Sunday, July 31, 2011

'Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes' Stars Give Apes Top Billing

Tom Felton, James Franco and other castmembers say come for the apes, stay for the story ... or just the apes.
By Kara Warner


Freida Pinto and James Franco at the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" premiere
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

HOLLYWOOD — There is enough intrigue, presumed destruction and primate shenanigans in the trailers for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" to entice more than just the fans of the 1968 original into theaters when the film opens next week. But when MTV News caught up with the principal castmembers at the Hollywood premiere on Thursday, we asked them to sell us on a few more of the film's must-see elements, aside from their furry co-stars. Basically, if people come to see the apes, what will make them stay?

"Wow, James [Franco], Freida [Pinto], Andy [Serkis], everyone else," Tom Felton said, speaking to his co-stars' appeal. "There is a mixture of CGI and special effects that we've never seen onscreen before, along with a strong story and a strong message: Humans can't play God too much. We should not overstep our boundaries when it comes to manipulating Mother Nature."

Pinto countered that it's all about the apes. "I think this is one of few films that really give them a voice as well," she said. "Of course, 'Planet of the Apes' did as well, but 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' gives them a voice in a very revolutionary way."

One of the prominent primate voices heard is that of Caesar, played by seasoned motion-capture performer Andy Serkis, who, according to Franco, is the main reason why the film is any good.

"The apes, I think Andy Serkis and WETA should get top billing," Franco said. "They stole the show; they're incredible."

Actor John Lithgow, who plays the father of Franco's character, was the only one who thought folks will start out loving the apes and leave loving the humans.

"They [will] stay for the people, and the extent to which the apes become people," he said. "It's a story, it's a great story, that's why they stay."

Check out everything we've got on "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."

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

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Justin Bieber, Chris Brown Spotted In Studio Together

Pair has previously worked on two tracks together, 'Up' and 'Next to You.'
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber and Chris Brown
Photo: Getty/WireImage

Pals Justin Bieber and Chris Brown were spotted heading into a studio together on Monday. According to Rap-Up.com, the singers met up at the Record Plant in Hollywood.

"Studio. #NEWMUSIC," Bieber tweeted early Tuesday morning, leading us to believe the session was for his next album.

Previously Bieber told MTV News that he wanted to focus less on features for his next album, but given the fact that Brown recently wrote a track for Joe Jonas, it's possible he may have just been assisting with some writing.

The rumored session marks the latest collaboration for the pair, who have appeared on two tracks together in the past. First, they remixed Bieber's slow jam "Up," then Bieber jumped on Brown's ballad "Next to You."

Bieber's producer, Danja, told Rap-Up.com that he's aiming for an "edgier" sound for the 17-year-old's next release. "What I'm creating for him I think is definitely a more mature sound. That's where he's headed now," he explained.

Earlier this year, Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, revealed some other names the pop star hopes to get into the studio with, including Drake, a collaboration Bieber hinted at last year.

Bieber is also reportedly working with Kanye West. "Him and Kanye [West] had a call today about a song they're trying to work on together," Braun said. "Kanye wants to produce a bunch of songs for the new album."

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Tyler, The Creator Thinks His VMA Rivals 'Suck'

'If I lose to any of those wackass videos, I'm gonna be mad because they all suck -- except for Adele's,' Tyler tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman


Tyler The Creator
Photo: MTV News

Tyler, the Creator bites his tongue for no one. Some call him evil, others, unbelievable. So when asked about his feelings on his 2011 MTV VMA Video of the Year nomination, Tyler simply spoke his mind. "I'm really excited, shout out to Ron Artest. If I lose to any of those wackass videos, I'm gonna be mad because they all suck — except for Adele's," he told MTV News.

The Odd Future standout's self-directed "Yonkers" video is up against Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," Beastie Boys' "Make Some Noise," Bruno Mars' "Grenade" and Katy Perry's "Firework." The "Yonkers" clip, which was uploaded to the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All's YouTube page back in February, has since racked up 15 million views. Most noted for the scene in which the rapper hangs himself in the end, the "Yonkers" video has become one of the most talked about and debated works of the year. It earned Tyler a Best New Artist nom as well.

