Are we living in the future that Kraftwerk once imagined?

It's become something of a cliché to say so, now that the German pioneers of electronic music have been inducted into the art-world canon thanks to an eight-date engagement at the Museum of Modern Art that wraps up Tuesday.

But what do we really mean when we say that Kraftwerk predicted our present?

Certainly, today's music owes a debt to the music Kraftwerk -- and Kraftwerk alone -- was making back in the 1970s and early '80s. It's compulsory to mention that hip-hop founding father Afrika Bambaataa sampled Kraftwerk in his early track "Planet Rock," but Kraftwerk's influence can be heard everywhere from Coachella's Sahara tent, where the festival's biggest house and dubstep DJ's perform, to Top 40 radio, where Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry can be heard crooning over synthetic bloops and blips.

(I can remember hearing Fatboy Slim's subtly sampled "Praise You" not long after it came out -- sometime in 1998 -- and thinking, "My God, everything has changed. No one will ever settle for music made without digital trickery again." Of course, I was wrong -- but not entirely. And even though that was 14 years ago, it was also almost a quarter century after Kraftwerk released its groundbreaking album, Autobahn.)

Kraftwerk's Rolf Hütter is too smart to claim credit for inventing electronic music. "We're the antenna catching information, the transmitter giving information, back and forth," he told The New York Times in a recent interview. But Kraftwerk gets credit for being first. At a time when music's biggest names were rocking arenas, igniting disco infernos, hopping the soul train or leaving the lite on, Hütter and his bandmates (he's the only original member left) were trying to sound like computers.

What made them do that?

For one thing, they needed a differentiator -- what used to be called gimmick. No one else was making pop music that sounded like it originated on a mainframe. But it's also true that, for Germans in the 1970s, looking forward was probably a lot more fun than looking back. If the past was defined by political catastrophe, and the present by tension and division, perhaps the future would be better. And if it wasn't going to be better -- was, in fact, going to be even worse -- who better to warn of the dangers than four Germans whose society had been through the fires of hell?

"Marvel's The Avengers" -- succinct title! -- arrives in theaters in just over three weeks, which means it's time for the marketing to kick into overdrive.

Earlier this week, star Cobie Smulders (Robin Sparkles, if you're nasty) revealed a new clip on "Late Night With David Letterman," and now comes this brand-new video from MTV.com showcasing Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark and Tom Hiddleston's Loki.

In the 64-second segment, Stark and Loki have one of those mutually-assured destruction conversations that all heroes and villains seem to have in movies. The difference here is -- well, that none of those conversations ever referenced the Hulk. Also, Downey is pretty cool. Guy can play Tony Stark in his sleep!

Watch above and try to unpack the phrase, "If we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

Jeremy Renner is poised to become the next A-list star thanks to "The Avengers" and "The Bourne Legacy," which means it's just as good a time as any to revisit the time Christina Aguilera passed out at his birthday party.

The incident happened last year during a soiree to celebrate Renner's 40th birthday. At the time, the star was quoted as telling friends that he found Aguilera with her then-boyfriend in one of his bedrooms.

"I run up and open the door and I'm like, 'Um, hi. What are you doing?' She just starts slurring," he reportedly said at the time. "Her boyfriend was rubbing her back. Who comes to someone's birthday party that they don't know and gets in their bed?! My parents were there!"

Looking back on that fateful night with The Hollywood Reporter, Renner seemed a bit more level-headed.

"She was just chilling in one of the bedrooms," he said in a new interview. "I was happy to meet her. I was a big fan. Mind you, I was probably pretty shit-bagged at the time."

About that: during his sit-down with THR, Renner revealed that he likes to get "wasted" and took drugs when he was younger.

He's also got a history of violence -- which you might remember, if you saw the story about him being involved in a Thailand bar fight that left one man stabbed with an axe.

"It was a silly, tragic accident that happened to this guy," Renner said of the fight, which happened at 4 a.m. local time. "He was saying stuff, and 20 people jumped on him. I was in flip-flops. I don't do bar fights. Did he deserve to get stabbed and almost murdered by 20 people? F--- no."

"The kid's a Communist, the father is a mortician; does the mother run a leper colony?" Try the veal, y'all!

