'Amazing Spider-Man' Lizard Leak Raises Questions

In this week's Marvel Mania, we use a recent 'Spider-Man' controversy to consider whether it's fair to judge a movie based on leaks.
By Josh Wigler


The Lizard, as he appears in the "Spider-Man" comics
Photo: Marvel

Over the years, big-budget blockbusters have revealed themselves in increasingly inventive ways. "The Dark Knight" gave us our first look at Heath Ledger's Joker by way of an elaborate viral game, for instance, and just this year, "The Dark Knight Rises" instituted a similar treatment for the villainous Bane. Even on the Marvel side of the aisle, we've seen creative, out-of-the-box revelations — like the buildup to "The Avengers" through numerous post-credits sequences, for example.

But revealing your villain through a PEZ dispenser? That's a new one, even for the House of Ideas!

Nonetheless, that's exactly how we got our first look at the Lizard, the villain played by Rhys Ifans in next summer's "The Amazing Spider-Man." Earlier in the week, a photo of an officially licensed "Spider-Man" PEZ dispenser leaked online and gave eager webheads their first and, really, only taste yet of what Curt Connors' monstrous transformation will look like when the Sony film swings into theaters.

A separate leak occurred earlier Wednesday (November 30), this time in the form of an alleged concept design showing Lizard in all his menacing glory. Folks lucky enough to have caught the "Amazing Spider-Man" panel at Comic-Con this year are largely in agreement on the blurry design's authenticity, giving fans bummed by the PEZ reveal another shot at getting to know the Lizard on better terms.

We can argue for days over whether the design itself is up to snuff — the biggest bone of contention is Lizard's lack of an elongated snout, based on fan reactions seen thus far — but no one's going to stand here and say that a frickin' PEZ dispenser is the best way to meet a highly anticipated movie character for the very first time. The concept art, however, is a somewhat different story; if that's a legitimate design, whether officially released or not, perhaps it is worth decoding.

For me, Lizard-Gate raises an interesting point about the changing shape of movie consumption in the digital age. Early looks at leaked material — like the Lizard concept art and his filthy PEZ habit — can either build buzz and excitement for a movie or they can crush all enthusiasm in one fell swoop. But is it fair to judge this crucial aspect of "Spider-Man" (or any movie) based on something that wasn't officially released? Can we really pile hate on Lizard based on candy of all things?

In a perfect world, we would be able to reserve all judgment of a movie until the movie's actual arrival. But it's not a perfect world; it's a lightning-paced digital one, and where there's an Internet, there's a picture of a Lizard PEZ dispenser that's bound to inform your opinion of "Amazing Spider-Man" in some way, no matter how big or small. Ultimately, it comes down to the click of a button: Are you so curious about an upcoming movie that you need to digest any and all information as soon as it's available, or can you look away long enough for the official goods to drop?

I don't think there's a right or a wrong answer here. In the end, it's a personal choice: Either you want to look, or you don't. Nobody's going to die because you stared at a PEZ dispenser for a few minutes (don't hold me to that, please). But the next time you find yourself on the horizon of that choice, consider Uncle Ben's famous words of wisdom: With great power comes great responsibility — or, to riff on another famous phrase, "To PEZ or not to PEZ; that is the question."

What do you think of movie leaks? Let me know on Twitter via @mtvsplashpage, and be sure to check out our new weekly discussion show, "Talk Nerdy to Me."

Check out everything we've got on "The Amazing Spider-Man."

