Tag Archives: multiplatinum

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Thought She Bombed ‘Transformers’ Audition

‘Dark of the Moon’ director Michael Bay called and said, ‘You’re the girl,’ the first-time actress tells MTV News. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Photo: Paramount Pictures One of the many intriguing stories to emerge from the production and release of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is the casting of new leading lady and first-time actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. In addition to making headlines for replacing Megan Fox as the new “Transformers” ‘It” girl, the fact that Whiteley comes to Hollywood from the equally glamorous world of modeling has only added to her appeal. The Victoria’s Secret model’s acting abilities have already been touted and praised by her co-stars, Shia LaBeouf and Tyrese Gibson , but when MTV News caught up with the newbie, we asked her about the intensity of the audition process. “I went to the audition and really I knew nothing about the role,” Whiteley said. “No one had said anything; it was just a role in ‘Transformers,’ so I kind of thought it would be an extra part or a cameo or something,” she explained. “I went in a bit blind and also, it was my first-ever audition. I went in completely not knowing what I was doing. I left feeling not confident.” Whiteley didn’t have long to wallow in her uncertainty, because a couple days after that audition, director Michael Bay phoned her directly. “He was like, ‘Yeah, you’re the girl,’ ” she recalled. Before landing the big-screen role, Whiteley had dabbled in some amateur acting via school plays and a short film for lingerie company Agent Provocateur, but “Dark of the Moon” was definitely her first real gig. So has she been bitten by the acting bug? “Yeah, I’ve been so lucky because doing this film, I got to try a little bit of everything,” she said. “There’s something for everyone in it: there’s the romance, the comedy, the drama, the action, there’s the special effects.” But as to whether we’ll see her back on the big screen soon, Whiteley wasn’t so sure. “I’m really hoping to do another movie,” she said. “I’m working toward that, although I very much hope to stay in the fashion industry; it’s my first love. We’ll see what happens. I’ve got no idea.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Transformers: Dark Of The Moon’ Related Photos Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: From Model To ‘Transformers 3’ Starlet ‘Transformers: Dark Of The Moon’ Premieres At The Moscow Int’l Film Festival

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Thought She Bombed ‘Transformers’ Audition

Eminem Takes His Own Life In ‘Space Bound’ Video

Em plays two versions of himself in eerie clip co-starring porn star Sasha Grey. By Rob Markman Eminem on the set of his “Space Bound” music video Photo: Eric Ford / On Location News Just when we thought Eminem had fully escaped his demons following the release of his multiplatinum 2010 album Recovery, Marshall Mathers takes his own life with a single gunshot to the head in his new “Space Bound” video, which is now available on iTunes. The video is a gut-wrenching look into another of Eminem’s tumultuous relationships, much like the one exhibited in the video for “Love the Way You Lie” — this time with deadly results. Filmed in Los Angeles in February, the Joseph Kahn-directed clip starts with our leading man walking down a foggy road in the middle of the night. Obviously perturbed, a sullen Em marches on, hands in his pockets, until a passing car picks him up. In the driver’s seat is the Detroit rapper’s love interest, played by porn star Sasha Grey. Things clearly aren’t all peaches and cream. Eminem jumps in the front passenger seat, with a pensive look on his face, while another, more cynical version of Em rides in the back. The differences between the two Shadys are apparent. The front-seat version is calm, with his eyes darting back and forth between his girlfriend and the gun that sits in the glove compartment. The other Em is riled up, hurling insults at Grey, though she is unaware of his presence. As the couple pulls up to a pit stop, Grey exits the vehicle first with a gun in her back pocket, while Em follows her. They enter a diner, Grey first and the rapper a few steps behind. Here, the director splits the screen and the two Eminems go their separate ways, one to the counter and the other to the booth where his girlfriend sits, texting on her cell phone. Eminem grows suspicious of the texts and checks his girl’s phone after she gets up to go to the bathroom. The rapper apparently finds what he has long suspected: His woman is cheating. Throughout the video, Eminem follows Grey like a lost puppy. It’s when they check into a motel room that the drama unfolds. Closing the door behind him, Eminem begins to attack his girlfriend before realizing that she wasn’t even there in the first place. Left at the end of his rope, Eminem pulls out the gun, puts it to his chin and fires a single shot through his own head. Blood splatters, and Shady falls to the floor. Simultaneously, the alternate Eminem, who is still seated at the counter, is struck by the bullet as well, falling back off of his bar stool before the clip rewinds back to the beginning of the 4:30 video, where we once again see our leading man walking down that foggy road in the middle of the night. Did Eminem imagine the entire ordeal? Or did his cheating girlfriend metaphorically kill the hopeless romantic, leaving only a distrustful version of himself? The image is jarring; the interpretation, however, is up to you. How did you interpret Eminem’s “Space Bound” video? Tell us in the comments. Related Artists Eminem

