Eminem and Jay-Z
Photo: Kristian Dowling/ Getty Images

Cincinnati Bengals wide-receiving duo Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens refer to themselves as the Batman and Robin of the NFL, but in the hip-hop world, Jay-Z and Eminem are more like the Batman and Superman of music. And just like it's rare to see the two titans of comics together in the same panel, you know it's a special occasion when Slim Shady and Jigga team up for a live show.

That's why fans are freaking out about the first of four planned joint concerts between the dynamic duo, which kick off at Em's hometown stadium, Comerica Park, on Thursday night (September 2) and wind up next weekend in Jay's backyard at Yankee Stadium on September 12 and 13. Nobody knows who the pair will bring onstage as special guests or what they'll play, though we did learn Wednesday that VMA nominee B.o.B will open all four dates.

But how do the massive careers of these two titans measure up? Both have sold tens of millions of albums and played to hundreds of thousands of fans during their decade-plus in the public eye, and each brings a unique strength and style.

Let's break down their numbers to get a sense of what led up to this historic collabo:

On the Charts
Eminem has been a chart titan for his entire career, posting six #1 albums in a row on the Billboard 200, along with four #1 singles on the Billboard singles chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, his U.S. album sales are 38.3 million, with an additional 30.5 million U.S. downloads on songs where he's the lead artist.

His best-selling download to date is "Lose Yourself," which SoundScan reports has sold 2.9 million copies, while his feature on the Akon tune "Smack That" pads his résumé with another 3 million in downloads credited to 'Kon. Marshall's best-selling album is The Marshall Mathers LP, which has banked more than 10 million copies.

Jay has some equally gaudy numbers, beginning with a jaw-dropping 11 #1 albums on the Billboard 200, along with four #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, though that includes only one solo #1, "Empire State of Mind," and three features.

Though Eminem has stronger overseas sales, Jigga's not far behind in total U.S. album sales, with Nielsen SoundScan reporting that the Yankees fan has sold 31.4 million discs to date, including collaborative works with R. Kelly and Linkin Park. He's also no slouch in the download department, clocking 21.4 million downloaded tracks as a lead artist, with the Alicia Keys-featuring track "Empire State of Mind" ringing up his biggest digital numbers at 3.9 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life stands as Jay's best-selling album to date, with more than 5.3 million units shifted.

When Nielsen SoundScan released the list of the best-selling artists of the decade so far, Em topped it at 31.1 million, with Jay rounding out the top 10 at #10 with 19.4 million.

The pair are almost even when it comes to Grammys, with Eminem edging out Jay 11-10. But when you tally up total worldwide sales, it's clear that Slim Shady holds the crown, with more than 80 million units shifted to Jay's 40 million.

On the Stage
"Rap, as a genre, does not translate as well to a concert stage as bands in the recorded music world," Pollstar Editor in Chief Gary Bongiovanni said. "And not a lot of acts have that strong a touring career, but among touring rap artists, I'd have to say these two, along with 50 Cent, are among the most successful touring rap artists of their time."

Eminem has the lighter touring résumé, according to Bongiovanni. Unlike Jay, who has toured more than half a dozen times in this decade, Em, 37, has only really had a handful of major outings, starting with some non-headlining dates in 2001 on the Up in Smoke Tour, as well as taking the lead on the inaugural dates of his Anger Management package.

In 2002, he headlined the second Anger Management outing, hooking up with Papa Roach, Ludacris and Xzibit and the X-Ecutioners, which Bongiovanni said averaged around 23,000 fans per show and grossed $1.3 million per date and, like the first effort, also went overseas for some European dates.

There were a few sporadic shows in 2003, and then Em brought Anger Management back in 2005 with Ludacris, G-Unit, Lil Jon and 50 Cent for a 24-show swing that, according to the data on the 22 shows reported to Pollstar, averaged more than 15,000 fans and grossed more than $1 million per show. The planned European dates were scotched when Em checked into rehab for treatment of an addiction to prescription medication.

Since then, Shady has only performed a handful of times. "There's something to be said for pent-up demand," Bongiovanni said of Eminem's success at drawing major crowds during his sporadic touring career.

