Some shoes are more dangerous than others. Shine! asked the experts of footwear which ones have a higher rate of accidents. Here are the biggest types of problem heels, and some less risky alternatives. Problem: The platform wedge “Very very high platform wedges, which are super hot right now, are prime suspects,” says Meghan Cleary, resident shoe expert at shoeareyou.com. The most common injury they cause are what’s known as a “ballet break”. “It’s when you fall off a wedge onto the side of your foot causing a stress fracture,” says Cleary. “It happens because there is zero flexibility in the large platform, so your foot is locked into falling the way the platform heel dictates.” Problem: Pencil Heel These thin-as-a-pencil Louboutin heels should come with an on-call EMT. “People don’t have a good sense of balance on spiked or pencil heels because the heel is so thin,” says Dr. Rock Positano, Director of Non-Surgical Foot Service at The Hospital for Special Surgery. “In addition, a very narrow heel puts force on the achilles tendon which can lead to problems not just in the foot but in the back and knee.” Problem: Heels higher than 3 inches You can get Christian Siriano’s 5 inch heels for less than a $100 bucks at Payless but those inches could cost you. Dr. Positano regularly sees what he calls “Gloria Gaynor fractures”, or injuries caused from dancing or even walking too long in high heels over 3 inches. “The higher heel means less balance so people lose their footing and invert their ankle leading to fractures or torn ligaments.” He’s even seen people break bones. “The worst injury I’ve treated was a woman who actually broke her ankle and foot in three different places from dancing in heels,” he says. “When she came in to me her foot was the size of a basketball.” Get the solutions to these problems here! 5 Must Have Summer Shoes Rachel Roy Collabos With Female Pro Surfer On New Shoe Line [PHOTOS]
Had he not passed away on April 9 , famed director Sidney Lumet would have turned 87 years old on Saturday. The five-time Academy Award-nominee was responsible for some of the most indelible films from the last half-century, including 12 Angry Men , Network , Dog Day Afternoon , The Verdict and Running on Empty , to name just five. Lumet was remembered at the Los Angeles Film Festival this week, and if you didn’t get a chance to participate in that event, Movieline is here to provide a sounding board. In honor of what would have been Lumet’s birthday, celebrate the director’s career ahead.
Costume designer Zaldy Goco gave fans a sneak peek at the sparkles and studs she’ll wear when tour kicks of Thursday. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: C Flanigan/FilmMagic It’s almost here! Britney Spears launches her Femme Fatale tour on Thursday, and her team has given fans a sneak peek of the looks she’ll be showing off onstage. Costume designer Zaldy Goco spoke to “Extra” about Spears’ glittering, sexy outfits for the tour, which kicks off in Sacramento, California, with equally sexy opening act Nicki Minaj. “Well, I mean the real inspiration, of course, is Britney herself. But there’s a creative script done by the director, Jamie King, and it’s a whole thing about the femme fatale and femme fatales throughout the ages, so we have all kinds of costumes where she’s changing personas throughout the show,” he shared. “Everything is very sexy; Britney’s a very sexy girl.” The looks he shared include lots of sparkles and body-hugging designs, that include a pink latex jacket paired with a nude bodysuit to be featured in the second act of the show, a Marilyn Monroe-inspired white flowing dress, a few gladiator-inspired gold-mirrored options, pink-chrome-studded leather and denim, as well as a “Toxic”-inspired catsuit. For the finale, she wears a kimono, with an anime version of herself silkscreened on one sleeve, over a sparkling, black bodysuit that has LED lights built into it. Previously teased was a giant pair of angel wings that Spears will also wear at some point during the show. For those wondering what Spears looks like in the costumes, fansite BreatheHeavy.com got sent some snaps of the singer rocking some of the looks, including the kimono, the studded denim and a gold-mirrored bikini. Are you excited to see these costumes in action? Tell us where you’re catching Britney on tour in the comments below! Related Videos Britney Spears: I Am The Femme Fatale Related Photos Candid Moments From ‘Britney Spears: I Am The Femme Fatale’ Related Artists Britney Spears
