Fierce Coldplay clip leaked to the Net on Saturday. By Jocelyn Vena Rihanna on the set of the “Princess of China” video Photo: Island/Def Jam Coldplay and Rihanna have been teasing their “Princess of China” video for a while now. On Saturday (June 2), the clip leaked ahead of its scheduled Monday release date. The trippy video is full of surreal images that play on the song’s references to Asia, with Chris Martin and Rihanna donning all sorts of ninja and ninja-goddess couture. A desert, the sky and some ancient-looking Chinese palaces all serve as backgrounds. Martin and Rih Rih also do some sword-wielding and ninja kicks, for good measure. In more emotional parts of the clip, Rihanna and Martin, playing star-crossed lovers, kneel in the desert, forehead to forehead, as they mourn the loss of their love. But the moving image soon turns violent as they float through the air and partake in a ninja battle. Much like the characters in the song, the onscreen characters are torn up about their dying love. And while the love story is at the center of the clip, Rihanna’s look is also a standout as she appears in several forms: multi-armed goddess, heartbroken geisha and fierce warrior princess. The official June 4 release date had been pushed back from May before leaking to the Net on Saturday, the same day Rihanna dropped some behind-the-scenes photos on Facebook . In the images, her hair is done up in a geisha bun and she wears long, fringe earrings. They’re similar to shots she released back in March from the video shoot. “Her bit on our record is my favorite bit,” the Coldplay frontman told MTV News last fall about Rihanna’s feature on Mylo Xyloto . “When the song came out, it sort of asked for her to be on it. And I think at this point, we have nothing to lose, and so we’ve been trying some new things and trying to break down the perceived boundaries between different types of music.” Share your thoughts on the “Princess of China” video in the comments! Related Artists Coldplay Rihanna
Commercial features Sarah Jessica Parker, who will invite lucky donors to her home for an Obama fundraiser. By Ryan J. Downey President Barack Obama Photo: AFP/Getty Images The MTV Movie Awards traditionally feature many leaders from the world of pop culture. This year, the leader of the United States has chosen the Movie Awards to debut his first official re-election campaign commercial. MTV News can report that President Obama’s first 2012 campaign ad will air during the show, which begins live Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. President Obama’s campaign spot won’t be totally incongruous with the glam and glitz of the awards show. The ad features “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker, who will invite supporters to her home for an Obama fundraiser co-hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Campaign donors will have a chance to win a pair of tickets, which will be raffled off by Obama re-election campaign organizers. On Friday, the Obama camp released a video where Wintour voiced her support for the President, who is running for a second term. The commercial comes at a pivotal moment in Obama’s bid for re-election. In May, the president made headlines when he announced his support for same-sex marriage , making him the highest ranking elected official to do so in American history. While several celebrities voiced their support , others thought it was a calculated attempt to gain voters. Obama’s biggest challenge will come from presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who has contrasted his worldview with that of the Obama administration, most pointedly when it comes to economic policy. He has pledged to repeal Obama’s healthcare reform bill and would like to lawfully define marriage as between a man and a woman, among other platform distinctions. Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Related Videos Behind The Scenes At The 2012 MTV Movie Awards Related Photos Sneak Peek Week At The 2012 Movie Awards
Band will perform at the July 22 show, marking their first performance in nearly three years. By James Montgomery No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images No Doubt are putting the finishing touches on their first album in more than a decade (we still don’t know what it’s called, but we do know it’ll be in stores September 25 ), and now, they’ve announced their return to the stage: July 22, at the Teen Choice Awards. The band broke the news via their Twitter account, writing , “You may have heard the rumors … and yes, we will be performing on the Teen Choice Awards in July!” At the moment, No Doubt are the only artists confirmed to play the TCAs, which air July 22 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. It also marks their first performance since wrapping a summer tour with Paramore in 2009 and a pair of Bridge School benefit shows in October of the same year. In recent months, there’s been an uptick in activity on the follow-up to 2001’s Rock Steady album, which No Doubt have been working on in earnest since 2008. Sessions for the new album have been helmed by producer Mark “Spike” Stent, and the band has been keeping fans updated on developments through Twitter and with in-studio videos. The first of those videos shows ND polishing a Diplo and Switch track called “Push and Shove” and, according to their tweets, other new tunes include “Undone” and “Heaven.” Last summer, Rolling Stone got an advance listen to a handful of songs from the album, including “Settle Down” and “One More Summer.” It’s not known if those tunes will end up making the final cut for the still-untitled album. Are you excited for No Doubt to get back onstage again? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists No Doubt
