Very good news for American Idol fans across the country: Phillip Phillips WILL be coming to a venue near you. The Season 11 champion has been battling kidney problems for months and was scheduled to undergo surgery late last month that may have caused him to miss the opening couple dates on the show’s upcoming summer tour. But sources now tell E! News that Phillips is “doing well” and responding to an alternative treatment. He currently has no plans to follow through with any kind of procedure. “He will still be attending all the tour dates and is really looking forward to the launch on July 6,” says a rep for the tour. Phillips will likely be greeted with hearty rounds of applause everywhere he goes. The singer is off to an incredibly strong start to his post-show career, making American Idol history last month due to how many times folks downloaded his winning single, “Home.”
Things are getting serious on The Bachelorette, which ran it back with another contrived, unintentionally hilarious, and over-the-top dramatic episode tonight. Who prevailed when Emily treated eight men to a special day on the water at the Bermuda Yacht Club? Who came up empty while the winners celebrated? Who tried to impress Em by referring to her as a possible “trophy wife” (always smart), and who actually charmed her into getting a rose at the end of the day? Follow this link for a rundown of The Bachelorette spoilers we know now, including the (alleged) final three. Then read on for THG’s +/- Bachelorette recap! It’s bright and early and Chris calls the guys together to tell them there will be three dates this week: a one-on-one, a two-on-one, and a group date. And all of them will be happening in Bermuda. From there dates will happen at various places around the world. Plus 20. Emily has Ricki on this international trip. And she can’t wait to come back here with her husband. And possibly pregnant. AND pushing a stroller. Simmer down, Emily’s Ovaries. Minus 5. Arie found the first card. Doug got the one-on-one date. Alejandro’s jealous. I forgot Alejandro was even here. Chances are Emily did too. All the guys are cheering and jeering at Doug and Arie says he’s ready for the Bromance to end among all the guys. Doug’s nervous and Arie says it’s easy to push his buttons. So all of the guys push his buttons together to completely psych him out before his date with Emily. Plus 10. Emily says she feels like she and Doug have known each other for years. Their date consists at first of walking around the town, talking, checking into shops, and eating food from street vendors. It seems like the perfect day. Plus 5. Doug tells her that he recently started a charity to show his son that one person can change the world. Then he tells her about the awkward moment she walked into and she’s impressed that he felt comfortable enough to tell her. And then they write his son a note. And I got a cavity from all the sugar dripping off the screen. Plus 10. I’m not sure if “Bermudian” is a word, but Emily thinks it is. They walk through the Moon Gate and make a wish. Her wish? That she won’t be single forever. Like that wasn’t obvious. Minus 20. Emily and Doug meet up for dinner. Emily thinks Doug’s hiding something from her. His answers are always too perfect and positive. She wants to know what complaints his ex girlfriends would have and then tells him even his answers to those questions are perfect. He turns it around on her and her flaws are that she doesn’t get out of her pajamas sometimes and runs errands in them. That’s when she realizes that maybe she asked the wrong question. Minus 35 for the awkward dinner conversation. It’s no surprise that she gives him the rose. He wants to give her a kiss in return but remembers his Grandpa’s lesson: a girl who wants to be kissed will let you know. Doug’s biggest downfall? He doesn’t make the first move. Man up, Doug. Minus 20. Emily and eight of the bachelors meet up at the Royal Harbor Yacht Club to do a little sailing. Kalon says this is his element. Ryan says he knows nothing about sailing. They have to team up in groups of four and after learning about the boats, they’ll have to race for Emily’s affections. Four of them will get more time with her and four of them will go back to the hotel. Jef, Ryan, Arie, and Kalon are Team Yellow. Charlie, Chris, Sean, and Travis are Team Red. Team Red’s ahead. Team Yellow can’t seem to communicate with one another. Emily says she hates watching guys compete. Half way through the race, Team Yellow learns to communicate and pulls ahead of Team Red. But not for long. At the last turn, Team Red’s in the lead. Then Team Yellow cuts to the inside corner! Ahh! The suspense!! Team Yellow wins! Plus 25. Poor Team Red. Poor Charlie who starts crying on the van ride back to the resort. Minus 20 for the man tears. Emily’s on her date with Team Yellow and before the first drinks are finished, Ryan calls Emily a trophy wife. Minus 40 . Arie Luyendyk, Jr . steals her away for alone time on the beach. Under a blanket. So