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Florence And The Machine Drew On ‘Emotional’ ‘127 Hours’ At Oscars

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘When the song comes, it’s a very emotional moment,’ Florence Welch says of ‘If I Rise’ before live performance. By Aly Semigran, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Florence Welch attends the 2011 Academy Awards Photo: Getty Images Florence Welch wasn’t a nominee at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday (February 27), but the breakout music star approached the evening as if she were up for a trophy. Welch, who stepped in to help sing Dido’s portion of Best Original Song nominee “If I Rise” (from “127 Hours”), talked to MTV News on the Oscar red carpet about her responsibility to do the song from the Best Picture nominee justice. “When the song comes, it’s a very emotional moment,” said the Florence and the Machine frontwoman, who was making her Academy Awards debut. “It’s the moment when James Franco ‘s … character realizes what he has to do.” Best Picture nominee “127 Hours” chronicles real-life hiker Aron Ralston’s harrowing story of survival, including his decision to amputate his own arm when faced with possible death on a hiking trip. Clearly a fan of the film, Welch recalled her experience of watching the film. “You know what’s going to happen, but you’re with him from the very beginning,” the red-haired songstress said of Franco’s portrayal, which also earned the Oscar host a nod for Best Actor. In spite of the not-easy-to-watch moments in director Danny Boyle’s film, Welch described the scene in which “If I Rise” begins to play “actually, a very calm moment.” Drawing inspiration from the movie and that particular moment scene, Welch told us she prepared to perform live alongside Oscar winner A.R. Rahman — he penned the song with Dido and Rollo Armstrong — by telling herself to “try and be calm.” As for Florence and the Machine fans, the singer told us they can expect new music very soon. “Right now, I’m just working on my second album,” she said. But while many are still hoping Florence and the Machine will wind up on the upcoming “Breaking Dawn” soundtrack (they appeared on the “Eclipse” soundtrack), Welch confirmed that she hasn’t been called to contribute to the project yet. Stick with MTV News on Oscar night and beyond for red-carpet fashion coverage, analysis of the winners, plus interviews, photos and more from your favorite Hollywood stars! Related Videos 2011 Oscars Red Carpet Interviews Related Photos 2011 Academy Awards Red Carpet Related Artists Florence + the Machine

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The 2011 Grammy Nominees Revealed … Possibly

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on The 2011 Grammy Nominees Revealed … Possibly

Eminem, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and more Grammy guesses, in Bigger Than the Sound. By James Montgomery Eminem and Jay-Z Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage On Wednesday night (December 1), CBS will broadcast one of my favorite events of the year: the annual Grammy Nominations telecast/concert/thingy. Not only is it the unofficial kickoff of the self-congratulatory season, but it gives me a chance to wager on another largely arbitrary and oft insane awards show. So, you know, I’m pumped. After all, it’s not exactly news to readers of Bigger Than the Sound that I fancy myself quite the prognosticator, particularly when it comes to shows like the Grammys (or the VMAs ). This is partially because I consider myself an expert on these kinds of things, but also because I have a huge gambling problem. Sometimes, I even manage to hit the nail on the head, like I did with my predictions for last year’s Grammys (who among us can forget my triumphant 4-for-5 performance in Record of the Year?!?), though, more often than not, I fail miserably. Still, I keep trying. It seems I cannot turn down the opportunity to pick the nominees at crazy awards shows, and the 2011 Grammys (which will air Sunday, February 13) are perhaps the craziest in recent memory. After all, back in April, the Recording Academy — the folks behind the Grammys — decided to randomly extend the eligibility period to 13 months (from September 1, 2009, to September 30, 2010), which meant a whole lot of albums that I practically forgot about (Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3, Muse’s The Resistance, John Mayer’s Battle Studies ) were all of a sudden back in play. All of that is a rather longwinded way of saying that these picks are nothing more than informed guesses, really — though, in keeping with the general WTF-ery of the Grammys, I suppose that makes them strangely perfect. In an attempt to save myself from total humiliation, I’ve decided to tackle only the so-called Big Four categories: Record, Album and Song of the Year, plus Best New Artist. So here, for your wagering pleasure (and mine) are my predictions for the 2011 Grammy nominations. Record of the Year This is the Grammy for song of the year (in olde-tyme speak — and hip-hop — songs are referred to as “records”), though they might as well call it the Group of Death, since over the past 13 months, so many massive artists released so many massive songs. Last year, Academy voters gave the award to the Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody,” though this year, I have a feeling it could be a rapper taking home the hardware. My picks:

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‘Glee’ To Cover Florence And The Machine’s ‘Dog Days Are Over’

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on ‘Glee’ To Cover Florence And The Machine’s ‘Dog Days Are Over’

‘We’re thrilled she’s finally broken through, and now we at ‘Glee’ get to be a part of it,’ music supervisor PJ Bloom tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage With “Glee” fanatics still raving about this week’s episode — particularly guest star Gwyneth Paltrow — it might be hard to look ahead to next week. But thanks to a run-in with “Glee” music supervisor PJ Bloom at Thursday night’s Hollywood Music in Media Awards — during which Bloom was nominated for his music supervision on “Eat Pray Love” — MTV News got a few tidbits about what to expect on next week’s episode with another superstar guest: Carol Burnett. “[Burnett] plays Sue [Sylvester]’s mom,” Bloom said. “It’s going to be fun. One of the best things we’ve been able to do with ‘Glee’ is the exploitation of the show tunes. We do our pop songs, we do our classic songs, but what we’ve been able to do with American musicals has been fantastic. And I think this is an under-explored area of pop culture. It’s stuff that the kids care about, clearly, because they’ve responded so incredibly to the musicals we’ve done. What we’ve been able to do for schools, musicals in schools have been great.” So does that mean next week’s ep will be chock-full of show tunes? “This next episode with Sue and Carol Burnett is going to explore quite a bit of that, which is fantastic,” he said. Another bit of information Bloom let slip was a certain pop song the cast will be performing on an upcoming episode, which came up during a discussion about whether Bloom had a hand in using Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” in trailer for “Eat Pray Love.” He didn’t, but he did reveal that the titian-tressed VMA performer will make her mark on “Glee” very soon. “She is amazing,” Bloom said of frontwoman Florence Welch. “We’re thrilled she’s finally broken through, and now we at ‘Glee’ get to be a part of it. … We’re doing ‘Dog Days,’ ” Bloom revealed. “It’s going to be amazing. Florence is fantastic. I think it’s exciting that the United States gets to experience an artist like Florence and the Machine.” Are you excited that “Dog Days” will be on “Glee”? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Musical ‘Glee-Caps’ Of Season Two

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‘Resident Evil’ Enjoys Solid ‘Afterlife’ At The Box Office

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Fourth entry in video game franchise takes top prize during quiet box-office weekend. By Josh Wigler Milla Jovovich in “Resident Evil: Afterlife” Photo: Sony Pictures The Box-Office Top Five #1 “Resident Evil: Afterlife” ($27.7 million) #2 “Takers” ($6.1 million) #3 “The American” ($5.9 million) #4 “Machete” ($4.2 million) #5 “Going the Distance” ($3.8 million) If there’s one thing that zombies enjoy more than brains, it’s money. And the flesh-eating monsters of “Resident Evil: Afterlife” got a whole lot of both as the only new wide release to hit theaters this past weekend. Director Paul W.S. Anderson and actress Milla Jovovich’s fourth entry in the popular video game franchise proved that the series still has plenty of life in it with a first-place finish worth $27.7 million. “Afterlife” played on an estimated 4,700 screens at 3,203 locations, with just over 2,000 of those venues showing off the movie’s well-received 3-D capabilities and 141 in IMAX 3-D. Not only did “Afterlife” top the domestic box office, but it also managed to dethrone “Inception” overseas with $46.2 million earned from foreign markets. The success of “Afterlife” all but guarantees that the “Resident Evil” franchise will soldier on. Indeed, Jovovich informed New York magazine that a fifth film will “definitely” be made, with plans to solicit story ideas from fans. “We’ve been talking to a lot of fans on Twitter and stuff, so it’s probably going to be one of the first movies where we really talk to fans to see what they want, and what characters they want to see,” she said. “It’s going to be a more interactive process.” Beyond “Afterlife,” it was a fairly bleak weekend at the box office. “Takers” continued to perform well in its third weekend, while both “The American” and “Machete” suffered significant drops of more than 50 percent in their second weekend frames. “Going the Distance” rounded out the top five with $3.8 million. Upcoming Releases Next weekend, Ben Affleck invites moviegoers to visit “The Town,” while M. Night Shyamalan puts the fear of the “Devil” inside of an elevator. Animated comedy “Alpha and Omega” and the Emma Stone-starring romantic comedy “Easy A” round out the weekend’s newcomers. Check out everything we’ve got on “Resident Evil: Afterlife.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’ Clips ‘Takers’ Clips Related Photos ‘Takers’ Premiere Seizes Hollywood

