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Marina And The Diamonds Sparkles At New York City Show

Welsh star electrified the crowd at the first of two sold-out shows, playing several of tracks from her recent Electra Heart album. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Marina Lambrini Diamandis Photo: Paul Zimmerman/ Getty Images

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Marina And The Diamonds Sparkles At New York City Show

Lollapalooza Fans Focus On The Music After Severe Storm

One festivalgoer’s favorite moment was ‘everyone coming back in, having it all start up again like nothing ever happened.’ By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Fans at Lollapalooza on Sunday Photo: Theo Wargo/ WireImage

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Lollapalooza Fans Focus On The Music After Severe Storm

Adam Goldman Is In With Web Series ‘The Outs’

Show about gay men in New York has taken on ‘a life of its own,’ write/director/actor Goldman tells MTV News. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Adam Goldman appears on “The Outs” Photo: Adam Goldman is the writer, director and an actor on his own hit series, “The Outs.” If you are young, gay and Internet-savvy (as most young gay men are these days), then you have probably heard of his show since the first three episodes are already out. If you are not any of those things, you should still check out the show. Once the gay blogs (Out.com, Queerty, Towleroad, etc.) caught on to “The Outs,” the show took on “a life of its own,” according to Goldman, with viewers begging for more. The most interesting thing about the show, aside from its surprisingly high production value and its well-written dialogue, is that “The Outs” is an independently produced Web series that’s making a sizable impact on a generation of viewers who are watching more and more of their entertainment online. This six-episode dramatic Web series is funded entirely by successful Kickstarter campaigns and out-of-pocket expenses from the 26-year-old Bard College graduate and the creative team he assembled. “The Outs” tells the story of a couple of recent exes in New York and a good friend of theirs. The exes just so happen to be gay men. Goldman explained the void he aimed to fill when he created the show. “I asked people, ‘What’s your favorite TV show about gay people?’ Or ‘name me a TV show [exclusively] about gay people,’ ” Goldman recalled. “Nobody really has an answer, and I think that’s just sad.” Goldman noted that while TV has become more LGBT-friendly in the last few years, with a handful of excellent gay characters on “Modern Family,” “Glee,” “Smash,” “True Blood,” “American Horror Story” and more, none of these shows is centered around a gay story line. “I think that what we’ve seen from the moment we started the project is a desire for it, and there’s an audience for it,” Goldman shared. “We just want to prove that there’s space in media for stories like this. It’s a story about people who happen to be gay, and we’re super-proud and pleased to appeal to a gay audience.” As far as being on the edge of the online entertainment frontier, Goldman described his stance on the exciting position: “We’re just trying to stretch the definition of what a Web series can be, so we’re trying to shoot it as a TV show that happens to be online.” As HD camera technology continues to improve and the costs of the equipment drop, piecing together a quality show is not the impossible dream that it was only several years ago, though the process is not easy to fund alone. With the viewer base growing rapidly, Goldman and his team just surpassed their latest Kickstarter goal in just 48 hours. That puts the team ahead of its budget for the production of the show’s upcoming fourth episode. Now is the time to keep an eye on Goldman and independent producers like him who are leading the new “TV on the Internet” movement. And if you haven’t already, check out “The Outs” at www.theouts.tv .

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Adam Goldman Is In With Web Series ‘The Outs’

‘Bel Ami’: The Reviews Are In!