he can kiss her again. They’re time together is short lived since she’s on a date with all four of them. But that’s okay. He’s probably got more ladies waiting in the wings. Jef wants his alone time with Emily to matter. He really likes who she is, and he really likes hanging out with her. Then he asks her to kiss the booboo he got on the sailboat. And I’m grossed out because kissing booboos is something moms do for their kids. There’s a huge, gaping, giant, awkward space where a kiss was supposed to go, but maybe Jef’s a little camera shy. Minus 25. Next up for alone time is Ryan. He says he’s very deep as a person. He’s not here to impress her, but to make an impression upon her. I’m confused. She calls him on his ” I might not love on you ” line from last week and he dodges answering her questions. Minus 30 . Then he calls her on making out with Arie in front of all the guys last week and says that other girls are watching her and she needs to be a role model. Minus 20 . Like Emily said, Ryan knew what he was getting into when he signed up for this. Emily gives Jef the rose and Ryan calls it “safe.” Kalon McMahon is the only guy from Team Yellow who didn’t get any alone time with Emily after the sailing excursion. Probably because of his condescending ways. Plus 10. Emily doesn’t like the idea of the two-on-one date and neither do the guys, John and Nate. At the resort, the guys take a vote on who’s coming home. They vote for John because he’s older and Chris gets his panties in a twist because he’s only 25. Minus 10 . Emily, John, and Nate go cliff diving on their date. I’m hoping Emily doesn’t have a wardrobe malfunction in that teeny bikini. Their dinner is awkward, first because it’s in a cave, second because they’re sitting at the smallest table they could shoehorn into the cave. Nate says “Is that quinoa!?” And then they all decide not to eat. Probably because there’s no elbow room. Or because it was quinoa. Nate admits he was bummed to find out that he was on the two-on-one and says he understands it’s because he hasn’t really shown her anything of himself yet. So she asks him what he wants her to know. He jumps to family, the way to her ovaries. And then he starts choking up with Man Tears when he talks about his friends. Minus 10 John tells her he’d rather be on the two-on-one than on the group date. He also says he knows he hasn’t done much to show her who he is. She says she likes that about him. Plus 10. So now they’re back at the world’s smallest table ever and Emily gives the rose to John after telling Nate she doesn’t see them together forever. I blame the crying. All of the dates are over and there’s 40 minutes of show left until the Rose Ceremony. So Emily takes some time to do sight words with Ricki. Because, you know, she’s a mom. Alejandro basically begs to stay for another week. Minus 15 . Some of the guys (Arie) think Ryan could go home this week and while Ryan and Emily are spending some time together, Arie decides to cut in. He says his connection to Emily is real and intense and he feels like he needs to protect her. And maybe she needs protecting. Ryan says in an interview he sees potential in Emily but is called to something bigger. Basically, he wants to be the next Bachelor. Minus 95 for the douchiest move on this show yet. Emily consoles Sean on the big Team Red loss. Then he kisses her. Plus 25 . Doug and Ryan talk about how they’re “more mature” and know that you don’t build a relationship on the physical. Their maturity is why neither of them has made a move. Chris, still feeling the sting from the guys saying he’s too young to get it, tells Emily that he’s ready to be a father figure and husband. His age doesn’t hold him back. After leaving Emily, he decides to have a conversation with Doug. He wants to know why Doug thinks he’s the better man for Emily between the two of them. Doug tells him he’s being immature right now. Plus 20 to Doug for calling Chris out on his immaturity and maintaining his maturity while doing it. Finally, to save us from the Man Drama, Chris the Host shows up to take Emily away for the Rose Ceremony. Finally. Plus 10. Saying Goodbye: Nate (no rose) Charlie (no rose) Michael (no rose) EPISODE TOTAL: -200 . SEASON TOTAL: -305
Have a burning question for Mr. Skin? Well, you’re in luck- today our fearless leader joins a motley crew that includes Louis CK , Molly Ringwald , and adult star Stoya by participating in a Reddit “AMA”, or “Ask Me Anything”, Q&A. “Ask Me Anything” is a popular feature of the social aggregate site where users can submit questions about, as the name implies, anything directly to the interviewee. Other users can then upvote the questions they really want to see answered, which will go to the top of the AMA page. The Mr. Skin Ask Me Anything page is live NOW, so submit your questions- Mr. Skin goes on LIVE at 1pm CST to give you the answers you need. Even about that burning sensation. Ask Mr. Skin Anything