More than half a century has passed since Jack Kerouac’s On the Road was published and over 30 years since Francis Ford Coppola bought the rights to the book. Only today, in one of the Cannes Film Festival’s most anticipated events, has director Walter Salles’s adaptation finally screened for its first audience. Stars Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, Kirsten Dunst and Sam Riley (pictured above L-R) joined director Walter Salles and other On the Road principals to discuss the film at a press conference on Wednesday. Shot over 100,000 kilometers and with years of research heading into the project before shooting, the new film based on the Beat Generation bible finally made good on numerous failed adaptation attempts in the past. “My dad bought the rights in 1979 and aspired to make the movie with a handful of filmmakers through the years,” said Roman Coppola, a producer on the film, at the press conference. “Then Walter said he’d like to take it on, and he’s such a natural fit for this kind of material.” Salles has indeed put in his own time on the road — most notably in 2004 when he directed The Motorcycle Diaries , another overland film based on the famous travelogue by future Cuban revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Salles spent five years retracing the route of On the Road before shooting. “What we’re portraying with this film has a correlation with The Motorcycle Diaries ,” Salles explained today. “It’s about the dawn of a new era and a journey from youth to the beginning of adulthood and [young people] trying to find the freedoms that were denied them. And by doing that, they also changed a culture in a country that was very, very conservative.” The film features Riley ( ControL ) as Sal, who falls under the spell of the intoxicatingly charming Dean Moriarty (Hedlund), who himself chases around America for freedom and an elusive “It.” Standing in as surrogates for Kerouac and Beat poet Neal Cassady, respectively, Sal and Dean travel around the country indulging in drink, drugs, sex, fast driving and the whims of youth hellbent on not conforming to post-WWII America. “I think this is a great time for this to come out now, because young people will discover this book and identify with it in a lot of ways,” said Viggo Mortensen, whose character Old Bull Lee was inspired by William S. Burroughs. Perhaps the darkest of the Beats, Lee tries to shed enlightenment on Sal and Dean as they pass through. Mortensen said he was drawn to Salles’s approach to the material, which has been viewed by some as difficult (at best) to adapt to the screen given its unconventional style. “You have to make these characters your own,” he said. “I asked, ‘How is this film going to be made?’ Is it just going to be a piece of Americana and in a box, or are we going to make these characters our own? Some could have made this beautifully photographed and that’s it. Or is it going to be beautifully photographed but also embrace the darker sides of the story. It is disturbing sometimes, this movie — drinking, drugs and the women who get left behind.” Among the women who get left behind we find Stewart, who co-stars as Dean’s ex-wife and longtime mistress (after their marriage) LuAnne. She travels with Dean and Sal through large swaths of America, sharing in their hedonism (and occasionally sharing them). Dunst, meanwhile, appears as the mother of Dean’s two children, whom he’d often leave behind as he traipsed across the country (and Mexico) with Sal, jumping into bed (or wherever) with one woman after the next. “I was 16 or 17 when I spoke to Walter for the first time [about this film],” Stewart told the press on Wednesday. “I was happy I could age a couple of years when I started this movie even though LuAnne was 16 when she started this journey but I was a younger 16,” said Stewart. When asked about the sex scenes and the nudity — and there is plenty of that across the board in On the Road — Stewart said she was ready to push the envelope after the more restrained sexuality of the Twilight series. “I like pushing and watching a genuine experience on screen,” she said. “The reason I wanted to do the job was to be provoked as much as possible and then to do it and take it further. We were just going forth, and as long as you’re being honest there’s nothing to be ashamed of.” “Those characters in the book had the courage to experience everything in the flesh,” said Salles, who added that he hopes the film will not only be a window into this particular group of people or a past generation, but also be a vehicle for young people now. “It may be very painful to see what happens to these men and women… [but] the most beautiful thing that could happen is that young viewers of this movie may read this book and have the same passion as we had when we were that age.” Read more of Movieline’s Cannes 2012 coverage here .
