Beyonce will not be performing at the Michael Jackson Tribute concert in Wales next month. Though she was originally scheduled to put on a show via satellite, the now-pregnant singer has pulled out of even that. Now, she will simply be making “special contribution on video,” according to Ticketmaster. However, Christina Aguilera, Ne-Yo, Cee Lo, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and Leona Lewis will perform. Sister Janet and brothers Randy and Jermaine Jackson won’t be at the concert because the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, who is charged in MJ’s death, is going on at the same time, but his kids, sister LaToya and Mama Katherine will be in attendance. Happy 30th Birthday, Beyonce! Her 30 Best Looks [PHOTOS] Beyonce Performs “Love On Top” And Reveals Baby Bump [VIDEO] Celebrities React To Beyonce’s Pregnancy On Twitter!
In our Fall Movie Preview, Drake Doremus says he ‘was shocked’ over chemistry between Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones. By Amy Wilkinson Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin in “Like Crazy” Photo: Fred Hayes/Paramount For his romantic weeper ” Like Crazy ” — the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner about two college sweethearts torn apart due to deportation — director Drake Doremus tapped a veritable who’s who of Hollywood’s young, up-and-coming talent, including Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence. But it was 27-year-old Felicity Jones whom he took a real gamble on, casting the actress after having only seen an audition tape filmed in her London flat. He said it was a risk well worth the return. As part of our Fall Movie Preview, Doremus spoke with MTV News about the autobiographical nature of his tender drama, taking a chance on Jones and all those comparisons to “Blue Valentine.” Click for photos from fall’s biggest flicks! MTV : This is such a heart-wrenching love story. Is it autobiographical in any way? What was your inspiration? Drake Doremus : I think, trying to make a genuine love story, it would be silly not to try to dig deep and find pieces of yourself and put them in the film. So there’s a lot of emotional truth in the film that I’ve gone through and relationship elements, for sure. It’s a very personal love story. MTV : Felicity Jones is already gaining a lot of buzz for her performance. It seems like she kind of came out of nowhere. How did you cast her? Doremus : Felicity sent me a tape from London. I had seen about 50 girls in Los Angeles. I’d brought a few of them in with Anton and did the chemistry read, and I was not quite feeling it yet. She sent a tape of herself in her flat in London. She just embodied everything that was this character. I immediately called her and told her to come. It was a total gut call. I had never even seen her with Anton, and I didn’t even know if they’d have chemistry, but something in my gut told me we had to cast Felicity Jones and that she was the right person for this. And man, oh man, that’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my career. MTV : Were you surprised by the actors’ intense chemistry given that they hadn’t tested together? Doremus : Yeah, I was shocked. I mean, it’s a tribute to how game they were to go down this path and go down this journey. At the first rehearsal session, I asked them very specifically, ‘You have to understand what kind of a journey we’re going on here. We’re going to live this thing. We’re going to breathe it, and it’s going to come from the inside out. You’re going to have a four-week love affair. Are you guys game to do this?’ They were 100 percent game. MTV : You improvised a lot of scenes in this film. Is that a process that was specific to this project, or a method you prefer? Doremus : It’s a formula I’ve been developing for the last couple of years that I’m continuing to fine-tune and use. It’s essentially just a form of writing the characters, the backstory and the emotional arc and where we’re going. The actors are always encouraged to do and say whatever they feel and let things happen sort of organically. MTV : Does this approach leave you with a lot more footage to work with than if you’d strictly stuck to a script? Doremus : Absolutely. It’s crazy, actually. We could have cut four, five completely different versions of this movie. It would have been the same story but how we got to the end point would have been very different. You give yourself options, and the editing process becomes the third leg of the writing stool. MTV : Many critics have been calling “Like Crazy” this year’s “Blue Valentine.” What do you make of those comparisons? Doremus : Well, first of all, it’s an honor. I think that’s a very beautiful film. But I think they’re very different. You know, I think this film is a much more romantic, innocent and hopeful and optimistic look at love. Check out everything we’ve got on “Like Crazy.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Fall Movie Preview 2011 Related Photos Exclusive Photos From Fall’s Biggest Flicks
