Melissa revealed that she still has some clothing from when she was in college, while Joan went a far more macabre direction. "I just keep pieces of my plastic surgery," she said. "They cut it off, you think, I like that."

Later, Joan reiterated her stance on plastic surgery. "If somebody feels better, I think plastic surgery's great," she said. "I like having a tight face that's pulled, 'cause every time I swallow I have an orgasm."

When the conversation shifted to grandkids, Joan admitted she was crazy. But another topic means another Joan Rivers joke. "I'm getting worried 'cause he's adorable, he's polite, he loves his mother, he's quiet," she said. "And those are the signs of a serial killer."

"Anderson" is syndicated weekdays. Check local listings for channel and time.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Like Sophie, Coolidge's cleaning lady was a Polish woman who's glamour and style seemed a sharp contrast to her profession. She had diamonds and always had her hair done and make-up on. The crazy thing is to think that Coolidge hadn't said anything about this character to "Girls" co-creator Michael Patrick King. He came up with the idea of her as a Polish cleaning lady based on a different role she'd done.

"I love that somehow I get channel her," she said. "She just made vacuuming look so good."

This week's installment of "2 Broke Girls" saw Sophie hire the girls for a trial run with her cleaning company. She also learned that while Caroline isn't the typical working class gal, she definitely has a valuable skill set she brings to the table. The episode also showed how tight the girls have gotten as friends and partners, despite their fight over the hot almost-dead model.

Jennifer Coolidge has a recurring role on "2 Broke Girls," Mondays at 8:30 pm. EST on CBS. "The Talk" is syndicated daily on CBS affiliates. Check local listings for times.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Brown admitted to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna at a pre-Grammy party in 2009 and is serving five years of probation for the felony attack. A source told The Associated Press on Monday that Brown will hit the stage at Sunday's show. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because Brown's performance has not been officially announced.

After the attack, Brown's reputation plummeted, but he has since bounced back, releasing multiple mixtapes and the multi-hit album, "F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies)." The CD is nominated for three Grammys, including best R&B album.

Rihanna also will perform at the show. She's nominated for four awards, including the top prize – album of the year – for her platinum effort "Loud."

Brown and Rihanna were supposed to perform at the 2009 Grammys, but that changed after Brown attacked the pop singer in the early morning hours before the awards show. Since then, Brown has not attended the Grammys, although he was nominated for three awards last year.

A judge eased a restraining order last February after an attorney for Rihanna said she didn't object to removing the stay-away provisions. The former order required Brown to stay 50 yards away from 23-year-old Rihanna, but the restriction was reduced to 10 yards if they were at a music industry event.

Brown, 22, has been nominated for Grammys in five of the last six years, though he has never picked up the top prize in music. His song "Look at Me Now," which features Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, is nominated for best rap song and best rap performance.

Rihanna is the owner of four Grammys, three with Jay-Z. She alone won a Grammy last year for her No. 1 smash, "Only Girl (In the World)" for best dance recording. In addition to album of the year, her fifth CD "Loud" is up for best pop vocal album. Rihanna is also nominated twice for best rap/sung collaboration for another No.1 jam – the Drake-assisted "What's My Name?" – and for her guest appearance on Kanye West's "All of the Lights."

The Grammys will air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

____

Online:

http://www.grammys.com

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Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/musicmesfin

I got a little bit of scoop when I interviewed the cast, but it's not an easy show to pitch (as you'll see with star Bruce Greenwood's Ouija board analogy). This teaser-filled new video from ABC, shot on the show's set in Hawaii, might help you decide if the show is worth watching or not.

Check out the video below to get more backstory, more freaky footage and the cast and producers shedding a little more light on their suspenseful journey in the Amazon, then tell us: Will you watch "The River"?

At the Sundance Film Festival this month, the most anticipated documentary was Ethel, about Ethel Kennedy, the matriarch of the Robert Kennedy clan, directed by her daughter, Rory Kennedy. It joins a growing list of personal passion projects made by filmmakers recently: Decoding Deepak, which has just been announced for the South by Southwest Festival, sees director Gotham Chopra examining his famous father; The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, by Carl Colby about his father, former CIA chief William Colby; Sing Your Song, co-produced by Gina Belafonte about the life of her father, Harry Belafonte, on and off the stage; Mr. Conservative, which is granddaughter CC's take on Barry Goldwater; My Architect, son Nathaniel's compelling story of his father, Louis Kahn; 51 Birch Street, by Doug Block, which plays like an onion peeling before your eyes as he discovers deeper and deeper family secrets; and Disturbing the Universe, about left-wing attorney William Kunstler, chronicled by daughters Emily and Sarah.

To some, these may feel like the ultimate in narcissism. On the other hand, virtually all the great works of theater, in my opinion, are autobiographical. And the bestseller lists are filled with memoirs. Still, the documentarians acknowledge that they walk some very fine lines: how to make their own personal families compelling to a wide range of viewers, and how to tell the stories of loved ones, warts and all.

Sascha Rice spent the last four years working on California State of Mind, a documentary about her grandfather, the ebullient former Governor Pat Brown. While the film was a way to connect to her grandfather, she knew that "as a filmmaker and artist, I needed to tell a story, to find the conflict," she told me. "That meant if there were skeletons, I needed to expose them." While she had a strong relationship with the man whose career ended when he lost to "newcomer" Ronald Reagan -- "he always made me feel like I mattered" -- she admits that the decision to tell his story may have been motivated by guilt. "I guess I sort of felt I let him down," she says, "because I didn't go into the business of politics. So this was a way to do my part in keeping his legacy alive."

For these filmmakers, their cinematic journeys are almost always filled with illuminations. "I learned that he was in Palm Springs with Frank Sinatra one weekend to dodge the farm workers boycott," Ms. Rice laughs. CC Goldwater says creating Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater was like digging through a maze:

I thought I knew him pretty well, but in the discovery, I was amazed at all he had accomplished. He was a profound politician but also a master photographer, an experienced aviator, and an honest man with true convictions. Ultimately, it gave me the opportunity to see an icon through the eyes of others while having the personal roots to pull from.

51 Birch Street started out as a friendly handheld story of Mr. Block's parents' long marriage, more along the lines of the family video to pass on to the following generations. But then his mother died, a long term affair was uncovered, and there were revelatory diaries and letters left behind. "That is when I realized I was meant to make the film," says Mr. Block, who warned his father that he might be seen as "the bad guy early on, but that he would ultimately be seen as far more complicated. When it came out, he was suddenly treated like a little rock star." A film like his was a true challenge in that it deals with the unfamous. Here, the secret ingredient is resonance. "Truly, I had no idea why anyone would care," says Mr. Block. "But boy, did it resonate," he told me.

As for those younger relatives chronicling famed family members, the trick is to give us something we don't already know while still making the subject relatable. You may have thought you knew Harry Belafonte from his Day-O days, but "Sing Your Song" -- which should be required viewing for every history class -- gives us a far more complex portrait. Gina Belafonte says the project really began as her own exploration of the civil rights movement.

"As an activist myself, I felt my generation was not coordinated and I wanted answers -- being the recipient of all that hard work," she says. Like Ms. Rice, she wanted to be sure the legacy was appreciated. "I worried that my soon to be 7-year-old child would never know the depth of his grandfather's contribution." While some feel the film may be too reverential, the viewer is left appreciating how Gina and her siblings often felt slighted by their father's constant absences. Parental neglect is a recurring theme of the personal docs.

While screen storytelling may be the new shrink, movie memoirists beware: this is not for the faint of heart. Selling documentaries (unless you are Michael Moore) is never a cakewalk, and convincing investors that you are going to tell an honest and revealing (not to mention commercial) tale about a family member may be even tougher. "I had countless pitch meetings," says Ms. Goldwater. "It seemed if there were no sex, drugs, or scandal, there would be no interest. I began to think I was nuts," she confided to me. (HBO finally partnered with her.)

While the documentarians don't exactly buy into the camera-as-couch theory, they don't deny the guilt-reducing and cathartic personal results. "So much has happened in the making of our film," says Ms. Belafonte of the process. "My dad and I got through many struggles on the project together, and we are now very very close." Still, as summed up by Doug Block, "Obviously, I am trying to get through some issues. But believe me, therapy is cheaper."

Nevertheless, Vanderpump speculated that the dynamic on display at the reunion may have emerged because she was "out of the loop," busy planning her daughter's wedding and opening a new restaurant, while the other ladies were getting on the same page. When Steve Edwards joked that the other Housewives had "ganged up and planned" a bad day for Vanderpump, she not only agreed, but also elaborated on the conspiracy theory. "Adrienne did say to Brandi, 'Oh, let's meet the night before,' and Brandi declined. I know that for a fact," she claimed.

But facts can be fuzzy in the world of the "Housewives." Dorothy Lucey asked Vanderpump about an argument she had with Adrienne Maloof during the reunion in which Maloof claimed that Vanderpump was selling gossip stories to Radar Online. Radar has since denied ever paying Vanderpump for "Housewives" scoops.

Naturally, this led to a discussion of Maloof and Vanderpump's dueling shoe-lines, which has been dubbed "The Vander Pump" vs. "The Maloof Hoof." Vanderpump swore it was joke when she nicknamed Adrienne's shoe "The Maloof Hoof." "It wasn't meant in a mean-spirited way," Vanderpump insisted, just as she did in Part 1, right before she called it "a fat little shoe."

Part 2 of the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Reunion" airs Monday at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Bon Iver is nominated for four of the awards, but Vernon doesn't seem all that happy about it. At a chaotic party for Bushmill's, an Irish whiskey brand whose commercials feature the band's music, he dissed the awards show by saying rock awards should be decided by "people with guitars on their backs," and claimed to have rejected an invitation to perform on the show.

Vernon then reacted harshly Monday afternoon after the writer of a semi-popular blog, Hipster Runoff, described his sound as "dying indie rock" following Vernon's appearance on 'Saturday Night Live.'

In a tweet included at the bottom of this post, Vernon criticized the blog's tone and let the site's writer know that he was not a fan (warning: tweet contains graphic language). "You f***ing totally suck," he wrote, adding that he really doesn't "enjoy" the site's "situation."

The site was quick to capitalize on the incident, using it as the launching point for one of its trademark quasi-ironic rants:

Right now, the entire indie blogosphere has been muddied by TABLOID JOURNALISM, especially after the rise of Lana Del Rey. Even the most established indie sites and blogs are lost, searching for an authentic editorial voice in the face of booming SEO results and ANGRY readers. While some blogs will continue to use their weak editorial voice to write 'lukewarm praise' of any embeddable content made by a widely known indie celeb, Carles MUST be celebrated for his position as the Last Authentic Content Farmer Standing.

Hipster Runoff's proprietor is known only as Carles. The Village Voice once took a stab at explaining the site and described Carles as "a mysterious and quite possibly messianic figure whose bizarre mixture of puerile humor, savage satire, goofy nauvete [sic], and profound cultural critique has left everyone enthralled, terrorized, and completely confused."

In the first, contested post, Carles wrote that Bon Iver "just represents how 'the indie scene' is getting older and boring, and most blogs are 'stuck' posting this garbage because cool dads have to waste time during the day at their jobs that make them $50-90K/year."

If he's to be taken seriously, Carles appears upset by Vernon's reaction to the post:

Hipster Runoff has been increasingly harsh on Lana Del Rey, a singer who had her own misfortunes on the 'SNL' stage. The site has framed Del Rey's performance as "an important game changing business case in the music industry," most notably one that "proved that no one really cares how the music sounds." (In this vein, the site slammed M.I.A.'s recent finger fiasco as a "post Lana Del Rey" attempt at building a brand).

Carles' descriptions of Bon Iver have gained notice over the months, as the site has described the band as "snooze wave," "boring cool dad overgrounder music" and, perhaps most notably, "subprime mortgage buzz loans vibes in ruralwave."

What do you think? Is Vernon overreacting or is he right to respond?

Vernon's Tweet (Warning: Contains Profanity):

Watch: Bon Iver On 'SNL':

"As a designer, I like to work with fabrics that don't bleed; that's why I avoid all animal skins," says McCartney in the video. "Please join me in exploring the huge variety of fashionable shoes, belts, purses, and wallets that aren't the product of a cow's violent death."

On their website, PETA explains the perils of the leather industry:

Leather sourced from developing countries such as India and China may have come from animals who experienced untold suffering—such as being dismembered while they're still conscious—since animal welfare laws there are either non-existent or not enforced. Stella avoids financing any of this barbarity by refusing to wear the skins of tortured animals.

According to a recent reports from The New York Times, the campaign has gotten off to a bumpy start.

The video's release comes just days ahead of New York Fashion Week which kicks off on Feb. 9. And while PETA had wanted to broadcast a short version of the video inside taxis during Fashion Week, the company that handles taxi videos refused.

So now the group will take to social media platforms to promote Stella McCartney's video message.

This isn't the only campaign PETA launched ahead of New York Fashion Week. Just last week, the animal rights group unveiled a 70 foot billboard of Hollywood actress Penelope Cruz showing off her bare shoulders for PETA's anti-fur campaign.

See some of PETA's most memorable anti-fur ads in the slideshow below (WARNING: Some images may be considered EXPLICIT and NSFW):

Since then, he's racked up an impressive amount of credits with stints on "The Good Wife," the now-defunct "Caprica" and the "X-Men" cartoon (not to mention feature films "Prom Night," "Speed Racer," "Dear John" and the upcoming "The To Do List," to name a few). Currently, Porter is charming viewers as George Tucker on The CW's "Hart of Dixie" and he spoke exclusively to HuffPost TV about who he wants his character to end up with, breaking one of his only rules, superheroes and Taylor Kitsch.

With all the bad boys on The CW, what appealed to you about playing good guy George on "Hart of Dixie"?
I had just played a terrorist on "Caprica," and Blake, who is a bit of a badass private investigator, on "The Good Wife." What's funny about this business is they only care about what you did last. They don't care what you've done before that, especially in my case. Before I showed up in Los Angeles, I was doing musical comedy on Broadway and singing and dancing. It seemed "Hart of Dixie," and George Tucker particularly, was a chance to get back to a role that was more similar to how I broke into the business before "Friday Night Lights." It was nice to leave the drama behind and find a smart, intelligently written, lighter-toned comedy that was set in a place that could feel like a theatre production.

George is engaged to Lemon (Jaime King), but there's been some flirting between him and Dr. Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson). How is that love triangle going to complicate their relationships?
Zoe throws a wrench into the works -- as people grow up and start to see what else is out there in the world, they start to realize who they loved as child might not be what's best for them as an adult. That's what's happening here. He's got a high school sweetheart, Lemon, and he sees this really educated, fantastic girl, Zoe, and starts to realize, "Everything I moved back to Bluebell for might not be what I thought it was as far as life goals and dreams."

Are you rooting for Team Lemon or Team Zoe?
Lemon and George have a deep relationship that will never truly go away. Even if things end between them, they'll still be friends because of how they grew up and how intertwined their families and history are. If George was going to make the best decision for him, I think Zoe might be the frontrunner right now.

Recently, you hilariously rubbed it in when George won at Pictionary on the show. How much are you enjoying those comedic beats?
Because we know how crazy Bluebell is and it has all its events of the week and crazy competitions, it allows us as actors to really cut loose. Other shows would want you to be grittier and more grounded in reality; this is about escaping into this wonderful world. I love when they wind me up and let me go. As we go further on in the season, you'll see George sing and dance a little more. I can't wait for the audience to see that side of him.

Is George going to have to put his lawyer skills to use to save the town from this big corporate mall?
You see more interaction with him and his father, who is representing that [corporate] side of things, but it becomes a lot more personal. For right now, that storyline has been put to the side as George made the first step to protect Bluebell. It really becomes about the personal relationship between him and his dad and how fractured it really is. You get to see some incredible moments there as George comes to grips with becoming his own man.

The ladies may be disappointed, but how relieved are you not to have to take your shirt off as much as Wilson Bethel?
[Laughs.] I have a couple of rules I try to live by. If you do a show, make sure it's not on The CW. I broke that rule, which put me in the danger zone of having to take my shirt off. But if you do a show on The CW, find someone like Taylor Kitsch, who always took his shirt off on "Friday Night Lights," and step back. That is Wilson's [Bethel] role on this show. When it calls for it, of course, I'll do it. I don't envy Wilson, but he seems to love it, so it's an even trade-off!

At one point, George dressed up as a pirate for Thanksgiving. If there is a Halloween episode, and knowing you are this huge comic book fan, which superhero do you think George should suit up as?
Because we're so good at giving little nods to other shows and projects, it would be really fun to have George in full Cyclops attire. That would be pretty neat because I've played that role on the ["X-Men"] cartoon. I also love some of the DC characters. The Flash could be fun, as well.

So who would win in a battle royale: your Cyclops, or Taylor Kitsch's Gambit from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"?
Cyclops. Gambit doesn't stand a chance!

Those are fighting words!
You know, I helped Taylor with his Gambit. I know his weaknesses!

"Hart of Dixie" airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on The CW.

2012 Midseason TV Shows

"I wanted to be at my sister's funeral, but my family has always had a complicated dynamic. I love my family. I want to thank everyone for all of their compassion and support that I have received during this most difficult time. There are so many emotions for me surrounding the loss of my sister. I am trying to stay healthy, positive and focused," Nick, 32, said in a statement to The Insider.

Separately, Carter told website TMZ that he had wanted to attend the funeral in New York (which was attended by brother Aaron), but that his family had not disclosed the details.

Leslie died suddenly on February 1 from a reported overdose of prescription drugs meant to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Stepmother Ginger Carter told the police that the 25-year-old Leslie had a "long history of mental illness" and that she had appeared depressed the morning that she died.

"Our family is grieving right now and it's a private matter," a spokeswoman for the family had said in a statement after news broke. "We are deeply saddened for the loss of our beloved sister, daughter, and granddaughter, Leslie Carter. We request the utmost privacy during this time."

The troubled Leslie appeared on the family's reality show, "House of Carter," in 2006 and aspired to be a singer like her famous older brothers.

Check out photos of the Carter siblings below:

"I know nothing about football," Neil told me on the blue carpet of the Celebrity Beach Bowl, admitting he was in town to see Madonna. "She is amazing. I just hope she doesn't play it safe. When you play to a billion people you are under a lot of pressure to tone it down."

Neil isn't the only one singing Madonna's praises when it comes to creating a very diverse Super Bowl crowd.

"Gay, straight, men, women or transgender, Madonna couldn't care less," a source close to the singer told me. "She is all about bringing people together -- world peace."

Before talking with me on the media line, Neil spoke with his fiance, David, who was been hired as a correspondent by E! Entertainment. That must have been a little awkward.

"He didn't ask me any embarrassing questions," Neil confessed before joking, "but he did ask me, 'Where are the twins?' Which is a very concerning question."

Former adult film star Sasha Grey made education headlines last November when she was a celebrity guest reader at Emerson Elementary School in Compton, Calif. Now Grey's name is back: Although she retired from the porn industry last April, one of Grey's scenes is featured in adult film "Anal Artists," set to debut this week by Assence Films. In support of her "recent efforts to expose children to the world of literature," Assence Films will donate a portion of the film's proceeds to the National Education Association's Read Across America program, according to XBiz Newswire.

But in a statement Monday to The Huffington Post, NEA officials said "no, thanks."

"Sasha Grey is not affiliated with the National Education Association’s Read Across America program nor has she been invited or endorsed by NEA to read at any of the association’s Read Across America Day events, and NEA will not accept any proceeds from her latest, or any of her films," the statement reads. The NEA is the nation's largest teachers' union.

Howard Levine of Exile Distribution, the company charged with releasing "Anal Artists," told HuffPost that the NEA's disapproval of Grey's background is discriminatory.

"Anyone that's supporting reading and helping kids and donating money to their cause should be accepted. I don't understand why they would not accept that -- only the fact she was in adult films," Levine said. "I understand their position -- they don't want to be associated with any adult film stars. I think that everybody has a slanted opinion on what the adult film community is so I know that they're trying to be politically correct."

Assence's decision to donate proceeds in support of Grey was also made without her knowledge, said a source close to the actress.

Grey's November appearance at Emerson Elementary sparked great controversy when she read to first- and third-grade students as a part of the the school's Guest Reading Program. Her participation was also widely characterized as being part of the Read Across America program, including by Grey herself.

But the NEA has asserted that the organization neither knew about nor endorsed the event, clarifying that the Compton Unified School District's Guest Reading Program is not associated with the NEA's Read Across America initiative.

Parents were outraged that the school brought a porn star into classrooms, but district officials said they were unaware of her adult film past -- an outside talent coordinator only listed Grey as an actress who had appeared in the HBO show "Entourage."

Grey stood her ground in response to public outcry, issuing a Twitter statement Nov. 11 saying that "education is a universal right."

"Promoting education is an effort that is close to my heart. Illiteracy contributes to poverty; encouraging children to pick up a book is fundamental," Grey wrote. "I committed to this program with the understanding that people who have their own opinions about what I have done, who I am and what I represent. ... I have a past that some people may not agree with, but it does not define who I am."

In the Tweet, Grey notes that she would continue to support education and partake in education-focused initiatives. She also thanked her fans and Read Across America for supporting her decision, but NEA officials aren't really sure why.

"At no time has NEA sent letters or messages of support (or otherwise) or any other communications to Ms. Grey,” according to an NEA statement Monday.

Joy Resmovits contributed reporting.

Let's face it, for many fans, Van Halen without founding singer David Lee Roth just isn't Van Halen. It's Van Hagar. Or even Van That-Guy-From-Extreme.

Nearly 30 years after Roth and his bandmates parted ways following the group's "1984" album, they're back with "A Different Kind Of Truth."

Despite its title, the album's 13 tracks feel more than a little bit familiar, which is a good thing if you're looking to rewind the clock to Van Halen circa the late 1970s and early 1980s. If that sort of thing strikes you as dad-rock, however, then not so much.

Regardless, "A Different Kind Of Truth" shows 14 years since the last full Van Halen album, guitar demon Eddie Van Halen remains at the top of his game, betraying no hint of age or wear in his guitar work. All the staples are there: scorching riffs, waves of overlapping notes that dive bomb into deep growls and signature sonic horse wails.

Notably absent from "A Different Kind Of Truth" are the keyboard-heavy songs or power ballads found in the stretch of albums with Sammy Hagar on vocals.

Instead, Van Halen mostly delivers hard-pounding rockers – less "Jump," more "Atomic Punk."

And speed. Several tracks, such as the relentless "Bullethead" and "As Is," fueled by a rockabilly-like riff, are as fast and heavy as anything Van Halen has previously done.

A lot of the credit for that goes to drummer Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen's son, Wolfgang, on bass. (Wolfgang replaced original Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony during a U.S. tour about four years ago.)

Roth's voice hasn't aged quite as well, but his delivery is lively and he lobs in plenty of his trademark yelps.

The singer always was equal parts hype man and frontman, and on some tracks, like the underwhelming first single, "Tattoo," he's in over-the-top, Diamond Dave mode, singing "Sexy dragon magic! So very autobiographic!"

Singing with an audible wink worked better on their smash hit "Panama," but you can't blame Roth for trying. He's just giving fans of Van Halen 1.0 what they've wanted for three decades.

And on party rocker "Blood and Fire," Roth tells those fans: "Told you I was coming back/Say you miss me/Say it like you mean it."