‘This new ‘Bel Ami’ has a lot to recommend it, but it never seems as artful or smart as ‘Dangerous Liaisons,’ writes Noel Murray of the A.V. Club. By Kara Warner Robert Pattinson in “Bel Ami” Photo: Magnolia Pictures At long last, your wait to see Robert Pattinson in all his shirtless , pants-less, bum-baring big-screen glory has arrived! “Bel Ami” opens in Los Angeles, New York and other select cites Friday (June 8), in addition to already being available on VOD. Our story takes place in 19th-century Paris, where self-made man of sorts Georges Duroy (Pattinson) uses his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties. It’s a curiously familiar societal setting in which politics and media jostle for influence and where sex is power and celebrity an obsession. As excited as Pattinson fans are to see their favorite star in action, the critical mass is less than impressed with the “Twilight” hunk’s assets in this particular period piece as it’s currently sitting at a 31 percent “Fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes . Without further ado, let’s sift through the “Bel Ami” reviews! The Story “Guy de Maupassant’s novel ‘Bel Ami’ has been adapted for the stage and screen multiple times — most memorably in 1947, in a movie starring George Sanders and Angela Lansbury. The novel’s appeal is obvious: It explores the social strata of 19th-century Paris by showing an ambitious scoundrel hopping from bed to bed. But given the era when the book was written, and given when its best-known adaptations were made, most ‘Bel Ami’s have had to imply a lot, being coy about what’s really happening in those private chambers. So for the new adaptation, directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod and screenwriter Rachel Bennette try to take more advantage of the freedoms of modern cinema, making sure that their ‘Bel Ami’ has plenty of sex and straight talk. The result is almost a test case for whether explicitness is a virtue. The verdict? Inconclusive. This new ‘Bel Ami’ has a lot to recommend it, but it never seems as artful or smart as ‘Dangerous Liaisons,’ the film it most resembles.” — Noel Murray, A.V. Club Pattinson’s Paramours “What we get … is a dumb, entitled-but-tortured dreamboat falling into bed with a bunch of aristocratic women, and then turning inexplicably and insupportably Machiavellian only after he’s thoroughly slighted. First charming the throaty, free-spirited Madame Forestier (Uma Thurman, giving the film’s most engaged performance, to little avail), then the apparently erotically frustrated and still slightly gaminesque Clotilde (Christina Ricci, who looks pretty comfortable striking poses inspired by Degas’ odalisques, bless her heart) and finally wife-of-hated-boss Virginie (Kristin Scott-Thomas), Pattinson maintains the air of a kid being sent to bed without dessert. … The more experienced moviegoer may experience relief from the movie’s tedium by recalling the much better period pieces that female members of the cast have appeared in. Seeing Thurman in elaborate costume brought back fond memories of the much edgier and coherent and fun ‘Dangerous Liasons.’ For Ricci, of course, there’s ‘Prozac Nation,’ no, wait, sorry, the appealingly bloody Gothic ‘Sleepy Hollow.’ And for Scott-Thomas, well, when her character finds out that Duroy has just left the army after serving for five years in Algiers, she says, ‘I once heard a rather foolish story about the desert,’ and of course I thought, ‘You mean “The English Patient”?’ ” — Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies A Pouty Pattinson? “Mr. Pattinson’s strained performance in ‘Bel Ami’ leads a long list of problems in a film whose plot is so elaborate it would have been better served spread out over several hours. … As you watch Mr. Pattinson twist his features into expressions of cunning and treachery, as if he had just been practicing in a mirror, the primary missing ingredient is charm. This reasonably good-looking 26-year-old English actor, with his asymmetrical eyes and a doughy torso, affects a cold, reptilian sneer. Bad boys may have their appeal, but this one lacks the animal magnetism of even an amateur Lothario. To watch Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas melt under his icy ministrations is to roll your eyes in disbelief.” — Stephen Holden, The New York Times The Final Word, Pro-Con Style “[O]n the whole ‘Bel Ami’ is highly watchable. As is often the case in costume pictures especially, the degree to which different characters are convincingly of the world of the film varies. Thomas, for instance, is at once tragically and comically lovely as the good, religious wife seduced out of her right mind. She can telegraph that world in a glance and a few words. Thurman has a tougher time with Madeleine; although she makes a shattering indictment of Georges near the end, her character in particular — the ambitious political player stymied by her sex — demonstrates an endemic problem with the script (by Rachel Bennette) and the direction: The best performances seem to inhabit a story that the filmmaking doesn’t bear out.” — Michelle Orange, Movieline “Is it his acting, the inexperience of co-directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod — each making their feature film debut — or both? Some reports from Cannes (although not from TIME’s Richard Corliss) had Pattinson coming into his own in David Cronenberg’s ‘Cosmopolis,’ but he gives no hint of depth in ‘Bel Ami.’ On the other hand, even an expert meanie like Colm Meany, playing George’s dismissive editor, doesn’t make much of an impression. The ladies fare a little better. Scott Thomas, despite her blessings in the innate elegance department, makes a convincing case she’s as pleased at being petted as a neglected whippet. In between considered puffs on a cigarette and playing a parlor game of French politics, Thurman’s Madeleine has a memorable sex scene with George involving both a figurative and, one senses from the pain on Pattinson’s face, literal testicular crushing. Time check: it’s been 24 years since she played the innocent virgin in the similarly themed, infinitely superior ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (which in turn spawned its own teenaged version, ‘Cruel Intentions,’ apt to be a lot more fun for Pattinson’s ‘Twilight’ fans than ‘Bel Ami’). Reality check: Robert Pattinson and John Malkovich; very different generations of le sex machine Fran

