November 19, 2024

Review Category : TMZ Music News

Can ‘The Butler’ Fend Off ‘You’re Next’ At The Box Office?

Last weekend, a hard-working White House worker was able to fend off a group of costumed vigilante teenagers while swiftly dispatching Ashton Kutcher and Liam Hemsworth at the same time. Box-office bombs "Jobs" and "Paranoia" didn't stand a chance against on the way to its $25 million weekend debut.

Forest Whitaker's historical drama may very well dominate moviegoer wallets for a second weekend, even against competition from young adult series adaptation and Edgar Wright's "The World's End." Bloody slasher flick "You're Next," with its ubiquitous and mysterious marketing campaign, could provide the strongest challenge to

Purchased by Lionsgate after its debut at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, "You're Next" is one of those small-budget horror flicks assured to deliver a healthy return. It has also benefited from a number of positive reviews, which certainly isn't always the case for the genre.

Industry projections differed more than usual amongst different outlets leading into the weekend, with the numbers for "The Butler" projected anywhere from $12 million to $16 million and "You're Next" estimates between $11 million and $14 million.

There are more than 24 million copies of the five different "Mortal Instruments" books out there, but it may turn out that the $60 million film adaptation based on the young adult series won't drum up sufficient interest to justify the already-announced second movie. Critics decimated "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," resulting in a lowly 14 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. It collected a reported $3 million on Wednesday, with Sony predicting a $15 million five-day total through ...

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Got One Direction Questions? Tune In To The VMA Live Stream!

The VMA All Access Experience doesn't know it's beautiful. Yet. But that will all change once the 3D biopic invades Saturday's (August 24) live stream.

MTV News' own Josh Horowitz will sit down with doc director Morgan Spurlock to talk all things 1D, in addition to debuting brand-new interviews with the guys pegged to the film, which hits theaters August 30. And that's just one of the exclusive goodies that will premiere during the two-hour movie slot, kicking off at 6 p.m. ET.

Also on the docket: star Zoey Deutch, otherwise known as bad-ass dhampir Rose Hathaway in the adaptation of Richelle Mead's best-selling bloodsucker series. She'll stop by Brooklyn's Barclays Center to reveal all of the behind-the-scenes scoops from the set of her 2014 film. (So get those Dimitri questions ready!)

Last — but most certainly not least — in anticipation of the official first look at "Divergent" debuting during the VMA pre-show, stars Theo James and Miles Teller will take the All Access stage for a 30-minute interview about their dystopian drama.

MTV debuted a 20-second tease of the footage, featuring stars Shailene Woodley and Kate Winslet, so be sure to check that out ahead of VMA All Access!

Have questions for any of any of our guests? Send them via Twitter, Instagram or Vine using the hashtag #AskVMA.

The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards air live on Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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Justin Timberlake Will Get VMA Vanguard Award From Jimmy Fallon

When Justin Timberlake steps up to receive his Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award? at Sunday night's 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, he'll be accepting it from his partner in rhyme, Jimmy Fallon.

The late night host and friend of JT will present the prestigious award to his homey live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center during the star-studded show, which airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The pair has a long history of collaboration, including their on-going series of "History" segments on Fallon's show, during which they intricately weave their rhymes for breathless mash-ups of some of rap's greatest songs.

Timberlake, who is being honored for his two decades of innovation in videos including "Cry Me a River," "SexyBack" and ? will join a prestigious honor roll of previous Vanguard winners, including Jackson, Madonna, the Beastie Boys and Britney Spears. As a solo artist and member of 'NSYNC, Timberlake has taken home 14 VMAs, which puts him second only to Madonna in total wins.

Timberlake will get plenty of stage time during the VMAs, because in addition to the Vanguard Award he's also performing on the broadcast, which will also feature fellow six-time nominees Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Drake, Bruno Mars and fellow odds-on favorite? favorite Robin Thicke.

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Jay Z, Lil’ Kim Go Head To Head In Brooklyn Anthems Poll: See Who Won!

Brooklyn artists exhibit so much hometown pride, it's no wonder the borough has so many anthems dedicated to its existence. From the Beastie Boys to Jay-Z, BK's biggest hip-hop stars have been rapping Bucktown's praises since the 1980s, and when RapFix asked fans to vote on their favorite Brooklyn Hip-Hop Anthem, it was the Queen Bee Lil' Kim who reigned supreme.

Kim's 2005 single "Lighters Up" received 75 percent of the fan vote, while Fabolous, Jay-Z and Uncle Murda's "Brooklyn" came in a distant second, earning 12 percent of the share in the week-long poll that opened August 14 and closed Wednesday. Even though she hasn't released an album in eight years, Kim's fanbase remains one of the most faithful, and this week, they can watch the Queen Bee herself on as she gives MTV News' Sway Calloway a tour through Brooklyn, pointing out the spots that meant the most to the Notorious B.I.G.

"Lighters Up," noted for its Caribbean-soaked sound, was produced by Scott Storch and stirred a tremendous amount of pride among the borough's residents. "I come from Bed-Stuy/ Where either n---as do or they gon' die," Kim spits in a patois accent to start the track.

Lil' Kim overcame some pretty tough competition in the BK anthem poll. Jay-Z had three of the 10 selections with "Brooklyn's Finest," "Where I'm From" and "Brooklyn Go Hard." The Beastie Boys and their 1986 classic "No Sleep till Brooklyn" might not have won, but the unforgettable track is the unofficial anthem of the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards ...

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‘The World’s End’: The Reviews Are In!

