<![CDATA[Entertainment news from metro.us/newyork]]> en-us <![CDATA[The Word: Chris Brown called out for lip-syncing performance]]> Chris Brown appeared to lip sync his way through his Billboard Music Awards performance on Sunday evening, and it didn’t escape the notice of his peers.

"One day if I lipsync I hope I do it as well as him," singer Pink tweeted during Brown's live rendition of "Turn Up the Music."

Mr. Pink, also known as Carey Hart, wasn’t impressed either. "I'm pretty sure I saw my wife do that same performance, but she was three months pregnant and actually sang the song," he chimed in, also adding his professional opinion of the subpar BMX biking on stage.

This is getting brutal. Joe Jonas, what Tweet you? "What happened to people singing live???"

Here's the thing: The song was obviously lip-synced — and laughably poorly. But the choreography is at least as important as the vocals for these shows, and Brown was far from the only one mouthing his way through a song that he probably had no business singing live.

But as for the fur-trimmed leather coat over a bare chest? No excuses.

Sleepover at Leo’s

If you have $75,000 to spare, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Malibu beach house could be yours — for a month, anyway. The breezy ocean-front home is now up for rent at real estate website www.zillow.com (and yes, stalkers, with plenty of photos of all seven bedrooms).

We Googled the math, and that’s around $2,500 a night for your little "Titanic" fantasy. Invite us over, and we’ll bring the fogged-up towncar.

Bethenny Frankel shapes up

There are very few things we turn to Bethenny Frankel for advice on, but looking skinny in compromising situations is one of them. When we caught up with the former "Real Housewife" and Skinnygirl liquor founder about her new line of shapewear, she let us in on her inspiration.

"It's shape-wear you actually want people to see,” she tells us of the line, now available at Macy's. "What happens if you happen to get laid and it shows?"

Bethenny babe, thanks for looking out.

She's thinking of the children

During a "Today" show interview on Monday, Kate Gosselin suggested she'll be back on TV — but it's not because she personally wants a new show. "Fans are begging [to see more]," the former "Kate Plus 8" star says. "[The kids] really honestly miss filming. They've been saying, 'When are we going to go here or there? We miss the crew.'"

Sure Kate, I get it. Just like my dogs keep telling me to have a lunch cocktail and miss deadline. ]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143687--the-word-chris-brown-called-out-for-lip-syncing-performance Mon, 21 May 2012 17:49:14 -0400 MONICA WEYMOUTH, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143687--the-word-chris-brown-called-out-for-lip-syncing-performance <![CDATA[Dave Hill tracks the journey from child to man-child]]>
You're known as the King of Metal, talk shows and podcasts. Are you now the king of books?

That's the plan. I wanted to establish my dominance in another medium. I've had only like 3 goals in my life. My first goal was to have a rock band, have a record deal and a video on MTV. So, boom, I did that. I've been wanting to write a book for 10 or 12 years, but I got so completely sidetracked with everything else. Recently though, I thought, "Oh shit! What if they stop making books? I better get on that!"

It's 2012, man. The Mayans are coming for the books first.

Yeah, exactly! Books might cease to exist. And now, my only other goal is to get one of those Newfoundland dogs. They just make me so happy. I had an idea years ago for a business called "Rent-A-Pup" where you could rent a dog, but then someone actually did it in Japan. My business model was like, a Newfoundland would be the same price as two terriers.

Two out of three ain't bad. You met your goal with putting out the book - what next?

I'm hoping to become wildly rich. It would be good in general, but specifically, it would be great to just get the dog. I hope that people that would like the book find out about it. And buy it. And read it. I think it has wide appeal -- to young AND old! You probably have to be at least 13 to read it because of all the F-bombs.

There are a ton of F-Bombs. But they're sweet F-bombs.

That's the most scandalous thing in the book, I think. There's the prostitute that I don't have sex with [the subject of the title story 'Tasteful Nudes']. Oh! And, as a follow up, I recently spoke with her and she got out of the business. She got in touch with me to tell me. She started her own business that doesn't involve having sex for money.