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Florence And The Machine Crank Out Explosive VMA Performance

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

VMA virgins deliver dance, drums and more in ‘Dog Days Are Over’ set. By Mawuse Ziegbe Florence and the Machine’s Florence Welch performs at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Florence and the Machine obviously know how to keep a promise. The U.K. group, fronted by crimson-haired songstress Florence Welch, told MTV News a few days ago that their MTV Video Music Award debut would be a load of kinda-choreographed chaos. And they were not playing around. The Machine served up an elaborate, soulful rendition of their multi-VMA-nominated, drum-driven jam “Dog Days Are Over.” Donning a drape-y pastel dress, Welch reclined on a rotating platform, red hair splayed about and clutching a gilded mic as she crooned the delicate opening notes to the breakout hit. As she continued to sing directly into an aerial camera shot, the lens pulled out to reveal seven blue-skinned, ’60s-bouffant-sporting vamps working synchronized poses around the platform. As the track ramped up, Welch stood upright and bounded around the stage, leading a throng of undulating dancers billowing across the set in wispy loincloths. The performance spliced together everything from modern dance to rural church revivals, as an army of drummers rocked out, smacking their instruments with impassioned fervor, and a choir lining the back of the stage dished out heartfelt cheer. Welch recently explained that the Machine sought to re-create the frenetic and ethereal vibe of the video, which also features a trippy array of vibrant percussionists and dancers decked out in out-of-this-world costumes. “What we’re trying to do is kind of encapsulate the video into a live performance,” Welch said. “There’s a lot of different characters in the video, and so I’m going to be trying to bring some of that. It’s just about the energy of the song, for me. It’s sort of energy and chaos.” Choreographer Travis Wall has also dubbed the performance “a huge celebration.” VMA executive producer Dave Sirulnick explained that the performance should establish the British newbies Stateside. “People have heard the song on television, but maybe those people haven’t made the connection to Florence the artist, so that’s part of what her performance is going to be about,” Sirulnick said. The big night continues for the VMA virgins, who scored four nods, including Best Rock Video, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography . Florence and the Machine are still up for the coveted Video of the Year award. What did you think of Florence and the Machine’s VMA performance? Sound off in the comments below! The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards are happening live, right now at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles! Keep it locked on MTVNews.com for the latest behind-the-scenes scoop, red-carpet interviews, photos, winner reactions and more. Related Videos VMA 2010: Most Talked About Moments Related Photos VMA 2010: Show Highlights Related Artists Florence and the Machine

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Noah Baumbach and Ben Stiller Team Up to Raise Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Posted on April 1, 2010 by | Leave a comment

If you didn’t get your fill of hipster kid-lit adaptations with Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox or Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are , you’ll be happy to know that this trend has one more trick up its sleeve. According to Variety , Ben Stiller is set to reteam with his Greenberg director Noah Baumbach (who also cowrote Mr. Fox with Wes Anderson) on a film version of the 1938 classic children’s book Mr. Popper’s Penguins, written by Richard and Florence Atwater’s Mr. Popper’s Penguins .

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Carol Brady vs. Mrs. C: Who’d You Rather?

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Filed under: Who’d You Rather? TV moms Florence Henderson, 76, of “The Brady Bunch” (left) — and Marion Ross, 81, of “Happy Days” (right) reunited at some event in NYC this week.Question is … See Also Rosario vs. Hayden: Who’d You Rather? … Permalink

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