AP – Novak Djokovic overcame his breathing problems and fatigue to beat friend Andy Murray 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 7-5 Friday in a nearly five-hour Australian Open semifinal.
Djokovic edges Murray, sets up final vs Nadal (AP)
January 27th, 2012 
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Posted in Sports Djokovic edges Murray, sets up final vs Nadal (AP)
January 27th, 2012 admin AP – Novak Djokovic overcame his breathing problems and fatigue to beat friend Andy Murray 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 7-5 Friday in a nearly five-hour Australian Open semifinal.
Posted in Sports Ramiro Garcia Brings ‘Grace’ To ‘American Idol’
January 27th, 2012 admin Cortez Shaw, Kristine Osorio and Skylar Laine also make an impression on the judges during Texas auditions.
By Adam Graham
Ramiro Garcia auditions on “American Idol” Thursday
Photo: Michael Becker / FOX
The “American Idol” judges have mostly seen eye-to-eye (to eye) so far this season, with the majority of contestants being passed through to Hollywood or sent back home by unanimous vote. But on Thursday’s (January 26) episode, we saw several disagreements between the judges, with Jennifer Lopez giving singers a passing grade while Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson flunked them. It was implied but not explicitly spelled out that the boys were voting on looks more than voices, angering Lopez to the point where she mock-stabbed Tyler in the head with a pen.
The dissension continued with contestant Linda Williams, whose version of Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’ ” seemed shaky, though it was good enough — or her looks were — to earn “yes” votes from Tyler and Jackson.
“Wake up! Honestly, I feel like somebody slipped you something,” Lopez told Jackson, as she could sense which way he was leaning. It wasn’t enough to dissuade the Dawg, and after Williams was passed through to Hollywood, Lopez moaned to her fellow judges, “That was awful. That was awful!” Let the drama begin!
The latest episode did its best to ramp up the drama factor, taking a detour from the happy-go-lucky vibe that has purveyed over the first four episodes of the season. Even though the Galveston, Texas, auditions gave out 54 Golden Tickets — more than any other audition city so far this season — the show highlighted fewer of those winners than any other episode, instead introducing viewers to oddballs and wannabes, in keeping with years past. Is this the producers’ way of reacting to the show’s slipping ratings?
The night’s warmest story belonged to 28-year-old Ramiro Garcia, a worship leader in Houston who was born without ears and was told he would grow up mute. After several surgeries, doctors discovered his ear canal ,and he taught himself to not only speak but to sing. His husky, smoky version of “Amazing Grace” was a standout. Tyler told him, “I like your insides” — a weird compliment, to be sure, but it was enough to give Garcia a pass through to Hollywood.
Another standout was 20-year-old Cortez Shaw of Garland, Texas, who put a warm R&B twist on Adele’s “Someone Like You” and instantly won the favor of the judges, who implied they’d heard far too many botched versions of 2011′s #1 sob song. Shaw said he grew up bouncing between his friends’ homes while his single mother struggled with homelessness, but he put a positive spin on everything and came out ahead. And he’s not lacking for confidence: “I’m gonna win ‘American Idol,’ ” he said after earning his Golden Ticket to Hollywood. “OH MY GOD!”
Kristine Osorio also sang an Adele song — “One and Only” — and equally wowed the judges. The 28-year-old mother of three from Amarillo, Texas, was praised by Tyler for her upper register, and her slick hairdo and tattooed upper body give her a strong, unique look.
Also graduating through to Hollywood were 17-year-old Skylar Laine from Brandon, Mississippi, a deer-killin’, ATV-ridin’ country gal who was more than convincing singing Pistol Annies’ “Hell on Heels,” and Baylie Brown, a 21-year-old who made it through to Hollywood back in season six and return this year on the strength of her country-fried rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Bed of Roses.”
“American Idol” is back Wednesday to put a bird on it with a trip to Portland, Oregon.
What did you think of Thursday’s “American Idol”? Let us know in the comments!
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Posted in Music Is ‘Hunger Games’ YA’s Best Chance For A Best Picture Oscar?
January 26th, 2012 admin As Harry Potter weathers his final Academy snub, Hobnobbing wonders if Katniss Everdeen can carry the genre’s mantle.
By Amy Wilkinson
Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games”
Photo: Lionsgate
“The Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence set aside her flaming bow and arrow in favor of a gilded envelope Tuesday morning to announce the 2012 Oscar nominations alongside Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak. And sadly — though not entirely surprisingly for young-adult-literature aficionados — the “Harry Potter” franchise was once again (and for the final time) overlooked for a Best Picture nomination.