You wrote the book about your more mild-mannered years, not really touching on your now extensive showbiz presence. I mean, you're buddies with Dick Cavett.

I totally love that guy. In his most recent book, [he] talks about this amazing life and all these crazy people he got to meet. If I were to write a book about my showbiz life at this point, it would probably just be about all the cool times I've hung out with Dick Cavett. It's one of those things that completely blows my mind. It's not like I go have Sunday dinner with him, though I am completely open to that.

Did you find out anything new about yourself in the process of writing the book?

The book is about prolonged adolescence. I don't think that "becoming a man" is the right way to say it. A lot of it is about my relationship with my mother and trying to do things that I think would earn her respect. I don't know if she could have really explained to her friends what I do. But by the end of the book, I realized that it doesn't really matter what I do. My life is actually pretty simple and none of the stuff I've been worried about the past 20 years really matters -- it's more important to be together. As I say in the book... you know, that's something I get to say all the time now. "As I say in the book."

While my guitar gently shreds


If Hill can be serious about one thing, it's shredding the guitar. Who are some of the guitarists in his rock pantheon that need to be on every axe-slingers playlist?

. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
. Jonny Marr (The Smiths)
. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
. J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.)
. Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big)
. George Lynch (Dokken)

Friends in high places


D: I just did another video, another book trailer that should come out next week, with Dick Cavett and Malcolm Gladwell and we're hanging out in the back of Tavern on Jane. It's supposed to be a fake PBS show called Dave Hill's Also an Author. It's the three of us just eating cocktail shrimp and wings the whole time. So we're just chatting. But during the whole thing, Dick Cavett and Malcolm were saying these sweet, complimentary things, and I was thinking "Oh man, this is great for me but it's not going to make for a very entertaining video." So we just had to cut out all the compliments for the edit, so it just looks like they're dealing with a complete idiot.

J: So does that mean you have the compliment-only cut that you play for yourself every morning?

D: It's my daily affirmation tape. ]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143671--dave-hill-tracks-the-journey-from-child-to-man-child Mon, 21 May 2012 16:32:22 -0400 JIM FENNER, NEW YORK http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143671--dave-hill-tracks-the-journey-from-child-to-man-child <![CDATA['Hip Hop Squares' host Peter Rosenberg on finding 'the real gold']]>
"There are all of these cool people in a situation where they don't have to try to be cool," says Rosenberg, who is best known as a DJ on New York City's Hot 97. "We had the hottest street and radio artist, 2 Chainz, and based on his persona, the idea of seeing him having fun and being casual is just awesome."

"Hip Hop Squares" is based on the classic game show, "Hollywood Squares." As was the case with that show, which reached peak popularity in the 1970s, nine famous personalities sit in the squares of a tic-tac-toe board. In this case though, most are affiliated with the world of hip-hop. While two contestants play tic-tac-toe against each other, they consult the celebs on trivia questions and can decide to take their advice or disregard it.

In one episode, Rosenberg poses the question: "Who is the female recording artist with the most No. 1 hits?" to which Nick Cannon, seated in the center square, excitedly shouts, "That would be my baby mama, Mariah Carey!"

The contestant disagrees.

"Those moments were awesome," laughs Rosenberg. "Every once in a while, we get moments where it's this no-brainer. ... And yet, people would still get it wrong. When those moments happen, that's when I think you get the real gold of the show."

It's hip-hop to be square


One of the slogans for "Hip Hop Squares" is "when the game show becomes a party," and it isn't unusual to see one of the "squares" with a drink in his or her hand.
   
"There was some partying," Rosenberg acknowledges. "There were episodes where it was out of control, but I don't know if I'd blame it on the partying so much as the cast of characters we had. It certainly had a feel that reminded me of the original ['Hollywood Squares']."


