Former So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Alex Da Silva has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping a former dance student, reports say. Da Silva was arrested back in 2009 for a whole host of felonies. The 43-year-old was charged with sexually assaulting four women, all former dance students of his between the ages of 20 and 26 at the time. Sick. Alex Da Silva on So You Think You Can Dance Da Silva was convicted of one count of rape and one count of assault with intent to rape. The jury deadlocked on the other charges, which were dismissed. Da Silva appeared on Seasons 1-4 of SYTYCD (above, mentoring now- DWTS pro Chelsie Hightower). He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life. Fellow one-time SYTYCD mainstay Shane Sparks was also charged with a sex offense recently, pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor.
Sigh. The mom of young Isabella Barrett of Toddlers & Tiaras fame is suing the MEDIA for over-sexualizing her daughter … by reporting on Isabella’s “Sexy And I Know It” cover . Susanna Barrett claims media outlets, in reporting that event, portrayed her five-year-old daughter in an “overly sexualized manner.” Right. All the media’s fault. In court papers, Susanna claims Isabella “did not act or portray herself sexually, erotically or provocatively” and that coverage of her performance was unfair.’ Isabella Barrett Sings “Sexy and I Know It” “She was not ‘gyrating’ at a ‘nightclub’ or singing ‘about her sex appeal,” the elder Barrett claims incredulously. “On the contrary, it is the defendants who, through their articles … thrust these false and vulgar characteristics on to Isabella.” Yes, this is a real story. The delusional mother seems to see nothing wrong with having her daughter sing a sexually-themed LMFAO song. The media talking about it though? Shame. Thanks to TMZ, The Huffington Post, The Daily Mail and other celebrity news sources, “Isabella is now perceived sexually, erotically and pornographically.” Suing for $30 million, Barrett adds, “[The articles] place Isabella in physical danger, attracting the attention of others who would seek to sexualize a child.” Well, on those grounds, can someone sue her for $30 million too then?
While Demi Moore works to overcome her recent personal problems, we have an update on her professional life: Sarah Jessica Parker has signed on to replace Moore as Gloria Steinem in Lovelace , the upcoming biopic centered around the life of 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace. Demi dropped out of the film almost immediately after being hospitalized earlier this week. Parker joins a cast that includes Amanda Seyfried in the title role, along Peter Sarsgaard, Adam Brody, Juno Temple and Wes Bentley. Moore, meanwhile, is out of the hospital. Her next move is unknown, but the 911 call placed on her behalf was released to the public today.
Effects work ‘frighteningly well’ but ‘premise is so devoutly ridiculous,’ critics say. By Kara Warner Sam Worthington in “Man on a Ledge” Photo: Summit If your impressions about the new action thriller “Man on a Ledge” are based on the film’s very-literal title , you’re very likely correct in assuming to know a decent amount about the film before entering the theater. “Ledge” is the story of ex-cop and fugitive Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), whose seemingly obvious suicidal plan to jump off a building is slowly revealed to be something much more. Thus far, the critical reception for the film is very different from initial audience reactions. The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer has “Ledge” at a 22 percent fresh rating from critics, versus a 65 percent fresh audience rating. Read on to see what has the two viewing bodies so divided as we sift through the “Man on a Ledge” reviews: The Premise “It’s an arresting image, Sam Worthington out on that 40th-story ledge. He’s a fairly tough-looking guy, after all, and we know him best as the tooth-gritting blockbuster hero of ‘Avatar’ and ‘Clash of the Titans,’ so it’s head-spinning to see the man’s beefy figure as a speck hovering so precariously close to New York’s infinite sky. The camera swirls around Worthington’s disgraced former cop Nick Cassidy, inching out past that thin strip of architecture, then back in. What if he trips, or jumps? For a while, anything seems possible, and it’s both exhilarating and terrifying. Then the wool comes off, and it’s clear that director Asger Leth and screenwriter Pablo Fenjves have ambitions considerably less grand than their protagonist’s perch. Cassidy’s ledge game — with all the studio-unfriendly moral ambiguities it entails — is just a con, a photo op for the crowds, and Nick’s apparent desire to exit the material world is a front. What he truly, passionately wants to do is steal some jewelry.” — Andrew Lapin, NPR The Impact of Practical Effect “I, on the other hand, was gripping anything in reach, palms dripping, thinking I might not have survived the effects had they been 3-D. Though there were other production sites, serious time was spent actually shooting on that 14-inch ledge wrapping the 21st floor of the Roosevelt Hotel to create the vicarious sensation of being there. Which worked frighteningly well, at least for the vertiginous among us. Oh, that the actual human dynamics of the unfolding story could have been as dramatic, as on the edge as that ledge.” — Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times The Direction “Mr. Leth, the son of renowned Danish documentarian Jorgen Leth, has directed only one other film, ‘Ghosts of Cit
