Swift, Lady A and Jason Aldean honored again (AP)

NEW YORK – CMT's second annual Artists of the Year event will look a bit familiar: Three of last year's honorees will be feted once again.

Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean will be celebrated for a second time, along with new honorees Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney. CMT picks the five top artists in country music based on sales of albums and single downloads, country radio airplay, concert grosses and popularity on CMT.

The 90-minute taped special, which features performances during a dinner setting, will air Dec. 13 on CMT. "Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard will prepare the food for the event, which tapes Nov. 29 in Nashville, Tenn.

Izard said she plans to talk to the honorees to get a feel for what they like to eat, and that will guide her food preparations.

"I think bringing their favorites ... something that's going to make them happy, that's what it's going to be all about," Izard said in an interview Tuesday.

Izard said music is a big inspiration for her in the kitchen, so she's excited about catering the event.

"I'm hoping that we can just celebrate food and celebrate music, and things that inspire people," she said.

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Online:

http://www.cmt.com

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Jason Momoa eyes breakout film role in "Conan" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Jason Momoa may not be a household name from Hollywood yet, but neither was Arnold Schwarzenegger when he took on the title role of "Conan the Barbarian" in 1982.

Nearly 30 years later, Momoa could see a similar starmaking trajectory if moviegoers embrace him as the new, 3D incarnation of "Conan the Barbarian," due in theaters on Friday. If there's one person who hopes they will, it is Momoa.

"Conan (is) going to give me star status," he told Reuters of his hopes for a movie that breaks him out of the pack of Hollywood actors. "It's going to put me in leading man roles."

Based on pulp fiction writer Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery fantasy stories, the "Conan" reboot begins with the barbarian's early years when, as a young boy, he witnesses the destruction of his village and the death of his father.

As an adult, Conan embarks on a personal mission to avenge the death, which then turns into an epic battle to save an entire nation from a supernatural evil.

Unlike Schwarzenegger who, at 35, was a body building champ but a relative newcomer to Hollywood movies when he took the "Conan" role, the 32 year-old Momoa has 12 years of work under his belt. But only his hardcore fans, including followers of HBO series "Games of Thrones," likely know he's got the acting skills, not to mention the muscles, to wield Conan's weapons.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Momoa was raised by his single mother in Iowa, where he never felt like he fit in with his exotic looks inherited largely from his native Hawaiian father. After high school, in an attempt to "get to know my father better" Momoa went back to Hawaii where his looks became an asset. Modeling gigs followed, then came an opportunity he could never have predicted -- a gig on "Baywatch."

"I was 19 and folding t-shirts in a surf shop," Momoa told Reuters. "And I got chosen out of 1,300 people to play a lead role on 'Baywatch Hawaii.' I didn't even know how to act."

That led to another Hawaii-based show, "North Shore," which only lasted a year and after that, a dry spell.

"It took me five years to get an agent after 'Baywatch,'" said Momoa. "No one would take me seriously because it was 'Baywatch.' I lived in the shadow of that for a long time.'"

WARRIORS AND WARLOCKS

Eventually he landed the role of the dreadlock-wearing warrior Ronon Dex in the Sy Fy Channel TV series "Stargate: Atlantis," where he was quickly embraced by sci-fi fans. The show lasted on TV for five seasons.

His career took another fortuitous turn when he was cast as the powerful warlock Khal Drogo on HBO's "Game of Thrones," based on the popular "A Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy novels. After premiering earlier this year, "Thrones" became an instant hit with fans and critics, earning 13 Emmy nominations.

"It was the first project in my life where I was like, 'I have to have this, no one is gonna take this from me,'" said Momoa. "It was the first thing I've ever fought for."

Momoa's 6'3" frame and muscular body make him a strong choice for roles as tough guys who battle evil, and his exotic looks give him an eerie resemblance to Howard's original drawings of Conan.

But the actor, who is married and has two young children with actress Lisa Bonet, said it was being a father that made him connect with the Conan character.

"Conan's father is killed in front of him and as a father, if someone messes with your family, your children, you're gonna get primal on them," said the actor. "You're gonna go feral. It resides in everyone," Momoa said.

