Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez Surprise Indie Act Ernie Halter At His Show

'All I can say is wow,' Halter tweeted after Bieber took the stage with the singer/songwriter.
By Jocelyn Vena


Ernie Halter
Photo: Ernie Halter

When Ernie Halter put out a call to arms on his Twitter account for fans to come out to his O.C. show, he probably had no idea that one very famous fan would take him up on the offer. On Thursday night, when Halter played at La Cave Restaurant in Costa Mesa, California, he was surprised by Justin Bieber. The Biebs, who brought gal pal Selena Gomez as his date, even took the stage with the singer/songwriter.

"@justinbieber Now get some rest. I still can't believe you flew 11 hrs and drove an hour to surprise me. Wow. So honored. @justinbieber great meeting u & @selenagomez tonight. Def a night to remember. Thank you for the encouragement & for singing with me," Halter wrote on Twitter.

Bieber has covered Halter's track "Come Home to Me" in his own shows, and on Thursday night he sang the tune right alongside the singer, much to Halter's amazement.

"I'm speechless. @justinbieber and @selenagomez came to see me play tonight and Justin sat in. All I can say is wow," he wrote. "@scooterbraun Great meeting you and Karen tonight. What an awesome surprise! Rest up and hope to cross paths again soon. Cheers! @selenagomez you and Justin are so sweet. Pleasure meeting you both. I saw you singing along to my songs. Made my night that much better."

Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, also used Twitter to gush about the night. "I love surprises. We drove an hour out of LA to surprise @erniehalter at his gig. #awesome," he wrote.

Bieber also sent his love and support to Halter on the site. "@erniehalter thanks for the night. Glad we could surprise u. U r the real deal. Congrats to u and the wife. And ... @erniehalter Never Say Never aint no BS. Haha. Thanks again," he wrote. "Music is universal. #artistssupportartists #SWAG"

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664261/justin-bieber-ernie-halter-cover-performance.jhtml

Eve Fergie Foxy Brown Freida Pinto

'Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides': Everything You Need To Know

Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz star in franchise's latest, out Friday.
By Eric Ditzian


Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
Photo: Disney

Taking a bit of an exception with the adage about not fixing something that ain't broke, Disney shipped off from 2007's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" — a film that grossed over $960 million worldwide — and decided to change things up. Out went director Gore Verbinski and stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, and in came new helmer Rob Marshall and stars Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane for "On Stranger Tides," which hit theaters Friday (May 20).

But maybe all was not well in "Pirates" land. Though "World's End," the third film in the franchise, made boatloads of cash, it was an overly long affair with a confusing plot that lost sight of the popcorn pleasures that made the series such a hit when it launched in 2003. A reworking, it seemed, was just what Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow and his pirate pals needed.

Headed into opening weekend, the changes appear to have worked. Box-office prognosticators are eyeing a debut in the $100 million range, and possibly higher, as 3-D ticket prices and, Disney hopes, positive word of mouth drive ticket sales. Before you stand in line to purchase your own, check out everything there is to know about "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

Readying the Ship
In September 2008, well over a year after "World's End" opened, Depp officially signed on to what was then simply called the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean." By that point, Knightley had long been signaling she wouldn't return for the next adventure. But it wasn't until the following April that Verbinski declared his intention to depart the franchise.

Taking his place, it turned out, was Marshall, who'd previously helmed the Oscar-winning musical "Chicago," among other projects. And then, just like that, the flick got its official "On Stranger Tides" title.

"I think [Disney is] probably looking for a fresh approach," Marshall told us in the fall of '09. "I think it's good when you're doing these series' of films, like 'Harry Potter.' It's nice to bring in a fresh approach."

Speaking of freshness, Cruz entered talks the next February to join up as Sparrow's love interest, and McShane soon followed as the villain Blackbeard.

"We have a new villain, Blackbeard, who's the nastiest pirate ever. That's Ian McShane," producer Jerry Bruckheimer told us. "And a little romance between Captain Jack and the character Penelope plays. There's a lot of humor; she brings a lot of humor to it. And the fact that she's so feisty. She plays the daughter of Blackbeard."

Setting Sail
With the cast and the decision to shoot in 3-D in place, filming kicked off early in summer 2010. Shortly thereafter, we got our first, teasing peek at Depp in character. And just after production wrapped up in the fall, the first poster popped up online.