This year’s Oscars may have average nominee ages of 47, 61 and 62 in such categories as Actor, Director and Supporting Actor (respectively), but trust producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer to rope in the youngs where they can. To wit: If the Academy won’t nominate the four-quadrant blockbuster Bridesmaids for Best Picture, then at least the cast can drop by to present an award. Hence this morning’s news from AMPAS: Six actresses – Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig – from the hit comedy Bridesmaids will be presenters at the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today. McCarthy received her first Oscar nomination this year for her supporting role in the film, and Wiig also became a first-time nominee for the film’s original screenplay. All six will be making their first Oscar show appearances. No word yet on which category they’ll present or how Bruce Vilanch will work very relevant and timely sink-defecation jokes into their shtick. Suggestions welcome below. [ AMPAS ]
Matthew Broderick may be returning to classic 1986 role, but this time behind the wheel of a CR-V. By Kevin P. Sullivan Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller in a Super Bowl tease A 10-second preview of a Super Bowl ad took the internet by storm on Thursday. The clip featured actor Matthew Broderick throwing open the curtains of a window, looking into the camera and asking, “How can I handle work on a day like today?” That’s before the classic “bow-bow-chicka-chicka” from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” plays, ending the preview with just the date of the Super Bowl left to tease us. It seems clear that Broderick reprises the role of Ferris Bueller, but the preview told us nothing else. The YouTube video listed no company and didn’t suggest the product that the ad would ultimately feature. MTV News reached out to both Broderick and one of the producers of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Tom Jacobson, for comment, but neither responded to our requests. Then Friday (January 27), the automotive blog Jalopnik reported that a source “familiar with Honda’s operations” revealed that Ferris will appear in a commercial for the car company during the Super Bowl. “The source also added that the spot was going to mimic much of the original film, except this time prominently featuring Hondas,” Jalopnik reported. “The big jump the two valets do in Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari? We hear this time it’s going to be a Honda CR-V.” Jalopnik’s source also said Honda apparently put a lot of money behind the ad, even going as far as to hire “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips to create the spot. Although the Honda story sounds likely, we will have to wait until February 5 to find out exactly what Ferris has been up to.
Stars of the film talk to MTV News about the thriller surrounding ‘a desperate man in a desperate situation.’ By Kara Warner Sam Worthington and Jamie Bell in “Man on a Ledge” Photo: Summit Entertainment While some filmmakers go the mysterious or fanciful route with their titles, there are just as many who tell their prospective audiences exactly what they’re going to see. “Man on a Ledge,” which opened Friday (January 27), is about as literal a film title as you can get. When MTV News caught up with the cast recently, we asked them to explain the inherent intrigue in the title, as well as why the film has so much more going for it than just a man and a ledge. “[The film is about] a desperate man in a desperate situation,” star Sam Worthington said of his character and the man on a ledge himself, Nick Cassidy. “As the movie goes on, we get to see why he’s there and how’s he’s going to get out of it.” Worthington went on to say that “Man on a Ledge” takes a few cues from action films like “The Negotiator” and “Phone Booth.” “I like those movies. I’ve always said I like doing movies that I would go and see and this is in the same vein as those movies,” Worthington said. “It’s exciting, thrilling and interesting for the audience because they’ve got a lead character who they’re wondering, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ ” “The basic premise of the movie is that there is a man on a ledge, and the great thing is that there is so much more behind that basic premise,” added co-star Elizabeth Banks, who plays determined hostage negotiator Lydia Mercer. “Why is he there? What is he there for? What’s really happening? Those are all the questions that my character has and I get to sort of be the surrogate for the audience. “The whole time we’re watching the movie we’re learning more about what’s going on. I’m the truth-seeker of the movie, I’m really interested in understanding why he’s there in the first place,” she explained. “Sam’s character says to me at one point, ‘You need to listen, I’m prepared to die’ and what he’s really saying is ‘Even if I die, I need you to carry on and tell everyone what happened,’ and that’s the great mystery of the movie. The action that drives the movie is, ‘What the heck is going on here?’ ” Jamie Bell, who plays the man on the ledge’s younger brother, conceded that the title basically sells the film. “It’s quite literal,” he said. “I think that’s what throws people off,” offered Genesis Rodriguez, who plays the girlfriend of Bell’s character. “They’re like, ‘Oh, it’s a movie about a man on a ledge.’ It really isn’t. There’s more to it.’ You should check it out because you don’t know it all.” Are you planning on seeing “Man on a Ledge” this weekend? Leave your comment below! Check out everything we’ve got on “Man on a Ledge.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Mary-Louise Parker not stepping in as Gloria Steinem in the Linda Lovelace biopic, as had been reported. By Kevin P. Sullivan Sarah Jessica Parker Photo: Getty Images A report from Us Weekly on Friday (January 27) claimed that “Weeds” star Mary-Louise Parker was stepping in to replace Demi Moore in “Lovelace.” However, according to a press release, a different Parker — Sarah Jessica Parker — will step in for Moore as Gloria Steinem in the Linda Lovelace biopic. Moore dropped out of the film earlier this week after being hospitalized for “exhaustion,” and the search for her replacement began soon afterward. The film, which is currently filming in Los Angeles, stars Amanda Seyfried as the famous 1970s porn star. Photos: Demi Moore through the years. On Thursday, actress Chlo
