Britney Spears’ <i>Criminal</i>

Photo: Jive/Sony

Britney Spears recently shared that she plans to shoot her video for “Criminal” in England, and now fans are not only learning more details about her plans to promote the single but also getting a look at the cover artwork.

The turquoise-and-red single art for the song — which is now all over the blogs — features a serious-looking Spears looking out into the distance, her wavy hair falling on her bare back. A mysterious hooded man is also featured on the cover. A rep confirmed to MTV News on Wednesday (September 14) that the art is official.

Spears has promised that the video will be eye-catching. “Actually, the song, when I first heard it, it’s really different and it’s not anything I’ve heard like this before. So I really wanted to deliver this song. I was thinking of a really cool concept for the video just to make it interesting,” she told us last month. “You’ll have to see.”

As for the location of the shoot, Spears gushed about it on Twitter. “So excited to stop over in the UK before I start my European tour in a few weeks,” she wrote. “Can’t wait! I LOVE London, it’s like my second home. Decided to shoot the ‘Criminal’ video in the streets of merry old England when I get there.”

As Spears gears up for the release of “Criminal,” she’s also got a few other projects in the works, including a remix album due out next month and a concert special set to air on Epix. The just-released trailer for the special, set to air in November, uses concert footage from her Femme Fatale Tour, which Brit is gearing up to take to Europe later this month.

What are you hoping to see from Brit’s “Criminal” video? Tell us in the comments!

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Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″

Photo: Summit Entertainment

Now that we’ve finally seen the latest trailer for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ and picked our favorite moments, it’s time that we turn the continued swooning and sighing over to our trusted panel of “Twilight” experts to learn what they loved most about the new sneak peek.

“My favorite scene … was the feathers in the bed,” TwilightLexicon.com owner Laura Byrne-Cristiano said of the honeymoon aftermath, featuring a sleepy and happy-looking Bella surrounded by feathers from a torn pillow. “That was a moment I think every fan wanted to be there. I was so happy that it was in the trailer, and we know it’s going to be in the movie. It could have been cheesy, and it looks like it’s going to be fun.”

“My favorite scene was the dancing scene with Bella and Jacob,” Kara Hassell of TwilightersAnonymous.com said. “I liked it because we [usually] see a lot of action, especially with Jacob and the wolf pack, so it was nice to see a really serious moment between them. I think that their chemistry is great and they do really well.”

Kallie Matthews from TwilightSeriesTheories.com went for the more uncomfortable moment.

“There were a lot of favorite moments. This is slightly morbid, but [I liked] actually getting to see parts of the birth scene,” she admitted. “I’ve been so curious about how it’s going to play out. The books are just glimpses, and it seems like the movie is going to be that way too, so I’m really glad that Bill Condon is staying true to that,” she explained. “Like I said, morbid.”

What was your favorite scene in the trailer? Let us know in the comments!

Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.”

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

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Lloyd Banks and Sway

Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News

It’s a party, it’s a par-tay! On Wednesday (September 14), “RapFix Live” celebrated its one-year anniversary in all-star fashion. Maino, Lloyd Banks, Diplomats capo Jim Jones, Consequence, the Outlawz and Reek Da Villian all made their way onto the “RFL” couch to toast to MTV News’ premier hip-hop show.

Reek set things off with a spirited “RapFix”-themed freestyle, making way for the show’s first guest, Maino, who chopped it up with Sway about his favorite show moments. The hard-nosed Brooklyn rapper recounted some of his more memorable ones, including Ja Rule appearing just before he turned himself in for his jail bid, and Nicki Minaj’s and Lil Kim’s separate appearances.

G-Unit’s Lloyd Banks came in to rep for Queens, New York, and clued Sway in on his upcoming mixtape Cold Corner 2. Banks also revealed that after dropping his H.F.M.2 (Hunger For More 2) last year, he has satisfied his contractual commitment to EMI, making him a G-Unit free agent once again.

