Rumors of Ashton Kutcher and Rihanna hooking up apparently didn’t sit well with ex-wife Demi Moore, who was “sick to her stomach” and “devastated.” Grazia magazine quotes a source as saying, “Demi is constantly keeping tabs on Ashton. When these pics came up she was understandably crushed.” “Demi’s convinced something happened between them and felt sick.'” The publication also cites a source saying that the alleged relationship between Rih and Ash – which was a one-night stand, if that – ” sent Demi spiraling .” This comes just weeks after Moore checked out of rehab, though. Another source tells Closer magazine, which not only exists, but features Octomom nude on its new cover: “Demi can’t believe Ashton would do this.” “She’s really hurt by the recent rumors and feels humiliated he’s being linked to other celebrities just a few weeks after she got out of rehab.” “She feels it cheapens their marriage even further.” Moore and Kutcher ended their marriage in November 2011 amidst rumors of repeated infidelity on the part of the Two and a Half Men star. Meanwhile, at a press conference in London for her new movie Battleship , Rihanna was asked by a ballsy reporter if Kutcher would be visiting her. “Wow, how disappointing was that question,” the 24-year-old singer said. “I’m happy and I’m single, if that’s what you’re really asking.” Which clears up nothing, as you can be single and have one-night stands all the time … but she was disappointed by the question, so there’s that. It’s also worth noting that Rihanna’s security team and her car were seen at Ashton’s place, late night. There were no photos of the two together. We can understand Demi being a little thrown off by the one-night stand rumors, but you can’t believe every piece of celebrity gossip you read.
The Tribeca Film Festival has announced The Avengers as the closing-night selection of its 11th annual event, where Joss Whedon’s summer superhero blockbuster will have its New York premiere on April 28 — and for a good cause, according to Marvel and fest organizers. “Honoring the spirit of the Tribeca Film Festival, the screening will allow the opportunity for Marvel’s The Avengers to celebrate everyday heroes from police agencies, fire departments, first responders and various branches of the U.S. military,” reads a statement just over the transom at ML HQ. “These local heroes will have an opportunity to attend the screening and meet the cast.” Marvel Studios’ producer Kevin Feige adds: “We all know and love our iconic Super Heroes, but when it really counts, it’s our real-life heroes who save the world every day by making it a better place for all of us.” Whedon, meanwhile, reacted with customary cheekiness: “Showing at Tribeca is both an honor and a double homecoming for me, who grew up in Manhattan, and for the movie, which wrapped production there. I’m thoroughly psyched to be closing the festival with our intimate little think-piece.” More to come at Movieline as Tribeca gets underway next month. Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The Tribeca Film Festival has announced The Avengers as the closing-night selection of its 11th annual event, where Joss Whedon’s summer superhero blockbuster will have its New York premiere on April 28 — and for a good cause, according to Marvel and fest organizers. “Honoring the spirit of the Tribeca Film Festival, the screening will allow the opportunity for Marvel’s The Avengers to celebrate everyday heroes from police agencies, fire departments, first responders and various branches of the U.S. military,” reads a statement just over the transom at ML HQ. “These local heroes will have an opportunity to attend the screening and meet the cast.” Marvel Studios’ producer Kevin Feige adds: “We all know and love our iconic Super Heroes, but when it really counts, it’s our real-life heroes who save the world every day by making it a better place for all of us.” Whedon, meanwhile, reacted with customary cheekiness: “Showing at Tribeca is both an honor and a double homecoming for me, who grew up in Manhattan, and for the movie, which wrapped production there. I’m thoroughly psyched to be closing the festival with our intimate little think-piece.” More to come at Movieline as Tribeca gets underway next month. Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