Jay, 40, on the other hand, has lately made touring an intricate part of his career. He's gone from headlining 3,000- to 6,000-seat venues in 2001 to playing to an average of more than 10,000 on his aborted Best of Both Worlds double-bill with R. Kelly in 2004 — which grossed more than $1.4 million per stop — and right around that for his 2009 Blueprint 3 Tour with N.E.R.D., Wale and J. Cole. That tour hit arenas and played to an average of 8,500 fans, grossing $543,000 per show.

While he continues to be a big draw in Europe, with his high-energy, full-band presentation, Jay solidified his place as one of the premier rap touring acts in the U.S. in 2010 by hooking up with Young Jeezy and Trey Songz for a sold-out arena tour that averaged 12,900 fans and around $1 million per show, according to Pollstar. Jay will also open some dates for U2 in November and made stops at the Coachella and Bonnaroo festivals this summer.

The Scorecard
That puts the two rap giants around even, so you can expect them to bring the goods at what promises to be a historic four-night stand.

What special guests do you hope Em and Jay will bring out at the hometown shows? Let us know in the comments!

• Get Ready For Jay-Z And Eminem's Epic Stadium Shows!

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• Jay-Z And Eminem: Stadium Face-Off
• MCs And Their Hometown Stadiums
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• Eminem
• Jay-Z

Rihanna on the set of "Battleship" on Wednesday
Photo: Splash News

While rumors of a new single spread across the Internet, Rihanna is already beginning work on the set of her feature film debut in "Battleship." Photos of the Barbadian songstress surfaced online yesterday showing a brunette Rihanna dressed in character.

Donning a traditional U.S. Navy getup with gloves and work boots, the singer was spotted in Hawaii on the set of the Peter Berg-directed science-fiction movie, wearing a nametag with the name "Raikes." The board-game adaptation is the story of naval officers who use Earth's ships to fight against alien intruders.

According to one of Rihanna's latest tweets, the singer is scheduled to continue work in Hawaii for two weeks. "HAWAII...Hawaii...hawaii......who wouldn't want to work here for 2 weeks," she tweeted, along with a photo of her posing on a balcony.

In addition to the pop star, the film's cast lineup includes "True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgård, Taylor Kitsch of "Friday Night Lights" and bombshell supermodel Brooklyn Decker.

Skarsgård told MTV News that the film will be "quite different from the board game," and added that he doesn't think "Battleship" will follow the latest trend of filming in 3-D. Skarsgård will play a commander of one of the Navy destroyers in the film.

Universal has set "Battleship" for May 25, 2012, release.

What type of character do you think Rihanna will play in the movie? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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

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

• Rihanna

Ashley Bell in "The Last Exorcism"
Photo: Lionsgate

SPOILER WARNING: Before you read past this point, be warned: This article discusses the end of "The Last Exorcism" in depth, so stop reading if you intend to see the movie and don't want to know how it ends.

Director Daniel Stamm's mock documentary concludes on an open-ended note. As predicted earlier in the film by Nell's (Ashley Bell) paintings, the cinematographer gets his head chopped off, the producer is hacked to pieces and the preacher, Cotton (Patrick Fabian), his faith seemingly restored, walks into the flame to ward off Hell, his cross held high and his ultimate fate left unclear. That ending has spurred quite a bit of discussion among many who have seen it.

MTV News talked to Stamm about that response and his reaction to it. "I don't mind the passion that the discussion has spurred," he said. "I'm getting threats now, which is a whole new thing for me. People are [tweeting] me, telling me to jump headfirst off the Empire State Building, really hateful [comments], which I can only take as a compliment. Which movie do you care about so much that you get so hateful and so passionate about it?"

Of the dialogue that's sprung up, the director admits that he understands where the dissenters are coming from. "I think that a lot of the people that are upset by the movie [feel] that they are paying for you to enlighten their world a little bit with an answer about what's going on around them," he said. "They want a statement that is clear. That is a very legitimate position to me, but that is not what the movie does. The movie leaves you with a question. And it was very true to the format of the documentary style that you don't understand everything."

