The debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan was settled perfectly by Jason Segel’s character in Bad Teacher . One basketball legend has six championships, the other zero. Case closed. But the debate between Savannah Brinson and Yvette Prieto is just getting underway. The former is the mother of LeBron’s two children, as well as his new fiancee , following an early Sunday morning proposal. Prieto, meanwhile, is a Cuban/American model who agreed to marry Jordan last week. Compare the beauties below and decide: Which would you rather back down in the post… if you know what we mean?
‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ easily wins #1 spot over long holiday weekend. By Ryan J. Downey Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol” Photo: Paramount This Christmas, Tom Cruise was “impossible” to beat at the box office. “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” was the #1 movie over the long holiday weekend, easily beating competition from two competing sequels with an additional $46.2 million as it expanded into wide release. The fourth entry in the Tom Cruise franchise, this one directed by Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”), has racked up $78.6 million in domestic receipts since it debuted in limited release 11 days ago. “Ghost Protocol” is the best-reviewed entry in the franchise, which kicked off in 1996 with an inaugural film (based on the popular late ’60s TV series) directed by Brian De Palma (“Scarface”). Action maestro John Woo (“The Killer”) helmed “M:I 2” four years later. The J.J. Abrams-directed “Mission: Impossible III” grossed $134 million during its theatrical run in 2006. Meanwhile, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was reviewed far less favorably than its 2009 predecessor. The film, which reunites Robert Downey Jr. in the title role with Jude Law as his faithful partner, Watson, was #2 at the box office with $31.8 million for a two-week total of $90.6 million. “Downey may think this interpretation is an insight, or funny, but it pushes what was already a rude rewriting of the classic characters into eye-rolling camp,” wrote the Newark Star Ledger. The first film sits at 70 percent on film review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes’ “Tomatometer,” while “Game of Shadows” was at a “rotten” 59 percent at press time. The #3 movie at the box office, itself the third in a series, continues a franchise-long tradition of poor reviews. “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” carried a series worst 13 percent score on the “Tomatometer” as it collected $20 million for an 11-day $56.9 million total. Neither “Game of Shadows” nor “Shipwrecked” appear likely to get anywhere near the $200 million grosses of their predecessors. Four of the other five new releases in theaters were from major filmmakers. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” the highly anticipated American adaptation of the popular Swedish book from director David Fincher (“Fight Club”), has made $27.7 million since it opened Tuesday night. Steven Spielberg has two new movies out, “The Adventures of Tintin” and “War Horse,” which landed at #5 and #7 on the box office chart, respectively. “Tintin” has made $24.1 million while “War Horse” has made $15 million. The latest from director Cameron Crowe opened even lower than his last movie, “Elizabethtown.” “We Bought a Zoo,” at #6, earned just $15.6 million despite star power in the form of Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson. Rock journalist turned filmmaker Crowe has worked with box-office topper Tom Cruise twice: first with “Jerry Maguire” in 1996 and later with “Vanilla Sky” in 2001. Finally, alien invasion horror flick “The Darkest Hour” opened at #8 with just $5.5 million. The film was not screened in advance for critics, but The Hollywood Reporter, which reviewed the movie, blamed a “flatlining screenplay and the absence of even a single compelling character.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’
New video shows band reunited with original singer. By Gil Kaufman Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth Photo: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images Van Halen fans got the best Christmas present of all over the weekend when the legendary Los Angeles rockers confirmed the long-standing rumor that they will be reuniting for a tour with original madcap lead singer David Lee Roth. The announcement came via a video released on Monday on the band’s official site in which the 57-year-old Roth is seen unleashing some of his classic high-kicking stage moves alongside his former bandmates guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen, as well as the group’s current bass player, Eddie’s son, Wolfgang. Photos: Van Halen’s early years. The black and white video shows the band mugging along to their iconic hits “Jump,” “Panama” and “Hot for Teacher” amid a shower of confetti and balloons on a club stage. The easy camaraderie belies the infamously testy relationship between Eddie Van Halen and Roth, as the pair seem to be getting along as they run around the stage of the Roxy Theatre on L.A.’s legendary Sunset Strip. The site promises that the first tickets for the reunion tour will go on sale on January 10. Van Halen’s original bass player and backing vocalist, Michael Anthony, was booted from the band in 2006 after 32 years and replaced by teenager Wolfgang. After parting ways with Roth in 1985, Van Halen rebooted with singer Sammy Hagar in 1985, enjoying a string of hit albums and songs through 1996, when Hagar was shown the door and briefly replaced by former Extreme singer Gary Cherone, who only lasted three years in the slot. After bringing Hagar back in from 2003 to 2005, Van Halen invited Roth back into the fold several years ago and toured with him in 2007 and 2008. In addition to the tour, the group are working on their first album of new material with Roth in 27 years. They recently signed to Interscope Records after spending their entire career on Warner Bros. Records. Related Photos Van Halen, The Early Years Related Artists Van Halen
