‘I’m pretty intuitive,’ actor tells MTV News about why he wanted to work with the pop star on an upcoming basketball-themed drama. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Mark Wahlberg Photo: MTV News Mark Wahlberg surprised movie fans everywhere when he announced plans to hook up with Justin Bieber on the big screen. But when MTV News caught up with the “Contraband” star recently, he explained why he wanted to work with the teen phenom on the basketball-themed drama. “Intuition. I’m pretty intuitive,” he said of why he thinks shooting a film with the pop star is the right choice. “I see the guy and spent time with him, and you see what he does and how he does it, and then you actually have a conversation with him, and it’s there.” Of course, if it doesn’t come easily to the rookie actor, Wahlberg has a backup plan: “It’s there — and if not, I will extract it.” When MTV News caught up with Wahlberg and Bieber earlier this year at the MTV Movie Awards, they opened up a bit more about the in-the-works flick. “Wait till you see me and Bieber in the flick. Think of, like, ‘The Color of Money,’ ” Wahlberg said of his “old guy” role. “So I get this call from Paramount [with a story about] an old guy and a young guy. I’m like, ‘Cool, let’s get Jack [Nicholson]. Let’s get Robert De Niro. Let’s get Robert Duvall.’ And they go, ‘What about Garrett Hedlund?’ I’m like, ‘For what?’ ” he further recalled. “They’re like, ‘For the young guy.’ ” Bieber, who previously appeared on the big screen in his 3-D concert flick “Never Say Never,” said he hopes to be on a film set by sometime next summer. And while he kept his plans hush-hush, he added that his team is “working on the script.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos Justin Bieber And Mark Wahlberg Team-Up On The Big Screen Related Artists Justin Bieber
Track samples classic Bob Marley and T.I.’s verse on Drake’s ‘Fancy.’ By Rob Markman B.o.B Photo: Getty Images Since B.o.B ‘s early mixtape days, the Atlanta hitmaker drew comparisons to another ATLien. With his out-of-this-world production and rap style, Bobby Ray was at times considered a new age Andre 3000 , and on the axe-wielding Bob’s latest single, “Play the Guitar,” fans finally get to hear the two together. Beginning with a bluesy guitar riff and samples based on Bob Marley’s 1973 classic “I Shot the Sheriff” and T.I.’s verse on Drake’s “Fancy,” the Salaam Remi-produced track finds B.o.B and Three Stacks flexing their rap muscles. The song, which is the next single off of Bobby Ray’s upcoming Strange Clouds LP, was released Tuesday (December 27) on iTunes. The song’s hook is built around scratched-in T.I. vocals. “B.o.B plays the guitar” is brought in and out to set up Bob’s opening verse. “Well it’s B.o.B, flyer than a stewardess/ Fresh to death like I’m dressed for a eulogy,” he raps for starters. The “Nothing on You” MC then continues to showcase his tightly packed rap flow, reminding fans of his lyrical prowess. Rhyming alongside the highly regarded OutKast great had to provide some sort of inspiration for the youngster, and 3000 didn’t disappoint. At the top of his verse, Dre begins spitting about standing atop a Church’s Chicken restaurant playing a guitar, while B.o.B stands on the roof of an adjacent Dunkin’ Donuts. Yes, it is a strange way to set off a rap verse, but it’s fitting for an MC who prides himself on individuality. Andre continues his free-wheeling rhyme, spitting about everything from the advice his grandmother has given him to an Internet rumor that he plays the violin. In the end, Three Stacks leaves something for the next generation of musicians, spitting, “I encourage any child to pick up some instrument.” Just like B.o.B. What do you think of B.o.B and Andre 3000’s “Play the Guitar”? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists B.o.B Andre 3000
