Justin Bieber's 'Karate Kid' Song Is Eligible For An Oscar

'Never Say Never' joins tunes by Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Aguilera in the running for Original Song category.
By James Montgomery


Justin Bieber
Photo: Robyn Beck/ AFP/ Getty Images

Earlier this year, Justin Bieber set tweenage hearts aflutter when he teamed with Jaden Smith to record "Never Say Never," the theme to Smith's "Karate Kid" reboot. And now, he's hoping to do the same for Oscar voters.

Earlier this week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — the governing body of the Academy Awards — released its list of the 41 songs eligible for the Original Song category at the 83rd annual awards, and Bieber made the cut.

"Never Say Never" is in the running against the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow's "Coming Home" and "Me and Tennessee" (both from her upcoming "Country Strong" film) and a trio of songs from Christina Aguilera's "Burlesque." Though Bieber made the eligibility list, the tune's nomination is no surefire bet: Movie clips featuring each song will be screened for voting members of the Academy's Music Branch on January 6, and it will be up to them to select the field of nominees.

Nominations will be announced on January 25 at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

According to the Academy, in order for a work to be deemed eligible for the Original Song category, it must "consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film," and "a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film, or as the first music cue in the end credits." Bieber and Smith's song is played over the end credits of "The Karate Kid."

The 83rd Academy Awards will be broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, February 27.

Check out everything we've got on "The Karate Kid."

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

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Lady Gaga's Meat Dress Tops Time's 'Fashion Statement' List

Singer's infamous VMA getup was named Biggest Fashion Statement of 2010.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga at the 2010 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

It was celebrated, criticized, copied and ultimately turned into jerky, and now, Lady Gaga's infamous VMA meat dress is being honored, by Time magazine, of all places.

Yes, her carnivorous couture was singled out as Time's #1 Fashion Statement of 2010, lauded for its general insanity, creativity and ability to stand a cut above every other gown worn by celebrities this year.

"If making fashion statements is your primary raison d'être, it's easy to get bored. Exploding bra? Flamed out. Dress made of bubbles? Please. Using your hair as a bow? Not again. But a dress made of meat — with shoes, hat and purse to match — well, that's fresh," the magazine writes. "The carnivorous ensemble Lady Gaga wore to the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, which is pretty much mecca for eccentric musical sartorialists, raised many questions: What does it mean? How was it made? Does she want A1 sauce with it? Gaga's explanation of the flank frock — that if we didn't stand up for our rights, we'd be nothing but meat on our bones — seemed disappointing. We prefer to think of it as haute cutlet."

Gaga's meat dress beat out memorable looks like M.I.A.'s Scream 2010 awards burka, Venus Williams' French Open corset and Rihanna's Gumby-esque getup from Germany's Echo awards to take the #1 spot on Time's list, which is part of their "Top Everything of 2010" countdown.

Other notables to make the Fashion Statement Top 10 include Britney Spears, Taylor Momsen, Heidi Klum and, uh, Rita Wilson ... none of whom were photographed wearing a single cut of beef in 2010.

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Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman


Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.

For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.

Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Video: Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin Appear on 'The Price is Right'

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As we mentioned earlier this week, NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin -- centerpiece players for the NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day -- will be appearing on Monday's episode of "The Price is Right" on CBS.

The appearance isn't in-person, as you could imagine. The show shoots in southern California, and getting both players there would have been virtually impossible. Instead, former NHL star Jeremy Roenick introduced the players, who appeared in separate video messages.

Via DC Sports Bog, here is video of the segment.

The show will air Monday at 11 a.m. Eastern on CBS.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/16/video-sidney-crosby-alex-ovechkin-appear-on-the-price-is-righ/

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Country Strong' Star Leighton Meester Calls Live Singing 'Terrifying

'It's an incredible adrenaline rush,' she tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Leighton Meester
Photo: MTV News

For her role in "Country Strong," Leighton Meester stepped out of her stuffy "Gossip Girl" stilettos and into the cowboy boots of Chiles Stanton, a beauty queen-turned-aspiring country singer who initially suffers from stage fright — something Meester can relate to.

When MTV News caught up with the actress/singer recently, we wondered how often she gets anxious about performing.

"Every time," she said. "It's terrifying and it's just, it's an incredible adrenaline rush. It's not bad, by any means, it's just terrifying."

Does she have any horror stories to share? "No, I've had good experiences, I've never done what Chiles does [in the film]: get up onstage and not a single note comes out. That hasn't happened. For her, that was another aspect that was incredibly fulfilling. She changes. She starts off a certain way and she ends up completely the other way. She grows up."

As far as Meester's singing career goes, she said she hopes to go on tour herself one day and promised that she's hard at work on her album.

"I would love [to go on tour]. I performed last night, actually," she revealed. "I got up with this band, Check in the Dark, that I've been working with. They make their own music, and they've been working with me on a bunch of stuff I wrote while I was away in Europe this summer. So I got up there and played a couple songs."

So about that album: When will it be released?

"I don't know. I recorded three songs recently. I have, like, 20 more to do," she admitted. "So I don't know when that's going to happen. I just really want it to be perfect. I'm not in any rush. It's all in my heart, and I'm really happy how it's going. I've been very inspired, even with this movie, how I write."

Thanks to a recent stay overseas, Meester said she came back chockfull of potential album material.