Garner, who married Foley in October 2000 at age 28, called their subsequent May 2003 divorce a "crushing experience" that she never expected.

"I thought the divorce statistics would never apply to me," Garner told the paper. "I was beyond heartbroken when they did. But I got up and got on with it. I also kept my belief in marriage."

Garner and Foley met on the set of "Felicity" in 1998. They split in 2003 after two and a half years of marriage. Shortly after their divorce, the actress told W magazine in November 2003 that there are "a million reasons why things don't work" out in a marriage.

That same year, the actress met her second husband, Ben Affleck, on the set of "Daredevil." The low-key couple, dubbed Bennifer II by the press, married in 2005 and have two daughters together, six-year-old Violet and three-year-old Seraphina.

According to Garner, the pair is as close as ever: "Ben is not only my husband, he has helped me in every way. He is the base of my life," she told The Sun. "He is an incredibly loving and generous man.

In August 2011, a rep for Affleck and Garner announced that the couple are expecting a third child. The actress is reportedly due in late February or early March.

Before Katy walked the press line, all reporters were removed from the red carpet so she could pose for photographs and video only -- no questions about "The One That Got Away."

"Katy isn't ready to talk about what happened with Russell," an insider tells me. "She wanted to focus on putting on a great show at the hottest party of the weekend and enjoy hanging out with her friends. She knew that if she let media ask questions, they would ask her about Russell and she just didn't want to go there."

Onstage, at least, Perry gave no hint of being weighed down by problems at home. She performed a set of nine songs and told the crowd, including Madonna's daughter Lourdes, Tom Cruise's son Connor, Shaquille O'Neal and Neil Patrick Harris, that she wanted to dedicate the tune, "Peacock," to NFL player Tim Tebow.

After the show, Katy -- who confessed she was only watching the big game to see Madonna's half-time performance -- was spotted laughing with friends in her VIP section.

PHOTO:

Check out photos of other celebrity bikini bodies:

PHOTOS:

The diehard football fan bet fellow "Extra" correspondent and New York Giants fan AJ Calloway, that she would strip down to a tiny bikini in Times Square if the Patriots lost the Super Bowl. Needless to say, Menounos must have been thankful that New York is having one of its warmest winters.

Menounos kept her word and donned a tiny red, white and blue bikini on air this morning, giving the crowd and "Extra" correspondent Mario Lopez an eyeful.

The 33-year-old had an action-packed Super Bowl weekend in Indianapolis, 'Tebowing' with Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow and participating in DIRECTV's sixth annual Celebrity Beach Bowl game.

Menounos wasn't the only one who made a wager that involved removing clothes. Rapper 50 Cent accepted a challenge from a Twitter follower to tweet a photo of his penis if the Giants lost. Fiddy must have been happy his team won, even though he later told Yahoo that he didn't plan on honoring the bet.

Check out Maria making good on her bet and the rest of her busy Super Bowl weekend:

739.

So says the Daily Telegraph, which ran a story today about Rivers' love affair with cosmetic procedures. "Every weekend I just go in and I do something new. I get a 10th one free. It's a little like coffee you just keep going," Rivers reportedly quipped.

The Daily Telegraph also writes that Melissa, Joan's daughter and co-star on "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?", is none too happy with how often her mother goes under the knife.

But as Joan told The Huffington Post, "I don't give a damn what people think. If you don't like my opinion, too bad. That's the only good thing about age."

Meaning she probably doesn't care that 739 is a completely absurd amount of surgeries and that with her 80th birthday approaching, it's probably not worth the pain and money.

Then again, her recuperation methods make for awesome TV. So we're undecided on it all.

Read more at DailyTelegraph.com.au and see the evolution of Joan's face in the retro TV clips below.

Denton County sheriff's spokesman Tom Reedy says police in the town of Sanger arrested Travis early Monday after spotting a vehicle parked in front of a church and finding an open bottle of wine and Travis smelling of alcohol.

Reedy says Travis, whose hits include "Forever and Ever, Amen," was brought to the Denton County jail about 1:30 a.m. and released six hours later.

The singer, who lives in the small town of Tioga near Sanger, apologized in a statement to The Associated Press "for what resulted following an evening of celebrating the Super Bowl."

Travis, who launches a concert tour Friday, says he's "committed to being responsible and accountable."

When considering a constitutional challenge to a discriminatory law, courts first consider whether to apply what's known as "heightened scrutiny." If heightened scrutiny applies, the law will be presumed unconstitutional and struck down unless some very strong reason can be shown for upholding it. If heightened scrutiny doesn't apply, a much more lenient standard applies, and the law will be upheld if there's any rational justification supporting it.

Courts take several factors into account in deciding whether heightened scrutiny applies. One of the factors they have sometimes considered is whether the challenged law discriminates against a group on the basis of a personal characteristic that is "immutable." That's where the confusion starts. Let's try to correct it.

First, it's important to know that when courts talk about a characteristic as "immutable," they aren't talking about something that is genetically or biologically determined and completely impossible to change. Instead, they are talking about characteristics that are so deep-seated and fundamental to a person's identity that it is horrendous to think of being forced to change them. As the California Supreme Court explained in 2008 when it held that sexual orientation is immutable in the legal sense, "Because a person's sexual orientation is so integral an aspect of one's identity, it is not appropriate to require a person to repudiate or change his or her sexual orientation in order to avoid discriminatory treatment."

Or, in the words of retired federal appeals court judge William Norris:

Scientific proof aside, it seems appropriate to ask whether heterosexuals feel capable of changing their sexual orientation. Would heterosexuals living in a city that passed an ordinance burdening those who engaged in or desired to engage in sex with persons of the opposite sex find it easy not only to abstain from heterosexual activity but also to shift the object of their sexual desires to persons of the same sex?

Second, immutability has never been a prerequisite for subjecting discriminatory laws to heightened scrutiny. In fact, fully half of the classifications that the Supreme Court has recognized as requiring careful scrutiny are based on characteristics that are not immutable in any sense. Heightened scrutiny applies to laws that discriminate on the basis of religion, nationality, and legitimacy, even though religious people can convert, undocumented people can become naturalized citizens, and so-called "illegitimate" children may be adopted. These characteristics can be altered throughout one's life, yet the courts have carefully scrutinized laws that discriminate on these bases.

In the end, the key factor driving the courts' decisions about whether to strike down discriminatory laws has not been immutability but something more basic: whether a law discriminates on the basis of a trait that has no bearing on a person's ability to contribute to society. By that measure, Prop 8 ­-- and every other law that discriminates based on sexual orientation and gender identity -- should be history. We believe they soon will be.

The movie star has restyled herself as a lifestyle and wellness guru with her website, GOOP (often, to mixed reviews), but she has long focused on nutrition -- famously following a macrobiotic diet back when Atkins and The Zone were fashionable elsewhere in Hollywood. She's also remade herself into something of an athlete, helped along by celebrity trainer Tracey Anderson. Her remarkable fitness wasn't lost on Harper's.

"As she falls naturally into yoga stretches during the course of the conversation, supple as a cat, you realize that this is a woman for whom working out has become essential," writes Justine Picardie in Harper's first cover story since their redesign. "At 39, she looks stronger than she did in her 20s, lean and toned, with the streamlined contours of an athlete."

Interestingly, Paltrow says that much of the impetus for her strict health regimen grew out of personal experience:

She cites the death in 2002 of her beloved father, director Bruce Paltrow, from throat cancer at 58 -- after decades of vodka and smoking -- as a catalyst for her own conversion to clean living. "All I've learned about nutrition and health came from his cancer," she says. "I'll probably have a long and healthy life because he didn't."

Paltrow went on to say: "I don't go back and say I wish he had done this differently, I wish he hadn't smoked, because the fact is that he did and he died. As much grief and pain and trauma and heartache are caused, there was an equal amount of positivity that came out of his death."

Interestingly, she first became interested in macrobiotic eating as she researched healthy foods to serve her ailing father. "It's obviously ridiculous, but I didn't want him to die and the doctors said he had to be healthier," she recently said. "So I started to read about how powerful the body can be if you do not poison it with processed food and white sugar."

The full interview is worth a read, and it's an interesting notion: is the legacy of a loved one's ill health -- particularly a relative with whom you share genetic predispositions -- an impetus for a wellness overhaul? Have you experienced this? Let us know in the comments.

AMA threads are a space where users can ask participants anything about their life or occupation. Popular subjects in the past have included a New York City subway conductor, an unnamed former child actor and a man who claimed to have slept with more than 100 prostitutes worldwide.

The site's users were not pleased with Harrelson's attempt to answer only questions about the movie, and the chat quickly deteriorated when the actor was asked if he remembered allegedly taking a high school girl's virginity.

Of course, Harrelson was not pleased with the question. "First of off, its not true, and second off, I don't want to answer questions about that. Lets focus on the film people," he replied.

Participants were not impressed. After Harrelson abandoned the discussion, users continued to post, calling it "the worst AMA of all time" and an "epic fail by Woody Harrelson's PR machine."

Celebrities are regularly requested by AMA users eager to learn about their lives.

In December 2011, comedian Louis C.K. had a very successful AMA that produced more than 6,000 comments in the first hour, while former "Scrubs" star Zach Braff answered questions in September.

We'll undoubtedly see more celebrities and studios using Reddit as a promotional tool, but they would be wise to learn from the response elicited by Harrelson, and be more candid with their fans.

The song is written like an angry note from a spurned lover, but as Green tells Esquire, it's actually a metaphorical shot fired by an overlooked artist.

"I'd been recording for three years and I had over seventy songs, and I was ready to be heard," he said. "But my label was just sitting on it, and it was very disheartening, not knowing if what I was doing was good enough. It seemed like I couldn't please anybody. So of course, figuratively, I was like, 'You don't you like me? Well fuck you!' It was very cathartic."

The track went on to become the most popular of his career, surpassing even "Crazy," the hit single he recorded with DJ Danger Mouse under the name Gnarls Barkley. "Fuck You" was Time Magazine's No. 1 song of 2010; won a Grammy and was nominated for two others; and has sold more than 5 million digital copies.

For much more from Cee Lo, including talk about his "Imagine" lyrics controversy and how he sees himself as the McDonalds of pop music, click over to Esquire.

WATCH:

And though being orange in public is nothing new for the "Jersey Shore" gang, a little part of us died when we saw George Clooney strike an off-color pose on the red carpet. Let's hope it's just a mild case of overexposure to that warm Lake Como sun.

In honor of these and other melanin mishaps, HuffPost Celebrity compiled this slide show of Hollywood's most unnatural tans. Real or fake, they've left a lasting impression.

The reality star's debatably artificial sobbing over her failed marriage made recent headlines during the finale of "Kourtney and Kim Take New York." And though the mascara-dripping moment is certainly one to remember, we'd like to use it as an opportunity to look back on the best of Kim's emotional moments.

Take a look at the mash-up above!

"Twilight Saga" actor Jackson Rathbone, 27, and his girlfriend, Sheila Hafsadi, are expecting baby, the actor's rep confirmed to Us Weekly.

Hafsadi, a burlesque dancer, is five months pregnant, according to Us. The couple reportedly met while Rathbone was touring with his band, 100 Monkeys.

This will be the first baby for the actor, who will return to the big screen in the final installment of "The Twilight Saga" in November.

For more on Rathbone's baby news, head over to Us Weekly.

Check out other celebrities who are expanding their families below:

The latest case in point? Pitt's interview with Charlie Rose for "CBS This Morning," in which the Oscar nominee describes Jolie as "still a bad girl" and explains how children Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox handle their parents' criminally jet set lives.

On his family:

Family has added everything to it. In a strange way, if I look at the work, the work has gotten better because I worry less about it -- I mean it's not as important as family. Family becomes the nucleus, the source of joy and the source of worry. And it takes any pressure of self-absorption you've -- we can have in our business, and it just evaporates. So it makes it freer.

On adopting his children:

I don't know that they would (in one case might not have lived). I hate to say it but may not even be here. And I think of the joy that we have in our family because we are together and I just couldn't imagine.

On Angelina:

She's still a bad girl ... Delightfully so. Well, it's not for public consumption. We get one shot at this thing, as far as I know.. I don't wanna have any regrets when we get to, you know, when the time's up. We try new things, and the same for our family. She's such an amazing mother. She's so inventive at home with them. And I'm just so happy that they have her.

Well they're quite used to a little jet-lag and moving to a different location and as long as we're together -- you know the home is always intact. They have their own bags and they're responsible if they leave their chargers behind and so on and so forth.

Check out photos of Brad Pitt and Angelia Jolie:

While talking about her upbringing and growing up in Rhode Island, Messing was surprised to hear applause from apparent Rhode Island fans in the audience. Little did she know it was her high school drama teacher, Jim Metcalf.

"He's the reason I'm an actress, this man." Messing said while pointing to her former teacher in the audience.

"I wanted to be a hoofer, I wanted to sing and dance and be on Broadway, it didn't really go that way for me," Messing said of her career. But now, she's living that dream on the Broadway-themed musical "Smash."

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

The news almost sent Williams into a tizzy as she tried to guess which of the "Mob Wives" was to blame. Her first guess was Drita D'Avanzo, but as it turned out, she was the only one who didn't bully Esposito. "Drita is almost like a cousin, our families knew each other growing up, so I knew her since she was a kid," Esposito said, before clarifying that she was bullied by "the rest" of the ladies.

Guest-host Mario Lopez asked Esposito if it bothers her to see the same kind of abusive behavior she dealt with in her youth now being glorified on reality TV. "It's crazy to me, because it's the exact same arguments! It's weird. I feel bad though, because being Italian, they're showing us in such a horrible light, and I know it's not their fault, but it upsets me," Esposito lamented.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

When M.I.A. flipped the bird to the 150 million or so people watching the game, she ignited a Twitter and media frenzy. NBC and the NFL have been trading barbs all morning about the incident, with NFL blaming the network's delay system for failing to censor the gesture and NBC blaming the NFL for hiring M.I.A. and producing the show. It should come as no surprise that the Parents Television Council is also irate (because kids have never seen a middle finger before!).

Meanwhile, no one's talking about Nicki Minaj, who performed with M.I.A. and Madonna on the latter's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'." And it's not because Minaj is averse to attracting attention via controversy. From her always wacky outfits to her rapping style (half aggressive, half cupcake sweet), Minaj is as much of a provocateur as M.I.A. She's just not as good at it.

M.I.A.'s name recognition is vastly disproportionate to the number of people who can name a song of hers other than "Paper Planes," the 2007 single that featured prominently in Best Picture-winner Slumdog Millionaire. And while Minaj seemingly puts out new music every week, she has diluted her brand by playing her speakers at full blast, all the time (speaking of which, here's her new song).

If Minaj wants to achieve real staying power, she needs to slow down to M.I.A.'s pace. Every year or so, the London-born singer does something that's provocative enough to gain exposure but not obnoxious enough to alienate her fans. (And for those who think last night's display will hurt M.I.A.'s career, let's get real: she made an obscene hand gesture. During an event where men turn their bodies into projectiles to send one another to the hospital. America will survive.)

Think of Truffle-Fry-Gate, when M.I.A. tweeted the phone number of New York Times Magazine reporter Lynn Hirschberg after Hirschberg mocked the singer for her taste in haute fast food. Or the time she performed in a sheer top while nine months' pregnant, at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Or the time she released the video for "Born Free," which was swiftly -- and noticeably -- censored by media outlets. Or her complicated support for the Tamil Tigers, a violent Sri Lankan rebel group.

Recognizing M.I.A.'s strength in branding is not the same as endorsing her career. It would be great if she could build a reputation on the strength of her music and her philanthropic work in Liberia. But Minaj seems hellbent on going down the same path, so she might as well do it correctly.

What moments in Nicki Minaj's career have any lasting intrigue? Whether one finds M.I.A.'s actions foolhardy at best and grating at worst, her career is punctuated by memorable moments -- something Minaj can't claim. At least not yet.

M.I.A. performs during the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show on Sunday
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

The big hype (around these parts, anyway) going into the Super Bowl on Sunday was what Madonna would do during her halftime performance. But, as you surely know by now, one of her guests, rapper/singer M.I.A., stole some of Madge's thunder by unexpectedly flipping the bird at the end of "Give Me All Your Luvin'."

While your granny was probably shocked and your little brother/sister got a naughty giggle out of it, M.I.A. wasn't exactly reinventing the rebel wheel with her one-finger salute. Everyone from punk icon Iggy Pop to Oasis' Noel Gallagher, Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain, late Wu-Tang Clan rapper ODB, Kid Rock and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong have made flipping people off a standard part of their eff-the-man personas over the years.

In fact, tossing up the middle-digit salute is a time-honored tradition for musicians that dates back more than 40 years to the original rock rebel.

Johnny Cash: In one of the most iconic pictures in music, the Man in Black famously gave an impassioned finger to the camera in 1969 during his San Quentin prison performance. It was later used in an ad in 1998 Billboard magazine to express his "thank you" to the Nashville country music industry after he won a Grammy for Best Country Album as a response to their abandonment of him in his later years.

Tupac : The late rap icon was fond of laying down both single and double birds in some of the most iconic pictures of him over the years, including one taken of him on a gurney after he'd just been shot at a New York recording studio in 1994.

Eminem: After being called out for some of his gay-bashing lyrics, Slim Shady made a huge statement by appearing with openly gay Elton John at the 2001 Grammys, where he hugged the piano-pounding icon and then gave the audience a view of both his middle digits.

Lady Gaga: Mother Monster can't go anywhere these days without being hounded by the paparazzi. So, when Gaga attended a Mets game in 2010, she let the paps know how she felt when they caught her chilling in a private suite.

Justin Bieber: He may be a (young) man of faith, but even the Biebs has his limits. Last March, while out celebrating his 17th birthday, the "Baby" singer was accosted by photos, so he showed them his tall man ... and then apologized later, saying, "I know better than to react in anger."

Katy Perry: We can't remember where this awesome GIF came from, but last year, the good girl gone (sometimes) bad made flying the finger flag seem almost cute.

Cobra Starship: Hell, CB are so enamored of the eff-you salute that they wrote a whole song about it and invited Mac Miller along to help them spread the word, one digit at a time.

• Super Bowl 46: Movie Spots

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson
• Infamous Middle Fingers

• M.I.A.

The actor, best known for his starring role as Harry Potter and worth an estimated $47,448,000, said he's dropping his support for the U.K.'s Liberal Democratic party in large part because of their stance on taxes, according to an interview with Attitude Magazine slated to be published this week, cited by the Guardian.

"I think, if you make a lot more money than most people -- like I do -- you should pay more tax and subsidise people who work just as hard as you, but don't earn as much," Radcliffe said.

Radcliffe joins some of his super-wealthy counterparts in the U.S. who are advocating for a tax boost on the wealthy, an issue that has become central to the presidential campaign. Warren Buffett first highlighted the issue in an August op-ed in The New York Times, where he argued that the super-rich should be taxed at a rate that is at least the same or higher as that of the middle class.

Buffett's proposal inspired President Obama to create the "Buffett Rule" and touted it as part of his American Jobs Act, as well as during his State of the Union address last month. Meanwhile, Republican front runner Mitt Romney fueled the debate over taxing the wealthy, when he revealed his 2010 tax returns after mounting pressure from opponents. Though Romney and his wife make hundreds of millions combined, they paid a tax rate that is the same as that of many middle class households.

Many prominent super-rich Americans are taking up Buffett's cause and arguing that tax breaks for the wealthy are unfair. Comedian Chris Rock said in an interview earlier this month that he'd be willing to pay higher taxes, while billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said late last year that he's "generally in favor of the idea that the rich should pay somewhat more" in taxes than everyone else.

Other notable people to support higher taxes for the rich include former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan and the American people themselves. More than half of Americans say capital gains -- or profits from investments and property -- should be taxed at the same rate as work, according to a recent CBS/NYT poll. The wealthy typically benefit most from capital gains.

Nicki Minaj, Madonna and M.I.A. perform at Super Bowl XLVI
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

During the 13 minutes Madonna took over Super Bowl XLVI for her highly anticipated halftime show, there were plenty of surprise cameos, high-tech stage lights and, of course, some of the biggest classics in pop music.

But even though the Queen of Pop's glitzy show Sunday night (February 5) appeared to run smoothly, the over-the-top theatrics might have shadowed some of the fumbles. Take a look at the list of onstage slip-ups MTV News caught during the pop performer's set.

Madonna's Almost Fall(s)
It was only a few minutes into the show, but Madonna lost her balance and almost fell as she jumped around the flashing bleachers with her dancers during her performance of "Music." She also teetered a few minutes later while getting up after getting down with LMFAO. Fortunately, the singer found her ground and demonstrated how a professional handles a little performance slipup, continuing without missing a beat.

M.I.A.'s Finger Flash
Madonna wouldn't be Madonna without even a little controversy, but this time, it wasn't even her fault. During the performance of the pop titan's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin," M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj appeared as sideline cheerleaders to spit their rap contribution to the pop gem. Known for her rebellious attitude, M.I.A. flashed her middle finger for a split second that has already fueled headlines all over the Internet.

Backing Track
While Madge is getting lots of love from celebrities, there are many who are criticizing the Queen of Pop for what appears to be a mostly backing-track performance. However, lip-synching isn't unfamiliar territory for the Super Bowl. Back in 2009, the championship game's producer Ricky Minor told the Associated Press that he requested Jennifer Hudson lip-synch her rendition of the national anthem to limit the chances of possible mistakes.

Did you catch any other fumbles during Madge's performance? Tell us below!

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

• Madonna
• Nicki Minaj
• Lmfao
• M.I.A.

Clint Eastwood
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images

With the New York Giants down 10-9 to the New England Patriots at halftime of the big game on Sunday, we're pretty sure coach Tom Coughlin gave the eventual Super Bowl champions a hell of a speech. Still, last night's most memorable pep talk came from an unlikely hero, Clint Eastwood.

"It's halftime," Dirty Harry grunted in the opening moments of a dramatic Chrysler spot that aired while both teams were in the locker room and Madonna was preparing to excite the world at Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The emotional ad juxtaposed the Giants and Patriots' mid-game huddle-up and contextualized it against the country's current economic woes. "It's halftime in America, too," the Oscar-winning actor/director continued. "People are out of work and they're hurting and they're all wondering what they're going to do to make a comeback."

During a night when Hollywood rolled out blockbuster trailers for big-budget films like "The Avengers" and "Battleship" and companies like Go Daddy and H&M used sex to sell their products, Chrysler took an inspirational approach, one even more poignant than last year's Eminem "Imported From Detroit" spot.

Clint goes on to describe the people in Detroit and their resilience in the midst of a collapsed auto industry. He then turns the focus back to America as a whole, which is still trying to gain footing in a time of economic turmoil. "I've seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life. Time when we didn't understand each other," the 81-year old Eastwood says. "But after those trials we all rallied around what was right and acted as one, because that's what we do."

With the drama building, Clint adds some fight to his voice in a passionate call to arms. "This country can't be knocked down with one punch. We get right back up again, and when we do the world will hear the roar of our engines," he says in closing. "Yeah, it's halftime, America, and our second half is about to begin."

Game on!

• Super Bowl 46: Movie Spots

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

Christina Aguilera on "The Voice"
Photo: NBC

"The Voice" returned to NBC for its second season immediately following Super Bowl XLVI and got right to business, kicking off the first round of blind auditions with coaches Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton each picking up one team member and Christina Aguilera scoring two.

