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Friday, December 16, 2011

'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' Is MTV's Best Movie Of 2011!

You won't see a film all year that holds you like David Fincher's thriller.
By Eric Ditzian

Roonie Mara in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Photo: Columbia TriStar

It was our fault for underestimating David Fincher.

Honestly, though, we weren't the only ones going, "Wait, really?" when the Oscar-nominated helmer (who got straight-up robbed by the Academy last year in the Best Director category) cast his sweet, dimpled, couldn't-even-really-intimidate-a-tech-nerd "Social Network" actress Rooney Mara as hard-edge hacker Lisbeth Salander in his adaptation of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Then, this past January, we got our first look at Mara in character: She was Salander. And we were wrong, wrong, wrong. How do you say "mea culpa" in Swedish?

Maybe like this: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is MTV's Best Movie of 2011!

The movie hasn't even hit theaters yet (that'll happen on December 20), but trust our panel of experts on this one, OK? For all the sizzling cool of "Drive" and all the 3-D majesty of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," you won't see a film all year that holds you — that'll haunt you — like "Dragon Tattoo."

Based on Stieg Larsson's international best-selling crime thriller (you know, the one half the people in any subway car in any city in the world are reading at any given moment), Fincher's film followed up on the Swedish original, a critical and fan fave in its own right. What these three fictional treatments have in common, of course, is the story: Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist, is hired to investigate a decades-old missing-persons case. He convinces Salander, a motorcycle-driving ward of the state who's not adverse to violent confrontations with anyone who crosses her, to assist in the search.

Where Fincher separates and ultimately distinguishes his picture, then, is not in plot particulars (though he and writer Steven Zaillian do take a few liberties, especially with the ending), but in how he unfurls the story. Moviegoers might never need to travel to Sweden after watching his "Dragon Tattoo," so fully does Fincher immerse viewers in an atmosphere of foggy Nordic islands and gritty Stockholm back alleys. There's really no sense arguing: David Fincher is the finest working director in Hollywood.

He's also one hell of a casting director. There could be no other English-language choice for Blomkvist than Daniel Craig. Fincher fought for Mara against the wishes of his studio, even as A-listers like Scarlett Johansson competed for the role. To say Mara transformed herself to play Salander doesn't quite capture the enormity of what the actress pulled off — butchering her hair, piercing her body, shedding weight, picking up a Swedish accent and almost re-sequencing her DNA to create the character. We'd say she came as close to becoming Salander as anyone born outside of Scandinavia could possibly be, if we hadn't already seen Noomi Rapace's impressive performance in the Swedish original and been sure Mara's is the more absorbing portrayal.

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is by no means a prefect film. It drags at times. It's probably confusing to anyone who hasn't read the book and committed the names of the huge cast of characters to memory. The ending, regardless of Fincher's tweaks, remains a letdown. But these are quibbles. Let the Oscars and Globes anoint a silent black-and-white film as their favorite of the year. MTV knows "Dragon Tattoo" is the Best Movie of 2011.

See for yourself on December 20.

Stick with MTV as we count down the Best of 2011, including the top Artists, Songs, Live Performances and EDM Artists of the year.

Check out everything we've got on "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676158/girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-best-movies-2011.jhtml

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Apple launches iTunes Store in Lat Am (AP)

SAO PAULO ? Apple has launched its iTunes store in Brazil and 15 other Latin American countries, the company said Tuesday, making available for sale more than 20 million songs in a region where music piracy is rampant.

One top Brazilian music industry official said he thinks the launch of the online iTunes store, along with expectations that Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn will soon produce iPods, iPads and iPhones in Brazil, will put a dent in piracy in Brazil.

"For 15 years there have been immeasurable losses to pirated CDs, and for 10 years to piracy carried out on the Internet," said Paulo Rosa, president of the Brazilian Association of Record Producers. "The more legal alternatives there are for the consumer, the better it is for the market. Unquestionably, this will help music sales at the expense of piracy."

