While Us Weekly says Timberlake proposed last month, neither of the stars’ reps has commented on the report. By Jocelyn Vena Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake Photo: Getty Images On Wednesday (January 4), the Internet was abuzz after a report that Justin Timberlake had proposed to longtime girlfriend Jessica Biel. While there had been some chatter about a possible engagement before the holidays, the rumor mill went into overdrive when sources confirmed to Us Weekly that the couple had gotten engaged in late December. While neither of the stars’ reps has commented on the report, Us says the singer/actor asked Biel to marry him while vacationing in Jackson, Wyoming. “Justin knows how much she loves snowboarding and the mountains, so it was the perfect place,” the source said of the reported proposal. The couple, who began dating in 2007, broke up briefly in early 2011 , weeks after they attended Oscar parties together. According to the Us source, “When they reunited, they had a conversation about taking the next step.” Another source close to the singer said he’s “never been happier” and that “he knew it was the right time to propose.” At the time of their March 2011 split, a rep explained, “Addressing the media speculation regarding Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake’s relationship, we are confirming that they mutually have decided to part ways. The two remain friends and continue to hold the highest level of love and respect for each other.” While the two got together again shortly after the breakup, they have always been plagued by speculation about their relationship, whether it be that they are breaking up or getting married. When asked about having to deal with all the attention, Biel told Vogue in 2012, “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t feel the need to clear anything up. It’s the most precious thing that I have in my life, and I care about it so much that I don’t care about what anyone says or thinks. I have just not addressed it in any real way, and I’m not going to. It’s mine. And I really like that about it.” The news of his engagement comes weeks after Timberlake’s former flame Britney Spears announced her engagement to longtime beau Jason Trawick. Related Photos Lovebirds: Justin Timberlake And Jessica Biel Related Artists Justin Timberlake
Thanks to solid support from caucus voters under the age of 30, Paul finished a solid third in Tuesday’s primary. By James Montgomery Ron Paul Photo: Getty Images Mitt Romney may have edged Rick Santorum to take Tuesday’s Iowa caucus, but Ron Paul’s third-place finish gives his campaign plenty of momentum heading into next week’s New Hampshire primary … and new data indicates he owes much of that showing to the support of young voters in the state. According to the
‘I hope she can pull it off,’ one fan tells MTV News. By Tami Katzoff Taylor Swift imagined in the role of Eponine in the Broadway version of “Les Miserables” Photo: Broadway/ MTV News Taylor Swift has reportedly been offered the role of Eponine in Tom Hooper’s new “Les Miserables” movie, beating out more established actors including Lea Michele, Scarlett Johansson and Evan Rachel Wood. Opinion on the street (Broadway, of course) is mixed. Pennsylvanian Molly Washok, 17, is very pleased with the prospect of seeing Swift as Eponine on the big screen. “I seriously love ‘Les Miz.’ It’s a great Broadway musical,” she said. “And I’ve seen Taylor Swift in shows and I love her so much. I’m a big fan of both, so it makes me excited.” Long Islander Katie Kendrick, 20, is also a fan of Ms. Swift but not as certain of her chops. “I love Taylor Swift — I bought her CDs, I have everything. But I’m not sure she’ll be able to hit those notes that Eponine hits in her songs,” Kendrick said. If she’s cast in “Les Miserables,” Swift will join a group of A-list actors that includes Hugh Jackman, Helena Bonham Carter, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway. (Amanda Seyfried has reportedly been offered the role of Cosette.) Among these veterans, Kendrick noted, Swift would stand out as the novice. “Taylor Swift has only been in one movie and it was ‘Valentine’s Day,’ where she had a role for 10 minutes, tops. And all these other actors have been in numerous roles. They’re very well known in the acting industry while Taylor Swift is known in the singing industry,” she said. “I wish her luck, but I’m not sure she’ll be able to live up to the expectations that have been set previously.” Keely Kwok, 21, from Hamilton, Ontario, is willing to give Swift the benefit of the doubt. “She does have an incredible voice, I’ll give her that,” Kwok said. “It’s a really great musical, so I hope she can pull it off.” Twenty-one-year-old New Yorker Julia Menn was less diplomatic in her assessment of Swift’s credentials. “There are so many better people to play that part,” Menn said. “I’d prefer Evan Rachel Wood, actually. I think she’d be fantastic.” So would Menn see a Wood-less “Les Miserables” when it hits theaters this December? “Well, since Hugh Jackman’s in it, yes, I would.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Artists Taylor Swift
