Entertaining Posts: 02/13/11

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Pop idol Justin Bieber: No Grammys, no worries

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES | Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:44am EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber was too busy arranging a Paris rendezvous with his mentor, R&B star Usher, to worry too much about leaving the Grammy Awards empty-handed on Sunday.

The 16-year-old pop phenomenon was considered a strong contender for the coveted best new artist category, and was also nominated for best pop vocal album.

But he was beaten up by a pair of glamorous women. Esperanza Spalding, a 26-year-old jazz virtuoso with a large Afro hairstyle, was the shock winner of best new artist.

And flamboyant pop singer Lady Gaga's haul of three statuettes included best pop vocal album.

Bieber's fans, accounting for a sizable percentage of excitable young girls around the planet, vented their anger on Twitter -- the social-networking Web site that helped turn him into a superstar in barely a year.

He came backstage to speak with reporters, an uncustomary move for losing acts, to indicate that he would survive the setback. In fact, he made a grand entrance by jumping on the back of Usher, who seemed more disappointed than Bieber.

A little later, Bieber let reporters overhear his scheduling conversation with Usher. Bieber is flying to London on Monday, and Usher to Paris. They made plans to connect on the continent.

Bieber was still buzzing after performing with both Usher and Jaden Smith, the son of actor Will Smith. Asked about the best new artist race going the wrong way, he said, "I'm really happy for her, and hopefully she has a good year."

In other tidbits, he denied a media report that he would move to Los Angeles and suggested he would relocate to Canada from his current professional base in Atlanta.

Spalding said Bieber and his fans need not be too upset. At any rate, the rivals have one thing in common, she noted. "He has great hair, and I have great hair."

Equally famed for his soulful voice and the casual flick of his lustrous head of hair, Bieber was the fourth best-selling albums artist in the United States last year.

The latest in a long line of lovable balladeers to whip up a frenzy among teen and pre-teen girls, Bieber relied on Twitter and YouTube to spread the word after record labels failed to recognize his talent.

A little more than a year after playing to handfuls of bystanders at fairgrounds, he sold out New York major concert venue Madison Square Garden in about 20 minutes.

The weekend was not a total washout for him. His 3D concert documentary, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," opened at No. 2 at the North American box office with better than expected weekend sales of $30.3 million.

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Paul McCartney wins Grammy for "Helter Skelter"

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Lady Antebellum wins song of the year Grammy

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Jay-Z wins three Grammys, overshadowing Eminem

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES | Sun Feb 13, 2011 7:41pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jay-Z overshadowed fellow rapper Eminem during a ceremony preceding the main Grammys telecast on Sunday, winning three awards including a pair for his duet with Alicia Keys on the "Empire State of Mind."

Eminem, who leads the field with 10 nominations, received a single Grammy. But he lost in four categories where he had five nominations.

He will compete in four additional categories during the main telecast, which begins at 5 p.m. (0100 GMT Monday).

All but 10 of the 108 categories were announced during a fast-paced early ceremony that was streamed online. The main event revolves around performances from most of the nominees, as well as veterans such as Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan.

Other multiple winners included classical producer David Frost with four prizes, and British rock guitarist Jeff Beck with three.

Lady Gaga, who showed up on the red carpet encased in a giant egg carried by people dressed in gold-colored outfits, won two prizes for "Bad Romance." The flamboyant pop singer, who received six nominations, beat Eminem to claim the short form video prize for the song.

Country trio Lady Antebellum, also up for six awards, won two prizes for their song "Need You Now," which will vie for song and record of the year during the main telecast.

Rock duo the Black Keys also took home a pair of awards.

Jay-Z's awards were in the rap field where "Empire State of Mind," their valentine to New York, was named best rap song and best rap/sung collaboration. He shares the awards with Keys. He and Keys' husband, Swizz Beatz, shared a performance award for "On to the Next One."

Eminem's "So Afraid" won the Grammy for best rap solo performance. Riding high with a comeback album recounting his near-fatal addiction to prescription medication, Eminem remains a contender for song, album and record of the year as well as best rap album.

Probably the most important category, as far as millions of young girls are concerned, will be best new artist. Pop idol Justin Bieber and hip-hop star Drake, both Canadians, are front-runners for the prize.

PUNK ROCKER WINS MUSICAL SHOW PRIZE

Other winners during the early ceremony included veterans Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Mavis Staples and Buddy Guy. But they were spring chickens compared to 97-year-old Pinetop Perkins, who won the prize for traditional blues album, extending his record as the oldest recipient.

In a victory considered inconceivable a few years ago, punk rocker Billie Joe Armstrong won a Grammy for best musical show album for "American Idiot," the Broadway adaptation of his band Green Day's concept album of the same name.

