President/CEO of Together We Rise talks to MTV News about song, slated for March release. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images Justin Bieber ‘s fans are working to give back the same way the pop star readily does. Several of Bieber’s biggest fan groups, as well as the nonprofit Together We Rise and Brush Buddies (the makers behind the singing Bieber toothbrush), have all teamed up to work on a charity single. “They’re all working on pieces of the video and the lyrics. Right now, they’re putting together videos and thank-you’s.’ We’re working on the back end,” Danny Mendoza, President/CEO of Together We Rise, which focuses on helping foster children in the U.S, told MTV News about the project. “It started with a young lady named Vivian, she runs the Justin Crew fan club and she approached it on Twitter. She approached it and she had a lot of fan support,” he continued. “She took it upon herself to take a leadership role, and then she contacted me because she needed some guidance. We just decided we’ll help you do it. Justin Bieber had tweeted about us in the past and helped us get some recognition, so it was a thank-you to him as well. Proceeds from the song will go toward Bieber’s Believe charity drive . It will drop in March, just in time for his 18th birthday on March 1. “I’m almost 100 percent positive that they know,” Mendoza said of Bieber’s camp’s knowledge of the project. “Justin Bieber inspired a lot of young people to give back. It’s a thank-you for helping us and we want to give back in your honor.” Bieber is certainly not a newbie to the world of charity. Mendoza said that having a pop star like Bieber being so socially conscious has been incredible for the charities he helps bring attention to. “He definitely has the right people around him … They made it a priority that giving back is more. I think his relationship with [his manager Scooter Braun’s brother] Adam Braun and his charity [ Pencils of Promise ], he was able to see hands on a lot of it.” After Bieber tweeted this week about the Trillium Gift of Life Network, the Ontario-based organ donation network has seen registrations skyrocket to more than 1,200 people, four times the amount the network usually receives. What charity do you want Bieber to promote? Leave your comment below. Related Artists Justin Bieber
MTV News speculates on which Marvel Comics baddie will be joining forces with Loki when ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’ assembles this summer. By Josh Wigler Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth in “The Avengers” Photo: Paramount “Marvel’s The Avengers” promises to pit Earth’s Mightiest Heroes — Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, in case you’ve somehow forgotten — against the trickster god Loki, as well as another nemesis that remains unidentified. Popular theories have long pegged the Skrulls, Marvel’s shape-shifting alien menace, as the likeliest group to join forces with the disenfranchised Asgardian prince. Many fans are also expecting to see another possible foe, “Captain America” villain Red Skull, based on his inclusion in an upcoming “Avengers” action figure line . But leave it to Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios, to bust both rumors. Speaking with Empire magazine last week, he revealed that the still-unknown secondary baddies are “not Skrulls.” Additionally, while it would be nice to see Hugo Weaving’s villainous visage at some point down the line, “he’s not in this one.” So, no Skrulls. No Red Skull. It’s Loki, and it’s … someone or something else. But who or what? Feige promised that while Marvel wants to hide the identity of “the alien race” that’s confronting our favorite superheroes, their identity is “not impactful,” even though they exist in the comic books. One imagines, then, that the Kree are out along with the Skrulls. Perhaps it’s as simple as a return of the Jotunheim, last seen in 2011’s “Thor.” Maybe it’s just arbitrary and the identity of these aliens truly does not matter. That doesn’t mean the mystery isn’t important. And that doesn’t mean the aliens are the mystery villain, either. The Latino Review once put forth a report — one that’s unverified by all accounts — stating that Thanos, the hulking purple-skinned alien that’s frequently dusted up with the Avengers and other Marvel heroes, is the secret villain we’ve all been wondering about. It’s a rumor to be sure, but it’s one I’m inclined to believe for a couple of reasons … and it all goes back to Comic-Con. In July 2010, the Marvel booth at Comic-Con featured a display case filled with items from the studio’s upcoming comic book movies. Among them: Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, Captain America’s mighty shield and the bejeweled Infinity Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is one of the more prominent items in the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, one that’s virtually synonymous with Thanos. Indeed, its inclusion in the Marvel display case felt like an unspoken promise that Thanos would someday have a part to play in the company’s cinematic future. Cut to “Thor” almost a year later, and the Gauntlet appeared as a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Easter egg that came and went when Jotunheim thieves infiltrated Asgard to reclaim their long-lost prize, the Casket of Ancient Winters. Could it be that the Gauntlet only existed as a wink and nod to the fans back home? Entirely possible. But what if Loki, who clearly knows the history and value of the Casket, has information on the other items contained in Asgard — including what the Gauntlet is, and who would do anything to have it? For someone mightily pissed off at his brother and the Earth-dwellers