Friday, April 17, 2009

Is Zac Efron A Jedi Master After His '17 Again' Light-Saber Fight?

With the release of Zac Efron's "17 Again" on April 17, it's "High School Musical" alumni week. MTV News is going to catch you up on what the future holds for all your favorite East High Wildcats!

Starring in "17 Again" gave Zac Efron the chance to return to his teen years and begin his Jedi training. Efron and co-star Thomas Lennon took a small part in the film's script, in which the two guys have a light-saber fight, and made it all their own.

"It was actually brief. It was very small," Efron told MTV News of the original scene. "They called it the 'memorabilia fight.' There's tons of different props from different sci-fi movies, and at one point, as soon as we picked up these light sabers, they're like as close as you can get to real light sabers, we decided to have a real fight and Tom went for it."

Efron gives "Reno 911!" star Lennon a lot of the credit for the ad-libbed scene: "He would add all these moves, and he got pretty acrobatic. Tom was loving it."

The only thing harder than the physical side of the light-saber fight was trying not to mimic the "Star Wars" sound effects.

"It's hard not to," Efron said. "You have to refrain. But I have to say, by the end, after doing it for a couple weeks of rehearsal, I feel pretty close to a Jedi master. I'm trying to be like Luke Skywalker."

Check out everything we've got on "17 Again."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Zac Efron Gets Career Advice From Leonardo DiCaprio
Phew! Zac Efron Is Still So Totally Into Musicals
(E! Online)

Zac Efron Would Trade Places With ‘17 Again’ Co-Star Thomas Lennon

Zac Efron Gets Career Advice From Leonardo DiCaprio

With the release of Zac Efron's "17 Again" on April 17, it's "High School Musical" alumni week. MTV News is going to catch you up on what the future holds for all of your favorite East High Wildcats!

Zac Efron may have found a mentor in former teen idol-turned-Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio. But Efron assures everyone that their bromance is actually quite ordinary. And that DiCaprio isn't spilling any great industry secrets to the "17 Again" star.

"It's nothing out of the ordinary. He's a normal guy," Efron told MTV News about what the guys talk about when they hang out at Lakers games together. "I wish there was something deep."

Efron did note, however, that while it isn't "all business, all the time" for the pair, there are times when DiCaprio happily helps the young star out with his career. "He's a cool guy and he is helpful," Efron said. "I ask him questions every once in a while, and he gives advice to the best of his abilities, but he's not like a life coach."

In the May issue of GQ, Efron elaborated a bit more on the kinds of advice that DiCaprio is doling out to the young star. For instance, don't do heroin. "I thought I was gonna ask him questions," Efron said. "He ended up asking me questions, and in that, he told me a lot. He said, 'There's one way that you can really f--- this all up. Just do heroin. If you steer clear of that — the other obstacles you'll be able to navigate.' And that makes sense, dude."

He further explained to the magazine that he "wasn't programmed by Disney." "It's common sense. If you're gonna be drunk with your friends, don't get wasted at the Chateau Marmont and hook up with some famous chick. It's not rocket science," he said. "I don't want to be famous for my personality. If anything, I keep that under wraps."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Zac Efron Would Trade Places With ‘17 Again’ Co-Star Thomas Lennon
Phew! Zac Efron Is Still So Totally Into Musicals
(E! Online)

Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Corbin Bleu Hits The Road In 'Free Style,' Gets 'Risque' On CW Show

With the release of Zac Efron's "17 Again" on April 17, it's "High School Musical" alumni week. MTV News is going to catch you up on what the future holds for all your favorite East High Wildcats!

Corbin Bleu is leaving the song-and-dance routine to the halls of East High. For his next film, "Free Style," he'll be entering the world of competitive motocross. He hopes the film, about a guy trying to find the balance between helping his family and turning pro in motocross, will show people his more serious side.

He also hopes that since he had a hand as one of the producers of the film, out this fall, he can show people how multifaceted he is. "It was great to have more creative control," he told MTV News about producing the film, which gave Bleu the chance to cast his dad. "My dad has a cameo in there as well, as the deadbeat dad. It's a great story. It's a good film on all levels."

Bleu — who said he's "up for anything" when it comes to his career — has also just been cast in the new CW show "A Beautiful Life" alongside Mischa Barton. "I get to play a male model," he told Entertainment Weekly. "There will be some risquй stuff."

Bleu, who also recently released the album Speed of Light, knows he'll eventually have a tough decision to make when he has to pick between acting and singing, but he might have found the perfect balance between the two — and we don't mean "High School Musical 4."

"I grew up doing all of it. I grew up in theater and music and dance. I've been focusing on this album, but I'm reading some scripts," he told MTV News. "I'm just trying to find a good character, [something] meaty. I'd love to be able to come back to New York and be onstage."

Check out everything we've got on "Free Style."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

‘Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince’ Release Pushed Up Two Days

'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince' Release Pushed Up Two Days

Did you think you couldn't possibly wait another three months for the newest "Harry Potter" film to hit theaters? Well, you're in luck! Kinda. Warner Bros. has announced that the sixth movie in the J.K. Rowling series will be released a whole two days earlier than planned.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is now set to open on Wednesday, July 15, giving moviegoers a jump on the weekend and virtually assuring the film a staggering five-day box-office gross.

"Every day the kids are out of school in summer is just like an extra Saturday," Warner Bros. head of distribution Dan Fellman told The Associated Press.

The previous film in the franchise, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," opened on a Wednesday in July 2007 and garnered $62.5 million over its first two days. The five-day box-office tally stood at $139.5 million.

This is the second change on the calendar for "Half-Blood Prince," which was originally slated for a fall release until the studio shifted the film to a summer opening.

The dates for the final two films — the two-part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" — are firmly in place. At least for now. Part one is set to come out on Friday, November 19, 2010, with the conclusion opening Friday, July 15, 2011, exactly two years after "Half-Blood Prince." That is, if Warner Bros. doesn't start shifting things around again. As we've seen, big-screen plans for the boy wizard could change at any moment.

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




LA jury convicts Phil Spector in murder of actress
(AP)

Stevie Nicks Skewers Lindsay: “Get a Grip”
(E! Online)

Corbin Bleu Hits The Road In ‘Free Style,’ Gets ‘Risque’ On CW Show

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Zac Efron Says 'High School Musical' Skit On 'SNL' Was 'PC'

With the release of Zac Efron's "17 Again" on April 17, it's "High School Musical" alumni week. MTV News is going to catch you up on what the future holds for all of your favorite East High Wildcats!

When Zac Efron was announced as the "Saturday Night Live" host for this past weekend, most people assumed there would be some sort of "High School Musical" sketch. Efron did win the hearts of teen girls everywhere as singing basketball player-turned-theater nerd Troy Bolton in the flicks.

For the inevitable "SNL" sketch, Efron reprised his role as Troy — but this time things were less sunny for the East High superstar. Efron thought it was the perfect way to show the world he's cool with his "HSM" past.

"That was the most PC way to make fun of 'HSM,' " he told MTV News. "I figured, 'What if this was the only school in America that was a musical, and we did it literally?' I still make very family-friendly films. I'm not involved with the next 'Trainspotting' sequel or anything like that.

"I'm not doing anything to drastically try and change up my image," he added. "But I do need to keep things interesting for myself. And grow up."

In addition to having the chance to poke fun at his "HSM" roots, being on "SNL" meant Efron got the chance to work alongside one of his favorite bands, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. "You kind of can gauge the potential for a show, at least on 'SNL,' by the musical guest, and when I heard they were going to be on, I was so stoked," he said. "That was pretty much an instant 'yes.' "

The 2009 MTV Movie Awards are coming May 31, live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, at 9 p.m. ET. And this time, you're in charge of picking the nominees! Vote for your favorites at the Movie Awards site now.

Check out everything we've got on "17 Again."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Zac Efron Would Trade Places With ‘17 Again’ Co-Star Thomas Lennon
Jared Leto Gives More Than 30 Seconds to Rescued Kids
(E! Online)

Zac Efron Would Trade Places With '17 Again' Co-Star Thomas Lennon

With the release of Zac Efron's "17 Again" on April 17, it's "High School Musical" alumni week. MTV News is going to catch you up on what the future holds for all of your favorite East High Wildcats!