A boxed set packaging the mono versions of the Beatles' albums was named best historical album. The Oscar winning movie "Crazy Heart" generated two wins in the visual media field.

Lady Gaga arrives at Grammys in giant egg

LOS ANGELES | Sun Feb 13, 2011 7:46pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Flamboyant pop star Lady Gaga made her entrance to the Grammy Awards on Sunday encased in a giant egg, and declared that she was "in incubation" ahead of her performance at the ceremony.

Gaga, 24, who is competing for six Grammy Awards, arrived on the red carpet inside an alien-like egg carried aloft by attendants dressed in gold. She could barely be seen inside it.

It was the latest in a series of bizarre outfits from Lady Gaga, including a headline-grabbing dress made entirely of raw meat that she wore to the MTV Music Video Awards in September.

In a Twitter message sent shortly after her red-carpet arrival, Lady Gaga said: "This is Nicola, Haus of Gaga: Gaga is in incubation. Tonight's performance is in collaboration with Hussein Chalayan and House of Mugler. X"

Lady Gaga was expected to perform her new single "Born This Way" live on the Grammy stage later on Sunday.

In a U.S. television interview aired on Sunday but recorded ahead of the Grammy ceremony, Gaga said there was always a point to her outrageous outfits.

"There's nothing that I've ever put on my body that I didn't understand where it came from, the reference of it, who inspired it. There's always some sort of a story or a concept that I'm telling," she told TV news show "60 Minutes".

She also said she smokes marijuana and drinks whiskey when writing songs, but did not want to encourage her fans to do the same.

"(I) drink a lot of whiskey and I smoke weed when I write. And I don't do it a lot because it's not good for my voice.

"I don't want to encourage kids to do drugs....And I don't lie. I'm not a liar. I built good will with my fans. They know who I am. And I'm just like them in so many ways," she added.

The singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, picked up two Grammys for her hit "Bad Romance" during a ceremony preceding the main telecast on Sunday but was not on hand to accept the trophy.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Dean Goodman; Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)

"The King's Speech" royal winner at BAFTA awards

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian

LONDON | Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:50pm EST

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - "The King's Speech," in which Colin Firth plays stammering King George VI, reigned supreme at Britain's BAFTA awards Sunday, picking up seven prizes with just two weeks to go before the Oscars.

The royal biopic, which won awards for best film, best actor and best supporting actor and actress, also leads the field at the Academy Awards with 12 nominations.

It had been nominated for 14 BAFTAs, ahead of ballet drama "Black Swan" and "Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

"To win best British film and best film at home ... it's a huge thing," director Tom Hooper told reporters.

Hooper said reports that Britain's Queen Elizabeth approved of the film and found it moving were particularly gratifying.

"The fact that it appears to have a seal of approval means a huge amount to me and Colin."

Firth picked up his second BAFTA best actor award in two years after winning the prize for "A Single Man" last year.

"This thing has run away with us all, we're all astonished," he said.

Firth has already won best actor at the Screen Actors Guild awards, the Golden Globes and the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for his portrayal of the current British monarch's father. He is nominated for best actor at the February 27 Oscars.

Firth's co-stars in The King's Speech -- Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush -- won the best supporting actress and actor respectively. Bonham Carter thanked the royal family in her acceptance speech.

The film also won the award for outstanding British film, music and scriptwriter David Seidler picked up the best original screenplay prize.

"Inception" picked up three awards including sound and special visual effects.

David Fincher won the best director award for "The Social Network," which tells the tale of the founding of the Facebook website. The film, which has been one of the most tipped for Oscar glory, also won the award for best adapted screenplay.

Best actor nominee Jesse Eisenberg picked up the award on Fincher's behalf as he was unable to attend due to filming.

HARRY POTTER AWARDED

Movie fans catch Bieber fever at box offices

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES | Sun Feb 13, 2011 2:24pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fans of teenage pop star Justin Bieber turned out in strong numbers during the weekend for his movie "Never Say Never," putting it in a tight race for No. 1 at box offices with Adam Sandler comedy "Just Go With It."

Film studio estimates released on Sunday had Sandler's romantic comedy, which co-stars Jennifer Aniston, taking in $31 million to claim the top spot on ticket charts. The Bieber film was close behind at $30.3 million for the three-day weekend.

But counting ticket sales for special screenings of "Just Bieber: Never Say Never" held late last week ahead of Friday's U.S. and Canadian opening, the movie's ticket sales hit just over $31 million, according to distributor Paramount Pictures.

Monday's final tally will decide the winner of the weekly box-office competition but Paramount was basking in a better-than-expected opening for the movie, which mixes 3D concert footage and more personal video of the 16-year-old singer to paint a picture of his rise to superstardom.

Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution for Paramount, said Bieber's legions of mostly young female fans turned out, as expected. But many positive reviews for "Never Say Never" and good exit polling of moviegoers had the studio believing the movie might expand to wider audiences.

