Justin Bieber Is 'Really Growing Up,' Says 'Never Say Never' Director

Jon M. Chu says teen star is 'learning how to interact with people.'
By Eric Ditzian


Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

MTV News first interviewed Justin Bieber in September of 2009, when the pint-size pop singer was on the cusp of breaking beyond his core audience into mainstream pop stardom. Then 15 years old and relatively new to the national media spotlight, Bieber wasn't nervous so much as generally tentative, a bit clipped and repetitive in his answers.

When Bieber walked into the MTV Newsroom earlier this month to promote the difference in his on-camera demeanor couldn't have been more different: He projected a breezy confidence, at times humorous or eye-on-the-prize focused, and was engaging throughout.

That Bieber has truly matured — not just as an artist, but as a person — isn't apparent only to those who occasionally cross his path. Jon M. Chu, who directed and began working with the singer in August, has noticed the change as well.

"With the movie and going to the Grammys and being respected on so many different levels beyond just his own fanbase, he's really growing up and learning how to interact with people," Chu said.

The director said he noted a great difference in the young star's disposition following the completion of his seven-month, 86-show tour.

"He's just had time to rest," said Chu, who started shooting "Never Say Never" as Bieber was in the midst of that nonstop North American tour. At first, Bieber was standoffish. Only gradually did the two establish a close creative partnership.

"Half of it was just me gaining trust with him because I was in his face with a camera," Chu said. "It was very much like 'Almost Famous,' where I was just on the bus and he didn't really want me there. Once we got past that, we were fine."

Have you noticed a change in Justin Bieber? Tell us below!

Check out everything we've got on "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."

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

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Charlie Sheen's Ex Brooke Mueller Moves Back In

Charlie Sheen's Ex Brooke Mueller Moves Back In

Charlie Sheen's personal life is getting every bit as complicated as the production of Two and a Half Men. Although the troubled sitcom star and his estranged wife Brooke Mueller filed final divorce papers earlier this month, the exes and their 2-year-old twin boys, Max and Bob, are reportedly once again living under the same roof.

Mueller's mom, Moira Fiore, tells People that the move is only temporary and for the sake of the kids. "Brooke and the twins have moved into Charlie's house for a week before they move into the new house that Charlie bought her down the street from him," she says. "Brooke and Charlie are friends and there is no romantic interest on Brooke’s part."

Another source close to Sheen claims the actor is "looking forward to having his kids close by." Like Sheen, Mueller has struggled with substance abuse and, in December 2010, she moved into a sober living facility. Having Mueller and their kids close by might just be a positive influence on Sheen.

Then again, this is Charlie Sheen we're talking about. RadarOnline.com reports that Sheen and Mueller are also sharing Charlie's pad with porn star Bree Olsen and a new woman named Natalie Kenly. What's more, the site says that on Wednesday Sheen, Mueller, their kids and their two "roomies" all embarked on a tropical vacation together. A source claims: "Charlie talked about building a porn family, and now he's got these three women all living with him and taking off on vacation with him."

The source also said of Sheen's rehab at home, "At this point, that's a joke." We hope good old Uncle Charlie can get his act together before things spiral out of control... again.

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2011 SAG winners

2011 SAG Awards

Gathering together to honor the year's best in cinema, the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards winners have officially been named. The complete list of 17th annual SAG winners are: THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES Outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role Jeff Bridges, "True Grit" Robert Duvall, "Get Low" Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network" WINNER: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech" James Franco, "127 Hours" Outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right" Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole" Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone" WINNER: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan" Hilary Swank, "Conviction" Outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role WINNER: Christian Bale, "The Fighter" John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone" Jeremy Renner, "The Town" Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right" Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech" Outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role Amy Adams, "The Fighter" Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech" Mila Kunis, "Black Swan" WINNER: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter" Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit" Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture "Black Swan" "The Fighter" "The Kids Are All Right" WINNER: "The King's Speech" "The Social Network" TELEVISION Outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series WINNER: Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire" Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad" Michael C. Hall, "Dexter" Jon Hamm, "Mad Men" Hugh Laurie, "House M.D." Outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series Glenn Close, "Damages" Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU" WINNER: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife" Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men" Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer" Outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series WINNER: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" Ty Burrell, "Modern Family" Steve Carell, "The Office" Chris Colfer, "Glee" Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family" Outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie" Tina Fey, "30 Rock" Jane Lynch, "Glee" Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family" WINNER: Betty White, "Hot in Cleveland" Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series WINNER: "Boardwalk Empire" "The Closer" "Dexter" "The Good Wife" "Mad Men" Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series "30 Rock" "Glee" "Hot in Cleveland" WINNER: "Modern Family" "The Office" Outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries John Goodman, "You Don't Know Jack" WINNER: Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack" Dennis Quaid, "The Special Relationship" Edgar Ramirez, "Carlos" Patrick Stewart, "Macbeth" Outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or Miniseries WINNER: Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin" Catherine O'Hara, "Temple Grandin" Julia Ormond , "Temple Grandin" Winona Ryder, "When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story" Susan Sarandon, "You Don't Know Jack" Hollywood Gossip Enjoy the pictures from the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards. [gallery=750]

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Britney Spears' Femme Fatale Is Her Ray Of Light, Manager Says

'It's somewhat of a departure from what she's done,' Larry Rudolph says, comparing the album to Madonna's 1998 work.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Jim Cantiello


Britney Spears in her "Hold It Against Me" video
Photo: Jive

On Thursday, "Jersey Shore" star DJ Pauly D told us that Britney Spears' next album, Femme Fatale, is full of "club bangers." Her manager, Larry Rudolph, gave us even more specifics about the album when we spoke to him.