While the Cali rapper/producer/director is more respectful of his fellow Best New Artist nominees, he still wants to win that one too. Up against indie poppers Foster the People ("Pumped Up Kicks"), Big Sean ("My Last"), Kreayshawn ("Gucci Gucci") and Wiz Khalifa ("Black and Yellow"), Tyler will let his guard down just a bit in this category. "The Best New Artist thing, that's cool. Wiz is a really good dude and I've been a fan of his music, so if he wins I'll be pretty excited. I wanna win that for sure, but Wiz is awesome, I've been listening to him since '08," he said. "Even Kreayshawn, she's cool. So if she wins that too, I'll be pretty stoked. But you know, I wanna win, I'm just gonna keep it 100."

Snagging a VMA has been a goal of the "Sandwitches" MC for months. He has been tweeting feverishly about it, but even he was surprised when he actually heard the nominations announcement. After the group manager called the entire OFWGKTA to a meeting, Tyler grew weary. "We were like, 'What the f--- does he have us here for?' We were ready to leave. Then the VMA nomination thing came on and I was on my phone and I was like, 'Oh crap I want to see what wack videos they have this time,' " Tyler recalled of his skepticism before being hit with the news. "Then they said my name and was talkin' about it and I was like 'What the hell?' I kinda stopped breathing, I was just sitting there. I was kinda shaking. I don't know, it was surreal."

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for your favorites in the general categories by visiting VMA.MTV.com.

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Lady Gaga Dishes On Sex, Drugs, Born This Way On Howard Stern

Gaga sang 'Edge of Glory' and talked about her difficult early years.
By Gil Kaufman


Lady Gaga visits SiriusXM July 18, 2011
Photo: Maro Hagopian/SiriusXM

For months, Sirius radio host Howard Stern has been bellyaching about how Lady Gaga seemed to be talking to everyone except him. So, when the singer stopped in to chat on Monday morning (July 18), the notorious radio host made sure to make the most of it, indulging in one of his show's longest celebrity chats in recent memory, a nearly 90-minute ramble in which he got Gaga to talk about fame, fashion, sex, drugs and rock and roll.

For the most part, the interview hit many of the highlights of Gaga's now-legendary rise to superstardom: her childhood fascination with piano, the first song she ever wrote, her move to Manhattan as a teenager and the one-year ultimatum her dad gave her after she dropped out of college. But she also revealed a bit more about her offstage self and the inspirations behind some of her most beloved tunes.

"I really don't give a f--- about money at all," Gaga said when Stern tried to get the singer to dish on how much money her album sales and tours have grossed. In fact, she said she still lives in a tiny Brooklyn apartment and has only bought two things with her newfound riches: heart surgery and a car for her dad. "The Monster Ball was really expensive and the next show will be really expensive and I will pay for it," she said of the 2012 extravaganza that she's planning.

There was, however, one topic even the famously prying Stern couldn't goad Gaga could into talking about: her love life.

"What boyfriend? ... Who's Jean Luc?" she joked when Stern asked about what her closest friends call her offstage. (Even her parents call her Gaga at this point, she said, especially when they're mad at her.) "It's hard to find a boyfriend who doesn't mind a good tuck," she added, throwing more fuel on the fire of the absurdly tenacious Internet rumors about her gender.

"My first love is music," she explained, though when Stern asked whether she had been intimate with anyone recently, she laughed, "I got laid last night ... the guys who are here are my best friends in the whole world. You're talking about Luc Carl; he's been my best friend since I was 19."

Gaga stressed that Carl is still her best friend, sidestepping the boyfriend issue once again — and that he's going to launch a Sirius satellite radio show soon.

One of the stories Stern was predictably fascinated with was the fact that Gaga's first piano teacher was a stripper who danced at one of the radio host's favorite New York gentleman's clubs, Scores, leading him to wonder if he'd ever gotten a lap dance from Gaga's instructor.

Back in the day, in fact, before she was famous, Gaga said she used to dance on fire escapes and pretend she was a star, an image she re-created for her "The Edge of Glory" video. But those pre-fame days were also difficult, as she toiled at waitressing jobs and turned to drugs when she felt lonely, something she now really regrets. "To any little sweethearts that are listening ... don't touch [cocaine], it's the devil."

