If you’re searching for a bag with an exotic appeal, then this Marc by Marc Jacobs Nifty Gifty Python Backpack ($280) is exactly what you need. It’s made of black PVC and leather, and features snakeskin scale details and a front zip pocket with a gold logo print. Is this backpack on your must have list? More looks below.
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Actor Zac Efron was spotted arriving at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan to promote his new film New Year’s Eve. He was wearing a pair of Persol PO0649 sunglasses, a black leather jacket with a scarf around his neck, a pair of Nudie jeans, and boots. See pics below.
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By William E. Ketchum III
In case the near-platinum first week sales of Tha Carter IV weren’t enough, the numbers for Lil Wayne’s “I Am Still Music” Tour show that his star power isn’t dying anytime soon. The tour—which featured the likes of Rick Ross, Keri Hilson, and Lloyd—consisted of 78 shows across Africa, Australia and North America between spring 2011 and this winter. The North American leg alone grossed $47 million, with sales upwards of 27,000 tickets in cities such as Buffalo, Philadelphia and Dallas.
Wayne also headlined the Bamboozle Festival and Hot 97’s Summer Jam, which garnered 90,000 and 50,000 fans, respectively.
“For so many years, critics have claimed that hip hop tours would never be successful. Lil Wayne has put the nail in the coffin of that idea,” says Lil Wayne’s manager, Cortez Bryant. Bryant is also president of Blueprint Group, the management and artist development company that resulted of the merger of Bryant Management and Hip Hop Since 1978. “2011 has seen Lil Wayne further cement his status as a headline arena artist in the US Canada. The I Am Still Music run exceeded our own expectations. The amount of tickets he sold in both primary and secondary markets across the country was phenomenal and we are now focusing on the expansion of his global success.”
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The wait for David Fincher’s take on “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” just got one day shorter. Shows have been added for 7 p.m. on December 20, one day earlier than originally planned. “Dragon Tattoo” is destined to become one of the biggest movies of the holiday season, so even an extra night of shows could mean big returns.
Check out the rest of today’s film news after the jump!
Mike Myers Writing ‘Austin Powers’ Musical
The International Man of Mystery may be on the prowl again, but this time on Broadway. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Casey Nicholaw, the co-director of the Tony Award-winning “Book of Mormon,” is in talks to direct a stage version of the British spy spoof which Myers would write the story for. The proposed musical would act as a prequel to the film, taking place in the 1960s, and would not star Myers.
Biblical Epic ‘Paradise Lost’ Put on Hold
Bradley Cooper may have to wait to don the horns and a tail as Lucifer, as Warner Bros. has put a hold on the Alex Proyas-directed film. The movie which chronicles the heavenly battle between good and evil started to drift over its proposed $120 million budget, and the studio paused production to reassess the bill.
‘Arthur Lancelot’ Hangs In Balance with Budget Crisis
Just as another Warner Bros. movie, “Paradise Lost,” got paused for budget issues, another, the medieval tale of “Arthur Lancelot” may face the same fate. Producers are rethinking the budget, fearing that it may eventually exceed its $130 million budget.
Ryan Gosling Absent from First ‘Gangster Squad’
Entertainment Weekly has the very first official picture from Ruben Fleischer’s post-war mob flick, “Gangster Squad,” but the man everyone’s talking about these days, Ryan Gosling, is no where to be seen. Instead, Josh Brolin and Sean Penn stare each other in a moody snapshot from the film.
Seth Rogen Will Host Independent Spirit Awards
The biggests award for indie films, the Independent Spirit Awards, have found their host in funnyman Seth Rogen, who appears in one of the films nominated for Best Feature, “50/50.” The show will air on IFC on February 25th.
Critics Choice Awards Honor ‘Drive,’ ‘The Artist’ and ‘Hugo’ With Best Pictures Noms
Award season is in full swing, and there are no sure bets quite yet. The latest round of nominations comes from the Critics Choice Awards, who picked ten potential nominees for their Best Picture Award. Among them, “Drive” surprised with a nomination and a sign that the indie thriller may be picking up awards steam.
