For the grand finale of Contest Week at Movieline — which previously entailed conjuring Daniel Radcliffe-flavored fan fiction and Hunger Games haiku — I humbly bring you the single greatest prize we have ever offered our readers. One word: Pawtograph . And you thought the Consider Uggie campaign making 10,000 Facebook friends (and an adversary out of Martin Scorsese ) was a milestone. In fact, it gets better still as the Artist wonder dog has imprinted his paw on posters for his Oscar front-runner (see above), and I have two of these things to give away. All you have to do is write a 10-word review — no more, no less — of Uggie’s performance in The Artist at either…
There’s a strange twist to the death of Don Cornelius. As previously reported, the Soul Train creator took his own life early this morning via a gunshot to the head, as his son discovered his body and called 911. But it’s another relative who will soon make news as a result of this tragedy. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the music icon passed away with a pair of life insurance policies in his name – and because the suicide took place more than two years after he signed them, they cannot be challenged by California law and around $300,000 will be handed out to Don’s ex-wife, Viktoria. Who Cornelius despised. The couple got divorced in 2009, following a conviction for Don on a charge of domestic abuse and an allegation against his wife that she pepper sprayed him on numerous occasions. Meanwhile, countless music industry folks expressed their sympathy for the Soul Train creator via Twitter, but we’ll give the final word here to Aretha Franklin. “It’s so shocking and stunning. God bless him,” the artist said. “He created a solid and broad foundation for young people and adults alike to socialize, dance and have good clean fun. He united the young adult community single-handedly… Everybody loved Soul Train and appreciated Don!”
With the announcement of ‘Watchmen’ prequel comics, the MTV Movies Team considers the future of ‘Watchmen’ as a film franchise. By Josh Wigler The Dr. Manhattan cover of “Before Watchmen” Photo: DC Comics Who watches the “Watchmen,” you ask? Right now the answer appears to be everyone. DC Entertainment announced Wednesday (February 1) that a new “Watchmen” prequel series is officially in development. Titled “Before Watchmen,” the project spans seven different miniseries starring popular characters from Rorschach to Doctor Manhattan. The continuation of “Watchmen” had been rumored for quite some time, but today’s announcement turns rumors into facts — and the reaction to those facts is divided, to say the least. Some fans believe that more “Watchmen” is a great idea , especially considering the involvement of top-tier comic book talents including Darwyn Cooke and Brian Azzarello. For others, even excellent creative teams won’t wash away the panic some are feeling at the prospect of revisiting the most successful, self-contained graphic novel of all time. Indeed, “Watchmen” writer Alan Moore has already spoken out against the existence of “Before Watchmen,” telling the New York Times that it’s “completely shameless.” Artist Dave Gibbons’ stance, meanwhile, is considerably warmer: “I appreciate DC’s reasons for this initiative and the wish of the artists and writers involved to pay tribute to our work. May these new additions have the success they desire.” From fans to creators and all the onlookers in between, arguments about whether or not “Before Watchmen” should even exist are sure to rage on in the coming days, weeks and months. But the MTV Movies Team is focused on a different question: Will “Before Watchmen” lead to more “Watchmen” movies? Up front, it should be noted that the film adaptation of Moore and Gibbons’ graphic novel wasn’t a smash success at the box office, only yielding $185 million worldwide against a $130 million budget. But the film’s high-profile release drew renewed attention to the “Watchmen” brand , propelling its ranking as the top-selling graphic novel for 11 straight months. “Watchmen” also pulled in strong initial DVD sales and rental figures. An unconventional success, perhaps, but success all the same. Even with all those factors considered, would the “Watchmen” movie’s creative team be on-board for sequels? Actors Patrick Wilson and Malin Akerman , who played Nite Owl and Silk Spectre respectively, spoke with MTV News about the topic in 2009, and both expressed skepticism. “I just don’t know where you would go,” Wilson said. “You would need one good idea.” “I don’t really know how [a sequel] would ever be possible,” Akerman added . “Because ‘Watchmen’ is ‘Watchmen,’ and we covered pretty much the whole novel.” Clearly, there is now more ground to cover than Akerman once realized, so future “Watchmen” movies based on original comics material are certainly possible. But if “Watchmen” does have a future on the big screen, director Zack Snyder will not be involved — if comments he made three years ago still hold weight, that is. “I know that I wouldn’t have anything to do with it,” Snyder said in February 2009. “It would be like me going to [‘No Country for Old Men’ author] Cormac McCarthy and going, ‘I have an idea for a [sequel]: You write a book, and I’ll write a movie, and you can release it. You’ll win a Pulitzer; I’ll win an Oscar. It’ll be awesome.’ “The attitude toward comic books, they show their hand a little bit,” he added. “They would never say that about a real novelist, but they would about a comic book.” So will we see more “Watchmen” on film? At this point, it’s simply too early to say. But where one would have thought the prospect impossible just three years ago, the possibilities are virtually endless today. Do you want to see new “Watchmen” movies? Tell us what you think of “Before Watchmen” in the comments section! Check out everything we’ve got on “Watchmen.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com .
