Austin is a place that likes to think of itself as strange — as in the city’s motto, “Keep Austin Weird.” But it really seems more nerdy than weird when the massive film-music-tech bonanza that is South by Southwest kicks off every year, drawing thousands of geeks of all stripes to congregate. And for the next week or so, Movieline will be among the crowds of geek illuminati reporting on film goings-on from the ground. Join us, with the magic of technology!
Video features the star singing girl-power song in the desert and the city. By Jocelyn Vena Willow Smith Photo: Getty Images An old woman (played by Cicely Tyson) walks in the desert, mumbling to herself when she comes across bone fragments. As she digs her way through the sand, she finds various objects. The sand begins to rumble and out comes a hooded Willow Smith. The woman whispers something in her ear and disappears. Taking a look around, Willow grabs some dirt and a butterfly emerges out of nothing. Thus begins the video for “21st Century Girl.” Looking fierce in a red and yellow outfit, Smith shows some swagga as she runs through the desert, singing the girl-power song, pulling guitars from the sand with wolves and other precocious kids at her side. Her crew pulls remnants from the 21st century out of the sand. Among the bikes and skateboards is a metropolis, complete with skyscrapers that grow from the dry land. In this cityscape, Willow dons new threads: leopard tights, yellow shorts and a sassy T-shirt that reads, “Boys need training.” She and her pals dance around the city. Then Willow is seen whispering to a baby girl, who too can form a butterfly from sand, passing some sort of baton to the next generation of soothsayer types and leaving viewers wondering what power it is that these 21st-century girls possess. The clip hit the Internet over the weekend; it was directed by Rich Lee (Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Pussycat Dolls). The video was shot over two days in January. “21st Century Girl” hit radio last week and will be featured on Smith’s forthcoming debut album. She’s currently on the road with Justin Bieber, opening for the star on his European tour. What do you think of Willow’s new video? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Willow Smith
MTV News visited the ‘Game of Shadows’ set on its final day of production. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Robert Downey Jr. on the set of “Sherlock Holmes” Photo: MTV News MTV News’ arrival on the U.K. set of “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” marked a melancholy occasion. Not because things weren’t going well on the sequel to 2009’s $520 million-grossing hit, or because stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law weren’t happy to see us. But our January visit coincided with Law’s final day in production, and he and Downey felt like they were just getting warmed up. “We were talking so much about the possibilities of more, and loads of ideas and situations, on the first one,” said Law, who returns to the fold as sidekick Watson to Downey’s ass-kicking Holmes. “We’ve got even more ideas now, and I hope we’re going to be allowed to do another one again.” “We’re clinging on to this thing,” Downey laughed. “It’s going to have claw marks in it when we let go.” Warner Bros. hardly wants the duo to relinquish the new franchise anytime soon. While the characters are based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic 19th-century literary creations — ones that hardly had the contemporary appeal of a caped superhero — the success of the ’09 flick was anything but assured. Yet under the steady guidance of director Guy Ritchie and keying off the bromantic chemistry of its two male leads, “Sherlock Holmes” grossed $62 million over its opening weekend — even as it went head-to-head with “Avatar.” Now they’re back, and they’ve asked Noomi Rapace , the star of the Swedish-language “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy, to join up as a gypsy. Or as Ritchie put it to us, “A gypsy princess with balls — that’s what Noomi brings to the table.” The sequel focuses on a web of conspiracies overseen by nefarious Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). After Rapace’s gypsy meets up with Holmes and Watson in London, the story pushes out of the city and takes on a far greater scope than the first one. But ultimately, like that ’09 film, whether or not the sequel works will rest greatly on the sizzling back-and-forth between Downey and Law. From what we saw on the U.K. set, no one should be worried. “It feels a bit like a relay team,” Law said their dynamic. “He leads, then he hands the baton off to me, but it’s done subconsciously.” “I also think there are two kinds of performers,” added Downey. “I’ve heard of, and I guess I’ve experienced the kind that are like, ‘You want to play ping-pong? Because I’ll kick your ass!’ Everything is about, ‘I’ll do it better than you.’ Whereas, we become this third thing, this brotherhood.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
In mid-January of this year, we returned to l’Aquila, Italy to teach a Google Building Maker workshop, in further support of the post-earthquake 3D digital reconstruction effort of the city. If you are not familiar with this Google-assisted effort, you can read all about it (or just watch the video below). While we were there, we had the chance to meet many users that are actively working on the project,… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Official Google SketchUp Blog Discovery Date : 03/03/2011 00:18 Number of articles : 2
The only person in America who’s had a more interesting week than this guy is Charlie Sheen. Last Monday, he was the left’s new hero for his bravura, screeching, truth-to-power grandstanding on the Wisconsin assembly floor. The next day, local police revealed that he’d recently been cited in connection with a prostitution sting on a Hotair: Wisconsin Dem Assemblyman to GOP Colleague: “You Are… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Katy Pundit Discovery Date : 01/03/2011 03:31 Number of articles : 2
Wanna go see the Diddy-Dirty Money Coming Home 2011 Tour? PerezHilton.com has been exclusively given one pair of tickets to give away in EACH of the 20 markets listed below! To enter to win, Followers of Perez must reply to us @PerezHilton with their city and the hashtag, #ComingHomeTour, in order to participate. No Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : PerezHilton.com Discovery Date : 01/03/2011 04:30 Number of articles : 2
Moving Beyond the Automobile: Biking from Streetfilms on Vimeo . It is a video that captures much of what we have been saying for years on TreeHugger; that bikes take up less space, use less energy, build healthier citizens and that the key is to give them their space, their place in the City. It’s now a national movement, where people are voting with their pedals. … Read the full story on TreeHugger… Broadcasting platform : Vimeo Source : Treehugger Discovery Date : 22/02/2011 20:30 Number of articles : 2
R.I.P to those who lost their lives. From the looks of the pictures this catastrophe is going to take a very long time to sort out, take a look after the jump. Ironic that something so devilish happened to a city called Christchurch. WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A 6.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch Tuesday, killing dozens, collapsing buildings and cracking streets. Prime Minister John Key said at least 65 had died as a result of the disaster and told reporters that the death toll was expected to rise further. “It is a just a scene of utter devastation,” he added. Television footage showed streets strewn with bricks and shattered concrete. Sidewalks and roads were cracked and split, and hundreds of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered as sirens blared throughout the city. Bodies were being pulled from rubble, others lay in the streets. Water mains burst, causing extensive flooding. New Zealand’s 3 News television station said that by 10:30 p.m. Tuesday local time (4:30 a.m. ET) that there were reports of at least 125 people being rescued. However, it added that Mayor Bob Parker estimated that more than 100 people were still trapped at six different locations with possibly more in individual homes. Parker said earlier that he had been “thrown quite a distance” by the quake. The TV station said the 33rd aftershock hit at 10:18 p.m. local time (4:18 a.m. ET). It was the second quake to hit the city in five months, and New Zealand’s deadliest natural disaster for 80 years. In 1931, a quake in the North Island city of Napier killed 256 people. “We may well be witnessing New Zealand’s darkest day…The death toll I have at the moment is 65 and that may rise,” Key told local TV. “It’s hard to describe. What was a vibrant city a few hours ago has been brought to its knees.”
