Basketball Wives star Jennifer Williams cannot BELIEVE Nia Crooks slapped her in the face on this week’s episode, and has slapped her with a lawsuit in return. Filing a civil complaint alleging assault and battery Wednesday, Jennifer seeks damages from Nia – Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada’s personal assistant. According to Williams, Crooks was “negligent, reckless and careless” when slapping Jennifer across the face during an altercation that took place January 21: Basketball Wives FIGHT: Jennifer Williams Slapped! “Someone needs to put a number on this bitch and let her race around the track because she’s acting like an animal,” Williams said of Crooks on Monday. The episode documented the fight taking place in a VIP suite at Gulfstream Park racetrack in Florida, in which Williams says she suffered “serious injuries.”
‘Huntsman’ director Rupert Sanders also discusses the ‘fiendish’ Charlize Theron for MTV News’ Summer Movie Preview Week. By Kara Warner Kristen Stewart in “Snow White and the Huntsman” Photo: Universal Pictures It’s clear from all we’ve seen from the “Snow White and the Huntsman” trailers, photos and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks that this film is a stepping stone for Kristen Stewart in many ways. When MTV News caught up with the film’s director, Rupert Sanders, recently, he explained how everyone involved in the project stepped up their game for this modern take on a medieval story. “Kristen is a very driven, visceral, intuitive actress. From a director’s point of view, it’s great to get into her headspace,” he explained. “We did a lot of work together on the script and character, and she really helped inform me how that character was feeling, which really helped my process getting the character onscreen. Kristen was doing a lot of her stunt work, she was riding horses, she was jumping from high precipices into freezing cold water, she was fighting dwarves — she’s gung-ho. Sanders said Stewart’s co-star Charlize Theron was equally gung-ho with respect to the lengths she went to take her beauty into a dark and horrible place. “[She] becomes fiendish,” Sanders said. “She was willing to get in tubs of black oil, surrounded by dead ravens, and crawl her way out. For a director, what’s great about these two actors is that they will go beyond what you ask of them, and I think it really shows in the performances they’ve given. They’re both very unlike any performance I’ve seen either of them deliver.” The first-time feature director promised that fans will not be disappointed by what they’ll see onscreen when the film opens June 1. “What I’m most proud of is that it’s not a popcorn movie in that respect. It’s big and it’s epic and there’s lots of battle sequences, but it really hits you,” he said. “There’s not a lot of weeping, but it’s a very intense ride. You’re really at the edge of people’s boundaries. There are new ways of seeing action, which I’m excited about. It’s a very modern take on a medieval film but doesn’t feel like we’re trying to do anything trendy or of the minute. It still feels practical.” It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012 Related Photos Get Psyched For 2012’s Summer Movies!
Bennett Miller and Francis Lawrence have been added to short list to direct ‘Hunger Games’ sequel. By Kevin P. Sullivan Jennifer Lawrence in “Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate It is now certainly safe to say that the search for a ” Catching Fire ” director is under way. Not long after ” Hunger Games ” director Gary Ross turned down the job, names of potential replacements began appearing. Last week, a Lionsgate wish list of seven or eight directors included the names David Cronenberg, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron. (We also had a few suggestions of our own.) Now, two more possibilities have stepped forward. The Playlist is reporting that Bennett Miller and Francis Lawrence are also in contention for the gig. Both directors have impressive r
Join the hip-hop trio Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com By Rob Markman Future, DJ Khaled and Juvenile Photo: Getty Images “RapFix Live” is ready to turn up. Last week, Sway welcomed Ace Hood and TDE’s Schoolboy Q on the red couch, but this week, he’ll have to make even more room because Future , DJ Khaled and Juvenile will all be stopping by to kick it Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com. On Tuesday, Future is dropping his debut album, Pluto. To celebrate, he will swing through the “RapFix” set and make an appearance on MTV’s new weekly talk show “Hip Hop POV” on Wednesday. The “Tony Montana” rapper’s first shot features R. Kelly, T.I., Juicy J, Snoop Dogg and Trae Tha Truth. His single “Magic” peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B charts, and his next record, “Same Damn Time,” is starting to bubble as