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Elmo Sex Accuser Is An Alleged Model With A Very Real Rap Sheet

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The Smoking Gun has tracked down the man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of engaging in an underage sexual relationship–only to recant the allegation a day later. Turns out he’s a 24-year-old wannabe model/actor who was once arrested for robbing his employer of $250,000 in jewelry by knifepoint. Gee, when did Sesame Street get so seedy?

Sheldon Stephens has been around the block, to the rodeo, and back his fair share of times. Often modeling under the name “Sheldon Xzavier,” the 5’ 10” Harrisburg resident has met with little to no success as a professional pretty person but has earned quite a track record as a scumbag.*





The Smoking Gun reports:

Court records show that Stephens himself has been arrested several times since 2009. Last year, Stephens was busted for passing a bad check, though that charge was eventually dismissed after he settled the debt with a Harrisburg business. He was also collared last May for reckless driving, and subsequently pleaded guilty to a traffic offense.

The most serious criminal charges filed against Stephens came in September 2009, when he was arrested at the Harrisburg airport after stepping off a flight from L.A..

According to a criminal complaint, music manager Darian Pollard contacted the Beverly Hills Police Department to report that Stephens–an intern that he had just fired–had robbed him at knifepoint of a $250,000 “white gold necklace with diamonds” and a “white gold ring with diamond baguets.”

Pollard, who heads DP Music Entertainment Group, told cops that Stephens had boarded a flight bound for Harrisburg. Beverly Hills police contacted their counterparts in Pennsylvania, and two officers detained Stephens, who “was wearing the necklace and also the ring” as he exited the plane, reported an investigator, who added, “He made no attempt to hide either article.”


Stephens denied the jewelry was stolen but rather insisted they were “gifts.” No charges were subsequently filed against him and Pollard for his part – a self-described “very wealthy” man who has been held up“like five times” – can’t recall being robbed at knifepoint by Stephens or calling Beverly Hills cops.

Speaking with TSG, a friend of Stephens’ dismissed the Beverly Hills incident as a simple“misunderstanding,” comparing it to a “domestic dispute.” So it sounds like this Pollard fellow was one of “these high-powered men” that Sheldon attracts, as the friend claims, as was Kevin Clash. Because nothing says“power” like shoving your hand up a puppet on public broadcasting for 25 years.

Stephens may have “attracted” Clash when he worked retail in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, whilst living in Brooklyn. Having since moved back home with his mother in Pennsylvania, perhaps Stephens saw all that glorious red fur and thought green. But whatever his reasons for lying about his relationship with Clash, there’s no excuse for potentially ruining a man’s career.

Between Elmo and Petraeus, what heroes do we have left?

Also, it seems that felony runs in the family. Sheldon’s mother, Felicia Stephens, 48, was charged last March with attempted murder after she allegedly repeatedly stabbed her husband with a pair of scissors. She’s currently free on bail, but facing a felony aggravated assault rap, she’s due in court December 19. Following her arrest, Sheldon described his mother as“the nicest person in the world.”

SOURCE




miley goes into a building

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Miley Cyrus heads into an office building in Beverly Hills 11/15/12.




























First look at her Cosmo shoot!



also sorry to the people that want her long hair back, haha:


12

Another awkward Kristen Stewart interview...

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The interviewer asks Kristen to pick her favorite outfit and least favorite out of the recent outfits she has worn. Kristen picks two questions out of the 'Blood Bowl' and they both are breakup related questions.



Extra interview. Interviewer asks Kristen if she would ever be a Bond Girl. The other interviewer tells Kristen she has handled personal questions well during this media tour. Kristen then asks that interviewer what color underwear she is wearing.



Robert Pattinson and the interviewer wear matching suits.


SOURCE 1SOURCE 2SOURCE 3

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Solange Knowles claims 'Discrim-FRO-nation'

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Singer Solange Knowles, also known as younger sister to Beyonce, took to Twitter on Wednesday claiming that Transportation Security Administration officials in Miami had searched her hair.

It didn't take long for Knowles, who called it "Discrim-FRO-nation" to get funny with it. "Lets play a little game called: "What did TSA find in Solange's Fro"?" she wrote to her 1.3 million Twitter followers.

"Romney's actual 5 point plan," replied @Elle_is_haute.


"@Remzophilos: the good lord, Jesus of nazareth was found in @solangeknowles' fro," wrote someone else.

While she wouldn't comment on the specifics, the TSA doesn't have a policy of specifically searching Afros, said agency spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.

"If someone is passing through the advanced imaging technology machine, it shows an outline of an individual, the same for every single person," said Koshetz. "If the hair area is highlighted, the machine may have picked up an anomaly or a possible threat in the head area." That could include a bobby pin, hair clip, extension clips, ponytail holders or cloth head wraps.

"It would not be someone's hair but something in someone's hair," she said.

Natural hair stylist Isis Brantley, who claimed that TSA agents searched her hair last year, isn't buying it.

Brantley says her hair clients often complain that security officials search their hair at the airport. "How could you not know that people wear Afros?" she said.

But she thinks African-American women who wear their hair naturally are seen as "flaunting it. You cannot be seen in public with this hair and not have something happen."


Knowles had fun with her fans, and then she called it quits. "Ok. Game over:( Flights taking off. Me and my wig had a lot of good laughs with y'all."

The TSA's Blogger Bob outlined the agency's screening procedures for hair after another African-American woman with an Afro complained about her hair being searched.


------
Source

Black hair or racial profiling post depending on your mood.

Grimm Midseason Finale Megapost For Ep 2x12 "Season Of The Hexenbiest"

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All of the stars of NBC's "Grimm" are on hand to provide interviews and background commentary for another preview of Episode 2.12, "Season of the Hexenbiest," the show's "Fall Finale," which the network promises will have a big cliffhanger. Watch them now!

Episode 2.12 - "Season of the Hexenbiest" (airing 11/16/12; 9:00-10:00 pm)
Adalind (Claire Coffee) returns to wreak havoc in everyone’s lives and avenge her mother’s brutal death. She has her eyes set on Nick (David Giuntoli) and those closest to him – especially Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch). Elsewhere, Captain Renard’s (Sasha Roiz) obsession continues to escalate. Meanwhile a surprise visit at the spice shop gives Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) more than he ever bargained for. Reggie Lee also stars.






































