December 25, 2024

About the author  ⁄ MTV News Staff

‘Spring Breakers’ Is Getting A Kinda-Sequel

by 05/06/14

By Maurice Bobb

Grab your beach towels and popcorn, movie fans! “Spring Breakers,” one of 2013′s most polarizing and provocative films, is getting a sequel.

“Spring Breakers: The Second Coming” (a working title) is now under development by Paris-based production powerhouse Wild Bunch and, according to Screen Daily, already has a screenplay in place written by Irvine Welsh (“Trainspotting”).

Unfortunately, controversial writer/director Harmony Korine won’t be reprising his role as director this time out. Jonas Akerlund, a Swedish filmmaker with a music video background (Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” and “Telephone”), has been tapped to sit in the director’s chair for this one.

“Spring Breakers,” which was centered around a pack of bored college girls who spring break in St. Petersburg, Florida, and take untold risks with a bizarre local named Alien to have a good time, was shot on a $5 million budget, but turned a profit with a $31 million worldwide gross.

Wild Bunch will seek to sell the film at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, describing the movie with the logline, “the Spring Breakers doing battle with an extreme militant Christian sect that attempts to convert them.”

“It’s not a direct sequel although there are allusions to some of the characters in the original,” said Wild Bunch co-chief Vincent Maraval, adding there will be a mix of new and old cast in the production.

No word yet on which of the original cast members will return for the next round of drugs, crime and violence at the beach.

Spike Lee’s ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ Is Coming To The Small Screen

by 05/06/14

By Maurice Bobb

Twenty-eight years after its theatrical debut, the cult classic Spike Lee joint “She’s Gotta Have It” is coming to the small screen.

According to Deadline, the seasoned auteur has signed a development deal with Showtime to produce and direct a half-hour episodic version of the 1986 film.

The series will feature an updated, contemporary take on the characters the
Oldboy” director brought to life three decades ago. It will explore provocative views on race, gender, sexuality, relationships and — a tense subject for Brooklynites — gentrification.

“She’s Gotta Have It” was Lee’s debut feature film and was shot in just 12 days during the summer of 1985 on a shoestring budget of $175,000. The movie, which starred Tracy Camila Johns as a sexually independent black woman juggling three suitors, went on to gross over $7 million at the box office.

Lee’s success at the time paved the way for other African-American filmmakers that followed, while also serving as a springboard to the burgeoning independent film movement of the ’80s.

No details have been released about the originally scripted comedy’s casting or when it will debut.

...

Read More →

‘Love & Hip Hop’ Returns To Explain Mimi Faust’s Sex Tape

by 05/06/14

By Maurice Bobb

VH1′s “ Love & Hip Hop Atlanta ” returned for its third season Monday night, but in spite of the show’s usual salacious dirt, oddball hookups and the need for extra security to keep castmembers from “putting hands” on each other, all anyone seemed to want to see was the story line that revolved around Mimi Faust’s sex tape .

Did it leak or was it intentionally released on the Interwebs for self-promotional purposes?

And how was Mimi — who has so far portrayed herself as being above all things “ratchet” — going to explain her, um, shower rod acrobatics?

For her part, Mimi did her best Meryl Streep impression, summoning crocodile tears when she “discovered” that her sex tape with boyfriend Nikko Smith had “leaked” to a popular gossip site. Wait, wasn’t she supposed to have kicked Mr. Nikko to the curb last season?

Not surprisingly, Mimi was dubbed a porn star by her fellow castmembers, who warned her that Nikko was less than trustworthy, especially since he sold their bedroom/bathroom/shower-rod footage to the highest bidder.

“My friends think he’s trouble but I’m having the time of my life,” Mimi said earlier in the episode. “I don’t care what anybody thinks.”

Meanwhile, Wake Flocka Flame joined the cast of the wildly popular VH1 show and viewers met Tammy Rivera, his fiancée of seven months. The “Round of Applause” MC revealed to his betrothed that he hasn’t been the most faithful groom-to-be, but vowed to be true, or at least his ...

Read More →

6 Celebrity Animals Mindy Kaling Should Meet Cute With

by 05/06/14

By Kat Rosenfield

Mindy Kaling is always meeting cute with fictional dudes on primetime television, but her powers of attraction are fully translatable off-screen. On the Late Show with Seth Myers, Mindy dished on the real-life chance meeting she had with a handsome fellow, who came to her aid when she was struggling to hoist a heavy suitcase onto a luggage rack.

That man turned out to be Andy Roddick, who is married, which means that a Mindy-Andy love-fest (portmanteau: Rodicckaling!) will exist only in our imaginations, and in the fan fiction we started writing this morning.