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Eminem Takes His Own Life In ‘Space Bound’ Video

Lil Wayne On ‘Stan’ Redo ‘Dear Anne’: ‘I Just Don’t Like It’

Weezy reveals to XXL that the Swizz Beatz collabo was intended for 2008’s Tha Carter III. By Alvin Blanco Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz in 2007 Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage Lil Wayne is his own biggest critic. Although the Swizz Beatz-produced “Dear Anne (Stan Part 2)” leaked online weeks ago to generally positive reviews, Lil Tunechi is not particularly fond of the song. Swizz Beatz talked to Mixtape Daily about his collaboration with Weezy last year, mentioning that the song’s beat was originally intended for Eminem . But after Em passed on recording a “Stan 2” for his Recovery album, Weezy recorded the song and Swizz hoped to include it on his upcoming Haute Living album. However, Weezy told XXL that “Dear Anne” is a holdover from his multiplatinum 2008 album. “That was actually a record for Tha Carter III that just leaked,” Wayne told the magazine. “It leaked out, and everybody’s thinking that it’s going on Tha Carter IV ’cause I was actually gonna put it on Tha Carter IV. But I had been listening to it and didn’t like it. I don’t like it ’cause the song, all the verses are old. And me being a perfectionist, I hate going with old verses.” Despite Wayne’s trepidation, some heads in his YMCMB camp think the song should be a go. “Mack and Tez and them, they love it,” Wayne said, referring to Young Money president/artist Mack Maine and his manager Cortez Bryant, respectively. “They be like, ‘Man, you trippin’, you killed it.’ I be like, ‘Did you hear what I just said? I don’t wanna do that anymore.’ But I heard that the ‘Anne’ song has been getting buzzed up and everybody’s buzzin’ about it, so it might end up one of those you might have to put on the album, you know what I mean. But I ain’t trippin’ on it like that; I don’t like the song. I love the beat; I love the idea. I don’t like my execution. I don’t like what I did. I don’t like how I delivered on it. The idea that I had for it, I didn’t accomplish that, what I thought I was gonna do. ‘Cause I was tryna make it a situation song. And I just don’t like it.” Wayne may have to decide whether “Dear Anne” makes the cut sooner than later. Reportedly, the “How to Love” rapper’s long-delayed Tha Carter IV ‘s release date has been moved up by a week to August 22. Lil Wayne is on the cover of XXL magazine’s July/August 2011 issue, hitting newsstands July 12. What do you think of “Anne”? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related Artists Lil Wayne

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Lil Wayne On ‘Stan’ Redo ‘Dear Anne’: ‘I Just Don’t Like It’

Ja Rule To Begin Prison Term Today

Rapper will turn himself for two-year sentence after pleading guilty to 2007 gun charge. By Gil Kaufman Ja Rule Photo: Getty Ja Rule is slated to turn himself in to begin a two-year prison sentence on gun charges on Wednesday morning (June 8). The rapper (born Jeffrey Atkins) pleaded guilty in December to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in connection with a July 2007 arrest in which the Manhattan District Attorney’s office claimed police found a loaded semi-automatic .40-caliber Taurus handgun, with the serial number scratched off, hidden in the backseat of the MC’s Maybach. Ja Rule’s arrest took place on the same night that Lil Wayne was arrested on a gun charge, which sent the “Lollipop” rapper to jail for eight months last year. The two rappers had performed together that night in Wayne’s first major show in New York. Rule is expected to turn himself in on Wednesday morning, when he will be assigned to an Upstate New York correctional facility to serve his time. Last month, he sat down with MTV News and expressed regret over his pending jail sentence and feelings that he let his wife and children down. “I’m disappointed,” the multiplatinum rapper told Sway during “Rapfix Live.” “I’m mad at myself.” Rule, 35, spoke specifically about disappointing his 15-year-old daughter, Brittany, but expressed concern about his two sons as well. “My daughter, she’s 15 right now,” Ja explained. “These are her last couple of years. She’s about to graduate from high school, and she’s going to college. She needs her father. My boys really need me right now too, as well as my wife. They need Daddy, and Daddy f—ed up.” Ja also pleaded guilty in March to failing to pay more than $3 million in taxes in New Jersey and faces up to three years in prison in that case. He hoped his arrest and prison stint would convince young fans to leave guns alone. While Ja Rule’s first new album in six years, Pain Is Love 2, was reportedly due for release this week, that effort now appears to be on hold and until later this summer. Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With Ja Rule Related Artists Ja Rule

