'I Love the Way You Lie' was 'authentic, it was real,' singer says.
By James Dinh

Rihanna performs in front of a burning house while filming the "Love The Way You Lie" music video
Photo: Danny Mayer/ Eric Ford/ On Location Photos

When Eminem approached Rihanna to be featured on "Love the Way You Lie," she felt a powerful connection with the track. The singer, whose domestic violence tribulations with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown played out in front of the world, sat down with "Access Hollywood" to talk about her decision to collaborate with Eminem.

"It's something that, you know, [Eminem and I have] both experienced, you know, on different sides, different ends of the table," she said.

"It just was authentic. It was real," Rihanna continued. "It was believable for us to do a record like that, but it was also something that needed to be done and the way he did it was so clever. He pretty much just broke down the cycle of domestic violence and it's something that a lot people don't have a lot of insight on, so this song is a really, really powerful song and it touches a lot of people."

Despite the rather forward lyrics, the singer had no apprehension in tackling the song because of her faith in Em's artistry. "Eminem is an artist of class and I knew if he sent me a record there must be something to it," she said. "It couldn't just be, 'Oh, duh! She was in that relationship, so we have to get her.' "

Ultimately, the song was something Rihanna felt was in line with her past relationship. "The lyrics were so deep, so beautiful and intense. It's something that I understood, something I connected with," she revealed.

Just last week, Eminem stopped by the Los Angeles stop of Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour to perform the song, which currently holds the top spot on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The cameo wasn't planned; Ri explained that it was all just matter of time and place.

"Actually, it came really last minute. We shot the video last night and he happened to be in the same city and he was like 'Hey, can I perform with you?' " she said. "We fit it in and we couldn't have done anything better because Los Angeles loves Eminem. They couldn't stop screaming."

Photos of the duo on the music video's set, one of which showed Rihanna performing in front of a burning house, surfaced online last week. Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan, who were spotted on location kissing on a Los Angeles rooftop, will also appear as the video's love interests. On Saturday (July 24), director Joseph Kahn tweeted that the video will premiere sometime in the coming week.

How do you feel about Rihanna singing "Love the Way You Lie"? Share your opinions in the comment section!

• Rihanna
• Eminem

Singer to make her movie debut alongside Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Slarsgard in Peter Berg's 2012 board-game flick.
By Adam Rosenberg

Rihanna
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

Rihanna will take her first step into Hollywood with a role in director Peter Berg's science-fiction-tinged board-game adaptation, "Battleship."

There's no word on how her character factors into the story, but Variety confirms that the "Love the Way You Lie" singer is joining the cast that already includes Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsgård, who play brothers and naval officers assigned to a multinational task force charged with repelling alien invaders. Also cast is Tadanobu Asano, who is perhaps best known for his leading roles in "Ichi the Killer" and Genghis Khan biopic "Mongol."

Rihanna has yet to appear in a feature film, but she was the subject of a casting rumor in late 2008 that still persists. Wu-Tang member RZA told MTV News that he was co-producing a remake of martial arts classic "The Last Dragon" with Samuel L. Jackson, who is also set for a starring role. "That's the one I'm rooting for," RZA said at the time in reference to the potential Rihanna casting. "We're keeping that same concept of the girl being in the music business," he added, referring to one of the movie's plot points.

The pop singer is currently at the top of the charts with her Eminem collaboration, "Love the Way You Lie," and the track's video, featuring Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan, is expected to premiere this week.

Kitsch is no stranger to working with Peter Berg, with a leading role on the filmmaker's popular TV series, "Friday Night Lights." He'll star with Malin Akerman and Ryan Phillippe later this year in "The Bang Bang Club," and 2012 will see the release of his turn in "John Carter of Mars." Skarsgård is best known for his role on the hit HBO vampire series "True Blood." He's got a number of films lined up, including a remake of "Straw Dogs" and Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist" follow-up, "Melancholia."

Universal has set "Battleship" for release on May 25, 2012.

Check out everything we've got on "Battleship."

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

• Rihanna

From Madonna's 'A Certain Sacrifice' to Taylor Swift's 'Valentine's Day,' pop stars' first forays into acting have been interesting.
By Eric Ditzian

Taylor Swift in "Valentine's Day"
Photo: New Line Cinema

Last February, during a swing through South Korea, Rihanna told MTV Asia that she had dreams of becoming a Hollywood superstar.

