Jism 2 , that is. Sunny Leone ‘s starring role in the Bollywood horror flick was rumored to be in jeopardy after her porn-star past was revealed in the Indian press, but now the film’s director, Pooja Bhatt, says that it’s going to be Sunny in Mumbai after all: ” It can now be yelled from the rooftop that Jism 2 is Sunny Leone and Sunny Leone is Jism 2. I took a long time to finalize the lead because somewhere something didn’t feel right. And then I found her in my backyard while watching TV*, ” he told reporters yesterday. We thought that porn experience would help you get cast in a movie called Jism 2 , but hey, what do we know? Production on Jism 2 begins this March in India, and with a name like Jism 2, you bet we’ll be following the story here on the Mr. Skin blog. You’ll get a rise, son, when you check out the breast of Sunny Leone right here at MrSkin.com! *Bhatt is referring to Sunny’s stint on Bigg Boss , the Indian version of Big Brother
Remaining professional when placed in a room of breathtaking, talented and just plain charismatic black men who also happen to all star in George Lucas’ latest feature film Red Tails is a challenge to say the absolute least. Cuba Gooding Jr., David Oyelowo, Nate Parker, Terrence Howard , Tristan Wilds, Elijah Kelley, Ne-Yo and a few more of Hollywood’s hottest black actors all teamed up to bring the heroic story of the Tuskegee Airmen to life. Director Anthony Hemingway and producer Rick McCallum managed to exhibit the inspirational and aspirational story behind the fly boys of Tuskegee with Red Tails . I’ll be the first to tell you that I am no action movie fan, but from the very beginning of this movie, I was hooked, then I was invested in the story and by the end, balled like a baby. Red Tails not only focuses on the heroism of the Tuskegee Airmen, but it also touches on themes of racism, power and visually enthralls the viewer in stunning air combat. They say sex sells, so Red Tails should have no issue bringing in big bucks, considering the sexy stars cast to be the meat – literally and figuratively – in the retelling of this historic plight. After thanking my lucky stars, I got a chance to sit down with stars David Oyelowo, Nate Parker, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tristan Wilds, Elijah Kelley, Ne-Yo, director Anthony Hemingway, producer Rick McCallum, and real life Tuskegee Airman Dr. Roscoe Brown as they discussed the characters in the film, what they loved about it and working on an action-packed film with Civil Rights undertones. Everything about this movie stole my attention and kept it under lock and key, so please, do yourself a favor and go see Red Tails this Friday, January 20th! Describe the characters you played… David Oyelowo: I played Lightning and he embodies the audacity of youth. He’s a bad boy in a sense. He embodies that feeling of immortality. You kind of need that to get in a tin can that flies, go out to save the world and feel you’re going to come back every time. You needed that to do the missions. One of the things that Nate [Parker] and I talked about so much is that we were two sides of the same coin. There’s a phenomenal amount of talent in Lightning that needs directing and there’s a phenomenal amount of pressure in being a leader of a group that falls on Easy (Parker’s character). Nate Parker: It was so exciting when we got this opportunity. This [grabs David’s shoulder] has become one of my closest friends on Earth. We sat down to figure out how we’d approach this because these characters aren’t very different. Easy’s given the responsibility of dealing with the burden of leadership and he’s 21 and it’s life or death. This character is always in the position of continual unrest and the only way he can slow his mind down is to find his coping mechanism which was alcohol, which [he thought] helped him be more human in his environment. There’s many things people use to deal with the anxiety inside of them. Through the journey, it took a series of events to let him know that sooner or later, he was going to have to face that anxiety and become a man in it. It was a rite of passage for him and without the series of events, he would have never changed. He ended up appreciating all the things that led up to him saying, “No more.” Cuba Gooding Jr.: I play Major Emmanuel Stance. My character gives these gentleman guidance, proper training and encouragement and send them off to their war machines in the skies above. Ne-Yo: I play Andrew “Smokey” Salem. He’s