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Why Is Britney Spears Lying Low Before Her Album Release?

She’s released single, a video and teasers of Femme Fatale, but Spears herself is has been holding off on public appearances. By Sterling Wong Britney Spears Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images On Friday, Britney Spears took another teasingly small step in promoting her upcoming Femme Fatale album , releasing a video in which she announced that she’ll perform on “Good Morning America” on March 29, the day the LP drops. The short video clip temporarily calmed the increasingly anxious Britney fans, who had been wondering, “Where is Britney?” It’s been six weeks since first single “Hold It Against Me” was released. Since then, Britney has hosted a Q&A session with fans on Twitter and premiered the song’s video on MTV, but she’s been largely missing from the public eye. We know the pop princess is still busy putting the finishing touches to her album — she tweeted a picture of her and producer will.i.am at the recording studio recently — but it does strike us as strange that a mere month away from the album release, Britney has not done a single promotional interview or live performance. In the months before releasing her last album, Circus, Brit had appeared at the VMAs and onstage at Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour , performed on the British “X Factor” and shows in France and Germany, and aired the revealing documentary “Britney: For the Record” on MTV. So, why the relative silence this time around? Is Britney being shy, or maintaining an air of mystery until closer to the big reveal of her album? “I think that maybe there’s a lack of confidence that she can do it well at this point,” PR expert Howard Bragman theorized to MTV News. “But nonetheless, the girl’s coming back, and her music’s doing well. Coming back is a hard thing to do, and when you’ve been in the spotlight as long as Britney Spears has been, it’s hard to maintain that. The fact that she’s still relevant musically is quite a feat.” Spears’ inactivity stands in especially sharp contrast to Lady Gaga. Since Gaga released “Born This Way” last month, we’ve seen her at the Grammys and on “60 Minutes,” Jay Leno, “Good Morning America,” and a healthy handful of radio shows. But Bragman cautioned against comparing Brit and Gaga. “Public relations, when done well, is not one size fits all,” Bragman explained. “You’ve got to know who you’re working with and what their DNA in the public eye is, and everybody has a different DNA in the public eye.” Perhaps Britney, now into the 13th year of her career, has decided that she doesn’t have to go crazy working the promotional circuit, especially since she is a mother of two young boys. Unlike Lady Gaga and other relatively new pop stars like Katy Perry or Ke$ha, Spears has been there, done that and is no longer so hungry for success. She did her time on the nonstop promo circuit back in her … Baby One More Time and In the Zone days, and maybe she’s content to let the music speak for itself now. Or perhaps the worrying fans have jumped the gun, and her team is about to surprise us all with a slew of appearances and performances. All we know for sure is that, promotion or no promotion, Britney is still very capable of keeping us intrigued. Related Videos MTV First: Britney Spears’ ‘Hold It Against Me’ Premiere Related Artists Britney Spears

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Why Is Britney Spears Lying Low Before Her Album Release?

Daniel Radcliffe To Star In Indie Comedy ‘The Amateur Photographer’

Christopher Monger, the Emmy-nominated co-writer of HBO’s ‘Temple Grandin,’ will direct. By Eric Ditzian Daniel Radcliffe Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images At the same time that Daniel Radcliffe readies to return to Broadway — previews of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” begin on February 26 — the 21-year-old actor is continuing to plot his post-“Harry Potter” career on the big screen. Radcliffe is now attached to star in “The Amateur Photographer,” an indie comedy from writer/director Christopher Monger, according to Variety . Monger shared writing credits on HBO’s “Temple Grandin,” the biopic that earned him an Emmy nomination and Claire Danes a Golden Globe win. Set in a New England mill town during the 1970s, the movie will follow Radcliffe as a young man who finds in himself an unlikely artistic streak when he begins photographing the “most intimate moments” of the townspeople’s lives, as Variety puts it, and ends up battling “local authorities while bringing a bit of a velvet revolution to the community.” Radcliffe has already wrapped production on his first film following the completion of the “Harry Potter” series. “The Woman in Black” is a thriller in which Radcliffe plays a lawyer who travels to a strange town filled with supernatural secrets. The Brit has also lined up another big-screen project in “All Quiet on the Western Front.” He’s set to play a German soldier during World War I when the production kicks off in the spring of 2012. And come July, he’ll be busy with promotional duties for the final part of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” For now, though, Radcliffe is settling in on Broadway. After a month of previews, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” will officially open on March 27. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos The Evolution Of: Daniel Radcliffe

