Lady Gaga Says Born This Way Is 'Absolutely' Not Worth More Than 99 Cents

'I applaud a company like Amazon for equating the value of digital versus the physical copy,' Gaga tells The Wall Street Journal.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images

Ever since Lady Gaga's Born This Way was released on May 23, much has been made of its pricing and promotion, a multi-tiered plan that included partnerships with everyone from the folks behind "FarmVille" to Best Buy ... and, of course, Amazon.com, which decided to price the album at 99 cents on the day of release to promote its Cloud Drive service (and when the download demand subsequently sank the site, they extended the deal for a second day).

According to some estimates, downloads through Amazon accounted for nearly half of Born This Way's 1.1 million sales — which certainly proved that it worked — but at the same time, it also sparked genuine debate about the inherent worth of an album ... and whether the Amazon model may have fundamentally changed the way new releases are promoted and priced.

So, in a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Gaga was asked whether she believed that Born This Way was worth more than 99 cents. And her answer was somewhat surprising.

"No. I absolutely do not, especially for MP3s and digital music. It's invisible. It's in space. If anything, I applaud a company like Amazon for equating the value of digital versus the physical copy, and giving the opportunity to everyone to buy music," she said. "It also wasn't really 99 cents, because Amazon paid the difference on all of those purchases as part of their promotional campaign for one of their new services. I think it's amazing and it was a really nice surprise and I felt honored that they chose my record to be part of it."

Amazon would be paying the difference on all those 99-cent purchases to Interscope/ Universal Music Group — a tab that could run as high $3.2 million, according to Billboard.biz — but in the long run, that loss might actually be viewed as a win, since it drove traffic to the site and raised awareness of its fledgling Cloud Drive service. And Gaga is the first to admit that the plan isn't for everyone ... it's up to individual artists (and their labels) to determine a price point. But she's happy with the results this time out.

"I don't know if other artists or other companies would want to adopt the same model," she told the WSJ. "Everyone always has the opportunity to sell their music at any price they want to. This sort of happened this way and it's very exciting."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664978/lady-gaga-born-this-way.jhtml

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Ryan Reynolds Reveals 'Green Lantern 2' 'War' Story

Before the first movie hits theaters on Friday, Reynolds and Blake Lively hint at sequel plots.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Ryan Reynolds in "Green Lantern"
Photo: Warner Bros.

Ryan Reynolds was still busy in a blue-screen studio bringing the starry magic of "Green Lantern" to life when Warner Bros. started moving ahead with plans for a sequel. That's just the way things work in Hollywood.

Now, a year after screenwriters were hired to pen the script for "Green Lantern 2," much of the overall story seems to be in place, and as Reynolds told us recently, he's "pretty aware" of what's in store for his Hal Jordan, the test-pilot-turned-universe-protecting superhero. But with the first flick not hitting theaters until this Friday, the actor isn't going to spill all the details.

"I'm not throwing that out there at all," he said.

He did, nonetheless, toss us a few clues — most tantalizingly about what's in store for Jordan and Sinestro, an ally who eventually becomes one of Jordan's greatest enemies. "There's such a rich history with this character, so you get really excited about the possibility," Reynolds explained. "The inevitable war between Hal and Sinestro is something that will have to be dealt with in the second movie for sure, but there's always subplots and a lot of other interesting things going on that are setting up a possible third film."

One subplot that co-star Blake Lively is hoping to see in future films concerns her character, Carol Ferris. According to DC Comics lore, Ferris evolves from Jordan's on-again, off-again lover into a powerful being endowed with abilities similar to those that Jordan's Green Lantern Corps power ring gives him. She becomes known as Star Sapphire, another of Jordan's enemies. Lively, it seems, can't wait to battle Reynolds — either in a sequel or even the third film that Reynolds discussed. Not that she went into great detail about the plots either.

"Like the war between Star Sapphire and ...," Lively began, before trailing off.

Reynolds quickly picked up. "Oh, I was talking about Pokémon and Pikachu," he cracked. "But yes, that one as well."

Check out everything we've got on "Green Lantern."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665719/green-lantern-sequel-ryan-reynolds.jhtml

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Steve-O Says He Should Top Justin Bieber For MTV Movie Award

'Jackass' star also competing with Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page, and James Franco for Best Jaw Dropping Moment.
By Kara Warner


Steve-O
Photo: Matt Elias/ MTV News

One of the many ways the MTV Movie Awards distinguishes itself from all the other awards shows out there is the unique categories for which performances by actors, actresses and assorted moments in film are nominated and awarded.

The Best Jaw Dropping Moment is a perfect example. This year's nominees run the gamut from cringe-worthy and painful moments to larger-than-life concert experiences, amazing special effects and being covered in poo.

The nominees are: Natalie Portman for her hangnail moment in "Black Swan," Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page for the dream-within-a-dream "café scene" in "Inception," James Franco between a rock and a hard place in "127 Hours," Justin Bieber performing in his 3-D concert doc "Never Say Never," and the mighty Steve-O for his Porta-Potty moment in "Jackass 3D."

When MTV News caught up with poo and Porta-Potty expert Steve-O recently, we asked him how he feels about going up against fan favorite Justin Bieber.

"I'm not sure exactly what Justin Bieber's jaw-dropping moment is. From what I gather, it's not actually that spectacular," Steve-O said, pointing to the fact that Bieber's concert performance isn't quite as intense as Portman's or Franco's painful scenes. "But with his following, I'm pretty much showing up at this Movie Awards feeling like I'm a spectator and I'm going to watch him win," he continued. "I'm fine with that."

The "Jackass" star went on to say that the big reason he is a fan of the Biebs is not for his singing career, but his skateboarding skills. "Justin, I'm glad you know how to ride a skateboard and you have passion for the sport," he said to Bieber. "I consider skateboarding a sport, and I like Justin Bieber because he rides," he revealed.

