Thursday, November 17, 2011

Nikki Reed Compares Her Wedding To 'Breaking Dawn'

For the legions of "Twilight" fans, the year's biggest wedding is only a few days away, with "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" hitting theaters Friday. But for Nikki Reed, who plays Rosalie in the films, her biggest wedding took place about a month ago when she married former "American Idol" contestant Paul McDonald on October 16. While promoting the film, Reed has had to field a number a questions about similarities between Bella's wedding in the film and her own real-life wedding. "People have been asking, just because I just got married, 'What's the difference between your wedding and Bella ...?' — the whole comparing thing," Reed told MTV News. It wasn't until Reed actually saw the finished film that she discovered a similarity between the two weddings. "I saw the movie last night for the first time, and what Bella says to Charlie is exactly what I said to my dad right when we were going to start walking down," she revealed. "She says, 'Don't let me fall,' and I was wearing these high shoes and walking down this cobblestone hill, not a smooth glide to the altar. I kept saying to my dad, 'Please, don't let me fall. I'll just take my shoes off. I don't need to walk in shoes.' He's like, 'It's going to be OK.' " With her wedding came the question of whether Reed will change her surname to "McDonald." Reed said she likes the idea for her personal name, but wasn't sure if she'll change her stage name. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I feel like there's something really nice about that, changing your name," Reed said. "I think it's sort of traditional, and I've never been a super-traditional gal, but I think it's nice." She did express some concern over the name and referenced her husband's own problems with it. "He told me that he didn't think anyone was going to marry him for that exact reason [of his last name]," Reed said. "I think it's kind of nice, though. 'McDonald' is a good name. It's strong. It feels strong and beefy." Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Ashley Greene, Kristen Stewart and Nikki Reed in "Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" Photo: Summit Entertainment

Iron Man's 'Avengers' Armor Needs To Hulk Out

There's a wonderful Internet meme that touts "money" as the best superpower in the world, and though it's a crude stance, it's got some weight. At the very least, money fuels two of the most popular and successful comic book heroes of them all: Batman and Iron Man. Without a good chunk of cash at their disposal, neither Bruce Wayne nor Tony Stark would have the necessary resources to wage their elaborate, gadget-heavy wars on crime, would they? It's the latter hero — Iron Man — that we'll focus on in Marvel Mania, our new weekly MTV News column highlighting the various movies coming out from the House of Ideas. Already the most widely embraced hero in the Marvel Studios catalog, ol' Shellhead's about to make his third big-screen voyage with "The Avengers" next summer. With each subsequent appearance onscreen, Robert Downey Jr.'s billionaire playboy has found new and improved ways to upgrade his already impressive armor. (Suitcase suit, we're looking at you.) But will Tony's red-and-gold duds get another makeover when "Avengers" comes in for a landing — and, most importantly, will we finally see the hero's Hulkbuster armor? First revealed in 1994's "Iron Man" #318, Tony Stark's Hulkbuster armor is a massive, heavy-set version of his classic Iron Man suit that was created specifically to handle one-on-one combat against the Hulk. The Hulkbuster has made numerous appearances since then — including a brief stint in Greg Pak's 2007 "World War Hulk" story line — and with Stark finally coming face-to-face with Bruce Banner in "The Avengers," it's all but guaranteed that Marvel will finally bust out the fan-favorite armor. Or ... maybe not. Revered Marvel Comics illustrator Adi Granov spoke with Italian outlet Bad Taste about his upcoming concept art for "Avengers," revealing that it will likely be a while before Tony breaks out the Hulkbuster suit on the big screen: "In the first ['Iron Man'] movie we had the Iron Monger ... the idea for him came from the Hulkbuster. I did a cover with the Hulkbuster in it. Jon Favreau liked that design and asked me to draw something similar to it for the Iron Monger. So technically the Iron Monger is the Hulkbuster, and that I think is why for a while we won't see it in a movie. It would only be yet another Iron Man big type of armor." Granov's words shouldn't be taken as gospel — as someone involved with "The Avengers," it's in his best interest to talk around and guard the film's greatest secrets. Perhaps Hulkbuster is already a part of Joss Whedon's vision for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but if it's not, it certainly should be. Hulkbuster is one of the flashiest weapons in Tony Stark's arsenal, and with the Stark Industries head finally meeting up with the Jade Giant in "The Avengers," it seems criminal to leave the armor on the bench. Think about the explosive fight sequences that could come from the incredible Hulk slugging it out with an equally massive Iron Man. Marvel's marketing guys have to know how many toys that would sell, right? Further, the fact that Iron Monger has its roots in the Hulkbuster design lays all the groundwork the Marvel team needs to bring the suit to the screen. "Iron Man," "Thor" and "Captain America" have all gone above and beyond the call of duty in planting the seeds for "The Avengers." Wouldn't it be nice for "Avengers" to return the favor, nodding back to the very first Marvel Studios movie by having Tony repurpose his old foe's evildoing armor for a nobler cause? That's a twice-cooked Easter Egg that fans would eat up with glee. Will the Hulkbuster smash its way onto the big screen next summer? Who knows. But I do know this: Tony Stark has a whole lot of money, and a whole lot of money can pay for a whole lot of insanely sophisticated anti-crime armor. If it's not the Hulkbuster, then Stark better have some kind of awesome Iron Man upgrade when "Avengers" assembles on May 4, 2012. Do you want to see the Hulkbuster armor in "Avengers"? Hit me up @roundhoward on Twitter and let me know what you think! Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 2" Photo: Paramount Pictures

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

'Breaking Dawn' Bridal Gown 'Moved' Kristen Stewart

Of all the big reveals in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" that don't involve the words "sex" and "scene," fans are dying to see Bella's wedding dress. It's been one of the most closely guarded film secrets in recent memory, and rightly so, according to author Stephenie Meyer, who told us the key ingredient to the wedding scene was Kristen Stewart looking "gorgeous" and "unbelievable" in that dress. Thankfully, come Friday, the secret will officially be out. MTV News was lucky enough to get a few details about said dress from legendary fashion designer Carolina Herrera at the film's premiere Monday night, as she led us through the process for how she ended up with the coveted task. "I was called by Stephenie Meyer. We had to discuss a lot, but I was very inspired by her book and the description of the wedding," Herrera said. "I was very flattered I was asked to do it; it's a big scene for me." Herrera said she loves the romance and the idea of true love as depicted in the book and that she was happy to be a part of such a magical scene. She also spoke to the importance and delicacy in designing wedding dresses in general. "Wedding dresses are different, because you have to know that it's the most important day in the life of a woman," she said. "You have to please the bride first of all, and it has to be a secret. I cannot talk about the dress before the groom sees it. I treated [Kristen Stewart's Bella] like every other bride," she admitted. "I think [Stewart] was very moved when she tried it on. And that means a lot, because she felt that it was the right one." Given her pleasant experience with the film's wedding dress, might Herrera consider designing something for Stewart in real life? "Why not? If she asked me, absolutely," Herrera said with a smile, but added that Stewart doesn't need to by styled by anyone. "She knows exactly what she wants to wear. ... You can wear anything at21. You don't need any advice. When you are Kristen Stewart, you can wear whatever you want." Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" Photo: Summit

'Harry Potter' Stars Suggest A Few 'Wizarding World' Attractions

ORLANDO, Florida — The books are long finished, the movies are now over, but all it takes is one step inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, to know that "Potter" is forever. Still, despite the ever-flowing butterbeer and copious amounts of "Potter"-based roller-coaster rides, there's always room for improvement, even at the Wizarding World. After all, the "Potter" universe is just too grand to fit every single element into one theme park. With that in mind, when MTV News traveled down to Orlando to cover the red-carpet celebration of the "Deathly Hallows Part 2" DVD release, we asked the cast and crew to weigh in on which features of J.K. Rowling's imaginative world they'd like to see included in future park updates. Jessie Cave, who plays lovelorn Lavender Brown in "Half-Blood Prince," suggested a new means of transportation for the park: "I think instead of being allowed to walk here, everyone should have to arrive by Hogwarts Express. You wouldn't actually have to walk. It'd be just the most comfortable trip ever!" James and Oliver Phelps, better known as the mischievous Weasley twins, focused on a different mode of flying — via broomstick. "If it were actually possible, maybe [it'd be cool] for an actual Quidditch match to go on," Oliver said. "Something like that would be quite cool to watch if that were actually possible to do." Wishful thinking, perhaps — the technology probably isn't quite there to catch a real-life golden snitch just yet. But the rest of the "Potter" cast tried to think in more practical terms, offering their ideas on attractions that could be added to the park in the coming years. Several of the actors, including Warwick Davis and Rupert Grint, suggested the Gringotts breakout as an excellent possibility for a roller-coaster ride. "Wouldn't that be great? You could join Griphook on the cart," Davis, who plays the aforementioned goblin, said of his Wizarding World wish-list. "And it's already done!" "The Gringotts vault would be a really cool ride, I think," agreed Grint, who played courageous hero Ron Weasley over the course of eight "Potter" films. "Also, the flying car!" Some castmembers didn't need to look much further than their own reflections to find suggestions for Wizarding World improvements. "I've been thinking of a ride, a Luna ride," offered Evanna Lynch, speaking of her own character, the loopy Luna Lovegood. "You know all of the creatures she dreams up, all of the creatures that she mentions throughout the books, I like to think that there would be a roller coaster, and each cart would be a new creature. It'd be in the dark and there'd be all these projections of creatures flying around." "I don't know what it's like to be stoned," she added, "but I imagine it feels something like that!" And Jason Isaacs, who plays Voldemort loyalist Lucius, believed it was high time for the Malfoy clan to get some Wizarding World love. "There should be a Malfoy ride," he said. "I don't know why there isn't a Malfoy House of Horrors that you can enter as Lucius and leave as Lucius post-Azkaban." Of course, Isaacs wasn't the only one thinking of his own character. "We all want a ride based on us," he said. "It's a fantastic place here. The only thing that's missing is, obviously, me!"