Following another summer filled with sequels, represents a decidedly different take on the comedy franchise. Director Edgar Wright and his leading men collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost return for their third — and possibly final — collaboration following 2004's "Shaun of the Dead" and 2007's "Hot Fuzz."

What the semi-franchise lacks in returning characters or continuing plots, it more than makes up for in recurring gags, overarching themes and a delicious U.K.-specific dessert called a Cornetto. The film follows Pegg as a nostalgic alcoholic determined to get the gang back together for an epic pub crawl, which unexpectedly gets derailed by an otherworldly complication — to avoid spoilers with an understatement.

"The World's End" proves that the third time is as much of a charm as the first and second, with critics praising the longtime collaborators as well as the ensemble they've assembled, including Bilbo Baggins himself, Martin Freeman. The comedy's darker this time around, but it's expertly handled by director Wright, whose energetic style has only gotten better with experience. This time around, the characters tackle as many real-world obstacles as they do out-of-this-world ones, and the result is a late-summer film that puts the rest of them to shame.

Here's what critics are saying about "The World's End":

Hell of an Ending
"'The World's End' is the third of Wright's genre-bending black comedies starring Pegg (who co-wrote it) and Frost, and it's arguably the best — although who would want to argue over three such beautifully constructed social satires? In this one, Wright and Pegg take a mere ...

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VMA Nominees Go To The Movies!

Music and movies have been inextricably linked since talkies came into vogue in the 1920s, and the tradition continues today with this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

From Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to Robin Thicke, many of this year's nominees have seen (and heard) their hits take the spotlight in a movie trailer.

Before the VMAs air live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, let's look at the musicians whose ear candy found a place next to the Milk Duds at the theater.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Song: "Can't Hold Us," featuring Ray Dalton
Nominations: Best Hip Hop Video, Best Cinematography, Best Direction, Best Editing
Movie: "Jobs"
An inspired choice for the Steve Jobs biopic starring Ashton Kutcher, if only for the use of the line, "Return of the Mack." We see what you did there.

Song: "Thrift Shop," featuring Wanz
Nomination: Video of the Year
Movie: "The Internship"
Are Macklemore & Ryan Lewis secret cinephiles? Now, we're not sure what bargain hunting for gator shoes and leopard minks has to do with landing an internship at Google, but the song does add a certain kooky vibe to the promo for the Vince Vaughn- and Owen Wilson-starring comedy.

Imagine Dragons
Song: "Radioactive"
Nomination: Best Rock Video
Movie: "The Host"
"Radioactive" — a song essentially about the end of the world — is right at home in the trailer for this alien invasion flick based on Stephenie Meyer's best-selling novel.

Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell
Song: "Blurred Lines"
Nominations: Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Collaboration, Best Song of Summer
Movie: "We're the Millers" (red band trailer)
"Tried to domesticate you" is ...

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: From The Basement To VMA Domination!

When Macklemore & Lewis say they do it all, it's no joke. On their climb from virtual unknowns to six-time 2013 MTV Video Music Award nominees, the Seattle duo has blazed a trail like no other, without the help of a major label, or just about anyone else.

"Unlike a lot of other artists, they stay completely in control of all facets of what they're presenting," said manager Zach Quillen of their hands-on approach, which has yielded two #1 hits from their breakthrough, The Heist. "If you're looking at pop, rock or hip-hop artists, there are few who are directing and editing their own music videos [and] scoring custom intros for their videos."

The all-in approach extends to everything from their tour artwork to photo shoots, cover art and every other public image fans see of the pair. "They are perfectionists and they pay attention to every detail and do it all themselves."

That determination to present a consistent aesthetic and not cede any control over their careers has helped Mack &Lewis rise from club darlings to festival superstars over the past year, making them the most-nominated independent artists in the 30-year history of the VMAs. (They're also the first to score an MTV awards show trifecta, playing the VMAs, the Movie Awards and mtvU Woodies in the same calendar year.) How did they do it? MTV News breaks down their formula:

The music, of course
"The music is, of course, immediate, but they make untraditional pop records," said Quillen of record-breaking first single second #1 song "Can't Hold Us" and ...

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Pusha T Reveals <i>Real</i> Reason For Album Delay

The wait is almost over. After a few production delays, Pusha T stopped by "RapFix Live" on Thursday to announce he had a won't-move release date for his long-awaited solo debut, My Name Is My Name.

"My Name Is My Name is dropping October 8, for sure," Push said during his appearance on the show, which has been airing live from the Barclays Center as part of our weeklong .

After reliving how he "blacked out" during one of his two iconic MTV VMA performances, the G.O.O.D. Music rapper revealed that Kanye West's approach to executive-producing MNIMN and, of course, difficulties with sample clearances, are what led to the project getting pushed back from its most recent July release date.

"Album's finished, album's amazing," the Virginia native said. "It's been a lot of the talk of the pushbacks and so on and so forth, but that's out of my control," he added. "And it don't matter 'cause my dope don't spoil, like it really doesn't. My dope don't spoil."

When pressed, Pusha — known for his brand of lyrically potent street pathos — divulged that in addition to making sure the LP was "right in his eyes," Yeezy was responsible for producing five tracks. The remaining songs on the Def Jam set are produced by Pharrell Williams, Don Cannon, Swizz Beatz, The-Dream and ... actor Joaquin Phoenix, who delivered the soundscape for a "serious" track called "King Push."

Guest features on the album include G.O.O.D. labelmates Big Sean, 2 Chainz and 'Ye, as well as Young Jeezy, Future, Rick Ross, ...

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