Perry’s ‘Part of Me’ documentary gives fans a candid look at the demise of her relationship with Russell Brand. By Christina Garibaldi Katy Perry in the “Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D” trailer Photo: It’s been a whirlwind of a year for pop superstar Katy Perry . In 2011, she earned six #1 singles off her Teenage Dream album, embarked on a worldwide tour and endured a very public breakup from Russell Brand . And now fans can share all these experiences and more as Perry is set to release her 3-D documentary, “Part of Me,” on July 5th. The movie chronicles her unparalleled year as she has career highs, but suffers personal lows. And it’s those very personal moments, especially with Brand, that many will find most surprising. For the past six months, Perry has been mum on the issue of her divorce, and now for the first time, she is opening up about the split. The film picks up just a few months after the two tied the knot , as Perry embarks on her biggest tour to date, the California Dreams Tour. Fans witness Perry put in hours of hard work preparing for the tour and traveling to hundreds of different cities. Yet, with the success that she was having onstage, it was offstage where things were falling apart. It seems her new marriage and a grueling tour schedule were not mixing well, but it was not from lack of trying: Perry was adamant that while on her nearly yearlong tour, she take time out to see her husband, but in the end, it just couldn’t save the marriage. At one point, while flying to one of her tour stops, Perry admits to the camera, “I’m trying to keep my marriage alive.” “Part of Me” gives fans a rare glimpse inside a celebrity marriage, with Brand featured throughout the film. Some moments are touching, like when the comedian comes to wish her well on the opening night of her tour, yet some are heartbreaking to watch. In one scene, Perry is crying uncontrollably, delaying the start time of the concert, but like a true professional, she chokes back the tears and puts on a brave face for her fans. Perry talks candidly about Brand in the film, revealing that it was her skyrocketing career that could have played into the downfall of her marriage. “I thought to myself, ‘When I find that person that’s going to be my life partner, I won’t ever have to choose [between the partner and my career]. They won’t be threatened or have weird motives.’ Then I started to realize, that’s not true,” she admits. Yet, when asked in the film whether she still misses Brand, Perry begins to cry and admits that she does, but says she did everything she could to make it work. “I have that same belief system with everything, from career to my life to my personal life, everything. And I will do everything it takes to not fail,” she shares. “And I did everything it took, but it still failed.” Perry recently told MTV News that even though the subject of her divorce is difficult to deal with, she felt she would be doing her fans a disservice if she didn’t include it in the film. “The truth will always prevail,” Perry said. “Everything has to be handled integrously and appropriately, and it’s not nice to air all your dirty laundry, because that stinks, so I had to be very delicate with the situation, but I couldn’t avoid the elephant in the room,” she explained. “If you were to have seen that movie and walked out and [my breakup] wasn’t at all mentioned, like it never happened, you’d be like, ‘Eh, this is weird. What is she trying to hide?’ I don’t like to hide.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Katy Perry: Part of Me.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Artists Katy Perry
‘I couldn’t avoid the elephant in the room,’ she tells MTV News of including Russell Brand in ‘Part of Me.’ By Kara Warner Katy Perry Photo: Katy Perry ‘s feature-film debut is every bit a concert movie as it is an emotional biography of sorts. For every scene that features her pop-star persona and killer stadium performances, there are several quieter, much more emotional scenes surrounding Perry’s very public split with Russell Brand that make “Katy Perry: Part of Me” a wholly moving film. When MTV News caught up with Perry on Friday (June 22), we asked why she wanted to include footage of the moment when Perry realized her relationship with Brand was over and she couldn’t do anything but sob. “In my personal struggle, you see me not changing and not giving up on this dream that I’ve had my whole life. Hopefully people are inspired by that,” Perry said. “You don’t always see me with all the gorgeous lighting and makeup on and all that. I think