By "staying true to the documentary style," Stamm is referring specifically to the death of the camera operator in the film's final scene. "Yes, it's abrupt, because your point of view is gone, you'll never find out what happened after that. There is no scene that neatly ties it all together and explains it all to you because that's not how it would go down. I think the rest of the movie is naturalistic enough ... that it would be a complete betrayal of the movie [to tie things together]."

He appreciates that the film's conclusion has a very definable impact on the scale of the story, from an intimate gathering of concerned individuals and one troubled little girl to a community full of Devil-worshipping Satanists. "I understand that people are maybe overwhelmed by the openness of the ending, but at the same time ... I can't think of a different ending to this movie. I think it completely does it justice and I think it does the characters justice."

Check out everything we've got on "The Last Exorcism."

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

Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in "Due Date"
Photo: Warner Bros.

Robert Downey Jr. is convinced that "Due Date" is a better movie than "The Hangover," for the simple reason that, as director Todd Phillips explained to MTV News, "Due Date" is about something, whereas "Hangover" just follows a bunch of groggy dudes around Las Vegas.

Phillips doesn't necessarily agree with Downey, but he'll take the compliment, just as he accepts the pressure of following up the $467 million worldwide success of "Hangover." His mission after that flick broke big last year was to get right back to work. For that task, he hauled Zach Galifianakis back into the mix and recruited Downey. "Due Date" follows Downey's character, Peter Highman, whose wife is about to go into labor, forcing him to hitch a ride with Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) in an attempt to get to the hospital before his child is born. Their road trip does not, to say the least, go smoothly.

As part of MTV News' ongoing Fall Movie Preview series, Phillips called us up to chat about working with Downey on a straight comedy, the "anti-chemistry" of his two stars and the difficulty of pulling off a cinematic stunt as surprising as the naked Asian who jumped out of a trunk in "The Hangover."

MTV: I take it you've locked picture a while ago, right?

Todd Phillips: Yeah, we have. This movie could have come out in the summer, but because of "Iron Man 2" and Robert's press requirements for a movie that size, we had to space them out.

MTV: If it's been done for a while, do you ever wake up and say, "Crap, I need to use a different take! I should have done this differently!"

Phillips: It's funny you say that, because just yesterday we watched one of the release prints at the Arclight [theater in Los Angeles]. You want to see how the prints look, so you go to a regular theater. There was actually a little sound issue. So we went back in and fixed something with the sound. But that was more of a technical thing than a creative choice. When you look back at movies, you always go, "God, I would have done that differently, or I wished we had tried this," but this one is still too close for me to do that.

MTV: Right, it's when "Road Trip" comes on TBS that you go, "Damn!"

Phillips: Right. I'll see "Old School" sometimes on TV and I'm like, "Oh, if only we'd had more time that day we could have done that better."

MTV: You do have this great history with Warner Bros. and you're coming off the huge success of "The Hangover." When you said you wanted to do "Due Date," were they ever like, "Todd, man, maybe hit 'Hangover 2' first?"

Phillips: You know, being at Warner, not to sound like a corporate kissass, but Warner Bros. is like being on the Yankees.

MTV: I'm a Mets fan, my friend.

Phillips: It's still like being on the Yankees! They just have it so wired. The filmmakers that they choose to work with they support wholeheartedly, as evidenced by gambling on a movie like "Inception," which was so brilliant but so big a gamble in studio terms. But they trust Chris Nolan because he's f---ing amazing and they just let him do it. It's pretty much the most supportive studio I've ever been involved with. They were excited to do "Hangover 2," but once I had spoken to Robert Downey about "Due Date," they totally got it.

MTV: Getting someone like Downey, does that alleviate some pressure — if there is any — about following up such a massive hit?