Tune in


"Hip Hop Squares" premieres Tuesday at 11 on MTV2.
]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143668--hip-hop-squares-host-peter-rosenberg-on-finding-the-real-gold Mon, 21 May 2012 16:21:24 -0400 PAT HEALY, BOSTON http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143668--hip-hop-squares-host-peter-rosenberg-on-finding-the-real-gold <![CDATA[TV picks: Monday, May 21]]> "American Ninja Warrior"
REALITY. This ultimate obstacle course, imported from Japan, sets up its hurdles on the Las Vegas Strip, where everyday athletes attempt to prove themselves as "Ninja Warriors" — or at least the guys and gals most capable of jumping over odd objects and climbing through rope ladders.
Season premiere, 9 p.m., NBC
 
"I Cloned My Pet"
REALITY. People unwilling to say goodbye to dear departed Fido bypass the old adopt another pooch from a shelter route and go directly to the DNA wizards willing to replicate their pets.
10 p.m., TLC
 
"Clash of the Commercials: USA vs. The World"
SPECIAL. Heidi Klum and Kevin Frazier host this "battle" of international advertising. Come on, Madison Avenue — don’t let Don Draper down.
10 p.m., CBS
 
"The Bachelorette"
REALITY. The 19 finalists move into a Charlotte mansion, then perform with characters from "Sesame Street" to raise funds for a local hospital. Hopefully the frat boy bachelors learn a few things about manners from the Muppets while they're at it.
9 p.m., ABC
 
  ]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143670--tv-picks-monday-may-21 Mon, 21 May 2012 16:15:28 -0400 AMBER M RAY, NEW YORK http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143670--tv-picks-monday-may-21 <![CDATA[From Cannes: Michael Haneke discusses his new film and festival favorite, 'Amour']]>
A sentimental film:

Rarely seen on screen these days, the French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant accepted to work with Haneke in order to play the part of a man who is distraught by his wife's illness.

"It wasn't that difficult to convince Jean-Louis as he loved "Le Ruban blanc." He's truly amazing, as is Emmanuelle Riva, who plays his wife."

Haneke wants people to know why he chose to tackle a social drama:

"My aim was to talk about human beings and emotions. It's an issue we can all relate to." But don't expect him to reveal more. "I don't like analyzing my own films. I'd rather leave the audience free to make their own choice. Otherwise, I would take away some of the complexity of my work."

Haneke was right. Even though "Amour" is dark and oppressive, it manages to emanate a certain amount of softness.

"After 'Le Ruban blanc,' which was an extremely complex, I wanted my next film to be simple and subtle," confirms Haneke who burst out laughing when it is pointed out that he has the reputation of being tough with his cast and crew.

"Not at all! I don't make my actors suffer. We have a lot of fun during shooting. It's harder to watch one of my films than it is to act in one. I'd say that if anyone suffers on set, it's the technicians. As I'm very meticulous, I can become very disagreeable if I don't get what I want."
]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143636--from-cannes-michael-haneke-discusses-his-new-film-and-festival-favorite-amour Mon, 21 May 2012 11:47:20 -0400 Rania Hoballah, METRO WORLD NEWS IN CANNES http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143636--from-cannes-michael-haneke-discusses-his-new-film-and-festival-favorite-amour <![CDATA[Monday gossip roundup: Katy Perry's 'Wide Awake' is definitely about Russell Brand]]> Katy Perry's last big breakup hit, "Part of Me," proved to have been written before her marriage to and split from Russell Brand, sources say her latest single, "Wide Awake," is most certainly about her 14-month marriage to the British comedian, according to People magazine. "I wish I knew then what I know now," Perry sings on the track. "Wouldn't dive in, wouldn't bow down." Seems pretty fitting. "It's obviously about Russell," a source says. Perry hasn't commented on the inspiration for the track.

After reportedly emailing friends about his intentions of seeking treatment, actor Nick Stahl has entered rehab, his wife confirms to E! News. "He wants to be well," Rose Stahl says. "He's a good man and we want him home so we can help him." Rose had reported Nick missing after not hearing from him for 10 days, and she expressed concern that drugs had been involved in his disappearance.

It turns out pestering Justin Bieber can pay off. Cady Eimer, an 18-year-old Virginia high school student, has been petitioning Bieber for the past three years to be her date to her senior prom — and while he couldn't make the big dance, he did find a way to make it up to her. "I couldn't make it [to prom] so I said, 'I need you to fly to the Billboard Awards and you can be my date,'" he tells People magazine. "She's a big fan and I thought it would be fun."