kind of the comedy relief in the film and the light-hearted part of the seriousness that is going on. Elijah Kelley: My character’s name is Samuel “Joker” George. Ne-Yo and my character have a bond. We bring the levity to a very serious situation. I’m also a go-getter, gunner type of fighter. I want everybody to have an incredible time. Tristan Wilds: My character is Raymond Gannon. They call me Junior. I’m the youngest pilot on the flight, the small man on the totem pole trying to get respect from my older peers. Ne-Yo, how did you get cast in this film? Ne-Yo: You know what? I went through the process like everyone else. I auditioned and they dug my audition. I told my people I don’t want roles because I’m Ne-Yo. It was my third time cold reading in life and it was enough to impress Anthony and there I was. What do you love most about this film? David Oyelowo: That was one of the things I loved about the film—I’ve been involved in films like this before. In the black community, you feel like you have to be all things to all men. You feel you have to please everyone. You feel if you have one that drinks, a bad boy and people feel like you’re airing dirty laundry. [laughs] I love that we’re doing a film that has a very firm eye on the audience. Everyone has weaknesses, especially young people. It was about how are these young men going to make the transition from boys to men. One of the scenes I enjoyed most in the movie was the scene with Terrence. He told Lightning that he had potential, but he was wasting it. Every young person has those moments where they need to buck up or lose out. I love that we didn’t pander to the fear of making him perfect. Any movie like this, you need that art so people can identify because they have those weaknesses. Anthony Hemingway: We’ve seen ourselves as slaves, maids and X, Y and Z. This is a chance to see warriors, heroes, bravery and confidence—strong men, period. It’s a freshness. We’re focusing on educating the new generation that doesn’t know who the Tuskegee Airmen are. It’s to engage them to enjoy the ride. You’re on a roller-coaster ride, then you’re socked with some history, education and inspiration. Nate Parker: You’re literally seeing stereotypes being dispelled as you watch it. Because there’s such an authenticity in it, it feels like you’re being transformed in the way that you think. What I really love about the film is that it celebrates masculinity in the black man. We don’t see that as often as we should. To be a part of the Hollywood machine, we look for it and our young people look for it. When they only see it in athletes and drug dealers, then that’s what they aspire to. To give them a different point of reference and say you can be excellent, strong, a rock star, sexy and still be responsible, college educated—it says something. As a black man, it’s inspiring. David Oyewolo: I haven’t seen young, black men in amazing planes, doing what we got to do in this movie. We’ve seen films with great CGI or whatever, but not with this particular group getting to do this. It’s rare to go and feel like you’re watching something new. You can feel that. You guys had to use a lot of CGI and green screen. What’s the difference in acting with this versus a regular movie? Elijah Kelley: I used to laugh at people that did those type of movies—like Terminator and Transformers . It’s the hardest thing! We had someone reading lines next to us. We’re in the plane like, “boooom booom!” and the person next to you is like, [no inflection]”you’re getting shot. They’re coming after you. Look harder. Move faster.” And you’re like, “I’m getting shot at! I need for you to give me something!” All the Sam Worthington’s Shia LeBouf’s and Arnold Schwartenegger’s that have stood in front of that screen and made something from nothing—kudos! Do you feel it was more important to show the adventure of the film versus the Civil Rights aspect of it? Dr. Roscoe Brown: It does show the Civil Rights, in a sense because it talks about what we can’t do and what we must do. The struggle goes back to the 1940’s and the NAACP and the black press. It’s certainly difficult to highlight that in a dramatic film. You probably know about the Double V documentary George has produced, which has interviews and back stories. The movie focuses on the combat activity to get the attention of the public. David Oyelowo : Also, with a film of this size, there’s a desire for it to crossover and be a global film, you marginalize with the film and the audience by concentrating on that. The great thing about the Tuskegee Airmen, the untold thing about them is the heroism and sheer swagger they had. These guys were the movies stars of their day in the black community and without. They gained respect from white pilots because that’s the way they crashed through the color barrier by what they did as opposed to who they were. That’s what we wanted to depict in this. It’s for kids and grown-ups all over. It’s not just for one community or group. Follow me on Twitter @Rhapsodani ! Ne-Yo Wants To Be The Next Tom Hanks “Joyful Noise” Stars Queen Latifah & Dolly Parton Talk Faith, Film & Collabos [EXCLUSIVE]
