Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber , Bruno Mars, Miguel to perform Billboard Music Awards; The Flaming Lips and Ke$ha are making an album + Norwegian Beliebers excused from class for his shows in today's Buzz Bites. Continued here: Buzz bites (4/4/13): taylor swift, justin bieber, + more will perform at the
Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber , Bruno Mars, Miguel to perform Billboard Music Awards; The Flaming Lips and Ke$ha are making an album + Norwegian Beliebers excused from class for his shows in today's Buzz Bites. Original post: Buzz Bites (4/4/13): Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, + More Will Perform …
We’ve arrived at #1. Over the past couple weeks, THG has been counting down the stars that made 2012 such a memorable year, from their sex tapes to their Billboard hits to their nude photos and royal babies. We ranked Kate Middleton at #4, followed by Taylor Swift and then Rihanna at #2 . Who does that leave as our undisputed Celebrity of the Year? KRISTEN STEWART! The actress starred in two blockbusters this year: Snow White and the Huntsman and Breaking Dawn Part 2 . She also established some indie cred via On the Road . But let’s face it: these roles are not the main reason Stewart made so many headlines in 2012. Instead, Kristen’s most buzzed-about accomplishment (perhaps for the rest of her years) will be her affair with Rupert Sanders , a story made for this tabloid age and made even more unprecedented when Stewart actually came out and admitted to the scandal! Her statement and public apology to Robert Pattinson may go down as the year’s most shocking moment. This relationship – previously kept under wraps as much as possible by the duo involved – was suddenly front page news. Would they get back together? What, exactly, happened between Stewart and Sanders? How would it affect the Breaking Dawn box office? In the end, the film fared well and Kristen and Rob appear back together. Other numbers/facts related to Stewart’s big year include: She became the face of Balenciaga perfume in June. She ranked #7 on AskMen’s list of Top 99 Women. She earned $34.5 million, more than any actress over the past 12 months. She was named one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. Without The Twilight Saga, but with Pattinson, what does 2013 hold for Kristen Stewart? Marriage? Pregnancy? Another hit film? THG will be there every step of the way to find out. Won’t you join us?
We’re inching ever closer to #1. With the calendar about to flip to 2013, THG is taking a look back at the year that was, specifically the stars who made it memorable via their songs, sex tapes, naked photos, arrests or – in rare cases – all of the above. Kate Upton clocked in at #6, and Justin Bieber #5. Now, following the royal selection of Kate Middleton at #4 , we present Celebrity of the Year #3… TAYLOR SWIFT ! The year will close with Swift’s “Red” atop the Billboard 200, marking the seventh time this year the album has risen to number-one. Moreover, it’s opening week sales of 1.21 million copies were the highest recorded in 10 years, with Swift becoming the only female artist to possess a pair of million-plus opening weeks over the course of her career. ” We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together ,” meanwhile, also hit the top of the charts – while symbolizing the true genius of Swift overall. She sells a mammoth number of records, and she pens personal tracks that create buzz over her personal life. Is she writing about John Mayer here? Jake Gyllenhaal there? Swift never says, but the conversation alone keeps her an integral part of the Zeitgeist. Of course, Taylor did engage in two high profile relationships as well. Everything seemed serious between her and Conor Kennedy, until the pair simply split and she quickly rebounded with Harry Styles of One Direction. They are still together. But Swift remains above the fray throughout; she is never caught in any scandal and continues to rake in the awards, winning two Grammys in 2012. There’s also this: Swift was just named the Most Charitable Celebrity of the past 12 months. Yes, it’s very good to be Taylor Swift. And with the 23-year old embarking on a new tour this March, it’s hard not to imagine her sitting once again on this same list a year from now.
Christina Aguilera is not one to hold back her cleavage opinion. At the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Conference yesterday, the artist took to the microphone as the keynote speaker and blasted pretty much everyone in sight. Sort of. On The Voice vs. American Idol : “I’ve not actually seen a full episode of any of the other music shows. I saw the commercials early on of American Idol of Simon being a dick. I was like, ‘Man, that’s not what it’s about!’ I didn’t want to treat people like that. I wanted to do The Voice to show that we can be positive. We don’t have to knock people down.” On bloggers : “Now everyone is a critic. I don’t read blogs. It’s just God-knows-who in Buttfuck wherever writing hate shit. You can’t take it seriously. I’m sure you’ve all been hated on at some point by buttfuck people. It’s real talk today.” On her fellow judges : “We’ve got a chemistry like a family. Everyone knows me and Adam [Levine] can bicker and get on each other’s case. Cee-Lo is just cool, he comes from a real artistic value place. Blake [Shelton] is just a good old time. He’s become my big bro.” On her raw power : “It’s hard being such a powerful woman in the business. I’m known for not always being warm and fuzzy, because you’ll just get bulldozed over…. In my music, I come off as being very open about being insecure, vulnerable and sensitive sometimes. Then I’ll go onstage and be this powerhouse force to be reckoned with.”
Also in Wednesday morning’s round-up of news briefs, Ray Liotta and Ashely Judd begin work on a musical family pic. Jake Gyllenhaal is joining a new project with Hugh Jackman . A new family drama is heading to U.S. theaters. And some quick highlights from Asia’s annual Busan International Film Festival. Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Seth Green, Joe Pantoliano Lead Cast of The Identical Set in Nashville, the film follows the path of a musical family from the Be Bop 1950s through the Glam Rock 1970s. Music video award winner Dustin Marcellino will direct the film. Film locations include Music City’s famed Grand Ole Opry House and War Memorial Auditorium. Family Weekend Heads to U.S. Theaters Starring Kristin Chenoweth, Matthew Modine and Olesya Rulin, the film follows 16-year-old Emily Smith-Dungy an incredibly motivated, overachiever, who has grown increasingly frustrated with her parents’ lack of support and guidance. Her mom, Samantha, is a career-focused, no-nonsense, high-powered business executive. Her dad, Duncan, is a happy go-lucky artist who can’t be bothered to earn a paycheck. When they miss their daughter’s big jump-roping competition, Emily hits her breaking point and takes it upon herself to restore order in the home. Arc Entertainment took rights to the film. No theatrical date has been set. Around the ‘net… Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 1st Day Advance Sales Topping Part 1 Tickets for the final Twilight installment went on sale Monday and grosses are 87% higher for the final pic, which opens November 16th. One-quarter of all tickets sold Monday were from fans buying tickets for The Twilight Saga Marathon , which allows moviegoers to see all of the films in the franchise November 15th before the release of the final feature the next day, Deadline reports . Gwyneth Paltrow Eyes Producing Musical Based on The Go-Go’s Paltrow is negotiating to collaborate on a theatrical production of the hit ’80s era band which included Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, Gina Schock and Paula Jean Brown. The L.A.-based band was behind such early-’80s hits as “Vacation,” “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed.” They were the first all-female band that played their own instruments to top the Billboard charts, THR reports . Jake Gyllenhaal Boards Prisoners Gyllenhaah joins Hugh Jackman in the kidnapping thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve ( Incendies ). In the film Gyllenhaal will play hot-shot Detective Loki. Prisoners is slated for a fall 2013 release, Deadline reports . Afghan, N. Korean Films Hit Asian Film Festival The annual Busan International Film Festival will show a mix of stars promoting blockbusters as well as North Korea’s Comrade Kim Goes Flying as well as six classic Afghan films that were hidden in a wall to save them from the Taliban, A.P. reports .