Jesse Eisenberg Says 'The Social Network' Isn't Just About Facebook

Last week, we learned that Jesse Eisenberg had been cast to play Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, in the upcoming film "The Social Network." Already the actor is facing a frequent question: How do you make a compelling story about a social-networking site?

"People have asked me, is it, like, a three-hour movie just on the Web site?" he said at a recent interview to promote his latest flick, "Zombieland." "No, no, no, it's a very methodical retelling of this interesting story."

The story, based on Ben Mezrich's recently released book, "The Accidental Billionaires," is about Harvard students Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin and their quest for social acceptance at their school. Saverin chose to try to get into one of the elite Final Clubs. Zuckerberg hacked into Harvard's computer system and created a database that rated every female student on campus. Though he was almost kicked out of school, it was from this that the framework for Facebook was born.

"The great irony is that while Facebook succeeded by bringing people together, its very success tore two best friends apart," reads the summary of "Accidental Billionaires" summary on Mezrich's site.

"I don't know how much [the movie is] going to appeal to the young Facebookers," Eisenberg said. "It's a very adult movie. It's about the inception of Facebook at Harvard."

If the story itself is not enough to bring in a younger crowd, the recently announced cast might be. In addition to Eisenberg, who is best known for his role opposite Kristen Stewart in "Adventureland,"Justin Timberlake was cast as Facebook founding president and Napster co-founder Sean Parker.

Mezrich's previous novel-to-film adaptation, "21," brought in $81 million domestically last year with only Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth to bring in the younger crowd for the story of MIT students involved in a blackjack card-counting scandal in Las Vegas.

Eisenberg said "The Social Network" would be filming on location at the Harvard campus for three weeks in October.

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'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Ticket Sales Break International Records

Even in death, Michael Jackson continues to be a guaranteed superstar. Just as the initial run of his planned concerts at the O2 arena in London sold out almost instantly earlier this year, the posthumous documentary about the King of Pop's preparations for that residency, "Michael Jackson's This Is It," has broken advance ticket sales records for a movie.

According to Reuters, hundreds of screenings in North America have already sold out, a month before the film's October 28 opening.

Among the cities with the strongest sales are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and New York. Records were also set in Japan, where more than $1 million in tickets were sold on the first day they were available. In London, fans bought more than 30,000 tickets on the first day, eclipsing the advance interest in the "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings" films, which were wildly popular in Britain. Record sales were also reported in Holland, Sweden, Belgium and New Zealand.

The documentary will have a limited two-week run, which might explain the rush on tickets. On Sunday, all 3,000 spots for a Los Angeles advance screening of "This Is It" on October 27 sold out within two hours.

The film follows Jackson as he rehearsed and prepared for a 50-date run of concerts, which were scheduled to begin in London just weeks after his death on June 25. Sony Pictures Entertainment paid $60 million for the more than 100 hours of hi-def rehearsal footage. The film, which was directed by Kenny Ortega, will feature behind-the-scenes footage as well as Jackson and his band and dancers rehearsing for the tour.

Last week, it was confirmed that a two-disc album featuring a new song, "This Is It," will be released on October 27 to coincide with the movie's theatrical release. The new single drops on October 12.

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Joe Jonas Says He Isn't In Taylor Swift Film 'Valentine's Day'

Over the summer, rumors began to spread that Joe Jonas would have a role in the romantic comedy "Valentine's Day" alongside his ex, Taylor Swift. But now the pop star admits that he won't be in the flick.

"I actually went for the audition, and it was looking really good, but scheduling just wasn't working out," he told JustJared.com. "They were filming in the summer and we were touring during the summer."

The singer, who is currently filming "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," explained that the all-star cast of "Valentine's Day" made it even more difficult to work the film into his busy schedule: "We figured it out on our part, but it was just difficult because they're working with so many superstars, that scheduling is really hard to adjust than a normal film, like if it was just me and a few other people."

Jonas, who recently served as a guest judge on "American Idol" without his brothers, would still like to be involved in the flick somehow — if it isn't too late. "It's Anne Hathaway and all these other big stars that star in that movie, and they have to shift schedules around," he said. "I think we're going to try and do something for that, but it all depends on schedules."

The Garry Marshall-directed flick stars a who's who of Hollywood, including Taylor Lautner, Julia Roberts, Jessica Biel, Emma Roberts, Jessica Alba, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx and Bradley Cooper.

Check out everything we've got on "Valentine's Day."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock &#8212 visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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The Most Notable 3-D Movies Of All Time

In 1952, television was increasingly keeping people on the couch and out of movie theaters, so Hollywood desperately turned to a process called "Naturalvision," and 3-D movies were born. Convinced that their best hope to win audiences back was by making things leap off the screen, dozens of 3-D movies were greenlit immediately. But just a few years later, bad scripts and gimmickry had effectively killed the fad.

These days, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" is riding high at the box office for the second straight frame, the "Toy Story" films are being re-released this weekend in three dimensions, and such high-profile blockbusters as "Avatar," "A Christmas Carol" and "Alice in Wonderland" will all be coming at you soon, complete with their own funky eyeglasses. With TV and the Internet stealing eyeballs, theater owners are once again turning to 3-D, hoping that the results will this time be more fruitful and longer-lasting.

With that in mind, we present this list of the most notable 3-D films of all time — along with our hopes that the genre's not-so-"Cloudy" outlook is a sign of good things to come.

"Bwana Devil" (1952) — The first feature-length movie in 3-D helped launch the craze in the early '50s. Starring Robert Stack, the drama about the building of the Uganda Railway may seem like an unusual 3-D topic now. But its tagline's promise to put "A lion in your lap! A lover in your arms!" set an exploitative precedent that would stick with the genre right up to "My Bloody Valentine 3-D" and its insistence that "Nothing says 'date movie' like a 3-D ride to hell!" Some things, it seems, never change.

"House of Wax" (1953) — Arguably the most successful of the "golden era" 3-D films, this Vincent Price thriller was remade a few years ago in 2-D starring Paris Hilton. The original holds up surprisingly well as a horror flick, and some scenes are good for a few laughs — most notably, a hilarious out-of-left-field sequence that has a carnival barker doing tricks and "addressing" the audience. If only Paris had been so creative.

"Spooks!" and "Pardon My Backfire" (1953) — Yep, even the Three Stooges got into the act. Their 148th and 149th short films were shot in 3-D and had Moe, Larry and Shemp working as private detectives and auto mechanics and — more important — throwing various objects at us. Exploitative? Poorly conceived? A guilty pleasure? Why, soit enly!

"The Stewardesses" (1969) — The most profitable 3-D movie of all time, this softcore flick about the sexy misadventures of trans-Pacific airline attendants cost $100,000, grossed more than $27 million and ran in theaters for years. Also notable for being reshot and re-edited while playing in theaters (to lighten its X rating to an R for wider audiences), "The Stewardesses" was recently released on DVD with 3-D glasses included and is estimated to have now grossed more than 300 times its budget.

"Friday the 13th: Part III" (1982), "Jaws 3-D" (1983) and "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" (1991) — Serving as placeholders for the 3-D genre between the old "golden era" and the new one, these films had several things in common: They were part of hugely successful series, they were unapologetically stuffed with gimmicks, and they kinda sucked. But for sheer fun, the monotony of bad horror movies was broken up nicely by 3-D every few years in the '80s and '90s.

"Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" (2003) — The first full-length narrative film to use the "new" 3-D, Robert Rodriguez's third "Spy Kids" film teamed with James Cameron's "Ghosts of the Abyss" and "Aliens of the Deep" to show audiences and filmmakers how far the technology had come.

"Beowulf" (2007) — Mixing newfangled technology with one of the oldest tales in human history, Robert Zemeckis' film had a $28 million opening weekend that showed audiences were indeed interested in photo-realistic 3-D event movies. An eye-popping sequence that had a nude Angelina Jolie seducing the audience showed that as far as the genre has come, "The Stewardesses" will never be far away.

"Coraline" (2009) — Why is this a landmark 3-D film? Because it was really, really good. Neil Gaiman's tale of a little girl tempted by a not-so-perfect family was the perfect vehicle for the medium. Director Henry Selick seized upon it, and the result was an instant classic that transported the audience into an extremely vivid, creative world. If the new wave of 3-D filmmakers hopes to avoid the mistakes of their early predecessors, they'll need to make more films like "Coraline."

"Up" (2009) — The reason why "Up" is quite possibly the greatest 3-D movie ever made is because it wasn't designed to be a 3-D film. Rather than throwing gimmicks at the audience, Pixar concentrated on doing what it does best: tell a good story. Those who saw it in 3-D this past summer, however, got to soar high with old-timer Carl Fredrickson, little Russell and all those beautiful balloons. Filmmakers like Jon Favreau took notice, and now it appears that we may not be too far away from our first 3-D superhero film.