The first trailer arrived in December, showing us the new characters, a welcome look at Keith Richards reprising his role as Jack's dad, and a whole lot of fiery action. The more things changed, thankfully, the more they stayed the same. A second trailer dove more into the film's plot, with glimpses of mermaids, zombies and the epic quest for the fountain of youth that forms the main storyline.

Coming into Port
Yes, the search for the life-bestowing fountain is the driving force in "On Stranger Tides," but the film also makes room for some romance with Cruz's Angelica — albeit romance that is never consummated.

"I think, if we did a scenario where it was Captain Jack really falling in love, it would most likely be a silent film. I think he would go completely catatonic and be unable to speak," Depp told us. "He would probably sit there and quiver for an hour and a half."

While they never get a chance to act on their long-simmering feelings for each other, they do get to spar, verbally and with swords — and always with their clothes on. "You need someone like Penélope, who's an Academy Award winner, to go up against Johnny Depp, because if they're not as good as she is, you can see it right away," Bruckheimer said. "You can't spar with Johnny unless you're brilliant."

Check out everything we've got on "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Related Videos Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664255/pirates-of-the-caribbean-on-stranger-tides-johnny-depp.jhtml

Hayden Panettiere Haylie Duff Heidi Klum Heidi Montag

Maria Shriver Won't Go Into Hiding, Says Friend

Maria Shriver Won't Go Into Hiding, Says Friend

Maria Shriver surprised and impressed us when she showed up at friend Oprah Winfrey's farewell celebration just days after news of husband Arnold Schwarzenegger's infidelity scandal broke. But Shriver's friends say we should get used to it -- because Maria is not about to go into hiding over mistakes her husband made.

"She's done nothing wrong, but even so I'm surprised she has had enough courage to go out in public," a friend tells Popeater. "When this happens, most women want the world to swallow them up," the pal points out. "They want to stay home behind closed doors, but not Maria."

The friend says that Maria, 55, is broken-hearted by 63-year-old Schwarzenegger's affair (which produced an out-of-wedlock son) with longtime family housekeeper Mildred Baena. But Shriver is strong enough to to "pick up the pieces and move on with her life" -- like "so many Kennedy women in the past."

The comparison to other Kennedy women (Maria's mother was Eunice Kennedy-Shriver, sister to John, Robert and Ted Kennedy) is inevitable, but it doesn't really do Shriver justice. While the Kennedy family has produced many famous philanderers -- among them, Shriver's uncles JFK and Ted Kennedy -- these women mostly remained stalwart by their powerful husband's side while the affairs happened under their noses. Since then, we've seen so many political wives standing silently beside their cheating husbands at press conferences (Silda Spitzer, Elizabeth Edwards, Dina McGreevey) that it's practically a cliché.

And that is emphatically not what Maria Shriver has done. Maybe she'd had her suspicions in the past, but when she finally learned the truth about her husband, she walked right out the door -- and has refused to be shamed by his behavior. Since the story hit the papers, Shriver has been seen enjoying lunch with her children and strolling on the beach with friends. Even as other mistresses threaten to come out of the woodwork, Shriver is holding her ground and refusing to let her husband ruin her life any further. With her friends, family and high-powered attorney beside her, Shriver is coming out of this nasty affair with dignity and strength. That's why she's our Woman of the Week -- and why we suspect that her best days are still ahead of her.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/maria-shriver-wont-go-hiding-says-friend/1-a-352359

Bijou Phillips Blake Lively Blu Cantrell Bonnie Jill Laflin

'American Idol' Finale Recap: Lauren Alaina And Scotty McCreery Duke It Out

Teen finalists premiere their potential coronation songs amid drama about Alaina's vocal cords.
By Gil Kaufman


Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery on "American Idol" Tuesday
Photo: FOX

They're the youngest final two in the history of "American Idol," but Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina showed no signs of nervousness as they took the stage Tuesday night (May 24) for their final showdown.

Both high-schoolers had their game faces on as the first-ever all-country championship ended in a near dead heat, with each singer putting up strong vocals on a trio of down-home tunes, including the debut of the emotional singles that will be their crowning songs, should they win.

There was, of course, some last-minute drama, as host Ryan Seacrest revealed that Alaina has sprained one of her vocal cords in rehearsal, but the plucky high-schooler assured him that she was just fine and ready to rumble. And not only did Alaina pull her voice back from the brink, but with an emotion-packed final performance of what could be her victory song, she may have snatched the title from self-assured front-runner McCreery.

