Has Sheree found another job? Is Kim going to be tardy for the sitcom? Nope! NeNe Leakes is taking over TV. “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star and recurring “Glee” actress is adding another acting credit to her ever-expanding resume with Ryan Murphy’s new NBC comedy “The New Normal.” The New Normal” follows the Beverly Hills couple as they try to start a family. The two turn to a surrogate, Goldie (Georgia King), with Ellen Barkin co-starring as Goldie’s Archie Bunker-esque grandma. So where does NeNe come in? “I’m Rocky, one of the gay guy’s assistants,” NeNe told The Huffington Post on the red carpet for NBC’s upfront presentations in New York on Monday. “I take it very personal, honey, if you talk about my gays, honey. Only I can talk about them and I’m fabulous. “She’s very different from Roz Washington on ‘Glee’; she’s always in workout outfits and sneakers. Rocky wears high heels every day. This is very fitting for me because in my real life, you don’t mess with my gays, honey,” NeNe said, snapping. “I don’t play that.” Nene is on the come up! We’re glad little loud azz “very rich” beyotches everywhere now have someone to look up to. Will you be tuning into NeNe’s new show this fall? Source
This one had us in tears. Three of the kids escaped to a neighbor’s house only to be called back by their mom . A mother of four shot and killed her children — three of whom returned home after fleeing — before killing herself Tuesday morning at a Port St. John home, according to investigators. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said Tonya Thomas, 33, shot and killed her two daughters, 17-year-old Pebbles Johnson and 13-year-old Jazlin Johnson, and her two sons, 15-year-old Jaxs Johnson and 12-year-old Joel Johnson. Brevard County sheriff’s Lt. Tod Goodyear said three of the children went to a neighbor’s house to say their mother had shot them. The mother then called the children back to the house and shot them again, killing them, investigators said. “I’m a father and I’ve got kids. I cannot comprehend a person doing that to their child — calling them back to the slaughter,” Goodyear said. The neighbors called 911 just before 5 a.m. and deputies found Pebbles Johnson dead in the front yard of the home at 7245 Bright Avenue. Deputies then spotted someone at the door and called the SWAT team, who later entered the home and found four people dead. “We have no idea on motive right now,” said Goodyear, who added that no note or letter has been discovered. The father of the children lives elsewhere in Brevard County and was very distraught upon hearing the news, Goodyear said. A friend of Thomas told authorities that Thomas sent a text message around 3 a.m., saying she wanted to be cremated with her children. The message wasn’t received, however, until after the friend woke up, which was after the family was found dead. More than a dozen deputies and SWAT team members had converged on the home and the neighborhood was cordoned off during the investigation. Goodyear said deputies were called to the home for a domestic incident a few weeks ago, but he offered no other details. Thomas has no significant criminal history, and domestic battery charges against her were dropped in 2002. Jaxs Johnson was set to appear in juvenile court on Tuesday for a misdemeanor battery charge involving his mother, but it’s not known if the hearing played a role in the shootings. School officials issued a statement after being informed of the deaths. “Brevard Public Schools is saddened to learn of the tragic deaths of four of its students. The police have released the students’ names and crisis teams/grief counselors have been sent to the respective schools to help students, faculty and staff deal with this heartbreaking news,” school officials said. It’s a cold world but sometimes it’s not what’s outside that gets us. Just heartbreaking. Video and photos below: Source Photo Credit: Brevard County Reporter
Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell among other stars urging fans to vote for their favorites before June 3 show. By Kevin P. Sullivan Liam Hemsworth Photo: MTV Movie fans from around the world, have you heard the call? It’s not a time to idly let your favorite movies go unrecognized. Is it time for Rupert Grint and Emma Watson to steal the Best Kiss glory away from repeat winners Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson? Was Jon Hamm a bigger dirtbag than Jennifer Aniston? You have to rise up, sit down and make your voice heard for the 2012 MTV Movie Awards , and this isn’t just us telling you. A new promo for the awards features the likes of Captain America himself, Chris Evans, and someone you may know as Effie Trinket, Elizabeth Banks, and they have the very same message for you. A number of stars have assembled to spread the message of this year’s MTV Movie Awards. Not only are Evans and Banks on hand, but Chlo
‘Monday proved for sure is this is the show where he belongs,’ writes one critic about Stern’s debut on ‘America’s Got Talent.’ By Gil Kaufman Sharon Osbourne, Howard Stern and Howie Mandel Photo: NBC Prepare for the worst and the results can only be better than you expected. That’s the lesson naysayers learned on Monday night when radio talker Howard Stern made his long-awaited debut as the new judge on “America’s Got Talent.” Stern, a huge fan of the show who has been talking up his new gig for months on his SiriusXM satellite radio show did exactly what he promised : he was a fair, sometimes silly, sometimes harsh judge with a heart of gold and a soft spot for sappy stories. Hell, the notoriously Purell-addicted germaphobe even lumbered up onto the stage to huge a particularly sweaty, not-so-great singer after giving him a second chance at fame. After dismissing the pre-debut hand-wringing by the Parents Television Council that Stern’s penchant for R-rated humor might leak over into the family-friendly show as “a foolish presumption,” Los Angeles Times writer Robert Lloyd wrote that such fretting, “sells short the show’s producers and misreads Stern, who has shown himself perfectly capable of good