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Charlize Theron Praises Kristen Stewart's 'Lovely' Qualities

Charlize Theron may be Kristen Stewart's archnemesis in the forthcoming "Snow White and the Huntsman," but in real life, her feelings about the "Breaking Dawn" star are far more warm and fuzzy. "She just turned 21," said Theron, who plays the Evil Queen in the film, about her young co-star in a Vogue interview. "She's a child. "When I think about myself at 21," the actress said, recalling her own early days in Hollywood, "I had just done 'The Devil's Advocate,' and [co-star] Keanu [Reeves] had paparazzi following him, and Al Pacino said this thing to me: 'If I knew that my life would be under this kind of scrutiny, I would have never become an actor.' And I thought, 'Wow.' I couldn't comprehend it." Theron went on to tell the magazine that Stewart is handling life in the public eye with grace. "Kristen is just living this to the max and still has a sense of humor about it. There's this really lovely quality about her that just doesn't give a f---," she said. "A lot of people say they don't, but then they go home and cry and pop a Xanax. Kristen actually doesn't give a f---. That's what's so refreshing about her." Of course, given her role as Snow White's foe in next year's "SWATH," Theron is enjoying how differently their onscreen relationship will play out. "I'm looking forward to killing her and taking her beauty," the actress joked. "That's what happens, right?" On Monday night at the red-carpet premiere in Los Angeles for "Breaking Dawn - Part 1," Snow White herself opened up to MTV News about her highly anticipated flick, in which she plays a sword-wielding version of the classic fairy tale heroine. "I'm so enigmatic. You'll [have to] see," Stewart told us, before teasing about doing a British accent, "It's not so easy! I would need to drop into character and I have no time to build!" Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." and "Snow White and the Huntsman." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Charlize Theron on the cover of Vogue Photo: Vogue

Monday, November 14, 2011

Jackson Rathbone Relives 'Breaking Dawn' Screening

In addition to the whole fame-and-fortune package that comes with being a member of the "Twilight" cast, one of the additional benefits is that you get to see the finished film before anyone else. When MTV News caught up with "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" star Jackson Rathbone recently, we asked him to talk about his first-time viewing experience. "I got a nice little private screening," Rathbone said. "There were about six [castmembers] in the theater. I was saying, 'This is what it would be like watching "Twilight" if no one liked it,' " he joked. "If it had failed, that's exactly what it would have been like: six people in the theater." In all seriousness, however, Rathbone said he and his co-stars had a lot of fun watching the film together and interacting with the screen. "As soon as Taylor [Lautner] ripped off his shirt, we all tried to yell as much as possible to supplement the lack of little teenage girls [screaming]," he said. "It was fun. We had a good time with it. Nikki [Reed] and I were making fun of each other the whole movie. Any time one of us would come onscreen, we'd poke each other," he said with a laugh. In addition to those swoon-worthy shirtless moments, Lautner has promised us that we'll be shedding some tears. "You are going to face a lot of emotions, definitely," he teased. "You are going to be angry. I guarantee you [that] you will cry multiple times." Tonight, join MTV.com live from the "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" red-carpet premiere as we talk to your favorite stars about all things "Twilight"! Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Jackson Rathbone Photo: MTV News

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Clint Eastwood Calls 'J. Edgar' An Intriguing 'Portrait'

Long before its release, "J. Edgar" had movie fans excited for its opening on Friday (November 11). Why? Because it features the bona fide box-office draw of star Leonardo DiCaprio, rising star Armie Hammer and a living Hollywood legend in director Clint Eastwood. Not only that, but the film is based on the creation and formation of the FBI, which was founded by J. Edgar Hoover. That subject might not be as intriguing to a young audience as something like "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas," but the parties closest to the project want you to know that there is more to this story than drama and history. "A portrait of a very important man in American history," Eastwood told MTV News at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art "Art + Film" Gala when asked what younger audiences should expect from the film. "And [they can] get an idea of him if they don't know about him. Hopefully, they know something about that and the history that surrounded him because he reigned at a very important era, starting with the Bolshevik invasion from within the [1920s]," he said. Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black added that the idea of making the story relevant to younger generations was front of mind for him throughout the writing process. "I wanted to write it for this generation. There's a lot you can talk about with J. Edgar Hoover, but I chose the things I thought a young generation could identify with," Black explained. "We're not going to focus on McCarthy, we're going to focus on Martin Luther King. We're going to focus on things that [Hoover] did that were heinous, that these kids will probably be surprised by and also a lot of the great things he did that we've all forgotten about. "There's some gun-shooting and explosions and all that sort of stuff that I hope young people like," he continued. "But for the most part, it's a cautionary tale saying, 'Hey, young people, here was a man that made his life all about being famous and it turned him into a monster.' So fame is great, but if you don't put love first, you might be a problem." Check out everything we've got on "J. Edgar." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Leonardo DiCaprio and Naomi Watts in "J. Edgar" Photo: Warner Bros

Saturday, November 12, 2011

'Breaking Dawn' Sex Scene Is 'All Close-Ups,' Kristen Stewart Says

There is so much hype surrounding the "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" sex scene between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan that we probably won't ever be able to stop writing about it. The fans demand it! Lucky for us, the stars in question keep talking about it as well, so we're all able to revel in the warm romantic (after?) glow for a little while longer. When MTV News caught up with Kristen Stewart recently, we asked what her reaction was when she finally saw the intense scene play out on the big screen. "I think, for me, it really reflects what I felt when I was reading the book," Stewart said. "It's funny, because it's not in the book. It's totally just what you imagine in between those chapters, but without it, because you imagine it, it leads you to — it picks up right after, and then sort of really indulges in memory. And so I think that's how you see it. It's not a beginning-to-end sex scene; it's memories, it's nice. So because of that, I never really got to shoot, we didn't shoot a sex scene; it was all close-ups and such." Stewart's steamy scene partner Robert Pattinson had a little more fun talking about the filming of their scene, in that he was happy to fulfill fans' sexual fantasies with his acting. "That's the one time where I have felt kind of like the coolest person," Pattinson said of filming the scene. "[I thought] this is easy! I can fulfill people's sexual fantasy expectations without even thinking about it, piece of cake. That isn't acting," he joked. "The only thing [that was difficult] is the vanity aspect," Pattinson continued. "Taylor [Lautner] just ruined the whole series for me. As soon as he buffed up, I went, 'Well, I'm throwing in the towel' on 'New Moon.' " Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Kristen Stewart in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" Photo: Summit Entertainment

Friday, November 11, 2011

'Immortals,' 'Star Trek 2' And More In 'Talk Nerdy To Me'

With Friday's (November 11) release of "Immortals," a swords-and-sandals fantasy epic directed by Tarsem Singh, you might find yourself tempted to shout the words "This. Is. Sparta!" as you parade toward your local movie theater. At least, that's what one of our panelists on this week's episode of "Talk Nerdy to Me" is feeling — a notion that doesn't sit right with him. The Henry Cavill-starring action-adventure flick is the main focus of the newest episode of MTV News' one-stop shop for all things movies, comics and television, but that's not the only topic we cover. Keep reading for a taste of what's in store on the latest edition of "Talk Nerdy," and make sure to watch the episode to see all the action yourself! "Immortals" Vs. "300" "Immortals" is now in theaters, infusing the fall movie season with the big shot of action and adrenaline it so desperately needs — or does it? The Nerdy crew is divided on whether or not to see "Immortals" this weekend, with fanboy Brian Phares expressing his concerns over the movie's apparent similarities to "300." The Wrath of BDT J.J. Abrams is officially onboard for the untitled "Star Trek 2," and it appears he's set his sights on a villain: Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro. The actor's involvement remains unconfirmed, and his bad-guy role is still under wraps, but Team Nerdy tackles the nefarious possibilities all the same. "Chupacabra" This week's "Walking Dead," titled "Chupacabra," shines the spotlight on Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) as he encounters a familiar face — but not in a way you'd expect. We're teasing the episode in this week's "Talk Nerdy." Doctor Who? Staying in television, MTV Geek writer Alex Zalben weighs in on the possibility of during our Weekly Rant. See his #1 pick for a new possible Doctor in Nerd-out. See It, Stream It, Skip It Finally, with so many movies out in theaters this weekend, our team breaks down each new release — "Immortals," "Jack & Jill," and "J. Edgar" — and shares whether they're planning to see it, stream it or skip it. Tell us what you think of this week's "Talk Nerdy" in the comments below! Check out everything we've got on "Immortals" and "Star Trek 2." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Henry Cavill in "Immortals" Photo: Relativity Media

'Snow White And The Huntsman' Trailer: 5 Key Scenes

With most of our Kristen Stewart focus zeroed in on a little movie called "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," which opens next week, she has an equally intriguing film coming down the pike next summer — "Snow White and the Huntsman" — the trailer for which was unveiled Thursday (November 10). No matter what you might have been expecting, given Stewart's comments about the film or production photos that were released, this trailer is a doozy and completely delivers on the intense, warrior-esque elements that have been teased. Here are our five favorite scenes: 1. Charlize Theron Kills It as the Evil Queen From the second you hear her eerily intense and foreboding voice, to the shots of her mindless murders, to the last shot of the trailer — in which she swoops her exquisite black cloak about her and it turns into a flock of crows — Theron delivers in every sense of the word. It's going to be fun to watch her Queen and Stewart's Snow White go toe-to-toe! 2. The Mirror on the Wall Most of us are familiar with the classic fairy tale upon which this film is based, and while the Mirror is indeed an important part of the story, it can come off a bit campy, depending on the visual effects used to design it. This mirror is just so cool/creepy! When summoned by the Queen via that famous phrase — "Mirror mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" — the mirror seems to melt into a puddle of bronze liquid on the floor and then reshapes itself into a hooded, appropriately deep-voiced figure. 3. Stewart Looking Fierce and Kicking Butt We had a pretty good idea Stewart's version of the "fairest of them all" would be different, based on the photo of her in fancy armor and holding a sword, and now, we have even more proof that Stewart's Snow White is pretty badass. Never does she look innocent or weak, whether on the run, defending herself in armor or confronting a fearsome, growling beast. 4. Chris Hemsworth Is a Perfect Huntsman "Find me someone who doesn't fear the dark forest to hunt her down," the Queen commands, her voice heard over our first glimpse of Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman, wielding an ax and fighting in the forest, which is followed by several other shots of Hemsworth in action, getting down and dirty in battle. It's a perfect deviation from that pretty-boy Asgardian prince Thor, if we do say so ourselves. Check out other scenes from the the just-released "Snow White and the Huntsman" trailer! 5. Brief Glimpses of the Supporting Players Even though the title of the film is "Snow White and the Huntsman," there are plenty more players in the mix of this fractured fairy tale. Specifically our brief glimpses of Prince Charming, played by "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" star Sam Claflin, who we see both in battle and leaning down to kiss Snow White. Then there are the eight dwarves. Eight, not seven, according to what Stewart revealed to Jay Leno recently, whom we only see for extremely brief moments in the trailer, first walking together, single-file, on the top of a rolling hill, then following behind the Huntsman. Check out everything we've got on "Snow White and the Huntsman." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Kristen Stewart in "Snow White and The Huntsman" Photo: Universal

