Bill Maher Wants You To Think While Laughing At 'Religulous'

Bill Maher is a very funny guy whose new documentary, "Religulous," is, for most of the flick's 100 minutes, a very funny movie. But Maher — who told MTV News he set out to discover how "otherwise intelligent people, rational people, could believe in [religion]" — doesn't want you to leave the theater with a smile on your face.

He wants you to be angry. And scared. Because "religion is one day going to get us all killed," he matter-of-factly sighed.

"We feel like we took people on a funny ride for 85, 90 minutes, and now we can take five minutes to kind of sum up the case, and to me, it's necessary," he said of the flick's final minutes, in which Maher and director Larry Charles abruptly change tones from one of general bemusement and ridicule to downright seriousness. "To me, to just make it about 'ha ha ha' is not quite enough because this is, after all, especially troubling."

What Maher and Charles find troubling is the Christian belief in a literal apocalypse — the biblically prophesied End Times described in the Book of Revelation — where the world goes through a period of tribulations to prepare for the second coming of the Messiah. It's troubling not necessarily because of the belief itself — although Maher certainly finds that ridiculous and irrational — but because, given that Christian belief posits Jesus can't return until the world goes through a period of unrest under the Antichrist, many are actually rooting for Earth's destruction to hasten Christ's arrival, he said.

"It's very, very troubling to me that people are rooting for the end of the world. I mean, they call it the Rapture. That doesn't sound bad to me — that sounds kind of sexy. And that's how they think of it, they are horny for the end of the world," Maher insisted.

Rooting for the end of the world is one thing, but Maher believes many people in important government positions (or who are currently running for important government positions) are doing more than rooting — they are actively participating in the Earth's decay and destruction through policy and executive decisions.

And that's not just irrational to Maher — that's dangerous.

"Someone like [vice-presidential candidate] Sarah Palin has gone to almost as many churches as she's been to colleges, and finds in all these churches one common thread, and that is the literal translation of the Bible. And just like Bush, she believes in the End Times. She believes that the end of the world is probably coming in her lifetime because she's a narcissist. And she's not against it!" Maher asserted. "I mean, why, in her interview with Charlie Gibson, does she seem positively giddy about the prospect of a war with Russia? Because maybe we'll get to exchange nuclear weapons and that will bring back Jesus! Why do you think the only thing that she seems to have gotten into her thick skull about foreign affairs is that Israel gets to do whatever they want, with whoever they want? All these right-winged evangelical Christians — who pretend to be such good pals with Israel — they're not really pals with Israel. They just need Israel because that's where Jesus comes back. They like Israel because that's where all the Jews die when he comes back! Convert or die."

Finishing on such a serious note after more than an hour of ribaldry was "the only way to end the movie," he said, partly because he wanted to highlight the seriousness of the situation, but more so because he wanted it to serve as a wake-up call to non-religious Americans.

"I hope that people go to my movie — one, because they want to be entertained, and two, because they want to send a message that there's a lot of us out here that aren't religious nuts," he said. "We want our country back, and we don't want to give it over to the likes of the Sarah Palins of the world."

"Religulous" opens Friday.

Shia LaBeouf, ‘Eagle Eye’ Co-Stars Remind Us That We’re All Being Watched
McCartney resists pressure to scrap Israel concert
(Reuters)
Springsteen ends world tour at Harley celebration
(AP)
Andre 3000’s ‘Good Deed’: Helping To Bring The Seattle Riots To The Big Screen

Shia LaBeouf Is 'Fine' After Latest Injury, 'Transformers' Producer Says

By the time all is said and done, a few hundred million dollars will be spent making and marketing the highly anticipated sequel to last year's hit film "Transformers." Now, one of the film's producers is acknowledging the latest high-profile injury to Shia LaBeouf, suffered this past week, and shooting down theories that a few of those dollars should go toward purchasing a helmet and crash pads for the film's accident-prone leading man.

"Everything is fine," insisted Lorenzo di Bonaventura, speaking for the first time about the "Eagle Eye" star's eyelid injury, which required several stitches. "He got a little nick, and because he has been hurt recently, immediately everything gets magnified."