When he first appeared on “RapFix Live” back in May, Consequence made headlines, going into detail about his falling-out with former friend Kanye West. This time, the Queens MC turned the tables and revealed that he has since spoken to ‘Ye and the feud is over. After a heated email exchange between the two, ‘Quence claimed that West eventually told the ex-G.O.O.D. Music artist that he “loves” him. That wasn’t all: Cons TV also brought his newborn son, Caiden, onto the set and introduced him to the viewing audience.

Although scheduled guests Juelz Santana and Freekey Zekey missed their flight to New York City, Jim Jones represented for his Diplomats crew and talked about their reunion. He assured fans that the long-awaited Diplomatic Immunity 3 is coming, as is his Fly Boys collaboration album with Cam’ron.

The “RapFix Live” anniversary show also paid homage to the late Tupac Shakur. September 13, marked the 15-year anniversary of the death of the fiery rapper, and his protégés the Outlawz — E.D.I. Mean, Noble and Fatal — came through to honor the fallen hip-hop hero.

Together with Sway and ‘Pac devotee Jim Jones, the group watched some classic ‘Pac footage from the 1996 MTV VMAs and weighed in on his legacy. The group also humbled “RFL” host Sway when they told him of the love Shakur had for him.

For the grand finale, Sway brought out a few of the show’s Get in the Game alumni — Feev, Sean Rose, the Boy Illinois, Gerald Walker and the Incomparable Shakespeare — to spit in a freestyle cipher. Banks, Maino, Jim Jones and Consequence popped champagne and looked on as DJs Love Dinero and Superstar Jay spun the beats as the new generation of artists spit the rhymes. But before the curtain closed, it was Cons who took the show out, performing his latest single “Mr. RapFix.”

Bring on year two!

Share your favorite moments from the “RapFix Live” one-year anniversary show in the comments section!

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Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”

Photo: Columbia Pictures

You’d think it’s been a while since Brad Pitt felt anything like an underdog, since those days in the late ’80s when he was pumped just to get a few lines in a TV show like “21 Jump Street” or had to console himself with work as an extra next to then-hot shots like Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz. These days, he’s Brad Pitt: Oscar nominee, beloved of Angelina Jolie and … freaking Brad Pitt.

But as the actor admitted to MTV News at the Toronto International Film Festival, there are still times when he feels like the world is against him, when he finds himself in a similar situation to the 2002 Oakland Athletics, the small-market Major League Baseball club at the center of his new movie, “Moneyball.”

“I certainly feel injustice,” he said. “I’m no foreigner to that, whether it’s real or perceived.”

Unjust is certainly the situation the A’s find themselves in the film, which is based on the best-selling nonfiction title by Michael Lewis and which hits theaters September 23. The team had a vastly smaller payroll than other teams but nonetheless was able to rise to the top when general manager Billy Beane (Pitt) employed a newfangled, statistics-based approach to building his roster of players.

“These are guys that are working in an unfair game,” Pitt explained. “They are a team with no money trying to fight — it’s David vs. Goliath. How are they going to be competitive? How are they going to stand a chance? They can’t fight the other guys’ fight; they’re going to lose every time. These guys had to rethink it and rethink what they were doing.

“They’re Galileo, in a sense, going up against an institution that is not going to be very happy about them questioning their norms,” he added.

Check out everything we’ve got on “Moneyball.”

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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<i>Evanescence</i> album artwork

Photo: Wind-up Records

If one were to study the covers of Evanescence‘s first two albums, they’d quickly notice that, aside from all the dark swirly bits, they share another rather unifying concept: Namely, they both feature frontwoman Amy Lee … and only frontwoman Amy Lee.

Of course, things are different these days. For the first time, Lee says that Evanescence are really, truly a band, and the songs on their upcoming third album are the end result of countless hours spent hammering out rhythms and melodies together. Which is why they made the decision to call the new album, simply, Evanescence.

For further proof of this point, one only has to glance at the cover of the album, which features nothing more than the band’s name (and some of the prerequisite dark and swirlies). And while some fans may be mystified by the simple design, Lee told MTV News that there’s definitely a message behind the minimalism.

“Well, both of our other records are me on the cover, and I think it’s cool to have that photo, you know, that people can look at and go, ‘OK, that’s who that is.’ But I feel like, by now, they know who we are, and I wanted something really different,” she said. “I didn’t feel like we had to put a photo on the cover, I wanted it to be more mysterious and more about Evanescence itself, not just me.”