‘Bishop didn’t make Tupac; Tupac made Bishop,’ Treach tells ‘RapFix Live’ 20 years after film’s release. By Rob Markman, with additional reporting credit by Sway Calloway “Juice” Photo: Paramount When “Juice” was released 20 years ago on January 17, 1992, the performance of noted rapper but first-time actor Tupac Shakur took critics by surprise. The socially aware, politically driven MC lit up the screen as fiery, gun-crazed thug Bishop. It was a departure from the rapper hip-hop had come to know through more positive songs like “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” A year after “Juice” premiered, ‘Pac went on to release his second album, Strictly 4 My N.-.-.-.A.Z., before experiencing legal trouble, then a serious rap beef with the Notorious B.I.G. a few years after that and, of course, his murder in 1996. Some believe that after “Juice,” Tupac took on the persona of the fictional and troublesome Bishop, and as a result, his life experienced a downward spiral. Not the case, said ‘Pac’s friend, “Juice” co-star and Naughty by Nature rapper Treach. “I would definitely disagree with it,” Treach said without reservation when he appeared on Wednesday’s (January 18) episode of “RapFix Live.” “Bishop didn’t make Tupac; Tupac made Bishop.” Treach — who appeared in the film and, along with Naughty by Nature, contributed the ’90s rap hit “Uptown Anthem” to the movie’s soundtrack — revealed that he originally read for the role of Bishop. Things didn’t go so well, however, and when Shakur auditioned immediately after him, Treach knew his buddy would get the film’s starring role. Tupac’s mother and father were both members of the Black Panther Party, and Treach believes that ‘Pac’s exposure to the progressive and militant movement helped prep him for the role.”He grew up a soldier; he grew up learning different lessons on the streets that not even I had known about,” he said. “He knew different stuff from different facets of life,” Treach added. “That’s what made him be able to get into that character like that and make that character seem so real, because he had his own life experiences that made him phenomenal at bringing that out through the music and through the film.” What do you think of ‘Pac’s performance in “Juice”? Let us know in the comments. Check out everything we’ve got on “Juice.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Celebrating 20 Years Of ‘Juice’ With Treach Related Artists Tupac Naughty By Nature
It’s always a thrill to read about some upstart, young first-time screenwriter catching a lucrative break in Hollywood with a spec script, so let’s hear it for Cormac McCarthy! The New Mexico-based writer has reportedly sold a thriller called The Counselor , about a successful, respected lawyer who gets in over his head during a dalliance in the drug underworld. Steve Schwartz, one of the producers who made the acquisition as part of a “sizable deal,” told Deadline’s Mike Fleming : “Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with its sexual obsessions. It’s a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy’s wit and humor in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy’s most disturbing and powerful works.” Fleming adds that the script is “contemporary, and set in the Southwest” — also unusual for McCarthy, who is previously best known for a slightly obscure oeuvre of novels including Blood Meridian , All the Pretty Horses , The Road and No Country For Old Men (the latter of which sparked a brief but ultimately fruitless flirtation with the film industry in 2007). The writer has even entered a representation agreement with ICM. When it rains it pours! Nice work, kid. [ Deadline ]
