Entertainment News Roundup

During ‘MTV First: Snow White and the Huntsman,’ actress confesses, ‘My palms are sweating right now.’
By Fallon Prinzivalli, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Josh Horowitz, Kristen Stewart and Sam Claflin on “MTV First: Snow White and the Huntsman”
Photo: MTV News

On Tuesday night’s “MTV First: Snow White and the Huntsman,” MTV News’ Josh Horowitz caught up with Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron and Sam Claflin to get the juicy details behind their highly anticipated summer flick. The cast was in good spirits as Horowitz took them through a series of rapid-fire questions known as the “Yes/No Show” and Theron joked about how battling her costumes was more difficult than fighting Stewart.

But the actors also discussed the more serious topic of insecurities and their perception of beauty. As the underlying message of the film deals with the notion of beauty and outward appearance, Horowitz asked, “[As actors,] are you naturally vain people? Can you look in the mirror and not feel insecure like the rest of us?”

He threw the question to Hemsworth, who replied, “I think we all have our insecurities and whatever. Do I like who I see in the mirror? Yeah, I like myself because I feel like I’m a good person, and I think in the film, the Queen is there and obsessed with beauty on the surface. I think the message is it’s what’s underneath that counts and that’s what’s going to survive and conquer at the end of the day.”

Hemsworth’s co-star Stewart was thrust into the spotlight upon her unexpected “Twilight Saga” fame. With her privacy invaded and gossip blogs picking apart every outfit and hairstyle choice, you’d think the actress would get wrapped up in her insecurities. But the actress said she’s feels secure in herself and Theron echoed that sentiment: “You are,” the “Young Adult” actress said of Stewart. “I can say that. Seriously, it’s incredible. I never had that at her age.”

And while Stewart still gets nervous like the rest of us, she gives credit to her parents for raising her well and teaching her that self-worth doesn’t come from appearances. “I’m still fully and completely overtly aware of my insecurities. My palms are sweating right now,” she said. “I was raised well. My parents are really great. They’ve always told me the right things about how you should feel — I mean, there’s no should. That was the whole thing: ‘Be yourself, baby doll.’ ”

Theron chimed in: “And, in a way, the film almost has that because Snow White’s mother basically tells her, ‘What you have here is special and good, and don’t ever lose that.’ And it’s the encouragement of ‘Be a good a person.’ And Ravenna, the evil queen, has a mother that basically tells her the only way you will survive in this world is through beauty and youth.

“I think those are the things that guide you in a way, so if you’re being told that, and you go through life having that be the importance of your existence or your success, than that’s what it’s going to be.”

In the movie, Ravenna says that men use women and then discard them. Theron said that while those words might not mirror her view on men, it was some of her favorite writing in the script, and she feels the sentiment rings true for a lot of women.

“I thought it was incredibly brave, because you’re kind of putting yourself out there to create and say pretty early on in the film that this character is driven by this belief that she has,” she explained. “But I thought it was really truthful for her, and I do think that is the truth for a lot of people.

“I think that there will be women who have experienced that sometimes in their life. I don’t think everyone has the same experiences, but I felt like that was very truthful for Ravenna. You know, this idea that at 8, she’s being given to a king, and by 16, she’s already being replaced by somebody else. How can you come from that world and not think that men only use you for a certain period of time and then they’re done with you?”

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.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1684750/kristen-stewart-insecurities.jhtml

Jason Statham Batman The Dark Knight Rises

The ensemble cast of Zachary Quinto (Star Trek), Luke Wilson (Old School), Topher Grace (Take Me Home Tonight) and Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) have accepted The Invitation from director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body).  The thriller, scripted by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (both of Clash of the Titans and the upcoming R.I.P.D.), centers around Will (Wilson) who receives an invitation from his estranged ex-wife to attend a dinner party.  However, things take a dark turn as Will becomes increasingly suspicious of his ex-wife’s guests, a group who harbors an insidious agenda.  The Invitation will begin principal photography in Los Angeles this summer.  Hit the jump for more.

The Invitation will be produced through XYZ Films, a company which currently touts The Raid: Redemption in theaters via Sony Pictures Classics.  Martha Griffin (Girlfight) will also produce alongside Hay and Manfredi.  Check out the full synopsis below:
On a dark night, Will (Luke Wilson) is invited to his estranged ex-wife’s dinner party. Over the course of the evening, he is gripped by mounting evidence that something insidious has taken hold of his ex-wife, and that she and her new friends have a mysterious and horrifying agenda. By the end of the night, the ramifications of what happens in this house will spread far beyond its doors.
Wilson can be seen in the TV series, Enlightened and alongside Samuel L. Jackson in Meeting Evil, but his biggest upcoming project is, of course, a possible return to Anchorman 2. Quinto had …

Source: http://collider.com/zachary-quinto-luke-wilson-invitation/165764/

The Walking Dead The Hobbit Movie

The film works most of the time, but its conclusion is sure to leave fans divided.
By John Mitchell

Eva Green and Johnny Depp in “Dark Shadows”
Photo: Warner Bros

finally hit theaters Friday (May 11), and let me tell you, it’s a doozy. There’s a lot to admire about Tim Burton’s reimagined “Shadows” (and there are some problems as well), but the question that has lingered with me most since seeing the film is who exactly Tim Burton made it for.

