Fans of Jared Leto’s band Thirty Seconds to Mars like to refer to themselves as family, but ‘apostles’ might be a better term. Thanks to their fervent support, Artifact , the Leto-directed (under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins) film about the band’s lengthy legal battle with its record label EMI, is making some noise on the indie circuit. In September, Artifact won the Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Documentary Award in September, and earlier this month it was nominated for an IFP Gotham Audience Award even though the film didn’t premiere in the U.S. until Thursday night at the DOC NYC festival in New York City. The Echelon — the name that Leto has bestowed upon his band’s fan base — were out in force there, too, braving frigid temperatures and a Nor’Easter-snarled New York to gather by the dozens at the School of Visual Arts in Chelsea for the screening and a glimpse of their idol. A spokeswoman for DOC NYC says that more than 500 people attended the two screenings of the documentary that were held on Thursday. Instead of the screaming hordes you might battle at a Justin Bieber appearance, however, the mostly female and surprisingly middle-aged crowd that gathered at the 6 p.m. screening of Artifact was well behaved and fairly quiet when it came to their reverence. (Somehow, they’d even organized a canned-food drive with local charity City Harvest to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.) Photographer Jolene McMeans had traveled from Eugene, Ore. to see the film. “I barely made it last night,” she told Movieline. Johana Ruano, who sat next to her and carried a bouquet of flowers, said that she had made it in from Miami despite having her first flight canceled Wednesday night due to the storm. DOC NYC Artistic Director Thom Powers told the crowd that Leto’s initial flight to New York had been canceled, too, but he had also found a way to the city and the Echelon gave him an enthusiastic welcome as he walked to the front of the theater dressed in black and wearing a hipster trapper’s hat. “I know half the people in this room,” he said, after which a male voice in the crowd shouted, “I love you.” “I love you, too!” Leto replied. The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman was in the process of explaining that Artifact was a “really personal” film and a “labor of love” when he was interrupted by a mewling sound from the audience. “Is that a cat?” he asked. (Actually, it was a young child that one of the audience members had brought with her.) The actor and musical artist returned to describing Artifact : “It’s a film about a battle. It’s a film about an album. It’s a film about our lives,” Leto said. Artifact is also a film in need of an editor, but it does shine a sobering light on the vagaries of the major-label music business, which, the film’s participants point out, for instance, continues to charge bands de-rigeur breakage fees for records that are digitally downloaded. And that’s just one of the minor details. Although the band decided to stay with EMI after the lawsuit was dropped and the band was given a more favorable contract, the film claims that, despite selling millions of albums, Thirty Seconds to Mars has not made any money on the sale of those recordings. And what did the Echelon think? Though Leto did not return at the end of the screening, they stood to give the movie an extended standing ovation. On my way out of the theater, I asked Johana and Jolene why they were so loyal to Leto and Thirty Seconds to Mars. “He involves you. He answers your tweets,” said McMeans. “He makes us part of the band as well,” said Ruano. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Also in Tuesday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs, awards season is coming – so soon! The Film Independent Spirit Awards set its February date and is now accepting submissions in its various categories. The Academy is teaming up with the Pickford Foundation to honor the Silents. And remembering Welcome Back, Kotter ‘s Ron Palillo. Film Independent Spirit Awards Looking for Good Movies The 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards are set for Saturday February 23rd with location (it’s usually on the beach in Santa Monica) still officially TBD. The organization is accepting submissions in its various categories beginning today, Tuesday August 14th. It’s regular deadline for consideration is Tuesday, September 18th and the final deadline is Tuesday October 16th. The nominations for the Spirits will take place Tuesday, November 27th at 10am. For submission guidelines and more information including an online submission form, visit their website . Academy Teams with Mary Pickford Foundation to Spotlight Silent Era The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Mary Pickford Foundation have partnered on a multi-year initiative to promote the legacy of Mary Pickford and the silent film era, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson announced. The partnership includes an annual silent film screening, silent film preservation initiatives and the digitization of components of the Academy’s Mary Pickford Collection. To kick off this partnership, and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, the Academy and the Foundation will host “Inside the Vaults” event on Tuesday, September 11, at the Pickford Center in Hollywood. The evening includes behind-the-scenes tours of the vaults, a screening of a rare Mary Pickford short The New York Hat (1912), the Los Angeles premiere of the Academy Film Archive’s newly restored print of The Mark of Zorro (1920), starring Douglas Fairbanks, and a display of select items from the Academy’s Mary Pickford Collection. Around the ‘net… Robert Pattinson Joins Queen of the Desert Pattinson will play T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia in Werner Herzog’s biopic of Gertrude Bell. Naomi Watts will star as Bell who is credited with establishing the framework for what is today Iraq and Jordan. The explorer, writer, archeologist and political attaché worked for British intelligence during WWI. Herzog wrote the screenplay, THR reports . Dermot Mulroney Joins August: Osage County He will play a somewhat mysterious businessman fiancé to Karen, played by Juliette Lewis in the film, being directed by John Wells and shooting this fall, Deadline reports . Welcome Back, Kotter ‘s Ron Palillo Dead at 63 Palillo played Arnold Horshack on the ABC sitcom which aired 1975 – 1979. He also played supporting roles in a number of animated series and also a small part in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives . He died near Palm Beach, Florida where he lived of an apparent heart attack, NPR reports .
Movieline is excited to welcome Alonso Duralde back to the pages of this site with a new regular feature we’re calling High and Low . Every week, the dauntless Duralde will wade through the mind-numbing number of home-entertainment choices out there and recommend two must-see releases: His first pick will be geared for cineastes looking for essential viewing. His second will be aimed at movie lovers seeking out the highest form of guilty pleasure available: the offbeat, the campy, the kitschy and the just plain wacky. Take it away, Alonso: HIGH: Les Vampires (Kino Classics; $34.95 DVD/$39.95 Blu-Ray) Who’s Responsible: Written and directed by Louis Feuillade; starring Musidora, Édouard Mathé, Marcel Lévesque. What It’s All About: Consisting of 10 serialized chapters, such as “The Severed Head” and “Satanus,” Feuillade’s silent 1915 crime drama follows journalist Philipe (played by Mathé) as he attempts to investigate the notorious syndicate known as The Vampires. (Sorry, Twilight fans, no blood-sucking here.) Over the course of this epic, which has been strung together as a single six-hour-and-40-minute (approximately) movie, we get murder, robbery, identity theft, poison rings, codebooks, gas attacks, paralysis drugs and orgies. What’s not to like? Why it’s Schmancy: Critics of the era despised Les Vampires — even in 1915, crime stories were considered old-fashioned and beneath Feuillade’s abilities — but the serial was embraced by André Breton and other founders of the Surrealist movement, particularly for the way that Feuillade combined a very realistic portrayal of Paris’ streets and sewers with his fantastic tale of masked bandits and their over-the-top skullduggery. More recent fans include Olivier Assayas, whose 1996 Irma Vep featured Hong Kong superstar Maggie Cheung (playing herself) coming to Paris to star in a remake. (Sexy assassin Irma Vep — played by Musidora in the original — is one of the key members of The Vampires, and her name is, of course, an anagram.) Why You Should Buy It (Again): This two-disc set comes beautifully mastered in HD, from the 1996 35mm restoration produced by the Cinémathèque Française and supervised by Feuillade’s grandson. The score for the silent film was compiled and performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. LOW: Godzilla vs. Megalon (Tokyo Shock; $16.99 DVD) Who’s Responsible: Written and directed by Jun Fukuda, story by Takeshi Kimura and Shinichi Sekizawa; starring Katsushiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Kawase, Yutaka Hayashi. What It’s All About: In this 13th outing for one of Japan’s most enduring franchises, the underground kingdom of Seatopia protests the damage that atomic testing has inflicted upon them by stealing the robot Jet-Jaguar and using it to guide their demon god Megalon to destroy mankind. (Megalon flattens Tokyo first, naturally.) Jet-Jaguar’s inventors use a remote control to regain power over their creation, and the cyborg joins forces with Godzilla to whomp the tar out of both Megalon and giant alien insect Gigan. Why It’s Fun: 1973’s Godzilla vs. Megalon sees the series moving in several entertaining