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Idris Elba, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer Get Golden Globe Nods

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This morning, nominees for the 69th Annual Golden Globes were announced at the Beverly Hilton in Hollywood.   Idris Elba landed a Best Actor/ Miniseries nomination for his role as DCI John Luther in the BBC procedural “LUTHER.”  This is Elba’s second Golden Globe nomination for  playing the complex and tortured police detective. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were recognized for their work in the period ensemble The Help .  Davis is up for Best Actress/Drama and Spencer for Best Supporting Actress/Drama.   The Help was also nominated for Best Picture: Drama and Best Original Song ( “The Living Proof” by Mary J. Blige ). The Golden Globes Awards ceremony will air Sunday January 15, 2012 FULL LISTING OF NOMINATIONS: FILM BEST PICTURE: DRAMA “The Descendants” “The Help” “Hugo” “The Ides of March” “Moneyball” “War Horse” BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL “50/50” “The Artist” “Bridesmaids” “Midnight in Paris” “My Week With Marilyn” BEST DIRECTOR Woody Allen (“Midnight in Paris”) George Clooney (“The Ides of March”) Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”) Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”) Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”) BEST ACTOR: DRAMA George Clooney (“The Descendants”) Leonardo Dicaprio (“J. Edgar”) Michael Fassbender (“Shame”) Ryan Gosling (“The Ides of March”) Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”) BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA Glenn Close (“Albert Nobbs”) Viola Davis (“The Help”) Rooney Mara (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”) Tilda Swinton (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”) BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL Jodie Foster (“Carnage”) Charlize Theron (“Young Adult”) Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids”) Michelle Williams (“My Week With Marilyn”) Kate Winslet (“Carnage”) BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”) Brendan Gleeson (“The Guard”) Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“50/50”) Ryan Gosling (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”) Owen Wilson (“Midnight in Paris”) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Berenice Bejo (“The Artist”) Jessica Chastain (“The Help”) Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”) Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Kenneth Branagh (“My Week With Marilyn”) Albert Brooks (“Drive”) Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”) Viggo Mortensen (“A Dangerous Method”) Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”) BEST ANIMATED FILM “The Adventures of Tintin” “Arthur Christmas” “Cars 2” “Puss in Boots” “Rango” BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM “The Flowers Of War” (China) “In The Land of Blood and Honey” (USA) “The Kid With a Bike” (Belgium) ”A Separation” (Iran) “The Skin I Live In” (Spain) BEST SCREENPLAY ”The Artist” “The Descendants” “The Ides of March” “Midnight in Paris” “Moneyball” TELEVISION BEST ACTRESS, TV COMEDY Laura Dern (“Enlightened”) Zooey Deschanel (“New Girl”) Tina Fey (“30 Rock”) Laura Linney (“The Big C”) Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”) BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA Claire Danes (“Homeland”) Mireille Enos (“The Killing”) Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife”) Madeleine Stowe (“Revenge”) Callie Thorne (“Necessary Roughness”) Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Hugh Bonneville, “Downtown Abbey” (Masterpiece) Idris Elba, “Luther” William Hurt, “Too Big to Fail” Bill Nighy, “Page Eight” (Masterpiece) Dominic West, “The Hour” BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV SERIES, MINI-SERIES or MOVIE Peter Dinklange (“Game of Thrones”) Paul Giamatti (“Too Big to Fail”) Guy Pearce (“Mildred Pierce”) Tim Robbins (“Cinema Verite”) Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, TV SERIES, MINI-SERIES or MOVIE Jessica Lange (“American Horror Story”) Kelly Macdonald (“Boardwalk Empire”) Maggie Smith (“Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece)”) SofiaVegara (“Modern Family”) Evan Rachel Wood (“Mildred Pierce”) BEST ACTOR, TV COMEDY Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”) David Duchovny (“Californication”) Johnny Galecki (“The Big Bang Theory”) Thomas Jane (“Hung”) Matt LeBlanc (“Episodes”) BEST COMEDY SERIES, TV “Enlightened” “Episodes” “Glee” “Modern Family” “New Girl”