For those of you who've been living under a rock the size of Optimus Prime, the 22-year-old star severely mangled his left hand in an accident that flipped over his truck in the wee hours of July 27. LaBeouf was booked on misdemeanor drunk-driving charges. Although eventually cleared of those charges, the actor has called the crash "one of the biggest things that's happened in my life," and the "Transformers" writers have been forced to work his injury into the sequel's script.

As for LaBeouf's most recent injury, di Bonaventura insists that the show will once again go on. "He is fine — he was back shooting a couple hours later," the producer said. "He loves doing his own stunts, and that wasn't a stunt, actually. It was just one of those things where a prop nicked him."

He did concede, however, that the accident could have been much worse. "Thank God he is fine, and we are getting close to the end now," di Bonaventura said. "[It was] one of our props, and it's a big prop. It could have been a big cut, but it wasn't."

As for the film itself, which is called "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," the producer insisted that the tale of Autobots, Decepticons and humans battling for the future of the planet will be even more epic than the original.

"It's going great — it's going to be big, it's going to be better, and it's going to be more emotional," he promised. "Michael [Bay] is killing it, and it is going to be amazing. It's one of those sequels where people are really going to say we went after it and topped ourselves.

"There are a lot of new characters," he continued. "My favorite aspect of the movie is that in the first movie, we were able to go on a very simple emotional construct: Boy gets a car, gets a girl. And in this movie, on an emotional level, we are taking the audience to much deeper things. We are asking about the responsibility in becoming an adult and things that have expanded the characters. Hopefully the experience of the movie will be more fulfilling than that of the first one."

Asked if he, Bay and fellow producer Steven Spielberg are laying the groundwork for more "Transformers" sequels, di Bonaventura could only smile. "One at a time," he laughed. "One at a time."

Shia LaBeouf Defends ‘Nuking The Fridge’ And Other Fantastical ‘Indy 4′ Moments
Six nominations give Cafe Tacuba ‘great joy’
(AP)

'Eagle Eye' Sets Sights On Box-Office Crown

The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "Eagle Eye" ($29.2 million)
#2 "Nights in Rodanthe" ($13.6 million)
#3 "Lakeview Terrace" ($7 million)
#4 "Fireproof" ($6.5 million)
#5 "Burn After Reading" ($6.1 million)

In "Eagle Eye," stars Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan find out that no matter where they go or what they do, they're constantly being watched by an unseen audience.

And you know something? $29.2 million dollars is a whole lot of reasons to be OK with it.

The paranoia thriller, which pits two ordinary folks against the combined power of the U.S. Surveillance Infrastructure (Capital Letters for Capitol Capabilities), dominated the weekend to the tune of nearly $30 million. More interesting, the win cements LaBeouf as something of a star in his own right, and not simply a tag-along content to ride Keanu Reeves'/ Will Smith's/ Harrison Ford's/ Optimus Prime's coattails. But forget "Y: The Last Man," the actor's long-rumored follow-up with "Eagle Eye" director D.J. Caruso. I think LaBeouf should use his new cred to start work on "Holes 2." (I bet you think I'm kidding but, honest to goodness, there's an actual "Holes 2.")

Here's a fun game: Take the $13.6 million made by second-place finisher "Nights in Rodanthe" and divide by the combined age of its stars, Richard Gere and Diane Lane. That gives you about $133,000 per year! The lesson, as always, is that old people will pay to see anything.

In third place, comic book heroes Nick Fury, Alicia Masters and Nite Owl continued to do low-level surveillance in the neighborhood of "Lakeview Terrace." Even without the costumes, the trio managed to grab $7 million, bumping their two-week total to $25.7 million.

The power of Christ compelled many this weekend to see "Fireproof," the Kirk Cameron-starring, "intelligently designed" ode to marital life, pushing the small film into the top five with a very surprising $6.5 million. I didn't see the film, although, in its honor, I did eat a banana.

The Coen brothers' laugher "Burn After Reading," starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney, rounded out the top five with $6.1 million, bringing its three-week total to $45.5 million.

Among other new releases, Spike Lee's "Miracle at St. Anna" kinda tanked, earning just $3.5 million in its debut frame. This is what you get, Spike, for messing with Clint.

