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'I think this is really front-and-center in his mind,' Howard tells MTV News of creator/director Mitch Hurwitz.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz 
Ron Howard
Photo: MTV News Almost two years ago, as the twists and creative turns of an "Arrested Development" movie continued to vex fans of the Emmy-winning comedy, executive producer Ron Howard revealed the true impediment blocking the project. "[Mitch Hurwitz's] television company was very successful — good for Mitch — and slowed things up a little bit for 'Arrested Development' fans," he told us about the show's creator. As a new year begins and Hurwitz's TV work has slowed (shows like "Sit Down, Shut Up" and "Brothers" were axed in their infancy), Howard told MTV News that the "Arrested" creator is now focused on bringing the Fox comedy to the big screen. "What happened is that he became such an important television superstar that he began developing a lot of pilots and he really wanted to follow through with that," Howard said, while promoting his upcoming comedy, "The Dilemma." "So he put in a couple years doing that — always letting the 'Arrested Development' movie percolate — and now he's done that. I think this is really now front-and-center in his mind." The extra time has not only given Hurwitz an opportunity to hone his approach to the film, but to gain confidence in the director's chair. While he's set to direct the adaptation, he never helmed an episode of the TV show. Now he has some directorial experience on his résumé. "He's also directed some of the TV, so I think he's feeling confident about that and we all want him to direct the film," Howard added. "I think it's a real priority for him now and can be in his life." Check out everything we've got on "The Dilemma." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655619/arrested-development-movie-real-priority-ron-howard.jhtml Yamila Diaz Yvonne Strzechowski Zhang Ziyi Murray faces manslaughter charges in the singer's death; his medical license has also been suspended.
By Kara Warner 
Dr. Conrad Murray
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images Dr. Conrad Murray has been ordered to stand trial for manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. According to The Associated Press, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor made the decision after a six-day preliminary hearing during which witnesses testified that the Houston cardiologist administered a dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and other sedatives then left the pop star unmonitored. During the course of the hearing, testimony was given that Murray ordered hundreds of bottles of propofol in the months before Jackson's death. The AP report also cited the fact that the prosecutors concluded their case with testimony from two doctors who said Murray acted outside the standard of medical care when he administered propofol and failed to provide proper care. Other damning testimony included that of Jackson's bodyguard, who said that on the morning of the singer's death, it appeared that Murray didn't know how to administer CPR to his dying patient. Judge Pastor also granted a request by the California Medical Board to suspend Murray's license to practice medicine in the state. Pastor said he made the decision in the interest of public safety and ordered Murray to notify every district in which he practices of the decision within 24 hours. Murray has clinics in Houston and Las Vegas. Murray, 57, has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have argued that he did not give Jackson anything that should have killed him. Murray faces up to four years in prison if convicted. Related Artists Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655755/michael-jackson-doctor-conrad-murray-ordered-stand-trial.jhtml Laetitia Casta Lake Bell Larissa Meek Laura Harring 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. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1617950/dave-grohl-josh-homme-john-paul-jones-unveil-supergroup.jhtml Natalie Portman Natalie Zea Natasha Bedingfield Natassia Malthe Testimony has Conrad Murray removing IV stand and two bags of medication.
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Kara Warner 
Alberto Alvarez, Michael Jackson's bodyguard, leaves court after testifying at the preliminary hearing for Dr. Conrad Murray on January 5
Photo: Toby Canham/Getty Images The second day of testimony in the preliminary hearing of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, featured damning testimony from one of the late King of Pop's bodyguards about Murray's actions in the critical minutes after the singer was found unresponsive. After a former Jackson staffer testified Tuesday that Murray appeared to not know how to perform CPR properly, security guard Alberto Alvarez said on Wednesday (January 5) that the cardiologist frantically grabbed medical evidence from the star's bedroom before instructing Alvarez to call 911. The Los Angeles Times reported that Alvarez said he was the first person to walk into Jackson's bedroom after Murray realized his patient was not breathing, where he found the cardiologist administering chest compressions with one hand while Jackson lay on his bed, which goes against the recommended procedure for the life-saving method. "I said, 'Dr. Murray, what happened?' " Alvarez told the court. " 'He had