Idris Elba, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer Get Golden Globe Nods

Golden Globes Shocks And Snubs: Ryan Gosling, ‘Dragon Tattoo,’ More

Nominations overlook ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’ ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Bridesmaids’ breakout Melissa McCarthy. By Josh Wigler Ryan Gosling in “Crazy Stupid Love” Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures The 2012 Golden Globes nominations are here, and as always, there are plenty of surprises of both the good and bad variety. Some of our favorite actors walked away with unexpected nominations, while others were shockingly left off the ballot. Movies we did not anticipate making the cut broke past our expectations, while several films we considered shoe-ins were shut out entirely. In other words, it’s just another year at the Globes! From Ryan Gosling to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” here are 10 of the biggest shocks and snubs among this year’s Golden Globes nominees: Shock: Ryan Gosling Goes for Two There’s no question that this was a big year for the Gos. Not only did he break up a street fight in the viral video seen ’round the world, he also acted the heck out of three great movies: “Drive,” “The Ides of March” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” We’ve been on the Gosling train for years now, and it’s fantastic to see him getting recognized by the Globes this year. But it’s what he was nominated for that left us shocked. If the choice were up to us, Gosling would be nominated for “Drive,” not “Ides.” There’s not a lot of Globes love for Nicolas Winding Refn’s phenomenal thriller, save for a much-deserved Albert Brooks supporting nom. But, hey, beggars can’t be choosers. We’re more than happy with the double-header for our guy! Shock: “March” On While we’re on the topic, nobody here on the MTV Movies team would have predicted that “Ides of March” would get so much love at the Globes this year. It’s a strong movie by all accounts, but worthy of nominations in three major categories (Best Actor for Gosling, Best Director for George Clooney and Best Picture Drama)? We’re not so sure. Still, we love Clooney, and we love that he’s getting further awards attention besides his predestined “Descendants” nomination. And there’s no need to repeat our Gosling gush. Snub: Melissa McCarthy Misses Out It’s great to see “Bridesmaids” nominated for Best Picture Musical or Comedy and Kristen Wiig in the Best Actress category — the R-rated comedy was one of our very favorite movies of the year, after all — but we’re absolutely floored and disappointed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s snubbing of Melissa McCarthy. Wiig is wonderful in the film, and without her, “Bridesmaids” would not exist. But without McCarthy, “Bridesmaids” would not be excellent. She was the breakout star. She brought the thunder. She not only deserved a nomination, but arguably a win. Her absence from this year’s Globes is almost as embarrassing as what went down in the bridal shop. Snub: Globes Hates Tattoos We’re thrilled that Rooney Mara snagged a nomination for her transformative portrayal of punk-rock computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, but beyond that and recognition for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score, “Dragon Tattoo” got left on the bench. After David Fincher and “Social Network” got burned toward the end of last year’s awards season, we really thought he’d at least score Director and Best Picture Drama nods this year. No such luck. Looking at the film on its own merits, “Dragon Tattoo” is just fantastic filmmaking. The Movies team is obsessed with the crime thriller, as you’ll hear in the coming days and weeks. Its lack of recognition at the Globes is more than deserving of some Salander-style revenge. Shock: Extremely Quiet And Incredibly Far “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” got nothing, nada, zip. We won’t call that a snub — it wasn’t our favorite movie of the year — but the fact that it got literally zero nominations is definitely a shock. Don’t count it out of the Oscar race just yet, though: An adapted screenplay nom is almost certainly in its future. Snub: No Nolte Not only was “Warrior” actor Nick Nolte expected to get nominated for Best Supporting Actor, many expected him to win. Surprise: He’s not going to win, because he’s not nominated! Nolte’s nowhere to be found this year, despite his recent SAG nomination . In fact, “Warrior” got absolutely nothing at the Globes. Nolte was really that movie’s best chance, frankly, so we’re starting to wonder about its awards season prospects. Shock: Michael Fassbender has “Shame” The Irish-German actor’s Best Actor nomination was one of the biggest surprises of all. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.) Fassbender’s fearless performance definitely deserved recognition, but we’re very surprised — and very heartened — to see “Shame” overcome the NC-17 stigma. Odds of a win aren’t in his favor, but Fassbender’s nomination is much deserved after the actor’s absolutely amazing year. Snub: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Snub Perhaps Gary Oldman’s road to Oscar just isn’t meant to be. The “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” got overlooked by Globes against all odds. It really is close to impossible to believe that Oldman has never been nominated for an Academy Award, and we thought “Tinker” would finally be his chance at not just a nom, but a win. But now that he’s been shut out by the Globes, does he really have any shot at all on Oscar night? We’re still hopeful, but not optimistic. Shock: “American” Success Story Before we go, a quick look at TV land. Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” got nominated for Best Television Series (Drama), a move that’s sure to surprise a lot of people (even if that Jessica Lange nomination surprises precisely no one — she was one of our Top 10 TV Characters of 2011 , after all). “AHS” is one of the most thoroughly disgusting, unsettling shows on the small screen, now or ever: How many other programs this year showcased a school shooting in such gory detail, or stitched deceased fetuses together to create one terrible Franken-baby? That said, “Horror Story” also features one of the greatest casts on all of television, and it pushes its plot forward with a ferocity matched by few other series. Like all things on the FX thriller, the “Horror” nomination is a shock, but a welcome one. Snub: “Breaking” Bust No one’s going to argue that Bryan Cranston deserves that Best Performance nomination, but seriously, there’s not a single other “Breaking Bad” nom? That’s just flat-out ridiculous! “Breaking Bad” just came off its greatest season ever. Cranston nailed it as Walter White, but fellow actors Aaron Paul as reluctant assassin Jesse Pinkman and Giancarlo Esposito as meth kingpin Gustavo Fring also turned in marvelous performances worthy of not just nominations, but full-on awards. (While we’re at it, here’s my super-quick opportunity to say that “Sons of Anarchy” should have gotten some love as well. Like “Bad,” this season of “SOA” was not just its greatest one yet, but perhaps the greatest season of television all year.) Acting aside, “Breaking Bad” deserved a Best Television Series spot much more than newbie “Boss” or even “Horror Story,” much as we’re happy to see it on the list. Needless to say, we’re not happy about the oversight. Besides, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, didn’t you hear? Walter White is the danger! For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Ryan Gosling 2012 Golden Globe Nominations Related Photos 2012 Golden Globe Nominees ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ Five Key Scenes From The Trailer

