Sound

Rooney Mara has replaced Blake Lively as the troubled lead in Steven Soderbergh’s “The Side Effects,” marking her first project since “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” hit theaters. Meanwhile, Sarah Jessica Parker has officially replaced Demi Moore in “Lovelace,” Tom Hiddleston joined an upcoming vampire flick and Michelle Williams could be taking a break from acting.

It’s January 30, and you’re tuning in for today’s casting call.

Rooney Mara To Catch “The Side Effects”
It seems as though Rooney Mara is ready to star as another troubled female following her Oscar-nominated turn as Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Deadline is reporting that she’s replaced Blake Lively as the lead in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming film “The Side Effects.” She’ll play a woman who becomes addicted to prescription drugs in anticipation of her husband’s release from prison. “The Side Effects” also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jude Law and Channing Tatum.

Sarah Jessica Parker To Play Gloria Steinem In “Lovelace”
After Demi Moore’s surprising departure from “Lovelace,” the Amanda Seyfried-starring Linda Lovelace biopic, the big question was which actress would replace her as Gloria Steinem. At first it seemed as though that role would go to Chloe Sevigny, but she ended up having a different role in the movie. Then Us Weekly reported that Mary Louise Parker had landed the part, but they also got it wrong. Deadline finally set the record straight with the news that Sarah Jessica Parker has officially signed on for the part. The movie is already in production.

Michelle Williams To Take A Break From Acting?
It turns out that Michelle Williams is ready for a vacation. The Best Actress Oscar nominee told E! (via Zap2it) that she doesn’t have any projects lined up and intends to keep it that way. “I just want to go back to being a mom for a while,” she said. And, hey, after her impressive performances in “Blue Valentine” and “My Week with Marilyn,” we think she deserves a break.

Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton Are The “Only Lovers Left Alive”
An impressive cast is being lined up for Jim Jarmusch’s vampire romance flick “Only Lovers Left Alive.” The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston are all assembling for the horror drama. The flick will shoot in Germany later this year.

Elizabeth Banks And Paul Reubens Join “Frank Or Francis”
The cast for “Frank or Francis” is continuing to get bigger and better. The Hollywood Reporter and Variety have learned that that Elizabeth Banks and Paul Reubens have signed on to the upcoming Charlie Kaufman film. Banks will play “a highly regarded actress making formulaic comedy bombs” who is having an affair with a character played by Steve Carrell. Reuebens will play a film critic. The movie also stars Jack Black, Kate Winslet, Catherine Keener, Nicolas Cage and Kevin Kline.

Tell us your thoughts on today’s Casting Call in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Tags blake lively, demi moore, elizabeth banks, Frank or Francis, John Hurt, Lovelace, Mia Wasikowska, michelle williams, Only Lovers Left Alive, Paul Reubens, Rooney Mara, sarah jessica parker, The Side Effects, Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/01/30/rooney-mara-steven-soderbergh-the-side-effects/

Emma Heming Emma Stone Emma Watson Emmanuelle Chriqui Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmy Rossum Erica Leerhsen

Tuesday morning’s (January 24) announcement of the 2012 Oscar nominations delivered plenty of surprises. Michael Fassbender (“Shame”), Albert Brooks (“Drive”) and Charlize Theron (“Young Adult”) were overlooked in the acting categories, while Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”), Rooney Mara (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) and Max von Sydow (“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”) scored surprise nominations. But perhaps no category was more head-scratching than Best Original Song.

Despite the fact that a short list of 39 tracks were eligible for nomination, only two were named ? “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” and “Real in Rio” from “Rio” ? leaving tunes from Elton John and Lady Gaga, Pink, will.i.am, Zooey Deschanel, Elvis Costello and Mary J. Blige shut out of the competition.

Many Oscar-watchers were left wondering why the Academy would opt away from the traditional five contenders in favor of just two little-heard songs. Well, a closer look at the Oscar rule book shows it’s probably less a case of choosing to nominate only two songs than it is simply a case of a single song scoring enough points to secure a nod, and then bringing its closest competition along for the ride.

Oscar nominations are arrived at using a very complicated weighted system in which members of the Academy, voting exclusively for members of their own branch (i.e. actors chose the acting nominees, directors vote for directors, etc.), rank contenders in order of preference. From there, a “magic number” is determined that relies on the number of ballots cast for a category, along with a specific mathematical equation. Ballots are tallied and contenders are eliminated through several rounds in a process that tabulates factors like first-place mentions and so on. Once a contender reaches the magic number, they are an Oscar nominee. (The folks over at EW‘s PopWatch break down the selection steps in great detail.)

