Taylor Swift To Turn Speak Now Rehearsal Into Charity Event

Country hitmaker will donate ticket sales from May 21 Speak Now Tour dress rehearsal in Nashville to tornado relief.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Taylor Swift
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

Taylor Swift will give fans an early taste of her upcoming Speak Now Tour for a very good cause.

The country darling announced on Friday (May 6) that she will allow fans to buy tickets to the final dress rehearsal of her tour to benefit communities devastated by tornadoes in the South in late April. According to the Associated Press, Swift has been preparing for her upcoming trek over the past five weeks at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, which will be the site of the "Speak Now ... Help Now" benefit.

Although the chart-topper is used to speaking frankly about her personal life in her music, Swift has never invited fans to check out how she gears up for her live shows. The songstress explained that witnessing the havoc-wreaking storms while putting the Speak Now Tour together inspired her to switch things up and take action.

"I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals, and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage," Swift told the AP. "I've never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now Tour would be a great way to raise money."

The songbird added that the benefit will be different from her other live appearances, as she is still hammering out the kinks of the production.

"We will probably still be doing some fine-tuning to the show that night, since this will be a true rehearsal, but I feel like it is so important for me and my fans to help if we can," she said.

Swift's Speak Now Tour is slated to kick off May 27 in Omaha, Nebraska, but before she hits the road, the Grammy-winning superstar is set to unveil her latest video, "Mean," on Friday night (May 6) on CMT and CMT.com at 10 p.m. ET.

Would you like to check out Taylor Swift's charity dress rehearsal? Let us know in the comments!

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663445/taylor-swift-speak-now-tour.jhtml

Katy Perry Keira Knightley Kelly Brook Kelly Carlson Kelly Clarkson Kelly Hu

Stephenie Meyer's 'The Host' Casts Saoirse Ronan

'Hanna' star set to play Melanie Stryder and the alien who invades her mind.
By Kara Warner


Saoirse Ronan
Photo: MTV News

For the die-hard Stephenie Meyer fans out there worried about going into withdrawal after "Breaking Dawn: Part 2" descends upon theaters in November 2012, fear not. The movie adaptation of author's other best-seller, "The Host," has found a star in Saoirse Ronan.

According to Deadline, the film, which was written by Andrew Niccol for independent production company Inferno, will reportedly be looking to find a distributor at the Cannes International Film Festival next week.

Meyer is said to have been heavily involved in the process, and selected writer/director Niccol because she was a fan of his films "Gattaca" and his script for "The Truman Show."

"The Host" is the story of Melanie Stryder, one of the last humans to have avoided capture by an alien race called Souls. The Souls operate more like parasites in that they invade human bodies, fuse to each person's consciousness and erase their personalities. Melanie is eventually implanted by a Soul called Wanderer. Somehow, however, Melanie avoids surrendering her consciousness to Wanderer, who is so overwhelmed by her host's memories and feelings, the alien is driven to reconnect with Melanie's old life. As the two share Melanie's body, they find an underground colony of humans hiding from the Souls.

The 17-year-old Ronan, known for her noteworthy performances in films like "Atonement," "The Lovely Bones" and most recently, "Hanna," will reportedly play both Melanie and Wanderer.

Meyer will be attending the festival to help present the project to prospective buyers.

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

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663166/stephenie-meyers-host-casts-saoirse-ronan.jhtml

LeAnn Rimes Leeann Tweeden Leelee Sobieski Leighton Meester Leila Arcieri Lena Headey

Justin Bieber's Manager Off The Hook For Mall-Stampede Charges

Bieber will make an anti-cyberbullying PSA and his label will reimburse the county for emergency response.
By MTV News staff


Justin Bieber
Photo: Prince Williams/FilmMagic

Justin Bieber's manager Scott "Scooter" Braun is off the hook for the charges of reckless endangerment and criminal nuisance he received after the chaotic incident with Bieber fans at a Long Island mall in November 2009.

According to E! News, the charges against Braun were dropped Friday (May 6) after Bieber agreed to make a public-service announcement for an anti-cyberbullying campaign and his record label, Island Def Jam, pleaded guilty to the ordinance violation and agreed to reimburse the county almost $8,000 to pay its share of the costs associated with the law enforcement and fire marshal response after the melee.

