For video, premiering Sunday on MTV Jams, ‘We got nothin’ but megastars,’ Khaled tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

DJ Khaled, Rick Ross and Drake in the video for “Take It To The Head”

Photo: MTV News

Blockbuster songs deserve blockbuster video treatments, and DJ Khaled made sure his new single, “Take It to the Head,” had a big visual to match. When your track features Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross, there isn’t much choice.

“I told [director] Colin [Tilley] when I called him, ‘We gotta video, we gotta do the best video, we gotta win awards, and you gotta really take it there because we got nothin’ but megastars on one record,” DJ Khaled told MTV News’ Sway Calloway from the Universal Studios set where he shot the video at the end of April.

Last summer, Khaled hosted “I’m on One,” an inescapable rap jam that partnered Lil Wayne, Drake and Rick Ross for the first time. It seemed that the #1 Billboard rap single would be hard to top, but with Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown on “Take it to the Head,” the Cash Money DJ is making a serious run for hip-hop’s 2012 summer anthem. The stakes are high, and the video, which premieres Sunday on MTV Jams, is equally as huge.

The video set is reminiscent of the 1974 disaster film “Earthquake,” where most of Los Angeles is destroyed by a quake that registers 9.9 on the Richter scale. “Colin Tilley is an amazing director, so he had this amazing idea where he wanted fire behind us, trains broken, ground shaking,” Khaled described. “We’re giving you new stuff.”

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‘He was definitely the best,’ one fan says of the soulful third-place finisher.
By Gil Kaufman

Joshua Ledet

Photo: FOX

It happens every year. By the time you drill down to the top three on “American Idol,” tears are shed and teeth are gnashed when host Ryan Seacrest announces the third-place finisher.

After coming so far, climbing so high and landing within one episode of the show’s finale, whatever beloved singer makes it to the precipice of potential fame is sent to the sidelines to watch the final showdown and his/her fans are left dejected.

That’s the general mood of Joshua Ledet’s followers after the soul-stirring 20-year-old Westlake, Louisiana throwback singer was sent packing on Thursday night’s elimination show
, paving the way for pocket diva Jessica Sanchez and (be)low key pawn shop worker Phillip Phillips to battle it out next week.

“They sabotaged Joshua and Jessica,” raged reader Rienell John Llevado in a comment on an MTV News story in which Ledet called his elimination
 a “relief.”

“Jessica got lucky she has the support she needed to go on. They will do the same thing again this Tuesday. They are giving their golden boy the best to bring him on top. After all, isn’t ‘American Idol’ loves white guys with guitar only? Don’t worry Josh, you’re right when you said you could still have a successful career even if you don’t win ‘Idol.’”

Another reader, Keish, claimed that the voting was rigged because after always getting a message that their vote was counted before, there was no such message Thursday night. “I voted so many times & still got nothing! Josh you are the winner!!!”

Khan lamented that Ledet — who was touted by the judges as one of the best singers
 to ever grace the “Idol” stage — should not have been eliminated, because, “someone with that kind of voice should never be voted off a singing competition.” A number agreed and added that Joshua is probably better in the long run because his singing style has a timeless quality and, besides, the recent track record
 of WGWG (white guys with guitars) has been pretty dismal anyway.

“American did not vote based on the talent,” opined Lamran2010. “How come Joshua was voted off … it is not fair.” Interestingly, given the shrieks of joy Phillips often elicits on the show, a number of the comments derided his meat-and-potatoes singing style and predicted that voters would turn out in force for Sanchez next week.

“Wow , how can America get it so hopelessly wrong year after year” wondered Muzz W. “Go Jessica, Phil Phillips should have gone weeks ago.” Then again, Koo was not having it, bidding “good riddents [sic] Joshua” and proclaiming the singer a “drama mama.”

Amid the sometimes nasty back-and-forth, writer Barry made a plea for peace, saying, “All three have sooo much talent!!! America has voted and unfortunately Joshua goes home. But don’t take anything away from Jessica and Phil now!! The finale is all about the songs they sing and how they sing them. It’s also about stage presence!!” His pick: Sanchez.

