Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts Talk 'Larry Crowne,' Friendship And MTV

'I miss VJs,' stars tell MTV News.
By Kara Warner


Tom Hanks
Photo: MTV News

Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts' new movie, "Larry Crowne," is, in a nutshell, about a middle-aged man who, after constantly being looked over for managerial promotions at work due to his lack of college degree, enrolls himself in his local community college, where he finds himself being taught by and falling in love with the lovely Mercedes Tainot (Roberts).

When MTV News caught up with Hanks and Roberts at the press day for the film, we attempted to discuss Hanks' return to the director's chair after a 15-year hiatus (the last film he helmed was 1996's "That Thing You Do!"), but first the two superstars took a moment to talk about us.

"I miss VJs," Roberts lamented of MTV's onetime team of on-camera personalities.

"I miss VJs, too," Hanks agreed. "I miss, you know, 'The Rock Hour!' " he added, likely meaning "120 Minutes," hosted by Matt Pinfield, which has been resurrected over at MTV2.

"What's on MTV now?" Roberts asked.

"Pregnant teenagers," quipped Hanks.

Hanks and Roberts then briefly discussed MTV's current slate of programs, citing "The Real World," "Jersey Shore" and "16 and Pregnant," but admitted only to hearing stories about them, not to having watched any of those shows themselves.

Once we were able to bring the focus to the topic at hand, we asked Hanks about his return to the director's chair, and what inspired him to take on so many roles for this film — he directed, acted in, co-wrote and produced "Crowne."

"Somewhere I think in 2009 a switch just goes off in my head that goes, 'I really want to direct this,' " he recalled, equating his passion for the project to a fever he had to have cooked out of him. "It takes you out of the marketplace for a long time, which is fine. I have a lot of things going on, but it ends up being like this personal letter that you're writing to your mom where you want it to be right, you want it to be authentic, you want it to actually reflect who you are and where you are at this point, and so that's why you end up directing a movie and being in it."

For Roberts, signing on to the film was mostly about working with her good friend. She and Hanks worked together once before in "Charlie Wilson's War," which, according to Roberts, cemented their friendship for life.

"I knew I had a friend for the rest of my life," she said, recalling one specific day on the "Wilson's War" set that involved Hanks, Roberts and some joke with a little box. "He [makes] me want to live a longer life," she gushed.

"What a great answer!" Hanks said with a big smile.

"It's true, I love Tom. It's kind of retarded for us sitting here trying to be professionals because we're friends," she said. "I love his wife, I love his kids."

"This is what we'd be doing if we were sitting around or having lunch," Hanks added, speaking to the pair's easy rapport. "We'll laugh for three hours together."

Check out everything we've got on "Larry Crowne."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666760/tom-hanks-julia-roberts-larry-crowne.jhtml

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Usher To Donate Gadhafi Money To Charity

'I will be donating all of my personal proceeds...to various human rights organizations,' singer says of concert linked to Libyan dictator.
By Shawn Adler


Usher (file)
Photo: Getty Images

R&B superstar Usher announced Friday (March 4) that he was donating to various charities proceeds from appearing at a private event at St. Barts linked to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, according to a statement made to the Associated Press.

The Grammy award winner's renouncement comes after similar announcements from singers Mariah Carey, Nelly Furtado, and Beyoncé, all of whom were revealed to have performed at private concerts linked to the Middle Eastern leader, who has faced open revolt and major political uprisings since February.

"I am sincerely troubled to learn about the circumstances surrounding the Nikki Beach St. Bart's event that took place on New Year's Eve 2009," Usher said of the concert, at which he appeared alongside Beyoncé but did not perform. "I will be donating all of my personal proceeds from that event to various human rights organizations."

Usher has already begun the process, having made a donation to Amnesty International, the AP reports. The exact size of the donation is not known.

The New Year's Eve gig was reportedly for Moammar's fourth son Muastassim, who an unnamed music industry source told MTV News has a history of throwing lavish parties "jammed" with supermodels.

Beyoncé, who sang at the event, donated all proceeds from her performance to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, established in the wake of the Haitian earthquake.

"All monies paid to Beyoncé for her performance at a private party at Nikki Beach St. Barts on New Year's Eve 2009, including the commissions paid to her booking agency, were donated to the earthquake relief efforts for Haiti over a year ago," the "Halo" singer's publicist said in a statement to The Huffington Post. "Once it became known that the third-party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause."

Singer Nelly Furtado tweeted February 28 that she plans to make similar amends.

"In 2007, I received 1million$ from the Gadhafi clan to perform a 45 min. show for guests at a hotel in Italy," she tweeted. "I am going to donate the $."