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Golden Globes Shocks And Snubs: Ryan Gosling, ‘Dragon Tattoo,’ More

‘Bridesmaids’ Surprises With Screen Actors Guild Nod

‘The Artist,’ ‘The Descendants,’ ‘The Help’ and ‘Midnight in Paris’ will also vie for SAG Awards’ top prize. By Kevin P. Sullivan Kristen Wiig in “Bridesmaids” Photo: Universal Pictures The Screen Actors Guild announced its nominees Wednesday (December 14) for the best performances of the year in both television and film. The SAG Awards are the only ones with actors choosing among their peers to select the winners, so they are considered to be among the highest honors in Hollywood. With the Golden Globe nominations arriving Thursday and the Academy Awards looming in the near future, everyone is eagerly searching for some hint of how things may shake out on Oscar night. Among the SAG nominations, there are plenty of the familiar names that have garnered awards attention this year, but also a fair number of surprises. Demi

Men In Black III [TRAILER]

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Forget all the rumors about the end of Will Smith’s marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith, because the 3rd edition of his hit franchise Men In Black 3 is coming out in 2012! The official release date is May 25th, and Smith will be reunited with Tommy Lee Jones. Find out more about Men In Black 3 at HuffPost , and check out the trailer below. RELATED POSTS: The Many Stages Of Will Smith As An Actor [ORIGINAL]

Men In Black III [TRAILER]