As many eagle-eyed “Idol” watchers are aware, it’s not always the winners who end up winning, which is why LaNell was just fine with Ledet going home early. “Joshua became a winner the moment he stepped on the stage,” she wrote. “He got the exposure he needed to get his career started … he will go far because of his talent,” adding that she figured a younger generation might not totally get his “good ole Motown sound.”

Do you think Joshua Ledet deserved a spot in the “American Idol” finale? Leave your comment below!

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My Chemical Romance, Bon Jovi, All-American Rejects are also on lineup at three-day fest in Asbury Park, New Jersey, this weekend.
By Rob Markman

Mac Miller

Photo: FilmMagic

The Bamboozle is back, and music fans are gearing up to hit Asbury Park on the world-famous Jersey Shore to see their favorite acts take the stage during the three-day-long festival.

It all kicks off Friday (May 18) evening, when , Incubus, Mike Posner and Kreayshawn all rock the crowd on a night headlined by electro party-starter Skrillex.

Expect Mac to perform choice cuts from his recently released Macadelic mixtape and for Skrillex to spin dance joints from his Grammy-winning discography.

On Saturday (May 19), Pauly D returns to the Jersey Shore that made him famous to DJ for the crowd. Too bad Deadmau5 isn’t scheduled to appear — the two are currently involved in a back-and-forth beef over Twitter. The Foo Fighters and My Chemical Romance will surely rock the house, and the All-American Rejects will also rip through tracks off their newly released Kids in the Street LP. The great part about Bamboozle is that it brings dozen of acts from multiple musical genres, so if rock isn’t your thing, you can check out rap rookies A$AP Rocky, Iggy Azalea, Action Bronson and Mr. MFN Exquire as they continue to get their first tastes of festival life.

Sunday (May 20) promises to be the homecoming of all homecomings as Jersey boys Bon Jovi headline the evening. Soulja Boy’s buddy Riff Raff, who recently signed a deal with Diplo, is set to entertain the crowd with his off-the-cuff cuts like “Larry Bird” and “Time.”

T. Mills is also scheduled to kick-start his stage show with his new single “Vans On,” and funnyman Andrew Dice Clay will bring a bit of comedy and controversy to the stage. For tickets and additional information, head to the Bamboozle website.

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R&B superstar serenades a lively crowd with tracks from his upcoming album Looking 4 Myself.
By Miranda Johnson

Usher performs on “Today”

Photo: Brad Barket/ Getty Images

Usher kicked off the “Today” show’s summer concert series Friday morning (May 18) in front of a lively crowd. Fans filled midtown Manhattan’s Rockefeller Plaza to watch the ATL singer serenade them with singles off of his upcoming album Looking 4 Myself.

Even though Usher performed bright and early, there was no shortage of energy as the singer rocked the crowd with his new hits “OMG,” “Without U” and new hits “Climax” and “Scream.” The audience stayed on their feet as Usher soulfully connected to fans (especially when he removed his jacket).

On Wednesday’s “American Idol” winner and runner-up.

The concerts will occur every Friday morning for the remainder of the summer. The next performer scheduled to grace the NBC stage is Latin megastar Pitbull on May 25.

Did you catch Usher’s “Today” show performance? What did you think? Leave your comment below!

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Mini-movie is inspired by the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album of the same name.
By Gil Kaufman

Kanye West

Photo: Getty Images

Kanye West doesn’t know how to do small, so whenever the rapper unveils a new project it’s almost always on the biggest platform possible. That explains why his new “short art film,” “Cruel Summer,” will debut on the fabulous Palm Beach in Cannes, France during the Cannes Film Festival.

The hush-hush movie, inspired by the upcoming all-star G.O.O.D. Music album
 of the same name, will world premiere on May 23 and remain open to the public for two days afterward. It is being screened out of competition in Cannes amid the world-famous film fest.

And, this being Kanye, the project is described as, “a fusion of short film and art installation … an immersive ’7 screen experience’ for the eyes and ears unlike anything West has attempted before.” Among those listed as starring in the film are comedian Aziz Ansari, Kid Cudi, Lebanese actress Razane Jammal (“Djinn”) and Palestinian actor Ali Suliman (“The Kingdom”). Yeezy is listed as the producer, writer and director of the effort, based on a screenplay by Elon Rutberg, who was the associate director of the Throne’s “N—-s in Paris” video. The co-director is Alexandre Moors, who worked with West on “Runaway” as well as the “Paris” clip.

