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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'Transformers 3' Box Office: How High Can It Go?

'Dark of the Moon' might not make as much as 'Revenge of the Fallen,' but that doesn't make it a failure.
By Eric Ditzian


Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Last month, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" corralled $92.2 million over its opening weekend — the highest total of 2011. How could Jack Sparrow possibly complain? Well, that lofty sum was still well below the openings of both 2006's "Dead Man's Chest" ($135.6 million) and 2007's "At World's End" ($114.7).

The fact is, even the most robust of movie franchises tend to wane in terms of box-office bucks; the familiar pattern is a first film that sets the stage, a second installment that cashes in on the anticipation and then subsequent offerings that can't continue the upward trend. Such is the case with "Transformers."

There's much to celebrate with "Dark of the Moon," which enjoyed a first-day gross on Wednesday of $42.5 million (when you count midnight screenings), beating the first-day pull of "On Stranger Tides" (a Friday release, no less). That puts the third "Transformers" film on track for a seven-day debut of as much as $200 million or more. So why might Optimus Prime be dissatisfied with that opening? "Revenge of the Fallen" opened to $62 million on a Wednesday in 2009, on its way to a one-week total of almost $240 million.

Yet any dissatisfaction must be tempered with historical box-office perspective. "The fact that 'T3' didn't measure up to 'T2' isn't really a surprise, as the fatigue factor finally caught up to the franchise," said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "This is the case for most films series as they reach the threequel. Plus, it didn't help 'Transformers' that the second film was, for the most part, trashed by critics, fans and even the filmmakers."

While "Dark of the Moon" is off to a comparatively slow start, some industry observers believe it could pick up over the holiday weekend. "Everything we're seeing on Facebook and Twitter indicates that word-of-mouth is extremely positive," said Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com. "It's still a bit early to rush to judgment on how well this is going to hold up over the holiday frame. It could explode in a big way over the weekend."

Perhaps. Or not. There's no doubt the franchise took a public-opinion hit after the second film. And while the third one offers perhaps the finest use of 3-D since "Avatar," it comes at a time when audiences are battling back against a host of shoddy 3-D offerings by simply not paying the extra bucks for another dimension. "Dark of the Moon" is a victim of the three-dimensional failings of "Clash of the Titans."

At the same time, we can't ignore the worldwide situation. Globally, "Dark of the Moon" might well eclipse the $836 million total of "Revenge of the Fallen" (just as "On Stranger Tides" could end up being the biggest "Pirates" flick when international grosses are factored in). Thus, Optimus rejoices!

So where does all this leave "Transformers" going forward? Both star Shia LaBeouf and director Michael Bay have declared, in no uncertain terms, that they plan to end their involvement with the series after three films. Both creatively and financially, that might not be such a bad thing.

"This franchise needs new blood and a new angle going forward," Bock said, going on to suggest the fourth film needs to leave the familiar environs of Earth behind and deeply explore the robot alien's home planet. "Maybe a trip to Cybertron will be the spark 'Transformers 4' needs. Don't bring it to us, we'll come to you! But we will likely have to wait three to four years."

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

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/1666721/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-box-office.jhtml

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Maria Shriver to Divorce Arnold Schwarzenegger


After months of hemming and hawing - even after his love child with Mildred Patricia Baena came to light - Maria Shriver has filed for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger, citing irreconcilable differences on the paperwork.

The couple has been married 25 years and has no prenup.

Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger Pic

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver will split around $400 million.

The official date of separation is not known, but despite Arnold's infidelity, Shriver was reportedly torn over whether to follow through with the divorce.

As recently as mid-June, Arnold wasn't giving up on reconciliation.

Shriver is asking for spousal support and for joint custody of their minor children, 17-year-old Patrick Arnold Shriver Schwarzenegger and 13-year-old Christopher Sargent Shriver Schwarzenegger. Their other two kids are over 18.

The division of property is yet to be determined. Because there is no prenup, under California law, all earnings and other property acquired during the marriage is considered community property, which means a 50/50 split.

Since the couple has been married for a quarter century, it's likely that all their property will be considered communal, even if Arnold's net worth is higher.

In any case, their divorce will never go to trial and will be settled out of court after what will surely be extensive negotiations on behalf of their attorneys.

The terms will also be confidential.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/07/maria-shriver-to-divorce-arnold-schwarzenegger/

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Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones Unveil Supergroup

Them Crooked Vultures make their debut with a post-Lollapalooza set.
By James Montgomery


Dave Grohl (file)
Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Officially, Lollapalooza ended Sunday night in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from the Killers and Jane's Addiction. Unofficially, it ended very early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures.

To the unfamiliar, the Vultures might seem like an odd choice to close out Lolla weekend ... until you realize that they're made up of Foo Fighters frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. And their gig at the Metro was their world premiere.

According to some reports, the Vultures actually turned down Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell's request to replace the Beastie Boys as headliners at the festival, opting to debut in front of some 1,100 super-psyched fans at the Metro, rather than 75,000 in Grant Park (tickets for the gig were announced via Foo Fighter/ QOTSA fan clubs). Meaning that, in a lot of ways, this was the most sought-after ticket in town.

Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures — Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar — ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called Never Deserved the Future, and may or may not be hitting stores on October 23 (early "promo" videos touting both those facts were revealed over the weekend to be hoaxes perpetrated by QOTSA fans).

The songs, with appropriately Homme-ian titles like "Scumbag Blues," "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)," "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes," sounded pretty much how you'd expect, given the band's pedigree. They rocked, hard — Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" — delving off into psychedelic, reverb-filled excursions and exploring proggy territory, "both of the old-school Yes variety, and the more modern Tool flavor," according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Jim DeRogatis.

It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures — there have been whispers of a full-blown tour, but a spokesperson for Homme had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Nor was it clear whether or not they'll have an album out in October.

Early Monday, a Crooked Vultures Twitter account, which had previously posted links to the band's official-looking Web site and the Metro's online ticketing site — posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a Deserve the Future T-shirt. Cost: $30.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1617950/dave-grohl-josh-homme-john-paul-jones-unveil-supergroup.jhtml

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Orlando Bloom & Miranda Kerr's Holiday Weekend Workout

Out for their routine weekend workout, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr were fitness focused in Beverly Hills, CA on Saturday afternoon (July 2).

Both clad in workout gear, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" hunk and his supermodel wife walked along separately as they stopped off for a coffee pick-me-up before delving into the midday sweat session.

The workout comes just as a new trailer for Orlando's upcoming movie "The Three Musketeers" has been released to gear up fans for the film's theatrical release.

Due in theaters this October, the pictures is about "the hot-headed young D'Artagnan along with three former legendary but now down on their luck Musketeers being forced to unite and defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war."

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/miranda-kerr/orlando-bloom-miranda-kerrs-holiday-weekend-workout-520556

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Mary Margaret's First Flight

So I'm at O'Hare right now getting ready to fly back to New York with my babies. Bev and Mary Margaret are in one bag together.

Earlier there was some cuddling, but now I hear a bit of growling. Mary Margaret has a tendency to terrorize poor Beverly...

The big thing I'm afraid of, however, isn't the growling—it's that Mary Margaret will poop in her bag. If she does poop, I've decided that I'm going to poop too, because me shitting myself will totally trump her shitting herself, right?

That's gross... girls shouldn't talk about poop.

Poop, poop, poop.

Anywho... I'll check in later to tell you how it goes. The flight is delayed right now, which just makes the possibility of pooping more likely. For me and her.

(I know, I know... girls shouldn't talk about poop.)

Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/4/26/mary-margarets-first-flight.html

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