"I would love to get into comedic movies," the 22-year-old said. "As well as action. I love action. I would love to play a badass one day."

Well, a badass she very well might be, as she's signed onto "Battleship," a sci-fi action flick based on the classic board game and co-starring Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsgård. Of course, this isn't the first time a celebrated singer has ditched the recording studio for the soundstage. As Rihanna boards "Battleship," she joins a long line of artists-turned-actresses. Let's take a look back at the first movie roles from some our favorite singers.

Beyoncé in "Austin Powers in Goldmember"

No disrespect to the 2001 MTV movie "Carmen: A Hip Hopera," but 2002's "Goldmember" was Beyoncé's first turn on the big screen. And what a debut it was. She essentially played herself, albeit a '70s version of herself with super high hair and a handgun, but that is exactly what Beyoncé needed. The role didn't require very much in terms of acting chops and gave her the chance to get comfortable in front of the camera. Veteran comedic talent like Mike Myers, Seth Green and Michael Caine got the laughs, while Beyoncé benefited from simply sharing the frame. "Goldmember" grossed almost 0 million worldwide, and she went on to star in the critically acclaimed "Dreamgirls" a few years later.

Madonna in "A Certain Sacrifice"

Madge's first high-profile role arrived in 1985 with "Desperately Seeking Susan," but she actually shot her first movie six years earlier. The low-budget "A Certain Sacrifice," a sex-and-violence filled story set in New York's Lower East Side, languished on the shelf for years until Madonna hit the mainstream. She actually did everything she could to prevent the film's release, but "Certain Sacrifice" eventually got a home video release. Madonna might not be proud of the flick, but it certainly didn't have a negative effect on her Hollywood career. She went on to star in a slew of glitzy productions, including "Evita," for which she won a Golden Globe in 1997.

Queen Latifah in "Jungle Fever"

Latifah signed her first record deal when she was just 17. By the time she was 21, she'd also landed a small role in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever." She went on to meatier roles in "House Party 2" and "Juice," opposite Tupac Shakur. By the new millennium, she had an Oscar nomination for "Chicago" on her résumé and a string of starring credits to her name.

Britney Spears in "Crossroads"

At perhaps the height of her fame, Spears took on a starring role in 2002's "Crossroads," a road-trip story featuring musical interludes and the talents of Dan Aykroyd and Zoe Saldana. The film was a critical dud and a box-office disappointment, and Spears has yet to get another chance at the big screen. In recent years, she's contented herself with cameo appearances in "How I Met Your Mother."

Taylor Swift in "Valentine's Day"

The country superstar appeared as herself in 2009's "Hannah Montana: The Movie," but not until this year's hit ensemble comedy, "Valentine's Day," did Swift slip into an acting role. She played a high school student who falls for her classmate, played by none other than Taylor Lautner. No word yet what her next movie project might be, but her, "Valentine's" director Garry Marshall is gearing up for his next ensemble flick, "New Year's Eve." Ms. Swift, ya interested?

Who is your favorite musician-turned-actor? Talk about it in the comments.

Check out everything we've got on "Battleship."

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

• First Movie Roles For Pop-Stars

• Rihanna
• Taylor Swift
• Beyoncé
• Madonna
• Eve

The actors were snapped on the set of Em and Rihanna's 'Love the Way You Lie' clip.
By James Montgomery

Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan shoot the music video for "Love the Way You Lie" in Los Angeles on Friday
Photo: Eric Ford/ On Location News

Joseph Kahn took to his Twitter account over the weekend to announce that he had finished his video for Eminem and Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie," but he neglected to mention the bigger news about the video. It was up to an enterprising photographer to confirm the rumored appearance of Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan in the clip.

Photos taken on Friday by On Location News show the actors shooting a scene and sharing a drink on the roof of a liquor store in downtown Los Angeles. In the pics, Fox and Monaghan can be seen sitting in a pair of lawn chairs, laughing and kissing. Monaghan's character, who is dressed in a ratty army jacket, is clutching a bottle of vodka, while Fox's character wears a short skirt and black combat boots.

On Location also speculated that the "injury of some kind" on Fox's elbow "is probably fake and for her character" and that, in addition to the scene on top of the liquor store, Fox and Monaghan also filmed inside the store and at "a seedy dive bar next door."

