My sister recently had a talk with my four-year-old nephew Jack about strangers. Here's how it went:
SISTER: Now, Jack, if a stranger says, "Come here, I want to show you something," what do you do?
JACK: I turn around and run!
SISTER: If a stranger says, "Come here, I want to give you some candy," what do you do?
JACK: I turn around and run!
SISTER: If a stranger says, "Come here, I want to show you my puppy," what do you do?
JACK: Oh, I love puppies...
Mumford & Sons, Justin Bieber, Rick Ross also prepping new material.
By Gil Kaufman
Photo: Getty Images / MTV News
The past 12 months have seen the release of monster albums from Adele, Lady Gaga, Drake, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. But the next 12 are promising to bring even more music from several of those artists, plus new albums from Mumford & Sons, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Linkin Park, Paramore, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Maroon 5 and Green Day. It's a bumper crop of major albums from some of rock, pop and hip-hop's biggest stars, who are returning from long breaks, hoping to follow up smash debuts or just trying to keep their momentum going. While release dates are always subject to change, here are some of the most anticipated releases of 2012.
Pop:
Ironically, the status of new albums from the artists whose next moves everyone is most curious about are the ones most in the air. Rihanna tends to deliver a new album every 12 or 13 months, which means that she may have another disc in stores at the end of next year once the just-released Talk That Talk has run its course. On the other hand, Lady Gaga has already begun talking about her follow-up to this year's Born This Way. Gaga recently told MTV News that she's already started writing songs and "all the concepts are beginning to flourish and take place." She didn't give a potential release date, only promising, "I'll put it out when it's done." Katy Perry hasn't publicly spoken about what will come after 2010's smash Teenage Dream, but it's possible she could start work on new material in 2012 as well. We know for sure that Justin Bieber is planning to show his more mature side next time around, possibly even incorporating some EDM sounds into the mix. It's been confirmed that Madonna hooked up with M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj for the single "Gimme All Your Luvin' " from her untitled forthcoming album, which will feature production from Ray of Light producer William Orbit. Other artists who could release fresh material in 2012: No Doubt, Maroon 5, Avril Lavigne, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, Ke$ha and Nicole Scherzinger.
Hip-Hop:
Two titans of rap are cueing up fresh tracks for early 2012, with Nicki Minaj likely to get out of the gate first with her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, due out on Valentine's Day. The disc will include first single "Roman in Moscow," which sees the Best New Artist Grammy nominee getting into the character of her alter ego, Roman Zolanski. After the delay of God Forgives, I Don't due to a pair of seizures he suffered in October, Rick Ross is expected to come back strong as well. The Bawse has taken his convalescent time to work on a new track with Jay-Z. Speaking of Jigga, fans may get a new record from him as well, considering he told MTV News he was cooking up fresh tracks way back when he first played us songs from his Kanye West collaborative album, Watch the Throne. In fact, Jay-Z said you might get solo albums from both men as well as the second Throne release. Other artists that should have albums hitting stores in 2012: Nas, Frank Ocean, Slaughterhouse, Wiz Khalifa, the G.O.O.D. Music compilation, T.I., Big Sean, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Big K.R.I.T., Meek Mill and potentially two discs from Lil Wayne, I Am Not a Human Being II and Rebirth II. Rock:
Some of rock's biggest guns are reloading for 2012, among them Green Day, who debuted some new tracks at a benefit show in August. The title of the follow-up to 2009's 21st Century Breakdown hasn't been announced yet, but some of the early songs slated for possible inclusion are "Nuclear Family," "Carpe Diem" and "Sweet 16." U2 have reportedly been cooking up a number of potential new albums, logging sessions with Danger Mouse and working with French producer/DJ David Guetta, RedOne and will.i.am on a disc of dance-oriented tunes. Prog rock revivalists Muse should also have some new material for us, with bassist Chris Wolstenholme promising in a recent interview that the sound on their sixth album will be "radically different" from 2009's The Resistance. We may get something from Linkin Park, who are prepping the follow-up to 2010's A Thousand Suns, and Mumford & Sons. It's been two years since the British folk rock revivalists dropped their still strong-selling debut, Sigh No More, and they began giving fans a taste of some new material in the fall when they unveiled the majestic song "Ghosts." After a rough year, Paramore have finally put the drama behind them and they're super-psyched to record an album free of tension and inter-band awkwardness. So far, they've already unwrapped the bouncy "Renegade" and "Hello Cold World," which bode well for their fourth full-length studio album. Other rock acts slated to release new albums: the reunited Soundgarden, Foster the People, Neon Trees, Sleigh Bells, Silversun Pickups, Bruce Springsteen and All-American Rejects. Which 2012 albums are you most excited about? Which ones did we miss? Let us know in comments below.