Clearly, going primal is one thing Momoa can do. His face bears a striking scar from a 2008 bar fight where, he said, "I took a pint glass to the face. It took a 140 stitches to put my face back together."

But those days are gone, he said, and the actor is focused on his future. Besides "Thrones," Momoa is currently shooting a villainous role opposite Sylvester Stallone in next year's crime thriller, "Bullet to the Head." He also has a couple of projects in the works with Bonet.

Though his career is moving at a faster pace now, Momoa paused to reflect about first seeing himself on the big screen in "Conan," complete with the physical transformation which included an additional 25 lbs. of muscle.

"There's moments you look at yourself," he said. "And wow, it's kinda cool."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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R&B singer Jason Derulo tops UK singles chart (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – Miami R&B singer/songwriter Jason Derulo went straight to No. 1 on the UK singles chart, while Lady Gaga reclaimed the albums chart crown, the Official Charts company said on Sunday.

Derulo, 21, who started out as a songwriter for other big-name acts, scored on his account with "Don't Wanna Go Home," a tune from his upcoming second album "Future History." British singer Example's "Changed the Way you Kiss Me" slipped to No. 2.

Lady Gaga's "Born this Way" returned to No. 1 on the albums chart for a second spell after spending the past two weeks at No. 3.

(Reporting by Avril Ormsby)

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Center stage beckons for Jason Sudeikis of `SNL' (AP)

NEW YORK – As several cameras and a large film crew hover around him, Jason Sudeikis is enjoying the attention.

"Think about how long this lighting would take if I didn't have perfect bone structure," he says, smiling. "Show off God's work."

Sudeikis is shooting promotions for the MTV Movie Awards, which he'll host June 5. As he lists the attendees, he riffs effortlessly ("Blake Lively ... nice guy?") and ponders the Scrabble points in "Shia LaBeouf."

The awards will introduce Sudeikis to millions of viewers just as he's making his largest splash on the big screen. He stars in the upcoming summer comedy "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy," out in September, and plays a supporting role in the star-filled "Horrible Bosses," out in July.

For the veteran "Saturday Night Live" cast member, center stage is a relatively new vantage point. Hosting the MTV Movie Awards (the last two hosts were Andy Samberg and Aziz Ansari) has been a kind of platform for rising comedians on the cusp.

"A platform either to dive beautifully off of or to fall completely off of, but a platform nevertheless," says the 35-year-old Sudeikis.

Though born in Virginia, Sudeikis was raised in Kansas City, Kan., and has a Midwestern aw-shucks candor. But he often uses a cheery facade for arrogant or oblivious characters. Whether playing Vice President Joe Biden or the devil, Sudeikis is usually grinning broadly.

"I always liked smart asses," he says. "I probably wanted to be Axel Foley from age 9 until 38. In three years, I'll probably stop wanting to be Axel Foley. I like people that laugh, smart asses that also laugh, that don't take any of it too seriously. Love Ace Ventura. Love Groucho Marx. Love Bugs Bunny."

Sudeikis didn't sincerely pursue comedy until he came to the famed Chicago improv troupe Second City in 1997. His family had some familiarity with showbiz: Sudeikis' uncle is George Wendt ("Cheers"). Wendt's success, Sudeikis says, pacified his parents in accepting entertainment as a career.

At Second City, he "dove in completely" to improv and helped develop a Las Vegas offshoot. There, he became enamored of the Blue Man Group and even auditioned once (unsuccessfully).

He was hired first as a writer on "SNL," which he did for two years, getting a handful of sketches on the air. Though Sudeikis yearned to be a performer, he learned the "SNL" system and relished the writing process.

"I really enjoyed the re-write table. That was my favorite thing to do," says Sudeikis. "When Tina Fey likes one of your jokes and puts it into the script, you can't help but feel like, `Maybe I am somehow doing the right thing, the right job.'"

Horatio Sanz overlapped with Sudeikis at Second City and again at "SNL," where he co-wrote Sudeikis' first sketch to air (Jack Black singing "Cats in the Cradle" to his estranged father).

"We all knew there was a performer in him," says Sanz. "Because it's so effortless for him, I think you kind of forget that he's such a good comedic actor. He doesn't go too big too often. A lot of what he plays is a lot like him."