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Daniel Radcliffe To Star In Indie Comedy ‘The Amateur Photographer’

Phoenix Begin Work On ‘Experimental’ New Album

The band recorded sessions with an Australian percussion group for their ‘futuristic’ follow-up to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. By James Montgomery Phoenix’s Thomas Mars Photo: Getty Images The last time we heard from Phoenix, they told MTV News that they were planning to begin work on the follow-up to their breakout Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album on “the 4th of January — to be precise,” and it looks like they were telling the truth. From the sound of things, the Franco-pop stars are already hard at work on their new album … down in Australia. In an interview backstage at Sydney’s Good Vibrations Festival, Phoenix’s Thomas Mars and Deck D’Arcy told Pedestrian.tv that they were planning to do some recordings for their new album, with an orchestra that … well, let’s let them attempt to explain it: “We’re meeting an orchestra that specializes in, uh, I don’t know how to say it in English,” Mars said. “We’re going to record a bunch of percussionists in [Australian beach town] Byron Bay,” D’Arcy added. “It’s a test, if it works, we’ll probably come back and record something that’s going to be on the album,” Mars said. This is the first bit of solid news we’ve gotten on the band’s next album, which, as they were quick to point out, might be a bit of a departure from the hooky pop of Amadeus. “It sounds like the TGV, it’s a fast French train, it sounds like that,” Mars explained. “It’s very … nostalgic, futuristic. It’s very experimental, it’s very minimal music. … I think because we do a lot of music with drum machines — we blend a lot drum machines and real drums — for us, it’s a way to escape that. There’s something a little frustrating when you do pop music, and drums are, they’re the DNA of our music, because we’d like to go somewhere else, we want to change that DNA.” Related Artists Phoenix

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Phoenix Begin Work On ‘Experimental’ New Album

Abducted Child Finds Mom On Internet After 23 Years

A 23-year-old woman who was snatched from a New York City hospital as a 3-week-old infant has been reunited with her parents after tracking down baby pictures of herself on a missing children’s website. Carlina Renae White was not yet a month old when she was kidnapped on Aug. 4, 1987. She had spiked a 104-degree fever and her worried parents took her to Harlem Hospital, where she was admitted. Joy White, then 16, said a woman dressed as a nurse approached her in the emergency room and told her everything would be fine. Joy went home to rest. When she returned to the hospital, Carlina was gone. Authorities believed the “nurse” who had comforted Joy stole the baby, but they were unable to find any trace of the missing infant. Meanwhile, a girl known as Nejdra Nance grew up in Bridgeport, Conn. As a teenager, she began to suspect that she wasn’t actually related to the the family who raised her. And she was puzzled that she was never able to get a copy of her birth certificate. Finally, she began to do some research on the Internet and found the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website. On the site, she found a photo of a missing baby named Carlina Renae White. The center contacted Joy White on Jan. 4 and forwarded her a baby photo taken by the family who raised Nejdra Nance. “I was screaming, I was so excited,” Joy told the Daily News. “As soon as I saw those pictures I said, ‘That’s my daughter.’ I saw myself in her.” DNA tests confirmed Nejdra, who now lives in Georgia, is Carlina — the biological daughter of Joy White and Carl Tyson, who was 22 years old when his baby was kidnapped. The person believed to have abducted Carlina is now being investigated. Good for them! Hopefully she and her mom can begin the healing process. Source

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Abducted Child Finds Mom On Internet After 23 Years