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Madonna Delays 'W.E' Release To 2012

It's been a big week for Madonna news. A version of her song "Give Me All Your Love," off her still-in-the-works next album, leaked, much to the Queen of Pop's dismay. And now comes word that her film "W.E." won't hit theaters until next year. Directed by Madonna, "W.E." was originally slated to open around the holiday season on December 9, but now it will have only a limited, one-week run beginning on that date before opening wide on February 3, the Weinstein Company confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. The short theatrical debut does, however, qualify the film for any awards-show consideration. The new February 3 release date would also coincide with a February 5 Super Bowl performance that Madge is rumored to be planning. In September, the singer screened the film at the Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews. "W.E." follows the love story between American divorcee Wallis Simpson and Britain's Prince Edward, as well as that of a modern-day woman (played by Abbie Cornish) obsessed with the couple. In addition to "W.E.," Madonna is set to release her album in the spring. Along with production assistance from Ray of Light producer William Orbit, rumor has it that both Nicki Minaj and rapper M.I.A. will make guest appearances. "Madonna has phenomenal understanding of both the minutiae of music and the big picture. Zooming in, zooming out. 4ever amazing. Plus VISION!!!" Orbit recently tweeted about the highly anticipated record. "Working with Madonna is a treat. Fantastic tracks and vibes. Going deep. She's ON IT !!! This is THE album!" For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Madonna Photo: Getty

Brian Grazer Steps In As Oscar Producer

With all the Oscar news making the rounds this week, you would think that the 84th annual Academy Awards were just around the corner. Luckily, we still have more than three months until the live telecast on February 26, and more than a month until nominations are announced. The latest news coming straight from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is that Brett Ratner, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday, has been replaced with producer Brian Grazer, who will co-produce the telecast with industry veteran Don Mischer. "Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work," Academy president Tom Sherak said in a statement posted on Oscars.org. "He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars." "I am thrilled to welcome Brian Grazer as my partner and that we will be collaborating to produce an outstanding show," echoed Mischer in the statement. "It's very gratifying to be part of a show that honors excellence in the medium to which I have devoted so much of my career," said Grazer. "Don is a legend, and I am excited to work with him." Grazer's credentials seem a good fit for producing Hollywood's "biggest night." He's been nominated four times (for writing "Splash," and Best Picture nods for "Apollo 13" and "Frost/Nixon.") and won the Best Picture Oscar in 2001 for "A Beautiful Mind." Coincidentally, Grazer has worked with recently resigned host, Eddie Murphy, on "The Nutty Professor" and "Tower Heist." Rumor has it that the Academy and Grazer hope that Murphy will reconsider his decision not to be involved in the program. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Brian Grazer Photo: MTV News

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

'Tower Heist': The Reviews Are In!

The 99 percent finally have their own heist movie! In "Tower Heist," Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller team up to take back money from an evil executive who Ponzi-ed it away from the staff of his New York apartment building. The reviews certainly aren't glowing, and most paint it as a less entertaining "Ocean's Eleven" but admit there are some laughs to be had. We've rounded up some of the reviews to give you an idea of what the critics are saying. Take a look below to find out if you should join in on "Tower Heist." The Story "The employees at a gilded Manhattan apartment complex, led by manager Ben Stiller, decide to rob the ass of a Madoff-like billionaire in the penthouse (a supremely slimy Alan Alda). Why? He's bilked them out of their pensions. Stiller recruits a bankrupt resident (Matthew Broderick) and a bellhop (Michael Peña). But the friskiest conspirator is Slide (Eddie Murphy), a thief with his own agenda." — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone Eddie Murphy "Here, though, Murphy's crow's-feet are showing, and while it should help promote his gig as next year's Academy Awards host, the casting makes 'Heist' a jumble of a film. As occasionally convincing as co-stars Ben Stiller and Casey Affleck can be as blue-collar workers bilked of their pensions, Murphy's role seems to be a criminal Yoda: a wisecracking ex-con with street smarts, staccato delivery and quick grin." — Scott Bowles, USA Today The Action "It runs a refreshingly unbloated 104 minutes, and the action scenes are less frequent and less destructive than we're used to in our late-Michael Bay era. Not that this movie skimps on the spectacular stunts — one pivotal scene involves a Ferrari being lowered from a skyscraper window by a winch while a man dangles from the front fender — but in comparison with, say, the last 'Fast Five' movie, this is a miniaturist character study." — Dana Stevens, Slate Gabourey Sidibe "And Gabourey Sidibe, the striking plus-size Oscar-nominated star of 'Precious,' makes her Hollywood leap as a feisty Jamaican chambermaid who gets in on the heist action. (The girl's got mad safecracking skills.) I don't know why Ratner and cinematographer Dante Spinotti felt compelled to push the camera in close, as if gawking at Sidibe's dramatic coloring and size. But then, I also don't know why she wasn't used more." — Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly The Direction "Mr. Ratner goes for the safe bet and the easy score, which means that, for all his shows of solidarity with the working stiffs, he has more in common with the wealthy scam artist who took their hard-earned money." — A.O. Scott, New York Times The Final Word "This is a sadly common example of a filmmaker designing his production for inattentive, lazy audiences who don't really care about story coherence or consistency. It's a 'turn off the brain' movie." — James Berardinelli, Reelviews Check out everything we've got on "Tower Heist." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Ben Stiller and Gabourey Sidibe in "Tower Heist" Photo: Universal Pictures

Eddie Murphy Steps Down As Oscar Host

Just one day after Brett Ratner announced his exit as producer, the 2012 Academy Awards have lost another key participant: host Eddie Murphy. According to a statement from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak, Murphy didn't want to continue with the gig after the loss of Ratner. "I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well," Sherak said. The "Tower Heist" star didn't specifically address his reasons for resigning, but said he is sorry things didn't work out for everyone involved. "First and foremost I want to say that I completely understand and support each party's decision with regard to a change of producers for this year's Academy Awards ceremony," Murphy said in the statement. "I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I'm sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job." Ratner submitted his resignation to the Academy on Tuesday after making headlines with his recent comments about a sexual relationship with actress Olivia Munn and, at a screening of "Heist," using a gay slur, claiming, "Rehearsal is for f--s." "Over the last few days, I've gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances," he wrote in a letter to the entertainment industry. "To them, and to everyone I've hurt and offended, I'd like to apologize publicly and unreservedly." No word yet on who is in talks to replace Ratner or Murphy. The 84th annual Academy Awards will be broadcast live on February 26. Eddie Murphy Photo: Getty Images

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

'Twilight' Trio Talk Sex, Compare Abs On 'MTV First'

Hey, "Twilight" fans, this one's for you: MTV News is very happy to announce the return of "Twilight" Tuesdays, a weekly column dedicated to anything and everything popping in the world of Bella, Edward and Jacob. Each week, we'll bring you something new about the films, whether it's via the stars themselves, photos, clips or, even better, something from you, the fans. The next few weeks will be almost entirely focused on the impending release of "Breaking Dawn - Part 1," but we'll hopefully break into new, exclusive, undiscovered territory very soon. First up is a highlight reel from "MTV First: Breaking Dawn," in which Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner let loose with us for a meaty Q&A. There were so many great moments between the three young actors that we decided to put together our favorites for your viewing pleasure. Kristen Squirms Reliving First MTV Interview MTV was one of the only outlets allowed access on the set of "Twilight," and we snagged one of the first-ever interviews with superstars-to-be Stewart and Pattinson. Upon hearing that we were going to show Stewart a clip from this interview, in which she and Pattinson joke about what impressed her about him, she had a mini-meltdown, complete with squeals and pacing in front of her chair. Rob and Kristen Talk Sex Scene As we book readers well know, there's a pretty intense sex scene in "Breaking Dawn," and everyone wants to know how they shot it for the big-screen adaptation. Well, we asked about it, and Pattinson's responses will likely go down in history as some of his best quotes: "I was sitting there in a little G-string," he said of the flesh-colored undergarment he wore during the filming of the scene, which Stewart confessed she "wasn't too into" and said it required a lot of acting on her part to pretend she was hot for the young man in the "little G-string." "It was like old ham," Pattinson then added, inexplicably. Like we said, history-making comments there Rob Scoffs At Taylor Ab Comparison Eventually, the conversation turned to a favorite subject among "Twilight" fans: Pattinson and Lautner's abs. The question was posed to Pattinson about whether he did any prep for his half-naked scenes in "Breaking Dawn," since in the past, we've heard plenty about Lautner's disciplined workouts and dieting. While Pattinson did admit to some working out and not eating candy for a two-week stretch during filming, he was immediately distracted when he saw we had put up a side-by-side photo comparison of the two leading men. "This is so unfair doing a comparison," Pattinson protested. "Everyone says I painted on my abs in ['New Moon'] — I did not! Taylor has his painted on too!" he accused with a laugh. "What?" Lautner responded. "What are you talking about? I don't understand this." Rob Has Borrowed Kristen's iPod? During a round of rapid-fire Twitter questions, the gang was asked to reveal the most-played song on his or her iPod. Stewart was slow to respond, so Pattinson said he'd be happy to answer for her, which Stewart didn't seem to think he'd be able to get right. After a bit of whispering and not-so-quiet mumbling, Pattinson announced that Stewart's go-to music is anything by songbird Jenny Lewis (who, for those who don't know, is a former child star whose film classics include "Troop Beverly Hills" and "The Wizard." Add them to your Netflix queue, stat). What do you think of our favorite "First" moments? What would you like to see on "Twilight" Tuesdays? Hit me up @KaraWarner on Twitter to make your voice heard! Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson Photo: Lester Cohen/ WireImage