According to Kahn, the "Love the Way You Lie" video will premiere sometime this week. It's perfect timing, especially considering that the song currently holds the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart (ending the six-week reign of Katy Perry's "California Gurls"), and that, for the fourth consecutive week, Em's Recovery album sits at #1 on the Top 200.

Do you think Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan are the right stars to illustrate "Love the Way You Lie"? Who else would you cast? Talk about it in the comments.

• The Evolution Of: Megan Fox
• The Evolution Of: Eminem

• Eminem
• Rihanna

'Love The Way You Lie' clip features Megan Fox and 'Lost' star Dominic Monaghan.
By Kyle Anderson

Rihanna films her "Love The Way You Lie" video
Photo: Danny Mayer/ Eric Ford/ On Location Photos

Eminem and Rihanna have already hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with "Love the Way You Lie," the second single from Slim Shady's smash hit album Recovery. The song has managed to scale the chart without the benefit of a music video, but one is on the way soon. Photos of Eminem and Rihanna on set surfaced last week, and over the weekend director Joseph Kahn announced that the clip would be premiering sometime in the coming week.

"And that's a wrap! Eminem/Rhianna premieres in a week!" the director tweeted on Saturday (July 24). (A few minutes later, he corrected himself on a crucial point: "Oops Rihanna," he added. "That's what I get for typing while feeding my white Siberian tiger. More caviar, slave!")

Little is currently known about the clip, other than that Megan Fox and "Lost" actor Dominic Monaghan reportedly star in it and were spotted filming the video in Los Angeles last week.

"Love the Way You Lie" will be the third video Kahn has directed for Eminem. He previously took the lead on the clips for "Without Me" and "We Made You." During Kahn's 20-year career, he has directed videos for the likes of Britney Spears ("Womanizer"), U2 ("Elevation") and Lady Gaga ("LoveGame").

Kahn sounds extremely satisfied with the final version of his latest project. "My director's edit of Love the Way You Lie is done," he tweeted on Sunday (July 25). "I love this video."

What do you hope to see in the "Love the Way You Lie" video? Let us know in the comments!

• Eminem
• Rihanna

After Travie McCoy and Ke$ha opened the show, Eminem made a surprise appearance to sing 'Love the Way You Lie' with Rihanna.
By Kelly Marino

Rihanna performs on tour in Los Angeles on Wednesday
Photo: Aaron Pinkston/ MTV News

LOS ANGELES — Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour may have been plagued by poor ticket sales during a bad summer for concerts, but fans were out in force at the tour's Los Angeles stop on Wednesday night. With sexy moves, a hint of violence and pyrotechnics, the singer delivered a nearly two-hour set (following opening sets from Travie McCoy and Ke$ha) that was capped by a surprise appearance by none other than Eminem.

The show began shortly after 7:30 p.m. as Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy hit the stage in support of his debut solo album, Lazarus. Tattooed from head to toe, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, suspender straps and a paperboy hat, he performed a quick 20-minute set as fans continued to trickle in and fill the arena. With a drummer, a DJ and a backdrop featuring his dog Stitch, McCoy strutted back and forth across the stage performing tracks including "The Manual," "Dr. Feel Good" and the summer hit "Billionaire" — sans Bruno Mars — before closing out by showing his softer (yet possibly still bitter) side with the breakup song "Need You."

Following McCoy was a wild, playful, foul-mouthed and at times sloppy Ke$ha, who emerged between two large lighting props shortly after 8 p.m. While echoes of "Right Round" filled the venue (the Flo Rida hit on which she's featured), the singer ordered everyone in the crowd to "Stand up right now!" Decked out in a black sequined short jumpsuit, a leopard bandana, sunglasses, fishnet hose, body glitter and a star painted on her left eye, the singer kicked off her performance, which as promised, provided nothing short of a full-fledged party vibe.

"I can't believe I am playing a show at the motherf---in' Staples Center!" the Animal singer exclaimed as she broke into "Blah, Blah, Blah." Accompanied by a full band and two quirky dancers, who at times where seen dancing in only American flag-designed Speedos, Ke$ha's set was a visual assault that included a gun-shaped guitar, exotic animal hats, cartwheels, drum smashing, and psychedelic cartoons that played on the stage behind her. She tore through six more songs from her debut album, including "Party at a Rich Dude's House," "Dinosaur," "Stephen," "Your Love Is My Drug," and finishing, of course, with the song that rocketed her to fame, "Tik-Tok."

