FROM MTV.COM: Sony Pictures is finalizing a deal to acquire rehearsal footage from Michael Jackson's This Is It concert run, with hopes of releasing it in theaters just in time for Halloween, according to Variety.
Sony is reportedly paying close to $60 million for the 80 hours of rehearsal footage shot at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The footage is currently owned by AEG Entertainment, who were promoting Jackson's run of 50 shows at London's O2 Arena.
"High School Musical" director Kenny Ortega, who shot the rehearsal footage, will reportedly also sort through it to assemble the film, which Sony plans on having in theaters on October 30. Variety claims the film will feature "at least three" videos, including an alternative version of "Thriller," which was intended to be an interstitial video during Jackson's O2 shows.
Continue reading Michael Jackson Film To Hit Theaters This Halloween
FROM MTV.COM: "New Moon" director Chris Weitz recently gave an interview to movie site RottenTomatoes.com in which he talked about the status of the film — it's due in theaters November 20 — and spoke at length about the music he's lining up for the soundtrack.
Now, normally, soundtrack stories aren't that interesting ... but two things were different here. First, the "New Moon" album follows the mega-successful "Twilight" soundtrack (which featured a pair of new songs from Paramore and has sold more than 2.1 million copies to date) and second, Weitz mentioned that none other than Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and the Kings of Leon were interested in contributing songs.
For real.
Continue reading Will 'New Moon' Soundtrack Include Thom Yorke And Kings Of Leon?
FROM MTV.COM: By a stroke of luck (or, perhaps, fate), MTV was fortunate to launch just before Michael Jackson went supernova.
Back in 1981, he wasn't yet a global brand or a cultural icon — he wasn't even the King of Pop. Rather, he was just ascending to the throne. He'd had some hits (1972's "Ben," the first two cuts — "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You" — from 1979's Off the Wall), and he was ready to forever distance himself from his early years with the Jackson 5, but no one knew what to expect from him next.
Needless to say, we were all blown away with that next step. Released in 1983, Thriller was ... well, it was everything: a milestone release, a decade-defining collection of tunes, the biggest-selling album of all time and — most importantly — Michael's coronation. He was officially and forever the King of Pop, a title he held until his death Thursday (June 25) at the age of 50 and one that will probably be his forever.
Continue reading Michael Jackson And MTV: From Epic Videos To Show-Stealing Performances
Don't miss "A Celebration Of Michael Jackson On MTV," airing at 6 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
Recently, My Chemical Romance became probably the first band in history to proclaim they wanted nothing to do with the upcoming "Twilight" sequel, "New Moon." (Are you listening, every other celebrity in the universe?)
Turns out, they're rather choosy when it comes to just which films get their music. Moody adaptations of classic Alan Moore graphic novels = yes. Everything else = no. Read more...
FROM MTV.COM: Joaquin Phoenix continues to amaze.
Hot on the heels of his rather, uh, remarkable appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman" — which came hot on the heels of his beef with celebrity DJ Dan Sun and his publicist's insistence that the actor's hip-hop career is legit — there's now another layer to add to the growing Phoenix legend.
On Wednesday night, MTV News attended the premiere of "Two Lovers," which, if the hype is to be believed, will be Phoenix's final film. We attempted to speak to the actor/rapper on the red carpet, but he didn't stop to answer any questions. Instead, we managed to grab "Lovers" director James Gray, who gave us this piece of news about the validity of Phoenix's rap career.
Read more about who's responsible for Joaquin Phoenix's rap career over at MTV.com.
We're already cringing at the implications of this one, but now you can get your hands all over a fully poseable version of Edward Cullen.
Or, more specifically, two fully poseable Cullens — one in standard action-figure form and the other of the deluxe, hand-painted figurine variety. Thanks to the good folks at Hot Topic and Tonner Character Figurines, "Twilight" fans can now preorder their very own version of the brooding "Twilight" star.
The Hot Topic figure stands 11.5 inches tall, has "beautiful articulation" (of course) and retails for $16.99 (he also kind of looks like Luke Perry). He's decked out in a blue button-up, jeans and a peacoat, and packaged with an exclusive Cullen family crest. The 17-inch limited-edition Tonner doll costs a bit more (like, $139.99), but that's 'cause he's hand-sculpted from the likeness of "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson and comes with "rooted saran hair" (what does that even mean?). He sports 14 points of articulation, and comes dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and shoes "with working laces." Tonner also has a Bella doll that's a whole 2 inches shorter and has the same sorts of details (hope she won't trip on the laces!).
Read more...
If you're a "Twilight" fan with an unhealthy obsession for "Nightmare Before Christmas"-branded ephemera, or gigantic, strap-laden black pants, you're no doubt jumping for joy over the news that on October 24, Hot Topic stores across the country will be hosting listening parties for the "Twilight" soundtrack.
But what about the rest of you? Is this good news, or bad? On one hand, it gives you the opportunity to hear the "Twilight" soundtrack in its entirety almost two weeks before it hits stores -- not to mention the fact that, if you pre-order it during the listening party, you'll receive a super-secret "surprise gift" (which really could be anything.) Read more...
So, by now you're probably aware that the track listing for the "Twilight" soundtrack was announced earlier today. You already knew Paramore and Perry Farrell were on there, and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Muse would make the cut too. But after that, all bets were off.
Given author Stephenie Meyer's close relationship with music — she posts a "playlist" for each book in the series on her official site — and the rather intense feelings fans have for the "Twilight" books, there was a sense that the film's soundtrack would be something extra special. There would be much care put into selecting songs, since this wasn't the soundtrack to just any ordinary film, it was the soundtrack to readers' imaginations and fantasies. This was clearly a big deal.
Read more...
So, news broke this morning that Paramore — they of all the "Misery Business" and "CrushCrushCrush"-ing — have been confirmed to appear on the upcoming "Twilight" soundtrack. They'll be contributing two new songs, "Decode" and a track with the sexy title of "TBA" (as in, they haven't decided what to call it yet). And while Paramore frontwoman/firecracker Hayley Williams is an avowed "Twilight" fanatic — she tells us that "Decode" is about "the building tension, awkwardness, anger and confusion between Bella and Edward" — we're still having a hard time picturing the band's decidedly up-tempo tunes in Stephenie Meyer's relatively dark world.
Perhaps this is all Paramore's attempt to make up for the "Twilight" stars' awkward introduction of the band at the VMAs? Read more...
Because of the still-smoldering fires on the Universal Studios lot, most -- and by most, I mean all -- of the restaurants surrounding the Gibson Amphitheatre are closed. Well, closed except for the 30 minutes when they were all open, which is when I managed to score some sushi, which is also when Chris Martin enters into this. Read more...