‘I don’t ever want to stop doing music,’ JT tells U.K. magazine. By James Montgomery Justin Timberlake in his “SexyBack” music video Photo: Jive If he had his way, Justin Timberlake would probably be doing promo for the follow-up to 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds right about now; it’s just that these pesky movie roles keep getting in the way. That’s the takeaway from a new interview Timberlake gave to British magazine Timberlake’s musical output with the group at a restaurant he co-owns in New York City. But he maintains that he never really decided to put his solo career on the shelf. It just sort of shook out that way, much to the dismay of his fans, who have begun making impassioned (and slightly profane) pleas for his return . “The only conscious decision I made was that I didn’t want to do a movie about a musician, because I felt like that was presumptuous,” he told the magazine. “If ‘Bad Teacher’ had come out before ‘The Social Network,’ it may have curbed it a bit because people got used to seeing me on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and thought, ‘Well, he’s kind of funny.’ I never cared about being taken seriously as a musician.” So, when can fans expect to hear new music from Timberlake? Well, from the sound of things, it may be a while. For the immediate future, he’s focused on just disappearing for a while. “I have nothing on my plate for the rest of the year. I’m getting sick of me,” Timberlake said. “I realize that I’m in a really lucky place because, to be honest, I don’t think I’m that good. I just want to make the right choices. You get to a certain age where you don’t feel the need to be validated by your choices in your career. I want to be validated more by choices in my personal life.” Related Photos The Evolution Of: Justin Timberlake Related Artists Justin Timberlake
Actress is ‘not seriously injured and is resting comfortably at home,’ according to her rep. By Jocelyn Vena Reese Witherspoon Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Following her run-in with a car earlier this week, Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon will not press charges against the elderly woman who hit her, according to Usmagazine.com . A source said Witherspoon has no plans to press charges against the 84-year-old who struck the actress with her car while she was jogging in Santa Monica. The driver failed to yield a pedestrian sign. “The incident is being treated as an accident,” the source adds. “The driver was not given an alcohol test at the accident scene and typically she would receive a fine and a point on her driving license as it is considered a moving violation.” A rep for the actress added that she was “not seriously injured and is resting comfortably at home.” In a previous report, Santa Monica Police spokesman Sgt. Richard Lewis said Witherspoon, “suffered minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for medical treatment.” She was discharged a short time later and spent the night at home recovering from the incident. Lewis said the unidentified driver of the vehicle, who was driving 20 mph at the time, was interviewed at the location and released after getting a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The driver has been ordered by the DMV to retake her driver’s test. Police sources told TMZ that they have ordered the DMV to bring the driver in within the next 30 days for testing. Additionally, she must take an eye exam and provide a list of medications she’s on, if any. She’s already received a ticket in connection with the incident. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Reese Witherspoon
Rogen and screenwriter Will Reiser discuss the challenges of making a comedy about a guy with a terminal disease, in our Fall Movie Preview. By Josh Horowitz Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in “50/50” Photo: Summit Entertainment Thus far in MTV News’ Fall Movie Preview, we’ve looked at comedies about drug-buying babysitters , people who hang out with puppets and stoners shooting Santa Claus in the face. Unconventional topics for big-screen laughs, all. “50/50” sees those flick’s giggles-from-unexpected-places efforts, and raises ’em one: This is a comedy about having cancer, surviving it and figuring out a way to laugh about the whole thing. Based on the experiences of Will Reiser (who penned the script), “50/50” stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Kyle, a young man suddenly diagnosed with the disease. Seth Rogen plays his best friend, the guy trying to cheer him up and get him laid and distract him from the very real possibility of an untimely death. Rogen and Reiser recently called up