‘Mad Men’ star Jared Harris reveals how he’ll live up to Professor Moriarty’s rep in ‘A Game of Shadows.’ By Josh Wigler Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows” Photo: Daniel Smith Every coin has two sides, every number an opposite. In the case of Sherlock Holmes, his other half is Professor Moriarty, the shadowy criminal mastermind who serves as the greatest threat to the world’s greatest detective — quite a feat, really, considering that the character directly appeared in only two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. Click for exclusive photos from Fall’s biggest flicks. But Moriarty is stepping out of the darkness and into the light when “Mad Men” actor Jared Harris fills out his villainous shoes, playing opposite Robert Downey Jr.’s Holmes in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” which arrives in theaters this holiday season. As MTV News’ Fall Movie Preview continues, we spoke with Harris about what goes into portraying such an iconic (if often unseen) villain, and all the red herrings and moral ambiguity that come with the package. MTV : Professor Moriarty is a character with great history in the “Sherlock Holmes” universe and beyond. What kind of research and preparation went into getting into the spirit of the character? Jared Harris : Well, I tried to hatch some worldwide domination plots. [ Laughs ] What’s interesting is that when he appears in the Sherlock Holmes books, he doesn’t appear very much; he’s talked about, but you don’t see him very often. I thought a little bit about previous incarnations of him. But there were two things that were tricky about this: that convention of who that character was in the Sherlock Holmes stories, this sort of arch nemesis/supervillain. It’s been borrowed so often that you can’t just go back and do it the way it was, because it seems like a clich
‘I think they’ve helped us tremendously,’ actor tells MTV News of hip-hop community’s support of 1983 movie. By Rob Markman Al Pacino Photo: MTV News LOS ANGELES — Hard to believe, but when Brian De Palma’s “Scarface” was released in 1983, it wasn’t the beloved cult classic it is now. Critics panned the underworld drama in which actor Al Pacino played Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee who went from dishwasher to cocaine drug lord. Today, the film lives in infamy with its ultra-violent-yet-indelible scenes and quotable one-liners like “Say hello to my little friend.” Most of the appreciation and film’s support has come from rappers, a fact not lost on Pacino. “The hip-hop people and the rappers got together and they made a video and they talked about the movie. I don’t think anybody’s ever talked about it as articulately and clearly. I understood it better having heard them talk about it,” Pacino told MTV News on the red carpet for a party celebrating the Blu-ray release for “Scarface” on Tuesday night. “I mean, they really get it and they understand it, and that’s a great thing. They’ve been very supportive all these years. I think they’ve helped us tremendously.” The documentary Pacino referred to is 2003’s “Scarface: Origins of a Hip-Hop Classic.” In it, rappers like Diddy, Nas and Snoop Dogg analyze the movie’s impact. The 71-year-old actor likens rap’s affinity for his film with his appreciation for the 1932 original version of “Scarface.” “When I saw it for the first time — and I don’t mean mine, I mean Paul Muni’s from [the] 1930s — I had that feeling about it too,” he said. “Anything when the hero is just reaching for something.” Ultimately, Pacino believes the appeal of his character lies in his desire to make something out of nothing — a mantra rappers have been preaching since the 1980s. “Man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for? That’s a great expression, and I think that’s Tony Montana,” Pacino poetically explained. “Reaching for something he can’t get but he keeps going. There is an element of hope in it, believe it or not.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Scarface.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
We have watched twins Tia and Tamera Mowry grow from children to adults on TV, but now the two are young women and living separate lives. They are back together on their new reality show “Tia and Tamera” and we finally get to see how they make it all work while being apart. During the taping of their new reality show, Tia was preparing to give birth while Tamera was gearing up to jump the broom. Tia dishes on the new reality show and how she keeps her marriage of three years to actor Cory Hardict sexy. JF: You guys have a new reality show on the Style Network. You and Tamera are together again. How does it feel to be filming together again? TM: Oh my gosh, it’s so much fun. My sister and I are hilarious. We are crazy together! There’s no other dynamic or chemistry. She can’t have it with her husband. I can’t have it with my husband. She can’t have it with her best friend and I can’t have it with my best friend. It’s just a special dynamic that my sister and I have when we are together. It is HI-LAR-I-OUS! We’re crazy. Definitely. We definitely know Tia and Tamera can get a little crazy together. [laughs] TM: [laughs] How do you guys balance your connection as twin sisters while maintaining your separate lives? It’s challenging and I think