Who’s excited for 2012? I said, Who’s excited for 2012? Oh. Well, it’s coming whether you want it or not, and Mayan doomsday predictions and a U.S. presidential election aside, there is stuff to look forward to. Get your calendars ready and read on for 20 dates worth saving at the movies alone. Jan. 6 : The Devil Inside becomes the millionth exorcist movie to open in theaters, thus netting a $3 million cash prize and earning the producers and 20 of their closest friends a free party and Dave and Buster’s. Jan. 15 : In a craven, ruinous grab for ratings, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association invites a suicide bomber to host the Golden Globe Awards. Jan. 20 : Coriolanus makes its official post-Oscar-qualifying debut in theaters. Take Stephanie and Louis and my words for it: You really should see it. Feb. 10 : Watch a Michael Caine paycheck role come alive as you’ve never seen it before — in the eye-popping 3-D family adventure Journey 2: The Mysterious Island . Feb. 26 : “Ziss ees for you, Uggie”: Jean Dujardin dedicates his Best Actor prize at the 84th Academy Awards to his criminally underrecognized canine co-star . March 2 : Holy shit, they really made Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters ? With Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton and Famke Janssen? Wow. OK. Anyway, this opens today. March 9 : Disney commences counting how much money it lost on the ultra expensive, roundly buzzless John Carter . March 23 : Fangirl civil war erupts as The Hunger Games makes its first incursion against the creaky, sparkly Twilight empire. The rest of us, faced only with the sad counterprogramming spectacle of A Thousand Words , flee to art-house refugee camps nationwide. April 27 : The crackerjack comic duo of Jason Segel and Emily Blunt Alison Brie and Jacki Weaver co-star in The Five-Year Engagement June 22 — Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter winds up a distressing month of predatorily-titled blockbusters including Snow White and the Huntsman , Jack the Giant Killer and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted . Which is fine, because you’re going to be watching the awesome-looking , June 8-opening Prometheus for the fifth time this weekend, anyway. July 20 — The Dark Knight Rises opens! To quote Bane, the film’s excited villain: “ Fghrlkdjhafskdfbldkbsj .” July 27 : Tyler Perry’s The Marriage Counselor reaches theaters, finally exposing audiences everywhere to the subtle dramatic charms of Kim Kardashian. I smell a Verge ! Or maybe it’s just Valtrex. Aug. 17 : Boldly leaping to the front of the Oscar-season line, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association moves up its awards-voting date to Aug. 20 after seeing The Expendables 2 . Sept. 28 : The year of Taylor Kitsch — previously comprising John Carter and Battleship — concludes with the only one of his films any grown-ass adult wants to actually see: The Oliver Stone pot-cartel thriller Savages , co-starring Beinicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Blake Lively and Emile Hirsch. Oct. 12 : From Kevin James and his Zookeeper director Frank Coraci comes the teacher-turned-MMA moonlighter comedy Here Comes the Boom . I only bring it up because Jesus will weep so copiously that you might start filling and stacking sandbags now . Oct. 19 : Ryan Gosling. Emma Stone. Josh Brolin. Sean Penn. Gangster Squad . That is all. Nov. 16 : The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 concludes the billion-dollar franchise, instantly prompting millions of prodigious sobbing binges. But enough about Taylor Lautner’s management team. Nov. 21 : The visionary filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron returns with Gravity , which draws a robust opening-weekend crowd with its promise of showing Sandra Bullock shot into space. Dec. 19 : Kathryn Bigelow’s as-yet-unnamed Osama bin Laden movie — working title: Banned in Pakistan — reaches theaters. Dec. 25 : A very DiCaprio Christmas gets underway with Django Unchained and The Great Gatsby . Enjoy 2012, everyone! Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