Katy Perry Puts Singing Voice To Use As ‘SNL’ Host

Pop star lampoons Christina Aguilera (and herself) during latest episode, which also include appearances from Matt Damon and Alec Baldwin. By James Dinh Katy Perry on “Saturday Night Live” Photo: NBC Katy Perry put her acting chops to the test during her “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut this weekend, but the pop superstar also put her vocal talents to use in most of her sketches, lampooning fellow stars and even herself. Kicking off the evening in her new blond bob, Mrs. Russell Brand walked onto the festive set in a tight red dress covered in Christmas ornaments for the show’s opening monologue. She explained that her crazy video characters are based on real people she grew up with in California, and Kristen Wiig appeared beside the starlet in a blue wig with a whipped-cream-projecting bra, just like Perry’s “California Gurls” character. More “SNL” castmates joined the starlet in her video outfits and brought the audience to laughs when Wiig paired with Perry to sing a girl-on-girl duet of “Teenage Dream.” Aside from skits about Hello Kitty fandom and long-lost soul mates, the 27-year-old singer spent much of the night taking a stab at celebrity impressions, mocking the likes of Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch and Pippa Middleton. In a parody trailer for “The Apocalypse,” a play on the recently released romantic comedy “New Year’s Eve,” Perry dressed up as Xtina, singing her signature elongated notes. Then, Perry portrayed the Florence and the Machine frontwoman in a skit about a canine-themed soundtrack called Doggie Duty, and it was all about the royal family when the ever-changing pop star channeled Pippa Middleton in a segment that depicted a rather raunchy version of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Katy Cats also saw their beloved pop star in a sketch about, well, herself. During an interview with a Finnish TV show called “Kalle,” Perry becomes alarmed when the host, played by Wiig, cues to clips of anything and everything the singer mentions. “We have an excellent research team,” Kalle tells the chart-topper of the constant clip-cueing. Things become strange for Perry when the talk show plays a clip from the future. The latest episode also featured surprise appearances from Matt Damon and Val Kilmer, who appeared together with Perry in a Digital Short sing-a-long about best friends, and Alec Baldwin popped up during “Weekend Update.” The Emmy-winning “30 Rock” star took the opportunity to lampoon his recent American Airlines controversy , when the actor was removed from a flight last week for refusing to turn off his phone during his Words with Friends game. Perry shared the “SNL” stage with former California Dreams tourmate Robyn, who served as the evening’s musical guest. Delivering a pair of high-energy performances of “Call Your Girlfriend” and “Dancing on My Own,” the Swedish pop star showed off her awkwardly slick dance moves and retro ’80s styling. What was your favorite Perry skit? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Related Artists Katy Perry

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Katy Perry Puts Singing Voice To Use As ‘SNL’ Host

Tom Cruise Reflects On ‘M:I’ At ‘Ghost Protocol’ Debut

Actor also gives MTV News a Les Grossman update at Dubai premiere. By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Tom Cruise at the Dubai premiere of “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” Photo: MTV News After four “Mission: Impossible” films, Tom Cruise has seen his fair share of action sequences as special agent Ethan Hunt. So many of the series’ famous set pieces come to mind almost instantly: infiltrating Langley in “Mission: Impossible,” climbing a rock face freestyle in “M:I 2” and now the stunt outside Dubai’s Khalifa Tower in “Ghost Protocol.” When MTV News’ Josh Horowitz caught up with Cruise at the latest film’s premiere in Dubai, he asked the actor which famous action sequences he looks back on with the most fondness. “It’s hard to say, because each one has been so different, and each had different kinds of challenges,” Cruise said. But few will deny that the iconic rappel into the heart of CIA headquarters is the series’ defining moment. Cruise recalled the challenges he had filming that scene. He credits director Brian De Palma for the scene’s success. “I remember when I was doing it, my head kept hitting the floor. … I was running out of energy, and we were running out of time,” Cruise said. De Palma said if they didn’t get the stunt on the next take he would be forced to pull it off with tricky editing. “To one of the stunt guys, I said, ‘Give me your pound coins out of your pocket,’ ” Cruise said. “I put the pound coins in my shoes, the tips, so that’s what allowed me to be able to balance and keep off the floor for that whole shot. That kept my face from hitting the floor.” That wasn’t the end of it, though. Cruise needed to maintain that position for the rest of the take. “De Palma knew that we had the shot, and he just held it and held it. I was like, ‘How long can I hold off the floor?’ Brian had a fantastic laugh, and then he said, ‘All right, cut.’ ” One of the projects Cruise has been attached to for a while is the long-gestating “Tropic Thunder” spin-off for his scene-stealing character Les Grossman . There have been no signs of progress toward production, so Cruise updated us on its status. “It’s not where we all want it to be,” Cruise said, suggesting that Internet shorts may be the way to go. “[Les Grossman] is so much fun to do. There are all different kinds of things we’re thinking about.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ Premiere Heats Up Dubai

