Will Sam Claflin Play Finnick Odair In ?The Hunger Games: Catching Fire??

Back in May we learned that auditions for the forthcoming sequel film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire had begun and at the time 3 high profile actors were said to be in the running for the highly coveted role of Finnick Odair. It is now mid-July and, according to reports, none of those actors have [...]

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Beyonce Opening Act Luke James Motivated By Her 'Drive'

After opening for B in Atlantic City, New Orleans newcomer tells MTV News what he's learned from the Queen.
By Rebecca Thomas

<P>It was the morning after Beyoncé's triumphant second show in Atlantic City when we bumped into Luke James by an elevator bank at the Revel resort. R&B's reigning diva had tapped the New Orleans native to warm up the capacity crowds as she staged her comeback run over Memorial Day weekend, and James had the unmistakable bop of a man who knows he's done something ... special.</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Luke James Learned To 'Give' From Beyonce" id="vid:787005" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>Signed to Island Def Jam but still largely unknown to all but soul-music diehards, James had just the night before slayed a roomful of women that included the first lady, Michelle Obama. Armed with a flirty falsetto, James tossed long-stemmed red roses and lines like, "Before I met you, girl, I never knew my heart could dance/ I was just a broken record of one-night stands," from his standout single "I Want You." So what did the handsome upstart think when he heard he'd be opening up for the Grammy winner?</P><P>"The first thing I thought I was, 'OK, I need a band, gotta get the guys together, what we gon' wear, how we gon' do it 'cause I know <i>she's</i> gonna do it ... and what songs," James recalled when he stopped by the MTV newsroom, fresh from the four-night stint.</P><P>After jotting down a few notes on his mental checklist, Luke let himself absorb the moment: "And then I'm thinking, 'This is just an amazing opportunity. ... I was just elated."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Beyonce Gets Back To Business, Kicks Off Summer!" id="vid:785342" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>James has discovered up close what it means be a member of Queen B's court, not only because of the A.C. gigs, but because of their shared connection to Frank Gatson Jr., Beyonc&#233;'s longtime choreographer/creative director and now James' manager. Dressed casually in a denim button-down and a red knit cap that called to mind old photos of Marvin Gaye, the singer paused for a heartbeat before relaying what lessons he picked up from Mrs. Carter.</P><P>"What I learned from Beyonc&#233; is just the focus, the drive and to stay creative and to always give, just keep giving," he said. "Throughout the years that she's been doing it, since Destiny's Child to now, she's been giving.</P><P>"So this is the beginning for me ... I just want to remain giving and always [be] a necessity to people, you know?" he added thoughtfully. "Giving [fans] what they need. At the same time, it's basically giving me what I need."</P><P><i>Have you listened to Luke James? Share your reviews in the comments below!</i> </p>

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Lady Gaga's MRI Checks Out Fine

Mother Monster takes to Twitter to let her dad know she is doing fine after a concert head injury.
By Jocelyn Vena

<P>A little more than a week after Lady Gaga suffered a concussion and some bruises from an onstage collision with a metal set piece on her <i>Born This Way</i> Ball, the singer got some good news: She's doing just fine.</P><P>"Went for an MRI," she tweeted on Wednesday (June 20). "No harm from the concussion but it appears my brain is just water and a large floating jellyfish." She then shared just <i>who</i> she got the check-up for, adding a little note to her dad. "@germanottajoe i had them check my noodle," she wrote. "that was your father's day present Il mio babbo!! I thought they were taking me to the zoo. TRICKS."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Lady Gaga Will Bring a 'Personal' Touch To 'Born This Way' Tour" id="vid:717952" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>The injury took place on June 10 while the Mother Monster was in New Zealand when a dancer accidentally hit her with a set piece mid-song. She walked off during "Judas" only to return to the stage after a short break to perform 16 more songs. "I want to apologize," she later told the crowd. "I did hit my head and I think I may have a concussion. But don't you worry, I will finish this show."</P><P>Gaga will play several shows in Sydney, including a gig on Wednesday night. She'll play Australia through the remainder of this month before hitting up Europe in July. She has dates slated right through December abroad. She has yet to announce North American dates for her elaborate <i>Born This Way</i> Ball, with a gothic castle serving as the tour's main visual.</P><P>In addition to touring through the rest of 2012, Gaga will also release her first fragrance, Fame, in September, which also happens to be the month she will announce the title of her next album, the follow-up to 2011's Born This Way.</P><P></p>

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Around the Web?

It’s Wednesday! Mark midweek with a read of our links: Half of bedtime stories now read on e-books ? SmartMoney.com CPSC warns about keeping baby monitors too close to the crib – iVillage.com What Marissa Mayer means for ‘can women have it all?’ debate ? HuffPost Parents Global survey shows 65% of women reject the [...]

