As we previously reported, during a fundraising stop at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater, President Barack Obama wowed the crowd with a brief rendition of Al Green’s classic, “Let’s Stay Together.” The legendary soul singer and reverend, who was in the audience, told TMZ that the Commander-In-Chief was “terrific” and “he nailed it.” What do you think? Can the President sing? RELATED POSTS: President Obama Sings Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” At The Apollo! [VIDEO] Beyonce Tries To Get President Obama Re-Elected Will Smith Spotted With President Barack Obama Jennifer Hudson Sings “Happy Birthday” To Barack Obama [VIDEO]
Everything old was new again this weekend at the box office, with a third sequel and a WWII film cruising to the lead opposite pockets of crummy weather and a pair of NFL playoff games that were about as good as they could possibly be. What hit? What kind of didn’t? Your Weekend Receipts are here. 1. Underworld: Awakening Gross: $25,400,000 (new) Screens: 3,078 (PSA $8,252) Weeks: 1 And with this windfall — combined with the return of original star Kate Beckinsale — the Underworld franchise crosses hallowed box-office milestone threshold of… $300 million? Globally ? Four films, $300 million ? Not that you or I personally would turn our noses up at a check for $300 million, but we’re not making midwinter mass-pop vampire/lycan confections. Thank God for DVD/cable! Keep those revenue streams flowing! Related: I think I am going to throw up. 2. Red Tails Gross: $19,100,000 (new) Screens: 2,512 (PSA $7,604) Weeks: 1 Did you do your part this weekend to support African-American cinema, as George Lucas pleaded ? And if so, what did you think of Pariah ? 3. Contraband Gross: $12,200,000 ($46,100,000) Screens: 2,870 (PSA $4,251) Weeks: 2 (Change: -49.9%) Underworld: Awakening ‘s big huge boring shrug notwithstanding, let’s give Beckinsale some credit for being the first star since — wait for it — Kellan Lutz to have two films in the weekend’s top three finishers. Don’t say you’re not impressed. 4. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Gross: $10,545,000 ($11,237,000) Screens: 2,630 (PSA: $4,010) Weeks: 5 (+11,484%) Expanding by more than 2,600 screens, The Daldry admirably battled some of the year’s most vicious reviews to date, settling snugly into fourth place and a (very) modest per-screen average just over $4,000. For those keeping score at home, that would make ELAIC the lowest-averaging Sandra Bullock wide opening in a decade ( Murder by Numbers , $3,495 PSA) and the lowest-averaging Tom Hanks wide opening since 2007 ( Charlie Wilson’s War , $3,750). Playing Jeopardy! , Thomas Horn made more than seven times the amount that most theaters took in over roughly a day and a half of ELAIC screenings. 5. Haywire Gross: $8,410,000 (New) Screens: 2,439 (PSA $3,690) Weeks: 1 Meanwhile, Gina Carano is like, “I quit cage-fighting for this ?” Don’t give up, Gina! You could be the next Kate Beckinsale! Wait, that came out wrong. [Figures via Box Office Mojo ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Coming to Sundance with new films in the Premieres section, both Stephen Frears and Spike Lee were navigating new terrain, a pair of established directors seeking distribution for their independent features. Frears’ betting memoir/dramedy Lay the Favorite went first, premiering to dismal reviews Saturday night. Lee’s Red Hook Summer , a hotly anticipated entry that brings him back to his Brooklyn wheelhouse after the underperforming WWII pic Miracle at St. Anna , followed Sunday, drawing mixed initial reactions from Twittering press. The Frears, as I shall call it, should turn out to be the bigger critical fail of the two. Based on Beth Raymer’s book detailing her experience in the world of sports betting, it’s an annoyingly bright, tone-deaf character comedy-drama built around a ditzy young stripper (Rebecca Hall) who finds she’s good at running numbers and becomes a betting agent in Vegas under veteran Bruce Willis; when the attraction between them complicates things, Beth strikes out on her own and, through a series of near-felony crimes and poor decisions, learns to grow up, kinda. It’s a shame that Hall, one of the best actresses to emerge of late, is stuck putting on one of the most grating voices and personalities in recent memory here. Transformed into a daisy dukes-wearing, hair-twirling, ditzy coquette who speaks in a breathy prattle, she comes off like a selfish, immature savant in a stripper’s body. On the flip side, Willis does nice work as Beth’s married, simpatico boss Dink, and Frank Grillo and Wayne Pére breeze in to perk up the proceedings as assistant bettors, though Vince Vaughn ratchets the manic energy to 11 as a