‘I sing part of ‘Black [or] White.’ I’m the ‘white’ in ‘Black [or] White,’ ’ actor reveals on the Golden Globes red carpet.
By Amy Wilkinson, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Chris Colfer
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
<P>Fox’s song-and-dance series “Glee” is no stranger to a star-studded cameo or two, with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, John Stamos and Kristin Chenoweth all walking the halls of McKinley High during the past two and a half seasons. And as the show returns from a month-long hiatus, Gleeks aren’t the only ones anticipating a few more famous faces. As star Chris Colfer told MTV News on the Golden Globes red carpet, there’s plenty to look forward to when New Directions warble again January 17. “Well, the Michael Jackson episode …,” Colfer answered when asked about his most-anticipated upcoming episodes. “We have a Spanish episode coming up with Ricky Martin. We have a Valentine’s Day episode coming up, so that’s going to be fun.” <CENTER><embed src=”http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:725517/cp~name%3Dnews%26id%3D1677338%26vid%3D725517%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A725517” width=”460” height=”260” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowFullScreen=”true” allowScriptAccess=”always” base=”.”></embed></CENTER> Martin is slated to play “the hottest Spanish teacher ever in the history of Ohio,” according to <a href=”http://www.tvline.com/2011/11/glee-ricky-martin-season-3/” target=”_blank”>TVLine</a>. The actor/singer recently <a href=”https://twitter.com/#!/ricky_martin/status/155141894333140993” target=”_blank”>tweeted</a> a joyful picture from his first day on set. As to how the King of Pop’s prolific songbook will manifest itself in the January 31 tribute episode, Colfer explained, “Well, I sing part of ‘Black [or] White.’ I’m the ‘White’ in ‘Black [or] White,’ and I sing ‘Ben,’ that famous song he wrote for the rat.” The rodent in question is the pet of a young boy named Danny in the 1972 film “Ben.” Jackson sang a version of the theme song that appeared in the movie’s closing credits and was later included on his 1972 album also named <em>Ben</em>. The track “Black or White” was the first single off of Jackson’s 1991 album <em>Dangerous</em>. <big><b>Stick with MTV News all night for the 2012 Golden Globes winners, and don’t miss all the fashion from the <a href=”http://style.mtv.com/2012/01/15/golden-globes-red-carpet/”>Golden Globes red carpet</a>!</b></big></p>
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‘She is really, really good in ‘Battleship,’ ’ director Peter Berg tells MTV News.
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna in “Battleship”
Photo: Universal Pictures
Besides facing the normal challenges of the summer box office, “Battleship” has a cast full of young actors, like Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker and pop superstar Rihanna trying to prove their skills in a big-budget movie.
In the case of Rihanna, many skeptics turned their nose up at the idea of the singer making the crossover to acting, but her director on “Battleship,” Peter Berg, told MTV News at New York’s Toy Fair that she was a natural. “She was great,” he said. “She has a very strong part.”
Berg insisted that Rihanna’s casting was not as unorthodox as many may have thought, citing a whole host of singers who act. He has even had personal experience helping performers make the transition.
“I’ve always believed in musicians as actors. I had great success with Tim McGraw in ‘Friday Night Lights’ and ‘The Kingdom.’ Musicians have been acting since Frank Sinatra won an Oscar for ‘From Here to Eternity,’ ” Berg said. “Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, the late Whitney Houston, I thought, was tremendous in ‘The Bodyguard.’ As recently as Mariah Carey in ‘Precious,’ she was great.”
The director thought it was only a matter of time before someone cast Rihanna in a film; he just wanted to be first. “I was surprised no one had ever thought to hire Rihanna,” he said. “I was a huge fan of her videos. Obviously she’s sexy, but she had this real intensity. I’m like, ‘Someone’s going to get her.’ ”
When Berg initially met with Rihanna to talk about “Battleship,” it was her attitude that made a lasting impression on him.
“When I met with her, she came in a T-shirt and jeans, no makeup, very natural,” he said. “She was like, ‘Look, I want to be an actress. Don’t kiss my ass. Don’t lie to me. Push me. Treat me as you would any other actor. Help make me good.’ She is really, really good in ‘Battleship.’ ”
Check out everything we’ve got on “Battleship.”
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