Meanwhile, Mindy moved on to her second tale of romance… sort of, describing how a fan on Twitter had actually named a rat “Mindy” in her honor. Which got us thinking: about celebrities meeting cute, about cute animals and most importantly, about Mindy Kaling meeting cute with celebrity animals. Because maybe Roddickaling isn’t going to happen, but this? Totally could.

6. Jaws, the movie shark
Picture this: a deserted beach. A blazing sunset. The gentle lapping of waves. And Mindy, looking oh-so-fetching in a bikini made entirely of bacon. It would only take a minute for her to be bitten… by love.

POTD-POLAR_2874620k
5. Nobby and Nela, the Munich polar bears
Having loved and lost one polar bear already (RIP, Knut *sobbing*), seeing Mindy have a chance romance with these fuzzy twins from the Munich zoo is just what we need in order to believe in love again.

Ikea Monkey ...</p>

<a class=Read More →

Gangsta Boo And La Chat Resurrect Female Rap Collaborations On Witch EP

by 05/06/14

By Sidney Madden

Southern female rap is making a ferocious resurgence with Gangsta Boo and La Chat teaming up on the upcoming EP, Witch. As fans of Southern rap can attest, the two femcees have been holding it down for the ladies for more than fifteen years. Both hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Boo and Chat have garnered both separate and joint successes.

Gangsta Boo was the first and only female rapper to be a member of Three 6 Mafia and her debut album, Enquiring Minds, which spawned the break out hit, “Where Dem Dollas At,” dropped in September, 1998. La Chat also spent years mixing it up on Three 6 Mafia’s label, Hypnotize Minds, appearing on tracks with Three 6, as well as Gangsta Boo, before releasing her own debut album, Murder She Spoke, in 2001.

With such accolades under their belts separately, why would the two collaborate on an extended play now? As La Chat put it, frankly, “It was the right place and the right time.”

“We’ve been planning it for a few years, probably since 2008,” echoed Gangsta Boo, the self-proclaimed Queen of Memphis. “But we both just had other things going on in our lives; working on other projects, dealing with family stuff, and other sh– that prevented us from doing it.”

The pair thought it necessary to team up partly because of the state of rap culture at this time. In an era when it seems to be in style to show out and start beef ...

Read More →

Anna Kendrick Will Be In Everything Until 2016

by 05/06/14

By Kat Rosenfield

If you like “Pitch Perfect” star and occasional Twilight Saga supporting actress Anna Kendrick, then prepare to spend a lot of time at the movies between now and 2016 — because she’s in, like, all of them.

The actress has added another two projects to her jam-packed schedule in the past week alone, bringing her combined total of films either in development or in the can to seven. Seven! And since we love Anna Kendrick, and we want to see Anna Kendrick in all of the things, all of the time, we’re keeping close tabs on all her roles in as-yet-unreleased movies with this handy roundup. Starting this year, you can find her in:

Celebrity Sightings - Bauer-Griffin - 2013
“The Last 5 Years”
One of many roles showcasing Kendrick’s vocal chops, this musical romance about a doomed marriage is still looking for a distributor and doesn’t have an official release. But word has it that the actress’s chemistry with leading man Jeremy Jordan makes this movie a major heartbreaker, so keep an eye out: it’ll almost certainly find a home sooner rather than later.

chris-pine-anna-kendrick-england
“Into the Woods”
More music? Yes, please! This time, Kendrick will be playing Cinderella — and singing alongside a giant, star-studded ensemble cast including Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine and Johnny Depp. Add this one to your holiday wishlist: it’ll be out on December 25, 2014.

“Digging for Fire”
Production has wrapped on this mystery movie from ...

Read More →

2 Chainz Feeds The Streets With Freebase EP: Listen Now

by 05/05/14

By Maurice Bobb

As promised, 2 Chainz fed the streets some new sonic heat Monday (May 5) night with his new Freebase EP on LiveMixtapes.com.

The succinct project features seven bonafide trap anthems that delve into Tity Two Necklace’s illicit street life before making it big in the rap game.

Standout tracks include “Trap Back” and “Crib In My Closet,” which features A$AP Rocky and Rick Ross. The latter finds the ATL representer rapping about Nike shoeboxes “filled with rubberbands” and the copious top tier designer fashions that hang in his closet with the tags still attached: “I got Dolce I ain’t even wore yet, codeine I ain’t even pour yet/I can spend millions of dollars and still won’t even be poor yet.”

Newly freed Lil Boosie hops on “Wuda Cuda Shuda,” a Mike Will Made It-produced banger that finds the two collaborators challenging would-be haters that talk a lot, but lack action. “You should shut the f–k up and leave all the bitchin’ to bitches,” Chainz raps emphatically.