rival agent. But Frears is too enamored of his colorful cast of zany characters — including a trophy wife played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Laura Prepon sporting a turrrible Southern drawl, and Joshua Jackson as the only normal character in the film — to realize how little we care about most of them. I watched a dozen people around me walk out during the film’s premiere. Since this is Sundance this could’ve meant nothing, since they might have been buyers doing their thing. But if they hadn’t been, if they had been regular festival-goers who simply valued their time too much to finish the film, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Either way, I kind of wish I’d joined them. This was not quite the case for Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer , however (which I see Monday morning with the Press & Industry crowd). Word following Sunday’s premiere was sharply divided, with reactions ranging from praise-filled (“Spike Lee’s RED HOOK SUMMER is a passionate, painful love letter to Brooklyn, NYC, black America & the black church, Tweeted Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir . “Very special movie.”) to derisive (“…one of the worst movies to ever premiere at #sundance,” declared ComingSoon’s Ed Douglas ). Some, like CinemaBlend’s Katey Rich, expressed a need to deliberate further before passing judgment: “Already regretting instant Red Hook Summer reaction. I need more time to let it settle. Forget everything I said!” Stay tuned to Movieline’s Sundance coverage for more on Red Hook Summer and Spike Lee. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
‘I don’t think he had any qualms about being physical with me,’ actress says of her co-star. By Kara Warner Gina Carano Photo: MTV News Those of you who treated yourselves to Steven Soderbergh’s action-packed thriller “Haywire” over the weekend know that MMA-fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano ‘s unbelievable fight sequences steal the show. Throughout the course of the film Carano’s character, a special ops agent who seeks revenge on the colleagues who betrayed her, engages in serious hand-to-hand combat with the likes of Michael Fassbender , Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor and Antonio Banderas. Each one of her fight sequences is memorable in its own right, but it is the bout with Fassbender’s character that really packs a punch. When MTV News caught up with Carano recently during the press day for the film, we asked her to take us through a few behind-the-scenes details of that scene. Spoilers ahead, along with further proof of Carano’s general badassness with the way in which she throws around phrases like “vase smashed in his face” and “choke him out.” “The Fassbender fight is definitely special,” Carano said. “It took two days [to shoot] and I don’t think he had any qualms about being physical with me after he met me. He was like, ‘You know what? She’s somebody I can throw around and not hurt.’ ” “It was just a beautiful fight scene. There were so many funny stories because he is a hilarious human being,” Carano said, recalling jokes between takes. “We had a couple different stories that involved a vase getting smashed in his face. I think the bed scene where I choke him out with the triangle choke and then roll over, and then nobody really expects me to shoot him like that. I think that’s been a very powerful scene.” Have you seen or are you planning to see “Haywire”? Let us know in the comments. Check out everything we’ve got on “Haywire.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
The actor also spoke with MTV News about the ‘very subtle’ use of 3-D in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Joel Edgerton Photo: MTV News PARK CITY, Utah — Joel Edgerton could tell you about Kathryn Bigelow ‘s untitled Osama Bin Laden movie, but then he’d have to kill you. OK, perhaps it’s not as dramatic as all of that. Still, the “Wish You Were Here” actor spoke briefly with MTV News about starring in the Navy Seal thriller alongside Chris Pratt and Jessica Chastain , and while he’s “very excited” to start shooting the film, his lips are sealed on the top-secret op. “I can’t really tell you anything about it,” he told MTV during the Sundance Film Festival . “I don’t know that I can’t tell you anything about it, but I’d be very ill informed to talk about it at this point. But I’m just excited to work with all of those guys.” Edgerton was much more inclined to talk about “The Great Gatsby,” Baz Luhrmann ‘s upcoming adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic. The Australian actor, who stars in “Gatsby” as drunken socialite Tom Buchanan, spoke at length about Luhrmann’s “very subtle” use of 3-D in the film. “3-D is absolutely