"We think the movie will hang around (theaters) for awhile," Harris said.

The Bieber movie debuted in just over 3,100 locations for a per-theater average of $9,700. The Sandler movie opened in just over 3,500 venues for an average around $8,700 per theater.

MONDAY'S FINAL TALLY

If numbers hold up on Monday, "Just Go With It" will be Sandler's 11th No. 1 debut. Yet, it failed to match his last romantic comedy that opened ahead of a Valentine's Day weekend in the United States. In 2003, his "50 First Dates," opposite Drew Barrymore, took in $39.8 million in its first weekend, according to industry tracker boxofficemojo.com.

Still, distributor Columbia Pictures thinks Valentine's Day audiences should help boost ticket sales of "Just Go With It" if date-minded couples turn out on Sunday and Monday.

Columbia said Sandler continues to expand his popularity with international audiences. "Just Go With It" opened well in the United Kingdom with $2.6 million in ticket sales, and in Mexico it was the No. 1 film with $1.75 million -- a figure that was double the tally for "50 First Dates."

Elsewhere, the No. 3 film in the weekly sweepstakes at U.S. and Canadian movie box offices was animated family movie, "Gnomeo and Juliet" with $25.5 million in its first weekend. Its per-theater average was just over $8,500 in right around 3,000 locations.

The weekend's fourth new entry, action adventure "The Eagle," starring Channing Tatum, debuted with $8.6 million, or an average of about $3,700 in around 2,300 theaters. It placed at No.4 on box office charts.

Oscar hopeful "The King's Speech" rounded out the top five with $7.4 million in ticket sales, bringing its cumulative total to just under $94 million.

"Never Say Never" was distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc; "Just Go With It" by Columbia Pictures, a movie unit of Sony Corp; and "Gnomeo and Juliet" by the film unit of The Walt Disney Co.. "The Eagle" was released by Focus Features, the unit of Universal Pictures that is controlled by Comcast Corp.. "King's Speech" was released by privately-held The Weinstein Co.

(Reporting by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Bill Trott)

Eminem hoping to avoid another Grammys shocker

LOS ANGELES | Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:11am EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A decade after Eminem found himself on the losing side of one of the biggest upsets in Grammy history, the rapper will again vie for the top prize at the music industry awards show on Sunday.

As was the case then he is the favorite to take the trophy for album of the year, this time for a set detailing his near-fatal addiction to prescription medications.

The 12,000 music industry insiders who vote for the Grammys love to honor artists facing adversity, such as Amy Winehouse who picked up five Grammys in 2008 while battling drugs.

But she was pipped for best album by an obscure release from jazz icon Herbie Hancock, echoing Eminem's shock loss to an equally under-the-radar set by rock duo Steely Dan. (He also lost two years later to favored newcomer Norah Jones.)

If he does lose again, at least it won't be a grizzled veteran. At 38, Eminem is the old-timer in a field that also includes country group Lady Antebellum, pop singers Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, and Canadian rock band Arcade Fire -- all of whom are in the hunt with chart-topping releases.

SURVIVAL STORY

Eminem leads the field with 10 nominations, mostly generated by "Recovery," the biggest selling album in the United States last year. With his trademark brutal honesty, Eminem detailed his descent into madness, loss of self-esteem, and struggles with writers' block.

"He represents a bravery ... all of us, we should hope to be that brave," urban pop singer Cee Lo told Reuters.

"To be a success as a personality you first have to be a success as a person. People get a kick out of seeing you crash and burn, that happens an awful lot too. So his is a survival story because he crashed but didn't burn."

Eminem and Cee Lo will compete against each other in the key record and song of the year races, with their respective hits "Love the Way You Lie" and "F*** You." (The record prize goes to the artist, and the song award to the songwriter.)

But Cee Lo did not see it as a rivalry. "I see it more as camaraderie than competition because we're all on the frontline forging freedom of speech, of expression, freedom of individuality," he said.

Probably the most important category, as far as millions of young girls are concerned, is best new artist. Pop idol Justin Bieber and hip-hop star Drake, both Canadians, are front-runners for the prize.

"I think Drake probably would have been the favorite and I think that Bieber is coming on," said R&B producer Jimmy Jam, a veteran Grammys official. "Or they could split the votes and someone else could sneak in."

That could be one of two British bands, Florence & The Machine and Mumford & Sons, or American jazz singer Esperanza Spalding.

In all, awards will be handed out in 108 categories, most of them during a fast-paced ceremony that precedes the main event at 5 p.m. PST (0100 GMT Monday). The three-hour telecast will be heavy on performances, beginning with a tribute to ailing R&B icon Aretha Franklin. Most of the major nominees will perform, as well as veterans like Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Doina Chiacu)