Justin Bieber, Mark Wahlberg Open Up About Basketball Flick

'It's going to be crazy,' Bieber promises at MTV Movie Awards.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Justin Bieber
Photo: MTV News

It seems that things are well under way for the basketball movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Justin Bieber. How do we know? Well, the guys themselves updated us this weekend at two of the biggest events of the summer.

Wahlberg told MTV News on Saturday night at Spike's Guys Choice Awards that while he thought he'd be playing Bieber's part initially, he eventually came around to playing the "old guy" role.

"Wait till you see me and Bieber in the flick. Think of like 'The Color of Money,' " he teased. "So I get this call from Paramount [where they tell me about the story about] an old guy and a young guy. I'm like, 'Cool, let's get Jack [Nicholson]. Let's get Robert De Niro. Let's get Robert Duvall.' And they go, 'What about Garrett Hedlund?'

"I'm like, 'For what?' " he further recalled. "They're like, 'For the young guy.' "

(Check out photos of Justin Bieber and tons of other stars backstage at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards!)

The next day, at the MTV Movie Awards, Justin Bieber seemed equally excited about the project, if not a bit tight-lipped. "I know ," he promised. "You'll have to see. I can't really reveal too much about it."

According to previous reports, Wahlberg has been keeping tabs on the young star. "He loves the idea," Wahlberg said last month. "He's been sending me video, he sent me a video of himself, and, yeah, I think he's really talented." The idea was sparked after Wahlberg and partner Stephen Levinson caught Bieber playing basketball in February during a celebrity game held during NBA All-Star Game weekend.

MTV News has all of the highlights from the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. Relive the best moments, watch red-carpet interviews with your favorite stars and read all about what went on behind the scenes on the big night.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665220/justin-bieber-mark-wahlberg-movie.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Passes Michael Jackson's Box-Office Record

'Justin Bieber: Never Say Never' has outgrossed MJ's 'This Is It' in U.S.
By Gil Kaufman


Justin Bieber in "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Michael Jackson may have dubbed himself the King of Pop, but the late icon didn't hold the box-office crown for long. Less than a year after the posthumous MJ documentary "This Is It" became the most successful concert-themed film in U.S. history, Justin Bieber is poised to snatch the mantle.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" has earned $72.2 million in domestic box office so far, passing Jackson's $72.1 million haul. And while Bieber has racked up those impressive numbers in just six weeks, he's got a long way to go before he laps the global receipts for the MJ doc.

"This Is It" has grossed $189.1 million overseas for a global total of $261.2 million. Music films don't typically play well overseas, and THR noted that "Never Say Never" has grossed a more modest $10.8 million overseas so far, with Paramount executives predicting that it could top out around $20 million internationally.

The impressive U.S. numbers were likely goosed by the re-release of the film recently with 40 additional minutes of bonus footage from director Jon M. Chu. Bieber still has a little way to go to climb the list of the top-grossing documentaries of all time. "Never Say Never" is currently stalled out at the #3 position, around $5 million behind "March of the Penguins," according to Box Office Mojo, and well short of the all-time record held by Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which has taken in $119.1 million to date.

Bieber set off a classic MJ-style fan frenzy a few weeks ago when he visited Liverpool, England, for his world tour. And just a week later, he posed with his new wax figure at London's Madame Tussauds, checking off another item on the list of milestones to an MJ-like career.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660299/justin-bieber-never-say-never-box-office.jhtml

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Cheryl Cole Officially Replaced By Nicole Scherzinger On 'X Factor'

Sources say the English singer lacked 'spark' for American version of the show.
By Gil Kaufman


Cheryl Cole
Photo: Getty

Cheryl Cole is officially out. After weeks of reports that the British pop star and reality show judge had been ousted from the upcoming U.S. version of Simon Cowell's singing competition "The X Factor," the show's producers confirmed the split on Monday (June 6).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the statement also confirmed that Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger — originally set to be the show's co-host — will replace the Girls Aloud star, who was also reportedly dropped from the British version of "X Factor."

"Nicole Scherzinger will be replacing Cheryl Cole on the judging panel of 'The X Factor,' " read the statement. "Nicole will join Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and Paula Abdul on their search across America to find the next global superstar or group to win the life-changing $5 million dollar recording deal. Nicole has previously joined Simon Cowell as a guest judge on 'The X Factor' for the U.K. version of the show in 2010. Steve Jones will act as sole host of 'The X Factor.' "

The statement offered no explanation for why Cole was dumped from the panel or how the production will deal with footage that was already shot for two audition episodes at the recent Los Angeles tryouts. An unnamed source told the Reporter that Cole was let go because she did not have good chemistry with the other judges, Abdul in particular. "There was no spark," the source said. "It was nobody's fault. It just didn't work."

