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Thursday, September 1, 2011

'Dark Knight Rises' Director Is 'Genius,' Tom Hardy Says

'I just trust him and how he slowly feeds what he's about to do to the world,' Bane actor says of Christopher Nolan's 'enigmatic' methods.
By Kara Warner

Tom Hardy as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises"
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

The only problem with Christopher Nolan's hugely anticipated "The Dark Knight Rises" is that no one involved in the project can talk about it, and with such secrecy comes obsessive fanboy quests for spoilers and on-set footage and photos.

When MTV News caught up with "Rises" star Tom Hardy as he promoted another of his anticipated films, "Warrior," we asked what he thinks about the incessant quests for details about his character Bane and the rest of the film.

"I think it just shows that people are really into it. It's great," Hardy said. "If you love something, why not follow it?"

He added that he doesn't much care for those who seek out spoilers, however, and also hasn't paid much attention to the photos that have been released, official or not.

"There are photos out there; it's nice to see them," he said, before changing the direction of the conversation toward more general territory. "Chris Nolan is amazing. How he releases his films, he's a very enigmatic human being. It's genius, what he does, and I just trust him and how he slowly feeds what he's about to do to the world."

Speaking of one of the things Nolan and company have fed to the world, we asked for his reaction to Anne Hathaway's catsuit.

"I've seen it, obviously. I've seen it up front," he said, not willing to expand on the subject. "I think everything Chris Nolan and every person at Warner Bros. [does] is amazing," he continued with a cheeky smile. "As I do Lionsgate as well [the studio releasing 'Warrior']. Funny, isn't it?" he said when his "Warrior" co-star Joel Edgerton burst out laughing at Hardy's politically correct outpourings of love for everyone. "Mercenary of me," he joked, proud to be toeing the company line. "Ka-ching!"

Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."

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

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'Hunger Games' First Look To Debut At VMAs!

Jennifer Lawrence will introduce exclusive sneak peek during Sunday's awards show.
By Eric Ditzian

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in "The Hunger Games"
Photo: Murray Close/ Lionsgate Entertainment

Katniss Everdeen is stepping out of the Hunger Games arena and into the Moonman-filled madness of the MTV Video Music Awards. At the VMAs on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, MTV will debut the very first look at footage from "The Hunger Games," the Jennifer Lawrence-starring adaptation of the best-selling dystopian novel.

Up until now, we've seen photos of Lawrence as the arrow-wielding Katniss, plus glimpses of Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Gale. But we haven't yet seen "Hunger Games" in action. All that will change during the 28th annual VMAs, when Lawrence herself introduces the exclusive look, which will then be available exclusively on MTV.com.

If you don't already know all there is to know about "Hunger Games," now's your chance to study up. Set in a future in which the United States has crumbled and 12 districts are overseen by a brutal Capitol, Katniss and Peeta find themselves forced to participate in an annual ritual called the Hunger Games. Pitting 24 young boys and girls against one another in a bloody battle to the death, the games are broadcast throughout the land at once to entertain and subjugate the citizenry. And at the center of it all is Katniss, a brave soul with expert hunting skills and the determination not to let the games destroy her soul or take her life.

"I was a fan of the books before I really knew about the movies," Lawrence told MTV News back in May, adding that she'd be working her butt off to get into character. "It's lots of training, but the training's actually really fun. I've done archery for about six weeks and rock climbing, tree climbing — and combat, running and vaulting. But also yoga and things like that, to stay catlike!"

The first glimpse at the film, which hits theaters March 12, 2012, is just one juicy part of the pop-culture parade that is the VMAs. Get ready for performances from Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Adele, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown, plus appearances by Jonah Hill, Rick Ross, Seth Rogen, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian and Odd Future.

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for Best New Artist by visiting VMA.MTV.com.

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'50/50' Exclusive Clip with Seth Rogen

The upcoming dramedy 50/50 follows a seemingly healthy 27-year-old guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who's shocked to find out he has cancer. Luckily, he has the support of his goofy best buddy (Seth Rogen) to help him get through it.

iVillage got its hands on an exclusive clip from the film, which hits theaters Sept. 30 and also costars Twilight actress Anna Kendrick and The Help star Bryce Dallas Howard. Watch below as Levitt's character learns that "with best friends and the best medicine, it only gets better."

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Britney Spears Calls VMA Tribute 'An Honor'

Spears tells MTV News her onstage smooch with Lady Gaga's Jo Calderone wasn't planned.
By James Montgomery

Britney Spears with Lady Gaga as Jo Calderone
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Britney Spears played it humble during her Video Music Awards tribute -- using her time onstage to shine the spotlight on her fellow performer, Beyoncé -- not an easy feat to accomplish in between nabbing the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and getting kissed by Lady Gaga's male alter ego Jo Calderone.

When MTV News caught up with Spears minutes after stepping offstage, she stayed humble, calling the tribute "an honor" and once again deflecting the spotlight.

"It was really crazy. I had no idea what to expect," Spears said. "The kids were amazing and so entertaining, and it was a really fun night. It was really cool. I was like, 'Wow, that's really sweet!'

