Team Britney Spears – literally, the singer and her management team – are featured in V magazine in a story about entertainers and their “second families.” The team is featured in these two Britney Spears pics : Left-to-right: Lou Taylor, business manager; Adam Leber, manager; Brett Miller, executive assistant; Jimmy “Sugar” Kane, security; Larry Rudolph, manager; Derek DeGrazio, fitness trainer; Edan Yemini, head of security; Robin Greenhill, business manager. “I have worked with all of them for many, many years so it was fun to see them together again on the first day of the tour,” Brit said. “Everybody was catching up and telling all of their fun stories from the past, laughing and just having a great time.” NOTE: Jason Trawick, Brit’s fiance, used to be her agent as well.
Composer Hans Zimmer gets his due credit in The Weekly Rising. By Kevin P. Sullivan Tom Hardy in “Dark Knight Rises” Photo: Warner Bros. In the years since “Batman Begins” changed the superhero-movie game and “The Dark Knight” took it one step further, the masses have heralded Christopher Nolan as the singular source of genius behind the two films. No one — myself included — will ever deny Nolan’s brilliance, but it is essential to recognize the wealth of creative masters working on the films. Academy Award winner Wally Pfister used a mastery of cinematography to paint Gotham landscapes that are distinct in each entry in the series, yet never betray any sense of consistency with the setting. Editor Lee Smith worked with Nolan to cut the action in a way that thrills but always provides a sense of space. But perhaps the most unsung hero of Nolan’s Batman movies is composer Hans Zimmer . His work with James Newton Howard on the first two films can get lost within the chaos on the screen, but it is always there, accenting each and every memorable scene. His work on the first two films is worth revisiting, for now with the two trailers and the prologue, we’ve gotten a small sense of what to expect from the composer for the trilogy’s conclusion. Zimmer’s last two scores for Nolan films, “The Dark Knight” and “Inception,” have been, at least in part, concept-driven. A new video featured on /Film points out the uncanny similarities between the “Why So Serious?” track from the “Dark Knight” soundtrack and a song from the musical “
Katy Perry returned to Twitter for the first time since her split from Russell Brand, and while she didn’t address that directly, she made a few telling remarks. The 27-year-old, who has been laying low since Russell filed for divorce, thanked her fans for their concern and well-wishes during a very difficult time. “I am so grateful for all the love and support I’ve had from people around the world,” she Tweeted. “You guys have made my heart happy again.” Her words for certain other figures in her life? A little less kind. Katy, who was married a little over a year, lashed out at her parents last night for speaking publicly about her split from Russell – in church no less. Keith and Mary Hudson, who are both Christian ministers, said that Katy’s divorce was a blessing in disguise, generating interest in their ministry. Katy Tweeted last night that no one speaks for her … including her family. It seems she’s not happy with the comments they’ve been making. “Concerning the gossip, I want to be clear that NO ONE speaks for me. Not a blog, magazine, ‘close sources’ or my family,” the singer wrote. You heard it here first. Or on Katy’s Twitter if you follow her .
Singer tweets for the first time since her split with Russell Brand By Jocelyn Vena Katy Perry Photo: Getty Images A week after news broke that Katy Perry and Russell Brand are divorcing after a year of marriage, the pop singer has broken her silence. On Saturday, she took to Twitter to open up publicly for the first time since the split. “I am so grateful for all the love and support I’ve had from people around the world,” she wrote. “You guys have made my heart happy again.” In another tweet minutes later, she addressed the tabloid chatter that has been swirling around since Brand filed for divorce in Los Angeles on December 30. “Concerning the gossip, I want to be clear that NO ONE speaks for me,” she said, “Not a blog, magazine, ‘close sources’ or my family.” See a timeline of Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s relationship. The tweets come days before Perry is set to make her first public appearance at the People’s Choice Awards on Wednesday [January 11] where she’s up for a number of awards. The People’s Choice Awards marks the beginning of a slew of expected appearances from the singer. She’s also slated to make two appearances on her California Dreams Tour later this month, one on January 19 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and another on January 22 in the Philippines. Perry’s next awards show appearance could take place February 12 at the Grammys, where she’s up for two awards: Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Firework.” Brand released a statement at the time of the announcement, saying, “Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I will always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends.” Related Photos Lovebirds: Katy Perry And Russell Brand Related Artists Katy Perry
Mariah Carey has good news regarding her ailing husband. Just a couple days after saying that Nick Cannon was in ” a lot of pain ” due what has been described as mild kidney failure, the singer updated fans today via another Tweet. With a laptop, balloons and gorgeous wife by his side, things could be a lot worse for Nick Cannon. “Nick is in stable condition with a good prognosis, hopefully he’ll be discharged within 2 days,” Carey wrote this afternoon, adding: “As always he’s laughing and in good spirits.” She also included the following caption with the new photo, posted above: “Thank you everyone for all the love & concern.”