Check out everything we've got on "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs."

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'Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs' Overshadows 'Surrogates' At Box Office

The Box-Office Top Five
#1 "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" ($24.6 million)
#2 "Surrogates" ($15 million)
#3 "Fame" ($10 million)
#4 "The Informant!" ($6.9 million)
#5 "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" ($4.8 million)

Who needs a world where human beings can exist vicariously through robots when there's a sky filled with meatballs to enjoy? Moviegoers decisively chose the delicious rain shower, as "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" dominated the box office for the second weekend in a row with a $24.6 million intake, only $6 million less than what it made during its debut weekend.

While the folks at Sony Pictures Animation have plenty of reasons to celebrate, the outcome is significantly more "cloudy" for "Surrogates," Disney's Bruce Willis-starring science-fiction flick, which earned only $15 million. Based on the Top Shelf Productions comic book of the same name, "Surrogates" was expected by many box-office watchdogs to rule the weekend. Despite a close battle on Friday evening — "Meatballs" led "Surrogates" by less than $1 million going into Saturday morning — the weekend matinees roped in the family crowd for the animated picture, giving it enough of a boost to surpass "Surrogates" by almost $10 million.

But "Surrogates" wasn't the only newcomer to fall victim to the ever-edible "Meatballs." In third place, "Fame" managed only $10 million over the weekend, despite its family appeal, undoubtedly losing that crowd to the buzz-worthy animated competition. Like "Surrogates," "Fame" might have some trouble trying to recoup its $25 million budget.

Coming in third and fourth place were "The Informant!" and "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself," respectively. Both films were released earlier this month and continue to do decent business, with the Matt Damon-starring dark comedy likely to move into the profit margin this week.

The weekend held plenty of other new releases that didn't quite crack the top five. "Pandorum" earned a disappointing $4.4 million, likely due to low-key marketing and mediocre word of mouth. Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" and the Audrey Tautou-starring "Coco Before Chanel" performed quite impressively given their incredibly limited theatrical runs: At four and five theaters apiece, "Capitalism" and "Coco" earned $240,000 and $177,000, respectively.

Upcoming Releases

Moore's aforementioned new doc, a scathing examination of America's financial system, gets a much wider release next weekend, putting it in direct competition with Drew Barrymore's "Whip It," the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" and the Ricky Gervais-starring "The Invention of Lying."

Check out everything we've got on "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,""Surrogates" and "Fame."

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

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Edward Norton Open To Returning As The Hulk For 'Avengers' Movie

The Avengers are Marvel Comic's idea of a superhero dream team, a way to gather together the mightiest of its characters within the pages of one comic book. And, in a few years, they'll all hook up on the big screen, as an "Avengers" flick unites the likes of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America in 2012. Will the enraged green giant Hulk be there as well, and might he be brawling with his supercharged brethren?

That's an ongoing question among comic book obsessives and one Edward Norton, who brought Hulk's alter ego Bruce Banner to cinematic life in 2008, was happy to discuss when MTV News caught up with him. Can the actor really see himself stepping into "Avengers"?

"Yeah, oh yeah," he said. "The thing about [Marvel's] universe that's fun is that it all cross-pollinates. Even when I was working on the script [for 'The Incredible Hulk'], I tried to plug in the whole Super-Soldier Serum from Captain America."

Norton also endorsed the idea of Hulk as the film's villain. "He kind of was, not in the books, but in the comics there was always a tension between the rest of the superhero community and he was always this problem," the Oscar-nominated actor explained. "They treat him as this problem. I don't know, I think that's a fun way to go with it."

In the past, Norton has declined to elaborate on his thoughts concerning "Avengers" or offer a firm commitment to join the film, but he assured us this stance was simply an issue of scheduling, rather than overall enthusiasm. "I just get very busy," he said. "You have to deal with the demands of the moment. I tend to keep my head in the thing I'm doing, and I don't speculate or worry too much about what two or three blocks down the thing is gonna be. I know all these things will reveal themselves and work out or not."

Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers."

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

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'Pandorum' Stars Cam Gigandet, Dennis Quaid Bond Over Fatherhood

He's one of the hottest up-and-coming stars in Hollywood, and now "Twilight" star Cam Gigandet is back in theaters again as one of several psychologically fragile astronauts in the sci-fi thriller "Pandorum." But to hear him tell it, Cam's new bride is the one who had the most eventful existence during the film's Germany shoot.

In an interview sure to delight Cam's many "Twilight" Moms, the former vampire and new dad dropped by the MTV News studios earlier this week to talk about geeking out over Dennis Quaid, dealing with morning sickness and his epic quest to find a package of saltines.

MTV: So, Cam, "Pandorum" hits theaters this weekend.

Cam Gigandet: It does!

MTV: You've spoken about how the astronauts in this film, including yourself, suffer from a sort of space dementia. Is that ultimately what sets it apart from other sci-fi flicks? This psychological element?

Gigandet: Yeah, that's one of the cool things about this movie; they're always suspicious. And then their memories start coming back — so it's like this puzzle that they have to put together and find answers.

MTV: You spent a lot of time on a small set with Dennis Quaid. Were you able to resist any geek tendencies to ask him about what was it was like working on "The Right Stuff" or "Innerspace" or "Great Balls of Fire" back in the day?

Gigandet: [ Laughs. ] No, I don't think I ever would have the courage to ask him any of that. You're definitely close [for long periods of time while filming]. But I don't think I could ask anyone those questions. Even towards the end of the movie, I was always so nervous around him.

MTV: So you and Ben Foster and Dennis, you're over in Berlin for about three months, and you guys hit it off. What kind of stuff did you do between days of shooting?

Gigandet: Well, we shot a lot, so it was difficult [to hang out]. I also had a three-month pregnant wife with me. So that made things difficult. I spent a lot of time in the hotel room with the lights out or running around the city trying to find saltine crackers.

MTV: Saltines? Was that her pregnancy craving?

Gigandet: I would go out and leave for two or three hours [in search of those crackers] while she's just in bed; they do not have saltine crackers there. I don't think they know what they are.

MTV: I'm assuming you don't speak German?

Gigandet: No. It's very difficult.

MTV: How does one walk into a convenience store in Germany and explain the notion of a saltine cracker?

Gigandet: Pictures. [ Laughs. ]

MTV: You brought them a picture of a saltine cracker?

Gigandet: No, on iPhones, they have these applications where you [can get help] speaking a language, and they have actual pictures of the food. So I would take it to them, and I would show them this picture. They would hand me all sorts of crackers — none of them saltine crackers. It was unsuccessful. I went every single day for, like, two months. It was not good. It was tough.

MTV: Dennis also has a couple kids. Were he and the other actors pretty understanding of your plight over there?

Gigandet: Of course. Dennis was so helpful.

MTV: Did they want to go out drinking in the middle of the night but were like, "Oh, but Cam, he's a family man now."

Gigandet: No, the whole crew was very understanding that I had a mom with severe — what's it called? — morning sickness. We had to deal with that a lot. But, everyone was very helpful.

MTV: Well, I'm sure all your fans want to know: How is fatherhood treating you? Are you enjoying it so far?

Gigandet: I'm in heaven, I really am. It's one of the best things in my life. It definitely is. It's great.

MTV: We know about "Burlesque,""Priest,""The Roommate" and all these other films you've been hard at work on since "Twilight" ended.

Gigandet: Yeah. [ Laughs. ] I did 34 films last year.

MTV: You're the new Michael Caine!

Gigandet: Yeah, I'm busy. But I'm going to take a break after this.

MTV: Please, take a break and enjoy your daughter for a little while.

Gigandet: I will.

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

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Jackson Rathbone Injured On 'Eclipse' Set

Apparently Ashley Greene isn't the only "Eclipse" cast member getting hurt on set. Her onscreen love, Jackson Rathbone, was also injured on the set of the David Slade-helmed flick earlier this week. Although he was taken to the hospital, he was able to get back to work shortly after being injured.

No word on just how he injured himself, but according to a statement from a rep for the film, he's doing fine now. "Actor Jackson Rathbone of 'The Twilight Saga' movies was slightly injured yesterday [September 22] during a fight scene rehearsal," the rep told Access Hollywood. "As a precaution, he was driven to the hospital and checked out by a doctor. He's fine and is back at work on the set of 'Eclipse' today."

Earlier this month, Greene dished to MTV News about the intense training for some of the series' most violent scenes. "We're getting battered and bruised, but it's good, though," she said. "We're kind of just getting into it. All the battle and fight stuff is going to happen next month."

Photos of the actress appeared online showing her with black-and-blue marks on her body, but she assured fans that there's no need to worry for her well-being. "It's going really smoothly. It's going really well," she said. "We're all working really hard and learning how to kick butt. I don't know if you've seen recent pictures, but I have bruises all over my body. It's those wires. It looks like a hand mark on my arm, and it's definitely from wires."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and "Eclipse."

