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'Dark Shadows': Johnny Depp, Vampires, Spooky First Looks In 2011

We relive the best moments of the year as production on Tim Burton's 2012 adaptation finally kicked off.
By John Mitchell


Tim Burton and Johnny Depp in production for "Dark Shadows"
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

This year, filming finally began on director Tim Burton's long-in-the-works big-screen adaptation of "Dark Shadows," a campy, late-1960s soap opera about vampires, witches and time travel. Burton is a lifelong fan of the series and, as his partner Helena Bonham Carter told MTV News this month, "This was a thing that he raced home to see when he was about age 10."

With its atmospheric New England setting and myriad mysterious characters, "Shadows" has the feel of a classic Burton film, more akin to his "Sleepy Hollow" and "Batman" flicks than his more candy-colored efforts like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." And Burton at his dark and spooky best, working on a passion project, is something to get excited about.

Production began on "Shadows" at Pinewood Studios outside of London in May. The director lined up a dream cast — from Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer to Chloe Moretz and Jackie Earle Haley, not a single part appears miscast.

And while Burton has kept the film under lock and key, paparazzi did catch a fleeting glimpse of Depp during production, which briefly became cause for worry among some fans of the series. The shot of Depp in character as Barnabus Collins, wearing heavy white makeup walking down a seaside hill, found its way online in mid-September and was derided by fans as being too cartoonish, too reminiscent of Depp's styling in Burton's "Alice in Wonderland." Based on those initial images, the world Burton looked to be creating seemed to have little in common with the Gothic aesthetic established in the soap.

Concerns were alleviated, however, when just a week later, Entertainment Weekly debuted the first official image from the film. Through Burton's lens (and some creepy filters), Depp's makeup took on the undead-but-oddly alluring look you'd expect from a traditional vampire movie. The rest of the cast captured the feel of their TV counterparts too: Pfeiffer looked regal and sullen as family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard; Johnny Lee Miller's smarm as Roger Collins was apparent; and Bonham Carter looked every bit the orange-haired, eccentric "alcoholic psychiatrist," Dr. Julia Hoffman.

Of the film, Moretz, who plays Carolyn Stoddard, had this to say when talking to MTV News last month: "It straddles the typical Burton line: camp and drama. It's an amazing movie. Going in and working on this movie with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter — it really does get back to Tim's roots. It gets back to 'Beetlejuice,' 'Edward Scissorhands,' back to true Burton. So working on this movie was epic for me because he's always been my dream director to work with because, god, he's so iconic."

Moretz's "Shadows" co-stars share the love for Burton. Pfeiffer, who worked with the director on 1992's"Batman Returns," described work on the new film as a "dream job." "[It is] such a fun cast and we had so much fun. I just love working with Tim [Burton], I love watching him direct. [There's] nobody like him," she told MTV News. "I loved meeting Helena and getting to know her. I hope it's successful so that we can do a bunch of them because it was such a fantastic, creative group of people."

Hopefully, that on-set camaraderie and excitement will help "Shadows" fulfill fans' high expectations. The original soap spanned some 1,225 episodes, so there's plenty of plot for sequels if Pfeiffer gets her wish. While we're still waiting for a trailer for the May 11, 2012, release (come on, Tim, give us something!), what we've seen so far gives us faith that Burton and Co. are getting it all exactly right!

Are you looking forward to seeing what Tim Burton and co. cook up for "Dark Shadows"? Sound off in the comments below and tweet me at @JohnMitchell83 with your thoughts and suggestions for future columns!

Check out everything we've got on "Dark Shadows."

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

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675703/dark-shadows-johnny-depp-tim-burton.jhtml

Vitamin C Vogue Whitney Able Whitney Port

Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, More Light Up Z100 Jingle Ball

Kelly Clarkson delivers jaw-dropping set, as LMFAO, Gym Class Heroes, David Guetta and viral sensations Karmin help fill jam-packed MSG lineup.
By Henna Kathiya


Lady Gaga performs at Jingle Ball on Friday
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/ Getty Images

NEW YORK — Without skipping a beat, Z100's annual Jingle Ball kicked off at exactly 7:30 p.m. Friday night to an arena full of screaming fans. The head-turning lineup featured Demi Lovato, Kelly Clarkson, LMFAO, Pitbull, Foster the People, Mindless Behavior, the Script, David Guetta, Gym Class Heroes and Lady Gaga, who brought some of the year's biggest hits to the Madison Square Garden stage.