YouTube 1
YouTube 2
DreadCentral
Examiner

This gonna be good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reminder that this is the MID Season Finale (not the end of the actual season). I don't know the exact date it will return. I assume January or February of 2013.


Real Housewife’s Real Lawsuit: Joanna Consulting With Lawyer After Being Punched By Adrianna!!!

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A violent encounter between cast mates on The Real Housewives is spilling over into a real-life legal drama, RadarOnline has learned. Joanna, who was punched by Adriana in a wild scene of the suddenly popular show, is now consulting with a top lawyer to find legal recourse against de Moura

"She's reached out to one of Florida's most powerful attorneys to better understand her legal options after being punched in the face" on the show.

"Not only did Adrianna punch her in the face, it took all of Joanna’s strength to hold on to Adrianna as she was trying to break free and grab a broom that Krupa believes she was going to hit her with," the source told Radar.

A lawsuit against de Moura is an option that is still in play, the source told Radar exclusively.

Tempers flared once again on the show this past Sunday, with de Moura denying she hit Krupa, when confronted by the beauty. "I never punched you in the face. Where are the bruises?" Adriana snapped. "Where are the bruises on your face?"

But Joanna says that's all nonsense, and she will protect herself physically and legally going forward.





Joanna Krupa Feuds With Amanda Palmer!


As an animal rights activist,Joanna refuses to wear fur. And as a professional model, she doesn't get to sport much, uh, "fur" of her own in the bikini line department.

Until now, anyway. Krupa's latest PETA ad shows the Polish blonde topless in a lacey pair of pink panties -- which are overflowing with bushy, Bigfoot-style fur at the crotch.)

Not surprisingly, the ads haven't received the best reception, and not just from horny dudes who'd prefer to see past the fake hair for a few extra inches of skin. Feminist musician and performer Amanda Palmer has fired back at Krupa on behalf of bushy women everywhere.

In an open letter on her Tumblr, Palmer writes:

dear PETA,
this ad is really upsetting.
you’re implying that pubic hair that shows/grows “outside the pantyline” (which is normal/natural for the vast majority of us gals) is “unattractive”….this is the kind of shit Gillette and Nair would pull to hock product, and the sort of cultural beauty-standard malarkey that is contributing to a generally worrying trend…12 and 13 year old girls demanding full bikini waxes and all the shit that I think we can all basically agree is absurd.
fur, bad. yes. i’m with you.
but this ad is perpetuating really unhealthy attitudes. fear and unhappiness in the body-hair department is becoming more and more prevalent in young girls (and all women), because they feel they have no alternative. most feel like they’ll be judged if they don’t toe the party line, and an organization like PETA has more cred (you’re somewhat cool, right? you’re forward-thinking people fighting for a noble cause, right?) than a corporate hair-removal/razor company.
despite the strides of progress made by the generation of women who came before us, we’re slipping backwards. the beauty standard is presenting a more and more difficult struggle for young women. ads like this are part of the problem.
PETA, if you care about animals, and their health and overall happiness index, take your human animals into account alongside the rest of them.
compassion for all.
yours,
afp


PETA has a history of pissing off feminists dating back to its "I'd rather go naked" ads that similarly use sexy women's bodies to sell their message. It does seem that Krupa's ad goes one step further, literally mocking hairy ladies by stuffing somebody's leftover Halloween wig into her undies.

RadarOnline, Tumblr

Boardwalk Post: Jack Huston interview with Indiewire / Michael Shannon on Good Day NY

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1. Jack Huston interview

Since his first appearance halfway through season one of "Boardwalk Empire," Jack Huston's disfigured Richard Harrow has been a fan favorite. Whether its the way his loyalty to Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) has led him to take care of the man's son Tommy in the wake of his shocking murder at the end of the last season, or how he's dealt with his own demons, Huston has given the WWI veteran-turned-hitman/bootlegger an unusual charm that's instantly appealing.

Plenty of viewers thought they'd see Harrow on a bloody rampage to avenge Darmody in season three, but showrunner Terence Winter and his writers have instead shown us a more subdued Harrow. Having always longed for a connection with a woman, he begins a tentative romance with Julia Sagorsky (Wrenn Schmidt), daughter of a fellow vet Harrow met at the American Legion. What remains to be seen is how much longer he'll be able to stay out of the mob war developing on the Atlantic City boardwalk.




Overnight Huston, 29, has jumped from being known as the youngest player in the Huston film dynasty -- nephew of Anjelica and Danny Huston (and paternal grandson of John Huston) -- to heading on the fast track to stardom. Later this year you'll see him in "The Sopranos" creator David Chase's film directorial debut "Not Fade Away," and he's currently shooting the dramedy "Posthumous" opposite Brit Marling.

He's actually back home this week after breaking his foot on set (production is currently on hiatus for 10 days until he recovers). On the mend, Huston took time out to chat with Indiewire about this season of "Boardwalk," dealing with the emotions that come with playing Harrow and why he's be okay with getting killed off.

So how did you break your foot?

It was just a trip. There was ice on the floor and I slipped. My foot twisted and it cracked two bones in it. But it's healing.

And you're done with shooting this season of "Boardwalk"? Has this given you time to catch up on watching the show?

I got finished just over a month ago. I haven't managed to watch anything since Wrenn came in the show because I've been shooting in Berlin.

So far Richard is not in the action yet this season—

He's kind of a sidebar story.

Are you enjoying that?

I have enjoyed it because it isn't something that we've done on the show. It's nice to take it in a different direction. Especially introducing Julia, the love interest, and my relationship with Tommy and Gillian (Gretchen Mol) and how that's progressed. I've enjoyed exploring this other side to Richard. It's something that I think a lot of people who watch the show wanted to see happen.

There's that gorgeous scene of you, Tommy and Julia taking a portrait together in the October 28th episode "Sunday Best."

Yeah. I remember doing that. That was very much a conscious thing. We thought it would be great if Richard just stared at her and you see the half of his face that isn't damaged. It's almost like a full person and an actual family. It was a nice choice.