Zac Efron seems to have a pretty charmed life. At 21, he's already a movie star, a teen heartthrob and he even gets to date his "High School Musical" co-star Vanessa Hudgens. But if given the chance, much like his character in "17 Again," Zac Efron said he wouldn't mind spending the day as someone else. And who would that someone else be? His "17 Again" co-star and "Reno 911" star, Thomas Lennon.

"I would run around as you and just be a total idiot," he told Lennon and MTV News at the junket for "17 Again." "Sure, I'd trade places with Tom for a day. I think being Dangle for a day would be amazing."

Lennon would happily oblige — he even has a "Reno 911" script idea in mind: "Zac Efron is Dangle for a Day." "Don't even kid about changing places with me because I will get you a set of the shorts this afternoon," he joked, informing Efron of the other activities he'd get to do in his shoes. "You could do the fun stuff I do, like spell check 'A Night at the Museum.' "

With Efron picking up Lennon's slack, it means that he gets the chance to live the life of a dreamboat. "Probably go out and create mischief. Get chased around a little bit," he said of his plans as Zefron for a day. "Go stand in very public places and get chased, because then it's like every day for you — running around, hiding in a newspaper."




Zac Efron Says ‘High School Musical’ Skit On ‘SNL’ Was ‘PC’
Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Monday, April 13, 2009

Mel Gibson's Wife Robyn Files For Divorce

He's been the biggest star in the world and one of the most controversial men in America. He's been awarded the Oscar by Hollywood and mocked with an episode of "South Park." Now, the roller-coaster ride of Mel Gibson's life has taken a sad turn, as his wife of 28 years has filed for divorce.

Robyn Gibson filed a petition to end her marriage on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court citing irreconcilable differences, as reported by numerous news sources. The couple have seven children, with Mrs. Gibson requesting joint custody of their 10-year-old son, Thomas, the only child under the age of 18.

According to a report from The Associated Press, Gibson's wife is seeking jewelry, earnings and assets she accrued after the couple separated, as well as a share of the money and assets earned by Gibson during their marriage. The actor/filmmaker, 53, began making movies in Australia in the late '70s, before invading Hollywood in the middle of the next decade to star in such hits as "What Women Want" and the "Lethal Weapon" films.

According to a People magazine report, Mel Gibson attended Easter Sunday services at the Roman Catholic Church the "Passion of the Christ" director had built in 2005, with his wife conspicuously absent. After the Mass, he was overheard telling parishioners that Robyn had filed for divorce. The report also claims that the couple have been separated for three years, beginning around the time that Gibson was caught up in a career-threatening controversy following his arrest for a DUI in Malibu, California.

"Throughout our marriage and separation we have always strived to maintain the privacy and integrity of our family," the couple said in a statement. "And [we] will continue to do so." In addition to Thomas, the Gibsons have six older children: Milo, 19, Louis, 21, William, 24, twins Edward and Christian, 26, and daughter Hannah, 28.




Lucas Till ‘Couldn’t Really Eat’ Before Meeting Miley Cyrus
‘Observe And Report’ Stars Seth Rogen, Anna Faris Recall Their Mallrat Days
Kanye West’s arraignment delayed
(AP)

'Hannah Montana' Tops Box Office With Record-Breaking Haul

The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "Hannah Montana: The Movie" ($34 million)
#2 "Fast & Furious" ($28.8 million)
#3 "Monsters vs. Aliens" ($22.6 million)
#4 "Observe and Report" ($11.1 million)
#5 "Knowing" ($6.7 million)

Easter weekend proved to be one for the girls, as Miley Cyrus' "Hannah Montana: The Movie" sang its way to the top spot with a debut of $34 million. Disney was unsure the pop star would be able to top her theatrical debut in "Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour," which brought in an astonishing $31.1 million in only 683 theaters. Not only were those numbers easily beaten, but "Hannah Montana" now has the highest-grossing opening day for a G-rated, live-action movie in film history, and it ranks second among Easter-weekend debuts.

"Hannah Montana" wasn't the only one to break a record, as this Easter weekend was the highest-grossing to date, bringing in a total of $137 million. Helping with that number was last week's record-setter "Fast & Furious," which raked in another $28.8 million. While it dropped to #2, the film has had enough fuel to earn it a box-office total of $118 million in just 10 days.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" dropped to #3 in its third week but held strong over the holiday with another $22.6 million and a monstrous box-office total of $141 million.

Despite a heavy advertising campaign, "Observe and Report" didn't have a very heroic debut, clocking in at #4 with $11.1 million. Seth Rogen's dark comedy had a slightly better debut than his last headlining role in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," but still not enough to topple monsters, aliens or Vin Diesel.

But Rogen's mall cop had a better debut than Son Goku, as "Dragonball Evolution" fell short of the top five. The anime adaptation came in at a weak #8 with only $4.7 million and will probably do better overseas, where it's already brought in $25 million. Instead, #5 belonged to "Knowing," which hung on against all newcomers for another $6.7 million, bringing its take to $68 million.

Upcoming Releases

Universal's star-studded thriller "State of Play," Lionsgate's "Crank: High Voltage" and New Line's Zac Efron comedy "17 Again" all open next week.

Check out everything we've got on "Hannah Montana: The Movie,""Fast & Furious" and " Monsters vs. Aliens."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Miley Cyrus Says Future Of ‘Hannah Montana’ Is ‘Not Really Up To Me’

Sunday, April 12, 2009

'Observe And Report': Officer Down, By Kurt Loder

If the goal of "Observe and Report" is to show us the dark, transgressive side of Seth Rogen, then the movie is a bust. Rogen can no more creep us out than he could dazzle us with his knack for Elizabethan drama. It's not his fault that the first thing we perceive whenever he appears onscreen is the lovable shlubbiness that's made him a star; it does seem to be his fate here, however, to be unable to find his way out of that persona. And he's not helped by the movie's muddled conception. Whenever his character — Ronnie Barnhardt, mall cop — suddenly goes nasty (smacking a kid, insulting a blameless counter girl, heaping ethnic invective on an Indian mall merchant), it comes out of nowhere. We're eventually informed that Ronnie is bipolar, but that's just a narrative Post-it note: The movie has no interest in exploring an emotional disorder, and simply invoking one can't justify the script's lack of character motivation and its general disorganization.

Director Jody Hill wrote the screenplay himself. In scripting his last film, "The Foot Fist Way," he was assisted by its star, the gifted Danny McBride. "Foot Fist" also concerned a clod without a clue, but McBride's tickling, astringent borishness was enough to sell the character; no doctor's note was necessary. McBride makes a cameo appearance in "Observe and Report," playing a wild-eyed crack dealer, and his unhinged comic energy gives the movie a jolt of giddy pleasure.

Pleasure may be too square a thing to interest Hill, but he might have been more attentive to pacing and plausibility. The movie is a flat succession of incidents with no build. Ronnie longs to become a real cop — to trade in the Taser and Mace he carries as a security guard and begin packing a gun. When a fat flasher starts terrorizing women at the mall (we get to contemplate the man's jiggling junk at length), Ronnie sees capturing this nutter as his ticket to the big time. The mall calls in actual police, though, led by Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta, looking waxen), and Ronnie, in a fit of territoriality, flips out. But he flips out at everything, sometimes for no discernible reason. (A monotonous volley of unadorned castigation — "F--- you!" "No, f--- you! " — between Ronnie and the Indian guy [Aziz Ansari] is inexplicable, and sputters out before it actually ends.) But no matter how ballistic Ronnie goes, there are never any consequences: After single-handedly beating down an improbable number of cops in a big bloody fight, he simply moves on — not to major jail time, just to the next scene.