In sadder news, "The Dark Knight" finally fell out of the top 10 this week, its 11th in release. Batman will now have to be content with crying himself to sleep on his half-a-billion-dollar pile of money.

‘Eagle Eye’: Flight Control, By Kurt Loder
Shia LaBeouf, ‘Eagle Eye’ Co-Stars Remind Us That We’re All Being Watched
T.I. “Likes” Making Hot 100 History
(E! Online)

Paramore's 'Twilight' Song 'Decode' Premieres On Stephenie Meyer's Web Site

Last month, MTV News brought you the exclusive that Paramore would be contributing a pair of songs to the soundtrack of the upcoming "Twilight" film, including the first single from the album, a spiky little slab of vampire lust called "Decode."

On Wednesday (October 1), "Decode" premiered on "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer's official Web site, making it the first bit of new music to be heard from the soundtrack. The post on StephenieMeyer.com also says that the soundtrack's release has been pushed back to November 4, from the previously reported October 28 date. (The movie hits theaters on November 21.)

"The song is about the building tension, awkwardness, anger and confusion between Bella and Edward," Paramore frontwoman (and "Twilight" fan) Hayley Williams said in a statement. "Bella is the only mind Edward can't read, and I feel like that's a big part of the first book and one of the obstacles for them to overcome. It's one added tension that makes the story even better."

A source at Atlantic Records (which is releasing the album along with music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas' label Chop Shop) confirmed to MTV News that Paramore are scheduled to shoot a video for "Decode" sometime around October 13.

Late Tuesday night, Perry Farrell confirmed via press release that he too will have a new song on the soundtrack. "Go All the Way" will feature production work by Nine Inch Nails' Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder. More details on the soundtrack — including a complete track listing — are expected to be announced on Meyer's site over the coming days.

Twilight Scoop! Sequels, Action and Paramore
(E! Online)
‘Twilight’ Exclusive: Paramore To Contribute Two New Songs To Film’s Soundtrack

'Twilight' Tuesday: Cam Gigandet Talks Bad Guys, Fight Scenes And Sneaking Up On You Opening Night

SANTA MONICA, California — Cam Gigandet is a jerk.

Actually, he's not at all. In real life, the 26-year-old fast-rising Hollywood star showed up at the MTV studios recently with a broad smile on his face, happy to talk and eager to please. He's charming, funny and good-looking enough to make every man jealous and every woman swoon.

But onscreen, nobody plays a better A-hole. From "The O.C." to the recent "Never Back Down," Gigandet has been bullying pretty boys, kicking butt and staring down his inevitable comeuppance. In November, he'll be seen terrorizing the love-struck duo of Edward and Bella in "Twilight," as the merciless vampire James.

On this "Twilight" Tuesday, we shine the spotlight on the man you'll soon love to hate for his most extensive interview yet. Discussing everything from rolling around in honey with Robert Pattinson to his favorite Starbucks drink, Cam was happy to show us that in real life he's far more genial than jerky.

‘Twilight’ Tuesday: Kellan Lutz Recalls How He Almost Wasn’t Cast As Belligerent ‘Goofball’ Emmett
‘Twilight’ Tuesday: Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg Gives ‘Spider Monkey’ Credit To Robert Pattinson
Lance Bass Talks Marriage, Kids and Same-Sex Dancing
(E! Online)
Twilight Scoop! Sequels, Action and Paramore
(E! Online)

Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott Offer More Details About Robin Hood Flick 'Nottingham'

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Over the weekend, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe made major waves when they spoke with MTV News and revealed an unusual plan of attack for their upcoming Robin Hood film "Nottingham." After a lengthy search for a Robin to play opposite the Oscar winner's Sheriff of Nottingham, Scott had a new answer for the question of who will play the green-clad good guy.

"It's Russell Crowe," Scott insisted. "He's playing both."

When we brought the statement to Crowe, the Australian smiled and said of his constant collaborator, "He talks too much."

In the days since, their comments have been interpreted to mean everything from Crowe doing a "Klumps"-esque performance opposite himself, to the theory that both Robin and the Sheriff will be the same person caught up in a "Fight Club"-like battle between two split personalities. Now, a fan site devoted to the actor claims to have an e-mail from him shooting down both theories, while other movie sites are insisting the split-personality angle is indeed the plan.