ZI00's Elvis Duran and the Morning Crew personally came onstage to introduce the night's most-anticipated performance.

"Years ago, there was a young girl in the audience watching the Z100 Jingle Ball [and] she told her mom she wanted to be a singer," Duran said to the squealing concertgoers. "Three years ago, she opened up the show with her hit Just Dance. It gives me pleasure to say that a lifelong Z100 fan has now become one of the most important artists of our generation."

With the crowd chanting "Gaga," the New York City native opened with Edge of Glory. But in true Lady Gaga fashion, she didn't appear onstage right away. Instead, she emerged from a Christmas tree mid-song, decked out in a studded leather outfit. She then belted her way through "Bad Romance."

"When I was 11, I came to this very concert and told my mom I wanted to be a singer, and guys ... here I am," she said, launching into "Just Dance."

"Some people thought I was just going to be a one-hit wonder," Gaga continued as she moved on to mega-hits "Poker Face," "Telephone" and "Judas."

The pop diva then paid homage to the holidays with a naughty rendition of "White Christmas," gyrating her way across a holiday-themed set, complete with antlers, Christmas trees and lights.

Mother Monster danced through "Born This Way," before closing out the show with her latest, the Fernando Garibay-produced "Marry the Night", for which she channeled the video by changing into a a hospital gown and carting an IV stand onstage. As the song ended, fireworks went off and red confetti shot out all over the jubilant crowd.

Jingle Ball 2011's stellar lineup was more than just Gaga, of course.

During a short break in the show, fans took to their phones and began tweeting furiously in anticipation of another act: Demi Lovato. Finally, after what seemed like years in tween time, Big Time Rush introduced the 19-year-old, who took the stage looking classy in an all-black, gem-studded blazer.

Lovato, joined by her backup dancers, opened with "All Night Long," and followed up with her new single, Give Your Heart a Break, to the delight of screaming Lovatics. Demi turned serious, though, for her comeback ballad "Skyscraper," and the whole room sang along. She closed out her set by ripping off her blazer, all the better to shimmy to and sing the finale, "Unbroken."

"Thank you guys!" she told her adoring fans. "You all have been so amazing!"

Turns out Kelly Clarkson, who took it back with her massive uptempo hit "Since You Been Gone," is also a Lovatic. "I've been waiting for a long time to do a duet with Demi," Kelly said. "Wow, she can sing her butt off!" she added as Demi returned for the classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Needless to say, the two power singers ... killed it. (Lovato has long cited Clarkson as an inspiration.)

Clarkson then switched gears, dipping into her latest album, Stronger, for the sassy "Mr. Know It All," and chart-toppers like "My Life Would Suck Without You."

Gym Class Heroes opened with their staple "Cupid's Chokehold," but the hip-hop/rock band also rolled out numbers from their new album, The Papercut Chronicles. They said goodbye with frontman Travie McCoy rapping his solo hit "Billionaire," as the crowd eagerly sang Bruno Mars' hook.

Reality star Khloe Kardashian was one of the night's guest hosts, and she told MTV News she has "a passion for music." Dressed in LMFAO-approved leopard tights, Kardashian introduced the electro-pop duo, who were short one party-rocker. "SkyBlu couldn't be here with us tonight because he hurt himself wiggling," RedFoo explained.

Although he was without his partner in crime, RedFoo held it down, kicking off with "Sorry for Party Rocking" as he danced with two giant plastic zebras in the background. Foo went on to perform "Shots Shots" and "I'm in Miami" (a New York version, of course). He finished up with explosive -- there were fireworks -- versions of the LMFAO hits "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy and I Know It," as fans wiggled in their seats.

Youtube sensations Karmin also performed -- but not onstage. They surprised everyone by rocking right in the crowd.

Share your Jingle Ball concert reviews in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675742/z100-jingle-ball-lady-gaga.jhtml

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Braodway's in post-holiday stupor

Legit News: Box office slumps outside the millionaires club -- Broadway box office descended from Thanksgiving heights in Week 27 (Nov. 28-Dec. 4), but sales were still healthy -- at least at the more in-demand offerings, which saw some jockeying among the members of the millionaires' club.

Source: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118047264?categoryid=15&cs=1&cmpid=RSS|News|LatestNews

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