Singer mugs for camera in a variety of glamorous looks in Melina Matsoukas-directed clip. By Jocelyn Vena Rihanna in her “You Da One” music video Photo: Def Jam Rihanna might be singing about someone special on “You Da One,” but the video is all about the singer. For the second clip off her Talk That Talk album , the singer once again worked with Melina Matsoukas, who also directed her provocative, swirling “We Found Love” video. Unlike her “We Found Love” video, the “You Da One” clip has no real story. Instead, it is a series of glamour shots and artsy finishes, ranging from the lyrics of the song floating across the screen in a variety of fonts to Ri’s mouth (including her previously teased grill) flashing across the screen. The pop star mugs it up for the camera, allowing the track to shine. The singer channels everyone from 1960s fashion icon and Andy Warhol muse Twiggy to “A Clockwork Orange” leading man Alex DeLarge for the many looks of the video, which include platinum cropped wigs, suspenders, bowler hats and body-hugging catsuits. Dancing and slinking around the giant warehouse setting, Rihanna doesn’t seem to be performing for anyone but the camera. The video’s auteur, Matsoukas, had glowing words for the video on Twitter. “This sh– is pretty punk and irreverent,” she wrote . “This bitch @rihanna can pull off anything … Even on negative sleep …” Ri’s response? Simply an “XOXO.” In the lead-up to the holiday release, Rihanna teased fans about the video in a series of behind-the-scenes videos and stills. “We’re in London town!” the chart-topper tells the cameraman in a behind-the-scenes video released last week, while the Dr. Luke-produced track plays in the background. “We tried to shoot our first setup outside, but it started to rain really, really hard. Then it stopped after we had to switch setups. …I’m running on one hour of sleep. I’m not even going to remember this tomorrow. My eyes are burning a little bit.” Related Artists Rihanna
Singer’s death at age 27 and the comeback that never was is our #10 Newsmaker of the year. By Gil Kaufman Amy Winehouse Photo: Getty Images If I had gone to journalism school, I’m sure one of the first things they would have taught me was to remain objective in my reporting and not get too emotionally involved in the subjects I cover. But, just like the deaths of Kurt Cobain, Aaliyah and Sublime’s Brad Nowell, I cared more than was probably professionally prudent when I found out that Amy Winehouse had died . I didn’t personally know Winehouse, had never interviewed her and had only seen her perform a few times. But something about her titanic talent spoke to me, almost as much as the fascination I (and all of us, I suspect) had about her madcap, edge-of-a-knife life. We love reading (and writing) about the chaos of star’s lives because it allows us to live vicariously through the insanity they reap from the safety and security of our by-comparison tame lives. We shook our heads when she had that disastrous show in Belgrade in June, fearing that it meant we would have to wait even longer for her forever-gestating follow-up to her 2006 breakthrough second album, Back to Black. The news Winehouse had made since her 2008 Back to Black Grammy triumph was mostly bad — arrests, drug possession, punch-ups, divorce, rehab, canceled shows — but her pugnacious attitude and promise kept us interested. I was pulling for her because I know all too well from experience how this one usually ends. There was a part of me that couldn’t wait for Winehouse to defy the critics and stage a triumphant comeback that would surprise and delight us all over again. Once she passed, though, we paid tribute the only way we know how, with essays about her importance to music , shout-outs from contemporary acolytes like Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj and the cast of “Glee” ), a look back at her career highlights on MTV and as much information as we could give you about the details of her death. (That enduring interest in Winehouse’s legacy became the #10 Top Newsmaker of 2011 .) We wondered if there would be more music from the singer who’d only managed two studio albums before her death , measured her influence beyond “Rehab” and dug up every bit of tape we had to shed more light on her creative process . Because I wondered it myself, we also asked experts if sudden fame had crushed the fragile, troubled singer. And we told you everything we could about the VMA tribute to her featuring Bruno Mars and Russell Brand . Once her cause of death was revealed, the first question that needed to be answered was, “how is that even possible?” And when details were revealed about her first posthumous album , Lioness: Hidden Treasures, we spoke to everyone we could about the tracks , fearing it might be the last we’d hear from this suddenly silenced voice. We were as sad as you were, but we kept it together to bring you the news. Well, almost. In a Newsroom post, I reminisced about the first time I saw Winehouse perform, at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, in March 2007. I dug through the tens of thousands of pictures in my iPhoto folder to find