directions; for one thing, the actual Godzilla suit has become more streamlined and less cumbersome, allowing the actor inside (Shinji Takagi, this time) to move around more and to engage in more physical combat. Also, the introduction of Jet-Jaguar came at a time when lots of Japanese kids’ shows, inspired by the success of Ultraman , started throwing in more robots, and giving Godzilla an automaton sidekick with which to defeat the bad guys gives the movie a real jolt. (This is one of those rare films that’s as much fun to watch unadulterated as it is on Mystery Science Theater 3000 .) Why You Need to Buy It (Again): Both the original Japanese version and the English dub, as well as a trailer and photo gallery. Alonso Duralde has written about film for The Wrap , Salon and MSNBC.com. He also co-hosts the Linoleum Knife podcast and regularly appears on What the Flick?! (The Young Turks Network). He is a senior programmer for the Outfest Film Festival in Los Angeles and a pre-screener for the Sundance Film Festival. He also the author of two books: Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas (Limelight Editions) and 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (Advocate Books). Follow Alonso Duralde on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Before she was cast in Gary Ross ‘s The Hunger Games as District 5’s elusive Tribute — known only by the nickname “Foxface,” per her wily dexterity and appearance — actress Jacqueline Emerson was a devoted fan of the YA series. Big time . “I was obsessed!” she told Movieline ahead of this week’s Hunger Games DVD/Blu-ray release. “It was my new book series that I was in love with.” Upon getting the part (a connection to Ross’s daughter put her in the director’s sights), the high schooler had to keep her secret from friends and concerned teachers for months — and now, over a year and $684 million in Hunger Games box office receipts later, the one-time child rocker looking for her next adventure with college and a Spike Lee project on the horizon. Emerson, who deferred enrollment at Stanford University for a year to tend to her burgeoning career as an actress and musician, rang Movieline to discuss her Hunger Games experience, the challenges of playing Foxface — Katniss’s most intelligent fellow Tribute, and therefore a dangerous, enigmatic rival — and her unique industry beginnings as a sixth-grade member of the Disney-backed Devo cover band Devo 2.0. You loved the books, but you also happened to have a connection to Gary through his daughter. How did your casting as Foxface come about? Claudia, who’s Gary’s daughter, told her dad that I’d read the books because we knew each other. So I came in and did an interview with Gary because he was interviewing kids who had read the book. A couple of weeks later he gave me a call and said, “Jackie, I really see you as Foxface – would you come in and audition?” And I absolutely flipped out. It’s my favorite book series of all time! I would kill to be in the movie! I slept like four hours the night before, I was tossing and turning, I had a physics test the next day and I don’t even remember it, and I went to my audition after school. I was hoping I did well but I wasn’t really sure, but a week later I got a call from Gary and he talked to my mom and said, “We really want Jackie for the part, it’s not set in stone but she should begin training.” And I died. I was so excited. I immediately started training and working out and getting toned down. Let’s keep in mind though that I found out about this in March, and I wasn’t able to say anything until mid-May. I don’t know how you did it! I had signed a ton of NDAs so I couldn’t tell anybody anything, and my friends were getting really worried about me because I’d be missing school, and I was working out all the time. They couldn’t figure out why because I’d never worked out before. I was losing weight and toning up and getting muscular, and they were all really worried about me – it was junior year and so it was very stressful, I had teachers who would call me into their office and be like, “Jackie, are you okay? Are you feeling alright?” What would you tell them? I would say, “Oh no, I’m fine. I’m just busy.” I’d skate around it. Finally it was announced and I hadn’t signed any contract yet so I wasn’t even entirely sure it was going to be me. And I told a couple of my best-best friends because I needed a few people to help defend me from the rest of my friends [laughs] and everyone was so excited. What was your initial audition like? Foxface is an unusual character in that she conveys so much with no known name and no dialogue, so your performance had to come through silently. Yes. They had me come in and do a lot of reaction stuff — they’d map out a scenario for me and be like, “Okay, you stop here and look around and take it in and think about the complexity of it, but you’re scared at the same time,” but all with the