Reese Witherspoon Calls Taylor Swift ‘Profound’

Actress opens up about her own role-model status and her 2011 MTV Movie Awards speech during 'MTV First: This Means War.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Taylor Swift and Reese Witherspoon
Photo: Christopher Polk/ACMA2011/Getty Images

At the 2011 MTV Movie Awards when Reese Witherspoon took the stage to accept her Generation Award, she used the moment to stand up for every young woman out there.

During her headline-making speech, she proudly told the girls watching the show that "I know it's cool to be bad. I get it ... but it's also possible to make it in Hollywood without a reality show." Now, many months later, Witherspoon sat down with MTV News on Tuesday (January 31) for "MTV First: This Means War." And, during the lengthy chat, she opened up about her speech.

"Well, I have a 12-year-old daughter, and I take it all very seriously. I think there's not a lot of positive images out there for young women, honestly," she explained. "I don't know, I just feel like shining the light on the good was an incredible move on MTV's part and that you don't have to sell yourself short and objectify yourself in order to be popular or liked or loved. And there's many different ways to the watering hole and you can maintain you self-respect and still accomplish things.

"I don't watch certain reality shows but there's ones where people are doing cool, interesting things, like 'Project Runway.' But I'm not into women hating on other women or hitting each other or beating the crap out of each other to make money for a bunch of other people," she continued. "I think that's not what I want my kids to see."

That feminist stance has made her the go-to role model for a new generation of stars, including Taylor Swift, who cites her as one of her idols. "I think it's an accumulation of life experiences and hopefully you handle yourself with grace and dignity and life and that's all you can hope for and hope to pass on to people," she said of her own role-model status.

"And I think [Swift is] just an exemplary young lady," she added. "It's kind of interesting to see what a profound songwriter she is. I don't even think anyone has realized, the long term is going to be the bigger revelation. It's incredible how quickly she writes songs. We've hung out a couple of times; we live near each other in Nashville."

• MTV First: This Means War

• Taylor Swift

Madonna Unveils Colorful M.D.N.A. Cover Art

Funky cover, which features Madge with bright red lips, reflects 'high-energy' vibe of the album.
By Jocelyn Vena

Madonna
Photo: Michaela Feuereislova/ isifa/ Getty Images

Madonna may have gone stripped down and black-and-white for her "Give Me All Your Luvin' " single art, but for her M.D.N.A. album cover, she's on the other end of the color spectrum. A nod to her love of all things colorful and disco, the singer is truly expressing herself on the glamorous, deconstructed photograph full of bouncing colors. In the photo, Madge cocks her head up, her curly hair pulled back. She's wearing lots of mascara, bright red lipstick, a chocker and a silky bright pink top. The photo has some kind of broken mirror filter over it, giving it a funky, dance-queen vibe.

She dropped the art on her Facebook page. Madonna recently described M.D.N.A. as "high-energy" to MTV News and this particular visual certainly fits that vibe. Madonna releases "Give Me", the first single off the album, on Friday, along with the video. She's set to take the stage at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

In a photo posted on TMZ.com, Madge's halftime stage appears to be a series of lights in the ground reading "Vogue." She's rumored to be performing the 1990 song at the show. The stage setup also includes bleachers, which may have something to do with the fact that the performance may have a cheerleader theme.

Madonna is also rumored to be taking the stage with Cee Lo Green and LMFAO as well as her "Give Me" pals, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., the latter of whom opened up about taking the stage with Madonna in a recent interview.

"I'm gonna be performing with Madonna and Nicki Minaj ... If you're gonna go to the Super Bowl, you might as well go with America's biggest female icons," M.I.A. explained. "As musicians, we're two women and we represent two opposite sides of the world. If we can come together on a piece of music or something like the Super Bowl, I feel like that's actually a cool thing to see this year because it's getting silly out there."

What do you think of Madonna's album cover? Sound off in the comments section below!