Sudeikis became a cast member in 2006 as part of one of the show's best classes: Kristin Wiig, Bill Hader and Andy Samberg. Sudeikis and Wiig often wrote together and one of their late-night, gum-chewing sessions led to an early recurring hit: "Two A-Holes." In it, the two played an absurdly self-absorbed couple.

"I probably dealt with a lot of people like that — inflated egos — through sports and also entertainment," says Sudeikis. "And then again, there might be part of me that's not too dissimilar from that, the worst parts of myself."

Sudeikis says this "SNL" season, which concluded this past weekend, has been one of creeping nostalgia, as he, Wiig, Hader, Samberg realize their time together is waning.

"We all sort of realize that you're not going to do this forever," says Sudeikis, who expects to return next season.

But they all have other projects now, too. For Sudeikis, most notably, there's "A Good Old-Fashioned Orgy," an R-rated comedy in which a group of friends decide to have an orgy. It's a generational kind of film with characters in their late `20s and early `30s — stuck between the free-love `60s and the sexting `00s — insisting on their own chance for sexual inhibition.

Writer-directors Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck first met Sudeikis at an "SNL" after-party, where he and Huyck sang a karaoke duet of "Living on a Prayer."

"I have never seen a dude bring more charisma than that guy brought in that moment," says Huyck. "He was one of those guys that you could just see instantly and go, `He's got that thing.'"

Says Gregory: "We've had those conversations: Is he a young Bill Murray? Is he a young Chevy Chase? What is he? I always think more than anything, he's a young Tom Hanks."

The pair convinced Sudeikis to make "Orgy" — a risky proposition for a first leading role — partly by comparing it to Hanks doing 1984's "Bachelor Party" early in his career.

Handsome and confident, Sudeikis has shown leading man appeal, including in a memorable guest arc on "30 Rock." (He was previously married to "30 Rock" writer Kay Cannon, and last year dated "Mad Men" actress January Jones, which attracted tabloid coverage.)

One of Sudeikis' most popular characters is speechless: A tireless — and surprisingly skilled — dancer, clad in an Adidas jumpsuit that adorns the background of the "What Up with That?" sketch. Since dancing is often the province of award show hosting, there's a chance Sudeikis may trot the character out at the MTV Movie Awards.

"Very possibly," he says. "You got to dance with the one that brung you. No pun intended."

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Online:

http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2011/

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Jason Castro, 'American Idol' Finalist, to Be a Dad

'American Idol' season 7 contestant Jason Castro is getting ready to sing some lullabies.

The singer, 24, has just announced on his official website that he and his wife, Mandy Mayhall, are expecting their first child -- a daughter.

Castro writes: "I am excited to announce that there will be a new addition to the Castro family! My wife and I are expecting our first child this August. We just found out yesterday that it is going to be a girl! haha that makes me laugh... what am i going to do with a sweet little girl?! probably just smile alot...I cannot wait!!! It's an exciting time..."

Castro made his mark on 'Idol' with his memorable rendition of 'Hallelujah' and his equally memorable dreads. When asked by the Los Angeles Times last year what it would take to cut them, he replied, "A million dollars would do the trick! It's kind of working for me and saving me money on haircuts. Even though I wake up every morning and think, "Wow, it would be fun to shave my head today," they do have some symbolic meaning to me....I started them in high school as kind of a joke, [then] I kind of went though a small depression trying to figure out, Who am I?....I decided that I'm going to keep this hair as long as I'm pursuing music. To me, that was important. It was like keeping a piece of myself."

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=774106&pid=774105&uts=1273239330http://www.popeater.com/mm_track/popeater/movies/?s_channel=us.moviespop&s_account=aolpopeater,aolsvc&omni=1&ke=1http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swfIsla Fisher, who is currently pregnant with her second child, takes her daughter Olive for a treat at Milk on Beverly Boulevard.oKExp.start("popeatermovies-kids_baby_fun_pap");

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Jason Castro, 'American Idol' Finalist, to Be a Dad

I kind of went though a small depression trying to figure out, Who am I?....I decided that I'm going to keep this hair as long as I'm pursuing music. To me, that was important. It was like keeping a piece of myself."


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