‘[It] is by far the most emotional of the movies,’ director Barry Sonnenfeld tells MTV News about the third film in the ‘Men in Black’ series. By Josh Wigler Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in “Men in Black 3” Photo: Columbia Pictures The Men in Black are back — but these aren’t the galaxy defenders you remember, not exactly. Yes, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones have both returned to their iconic roles of Agents J and K, two of the finest alien investigators the universe has to offer. But J is not the same bright-eyed rookie introduced oh so many years ago; he’s a seasoned veteran now. And don’t even get us started on Agent K, who has changed so much that a whole new actor is stepping in to play him in the upcoming summer action flick! Nearly a full decade has passed since the last “Men in Black” movie was in theaters. But the threequel itself has been a fixture in headlines throughout its production: Between time-traveling tales, a one-two punch from Jones and Josh Brolin, and reported problems with the film’s script, “Men in Black 3” has certainly been on every film geek’s radar. But don’t let all of that confuse you. Director Barry Sonnenfeld tells MTV News that not only is “Men in Black 3” the most “emotional” of the series, it’s also the most “surprising.” In other words, if you think you know what the film is all about, take it from the man himself: You don’t know anything yet. MTV News’ Summer Movie Preview week continues today with an interview with Sonnenfeld, who spoke openly with us about the film’s story, reports and rumors surrounding the production, and how “Men in Black 3” paves the way for a brand-new take on the sci-fi franchise. MTV : A long time has passed since we’ve seen the Men in Black on the big screen. What does it mean to you, bringing them back after so many years? Barry Sonnenfeld : It feels really great. I’ve been on the movie for a little over two years though, so I’m looking forward to some vacation, too. [ Laughs ] It was really rewarding. I’m really excited for people to see the movie. So I guess I’m tired, and happy. MTV : Why return to this universe now after all this time? What made sense to you about exploring the world of “Men in Black” again? Sonnenfeld : I think the important thing is to have a new, different story to tell. We didn’t want another regular caper where some alien just comes down to threaten Earth, and the Men in Black have to solve it. The big idea — and it was actually Will’s idea, while we were shooting “Men in Black 2” one night for an exterior shot. He said to me, “Barry, for ‘Men in Black 3,’ Agent J needs to go back in time to save Tommy Lee Jones’ [character] from some event that’s happened decades earlier. He needs to learn something about Tommy’s character that he didn’t know before.” That was the genesis. Ten years later, we’re about to come out and show the world what that meant. MTV : Time travel is clearly a big element to the story, but there’s more: we’ve seen photos of the typical weird aliens, we’ve seen Josh Brolin as a young Agent K, and we’ve seen Jemaine Clement as this crazy, motorcycle-riding villain. From a distance, we see all these parts, but perhaps we still don’t have the full scope of what your movie’s about. So, tell us: What’s happening this time around? Sonnenfeld : In the first act, Agent J is a bit fed up with how closed K is as a person, how he feels he needs to open up and communicate more, but it’s not happening. K says to J, “You know how I live such a happy life? I don’t ask questions I don’t want to know the answers to.” At the end of the first act, Jemaine’s character, Boris the Animal, breaks out of prison and finds a guy who has a time device. He says he’s going back to 1969 to do something to the man who shot off his arm — because Boris only has half an arm — and of course, that man is Agent K. At the end of that first act, Tommy’s character disappears, and no one remembers that he ever existed… except Agent J, who realizes that someone went back in time and did something to Agent K. So he has to track down who gave Boris the device, and travel back to 1969 with one warning: He has to stay away from his old partner. MTV : Which, of course, he does not listen to. Sonnenfeld : What happens, actually, is he gets arrested by Agent K — now Josh Brolin — in 1969. The second and third act is all about tracking down Boris and Will renewing his friendship with a different K than the K he knows from 40 years in the future. What’s really cool is that J is constantly wondering why this guy who seems sort of open and happy became the sort of curmudgeon that has been his partner for the last 14 years. He makes a discovery about that. So, “Men in Black 3” is by far the most emotional of the movies. It has a really surprising ending. MTV : Everyone is very excited to see Brolin as K. Can you tell us more about his take on Tommy’s character? Sonnenfeld : Yeah, what’s great about the movie is you’ve got two great actors, both Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, playing the same