"In my opinion, this is her strongest album ever. It's somewhat of a departure from what she's done. It's more mature," he told MTV News about the March 29 release. "It's more of a dance record and this really is — and I was talking a lot about [director] Jonas [Åkerlund] and coming to Jonas because of 'Ray of Light' — and this really is Britney's Ray of Light album."

Åkerlund and Madonna famously reinvented the pop star into an earthly disco queen for her "Ray of Light" video in 1998. The Ray of Light album spawned a number of songs that were dance-floor hits as well as introspective. Madge worked on the album with Patrick Leonard and William Orbit. The album was recorded shortly after her daughter Lourdes was born, and while the lyrics are reflective, the sounds are electronic based.

While he didn't go into specifics, Rudolph did explain that the vibe of this first single and video may be a sign of what's to come on the album. "I feel like Jonas is a really good fit for her. They worked so well together so I gotta believe that they'll work again on this album project," he said. "I'm hoping that that happens and we do see more of that."

For Britney, working with Åkerlund was a passion project that, according to Rudolph, turned out to be an incredibly creative collaboration.

"She's always been a huge fan of his and his name has always come up. And there's always been something that stopped us from doing it, whether it be his availability or her timing, but we were really determined to make it happen this time," he said of hooking up with Åkerlund for the video. "He immediately had 20 different ideas and they got together and they talked about it and it took on a life of its own. We're really excited about it. In my opinion it's one of the top two or three videos of all time. It's a total departure for her. It's more mature. [There are] interesting things going on there that you have to dig deep to see."

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South Dakota Bill Would Require "Crisis Pregnancy Center" Counseling Before An Abortion

abortion photo

South Dakota, will you stop f**king with us? Enough already! South Dakota's House of Representatives has approved a bill requiring a woman seeking an abortion to be "counseled" first at a so-called "crisis pregnancy center." 

Proponents of the bill say they are trying to assess whether women are being forced to end a pregnancy, as a doctor would have to sign off that the abortion is "voluntary, uncoerced, and informed." The bill, which refers to the woman as a "pregnant mother" (agenda, anyone?), requires the woman to have pre-abortion counseling and be informed what kind of help is available to them if they continue the pregnancy. The bill also requires the woman to wait 72 hours after first meeting with the doctor who'll perform the abortion. That time period is what anti-abortion activists claim is giving women time to think, but in reality it makes scheduling the procedure more difficult for working women or women with children, as they have to go to not one appointment, but two. And considering the vast majority of counties in America do not have an abortion clinic, terminating a pregnancy can involve driving long distances in some parts of the country.

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Britney Spears Makes Your Body Pop On Femme Fatale Teaser

Producer Dr. Luke gives fans a snippet of 'How I Roll' from Brit's March 29 album.
By Jocelyn Vena


Britney Spears' <i>Femme Fatale</i>
Photo: Jive

Judging by the snippets we've heard from Femme Fatale, Britney Spears is ready to dance. Late Wednesday night, Spears' producer Dr. Luke tweeted out another tease for the track "How I Roll."

"I just might be feeling like giving u another snippet ..... maybe," Luke wrote. "Should it be a [producers] bloodshy and avant song??? something like that," he added before sending a link to the song.

The teaser opens with Britney cooing "ooh ahh" as beats and synths kick in. Those are jumbled with handclaps before Spears begins singing lines like, "Show your knee socks/ With tequila on the rocks/ Till you make your body pop/ To the speakers."

"In my opinion, this is her strongest album ever. It's somewhat of a departure from what she's done. It's more mature," manager Larry Rudolph told MTV News about Femme Fatale, which he even likened to a Madonna classic. "It's more of a dance record. ... This really is Britney's Ray of Light album."

Spears herself has hinted that the album will have fans dancing. "I would describe it as moody, edgy pop with A LOT of energy. I co-wrote a couple of songs. I think it's some of the best work I have ever done. There are a few mid-tempos that could be considered ballads," Spears said during a Twitter Q&A this month.

"I have a lot of history with #MaxMartin and @TheDoctorLuke so it's always fun to collaborate with them," she continued. "They make such incredible music. I'm so excited and I can't wait for you guys to hear it. I think its some of the best work I have ever done!"

What do you think of what you've heard so far from "How I Roll"? Tell us in the comments!

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