Tell us what you think of today’s Dailies in the comments section and on Twitter!
It’s almost time for MTV News to crown our 2011 Hottest Breakthrough MC. After a week of voting, the winner of the Hottest Breakthrough poll will be announced on Wednesday’s “RapFix Live” and he will appear on the show. Last week, Machine Gun Kelly, Meek Mill, Kendrick Lamar, Roscoe Dash and A$AP Rocky all stopped by “RapFix” to kick off the Hottest Breakthrough MCs race. On Tuesday (December 13) at 11:59 p.m. ET, the polls will close, the votes will be tallied, and the Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2011 will be crowned Wednesday.
Vote Now For The Hottest Breakthrough MC Of 2011
Over the past week, A$AP, Future, Freddie Gibbs, French Montana, Lamar, Mac Miller, MGK, Meek Mill and Lil Twist have been battling it out as fans vote for their favorite MC. It’s been a tight race so far, with Miller, Twist and Machine Gun Kelly jockeying for the #1 spot. Will either of the three take it, or will another MC make a last minute push for the top? You have to tune in to “RapFix Live” to find out!
All this will lead up to MTV News’ next Hottest MCs in the Game list. On Wednesday, “RapFix” host Sway will make a special announcement about MTV’s much-talked-about list. In 2010, Eminem was voted the #1 Hottest MC in the Game by the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust, but who will take top honors in 2011? Only time will tell.
Tune in to “RapFix Live” on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com to see who will be crowned the 2011 Hottest Breakthrough MC. Be sure to join in the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive!
“The Great Gatsby” is the Great American Novel, or at least the one you were assigned to read in class before skipping ahead to SparkNotes. Adaptations have been done before, but why not another one? That’s the thinking behind Baz Luhrmann’s version, a sparkling 3D blockbuster with a budget over $100 million, a cast headed by multiple Oscar nominees and a Christmas 2012 opening date that basically screams, “We are going to win so many freaking awards.”
Today, Warner Bros. released a handful of photos showing its actors in place. Check out Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, and Carey Mulligan as Daisy, looking appropriately dressed to the nines for this 1920s period piece.
We imagine the silver drapings in the background will shimmer in 3D, though hopefully the effect won’t be too overt. Nothing would take one out of classic literature like having Gatsby pop out of the screen to grab a glass or point at a horse carriage he’s about to step into.
There’s also this nice shot of DiCaprio holding Mulligan, looking like the tousled, sensitive millionaire that he probably is in real life. Way to challenge yourself creatively, dude.
If you haven’t caught up on pre-production news, don’t worry: there’s no singing. That’ll probably put your English teacher’s fears to rest, though probably not. After all, they’re English teachers.
What do you think of the first official photos from Baz Luhrman’s “Great Gatsby” adaptation? Let us know your take in the comments section and on Twitter!
Plenty of great movies came our way in 2011, and even more awesome ones are on the horizon for 2012. But even though some of these films feel far away, we’ve gotten plenty of advanced looks at some of the upcoming year’s hottest projects through trailers, posters and even the considerably more shady set-stalking.
From leaked set photos to leaked set videos, here are five of the movies most worthy of set-stalking in 2011. Vote for which one was your favorite beyond the break!
“Dark Shadows”
Our great hopes for Tim Burton’s big-screen resurrection of the gothic soap became nightmarishly scarred by that first unofficial leak of Johnny Depp as Barnabus Collins on the “Dark Shadows” set. It caused quite a stir here at MTV Movies, but thankfully, everything else we’ve seen (and heard) since has put all of our fears to rest. Our excitement for “Dark Shadows” is at an all-time high, and it’ll get even higher when we finally see a trailer.
“Man of Steel”
Really, who can argue against a bare-chested, bearded Superman? It’s not the Man of Steel we’re used to, no, but Henry Cavill’s take on the DC Comics icon exudes manliness. Based on set photos and videos we’ve seen this year, “Man of Steel” looks like the precise action-packed remedy we need after the lackluster “Superman Returns.”
