It’s safe to assume Tom Cruise’s 50th birthday was not what he’d hoped for. According to Us’ cover story (below), he traveled from Iceland, where he’s been shooting the new film Oblivion , to the United States early July 3. If things had gone according to plan for Cruise, he’d have celebrated hitting the half-century mark in Iceland with wife Katie Holmes by his side. But since Katie filed for divorce out of nowhere last week, he was forced to make a last-ditch effort to save the relationship, only to be rebuffed. While Holmes, 33, was MIA from Rock of Ages premieres and other events, “he begged her to come to Iceland for one last try at reconciliation,” the insider says. Holmes, motivated by fears of Scientology corrupting their daughter Suri, had been secretly plotting to file for divorce and move into her own NYC apartment. She refused to go, and the pair had a “huge fight,” the source explains. Although Cruise was aware that things were tense and severely estranged with Holmes, “he was confident he could talk her out of it and keep her with him.” Holmes seeks sole legal custody of Suri, 6, and clearly filed in N.Y. State as a means of achieving that goal, as its courts are more likely to award sole custody. There’s a prenup in place, but regarding custody, it looks like a nasty split is on the horizon. Here’s hoping they can work it out quietly and under the radar. In other Cruise news, you can see him in the new Jack Reacher trailer .
Cower in fear (and admiration) for the villainous Angelina Jolie ! Releasing a first look at their upcoming Maleficent , Disney announced today that production is underway on the Jolie-toplined adaptation centered on Sleeping Beauty ‘s evil witch, which “reveals the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora.” Just look at those cheekbones. Scary! The retconned fairytale (in theaters in 2014) brings the witch Maleficent front and center, with innocent young Elle Fanning playing Princess Aurora. Fanning and Jolie are joined by a solid line-up: Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Juno Temple, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, and Lesley Manville round out the cast, while Disney Renaissance legend Don Hahn is among the executive producers. Once upon a time, Tim Burton and Darren Aronofsky’s names were bandied about to helm the picture, but visual effects vet Robert Stromberg landed in the director’s chair, marking his directorial debut. Meanwhile, Maleficent ‘s script is written by Linda Woolverton ( Beauty and the Beast , The Lion King ) and they’ve got Rick Baker onboard for make-up, all of which is promising enough for me…for now. Maleficent is set for release (in 3-D) on March 14, 2014.
Co-writer Damon Lindelof tells MTV News if there were a follow-up, ‘it wouldn’t be ‘Alien.’ ‘ By Kevin P. Sullivan Charlize Theron and Idris Elba in “Prometheus” Photo: 20th Century Fox In the wake of the mind explosion that was Ridley Scott’s ” Prometheus ,” both fans and haters have been curiously posturing about what it could all mean and whether a sequel is likely or even possible. Though after a solid opening weekend, the fate of a “Prometheus” sequel may now lie in the hands of a Fox executive instead of the creative talent, we spoke with co-writer Damon Lindelof about whether the events and ideas in “Prometheus” leave an opening for a follow-up. Spoilers ahead. Much of the philosophy in “Prometheus” revolves around the unsatisfying nature of ultimate answers, and the film purposely avoids resolving some of the story’s lingering questions. So could a sequel exist without contradicting the ideas of the original? Lindelof told us that “Prometheus” was always intended to be a stand-alone film, but there is the possibility for more story. “The conversations that we had about the story of ‘Prometheus’ and how it would end were always predicated on the idea that there would not be a sequel, that a sequel was not a foregone conclusion, and that the movie itself had to have a feeling of being complete,” Lindelof said. “That being said, we also wanted the audience to feel that, like, if there were a sequel to ‘Prometheus,’ it wouldn’t be ‘Alien.’ ” That idea of a separate narrative arc from “Alien” led to the loose end of Shaw flying off to find the Engineers, so that if a sequel were to happen, it would take the audience to unfamiliar territory. “Something needed to happened at the end of this movie that clearly steered and announced that the direction of the trajectory of this story moving forward was not going to head toward LV-426 and a crashed, derelict ship with a Space Jockey with an exploded chest surrounded by eggs, that Shaw and David were headed in a different direction that was probably not going to result in that,” Lindelof said. “Those two things were sort of simultaneous to each other, so you’re both saying, ‘We want this movie to stand on its own, but we also acknowledge that it needs to end in a way that is very clear that if the story were to progress (if there were a sequel) ‘ We tried to thread the needle between the two ideas.” If the concept of no sequel to “Prometheus” upsets you because of the remaining mysteries, Lindelof suggests you look toward Scott for your answers, because he has them. “Then, of course, for all this talk of unanswered questions or the characters theorizing but not really getting their theories proved or, more importantly, for getting their makers to answer for the condition of the movie, Ridley and I and Jon [Spaihts] all discussed what we felt those answers were and came to agreement on them, so despite whatever slings and arrows come our way, this is not a case of, ‘Well, we didn’t know, so we didn’t bother trying,'” Lindelof said. “We