When Warner Bros. announced a new film series inspired by J.K. Rowling's 2001 Hogwarts textbook "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," the author expressed her newfound eagerness to return to the "Harry Potter" universe. The author had said she would only revisit the wizarding world for an idea she's "really excited about," and in a statement this week, she said, "This is it."

It's safe to say that her fans are even more excited for it.

There's much that we don't yet know about the film series — which will be scripted by Rowling herself — but we do know that it will involve Newton ("Newt") Artemis Fido Scamander, renowned expert on magical creatures and "author" of the 1927 guide "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." Born in 1897, the Hogwarts graduate spent much of his life traveling the globe to study these creatures in their natural habitats. So anyone who's keenly followed the adventures of Harry and Co. can look forward to seeing centaurs, trolls, merpeople, puffskeins, basilisks, and, of course, dragons.

We also know that, as Rowling noted, "Newt's story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry's gets underway." After so many years of witnessing the wizards, witches and Muggles that live across the pond, the move to America is a refreshing change. And the streets of early twentieth-century Manhattan will be that much more interesting with magic added to the mix.

Rowling explained that "'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series." But the lack of ...

Months of painstaking recovery work were undone in just a few hours on Thursday when a fast-moving fire ripped through the Jersey Shore boardwalk, destroying at least 20 businesses on the iconic stretch viewers got to know and love through MTV's "Jersey Shore" series. Though none of the cast members were from the area, they still consider it their second home and many took to social media to express their grief.

After the initial shock about the news on Thursday set in, Jenni "JWOWW" Farley wrote, "Stay strong Seaside! Thank you to everyone who helped with yesterday's tragedy. My heart breaks for ..."

Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola was also gutted by the reports. "Just heard about Seaside & my heart is breaking," she wrote on Thursday afternoon. "Prayers to everyone! This is devastating seeing my other home go through this once again."

Almost 11 months to the day that the show's cast and some musical guests gathered to raise money and hope with the telethon in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, local residents looked on in sadness as the fire dealt another blow to the region.

According to the New York Times, the fire began shortly after 2 p.m. at iconic, nearly 100-year-old ice cream shop Kohr's Frozen Custard and quickly spread to other buildings and structures, including Funtown Pier, which was nearly destroyed by the hurricane. Flames also appeared to have ruined a historic carousel, which had been restored and reopened just months ago.

Governor Chris Christie said about 20 businesses were almost completely destroyed over ...

With ratings hitting all-time lows after Wednesday night's season three premiere
, the singers auditioning for "X Factor" in Denver and Long Island on Thursday night's two-hour episode were probably not the only ones sweating it.

Though it showcased some promising talent the night before, the season three opener hit a new all-time low of 6.2 million total viewers, which is less than half the audience Simon Cowell's singing competition posted in its U.S. debut two years ago. As if you needed any other sign that things are a bit dire, at one point the ladies on the panel were whacking a Cowell-shaped piñata backstage and Cowell himself was bullied into doing some off-key crooning.

Which makes you wonder why the second show opened with mostly awful singers. There were, thankfully, some genuine ringers in there as well, including a very promising sisterly girl group and a potential break-out cute boy singer.

Great girls
After the fool's parade of awful singers, 15-year-old Rylie Brown was poised to break the spell with her dramatic ballad take on "Clarity" by Zedd ... until she forgot the lyrics. "So ... you messed up, but who cares when you've got a voice like that," Cowell said. Long Island native Simone Torres, 19, kicked it old school for Wilson Pickett's version of R&B nugget "Mustang Sally," bringing some serious bluesy grit, and attitude, to the stage. "I loved watching that light in your eye sparkle from the second that your walked out," said Demi Lovato, who just wanted to hug Torres.

Never call me "woman" again
Ice cream truck driver ...

Tupac Shakur's lyrics on his reflective ode to mortality, "How Long Will They Mourn Me," were steeped in prophetic poetry, but even he couldn't have predicted that he'd still be such an iconic force in pop culture in the year 2013.

Friday (September 13) marks the 17th anniversary of the day the Thug Life MC was fatally shot at the age of 25 after attending a Mike Tyson heavyweight championship fight in Las Vegas and although that tragic event robbed hip-hop of one of its most promising and revered stars, Pac's indelible influence can still be felt in rap culture today.

Case in point:

Tyga Brings 'Pac Vocals To Life
Tyga used some of the late rapper's unreleased vocals on his controversial single, "Hit 'Em Up," from his third solo album, Hotel California. Although the Young Money representer told MTV News that his version was not a remake of the Notorious B.I.G. diss, the song drew the ire of Pac's die-hard fans.

"I had came across some 'Pac vocals from a friend," Tyga told MTV News back in May about how the track came together. "I was like, 'Man this would be dope,' but I didn't really know how to use it properly. A lot of people think it's a remake of 'Hit 'Em Up,' his song — which it's not a remake, it's original."

J. Cole Forgets His Beefs
One of Tupac's most devoted acolytes, J. Cole, name dropped his lyrical idol in two different songs on his critically acclaimed sophomore LP, Born Sinner. On "Let Nas Down," the North Carolina ...

Nirvana never wanted to be the biggest band in the world; things just sort of worked out that way. But in 1993, they thought they had found a way to remedy that: release In Utero.

As you're probably aware, despite their best efforts, they didn't really succeed at sabotaging their careers (In Utero debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and has been certified platinum five times over), though you've certainly got to give them credit for trying. Because 20 years after it hit stores — a deluxe anniversary reissue is set to be released on September 24 — the album stands as a contrarian landmark, the kind of thing only a band like Nirvana would ever dream of making in the first place.