character and being the same character, but being 40 years different in time. So Josh’s challenge was how to not impersonate Tommy, but to be Agent K, you know what I mean? What’s really interesting is that Josh can’t veer away from Tommy so much that you go, “That’s no fun, I miss Tommy.” And he can’t be so much like Tommy that you wonder why he’s so angry in 1969. Will Smith said to me one day, “What’s so interesting about this movie is that Josh Brolin is so good playing Agent K, and Tommy is so good at playing Agent K, that you almost don’t realize there’s two different actors in the role.” MTV : You mentioned that this is the most emotional of the “Men in Black” movies. What’s interesting to me is that the villain this time around is played by someone who is traditionally viewed as a comedian. How does Jemaine’s villain factor into the emotional aspect of this film? Is he more on the comedy side, or can we expect a more dramatic performance? Sonnenfeld : Jemaine delivers a totally villainous performance. If there’s any comedy at all, it’s just through frustration. [ Laughs ] The great thing about Earth is that it can be a frustrating place for aliens. We don’t think clearly, we’re not logical all the time. But Jemaine is not on board this movie for comic relief. His performance is really strong and really villainous. Think about it: If you had not seen the first “Men in Black,” and people had told you that Tommy lee Jones was funny, you wouldn’t have believed it. This is the same thing — no one is trying to be funny. I want my actors to be real. If it’s a funny situation, I want it to be funny. But I don’t want anyone to play to the comedy. Let the audience find the comedy; I don’t want to tell any [of the cast or crew] where it is. So, Jemaine does not deliver a comedic performance. While there are moments of humor that the audience will find funny, Jemaine himself is not being funny, if you get that. MTV : There have been lots of reports about issues with the script and issues with the shoot. Set things straight: Can you give us a sense of your experience making this film? Sonnenfeld : First of all, I don’t know that I’ve ever been on a shoot that wasn’t stressful for the director. I think all movies are stressful in different ways. What was reported on this one was that we took a several-months hiatus to work on the script. As it relates to that, that concept was built into the shooting schedule. We wanted the next movie Will Smith was in after a long time where he wasn’t in movies to be “Men in Black 3.” We also wanted to shoot in New York, which had a tax incentive that was about to expire. It didn’t expire, but we didn’t know it wasn’t going to expire, because New York state legislature had to vote it in again, and we weren’t sure that was going to happen. So we started the movie with a full script and with a really great first act — but the second and third needed work. We built in a two-month hiatus so we could continue working on the script and not need an eight-week reshoot. So that’s what we did. The truth is, the great thing about the movie, is that there was no stress between myself and any of the actors. We all got along very well. You don’t ever want a director and a movie star who see two different movies. But we all were working with the same ideas in mind. We knew the characters, we knew the history, and we were very much in sync. People don’t know this, but the end and plot of the first “Men in Black” was changed after we shot the picture, months and months and months after shooting. We had cut the movie and were ready to mix it and everything. But I took one scene and got a phonetics expert to change what the two aliens were saying — they were speaking English, and we changed it to an alien language, and subtitled what they were saying. That totally changed the plot of the movie. So, we did not have to do that on this movie. We got [the story] right the first time; it just took a long time to get there. The movie is really good, and it looks great. I think it’s going to be fantastic in 3-D, too. MTV : Wrapping up, you talked about how the ending of this film is “surprising.” As much as you can tease, do you view this film as an ending to the “Men in Black” trilogy? Or are there ways to continue the story? Sonnenfeld : The fantastic thing about “Men in Black 3” is that it totally closes out the trilogy, it answers questions that you didn’t even know you should be asking, it leaves you emotionally warm and sad and happy, and it could also reboot the franchise. But I can’t even begin to tell you how to interpret all of that. [ Laughs ] But I would say this: If your interpretation is that “Men in Black 4” will only star the worm guys and Frank the pug, you are wrong. MTV : Hey, I’d pay money to see that movie! Sonnenfeld : Yeah? Well, maybe I’m wrong! [ Laughs ] Just wait. It’s going to be great. Are you excited for the next “Men in Black” movie? Tell us in the comments section below! It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012
