Rapper will avoid jail time after his August arrest in Miami. By Gil Kaufman Big Boi in Miami-Dade County Corrections Department custody in August Photo: Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation D Big Boi will avoid jail time following his arrest in August on drug charges in Miami. The 36-year-old Outkast rapper (born Antwan Patton) was in a Miami courtroom Thursday (October 13), where he agreed to a deal that includes three months of drug testing, community service and a $2,000 charitable donation, according to The Associated Press. Big Boi was arrested while exiting a cruise ship in August after a K-9 police dog sniffing for drugs hit upon him. When police searched the rapper, they allegedly found substances including 10 and a half Viagra pills, three pills of suspected Ecstasy, a cigarette roller with marijuana residue and 5.7 grams of MDMA powder. He was hit with two felony drug charges, but prosecutors said that if he remains drug-free for three months, those charges will be dismissed. Following the arrest, Big Boi’s attorney, Daniel Kane, issued a statement about the incident. “While Big Boi was traveling with his group and friends, a small amount of contraband was found in the collective luggage. I am confident when the entire facts are aired BIG BOI will be completely exonerated.” The ATLien didn’t release any statement about the deal, but he did tweet an inspirational comment about an hour after his court appearance, writing, “God is Great! #weoutchea RT @BibleWisdoms: God is light. There’s no darkness in him.” He followed a short time later with a shout to the legal affairs reporter for the AP in Miami and the celebratory update, “on the way back from Miami … u already know, Butta.” Related Artists Big Boi
‘I had to eat a lot of pasta and get cinched really tightly into the corset and let the girls do the acting for me,’ she tells MTV News. By Eric Ditzian Milla Jovovich in “The Three Musketeers” Photo: Summit Entertainment Paul W.S. Anderson was proud. Sitting in a swanky London hotel earlier this month while promoting “The Three Musketeers,” the director happily recounted one critic’s opinion of his 3-D action-adventure and the quality of the performance of Milla Jovovich, who is not only one of the film’s stars but also his wife. “There was a review of the movie that said Milla’s cleavage is worth the price of admission,” he laughed to MTV News. “Cleavage in 3-D: It was what the medium was invented for.” Shortly thereafter, Jovovich was shocked — shocked! — in an interview to learn her husband was dishing such details to the press. “I can’t believe he told you that story!” she said with a smile. “That’s so embarrassing. I’m like, ‘Honey, you can’t tell people that!’ I’m trying to be taken seriously, and now my cleavage is going to sell tickets.” Whatever works, right? Though to be fair, “Musketeers” has a lot more going for it than some three-dimensional bosoms. Anderson’s flick is a swashbuckling affair that stays true to much of Alexandre Dumas’ classic tale, but introduces a whole lot of contemporary bling into the mix. So while you get fair maidens in corsets and swordfights galore, Anderson also delivers steampunk airships and 21st-century wit, all captured by 3-D cameras. At the center of it all is Jovovich’s Milady de Winter, a tough-as-nails woman who may look harmless but who will stab you in the back — or at least poison or otherwise maim you — if the opportunity for self-preservation or self-promotion arises. How does such a double- and triple-crosser survive in “Musketeers”? What Jovovich calls her “girls” certainly help. “I did have to prepare a lot to make my cleavage what it was,” she said. “I had to eat a lot of pasta and get cinched really tightly into the corset to get the effect and let the girls do the acting for me. Each one took classes. Stanislavski . I think the left one is more talented than the right.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Three Musketeers.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
‘These vampire movies have come out, and you go, ‘Well, nobody looks like a vampire, man,’ ‘ Depp tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Johnny Depp Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/ Getty Images Anytime Johnny Depp and Tim Burton get together for a film, fans know to expect the unexpected, particularly with their retellings of familiar stories like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Alice in Wonderland” and their next highly anticipated project, the big-screen adaptation of ’60s vampire soap “Dark Shadows.” The fan fervor surrounding “Shadows” hit a high point recently when photos leaked of a heavily made-up Depp in his full Barnabas Collins costume , followed by the production’s first official photo of the entire cast posed family portrait-style and Burton in action on set . When MTV News caught up with Depp recently as he promoted “The Rum Diary,” which hits theaters October 28, we asked what inspired the highly stylized look of the character. “The memory that I have of watching the show as a kid, Jonathan Frid and what he did with that character was the main inspiration, for sure,” he said of the actor who originated the role of Barnabas. “But also the idea of, over the years, these vampire movies have come out and vampire TV shows and stuff like that, and you go, ‘Well, nobody looks like a vampire, man. What happened?’ “I adored Dracula, still do. I adored [everyone] from Bela Lugosi to Christopher Lee. I adore Nosferatu, [played by] Max Schrek. I adore all those wonderful sort-of horror films. And it was an opportunity really, an opportunity to sort of go into what really doesn’t exist [onscreen] so much anymore, which is classic monster makeup and a classic monster character,” Depp explained. “So that was really the inspiration Tim and I talked about.” Depp and Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” which also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Hayley and Eva Green, will be released May 11, 2012. Check out everything we’ve got on “Dark Shadows.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Rage Against the Machine guitarist has already dropped in on the Los Angeles Occupy protest. By Gil Kaufman Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello has protest in his blood. As part of the legendary L.A. politico-stompers and in the guise of his folk-style rebel alter ego, the Nightwatchman, he’s stood up for dozens of righteous causes of the years. So it should come as no surprise that the Nightwatchman will be paying a visit to the Occupy Wall Street gang in New York’s Liberty Plaza/ Zuccotti Park on Thursday (October 13). Morello, who has long advocated for union rights and raged against corporate greed and financial malfeasance, announced that he will play an acoustic set at noon in the park in an effort to lend his support to the hordes who’ve been occupying the Manhattan real estate for more than three weeks in their bid to speak out against economic inequality in the nation. “The Nightwatchman will Occupy Wall Street tomorrow at noon, adding one more voice to the growing chorus of millions demanding economic justice at home and around the globe,” Morello told Rolling Stone magazine on Wednesday. “And I’ll be playing some songs. Likely in the rain.” Can’t get to New York City? Take our guided tour of the Occupy Wall Street headquarters. Morello, who previously unplugged to perform a set at the Occupy L.A. protest, will join a recent string of musicians who’ve made their way down to the park to express their solidarity with the Occupy forces. Rapper Talib Kweli performed an impromptu set last week that included his new song, “Distractions,” as did reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel singer Jeff Magnum. And though he didn’t perform, Kanye West strolled down to check out the action on Monday along with Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons. Bun B spoke to MTV News this week about his visit to Occupy Houston . Share your thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street movement in our comments section. Related Videos Inside Occupy Wall Street Related Artists Tom Morello
Rain delay in ALCS game forces schedule change for Wednesday’s and Thursday’s shows. By Gil Kaufman L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell on “The X Factor” Photo: FOX Simon Cowell’s “X Factor” has survived more modest ratings than the brash British judge promised for his reality singing show. And given his tenacity and the amount of money piled up to promote the American version of his hit British competition show — not to mention the $5 million prize — it seems like it would take an act of God to knock the “Factor” train off the track. Well, that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday night when the show’s final 32 were slated to visit the judges’ homes and commune with such special mentors as Rihanna . The American League Championship Series game between the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers was originally slated to begin at 4:19 p.m., but the pounding rain didn’t let up until after 5:30. By the time the grounds crew began prepping the field, the game had been delayed by two hours and 13 minutes. That already put the 8 p.m. start time for “Factor” into jeopardy. But add in the fact that the game went into extra innings after ending in a 3-3 tie after nine and you had a serious scheduling headache for Fox. By the fifth inning, it was announced that “Factor” would not air on Wednesday night, but would return to its regular slot on Thursday (October 13). The current plan calls for last night’s episode to air on Thursday and Thursday’s show to air on Sunday. That’s all fine and good (assuming this afternoon’s game is not delayed by rain as well), but if a game seven is forced between the two teams, “Factor” may have to shuffle again, meaning Fox might have to air three episodes of the show in the same week to keep things on track. As if all of this shuffling