I’m not sure it was “Shadows” purists, those who ran home from school to soak up the strange, dark and wonderful late-’60s soap opera and who still have a strong connection to the style and feel of the original. It’s probably not for fans of Burton and Johnny Depp’s earlier collaborations either, even though the trailers and TV spots sell it like it’s supposed to be.

“Shadows” has long been talked about as a passion project for Burton and Depp, so in the end, maybe they made it for themselves. And the thing is, up until the very last 15 or so minutes, I was right there with them: Their affection for the original is clear, the performances are uniformly wonderful and it gives Burton room to breathe in a way we haven’t seen in years. It’s unfortunate that its everything-but-the-kitchen-sink conclusion feels strangely tacked on, because until then “Shadows” is the best thing the pair have done together since Depp gave one of his finest performances in Burton’s touchingly bizarre 1994 film “Ed Wood.”

Barnabas Collins isn’t anything like Depp’s crazed Mad Hatter from “Alice in Wonderland” or his maniacal Willy Wonka from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Don’t be fooled by the jump-cut trailer — it actually falls among his more reserved performances. The zingers that seem borderline farcical in the trailer work better than you expect — they certainly earned hearty laughs from the audience when I saw the flick — and are peppered throughout, lending a more even tone than I expected.

Depp’s Barnabas is an old-fashioned gentleman trapped in the body of a monster, and the actor never lets that fact get lost, even when the film’s myriad subplots pull him in a hundred different directions. His vampire is far more human than the actor sometimes seems in movies in which his character’s heart is still beating.

In a testament to how winning Depp is, he’s able to play a 200-year-old vampire in (occasionally too obvious) white makeup without sucking all the air out the room, leaving room for the supporting players to soar. Most notable are Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green.

Pfeiffer is in full-on grande dame mode as family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. It’s a kick to see the thrice Oscar-nominated actress get a meaty role in a big picture like this, and she does not waste the opportunity, providing the entire affair with some much-needed grounding. Her gaze is steely and she carries herself regally, though years of hardship have clearly chipped away at her character’s resolve, all of which comes across like a metaphor for the crumbling estate she guards, Collinwood.

Green is a four-alarm hoot as the evil witch Angelique Bouchard, or Angie, as she’s come to be known by the townspeople in Collinsport, where she’s reinvented herself as a fishing magnate specifically to take down the Collins family business. Sure, she’s an evil witch who has been tormenting the Collins family for centuries, but these days she’s more of a cherry-red-convertible-driving good-time girl — albeit one with grudge that runs deep. Green chews the scenery and spits it out, which works like gangbusters in an over-the-top movie like this. She’s so game throughout, you almost find yourself rooting for the bad guy.

As for Burton’s direction, there’s an unexpected streak of sentimentality and nostalgia running through “Shadows” that recalls “Big Fish” as much as it does the film’s more logical brothers (“Sleepy Hollow,” “Beetlejuice”). Operating on sets instead of green-screen soundstages, he hasn’t set his “Shadows” in a cartoon. Collinsport feels like a real place — the family manor has character, and there’s Gothic atmosphere to spare.

We haven’t hit on the story too much because, well, there’s a lot of it. In his rush to cover as much ground from the series as possible (and leave the door open for possible sequels), screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith is a little too quick to truncate story lines that were developed over a more than thousand-episode run on the soap. It’s all hung broadly on the milestones of Barnabas’ attempts to reinvigorate the family business while courting Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote) and acclimate to the many changes that have happened during the 200 years he was entombed.

Consider Barnabas’ attempts to make himself mortal again with the help of Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter, bringing as much drunk fun as she can to an otherwise thankless part). It was the through line of the early-’90s revamp of “Shadows” but is a side note here — one saddled with an unnecessary added twist.

But with more working than not, we were willing to forgive that lack of focus until things took a fiery final turn. Perhaps unable to find a reasonable way to wrap up the many story lines, Grahame-Smith and Burton take things a little too far off the rails with a noisy and scattered climax that doesn’t make much sense. Even the actors seem unsure of what’s happening, and Depp, Pfeiffer and Green struggle to stay afloat amid all the noise.

(We’re not even going to go there with the last-minute plot twist tossed at Chloë Moretz’s character.)