I really felt that episode encompassed Richard. He's been trying to fill this female void since his sister.

Absolutely. He went through it with [Darmody's wife] Angela as well. She was a stepping stone because she was a platonic love, someone who he idolized. She is the first woman really to be sweet and tender to him and treat him as a human being instead of this Frankenstein-esque monster. It really helped him with Julia because I don't think he would have ever found someone who would love him back. Once he did meet Julia he didn't shy away from it the way he might have normally. He opened himself up to the possibility.

By season's end will we see Richard in more of the action?

Um, I think people will be pleasantly surprised. That's the most I can say. Purely because the writers know how the serve it up, they know how to end the season by tying everything together. I think it's tied up very beautifully and I was very happy.

How far ahead are you allowed to see in the season? Do you get multiple episodes worth of material?

Oh, no. Episode by episode and even with that we only see just so much. It's very Woody Allen-like. I don't know what's going on with a lot of people on the show. When I'm watching it I'm watching it mostly for the first time. By the end we weren't doing table reads because we were doing two units and trying to shoot two episodes at the same time, so for a lot of us we won't know what's going on until we watch it. It's fun, actually.

What are the challenges of that as an actor?

I tell people it's like life. You only get to think about the here and now, and that's nice. We also don't preempt something that hasn't happened yet, which sometimes actors tend to do. If you were on episode three but you know what happens on episode seven maybe you'd be leaning to play the scene a certain way, but the way this is you just play the way it's written. So I think it gives us a bit more truth, more honesty.

The preparation for Richard, has that changed for you since season one?

It's funny, Richard is so within me now that it's a quick preparation. I pop some gauze in my mouth and I put on the mask and I instantly transform. I walk around the set clucking and kicking and making strange movements, so it's strange for those who don't know me, but apart from that it's so easy to completely immerse myself and lose myself in the character when I'm on set. It's unlike anything I've ever done and will probably never do anything like it again.

Are there traits of Richard that are hard to kick when you're done with a season?

Emotionally you get quite attached. When you have a tough day on set, or you're doing something that's emotionally draining and you take that home, you go through moods for a bit. Not in a bad way, you just can't help but be affected by it. My girlfriend tells me if I'm doing a movie I'm a roller coaster of emotions all the time, but on "Boardwalk," because I've done it for so long and I'm so in tune with the character, she says I'm pretty happy most of the time. For a movie she's like, "Oh, God, I'm dealing with a maniac!" With the show it's like a normal job.

It's a normal job where at any moment your character could be killed.

Yeah. That can be rough. I've said you can die at any moment on this show. But I think that's the best thing about it. Your comfort level, you can never get completely settled in it. And by the way, if they killed me I would respect it and love it just as much. They make difficult decisions for the good of the entire show rather than thinking individually, which is the best way you can write something or be a part of something like this. So if I get killed, I get killed. That's the way the cookie crumbles and I've loved every minute doing it.

You have David Chase's "Not Fade Away" coming up, can you compare and contrast the styles of Chase and Terence Winter?

They are completely different but you can see why they work so well together. With Terence, he's my producer and David was my director so it's tough to say because with David we were working together every day from ground up. But as Terry will say, David was his mentor and someone who he will forever look up to, so to be able to work with both of these men has been amazing.

-Jason Guerrasio


2. Because it won't embed for some reason, link to a video of Michael Shannon on Good Day NY with a normal haircut like a regular person talking about how someone PUKED DURING THE MIDDLE OF A SHOW UGH

3. Sneak peeks of episode 10








Source: Indiewire
Good Day NY
HBO

iamamiwhoami American Tour?

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American tour coming soon?

iamamiwhoami is now on The Windish Agency, a booking agency that covers territories in America (US, Canada, Mexico and South America).

+ Two new amazing photos by John Strandh.

Source 1, Source 2

Reviews are in: Unapologetic haunted by Chris Brown, but generally okay.

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The Guardian
You don't even have to listen to Rihanna's seventh album to set alarm bells ringing. You merely have to look at its track listing. There, sandwiched between a collaboration with singer Mikky Ekko called Stay and the intriguingly titled Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary comes track 10: Nobody's Business (feat. Chris Brown). Uh-oh.

If nothing else, Nobody's Business is – if you'll pardon the phrase – one in the eye for the kind of person who tells you modern pop music has nothing new to offer: it's hard to think of another perky disco-house number featuring a victim of domestic abuse duetting with her abuser about how perfect their relationship is. "Could we become love's persona?" they coo, prompting the answer: no you probably can't, because three years ago, one of you beat the other one up so savagely he left her with major contusions either side of her face, a bloody nose, a split lip and bite marks on her arms and fingers, an incident she told police was symptomatic of an "ongoing and escalating abusive relationship".

You'd listen to Nobody's Business with your jaw on the floor if you weren't well primed for what to expect. Vast swathes of Unapologetic's lyrics appear to be concerned with Rihanna and Brown's relationship. You get a lot of stuff about how exciting dangerous men are, the appeal of affairs that are wrong but feel right, how no one else can match up to him. "I pray that love don't strike twice," offers Love Without Tragedy, again inviting an inevitable response: you want to pray your ghastly on-off boyfriend doesn't, either. You could dismiss all this stuff as merely wildly misguided and naive were it not for the fact that elsewhere, Unapologetic actually appears to play on the incident in question.

"Your love hit me to the core, I was fine til you knocked me to the floor," she sings over a loping, drumless reggae rhythm on No Love Allowed. "Dial 911 it's a critical emergency." Rihanna might argue with some justification that a lot of other people have made money from her relationship with Brown, so why shouldn't she? Furthermore, perhaps, she's only telling the truth about how she feels. But that doesn't make hearing it any more edifying. Still, the whole thing must come as quite the spirit-bucking tonic for any listening domestic abusers.