Ha! Kidding. But don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to lick the guy. Wait, what? We can’t have that privilege, either? What is going on here? Anyway, here are some sweet new postage stamps featuring directors John Huston, Billy Wilder, John Ford and Frank Capra. They are available today for philatelists and the snail-mail enthusiast in your life. (Hint, hint.) Read on for full details via the USPS and its partners at the American Film Institute. [Click above for bigger image] SILVER SPRING, MD — Four extraordinary film directors — Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston and Billy Wilder — received a stamping ovation today with the issuance of the Great Film Directors First-Class Forever stamps. The dedication took place at the American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Cultural Center where some of their works were showcased. Available nationwide today, the stamps can be purchased online at usps.com/shop, by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724) or by visiting Post Offices. “With these stamps, we’re bringing these filmmakers out from behind their cameras and putting them in the spotlight so that we can learn more about them,” said Samuel Pulcrano, U.S. Postal Service vice president, Corporate Communications in dedicating the stamps. “Movies offer a window into our history and heritage and tell the story of America. Similar to movies, stamps honor our past and celebrate our achievements while encouraging us to learn more about the people, places, and ideas that shape the American experience.” Joining Pulcrano in dedicating the stamps were Jean Picker Firstenberg, American Film Institute president emerita and Postmaster General’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee chair; Dr. Bernie Cook, associate dean and director of media studies, Georgetown University; Ray Barry, director, AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; Silver Spring Postmaster Tony Thompson; and, Arch Campell, ABC television arts and entertainment critic who emceed the event. “The American Film Institute’s mission is to preserve and showcase the cinematic treasures created by these and other directors and it is our hope that these Forever stamps will encourage Americans to see their classic movies that gave us a mirror on our country’s character and values,” said Firstenberg. Following the ceremony, AFI Silver Theatre provided the audience with a screening of Billy Wilder’s The Apartment . The four filmmakers received multiple Academy Award nominations, 15 Oscars, and numerous other honors during their lifetimes. But their greatest accomplishment lies in the vitality and artistry of the stories they told through film. Over a period of approximately 40 years, the quintessentially American filmmakers captured multiple contradictions, tensions, dark and light sides in deeply personal interpretations that conveyed the American experience as never before. The stamp art combines a portrait of each director with a scene from one of his most iconic works. The background art for the stamp honoring Frank Capra shows a scene from It Happened One Night , a comedy in which a runaway heiress (played by Claudette Colbert) and a reporter (Clark Gable) compare their hitchhiking skills. For the John Ford stamp, the background recalls a scene from The Searchers , an influential Western starring John Wayne and making Ford’s characteristic use of the American landscape. The Maltese Falcon inspired the background art for the John Huston stamp. In this classic mystery, gumshoe Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) goes up against various unscrupulous characters (among them Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet). For Billy Wilder, the stamp background artwork was inspired by Some Like It Hot , a farce about two male musicians (Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) who seek refuge from gangsters by posing as members of an all-girl band featuring luscious singer Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). Art Director Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, designed these stamps using art by award-winning illustrator Gary Kelley of Cedar Falls, IA, who created the images using pastels on paper. Customers may view the Great Film Directors Forever stamps, as well as many of this year’s other stamps, on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps , through Twitter @USPSstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at beyondtheperf.com/2012-preview . Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service’s online site for background on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news. ###
In this week’s Hobnobbing, we offer advice for the franchise’s first outing at the big show! By Amy Wilkinson Jennifer Lawrence in “Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate Come June 3, “The Hunger Games” will enter a brand-new arena: the 2012 MTV Movie Awards . And this is one fiery debut for the film franchise, with eight nominations , including Movie of the Year, Best Cast, Best Female Lead (Jennifer Lawrence), Best Male Performance (Josh Hutcherson), Breakthrough Performance (Liam Hemsworth), Best On-Screen Transformation (Elizabeth Banks), Best Fight (Lawrence and Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludgwig), and Best Kiss (Lawrence and Hutcherson). Yep, clearly the kind of credentials that would make any sponsor drool. Much like the titular death match, the Movie Awards can be a contentious battle, with franchise facing off against franchise, so preparation is key. In this week’s Hobnobbing, we’re taking on the role of mentor (step aside, Haymitch!) and offering some advice to the tributes. Here are our dos and don’ts for