The movie is worth watching for some of the inventive performances orbiting Rogen's meandering hostility. The wildest — and most unexpected — is by Michael Peсa (still memorable as a half-buried cop in "World Trade Center"). He plays a character named Dennis — one of the subordinate security guards on Ronnie's patrol team — as a lisping, drug-fogged hipster who thinks Ronnie should ditch his dream of becoming a police officer and go in an entirely different direction. There's clearly something twisted about Dennis, but we only sense it at first (until a big reveal, which piddles away), so the character engages us. As does the delectable Anna Faris, who plays the cosmetics salesgirl Brandi — a trashy variation on the adorable naпf she created in "The House Bunny." Brandi is a tramp and (typically, in this picture) nothing else. We see her careening home at full whoop one night in a car full of bellowing male companions, and we've got her number. I guess her airhead sluttiness is intended as a rationale for a later scene in which Brandi — whacked on tequila and a handful of clonazepam tablets she's eagerly accepted from Ronnie (they're his meds) — has nod-out sex with him, her head lolling on a pillow puddled with vomit. This is really gross and really funny, and I didn't think it qualified as a date-rape joke (when Ronnie pauses in uncertainty, Brandi snaps to and demands that he continue). I have a feeling there are people who might, though.

Celia Weston also has some fine, woozy moments as Ronnie's falling-down-drunkard mom, who loves her idiot son as much as anyone could. ("You may not be the smartest person in the world, but you're handsome ... from certain angles.") But Hill, in constant search of edginess, has Weston mouthing lines about boffing Ronnie's friends when he was in high school, and about a recent bender during which "I soiled my pants," and we want to tiptoe away — and take her with us.

In interviews, Rogen has said that he and Hill wanted to make a comedic version of "Taxi Driver" — as if that were a good idea. The Scorsese film has lashings of savage humor that are leagues beyond anything contemplated here. And the sweet, doughy Rogen, even with his faultless comic timing, is wrong for a jokey Travis Bickle. (It's hard to imagine who'd be right.) Of course he'll branch out creatively in the future — he's only 26, why not? But Hill's glib nihilism is beneath him. Right now, he's too good at what he does so well to be doing this.

Check out everything we've got on "Observe and Report."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




‘Observe And Report’ Stars Seth Rogen, Anna Faris Recall Their Mallrat Days
Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Ashley Tisdale Fights Aliens In ‘They Came From Upstairs’

'Observe And Report' Stars Seth Rogen, Anna Faris Recall Their Mallrat Days

BEVERLY HILLS, California — As Seth Rogen made quite clear this past weekend when he hosted "Saturday Night Live," his new film is about a mall cop, but it is not "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." In fact, it's hard to imagine the profanity-laced, crude, darkly violent "Observe and Report" being any less like Paul Blart.

"I have brief spurts of darkness that end very abruptly," Rogen grinned, insisting his new dark comedy is every bit as funny as the comedies he's released over the past few years. "I'm generally in a pretty good mood. But I could yell at people every once in a while."

Rogen hopes his loyal fans will be yelling with laughter when they see him play Ronnie Barnhardt, a demented security chief who considers a second-rate shopping mall to be his kingdom. When his quasi-girlfriend Brandi (Anna Faris) is flashed by a man in nothing more than a trench coat, he recruits his right-hand man Dennis (Michael Peсa) to bring the flasher to justice.

" 'The Foot Fist Way' actually cost $15.75, so this was a lot more money than that," teased director Jody Hill, who made a memorable debut behind the camera with the 2006 Danny McBride cult classic. "Seth Rogen was instrumental in getting ['Observe and Report'] made. I had this completely wacked-out script, and because Seth came onboard, we literally went to the studio [and said], 'We get to make this as crazy as possible. We get nudity, bad words, all we want to do.' "

And so, the film culminates with an unforgettable chase scene that we won't spoil, but let's just say it involves the flasher, an open trench coat and a whole lot of slo-mo. "I think people who are saying 3-D is the future should see this movie," Rogen laughed. "This is definitely an argument against it."

But the great thing about "Observe" and "Blart" — or classic films like "Mallrats," "Dawn of the Dead" and "The Blues Brothers" — is that they all share scenes in the one place where every American kid hangs out when they're growing up: the mall. And they say you can learn a lot about someone by what kind of mall they called home.

"I grew up in Chicago, and we had Four City Mall," remembered "Crash" star Peсa. "Ours was full of Chess Kings and sold Z Cavariccis, Cross Colours and Karl Kani at Sears. It was awesome."

"I hung out at the Alderwood Mall outside Seattle, Washington," Faris recalled. "I went to the Orange Julius, Glamour Shots. Spencer's Gifts was a good one; they always had naughty, sort of semi-raunchy gag gifts. I didn't have much of an allowance, so I couldn't really afford too much.

"You just sort of hang out, you try to hit on guys," Faris remembered of her teenage days wasted in the mall. "I was very awkward. I had headgear. ... I was just an embarrassment."

"I was a skateboarder when I was young. I went to mall parking lots and skateboarded with my friends," Rogen said. "The mall near me had a place called House of Knives, which I don't know if this place exists anymore, but it was all knives and swords and weird Klingon-looking weapons. ... That's where me and my friends hung out. We thought that was pretty rad.

"[We also hung out] at the music store and the video game store," Rogen said, punctuating the point with his trademark laugh. "Pretty much anywhere you'll never meet a girl."

Check out everything we've got on "Observe and Report."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Lucas Till ‘Couldn’t Really Eat’ Before Meeting Miley Cyrus
‘Observe And Report’: Officer Down, By Kurt Loder

Miley Cyrus Says Future Of 'Hannah Montana' Is 'Not Really Up To Me'

It's "Hannah Montana" Week here at MTV News! Check back here every day leading up to the flick's Friday opening for exclusive Miley Cyrus interviews, videos and more.

With "Hannah Montana: The Movie" hitting theaters Friday, many fans are wondering if the show will continue beyond its current third season. Star Miley Cyrus has mixed feelings, wanting to stick with "Hannah" and also hoping to move on to new, edgier projects.

"I would love for Hannah Montana to keep [going and] hopefully do another season," she told MTV News. "But it's not really up to me. Everyone kind of puts it on my shoulders, but at the end ... it's up to Disney and what they want to do with the show."

Until she knows her fate as the blond-wigged pop star, Cyrus does know that this summer she'll be gearing up to start work on, "The Last Song." "I'm doing a movie this summer with Nicholas Sparks," she said of the film, adding, "It's more of an edgy role."

Although Cyrus does feel the urge to grow up on the big screen, she doesn't want to let her work get so far removed from who she is in real life that she loses her faith. "I want to play edgy roles, but I think that my faith is obviously very important to me, so there's a way of doing that," she said. "Then also being the person that you want to be and not letting your roles take over your life, and I don't want to do anything wrong with my roles, because it's a job."

Cyrus hopes that as she grows as a person and a performer, she can follow in the path of another former Disney actress: Jodie Foster. "She's actually one of the nicest people, so if I was gonna go after anyone, it might be Jodie Foster," she said. "She's so nice, and me and her talk a lot, and she's almost like a mentor to me, so that would be someone that I would look up to."

Check out everything we've got on "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Miley Cyrus Aims For ‘Smarter’ Image
Lucas Till ‘Couldn’t Really Eat’ Before Meeting Miley Cyrus
Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

'Star Trek' Reboot Garners Positive Reviews, Excitement From Actors

BEVERLY HILLS, California — As anybody with an Internet connection knows by now, J.J. Abrams' highly anticipated "Star Trek" reboot premiered in Texas this week, and those who've seen the film say that the franchise's future is bright. In all the known galaxies, there is no one happier to hear this than the new crew of the USS Enterprise.

"I saw the movie and, for me, I was proud to be a part of it and to be one of the contributing factors that add up to make this whole experience," Zachary Quinto explained recently when we spoke with him about taking on the pointy ears of Mr. Spock. "Now it's about inviting people to come along with us, and to let people know that we really made this movie from a place of respect and from a place of celebration for what came before."