What’s the Film : Citizen Ruth (1996), available on DVD and Hulu Why it’s an Inessential Essential : The premise — one woman’s attempt to have an abortion turns into a national debate and bidding war — was a bold choice out of the gate for writer-director Alexander Payne. Citizen Ruth is his first feature film, and like his subsequent work, it has a biting wit, absurdities from every corner, and deeply flawed characters. Ruth (Laura Dern) is a dim-witted screw-up who is pregnant for the fifth time; her four offspring have been placed elsewhere because of her addiction to inhalants. When she is charged with a felony for huffing “patio sealant,” the judge coerces her to terminate the pregnancy. In jail, she meets anti-abortion crusaders who start a tug-of-war with pro-choice rivals over the unborn child, who becomes widely known as Baby Tanya after a clinic doctor manipulates Ruth into imagining keeping it. Tackling this tricky subject matter, Payne found an unreal story to tell, except that part of it was real. In the DVD commentary, he and co-writer Jim Taylor reveal that the plot was inspired by the true story of a woman who was offered money by anti-abortion and pro-choice camps to honor their respective wishes for her fetus. The parallels to reality don’t stop there. In one of Dern’s best unhinged moments, Ruth screams at two overzealous medical staffers at a clinic, who then pull out all the stops and force her to watch a video of abortion footage. That seems far-fetched, though maybe not in places like Arizona, where a lawmaker recently proposed a bill that would require women to watch an abortion before having one. The state representative, Terri Proud, calls her idea “(The) Reproductive Games.” Truth is catchier than fiction. Why We Recommend It Now : Released in 1996, Citizen Ruth resonates today, of course, because the issue of affordable health care has evolved into a fight over reproductive rights. Although Baby Tanya, were she real/alive, would be old enough to have a Sweet 16 party this year, not much has changed in the public discourse. Payne skewers the radicals on both sides, who are largely motivated by impressing their leaders — Tippi Hedren, for example, as a mother/god figure to the lunatic pro-choice activists. Their behavior is over the top, but their ideologies still echo. Among the points the movie makes so nicely is that extremists tend to lose sight of the real people and issues involved. When Sandra Fluke testified about hormonal birth control, the point she made — that the drug treats medical conditions — was lost once Rush Limbaugh piped in and turned Fluke into an abstraction and a “prostitute.” Ruth is unfit to be a mother, yet a contingent of crazies think she should take a stab at parenthood, aided by 15 grand, because somehow it’ll just all work out. There’s something to be said for laughing so we don’t cry, and Citizen Ruth allows us to do that. The DVD has few extras, but it does feature a revealing commentary track from Payne, Taylor, Dern and production designer Jane Ann Stewart. Explaining that the film doesn’t take sides, Stewart says her team strived to make both camps look a little foolish. Payne gets to the heart of the matter, saying, “Jane, you asked me, ‘Is nothing sacred?’ And it’s true. Everything is sacred, and nothing is sacred. Everyone is open for being examined as a human being.” Other Interesting Trivia : Payne says the film’s limited release was probably the reason he didn’t receive one threatening letter over it, though he was concerned about potential violence at the time from groups like the Army of God. Dern recalls a conversation with the women who ran Planned Parenthood in Texas, who called her to say how much they loved being mocked in the film. Also, let the end credits roll a couple minutes for a hint at Ruth’s fate. PREVIOUS INESSENTIAL ESSENTIALS The Last Temptation of Christ The Sitter
What’s the Film : Citizen Ruth (1996), available on DVD and Hulu Why it’s an Inessential Essential : The premise — one woman’s attempt to have an abortion turns into a national debate and bidding war — was a bold choice out of the gate for writer-director Alexander Payne. Citizen Ruth is his first feature film, and like his subsequent work, it has a biting wit, absurdities from every corner, and deeply flawed characters. Ruth (Laura Dern) is a dim-witted screw-up who is pregnant for the fifth time; her four offspring have been placed elsewhere because of her addiction to inhalants. When she is charged with a felony for huffing “patio sealant,” the judge coerces her to terminate the pregnancy. In jail, she meets anti-abortion crusaders who start a tug-of-war with pro-choice rivals over the unborn child, who becomes widely known as Baby Tanya after a clinic doctor manipulates Ruth into imagining keeping it. Tackling this tricky subject matter, Payne found an unreal story to tell, except that part of it was real. In the DVD commentary, he and co-writer Jim Taylor reveal that the plot was inspired by the true story of a woman who was offered money by anti-abortion and pro-choice camps to honor their respective wishes for her fetus. The parallels to reality don’t stop there. In one of Dern’s best unhinged moments, Ruth screams at two overzealous medical staffers at a clinic, who then pull out all the stops and force her to watch a video of abortion footage. That seems far-fetched, though maybe not in places like Arizona, where a lawmaker recently proposed a bill that would require women to watch an abortion before having one. The state representative, Terri Proud, calls her idea “(The) Reproductive Games.” Truth is catchier than fiction. Why We Recommend It Now : Released in 1996, Citizen Ruth resonates today, of course, because the issue of affordable health care has evolved into a