Entertaining Posts: 07/20/11

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Katy Perry crushes Gaga in MTV music video noms

LOS ANGELES | Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:10pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop singer Katy won a leading nine nominations for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, reducing eccentric superstar Lady Gaga to also-ran status with just three nods.

Sultry British singer Adele, whose second album "21" is the world's top-selling record this year, earned seven nominations -- all of them for her hit single "Rolling in the Deep".

Rapper Kanye West was the top male nominee, with seven nods for his futuristic "E.T" collaboration with Perry as well as his own music videos for "All of the Lights" and "Power".

Soulful "Grenade" singer Bruno Mars earned four nominations while Beyonce, Eminem, rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars and female rapper Nicki Minaj racked up three nods apiece. The awards will be handed out during a televised live show in Los Angeles on August 28. Winners are picked by public voting.

The nine nods for Perry, 26, were the climax of an extraordinary 12 months that has seen the once struggling gospel singer reinvent herself as a pop sex kitten with a string of hits like "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream" and "Firework".

"Firework" was nominated for both video of the year and best female video, while "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)" got a best pop video mention.

Perry will compete with Adele ("Rolling in the Deep"), first time VMA nominee Tyler the Creator ("Yonkers"), Bruno Mars ("Grenade") and the Beastie Boys ("Make Some Noise") for video of the year --the top MTV video music prize.

Lady Gaga was the big winner at last year's MTV music awards, taking home eight prizes, including video of the year for "Bad Romance".

But after months of hype for her new album "Born This Way" the flamboyant New York singer was sidelined in the 2011 nominations. Her three nods came for best female video for "Born This Way", while "Judas" will compete for art direction and choreography.

Rappers Wiz Khalifa, Tyler the Creator, and Big Sean will face off in the best new artist category against American indie band Foster the People and hip-hop singer Kreayshawn.

The TV audience for last year's MTV Video Music Awards was the biggest since 2002, attracting some 11.4 million viewers.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

"Friends" Kunis, Timberlake have fun getting naked

By Iain Blair

LOS ANGELES | Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:47pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whenever a major Hollywood movie calls for its two main stars to go nude for large chunks of the film, then get up close and personal in steamy sex scenes, they usually exit stage left, running, protesting and quickly sending in body doubles.

Not Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. And not for their new romantic comedy, "Friends with Benefits," opening on Friday.

The pop singer-turned-actor, hot off acclaimed turns in "The Social Network" and "Bad Teacher," and the actress who is still trailing smoky sex appeal from "Black Swan," not only embraced the nudity and sex, they insisted on more of both.

The movie looks at what happens when two attractive but emotionally burned young professionals decide to embark on a casual sex-with-no-emotions relationship.

"We all workshopped it, which is unheard of, and they (the film's makers) also gave us a lot of leeway to make it our own," Timberlake told reporters at a recent news conference. "So we all worked on it, and it was through those rehearsals that we all re-polished it."

"I think we both wanted to make sure the script was in a place where we felt safe, and stood by it regardless," added Kunis. "And if the script hadn't got to that place, neither one of us would have done the film. So through all the rewrites we felt comfortable and believed in what we had."

The result is a film that, while it mines material similar to such recent comedies as "No Strings Attached" starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, prides itself on being an "ultra-real, generational comedy," as Timberlake put it.

The two main characters' families -- Jenna Elfman plays his sister, Richard Jenkins his Alzheimer's-afflicted father, while Patricia Clarkson appears as Kunis' flaky mother -- help drive the plot. As does the often brutally honest comedy.

HUMOR IS "A LOT OF US"

"A lot of the humor is a lot of us, and that's why we originally committed to it," said Timberlake. "When we first met, we found out..."

"We share the same sick sense of humor," Kunis said, finishing his thought and laughing. "It's exactly the same."

Timberlake joked that when he first found out Kunis would be naked in the movie, he "was like gross, eeew!...but I did it, because I'm a professional."

But there wasn't much kidding around when it came to getting in shape for the cameras.

Faced with a large number of bedroom scenes featuring extensive nudity, the stars approached their workout regimens somewhat differently. Timberlake said he likes to play basketball and golf, so he felt he was in pretty good shape.

"I mostly stopped drinking beer and eating sweets," he said.

For her part, Kunis said she doesn't play sports and, given that she was coming off her ballerina role in "Black Swan," she was actually putting on weight.

"I went to the gym," she said. "I had my trainer, and I did some sit-ups."

Ultimately, Kunis said she "suffered" for two weeks between the sheets, shooting the sex scenes. Timberlake said he "suffered for four."

To keep things fresh when shooting the bedroom scenes, the pair said they improvised "quite a bit" of the dialogue and situations.

"Daily there were some added 'What funny scenarios can we do?'" said Kunis. "The sneezing in the face scene was added on the day."

"We were actually going for laughs," Timberlake said. "That made us feel more comfortable as we were trying to come up with most awkward scenarios. So originally, there was no scene with me having to urinate while having sex. That whole scene just got added."