he’s become so fond of, that’s very powerful information indeed. Consider also that Feige, the same man who kiboshed the Skrulls and Skull, has long said that the cosmic side of Marvel is a big priority for him. In fact, just a few months ago, he revealed that movies based on the “Inhumans” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” were on the docket at Marvel Studios. Fantastic reads both of them, no question, but obscure beyond belief to the non-comic book reader. If Feige is looking ahead at “phase two” of the Marvel plan, as he’s called it in the past, are “Inhumans” and “Guardians” really the best places to start? Perhaps they are … if someone huge, someone massive, someone like Thanos, makes his first appearance in “Avengers,” and lives on to stalk the stars (and the screen) another day. It’s not the meatiest theory out there. It’s based on a rumor, on a taste of what Marvel has given us both on and off the screen, and on a desire to see someone important occupy this oh-so-secretive role. For Feige to come out and say the movie’s second villainous force is not the Skrulls and not Red Skull, and that Loki’s alien army is “not impactful” in identity … either he’s not telling the full story on who or what this unseen enemy represents, or the big reveal is going to be a massive letdown. Given how Marvel has operated in recent years, and given the importance of “Avengers” to their brand and plans, I just don’t see it being the latter option. Here’s what I do see. Loki aside, “The Avengers” will have another deeply meaningful foe to fight come May 4, 2012. And my considerably sized gut tells me it’s going to be Thanos. Who do you think the secret “Avengers” villain will be? Tell us in the comments section. Check out everything we’ve got on “Marvel’s The Avengers.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos Key Scenes From The ‘Avengers’ Trailer ‘Avengers’ Take Manhattan: Five NYC Locations From The Trailer
Most importantly, we want to see the whole crew together at one time. By Kevin Sullivan Scarlett Johansson in “The Avengers” Photo: Marvel Last week, we previewed what we’re hoping to see from the “never-before-seen” footage from “The Avengers” announced for this Saturday’s New York Comic Con. That was before we found out that Marvel plans to release the first official trailer for the ultimate superhero meet-up online Tuesday. Expectations have always been high for “The Avengers,” but the surprisingly little footage we’ve seen from the actual film has put interest on a whole new level. Fans of comic book movies everywhere have been waiting a long time to get their hands on another scrap of official “Avengers” info, so for the trailer to not miss the mark, there are some specific things we need to see: The New Hulk He’s the 1,500-pound, gamma-radiated gorilla in the room. The trading of Edward Norton for Mark Ruffalo caused a good amount of controversy, but if there had to be a recasting, it wasn’t a terrible move. If you consider the Hulk and Bruce Banner two separate characters, the big green guy is the only major character we haven’t seen a single picture of, which is odd considering that we’ve already seen two iterations of a CGI Hulk. His absence would make more sense if this was something entirely new, but it isn’t. Nick Fury in Action To be fair, the wait to see Ruffalo’s Hulk seems short compared to how long we’ve all waited to see Samuel L. Jackson kick some ass as Nick Fury. He showed up eight years ago in the first Iron Man movie with promises of an Avengers gathering and some killer S.H.I.E.L.D. action. Jackson has talked up Fury’s eventual action scenes for months, but we have yet to see any proof to back it up besides a still released last week . It’s time to quit the talk and unleash the Fury. Helicarrier Speaking of S.H.I.E.L.D., what is a secret military law-enforcement agency without the signature ride to prove it? So far, most of the material we’ve seen with the Avengers assembled, specifically the set photos and the footage after “Captain America: The First Avenger,” has shown what is most likely the inside-flying aircraft carrier, and that’s probably because the film is still in production with effects shots far from completed. With an event like the first trailer, Marvel hopefully arranged for a handful of effects shots to be ready. An obvious choice for one of these shots would be the non-spoiler Helicarrier. Who’s Helping Loki? For as long as we’ve known about “The Avengers,” there’s been talk about who the villain might be. And as long as people have been talking about the villain, they’ve been throwing the Skrulls around. It’s been one of the longest-lasting rumors around the movie, and some set footage with Cap and Thor fighting off mo-cap actors only seemed to confirm it. Other than the Skrulls, Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet have been part of the discussion for quite some time. The Infinity Gauntlet showed up in “Thor” and at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010. Thanos, on the other jewel-encrusted hand, was at the center of a supposed scoop by the Latino Review all the way back in May. Avengers Assembled The last time we checked, the movie was called “The Avengers,” and we were expecting at some point to see them all together. You know, in one shot . The closest we’ve come so far was at Comic Con, and they weren’t even in character. If Marvel really wants to make an impact with the trailer, they need to give the fans what they’ve been promising for three years: get all the heroes onscreen all at once. Everything else that will inevitably be missing from the trailer is forgivable as long as we get the big group shot. 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 .
