Katy Perry, Pitbull, Chris Brown and Adele also found support from MTV.com readers.
By James Montgomery

Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images

Now that school's out and folks are slathering on the sunscreen, we figured it was time to take the temperature of the annual Summer Jam Sweepstakes — the race to dominate the airwaves (and your tanning playlist) during the long, hot months of the year.

So last week, we published our initial rankings in the race for the Summer Jam crown, a list that was topped by Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," with Pitbull's "Give Me Everything" and LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" following close behind. A whole host of other big-name stars — like Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Adele, to name just a few — also made the cut, along with some dark-horse candidates (like Foster the People, Maroon 5 and David Guetta) who are determined to make this competition close.

Of course, our rankings had you talking too — in fact, the conversation in our comments section got so huge (we even heard from a Hall of Fame third baseman!) that we've decided to spotlight some of the best back-and-forth right now. What's your pick for the Song of Summer 2011? Here's what you had to say:

"This has been Katy's decade so far! She made pop music fun again." — Tuffy Luvvy

" 'Lighters' by Eminem, Royce and Bruno Mars all the way, baby! It's a long-shot, I know. I think Katy Perry will get it, but you never know." — lilbittaflava

"I like Katy, but 'I Wanna Go' from Britney sounds more like a summer song." — Aaron

"Britney Spears! 'I Wanna Go' just makes my summer great!" — Melissa Goulart

"Britney Spears all the way! 'I Wanna Go' all the way! I'm still in love with Pitbull's 'Give Me Everything,' and his album is amazing. Nicki Minaj's 'Super Bass' is sick, love it!" — RyanJaggerz

" 'The Edge of Glory' is a glorious pop anthem-masterpiece, no need for it to be crowned as a 'jam.' Adele's 'Rolling' is heart-touching, breathtaking and also a masterpiece." — Spyros Venturis

" 'Moves Like Jagger' by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera is amazing!" — SuperZonic Jbsz

"Oh I couldn't believe when I saw them, thank you so much MTV for putting them on the list ... I love them, talking about of course FOSTER THE PEOPLE YEAHHHHHHH." — hotalejandro

" 'Tonight Tonight' by Hot Chelle Rae! I could party to that every day of the summer." — WhatShouldIDo?

"You guys forgot about New Boyz ft. Chris Brown, 'Better With the Lights Off,' and Lupe Fiasco ft. Trey Songz, 'Outta My Head.' " — booklady

"All these songs have that 'I've heard it all before' sound to them. Nothing special about any of the songs on the list. A lot of the 'artists' on this list would be better off working a mop at a Waffle House. It's Kanye's fault." — Mike Schmidt

What do you think? Share your Summer Jam picks in the comments below!

• 2011 Song Of Summer Battle

• Katy Perry
• Lady Gaga
• Britney Spears

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666863/lady-gaga-britney-spears-fans-pick-their-2011-summer-jams.jhtml

Brittany Murphy Brittany Snow Brittny Gastineau Brody Dalle

Judge pushes start of Conrad Murray's trial back to May.
By Gil Kaufman

Conrad Murray
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — Though Conrad Murray's lawyers had been pressing for a speedy trial, a judge in the involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's doctor ruled on Wednesday to delay opening statements in the proceedings until May.

The Associated Press reported that Murray's attorneys consented to the postponement after they discussed the matter with prosecutors and both agreed they could be ready for trial by May 9.

According to a transcript from the closed-door session, though opening statements will not begin for several months, Murray told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor that he did not want to forfeit his right to a quick trial, but agreed to the delay if screening of prospective jurors begins as scheduled on March 24.

"It is only acceptable to me if this is not strung along over a long period of time," Murray told the justice. "I don't want to lose my constitutional right to speedy trial." Murray — who has pleaded not guilty to the charges — reportedly has been in favor of having the proceedings begin as soon as possible because he is facing financial troubles, but he said he understands that the delay is necessary to allow both sides to prepare for the trial.

Pastor consented because he said he didn't want to lose a jury pool, and believed a month-long delay might let potential jurors shuffle their schedules for the case, which could take up to two months to decide. The judge has reportedly clashed with Murray's defense team in recent weeks, pressing them for answers about why they had not turned over more witness notes and other potential evidence to prosecutors in the run-up to the trial.

Cardiologist Murray was hired to be Jackson's personal physician while the King of Pop prepared for his planned 50-date comeback series of shows at London's O2 arena in the summer of 2009. The doctor told police that he provided the then-50-year-old Jackson with sedatives and the surgical anesthetic propofol in order to combat the singer's chronic insomnia. He said he did so on the morning of June 25, 2009, when Jackson died of what a coroner deemed acute propofol poisoning.

Murray's lawyers reportedly plan to argue that Jackson was already in weak health before he died, that it's unfair to blame propofol for his passing and that, if the anesthetic was to blame, the pop superstar may have given himself the fatal dose by drinking the drug in a panic.

A status hearing in the case has been set for this Wednesday.

• Remembering Michael Jackson

• Michael Jackson: A Life In Photos

• Michael Jackson

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659100/conrad-murray-trial.jhtml

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Daniel Craig tells MTV News his co-star is 'massively impressive' as hacker Lisbeth Salander.
By Eric Ditzian

Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara on the "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" poster
Photo: Sony Pictures

Who would win the right to be Lisbeth Salander? Last summer, Hollywood was consumed with that question, as some of the biggest names in the business competed to land that coveted starring role in David Fincher's adaptation of the international best-selling crime thriller, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Actresses like Natalie Portman, Kristen Stewart and Ellen Page reportedly were eyeing the gig, and yet it went to a relative unknown named Rooney Mara. The fresh-faced Mara seemed an unlikely choice at first to play Salander, an emotionally scarred, motorcycle-driving hacker not adverse to violent confrontations with anyone who crosses her. But our first look at Mara in character assuaged any fan misgivings: Mara has turned into Salander.

And perhaps no one was more impressed by that transformation than co-star Daniel Craig, who plays Mikael Blomkvist, the disgraced journalist hired to investigate a decades-old missing-persons case. Blomkvist then hires Salander to assist in the search.

"Rooney is massively impressive," he told MTV News during a recent "Cowboys & Aliens" press event. "She took [it] on under a massive amount of pressure because obviously there's a lot of expectation. I was massively impressed and she absolutely nailed this. People are hopefully are going to be incredibly surprised and happy with her performance."

"Dragon Tattoo" marks Fincher's first film after the Oscar-nominated hit "The Social Network," in which Mara played a small role. During production on that Facebook-focused flick, Jesse Eisenberg was blown away that Fincher would shoot certain scenes 60 times or more. Craig experienced something similar on "Dragon Tattoo," though he emphasized he expected nothing less.

"Yeah, but I don't count," he said of Fincher's copious takes. "People are always asking me about that, saying, 'Isn't that strange or whatever it is?' but actors live for that. I want to do it over and over again until I get it right. I don't count, so I couldn't tell you what the largest amount of takes are. ... The whole process was great. All of it was great. I had a lot of fun on it."

Check out everything we've got on "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

• Rooney Mara: Indie Darling To Franchise Star

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667542/daniel-craig-rooney-mara-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo.jhtml

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