The first trailer for Woody Allen's "To Rome With Love" has arrived and it's as Woody Allen-y as you would hope. Jokes about Communism, misery, infidelity, intelligence, sexually adventurous brunettes, and nebbishes abound, as do a pair of big-screen revivals: Allen himself and Roberto Benigni.

In "To Rome With Love," a quasi-omnibus tale of a bunch of Americans and Italians living and loving in Italy, Allen appears in front of the camera for the first time since "Scoop" in 2006. The good news: He hasn't lost one smidgen of comic timing, as evidenced by his delightful repartee with nominal Allen regular, Judy Davis. Also: this looks a lot better than "Scoop"!

As for Benigni, the former Best Actor winner last appeared onscreen in "The Tiger and the Snow" in 2005; in "Love," he plays an Italian under some heavy media scrutiny.

Starring Allen and Benigni as well as Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz (as an Italian prostitute), Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page and Greta Gerwig, "To Rome With Love" arrives in theaters on June 22. Allen's last film was "Midnight in Paris," which won him a Best Original Screenplay Oscar and earned $148 million worldwide at the box office.

"Well, with middle-aged women, it gets easier to put it on and harder to take it off." At the ripe not-so-old age of 34, Betty (Draper) Francis is sitting in her doctor's office facing two of her worst nightmares -- she's "old" and "fat."

Last night's episode of "Mad Men" brought Betty back into the spotlight after she was noticeably left out of the season premiere. And though her storyline included a cancer scare and an almost-touching phone call with ex-husband Don, all anyone could talk about -- including Betty herself -- was her very noticeable weight gain. The opening sequence starkly contrasted Betty struggling to get into her party clothes and ultimately faking sick to get out of going to an event, with the thinner and younger Megan, who had no trouble at all getting zipped into her mod mini-dress for a meeting with Don and a Heinz executive. The aspirational Betty Draper that every fashion blogger felt compelled to write about during the show's first few seasons is officially a thing of the past. Just as Don is facing the prospect of getting older and therefore irrelevant, so too is former-model Betty.

Betty's fear of permanently losing her lithe figure is compounded by a visit from her mother-in-law, Pauline. The elder Mrs. Francis tells Betty that she has a wifely duty to lose the weight in order to keep her husband attracted to her. "Honey, I know how it happens. You get comfortable and you give up a little bit, and then it just gets out of control," Pauline, a larger woman herself, tells Betty. Then she advises her daughter-in-law, "There are things you can do about this, there are pills you can take."

Henry, Betty's politician husband, to his credit, never once shames her for her changing looks. I can't say the same for "Mad Men" viewers, many of whom appear to see Betty's weight gain as a reason in and of itself to dislike her. (Personally, I find her generally cold and selfish demeanor to be a far more compelling one.)

"Start drinking...now," says Alec Baldwin as club owner Dennis Dupree in the new trailer for "Rock of Ages." Good thinking, Dennis!

Not that you needed any further proof that Adam Shankman's adaptation of the famed jukebox musical was the party event of the summer, but the newest tease for the film highlights Tom Cruise's pet monkey. Yes: this is one of those movies.

Based on the Tony Award-nominated musical, "Rock of Ages" follows a small town girl living in a lonely world (Julianne Hough) who comes to Los Angeles with stars in her eyes and hairspray in her purse. There, she meets a good-hearted dreamer (Diego Boneta) and gets wooed by the rock-and-roll lifestyle, embodied by Stacee Jaxx (Cruise). Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti and Catherine Zeta-Jones are along for the ride too, as are covers of your favorite '80s songs -- ones that Ryan Murphy thankfully hasn't touched on "Glee" just yet. (Let's hear it for "Wanted Dead or Alive" as sung by Cruise!)

It all looks perfectly goofy, which is fitting since "Rock of Ages" is perfectly goofy. After all, there aren't many Broadway shows that sell Coors Light by the can.

Watch the trailer above, and check out a gallery of the best hairstyles "Rock of Ages" has to offer below. If you'd like to report a hair crime, call your local chapter of the wig police.

So, there you have it, "Mad Men" fans -- we finally know the status of Don Draper's relationship with Megan.

