According to a letter sent this week to Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion is facing new charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that threaten to strip him of those titles. The 15-page document, obtained by The Washington Post , says the USDA took blood samples from Armstrong in 2009 and 2010 that were tested and proved to be “fully consistent with blood ma
Sometimes Hip-Hop gets a bad rap (no pun). In many instances, the foul lyrics, guttural content and repetitive chorus’ that seem to press home illicit themes can muffle the point that is trying to be made by the artist to the general public. There are a number of songs that get slandered by the media and older generation for talking explicitly about topics like overt drug use… Continue
Lil Wayne Complains About Treatment At Thunder Game Lil Wayne was upset last week because he wasn’t give a red carpet to take someone’s seat courtside at the Thunder game. He threw a temper tantrum. Well, he was finally given a seat, but then he said this: Rumor has it he wasn’t allowed to go hang out in the Heat locker room for security reasons. Wait, but didn’t he hate the Heat for not dapping him up a while ago? Just make up your mind…or better yet, go away. Your TV should be big enough.
‘I was so happy that she got the role,’ Garfield tells MTV News of Stone’s casting. By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Photo: Marvel / Columbia Pictures One would hope that “Spider-Man” stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have “Amazing” chemistry, considering the two started dating after meeting each other on the set of Sony’s forthcoming superhero reboot. If the two are to be believed, that chemistry came to them very quickly, as early as Stone’s first screen test for the role of Peter Parker’s first girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. “I went and did a screen test that was very elaborate,” Stone recalled during a recent interview with MTV News. “It was full hair and makeup and with the [director of photography] and different angles, and Andrew was there. We read a couple of scenes together. We did that scene at Oscorp — ‘Why are you here?’ — and a sad one.” From there, the easygoing dynamic between Garfield and Stone came almost instantly, both on and off the set. “We got on really well as people, in between [takes],” Garfield remembered. “That was the fun stuff: In between, we’d just mess around, and I felt, ‘Ah, this is different.’ I wasn’t really aware what was happening in the screen test. She keeps you on your toes, and that wakes you up. That was the beginning. “Obviously I was so happy that she got the role and decided to do it,” he continued. “Those are the days I’d look forward to, you know? For Peter as well, because Peter goes through some horrible stuff in the movie. There’s some joy to be had when experiencing his first love.” Much has been made about Garfield and Stone’s relationship both in the film and outside of it, but the first MTV Trailblazer winner believes that screen tests are a crucial element not just for establishing a movie’s romantic leads, but any other numbers of relationships within a given fictional universe. “That has to do also with people playing your parents or friends, with anything,” she said. “You can sense it. It’s like life: You can sense if you guys have a kind of chemistry or rapport right away, no matter what the relationship is, whether it’s a love interest or not.” Tell us what you think of the dynamic between Garfield and Stone in the comments section below! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Amazing Spider-Man.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Related Photos ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Trailer #2: Five Key Scenes
Before the ‘Mad Max’ star ‘skinned the cat,’ Natalie Portman, Demi Moore and more had also shaved it all off for movie roles. By Jocelyn Vena Charlize Theron and her son Jackson Photo: FameFlynet Charlize Theron made headlines on Monday when she was spotted sporting a shaved head for her role in “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The blond Oscar-winner might have been trying to hide the look under a fedora, but it was clear that her locks had been handed their pink slip. The haircut might have come as a surprise to fans of the “Snow White and the Huntsman” star, but she certainly teased it in a recent discussion about the flick. “It’s been three years: It’s time to skin this cat already!” Theron said last month during a roundtable interview. “I’m very excited about it.” To see other female stars imagined with shaved heads, click here. However, Theron is hardly the first Hollywood starlet to shear off her hair for a big-screen role. She joins an A-list filled list of other leading ladies who have also “skinned the cat.” Sigourney Weaver and Robin Tunney Weaver not only kicks ass and takes names as the iconic Ripley in “Alien 3,” but she also sports a super short hairdo. Ripley certainly didn’t need hair to hold her back as she battled alien creatures in the 1992 film. Three years later, Tunney donned the look