definitely knew, and Ridley decided that the more interesting movie was one where we didn’t explicitly spell that stuff out.” So because Scott designed the movie to be the way that it is, those questions should drive you want more, just like Shaw at the end of the film, but Lindelof promised that the answers you might be searching for could be hidden inside “Prometheus.” “I really believe — and this is not shamed hucksterism — that upon multiple viewings of the movie or just entering into conversation with people who have seen it, there are a lot more answers there than people think there are and room for theories, but the movie needed to end in a way that is Shaw still searching,” he said. “She is not satisfied with the answers that she got. I think that’s very indicative, hopefully, if Shaw is supposed to be the audience proxy, they’re supposed to be feeling the same way that she is at the end of the movie.” For all the “Lost” fans out there, this might all sound like a familiar song and dance, especially coming from Lindelof, and the writer knew he was in for that comparison when he took on Scott’s orders. “To be completely candid, I knew that I’d eat some s— for that for the rest of my career, if there is no sequel to ‘Prometheus,’ but did it anyway, and had Ridley asked me to do it the other way, I would have done that too,” Lindelof said. “This movie is about realizing his vision. He’s only directed three science-fiction films, and now ‘Prometheus’ is one of them, and if he told me to jump off a bridge, I would.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Prometheus.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Experts React To The ‘Prometheus’ Trailer
Can’t we all have differences and still live in peace? St. Louis Men Charged With Posting Torture Photos Of Gay Teenagers On Facebook Two teenagers accused of being gay were taped to chairs and subjected to a horrific bout of abuse which was filmed and posted to Facebook, it has been claimed. The boys, aged 16 and 17, were allegedly forced to wear women’s underwear and made to undress, shower and kiss each other by at least four attackers, prosecutors say. They were also thrown down the stairs and beaten with fists and sticks at a house in Northwoods, St Louis, Missouri, on October 27 last year. Nicholas Nettles, 20, and his 22-year-old brother Brandon have had their pre-trial hearings at St Louis County Court set for later this month. Walter Worthan, 21, faces trial in August. Nicholas Nettles’ lawyer Nick Zotos said: ‘I think it’s more bullying-hazing than anything else. Or humiliation.’ Richard Lozano, Worthan’s lawyer, added that he thought his client was named because the events happened at his house. He said: ‘There may have been ‘boys-will-be-boys’ type of activity happening, but would certainly be nothing that would rise to the level of criminal activity.’ Are these lawyers serious??? What part of being beaten and thrown down stairs is “boy will be boys”?? The trio were indicted on January 25 on two felony counts each of kidnapping, felonious restraint and sexual exploitation of a minor. They were also charged with two misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault, and police are looking at whether to add charges of child pornography to the sheet. At least another two people are believed to have taken part in the alleged assault, but they have so far not been identified, the stltoday.com reports. Court documents state that a woman whose son had seen the pictures online called police the day after the alleged assault. These guys are going down hard, no pun intended. Source
Ashley Tisdale is someone I hate for no reason other than she thinks she is hotter than she is – you know cuz she has the whole support staff she pays to tell her she is hotter than she actually is….when in reality someone should notify her that her horrible face ruins everything…everything except her fit body…that if she maintains…will take precendence over her face as all the other 40 year old hot faces get fat, sloppy, married and disgusting….you see cuz a hot body does go a long way…but not quite long enough for Tisdale…cuz she’s fallen off the map, not important or getting work, coasting and hoping someone will hire her again….. But luckily, she finally got invited somewhere in Vegas, because Vegas will inviite any celeb D through A to their events…and in turn went nuts on dressing as hot as she could and ocumenting the experience…cuz no one ever invites some has been Disney trash with a busted up, broken down face to events, even if she’s got herself a fit body to events…at least not as much as she’d like them to – so it is time to celebrate…. TO SEE THE REST OF THE PICS FOLLOW THIS LINK
Spy series continues without leading man Matt Damon, and from the looks of the most recent trailer, it might actually pull it off. By Kevin P. Sullivan Jeremy Renner in “Bourne Legacy” Photo: Universal Pictures Of all the summer’s potential blockbusters, ” The Bourne Legacy ,” the Matt Damon -less continuation of the spy series, has the most to prove. Series tend not to fare well once the star exits, but the latest trailer for “The Bourne Legacy” is making us believe that it could buck the trend. Here are our five key scenes from the new “Bourne Legacy” trailer. Weisz’s Role Revealed Until now, most of the promo material has focused squarely on Jeremy Renner ‘s Aaron Cross and how there was “never just one.” One of the first things this full trailer does is formally introduce us to Marta, the doctor Rachel Weisz plays in the film. (Her hand appeared briefly in the first trailer.) When Edward Norton’s Agent Byer decided to liquidate the operation, both Marta and Cross find themselves in harm’s way. That’s the