From Kurt Cobain's corrosive yowls on "Milk It" and "Tourette's" to the decidedly non-Nevermind sensibilities of "All Apologies" and "Dumb," it's an album that sought to alienate both sides of their fanbases — the mainstream and the underground — and confound everyone in between. They hired notoriously surly sonic naturalist Steve Albini to produce it, then balked when folks at their label suggested they sand down some of his rough edges. Cobain put a collage of fetuses and stray body parts on the back cover, and thought of calling the album I Hate Myself And Want To Die. The disc itself features a photo of a man in lingerie. There's a song on it called "Rape Me." And the video for first single "Heart-Shaped Box" features a young girl parading around in Ku Klux Klan ...

Patrick Wilson is having a terrifyingly big year at the box office. First, the actor appeared as Ed Warren in the surprise blockbuster "The Conjuring," a terrifying tale of New England exorcism. The modestly budgeted horror film won critical acclaim and grossed over $135 million at the box office, making it one of the summer's biggest success stories.

Now Wilson's hoping to repeat that success with "Insidious: Chapter 2," the sequel to 2011's horror hit that pairs Wilson once again with "The Conjuring" and "Insidious" director James Wan. The sequel picks up where the first film's cliffhanger left off, with Wilson's character Josh Lambert not alone inside of his own body. Despite the similarities behind the scenes, Wilson believes his characters could not be more different.

"The fact that it's me and [director] James [Wan] and the same genre is about where the similarity [between 'The Conjuring' and 'Insidious: Chapter 2'] ends," reveals Wilson. "It's one thing when you're being possessed; it's another thing when you're trying to get rid of the possession."

One other thing that makes the two characters different? Wilson's "Conjuring" character was based on a real-life paranormal investigator. "They really couldn't be further apart, when you have one guy that's real, so you have whole books and photos and things you can look at to see, [and] tapes to listen to. That was a very sort of realistic approach. With ['Insidious: Chapter 2'], you can sort of take what's on the page and what my relationship is like [with Rose Byrne], and that drama, and see where ...

In the midst of New Jersey's "Stronger than the Storm" rally cry after Superstorm Sandy destroyed much of the state's coastline, another tragedy has hit the Jersey Shore. Seaside Park suffered a large fire along the boardwalk Thursday (September 12) afternoon.

According to NJ.com, the blaze started in an ice cream shop, and strong winds spread the flames to 19 buildings, presumably setting back the progress made since Sandy.

No serious injuries have been reported yet, but some residents and firefighters are being treated for smoke inhalation. At press time, meteorologist are suspecting a thunderstorm will reach the area and calm the winds, which are feeding the flames.

MTV stars like Vinny Guadagnino and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, who made Seaside their home on "Jersey Shore," responded to the news on Twitter. The eight personalities helped lead a "Restore the Shore" telethon on MTV last November, manning the phones and sharing their connection to the boardwalk.

"My prayers to seaside park❤ can't catch a break....praying for the volunteers, fire department & residence," Snooki tweeted.

"Damn Seaside Again ! :(" DJ Pauly D agreed, with Jenni "JWoww" Farley condoling, "Omg my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in seaside."

"Wow. Praying for Seaside," Vinny wrote.

Priyanka Chopra has been drafted. The international actress and pop singer will debut her track "In My City," featuring will.i.am, as the opening act and theme song for NFL Network's Thursday Night Football (September 12) at 8 p.m. ET.

Chopra's opening act will featured over the course of the season, and aided by an intro from a player of the city being visited. The first game pits the New York Jets against the New England Patriots, and features Patriots player Rob Gronkowski welcoming the world to his city.

You don't have to wait until 8 p.m., though, to get a glimpse of Chopra in action; we have a first look at the performance.

"Having grown up in both New York and Boston, two major [rival] football cities and coincidentally the two teams playing the night of my big debut, it's nothing short of surreal to be with the NFL as the opening act for Thursday Night Football. 'In My City' was my first single, it has a very special place in my heart, and I am beyond excited to bring the amazing energy of the track to the NFL's passionate fans," Priyanka Chopra said.

The Indian beauty will take over duties from Cee Lo Green, and join the lineup alongside country superstar Carrie Underwood, who is the opening act for Sunday and Monday night's games.

"Priyanka's single 'In My City' is the perfect song to set the stage for Thursday Night Football and to welcome viewers to each city," said Mark Quenzel of the NFL Network.

This is yet another positive step for the ...

It's a match made in "X Factor" heaven! No, we are not talking about One Direction's Zayn Malik and Little Mix's Perrie Edwards, but Cher Lloyd and Fifth Harmony.

Lloyd, who finished in fourth place on the U.K. version of the "X Factor," recently kicked off her headlining I Wish Tour, and brought along the feisty girl group for the ride.

"They are wild, let me tell you they are wild," Lloyd said of Fifth Harmony who finished in third place on last season's show. "And so unbelievably cute. I mean, in sound check they wear their high heels — in sound check, the place where you're meant to have your slippers on. That is pure diva style, I love them."

When the "Want U Back" singer isn't bonding with the girl group, she's taking the stage treating her fans fans, a.k.a. the Brats. Her untitled sophomore album, featuring the new single, "I Wish" with T.I., is due later this year.

"I'm crazy. When I'm onstage, I do the strangest things and I don't know why," Lloyd said. "Sometimes when I talk to the audience I let things slip and I'm playing brand-new music from the album that is not even out yet."

Lloyd admits that fan reaction to the new music has been great so far. It's a relief for her since she's still getting used to the idea of her very own U.S. tour.

"It's very scary for me because of course I've never had a headlining tour in America and I keep thinking that it's not my show," Lloyd said. ...