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Ke$ha Calls Bob Dylan Cover 'An Emotional Purging'

Pop singer sings 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right' for Amnesty International anniversary album.
By Jocelyn Vena

<P>It's hard to associate Ke$ha with songs about anything other than hot guys, body glitter and partying. But she's defying her usual topics of interest for human rights organization Amnesty International. The singer is one of the many musicians on the org's <i>Chimes of Freedom</i> compilation of Bob Dylan's music, out January 24.</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Ke$ha Calls Bob Dylan Cover Choice 'An Accident'" id="vid:720838" width="240" height="211"></div><p></P><P>When MTV News spoke with K-Dollar Sign last week about her all-star remix of "Sleazy," she also opened up about switching gears vocally and emotionally for her version of Dylan's classic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."</P><P>"I mean, I think it's pretty well known that he's one of, if not my most, favorite artists of all time and ... one of the most amazing lyricists as well &#8212; the original storyteller," she explained. "So I love Bob Dylan and this was just, like, a dream. When they asked me to do a cover, I was just, like, salivating and going through all my records. It was so fun. It was the best homework assignment you could possibly have."</P><P>K's version of Dylan's song is a slow-burning, heartbreaking ode to the already heartbreaking classic, where she channels Dylan through lyrics like "Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say/ To try and make me change my mind and stay/ We never did too much talkin' anyway/ So don't think twice, it's all right."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="What Is The Biggest Perk Of Being A Headliner?" id="vid:642810" width="240" height="211"></div><p></P><P>Ke$ha had originally intended to record another Dylan track, but when she heard that someone else had their sights set on it, she settled on "Don't Think Twice," prompting a catharsis she could never have imagined.</P><P>"This song was kind of an accident. I sat down and this is the first take that I ever sang," she recalled. "I just sat down on my bed for the first time after months of being on tour and I just started crying, and it was kind of like an emotional purging, and you can hear it on the record."</P><P>In addition to Ke$ha and her contribution, the album will feature 75 other Dylan classics recorded by nearly 80 artists including Adele, Miley Cyrus, "Glee" star Darren Criss, My Chemical Romance, Evan Rachel Wood and Sugarland. The album pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International.</p>

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Britney Spears Has Tearful Reunion With Former Duet Partner On 'X Factor'

Britney sang 'I Will Still Love You' with Don Philip on her debut album.
By Gil Kaufman

<P>Months before the revamped "X Factor"&#8232; hits the air, we've already come to expect some serious drama from new judge Britney Spears. But in one of those only-in-reality-TV moments, Spears shed some genuine tears on Sunday during audition rounds in San Francisco when she was confronted with a voice and face from her distant past.</P><P>People magazine reported that Spears got emotional when a male contestant hit the stage at Oracle Arena, telling fellow panelists Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and fellow newbie Demi Lovato, "I know him ... We did a duet together 10 years ago." A source told the magazine that when the man stepped on the stage, "You could see that Britney recognized him straight away ... She got this huge smile on her face and her eyes lit up. It was so sweet."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Britney Spears Explains Why She Wanted To Be A Part Of 'X Factor'" id="vid:769620" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>While <I>People</I> did not reveal the man's identity, Spears superfan Jordan Miller of fan site Breathe Heavy confirmed that the auditioner was none other than Don Philip. The one-time aspiring new pop revolution singer performed a duet with Britney on the treacly ballad "I Will Still Love You," from her 1999 debut album, <I>...Baby One More Time</I>.</P><P>A spokesperson for the show declined to comment on the singer's identity when asked for comment.</P><P>The blast from her past got more emotional when Phillip revealed to the judges and audience, "I'm gay." He continued, "At the time I didn't think I was worth ... I didn't think you thought it was OK that I am gay." Spears was reportedly quick to voice her support for Phillip, saying, "I think it is fine you are gay."</P><P>The unnamed source told <I>People</I> that when Phillip started crying and said, "he thought he'd never see her again and that he'd had a lot to deal with, Britney was comforting him to calm him." Though she was compassionate and warm with Phillip, the source said that the singer was clearly a bit shaken by the unexpected run-in.</P><P>"She's been through a lot in those 10 years, too, so it must have been a shock for her to see him," the source said. "You could tell she was emotional and she really felt for him especially when he was crying, but she also stayed calm." Even with the drama, Spears reportedly gave a very straightforward critique, though it is unknown if Phillip made the cut.</P><P>Philip, a Miami, Florida, native who tried to ride the same late-'90s teen pop wave that made superstars out of Spears, Christina Aguilera, 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, has spent the time since the duet grinding away at a music career that never reached the heights of his former singing partner. The one-time Jive Records star-in-the-making has sung back-up for Gloria Estefan and toured with Spears early in her career, and like "The Voice" singer Tony Lucca&#8232; and Aguilera, maybe he was hoping that a reunion with his former pop pal would provide the boost he's been looking for.</P><P>Apparently, though, the "Factor" audition didn't go as Philip planned. According to a series of Facebook posts, Don was disappointed with how things went and wrote, "Tonight i might have sealed my music career fate according to a certain music mogul. I tryed to just be real and instead it totally got turned around on me," he said. "Perhaps this was not the place for me to reveal my very soul and obstacles of my past. Certainly not the place for a reunion ... I promise I only had good intentions in mind."</P><P>He said his voice "froze" when he began to sing and was never able to recover from what he felt was a "really hardcore interrogation" from what he anonymously described as "two pompous arrogant men."</P><P>He continued, "I guess I am not as tough skinned as I thought ... Wait it gets worse ... when I looked into the very eyes of my old label mate and saw she too was sad. I knew the whole situation was spinning out of control.. my heart broke."</P><P>On Monday, Philip posted another note, wondering if Cowell might give him another shot, explaining that he was "so exhausted and could not sleep [the] night before," because he was so scared to face Spears. He also referred to the "heavy burden" he was carrying, seemingly referring to his coming out, and following four hours of interviews he said his voice was just spent.</P><P></p>

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