It may be a relatively quiet Sundance year – even Pixar’s Lee Unkrich, in town for the festival, Tweeted his dismay at the “mixed bag” of movies – but films are selling. Granted, they’re mostly the ones with name actors and mostly okay-to-decent reviews (with a few exceptions), but buyers continue to be getting busy in the snow. The latest batch of pick-ups (Olsens and robots and scares, oh my!) after the jump. Liberal Arts (IFC Films) – Josh Radnor’s follow up to happythankyoumoreplease , another Sundance pick, features Radnor as a thirty-something man who returns to his college campus and is intrigued by both his former professor (Alison Janney) and a young coed (Elizabeth Olsen). IFC picked up Liberal Arts and plans on releasing it later in 2011. Robot and Frank (Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions/Samuel Goldwyn Films) – It’s Frank Langella and a robot. What more do you need to know? Oh, fine: Directed by Jake Schreier and co-starring Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard, and Liv Tyler, this charmer won over critics during Sundance. V/H/S (Magnolia) – The horror anthology opened to such a raucous, receptive Midnight debut that it’s no wonder a specialist like Magnolia snapped up the surefire genre pleaser. Did reports of a seizure at this week’s screening help? The Pact (IFC) – This deal’s a bit of a surprise, given the negative-to-lukewarm reviews Nicholas McCarthy’s feature debut (adapted from his own Sundance short of the same name) received this week. Yet another spooky tale, about a young lady investigating bumps and scares in her dead mother’s house, it went to IFC for a reported ” high-six-figure deal ” as the distrib hopes it catches fire in limited release/VOD. Previously: Arbitrage (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions) – Nicholas Jarecki’s dramatic feature-filmmaking debut stars Richard Gere as a billionaire hedge-fund fraud seeking to cash in before he’s exposed. Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling and Tim Roth co-star. Look for the studio duo to duplicate the multi-platform success they enjoyed in 2011 with Margin Call , another financial-world potboiler picked up in Park City. The Surrogate (Fox Searchlight) – Sundance favorite John Hawkes turns in an brave performance as real life poet Mark O’Brien, who yearns to lose his virginity with a sex therapist (Helen Hunt) despite being paralyzed from the head down. Fox Searchlight paid a reported $6 million for the pic, which may face tricky ratings deliberations due to Hunt’s full frontal nudity. Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight) – The smallest narrative to get a deal thus far at Sundance comes off of strong buzz and acclaim for the tale of a young girl and her ailing father who live in a fantastical alternate version of the American South. Red Lights (Millenium Films) Negative reviews hurt the profile of this Rodrigo Cortes ( Buried ) thriller, despite featuring Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, and last year’s Sundance darling Elizabeth Olsen. For a Good Time, Call… (Focus Features) – The feature debut of shorts director Jamie Travis pairs Lauren Anne Miller and Ari Graynor as frenemies who start a phone sex line together, one of a gaggle of raunchy female-driven comedies in this year’s line-up. Celeste and Jesse Forever (Sony Pictures Classics) – With Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg leading a cast of familiar players, this was bound to attract buyer attention galore. Sony Pictures Classics snatched it up for a reported $2 million, adding C&J to their previous Sundance acquisitions Searching for Sugar Man and The Raid . Searching for Sugar Man (Sony Classics) – The documentary about 1960s musician Rodriguez played well to critics and was snatched up by SPC for a reported six figures. The Queen of Versailles (Magnolia Pictures) – Another well-received doc, Lauren Greenfield’s examination of Florida real estate mogul David Siegel was picked up by Magnolia on Friday. Black Rock (LD Distribution) – Katie Aselton’s thriller about three female friends (Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth) surviving a weekend getaway gone wrong was the first Midnight selection to seal a deal, partnering with newbie venture LD Distribution. The Words (CBS Films) – Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, and Jeremy Irons lead a cast of recognizable stars in this literary drama about a writer (Cooper) who claims credit on someone else’s manuscript and is confronted by its real author, so it’s easy to see why buyers were interested. CBS Films reportedly made the most expensive buy of the fest so far, laying down $2 million for the film. Whether or not that move was smart remains to be seen, as this first review over at The Playlist is less than encouraging. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter . Get more of Movieline’s Sundance 2012 coverage here .
