know if I read too far ahead, I’d start preempting character traits or decisions he makes. I’d much rather be an actor and make one decision and stick to it and then have the challenge of turning it around and going in a different direction. I try and keep it like that as much as I can so the audience gets as surprised by the journey as I do when I read the books and when I read each script.” Just to be clear, we asked Madden to clarify exactly what he knows about his character’s trajectory in the epic series, since he hinted that he has an idea about Robb’s overall arc. “I know things that happen but I’ve not read it yet,” he said. “Now that season three has been green-lit, I’m excited I get to dive into that book and engulf it.” Related Photos ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season Two
Singer snags Top Social Artist award before taking the stage. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber performs at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images Justin Bieber got the room shaking at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas when he danced around the stage rapping and singing his lead Believe single, “Boyfriend.” Dressed in white and yellow, with some neon lights on his pants, the 18-year-old stormed the stage and danced his butt off — but he didn’t go it alone. He was joined by some sexy, scantily clad lady dancers and male dancers in masks. Jumping from various levels of the stage, Bieber got his swaggie on. He especially brought out the swag when the song broke down in the middle for an extended dance remix, and he showed that he’s growing as a performer and a hoofer, relying less on his cutesy tween image and more on the razzle-dazzle of predecessors like Justin Timberlake and mentor Usher. Before he took the stage to perform, Bieber was up there to accept the prize for Top Social Artist. An emotional Bieber thanked those closest to him during his speech. “First of all, I just want to say how much of a blessing it’s been the past three, four years, just growing up in front of everybody,” he said. “I want to thank all my fans, ’cause the Internet is where I got my start. I want to thank my boy [and manager] Scooter Braun for all he’s done. He’s more than just a manager to me. I want to thank Usher. … He takes the time to really care. I just want to say ‘thank you so much’ to my mom and my dad and to God. I could keep rambling forever. I just want to thank you so much. Swaggie.” Immediately after Bieber performed, his first artist, Carly Rae Jepsen, also sang her hit single “Call Me Maybe.” What did you think of Bieber’s performance? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos 2012 Billboard Awards Highlights Related Photos 2012 Billboard Music Awards Related Artists Justin Bieber
‘Carly is my artist, and I’m Usher’s artist, so it’s kind of cool that we’re all performing,’ Bieber tells MTV News at Billboard Music Awards. By Kara Warner Justin Bieber at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images LAS VEGAS — As was expected, Justin Bieber’s show-stopping performance of “Boyfriend” at Sunday’s (May 20) Billboard Music Awards brought out the squeals and the swag. When MTV News caught up with Bieber on the white carpet for the awards show, just before his big number, the teenage superstar said his expectations for the evening were relatively simple: He just wanted everyone to have fun and to be able to show off all the hard work he’s been putting into his dance moves. “This performance is going to be fun. I practiced a lot in the dance studio,” Bieber said. “I’ve been working hard, and I can’t wait to show the fans what I’ve been working so hard on.” Since the other members of Bieber’s musical family — Carly Rae Jepsen and Usher — were also performing, did the trio discuss any feelings of friendly competition or joke around about which performance would be better than the others? “[It’s] not a competition. It’s all love,” Bieber said with a smile. “We’re all a family. Carly is my artist, and I’m Usher’s artist, so it’s kind of cool that we’re all performing here, together. For first-time Billboard Music Awards attendee and performer Jepsen, the goal for the night was to remember to take a moment to soak it all in. “I want to feel happy when I’m onstage,” she said. “A lot of times you kind of get caught up in the performance and then you worry and then it’s over and you think, ‘I didn’t even enjoy it.’ So tonight, after [having a successful] soundcheck this morning, it’s going to be about having fun. It’s me and my band, we’ve got some dancers and some fun lights, it’s going to be an interesting show.” Who had the best Billboard performance: Justin, Usher or Carly? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos 2012 Billboard Awards Highlights Related Photos 2012 Billboard Music Awards Related Artists Justin Bieber Carly Rae Jepsen