the big night: DO Dress to Impress Effie If there’s one place to let your fashion freak flag fly, it’s most certainly at an MTV awards show. ( Am I right, Rose McGowan ?) Of course, I’m not encouraging any tribute-tushy flashing or donning of flame-licked jumpsuits (such a fire hazard!), but this is a safe space to experiment with fanciful motifs and pieces of flair. For instance, I could see Lawrence sporting a shorter, cropped version of her red, orange and yellow interview dress, or Banks working her sky-high Effie heels. DON’T Tease Us Full disclosure: I personally think “Twilight” co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are a lock for a fourth Best Kiss statuette, but if the odds are indeed in Lawrence and Hutcherson’s favor and they’re named victors, I respectfully ask that they give us a show. None of this we-almost-maybe-kinda-sorta-kissed business. If you need some inspiration, Jennifer and Josh, take a page out of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams’ “Notebook.” DO Bring Your Bow and Arrow The Movie Awards have a storied history of spoofery, and while I have no insider information as to what’s in the works, Lawrence (if in attendance) would be wise to pack her trusty weapon. You never know when it will come in handy for a giggle-worthy gag! (Is this where I put in my request for Lawrence to shoot an apple off of Josh Horowitz ‘s head?) DON’T Drop Your Golden Popcorn ‘Nuff said . DO Bring News About “Catching Fire” We’re getting really hungry here, guys. Any scraps about the November 2013 release would be much appreciated. (Seriously, we’ll retrieve them from a pile of slop and devour them. We’re not proud!) Do you have any Movie Awards advice for the “Hunger Games” gang? Sound off in the comments below and tweet me @amymwilk with your thoughts and suggestions for future columns! Earlier “Hunger Games” columns :
Actor’s lawyer says he’s been ‘completely vindicated.’ By Gil Kaufman John Travolta Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images The first of the two anonymous massage therapists who filed a sexual battery lawsuit against John Travolta has withdrawn his legal action. According to CNN , Okorie Okarocha, the lawyer representing a client known as John Doe #1, filed papers on Tuesday to drop the client after he discovered that the masseur had misstated the date on which he alleged the incident with Travolta took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Travolta’s lawyer, Martin Singer, said the withdrawal means the actor has been “completely vindicated” and added that, “we fully expect that my client will similarly be vindicated with respect to Doe #2, as well as with respect to any other person who makes meritless claims against John Travolta.” Despite Singer’s claims, Okarocha he stood behind the second unnamed plaintiff, who claimed Travolta groped him during a massage in an Atlanta hotel last January. “I can guarantee that John Doe #2 has a truckload of witnesses to back up what he’s saying,” he said. Okarocha said the second therapist’s claims are reportedly backed up by a series of e-mails in which he complains to his supervisors about Travolta’s advances. Reacting to that comment, Singer said the documents he’s seen online purporting to be one of those e-mails, “significantly does not refer to my client at all, nor does it make any mention whatsoever of any of the things outrageously alleged in Doe #2’s lawsuit … Instead, Doe #2 voiced complaints about his co-workers gossiping and being insubordinate.” The fact that the e-mail doesn’t once mention Travolta’s name, “says it all,” according to Singer. “Nothing that is alleged in Doe #2’s lawsuit was mentioned in the e-mail he sent to his bosses, making his claims even more unbelievable … The allegations in ‘Doe #2’s’ lawsuit are unraveling, just like ‘Doe #1’s’ ridiculous allegations, which were proven false and impossible,” he said. Okarocha appeared confident in his case, though, vowing to “mop up” in the courtroom with the witnesses and documents in the case against Travolta. “I think I can show a custom, habit and practice,” Okarocha said, referring to his claims that the actor has sexually assaulted dozens of other massage therapists over the years. “If I bring in 100 people that don’t have an ax to grind, don’t want any money, they’re in 50 different states, they don’t know each other, they’re all massage therapists, they all have dates, they’re at different spa resorts and they say this exact same thing happened, it’s pretty hard to refute.” Unlike the first accuser, Okarocha vowed that his client, “ain’t going nowhere,” and is looking forward to a trial. Travolta, 58, has been married to actress Kelly Preston for 20 years and has repeatedly denied whisper campaigns about his sexuality. Before dropping the first accuser, Okarocha apologized on Friday for putting the wrong date of the John Doe #1 incident in the lawsuit, which his client initially told him occurred on January 16, 2012. Singer was able to produce a restaurant receipt and a time-stamped photo that showed Travolta was in New York, not Los Angeles, on that date. Rather than amend the lawsuit, Okarocha decided to withdraw the allegation from the suit and drop John Doe #1 to avoid hurting the chances of the second plaintiff’s suit. Radar Online reported that John Doe #1 has hired famed L.A. attorney Gloria Allred to represent him. “I represent John Doe #1. Mr. Doe’s lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice which means that he is still legally entitled to file another lawsuit against John Travolta if he chooses,” said Allred. “We are in the process of conferring with him regarding the next steps, which he may wish to take. Our client and our firm has no further comment at this time.”