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LeBron James Hosts 'More Than A Game' Screening In NYC

NEW YORK — Whether it's basketball arenas or movie theaters, LeBron James knows how to pack a house.

The reigning NBA MVP and Nike pitchman hosted a Manhattan screening on Tuesday night at the School of Visual Arts for his upcoming documentary "More Than a Game," directed by newcomer Kristopher Belman. James, former Roc-A-Fella rapper Neef Buck and ESPN writer Chris Broussard were among the many in attendance that were buzzing to watch the film, which is set to be released October 2 in theaters. The doc features the story of James and his childhood friends — through first-person accounts and vintage video — as they transform from an upstart AAU team into the national high school hoops champs four years later.

The Cleveland Cavaliers franchise player admits that for many, he's the big draw on the marquee, but when it comes to the project, he said top billing should go to Dru Joyce II, the coach of Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary boys basketball team.

"Our coach, mentor [and] father figure is the biggest star of the movie," James explained to MTV News. "I may draw the people in, I may draw the people out of their cars, out of their houses to get into the movie theater, but Coach Dru is the main star of the whole movie. 'Cause he set us up for more than just basketball, he set us up for more than a game. It was about life."

The project began as a school project for Belman that turned into a much bigger challenge once he realized the backstories that connected the "Fab Five," James and three other childhood friends who were later joined by another teammate to pursue the national championship.

"It takes time to do things right, and I thought this story needed to be done and it needed to be told the right way," Belman said. "It took seven years, [but] if it took 15 years, it needed to be done."

James was later joined by Mary J. Blige, Akon, DJ Clue, Donnie Klang and Teyana Taylor at Marquee for the afterparty with DJ M.O.S. The fete served double duty as it was also the album-release party for the "More Than a Game" soundtrack, hosted by Interscope Records. The album includes the monster track "Forever," featuring Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem.

The basketball superstar took a few questions from the audience following the screening. He was sporting a blue Yankees fitted hat and a diamond-encrusted Roc-A-Fella pendant on his necklace, a nod to his friendship with Jay-Z. When the 2010 free agent was asked if he was enjoying his time in the Big Apple, he responded yet before quickly being asked if he imagined himself living in New York, a subtle inquiry about his rumored union with the Knicks next year.

"Maybe," he said to laughter.

Check out everything we've got on "More Than a Game."

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'Surrogates': Waking Life, By Kurt Loder

In "Surrogates," nobody goes to work anymore, or even leaves the house much. Instead, lifelike robo-mannequins are dispatched to undertake the day's business while their operators sit at home with headsets and watch. These surrogates tend toward whitebread perfection — blonder of hair, bluer of eye and hotter of bod than their owners — but they can also be purchased in any race or gender desired. Imagine the benefits. Cops and combat soldiers no longer need risk their real lives. Communicable diseases fade away, along with various sorts of prejudice. (That hot number your surry just picked up in a club might actually be some leering lardo sprawled at home on his living-room sofa.) Life — or at least "life" — is good.

The movie makes significant alterations (mainly of gender and motivation) in the Robert Venditti comic books on which it's based; but these changes, for a change, actually enhance the story. Bruce Willis plays Greer, a veteran FBI agent, and Radha Mitchell is Peters, his partner. Like everyone else, they send their pretty, glazed surrogates to the office every day, while their original selves — older and more life-worn — monitor the action remotely. Their latest case involves the murder — well, the destruction — of a pair of sexy young surrogates by a killer using a mysterious weapon that also managed to snuff out the surrys' operators at home. (According to the manufacturer, a slickly sinister enterprise called VSI, this was supposed to be impossible.)

The two agents soon become involved with Canter (James Cromwell), the shadowy creator of surrogate technology, and a dreadlocked anti-surry firebrand called the Prophet (Ving Rhames), who's determined to eradicate it. There's also a hotshot programmer named Bobby (Devin Ratray), whose cutting-edge software could save the ever-darkening day, and an FBI honcho named Stone (Boris Kodjoe) who's even more unlike what he seems than is usual in this shifting world. The investigation takes an unexpected twist after a rousing, hell-bent chase in which Greer's surrogate is destroyed, forcing Greer himself to take over the case in the flesh.

Director Jonathan Mostow ("Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines") knows how to stage maximum-damage action sequences (with pronounced "Terminator" overtones), and he's added some cute passing details not present in the comics, like the surrogate recharge booths we glimpse at one point on a street corner. But he never roils the story's despairing mood for standard FX uproar. Greer's melancholy home life is movingly conveyed (his aging wife, played by Rosamund Pike, stays locked in her bedroom while her forever-young surrogate keeps the disconsolate Greer company); and there's a wonderful moment when Greer's own surrogate returns home after a taxing day, pours a drink, then brings it to the real Greer, still zoned out next to his operating gear, before retiring to his surry storage cabinet like a self-hanging suit.

Willis is allowed to act in this movie (he's not just another action android), and, as usual when given the opportunity, he's touchingly effective. His Greer is a man slowly waking from a terrible dream. He's beginning to register the horror of the surrogate phenomenon — the way in which people have eagerly outsourced their humanity to high-tech automatons (there's also a new line of surrys in the works for children), and the impossibility of ever knowing who you're really dealing with in the world of surrogate interaction. The movie is a mystery thriller filled with sleek computerized doppelgдngers, but it's really about the pleasures of the flesh.

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

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

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'Surrogates' Stars Reveal What Their Stand-Ins Would Do For Them

BEVERLY HILLS, California — It's already been a smash comic book, and we've been following its development into a movie for quite some time. Now, the Bruce Willis sci-fi flick "Surrogates" is finally hitting theaters this weekend, fueled by one very provocative question: If you had a robot doppelgдnger to live life for you, what would you do with it?

"My surrogate would be fighting fires and saving the world," said Radha Mitchell, one of the stars of the film. "The surrogate could also be doing all that menial stuff. My surrogate would be doing everything. I could just relax and get a massage instead."

"I'd send him down to Washington, tell him to fire all the politicians and start looking for that $780 billion they can't seem to find," grinned Willis, who plays the futuristic cop investigating a series of murders in a world where people stay indoors, resting while their robots do all the living for them. "It'd be a good day."

For the sake of drama, "Surrogates" revolves around a whodunit plot line that has Willis' Greer and Mitchell's Peters investigating homicides in a supposedly "safe" world. But in reality, the idea of long-distance living doesn't seem so impossible at a time when we can buy anything online, make friends we'll never meet on Facebook and live vicariously through avatars in Second Life, "The Sims" and countless other gaming options.

"A thousand years from now, historians will look on this time period right now that we're living through, and they will look at it as this major sea change in the way that people lived their lives, and what civilization went through — both on an individual, psychological basis and also on a collective, societal basis," insisted "U-571" filmmaker Jonathan Mostow, the director of the film. "In the same way we look at tens of thousands of years ago, when humans invented fire and how that profoundly changed their lives — but they probably didn't realize it at the time. They just thought, 'Oh, cool, I don't have to eat raw meat!' "

"We don't know [how all this new technology will change our lives] either; we're all guessing at it in the dark," he continued, explaining that his film's depiction of a world in which humans sit in comfy recliner chairs while their surrogates engage in dangerous thrill-seeking activities, have reckless sexual encounters and go to work for them while sending back the experiences via virtual reality is just one take on where all this could lead. "I love that that stuff. I love e-mail, I love the Internet, but I also know that the hours a day that I spend doing that, I used to spend doing something else. I don't remember what I used to do with it — but I did something with it."

And although it may have some possibly dangerous ramifications, some people will undoubtedly go see "Surrogates" this weekend and look at its futuristic world as a beautiful possibility. "That's the whole point: You can avoid experiences that you don't want to have and enhance experiences that you do want to have, just by getting into this body that's better than you, better-looking than you and feels better than you do. If you're old, you'll feel young," Mitchell said. "However you want to feel, you can feel."

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

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

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Bruce Willis' 'Surrogates': The Reviews Are In!

Bruce Willis' "Surrogates" asks the following question: Would you like to kick back in the safety of your own home while your much better looking robot double heads out into the world in your stead? That's a question almost everyone in this movie (in theaters Friday, September 25) has answered in the affirmative, which has worked out fairly well until surrogates and their real-life users begin to die. It's up to Willis as FBI Agent Greer to solve the murders and maybe bring humanity out of this techno-induced indolence.

How are critics answering the question of whether or not "Surrogates" is worth checking out this weekend? The reviews are in, and MTV News has gathered them so you can decide for yourself.