Seven hopefuls stepped in front of the judges' revolving chairs, each hoping at least one would turn and ask them to be on their team. Two contestants got all four judges' approval, but one, 24-year-old Daniel Rosa from Riverside, California, didn't get a single judge to turn their chair and offer a spot and was sent home packing.

The Players:

RaeLynn
A teenager raised on a Texas farm, Rae Lynn entered the competition with one thing in mind: to win over judge Blake Shelton, who is married to country singer Miranda Lambert, a big hero of Rae Lynn's. She decided to sing Lambert's "Hell on Heels" despite being warned that last season Shelton didn't respond well when a contestant auditioned with one of his wife's songs. But confident in her choice, she did it anyway and wowed Shelton and Levine. Ultimately, she chose to stick with her roots and keep things country. Team Blake

Jesse Campbell
One of many inspiring stories told during the show, we were introduced to 42-year-old homeless father Jesse Campbell and his family. He'd barely uttered a few notes before Aguilera, Green and Levine swiveled around (Shelton followed soon after). "You followed through above and beyond my expectations," she told Campbell, promising to fight for him along the hard road to the "Voice" finals. Trusting that Aguilera knows a thing or two about how to get the most out of strong vocalists, Jesse picked the "Not Myself Tonight" singer. Team Xtina

Juliet Simms
Simms has been living the rock-and-roll life since she was a teen and is now, at 25, looking to take that next step. Simms tackled a big song too -- "Oh! Darling" by the Beatles -- but brought a rough, throaty edge and rocker swagger to the track that immediately attracted Levine and Cee Lo and, eventually, Aguilera. "You brought the house down," Christina said to Simms. Competing over the singer's affections even devolved into a bit of mudslinging between Aguilera and Levigne, who bickered back and forth over who could better serve Simms in the contest. She decided to go with neither and picked the most eclectic guy on the panel. Team Cee Lo

Chris Mann
Another of the night's tear-jerker back stories came from Mann, a talented classical musician working in Nashville, Tennessee, whose mother is fighting pancreatic cancer. The 29-year-old Wichita, Kansas, native was the second contestant of the competition to bowl over the judges with a big, classic voice. "Now that's a voice," Xtina proclaimed, "I love it!" Her enthusiasm led him to pick the "Beautiful" Grammy winner, and in the first night of competition, she nailed down the two best voices in the game so far. Team Xtina

Tony Lucca
Hey, that guy looks familiar! Lucca was at one time a Mouseketeer alongside Christina, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears on "The Mickey Mouse Club." But it was more important here that he tore the roof off the joint with a rocking rendition of "Trouble" that earned a swivel of approval from every judge on the panel. All pleaded with him to join their team, but Aguilera seemed oblivious to the fact that she knew him as a child (a lot has happened since then, we'll give her that). He went with Shelton, probably hoping a little of the country-rock cool that's kept him at the top of the charts for the last few years rubs off. Team Adam

After he left the stage, Aguilera realized who Lucca was and ran backstage to greet him, his wife and young daughter. She also revealed, "Britney had the biggest crush on you!"

Oh, what could have been..

Did you catch "The Voice" tonight? Which contestant was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

• Adam Levine
• Cee Lo Green
• Blake Shelton
• Christina Aguilera

Waiting on the red carpet at the ESPN magazine event Friday night, you would have thought Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrived when Tebow walked through the metal detector and set off a shutterbug frenzy.

Deciding not to do any interviews, but rather just pose for photographers and video crews, Tebow had no idea that the real fan mob would descend once he stepped foot inside the party.

No one was more aggressive when it came to getting the young football star's attention than "Extra" TV host Maria Menounos. The Tebow enthusiast talked with the player for more than two hours before convincing him to "Tebow" with her.

"I was his first," Menounos told me the following day. "He told me at the party he had never 'Tebowed' with anyone else before, ever."

The digital video recorder maker Tivo said Monday that there wasn't an appreciable bump in viewers who played back the moment where M.I.A. extended her middle finger during Madonna's performance of "Give Me All Your Luvin'" on Sunday night's show.

Tara Maitra of Tivo said the company would check to see if more people play back the moment on Monday after there was publicity about it. Tivo has 2 million customers in the U.S.

The NFL blamed NBC for being not quick enough to censor the gesture, while NBC noted that the NFL is responsible for the content of the halftime show.

There was no wardrobe malfunction, nothing like that glimpse of Janet Jackson's nipple eight years ago that caused an uproar and government scrutiny. Instead, in front of some 110 million viewers on NBC and uncounted others online, she flipped the bird and appeared to sing, "I don't give a (expletive)" at one point, though it was hard to hear her clearly.

"The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing and we apologize to our fans," said Brian McCarthy, spokesman for the NFL, which produced Madonna's halftime show. He said that M.I.A. had not done anything similar during rehearsals and the league had no reason to believe she would pull something like that during the actual show.

The risque moment came during the biggest TV event of the year. The screen briefly went blurred after M.I.A.'s gesture in what was a late attempt – by less than a second – to cut out the camera shot.

"The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show," NBC spokesman Christopher McCloskey said. "Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers."

Back in M.I.A.'s native Britain, the London Times noted Monday that while all eyes may have been on Madonna at halftime, "it was the extended middle finger of the British hip-hop star M.I.A. that caused the most controversy." The Guardian wondered whether anyone would really be outraged.

"You'd be forgiven for not having a coronary over the fact M.I.A. gave Super Bowl viewers the finger during her halftime guest spot with Madonna," the newspaper wrote in its music blog. "For most fans, it was probably more shocking to see M.I.A. performing a rehearsed dance routine than flipping the bird."

On Monday morning, host Gretchen Carlson on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" urged M.I.A. to "get a life." Culture vulture Perez Hilton tweeted: "Think she'll ever be invited on live TV again?"

Jackson's infamous oops during the 2004 halftime show raised a storm of controversy and put CBS in hot water with the Federal Communications Commission amid questions about the responsibility of TV networks to police their airwaves.

Justin Timberlake ripped off Jackson's bustier, exposing her breast for nine-sixteenths of a second, a moment for which CBS was fined $550,000 by the FCC. The network challenged the fine and last fall, a federal appeals court ruled against the FCC despite an order from the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. The three-judge panel reviewed three decades of FCC rulings and concluded the agency was changing its policy, without warning, by fining CBS for fleeting nudity.

This year's game, in which the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 21-17, is expected to challenge last year's record of being the most-watched U.S. TV event ever.

M.I.A. is best known for her 2007 hit "Paper Planes," a Grammy nominee for record of the year that memorably features a sample of the Clash song, "Straight to Hell." It was featured on the soundtrack to the movie "Slumdog Millionaire."

Madonna had admittedly been nervous about her performance, hoping to position herself as the queen of a new generation of pop stars with an opulent show and a sharp performance that mixed her new release with more familiar songs. She seemed like Roman royalty when muscle-bound men carried her extravagant throne across the football field to the stage for her opening song, "Vogue."

Guests Cee Lo, Nicki Minaj and dance rockers LMFAO also appeared with Madonna. The singing and dancing on "Vogue" was smartly choreographed, as Madonna moved more deliberately – she is 53 – but still adroitly. She briefly appeared to stumble at one point while trying to make a step on the stage set, but recovered in time.

She let a tightrope walker make the more acrobatic moves during a performance of "Music."

Madonna carried gold pompons for a performance of her frothy new single. Twitter was alight with questions about the vocals being lip synched or augmented by tapes, particularly during this song.

The best guest was clearly Cee Lo, who joined Madonna for the final song, "Like a Prayer." They were joined by a robed chorus in the show's most soaring performance. With a puff of white smoke, Madonna disappeared down a trapdoor in the stage, and lights on the field spelled out "World Peace."

The performance was also carried live on SiriusXM Radio, giving Madonna the biggest single audience of her career. For all the elaborate choreography and flashy effects, the finger incident is the more likely headline from the event.

Earlier, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert offered some pregame patriotism. Shelton and Lambert did a twangy duet on "America the Beautiful" and Clarkson, in a simple black dress, sang "The Star Spangled Banner" without a hitch after last year's performer, Christina Aguilera, flubbed a line.

To the wrath of many community members, The Post confirmed on Monday that Schwimmer is the owner of a new six-story mansion that has replaced a historic townhouse that was headed for landmark status.

The new mansion will see the installment of an elevator and a swanky roof terrace.

The original building, located at 331 E. Sixth Street, was erected in 1852 and had been the oldest structure on the block between 1st and 2nd Avenues.

Schwimmer purchased the property for $4.1 million back in 2010 and soon after, received multiple letters from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission notifying Schwimmer that the building would be up for the historic status in 2012.

But in September, East Village residents were shocked to find the building completely demolished. Neighborhood residents and bloggers speculated over the identity of the new owner and soon pinned the demolition on Schwimmer.

With Monday's confirmation, residents are pitting their anger towards the actor. One resident who has lived on the block for 37 years said, "All the new people are yuppie transients. If I see David Schwimmer on the street, I'll be sure to give him my two cents."

Meanwhile, the Coen brothers have politely requested permission from East Village residents if they could temporarily dress storefronts and buildings to "fit the period" of a 1960's set for their upcoming film Inside Llewyn Davis. If only Schwimmer had been so courteous.

Below are two diagrams of Schwimmer's proposed construction for 331 E. Sixth Street:

The sixty-second spot showed up in the fourth quarter of the New York Giants' upset win over the New England Patriots, and if you were loaded with nachos, beer or nerves, you probably slept on a few of these shout-outs to the 1986 classic film, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

There were 24 total Easter Eggs in the Super Bowl ad, including these ten below:

1. Ferris' agent was named Walter Linder; that name appears in reservation book at Chez Quis.
2. There's a "weird light orb" in the agent's office; Cameron had one in his room.
3. Ferris' agent throws a baseball; Ferris caught a foul ball.
4. Ferris' hotel room has a red phone; Ferris had one in the movie.
5. The car bluetooth reads 2800; that was Bueller's address.
6. There's a flower delivery man crossing the street; one comes to Ferris's house, and is played by Louie Anderson.
7. You can spot Ferris' vest in store window.
8. At the intersection you can see a clarinet; Ferris played one at the beginning of the movie ("Never had a single lesson").
9. The valet stand, A-1 Easy Ok Park, is the same as the garage in movie.
10. Ferris' license plate reads SOCHOIC. Translation: "So Choice."

Did you spot any more? Leave them in the comments below!

Perry's parents played matchmaker last month, trying to set the pair up after the singer's split with husband Russell Brand.

Now Perry seems be on board with the match. She flirted with the Denver Broncos quarterback by dedicating a song to him during a pre-Super Bowl performance Saturday. The lyrics of the song, called "Peacock" were not at all subtle. Watch the video above!

Although he's got a platinum single, a gold album and a Grammy nomination for best new artist, he wants more.

"I'm grateful for everything that happened, but I'm not satisfied," J. Cole said. "There (are) still accomplishments that keep happening from the work that I put in last year and from the last two, three years ... but those are just reminders of the work that I did. That's in the past. Like, what's the next move? That's my mind state."

Call it the Jay-Z state of mind.

Jay-Z, who signed J. Cole to his Roc Nation imprint three years ago, said the 27-year-old is a true testament to artist development, which he believes is "missing in music."

"During that time he was out on the road perfecting his craft. The guy that's onstage now is not the guy who first walked through the door," Jay-Z said.

"Cole World: The Sideline Story" – J. Cole's debut that is mostly self-produced – was released three days before the Grammy deadline. His competition for best new artist at the Grammys, to be presented Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, includes the ubiquitous singer-rapper Nicki Minaj, electronic DJ-producer Skrillex, critical indie darling Bon Iver and country trio The Band Perry.

"Whether they acknowledge him as the best new artist or not, he was. He put that work in," Jay-Z said. "He already won."

___

AP: It's rare to see two rap acts nominated for best new artist. How does it feel?

J. Cole: My album came out days before the Grammy deadline, and it's because I knew I had a shot. I thought my album was that good ... (and it's) just an honor to be on that list. Nicki is on that list. To have two hip-hop artists on that list tells you, it says a lot about hip-hop right now. And even Skrillex, who is a DJ, I know it's more of an electronic style of music, but the art of DJing comes from hip-hop. So that's crazy to look at that list and see how much hip-hop (is there).

AP: Lots of artists are selling singles, but cannot sell albums. Why do you think people are buying your record?

J. Cole: I think with my fans it's really more about they see themselves in me. Like, there are some rappers that you love them because they're everything that you will never be. Like, I love (Rick) Ross because he's telling stories, it's almost like I'm watching a movie when you hear him. I love that. He's painting a picture. But I feel like when they hear me, it's like they see themselves in me, like they're rooting for me like they're rooting for themselves. So when I win, they feel like they win, too.

AP: What have you learned from Jay-Z?

J. Cole: Early in my album process he was like, "When you're first starting out, it's good to not know everything." He made the analogy that when you're first starting it's almost like you're trying to get across a room, but the room is pitch-black, and when you finally get to the other side of the room and you flick on the light, you look back and you realize there were snakes over here, there was a hole over there ... but because you were following your heart, you made the right decision.

AP: He says you're a success because they gave you time to develop instead of rushing your album out when you had some buzz.

J. Cole: One thing I appreciate about Jay-Z is he let me do it my way and let me figure it out. ... He never compromised or interfered with my creative process. There was a never a point when he was like, "I need to come in and play big brother and show you how to do this." He let me figure it out, and it feels better to win like that. It feels better winning knowing that I figured this thing out on my own and if it wouldn't have worked, I would have been OK with bumping my head and failing on my own terms, rather than winning on somebody else's.

AP: Have you always wanted to be a musician?

J. Cole: I was always a kid that, like, whatever dream I had, I thought I could do it. I wanted to be an astronaut. When I was 6, 7, I (told) my mom I wanted to be a painter. I always wanted to play in the NBA, but I didn't halfway believe these things, I all-the-way believed them until the new thing came along. And then rap was the last new thing (and) I knew, "This is for real. This is what I want to do."

AP: You graduated from St. John's University with a communications degree. What would you be doing if you didn't get a record deal?

J. Cole: I was good in school, but I never one day imagined doing anything other than what I'm doing right now. I always knew, like, I never had a fallback plan. I was never like, "Oh, if this doesn't work out I'll just go get a job over there." Like, nah. Never. I couldn't. I can't even. Right now I cannot picture doing anything else.

AP: Did you think about skipping college to focus completely on music?

J. Cole: I didn't honestly. Nobody in my family went to school, and my mom put such a big emphasis on college. ... (For) me it wasn't ... music or college, it was both.

AP: How are you getting ready for the Grammys?

J. Cole: I got a suit ready to go. Suit is fire ... I'm bringing my mom. My mom got a dress. My girl got a dress. My homeboys got their suits. You know. We're ready. I'm trying to take it home.

____

Online:

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At a Berlin photocall for "One For The Money," Katherine Heigl eschewed the more common leopard print in favor of zebra, bolding sporting the black and white stripes stretched sideways across her one-strap dress.

Horizontal stripes alone are a fashion risk, but luckily Heigl has the body for it. As for the wild print, however, we're not the biggest fans. Despite the smart pairing of a nude shoe with the busy top, we have a hard time respecting zebra as a sophisticated, red carpet-ready print, plus the harsh black and white washes Heigl's ivory complexion out.

But we've always been biased towards leopard and tiger anyway. Do you think zebra stripes belong on the red carpet?

Taylor Kitsch in "John Carter"
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures

Millions of people around the world were introduced to Taylor Kitsch Sunday night. The Canadian actor found himself at the center of two of the Super Bowl's biggest movie ads for his first two starring roles, in "John Carter" and "Battleship," but the trailers may not have been the first impression Kitsch was hoping for.

Kitsch made a name for himself starring as the misunderstood bad boy Tim Riggins on the beloved but criminally under-watched NBC series "Friday Night Lights." Riggins grew dear to the show's viewers because of the charm and likability Kitsch brought to the character, despite a tough exterior. Throughout the show's run, it was never a stretch to imagine the actor making the crossover to big-budget action movies with his charisma as hard evidence of his bankability.

But for his Super Bowl debuts, the studios behind "John Carter" and "Battleship" took the focus off of their star and instead cut special-effects shots together, leaving Kitsch as little more than background noise.

The "John Carter" trailer that aired during the game handled its time the most curiously. Beginning with a shot of Kitsch from the film, the footage grew smaller, eventually becoming part of a large collection of footage that formed letters spelling out the title of the film. By the time most of the video appeared on the screen, it was too small to make any sense of it.

What many people may not have known was that an extended version of the commercial, one with full-sized footage from the film, appeared online shortly after. That trailer showed off Kitsch during action sequences instead of zooming away from him.

The ad for "Battleship" approached promoting a big-budget sci-fi movie in a more traditional way, albeit one that also put Kitsch in the background. The spot played more like a commercial for the other series of movies based on Hasbro toys, "Transformers," and the scattered nature of it might have left people wondering whether the film stars Kitsch, Liam Neeson or Rihanna.

Sure, these are just commercials, but if 2012 is going to be the year that Taylor Kitsch makes the crossover from TV heartthrob to viable action star, studios ought to realize who they're working with and put the man front and center.

Check out everything we've got on "John Carter" and "Battleship."

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

• Super Bowl 46: Movie Spots

The couple, along with Lopez's almost four-year-old twins, Max and Emme, was spotted having a play date at a Malibu beach on Sunday. Smart, a backup dancer for Lopez's tour, showed off his toned abs while the "American Idol" judge stayed mostly covered up while relaxing by the water.

Lopez split from husband Marc Anthony last July, and has been linked to Smart since November.

However, though she has definitely moved on from her seven-year marriage with Anthony, Lopez teamed up with her ex for a new reality show, "Q'Viva! The Chosen," which premiered in January.

"Marc and I were friends before we got married," she said on the "Today Show" in January about working with her ex-husband. "We were friends for years. And we always loved each other, and we always worked together ... He's always going to be in my life."

So all's fine with the ex, but how is her relationship going with Smart? Could another marriage be in the future for Lopez? The singer was quick to downplay any marriage rumors while on the "Today Show."

"I don't know. We'll see ... It's not time to think about that, do you know what I mean? It's still fresh," she said.

Check out a photo of Lopez and Smart below, as well as other celebrities out with their kids:

Radcliffe, recently seen on Broadway and now promoting his new thriller "The Woman In Black," discussed anti-gay bullying and marriage equality in the March issue of the British publication Attitude. Towleroad has transcribed excerpts from the new interview.

"The ultimate reason gay marriage should be legalized everywhere is because, as a kid, you look to your mum and dad and they're married, then you look at the gay couple who've been together for the same amount of time, but because they can't get married their relationship doesn't seem the same," Radcliffe told the magazine. "Gay people should have equality in law everywhere. If you grow up as a young gay man knowing you don't have the same opportunities as everyone else, you're going to feel victimized and massive prejudice towards you."

Radcliffe also took on U.S. politicians in the new interview, noting he was "disgusted, amazed, stunned" by GOP candidates like Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann's stance on gay rights. As for Obama, he observes, "Of course he's in favor of [same-sex marriage] but he has to be careful about saying so. I'd rather have someone like him in the White House than the alternative."

Though Radcliffe has been the subject of many rumors regarding his sexuality, the 22-year-old actor once again asserts he is straight. Still, he notes, "This year I have a talent crush on Ryan Gosling. I think he's fantastic and...(ahem) you know he'd be nice afterwards. He seems smart. If I was gay, I would go for a smart man."

Check out Radcliffe's cover below as well as HuffPost Gay Voices blogger Scott Wooledge's slideshow of 10 straight guys we love for supporting LGBT rights:

Cee Lo Green on "The Voice"
Photo: NBC

The blind auditions continued on Monday night's (February 6) two-hour episode of "The Voice," with each judge picking up two more contestants to fill out the 12-person teams they'll take to the battle phase later in the season.

The episode opened with a flashy medley of Prince hits "1999," "Little Red Corvette" and "Kiss" performed by judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, before the crew got right to business with the auditions.

Team Christina
Aguilera picked up two acts, including the evening's first performers: platonic duo the Line. The pair's rendition of Tom Petty's "American Girl" got all four judges' attention, but despite much protest from Shelton, they picked Aguilera. Shelton later told the camera he thought they were "fooled by flash and boobs."

She also scored an interesting choice in chanteuse Lindsay Pavao, who got Shelton and Cee Lo to swivel their chairs too. In one of the more unique performances of the night, Pavao transformed a Trey Songz tune into a ballad that Green compared to Fiona Apple. It was that uniqueness that won Christina over, and Pavao chose to join the "Beautiful" singer's team.

Team Adam
After being denied by two different singers, the Maroon 5 frontman picked up his first team member of the night in 50-year-old Kim Yarbrough — who revealed during an interview segment that one of her many past odd jobs was working security for the Dave Matthews Band. Her soulful rendition of Rufus and Chaka Khan's "Tell Me Something Good" had all the judges dancing in their seats, but Adam won her over after asking for her name. When she said "Kim," he corrected, "No, your name is Chaka Khan, baby." Which is probably what any aspiring diva wants to hear after an audition.

Levine also added the night's final contestant, 23-year-old Angel Taylor, to his team. The Los Angeles native grew up in an abusive household and turned to music to get through the tough times. Her performance of Adele's "Someone Like You" packed an emotional punch.

Team Cee Lo
The night's two most compelling stories came from Jamar Rogers and Angie Johnson, both of whom opted for team Cee Lo. Rogers is a 29-year-old former drug addict from New York who was also featured on "American Idol" during season eight alongside his best friend and eventual finalist Danny Gokey. During his addiction, he contracted HIV. Now that he is clean and sober, Rogers volunteers for food-delivery services for the disabled in the Bronx. He also idolizes Cee Lo, so it's good that the "Forget You" Grammy winner turned his chair around for Rogers' performance of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."

Cee Lo also picked up Staff Sergeant Angie Johnson, who was discovered and pushed to audition for "The Voice" after her fellow soldiers uploaded a video to YouTube of Johnson singing Adele on a military base while deployed in the Middle East. The video eventually tallied over a million views, which gave Johnson the confidence to hit the stage with a gutsy rendition of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker." "I love a girl with guts and confidence," Cee Lo told the singer.

Team Blake
Blake's first choice of the night fit firmly in his country wheelhouse: North Dakota native Gwen Sebastian, a musician who agreed with her drummer husband to hold off on having kids so she could take a go at being a performer. After her performance of "Stay," Shelton remarked, "You are a great country vocalist ... and I'm a country guy. I'm your man."

A more surprising choice for the country superstar came late in the show, when he promised he'd do everything he could for Jermaine Paul, a backup singer who has toured the world with Alicia Keys. Keys even sent Paul a video message wishing him good luck. He made a surprising song choice in Avril Lavigne's "Complicated," which also earned props from Cee Lo, who told Paul he could "hear the swag" in his voice. And even though it looked like Paul was favoring Cee Lo, he opted to move out of his R&B comfort zone and into Shelton's country/rock genre.

Four singers got the ax during the show when no judges swiveled around to offer a spot on their team. The judges went back and forth over country crooner Neil Middleton and pop singer Dez Durmon and ultimately regretted their decisions to pass on the singers. Durmon in particular had the judges all worked up, and when they turned around to see a handsome Yale football player standing in front of them, they practically slapped themselves across the head. "And it's a good-looking guy," Shelton sighed.