So this is how the nominees are determined ? with one exception: Best Original Song. In 2009, when the Academy opted to up the number of Best Picture nominees to 10 (the voting body has since altered that number), it also changed the rules for Best Original Song. As Billboard points out, members of the Academy’s music branch now “assign each song a numerical score between 1 and 10, and if no song receives an average of more than 8.25, there are no nominees. If only one song tops the threshold, as clearly happened here, the next highest vote getter secures a nomination as well.”

This year’s Best Original Song category boils down to this: either Bret McKenzie’s “Man or Muppet” or “Real in Rio” by songwriting trio Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett secured a score of 8.25 or better, earning a nomination and pulling the #2 vote-getter into the fray. Simply put, members of the music branch didn’t award any other song, including John and Gaga’s duet “Hello Hello” or Blige’s “The Help” track “Living Proof,” a score high enough to secure a nomination.

But lest you think that this means the category is all but locked, think again. While selecting the Oscar nominees is an intensely mathematical process, picking the winners is much easier. Once the nominations are decided, every member of the Academy can vote in each category and the nominee that receives the most votes wins. Easy enough. And since actors are the largest voting block of the Academy? and would have had nothing to do with the tracks selected to contend for Best Original Song ? it’s anyone’s game.

See the complete list of Academy Awards Nominations.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677841/oscars-2012-best-song-nominees-snubs.jhtml

Cameron Diaz Cameron Richardson Camilla Belle Carla Campbell Carla Gugino Carmen Electra Carol Grow

Main Pick
Headliners: Emilio Rojas and DJ Green Lantern

Representing: Rochester, New York

Mixtape: Breaking Point

Real Spit: Emilio Rojas has reached his breaking point, and on his mixtape of the same name, the Rochester, New York, MC proves he’s ready to break through ? whether the rap world is ready or not.

“I named the tape Breaking Point after the record ‘Breaking Point’ that we dropped in April [2011],” Emilio told Mixtape Daily. “The record just had a really good response, so it just made sense.”

The title track details all of the problems the MC has endured in the rap game and beyond. For Rojas, the drama started at home ? or so he says on the song, because when he’s talking about his childhood, Emilio spills his guts in a dramatic manner reminiscent of Eminem. First, he reveals that his birth was unplanned by his parents, and then he really goes in.

“My daddy learned she was pregnant and he was so angered/ He tried to end it, I’m no stranger to coat hangers/ He getting livid, sittin’ in on the clinic visits/ And now he waitin’ on drama like it’s an intermission/ He takes it out on my mama ’cause he was into hittin’/ And yeah, that’s probably the reason my sister is into women,” Emilio rhymes.

“When we wrote the record, there was a lot of stuff that was goin’ on. Everybody who’s in the industry knows how frustrating the industry can be,” he explained. “So I was kinda venting on the record.”

On “SPIC,” Rojas switches gears, showing more pride in his upbringing. Despite being raised by immigrant parents and facing racism, Emilio beats his chest with pride over the stereotypes, eventually flipping them by drawing power from his family’s struggle. On “Middle Finger,” he shows yet another side by getting political about corrupt cops.

The relative rap newcomer gets a hand from the Grammy Award-winning production trio J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League on “Pimpin.” While big-name producers and R&B singers help out on Breaking Point, there are no rap features. Instead, Emilio proves his rap worth with potent bars on tracks like “Classic.” With “Blame Me,” he slows things down and shows off his singing voice. And the midtempo R&B-laced love song makes it clear that ER is more than just a rapper’s rapper; there’s definite hit-making potential there.

By the end of the 12-song ride, ER proves that he belongs. Already, there are rumors of a hook-up with Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group, but who knows if that will ever pan out? Granted, this is Rojas’ fourth mixtape, but when it’s all said and done, Breaking Point will probably mark Emilio Rojas’ official arrival. Welcome!

Joints to Check For “Pu— & Cologne”: “It’s pretty obvious what the record’s about. The record is hard, it’s street and we go in. It’s ignorant enough for people to have fun singing it because they feel like they shouldn’t be singing it.”