The two teens were thrust onto the biggest stage of the competition so far in the 7,000-seat Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, and the first round had them reprising their favorite song of the season. McCreery went with Montgomery Gentry's country-rocking "Gone."

Looking confident as he strolled his way from the audience to the stage, Scotty worked the room with some newly acquired swagger. The hyped-up performance ended with a powerful golf swing and more high-fives for the kids down front.

Alaina sounded in fine form again on Carrie Underwood's kicky "Flat on the Floor." With a bit more sandpaper in her voice, Lauren put the pedal down and gave it her all, ending with a big, rich note that proved she was — yes, Randy — in it to win it.

In an unexplained break from "Idol" orthodoxy, Seacrest rushed through the call-in numbers for each contestant after their first performance without making time for the judges to offer commentary.

The second round had the contestants' own idols offering up their choice, with Country Hall of Famer George Strait suggesting one of his own hits, "Check Yes or No," for Scotty. Strumming his guitar and raising his eyebrow just so, McCreery, 17, did the most he could with the middle-of-the-road tune, crooning in his signature bullfrog voice and venturing up into his twangy higher register on the choruses. Though no revelation, it was another fine example of the kind of clean, professional mainstream country tune McC excels at.

Alaina's idol, Underwood, went with a less contemporary choice, opting for the hit 1991 version of female country icon Pam Tillis' "Maybe It Was Memphis." Wearing a poofy, gold-bead bedazzled miniskirt and shiny cowboy boots, Alaina nailed it again, taking a lesser-known tune and putting some smoky emotion into the vocals and rising up into her power range on the choruses to give the song a radio-friendly modern vibe.

Finally, Seacrest went to the judges for their take on the first two rounds. Randy Jackson praised America for the fine job it did in picking the final two, saying it was a very even match. He called Scotty's first song "brilliant" and liked the Strait pick, while giving Alaina props for both of her performances. Ultimately, he gave the first-round edge to McCreery, while saying Alaina took round two.

"I thought it was such an explosive start from both of you," said Jennifer Lopez, praising their first songs, adding that Scotty's second song was not as impressive, while Lauren was "strong and clear and beautiful." She agreed with Randy on the split decision.

That left it to the ever-flamboyant Steven Tyler, who called both rounds for Lauren, "Only 'cause she's prettier than you are," he said, a sentiment McCreery couldn't disagree with. The rivals gave each other a good-natured hug and took off as Seacrest introduced Taio Cruz, who sang the crowd-sourced, Coke-promoted "perfect harmony" contest single "Positive." Singing the cliché-ridden midtempo pop tune amid a black-helmet-wearing futuristic drum line, Cruz struggled to get through the tune as his microphone repeatedly conked out.

McCreery's final song of the night was the single he'll release if he wins the competition, "I Love You This Big," a swaying ballad that tips its 10-gallon hat to his youth. "I know I'm still young/ But I know how I feel/ I might not have too much experience/ But I know when love is real," he gently crooned while wearing a suit jacket and jeans.

The weeper was firmly in Scotty's range and had the kind of honest sentiment that matches his sincere persona (and surely makes the girls swoon). As an added ratings-bonanza and vote-snagging bonus, it also brought a tear to his momma's eye and ended on a yearning note that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"I'm not sure it's the perfect song for you, but the range was great because you sung low and you sung really high," said Randy, adding yet another superfluous "in it to win it" bark. "I'm proud of you, because you've grown during this contest and that was a brilliant vocal." Recalling her comments about his strong storytelling ability, Lopez praised Scotty for selling a tune nobody has ever heard before.

Lauren's winning tune was "Like My Mother Does," a song mentor Jimmy Iovine said is the perfect encapsulation of Alaina's journey on the show, not to mention some serious mom-bait. "People always say I have a laugh like my mother does," Lauren sang. "Guess that makes sense/ She taught me how to smile when things get rough/ I've got her spirit, she's always got my back."

The uplifting ode to maternal love and strength was, like Scotty's tune, the typical frothy "Idol" championship cream puff, with an extra helping of cornpone thanks to Lauren's drift down to the audience to embrace her weeping mom. Even amid the blatantly cloying lyrics, the teenager imbued the song with some honest emotion and sold it just like Jimmy knew she would.