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Ja Rule To Begin Prison Term Today

Kid Rock’s Waffle House Brawl Results In $40,000 Payout

Jury awards compensatory damages in restaurant scrap. By Mawuse Ziegbe Kid Rock Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images for VH1 On Friday (September 17), a jury awarded $40,000 to the man who sued Kid Rock after the star and his entourage sparked a brawl in 2007, according to The Associated Press. The sum was awarded to Harlen Akins, who initially sought $6,000 in medical fees and an unspecified amount of punitive damages. Punitive damages were not awarded, but Akins will receive $40,000 in compensatory damages. Rock will not shoulder the entire amount and is only responsible for 15 percent. Guitarist Jason Krause will pay the majority of the sum, 70 percent, because he was found to have lobbed the first punch. Rock’s personal assistant James Murphy will dole out 10 percent, and his executive assistant Brian Lang will pay 5 percent. Rock (born Robert James Ritchie) and his crew were sued by Akins following a scuffle at an Atlanta-area Waffle House three years ago. The fight apparently broke out after Akins exchanged words with a woman accompanying Rock’ s entourage. The rocker testified Thursday that he never physically assaulted Akins but did rail at him. “I gave it to him verbally. I said, ‘Shut your mouth, man,’ ” Rock said. The star insisted Akins insulted the entourage member while Akins maintained that he was speaking to the woman about text messages and phone calls he received from her. “I still don’t even know what did I say to him to start this jumping on me,” Akins said in court. Both Rock and Akins have admitted to being intoxicated at the time of the incident. Akins’ lawyer said he and his client were pleased with the verdict. “We feel vindicated and we are very satisfied,” Eric Hertz said. Rock’s lawyer insisted the case was all about securing a major windfall from the multiplatinum-selling rapper. “As far as we were concerned, it was just about money,” said William Horton, who represented Rock and his entourage. Rock was previously sentenced to a year of probation and fined $1,000 in 2008 for his involvement in the restaurant clash. Related Artists Kid Rock

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Kid Rock’s Waffle House Brawl Results In $40,000 Payout

Usher Remembers Being A ‘Pizza Face’ On ‘When I Was 17’

‘I had really, really bad acne ‘ he admits in Saturday’s episode. By Mawuse Ziegbe Usher on “When I Was 17” Photo: MTV News He’s known as one of the smoothest R&B sensations to grace the stage, but when Usher was 17, he grappled with a far less flattering image. “I went through this phase where I had really, really bad acne,” the singer admits on the latest episode of “When I Was 17,” premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. Usher, who was 17 in 1995, reveals with a grin that his nickname was “Pizza Face.” “His acne was so horrible,” recalled one of Usher’s more blunt friends, Keith. “His face was so jacked up.” Music mogul and producer Jermaine Dupri remembered how the entertainer’s spotty complexion led him to shy away from the spotlight. “He didn’t want to go out. He wanted to stay in,” Dupri says. “He was a little ashamed of what was going on with his face.” The singer went to extreme, and ultimately unsuccessful, lengths to disguise his breakouts. “As a dude, you’re not gonna put makeup on your face, right?” Usher said. “I tried that, it didn’t even work.” He may have experimented with cosmetics and spent a few more nights at home but the multiplatinum star didn’t let his acne hold him back from wooing the ladies. “I was 17, so I would still try to talk to girls [and] get past it,” Usher reasoned. He even had some smooth lines to drop when he wanted to draw attention away from his skin. ” ‘Don’t look at that, look at my eyes, baby. I’m trying to say something real serious to you right here,’ ” Usher recalled, reenacting his complexion-deflecting dating moves. “I know I have pizza face, I don’t care.” In the end, his skin cleared up and the singer said it was just a matter of riding out a rite passage that many teens are forced to endure. “This is something that all 17-year-olds have to deal with,” Usher said. “You can’t run away from it.” — this week featuring B.o.B, Usher and Ne-Yo — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV Related Videos Usher, B.o.B And Ne-Yo Clips From ‘When I Was 17’ Ep. 18 Related Photos When I Was 17 | Ep. 18 | Celebrity Photo Flashback