'Breaking Dawn' Wedding 'Emotional' For Kristen Stewart

Forget the fanfare surrounding the royal wedding or even Kim Kardashian's now-infamous nuptials: For "Twilight" fans, the wedding of the year (possibly the century) is undoubtedly that of Isabella Marie Swan and Edward Anthony Masen Cullen in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." Here at MTV News, we've been gearing up for the big day with a few very special exclusives. On Thursday, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner introduced a never-before-seen clip from the movie and stuck around for a lengthy Q&A after the clip's debut — the main action of which revolved around Bella's prep for her wedding. When asked to describe the mood on set during the filming of Bella and Edward's big day, Stewart admitted that she was surprised by how much it affected her. "It was very, very emotional for me," Stewart said. "I don't know about these guys." "You kind of realize what the groom's position in a wedding is," Pattinson jumped in. "Which, in reality, is basically a prop. You stand there in a suit, and then everyone is looking at the girl." Speaking of the girl, Pattinson has told us previously that his co-star stole the show during the filming of that particular scene, and the rest of the cast seemed to feel something special in the air as well. "[Kristen] looked amazing," Pattinson told us of seeing Stewart in Bella's wedding dress. "I really didn't do anything much but just stand there." "[The wedding scene was] beautiful and spectacular," Peter Facinelli has said. "It's funny, because whenever we have a big important scene on 'Twilight' [movies], it rains. I was doing the baseball sequence [from 'Twilight'], and it was raining. But you never see it on film," he said of the crew's movie magic. "With this wedding, it rained the whole time we shot the two scenes. But you'll never see it on film; they block out the rain. They put tarps up, and you'll never see it. But for us, it was very wet and muddy and cold." "When I see this onscreen, it is going to feel epic," Nikki Reed told us back in July. "There were really beautiful elements to it," Ashley Greene added. "Like, if you took out the fact that it was so cold and just looked at it like a picture, it was picture-perfect." Stick with MTV News for much more from our exclusive Q&A with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner! Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Kristen Stewart Photo: MTV News

Monday, November 7, 2011

'Hunger Games' Is 'Staggering,' Woody Harrelson Says

For all our fellow "Hunger Games" fans out there, the wait for the film's March 23 release date is both highly anticipated and a bit painful. Lucky for us, MTV News has encountered a few of the film's principal players over the course of the past few months, like Jennifer Lawrence and director Gary Ross, who have helped tease a few key details to make the wait for the film seem slightly shorter. Now, we are very happy to share another special cast encounter: our recent chat with Woody Harrelson, a.k.a. Haymitch Abernathy, who revealed the secrets of his character's 'do and a few teases about the look of the film, as well as how much fun he had with Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and his other co-stars. "The hair, when I was thinking about what to do for the character, I hung out with my brother Brett, and that is exactly the way his hair is," Harrelson explained of how the long, slightly shaggy hairdo came to be. "I was like, 'OK, let's get a wig. Let's do the Brett Harrelson hair.' It's kind of cool. I really liked the look. It's a fun character, and I think it's going to be a good movie." We asked Harrelson how closely he resembles the alcoholic, unkempt, out-of-shape former champion, as described by author Suzanne Collins in the books — like, for example, if he wore a fat suit or gained a bit of weight. "No, I didn't want to do the paunch," Harrelson revealed. "In many ways, I tried to go against this rough, old, typical concept of what he would be like. I don't know yet that I succeeded, but I think it turned out good," he said. "I loved working with Gary Ross. I think he is just a great director, an amazing guy." With regard to the look and feel of the big-screen adaptation, Harrelson called the visuals "staggering." "It's almost impossible to describe, it's so unusual. Even ice in the glass, even the glasses are not normal glasses. There's nothing that you've seen before. It's real original artistic vision," he said. "I think people are going to like it." One of the things Harrelson liked — in addition to Haymitch, of course — was working with his young co-stars, particularly Lawrence and Hutcherson. "I think they're just marvelous actors. I think they just knocked it out of the park," he gushed. "Just as people, [they are] about as fun as it gets. They really are fun folks. It's cool, because I've never even done a sequel, and I just signed on to four movies, so we're going to be spending a lot of time together between doing the movies and press and everything, so it's great to love these guys. "Having done this first one, I can say I do look forward to doing the next one," he added. "It wasn't a chore. It was actually the opposite; it was a lot of fun. They managed to mix business and pleasure really well, that whole group. I'd say we get after it again next year." Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Woody Harrelson Photo: MTV News

'Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas': The Reviews Are In!

Maybe it was when the baby huffs cocaine and starts crawling on the ceiling like she's in some "Exorcist"-meets-"Trainspotting" mashup. Or when Santa Claus gets shot in the face. Or every single second Neil Patrick Harris is onscreen. Who knows? Eventually, though, and despite our lowered expectations headed into the theater with recollections of the clunker that was the franchise's 2008 sequel in our minds, we happily admitted that "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" doesn't just have its share of funny moments , but in fact is a funny movie. Not that everyone agrees. There are a lot of critics who weren't taken with these shenanigans, who found it tired and predictable. But such reviews are in the minority. The majority of critics maintain the stoney laughs are many, the 3-D effects are ridiculous (in a good way), and that the third "Harold & Kumar" deserves a place on every college kid's DVD shelf, right next to a copy of the original flick. The Story "This is indeed a Christmas movie, and when a mysterious package arrives addressed to Harold, Kumar knows he must deliver it in person. As for the package ... well, I'm spoiling nothing by telling you it contains a ginormous doobie, but what it really contains is a message of holiday love that will bring together the best-loved East Asian-meets-South Asian comedy duo of the 21st century. Also, it will burn down Harold's father-in-law's beloved Christmas tree and send Harold and Kumar out into the streets on Christmas Eve to negotiate with faux-ghetto tree salesmen (one of them the rapper RZA), introduce a baby to marijuana, cocaine and untold other illicit substances, interrupt a party of naked lesbian nuns and encounter a genuine, if distressingly gory, Christmas miracle." — Andrew O'Hehir, Salon The 3-D "Rude things — bodily fluids, body parts — along with glass shards and smoke rings (of a particularly potent sort of smoke) fly from the screen in such profusion that you may want to carry an umbrella into the theater with you to deflect them all. The makers of the comedy fully understand that 3-D is a gimmick much overused these days. And understanding that, they overuse it themselves in such a way as to cannily comment on the clichéd nature of the gimmick while expertly exploiting it to hilarious effect." — Soren Andersen, The Seattle Times The Comparison "After serving up a sly fable of minority empowerment in 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle' (2004) and gleefully lampooning George W. Bush's America in 'Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay' (2008), scribes Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg seem determined to avoid any hint of subversion here, content to serve up a crudely irreverent holiday laffer along the lines of 'Bad Santa,' if nowhere near as scathing. For a movie that sees fit to have jolly old St. Nick take a bullet to the face mid-sleigh ride, this vulgar romp is a generally harmless, heartwarming affair, a cinematic Christmas cookie almost sweet and flaky enough to cover the fact that it's laced with hash, cocaine and assorted bodily fluids, blood included." — Justin Chang, Variety The Laughs "[It] wobbles off the rails more often than it ought to. The first two 'Harold & Kumar' movies made no effort to stamp out racial stereotypes; instead, they reveled in them. But this third installment, as visually clever as it is, relies too much on dumb, crude jock humor: There seem to be more buxom, semi-naked girls clattering around in high heels than I recall from either of the earlier pictures. And a sequence in which Harris reveals that he's not really gay but just fakes it so he can get girls seems genuinely perverse, and not in the good way: Maybe watching Harris ogle the comely cuties in his chorus line is supposed to be funny, but it just comes off as crass and forced." — Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline The Final Word "All in all, it's a frequently funny return to form that embraces several universal truths: that Harold and Kumar are better off together than not (for our sake if not their own), that stoner comedies need not be lazy with their juvenile wares, and that the combination of waffles and robots is indeed an awesome one." — William Goss, Film.com Check out everything we've got on "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Kal Penn in "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" Photo: New Line Cinema

Sunday, November 6, 2011

'Breaking Dawn' Exclusive Clip: Bella's Wedding Day

For all the "Twilight" fans out there — and, more specifically, the prone-to-swoon hopeless romantics — one of the most anticipated moments in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" is the wedding of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Fans have been buzzing about it for as long as we can remember, and on Thursday (November 3) — thanks to our exclusive "MTV First: Breaking Dawn" with Stewart, Pattinson and Taylor Lautner — we got another sneak peek at how sweet, emotional and beautiful those nuptials are going to be when we finally see them on the big screen, when the film opens November 18. Our clip opens with Bella's mother Renee (Sarah Clarke) entering the room in which Alice (Ashley Greene) and Rosalie (Nikki Reed) are helping Bella get ready for her wedding day. "Oh my gosh, you're so beautiful," Mom says when she sees Bella, who is still in casual clothes but has her hair and makeup finished. "Oh, honey — crap, my mascara!" Renee exclaims, at which point Alice hands her a tissue. "Thanks," she says, dabbing at her eyes. "Charlie, get in here!" she calls to Bella's father (played by Billy Burke). Charlie pops his head into the frame tentatively. "You sure?" he asks, then walks slowly into the room, at which point Bella — seeing her dad all dolled up in a tuxedo — is so surprised she stands up out of her chair. "I know," he says, seeing her reaction. "I look hot." "We thought you needed something blue," Renee says to Bella as Charlie opens a jewelry case to reveal a jewel-encrusted decorative hair comb. "And something old," Charlie adds. "Besides your mother," he jokes. "Thanks," Renee scoffs. "It was Grandma Swan's," Charlie tells Bella. "But we added the sapphires," Renee adds as Bella picks up the comb for a closer look. "It's beautiful, you guys," Bella says, handing the comb to Alice to put in her hair. "Wow. Thank you so much." "It's your first family heirloom," Renee says. "You can pass it on to your daughter and her daughter," she adds, tearing up and dabbing her eyes, and the scene fades to black. Stick with MTV News for more from our exclusive "MTV First" interview with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner! Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Kristen Stewart in "Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" Photo: Summit Entertainment