Such is the point of "The Voice," though. Durmon would have been a sure thing if the judges had gotten a look at him beforehand, but it's all about the pipes — at least for now — on NBC's reality hit, which kicked off its season to some pretty great post-Super Bowl ratings.

Who was your favorite singer on the latest "Voice" episode? Let us know in the comments!

• Christina Aguilera
• Adam Levine
• Blake Shelton
• Cee Lo Green

But rarely do celebs take their relationships to the next level and actually tie the knot with someone they met while shooting a movie or TV show.

Click through the slideshow below to see eight celebrity couples who let their on-screen chemistry translate into real-life romance -- and marriage.

Katharine McPhee in "Smash"
Photo: NBC

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past month, chances are you have seen a promo for NBC's new musical drama "Smash." The show, which has been in development since 2009, revolves around two aspiring Broadway stars — played by "American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee and Broadway star Megan Hilty — vying to land the role in a new musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.

To get you ready for this highly anticipated new show, here is everything you need to know about "Smash," premiering Monday night (February 6).

Hollywood and Broadway collide
The show is packed with A-list talent: Hollywood veterans Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston lead the cast, also including Broadway actor Christian Borle and Brian d'Arcy James. Yet, it's the star power behind the scenes that's equally as impressive: There are Tony Award winners, Grammy winners and Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg, who came up with the concept of the show.

Let's also not forget the diverse list of guest stars, who include Uma Thurman, OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder and Nick Jonas, who is currently starring on Broadway in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

Marilyn Monroe is ready for her close-up
It seems that Marilyn Monroe is having a moment, with Michelle Williams winning a Golden Globe for playing the pinup queen in "My Week With Marilyn," and now, "Smash" revolving the series around her life.

The two actresses competing to play Marilyn are Ivy, played by Hilty, and Karen, played by McPhee. Viewers might get the sense that the characters' personalities represent the different phases of Monroe's life, with Ivy as the bombshell Monroe, and Karen looking more like Norma Jean, the girl next door.

True to Broadway
If you are questioning whether or not the drama portrayed on and off the stage is anything like a real Broadway show, the answer is yes. From the auditioning process to the endless rehearsals and, of course, the backstage drama, Hilty says "Smash" takes only small liberties in enhancing the drama in what is already a cut-throat environment.

"There are so many times I've been backstage [on Broadway] and I look around and I'm like, 'Where's the camera?' 'cause the drama that's happening back here is way more interesting than what's out on that stage," Hilty told MTV News. "It's just because when you're doing a live performance, the adrenaline is pumping and the stakes are really high, so everyone's really amped up and it literally sets the stage for drama."

Are you excited for "Smash"? Let us know in the comments!

Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson
Photo: Lionsgate

If you're anything like all of us at MTV News, you're curious as hell about whether "The Hunger Games" is going to translate into the big-screen spectacle we all know, believe or hope it can be. The tagline for the film is "The world will be watching," and that's certainly the hope Lionsgate has for their potential four-movie (yes, dividing the last book into two films has been discussed) franchise.

We're less than two months away from the film's release (March 23 to be precise), and I have found myself caught up in all the pre-release hype. I remember talking to Katniss candidates almost exactly a year ago (don't cry for Hailee Steinfeld: She's shooting "Romeo & Juliet"; she'll be fine). And just last month, I sat down with the entire cast of the film to finally talk about what they shot, the huge expectations and more.

Last week, we rolled out my interview with Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, and I know a lot of fans were thrilled to see how close the two clearly are. Of course, whether that translates into "chemistry" onscreen, well, that's a question for late March. This Thursday, by the way, you'll get a chance to see my full sit-down with the director of the film, Gary Ross. Frankly, Ross is the primary reason "The Hunger Games" is something I have legitimately high expectations for. Just a quick glance at his résumé as a writer ("Big," "Dave") and director (one of my favorites, "Pleasantville") should raise anyone's hopes for this big-screen translation.

ODDS & ENDS

The boy who lived lives on: It's perhaps a little odd to wish good fortune for a multimillionaire who's had as much success as Daniel Radcliffe has experienced in his young life, but I have to say I'm happy for the solid job he did in "The Woman in Black" and the fact that it attracted a decent audience (commensurate to its modest budget) in its opening weekend. If there's any guy who could sit back and do nothing, it's Dan, but he kicked ass on Broadway last year, and 2012 is off to a fine start for him. He's soon tackling Allen Ginsberg in a small indie as well. A fine start to phase two of his career.

Double-sided lightsabers are always cool: I don't care if you all think I'm crazy: I will be seeing "The Phantom Menace" when it comes out this Friday. Frankly, I don't really care about the 3-D. I just want to see a Star Wars film on the big screen again, and for all of its flaws, there's plenty to love in "Episode I." Hate Jar Jar all you want. You were dying inside the first time you saw that climactic lightsaber duel too. Was that just me? Really?

Watch "Bad Lieutenant" again: I've got Nic Cage on my interview docket this week, which means I will be seeing the first film in which a superhero urinates fire quite soon. And, yes, I'm looking forward to it.

Have any questions for the awesomely eccentric Mr. Cage? Send them my way to @JoshuaHorowitz.

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games."

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

• MTV Rough Cut: Jennifer Lawrence And Josh Hutcherson
• MTV Rough Cut: Daniel Radcliffe

• The Hunger Games
• 'Hunger Games' Character Posters

Madonna performs at Super Bowl XLVI
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Madonna did it all on Sunday night when she performed during the Super Bowl halftime show in Indianapolis.

She was an Egyptian Queen "Vogue"-ing it up for her biggest devotees. She was a cheerleader, cheering on L-U-V alongside a middle-finger flinging M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj for "Give Me All Your Luvin'." She got her "Music" on with LMFAO and she sang the gospel of "Like a Prayer" with Cee Lo Green.

In a sea of costume changes (with looks by Givenchy and Adidas Originals Jeremy Scott), dancers, acrobats, A-list collaborators and a killer set list, Madonna seemed to leave very little to chance. Sure, there were a few slip-ups, but, in the end, Madonna ensured that all anyone would be talking about around the water cooler come Monday morning was her, whether or not you completely loved what she did during the show.

"It's Madonna Louise Ciccone's world, we're just living in it," Billboard.com wrote about her 12-minute-plus performance. "The pop icon took to the world's biggest stage to rock three-and-a-half older tracks and a playful new song during the Super Bowl halftime show."

While the Super Bowl audience is usually dominated by people who most likely aren't Madge fans, the singer, according to one review, seemed indifferent to that fact. "Madonna was defiantly unconcerned with the more conservative red state wing of the football fanbase who'd never be caught dead singing along to one of her songs," the Los Angeles Times noted about her performance. "And her halftime show was pure spectacle by the Cleopatra of the game."

The show, according to the Chicago Tribune, wasn't just about her, but also about reminding fans that she's about to drop her next album, MDNA, in March. "This was Madonna's party, and besides breaking off bits of her greatest hits to remind people of a time when she was the biggest pop vixen on the planet, she had important career-advancing work to do," the review noted. "Madonna, after all, never does anything unless she's got something to sell, and with a new studio album due out in March and a tour to follow, she had plenty on her to-do list."

Leave your review of Madonna's halftime performance in the comments below!

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson
• Katy Perry's Super Bowl Appearance
• Infamous Middle Fingers

• Madonna

On Feb. 4, RadarOnline claimed that Cyrus defended Moore on her Facebook page, writing: "Everyone needs to leave Demi alone. She's been through so much the past year. She doesn't need the crap. how can you talk crap on someone you don't know. The media makes everyone in Hollywood seem "weak," "stupid," or "unbalanced" ... Just because she's in Hollywood doesn't mean she's on drugs. NOT EVERYONE IS ON DRUGS!!!"

Cyrus plays Moore's rebellious teenage daughter in the upcoming film, "LOL: Laughing Out Loud," and the two were said to have become close on set. Demi was even rumored to have been spotted partying with Miley just before she was hospitalized last month.

It's unlikely that Moore would mind her younger pal defending her at this time, but it's just simply not true. Cyrus never wrote the reported comments on her Facebook page or any other social media account, with a rep for the 19-year-old telling Gossip Cop, "there's no truth" to RadarOnline's report.

To clear things up, Miley tweeted on Feb. 5:

Why do people make stuff up. Demi has been nothing but a great friend 2 me & I'll never speak out on her private life! Its nobodys business.

— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) February 5, 2012

Given that Cyrus doesn't seem to have a problem defending what she believes in, we're inclined to believe her when she says she never made any comments about Moore.

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in '21 Jump Street'
Photo: Columbia Pictures

Whether you watched the entire game until the final nerve-racking moments or you found out the score through a friend's Facebook update, you probably know by now that the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI. But if you weren't paying attention to the commercials, you don't know that the real winner of last night's game was a different kind of giant.

A green, radioactive giant.

That's right, "Marvel's The Avengers" and many other highly anticipated movies rolled out new footage and trailers during the Super Bowl commercial breaks. But not all of them were as successful as the Hulk, his team and their offensive drive. Let's talk about the big winners and losers of Sunday night's movie ads.

Winner: "The Avengers"
The Avengers have assembled. This was the trailer of the night, and the extended online version was only cooler. For one of this summer's biggest films, it was seriously lacking in badass lead-up material until last night. The spot finally gave some validation that this may be the movie we have been waiting for.

Loser: "Battleship"
When the first teaser thrown at the audience reads "From Hasbro, the company that brought you 'Transformers,' " it already looks like trouble. As much as we want to root for Taylor Kitsch, we've had enough of the Transformers-inspired mechanical mayhem. Also, boom goes Rihanna.

Winner: "21 Jump Street"
Advanced screenings of the Jonah Hill-written comedy have left people raving, and the Super Bowl commercial delivered some solid laughs. "You look super young. Were you held forward?" Perfect comeback, Channing.

Loser: "John Carter" TV Spot
Why would Disney spend millions of dollars to air an ad during the Super Bowl for their effects-heavy movie but decide to zoom out of the scenes to spell the title out with them? It defies logic.

Winner: "John Carter" Extended Online Spot
It has the same stupid letter thing, but it also, you know, shows us actual scenes from the movie at full size. This was the ad that would have gotten us excited for the fantasy epic.

Loser: "Act of Valor"
The concept of watching actual Navy SEALS in a film would seem more appealing if the movie itself didn't look so generic.

Winner: "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance"
The movie has already been widely dismissed as a disaster, but we will never say no to a tight 30 seconds of Nic Cage with his head on fire.

Loser: "The Dictator"
When the joke begins to feel old after just 30 seconds, it's not a good.

Winner: "The Hunger Games"
The hotly anticipated YA adaptation had the benefit of having a great first trailer to add to already high expectations. They can count their Super Bowl ad as their second victory.

Loser: "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax"
IMAX Tree-D.

Special Jury Prize: "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"
Basic physics states that after Stephen Sommers' first "G.I. Joe" movie, no sequel could save the series. Thankfully, physics doesn't account for Dwayne Johnson and ninja cliff fights, because, despite all expectations, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" looks fantastic.

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

• Super Bowl 46: Movie Spots

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

Hilary Duff showed off her massive baby belly in Beverly Hills this Sunday.

Katy Perry at Super Bowl XLVI
Photo: Getty Images

Katy Perry got her Super Bowl on over the weekend in Indianapolis. The Grammy-nominated singer donned some colorful gear when she headlined the DIRECTV Super Saturday Night party, but it's the folks she shouted out during the bash's performance that drew attention.

When Perry took the stage the night before the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, she wore a football-themed outfit (jersey-style top and short shorts) and busted through a banner with her name on it, People.com reported.

The singer asked the crowd, "Who else is excited for Madonna? That's the only reason that I came!"

Madge, of course, took the stage on Sunday for the Super Bowl halftime show, which featured gladiator fashions by Givenchy and appearances from M.I.A., Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and Cee Lo Green.

Madonna's daughter, Lourdes, was in attendance at Perry's show, as were Shaquille O'Neal, Neil Patrick Harris and his partner David Burtka, Chris Meloni, and Scott Wolf.

Before Perry launched into her cheerleader anthem-sounding Teenage Dream track "Peacock," she shouted out one football player who wasn't even playing in Sunday's big game: "This one goes out to Tim Tebow," she said.

According to E! News, earlier on Saturday at the NFL Honors ceremony, Perry presented an award to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and had another message for Tebow. "Hey Tim, my parents say hi," she said. Perry's parents are reportedly trying to matchmake the pair.

While Perry spent her weekend teasing Tebow at various events, a source who attended the ESPN Next party on Friday night tell MTV News that Tebow spent the night flirting with TV host Maria Menounos. The two chatted it up while Drake handed out shots to the women in attendance before performing at the party. Kellan Lutz, Matthew Morrison, Jermaine Dupri, Cam Newton, Plaxico Burress, Michael Strahan, Vivica Fox, Sherri Shepherd, Spike Lee, Connor Cruise and Blake Shelton were also spotted at the bash.

• Katy Perry's Super Bowl Appearance
• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

• Katy Perry
• Madonna

Left behind in the room are artifacts of presidents past--a gold mirror left by Reagan, a wicker chair frequently used by JFK, and wooden desk with carved eagle claw feet donated by Eisenhower.

"No sitting President since 1931 has stayed in any other hotel in New York but the Waldorf," Matt Zolbe, the hotel's sales directions told The News. "We're legendary."

And are the POTUS's polite guests?

"Our President is not a demanding customer," Zolbe said.

"There's been a spouse or two that’s been considered high maintenance -- maybe Reagan."

(No word, however, if Presidents ever had to fight off bedbugs.)

Fore more an the suite, read the full Daily News article here.

Everyone's favorite high-maintenance muppet will be commanding the red carpet at the British awards show, and she promises to get all the dirt on the hottest names in Hollywood.

"Imagine the likes of George Clooney, Dujardin, Fassbender, Oldman and Pitt achieving the very pinnacle of their careers -- being interviewed by the one and only moi!" Piggy said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Naturally I will be asking questions that only moi would dare to ask."

As for the stars' significant others, Piggy doesn't want much to do with them -- especially if they're former wrestlers like Clooney's girlfriend Stacy Keibler.

"I don't wrestle girlfriends. No," the muppet said. "However, if George wants to wrestle, bring it on! Best two out of three falls? Winner gets a dinner?"

This isn't the first honor the muppets have received in recent weeks. Jason Segel, co-writer and star of 2011's "The Muppets," was named Harvard's Hasty Pudding Man Of The Year by the university's Hasty Pudding Theatrical drama troupe on Friday night. Naturally, he made Piggy proud by showing up in a hot pink bra stuffed with muppets.

Catch Miss Piggy hosting the BAFTA Awards on Sunday, February 12. For more, click over to The Hollywood Reporter.

In December, the low-key couple was photographed taking their kids on another family outing to the Children's Museum of Manhattan.

While Kidman's daughters may be spending lots of time with mom these days, her oldest daughter -- with ex-husband Tom Cruise -- Isabella, 19, is certainly growing up fast. She stepped out with a new boyfriend, Eddie Frencher, 23, at her brother Connor's 17th birthday bash last month.

For more photos from the family's outing, head over to X17online.com.

Check out the photo of Kidman and Faith below:

Starting with a "TGS With Tracy Jordan" Super Bowl party, "30 Rock" MVPs Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin front the video as their characters Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy. Of course, the fictional media boss kicks off the rendition of "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying's" "Brotherhood of Man" before handing the mic over to more NBC stars.

The attention soon shifts to the other NBC Thursday comedies with "The Office" cast, followed by Amy Poehler taking center stage with more faces from "Parks and Recreation" (look out for hilarious facial expressions from the supporting cast), and "Community." Yes, "Community"!

Of course, it wouldn't be a musical number on NBC without the cast of "Smash" and its stars Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty lead the charge. Mariska Hargitay belts it out with the cast of "Law & Order: SVU" and virtually every other NBC star appears, even the teams from "Today" and "Saturday Night Live."

Watch the full video below!

"I did have sex with George Clooney," Vieira joked, saying she knew this would be the audience's top question of the evening. "I only did it twice because I wanted to give him a second chance." This humor is part of what makes Vieira so well-liked by many -- something "Today" fans grew accustomed to in her banter with Matt Lauer.

In her humor, Vieira also revealed some of her insecurities. For someone who has accomplished so much in her life -- a 25-year marriage, three children and a career working for some of the biggest names in news and media, including "60 Minutes," "Today" and "The View" -- Vieira is surprisingly self-deprecating. The moment she stepped on the stage, she told the audience that we had come on the wrong night, given the guests slated to appear at 92Y over the next month. We also glimpsed a non-humorous side of her self doubt when she admitted that she always worried she'd be "found out" and that she wasn't good enough. "It's always a surprise to me when I do well," Vieira told Saltz.

One can hardly question her extraordinary accomplishments, however. After growing up with three older brothers in Providence, Rhode Island, Vieira headed to Tufts -- the backup to her dream school Harvard (although she sometimes went to Harvard Yard and pretended she attended the school, she told Saltz). She revealed to Saltz that while she dreamt of becoming an actress, her parents didn't approve, so she bounced among majors. Vieira finally settled on English because it was the only major for which she had enough credits to graduate on time. That's right -- a star journalist was born because of college credits.

In her final year at Tufts, Vieira took a course in broadcast journalism, and the head of CBS News was brought in to critique the students' projects. After hearing her narration on her project, he offered her a job at CBS radio. From here, Vieira launched her career, working everywhere from CBS News to "60 Minutes" to "West 57th" to "Turning Point" to "The View" to "Today" to NBC News.

Vieira has faced criticism for leaving some of these jobs -- particularly "60 Minutes" and "Today." But it is clear that Vieira places a high premium on family and has allowed this commitment to influence her career decisions. She began her stint at "60 Minutes" right after her first child was born.

"On a professional level, it was phenomenal," Vieira told Saltz. But personally, it was a disaster, she said. Although she tried to balance her family with work by writing at home and compressing all of her interviews into two days a week instead of four, Vieira realized that her goals didn't line up with the culture. "That particular shop was more of a boys' club, and they wanted you to be there and hang out," said Vieira. After she got pregnant with her second child and her request for reduced hours was denied, she left. Some women were disappointed in Vieira for her decision to leave, but others viewed it as a courageous step in favor of work-life balance. Vieira said simply, "If I didn't leave '60 Minutes,' what would I be saying to women everywhere?"

After stints at CBS News and ABC's "Turning Point," which was cancelled, Vieira found herself with a another opportunity, one in which she had no interest: Barbara Walters asked if she'd audition for "The View." Her husband Richard Cohen urged her to audition and be flexible. To Vieira's shock, she really enjoyed it, feeling guilty that as an established journalist she would like daytime television. But she also found the role to have its own challenges, particularly in that she was now expected to give her opinions. "I had a little insecurity about my opinions and how they'd be received," Vieira told Saltz. But she must have found her groove because she enjoyed a long tenure at the popular daytime show, from 1997 to 2006.

Vieira then made the jump to "Today," another surprising twist in her career, as she had already turned down opportunities at other morning shows. Describing "Today" as "an institution," Vieira told Saltz she thought she would regret not taking the opportunity. So she jumped on board, and discovered a family in NBC. But in time, she also felt that she was neglecting her own. "I was spending very little time focused on my family," said Vieira. "It just stopped feeling right." She threw herself into preparing for the show -- regardless of who she would be interviewing -- and was sleep deprived due to the grueling hours.

Vieira left "Today" after five years, a decision that she struggled with. "I wondered how lost I would feel and how insignificant," she told Saltz. But she decided that moving on was the best choice: "I thought that was the right time to leave. I wanted to spend more time with Richard," she said.

Cohen has multiple sclerosis, a disease he was diagnosed with at 25. Some speculated that Vieira was leaving "Today" to be his caretaker, but she said it's just the opposite: She wanted to enjoy her time with Cohen now, while he was healthy.

Cohen's illness -- which has left him legally blind -- has been difficult for Vieira because it is central to her life as well. "It's not always easy to be the other person," she said. "It's a family illness, as most illnesses are." And while she admitted to Ladies' Home Journal that she sometimes feels cheated by her husband's MS, Vieira's close bond with her husband is obvious. In fact, she told Saltz that she knew she'd marry him from the first time they'd met in the CBS Chicago newsroom, despite an obnoxious comment he made to her. Vieira told Good Housekeeping that Cohen is the person she admires most:

I've watched somebody deal so gracefully with the issues that have been thrown at him. I've learned a lot from Richard: to really appreciate life, to live it fully, to value it, to not take yourself too seriously. He embodies all of that, and he has a strength that I think is quite amazing.

Vieira told Saltz that Cohen has been incredibly supportive throughout her career and just wants her to be happy.

At the moment, Vieira is ready to take on her next challenge: She will debut as a special correspondent on "Rock Center with Brian Williams" next week. Vieira also told Saltz that she wants to do something with meaning -- something she has been pondering since her positive experience visiting sick children as "Dr. Ditzy" with the program Clown Care. Adding these to the list of her other gigs, like contributing to other NBC News programs, hosting "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and producing, Vieira is far from retired, as some have labeled her. And while she maintained to Saltz that she "fell into" journalism, she gave herself a little credit: "I probably made my luck, but I also think timing is everything," she said.

To see some memorable moments from Vieira's career, check out our slideshow below.

"I thought the cameras would provide some protection," Armstrong explained.

Contrary to reports that Russell was uncomfortable with the reality show's media attention, Taylor explained that he actually "loved seeing his name in the news" and was excited every morning to check his name in a Google search.

But Armstrong's memoir doesn't only focus on her relationship with her husband but also highlights her childhood, during which her mother was a victim of abuse. The reality star remembers standing on her bed as a child wearing blue footy pajamas, pulling her father's hair while he beat her mother -- an experience that no doubt impacted her adult relationship with her alleged physically abusive husband.

But despite the pain that Russell caused in her life, Taylor was clear that she still has love for her deceased husband: "I love him to this day and miss him terribly ... The good times were the best I've ever had and the worst times were the worst I've ever had."

Armstrong's book, "Hiding From Reality", goes on sale today.

Check out all of the "Real Housewives," past and present, below:

Rick Ross
Photo: Getty Images

When it comes to MCs, Pharrell has worked with some of the greats. Skateboard P has produced and rhymed with the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, T.I. and Snoop Dogg, and for this year's hottest MC in the game, P has a nomination: "Rick Ross is on his way, he's working his way. He's been doing it for a minute, and he's been really consistent," the Neptunes producer told MTV News on Friday in Miami.

The debate rages on, and Sunday, February 19, the "Hottest MCs in the Game VII" will premiere on MTV2. During the half-hour special, MTV's Hottest MCs Hip-Hop Brain Trust will gather at the roundtable and decide the top five rappers in the game. Beginning February 13, MTV will reveal MCs 10 through six online, but only one spitter can snag the #1 spot.

If Pharrell has his way, Rozay will conquer all in this highly contested debate. "That guy is an animal; he's an animal with it. Lyrically, he's crazy, and he's just got a very distinct style, it's his own," P campaigned. "There were a lot of comparisons made at the beginning of his career, but along with the test of time, he's proven that he's his own person and he has his own paintbrush and his own colors."