face and without dialogue. It was a very unorthodox audition. Did you always relate to Foxface when you read the books? Oh yes, she was always one of my favorite characters. I was always intrigued by her. Her intelligence is a great element to the character and to the book — she’s a character who adds a lot of mystery to the proceedings during the Games. I loved that. And I loved how you knew so little about her and yet Katniss was kind of scared of her in a way. She was one of the only people in the game that Katniss respected. There’s a point where Katniss goes, “Maybe Foxface is the real enemy here.” I thought that was interesting. And amid all the bloodshed, Foxface manages to get far in the Games without harming people. She’s only defeated by herself, by stealing Peeta’s poisonous berries. I think it’s definitely one of those movies you want to see more than once. I liked it so much better the second time I saw it, and I liked it even better the third time I saw it. By the fourth time I was like, okay, I get it now. [Laughs] But it’s got to many levels. You watch it again and pick up so many subtleties. You’ve previewed the new Blu-ray releases. What’s your favorite special feature? For The Tribute Diaries, all of us got Flip cameras and in the couple of weeks leading up to the premiere we filmed all of us hanging out, the mall tours, and stuff like that so that’s a cool insight into us hanging out. There’s also a lot of the Tributes on set, which was really nostalgic for me to watch. It’s like watching a documentary of my summer. Your summer yearbook. Exactly! This cast grew pretty close, which happens with these huge franchises as young performers bond together on the shoot and press tour. Did you get any great advice from the older castmembers who are a few years ahead into their own careers? Jen especially gave me really really great advice, and she was there for me when I was freaking out or nervous or confused. She was always really, really supportive, from the beginning – from the first day I met her. She was there to help me along, and I appreciated that so much. It was really wonderful to have that. Your next film, Son of the South , is an indie with impressive folks behind the camera – Spike Lee is producing, and his frequent editor is directing. When do you start and how did you come to the project? I’m very excited — I’m not sure when it shoots yet because I’m not sure it has full funding, but I’m just excited to be a part of this project because it’s a really important story. It’s the story of Bob Zellner, who’s a civil rights activist, and I’m honored to be a part of it. It’ll be really fun to bring to life. Did you get to audition for Spike Lee or talk with him? No, I didn’t! I did an interview with the director and talked to him, and he sounds great. I can’t wait to work with him. You also have a parallel career as a musician, and you have a music video out. In addition to this, you were accepted to Stanford. So what’s your plan for the next few years? I’m taking a year off — it’s interesting, because I’ve wanted to take a year off since 9th or 10th grade because high school’s been very intense for me. I went to a very hard prep school, and I’m also not ready to leave my family yet and I’m kinda young for my grade. So this is great because it really gave me an excuse to take a year off and pursue what I love for a year in my artistic side, which, even though I’d done a ton of stuff in high school and I was part of drama and stuff like that, I didn’t get to really pursue it. I recently signed with a new agent and I signed with managers a couple of months ago, so I’m really beginning this journey. It’ll be a lot of fun. I will say that I went to Berkeley, so I unfortunately can’t fully support your choice of school. [Laughs] You did? I’m supposed to hate you, but I can’t! I’m so sorry! I wish you luck at Stanford nonetheless! And finally, I must ask about one of your earliest credits in a band called Devo 2.0. Oh my god, yes. I’m so curious about it. Is it correct to describe it as a family-friendly Devo cover band made of kids? Yes! It was wonderful! I had such a good time. I was in sixth grade, and it was the first audition I ever went on. We did a DVD, and a bunch of music videos, we did a two-week tour around the East Coast to different schools on a tour bus, and it was so much fun. We finished out with a performance at the House of Blues, and then it was kind of over. But I thought it was a great experience. My mom kept telling me the whole time, “You know, every journey has a beginning, a middle, and an end — and this is not the most important thing that you’ll ever do.” And I think that was probably the best advice that I could have gotten when I was in that, because otherwise I may have gotten too attached to it and too caught up in my two minutes of… fame. [Laughs] It was so happy to have my mom there because she really kept me grounded, and I had