By Maurice Bobb

Chris Brown may get the belated birthday present he wanted, after all: his freedom.

Four days after turning 25, Brown admitted during a court hearing on Friday (May 9) that he violated the terms of his probation by committing a crime in the Washington, D.C. , area last year.

Subsequently, according to TMZ, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin sentenced the singer to one year in county jail, which was the maximum sentence allowed, short of sending him to state prison. (Of that year, however, Brown has credit for 116 days spent in rehab and another 59 days in jail.)

According to Brown’s attorney Mark Geragos, though, the “Loyal” crooner could be released as early as next week because the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has been releasing inmates sentenced to one year in jail after just 240 days.

Between his three months plus in rehab and a couple of months behind bars, Brown has a grand total of 234 days of credit for time served, just six days shy of the amount needed to be released.

Judge Brandlin also stated that he would reinstate Brown’s probation upon his release and that he will be required to see a psychiatrist two times a week, complete the rest of his community service and take appropriate medication — not medial marijuana.

In making his decision, the judge considered Brown’s youth at the time of his assault against Rihanna (2009) and noted that the court records documenting his bipolar disorder was ...

By Maurice Bobb

Sorry, trap fans, but as far as 2 Chainz is concerned, hat tricks are reserved for hockey, not hip-hop. Despite rumors to the contrary, the title of Tity Two Necklaces’ third LP with not be B.O.A.T.S. III.

“Somebody else said it,” Chainz told MTV News about his new album, when he sat with us to discuss his new EP, Freebase . “We not gon’ even call the next album B.O.A.T.S. It’s gon’ be a whole new campaign. I can’t wait to come back in and unravel that and show y’all what’s up with that.”

According to the “Trap Back” MC, his next studio project will transport listeners back to the trap, where he made his bones as a frenzied lyricist bent on superstardom come hell or the hot water needed to cook freebase cocaine.

“It’s actually piggy backing off Freebase,” Duece said of his yet-untitled next album. “The title of my third album won’t be Freebase but it’ll piggy back off this lifestyle, off this culture and it’s gon’ be fun doing that, too. I’ve already been working on material for that as well.”

Recording material for an EP and an LP at the same damn time could be very confusing, sonically, but for Chainz, it’s all about which one of his pure-energy rap personas comes permeating through the gritty, percussion-laced beats spitting catchy narratives about crack sales in the trap.

“My next two albums are very conceptual,” he said. “They deal with timelines in my life, so when ...

By Maurice Bobb

Watch out Diddy, Dr. Dre will be taking over that No.1 spot on Forbes’ list of “Hip Hop’s Wealthiest” if Apple’s closes in on its plan to acquire Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion.

According to a New York Times report, a deal could be announced as soon as next week.

If this transaction does go through (sources warn that it could still fall apart), it would mean a major break in Apple’s acquisitions strategy. Thus far, the Cupertino, California-based tech juggernaut has focused mostly on buying technology providers to incorporate under its own umbrella.

Purchasing Beats would signal a major paradigm shift for Tim Cook, CEO of the iPhone maker. Under the late Steve Jobs’ tenure, Apple was unwilling to acquire established brands. Now, the company has been forced to go outside its once transformative technology labs to remain cool and make an impact.

Beats, which was founded in 2006 by the legendary producer and Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine, features the immensely popular premium headphone and speaker line, as well as the recently launched Beats Music , a streaming music service that competes with Spotify and Apple’s iTunes.

Carlyle made a $500 million investment in Beats back in September of last year and valued the company at more than $1 billion.

“In terms of acquisitions, Apple has been very, very light in their activity,” said Richard Lane, an analyst at Moody’s analyst Richard Lane told the Financial Times . “I don’t think they’ve spent $1 ...

By Kat Rosenfield

Lucy Fry made a lovely vampire, but her next big role will find her on the human side of a supernatural conflict. According to Deadline, the lanky “Vampire Academy” actress is officially on board for the upcoming haunted-house thriller “6 Miranda Drive.”

