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Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong To Appear In ‘American Idiot’

Rocker will make Broadway debut in play he co-authored. By Mawuse Ziegbe Billie Joe Armstrong at “American Idiot” on Broadway Photo: MTV News Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has a major Broadway production, “American Idiot,” on the legendary New York theater row but the rocker has never actually graced a Broadway stage — until now. Armstrong will appear in the rock opera this week, from Tuesday until Sunday, at the St. James Theatre. The Green Day lead singer, who co-authored “Idiot,” will play St. Jimmy; a role typically helmed by stage performer Tony Vincent, who will be on leave for a family matter. In the days before the production opened in April, Armstrong explained to MTV News that when creating the band’s hugely successful 2004 effort American Idiot, the trio sought to break the mold with their music but still retain some of the themes they’ve championed since their debut in the late ’80s. “Right around 2003, I think, as a band, we wanted to have a monumental moment. We wanted to make a concept album, we knew that,” Armstrong said. “Politically, when we were writing it, American Idiot was trying to make sense out of a big mess. We were trying to find something to believe in. It’s about people becoming lost and trying to find their way. And I think that’s been going through our songs since 1988.” Even though “Idiot” was initially released as an LP, Armstrong said they always envisioned the project as a theater production. “This album is our baby. To see it get put in the hands of other people, it’s great,” he said. “We’ve always thought that somehow there should be some sort of stage version, because that’s what was going on in our heads.” Are you excited for Billie Joe Armstrong’s Broadway debut! Sound off in the comments! Related Videos Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ On Broadway Related Photos The Evolution Of: Green Day MTV.com Exclusive: Green Day ‘American Idiot’ Interview Related Artists Green Day

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Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong To Appear In ‘American Idiot’

CNN’s Zakaria Paints Hezbollah as Tolerant of Jews as Lesson for Ground Zero Mosque Opponents

Catching up on an item from the August 22, Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN, host Zakaria — formerly of Newsweek — ended his show with commentary in which he ridiculously suggested that Americans who oppose construction of a mosque near Ground Zero could learn a lesson about tolerance from the terrorist group Hezbollah, and cited the group as being accepting of diverse religions – including Judaism – in Lebanon in light of the restoration of a synagogue in Beirut. Without informing viewers of the history of viciously anti-Semitic speech from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other leading figures within the anti-Israel group, the CNN anchor quoted Hezbollah’s claim that, rather than being anti-Semitic, they are simply opposed to “Israel’s occupation of Arab lands.” Zakaria: The project is said to have found support in many parts of the community, not just from the few remaining Jews there, but also Christians and Muslims and Hezbollah. Yes, Hezbollah, the one that the United States has designated a foreign terrorist organization. Hezbollah’s view on the renovation goes like this: Quote, “We respect divine religions, including the Jewish religion. The problem is with Israel’s occupation of Arab lands, not with the Jews.” Food for thought. But, as recounted by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), Hezbollah members not only desire to take over all of Israel which they consider to be occupied, but the group’s leader Nasrallah has been very direct in his anti-Semitic speech, once even declaring that if the Jewish people “all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.” Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Sunday, August 22, Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN: And now for the “Last Look.” With all the talk about places of worship and where they do and don’t belong, I wanted you to see this. This is the Magen Abraham synagogue. It’s not in Miami. It’s not in Tel Aviv. It’s in Beirut. That’s right, Beirut, Lebanon. The synagogue is just now emerging from a painstaking restoration project. When the repairs began over a year ago, the temple was literally a shell of its former self. So why did this nation, often teetering on the brink of religious hostilities and hostilities with Israel, restore a Jewish house of worship? To show that Lebanon is an open and tolerant country. And indeed, the project is said to have found support in many parts of the community, not just from the few remaining Jews there, but also Christians and Muslims and Hezbollah. Yes, Hezbollah, the one that the United States has designated a foreign terrorist organization. Hezbollah’s view on the renovation goes like this: Quote, “We respect divine religions, including the Jewish religion. The problem is with Israel’s occupation of Arab lands, not with the Jews.” Food for thought. Thanks to all of you for being part of my program this week. I will see you next week.