fight over reproductive rights. Although Baby Tanya, were she real/alive, would be old enough to have a Sweet 16 party this year, not much has changed in the public discourse. Payne skewers the radicals on both sides, who are largely motivated by impressing their leaders — Tippi Hedren, for example, as a mother/god figure to the lunatic pro-choice activists. Their behavior is over the top, but their ideologies still echo. Among the points the movie makes so nicely is that extremists tend to lose sight of the real people and issues involved. When Sandra Fluke testified about hormonal birth control, the point she made — that the drug treats medical conditions — was lost once Rush Limbaugh piped in and turned Fluke into an abstraction and a “prostitute.” Ruth is unfit to be a mother, yet a contingent of crazies think she should take a stab at parenthood, aided by 15 grand, because somehow it’ll just all work out. There’s something to be said for laughing so we don’t cry, and Citizen Ruth allows us to do that. The DVD has few extras, but it does feature a revealing commentary track from Payne, Taylor, Dern and production designer Jane Ann Stewart. Explaining that the film doesn’t take sides, Stewart says her team strived to make both camps look a little foolish. Payne gets to the heart of the matter, saying, “Jane, you asked me, ‘Is nothing sacred?’ And it’s true. Everything is sacred, and nothing is sacred. Everyone is open for being examined as a human being.” Other Interesting Trivia : Payne says the film’s limited release was probably the reason he didn’t receive one threatening letter over it, though he was concerned about potential violence at the time from groups like the Army of God. Dern recalls a conversation with the women who ran Planned Parenthood in Texas, who called her to say how much they loved being mocked in the film. Also, let the end credits roll a couple minutes for a hint at Ruth’s fate. PREVIOUS INESSENTIAL ESSENTIALS The Last Temptation of Christ The Sitter
‘I’m happy and I’m single,’ singer tells reporters at a press conference in London. By Jocelyn Vena Rihanna Photo: Jon Furniss/ WireImage Rihanna had been romantically linked to Ashton Kutcher last week, when a report surfaced that she had headed over to the actor’s house late one night and stayed there for several hours. At a London press conference for “Battleship,” a reporter used her one question with the pop star to ask about the alleged rendezvous. After meandering around about Ri’s fans and their love for her, she eventually got to her point: Would she get any visits from Kutcher while out promoting the film? The singer’s response? Well, she wasn’t amused. “Wow, how disappointing was that question,” she said in a video posted on the
‘We worked our butts off to create this record,’ Chester Bennington tells MTV News of fast-evolving follow-up to A Thousand Suns. By James Montgomery, with reporting by James Lacsina Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington Photo: MTV News Last year, when Linkin Park told MTV News they were already beginning work on the follow-up to A Thousand Suns, it was noteworthy for several reasons — chief among them being that this is a band that likes to take their time with things. But it looks like all that is changing. On Tuesday, MTV News was on the set of the video for “Burn It Down,” the first single from their (still-untitled) new album. So, yes, this is really happening, and yes, it’s happening soon, as LP’s Chester Bennington explained. “Well, we promised our fans that we’d put out records faster, and that’s what we’re doing. We figured out a way to condense our cycle, so to speak, by … continuing to write, trying to keep the creative ball rolling as often as possible,” he said. “We wrote some of the stuff on the road during the last tour, and instead of … touring for two years, we toured for about a year, we came home, jumped right back into the studio and just worked our butts off to create this record. “And this album is a really great representation of where we’re at right now as a band,” Bennington continued. “We’re kind of really comfortable with our early n
‘It helped me come out of my shell a little bit more,’ singer tells MTV News of Tommy Hilfiger-assisted makeover. By Christina Garibaldi Erika Van Pelt Photo: MTV News “American Idol” contestant Erika Van Pelt may have disagreed with the judges’ critiques of her rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” but with the help of famed designer Tommy Hilfiger, she may have stolen the show when she drastically changed up her hairstyle from mid-length blond to a short black cut. But unfortunately for Van Pelt, it wasn’t enough to save her from elimination from the show. Even though Van Pelt won’t be rocking out on the “Idol” stage anymore, she has no regrets about her makeover. “I love it, and it’s funny ’cause everyone was so shocked,” Van Pelt told MTV News on Monday. “I’ve gotten good responses, but they’re like, ‘Wow you really did that? You’d be bold enough and audacious enough to do that?’ But the funny thing is people don’t know I do this at home. I’ve been doing this my entire life.” And it seems that she’s not the only one who is enjoying her new look, which she said she was planning for quite some time. “My friends, my family, my fanbase were really digging it,” she said. “It helped me come out of my shell a little bit more. When Tommy Hilfiger came on as an image consultant, we started to talk about it. I had already had it in my mind that I wanted to do something drastic with it. I didn’t know what, so when I got the green light, I went crazy.” Van Pelt, who will stay with the shorter hairstyle but might change the color, is now looking forward to hitting the road for the “Idol” tour. But after that, she is ready to branch out on her own. “After the tour is done, I honestly want to get right to work,” she said. “I want to work on my first album, I want to do a ton of writing, I even want to get involved in acting and musical theater. I would love to be involved maybe on Broadway. I’m just a hard worker and I don’t care, 12-, 16-hour days, I’ll put the work in this. It’s what I want to do.” During her time on “Idol,” Van Pelt drew comparisons to Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Janis Joplin, but it’s British songstress Jessie J who the singer truly admires. “I’ve been listening to a lot of Jessie J. She’s totally amazing,” the singer revealed. “She’s got millions of fans and I still think she’s underrated — amazing vocals and she’s fearless. She doesn’t make any excuses for who she is … she’s just totally 100 percent herself.” The two singers have more in common than you might think. “Actually, for a while I had the shoulder-length dark hair with the straight-across bangs,” Van Pelt said. “That was before I started listening to Jessie J, and then I saw her and I was like, ‘Whoa!’ ” What do you think of Erika’s new look? Let us know in the comments. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
On the eve of her 26th birthday, Lady Gaga has posted a very cute photo of herself with no makeup on Twitter. The singer was born THIS way … or something. Of all people to see with no makeup, Gaga – a young woman famously known for her wildly outlandish outfits, elaborate hairstyles and creative makeup – stands out. Half the time she’s got a lobster or slab of raw beef on her head, for that matter. Casual opportunities like this – one of our new favorite Lady Gaga photos – are rare: She’s on a self-imposed media blackout , but that doesn’t mean she’s not in touch with fans. Monday, Gaga tweeted the au naturale self-portrait via Blackberry. In the pic, Gaga’s hair is in a casual ponytail with a flower pinned behind her ear, and her body clothed in a loose tank top. She looks quite … approachable. The Lady has always bolstered her already considerable talent with the sense of unity she projects to her fans. A superstar who’s like all of us, so to speak. Pictures such as this and random tweets about watching Monday’s episode of “Drag Race” certainly make her seem like a normal, down-to-earth gal.
Watch the trailer for season seven, which includes the return of fan-favorite crew Fanny Pak. By Kara Warner Fanny Pak Photo: Ewan Burns Dust off those fancy kicks and get ready to dance along with another action-packed season of “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew.” The time has come for the hit show’s seventh season, which kicks off Wednesday, April 11, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. This season, dubbed “Return of the Superstars,” will feature nine all-new hip-hop dance crews and one returning past crew, a fan favorite from season two, Fanny Pak. This is the first time in the series’ history a crew from a prior season will return to compete for the title. In addition, each episode will feature a different theme built around a popular celebrity artist. Dance crews will be challenged to push themselves to create astonishing performances inspired by the music and persona of the artist of the week. Those artists include Madonna, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Pitbull, David Guetta, Flo Rida and LMFAO, among others. Not only will season seven of “ABDC” include the music of our favorite pop-music icons, the show will also feature appearances by several of those acts as well, including Pitbull, David Guetta, Flo Rida, Redfoo of LMFAO and others. Tune in to MTV on April 11 to see how Fanny Pak fares against this all-new crop of talented crews: 8 Flavahz, Collizion Crew, Electrolytes, Funkdation, Irratik, Mix’d Elements, Mos Wanted Crew, Rated Next Generation and Stepboys. With a $100,000 cash prize at stake, each episode of “ABDC” will offer insight into the crews’ emotion, spirit and inspiration as they step up to the challenge and show off their groundbreaking choreography and skills. Don’t miss the season-seven premiere of “America’s Best Dance Crew,” airing Wednesday, April 11, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV! For continuing “Crew” coverage, be sure to check in with MTV’s Remote Control blog.