New season, which premieres Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on MTV, finds the ‘Shore’ gang getting back to basics. By James Montgomery Ronnie, Mike “The Situation,” Vinny, and Pauly D of “Jersey Shore” Photo: MTV News If there’s an underlying plotline to the fifth season of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” — which premieres Thursday at 10 p.m. — it may very well be “There’s no place like home.” That’s according to the “Shore” stars themselves, who told MTV News that, unlike their Italian holiday, the new season of the show is short on infighting, head-butting, vehicular mishaps, ill-fated hookups, malicious dog-poop capers and drama of all varieties and long on what they’ve come to be known for — namely, partying. “You’re gonna see a lighter side of us in Jersey,” Ronnie assured us. “We have a lot more fun as compared to Italy. People were fighting, running heads into walls, bottles being thrown — it was just a lot of drama. Jersey is going to be a lot more fun.” “You’ll actually see how much we miss Jersey. We missed it so much, we just hit the ground running,” added Pauly D, who’s already gone on record as saying season five is his “best.” “The second we got back from Italy, we went straight to Jersey and just had fun with it.” Part of that fun involved getting back to basics — the kinds of things that were tough to come by in Italy and core tenets that any and all “Jersey Shore” fanatics know by heart. “Stuff you take for granted on a day-to-day basis, that’s what we wanted to do,” Pauly said. “Haircut, gym, tanning … Vinny was cutting our hair.” “We wanted easy girls,” Vinny added with a laugh. Yep, they’re definitely back. The fifth season of “Jersey Shore” premieres Thursday, January 5, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. For continuing “Shore” coverage, be sure to check in with MTV’s Remote Control blog. Related Videos Jersey Shore (Season 5) | Trailer Jersey Shore (Season 5) | Ep. 1 | Sneak Peeks Related Photos Jersey Shore (Season 5) | Cast
‘I’ve been preparing for this role my whole life,’ actor says. By Jocelyn Vena Hugh Jackman Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images Hugh Jackman is ready to hit the Great White Way once again. The actor has been confirmed to take the stage as the lead in “Houdini” Deadline reports. “I have been deeply fascinated by the life of Harry Houdini since I was young, and in many ways I’ve been preparing for this role my whole life,” Jackman said in a statement. “I am thrilled to be collaborating with this collection of artists who are all at the top of their game.” The play, written by “The Social Network” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, will open during the 2013/2014 season. Sorkin will work with composer Stephen Schwartz and director Jack O’Brien. “Rather than being a biography, ‘Houdini,’ told in a contemporary tone, tells the story of an epic battle that took place between the world’s greatest illusionist and a trio of women, known as ‘Spiritualists,’ who convinced millions of people, including the editors of Scientific American and the New York Times , that they could communicate with the dead,” Sorkin said. “The chance to collaborate with Stephen Schwartz, Jack O’Brien and Hugh Jackman on a new Broadway musical is a huge gift.” Before he takes the stage, Jackman has a number of other projects on his plate, including the big-screen adaptation of “Les Miserables,” the next installment of “Wolverine” and “Unbound Captives” with Robert Pattinson . Most recently, Jackman starred in the one-man show, “Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway” and has also starred in “The Boy From Oz” and “A Steady Rain.” Will Hugh Jackman make magic in the role of Harry Houdini? Let us know what you think in the comments! Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Hugh Jackman
Ron Paul lifted to third-place finish by youth vote with only eight votes separating first and second place. By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Andrew Jenks Mitt Romney addresses his supporters after the Iowa caucus Photo: Jewel Samad/ Getty Images DES MOINES, Iowa — It was a dogfight that came down to a razor-slim margin of votes Tuesday night (January 3) between former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Senator Rick Santorum. Romney came out on top after running in a tie with Santorum at 25 percent of the vote for much of the night, winning the Iowa caucus by only eight votes with north of 122,000 voters turning out. In addition, the third-place finish by libertarian rabble-rouser Representative Ron Paul with 21 percent of the vote proved the power of the youth vote in this year’s election. The mainstream media had been virtually ignoring Paul for months as they focused on the reality-show-like rise and fall of other Republicans vying for the GOP presidential nomination. But on Tuesday, the congressman from Texas shocked naysayers when he came in third place in the all-important Iowa caucus , the first primary contest of the season. CNN reported that entrance polls showed Paul’s strongest support came from voters