Leaving all that aside to concentrate on the music is a big ask. But it's worth noting that, sonically, Unapologetic is a far more interesting album than its predecessor. Rihanna is as responsible as any artist for the homogenisation of the Top 40 into the same weary pop-dance template. It gets used over and over again because it's commercially successful, and it's been more commercially successful for Rihanna than anyone, providing the basis for S&M, The Only Girl in the World, We Found Love and Where Have You Been. And yet, it's largely absent here, the David Guetta-produced Right Now notwithstanding. That sounds less like a song than a bid to break the world record for cramming current pop cliches into three minutes. Elsewhere, however, the various producers seem to have been minded to try something different, or at least to rearrange voguish sounds into less familiar shapes. Fresh Off the Runway piles on distorted synthesisers derived from Joey Beltram's 1990 rave classic Mentasm until it sounds weird and disorientating. What Now attempts to weld a walloping brostep drop to a sensitive acoustic guitar and piano ballad with suitably peculiar results: there's a fantastic moment towards the end where producer Ighile throws in a widdly-woo guitar solo, apparently in the mistaken belief that the track wasn't yet preposterous enough.

During its best moments, you're struck by the suspicion that Unapologetic's producers might be trying to undercut the lyrical content. Numb apparently returns to the subject of Rihanna's personal life – "Can't tell me nothin'… I don't care, get closer to me if you dare"– but the music doesn't sound defiant: it lurches and drags along, an oppressive mass of slowed-down voices and grating electronics. Pour It Up's invitation to splash your cash in a strip club is set to a weird, disjointed, gloopy backdrop: it doesn't sound like much fun there, a sensation compounded by a particularly dead-eyed vocal. You get another one of those on Jump, ostensibly an unmissable invitation to frenetic sexual activity in Rihanna's boudoir, rendered intriguingly weird by her delivery. "Ride my pony, my saddle is waiting," she sings, blankly, as if she finds the prospect of frenetic sexual activity only marginally more attractive than having a verruca frozen off.

So there's stuff here that's worth hearing, if you could untangle the music from the artist's personal life. But you can't, and furthermore, you get the feeling that the artist doesn't want you to. Perhaps it's quite a cold and canny move masquerading as an outpouring of unpalatable emotion, playing on the public's prurient interest in her love life. Perhaps that's too cynical. Either way, for all its musical value, listening to Unapologetic is a pretty depressing experience.

Rating: 3/5





Six albums in as many years is impressive by anyone’s standards - but how does Rihanna's seventh effort hold up? - The Mirror

Like Hurricane Sandy and Honey Boo Boo, Brand Rihanna is unstoppable.

With daily updates on the state of her hair (do we like the bob?), her deeply troubling relationship with both Chris Brown (why?) and her tattoo artist (why?), we are obsessed. But as our interest in her grows, the quality of her albums has been slowly shrinking.

Six albums in as many years is impressive by anyone’s standards, but her last, 2011’s Talk That Talk, was erratic and uneven. Back then, she sounded a bit bored, as if she’d rather be at home curled up on the sofa watching a box set of Downton Abbey and leafing through Chat magazine. So how does album number seven hold up?

Well, in the spirit of 2010’s Loud, she’s gone for the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach.

Stately mid-tempo single Diamonds aside, the first half of Unapologetic finds Rihanna mining the winning, morning-after-the-night-before formula of her former musical partner Drake.

The ridiculously voweled Loveeeeeee Song even features co-vocalist Future evoking Drizzy’s regretful tone, while the excellent Chase & Status co-production Jump picks up the noirish Dubstep baton of last year’s Red Lipstick.

If this run of tracks has a darkly hued brilliance to it, the second half of the album finds Ri-Ri flipping through more styles than Lady Gaga at a sample sale. There’s Reggaeton (No Love Allowed), 8-bit synth (Get It Over With) and the inevitable David Guetta-assisted banger (Right Now), all executed with varying degrees of success. Tellingly she sounds most alive on the Chris Brown duet Nobody’s Business.

Taken as a whole, Unapologetic is a mixed bag. With a distinct lack of classic songs – there’s no We Found Love, let alone an Umbrella – she’s delivered just enough to keep Brand Rihanna chugging along.

But there’s a growing sense that the golden age of Rihanna The Pop Star has passed.

Rating: 3/5

Source


The Telegraph
The seventh album in seven years from the hardest working (& hardest partying) woman in pop. Rihanna records vocals on the road to backing tracks created by hot songwriter-producers like David Guetta & Stargate. Hardly surprising it’s a mixed bag. For the first half, melodious vocals sweeten pushy dance club tracks full of abrasively ear catching sound effects and often weirdly off centre beats. The second half switches to ballads, disco, reggae and naff rock for a gob-smacking defence of her confused love for R’n’B star Chris Brown, who notoriously beat her up in 2009. Breezily defiant disco duet Nobody’s Business suggest these two ridiculous narcissists deserve each other but tortured ballad suite Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary introduces shades of self-doubt into pop’s least edifying yet most compelling soap opera.

Download this: Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary

(No rating given.)
Source


Bigger Than the Sound takes a closer look at Rihanna's seventh album, on which her personal life becomes incredibly public. - MTV

For better or worse, how you end up feeling about Rihanna's Unapologetic album will probably come down to one question: How do you feel about Rihanna?Are you in awe of her work ethic, which, at this point, is verging on superhuman (seven albums in seven years is certainly nothing to sneeze at), or have you grown tired of her constant presence in the public eye? Do you think she's shocking, or is she rehashing every salacious moment from the past 30 years of pop?

And ultimately, how do you feel about her rekindled relationship with Chris Brown, which may or may not actually be real, but certainly has garnered no shortage of media attention in recent months?

That last question is perhaps the most important, because whether she intended it or not, Rihanna's on-again/off-again romance with Brown seems to be the biggest inspiration behind Unapologetic, coloring each of its 14 tracks in some way— or, in the case of their duet "Nobodies Business," completely — imbuing the ballads (and there are a lot of them) with a sanguine sadness and the booming club tracks with a defiant swagger. It is, without question, Rihanna's most personal album to date, not to mention her most complex, both emotionally and sonically. Though for all the questions it raises, you don't have to look very far to figure out how Rihanna herself feels about all this: It's written right there on the cover.