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

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675178/amazing-spider-man-lizard-leak.jhtml

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Rima Fakih Arrested: Former Miss USA Busted For DUI, Tweeted Denial

Former Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih arrested! The 26-year-old beauty queen faces drunk driving charges following her arrest Saturday morning in Highland Park, Michigan. This is not the first time Fakih has been entangled in some sort of controversy since her Miss USA win last year. When news of Fakih’s arrest for DUI first broke yesterday, where she allegedly blew a .20 on a breathalyzer, she originally took to her Twitter page to deny that the incident happened. “Let’s clear things up now…. I’m NOT in Michigan and I’m NOT in jail! Wrong Fakih.” Her attorney, Doraid Elder, told the Detroit Free Press, “Unfortunately she was.” The tweet has since been deleted from her account, as well as removed on her Facebook page. Elder did not divulge any details surrounding the arrest except to say that Fakih was “very saddened and very apologetic for the situation that she is in right now.? Police have not commented on the arrest either, only saying that more information will be made available on Monday. Did she really think she could get away with denying she was arrested? Come on, give me a break! After being crowned Miss USA 2010, Fakih became the first [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/YJpO9xNcbts/

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Britney Spears Experts Debate Final Four Videos

BreatheHeavy.com's Jordan Miller puts his money on 'Criminal' as voting continues.
By Christina Garibaldi


Jason Trawick and Britney Spears in "Criminal"
Photo: Jive

It's Final Four time in MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years. Hundreds of thousands of votes came in during round three — and that led to some shocking eliminations. Most notably, fan favorite "Toxic" lost out to "I'm a Slave 4 U," which advanced to round two.

"We thought that would be the biggest, tightest competition," MTV Newsroom blog editor John Mitchell said of the contest between "Slave" and "Toxic." "And it was the one that was separated by the most [votes]."

The closest finish in the third round came down to this year's "Till the World Ends" and "Lucky," released in 2000.

"Till the World Ends" held the lead for most of the voting, but a last-minute push by fans edged "Lucky" into the next round with a margin of just 128 votes. Now, it's down to the Final Four. "Lucky" will take its chances against Spears' latest video "Criminal," which has a strong shot at the final round, according to BreatheHeavy.com's Jordan Miller, who runs Britney's biggest fan site.

"I think 'Criminal' 's made it really far because it's her latest music video that's out," Miller explained. "I think if that music video came out years ago, I don't think it would be doing so well. It's being promoted right now on TV and radio, but I think because it's new to fans, it's made it this far."

In the Final Four, "Slave 4 U" is facing off against "Hold It Against Me," and MTV News experts predict "Slave" and "Criminal" will ultimately fight it out for the title of Best Britney Video of All Time.

Spears herself recently weighed in on the competition with a tweet, hinting that boyfriend Jason Trawick was supporting "Criminal," in which he co-stars with Brit.

"It's constantly been the most voted-upon bracket every single round," MTV News' Mitchell said of "Criminal." "I think there's a lot of groundswell behind that video; [Britney] obviously supports that video. I think that her fans are going to take it to the end."

Voting for the top four clips is open until 7 a.m. Thursday; the top two will be unveiled at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, followed by the big reveal of the winner at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, which happens to be Britney's 30th birthday.


Head over to Britney30.MTV.com and vote for your favorite music video in MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years.

Which Britney video are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments section below!

What's your favorite Britney video? Make sure to vote at Britney30.MTV.com or the MTV Newsroom blog, and share your picks in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675170/britney-spears-music-videos-final-four-experts.jhtml

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Lady Gaga Describes 'Marry The Night' Breakdown As 'Honest Moment'

'It is my personal way of seeing things. I am the artist of my own life,' Gaga says of her self-directed video.
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga in her "Marry the Night" music video
Photo: Interscope/ VEVO

Lady Gaga exorcises her demons in her nearly 14-minute-long clip for "Marry the Night," which premiered Thursday night. Depicting Gaga's journey from an early career trauma to her reinvention as a successful pop star, she intended for art to imitate life in the clip.

For those wondering what left Gaga so traumatized, she explained it all to E! News preceding the video's premiere. The video is a metaphor for how she felt when she was dropped from her first record label, Island Def Jam, before landing at her current home at Interscope.

"It was one of the worst days of my life and it happened quite quickly. But in my mind, when I think back on that period of my life, it all happened very slow," she explained. "It is my personal way of seeing things. I am the artist of my own life. I choose to tell you what happened," she continued. "If you give up after something like that, you were never destined to be an entertainer."