for her troubled character in the classic teen flick, “Empire Records,” starting the hair-trimming trend of the ’90s. Demi Moore Moore went Navy chic in “G.I. Jane,” lopping off her famous hair to tackle her physically challenging role in the 1997 film. “We were involved and we realized the importance of the event happening — that sign of commitment. … I was ready for it. So, I feel actually more just liberated by the time we got there,” she said of filming the famous scene in which her character, Jordan O’Neill, chops it all off. Cate Blanchett In 2002, Blanchett cut her hair off playing a vigilante out for justice in “Heaven.” “I think you’ve just got to embrace it,” she later said of the look. “You have to be prepared to shed your natural vanity, and if the part requires it, shed parts of yourself that perhaps make you feel more secure.” Ellen Page and Natalie Portman Page joined a cult and lost her hair in the 2005 flick “Mouth to Mouth,” which she made right before her star-making turn in “Juno.” That same year, Natalie Portman chopped her hair off for “V for Vendetta.” In an interview shortly after filming, she opened up about filming the scene. “It was a one-shot deal,” she told USA Today, “and that was the most stressful thing about the experience.” Cynthia Nixon Nixon went fully bald for her recent role in “Wit” on Broadway. “I thought it was kind of gonna be no muss-no fuss, but I have to shave it every day!” Nixon said of the up-keep for the role. “It’s got kind of a five o’clock shadow, and you don’t want to go on with that,” she said. “I was always kind of curious to see what it would be like. I like it; I don’t think I’m gonna keep it forever.” Anne Hathaway Recently, Hathaway caught everyone’s attention when she sported a super-short pixie cut for her role in the latest big-screen adaptation of “Les Miserables.” The look is consistent with her role in the film, where she plays Fantine, an ill-fated prostitute who chops off her hair to buy food for her child, Cosette. What do you think of Charlize Theron’s new haircut? Leave your comment below! Check out everything we’ve got on “Mad Max: Fury Road.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos Female Celebrities Imagined With Shaved Heads
“When I bust out with that Styles P record, ya’ll not gonna call me fake,” Banks tells MTV News days before she ‘quits rapping.’ By Nadeska Alexis Azealia Banks Photo: MTV News Is Azealia Banks really saying goodbye to her rap career? Earlier this week, the Harlem native deleted her Twitter account and announced that she will now focus on being a ‘vocalist’ instead of a rapper . But just last week she told MTV News that her upcoming Fantasea mixtape would be heavy on hip-hop, with a major feature from Styles P. Banks announced her resignation from rap via a new Tumblr account, writing, “No longer wishing to be a rapper. i never was. … and as soon as i started paying attention to bullsh– urban media, i started getting myself in trouble. From now on i’m a vocalist, and will not be associating myself with the ‘rap game’ … or whatever the f— that means.” Oddly enough, the new proclamation comes just days after Banks revealed to MTV News that Fantasea, slated for a July debut, will include a feature from Styles P that she was thrilled to get. “It’s gonna be hip-hop, there’s a lot of hip-hop on it,” Banks said of the mixtape. “I have a track with Styles P on there, which I’m really excited about because Styles killed it, killed it, killed it.” “It’s so New York and it’s so raw and it’s so just … everything that needs to be said,” she added, going on to address the criticism she’s received from the hip-hop community so far. “I’m that rap girl who’s out here and doesn’t have another rapper behind her, but she’s got all this mouth and she’s all over the place. So [this collaboration] was cool for me [because I’m like] ‘What ya’ll gonna say now, when I bust out with that Styles P record?’ Ya’ll not gon’ call me fake and make fun of me for having one song. Yeah, I make lil dance music and ya’ll got jokes, whatever — watch when I come out with the Styles P record.” Banks hasn’t been too warmly received by all urban media, but some of that has to do with her reputation for taking open shots at artists like Grand Hustle’s Iggy Azalea — a rap girl who does have another rapper behind her — and by association, veteran T.I. So despite Banks’ claim that she will quit rapping, there will still be hip-hop on Fantasea, and she even admitted that she’s hoping for more rap features outside of Styles P. “Schedules are weird and with as much as I have going on, it’s hard, but I like to really collaborate,” she said. “When I’m collaborating with someone I want us to be in the same room and feed off each other. I don’t wanna just send you the track.” One thing we do know is when it comes to Banks’ outspoken nature, nothing much is going to change. “Rap dudes, keep talking sh– and I’ma keep popping sh–,” she said. “I’m just reactive and I say what I have to say and I keep it moving. … It’s not going to change.” Do you think Azealia Banks is really done with rap? Leave your comment below!