Our own Kurt Loder called "Surrogates" "a sci-fi thriller with heart," praising the way it conveys Greer's melancholy life and "never roils the story's despairing mood for standard FX uproar"

" 'Surrogates' is an intense and eerily plausible sci-fi thriller," Variety 's Todd McCarthy wrote. "[It] distinguishes itself from countless other thematically overlapping films by being not about robots run amok, but about humans seduced by the easy life; humanity here has 'advanced' so far that it has become subordinate to its substitute. As a cautionary sci-fier, it's not all that far removed from such classics as 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers.' "

Others don't see "Surrogates" coming close to the realm of classic sci-fi territory. " 'Surrogates' naturally wants to reap some of the praise and permanent fandom accorded 'Blade Runner' and 'RoboCop,' " Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today. "Instead, it more resembles Michael Crichton's 'Looker' (in which sinister surgery further 'perfects' dishy advertising models), one of the more risible misfires of 1981."

While critics seem to disagree over just how "Surrogates" fits into sci-fi history, most of them had positive words for Willis. "The [movie] poster image of a greying and grizzled Willis is a tip that 'Surrogates' isn't just another of the actor's paycheque gigs," Peter Cowell of the Toronto Star said. "He pulls double duty here, as both human and robot, and actually breaks a sweat and comes close to tears."

Comparing "Surrogates" with another recent sci-fi offering, UGO.com's Jordan Hoffman came away impressed. "The very entertaining 'Surrogates' achieves something a disaster like 'Gamer' could never achieve — it is intellectually stimulating enough to keep you intrigued while never forgetting its obligation as B-movie fun," he said.

Katey Rich of CinemaBlend.com couldn't disagree more, calling "Surrogates" a film "that is handed a fascinating concept and slaps onto it a generic conspiracy plot that's as boring as it is impossible to follow."

Ultimately, then, it all depends on how you react to the film's central premise of humans controlling robotic doppelgangers. Bestowing three out of four stars to "Surrogates," the New York Post 's Kyle Smith wrote, "The conceit is an amazingly flexible satiric instrument that simultaneously spoofs video and online gamers, Hollywood (the streets of Boston are filled with impossibly good-looking people — yet they all have a creepy waxworks quality), drug addiction and sloth. ... The fun is in the world it creates."

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Stephenie Meyer's 'The Host' To Become A Movie

After the November release of "New Moon," there may be only three more movies (at most) to come from Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" vampire saga, but it looks like the author will continue to be present on the big screen for a long time to come. Meyer's first adult novel, "The Host," is being adapted for a feature film, according to Variety.

Published in May 2008, "The Host" tells the story of how a species of compassionate aliens called "souls" have invaded Earth and assumed control of the minds of almost every human on the planet. A soul named Wanderer invades the body of woman named Melanie Stryder, who manages to make Wanderer share her body instead of taking it over entirely. They set off on a journey to locate Stryder's lost love, Jared, who is one of the last unaffected humans and remains in hiding.

Andrew Niccol has been tapped to write the script and direct. Niccol's writer/director credits include the Ethan Hawke sci-fi flick "Gattaca" and the Nicolas Cage action movie "Lord of War." Niccol also wrote the Jim Carrey-starring "The Truman Show." According to the Variety report, producers first began to consider Niccol after Meyer said her favorite sci-fi films were "Gattaca" and "Truman."

Meyer had previously rejected bids to adapt "Host," but eventually gave the OK after producers made a substantial offer and a displayed a willingness to collaborate with her on the project.

"We wanted Stephenie to be involved in the adaptation and have her endorse and be part of the creative decisions," Nick Wechsler, one of the producers, said. "['Twilight'] has proven she knows more about what works than most."

Wechsler, along with Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, used their own funds to acquire the rights to "The Host." All three receive producer credits on "The Road," the upcoming adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Back in April 2008, Meyer told MTV News what her dream cast for "The Host" would be. "With 'The Host,' I think the actors could be really big names," she said. "That would be cool. I'd love to see Robert Redford put on a beard and be Jeb; he would be amazing. ... Matt Damon has some very Jared-esque qualities, and then [I'd love to see] Casey Affleck as Ian and Ben Affleck as Kyle. Imagine the interplay."

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

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Miley Cyrus' 'The Last Song' Movie Release Delayed

After catching a sneak peek at Miley Cyrus' next flick, "The Last Song," at shows on her Wonder World tour, fans were no doubt excited to see the film when it was supposed to open in January. But now MTV News has confirmed that the movie's release has been delayed to later in 2010.

The film — for which Cyrus has been showing a trailer, as well as singing a song off its soundtrack, "When I Look at You" — will now be released in April, a rep for the actress and a statement from Disney confirmed. "The date is now April 2," a rep said. "We found a better release date than January for it. It will open Easter weekend/spring break."

Cyrus filmed the Nicholas Sparks-penned film in Tybee Island, Georgia, over the summer. She's also been romantically linked to her co-star Liam Hemsworth. The "Hannah Montana" star has remained tight-lipped about those rumors, but she did say that the movie affected her life in some way.

"I changed a lot when I was in Tybee Island. I feel like art really does imitate life," Cyrus told MTV News. "I feel like I'm really showing a part of my growth as a person as well. So, I'm really excited for people to see it, just because of what it means to me, personally."

Check out everything we've got on "The Last Song."

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

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Edward Norton Prepared For 'Leaves Of Grass' Roles 'Alone In A Room'

Edward Norton digs the double life. In "Primal Fear" and "Fight Club," he played mild-mannered characters saddled with violent split-personality disorders. And then there's his transformation from Bruce Banner to angry green giant in "The Incredible Hulk."

His latest film, "Leaves of Grass," once again gives Norton the opportunity to indulge his fondness for thespian duality, this time in the roles of identical twins, one an Ivy League philosophy professor, the other a backwoods marijuana grower.

"Most actors will confess, I think, they dream and scrap and claw for one great role," Norton said. "So if you offer them two great roles in the same movie, you pretty much own them — they do whatever you want them to do."

In this case, Norton would do whatever writer/director Tim Blake Nelson wanted. But what the actor needed to prepare for these parts was a whole lot of time by himself. "Me, alone in a room working it out," Norton explained. "Someone would have locked me up if they'd seen me preparing for this. I went to Oklahoma where I could be alone, because if I stayed in New York they'd have seen me walking down the street muttering to myself."

To achieve an air of realism, Norton and Nelson studied how past films have handled one actor playing identical characters. "[We] looked at things mostly to see technically how people had handled twins," Norton explained. "And people have done wonderful stuff, obviously. We wanted to try to do a few things that broke out of the mold of just ping-ponging between shots and just having the occasional 50/50 [shot]. We really tried to work in some moving shots and have the dialogue overlap in ways that really make you wonder, 'How's that happening?' "

When it comes to the recurring theme in his films of duality, Norton sees "Leaves of Grass" as a departure in that this time he's embodying two distinct characters — and he's pretty happy with the result. "Watching it [at the Toronto International Film Festival] — watching people watch it — I am very pleased with how seamless it feels."

Check out everything we've got on "Leaves of Grass."

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

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LeBron James Says Coach Is 'Real Star' Of 'More Than A Game'

LeBron James is used to having cameras in his face. It sort of comes with the territory when you're the face of the National Basketball Association, a spokesman for Nike and now the star of "More Than a Game," the documentary about James' high school hoops team — but he wasn't always comfortable with the bright lights and the film rolling. So when director Kristopher Belman first showed up in James' high school gymnasium, he did not embrace him right away.

"When he first came in, we were kind of skeptical because we had already seen so much media coverage and so much had gone on that we were like, 'Not another camera,' " James told MTV News with Belman at his side. "But Coach Dru [Joyce] sat us down and said, 'Look, guys, he's from Akron [Ohio], he's genuine, he's doing a school project — let's give him a break.' So we did that. He kept coming around and he was never intrusive, so we felt more comfortable and more comfortable with him."

Indeed, Helman had only planned on shooting enough footage of the St. Vincent-St. Mary High School boys basketball team for a 10-minute short for film school. But, seven years later, he has a feature starring one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet.

Helman has James' coach Dru Joyce to thank for allowing him that initial access, and both he and James agree that it's the team's father figure who emerges as the film's star, rather than the charismatic James. "Coach Dru is the real star of the movie," James said. "He not only helped us in basketball but helped is in life in general."

Check out everything we've got on "More Than a Game."

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

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'Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs': Spaghetti Tornadoes And A Chicken Army

The classic children's book "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" spins a tall, tasty tale about a mythical land in which the sky rains orange juice and storms hamburgers, while every so often a pea-soup fog rolls in.

The how and why of this culinary weather — the meat and potatoes of the story, if you will — is never explained in Judi Barrett's slim 1978 book. All we know is that the deliciousness turns suddenly dangerous for the townsfolk of Chewandswallow — massive school flattening pancakes! Salt and pepper winds! — and they're forced into survival mode.