the series of shots I’d snapped of her from just a few feet away at her Stateside debut. I remembered how blown away I was by the enormous, tear-stained sound coming from this tiny woman. I wrote about how I sometimes reveled in reporting on her bad behavior. But mostly, I admitted that like a lot of you, I’m just sad we won’t have Amy around anymore. How did Amy Winehouse’s death affect you? Share your thoughts below. MTV continues our Best of 2011 coverage by looking back at the biggest pop-culture stories of the year. As we count down the newsmakers that mattered to you most, also check out our Best Artists , Best Songs , Best MTV Live Performances and Best EDM Artists of 2011. Related Videos Amy Winehouse Remembered Related Artists Amy Winehouse
Arrival of ‘Deathly Hallows, Part 2′ was a moment that made headlines and marked the end of an era. By John Mitchell “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” Photo: WB For millions of people all over the world, the approach of midnight on July 15 brought with it a gut-wrenching mix of excitement and heartache. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” was set to open all over the world, and as fans lined up outside movie theaters — some in costume as their favorite character — we realized that this was it. The joy of seeing the final installment of the most successful film franchise in history was tempered with the sadness that we’d never get to do this again. This truly great thing that had been, from first book to final film, a part of our lives for well over a decade had reached its end. For an entire generation, the film’s release was like turning the final page on our childhoods. “Deathly Hallows, Part 2” wasn’t just a movie; it was the event of the summer. And the bittersweet moment is also MTV News’ #8 Top Newsmaker of 2011 , because it made headlines and marked the end of an era. The stars of the film definitely seemed to understand just how close to fans’ hearts the franchise had become . It had, after all, touched them too. Asked if there’d be tears upon the film’s release, Emma Watson cheekily told MTV News at the MTV Movie Awards, “Maybe a few. Maybe one or two, just little ones.” The film set box-office records for the biggest first day ($92.1 million) and largest opening weekend, both domestically ($168.5 million) and worldwide ($314 million), ever and received the best reviews of any film in the franchise. The praise wasn’t contained to critics and fans: Even the stars of the film were in awe of the final product. “I was a wreck because of the film itself,” Daniel Radcliffe told MTV News at the film’s New York premiere. “You’ve got to have a heart of stone to not find part of it — especially Alan Rickman’s performance — heartbreaking, so yeah, I’ve done my fair share of crying already. … I think that we proved in doing ‘Potter’ that you can bring integrity and perpetual growth to a franchise.” Fans’ devotion to the books, films and characters created by J.K. Rowling was manifest in the enthusiastic response to our “Harry Potter” World Cup , MTV News’ month-long, March Madness-style tournament to find out which character was the fan favorite. More than 7.4 million votes were cast in the competition, resulting in a final face-off between Ron Weasley and Professor Severus Snape . In the end, the compellingly complex Snape took the title, and star Alan Rickman thanked fans at the film’s New York premiere, telling MTV News that Snape’s victory was “a vote for ambiguity and things where you don’t quite know how they’re going to turn out.” He continued, “Also, it’s [Snape’s] values that you can’t talk about without ruining the film, but things like courage and determination and loyalty and love, actually.” The success of the series itself could be seen as a celebration of those same things. On the surface, the “Harry Potter” films are fantasies about a boy wizard and his underdog friends navigating a magical universe in which evil lurks in the shadows. But above all, the “Potter” books and films champion courage, determination and loyalty in the face of great adversity and are premised on the notion that love ultimately conquers all. We can think of no better message for a film series to impart on a generation of young people facing a real world mired in conflict and economic turmoil. It’s sad that there’s no more “Potter” to look forward to, but the magic created by Rowling; directors Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuar
Foster the People and others help break down the Stone Temple Pilots frontman’s Christmas video. By Matt Elias Scott Weiland in his “Winter Wonderland” video Photo: Atco / Softdrive Records With Christmas just around the corner, it’s safe to assume you’re enveloped in holiday tunes — whether inescapably at the mall or blaring from your laptop by choice. Beyond the old standards, there’s Michael Bubl
MTV News remembers ‘Jackass’ daredevil Ryan Dunn, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr and Cali Swag District’s M-Bone, among others. By Tami Katzoff Nate Dogg Photo: Mark Sullivan/ WireImage This year we lost some of our brightest stars: artists that spanned the genres of rock, hip-hop and pop, as well as TV and film. They were at different stages in their careers — some just starting to rise, others already legends — but all left a distinct mark on pop culture, and their deaths affected us deeply. Beloved hip-hop icons Nate Dogg and Heavy D influenced the generations of artists who followed them. Nate (born Nathaniel Hale) died at age 41 after suffering several health setbacks related to a stroke. One of the key players in the birth of the West Coast G-Funk sound, the crooner’s silky smooth vocals touched classic tracks from Snoop Dogg and Warren G to 50 Cent and Ludacris. Fun-loving Heavy D, a major force in the New Jack Swing era, had hits with songs like “We Found Love” and “Nuttin’ But Love,” but he had also branched out into film and theater. He was 44 when he died this past fall. Photos: The celebrities gone too soon in 2011. We lost Mike Starr , former bassist for the groundbreaking Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains. Like Amy Winehouse, who also died this year at the age of 27, Starr’s talent was often overshadowed by dependency on alcohol and drugs. Gun violence claimed the life of 22-year-old Montae Talbert, the Cali Swag District dancer otherwise known as M-Bone . And Australian actor Andy Whitfield , who got his big break when he was cast as the lead in the Starz TV series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” was 39 when he succumbed to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Finally, the MTV family mourned the death of “Jackass” daredevil and “Viva La Bam” star Ryan Dunn . The 34-year-old died on a rural Pennsylvania road along with his 30-year-old passenger, Zachary Hartwell, when their car slammed into a guardrail and caught fire. Share your memories of those we lost this year in the comments below. MTV continues our Best of 2011 coverage by looking back at the biggest pop-culture stories of the year. As we count down the newsmakers that mattered to you most, also check out our Best Artists , Best Songs , Best MTV Live Performances and Best EDM Artists of 2011. Related Videos Remembering Nate Dogg Remembering Heavy D Remembering Ryan Dunn Related Photos In Memoriam: Stars We Lost In 2011
‘Ghosts’ is one song being road-tested for Sigh No More follow-up. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias Mumford and Sons Photo: MTV News Mumford & Sons recently told MTV News that they’re “still recording” the follow-up to their breakthrough Sigh No More album, which, while certainly understandable (given their schedule), is also rather unbelievable — especially since they’ve been working on the new spate of songs almost as long as they’ve been on tour. “Most of them, we’re letting people hear as we’ve played live shows. We’ve kind of always just done that,” frontman Marcus Mumford explained. “We’ve kind of written a song and felt like we get it up to a point where it’s ready to play live, and then we go … and road test it, see how it goes. For us, we find that’s a really helpful way of writing, and performing the song ideas that we have live is a crucial part, for us, of the songwriting process.” And that’s especially true of “Ghosts,” a new song the band officially unveiled last month during a Philadelphia radio station appearance. Though they’ve been working it into their live sets, the tune only took on its current — and, apparently, finished — form after performing it to audiences and tinkering with it afterward. “It’s probably the newest one we’ve been playing live, actually; that one came together really on our Canadian tour about a month ago, the first time started playing it,” multi-instrumentalist Winston Marshall said. “We tried recording it before, but it then took on a new life when we played it on that tour. … [The songs] always change when we play them live; the dynamics change a lot. When you play it to a new room, you’re playing it to new ears, and you’re listening to the song through their ears. So it’s really great to feel the song out.” And though it’s a new addition to their set, Mumford already count “Ghosts” among their favorites — if only for the fact that it actually gives them a chance to catch their collective breath. “It’s fun to play … it’s a kind of respite for us to just stand back and play a slower song,” Mumford said with a laugh. “It’s nice: gives us a moment to take stock.” Have you heard Mumford & Sons’ new songs live? Share your thoughts below! Related Artists Mumford & Sons