‘I think sometimes certain voices and certain vibes and certain styles just work together,’ Sean says of ‘I’m All Yours’ collabo. By Jocelyn Vena Jay Sean Photo: MTV News For Jay Sean ‘s lead single, “I’m All Yours,” off his forthcoming album Worth It All, there was only one guy who could capture the track’s bounce and party vibe. That guy is Miami-bred rhymer Pitbull , who brings his signature sense of gruffy swagger to the song. “Well, you know, people who know my music, especially when I first came over to America, one of the first things that people noticed with my songs is I like to do feel-good songs. And when it comes to the singles, that’s what I like to give them. And ‘I’m All Yours’ is really the epitome of all that,” Sean explained to MTV News about the dance track. Full of pounding beats and bleeps, the song is about falling for a girl who makes all the partying and fun even better. “It’s taking the modern movement of dance, which has obviously taken over the whole world, but I’m not putting it in the nightclub environment,” he continued. “So it’s still got that element of romance, which is what I like to bring to music. So it’s high-energy and romantic. And the Pitbull collaboration actually happened in Australia, where we were on tour together, and you know, we’re all fans of each other. We got talking, like, ‘Man, we should do something.’ So we laid it out right there and then.” What emerged from their friendship is a song tailor-made for both Sean and Pit. The track is fun, summery and a definite dance-floor anthem, three qualities these two guys know a lot about given their individual music histories. “I think the thing is, you got someone like Pit and myself, we share similar fanbases, but also, as I said, it’s that high-energy music that really blends well together,” he said. “And I think sometimes certain voices and certain vibes and certain styles just work together on a record, so it was just nice the way it came out.” Related Artists Jay Sean Pitbull
Experts weigh in on whether Spears will find success with her new judging gig. By Christina Garibaldi Britney Spears Photo: Max Morse/Getty Images The rumors had been swirling for months, and now, according to reports, the pop princess herself, Britney Spears , will be joining the judging panel on “The X Factor,” landing a $15 million deal for one season. Yet, after 15 years in the public eye, seven studio albums and more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, many are wondering: Is “The X Factor” is the right career move for Spears ? “I think it is a good move, actually,” Entertainment Weekly writer Tanner Stransky told MTV News. “I think she has so many people on her team watching what she’s doing and being careful. I think nobody would let her take a misstep, but I think it’s the right move right now.” This new role certainly has many advantages. It keeps Spears in the public eye while keeping her close to her family, and it will most likely bring in the big ratings that “X Factor” and Simon Cowell are hoping for. Yet there are some experts who are a little wary of Spears taking a spot on the panel, since over the years, the pop star has been noticeably withdrawn from press, rarely giving on-camera interviews. “I think everyone is a little concerned, simply because Britney has been very press-shy since she’s been in her conservatorship, and everything is incredibly guarded and incredibly controlled,” Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts at Billboard, said. “And there can be uncontrollable moments on ‘The X Factor,’ and if things are not completely in control and things are not rehearsed, things could go wrong. With a live show, anything can happen, and that can be very exciting but, at the same time, a little worrisome.” Stransky agreed and believes that, while Spears is judging the contestants, viewers will ultimately be judging her. “Everyone is going to take a close look at her and pay attention to what she says,” Stransky said. “She’s sort of been so managed on her interviews in the past five years, it’s risky.” But Spears’ loyal fan base feels that putting Spears in an environment where anything can happen is actually a good thing, and will show a whole different side of the pop star. “That’s part of the excitement of her being on this: It’s unscripted,” said Jordan Miller, webmaster for Spears’ biggest fan site, BreatheHeavy.com . “We are so used to her reading cue cards and kind of being controlled in that way, so for her to break out of that and to do something that’s stepping outside her comfort zone, I think it’s a great step for her, career-wise, and for her as a person. I think she’s going to do really good. I think she’s confident.” And confidence is key when judging a singing competition, but so is experience — which Spears has in spades. For years, fans have listened to her chart-topping music and have seen her on tour, but now they’re ready to connect with the star on a new level. “I think the overall consensus is that people are really excited to see Britney do something new and be able to connect with her a couple times a week on national television,” Miller said. “It’s exciting for fans to see that she’s going to be able to mentor these contestants, because like it or not, Britney does have the ‘X Factor,’ so it’s going to be great to see how she can transcend this into more singers and inspire other people.” Are you excited for Britney Spears to be a judge on “The X Factor”? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Britney Spears