Asked which scene in the movie was her favorite, new Uhura Zoe Saldana didn't waste any time. "I think it's that space dive," she said of the high-adrenaline moment that features Kirk (Chris Pine), Sulu (John Cho) and an unlucky redshirt (is there any other kind?) parachuting out of a space shuttle above Vulcan and onto a Narada drilling-rig platform, as glimpsed in the trailer. "I keep talking about it, but [it's like] when you used to see those shows on MTV that had the most extreme sports with Dan Cortese — it's so awesome. ... J.J. took that and multiplied it times a million. Not only are these guys skydiving, it's a space dive!

"That's as far as I'm going to go because even just talking about it, my palms get sweaty," Saldana laughed. "It's the most engaging scene in my opinion, and Sulu and Kirk look so damn hot that I'm beside myself."

"I've been on big-budget things to a certain extent — but this just blew everything out of the water," Pine marveled about the film, which hits theaters May 8. "You're playing make-believe, but everything is top-quality, the best quality you can ask for — the set you are filming on is the $10 million bridge. Things are so specific that the production designers put the Enterprise call-sign on stuff that will never be seen, pipes and stuff. ... It was an extraordinary situation — potentially latent with a lot of expectation and responsibility — but J.J. always created an atmosphere on set that was one of absolute fun."

Check out everything we've got on "Star Trek."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more -- updated around the clock -- visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Miley Cyrus Says Future Of ‘Hannah Montana’ Is ‘Not Really Up To Me’
Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Anvil, The World’s Longest-Running Metal Band, Get Their Own Movie

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Anvil, The World's Longest-Running Metal Band, Get Their Own Movie

HOLLYWOOD, California — There are bands that sell millions of albums but suck. There are awesome bands that never sell any albums, take the hint and vanish quickly.

And then there's Anvil.

"The origins of Anvil go back to 1973, when I met Robb at a jam session and we decided that we were gonna rock forever," Steve "Lips" Kudlow proudly explained. "And we have."

This week, the never-say-die members of the world's longest-running heavy-metal act got their just desserts: the red-carpet premiere of a documentary in their honor, attended by the likes of Ryan Gosling, Dustin Hoffman and John Mayer. And while the band is the first to admit that most people have probably never heard of them, the evening's A-list emcee insisted that the new film "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" will change that.

"I saw Anvil in Toronto [where] I grew up," Keanu Reeves remembered, moments before heading inside to the legendary Egyptian Theater to introduce the film. "I remember seeing Anvil posters on telephone poles. Both the film and Anvil, the guys, have just been inspiring — their life, their passion, the friendship that you see in the film, the family that you see in the film. [Their story is filled with] some really good, solid life lessons."

Including the lesson that when your life story is co-opted for a movie — which turns out to be a comedy — that doesn't mean you should give up your dream.

"When '[This is] Spinal Tap' came out, people thought it was real — and, ironically, ours is a real story and people don't believe it's real," director (and ex-Anvil roadie) Sacha Gervasi laughed, comparing his new doc to the 1984 classic that portrayed a clueless band with few fans, little money and extremely poor luck tempered only by a need to bang their heads. "[Anvil] did write a song called 'Thumb Hang,' which is about the Spanish Inquisition; their amps do go up to 11. But beyond that, which is the first few minutes of the movie, it really is a portrait of these two friends who've persevered for nearly 40 years. Yes, it's kind of funny, but at a certain point it's really about deeper things."

"I'm a fan of the film," Reeves agreed. "I love this movie a lot."

"In reality, most bands don't ever make it," former "Headbangers Ball" host Riki Rachtman marveled, who said that out of all the acts he covered on his show, Anvil was the last band he expected to get their own movie. "And even the bands that make it, eventually, are gonna have to get real jobs. Anvil never did."

"Listen, none of us would have ever imagined that a movie would introduce us to the real entire world," co-founder Robb "Geza" Reiner grinned, getting ready to head inside with Lips for the long-awaited payoff to their headbanging tenacity. "This is great."

Check out everything we've got on "Anvil! The Story of Anvil."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Miley Cyrus Aims For ‘Smarter’ Image
Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Miley Cyrus Leaves 'Achy Breaky Heart' To Dad Billy Ray Cyrus

It's "Hannah Montana" Week here at MTV News! Check back here every day leading up to the flick's Friday opening for exclusive Miley Cyrus interviews, videos and more.

Although her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, shot to fame with the lovelorn country song "Achy Breaky Heart" back in 1992, don't expect Miley Cyrus to head into the studio anytime soon to re-record his biggest hit.

"I think both me and my dad have both heard that song enough," she told MTV News. "He's the one and only. I don't want anyone to ever to cut it, really, because he's the one and only guy that could do it, I think."

Billy Ray agrees that she should leave "Achy Breaky" to him, adding, "It's gotten plenty enough laughs as it is."

But he does see a future in country music for the young star and maybe even a collaboration with him in the near future. "She loves to play [the Rolling Stones'] 'Honky Tonk Woman,' " he said. "I don't think she's ever sang it out, unless she's onstage with me, but she'd just kill it. I mean, she just wears it out."

The two have previously collaborated on "Ready, Set, Don't Go," a song Billy Ray holds close to his heart. "She's definitely got a rock-and-roll spirit that comes out every now and then," he said. "The song 'Ready, Set, Don't Go' that she sang with me, sometimes she would sound like Stevie Nicks and other times she would sound like Loretta Lynn, and sometimes it'd be the perfect balance between the two."

Check out everything we've got on "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Miley Cyrus Aims For ‘Smarter’ Image
Lucas Till ‘Couldn’t Really Eat’ Before Meeting Miley Cyrus

Friday, April 10, 2009

Ashley Tisdale Fights Aliens In 'They Came From Upstairs'

Ashley Tisdale is leaving "High School Musical" behind to fend off aliens in her new flick, "They Came from Upstairs." But Tisdale promises that this alien movie is part comedy too.

"I think it's funny," she told MTV News about the flick, which opens July 31. "If you saw them you'd think they were funny."

Not only does she get a chance to use her comedic skills in the film, but Tisdale also gets a chance to embrace her inner action hero. "I had this whole action scene," she explained. "It was all CGI. I had all this choreography. I'm sure it's going to come out really cool."

Before she has to fight the aliens, it takes her character, Bethany, awhile to figure out just what is going on. "So I don't know what's going on and I'm kind of like the bitchy sister," Tisdale said. "I'm not really nice. ... You don't really like me in the beginning, 'cause I'm so in love with this guy [played by Robert Hoffman]."

Much like with the aliens, Tisdale doesn't fully understand just what Bethany is getting to with Robert's character, Ricky. "Robert's [character is] actually the guy who is like the ['Leave It to Beaver' wise guy] Eddie Haskell, so he's like really nice to me and my mom and dad and then to my brother he's horrible, so you start to see his true colors."

Check out everything we've got on "They Came From Upstairs."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




‘Camp Rock’ Star Alyson Stoner Reveals The Real Jonas Brothers
Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

Miley Cyrus Aims For 'Smarter' Image

It's "Hannah Montana" Week here at MTV News! Check back here every day leading up to the flick's Friday opening for exclusive Miley Cyrus interviews, videos and more.

At the ripe old age of 16, Miley Cyrus has shared her fair share of drama in the spotlight. Whether she's being criticized for what guy she's dating, or how she looks or if a photo spread is too mature for a girl of her years, the "Hannah Montana" star insists that she isn't naive about just what is going on, even if the public thinks she is.

"I almost feel like people think of me as dumb," Cyrus told Reuters. "I'm like, I'm smarter than you think. You know, I understand what you're trying to do. It's all a mind game and what not."

Cyrus said she fears that people "will almost think of me as a joke" because of her start as a fresh-faced Disney star and hopes that future roles will help her prove that she's not just some girl who can play a hyper-stylized version of herself. Her first step in that direction will be the Nicholas Sparks movie written especially for her.

Despite her desire for more grown-up big-screen roles, Cyrus isn't exactly ready to grow up in real life. And she isn't shy to admit that there are times when she needs the support of her parents, including her famous dad, Billy Ray.