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CNN’s Zakaria Paints Hezbollah as Tolerant of Jews as Lesson for Ground Zero Mosque Opponents

Kanye West Reveals Jay-Z Joint Album Details

MC tweets Pete Rock, Q-Tip and Madlib have contributed to the project. By Mawuse Ziegbe Jay-Z and Kanye West Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/ WireImage Kanye West’s forthcoming joint release with Jay-Z won’t just feature the two hip-hop heavyweights trading bars. The album is shaping up to be collaborative effort that ropes in a slew of rap voices from underground icons to chart-topping kingpins. West took to his Twitter account on Saturday (September 25) to reveal that beatmaster Pete Rock and A Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-Tip have jumped on the project. “We got new Pete Rock Joints on the Watch the Thrown album… Q Tip joints…” West tweeted . He added that the album is also set to include a musical offering from prolific, crate-digging luminary Madlib. “We bout to spit on this Madlib beat.” The Jigga/’Ye album is part of the hip-hop superstar’s newly launched campaign to get fresh music to the fans. After announcing in August that he plans to release a spankin’ new track every Friday until Christmas, West tweeted on the first day of his G.O.O.D. Friday initiative that he’s hooking up with Hov for a five-track album. The Jay-Z/Nicki Minaj/Rick Ross/Bon Iver collabo “Monster” is slated to appear on the record. The Jay-Z joint album details also come a day after Yeezy unleashed another Hov-assisted cut, “So Appalled.” West dished that the newly released G.O.O.D. Friday track, which also features Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, Cyhi the Prynce and RZA, is the weekly joint he’s feeling the most. “Ok So Appalled might be my personal favorite Good Friday song so far… It’s just my favorite style of hip hop done very modern,” West tweeted of the string-laden track, which includes the various MCs hollers of “f—in’ ridiculous ridiculous.” “Just Swizz’s voice over the cello’s is haunting,” adding that he may revisit the track and “do another version where I bring that part in right after Pusha’s verse also.” Who else would you like to see on Kanye West and Jay-Z’s joint album? Let us know in the comments!> Related Artists Kanye West Jay-Z

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Kanye West Reveals Jay-Z Joint Album Details

Tony Yayo Says 50 Cent’s Beef With Fat Joe Is ‘My Problem’ Too

‘If you really dislike 50, then you really dislike Yayo,’ he says on ‘RapFix Live.’ By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway Tony Yayo on “RapFix Live” on Thursday Photo: Jonathan Goldner/MTV News Tony Yayo wants to make it clear how the beef between 50 Cent and Fat Joe spills over to the rest of the G-Unit crew: “I didn’t have a problem with Fat Joe; 50 did,” Yayo explained Thursday (September 23) on “RapFix Live.” “So now it’s my problem.” Fat Joe and 50 Cent have been trading barbs in rhyme and during interviews for years now. When the Terror Squad lyricist appeared on “RapFix Live” last month, he said there’s little chance the dispute with Fif could end peacefully. “The day 50 Cent want to lock up with me in a bathroom and do this like men, we can hug each other and keep it moving the day after that,” Joe said, referring to a one-on-one fight. Yayo, however, dismissed Joe’s notion. The G-Unit soldier said the idea of a straight-up battle is unheard of in his Queens, New York, neighborhood and said he’d jump into a fight with 50 against Fat Joe. “Where I’m from, there’s no such thing as a fair one,” he explained. “If that man is fighting, you fighting too. That’s just how it is. Like [Joe] said, he don’t know where [the beef] started from. Whatever beef 50 got with him, that’s his issue. But 50 is my homie, and it is what it is.” When asked if the issue between 50 and Joe could exist solely between the two men, Yayo didn’t think so. “If you really dislike 50, then you really dislike Yayo,” he said. ” ‘Cause anybody that doesn’t like 50 isn’t gonna like Yayo. There goes the answer right there. If I see you, you see me, something might potentially happen.” What do you think about the ongoing beef between 50 Cent and Fat Joe? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With Tony Yayo Related Artists Tony Yayo Fat Joe 50 Cent

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Tony Yayo Says 50 Cent’s Beef With Fat Joe Is ‘My Problem’ Too