Which raises the question: Does the Academy have something against YA adaptations?*
Curiously, adaptations have historically been strong performers at the Academy Awards. Past statuettes have gone to the literary likes of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Silence of the Lambs.” And this year’s contenders are no different. Six of the nine Best Picture nominees, including “The Descendants,” “Hugo,” “The Help,” “Moneyball,” “War Horse” and “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” can be found lining the shelves of your local Barnes & Noble, while five of last year’s 10 nominees were also based on bound works, according to USA Today.
The side of the equation, then, troubling Academy voters seems to be the “young adult” variable. Though to be fair, there’s not much of a precedent for awards recognition seeing as mining teen lit for film fodder is a relatively new phenomenon. Sure, there are exceptions like S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” (made into a film all the way back in 1983, starring Matt Dillon and Patrick Swayze), but for every “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” or “The Princess Diaries” there are tens (if not hundreds) of seminal works, like “The Catcher in the Rye” or “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” languishing in pre-production hell or undeserved obscurity as far as film financiers are concerned.
Which leaves us with “The Hunger Games,” the latest YA sensation, which blazes into theaters in less than two months. And while it’s hard to predict the awards-season viability of a movie we haven’t even seen yet, there are at least a few indicators to suggest it could be the first YA novel adaptation to win (or at the very least be nominated for) Best Picture. For one, Oscar’s already made acquaintance with many members of the cast and crew. Our friends at NextMovie crunched the numbers, discovering that the actors and technical experts behind “The Hunger Games” boast 30 Oscar nominations — even Effie Trinket couldn’t turn her nose up at that. And while a film like “Twilight” (which, let’s be honest, won’t be sharing a feather-strewn canopy bed with the Academy anytime soon) focuses on a fantastical, star-crossed-lovers plotline, “The Hunger Games” deals more seriously with issues of life, death and government control, likely giving it more credence with voters.
Though most of the above could surely have been said of “Harry Potter,” it apparently wasn’t meant to be. Hopefully with “The Hunger Games” (and the slew of approximately 4 million teen novels in various stages of adaptation) the Academy will begin recognizing artful YA adaptations as the deserving films that they are. Because we already do.
Do you think “The Hunger Games” is blazing a path for YA novel adaptations? Sound off in the comments below and tweet me @amymwilk with your thoughts and suggestions for future columns!
*Whether, in fact, “Harry Potter” constitutes YA is a topic of much debate in and of itself, though for the sake of this piece, I assert that the final novel’s dark tone and subject matter secure its spot at the teen table.
Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.”
For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.
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Posted in Movies Liam Neeson Talks Surviving A Plane Crash In ‘The Grey’
January 26th, 2012 admin Film shows what happens when an oil-drilling team goes missing, and no one comes looking for them.
By Kevin P. Sullivan
Liam Neeson in “The Grey”
Photo: Open Road Films
In most movies where the main characters find themselves stranded after a shipwreck or a plane crash, the survivors take solace in the fact that someone must be looking for them. “The Grey” isn’t like most movies.
In the new film, which hits theaters Friday, Liam Neeson plays a member of an oil-drilling team that gets into a plane crash somewhere near the Arctic Circle during their journey home. Many die in the incident, and the remaining members soon realize that no one is coming for them. Unless you count the wolves.
Neeson told MTV News that the rougher edges of the characters in “The Grey” are what make the film something new and resonant. “They’re definitely flotsam and jetsam of society. One of them says after the mishap with the airplane that ‘Nobody’s going to care about us,’ ” Neeson said. “Nobody’s going to send out reconnaissance planes to try and find these guys because who cares? You know?”
During the course of the film, one of the characters makes reference to “Alive,” the Ethan Hawke film about a rugby team stranded in the Andes. Neeson’s co-star Frank Grillo described how their film and co-writer/director Joe Carnahan took a different road. “The element of survival is different because these are just much different men, as opposed to being civilized,” he said. “They’re not real civilized guys, and I think that’s what Joe [Carnahan] tries to show you in the beginning of the film.”
Even if the realization that no one will look for these men is devastating, Neeson believes that’s ultimately what keeps the characters going. “It’s from that sadness that they realize who they are and what they are and how they’re just a speck of dust in society,” Neeson said. “But that somehow empowers them to continue on with this crazy journey for freedom and solace and to get out of this predicament. It actually gives them strength, the fact that they’re nondescript.”