(Warning: If you haven't watched the "Mad Men" Season 5 premiere yet, stop right here or risk being spoiled.)

In tonight's long-awaited Season 5 premiere (read Mo Ryan's full recap here), we found out that Don actually married his new Mrs. Draper, Megan (Jessica Pare). The two are living it up in their swanky Manhattan party pad -- Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo! -- and, of course, she's been promoted from front desk receptionist to copywriter at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

But how will their marriage affect Megan's relationship with Don and Betty's three children? After such a fun trip to L.A. together, is the Megan-Sally friendship kaput? It's hard to tell in the premiere, with the "new" Draper family chatting over breakfast ... Sally seems happy, but you never know with that little emotional timebomb.

I caught up with Sally Draper herself, actress Kiernan Shipka (read part 1 of our chat here), to find out her reaction when she learned about the changes this season, and how Sally is coping with it. Could Sally and Megan really "become best buds this season," like she teases? Only time will tell ...

What was your reaction when you read the first script and realized that Don and Megan had actually gotten married?
I was happy and I was excited, but I was kind of surprised ... a lot went through my head.

Well, of all the kids, I feel like Sally would be happiest to have a young, fun new stepmom ... but she'd also be affected the most.
Definitely. I mean, we saw how she didn't like Faye last season, so ... [Laughs.] Who knows how she's gonna like Megan as her dad's wife?

In that scene where they're all having breakfast together in Don and Megan's new place, you can't really tell what Sally's thinking. Can you give us some insight into the new dynamic and how Sally feels about it all?
I think, to be honest, she's just kind of adjusting to the new dynamic. She's kind of coping with what's going on.

From pregnancies to rehab reveals, it's been another wild week in the celebrity world. In case you've been out of the loop -- or perhaps waiting in line for "The Hunger Games" movie tickets -- we've rounded up some stories you may have missed.

Reese Witherspoon is pregnant. Though the actress has not officially announced the happy news, several sources close to the actress spilled the beans to outlets including Us Weekly and People. This will be the first child for Witherspoon and her husband of one year, Jim Toth, though she has two children with her ex-husband, Ryan Phillippe.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is in rehab. The hard-partying "Jersey Shore" star revealed he voluntarily opted to get treatment for a prescription pill addiction.

Ashton Kutcher is headed to space. Yes, you read that right. It was announced this week that the "Two and a Half Men" actor is Virgin Galactic's 500th customer.

Whitney Houston's cause of death was revealed. The L.A. County Coroner's report ruled her official cause of death as accidental drowning.

Hilary Duff is a mom! The actress and singer gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, named Luca Cruz, on March 20.

Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp have teamed up to cover Carly Simon's 1972 hit "You're So Vain," HuffPost Entertainment exclusively reports.

The controversial singer and eccentric actor have long been friends. Depp invited Manson to be his guest at a "Pirates Of The Caribbean" premiere, and now, it seems, they've sung a duet.

Their cover of "You're So Vain" will be included on Manson's upcoming album, Born Villain, due out May 1. (Listen to "No Reflection," the first single off the album, below.)

The collaboration is not the first between the two pop culture icons, as a remix of Manson's song "The Nobodies" was featured in Depp's 2001 film, "From Hell."

Manson has been busy prepping the album, which is his eighth studio release. Though he's known as a prince of the alternative scene, Manson has enjoyed a great deal of commercial success, including three platinum and two Billboard number one albums.

"The Beautiful People," perhaps Manson's best known song, caused a sensation when it was released in 1996. The track features a Trent Reznor-assisted, industrial style

Britain's Got Talent is back on the road with the judges trawling the length and breadth of the UK in search of Britain's best talent.

Hosted by award-winning TV favourites Ant & Dec, the show sees the return of Simon Cowell, joined on the exciting new panel by actor and comedian David Walliams, singer, songwriter and dancer Alesha Dixon, and returning judge, Amanda Holden.

This year the winner will not only have the opportunity to perform at the 2012 Royal Variety Performance, they will also receive £500,000 - £250,000 of which will come from Simon Cowell's own pocket.