the reason why we remain so close because we keep it a priority. Whenever you keep a priority you definitely make time for it. But there are some sacrifices like I would want my sister to be around more for me while I’m in Atlanta. But she’s a newlywed. It would be selfish of me to ask her to stay with me for two to three weeks while I’m in Atlanta working. She has to spend some time with her husband. She’s not going to be a newlywed forever. she really has to live and play out that role as a new wife and vice versa. I’m sure she would want me to partake in many of the dinners that she has with her new husband. An example is she surprised Adam (Tamera’s husband ) with a birthday party. Unfortunately, Cory and I couldn’t make it because we had to watch the baby. The baby is still breast feeding and he’s still young and can’t go out at night. So she has to understand why we couldn’t be there. But as long as we communicate with each other and don’t take things personal, I think we’ll be cool. I’ve noticed on this show, you guys have disagreements. We’ve never seen that side because you were doing sitcoms, but how do you guys have disagreements and still bring the love back? How do you not allow those disagreements to come between you two? I think the main thing is you really have to know that the other person really loves and cares for you. If you don’t then it gets kind of messy. Also, you just have to communicate. I think that’s what Tamera and I are working at. Just because we have disagreements or confrontations doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t love each other. I believe that if you’re in a relationship–whether it’s marital or boyfriend and girlfriend–if everything is all good and hunky dory all the time somebody is lying. You have to be able to say, “No, I don’t like that.” To me, that’s what keeps things healthy. You should be able to disagree, but you should be able to work out those disagreements. Tamera and I are working on that. You guys are twins, but the two of you have completely different personalities. What is the difference between you and Tamera? We’re twins and what you guys haven’t been able to see is throughout the years, our personalities have switched. So one moment I can be the sassy one and other times that’s Tamera. I wouldn’t say I’m the sassy one. My sister calls me the diva. But cracking jokes and stuff like that is both of us. This is your first reality show. What’s the difference between shooting a reality show and shooting sitcoms? The difference is with a television show it’s about a script. It’s all about remembering lines and it’s also very scheduled. When you’re doing television you know what you’re shooting the day before.You know what your lines are and you know what you’re going to wear and you’re prepared, which makes it easier. In reality, it’s not like that. It’s reality. You don’t know what you’re going to shoot or what’s going to happen. I’m a very organized person so that can be difficult for me. On the other hand, people who have a nine to five job can come home and they’re done. Not with reality. You’re working, but when you come home, cameras are there. I know some people think it’s regular life, but a reality show is still a job. There are ten to twelve people in your house, you have mics on, and two cameramen following you around. I know you filmed the show while you were pregnant. When women are pregnant they go through mood swings where sometimes you’re happy and other times you’re not. How was it shooting a reality show while being pregnant? Oh, gosh. [laughs] I was hesitant about doing it because I knew that I was going to see myself in a vulnerable place. I’m still seeing myself in a vulnerable place. As of my weight, I’m the biggest I’ve ever been and I was the biggest I’ve ever been on television. It’s hard seeing yourself like that. I had to remind myself that I did all of this for my son and I have plenty of time to get the weight off. And I will get this weight off of me because I’m working with my fabulous trainer. It was difficult seeing myself pregnant, but at the same time, I’m happy that I did it because my son will have some documentation of his mom. I miss being pregnant. I really do. It’s a wonderful experience. Your husband, Cory Hardict, is an actor and you’re an actress. What is life like having a family and both of you guys are in the entertainment business? For me, it makes everything all better and easier because my husband just booked another movie and he will be shooting in September. I’m going to be filming in Atlanta at that time. So I get it. We both understand at different times we won’t be with the baby. If I wasn’t in a relationship with somebody who understood that, it could bring a little conflict. But Cory and I are so laid back, it’s not even funny. He lets me do me and I let him do him. We are a team and we support each other. Sometimes, women don’t feel they look their best after giving birth. What advice would you give new moms on how to feel good about themselves? First of all, women feel the pressure to lose the baby weight immediately. My thing is this: the time you spend working out and trying to lose the weight instantly is the time you should be bonding with your baby. The more time you spend in the gym is more time you’re spending away from your baby. So