Want Deepak Chopra to help you solve your problem or challenge? We are looking for videos to feature in a new YouTube original series titled “Spiritual Solutions”, launching in July 2012. You tell us your problem and Deepak will provide the answers – from the spiritual to the sublime to the just plain straightforward. No question is out of bounds, though not all will be answered. If you would like to be featured, upload a response video or email us a link to your video after reviewing the requirements below! And remember there are no stupid questions…but the responses are always spiritual when Deepak Chopra is answering them. Please share this video with others — you never know who might be in need of a spiritual solution! Video Requirements: 1. We are looking for succinct (1 min or less) videos that are interesting and honest. Feel free to be creative and expressive! 2. When you send us a link or post a response video, make sure your video is set to UNLISTED on YouTube. Your video must be new, not a video you’ve already uploaded and is public. You can send us links at: solutions@thechoprawell.com. 3. Please don’t include music or copyrighted images in your video (ie please don’t film yourself in front of a photo or painting). If you must, only use music that you create, that is from the public domain, or that you have a license to use. If you use licensed music, we will also need a copy of that license agreement. 4. Only submit your own original videos. If accepted … http://www.youtube.com/v/JqUFIxgYxnU?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Link: Deepak Chopra’s Spiritual Solutions – WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?
Want Deepak Chopra to help you solve your problem or challenge? We are looking for videos to feature in a new YouTube original series titled “Spiritual Solutions”, launching in July 2012. You tell us your problem and Deepak will provide the answers – from the spiritual to the sublime to the just plain straightforward. No question is out of bounds, though not all will be answered. If you would like to be featured, upload a response video or email us a link to your video after reviewing the requirements below! And remember there are no stupid questions…but the responses are always spiritual when Deepak Chopra is answering them. Please share this video with others — you never know who might be in need of a spiritual solution! Video Requirements: 1. We are looking for succinct (1 min or less) videos that are interesting and honest. Feel free to be creative and expressive! 2. When you send us a link or post a response video, make sure your video is set to UNLISTED on YouTube. Your video must be new, not a video you’ve already uploaded and is public. You can send us links at: solutions@thechoprawell.com. 3. Please don’t include music or copyrighted images in your video (ie please don’t film yourself in front of a photo or painting). If you must, only use music that you create, that is from the public domain, or that you have a license to use. If you use licensed music, we will also need a copy of that license agreement. 4. Only submit your own original videos. If accepted … http://www.youtube.com/v/JqUFIxgYxnU?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Link: Deepak Chopra’s Spiritual Solutions – WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?
Len Wiseman walks MTV News through the first look at his remake. By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Kara Warner Colin Farrell in “Total Recall” Photo: Sony Pictures Earlier this week, we saw Colin Farrell realize he may not be the man he thought he was, in the first trailer for “Total Recall.” The first look at the sci-fi remake had a ton of futuristic visuals, badass women and a bleach-blond John Cho, but we wanted a deeper take on what the movie has in store. So MTV News turned to director Len Wiseman for the answers. Wiseman went into the details of the trailer and how it will reflect the finished film, scene-by-scene, and even shared some secrets from the set. The first images from the trailer surprisingly give no sign of the remake’s futuristic setting. Colin Farrell, as Doug Quaid, wakes up next to his wife (Kate Beckinsale) and slowly looks out onto his world. “We actually open up very intimately with Quaid, and then we step out and realize what world he lives in,” Wiseman said. “I wanted to set the stage first for just his relationship and then get a sense of the world and what sort of environment he is in and oppressed by.” Once the plot begins to move forward, Quaid seeks meaning from Rekall, a company than can implant memories. Here, Wiseman saw an opportunity to pay homage to the original film. “Rekall, I wanted to set up some elements that were familiar — a bit of the chair, a bit of what I was excited about when I was a teenager, things that I had kept from that experience,” he said. At the same time, Wiseman wanted to add edgier elements to the familiar setting. “[We] set it up in a much more opium-den, slightly more