set-up that eventually brings them together to go on the run. Connections to the Past Perhaps the most intriguing element of the new trailer — besides how badass Renner is — has to be the clear connections to the previous film, “The Bourne Ultimatum.” Both Corey Johnson, who plays the government crony, and Paddy Considine, who didn’t survive the events of “Ultimatum,” show up in the trailer. It appears that the events of “Ultimatum” and Bourne’s appearance in Manhattan spur the events of “Legacy.” Jason Bourne Again Speaking of Jason Bourne, there’s Matt Damon’s face right there in the trailer. The actor has made it clear that he himself won’t appear in the newest addition to the series he led through three films, but his headshot does briefly appear on a newscast in the trailer. Director Tony Gilroy told us during our Summer Movie Preview that Bourne’s presence would be felt in the early parts of the “Legacy.” “What happens in ‘Ultimatum’ is really the spark that’s blowing open the door to this movie because the Jason Bourne story is exploding out into the public,” he said. “Being impossible to conceal any further is causing problems for this much larger conspiracy. ‘Ultimatum’ plays in the background of the very beginning of this film.” Agent Aaron “Moto” Cross As with the teaser trailer, a good portion of the full trailer focuses on the chromosomal enhancements that have been made to Aaron Cross. He heals quickly, and he can grind a railing with a freakin’ motocross bike. Was one of the “inconsistencies” within Treadstone that the characters talk about in the trailer the inability to grind a railing with a freakin’ motocross bike? Matt Who? If this trailer does one thing particularly well, it silences all of Renner’s doubters. His action on display here is definitely on par with the kung-fu antics of Matt Damon. Whether he’s on the bike or sliding between buildings or emerging from freezing water with a full beard, Renner looks poised to take the reins in style. Be sure to see how Renner’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” co-star, Tom Cruise, fares when he goes up for two MTV Movie Awards, Best Gut-Wrenching Performance and Best Fight, this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET live on MTV. Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Related Photos New ‘Bourne Legacy’ Trailer: Five Key Scenes
Police say a single gunman, Ian Lee Stawicki, shot and killed five people before taking his own life Wednesday. Family members say he suffered a mentally illness. As Michelle Millman of CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO reports, the tragedy left shocked city residents are on edge, worried about their own safety in light of the events. The shooting spree began in a cafe late Wednesday morning. Seattle Shooting Report A bearded Ian Lee Stawicki entered a popular cafe, the Cafe Racer. Minutes later, four people were fatally shot, another wounded, as the gunman stood alone. Police scoured north Seattle, going door-to-door, searching for the killer. The gunman headed downtown, fatally shooting a woman as he carjacked her SUV. As patrol officers started coming in, the suspect saw that he was about to be captured, raised a firearm to his head and then shot himself in the head. Considered one of the safest big cities, Wednesday’s shootings raise the number of Seattle homicides this year to 21, surpassing the number for all of last year.
The first trailer for the Tony Gilroy-helmed spy sequel The Bourne Legacy has arrived, and it’s got everything you want: Bone-crunching action, fire extinguisher guns, Rachel Weisz as a hot lady doctor, and Jeremy Renner banging around doing his sensitive-strong mooney-eyed thing (and leaping out of rivers half-naked) as secret agent Aaron Cross. Okay, those are all the things I want from The Bourne Legacy , but the trailer gives us one more essential bit: Explanation as to how and why Renner’s been retconned into Bourne lore at all. Renner’s turn at the Bourne wheel isn’t a conventional sequel or reboot but a universe-expanding parallel storyline that seems to take place simultaneous to the events of the previous Bournes, with Matt Damon ‘s face popping up here and there — via photograph, a la Natalie Portman in The Avengers , or Robin Harris in House Party 2 — as the fugitive spy who upturned the Treadstone apple cart and set the spy world a’scramblin way back in 2002’s The Bourne Identity . So Renner’s Aaron Cross — and the comely agency doctor (Weisz) who patches him up between missions, then goes on the run with him — are freed from the singular mission that Jason Bourne was on. They can flee for their own lives, together. He can use his medically-enhanced super soldier skills to leap from buildings into tight alleyways when she calls his name. So romantic! And, also importantly, Renner’s Cross already seems like a much different man-spy than Bourne was. Damon played the tortured amnesiac thing well, but Cross doesn’t seem to be flailing about in some existential crisis; he knows what he is. That confident self-possession is magnetic. HE JUST WANTS TO LIVE, DAMMIT! At least, that’s what I got from these two minutes and change of trailer footage. And let’s not forget what else the trailer promises: Oscar Isaac. Ed Norton. No more shaky-cam! Verdict: In, obviously. From Universal: The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office: The Bourne Legacy. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films. For The Bourne Legacy, Renner joins fellow series newcomers Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, while franchise veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn reprise their roles. The Bourne Legacy is in theaters August 3.