A spokesperson for the show could not be reached for comment at press time to confirm another Reporter story, which claimed that Cole was still going to be paid the $1.5 million she was owed under her contract.

The statement ended almost two weeks of drama over the judging panel of Cowell's show, a heavily hyped return to American television for the former lead "American Idol" judge. Unlike other new singing competition programs, such as NBC's hit "The Voice," and, arguably, "Idol," the panel for "X Factor" is light on pop-star talent. Those shows have both succeeded by putting an interesting mix of veteran and contemporary singing stars on their panels and highlighting the chemistry between them.

A source told Reuters that Cole was not dumped, as rumored, due to her strong Northern English accent, or as an elaborate PR stunt to hype the show, but because she simply lacked the right personality onscreen.

"She wasn't herself. After four days of filming, she wasn't what the producers had expected," an unnamed source told the news service.

The next round of auditions for the show will take place in New Jersey on Wednesday.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Cowell denied that the lack of chemistry with Abdul was the issues and lamented that the ugly split may have caused a rift in his relationship with Cole.

"I hate seeing her hurt. She's one of — I hope — she's one of my closest friends, and this was a decision we made which we thought would be beneficial to her, funny enough," said Cowell, who has long championed Cole and praised her work on the British version of "X Factor."

"She was good on the American show," Cowell said. "I personally thought she was missing her family and friends. She just looked a little bit, I wouldn't say uncomfortable, but just not as happy as I've seen her on previous shows."

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665284/cheryl-cole-nicole-scherzinger-x-factor.jhtml

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Britney Spears Hosts As Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, More Bring Wango Tango To L.A.

Pitbull, Matthew Morrison, Selena Gomez, Far East Movement and others filled the Staples Center on Saturday night.
By Matt Elias


Britney Spears hosts KIIS FM's Wango Tango 2011 on Saturday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELESBritney Spears makes headlines at concerts, even when she's not performing. That's probably why Los Angeles radio station KIIS FM tapped the pop princess to guest-host their annual Wango Tango music festival along with Ryan Seacrest on Saturday night at the Staples Center.

The bill was a balance of pop and hip-hop, with acts like Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Selena Gomez, "Glee" 's Matthew Morrison, Lupe Fiasco, T-Pain, Jason Derülo, Far East Movement, New Boyz, Cobra Starship and newcomer Cody Simpson.

Backstage, the media room went into a frenzy when Spears arrived in a red, geometric-print dress and a beaming smile. Owning her "femme fatale" moniker, Spears worked the carpet for a few moments while all of the cameras in the room were pointing at her. It was the second red carpet appearance by Brit this week, after her Beverly Hills benefit on Wednesday night for the St. Bernard Project.

Check out photos from Wango Tango 2011.

Spears' Femme Fatale collaborator Ke$ha, who was returning to the festival for the second time, said that an onstage collab between to the two would have to require one thing.

"That would have to include me finding her and attacking her," Ke$ha told MTV News, with the best intentions. "I'm planning on pouncing her."

While that never happened, at least not onstage, Ke$ha delivered on her promise of a set heavy on her glitter gun. And she assured us she knew the dos and don'ts of handling that kind of firepower.

"Do not spray yourself in the face with it," she said. "Do spray everybody else with it. That's pretty much it."

While Joe Jonas wasn't performing at the show, he took a break from recording his solo debut to catch up with almost everyone backstage.

"I didn't see Britney backstage, just said 'hello' to a couple of my friends," Jonas said. "Backstage is always [full of] people, especially having it at the Staples Center this time, I think compared to all the way out in the desert, it changes everything."

Also happy to have Wango Tango in Los Angeles were locals Far East Movement.

"Man, we grew up literally a few blocks away from here, and you can only imagine basketball games being played here," Kev Nish said. "So to come in here as performers, to be able to do our songs in this arena is a little crazy. We used to pass out CDs a few blocks [away], so we're very thankful. And the lineup is nuts, so we're extremely excited to be a part of this lineup."

Were you at Wango Tango? Share your experience in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663909/wango-tango-britney-spears-kesha.jhtml

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Britney Spears Hosts As Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, More Bring Wango Tango To L.A.

Pitbull, Matthew Morrison, Selena Gomez, Far East Movement and others filled the Staples Center on Saturday night.
By Matt Elias


Britney Spears hosts KIIS FM's Wango Tango 2011 on Saturday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELESBritney Spears makes headlines at concerts, even when she's not performing. That's probably why Los Angeles radio station KIIS FM tapped the pop princess to guest-host their annual Wango Tango music festival along with Ryan Seacrest on Saturday night at the Staples Center.

