Jimmy Fallon Spoofs 'Downton Abbey'

Posted 4/13/12 9:56 am EST by in Television


We've been needing a "Downton Abbey" fix ever since the show wrapped up its drama-filled second season in February. We've delighted in casting news and spoilers, but now we have a fresh spoof to laugh at courtesy of Jimmy Fallon.

The spoof, titled "Downtown Sixbey", re-imagines the Emmy-winning series as the inner workings of Fallon's late night talk show, which is set at Rockefeller Center's Studio 6B. (Get it? "Sixbey.) Fallon's writer's room steps in for "Downton's" servant's dining quarters, the site of much intrigue, while "upstairs" Fallon as Earl of Downtown Sixbey dines with his family and a foreign visitor (let's hope he doesn't meet the same fate as poor Mr. Pamuk).

Brooke Shields steps in as the Earl's wife, Nora, and his unfortunate looking middle daughter is played by "Portlandia" star Fred Armisen.

Just as on the PBS Masterpiece series, the Earl gets receives a message saying that the current heir to Downton Sixbey –in this case, "Last Call" host Carson Daly – has gotten in an accident. A hot air balloon accident with Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green, specifically. (Don't worry Xtina and Cee Lo are fine, but Carson has disappeared.) The new air will be his nephew (played by Questlove).

Check it out below:

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Bob Marley Documentary To Hit Theaters And Facebook On Same Day

Posted 4/12/12 2:42 pm EST by in Movies, Music


By Zachary Swickey

A new Bob Marley documentary – simply titled “Marley” – will be hitting theaters next Friday (appropriately on 4/20), but the production company has revealed the film will be available to stream on Facebook simultaneous with its theatrical release.

Shangri-La Entertainment, Tuff Gong Pictures and Milyoni touts in a press release that Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald's career-encompassing documentary about the icon will be the first ever U.S. release to be made available for streaming on Facebook the same day it hits theaters.

With the assistance of Milyoni's Social Cinema technology, Facebook users will be able to instantly stream the film from the Bob Marley Facebook page for just $6.99. Currently, over 37 million fans "like" the Bob Marley Facebook page, which easily makes it one of the top 20 most popular pages in the world.

MacDonald has directed many interesting projects over the years: the jaw-dropping mountain survival documentary “Touching the Void” in 2003, Academy Award-nominated “The Last King of Scotland” from 2006, and last year’s “Life in a Day,” which was made entirely from footage culled from YouTube.

A portion of the proceeds from Facebook sales of “Marley” will benefit Save the Children.

“We are delighted that awareness of children's needs will be raised through this innovative effort," said Carolyn Miles, President and CEO of Save the Children, in the release. "We are proud to use funds generated through this on-demand movie release for the children we serve."

"Marley" will also be released through video-on-demand on April 20.

For more on "Marley," visit MTV Movies Blog.

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Britney Spears Shows Off Hot Bod At Twister Ad Shoot (Pics)

Posted 4/12/12 11:00 am EST by in Britney Spears


Looking good!

While she's never far from our thoughts, it's been a while since we've seen Britney Spears in action. But the pop star has clearly been working hard since wrapping up her Femme Fatale tour in December, as pics from the set of her new commercial for Twister Dance attest.

The star is the new face of the DVD-based dance and party game, which offers 40 dance lessons of varying levels of intensity for up to four players. "Dancing has been such an important part of my life since I was a little girl," Spears said in a press release from game maker Hasbro. "As soon as I saw the new Twister Dance game, I knew I wanted to be involved. I think kids will love rocking the spots and dancing to the music as much as my boys and I do. It’s a lot of fun!"

And apparently it pays off! Check out Spears' toned arms and abs in this still she posted to Twitter from the commercial shoot. Rocking a vest, black bra top and tight black pants, the 30-year-old star looks better than ever.

Twister, Facebook

Check out a behind-the-scenes shot from the shoot after the jump! Read More...

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Feist And Mastodon Cover Each Other In Honor Of Record Store Day, Become Fans In The Process

Posted 4/11/12 2:47 pm EST by in Mastodon, Music


Mastodon

By Zachary Swickey

Record Store Day has seen a resurgence in popularity over the last few years thanks to the rising interest in purchasing albums on vinyl, and this year’s split 7” release from Mastodon and Feist marks one of the craziest releases we’ve ever heard.