The new 3-D animated adaptation of "Cloudy" dreams up an origin story for the mouthwatering climate — a loony young inventor named Flint Lockwood creates a machine that turns water into food — but filmmakers didn't shy away from rendering the book's hair-raising detail of every meteor-size meatball and mile-long strand of pasta.

"They went real with it!" laughed "Saturday Night Live" comedian Bill Hader, who voices Flint. "When I saw the spaghetti twister for the first time in 3-D, I was like, 'How the hell did you guys do that?' That's no joke. It looks fantastic."

"It's pretty hefty food," seconded Anna Faris (young weathergirl Sam Sparks). "You've got the peanut-brittle cavern. The army of roasted chickens. It gets dangerous!"

Which is not to say "Cloudy" isn't a movie for kids; if the reaction from schoolchildren at a recent advance screening is any indication, they'll have a blast. Flint is part "Back to the Future" mad scientist, part "Field of Dreams" visionary, part loveable nutball. He comes up with wacky inventions like a hair un-balder, a monkey-thought translator and, most disastrously, a hybrid, procreation-happy creature called a ratbird. Then he strikes upon the water-into-grub idea — what co-star Bobbe' J. Thompson dubs the "Food-inator 3000" — and permanently changes the life of his fellow citizens.

So sure it's a kids' movie, and sure parents have been reading the book to their children before bedtime for decades, but if Hader could have injected some of his own youthful experiences into the script, "Cloudy" would most likely not have snatched its PG rating.

"Whiskey!" replied the "SNL"-er when asked how his folks got him to go to bed. "My parents gave me whiskey and I was out."

Hader's eyes then lit up with a brilliant movie idea. "'Cloudy with a Chance of Whiskey!'" he cried. "That's a totally different movie."

Check out everything we've got on "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs."

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

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'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Premieres Worldwide On October 27

It should come as no surprise that the documentary detailing the final rehearsals for Michael Jackson's planned comeback tour, "Michael Jackson's This Is It," will make history when it debuts next month. In an unprecedented move, Sony Pictures will premiere the movie simultaneously in more than 15 cities around the world, according to a Reuters report.

While the movie will open to the general public on October 28 for a two-week run, it will first hit theaters on October 27 in cities around the world, including New York, Rio de Janeiro, London, Berlin and Seoul. Those cities will coordinate their screenings to begin three hours after the premiere at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Satellite transmissions of Hollywood stars' red-carpet arrivals will be broadcast to the other cities. Sony did not release the names of the other cities that will host the 15 simultaneous screenings, but Variety reported there will be premieres in Moscow, Tokyo, Sydney and Paris at a later date.

"Michael Jackson has an army of fans everywhere around the world," said Jeff Blake, chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for Sony Pictures, in a statement. "We are giving the audiences an incredible opportunity to join together in celebration of Michael Jackson's incredible career."

The news came on the same day a new clip from the movie was released, showing Jackson rehearsing the song "Human Nature" for his planned series of 50 gigs at the O2 arena in London. Jackson died at the age of 50 on June 25 of an overdose of prescription medication while in final rehearsals for the unprecedented run of shows at the 20,000-seat arena. The movie is based on more than 100 hours of high-definition rehearsal footage.

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'Jennifer's Body': Girl Trouble, By Kurt Loder

Just as he's about to rip the beautiful Jennifer's tightly bound body to shreds with a knife, hunky young Nikolai tries to tell her why. Nikolai is the lead singer of an indie band called Low Shoulder. They're desperate to make it big — to be the next Maroon 5! But the world is awash in indie bands, so it's hard. "There are so many of us," he says, "and we're all so cute. ... Satan is our only hope." In the group's quest for diabolic new management, Nikolai has downloaded a Satanic ritual off the Internet. All that's required is a virgin sacrifice. Unfortunately, he's picked the wrong girl: Jennifer's days of sexual innocence are far behind her. ("I'm not even a backdoor virgin," she later admits.) So the ritual goes seriously wrong. Instead of leaving Jennifer dead, it transforms her into a snaky-eyed, flesh-eating demon. Oops.

The negative early reviews with which "Jennifer's Body" has been greeted are puzzling. Critics seem irked that the picture's not a full-on horror film or a straight teen comedy or a familiar satirical combination of the two. But the movie has other intentions: It's really about the social horrors of high school for adolescent girls (the guys on hand are clueless bystanders). And with a script by Diablo Cody (her first since the Oscar-winning "Juno"), the picture has a tone — smart and slashingly sarcastic — that's all its own. It's actually kind of brilliant.

Picking Megan Fox to play Jennifer was a sharp move — who better to portray this cold-hearted tease and all-around bitch on wheels? ("What's wrong with you?" Jennifer asks a classmate. "Besides the obvious surface flaws?") And Amanda Seyfried — tamping down her sunny cuteness with bookworm glasses and pulled-back hair — is just right as Jennifer's inevitably nerdy best friend, Needy. Jennifer was a monster even before her Satanic transformation at the hands of Nikolai (Adam Brody), but Needy has remained loyal to her childhood pal. When Jennifer starts munching on their fellow students, though, Needy has to seriously rethink their relationship.

Director Karyn Kusama ("Aeon Flux") has given the picture a rich, lustrous look, and there are some wonderfully well-edited scenes, like the back-and-forth montage in which we see Needy having sweet first-time sex with her boyfriend, Chip (Johnny Simmons), while Jennifer has her bloody way with the school's timid, lip-ringed goth guy (Kyle Gallner) — who soon learns what goth is really all about.

The movie has a generous ration of gore; but Kusama — possibly with input from "Juno" director Jason Reitman, who produced the film with several associates — maintains smooth control over the picture's diverse genre elements. So, while Fox suggests nudity even when fully-clothed, nobody gets naked in any really ogle-worthy way. And there's a scene in which Jennifer lures the school's star linebacker out into the moonlit woods (reaching into his pants for a purpose very different from what the big lug is expecting) that primes us for some vintage flesh-rending; but then an audience of cute little forest critters gathers around to watch, and suddenly we're somewhere else entirely.

The picture gets a powerful kick from its well-chosen soundtrack (Silversun Pickups, All Time Low, even Hole — although not that band's own "Jennifer's Body"). But it's Cody's pop smarts that keep the movie really bubbling. She knows all about bands and boys, and she never hits a bum note. As Nikolai's Satanic ritual is about to get under way, he tells the helpless Jennifer to look on the bright side. "Maybe we'll write a song about you," he says. Perfect.

Don't miss Kurt Loder's reviews of "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt,""Whiteout,""The Informant!" and "The Burning Plain," also in theaters this week.

Check out everything we've got on "Jennifer's Body."

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

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'Cloudy' Loomed Over 'Jennifer's Body' At Box Office

The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" ($30.1 million)
#2 "The Informant!" ($10.5 million)
#3 "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself" ($10.1 million)
#4 "Love Happens" ($8.5 million)
#5 "Jennifer's Body" ($6.8 million)

"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" enjoyed a delicious first-place finish for its opening weekend at the box office. The Sony Pictures Animation film — currently the company's third and most widely regarded animated feature by critics and moviegoers alike — earned $30.1 million, solidifying its status as the highest opening weekend take for any film in September this year.

Additionally, the success of "Meatballs" lands the movie way out in front of "9," the Focus Features computer-animated film that premiered last weekend and depicts a world where humanity is extinct and nine living dolls are left to save the day. Unsurprisingly, parents have opted to bring their kids to "Meatballs," which is considerably more family-friendly than the Shane Acker-directed apocalypse.

The weekend's other releases fared considerably worse than the Bill Hader-starring computer-animated movie, with Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!" the closest at $10.5 million. Based on actual events, the film showcases a decidedly different turn from actor Matt Damon, not only because he typically churns out money-raking flicks, but also because of his role as a bumbling everyman in the film, something that fans of his "Bourne" franchise are not used to seeing.

The second- and third-place finishes for "The Informant!" and "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself," which snagged the weekend's bronze medal at $10 million, are surprising considering their competition. All being equal, the two films should have fallen behind the Jennifer Aniston/Aaron Eckhart-starring "Love Happens," a romantic comedy that had all the star power needed to match earlier summer successes like "The Proposal" but only managed an unimpressive fourth place opening at $8.5 million.

Even worse is the outcome for "Jennifer's Body," the Megan Fox thriller written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody. "Body" only managed $6.8 million in 2,702 theaters despite being the second-widest release of the weekend behind the 3,119 theaters showing "Meatballs." What this result means for both Fox and Cody, two of Hollywood's hottest prospects thanks to "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "Juno," respectively, remains to be seen.

Upcoming Releases

Next weekend, comic-book movie "Surrogates," starring Bruce Willis, aims to do better business than the poorly received "Whiteout" adaptation earlier this year. Several other newcomers join the thriller, including the musically minded "Fame," horror film "Pandorum" and "The Other Man," starring Liam Neeson.