Will you see “The Grey” this weekend? Leave your comment below!
Posted in Movies ‘American Idol’ Introduces Shelby Tweten And … Magic Cyclops
January 25th, 2012 admin Haley Smith, Angie Zeiderman and Jairon Jackson also stand out during Aspen, Colorado, auditions.
By Adam Graham
Jennifer Lopez on “American Idol”
Photo: FOX
The change in direction in this year’s “American Idol” — focusing on actual contestants rather than the humiliating auditions that result in YouTube infamy — has, thus far, deprived viewers of any great-bad moments. That changed Wednesday (January 25) during the “Idol” auditions from Aspen, Colorado, when viewers were introduced to “professional air guitarist” Magic Cyclops, who showed up in front of Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson in an American-flag T-shirt, a red-white-and-blue bandana and a faux-British accent he said he picked up in Davenport, Iowa, from watching the BBC.
The long-haired, facial-hair-sporting Cyclops refused to give his age — “it’s not polite to ask a lady her age,” he told Jackson — and claimed to be the proud owner of 11,000 air guitars. “I know there’s a guy in Belgium that has, I think, five more than me,” he said. When it came time to sing, Cyclops offered the judges their choice between Neil Diamond’s “Cracklin’ Rosie” and Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” and ended up singing them both in a kind of metalhead growl.
Jackson was already on his way out of the room when Cyclops hit his grand finale — a burst of confetti shooting out of a cannon he had tucked into the back of his pants — but by that time, season 11 had finally given us someone to include alongside William Hung, Renaldo Lapuz and others in the “Idol” Bad Audition Hall of Fame.
Cyclops aside, Aspen had a solid crop of talent to offer, with 31 singers earning Golden Tickets to Hollywood. Perhaps the most unique contestant was 25-year-old Angie Zeiderman of Delray Beach, Florida, a would-be Lady Gaga in a floral-print minidress, pearls and a purple hairdo who rolled around the audition stage while performing “When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It” from “The Producers.” She followed it with a measured take on Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou,” leading Jackson to tell her, “You’re in your own little world.” Lopez complimented her strong voice and her tone, while Tyler told her she had a “great little voice.” Zeiderman herself told the cameras, “It is time for a vintage glitter queen on ‘American Idol,’ ” and it seems as though she’s right, as she sailed through to the next round of auditions.
Viewers were also told the story of Shelby Tweten, 17, of North Mankato, Minnesota, who was diagnosed bipolar last year but who said “American Idol” keeps her balanced and gives her a reason to stay on her medication. Her version of Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home” brought a tear to Lopez’s eye and inspired Jackson to give her a “big, huge yes!” to Hollywood.
Haley Smith, meanwhile, doesn’t have just one job she has to leave to head to Hollywood, but three. The hardworking 18-year-old from Orem, Utah, brought a little flower power to Wednesday’s show, as her throwback hippie vibe gave Steven Tyler flashbacks. “I love your voice so much. You’re right out of my era, and I’m honored to be here listening to your voice,” he told the Janis Joplin-like Smith, following her earthy version of Rufus and Chaka Kahn’s “Tell Me Something Good.”
Then there was 19-year-old Jairon Jackson of Denver, Colorado, whose original song “So Hard” inspired Lopez to exclaim, “That kid is a real artist!” and also provided enough of a tie-in for producers to play will.i.am.’s Lopez-assisted “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever).” Cross-promotion is key, kids.
Other singers ushered through to Hollywood on Wednesday’s episode included elementary school teacher Jenni Schick, 24, of Sterling, Virginia, who managed to steal a kiss on the lips from Tyler before leaving the judge’s room; Curtis Gray, 28, of Spring Hill, Florida, who was called a “major talent” after his version of Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”; Scotty McCreery sound-alike Richie Law, 19, of Centennial, Colorado; Devan Jones, 26, of Aurora, Colorado, a hotel clerk who moved the judges with his version of the Script’s “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”; and 25-year-old Mathenee Reco of Centennial, Colorado, a dance instructor who gave an animated version of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”
On Thursday, “Idol” is off to Galveston, Texas, to find out if everything really is bigger in Texas.
What did you think of Magic Cyclops and the rest of Wednesday’s “Idol” contestants? Let us know in the comments!
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Posted in Music ‘American Idol’ Introduces Shelby Tweten And … Magic Cyclops
January 25th, 2012 admin Haley Smith, Angie Zeiderman and Jairon Jackson also stand out during Aspen, Colorado, auditions.