"It's very funny," added Kunis.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Simon Fuller sues Fox over "X Factor" fees

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A Minute With: "Captain America" Chris Evans

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES | Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:04pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - This Friday, actor Chris Evans is poised to become a household name when he takes on the role of Captain America in the Marvel Studio's feature film "Captain America: First Avenger."

Evans famously turned down the role several times before accepting the part of a skinny, bullied orphan during the 1940s named Steve Rogers who is transformed into the muscular Captain America thanks to a top secret serum developed by the government. He goes on to lead the U.S. Army in a fight to victory against the Nazis.

Evans, 30, sat down with Reuters to talk about his initial apprehension, why he went into therapy over it and what it felt like to put on the superhero's costume for the first time.

Q: Most actors would kill to play a superhero role, but you turned it down at first. Why?

A: "For me it was about a potential lifestyle change. I've been able to make films over the past 10 years but still maintain my anonymity. 'Captain America' could change that and if it did, I wouldn't have the opportunity to walk away if it rubbed me the wrong way because I made a commitment to six movies. That was scary."

Q: You made a similar commitment when you signed on to play the Human Torch in Marvel's "The Fantastic Four."

A: "Let's be real, the 'Fantastic Four' movies weren't that good. And I came out clean because there were four of us (Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd and Michael Chiklis). We shared the load so it wasn't just me. 'Captain America' lives or dies (on my shoulders). That's intimidating."

Q: When you accepted the role, you promptly went into therapy. Why?

A: "I went because I struggle in the public eye. That was my issue. All I kept thinking about was the amount of responsibility on the press side of things that 'Captain America' was gonna expect out of me -- and I hate doing press. What if I couldn't handle people's opinions of me? I know that shouldn't dictate a person's degree of peace or happiness in life, but the problem is, I chose a business saturated in judgment."

Q: You seem to be handling yourself well. Therapy helped?

A: "It's nice to see someone and say things out loud that you don't normally say. Maybe it's different for girls, but I don't talk about this (stuff) with my buddies. I don't keep a journal. This was stuff kicking around in my brain. But this film has been a great catalyst. Had I not done 'Captain America,' I probably wouldn't have made the first step to go help myself."

Q: Do you remember the first time you tried on the iconic, red, white and blue 'Captain America' costume?

A: "Yes, it was terrifying. When I first put on the suit, I was still at a point in my head where I was a little in conflict about accepting that role. I thought to myself, 'What am I doing? What have I gotten myself into?' But it grew on me. I'd say about two, three months into filming, it started becoming really cool and I started enjoying it."

Q: Do you see a commonality between you and your character?

A: "It was nice to play someone who was shying away from the limelight. It was a pretty interesting parallel between what was happening with the character's life and my life: this great opportunity, this radical transformation, but a hesitation to accept the full responsibility of what was given to you."

Q: You're halfway through shooting "The Avengers," which comes out next May. Who are you closest to in that cast?

A: "Chris Hemsworth (who plays Thor) and I certainly have a kinship. We're both in a very similar situation so it's nice to be able to lean on him when we come to set and we're surrounded by Academy award nominees and winners (Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo).

Q: Your next film is the September release of the independent movie "Puncture" where you play a functioning drug addict who works as a lawyer. That's quite the 180-degree turn from superheroes.

A: "I did 'Puncture' early last year. Right at the end of that movie is when I got the offer for 'Captain America.' I had such a good time on 'Puncture.' In my head I was like, 'Why don't I just keep doing these great little indies? They don't make big splashes, I can have respect within my industry, be creatively satisfied and maintain my anonymity.' It didn't make sense to rock the boat."

Q: But you did...

A: "Initially I looked at 'Captain America' as a potential lose/lose. But that's obviously not the case. It was the right thing to do and I'm glad I did it."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Hugh Grant wins court ruling in hacking scandal

LONDON | Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:24am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - A High Court judge on Wednesday ordered police to hand over information to actor Hugh Grant or former girlfriend Jemima Khan which could show phone messages between them were intercepted by a private investigator working for a newspaper.

The ruling by judge Geoffrey Vos followed a 20-minute hearing at the London court where neither Grant nor campaigner Khan were present, according to the Press Association.

The couple split in 2007 after a three-year relationship.

Grant has been a vociferous critic of News Corp since the phone-hacking scandal broke earlier this month, and is a member of the Hacked Off lobby group which has campaigned for a rigorous inquiry into illegal eavesdropping by newspapers.

Vos said police should disclose information relating to messages allegedly intercepted by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire and used in the News of the World and other newspapers.

Several celebrities have been targeted by the now-defunct weekly tabloid, including actress Sienna Miller who settled a phone-hacking lawsuit against it in June.

News Corp's News of the World was abruptly closed this month when the scale of its involvement in phone hacking, and its targeting of ordinary people and not just the rich and famous, began to emerge.

Four years ago Mulcaire and former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman were given jail terms after the Old Bailey heard that they plotted to hack into royal aides' voicemail.

Fresh police inquiries have started since then and a number of high-profile figures have made civil damages claims against News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the News of the World.

The Metropolitan Police did not oppose Vos's order. Lawyers representing Grant and Khan said police had indicated that telephone messages may have been intercepted.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Louise Ireland)