Judging by the pictures below, we can expect the unexpected on Britain's Got Talent, where anything goes, from dance troupes to acrobats, magicians to comedians and dancing dogs to mind-blowing contortionists. The show is open to any performer of any age, from any background, with any talent - all they need is a skill and star quality which they think will impress the Judges.

A tape allegedly showing X Factor Judge Tulisa Contostavlos performing oral sex on an unidentified man has emerged online.

The video was featured on several websites, including one called NotTulisa, but it has since been taken down.

A cached version however remains, with the following text: “Not Tulisa and an ex-boyfriend recorded themselves having sex in a public place, shot backstage at a music gig, on his Blackberry.

“This crystal-clear movie is in no way is a hidden camera! Just look at Not Tulisa playing to the camera, smiling and laughing... the naughty little minx!

“The fact it is filmed in a PUBLIC PLACE makes the whole sex act even more risky, as anyone could have been watching or taking pictures.”

Huffington Post UK was waiting for comment from Tulisa’s representatives at time of press.

In August last year a sex tape which allegedly revealed the N-Dubz singer “in a raunchy romp” was dismissed as 100 per cent fake by the 24-year-old and her management.

The clip, filmed on a Blackberry, was being offered for sale for £500,000, the Sun revealed.read more

Jennifer Lawrence landed on the A-list earlier than most. Oscar-nominated for "Winter's Bone" at just 20 years old, the Kentucky-born actress won the role of Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games," meaning her meteoric rise should only increase, provided the film cashes in as expected the box office. It's certainly an exciting time for J.Law, though -- at the moment -- she's a little concerned with her awkward "karate hands," which only come out when she runs. "I'm a weird runner," Lawrence told Moviefone when asked about her training for the future blockbuster. "So, that was unfortunate."

In "The Hunger Games," Lawrence is forced to do a lot of running: she plays Katniss Everdeen, the District 12 tribute sent to compete in the annual Hunger Games, a barbaric event where the citizens of Panem, the post-apocalyptic name given to what's left of North America, watch their children kill one another for sport. For fanatics of Suzanne Collins's best-selling book series, the actress is Katniss incarnate (this despite her naturally blonde hair, which was dyed for the film). Lawrence, however, wasn't so sure -- she almost turned down the role of her lifetime, before her mother convinced her otherwise.

Moviefone chatted Lawrence about what "The Hunger Games" means to her, what moment she can't wait to replicate onscreen, and what she thinks about the "Twilight" movies.

When you read the books, did you imagine yourself playing Katniss?
No [laughs]. When I read them, it was before there was any talk of the movie or anything, so I definitely didn't picture myself. That would be slightly narcissistic, anyway. By the time there were talks of the movie, I was so turned off by the idea -- because we've watched so many people destroy our favorite books [by turning them into movies]. There was interest in me for it, so I had a meeting with Gary Ross, and just loved everything he was saying. I knew the movie was being made by people who are fans of the book and wanted to stay true to its story, and understood that it's a sad story, not a cool action flick. There was hesitation, of course, over the size of it and what my life would be like if I were to say yes, but I slowly came around to the idea. I'm happy I did [laughs].

How did you overcome that hesitation about signing on. A lot of actors seem to bristle at the idea of leading these big franchises.
It was funny because I've always been asked why did I always do indies, why didn't I do a big studio film. I always said, "Because it's not about the size of the movie, it's about the script." When I was almost going to turn this down because it was too big, my mom told me I was being a hypocrite, because I loved the story, loved the characters and I truly believe in the message that these films are bringing. I really don't feel like I'm being tied down to it -- especially after filming the first one, where I had the time of my life. I actually can't wait to go back. It's a character I would love to revisit. I think if you sign on to the right franchise [you're OK]. I don't feel like a slave to anyone. I feel like I'm very passionate about this story and what it means about our world and about humanity. It's something I want to talk about, I want people to see, and I'm proud to put my name to it.

OK, well: What does "The Hunger Games" say about humanity?
I took away that, over time, we're just becoming so desensitized to death. Humanity is becoming dulled to itself. We can watch people die on TV; we can watch a snowboarder fall off a mountain and die. We watch it as entertainment. The world is obsessed with reality television, and in a world where history repeats itself, it's plausible, really, that our world could get there.