Justin Bieber Preps 'Never Say Never' Soundtrack, Hits Studio With 'Firework' Songwriter Ester Dean

With his much-anticipated film debut, 'Never Say Never,' due to hit the big screen on Feb. 11, multiplatinum music phenom Justin Bieber is putting the finishing touches on the movie's soundtrack. One high-profile songwriter who has wrapped up studio time with the teen superstar is Ester Dean, the Grammy-nominated talent behind hits by Rihanna ('Rude Boy,' 'What's My Name?'), Usher ('Hot Tottie') and Katy Perry ('Firework').

According to Dean, the in-demand Bieber -- who has become a pop culture behemoth, selling over 3 million copies of his debut album 'My World' and over 1 million of the release's extended edition, 'My World 2.0' -- took her by surprise with his humble demeanor. "I first met Justin with Usher at an 'American Idol' event," Dean told PopEater. "He was like, 'Oh my God ... I'm such a fan of your songwriting!' And I'm like, 'You're a fan? [laughs] I'm a fan of your music!'"

While some of Dean's longtime followers may be surprised at the pairing, the genre-jumping artist, who has also become a force in the R&B world drafting hits for Chris Brown, Robin Thicke and Tre Songz, sees no cultural differences when it comes to creating songs. "He's a very talented guy. He was very easy to work with and was very nice," she said. "We just finished up some music for the new movie he has coming out. I can't get too much into it. I don't want to give too much away. [Laughs] But it's going to be great."

"I've worked on all different types of music," Dean said of her diverse resume. "Take Katy Perry ... I've been wanting to collaborate with her since I heard 'I Kissed A Girl.' And I found out later that Katy wanted to work with me! So we did 'Firework' and 'Peacock' and wrote the lyrics together on both songs."

"Katy knew what she wanted. She already had the ideas in her head," Dean continued. "When an artist already has their thoughts for a song together, you only have to help them drive that car. It makes the process much easier. You are basically holding the map, but you still let them drive the car. Katy and I were coming up with some crazy lines like, 'Life is like a plastic bag, just let it go...' It was fun, but I didn't know 'Firework' would take off like it has."

Dean says her collaborations with pop acts like Bieber and Perry can only help end musical divisions. She points to her recent work with Mary J. Blige and Britney Spears, two acts that work at opposite ends of the music spectrum, yet have more in common than some would let on.

"Music is music. People need to get that into their heads," Dean said. "We should get past the segregation of music. If something makes you feel good, dance or want to make love, it could be anyone from John Mayer to R. Kelly. The music has nothing against you. It just wants to be heard."

Studio: No 'Ghostbusters 3' Without Bill Murray

If you've been following the ever-increasing rumors revolving around 'Ghostbusters 3,' you know the drill. There's a script written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky ('Year One,' 'The Office'), and pretty much everyone is eager to jump back into the supernatural world for a bit before handing over the reigns to a new crop of ghostbusters. That is, everyone except Bill Murray.

Most of the rumors and news items about the film have focused on Murray because the actor isn't so keen on returning to the world. So the project continues to rest in stasis, going nowhere.

Since the story is a passing of the torch, one might assume that it would be possible to do the film without Murray. But in a case of supreme studio loyalty -- and smarts, because let's face it, he's got the most star power of the bunch -- Sony won't give the sequel the green light unless Murray is involved.

A few days ago, during PR rounds for 'No Strings Attached,' Ivan Reitman said that "virtually everything" we think we know about the third film is wrong. A newly edited script was just finished and sent to Murray, and they're waiting to see what he has to say. Now Deadline sources explain that it's all up to the actor. "Without Murray, the studio absolutely will not make the film." With a hefty price tag -- $150 million -- Sony just won't risk it without a firm deal, nor do any "meaningful prep" that could be in vain.

It's nice to see some studio loyalty, even if it is monetarily inspired, after casting drama with Hulk actors, 'Iron Man' replacements and the like. And though Murray's disinterest might keep the project in limbo and make eager fans crazy, it's hard to blame him.

He told GQ last year that the dream for the third installment vaporized when he heard how bad 'Year One' was, and that these same guys -- Stupnitsky and Eisenberg -- were penning the script. He claimed that even fellow ghostbusters saw it and said, "It was one of the worst things they had ever seen in their lives." (Worst ever? Maybe not. Really bad? Definitely.) But Ernie Hudson -- you might remember him as Winston Zeddemore -- really boiled it down, explaining that "Bill has been the hold up. His definition of good is a little bit different than everybody else's."

If Murray holds up the project until the script is worthy, should we complain? Out of the actual ghostbusters (excluding supporting star Sigourney Weaver), he's got the most star power and solid career, so his definition of good is rather important.

That being said, he did get involved with 'Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties' a few years ago. But at least he regrets it.

Studio: No 'Ghostbusters 3' Without Bill Murray

If you've been following the ever-increasing rumors revolving around 'Ghostbusters 3,' you know the drill. There's a script written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky ('Year One,' 'The Office'), and pretty much everyone is eager to jump back into the supernatural world for a bit before handing over the reigns to a new crop of ghostbusters. That is, everyone except Bill Murray.

Most of the rumors and news items about the film have focused on Murray because the actor isn't so keen on returning to the world. So the project continues to rest in stasis, going nowhere.

Since the story is a passing of the torch, one might assume that it would be possible to do the film without Murray. But in a case of supreme studio loyalty -- and smarts, because let's face it, he's got the most star power of the bunch -- Sony won't give the sequel the green light unless Murray is involved.

A few days ago, during PR rounds for 'No Strings Attached,' Ivan Reitman said that "virtually everything" we think we know about the third film is wrong. A newly edited script was just finished and sent to Murray, and they're waiting to see what he has to say. Now Deadline sources explain that it's all up to the actor. "Without Murray, the studio absolutely will not make the film." With a hefty price tag -- $150 million -- Sony just won't risk it without a firm deal, nor do any "meaningful prep" that could be in vain.

It's nice to see some studio loyalty, even if it is monetarily inspired, after casting drama with Hulk actors, 'Iron Man' replacements and the like. And though Murray's disinterest might keep the project in limbo and make eager fans crazy, it's hard to blame him.


He told GQ last year that the dream for the third installment vaporized when he heard how bad 'Year One' was, and that these same guys -- Stupnitsky and Eisenberg -- were penning the script. He claimed that even fellow ghostbusters saw it and said "it was one of the worst things they had ever seen in their lives." (Worst ever? Maybe not. Really bad? Definitely.) But Ernie Hudson -- you might remember him as Winston Zeddemore -- really boiled it down, explaining that "Bill has been the hold up. His definition of good is a little bit different than everybody else's."

If Murray holds up the project until the script is worthy, should we complain? Out of the actual ghostbusters (excluding supporting star Sigourney Weaver), he's got the most star power and solid career, so his definition of good is rather important.

That being said, he did get involved with 'Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties' a few years ago... But at least he regrets it.