By Adam Graham
Jennifer Lopez on “American Idol”
Photo: FOX
The change in direction in this year’s “American Idol” — focusing on actual contestants rather than the humiliating auditions that result in YouTube infamy — has, thus far, deprived viewers of any great-bad moments. That changed Wednesday (January 25) during the “Idol” auditions from Aspen, Colorado, when viewers were introduced to “professional air guitarist” Magic Cyclops, who showed up in front of Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson in an American-flag T-shirt, a red-white-and-blue bandana and a faux-British accent he said he picked up in Davenport, Iowa, from watching the BBC.
The long-haired, facial-hair-sporting Cyclops refused to give his age — “it’s not polite to ask a lady her age,” he told Jackson — and claimed to be the proud owner of 11,000 air guitars. “I know there’s a guy in Belgium that has, I think, five more than me,” he said. When it came time to sing, Cyclops offered the judges their choice between Neil Diamond’s “Cracklin’ Rosie” and Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” and ended up singing them both in a kind of metalhead growl.
Jackson was already on his way out of the room when Cyclops hit his grand finale — a burst of confetti shooting out of a cannon he had tucked into the back of his pants — but by that time, season 11 had finally given us someone to include alongside William Hung, Renaldo Lapuz and others in the “Idol” Bad Audition Hall of Fame.
Cyclops aside, Aspen had a solid crop of talent to offer, with 31 singers earning Golden Tickets to Hollywood. Perhaps the most unique contestant was 25-year-old Angie Zeiderman of Delray Beach, Florida, a would-be Lady Gaga in a floral-print minidress, pearls and a purple hairdo who rolled around the audition stage while performing “When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It” from “The Producers.” She followed it with a measured take on Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou,” leading Jackson to tell her, “You’re in your own little world.” Lopez complimented her strong voice and her tone, while Tyler told her she had a “great little voice.” Zeiderman herself told the cameras, “It is time for a vintage glitter queen on ‘American Idol,’ ” and it seems as though she’s right, as she sailed through to the next round of auditions.
Viewers were also told the story of Shelby Tweten, 17, of North Mankato, Minnesota, who was diagnosed bipolar last year but who said “American Idol” keeps her balanced and gives her a reason to stay on her medication. Her version of Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home” brought a tear to Lopez’s eye and inspired Jackson to give her a “big, huge yes!” to Hollywood.
Haley Smith, meanwhile, doesn’t have just one job she has to leave to head to Hollywood, but three. The hardworking 18-year-old from Orem, Utah, brought a little flower power to Wednesday’s show, as her throwback hippie vibe gave Steven Tyler flashbacks. “I love your voice so much. You’re right out of my era, and I’m honored to be here listening to your voice,” he told the Janis Joplin-like Smith, following her earthy version of Rufus and Chaka Kahn’s “Tell Me Something Good.”
Then there was 19-year-old Jairon Jackson of Denver, Colorado, whose original song “So Hard” inspired Lopez to exclaim, “That kid is a real artist!” and also provided enough of a tie-in for producers to play will.i.am.’s Lopez-assisted “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever).” Cross-promotion is key, kids.
Other singers ushered through to Hollywood on Wednesday’s episode included elementary school teacher Jenni Schick, 24, of Sterling, Virginia, who managed to steal a kiss on the lips from Tyler before leaving the judge’s room; Curtis Gray, 28, of Spring Hill, Florida, who was called a “major talent” after his version of Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”; Scotty McCreery sound-alike Richie Law, 19, of Centennial, Colorado; Devan Jones, 26, of Aurora, Colorado, a hotel clerk who moved the judges with his version of the Script’s “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”; and 25-year-old Mathenee Reco of Centennial, Colorado, a dance instructor who gave an animated version of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”
On Thursday, “Idol” is off to Galveston, Texas, to find out if everything really is bigger in Texas.
What did you think of Magic Cyclops and the rest of Wednesday’s “Idol” contestants? Let us know in the comments!
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Posted in Music ‘American Idol’ Introduces Shelby Tweten And … Magic Cyclops
January 25th, 2012 admin Haley Smith, Angie Zeiderman and Jairon Jackson also stand out during Aspen, Colorado, auditions.