Skateboard might be just a bit biased as he reveals to MTV News that he and the Bawse have some very exciting things in the works — then again, Pharrell has worked with a number of MCs who could contend for the crown. "He and I have something special too. We have a special record too, but we're still working," the multiplatinum producer said. "I'm happy to be a part of it."

Tune in to MTV2 on Sunday, February 19, at 10 p.m. ET/PT to catch "MTV2 Presents: Yo! MTV Raps Classic Cuts," then watch "Hottest MCs in the Game VII" immediately after at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT before capping the night off with "Sucker Free Certified" at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

• Hottest MCs In The Game VII Is Coming

• Rick Ross
• Pharrell Williams

M.I.A. performs at the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Madonna has built a nearly 30-year career on her ability to shock and surprise, especially during awards show and live TV appearances. And though her glittery, high-energy halftime extravaganza at Sunday's Super Bowl 
 from the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Christina Aguilera and Perez Hilton, it was a slip of the finger, and the tongue, by one of her guests that grabbed headlines.

During a performance of Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin",
 singer M.I.A. topped her guest rap with a defiant flip of the middle finger and a not-safe-for-prime time s-bomb lyric.


NBC's censors were not fast enough to obscure the gesture, or completely blot out the expletive, and following the game the network issued an apology for the incident. "We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime," a spokesperson said. "It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late."

The NFL -- which hires the performers and produces the halftime show -- pointed the finger directly at NBC. "There was a failure in NBC's delay system," the league said in a statement. "The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans."

According to Deadline Hollywood, M.I.A. was kept things clean during rehearsals, but clearly got excited during the performance.

M.I.A. is no stranger to controversy. After the New York Times magazine wrote a lengthy feature on the singer (born Mathangi Arulpragasam) in 2010, she lashed out
 at the writer over some unflattering descriptions via music. In addition to posting the writer's phone number on Twitter, M.I.A. lambasted journalist Lynn Hirschberg in public, threatened to release the unedited tapes of the interview and, finally, issued a dis track, "I'm a Singer",
 in retaliation.

She was also denied a travel visa in 2005 by the U.S. government and appeared on a U.S. Homeland security risk list in 2006 as a result of her controversial political lyrics.

What did you think of M.I.A.'s halftime gesture? Were you offended? Let us know in comments below.

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

• M.I.A.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach in "Gold on the Ceiling"
Photo: Warner Bros.

There are no dancing actors/security guards, precocious street-fighting children or cameos by "Sir" Todd Bridges in the Black Keys' new "Gold on the Ceiling" video. But don't let their absences sway you — in a lot of ways, this was the video the Keys were born to make.

The clip, which premiered Monday night (February 6) on MTV, features only the Black Keys (and various members of their road team) doing what they do best: playing live, in gloriously gritty fashion. It's not only a nod to their roots — for close to a decade, they hammered out gigs (and miles) aboard a rusty van — but it's a powerful reminder to their detractors that they are, first and foremost, a positively killer live act.

Of course, it was also probably a matter of necessity. The Black Keys are rather busy these days, what with their smash album and world tour, so shooting a live video (in part during their MTV Hive-sponsored El Camino release party at New York's Webster Hall) undoubtedly made their management happy, but you get the feeling that Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney probably delighted in making a concert clip. After all, it fits rather nicely with their anachronistic ways. Of all the monster rock acts currently lumbering, the Black Keys seem the most natural fit for a live video. No bells or whistles, no special effects, just a band, a stage and some grainy footage. It's easy.

So while "Gold" may be lacking in all those things (not to mention odd, inbox-baiting cameos), it is by no means a lesser video. If anything, it represents everything that makes the Black Keys the band they are — hard-charging, unpolished and seemingly not-of-this-era, indebted to their past yet still pushing forward and always determined to do things on their own terms. Big-selling album and high-profile second single be damned, the Black Keys just want to do it live and do it loud. It's what got them here, after all.

What did you think of the Keys' latest video? Share your reviews in the comments below!

• MTV First: The Black Keys' 'Gold On The Ceiling'

However, he was grabbed from the mines by the conniving Ashur, who then delivered him into the hands of Spartacus' mortal enemy, Claudius Glaber.

Arriving at Glaber's home late at night, Ashur announced, "I have come bearing a gift that shall set you on the path for the fall of Spartacus."

As Glaber started to take it all in, a blood-soaked Lucretia, fresh from sacrificing to the gods, entered the room and exulted: "The gods truly hear my prayers."

Will Oenomaus be Lucretia's next sacrificial offering? Follow the action on "Spartacus: Vengeance," Fridays at 10 p.m. EST on Starz.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Katy parlayed her outlandish fashion tastes into this cartoonishly patriotic ensemble: a red and white football jersey dress, complete with red and white shoes. (An idea cribbed from Kat Von D?) She didn't stop there, adding giant red sunglasses and a sequined bolero with her name emblazoned on the back.

And her hair? Blue, natch.

Katy also bypassed subtlety for Saturday night's NFL Honors awards, looking cozy in a huge purple fur wrap and a bright dress.

Perry tweeted that the game was a "spiritual experience"; we're guessing her wild outfit was part of the thrill. Check out pics today!

SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE @ #thesuperbowl #neverthoughtidsaythat

— Katy Perry (@katyperry) February 6, 2012

PHOTOS:

Although his left hand had been sliced open and blood was pouring out, the dazed-looking co-owner of The Christine Rose didn't want to go to hospital. However, as the guys walked away from the bar, deckhand Cody Moen realized that Shawn's injuries might be much worse than they first thought.

"I looked and I seen his coat was all bloody in the back, and sure stuff he had a stab wound right in his back."

In Cody's opinion the guy who attacked Shawn in the bar did it out of jealousy and to create trouble for The Christine Rose. If Shawn was out of action, it could mean an early end to the season for the dredger.

"Bering Sea Gold" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on Discovery.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Matthew Broderick in his Honda CR-V commercial
Photo: Honda

Even if you aren't a football fan, there's no way you could've pulled a Cameron Frye after last night's and claimed, as the "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" curmudgeon famously did, that you didn't see anything good all day.

That's because two and a half decades after writer/director John Hughes introduced us to the coolest high school kid who ever lived, Matthew Broderick returned during the big game for a "Ferris"-inspired Honda commercial that had the actor once again pointing out that life moves pretty fast, so you should look around every once in a while or you'll miss it.

Life, then, is all about surprises. Who would've thought that, after Hughes died in 2009, we'd ever see some fresh "Ferris" action? Certainly not the film's producer, Tom Jacobson, who was utterly taken by surprise when a teaser for the ad popped up online ahead of the Bowl.

Shortly before the game kicked off, MTV News called Jacobson to get his take on the spot, what Hughes would make of it and whether we'll ever get an actual "Ferris Bueller" sequel.

MTV: So what's your take on the new ad?

Tom Jacobson: I think it's fantastic. The fact that Ferris is a cultural phenomenon and representative of something is cool. I thought it was very well-done. Todd Phillips [who directed the ad] did a really good job. Matthew was great. When the first thing was released, with him just opening the window, it was the same voice. It was the same reading as Ferris 26 years ago.

MTV: It was eerily similar.

Jacobson: He's a good actor. Clearly it's part of him, and that's why he was so good in the first one. It's interesting, because the movie is 26 years old this June, and everyone still knows who Ferris is. Even kids know who Ferris is. It's not generational. I have a 14-year-old son, and last year, when he was in seventh grade, they had a school sleepover thing and the movie they showed was "Ferris Bueller." All the teachers and all the administration, they were the ones raised on "Ferris Bueller."

MTV: Did you know the commercial was coming?

Jacobson: I didn't know it was coming, and I was surprised. At first, I was like, "What?" Everybody was calling me, and my kids were sending me these links, like, "Dad, did you see this?" I looked it up and loved it.

MTV: That was just the teaser?

Jacobson: Yeah, just the 15-second thing.

MTV: So what were you thinking? Did you think they were making a sequel?

Jacobson: I was just a consumer. There was all this Internet rumor about, "What's this for? Is there a 'Ferris 2'?" So I did my own calling around and found out pretty quickly it was a car commercial. I actually spoke to Matthew on Monday and Tuesday and told him he did a great job. I emailed him and said it's amazing how many emails I've got about this. And he said the same thing and his BlackBerry was blowing up and it's amazing how the movie resonates after all these years.

MTV: When you saw the full commercial, was there one moment or reference that you thought was particularly cool?

Jacobson: It was more the imagery. The way it was framed. And Matthew playing himself. That was very clever and postmodern.

MTV: What do think John Hughes would make of this? Ferris Bueller doing a car commercial for the Super Bowl?

Jacobson: I can't really speak for what he would think. He was very protective of his material. It's unique stuff that he created. I don't know how he would feel. It's always a question about how artists feel about their material promoting something else. I'm proud it's part of the culture. I'll separate it from the product side of it and the fact that someone bought the rights to sell something else.

MTV: Is this ad the closest we're ever going to get to seeing a "Ferris Bueller" sequel?

Jacobson: There are a lot of people involved in that decision. We've never tried it before. John never wanted to do it.

MTV: Why do you think the film still resonates?

Jacobson: I think there's a very simple sentiment in the movie, which he repeats at the end: Life moves pretty fast, and if you don't stop and look around, it'll pass you by. It's one of those Confucius sayings that the whole movie emblemizes. It's even truer now. The world moves so fast. It's true for grownups. And there's the magic on John Hughes' execution — the fairy-tale nature of it. Why do fairy tales last for a thousand years? Why does the myth of Ulysses last for 2,000 years? Because they're mythological journeys, and John made one of those. That's Ferris' journey.

Check out everything we've got on "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

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

Madonna in her "Give Me All Your Luvin' " music video
Photo: Interscope

Two days before Madonna took the stage for the Super Bowl halftime show, she dropped a video for her lead MDNA single "Give Me All Your Luvin' " that was chock-full of cheerleaders and football players.

While it may seem awfully suspicious that Madge would tout football in a video released mere days before her halftime spectacle Sunday night, the clip's duo of directors, the Megaforce, insist the similarly themed moments are purely coincidental.

"I think the track has something to do with cheerleading. It's pretty clear that the beginning is a kind of cheering [anthem]," the Megaforce's Clement Gallet told MTV News about the song, which also features Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. "With this one, it felt like there was no point to bring it somewhere else [in terms of visuals] other than where it was. I don't think our cheerleaders are really obvious."

In fact, the cheerleaders in the video look way different than the ones cheering at the Big Game. Led by Minaj and M.I.A., the cheer squad sports anime-like masks and even gets a bit cheekily violent when one bats the head off a football player near the end of the clip. While the Super Bowl plans had been in the air when Madge and the crew hit the New York set back in December, the video's look was influenced more by the Martin Solveig track than anything else, the director say.

"We were aware that this video, this track was supposed to be aired during the Super Bowl, but we never felt or we were never even asked to make something in relation to the Super Bowl," Gallet explained. "And I think it's just — it's not a coincidence, we had the Super Bowl in mind — but we are not doing a video about Super Bowl."

Did Madonna's new video put you in the mood for Sunday's Super Bowl performance? Let us know in the comments below!

• Five Key Moments In Madonna's 'Give Me All Your Luvin' Music Video

Andrew Garfield in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
Photo: Marvel / Columbia Pictures

NEW YORK — Spider-Man fans came out in droves around the globe and in the web-slinger's hometown to get "a sneak peek into the untold story" from the upcoming film.

That's all they knew when they lined up hours early outside Manhattan's Regal Union Square. As similar events were taking place in major cities worldwide, no one in the audience knew about the surprises four of the events, in particular, held in store.

MTV News' Josh Horowitz moderated the New York event and welcomed fans as they took their seats. The theater grew quiet, and a live feed from L.A. replaced the Spider-Man insignia on the screen. The L.A. host welcomed the director of "The Amazing Spider-Man," Marc Webb, to join him on-camera. Webb threw it to Rio de Janeiro, where Emma Stone was introduced. A trip across the pond revealed the film's villain, Rhys Ifans, but it wasn't until the special guest in New York that the crowd lost their minds.

Andrew Garfield, the man behind the mask, stepped out from a side door, inciting an out-of-control roar from the theater. A man shouted "Hallelujah" from the crowd, and Garfield couldn't help but agree: "Hallelujah. You said exactly what was on my mind," he said. "It means the world to all of us that you care so much. Thank you for being here."

Back in L.A., Webb instructed the audiences around the world to put on their 3-D glasses for the new trailer for "Amazing Spider-Man," hours before the world premiere.

Each of the four special guests then answered a question about the upcoming film. Webb addressed the new story and villain. Stone described how Gwen Stacy is the polar opposite to Mary Jane Watson. Ifans explained how Dr. Connors' flaws make him more significant and how the connection to Peter's father makes the film more emotional.

Garfield answered a simple question — "Why did you want to be Spider-Man?" — in a simple and honest way: "Because I'm not an idiot," he said. "It's the thing everyone wants." He explained that the role doesn't belong to him, the character belongs to everyone. Garfield even expressed hopes that the next actor to play Peter Parker would be "half Hispanic/half African-American," like the current iteration of Spider-Man in the Ultimate run, Miles Morales.

The event concluded with an extended sizzle reel, lasting about seven minutes in all, of new 2-D footage, much of which was unfinished. Scenes included an awkward and cute scene between Peter and Gwen and a short sequence showing Peter developing his powers.

Check out everything we've got on "The Amazing Spider-Man."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

He took his snakes out for a walk in the yard each morning but, as his friend Les said, it just didn't look like he had full control over them while they were out there. As he wrestled with two huge constrictors in the yard Patrick said their size made taking them out more exciting.

While his young son watched on, Patrick's sister Shauna didn't think it was a safe situation and yelled, "Really, Pat? The snake is that big?" Despite him saying "it's a small one," it still took four men to carry it back inside.

"Confesssions: Animal Hoarding" airs Fridays at 10 p.m. EST on Animal Planet.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

The Wanted
Photo: MTV News

The Wanted are currently taking their fist-pumping boy band antics across America, and it seems that whatever they are doing is working. The guys just confirmed that their Battleground single, "Glad You Came," will appear on "Glee" this season.

The guys made the announcement on Twitter on Monday (February 6). The song originally appeared on their 2011 album and is now getting some love Stateside. It's already hit back in their native U.K., having topped the charts there for several weeks last year.

And, all the U.S. attention is certainly a coup for the band. "The American fans are so optimistic, very intense," bandmate Max George told MTV News about all the U.S. attention. "They're just really enthusiastic. I get a massive buzz off American people. I think it's really refreshing."

While their fans back home have already scooped up Battleground, fellow Wanted singer Jay McGuiness explained that they hope their music comes before their image — though they may have plenty of tween girls screaming their names.

"I think when we first started we were just trying to create the best pop album we could because we knew that's what everyone wanted to hear," he said of their 2010 album debut. "And then the second time around you find you want to be a lot more creative, you want to put on personal things and the writing on the first album was fun and the writing on the second album was really personal.

"And that means every time we do a live gig and people are singing it back [and] it makes everything electric," he continued. "And I think nowadays boy bands can be part of that, where the music is as key as people find them attractive and we know that boy bands often had shelf lives because the image came before the music. And we're trying to be the other way around. So far it's working because we like singing and people like listening to us."

The band — which also includes Tom Parker, Siva Kaneswaran and Nathan Sykes — is here promoting Battleground. Their U.S. tour will wrap up on Wednesday in Los Angeles before they kick off an arena tour on February 15 in their native England.

Are you excited for the "Glee" cast to perform "Glad You Came"? Leave your comment below!

• The Wanted

Dropping her off outside Casa Gallagher afterward, he offered her a diamond necklace and she came back down to earth with a bump. Fiona realized she couldn't accept the gift and so walked away saying, "I'd just end up selling it for food and toilet paper."

However, she couldn't manage any smart one-liners when she immediately ran into her ex, Steve. Suddenly finding herself to be tongue-tied in his presence, all she could do was nod or shake her head in answer to his questions.

But she did manage a smile when he told her, "You look really good."

Does Fiona have a future with Steve? Find out on "Shameless," Sunday nights at 9 p.m. EST on Showtime.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Diddy
Photo: MTV News

The saga continues. Diddy is pretty excited about his new Bad Boy Records roster, but the music mogul isn't done adding new talent to the storied label.

"It's time for a whole new generation; it's time for a whole new movement. So we got [Machine Gun Kelly], French Montana, Red Café; we got Cassie," Diddy told MTV News correspondent Sway while at a French Montana video shoot on January 29. "We also have a new artist named Los that we signed. It's official. We're trying to put that young, youthful energy out in the air and do it the only way that Bad Boy can do it."

Underground rap fans have gotten familiar with Los thanks to his collection of lyrically heavy mixtapes. This isn't his first go-round with Diddy's label, however. He first auditioned for Puff's "Making the Band" but refused to sign any of the paperwork required to appear on the show. The Baltimore MC then signed to Bad Boy, through local label Bloc Incorporated around 2005 after he auditioned for Puff with a 10-minute freestyle. Bloc Incorporated would eventually disband and Los wound up losing his deal with Bad Boy in 2008 before he was able to drop any material.

Since 2008, Los has dropped a number of mixtapes. His latest, The Crown Ain't Safe, was released in December and featured contributions from DMX and Twista. "When I say The Crown Ain't Safe, I just mean whoever is viewed as #1," Los told Mixtape Daily back in August before referencing basketball great Michael Jordan and his onetime sidekick. "I just feel like it's for the taking. Why wouldn't you want to be #1? I'm not Scottie Pippen; I want to be #1."

Whether or not Los will get that #1 spot remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: He is on the right team. "It's definitely reinvention time; it's rebuilding time," Diddy told Sway of his new Bad Boy team. "When you've been doing it for as long as we've been doing it, we the last ones standing from when we were doing it. And that's not taking shots at nobody, that's just a fact."

What do you think of Diddy's new signee Los? Tells us in the comments!

• Diddy

That may not sound like a lot, but it's worth a whopping $80,000 and, as "Gold Rush: Alaska" (Fri., 9 p.m. EST on Discovery) showed, to mine even that much takes months of hard work.

At reckoning time, a tense Fred sat contemplating his pot of gold and admitted that he didn't know if he'd hit the 50-ounce mark or not. "I've not weighed all this gold ever. I've weighed it separately occasionally, but ... I don't know if this is gonna work or not."

As Fred poured the gold onto the weighing scales the other miners fidgeted nervously. They hit 49 ounces, but the pot was looking empty. Would they make it to 50 ounces?

Finally, a whoop of delight from Fred -- the gold weighed in at 50.7 ounces. They were now making a profit!

"Gold Rush Alaska" airs Fridays at 9 p.m. EST on Discovery.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

As it turns out, Ace went to prison because he refused the nearly impossible situation the Feds put him in. After his grandson was caught with six kilos of cocaine in Ace's co-op, the kid was picked up and Ace was given a choice. Either roll over on his partner Michael, who had stashed the coke there in the first place, or see his grandson go to prison for the drugs.

As Ace described the boy at the time, "You couldn't send him out to find six pounds of dog food the shape he was in four years ago." So he opted for a third choice. He took the fall for the drugs and did the time himself.

When Gus asked him what Michael would have done had their roles been reversed, Ace knew his old partner would have turned on him in a heartbeat. "I never ratted out anybody in my whole f*****g life, and I wouldn't do it even with that c********r," Ace said vehemently. It's a code.

The heart-to-hearts between Ace and Gus seem to be the emotional core of the show thus far, as is their unlikely friendship and loyalty to one another. With "Luck" already picked up for a second season by HBO, it will be interesting to see if that bond gets tested, or if they take on the world of horse racing side by side.

Find out as "Luck" continues Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Robin Antin
Photo: MTV News

One day after the new Pussycat Dolls lineup debuted during a Go Daddy Super Bowl commercial, the Dolls are already working on their next small-screen project — and this time, it includes reality-TV queen Kim Kardashian.

PCD creator Robin Antin stopped by the MTV Newsroom late last month, and she had some fun teases about what fans should expect from their in-the-works, forthcoming show. "We're developing a reality show with Kim Kardashian as an executive producer and Nigel Lythgoe," Antin said of Kim K. and the "American Idol" producer and "So You Think You Can Dance" judge. "He wanted to get into reality TV and was very interested in doing something with me. Obviously, with the Pussycat Dolls, he's always been a big fan."

Antin appears on "So You Think You Can Dance" from time to time, and as for Kim, she performed as a Doll back in 2008. Also, Antin said, Kardashian "understands reality more than anyone I know."

"Kim is one of my best friends and has been for many, many years and so supportive and said, 'I'd love to be a part of really showing your world, the empire of really what you have built and the world around you ... and all the girls that revolve around that.' "

With a new Doll lineup (which includes Chrystina Sayers from Girlicious, "So You Think You Can Dance" contestant Paula Van Oppen, Paradiso Girl and "Party Rock Anthem" collaborator Lauren Bennett, former Laker Girl Vanessa Curry and former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Erica Jenkins), Antin thinks now is as good a time as any to put their ups and downs on tape.

"The engine of all Pussycat Dolls [projects] is the recording ground, and now having the new recording group, it made sense to focus on the launch of this new group and how that engine opens up all the doors for all the different things that I'm doing that are a part of the brand," she said. "So it's a really fun, interesting, wacky world inside what I do."

However, Antin noted, the show won't be about catfights or exploiting the lows that come with the highs. "It's not about showing all the drama and all the girls fighting," she said. "I'm not interested in that — although the reality is, there are things that happen and we're OK with showing the reality. We focus so much and want to inspire people to show that girls can work together and act like sisters and get along. And through dancing and singing, I want to inspire everyone. These girls are the next generation."

What do you want to see from a new PCD reality show? Let us know in the comments!

• Pussycat Dolls

M.I.A. performs at the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic

M.I.A.'s middle finger may currently be the most-discussed digit in America, dominating the post-Super Bowl chatter and earning swift rebukes from NBC and the NFL. But for those who've covered her career from the beginning, well, let's just say this is basically par for the course.

Because ever since M.I.A. first broke through in 2004, she's courted controversy, first for her outspoken support of the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan separatist organization that engaged in acts of terror and has been linked to the assassination of Sri Lankan and Indian leaders. That support and her overtly political lyrics led to her being denied a travel visa by the U.S. government and earned her a spot on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's risk list in 2006. So, really, a middle finger is no big thing.

And over the past few years, she hasn't exactly mellowed. In 2010, she raised eyebrows with the graphic video for "Born Free," a clip that saw security forces (with American flags prominently displayed) round up red-headed citizens and summarily execute them in brutal fashion. It was a savage bit of socio-political commentary, though most missed that message entirely, focusing instead on the blood and guts, which earned the video a measure of YouTube ignominy and had critics howling.

Her outspoken ways also drew the ire of both Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber fans, after she called Gaga "a good mimic" and said the content of "Born Free" was no less offensive than anything Bieber had churned out.

And then, she launched a lengthy (and much-covered) offensive against New York Times writer Lynn Hirschberg, posting her phone number on Twitter and releasing a diss song called "I'm a Singer" after reading what she believed to be an unflattering feature in the Times. Though Hirschberg remained largely silent on the matter, the Times did eventually admit that a pair of M.I.A.'s quotes were rearranged in the piece.

Finally, earlier this month, she unveiled the video for "Bad Girls," which re-teamed her with "Born Free" director Romain Gavras and is loaded with socially (and politically) charged imagery, like women cloaked in burqas doing stunts in expensive cars as men in keffiyeh look on, smoldering oil fields and assault rifles.

