Tag Archives: voters

‘Hunger Games’ Looking Fierce In Movie Brawl Elite Eight

What’s your pick for the must-see movie of 2012? Cast your vote now! By Eric Ditzian Jennifer Lawrence in “Hunger Games” Tim Tebow ain’t got nothing on the MTV Movie Brawl 2012 . Sure, the granter of all-American dreams and thrower of game-winning touchdowns showed some playoff heroics last weekend, but the action in MTV’s cinematic tournament had movie groupies alternately sweating, cursing and celebrating just as much as Denver Bronco fans. To wit, two of Robert Pattinson ‘s upcoming films, “Bel Ami” and “Cosmopolis,” faced off in a Sweet Sixteen matchup that was decided by three votes. Tens of thousands of votes were cast, and three clicks launched “Cosmopolis” to victory. On the other side of the bracket, #7 seed “The Woman in Black,” an indie horror flick, looked like it didn’t have a chance against Universal’s big-budget “Snow White and the Huntsman.” But Daniel Radcliffe fans came out in force to support the boy wizard’s first post-“Harry Potter” flick, showing up Kristen Stewart devotees with a healthy serving of get the hell out of this tournament! When the final tally came in, more than 250,000 votes had been cast, and KStew’s fairy tale was headed home with a lot of explaining to do. Vote For Your Favorite Upcoming Flick In MTV’s Movie Brawl 2012! As least she’s still alive in the Brawl, as “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” came through with a commanding victory over “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” despite the nefarious meddling of “Hunger Games” fans, who were furiously voting for “Phantom Menace” in an attempt to send the vampires to a humiliating defeat. It didn’t work. “HG” fans, though, weren’t the only ones trying to pull off a bit of bracket-based strategery . “Breaking Dawn” voters came out in force to support “Prometheus” in its fight with “Hunger Games.” Once again, the gambit didn’t work. But it showed just how merciless this competition is going to be as we inch toward the finals. Let’s take a look at where we stand as the Elite Eight kicks into high gear. Upper West Region It’s all Pattinson, all the time, as “Breaking Dawn” faces off against “Cosmopolis.” The key question here for Twi-fans is whether they’re going to vote for RPattz as he’s been or RPattz as he’s going to be. Will it be out with the old and in with the new, or will the sparkly vampires reign supreme? If you ask us, “Breaking Dawn” ain’t going nowhere, but this tourney isn’t up to us. Lower West Region It’s getting dark up in here! “The Dark Knight Rises” limped into the Sweet Sixteen after a disappointing first-round showing, and we were fearful Christopher Nolan’s film would face an early ouster at the hands of “Marvel’s The Avengers.” That didn’t happen, and now “Dark Knight” faces a weakened “Dark Shadows” in the Elite Eight. Johnny Depp’s upcoming film surprised us all with an outstanding opening-round performance, leading to a #2 seed. But “Shadows” struggled in its matchup, needing up until the final hours of play to put the match away. Momentum is everything in the playoffs, so we have to say “Dark Knight” is in the driver’s seat in this game. Upper East Region Were it not for the savvy scheming of “Twilight” fans, “Hunger Games” might have walked away from the Sweet Sixteen with the greatest margin of victory in the entire tournament. As it stands, “HG” heads into the Elite Eight with perhaps the easiest matchup of all. “John Carter” and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” fought back and forth for days, with leads changing hands and the ultimate victor too close to call until an eleventh-hour surge sent “G.I. Joe” ahead. That leaves us wondering if the sequel has enough left in the gas tank to pull off a win. Actually, we’re not wondering at all: shut off the lights and put the kids to bed: “Hunger Games” has this in the bag. Lower East Region Voters in this region are still reeling from the unexpected departure of “Snow White.” There’s no time to rest, though. “Woman in Black” has established itself as a dark horse in the Brawl — one that could threaten “Hunger Games” in the Final Four. Before then, however, Radcliffe’s flick will have to battle a resurgent “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” Peter Jackson’s film waged a hard-fought war with Emma Watson’s “Perks of Being a Wallflower” and came out with a narrow 3 percent victory. That’s some impressive stuff. Can “Hobbit” keep it going? Is there anything that can keep “Woman in Black” from a trip to the Final Four? We’ve got until January 16 to decide. That’s when voting in the Elite Eight ends. There are no excuses in the Movie Brawl. Get busy voting! What are you waiting for? Your must-see movie needs your support. It’s time to show character, poise and heart. Vote for your picks now at MTV Movie Brawl 2012! Related Videos MTV Movie Brawl 2012! Talk Nerdy To Me

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‘Hunger Games’ Looking Fierce In Movie Brawl Elite Eight