The bill was a balance of pop and hip-hop, with acts like Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Selena Gomez, "Glee" 's Matthew Morrison, Lupe Fiasco, T-Pain, Jason Derülo, Far East Movement, New Boyz, Cobra Starship and newcomer Cody Simpson.

Backstage, the media room went into a frenzy when Spears arrived in a red, geometric-print dress and a beaming smile. Owning her "femme fatale" moniker, Spears worked the carpet for a few moments while all of the cameras in the room were pointing at her. It was the second red carpet appearance by Brit this week, after her Beverly Hills benefit on Wednesday night for the St. Bernard Project.

Check out photos from Wango Tango 2011.

Spears' Femme Fatale collaborator Ke$ha, who was returning to the festival for the second time, said that an onstage collab between to the two would have to require one thing.

"That would have to include me finding her and attacking her," Ke$ha told MTV News, with the best intentions. "I'm planning on pouncing her."

While that never happened, at least not onstage, Ke$ha delivered on her promise of a set heavy on her glitter gun. And she assured us she knew the dos and don'ts of handling that kind of firepower.

"Do not spray yourself in the face with it," she said. "Do spray everybody else with it. That's pretty much it."

While Joe Jonas wasn't performing at the show, he took a break from recording his solo debut to catch up with almost everyone backstage.

"I didn't see Britney backstage, just said 'hello' to a couple of my friends," Jonas said. "Backstage is always [full of] people, especially having it at the Staples Center this time, I think compared to all the way out in the desert, it changes everything."

Also happy to have Wango Tango in Los Angeles were locals Far East Movement.

"Man, we grew up literally a few blocks away from here, and you can only imagine basketball games being played here," Kev Nish said. "So to come in here as performers, to be able to do our songs in this arena is a little crazy. We used to pass out CDs a few blocks [away], so we're very thankful. And the lineup is nuts, so we're extremely excited to be a part of this lineup."

Were you at Wango Tango? Share your experience in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663909/wango-tango-britney-spears-kesha.jhtml

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Michael Jackson Wrongful Death Suit Vs. AEG Can Proceed, Judge Rules

Katherine Jackson and family are pursuing a claim against concert promoter.
By Gil Kaufman


Michael Jackson

When he was alive, Michael Jackson was forever embroiled in a series of complex and expensive-sounding lawsuits. But even in death, the late King of Pop is the subject of major legal action. None could potentially be bigger than the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the pop icon's mother, Katherine Jackson, against concert promotion giant AEG Live.

Reuters reported that a Los Angeles judge ruled on Wednesday that the civil lawsuit can go forward. It will proceed in parallel with the criminal case against Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Jackson's June 2009 death from an overdose of the powerful surgical anesthetic propofol. Murray is the only person charged in Jackson's death and he is currently awaiting trial in that matter.

Katherine Jackson's lawsuit — filed in September on behalf of her and Jackson's three young children — accuses AEG of being responsible for the medical decisions made by Murray, whose salary was paid by the touring company behind Jackson's attempted "This Is It" comeback shows in London. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos denied a motion on Wednesday by AEG to dismiss Katherine Jackson's suit, but warned Jackson's attorneys that they would need to show evidence of "fraud, negligent infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy" in order to win the case.

The judge has already said she doubts they can prove the latter charge, because the suit does not detail any agreement between Murray and AEG to break the law in providing medical care to Jackson.

"If the object was to get him to rehearsals, I don't see that as a wrongful or illegal act," the judge said. A lawyer for AEG told the judge that the company could not have predicted beforehand that Murray's medical decisions would result in Jackson's death. Court papers also show that AEG "did not choose to hire Murray" and had only participated in negotiations to bring him on as an independent contractor. Michael, who had previously been treated by Murray in Las Vegas, was reportedly the one who suggested the cardiologist serve as his personal, on-call physician during the "This Is It" rehearsals and shows.

Katherine Jackson's attorney recently dropped choreographer Kenny Ortega from the lawsuit based on new information they received about his actions. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 22, just six days before Murray is due back in court for his trial. Jackson's father, Joseph, has twice attempted to file a wrongful death suit in the matter, though his is focused on Murray and the Las Vegas pharmacy that supplied the propofol, not AEG Live.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657214/michael-jackson-wrongful-death-suit.jhtml

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MTV Announces ?Jersey Shore? Season 4 Will Premiere On August 4, 2011

Head’s up Jersey Shore fans, MTV has announced the premiere date for JS Season 4 which is currently filming in Florence, Italy. In an effort to quell the anxious excitement of rabid JS fans here in the US clamoring for any information on when the show might return, MTV announced this weekend that season 4 [...]

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