Kanye and Cudi were spotted filming scenes for the movie
 earlier this year in the middle eastern nation of Qatar, but little or no information has emerged about the subject matter or plot of the project. Expectations are high given the over-the-top look and feel of ‘Ye’s last mini-flick, 2010′s “Runaway.” Click here for ticket information for the screenings.

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Actors will play younger and older version of Russian doctor in four-part dramedy ‘A Young Doctor’s Notebook.’
By Fallon Prinzivalli

Daniel Radcliffe

Photo: Getty Images

What do Don Draper and Harry Potter have in common? They’re both about to become doctors.

The Internet was buzzing earlier this month when rumors popped up that actors Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe were set to play the older and younger version of a Russian doctor in a four-part British miniseries set during the end of World War I. On Friday (May 18), Sky Arts, the network set to air the series in 2013, confirmed that we’ll indeed get to see Dr. HammRad in action. “A Young Doctor’s Notebook” is a dramedy based on a short-story collection by Mikhail Bulgakov, a Russian writer and playwright.

“I have been an obsessive Bulgakov reader for a couple of years now,”
Radcliffe said in a statement about the television program. “So when the opportunity to become involved in this project came up, I could barely contain my excitement. The book is funny, grotesque and heartfelt in equal measure and I look forward to working with a great group of people to help bring it to life.”

Hamm agreed with his new co-star’s enthusiasm, saying, “I am thrilled to get the opportunity to work on such rich source material with such fantastically talented people whose work I greatly respect.”

The actors will play the same character in different time periods, occasionally interacting with each other. The original rumors were reported by The Sun, which said the show “will incorporate dark humour as the doctor attempts to overcome self-doubts about his competence.”

When MTV News spoke to Radcliffe last summer, he explained he’s attracted to darker tales because he finds them much more interesting.

“I don’t want to make a boring love story about two people who meet and then are happy. That’s boring, and that doesn’t exist,” Radcliffe said. “I also do like playing slightly disenfranchised characters like Arthur is in ‘The Woman in Black.’ He’s someone who’s grieving and whose grief has put him to the edge of madness and also has sort of made him ostracize himself from society. I guess I like the dark stuff. I find it more interesting.”

Hamm said producer Clelia Mountford and production company Big Talk have been “unabashedly” advocating for the series. “I share their great enthusiasm for bringing something original, dark, funny and moving to light,” the actor said. “Also, I have been watching ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ on infinite loop, and I think I’ve finally got this accent thing sorted…”

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

Stars share the strangest pregnancy facts they learned during filming.
By Kara Warner

Anna Kendrick and Chace Crawford in “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”

Photo: Melissa Moseley/ Lionsgate

As if the film’s title weren’t explanation enough, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is all about what couples experience during pregnancy, based on the best-selling nonfiction book of the same name.

Because the subject is a complex, loaded and almost universal one, when MTV News sat down with the castmembers from the film, we asked them to enlighten us with the most unique facts they learned about pregnancy during production.

“I think the weirdest thing I’ve seen — I’ve actually seen it — is a woman getting on her hands and knees giving birth,” Matthew Morrison said. “It’s interesting, because you think about a woman [lying on her back] and pushing, but honestly, if you let gravity do the work, it makes it a little easier.”

“The squat position, there is a purpose for it — not just to lift the butt and tone the quads,” added Diaz, who plays Morrison’s girlfriend and baby mama in the movie. “But to open the hips and pelvis and let gravity do the work. The only reason a woman is on her back in our culture is so the doctor can see what’s going on. I say get a platform, squat over it, let the doctor be underneath it.”

“If you want the baby to come right now, eat spicy food,” Ben Falcone (“Bridesmaids”) said of one tip he’d heard mentioned that might speed up delivery.

“Have sex,” said his onscreen wife, Elizabeth Banks.

“Sprint,” Falcone joked. “Sprint uphill.”

“A lot of running is encouraged,” Banks continued with a smile. “Slam doors. Get surprised. Surprise her, scare her.”