Director responds to speculation that there’s a link between the two movies. By Eric Ditzian J.J. Abrams Photo: Megan Jones/ MTV News Talking to J.J. Abrams about “Super 8” these days is a far different experience than it was just a few months ago. During a late April phone conversation, held as the director was putting the finishing touches on his film’s score, Abrams was impressively, impenetrably tight-lipped about the project’s many mysteries. When we asked how far into “Super 8” the much-hyped, never-seen creature would be revealed, he simply answered, “I would say the film will obviously answer that question.” But when Abrams stopped by the MTV Newsroom on Tuesday (June 14), fresh off his film’s impressive, $35.5 million opening weekend , the guy couldn’t have been more open. He answered lingering questions, cleared up sources of debate, and reveled in hearing how fans were taking in a film that is undoubtedly the most personal of his career. Among the most compelling topics we hit on were his revelations about the mysterious creature itself. (Needless to say, there are major spoilers below.) Once the “Super 8” alien could be fully glimpsed as it wreaked havoc in a small Ohio town, some observers noted a similarity between the creature and the alien in 2008’s “Cloverfield,” which Abrams produced. As he explained it to us, there is a link between the two creatures, but not one that has any storytelling impact. “The only connection between the creature in ‘Super 8’ and the creature in ‘Cloverfield’ is that they were both designed by the same guy, Neville Page,” Abrams said. “They actually look very different, but they both have two eyes, a nose and a mouth. So, in that regard, it also looks a lot like Laurence Olivier!” That answer puts to rest any suggestion that “Super 8” and “Cloverfield” exist in the same universe or that the “Super 8” alien’s actions in the 1970s somehow impacted the other alien’s later actions in “Cloverfield.” When we asked Abrams if there were a same-universe connection between the two flicks, he said, “No.” Abrams went on to talk specifically about what they needed their multi-limbed “Super 8” alien to accomplish and why it ended up looking the way it did. “The creature in ‘Super 8’ needed to be scary and it also needed to have the ability to have a performance and be a little bit less scary too,” he explained. “We didn’t want a creature that was just running around thumping his chest and screaming. It needed to be something that was able to have a plan, have an experience. Smart enough to create something, build something. “A lot of what the design was, was how do we do both?” Abrams continued. “If there was a big, strong soldier who had been taken in, was a prisoner of war and had escaped, if this guy was Rambo. Basically this could be someone who for some would be very scary, could be full of rage and also could be emotional and nuanced. So it really was a question of, he wasn’t King Kong and a lot of what we needed to do was find a way to have a design that would give us that latitude to do both — the big scares and also the more subtle stuff.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Super 8.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Super 8’ Related Photos Tom Cruise, Elle Fanning, More At ‘Super 8’ Premiere
If you’re a young actor struggling to balance college courses with a film career, there’s only one person to talk with: multi-tasking master James Franco. “It was such a relief to speak to someone who is trying to do the same thing I’m doing,” Harry Potter star Emma Watson said about the chat she had with Franco shortly before leaving Brown University in April. “He’s not afraid or limited by what he fears people will say about it.” He’s a regular Hermione, that one. [ Us ]
Appearing over the weekend at the Los Angeles Times ‘ Hero Complex Film Festival , Jon Favreau and surprise guest Robert Downey Jr. talked up a storm regarding their two Iron Man flicks, the Avengers movie, Favreau’s work on the upcoming Magic Kingdom , and Iron Man 3 , –which is being directed by Downey’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang helmer Shane Black . Favreau revealed how, despite having vacated the director’s chair on the threequel, he’s still helping out in front of and behind the camera.
