Classic 'Harry Potter,' 'Twilight' And 'Inception' Scenes Recreated With Legos [PHOTOS]
Gwen Stefani Halle Berry Hayden Panettiere Haylie Duff Heidi Klum
'The Hobbit' Adds Andy Serkis, Eyes Ian McKellen
Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett already signed for long-awaited movie.
By Eric Ditzian
Andy Serkis in "The Lord of the Rings"
Photo: New Line Cinema
After years stuck in the development doldrums, "The Hobbit" has been picking up steam in recent weeks, with a slew of business deals and casting moves in advance of a planned February production start.
On the heels of Elijah Wood's recent deal to reprise his "Lord of the Rings" role as Frodo, Deadline New York reports that Andy Serkis has signed on to once again play Gollum in the two "Hobbit" films. What's more, it's looking like Ian McKellen is poised to reprise the part of Gandalf in what's being called "a major role" in the new films.
McKellen has been eyeing a return to Middle-earth for years. Back in the fall of 2009, he told MTV News that "Gandalf is a fantastic part and I long to do it" and that he prefers the character's "Hobbit" version to his "LOTR" incarnation. "He was more humane somehow," he added. "He was the guy who liked to hang out with the Hobbits and drink too much and smoke too much."
McKellen, Serkis and their cohorts, it seems, won't be the only "LOTR" faces to pop up in "The Hobbit." Cate Blanchett has already signed on to play Galadriel, Christopher Lee is in talks for Saruman, and Ian Holm is in talks for the elder Bilbo Baggins, whose younger version will be played by Martin Freeman. There's no word yet if Orlando Bloom, who portrayed Legolas in "LOTR," will return for the new project.
"The Hobbit" is set to begin shooting in 3-D in New Zealand in February — a full seven years after the conclusion of the "LOTR" trilogy. Few thought it would take this long.
"I think they're intending to release it on Christmas 2011," McKellen told us in late '09, in what would turn out to be wishful thinking. "If they're going to do that, they're going to have to get moving on shooting it."
Check out everything we've got on "The Hobbit."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655674/-hobbit-adds-andy-serkis-eyes-ian-mckellen.jhtml
Salma Hayek Samaire Armstrong Samantha Mathis Samantha Morton Samantha Mumba
Britney Spears - Piece of Me
- Artist: Britney Spears
- Label: Jive/Zomba Label Group
- Director: Wayne Isham
- Album: Blackout
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=501686&vid=195543
Shiri Appleby Sienna Guillory Sienna Miller Simone Mütherthies Sofía Vergara
Taylor Swift Tops Billboard Again, While Michael Jackson Debuts At #3
In a big week for sales, Swift's Speak Now fends off Susan Boyle for #1.
By James Montgomery
Taylor Swift's <i>Speak Now</i>
Photo: Big Machine Records
It's the most wonderful time of the year ... especially for the music industry. Album sales surged thanks to all you holiday shoppers, and you put Taylor Swift back on top of next week's Billboard albums chart. Swift barely edges out Susan Boyle in a week that saw plenty of big numbers put up across the board.
Swift's Speak Now sold more than 259,000 copies (up 30 percent from last week) to claim the #1 spot, according to figures provided by Neilsen SoundScan. Meanwhile, Boyle's The Gift sold more than 254,000, ending her run atop the chart. The week's highest debut belongs to the late Michael Jackson, whose posthumous Michael album sold nearly 228,000 copies to open at #3. A pair of holiday-themed releases — Jackie Evancho's O Holy Night and the "Glee" cast's Christmas album — round out the Top 5, selling nearly 191,000 and 158,000 copies, respectively.
Up next at #6, it's R. Kelly's Love Letter, which debuts with sales of nearly 154,000 copies, and, at #7, it's Diddy-Dirty Money, whose long-delayed Last Train to Paris opens to the tune of nearly 101,000 copies sold. The rest of the Top 10 is filled out by Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday (#8, more than 97,000 copies sold), Kid Rock's Born Free (#9, nearly 94,000) and the "Glee" cast's The Music, Volume 4 (nearly 87,000).
Outside the Top 10, there are debuts from "American Idol" runner-up Crystal Bowersox, whose Farmer's Daughter sold nearly 58,000 copies — 20,000 more than "Idol" champ Lee DeWyze sold in his first week — to open at #28. Smoove R&B crooner Tank's Now or Never bows at #35 (more than 43,000 sold), and Ciara's Basic Instinct, has a meek debut at #44, with sales of nearly 37,000 copies.
Nearly every album in the Billboard top 50 posted a sales increase from the previous week's numbers, including Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (#15), which saw a 26 percent increase in sales, Justin Bieber's My World 2.0 (#18, with a 36 percent bump in sales) and Eminem's Recovery (#22, with a 39 percent jump). And that trend looks to continue on next week's Billboard chart, too, since there are still two shopping days left before Christmas.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654817/taylor-swift-tops-billboard-again.jhtml
Yvonne Strzechowski Zhang Ziyi Zoe Saldana Zooey Deschanel Aaliyah
Lady Gaga Fans Left Oak Room 'Starstruck'
'It's like seeing Madonna in 1984,' a fan tells MTV News about singer's surprise set at New York City spot.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga performs at the Oak Room
Photo: Lauren Suss
On Wednesday night, Lady Gaga played an intimate mini-set at New York City hot spot the Oak Room. And while she only played two songs, one fan at the Plaza Hotel venue tells MTV News that Gaga left everyone in the room completely "starstruck."