By Adam Graham
Jennifer Lopez on “American Idol”
Photo: FOX
The change in direction in this year’s “American Idol” — focusing on actual contestants rather than the humiliating auditions that result in YouTube infamy — has, thus far, deprived viewers of any great-bad moments. That changed Wednesday (January 25) during the “Idol” auditions from Aspen, Colorado, when viewers were introduced to “professional air guitarist” Magic Cyclops, who showed up in front of Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson in an American-flag T-shirt, a red-white-and-blue bandana and a faux-British accent he said he picked up in Davenport, Iowa, from watching the BBC.
The long-haired, facial-hair-sporting Cyclops refused to give his age — “it’s not polite to ask a lady her age,” he told Jackson — and claimed to be the proud owner of 11,000 air guitars. “I know there’s a guy in Belgium that has, I think, five more than me,” he said. When it came time to sing, Cyclops offered the judges their choice between Neil Diamond’s “Cracklin’ Rosie” and Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” and ended up singing them both in a kind of metalhead growl.
Jackson was already on his way out of the room when Cyclops hit his grand finale — a burst of confetti shooting out of a cannon he had tucked into the back of his pants — but by that time, season 11 had finally given us someone to include alongside William Hung, Renaldo Lapuz and others in the “Idol” Bad Audition Hall of Fame.
Cyclops aside, Aspen had a solid crop of talent to offer, with 31 singers earning Golden Tickets to Hollywood. Perhaps the most unique contestant was 25-year-old Angie Zeiderman of Delray Beach, Florida, a would-be Lady Gaga in a floral-print minidress, pearls and a purple hairdo who rolled around the audition stage while performing “When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It” from “The Producers.” She followed it with a measured take on Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou,” leading Jackson to tell her, “You’re in your own little world.” Lopez complimented her strong voice and her tone, while Tyler told her she had a “great little voice.” Zeiderman herself told the cameras, “It is time for a vintage glitter queen on ‘American Idol,’ ” and it seems as though she’s right, as she sailed through to the next round of auditions.
Viewers were also told the story of Shelby Tweten, 17, of North Mankato, Minnesota, who was diagnosed bipolar last year but who said “American Idol” keeps her balanced and gives her a reason to stay on her medication. Her version of Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home” brought a tear to Lopez’s eye and inspired Jackson to give her a “big, huge yes!” to Hollywood.
Haley Smith, meanwhile, doesn’t have just one job she has to leave to head to Hollywood, but three. The hardworking 18-year-old from Orem, Utah, brought a little flower power to Wednesday’s show, as her throwback hippie vibe gave Steven Tyler flashbacks. “I love your voice so much. You’re right out of my era, and I’m honored to be here listening to your voice,” he told the Janis Joplin-like Smith, following her earthy version of Rufus and Chaka Kahn’s “Tell Me Something Good.”
Then there was 19-year-old Jairon Jackson of Denver, Colorado, whose original song “So Hard” inspired Lopez to exclaim, “That kid is a real artist!” and also provided enough of a tie-in for producers to play will.i.am.’s Lopez-assisted “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever).” Cross-promotion is key, kids.
Other singers ushered through to Hollywood on Wednesday’s episode included elementary school teacher Jenni Schick, 24, of Sterling, Virginia, who managed to steal a kiss on the lips from Tyler before leaving the judge’s room; Curtis Gray, 28, of Spring Hill, Florida, who was called a “major talent” after his version of Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”; Scotty McCreery sound-alike Richie Law, 19, of Centennial, Colorado; Devan Jones, 26, of Aurora, Colorado, a hotel clerk who moved the judges with his version of the Script’s “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”; and 25-year-old Mathenee Reco of Centennial, Colorado, a dance instructor who gave an animated version of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”
On Thursday, “Idol” is off to Galveston, Texas, to find out if everything really is bigger in Texas.
What did you think of Magic Cyclops and the rest of Wednesday’s “Idol” contestants? Let us know in the comments!
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Posted in Music ‘RapFix Live’ With Bow Wow And Too $hort
January 25th, 2012 admin 
‘RapFix Live’ With Bow Wow And Too $hort
Cash Money’s “Prince” gets ready for <i>Underrated</i> and discusses the evolution of his career alongside rap vet Too $hort, plus 2 Chainz drops exclusive news.
Posted in News ‘RapFix Live’ With Bow Wow And Too $hort
January 25th, 2012 admin
‘RapFix Live’ With Bow Wow And Too $hort
Cash Money’s “Prince” gets ready for <i>Underrated</i> and discusses the evolution of his career alongside rap vet Too $hort, plus 2 Chainz drops exclusive news.
Posted in News 