‘Alien’ Prequel Turns Into Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus’

‘While ‘Alien’ was indeed the jumping-off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology,’ director tells Deadline. By Kara Warner Ridley Scott Photo: 20th Century Fox Ever since news broke that Ridley Scott would be revisiting his famous “Alien” franchise in the form of a prequel, the Internets have been a buzzing with rumors, analysis, etc. There have been a slew of actors and writers rumored to be attached to the film , including Keanu Reeves and Natalie Portman, writer John Spaihts and a rewrite from “Lost” genius Damon Lindelof. What we know so far is that the film will be set 30 years prior to the original “Alien,” and on Friday (January 14) came word that it isn’t so much a prequel as something “more original,” according to a Deadline report. The film has an official title, “Prometheus,” and release date, March 9, 2012. Swedish actress Noomi Rapace (“Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) has signed on to star as Elizabeth Shaw, one of two female leads. The rest of the cast is said to be filled out “soon,” with Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron both said to be interested in jumping on Scott’s expectedly epic return to sci-fi filmmaking. Scott once told MTV News that he “avoided sequels, unless [he] felt there was something fresh,” and judging from what he’s doing with “Prometheus,” the new film will be just that. “While ‘Alien’ was indeed the jumping-off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place,” he said. “The keen fan will recognize strands of ‘Alien’ ‘s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.” Lindelof said what lured him in was Scott’s original vision for the film: “It’s daring, visceral and, hopefully, the last thing anyone expects,” he said, adding that working with the Oscar winner is a dream come true. “When I sat in a movie theater as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in my wildest imagination I would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short of a dream come true.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

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‘Alien’ Prequel Turns Into Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus’

Jedward impersonate Justin Bieber! Jedward needs a pedicure!

Just in time for Christmas, I have the gift that keeps on giving: A Jedward update. First, let’s take a look at this behind-the-scenes snap the twins Tweeted from a recent concert with Jason Derulo. I have an explanation for the shiz on their face: I pee pee gold. Seen here, Edward posed as The Fetus. He wrote: “Justin Bieber do you like our hat its JEDstin BieWARD.” But a fan offered a more accurate caption: “*LOVE!* you look like JEDstin BieWARD the vampire here.. xD

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Jedward impersonate Justin Bieber! Jedward needs a pedicure!

Wikileaks UFO Disclosure – WikiLeaks Cables Contain UFO Info Claims Assange

Breaking UFO News : Answering reader questions in The Guardian, Australian-born Assange said: “Many weirdos email us about UFOs or how they discovered that they were the anti-christ whilst talking with their ex-wife at a garden party over a pot-plant. However, as yet they have not satisfied two of our publishing rules. 1) that the documents not be self-authored; 2) that they be original. added by: current_spider

Radiation scientists agree TSA naked body scanners could cause breast cancer and sperm mutations