'21 Jump Street' Trailer: Five Key Scenes

The Twitter war between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum to see who'd get to tweet the "21 Jump Street" red-band trailer didn't exactly work out as planned. Hill won, yet for some reason didn't send out the link, so Tatum stepped in and executed the tweetage. But the new footage is nonetheless here. The action-comedy — based on Johnny Depp's '80s TV series, of course — stars Hill and Tatum as two young cops who join a resurrected undercover unit, pose as students and infiltrate a local high school to get to the bottom of a synthetic-drug ring. Depp's cameo, unsurprisingly, doesn't pop up in the new footage, but what else does? Let's go ahead and take a look at the trailer's five key moments. A Lifetime of Being Badass Mother$#@*&%s! Yes, that's basically the professional goal of Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) when they join the police force. Once in uniform, though, badassery is hardly in the job description. Just look at those poor dudes biking around a park, their helmets and shorts almost as lethal to their images as their guns would be to the bad guys. One botched drug bust later, however, and it's on to the Jump Street squad. Fitting In, Getting High The kids at the drug-filled high school are understandably skeptical of the two new students. As Dave Franco puts it, Tatum looks like he's 40. So the cops have to fit in, which involves them taking the synthetic drug that comes in a package with a logo that looks, well, like a red pile of dog poop with a halo above it. So what does the drug do? According to the trailer, it makes you run through hallways and be rude to teachers, plus it leaves your tongue feeling really, really weird. Do the Honors, Ron Swanson You knew it was coming, that moment when one character urges a few others to head on down to 21 Jump Street. In theory, there's something inherently nod-to-the-TV-show cheesy about it. Luckily, the honors are bestowed on Nick Offerman, otherwise known as Ron Swanson from "Parks and Recreation." In his hands, with that man's-man beard of his, the line comes out as both hokey and humorous. Well done, Mr. Swanson, or whatever your name in this movie is. The "Superbad" Callbacks The trailer doesn't just hearken back to Depp's TV show. It also includes two moments unmistakably linked to Hill's 2007 breakout comedy, "Superbad." In one, Hill and Tatum exit a liquor store that looks a whole heck of a lot like the one where McLovin' tried to score booze for a party. Later, Hill is hit by a car and flung backward, yet isn't so banged and bruised that he can't pop off a curse-filled one-liner. Remember how a similar car-crash-and-curse befell Hill outside McLovin's liquor store in "Superbad"? Guns, F-Bombs and Prom For years, Hill has been promising that his "21 Jump Street" wouldn't be a parody, some weak-sauce bastardization of the TV series. He wasn't kidding. This is a hard-R action-comedy filled with foul language, guns galore, a few explosions and the odd sight of Hill asking Tatum to go to prom with him, a date that requires both of them to suit up with enough firepower to take on the T-1000. Now that is a brawl we'd kill to see. Check out everything we've got on "21 Jump Street." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Jonah Hill in the "21 Jump Street" trailer Photo: Columbia Pictures

Saturday, November 5, 2011

'Tower Heist' And 'Harold & Kumar' Battle For Social Media Buzz

For the past few days, following an early Times Square screening, the MTV Newsroom has been buzzing about "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas." "Can you believe it was actually damn funny?" one movie nerd would say to another. "I mean, the last one stunk." That's the buzz in here. And out there too, a fact that our friends at NextMovie have made abundantly clear with their new MovieTracker, a cool application boasting a fancy-schmancy algorithm that measures what people are saying on Twitter and Facebook and lets us know which movies people are psyched about. Think of it like a Billboard music chart, but instead of tracking album sales, it tracks Internet movie buzz in real time. As of this writing, "Harold & Kumar" has risen to the #2 slot, with loads of positive tweets coming in. The public seems to be in agreement with star John Cho, who told MTV News recently of his onscreen partnership with Kal Penn, "We are without a doubt the best Korean-Indian stoner comedy duo in cinematic history." It's going to be a very comedy-centric weekend at the multiplex, which is honestly a bit confounding from a programming standpoint. Yes, the hard-R "Harold & Kumar" and the PG-13 "Tower Heist" are targeting different moviegoers, but there's undoubtedly some overlap between those two audiences. And "Tower Heist" is going to come out on top, even if it's currently trending one notch below "Harold & Kumar" on the MovieTracker. (Last week's big winner, "Paranormal Activity 3," was planted at #1 at press time.) Expect "Tower Heist," starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, to reel in around $30 million this weekend. "Harold & Kumar" will probably fall shy of the $20 million mark. Will the MovieTracker adjust to reflect these box-office predictions? Keep checking back to see what's up and what's down, what's buzzing and what's bombing all weekend long. Check out everything we've got on "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" and "Tower Heist." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Ben Stiller and Gabourey Sidibe in "Tower Heist" Photo: Universal Pictures

'Harold And Kumar': Greatest Movie Bromance Ever?

In the spirit of Hollywood's greatest cinematic duos — Butch and Sundance, Laurel and Hardy, Batman and Robin, Woody and Buzz — there is a solid argument that lovable stoners Harold and Kumar have a place among those greats. With a third film, "A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas," opening this Friday, MTV News caught up with the men behind the duo in question, John Cho and Kal Penn, to find out where they think they rank in the canon of cinema's best bromances. "This is a very rich tradition that we are tapping into, so there is a long line of people in ahead of us," Cho said. "Cheech and Chong to start off, and Hope and Crosby and Laurel and Hardy and the Three Stooges. I mean there is such a long list of bro comedy [duos]." "Yeah, these are all people that we admire hugely," Penn agreed. "We obviously rank much lower than those dudes but we don't know how far below." "Who are we better than?" Cho asked Penn. "I don't know," Penn responded. "We are without a doubt the best Korean-Indian stoner comedy duo in cinematic history," Cho decided. Their equally amusing co-stars Neil Patrick Harris and Tom Lennon agree that Cho and Penn, as Harold and Kumar, definitely have a special place in film history. "I think that Harold and Kumar fit in sort of the 'Swingers' mentality," NPH offered. "I guess I'd put them up there with Hope and Crosby," Lennon said. "Like if Hope and Crosby had an adventure where penises were out all the time and everyone was super, super high, and then a bunch of nuns took a shower, and then Neil Patrick Harris had a weird sex scene with naked angels and stuff like that. And I don't mean the theater company Naked Angels, I mean actual angels with their boobs out. It's like the spirit of Hope and Crosby on a ton of drugs. You know, wandering around doing kind of perverted/creepy inappropriate stuff." Check out everything we've got on "A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Kal Penn and John Cho in "A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas" Photo: New Line Cinema

Friday, November 4, 2011

'Twilight' Fan-Favorite Moment #1: The First Kiss

The big day has finally arrived, and MTV has no shortage of everything "Breaking Dawn - Part 1." Tonight, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner will debut a previously unseen clip from the new "Twilight" movie live on MTV at 7:56 p.m. ET — followed by a Q&A on MTV.com — but first, we have the moment you've been waiting for. You voted for your favorite moments from the "Twilight Saga" so far, and all week, we've been counting them down. We've finally arrived at your #1 moment, and it takes us back to where it all began: Edward and Bella's first kiss. For a series that is all about longing and building up tension, when it finally does deliver, it really delivers. And if your voting proves anything, the wait must have been worth it. The kiss started off as an experiment for Edward, but it ended up sending Bella and fans around the world reeling. It was the first of many kisses for the happy interspecies couple and will always be remembered as the one that started it all. So there you have it: Your #1 favorite moment from the "Twilight Saga" so far. Now that we've looked back on the first three films, get ready for "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" with tonight's "MTV First" and the new clip introduced by the cast. The trio will appear live on MTV at 7:56 p.m. to premiere the clip, then head to MTV.com immediately after for an interview with MTV News' Josh Horowitz and questions from you. To get your questions answered, tweet them @MTVNews using the hashtags #MTVFirst and #AskTwilight. Be sure to tune in to "MTV First: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," which kicks off tonight at 7:56 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by a Q&A with Kristen, Rob and Taylor on MTV.com! Edward and Bella's first kiss in "Twilight" Photo: Summit

Thursday, November 3, 2011

'Twilight' Fan-Favorite Moment #5: 'Eclipse' Tent Scene

With all the waiting and pining we've done for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," it's hard to believe that it's only three weeks away! Lucky for us — and our fellow "Twilight" fans — MTV News is making the wait a little less painful by celebrating the film's release month with tons of exciting exclusives, beginning with "MTV First: Breaking Dawn" Thursday at 7:56 p.m. ET, when Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner will bring us a clip from the movie and sit down for Q&A on MTV.com. In the meantime, we asked "Twilight" fans to vote for their top five favorite "Twilight Saga" moments, and we're happy to announce the fifth favorite clip: Edward and Jacob's tent scene from "Eclipse." In this delightfully entertaining scene, Edward (Pattinson) has to suck up his dislike for Jacob (Lautner) and let the werewolf snuggle with Bella (Stewart) in a sleeping bag in order to prevent her from freezing to death. It is a magical moment during which the two rivals share a few words of friendly banter and almost admiration, including the following quotes: "I'm hotter than you," "Can you at least attempt to control your thoughts?" and "If we weren't natural enemies, and you weren't trying to steal my reason for existing, I might actually like you." In addition to re-watching that scene, there's a great behind-the-scenes interview on the "Eclipse" DVD that features Pattinson and Stewart providing a hilarious bit of commentary about that scene. "God, he's so gross. So brazen!" Pattinson says in the clip. "I really don't like Jacob." "Aww," Stewart says. "Look at him and his tattoo and stuff. Ugh," Pattinson scoffs. "He's just young and overzealous," Stewart adds, in defense of the young wolf. "He's not!" Pattinson insists. "He does it on purpose. He's looking at me when he's saying this stuff." Be sure to tune in to "MTV First: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," which kicks off Thursday, November 3, on MTV at 7:56 p.m, followed by a Q&A with Kristen, Rob and Taylor on MTV.com! Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Jacob and Bella in the tent in "Eclipse" Photo: Summit

