'Black Swan' Body Double Sarah Lane Stirs Controversy

Lane says there's been a 'cover-up' to promote idea that Natalie Portman did most of the dancing.
By Eric Ditzian

Natalie Portman in "Black Swan"
Photo: FOX Searchlight

"It was really extreme," Natalie Portman told MTV News in November. "And I definitely felt both physical and mental aftershocks from the experience, because it was the first thing I've ever done that was this physically demanding on top of an emotionally demanding part."

She was speaking about the 10 months she spent training to play a ballerina in "Black Swan," a role that would earn her a Best Actress Oscar in February. Now that awards season is over, however, a controversy has erupted over how much of the dancing in "Black Swan" was executed by Portman and how much was the work of her professional ballet-dancing body doubles.

Sarah Lane, a 27-year-old soloist at the American Ballet Theatre who stood in for Portman in the film, told Entertainment Weekly that she has been the victim of a "cover-up" meant to tout Portman's work at the expense of her own.

"Of the full body shots, I would say 5 percent are Natalie. All the other shots are me," she said. "They wanted to create this idea in people's minds that Natalie was some kind of prodigy or so gifted in dance and really worked so hard to make herself a ballerina in a year and a half for the movie, basically because of the Oscar. It is demeaning to the profession and not just to me. I've been doing this for 22 years."

Following Lane's comments, Fox Searchlight released a statement that was both supportive of the dancer but emphasized the amount of Portman's own ballet that made it into the movie. "We were fortunate to have Sarah there to cover the more complicated dance sequences and we have nothing but praise for the hard work she did," the statement read. "However, Natalie herself did most of the dancing featured in the final film."

The debate caught fire last week after Benjamin Millepied, Portman's fiancé and "Black Swan" choreographer, told the Los Angeles Times, "There are articles now talking about her dance double [Lane] that are making it sound like [Lane] did a lot of the work, but really, she just did the footwork, and the fouettés, and one diagonal [phrase] in the studio. Honestly, 85 percent of that movie is Natalie."

MTV News asked Portman's reps for comment but had not heard back as of press time.

Check out everything we've got on "Black Swan."

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660763/black-swan-natalie-portman-dancing-controversy.jhtml

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Judge Judy Has Been Hospitalized In Los Angeles

TV’s “Judge Judy” is hospitalized in Los Angeles for an undisclosed condition. A spokesman for 68-year-old Judy Sheindlin says the judge is “feeling much better” after being taken from her show taping by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday. Publicist Gary Rosen says Sheindlin will be released from the hospital on Thursday. Los Angeles [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/judge-judy-has-been-hospitalized-in-los-angeles/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=judge-judy-has-been-hospitalized-in-los-angeles

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Katie Holmes Explains Suri's "Boy Part" Candy to Ellen

Suri Cruise certainly has gotten her share of reproach for everything from her high-heeled shoes to her continued use of a pacifier, but now it's her candy choice that's raising eyebrows.

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's almost-5-year-old daughter was recently photographed carrying a box of "Penis Gummies," chewy candies shaped like that very specific part of the male anatomy.

Now, Holmes is explaining that her little girl doesn't share her taste for treats with members of a bachelorette party.

During a Thursday chat with Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Holmes revealed what really happened. "Recently, I took [Suri] to get ice cream in New York at this place called Serendipity that we go to all the time. It's for kids. The clientele is children," she told Ellen. "We go in and we are waiting for a table and she grabs some gummies that are boy part gummies. I was horrified."

To clarify to the audience, Holmes went on to say, "P-e-n-i-s gummies. I said, oh wow those aren't Swedish Fish... They are called p-e-n-i-s gummies and they look like it."

Apparently, Holmes was not ready to explain to the tot exactly what she had in her hands. "She was holding the box and I was like, 'OK, wow, we don't need that right now.'" said Holmes. "Because I thought if I said 'Put that back,' and then she's going to say, 'What is this?' And I really didn't want to have that conversation."

But Holmes, who stars as Jackie Kennedy in the upcoming ReelzChannel miniseries The Kennedys, was perplexed over why the shop even had the naughty sweets for sale. "I was like, why are selling these here? This is for kids. And then it was on the cover of a magazine that I'm giving her those gummies!"

"I was like, 'Oh my god, no.' We put them back."

Holmes' party did order an array of desserts at Serendipity, however, including the banana split sundae, the walnut sundae and frozen hot chocolate, according to E!

Wait, what? The banana split? The one that's made with a long banana? Oh Katie, you just can't win on this one.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/katie-holmes-explains-suris-boy-part-candy-ellen/1-a-336765

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Michelle Obama Hosts Remarkable Women Dinner

She?s definitely a big fan of throwing parties, and last night (March 30) First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the Remarkable Women Dinner in celebration of Women?s History Month.