The news about the potential health dangers of the TSA's naked body scanners just keeps getting worse. An increasing number of doctors and scientists are going public with their warnings about the health implications of subjecting yourself to naked body scanners. These include Dr Russell Blaylock (see below) as well as several professors from the University of California who are experts in X-ray imaging. At the same time, some internet bloggers are insisting that the TSA's naked body scanners pose no health risks because air travelers are subjected to higher levels of radiation by simply enduring high-altitude flights where cosmic radiation isn't filtered out by the full thickness of the Earth's atmosphere. This comparison, however, is inaccurate: The TSA's body scanners focus radiation on the skin and organs near the skin whereas cosmic radiation during high-altitude flights is distributed across the entire mass of your body. Comparing the total radiation exposure across your entire body to machine-emitted radiation exposure that focuses its ionizing radiation primarily on your skin is like comparing apples and oranges. You'll see this explained further, below, in the words of these scientists. As Dr Russell Blaylock ( www.BlaylockReport.com ) recently reported: “The growing outrage over the Transportation Security Administration's new policy of backscatter scanning of airline passengers and enhanced pat-downs brings to mind these wise words from President Ronald Reagan: The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help you. So, what is all the concern really about – will these radiation scanners increase your risk of cancer or other diseases? A group of scientists and professors from the University of California at San Francisco voiced their concern to Obama's science and technology adviser John Holdren in a well-stated letter back in April.” The letter Dr Blaylock is referring to is from the Faculty of the University of California, San Francisco and is signed by Doctors John Sedat Ph.D., David Agard, Ph.D., Marc Shuman, M.D., Robert Stroud, Ph.D. You can download or view the full letter from NaturalNews here (PDF): http://www.NaturalNews.com/files/TS.. . Even though it was written in April of this year, this letter has received increased publicity lately due to the TSA's sudden expansion of naked body scanners in airports as well as the agency's arrogant insistence that such machines will soon be used at bus stations, railway stations and other entrance points for mass transportation…. …Ten big concerns voiced by the scientists Here are ten additional concerns raised by these scientists in their letter: (the bolded titles are my subheads, the subsequent explanation test is quoted straight out the scientists' letter) #1) Cancer in senior citizens – The large population of older travelers, greater than 65 years of age, is particularly at risk from the mutagenic effects of the X-rays based on the known biology of melanocyte aging. #2) Breast cancer – A fraction of the female population is especially sensitive to mutagenesis-provoking radiation leading to breast cancer. Notably, because these women, who have defects in DNA repair mechanisms, are particularly prone to cancer, X-ray mammograms are not performed on them. The dose to breast tissue beneath the skin represents a similar risk. #3) White blood cells being irradiated – Blood (white blood cells) perfusing the skin is also at risk. #4) HIV and cancer patients – The population of immunocompromised individuals — HIV and cancer patients (see above) is likely to be at risk for cancer induction by the high skin dose. #5) Radiation risk to children – The risk of radiation emission to children and adolescents does not appear to have been fully evaluated. #6) Pregnant women – The policy towards pregnant women needs to be defined once the theoretical risks to the fetus are determined. #7 Sperm mutations – Because of the proximity of the testicles to skin, this tissue is at risk for sperm mutagenesis. #8 Radiation effects on cornea and thymus – Have the effects of the radiation on the cornea and thymus been determined? #9 Problems with the machine – There are a number of 'red flags' related to the hardware itself. Because this device can scan a human in a few seconds, the X-ray beam is very intense. Any glitch in power at any point in the hardware (or more importantly in software) that stops the device could cause an intense radiation dose to a single spot on the skin. Translation: This machine does not emit a “flood light” of radiation like you might get from a dental X-ray machine. Rather, this machine emits a thin, narrow beam of radiation that is quickly “scanned” across your body, back and forth, in much the same way that an inkjet printer prints a page (but a lot faster). Because the angle of the X-ray beam is controlled by the scanner software, a glitch in the software could turn the naked body scanner into a high-energy weapon if the beam gets “stuck” in one location for more than a fraction of a second. #10 Higher radiation for the groin? – Given the recent incident (on December 25th, 2009), how do we know whether the manufacturer or TSA, seeking higher resolution, will scan the groin area more slowly leading to a much higher total dose? Continued at: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Bq5v8T4ediQ/TOyk6Kcd9tI/AAAAAAAAA04/ZCSL9_LA0ME/s400/c… http://www.naturalnews.com/030607_naked_body_scanners_radiation.html added by: Dagum