“One Last Time”: “It’s produced by the homey V12 the Hitman; it features Emanny, he does a lot of work with Joe Budden. It’s a breakup song, I’m good at those. It’s basically just telling a girl like, ‘Look, this isn’t working but we’re sticking with it just for the sex. So let’s just get it in one last time and go our separate ways.”

“Breaking Point”: “It’s just about being at that point where your back’s against the wall, you’re sick of all the bull. That’s the point where you decide, ‘All right, this is either gonna break you or you gonna break.”

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678164/emilio-rojas-breaking-point.jhtml

Brittany Lee Brittany Murphy Brittany Snow Brittny Gastineau Brody Dalle Brooke Burke Brooke Burns

In a sea of A-list contributions for will.i.am’s forthcoming solo album, the Black Eyed Peas mastermind recently dropped one name that will really get pop fans excited. Speaking with Capital FM, will teased that his Femme Fatale collaborator Britney Spears will make an appearance on the album, dubbed #willpower.

“I have a song with Alicia Keys ? me, Alicia and Swedish House Mafia. I have a song with the Beats, which is pretty grand. Me and Shakira have been trying to finish the stuff we started, and me and Britney is really crazy,” he said. “So we got a song with me, LMFAO and Eva Simons, a song with me and Busta Rhymes and Swizz Beatz ? I got a whole other bunch of collaborations.”

Spears and will.i.am last worked together on “Big Fat Bass,” a spacey, grinding party tune complete with clapping noises and some rapping from will himself. Their recording session was featured on the MTV special “I Am the Femme Fatale.” There’s been no word yet from will’s camp about the song and whether this is a new track or if he will be including “Big Fat Bass” on the album.

The rapper/producer’s love for Brit is hardly anything new: He gushed to MTV News about the pop princess months after they recorded together. “[I discovered] her love for music. I never seen anyone, like, come alive, full of excitement and giggling and laughing behind the mic,” will recalled to MTV News. “She was like a little kid when she was recording the song, and it just brought the whole atmosphere, it changed the whole atmosphere when someone really loves music. So it was great working with her.”

His latest single, “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever),” featuring Jennifer Lopez and Mick Jagger, dropped late last year. #willpower, which also features “X Factor” judge Nicole Scherzinger, will be released later this year.

What are you expecting from will and Brit’s collabo? Let us know in the comments!

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678147/britney-spears-will-i-am-collaboration.jhtml

Gretha Cavazzoni Gwen Stefani Halle Berry Hayden Panettiere Haylie Duff Heidi Klum Heidi Montag

A glimpse inside the mind of “Charles Swan” will yield some interesting results. You’ll hear a lot about tiger blood, undoubtedly. And if you run into Bill Murray, you might walk away pregnant.

Aubrey Plaza, recently at Sundance for her time-travel comedy “Safety Not Guaranteed,” spoke with MTV News this week about starring opposite Murray and Charlie Sheen in “A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III,” an experience she clearly enjoyed… perhaps a little bit too much.

“I did actually,” Plaza deadpanned when asked if she got an authentic “Bill Murray experience” on the “Charles Swan” set. “We had an experience that in nine months, the world will be a part of.”

“Wait a second, Aubrey Plaza is pregnant with Bill Murray’s baby,” Plaza’s “Safety” costar Jake Johnson reacted with feigned shock.

“Excuse me ? Jodi, my publicist!” Plaza called out, before making a plea to the camera. “Bill, I’m sorry. We’ll talk about this later.”

Maybe-probably-not Murray babies aside, Plaza said she had a great time shooting “Charles Swan.” Indeed, her description of the movie has us pretty psyched as well.

“I saw some scenes from it recently. It’s pretty delicious,” she said. “You’ve got Charlie Sheen being crazy. Bill Murray is in it. Jason Schwartzman is playing a standup comedian and he has a full beard and he’s amazing. It’s a really, really playful, fun movie set kind of in the ’70s ? in a fantasy version of the ’70s ? and everything looks amazing. [Director Roman Coppola] has such a unique voice. He’s an amazing director. And Charlie is an amazing actor. I think it’s going to be really good.”

What do you think of the “Charles Swan” news? Sound off in the comments section and on Twitter!

Tags A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Aubrey Plaza, bill murray, Safety Not Guaranteed, Sundance 2012

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/01/27/aubrey-plaza-bill-murray-charles-swan/

Ashanti Ashlee Simpson Ashley Greene Ashley Olsen Ashley Scott Ashley Tappin Ashley Tisdale