Rosa didn't offer specifics on his forecasts for how sales might improve, and it remains unclear how consumers will embrace the service, given how widespread piracy of music and videos have become in Brazil and most other Latin American nations. The 16 Latin American nations where the iTunes store is being launched rank among the worst in the world when it comes to pirated entertainment.

The 2011 International Property Rights Index report from the Washington-based Property Rights Alliance group ranked Venezuela last of all 129 nations examined in terms of piracy of intellectual property. All the other nations where iTunes is launching in Latin America, except for Chile, were also ranked among the worst for piracy.

Consumers in Brazil and elsewhere with broadband connections easily download music for free, and those without Internet connections can buy the latest pirated music and films on virtually any corner of major cities for $2 or less.

Brazil is one of the markets "with the highest number of users accessing unlicensed services," the London-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry says in its 2011 Digital Music Report. It said 45 percent of Brazilian Internet users download music illegally in a single month.

"Sixty-five percent of the music market (in Brazil) is dominated by pirated CDs and illegally downloaded music," said the website of the Cinema and Music Anti-Piracy Association, a watchdog group.

The iTunes store could become an effective anti-piracy tool in Colombia, said Adrian Restrepo, a director of the Society of Colombian Authors and Composers.

"It is an opportunity to combat piracy," Restrepo said. "People will stop buying pirated goods because they will have access to songs they can buy easily and economically."

Paul Lee, an 18-year-old law student in Sao Paulo, chuckled when asked if he would pay for music through the iTunes store.

"Brazilians have been downloading music for free for so many years, it's part of the culture. Nobody expects to pay for music," said Lee, who was listening to music on his iPhone during a smoke break between classes. "I've been getting my music for free off the Internet for a decade, and I'm not going to stop."

In Rio de Janeiro, 23-year-old video editor Carlos Cavalcanti said the iTunes service could help less famous artists distribute their music.

"The store will be a boon to local talent," Cavalcanti said. "Sometimes newer musicians who aren't as well known might have trouble selling a CD, but through iTunes, listeners can now purchase a single song."

In a country where piracy is rampant, Cavalcanti said he would use the iTunes store because of the trust he has in the quality of Apple products.

"I've got an iPod, an iPad, a Mac, and with iTunes, I can download music into all of them, and I know it's safe," he said. "I know I'm not going to ruin my gadgets."

The launch of iTunes in Brazil comes as Foxconn is expected to begin producing products by tech giant Apple Inc. at a plant in Brazil.

Brazil's Minister of Science and Technology Aloizio Mercadante and other top Brazilian officials have repeatedly said such production is imminent. Neither Apple nor Foxconn responded to requests for comment.

In its statement about the iTunes store launch, Apple said most of the songs are priced at 99 cents and most albums cost $9.99.

The Latin American iTunes stores offer music from major labels such as EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music, the statement said. Calls to the Brazilian offices of the labels and the Brazilian Union of Music Publishers were not immediately returned. The Brazilian Association of Record Producers said it had no immediate comment.

According to Apple's statement, the new iTunes store also offers over a thousand movies to rent or purchase from major studios such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures.

The service is simultaneously being launched in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.

___

Associated Press writers Bradley Brooks in Sao Paulo, Juliana Barbassa in Rio de Janeiro and Cesar Garcia in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/digitalmusic/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111213/ap_on_bi_ge/lt_latam_itunes_store

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Thursday, December 15, 2011

The nativity gets updated for the modern age (AP)

LONDON ? There's a beautifully groomed Mary in a blue party dress, a fashionable Joseph gazing adoringly at the baby, and wise men carrying a Faberge egg, a crystal bottle of perfume and a decorated skull.

With only twelve days to go until Christmas, a church group unveiled a poster Thursday to remind people of the religious aspect of the holiday ? while making a statement about modern-day extravagance.

The poster, deliberately designed to look like a fashion photograph, has the words: "However you dress it up, Christmas starts with Christ."

Francis Goodwin, chairman of multi-denominational religious group ChurchAds that organized the poster campaign, said the image is meant to remind people of the origins of Christmas.

"We are not killjoys, we do not object to giving presents and having a good time," he said. "This is just a reminder that the real reason for Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ."