Though she's best known for writing her own songs, Gaga discussed the two tracks she's written for Britney Spears, "Quicksand" (which appeared on the Circus album), and "Telephone," which Spears recorded, but never released. Asked if it bummed her out that "Telephone" was rejected by Spears, Gaga said, "Hell no! Frickin' Britney Spears sang my record! I was doing back flips and ordering drinks!"

After describing how she came up with "Born This Way" while in the shower, Gaga pulled out her BlackBerry and played a number of early demos of her songs, including the first, vocals-only take on "Highway Unicorn," her first pass on the chorus to "Judas" and a snippet of a bouncy new song she wasn't ready to unleash yet. She also described how "Marry the Night" was inspired by the moment when she decided that she was not willing to become another one of those California club people after spending some time on the Left Coast early in her career trying to fit in. " 'No thanks ... see you later, it's been nice in the sun,' and I went back to New York and I married the night," she said of why she would never move to Cali, preferring the divey, shots-and-pool-table bars in her native city.

"Do I feel like a powerful person in show business? Yeah," she said when Stern wondered if she will use her newfound powers in the industry for good or evil.

The appearance also featured a performance of "Glory," with Gaga prefacing with a story about how it was inspired by her grandfather's passing, the first death of a close family member she'd ever experienced. "When my grandma was saying goodbye [to my grandfather], there was something so intense that happened for me that I saw ... as sad as the moment was, they both were acknowledging that they had really won in life because they had each other," she said of the 60-year marriage of her grandparents.

On the day her grandpa died, Gaga said she and her father sat down at the piano in their home and traded shots of tequila and she told her pops, "Grandpa's about to cross over into his glorious moment. It's hard now because he's on the edge." Right then, Gaga said she began playing piano and the song just tumbled out of her. She recorded it and played the emerging tune for her grandfather that day over the phone, and she's convinced he could hear it. He passed just hours later.

"It's about also knowing in your heart that you may never reach that glorious moment until you die, so live life on the edge — halfway between heaven and hell — and let's all dance in the middle in purgatory," she said before playing an affecting solo piano version of the tune.

And, in honor of Stern's notoriously luxurious locks, she also performed the Born This Way tune "Hair," explaining that it was inspired by her rebellious teenage Grateful Dead phase, when her mother would sneak in and chop off her gross, dread-y hair in her sleep to keep her looking neat and clean.

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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Lindsay Lohan Won't Be Charged In Rehab Assault Case

California prosecutors decided that insufficient evidence exists to file charges against the actress in the alleged scuffle.
By Gil Kaufman


Lindsay Lohan
Photo: Getty Images

There's been precious little good news for Lindsay Lohan lately. After ending her longest stint to date in rehab earlier this year, the troubled starlet has been attempting a career reboot that's been thrown off course by her upcoming trial on a charge of felony theft.

But the "Mean Girls" star finally got a break on Tuesday when prosecutors in Riverside County, California, announced that after weeks of investigation they had decided not to file a battery charge against the 24-year-old. According to Reuters, the District Attorney's office determined there was insufficient evidence to charge the actress with a crime in the incident, which stemmed from an alleged altercation Lohan had with a staff member at the Betty Ford Center in December during a rehab stay.

Because Lohan is still on probation from a 2007 drunk-driving and cocaine-possession conviction, a new criminal complaint could have violated her probation and sent her back to jail. Former Ford Center staffer Dawn Holland claimed at the time that Lohan had pushed her and grabbed a telephone from her hand during the incident. But after police were called to investigate, Holland later declined to cooperate with them and said she did not want to file charges.

In the meantime, Lohan is still facing the prospect of another stint behind bars thanks to her ongoing felony grand theft case. Lohan received that charge in February after allegedly taking a $2,500 necklace from a Venice, California jewelry store. She has pleaded not guilty in the matter and turned down a plea deal, paving the way for a preliminary hearing on April 22. If found guilty in that case, she could be sent to jail for six months or more.