ages 17-29, while Romney was the pick for voters 65 and older and Santorum clicked with those 45-64. In his concession speech, Paul thanked his enthusiastic supporters for believing in him and reintroducing what he described as a core Republican value: “the conviction that freedom is popular.” “Once again, we have had a fantastic showing for this cause and not the status quo we have been putting up with for decades and decades,” he said to lusty applause. “This movement is going to continue, and we are going to keep scoring just as we are tonight.” The major story of the night, though, was the battle longtime poll leader Romney was drawn into with classic conservative Santorum, who had been polling in the single digits for much of the year but got a sudden burst of support late in the pre-caucus cycle in Iowa. Romney, who spent more than $10 million in 2009 to win Iowa, only to lose to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, didn’t spend as much this time around but ended up in the closest Iowa caucus in history. Romney addressed his supporters before he was named winner of the unbelievably close race. “This is a campaign night where America wins. We’re going to win the White House and get America back on track,” he said as he reiterated many of his stump talking points about what he said were President Obama’s failures on security issues (Iran) and the economy (continuing high unemployment, record deficits). Promising to dismantle the so-called ObamaCare health plan, Romney said this election is about the soul of America, once again reciting his favorite lines from “American the Beautiful,” as he’s done often on the stage. “I want to restore the principles that made America the hope of the earth,” he said, professing his love for freedom, the constitution and the country. With 25 delegates at stake and Iowa no longer a winner-takes-all state, Romney earned bragging rights, but not the kind that would come with a convincing, large-margin victory. If anything, pundits said that Santorum came out the champion by simply having such a strong showing. Just moments after voting wrapped up at Olmstead Hall on the campus of Des Moines’ Drake University, Katherine Rupp — who was undecided going in — was happy that Romney came out on top in her precinct after the night’s vote. “Romney has a business background, and I believe he’ll bring his CEO experience to hopefully being our Republican presidential candidate,” she said. Rupp said the unique nature of the Iowa caucuses — where Iowans get up onstage to give their personal pitch for why their friends, neighbors and fellow precinct dwellers should vote for a particular candidate — played a big part in swaying her from the undecided column into the Romney camp. Ricki Meyer was a Santorum supporter going into the night, and while her candidate came in a tie for second with Paul at the Drake caucus, she was feeling bullish about the former senator’s prospects and vowed to keep supporting him as he marches forward. “The things I believe in line up so well with what he believes in, and if I don’t stand up for that and for him right now, I don’t want to look back on this election and how pivotal it is for our country and think, ‘Why didn’t I support that guy anymore?’ ” she said. Santorum addressed Meyer and his other followers even before the results were in Tuesday night. “People have asked me how I’ve done this sitting back in the polls … I survived the challenges so far by the daily grace that comes from God,” he said. “You have taken the first step of taking back this country,” he told the people of Iowa, who he met while visiting all 99 counties, and likely winning over the state’s all-important Evangelical voters. “The essential issue in this race is freedom. Whether we will be a country that believes that government can do things for us better than we can do for ourselves,” he added in an address that sounded more like his standard stump speech than a victory celebration for a candidate who most thought would never make it this far. “We are off to New Hampshire.” Benjamin Levine, 20, a Drake student and ROTC member, was inspired enough by Paul’s message to get up during the caucus and speak out on behalf of his candidate, with no notes, because the congressman’s message resonates that clearly in his mind. After volunteering for the campaign for several months, and after Paul’s third-place finish in the Drake caucus, Levine said the fight was not over. Larger precinct 46 went for Romney at the Drake vote, but Levine’s precinct 45 went to Paul in a tight one, and he was pleased with the result. Though Tuesday was his birthday, Levine said the Paul win in his precinct was the bigger deal. “I don’t feel any older, but I can feel maybe a little more freedom coming,” he said as he prepared to go to a Youth for Paul watching party downtown. “Mitt Romney is the establishment guy. He ran four years ago. He has name recognition. It’s huge that Paul can even get second in that precinct because people said he’s unelectable, they made up all those lies … even a second place in this precinct is pretty good.” Though final results would take