MTV News to talk about the film’s real-life inspirations, the challenges of marketing a comedy about cancer, and how Reiser’s disease once gained them early access to “Batman Begins.” MTV : So we’re looking at “50/50” as part of our Fall Movie Preview. Where does your cancer comedy fit in with the likes of “Breaking Dawn” and “Sherlock Holmes” and “Mission Impossible”? Seth Rogen : I think it’s funnier than all those movies. It is about something somewhat serious, but I really think it’s as funny as any of our movies. That’s what is really interesting about it to me. We’d always talk about how it’s not a creative challenge to take something depressing and make something depressing out of it. To us, it was much more interesting to take something that’s inherently depressing and try to make something really, really funny out of it. To me, the movies that are about something you generally don’t want to watch but you keep watching for decades to come, the only reason you do that is because they’re funny. A movie like “Dr. Strangelove,” no one wants a movie about f—ing nuclear war, but if it’s funny, you keep watching it. Tonally, that’s what we were trying to do. Will Reiser : Yeah, challenging that idea of what’s acceptable. People are really afraid to laugh at illness in general. MTV : Did the pragmatists in both of you worry about marketing a movie like this? Rogen : I think it’s challenging, but I know people like the movie, and if the movie was in any way disappointing, we would really have a challenge. But because it’s a satisfying movie and ultimately not depressing and our trailers have been good; it’s no bigger challenge than some of the other movies we’ve done. At the time, a weed action movie was not easy to market. MTV : How true to life is this film for you? Reiser : It’s definitely fiction. I took from my own experience and created something that’s a work of fiction. I can relate to the character and I really tried to draw on my own experiences. And the other characters, like my mother in the movie — that’s not my mother — but there are elements of my mother and there are elements there in our relationship that are things we really went through. A lot of the alienation and isolation and the absurdity you feel when you’re sick, that all speaks to my experience. At the time, Seth and I would laugh about it. When you’re that young, you don’t sit around and talk about your emotions. We’re comedy writers. We would joke about it. Rogen : It was never, “What happens when you die?” It was, “Are you too old to get a Make-A-Wish? We should at least go for it. Worst comes to worse, we hang out with Led Zeppelin for a day.” Reiser : It’s dark humor, but that’s who we are and that’s how we came up with the idea for the movie. We were at a party one night and we came up with this idea for a buddy comedy. Rogen : The first version was an R-rated version of “The Bucket List.” MTV : What about the element of encouraging Kyle to use his illness to benefit his sex life. Is that true to life? Rogen : I don’t think it was as specific as, “You can use this to get laid.” But I did aggressively push Will to always look on the bright side and make something good out of it. Maybe we can get a free drink, maybe we can go on a trip somewhere. Reiser : I remember in 2005 I had just had this horrible back surgery and I could barely walk, and Seth and I were waiting on line to see this huge action movie — I think it was “Batman Begins” — and Seth walked to the front and said, “My friend has cancer, can we skip the line?” Rogen : And it worked! So yes, I may or may not have used Will’s cancer to get into “Batman Begins” for free. From “Abduction” to “Muppets, “Moneyball” to “Breaking Dawn,” the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films’ biggest stars. Check out everything we’ve got on “50/50.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Fall Movie Preview 2011 Related Photos Exclusive Photos From Fall’s Biggest Flicks
The Missoni for Target collection made it’s debut last night as part of New York’s Fashion Week. HB babes Selita Ebanks and Joy Bryant looked beautiful, decked out in the label’s trademark colorful geometric prints. Selita fit right in with the colorful collection, revealing her must-have fall season to HB: ”I’m still loving color blocking even though I know it’s very ‘spring.’” The 400+ piece collection, which hits stores September 13, is comprised of everything you need – no, seriously! Dresses, skirts, hoodies, cardigans, headbands, hair clips & pins, handbags, luggage, flats, heels, rain boots, scarves, gloves, beanies, stockings, socks, bathing suits, men’s ties, make-up bags and brush sets, pillows, candles, dish sets, picture frames, vases, stationary, storage boxes, jewelry boxes, laptop cases, an outdoor patio set and a bike! Got all that? Prices will range from $2.99 to $599.99, though most items will retail for less than $40. But the collection will only be in stores until October 22, so get it while you can! See pics of the items in the gallery below! NY Step Team Models Designer Dresses From Target While Dancing [VIDEO] Selita Ebanks Says Nick Cannon’s Package Was “Eh”