Patrick Schwarzenegger Helps Make Fashion Charitable With Project360

Schwarzenegger, Nick Sheinberg and Kimberly Barth started the brand to generate awareness about global issues through fashion. By Kara Warner Patrick Schwarzenegger Photo: MTV News We’re always happy to see people using their power for good and striving to make the world a better place, which is why we were particularly pleased to meet Patrick Schwarzenegger, Nick Sheinberg and Kimberly Barth, the dedicated young people behind Project360 , a brand that uses fashion as a way to generate awareness for important global issues. The three “philanthropreneurs” invited MTV News to visit their headquarters in Los Angeles recently, as well as their fundraiser to benefit Best Buddies , during which they explained how Project360 was born. “Nick and I thought up the company at a women’s conference in 2008 by just creating little rubber bracelets,” Schwarzenegger, son of Arnold and Mariah Shriver, said of the organization’s beginnings. “It was really successful, and Kimberly was working at another booth and she came up and said, ‘These bracelets look great. I think we can expand from there.’ We always wanted to do something that gave back to charity. Fashion and wearing clothes is a daily routine for everybody. What better way to spread the word of giving back and philanthropic ways of life than to wear something that gives back to charity?” “The idea behind it is that it’s more than fashion, it’s a fashion statement,” Barth added. “Everything has an inspirational message that reflects the global cause that we donate to. It’s about more than clothing. It’s about style and looking cute, but it’s really about making a difference and making a global impact together.” Schwarzenegger said that while his famous family members inspired and instilled in him the values of public service, he and his co-founders started Project360 entirely on their own, with their own money, and their success has been particularly satisfying because of how much time and effort they’ve put into it. “We sit down together, we ponder a bunch of names depending on what charities we’ve picked,” Barth explained of their decision-making processes. “We go through different words, we talk about what has the most meaning to us and narrow them down, and we also want what would look best visually on a T-shirt.” The passionate, hardworking trio hopes the company can keep growing and one day be able to give back, like Toms Shoes’ one-for-one business model. “Every day, we have a new idea and new ambition, so we’ll see what happens,” Barth said. “I’m really excited about the immediate future and thrilled with how well it’s come to fruition to begin with. We’ll see what happens.” To see how other celebs are helping to make a difference, check out the MTV Act blog.

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Patrick Schwarzenegger Helps Make Fashion Charitable With Project360

Best EDM Artists Of 2011

MTV counts down the top 10 electronic dance music artists of the year. By Akshay Bhansali and Adam Stewart deadmau5 Photo: Getty Images Maybe you were at the grocery store when you found yourself singing along to Afrojack’s “Take Over Control” for the hundredth time. Or maybe it was when Martin Solveig’s “Hello” was suddenly on repeat on your iPod. Whatever your moment was, it’s fair to say the American appetite for electronic dance music surged in 2011, bringing “the rave” to radio and festivals, touching every U.S. city (big and small). Even Grammy voters took notice this year, nominating Skrillex for Best New Artist and in four other categories. Afrojack, David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Benny Benassi put up mainstream, chart-topping bangers. Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival and Miami’s Ultra Music Festival saw record attendance, and dance music’s biggest stars headlined a stage at every major mainstream festival: Lollapalooza, Coachella, SXSW, Austin City Limits. We’ve been covering the movement, but this year we tapped some of our EDM pros to commemorate a seminal year for the genre. MTV News’ Akshay Bhansali and Adam Stewart, MTV Coordinator of Music & Talent Rawley Bornstein and MTV World Music Director Micah McKinney sat down for a roundtable discussion — moderated by MTV News’ Sway Calloway — about the biggest players this year and crowned our top 10. Below, we reveal #10 through #3. Stick with MTV as we reveal our final two at 4:59 p.m. ET on Monday (December 12). Who will be named the Best EDM Artist of 2011? 10. Martin Solveig When Irv Gotti stopped by MTV News’ “RapFix Live” in October, he joked, “We’re just one record away from Kanye or Jay [being like]: [ sings hook to Solveig’s ‘Hello’ ] ‘I just came to say hello — Hov!’ ” Gotti was kidding, but it’s true. Rap dudes beware: Songs like “Hello” and guys like Martin have seen such widespread success that the hip-hop industry, which has long enjoyed club and radio dominance, is shook. In addition to being a technically superior producer and DJ, Solveig has also proven to the world that he has a sense of humor. His “Smash” video series — including “Hello,” “Initial S.H.E,” “Ready 2 Go” and “Big in Japan” — are some of the funniest and most well-produced clips of any genre. Kudos to Martin and his “manager” Lafaille for making us laugh and dance in 2011. 9. Ti