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Justin Bieber, Lil Twist Song 'Is Going To Really Do It'

Young Money MC tells MTV News the pair are working on a clip for single 'Wherever You Are.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa WhiteWolf


Lil Twist
Photo: MTV News

Late last year, Justin Bieber and his "homey" Lil Twist revealed they were working on a mixtape. Well, fans may soon get to hear a song and see a video from that mixtape.

When MTV News spoke to rapper Twist at 106 & Park's Closer to My Dreams tour stop in Los Angeles on Thursday, he told us that once his new single with Bieber reaches the masses, it would have a good chance at making a play in our race for Summer Jam of 2011.

"My third single, 'Wherever You Are,' " Twist said of his summer jam pick. "It features my little brother Justin Bieber and I believe that that record is going to really do it."

Twist went on to dish about the duo's plans to step up their game for the song's forthcoming video."We're gonna get some treatments [written]," he said. "We're not just gonna pick any treatment because that video could just be out of here. We got a few different ones; I don't mean to name any [directors], but a few different ones. It's going to turn out great."

The collaboration between the two young stars has been long-simmering, with Bieber and Twist teasing a full mixtape. For now, though, fans will have to settle for one track. Last November, Twist explained that Bieber had come up with the idea to work on some music together.

"Me and Justin, we actually met through a mutual friend and after that we got real cool actually," he recalled. "[We] started working in the studio, sending stuff through the MacBook and everything. And then he was like, 'Yo, bro, we should do a mixtape. Let's go.' We just started then."

Are you looking forward to the Bieber/Twist collabo? Tell us in the comments!

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Friday, July 29, 2011

'Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes' Stars Give Apes Top Billing

Tom Felton, James Franco and other castmembers say come for the apes, stay for the story ... or just the apes.
By Kara Warner


Freida Pinto and James Franco at the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" premiere
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

HOLLYWOOD — There is enough intrigue, presumed destruction and primate shenanigans in the trailers for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" to entice more than just the fans of the 1968 original into theaters when the film opens next week. But when MTV News caught up with the principal castmembers at the Hollywood premiere on Thursday, we asked them to sell us on a few more of the film's must-see elements, aside from their furry co-stars. Basically, if people come to see the apes, what will make them stay?

"Wow, James [Franco], Freida [Pinto], Andy [Serkis], everyone else," Tom Felton said, speaking to his co-stars' appeal. "There is a mixture of CGI and special effects that we've never seen onscreen before, along with a strong story and a strong message: Humans can't play God too much. We should not overstep our boundaries when it comes to manipulating Mother Nature."

Pinto countered that it's all about the apes. "I think this is one of few films that really give them a voice as well," she said. "Of course, 'Planet of the Apes' did as well, but 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' gives them a voice in a very revolutionary way."

One of the prominent primate voices heard is that of Caesar, played by seasoned motion-capture performer Andy Serkis, who, according to Franco, is the main reason why the film is any good.

"The apes, I think Andy Serkis and WETA should get top billing," Franco said. "They stole the show; they're incredible."

Actor John Lithgow, who plays the father of Franco's character, was the only one who thought folks will start out loving the apes and leave loving the humans.

"They [will] stay for the people, and the extent to which the apes become people," he said. "It's a story, it's a great story, that's why they stay."

Check out everything we've got on "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."

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

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Thursday, July 28, 2011

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Lindsay Lohan Reportedly Offered Victoria Gotti Role In Biopic

Lohan was handpicked by Gotti for film about her family, sources tell TMZ.
By James Dinh, with reporting by Eric Ditzian


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Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan is getting another chance at a career revival as she's reportedly been tapped to play the role of Victoria Gotti in an upcoming family biopic about her mobster father John Gotti called "Gotti: Three Generations."

On Friday (April 8), TMZ reported that the 24-year-old actress beat out fellow Hollywood starlets Blake Lively and Sienna Miller for the role. Lohan was apparently handpicked by the infamous Victoria herself. But that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as the report claims that Victoria is a "good friend" of the Lohan family and often spends time with them on Long Island.

When MTV News reached out for comment, a representative for the film said he "can't confirm nor deny that Lindsay is in discussions." In addition, the rep stayed mum on Victoria's rumored preferences for the role saying, "You'd have to ask Victoria Gotti."