As Lauren broke into sobs, Randy agreed with Iovine that the tune was the perfect pick for the singer and praised her for the Mariah Carey-like "soft whisper" vocal at the end. "Lauren Alaina has arrived, America!" he screamed. "This is a very tight race tonight, but Lauren, with that song, you may have just won," Lopez said. "You sang it just the way you needed to: with heart, emotion, feeling."

Randy and Steven called the final round for Alaina, while Jennifer said it was too close to call.

Wednesday night's finale will feature performances from this season's top 13, as well as judge Steven Tyler and a number of yet-unannounced special guests.

Don't miss a special edition of "Idol Party Live" Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, finale red-carpet coverage and the last "Idol in 60 Seconds" of season 10. Get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664516/american-idol-recap-lauren-alaina-scotty-mccreery.jhtml

Eve Fergie Foxy Brown Freida Pinto

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller': Story Behind The 'Glee' Cover

MJ classic is mashed up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Heads Will Roll' for post-Super Bowl episode.
By Aly Semigran


"Glee"
Photo: FOX

Madonna, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and now, finally, Michael Jackson. The cast of "Glee" has covered plenty of icons during their first two seasons, but it's taken 33 episodes to get around to the King of Pop.

With a huge catalog of Jackson songs, the singing, dancing students of McKinley High paid homage to the late singer with one of his biggest staples (and, arguably, the greatest music video of all time) with their take on "Thriller."

The groundbreaking single from Jackson's best-selling album of the same name was mashed up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Heads Will Roll" for the post-Super Bowl episode (titled "The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle"), featuring a zombie-fied "Glee" cast.

Bound to become a smash all over again (though with its nonstop rotation at Halloween parties and wedding receptions until the end of time, it's never truly gone away), here's a brief history of the dance/pop classic.

Released on January 23, 1984, "Thriller" was the seventh, and final, single to be released from Jackson's smash record. According to the RIAA, the album (released by Epic Records) has gone gold 29 times, narrowly edging out the Eagles' Greatest Hits 1971-1975 for the title of best-selling album of all time.

In 2009, MTV News estimated that the Thriller album was poised to go triple diamond, meaning 30 million records sold in the U.S. alone.

After Thriller's other singles (including "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Wanna Be Startin' Something") dominated the charts, it was time for the spooky, undeniably original track to take over. The song "Thriller" also appeared on many of Jackson's other albums, including the compilations HIStory and Number Ones.

Clocking in at a little under six minutes (though the radio edit was closer to four-and-a-half), the song features pop-music mainstays like synthesizers but shakes things up with its spooky sound effects, including creaking floors, howling and thunder.

The song was produced by Quincy Jones and written and composed by Rod Tempterton and spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #4.

But it's the music video for "Thriller" that truly made it the phenomenon it was in the '80s and continues to be today. Less a music video than a mini-motion picture, the video (over 13 minutes long and directed by John Landis) won three MTV Video Music Awards and has been named the best music video of all time by many outlets, including VH1 for the special "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos."

The chiller features Jackson in that iconic red leather jacket on a date with his girlfriend (played by Ola Ray) before things go terribly awry. After all, as Jackson (whose disclaimer at the start of the video reads, "This film in no way endorses a belief in the occult") sings in the opening line, "It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark." Cue werewolves, zombies, Vincent Price's soliloquy and one of the most memorable dance sequences ever.

The video was (no pun intended) a monster hit. As the Los Angeles Times notes, "At the height of the song's popularity, MTV would run the 14-minute 'Thriller' video twice an hour."

Choreographed by Jackson and Michael Peters (who, as the LA Times also reported, appears in the video as one of the zombies) and with makeup by Oscar-winner Rick Baker (also an undead "Thriller" extra) was made with a huge budget of an estimated $500,000.

Still, the efforts paid off. Landis (who told the "Today" show back in 2009 that no one wanted to give them the funds to make the risky vid) made the accompanying 45-minute documentary about the venture, called "The Making of Thriller." Featuring the behind-the-scenes wizardry, as well as the music video in full, it would go on to move more than 10 million copies.

Since then, the signature song and video have seen their share fair of tributes in movies (notably in the 2004 comedy"13 Going on 30") and TV ("South Park," "Family Guy," "30 Rock," among others), not to mention the countless flash mobs that have gone viral. (Remember the prisoners in the Philippines who became overnight phenomenons on YouTube?)