In the video, after hearing from her ballet director that she should quit, she restructures her goal and plots her rise to pop stardom. "In order to be great writing music or at fishing or at being a mechanic or designing buildings, you have to acknowledge what is wrong with your work, or what is dishonest about it," she said. "What have I not been really great at?" Those obstacles, she says, are a big part of what makes her who she is now. "I love the obstacles," she said. "To marry your obstacles means I, the artist, wholeheartedly accept everything you throw at me. I am destined to struggle, I am destined to write music about the struggle and I accept it willingly."

There are several scenes where Gaga is naked and experiencing a mental breakdown in her apartment. "Well, I was naked in real life when it happened," she said, referring to the moment she found out she'd been dropped. "That's probably the most honest moment in that video of everything I've ever done. My directorial decision was for them to just f---ing roll the cameras, because I couldn't go in and out of the moment. I wonder if I will actually release that scene in its entirety — it's about 30 minutes long."

"It was intensely important to me that it was not too beautiful," she added. "It was an incredible experience. It was amazing. It was absolutely amazing."

This marks the first time that Gaga has directed a video all on her own. She recently split from her longtime creative director Laurieann Gibson, however, she clarified how the Haus works during the interview. "I have always been the creative director, and the Haus of Gaga has always been the creative force behind what we've done. There really aren't many tremendous changes.

"I know it's my directorial debut, but I've really created everything I've ever done in my career," she continued. "I really didn't do anything differently on this video that I didn't do on the 'Telephone' video or the 'Paparazzi' video or the 'Bad Romance' video. I hope my fans will take from this the progression that you have to trust yourself to make mistakes."

While the subject matter of the video is dark, there are also some tongue-in-cheek moments. "I always believe that you walk the line of humor if you're being so incredibly serious," she explained. "There's something quite comical about the opening of the video, even though it's quite sinister and dark," she said. "It's meant to be comical."

So, how would Gaga sum it all up? "In essence, it's insight into my entire creative process and the way that I view things," she said.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675270/lady-gaga-marry-the-night-music-video.jhtml

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Beyonce Thought 'Everyone' Knew She Was Pregnant

'I was definitely thinking, 'Everyone knows, everyone can see,' ' B says of hiding bump before MTV VMA reveal.
By James Montgomery


Beyoncé at the 2011 VMAs
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Before she announced her pregnancy to the entire world at the 2011 Video Music Awards, Beyoncé was worried that everyone would figure out her secret ... after all, it was getting rather difficult to hide that baby bump.

"The whole time, I was definitely thinking, 'Everyone knows, everyone can see,' " B told Billboard.com before the screening of her new "Live at Roseland" concert film on Sunday in New York.

She was especially sure that she'd been found out after putting on the shows that make up that film — her four-night stand at New York City's Roseland Ballroom in August — when she was very much with child and, by her own account, had a difficult time performing with her usual ferocity.

"When you're pregnant, it's a little bit harder to breathe," she said, "so it was hard doing all the choreography and singing at the same time."

Of course, watching clips from the film — when a perfectly locked-in B performed a medley of hits while backed by a cracking, all-female backing band — you wouldn't know it. But now that she's revealed her pregnancy to the world, Beyoncé joked that "Roseland" will serve another purpose altogether ... namely, giving her and Jay-Z's child (who just might be a girl) a chance to say "I can't believe I was in that belly!"

Beyoncé's "Live at Roseland" film made its world premiere Monday (November 21) online, and is available for purchase at Walmart and on the Net. She can also be heard on a duet with Mary J. Blige on "Love a Woman," a standout track on Blige's just-released My Life II ... The Journey Continues, Act I.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674758/beyonce-pregnant-billboard.jhtml

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Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj And Ke$ha 'Till The World Ends' Remix Leaks

Reworked tune features an opening verse by Minaj as Ke$ha sings atop Spears' vocals throughout the song.
By James Dinh


Britney Spears' "Til The World Ends"
Photo: Jive

Britney Spears isn't the only pop titan dancing until the world ends: Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha have joined forces to add a new spin on an all-female remix of Femme Fatale's second single, "Till the World Ends."