wasn’t confusing enough (and way frustrating for “Factor” fanatics ), the third round of the judges’ home visits will air on Tuesday, which is another switch from the Wednesday-Thursday schedule . To refresh your memory, after the grueling “X Factor” boot camp shows , L.A. Reid is mentoring the boys (Brennin Hunt, Brian Bradley, Chris Rene , etc.), Simon Cowell has the girls (Rachel Crow, Tiah Tolliver, Drew Ryniewicz, etc.), Nicole Scherzinger will deal with the over-30s (Dexter Haygood, Josh Krajcik, LeRoy Bell, etc.) and Paula Abdul is corralling the groups ( 2squar’d , the Brewer Boys, the Stereo Hogzz). After visiting the judge’s homes (or a neutral location of their choice), the 16 semifinalists will vie for a spot in the upcoming live shows. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: ‘X Factor’ Judges Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid
‘One, it’s not a dance movie, and two, I think we really did it justice and made it our own,’ Julianne Hough tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough Photo: Stephen Lovekin/ Getty Images For some film fans who have precious, emotional connections to Kevin Bacon and the original “Footloose,” the release of the remake this week, starring relative acting newcomers Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald, has been met with some hesitation. Luckily, the stars of the Craig Brewer-directed retelling are fully aware of pressure to live up to the original, and they’re happy to help alleviate any fears fans may have by addressing the misconceptions they’ve heard along the way. “I’ve seen on Twitter a lot that ‘Patrick Swayze would be upset’ that we’re remaking it,” Ziah Colon said of a fear that attached the “Dirty Dancing” actor to the role Bacon originated. “I’d like to tell everyone that he wasn’t in the original, and if you are upset about that, you probably should not be upset that we are remaking it, because you know nothing about it. “I think that there is a lot of misinformation, and then there are people that are upset that it’s too similar and there are people that are upset that it’s not similar enough,” Colon continued. “It’s a fun movie,” she promised. “Go watch it. Have fun!” “We’re not gonna take your childhood dreams and just, like, wring them of any importance,” co-star Miles Tiller said. “We understand that it’s a very important film for people and that some of them saw it at an age where it really spoke to them. We’re just trying to give a new generation of fans this story. So you should be OK with that.” “Yeah, and wear comfy shoes, because after the movie, you’re gonna wanna dance!” Colon promised. Hough, MTV’s New Class Triple Threat , addressed a couple of other misconceptions she’s heard about the film. “[People] think that it’s going to be a dance movie, which it’s really not — the original was a drama with dancing in it — but also that it’s a remake that’s going to suck, because a lot of remakes kind of, you know, butcher the original one,” she said. “Those are the two misconceptions. One, it’s not a dance movie, and two, I think we really did it justice and made it our own but kept what needed to be there.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Footloose.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com .
Fellow doctors take Conrad Murray to task for his treatment of late pop star. By Gil Kaufman Dr. Nader Kamangar Photo: Pool/ Getty Images A day after the pathologist who did the autopsy on Michael Jackson said in court that evidence did not support the argument that the pop icon self-administered a fatal dose of the surgical anesthetic propofol, the defense team for Dr. Conrad Murray appeared to be shifting its strategy. Lawyers for Murray, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Jackson at age 50 in June 2009, seemed set on their plan to convince jurors that Jackson self-administered a dose of the drug while Murray was out of the room. Let’s take a look at what went down in court. Day 12 The Witnesses
We asked movie and comic book experts to analyze first official trailer. By Josh Wigler Samuel L. Jackson in “The Avengers” Photo: Marvel The first trailer for “The Avengers” is finally here, offering our best look yet at what director Joss Whedon has in mind for when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes gather together on the big screen in May. For many fans, the trailer delivered on all its promises: extensive looks at the team in action, creepy narration from Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and even Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury stepping onto the battlefield with a bazooka in tow. For other fans — let’s just say the sweet melodic stylings of Nine Inch Nails wasn’t exactly what they had in mind for the trailer’s soundtrack, among other grievances. To get a better sense at what fans are thinking regarding the “Avengers” trailer, MTV News reached out to film and comic book experts across the blogosphere to weigh in with their thoughts on the