'The Office' Recap: Season 7, Episode 22

'The Office' Recap: Season 7, Episode 22

With Michael gone, Deangelo is free to indulge his own personal management style, which leans heavily on the "inner circle" model. But in addition to being poorly chosen, the inner circle consists entirely of dudes.

When Pam and Angela point this out, Jim and Andy are their reluctant allies, only Jim gets de-circled and Andy gets co-opted. Also, Deangelo has hired a new "executive assistant" right out of the trenches of retail, with no corporate experience or apparent comedy chops whatsoever.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL RECAP

Watch the full episode here:

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/office-recap-season-7-episode-22/1-a-347297

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'Thor' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

We catch you up on how the God of Thunder made his way to the big screen.
By Eric Ditzian


A scene from "Thor"
Photo: Marvel

Is "Thor" the best Marvel Studios movie ever? Better than "Iron Man," which wowed crowds in 2008 on its way toward $585 million in worldwide box-office receipts? Better than "Iron Man 2" and "The Incredible Hulk"?

That's the word floating around the blogosphere and inside the MTV Newsroom, where everyone is marveling about what director Kenneth Branagh was able to accomplish with his comic book source material.

The movie could have easily become another "Masters of the Universe," a cheese-tastic example of how not to bring fantastical heroes to planet Earth. But Thor, no doubt, has avoided the fate of He-Man before him. To understand how Marvel and Branagh accomplished this impressive cinematic task, we must flash back into the recent past to see how the project came together. Luckily, that's exactly what we're able to do, since MTV News has been all over this project for years and can now present an indispensible cheat sheet: everything you need to know about "Thor":

Searching for the Gods
Marvel had been making plans for "Thor" since the '90s, but things started to come together in fall 2008, when Branagh entered into talks to helm the production. A few months later, he broke his silence and confirmed to us he'd be hopping into the director's chair, citing the appeal of working "on a story about one of the immortals, Gods, extraordinary beings, inter-dimensional creatures."

At that point, though, Branagh said it was too early to speculate about a potential cast. For Thor himself, we soon learned, Marvel was eyeing someone in his 20s who could be "physically powerful, very handsome, occasionally egotistical, petulant, and wild." Names like Daniel Craig and Kevin McKidd had been floated before for the hero from Asgard, but neither seemed to fit the bill, at least age-wise. Other actors like Alexander Skarsgård, Charlie Hunnam and Channing Tatum entered the conversation, but the job eventually went to Chris Hemsworth. Natalie Portman then signed on to play a scientist and Thor love interest, Tom Hiddleston became Thor's brother Loki, Anthony Hopkins became Thor's father Odin, and Stellan Skarsgård, Jaimie Alexander and Colm Feore joined in too.

Bringing Asgard to Earth
Filming kicked off in January of last year, and a week in, Branagh told us all was going well. "We have many miles to go and promises to keep, but so far, so good," he said. "Everybody's doing very good work and just a lot of it is so promising. Fingers crossed for everybody and everything. [Hemsworth] is a great guy."

Our first look at "Thor" came in April: Hemsworth in full Thor costume, his blond locks artfully falling in his face. "It's a pretty impressive costume, and I think anyone who put it on would look pretty cool," Hemsworth told us earlier. "I have a nice long, blond wig which they throw on every day."

Then came a pic of Hopkins as Odin. "It's a superhero movie, but with a bit of Shakespeare thrown in," he revealed to us. "It's a big, big, broad thing." More photos followed, until the first footage debuted at San Diego Comic-Con.

The public didn't get a chance to see official footage until December, when the first trailer popped up online, showing the God of Thunder as a skilled but arrogant warrior living in the faraway land of Asgard. But when Thor's reckless actions reawaken an ancient war, he's cast down to Earth and forced to live among mankind. As a threat from Asgard looms over our planet, Thor becomes the only one able to save both worlds from destruction.

Mighty Thor Arrives
A year after filming began, Hemsworth still hadn't seen a final cut. "I can't wait," he told us. "I've seen little bits and pieces through the process and little grabs. It looks amazing. I saw some special-effects stuff the other day that looks mind-blowing."