"I loved the little girl in the 'Slave' outfit," she continued. "She was just so tiny and she delivered and she had such a great performance. ... They were all so great, and you could tell they worked really hard."

Watch the Britney Spears VMA Tribute now!

And Spears didn't stop there either. For an artist who's won more than her fare share of VMAs in her career, she was blown away by Sunday night's Best Pop Video triumph. "Every year ... just to come here is such an honor, you never get used to it," she smiled. "But tonight means so much to me." In a night full of high-water moments, it was her tribute smooch from Gaga -- er, Calderone -- that she gushed about backstage. Especially because she said the kiss was totally unplanned.

"She was in full character!" Spears said. "We just got onstage and we just kind of felt it out; we didn't know what was going on, so it was interesting!"

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards have wrapped, but the real action is just getting started! Stick with MTV News for winners, fashion pics, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything that went down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest.

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'Dark Knight Rises' Director Is 'Genius,' Tom Hardy Says

'I just trust him and how he slowly feeds what he's about to do to the world,' Bane actor says of Christopher Nolan's 'enigmatic' methods.
By Kara Warner

Tom Hardy as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises"
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

"I think it just shows that people are really into it. It's great," Hardy said. "If you love something, why not follow it?"

He added that he doesn't much care for those who seek out spoilers, however, and also hasn't paid much attention to the photos that have been released, official or not.

Speaking of one of the things Nolan and company have fed to the world, we asked for his reaction to Anne Hathaway's catsuit.

Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."

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

Related Photos

On The Set Of 'The Dark Knight Rises'

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Usher Collaborator Rico Love Calls Kelly Rowland's 'Motivation' 'Truly Organic'

Lil Wayne 'jumped on it,' Raymond v. Raymond writer tells Mixtape Daily.
By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Rob Markman

Rico Love
Photo: TTLL

Behind the Beats: Rico Love

If more people read the credits behind some of R&B's biggest hits, Rico Love should be a household name. Born Richard Preston Butler Jr., the former Florida A&M University student is now one of the music industry's most-sought-after singer/songwriters.

After writing hits for Usher ("There Goes My Baby"), Beyoncé ("Sweet Dreams") and Diddy-Dirty Money ("Hello Good Morning"), to name a few, one of Rico's biggest hits to date is Kelly Rowland's "Motivation."

"It came about in a truly organic way," Rico told Mixtape Daily of the Jim Jonsin-produced "Motivation." "We had this meeting in New York: myself and Sylvia [Rhone] and Kelly. And they just were saying, 'We need to find that single; we need that big single.' Everybody was asking for an uptempo, actually.

"I flew down to Miami the next day, and that Tuesday, we got back in the studio, and Jim started playing these chords, and then coming up with these little sounds — the signature sounds that Jim comes up with. I just told him to lay it like a skeleton idea, and I jumped in the booth, and I started with the verse, and I kind of sang my way all the way through the record."

Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child, was in the studio while Rico was laying down the reference track and made her regard for the song known immediately. "Kelly was there and watched the whole process," Rico recalled. "As soon as I finished singing the demo, usually an artist wants to live with it or listen to it for a little while. She just said, 'I want to cut it right now.' So she jumped in the booth, and we cut the record."

"Motivation" became the lead single for Rowland's third album, Here I Am, which was released in April. The song, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, features a verse from Lil Wayne.

"Lil Wayne got out of jail a few days later, and as soon as he got out of jail, [Rowland] went to see him, and he jumped on it," Rico explained. "It was the most organized situation ever. It was nothing contrived about it."

There's been nothing manufactured about Rico's accomplishments either. Starting his musical career as a rapper, he has signed former Roc-a-Fella rapper Young Chris to his Universal/Motown-distributed Division 1 label.

After leaving Florida A&M to pursue music, Rico caught the attention of Usher, and penned songs for the R&B singer, including "Throwback." Other artists soon benefitted from his songwriting, including T.I., Pleasure P and Mario. Rico takes pride in being versatile with his talents, preferring not to make specific songs intended for specific artists only.

"Sometimes, when you keep an artist in mind, you'll limit yourself," Rico explained. "You won't go a place that they probably would go because you're thinking, "Nah, she wouldn't say this," or "He wouldn't do this," or "He wouldn't say this," and "This melody is out of the way for them."

"When I get a chance to just get into the studio and just write music and just produce music and sit at the piano and tell a guy where I want to hear the chords and create the progressions and just freely make music, it's a lot more fun."

Lately, Rico has been back in the studio with Usher. In 2007, he was signed to the singer's former US Records via J Records. But his debut album was never released, and he and Usher went their separate ways.

But as Rico become a songwriting force, the two eventually started working together again. The first song they recorded was the Grammy-winning "There Goes My Baby" from 2010's Raymond v. Raymond. Now, Rico is working on Usher's forthcoming album and embracing the pressure of surpassing its predecessor's platinum sales and critical success.

"I feel like this is what separates the boys from the men," Rico said of working with Usher. "This week, we been creating records together. We had two mics, two headphones set up in the booth, and we just sit there and vibe out.

"These first few days have been amazing. We got four records cut so far that sound super amazing. I'm super excited about it. I'm just anxious for the world to hear it."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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