"At times I feel I'm very mature for my age, but other times I feel very immature. I still like to sleep with my parents sometimes," she told Glamour. "I'll go into their bedroom and snuggle with my mom, because I've been working all day and haven't seen her. Or my dad will give me a piggyback ride. I'm not around other people my age that much, so I don't know how 16-year-olds are supposed to act! I just do what feels right."

Check out everything we've got on "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Diane DeGarmo Stalker Denied Down Under
(E! Online)

Lucas Till ‘Couldn’t Really Eat’ Before Meeting Miley Cyrus

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Lucas Till 'Couldn't Really Eat' Before Meeting Miley Cyrus

It's "Hannah Montana" Week here at MTV News! Check back here every day leading up to the flick's Friday opening for exclusive Miley Cyrus interviews, videos and more.

Lucas Till didn't think he had any chance of scoring the role of Travis Brody in "Hannah Montana: The Movie" opposite Miley Cyrus. In fact, when he sent his tape to the "Hannah" casting agents, he didn't think he'd hear back from them.

"I actually put myself on tape in Atlanta thinking, 'Yeah, right. This isn't going to happen,' " he told MTV News. "Then a couple days later, I got a call back to go to Nashville, and I was like, 'Wow, what? But it's still not going to happen.' A couple days later, I got a call saying I'm flying out to Los Angeles to screen-test with Miley. My head was blown at that point."

The 18-year-old admitted that "the full week before I met her, I couldn't really eat much," but it paid off, because now he gets to play Miley's big-screen boyfriend.

The role is throwing Till into the spotlight, and he isn't sure he's ready for the kind of fame that Miley has. "I would like to be on her level of fame but with respect," he said, referencing her lack of privacy. "I don't see that and say, 'Yeah, that's what I want.' I don't want to have anything to do with that, just the fame without personal respect for your privacy."

In addition to "Hannah Montana," Till also starred as the young Johnny Cash in "Walk The Line" and is poised to star alongside Jackie Chan in "The Spy Next Door," which he called a "dream come true. I got to work on that with my idol," he said of Chan. "When I was a kid, I loved Jackie Chan. And [I'm] even still kind of freaking out about it."

Till had to get a bit physical in the film. "I did have to do some stunt work," he said. "Extremely intimidating working with the master. He's such a hard worker. He's a very nice guy, but when it comes to getting the work done, he gets it done. I would love to be in shape like he is when I'm his age."

Check out everything we've got on "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




‘Camp Rock’ Star Alyson Stoner Reveals The Real Jonas Brothers

'Camp Rock' Star Alyson Stoner Reveals The Real Jonas Brothers

Alyson Stoner is crossing her fingers that when she heads up to Canada later this year to begin work on "Camp Rock 2," the entire cast will be back to reprise their roles — that is, once the script gets written.

"We have no idea who is coming back," Stoner told MTV News. "We hope that it's the same group of people, 'cause we click so well, and I know once we get up to Canada again in the fall, it's going to be showtime and we're gonna put on the best performances we've ever done in our lives for everyone."

Stoner is sure teen heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers will be back to make girls swoon for the sequel to the hit Disney Channel flick. And we figured that since she got to work with the guys so intimately on the first "Camp Rock," she must know something about them the rest of us don't already know.

"Well, I feel like by now, the Jonases are open books. Everyone knows everything about them — more than I do," she said.

But she did manage to sum up the guys' best traits for MTV News. "I'd say Nick is very passionate and focused and driven," she said. "And Joe is a free sprit, but he's also very supportive when you need him there as a friend and brother. And Kevin is so gentlemanly and so respectful of everyone's privacy, or when they need something to happen, he gets right on it. And I admire them and respect them so much."

Stoner also admires their youngest brother, Frankie "Bonus" Jonas, who could be getting in on the act once "Camp Rock 2" starts production. "He deserves it," she said of the rumors that he might join the cast. "He works just as hard as the boys do."

And Stoner insists that they are a hardworking bunch. "People think they're living the life, but behind the camera and behind the scenes, they're at work 24/7," she said. "And if Frankie joins 'Camp Rock 2,' by all means, let him steal the show, 'cause he's awesome. He's a great little kid."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Lucas Till ‘Couldn’t Really Eat’ Before Meeting Miley Cyrus

Sunday, April 5, 2009

'Adventureland': Good Together, By Kurt Loder

"Adventureland" isn't a message movie, but one of the messages it nevertheless imparts is this: No matter how long you spend at an amusement park trying to toss a wooden ring around the neck of a bottle, you're never going to win the "giant-ass panda" that is the top prize for doing so, because the game is rigged. There's a more important auxiliary message, though: With sufficiently bold improvisation, the panda can be yours. I'd like to think that feat needn't require possession of a weapon, as it does in this sparkling comedy, and I believe the characters would like to think so, too. You just gotta have heart.

The movie is a major step up for its two stars, Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. He plays James Brennan, a young man whose plan for spending the post-college summer of 1987 in Europe before starting grad school at Columbia in the fall collapses after his parents suffer a serious financial setback. He is thus suddenly stuck at home in small-town Pennsylvania, where he's compelled to take a job at Adventureland, the tacky local amusement park, a place where dreams go to die. Here he meets Stewart's character, Em, an NYU student who's passing the summer with her remarried dad and his insufferable new wife — and also carrying on an icky after-hours affair with the park's married maintenance man, Connell (Ryan Reynolds), a failing musician on the other side of 30 whose sole claim to distinction is having once "jammed with Lou Reed." (As if Lou Reed were in the habit of jamming with anyone.) James is an unusual type for a movie of this sort: not just brainy, but smart — he's anything but a slacker. Em is even smarter in certain ways: She knows things James may never know — things she's coming to wish she didn't know herself.

Director Greg Mottola's last film, "Superbad," was a pure product of the Judd Apatow laugh factory — a raucous exercise in male arrested development. "Adventureland" bears no resemblance to that movie; it's set in traditional youth-flick country, but it strikes out for more interesting territory. In a picture more reliant on clichй (fortunately, Mottola also wrote the script), Em might be set up as a supposedly unattainable prize to be cutely won by James, whose hyper-verbal intelligence knocks him out of synch with the workaday world. (His mind has a mind of its own.) But he doesn't buy into this dork stereotype — why should he? He simply perseveres. And Em doesn't see James as some sort of heaven-sent chance to regain the innocence she's lost in her squalid trysts with Connell; the movie doesn't pretend that innocence can be regained — Em needs a new direction in her life, and James just might be going her way. Nothing in the movie is over-determined, and nothing about these characters rings false.

Eisenberg, with his skittery earnestness, and Stewart, a dream girl with unexpected demons, are a perfect match in these roles — both of them open up new vistas of future career direction. And the other main characters are portrayed with similar invention as they go about their silly duties among the park's bumper cars and Tilt-A-Whirls. The gangly, girl-challenged Russian-lit major Joel (Martin Starr), a career-schmo in the making, brings a prickly deadpan woe to his scenes. (Explaining the bent hoops that prevent anyone from winning a basketball-based game, he laments a "criminal use of the laws of perspective.") And park hottie Lisa P (Margarita Levieva) vividly embodies the disco life force of the period, if not much else. (When James, acknowledging the tragic lack of fabulousness that Lisa instantly perceives in him, tells her, "I guess my legend precedes me," she says, "What?") Also on hand are the park's whacked-out owners, played by Bill Hader and the invaluable Kristen Wiig (she always seems besieged by the daffy non sequiturs crackling through her head). But the most affecting character is Reynolds' Connell — a man whose tatty hookups with each season's park ingйnues (carried out in the basement of his mom's house, a lone refuge from his wife) are emblems of the downward trajectory of his life. He's not a bad guy, but he knows he's not much good, either; and Reynolds, here muting his romantic star power, captures Connell's gathering despondence with gentle precision.

