Move over Liam Neeson, because Hugh Jackman is slated to be the next man to bring Jean Valjean to the big screen.
Universal and "The King's Speech" director Tom Hooper are planning on making a musical adaptation of "Les Miserables," and they're squared away on wanting Jackman to play Prisoner 24601. Deadline also reports that Paul [...]
06/17/2011
06/16/2011
Britney Spears May Undergo Psychiatric Evaluation In Defamation Case
Ex-manager Sam Lutfi wants to prove singer is competent to testify in his lawsuit against her mother.
By Jocelyn Vena
Britney Spears
Photo: Pacific Coast News
Britney Spears and Sam Lutfi may cross paths again. The singer and her former manager could meet in court, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Lutfi wants Spears to give a deposition in a case he's pursuing against her mother. In her book "Through the Storm," Lynne Spears alleges that Lutfi was a "gatekeeper" and manipulated the superstar, cutting her off from people and drugging her. Lutfi was fired back in 2008.
He says those claims aren't true and is suing Lynne Spears for defamation. He has requested that Britney testify as part of his lawsuit. However, her parents are opposed to the idea of having her appear for a deposition, saying that she is mentally incapable. Lutfi has fired back through the courts, and in a motion filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, he requested that Spears undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Spears is currently under the conservatorship of her father, James Parnell Spears, and lawyer, Andrew Wallet. Lutfi claims that her ability to conduct interviews and tour as of late proves that she is capable of testifying, and he has even produced his own expert to weigh in on the matter.
Regardless of the outcome, Spears does have a busy summer ahead of her. She's set to begin work on her next music video later this month for the single "I Wanna Go." And she will hit the road with Nicki Minaj in June for her Femme Fatale tour. Other special guests will include Nervo, Jessie and the Toy Boys and, for some select shows, "(Drop Dead) Beautiful" collaborator Sabi.
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'Spider-Man' Musical Debuts After Web Of Issues
'If you are really trying something extraordinary, it's going to be difficult,' original director Julie Taymor tells MTV News at premiere.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Rick Marshall
"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
Photo: MTV News
After months and months of pre-production, including injured actors, troubles with the script and a complete overhaul, the beleaguered Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" officially opened on the Great White Way on Tuesday night (June 14).
MTV News braved the rain and crowds at the Foxwoods Theater in the heart of midtown Manhattan to chat with the musical's production team about what the show's fits and starts have taught them along the way.
"It's just hard to do anything when you're trying to do something new and big and different," original director Julie Taymor said of the challenges. "If you are really trying something extraordinary, it's going to be difficult. And that's OK, because eventually you get there."
"I think what happened is that when they were in previews, they discovered that the demographic was so big, they had 6-year-old children in the audience, they had 86-year-old grandparents in the audience. They wanted to make sure the show could reach out to all of them," explained new director Philip William McKinley.
"I think we tried to make the story a bit more linear," added writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. "But we also tried to bring the characters that fans know and love, Mary Jane, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, the Green Goblin, we tried to give them more material and go a little bit deeper on their journeys."
McKinley told a story about watching two young boys in the theater's lobby "webbing" each other after one of the preview performances, who declared it the "best Broadway show ever" and said they couldn't wait to see their next musical.
"I thought, 'Perfect, let's develop those new audiences,' " McKinley said of bringing more people into the theater experience.
"The people that we've met in the community who really care for the art, they want to see new blood, they want to see new innovation," said Bono, who wrote songs for the show with U2 bandmate The Edge. "They want to see new characters onstage, and I think we brought that."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies -- updated around the clock -- visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
Justin Bieber: I'm A Country Boy
The newly minted CMT Music Award winner says he shares his mother's love of the country sound.
By Jocelyn Vena
Photo: The Insider
Before he took home the trophy for Collaborative Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night, Justin Bieber professed his love for all things country on the red carpet.
"I'm really glad to be here," he told CMT, with the guys of Rascal Flatts by his side. "It's great."
It wasn't just an exciting night for him, but also for Mama Bieber, who happens to be a big country music aficionado. "It's great; it's so many people my mother admires, 'cause she loves country music, and I do too," he continued. "So it's really great to be here with Rascal Flatts."
It was on the set for his winning video, "That Should Be Me," that Bieber first cut his hair. In the end, the sacrifice of his trademark locks seemed worth it.
"Some of the fans liked it; some of the fans didn't. They were just upset he cut it," Bieber joked, nodding to Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox.
The video for "That Should Be Me," a Never Say Never - The Remixes track (which was a reworked version of the song that first appeared on My World 2.0) is a lo-fi, behind-the-scenes, "making of the video" performance clip. But it was good enough to beat out the likes of country music superstars like Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson; Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow; Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow, as well as Aaron Lewis featuring George Jones and Charlie Daniels.
"First of all, I just want to say how honored I am to be here ... with Rascal Flatts," Bieber said while accepting his first country award. "How amazing are Rascal Flatts, everybody? I want to thank my mom. I want to thank my family. And I want to thank Rascal Flatts for even jumping on the song with me."
Would you like to see Justin Bieber try out other genres of music? Talk about it in the comments!
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