“Shadows” will almost certainly leave casual fans baffled, not because it’s bad (to be fair, some in the MTV Newsroom were not as turned off by the ending as we were), but because it’s a passion project wearing the mask of a summer blockbuster.

Have you seen “Dark Shadows”? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out everything we’ve got on “Dark Shadows.”

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1684939/dark-shadows-reviews-johnny-depp.jhtml

Human Centipede The Walking Dead

I should, in theory, be asleep right, songs from the latest Dead Milkmen album dancing through my head. I’m pretty tired, yet here I am, buzzed from the revelation that “Confessions” star Ai Hashimoto will portray the iconic Sadako in director Tsutomu Hanabusa’s “Sadako 3D”. Filmmakers have been tight-lipped about who would tackle the villain in the upcoming chiller. In fact, they’ve waited until just two days before the film’s Japanese release to make her identify known. Craziness. So, before you go to bed, be sure to gawk at the image you see below. That way I can justify my bloodshot eyes and surly demeanor in the morning. “Sadako 3D” opens in Japan on May 12th, 2012. South Korean audiences will get a chance to see what all the fuss is about on June 14, 2012. Remember: Look at the picture

Source: http://www.beyondhollywood.com/nightcap-ai-hashimoto-will-terrorize-audiences-in-sadako-3d/

Christian Bale Human Centipede

Josh Brolin is a busy man these days, with his scene-stealing and spot-on performance as young Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) in “Men In Black 3,” chasing baddie Sean Penn with Ryan Gosling in the buzzy ensemble crime flick “Gangster Squad,” and getting “gnarly” in Spike Lee’s “Oldboy.” Would you believe he’s also got a [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/05/11/josh-brolin-hunchback-of-notre-dame/

The Hobbit Movie Avengers Movie

It’s been almost three years since the Jonas Brothers released “Lines, Vines and Trying Times”—their fourth studio album featuring their hit single “Paranoid.” Later that year, the band decided to take a break allowing them to pursue independent careers. And now, after Kevin’s marriage, Nick’s stint in musical theater and Joe’s solo time in the [...]

Source: http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2012/05/10/jonas-brothers-tweet-dreams/

Avengers Movie Jason Statham

‘They are going to have to balance the sexy versus the smutty,’ one expert tells MTV News of fine line between R and NC-17.
By Christina Garibaldi

“Fifty Shades of Grey”
Photo: The Writer’s Coffee Shop

“Fifty Shades of Grey” is on quite the hot streak lately — so hot, it’s even been pulled from some library shelves.

Millions of readers can’t put down E.L James’ erotic novel, which started out as fan fiction based on Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in “Twilight.” The book follows the unlikely romance of college student Anastasia Steele and billionaire tycoon Christian Grey. Both are looking for different things out of the romance: She yearns for lasting love while he’s strictly in it for the S&M.

From the plot alone, it’s easy to see why “Fifty Shades” has become a best-seller, and now that it’s been picked up by Universal Pictures and Focus Features to be made into a movie, the question is: How can a book that screams for an NC-17 rating actually be made into an R-rated flick?

“Making this movie will absolutely be a challenge. It is going to take a devoted director who admittedly likes the books and understands that, first and foremost, this is a love story,” Lisa Parker from FiftyShadesFilm.com told MTV News. “If telling the love story is the main focus, then we do believe the steamy sex scenes can be shot and edited in a way to get us an R-rated movie rather than NC-17.”

Another factor to keep in mind is that bigger actors may be more eager to take on the lead roles if the content is a little more conservative. Robert Pattinson and Ian Somerhalder have already been rumored for the role of Christian Grey, and they might be wary to tackle an NC-17 movie. The director and screenwriter will also have to find a balance between the emotional love story and the sensual scenes, since the intimate part of the story is one of the big reasons people are clamoring to get their hands on this book.

“I think they are most definitely going to have a challenge,” Mags Vazquez from LatersBaby.net said. “They are going to have to balance the sexy versus the smutty, and I think they’ll have a challenge, but it’s something that I’m sure they will be able to do tastefully.”

If the studio is going for an R-rated film, readers will have to understand that not every sexual plotline of the story will make it onto the big screen. “I hopefully think the fans would be realistic and understand that they can’t show some of the things that they are talking about in that book,” Vazquez acknowledged.

On the other hand, the sexual content of the story is what has made “Fifty Shades” so popular, and Parker believes that if it had an NC-17 rating attached to it, fans of the book will still make it a point to see the film.

“That doesn’t mean that we believe having an NC-17 rating attached to this movie would make it less wildly popular. … The scenes that could make it necessary for this rating are part of the story, part of what makes ‘Fifty,’ ‘Fifty,’ “Parker said. “They also inform the relationship between Christian and Ana. Once again, we are confident that Ms. James will protect the integrity of her story regardless of the ultimate rating.”

Do you think “Fifty Shades of Grey” will be an R-rated flick? Let us know in the comments!