Chace Crawford and Anna Kendrick provided the most to-the-point advice, but because their characters have to deal with an unplanned pregnancy, their words of wisdom were how not to get pregnant in the first place.

“Wrap it up. That’s what we learned on this shoot,” Crawford said of practicing safe sex with the use of condoms. “Right?” he asked Kendrick, who collapsed into a brief fit of giggles. “Never mind.”

“Sorry. You completely lost me,” Kendrick laughed, before regaining composure. “Yeah, wrap it up to avoid pregnancy. And stay away from Chace Crawford; he’s irresistible.”

Check out everything we’ve got on “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”

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

‘Night of My Life’ video ‘typical bottlepopping playpressing garbage im sure everyones sick of,’ deadmau5 tweets.
By Jocelyn Vena

Pauly D

Photo: WireImage

After putting to bed his feud with Madonna, it seems EDM star deadmau5 is embroiled in a new Twitter beef, this time with MTV’s own DJ Pauly D.

It all began when Pauly posted a link to his new music video for the track “Night of My Life.” He asked his fans, followers and Twitter in general, “So how do you like the video?” Mau5 apparently checked it out and didn’t like what he saw.

“Well since you asked,” deadmau5 tweeted, “I didn’t really enjoy it. it looked like it cost about $150 to make, and nothing really creative about it.”

@DJPaulyD well since you asked, i didn’t really enjoy it. it looked like it cost about $150 to make, and nothing really creative about it.

— deadmau5 (@deadmau5) May 17, 2012

For those wondering what made Mau5 so mad, the video’s concept is pretty simple and by all standards, pretty innocuous. It plays out almost like a mini-episode of Pauly’s MTV show, “The Pauly D Project,” following him from gig to gig, confetti and champagne flying everywhere. It also features some behind-the-scenes moments, including the “Jersey Shore” star hanging with his pals and meeting fans.

Pauly didn’t let the jab go, but did offer up a little quip to answer his fellow DJ’s dig. He tweeted, “T-Shirt $40 Jeans $120 Hair Gel $12 Being Hated On By deadmau5#Priceless.”

Like any good feud, it didn’t end there. Dead’s response? “hating? the f—? you clearly don’t know me enough if you thought that was ‘hating’. was just some friendly-ish advice.”

Things continued to escalate on Dead’s side, with him tweeting responses including, “i’ll just leave it at: ‘Don’t blame your failure on haters. If everyone thinks you suck, they’re not haters, they’re right.’ – Daniel Tosh,” and in response to a fan, he added, “nah, i just thought it was a piece of sh–, in short. typical bottlepopping playpressing garbage im sure everyones sick of.”

“Well, now that Jersey (and quite possibly the rest of the eastern seaboard) ‘came at me bro’ i guess its time for bed soon,” Deadmau5 added before asking where Snooki is and then resigning, “im kidding. that was a joke. sorry.”

With Deadmau5 seemingly over the whole thing, Pauly pondered, “Wonder If I Could Get @Deadmau5 To DJ My Birthday ?? Now That Would Be The #NightOfMyLife.”

As the whole beef came to an end, Pauly had a few final words before ending the battle on his end. “Maybe He Just Needs Some Cheese To Go With His Whine … #WheresMyMau5Trap,” he said, then tweeted, “Well @DeadMau5 Today Was A Pleasure , Hope U Had Fun Too , But I Got Show To Watch Tonight #PaulyDProject U Should Tune In@MTV.”

Sound off on the Twitter feud in the comments below!

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Admiral General Aladeen also confesses to the murders of Tupac and Biggie Smalls during MTV News interview.
By Fallon Prinzivalli, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Sacha Baron Cohen as the Dictator at 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Photo: Getty Images

“Welcome! Death to the West!” That is how the Dictator greeted MTV News’ Josh Horowitz when he sat down with him for an interview.

latest infamous character is Admiral General Aladeen, a dictator who oppresses his people and dislikes democracy. In “The Dictator,” he’s mistaken for a refugee and taken under the wing of Zoey, played by Anna Faris. Aladeen’s misadventures in America lead to an array of hilarious culture clashes. Thus, the interview was nothing less than we’d expect — offensive, outrageous and, yes, very, very funny.