Yes, Unapologetic is certainly the most aptly titled album in recent memory. From the rattling electro whomp of tracks like "Fresh Out the Runway" and "Numb" (a stony, snake-charmer jam featuring a killer contribution from Eminem) to the "I choose to be happy" sentiments of first single "Diamonds," Rihanna does things her way, defiantly so. "Jump" and "Right Now" embrace the hard-revving rave-ups and knotty bass lines of dubstep with mixed results (the former, on which she bites lines from Ginuwine's "Pony," is particularly great, while the latter could do with a little less David Guetta); "No Love Allowed" is a lilting, island-tinged tune that recalls Desmond Dekker's "Israelites"; and the handful of ballads — "Stay,""Get It Over With,""Love Without Tragedy," to name a few — pile on the piano with aplomb. Shoot, she even decided to name a track "Loveeeeeee Song," mostly because Jay-Z told her to.

But the most Unapologetic moment is unquestionably "Nobodies Business," her duet with Brown. It will almost certainly be the focal point of every review of the album, and justifiably so. When it was played Friday night at the 40/40 Club, the crowd — made up of assorted media types and a large contingent of Rihanna's Navy — responded with loud approval, clearly showing which side of the debate they're on. And yet, depending on your personal feelings about their unrepentant love, hearing the two coo lines like "You'll always be my boy, I'll always be your girl" and "Your love is infectious, let's make out in this Lexus" is slightly disappointing.

Which is why how you feel about Rihanna herself will probably determine how you feel about Unapologetic. It goes beyond mere music and raises no shortage of questions about the complexities of love (or lust) and life in the public eye. If you support Rihanna and her decisions, then you will no doubt delight in delving into the album's lyrical depths. If you worry about the example she's setting by openly — and defiantly — embracing the man who assaulted her four years ago, then you're going to have a difficult time with most, if not all, of the record. That may not be fair, but it's inevitable.

Then again, one gets the suspicion that Rihanna doesn't care either way. She's making her private life available for public consumption, and doing so proudly. And because of that, she's turned in the most complex album of her (still young) career, one on which she takes risks, pushes boundaries and opens up like never before. Bold? Brazen? Have a listen and call it what you will. Though there's no doubt why she decided to call it Unapologetic.

(No rating given.)
Source


It feels like every 6 months, Barbadian popstar and marijuana field-dweller Rihanna is announcing a new album and the groans and half-hearted cheers are heard throughout the nation. “Unapologetic” is Rihanna’s 7th studio album, an impressive feat for an artist so young or it would be if only half of said albums were actually good.

After one listen of the latest album however, we can firmly put “Unapologetic” in the Pretty Damn Good category. It kicks off with “Fresh Off the Runway,” a sassy number that pulls the best of Rihanna with superb production, which her albums are usually good for. What they’re not good for is the assertion of Rihanna’s personality, which she failed to produce on her last two albums, “Loud” and “Talk That Talk.”

But with this record, Rihanna seems to have found her voice again, the one that was stamped out of her after “Rated R.” Eminem seems to really love the potty-mouthed singer because why else would he allow such a weak feature on “Numb,” a song that doesn’t live up to its star power. “Diamonds” is one of those tracks that grow on you, because on the surface it isn’t the typical in-your-face Rihanna, but easily one of the most mature songs she’s come out with to date.

“Pour It Up” and “Loveeeee Song” featuring Future are regrettable fillers only because they keep the listener from going straight to easily the most fun song on the album: “Jump.” Using samples from ‘90s songs are becoming more and more of a thing and no one seems to mind. When you mash up Ginuwine and EDM with Rihanna’s sultry tones, you get something so dirty and magical. It’s a song that is just itching for the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

David Guetta finally did something right when he decided to produce “Right Now” (IDTS) and more than ever, you can physically see Rihanna blossoming into her own person. The last half of the album is an up and down swing with a surprising unRihanna-like double song “Love Without Tragedy – Mother Mary.” It tells a story so heart-wrenching that you have to listen to it in pieces. Maybe 17 people on the planet actually know who Mikky Ekko is but wherever he is, thank him for the beautiful “Stay.”

Ending the album is “Lost in Paradise,” which again made this reviewer ask a question that was frequent while listening to this new record: Who the hell is this girl? The song is the best possible way to end the album. It’s caught in between a throbbing club banger and a heartfelt ballad. Rihanna comes off so strong on “Unapologetic,” which means she and her team actually worked hard on it. The direction she’s going in now is utter perfection and she deserves high praise for this smooth and memorable effort.

8.7/10
Sourcce


Track-by-track review: Honesty Hour

With 11 number one singles under her belt, Rihanna readies the release of her seventh studio album ‘Unapologetic’ for Monday, November 19th. While I could not bring my heart to love her last effort ‘Talk That Talk’, maybe the new LP can recapture my faith.

Rihanna pulled some huge names for the production of ‘Unapologetic’, including the likes of David Guetta, No I.D., Ne-Yo, The-Dream, Sia, and a plethora of other artists.

How did all of their efforts fare? Let’s dive into The Honesty Hour’s track-by-track review of Rihanna’s new album, beginning with “Phresh Out the Runway”.

Phresh Out the Runway
‘Unapologetic’ opens with this cocky, urban-flavored track. Rihanna sets the mood of the album with energy and confidence, boasting, “How could you be so hood/ But you so f–king pop?/ How could you be so fun/ And sound like you selling rocks?” While some may be drawn to its catchiness, there is too much going on. However, this makes a great workout song. 2/5

Diamonds
“Diamonds” is the lead single from ‘Unapologetic,’ and its success (peaking at number 2 on the Hot 100) has given Rihanna a promising start to her new era. Simple and free-flowing, “Diamonds” is beautiful song that is easy to sing along to and is relatively different from the trendy music Rihanna typically releases. 3.5/5

Numb (feat. Eminem)
Eminem assists on Rihanna’s “Numb” and although his verse is pretty solid, it does not help the song much. Basically, this song is Rihanna singing, “I’m going numb/ I’m going numb” repeatedly on the hook, and it sort of makes me numb. It’s not exactly a bad song, but it just doesn’t have all the “meat” it needs. 2.5/5

Power It Up
Rihanna gets a little ratchet on “Power It Up”, a mid-tempo urban track that is perfect for the strip clubs (I’d assume). The singer is still as confident as ever, rapping, “All I see is dollar signs/ Money, money on my mind/ Throw it, throw it up/ Watch it fall from the sky.” Who doesn’t like being ratchet sometimes? 3.5/5