Lana Del Rey Redeems Herself On NYC Stage

Out in support of her debut album Born to Die, singer made fans forget her infamous ‘SNL’ performance from earlier this year. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Lana Del Rey [file] Photo: Chuck Grant/ Getty Images As someone who was disappointed by Lana Del Rey ‘s infamous “Saturday Night Live” performance yet thoroughly enjoyed every song on her debut alternative pop album, Born to Die, I am so excited to confirm, loud and proud, that Lana Del Rey can sing! “How f—in’ cool are you?” Lana smiled radiantly at her New York fans after nailing her opening number, “Blue Jeans.” It’s the same song that did not translate so well on the “SNL” stage that cold winter night. It was Lana who was “f—in’ cool” as the screaming fans nearly drowned out her entire first of three sold-out shows at New York City’s Irving Plaza Thursday night. She quickly followed with her brand-new, unreleased track “Body Electric,” which melded a sad melody with a sensual undercurrent, rightfully declaring to entranced New Yorkers, “I’m on fire, baby, I’m on fire.” It was fantastic and sure to be a fan favorite. The songstress took the stage with a coy smile before she stuck her tongue out and began her short yet powerful 10-song set. Amid pitch-perfect performances of her hits including “Born to Die” and “Video Games,” Lana finally seemed to be at home onstage. “Oh, this old thing?” she whispered bashfully into her microphone after a stellar performance of “Carmen,” transporting the audience back to an age when people came to shows hear a voice rather than see a spectacle

Kelly Clarkson Tourmate Calls Opening Act Gig A ‘Prize Fight’

Acoustic singer Matt Nathanson is hitting the road with Kelly on her Stronger Tour. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Matt Nathanson Photo: MTV News As Kelly Clarkson kicks off 2012 with her highly anticipated Stronger tour , MTV News caught up with her opening act, singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson . Clarkson fans may recognize Nathanson from his single “Come On Get Higher,” which received heavy radio play in 2008 and then again with 2011’s “Faster.” For someone who hasn’t heard his music yet, it can best be described as acoustic rock with a squeeze of country and a pop garnish. He cited a wide range of musical influences including U2, Poison, White Snake, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Van Halen. Nathanson will also be playing several headlining shows while he tours with Clarkson. He opened up about different being an opening act is compared to having your own show. “Opening shows are more like you’ve got to go out and win them over,” he said. “It’s like clubbing people over the head and dragging them back to your cave. It’s like a prize fight. You go out and just grab them and drag them back and make them yours.” “When I have a headline show, I think of it as a party and I’m sort of like the host,” he explained. The tour is already underway in the U.S., and Nathanson says he’s having a great time. “There’s always a moment where you walk out to someone else’s audience and you don’t know what you’re going to get,” he described. “Kelly’s audience is different than my audience, and it takes them a while to get used to me and me a little while to get used to them. And then once you make that connection, you’re in. It’s fun!” Nathanson is currently touring to promote his latest album, Modern Love, and will stick with Kelly for the remainder of her North American leg of the tour. Will you be seeing Kelly Clarkson and Matt Nathanson live? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Opening Act: Artists To Look Out For

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Kelly Clarkson Tourmate Calls Opening Act Gig A ‘Prize Fight’

Britney Spears ’30 Videos For 30 Years’ Winner Revealed!