'Deathly Hallows, Part 2' among several sequels to make it in the top 10.
By Kevin P. Sullivan
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros.
Harry Potter said goodbye to Hogwarts and movie theaters in 2011, but not without earning boatloads of cash along the way.
The boy who lived dominated the box office this past year with more than $1.3 billion worldwide, making him the undoubted winner in a less-than-stellar year financially for movies, but "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" wasn't the only sequel to succeed. Eight of the top 10 earners at the theaters belonged to sequels, prequels or remakes.
This trend is what Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations, sees as the big box office story of 2011, for good and bad. "You can't deny sequels' potency at the box office, with seven of the top 10 grossing films of 2011 being continuing sagas — eight if you count 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes,'" Bock said.
But not every movie with a number slapped onto the back of it fared as well as "Harry Potter." Bock pointed out that holiday sequels like "Happy Feet Two," "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," all underperformed compared to their predecessors.
"You could also argue that sequels are part of the problem, too," Bock said. "The domestic box office looks like it's going to come up short in terms of overall grosses and drop 3 percent versus last year, with attendance down nearly 5 percent — which will hit its lowest point in 15 years. That's a no-win for the entire industry."
As for surprise successes and failures, two films stuck out to Bock, the comedy hit "Bridesmaids" and DC's disappointer "Green Lantern."
"Bridesmaids" made $288 million worldwide on a budget of just $32 million, Bock said. "It was finally a coming out party for women of comedy," Bock said of what he called the "female 'Hangover.' " "Universal has already made plans for a sequel, and the brides-to-be are now flirting with A-list status."
Ryan Reynolds' most recent foray into the superhero realm did just the opposite. "This was supposed to be the next Batman for the studio, and it nearly turned into 'Howard the Duck,' " Bock said. "Well, it wasn't that bad, but when you spend $200 million on a film, you obviously expect to make more than $219 million worldwide. And that's not including all the marketing and print advertising that went into the big-budget blockbuster."
For 2012, Bock expects even more sequel domination, especially with the lineup of franchise films coming out next year. He predicts "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" will top with box office in the #1 and #2 slots, respectively, with "The Hobbit," "The Avengers" and "Men in Black 3" rounding out the top five.
Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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Looks like the "Love & Hip Hop" chicks are taking full advantage of their tv time and starting new ventures they can pub in between beat downs and catfights.
Check out Yandy Smith's new magazine venture called EGL, where she ironically focuses on positivity, inside...
In between managing models and rappers and trying to break up fights, "Love & Hip Hop" star Yandy Smith started a new venture. She says she's all about being a positive role model to women and young girls. So Yandy and her girlfriends have created their own magazine and jewel line called EGL.
To bring in the new year, she tapped singer/writer and fab chick Mashonda, former "Love and Hip Hop" castmate to be on the cover of her January 2012 issue (above).
Here's some behind the scenes and actual shots from the shoot with Yandy, Mashonda, and stylist Samantha Telfair, wife to basketball player Sebastian Telfair. Plus a snippet of Mashonda's interview:
Loves Mashonda's look though. She had a conversation with Yandy for her cover story:
So, tell us what life has been like after Love and Hip Hop?
"Life has been great, completely different to say the least. My reality on that show was authentic and totally real. I’m glad that segment of my life is over; it was very melancholic. Being on "Love and Hip Hop" opened my eyes to many things in my life, on and off the screen.
The moment you let go of whatever is negative in your life is the same moment you breathe.”
Hot.