sketchy version of this whole process,” he said. “I wanted to have a little bit more danger. At its core, it’s screwing with your brain chemistry. That cannot be a widely accepted thing.” The flashiest scene of the trailer comes after the police storm Rekall and attempt to arrest Quaid. In a brutally kinetic single shot, the camera literally flies around the room as Quaid dismantles the police force. Wiseman said he had always wanted to do a scene like that but only just found the opportunity with “Total Recall.” “I needed to have the audience feel what Quaid was feeling. I wanted to set up a moment where you aren’t given a chance to take a breath until it’s over, just like he would.” The setup to capture that shot involved computer-operated cameras moving quickly around the set as Farrell repeatedly performed the fight choreography. “It was a very complicated shoot where Colin had to do the fight 22 times, actually, to get the thing right with all of the cameras,” Wiseman said. “The cameras would move at 35 miles an hour that were on computer systems. It took two days. It was immensely fun, but it is 100 percent practical.” Though the trailer only shows a brief look at it, the fight scene between Beckinsale and Jessica Biel is one Wiseman felt was important to include. “I wanted to give a sense of how strong these female characters are,” he said. “I want it to be the actual payoff of Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale going at it; you’re not watching two stunt players that are carrying that name. It’s actually Jessica and Kate just kicking either other’s ass.” The trailer closes with a mind-bending shot of Quaid quickly shuffling through a series of faces in place of his own. Wiseman said he included the scene as a way of communicating the central idea of the movie. “I’ve always been attracted and intrigued by anything that brings into question, ‘Who am I’? It’s such an enticing story to me,” he said. “That line right there is the basis of the movie. That line right there is the core of the movie.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Total Recall.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos ‘Total Recall’ Trailer Breakdown
‘It has a very music-video kind of vibe,’ one star tells MTV News of found-footage film produced by ‘Hangover’ director Todd Phillips. By Kara Warner Jonathan Daniel Brown, Oliver Cooper and Thomas Mann in “Project X” Photo: Beth Dubber/ Warner Bros. For those of you who’ve seen the “Project X” marketing campaign and wondered, “What is that movie?,” the stars and producer have the answers you seek. Yes, this is a film about a high school party thrown by the not-so-cool kids that gets so out of control an entire suburban block is engulfed in flames. But it’s not just about the action; it’s the unfinished, citizen-videographer feel that defines the film. “How do you make a movie for a high school audience today?” producer Todd Phillips (“The Hangover,” “Old School”) asked MTV News, talking about how he and first-time director Nima Nourzadeh approached their new take on a classic concept. “It wasn’t so much about jumping on a found-footage bandwagon. It was more about: How do you make it feel current and different? When you’re making a comedy, it’s always, ‘What’s the way into this movie? What’s the new way in that we haven’t seen before?’ For us, that’s what this was.” “It’s stylized in a way that’s never been done,” added star Jonathan Daniel Brown, a.k.a. J.B. in the film. “It’s got three amazingly funny people, if I do say so myself, and it’s crazy. It doesn’t hold back.” “This movie has so much style, a lot because Nima directed it,” continued Oliver Cooper, a.k.a. mischievous instigator Costa. “It has a very music-video kind of vibe.” Thomas Mann, who plays the birthday boy and party host Thomas, said audiences will feel like they’re actually inside the party. “It’s really raw for a comedy. It’s not polished in the way that other comedies like ‘The Hangover’ are,” he said. “I think it wants to feel more personal, like kids hanging out, rather than set-up jokes, which is helpful, I think, with a found-footage film.” In addition to all the talk about fancy style and camera techniques, the film is basically a roller-coaster ride that quickly runs out of control. “I don’t feel that there are any other high school films that reach this level of insanity,” said Alexis Knapp, who plays the “popular pretty girl” Alexis. “It’s a whole other level,” added co-star Kirby Bliss Blanton. Check out everything we’ve got on “Project X.