After an hour-long intermission, the energy in the arena soared when Rihanna finally took the stage. Wasting no time, the singer opened up with her pop-rock ballad "Russian Roulette," wearing a floor-length black dress with flashing red lights while images of burning naked mannequins were displayed on screens behind her.

While stage lights flashed, six of her dancers emerged with glow-in-the-dark rifles. Rihanna reappeared shortly after, revealing a pink sequined bodysuit with her signature shoulder pads, which were a common theme throughout several of her outfit changes. Performing "Hard," the singer straddled a giant pink army tank with a Mickey Mouse army hat on while images of her video "Hard" flashed behind her.

Rihanna went on to perform a set filled with 23 hits, including "Disturbia," "Rehab," playful dance hits like "Pon de Replay," "Please Don't Stop the Music," and "S.O.S," and more intimate songs such as "Take a Bow" and "Hate That I Love You," and five different outfits, all of which had the similar leotard skin-tight looks that show off her figure. All the while, messages flashed across the screens, displaying statements that reflect Rihanna's dreamlike world: "One image. One voice. Welcome to Rihanna's world. The last girl on Earth."

Toward the end of the night, the crowd received the biggest treat of the show. As Rihanna began to sing the hook for "Love the Way You Lie," Eminem emerged from beneath the stage to join her. Allowing Eminem to take center stage, Rihanna gracefully stood nearby while the crowd screamed louder then ever. Dressed all in black, Eminem took control of the show and for an instant it almost appeared as if the crowd forgot they were attending a Rihanna show. But just as quickly as the song began, it was over, as the two disappeared beneath the stage together, leaving the audience chanting for more during the encore.

Closing out the night, Rihanna returned to play a medley of songs. As if to tease the audience into thinking another artist would make a guest appearance, she sang the hooks from "Live Your Life" and "Run This Town." The show ended with Rihanna's biggest hit song to date, "Umbrella," with red confetti released into the air, as she was elevated above the crowd on a platform. Once she was brought back onto the stage, she did a cute curtsy, thanking fans for making her dreams come true, before exiting the stage. As the lights came on, the dreamlike messages continued to flash up on the screen — "The dream is over. The dream is real" — while "What a Wonderful World" played throughout the arena.

• Last Girl On Earth Tour Shakes Up Los Angeles

• Rihanna
• Eminem
• Ke$ha
• Travie McCoy

Fans also call Ke$ha's set 'crazy,' 'wild.'
By MTV News Staff

Rihanna performs on tour in Los Angeles on Wednesday
Photo: Arron Pinkston/ MTV News

Rihanna and Eminem took their partnership off the music video set and onto the stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Wednesday night when Em joined his "Love the Way You Lie" collaborator during the L.A. stop of her. Last Girl on Earth Tour. And it had fans raving when MTV News caught up with them after the show.

"The whole night was amazing! Rihanna: Amazing!," Rafael Saghian raved. "The fantastic part was Eminem. We loved it. We come all the way from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!"

Describing Em's appearance as "da bomb," fans loved seeing the two sharing the stage. "When Eminem came out that was friggin' amazing," Sean Preston said.

But, fans also gave it up to Rihanna's sparkly opening act, Ke$ha. "She was crazy. She was wild," Nina and her pal, Aliza, explained. "In the middle of dancing she just did a huge cartwheel! She had a huge star around her eye, amazing."

Amber added, "I like the fact that she's a new young artist and she's fresh and she's lively and very outgoing."

And of course Rihanna got a lot of praise. "Her dancing, her outfits, her voice," Nina said of the set's highlights. "That red hair she had tonight, it was amazing."

Nick Locke loved when Rihanna sang her hit "Rude Boy." "Oh my god! She killed that song. She blew it out of the water. I had so much fun!"

Javante Clark summed up Rihanna's show in a unique way: "She's like an exotic animal to me," he said. "She's so pretty."

Have you seen the Rihanna Last Girl On Earth tour this summer? Tell us about it in the comments!

• Last Girl On Earth Tour Shakes Up Los Angeles

• Rihanna
• Ke$ha
• Eminem

Fox will reportedly co-star with Dominic Monaghan in the steamy clip.
By Jocelyn Vena

Megan Fox
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

From shots taken at the "Love the Way You Lie" music video shoot, we know that Rihanna and Eminem are burning down the house in the clip. And according to E! News, Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan will be burning up the bedroom in the steamy clip.