In thinking a bit more about how Bieber's nominated moment stands out from his fellow "jaw-dropping moment" nominees, Steve-O suggested that we think about re-naming Bieber's big scene. "It should be called a 'panty-dropping moment,' " he said with a laugh. "The jailbait panty-dropping moment of all time, [by] Justin Bieber."

And although Steve-O doesn't expect to win, he did give himself a little plug, since in his infamous Porta-Potty bungee scene, his jaw did drop. "I should win, because my jaw was completely dropped the whole time," he said. "I had my mouth wide open and poo flying in there, and if I didn't drop my jaw, then that wouldn't have happened, so I should win."

Will wizards, vampires or dream thieves steal the 2011 MTV Movie Awards? Find out June 5, when the 20th annual show airs live at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT that night for the "America's Best Dance Crew" finale and Movie Awards pre-show, loaded with live action from the red carpet, exclusive movie clips and a special edition of "After Hours."

What Will Happen at the Start of the Awards?

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665046/steve-o-justin-bieber-jaw-dropping-moment-mtv-movie-awards.jhtml

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Rachel Zoe Talks About Anne Hathaway?s Oscar Styles

I’m not at ALL surprised to find out that stylist-to-the-stars Rachel Zoe was the one who dressed Anne Hathaway in all eight of her dresses for the Oscars Sunday night! Didn’t Anne look great? Rachel talked to Entertainment Weekly about … Continue reading

Source: http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2011/03/01/rachel-zoe-talks-about-anne-hathaways-oscar-styles/

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Nicole Scherzinger: Miami "X Factor" Fabulous!

Tending to her judging duties, Nicole Scherzinger arrived at the Miami "X Factor" auditions held at the University of Miami in Miami Florida earlier today (June 14).

The former "Pussycat Doll" looked absolutely stunning as she posed for pictures, tying together two big punches of color with a orange top and purple high-waisted skirt.

During a recent interview with the BBC, Nicole fought back against any thought that her new single "Right There" (which features 50 Cent) is too risque, telling, "I didn't write it! Ester Dean wrote the song and she also wrote [ Rihanna's] Rude Boy. I don't think it's raunchy, I think it's a lovely feel-good love song."

Scherzinger continued, "My parents raised me right. I live by example. As an artist I keep my stuff sassy but classy!" adding, "I'm a woman, I'm not a girl anymore. Sometimes I change my lyrics."

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/nicole-scherzinger/nicole-scherzinger-miami-x-factor-fabulous-514376

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Beyonce's 4: Early Reviews Are In!

'It's very much the sort of album a pop star makes when she doesn't feel like she has anything to prove,' one critic writes.
By Jocelyn Vena


Beyonce's <i>4</i>
Photo: Columbia

Although Beyoncé's latest album, 4, was still weeks from its official release date, on Wednesday it was leaked and quickly caused a stir on the Internet, prompting fans and critics to weigh in on the singer's first new album in nearly three years.

So far, B's promo for 4 has been fueled by the release of tracks like the snarling "Run the World (Girls)", the track "Best Thing I Never Had," and the emotional "1+1." But now that all of the tracks are out there on the Net, Beyoncé's album is up for debate.

The Atlantic compares her latest to her last album: "In between, there's an unmistakable, if gradual, turn from melancholic top 40 ballads to the confrontational snap of military drums and giddy proclamations of love. Is this I Am ... Sasha Fierce part 2? Not quite. The course of 4 documents a progression, a maturation, of Beyoncé's worldview."

Rolling Stone observes, "Beyoncé's new album, 4, is a change of pace for the R&B queen ... 4 is a more relaxed, personal set that emphasizes ballads over bangers and showcases the singer's nuances; it's very much the sort of album a pop star makes when she doesn't feel like she has anything to prove."

Ology.com gives Beyoncé credit for working with so many producers on the album, but making it all sound "cohesive." "It stands quite easily as Knowles' most vibrant album; not saying it's her best (B'Day still holds that title), but it begs to be performed live in front of hundreds of thousands of screaming fans unlike anything else she's released yet."

Fans seem equally opinionated — and enthusiastic — about the album, which officially drops on June 28.

"This album is so not her, she took chances, went off in a new direction as far as sound, her vocal techniques are off the charts on this album," Lee Joseph Chaisson wrote on MTV.com. "She brought it vocally; the sounds are so uniquely different, her whole approach."

"I've heard the Album...The **** it BANGIN!" Oren Acquirestino added. "Beyonce's really really singing on this album."

B's most devoted also took to her Facebook page to put their two cents in. Tatyana Krasko wrote, "Beyonce thanks for great work...Album '4' it's amazing... I love Beyonce."

Another fan, Sunny Lochab, gave the singer props and said he was buying the album regardless of the leak. "I downloaded it. I couldn't help it - everyone was talking about it! and I completely love it - I'll be buying it too to show love! you show true growth on this album...it's ALL love."

Have you heard Beyoncé's album? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665460/beyonce-4-reviews.jhtml

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Cameron Diaz Covers Maxim Magazine

Camron Diaz

She?s never been one for a traditional way of thinking, and Cameron Diaz feels like marriage is a dying institution. The ?Something About Mary? babe told Maxim magazine that she?s more a fan of doing things her own way. ?I think we have to make our own rules. I don?t think we should live our lives in relationships based off old traditions that don?t suit our world any longer.? ?I think a lot of people are married to people they?re not romantic with anymore. I just didn?t ever marry anybody that I then had to get divorced from. We break up. We move on.? [gallery=754]

Source: http://www.celebritygossiphollywood.com/celebrities/cameron-diaz/cameron-diaz-covers-maxim-magazine/

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