Nearly 1 million votes were cast in the contest for MTV News’ tournament to crown the Best Britney Video of All Time. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Britney Spears Photo: Jive Over the course of two weeks, nearly one million votes cast in MTV News’ Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years , and on Friday (December 2) — which also happens to be the pop superstar’s 30 birthday — we reached our final tally. You, the fans, decided the crown for the Best Britney Video of All Time is goes to … “I’m A Slave 4 U”! Released in September 2001, the Francis Lawrence-directed video is still as influential a pop music clip 10 years later. Britney performed the song for the first time at the ’01 MTV Video Music Awards, using a jungle-themed set filled with exotic animals, including a tiger and a now-iconic white boa constrictor snake, which she wrapped around her shoulders. “Slave” defeated the Chris Marrs Piliero-directed runner-up “Criminal” by a wide margin, with nearly 69 percent of the vote. “Criminal,” Britney’s most recent video from this year’s Femme Fatale release, made its way to the top two by beating out some of Britney’s best-loved videos, from “Stronger” to “I Wanna Go” to (in a shocking defeat) her debut video “… Baby One More Time.” We want to know what you think of “Slave” winning it all in our 30 Videos for 30 Years tournament. Sound off in the comments section and send your birthday wishes to Britney! Related Videos Britney Spears: 30 Videos For 30 Years Related Artists Britney Spears

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Britney Spears ’30 Videos For 30 Years’ Winner Revealed!

Katy Perry, Kardashians Top Barbara Walters’ ‘Most Fascinating’

‘X Factor’ judge Simon Cowell, ‘Modern Family’ stars also make the cut. By Jocelyn Vena Kim Kardashian Photo: James Devaney/ WireImage The past 12 months were full of some interesting folks, and Barbara Walters has announced who made her annual list with “The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011.” So, who made the cut? The top seven released so far include the Kardashian family , who continue to captivate TV audiences and the rumor mill thanks to several TV franchises and their headline-making relationships (babies, divorce and everything in between). Pop superstar Katy Perry also will be featured on the special. After releasing her album Teenage Dream last year, she managed to break chart records this year with hits like “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and “E.T.” She also released several memorable videos and hit the road on her California Dreams Tour. Wednesday night, Perry was nominated for several Grammy Awards , including Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for her single “Firework.” Simon Cowell also landed on the list. After leaving “American Idol,” he launched the U.S. version of “The X Factor” this fall, reuniting with his former “Idol” pal Paula Abdul. Longtime Yankee Derek Jeter, TV personality/entrepreneur Donald Trump and Kate Middleton’s sister/royal wedding breakout star Pippa Middleton also will be featured on the special. “Modern Family” onscreen couple Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet made the cut as well, bringing the list, technically, to 11. The #1 most-fascinating person, as well as the two other folks who made the list, will be announced on the primetime special December 14 on ABC. Who’s on your list of the most-fascinating people of 2011? Share your picks below! Related Artists Katy Perry

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Katy Perry, Kardashians Top Barbara Walters’ ‘Most Fascinating’

Britney Spears’ ‘Slave 4 U,’ ‘Criminal’ In Final Two!