a bad reaction, he had a bad reaction,' that's all he said." Alvarez choked up as he described how Jackson's daughter, Paris, followed him into the room and screamed when she saw her father sprawled out and unresponsive on the bed. He said Murray then instructed him to get the children out of the room, noticing as he left that Jackson's penis was out of his underwear and that medical tubing was attached to it. When Deputy District Attorney David Walgren asked Alvarez if he knew what a condom catheter was, the security guard said he did not. Alvarez said he then witnessed Murray grabbing a handful of bottles, which he instructed the security guard to put in a bag. He told the court that he held open the bag as the doctor dropped the bottles of medicine inside and then put it in a brown canvas bag on the floor, per Murray's instructions. Murray also allegedly told Alvarez to grab one of the two bags hanging on an IV stand next to Jackson's bed and put it in another bag. Alvarez said he noticed a "milk-like substance" in the bottom of the IV bag. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office determined that Jackson died of an acute intoxication of propofol, a powerful surgical anesthetic sometimes referred to as "milk of amnesia" thanks to its milky white appearance. Only after the medical materials had been put away did Murray tell Alvarez to call 911. "After you had collected the bottles per Dr. Murray's instructions, and after you had collected the bags per Dr. Murray's instructions, did Dr. Murray instruct you to call 911?" Walgren asked. "Yes, sir," Alvarez responded. TMZ reported that during cross-examination, defense attorney Ed Chernoff got Alvarez to admit that he never told police about Murray ordering him to remove the bottles and Alvarez later admitted that he may try to sell his story. Later in the day, EMT Richard Senniff testified that he arrived at the Jackson home, just four minutes after the 911 call was placed. According to TMZ, Senniff said that, based on the condition of Jackson's body, it appeared that Murray waited at least 20 minutes to call 911. Senniff also stated that when he asked Murray what meds Jackson had been administered, he only listed lorazepam (Ativan). Jackson cook Kai Chase also testified, revealing the food she prepared for Jackson prior to his death (seared ahi tuna and salad, white bean Tuscan soup) and that she knew something was wrong when Murray came downstairs in a panic and summoned Jackson's son, Prince. The preliminary hearing is aimed at determining whether there is enough evidence to try Murray on a felony count of involuntary manslaughter in the June 2009 death of the King of Pop. It is expected to last two to three weeks. Related Artists Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655367/michael-jackson-doctor-conrad-murray-hid-evidence-guard-testifies.jhtml Sofнa Vergara Soft Cell Sophia Bush Stacy Keibler 'I was like, 'I will literally do anything you ask me to do,' actor says of appearing in Adam Yauch's short film.
By Eric Ditzian 
Seth Rogen
Photo: MTV News We would've called it some elaborate Beastie Boys prank if news of the project hadn't arrived courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival's official lineup of short films: an Adam Yauch-directed film called "Fight for Your Right Revisited," starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen, and carrying the simple description, "After the boys leave the party..." Then a photo of the short popped up, with Wood as Ad-Rock, Rogen as Mike D and McBride as Yauch's MCA. All three were outfitted in perfect replicas of the Beastie's outfits from that iconic 1987 video in which the trio crashes a house party, sowing mayhem at every turn. Tantalizing stuff — and more than a little perplexing, considering the band had largely sworn off any allegiance to "Fight for Your Right." So how did the whole thing come together? That's what we asked Rogen when we caught up with him during a "Green Hornet" publicity session. "I literally got a phone call from MCA one day," he explained. "It was funny because we were in our office, and [writing partner] Evan [Goldberg] was sitting across from me, and I was like, 'Yeah, MCA? Yeah, yeah, OK, whatever you want! OK, sounds perfect.' And he was like, 'What just happened?' I was like, 'I think I'm going to be in a Beastie Boys video.' " "That was it. It was amazing," he added. "I'm a huge Beastie Boys fan and they just called and asked if I wanted to be a part of it and I said yes without hesitation. I didn't need to hear anything. I didn't need to see anything, any concepts. I was just like, 'I will literally do anything you ask me to do.' " Rogen remained mum on any plot details, but he did marvel that filmmakers were able to gather exact reproductions of the Beasties' 1987 wardrobe. "It was hard to get," he laughed. "The real Ad-Rock was saying he still has the Stuyvesant T-shirt that he wore in the video, but they made another one for Elijah. It was amazing." Check out everything we've got on "The Green Hornet." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Artists Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655591/seth-rogen-dishes-on-beastie-boys-fight-your-right-short.jhtml Shania Twain Shanna Moakler Shannon Elizabeth Shannyn Sossamon 'We wanted to start out with a guy who was the last guy you would ever expect to be a superhero,' actor tells MTV News of Britt Reid.