Fry will star as the smart, shy daughter of a couple played by Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell, whose lives are thrown into chaos when a ghostly presence follows the family home from a trip to the Grand Canyon.

The actress is a small-screen regular in her native Australia, but American audiences will recognize Lucy from her turn as the elegant Lissa Dragomir in this year’s “Vampire Academy.” (She was the gorgeous, sylph-like blonde with her teeth in Zoey Deutch’s neck.)

Her next film, “Now Add Honey,” is slated for release later this year.

Not much is known about “6 Miranda Drive” apart from its creepy, one-sentence premise, but serious scares can be expected. The film is being distributed by the atmospheric horror connoisseurs at Blumhouse Productions and directed by Greg McLean, who also helmed cult favorite flick “Wolf Creek.” And assuming that it follows the usual scary-movie protocol, it should give Lucy a great chance to show off her scream queen skills for the first time.

MTV News Staff

By Maurice Bobb

On the same day that Kim Kardashian took to Twitter to refute all of the rumors that she and Kanye West were already married, the “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” star addressed her stance on a more serious topic: racism.

Just days after the NBA was forced to ban one of its owners, Donald Sterling, due to racist remarks, the new mother decided to take a stand on the issue of racial discrimination. But a topic so multi-layered and deeply-rooted in our nation’s history took more than 140 characters to express.

“I never knew how much being a mom would change me,” she tweeted via a link to her website with the phrase, “On my mind.”

“It’s amazing how one little person and the love I have for her has brought new meaning to every moment. What once seemed so important, now feels insignificant. It’s like I get to see the world for the first time again, but through someone else’s eyes. It’s a beautiful thing to feel and experience so much more, but with that beauty comes a flip side – seeing through my daughter’s eyes the side of life that isn’t always so pretty. To be honest, before I had North, I never really gave racism or discrimination a lot of thought. It is obviously a topic that Kanye is passionate about, but I guess it was easier for me to believe that it was someone else’s battle. But recently, I’ve read and personally experienced ...

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By Maurice Bobb

Yabba Dabba Doo! The Flintstones are coming to a theater near you.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. plans to bring everyone’s favorite prehistoric family back to the big-screen as a full-length animated feature film.

Funnyman Will Ferrell and his partner Adam McKay will executive produce the movie, while Chris Henchy, also a partner in Gary Sanchez Productions, is busy working on the script.

“The Flintstones,” a prime-time series about a working-class Stone Age man’s life with his family that ran on ABC from 1960-66, was the most successful network animated franchise for decades until “The Simpsons” came along.

Fred Flintstone hailed from Bedrock and worked in a quarry using a dinosaur as a crane, loved eating barbecued brontosaurus burgers and hashing out everyday issues with his wife, Wilma and best friend Barney Rubble and his wife Betty.

Universal released a live action reboot in 1994 starring John Goodman in the title role, Elizabeth Perkins (Wilma), Rick Moranis (Barney), Rosie O’Donnell (Betty) and Halle Berry (Miss Sharon Stone) to modest reviews. The film was shot in California on a budget of $46 million and went on to gross $341,631,208 worldwide.

Warners Bros. acquired the rights to Flintstones as part of Time Warners’ acquisition of Turner Broadcasting back in 1996.

No news yet on voice actor castings or the film’s release date.

MTV News Staff

By Maurice Bobb

Get ready NBA fans, LeBron James is going from the hardwood to Hollywood.

Variety reports that the Miami Heat superstar and Cliff Smith (Method Man) have officially joined the cast of “Trainwreck,” Judd Apatow’s new comedy.

Universal acquired the script from stand-up comedienne Amy Schumer, who will make her feature film debut as a leading lady on the heels of her hit Comedy Central sketch comedy show “Inside Amy Schumer.”

