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Saturday, April 2, 2011
Justin Bieber In Talks To Co-Star In Ashton Kutcher Buddy Flick
Bieber would reportedly play younger version of Kutcher in 'What Would Kenny Do?'
By Gil Kaufman
Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher
Photo: Mike Marsland/ Mike Coppola/ WireImage
Justin Bieber has already notched the third-highest-grossing documentary of all time with "Never Say Never," but now the teen titan is looking at branching out into scripted moves as well.
After his well-received turns on "CSI," the Los Angeles Times reports that Bieber is close to signing on to take the lead role in the buddy comedy "What Would Kenny Do?" opposite Ashton Kutcher. An anonymous source who was briefed on the project told the paper that the film delves into the relationship between a 17-year-old and his 30-something self, with the latter to be played by Kutcher, 33.
The movie, to be produced by Kutcher's Katalyst Entertainment and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment, will probably not get moving until next year because Bieber has touring commitments booked through 2012. Though the initial report said Bieber was "eyeing" the movie, an update posted late Wednesday clarified that the project has been under development for months "with Bieber both in mind and on board."
It wouldn't be the first time the dynamic duo has tried to hook up, coming on the heels of a reported meeting in January in which Kutcher discussed Bieber hosting a rebooted version of "Punk'd."
The "Kenny" script was originally described as an R-rated comedy about "a teenager who meets a hologram claiming to be the adult version of himself; the hologram then helps guide the teen through high school." It got a more PG-13 revision from "(500) Days of Summer" writers Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, who had Kutcher's successful character going back in time to help the awkward present-day Bieber.
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related Photos Related ArtistsSara Spraker Sarah Gellman Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Mutch
Friday, April 1, 2011
'Source Code' Requires A 'Leap Of Faith,' Director Says
Duncan Jones says if moviegoers can suspend disbelief, they'll 'go with it and enjoy the ride.'
By Kara Warner
Michelle Monaghan and Jake Gyllenhaal in "Source Code"
Photo: Summit Entertainment
In most cases, when we travel to the theater or sit down to watch movies, we're looking to be swept up by a great story, transported to other realms and just plain entertained. In doing so, however, there is an element of suspended disbelief that both filmmakers and audiences alike rely on in order to fully immerse themselves in a story.
And while the upcoming thriller "Source Code" is based in present-day reality, there are several elements that draw on the sci-fi and fantastical genres and, as such, rely on the audience to suspend disbelief a bit. When MTV News caught up with director Duncan Jones recently, we asked him to explain his strategy for presenting audiences with challenging ideas without making them too convoluted or confusing.
"Ben Ripley wrote the script, and I thought it was terrific," Jones said. "I thought, 'There are some heady ideas here,' and I think he's done a really good job of balancing what the audience needs to know and giving the audience enough rules that if you just invite them to take a leap of faith you'll go with it and you can enjoy the ride."
Jones went on to say that the one element they added to Ripley's story of traveling into people's brains during the last eight minutes of their lives was humor.
"I think one of the things we were able to do is lighten the tone, inject some humor into it so the audience is able to make that leap of faith and say, 'I understand you, I trust these rules you've set up, let's just see how the story goes.' "
Check out everything we've got on "Source Code."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related VideosThia Megia, Naima Adedapo 'Intimidated' By Female 'American Idol' Voters
'When they get a crush ... then we're done,' Adedapo says of three consecutive male 'Idol' champs.
By Gil Kaufman
Thia Megia and Naima Adedapo
Photo: FOX
It hasn't escaped the attention of the female contestants on "American Idol" that a woman hasn't won the reality competition in three seasons. And they can't help but notice that so far in season 10, the bottom three has had an excess of estrogen.
But on Friday (April 1), one night after becoming the third and fourth female casualties so far this year, Thia Megia and Naima Adedapo weren't making any excuses.
"We sort of figured since there were more females watching this show the votes were going to be more for the guys," Megia, 16, the youngest contestant in "Idol" history, said during a conference call with reporters.
And while she made a point to give props to the "incredible" guy singers left on the show, Megia admitted that the ladies of "Idol" had discussed the potential pitfalls of the large female voting bloc and were a bit worried about how that might impact their stay in the leaky "Idol" mansion.
"[We were] a bit intimidated by all the girls watching the show and knowing that their votes are going to be going for guys," said Megia, who was done in on Thursday night's elimination show by her tepid rendition of Elton John's "Daniel," which she dedicated to her older brother.
Though she echoed that concern, Adedapo said the girls didn't let it get to them because they all had faith in their abilities. "When it comes down to it, the reality is that more than 50 percent of the audience is little teenage girls," said Adedapo, who may have confused some of those tweens with her reggae take of "I'm Still Standing." "When they get a crush ... then we're done."
Despite that worry, Adedapo said she never let it knock her off her unique path on the show, during which she incorporated her colorful style and years of dance experience. "Sometimes people just didn't know where to place me," Adedapo admitted when asked if perhaps she was a bit too different on a season with less outrageous personalities and more focused vocalists.
"I felt like maybe they didn't understand me sometimes," she said, noting that most of the reaction she got from fans was positive and to the effect of "I don't know about you, but I like you." But between her African dance moves and her reggae accent on Wednesday night's show, Adedapo said maybe it was hard to put her in a neat category that made it easy to cast a vote.