Apart from the consistently funny lines and situations that flow through the movie, there's an unusually perceptive appreciation of the part that music plays in people's lives. The year may be 1987, but the hits of that day — by Bruce Hornsby, Wang Chung or Starship, say — are never name-checked. (Falco's 1985 "Rock Me Amadeus" is incessantly pumped through the park's sound system, but it drives everybody nuts.) The music that James and Em and their friends favor comes from a place far beyond the pop charts — we hear them enthusing over Big Star, Brian Eno, the Replacements and the Velvet Underground. (Lou Reed's work is wittily referenced throughout the film, and the scene in which we see James sadly knocking back drinks in a bar while the Velvets' "Pale Blue Eyes" plays on the jukebox has the glow of magical recontextualization.) James and Em aren't youth-movie clichйs; they're people we immediately know without having to have them over-explained. They may contemplate the possibility of catching Judas Priest at the local arena, but secretly they'd just as soon snuggle down with a copy of Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets. And we understand. Because here they come.

Don't miss Kurt Loder's review of "Alien Trespass," also opening this week.

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

For breaking comic book movie news, columns and more — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.com.




Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds Compare ‘Adventureland’ To A Pop Song
Hannah Montana Director Also Says Sequel Unlikely
(E! Online)

'Hills' Star Audrina Patridge Dishes On Movie Career

LAS VEGAS — Although her silver-screen debut won't be in theaters for another six months, Audrina Patridge — who will appear in the season-five premiere of "The Hills" — swept into ShoWest on Thursday, receiving an award for Female Star of Tomorrow.

Patridge came to town with her "Sorority Row" co-stars Rumer Willis, Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Jamie Chung and Margo Harshman, who all received awards for their buzzed-about remake of the 1983 horror classic "The House on Sorority Row." The film focuses on a tight-knit group of sorority sisters whose prank goes horribly wrong, leading to a series of grisly murders. And although the trailer makes it look like Audrina dies early on, the "Hills" star made it sound like her role might be more substantial than fans think.

"Well ..." she said, laughing knowingly. "I can't give too much away, because there's a lot more to watch. You'll see."

Grinning mischievously over the film's twisty plot turns, she added, "I was so glad to go and film in Pittsburgh with all these lovely ladies. [I got to] take time off from 'The Hills' to go and actually pursue what my dream is.

As her fans know, Audrina moved to Los Angeles and originally landed a job as a receptionist. Her meteoric Hollywood career took off when "Laguna Beach" stars Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag moved into her building in 2006 to shoot "The Hills," and after Audrina befriended the pair she joined the popular reality series.

But with a role in this month's straight-to-DVD film "Into the Blue 2: The Reef" alongside "Sorority Row," Patridge has spent as much time on Hollywood soundstages over the past year as she has alongside L.C. and Heidi. And she makes no secret about her dreams of becoming an A-list actress.

"I love Rachel McAdams," Patridge said when asked who she'd like to pattern her movie career after; the "Notebook" star was also in Vegas at ShoWest. "She's one of my favorites. And I hear she's here tonight. So, hopefully I'll get to meet her."

The new season of "The Hills" premieres Monday at 10 p.m. on MTV.




Miley Cyrus Doesn’t Want A ‘Hannah Montana’ Sequel
Crawford Chasing After Footloose Remake?
(E! Online)

'Bruno' Trailer, Sneak Peek Raise Our Expectations

The "Brьno" trailer has arrived in all its red-banded glory, complete with outrageous public stunts, nude bedroom brawls and adult toy fights. It's a Sacha Baron Cohen production — what did you expect?

As the trailer's opening reminds us, three years ago, Cohen introduced the world to a little-known Kazakhstani journalist named Borat, whose crude, provocative, "lavatorial" — and, of course, insanely hilarious — comedy appalled and enchanted audiences. The movie that bears his name went on to gross almost $130 million at the box office. By all accounts "Brьno" — yet another spin-off of a character from "Da Ali G Show" — is even cruder, more provocative and perhaps even more hilarious than "Borat." And given Cohen's increased exposure this time around, the film is looking to do even bigger business.

Combining the footage in this trailer with word coming out of last month's South by Southwest Festival, where Universal Pictures screened 22 minutes of "Brьno," we can begin to piece together a rough idea of what this still-mysterious movie about a gay Austrian fashion reporter will deliver at movie theaters starting on July 10. Turn back now if you're even mildly spoiler-averse.

The film begins as Brьno gets ready for Milan fashion week. Perhaps in preparation for his assignment, he tries on a see-through plastic blazer and then dons a pink unitard, with matching Ugg-style boots and protruding genitalia. He ends up opting for a jumpsuit made entirely out of Velcro. Backstage at a show by Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, he sticks to curtains and high-priced garments before tumbling out onto the actual runway.

The flamboyant Austrian gets fired for making such a mess of things, and thus begins his journey: He travels to America to become a star. Taking a cue from Brangelina and Madonna, Brьno decides to adopt an African baby. We actually see him remove an infant from a cardboard box (with air holes punched in it, of course) from a luggage carousel at the airport.

From there he stages an outrageous photo shoot (Brьno hugging the baby while wearing a beekeeper suit and surrounded by a swarm of bees) and heads to the made-up "Today With Richard Bay" show, a Jerry-Springer-style talker in which Brьno says he gave the child a "traditional African name: O.J." The show devolves into a full-on brawl.

At some point, Brьno seems to lose custody of the baby and decides to reinvent himself as a straight man. The first stop in this quest might be a Sears store, where he tells an unsuspecting clerk, "You might find this very hard to believe, but I am gay."

Brьno's other attempts to engage in purportedly macho activities include: finding his way into a swingers' party and then into the bedroom with an aggressive, silicone-enhanced woman who mercilessly whips him; joining some sort of military training camp, where he stylizes his uniform with a little help from Dolce & Gabbana; and going on an overnight hunting trip with a group of camouflaged Southerners.

"Look at the four of us," he says as they sit around the campfire. "We are so like the 'Sex and the City' girls."

"Oh, no we aren't either," comes one uncomfortable response.

"I ain't neither one of 'em," another hunter says. "I'm Donnie."

"That is such a Samantha thing to say," Brьno quips.

With more than three months until the movie's release date, we can surely expect much more of "Brьno" to trickle onto the Web. For now, we'll just have to savor this first two minutes and 35 seconds of insanity. Brьno putting his infant on the handlebars of a Vespa? Brьno showing up at the mall handcuffed to a man wearing nothing but boxers and a few leather straps? Sacha, can we have some more please?

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

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Miley Cyrus Doesn’t Want A ‘Hannah Montana’ Sequel
Hannah Montana Director Also Says Sequel Unlikely
(E! Online)

Kanye West: I’m Done Spazzing
(E! Online)

Chace Crawford Did Not Audition For 'Footloose'

In the original "Footloose," the government of a small town banned dancing and rock and roll music. Now, 25 years later, the big-screen may be denied its license to boogie as well.

After Zac Efron dropped out of the lead role last week, the movie is currently on hold, according EW.com.

A source close to the production told EW.com that Paramount has hit the brakes on the movie — which had been active since at least July — as the studio figures out how to proceed without their top choice of Efron. The source also denied reports that Chace Crawford of "Gossip Girl" had auditioned for the lead role last weekend. A rep for Paramount had no comment on the report when asked by MTV News.

When Efron dropped out at the end of March, Paramount issued a statement assuring the public that the film was still very much on track. " 'Footloose' is a project we've longed to see re-booted for a new generation," it said. "While Zac is no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of [director] Kenny Ortega, [producers] Neil Meron and Craig Zaden, who will reinvigorate the franchise."

Crawford, with just "Gossip Girl" and a few low-profile movie roles to his name, is not as established a star as Efron. But it was just that experience — starring roles in "Hairspray" and three "High School Musical" movies — that reportedly led Efron to drop out of "Footloose": his advisors were said to repeatedly warn him against taking part in yet another big-screen musical rather than branching out into new territory.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




‘Gossip Girl’ Star Chace Crawford Auditions For ‘Footloose’
Crawford Chasing After Footloose Remake?
(E! Online)

Hannah Montana Director Also Says Sequel Unlikely
(E! Online)

Saturday, April 4, 2009

'Alien Trespass': Space Junk, By Kurt Loder

The cheap, zipper-up-the-back sci-fi monster movies of the 1950s are all spoofed-out — the wisecracking 'bots of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" feasted on those films' anemic effects, awkward performances and autopilot dialogue 20 years ago. Now, for some reason, comes "Alien Trespass," a picture that plays that old stuff straight, without a glimmer of satirical intent. The result is uninteresting in ways undreamed of back in the '50s.