Phillips: I think pressure is always a good thing. A lot of guys make a big hit movie on the size of "The Hangover" and they get gun-shy. They wait a few years in a weird way, and I wanted to do the opposite. I wanted to do something again and not worry if it was going to be as big as "The Hangover" because "The Hangover" was lightning in a bottle. You can't judge other successes or other movies based on it. I just didn't want to get into that headspace. That was part of the reason for striking out and doing something real quick like "Due Date." It's something I had been developing — it's not like it's rushed — but it went quicker because I was like, "Let's just go do it." For me, I choose movies based on who I can get in it. Comedies are so about casting. Obviously I wanted to work with Zach again after "The Hangover" and Downey is pretty much the best there is out there. Once he said yes, we were like, "Let's just go."

MTV: We haven't seen Downey do much straight comedy in a long time. I guess you could say "Tropic Thunder," but that's hardly something typical and straightforward.

Phillips: Yeah, you haven't seen Robert Downey be Robert Downey. A lot of great actors — you see this with someone like Johnny Depp, who's a huge f---ing talent, and Robert Downey — where they play parts where they're putting on masks or accents or hats and wigs. They kind of like to lose themselves in a role. In "Tropic Thunder," which I think is great, he's in blackface and you're not really seeing Robert. What was fun for Robert about this, and what was fun for me to make it, is Robert Downey just being Robert Downey. There's no makeup, wigs. It's just Robert playing such a real character.

MTV: Was that one of the reasons he signed on, to get back to something with less artifice?

Phillips: I'm not sure why he makes his choices. I know he loved "The Hangover." I know he loves Zach and was a fan of my films. Actors like to play. For a guy like Downey, he loved the idea of not being on a green screen for 60 days and just coming in and f---ing around with a guy like Zach and a guy like me. It's a real loose environment, as opposed to something like "Iron Man 2," just by nature of the effects.

MTV: A movie like this lives and dies on the chemistry of those two dudes.

Phillips: Or the anti-chemistry, in this case. It's interesting, because before "The Hangover" came out, people could dismiss it or say, "Oh, it's a movie about bachelor parties and Vegas. I've seen that before." And a movie like this, you go, "Oh, it's two guys on the road. It's 'Tommy Boy' or it's 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles.' " And it's really not. It works on this whole other level that I think people are going to be surprised by. It connects on a different level.

MTV: It's probably hard to put into words what that level is, but what were you aiming for?

Phillips: This is how Robert explains it, which is sort of a backhanded compliment. He goes, " 'Due Date' is a better movie than 'The Hangover' because 'Due Date' is about something." I know what he means. There's another dimension. As proud as I am of "The Hangover," it's a two-dimensional film. It's a comedy that works as good as any comedy could work. But there are some character moves in "Due Date" that Robert and Zach go through that I think will be surprising on a film that you think you have figured out by the trailer or the poster.

MTV: You mentioned that people look at it and think "Planes, Trains" or "Tommy Boy." Did you go back and look at any of those road trip movies for inspiration or in terms of what to avoid?

Phillips: I love "Planes, Trains," and I seriously love "Tommy Boy," which is one of my favorites. But one movie all three of us looked at is "Midnight Run." That might be the best of the bunch. It's not so much to emulate or avoid, it's just to be inspired in some way. "Midnight Run" was a big one for me.

MTV: The Dan Band has popped up in a bunch of your movies. Any chance we're going to see them in "Due Date"?

Phillips: The Dan Band is not in "Due Date," and it's just by the nature of what the movie is about and where it winds up. There was no way without it feeling incredibly forced. But you could argue it's a little forced in "The Hangover." But I love them so much. They're the best.

MTV: I don't know if this is one of those questions you get a lot, but where do you go from a naked Asian man jumping out of a trunk in "The Hangover"? How do you top that?

Phillips: That is a tough one to top. The key with comedies in general is they work when there are surprises. So a naked Asian man jumping out of a trunk is a perfect example of a surprise. It goes back to what I was talking about before with even just the nature of "Due Date." There are a lot of surprises in the film that I think take the movie to another level. The surprises won't be a naked Asian man or the Dan Band, but I think there are enough surprises that it will connect with people. But that is the challenge, because comedies work so well when they are surprises.

From the saucy Jessica Alba in "Little Fockers" to James Franco's grueling journey in "127 Hours," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest flicks of fall 2010. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.