such a great time. It’s a memory that I will always look back fondly on. So you were basically a rock star in sixth grade. I know, isn’t it funny? I always forget about it because it was only for like a year, and then it was over. But it was a really great experience. You played the keyboard but you also sang — does that make you the Mark Mothersbaugh or the Bob Casale of Devo 2.0? I think I was the Jerry Casale. I don’t really know — they changed all the parts around, but Jerry actually toured with us and we met Mark a couple of times. What do you remember most about meeting or working with them? Honestly… I do not remember. [Laughs] I was in sixth grade! All I know is I had a really good time. Do Devo’s lyrics have different meaning to you now that you’re older? Yes — completely. I definitely had a very skewed understanding of them when I was younger. Actually I have a theory that Devo 2.0 was made to prove the point of devolution, because their songs went from having a lot of meaning to, like, “It is a beautiful world!” That’s the theory I’ve come up with in recent years. [Laughs] The Hunger Games is on DVD and Blu-ray August 18 at 12:01 a.m. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The lifelong Spidey fan picks which of the hero’s foes he favors. By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Photo: Marvel / Columbia Pictures Spider-Man does not have it easy. Web-slinging, wall-crawling and spider-sense aside, all of the gifts in Peter Parker’s utility belt have to come together perfectly if he’s ever to stand a chance against his adversaries … and believe us, he has many of them. In his film career alone, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has gone web to who-knows-what against the likes of Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman and Venom. “The Amazing Spider-Man” adds another baddie to that storied list: the Lizard, the reptilian freak of science played by actor Rhys Ifans in the Marc Webb-directed reboot. Though Ifans and others involved with “Spider-Man” would caution you not to label Lizard as a villain — in fairness, he’s born from a good place, as his human alter-ego Doctor Curt Connor becomes the scaly menace only after attempting a revolutionary breakthrough in regenerative medicine — there’s no doubt that the clawed creature has it out for the kid swinging around Manhattan in red and blue tights. But whom will Spider-Man go up against when the inevitable “Amazing” sequel flies into theaters in 2014? Speaking with MTV News, star Andrew Garfield kept his lips sealed as far as revealing any information, but the lifelong Spidey fan was considerably more forthcoming when it came time to name his favorites of the hero’s sinister enemies. “I love all of them. I like Elektro, he’s one of the ones I’m very into,” said the actor. “I really like the [Green] Goblin, obviously, and I love Doc Ock. I think I like Doc Ock especially because of what Alfred Molina did [with the character in ‘Spider-Man 2’]. I don’t know; he made that so memorable and kind of profound, somehow.” One Spider-Man villain that Garfield has a harder time swallowing is Kraven the Hunter, the big game hunter who comes after the arachnid-friendly hero for sport. “Oh man. Kraven, that campy lion hunter,” he laughed when the villain was brought up, before finally confessing, “I like Kraven. I like Kraven a lot.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Amazing Spider-Man.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’
Trio recorded track for Ludacris’ Ludaversal album, which drops in September. By Christina Garibaldi Usher Photo: MTV News Usher was out to make a statement with his latest album, and he seems to have achieved that. On his seventh studio effort, Looking 4 Myself , the R&B star broadened his horizons, taking a chance on some new producers, which resulted in a unique — what he calls “revolutionary pop” — sound. Teaming up with DJ/producers Swedish House Mafia and Salaam Remi, Usher enriched his genre-breaking sound on this album, especially with the artistic and sultry first single, “Climax,” produced by Diplo. “I never would have imagined that me and Diplo would have created as much incredible music as we did,” Usher recently told MTV News. “However, I felt like he could get it, and just … the nights of going through the ideas and him being very humble in his approach. To be as successful as he is musically … he’s probably one of the most humble people that I’ve ever met and will sit there — I’m talking until 6 o’clock in the morning — off a melody that we’ve been working on all day, no words, just melody, and still be patient and still come back with a very positive vibe the next day.” Usher also went back to producers he has worked with in the past including will.i.am , Rico Love and Max Martin . And with the massive success of last year’s “Without You,” many were hoping that David Guetta would collaborate on Looking 4 Myself. Well, fear not, fans, as Usher and Guetta have gone back into the studio together for what Usher promises will be another hit record. “Well, there is another crazy record, that he, I and Luda [Ludacris] worked on,” Usher said. “I can’t tell you too much about it. I’ll tell you as much as he has: It’s incredible, it’s crazy.” When we caught up with Ludacris recently at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival , he revealed that this new track will actually be featured on his upcoming album, Ludaversal , which drops in September. “That is definitely the track, absolutely,” Ludacris said. “I can’t tell you anything else, but that’s it. That’s all you need to know for now.” Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Usher
Kim Nguyen’s War Witch cast a spell at the Tribeca Film Festival Thursday evening, winning the event’s $25K Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, while Una Noche ‘s Lucy Mulloy won $50K and the fest’s Best New Narrative Director prize at a ceremony in Lower Manhattan. Also taking home prizes at the ceremony were The World Before Her by Canadian Nisha Pahuja, which took Best Documentary Feature while Dutch director Jeroen van Velzen’ won Best New Documentary Director for Wavumba . “It’s been so gratifying to see the audiences react so positively to the films, and our juries have been equally passionate. I celebrate these immensely talented filmmakers,” commented Nancy Schafer, TFF Executive Director in a statement. “We salute the courage of the jury to award films that not only tell stories about real issues in the world, but are beautifully constructed and crafted,” said Frederic Boyer, TFF Artistic Director. “The amazing first-time performances by young actors are a tribute to the creativity of the films and filmmakers.” Screenings of all winning films will take place throughout the final day of the festival, Sunday, April 29. The List of 2012 Tribeca Film Festival winners : The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – War Witch , directed by Kim Nguyen (Canada) Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Dariel Arrechada and Javier Nuñez Florian as Raul and Elio in Una Noche , directed by Lucy Mulloy (UK, Cuba, USA) Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Rachel Mwanza as Komona in War Witch , directed by Kim Nguyen (Canada) Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Trevor Forrest and Shlomo Godder, for Una Noche , directed by Lucy Mulloy (UK, Cuba, USA) Special Jury Mention – Alex Catalan for Unit 7 Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature Film – All In (La Suerte en Tus Manos) , written by Daniel Burman and Sergio Dubcovsky and directed by Daniel Burman (Argentina) Best New Narrative Director – Lucy Mulloy, director of Una Noche (UK, Cuba, USA) Special Jury Mention – P. Benoit, director of Stones in the Sun ; and Sharon Bar-Ziv, director of Room 514 Best Documentary Feature – The World Before Her , directed by Nisha Pahuja (Canada) Special Jury Mention – The Revisionaries , directed by Scott Thurman Best Editing in a Documentary Feature – The Flat (Hadira) Best New Documentary Director – Jeroen van Velzen for Wavumba (Netherlands) Special Jury Mention – Christian Bonke and Andreas Koefoed, directors of Ballroom Dancer Best Narrative Short – Asad , directed by Bryan Buckley (USA) Special Jury Mention – Ritesh Batra, writer and director of Café Regular Cairo Best Documentary Short – Paraíso , directed by Nadav Kurtz (USA) Special Jury Mention – David Darg and Bryn Mooser, directors of Baseball in the Time of Cholera Special Jury Mention –Tati Barrantes and Andinh Ha, writers and directors of Adirake Tribeca (Online) Film Festival Best Feature Film: On The Mat , directed and written by Fredric Golding (USA) Tribeca (Online) Film Festival Best Short Film: CatCam , directed by Seth Keal (USA) Read more from Tribeca here .
MTV News staff argue for and against the ‘Pac-O-Gram on Wednesday’s ‘RapFix Live.’ By MTV News Staff, with reporting by Sway Calloway Tupac’s hologram at Coachella Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Not everyone is a ‘Pac-O-Gram fan. When late rap legend Tupac Shakur was resurrected Sunday night on the Coachella stage as a hologram, music lovers everywhere took notice. Most applauded the effort, but there were those who felt uneasy watching a reimagined Tupac prance across the stage. MTV News senior writer James Montgomery was quite skeptical of the whole display. “Who wouldn’t want to see Tupac or anyone on a tour? But just for me there were some things about it that kind of bothered me,” he said when he appeared on Wednesday’s “It didn’t seem really right to me.” From the beginning of the performance, Montgomery was rubbed the wrong way. “What the f— is up, Coachella,” the optically enhanced Tupac image screamed before “Hail Mary” played from the stage speakers. “Tupac died in 1996 and Coachella didn’t start until 1999, which means