And that concept extends beyond Evanescence‘s cover image. As Lee explained, on the new album, she and her musical mates are exploring every aspect of the band … starting with the name itself. Because, for the first time, Evanescence is more than just its frontwoman.

“The idea to not have any photos on the outside I thought was really cool,” she said. “And all the images and the artwork is a play on the meaning of the word ‘Evanescence.’ It means ‘to dissipate like vapor,’ so I decided to go with light and vapor … it’s really about Evanescence, not just me.”

What do you think of Evanescence’s new album art? Sound off in the comments!

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Ryan Gosling arrives at “Drive” premiere at Ryerson Theatre during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2011

Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival is many things to many people. Oscar season launching pad for some. Moviegoing nirvana for others. And if you want to catch sight of a celebrity, or two, you could do a lot worse than a festival that lines them up every night as if you’re living inside the poster for “Ocean’s Eleven.” Yes, George Clooney was here (with two movies in tow), as were Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling and Madonna and … well, you get the picture.

TIFF continues through this weekend, but MTV News (and I) packed up our troubles and hours of interviews on Wednesday (September 14). Truth be told, the festival moves into a slower gear by Tuesday/Wednesday every year. As always, I learned a lot in the past week. Here are just a few of those lessons:

Brad Pitt Likes “The Incredibles”
When I sat down with Pitt (for the first time, gulp), he, Jonah Hill and I fell into the standard TIFF conversation before the interview: “So, what’s good?” After I touted a few choice flicks, Pitt admitted all he gets to see are animated films at home, thanks to the kids — which of course segued into the standard animation conversation: best Pixar film ever? Brad and I heartily agreed on “The Incredibles,” while Jonah insisted that “Ratatouille” is it for him because of its unlikely brilliance given the subject matter. Agree to disagree, Jonah.

2011 Belongs to Gosling and Fassbender
If 2010 was all about James Franco and Ryan Reynolds rising to A-list status, let’s all make some room for Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender this year. Each actor brought two films to TIFF this year, and they were among the most talked-about stars on the party circuit — and not for anything gossipy, just for brilliant, charismatic and unique performances.

Gosling, the Canadian boy made good, brought George Clooney’s “The Ides of March” and “Drive” to TIFF, and both films seem destined for a slew of top 10 lists. “Drive” in particular is an iconic movie star role for Gosling — his nameless “driver” says very little but might be the coolest character of the year.

Speaking of cool, anyone who saw “X-Men: First Class” was probably as mesmerized as I was by Michael Fassbender’s badass Nazi hunter Erik Lehnsherr (you can’t put Magneto on a driver’s license). But forget superhero movies for a second. Fassbender arrived in Toronto fresh off a Venice Film Festival win for a truly brave performance in “Shame.” I saw “Shame” at its Toronto premiere, and while it’s not for everyone, this character study of a sex addict in NYC will likely have Fassbender on the awards circuit the next few months.

An ABC Family Star Will Probably Be Getting an Oscar Nod
I’ll come clean and admit I’m not intimately familiar with the “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” but Shailene Woodley certainly has my attention now. The young actress more than holds her own opposite Clooney (himself delivering one of his best performances) in Alexander Payne’s sad, funny chronicle of a family under duress, “The Descendants,” She’ll make you cry. Promise.

Don’t Be Scared of the Cancer Comedy
The only problem with “50/50″ is that the shorthand on it is a tough sell for date night (i.e. the “cancer” comedy). But I’ve now seen this flick twice, and it’s a crowd-pleaser of the highest order. It was the only film I saw in Toronto that received a standing ovation. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick and Bryce Dallas Howard, it’s loosely inspired by screenwriter Will Reiser’s true cancer experience — like “The Descendants” it’s another brilliant and honest film that touches you in all the right ways.