We recap the mystery surrounding the project before you learn the mystery within. By Eric Ditzian Joel Courtney in “Super 8” Photo: Paramount Almost exactly one year to the day that J.J. Abrams’ rebooted “Star Trek” hit theaters, rumors started to circulate in May 2010 that the director had already shot a theatrical trailer , to run in front of “Iron Man 2,” for a secret new project called “Super 8.” While the film seemed to have a connection to the Abrams-produced alien-disaster flick “Cloverfield,” we soon learned that wasn’t true . Instead, the film was an original tale, produced by Steven Spielberg and having something to do with an escaped creature from Area 51, the mysterious government site long suspected to be involved in alien experimentation. But that’s about all we’d find out for a while. Over time, though, we began to put together the pieces. And eventually, Abrams himself started to dole out info about the movie. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s flash back in time with an MTV News cheat sheet before we can truly say we know everything there is to know about “Super 8.” The Explosion The teaser trailer arrived, as rumored, in May. It featured a fiery train crash and the unseen presence of the mysterious creature. Sources connected to the film said the story would focus on a group of small-town kids in 1979 who begin filming a home movie on a Super 8 camera, only to capture the crash and the emergence of the creature. At this point, though, production on the flick hadn’t even begun. The shoot kicked off in September. By that point, Abrams had cast a collection of unknown young actors, plus Elle Fanning (“Somewhere”), to play his featured kids, as well as Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”) to portray the town sheriff and central boy’s father. That’s about all we knew. The next month, all “Cloverfield” director Matt Reeves would tell us was that the film “is very, very intimately connected to an aspect of [Abrams’] childhood and to this idea of Super 8 [films].” The Dust Settles By February of this year, as Abrams got set to debut a “Super 8” Super Bowl ad and a full trailer , the director finally began to open up about the project, albeit reluctantly. “To me, all people need to know is that it’s an adventure about a small town and it’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s scary and there’s a mystery: What is this thing that has escaped? What are the ramifications of its presence? And what is the effect on people?” Abrams explained to the Los Angeles Times. “But I know that’s not enough. Look, I feel we need a little bit of a coming-out party because we are up against massive franchises and brands and most people don’t know what ‘Super 8’ means. We’re a complete anomaly in a summer of huge films … and we don’t want to be so silent or coy that people don’t care or don’t hear about it.” Then in April, we caught up with Abrams himself, as the helmer was putting the finishing touches on the film’s score. In a long-ranging conversation, he touched on the Spielbergian influences in “Super 8” that so many observers had noticed. “He’s a real producer of this movie,” Abrams said. “He worked with me to develop the story. We had countless story meetings prior to and following the script. What was wonderful about working with him is the ongoing conversation. Because I was working with him, I felt free to allow the influences of his films to rise to the surface.” Seeing Clearly With “Super 8” just days away from release, we debuted an exclusive clip at the MTV Movie Awards — one that began with a close look at the train crash and segued into a mini-trailer. Abrams, Spielberg and the kids were on hand at the show to introduce the footage. It wasn’t the first time we met them face to face. At a press event in May, the kids took us behind the scenes of that epic train crash and tried to explain what the film was all about without giving away the secret . And then on Wednesday evening in Los Angeles at the film’s red-carpet premiere, the cast had fun laughing off some of the wackiest theories they’ve heard about the mysterious creature at the heart of “Super 8.” “I’ve seen on IMDb that a lot of people thought it was a giant lion,” co-star Zach Mills said. “I don’t know why. That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Super 8.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Super 8’ ‘Super 8’: Check Out The Latest Movie Clips Here! Related Photos Tom Cruise, Elle Fanning, More At ‘Super 8’ Premiere
In my last 2011 summer movie preview entry , I highlighted mainstream, studio blockbuster releases — from titles like Transformers: Dark of the Moon , to Captain America: The First Avenger . This time around, I will focus chiefly on alternate summer movie fare; “alternate” as in those relatively smaller films, mostly independently-financed and -produced, and/or foreign titles that a lot of you likely won’t have the opportunity to see in theaters, because they will all be distributed in a limited number of cities, as is often the case with films of their ilk. Limited theatrical distribution usually means release in New York and/or Los Angeles first, with any later expansion into other cities determined by how well the film does in those initial markets. But, at the very least you’ll know about them so that when they eventually become available on DVD or Blu-ray, the titles won’t be unfamiliar and you might consider adding them to your Netflix queue. Viva Riva! I’ll begin with a film that’s opening this weekend in New York and Los Angeles – a Congolese crime thriller titled Viva Riva! set in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in central Africa. Viva Riva! is directed by Djo Tunda Wa Munga, who has said that he wants to put a new face on African cinema, portraying aspects of life in his hometown that are rarely seen on screen. Having seen the film earlier this year at the New York African Film Festival, I can say that he accomplishes just that and more, with a film that’s audacious in its depictions of violence and sexuality, in ways African films in general avoid, and isn’t at all for the PG-13 crowd. Viva Riva! centers on Riva, a small time hustler who, after several years away, has just returned to his hometown of Kinshasa, Congo, with a major score: a fortune in hijacked gasoline, in a country where it’s scarce, in high demand, and thus more of a luxury. Wads of cash in hand and out for a good time, Riva is soon entranced by the beautiful, mystifying Nora while at a night club, only to find out that she’s the kept woman of a local gangster. But that doesn’t stop Viva from pursuing her, though not without repercussions. Throw into the already volatile mix a sadistic Angolan crime lord relentlessly seeking Riva for the return of his stolen shipment of gasoline, as well as other greedy, manipulative hands with Viva’s booty in their crosshairs, and what you’ll uncover is a pulsating look at a post-war city. The film excelled at the 2011 African Movie Academy Awards, winning both the Best Film and Best Director trophies. If you live in New York City, or Los Angeles, you’re encouraged to check it out when it debuts this Friday, June 10 th . Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest Opening about a month later, on July 8 th , is actor Michael Rapaport’s documentary on the legendary hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest (Q-tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi), aptly titled, Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest . Rapaport shot more than 2 years worth of footage of the group, including interviews with various hip-hop luminaries, music, and behind–the–scenes recordings of them on tour, and more. The final version — a 2011 Sundance Film Festival selection (which is where I saw it, earlier this year) — is a 97-minute time capsule that those of you who frequently reminisce about the “good old days” of hip-hop, when groups like ATCQ, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Leaders Of The New School, and the rest of the self-labeled Native Tongues, reigned boom boxes, car speakers, house parties, and the like. Those unfamiliar with the group should consider this a primer, and may even be inspired to buy a track or two after watching it. Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest , like Viva Riva!, opens first in New York City and Los Angeles, although, according to the film’s web page, there are plans to expand it into several other cities around the country, through mid-August. So, it just might play at a theater near you. Life, Above All The following week, on July 15 th , is a drama called Life, Above All , South Africa’s official “for your consideration” entry into the Best Foreign Language Film category in this year’s Academy Awards. The film, which screened out of competition in the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, and is based on the award-winning novel Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton, centers on 12-year old Chanda, who, after the death of her newly-born baby sister, learns of a rumor about her family that spreads throughout the small village near Johannesburg, where she lives; a rumor that destroys her family and forces her mother to flee, causing Chanda to leave home and school in search of her mother and the truth. Of the four films mentioned in this post, this is one that I have yet to see, but will, in a press preview next week. So my awareness of its contents is limited to what I’ve read about it thus far – mostly impressed reviews from other critics who have seen the film while it traveled the film festival circuit. The trailer looks strong, and I’m looking forward to watching and experience the entire film. When will you be able to see it? Sony Pictures Classics acquired all North American distribution rights to Life, Above All last year, and now plans to open it in New York and Los Angeles first, on July 15 th , with other cities possible, depending on how well it does during its early release. Gun Hill Road And on August 5th, once again, for those in New York and Los Angeles, you’ll have the opportunity to see NYU MFA graduate Rashaad Ernesto Green’s feature film debut, titled Gun Hill Road , when it opens in those 2 cities. In Gun Hill Road , a Sundance 2011 selection, an ex-con (played by Esai Morales) returns home to the Bronx after three years in prison to discover his wife (Judy Reyes) estranged and his teenage son (Harmony Santana) exploring a sexual transformation that challenges the already fragile bonds of their family makeup. Isiah Whitlock also features in the film, which I saw earlier this year and loved. It’s a contemplative, compelling drama, with all-around wonderful, naturalistic performances from the cast, notably newcomer Harmony Santana, who director Green found after an exhaustive search. The film has been travelling the country (and the world) rather aggressively since its Sundance debut, garnering fans, acclaim and support along the way, leading up to its eventual August release; so, some of you may have already seen it. And between today, the date of this posting, and the film’s official commercial theatrical debut, it’ll screen at festivals in Salt Lake City, UT, San Francisco, CA, and Philadelphia, PA; so, if you live in any of those cities, you’ll have an opportunity to see the film. Follow the film on Facebook and/or Twitter to be kept abreast of its release schedule. And that’s about it! There might be a surprise release or two here and there worth mentioning, but if you are able to see all four of the films listed above, you’ll be in good shape, as far as indie/foreign cinema by and/or about people of African descent, released in the US this summer, is concerned. There are some films that played at film festivals earlier in the year, with and without distribution, which might surface at film festivals or other screening series during the summer, so look out for them; they may be closer to you than you realize. And, of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there are a few upcoming black film festivals over the next three months, during which audiences will be introduced to new works by independent black filmmakers. Kicking things off will be the American Black Film Festival in South Florida, which runs in early July; and closing out the summer will be the Martha’s Vineyard Black Film Festival, in early/mid August. And there are certainly others. You’re encouraged to attend these festivals, especially if they are happening in your city, and check out films that you may never get to see elsewhere. I hope that between my two summer preview entries, you’ll be able to find something(s) of interest. And if not, there’s always content available on television, the web, old movie rentals, and more. Or you could always read a book… or two or three! Tambay Obenson is editor of Shadow And Act on the indieWIRE Network , which can be found at http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact .
Patrick Carney earned the wrath of Little Monsters by comparing Gaga to Madonna on Twitter. By James Montgomery Lady Gaga Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney is a man who seems to grasp the power and purpose of Twitter — namely, using it to mess with Bravo TV star Bethenny Frankel and profess his love for condiments . So it was probably a bit of a shock when, after writing a seemingly innocuous tweet about Lady Gaga, he bore the full brunt of her (very angry) Little Monsters. It all started last month, when Carney sized up Gaga’s “Saturday Night Live” performance by writing , simply, “Madonna is killing it!” The comment went largely unnoticed by Gaga’s fans, and Carney returned to important things like tweeting with Ke$ha about shrimp. But then, he dared to compare Gaga to Madonna once again, and, to borrow a phrase from Calvin Tran , “Oh, here go hell come.” Gaga’s fans picked up on the tweet, and soon began inundating Carney’s Twitter account with a steady torrent of vicious hate that quickly escalated to a full-on downpour of acrimony. So, he did what any self-respecting Twitter-head would do: retweeted the best of the worst. In fact, all day Monday (June 6), Carney’s Twitter account was nothing but a stream of profanity-laced, poorly-punctuated vitriol from Little Monsters, who called him “an ugly ass bitch,” compared him to “the kid in the wheelchair on ‘Glee’ ” and even threatened him with bodily harm. For his part, Carney helped stoke the flames by pointing out that Gaga’s anti-bullying message didn’t really seem to be translating to her fans. “Hey, little monsters! Everyone knows lady gaga sounds nothing at all like Madonna. I was joking! I am so depressed,” he wrote , adding that he was heading to Red Lobster. The tweets don’t seem to be losing steam too quickly. As of Tuesday morning (June 7), Carney was still RT’ing some of the zestier messages he’d received from Gaga fans, and he summed up the whole experience by complaining that @Bethenny had replied to one of his brother’s tweets, but not his (link), proving that, much like life, the Twitter-verse is, in fact, cyclical. Related Videos Lady Gaga: Inside The Outside Related Artists Lady Gaga
Early cut of clip depicts dramatic love stories for both singers intertwined with apocalyptic theme. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber Photo: Getty Director Colin Tilley promised that the video for Chris Brown and Justin Bieber’s “Next 2 U” would be “big,” and a leaked early cut of the video is just that. The whole thing plays out like a movie, complete with dialogue, drama lots of action, and of course, singing and dancing. It opens with Brown and his love interest dancing, kissing and joking around with one another. Justin Bieber is then seen hugging and kissing his girlfriend and telling her, “I’ve been waiting for you all day,” before presenting her with a necklace. Things get dark when the pair are caught together by her dad, who then takes her away. “I told you not to see him again,” he tells his daughter. Bieber’s story is intercut with Brown’s. Brown is dreaming of his girl when he looks outside and sees that the world appears to be ending around them. Cars are exploding and people are running around in a panic. As the destruction continues, Brown stands in the street singing the love song. Meanwhile, Bieber stands on a rooftop, pining for his lady, also singing the tune. More shots of each of the happy couples play as reminders of times when things weren’t so uncertain. Viewers are reminded of the destruction by the song’s lyrics, “One day when the sky is falling/ I’ll be standing right next to you/ Right next to you.” The couples do eventually make their way back to one another, but it’s not all peachy keen when they do. Just as Brown finally meets up with his love interest after running through the streets, she’s hit by a car. As the video closes out, a big dance break takes place as Bieber’s lady runs around trying to find him. They meet up on the roof where he was singing, and it appears that both couples will somehow survive their tragedies. Before the video leaked, Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, seemed confident that fans wouldn’t be disappointed by the clip. He tweeted , “Just saw a rough cut of the #NEXT2YOU video with @justinbieber and @chrisbrown ! @ColinTilley is goin’ in!!” What do you think of the rough cut of Bieber and Brown’s “Next 2 U” video? Tell us in the comments. Related Artists Justin Bieber Chris Brown