Singer has not performed since undergoing vocal cord surgery in November. By Christina Garibaldi Adele Photo: Jon Furniss/ WireImage After months of vocal rest, Adele is returning to the stage for her first live performance, and she’s doing it at the Grammys . The six-time Grammy nominee will grace the stage live on February 12 for the first time since undergoing surgery to stop bleeding from a polyp on her vocal cords in November. Adele broke the good news to her fans on Tuesday (January 31) via Twitter . “Ima be, Ima be singing at the Grammys. It’s been so long I started to forget I was a singer!” Adele tweeted. “I can’t wait, speak soon xx.” This will be the second time that Adele has graced the Grammy stage. She performed her hit song “Chasing Pavements” in 2009 at the annual awards show. That same night, Adele took home two awards, for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Pavements.” In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the U.K. singer expressed gratitude. “I’m immensely proud to have been asked to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards,” she said. “It’s an absolute honor to be included in such a night and for it to be my first performance in months is very exciting and of course nerve-racking, but what a way to get back into it all.” This year, Adele has plenty of company from other A-list nominees set to sing at the show. Rihanna, Coldplay , Taylor Swift , Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars , Kelly Clarkson, Jason Aldean and Nicki Minaj will all perform live at the 54th Annual Grammys, which will be hosted by LL Cool J , the first time in seven years that the show has featured a host. Earlier this month, Adele expressed her excitement about the awards, tweeting , “Looking forward to @theGRAMMYs on Feb 12! #WeAreMusic.” Adele is up for six awards this year, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year for her record-breaking 21. Just last week, the “Rolling in the Deep” singer’s second album marked its 17th non-consecutive week at #1 on the Billboard albums chart. The singer will follow her performance at the Grammys by taking the stage on February 21 at the Brit Awards , where she has three nominations. Earlier this month Adele took to her Twitter about the nominations. “F—ing happy, thank you for the nods xx,” she tweeted . Are you excited to see Adele perform at the Grammy Awards? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos Adele’s ‘Magical’ Road To Success Related Photos 2012 Grammy Performers Related Artists Adele
So we’ve already established that The Artist is going to pretty much dominate next month’s Academy Awards — a certainty that we’ve seen reflected in the behavior of certain awards-season foes who’ve taken aim at the silent film’s ubiquitous wonder dog Uggie. Christopher Plummer led the offensive last week on behalf of his Beginners co-star (and Uggie’s fellow Jack Russell terrier) Cosmo, joined over the weekend by an unlikely ally hoping to raise another dog’s profile as we sleepwalk toward Oscar. Martin Scorsese — yes, the Martin Scorsese, master filmmaker and current Best Director nominee for Hugo — put his name on a cheeky L.A. Times op-ed asking viewers, voters and especially the organizers of the inaugural Golden Collar Awards to consider his film’s fierce Doberman, Blackie. It’s all kind of priceless: OK, let’s lay all our cards on the table. Jack Russell terriers are small and cute. Dobermans are enormous and — handsome. More tellingly, Uggie plays a nice little mascot who does tricks and saves his master’s life in one of the films, while Blackie gives an uncompromising performance as a ferocious guard dog who terrorizes children. I’m sure you can see what I’m driving at. I’m proud of Blackie, who laid it on the line and dared to risk the sympathy of her audience. Let’s just say that on the set, she had a fitting nickname: Citizen Canine. The bath scene alone is a masterpiece of underplaying, with Blackie’s wonderfully aquiline face accentuated by the 3-D. Ohhhh, boy. You really need to read the whole thing, for both a refreshing glimpse at Scorsese’s sense of humor and a bracing example of how dogs — dogs! — have politicized this year’s awards race. Dog News Daily has agreed to add Blackie to its Golden Collar nominees if she receives 500 write-in endorsements today on Facebook. I mean, come on . Blackie is fantastic and all, but Uggie’s 10,000 fans on Facebook say all anyone needs to know about the year’s most formidable four-legged awards contender. Oh, right: Did I mention that Movieline’s Consider Uggie campaign has eclipsed 10,000 supporters worldwide since its launch two months ago? It’s true! With a little less than 30 days remaining before the Academy Awards, we’re on pace for around 15,000 Uggieheads by the big night. I’d hoped for something a little closer to 20,000, so if you haven’t yet joined up, please consider heading over to Consider Uggie HQ and giving our boy a little boost. Tell your friends on Twitter to #ConsiderUggie as well, and continue keeping track of everything he’s up to via Facebook and/or Uggie’s own Twitter page ( @Uggie_TheArtist ). Or as always, keep on eye on Movieline for all your Consider Uggie news and to learn about the next great director to fire across Uggie’s bow. Go ahead, Terrence Malick, I dare you.