And that’s just the tip of the TIFF iceberg, my friends. In the next few days, we’re rolling out interviews with the likes of Megan Fox, Leighton Meester, Clive Owen, Rachel Weisz, Emily Blunt and Gerard Butler — and yeah, more from those guys Gosling and Pitt.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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The Diplomats appear on “RapFix Live” in January

Photo: MTV News

It’s party time! “RapFix Live” is celebrating its one-year anniversary today at 4 p.m. on MTV.com with special guests Lloyd Banks, Trina, Maino and the Outlawz. That’s not all: Jim Jones, Juelz Santana and Freekey Zekey of the Diplomats will also grace the “RapFix Live” couch, as well as Consequence and Reek Da Villain.

Hosted by hip-hop aficionado and MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway, “RapFix Live” has earned its reputation as the ultimate destination for all things hip-hop — including exclusive interviews with Lil Wayne, Bad Meets Evil cohorts Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″, Dr. Dre, Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose, the Game, Diddy and Beanie Sigel, among others — and has served up more than 7.4 million streams since its first episode.

“The ‘RapFix’ couch has been home to some of my most memorable and incomparable interviews this past year — and all with fans experiencing it live and interacting with us in real time via MTV.com and Twitter,” Sway said of the show’s first year. “From Wiz announcing his move to Atlantic Records to Lil’ Kim discussing her ongoing feud with Nicki Minaj, Ja Rule preparing to go to prison and Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ giving us the exclusive to be on set with them, ‘RapFix’ has helped energize hip-hop fans everywhere, every week — and there’s only more to come.”

Aside from superstar guests and memorable moments, “RapFix Live” has become the premier destination for MCs to let off high-powered bars. In the week leading up to the special anniversary show, fans were able to vote on their favorite “RFL” moments and freestyles. The winners will be announced live on today’s show.

The show will also recap the biggest and most impactful cultural moments since the “RapFix” premiere. Pundits from XXL magazine, Rap Radar, AllHipHop.com and This Is 50 will join Sway and weigh in on the biggest stories of the year. Finally, five “Rap Fix Live” Get in the Game alums — Sean Rose, the Incomparable Shakespeare, Feev, Gerald Walker and the Boy Illinois — will all be in the studio for a freestyle cipher you don’t want to miss.

Be sure to join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive.

Catch Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Lloyd Banks, Maino, Trina, Consequence, the Outlawz and Reek Da Villain on the “RapFix Live” one-year anniversary show today at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com!

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Consequence, Baby Caiden and Sway Calloway

Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News

To err is human, but to forgive is divine. After Consequence appeared on “RapFix Live” back in May and dished on his severed relationship with Kanye West, the ex-G.O.O.D. Music MC returned on the one-year anniversary of the show to tell fans that he and ‘Ye have buried the hatchet.

It was a day of positive celebration. Maino, Lloyd Banks and Jim Jones all came on Wednesday to toast the year that was. The Outlawz stopped by as well and talked about their onetime mentor Tupac’s enduring legacy, 15 years after his death. The show’s most revealing moment, however, came when Consequence seized the opportunity to make an announcement.

“I got a couple updates,” Cons told Sway, as Banks sat on the red couch beside them. “Me and Kanye spoke.”

Back on May 4, Cons visited the “RFL” set, where he first told viewers he was no longer a part of G.O.O.D. Music and expressed his displeasure with West. While he had a long list of grievances, the fiery MC seemed most upset about the long-delayed release of his sophomore album, Cons TV. “At one point, Kanye wasn’t even doing any music after the Taylor Swift situation; it’s documented he went to Europe,” Cons said, alluding to ‘Ye’s 2009 MTV VMA outburst. “In the midst of all that, I was left hanging.”

But the Queens MC revealed he had a change of heart when after the birth of his son Caiden, his son’s mother played the infant “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” one of Cons and Kayne’s more popular collaborations. “It got to the point where I was just like, ‘Yo, I’m gonna hit son one time, and one time only, and see where we’re at with this,’ ” Consequence said of his decision to reach out to ‘Ye. “Is it gonna get all the way turnt up?” he recalled thinking.

As many fans know, West famously doesn’t have a phone and the best way to reach him is through email, so Cons fired away. “I hit him, and he hit me back with one of those all-caps tirades,” he said. “He was pissed and rightfully so. And I was pissed and that’s why things happened the way they happened. … He spoke his piece, I spoke my piece, and he told me he loved me. And the feud is over with Kanye.”