• MTV Rough Cut: Madonna

• Madonna

Wiz Khalifa Wants To ‘Motivate’ Pittsburgh’s Hip-Hop Up-And-Comers

'With the music, it's a whole new avenue we done opened up for kids and for people to look up to,' Khalifa tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman

Wiz Khalifa
Photo: MTV News

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's hip-hop roots run deep. Wu-Tang Clan's RZA once called the Steel City home, and mid-1990s Death Row Records MC/producer Sam Sneed held the city down as did Dr. Dre's production affiliate Mel-Man. Still, when Wiz Khalifa put the 'Burgh on his back with his 2010 hometown ode "Black & Yellow," the city had officially arrived as a hip-hop hot spot.

"Everybody's hardworking and it's not like a big music scene out there, so when you got somethin', you just go with it," emerging Pittsburgh MC Chevy Woods said in a December interview. "Everybody sees the light that shines on [Khalifa] and Mac [Miller] and now it's trickling down to everybody else."

After Wiz blew the doors off, Mac Miller came next. Though both rappers are signed to Rostrum Records, a local label, they came up separately. Khalifa has his Taylor Gang crew, while Miller has the Most Dope collective.

"With the music, it's a whole new avenue we done opened up for kids and for people to look up to," Khalifa said of how he helped shine a spotlight on the 'Burgh, paving the way for future MCs. "It's a reality now out there, so it's really important for us to just embrace 'em and motivate 'em and push 'em forward."

As a kid, Wiz moved around a bit but began to call the 'Burgh home at an early age — particularly the rough-and-tumble Hazelwood section. "You really won't get it if you're not from there," Wiz said of his hometown. "Just growing up in Pittsburgh and knowing different neighborhoods, having family there and just loving it, it's like no other place."

As far as Pennsylvania goes, Philadelphia has churned out the most rap talent. From Schoolly D to Will Smith to Beanie Sigel's State Property and now Maybach Music's Meek Mill, Philly has had no shortage of rap representation. While they sit within the same state lines, Pittsburgh and Illadelph couldn't be more different.

"We always had love for Philly. It was harder for Philly to embrace us because we're a little bit slower to them or to more East Coast towns," Wiz said. "Philly is more East Coast than Pittsburgh. It's closer to New Jersey and New York, so the vibe is way more fast-paced. Pittsburgh, it's just laid-back ... Midwest almost on some country stuff."

Stick with MTV News all week as Mac Miller takes us back to the 'Burgh and spotlights the city's vibrant hip-hop scene. Then tune in to "RapFix Live" on Wednesday at 4 p.m. on MTV.com for exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from Mac's hometown shows.

• Back To The 'Burgh With Mac Miller

• Wiz Khalifa

‘Chronicle’ Rooted In ‘Complete Reality,’ Stars Say

'It's a movie about what would actually happen if teenagers got superpowers,' Dane DeHaan tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner

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

In the buzzworthy action/drama hybrid "Chronicle," out Friday, three friends' lives are forever changed when they encounter an otherworldly substance and structure that somehow gives them extraordinary abilities.

The movie is shot mostly via the "found footage" or "POV" format and revolves around high school students Andrew (Dane DeHaan), Matt (Alex Russell) and Steve (Michael B. Jordan). When MTV News caught up with the three stars of the film recently, we asked them to explain how "Chronicle" is different from every other superpower and found-footage film out there.

"It's a movie about what would actually happen if teenagers got superpowers," DeHaan said. "And I think that, for the first time, it deals with that issue in modern day in complete reality, which is the person who gets the superpowers probably won't be the best person in the world and only want to save other people in the world from their problems."

"From the beginning, you're invested in Andrew and Steve and Matt," Jordan added. "It's not just, 'What monster is going to be popping out of this building?' You really follow the characters throughout the movie and care what happens to them."

Because the audience spends so much time getting to know the three main characters, Russell said it makes for an especially intense thrill ride when the boys discover just how powerful they are and things start to spiral out of control.

"It's action-packed, it's incredible in that way, but it in no way relies on that," Russell said of the film's impressive effects and aerial stunt work. "The characters are very layered, the relationships are complex and beautiful, and something you get really invested in it, and I think that makes it hit home so much harder when things start to go awry."