Song choice is such a crucial factor that Megia wondered in retrospect if maybe she had made a mistake by not mixing it up and moving away from ballads every week to show another side of herself with an uptempo number. What she didn't regret was sending her rendition of "Daniel" out to her brother and pouring all her emotion into that tune. "I'm glad the last song I did on the show was dedicated to my brother," she said. "[But] I didn't want to come off as just a ballad singer."
Like many "Idol" finalists who leave early, Megia copped to being "devastated" on Thursday night when her ride ended but said she didn't cry for more than 15 minutes or so. "I just told myself things happen for a reason and this is not the end of it," she said, promising that the exposure she got on the show will help her launch a career where she can show America that she's much more than just the high school balladeer.
One of the big subjects of conversation on Friday was the nearly out-of-control emotions fellow teenager Lauren Alaina displayed during the eliminations, which verged on distracting. Adedapo said part of that was Lauren's sadness at losing out on someone who had been a kind of mother figure to her during the finals run. "She kind of cried it out a little big, but that's a natural thing," Adedapo said, explaining that she's always been there to encourage Alaina to have confidence in herself and tell her that she's beautiful and talented.
But losing Megia was a double blow, since the two 16-year-olds had gotten very close during their rehearsals and classes. "It really is like losing a best friend," said Adedapo, who struggled to say goodbye to her pal Jacob Lusk as well.
No matter what happens, both said they were proud of what they did on the show and they're looking forward to the next step. "I just wanted to show every piece of me," Adedapo said of her risk-taking performances. "For me, I'm really about staying true to myself. Once I set my brain on something, I do it."
Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday on MTV.com, following the "American Idol" results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Related Videos Related Photos'Source Code' Requires A 'Leap Of Faith,' Director Says
Duncan Jones says if moviegoers can suspend disbelief, they'll 'go with it and enjoy the ride.'
By Kara Warner
Michelle Monaghan and Jake Gyllenhaal in "Source Code"
Photo: Summit Entertainment
In most cases, when we travel to the theater or sit down to watch movies, we're looking to be swept up by a great story, transported to other realms and just plain entertained. In doing so, however, there is an element of suspended disbelief that both filmmakers and audiences alike rely on in order to fully immerse themselves in a story.
And while the upcoming thriller "Source Code" is based in present-day reality, there are several elements that draw on the sci-fi and fantastical genres and, as such, rely on the audience to suspend disbelief a bit. When MTV News caught up with director Duncan Jones recently, we asked him to explain his strategy for presenting audiences with challenging ideas without making them too convoluted or confusing.
"Ben Ripley wrote the script, and I thought it was terrific," Jones said. "I thought, 'There are some heady ideas here,' and I think he's done a really good job of balancing what the audience needs to know and giving the audience enough rules that if you just invite them to take a leap of faith you'll go with it and you can enjoy the ride."
Jones went on to say that the one element they added to Ripley's story of traveling into people's brains during the last eight minutes of their lives was humor.
"I think one of the things we were able to do is lighten the tone, inject some humor into it so the audience is able to make that leap of faith and say, 'I understand you, I trust these rules you've set up, let's just see how the story goes.' "
Check out everything we've got on "Source Code."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related VideosKaty Perry Says She Swiped 'E.T.' From Three 6 Mafia
Perry's latest single was actually meant for the Academy Award-winning rap group.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Katy Perry
Photo: MTV News
Katy Perry has already said that when she was writing songs for her Teenage Dream album, her goal was to "make a different 'movie' for each song." So it's ironic that her latest single, "E.T.," was actually meant for a group who knows a thing or two about movies ... and they've got the Academy Award to prove it.
"I'll tell you, it's funny ... this song, I remember writing with Max Martin and Dr. Luke, and there's this producer they wrote with, named Ammo as well, and they were just showing me different samples of songs or tracks or beats, and they accidentally pulled up this beat, and it was for Three 6 Mafia," Perry told MTV News. "I heard it and I always knew I wanted to write this futuristic, alienistic song, and they pulled it up and I was like, 'Wait, I can wrap my head around this. I know this seems like a long shot, but I think I have the perfect material to put on top of this sound.' And I did, and it really worked out perfectly."
So if you're one of those Katy fans who's a bit mystified by the abrupt change of pace of "E.T." — and its equally left-of-center video — well, then you can sort of understand why: Deep down, it's actually a Three 6 Mafia track.
"It's a whole different vibe for me. It's kind of a bit harder, it does have that urban feel underneath it. I think that's why Kanye added even another layer on top of it," Perry explained. "And it has ... amazing ... sonics — I mean, there's so much to it, there's a lot in the song if you really put your headphones on and sink into the song."
And that's just part of what drew Perry to the track in the first place. After all, on Teenage Dream, she set out to make movies ... and though it may confound some of her fans, "E.T." is perhaps the most wonderfully odd movie she's ever made. And she knows it.
"Even teasing people with different images from 'E.T.,' people are so perplexed," she laughed. "They're like, 'Katy Perry, you're supposed to be Betty Boop! You're supposed to be wearing pink!' It's exciting to be able to push my audience, to be like, 'There's always more, I've got all of this hidden up my sleeve that I've really longed to show people.'"
What did you think of Katy's new video? Let us know in the comments!
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