The reworked dance anthem, which leaked online Friday (April 22), appears to have surfaced earlier than expected as noted by a series of countdowns on all three of the stars' websites.

Mixing the dance tune's original sonic swirls with heavier bass, Britney tourmate Minaj starts off the remix by throwing down an aggressive verse, in which she calls out a female hater: "A-A-A-A-A-AYE!/ Chimpanzees is hatin', but I take it all in stride/ Put her in a jungle with bananas on the side/ Told you they'd revive your career, but somebody lied/ I ain't talkin' poultry when I say this chicken's fried."

After Minaj spits a few introductory bars, Spears delivers the song's first verse before an introduction for the all-star trio. "It's Britney, bitch. I'm Nicki Minaj and that's Ke$ha!" the Young Money MC proclaims.

Ke$ha, who originally wrote the track for the pop princess, takes part in singing the club-ready track's chorus. Spears soon takes back control of the song as Ke$ha shadows the singer's lines toward the end of the second verse and bridge. Unlike the original version, the "Till the World Ends" remix also features a stuttering dubstep dance break.

News of a star-studded collaboration was hinted earlier this week when producer Dr. Luke tweeted, "@NICKIMINAJ killed it tonight!!!! thanks!!!"

Have you heard the all-star "Till The World Ends" remix? Share your reviews in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1662570/britney-spears-kesha-nicki-minaj-til-the-world-ends-remix.jhtml

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New 'John Carter' Banners Have 'Star Wars' Vibe

This week has been absolutely brimming with new material from "John Carter," and today's obligatory release has arrived -- and they are both vaguely reminiscent of "Star Wars." Yesterday, the second trailer premiered, and photos and posters have been sent out at a dizzying pace over the past week. Now, three new banners for the sci-fi [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/12/02/john-carter-banners/

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Cobra Starship, Jimmy Fallon, Other Celebs Pick Favorite Britney Videos

'The one when she's in the little schoolgirl clothes,' 'True Blood' star Joe Manganiello tells us.
By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker


Britney Spears in her video for "Toxic"
Photo: Jive

During our Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years, we've been asking celebrities to tell us what their personal favorite Britney Spears videos are.

" 'Toxic'!" Gabe Saporta and Victoria Asher of Cobra Starship shouted in unison.

"I don't know if it's that the song was so amazing or what," Gabe said. " 'Womanizer' is amazing!" he added about director Joseph Khan's follow-up video, which features a similar series of Britney alter egos as a theme.

"I'm going to go with the 'Slave' joint," Nick Cannon said with certainty. "That track was crazy. It was probably my favorite Britney record but then the video ... It was all hot and they were sweating. Britney did that!"

"Is it '... Baby One More Time' when she was in the schoolgirl outfit?" "Jersey Shore" star Ronnie asked. "Yeah, that's it."


Head over to Britney30.MTV.com and vote for your favorite music video in MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years.

When asked what he liked most about it, he laughed and said, "Her in the schoolgirl outfit!"

"The one when she's in the little schoolgirl clothes," agreed Joe Manganiello, who plays the big and burly werewolf Alcide Herveaux in HBO's "True Blood." "That's a good one."

Emily VanCamp from ABC's "Revenge" agreed with Ronnie and Joe. "That was the thing, you know?"

Comedian and talk-show host Jimmy Fallon also went with "... Baby One More Time," saying, "That one's just a classic!"

Unfortunately, "... Baby One More Time" fell out of the competition in the second round of voting to the newer video "Criminal," off of Spears' latest album, Femme Fatale.

Go vote for the finalists now at Britney30.mtv.com and let us know your thoughts on the tournament in the comments section below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675216/britney-spears-birthday-tournament-cobra-starship-fallon.jhtml

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