She’s just one of several pop stars bridging the gap between hip-hop and rap. By Jocelyn Vena Demi Lovato Photo: MTV News Demi Lovato and Eminem are not two names often tied together. But the pop singer recently shared that she’d like to change that, saying she’d love to hit the studio with the legendary rapper. “Hopefully, I can work with Eminem,” the singer told E! News about her dream collaboration. “He’s my favorite rapper, so anything with him would be amazing.” Hip-hop fans might be surprised to hear about Lovato’s love for the genre, but Lovatics are more familiar with it. She made headlines last fall with her gut-busting cover of “How To Love” by Lil Wayne. When she spoke to MTV News about the deeply personal track, she fessed up about her love for the rapper and his song. “I just loved the way that Lil Wayne took a risk doing the song ‘How to Love,’ and when I really listened to it, it’s such a great song,” she said. “It has such a deep meaning to it and I wanted to perform that, and I put a little spin on it and tried to make it a little more empowering. And I think it fit with the platform and the message that I have with my fans.” Lovato’s one of many artists crossing over between pop and hip-hop . Taylor Swift was at the forefront of the trend in 2011, hitting the stage with the likes of T.I. and Nicki Minaj. And Justin Bieber said he’ll likely work with Drake and Kanye West on his 2012 release, Believe . So, it seems, this trend isn’t going anywhere. What hip-hop/rap duo would you like to see in 2012? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Demi Lovato Related Artists Demi Lovato Eminem
Elton John calls JT ‘#1 on my wish list’ to portray him in upcoming biopic. By James Montgomery Justin Timberlake We may not be 100 percent sure of his current relationship status , but we can confirm that Justin Timberlake is getting very serious with Elton John. We think. In response to John’s claims that Timberlake is “#1 on my wish list” to portray the singer in an upcoming biopic — he told the Los Angeles Times that JT’s portrayal of him in the David LaChapelle-directed “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore” video was “superb” — Timberlake is apparently “seriously” weighing the role, according to E! Online . “Justin is taking it very seriously,” a source “close to the singer” told E!’s Ted Casablanca. “He’s working with his people to figure out exactly how to respond.” Casablanca also writes that “a very official response will be coming from Camp Timberlake momentarily,” though, at press time, that response had yet to materialize. In his Times interview, John said the film version of his life is “very much in the works,” with a script penned by Lee Hall (“Billy Elliot”) and an unnamed director “onboard.” He also said that the biopic would be far different from the average Hollywood fare, which, given John’s larger-than-life existence, shouldn’t really be all that shocking. “It’s going to be a surreal look at my life, and not just a factual look at my life, more in the manner of a ‘Moulin Rouge!’ ” John said. “I just don’t want it to be a normal biopic because my life hasn’t been like that. And it only goes up to when I go into rehab in 1990. It starts with me going into rehab and ends when I come out.” Do you think Justin should play Elton John in a biopic? Sound off on our Facebook page or in the comments below! Related Artists Justin Timberlake
Republican presidential hopeful even shouts out the singer in a speech leading up to the Iowa caucus. By James Montgomery Ron Paul Photo: Getty Images Even as he continues to battle for votes in the final hours of the Iowa caucus , Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is already a front-runner in another contest: the quest for celebrity endorsements. Yes, in recent days, Paul has surged to the forefront of high-profile support, picking up the backing of singers Kelly Clarkson and Michelle Branch (both of whom subsequently felt the wrath of Paul’s detractors, though, hey, Clarkson may have gotten a sales bump out of it). But they’re just the latest in a list of seemingly disparate stars who have endorsed the candidate. “Fear Factor” host/ UFC fanatic Joe Rogan has already gone on the record as saying he supports Paul’s candidacy, as has comedian Doug Stanhope and actor Vince Vaughn, who introduced him at a political conference in Nevada back in September. Staind frontman Aaron Lewis is also onboard. In a speech Tuesday (January 3) at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa — given to an audience of young voters — Paul even mentioned Clarkson by name, asking the assembled students, “Does anybody here know the name Kelly Clarkson? … Recently, she endorsed me. … I had to admit, I didn’t know a whole lot about her, but I did know that our supporters were so enthusiastic about it they went out and bumped up sales of her record by 600 percent.” MTV is on the scene in Iowa! Head to Iowa.MTV.com for all our Iowa caucus coverage , and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the presidential election season to follow Andrew Jenks on the campaign trail. Related Videos Barnstorming The Iowa Caucus With Andrew Jenks Power Of 12: Andrew Jenks Kicks Off Election 2012 Related Artists Kelly Clarkson
‘It’s going to be a surreal look at my life,’ John tells the L.A. Times of movie in the works. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Timberlake Photo: Getty Images Elton John is currently working on a biopic based on his over-the-top life, and he even knows who he’d want to play him in the flick, should it all pan out. In an interview with the L.A. Times , the singer opened up about hoping to cast pop star-turned-actor Justin Timberlake. “We have a director on board, and then it’s just going to be a matter of getting the script exactly the way we want it. Lee Hall has written a script — he wrote ‘Billy Elliot’ — and then we’ll start trying to cast and plan,” he explained in the interview. “I’ve got a wish list of people. #1 on my wish list is Justin Timberlake,” John said, saying Timberlake’s portrayal of him in the 2001 music video for “This Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore” was “superb.” With some big decisions still up in the air, John does confirm that plans for the plot and story are a bit more solid. “That would be a jukebox musical in earnest, maybe with a couple of new songs,” he explained. “You never know. Because it’s going to be a surreal look at my life, and not just a factual look at my life, more in the manner of a ‘Moulin Rouge!’ I just don’t want it to be a normal biopic because my life hasn’t been like that. And it only goes up to when I go into rehab in 1990. It starts with me going into rehab and ends when I come out.” John admitted that he had attempted to get the director of “Moulin Rouge!” for his own film. “We tried to get Baz [Luhrmann], but Baz is so busy,” he said of the “Great Gatsby” director. “We can’t announce it yet, but we have got someone on board that we’re very excited about.” The movie would mean that fans would get to see Timberlake sing again. Since heading to Hollywood, the singer hasn’t done much of it, but has continued to rack up more and and even recently took a job at MySpace . Would Justin Timberlake be a good fit for the Elton John role? Sound off in the comments! Related Artists Justin Timberlake Elton John