Even with the "Glee" number, this likely won't be the last incarnation of "Thriller." Billboard reported in October that a "Thriller" film is in the works. With a plot allegedly revolving around Price's narration, Kenny Ortega, who directed Jackson's last effort, "This Is It," will reportedly helm the project.

Since Jackson's untimely passing on June 25, 2009, the song and video's legacy continue to live on. In the week following Jackson's death, "Thriller" was the best-selling track in the U.S., with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles chart.

Then, in December 2009, "Thriller" was the first music video to ever be inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It seems "no mere mortal can resist ... the thriller" after all.

What did you think of the "Thriller" mash-up on "Glee"? Let us know in the comments!

Related Videos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657395/glee-thriller.jhtml

Christina Applegate Christina DaRe Christina Milian Christina Ricci

Lady Gaga Wrote 'Bad Kids' For 'Extraordinary People,' Producer Says

In latest edition of MTV News' Track by Track, Fernando Garibay breaks down ninth song on Born This Way.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Kara Warner


Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images

The ninth track on Born This Way, "Bad Kids," is unapologetic Lady Gaga at her fiercest.

The metal-tinged disco anthem about embracing yourself includes a line that has Gaga singing, "I'm a twit, degenerate, young rebel and I'm proud of it / Pump your fist if you would rather mess up than put up with this." Like so many of the anthems on Born This Way, which officially dropped on Monday (May 23), the song is about accepting and celebrating perceived flaws.

If you don't think anyone else gets you, Lady Gaga does, and when she sat down to write the track with producers Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow, she had some bad kids in mind. " 'Bad Kids' is something that we all collaborated with — Gaga, White Shadow [and me]," Garibay told MTV News. "Gaga came offstage one night, I remember, and she said, 'I have this idea for a song, "Bad Kids," ' " he recalled.

The song is tough and in-your-face, but also soft and heartwarming, with Gaga singing on the breakdown to the disenfranchised rebels of the world, "Don't be insecure/ If your heart is pure/ You're still good to me/ If you're a bad kid, baby."

That sentiment, Garibay said, perfectly reflects what Mother Monster and all of her little monsters are about. "Just because you're a bad kid growing up, doesn't mean you're a bad person," he said. "And a lot of bad kids end up being extraordinary people, like Lady Gaga, and she wanted to make people who had a rough start or maybe not the most ideal circumstances have a voice and a message. And it's basically about staying true to yourself and if you're bad, so what? You can still be great. There's good, bad and I think that's pretty much what it's talking about."

What do you think of "Bad Kids"? Tell us in the comments!

Don't miss MTV News' hour-long, exclusive interview "Lady Gaga: Inside The Outside" airing Thursday, May 26, at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

Related Videos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664362/lady-gaga-born-this-way-album.jhtml

Chloƫ Sevigny Christina Aguilera Christina Applegate Christina DaRe

Britney Spears Attends Sean Preston?s Little League Game

Accompanied by her bodyguard, Britney Spears attended Sean Preston Federline‘s little league softball game coached by his dad Kevin Federline. Sean looks like quite the determined little batter, look at him go! Britney‘s fiancee Jason Trawick made sure he didn’t … Continue reading

Source: http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2011/05/16/britney-spears-attends-sean-prestons-little-league-game/

Christina Aguilera Christina Applegate Christina DaRe Christina Milian

Britney Spears Attends Sean Preston?s Little League Game

Accompanied by her bodyguard, Britney Spears attended Sean Preston Federline‘s little league softball game coached by his dad Kevin Federline. Sean looks like quite the determined little batter, look at him go! Britney‘s fiancee Jason Trawick made sure he didn’t … Continue reading

Source: http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2011/05/16/britney-spears-attends-sean-prestons-little-league-game/

Emma Heming Emma Stone Emma Watson Emmanuelle Chriqui

Marines Make Britney Spears Video

Love it! Marines stationed in Afghanistan made this video: they’re lip-synching to Britney Spears’ song, ‘Hold It Against Me.’ I bet this was a fun diversion from the stress they’re living under on a constant basis. Britney enjoyed the tribute; … Continue reading

Source: http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2011/04/22/marines-britney-spears-hold-it-against-me-video-youtube/

Bianca Kajlich Bijou Phillips Blake Lively Blu Cantrell