behavior on other people’s turf.” Despite an introductory montage set to the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” that set up his bad-boy reputation and a joke about how NBC execs must be “out of their mind” for taking a risk on him,” Lloyd said it was quickly evident that, “like fellow judges Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel, he [Stern] meant to play the game the way the game is meant to be played, because, to a deep degree, he believes in it.” In a headline in which it said the shock jock, “becomes a beloved uncle,” the Washington Post ‘s TV reviewer mixed the sweet and sour in offering backhanded praise to the radio veteran. “Somewhere along the way to the collapse of Western civilization, pioneer shock-jock Howard Stern became a sweet old man, perhaps staving off our multimedia Armageddon,” wrote critic Hank Stuever. “At least that’s the story line presented along with Stern’s canny decision to join — at a reported fee of about $20 million — NBC’s goony amateur performance competition, ‘America’s Got Talent,’ as its newest judge.” Stuever yawned at Stern’s rehashing of old bits about his looks and the size of his manhood, and said he did “dish out a tiny bit of brutal honesty,” but mostly came to “bask in the show’s trademark combination of awkwardness, ingenuity and love” and delivered “apple-pie pronouncements more typical of presidential candidates.” The embrace was slightly warmer at the New York Daily News , which explained that, “to appreciate Howard Stern’s debut as a judge on ‘America’s Got Talent’ Monday night, just remember this: Inviting Stern on ‘AGT’ is not like inviting the Sex Pistols to crash ‘La Traviata’ at the Met. ‘America’s Got Talent’ didn’t hire Stern to inject outrageous and wacky. It didn’t need to. It has ’em already.” Critic David Hinckley said that Stern settled in quickly and comfortably on the show, praising him for being honest and getting caught up in the show’s “figurative group hugs and four-handkerchief moments.” The question remains of how Stern will deal when the goofy acts are gone and he has to make tough decisions between talented acts with widely differing skills. “There was no indication he can’t do it. But all Monday proved for sure is this is the show where he belongs.” People magazine seconded those emotions, writing, “Stern showed a lot of heart and proved he’s got talent — for judging!” What did you think of Stern’s debut on “America’s Got Talent?” Let us know in comments below.
Actor tells MTV News his character Heimdall will be ‘more involved’ in the sequel. By Kevin P. Sullivan Idris Elba Photo: MTV News A movie like ” The Avengers ” doesn’t just make $1 billion in a little less than 20 days without having a few sequels already in the pipeline. So, of course, the folks over at Marvel are already hard at work on a handful of follow-ups, including ” Thor 2 .” MTV News spoke with Idris Elba while he was promoting Prometheus ” about reprising his role as the Asgardian gatekeeper, Heimdall, for the sequel, once again starring Chris Hemsworth in the title role. “Thor 2,” which is scheduled to head into production later this year, is said to explore the other realms of the universe, outside of Asgard and Earth, so that would mean a heavier workload for Heimdall. Though production has not officially begun, Elba has already started some prep. “I’m actually excited about it,” he said. “I literally just did a costume fitting the other day.” Elba, who has only seen an outline of the story so far, said that he does anticipate a larger role for Heimdall in the sequel, but added that “Thor 2” will also be taking a closer look at the people who populate the mythical world. “Definitely Heimdall’s more involved, but also, what’s more involved is who the Asgardians are,” he said. “I think we’ll see a sense of that.” As past interviews with the cast have indicated, the scale of “Thor 2” is quite large, but Elba suggested that the focus narrows in on character in a way we haven’t seen before. “It’s a huge film, ‘Thor 2,’ but I also think it’s micro in a way that you start to look at people, who they are a little bit more.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Marvel’s The Avengers.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com .
It was ladies night on Survivor: One World yesterday, as five women battled for the $1 million grand prize on the season 24 finale. But – no offense to Chelsea, Sabrina, Alicia or Christina – these final few episodes have really been all about Kim Spradlin, who dominated as few before her have, earning the votes of the contest-filled jury AND the $100,000 reward as the Fan Favorite. The only question isn’t whether Kim deserved to win it all, but where she now ranks among all-time Survivor greats such as Boston Rob ( Survivor: Redemption Island ), Brian Heidik ( Survivor: Thailand ) and Tom Westman ( Survivor: Palau )? Jeff Probst, meanwhile, announced that season 25 would take Survivor to the Philippines, where three previous contestants who left their editions early due to injury will return. Watch a preview for what’s to come and then read an extended Survivor finale review at TV Fanatic: Survivor: Philippines Trailer
Relax, 24 million monsters. It’s just a joke. Despite a picture posted to photographer friend Terry Richardson’s blog with the caption “showing off her new engagement ring,” Lady Gaga is single. One can see how confusion might arise, but rest assured, our girl is really not engaged to recent ex Taylor Kinney or anyone else for that matter. Richardson, whose job is apparently to produce viral content like Lindsay Lohan pics or the Kate Upton “Cat Daddy” video, posted the photo on Sunday. The two have been collaborating on a new book of Lady Gaga photos, which is how this image – of her showing off a massive diamond ring – came to be. Gaga and Kinney ( The Vampire Diaries, Chicago Fire ) had been dating for the better part of a year, but reportedly broke up for good a few weeks back. Friday, Richardson also posted a photo of Gaga wearing nothing but black tape on one of her nipples. Check it out in our gallery of Lady Gaga pics !