Check out everything we've got on "Due Date."

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

• MTV Rough Cut: 2010 Fall Movie Preview

• Fall Movie 2010 Preview Week: Exclusive Photos

Chelsea Handler
Photo: MTV News

Though 2010 MTV Video Music Awards host Chelsea Handler likes to joke that she will have no idea who anybody is when she plays the ringmaster of the biggest party of the year on September 12, she has quite a history with a handful of the artists who will be sharing the stage with her. She says most of the hip-hop stars on the show have "slapped her ass," and one of her more notable guests on her E! talk show "Chelsea Lately" has been none other than Justin Bieber.

The last time Bieber appeared on the show, the 16-year-old joked that the two of them should get together. "You know, last time I was serious about that date too and it never happened," he told the host, referencing his first appearance on the show a few months prior.

But if Handler was seduced before, she has certainly changed her tune now. "He's a two face is what he is," Handler joked to MTV News' Jim Cantiello during a conversation backstage at Handler's show this week. "He acted like we were in a committed relationship, and then he was prancing around with Kim Kardashian on the beaches like they're a couple."

Handler resolved to no longer be seduced by the Canadian pop sensation's charms. "He's using the flirty card with everybody he meets, and I'm not gonna fall for that," she said. "I'm 35 years old. I only have about five good years left in me, and I'm not going to waste my time on that guy."

The love triangle could come to a head at the VMAs, as Kardashian recently tweeted that she will be appearing on the show. Still, Bieber has been one of Handler's most reliable foils on her show, so the combination of the two at the VMAs should make for some interesting television.

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 for Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through September 12.

• MTV News Extended Play: Chelsea Handler

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• Justin Bieber

Armin Van Buuren
Photo: MTV News

Last week, MTV News had a chance to catch up with trance music maestro Armin van Buuren for a Skype chat in which he shared details on his two-year-long mammoth recording project, a 21-track disc titled Mirage, available for download September 10. Indeed, the project marks van Buuren's most ambitious recording endeavor thus far: He worked with veteran songwriter Guy Chambers, Owl City's Adam Young, New York native Nadia Ali (with whom he's had a past hit, "Who Is Watching," off his Shivers album), and rising stars the sisters of Nervo, who wrote David Guetta's hit "When Love Takes Over," featuring Kelly Rowland.

And with his album due in less than 10 days, the Dutch star says fans attending New York's Electric Zoo electronic-music festival this weekend will be treated to a healthy sampling of everything he's been working on.

"It's gonna be a massive show," he said. "I'm gonna be premiering a lot of tracks from my new album, obviously. It's a week before the album gets released so I'm really looking forward to playing some of the new tracks that are on the album, and also some of the mixes."

Van Buuren also seized the opportunity to officially announce he might play a new song that's not on his forthcoming album. "I can tell you something special," he revealed. "I'm working on a track with Paul van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold for the victims of the Love Parade."

On July 24 at the 2010 Love Parade festival in Duisburg, Germany, a stampede erupted at the entrance to the festival grounds, resulting in the deaths of 21 concertgoers. Show organizers and city officials continue to blame each other for the catastrophe.

Last month, electronic-music icon Paul Oakenfold was the first to share the news of the collaboration when he tweeted, "#trancefamily @arminvanbuuren @paulvandyk and myself have come together under the name #DJUnited to do a track called 'Remember Love.' "

There has been an outpouring of sympathy from the EDM artist community since the tragedy. The track recorded by van Buuren, van Dyk and Oakenfold, under the apparent "DJ United" banner, marks perhaps the biggest original song of homage to date.

"We were so shocked about what happened here in Duisburg in Europe that we thought about doing a track together. The track will be called 'Remember Love.' I'm actually bouncing back and forth with Paul van Dyk the final version of that track," van Buuren explained.

Armin van Buuren will be sharing the stages of New York's Electric Zoo electronic-music festival this Saturday and Sunday (September 4 and 5) with Markus Schulz, A-Trak, Diplo, Boys Noize, Rusko, Afrojack, the Chemical Brothers, John Digweed and many others.