Kanye West Is ‘Stepping Backwards’ For New Music, Q-Tip Says

‘He’s looking forward but reaching back, which is interesting,’ he tells XXL. By James Dinh Kanye West Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Utilizing Auto-Tune and the electro-pop trend, Kanye West took a musical departure with his last album, 808s & Heartbreak. But the rapper is heading back to his early roots with his new album, according to collaborator Q-Tip. “This album is, in a good way, going backwards,” Q-Tip told XXL magazine of the project. “He’s such an artist. He knows exactly what he’s doing. When he did [ 808s & Heartbreak ], that was such a departure from College Dropout. But now he’s stepping backwards, so this album will be more of a sonic extension of College Dropout and Graduation, but he’s doing it with a new attitude.” The Tribe Called Quest member explained that West is attempting to mix his sound of the past yet simultaneously cover new ground. “He’s looking forward but reaching back, which is interesting,” Q-Tip told the magazine. “It’s a calculated toe in yesterday’s water, if that makes any sense at all.” In July, ‘Ye spoke about the inspiration behind the yet-untitled project. “Everyone says all great art comes from pain, but I think my greatest art comes from excitement and joy,” he said. “It’s a completely different perspective about being extremely excited about stuff that is only cool to me.” The LP, which is due in stores later this fall, is set to feature additional production credits from DJ Premier, Pete Rock and No I.D. Lead single “Power” finds the rapper taking on the media, haters and everyone in between. As the project has gained momentum, West has treated fans to a slew of new tracks including “Monster,” featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj; “Devil in a New Dress” ; and “G.O.O.D. Friday,” featuring Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean and Charlie Wilson. More than likely, West will perform his new material when he serves as the musical guest on the Bryan Cranston-hosted “Saturday Night Live” episode October 2. What are you expecting from Kanye’s new album? Share your thoughts below! Related Artists Kanye West Q-Tip

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Kanye West Is ‘Stepping Backwards’ For New Music, Q-Tip Says

Dustin Lance Black on Hoover: ‘There Are More Contradictions’ — and DiCaprio’s In

Reports yesterday that Clint Eastwood approached Joaquin Phoenix to play the G-man object of affection in Hoover stimulated a new flurry of rumors about the project, from whether Leonardo DiCaprio is actually set to play the father of the FBI to whether Eastwood or Phoenix can attract enough studio confidence after their respective fall fizzles of Hereafter and I’m Still Here . The jury remains out on Phoenix, but as Dustin Lance Black told Movieline last week, don’t worry about the power duo at the top.

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Dustin Lance Black on Hoover: ‘There Are More Contradictions’ — and DiCaprio’s In

Zach Galifianakis Talks ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ Directing Duo

‘I think they have the same amount of influence,’ he says of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Zach Galifianakis Photo: MTV News Zach Galifianakis is following up his star-making and outrageous role in last year’s “The Hangover” with a slightly more subdued turn in “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” the latest film from “Half Nelson” writer/director team Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. In the film, which is based on the 2006 semiautobiographical novel by Ned Vizzini, Galifianakis plays Bobby, a patient in the psych ward of the Brooklyn Argenon Hospital, who becomes a mentor of sorts to Craig Gilner (Keir Gilchrist), a potentially suicidal 16-year-old who checks himself into the hospital. When we caught up with Galifianakis recently, we asked him how having two directors changed the filmmaking process and if he had any questions for the directing duo before he signed onto the project. “I had a few questions. One of them was: ‘When are the lunch breaks?’ ‘How long are the lunch breaks?’ and ‘Is this a Pixar film?’ Because those are my three rules,” he joked. “No, the script was good, I really liked the directors, and that’s kind of what I based it on.” Regarding Fleck and Boden’s directing style, Galifianakis said the duo were very organized yet laid-back at the same time. “Ryan does most of the talking, and Anna is in the background a little bit,” he explained. “But equally, I think they have the same amount of influence, but they’re very, very good directors. They’re soft-spoken and nice. It was a pleasure working with them.” “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” opens in New York and Los Angeles on October 8 and also features Viola Davis, Lauren Graham and up-and-comer Emma Roberts. Check out everything we’ve got on “It’s Kind of a Funny Story.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

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Zach Galifianakis Talks ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ Directing Duo