well. It’ll be quite the moment if the rap newcomer crosses paths with veteran MC Juvenile , who will also be in the studio. Juvie began his career as the shining star on Birdman’s Cash Money Records. His 1998 LP, 400 Degreez, was a pivotal hip-hop album and ultimately established Cash Money as a musical force to be reckoned with. It spawned singles like “Ha” and the rump-shaking “Back That Azz Up.” Juvie left CMR in 2002 and has largely carried on by himself. He dropped his last solo album, Beast Mode, in 2010 and earlier this year released his Mardi Gras mixtape with DJ Smallz. Now you can’t have a party without DJ Khaled . Since 2006, the Miami representative has been carving his lane as a hitmaker. On his debut LP, Listennn… the Album, Khaled paired artists like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel on high-powered collaborative cuts. He successfully improved on the formula through the years and has delivered with hit records like “I’m So Hood” featuring T-Pain, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy and Plies, as well as last year’s inescapable single “I’m On One” with Drake, Ross and Lil Wayne. Khaled’s latest track, “Take It to the Head,” partners Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj on a single track. His sixth studio album, Kiss the Ring, is due later this year. Catch Future, DJ Khaled and Juvenile on “RapFix Live” Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com, and be sure to join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive. Send your questions for the artists to @MTVRapFix! Related Artists Future DJ Khaled Juvenile
Visual-effects house behind the 2-D image tells Wall Street Journal that Dr. Dre has a vision beyond Coachella for his virtual friend. By Kara Warner Tupac’s hologram at Coachella Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Tupac Shakur has made quite an impact on pop culture since his death in 1996, so we shouldn’t be too surprised that his eye-popping and downright magical materialization at the Coachella music festival on Sunday night alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre is dominating the headlines. The spectacular surprise has caused such a stir that there’s a chance we might be seeing a lot more of this “new” Tupac very soon. According to a Wall Street Journal interview with Ed Ulbrich of Digital Domain Media Group Inc., the visual-effects house responsible for making the rapper’s image (as well as the virtual versions of Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), there are plans to take the 2-D image on tour. (Although ‘Pac’s ghostly figure has been widely reported as a hologram, Ulbrich told the Journal that its technical description is a 2-D image and not a hologram, which is 3-D.) Moving forward with discussions of a tour are representatives for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg who, according to a source close to the project, will be meeting to discuss the logistics involved in scheduling a string of performances with the virtual Tupac. The report cites one option would be to tour in stadiums and involve other hip-hop stars like Eminem, 50 Cent and Wiz Khalifa. Another option is a limited tour that would only feature Dre, Snoop Dogg and the virtual Tupac in smaller arenas. “We worked with Dr. Dre on this, and it was Dre’s vision to bring this back to life,” Nick Smith — president of AV Concepts, the San Diego company that projected and staged the image — exclusively told MTV News on Monday (April 16). “It was his idea from the very beginning and we worked with him and his camp to utilize the technology to make it come to life. … You can take their likenesses and voice and … take people that haven’t done concerts before or perform music they haven’t sung and digitally re-create it.” “This is not found footage. This is not archival footage. This is an illusion [and] this is just the beginning,” Ulbrich told the Journal. “Dre has a massive vision for this.” Do you want to see virtual ‘Pac in concert? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Tupac’s Hologram At Coachella Related Artists Tupac
White girrrrrrrrrrls, gone wild! Iggy Azalea Responds To Disses From Eve And Azealia Banks When asked her opinion about newer female MCs during an interview with The Women of Hip-Hop last week, Eve admitted although she enjoys Harlem MC Azealia Banks, she isn’t a big fan of Australian femcee Iggy Azalea. “I like Azealia Banks — I think her style is dope,” she said. “If you listen to her lyrics, she knows how to wordplay and I think that’s cute. I’m not really into the Iggy Azalea chick. I can’t really f**k with her music, but her look is crazy. I just can’t believe it.” XXL caught up with Iggy during the Freshmen Live Tour stop in New York City on Monday (April 9), and asked the leggy blonde for her thoughts on E-V-E’s comment. “I like Eve,” she began. “Everybody is