My name’s Camille, I’m 16 and I’m French. I met Justin Bieber on March 29th 2011 . I’ve had already seen him at some showcases and stuff, but never met him. The dream began on the 28th. I was in History, and my friend I was going to see at the Bieber’s concert was calling me. My heart began to beat a bit faster, and I asked my teacher if I could go to the restroom. He said yes. I called my friend back and she was kind of screaming on the phone that we were going to meet Justin the day after. So she explained me how she won a contest etc… On the 29th, direction Paris! I was going to meet Justin at 5pm with the guys who won the meet and greet. I found out my friend, and we were searching for the person who had to give us the pass to go to the wings, you know. So we were kind of running everywhere, and we found the girl like 10 minutes before the meeting. We were not more than 10 who were going to meet him. The Bieber crew was inside and a LOT of fans were around every entrances. A security man made us go inside the yard. I felt like a celebrity for 10 seconds, quite a good feeling, haha. Ryan Good was inside the yard too, signing autographs through the barrier. I was the only one who saw him, so I warn the other ones. We joined him, and he was so nice, so funny. He took a picture with everybody but me, and I was like “What about me?” and he was laughing and took a picture with another person. At the end, everybody had his or her photo with him but me, and he was going to sign autographs again, and I said “Ryan that’s not funny!”, he laughed, and he took a picture with me finally. Then, we went inside. The Braun’s brothers were there, they explained us quickly the Meet and greet rules. Then Justin arrived and we finally met him. My friend went directly to him, and I was just putting off my bag and jacket. Justin was watching me like “Eh, why do you take your time, do you know you’re meeting JUSTIN BIEBER right now?” and he was quite right haha. So, I hugged him tight, and he laughed a bit. We talked a bit in french, in english too. We took a picture together, and my friend was like “Fuck, I was moving on the picture” (she said it in french) and I answered (in french) “That’s shitty for you” and Justin laughed, and I was really surprised he understood french that well, which made me laughed. I hugged him one last time, he was so sweet. I was supposed to leave, but Kenny was there since the beggining and I just COULDN’T leave without even talking with him. My friend was gone. So I talked with Kenny a bit, and he was laughing when I was talking, probably about my accent. I gave him my twitter and he followed me 3 days later. Justin didn’t really understand why I was still there when some other fans were there to take a pic. I took back my stuff and he waved me, and it was finished. Then, he did a perfect show as usual. That was amazing, and Justin is such a sweet and down to earth person. I’m not rich, I’m not lucky, I don’t know any organizers or things like that. I’m just like all the other fans. And I met him. I want you all to never give up, it will happen if you believe in it. -@camillehoussin Continue reading here: My name’s Camille, I’m 16 and I’m French. I…
This week porn star turned crossover sensation Sasha Grey decided to give back to her community by volunteering for the Read Across America program, which brings celebrities (as well as regular folks) into classrooms to encourage kids to read. Sasha appeared at an elementary school in Compton, California, where she visited a first-grade classroom modestly dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and read a picture book to the kids. Of course, none of the students in the class knew who Sasha was, nor did the teacher screen clips of her work, but angry parents still contacted the school’s principal to express outrage that their children were allowed within 50 feet of the AVN winner. As a result, the school is now denying she was ever there, despite photos of the visit obtained by TMZ.com (left). We think they’re just mad that she didn’t participate in “Take the Fathers of a Classroom Full of Kids to Work” day. You’ll be more than kind of hard with kind-hearted porn star Sasha Grey here at MrSkin.com…and this time, it’s the kids who aren’t invited.
Young Muslims and Arab-Americans tell MTV News about their lives as Americans in the decade since the September 11, 2001, attacks. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Tami Katzoff Photo: Robert Nickelsberg/ Getty Images Life changed for every American on September 11, 2001, but perhaps no group felt that change so profoundly as Muslims and Arab-Americans, who, after spending decades living largely under the radar, suddenly found themselves the target of scorn, harassment, discrimination and, in some cases, violence — and all because of the color of their skin. In the months following the attacks, as reports of anti-Muslim hostility circulated and protests outside of mosques became a regular occurrence, MTV News’ Sway Calloway worked on a story that attempted to document the lives of young Muslims in post-9/11 America, in part because he saw parallels between their ordeal and the ongoing civil-rights struggles faced by African-Americans. “The country was in fear, people were scrambling, no one trusted anyone, no one knew what was coming next,” Calloway said earlier this week. “At the time, there were a lot of racially motivated crimes that were starting to take place against Muslim-Americans … so, it was important to go into the Muslim community and talk to our audience. “It was something that I truly wanted to do, because I could, in some way, relate to it. There were kids who were school-age, kids who were college-age, parents and grandparents, who all had horrible stories to tell. It definitely divided us as a people.” But, 10 years later, has that division grown or has time helped heal the wounds? Sadly, given recent events like the fervent debate over the planned Park51 Muslim community center , the answer appears to be the former. MTV News recently sat down with a group of young Muslims and Arab-Americans, who have spent the past decade growing up in a society that has fundamentally changed, to hear their experiences in this very new America. Adil Ibrahim, 26, student “I remember: It was physics class and … we were watching [the aftermath of the attacks] on TV, and immediately, I felt people around me giving me a look. Twenty minutes later, the teacher asked me, ‘Hey, you’re from Pakistan, right?’ And my global knowledge grew eons in, like, a week. I became an educator for my religion. “I think, in some aspects, things have gotten worse since, and in some aspects, they’ve gotten better. People are more aware of the religion of Islam, and some people are more aware of what the Middle East is, and the differences between the regions and the people there. … People have become more knowledgeable. But, at the same time, people have become more angry, people’s relatives and sons and daughters have died in the war, so there’s a hatred there, and I understand that. We need to educate people even more.” Nadine Sfeir, 24, law student “[On September 11, 2001,] I was 14 years old, in high school, in drama class, and I remember my mom pulling me out, crying, because she thought it was going to be just like when America detained all the Japanese [after the attack on Pearl Harbor]. And I remember, distinctly, on the drive home, hearing on our local radio station: ‘It’s the Palestinians.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ Because if our local radio station was saying it was the Palestinians, we were in deep trouble. … It was very scary. “I think people are starting to get more numb to the whole issue of Muslims in America. … The ignorance is still there, of course, in many ways, but I feel most people aren’t as scared anymore.” Ramy Youssef, 20, artistic director, New York Arab-American Comedy Festival “I was in fifth grade [on September 11, 2001], and I remember, pre-9/11, I was just a kid, and then after 9/11, I was a kid on the defensive. … It became a positively defining thing for me in a lot of ways, because it became the cause I was fighting against, as opposed to fighting against, like, my parents. “I feel like I grew up in a very fear-based society, and I feel like we’re at a breaking point. I don’t know if things have gotten better. For a while, like in 2007-2008, I thought they had, then a taxicab driver gets stabbed for being Muslim, then a mosque can’t be built in New York City. … I don’t think things have gotten better, I think people’s perceptions have just settled.” Cyrus McGoldrick, 23, civil rights manager for the New York chapter of Council on American Islamic Relations, rapper/singer performing as “The Raskol Khan” “I was 13 [in 2001]. 9/11 was in my first week of high school, so it was a pretty dramatic coming of age. I was in a small town near Pennsylvania, and, at first, it was just fear. As soon as the news started zeroing in on ‘These were Muslims, and they did it because of Islam,’ we were getting calls from my aunts and uncles who were getting yelled at on the street, were getting flipped off by cars, were getting chased in the city … and I think Muslims were terrified. “A lot of things have changed. … Back then, the hate was just directed at individuals, but now, I see it more formalized in police. Now we see this anti-Muslim bigotry being formalized in law-enforcement policy and so-called ‘counter-terrorism policy.’ It’s almost a harder battle to fight now. We have a lot of work to do, as Muslims and Americans.” Share your comments on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the comments below. Related Videos Commemorating The Tenth Anniversary Of The September 11 Attacks
‘I think our generation has grown,’ the 25-year-old Arab-American tells MTV News of the decade since terrorist attacks. By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Tami Katzoff Rima Fakih Photo: WireImage On Sept. 11, 2001, Rima Fakih was a student at St. John’s Prep High School in Astoria, Queens. She was in a social studies class when a student behind her said that the World Trade Center had been hit, and from the window of the school, she could see that he was right. “All you could see was just some big black smoke,” she said, noting that her teacher’s husband worked in the buildings at the time and that the students had to bring their instructor water to try and calm her down. It was a defining moment in the life of Fakih, a Lebanese immigrant who last year became the first Muslim and first Arab-American to win the Miss USA crown. “It was kind of a nightmare, to be honest with you, because the principal came on the speakers and was saying, ‘Attention, students: Please everyone report down to the basement. We need you all in shelters.’ I just couldn’t move because my older brother Rabih worked across the street from the World Trade Center, he worked with Goldman Sachs.” In addition, her older sister worked in tower seven of the WTC and her father was on his way to work at the time. When Fakih got home, her mother was on the ground in tears, barely able to breathe because the vivid memories of the attacks evoked the 15-year Lebanese civil war that had forced the family to flee their homeland. “I was born in South Lebanon during the war and I remember vivid memories [of] hiding in shelters during the shelling,” Fakih told MTV News. “At that moment, it felt just like that.” With her father stuck on the Queensboro Bridge and her mother unable to reach Fakih’s siblings, the tension mounted during the day. Her father eventually made it to safety at an uncle’s house, while, luckily, her newlywed brother, just back from his honeymoon, had taken a few extra days off at his new wife’s request. Unfortunately, nobody could reach her sister. “It was very terrifying. I remember