the right thing for [the film],” said Edgerton. “I’ve seen sections of the movie and it sort of invites you in. It’s not like spectacle 3-D; you’re not being confronted by things blowing at your head. But it invites you in. What it does psychologically is very interesting, and I think you’ll forget you’re watching 3-D.” “Also, it’s lavish,” he continued. “That era was so lavish. The ’20s was about excess, so why not add a bit of excess to the filmmaking as well?” For those who remain skeptical of the use of 3-D in “Gatsby,” Edgerton expects negative opinions to change when the movie is released this December. “Baz knows absolutely everything he’s doing,” he said. “I’m really excited for all the people [groaning] about 3-D to see the movie. I hope everybody is crossing their arms and frowning to begin with, because I think they’ll unfurl by the time they see it.” What do you think of the use of 3-D in “The Great Gatsby”? Sound off in the comments! The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is officially under way, and the MTV Movies team is on the ground reporting on the hottest stars and the movies everyone will be talking about in the year to come. Keep it locked with MTV Movies for everything there is to know about Sundance. Related Videos Sundance 2012: Interviews From Park City Related Photos Sundance 2012: MTV Celebrity Photo Booth Celebrities Hit The Ground At Sundance 2012 Film Fest
The actor also spoke with MTV News about the ‘very subtle’ use of 3-D in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Joel Edgerton Photo: MTV News PARK CITY, Utah — Joel Edgerton could tell you about Kathryn Bigelow ‘s untitled Osama Bin Laden movie, but then he’d have to kill you. OK, perhaps it’s not as dramatic as all of that. Still, the “Wish You Were Here” actor spoke briefly with MTV News about starring in the Navy Seal thriller alongside Chris Pratt and Jessica Chastain , and while he’s “very excited” to start shooting the film, his lips are sealed on the top-secret op. “I can’t really tell you anything about it,” he told MTV during the Sundance Film Festival . “I don’t know that I can’t tell you anything about it, but I’d be very ill informed to talk about it at this point. But I’m just excited to work with all of those guys.” Edgerton was much more inclined to talk about “The Great Gatsby,” Baz Luhrmann ‘s upcoming adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic. The Australian actor, who stars in “Gatsby” as drunken socialite Tom Buchanan, spoke at length about Luhrmann’s “very subtle” use of 3-D in the film. “3-D is absolutely the right thing for [the film],” said Edgerton. “I’ve seen sections of the movie and it sort of invites you in. It’s not like spectacle 3-D; you’re not being confronted by things blowing at your head. But it invites you in. What it does psychologically is very interesting, and I think you’ll forget you’re watching 3-D.” “Also, it’s lavish,” he continued. “That era was so lavish. The ’20s was about excess, so why not add a bit of excess to the filmmaking as well?” For those who remain skeptical of the use of 3-D in “Gatsby,” Edgerton expects negative opinions to change when the movie is released this December. “Baz knows absolutely everything he’s doing,” he said. “I’m really excited for all the people [groaning] about 3-D to see the movie. I hope everybody is crossing their arms and frowning to begin with, because I think they’ll unfurl by the time they see it.” What do you think of the use of 3-D in “The Great Gatsby”? Sound off in the comments! The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is officially under way, and the MTV Movies team is on the ground reporting on the hottest stars and the movies everyone will be talking about in the year to come. Keep it locked with MTV Movies for everything there is to know about Sundance. Related Videos Sundance 2012: Interviews From Park City Related Photos Sundance 2012: MTV Celebrity Photo Booth Celebrities Hit The Ground At Sundance 2012 Film Fest
RPattz’s indie ‘Cosmopolis’ takes on the fresh franchise in MTV Movie Brawl 2012 — vote now! By Eric Ditzian Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate It started three weeks ago with a simple question: What is truly the must-see movie of 2012? Everyone’s got an opinion. Maybe you’re a “Hobbit” guy who can’t believe that, after years of delay, Peter Jackson is set to deliver the first part of his series in December. Or perhaps you’re a “Dark Knight Rises” gal with an insatiable itch to see how Christopher Nolan wraps up his Batman trilogy. Or, hey, possibly you’re thinking, “Screw all these studio-driven tentpoles! I can’t wait for indies like ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ to hit and show us Emma Watson in her first