different, everybody hasn’t lived out of the box and for you to even know if it’s real, you have to kind of be an out-the-box person or somebody who likes something they’re not suppose to [like]. A girl like her that raps is expected, so, how could you understand something so different? “I’m not mad at [Eve] for not understanding it,” she continued. “How could you if you’ve never been ostracized or loved something you weren’t suppose to love? Everything you’ve loved you’re allowed to love, so, how could you understand me? Thus, how could you know if it’s real? I used to be like, ‘It is real, let me prove it to you. Now, I don’t care if you think it’s real or not because it’s what I love, it’s my life. I don’t put my story all out there for you because I don’t need to put my story out there and prove it. I don’t give a f**k if you think I am or not ’cause that girl in the crowd understand it and that’s who it’s for, if you don’t then it’s not for you.” In response to other Femcees, namely her name-alike Azealia Banks, the Grand Hustle 1st lady says: “Females are competitive like that and that’s how it is,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m sure if I was the best sprinter in the world, all the other sprinters would hate me and I would hate them, too. It’s the same thing— it’s competition, it’s women. I don’t take offense to it. I don’t wake up thinking about another woman. I think about what I am going to do to make sure my career has longevity because that’s my only job. I just think about that, not who can be doing my job better than me —no one can, because I’m the only one that can be me and they’re the only ones who can be them.” “This is my day and it’s my achievement. You have to work to have your own achievements, with all due respect. Instead of worrying about who else is on there, you should just be happy that I’m on there as a woman for women, and if you want to have your own achievement, work and have your own achievement. I can’t take what’s meant for you and you can’t take what’s meant for me.” Whether you hate her or love her, it sounds like Iggy is focused on the right things. Are you feelin’ her music yet, or do you agree with E-V-E?? Images via WENN Source More On Bossip! Sorry Ye’: 10 Reasons Kim Kardashian Isn’t Even In Beyonce’s League You Can’t Be Serious: Kenya Bell Is Still Talkin’ Yang “I Didn’t Want To Hurt Evelyn On National Television” Freak Out! NFL Baller Jabar Gaffney Goes In On Ex-Wife, Rival Player He Wants To Beat Up And Taking YOUR Chick! What A Banger Looks Like?: Meet Cuban Triple Jumper “Yargelis Savigne” [Video]
Last month we had the opportunity to see an exclusive early screening of the new independent film “Life, Love, Soul” and interview “The Wire” actors Chad Coleman and Jamie Hector who star in the project. Also featuring Tami Roman, Egypt Sherrod and Terri Vaughn “Life, Love, Soul” follows the story of young Roosevelt — forced to live with his estranged father after the tragic death of his mother and little brother. He and his father bump heads at first, but just as they begin to make a breakthrough, Roosevelt is faced with a huge decision of his own. The film hits theaters today but if you need a little more info before copping your tix, check out this interview Bossip did with Coleman and Hector below: Bossip: We’re big fans of “The Wire” so we loved watching you guys in this film. We noticed a lot of themes around African American males role models and providing examples and wanted to see what has inspired you. Chad Coleman: The film is about an African American man, who is estranged from his son. I think the film was able to demonstrate how even though he may have had a broken relationship you can reach out and rebuild bridges where they once were walls, despite the relationship between him and his ex, who unfortunately passed away. I thought it was a great opportunity to show the growth between and father and a son and it’s never too late to for an individual to change, an African American male to change, and accept his responsibility, and demonstrate that this is something he can do, we have so many negative images this is an opportunity to show that we can have those types of relationships. Jamie Hector: Also one of my favorite things in the film is when my character goes to visit Robby’s father, because that shows the audience as well as myself that it takes a community to raise a kid. Chad and I both have organizations, nonprofit organizations… What you see the character doing in the film is very close to what I am doing. We don’t charge people to come, we focus on developing a character while helping them, We support each other in order to serve the community. Bossip: In the film, how did you bridge the gap, what did you see in the script as being able to overcome these situations, the things that you baby mother might have said, that made Roosevelt