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

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

Diddy Aims To Bring A ‘New Energy’ To Cable TV

'We're coming with something that people are going to want to tune in to see,' Diddy tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman

Diddy
Photo: MTV News

Diddy alert! The music mogul isn't making an official announcement concerning his upcoming music-themed cable channel, but when the time is right, you can bet that his patented Diddy swag will be in full swing.

"I haven't made that announcement yet. That's something that kinda leaked to the press," the Bad Boy CEO told Sway on Sunday in Miami while on a break from shooting French Montana's "Shot Caller" remix video.

Broadcasting & Cable originally broke the news January 23, citing unnamed sources. It was reported that Puff hooked up with former MTV programming chief Andy Schuon to develop Revolt, a network aimed at African-American audiences, set to launch in December. Diddy couldn't confirm any of the information, however.

"When I have everything officially solidified, I'll be able to speak on it more. Only thing I can say is, we're coming with a new energy, we're coming with something that people are going to want to tune in to see," he said.

Diddy went on to cite the influence that Viacom networks MTV and BET have had on his career. "We want to give thanks to MTV and BET for paving the way," he said. "Somebody had to bubble, somebody had to come up out of the grind of working with the greats over at MTV and BET, and I thank y'all for all the support. MTV gave me my first shot, made me a global star."

• Diddy

Florida Primary: Mitt Romney Posts Convincing Win

Romney's deluge of negative campaign ads seemed to have their desired effect.
By Gil Kaufman

Mitt Romney
Photo: Joe Raedle/ Getty Images

TAMPA, Florida — Mitt Romney climbed back into the driver's seat Tuesday (January 31) with a big win in the Florida primary. Shortly after polls closed, CNN projected that Romney would win the state with 47 percent of the vote to Gingrich's 31 percent.

Thanks to his two solid debate appearances and his huge money advantage over Newt Gingrich, Romney seemed relaxed and confident in the 24 hours before the results came in when MTV News spent time trailing the campaign all over the state.

With more than 4 million GOP voters eligible to vote in the primary, early reports indicated that between 1.5 million and 2 million could cast votes. The win is an important one for Romney for several reasons. It erases the memory of his five-point loss to Senator John McCain in the 2008 Florida primary, and it also means that this time he scoops up all 50 delegates in the winner-takes-all state.

He was helped along by the massive infusion of cash for (mostly) negative ads attacking Gingrich funded by his own campaign and the Restore Our Future SuperPac, which outspent Gingrich and his allied Pac, Winning Our Future, by a 4-to-1 margin. Together, the men spent more than $20 million on the bruising battle in the important swing state with the highest foreclosure rate and one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

In a stark contrast to the three previous contests, according to CNN exit polls in Florida, Romney finally broke through to young voters (18-29), a group he had previously not clicked with. While Romney had reliably scored with older voters, in Florida, he won 39 percent of the youth votes to 26 percent for Congressman Ron Paul, 23 percent for Gingrich and 12 percent for Rick Santorum. In part, Paul lost his usual pull with young voters in the Sunshine State because Tuesday's contest was a "closed" primary, which meant that only registered Republicans, and not independents, could cast ballots.

The Libertarian-leaning Paul did not spend much time campaigning in Florida, preferring to focus on the upcoming Nevada primary on Saturday. He came in a distant fourth place with just 7 percent of the vote, bested by former Pennsylvania Senator Santorum (13 percent), who was forced to quit campaigning over the weekend to attend to a sick child.

There were also not early results on if the state's controversial new voter-registration laws had any impact on the turnout. Should they stay in place through the general election in November — there are currently several lawsuits attempting to overturn the laws — some voting-rights advocate worry they could have a suppressive effect on a number of traditionally Democrat-leaning voting blocs, including young and minority voters. The next contest takes place Saturday in Nevada.

MTV is on the scene in Florida! Check back for up-to-the-minute coverage of the primaries and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the 2012 presidential election season.