it’s fine. Hollywood is so fake and people need to realize that people are just people, and you, too, don’t need to be born into something or have money or have whatever product someone is hawking on you. Find out what your gift is and nurture it.” Because the film is her film, there is naturally only one side of the Perry/Brand breakup shown, so we asked the “Wide Awake” singer if she felt pressure in revealing what happened to her and whether she wonders when and if another side to their story will come out in the media. “The truth will always prevail,” Perry said. “Everything has to be handled with integrity and appropriately, and it’s not nice to air all your dirty laundry, because that stinks, so I had to be very delicate with the situation, but I couldn’t avoid the elephant in the room,” she explained. “If you were to have seen that movie and walked out and [my breakup] wasn’t at all mentioned like it never happened, you’d be like, ‘Eh, this is weird, what is she trying to hide?’ I don’t like to hide.” Check out everything we’ve got on ” Katy Perry: Part of Me. ” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Artists Katy Perry
Woody Allen has cemented an historic onscreen legacy by managing to play a grand total of one single character for the last 47 years. (What versatility!) Needless to say, it’s been one hell of a character: Allen’s extreme version of himself, trading on some of the most base cultural stereotypes out there about New Yorkers, Jews and intellectuals, has, logically or not, repeatedly held mainstream America’s interest. Yet, in a halfhearted nod to the idea of variety, Allen hasn’t always played the character himself – due to the constraints of age, style, and physical type, he’s occasionally enlisted actors to come in and do their best Woody Allen imitation over the years. With a new addition to the coterie coming in To Rome With Love – Jesse Eisenberg is a neo-Woody if ever there was one – it’s worthwhile to take a look back at Allen’s nine most entertaining surrogates. Kenneth Branagh, Celebrity Could the staid, withdrawn nature of British mores and culture – or those of the Irish, for that matter – be any further from the traits needed to play the Woody character effectively? It seems like a counterintuitive choice, but going with Branagh for the Woody surrogate in Celebrity (one of Allen’s more underappreciated films) was a smart choice; Branagh’s natural composure collides in an interesting way with the foregone conclusion of the character’s neuroses and tics. The result is a performance where Branagh is restrained on the surface while seemingly jittery and anxious underneath – a more subtle and surprisingly effective way of making Allen’s comedy work. Jason Biggs, Anything Else One of Allen’s most maligned pictures, it’s this writer’s contention that Anything Else has received an undeservedly bad rap. Sure, the chemistry between Biggs and Christina Ricci is closer to producing liquid nitrogen than hot sparks, but there’s plenty of great one-liners, and Allen himself steals the show. Biggs, one of the least skilled actors to portray a Woody alter ego, is nevertheless entertaining in a performance that paints the character in even broader, more direct strokes than Woody’s on-the-nose performances normally do. It’s as far from subtle as can be, but the broadness and directness of Biggs’ choices sometimes serves to let the delivery of Allen’s bon mots swing for the fences. Larry David, Whatever Works Could there be a more appropriate Allen surrogate under the sun than uber-neurotic Larry David? The cultural connection between the two couldn’t be more apparent; Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm could never have been seen as potentially viable in mainstream America without Allen’s career success. Giving his performance far more vitriol than what Allen is capable of, David revels in the misanthropy that is present, but often more subtly disguised, in Allen’s films. John Cusack, Bullets Over Broadway This is what happens when a talented, popular actor really uses their likability to channel the Woody character well. As famous as Allen is, his character’s narcissism (as well as his personal transgressions later in life) can make him difficult for audiences to root for at times. Cusack blended the typical Woody persona with his own undeniable charm to create a character who, when in a tough spot, you can’t help but empathize with. That would be good if this was a simple relationship film, but when Cusack’s character is getting into danger by dealing with gangsters, it’s more than good – it’s great.