latest Marvel teaser. The overall verdict, with few exceptions, is that the trailer is a rollicking success. “I’m a guy who likes to deal in specifics, and what I can say specifically is I honestly liked all of it,” said Jonah Weiland, executive producer at Comic Book Resources . “Sets an incredible tone and gives us a glimpse of the dynamic between the core members (I’m sure we’ll find out more about Black Widow and Hawkeye in due time). The action looks intense, but most importantly the characters all look like they ‘fit’ together — frankly, that’s one of the biggest challenges with this ‘team movie’ concept Marvel has been building to and it appears on first glance like they’ve succeeded in a major way.” NextMovie ‘s Kevin Polowy agreed that the “Avengers” trailer was the home run he was hoping for. “First off, I’m just relieved there’s some meat to it,” he said. “This is leaps and bounds beyond the unrevealing teaser trailer I think a lot of fans feared. Instead, we’re treated to glimpses of all the Avengers as well as Nick Fury and Loki, not to mention plenty of other bells and whistles: Menacing narration, cars blowing up, rocket launchers, trademark Tony Stark snark, more cars blowing up … lots of cars blow up in this trailer. Plus a look at that ‘rage monster’ the Hulk! I thought it rocked. This is really going to bring the house down at New York Comic Con.” From the perspective of HitFix ‘s Gregory Ellwood, Marvel hit the nail on the ol’ Shellhead when it comes to the movie’s big selling point. “It was fantastic to see Iron Man flying through the air again — Marvel knows how they are going to open this movie, and it’s with him,” he said. “The Downey Jr./Banner moment was cute (boy are those guys short, though), Hemsworth’s charm is always infectious, Sam Jackson is kickin’ ass like there are some snakes everywhere, Black Widow is in the house, we get our first glimpse of an Avengers Quinjet and a shot of Cap and Thor coming to blows.” But there are some areas the “Avengers” trailer did not deliver on, according to the experts, like getting the chance to spend more time with Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, whose only previous Marvel credit is a brief cameo in “Thor.” “It would’ve been nice to see a little bit more Hawkeye,” said Caleb Goellner, senior editor at Comics Alliance . “I understand that the ‘Big Three’ and Black Widow are the established characters with the biggest draw, but what can I say? I like arrows.” Ellwood agreed, adding a dearth of Black Widow to his list of critiques: “It would be fantastic if Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner actually had a chance to speak. Although, obviously, many fans of the Black Widow might not care.” Another potential area of weakness: the movie’s central threat. Though we know Loki is the big bad in charge during “The Avengers,” we’re still in the dark as to the power he possesses. As Newsarama ‘s Lucas Siegel pointed out: “What’s the big threat? We saw Loki, who Thor took down on his own, and … exploding cars. It would’ve been nice to have a little bit more direct of a ‘big threat’ shown.” Having said that, Siegel added: “Of course, that’s what we all want to see, but it could also be a great thing to save for the movie itself.” “All in due time,” Weiland agreed regarding Marvel’s decision to withhold certain bits of key information. “This certainly isn’t the last trailer for this movie.” It certainly isn’t. Asked what they were most looking forward to seeing next from the Avengers, many of the experts agreed upon a certain shade of green. “Hulk, Hulk, Hulk!” Weiland said. “It’s a safe bet that some — if not much — of the NYC destruction seen in the trailer is caused by the Hulk and, look, we all want to see Hulk rampage. Sure, we got some of that in those two films, but I’m pretty sure in Joss Whedon’s hands, he’ll make those previous Hulk movies look like an episode of ‘My Little Pony.’ ” Another frequently cited item on the wish list: confirmation of Loki’s allies, long rumored to be the Skrulls, an alien race of shape-shifters prominently featured in Marvel Comics. “I’d like the next trailer to further tease what kind of threat the Avengers will face in 2012,” Goellner said. “Skrulls? Robots? Elves? Whatever it is, I want to know the team is up against more than Loki and some city streets exploding.” “Of course everyone still wants to know who’s helping Loki wreak havoc on Earth,” Polowy agreed. “Clearly some sort of intergalactic posse’s got his back. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Whedon and company keep that under wraps for as long as they can.” But if there’s one thing the experts could all agree upon? “Just the whole darn movie,” Siegel exclaimed. “Can’t wait!” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Avengers.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos First ‘Avengers’ Trailer: Dissected Related Photos ‘Avengers’ Take Manhattan: Five NYC Locations From The Trailer Key Scenes From The ‘Avengers’ Trailer