CNN Hero Of The Year – Anuradha Koirala

Los Angeles, California (CNN) — A woman whose group has rescued more than 12,000 women and girls from sex slavery has been named the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year. Anuradha Koirala was chosen by the public in an online poll that ran for eight weeks on CNN.com. CNN's Anderson Cooper revealed the result at the conclusion of the fourth annual “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.” “Human trafficking is a crime, a heinous crime, a shame to humanity,” Koirala said earlier in the evening after being introduced as one of the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2010. “I ask everyone to join me to create a society free of trafficking. We need to do this for all our daughters.” Koirala was introduced by actress Demi Moore, who along with her husband, Ashton Kutcher, created DNA, The Demi and Ashton Foundation, which aims to eliminate child sex slavery worldwide. “Every day this woman confronts the worst of what humanity has to offer,” Moore said of Koirala. “She says, 'Stop. Stop selling our girls.' By raiding brothels and patrolling the India-Nepal border, she saves girls from being sold into the sex trade, where they are being repeatedly raped for profit, tortured and enslaved. “Since 1993, she has helped rescue more than 12,000 women and girls. Through her organization Maiti Nepal, she has provided more than a shelter for these girls and young women, she has created a home. It is a place for them to heal, go to school, learn a skill, and for some who are infected with HIV/AIDS, it is the place where they can spend their days surrounded by love.” See Koirala's fan page on CNN Heroes Koirala will receive $100,000 to continue her work with Maiti Nepal, in addition to the $25,000 awarded to each of the top 10 Heroes honored. “This is another responsibility to me to work with all your support,” Koirala told the audience after being named Hero of the Year. “We have to end this heinous crime. Please join hands with me to end this crime. … Please try to respect the youth. They are the ones who are going to build the next generation. Thank you so much.” Koirala's speech capped the gala event, which was taped November 20 before an audience of nearly 5,000 and premiered Thanksgiving night on the global networks of CNN. The show opened with a salute to the 33 Chilean miners and five of the people who rescued them last month after the miners spent 69 days underground. “For 69 days we were amazed by these 33 brave miners,” Cooper said in welcoming the miners onto the Shrine stage. “Their ordeal was unthinkable; their rescue, unbelievable. No one has ever been trapped underground so deep for so long and survived. “They endured a nightmare, experienced a miracle, and in the end became each others' brothers and heroes. On behalf of CNN Heroes, we salute all 33 Chilean miners.” After the miners sang the Chilean national anthem, two of them — speaking through a translator and holding the Chilean flag — expressed their appreciation. “We want to thank the world, and we want to thank God for your prayers,” Luis Urzua told the audience in Spanish. “Our families suffered. Our children suffered, too. But thanks to the prayers of the whole world, we could come out of this difficulty,” Mario Sepulveda added. “Some of our rescuers are here with us tonight,” Urzua said. “Thank you for bringing us home. You are our heroes.” CNN brought the miners and their rescuers to the United States to attend the tribute show. The five rescuers were selected to represent the many thousands whose talent and effort led to the dramatic rescue. The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 10,000 nominations from more than 100 countries, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. The program also featured performances by Grammy Award-winners Bon Jovi, John Legend and Sugarland. Rock legends Bon Jovi performed “What Do You Got?,” a new song from their greatest hits album, which came out earlier this month. Legend performed “Wake Up Everybody” along with hip-hop artist Common and R&B singer Melanie Fiona. Sugarland performed “Stand Up,” a new song from their album “The Incredible Machine,” which made its debut in October. All three performances echoed the spirit of the CNN Heroes campaign, which salutes everyday people whose extraordinary accomplishments are making a difference in their communities and beyond. Celebrity presenters included Halle Berry, Demi Moore, Jessica Alba, Kid Rock, LL Cool J, Renee Zellweger, Gerard Butler, Kiefer Sutherland, Marisa Tomei, Aaron Eckhart and Holly Robinson Peete. added by: TimALoftis

Natalee Holloway update

Natalee Holloway went missing while on a trip with her graduating class, and was last seen leaving an Oranjestad bar called Carlos #39;n Charile#39;s in the company of a Dutch boy who is now in jail in Peru for the murder of another young woman. A jawbone found on an Aruban beach earlier this month may belong to a young woman, but her name is not Natalee Holloway, DNA tests show. “It#39;s a Jane Doe,” Taco Stein, the Solicitor General told usTuesday shortly after making information about th

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Natalee Holloway update