'Don't look for it on radio, but online and in the streets and in the clubs,' rapper says.
By Shaheem Reid

T.I.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/ Getty Images

T.I. has only gone Hollywood when it comes to films, not his music. Tinseltown's current box-office champ says we can expect a brand-new record from his King Uncaged LP this week. He's going to growing it from the ground up.

"My next song ... I'm not even sending it to radio first," he explained Monday. "I'm going to work it from the streets to the clubs. Then as DJs ask about it, I'll deliver it to them. I'm gonna go all the way back to grassroots. I feel that people right now feel I'm going so far over their heads, given my prior success with Paper Trail. They feel like I'm trying to leave my foundation and my demographic behind, which is far from my intention."

The King of the South's new song should land in the next couple of days or so.

"Probably this week — don't look for it on radio, but online and in the streets and in the clubs, you can look forward to a record. A record called 'Pledge Allegiance to the Swag,' he added. "I'm just trying to feed the streets right now."

And the Net. Tip has a slew of viral videos dropping soon with his various Grand Hustle acts.

"We just shot three videos," T.I. said. "We just shot the Young Dro 'Freeze Me' video with me, him and Gucci Mane. We shot the 'Get Your Girl' video with me and my artist and lil' cousin, Rich Kid Shawty [Rashad]. We shot that in Atlanta. We also shot the video for 'Ya Hear Me?' Those videos will be completed and surfacing online within the next week or so."

Over the weekend, T.I.'s latest film, "Takers," grabbed the top spot in a tooth-and-nail dogfight for number one with "The Last Exorcism." As he told us a few weeks ago, with the film being a success, a prequel to the action thriller is very likely.

"I just got off the phone with the director and the writer of 'Takers,' he revealed. "Also with the heads of Screen Gems. We're working on not a sequel, but the prequel to 'Takers,' telling how the guys came to meet one another and how the relationships developed. Pretty much telling the story before [my character] went [to jail]."

• T.I.

'I promise to try my hardest,' 'Jersey Shore' star says.
By Jocelyn Vena

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino
Photo: MTV News

While the rest of his "Dancing With the Stars" castmates are busy making the press rounds and hitting up rehearsals, "Jersey Shore" star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is missing out while filming his hit MTV show. But don't feel too bad for him: He knows he'll be able to play catch-up.

"I'm going to lose a couple days practice," he told People magazine. "But I don't mind being the underdog. I promise to try my hardest and practice as much as I can and be the best that I can be. I hope the Situation Nation shows up to support me. ... I have a ticket or two reserved for Pauly D and Snooki."

The Sitch admits he's feeling pretty lucky these days, given the fact that, come September 20, when the new season of "DWTS" begins, he'll be on two hit shows. "It's pretty unbelievable for me to be on one of the biggest shows on MTV to one of the biggest shows on TV," he explained. "There's enough Situation to go around."

Fellow MTV star Audrina Patridge is also looking forward to hitting the floor, even though she has very little professional dancing experience. "I'll go out with my girlfriends and dance," the former "Hills" star said. "When I was a little girl, my mom put me and my sister in ballet, jazz and tap."

Another "Dancing With the Stars" newbie, Bristol Palin, spoke to "Good Morning America" on Tuesday (August 31), revealing that her partner is Mark Ballas. More partners are expected to be announced Wednesday on "GMA."

How do you think the Situation will fare on "Dancing With the Stars"? Let us know in the comments below!

Don't miss "Jersey Shore" every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

• 'Dancing With The Stars' Season 11 Cast Revealed!
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'The Yankees selling Jay-Z stuff is just the best of both worlds,' one fan says of Hov endorsing limited-run apparel ahead of concerts with Eminem.
By MTV News staff

Jay-Z and Yankees merchandise at Yankee Stadium
Photo: Rya Backer/ MTV News

Jay-Z already has one clothing line in Rocawear, and now that the Brooklyn rapper has partnered with the Yankees to co-brand threads in anticipation of his and Eminem's September concerts, does Hov have a new empire on his hands?

Well, not quite, since the Jay-Z/Yankee pact is only for a limited time. But MTV News hit the Bronx to get the word on whether the partnership is a home run.

"I thought it was pretty cool, I think it's cool that he's doing stuff with the Yankees," Paulette Esparza told MTV News. "The design is cool."

The line features an array of T-shirts, jerseys with S. Carter and the number four printed on the back (Jay's birthday is December 4) and a series of fitted hats, including an all-black Yankees cap with The Blueprint 3 insignia on the side.

The memorabilia is on sale, only at Yankee Stadium, through September 14. Despite the limited run, interest in the items appears to be high. (It remained unclear at press time whether Eminem would strike a similar deal with his hometown Detroit Tigers baseball team.)

"I really like the hat, the hat is pretty cool," Lauren Mastroianni said while visiting the ballpark.

"I was just about to say that," her friend Mike Nalafronte chimed in about the fitted cap. "With the emblem on it, I like that."

The marriage between Jay-Z and the Yankees began last year as the storied baseball franchise marched toward the World Series, which they eventually captured over the Philadelphia Philles in six games last October. Jay's "Empire State of Mind" (featuring Alicia Keys) became the unofficial anthem of the team after captain Derek Jeter used the track for his at-bat music. Jay-Z then performed the number with Alicia Keys before Game 2 in New York and later rode with the team during their championship parade.

The song also became the rapper's first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, and the Yankees earned their 27th championship.

"The Yankees selling Jay-Z stuff is just the best of both worlds, isn't it," tourist Alex Matthewson noted.

What do you think of Jay-Z teaming with the Yankees to make limited-run threads? Tell us in the comments!

• Jay-Z And The Yankees Team-Up To Represent New York

• Jay-Z

'It's quite different from the board game, obviously,' he tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner

Alexander Skarsgård
Photo: MTV News

LOS ANGELES — With the third season of "True Blood" wrapping up in the next few weeks (the season finale airs September 12 on HBO), Alexander Skarsgård fans will have to resign themselves to the fact that the striking Swede will not return to TV screens until 2011. The good news, however, is that due to his standout performances on the show, Hollywood has taken notice and signed him up for several upcoming projects.

One that we've been keeping close tabs on here at MTV News is "Battleship," based on Hasbro's beloved board game. The nostalgia factor alone is enough to make us want to see this film, but the cast — including Skarsgård, "Friday Night Lights" breakout Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna and supermodel Brooklyn Decker — is eye-candy icing on the cake.

When we caught up with Skarsgård at HBO's Emmy afterparty on Sunday, we asked him what he thinks about being in a film based on a board game.

"I don't really think about that very much. It's quite different from the board game, obviously," he said with a smile. "Pete is a great guy — the director, Peter Berg — and I'm just excited to start it, I really am." Skarsgård added that he flies to Hawaii this week to begin production.

Asked whether the film will feature any gratuitous shots of him and his co-stars running around battleships, looking pretty with big guns, Skarsgård was unsure. "I play a commander of one of the destroyers in the Navy, so, that's a big gun," he offered.

The topic of big guns brought up the current 3-D trend — will fans get their first three-dimensional look at Skarsgård in the flick? "No," he said. "I don't think so."

"Battleship" is set for release May 25, 2012.

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

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