With a new, more mature album to promote, John Mayer is continuing his tour of contrition, looking to explain some of his more outlandish past behavior — like talking out of turn about ex-girlfriends and using racial epithets in magazine interviews. "I had nothing to say. I was going through a time in my life where I didn't really want to share what was going on, but I didn't want to be boring," Mayer explains in an interview with NPR's All Things Considered. "I remember thinking to myself, 'We've got to give a Rolling Stone interview. I don't want anybody at Playboy to think this is a boring interview.' I got those lines so crossed, that what you read — among other things, obviously — is this complete miscalculation in why I was asked to do the interview."

Less than a week after the passing of Donna Summer, another titan of disco is gone. "The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," a rep confirms to Us Weekly in a statement. "The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time." Gibb, who had been battling cancer for years, fell into a coma last month but recovered.

Despite her efforts to present a cleaned up and mature image while promoting "American Reunion," Tara Reid seems to be up to her old tricks. The troubled actress has been living it up in Cannes this weekend, where she was spotted looking worse for the wear while hurrying from one night club to another in the wee hours, according to the Daily Mail. Reid remains unapologetic about her penchant for celebrating. "It's not like going out and getting drunk is a crime, lots of people do it," Reid tells the U.K.'s Loaded magazine. "It doesn't make me a bad person because I like to go out and have a drink. I've never missed a day's work."
]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143632--monday-gossip-roundup-katy-perry-s-wide-awake-is-definitely-about-russell-brand Mon, 21 May 2012 11:16:57 -0400 METRO WORLD NEWS, HOLLYWOOD http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143632--monday-gossip-roundup-katy-perry-s-wide-awake-is-definitely-about-russell-brand <![CDATA[Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb dies]]>
The singer had been battling colon and liver cancer.

"The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," a statement posted on his official website said.

"The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."

The Bee Gees achieved superstardom in the 1960s and 1970s with a string of catchy love ballads and disco hits including "Stayin' Alive", "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Night Fever".

The band achieved album sales of up to 200 million copies, putting them in the same league as the likes of the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. ]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143594--bee-gees-singer-robin-gibb-dies Sun, 20 May 2012 19:18:30 -0400 REUTERS http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143594--bee-gees-singer-robin-gibb-dies <![CDATA[Michel Gondry's New York bus movie experiment]]>
The film begins as Michael, Teresa, Laidychen, Big T and the gang trade high school in the Bronx for holidays and parties.  Kicking and screaming, they pile up inside the bus, kick the small kids off the back seats, mistreat an old lady and shout insults at each other.

Throughout the entire film, the audience witnesses the emotional, but easy flowing evolution of the relationship between the teenagers. And there’s a reason for this: they played themselves.

The story line came to Michel Gondry as he was sat on the number 80 bus in Paris:
“It was the end of the day and I watched as these kids came out of class. It was such chaos, there were so many of them. As I saw them coming out one after the other, I started imaging the ties between and how they evolved. I’ve always wanted to make a film based on high school teenagers and I just happened to fancy filming it in New York.”

Larger than life
It was when Gondry came across an extra curricular activity program called ‘The Point’ offering lessons in “acting, photography and … activism” that he decided to organize a workshop to find his cast. He hired the first 40 that signed up and kept their original names:

“As I started to get the know the kids, I let their stories merge into the one I wanted to tell. The characters slowly grew from there.”

 “The We and the I” addresses your typical teenager, moody and tormented: we sit through their stupid jokes, put up with obsession with sex and figure out the worries hiding underneath all that angst.

“My job gives me a good excuse to hang on to my teens. I did feel guilty about the fact that whilst I could act like a kid, I knew I was just playing around,” confesses Gondry. “It’s this feeling of guilt that forced me to tackle more serious, social problems some of these kids are faced with.” ]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143572--michel-gondry-s-new-york-bus-movie-experiment Sun, 20 May 2012 17:35:27 -0400 Jennifer Lesieur, METRO WORLD NEWS IN CANNES http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143572--michel-gondry-s-new-york-bus-movie-experiment <![CDATA['House' closes its doors]]>
Dr. Cuddy
Mark our words: Lisa Edelstein has spent the past three months at pilates for her final pencil-skirt close-up. She may be through with Dr. House, but she’s not through with bending over a too-low desk to sign off on charts.

