Britney Spears, In 10 Minutes, Backstage At The VMAs

Meeting the princess of pop, behind the scenes at the biggest awards show of the year, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery


Britney Spears
Photo: Getty Images

I'm not sure how many times this has happened to you, but when you're in the middle of recording voice-overs during the Video Music Awards and all of a sudden you get an email from the assistant of your bosses' boss telling you that you have to interview Britney Spears in her dressing room in 10 minutes -- man, that's weird.

Because it's Britney Spears. One of the hugest pop stars on the planet, constant target of the tabloids, decided enigma. She's not exactly forthcoming with the press (for reasons that are certainly understandable) and not particularly interested in sitting down for a chat -- especially when said chat is supposed to take place in her dressing room, surrounded by her team of publicists, makeup artists and friends. Needless to say, the odds of the whole thing going down in a ball of flames are pretty high.

And yet, there I was on Sunday night, winding my way through the backstage corridors of the Nokia Theatre, the VMAs literally happening all around me, on my way to meet Britney. Armed only with an email (and a rather paltry level of security clearance), I talked my way past the stone-faced security guards -- who, it should be noted, didn't seem to believe that I was about to interview Britney Spears either -- found my way to her dressing-room door and awaited further instructions. As I stood there, my mind raced: What, exactly, was I going to ask her, anyway? And, perhaps more importantly, what is she really like?

After a few minutes, the door swung open, one of her publicists poked his head out and told me, quite matter-of-factly, "Britney's ready." I entered the tiny dressing room, scanned the faces lining the walls (publicist one, publicist two, manager Larry Rudolph, makeup artist, sister Jamie Lynn) and suddenly came face to face with Britney herself, eyes wide and sparkling, head cocked slightly, big smile on her face. I noticed the tiny pair of red dice she has tattooed on her left wrist, the hem of her black dress, the way she crossed her ankles. And then, I noticed she was looking right at me.

"Hi, I'm Britney," she said.

No kidding.

I am happy to report that Britney Spears is a very nice person; she is funny and carries herself with a relaxed grace that belies her superstardom. We spoke about her VMA tribute -- during which she spent much of the time praising others -- and how, even after winning a boatload of awards, she's still blown away each and every time her name is called. Shoot, we even laughed about Lady Gaga's alter ego, Jo Calderone ("She's definitely in character," Brit laughed). In fact, the thing that struck me the most about her was her quick wit: She cracks jokes like they're going out of style.

And while I guess you could say that I learned an awful lot about Britney on Sunday night, the biggest lesson was probably this: Basically everything you think you know about her is wrong. It's sort of a shame she doesn't do more interviews, because, really, I think most folks would leave feeling the same way I do. Then again, I can understand why she doesn't. It's sort of an uphill battle at this point.

Regardless, interviewing her was definitely a highlight, and not just because she's press-shy. It most certainly ranks as my greatest VMA moment, even ahead of the pre-show I hosted live Sunday night. So the next time you get a panicked email and an invite to sit down with Britney, I highly recommend you respond immediately. It will definitely be worth your time.

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards have wrapped, but the real action is just getting started! Stick with MTV News for winners, fashion pics, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything that went down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1669958/britney-spears-vmas.jhtml

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Adam Sandler Is No 'Centerfold' In 'Jack And Jill' Drag

Director Dennis Dugan dishes on Sandler playing both title roles and the comic 'gusto' of Al Pacino in our Fall Movie Preview.
By Kara Warner


Adam Sandler in "Jack and Jill"
Photo: Columbia Pictures

Adam Sandler and director Dennis Dugan have a long history together that includes teaming up on money-making screwball comedies like "Happy Gilmore," "Big Daddy" and "You Don't Mess With the Zohan." Their big-screen antics continue this fall with the November release of "Jack and Jill," a family comedy that has Sandler playing the role of Jack — and that of his sister Jill — alongside Katie Holmes and Al Pacino, who plays himself.

If that sounds like a recipe for ridiculousness, check out what Dugan had to say recently about the hilarity that ensued during production, including what Sandler is like in drag and just how funny Pacino really is.

MTV: How is Adam as a woman?