‘Hold It Against Me,’ ‘Lucky’ weren’t so lucky as fans cast more votes in our ’30 for 30′ tournament for two steamy Spears clips. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Britney Spears in her video for “I’m a Slave 4 U” Photo: Jive And then there were two! Fans have been voting in MTV News’ Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years , and the 30 contenders have been narrowed down to the final two: “I’m a Slave 4 U,” and “Criminal.” Voting in round four kicked off on Wednesday and by Thursday morning (December 1) “I’m a Slave 4 U” music video had breezed past Britney’s Femme Fatale hit “Hold It Against Me” with 67 percent of the vote. “Criminal,” which features Britney’s real-life boyfriend Jason Trawick had a tougher time, squeezing past younger Britney’s big hit “Lucky” with a lead of only 53 percent in the final-four round. Now, “Slave” and “Criminal” are battling it out for the title of best Britney Video of All Time; hundreds of thousands of votes were cast as the two clips made it through four competitive rounds. Head over to Britney30.MTV.com and vote for your favorite music video in MTV News’ Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years. Britney super fan and founder of BreatheHeavy.com, Jordan Miller, weighed in on why “Criminal” has made it this far, defeating the likes of “… Baby One More Time,” “Stronger” and “I Wanna Go” in the process. “I think ‘Criminal’ ‘s made it really far because it’s her latest music video that’s out,” Miller told MTV News. “I think if that music video came out years ago, I don’t think it would be doing so well. It’s being promoted right now on TV and radio, but I think because it’s new to fans, it’s made it this far.” The final round of voting closes at 7 a.m. on Friday . Vote for your favorite video as many times as you would like; the winner will be announced tomorrow morning, which also happens to be Britney’s 30th birthday! Which Britney video is going to win it all? Let us know in the comments section below! What’s your favorite Britney video? Make sure to vote at Britney30.MTV.com or the MTV Newsroom blog, and share your picks in the comments below! Related Videos Britney Spears: 30 Videos For 30 Years Related Artists Britney Spears

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Britney Spears’ ‘Slave 4 U,’ ‘Criminal’ In Final Two!

Britney Spears Video Tournament Down To Sweet 16!

‘Toxic’ and ‘Oops! I Did It Again’ sail into round two, while ‘Sometimes’ and ‘I Wanna Go’ are early casualties. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Britney Spears Photo: Jive After a surprisingly tight race among the 30 Britney Spears music videos in the first round of MTV News’ Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years , we are now down to 16 candidates for her best video of all time! Perez Hilton and Jordan Miller of BreatheHeavy.com helped the MTV News correspondents weigh in on the first round, which saw the surprising and merciless elimination of the classic “Sometimes” and the newer hit “I Wanna Go.” “I think that ‘I Wanna Go’ is one of Britney’s all-time best videos,” Perez said of the clip, which was defeated by her even newer video for “Criminal,” co-starring real-life boyfriend Jason Trawick. “I like the ‘Criminal’ video; I don’t love it.” Meanwhile, some videos were huge leaders early on, like “Toxic,” “Oops! I Did It Again,” “I’m a Slave 4 U,” “Me Against the Music” and early “TRL”-era hit “(You Drive Me) Crazy.” Head over to Britney30.MTV.com and vote for your favorite music video in MTV News’ Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years. The race between “Lucky” and “Boys” was a closer call than MTV News expected, with only a 7 percent margin between the two videos; “Lucky” was the eventual winner. Another interesting twist was the dark “My Prerogative” clip’s triumph over the happy-go-lucky vibe of “Sometimes.” With 16 videos left, the race gets much tighter. Now, Britney’s most epic and most-celebrated videos will be up against each other. “(You Drive Me) Crazy” will take on the double-pop queen-powered “Me Against the Music,” featuring Madonna, while Britney’s first video, ” … Baby One More Time,” takes on her most recent clip, “Criminal.” “Till the World Ends” and “Piece of Me,” which had byes in the first round, are no longer safe, as they are pitted against “My Prerogative” and “Hold It Against Me,” respectively, in round two, which closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The Elite Eight will be announced at 7 a.m. Monday. Help your favorite videos win by voting as many times as you can and campaigning. What’s your favorite Britney video? Make sure to vote at Britney30.MTV.com or the MTV Newsroom blog, and share your picks in the comments below! Related Videos Britney Spears: 30 Videos For 30 Years Related Photos The Sexiest Moment From Every Britney Spears Video Related Artists Britney Spears

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Britney Spears Video Tournament Down To Sweet 16!