The President?s wife took over the East Room of the White House for the affair, which included guests from theater, film, politics, military, music, journalism, and sports.

Rashida Jones, Vanessa Minnillo, nad Hilary Swank all turned out and looked lovely as they schmoozed with fellow party goers.

And Miri Ben-Ari was gracious enough to provide the musical entertainment for the evening.

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/michelle-obama/michelle-obama-hosts-remarkable-women-dinner-493161

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Source: http://www.ivillage.com/soul-surfer-now-playing/1-h-336517

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'Black Swan' Director Defends Natalie Portman's Dancing

Darren Aronofsky responds to comments by Portman's body double that only 5 percent of the dancing in the film was actually performed by Portman.
By Terri Schwartz

Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman on the set of "Black Swan"
Photo: Niko Tavernise

Since "Black Swan" hit theaters in December, the film required a certain suspension of disbelief as to whether leading lady Natalie Portman was actually performing the pirouettes, bourrées and pliés the scenes in the movie required of her. But the question about how much she actually danced has refused to go away, and it culminated on March 25.

Portman's ballet body double, Sarah Lane, told Entertainment Weekly that only 5 percent of the dancing shown in the movie was actually done by Portman. It was a response to Portman's fiancé Benjamin Millepied, a dancer himself, telling the Los Angeles Times that "85 percent of that movie is Natalie," which Lane said was grossly exaggerated and thus "demeaning to the profession and not just to me."

But now the one man who truly knows just how much of the film actually was Portman has come forward. Entertainment Weekly received a statement from "Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky in which he clarified once and for all that the majority of the ballet performed in the flick is, in fact, danced by Portman.

"Here is the reality. I had my editor count shots. There are 139 dance shots in the film. 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. 28 are her dance double Sarah Lane. If you do the math, that's 80 percent Natalie Portman," he said.

Portman's costar, Mila Kunis, also came forward and defended the Oscar-winning actress on Monday to Entertainment Weekly.

"Natalie danced her ass off," Kunis said. "She'll tell you [that], no, she was not on pointe when she did a fouetté [turn]. No one's going to deny that. But she did do every ounce of every one of her dances. [Lane] wasn't used for everything. It was more like a safety net. If Nat wasn't able to do something, you'd have a safety net. The same thing that I had — I had a double as a safety net. We all did. No one ever denied it."

Aronofsky went on to explain that, when looking at the duration of each dance sequence and not just at the number of shots, Portman actually performed about 90 percent of the dance in the movie. He said that there were two complicated longer dance sequences where he and the production crew used Lane's performance and then replaced her face with Portman's, but that he wanted to defend just how much effort his leading lady did put into her role.

"If you look at the final shot of the opening prologue, which lasts 85 seconds and was danced completely by Natalie, she exits the scene on pointe. That is completely her without any digital magic," Aronofsky said. "I am responding to this to put this to rest and to defend my actor. Natalie sweated long and hard to deliver a great physical and emotional performance. And I don't want anyone to think that's not her they are watching. It is."

When Portman spoke to MTV News in November about her training for the movie, she admitted that it was "really extreme."

"I definitely felt both physical and mental aftershocks from the experience, because it was the first thing I've ever done that was this physically demanding on top of an emotionally demanding part," she said.

Check out everything we've got on "Black Swan."

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660843/black-swan-natalie-portman-darren-aronofsky.jhtml

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Katy Perry's 'E.T.' Video: Watch An Exclusive Preview!

Clip's on-air debut at 7:53 p.m. ET Thursday will be followed by live 'MTV First' interview with Perry on MTV.com.
By Kara Warner

Katy Perry in her "E.T." video
Photo: Capitol

The Thursday night premiere of Katy Perry's "E.T." video with Kanye West on MTV and MTV.com is getting closer and closer. Until then, a 60-second teaser of the futuristic, otherworldly clip should tide fans over.

The sneak peek shows Perry floating and spinning somewhere in outer space, decked out in an ethereal and dazzling-white ensemble. She looks like an angelic alien princess, complete with brightly colored makeup and cat-eye contact lenses. The footage of Perry singing is cut with what looks like footage from Animal Planet or National Geographic, showing big cats hunting game.

The remaining 30 seconds show Perry exploring the desolate terrain in an unknown land. She is wearing another highly complex and stylized outfit, a long silky train billowing in the wind. This time, she looks part femme fatale, part warrior goddess, with a little Lara Croft from "Tomb Raider" thrown in. Perry approaches what looks like a broken robot, wiping dust from its eyes. She is then shown reaching down to place her hand over the device's heart, which lights up at her touch.