Dennis Dugan: Wonderful. He plays this absolutely [straight]; [Jill is] essentially his identical twin sister, so not a centerfold, if I can be diplomatic.

MTV: Does she think she's a centerfold?

Dugan: She's this Bronx spinster, all that that entails in a single, 40-ish woman from the Bronx. She's a really powerful personality that could be translated as a pain in the ass, depending on who you are, but has a really, really, really nice heart. She just doesn't understand how annoying she is.

MTV: What kind of Adam Sandler movie is this? How does it compare to your other offerings?

Dugan: It's very funny. It's got a lot of heart. It's PG and it's a Thanksgiving/Christmas type of movie and, so far, in tests it appeals all the way across the board. And so if you were saying it was different from a normal Adam Sandler movie, it has a wide appeal to both — to women and boys too. So it plays out pretty equally among all the quadrants, where usually [our movies] are a tiny bit more focused on younger males.

MTV: How was working with Al Pacino?

Dugan: It was just absolutely wonderful when he said yes. We were delighted and then we were scared. He's an artist, he wants to be as great as he can possibly be and he doesn't care what project it is. I saw him on Broadway in "Merchant of Venice" and he has the exact commitment to playing the part of Al Pacino in the movie as he did Shylock.

MTV: Would you say that Pacino or Katie Holmes is the more pleasant surprise in the film?

Dugan: I wouldn't say one or the other was more pleasant but it was just delightful. [Katie] is just the nicest human being and the most flexible in terms of working. She had a lot to do with most characters; Pacino had a little less to do in terms of split screens and all of the effects and green screens and all of that stuff. But Katie just has that smile on her face and it's genuine. And then Al, like I said, we were kind of scared because we didn't know what his process was but he just dives in, completely commits to everything. Every crazy thing we threw at him, he did, and did it with gusto, and that was nice because he's delightful and happy and brave and I couldn't have had a better time.

From "Abduction" to "Muppets, "Moneyball" to "Breaking Dawn," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.

Check out everything we've got on "Jack and Jill."

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/1670455/adam-sandler-drag-jack-jill.jhtml

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Usher To Donate Gadhafi Money To Charity

'I will be donating all of my personal proceeds...to various human rights organizations,' singer says of concert linked to Libyan dictator.
By Shawn Adler


Usher (file)
Photo: Getty Images

R&B superstar Usher announced Friday (March 4) that he was donating to various charities proceeds from appearing at a private event at St. Barts linked to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, according to a statement made to the Associated Press.

The Grammy award winner's renouncement comes after similar announcements from singers Mariah Carey, Nelly Furtado, and Beyoncé, all of whom were revealed to have performed at private concerts linked to the Middle Eastern leader, who has faced open revolt and major political uprisings since February.

"I am sincerely troubled to learn about the circumstances surrounding the Nikki Beach St. Bart's event that took place on New Year's Eve 2009," Usher said of the concert, at which he appeared alongside Beyoncé but did not perform. "I will be donating all of my personal proceeds from that event to various human rights organizations."

Usher has already begun the process, having made a donation to Amnesty International, the AP reports. The exact size of the donation is not known.

The New Year's Eve gig was reportedly for Moammar's fourth son Muastassim, who an unnamed music industry source told MTV News has a history of throwing lavish parties "jammed" with supermodels.

Beyoncé, who sang at the event, donated all proceeds from her performance to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, established in the wake of the Haitian earthquake.

"All monies paid to Beyoncé for her performance at a private party at Nikki Beach St. Barts on New Year's Eve 2009, including the commissions paid to her booking agency, were donated to the earthquake relief efforts for Haiti over a year ago," the "Halo" singer's publicist said in a statement to The Huffington Post. "Once it became known that the third-party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause."

Singer Nelly Furtado tweeted February 28 that she plans to make similar amends.

"In 2007, I received 1million$ from the Gadhafi clan to perform a 45 min. show for guests at a hotel in Italy," she tweeted. "I am going to donate the $."

The leader of Libya since a successful military coup in 1969, Gadhafi has reportedly lost control of much of his country as a result of widespread uprisings. The United Nations voted unanimously to refer the dictator to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

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