Brad Pitt is keeping himself busy – and embracing the English culture – while his better half Angelina Jolie is off filming Sleeping Beauty flick Maleficent . If he’s not browsing in motorbike shops, the Hollywood star is visiting old pals in Birmingham and buying art from the UK’s hippest graffiti artist Bambi. After seeing examples of her work in Time , he snapped up canvases of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth II and Amy Winehouse. Other celebrities, such as Adele, are said to own Bambi works as well. We always felt Kate Middleton pics were priceless. Apparently others agree! A source told The Sun (UK) of Brad’s pricey purchases: “There is a lot of buzz about Bambi. As Brad’s here with the family for up to two years, it makes sense to fill the house with art by British artists.” “He already has a Banksy,” whose work is similar to Bambi’s, “which he bought for
Many call Texan teen, who built up fanbase on social media, the next Bieber. By Tami Katzoff Austin Mahone Photo: What do you call a group of kids who are so fiercely loyal to their young pop idol that they buy up all available tickets to a show in minutes, journey from far-off locales and park themselves on a sidewalk for hours just so they can get a glimpse of their beloved teenage Texan? Are they Beliebers? Of course not — Justin Bieber is Canadian, not Texan. They’re Mahomies. Mahomies are fans of 16-year-old Austin Mahone, the boy many believe will be crowned the Next Justin. The similarities are there: Both are fresh-faced, drum-playing crooners who built their massive fandom using social media and YouTube. And both are followed everywhere by throngs of screaming girls. But Austin Mahone does something that most fledgling pop stars don’t: When his fans reach out to him, he reaches back. He follows them on Twitter. He keeps them updated on his comings and goings through video posts and Instagrams. He even Skypes with fans, one-on-one (for a fee). “Individually, they all give something to support me, which got me to where I am right now,” Mahone told MTV News. “I just want to give back to them as much as I can and say thank you.” Mahone has no debut album yet and, as of press time, no label on which to release one. He does have two singles, “11:11” and “Say Somethin,” which can be purchased on iTunes. He also has more than 777,000 Twitter followers and nearly half a million Facebook fans. Nicolette Valenti, 14, flew to New York from Boca Raton, Florida, to see Austin’s sold-out show at Best Buy Theater on Friday; she said she would do anything to be around him. “Some girls just like him because he’s cute,” Valenti explained. “But I think he’s really talented.” Mahone’s journey to stardom began two years ago, when he started making videos with his friend Alex Constancio and posting them on YouTube. Then he started doing covers of artists like Bruno Mars, Adele and yes, Justin Bieber. His online fame steadily grew; he began making personal appearances and doing live shows. He’s since relocated from Texas to Miami to work on new music. “Coming from my bedroom in San Antonio to this big world and going from singing covers off my laptop to making music in this nice studio, making professional-sounding music — it’s just weird,” Mahone said. “It’s crazy. I can’t believe that happened.” The inevitable comparisons to Mr. Bieber don’t seem to bother him too much. “I mean, it’s flattering. It’s not that bad of a thing,” he said. “It’s cool because he’s such an inspiration to me and he’s so successful, and I just hope that I’ll be as successful as him someday.” The comparisons do, however, bother many Mahomies. “People say that Austin is the new Justin Bieber — I don’t think that at all,” said 14-year-old Maggie Benzenhafer as she waited on the sidewalk outside the Best Buy Theater. “I think Austin’s going to be the new Austin Mahone.” Related Artists Justin Bieber
Many call Texan teen, who built up fanbase on social media, the next Bieber. By Tami Katzoff Austin Mahone Photo: What do you call a group of kids who are so fiercely loyal to their young pop idol that they buy up all available tickets to a show in minutes, journey from far-off locales and park themselves on a sidewalk for hours just so they can get a glimpse of their beloved teenage Texan? Are they Beliebers? Of course not — Justin Bieber is Canadian, not Texan. They’re Mahomies. Mahomies are fans of 16-year-old Austin Mahone, the boy many believe will be crowned the Next Justin. The similarities are there: Both are fresh-faced, drum-playing crooners who built their massive fandom using social media and YouTube. And both are followed everywhere by throngs of screaming girls. But Austin Mahone does something that most fledgling pop stars don’t: When his fans reach out to him, he reaches back. He follows them on Twitter. He keeps them updated on his comings and goings through video posts and Instagrams. He even Skypes with fans, one-on-one (for a fee). “Individually, they all give something to support me, which got me to where I am right now,” Mahone told MTV News. “I just want to give back to them as much