At this point it's safe to say that this is Perry's most complex, stylized and out-there video production yet. The new clip premieres online at noon Thursday on MTV.com, VH1.com and LogoTV.com. Then, "MTV First: Katy Perry's 'E.T.' " will bow on air at 7:53 p.m. ET before tossing to an MTV.com live stream, featuring MTV News correspondent Sway's exclusive chat with Perry, an interview with director Floria Sigismondi and reaction from Perry's fans.

Don't miss the premiere of Katy Perry's "E.T." video, featuring Kanye West, at 7:53 p.m. ET Thursday on MTV, followed by our live "MTV First" interview with Katy Perry on MTV.com!

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Britney Spears 'Brought It' In Las Vegas, Fans Say

'She knocked it out of the box,' one fan tells MTV News after nightclub gig.
By Jocelyn Vena

Britney Spears performs "Big Fat Bass" at Rain Nightclub in the Palms Las Vegas
Photo: Roderick Trestrail

Britney Spears proved to be a Femme Fatale when she hit the stage Friday night in Las Vegas. The pop superstar donned multiple costumes during her high-octane three-song set, and her fans loved every moment of it.

The Femme Fatale hit the stage following a killer set from "Jersey Shore" star DJ Pauly D on Friday night (March 25). Spears sported a stunning sequined bodysuit and performed her first song of the night, lead single "Hold It Against Me." Flanked by sexy male dancers, she sashayed her way through the song, which included sexy hair-tossing and a wind machine. She performed snippets of past hits, "3," "Slave 4 U" and "Gimme More," as well as her latest club banger, "Till the World Ends." And by all accounts, fans were electrified.

Check out hot photos from Britney's Las Vegas show.

Emerie told MTV News moments after the show: "I love Britney! Everything was perfect. My favorite part was when she performed the song 'Till the World Ends.' Anything with Britney is amazing."

Jewelry designer Heather Bettes added, "It was fantastic. Britney Spears, she looks stellar. She killed it. She really brought it The beading is amazing on her costumes. She looked great. She brought it."

While fans described Spears' big show as "awesome," "sexy" and "the best thing ever," two die-hards had a personal connection to the show.

"I loved it!" Danielle said of Brit's performance at Rain nightclub in the Palms Casino and Resort. In fact, she loved it so much because her pal Mark is one of Brit's dancers. While Mark was one of her favorite parts, she said Britney really shined.

"The very end of the last song [was awesome]," she explained about pop's reigning queen. "She looked sexy. She's hot."

Daniel, who is not only Danielle's friend but also Mark's boyfriend, was very excited to see his beau onstage with the star. "He looked so sexy," he proclaimed, adding that Brit had told the dancers that this show was all about her excited fans. "She wants to please all of her fans. She knocked it out of the box."

Those good vibes were felt by Britney as well, who tweeted after the show, "OMFG it feels good to be on stage again!!"

For fans who may have missed it, they can check out Spears' performance in an MTV special airing next week, with a tease dropping Tuesday, the same day as the release of Femme Fatale.

Did you catch Britney's performance? Share your reviews in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660730/britney-spears-las-vegas-show-fan-reaction.jhtml

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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Promises To Brawl During WrestleMania

'The opportunity to host 75,000 people live for four hours, that's very special,' he tells MTV News.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Photo: MTV News

When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced his intention — during a raucous appearance on "Raw" last month — to return to the world of WWE to host WrestleMania XXVII, the question for fans was whether the grappler-turned-Hollywood hotshot would get in the ring for the first time since 2004.

And in a chat with MTV News this week, Johnson made clear he's expecting to do much more than simply emcee the event. "I'm going to take my fist and lay it across somebody's lips and take my boot — which is a size 14, so it's a big boot — and stick it straight up somebody's ass," he told us. "How about that? I say that with love!"

Which WWE stars he'll tussle with at WrestleMania on Sunday remains to be seen. Johnson did, however, say one thing that could give us a hint. "Like with any show, like with any movie, you want to make sure the final five, 10 minutes of the show are worth every penny," he said.

"Just for me personally, just as an actor, the opportunity to host 75,000 people live for four hours, that's very special. I can't wait," he explained. "You're going to get a fantastic show. Four hours. Great entertainment. Great matches. They've done a great job of setting up these matches. Great hype around these matches. And you have a lot of performers who have that great ability to put on phenomenal performances."

One of those performances will come from MTV's own Snooki, who got nasty in the ring during "Raw" earlier this month and will return to the fray for WrestleMania.

"She's going to mix it up," Johnson said. "She's been training her ass off. She's going to get in there and get physical."