Loveeeee Song (feat. Future)
I’m going to get this out of the way and say I don’t really know who Future is, but he joins Rihanna on this dirty-dance-inducing song. The beat on “Loveeeee” is slow and reclined, while the pair sings lovingly to each other. 3/5

Jump
Rihanna fuses pop and R&B together seamlessly on “Jump”, sampling 90s singer Ginuwine’s “Pony” in the chorus. Ms. Fenty is ready and willing as she demands, “If you want it/ Let’s do it/ Ride it/ My pony/ My saddle is ready/ Come and jump on it.” This song is definitely a contender to be a single. Really, it would smash on urban radio and Top 40. 4/5

Right Now (feat. David Guetta)
While the demo of “Right Now” featuring vocals from Ne-Yo surfaced this summer, Rihanna snatched this David Guetta track right up and put her name on it. The bass-heavy dance anthem is perfect for the clubbing folk, and I’d expect to see the song shimmy all the way up the Dance/Club Play Songs chart. 3/5

What Now
What’s that I hear? Rihanna is trying to step up her vocal game?! “What Now” changes up the pace of the album, getting slower, emotional and vulnerable. Rihanna pours her heart out on this ballad and its a great reminder that she actually sings. 4/5

Stay (feat. Mikky Ekko)
Another emotional ballad, Rihanna continues to open up and show her soft side. I really love how her and Mikky’s voices blend on the record, and I’m glad Rihanna doesn’t try anything too fancy by staying within her range. I wish the harmonies were perfected a tad more, but it’ll do for now. 3.5/5

Nobody’s Business (feat. Chris Brown)
Clearly, Rihanna knows that controversy has been helpful in her career, so why stop it now? For the third time this year, the singer collaborates with her “friend” Chris Brown and they are letting you know that their relationship is nobody’s business. Sampling Michael Jackson, Rihanna and Chris balance each other on the electrifying “Business.” But, I had to remind myself that it wasn’t Chris’ song by the time it was over. 4/5

Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary
Another old-school-inspired track, Rihanna coos,”what’s love without tragedy,” as the beat pulsates in the background. Suddenly, things get even slower with “Mother Mary” and it makes me sad for a second. It sounds cute, but boring. (redacted for flop opinion) 3/5

Get It Over With
Lalala, I am bored with this one, too. It sounds pretty interesting but I’m not that used to these slow songs from Rihanna. I am ready to…well, get it over with. To be fair, she sounds lovely. Who is the mystery male singing background vocals? Is it Chr..nevermind. 3/5

No Love Allowed
A Rihanna album would not be complete without a Caribbean-eque track that highlights her unique twang (i.e. “Man Down”, “Watch n’ Learn”). This song is very relaxing and reminds me that I am due for a vacation. 3/5

Lost in Paradise
The album is winding down and “Lost in Paradise” carries us home from a wild night out. Still, Rihanna finds herself at a crossroad in her love life but fortunately, the thumping beat is drowning her sorrows. A nice ending to a solid project and I’m impressed.

Summary:

Refill: Jump, Nobody’s Business
Refund: Phresh Out the Runway, Numb0

In sum, I enjoyed Rihanna’s effort this time around. While ‘Unapologetic’ was just as rushed as her last album ‘Talk That Talk’, this one seemed more coherent and polished. I feel that Rihanna is on to something here. There is a bit more substance here than there has been since her ‘Rated R’ and I can tell that she is finally maturing musically.

Really, it seems like her best material comes at times when she is intertwined in sticky love situations.

Before we conclude, I just have one small question: How come Rihanna neither wrote nor co-wrote a single song on the album? Okay, let’s not ruin the moment.

Total: 3/5

Source

What conclusions have you reached, ONTD? IMO the best parts of these reviews is the Guetta-shade, well deserved. ♥

777 Tour in Mexico City – DAY 1!

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Rihanna kicked off the 777 Tour last night in Mexico City. This is the first from 7 special shows that will happen in the next few days!

The star, who releases her seventh album ‘Unapologetic’ on November 19, performed tracks including ‘S&M’, recent Number 1 single ‘Diamonds’ and another new song from ‘Unapologetic’, ‘Fresh Off The Runway’. “I just want everyone to jam,” she said of the new track. The night ended with a greatest hits run of ‘Where Have You Been’ and ‘What’s My Name?’, ‘Run This Town’, ‘Umbrella’ and ‘We Found Love’

“Its been such a long time I’ve been waiting to come here,” she said to the crowd. “I love you guys.” She also apologised for the show’s late start after the stage equipment and bags were delayed.

Rihanna is travelling between shows on a private Boeing 777 plane, which is also transporting members of her fanclub and 150 journalists. Earlier in the day, Rihanna had told the fans on board to “buckle up and let’s get drunk”. Later, she took time to serve champagne and made a visit to the aircraft’s cockpit.



Rihanna plays Toronto today (November 15) before heading to Stockholm, Paris, Berlin and London. The tour concludes in New York on November 20. NME will be reporting from the tour daily.



Rihanna played:

‘Cockiness (Love It)’
‘Birthday Cake’
‘Talk That Talk’
‘Wait Is Ova’
‘Man Down’
‘Only Girl (In The World)’
‘Disturbia’ (with added dubstep breakdown)
‘S&M’
‘Fresh Off The Runway’
‘Unfaithful’
‘Take A Bow’
‘Hate That I Love You’
‘Where Have You Been’
‘What’s My Name’
‘Run This Town’
‘All Of The Lights’
‘Diamonds’
‘Umbrella’
‘We Found Love’







Source

Pussy popping to Jump

Marina and the Diamonds at Baroque in Mayfair's Playboy Club

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Baroque Mayfair's music series continued apace last night with an exclusive Hoxton Gin sponsored showcase by Marina and the Diamonds – featuring six songs from her album Electra Heart, including chart topper Primadonna and culminating in new single debut How to be a Heartbreaker. But Baroque wasn’t just a dramatic backdrop for the set. Marina’s best friend and celebrity favourite fashion designer Hasan Hejazi (Jessie J, Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis) also designed three dresses for her to wear at the event - and all were inspired by the venue.