Check out everything we've got on "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,""The Informant!" and "Jennifer's Body."

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

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'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Documentary Soundtrack OK'd By Judge

Less than a week after the trailer for the eagerly anticipated documentary "Michael Jackson's This Is It" debuted during the VMAs, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has approved a deal to release a soundtrack to the film.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved a deal on Thursday afternoon that gives Jackson's longtime label home, Sony Music Entertainment, permission to release a CD to accompany the film, which chronicles Jackson's rehearsals for what was to be his comeback residency at the O2 arena in London.

"This Is It" is slated to open on October 28 and play in theaters for two weeks. The attorney for the administrators of Jackson's estate said that in order for the album to be completed on time, Sony has to begin work on it right away. There is no information on what songs might be included on the disc.

The release of the movie and CD could be a potential cash boon for the reportedly debt-ridden Jackson estate, which will reportedly give the singer's children and their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, more than $86,000 a month in living expenses from the estate.

According to CNN, court documents released on Thursday show that $60,000 a month will go to children Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, for clothing, education and entertainment. Katherine Jackson will receive $26,804 a month to cover expenses. The largest portion of that money, $4,722, is for an assistant to the 79-year-old Jackson family matriarch, with $3,500 a month devoted to a clothing budget, $2,000 each for a housekeeper and driver, and $1,500 a month for entertainment allowances.

The detailed breakdown of the money devoted to the children is mostly redacted for their safety at their lawyer's request, but court documents show that the three will get $14,600 a month for the salaries and payroll taxes for the people who help take care of them. The children also get $13,260 a month for entertainment and related expenses. The court documents estimate that Jackson's estate is worth more than $500 million.

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Miley Cyrus On Her Film 'Last Song': 'Art Really Does Imitate Life'

NEW YORK — Miley Cyrus isn't about to spill many details about "The Last Song," the film she recently shot with (possible new beau) Liam Hemsworth, but when MTV News caught up with her on the "VH1 Divas" red carpet, we did manage to squeeze a single drop of info about the project out of her.

Namely, if you want to catch a sneak peek, you're gonna have to make it out to her Wonder World Tour, which kicked off Monday in Portland, Oregon.

"Come to my tour! You're gonna see a sneak preview. I do a song for it," Cyrus teased. "I changed a lot when I was in Tybee Island [Georgia, filming 'Last Song']. I feel like art really does imitate life. So just showing this movie, I feel like I'm really showing a part of my growth as a person as well. So I'm really excited for people to see it, just because of what it means to me, personally."

And while information on the film itself is pretty hard to come by — it's reportedly due next year and it's a more mature turn for Cyrus, who stars as a rebellious teen who reconnects with her father through their mutual love of music — it's never too early to begin a little bit of speculation. So we asked her: If "The Last Song" really does allow her to showcase her acting chops, is there a possible Academy Award nomination in the cards?

"Oh, dear God, I don't know," Cyrus laughed.

If you missed "VH1 Divas" on Thursday night, don't fret: Tune in to VH1 on Friday (September 18) at 7 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. or Sunday at 1 p.m. to see the Divas in action.

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'Jennifer's Body' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

Flash back to late 2007, a time when filmgoers were discovering a tiny little film called "Juno" and finding it as refreshing as a swig of Sunny D. Writer Diablo Cody was in the process of winning an Oscar for Best Screenplay; Megan Fox had recently broken through with the year's highest-grossing film, "Transformers"; Amanda Seyfried was on the verge of her own breakthrough as she filmed "Mamma Mia!"; and Fox purchased the rights to Cody's follow-up script that would soon unite the fast-rising Hollywood talents.

In the 21 months since, MTV News has followed the development of the sexy horror film as closely as Jennifer Check stalking her prey. Now, with the film about a demonically possessed cheerleader opening in theaters this weekend, we present our Jennifer's Body cheat sheet — stuffed with all the information you need to know before letting Jennifer sink her teeth into you.

Dirty Girl, Dirty Mouth
One of the reasons we love Megan is that she's willing to go anywhere. And as we found out when we spoke with the "Transformers" star, her mouth is as beautiful as it is dirty. Yeah, you can ask her pretty much anything — except to sing "Somewhere Under the Rainbow."

Comic-Con Cornucopia
Megan wowed the geeks at this summer's Comic-Con, providing some of our most popular interview clips and even landing her own sexy graphic novel.

Kiss and Tell
As anyone who has ever read anything about this movie knows, Fox and Seyfried engage in a sexy kiss during one of the film's key scenes. Megan told us that she "feels much safer with girls" but that Seyfried was "extremely uncomfortable" and giggled between takes. According to Seyfried, the kiss was so sexy that it turned on her boyfriend, "Mamma Mia!" co-star Dominic Cooper. At other points in the movie, Jennifer seduces various people to death, but as you can see in this clip, it's a helluva way to go.

Naked Ambition
Megan might just be the hottest actress in the world right now, and we've watched her evolve quite a bit over the last few years. But sorry boys: She told us she won't be doing nudity anytime soon.

A Badass Babe
Earlier this year, Diablo gave us her list of the top 10 movie badasses of all time, as she was intently focused on getting Jennifer into those ranks — or, at least, the top five scary high school girls. In June, Megan told us that the film is so scary that she terrified herself while watching her scenes. We got a good look at all the blood, boobs and bad words with a red-band trailer and more of a peek at Megan's body during her recent Rolling Stone cover shoot.

Picture Perfect
Be sure to check out all the photos of the hot ladies from "Jennifer's Body," while their characters are still alive and in one sexy piece. And if you think you have it in you to try to pick up Megan Fox, here are a few pointers from the lady herself. But watch out for co-star Adam Brody, as he openly admits to having a bit of a "crush" on Megan.

The Verdict
You can read all the reviews you want, but all you need is three words from Megan herself, who promised us that "Jennifer's Body" is "f---ing really good." Judging by the fact that "Body" has captured nearly 50 percent on our poll of who will win this weekend, she's not the only one interested in Jennifer's body of work.

Going Beyond 'Body'
Now that this project is about to unspool in theaters, the cast is ready to move on to the next challenge. Director Karyn Kusama is eyeballing another horror film, this time with Rachel Weisz as the lead. Megan Fox, meanwhile, told us that she won't be quitting Bay-hem anytime soon -- so stay tuned for more sexiness in "Transformers 3."

Check out everything we've got on "Jennifer's Body."

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

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Jason Bateman On 'Arrested Development' Movie: 'Perhaps That Ship Has Sailed'

"Arrested Development" wrapped up its Emmy-winning, ratings-challenged three-season run in February 2006. More than three and a half years later, the "Will they or won't they?" chatter about a big-screen turn for the dysfunctional Bluth family rages on in the absence, it seems, of any real news.

Well, enough time has passed that even the man behind the show's central player — frazzled and frustrated Michael Bluth — is starting to think that the time for an "Arrested" movie has come and gone.

"Perhaps that ship has sailed," Jason Bateman told MTV News at the Toronto International Film Festival while promoting the George Clooney-starring "Up in the Air."

Bateman's cautious declaration is the latest in a year's long string of cast statements about the "Arrested" film stretching back to the Sundance Film Festival in January, when Michael Cera (George Michael Bluth, the most awkward of awkward teens) cast doubt on the notion that the project would move forward. Since then the show's big players, like executive producer Ron Howard, Will Arnett (George "Gob" Bluth), David Cross (Tobias Fьnke) and Tony Hale (Buster Bluth) have all chimed in with various takes on the likelihood of getting "Arrested" into the cinema.

It's all gotten so confusing that even Bateman isn't exactly sure what's going on. Just moments after saying that the ship has sailed, he said that series creator Mitch Hurwitz is actually knee-deep in the "Arrested" writing process.

"[Mitch] just had a very busy television season," Bateman said. "Now that that has finished, he's intensely writing the movie. My guess is he's halfway done with it. My guess is we'd be shooting it in eight, nine, 10 months and then it would be out six or seven months later."

Wait, did Bateman just tell us we'll see the movie in a year and a half at most? We'll have to wait and see. Until then, we'll continue to harass the cast for any sort of update. In fact, just hours after his MTV News interview, we ran into Bateman again, this time during the red-carpet premiere for "Up in the Air."

"Any new development on 'Arrested' to tell us about?" we laughed.

Check out everything we've got on "Up in the Air."

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'The Burning Plain': Smithereens, By Kurt Loder

I think everybody likes a good WTF movie — remember "Memento"? But director Guillermo Arriaga, who specializes in this sort of thing as a screenwriter ("Babel," "21 Grams"), has scrambled the narrative of "The Burning Plain," his first feature, to no very interesting purpose. It's a beautifully made film, with a couple of arresting performances; but it's so solemn it almost puts itself to sleep, and so pointlessly disjointed you kind of wish it would take a nap.