'21 Jump Street': A Pre-Trailer Cheat Sheet

Once again, it's time to jump — jump! — down on Jump Street. A few hours from now, a full two decades since the classic television show completed its run, the red-band trailer for the big-screen adaptation of "21 Jump Street" will be hitting the Web. It's been a long time coming. News of the project broke back in the spring of 2008 when Jonah Hill, fresh off the success of "Superbad," began to solidify plans to pen the script and act as executive producer. Back then, as the old TV theme song might suggest, we never thought we'd find ourselves in a world where such a thing not only might be considered, but could actually happen. But it has, and we're psyched. As we wait for the Twitter war between Hill and co-star Channing Tatum to resolve itself — with the winner of a who-can-gain-the-most-new-followers battle gaining the right to tweet out a link to the trailer on Facebook — let's take a look back at how the whole thing came together. To begin, Hill had to face skeptics. What qualified this jokester to adapt a beloved '80s series, one that launched Johnny Depp to stardom? Would this be yet another case of Hollywood recycling, and possibly ruining, the pop-culture past? Hardly, Hill told MTV News in May of '08. "People on the Internet just get pissed off about everything, I realized," he said, laughing. "But it's not like slapstick or anything like that. I don't want to make some sh---y movie." Indeed, Hill later specified that his take would be " 'Bad-Boys'-meets-John Hughes-type movie." Sounds pretty good to us. Further proving that he was making all the right moves, Hill let us know that he was hoping Depp would not only endorse the project but take part in it: "We have an awesome thing for Depp, if he'll do it," he said. "I don't know if he will or not, [but] it's going to be rad!" Here is where MTV News entered the story. It turned out that Depp hadn't heard about any offer until we sat down with him during a press day for "Public Enemies" in June 2009. "If we find the right thing to do, it could be very funny," he said of a potential cameo. At the time, though, nothing came of it. By the next spring, Hill hadn't yet touched base with Depp about the gig. "We haven't had any direct contact before," Hill said. "I've just heard that he's interested, and I'm more than interested. We will make that happen." And then it did — partly because of MTV News. As Depp explained, while promoting the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie this May, "I was sort of invited into ['21 Jump Street'] indirectly," he said. "It was during an interview like a year and a half ago: Somebody mentioned it, and I hadn't heard anything about it, and I thought, 'Well, sure, if they asked me, I'd love to do it!' But nobody ever really approached me." Win! (Even if Hill still won't confirm that the cameo actually happened.) But before we could even get here, the rest of the "21 Jump Street" pieces had to come together. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" helmers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller signed on to direct. Tatum came aboard to play Jenko, a young man who joins the top-secret Jump Street police unit and goes undercover, along with his partner Schmidt (Hill), in a local high school to investigate a violent drug ring. Brie Larson won the part of the film's female lead. Filming kicked off in the spring of this year, ahead of the film's March 16, 2012, release date. And Wednesday (November 2), we'll have the first clue to answer the question of whether Hill followed through on his hope — his promise — that he'd make a kick-ass big-screen version of "21 Jump Street." Like he told us over three years ago, "I wouldn't want to do it if it was gonna suck. I really think it's going to be sweet!" For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Johnny Depp Photo: Getty Images

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

'Expendables 2' Stuntmen Involved In On-Set Accident ID'd

Nu Image/Millennium Films has identified the stuntman who died on the Bulgarian set of "The Expendables 2" on October 27. Stuntman Kun Lieu was killed in an on-set explosion. The production company behind the all-star action sequel released a statement Tuesday (November 1) clarifying previous reports and updating the status of the second stuntman injured in the explosion. The second stuntman, Nuo Sun, was also injured in the explosion and was reportedly in critical condition when reports of the accident hit late last Thursday. A new statement released by Nu/Image Millennium Films updated his status, and Sun is now in stable condition in a hospital in Munich, where he was transported to undergo treatment by specialists. The statement also corrected claims made by Bulgarian newspapers that inaccurately identified the stuntmen as the doubles for Sylvester Stallone and Jet Li and asserted that the those stuntmen were nowhere near the set at the time of the incident. The production company also reconfirmed previous reports that neither the stars nor director Simon West were present for the accident. The full statement from Nu Image/Millennium Film follows: "Our deepest condolences go to the family of Kun Lieu. His passing is tragic. Our sympathies also go to Nuo Sun, who was seriously injured as a result of the same explosion. We have been informed his condition has stabilized. He has been transported to Munich, Germany, where he is receiving top medical care from the best specialists," the statement reads. "Regrettably, Bulgarian language newspapers have incorrectly reported that stunt doubles for Jet Li and Sylvester Stallone were involved in the accident. This is absolutely false and inaccurate. At the time of the accident neither Li's or Stallone's stuntmen were on or near the Second Unit set, nor were any of the film's main actors, director Simon West or any of the Main Unit crew. "Only Second Unit filming has been temporarily suspended and will resume shortly. The filmmakers continue to work with authorities investigating this accident. Main Unit production has not been interrupted and continues as scheduled." "Expendables 2" is scheduled to hit theaters next August and stars Stallone, Li, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Stay with MTV News for the latest updates on "Expendables 2." Check out everything we've got on "The Expendables 2." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Sylvester Stallone in "The Expendables" Photo: Lionsgate

'Breaking Dawn' Director Explains Revisiting 'Twilight' Ballad

Fans of the original "Twilight" soundtrack got a pleasant surprise when the recently released track list for "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" revealed that Iron & Wine's melancholy ballad "Flightless Bird, American Mouth (Wedding Version)" was among the cuts. Twilighters — who are no doubt gearing up for Thursday's "MTV First" with Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner at 7:56 p.m. on MTV and MTV.com — will recall that the song made its "Saga" debut in the closing moments of "Twilight" as Bella and Edward shared their first dance. And according to "Breaking Dawn" director Bill Condon, the retread of this memorable number was an important reference for him to make. "I always thought of this movie as the bookend to the first movie, and that was such a great powerful, romantic song for those characters," he told MTV News during a phone interview last week. "It just felt right to kind of refer back to it at this important, important moment," he added about "Breaking Dawn - Part 1," the first of the two-part finale. Of course, Condon wouldn't reveal exactly which important moment this song will accompany in the November 18 film, leaving fans to wonder whether its delicate strains will find their way into the wedding itself or perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Cullen's first dance as man and wife. Condon did divulge, however, that the song is just one of many callbacks to earlier "Twilight Saga" films. "[There are] quite a few," he confirmed. "Musically, I would say at the wedding there's a jazz quartet that plays a couple of tracks from 'Eclipse.' Carter Burwell has come back to do the score. He did the first movie, so 'Bella's Lullaby' features in this movie too." Moral of the story: Keep your eyes and ears peeled for touching tributes to "Breaking Dawn" predecessors. Be sure to tune in to "MTV First: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," which kicks off Thursday, November 3, on MTV at 7:56 p.m. ET, followed by a Q&A with Kristen, Rob and Taylor on MTV.com! Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Robert Pattinson in "Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" Photo: Summit Entertainment

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

'Breaking Dawn' Experts Reveal 'MTV First' Wish List

We can hardly contain our "Twilight"-obsessed excitement for Thursday, November 3, at 7:56 p.m. ET when we will premiere a never-before-released clip from the hugely anticipated "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" live on-air, to be introduced by megastars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. This extra-special event is "MTV First: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," which is an opportunity for us to provide our fellow "Twilight" fans with some insider excitement surrounding the impending release of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1," due November 18, and catch up with the three actors following the clip's debut on MTV.com. To get a feel for what members of the "Twilight" fandom hope to hear or see next week, MTV News sought out the expertise of Laura Byrne-Cristiano, who owns TwilightLexicon.com; Kara Hassell of TwilightersAnonymous.com; and Kallie Mathews from TwilightSeriesTheories.com. In the exclusive clip, Byrne-Cristiano and Mathews hope to see some reactions to Bella's pregnancy from the wolf pack, while Hassell hopes more humans are involved. "I love the Cullens and werewolves as much as the next 'Twilight' fan, but I'm dying to see a little snark from Charlie Swan (Billy Burke) or Jessica Stanley (Anna Kendrick)," Hassell said. The ladies are also eager to see the dynamic between Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner during the MTV.com Q&A following the premiere of the clip. "I hope and expect to see some great chemistry and a lot of comedy from the three," Hassell said. "We've seen them individually in interviews recently, but it's always a whole different ballgame when they are all together." "I would really love to hear them discuss acting together, i.e. when Jacob finds out that Bella is preggers," Mathews added. "And what it was like to play off of each other's emotions in such an intense scene." "[I would like to know] what scene are they the proudest of that they took part in," Byrne-Cristiano said. "In terms of end result on film." Continuing with the theme of patiently waiting and eager anticipation, how are our dedicated experts preparing for the film's opening day and making the wait less painful? "I'm so busy grabbing every interview and news story. It takes my mind off of it," Byrne-Cristiano said. "Plus, we are planning this big private movie showing for our fans in the Nashville area, so I've been really busy with that." "I have re-watched each of the first three films, and I have the soundtracks on repeat in my car!" Hassell admitted. "I am planning to be at the premiere with the rest of the fans!" Mathews said. "We are also giving away a ton of 'Twilight' merchandise at TwilightSeriesTheories.com leading up to the release. I will stay very busy!" Don't forget: Fans can get in on our interviews with Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner by submitting video or text questions via MTV.com or Twitter (using @MTVNews, plus the hashtags #AskTwilight and #MTVFirst). Be sure to tune in to "MTV First: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," which kicks off Thursday, November 3, on MTV at 7:56 p.m, followed by a Q&A with Kristen, Rob and Taylor on MTV.com! Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Kristen Stewart in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" Photo: Summit Entertainment

'Hobbit' Cast Is A 'Little Family,' Luke Evans Says

The last time we caught up with "Hobbit" actor Luke Evans — who is playing dragon slayer Bard the Bowman in Peter Jackson's two-part big-screen adaptation of the J. R. R. Tolkien classic — he had yet to descend on New Zealand and Jackson's Middle-earth, but he was excited to dig into his meaty new role. Now, almost three months later, Evans has finally begun work on the highly anticipated film, and when MTV News sat down with him as he promoted the upcoming sword-and-sandals flick "Immortals," he revealed he's become much better acquainted with a bow and arrow and that there's a lot of warm-fuzzy bonding happening between the cast and crew. "It's been fantastic, the training before we started shooting 'The Hobbit,' " Evans said when we asked how his archery skills were progressing. "I'm fully into it now, and it's great. I'm having a fantastic time. Living in New Zealand, it's like a different world — it is a different world. It's very, very cool." When asked if there might be any particularly cool scenes or scene partners he's been working with he could tease or talk about, Evans admitted that he's barely scratched the surface of what is scripted for his role. "The thing is, I've done about 10 percent of what I'm going to be doing, shoot-wise, so I can't really say, but the cast are fantastic. We're so far away from home. We have a little family," he said. "Peter [Jackson] and the team create a very warm atmosphere on set and off set. We all socialize, it's really special. I just feel very lucky to be a part of it." Does that off-set bonding include group activities like "Hobbit" game nights? "No!" Evans laughed. Check out everything we've got on "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Luke Evans Photo: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images