2012 Grammy Nominations, By The Numbers

From Taylor Swift’s major-category shutout to the army of collaborators on Kanye’s ‘All of the Lights,’ we take a closer look at this year’s nods. By Gil Kaufman Kanye West Photo: Flanigan/ Getty Images The big headline out of Wednesday night’s “Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!” event was that Kanye West came away with the night’s gaudiest number at seven nods. He bested heavily tipped Grammy bait Adele , who scored six, tying her with veteran rockers Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars , with Lil Wayne and party-starting DJ Skrillex just behind at five. Yes, there were some surprises, such as Justin Vernon’s sedate folkie solo project Bon Iver snagging four nominations and British tweed revivalists Mumford & Sons rolling up an equal amount. But it’s some of the other facts and figures we were more interested in. So enjoy the 2011 Grammy nominations, by the numbers: 0 : Number of major nominations scored by Taylor Swift for her smash Speak Now album. She did pull down three nods for Best Country Album and Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for “Mean.” 4 : Grammy nominations for the coaches from NBC reality singing show “The Voice,” Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine. 0 : Grammy nods for the judges (Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger) on “American Idol” and “The X Factor.” 6 : Age Rihanna was in 1994 when the first Foo Fighters album was released. RiRi is up against the veteran rockers in the Album of the Year category, where Dave Grohl (42) and company are the elder statesmen in a race where none of the competition cross the three-decade mark: Bruno Mars (26), Adele (23) and Lady Gaga (25). Think Beyonc

Grammy Nominations: The Biggest Shocks And Snubs

We take a look at the surprises — and outright outrages — of the Grammy nominations, in Bigger Than the Sound. By James Montgomery Lady Gaga Photo: Leon Neal/AFP Here’s about all you need to know about the nominations for the 54th Grammy Awards , which were announced Wednesday night in Los Angeles: Bon Iver got more of them (4) than Lady Gaga did (3). So did Mumford & Sons, Radiohead and Skrillex. Call it the residual effects of Arcade Fire’s Album of the Year triumph at the previous Grammys or perhaps the first creaks of a seismic shift in voter tastes, but there’s definitely something going on with this year’s field of nominees … it’s just difficult to say exactly what. Because, sure Gaga got shunted. But Kanye didn’t. In fact, he’s this year’s most-nominated artist, collecting seven of them (though his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, by all accounts a commercial and critical success, failed to pick up an Album of the Year nod) in a move by the Grammy voters that certainly poked a lot of holes in what everyone believed would be the story line of these awards: Namely, that women would dominate, since, you know, they’ve basically done that on the charts all year long. Adele, who you’ve probably heard of (and whose 21 album you probably own), ended up snagging six nods, including Album, Record and Song of the Year. But most expected her to get more, or at least be the most-nominated act. Instead, she’s tied with a bunch of dudes ( Bruno Mars and those old Grammy faves the Foo Fighters) in second. Nicki Minaj ended up with five noms, while Rihanna — who is usually the one left out at these kinds of shows — got four. And then the drop off begins. Taylor Swift, who won Album of the Year not too long ago, and whose Speak Now sold a million copies in a week, was shut out of the so-called “Big Four” categories and ended up with just three nominations total, all of which came in the country categories. Katy Perry, who has three #1 singles to her name this year, earned two noms. So did Beyonc

Ohio Voters to Kasich: “No, No, No”

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Ohio voters today resoundingly overturned the anti-worker agenda pushed by Gov. John Kasich (R), Republican state lawmakers and outside interest groups which took away the right of public employees to collectively bargain for a middle-class life. Moments ago, the vote was called: Buckeye State voters said “No” to Issue 2. The “No” vote on Issue 2 repeals Kasich’s S.B. 5 that eliminated the collective… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : AFL-CIO Weblog Discovery Date : 09/11/2011 00:34 Number of articles : 2

Ohio Voters to Kasich: “No, No, No”

Nancy Grace Narrowly Averts Dancing With the Stars Wardrobe Malfunction Redux

Thank you, Dancing With the Stars costume designers. We owe you big time. Last night, she came thisclose to giving viewers more nipple slip action on the show … and we just don’t need to see any more jiggling like last time. “My [costume] wasn’t working,” Nancy revealed of her Dancing With the Stars rehearsal run-through, saying she almost lost the top half of her outfit. “[The wardrobe stylists] added lace reinforcements at the top. I’m the only one that comes out in a turtleneck. But I’m OK with it,” she added. We are too. And she didn’t even let one rip . Watch her performance below: Nancy Grace on Dancing With the Stars (Week 5)

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Nancy Grace Narrowly Averts Dancing With the Stars Wardrobe Malfunction Redux