Universal has a lot riding on James’ successful transition to the silver screen considering that they already have him starring alongside Kevin Hart in another comedy called “Ballers.” The studio also just recently acquired the rights to the feature film based on the four-time MVP’s days playing high school basketball in Akron, Ohio.

Details about the film’s plot are being kept under wraps, but Apatow will direct and produce the film through his Universal-based Apatow Productions with Barry Mendel (“Bridesmaids”).

Rounding out the cast is Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, Vanessa Bayer (“Saturday Night Live”), Tilda Swinton, Mike Birbiglia, recent Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi and popular WWE wrestler John Cena.

“Trainwreck” is set for release on July 24, 2015.

MTV News Staff

By Josh Horowitz

It’s been a busy time for Zac Efron and Seth Rogen as they’ve raced around the country promoting their hilarious new comedy, “Neighbors” (opening this Friday). From Austin to Los Angeles to New York, I’ve gotten to know these fine gentlemen pretty well but when they stopped by MTV’s headquarters earlier this week I knew we had to take things to the next level.

Sure you’ve seen Seth and Zac interviewed before but never have they revealed so much as in this edition of “Up Close.” Did you know for instance that Zac does a pretty spot-on Bane impression or that he enjoys bananas covered in whipped cream? Those revelations, plus enormous amounts of male spooning and crotch shots await you in a memorable edition of “After Hours.”

MTV News Staff

By Kat Rosenfield

Seth Rogen is a man who wears many Hollywood hats: actor, writer, producer, director, and proud member of the Humor Elite. But his most important job might just be that of artistic model and muse for James Franco, who recently took a break from his naked selfie-taking schedule to paint a portrait of his friend.

Titled “Seth at Rest,” the painting depicts Rogen sprawled peacefully across the canvas, asleep, and — of course — fully nude. Why? Seth doesn’t know! Not least because he doesn’t want to, as he explained to Jimmy Fallon during his appearance on the Tonight Show.

“I saw [James] the other day, and I didn’t ask him, because honestly I was afraid of what the answer might be,” the actor said, adding that despite the awkward questions it raised, the painting was still “complimentary, penis-wise.”

But since the only good answer to a naked portrait is another naked portrait, Fallon offered Rogen the chance to respond in kind, giving him a sketchbook, a pencil, and his remaining time on camera to create his own masterpiece.

The results were… well, anatomical, for sure! But we don’t see a foray into the art world in Seth’s future; meanwhile, a panel of art critics reached for comment would only say, “Ew!”

MTV News Staff

By Emilie Cruz
“The Voice” said goodbye to three incredible artists Tuesday night (May 6) as five singers headed to the semifinals.

Up until now, coaches Levine and Shelton managed to dominate the competition with all three of their artists avoiding elimination. Sooner or later, though, somebody’s empire had to come crumbling down, and both coaches found two of their three artists in the bottom four: Team Adam’s Kat Perkins and Delvin Choice, and Team Blake’s Sisaundra Lewis and Audra McLaughlin.

But before the shocking last chance performances, the top eight came together for two incredible performances, and host Carson Daly announced that each of the eight artists made it onto the top 100 iTunes chart with Team Usher’s Josh Kaufman peaking at #2.

Country singers Jake Worthington, McLaughlin, and Kristen Merlin came together with rocker Perkins for a country-rocking performance of The Band Perry’s “Chainsaw” and soulful artists Kaufman, Choice, Lewis, and Christina Grimmie gave a powerful performance of Disclosure’s “Latch.”

For her last chance performance, Lewis gave a resonating performance of Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” that left coach Shelton labeling the bottom four “contradictory” if the show is supposed to find the best singer. Fellow Team Blake singer McLaughlin took on The Band Perry’s “Done” for a powerful last-chance performance that revealed a new side and attitude to Shakira. Rocker Perkins gave yet another electrifying last chance performance with Heart’s “Barracuda” that had coach Levine declaring her one of the best rock singers to be ...