Welcome, gossip fans, to another edition of THG’s Caption Contest ! What are these three characters from The Hunger Games – Elizabeth Banks as Effie, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch and Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss – thinking or saying? You tell us by writing captions for this pic! All you have to do to play is click “Comments” below and submit your best caption(s) – as many as your heart desires. Go to it! We will announce a winner Monday . Best of luck …
Many conservatives are furious over Newsweek ‘s controversy-bait cover story by Andrew Sullivan, whose headline asks, “Why Are Obama’s Critics So Dumb?” Sarah Palin is taking it particularly personally, though. “Know what’s truly ‘dumb’?” Palin Tweeted . “Giving a cover story to the Trig Truther conspiracy kook writer who thinks I didn’t give birth to my son.” In a play on the “Birther” conspiracy surrounding Obama’s birth certificate, Palin is calling out Sullivan for questioning whether she is Trig’s real mother. In 2008, Sullivan and others theorized that a Sarah Palin pregnancy scandal involving a cover-up of Bristol Palin getting knocked up could be in effect. Bristol was, of course, pregnant with Tripp, not Trig. He hypothesized that Palin “faked the pregnancy to avoid embarrassment for her daughter [ Bristol Palin ] or for political gain or some combination of reasons.” Sullivan’s response to Palin calling him out today? “I have no idea, as I have said time and time again, whether Sarah Palin gave birth to Trig, and have never written such a thing.” “All I ever asked for a person who could become president was some basic evidence for her insane story, like medical records that most candidates have no problem providing.” “She never provided any, and preferred to withdraw from seeking public office rather than do so. Of course, no response to the substance. She doesn’t do substance. Neither, it seems, does much of the rightwing blogosphere. Other conservative bloggers have fired back against Sullivan on political grounds. Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government writes “Why Is Andrew Sullivan So Dumb?” “You’d have to be stupid, fanatical, and dishonest to argue – as Trig Truther Sullivan does – that Barack Obama’s failures are part of an ingenious ‘long game’ destined to succeed,” he wrote. “If this is the best Obama’s supporters can do, Obama’s only hope for re-election is the weak Republican field.” During a Fox News segment on Sullivan’s article Monday night, the network blurred out Sullivan’s name when showing the Newsweek cover. “They are far too afraid to have me on to defend it,” Sullivan wrote. “I’ve been on the blacklist for years. Like Ron Paul , too dangerous for Fox.”
Bruce Jenner had a scare at the doctor’s office on Friday, but all now appears to be okay with the Kardashian patriarch. Sources confirm that the former Olympic Gold Medalist scheduled an appointment due to a red mark on his face. His physician removed a small piece, a biopsy revealed it to be cancerous and Jenner later had a larger chunk taken out at an outpatient facility. The reality star must stay out of the sun, but is expected to make a full recovery. TMZ has posted a photo of Bruce, post-surgery. We don’t even have a Kim Kardashian joke to make here. We’re glad to hear Jenner will be okay.
Lindsay Lohan got the thumbs up from Judge Stephanie Sautner in her latest probation hearing this morning. This was expected, but you never know with her. Her probation officer had written LiLo glowing probation report, to which Sautner added, “Keep doing what you’re doing. You appear to be doing very well.” The model morgue employee is due back for another hearing Feb. 22, by which point she must finish an 15 additional days of community service, plus therapy. She’s really turning things around, and that includes her style! Check out what Lindsay wore today and how it compares to some of her recent court appearances. What’s her best courtroom look? You decide by voting below!
Vanessa Hudgens might have some difficulty winning this Fashion Face-Off. And losing it, too. The former High School Musical star has spent the week in Australia in honor of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island , a February 10 release that also features Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine and Josh Hutcherson . She’s been hanging out with kangaroos (we presume), eating shrimp on a barbie (most likely) and posing on red carpet (definitely). And she’s been showing off a number of looks at premieres of the film, from Melbourne to Sydney. Compare a couple looks below and vote on Vanessa’s best style selection.