Jean Dujardin, Darren Criss, and Chord Overstreet greeted fans as they left The Weinstein Company and Dewars “Celebrate at A Private Party At The Chateau Marmont Hotel.” “The Artist” and “Glee” stars greeting fans… only in Hollywood! “Like” us on Facebook @ facebook.com
While those in the movie and TV business gathered in Hollywood last night for the 2012 SAG Awards , Justin Bieber was in Cannes, France for the NRJ Music Awards, which takes place every year in January and which were created by a radio station in that country. It was a worthwhile trip for the singer, too… because he won Artist of the Year! “i never thought i would ever get out of stratford and now im celebrating in france. never gets old. ALWAYS grateful! #Ilovemyfans,” Justin Tweeted soon after taking home the trophy. We applaud the Biebs for earning yet another honor, but we gotta ask: bright blue sports jacket, JB? Really?!? Not sure if we approve of that fashion statement.
Okay so we’ve heard it all. A white male lecturer who teaches women’s studies has a college course on BeyBey: Beyoncé is known as a performer, fashion designer, Jay-Z’s missus, and arguably the most famous new mom in the world. But should she also be considered a social change agent? Kevin Allred, a doctoral student and lecturer in Rutgers’ Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, where he teaches “Politicizing Beyoncé,” thinks so – though, he says, the artist may not be “political” in the traditional sense of the word. “This isn’t a course about Beyoncé’s political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend,” he says. Rather, the performer’s music and career are used as lenses to explore American race, gender, and sexual politics. Allred pairs Beyoncé’s music videos and lyrics with readings from the Black feminist canon, including the writings of bell hooks, Alice Walker, and even abolitionist Sojourner Truth. “Politicizing Beyoncé” emerged from Allred’s four semesters teaching Women’s Studies 101 at Rutgers, during which he and his students, both male and female, often discussed the thin line Beyoncé walks as a sex kitten-cum-girl power role model. “She certainly pushes boundaries,” Allred says. “While other artists are simply releasing music, she’s creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona.” Course topics include the extent of Beyoncé’s control over her own aesthetic, whether her often half-naked body is empowered or stereotypical, and her more racy performances as her alter ego, “Sasha Fierce.” In-class discussions often lead to other vocalists, including Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Lady Gaga, and contemporary musicians who embrace the soul singing tradition like Adele and the late Amy Winehouse. More academics are beginning to explore race, gender, and sexual politics through popular culture and bring such discourse into their classrooms. Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson offers a similar course, “The Sociology of Hip-Hop: The Theodicy of Jay-Z,” on Beyoncé’s rapper husband. Allred welcomes conversation about the course, particularly from those who question the relevance of intellectual study of pop stars. “It’s important to shift students away from simply being consumers of media toward thinking more critically about what they’re engaging on a regular basis,” he says. “When students don’t respond to theory or dense readings, it’s often easier to see things play out in the world around them.” Thoughts??? More On Bossip! Put On Blast: Amber Rose’s Former Publicist Goes H.A.M. On Twitter! Says She And Yeezy Broke Up Cuz She’s A Lyin’ Thievin’ A$$ Beyotch!!! X-Rated Bangers: The Hottest Black Adult Movie Stars In The Biz…Would You Wife Any Of Them? Part 4 “The Money Shot” Woosah, Woosah: Do You Live In One Of The 10 Most Stressful Cities In America? More To Love: A Gallery Of Plus-Sized Women Making It Rain…Who Would You Wife?
Well… hello, Youtube! This is my first Youtube video to go up on ‘musicalvioletdreamer’.. So yay If you don’t like the artist… eh, sorry. And that’s it! I’ll add more to this description later.. But HAPPY HOLIDAYS! – Angel *not my song or my music* Original song: ‘Mistletoe – Justin Bieber Album: Under The Mistletoe Island Records http://www.youtube.com/v/dG1eHPTHwJk?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Read more from the original source: Mistletoe – Cover (Originally by Justin Bieber from the album ‘Under The Mistletoe’)
If Kim Novak sincerely thought that hearing music cues from Vertigo in The Artist was tantamount to artistic “rape,” then wait until she gets a look at the expropriation binge underway at Press Play . The site, known for its terrific video essays on all things film, is in the waning hours of a ” Vertigo ed” contest that has found Bernard Herrmann’s celebrated “Scene D’Amour” theme applied to everything from Star Wars to Freddy Got Fingered to — praise God — Jackass 2 . Check out the latter, priceless, obviously NSFW clip below, and find dozens more (and/or submit your own) videos over at Press Play. Happy Friday! You were done working for the most part anyway, right?
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