that someone basically had to record that dialogue for him, which is kind of troubling,” he said. “It’s basically putting words in the deceased’s mouth.” Rob Markman, senior hip-hop writer for MTV News, has the opposing view. He believes that the projected image of ‘Pac onstage isn’t much different from the big-screen video montages that rappers have used to honor Shakur and other fallen rappers like the Notorious B.I.G. and Big Pun during their own concerts. From Buzzworthy: ” In addition to the artistic possibilities, the business prospects are also sure to be appealing to some. “It raises these weird questions about artist legacy,” Montgomery said. “How long until you see every casino in Vegas get Elvis or Billie Holiday and they have these sort of quote, unquote live shows of these people?” “RapFix Live” host Sway Calloway noted that no matter which side of the debate you fall on, quality is the most important aspect of it — and the general consensus is that the Tupac hologram was done well. “Dr. Dre sanctioned it, Afeni Shakur OK’d it,” he said, referring to Tupac’s mother and onetime producer. “Bottom line: If it was poorly done and it was wack, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.” Related Videos DJ Khaled And Juvenile Take Over ‘RapFix Live’ Related Photos Tupac’s Hologram At Coachella Related Artists Tupac
Facebook.com – Become a Fan! Twitter.com – Follow Us! Zendaya, of “Shake it Up” fame gets Henna in Dubai. Zendaya is in Dubai with her co-star Bella Thorne to make make their own signature milkshakes at The Millions of Milkshakes location in the Dubai Mall. The girls will be appearing there on Friday and are looking forward to seeing all their fans.
It’s all come down to this. After months of speculation over The Bachelor spoilers and controversy swirling around a woman who has left an indelible mark on the show (for better or for worse), Courtney Robertson squares off with Lindzi Cox for the final rose. Who will Ben Flajnik give it to? The next three hours will reveal all as the two ladies go on their last dates with Ben in Switzerland and he makes the proposal that brings this season to an end. After he does, the After the Final Rose special will catch us up on Ben and his fiancee’s current status. We’ll be here throughout with THG’s LIVE +/- recap: Chris: It’s the most controversial finale IN BACHELOR HISTORY (this year)! Plus 11 . Swiss Alps: So beautiful. And a Fitting venue for the Ice Queen’s coronation. Plus 9 . Does ABC freaking have David Gray on retainer? Minus 13 . The MOUNTAIN gives Ben hope?! Uggggh. Minus 7 . Ben’s sister looks a little Shawntel Newton-esque. Plus 4 . Red flag? Understatement of all time. Minus 8 . Lindzi looks as cute as she has all season. Things certainly haven’t gone downhill since she rode in on a horse … dinnertime silverware faux pas aside. Plus 12 . Lindzi and Julia are talking smack about Courtney? We’re not even 15 minutes into the episode! Minus 8 for rehashing the obviously coached ABC narrative. “Red Flag” and “modeling” drinking game, anyone? Plus 6 . WHAT is Ben wearing, a shirt made of alpaca fur? Minus 5 . Courtney, in nasally baby voice: “You like me? You like me?! Aww.” Shoot us now. After we take two shots for the modeling and red flag references. Minus 9 . The creepy Courtney soundtrack definitely isn’t designed to foster the psycopath image ABC has created for her. Not at all. Nice work, sound guys. Plus 8 . Julia “will never truly know went on this season” … until she watches it unfold on network TV and becomes sick to her stomach every single week. Minus 7 . Wait, Court won her “Barb” and “Jule”? Did we see different footage? Minus only 2 , ’cause she did handle the questions well, but she’s not that pretty or charming. The Flajnik family’s take: Lindzi is a “lovely” person. Courtney is “honest,” has “depth” and there is “more of what [Ben] wants.” Advantage: Court. Minus 20 . For some reason Ben annoys us when he says things. Like “Zermatt.” Or “these women.” Or “mountain caps.” Or anything, if we’re being honest. Minus 12 . Oye, Lindzi’s roots are looking kinda rough. Still hope she wins, so Plus 1 . Lindzi can totally trust Ben “on the slopes and in life.” GROAN. Minus 19 . Promotional consideration furnished by: Zermatt Tourism! Ya think? Also sponsored by models, red flags and wool! And in about 45 minutes, Neil Lane! Plus 6 . Even when Lindzi’s annoying, she’s so darn lovable. Plus 7 . Still, this feels more like fun banter than romantic courtship. At this point she may need to pull a Tonya Harding on Courtney to have any chance. Here’s hoping! Plus 30 . Ben keeps saying he “needs more time” since things have been “moving more slowly” with Lindzi. Just because some girls don’t hijack one-on-one time or strip buck ass naked on a group date doesn’t mean they’ve failed somehow. Minus 12 . Mmmyeah Lindz is acting kinda drunk up in herrrrre. Plus 18 . Lindzi: [breathy voice] “I love you …” Ben: [nods, silent]. Minus 45 . This guy makes Brad Womack look charismatic … he can’t even fake it at this point. OMFG they’re in a helicopter!