• Florida Primary: The Race Is On!

Taylor Lautner’s Post-’Twilight’ Career: What’s Next?

Now that 'Stretch Armstrong' is off Lautner's schedule, 'Twilight' Tuesday takes a closer look at the young actor's future.
By Kara Warner

Taylor Lautner
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic

Now that we've had a day or so to digest the news that "Twilight" star Taylor Lautner will not be gracing the big screen as super bendy, slightly superheroic Stretch Armstrong, it's time to turn the focus of this week's "Twilight" Tuesday toward analyzing this latest development in Lautner's post-Jacob career.

Word on the street is that Lautner dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflicts, but exactly what conflicts he may or may not have are the mystery. Last we heard, the teen heartthrob was in talks with Oscar winner Gus Van Sant to make a small-budget film based on a nonfiction article from The New Yorker. A quieter role in a more indie film could be just what Lautner needs post-"Twilight."

"He's got the right determination and ambition to continue on, even through bumps in the road," IMDb Managing Editor Keith Simanton told MTV News of Lautner's staying power. "Someone he reminds me a little bit of is Hayden Christenson. People make fun of him and have never seen his performance in 'Shattered Glass,' and he's also very good in 'Life as a House.' Because the only thing people know him from are big movies, the franchises that are in some ways an albatross in the way of a career."

Boxoffice.com's Phil Contrino suggested that Lautner focus on more grown-up projects with big-name, respected directors.

"He can, and most likely will, rebound. The key to his success will be picking the right directors to work with," Contrino said. "He needs to stay away from teen-skewing flicks and go for adult, like Robert Pattinson is doing by working with David Cronenberg."

Lautner reportedly dropped out of the superhero film "Max Steel" and extreme-flying flick "Northern Lights" to make room for "Stretch," which means he has plenty of time from now until next November to do a film before the promo machine kicks back into gear for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2." And then there's the adaptation of the popular YA novel "Incarceron," which Lautner was circling in its development stages the last time we checked in with him.

What should Taylor Lautner do next? Tweet @karawarner to sound off on this week's "Twilight" Tuesday!

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2."

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

• MTV Rough Cut: Taylor Lautner

Tom Hardy, Chris Pine Get Physical In ‘This Means War’ Clip

Reese Witherspoon tries to decide between the two secret agents in a brand-new clips.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon and Tom Hardy in "This Means War"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

It takes only two short clips from "This Means War" to show you exactly what kind of movie it is. On one hand you have a woman, played by Reese Witherspoon, torn between two men she genuinely likes. It's nothing that far out of line with what you expect from your average romantic comedy.

On the other hand, you have the influence of McG and two of Hollywood's top action stars, Tom Hardy and Chris Pine, playing her love interests and secret-agent best buddies. Things, as you can imagine, get a little messy.

As part of "MTV First: This Means War", we debuted two new clips from "This Means War," and they both give a very good taste of what's in store in the movie that hits theaters on Valentine's Day.

The first finds Pine's character, FDR, crashing a date between Hardy's Tuck and Lauren, played by Witherspoon. Lauren goes to the bathroom to collect herself after the surprise encounter, while back out in the restaurant, the former best friends use every ounce of their professional training to beat the crap out of each, destroying the restaurant in the process.

The other clip takes on a much more relaxed tone, showing off the lighter side of the movie. Lauren confides in her best friend, Trish, played by Chelsea Handler, and attempts to make a decision between the two suitors. Unbeknownst to her, both FDR and Tuck listen in.

Are you excited for "This Means War"? Leave your comment below.

Stick with MTV News as we roll out more from our exclusive "MTV First: This Means War" interview with Reese Witherspoon!

• MTV First: This Means War

‘X Factor’ Exits: Where Does The Show Go From Here?

MTV News spoke to a trio of 'Factor' experts about the departures of Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and Steve Jones.
By James Montgomery

Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger on "X Factor"
Photo: FOX

Reactions to the departures of "X Factor" host Steve Jones and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul seem to run the gamut from "all but expected" (that would be poor Jonesy, who never truly seemed to find his footing as emcee) to "jaw-dropping shock" (that's the consensus over Abdul's axing, especially since show producers made it seem that she and Simon Cowell were a tandem deal).