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Wispy but sweet as spun sugar, The Secret World of Arrietty feels like a modest but exquisitely trimmed Japanese gift to fans of The Borrowers , British author Mary Norton’s classic children’s books. Having originated in Japan’s Studio Ghibli, home to animated films like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away , the American version of Arrietty is its third translation; when Disney signed on it added a second director in seasoned sound designer Gary Rydstrom (the Japanese version is directed by Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi). And yet the look and feel are unmistakable, adding anime flavor to a story so beloved in the West that the BBC took a crack at it with a live-action version just last year. In many ways it is a felicitous collaboration: The Japanese are known for their appreciation for all things miniature and scrappy young heroines. The two are combined in 14-year-old Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler), a “borrower” living underneath a rural home with her parents, Pod (Will Arnett) and Hominy (Amy Poehler). Borrowers, you soon figure out if you don’t already know, are basically just people who happen to be the size of a full-grown string bean. They lead a parasitic kind of life, though they operate with more stealth and grace than the crow that swoops in on the recalcitrant family cat to peck up a few fleas in the opening scene. The Borrowers need “human beans” to borrow from — their size makes any other kind of subsistence impossible — and yet they live in terror of their benefactors. Instead of instilling fear in Arrietty, constant warnings from her gruff, super-stoical dad and hysterical mother only make her more curious about the young boy who shows up at the house. Shawn (David Henrie) is sickly, and has been sent to the home of his aunt and her housekeeper Hara (an antic Carol Burnett) to convalesce for the summer. Where Arrietty’s parents focus only on her, Shawn’s mother is too wrapped up in work to care for him. But instead of exploring whether a broken-hearted kid might get lonely enough to start seeing tiny redheaded girls rappelling down his bed stand at night, the script (written by Karey Kirkpatrick, it feels very much adapted from the Japanese version, by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa) keeps us closer to the concerns of its title character. Which is to say they make gentle suggestion of a young girl’s romantic awakening and negotiation of the world of big-eyed, giant-handed boys. Or perhaps that is a bit of a stretch. As someone unfamiliar with the series (outside of this memorably poignant This American Life segment about a young girl’s abiding belief in the existence of Borrowers), much about The Secret Life of Arrietty feels enigmatic, maybe even a little undercooked. Why are the borrowers so spooked about big people? Why is Shawn so unfazed by little ones? What’s the deal with Hara and her grudges? Why is Pod so hardcore about not using dollhouse implements to make life easier? What’s the point of being that small and how did they get that way? That you are compelled to either ignore or try and fill in the answers on your own is a testament to the film’s soothing charms, although occasionally the treacly music cues and trembling moments of wide-eyed apprehension are so twee your tweeth hurt. It’s a matinee treat for the very little ones, after all, though in its final scenes Arrietty veers into cigarette-and-turtleneck territory. Shawn, who is facing heart surgery, outlines his mopey philosophy of life: “We all have to die,” he says to Arrietty, by way of goodbye. “Sometimes you just have to accept the hand of fate.” Just when you are ready to stop caring whether a story takes shape to match the lushly hand-drawn layers of this enchanting world — which is to say after an hour or so of half-hearted allusions to human excess, the precious illusions of childhood, possible borrower genocide, and entrenched bigotry — Shawn’s speech pokes you with another tentative stab at meaning. No doubt those legion of Norton fans in the know will be moved as well as dazzled. With a little more care, the rest of us might have been let in on the secret as well. Follow Michelle Orange on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Just when people thought we were living in a post-racial climate, “N***agate” happens. There’s no possible way you don’t remember a Rihanna taking to Twitter to beast on a Dutch magazine for calling her a “n***a b***h.” Once the magazine received hella backlash, the editor-in-chief, Eva Hoeke , issued and apology and resigned from her position. Well, the publisher of the magazine, Yves Gijrath , decided to release his own statement. What it comes down to is the publisher is saying they didn’t print anything offensive because the article was meant as a joke. “[T]here is nothing wrong in the magazine,” he said. “[Hoeke] presented [the offensive article] as a joke, but it most certainly was not a joke. It was an interpretation [of a fashion style] … She should have said: ‘we did not realize this interpretation is such a touchy subject. We never meant any harm and offer our sincere and upright apologies.’” *blank stare* For real?! Spotted at Black Voices . RELATED POSTS: EIC Of Dutch Magazine Resigns After Calling Rihanna A “N***a B***h” Rihanna Was Cast In “Battleship” For Her “Urban Swagger” [VIDEO] Rihanna Booed In London For Being Too Raunchy!