post-‘Harry Potter’ role!” But we got to wondering: What’s the consensus pick? What’s the collective viewpoint across the globe? So we launched MTV Movie Brawl 2012 , a fan-driven tournament to determine the year’s most-anticipated film. Millions of votes have been cast thus far. The debate has echoed from the pages of MTV News to the updates of the Twitterverse and beyond. Now just two movies remain: “The Hunger Games” and “Cosmopolis.” One is a fresh franchise with a huge fanbase. The other is an indie drama featuring one of the biggest stars on the planet. And less than one day into the action — with hundreds of thousands of votes already cast — it’s anybody’s guess what is going to happen. And we couldn’t be more psyched about it. As of this writing ,”Hunger Games” is up by less than 2 percent over Robert Pattinson’s “Cosmopolis.” It’s been an unlikely run for RPattz’s cerebral drama, having entered the Brawl bracket as a #4 seed after an impressive run in the play-in round. From there, “Cosmopolis” dispatched another Pattinson flick in “Bel Ami,” then shockingly dispatched his own “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” “The Dark Knight Rises” proved to be no match for “Cosmopolis,” as well, and so the movie came to face “Hunger Games.” Jennifer Lawrence’s film, which hits theaters in March, was a front-runner from the beginning, and it has not disappointed. Both “John Carter” and Daniel Radcliffe’s “Woman in Black” could not trip up the win-at-all-costs run of “Hunger Games.” So we wonder: Can Pattinson accomplish what no other star has so far in the Brawl? Can he fell the mighty “Hunger Games”? All will become clear when the polls close Monday at 5 p.m. Until then, the vote totals are being closely guarded. It’s up to the fans to keep voting for their fave flick and to make sure their must-see movie is crowned the champion of MTV Movie Brawl 2012. Vote For Your Favorite Upcoming Flick In MTV’s Movie Brawl 2012! What are you waiting for? “Hunger Games” and “Cosmopolis” need your support. It’s time to show character, poise and heart. Vote for your pick now at MTV Movie Brawl 2012 ! Related Videos MTV Movie Brawl 2012! Related Photos The Hunger Games
‘I didn’t have any issue [doing] this fight scene with a woman, because I was the underdog,’ Ewan McGregor tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Gina Carano in “Haywire” Photo: Claudette Barius / Five Continents Imports If you like your movies with a lot of action, kick-ass fight sequences and actors who do their own stunts, look no further than this week’s new thriller “Haywire” to satisfy those needs. The concept for the film was born after director Steven Soderbergh saw footage of MMA fighter Gina Carano in the cage, which inspired the Oscar winner to build a film around her. “Haywire” revolves around a black-ops supersoldier (Carano) who seeks the ultimate revenge after she is betrayed by her colleagues, played by the very capable Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas. MTV News recently caught up with Carano, Tatum and McGregor to discuss the very realistic fight sequences and how the guys were more than game for getting their butts kicked by a woman. “The physicality, that was fun to me. I didn’t have to hurt anybody,” Carano said of the difference between the film’s choreographed fights versus her MMA matches. “I didn’t have to worry about getting choked out, and there were no egos with any of the actors. They all wanted to do all their own stunts, and a lot of people around me were like, ‘Gina, that’s not normal. You’ve got some beautiful people to work with and a beautiful first experience.’ ” “To be totally honest, she’s better than every guy I’ve ever fought, really, other than one, and he was a strike force fighter as well,” Tatum admitted of his co-star, with whom he shares an intense bone-breaking exchange during the first five minutes of the film. “I can say this without any amount of trying to say it for the movie: I challenge anyone to come and fight her or even move with her. She’s by far the best athlete I’ve ever gotten a chance to move with. She’s so strong and in control, it’s just ridiculously unprecedented in my opinion.” McGregor added that he didn’t even think about the man-vs.-woman factor, only that it was the most appropriate scenario for his manipulative, weasel-like character. “There was a slight difference in our fight scene together. For me, I didn’t ever have any issue with the fact that I was having to do this fight scene with a woman, because I was the underdog,” he said. “There was no question that I was going to get killed if I didn’t manage to get away.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Haywire.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