Monday, October 31, 2011

Jigsaw Tests Into MTV's Killer Halloween

This week's horror-movie-themed bloodletting continues with Day 4 of MTV's Killer Halloween, an in-depth competition in which we ask you, the best and brightest fans, to vote on who is the boldest, baddest and scariest movie murderer. Which horror-movie baddie has the best personality? Make your pick in our MTV Movies Blog poll! Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Chucky, Michael Myers and Ghostface all have received spotlight treatment, and now it's time to turn the focus toward a seriously scary mass-murderer: Jigsaw. Jigsaw Name: John "Jigsaw" Kramer, so nicknamed for his practice of cutting puzzle pieces out of the flesh of victims who didn't "pass" his deadly tests in the "Saw" movie franchise Occupation: Civil engineer turned sadistic self-appointed judge of others' life choices Weapons: Practical home-improvement items found at a local Home Depot or Lowe's, along with the aid of a few helping hands here and there Archenemy: People who waste or don't appreciate their lives, laziness Profile: Kramer is a former civil engineer who is dying from colon cancer. After an unsuccessful suicide attempt, he suddenly gains a new appreciation for life and sets out to make others appreciate what they have before it's too late. Unfortunately, and as is standard in all good horror flicks, his methods are a bit twisted. In an effort to test his victims' survival instincts, he crafts deadly and torturous traps that play upon his captives' character flaws. He doesn't really want his victims to die, but makes it nearly impossible for them to survive. Horror-movie expert Ryan Turek, managing editor of ShockTillYouDrop.com, explains Jigsaw's brilliance: "Behind the flayed flesh and exposed guts his messy traps leave behind, Jigsaw does have a pretty solid message to pass along: Live your life and live it right. It's up to the people he captures to survive the blades, gears and barbed wire of his contraptions," Turek told MTV News, adding that what separates Jigsaw from other horror-movie killers is the fact that he's basically a regular guy. "That's something that the audience can invest in and be terrified of: that lurking behind this amiable face is something incredibly deranged. That somber, withering older guy in the corner? He's quietly eyeballing you and probably has a trap waiting for you somewhere. It also helps that he's smart," Turek continued. "This is a man with an education, and to a degree, you can respect him, which is a scary thought. Jigsaw's vicious tests get the audience engaged in a discussion about right and wrong. He forces people to better themselves. I'm waiting for the day 'The Jigsaw Challenge' reality show hits television. We're not that far off, are we?" Check out everything we've got on "Saw." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. John Kramer, known as Jigsaw, in "Saw" Photo: Lions Gate Films

'Breaking Dawn' Director Talks Sex Scene 'Adjustment'

Was the first cut of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" racy enough to be slapped with an R rating? In the December issue of Glamour UK, star Kristen Stewart revealed that Bella and Edward's feather-strewn sex scene was so saucy that it had to be recut. "It was so weird, it didn't even feel like we were doing a 'Twilight' film," she recalled to the British mag. "I was like, 'Bella! What are you doing? Wow! What is happening here?!' It was very surreal. We [originally] got rated R. They recut it." Though director Bill Condon couldn't confirm the R rating when MTV News recently spoke with him on the phone, he did reveal the approach necessary to earn a more teen-friendly PG-13 for the November 18 release. "It's almost clinical the kind of strict guidelines [the MPAA] have about anything that appears to be — how do I put it delicately? Can It Still Be Steamy With a PG-13? Predict On Facebook That appears to be, let's call it thrusting. In fact, you know, it was so much more about romance than it was about hot-and-heavy action, so it was a very kind of simple adjustment to make." If filming the infamous sex scene was one of the simplest items on Condon's honeymoon to-do list, one of the most difficult was scouting the location: the secluded Isle Esme owned by Carlisle Cullen. "We went to Brazil where it was at, that felt important to us," he said. "There are very few houses built on the water because it's against the law. So they're mostly built up, so it was hard to find a house that was like that. It took us — wow — we were five hours outside of Rio and then a boat trip of 40 minutes to get to this one island that had the house that we wanted." It was a good thing Condon was satisfied with the locale seeing as he and the crew spent several unexpected extra hours there. "We spent four days there and one night, when we had this incredible hurricane and couldn't get off the island," he said. "Eighty of us slept in the house on the floor and in bathtubs. It was incredible." Tweet your questions for Rob, Kristen, and Taylor to@MTVNews tagged #AskTwilight! Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1" Photo: Summit Entertainment

Sunday, October 30, 2011

'Expendables 2' Stuntman Dies In On-Set Accident

Tragedy has struck the Bulgarian set of the star-studded action sequel "The Expendables 2." A stuntman was killed when an accident occurred involving a rubber boat and an explosion. Two stuntmen were involved in the scene, which was filming around 7 p.m. local time on Thursday night. The second man suffered serious injuries, but he is now said to be in stable condition. No information has been released yet as to the identities of the men involved in the incident. A representative from the production company behind the Sylvester Stallone-produced film, Nu Image/Millennium Films, released a statement, saying, "It is with great regret that we confirm this unfortunate accident. Our hearts go out to the families and those on the production affected by this tragedy. The filmmakers are working closely with the authorities in responding to and investigating this accident." The accident occurred while the second unit filmed at the Ognyanovo dam in Bulgaria. None of the film's stars were present during the incident, as the first unit was filming at a resort more than two hours away. "Expendables 2" is scheduled to hit theaters next August and stars Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. It is the sequel to the hit 2010 action film written and directed by Stallone. The sequel reunites most of the cast, while adding Simon West as director and adding Norris and Van Damme to the lineup. Check out everything we've got on "The Expendables 2." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Sylvester Stallone in "The Expendables" Photo: Lionsgate

'Dark Knight Rises' Prologue To Play Before IMAX 'Mission: Impossible'

It is almost certain now that the Dark Knight will be rising sooner than expected. As MTV News reported last week, there was a rumor circulating that a six-minute prologue to the upcoming Christopher Nolan Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises," would play before IMAX showings of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol." The presentation was, in theory, supposed to be similar to the Joker's reveal that played before IMAX screenings of "I Am Legend" in 2008. The rumor remained just that until theater chain AMC released a statement on their blog that reads: "The six-minute Dark Knight Rises prologue footage will only be shown on the higher resolution 70mm IMAX screens. Not the digital IMAX screens. Locations haven't been confirmed yet, so stay tuned for an update on AMC Theatre locations that will be showing the prologue Dark Knight Rises footage at a 70mm IMAX screen nearest you." AMC's statement aligned with the original rumor that had been posted on /Film, but news of the clip only showing on the "higher resolution 70mm IMAX screens" was an unexpected bit of information, though not entirely surprising. Nolan is known for his meticulous control over his films, so insisting on the higher res for the preview makes sense. This detail from the AMC post may spell trouble for some fans. If the report is accurate, the prologue will play on far fewer screens than initially expected. The digital IMAX screens tend to be more common than the 70mm format ones, so some fans may have to travel further than expected for their first glimpse at "The Dark Knight Rises." The post was the most solid confirmation yet about the footage, but it was soon removed. A new statement was issued by AMC, stating, "The information in this post has been retracted until further notice. Please refer to Warner Bros. for any information about The Dark Knight Rises." If AMC was confident enough to confirm the rumors, the prologue seems like more or less a certainty. The redaction by Warner Bros. could have to do with how they typically release Batman info. With "The Dark Knight," the "Why So Serious" marketing campaign involved highly complicated tasks that rewarded fans with content, like the Joker prologue. A straight news release for the "Dark Knight Rises" prologue would go against precedent. What do you want to see in the prologue for "The Dark Knight Rises"? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter! Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Christian Bale and Tom Hardy film "The Dark Knight Rises" Photo: Jared Wickerham/ Getty Images

Saturday, October 29, 2011

'Lone Ranger' Is 'Built Around Tonto,' Director Says

Now that Disney, Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp have ironed out most of the budget kinks surrounding their production of "The Lone Ranger," we can all rest easy that the masked man and his trusty sidekick Tonto are headed to the big screen soon. When MTV News caught up with Verbinski at the Hollywood Awards Gala Monday night, where his quirky animated film "Rango" received the Hollywood Animation Award, we asked how he was feeling about the film and what his plans are for the adaptation. "I feel great. We're not shooting a Western in the middle of winter; the whole thing is pushed into a more reasonable time of year, so now we have to go make the movie," Verbinski said, speaking to the film's new May 31, 2013, release date. "There's been a lot of talk. Hopefully in a year and a half we'll have something we can talk about." Verbinski went on to say that he's been hard at work on the screenplay for two years and that the central character is not the Ranger. "It's all built around Tonto," he said. "You've heard the Lone Ranger's story; you just haven't heard it told from this guy, and he was there." Depp has already teased that their take on the beloved duo's Western adventures will be "interesting," to say the least. "I like the character. I think I have interesting plans for the character, and I think the film itself could be entertaining and very funny," he said. "But also I like the idea of having the opportunity to make fun of the idea of the Indian as a sidekick — which has always been [the case] throughout the history of Hollywood. The Native American has always been a second-class, third-class, fourth-class, fifth-class citizen, and I don't see Tonto that way at all. So it's an opportunity for me to salute Native Americans." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Gore Verbinski Photo: MTV News

'In Time': The Reviews Are In!