Caliente! J.R. Martinez Heats Up Dancing With the Stars

Military veteran, motivational speaker and soap opera star J.R. Martinez is looking more and more like the man to beat on Dancing With the Stars. Rob Kardashian and David Arquette did well Monday, sure. But there was no touching J.R. and Karina Smirnoff with their sexy, 80s inspired samba. Channeling his Latino heritage, Martinez delivered a samba that was “muy caliente,” Carrie Ann Inaba said. Bruno Tonioli called him a “sex machine” with “so much fire down below” women might hurl themselves off the balcony to get to him. Ah, Bruno. He’s not wrong, though. Watch J.R.’s performance below: J.R. Martinez on Dancing With the Stars (Week 5) Len Goodman offered perhaps the best praise of all: “The next time someone asks me how should a guy dance the samba, I wil say ‘have a look at J.R.’” Is J.R. on a collision course with the Mirror Ball? Or will the voters pull a surprise and send him home early? Who do you think will win this season? Vote in our Dancing With the Stars poll below …

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Caliente! J.R. Martinez Heats Up Dancing With the Stars

Bruno Mars’ VMA-Nominated ‘Grenade’: Road To Video Of The Year

Clip also nominated for Best Male Video and Best Pop Video at Sunday’s 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. By Jocelyn Vena Bruno Mars in his “Grenade” music video Photo: Elektra Records For Bruno Mars ‘ deeply personal breakup track “Grenade,” the pop crooner hooked up with a man who truly understands dark images: Australian music video director Nabil Elderkin, who has cooked up clips for the likes of Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Diddy and will.i.am. The duo created a clip that mirrors the heartache of the song, where Mars sings about loving someone who won’t love him back. The video dropped in November and has racked up hundreds of millions of views online. It’s also up for three Moonmen at Sunday’s 2011 MTV Video Music Awards , including Best Male Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year. For those who have yet to check out the video, Mars pines over a lovely young lady. To prove his love for her, he puts on his Sunday best and drags his piano across Los Angeles, meeting up with unsavory characters along the way. When he does finally get to his beloved’s house, he sees that she is hooking up with another fellow. Heartbroken, he drags his piano away from the home, up one very difficult hill and ends up at a railroad track. Does a completely devastated Mars get hit by the train? Well, that’s the video’s great, deep, dark mystery. “It was my concept,” the singer told MTV News earlier this month. “I said, ‘I want to drag a piano.’ I got my friend Nabil to come direct it, and it was a risk because I still hear jokes to this day like, ‘What the hell you doing dragging a piano?’ ” he said. “But it’s my art, so shut up!” Mars, who hit the stage with B.o.B at the 2010 VMAs , is pretty stoked about having the video make the final cut as one of the nominees for Video of the Year . “I grew up watching VMAs. I know every performance,” Mars said. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been watching MTV VMAs, and when we got the phone call saying that my video was up for Video of the Year, that’s the big-boy award.” Mars is also up for a Best Choreography VMA for his much-more-fun “The Lazy Song” clip. He’s also set to take the stage as one of Sunday night’s performers . The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday from Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year’s highlights and vote for your favorites in the general categories by visiting VMA.MTV.com . Related Photos 2011 MTV Video Music Awards Performers

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Bruno Mars’ VMA-Nominated ‘Grenade’: Road To Video Of The Year

Katy Perry, Lil Wayne And More (Possible) VMA Winners

Bigger Than the Sound guesses who will take home Sunday’s biggest Moonmen. By James Montgomery Katy Perry Photo: Graham Denholm/ Getty Images The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards will air live on MTV this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, but if you’re a Katy Perry fan, well, you probably knew that already. After all, the California Gurl is the most-nominated artist at this year’s VMAs, leading the pack with an eye-opening 10 nods, including Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and the biggie, Video of the Year. Following closely behind her are the likes of Adele, Kanye West and Bruno Mars, but really, all eyes will be on Perry. Will she take home her first-ever Moonman? Will she sweep the night’s major categories? And, most importantly of all, what color will her hair be? Of course, KP’s not the only story line heading into Sunday’s show: Can Gaga win the only major award she’s up for? Can Tyler, the Creator shock the world? Luckily, I’m here to provide answers. Much like I’ve done in previous years (and mostly because I have a rather insatiable gambling addiction), I’m throwing on the old prognostication cap and trying my hand at picking the winners in all the major VMA categories. Of course, while I can’t guarantee my accuracy, I can promise you that I spent, like, 25 minutes on this, which is a pretty thorough investment. Oh, and for the record, I’m going with “puce” for Katy’s hair color. The rest of my picks right now: Best Male Video