Goodwin said he hoped the poster would also modernize the traditional Christmas image.

"We wanted to update the Christmas message, to put a new image out there," he said. "Most people outside the church think the nativity just means the traditional Victorian images we all recognize ? it's not something that is relevant to many people."

The campaign is aimed at a country that has become, according to the European Social Survey, one of the least religious countries in Europe. A survey carried out in 2008 and 2009 found that slightly more than half of Britons had never attended a religious service ? with only France and the Czech Republic having more secular populations.

But Christmas is still a hugely popular festival. Many shops put decorations up as early as October and families spend hundreds of pounds (dollars) on presents for their children and friends. Even famed atheist Richard Dawkins has said he exchanges gifts and allows his daughter to have a Christmas tree despite being a passionate critic of religion.

In the poster, Mary and Joseph are an attractive couple in a mix of designer and high street clothes, while the wise men look more wealthy than wise.

The original shepherds may have walked across their fields to see the baby Jesus ? here they are turned into trendy cyclists who might have ridden across city streets instead.

The wise men's gifts are a new take on the traditional gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh ? the Faberge egg represents gold, the Swarovski crystal perfume bottle refers to frankincense, and the diamond-encrusted skull by British artist Damien Hirst, like the more traditional Myrrh, symbolizes death.

"In the middle of this financial crisis the poster does make you think what the value of all this stuff is," said the Bishop of Croydon Nick Baines, who has supported the poster campaign.

"We live in a very superficial culture when appearance can be everything. The other part of the poster is to ask ourselves where do we fit into this story ? does the nativity belong to us."

ChurchAds poster campaign officially begins Thursday when the Bishop of Bolton Chris Edmondson unveils a large billboard in Manchester city center 200 miles (324 kilometers) north west of London.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_christmas_poster

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Taylor Swift Gets 'Much Love' From Flo Rida

Rapper 'had an amazing time' performing with Swift on her Speak Now Tour.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias

Flo Rida
Photo: MTV News

Taylor Swift has shared the stage with some of the biggest (and most surprising) artists during her Speak Now Tour. Everyone from Nicki Minaj and Selena Gomez to Bruce Springsteen has graced the stage with the pop darling in 2011.

During a Miami tour stop last month, the singer brought Flo Rida onstage to perform his very blush-inducing track "Right Round." And if you were surprised to hear about the collaboration, Flo told MTV News at Los Angeles' Jingle Ball over the weekend that he was just as shocked.

"I was in Australia. I got home, and I was actually staying in my condo for the day," he explained. "And I looked down, 'cause my condo, it's right across the street from the arena, and I was like, 'I wonder who's performing?' So I went down there, spur-of-the-moment, and they told me it was Taylor."

Initially, Flo Rida just wanted a chance to catch the show, but when he spoke to her people, it turned into a whole different opportunity. "I spoke with them, and they asked me to perform," he said. "And she was very nice and very humble. I had an amazing time. Her fans are over-the-top. It was crazy. Much love to Taylor Swift."

Swift wrapped up her tour in New York last month. During her Atlanta stop over the summer, she brought another rapper onstage with her: T.I. "I was pleasantly surprised and confused," T.I. told MTV News of receiving the phone call from Swift. "I was confused because I know it's a phenomenal opportunity, but being T.I. — the Rubberband Man — and Taylor Swift being America's Sweetheart, I had just gotten out of prison, like, two days [earlier], and all of a sudden my phone rings."

While the hip-hop appearances on her tour might seem surprising, Swift assured us in October that she really loves the genre. "I'm a huge hip-hop fan, and it's been so amazing to have so many incredible artists come out and to get to sing the hooks on their songs that I've been blasting in my car for the last couple years," she said. "It's been awesome. I couldn't have asked for more amazing special guests on this tour."

Which Taylor collabo were you most surprised about? Let us know in the comments!

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675388/taylor-swift-flo-rida-performance.jhtml

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Brooke Shields Considering Adopting A Third Child

Actress Brooke Shields is considering adoption in order to have a third child because her husband thinks two is just enough! Shields and screenwriter Chris [...]

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