Can something be considered fan fiction if it’s also an official, canonical studio product? I’m going to argue yes, absolutely, because with The Muppets , Jason Segel has crafted what can only be described as the most extravagant work of fan fiction ever, Mary Sue-ing himself into the Muppet universe as a character who helps reunite the gang in order to save their old theater and the day. Segel, who co-wrote the film with Nicholas Stoller, even leaves his own tentative mark on Jim Henson’s beloved ensemble by inserting a personal addition in the form of alter ego Walter (voiced by Peter Linz), his character’s Muppet brother and the group’s most devoted fan even when the rest of the world seems to have forgotten about them. Fandom can be a precarious thing — someone’s devotion to the source material he or she is adapting to screen can sometimes lead to being too cautious with it, too respectful to do what’s best for the movie instead of only for the hardcore supporters. But the love Segel has for the Muppets is a genuine, perceivable and positive quality that suffuses this good-hearted revitalization of the franchise, and if some wish fulfillment sneaks in there too, it seldom gets in the way of the enjoyment to be had.
‘He’s a great actor,’ director David Cronenberg tells MTV News. ‘It’s obvious in the movie.’ By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Robert Pattinson and Sarah Gadon in “Cosmopolis” Photo: Caitlin Cronenberg’s Twitter The infamous birth scene in “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” may have drawn comparisons to the work of director David Cronenberg , but star Robert Pattinson got to work with the auteur for real in the upcoming “Cosmopolis,” an adaptation of the novel by Don DeLillo. The role represents a dynamic shift from the character fans around the world know Pattinson for, Edward Cullen, but Cronenberg, when he spoke with MTV News’ Josh Horowitz, explained that the choice was nothing more than the normal casting process. “You start with the basics. How old is he? What does he look like? Is the character very nerdy? Is he handsome and devilish?” Cronenberg said. “Is he an intellectual? You think about all these things and you think about the actors who could possibly project the things that you need from this character.” Once Cronenberg had a list of potential candidates for the “Ulysses”-inspired protagonist, Eric Packer, it is important to consider a star’s profile in order to get the proper funding for the film. Cronenberg said that it takes an actor with a name like Pattinson to get his movies made. After judging Pattinson’s interest in the project and working around his schedule, it was clear to Cronenberg that he was the man for the job. “Ultimately, I felt he was the guy. Once again, intuition,” he said. “I saw his movies, including ones maybe his Twi-Hard fans don’t know about, like ‘Little Ashes.’ Maybe they saw ‘Remember Me,’ I’m not sure.” As for Pattinson’s “Twilight” reputation, it’s something Cronenberg acknowledges. “I can’t pretend that I’m not aware of that. This is an unusual jump for him. He said it himself. It’s scary,” Cronenberg said, adding that it’s the scary part of it that makes it worthwhile. “It’s a scary thing because he’s never really had to carry a movie quite that way before, totally on his own,” he said. “He’s in every scene. He’s almost in every shot, so scary for him, but for an actor, scary is good. You don’t want to be bored. You don’t want to be too confident.” The question that will be on everyone’s minds who goes to see the film may ultimately be, “Can the ‘Twilight’ kid actually act?” Cronenberg was quick to cast any doubt aside. “Really, he’s fantastic. He’s sensational,” he said. “Really, I’m telling you. He’s a great actor. It’s obvious in the movie. It’s not like maybe yes, maybe no. It’s obvious.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Cosmopolis.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Band’s new album isn’t a departure, because it doesn’t have to be. By James Montgomery Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger Photo: Getty Images When Nickelback set out to record their brand-new album Here and Now, which hit stores Monday (November 21), they decided not to stray far from the mantra that has made them one of the decade’s biggest-selling acts: Namely, keep it simple, stupid. “If we had a ‘vision,’ it was pretty much ‘Record 11 songs, try to make sure they don’t sound like any of the other 11 songs, and make ’em good, ‘” frontman Chad Kroeger said. “That was about it.” If Kroeger sounds like he’s joking, he assures you, he’s not. After all, for more than 15 years now, Nickelback have done one thing — write and record the kinds of songs that sound great played very loudly, be it on the radio, in the parking lot or inside venues that house professional sports franchises — and have done it exceptionally well, to the tune of some 50 million albums sold worldwide. And Here and Now seems destined to follow in those footsteps, both sonically (have you heard “Bottoms Up” ?) and commercially. Then again, the latter doesn’t seem to matter all that much to Kroeger and company, which may very well be the secret to their success. “Did you read the bio [for the new album]? Oh my God, it’s a thrill ride. It’s like my mom wrote it. She’s like, ‘They’ve sold this many records worldwide, they’ve won all of these accolades, the band has set these records,’ and you just go down it, and there’s almost nothing about the new album,” Kroeger laughed. “The adjectives are just like, ‘Wow, this dude got a thesaurus for Christmas for sure, and he just blew the dust off it.’ “You know what? I think [sales] mean more to my mom. My mom is just pumped when this stuff comes out,” he continued. “But I think sometimes, we’ll be sitting at dinner, and we’ll look at each other, if it’s just the four of us, those are those little secret private moments where we’ll look at each other and be like, ‘That was pretty cool.’ Or, you know, ‘Pass the butter.’ ” And so, on Here and Now, Nickelback return with much of the same that has led them to such lofty heights. They’ll make no bones about it, either. It will probably sell a bazillion copies and launch singles onto modern rock radio for the foreseeable future. And it will most definitely be coming to an arena near you very soon. And all those things would be near-certainties even if the band decided to go with their original title for the album, which, truth be told, would’ve been pretty awesome, really. “It’s called Here and Now because it just represents a snapshot in time, a snapshot of who we were when we made it,” Kroeger explained. “And of all the names we had, it was better than Wizard Beating. ” Related Artists Nickelback
‘Everybody debated it a lot,’ screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg says of back-and-forth over where to split the finale. By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Robert Pattinson in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” Photo: Summit Entertainment If you were among the devoted “Twilight” fans who lined up to see “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” over the weekend, then you already know the film has a pretty dramatic conclusion. But MTV News has learned that the first of the two-part finale wasn’t always intended to end where it does, even if it seems like the obvious choice. When we caught up with screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and director Bill Condon shortly before “Part 1” hit theaters, the creative duo admitted to a lot of early discussions trying to decide the best place to split the final two movies. While Rosenberg and Condon felt that the current ending was the most “organic” place to pause before “Part 2,” the studio wanted to make sure it was a spot in the story line that would best serve the entire series. “We went back and forth a lot and, initially, this seemed like a very obvious place for the split, but then as the creative process went forth, myself, the studio and [author] Stephenie [Meyer], [producer] Wyck [Godfrey] and everybody debated it a lot,” Rosenberg said. “I tried a couple different things but ultimately this was a natural, very organic place to split it.” Condon said he was always a defender of the existing split, even if many members of the creative team debated him on it. “When I came on, I really felt very strongly this is where it should be [divided],” he told us. Fans of Meyer’s novel should have a general idea of where “Part1” ends even if they haven’t seen the movie. But if you’re afraid of spoilers, we’ll just say that Bella (Kristen Stewart) undergoes some pretty significant changes as the film winds to a close. Rosenberg actually considered a split that would have pushed “Part 1” even further along in the novel. “Pushing from further into the second movie, pushing into the first act of the second movie,” she said of the other options she had toyed with. “But it wasn’t organic, it wasn’t right.” Do you think the filmmakers chose the right place to split the two “Breaking Dawn” films? Share your thoughts in the comments! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn Part -1’ Director And Screenwriter MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ MTV Rough Cut: Robert Pattinson MTV Rough Cut: Kristen Stewart Related Photos ‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Premiere Twilight: Breaking Dawn
Director Bill Condon ‘went for it’ on too-hot-for-PG-13 version of the honeymoon, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg tells MTV News. By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in “Breaking Dawn” Photo: Summit “Twilight” fans should know by now that the original sex scene filmed for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” was a lot steamier than the version that made the final cut. The MPAA said the film would need an R rating if director Bill Condon didn’t cut out some of the “thrusting.” Needless to say, he did, and “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” currently reigns atop the box office with a PG-13 rating. But screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg admitted to MTV News that she wished the raunchier cut had made it to the big screen. “Bill, he went for it,” Rosenberg