A Super Bowl commercial gave us a closer look at the action, followed by another full trailer in mid-February. Eventually, Hemsworth got to see the full film. "Being that close to something, it's often pretty hard to watch yourself, but the film in so many ways is so impressive that I was swept along with it like an audience member, and that's a pretty good sign," he told us.

He wasn't the only one impressed. Early reviews lauded the film for its faithful adaptation of the beloved comic books. Everything, it seems, is looking good both for a "Thor" sequel and "The Avengers," the superhero all-star flick that's already in production.

"It would be a lovely challenge and problem to have should we do a second one," Branagh said of directing "Thor 2." "We went through so many possibilities for how the story might go, that of course the prospect of that is very tantalizing and fascinating."

As for "Avengers," which will focus not only on Thor and Loki but characters like Hulk, Captain America and Hawkeye, everyone involved is ecstatic. "We've met sort of separately at various events and things, but yet to all sit down in the same room and do a read through...which I'm very excited about," Hemsworth told us before production began. "All of a sudden there's more people to sort of take some of the weight of it all, but also you want to do your bit and stand out, you know so it's a combination. But the excitement outweighs all of that. I'm a huge fan of these characters and these actors."

Check out everything we've got on "Thor."

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663390/thor-cheat-sheet.jhtml

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Britney Spears 'Till The World Ends' Bollywood Remix Hits Web

The Femme Fatale singer takes to Twitter to encourage fans to 'check out this incredible ... remix.'
By Jocelyn Vena


Britney Spears
Photo: Max Morse/Getty Images

Last week, Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" got the Bollywood treatment when Indian composers Salim-Sulaiman remixed her feel-good disco track. Now, Britney Spears is feeling the Indian love from entertainment website Desi Hits! and the Culture Shock production team, who put their Bollywood-style spin on "Till the World Ends."

"Check out this incredible Desihits remix of Till The World Ends. I LOVE it!!!" Britney tweeted on Monday about the track.

The swirling take on Spears' hit tune boasts a "Punjabi breakdown" section that features some South Asian-sounding vocals from Culture Shock's Lomaticc and Sunny Brown. The track includes some added Desi flavors courtesy of dholki, dhol and tumbi beats, which are common in Indian music.

"Our goal was to take Britney's smash hit single and give fans a total Desi adrenaline rush," Culture Shock's Baba Kahn explained. "The result is a Culture Shock musical Desi roller coaster that hopefully everyone around the world will want to join."

It seems that Spears' camp was crucial in orchestrating the remix. "We wanted to build an even greater connection between the world's biggest pop star and one of the world's largest audiences," Mark Flaherty, senior vice president of Jive Label Group, says of the reimagined tune. "Britney has been engaged with South Asian culture for many years. From the groundbreaking Bollywood-inspired remix of 'Me Against the Music' to her recent collaboration with Indian fashion designers Falguni and Shane Peacock on the 'Hold It Against Me' video, she has embraced the incredible sights and sounds of this vibrant community throughout her career."

The original version of "Till the World Ends," the second single from Britney's Femme Fatale album, was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Billboard. At last look, the tune held the #8 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Are you loving the Bollywood-style "Till the World Ends" remix? Tell us in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1662227/britney-spears-till-the-world-ends-bollywood-remix.jhtml

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New Led Zeppelin On The Way? Jason Bonham Hints At 'Jam' Sessions With Jimmy Page -- But Not Robert Plant

Drummer admits he doesn't know what will come of 'new material.'
By Chris Harris


Jason Bonham
Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images

On Friday morning, mere hours before he was due to take the stage with classic rockers Foreigner at Detroit's GM Renaissance Center, drummer Jason Bonham — the son of late Led Zeppelin kitman John Bonham — told Jim Johnson and Lynne Woodison of local rock station 94.7 WCSX that he'd be an ex-member of Foreigner as of September 1. But that's not the only thing he said.

Much to the delight of Led Zeppelin fans everywhere, Bonham revealed that he's been meeting up with Led Zep guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones in recent months and that they've been "trying to do some new material and writing."