For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1684729/fifty-50-shades-grey-r-rating.jhtml

Avengers Movie Jason Statham

Kristen Stewart, Lily Collins and Alexis Bledel are fan favorites to play the lead in the big-screen adaptation of E L James’ novel.
By Christina Garibaldi

“Fifty Shades of Grey” book cover
Photo: The Writer’s Coffee Shop

As the debate rages on between fans over who will play Christian Grey in the upcoming film adaption of E L James’ best-selling erotic novel, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” many are also contemplating who should take on the role of the female lead, Anastasia Steele.

The book, which began as “Twilight” fan fiction, describes Ana as “a pale, brown haired girl with blue eyes too big for her face.” Fans are looking for someone that not only represents her physically, but can also balance her purity with her newfound sensual side.

“The trickiest part of all may be staying true to the book and finding an actress who can convey youth and innocence, as well as the depth of experience necessary to grow with the character,” Lisa Parker from Fiftyshadesfilm.com told MTV News. “We’re looking forward to someone submitting (pun intended) their name for consideration of the pivotal role of Ana. Maybe an ‘it’ girl like Jennifer Lawrence; a probable next ‘it’ girl like Allison Williams; or someone wanting to take a career leap like Felicity Jones, Emilia Clarke or Katie Cassidy.”

Another fan favorite seems to be “Mirror Mirror” star Lily Collins who, at 23, would be the right age to play the part.

“Lily Collins is one who I don’t think has been mentioned too much” Mags Vazquez from Latersbaby.net said. “I look at the innocent part, she can probably pull that off really well, and she has the features that would go well.”

With the novel’s connection to the “Twilight” trilogy and with Robert Pattinson being rumored for the role as Christian, it is only natural that Kristen Stewart’s name comes to mind.

“Kristen would be great,” Alison Genet of Twifans.com said. “After all, it was written with her in mind. Isn’t the author always right? I think it’s also time for her to another edgy flick.”

Yet, others feel until the role of Christian is filled, it may be hard to picture who would be able to take on Anastasia.

“The debate over who will play Christian is definitely a heated one,” Parker said. “It just may be that it’s too hard to think about casting Ana until she has her Fifty. We conducted a quick Twitter poll for this article, and their top three choices were Emmy Rossum, Alexis Bledel and going with an unknown.”

But in the end, it will have to be up to the studio and James to cast the role of Anastasia, but according to fans, they trust that they will ultimately make the right decision.

“Author E L James gave Ana her voice in the trilogy,” Parker said. “No one understands her better than she does, which is why we know she will make sure an actress with the right combination of ‘inner goddess’ and ‘subconscious’ is cast.”

Who do you think should play Anastasia Steele in “Fifty Shades of Grey”? Cast your vote in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1684827/fifty-shades-of-grey-anastasia-steele-casting-choices.jhtml

Batman The Dark Knight Rises Christian Bale

‘She’s truly bleeding for other people,’ ‘Snow White and the Hunstman’ star says on ‘MTV First’ about her character.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Kristen Stewart on “MTV First: Snow White and the Huntsman”
Photo: MTV News

Kristen Stewart puts her inner action star on full display as the butt-kicking Snow White in “Snow White and the Huntsman.” But, it’s her vulnerability that Stewart related to most with the chainmail-wearing princess.

“I think that I related to Snowy because … I love her,” she laughed to MTV News during “MTV First: Snow White and the Hunstman” on Tuesday night. “She feels such strong things and sort of can’t say exactly why she feels those things … and I can completely relate to that and I also can relate to feeling arrogant about it a little bit. Sort of like ‘It’s not about being who you are; it’s sort of not saying what everyone thinks I’m going to say because I’m uncomfortable’ … She’s like very instinctive and sort of awesome in that way.”

Having already brought to life one literary heroine playing “Twilight” leading lady Bella Swan, she explained that she didn’t feel pressure to have to tackle Snow White, mostly because there was enough room for her to interrupt the character the way she felt was natural.

“I mean she’s such a child in the beginning and has such a strong sense of self in a way that sort of isn’t normal, like supernaturally almost,” she said. “She’s got this connection to the Earth and to her people that makes her like so truly empathetic and not sympathetic.

“She’s not putting herself in a position and going, ‘Oh, how horrible would that be for me.’ She’s truly bleeding for other people,” she said. “It’s a different feeling. It’s something I want to get to if I can be a better person. She’s a great girl. She’s a good person.”

“Snow White and the Huntsman,” which also stars Charlize Theron (who plays the evil queen Ravenna), Chris Hemsworth (The Huntsman) and Sam Claflin (the charming Prince William), hits theaters June 1.

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.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1684745/snow-white-huntsman-kristen-stewart.jhtml

Batman The Dark Knight Rises Christian Bale