If you feel like whiling away the afternoon following updates about a room full of wealthy entertainers and/or movie-industry craftspeople eating, the Academy’s Twitter feed might be for you. The 2012 Oscar nominee luncheon is underway, which will culminate in grand group-photo tradition and at least a half-dozen bouts of indigestion. Bon appetit to all! “I’ll tell you my best joke but I’m not a comedian so it’s not funny.” – Nick Nolte #NomLunch Mon Feb 06 20:58:15 via web The Academy TheAcademy “The Oscar’s better than the money. The villains are the ones you do for money. They’re expensive…or they will be now.” – Gary Oldman Mon Feb 06 20:49:24 via web The Academy TheAcademy 5 Best Actor Nominees, 1 Photo. #NomLunch #Oscars http://t.co/1tjjg0Pk Mon Feb 06 20:46:48 via web The Academy TheAcademy [Photo via Shutterstock ]
Forget blowing a million or more on a Super Bowl ad; the day after upcoming tentpoles John Carter , Battleship , and G.I. Joe targeted football-watchers with pricey TV spots, Sony went after niche fans with an international simulcast screening of new footage and a 3-D preview of the new Amazing Spider-Man trailer set to hit tonight at midnight PT. Though it included some unfinished visual effects, the sizzle reel featuring 30-40 percent new footage (according to a rep for the studio) hinted at the scope and darkly humorous tone of the Marc Webb-directed reboot. Webb, in attendance at the Los Angeles leg of the event, was joined via satellite by co-star Emma Stone and producers Avi Arad and Matthew Tolmach in Rio, Rhys Ifans in London, and Andrew Garfield in New York as the group presented 3-D and 2-D footage and answered fan questions. (The event was also screened live for audiences in additional cities around the globe.) Among the highlights of the Q&A: Stone expounding on the many differences between her character Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker’s other more famous leading lady, Mary Jane. Besides coming from an affluent background and having a solid relationship with her father, police captain George Stacy (whose traditional attitude toward law enforcement clashes with Parker’s in the footage), “Gwen falls in love with Peter Parker, but Mary Jane falls in love with Spider-Man.” With reverence for the Spider-Man legacy he’s now a part of, Garfield elicited cheers from the crowd by pondered the future possibilities of the role in pop culture. Tobey Maguire had played him first and now Garfield was inheriting Spidey’s web slingers but, he said, “next time I hope it will be a half-Hispanic, half-African American actor.” Screened in 3-D for those in attendance at the simultaneous screenings around the globe, the Amazing Spider-Man trailer came packed with action snippets, gadget porn (ex. Peter inventing homemade web slinger technology), flashbacks to Peter’s traumatic black and white childhood, and looks at Ifans’ Dr. Curt Conners/The Lizard, smoothly and slickly pulled off as an engaging bit of 3-D. Massive set pieces and close-combat fight scenes use CG well enough that Garfield’s superhuman movements look believable within the space. But if any one thing distinguishes this Spider-Man from the Raimi series, it’s Garfield’s superpowered Peter Parker. Sardonic and wry, he bristles with a cocksure energy that Maguire never had and maybe couldn’t have achieved, either. This Spider-Man marks his streets with spider graffiti, toys with his criminal prey, revels in the coolness of his own superpowers. He’s defiant in the face of authority, maybe a little too gleeful in assuming the role of jokester vigilante; of course that brings him in direct conflict with his girlfriend’s dad (Denis Leary as George Stacy), but that seems to shade in his own parental issues as much as it’s convenient storytelling. The focus this time around — in the story that Sony would like us to believe we’ve never seen or heard before, though Spider-Man ‘s decades-long pop cultural saturation inspires some skepticism — isn’t on losing Uncle Ben and wrestling with that guilt forever and ever (and upside down kisses and stuff), though additional footage showing Martin Sheen as Ben riffing tenderly with Peter does make you think about how that other shoe will drop. Instead, Webb said, he wanted to tap into “the emotional consequences of what it means to be an orphan,” and so the teenage Peter reaches out to Dr. Conners, who he discovers used to work closely with his long-lost dad. “What makes him a more emotional presence in Peter’s life is that he had a very close relationship to Peter’s father,” explained Ifans. The two of them share a genius knack for science but ultimately, obviously, come to blows. Much of today’s sizzle reel footage (which was shot in 3-D but shown today in 2-D) was previously shown at Comic-Con — Peter being bullied by Flash Thompson at school, Uncle Ben embarrassing him in front of Gwen, Peter as Spidey having fun with a car thief. In terms of character, Conners and his alter ego The Lizard are featured quite prominently in this new footage, which showed some well-textured CG work of the character in full creature mode (The Lizard punching his way into a car, a close-up on his face) as well as snippets of Lizard vs. Spidey fighting all over the city, culminating with Spidey toppling a tower atop a skyscraper. After the footage screening Movieline spoke briefly with Webb, who seemed pleased with the reception. That said, he’s got a long way to go to a final cut, he admitted. But despite the fact that a handful of shots in the footage were clearly unfinished, fans still seemed impressed — especially by the finished 3-D portion, which was important to nail particularly since it was filmed in 3-D and had better look good given the initial disappointment over the video game-esque portion of Spider-Man ‘s first teaser . As for the event itself, fans who waited for hours for a chance to see the Spider-Man footage (At noon! On a weekday!) but were shut-out of the simulcast satellite event were rewarded as Sony replayed the footage again and again for those who’d missed it. Stay tuned for the new trailer, which hits tonight at midnight. The Amazing Spider-Man hits theaters July 3, 2012.