As for the exact details of the exchange, Cons wouldn’t elaborate much. “He can speak for [himself] but basically it was an analysis of 10 years and [Kanye asked], ‘How could you do this to me in the public?’ And he got hit right back with that: ‘How could you do this to me in the public?’

“When you spend 10 years working with somebody and basically y’all consider each other brothers, that’s a lot, that’s a lot of dirty laundry,” Cons continued. “That’s why it was easy for me to do some of the things that I did, just on the strength that.”

Although the two seem to be working out their issues, fans shouldn’t expect them to hit the studio together any time soon. “It doesn’t mean that I’m going back to G.O.O.D. Music; I got my own company,” he said of his newly formed Bandcamp Entertainment.

What do you think of Cons’ latest statements about Kanye? Tell us in the comments!

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Kelly Clarkson

Photo: Dr. Billy Ingram/ WireImage

Kelly Clarkson is inching her way toward her October 24 Stronger album release. The singer took to her official website to share with the world the songs that made the final cut.

Clarkson will release multiple versions of the album: standard, deluxe and a bonus EP. Thirteen songs made it to the standard edition of the album. They include her first single, “Mr. Know It All,” plus “What Doesn’t Kill You,” “Dark Side,” “Honestly,” “You Love Me,” “Einstein,” “Standing in Front of You,” “I Forgive You,” “Hello,” “The War Is Over,” “Let Me Down,” “You Can’t Win” and “Breaking Your Own Heart.”

The deluxe version of the album will include four additional tracks: “Don’t You Wanna Stay?” (her already-released duet with Jason Aldean), “Alone,” “Don’t Be a Girl About It” and “The Sun Will Rise.”

Those purchasing the bonus EP will get an additional six Smoakstack Session recordings: alternate versions of the album tracks “Hello,” “The War Is Over,” “You Love Me” and “The Sun Will Rise,” plus her renditions of “If I Can’t Have You” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

Clarkson dropped her first single from the album, “Mr. Know It All,” at the end of August. The track was written by Brett James (who has a country pedigree, having written for Carrie Underwood), Ester Dean (Beyoncé, Usher) and Dante Jones. Brian Kennedy (Chris Brown, Rihanna, Backstreet Boys) also co-wrote and produced the track.

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Rihanna

Photo: James Devaney/WireImage

She may still be wringing singles from her platinum-plus Loud album, but Rihanna is already prepping her sixth studio effort. And, from the sound of things, it’ll be finished soon.

RiRi took to her Twitter account early Thursday morning (September 15) to confirm that, yes, sessions for album number six are already under way. “I can’t wait to start filling u guys in on some details!” she exclaimed.

Rihanna punctuated that tweet with a “*Zips lips*,” meaning that, for now at least, she’s done talking about the project.

Talk of new music began on Wednesday, when the singer retweeted a post from production duo the Runners (Rihanna’s “California King Bed” and “Cheers”), who wrote, “Shout out to @alexdelicata for makin history with us. Wait till they hear this new @rihanna song.”

But in late July, producer Verse Simmonds — one half of the studio duo known as the Jugganauts, who produced Rihanna’s hit “Man Down” — talked to MTV News’ Mixtape Daily about the new album, saying that Ri was close to completing work on the disc.

“From what I understand, she’s closing the album up now, and we did two records for her that she really, really loved, and I’m really excited about them as well,” Simmonds said. “They are records that we wrote and produced as the Jugganauts.”

Simmonds said he was “99.999 percent” sure that his and production partner Sak Pase’s contributions would make the final cut, and while he wouldn’t elaborate on what Rihanna’s new album would sound like, he did hint that it’ll move in a direction quite different from “Man Down.”

“Because we … as producers, as artists, we try to always come with something different, a whole new sound,” he explained.

Of course, finishing up her album isn’t the only thing on Rihanna’s plate these days. During Wednesday night’s “The X Factor” launch party in Los Angeles, Simon Cowell confirmed to KIIS FM that she would also serve as a guest judge on the show, saying, “You’re going to see her.”

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