There's a nice tingle of inscrutability right at the beginning, when we meet Sylvia (Charlize Theron), the manager of a sleek cliff-top restaurant on the Oregon coast. Sylvia is clearly dragging around a heavy burden of woe, which she attempts to lighten by sleeping with any man who comes within hailing distance, and occasionally by gouging her thigh with jagged stones. She's being followed about by an equally morose-looking Mexican stranger, whose name, we later learn, is Carlos. Carlos has no interest in sleeping with Sylvia, even after she asks him to, but we don't learn that till later either. So that's that, or them, for now.

The first of the movie's many jumps takes us to New Mexico, where an older woman named Gina (Kim Basinger), is conducting an adulterous affair with an affable older guy named Nick (Joaquim de Almeida) in a shabby house trailer out in the middle of a vast grassy plain. Since the movie opened with a long shot of this very trailer going up in flames, we fear for these two. Gina also has some scars, which we also learn about later. (The picture's scar motif, you'll be unsurprised to know, is earnestly metaphorical.)

I think we can sail through all of the subsequent plot cuts that start piling up here. We meet Gina's teenage daughter, Mariana (Jennifer Lawrence), who knows her mom's having it off with Nick; and we meet Nick's teenage son, Santiago (J.D. Pardo), who wants to have a word or two, and possibly more, with Mariana. There's also a 12-year-old girl named Maria (Tessa Ia), and her father, a handsome crop-dusting pilot named ... Santiago. Not to mention her father's partner, whose name is ... Carlos.

By this point, we're wondering not only what is going, but when. The movie's slice-and-dice structure would feel justified if the story were a mystery (again: "Memento"), and if in looking back on it we could marvel at the skill with which it had led us to a climactic revelation. But "The Burning Plain" is a story about love, loss, tragedy — the stuff of straight drama. It's not a mystery, and the narrative fractures seem arbitrarily imposed.

That said, the picture is gorgeous to look at. Its two Oscar-winning cinematographers, Robert Elswit ("There Will Be Blood") and John Toll ("Braveheart"), the first shooting in New Mexico, the other in Oregon, have created majestic widescreen panoramas of rocky coastline and sunbathed desert (as well as an exhilarating airborne sequence), and their interior compositions are impeccably weighted and subtly detailed. Charlize Theron, an effortlessly charismatic actress, may be getting too skilled at the sort of pinched distress she's called upon to provide here; but Jennifer Lawrence, who's still only 19, brings to the project a dark, haunted beauty that's the most memorable thing in the film. A shame, then, that the movie itself is otherwise too labored to merit much in the way of recall.

Don't miss Kurt Loder's reviews of "Jennifer's Body" and "The Informant!," also new in theaters this week.

Check out everything we've got on "The Burning Plain."

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

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'The Informant!': Liars, Inc., By Kurt Loder

It's October of 1992, and Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), a hotshot executive at Archer Daniels Midland, the giant agricultural conglomerate, is going about his job. He has a full plate at the moment — some mysterious virus is screwing up the company's corn-syrup operation. Did you know there's corn syrup in everything — orange juice, maple syrup? It's true.

So Mark has a lot on his mind. Or at least that part of his mind that's not buzzing with a whole other swarm of odd fixations. Like ... sushi. "I wonder who went first on that one?" Mark wonders. "The guy without the grill?" There's also the threat of poison-winged butterflies. And ... polar bears! Do you realize that polar bears would be impossible to spot in their snowy Arctic habitat if it weren't for their black noses? It's true. Do you think a polar bear ever peered at his reflection in the water surrounding his ice floe and thought, "Without that nose, I'd be invisible"? Maybe. On the other hand, as Mark concludes, "That's a lot of thinking for a bear."

Steven Soderbergh's droll new comedy, "The Informant!," tells a corporate-whistleblower story that's so whacked-out, there seems no way it could be true. But it is. Just as his ADM employers are getting concerned about the corn-syrup virus, Mark comes to them with a new problem: He's been contacted about a mole in the company — a bad guy, could be blowing trade secrets, who knows what else? The source of this information will identify the traitor in exchange for a big cash payoff, to be deposited in numbered overseas bank accounts. Whitacre helpfully says he will handle the transaction.

Then the FBI becomes involved. Then, when the Bureau sends one of its agents, broody Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula), to talk to Whitacre about this bribery attempt, Whitacre, out of nowhere, volunteers to become a mole himself for the FBI ! To expose ADM's international price-fixing schemes! If the company's not stopped, Mark says ... well, the price of soda pop could rise five cents a bottle. It's true! Soon Mark is packing a little Nagra recorder on his business trips to Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, and taping his colleagues saying the most unseemly things. ("The customer is our enemy," one exec observes. "The competitor is our friend.")

Great stuff. And the Justice Department is becoming very interested. But Mark Whitacre is ... well, it's not just the palatial spread he calls home, or even the fact that he owns eight cars. There's something else. So the Bureau gives Mark a lie-detector test — which he flunks resoundingly. Okay, he says — I'll come clean. The mole, the bribe? I made that up. The Bureau guys are floored. But their moments of drop-jawed amazement are only beginning. Because Mark Whitacre, it turns out, is one of the most relentlessly inventive liars in the history of corporate cupidity.

The movie is based on a book by former New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald, and Scott Z. Burns has turned it into a sleek, punchy script. You might think a business-based story would have to be dry in spots; but as low-key as it is, the picture is consistently funny, and it grows more and more hilarious as it goes along. Scott Bakula, his imposing Easter Island face sculpted with crags of deep concern, is the perfect emblem of the FBI's bumbling desperation to keep up with Whitacre's ever-unfolding machinations. Melanie Lynskey brings a cherubic sweetness to the role of Mark's puzzlingly devoted wife, Ginger. And there are also a number of noted comedians salted in among the cast (among them Tom and Dick Smothers), all doing straight time for Steven.

But the movie is a totally-owned comic coup for Matt Damon, demonstrating here, in ways that aren't always obvious in his action films, what a gifted performer he is. He plays Whitacre — with his serious glasses and stolid mustache — as a complete nutcase; but he also makes us see how easy it is for the man to convince everyone else in the story of his staunch sincerity. The guy is a total conundrum (even to himself, it eventually becomes clear). Who is he really? And how many of him are there? Eavesdropping on his internal chaos at one point, we hear him musing about television, thinking, "There should be a show where a guy calls home — and he's there."

Don't miss Kurt Loder's review of "Jennifer's Body" and "The Burning Plains," also new in theaters this week.

Check out everything we've got on "The Informant!"

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

Sir Paul said death rumours were madness‘Informant!’ Star Matt Damon Confesses: ‘I Have The Opposite Of Anorexia’

'Informant!' Star Matt Damon Confesses: 'I Have The Opposite Of Anorexia'

For his latest role as an agribusiness exec-turned-corporate-whistle-blower in "The Informant!," Matt Damon gobbled burgers, pizza and McDonald's value meals to pack on 30 pounds. As the 38-year-old actor explained to MTV News, though, he suffers from a rare, entirely make-believe condition that has him always thinking, regardless of his waistline, he's looking mighty fine.

"I have the opposite of anorexia," he joked to MTV News while at the Toronto International Film Festival. "I look in the mirror and I think I look great."

Case in point: Damon hadn't realized he'd earlier put on a bit of weight — "Not for this movie, it was just in my life," he said with a shrug — and suddenly found none of his suits fit. The only explanation seemed to be that his frequent co-star/ infamous practical jokester had played a prank on him, not that he'd taken down three too many Big Macs.

"I was like, 'What's going on?' I took another suit out and it didn't fit either," Damon said. "Honestly, what I thought was that somehow [George] Clooney had gotten in and paid somebody to slightly hem [the suits]. My wife said to me, 'Could it be that maybe you've put on some weight?' I'm like, 'That's absurd! I look fantastic!' "

Only later did Damon come to realize the truth. "And it was, of course, that I was a fat a--, because I got back in shape later and went and put the same suits on and they fit. It made more sense to me that George Clooney paid somebody to hem my suits than I actually didn't fit in my suits."

With "Informant!," directed by Steven Soderbergh, coming out on Friday, the actor has gotten back into shape. While he's once again fitting into his formal wear, the Hollywood A-lister admits to continuing to suffer from this imaginary affliction. But it could be a lot worse, he reasons.

"It's better than having anorexia," he said. "The opposite of anorexia is good."

Check out everything we've got on "The Informant!"

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

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Ashley Greene Says 'Eclipse' Will Be 'More Guy-Friendly'

"Twilight" star Ashley Greene told us last week that she's been getting battered and bruised on the set of "Eclipse." Whose fault is that? Well, other than author Stephenie Meyer, who wrote some scary fight scenes into her novel, all the abuse Greene and her co-stars have been taking is thanks to director David Slade.