When Rhys Ifans crosses paths with Peter Parker & Co. as the villain The Lizard in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, his performance will partially be obscured by CG accoutrements. But one element of the baddie should be a little more recognizable, even after, as Ifans suggests, audio effects will be employed to make him sound even more otherworldly. Not that he needed much help terrifying intrepid MTV reporter Josh Horowitz, as he did when he unleashed a voice akin to Gollum on steroids. Watch and listen for yourself after the jump.
Did you know the new Spider-Man is black??? Say goodbye to Peter Parker and hello to Miles Morales… the half-Black half-Latino young man who replaces Parker following his death. Miles Morales has replaced Peter Parker as the face behind the famous webbed mask, Marvel Comics has revealed. In the latest edition of the Ultimate Fallout series he pulls back the disguise and shows his face for the first time. Fans will have to wait until the official Spider Man relaunch next month to find out how he came to be the superhero. But another surprise could be in the pipeline after his creators said that in the future they would not rule out making him gay. Peter Parker first appeared as the superhero in 1962 – having been bitten by a radioactive spider he found he developed the strength and agility of an arachnid. He was killed off by the Green Goblin in June in a controversial move by Marvel which left fans aghast. Morales was inspired to do good after learning of the death and in Ultimate Fallout issue four he dons the mask and gets into his first fight. Marvel has revealed that he does have a connection to Parker in terms of how he got his powers but he will have different abilities beyond ‘Spider Sense’ and the ability to shoot webs out of his hands. Parker’s Aunt May and Gwen Stacy will also be in the plot to help him on his way to being a superhero. ‘The theme is the same: With great power comes great responsibility,’ Spider Man writer Brian Michael Bendis told USA Today. He’s going to learn that. Then he has to figure out what that means. ‘He’s younger than Peter Parker, he’s coming from a completely different background, a completely different world view. ‘It’s Peter Parker’s death that inspires this kid to step up.’ Marvel’s editor in chief Axel Alonso denied that having a black Spider Man was a publicity stunt. What you have is a Spider-Man for the 21st century who’s reflective of our culture and diversity. ‘As someone who grew up on a steady diet of ‘Luke Cage, Hero For Hire’ and ‘Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu,’ I am personally invested. ‘This was a conscious decision. Here at Marvel, we pride ourselves on reflecting the real world in all its diversity. ‘We think that readers will fall in love with Miles Morales the same way they fell in love with Peter Parker.’ Italian artist Sara Pichelli, who designed Spider-Man’s new look, added: ‘Maybe sooner or later a black or gay – or both – hero will be considered something absolutely normal.’ Not everything in the world of Spider Man has changed, however. The Ultimate imprint is separate from Marvel’s other comics – where Parker is alive and well. Ultimate exists in a parallel universe where entirely different realities can take place, Marvel said. We are glad Marvel is adding more diversity to their comics, but how are they gonna say Miles “might” be gay? We thought Lady Gaga said gays were “Born That Way”??? Source
Simons Cowell and Fuller have been in the legal trenches for years over ‘Idol’ and ‘Factor.’ By Gil Kaufman Simon Fuller of “American Idol” and Simon Cowell of “X Factor” Photo: Slaven Vlasic and Dimitrios Kambouris/ Getty Image In one of life’s bizarre coincidences, the two men most instantly associated with the global phenomenon that is “American Idol” are both named Simon. Unfortunately, that’s where their similarities end, as, once again, “Idol” creator Simon Fuller and breakout star Simon Cowell find themselves locked into a legal battle for control, credit and what is likely a massive pile of cash. “It’s this horrible fate for both of them that they’re both incredibly ambitious people who very much like to and need to be the powers of their world, but their fate has been inextricably bound since they rose together on the strength of what was Simon Fuller’s creation, ‘American Idol,’ ” Richard Rushfield, author of “American Idol: The Untold Story,” told MTV News. And though Fuller was the brains behind launching “Idol” in England in 2001 (where it was called “Pop Idol”), the show quickly rose to immense popularity, thanks to the breakout stardom of then-little-known music executive Simon Cowell. “This fight has gone through several permutations, but because both have had a hand in the creation of [‘Idol’], they have been locked in this combat over it.” That latest twist comes courtesy of a recent lawsuit Fuller filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in which he claimed that he had negotiated an executive-producer fee and producer credit on “X Factor” as part of a settlement in the 2004 copyright-infringement suit against Cowell when “X Factor” launched in the U.K. Eager to have his own talent show, Cowell launched “X Factor” in the U.K. through his own production company, Syco, putting a twist on the singing-competition genre by adding a rotating cast of celebrity mentors. Cowell saw it as an eventual successor to “Pop Idol,” which went on indefinite hiatus after its second season because of Cowell’s eagerness to launch “Factor.” Fuller filed suit against Cowell, Syco and the producer of both shows, FremantleMedia, and a lengthy trial was avoided after the two sides came to an out-of-court settlement in 2005 that granted Fuller a “minority interest” in the show and kept Cowell on “American Idol” for five more years, as well as giving him a bigger stake in “Idol.” The deal also required Cowell to not launch “Factor” in the U.S. until 2011, at which point Fuller agreed to pull “Pop Idol” off the air in England. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fuller is now claiming that Fox and producer Fremantle North America — which produces both “Idol” and “Factor” — are refusing to honor that deal as they plan to unleash the heavily hyped “Factor” on American audiences in September. “Fox and Fremantle made hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to the creative efforts of Fuller,” the suit claims. “Now, when it is time to finally perform on these unequivocal promises, Fox and Fremantle refuse to provide Fuller his executive producer credit for Defendants’ new television show, ‘The X Factor,’ and refuse to pay Fuller an executive producer fee ‘commensurate with his duties and stature in the entertainment industry.’ Defendants refusal to honor their promises made to Fuller is particularly malicious given that but for Fuller’s agreement, the ‘X Factor’ show would not be able to broadcast in the United States at all.” The timing of the suit is curious, according to Shirley Halperin, music editor at The Reporter and founder of its Idol Worship blog . “I think that promo Cowell made where he was making fun of ‘Idol’ really stung and it propelled this action,” she speculated. “It was obnoxious and it made Fox compulsory, since it had to approve the ad. The lawsuit came seven days after that.” She also noted that the suit does not name Cowell as a defendant, but does take aim at Fox and Fremantle. “They came up together and have had this symbiotic relationship for a long time, but over the years, their interests have diverged,” she said, with Fuller taking on more management and TV production duties, while Cowell has mostly stayed the course as a TV presenter with the occasional foray into TV producer. “That’s divided them over time.” But, curiously, Halperin said when she was compiling her book on the show, “American Idol: Celebrating 10 Years,” she looked at the photo archive of every image taken of the two over the years, and even as recently as 2009, the pair looked “incredibly” friendly, even chummy, in the photos. “The relationship is a lot more complex than we know, and it’s easy to say it’s a love/hate thing, but I think there’s a deep friendship and mutual respect, but at the same time they are very competitive and have become adversaries at times.” Rushfield said the battle comes down to “two tremendous personalities” who are used to controlling things at a very high level. ” ‘Idol’ is probably the most valuable entertainment franchise in the world now that ‘Harry Potter’ is gone,” he said. “The stakes are in the billions of dollars … and [based on] a relationship that came together very quickly and that they’re locked into. If they could do it over, I’m sure they would all give themselves a bigger piece.” Fox and Fremantle responded to the suit with a comment to The Reporter, in which they said, “Mr. Fuller has not been hired, nor performed any duties, on the U.S. version of ‘The X Factor.’ His suit seeks payment and credit as an executive producer despite his neither having been approved by the required parties, nor hired, as such. We believe this lawsuit is without merit, and we expect to prevail.” Fuller’s attorneys threw water on that claim, saying Fox was “contractually obligated” to approve Fuller as an executive producer on the show and that it has breached that obligation. “They both want the honor and the credit,” Halperin said. “Fuller has always had the credit and no one is taking that away, but Cowell wants more than just to be the guy that judges. He wants people to look at him as a real force.” Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