The Game is up to his old antics again trying to amp up record sales by creating a buzz with a tweet to ex-homie 50 Cent. The Game tweeted “ @TMZ but look around, sh*t I be surprised when I see someone who’s not GAY. My girl hair stylist is GAY & he kool. @50cent GAY n we was kool.” Can’t wait to see what 50 will have to say about this! Game: “Who Run The World? Gays” [VIDEO] The Game On Jay-Z: “I Don’t Want Hot Dog Link Lips” Game’s R.E.D Album Debuts At Number 1 On Charts The Game Spazzes On His Girlfriend After She Tries To Break Up Fight [VIDEO]
Will Meagan Good replace Stacey Dash on the hit scripted VH1 series Single Ladies? Last week Stacey Dash released a statement confirming her departure from the show. There were rumors of Stacey Dash being fired due to diva antics. In her statement she revealed the reason was due to the show being filmed in Atlanta. Stacey would rather be in LA with her kids. Word on the street is Meagan Good has been offered to replace Stacey Dash. It has been a pretty good year for Meagan Good who had two movies released this year, “Jumping The Broom” and “35 And Ticking” and a reoccurring role on BET’s hit series “The Game.” The hasn’t been any official word from VH1 on who will replace Stacey Dash as of yet. Do you guys think Meagan Good can fill Stacey Dash’s shoes? SOURCE: BrownSista Stacey Dash Confirms She’s Leaving “Single Ladies” LisaRaye: “I Did Not Get Stacey Dash Fired, There Is No Beef!” Is Stacey Dash Getting Fired From “Single Ladies”?
‘The purpose of that record was solely to deliver a message,’ Drake tells MTV News of first single ‘Headlines.’ By Rob Markman Drake Photo: MTV News Maybe “Headlines” wasn’t the radio smash that fans were expecting from Drake, but the OVOXO star says that it was the perfect single to set off his upcoming Take Care. “I think it’s great; the purpose of that record was solely to deliver a message,” Drizzy told MTV News last month on the BMI Urban Awards red carpet. “I could’ve gone with the record that was sort of super radio-friendly, but I really just wanted to talk to the people with the first record.” Rather than an emotional ballad or party record, Drake’s “Headlines” details the MC’s frame of mind going into his second album. Despite his success, he raps from an underdog’s perspective. “I had someone tell me I fell off, ooh I needed that/ And they wanna see me pick back up, well, where’d I leave it at?” Not your standard pop fare, but Drake, who has crafted hits like “Best I Ever Had,” “Find Your Love” and “Successful,” said that Take Care will have Billboard -caliber tracks as well. “I’ve got a lot of records that I think will live on radio for a while,” he said. “I’m excited about everything that’s happened thus far.” Although “Headlines” is the album’s first official single, there have been other leaks like “Marvins Room” and “Dreams Money Can Buy,” two songs Drake described on his October’s Very Own blog as pieces of a bigger story. So what story is the Young Money soldier trying to tell on Take Care ? “It’ll let you know exactly what’s goin’ on in my life because unlike a lot of other artists, I don’t take to social media outlets to tell you what’s goin’ on in my life,” he replied. “I don’t sit there and complain about stuff all day long, I don’t lash out, I just sort of save it for the album, so I think if you want to know what’s going on with me at all, you’ll just listen to Take Care and it’ll answer all of your questions.” Share your thoughts on Drizzy’s Take Care singles so far in the comments below! Related Photos Drake And Lil Wayne: A Look Back In Photos Related Artists Drake
Chris Tucker used to get it in as a movie star after appearing in blockbusters like the “Rush Hour” trilogy and other films (“Friday” is STILL hilarious). But we haven’t seen the Decatur native in any roles since 2007 when he starred in “Rush Hour 3″ alongside Jackie Chan. Chris Tucker recently returned to his standup comic roots by doing some shows in comedy clubs and one at the Fox Theatre last year, and it may not be long before we see him in another film. According to MovieFone.com , Tucker is in talks with execs to co-star in two high-profile projects: ‘The Silver Linings Playbook” with Bradley Cooper and “Neighborhood Watch” with Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill. Get the rest of the details about the moves Chris Tucker’s making back to the big screen right here . RELATED POSTS: Chris Tucker Owes $11 Million In Back Taxes Chris Tucker’s Funniest Movie Moments [VIDEO] Chris Tucker As Michael Jackson The Pimp [DAILY LAUGH]