Coldplay's Chris Martin
Photo: Justin Sullivan/ Getty Images

For Apple geeks, the sight of company CEO Steve Jobs is akin to a rock star encounter, because they know that whenever he takes the stage in his signature black turtleneck for the company's annual new-product-announcement event, they're going to be blown away.

But on Wednesday in San Francisco, Jobs brought along some actual star firepower in the form of Coldplay singer Chris Martin and Lady Gaga to announce the new line of iPods and a musical social networking site called Ping.

Jobs rolled out the iPods first, showing off the revamped iPod Shuffle, which brings back finger controls, and the tiny Nano, which ditches buttons for a touch screen. Then, according to reports, Martin came out and played the new tune "Wedding Bells," which he said might never come out. "This is the beginning of a story kind of thing that starts sadly," he explained, telling the audience it might be the only time they ever hear the composition.

"Those wedding bells ringing up upon that hill/ And I don't want to swallow such a bitter pill/ You keep on movin', while I stay still/ But I always loved you and I always will," Martin sang intensely while gently playing piano. Martin also played such well known Coldplay hits as "Viva La Vida" and "Yellow" before Jobs brought out another big gun, Lady Gaga, to introduce Apple's latest innovation.

With 160 million potential users from day one, the company's music-focused social network, Ping, will be included in the upcoming iTunes 10 update. Jobs brought up a Lady Gaga page to demonstrate the service, described as "Facebook and Twitter meets iTunes." Users can follow their favorite artists and friends, see what they're listening to and downloading, post opinions and thoughts on music and browse concert listings on the new service.

Gaga appeared via pre-taped video from the studio to hype the new product. But the biggest buzz about her drop-in after the event centered on reports that Apple had allegedly scrubbed some of her tweets celebrating the recent overturning of anti gay-marriage legislation Proposition 8 in California in a promo screenshot of a Gaga Ping page, according to Gawker.

• The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga

• Lady Gaga
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T.I. and Tameka Cottle
Photo: Getty Images

Rapper T.I. and his wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle were arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday night for alleged possession of a controlled substance.

According to an arrest report on the incident from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, during the course of a traffic stop involving Tip (born Clifford Harris Jr.), 29, and Cottle, 36, on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood at 10:30 p.m., "deputies smelled a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle."

A narcotics investigation followed and both Tiny and T.I. were "found to be in possession of a controlled substance." At press time, there was no information on which drug the possession charge covered.

TMZ reported that the recently married couple were traveling in a Maybach when they were stopped by deputies.

Both T.I. and Tiny were booked at the West Hollywood sheriff's station on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance, and bail was set at $10,000 each. Deputy Jeff Gordon confirmed on Thursday morning (September 2) that both had posted bail around 4 a.m. PT and were due back in court on the charges on September 3. A spokesperson for T.I.'s label could not be reached for comment early Thursday morning.

Tip, who celebrated the #1 debut of his film "Takers" last weekend, is on federal probation following a seven-month prison term he completed in March on weapons charges. At press time, Gordon said considering T.I. was allowed to post bail on the drug charge, it did not appear that the rapper's probation from the federal charge would be impacted by Wednesday night's arrest.

• T.I. And Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle

• T.I.

Wes Craven
Photo: Getty Images

Wes Craven fans have a lot to be excited about these days, as the beloved writer/director has not one, but two highly anticipated projects on his plate, the first of which is a horror/thriller due October 8.

The second project is "Scream 4." the long-awaited fourth chapter in Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson's hugely popular franchise, which not only reunites the original cast (David Arquette, Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox), but includes a slew of popular young stars, including Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell, Rory Culkin, Shenae Grimes and Lucy Hale.

When we caught up with Craven to discuss "My Soul to Take," we couldn't help but prod the man in charge for some "Scream 4" scoop, beginning with how he managed to assemble his original stars.

"Well, I could take credit for it, but it wouldn't be accurate," he said.

By the time Craven was asked to direct, Dimension studio head Bob Weinstein had already secured Cox, Arquette and Campbell.