The video's couple, reportedly played by Monaghan and Fox, will be on-set Thursday and Friday. "Things start off with a sex scene between Megan and Dominic," a source tells E! Online about the "gritty" video. "Then they fight but end up having sex again."

The relationship between the pair will reportedly also have "lots of passion." Sources say it will play out the way Eminem's relationship with ex-wife Kim played out in real life. While some photos show Rihanna standing in hot pants and a tank top and leather jacket in front of a burning house, reports also say that Eminem "was later seen ... performing together with Rihanna in front of the burning house."

And while on set Wednesday, where photos of the shoot leaked to the media, the video's director, Joseph Kahn, took to Twitter to express his frustration with the photographers who were taking pictures of the video shoot. "Paparazzi, stop trying to ruin my shots," he wrote. "Thank you."

No word yet on when the video will be released, and Fox's cameo in the clip has yet to be confirmed. However, Kahn tweeted about Monaghan's appearance in what is turning out to be a very fiery clip. "First choice: Charlie from Lost. Dom, let's do this," he wrote.

• Eminem
• Rihanna

Director Joseph Kahn is shooting 'Love the Way You Lie' clip this week.
By Jocelyn Vena

Megan Fox
Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

The video for Eminem and Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie" was set to begin shooting on Tuesday. But now it sounds like the duo might be getting help dramatizing the melancholic ballad from Megan Fox and "Lost" star Dominic Monaghan later this week.

"First choice: Charlie from Lost. Dom, let's do this," director Joseph Kahn tweeted on Sunday, after announcing the video shoot. And a source told E! Online that Fox would be joining the cast for some "intense" and steamy scenes with Monaghan. A representative for Kahn had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time.

Kahn has won a Grammy and two VMAs for his videos with Eminem. And though he's never shot a music video with Rihanna, he clarified on Twitter that this isn't their first time working together. "2nd with Rihanna (did a Covergirl commercial with her)," he wrote.

"Love the Way You Lie" is #1 on the new Ultimate Chart, which takes into account Internet popularity as well as radio play and sales. Even before its success, Rihanna expressed her pride over the effort.

"It's really beautiful, and it really stands out," she said. "It's a really unique record. I'm really excited about it."

Can you picture Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan in this video? Talk about it in the comments!

• The Evolution Of: Megan Fox

• Eminem
• Rihanna

Photos from the shoot show Rihanna performing in front of a burning house.
By James Montgomery

Rihanna performs in front of a burning house while filming a music video with Eminem for "Love the Way You Lie" on July 20
Photo: Danny Mayer/ Eric Ford/ On Location Photos

The first photographs from the set of Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" video have surfaced, and from the looks of things, the clip is shaping up to be a hot one.

In the series of pics, Rihanna — who sings the hook on the track — is seen performing in front of a burning house, her hair just as red as the flames that leap from the windows and turn the white picket fence an ominous shade of black. According to On Location News, which snapped the photos, Eminem "was later seen ... performing together with Rihanna in front of the burning house."

The video, shot in Los Angeles, is being directed by Joseph Kahn, who, if his Twitter account is to be believed, was handed the project at the last minute: "Got off a call. Emergency music video. Gonna write and turn in a treatment in three hours to shoot ASAP."

Guess it turned out OK. And while on set Wednesday (July 21), Kahn took to Twitter once again, this time to express his frustration with the photographers who were taking pictures of the video shoot. "Paparazzi, stop trying to ruin my shots," he wrote. "Thank you."

Earlier in the day, rumors began swirling that the "Love the Way You Lie" video would also feature cameos from Megan Fox and "Lost" actor Dominic Monaghan, with a source telling E! Online that the two would be shooting "some rather steamy sequences."

So far, no photos of either actor on the set of the video have surfaced. MTV News attempted to contact Kahn's spokesperson for comment on the video, but did not receive a reply.

How do you think the video is shaping up so far? Share your thoughts in the comments!

• Spotted! Daily Celebrity Sightings

• Eminem
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• Rihanna

Lady Gaga, Rihanna, More Love Alexander McQueen Fashion

• Lady Gaga
• Rihanna

Rihanna, Justin Bieber, More Perform At Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam

• Rihanna
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• Lady Gaga
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• Rihanna

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• Rihanna

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• Rihanna
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• Rihanna
• Lady Gaga
• Taylor Swift
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• Rihanna

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• Adam Lambert
• Lady Gaga
• Will.I.Am
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