Although her work with the "30 Days of Night" and "Hard Candy" filmmaker had just begun, Greene said she's excited about the vision he has for "Eclipse."

"He's been really good," she told MTV News last week. "I've sat down and spoken to him and broken down the script a little bit. I definitely like his take on it. I think it's going to be good."

Just as co-star Taylor Lautner told MTV News on Sunday, Greene said Slade's taking the third "Twilight" film in a darker direction. "I think it'll be different," Greene said. "He's ... a little more focused on it being real and maybe it being gorier and a little dark and kind of dramatic."

Like the novel, which builds up to a climactic battle of vampires and werewolves, Greene said "Eclipse" has a lot more action than the first film and might appeal to more than just screaming teen girls. "The first one was very focused on this love story and really sweet and it was beautiful, but it didn't have a lot of stuff that guys would go, 'Yeah, I want to go see that,' " she said. "There's going to be a lot more focus on [action], and the fight scene will have more emphasis on it. I definitely think it will be a little more guy-friendly."

But that also means this movie is a little harder on its cast. "Going into [a movie], I've never had to work so hard with stunt training and personal training and stuff like that," Greene said.

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and "Eclipse."

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

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'Twilight' Actress Anna Kendrick Is Fine Without RPattz-Level Fame

As the "Twilight" film franchise has shifted from under-the-radar property to out-of-this-world media and entertainment spectacle, actress Anna Kendrick has quietly continued to play the small role of Jessica Stanley, one of Bella Swan's high school classmates. The 24-year-old has had a front-row seat as co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have become paparazzi targets whose every sneeze becomes tabloid-news fodder. After seeing what those two have endured, Kendrick is thankful for the relative obscurity of her part in the vampire saga.

"I would have gone insane at this point!" she told MTV News while promoting the George Clooney comedy "Up in the Air" at the Toronto International Film Festival. "They're so levelheaded. They've handled it so gracefully."

With "New Moon" set for a November release and "Eclipse" currently filming in Vancouver, the entire cast has had to contend with the increased media attention. "Thank God that people exist who know how to handle that," Kendrick said, speaking about the "Eclipse" shoot. "The production has managed to keep out a lot of onlookers. You know that they're there. That kind of does affect the way you feel, but it's one of those things — you just get over it. If there are a ton of background actors in scenes, it's the same thing. You just have to tune it out."

The enlarged awareness of all things "Twilight" extends to the ways in which filmmakers adapt author Stephenie Meyer's source material, omitting certain plot points while amplifying or creating others. Kendrick points out that there is less pressure to stay 100 percent faithful with her character than there is with any of the vampires.

"The thing about playing one of the human characters, the non-supernatural characters in the 'Twilight' series, is we have a lot more liberty to make it our own and change things, because people don't have that attachment that they do to the myth, the world that Stephenie Meyer created in terms of the supernatural aspect," the actress explained. "So we've never really gotten in trouble for straying a little bit. We're having fun. We've been faithful to the book, but [there are] a few changes."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

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

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Jennifer Aniston Says 'Love Happens' Goes To Some 'Dark Places'

BEVERLY HILLS, California — When you talk to Jennifer Aniston, there are certain topics a gentleman should avoid, including bringing up her love life, soliciting her for profane alternate titles for her movies or trying to get her to ask you out.

But one of the reasons Jen is one of the most famous people in the world is because her life has always been such an open book. And so, as her latest romantic flick, "Love Happens," opens this weekend — casting her opposite "Dark Knight" star Aaron Eckhart in the tale of a widowed man learning to love again — Aniston brought all of the above up on her own.

Read on for Aniston's revealing thoughts on why she wants to go on a date with me, rumors about recent flings with co-stars Eckhart and Gerard Butler and why sh-- happens.

MTV: Jennifer, you've got "Love Happens" coming to theaters. In your mind, what does that title mean?

Jennifer Aniston: I think it means it just happens when it happens, when you least expect it. You know, you could be on a — I keep wanting to say "Sh-- Happens."

MTV: Could that be an alternate title for this film, in a way?

Aniston: Yeah, in a way. Maybe not. I don't think I should say that. [ Laughs. ] No, no, no, no.

MTV: But that would look so good on marquees! In this film, Aaron plays a motivational speaker. If you were ever going to take a gig like that, what do you think you could teach? What wisdom would you impart on people?

Aniston: Oh God, I don't know. Just life stuff. You only really preach about what you've been [through]. You would only talk something you've walked. I'm sure there's many topics I could think of.

MTV: By our unofficial count, you've fallen in love onscreen about 20 to 25 times now.

Aniston: Then that would mean in life 25 times now, as well. They go hand in hand now. Actually, I'm thinking about dating you after this interview.

MTV: And then you could make another movie to balance it.

Aniston: Yeah. And then be told that's why we did it — to sell that movie. [ Laughs. ] All set up by the agents.

MTV: You're one of only a handful of people who folks will consistently pay $10 to see fall in love again and again. Why do you think that is? Why are people so enraptured by watching you fall in love?

Aniston: I don't just fall in love in movies. I don't know why. You would have to ask those people. I don't know the answer to that.

MTV: But you would primarily describe "Love Happens" as a romantic film, correct?

Aniston: Yes, I would say it's a romantic film. But it also goes to some pretty dark places. It's not as light and fluffy as most romantic films, I would say in its defense, for those that might be skeptical about going to see romantic comedies.

MTV: I wanted to share a story with you. Recently I was pumping gas, the most mundane thing there is, and a little TV screen above the gas pump said "Fun Fact: Jennifer Aniston was born Jennifer Anastassakis." It got me thinking about how crazy it would be to live in a world where you can't even go to a gas station without seeing references to yourself.

Aniston: That is strange, especially if they pronounced it that way [ laughs ], which is not what it is. But an "A" for effort! I was already Aniston [when I was born]. My dad was already Aniston by the time I was born. When he moved from Greece here when he was 5, that's when the name changed.

MTV: That has definitely made your career easier, I would think.

Aniston: Yeah, that's not an easy one to have on a rйsumй. Or to make people like yourself have to sort of say, "I'm here with ... that." [ Laughs. ]

MTV: Well, for those of us who'll never know: What is it like living in a world where random stuff like that pops up all around you? Because, I'll never go to a gas station and see my name above the pump.

Aniston: You don't know that. Sh-- happens!

MTV: Yes, it does.

Aniston: I've had some weird moments. There are actually some really funny ones, but if you ask me off the top of my head, I can't think of one. They're too long [and there are] too many. But it is surreal.

Check out everything we've got on "Love Happens."

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

Rihanna saved millions on new homeTyler Perry’s ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’ Makes Good At Box Office

Tyler Perry's 'I Can Do Bad All By Myself' Makes Good At Box Office

The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "I Can Do Bad All by Myself" ($24 million)
#2 "9" ($10.9 million)
#3 "Inglourious Basterds" ($6.5 million)
#4 "All About Steve" ($5.8 million)
#5 "The Final Destination" ($5.5 million)

Filmmaker/writer/actor Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" hit theaters this weekend, but this time Madea didn't go to jail — she went all the way to the bank.

"I Can Do Bad" easily defeated films both new and old at the box office this weekend with a $24 million total by Sunday's end. The movie, which had the widest release of any Perry-directed feature thus far, brought only the third-highest opening weekend from the director to date — Perry's earlier 2009 release, "Madea Goes to Jail," is his most lucrative opening at $41 million.

Perry's film is the first movie without an action-centric premise to top the box office since Judd Apatow's "Funny People" in late July, signaling that the heat of summer blockbusters is starting to cool down. Another, stronger sign is the fact that, other than "Bad" and Shane Acker's "9" — which earned $10.9 million over the weekend and $15.2 million since its opening last Wednesday — not a single film was able to earn over $10 million this weekend.

The Elijah Wood-voiced, animated "9," despite falling significantly short of "Bad" 's intake, held a decisive $4.4 million lead over Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic "Inglourious Basterds," which ended the weekend in third place. But "Basterds" earned $6.5 million over the weekend, sending it past the $100 million mark in its fourth week at the box office. "All About Steve" and "The Final Destination," meanwhile, rounded out the top five with $5.8 million and $5.5 million respectively, showing that their feud from last weekend is still active — even if the dollars in contention are significantly lower this time around.

The horror movie "Sorority Row" and the comic book adaptation "Whiteout," the weekend's other debuting movies, both fell short of the coveted top five with $5.2 million and $5.1 million, respectively. Both films were expected to fare much better than they did, but a mix of poor critical reception and a lack of strong marketing led to their box-office demises.

Upcoming Releases

"9" gets some computer-animated competition next weekend in the form of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," while the Megan Fox-starring "Jennifer's Body" also takes a stab at the box-office title. Other contenders include Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!" starring Matt Damon, and the romantic comedy "Love Happens," starring Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston.

Check out everything we've got on "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself " and "9."

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

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