Lily Allen made the announcement today that fans of the British singer have been awaiting for months: she’s returning to the music scene! “You will be pleased to know that i am currently in the f–king studio with [producer] @GregKurstin,” Allen Tweeted yesterday. In 2010, Allen announced that she was taking a hiatus from recording in order to dedicate time to fashion projects and also to work on her personal life, which has unfortunately included two miscarriages over recent years. But Allen and husband Sam Cooper welcomed a girl in November and it now sounds like she’s prepared to churn out new tracks and maybe even a new album. What can we expect from the singer? Not even she knows. “No big deal really, im just throwing s–t at the wall and seeing if anything sticks,” she wrote. [Photo: WENN.com]
Filmmaker Alma Har’el ( Bombay Beach ) was originally going to film Icelandic outfit Sigur Ros for their “Fjögur píanó” music video, but then she apparently ran into Shia LaBeouf and the whole concept changed into a Big Idea-filled meditation involving nudity, interpretive dance, and an underwater acid trip. Of course! Watch the NSFW (but oddly gorgeous) short and ponder away after the jump. “Originally [Har’el] was going to film us on super 8 in Iceland all playing the piano lines from the song,” explains bassist Georg Holm, “but then she rang and said she’d met Shia LaBeouf and they’d changed the idea. That was the last we heard of the concept and she told us nothing about what was going on.” LaBeouf is joined by actress Denna Thomsen in the piece, one of a dozen videos commissioned by the band to accompany their latest album, “Valtari.” According to the Wall Street Journal , each filmmaker was given a $10,000 budget and carte blanche to deliver a video. The video, Har’el suggests, “is about addiction to drugs, or sex, or anything–and how you get stuck in a cycle.” And the dead butterflies festooning the bedroom that imprisons the couple? The director says they symbolize “very beautiful things that die very fast,” the experiences or emotions that couple share ad nauseam. “For me, it’s about not knowing how to get out of something without causing pain to somebody else,” Har’el says. “For other people it might be about candy and fish. I’m down with that. [via WSJ ]
ML turns the spotlight on three filmmakers screening new work at the Los Angeles Film Festival this week. Directors with films in the festival’s Narrative and Documentary competitions have offered up their observations on their latest and greatest. Monday’s titles include three docs: Jeff Howlett’s A Band Called Death , Mai Iskander’s Words of Witness and Dominga Sotomayor’s Thursday Till Sunday . And trailers are included (naturally). A Band Called Death , directed by Jeff Howlett [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early ’70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them. Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and epic family chronicle, the story of Death is one of brotherly love and fierce, divinely inspired expression. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Jeff Howlett: Howlett gives his take on A Band Called Death : A Band Called Death is a documentary about the Hackney’s, three African-American brothers from Detroit that formed the proto-punk band “Death” in the early 70s. The film is a family story of brotherly love, and the human spirit that uncovers a treasure in the form of a 1974 demo tape that established their name in American Punk Rock History. And why audiences should check the film out at the LA Film Festival: The audiences should check out our film to discover an inspiring story about a band who not only played infectious, groundbreaking music but also had a rich family history to tell. The audience is taken back into a neighborhood where Motown was the religion and rock and roll was, as the Hackney’s eldest describes it best “white-boy music”. Following 35 years of their lives we take a journey with the Hackney family as they tell us their personal stories, the struggles of being black in a “protopunk” band and having the spirit to never give up on your dream. Some anecdotes from the shoot: Our film was as one of our friends put it “discovered on twitter and produced through email”. Since each of the directors and producers were spread out across the map, the challenge became only viable through these virtual channels. Short end of that story is that a year into the project Mark and I were at the end of our budgets with working on the film to which we either needed to stop production or make it a ten year project. That very day it was brought to our attention that Scott Mosier was Tweeting about a trailer we had made and posted online, and saying how he would love to know more about the film. This conversation led to Scott turning on Matt Perniciaro, Kevin Mann and Jerry Ferrara who then helped develop it into the feature film it is now. About the trailer: This clip is of Brian Spears of Groovesville Productions who takes us on a virtual tour of the studio as the band records their first album, “For the Whole World to See.” — Words of Witness , directed by Mai Iskander [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: Updating your Facebook status is a political act in this visceral, on-the-ground documentary of a 21st century revolution in progress. When the Egyptian people rose up against President Mubarak, Heba Afify was a 22-year-old journalist for an English-language paper. Her Facebook and Twitter accounts, along with those of many young Egyptians, become essential weapons in bringing down the former regime, a means to rally support and focus the movement’s strength. Director Mai Iskander follows Afify into the homes and offices of protestors, organizers and citizens caught up in revolutionary fervor, providing a thrilling perspective on a populace rising up to demand the right to live their own lives. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Mai Iskander: Iskander gives her take on Words of Witness : Words of Witness is a feature-length documentary that follows 22-year-old journalist Heba Afify as she navigates Egypt’s revolution and the rigid boundaries of her concerned mother to examine the struggles, hopes and fears of a people on the brink of democracy. And why audiences should check the film out at the LA Film Festival: Despite the cultural, linguistic and societal differences that separate Egypt and the United States, Words of Witness reveals at least one universal truth: where there is no struggle, there is no progress. Whether the rallying cry is, “Out with Mubarak” or “We are the 99 percent,” people everywhere know that the first step in making their country better, is to “lead themselves.” Through the lens of a country on a path to self-determination, Words of Witness inspires audiences—wherever they are—to reflect on the value of democracy and their role in the democratic process. Iskander shares some observations about the shoot: Since I do not look particularly Egyptian, I was often stopped and questioned as to why I was there. People were often very suspicious, and I certainly don’t blame them. This was a very tumultuous, volatile time. Here they were ripping at the seams of a regime that had been in place for 30 years. A revolution is a very vulnerable time for a country—it is only natural that they should question everything. And some insight on the trailer: I hoped to communicate the deep desire to shape one’s own fate—which dwells within not only a people, but also within every individual. I wanted to tell a story that shows how this desire cannot be quelled indefinitely; eventually it will overcome any obstacle in order to be realized. — Thursday Till Sunday , directed by Dominga Sotomayor [Narrative Competition] Synopsis: In the soft pre-dawn light, a young family loads into their car and begins a journey that will affect them all far deeper than the usual weekend get-away. With a mixture of nostalgia and anxiety, Thursday till Sunday deftly captures the end of a childhood as the young daughter, from her vantage point in the back seat, begins to realize that something is strained — or possibly broken — between her mother and father. With uncommon beauty and style, writer/director Dominga Sotomayor perfectly captures the emotional dynamics of a young family at a crossroads and the claustrophobia of the open road. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Sotomayor gives her take on Thursday Till Sunday : It’s the road trip of two children and their parents to the north of Chile during a long weekend. Everything is seen from 10-year old Lucía’s distant and fragmented point of view. As the landscape gives in to the desert, the parents’ crisis is revealed and the holiday slowly turns into a possible last family trip. And why audiences should give it a look at the LA Film Festival: I hope they will connect with real feelings, along with their own childhood memories and the sensation of being a kid. Some anecdotes from the set: The anecdotes are several (shooting almost everything within the constraints of a car; having kids in every shot; traveling with the whole crew out of the city), but most of these were self-imposed challenges and ended up working in favor of the film. I personally believe the greatest challenge of the film was creating a sense of intimate atmosphere and an overall intimate film when surrounded by a very ‘un-intimate’ environment during the production (trucks, crew, grip, etc); keeping the children’s energy upbeat and have them feel this trip as a long game. An observation about the trailer: I wanted to transmit the overall atmosphere of the film, its ability to convey genuine emotions, and introduce the point of view of the 10-year old girl that drives the whole film.
i shot this on my phone tonight backstage in Mexico City before the show tonight. Put on a free show and 300000 people showed up. Alot of emotions but just wanted to say I wouldnt be here without all of your support. Wanted you to know how I feel. Thanks for everything I hope you chase every dream as you are helping me live mine every day. thank you. BELIEVE -Justin http://www.youtube.com/v/yDupj8TWDPc?version=3&f=user_uploads&app=youtube_gdata Go here to see the original: me to you backstage in mexico
Matthew and Camila will just keep livin’ together … with the same last name. After six years together and two children, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves have tied the knot, exchanging vows in his home state of Texas. The couple wed Saturday in a private ceremony, with Alves taking the groom’s last name to officially become Camila McConaughey, his rep says. Engaged on Christmas, they married before close friends and family, including their two kids, Levi, who turns 4 next month, and daughter Vida, 2. McConaughey, 42, and Alves, 29, a Brazilian model and designer who the actor has told friends “the love of my life,” kept quiet about the wedding. Even some guests didn’t know about it until the last minute, despite the reports hit the web that the two would be getting married this weekend . After the ceremony, the guests didn’t have to worry about going far, as the Magic Mike star got married and held the reception at his house. The coolest part? Guests camped out in dozens of luxury tents erected on Matthew’s property, each with its own patio and air-conditioning unit. It’s Texas in June after all. Congratulations to the happy couple, and family! [Photo: WENN.com]