By Eric Ditzian 
Seth Rogen
Photo: MTV News The first time we meet the adult Britt Reid — the scion of a Los Angeles media magnate — he's gleefully trashing a hotel, one part Keith Moon-style rock star, one part reality-TV celebutant. The party boy, of course, will go on to become the superhero who gives "Green Hornet" its name. But in the beginning, Britt is simply a hard-drinking, model-humping, spoiled brat. And, as Seth Rogen explained to MTV News, he and co-writer Evan Goldberg turned to some real-life inspiration to create the character. "We kind of based him off a male Paris Hilton, as embarrassing as that is to say," he told MTV News. "That is what we looked at — those people who are the sons or daughters of people who have accomplished great things. We probably give them a little more credit than they've gotten in the past and we explore why they're such jerks and why they act out. Maybe it's because they didn't get the attention they wanted." That's certainly the case for Britt. His dad looks at his son, who's more likely to end up in the newspaper for his antics than his professional accomplishments, as nothing short of an embarrassment. It's just that fatherly disappointment that fuels Britt's transformation into the Green Hornet. "We wanted to start out with a guy who was the last guy you would ever expect to be a superhero and slowly make that guy a hero instead of starting with a guy who's already pretty morally centered, just doesn't quite have the idea yet," Rogen explained. And who knows? Perhaps Hilton herself might get a few ideas about a new career path. "She's going to become a superhero," Rogen laughed. "I hope so." Check out everything we've got on "The Green Hornet." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Related Videos Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655635/seth-rogen-based-his-green-hornet-character-on-paris-hilton.jhtml Jules Asner Julia Stiles Julianne Hough Julie Benz Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus also made the magazine's top 20 list of Hollywood moneymakers.
By Jayson Rodriguez 
Beyoncé
Photo: Columbia/Music World On the East Coast, revenue streams are slowly rising as banks are still cratering and trying to recover from the recession. But out West, money ain't a thing, as Jermaine Dupri and Jay-Z once rapped. Forbes has released their list of Hollywood's 20 Highest Earners of 2010, with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus among those rubbing elbows with the likes of power players like Oprah Winfrey. The venerable talk-show host topped the list with a whopping $315 million haul. Winfrey's earnings were generated for the most part by her multimedia deals, which include a syndication deal for her TV show, a magazine and her soon-to-be-launched network. "Avatar" creator James Cameron came in second, more than $100 million behind Winfrey, with a tally of $210 million. Director and playwright Tyler Perry ($125 million), blockbuster movie producer Michael Bay ($120 million) and golfer Tiger Woods ($105 million) rounded out the top five. Beyoncé was the only pop star to break the top 10. The "Single Ladies" superstar landed at #9, sandwiched between George Lucas and Dr. Phil. Mrs. Carter, whose hubby, Jay-Z, was named Hip-Hop's Cash King by Forbes in August with a tally of $63 million, pulled down $87 million over the past 12 months. The blond-haired trio of Britney Spears ($64 million), Lady Gaga ($62 million) and Madonna ($58 million) made their mark on the list at numbers 13, 14 and 15, respectively. Pop tarts Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift capped the list. The young stars placed at 18 and 19 on the list, with Disney star Cyrus pocketing $48 million, and country singer Swift depositing $45 million into her bank account. Hollywood's 20 highest-earning men and women of 2010, according to Forbes: 1. Oprah Winfrey, $315 million
2. James Cameron, $210 million
3. Tyler Perry, $125 million
4. Michael Bay, $120 million
5. Tiger Woods, $105 million
6. Jerry Bruckheimer, $100 million
7. Steven Spielberg, $100 million
8. George Lucas, $95 million
9. Beyoncé, $87 million
10. Dr. Phil, $80 million
11. Simon Cowell, $80 million
12. Jerry Seinfeld, $75 million
13. Britney Spears, $64 million
14. Lady Gaga, $62 million
15. Madonna, $58 million
16. Sandra Bullock, $56 million
17. Ellen DeGeneres, $55 million
18. Miley Cyrus, $48 million
19. Taylor Swift, $45 million
20. Judge Judy Sheindlin, $45 million Related Photos Related Artists Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654947/lady-gaga-beyonce-other-stars-make-forbes-topearning-2010-list.jhtml Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Minnillo Vanessa Simmons Veronica Kay 'We wanted to start out with a guy who was the last guy you would ever expect to be a superhero,' actor tells MTV News of Britt Reid.