Were you offended by M.I.A.'s halftime gesture? Leave your comment below.

• Infamous Middle Fingers
• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

• M.I.A.

Swedish House Mafia's Sebastain Ingrosso
Photo: MTV News

When MTV News caught up with Swedish House Mafia's Sebastian Ingrosso at Las Vegas' XS Nightclub recently, the DJ/producer was beaming with pride. That's because his mentee, Alesso, a young talent from Sweden, now stands as a formidable star on the rise.

Having dropped a couple of healthy tracks and remixes in 2010, MTV News first previewed the young Alesso's capabilities when SHM launched into his thunderous "Nillionaire" at their beachfront Masquerade Motel party over Miami Music Week last year. Since then, Ingrosso and the SHM camp have personally cultivated the young star into a hit-making wizard — seemingly cooking up undeniable hits with each release and remix.

"Nillionaire," "Dynamite," "Raise Your Head," and the popular DJ set staple "Calling" with Ingrosso remain Alesso's original bombshells of 2011. His remix game is seemingly unparalleled. With his remixes of David Guetta's "Titanium" and SHM's "Save the World," Alesso struck gold. But with his rework of Alex Kenji, Starkillers and Nadia Ali's "Pressure," he created one of the most far-reaching EDM anthems of the year.

In 2012, his continued trajectory seems almost cemented: "Calling" will have a vocal version, and it looks like Alesso, Seb and SHM's Steve Angello will have a hit on their hands with their "Eclipse (Why am I Doing This)."

"I'm so proud of him, and what we've worked on," Seb told MTV News. "The last couple of years have been just crazy. I told him just before the EDC show in Vegas [Electric Daisy Carnival last year], 'I'm going to change your life tonight. Just so you know that.' And he was like, 'What do you mean?' And I said, 'Watch and see.' "

"And after that, it's just been mayhem," Seb continued. "He's been doing so much great music and so many big shows. I'm just so happy for him. I'm like a proud father, you know. I'm just so happy for him."

It seems like fans of Alesso will have plenty of new music to look forward to, and soon. Alesso tweeted Friday (February 3), "I have so many new tracks coming out 2012! So f---ing excited to play them this year!!! Hope you guys are ready!!"

What are you hoping to see from Alesso this year? Leave your comment below!

• Swedish House Mafia

As a judge on "American Idol" for the past two seasons, Steven Tyler wasn't on hand for Carrie Underwood's meteoric rise from small town unknown to worldwide superstar during the fourth season of television's number one show. But he can certainly appreciate the talented artist she's grown into, and he can clearly see what a beauty she is as well.

The 63-year old Aerosmith frontman has turned some heads quizzically at some of the comments he's made about some of the younger female contestants on "Idol." This season, he even referenced how hot a teenage contestant was in front of her father. The 28-year old Underwood may not be a kid anymore, but she still looked uncomfortable when Tyler threw a compliment her way.

She described herself as shy in a backstage interview with Tyler after he said, "Looking sexy is a mindset." For Underwood, being on stage gives her a temporary self-confidence. "You can be whatever you want to be, and be a little unpredictable. I think that confidence ... that's sexy."

Tyler agreed, and urged Underwood to embrace her sex appeal. "I don't know how you can sing half the songs you do and not look sexy, anyway, because ... look who you are, girl. Come on."

Steven Tyler can be seen on "American Idol," Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on Fox. "CMT Crossroads" is an occasional series that pairs unexpected artists from a wide variety of musical genres.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Jennifer Lawrence
Photo: MTV News

For our fellow "Hunger Games" fans who obsess over Suzanne Collins' brilliant books and their upcoming film adaptations as much as we do, there are so many things to love about the story that it's difficult to pick just one or two (or five) things we're looking forward to seeing when the movie opens March 23. But two of the most intriguing elements involved in the book-to-movie translation are what the Capitol will look like and how star Jennifer Lawrence will sound singing Rue's Lullaby.

MTV News was lucky enough to get a few hints about those specific topics during our recent chat with Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, both of whom can't wait to see the Capitol in the finished film but disagree about their excitement for Lawrence's singing skills.

"[I'm excited to see] everything in the Capitol," Lawrence said. "Every time we showed up at a Capitol scene, I was so blown away. Everything was more than you could have even imagined."

"What was cool about the stuff in the Capitol, so much was practical," Hutcherson added. "The whole apartment scene was all a set they built that was super, incredibly futuristic and amazing, and to see how that is integrated with the whole green-screen world as well is going to be really, really cool."

Lawrence was not quite as enthusiastic about hearing her voice in the film, however. When we brought up the subject, she seemed to immediately get nervous about it.

"Oh God, oh God. Yeah, I did [sing]," she said when asked about recording "Rue's Lullaby." "I'm a terrible singer."

"She's not," Hutcherson said.

"No, Josh! Stop," Lawrence said to Hutcherson with sincerity. "He is messing with everyone."

"She's been called the songbird of her generation," Hutcherson jumped in with a smile, referencing a Will Ferrell line in "Step Brothers."

"My voice is a combination of Fergie and Jesus," Lawrence played along. "No, I am a horrible singer. And I'm an even worse person to be around when I'm singing. I'm a terrible singer. I hated it."

Lawrence said the recording process with famed producer T-Bone Burnett was particularly excruciating.

"T-Bone Burnett, like, the best person to ever happen to music is, like, listening in the other room. I kept getting ready, and then the music would play, and I'd [freak out]," she recalled. "Nothing would come out of my mouth."

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games."

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

• MTV Rough Cut: Jennifer Lawrence And Josh Hutcherson
• Super Bowl 46: Movie Spots

Jay-Z
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Jay-Z has seen it all and done it all — or so we thought. Just when it looked like there was no new ground for Hov to cover, the multiplatinum rap superstar announced he would be performing a pair of shows at New York's famed Carnegie Hall.

For the first time ever, Jay will hit the Carnegie Hall stage on Monday night (February 6), followed by a second show on Tuesday, and it's all for a good cause. Proceeds from the privately sold premium-priced tickets will go to Jigga's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and the United Way in an effort to put low-income New York City students in a position to attend college.

When Hov first announced the concert dates back in December, he told MTV News that he wasn't sure what the night would bring, but Jay-Z fans know the rap mogul often has a trick or two up his Maison Martin Margiela sleeves. Here are some things we hope to see:

"Glory" featuring B.I.C.
Two days after wife Beyoncé gave birth to the couple's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, Big Poppa Jay dropped "Glory," a dedication track to daddy's little girl. The Pharrell-produced track featured the "Streets Is Watching" rapper like we've never seen him as he rhymed about the joys of fatherhood. Hopefully, Jay will perform the track ... and maybe even roll out Baby Blue in a stroller for her first public appearance? It would be an incredible, if highly unlikely moment.

Beyoncé
"Crazy in Love," "Déjà Vu," "Upgrade U," Jay and Queen B have no shortage of hit records to perform. Granted, Beyoncé is probably on some type of musical maternity leave (and deservedly so). But it sure would be nice to see B make her first post-birth appearance onstage and hand-in-hand with hubby Hov.

"N---as in Paris" — Multiple Times
People love Paris. While out on the Watch the Throne Tour, Jay-Z and Kanye West would perform their fan-favorite "N---as in Paris" multiple times each night. On the final stop in Vancouver, the duo rocked the song a record-breaking 11 times. So how many times will he rock the song at Carnegie Hall? "We have to do a rendition of 'N---as in Paris' in Carnegie Hall; it just has to go down," Jay laughed back in December. "I ain't think about that. That'll be great."

Rap Guests
Jay has a ton of rap friends. From Big Daddy Kane to Kanye West, Hova's list of hip-hop collaborators is as long as his paper — maybe longer. Will he bring out the LOX for "Reservoir Dogs," Eminem for "Renegade" or Nas for "Black Republican"? You never know with Hov.

New Material
During our December interview with Jay, the God MC hinted that 2012 would bring a new solo album for him and possibly another from the Throne. It's still early in the year, but how cool would it be for Jay to debut some fresh material for the Carnegie audience? It's for charity after all!

What are you expecting when Jay-Z plays Carnegie Hall for the first time? Tell us on our Facebook page!

• Jay-Z

Kelly Clarkson performs at Super Bowl 46
Photo: Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson kicked off the Super Bowl on Sunday night with an emotional, stirring rendition of the national anthem. Donning a black dress and heels, Clarkson gave a performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" that had everyone buzzing on Monday morning (February 6).

"I have probably sang the National Anthem a thousand times and have never been nervous, but I definitely was last night at the Super Bowl!" she told MTV News in a statement on Monday afternoon. "That was the longest minute and a half of my life ha!"

The performance wasn't just about Clarkson's big voice (though it mostly was), but also about the marching band and choir of children who were center-stage with the onetime "American Idol," who performed just moments before the New England Patriots and the New York Giants faced off in Indianapolis.

"I was very excited as well because of the drum line and the Indianapolis kids choir that were performing with me," she continued. "They made the performance stand out a lot more and those kids sounded so ethereal and beautiful! It was a huge honor to get to sing the anthem and I'd be proud to do it again!"

Clarkson wasn't the only A-lister to take the stage during the big game. Madonna performed during halftime, and much like Clarkson, she brought her own drum line to the stage, as well as LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo Green and M.I.A. But, unlike Madonna, Clarkson's performance included a lot less pomp and circumstance, and one less middle finger (which came courtesy of M.I.A.).

What did you think of Kelly Clarkson's rendition of the national anthem? Leave your comments on our Facebook page!

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

The Black Keys
Photo: MTV News

On January 8, 2011 — nearly a decade after they first started kicking around in Akron, Ohio — the Black Keys made their first appearance on "Saturday Night Live." Needless to say, it was a pretty big moment for Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, who had spent no small portion of the past 10 years grinding out miles (and shows) in their van.

On January 14, 2012 — nearly six months after she first became a much-debated blog curio — Lana Del Rey performed on the same "SNL" stage. It was a pretty big moment, too, though mostly for her critics and those who enjoy deriding the current state of popular music. After all, they argue, it's debatable whether Del Rey has ever seen the inside of a van, let alone toured in one.

So when MTV News sat down with the Black Keys in Berlin — for an exclusive interview you can watch tonight (February 6) on MTV.com, following the MTV premiere of the duo's new "Gold on the Ceiling" video at 7:54 p.m. ET — we had to ask them for their thoughts on Del Rey's overnight success, and what it meant for bands trying to make a living in 2012.

"On some level, we've seen that Lana Del Rey thing since we first started, like, all of a sudden this new band would be headlining festivals, and we're like, 'Wait, how did they get that? We've been here for two, three, four, five years and we're still working our way up,' " Auerbach said. "But then they're gone. Just as quickly as they get up there, they disappear."

"It's different for everybody. It took us a really long time to get on 'Saturday Night Live,' and it took her a shorter amount of time," Carney added. "But I honestly feel bad for a lot of bands that are starting out with the way things are. ... The trends kind of flip over so fast — something's cool and not cool and it all happens within two to three months."

Of course, it bears mention that the same outlets that have criticized Del Rey for her perceived lack of authenticity and quick rise to a major-label deal are the very same outlets that have largely ignored (or largely ripped) the Black Keys, a band that has spent a decade making the slow climb to the top. And when it came to that point, well, the Keys didn't exactly hide their displeasure.

"Yeah, [it's] 'cause they're pricks," Carney snorted. "It's like, 'What the f--- are you talking about, motherf---er?' "

And though you'll hear more of their thoughts on the media during our full interview, you can reasonably assume that the Black Keys don't take criticisms kindly. In fact, they've been taking mental notes, and someday they'll even the score.

Don't miss the premiere of the Black Keys' "Gold on the Ceiling" video tonight at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by an in-depth chat with the band on MTV.com.

• MTV News Extended Play: Lana Del Rey
• MTV First: The Black Keys' 'Gold On The Ceiling'

• The Black Keys
• Lana Del Rey

Jackson Rathbone
Photo: Mark Sullivan/ WireImage/ Getty Images

"Twilight" star Jackson Rathbone has been a very busy man over the last few years, juggling his rising career as an actor, as well as working to establish himself as a musician with his band 100 Monkeys. It turns out that the 27-year-old is going to be even busier in the coming months when he and burlesque dancer girlfriend Sheila Hafsadi welcome a child into the world.

That's right, Jackson Rathbone is going to be a dad. According to Us Weekly, the couple will become first-time parents later this year. Rathbone's rep told the magazine that he and Hafsadi are "thrilled and excited to be expecting their first child."

Rathbone and Hafsadi, 24, who is said to be five months pregnant, reportedly met at one of his band's performances and have already been busy preparing for the baby. A source told the magazine that the actor/musician recently traded in not one, but two of his vehicles for a hybrid SUV in order to have more room for a growing family.

In addition to the anticipation and excitement that surrounds the arrival of a new baby, Rathbone will have a jam-packed 2012 with the release of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" in November, along with the potential release of several diverse film projects: "Cowgirls 'N Angels," "Zombie Hamlet," the dramedy musical "DaZe: Vol. Too - NonSeNse" and "Live At The Foxes Den."

Speaking of what fans still have to look forward to from his character Jasper Cullen in "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," Rathbone told MTV News there is a particularly poignant moment in the final film that he can't wait to see on the big screen.

"There's a very fulfilling moment for myself as an actor and as a fan of the books and of the film series that you get to see, in the end, really how much these characters love one another and how much they function as a family," Rathbone said of the franchise's final film. "Even though they are kind of an odd family of vampires. Vegetarian vampires, at that. They're an odd bunch."

Send your well-wishes for Rathbone in the comments below!

• MTV Rough Cut: 'Breaking Dawn - Part 1'

The sharks were certainly impressed with that presentation, and were even willing to sniff the wonderful smell of money. They have emotional attachments to money and love the smell of it. But did they love the smell of his Money fragrance?

Barbara Corcoran seemed to think the smell too overpowering, but mostly they were concerned about the competitive perfume market. They calculated the cost of penetration into the big department stores as almost $1 million, and they weren't confident this product could get there.

Daymond John liked the idea of licensing the name and made an aggressive offer of $100,000 for an 80% stake in the company. But it was the only offer McCarthy would see, as the other Sharks all backed out. In the end, McCarthy couldn't part with control of the company and so he walked away with nothing. Money talks, but control talked louder for McCarthy.

See which products are spotlighted next on "Shark Tank," Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Alex Russell in "Chronicle"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

This weekend, the teenage superheroes of "Chronicle" edged out Harry Potter himself at the box office with their amazing abilities. Made on a relatively tight budget of $12 million, the found-footage superhero movie made almost twice its budget back in domestic ticket sales alone.

Part of the reason for the success, no doubt, was due to the work of visual-effects supervisor Simon Hansen and his team in South Africa. They created all the usual sights of a superhero flick but with a fraction of the budget.

MTV News spoke with Hansen to find out how he did so much with so little. (There are minor spoilers ahead.)

MTV: Where does work begin when trying to tackle something like "Chronicle" on such a low budget?

Simon Hansen: That was obviously the challenge of the film and one of the reasons that I was keen to get involved with the project from the beginning. I get to play with commercially viable films that are also cost-effective to make. Having read the script, it was a small film. It's supposed to be low-budget, relatively. I started making notes when we read the script, noting down all the effects. By the time I got to the third act, I put my pen down because it got so hectic that making notes at that point was a bit of a waste of time. There was clearly a hell of a lot more work that needed to be done. From that point of view, it was a really big film for a low budget, and that was what excited me and what excited everyone on the project. This was the little film that we were going to push further than smaller films normally go.

MTV: What's your approach for doing what the big-budget movies do but with a fraction of the money?

Hansen: My background was actually pursuing that as a goal from a very early age in the industry, trying to make things that looked great but didn't cost a lot. It wasn't a new idea from that point of view. It wasn't daunting or hindering; it was actually the most exhilarating part of the process. The superhero genre is a good comparison, which I think has too much money. Having these large budgets is removing the innovation from the project. Capping the budget is a way to force that ingenuity and innovation into the project, which I think does come across. I think "Chronicle" has that feel of being a higher-budget film than it is, but it always has a kind of edginess to it at the same time.

MTV: Was there a question of "Can we do everything that's in the script?"

Hansen: Yes, the first question is, "Read the script and tell us how much of it we can do and what you think we can't do." My pitch that [producer] Adam [Schroeder] and [director] Josh [Trank] bought on "Chronicle" was that the first thing I was going to try to do was reduce the number of visual-effects shots in the film, because even though my background is visual effects, I like to think of myself as a filmmaker first. I'm not in love with CGI for its own sake. I'd rather do things in camera, and I think most directors would. I think audiences really appreciate the grittiness and edginess of stuff that's real. If you're forced to do CGI, try to do it in a way that's really minimalist, where most of what you're doing is real.

MTV: What was the most challenging shot on the film?

Hansen: The most important and the one I considered the biggest challenge was any kind of flying. What ended up happening was we ended up designing brand-new rigs to actually make people fly that worked out really well. It's probably my favorite part of the process. It's weird in effects how some shots start out one way and they don't seem that difficult, and they end up being really difficult. The most difficult sequence was where Andrew beats up the thugs and tosses them around the street because we had to shoot that all in one day and all those different people were on wires and rigs. We had to do it in different parts and put it all together. You get tripped up by the sun moving during the day when you have to shoot it all in one day. The light's changing all the time, and you're shooting different elements together. For the level of complexity of that shot and the time we had to do it, that was definitely the most difficult.

MTV: How did you come up with the solution for making the characters fly?

Hansen: I'd been very frustrated, even with big-budget films and how they've done flying. Some of the bad examples, not to knock anyone, "Armageddon" 's weightless sequence, for example, was a movie that had a lot of money and didn't get it right. Lots of films don't get it right. I knew it wasn't necessarily about the budget. It was about the technique to get flying to work. I spent a lot of time analyzing footage of sky diving and looking how bodies move in free motion. As a result, I ended up designing a big hamster-wheel rig that the subject would be strapped to in the center and he could be spun within this rig, which could turn itself. You'd get two axes out of it. The actors called it the Wheel of Death because you actually get strapped into this thing and a motor spins you around while the wheel is actually turning. You can do full-on McTwist-type movements. What I tried to get away from was a situation where you pick someone up on wires and move them from one side of a soundstage to another in front of a green screen.

MTV: Was there anything you simply couldn't accomplish with the budget?

Hansen: I think we pretty much did just about everything that we wanted to in the script. There were some shots that didn't work out the way that we wanted them to, where we had to reshoot them or come up with another way to do them. The closest we came to cutting things — we didn't in the end — but the closest we came was not the kind of effect that you'd even be aware of. When Andrew films himself in the mirror and we're using a considerably larger camera than the one he's using, we needed to shoot with one camera and replace it and Andrew in the mirror with the smaller camera. Those turned out to be really difficult shots to plan and get right. No one will really pay them any attention. It's amazing how that always happens.

Check out everything we've got on "Chronicle."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

• Talk Nerdy

Matt "Danger" and Daniel of "Caged" teach MTV News' Christina Garibaldi fighting moves
Photo: MTV News

The stars of MTV's new docu-series "Caged" have been in the ring with some of the fiercest competitors in their league. They've been punched, kicked and even knocked unconscious.

Yet, when two of the stars from the show, Daniel and Matt (a.k.a Danger), visited New York City, we put them up against their toughest competition yet: Me.

That's right, I put Daniel and Danger up to the ultimate challenge of teaching me MMA. After much instruction, I was taught to punch, kick and work my way out of what they call a "schoolyard headlock," which is not as easy as it may look. Even though they assured me I was ready to enter the cage, I think I will leave the fighting up to them.

After our workout, we took Daniel and Danger to the heart of New York: Times Square. Just a few months ago, these two could have never dreamt of leaving their small town of Minden, Louisiana, but as they strolled through Times Square for the first time, these two were both mesmerized as they took in the sights and sounds and their newfound fame.

"It is an adjustment," Daniel said. "I'm dealing with it pretty good, though. It's just trying to get used to people acting like I'm a superstar or something."

Fans might think they know everything about Daniel, but with the fifth episode airing Monday (February 6) at 10 p.m. ET, he is ready for everyone to see a new side.

"I can't wait for the fans to see me being more open," Daniel said. "The honest side of me, because I hate if there's any chance of me being fake. I want to be honest to everybody. I don't like lying to people or being fake, that's one of the biggest things for me."

Danger, who faced his toughest opponent in last week's episode, wants fans to recognize just how much he has developed as a fighter.

"I'm just excited for everybody to see my fights. I worked really hard at this," Danger said. "I love fighting. I take it very seriously. I plan on moving forward with it in the future. I'm really excited for everyone to see my fights and see me grow as a fighter and as a person through the season."

Don't miss "Caged" every Monday at 10 p.m. ET on MTV. For continuing "Caged" coverage, be sure to check in with MTV's Remote Control blog.

• Caged | Ep. 5 | Sneak Peek

Dane DeHaan in "Chronicle"
Photo: Alan Markfield/ 20th Century Fox

The Super Bowl couldn't stop another found-footage flick from topping the box office. Box-office receipts were up more than 30 percent from last year's Super Bowl weekend as "Chronicle" took the #1 spot with Daniel Radcliffe's first post-"Potter" flick, "The Woman in Black," close behind at #2. "Chronicle" took in $22 million while "Woman in Black" earned $21 million, according to studio estimates.

The feel-good Alaskan whale story "Big Miracle," starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski ("The Office"), debuted at #4 with $8.5 million. Meanwhile, Super Bowl halftime performer Madonna saw her "W.E." open with a ho-hum $45,000 in four theaters. Despite the film's director earning a Golden Globe for her song from the movie, "W.E." has suffered from mostly negative reviews.

While it didn't open as strongly as the "Paranormal Activity" movies, "Cloverfield" or last month's found-footage flick, "The Devil Inside," teen superhero-centered "Chronicle" enjoyed the fourth highest Super Bowl debut ever and took the #1 spot internationally. Considering the movie's estimated production budget of $12 million, the found-footage phenomenon will undoubtedly continue.

The modest success of "The Woman in Black" was good news for Radcliffe, who had yet to top-line a movie in a role as anyone other than "Harry Potter." Its numbers were comparable with the 2006 remake of "When a Stranger Calls," which was also a horror flick directed at teens that opened on Super Bowl weekend. Both Radcliffe's ghost story and "Chronicle" earned mostly positive reviews.

Last weekend's #1 movie, "The Grey," dropped to #3 with $9.5 million. The Liam Neeson vehicle, which, like "Big Miracle," takes places in Alaska, has made $34.7 million thus far. "Underworld: Awakening" rounded out the top five with $5.6 million for a $53.4 million total.

Awards season favorite "The Artist" and "The Iron Lady" (which has earned Meryl Streep another Oscar nomination) both passed the $20 million mark over the weekend. Each movie is playing at roughly 1,000 locations; "Chronicle," by comparison, opened in 2,907.

This weekend's new releases include "The Vow," which sees Rachel McAdams returning to source material from "The Notebook" author Nicholas Sparks, opposite Channing Tatum; Denzel Washington's "Safe House"; "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, which is already doing solid business overseas; and the 3-D re-release of "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," which is the first in a series of planned "Star Wars" 3-D re-releases over the next few years. Woody Harrelson's corrupt cop drama "Rampart," which reunites the actor with "The Messenger" writer/ director Oren Moverman, will open in limited release.