The metalheads of the Mastodon crew were first smitten with Feist when they witnessed her perform just two songs on UK talk show “Later with Jools Holland” before they took the stage themselves.

"They were great," guitarist Bill Kelliher told Rolling Stone. "We thought, 'Why don't we see if they want to collaborate somehow, someway?" which is how the project came to light.

It wasn’t until Feist saw an MTV Canada interview that she found out about Mastodon’s plans. "Next thing I know, they had announced on MTV that they were gonna cover a song [of mine]," she recalled – deciding to return the favor. Thus resulting in Feistodon – a split-single that will be available in stores for one day only on April 21 to celebrate Record Store Day.

"It's a wet dream to have Mastodon take one of my songs and put it into their massive machine," Feist said of the hook-up.

The artists basically gave each other complete creative freedom with Feist choosing to record a rendition of “Black Tongue” from Mastodon’s newest effort The Hunter and the band tackling Feist’s “A Commotion.” Read More...

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Madonna's Manager Confirms That 'Turn Up The Radio' Will Be Next MDNA Single

Posted 4/11/12 1:09 pm EST by in Madonna


They say "ask and you shall receive." Well, we asked … and it looks like we are getting what we want.

Guy Oseary, Madonna's hunky Twitter-phile manager, took to the social net this morning to respond to a Madge fan championing "Turn Up the Radio" as the next single from MDNA, saying the song "is feeling like the next single."

Now, we've been pushing for "Radio" to be a single since, well, before MDNA even came out, so this is music to our ears! At the time, we posited that Madonna was knowingly waiting until early summer to give the track an official single release because it's a perfect warm weather tune. The calculated perfectionism of some of Madonna's club jams can leave you feeling a little chilly, but that's not the case with "Radio." During our little pre-release listening party, I scribbled the words "effervescent" and "happy" in my notes.

The track has a propulsive energy that just feels so authentic and alive. It's a big, anthemic dance-pop wonder with glittery synths and fun lyrics. In short, it's a perfect single to reignite interest in MDNA before Madonna hits the road for her world tour.

Are you loving "Turn Up the Radio" as much as we are? Let us kno win the comments below!

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Bon Iver's Justin Vernon Recording Album With Rapper Astronautalis

Posted 4/11/12 12:14 pm EST by in collaborations, Music


Justin Vernon

By Zachary Swickey

Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon must not be keen on taking breaks, because despite being on the road for most of 2011 – touring behind his Grammy-winning self-titled album – he somehow found the time to record a new full-length effort with his rapper friend Astronautalis.

While the concept may seem like a radical departure for Vernon, it’s really not if you are aware of his other side-gig with his supergroup Gayngs – a “collective” of 25 musicians, including Har Mar Superstar, rappers P.O.S. and Dessa from Doomtree, as well as three members of Solid Gold.

The record will also reportedly feature Bon Iver drummer S Carey and producer Ryan Olson (the man responsible for forming Gayngs) with Vernon’s April Base Studio in Wisconsin serving as the project’s headquarters.

"This process was exhilarating, and it drove us further. We were originally going to be down there for a day," Astronautalis, real name Andy Bothwell, said in an interview with City Pages – claiming he also freestyled for eight hours over the music Vernon came up with.

"A lot of my fans are like, 'Oh this is going to be amazing: Astronautalis rapping and Justin singing choruses.' It's not going to be that,” Bothwell said about the effort.

The two also reportedly have a separate moniker for the project that they have yet to reveal, and though they are reportedly hoping to release new music sooner rather than later, they did not set a release date for the project.

It’s safe to assume that the disc will land on the new label Vernon founded, Chigliak Records. An imprint of Jagjaguwar, the label that signed Bon Iver, Chigliak Records focuses on "never commercially released" or "locally released [in Wisconsin] and never put out on vinyl," as well as new music.

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Check Out Rihanna's 'Where Have You Been' Single Cover Art

Posted 4/11/12 11:11 am EST by in Rihanna


Rihanna, Instagram

Speaking of Rihanna...

"Where Have You Been" is one of our favorite tracks on Rihanna's Talk That Talk, so we're thrilled that our friends at MTV Buzzworthy are reporting that the track will be the next single from the album.