By Eric Ditzian
Seth Rogen
Photo: MTV News The first time we meet the adult Britt Reid — the scion of a Los Angeles media magnate — he's gleefully trashing a hotel, one part Keith Moon-style rock star, one part reality-TV celebutant. The party boy, of course, will go on to become the superhero who gives "Green Hornet" its name. But in the beginning, Britt is simply a hard-drinking, model-humping, spoiled brat. And, as Seth Rogen explained to MTV News, he and co-writer Evan Goldberg turned to some real-life inspiration to create the character. "We kind of based him off a male Paris Hilton, as embarrassing as that is to say," he told MTV News. "That is what we looked at — those people who are the sons or daughters of people who have accomplished great things. We probably give them a little more credit than they've gotten in the past and we explore why they're such jerks and why they act out. Maybe it's because they didn't get the attention they wanted." That's certainly the case for Britt. His dad looks at his son, who's more likely to end up in the newspaper for his antics than his professional accomplishments, as nothing short of an embarrassment. It's just that fatherly disappointment that fuels Britt's transformation into the Green Hornet. "We wanted to start out with a guy who was the last guy you would ever expect to be a superhero and slowly make that guy a hero instead of starting with a guy who's already pretty morally centered, just doesn't quite have the idea yet," Rogen explained. And who knows? Perhaps Hilton herself might get a few ideas about a new career path. "She's going to become a superhero," Rogen laughed. "I hope so." Check out everything we've got on "The Green Hornet." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Related Videos Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655635/seth-rogen-based-his-green-hornet-character-on-paris-hilton.jhtml Malin Akerman Mandy Moore Maria Bello Maria Menounos Club smash, featuring will.i.am, tops our list of the Top 25 Songs of the year.
By James Montgomery 
Usher
Photo: Getty Images MTV News' Top 25 Songs of 2010 has reached an end. We've already counted down the rest, and now it's time to get to the best: Usher's "OMG," the song that perfectly sums up the past 12 months of popular music — and makes you wanna move until you can't move no more. If 2010 proved anything, it's that a DJ really can save your life ... or at least get you to #1 on the Hot 100. After years of staring at each other from across the room, hip-hop, pop and R&B all decided to finally get in bed with dance music, and the results weren't always pretty, but they were certainly successful. To date, only 17 songs have made it to the top spot of Billboard's singles chart in 2010, and nearly two-thirds of them — from Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" to Far East Movement's "Like a G6" — were, in some way, dance songs. In that regard, no song better sums up 2010 pop music quite like Usher's "OMG," the dance song to end all dance songs. Sure, it may not have matched the swagger of Kanye West's "Power," the snarl of Rick Ross' "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" or the inbox-clogging spread of Cee Lo's "F--- You," but it didn't have to. None of those songs went to #1, after all. "OMG" did. Twice. Even among songs that managed to snag that top spot — Eminem and Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie," Katy Perry's "California Gurls," B.o.B and Bruno Mars' "Nothin' on You" — "OMG" stood out from the pack, mostly because of its pedigree. It's not a stretch to say that any of those tracks could've (and probably would've) been #1 in any other year; "OMG" could only have done it in 2010, because it was crafted to do nothing else. No other song this year was as of the moment, as singular and shiny and downright undeniable. There's a reason it was named on more ballots than any other song on our countdown and justly takes the title of MTV News' #1 Song of 2010. And while all that is important, it's largely beside the point. "OMG" is the kind of song that truly defies deep inspection, because it's not exactly headphone music. Rather, it was made for the clubs, designed to envelop you on the dance floor and not let go until the final "oh-ohh-oh-ooh-oh." And in that regard, it succeeds in spades. It is a masterful melding of R&B, and Euro dance, all icy synths and handclaps, starbursts and stutters and sing-along chants. It ebbs and flows, stops and starts, pumps and preens. Simply put, you cannot listen to it without moving in some way. (MTV's Dee Caligiuri, who voted on our countdown, probably put it best one night when she declared: "There are so many dances you can do to it!") And if that's not the definition of a success, well, then I don't know what is. A large portion of the credit for "OMG" has to go to will.i.am, who not only produced the track (I know!), but was smart enough to see this whole dance thing coming when he teamed up with producer David Guetta last year. Those songs — "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" — were, of course, massive, but neither of them are as good as this. Given full control, Will goes off the deep end, cramming the song with every dance trick in the book — and probably some new ones he just invented on the spot. And Usher, whose career, truth be told, was sort of in need of a shot in the arm, is the beneficiary. He floats and gloats above the mix, suave and cocksure, knowing that he is exactly the right man at the right time. That time, of course, had to be 2010. Because in a year when so many big-name acts embraced the DJ, he flat-out did it better than any of them. "OMG" represents the peak of the dance-pop era in which we live, a song as undeniable as it is of the moment. We can only speculate as to what next year will bring, but there's really no denying that, as 2010 comes to a close, Usher stands above all else, reinvigorated and ready for more. It's enough to make you say "Oh My God," really. How does Usher's "OMG" rank among the year's best songs? Let us know in the comments! MTV News' Top 25 Songs of 2010 have all been counted down. But the fun isn't over yet: We still want to see your picks in the comments below! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653969/ushers-omg-mtv-news-1-song-2010.jhtml Naomi Watts Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Portman Natalie Zea |