What do you get when you mix a futuristic, time-as-money/life-or-death premise; a cast of pretty young things, including Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Matt Bomer and Cillian Murphy; plus the sound sci-fi sensibilities of writer/director Andrew Niccol ("Gattaca," "The Truman Show") and appropriately stylized cinematography by Roger Deakins ("True Grit," "The Reader")? "In Time" is what, a complex, visually appealing sci-fi thriller that has audiences and critics somewhat divided. (The critical collective over at Rotten Tomatoes is at 36 percent rotten, while its audience rating sits at 76 percent fresh.) Take a few moments to check out the film's ticking points, if you will, as we sift through the "In Time" reviews! The Story "The premise builds on the notion that time is money. In the movie's dystopian future, where today's cars have tomorrow's grilles, time has replaced money. People are born with genetic clocks that stop at the age of 25; after that they've got one year in which to beg, borrow, steal or even earn more time. If they don't, the digital clocks embedded in their forearms dwindle down to zero and they time out, i.e., die. That's clever, right? But then there are roving gangs called Minute Men (Teddy Boy types out of 'A Clockwork Orange') who steal time; the borderline-silly spectacle of almost everyone looking 25; the polemic element of social injustice (the richest of the rich can live forever because they've got eons socked away); and the action-adventure element, a clumsy amalgam of Robin Hood, 'Bonnie and Clyde,' 'The Avengers,' 'Les Misérables,' 'Dick Tracy' (for the color and graphics) and Mr. Niccol's earlier, and impressive, genetic-engineering opus 'Gattaca.' " — Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal The Sci-Fi Confusion/ High-Concept Factor "For a movie about the importance of maximizing every second, 'In Time' ultimately grows repetitive and wears out its welcome. It's fast-paced and hugely stylish, though, with its great-looking cast and a mix of gleaming, futuristic visuals and grimy, industrial chic. And it's a welcome return to the kind of slick sci-fi Niccol made his name on in the mid-'90s with 'Gattaca' and 'The Truman Show' (which he wrote). But his high-concept premise raises several nagging questions. Why do all the inhabitants of this dystopian world (which happens to look just like downtown Los Angeles and Century City) stop aging at 25, then find themselves with only a year left unless they can buy themselves more? When did this start — what is the purpose? And if Justin Timberlake is so busy working in a factory just so he can afford to live one day to the next, where does he find time to go to the gym?" — Christy Lemire, The Associated Press The Performances "There are moguls who are mean and have more time than God, which they bank in banks. Chief among them is a calculatingly evil Philippe Weis ('Mad Men's' Vincent Kartheiser, well-turned-out here too), with daughter Sylvia (Seyfried) the apple of Daddy's eye — although whether he loves her or time more will be tested. There are regular bad guys, time thieves called Minutemen, led by Alex Pettyfer, who seems to be getting a little too comfortable in bad-guy roles ('Beastly,' 'Tormented'), as Fortis. Meanwhile, inflation is rampant; the class divide is growing ever wider; the world is ripe for an action hero. Cue Timberlake. 'In Time' was supposed to turn Timberlake into a superhero, though given the way he manages a fairly massive pop career with an increasingly impressive acting portfolio ('Social Network' most recently), that may not be necessary. He brings an interesting sensibility to his characters, Will included, that suggest a complex interior that 'In Time' never quite reveals. The same goes for Seyfried ('Mamma Mia!,' 'Red Riding Hood'), who can do a lot more than use those big eyes and sleek lines." — Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times The Final Word, Pro-Con-Pro Style "There's plenty to enjoy about that genre standard, which, with the help of the cinematographer Roger Deakins (shooting in digital), Mr. Niccol transforms into a neonoir gaudily washed in green and gold. There's a memorable night scene when Will and Sylvia sprint across a succession of roofs pursued by Raymond, the camera racing parallel with the couple, the exuberance of their freedom and flight palpable. Here, as in other scenes where Mr. Niccol let his images do the talking, the movie works, despite its wavering tone and slow-and-go energy. But then the characters open their mouths and start going on about minutes and hours, clocks and watches, and their time running out and not having enough time and where's my time, don't waste my time, that time will get you killed, brother can you spare some time because, well, I'm all out." — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times "One problem with 'In Time' is that it's more fun to describe than to sit through. Another is that Niccol's direction of his cast is spotty at best. Timberlake has the steely visage and stubbled cheeks for a rogue hero, but Seyfried, always a watchable presence, has trouble connecting with Sylvia's inner rebellious streak or, for that matter, lending urgency to her line readings. The film's crucial failing, though, is that Niccol's imagination is vigorously literary but not thrillingly cinematic. The movie exhausts its capital about halfway through — devolving, as the Timekeeper tracks the lovers on the run, into a series of car chases and foot races, none of them very spiffily executed. If you're like me, you will be captivated by the first hour and, after that, impatiently checking your watch." — Richard Corliss, Time "Even if 'In Time' descends from its gripping and thought-provoking premise into a mediocre chase thriller before it's over, it's still pretty damn satisfying to watch in the current climate. Of course the contradictions of capitalism are just as present in eras of widespread affluence as in eras of recession or stagnation, but we see them a hell of a lot more clearly at the moment. Niccol is dramatizing the human costs of the concentration of wealth, expressed by Philippe in the film with the formula that some must die so others can live forever. Somewhere Marx quips that capital is immortal even if its possessors are not; this movie's imaginative leap is to conflate the two and build a world where even death, the great leveler in human affairs, can be bought off." — Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com Check out everything we've got on "In Time." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried in "In Time" Photo: 20th Century Fox

Friday, October 28, 2011

Beavis And Butt-Head 'Taking Shots' At Reality Shows, Mike Judge Promises

It's been almost 14 years since the slackest slackers of a generation, Beavis and Butt-head, filled the airwaves with their shenanigans, but when the duo return to television with new episodes Thursday (October 27), the MTV they return to is quite a different one. Creator Mike Judge had to address the changes to the channel when deciding which direction to take the show in. Without music videos playing as regularly on MTV, there is less of an opportunity for Beavis and Butt-head to sit around and comment on them as they did during the show's original run. Reality shows like "Jersey Shore" and "16 and Pregnant" have replaced what were formerly blocks of music videos, and Judge said he wanted the new "Beavis and Butt-head" episodes to reflect that shift. According to Judge, MTV reality shows comprise 60 percent of the content Beavis and Butt-head sit and watch now. The transition from music videos to reality programming has been an easy one for Judge. "I think it is easier taking shots at the reality shows than music videos," Judge said. Missed it the first time around? MTV's Remote Control has a Beginner's Guide To "Beavis and Butt-head"! But Beavis and Butt-head didn't just make fun of the videos they watched. "In the beginning of the first run, I did a lot of what I would call taking shots at the videos," Judge said. "But then a lot of times I would just have them talk about whatever, and it didn't necessarily have that much to do about saying anything one way or another about the video." Reality TV, on the other hand, is a different story. Judge has found that with the new crop of shows, the material is too ripe for ridicule to ignore. "With the reality shows, it just feels like pay dirt to me," Judge said. "Those shows have just been really fun to have Beavis and Butt-head watch." Don't miss "Beavis and Butt-head" when it returns to TV Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Beavis and Butt-Head Photo: MTV

'Paranormal Activity 3': Seven Burning Questions Answered

On Friday, after the directors of "Paranormal Activity 3" helped us reveal 10 secrets about their horror sequel, we promised that on Monday, once fans had actually been able to check out the movie, we'd deliver a slew of answers to burning questions. And check it out, fans most certainly did. "PA 3" reeled in $54 million at the box office over its first weekend. That's a lot of money for a lot of screams and, likely, a lot of sore throats today. So you guys deserve it: Read on for directors Henry Joost's and Ariel Schulman's answers to many of the eye-popping moments in the flick (needless to say, major spoilers exist below). How did they make everything fall in the kitchen? Henry Joost: "All summer, people were like, 'How do we top the cabinets blowing open [from the previous film]?' " Ariel Schulman: " 'The cabinet scare! The cabinet scare!' " Joost: "It was just so regular. We all have cabinets, but they've never done that before. It's the last thing you expect to happen. So we were brainstorming and brainstorming. I wanted Randy's dead body to drop from the ceiling. And [screenwriter] Chris Laden was like, 'What about all the stuff in the kitchen?' That was massive rigging for special-effects crew. It was so beautiful. It was like an art installation. It was all practical." Schulman: "We did one take. We rigged everything to a hinge and had one button. You say go and it just launches." Joost: "The release is staggered. The stuff gets closer to the camera, which is something you don't even register, but it is 100 times better than everything falling at once." Wait, you were going to kill Randy? Schulman: "We never killed Randy. We talked about it. The character who knows something is wrong and leaves and then meets his death somewhere else because the demon has followed him. But we never killed him." Where did the idea for Bloody Mary come from? Schulman: "Chris Laden had been wanting to bring back Bloody Mary, which was a great idea. And we'd been wanting to do a scene in total darkness." Joost: "We shot that scene three different ways. We shot the version that's in the trailer, where it's just the girls. And then we shot it with Dennis, Randy and Katie. The first two times were good, but we felt like we could take it to the next level. On set, we came up with the rattling door. We were like, 'Can you make something in the room fly out of the room?' " Schulman: "Not only is the acting improvised, but a lot of the writing is. That scene starts off with Randy and Katie playing Bloody Mary and Randy gets scratched. End of scene. But it felt like it could get scarier. So we huddled and said, 'What if the demon is right outside the door and just slamming on it?' And we just went from there." Where is Julie's husband? Will we ever see him? Schulman: "Maybe. Gotta leave some questions kind of unanswered!" What exactly happened at the end? Schulman: "The grandmother is the leader of a coven that is calling forth a demon. That demon is requesting a male host, a child. Someone has made a deal with the devil in return for a boy somewhere along this family lineage. That hasn't happened yet. It happens in 'Paranormal 2.' In 'Paranormal 2,' the grandma is forcing the issue. Once that boy is had, she will be there with her coven and the demon in order to deliver the baby." Joost: "Dennis is in the way, and ultimately Julie is too." So at the end, the creepy women are going to have a séance? Schulman: "Well, not exactly. It's not in the movie. I think a lot of this movie is left up to your imagination. So much had been done within the genre. People know a lot more about demonology than they realize. You actually don't need to show it. You just insinuate it and people are like, 'Oh yeah, that's going to be a séance later. I know how those work.' " Joost: "It's a huge thing in this movie that now, not only are you afraid of a demon, you're also afraid of a bunch of people in cahoots with the demon." Schulman: "The women in the coven are very sweet. But if you look at their IMDb credits, they each have played 'creepy lady' many times. Talk about being pigeonholed." Will you guys return for "Paranormal Activity 4"? Schulman: "I had a blast. I'd do it again." Joost [laughing]: "We have some ideas. It's going to be just drawings. Calligraphy and watercolors. And set in the 1800s." Schulman: "Found watercolors!" Check out everything we've got on "Paranormal Activity 3." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Lauren Bittner in "Paranormal Activity 3" Photo: Paramount Pictures