And while folks can debate how the trio's exits will impact the show, seemingly everyone can agree that, when "X Factor" returns for its second season later this year, it will most certainly be a very different show — one that faces an uphill battle to not only win over viewers, but deliver on the promises Cowell made when it first debuted.

"This is a new beginning, this is hitting reset," Detroit News pop music writer and MTV News contributor Adam Graham said Tuesday (January 31). "I never thought the changes were going to be this drastic. ... I think it means that [the producers] are serious, and I think it means that they've acknowledged that they haven't delivered the product they hoped to, and going through a change like this means they want to make it better and they want to deliver on the promise of this big show that many view as a failure, especially after Simon Cowell made all these proclamations about it when it first premiered."

"I think [Scherzinger and Jones] were both marked for death by early December, if not Thanksgiving, and I would have been shocked if either one of them came back," added Michael Slezak, who covers reality TV for TVLine.com. "I don't think Paula did a terrible job ... [and] I think her getting the ax sends a much bigger message, like, 'We're not just going to make a couple of little changes. We're pretty much reinventing the show from the ground up.' "

So where does "X Factor" go from here? Well, for starters, it has to find some folks to replace the recently departed trio — a task that may be easier said than done, given the show's rather rocky first season.

"There's rumors that [Cowell] wants to bring Mariah Carey on. ... Simon's always had this idea that 'X Factor' was going to be like 'American Idol' on steroids, so getting someone like Mariah would be huge," said Lyndsey Parker, managing editor of Yahoo! Music. "But I don't know if she would do it, because is the show now considered a sinking ship? I think the image of 'X Factor' is a little tarnished; the ratings weren't what Simon said they were going to be. I have doubts about how successful any of the people who got signed from the show are going to be, so now, I think a little bit of the cachet of joining Simon's new venture, when they're already making massive cast switch ups one season in."

"I think where Simon is at in his career, it wouldn't shock me if he just goes for a big name ... but you can get the biggest star in the world, you can get someone who hosted the Oscars, like Ellen DeGeneres, and they still can't handle giving live criticism," Slezak said. "It's one thing to be a big-name star; it's another thing to be fast enough on TV to be able to watch a 90-second performance, be able to form an opinion immediately and then give a quick, succinct, honest assessment of that performance and to be willing to do that."

And frankly, it may not matter who Cowell and company bring in for the second season of the show. If you listen to those who covered it, the damage may have already been done, and the abrupt dumping of three members of the on-air team may not be enough to turn the tide.

"In a lot of ways, I think all of this is sort of a real acknowledgement that 'X Factor' failed and needs a complete reinvention," Graham said. "I don't know if just getting rid of three people is enough to do that."

"There's no doubt that there's reality-competition fatigue right now. ... It's almost like there's just too many types of these shows on the air, and it's basically year-round," Slezak added. "They've got to convince people that it's worth investing their whole fall to watching it and convince people that they've changed enough to deserve a second chance. Now they're up against it, and the fact that it wasn't a huge phenomenon like 'American Idol' makes it easier to ignore."

Will "X Factor" ever live up to the hype? Well, for the time being at least, the high-profile departures have certainly returned the public's focus to the show. The real key to its survival seems to be what Cowell does next.

"In the short term, if you believe any publicity is good publicity, people are talking about 'X Factor' for perhaps the first time since the finale. And there's going to be a lot of people speculating and debating about who they'd like to see replace Steve and Paula and Nicole," Parker said. "Changes to shows always get people talking ... but in the long term, if they run into more chemistry problems again, I think the show is going to be considered a bit of a joke. So I hope Simon casts the show wisely."

What do you think the "X Factor" exits mean? Let us know in the comments!

Join Reese Witherspoon Now For ‘MTV First: This Means War’

Photo: 20th Century Fox

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