From Peter Parker’s ‘daddy issues’ to his new leading lady, Spidey clip hints at what’s to come in 2012. By Josh Wigler Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Photo: Columbia Pictures This weekend’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” continues the charge of superhero supremacy at the box office this summer, and the grand tradition of Marvel heroes is sure to continue a year from now when “The Amazing Spider-Man” swings into action. The first “Spider-Man” trailer hit the Web earlier this week (through both official and leaked channels), gifting comic book fans with the great power and great responsibility of delivering their snap judgments on Sony’s developing reboot — well ahead of its summer 2012 release. Of course, we’re not immune to having our own reactions here at MTV News. To that end, we took a closer look at the new Spidey trailer and found quite a bit to pick apart. Even The Best Web-Heads Have Daddy Issues Most “Spider-Man” fans are familiar with Peter’s relationship with Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker, but the newest film’s first trailer puts a heavy emphasis on our hero’s birth parents. Although this territory has been covered before in the comics, it’s a story far less frequently told than Peter’s struggles with Uncle Ben’s death. But director Marc Webb has said before that “Amazing Spider-Man” will deal heavily with Peter’s daddy issues, and judging by the trailer, he wasn’t kidding. The Dark Spider If there’s one thing to take away from the “Spider-Man” trailer, it’s that this isn’t Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire’s web-slinger. In the hands of Webb and leading man Andrew Garfield, we’re seeing a Spider-Man story that takes itself much more seriously than the whimsical nature of the Raimi and Maguire era. Whether you approve of the tonal change will vary based on personal taste, but there’s certainly no arguing that this “Spider-Man” movie feels different than the last three, if nothing else. When Andrew Met Emma Another big change from the “Spider-Man” films of yesteryear is the removal of longtime love interest Mary-Jane Watson in favor of Gwen Stacy, played here by Emma Stone. Much of the trailer’s focus is on the budding relationship between Andrew and Emma’s characters, and already it feels as though they share more common ground with each other than Peter and MJ enjoyed in the first film’s opening chapters. Back To Start One thing that isn’t different from the previous Spider-flicks is that “Amazing” appears to be an origin story, just like the first Raimi-directed picture. It’s a curious choice: The original “Spider-Man” movie swung into theaters in 2002, and only 10 years later we’re seeing yet another re-telling of how Peter Parker got his radioactive spider-powers. There’s already debate about whether another origin story was worth the narrative cost, but we’ll reserve some judgment until we see the finished product — or, at least, another trailer. First-Person Heroics Speaking of other trailers, here’s hoping that the second “Spider-Man” spot puts a heavier emphasis on action than this first one. We don’t see Garfield in action albeit for a few shots two thirds of the way into the trailer, and even then, he’s without mask or costume. The final portion of the trailer, clocking in at almost a minute, focuses entirely on Spidey swinging from rooftop to rooftop … but all from the character’s own perspective. Again, it’s a curious choice to show the web-slinging action from Spidey’s point of view rather than allowing the viewer to gaze upon the hero in all of his glory. It’s bound to be a breathtaking sequence when the full movie hits theaters; as the capper for a first trailer, however, the “Spidey-cam” will likely turn some fans off. What do you think of the first “Amazing Spider-Man” trailer? Tell us in the comments! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Amazing Spider-Man.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com .