Lindsay Lohan. What she won’t think of next. The star is telling her friends that the BRAKES ON HER RENTED PORSCHE DID NOT WORK properly, thus causing her serious car accident Friday. Lohan slammed into the back of an 18-wheeler and is thankfully okay, as is the truck driver and the personal assistant traveling with Lindsay. It seems like the blame game is being played once again, however, as LiLo claimed the semi cut her off … and the truck driver says otherwise. Lindsay says that after the truck cut her off, she claims she slammed on the brakes and … nothing happened! Somehow – this is the best – Lindsay also says she was told the Porsche’s brakes on the rental were replaced two days before the crash. Is Lindsay Lohan subtly implying someone wanted her dead and cut her brakes so she’d crash?!? That sounds like a plot from NCIS: Los Angeles . Someone ought to write a Lohan Book of Excuses, because there have really been some all-timers, but in any case, she says she’s lucky to be alive. As for the guy driving the truck Lindsay smashed into? James (last name withheld) says her account is – you guessed it – a complete lie and he has the witnesses to prove it was all LiLo’s fault. James emphatically denied cutting her off and claims he has multiple witnesses that saw the actress “flying” down the Pacific Coast Highway. He says he couldn’t possibly have cut Lohan off because he was already in the right lane when the accident, which totaled her car, occurred. What’s more, he said Lindsay’s camp tried to bribe him at the scene of the accident in an effort to keep him quiet about the event. Lohan was also trying to flee the scene , he claims, and when he tried to stop her from doing so, her people tried to buy his silence. Sounds a little far-fetched … but you never know with Lindsay. Bottom line, girl, you make a lot of money. Just hire a freaking driver. [Photo: WENN.com]
Before Miley and Liam walk down the aisle, MTV News walks down memory lane. By Jocelyn Vena Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus Photo: Getty Images While Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth are now engaged after three years together, their road to wedded bliss has been a rocky one, with several breakups and reconciliations. Before Miley, 19, and Liam, 22, walk down the aisle, let’s take a moment to walk down memory lane and remember their ups, downs and everything in between. Summer 2009 : Cyrus met “The Hunger Games” star on the set of “The Last Song.” They began dating shortly after she ended a nine-month relationship with model Justin Gaston and briefly reconciled with Nick Jonas . October 2009 : Soon after beginning their romance, Hemsworth was reportedly the catalyst behind Cyrus leaving Twitter . November 2009 : Though they kept the romance quiet for as long as they could, it wasn’t until November that Cyrus, then 16, addressed their relationship. “It sucks when your personal life becomes public,” she told Seventeen magazine . “So I’m finding ways to make my personal and private life more of my life — which is one of the reasons why I deleted my Twitter. We’ve decided that any type of relationship that we have, we will always just keep it very DL. First and foremost, we are best friends, so that’s what I tell people all the time.” March 2010 : Miley opened up a lot more about the Aussie actor while she was out promoting “The Last Song,” telling Ellen DeGeneres she fell for him pretty quickly. She later added in an interview with Teen Vogue, “I think we’re both deeper than normal people — what they think and how they feel. He’s very grateful for what he has, but he doesn’t let it go to his head. I’m like that too.” June 2010 : Cyrus sat down with MTV News and opened up about the influence Hemsworth had over her album Can’t Be Tamed, which she released that month. “There are a lot of songs that are about Liam,” she said, later adding, “All of them are about him in a way, but it’s also about past relationships that you gotta get over and move on and just about freeing yourself from anything that you feel holds you back. Just let go of anything that’s not going to help you in your future and … always keep going forward.” August 2010 : While they went strong for about a year, Cyrus and Hemsworth broke-up for the first time — but they reportedly reconciled one month later. And even back then, Cyrus was denying rumors that they were engaged . November 2010 : Cyrus and Hemsworth split again a few months later. April 2011 : After some time apart (and Cyrus’ controversial bong video , in which she thought she saw Hemsworth at a party, in December 2010), the couple couldn’t stay away from each other for very long and reunited. February 2012 : In an interview with Details magazine in February 2012, Hemsworth opened up about falling for his lady love. “What happened happened, and we’ve been together ever since,” he said of filming “The Last Song.” “She makes me really happy. When you start, you want to be professional, but when you’re filming those scenes with someone and pretending to love them, you’re not human if you don’t feel something.” March 2012 : This isn’t the first time this year that engagement rumors have followed the couple. Cyrus and Hemsworth denied similar reports earlier this year. “I’m not engaged,” Cyrus said. “I’ve worn this same ring on this finger since November! People just wanna find something to [talk] about! It’s a topaz, people!” June 2012 : Now that they are engaged — for real this time — it might be a while before the big day. They are each busy with their respective careers. He’s stacking up several film projects, including “Empire State,” which he’s currently shooting in New Orleans. He will also film the thriller “Paranoia” with Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman and then work begins on the second “Hunger Games” flick. Meanwhile, Miley is working on a new album. All that work doesn’t seem to make her less excited for this new chapter in their relationship. “I’m so happy to be engaged and look forward to a life of happiness with Liam,” she said in a statement about their May 31 engagement. Share your well-wishes for the couple in the comments below! Related Photos A Look Back: Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth Related Artists Miley Cyrus