While details surrounding the film remain under wraps, a press conference with John Travolta, who is confirmed to star in the film as the leader of the Gambino crime family, will take place in New York on Tuesday to announce casting.

Lohan is reportedly auditioning for "Superman" in Los Angeles and will fly to the Big Apple in advance of the press conference.

Lohan's portrayal of Victoria Gotti would mark the troubled star's first role since ending her four-month stint in rehab earlier this year at the Betty Ford Center. The actress still has her share of legal troubles to sort through.

In late March, Lohan turned down a plea deal in her ongoing felony grand theft case, choosing instead to a trial before Judge Stephanie Sautner. By going to trial, the "Mean Girls" star potentially faces both jail and prison time, which could interfere with production for the film. Lohan was dropped from the Linda Lovelace biopic "Inferno" last year after the film's director explained that "the impossibility of insuring her — and some other issues — have made it impossible" to move forward.

What do you think about Lindsay playing Victoria Gotti? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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

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'Breaking Dawn' Soundtrack Could Feature A Castmember

Director Bill Condon tells MTV News soundtrack for 'Part 1' already has about 15 songs in contention.
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
Photo: Summit Entertainment

As with any great tale coming to an end, "The Twilight Saga" will bring things full circle in its two-part finale, director Bill Condon says.

MTV News caught up with Condon at 2011 San Diego Comic-Con to talk about the final two installments of the franchise, and he told us that both movies, but particularly "Part 1," will hearken back to Catherine Hardwicke's 2008 "Twilight" flick, which started the onscreen phenomenon.

"I always thought of 'Breaking Dawn - Part 1' as a real companion piece to Catherine Hardwicke's movie," Condon explained. "Like, everything that got set up there gets resolved here. I think you'll find that there are stylistic and other nods to that film."

Fans will also be excited to learn that some of the same principles will apply to the highly anticipated "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" soundtrack. Condon confirmed that Carter Burwell, who scored the first movie, will be back for "Part 1," which means familiar themes like "Bella's Lullaby" will be in play again for the first time since "Twilight" first hit theaters.

With negotiations for the soundtrack still under way, though, Condon wouldn't talk too specifically about which songs will be included on the album. But he confirmed that there's a good chance that one of the "Twilight" cast's musically-inclined stars will appear on the soundtrack.

We'll leave it up to fans to guess whether that means Robert Pattinson, Jackson Rathbone, Booboo Stewart or one of the other musical castmembers.

"We're just figuring out [the soundtrack] now," Condon said during MTV News' "Breaking Dawn" Comic-Con takeover, adding that they haven't made deals with all of the featured artists yet. "We have a lot of [songs]. We have like 15, I think. "

Tell us who you'd like to hear on the "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" soundtrack in the comments section!

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1."

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

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

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Lady Gaga 'Monster Ball' Special Nabs Five Emmy Noms

Mother Monster's HBO special will vie for honors at September 18 awards show.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

It's time to break the meat dress out of deep storage, or perhaps polish up the space egg, because Lady Gaga has another awards show to attend.

On Thursday morning (July 14), her "Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden" HBO special picked up five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, top-lined by a nod for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. In that category, Gaga will face off against the annual Kennedy Center Honors telecast and a trio of rather, uh, unique challengers: Carrie Fisher, Bette Midler and Pee-Wee Herman, each of whom earned noms for their respective HBO specials.

The "Monster Ball" special also earned a nomination for Outstanding Directing (Gaga's creative director, Laurieann Gibson, picked up the nod), and three technical noms: Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special; Outstanding Lighting Design/ Lighting Direction for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special; and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special. In each of those categories, Gaga will take on the usual spate of awards telecasts (the 83rd Academy Awards, the 53rd Grammy Awards, etc.), not to mention comedians Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K., each of whom earned nods for their comedy specials.

Elsewhere, Gaga's favorite show, "Glee," was among the most-nominated programs, landing a nod for Outstanding Comedy Series. Stars Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer also earned nominations, as did guest stars Kristin Chenoweth, Dot-Marie Jones and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 18, at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

Will you be rooting for Gaga on Emmy night? Tell us in the comments!

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By Gil Kaufman


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Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty Images

There wasn't much question about whether Beyoncé's fourth solo effort, 4, would debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart this week — it was just a matter of what the final tally would be.