"People were actually very into it; they were very calm and collected and starstruck at the same time," little monster Ashley Rosner recalled of the show, which she accidentally stumbled into. "It was an excited crowd, but a reserved crowd. They wanted to respect her."
Rosner and her pals walked into the show when they happened to catch a glimpse of Gaga through one of the Oak Room's windows. The singer, wearing a black S&M-style dress and garters, was seated at a table with her entourage. "We were standing 20 feet away from her," Rosner said. "I am a huge Lady Gaga fan. It was amazing being there and seeing her up close. It's like seeing Madonna in 1984."
A rep for the club noted that not only did Gaga sing, but she also hung out with her boyfriend as well. "So every Wednesday at the Oak Room, we have a jazz night with Brian Newman, and Lady Gaga and Brian are old friends. So she came once before to support him and it turned out she's obsessed with the room and it's the only place she'll play impromptu for free," the rep revealed.
"She loves the space and came there in her getup. She came there with her boyfriend, Luc Carl, and when they first got there, Brian was playing Sinatra songs and she was dancing and singing. Everyone was dancing and cheering and hanging out. She said she felt bad for the horses outside because it was cold. She told the owner that she'd be back in the near future."
In addition to singing "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Orange Colored Sky," the star also chatted with the audience from onstage. "She has such a cute New York accent," Rosner said. "She did talk a little bit. She was just having fun with it. You'd think she was getting paid a million dollars for it."
"Everyone was really calm and collected; everyone was really cool. No one was going crazy and screaming," Rosner's pal, Lauren Suss, added. "It almost felt like I was just at a jazz bar, not at a Lady Gaga concert. There weren't a lot of people there; probably under a hundred people. She [joked] that she got a little vodka on someone in the crowd."
After her brief performance, according to Rosner, Gaga "hung for about another 10 to 15 minutes and then she got up to leave. She went out the side door and there was a Rolls-Royce and an SVU waiting for her ... I think she got into the Rolls-Royce."
What intimate venue do you hope Lady Gaga performs at next? Let us know in the comments!
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655435/lady-gaga-fans-left-oak-room-starstruck.jhtml
Victoria Silvstedt Vinessa Shaw Virginie Ledoyen Vitamin C Vogue
Are Britney, Kanye And Jay-Z Taking Advantage Of 1/11/11?
The date is all about sharing, truth and bravery, according to astrology and numerology experts.
By Kara Warner
Britney Spears
Photo: Getty Images
Tuesday (January 11) doesn't just mark the release of singles from both Britney Spears and Kanye West and Jay-Z, it's also the second of three interesting days in the 2011 calendar year: January 1 (1/1/11), January 11 (1/11/11) and November 11 (11/11/11). The repetition of all those ones and 11s can have even the least superstitious among us wondering, is there anything special about these days?
MTV News turned to two experts for answers, numerologist Julian Michael and astrologer Susan Miller. First, Michael provided the basics on numerology and its importance.
"Numerology is a science," he asserted. "The father of mathematics is the father of numbers: Pythagoras, and in 550 B.C. he said, 'Everything in the universe has a number and that number has a meaning,' so all numbers have a meaning and a significance."
Michaels explained that 11 is a "master number," one that generates an energy promoting partnership, cooperation, kindness and peace.
"We're talking about a day of really sharing yourself on a different level, of really connecting with family, friends, strangers," he said. "It's also about truth. When these energies come up as 11s, like 11:11 on the clock, when you see 11 somewhere, it's almost like an energy, a vibration, an angel, a metaphor as a guide from the universe asking you to look within."
Michael recommended that people use this day to share and acknowledge. In other words, follow the examples of Britney, Yeezy and Hov, and express yourself.
"With regard to work, share your wisdoms," he said. "Share who you are, share your heart, share your love with others. Acknowledge those around you. Acknowledge those you work with, live with, those that are your co-workers, friends, family, acknowledge them. In that we empower them."
Astrologer Susan Miller also addressed the idea of cooperation and self-reflection, and added that it might be a good time to be bold or make your voice heard.
"Be brave," she advised, speaking to the astrological side of the equation, in that the moon is in Aries, which is the sign of the pioneer, the pathfinder. "You have responsibility to use your voice, your perspective, your style in whatever field you've gone into. It's the 'let you be you' feeling. Maybe with all these numbers, we're being reminded that it's a good thing to do."
For more information on Julian Michael, visit JulianMichael.net, and for Susan Miller, check out AstrologyZone.net.
So do you think there's any significance to the date 1/11/11? Whether or not you believe it's a time to "share your heart," you should definitely share your thoughts in the comments below!
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655652/-britney-kanye-jayz-taking-advantage-11111.jhtml
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EXCLUSIVE: Olivia Wilde Cast in 'Welcome to People'
Olivia Wilde, who stars in DreamWorks' forthcoming summer tentpole "Cowboys & Aliens," has just been cast in the studio's "Welcome to People." She joins Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks in the family drama about a businessman (Pine) who returns home after his estranged father?s death and discovers that he has an alcoholic sister (Banks) with a 12-year-old son.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/riskybusiness/~3/cb2dtL4y7dU/olivia-wilde-cast-people-65027
Joanna Krupa Joanne Montanez Jodi Lyn O\\\\\\\'Keefe Jolene Blalock Jordana Brewster
Watch: Jim Carrey Do ?Black Swan? On ?Saturday Night Live?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/86RidBx0iwA/