Even the most preposterous sci-fi flicks of that period, like "Robot Monster" and "Teenagers from Outer Space," made a giddy kind of sense within their cultural context. (And not all of the decade's interstellar adventures were schlock, of course: Producer George Pal's "Destination Moon" and "The War of the Worlds" both won Oscars for their imaginative visual effects.) But in the wake of such high-powered latter-day space epics as "Alien" and "Independence Day," the idea of replicating the low-budget lethargy of '50s saucer flicks seems — and is now demonstrated to be — seriously misguided.

"Alien Trespass," directed by "X-Files" veteran R.W. Goodwin, shuffles together all the weary old elements: a visiting space ship, a world-devouring alien, a fascinated scientist, some ignorant skeptics, and a pair of cute teenage lovebirds. The year is 1957, and the space ship, which has crashed in the Mojave Desert, is piloted by a being in a silvery body stocking who's called Urp, and turns out to be an intergalactic marshal. (The "Marshal Urp" joke may resonate with '50s TV fans; it's likely to warp-drive right past everyone else.) Urp has with him a prisoner, a one-eyed beastie called a Ghota (a "unicellular omnipod," we're helpfully informed) that's so brazenly rubbery it looks like an inflatable pool toy. The Ghota escapes and goes on a people-eating binge, so when a local astronomer named Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack) shows up to check out the downed ship, Urp takes over his body and sets off in search of the escaped monster. ("I must find the Ghota before it divides," he explains.) The local cops (Dan Lauria and Robert Patrick) scoff at the idea of space invaders (until it's too late, of course), but a diner waitress named Tammy (Jenny Baird) quickly becomes a believer, and joins Ted/Urp in pursuit of the Ghota. The resident teens twitter around the edges of the action emitting such period phrases as "My lips are zipped" and "Dig this, cats."

The movie is essentially a checklist of '50s cultural signifiers, from vintage furniture, ponytails and automobiles (inevitably, there's an Edsel reference) to rear-projected scenery and a theremin keening away on the soundtrack. All very authentic, I suppose (except for some snippets from "The Blob," a movie that wasn't released until late 1958), but not a lot of fun. And if you're not going to have fun with such a silly cinematic subgenre, what's the point in resurrecting it? Or, from the more pertinent consumer point of view, in seeing it?

Don't miss Kurt Loder's review of "Adventureland," also opening this week.

Check out everything we've got on "Alien Trespass."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




‘American Swing’: The King Of Sex, By Kurt Loder
Heath Ledger’s music videos come to light
(Reuters)

Michael Bay Reveals 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen' Death

LAS VEGAS — As we get closer to the June 24 release of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," there's a ton of new robots in disguise that fans are looking forward to seeing onscreen for the first time.

Among these is Arcee, a pink Autobot with an extensive series history, set to become the first female Transformer in the live-action movies. But according to Michael Bay, you might not want to get too attached to her.

"You know what? I didn't like Arcee," the filmmaker revealed exclusively to us Thursday night, "so I kill her later, all right?"

We caught up with the outspoken filmmaker at ShoWest, where he received a Director of the Year award. The special-effects-driven Bay told us that technological advances since 2007's "Transformers" are allowing him to grab more articulate, complex performances from his metallic leading actors — but still, at least one of his fictional stars turned out to be a bit disappointing.

"You know what? It's like actors," he explained, comparing his Transformers to flesh-and-blood stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. "There are certain actors that blossom on screen, and there are certain others where you're like, 'Yuck, I'm cutting them out of the movie.' "

So Bay decided to kill Arcee — a pink motorcycle who can be glimpsed in the movie's trailer during a chase scene in Japan. As some fans might remember, the death of Jazz in Bay's first "Transformers" film not only served as a reminder of the severity of the robot war, but also became one of the film's most touching moments. In the sequel, however, Bay was so eager to kill off Arcee that he had no desire to milk the moment for emotional impact.

"This isn't sad," he grinned, discussing Arcee's sudden death. "This is just 'get it out and get it over with.' "

Bay also shot down the long-simmering rumor that Fox will be seen riding Arcee and doing some female bonding with the character. "No," he insisted. "She has nothing to do with Megan."

With that, Bay said he was eager to get back into the editing room and finish work on one of the year's most anticipated movies. And if there are any Arcee fans out there who are sad to hear about the character's upcoming demise, well she should've given a better performance, Bay said.

"Yeah, I know, it is sad. It is sad," he said, flashing a grin. "Sorry."

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




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‘Twilight’ DVD Sells More Than 3 Million Copies On First Day

Thursday, April 2, 2009

'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Joins A Growing List Of Leaked Movies

Hugh Jackman isn't having a good day. The Internet is buzzing with news that a full-length version of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" has appeared online a full month before it's due in theaters.

But at least Hugh's not alone. While the big-budget franchise reboot is certainly the most substantial and high-profile to hit the Web, it's not the first. As studios and audiences have come to know, spoilers are a fact of movie life these days.

Until now, the most infamous leak came in 2003, when Universal's "Hulk" found its way onto the Internet two weeks before its release. The Ang Lee-directed film still managed to open with a $62 million weekend. A week later, though, it experienced a 70 percent box-office drop and went on to be a financial failure (which probably had less to do with the leak than with the film being poorly received by both critics and moviegoers).

The lesson learned from "Hulk" would appear to be that if your movie is good, spoilers don't matter. But 2003 was practically a technological lifetime ago. Web video was in its infancy, and widely used sharing sites like YouTube didn't even exist. The number of people with the equipment and know-how to view "Hulk" early pales in comparison to those who can now watch "Wolverine" with a just a few mouse clicks.

Inevitably, then, more and more films have become the targets of leaked footage, scripts or photos, including "Iron Man,""Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,""The Wolfman,""Sex and the City,""The Simpsons Movie" and "The Happening." In 2005, eight people were charged with copyright-infringement offenses related to the leaking of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith." Oscar-nominated films consistently show up on the Internet, as screeners are distributed to Academy voters. Last spring, a bystander recorded footage of Jason Segel fighting Lou Ferrigno on the set of "I Love You, Man" (hardly a spoiler, but when even buddy comedies are under attack, you know the industry has a major problem on its hands).

Leaks haven't just been a tricky situation for the movie business. Photographed pages of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" appeared days before that book's publication, and the details of two eye-popping endings of "Lost" season finales were spilled online. The winners of reality shows, which are sometimes taped months before they air, are routinely revealed early.

When it comes to movies, Internet spoilers have become such a problem that they might actually be changing films. A spoiler claiming to reveal the ending of May's "Terminator Salvation" appeared online last year, which reportedly prompted filmmakers to rethink the conclusion.

The "Wolverine" leak raises many questions. What, if anything, will be the impact on the film's box-office receipts? Have we just entered a new era in the history of spoilers in which any blockbuster — "Star Wars," "Transformers," "Terminator" — runs the risk of appearing on a computer screen before the big screen? And if that's the case, what is the implication for the future of mega-budget movies?

Check out everything we've got on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

For breaking comic book movie news, columns and more — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.com.




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Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds Compare 'Adventureland' To A Pop Song

BEVERLY HILLS, California — According to "Superbad" writer/director Greg Mottola, he designed his follow-up film "Adventureland" with the hope that it would play like a great pop song. His stars say they can see the comparison.

"It's very emotional," Kristen Stewart said. "It's got a thumping heartbeat at the core of it, and it's got rhythm."

"And the movie is only three minutes long," co-star Jesse Eisenberg teased.

"I don't know if I would use that example necessarily," Ryan Reynolds countered. "I feel like it plays a lot like some of the greatest '80s movies that I loved. I mean the 'Say Anything ... 's — that Cameron Crowe wheelhouse."