act the way he was acting? Chad: That was very challenging –the circumstances, the way the things were set up. It breaks down communications in the earlier years with the exes. It’s fundamental, you have to be able to communicate with each other and share the vision where you are going together, if you don’t have that type of communication going on you will have separations. The personal baggage creates a huge difference. I was inspired by the fact I was given a second chance with my son. We couldn’t work it out, but she was still participating which was great. Relationships are very difficult to negotiate, but these things do occur, so what are you going to do? I hope we inspire a lot of people to feel there should be a second chance. If we can inspire a change of heart, to try to come back at it, to come to some kind of common ground, where there is humanity for the child, regardless how much you may have to work. Even if it doesn’t work between me and her, as men we have to do the best we can, have to be willing to take risks. I had to put myself out there, I never gave up on it. Bossip: Would you say your character is abusive? Do you think there was an issue with alcohol for your character? Chad: I don’t think it went to that degree; there was a level of self medication. I thought the film showed an honest way of this man having to come to terms, not through continued alcohol use, but confronting internal pain, finding a place in his loved ones life, that he will be a blessing to his son, through that incredible inner pain, I think its very courageous. Bossip: Do you think enough attention is given to teenage pregnancy and kids staying in school despite these obstacles? As a community what should we do to address this issue? Jamie: One thing that we know is that young folks are going to have sex. We have to educate them and be their support system. For me personally, finishing school is mandatory. I love the way the story expressed that. When you have a child, it’s not just about one person, its about both. They both need to take care of that child. That’s one thing I like about the film — even though the parents got pissed off, Moms she was heated — which I truly understand — afterward you see the support. You know they could have gone to school, gone to work and having to make these decisions, there was no way this could have happened without the support of the father, teacher, the community. When the girl gets pregnant you have to make sure she doesn’t do anything drastic or become depressed. We are human, we have to develop. The film exposes life after a child, you don’t have to put yourself in your own section just because you had a child — you have to educate yourself and those around you. You’re still a kid even though you had a kid. Chad: I would agree, he put everything on the table; there wasn’t a perspective that was not represented, which says within the community there are very distinct voices. Where these kids landed, through all those varying perspectives, there was hope for those children. The key is to not give up, to continue to work on yourself. It’s never over. In reality, there are challenges. Bossip: If you had a daughter and she came to you in that same scenario hw would you react? Jamie: I would do my best as a father. It’s always my job. I have to find that healthy perspective, that is going to inspire to help her grow even dealing with that situation Check out a trailer for the movie below: More On Bossip! Sorry Ye’: 10 Reasons Kim Kardashian Isn’t Even In Beyonce’s League You Can’t Be Serious: Kenya Bell Is Still Talkin’ Yang “I Didn’t Want To Hurt Evelyn On National Television” Freak Out! NFL Baller Jabar Gaffney Goes In On Ex-Wife, Rival Player He Wants To Beat Up And Taking YOUR Chick! What A Banger Looks Like?: Meet Cuban Triple Jumper “Yargelis Savigne” [Video]
‘It was important to collaborate with people that share the same passion in music that I have,’ EDM veteran tells MTV News. By Akshay Bhansali Paul Van Dyk Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/ Getty Images MTV News took great pride in heading down to Florida for Miami Music Week , the annual dance-music get-together. We particularly cherished the opportunity to catch up with Paul Van Dyk, fresh off a smashing set at Ice Palace; the highly decorated Grammy-winning German electronic-music producer is among EDM’s first true legends. “Stuff like ‘Home,’ ‘Time of Our Lives,’ also ‘For an Angel’ — people always request me to play them,” Van Dyk said of his past catalog of hits played for fans. “But I’m really excited because people already knew the new stuff from the album. They went really wild, so that was good!” The album Van Dyk speaks of is the veteran producer’s latest studio effort, his sixth, titled Evolution. It is not only a reflection of the renaissance he seeks to deliver with every new project, but also a