MTV News’ Amy Wilkinson tells ‘Twilight’ Tuesday that catchy songs, inside jokes make the off-Broadway parody work. By Kara Warner The cast of “Twilight: The Musical” Photo: Dreamcatcher Entertainment For the most dedicated “Twilight” fans, the yearlong wait between the theatrical releases of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” and “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” is painful, to say the least. Luckily, due to the popularity of the franchise and vampires in general, there are a variety of ways to bridge the gap, a few of which we touched on previously via fan suggestions . These include re-reading the books and re-watching the already-released movies, as well as getting your vampire fix via TV shows like “The Vampire Diaries” and “True Blood.” The latest addition to the fangtastic fray is the off-Broadway musical parody “Twilight: The Musical.” MTV News’ own Amy Wilkinson was lucky enough to attend the first preview in New York Monday. Thanks to her detailed summary, we now know more about the action in the plot, but for those who want to know more about the show’s potential and audience reactions, this week’s “Twilight” Tuesday is dedicated to digging a little deeper into the production by way of Wilkinson’s experience. This will help you know what to expect if you make the trek to New York to see the show when it officially opens. Here are five reasons you’ll enjoy “Twilight: The Musical.” It’s a Parody Although we take our “Twilight” very seriously, it’s sometimes just as entertaining to make light of the saga’s more melodramatic, overwrought elements. And when a parody is executed well, it can be a delightful companion piece to the source material. It also helps to manage your expectations accordingly. “To be completely honest, I wouldn’t say that they were incredibly high,” Wilkinson said of her expectations going in. “Mostly because this is an off-Broadway production, and from what we were told when we first arrived, they’d only been practicing for about 24 hours. So I didn’t have the highest expectations going in, but I think for the time they had it turned out really well.” The “Twilight”/ “Harry Potter” Blend Yes, Harry, Ron and Hermione make an appearance in “Twilight: The Musical,” and despite the seemingly obvious appeal to two obsessive and proud fanbases, Wilkinson reported that it’s more entertaining than off-putting. “The way it was used worked well. There might be something that is a bit cloying about it, marrying these two franchises whose fans never seem to get along very well, so it might be a bit baiting in that regard, but I think the way they did it made sense,” she said. “They traded in the three villains in the original ‘Twilight’ for three ‘Harry Potter’ characters and there were some good jokes that came out of it.” Vampires and Wizards That Sing! This is a musical after all, so we are happy to hear that the songs, while campy at times, don’t suck. Wilkinson said that one in particular is likely to get stuck in your head, a catchy little ditty called “Die Bella Die.” Apparently and appropriately, it’s Hermione’s villainous theme song. The Inside Jokes In addition to dialogue lifted straight from Melissa Rosenberg’s screenplays, the production pokes fun at a few memorable and slightly maligned moments, one of which Wilkinson said stood out for its laugh-out-loud factor. “The one moment that the entire audience busted a gut over was in reference to a scene from the first ‘Twilight’ movie, when they’re going on the biology class field trip and Alice Cullen is asking Bella if she’s going to ride on their bus. In the movie Robert Pattinson’s Edward is kind of like, ‘Oh no, she’s not,’ but in the production I saw, Colin Hanlon, the guy playing Edward, turned around and yelled as loud as he could, ‘SHE’S NOT COMING!’ I don’t know what it was about that, but the entire audience nearly died. The actor himself was cracking up, everyone was cracking up because it rings true to how bizarre that moment is in the film.” A Few Stars Are Born In the spirit of how far “Glee” star Darren Criss has come from his “A Very Potter Musical” days, there are several actors in this musical worth keeping an eye on due to their breakout star potential, like Jenna Leigh Green, Lauren Lopez and Jeffry Denman, who all play multiple roles in the production. “[Green] is pretty much the MVP of the production,” Wilkinson said. “She does four or five characters (including Hermione, Rosalie and Esme), and there are times when her characters almost have lines back-to-back and she’s running behind the stage to take off a wig or throwing off her cloak to return to the stage and deliver a line. She’s definitely one of the hardest-working people on the stage. She was great to watch.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com .