Chase
Over the past eight seasons, Chase handed in his letter of resignation more often than House quit Vicodin. You can expect Jesse Spencer and his soap opera-hot Aussie accent to be back in a white coat tonight.

Kutner
Sure, Kal Penn's character committed suicide when the actor went to work for Obama. But being alive isn't a prerequisite for a "House" cameo (see right), and these days Penn only has "Harold & Kumar" commitments.

Amber
Amber's (Anne Dudek) death and follow-up House hauntings didn't really make sense the first time around in Season 5. But now that Wilson is dying, an appearance by his ex-wife's ghost is a little less desperate.

Cameron
She's been lurking around the department ever since she officially quit Dr. House's team, and she's always good for the pesky dose of morality that the series thrives on dissecting. Jennifer Morrison will be in the building tonight -- although probably not too close to real-life ex-fiance and onscreen ex-husband Jesse Spencer.

Don't fear the reaper

Although the episode is titled "Everybody Dies" -- a play on House's usual motto, "everybody lies" -- it's not necessarily the terminally ill Wilson whose time is up tonight.
   
For a show that has never played by the reaper's rules, it seems unlikely that House's best friend --
and the show's only consistently likable character -- will flatline. Now, as for House? That's
a different story. ]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143569--house-closes-its-doors Sun, 20 May 2012 17:20:36 -0400 MONICA WEYMOUTH, PHILADELPHIA http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143569--house-closes-its-doors <![CDATA[From Cannes: 'Cosmopolis' director talks Robert Pattinson]]>
How did you go about adapting Don DeLillo's novel?
I wrote the script in six days. The first three days I re-transcribed the entire dialogue. The following three, I added descriptions for each scene. The monologues going on in Packer's mind, I made into visuals. I am incredibly excited about this film, and even more so Pattinson's performance.

Choosing to Robert Pattinson in the lead role may have come as a bit of a shock for some of your fans ...
Rob is a wonderful actor, and I think he will surprise more than a few. Because he's young, handsome and the star of the "Twilight Saga," some people have come to the unfair conclusion that he is a bad actor. I am well aware of that. But I can assure you that he is incredible and a very hard worker. I can't wait to work with him again. In fact, I even told him I would love to cast him alongside Viggo Mortensen in the future.

Have any celebrities contacted you directly to ask if they could work with you?
Most of the time they tell their agent to tell my agent they want to work with me. Sometimes I ask to work with an actor without knowing if they have ever seen one of my films. That was the case with Rob. It just so happened he was very familiar with some of my work. On set [for "Cosmopolis"], I remember he and Juliette Binoche getting into deep conversations about obscure French films. He's a film fanatic.

Was hiring him a way of drawing the attention of people that weren't necessarily David Cronenberg fans?
The moment we confirmed Rob had been cast in "Cosmopolis," everyone started talking about it. I can only hope the public and the critics will like it. On the other hand, those only watching it because they are "Twihards" risk being disappointed. But fans of Rob will love "Cosmopolis." Once you love an actor, you should be open to appreciating all of [his or her] work.

You have adapted several novels throughout your career starting with "Naked Lunch" by William S. Burroughs and "Crash" by J.G Ballard. What kind of reader would you say you are?
I don't like reading a book with the sole purpose of turning it into a movie. With "Cosmopolis," it was the producer that contacted me. He said: "I have the rights to this film, and I think you are the best person out there to direct it." And he was right! Outside of work, I will read a book because I find it rewarding. I love novels by David Foster Wallace. I became a fan of his work after his death. "The Pale King" — his book that was published posthumously — is absolutely brilliant. ]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143557--from-cannes-cosmopolis-director-talks-robert-pattinson Sun, 20 May 2012 16:16:55 -0400 Jerome Vermelin, METRO WORLD NEWS IN CANNES http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1143557--from-cannes-cosmopolis-director-talks-robert-pattinson