Drake and Spike Lee among MTV News’ favorite sit-downs at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. By Josh Wigler, with additional reporting by Josh Horowitz and Sam Hendrick Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg Photo: MTV News The Sundance Film Festival is still raging on in Park City, Utah, but the MTV Movies team is back home safe and sound after a weeklong journey filled with movie screenings and high-profile interviews. If you’re interested in hearing about the films that caught the most buzz at Sundance this year, never fear: We’ve got you covered. But there’s more to enjoy at Sundance than just the movies themselves; there are also interviews with countless actors, filmmakers, musicians and other stars for you to chew on. From the absurdly hilarious to the cool and informative, here are our favorite interviews conducted by MTV News at Sundance this year: 5. AnnaLynne McCord It was the nip slip heard ’round the cyber-world. Weeks ago, “90210” actress AnnaLynne McCord inadvertently posted a photo of herself on Twitter that revealed more than she bargained for. But lest you think she’s embarrassed about the overexposure, think again. “The moral of the story is not to stop taking pictures of yourself naked,” she told MTV News. “We all like being naked. Just make sure that the little bit of your areola isn’t in the picture before you send it to a hundred billion people.” 4. Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones The stars of “Celeste and Jesse Forever” tackle uncomfortable but often funny subject matter in their Sundance indie. In real life, the situation isn’t so different. Samberg and Jones are both hilarious in their regular “SNL” and “Parks & Rec” gigs, and in person, the laughs are there as well — even when it comes to a topic as uncomfortable as Lana Del Ray’s “SNL” collapse . “People gave her a lot of crap. I saw it online. BriWi,” he said when we asked about the incident; BriWi, of course, refers to “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams’ critique of the performance. Try watching the veteran newsman without thinking of him as “BriWi” again. It’s just not possible. 3. Spike Lee The New York filmmaker brought Brooklyn to Park City with his new film “Red Hook Summer,” a spiritually charged drama that takes a dark and unexpected turn before the credits roll. The movie hasn’t been kindly received by all critics, but regardless of reception, Lee’s thought process behind the film was a revelation to hear. “We wanted to make a film about young black kids like ‘Stand by Me,’ ” he said. “I love that film. Where’s the people-of-color version of that film? I’m not saying this is it, but that’s the type of film. … I want to see that. [Writer] James [McBride] and I wanted to see this film in a theater. We wanted the world to see these characters in this isolated part of Brooklyn, Red Hook.” 2. Drake Battling tigers is not always easy. But when you’re Drake, it’s always awesome. The Toronto MC performed at Sundance and spoke with MTV News ahead of the gig, recounting his recent trip to Africa, during which he did battle with a true-blue tiger. We kid you not. “I went on a safari. I got tackled by a tiger. It was crazy,” Drake recounted for MTV’s Sam Hendrick, who mustered the only response humanly possible to such wild and crazy news: “That’s dope!” Co-signed, Sam. 1. Paul Giamatti MTV Movie Brawl 2012 came to a close during our time at Sundance. With hours to go before the polls closed, David Cronenberg’s “Cosmopolis” clinched the win with an absolutely insurmountable lead. One of the film’s many stars, Paul Giamatti, was on the ground in Park City and was happy to accept the top honor on the “Cosmopolis” cast’s behalf. “Holy cow, that’s astounding!” he said upon hearing the news. “The fact of that is amazing. … That’s a really cool thing that it brings that visibility to that movie.” Bonus: Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim Perhaps the greatest of all the interviews we enjoyed at Sundance is one we have yet to unveil: our conversation with the absurd duo behind “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie.” We cannot verify the film’s actual budget, but our interview with Mr. Heidecker and Mr. Wareheim is worth at least a billion bucks. You’ll see it soon, but for now, some out-of-context teasers: Will Forte. “Filet of fish, no bun.” “Back to you.” If it doesn’t make sense yet, just wait — it’ll be even less clear when the insanity-fueled interview hits the Web. Stay tuned … Stick with the MTV Movies team as we roll out more coverage from the Sundance Film Festival ! Related Videos Sundance 2012: Interviews From Park City Related Photos Celebrities Hit The Ground At Sundance 2012 Film Fest Sundance 2012: Behind The Scenes Photos