"It was just a matter of me saying, 'Sure,' " Craven added.

For the director, the allure of rejoining the team to work on a good script was icing on the cake.

"I think all of us wanted to do something written by Kevin [Williamson] and to work together again," he said. "We all had such wonderful times on the first three. It has been a return to a great deal of fun — just the pleasure of working together again. We know each other inside and out. There's a lot of shorthand and a lot of fun memories from our past escapades."

Regarding the new additions to the franchise, Craven was full of praise for his young stars.

"The young cast is amazing," he said. "They're extremely bright and a very varied cast. ... They're just great to work with. It's fun to be doing that combination of the sort of classic actors of the first three and this new group of kids. [They] have very different and fresh personalities and great acting talent."

And what about the plot? How does it fit within the franchise, and how does it differ?

"It's a clear and/or pretty well-known [fact] that it's a return to Woodsboro for Sydney Prescott, who is Neve's character," Craven said. "Courtney and David have, as they did in real life, have gotten married and are living in Woodsboro, so it's the story of Sid's return to Woodsboro and the series of events that take place there where those three are thrown together in a wild and crazy way, and then a group of kids that get meshed in the plot."

Speaking of that group of kids, Craven went on to say that managing the appearances of all his young stars — most of whom are speculated to be making quick cameos — has been a pleasure rather than a headache.

"Well, that's the great joy — it's fun," he said. "A lot of these actors I didn't know that well or have not worked with most of them, or any of them, as a matter of fact," Craven explained. "They always say, 'It's great working with you. I've wanted to work with you for a long time,' but it's wonderful working with actors like this that are very young and have a large following already because of their talent, and just to spend one or two days with them to do these kind of set/bit pieces is a lot of fun."

With regard to those one- or two-day roles, we tried to get Craven to reveal a few specifics about two recently announced "guests" in particular: Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell.

"I don't know what I'm allowed to say," he laughed. "They do have a very significant and exciting role in the film, let me put it that way."

What do you think of the star-studded "Scream 4" cast? Who do you think will be the villain? Tell us in the comments.

From the saucy Jessica Alba in "Little Fockers" to James Franco's grueling journey in "127 Hours," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest flicks of fall 2010. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.

Check out everything we've got on "Scream 4."

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

• Exclusive Clips From The Fall's Most Anticipated Films

• Fall Movie 2010 Preview Week: Exclusive Photos

Trey Songz
Photo: Ustream

With Trey Songz' Passion, Pain & Pleasure September 14 release date just days away, the singer decided to give his devoted fans a special preview. The Virginia crooner took to Ustream to share a few sensual cuts from his upcoming fourth album.

Fresh from a massage and outfitted in a plain white tee and a fitted cap, Songz led his broadcast from Cincinnati, Ohio, the Thursday (September 2) stop on his Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour. In the hour-long Ustream session, Songz spoke with a few lucky fans on the phone about what they're most passionate about and played tracks like the sultry slow jam "Love Faces." The singer grooved along with the song, a midtempo number that proves his knack for cranking out baby-making music is intact with lines like, "Wouldn't it be nice if all night I was in you?" Songz was proud of his work, saying, "That thang cold, y'all, that thang cold," when the track wrapped up.

Throughout the broadcast, Songz lamented the leak of Pleasure tracks like "Love Faces" and "Doorbell," which began making the Internet rounds last week. "Shout out to everybody who didn't listen to the leaks," he said. But the singer brushed off the premature release of some of his tracks, adding, "Bootleggers gotta eat. I ain't mad at y'all boys."

Songz also gave fans a taste of "Massage," another bedroom-burner dedicated to lavishing a lover with a head-to-toe rubdown that he frequently performs on the tour while hooking up a lucky concertgoer with an actual massage.

In addition, Ustream viewers heard the sizzling "Doorbell," a track in which Songz unapologetically gets down to the business of gettin' busy. "Put my lips all over you/ Wanna put on a show for you/ This bedroom is my Colosseum/ Ring my bell, I'll let you in," Songz belts.

Are you looking forward to Trey Songz' new album? Tell us in the comments!

• Trey Songz