Those movies, however, were always driven by an unforgettable soundtrack (it's no coincidence that "Adventureland" and "Say Anything ... " feature songs by the Replacements); an '80s setting ("Adventureland" is loosely based on Mottola's youth); and a sweet-but-pathetic central character, played by Eisenberg but owing a debt to John Cusack's Lloyd Dobler.

"There's so many different elements — it's dramatic, it's funny, it also feels like this one complete experience," Eisenberg said of "Adventureland," which casts the three actors as a love triangle working miserable jobs at a low-rent amusement park. "The movie is very consistent, even though there's all these different elements. So maybe that is kind of similar to a pop song."

At least Reynolds can speak from experience. "I look back at the '80s, and it's, like, really sketchy fashion choices," the 32-year-old actor laughed, thinking about his love scenes with the 18-year-old Stewart. "She looks back at the '80s as exiting the birth canal. So it's a completely different scenario for us both."

"If I had a time machine," 25-year-old Eisenberg said, "I'd probably bring back a pet rock or something. Wait, that was '70s. What was '80s?"

"Um, the Chia Pet?," guessed Stewart, who was born in 1990. "It grew fuzzy."

"You put seeds on the lamb and it grew," Eisenberg remembered. "It was a ceramic lamb or something."

"Or a turtle," Stewart said.

"Either way," Eisenberg grinned. "It's still a stupid item."

As for now, Stewart is happy being a 21st-century movie star and encouraged her loyal "Twilight" admirers to go see "Adventureland" and not spend their money mailing her Chia Pets. "No," she laughed, perhaps remembering Mike Welch's socks. "I'm OK."

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

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




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'State Of Play' Makes Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck Look At Reporters In New Light

BEVERLY HILLS, California — In the past, they've dealt with incessant questioning about what it's like to date J. Lo, Meg Ryan, Ryan Gosling and others. They've had their bad moments dissected, their missteps mocked and their most private moments captured by reporters and photographers all over the world.

But now that they've made a movie about journalism, how do Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams feel about those who've made their lives so miserable for all these years?

"I feel the same way," a defiant Crowe laughed recently, discussing his upcoming role in "State of Play" as an overworked, underpaid newspaper reporter. "I respect somebody like [my character] Cal, who has a certain ethical code. ... But I think the lines between journalism and politics and news and entertainment have been blurred for a long time."

Although "Play" is a political thriller, the April 17 film is built around three characters with distinctly different outlooks: Cal McAffrey the old-school journalist, Della Frye the young Internet blogger (McAdams) and secretive politician Stephen Collins (Affleck).

"I definitely think it will be the last movie about a newspaper," Affleck said of the film's depiction of a circulation-challenged daily called the Washington Globe. "This is a movie made around the time that the Internet destroyed newspapers, which is happening now. ... All the newspapers [are falling] apart, and the Internet is going to take over, for better or worse."

And, according to Affleck, it might be for worse. "It could be this completely biased, rancorous, ugly noise that takes the place of journalism," he warned of a world where blogs become our primary news source. "And you don't know what is true and what isn't."

"What I realized while making the movie is that journalists are working for someone, and they have to sell a sexy story," McAdams said. "People want to see these sexy, juicy stories, and sometimes the truth is skewed a little bit in that. ... It's really complex. They are kind of like superheroes, having these double lives."

That aspect of journalism is also explored in the film, as Crowe's McAffrey is an old friend and former college roommate of Affleck's Collins. And when the congressman is embroiled in a scandal, the reporter must decide whether his loyalty lies with his friend or his editor.

"I have friends who are serious journalists, who over the years could have very easily, at certain points of fame, made extra money by telling a couple tales out of school," Crowe explained. "And they haven't done so, and we have remained friends."

"I definitely have a more full understanding of the pressures journalists face," Affleck said. "My previous conversations with journalists were all one-sided. Even though I wasn't playing a journalist, the story is about empathizing with a guy who is a journalist.

"[I now realize] that journalists are ambitious and competing with each other inside institutions and that the institutions themselves have to compete with one another to stay afloat," he continued. "I never understood those dynamics very well, so I've gained an appreciation for that, and it changed the way I saw things."

Check out everything we've got on "State of Play."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




Miley Cyrus Doesn’t Want A ‘Hannah Montana’ Sequel
Hannah Montana Director Also Says Sequel Unlikely
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Chris Brown Is 'A Good Kid,' Says Co-Star Paul Walker

Paul Walker is excited for the release of his upcoming action flick, "Takers," even though two of the movies actors, T.I. and Chris Brown, are facing real-life action of their own. T.I. is set to serve a yearlong prison sentence, and Brown faces arraignment on charges of assault and criminal threats after his alleged altercation with Rihanna in February.

Walker, who is currently promoting "Fast & Furious" (out Friday), doesn't think his 19-year-old co-star's legal troubles will have any effect on the film. "I hope everything gets worked out, 'cause I really like him," he told MTV News about Brown. "I feel for him, 'cause I know it's hard, but he's going to be all right."

Walker got to work closely with Brown while filming "Takers" last year. "He's just a kid," Walker said. "He's just cool. He's fun. ... He's a 19-year-old kid, just high on life. Just having a good time. Always dancing and singing, never stops, always got a smile on his face. Really good energy, good kid to be around."

In "Takers," which also stars Michael Ealy, Hayden Christensen and Idris Elba, Walker plays one of the bad guys the audience will root for. "I play this guy John Rodway," he explained. "It's a big heist movie. It's all about the robbery, and these guys coming up, and they're like the bad-guy crew that you can't help but pull for, 'cause they're all good guys. They're really tight. It's 'Heat' meets 'Point Break.' It's got that feel to it."

With the Brown chatter out of the way and the plot synopsis done, Walker was ready to share his one criticism of the film. It seems at the time of the interview Walker didn't realize that the film, which had the original title of "Bone Deep," had been changed to "Takers," a detail we are sure will make him quite happy. "I'll tell you one thing: The title's gotta change. It's gotta," he joked about the original title. "We can talk about this all we want, but it's gonna be under a completely different title when it comes out. I'm sorry, that is not sticking."

Check out everything we've got on "Fast & Furious" and "Takers."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




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(E! Online)

Jonas Brothers Go Topless In New Movie!
Chris Brown, Rihanna were no-shows at Kids’ Choice
(AP)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Miley Cyrus Doesn't Want A 'Hannah Montana' Sequel

Although the film hasn't even opened yet, Miley Cyrus is already pretty sure there will be only be one "Hannah Montana" movie in her life. The Kids' Choice Award-winning 16-year-old, who is currently promoting "Hannah Montana: The Movie," doesn't feel it's necessary to bring the character back to the big screen for a sequel.

"I feel like this is a TV show, and we got really lucky with having the material to make one movie," the actress/singer said Monday, reports UsMagazine.com. "To do another one, I feel like it takes away the reality of it all."

Cyrus isn't ruling out the possibility to continue the role on the small screen, however. In fact, once season three ends, she said she hopes that show will go on, if all the stars align.

"We are continuing to do season three, and we all wish to do a season four, and I would love to do that if the time is right and if that's what everyone agrees on," she said. "I don't know if I would do another film, but I would love to do another season. I think that would be what we would all agree on."

Just because Cyrus doesn't want to return to the big screen as the double-life-leading Hannah doesn't mean she's through with movies. In fact, Cyrus is already gearing up to film a Nicholas Sparks movie this summer. Sparks specifically wrote the screenplay and a novel with Miley in mind.

"You never really hear that the movie was written before the book," Cyrus said. "It's kind of a weird way to do that. But he wrote the movie before he wrote the book, and he wrote it with me in mind."

Though very little details have been revealed about the film, we do know that it revolves around love and family, topics Cyrus knows a little something about.

"I've always been lucky to play parts that relate to me — and this doesn't at all," Cyrus said of her upcoming role. "I have my issues, but not as bad as this chick! I am happy to play someone who is just kind of out there and not someone that I am like."

Check out everything we've got on "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




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