Quick Hits: Lady Gaga, Marah Carey, Billie Joe Armstrong, Madonna, Switchfoot
July 27, 2012
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga will make her acting debut in Robert Rodriguez's Machete Lives, the sequel to his cult favorite Machete. Gaga will play a character named "La Chameleon." Both Rodriguez and Gaga confirmed the news via Twitter this week. Rolling Stone reports that in addition to Danny Trejo reprising the role of Machete himself, Machete Lives' cast includes Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara and Zoe Saldana. It is expected out next year.
Meanwhile, Mariah Carey will return to the silver screen acting in the upcoming film The Butler, directed by Lee Daniels, who also directed Carey in Precious. Vulture reports Carey will appear in the movie, which is described as "a decades-spanning White House tale" and also co-stars Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey. A number of high-profile actors play the American Presidents over the years, including Robin Williams as Dwight D. Eisenhower, John Cusack as Richard Nixon and Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan.
Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong will serve as a mentor for Christina Aguilera's team on The Voice next season. Armstrong said in a statement that the hit NBC show is "not molding artists, it's just giving them a little bit of guidance and direction without giving them a complete makeover." The Voice's third season begins September 10 and Green Day will release ¡Uno! on September 25.
A small club show from Madonna last night in Paris turned ugly, when fans booed following a set that lasted just 45 minutes. The gig was added last-minute and intended to promote "tolerance," following a political statement Madonna had made in another concert, superimposing a swastika over an image of French right wing leader Marine Le Pen. Tickets to the 2,700 capacity venue were sold exclusively to Madonna's fan club, but after playing for 45 minutes, Madge ended the set and fans booed. The show was also streamed live on YouTube, which reportedly turned off its comments section after thousands of "dislikes" and negative comments.
Switchfoot has announced a new fall tour, kicking off in Baltimore on September 26 and wrapping up October 28 in Anaheim, CA.