several more hours, Levine said even if Paul did not end up snagging second statewide, “It’s certainly not the end of the road.” As for the rest of the field, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich came in fourth (13 percent), followed by Texas Governor Rick Perry (10 percent), who signaled he might soon drop out, then Representative Michele Bachmann (5 percent) and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman (1 percent), who didn’t really campaign in Iowa at all. The remaining candidates now move on to New Hampshire, which will hold its primary next Tuesday. MTV is on the scene in Iowa! Head to Iowa.MTV.com for all our Iowa caucus coverage , and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the presidential election season to follow Andrew Jenks on the campaign trail. Related Videos Barnstorming The Iowa Caucus With Andrew Jenks
Has Christopher Nolan cleaned up the prologue’s soundtrack? Let’s discuss in The Weekly Rising . By Kevin P. Sullivan Tom Hardy as Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises” Photo: Warner Bros As highly anticipated as “The Dark Knight Rises” is, an unfortunate parenthetical has followed most praise of the six-minute prologue and the first theatrical trailer. Tom Hardy ‘s voice became the hot topic of Batman conversations as soon as critics saw the first minutes of the film, which focus heavily on the masked villain Bane. Fans complained, too, wishing they could comprehend more from a character they wanted to like so much, but almost every complaint came with a caveat tacked on: “I’m sure Nolan will fix it.” Then, at the height of discussion, an unnamed source “close to the movie” told The Hollywood Reporter that Nolan had no intentions of completely reworking Bane’s voice, insisting he would only make slight changes to the sound mix. Now, Collider has the testimony of a source that claims Warner Bros. sent a new soundtrack for the prologue still attached to select IMAX showings of “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” making Bane’s dialogue “40 to 50 percent” clearer. Here is the source’s full account: “A friend of mine who is an IMAX projectionist told me they received a new soundtrack for the ‘Dark Knight Rises’ prologue. He said it’s now a combo soundtrack with ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,’ but the cool thing about this is that they’ve cleaned up the dialogue. They’ve gone in and lowered the background noise of the plane and other things, thus making Bane’s dialogue clearer and more understandable. He asked some people after they left the movie if they could understand Bane and they all said they had no issue understanding him, and were excited for the movie.” Warner Bros. told The New York Times ‘ Dave Itzkoff that there was “no truth” to the rumors, but Collider followed up its initial report with a letter purportedly from IMAX sent to its projectionists. The letter instructs them on how to dub the combined tracks properly and perfectly aligns with the original report. This is certainly looking like the tweak we’ve expected from Nolan since The Hollywood Reporter article. If the director is adamant about keeping the gargled effect on Bane’s voice and encouraging the audience to participate in the film more, this is the change that needed to be made. Regardless of whether you’re part of the camp that insists the voice is comprehendible, the change, however slight it may be, was needed. Are you looking forward to a cleaned-up Bane? Let me know at @KPSull, and I’ll discuss some of your responses over at Splash Page on Wednesday. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Dark Knight Rises.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos ‘Dark Knight Rises’: The Year In Review Related Photos On The Set Of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
Andrew Jenks turns a Twitter war into a civil political dialogue. By Andrew Jenks Andrew Jenks Photo: MTV News DES MOINES, Iowa — If young people can change anything about politics, it’s the way we speak to each other. Whenever I write about politics, I mostly get civil tweets from those that agree and disagree. But sometimes I don’t. Earlier today, after tweeting about my experience so far in Iowa , I had the following exchange on Twitter with @TyKeeling: 1:52 p.m. – @TyKeeling: Wow @AndrewJenks. I thought he was different than most turns out he’s the same as any other media d—head now a days. 1:56 p.m. – Me: what do u mean? And can we be civil? “d—head”? really? 2:04 p.m. – @TyKeeling: k D—head was too far however the way Iowa has been represented, especially this year, has all been negative attention. 2:07 p.m. – @TyKeeling: and it seems that you, purposely or not, are feed right into that. 2:14 p.m. — Me: check out the blog , man. Talked to some really engaged smart young voters. Tweet me again if u think still not representing. 2:10 p.m. – @TyKeeling: After my early spontaneous rant about @AndrewJenks I have developed a new respect for him because unlike the rest, he cares what ppl think. 2:30 p.m. — Me: Yeah man. Let’s keep talking. So I went from “d—head” to mutual respect and continuing a civil dialogue where we can talk politics in less than 40 minutes. It’s possible … MTV is on the scene in Iowa! Head to Iowa.MTV.com for all our Iowa caucus coverage , and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the presidential election season to follow Andrew Jenks on the campaign trail. Related Videos Barnstorming The Iowa Caucus With Andrew Jenks