take your time. Don’t rush and listen to your instincts. Take it a day at a time. If you try to control everything, you’ll go crazy because nothing goes according to plan all the time when a child is involved. Everything is always changing. Do you have any tips on getting the sexy back in your marriage after having a baby? I think the main thing is not to neglect your husband. A lot of men feel neglected throughout this time. I would suggest you involve him in the whole process. Another thing is to not be afraid to put on a sexy dress and go out on a dinner date just you and your man spending time with each other. Don’t let your children sleeping in your bed become a habit. If the child is in the bed, they are in the middle and the parents don’t get a chance to hug and be intimate. Do you take any of your real life marriage experience and put that into your character on The Game? Oh yes, definitely! I think that’s why I’ve been able to play Melanie the way I have. That’s the reason why I loved this character. I’ve been able to take some inspiration from my relationship and marriage and inject a lot of reality into the character. One thing that I use is when you are married, you can not lose your identity. The challenge is finding the balance between being a good wife and mother and still remaining yourself. Especially with last season, she was all about Derwin. Melanie took cooking lessons and it was all about the legacy. I told the writers of the show I would like to see her be more independent and hopefully we’ll see that next season. Check out “Tia and Tamera” Monday nights on The Style Network 9pm est. Pregnant Tia Mowry Poses Nude [PIC] “Tia & Tamera” Reality Show Sneak Peek & Promo Pics [VIDEO] Tia Mowry On Pregnancy:”It’s The Coolest Thing In The World”
The idea that Machete , Robert Rodriguez’s grindhouse tribute, was inspired in part by his Spy Kids trilogy of the early aughts is an appealing one. Danny Trejo played a kid’s idea of a bad guy named Machete in the films, then helped carry a genre mutation of the character over into bloody B-movie territory. So it seems fitting that Rodriguez was inspired in turn, on the set of Machete , to reanimate his Spy Kids franchise. It might even bode well. But the germ of the idea — Machete star and new mom Jessica Alba wrestling with an exploding diaper in full costume — is little transformed in Spy Kids: All the Time in the World , despite two added dimensions and a brand new cast.
As a one-time witch, Christine O’Donnell should watch who she calls “creepy.” America’s favorite ultraconservative princess/occult dabbler continues to make the media rounds to promote her new book, hitting Today this morning. In response to questions about walking out on Piers Morgan earlier this week, she called out the CNN host and his line of “inappropriate” questioning. Christine O’Donnell Ad According to O’Donnell, it was Piers’ “very inappropriate, creepy line of questioning” that featured “sex questions that he would not ask of a man.” We disagree. If a male politician made railing against gay marriage and masturbating a centerpiece of his platform. Piers would probably bring it up. Furthermore, Piers’ questions all covered topics in her book Trouble Maker , which she was there to promote. She didn’t like them, so she peaced out. No, not on a broom.
In what may have been a slight exaggeration, Anthony Bourdain referred to celebrity chef Paula Deen this was as the worst, most dangerous person in America . What does Deen have to say about the No Reservations host in response? “Anthony Bourdain needs to get a life,” she told The New York Post . “You don’t have to like my food, or Rachael’s, Sandra’s and Guy’s. But it’s another thing to attack our character. I wake up every morning happy for where I am in life. It’s not all about the cooking, but the fact that I can contribute by using my influence to help people all over the country. In the last two years, my partners and I have fed more than 10 million hungry people by bringing meat to food banks.” Deen added that Bourdain has contributed nothing to society, aside from “being irritable.” Fighting words, folks! Choose a side in this feud:
In what may have been a slight exaggeration, Anthony Bourdain referred to celebrity chef Paula Deen this was as the worst, most dangerous person in America . What does Deen have to say about the No Reservations host in response? “Anthony Bourdain needs to get a life,” she told The New York Post . “You don’t have to like my food, or Rachael’s, Sandra’s and Guy’s. But it’s another thing to attack our character. I wake up every morning happy for where I am in life. It’s not all about the cooking, but the fact that I can contribute by using my influence to help people all over the country. In the last two years, my partners and I have fed more than 10 million hungry people by bringing meat to food banks.” Deen added that Bourdain has contributed nothing to society, aside from “being irritable.” Fighting words, folks! Choose a side in this feud:
The stakes are higher and the deaths even more gruesome in Final Destination 5 , which opens today in theaters nationwide. In the latest installment, Death is back from holiday and out to decimate the newest group of young teenagers who dare to defy its foolproof design. With a heart-pounding suspension bridge collapse and a jaw-dropping twist ending, first time director Steven Quale and screenwriter Eric Heisserer have given the Final Destination mythos a much needed reboot. The Urban Daily sat down with the cast to find out out what’s it’s like working on one of Hollywood’s creepiest franchises. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer on bringing something new to the Final Destination franchise: “I wanted to bring a moral dilemna for the characters because if they’re just waiting to die in succession, it flattens the drama.” Arlen Escarpeta on escaping “the curse of the black guy” in horror films: “It’s such a stigma that the black guy always dies first. Can I be like the Barack Obama of horror films?” P.J. Byrne on suffering for “his art”: “I had to go to an actual acupuncturist before filming, so they could put needles all over my body. The two that destroyed me were the ones that went into my ears—it was rough, but I did it for the movie.” Courtney B. Vance on joining the “Final Destination” franchise: “I’m a very big fan of Avatar and (director) Steve Quale was a part of this. So I told him whatever I can do, I want to be a part of it.” Jacqueline Macinnes Woods on shooting the laser eye surgery scene: “We shot from 9 at night til 6 in the morning. The eye speculum went in and out of my eye like 70 times. They numbed my eye put the speculum in, they even glued my eyelashes to my eyebrows. At one point I was so tired but I couldn’t sleep because my eye couldn’t fully close.” Miles Fisher on his character’s trajectory from good guy to bad guy: “It was a challenge. When I read the script I thought “Ok, what would you do if in one second, hundreds of people died in front of you including your friends and work colleagues? If what happened in the film happened in real life I think some people would truly go crazy.” Ellen Wroe (a real life gymnast) shared the worst gymnastics injury she ever witnessed: “My sister Winnie was doing a double back dismount and she over-rotated her knee, and her knee hit her cheek. Her entire cheekbone broke in eight places; she had to get plastic surgery. Luckily, nothing has happened to me. ” Tony Todd responding to various theories as to the true identity of his character William Bludworth: “When I started on the first Final Destination I created this whole backstory. What is interesting (about Bludworth) is that he primarily delivers exposition. People bring their own sense of mortality in watching. If you think he’s the angel of death, which he’s not, or the Grim Reaper, which he’s not, that’s what you get out of it.” Nicholas D’agosto on going toe to toe with in his scenes with Tony Todd: “He’s a tall guy, he has a very imposing physical presence. When he’s Bludworth he plants his feet and looks at you and speaks to you directly and when people do that, you’re intimidated. When Tony looked at me I blanked out and asked “Um, can I do that again and get my lines right this time?” Emma Bell on the surprising twist to the end of Final Destination 5: “I thought it was great. Up until that point I thought the film was really good. The minute we got to the set to film the final scene I thought “Wait a minute!” That’s when it dawned on me. It’s a great twist and I hope the fans will really enjoy it, because you won’t see it coming.”
Even Angelina Jolie can’t do it all. Between acting, directing, raising six kids and saving the world, she’s got a lot on her plate. As she gets older, the 36-year-old knows something has to give. What she’s likely to give up first is an easy call . The Oscar winner, whose directorial debut is in post-production, and who will be starring in a remake of the Elizabeth Taylor film Cleopatra , said: “As Brad and I get older we’re going to do fewer films. I’ve been working a long time, he’s been working a long time. We’ve had a nice run and don’t want to be doing this indefinitely, our whole lives. There are a lot of other things to do.” “You’re drawn to certain roles because they question something about life, about love, about freedom. You ask these questions as you grow up: am I strong enough, am I sane enough? Do I understand love, do I understand myself?” Jolie continues, “I’m older and I know who I am … and I’m less interested in the character helping me answer something … than in being able to answer it for myself, as a woman, as an adult, with my family.” For Angelina, answers that she once sought to find from her characters can now be found as she travels the world, taking her adopted children to their home countries and doing massive amounts of charity work. Of course, Jolie has said that same exact thing a number of times previously; she first mentioned it in 2006, and then again in 2008. Think she’ll really pull herself away?
In case you haven’t grown tired of fast forwarding through 55 minutes of General Hospital soap schmaltz to find one anticlimactic James Franco scene in which the actor can’t keep a straight face , get excited! The embattled Oscar host is returning to the daytime series on Sept. 20 for a “longterm” story arc that will again center on his character’s obsession with Jason Morgan (Steve Burton), who is set to marry Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) this fall. Set your DVR s accordingly. [ TV Guide ]
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