For the straight story, and for more about "Nottingham," where better to go than the five-time collaborators ("Gladiator," "American Gangster," etc.) themselves?

"I'm doing Robin Hood next with Russell. That's what actors like to do — dress up, change their persona and invent 20 voices," Scott told us about his plans for the movie, adding that the Robin/Sheriff plan is too complex to explain in an interview. "I haven't got long enough to tell you. ... It adjusts, it changes. It would take me more than 10 minutes to tell you. ... Just a good old clever adjustment of characters. One becomes the other. It changes, changes."

As for the film's plot, Scott explained: "The arena is England in the time of Richard Coeur de Lion [the Lionhearted]. Richard the second — and the father, Richard Coeur de Lion — have both gone off to the Holy Wars and have bankrupted the country for the Holy Wars. On their way back, Richard Coeur de Lion dies and the country is handed over to his brother, Sir John, who increases taxation."

Discussing the other actors in the film, the veteran director shot down rumors of household names like William Hurt and Saoirse Ronan being in the flick. "Everyone I've cast you probably don't know, because I like to look for new faces and give people new opportunities," he said. "If I have an actor like Russell, I can start looking around to see who's fresh."

Scott did reveal, however, that he and Crowe will reunite with the breakout actor of their upcoming film "Body of Lies," a charismatic English star who also appears in next month's "RocknRolla." "Mark Strong, who's in this movie [will be in 'Nottingham']."

Talk to Crowe, however, and he seems far less confident about Scott's plans to put the movie together as intended. "We'll see," the superstar said cautiously. "We'll see if we do it."

According to Crowe, in fact, there's still a chance he might not even be in the flick. "The one thing that's important to me is that in the 100-year tradition of Robin Hood in the cinema, you certainly don't want to make the second-best one," he grinned. "So if we're not in the situation where we're going to make the best one, I'm not really interested."

Reflecting on the background of the English folktale, he added: "There's 1,000 years of storytelling involved with Robin Hood, from the original ballads to the legend, the mythology, the political tool of Robin Hood and how it was used, depending on which judge was in favor at the time. That mythology has somehow got to be encapsulated the next time you tell the story on film.

"So I want to do it, but I don't want to do it at all costs," Crowe cautioned. "I want to do it if it's going to be a great film."

Scott sounds far more convinced that the movie will become a reality with Crowe as both leads, and said he was eager to overcome the Disney stereotypes that most Americans associate with the tale of the rebellious robber who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

"Oh, yes," he said when asked if Friar Tuck was in the movie. "We'll have him being knocked off the block, Little John, all that."

Twilight Scoop! Sequels, Action and Paramore
(E! Online)
‘W.,’ ‘Eagle Eye,’ ‘Quantum Of Solace’ And More Non-’Twilight’ Fall Flicks On Our Radar
Stars Remember Paul Newman: ‘He’s What You Aspire To Be,’ Leonardo DiCaprio Says

Peter Facinelli Compares 'Twilight' Patriarch Carlisle Cullen To His Breakthrough Role In 'Can't Hardly Wait'

Check out Peter Facinelli's message board on IMDb, and one of the first headlines you'll see is "Mike Dexter cannot play Carlisle!" But, believe it or not, Facinelli is an actor, and he firmly believes that his iconic jerk from "Can't Hardly Wait" and the sensitive, kind Carlisle Cullen can share the same body.

Now, a decade after he burst onto the scene as a jerky jock in the film that launched the careers of everyone from Seth Green to Jaime Pressly to Jason Segel and Selma Blair, "Can't Hardly Wait" is back for a 10th-anniversary DVD. Looking back on the role that started it all, and ahead to the "Twilight" movie that will take his career to the next level November 21, the affable actor spoke with us recently about locking himself in a tool shed, buying off the "Twilight" director for 30 bucks, and what would happen if Mike and Carlisle were to meet.

‘Twilight’ Tuesday: Peter Facinelli Reveals On-Set Pranks, Says He’s On Team Edward
Twilight Scoop! Sequels, Action and Paramore
(E! Online)