Wayne Coyne talks to MTV News about recording ‘Thunder Up!’ for his hometown team as they prepare to take on Heat. By James Montgomery James Montgomery and Wayne Coyne Photo: MTV News Last month, before his epic war of words with Erykah Badu and after his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder fell behind 2-0 in their Western Conference Finals matchup with the seemingly unstoppable San Antonio Spurs, Flaming Lips’ mastermind Wayne Coyne was still upbeat. And not about Badu. No, despite the (then) overwhelming odds against them, Coyne was confident that the Thunder would not only rally to defeat the Spurs, but would go on to win the NBA championship. In fact, “confident” was probably an understatement. “Of course, what do you mean ‘Can they win?’ ” he responded to MTV News when we asked about the Thunder’s chances of taking home the NBA crown. “They will win.” And we all know how things turned out. The Thunder staged a Lazarus-like comeback against the Spurs — who had been riding a 20-game winning streak — and won the series in six games. Now, it’s on to the NBA Finals, where they’ll face off against the playoff-tested Miami Heat and their trio of stars: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Game one of the Finals tips off Tuesday night (June 12) in Oklahoma City. Can the Thunder’s epic run culminate in the NBA championship? Well, we know what Coyne thinks … and he’s not alone. He and the Lips recently re-recorded one of their signature songs — “Race for the Prize,” off 1999’s The Soft Bulletin — as an anthem for the team, a rousing version dubbed “Thunder Up! Racing for the Prize,” with the same crashing drums and keening synths of the original, but sees Coyne changing the lyrics to reflect his admiration for the squad. “Theirs is to win/ We win with them/ They’ll keep fighting for Oklahoma!” he sings, while the shouted refrain of “Thunder Up!” is repeated in the background. The whole thing ends, appropriately enough, with a booming thunderclap of electronic noise. It’s not known whether “Thunder Up!” will be played in Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Arena during game one of the Finals, but Lips multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd has certainly been doing his part to make it happen: He’s tweeted the track to Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, encouraging him to share it with all his “OKC Thunder bros.” Like most of the city, Drozd’s wrapped up in the thrill of the NBA Finals, noting , “There’s already extra traffic and excitement in the air at OKC airport.” Related Artists The Flaming Lips
Angelina Jolie will almost certainly not direct Fifty Shades of Grey , but she will star in a new PSA for a project much more important to her. The 37-year-old actress always makes time for those near and dear to her heart. In this case, that means the refugees of the planet Earth. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees special envoy is helping raise awareness for World Refugee Day, coming up June 20. In a new PSA, Jolie points out that there are over 43 million refugees around the world. That’s 43 million human beings displaced from their homeland. Of those in need, UNHCR provides life-saving assistance to nearly 34 million. The organization’s goal is to share the poignant stories of refugees so that people across America will extend their generosity, concern and support. Jolie has served as a UN Goodwill Ambassador for more than a decade, and has visited refugees around the world. For that, our hat is off to her. [Photo: WENN.com]
Who will portray Finnick Odair in Catching Fire ? Let’s table that debate for a moment and focus on another key role from The Hunger Games sequel. Multiple sources confirm that Oscar winner and 2012 Tony Award nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman has been offered the character of Plutarch Heavensbee, the Gamemaker at the Capitol who takes over for Seneca Crane and who is far savvier than his predecessor. He plays a pivotal part in the world of Katniss, Peeta and company over the course of the next book/film chapter. Hoffman, one of the most respected actors alive, would be a major coup for new director Francis Lawrence. He just finished a run as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman on Broadway . No word yet from the star or the studio, but come on. This has to happen, right? [Photo: WENN.com]
The Los Angeles Kings stormed to the first title in franchise history last night, defeating the New Jersey Devils 6-1. And, in response, the Twitterverse, especially in Hollywood, was filled with congratulatory messages for the team that had gone 44 years without hoisting the Stanley Cup. Among the most famous fans responding on that social network… Alyssa Milano : “#LAKings #StanleyCup
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