‘The momentum in Iowa will help Santorum get to the next level,’ conservative candidate’s supporter tells MTV News. By Gil Kaufman Rick Santorum attends a “Rock the Caucus” event at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images DES MOINES, Iowa — Almost every candidate in the Republican presidential field has gotten a chance to be the front-runner so far. But in the days leading up to Tuesday night’s (January 3) all-important first contest, the Iowa caucus , former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum is definitely peaking at just the right time. The staunchly conservative family-values candidate, who was polling in the single digits for much of last year, has surged in the past few weeks and is now a close third behind Representative Ron Paul and leading candidate Mitt Romney . At a campaign rally Tuesday morning at a “Rock the Caucus” event in the gymnasium of Valley High School in West Des Moines, his staffers told MTV News they were feeling bullish about his prospects. “Santorum is a huge supporter of faith and family. I truly believe that supporting the family … will have a trickle-up effect on our society in America,” said Jonathan Gehman, 29. “Kids who grow up in strong families will get good jobs and have good morals and high integrity that will build this country.” As he’s spoken to people on the phone over the past few weeks, Gehman said a number were unaware of Santorum, but admitted that the more they heard about him and saw him on the news, the more they liked what he was saying. “The energy is going to carry into tonight, and the momentum in Iowa will help Santorum get to the next level,” he predicted. Fellow staffer Ryan Rutt, 26, said Santorum resonates with him because of the candidate’s views on limited government. “He believes in people and not in the government fixing our problems,” Rutt said. “He’s all about smaller government, people unleashing their own innovation and not having the government take care of us.” Plus, Rutt said without naming names, he feels Santorum (who calls himself “Steady Eddie”) has had a consistent message and has not flip-flopped on his beliefs. While Santorum is known for holding a socially conservative hard line on issues such as abortion and gay rights, Rutt said he thinks his candidate might actually benefit from the youth support that has buoyed another late-surging candidate, libertarian Paul, who has a more socially liberal slate of views. “There’s a lot of youth support for Ron Paul now, but I think the core message of principles that they’re excited about Rick Santorum also has,” he said. “They get excited about freedom, they get excited about liberty, and that’s what I get excited about. While Ron Paul has sort of a sexy appeal, I think that they will quickly realize when Santorum comes around that he has a lot of those same core principles and that’s why they’ll get behind Rick Santorum.” MTV is on the scene in Iowa! Head to Iowa.MTV.com for all our Iowa caucus coverage , and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the presidential election season to follow Andrew Jenks on the campaign trail. Related Videos Barnstorming The Iowa Caucus With Andrew Jenks
‘Rock of Ages’ and Diablo Cody’s directorial debut should keep the newly single funnyman busy. By Kara Warner Russell Brand in London on Tuesday Photo: Colin MacFarlane / Splash News Russell Brand’s career has never been short on surprises, but his biggest shock yet might have come last week, when he filed for divorce from his wife of one year, Katy Perry . So what does 2012 hold for the newly single actor/comedian? Brand has several projects lined up in his professional life that might help distract him from the recent rockiness in his personal life. The “Get Him to the Greek” and “Arthur” star has a plum role in the star-studded movie musical “Rock of Ages,” which opens June 1. The film — which is a love story told through the “arena rock” stylings of popular ’80s artists like Journey, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Styx and REO Speedwagon — is based on the popular Broadway show. Brand plays the role of Lonny, the film’s narrator and co-club operator, for which he’ll act and sing with castmates Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman and Julianne Hough. After “Ages,” Brand will jump into writer Diablo Cody’s directorial debut , originally called “Lamb of God” but currently listed on IMDb as “Untitled Diablo Cody Project.” Brand is set to star alongside “Ages” co-star Hough in a story of a young conservative religious woman who decides to go to Vegas and “live the life of a sinner” but ends up rediscovering her faith along the way. Brand has also been suggested as a candidate for the role of Tommy Lee in the movie version of Neil Strauss’ M