Rihanna revealed the single cover art on her Instagram account this morning. The Barbadian pop star is a big fan of the photo-sharing service, which Facebook just purchased for a cool $1 billion. If you want to get to know Rihanna, follow her on Instagram – you'll get everything from vacation pictures to her latest tattoos.

For the full story on Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" single, visit MTV Buzzworthy.

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Yes, This Is A Video Of James Franco Singing Rihanna's 'You Da One'

Posted 4/11/12 10:38 am EST by in James Franco


A few days ago, known strange person James Franco posted a video to his WhoSay account of himself singing "Spring Breakers" co-star Selena Gomez's infectious single "Love You Like a Love Song" and now he's back to tackle Rihanna's "You Da One."

The Oscar-nominated actor's frizzy hair indicates he just took out the corn rows we got a look at in his "Like a Love Song" clip and he shows the ladies what they're missing with some sweet body rolls. The whole thing is wonderfully strange ... just like the James Franco we've come to know and love.

In the interest of diligent coverage, we've posted the video below. Enjoy!


James Franco on WhoSay

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Rolling Stones Hit The Studio To Explore Ideas For 25th Album, Talk 50th Anniversary Tour

Posted 4/10/12 3:36 pm EST by in Music


Rolling Stones

By Zachary Swickey

Ronnie Wood, guitarist for the legendary Rolling Stones, has revealed that the group will convene at a studio later this month to “throw some ideas around” for the band’s 25th album, their follow-up to 2005’s A Bigger Bang.

Apparently the Stones won’t be in full-blown writing mode, rather they just want “to get the feel again,” Wood told The Mirror. Wood also alluded to “training” for the band’s much rumored 50th anniversary tour.

"It's like working out for the Olympics or something," Wood said. "You've got to go into training. So we're going to go into training."

The group had previously conducted a jam session in London back in December, which went splendidly, according to Keith Richards. “It went very well. We played a lot of blues and outtakes of Some Girls and things like that,” he told Rolling Stone.

Richards also speculated at the time that the anniversary tour would have to be pushed back to 2013, but Rood’s comments seem to insinuate differently. Due to the band’s age, many are speculating that the group’s eventual tour will be multi-night residencies in major cities – ten nights at Madison Square Garden for example – which would make it easier to rock out 50 years after the group’s creation.

"I've got plenty in the locker here, but it's not on tape," Richards said regarding new music. "We'll just get the boys back together again then and maybe cut a side."

The Rolling Stones also have a new documentary set to drop this fall, which will take a look back at their lengthy career. "[There] will be music never heard before, and I've conducted 50-plus hours of interviews so far," director Brett Morgen revealed.

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New Britney Spears Song Leak Makes Us Wonder If Her Best Stuff Is Often Unreleased

Posted 4/10/12 1:07 pm EST by in Britney Spears


Britney Spears

Last night, yet another unreleased Britney Spears song leaked online and it got us thinking about the seemingly never-ending run of leaked Brit-Brit songs and what many of them have in common.

"Ouch" is a fantastic, mid-tempo jam about heartbreak with a clean beat and a strong vocal performance from Spears, whose vibrato is on point throughout the two-minute snippet that appeared on the web. We love Britney and have a pretty good feel for her oeuvre and think "Ouch" is at least as good as, if not way better than, well, about half of what makes it on any given Britney album.

(Listen here.)

Like many pop stars, Britney records tons of songs for each planned album and along with her producers, A&R people, management and, goodness sakes who knows, the pool guy, edits it down to a 12-ish song set that (hopefully) feels like one coherent entity. That leaves plenty of good tracks, including "Ouch," on the cutting room floor.

Many of those discarded songs have found their way online and given how good some of them are, we had a thought. Why not release an EP of the best of Britney's discarded gems. Something comparable in length to Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster EP. We could call it Britney: The Cutting Room Floor Collection. Or Britney: Look At All These Great Songs I Forgot To Release, Y'all. Maybe Britney: The Best of the Rest. (If you have a better idea, feel free to share it in the comments below!)

So, with "Ouch" already on the roster, we need six more songs that leaked online without an official release. Let's get started! Read More...

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