Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale took a break from dancing to Beyonce together to attend Elton John’s annual Oscar viewing party in West Hollywood last night. The good pals may not have snagged any nominations or even an invite to the main ceremony, but they were still part of a memorable evening, watching Billy Crystal MC the three-hour event alongside a host of other stars that included Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus . And, of course, the former High School Musical colleagues got all dolled up for the occasion. Compare their red carpet looks below and vote on the best.
Will The Artist defeat The Descendants ? Will Billy Crystal make us laugh? Will George Clooney outhunk Brad Pitt? Will anyone be able to pronounce the last name of director Michel Hazanavicius? The 84th annual Academy Awards get underway in just a few hours and THG will be live blogging the ceremony. Bookmark this page now and return as soon as the opening credits roll to join in a discussion of the winners, the fashion, the jokes and the horrible music numbers. We’ll see you then! WHICH NOMINEE WILL WIN BEST PICTURE?
Each Wednesday for the past five months, my colleague S.T. VanAirsdale has fearlessly navigated the ever-shifting Academy Awards tides with his weekly Oscar Index , a gig that’s enough to make even the most intrepid seafaring mortal long for dry land. It’s in sight, Stu! By this coming Monday morning, all of our meticulously calibrated predictions, as well as our wayward hopes for our own personal favorites, will amount to little more than scraps of speared whale blubber, receding in the distance as we move toward next year’s Oscar broadcast. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s still time to savor the last-minute glitter wave. To that end, here are my own Oscar predictions for each category, followed by the candidates I wish would win. BEST PICTURE I loved The Artist when I first saw it last May, and I’ve seen it twice since. It has, of course, become de rigueur to adopt the “It’s not so great” stance when talking about the picture. But that’s not where my heart lies, and I’ve already spent ample time, both publicly (over at Slate Movie Club ) and privately, defending the movie from the “Meh” Brigade. So, yeah, I hope it wins. But I also have a great deal of fondness for both Moneyball and Midnight in Paris , as well as for War Horse , whose old-school movie grandness appears to be sorely out of fashion, and more’s the pity. Will win : The Artist Should win : The Artist BEST DIRECTOR I still don’t understand how you can have nine Best Picture nominees and only five Best Director nominees. What, does the Academy think these pictures direct themselves? Of course, in the case of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close , you’d be forgiven for thinking so, but never mind. Woody Allen has given us his best movie in years – many years – with Midnight in Paris, so I would probably quaff an extra dose of Champagne if he were to win. But my Best Director choice nearly always aligns with my Best Picture choice, which leads us to Hazanavicius. Will win : Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist Should win : Michel Hazanvicius, The Artist BEST ACTOR As I voted in numerous critics’ groups at the end of 2011, I put the same three names on every Best Actor ballot: Jean Dujardin, Gary Oldman and Brad Pitt (the latter for Moneyball only, though I concede that in The Tree of Life, he works his ass off for a director who cares little for actors). I would be thrilled if any of the three were to win, with perhaps a slight edge – about the width of a pencil mustache – going to Dujardin. Will win : Jean Dujardin Should win : Jean Dujardin or Brad Pitt or Gary Oldman – please don’t make me choose! BEST ACTRESS Although Michelle Williams gave my favorite female performance of the year, in My Week with Marilyn, for so many years now I’ve been watching Viola Davis doing superb work – always the quiet, unflashy kind – that I would be thrilled to see her win for The Help. Poor Glenn Close – I don’t want to look at Albert’s or anyone else’s nobbs, thanks very much. And while I greatly dislike Meryl Streep’s high-toned mimicry in The Iron Lady , the one thing that would really drive me ‘round the bend is another trilling, faux-gracious acceptance speech from La Streep. Oh God, no, please. Will win : Viola Davis, The Help Should win : Viola Davis, The Help BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR This is the category for which I have the least enthusiasm: These performances are all fine, but I don’t see any sparks of mad genius in them. (Not even Branagh’s amusing channeling of Olivier qualifies.) I