Behind-the-scenes clip shows singer in London with a blond bob and gold grill. By James Dinh Rihanna in her “You Da One” teaser Photo: Def Jam Even though “We Found Love” is still ruling the charts, Rihanna is gearing up for the release of her second Talk That Talk single, “You Da One,” by releasing a behind-the-scenes teaser for the Melina Matsoukas-directed clip. In the two-minute montage , the RihannaNavy get several glimpses at a blond-bobbed Rih with a fitted gold grill and a slew of outfit changes. For one of her ensembles, the pop titan dons a gold chain necklace and midriff-baring two-piece as she grinds up against a checkered wall with life-size playing cards nearby. Another scene finds the singer in a white tank top and tattered jean shorts, swinging a cane in between two brick buildings. “We’re in London town!” the chart-topper tells the cameraman while the Dr. Luke-produced track plays in the background. “We tried to shoot our first setup outside, but it started to rain really, really hard. Then it stopped after we had to switch setups. … I’m running on one hour of sleep. I’m not even going to remember this tomorrow. My eyes are burning a little bit.” Rihanna has been dropping teasers for the “You Da One” visual for some time now. Two weeks ago, she released a clip of herself getting fitted for her grill. And just a few days ago, the singer took to Twitter to share another still, which depicted the star topless, leaning back and blowing smoke into the air . “#YOUDAONEVIDEO you know im already in trouble 4 this but, i like to keep yall in the loop,” she wrote. Fans can also expect to be kept in the loop about the video for “Take Care,” Rihanna’s collabo with Drake . MTV News recently caught up with Drizzy, who shared his expectations for the video for the Jamie xx-produced song, saying, “I want to make it perfect — the best video I’ve done to date — so I’m just taking my time.” Are you excited for Rihanna’s “You Da One” video? Sound off below! Related Artists Rihanna
‘Been racking my brain on what to get Little Monsters for Christmas!! I finally figured it out!!’ singer tweeted. By Christina Garibaldi Lady Gaga in Japan on Tuesday Photo: TwitPic It will certainly be a merry Christmas for all of Lady Gaga ‘s Little Monsters. Mother Monster herself will play Santa to all her fans when she presents them with an unreleased song on Christmas Day. “Been racking my brain on what to get Little Monsters for Christmas!! I finally figured it out!!” Gaga tweeted on Thursday (December 22). “On Christmas Day I will leak to you an unreleased Song off Born This Way! It was recorded live, in one take, on the tour bus. Uncensored.” Gaga is currently in Japan, where she will be spending the holiday. “Well, I’ll be in Japan right up until Christmas Day,” Gaga told MTV News earlier this month. “So I’ll be eating with all my Japanese Little Monsters. I like shabu shabu [a form of Japanese hot pot].” On Tuesday, Gaga tweeted , “Sipping tea in Japan with Haus. Feeling so grateful. We sold about 1 million albums a month worldwide since the release of BORN THIS WAY.” That’s not the only thing Gaga has to celebrate. She revealed via Twitter that she is “so happy” that “Hello, Hello,” her duet with Elton John, is one of 39 tracks on the short list for a possible Oscar nomination in the Best Original Song category . Lady Gaga, who was MTV News’ Top Newsmaker of 2011 , will be ringing in the new year in her hometown of New York. The “Marry the Night” singer , along with Justin Bieber , Nicki Minaj , LMFAO and Florence and the Machine, will watch the ball drop at the 40th annual “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” The event will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest, with appearances by Fergie and Jenny McCarthy. Are you excited for Lady Gaga’s new song? Let us know in the comments. Related Artists Lady Gaga