Actor appears as young web-slinger in a new image, looking slightly bloodied and toting a backpack. By Eric Ditzian Andrew Garfield in “Spider-Man” Photo: Columbia Pictures Six months after Andrew Garfield was cast as Spider-Man in Sony’s reboot of the storied comic book franchise, the first official image of the 27-year-old as the web-slinging boy wonder has appeared online. In the photo, Spider-Man — a.k.a. Peter Parker — strides forward in his red-and-blue suit. His hair seems wet from perspiration and a bloody scratch is etched across one cheek. He’s also carrying a backpack, underscoring Parker’s dueling ambitions of trying to be a normal kid with a normal life while at the same time assuming the great power and responsibility that comes with being a superhero. The choice of this image as the first from the rebooted franchise is an intriguing one: This is a darker, grittier Spider-Man than we’re used to seeing. His suit is filthy and a bloody cheek appears to be just one of his wounds as this Spidey has got a lot weighing on his mind. It is, then, a very human portrait of a boy who’s been transformed into a hero simply because of one fateful bite from a radioactive spider. In that way, it jibes with how Garfield has been talking about the character in the months since he won the role. “I realized that even Peter Parker is trying to live up to that symbol of Spider-Man he’s created,” Garfield explained to MTV News in November, making a comparison between his apprehension about the role and his character’s superhero ambitions. “That’s what makes him so special: He’s undeniably human and going through the same struggles as everyone else. So you try to live up to that symbol and then you have to be OK not living up to it, because not even Peter Parker can do it.” Directed by Marc Webb and co-starring Emma Stone as Parker’s love interest Gwen Stacy , “Spider-Man” hits theaters on July 3, 2012. What do you think of Andrew in his Spidey suit? Sound off in the comments! Check out everything we’ve got on “Spider-Man.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Photos Spider-Man Movie Costumes: From Tobey Maguire To Andrew Garfield ‘Spider-Man’ (2012)
Attention Mel Gibson fan: You’ll want to book tickets to Austin immediately. The SXSW film festival just announced that the world premiere of The Beaver will occur as part of the fest on March 16. Also having their world premieres: The Conan O’B rien “Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour” documentary Conan O’B rien Can’t Stop and Ti West’s The Innkeepers ; Greg Mottola’s comedy road trip Paul will have its North American premiere at the festival, too. The four films join Duncan Jones’ Source Code on the SXSW schedule.
The first still of Andrew Garfield in his slick Spider-Man suit is an intense and/or melancholic one; so far he’s staying just on this side of Spider-Man 3 -level sads . What’s he thinking about? His 28-inch waist? How annoying it is to fit a ragamuffin haircut through the neck hole? At any rate, the suit fits. I’m on board. Click ahead for the full image.
U2’s The Edge describes Broadway’s ‘Turn Off the Dark’ as ‘something that hasn’t been done before.’ By Rick Marshall Bono Photo: MTV News The budget-busting Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” made its long-awaited debut last weekend to preview audiences, and though Peter Parker’s bow was marred by production miscues and a laundry list of problems , one issue that audiences didn’t seem to have a problem with was the music. According to U2 bandmates Bono and The Edge, who composed the production’s score, that’s because comic books and rock and roll music are a natural fit. “There’s always been a thing with punk rock bands and comics,” Bono told MTV News during an interview last week. “It’s always been there. Even the Ramones, who are also from Queens [New York] like Peter Parker and Mary Jane, they covered the theme to Spider-Man.” “It goes through all, not just rock and roll culture, it’s in modern art,” he continued. “You see it in Roy Lichtenstein’s work, all the pop artists’ work; they all sample from comics.” Featuring high-flying stunts and a multitude of moving set pieces that put the audience in the middle of the action when Spider-Man battles Green Goblin, Carnage and the rest of the show’s villains , “Turn Off the Dark” is treading new ground. In fact, the ambitious uses to which director Julie Taymor has put the project’s record-breaking budget have effectively distanced it from its peers — and caused some confusion when it comes time to describe the show. “It’s like a graphic novel, but a three-dimensional one,” Bono ventured. “I’m calling it a pop-up, pop-art opera, because I’m pretentious. Julie’s calling it what?” “I think she’s calling it a rock-and-roll circus drama,” The Edge answered. “We don’t really know what to call it, because there are so many aspects to it,” he explained. “A great night out. I think that’s what it is.” The Edge acknowledged a similar difficulty in comparing “Turn Off the Dark” with anything that came before it. “It is elements of rock and roll, it’s elements of circus, it’s elements of opera, of musical theater,” he said. “It is so many different things, and when we started the process, we promised we’d do something that hasn’t been done before. And really, we, I think, have managed to do that.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Bono And The Edge