It was the first time since Led Zeppelin announced they would re-form for a single performance (which happened late last year at London's O2 Arena, in honor of the late Ahmet Ertegün, who signed the band to Atlantic Records in 1969) that anyone connected to the band has confirmed publicly that new music could be on the horizon for the iconic rockers. While the bandmembers have stopped short of definitively ruling out such a reunion, singer Robert Plant insisted in the wake of last year's show that he intended to focus on promoting and touring behind his critically lauded album with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, Raising Sand.

Not that Bonham knows what — if anything — will happen with the new material he's been working on with Page (who collaborated with pop singer Leona Lewis on an uneven version of Zep's "Whole Lotta Love" at the Olympic closing ceremonies in Beijing on Sunday night) and Jones. He said he just shows up and takes his seat behind the kit.

"I've been over [to England] a couple of times," Bonham said. "I've been working with Jimmy and John Paul and trying to do ... some new material and some writing. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something. At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material. When I get there, I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it. Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing."

He said it's still too early to tell what will become of these "jam" sessions, but admitted that the "possibility of doing something is in the cards. I really felt it was in the cards from the moment we walked offstage at the O2." Bonham also explained that, before there could be a Led Zep LP, "lots of politics [would need to] get ironed out," but added that recording with Zep is "something I've always wanted to do."

Bonham noticeably didn't mention frontman Plant's name during the discussion. A spokesperson for Page's management had no comment on the matter, and a spokesperson for Jones' management could not be reached by press time.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1593468/jason-bonham-hints-at-jam-sessions-with-jimmy-page.jhtml

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Lady Gaga 'Judas' Video 'Fulfills Our Vision,' Laurieann Gibson Says

New clip shows 'who she is, how many levels she can go,' clip's co-director tells MTV News.
By Matt Elias


Laurieann Gibson
Photo: MTV News

By now Lady Gaga's Little Monsters have had their ferocious appetites satisfied with the premiere of the pop star's new video for "Judas" — whether they caught the leaked "Judas" online or waited for the full seven-minute version that premiered on E! Thursday night (May 5).

Up until its debut, the clip's co-director, Laurieann Gibson, has had to remain pretty tight-lipped about the top-secret project. That is, until now. MTV News sat down with the choreographer-turned-director, who was finally able to spill the beans on the highly anticipated video.

"With 'Judas,' I'm so happy," Gibson, beaming with pride, told us on Thursday afternoon. "Because as her choreographer and her creative director, and then collaborating with 'Judas,' I was able to sit in the director's seat and fulfill our vision and see it all the way through. So at the end of the day, you saw how amazing she looks — beautiful — she's dancing again. And it's just great because I was able to produce the next level: who she is, how many levels she can go and the idea that this artist is a real artist and capable."

Gibson was referring to reservations that she'd had about Gaga's "Born This Way" video, which didn't go creatively as far as she wanted. For "Judas," Gibson was able to take a more hands-on approach, which included choosing among several concepts.

"I think the concept stuck with this one because, ultimately, there was a place where we wanted to leave the interpretation up to each individual and not take away [Gaga's] power as a performer, as a dancer, as a star," Gibson explained. "And to leave the moments for you to interpret and be inspired by the fact that everyone has a Judas in their life and that there is a place of deliverance. For me, I interpret differently than her, and for someone else, they'll interpret it differently.

"But as the director, I was really excited about filling the frame, using the Phantom [camera], creating a different dynamic in the way we approached the shots; never stop moving the lens, never lock off, complementing her with the way she moves, making it graceful when she's strong in her movement," she continued.

For die-hard fans curious about the video's story line, Gibson clued us in on one particular scene.

"In the marketplace, if you noticed, it was supposed to be a rock concert," she revealed. "And if you look closely ... I took the inspiration from, you know, in New York, when they're building a new building and they have the scaffolding — that's where that inspiration came from. Jesus would eventually arrive to perform at a rock concert, and so it has that town circle and they're about to perform."

Share your thoughts on the "Judas" video in the comments section!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663388/lady-gaga-laurieann-gibson-judas-video.jhtml

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