All this stems from a Bieber mall appearance that turned into a stampede and injured one fan. Police alleged that Braun failed to properly control the situation at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, New York, when they ordered him to send a message to Bieber's fans via Twitter to notify his followers that the event was canceled.

Fans of the rising teen superstar were waiting for Bieber to arrive at the mall, where he was set to perform selections from his EP, My World, which had been released earlier in the week.

Braun refused to send the message, police said. Instead, authorities contend Braun eschewed safety in favor of publicity. As things got out of hand, police said, Bieber's Twitter still read, "On my way to Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, NY to sign and meet fans! I'm pumped. See u there."

After a representative from the singer's label was arrested, a message from Bieber's Twitter was sent urging fans to go home. "The event at Roosevelt Mall is cancelled," he tweeted. "Please go home. The police have already arrested one person from my camp. I don't want anyone hurt."

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663464/justin-bieber-mall-stampede.jhtml

Lauren German LeAnn Rimes Leeann Tweeden Leelee Sobieski Leighton Meester Leila Arcieri

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!

Related Artists

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

Larissa Meek Laura Harring Laura Prepon Lauren Bush Lauren Conrad Lauren German

Ke$ha Extends Get $leazy Tour

'I'm pulling out an ass-ton more glitter with blue lipstick to spare,' singer says of added North American dates.
By James Montgomery


Ke$ha
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Ke$ha's Get $leazy Tour doesn't wrap until May, but the singer is already making plans for a return engagement, announcing a second leg of the jaunt scheduled for this summer.

Ke$h is adding more than 30 North American dates to the $leazy trek — beginning on July 26 in Harrington, Delaware, and wrapping on September 20 in Phoenix — giving fans even more opportunities to watch her guzzle blood from a human heart! Party-meisters LMFAO and prodigiously filthy rapper Spank Rock will join her on most dates.

"My spring tour sold out so fast, which is amazing, but I want to get to party with errryone. If you are part of my family, my cult of rowdy misfits, come join us!" Ke$ha said in a grammatically adventurous statement on Monday (April 4). "I'm pulling out an ass-ton more glitter with blue lipstick to spare and I'm ready to party with all y'all all summer long. Sh--'s gonna be hot as a mofo ... Miss this and you be missing the biggest dance party of the year!"

Indeed. Tickets for most of the new dates will be available beginning April 8 through LiveNation.com, but members of Ke$ha's brand-new official fan club, the Family, will have first crack at tickets starting on April 5. For more information, check out KeshasFamily.com.

Ke$ha released her remix album, I Am the Dance Commander + I Command You to Dance, last month, and she is currently crisscrossing the continent on the first edition of Get $leazy. She'll head overseas for a run of festival shows before returning to North America to begin round two.

The dates for Ke$ha's Get $leazy Tour, according to RCA Records:

»July 26 - Harrington, DE @ Delaware State Fair
»July 28 - Columbus, OH @ Ohio State Fair
»July 30 - Duluth, GA @ The Gwinnett Center
»July 31 - Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
»August 2 - Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
»August 3 - Austin, TX @ Cedar Park Center
»August 4 - Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
»August 7 - Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater
»August 9 - Raleigh, NC @ Raleigh Amphitheatre
»August 10 - Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
»August 12 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
»August 13 - Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC @ International Balloon Festival
»August 14 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
»August 16 - Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
»August 17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Festival Pier at Penn's Landing
»August 20 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
»August 21 - Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center
»August 23 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Lawn at White River State Park
»August 24 - Chicago, IL @ Charter One Pavilion
»August 26 - Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
»August 30 - St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
»August 31 - Council Bluffs, IA @ Mid-America Center
»September 2 - Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
»September 3 - Denver, CO @ 1st Bank Center
»September 6 - Calgary, AB @ Saddledome
»September 7 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
»September 9 - Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
»September 10 - Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theatre
»September 11 - Portland, OR @ Theatre at Rose Garden
»September 14 - San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
»September 20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre

Related Videos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661235/kesha-get-sleazy-tour.jhtml

Kelly Hu Kelly Monaco Kelly Ripa Kelly Rowland Kerry Suseck Kim Kardashian