Check out everything we've got on "Chronicle."

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

• Talk Nerdy
• MTV Rough Cut: Daniel Radcliffe

The entertainer was hospitalized last month after suffering from a form of mild kidney failure, but he says he is now fully healed.

"This is a great place to get back and debut the healthy Nick," he said on Sunday during a break as the host of NBC's pre-show. "Everybody's out here having a good time, and you know people were worried like, `Is he going to be able to do the Super Bowl pre-show?' But I am 100 percent feeling good right now."

Cannon attributes his improved health to a change in diet, but says he does not eat the same food as wife Mariah Carey, who recently lost weight after giving birth to their twins Moroccan and Monroe.

"I used to be a fast-food junkie," Cannon explained. "She gets to have higher protein, which isn't fair because I love my steaks and I can't eat that anymore. Her carbs are lower so we are both on a diet, but it is different."

Cannon, who is a New York Giants fan, attended various events in the days leading up to the Super Bowl.

While his family was not with him, they were not far from his mind. When asked if he'd like to expand his brood one day, he laughed and said: "I would love to have more children. Now my wife on the other hand, I think the twins took a toll on her. She is like, `I ain't doing that again.'"

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Alicia Quarles is the AP's Global Lifestyles and Entertainment Editor. Follow her at www.twitter.com/aliciaquarles

The gesture, accompanied by a barely disguised expletive, came during a performance of Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin.'" At the end of her lines, M.I.A. appeared to sing "I don't give a (expletive)," although it was hard to hear clearly.

The incident was reminiscent of Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" eight years ago -- a surprise risque moment in front of tens of millions of unsuspecting viewers. The brief exposure of Jackson's nipple during the 2004 halftime show raised a storm of controversy and put CBS in hot water with the Federal Communications Commission.

The Super Bowl, shown on NBC this year, is routinely viewed by more than 100 million people, the biggest TV event of the year. The screen briefly went blurred after M.I.A.'s gesture in what was a late attempt -- by less than a second -- to cut out the camera shot.

"The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show," NBC spokesman Christopher McCloskey said. "Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers,"

The NFL blamed a failure in NBC's delay system for allowing the gesture to be seen. Spokesman Brian McCarthy said M.I.A. did not do anything similar during rehearsals and the league had no reason to believe she would pull something like that during the actual show.

"The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans," McCarthy said.

The British singer M.I.A. is best known for her 2007 hit "Paper Planes," a Grammy nominee for record of the year that memorably features a sample of the Clash song, "Straight to Hell." It was featured on the soundtrack to the movie "Slumdog Millionaire."

Madonna had admittedly been nervous about her performance, hoping to position herself as the queen of a new generation of pop stars with an opulent show and a sharp performance that mixed her new release with more familiar songs. She seemed like Roman royalty when muscle-bound men carried her extravagant throne across the football field to the stage for her opening song, "Vogue."

Guests Cee Lo, Nicki Minaj and dance rockers LMFAO also appeared with Madonna. The singing and dancing on "Vogue" was smartly choreographed, as Madonna moved more deliberately -- she is 53 -- but still adroitly. She briefly appeared to stumble at one point while trying to make a step on the stage set, but recovered in time.

She let a tightrope walker make the more acrobatic moves during a performance of "Music."

Madonna carried gold pompons for a performance of her new single. Twitter was alight with questions about the vocals being lip synched or augmented by tapes, particularly during this song.

The best guest was clearly Cee Lo, who joined Madonna for the final song, "Like a Prayer." They were joined by a robed chorus in the show's most soaring performance. With a puff of white smoke, Madonna disappeared down a trap door in the stage, and lights on the field spelled out "World Peace."

The performance was also carried live on SiriusXM Radio, giving Madonna the biggest single audience of her career. For all the elaborate choreography and flashy effects, the finger incident is the more likely headline from the event.

Earlier, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert offered some pregame patriotism. Shelton and Lambert did a twangy duet on "America the Beautiful" and Clarkson, in a simple black dress, sang "The Star Spangled Banner" without a hitch after last year's performer, Christina Aguilera, flubbed a line.

WARNING: Mature Content: M.I.A. Flashes Middle Finger During Super Bowl Halftime Show:

Just ask Kim Kardashian after Skechers replaced her with a French Bulldog in this year's Super Bowl commercial.

Racing a pack of greyhounds, the pooch Mr. Quiggly appears in the ad sporting the brand's GOrun sneakers.

The dog not only takes first place, but also manages to moonwalk across the finish line to rapper Tone Loc's hit single, "Wild Thing." Also starring in the ad? Billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Fans took to Twitter commenting on this Skechers ad.

For years, viewers have tuned into the NFL's Super Bowl as much to see what the advertisers roll out as how the two teams vying for the sport's top prize perform. This year is no different. Each time that NBC cuts away from Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and New England Patriots a hush will come over most Super Bowl parties as everyone -- and not just the diehard sports fans with a rooting (or betting) interest -- focuses entirely on the ads.

While iconic Super Bowl commercials like Apple's '1984' ad and Coke's 1980 ad starring Mean Joe Greene will be remembered so many more are soon forgotten or, even worse, ridiculed as super fails.

How does this Super Bowl ad stack up?

CLICK HERE to see the rest of the 2012 Super Bowl commercials as well as all of the best, worst and most memorable from years past.

Directed by geek icon Joss Whedon, "The Avengers" storms into theaters on May 4. Watch the extended version of the trailer below.

Madonna's Roman-themed Super Bowl halftime show included a medley of her hits and assistance from her younger counterparts on the pop music scene.

The singer debuted her new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin,'" during a set that also included classic hits "Vogue," "Music," "Express Yourself" and "Like a Prayer."

During "Music," Madonna appeared to slip on the stage, but quickly recovered (see video above).

Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., LMFAO, and Cee Lo Green (and his marching band) joined Madonna for the pop icon's first Super Bowl appearance. M.I.A. flashed the camera her middle finger during "Give Me All Your Luvin,'" a move censors didn't seem to catch.

In the end, Madonna disappeared in a puff of smoke as the words "World Peace" were projected onto the field.

Watch: Madonna's halftime show performance (article continues below):

Before the game, Madge promised a show that would contain "no nipples," a reference to the infamous wardrobe malfunction that took place when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed at 2004's big game.

Madonna told Anderson Cooper she was extremely nervous about her performance. Last year's Super Bowl drew 111 million viewers, and early estimates expected this year's game would surpass that mark.

The video for "Give Me All Your Luvin'" was released last week after a teaser clip debuted on "American Idol."

Earlier in the night, Kelly Clarkson performed the national anthem to great acclaim.

Twitter users react to Madonna's performance:

Based on the board game -- and produced by Hasbro, the folks behind "Transformers" -- "Battleship" stars your favorite "Friday Night Lights" fullback as a rebellious naval officer thrust into a battle with a bunch of mean extra terrestrials. Liam Neeson and Alexander Skarsgard co-star, but what you really care about is Rihanna. Er, the massive explosions, epic scope and seemingly awesome special effects.

Peter Berg, doing his best Michael Bay impression, directs. "Battleship" hits theaters on May 18. Add your own "Battleship"-related joke in the comments below.

NBC's "Smash" and ABC's "The River" both premiere, and AMC's "The Walking Dead" returns, followed by their new series from Kevin Smith, "Comic Book Men." For Valentine's Day, there are plenty of big guest stars popping up on our favorite comedies. The handsome James Wolk is playing Max's (Adam Pally) ex on "Happy Endings," and Mary Steenburgen joins recurring guest star James Marsden on "30 Rock."

What should you be watching? Check out the slideshow for the full rundown of what to tune into this week.

The latest marketing for "Carter" arrived during Super Bowl XLVI in the most manly way possible: with Tim Riggins Taylor Kitsch swinging a boulder and a remix of Led Zepplin's "Kashmir" blasting on the soundtrack. If you can get past the silly way co-star Lynn Collins says "John Carter," this one has the potential to be pretty cool. After all, it looks like a mix of "Star Wars" and "Avatar"; might as well steal sci-fi tropes from two of the best!

Out in theaters on March 9, "John Carter" stars Kitsch, Collins and Willem Dafoe. Watch the Super Bowl spot above.

You know, so-called role models living their lives like open wounds to accumulate column inches, so they can then get some ghost-writer to spread those inches over several "autobiographies" to cash in on their infidelity, drug abuse, life of crime and personal tragedy. You can't help but think many should have called a doctor before they called a publicist.

I've always been fascinated by the subject of fame. Probably because I've never really understood it. Or rather, I've never really understood why people would put fame above all else. And it seems to be getting worse. A recent university survey asked a sample of 10-year-olds what they wanted to be when they grew up. They answered "famous." Just famous.

I guess I always wanted to be eminent. That's the old word for fame, by the way. Being known for something. Being known for being good at something. Maybe even the best at something. "Fame" used to be fused with "respect" in some ways. That's what distinguished it from infamy. But not any more.

I never tried to be famous. I was never shy and I never minded being the center of attention, but not at any cost. I didn't want to be the center of attention for being the loud drunk at a party (the Golden Globes doesn't count) or the bloke fighting over the pool table, or the kid who would eat slugs for a dare.

I was willing to be the center of attention in a small group of friends for saying something funny. Even interesting. I wanted to be the funniest person in the room, not the most famous. I never knew I was honing a skill that would eventually transcend sociability to become a lucrative career. In fact, I never really thought about even having a career.

I used to be the laziest, least ambitious person I knew. Well, lazy in terms of work. Career success, if you will. I had artistic ambition, I guess, but being a working-class Brit I believed it was better to never try than to try, and run the risk of failing. Americans are brought up to believe they can be the president of the United States. British kids are told, "Don't be stupid. It won't happen for you."

I suppose I was cursed with some early success. I was smart. The smartest kid in my class. Then the smartest kid in the next class and so on. I actually used to pride myself on the fact that I didn't have to even try to pass exams. This is my greatest regret. It's a disgusting attitude and potentially a waste of a life. Writing and directing The Office was the first thing I ever tried my hardest at. The reward was revelatory.

At 40 I was addicted. Not to success. I was addicted to trying my hardest. That's the reward in itself. It's what life's about. The struggle. It's the only way you can be proud. You can't be proud of luck.

Born clever? So what? What are you going to do with it? Your best, I hope, and no less.

I started late, sure. But it really is never too late. Now I seize the day. And I love that day much, much more. I'm a workaholic. But as Winston Churchill said, "If you find a job you really love, you'll never work again." Well, I feel like I'm working, but that's the bit I like. I'm not proud of earning a million times what a nurse earns. I can only be proud of working as hard. And even then I feel guilty about loving the hard work. My only hope is that nurses love their work too.

Then I'm just paid too much. That's another reason why I try my hardest now. It's the least I can do. Sometimes I think I'm doing too much. (Sometimes critics think I'm doing too much.) But I can't help it. I'm an addict. I'll tell you more about that in my third autobiography.

You know, so-called role models living their lives like open wounds to accumulate column inches, so they can then get some ghost-writer to spread those inches over several "autobiographies" to cash in on their infidelity, drug abuse, life of crime and personal tragedy. You can't help but think many should have called a doctor before they called a publicist.

I've always been fascinated by the subject of fame. Probably because I've never really understood it. Or rather, I've never really understood why people would put fame above all else. And it seems to be getting worse. A recent university survey asked a sample of 10-year-olds what they wanted to be when they grew up. They answered "famous." Just famous.

I guess I always wanted to be eminent. That's the old word for fame, by the way. Being known for something. Being known for being good at something. Maybe even the best at something. "Fame" used to be fused with "respect" in some ways. That's what distinguished it from infamy. But not any more.

I never tried to be famous. I was never shy and I never minded being the center of attention, but not at any cost. I didn't want to be the center of attention for being the loud drunk at a party (the Golden Globes doesn't count) or the bloke fighting over the pool table, or the kid who would eat slugs for a dare.

I was willing to be the center of attention in a small group of friends for saying something funny. Even interesting. I wanted to be the funniest person in the room, not the most famous. I never knew I was honing a skill that would eventually transcend sociability to become a lucrative career. In fact, I never really thought about even having a career.

I used to be the laziest, least ambitious person I knew. Well, lazy in terms of work. Career success, if you will. I had artistic ambition, I guess, but being a working-class Brit I believed it was better to never try than to try, and run the risk of failing. Americans are brought up to believe they can be the president of the United States. British kids are told, "Don't be stupid. It won't happen for you."

I suppose I was cursed with some early success. I was smart. The smartest kid in my class. Then the smartest kid in the next class and so on. I actually used to pride myself on the fact that I didn't have to even try to pass exams. This is my greatest regret. It's a disgusting attitude and potentially a waste of a life. Writing and directing The Office was the first thing I ever tried my hardest at. The reward was revelatory.

At 40 I was addicted. Not to success. I was addicted to trying my hardest. That's the reward in itself. It's what life's about. The struggle. It's the only way you can be proud. You can't be proud of luck.

Born clever? So what? What are you going to do with it? Your best, I hope, and no less.

I started late, sure. But it really is never too late. Now I seize the day. And I love that day much, much more. I'm a workaholic. But as Winston Churchill said, "If you find a job you really love, you'll never work again." Well, I feel like I'm working, but that's the bit I like. I'm not proud of earning a million times what a nurse earns. I can only be proud of working as hard. And even then I feel guilty about loving the hard work. My only hope is that nurses love their work too.

Then I'm just paid too much. That's another reason why I try my hardest now. It's the least I can do. Sometimes I think I'm doing too much. (Sometimes critics think I'm doing too much.) But I can't help it. I'm an addict. I'll tell you more about that in my third autobiography.

Those betting against Clarkson will surely be disappointed, but the rest of those watching the game were treated to an error-free performance which TV commentators immediately praised as "rousing."

The first "American Idol" winner sang the anthem a week after rock icon Steven Tyler was widely panned for his performance at the AFC championship game (Tyler later defended his performance).

At last year's Super Bowl, Christina Aguilera omitted some words in her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

Other stars who have performed the anthem at the Big Game include Carrie Underwood, Whitney Huston, Billy Joel and Neil Diamond.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert preceded Clarkson with a rendition of "America the Beautiful." Madonna, Nicki Minaj and more celebrities are slated to perform at this year's halftime show.

For more updates on the Big Game, head on over to HuffPost Sports' live blog.

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, Blake Shelton's name was misspelled. We apologize for the error.

• Before the New York Giants and New England Patriots suited up, celebrities including Matt Bomer, Chace Crawford and David Arquette hit their own playing field for the 6th annual DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl.
• After being hospitalized last month for having an adverse reaction to drugs, Demi Moore has reportedly checked into Utah's Cirque Lodge rehab facility.
• From Spike Lee to John Krasinski, find out which celebrities were rooting for New York or New England to win Super Bowl XLVI.
• "Glee" star Cory Monteith partied so hard Saturday night that the cops were called to his Hollywood Hills home. Yikes!
• Talk about dredging up the past. Britney Spears' ex-husband of 55 hours, Jason Alexander, talked to ABC's "20/20" about his short marriage to the newly-engaged pop star, calling the whole annulment situation between them "bullsh*t."
• Is Kim Kardashian's divorce headed to TV? According to reports, the reality star's trial with soon-to-be ex-husband Kris Humphries could be televised due to Calfornia's "open policy" for popular court cases.
• Ryan O'Neal's son, Griffin, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after being involved in a drug-related car crash last year.
• After "Jersey Shore" star Snooki announced she wouldn't be voting for Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor fired back at the reality star.
• Is Zac Efron dating Taylor Lautner's ex? The "New Year's Eve" actor was spotted leaving dinner with "Mirror Mirror" actress Lily Collins Saturday night.
• Kim Kardashian set the record straight Friday, shooting down rumors that's she's dating a popular NFL quarterback.

Check out some photos of celebrities in Indianapolis to celebrate Super Bowl XLVI below:

• Before the New York Giants and New England Patriots suited up, celebrities including Matt Bomer, Chace Crawford and David Arquette hit their own playing field for the 6th annual DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl.
• After being hospitalized last month for having an adverse reaction to drugs, Demi Moore has reportedly checked into Utah's Cirque Lodge rehab facility.
• From Spike Lee to John Krasinski, find out which celebrities were rooting for New York or New England to win Super Bowl XLVI.
• "Glee" star Cory Monteith partied so hard Saturday night that the cops were called to his Hollywood Hills home. Yikes!
• Talk about dredging up the past. Britney Spears' ex-husband of 55 hours, Jason Alexander, talked to ABC's "20/20" about his short marriage to the newly-engaged pop star, calling the whole annulment situation between them "bullsh*t."
• Is Kim Kardashian's divorce headed to TV? According to reports, the reality star's trial with soon-to-be ex-husband Kris Humphries could be televised due to Calfornia's "open policy" for popular court cases.
• Ryan O'Neal's son, Griffin, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after being involved in a drug-related car crash last year.
• After "Jersey Shore" star Snooki announced she wouldn't be voting for Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor fired back at the reality star.
• Is Zac Efron dating Taylor Lautner's ex? The "New Year's Eve" actor was spotted leaving dinner with "Mirror Mirror" actress Lily Collins Saturday night.
• Kim Kardashian set the record straight Friday, shooting down rumors that's she's dating a popular NFL quarterback.

Check out some photos of celebrities in Indianapolis to celebrate Super Bowl XLVI below:

In short, the singer-songwriter has achieved media-omnipresence... no small feat. So since we're seeing her everywhere we look anyway, we thought we'd pay tribute to the would-be superstar with a few GIFs of her dancing slowly and without emotion.

It's just a little something that made us happy.

In short, the singer-songwriter has achieved media-omnipresence... no small feat. So since we're seeing her everywhere we look anyway, we thought we'd pay tribute to the would-be superstar with a few GIFs of her dancing slowly and without emotion.

It's just a little something that made us happy.

But while fashion types don't bat an eye an at 20-something with silver locks, Kelly is still explaining her beauty choice to the rest of the world. The reality star-turned-fashion critic appeared on CBS's "The Talk" to spell it out:

"I've always wanted to be young and have gray hair...

To me, I'm 27, I've got three years left, the way I look at it, to have fun with it, because once you're 30, you look like a right idiot walking around with like rainbow, bright color hair and all different things like that. So I think, for me, I'm just having fun with it as much as I can until it's not appropriate anymore."

She also notes that she made the color change before Lagerfeld debuted gray-haired models in a Chanel ad campaign (although we're pretty sure that's not true...)

Anyway, we're fans of the unconventional hue, Kelly -- no excuses, explanations or post-30 changes necessary!

WATCH:

We've got a sneak peek at their big Super Bowl spot (the Season 2 premiere airs Feb. 5 on NBC, right after the big game) and they went all out, nabbing directed by Peter Berg to perfect their fight scenes, and a very special guest star: Betty White.

Yes, the "Golden Girls" star's comeback tour continues -- watch her adorable reaction to being caught singing in the shower above.

According to X17online.com, Efron, 24, was spotted hanging out with "Mirror Mirror" actress Lily Collins, 22, Saturday night. The pair reportedly grabbed dinner in L.A. at STK steakhouse and left together in the same chauffeured car.

Collins, daughter of British musician Phil Collins, was last linked to "Twilight Saga" stud and her "Abduction" co-star Taylor Lautner. However, the couple reportedly called it quits in September.

In the March 2012 issue of Seventeen, Collins talks about some of her past celebrity crushes.

"It's weird to have celebrity crushes now because I could actually meet them or work with them!" she said. "When I was younger, it was definitely Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Titanic.' I had pictures of him and ... I had the biggest crush on Justin Timberlake!"

Could Efron and Collins be more than just friends? It looks like we'll just have to wait and see, but we wonder if she ever had any "High School Musical" posters on her wall growing up.

For more on Efron and Collins' night out, head over to X17online.com.

Check out other celebrity couples below:

According to X17online.com, Efron, 24, was spotted hanging out with "Mirror Mirror" actress Lily Collins, 22, Saturday night. The pair reportedly grabbed dinner in L.A. at STK steakhouse and left together in the same chauffeured car.

Collins, daughter of British musician Phil Collins, was last linked to "Twilight Saga" stud and her "Abduction" co-star Taylor Lautner. However, the couple reportedly called it quits in September.

In the March 2012 issue of Seventeen, Collins talks about some of her past celebrity crushes.

"It's weird to have celebrity crushes now because I could actually meet them or work with them!" she said. "When I was younger, it was definitely Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Titanic.' I had pictures of him and ... I had the biggest crush on Justin Timberlake!"

Could Efron and Collins be more than just friends? It looks like we'll just have to wait and see, but we wonder if she ever had any "High School Musical" posters on her wall growing up.

For more on Efron and Collins' night out, head over to X17online.com.

Check out other celebrity couples below:

Madonna performs at Super Bowl XLVI
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Madonna does everything big, and her Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday night (February 5) was no exception. From her elaborate staging, wave of synchronized dancers and surprise onstage guests, the Queen of Pop has all kind of stars, including Kim Kardashian and Ashton Kutcher, abuzz — and probably singing along, too.

Taking to Twitter to dish about Madge's over-the-top medley of songs, Kardashian kept her praise short and sweet: "Madonna is EVERYTHING! She looks soooo good!" she wrote.

Kutcher was another fan of the pop titan's high-energy performance as he confessed, "#fact Madonna is crushing it!"

Not only did Ryan Seacrest find a liking to Madonna's set, but also her surprise performers. "Loved the madonna performance, i think she nailed it. Great job by @LMFAO, @NickiMinaj, @CeeloGreen too," he tweeted.

With the season premiere of "The Voice" scheduled for right after Sunday's big game, Christina Aguilera also showed support for her fellow co-star, tweeting, "@CeeLoGreen you killed it with Madonna at half time!"

Love for Madonna's show was also spread to another Kardashian sister, as Kourtney wrote, "Nobody is better than Madonna. She was perfection. Like a Prayer was my favorite part. Did everyone LOVE it as much as I did?"

Despite his remarks on the singer's backing track, Perez Hilton was extremely impressed by the superstar's "Like a Player" finale, writing, "Wow. That 'Like A Prayer' finale was one of the best things #Madonna has EVER done! Soooo epic!!!"

Paula Abdul was full of compliments, calling the pop performer's halftime show "brilliant." "I was dancing &singing along w/ @CeeLoGreen #Madonna Like A Prayer was AWESOME!" she wrote. "Well played #Superbowl WELL PLAYED-amazing #HalfTime show!"

Age proved nothing but a number to the rest of the Twitter-verse when "Madonna is 53" became a trending topic shortly after she wrapped up her performance.

Share your review of Madonna's halftime performance in the comments below.

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

• Madonna

The actor smartly mined his well-proportioned physique for gags throughout the show, most notably during his opening monologue when he informed the audience that he got his start as a stripper. Of course, you can't say stripper without doing a little stripping, so the monologue culminated in some impressive gyrating and shirt-ripping.

We're not sure if this made us good uncomfortable or bad uncomfortable, but it certainly had an affect on Fred Armisen.

Check out the whole clip above and let us know how you think Tatum did as "SNL" host.

Snooki tweeted last week that she wouldn't vote for Christie, who has been extremely critical of the reality show and its stars.

Christie fired back during his speech at the annual BioNJ dinner, pointing out that "she lives in New York, she can't vote for me."

