When 'Pitch Perfect' Met 'Hunger Games'

With Elizabeth Banks' comedy out in limited release on Friday, Hobnobbing imagines what songs Katniss and co. could sing a cappella.
By Amy Wilkinson


John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks in "Pitch Perfect"
Photo: Universal Pictures

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Karlie Kloss Works Up a Sweat in the City of Lights

After working the runway at the Lanvin Spring/Summer 2013 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Les Beaux Arts de Paris, Karlie Kloss took time to keep her svelte figure looking great with a Friday afternoon (September 28) workout.

First, the 20-year-old model loosened up with some running in a black long-sleeved top and cute pink running shorts with matching tennis shoes. Then, she released some aggression with some boxing with her trainer.

Karlie posted a photo to her Twitter account of her scenic view with an accompanying message reading, "Afternoon workout under the Eiffel Tower."

Though she may have worked up a sweat that afternoon, Miss Kloss was all about glamour on Thursday, strapping on her high heels to strut her stuff at the Lanvin show.

The young model struck mostly serious and sometimes sultry poses as she showed off a variety of high-fashion dresses at the City of Lights event.

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WE tv’s Bridezillas is Back! Plus, a Where Are They Now Special Premiering June 10

Before the ceremony, the reception and the happily ever after, there’s the planner, the designer, the caterer… and the bride who was perfectly normal until planning her wedding took over her life. Back for a ninth season, Bridezillas proves that being beautiful on the outside doesn’t make you pretty on the inside. The brides are [...]

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Conrad Murray Asks For Appeal In Michael Jackson Manslaughter Case

Murray is asking appellate court to re-test a piece of medical evidence from his trial.
By Gil Kaufman

<P>The imprisoned cardiologist convicted of manslaughter&#8232; in the 2009 death of Michael Jackson filed a request on Monday to have a key piece of evidence in his trial re-tested. Dr. Conrad Murray is asking an appellate court to order a lab to authorize a forensic analysis on residue in a drug vial taken from the bedroom of Jackson's rented Los Angeles estate.</P><P>According to the Los Angeles Times Murray's defense team thinks that the 100-milliliter bottle, which was a key piece of evidence at the 2011 trial that ended with Murray's conviction on involuntary manslaughter charges, could help lead to a successful appeal of the sentence.</P><P>Murray's fingerprint was on the bottle, which prosecutors said held the lethal dose of the surgical anesthetic propofol that killed Jackson. Prosecutors had argued that Murray mixed a small amount of propofol with another anesthetic, lidocaine, in an intravenous drip and then left Jackson unattended.</P><P>Murray's defense team said the vial was in a bag of trash and was unrelated to Jackson's death, countering that the pop icon injected himself with propofol from a syringe while the doctor wasn't looking.</P><P>"If a forensic examination of the residue in Exhibit 30 revealed no lidocaine, it would completely negate [the prosecution expert's] concluding theory ... leaving only the theory of bolus injection just prior to Jackson's death," appellate attorney Valerie Wass wrote in a filing.</P><P>This is the third time Murray's lawyers have attempted to launch an appeal on these grounds after they argued that they did not fully comprehend the need to test the residue until the testimony of a prosecution expert near the end of the seven-week trial. During the trial, judge Michael Pastor refused a motion for further analysis shortly after the verdict; a second request was also denied.</P><P>Murray, 58, received a four-year sentence but is not expected to serve more than two years in county jail.</P>

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More Details Emerge Surrounding Johnny Lewis' Death

As new details emerge surrounding the death of Johnny Lewis, GossipCenter has learned the actor is suspected of killing his 81-year-old landlord, Catherine Davis, and dismembering her cat all before falling -- or jumping -- to his death. The events occurred near his Los Feliz, California home on Wednesday (September 26).

Investigators are researching whether the former "Sons of Anarchy" star was under the influence of a new synthetic drug called Smiles, and the Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told reporters that his exact cause of death will be announced after toxicology results are finalized.

According to Los Angeles probation officers, Johnny was out of jail for only five days before the tragic incident took place and faced a steady struggle with drug and mental-health issues over the past 10 months.

The creator of "Sons of Anarchy" posted on his Twitter account Thursday (September 27), stating, "I wish i could say that i was shocked by the events last night, but i was not. i am deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path."

Johnny's dad Michael Lewis also made a statement about his son's death telling reporters, "Johnny was the bright star of our lives. We always looked up to him, and now I guess we'll have to look up a little higher. That's all I can tell you."

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Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year

Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff

<P>"I'm bewildered," <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="14245">Robert Plant</MTVNLINK> said onstage as he accepted the <MTVNLINK type="news" id="1604580">Grammy Album of the Year award</MTVNLINK> with <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="506074">Alison Krauss</MTVNLINK> on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."</P><P>He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because <i>Raising Sand,</i> which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.</p><div style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"></div><p></P><P>You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="993">Led Zeppelin</MTVNLINK> days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.</P><P>Really, she's the key to <i>Sand</i>'s success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music &#8212; so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, <i>Sand</i> was released.</P><P>And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.</P><P>And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on <i>Sand.</i> His arrangements are sparse &#8212; giving the two voices ample room to breathe &#8212; yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.</P><P>To date, <i>Sand</i> has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year &#8212; "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.</P><P>One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.</P><P>"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" <i>New York Times</i> music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really <i>good</i> record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards." </P>

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