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Usher Remembers Being A ‘Pizza Face’ On ‘When I Was 17’

‘American Idol’ Alum Chris Daughtry Weighs In On Judging Changes

‘Huge Aerosmith fan’ is intrigued by possibility of Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez joining panel. By MTV News staff Chris Daughtry at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Chris Daughtry comes from a simpler reality-show era; he was on “American Idol” in 2006, when the show had its three founding judges — Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson — passing judgment on the contestants that crossed their path. Now, of course, Abdul is long gone, and Cowell has followed her out the door . Meanwhile, recent addition Ellen DeGeneres left the show after just one season, and rumors are thick that Kara DioGuardi, a judge since 2009, might head for the exit as well . Though the “Idol” landscape has changed drastically since Daughtry’s time on its stage, the multiplatinum rocker is very much looking forward to seeing what Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez , who are rumored to be joining the panel for the show’s 10th season, will bring to the table.

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‘American Idol’ Alum Chris Daughtry Weighs In On Judging Changes

Major Lazer Launch U.S. Tour At Winter Music Conference

‘We have these gigantic lasers,’ Diplo says of the duo’s live show. By Akshay Bhansali Major Lazer Photo: Rob Loud/ Getty Images Reggae. Dubstep. Hip-hop. However you try to describe the music of Major Lazer producers Diplo and Switch, one thing is certain: It is dance music. And if their songs like “Pon the Floor,” “Hold the Line” (featuring Mr. Lex and Santigold) and “Keep It Goin’ Louder” (featuring Nina Sky and Brooklyn, NY vocalist Rick Blaze) already make you get down, on tour the party is going to get a whole lot brighter. “A Major Lazer show is pretty sick,” Diplo said when we caught up with him Thursday (March 18). “We are doing a whole U.S. tour, so we have these gigantic lasers — these super-duper f—ing lasers!” And with Diplo being from the Orlando, Florida, area, it makes sense that the tour is set to kick-off at Miami’s Winter Music Conference . In fact, for the former Hollertronix DJ/Producer who frequently produces songs with M.I.A., WMC is a place of nostalgia. “I’ve been going down there since I was a kid,” he said. “I would go down to see Portishead or Chemical Brothers when I was 15. Seeing Portishead when I was really young there was really dope. I was really into their record at the time.” This year Major Lazer is set to share the Ultra Music Festival stage with one of the more diverse electronic bills to date: David Guetta, A-Trak, Deadmau5, Will.I.Am, LMFAO, Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, DJ Tiesto and many more are all set to perform at UMF. “There used to be different divisions between underground music and commercial house and experimental stuff and avant garde,” Diplo explained. “To be honest, those lines are now blended, you know. I’ve done a record with Tiesto and he’s a f—ing cool guy. Everybody is taking influences … all of us are just making club music, and we try to outdo each other with how we can make people go crazier. It’s a very competitive spirit down there.” Major Lazer’s U.S. tour begins Saturday March 27 at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami and will carry through 17 more cities, wrapping at Coachella in Indio, California, before moving on to Canada and Europe. Stick with MTV News for more coverage of the Winter Music Conference, which kicks off Tuesday in Miami. Related Artists Major Lazer

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Major Lazer Launch U.S. Tour At Winter Music Conference

Lady Gaga Sued For $30.5 Million By Producer

Rob Fusari claims he hasn’t been compensated for co-writing songs, coming up with her stage name and helping her get a record deal. By Kelley L. Carter Lady Gaga Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images A songwriter and music producer who claims he helped launch Lady Gaga filed a $30.5 million lawsuit against the pop superstar, The Associated Press reported Thursday (March 18). Rob Fusari says he was squeezed out of Gaga’s lucrative career after he co-wrote some of her songs, came up with her stage name and helped her get a record deal. Fusari’s lawyer hadn’t returned MTV News’ calls for comment by press time; Gaga’s rep also hadn’t commented on the suit. The producer said Gaga is his prot&#233g

Mariah Carey Insists New Songs Are Not About Nick Cannon

‘If they think that, they haven’t seen either one of us on an interview,’ she says of her more negative new tunes. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Jim Cantiello Mariah Carey Photo: MTV News Sixteen months after her last studio album debuted in the top spot on the Billboard 200, Mariah Carey returned on Tuesday with Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, her first disc since she and Nick Cannon tied the knot in the spring of 2008

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Mariah Carey Insists New Songs Are Not About Nick Cannon