can live with a Christopher Plummer win, if only because it’s about time for Old Mr. Grouchypants. Will win : Christopher Plummer, Beginners Should win : Christopher Plummer, Beginners BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Octavia Spencer is the real charmer in this category, and she has the benefit of being both an unknown and the underdog. Jessica Chastain is lovely in The Help, but she’s even better in a little-seen movie from a few years back called Jolene, in which she played a forerunner of the same character. Bérénice Bejo is extremely winning in The Artist , but I’d still prefer to see Spencer win. While it’s laudatory that the Academy should nominate a comedic actress for this award, I’d prefer it not to be the brassy McCarthy. And while McTeer is quite moving in Albert Nobbs, I truly am looking forward, as I said earlier, to a nobb-free Sunday evening. Will win : Octavia Spencer, The Help Should win : Octavia Spencer, The Help BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY I have my fingers crossed for either Guillame Schiffman for The Artist or Janusz Kaminski for the unfairly maligned – and gorgeous — War Horse. (I wish Kaminski could follow me around with a key light every moment of my life – I’d kill to look as luminous as that horse does.) But I fear the winner will be Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree of Life. I love Lubezski, but not The Tree of Life ‘s brand of sterile, calculated beauty. Will win : Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life Should win : Guillame Schiffman for The Artist or Janusz Kaminski for War Horse. BEST ANIMATED PICTURE Generally, I’m with Mark Harris : I don’t much care about this category. Except when I do. And this year, I found what I thought was a firm favorite in Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal’s lovely, mostly hand-drawn Latin jazz romance Chico & Rita. . Then I saw Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli’s A Cat in Paris – another hand-drawn adventure, this one about a winsome and mysterious cat burglar padding his way through the world’s most mysterious and beautiful city – and I fell even more deeply in love. I would be thrilled to see either picture win, though I suspect the honor will go to Gore Verbinski’s Rango, which is at least clever and lively. Will win : Rango Should win : A Cat in Paris or Chico & Rita Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The Academy Awards telecast stopped being a one-screen experience years ago. An Oscar viewing party is all well and good, but with a computer or phone nearby, a virtual theater full of people will enhance the experience from the first red-carpet arrivals to the music playing over the Best Picture winner’s speech. Yes, your friends are witty and can also fetch you a beer, but the best jokes about the winners, losers and everything in between are on Twitter. Some professionals make watching the Oscars simply worth the hours (and hours) spent. Doug Benson is one of them. A stand-up comedian and writer — including penning jokes for award shows — Benson began recording a weekly podcast called Doug Loves Movies in 2006. Movieline talked with the devoted movie fan about the fleeting art of live-tweeting cinema’s greatest night, who the best hosts are and whether the Oscars ever really pull off comedy. Are you live-tweeting the Oscars this year? How many ceremonies (Oscars, Golden Globes) have you done? I’m planning on it. As long as I can get Internet access wherever I’m watching the show. … I live-tweet every show that I can, as long as everyone is seeing it live at the same time. The Grammys are on a tape delay on the West Coast, so it’s not fun live-tweeting that when the East Coast saw it all hours before. What’s been the entertainment value of the Oscar ceremonies of the past few years? There is very little entertainment value. That’s why I live-tweet during it. To entertain myself and anyone else who might find the whole thing boring. I love movies, and I love that the Oscars honor filmmakers that do great work, but the whole thing is usually a fucking slog. The Golden Globes were so boring this year, I lost interest in live-tweeting it halfway through. Do you think the Twitter/comedian commentariat builds up the mythology of the Oscars? It makes the Oscars more tolerable, for sure. Which is good for the Oscars, I guess. When the jokes are lacking on the show, people can turn to Twitter for some laughs, instead of turning the show off and finding something of value to do with their night. What do you think about the relationship between comedy and the Oscars? Having written for several award shows, I know that banter is tough to pull off, even by performers