as I can and say thank you.” Mahone has no debut album yet and, as of press time, no label on which to release one. He does have two singles, “11:11” and “Say Somethin,” which can be purchased on iTunes. He also has more than 777,000 Twitter followers and nearly half a million Facebook fans. Nicolette Valenti, 14, flew to New York from Boca Raton, Florida, to see Austin’s sold-out show at Best Buy Theater on Friday; she said she would do anything to be around him. “Some girls just like him because he’s cute,” Valenti explained. “But I think he’s really talented.” Mahone’s journey to stardom began two years ago, when he started making videos with his friend Alex Constancio and posting them on YouTube. Then he started doing covers of artists like Bruno Mars, Adele and yes, Justin Bieber. His online fame steadily grew; he began making personal appearances and doing live shows. He’s since relocated from Texas to Miami to work on new music. “Coming from my bedroom in San Antonio to this big world and going from singing covers off my laptop to making music in this nice studio, making professional-sounding music — it’s just weird,” Mahone said. “It’s crazy. I can’t believe that happened.” The inevitable comparisons to Mr. Bieber don’t seem to bother him too much. “I mean, it’s flattering. It’s not that bad of a thing,” he said. “It’s cool because he’s such an inspiration to me and he’s so successful, and I just hope that I’ll be as successful as him someday.” The comparisons do, however, bother many Mahomies. “People say that Austin is the new Justin Bieber — I don’t think that at all,” said 14-year-old Maggie Benzenhafer as she waited on the sidewalk outside the Best Buy Theater. “I think Austin’s going to be the new Austin Mahone.” Related Artists Justin Bieber
Slaughterhouse link with Cee Lo and Em for their new video, and boy is it rich. By Rob Markman Eminem in Slaughterhouse’s video “My Life” Photo: Don’t you just hate when rappers flaunt their riches in the face of the less fortunate? Well that’s just what Eminem and Slaughterhouse do in the quartet’s new “My Life” video , except they make it all look really cool. The Syndrome-directed video , which dropped Wednesday (June 20), starts off with a rather lengthy skit featuring the super-rich Eminem thumbing his nose at the poor and lowly by skeet-shooting his platinum plaques, showing off his fleet of 300 Chrysler 300s and playing whack-a-mole with real-life baby seals. It’s all part of a Robin Leach-inspired opening skit called “Rappers Are Richer Than You,” and in the end, Slim Shady bathes in the tears of struggling MCs and gets fed grapes by his pet tyrannosaurus rex. It all sounds pretty farfetched, but if quality rap bars directly translated into dollars, then Royce Da 5’9″, Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden and Crooked I would be the wealthiest MCs in the game. In the video, the fearsome foursome, along with Cee Lo Green on the hook, detail their rise from starving artists to being one of hip-hop’s most celebrated acts. Long Beach, California, lyrical assassin Crooked I sets things off, turning his broken-down lemon into a convertible Porsche thanks to some choice visual effects. Crook takes a joy ride as he ponders, “How does it feel to count dollar bills that I found off skills?” in the middle of his verse. Ortiz sits on a housing-project bench reflecting on his early days as a drug dealer getting chased by the police. He goes from scaling a barbwire fence to a beach where he sips drinks with tiny umbrellas in the company of two vixens. Budden depicts a similar come-up, starting off taking mug shots and finishing his verse posing for the paparazzi. Still, Joey proves that his recent wins haven’t just brought him riches; they’ve also helped bring him closer to his estranged son Trey, whom he has rapped about for so many years. “What a success story, the film plays, it gets less gory/ My son didn’t know who his pops was for years, now it’s less Maury.” Royce caps things off, rapping about putting on for his city and earning enough so his dad could retire from his job as a U.S. postal worker. The fact is, fans have never seen Slaughterhouse smile so much, but there is no hate here: After all they’ve been through, Joey, Joell, Royce and Crook deserve a taste of the good life. What do you think of Slaughterhouse’s “My LIfe” video? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Slaughterhouse Eminem Cee-Lo Green
It’s great to see the big names in Black Hollywood pulling together to support each other. The Blackhouse Foundation Honors Debra Martin Chase On Monday, June 18th, the Blackhouse Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for Black filmmakers, hosted an intimate dinner in honor of Debra Martin Chase at CAA. This dinner, which also featured a special surprise performance by Goapele, celebrated the 2012 LA Film Festival and kicked off the “Blackhouse Celebrates” event series. Everyone looks great (we’re just gonna ignore Hill Harper’s facial hair — he must be playing Cornel West in something or something). This definitely sounds like a great event and a great cause. Keep up the good work Debra! Check out more photos below:
MTV’s Rya Backer also has a few chance encounters with ‘exes’ like Kendrick Lamar and Young the Giant at Bonnaroo ’12. By Rya Backer Mac Miller on a “First Date” Photo: Bonnaroo , you seem so far away already. Earlier this month, I caught some amazing performances — Battles, Feist and Ludacris were just some of my favorites. But between sets, I found myself fighting to maintain my composure as I encountered something many men and women face daily: bumping into an ex. Granted, they were rapper and rocker exes of the fictionalized “First Date,” variety, but still: We’d gone on a date. And yes, there were cameras involved and I’m very much in a real-life relationship (which is to say nothing of the statuses of the many artists I’ve gone out with), but still — connections were made. So, on a plot of land somewhere between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, I ran into upwards of seven “exes.” Over a fairly wide expanse, I had chance run-ins with the likes of Kendrick Lamar , Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Young the Giant. And then there was Mac Miller . A perennial fave around the MTV newsroom (and a favorite “First Date” episode among rabid followers of the series such as my mother and father), Mac and I caught up with each other to talk about what he’s been up to since we first went out late last year for a kosher lunch at New York’s Katz’s Deli. “I made history,” he deadpanned, referring to his debut, Blue Slide Park, which became the first independent album to hit #1 in well over a decade. In addition to that small feat, Mac toured the world and dropped an acclaimed mixtape, Macadelic. A follow-up mixtape with Pharrell is on deck, and there’s even more music to be heard. “I’ve been making my own beats, which I’ve done forever but, like, I’m really gonna start taking it seriously now,” Mac told me. “I’ve been making beats forever, but no one had known … I kept it secret.” Hopefully, we won’t have to wait until a third date — which Mac suggested we do at a NASCAR race — to hear them. Who should go on the next “First Date”? Share your suggestions in the comments! Related Videos MTV News First Date Related Artists Mac Miller
Gary Giordano, the suspect in travel companion Robyn Gardner’s disappearance in August, is suing to collect on an insurance policy he took out on her. Giordano, 51, filled the lawsuit last week against American Express for $3.5 million for failing to pay him the death benefit he says he is entitled to. Gardner presumably died after her August 2 disappearance but has not been found. Giordano says the accidental death policy was part of regular travel insurance that not only gave him coverage, but covered his traveling partner as well. Robyn Gardner’s policy is worth $1.5 million. “When somebody takes out a policy and there is no body, they are required to wait 365 days before making a claim,” American Express told ABC News. That means Giordano won’t be eligible to collect until August 2012. Giordano tried to collect on the policy two days after he notified authorities about Gardner’s disappearance , for which he was detained for months in Aruba . “My lawyer at the time, Michael Lopez, said you need to call insurance immediately,” Giordano said, claiming he was just following the standard protocol. “I’ve purchased it [travel insurance] many times before. I have children. If I go traveling and I disappear, I want them to be covered, OK?” An American Express employee who spoke to Giordano, however, later told police: “[Giordano] sounded excited, like he was about to win something.” Richard Forester, Gardner’s boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, says the new lawsuit only makes him more suspicious of Gary Giordano. On an unrelated note, he was arrested for indecent exposure last month.
Dottie Sandusky, whose disgraced husband Jerry Sandusky is accused of 52 felony counts of child sex abuse, took the stand in his trial Tuesday afternoon. Dottie Sandusky has stood by her husband, posting his bail, accompanying him to court and issuing a statement last year that proclaimed his innocence. Whether her remarks will change the direction of the case is an open question, but her testimony, at least early on, focused on how she and Jerry met. Jerry Sandusky Trial: Wife to Testify? One witness has testified that he was attacked the Sanduskys’ basement and tried to cry out for help when Dottie was upstairs, only to be ignored. Dottie, who is not charged with any crimes, says all the accusers are lying. Also Tuesday, Sandusky’s attorney closely questioned two Pennsylvania state police investigators about whether they coached Jerry Sandusky accusers . One of the troopers, Cpl. Joseph Leiter, now retired, acknowledged to lawyer Joe Amendola that he told at least one alleged victim of the former Penn State coach that they “wouldn’t be alone” if they came forward because “there were others.” Sandusky is accused of molesting 10 children over a 15-year period.
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