Said Hejazi: “Baroque is all about over the top luxurious gorgeous textures and gold swirls which I translated into fashion and used an amazing London based embroiderer Hawthorne & Heaney for the metal work”

“Hasan’s fabrics and designs lend themselves really well to Baroque’s luxurious aesthetic,” Marina told us, “it’s all 1940’s gangster and the dress is an homage to that.”

Showstopper was a Jessica Rabbit style column in burgundy silk with pneumatic embellished corset. A meeting at Hasan’s London College of Fashion graduate show two years ago led to Marina wearing a Hejazi creation (a blue corseted sequin leotard with a sheer dress) at the 2010 NME awards and the two been friends ever since - bonding over fashion, music and expresso martinis.
How To Be A Heartbreaker’ was written by Marina and produced by Dr Luke, who has previously worked with Rihanna, Katy Perry and Jessie J. Previous acts to perform at Baroque since its launch last month have include The Kills, Marc Ronson, Delilah and The Noisettes.

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Marina and Charli XCX

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Miley Cyrus Granted Restraining Order Against Scissor-Wielding Trespasser

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Miley Cyrus was granted a three-year restraining order on Friday against Jason Luis Rivera, the man who was apprehended by police at her L.A. home on September 8.

Rivera, who was wielding scissors and hiding in the bushes on Cyrus’ property, was convicted last month of trespassing and resisting arrest.

Although sentenced to 18 months, because of jail overcrowding, Rivera is likely to be released in May, which is why Cyrus sought the stay-away order that’s supposed to keep him away from her for the next three years.

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slayyyyed

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Girls Aloud Perform 'Something New' on Children In Need 2012

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Slayyyyyed. They're performing one more song, will update the post when its posted.





Missouri Man Accused of Plotting Breaking Dawn Movie Theater Shooting

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A Missouri man named Blaec Lammers is accused of planning a mass shooting at a screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 this weekend.

Fortunately, authorities stopped him in time.

The 20-year-old was apprehended in Bolivar and charged with first-degree assault, making a terroristic threat and armed criminal action after his alarmed mother contacted police on Thursday.

Lammers allegedly bought assault rifles and more than 400 rounds of ammunition in a plot apparently meant to copycat last July’s massacre at a showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado.

Source

I can't believe this is a thing now.

Top Ten Global Albums and Singles Chart!


Miley's bid into the Oscar race gets home release date

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SO UNDERCOVER starring Miley CyrusJosh Bowman and Jeremy Piven is available on DVD, Bluray and VOD February 5, 2013 in the US! Stay tuned for more updates on this official page from US distributor Millennium Entertainment.





miley so un

Miley Cyrus is a tough-as-nails, street-smart private investigator, drafted by the FBI to go undercover in a college sorority in SO UNDERCOVER. Available Feb 5, 2013.
She may be a tough-as-nails, street-smart private investigator, but when Molly is drafted by the FBI to go undercover in a college sorority, she quickly discovers she’s way out of her element amongst a sisterhood of snooty, high maintenance, materialistic college girls. But Molly accepts the top-secret mission in order to protect the daughter of a key witness in a case against the mob.

Miley Cyrus stars along with Autumn Reeser, Alexis Knapp, Joshua Bowman, Kelly Osboune and Jeremy Piven in Millennium Entertanment's action-comedy SO UNDERCOVER.



Source

Miley girl, release that new album ASAP to recover from this mess.

Michael Haneke drags "Schindler's List", "Downfall"

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As part of The Hollywood Reporter's Roundtable series, THR's executive editor Stephen Galloway sat down at The Residences at the W Hollywood with a panel of writers that included Michael Haneke and John Krasinski in a conversation that featured a discussion of the fine line between humanizing and sympathizing with certain historical figures.

THR: OK, if you were going to show Osama bin Laden, to what extent do you humanize a guy like that? There was a very good German film, Downfall, about the last days of Hitler, and it was an extraordinary human portrait. The danger is whitewashing what he's done.

Michael Haneke: I have to say that I argued with Downfall writer-producer Bernd Eichinger about the film. I found it both repulsive and dumb. When you're dealing with a figure of such a deep historical context, what are you doing with him? You're creating melodrama. You're trying to move your spectators, but what emotions are you calling on? Your responsibility entails enabling your audience to remain independent and free of manipulation. The question is, how seriously do I take my viewer and to what extent do I provide him with the opportunity of creating his own opinion? Am I trying to force my opinion on the spectator?

THR: Would you make a film about Hitler?

Haneke: No. It's impossible for me, turning this into entertainment. That's why I have problems with Steven Spielberg's film about the concentration camps [Schindler's List]. The mere idea of trying to create suspense out of the question of whether the showerhead gas is going to come is unspeakable. For me, the only film about the Holocaust that is responsible is Alain Resnais' Night and Fog. Resnais asks the spectator: What do you think about this? What does this mean to you?

Chris Terrio: I'm very interested in what Michael said about the suspense of the shower in Schindler's List because in a sense it's the same in Argo. I'm not sure about the ethical implications of taking real people's lives and trying to make it a nail-biter.

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The Hollywood Reporter roundtables typically draw diverse groups of talented people. But the six men who gathered Oct. 2 at The Residences at the W Hollywood might be among the most eclectic bunch we've ever assembled. Journalist and Oscar-winning screenwriter Mark Boal, 39, chronicles the manhunt for Osama bin Laden in his still-unfinished Zero Dark Thirty, while comedy kingpin Judd Apatow, 44, takes funny aim at his own family life in This Is 40. German auteur Michael Haneke, 70, brought along a translator to help him discuss his Palme d'Or-winning Amour with sitcom star-turned-scribe John Krasinski, 33, who wrote the anti-fracking drama Promised Land with Matt Damon. And veteran writer David Magee, 50, shared stories about his fantasy spectacle Life of Pi with Chris Terrio, 35, whose Argo marks his first feature screenwriting credit.

You can also watch the (NSFW) scene mentioned from "Schindler's List", followed by "Night and Fog", in full, below:

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THR, The PLaylist

gorlplz, where you at?