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Minus 13 . “New heights”? Are you guys kidding?! Minus 17 . Courtney Robertson Auto-Tuned Someone’s got to spoof her exulting “I got the stamp of approval” and doing lame baby talk as a sequel to this video of Courtney auto-tuned (above). Plus 9 . It’s “kiss the cook,” not the “chef,” you two. Minus 10 for this nausea. People “keep taking and taking and don’t give anything back” to Courtney? She’s the one who goes skinny-dipping and bikini-less on the third date. Minus 12 . Courtney’s “very special gift” to Ben somehow wasn’t herself naked! Plus 15 . ABC’s interns did a really a mediocre job on that scrapbook. Minus 18 . And also on styling Ben. Suspenders? A vest? AND the hair? Minus 9 . What a surprise, Ben may be “second guessing” his decision now. He can’t even sell stuff straight out of the Bachelor textbook. Which we would totally buy. Plus 5 . OOH, look at the artistic, blurry retrospective montage! Plus 4 . This is cheesy even by Bachelor standards. “I know what true love is” in this “fairy tale romance”? Honestly? Just put the cue cards away, it’ll sound more natural. Minus 7 . Courtney claims she’s “never been with a man she’s really trusted”? Ohhhh, snap. Jesse Metcalfe is totes rolling in his grave watching this right now. Plus 10 . Are they wearing capes? Is this The Bachelor: Hansel and Gretel edition? Who has elbow-length satin gloves lying around? No, no, no. Minus 12 . This is going to suck for Little Red Riding Lindzi. Minus 23 . Look at Chris, escorting her to her doom. Pimp always keeps it professional. Plus 10 . Ben’s liked her from the start, she’s pretty, she’s perfect, he’s fallen for her, but … NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Minus 270 . Geez, didn’t waste a lot of time showing her to the chopper either. Minus 38 for Ben just letting her blame herself (?) and not even looking that upset by it. Plus 40 for Lindz handling that a lot better than, say, Kacie B. might have. This is about as anticlimactic as it gets. In a word, meh . Minus 15 . “You’re my forever.” Eyes? Rolling hardcore. Sweet though. Plus 4 . She said yes! SHE SAID YES!!!! OMG!!!! How magical. Simply breathtaking. Ben and his own personal dominatrix Cruella de Vil, together forever. Minus 70 . At least she took her glove off for him to put a ring on it. Plus 14 . Think Ben’s dad is smiling down upon this? No points , just asking. Her hair does look pretty good. Plus 9 . You know when Chris is asking the audience to withhold judgment on the winning relationship at 10:02 p.m. that this has been one heck of a season. Plus 25 . Minus 125 for Ben’s facial hair. Good grief. Wait, they broke up?! Plus 80 . After watching this season play out all winter, it’s no wonder he had to “reassess.” At least he acknowledged her suckitude. Wow, Chris even brought up his alleged cheating. Nice! Plus 20 . I did not have kissing relations with that woman! Uh, you did, and your hand was on her ass no less, but Radar Online has zero credibility, so you might as well just lie and hope people believe you over them! Plus 20 for strategy. Courtney’s wedding dress shopping thing was a total PR stunt to take the heat off Ben. Unreal. Chris is right … these two are very weird. Wash . First winner of The Bachelor to come on stage to boos since … Vienna Girardi? Plus 16 . She seems semi-sincere in this interview, and it’s possible she regrets what she did on the show, but there’s something that just rubs us the wrong way. Minus 4 . They’re a couple now … “I think.” When you have to think, never a good sign. Minus 6 . When the going got tough, they split. Why? Because it was hard for him to watch the drama, and hard for her that he didn’t have her back. At the very least, they’re being honest about their trust issues and don’t seem like they’ve fully figured it out yet. Tough crowd. Plus 10 . This is one uncomfortable interview. Minus 5 . Gotta love their reaction to the immediate backlash from the “haters.” Hey, maybe it will help them put on a united front going forward? Their engagement has been so SOILED by The Bachelor . Which they chose to go on. Audience? Not too sympathetic it seems. Minus 10 . Aww, their pimp brought the ring! And it’s back on! Plus 75 for such a tear-filled, non-scripted ending to a mesmerizing special! Ben reunited with J.P. Rosenbaum? Awkward! Plus 10 . Nice vote of confidence from J.P., though. He’s right, the worst is without question behind Courtney. Whether she’ll ever earn his trust is the question. They’re opening up Bachelor Pad to random schmoes? Lame. Minus 15 . Ashley Hebert is pregnant … just kidding! Darn you, JP! Plus 10 . Chris Harrison is maybe seriously going to officiate their wedding. Plus 250 . EPISODE TOTAL: -73! SEASON TOTAL: -92! Ben and Courtney: Will it last?