SMH: Harbor Patrol officers found nearly 8,000 pounds worth of marijuana floating off the coast of Orange County, Calif., on Sunday, according to reports. The marijuana found south of Los Angeles was packed in around 160 bales and had an estimated street value of $3.6 million, border patrol agents told CBS Los Angeles. “Shortly before noon on Sunday, May 20, maritime law enforcement authorities received a tip about suspicious bales floating in the water off the coast of Orange County, near Dana Point,” border patrol agent supervisor Michael Jimenez said in a statement. The haul reportedly totaled 7,263 pounds. Coast guard petty officer Seth Johnson told the Orange County Register that the bales were first reported by a boater who saw them floating around 15 miles offshore. Three Harbor Patrol ships and a Coast Guard cutter were sent to recover the marijuana from the water. The incident was out of the ordinary, Jimenez told the Register. “At other events, they’ve dumped the bales to get rid of weight if they’re being chased,” he said. “Generally in these cases we’re aware they’re being dumped. What’s more unusual is that the bales were floating with no boat in sight.” No suspects or vessel have been identified in connection to an ongoing investigation, the Register reported. Source
Actor’s lawyer vehemently denies all three claims that have been made so far. By Gil Kaufman John Travolta Photo: Getty Images After two anonymous male masseurs came forward with claims alleging that John Travolta assaulted and sexually harassed them during rub downs, another man has come forward with a similar story. The third alleged victim, the first to be publicly named, is Chilean cruise ship employee Fabian Zanzi, who, according to reports, says that Travolta accosted him in 2009 while he was working as a VIP liaison on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Zanzi told ABC.es that Travolta offered him $12,000 to have sex, but that he spurned the “Pulp Fiction” star’s advances. “He hugged me and asked me to do a massage,” Zanzi said. The cruise ship worker has reportedly filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Travolta, but no evidence of that suit had emerged at press time. The latest allegation capped a difficult week for the married star, who has long battled allegations that he is gay. The two anonymous masseurs filed a $2 million civil lawsuit against Travolta earlier in the week, which the actor’s lawyer tagged as “a complete fiction and fabrication.” Speaking on Travolta’s behalf, attorney Marty Singer said, “None of the events claimed in the suit ever occurred. The plaintiff, who refuses to give their name, knows that the suit is a baseless lie. It is for that reason that the plaintiff hasn’t been identified with a name even though it is required to do so.” Singer went on to say that Travolta, 58, was not in California on the date when the first claimant — who has since said he got the date wrong — said the “Hairspray” actor made sexual advances towards him during a massage. On Friday (May 11), Singer also denied the claims by Zanzi, accusing him of “hopping on the bandwagon” in search of “his 15 minutes of fame.” “This individual is simply hopping on the bandwagon to get his 15 minutes of fame by coming up with a story for the first time with something that supposedly happened over three years ago,” Singer told the New York Daily News . “Nobody has ever heard from this guy before. No lawyer has contacted us.” Radar Online reported that the Atlanta resort where the second John Doe accuser claims Travolta made sexual advances has been asked to preserve the surveillance tape taken during that time in the event that it becomes evidence in the lawsuit. Quoting an unidentified source close to the case, the gossip site reported, “The hotel has been notified by the masseur’s attorney to preserve the surveillance video of the time when Travolta stayed there … The surveillance video will be crucial evidence in the case because it shows Travolta going to the spa the next day after it is claimed the incident occurred, looking for the masseur, because he wanted to see him again, which is all detailed in the lawsuit. Travolta was told the masseur wasn’t available and he left. The masseur was extremely upset when he left Travolta’s room, which would have been captured on the camera in the hallway as well.” The 14-page suit filed by the first alleged victim last Friday in California’s U.S. District Court, charges Travolta with assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that among other salacious activities, Travolta exposed himself and groped the masseur despite protests during a massage performed in Los Angeles in January 2011.