After inquiring about Horowitz’s knowledge of the rapper Tupac Shakur, the Dictator reveals it was him who killed the MC. “He came to play at my birthday party and all the time he get on the microphone, and you know what he tell me?” Aladeen questioned. “You know what he tell me? He said, ‘Put your hands’ — he ordered me! — he ordered me to put my hands in the air and wave them like I just don’t care. Why would I, Dictator, wave my hands like I don’t care? I wave my hands like I do care, like this. I don’t do it like I don’t care. How dare he come to my palace and my birthday and tell me how to wave my hands like I don’t care? I care about the hands!”

Apparently someone forgot to inform the tyrant that it’s a figure of speech here in America.

“To put your hands in the air like you don’t care?” he continued. “You think Hitler put his hands in the air like he don’t care? It was a very careful gesture that he did. I won’t do it here. And this Biggie Smalls, he then performed the next night for my weekend of birthday. That fat bastard ate all of the buffet. It cost over 120 Euros per head.”

When our correspondent noted that his phrase is not respectful to the dead, the admiral general replied, “It’s not respectful to the people who wanted to eat the buffet.”

Note to self: Eat before heading to Aladeen’s palace. Although, it’s possible not much eating will take place on a trip to his home. Shortly after assuring Horowitz he has nothing to worry about and sliding a gun on the table between them, he talked of his latest tryst with reality-TV star Kim Kardashian.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of [stars in America] that come to the palace and negotiate with the pimps,” he said. “Kim Kardashian, she came two weeks ago. I negotiated with her pimp, who is also her mother. Three-hundred-thousand dollars for one hour — not bad. Good rate.”

But Kardashian isn’t the only American entertainer the Dictator is fond of. He happens to enjoy Snooki and has a list of movies he’s enjoyed — one of which is definitely in the wrong category.

“I am a huge supporter of your Snooki,” he said. “I find him a very funny, little, orange man. And we have many of your sci-fi and fantasy films like ‘Transformers’ or ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Schindler’s List.’ ”

Check out everything we’ve got on “The Dictator.”

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

‘I responded to him and I told him, ‘Let’s work,’ ‘ Fif tells MTV News of a Twitter collabo request from Wiz.
By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Ade Mangum

50 Cent

Photo: MTV News

50 Cent was admitted to the hospital earlier this week when he began to suffer from severe stomach pains, but by the time he was released Thursday, the G-Unit CEO had already put plans into motion for a new collaboration with Wiz Khalifa.

MTV News caught up with Fif at his G-Unit offices in NYC after his release, and he explained that a tweet from Wiz gave birth to the collaboration. The tweet in question: “I Gotta Song I Wanna Put @50Cent On.”

“While I was sitting in the hospital, I saw Wiz Khalifa send a tweet out saying he got something, and he felt like it would be cool if I was actually on a record with him,” 50 said. “So I responded to him and I told him, ‘Let’s work.’ I’m feeling good, I was feeling better by the time that tweet went through, so I said, ‘Send it,’ and I’ll speak to him a little later on.

“Stay tuned to hear what happens next because it’s gonna go down,” he added, confirming that the collaboration is for real. Fif’s guest verse is likely to pop up on the Taylor Gang MC’s upcoming LP O.N.I.F.C., which is set to debut August 28. It would mark their first collaboration together. Thus far, Wiz has revealed that features on his Rolling Papers follow-up will include Pharrell, Cam’ron, Curren$y and the Weeknd.

50 Cent has made a full recovery since his release from the hospital, and next Tuesday, he will drop The Lost Tape, hosted by DJ Drama.

During his stay in the hospital, the Queens mogul received a phone call from longtime friend and collaborator Eminem, who had a few firm words for him. “He goes, ‘Yo, Fif, you were shot nine times, man, if you die over a burger, this sh– ain’t gonna go right,’ ” 50 told MTV News just hours after his release. ” ‘People ain’t gonna be feelin’ this.’ ”

Stay tuned to MTV News’ Mixtape Daily for more on 50 Cent and DJ Drama’s The Lost Tape.

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