“Marvel’s The Avengers”
It feels like it took a long time for that “Avengers” trailer to finally drop, but the wait was smoothed over by the swift release of photos from the Marvel movie’s Cleveland and New York City sets. Because of those leaks, we’re more convinced than ever that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are indeed slugging it out with Skrulls come May 2012 — a prospect that we couldn’t be more excited for.
“The Amazing Spider-Man”
Spider-Man has awesome sneakers. How do we know this? From “Amazing Spider-Man” set photos, of course, which also showed us what looks to be a pretty serious spoiler about Papa Stacey and a bizarrely dressed figure who may or may not be Rhys Ifans as the Lizard.
“The Dark Knight Rises”
Do you feel like you know everything that’s going to happen in “The Dark Knight Rises” already? If so, it’s because you’ve probably seen so much from set photos and videos featuring Batwings, Bane fights, Catwoman rides and more. More so than any other film this year, “DKR” experienced a surprising amount of set leaks—but that doesn’t make us any less excited for the finished product.
Check out our year-end polls:
» Best Movie Ensemble
» Best Sex Scene
» Best Movie Robot
» Best Dressed
» Best Superhero
» Best Couples
» Best Set-Stalking
All this week, watch “AMTV” on MTV every day at 8 a.m. ET for our Best of 2011 lists. Then, come to MTVNews.com at 5 p.m. as we reveal our top picks of the year!
Tom Cruise is not a normal man. He’s lived a life of celebrity since his “Risky Business” days, and it’s hard to see where he gets a chance to come down to reality, if ever. But it does happen… sort of!
When we talked to the “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” star at the film’s press junket in Dubai last week, we asked him what the most mundane thing about his life was.
Thinking about it for a second, he deadpanned: “I eat. I get up.” Thinking on it some more, he added, “I eat food. I brush my teeth. I love ice cream.”
So, yes. He is not very mundane. Aside from the fact that wife Katie Holmes loves pastry shops, that’s about all we got out of Cruise. Of course, he’s got a lot bigger stuff to worry about than the ways in which his life isn’t awesome — like these ridiculous stunts, which he insists on doing himself. With the awesome results we get in return, can’t say we blame him!
“Ghost Protocol” comes out this Friday (December 16), where it’ll compete against other timely Christmas movies like “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked” and “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows.” It’s been a while since we saw agent Ethan Hunt on screen but we imagine he’ll still be up to the task, whatever that may be.
If you can’t wait until Friday for the new “Mission,” you can tune into the movie’s premiere in Brazil tomorrow (December 14) at 4PM EST and watch a live performance by Grammy-nominated DJ and producer Tiesto, who will unveil his new remix of the classic “Mission: Impossible” theme song.
Tell us what you think of the news in the comments section and on Twitter!
By William E. Ketchum III
Kanye West and Jay-Z’s Watch the Throne tour is still going strong, one city at a time, with their most recent stop in Los Angeles on Monday night (December 12). Leather kilts and Nike endorsements aside, however, Kanye hasn’t forgotten where he comes from and in a new behind-the-scenes video, he gives some insight into his upbringing.
The Throne have teamed up with VoyR.com to release weekly videos featuring exclusive footage from the tour. The second free video, entitled “The Chi,” sees Kanye recounting his upbringing as an artistically-inclined child in his hometown in Chicago, Ill. In the clip Ye speaks about his interviews to get into a kindergarten for gifted students, and revisits his childhood home on the city’s South Side.
“They asked me what I wanted to draw, and I said, ‘I like football players,’” Ye remembered. “They said, ‘Can you just draw a person?’ I said, ‘I’ll draw a person with a football uniform on.’ And, I’m here today. [laughs] That, like, just explains everything!”