The leader of Libya since a successful military coup in 1969, Gadhafi has reportedly lost control of much of his country as a result of widespread uprisings. The United Nations voted unanimously to refer the dictator to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659301/usher-donate-gadhafi-money-charity.jhtml

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Rick Springfield Charged with DUI

Filed under: Rick Springfield, Celebrity Justice, DUI

'80s rocker Rick Springfield has been charged with two counts of DUI stemming from his Malibu arrest back in May ... but he will NOT be charged for threatening to "f**king kill" the arresting deputy.

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TMZ broke the story ... the "Jessie’s Girl" singer blew a .10 after the L.A. County Sheriffs pulled him over on May 1.

Sources tell us ... Springfield was extremely angry after the deputy said his $200,000, 1963 Corvette Stingray would be towed away. Law enforcement sources tell us, Springfield yelled to the deputy, "If you tow my car I will f**king kill you and your family."

An L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. spokesperson explained officials did not take the threat seriously ... saying, "It is rare when a drunk doesn’t say something outlandish to police when they’re arrested."

If convicted on both misdemeanor charges, Springfield faces a maximum of 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

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Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/07/01/rick-springfield-charged-arrest-dui-threaten-cops-kill-you/

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Lady Gaga Unveils Panda Alter Ego On Japanese TV

'Gagapanda' jokes she's 'been eating a lot of bamboo this week' before revealing plans for 2012 tour, having babies and more.
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga appears on the Japanese talk show "Sukkiri"
Photo: Sukkiri

Lady Gaga is currently in the planning stages for her next tour. After wrapping up her epic Monster Ball run earlier this year, Gaga teased her plans on a Japanese talk show on Tuesday (June 28).

"All over the world and I'm already planning," she said of the trek, which she expects to kick off at the top of 2012. "I'm so excited I can't even go to sleep at night."

Gaga appeared wearing a black-and-white dress, with her hair done up in two buns and her eye makeup painted in two panda-like circles. "I really like pandas," she told the hosts of her look, adding, "pandas have paws, and I always tell my fans to put their paws up. I've been eating a lot of bamboo this week," she joked. (Shortly after the appearance, the singer even began referring to herself as Gagapanda on Twitter.)

She then played a little game called "Yes or No," where she was asked questions about her popularity on Twitter, her love of cooking, her clothes and more. She later elaborated on some of the topics. "My dream is to continue to make music and tour and do as much as I can to give as much back to my fans," she said. "Personal dreams? I suppose one day I'll have panda babies."

Gaga owned up to having one major fear, however. "The only thing I really get scared of is missing out on moments with my family 'cause I travel so much, so I call my mom and dad every day," she said. Asked whether she was scared of ghosts, Gaga said, "No, we can be friends." She went on to add, "I love Japanese monster movies. I actually believe in ancestors. I have a lot of family in my past like my Aunt Joann and my grandfather that have passed on and I talk to them."

What do you think of Gaga's panda-inspired look? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666533/lady-gaga-panda-japanese-talk-show-sukkiri.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Vintage Video: His First Meeting With Usher

Justin Timberlake also wanted to sign Bieber, 'Never Say Never' star said in 2009.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News

Just as the world was learning who Justin Bieber was, MTV News caught up with the shaggy-haired singer in September 2009. He was gearing up to release his debut album, My World, and plotting his pop-world domination. In the year and a half since that interview, Bieber has done the nearly impossible, launching himself into the pop mega-sphere.

In the chat, Bieber recalled how he and his manager, Scooter Braun, met and eventually got big names interested in signing the teen.

"My manager found me on YouTube. He flew me out to Atlanta for the first time — I'd never actually been on a plane before. He flew me to Atlanta where i was going to the studio to meet some people," he recalled.

"And Usher happened to roll up in his Range Rover. I ran up to him, and I was like, 'Usher, I love your songs. Want me to sing you one?' The politest possible way he could say no, he did. ... I took the hint. I didn't get to sing for him: He had to run into a studio session."

But later, Usher was beckoning the teen back to the ATL. "He actually watched my videos — after my manager got to talking to him — and was like, 'I should have let this kid sing,' and flew me back to Atlanta where I got to sing for him in a proper setting. A week later, I had a meeting with Justin Timberlake, who also wanted to sign me, so they both kind of wanted me."

As the story goes, Bieber went with Usher, and the two never looked back.

"As far as Usher being my mentor, he's definitely given me words of wisdom. I hear it from everybody, but definitely to hear it from Usher is great, just to stay humble and grounded is very important," he explained.

"There's a lot of people, especially young stars, that have gone down the wrong path, and I definitely plan to stay humble and stay grounded and keep my family first, because that stuff really is important in life."

On Friday, Justin Bieber's 3-D documentary, "Never Say Never," opens. The film takes a look at how the teen star worked to hit it big. MTV News has been chatting with him along the way, from the time he first burst on the scene in 2009 until now, as he embarks on a huge 2011 that will include a tour and more new music.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657425/justin-bieber-usher-video.jhtml

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