Controversy over Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie abated Friday as he turned investors’ attention to more important matters at a presentation in Palo Alto, Calif. Chief among them? Improving Facebook’s mobile application . About 200 investors showed up at an IPO presentation to quiz Zuckerberg about generating revenue from mobile users, crucial for long-term fiscal growth. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, said overall advertising is gaining steam, with most marketers increasing their spending with Facebook. The executives, who appeared on stage alongside CFO David Ebersman, highlighted social ads as an important tool for Facebook to tackle mobile challenges. The ads, incorporating information about Facebook users’ friends who “like” certain products, are better-suited to the smaller screens of smartphones. More than half of Facebook’s users currently use it from phones. As Facebook collects more information about its users, such as location data, Facebook will be able to offer more relevant mobile ads, executives said. Facebook aims to raise about $10.6 billion via its initial public offering, dwarfing Google’s recent IPO and giving it a market value around $96 billion. The Facebook IPO marks a watershed moment for the new generation of startups that are challenging established players such as Google and Yahoo. Consumers’ online time – and advertising dollars – are very much the future. With 900 million users, Facebook is the world’s dominant social network. Zuckerberg, the 28-year-old CEO, was Time Magazine ‘s Person of the Year in 2010 and was depicted in the fictionalized 2010 movie The Social Network .
In the mid-90s, author Toni Morrison famously referred to Bill Clinton as “the first black President” based on his empathy, efforts to foster broad socioeconomic equality and commitment to issues important to African-American community at large. Newsweek plays off this quote in its new cover story on President Barack Obama. Following Obama’s public support of same-sex marriage , he has been dubbed The First Gay President … in a manner of speaking of course: While Obama’s statement was groundbreaking and bold, will his “coming out” on behalf of gay marriage even make a different in November’s election? “If you were going to cast your vote based on a candidate’s position regarding same-sex marriage, you were already going to vote for Obama [or] Romney based on that,” Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank said on ABC’s This Week . “I literally don’t think anybody’s vote was changed one way or the other.” In any case, Obama’s end to “evolving” on gay marriage will continue to generate critical comment, and not all of it positive, even from the left. “His embrace of gay marriage was not a profile in courage,” New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote, taking issue with adulation shown toward the President (such as on the cover above) more than anything. “Even when he does the right thing, by the time he does it and in the way he does it, he drains away excitement and robs himself of the admiration he would otherwise be due … Why doesn’t he just do the exhilarating thing immediately?” “Why does he have to be dragged kicking and screaming to principle?” With Obama’s face pictured looking skyward and a rainbow-colored halo above his head, the controversial cover leads to a story written by openly gay writer Andrew Sullivan, a self-described political conservative. The boundary-pushing May 21 Newsweek issue featuring Obama, available Monday, comes after Time magazine’s breastfeeding cover last week, which featured an attractive 26-year-old mother nursing her toddler son. The cover sparked strong reactions across the world last week and led a Newsweek spokesperson to tell the New York Post that the magazine’s editor Tina Brown had viewed the cover as a challenge. “When Tina saw the Time cover, she laughed and said, ‘Let the games begin,'” the spokesperson told the Post . Game on.
Fifty Shades of Grey, the popular trilogy by EL James , may be topping bestseller lists, but you won’t necessarily be able to find it at your local library. Libraries in a few states are choosing not to stock the books or pulling them from shelves, with many citing what they say is inappropriate content. The libraries that have decided against stocking the books due to their explicit sexual content so far are located in Georgia, Florida, and Wisconsin. Some libraries that are not stocking the book cite financial reasons or bad reviews for the trilogy. Yeah right. A Random House spokesperson said: “Random House fervently opposes literary censorship and supports the First Amendment rights of readers to make their own reading choices.” The book, in case you don’t know, is about a hot, rich guy and beautiful, young sex plaything/slave and their various, detailed physical exploits. Its movie rights were recently optioned, with fan speculation already reaching a fever pitch over who should play Christian and Anastasia . Sexually provocative or not, a book is still a book, Random House says. “We believe the Brevard County Public Library System [in Florida] is indulging in an act of censorship,” the spokesman says, calling out one library ban in particular. “Essentially this is saying to library patrons: we will judge what you can read.” “These events resonate as unfortunately considered decisions, as they withdraw from circulation a book with one of the highest demand curves in recent history.” THG’s TAKE : C’mon, just lighten up and give the people what they want … that being mind-numbingly cheesy, Twilight fan fiction-inspired softcore erotica.