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Tom Cruise Reflects On ‘M:I’ At ‘Ghost Protocol’ Debut

‘The Sitter’: The Reviews Are In!

Critics call Jonah Hill comedy an R-rated ‘Adventures in Babysitting.’ By Kara Warner Jonah Hill, Max Records and Landry Bender in “The Sitter” Photo: 20th Century Fox From the moment Fox unleashed the clever “Need a Sitter?” poster advertising Jonah Hill as a for-hire babysitter, we were intrigued to see what comedic genius might be born of the qualified actor/director combination of the “Superbad” star and “Pineapple Express” helmer David Gordon Green. Once the trailers hit, it was obvious audiences would be in for a raunchy, envelope-pushing experience, the effectiveness of which has the critical masses a bit divided and sitting at a 21 percent rating over at Rotten Tomatoes . Read on as we sift through “The Sitter” reviews: Plot Twists, Turns and Caveats ” ‘The Sitter’ is wickedly absurd. Every parent’s fears about the caretaker brought in at the last minute get amped up here. So getting one’s shorts in a knot about the situations that sitter Noah Griffith (Hill) puts youngsters Slater, Blithe and Rodrigo in is a waste of ire. The comedy breaks in viewers from the get-go by offering a twist on R-rated bedroom activity. Later, after Noah is sweetly guilt-tripped into a babysitting gig by his mom (Jessica Hecht), the movie proceeds to an ill-advised drug run. It’s a comedy with kids, not for kids. … Which leads us to a second caveat: This comedy is shameless about race. From its rap and R&B soundtrack, to the casting of Wu-Tang Clan’s Cliff “Method Man” Smith, to the in-your-face sistah Tina (played with nice vigor by Samira Wiley), it’s clear this comedy is made by that generation of filmmakers freed by the omnipresence of hip-hop to be a little gangsta themselves.” — Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post The Performances “Some of the sting is eased by Hill, who navigates this movie’s wild ride through a raunchier ‘Adventures in Babysitting’ with a genuinely sweet sense of self-deprecation. Yes, he’s a sadsack loser, but he knows it, and his honest acceptance of that makes him easy to take. He’s also helped out by the great Sam Rockwell — who remains one of the consistently wildest and most daring actors out there — as Karl, a starved-for-affection drug dealer. And also aided by a surprising gay-pride subplot that delivers its own ‘It Gets Better’ message.” — Stephen Witty, The Newark Star-Ledger Mixed Messages “The filmmakers try desperately to skate that thin line between socially redeeming and wanton excess by having Noah dish out some bits of wisdom and occasionally indicate he might care about the kids. But it is very thin ice and Hill never finds his balance, to say nothing of his comic timing. Though table-turning ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ themes abound, somehow the exploding toilet and all the other ‘funny’ mayhem, on which much of the film’s humor rides, seem sad instead.” — Betsy Sharkey, The Los Angeles Times The Final Word, Pro-Con-Pro Style ” ‘I’m not Mary Poppins,’ protests Jonah Hill’s Noah. No, you’re Elisabeth Shue, and ‘The Sitter’ is an unacknowledged remake of ‘Adventures in Babysitting’ with the raunch dial turned up to max. It’s smart, funny, agreeably perverse and simultaneously abrupt and exhausting.” — Kyle Smith, New York Post ” ‘The Sitter’ plays like an R-rated homage to the 1980s comedy ‘Adventures in Babysitting,’ with some ‘Date Night’ and lots of filthy humor thrown in. Spiked with some loopily inspired supporting performances (Sam Rockwell turns up as a freaky, tweaky drug dealer running the world’s most hilariously depraved coke den) and Hill’s characteristically inspired improvisational asides, ‘The Sitter’ is an efficient but uneven programmer, whose most valuable contribution to the cinematic landscape is its blessedly brief 80-minute running time.” — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post “Hill is a strong comic, and this movie, considerably funnier than director Green’s last, the execrable ‘Your Highness’ — low standard — allows the actor to show off his beautiful timing (also evident in ‘Moneyball,’ but without the hijinks). Screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka have barely a screen credit between them, but they understand the Hill persona, a little whisper here, an off-the-cuff insult that lands as softly as a kiss and a nonplussed double take followed by a quick rejoinder. Noah is the fat guy who wears a plaid flannel shirt underneath a jacket opened to reveal a clashing plaid lining. He’s also good and decent and open to admitting all of his faults. ‘I had a monthlong, intense addiction to Robitussin,’ he tells Slater, trying to put him at ease. ‘The Sitter’ is predicated on a belief that chunky Jonah Hill, or at least the persona he presents, is secretly supercool. While it turns out to be a wisp of a movie, on that front at least, it is persuasive.” — Mary Pols, Time Check out everything we’ve got on “The Sitter.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV First: The Sitter