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Alicia Keys Speaks Out On Being Labeled A Homewrecker


Alicia Keys rocks her short curls for the November 26th issue of JET magazine. Inside, she talks about being labeled a homewrecker after rumors of an alleged affair with husband, Swizz Beatz, during his marriage to then wife, Mashonda. The girl on fire singer has already denied engaging in a relationship with Swizz during his first marriage, but decided to touch on the subject again…

[They] were apart for some time before we ever got together. That doesn’t matter to those who take pleasure in trying to knock others down, there’s no need to fight what’s not true.


On her powerful relationship with Swizz Beatz:

I’d never met a person where I could be fully myself. Swizz and I live in each other’s shadow. So we can occupy the same space and there is nothing but equality. There’s something really powerful about that.


SOURCE

Scream & Shout confirmed to debut on Monday

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The long-awaited Will.I.Am and Britney song, "Scream & Shout" is confirmed for a debut on Monday at noon on KIIS FM.

They filmed the music video a few weeks ago. A source said, “Britney had her groove back and she looked and danced brilliantly."

“There’s a throw-down section where she performs a solo dance on a podium, and all you hear is, ‘It’s Britney Bitch’. And then she danced like crazy. She’s got her groove back. X Factor has given her a new lease of life. She wants to show people what originally made her so famous again.”


SourceS2S3S4
The old, very LQ snippet:

Would you like some Female-Skewing Genre with your afternoon tea?

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Hollywood thirsts for young adult films as "Twilight" ends

I swear that's not my wording


As vampires Bella and Edward take their last bites on the big screen, Hollywood studios are on the hunt for the next "Twilight," a movie that plays on teenage angst and, more importantly, lights up the movie box office.

The first four "Twilight" movies earned $2.5 billion at theaters worldwide, propelled by passionate fans of a book series about a vampire-and-werewolf teen love triangle. Box office watchers project "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" will haul in $150 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters this weekend, one of the year's biggest film debuts.

Eager to replicate that performance, studios executives have been trolling through young adult novels with the dream of uncovering the next big blockbuster franchise, paying as much as $1 million to secure the film rights to the hottest books.



At least four films based on books for teenagers will reach theaters next year, with young love forced to overcome alien parasites, evil zombies and other supernatural bad guys.

Executives hope they can uncover a story that excites tech-savvy teens, who supercharged the buzz mill for "The Hunger Games" and other hits by spreading the word to friends through social media posts.

"It's a very enthusiastic and deep passion that young people feel for a book they love," said Nina Jacobson, producer of "The Hunger Games," which spawned a blockbuster film franchise with $687 million in worldwide ticket sales this spring.

"When they love something, they share it," Jacobson said.

The four-year "Twilight" movie saga lifted tiny studio Summit Entertainment into Hollywood's big leagues and paved the way for its $412 million acquisition in January by Lions Gate Entertainment, the studio behind "The Hunger Games."



The coming young adult films incorporate paranormal themes like those in the "Twilight" movies or dark dystopian futures and battles for survival reminiscent of "The Hunger Games," and do it through the drama of young love.

Summit is aiming to get "Twilight" fans buzzing about next February's zombie romance "Warm Bodies" with a trailer before "Breaking Dawn - Part 2.""Warm Bodies" star Teresa Palmer chatted about the movie - a love story between a zombie and human - while she strolled the red carpet at a "Breaking Dawn" premiere.



A couple of weeks after "Warm Bodies," Warner Brothers will trot out fantasy movie "Beautiful Creatures," about a teen girl with magical powers and a boy who is drawn to her, with a debut on Valentine's Day.

The movie "shares as much in common with 'Twilight' as it does with 'Harry Potter,'" said Andrew Kosove, co-president of production studio Alcon Entertainment, referring to the boy-wizard series that grossed $7.7 billion in worldwide ticket sales and woke up Hollywood to the power of adaptations of children's and young adult books.



In March, Open Road Films releases "The Host," a science fiction tale about alien parasites from "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer. Sony Corp's "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," about a teen girl who tries to protect the world from demons, comes out in August. Summit's drama "Ender's Game," the story of a boy who leads the charge against an alien invasion, is scheduled for November 2013.





They will battle the latest installments of existing young adult franchises such as the "Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" that comes out November 2013. Warner Brothers will release "Hobbit" movies in December 2012 and December 2013.



The fever for young adult movies is so hot among Hollywood executives that studios snap up the rights to some books before they hit store shelves to keep them out of the hands of their competitors. Screen Gems, a unit of Sony, announced October 9 it had bought rights to "Black City" a month before the book went on sale.

The studio moved quickly based on a "high level of anticipation for the property in the online community and other young adult circles," it said in a statement.

Lions Gate's Summit studio scooped up the rights before publication for "Divergent," a novel set in a futuristic Chicago where people are divided into factions based on personality traits. The studio is producing a movie for 2014 that features young Hollywood star Shailene Woodley, who played George Clooney's troubled daughter in the movie "The Descendants" last year.

The "Divergent" book series has sold more than 2 million copies, pacing ahead of both "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games" at the same point in their histories, Lions Gate CEO Jon Feltheimer told industry analysts on a November 9 conference call.

"We are putting out to our fans right now we think that this is the next big franchise," Feltheimer said.

The web is producing hot properties, too. Media Rights Capital plans to develop three movies based on writer Amanda Hocking's "Trylle Trilogy" about a young girl who engages in troll sex with special powers.

Hocking gained fame by selling more than 1 million copies of self-published books on the Internet, an unusual feat that demonstrated fans' rabid support for the stories, said Media Rights Capital Co-CEO Modi Wiczyk.

"There is clearly a pre-existing audience," Wiczyk said. "It makes life easier."

Still, there is no guarantee book lovers will flock to a movie version of their favorite read, said Keith Simanton, managing editor of movie website IMDB.com. Film adaptations of "The Seeker" and "The Spiderwick Chronicles" failed to give birth to the kind of big movie franchises that have become the lifeblood of Hollywood's movie studios, he said.

"It is going to continue to be a trend, until one of them fails in a big way," Simanton said.

source



ONTD what are your predictions? Which will flop and which will rise to the top to snatch Twilight's wig?
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