Mamma mia, here we go again. My my, it's been quite a year at the movies, one that has introduced us to an impressive bunch of newcomers. Once again, the MTV Movie Awards are eager to recognize the breakthroughs — and the Female Breakthrough Performance category has several fresh-faced actresses angling to be crowned as the Meryl Streep of tomorrow.
Do Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale have careers beyond the "High School Musical" films? Is Miley Cyrus the singing/acting double threat that she appears to be? Are Kat Dennings and Freida Pinto destined for long careers, and will "Mamma Mia!" star Amanda Seyfried launch a legacy as durable as her Abba collaborators?
These questions and more will be answered Sunday night, as fans continue to feverishly vote for Breakthrough Performance Female. Now it's time to handicap the favorites in the category — but, mamma mia, how can we resist any of them?
Who's the Favorite?
At the age of 16, Destiny Hope "Miley" Cyrus has already released two albums that both debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart; she's ranked on Time magazine's "Most Influential People in the World" and Forbes' "Celebrity 100" lists; and she's starred in two live-action and one animated film, all of which have been hugely successful. Would you bet against her? "Hannah Montana: The Movie" was engineered as the perfect starring vehicle for Miley, and her fans loved every minute of it. As A-list as her career already is, it seems like "The Climb" is only just beginning.
Who's the Underdog?
Miley has already reached out to her huge fanbase via Twitter and urged them to keep voting throughout the weekend. But should she stumble, look for Amanda Seyfried to sneak in with an all-singing, all-dancing acceptance speech. "Mamma Mia" was the year's ultimate guilty pleasure and is now the highest-grossing film ever in the United Kingdom (take that, "Titanic"!). And don't forget, folks: Our British friends can vote for Sunday's show, too. Blimey!
Inside Scoop
» "High School Musical 3" stars Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale will be squaring off against each other in this category. "HSM3" was originally scheduled to be called "Haunted High School Musical" and featured a plot that had Troy and the others battling ghosts and ghouls. Mercifully, the haunted-house angle was abandoned in mid-2007, as producers chose to instead focus on the perils and pleasures of senior year at East High School.
» Kat Dennings, nominated for "Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist," portrayed Bob Saget's daughter on the short-lived sitcom "Raising Dad" and was born on the exact same day and year as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Sadly, she appears to have no connection to Dave Coulier.
Will the vampires grab more trophies than the slumdog? What was the year's ultimate onscreen WTF moment? It's up to you to decide the winners of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Vote now, and tune in on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, when the big show airs live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.
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