On the title track, the “I’m Different” MC admits to selling drugs to his loved ones with the line, “Sold drugs to my loved ones and it’s hard for me to admit it/ The first time I saw a crack pipe was in my parents’ kitchen.”

The rapper born Tauheed Epps didn’t elaborate on which “loved ones” he served exactly, but did confess that sharing his drug dealing quandary on record was hard.

“Would you want your loved one to go ...

Read More →

Veronica Mars Is Getting A Spin-Off

by 05/05/14

By Maurice Bobb

Good news, Marshmallows! CW Seed announced Monday (May 5) that they are taking fans back to Neptune with the launch of “Play It Again, Dick,” a “ Veronica Mars ” spin-off starring Ryan Hansen.

Mars creator Rob Thomas has been tapped to co-write and produce the show for the digital-only studio. According to the official press release, Hansen will play himself on the show as he “begs, cajoles, and pleads with his former ‘Veronica Mars’ castmates and friends to help him get his character, Dick Casablancas, his own spin-off show.”

That, of course, leaves the door wide open for key guest appearances from Hansen’s former “Veronica Mars” co-stars, especially the queen of sleuth herself, Kristen Bell, as Veronica, and other high-profile guests.

Casablancas, Neptune’s rich and endearing surfer boy, was a Mars series regular that became a fan favorite after a recurring role in the first season (2004), which ran on UPN until The CW picked up the detective franchise for one year. Casablancas made his last appearance in the Veronica Mars feature film earlier this year.

Hansen currently stars as middle school gym teacher Joel Kotsky on the CBS series “Bad Teacher.” “Play It Again, Dick” is slated to premiere on CW Seed this summer.

...

Read More →

Flirting With 50 Cent: A Selfie Guide To Fif’s 15 Favorite Ladies

by 05/05/14

By Phillip Mlynar
During his rise to mega-stardom, 50 Cent has clocked up many milestones: He’s been the universe’s one-time most dangerous rapper, blazed trails by shifting a now legendary 872,000 first week copies of his debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, made a gazillion bucks from a savvy Vitamin Water endorsement deal and, now, he’s successfully transitioned over into the world of film.

Fif’s biggest achievement though is surely the collection of selfies he’s amassed alongside famous femmes. Glancing through Fif’s impressive Instagram account is like rummaging through a complete collection of Pokemon cards — when it comes to posing with daytime talk show staples and legendary ladies of the silver screen, 50′s scored them all.

In tribute to the rap king of the celebrity selfie, here’s a round-up of 50′s 15 favorite ladies. (You can draw your own conclusions as to whether any romantic trysts ensued.)

1. Meryl Streep

A classic power-move from the top of this year, 50 Cent spotted legendary Oscar collector Meryl Streep at a Knicks versus Lakers game. With the smooth and steely moves of a predatory panther, Fif moseyed on up to Meryl and pulled out his hand-holding flirt tactic courtside. Then he took things backstage where, as he put it, “Things got a little gangsta. Lol TURN UP, Turn Down for what!”

2. Rachael Ray

There’s a kittenish first-date vibe to the series of snaps that emerged of 50 and modern family kitchen maestro Rachael Ray cozied up together after an appearance on her TV outlet.

“[Rachael] Ray ...

Read More →

13 Reasons ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ Is Basically Just ‘Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory’

by 05/05/14

By Kat Rosenfield

With “The Fault in Our Stars” coming out next month, fans everywhere are abuzz over the big debut of Hazel and Augustus and their beautiful, beautiful love story. And that’s great, except for just one note that may be passing fans by:

“The Fault in Our Stars” is obviously a thinly-veiled homage to “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”

Yes, it is. Think about it: the intrepid band of youngsters; the reclusive, enigmatic man whose secrets they hope to learn. Plus, how many other characters named “Augustus” can you think of?

Clearly, author John Green is a fan of fellow author Roald Dahl*, and secretly encoded “Fault” to be a love letter to “Wonka.”

Here’s every eerie parallel between “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”:

We start with a group of kids: kids with unique characteristics, some might even say afflictions, that changed the course of their lives. Charlie Bucket, the hero of the Wonka universe, is a sensitive, thoughtful soul with an unruly pageboy haircut. Gee, sound like anyone we know?

And then there’s Augustus. Pretentious, grandiose, hungry for life chocolate.

“It’s a metaphor! You put the thing that does the killing right between your teeth… and then you snarf it down like a wild beast.”

And when Charlie/Hazel and Augustus/Augustus meet? It’s magic.

Also, let’s not forget the supporting cast. Isaac, best friend to Augustus, is obviously a reincarnation of Mike Teavee, the TV-obssessed twit from the Wonka-verse ...

Read More →