Facebook Is Secretly Building A Phone

Apple is doing it, Google is doing it, it was only a matter of time for facebook to get into the action. http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/19/facebook-is-secretly-building-a-phone/ -felipe “Facebook is building a mobile phone, says a source who has knowledge of the project. Or rather, they’re building the software for the phone and working with a third party to actually build the hardware. Which is exactly what Apple and everyone else does, too. It was a little less than a year ago that we broke the news that Google was working on a phone of its own – which was eventually revealed as the Nexus One. It was about that time, says out source, that Facebook first became concerned about the increasing power of the iPhone and Android platforms. And that awesome Facebook apps for those phones may not be enough to counter a long term competitive threat. Specifically, Facebook wants to integrate deeply into the contacts list and other core functions of the phone. It can only do that if it controls the operating system.” added by: donf3lipe

Keanu Reeves Is ‘Trying’ To Make ‘Bill And Ted’ Sequel

‘To me, I’d love to play the role. I’d love to work with Alex and Chris and Ed again,’ Reeves says. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Keanu Reeves Photo: MTV News It was on the glittering red carpet at the Oscars in March that Keanu Reeves tossed us a most excellent bit of semi-news about a potential new “Bill and Ted” sequel . “I’m trying, I’m trying,” he said. Was he serious? Just joking in the midst of the overly serious awards season circus? We honestly weren’t sure. So when we got a chance to chat with Reeves again — this time at the Toronto Film Festival, where he was promoting “Henry’s Crime” — we had to probe further. Is a third “Bill and Ted” flick really in the works? Might Reeves reunite with co-star Alex Winter and writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon? Perhaps. And Reeves is positively giddy about the possibility that it actually could happen. “We’re trying. Alex and I are still friends and we’re talking, and we’re talking to Chris and Ed,” Reeves said. “They’re going to try and see if they can write something. To me, I’d love to play the role. I’d love to work with Alex and Chris and Ed again.” “We’ll see what they do. If it’s a film that can stand up on its own … and I’m meeting people now, they’ve shown the film to their kids,” he added. “We just seek to entertain, and if that could be something that could be worthwhile, on its own …” Whether or not Matheson and Solomon hit on an idea that is worthwhile, of course, is only the first of many questions surrounding the chance that another “Bill and Ted” becomes a reality. But it’s worth noting, as well, how darn enthusiastic Reeves is about the project. During our chat, he popped off joke after joke about “Bill and Ted,” mixing his humor with genuine hope (“That would be amazing!” he declared at one point). He veered from one wacky pitch to the next — everything from a 3-D black-and-white sequel to a multi-director feature involving Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Werner Herzog. Will a third “Bill and Ted” happen? Who knows? But it sure is fun to hear Reeves launch into an impression of Herzog describing the project. “I was just pushed by the idea of this innocence being confronted by the nihilism of the world,” he joked. “And I thought that these two clowns could push our perspective of reality and truth to the forefront of meaning and knowledge.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

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Keanu Reeves Is ‘Trying’ To Make ‘Bill And Ted’ Sequel

No Doubt Having ‘More Fun’ Than Ever Recording LP

Bassist Tony Kanal promises an ‘even bigger’ tour than 2009 trek. By James Dinh No Doubt (file) Photo: Jason Squires/ Getty Images It’s been nine years since No Doubt released their last studio album, and it’s been a while since we’ve heard news on the follow-up to 2001’s Rock Steady, but bassist Tony Kanal assured fans that the group is steadily working on their new album and conjuring up a big tour. “I swear, we’re having more fun than we’ve ever had writing a record before,” Kanal told Billboard.com of their recording process earlier this week. “I think [because] it’s been a while, but also because we’re older … the fact that we’re still doing it together after 24 years — you know, working on music — I think we really appreciate that.” While the soon-to-be father admitted that they are still in the writing phase of the project, he did assure fans that their comeback will be worth the wait, as they’ll take their new material on the road. “I think it’ll be even bigger, and when I say bigger, I mean more shows and around the world,” he revealed. During the summer of 2009, No Doubt reunited for a tour alongside Paramore. Additional acts, including the Sounds, Janelle Mon