“We had this dog pen, we had this dog that we called ‘Genius’ because he could get out of anything,” Ye says laughing, while giving a tour. “We had him roped up. He’d always find his way home and sh–, he used to hop that fence right there.”
Other highlights in the video includes live footage of The Throne performing, a freestyle by G.O.O.D. Music emcee Malik Yusef, Ye’s manager Don C. painting his popular snakeskin snapback caps, and an appearance by Spike Lee. In the first free video from the VoyR series, Kanye imagines world leaders attending his funeral and speaks on the importance of his work.
Customers can subscribe to VoRy for weekly content from the tour.
On Wednesday (December 7) the polls officially opened for voting in MTV’s 2011 Hottest Breakthrough MCs competition. By Tuesday, over 700,000 votes had been cast, with Machine Gun Kelly, Young Money rapper Lil Twist and Mac Miller holding down the top three spots. Fans, make sure to rock the vote if you want to see your favorite rapper take home top prize. The polls will close on December 13 at 11:59 p.m. ET, cast your vote now! Check out the current rankings below (in order), displaying numbers for the top votes.
Vote Now For The Hottest Breakthrough MC Of 2011
Machine Gun Kelly: 347,349
Lil Twist: 312,745
Mac Miller: 82,756
Meek Mill: —
Kendrick Lamar: —
Roscoe Dash: —
A$AP Rocky: —
Future: —
French Montana: —
Freddie Gibbs: —
To be considered a Hottest Breakthrough MC, an artist cannot have released a major-label full-length album. Finalists from 2010′s Hottest Breakthrough MC poll will not be eligible for 2011 consideration. Last year Wiz Khalifa emerged as the Hottest Breakthrough MC, beating out runner-up Nicki Minaj, along with ATL group Travis Porter, Diggy Simmons and J. Cole.
This year you can go vote for nominees that include Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky and Mac Miller. One winner will be chosen and thrown into the debate for our upcoming Hottest MCs list. Cast your vote for the winner and be sure to check in daily for updates and poll results.
Kendrick Lamar
In July the Compton native released his critically-acclaimed, independent album Section 80 and despite receiving co-signs from the likes of Dr. Dre, he’s intent on paving his own road to success.
Meek Mill
MMG’s star rookie built a cult following in his hometown Philadelphia before inking a deal with Rick Ross, to release his debut album. His 2011 hit singles “I’ma Boss” and “Tupac Back” made a big splash along with his Dreamchasers mixtape.
Machine Gun Kelly
This year Cleveland Ohio upstart, MGK, saw his independent grind result in a deal with Diddy’s Bad Boy Records/Interscope after releasing popular mixtapes such as Lace Up.
Future
The Atlanta flamethrower caught fire earlier this year after releasing his contagious hit “Tony Montana,” leading to his breakout mixtape, True Story.
Freddie Gibbs
After landing on XXL’s 2010 Freshman cover, Gangsta Gibbs inked a deal with Young Jeezy’s CTE this past April. He is currently prepping his debut.
A$AP Rocky
The summer singles “Peso” and “Purple Swag” drew so much attention to the Harlem native that he inked a $3 million deal with Polo Grounds Music/RCA even before dropping hisLiveLoveA$AP Mixtape.
French Montana
After establishing himself with his “Cocaine City” DVD series and Coke Wave mixtapes, the Bronx, New York native is breaking out from the underground with a new major label record deal.
Mac Miller
The Pittsburgh rapper’s enthusiastic fan base made it possible for him to become the first independent hip-hop artist to debut at no.1 on the charts since 1995, with November’s Blue Slide Park.
Lil Twist
One of YMCMB’s youngest rappers is gearing up to drop his debut album, after releasing popular singles this year that included the Lil Wayne-assisted “Love Affair.”
Roscoe Dash
The Atlanta rapper will drop his J.U.I.C.E. EP on December 20, but in the past year he’s manned the hooks on several hit singles, including Big Sean and Kanye West’s “Marvin Chardonnay” and Waka Flocka Flame’s “No Hands.”