Will you check out the Rock's return to wrestling? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660973/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-wrestlemania.jhtml

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'Sucker Punch' Stars Hope Action Flick 'Hits You In The Gut'

Vanessa Hudgens teases MTV News at the film's premiere, 'Sucker punch means you don't know what's coming.'
By Kara Warner

Emily Browning, Jamie Chung and Vanessa Hudgens at the L.A. premiere of "Sucker Punch"
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images

For those who've seen the trailers, TV spots and highly stylized posters, you're likely aware that "Sucker Punch" descends upon theaters on Friday. Zack Snyder's estrogen-fueled flick has been billed as a curious, complex, action-adventure-fantasy, but despite the promotional push, it's safe to say that plenty of people are still scratching their heads, wondering, "What the heck is 'Sucker Punch'?"

MTV News headed out to the film's star-studded, slightly rain-soaked premiere in Hollywood on Wednesday night to find out.

"Sucker punch means you don't know what's coming," Vanessa Hudgens said simply. "It's being knocked out by something unexpected," co-star Jena Malone added.

"Sucker punch is this idea of taking an unexpected blow," Abbie Cornish said, adding in a brief plot summary to her definition as well. "A lot of the girls are totally unprepared for what's about to happen to them. They've been living in this institution and Baby Doll [played by Emily Browning] comes along and changes their whole perception of freedom, of hope, of escapism," she explained. "And so their ways of life are challenged, they're sucker-punched with this whole idea of freedom."

Director Zack Snyder, who created the story along with co-writer Steve Shibuya, continued with the "expect the unexpected" theme.

"I think it means two things: If you have preconceived ideas about what these girls are capable of, you're going to get a sucker punch," he said. "And also too, there's actually a thing in the movie, a physical thing that supplies the sucker punch as well."

Carla Gugino said the title of the film and the idea itself are fun because there's a lot left up to interpretation or theories. She also echoed the sentiments of her co-stars.

"To me, a sucker punch is one of those things you least expect, that you're unprepared for, but that hits you in the gut," she said. "And I think that hopefully this movie is, and this movie embodies that."

Are you planning to go see "Sucker Punch"? Tell us in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Sucker Punch."

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

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Daniel Radcliffe: The 'Potter' Press Tour Is 'As Much A Part Of The Job As Almost Anything Else'

"Harry Potter" is filmed and wrapped, but Daniel Radcliffe's work with the franchise is not done yet.
Though the man behind the glasses and lightning bolt scar is done playing Harry Potter, he still has the "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" press rounds to look forward to in July. But considering that he's already switched gears and [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/03/29/harry-potter-daniel-radcliffe-how-to-succeed/

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Britney Spears Goggles Up on the Kimmel Set

Capping off a busy day in which her new album Femme Fatale finally saw release, Britney Spears was spotted shooting a segment for "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon (March 29).

The "Hold It Against Me" singer donned goggles to protect her eyes as she joined up with guest Johnny Knoxville and a few members from "Jackass" for the pre-taped comedy sketch.

Aside from the Kimmel efforts, Britney is also being featured in a new MTV documentary offering titled "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale".

With the trailer having just been released, the upcoming special will "take fans inside Britney's life to see what it's like to release a highly anticipated album."

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/britney-spears/britney-spears-goggles-kimmel-set-492551

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Exciting News

I have all but abandoned this blog and, for that, I am sorry. I am, however, going to get back to it because... wait for it, wait for it... I'm moving to LA for six months starting in June and I'm going to share every dirty detail with you!

You see, Mark and my good friend Patty are executive producers of a new television show that will be taping in New York from June to November. Instead of him getting his own apartment here, we thought it would be more fun to trade places. It's going to be like The Holiday and I get to be Kate Winslet. I'M GOING TO HAVE A CAR AND EVERYTHING. (Watch. Out.)

I'm looking forward to a change of scenery and have other friends out there besides him. Also, the movie is being released at the end of September, so it will be fun to be out there for that.

So anyway, that's what I've been up to—planning all this and getting ready for my (temporary) move. Stay tuned!

Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/3/29/exciting-news.html

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Rebecca Black Jumps Justin Bieber as Most Disliked

Rebecca Black just passed her teen pop idol Justin Bieber , but it's probably not in the way she?d most prefer.

The 13-year-old's video for ?Friday? is now the most ?disliked? in YouTube history, amassing 1.17 million ?dislikes? since its release last month to top the 1.16 million racked up by Bieber?s ?Baby.?

?Baby? has been viewed 500 million times, while ?Friday? has just officially crossed the 64 million view mark.

Of course, to become the most ?hated? YouTube contributors, the two teenagers had to post videos that were seen by insane numbers of people.