known for their comedic chops. Because the whole setup is so artificial, and the audience in the auditorium really doesn’t give a shit about hearing jokes. They just want to win or lose and go to a party. Should most presenters stick to non-comedic intros? That can be even more deadly than trying to be funny. When the Oscars trot out an actor to tell us how sound editing works, the home audience trots to the kitchen or the bathroom. My favorite intro I ever wrote for someone, which was actually approved and said by Jennifer Jason Leigh on the Independent Spirit Awards: “Without screenwriting, movies would be plays.” Is there anything you’re looking forward to at the Oscars this year? Billy Crystal singing about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It’s always weird to me that he sings a medley about nominated movies, even if it’s serious shit like Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan . Where would you rank Billy Crystal among the past Oscar hosts? Definitely up there with Johnny Carson and Bob Hope as the best. Those guys know how to say something funny after something silly just happened, and in a self-deprecating way. I liked when Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosted together. I even liked the David Letterman year. A comedian is always going to be the best choice. Follow Doug Benson’s Academy Awards live-tweeting at @DougBenson . [Photo: Robyn Von Swank]
The RedOne-produced party anthem is the lead single off FEM’s Dirty Bass. By Jocelyn Vena Far East Movement and Justin Bieber Photo: Getty Images Justin Bieber ‘s track with Far East Movement dropped Friday (February 24), a few days earlier than expected. “Live My Life,” which officially hits iTunes on Tuesday, is the lead single off FEM’s new album, Dirty Bass. It feels like Bieber is taking a page from the Usher playbook by hooking up with the dance party-minded production team. The club thumper pays homage to tracks that Usher has made with David Guetta and will.i.am, for instance. The feel-good song is grinding and a little dirty. For Bieber’s part, he sings the hook, proclaiming, “I’m gonna live my life/ No matter what/ We party tonight/ I’m gonna live, live, live my life/ I know that we gonna be all right.” He then throws in the good-old dance floor chant “woo woo woo” for good measure. “We’re thrilled to have Justin be a part of Dirty Bass, ” rapper Kev Nish told RollingStone.com about the club-busting collaboration. “Far East Movement has always focused on unexpected collaborations and mashing up musical genres, which keeps making music exciting. ‘Live My Life’ is a song we think both Far East Movement and Bieber fans will enjoy together.” The team also worked with LMFAO’s RedFoo on a remix of the swirling party track. And, in case you’re wondering how the guys in FEM know Bieber, well, apparently Snoop Dogg introduced them at an awards show last year. The track’s producer, RedOne, described the song as “a smash,” before he spoke a bit more about the song and hitting the studio with the boys. He added, “And Justin sang the chorus. It’s a really good song, and I think people are gonna dance like crazy to it.” What do you think of “Live My Life”? Leave your comment below! Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Artists Justin Bieber
Only time will tell just how many statuettes will ‘The Artist’ take home and whether talking puppets will grace the Oscar stage. By Kevin P. Sullivan Jean Dujardin and B
MTV News picks the “pits” and the “peaks” from season two. By Christina Garibaldi Kim Kardashian on “Kourtney & Kim Take New York” Photo: E! The season finale of ” Kourtney & Kim Take New York ” aired Sunday night, and even though we did not see Kim and Kris Humphries end their marriage, all signs were pointing to divorce. During the final moments of the episode, viewers witnessed a Kardashian family tradition where they revealed their “pit” and “peak” of their time in the Big Apple, so we here at MTV News figured we would do the same for this season of “Kourtney & Kim Take New York.” Pit: Kim and Kris talk babies Kim and Kris have the baby talk. After contemplating whether they are ready to have kids, the question comes up of where they would raise their bundle of joy, and according to Kim, it’s not Minnesota. Kim reveals that she will never move to Kris’ home state to raise a family, in which Kris replies that no one will care about Kim by the time she has kids. Ouch. Peak: Kourtney and Khloe prank Kris Kourtney and Khloe decide that the best way to get to know their new brother-in-law is to prank him. The partners in crime decorated Kris’ room with toilet paper, but when Kris’ reaction isn’t satisfying for the sisters, they decide to