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‘The Sitter’: The Reviews Are In!

For No Particular Reason, Mitt Romney Wants To Remind You That He’s Only Been Married To One Woman

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I wonder who Mitt Romney might be thinking of in this new ad that started running today in Iowa: H/T: David Weigel Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Outside the Beltway Discovery Date : 07/12/2011 03:16 Number of articles : 5

For No Particular Reason, Mitt Romney Wants To Remind You That He’s Only Been Married To One Woman

Noise Is Gay Activist And Actor Gavin Creel’s New "Anthem For Equality"

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Gavin Creel, the openly gay actor, singer, songwriter, activist who co-founded Broadway Impact just released “Noise,” which he describes as an “anthem for equality.” Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The New Civil Rights Movement Discovery Date : 07/12/2011 09:37 Number of articles : 2

Noise Is Gay Activist And Actor Gavin Creel’s New "Anthem For Equality"

‘Transformers 4’ To Be Directed By Michael Bay?

Director is said to be close to inking deal with Paramount. By Kevin P. Sullivan Michael Bay on the set of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Photo: Paramount Pictures Michael Bay could be heading back to the director’s chair for the fourth installment in the “Transformers” series, but as always, there’s more to the story than meets the eye. New York magazine’s Vulture blog is reporting that Bay and Paramount are close to signing a deal that would bring the director back for the fourth go-round. The source cited in the report stated that a fourth “Transformers” movie is Paramount’s bargaining chip with Bay, who has been trying to make “Pain and Gain,” a true-life low-budget thriller, since 1999. Paramount declined MTV News’ request for comment. Rumors about a fourth “Transformers” movie have been circulating for months, but most of them concern a proposed replacement for the series’ former star, Shia LaBeouf . Jason Statham was said to be up for the lead in the fourth and fifth entries in the series, but the actor denied his involvement. As recently as October, Bay had said that he had not entered into discussions with Paramount about possibly directing the next two “Transformers” movies. He took to his own Shoot for the Edit blog to swat down claims he was in negotiations with the studio. Again, he asserted that his attention was focused on “Pain and Gain.” The report from Vulture does account for “Pain.” If the deal is to go through for “Transformers 4,” Bay is likely to shoot “Pain” immediately and start production on “Transformers” in late 2012. According to the article, the film would definitely not be a prequel to the previous three and would dig deeper into the franchise for new characters that haven’t been explored yet. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Transformers: Dark Of The Moon’

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‘Transformers 4’ To Be Directed By Michael Bay?