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'I have not been approached to fill in for Robert Plant on the Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be,' singer says.
By Chris Harris
Former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell has spoken out for the first time about rumors that he's been asked to fill in for Robert Plant on a proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The trek would feature original guitarist Jimmy Page, original bassist John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham taking over on drums for his late father, John Bonham.
Cornell has been mentioned — along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, White Stripes mastermind Jack White and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy — as a potential Plant fill-in. Plant has already said that he wouldn't take part in the tour.
"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Cornell told MTV News. "I've heard that from about 200 people now, and it might be one of those situations where it's just an online rumor or it might be true. But if you see anyone from Led Zeppelin around, let me know. I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss tour."
Cornell's denial comes just a day after Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford confirmed reports that frontman Steven Tyler recently met with Zeppelin for an impromptu jam session. "They did it for fun," Whitford said during an appearance on the syndicated show "Todd N Tyler Radio Empire." "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because I think he was trying to light a fire under Robert."
Rumors of a Zeppelin reunion tour have abounded since the iconic band played a single reunion set last year at London's O2 Arena. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider added fuel to the fire last month when he revealed that the group was thinking of touring, with or without Plant.
According to Snider, the rest of the band told Plant, " 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid [Myles Kennedy].' "
"And he can sing the sh-- out of Zeppelin," Snider added. "They're going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in."
In a recent interview, Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought to take over for Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he said. "We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there."
But Jones insists that he, Page and Bonham aren't interested in finding a Plant clone. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be onboard."
Of course, even if Zeppelin were to approach him, Cornell might be too busy to take over vocals for the band. His upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, will be released within the next few months. Cornell told MTV News last month that some of his fans might consider Scream something of a departure, but he doesn't see it that way.
"It makes me happy that there's this perception that I have a group of fans that I'm now sort of throwing a curve at and what their reaction will be," he said. "But I've been in this situation so many times already. When I put out [1999's] Euphoria Morning, my main goal was to create an album that sounded like nothing I'd done in Soundgarden, and I did that. I also had that with Temple of the Dog, where I showed up with songs that weren't necessarily riff-based. And then, of course, the pairing of me and members of Rage Against the Machine had everyone sort of speculating about what that would sound like.
"It feels like I've done this so many times that when it's presented to me as being a departure, I feel that's a misconception," he added. "I feel like that's my theme at this point."
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'It's tremendous,' Best Actor nominee says of the highly secretive script.
By By Rick Marshall, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Jeremy Renner attends the 2011 Academy Awards
Photo: Getty Images
With "The Avengers" hitting theaters in 2012, all eyes are on Marvel's heroes as we get closer to the day when Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and a host of other comic book characters (and the actors who play them) will appear together on the same screen.
One of the superheroes who won't be debuting in his own solo movie is Clint Barton, the expert archer known as Hawkeye. Played by "Hurt Locker" actor Jeremy Renner, Hawkeye will likely make his official debut in "The Avengers" — though recent rumors have pegged him for a cameo in "Thor."
MTV News caught up with Renner on the red carpet at this year's Academy Awards and pressed him for details about his debut as the bow-wielding marksman.
"Yes, I have [read the 'Avengers' script]," Renner said. "It's tremendous. I can't tell you anything about it."
Calling the film a "massive undertaking," Renner praised the ambition of "Avengers" director Joss Whedon, who's tasked with putting all of Marvel's biggest stars in the same film and making sure there's enough spotlight to go around.
"He [will need to] pull all of those characters off and have it make sense," the actor said.
Little is known about the plot of "Avengers" at this point, other than that it will bring together a long list of high-profile actors and the larger-than-life characters they play in Marvel's movie universe. During last year's Comic-Con in San Diego, Marvel unveiled the core "Avengers" cast of Renner, Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and Clark Gregg (S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson).
In order to prepare for the role, Renner said archery lessons are indeed on his to-do list — though he has yet to see the costume he'll don as Hawkeye.
As for that rumor about Hawkeye making a cameo in "Thor," Renner would neither confirm nor deny the possibility of fans getting an early peek at his take on the Avengers' marksman.
"I might [have a cameo in 'Thor']," he teased. "Go see it. Check it out."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
Stick with MTV News on Oscar night and beyond for red-carpet fashion coverage, analysis of the winners, plus interviews, photos and more from your favorite Hollywood stars!
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'It is a monster,' Larry Rudolph tells MTV News about 'Hold It Against Me' follow-up.
By Jocelyn Vena
Britney Spears' <i>Femme Fatale</i>
Photo: Jive
With a little more than a month to go before the March 29 release of Britney Spears' Femme Fatale, we spoke to her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, on the same night her eagerly anticipated "Hold It Against Me" video premiered.
Rudolph revealed to MTV News during our "HIAM" live stream on Thursday night that fans will likely hear another new song before the album — executive-produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke — comes out.
"We have a second song that I think we're gonna end up putting out before the album drops," he teased. "I can't say with 100 percent certainty, but I think we probably will. But we're talking about it now and it is a monster. It really is."
Rudolph has been by Brit's side since the beginning of her career, and he predicted that if fans love "HIAM," then they're in for a real treat with the next song.
"I don't think I've been this excited about releasing a Britney single in many, many years," he added. "It's that good. That's all I'm gonna say about it at the moment. I haven't heard a final mix of it, but I should get it in the next day or two. So far, what I've heard is just extraordinary. It really is amazing. Her fans will be very happy with it. I'm trying hard to get it out before the album comes out."
Spears teased some upcoming promotional plans for the album last week during a Twitter Q&A. "I'm doing a lot of promo," she said. "There will be some major announcements in the next few days." She added, "I'm thinking about the tour right now and I would [love] to visit a lot of places I didn't get to go to on my last tour."
What did you think of Britney's "HIAM" video? Tell us in the comments!
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