take their prank to a whole new level: a snake on his bed. Pit: Kim Finds Out Kris is in Canada — on Twitter Kim and Kourtney decide to have a sisters’ weekend getaway in Mystic, Connecticut, leaving both Kris and Kourtney’s boyfriend, Scott Disick, at home. Not a good idea. Kris decides to head to Toronto, Canada, for a club appearance and decides to bring Scott along. But he forgot one thing: to tell his wife he was heading out of the country. Kim finds out on Twitter that her husband has jetted off to Canada, and when he’s confronted, he says “Stop stalking me on Twitter!” Probably not the best response, Kris. Peak: Scott Disick By far the star of this season is Kourtney’s boyfriend, Scott Disick. The one-time bad boy has made a complete transformation turning into a loving boyfriend, a doting father and even a pianist! With another baby on the way for Kourtney and Scott, it seems like things couldn’t be better for this happy couple. Pit: Kim’s Fairytale Comes to an End In the much anticipated season finale, Kim has finally reached her breaking point. With Kourtney and Scott by her side, she revealed that her marriage was over. “You don’t think I feel embarrassed that I fell in love and I really thought I was and then like I look back now and it’s not what I want?” she cried. “I fell in love with a guy and, like, it’s not what I thought it would be. Everyone sees I’m a different person. I’m such a bitch. Like, I’m just not myself and I’m not happy and it happened way too fast. I didn’t know.” Kim elected not to air the actual conversation of their marriage ending, saying that she wanted to handle this issue privately, but from the looks of it, it seemed as if this decision was inevitable. What did you think of the season finale of Kourtney and Kim Take New York? Let us know in the comments. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Kim Kardashian
Matthew Broderick gets another day off in the Honda commercial. By Eric Ditzian Matthew Broderick in his Honda CR-V commercial Photo: Honda In retrospect, perhaps it would have been better for Ferris Bueller to stay hidden away in Hollywood retirement. Perhaps when the classic ’80s troublemaker reappeared in a viral video last week — a teaser spot leading up to a Super Bowl ad for Honda — we should have realized no good could come of hauling out a movie icon to shill for the auto industry. And now, as depressing as an early-bird special, the commercial has arrived long ahead of primetime. Inspired by but not reprising his Ferris role, Matthew Broderick shuffles through the commercial, halfheartedly repeating lines from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and finding himself in situations ripped from the 1986 John Hughes comedy. Once again, Broderick doesn’t want to work, so he fakes an illness and heads off on an adventure. When he says to the camera, like Ferris had more than 25 years ago, “One of the worst performances of my life, and he never doubted it for a second,” we can’t help feeling Mr. Broderick is trying to tell us all something that might not make Honda execs so happy. Or perhaps the joke is on us. The Web has been abuzz for days about the ad and the extended version, available now on YouTube, will only ensure Ferris and Honda are part of the pop-culture conversation in the lead-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl. Why the ad arrived so early, though, remains an open question. We have many others. Is it true, as the automotive blog Jalopnik reported, that “Hangover” director Todd Phillips oversaw the effort, and if so, why is the whole thing not funnier? Why did Broderick play himself, rather than Ferris? Does Broderick really need the money? And what would Hughes, who passed away in 2009, say? At the same time, it could be worse. The ad did deliver some amusing moments (a staring contest with a walrus, for example) and we never get tired of “Oh Yeah” by Yello. At the very least, the ad made for a far better reimagining of a beloved ’80s comedy than Billy Crystal’s short-form sequel last year to “When Harry Met Sally…” That viral video managed to be both unfunny and sacrilegious. At least Honda didn’t turn Ferris’ buddy Cameron into a vampire. What did you think of the Ferris Bueller Super Bowl ad? Leave your comments below!
Billy Crystal was spotted today in Beverly Hills. The “City Slickers” actor was seen leaving Nate ‘n Al Delicatessen & Restaurant. “Like” Hollywood.TV on Facebook @ facebook.com
Billy Crystal decided tonight was a great night to eat at the Famous Mr. Chow’s Resturant with mega producer Brian Grazer. Maybe Oscar talks? Billy is hosting the upcoming Academy Awards and Brian is producing it! Follow Hollywood.TV on Facebook @ facebook.com