sign of the times we live in today. “Look at electronic music,” Van Dyk said. “[It’s gone] from a small subculture 20 years ago to the biggest music culture in the world these days. Also, the way we communicate these days with each other: We didn’t have Facebook five years ago. “Or the way we actually listen to music: iPads, iPhone,” he continued. “How we buy it: iTunes and all that. We didn’t have that 10 years ago. So there’s a massive evolution in how we live together, how we basically enjoy each other. And this is what I tried to bring across with the album, in a way.” Van Dyk is quick to point out that Evolution is not a concept album, with tracks directly connected, but rather that the underlying cohesion comes from a main source of inspiration. “My inspiration is life in general: everything I see, everything I experience,” he said. “So when I go to the studio, every single track is based on that work ethic. And in terms of working on the album, for me it was very important to collaborate with people that share the same passion in music that I have.” Indeed, the project features a fine group of collaborators: The exceptional Austin Leeds appears on album opener “Symmetries” and “Verano.” One of the stand-out collabs comes from ‘s Adam Young on “Eternity,” born of their meeting three years ago. “It was long before ‘Fireflies,’ ” Van Dyk explained. “So there was this guy that was insanely creative. And we just decided, ‘Yeah, let’s do some music together.’ A few weeks later ‘Fireflies’ blew up. And I was like, ‘Holy crap! That’s Adam!’ ” Versatile EDM rising star Arty , championed early in his career by Van Dyk, is featured twice on the project, the second time in a compelling, untraditional way. “There’s a song on the album called ‘The Sun After Heartbreak,’ ” Van Dyk said of a track that also features vocals from Sue McLaren. “[It] is a pure example of what I always say: It’s not about ‘This is dubstep. This is house. This is electro. This is trance.’ It’s about electronic music, because otherwise how would you explain two people coming from the trancey world of things doing a track that is clearly influenced and driven by drum and bass? It’s purely because the creative process was leading us that way.” Related Artists Paul Van Dyk Adam Young Austin Leeds
But the pop-heavy LP is ‘a lot better than how we planned,’ Nicki’s pal-turned-co-executive producer Safaree ‘SB’ Samuels tells MTV News. By Sowmya Krishnamurthy, with reporting by Rob Markman Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded Photo: Universal Nicki Minaj ‘s right-hand man Safaree “SB” Samuels took on another role for his longtime friend when he signed on as a co-executive producer on her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. When MTV News caught up with SB, he explained how he made sure everything from “A to Z was done.” Samuels said his tasks on the project included scouting for beats and keeping in touch with producers to make sure deadlines were met. When asked how he helped Nicki to strike a balance between hip-hop and pop, SB revealed that the album was initially skewed toward rap. “In the beginning, we was gonna make it some rap spittin’ sh– and it was going to have a couple of songs that were going to be the ‘Super Bass’-es and joints like that,” he revealed. “But it ended up working out a lot better than how we planned.” SB went on to gush about working with Hit Boy, whose production highlights include Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “N—as in Paris.” After hearing just one beat, both Nicki and SB thought “We need more!” Hit Boy sent around six great beats, and they decided on two for the songs “Come on a Cone” and “I Am Your Leader,” which features Cam’ron and Rick Ross. (Incidentally, those are both SB’s favorites on the album.) But on the topic of crossover appeal and whether Nicki has deserted her rap roots , SB couldn’t disagree more. “She’s still doing her rap sh–, she’s still doing her crossover sh–,” he said. “When you a star, you a star. You can’t deny it.” Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded debuted at #1 this week, selling 253,000 copies in its first week on the Billboard albums chart. Nicki’s debut, Pink Friday, debuted at #2 in December 2010 on sales of 375,000. Do you think Nicki has gone too pop? Sound off in the comments below! Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ Gets A New Point Of View Related Artists Nicki Minaj
Just two months ago, Khloe Kardashian apparently came closer than ever to becoming a mother … only to suffer a miscarriage. According to In Touch Weekly. The tabloid reports that the miscarriage devastated her emotionally. Her rep denies the failed pregnancy even took place. So it goes … “She’s trying to put on a brave face, but it’s so hard,” reveals a most likely fake friend of Khlo
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