"You see, this further reinforces my concern about these people," he said, according to NJ Biz. "I tell [New York Governor Andrew Cuomo] all the time, 'you can have them back'. You will not be shocked to know that he has not sent a car yet, for Snooki, or JWoww or The Situation."

"I will not be voting for Chris Christie. Love always, the 'buffoons' from that degrading Jersey Shore show," Snooki had tweeted. Last fall, Christie vetoed a $420,000 tax credit for the show's production because he thought it would help "perpetuate misconceptions" about the state.

According to Politico, Christie also called the reality stars "losers".

(h/t Mediaite)

Madonna performs at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show
Photo: Win McNamee/ Getty Images

Madonna promised pom-poms for her Super Bowl XLVI halftime performance but she delivered a whole lot more, a high-energy spectacle packed with Roman warriors, Cirque du Soleil dancers, marching bands, cheerleaders and some very famous guests.

She made quite an entrance, that's for sure, riding onto the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on a throne dressed in full-on Cleopatra mode pulled by dancers dressed like Roman warriors. Decked out in a gold cape and massive headpiece with banners flying behind her, Madonna took the stage to "Vogue" as the song's title flashed among the images on the high-tech LED stage and amazing digitized field below her.

Cirque du Soleil's theatrical presentation and acrobatic dancing were apparent throughout, but never more so than during "Vogue," when the lavish staging met with tight choreography and Madonna sounding and looking great for an inspired spectacle and perhaps one of the biggest and boldest live performances of its kind ever attempted.

She displayed none of the nerves she'd uncharacteristically been copping to in the lead-up to the event, tearing through her hits with plenty of superstar swagger and hitting all her dance moves just right. She had a good reason to be nervous though: Sunday night's (February 5) game in Indianapolis was expected to be the most-watched television event of the year. Last year's Super Bowl drew over 162 million viewers in the U.S. alone.

Next up, Madonna and a team of dancers, now a bunch of Adidas-wearing b-boys, met on some light-up bleachers for an athletic take on "Music" that segued straight into dance-heavy remixes of "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy and I Know It" featuring guests LMFAO, proving that the 53-year-old pop legend can still keep up (and then some) on the dance floor.

The pom-poms Madonna promised surfaced when she lit into her new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin," along with a blonde Nicki Minaj and a, ahem, bird-flipping M.I.A.. That's right, the lone bit of controversy around the often provocative Madonna's Super Bowl show will most likely have to do with the Sri Lankan singer briefly flipping off the camera. The otherwise slickly produced show went off without a hitch.

The Queen of Pop gamely picked up some gold pom-poms to cheer alongside Minaj, M.I.A. and a team of cheering dancers during the track, giving off the look and feel of the recently released clip for the song. Minaj and M.I.A. both got a chance to shine too, rapping their parts on the track's breakdown.

As expected, she performed three vintage tunes ("Vogue," "Music" and "Like a Prayer") and one new one, "Give Me All Your Luvin," the lead single from her forthcoming 12th studio album, MDNA. She partnered with a creative team from Cirque du Soleil, her longtime choreographer/creative director Jamie King and multimedia artists from Moment Factory to plan the spectacular show.

For the finale, Cee Lo Green marched onstage as the drum major to a large marching band, starting briefly into small bites of "Open Your Heart" and "Express Yourself" before suiting up into sparkling robes for a full-voiced rendition of "Like a Prayer." Madonna and Cee Lo were joined for a choir for the performance, which saw Madonna falling to her knees as she sang her classic track.

She then stepped to the back of the stage and vanished into a cloud of smoke, disappearing beneath the stage and leaving the still-cheering stadium wanting more.

Did you love Madonna's Super Bowl half-time performance? Let us know in the comments below!

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

• Madonna
• Lmfao
• Nicki Minaj
• Cee Lo Green
• M.I.A.

Timbaland
Photo: Jason Campbell/MTV

The biggest sporting event of the year is just a few hours away, and in the moments leading up to Super Bowl XLVI, everyone seems to be picking a side. Multiplatinum producer Timbaland, who's looking for the New England Patriots to defeat the New York Giants on Sunday night (February 5), decided to make a song about it.

"I just did it almost to be playing around, just to do it," Timbaland told MTV News on Friday from his home in Miami. "It turned out bigger than what I thought."

The song, which is dedicated to Patriots tight end Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski was uploaded to YouTube last week with the football star's name as its title. The track was produced by Virginia native Tim and Wizz Dumb, but it's newcomer Brasco who rhymes on the energetic tune. "They're yelling, 'Touchdown, touchdown, 87, 87," he raps, referring to Gronk's number.

Gronkowski has 90 catches and 17 touchdowns this season but after suffering a high-ankle sprain, #87 is listed as questionable and may not play in the Super Bowl, though multiple sources tell ESPN that Gronkowski is doing better and is expected to play.

Whether or not Gronk plays, Timbaland is rooting for New England.

"I've always been a Tom Brady fan," he said of the Pats' quarterback and biggest star. "I've always liked the Patriots, how they move, how the coach coaches, how the players — you don't hear too much about their business in the media."

The last time these two teams faced off for the championship was in 2008's Super Bowl XLII, and the Giants came out on top. So for New England and their faithful following, Sunday's big game is a chance at redemption. "It's like a fight. You get one up, the Giants got one up so, of course, the Patriots gotta win," Timbaland said. "If the Patriots win, it'll be a tie. ... Hopefully, they'll win. I think they're ready."

Who are you rooting for in Super Bowl XLVI? Tell us on our Facebook page!

• Timbaland

Kristen Wiig as Del Rey stopped by "Weekend Update" to chat with Seth Meyers about the backlash, and credited her detractors with being absolutely right. "Based on the public's response, I must have clubbed a baby seal while singing the Taliban national anthem."

She went on to say that critics were right to take her to task for changing her name and for not being seasoned enough to perform on the show: "The music stage on 'Saturday Night Live' is hallowed ground, and I failed to reach the high bar set by past guests like Bubba Sparxxx, The Baha Men and Shaggy."

Watch the full clip above and let us know if you thought the backlash against Del Rey was unwarranted.

Channing Tatum
Photo: MTV News

Super Bowl Sunday: A time for an intense football matchup, million-dollar commercials and for movie studios to show off what blockbuster flicks they have in store for the rest of the year. Paramount Pictures was banking on fans being ready for the next installment of "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" when it presented the trailer to the more than 111 million people expected to tune into the game Sunday night (February 5).

The thirty-second Super Bowl spot for "Retaliation" hit the web Wednesday, featuring intense ninja swordfights, a revamped Cobra Commander, Snake Eyes' exploding motorcycle and, of course, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and a machine-gun shooting Bruce Willis.

Yet, there was one thing noticeably missing: Channing Tatum. Tatum, who plays Duke, only appeared in the first trailer a handful of times, and with no appearances in the short Super Bowl clip, speculation is growing that he might be making an early exit from the Jon Chu-directed flick.

MTV News caught up with Tatum at the set of "Saturday Night Live" as he geared up to host the show for the very first time, and he revealed he has yet to see the new "Retaliation" trailer, but hopes fans are ready for an action-packed sequel.

"I hope they like it better than the first one. I think it's wildly different," Tatum said. "Jon Chu: I really do think he's got his finger on the pulse of the hip younger generation. He did the 'Step Up's and what not, so I've got to work with him before. I think he's got a really hip vibe to him."

So now that Tatum has probably recovered from his stint as host on "SNL," we imagine he tuned in Sunday to catch the "Retaliation" trailer. Which team will he be rooting for during the game: the New York Giants or the New England Patriots?

"I just really want it to be a good game. Neither one of them are my teams, but I don't really have a pro team," he admitted. "It's always a bummer when the last game of the season is a landslide, so I want it to go into overtime and be the craziest game ever, but I don't know how you can compete with the last three games; I don't know how you keep going. The law of averages will probably say it's not going to be as good of a game."

What did you think of the "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" trailer? Let us know in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "G.I. Joe: Retaliation."

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

Madonna
Photo: PictureGroup/ Evan Agostini

From the moment that it was announced back in December that Madonna would be taking the stage during the Super Bowl halftime show, everyone has been buzzing about what the Queen of Pop will do when she performs.

In the two months since the announcement, she has been teasing fans about what they will see for those several minutes when she interrupts the matchup between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

Madonna recently told Anderson Cooper on his talk show that "I have to put on the greatest show on earth, in the middle of the greatest show on earth. I have eight minutes to set it up and seven minutes to take it down and 12 minutes to put on the greatest show on earth. That's a lot of pressure."

Wondering what might happen? Well, MTV News has compiled a little Super Bowl halftime cheat sheet.

The Guests
M.I.A. confirmed that she'll be on the stage alongside Madonna, and Nicki Minaj tweeted on Thursday night about being in Indianapolis with Madonna rehearsing for the show. "Omfg. Madonna's show is about to murdaaaa everything movinggg. Wow. Such a surreal moment."

There are also rumors that Cee Lo Green may appear during her set, as well as party rockers LMFAO. The whole show will also get an assist from Cirque du Soleil and Madonna's longtime choreographer and creative director Jamie King.

The Look
If Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin' " video is any indication, the gig will certainly have a cheerleader vibe to it. When MTV News caught up with her at her "W.E." premiere she coyly teased that "pom poms" would play heavily into the theme of the show.

In an interview with ABC News, she shared one idea she had for the performance: "I actually wanted to have 100 drummers come from the ceiling, a drumline from the ceiling."

The Songs
There'll be something old and something new. "I promise I will be singing three old songs and one new one," Madonna said at a press conference. With M.I.A. and Nicki already on the ground, it seems that she'll definitely be performing "Give Me" (the lead single off her March album, MDNA). With rumors flying about what those other songs could be, the word is that she'll also perform "Vogue," "Music" and "Ray of Light."

The Stage
In photos teased online, the halftime stage is full of LED lights in various shades of blue, green, pink, purple and red and includes various designs including the word "Vogue" (yep, like the song), kooky-looking eyes and a heart-shaped design.

Who Will Be Watching?
Besides like seven-bajillion people? Well, the Pussycat Dolls say that despite a heated matchup between the Giants and the Patriots, there's only one team they'll be rooting for.

"I definitely say Madonna," PCD creator Robin Antin told MTV News. "We'll be watching for the [Go Daddy] commercial ... and Madonna. It's exciting. Well, hopefully the Pussycat Dolls will be on the next Super Bowl performing, you know?"

Lady Gaga has already admitted that she'll be tuning in on Sunday night. "Looking forward to seeing the Superbowl! The halftime show will be wonderful, I'm sure," she tweeted on Tuesday. "An excuse to drink beer+watch boys in tights. #yes."

What songs do you want Madonna to perform during the halftime show? Leave your comment below.

• MTV Rough Cut: Madonna

• Super Bowl XLVI Performances: Madonna And Kelly Clarkson

• Madonna

Mitt Romney
Photo: Joe Raedle/ Getty Images

Just four days after notching his most convincing win of the primary season so far, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney made it two in a row by taking Saturday night's Republican caucus in Nevada with 47.6 percent of the vote. In a season where three different candidates have won the first four contests, that gives Romney the distinction of being the first to grab two consecutive wins.

"This is not the first time you've given me your vote of confidence, and this time I'm going to take it to the White House," a clearly excited Romney said at a victory speech, where he once again turned his attention away from his Republican opponents and on President Obama.

Unlike Florida, where Representative Ron Paul didn't compete in order to focus on Nevada and other upcoming states, and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum was forced to suspend his campaigning to deal with a sick child, all four remaining candidates worked the road in the first Western contest of the season.

After coming in 14 points behind Romney in Florida, Newt Gingrich was hoping for a solid comeback but could not rely on a strong debate performance, as there was not one in advance of the latest battle. On Saturday night he finished well behind Romney, rolling up just 22.7 percent of the vote (with 71 percent of precincts reporting at press time). While Romney took to the stage in a room full of cheering supporters, the Gingrich headquarters was a stark contrast, an empty room where the former House Speaker spoke to reporters via television. "I am a candidate for president of the United States," Gingrich said. "I will be the candidate of the president of the United States."

Romney won Nevada handily in 2008, taking 51 percent of the vote because his rivals in the last GOP primary race basically let him run unopposed assuming the state's large Mormon population would ensure Romney — who is Mormon — a win. Though Mormons only account for 7 percent of the state's population (around 180,000), they are rabid voters and reliably make up one-quarter of Republican caucus-goers.

But it wasn't it as clear-cut this time. Even Santorum, who has moved to the back of the pack since his recount win in Iowa a month ago, put up a strong battle, though he ended up in fourth place with just 11.1 percent. And Paul, who was counting on the state's vocal Tea Party contingent and independent voters to come out for him, had a decent showing in third place with 18.6 percent.

As he did in Florida, Romney came in with a much bigger ground game than the rest of the field, a record of visiting the state often over the past year-and-a-half and, for what it's worth, the endorsement of real-estate mogul and once-potential candidate Donald Trump.

Regardless of the results, unlike winner-take-all Florida, no actual delegates will be awarded following the Nevada caucus. As in Iowa, delegates will be elected to go to the county convention and then to a state gathering, who will then decide where the state's 34 delegates go to the GOP convention in Tampa. It's possible the delegates who go to Florida in late August may not reflect the final results of Saturday's vote.

Voting also began Saturday in Maine's caucus, whose vote will take place over the next week. More voters go to the polls on Tuesday, when Colorado and Minnesota also caucus.

Check back for up-to-the-minute coverage of the primaries and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the 2012 presidential election season.

Matthew Broderick in his Honda CR-V commercial
Photo: Honda

Did you catch everything there was to see in the "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"-inspired Super Bowl ad? Perhaps there were some references you didn't pick up, some callbacks that went unnoticed. Maybe you just want to go back and watch, again and again, what is sure to be one of the night's most talked-about Super Bowl commercials.

So go right ahead with the help of MTV News' pop-culture cheat sheet:

Sick phone call: In the movie, it was Ferris' buddy, Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck), who picked up Ferris' call to plead that he was too sick to leave his bed. In the ad, Ferris receives the call.

Walter Linder: His agent's name in the commercial is the name written right above the name of Abe Froman — the sausage king of Chicago — at the restaurant Ferris and his pals crash.

Pencils and Wite-Out: Bored secretary Grace (Edie McClurg) spent much of the film sniffing Wite-Out and picking pencils out of her hair, so note the pencils and Wite-Out prominently displayed on Linder's desk.

Baseball: The ball Broderick's agent tosses in the air calls to mind both the ball Ferris caught at the Chicago Cubs game and the one he flung at his stereo to kill the fake snores at the film's end as his parents approached his room.

Roeman, Peterson & Frye: The name of Linder's agency, etched in glass on his door, is a reference not only to Froman, but to Cameron Frye and Ferris' girlfriend, Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara).

"He bought it": After Ferris successfully fools his parents, the first line he utters to camera, much like in the ad, is, "They bought it." Later, he pops off another classic line referenced in the ad: "Incredible. One of the worst performances of my career, and they never doubted it for a second."

Opening curtains: After Ferris successfully fools his parents, he thrusts open the curtains in his bedroom and wonders how he can be expected to go to school on such a gorgeous day.

Yello's "Oh Yeah": Though the song plays in the commercial as Ferris opens the curtains, it doesn't play in the film until the first time we see the Frye family Ferrari.

Twisty towel: Both Ferris and Matthew's preferred post-shower getup includes a robe and a twisty towel on the head.

"Broderick, Broderick": A callback to one of the film's most famous lines, in which Ferris' dry-as-toast teacher (Ben Stein) takes attendance and, in a ridiculous monotone, says, "Bueller? Bueller?"

Rottweiler: The dog sitting by another Honda outside the hotel is a Rottweiler, the same breed of dog the Buellers own and which terrorized Principal Edward R. Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) as he attempts to bust Ferris.

Detroit Red Wings jersey: On the roller coaster, the man behind Ferris is wearing a Red Wings jersey, the same one worn by Cameron in the movie.

Grace: The woman who calls Broderick while in the Honda is named Grace, another reference to Ferris' school secretary.

Exaggerated coughing: When Broderick coughs loudly while on the car phone, we thought back to the call Ferris made to some high school freshmen, during which he used a keyboard sound effect to make it seem like he was literally coughing up a lung.

Who's in the driver's seat?: As Broderick pulls up to a stop in his car, he discovers he is right next to Linder. He quickly hides behind a stuffed panda. In the film, Ferris finds himself stuck in traffic right next to his dad and switches places with Sloane.

Trench coat and clarinet: Look closely during this scene and you'll see a man playing the instrument, a nifty callback to Ferris' activities early in the movie.

SOCHOIC: Broderick's license plate refers to the way Ferris describes the Ferrari: "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Natural History Museum: Instead of attending the Art Institute of Chicago as in the movie, Broderick checks out the history museum. Instead of walking hand in hand with kids, he chases them.

The walrus: Two references in one. First off, Ferris shouts out John Lennon early in the film, saying, "He was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people." Secondly, the staring contest with the animal riffs on Cameron's deep gaze into "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," Georges Seurat's pointillist masterpiece.

Horse race: In the film, Ferris checked out a Cubs game. In the ad, Broderick opts for a horse race.

Chinese parade: Whereas Ferris rocked a parade in downtown Chicago, belting out "Twist and Shout" and "Danke Schoen," this time around, he crashes a Chinese parade.

The valet: Call us crazy, but the way that valet shadily looked at Broderick, we were thinking back to the garage attendant who told Ferris to relax, because he was a professional, yet took the Ferrari on a joy ride. In the ad, the valet soon peels away from the curb and is seen racing the car off a jump.

"Life moves pretty fast": Indeed, Broderick will say it again, as he did twice during the film itself: "If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

What "Ferris Bueller" references did we miss? Let us know in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

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

Chris Evans in "The Avengers" Super Bowl spot
Photo: Marvel

Captain America is from Brooklyn, New York, so he's probably a Giants fan, right?

Well, if the new trailer for "The Avengers" is any indication, Cap will have bigger things to think about than the Super Bowl this summer. The game was a big deal and all, but comic book movie fans also assembled in front of televisions and computers on Sunday (February 5) to watch a different group of uniformed supermen (and women) go to battle in ways we've never seen before.

Marvel Studios debuted the second full-length trailer for the summer's "Avengers," and boy, did it deliver, true believers! An extended version appeared on the flick's official Facebook page moments after the commercial aired during the game.

Aliens, aliens, aliens! (Are those Skrulls? Kree? Asgardian something-or-others?) A Hulk-tastic climax, a bunch of alien craft getting smashed and the most action fans have seen yet from the Avengers: Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the man who brought them together in post-credits sequences across several movies, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

The trailer opens with the familiar images of carnage on the city streets: cars overturned, explosions. The voice of Jackson as Fury says, "The world has changed." Evans, as Captain America, looks unimpressed as he untangles his hand wraps in what looks like a midcentury-style boxing gym. "At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me," he comments.

"We are hopelessly outgunned," Fury says, as the Marvel logo unspools and quinjets land on an aircraft carrier. As he finishes that sentence, we see that he's standing with Thor (and presumably the rest of the team). There are more explosions brought on by an alien craft, followed by Tony Stark (Iron Man) rising with a look of steadfast determination.

A close-up of Mjolnir flying into Thor's hand, followed by thunder and lightning. Iron Man's feet as they land on a rooftop. "Mr. Stark," Evans says. Downey answers: "Captain." "It's time," Jackson says. A close-up of Captain America's iconic shield. Iron Man in action.

As the montage continues, Thor helps Cap up off the street. Black Widow swings, then kicks, then peers over her shoulder while a car crashes between the shots. Thor lands on top of a quinjet! A large group of bad guys leap toward the city! Cap protects himself and his team from an explosion with his shield, Hawkeye shoots an arrow as he falls toward the street. Cap runs from a laser beam, Iron Man flies directly toward a small armada of alien craft. "I still believe in heroes," Fury says.

The camera then pans around all of the Avengers assembled around one another in the street. Hawkeye draws back his bow, Widow taps a clip into her pistol and Cap raises his shield. "The Avengers: That's what we call ourselves," Stark says casually, making a drink behind a bar as the film's primary villain approaches him ominously. " 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes'-type thing."

"I have an Army!" declares Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's half-brother from Asgard.

"We have a Hulk," Stark answers, shortly before the extended trailer's money shot: the Hulk roaring, smashing through glass and leaping high into the air, destroying several alien craft at once. He didn't yell "Hulk smash!" — but he might as well have.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" writer/director Joss Whedon's flick will unite Marvel's Mightiest Heroes onscreen May 4.

Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers."

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

Chris Evans in "The Avengers" Super Bowl spot
Photo: Marvel

Captain America is from Brooklyn, New York, so he's probably a Giants fan, right?

Well, if the new trailer for "The Avengers" is any indication, Cap will have bigger things to think about than the Super Bowl this summer. The game was a big deal and all, but comic book movie fans also assembled in front of televisions and computers on Sunday (February 5) to watch a different group of uniformed supermen (and women) go to battle in ways we've never seen before.

Marvel Studios debuted the second full-length trailer for the summer's "Avengers," and boy, did it deliver, true believers! An extended version appeared on the flick's official Facebook page moments after the commercial aired during the game.

Aliens, aliens, aliens! (Are those Skrulls? Kree? Asgardian something-or-others?) A Hulk-tastic climax, a bunch of alien craft getting smashed and the most action fans have seen yet from the Avengers: Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the man who brought them together in post-credits sequences across several movies, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

The trailer opens with the familiar images of carnage on the city streets: cars overturned, explosions. The voice of Jackson as Fury says, "The world has changed." Evans, as Captain America, looks unimpressed as he untangles his hand wraps in what looks like a midcentury-style boxing gym. "At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me," he comments.

"We are hopelessly outgunned," Fury says, as the Marvel logo unspools and quinjets land on an aircraft carrier. As he finishes that sentence, we see that he's standing with Thor (and presumably the rest of the team). There are more explosions brought on by an alien craft, followed by Tony Stark (Iron Man) rising with a look of steadfast determination.

A close-up of Mjolnir flying into Thor's hand, followed by thunder and lightning. Iron Man's feet as they land on a rooftop. "Mr. Stark," Evans says. Downey answers: "Captain." "It's time," Jackson says. A close-up of Captain America's iconic shield. Iron Man in action.

As the montage continues, Thor helps Cap up off the street. Black Widow swings, then kicks, then peers over her shoulder while a car crashes between the shots. Thor lands on top of a quinjet! A large group of bad guys leap toward the city! Cap protects himself and his team from an explosion with his shield, Hawkeye shoots an arrow as he falls toward the street. Cap runs from a laser beam, Iron Man flies directly toward a small armada of alien craft. "I still believe in heroes," Fury says.

The camera then pans around all of the Avengers assembled around one another in the street. Hawkeye draws back his bow, Widow taps a clip into her pistol and Cap raises his shield. "The Avengers: That's what we call ourselves," Stark says casually, making a drink behind a bar as the film's primary villain approaches him ominously. " 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes'-type thing."

"I have an Army!" declares Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's half-brother from Asgard.

"We have a Hulk," Stark answers, shortly before the extended trailer's money shot: the Hulk roaring, smashing through glass and leaping high into the air, destroying several alien craft at once. He didn't yell "Hulk smash!" — but he might as well have.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" writer/director Joss Whedon's flick will unite Marvel's Mightiest Heroes onscreen May 4.

Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers."

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