Beyoncé does indeed top the chart with sales of 310,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. But that's about 172,000 less than the first-week tally for her last effort, 2006's double-disc smash, I Am ... Sasha Fierce, and marks the softest opening sales for the singer's solo albums to date (edging out her 2003 solo debut, Dangerously in Love, which moved 317,000).

Bey leads a parade of new faces in the top 10, including the debut from Kanye West protégé Big Sean, Finally Famous: The Album, which lands at #3 (87,000). Also new to the top 10: the latest from Selena Gomez & the Scene, When the Sun Goes Down (#4, 78,000); the second effort from former "American Idol" winner David Cook, This Loud Morning (#7, 46,000); and the debut EP from this year's "Idol" winner, Scotty McCreery, which hits #10 on sales of 40,000.

As for the rest of the top 10, Adele's 21 continues to defy expectations and recent music-industry logic by scooting up one spot to #2 on sales of 92,000 as her year-to-date figures pass the 2.5 million mark. After debuting at #1 last week, Jill Scott falls to #5 with The Light of the Sun, which was down 60 percent on sales of 55,000. Country singer Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party moves up four spots to #6 (48,000), "America's Got Talent" mini-opera diva Jackie Evancho falls four to #8 with Dream With Me (44,000) and the Eminem and Royce da 5'9" collabo, Hell: The Sequel, slips three spots to #9 (42,000).

While sensitive folkie Bon Iver takes a major 63 percent tumble to #11 (39,000) with his self-titled second album after a #2 debut last week, it is the steady decline of Lady Gaga's Born This Way that continues to make headlines. Even as U.K. breakout star Adele has managed to hover around the top five for most of the year and rack up the biggest figures to date for a 2011 release on the back of just one single ("Rolling in the Deep"), despite a string of singles and high-profile videos, Gaga's album has steadily faded after just six weeks.

This week marks its first outside the top 10, as Born This Way falls another four spots to #12, with sales dipping another 22 percent to 38,000 as total sales passed the 1.5 million mark.

Elsewhere on the charts, the all-star Buddy Holly tribute album, Rave on Buddy Holly, comes in at #15 (28,000), just ahead of the comeback attempt from 1990s nu-metal icons Limp Bizkit, Gold Cobra (#16, 27,000), and the self-titled album from a reunited Taking Back Sunday (#17, 27,000).

Country star Blake Shelton clearly benefited from his turn on the NBC hit reality singing program "The Voice," as his Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton rises 42 spots to #18 as sales ballooned by 182 percent to 25,000. Meanwhile, Maroon 5's latest, Hands All Over, also saw a bump thanks to singer Adam Levine's gig on "Voice," jumping 47 spots to #26 as sales went up 139 percent to 18,000. Judge Christina Aguilera saw a more modest uptick, with her 2008 greatest-hits album, Keeps Gettin' Better, re-entering the charts at #46 on sales of 12,000.

Fans also welcomed back beloved dusty folk singer Gillian Welch, whose first album in eight years, The Harrow & the Harvest, hits #20 (23,000).

Also charting: rapper Curren$y with Weekend at Burnie's (#22, 23,000), "Idol" season 10 runner-up Lauren Alaina with her debut EP (#24, 20,000) and third-place finisher Haley Reinhart with hers (#37, 14,000).

Over on the iTunes charts, Beyoncé rules the albums list, followed by Sean, Adele, Gomez, Shelton's greatest hits, Bon Iver, the resurgent Maroon 5, Cook, Eminem and Royce and Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More. In an indication of why her sales might be less than impressive, Bey doesn't have a single song on the iTunes singles chart, which is led by LMFAO's "Party Rock," which beats out Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," Pitbull's "Give Me Everything," Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" and "Voice" winner Javier Colon's "Stitch by Stitch."

Adele holds on to the #6 slot with "Rolling in the Deep," with "Voice" runner-up Dia Frampton just behind with "Inventing Shadows." She is followed by Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight Tonight," Lil Wayne's "How to Love" and Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory."

With no major releases hitting stores this week, look for Beyoncé and Adele to duke it out for the top slot in the next cycle.

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