my little brother was a baby and he was asking my mom to change the channel because he couldn’t watch the scary movie anymore,” she recalled. The images of the planes hitting the buildings kept playing all day, with the building Fakih’s sister worked in clearly visible in the footage. Finally, though, they got word that her sister had spent 12 hours in a shelter, wearing a gas mask, a scenario so haunting that she ended up in therapy for more than a year. “She saw people jumping out of the buildings … on fire, from the top,” Fakih said of her sister Rana. “She was in a meeting when the first plane hit and the windows shattered.” A veteran observer of the war in Lebanon, Rana counseled her co-workers to take shelter and stay away from the windows. Some, however, didn’t take her advice and ended up dying that day. “I remember how hard it was for my family and I at the time to not only live around the atmosphere of New York City, but to receive a lot of stereotypes,” Fakih said of her family, which owned a Middle Eastern restaurant on New York’s Upper East Side for 20 years. Bricks were thrown through the restaurant window and business tanked in the wake of the attacks as a result of the some of the post-9/11 anti-Muslim sentiment, with Fakih remembering how she was bullied at a her Catholic high school by some students who made rude comments. “Every time something would happen, I would be scared. I’d watch TV and … [think], ‘Please God don’t let this be a terrorist act; don’t let this be Arabs or Muslims.” The family moved to Dearborn, Michigan, in 2003, a city that boasts the highest concentration of Middle Eastern immigrants in the U.S., and they felt much more at ease. Rima began attending the University of Michigan, but unlike some of her Arab-American peers, she did not change her name in order to fit in and escape greater scrutiny. She held fast to her identity, even when some fellow Muslims warned her not to enter the Miss USA pageant because they believed she could never win. Ten years later, though, she thinks things have gotten better. “I think I’m a great example to that,” she said. “Winning the crown of Miss USA, being the first Arab American, the first Muslim-American and possibly the first immigrant to win the title of Miss USA just testifies to the fact that there is freedom in this country and there is justice and there is freedom of religion and freedom of choice and this is what America is based on.” Fakih said the 9/11 attacks planted fear in a lot of people in her generation, including her. “I might be an Arab and a Muslim, and I might get on a train sometimes and see a man leave a bag and I just don’t want to touch it, I want to get off at the next stop,” she admitted. “Now, I think our generation has grown. My generation especially has seen so much fear and then so much change and growth in the [last] 10 years that it planted this fearlessness inside us and this ability to feel like we live in a country where you can do anything and we can overcome.” And when people asked whether she could win the Miss USA title, she’d say, “If Barack Hussein Obama is in office, then Rima Hussein Fakih can win Miss USA.” As part of the “I Will” campaign to commemorate the 9/11 attacks as a national day of service and remembrance, we asked Fakih how she’ll mark the anniversary on Sunday. “On September 11, I will call to check on my sister and my older brother, who worked at the World Trade Center, to make sure that they still love and trust this county as much as everyone else.” What will you do to remember 9/11? Share your thoughts below, and visit 911day.org to upload your video response. Related Photos First Arab-American Miss USA Rima Fakih: A Year In Photos
Evanescence singer, Theophilus London and Chris Klein featured on new episode, airing Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV. By Nuzhat Naoreen Amy Lee on “When I Was 17” Photo: MTV From accomplished vocalist to skilled pianist, Evanescence singer Amy Lee has plenty of talents to boast. But in the latest episode of “When I Was 17,” airing Saturday, Amy reveals another skill that might surprise her fans: roller skating. In the episode, the singer-songwriter recounts how skating around her high school hallways landed her in some serious trouble. “When I was 17, our school had really slick floors. There was this really big hall, and it was perfect for roller skating,” the singer says. So, Amy decided to take advantage of the situation. “The halls are empty when people are in class, and if it’s just study hall or art or whatever, then why not go for a little skate?” Her “little skate” however wasn’t without its consequences. “I don’t know why I thought that that would be good,” she says. “So, I was skating by myself. Total nerd. And some other teacher was in the hall, and I skated by, and she was like, ‘Detention!’ ” While detention is a pretty common punishment for misbehaving high school students, it caught Amy’s father off-guard. “It was a little bit of a big deal. She got in trouble, and Amy typically never got in trouble,” says her father, John. Of course, even back in high school, Amy found a way to translate her experience with the teacher who sent her to detention into something creative. “One of my art pieces after that was her getting skated over by a giant skate,” Amy says. “When I Was 17,” also featuring Theophilus London and Chris Klein, airs Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos ‘When I Was 17’ Sneak Peek Featuring Evanescence’s Amy Lee Related Artists Evanescence