"I was doing a movie in Budapest and Paris and was so lonely and writing all this music, and when I got back to the States, I got set up with this band," she said of teaming-up with Check in the Dark. "And they're perfectly complementary to it and they understand, somehow, my girly emotional side."

Check out everything we've got on "Country Strong."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Justin Bieber Impressed By 'Never Say Never' Footage

'I've seen like a little 10-minute reel ... It's amazing!' the pop star tells MTV News about his upcoming 3-D film.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jim Cantiello


Justin Bieber
Photo: Getty Images

Justin Bieber had girls going insane last week when he announced that he would be flying out five lucky fans to the premiere of his 3-D flick, "Never Say Never," which hits theaters in February. So, when MTV News got a quick second with the singer at Z100's Jingle Ball on Friday, we decided to get him to weigh in on what he's seen of the Jon Chu-directed movie.

"Basically it's gonna be, we're going to be flying kids out," he said about the contest, before turning his focus on the film itself. "I haven't seen any of it [really]. I've seen like a little 10-minute reel, but that's about it ... Yeah [it was in 3-D]. It's amazing!"

Bieber also has been tweeting about his excitement over "Never Say Never," which will include concert footage and interviews. "@jonmchu how is the movie doing? Excited to see the rough cut. Feb 11th is coming fast! #NeverSayNever3D," he wrote over the weekend. "Alright. got to get some sleep. show in Pittsburgh tomorrow. @jonmchu excited to see the movie man."

Chu also took to his Twitter over the weekend to get the buzz going for the film. "@justinbieber the movie is __________!!!!! It has been such a fun ride and I can't wait for u to see what we got for the world," the director wrote to the pop star. "@justinbieber if u hate it it's [your manager] @scooterbraun's fault. if u love it tell @paramountpictures 2get me a purple Segway 2ride around the lot on ... Im Already known as the BieberFreak director on the lot ... Imagine if I got My purple Segway and purple glasses. I'd OWN that name!! #likeit."

What are you looking forward to most about Bieber's upcoming movie? Tell us in the comments!

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Katy Perry Is MTV News' #2 Woman Of The Year

Perry got married and ruled the charts in 2010.
By Gil Kaufman


Katy Perry
Photo: Christopher Polk/AMA2010/Getty/DCP

For most women, getting married to the man of their dreams would be enough to make a pretty good year. But when you're a larger-than-life pop diva like Katy Perry, exchanging rings with comedic beau Russell Brand is just one of the bold headlines in a 365-day whirlwind that also included a successful tour and a trio of inescapable radio smashes that permanently smacked down any fears of a sophomore slump.

(They're more than just pretty faces, but you can still check out photos of our Men and Women of 2010!)

After meeting at the 2009 VMAs, Perry and Brand started off 2010 with a bang by announcing their engagement, and frankly, things just got better and better for her from there.

2010 Highlights: An impressive engagement ring in hand, Perry set to work on her follow-up to her 2008 breakthrough, One of the Boys, working again with pop maestros Dr. Luke and Max Martin while turning in one of the most memorable guest-judge spots in the early audition rounds of what would turn out to be a very lackluster season of "American Idol."

There was the inevitable pregnancy rumor to bat away, and then it was off to work on the "Smurfs" movie and complete the album, even as wedding plans continued apace. By March, Perry was calling Brand a "bridezilla" for his fascination with all things marital, and news leaked that pal Rihanna was planning Perry's bachelorette party.

Like any proper pop star, Perry's songs started leaking early in May, and when her first single, the Snoop Dogg-assisted "California Gurls," finally dropped on May 7, fans had no idea how much a part of their flip-flop months that insanely catchy song would become.

We got the first glimpse of six months of kaleidoscopic wigs and second-skin latex outfits at the MTV Movie Awards in June when she nearly melted the stage up with her "Gurls" performance, and the single made a historic rise to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart a few days later. When the sticky-sweet video debuted a week after that, well, it was clear Katy (and her whipped-cream-spurting bra) would be in a lot of late-night dreams for the rest of the year.

July and August brought a false-starting lawsuit from the Beach Boys' publisher over "Gurls," another fetish-fantasy performance at the Teen Choice Awards and a triumphant chart debut in early September for Teenage Dream, which successfully bumped Eminem's Recovery from the top of the charts.

She turned heads again at the VMAs in September, played a sweet revenge show at her old high school and jetted to Las Vegas for a bachelorette party hosted by Rihanna by month's end.

And what would a year of ups be without a few bumps and controversies? In Katy's case, it was her God-given assets that got her bumped from "Sesame Street," when some parents complained in late September that her cleavage was NSFK (not safe for kindergarten). She got her revenge a short time later by giving an eyeful on a "Saturday Night Live" skit lampooning the flap and then flew to India in early October for her lavish wedding to Brand.

The year was rounded out with the empowering message of the "Firework" video, a headline-grabbing appearance at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, another boob-centric controversy, this time courtesy of the poster for the "VH1 Divas Salute the Troops," and a place on Amazon.com's year-end best-seller list.

An exotic wedding to the man of your dreams, a red-hot career, mad love from your fans and a jet-setting lifestyle — what more could a girl ask for in one year?

We'll be revealing MTV News' #1 Man and Woman of the Year on Friday. As always, we want to know what you think, so share your picks in the comments below!

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