said with a laugh when she recently spoke to MTV News. “I wanted to keep [the footage].” Though all the bumping and grinding didn’t make it to the final cut of the film, Rosenberg is crossing her fingers that a lot of the footage will make it to the DVD. So everyone out there hoping that some of the more explicit parts of that sex scene will one day be released for public consumption, you just might be in luck. That’s not the only scene that got chopped from the final cut of the movie, though. Rosenberg said there was a sequence before Bella and Edward’s wedding that also got the ax because it was slowing down the rest of the movie. “There was a whole section before the wedding with Charlie, Renee and Carlisle and Edward, kind of a back-and-forth, but it just slowed everything down. But there are some nice things in there,” she said. To calm fans who might be upset about missing that interaction, Rosenberg added, “But again, these are things that will show up someday.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn Part -1’ Director And Screenwriter MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet Related Photos ‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Premiere
Veteran actor of the stage, screen, and film, Jeffrey Wright recently was added to the cast of Broken City . The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe. Broken City is shooting in New York City and is being directed by Allen Hughes. Mark Wahlberg plays a Brooklyn cop hired by an important politician, Russell Crowe, to find out who his wife is having an affair with. Wright’s character is the police commissioner who has a complex and tense relationship with the politician. There’s no set release date as of now. However, if you can’t wait for your Jeffrey Wright fix, he can be seen in the film, The Ides of March , which is in theaters. Also, he will be appearing in the Stephen Daldry film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close . That hits the big screen on Christmas Day. Spotted at BlackThespian.com RELATED POSTS: Actor Jeffrey Wright Analyzes The Future Of Black Hollywood Michael K. Williams Leaves ‘Django Unchained’ Jeffrey Wright Talks About Working With Aspiring Actors
Veteran actor of the stage, screen, and film, Jeffrey Wright recently was added to the cast of Broken City . The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe. Broken City is shooting in New York City and is being directed by Allen Hughes. Mark Wahlberg plays a Brooklyn cop hired by an important politician, Russell Crowe, to find out who his wife is having an affair with. Wright’s character is the police commissioner who has a complex and tense relationship with the politician. There’s no set release date as of now. However, if you can’t wait for your Jeffrey Wright fix, he can be seen in the film, The Ides of March , which is in theaters. Also, he will be appearing in the Stephen Daldry film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close . That hits the big screen on Christmas Day. Spotted at BlackThespian.com RELATED POSTS: Actor Jeffrey Wright Analyzes The Future Of Black Hollywood Michael K. Williams Leaves ‘Django Unchained’ Jeffrey Wright Talks About Working With Aspiring Actors
‘It’s very exciting,’ working with MC, Guetta tells MTV News on American Music Awards red carpet. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jim Cantiello Nicki Minaj performs at the AMAs on Sunday Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images On Sunday night, Nicki Minaj joined forces with David Guetta for a sexy, amped up performance of their track “Turn Me On” at the American Music Awards . The two kicked off a night that would lead to two wins for the fierce MC, who nabbed trophies for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for Pink Friday. Before Guetta hit the stage, he spoke to MTV News on the red carpet, revealing that his collabo with Minaj would have fans seeing a whole new side of the MC. “To tell you the truth, the fact that I’m performing this record for the first time … I want to see the reaction that people are gonna have because they are going to hear Nicki like they’ve never heard her before,” he explained of working with Minaj, who also appears on his song “Where Them Girls At.” “I’m really happy today because I’m having a #1 record with Usher [for] ‘Without You,’ which is amazing [and] my first #1 as an artist in the U.S. And presenting this also, I really can’t wait to get the reaction from the American audience when they’re gonna see her sing like this because she is killing it.” In the lead-up to the performance, Guetta said that Minaj was already bringing fire to the table. “She always comes with the crazy ideas,” he said. “So it’s very exciting.” With the performance under their belts, the two now have plans to shoot a video for the track, which appears on Guetta’s album Nothing but the Beat. Guetta and Minaj teased the video plans on Twitter, hours after the AMAs wrapped up. “We are shooting our video with @NICKIMINAJ tmw. It’s gonna be sick! #nbtb #TurnMeOn,” Guetta wrote. “Can’t wait David! Love u!!!” she tweeted in response. Related Videos 2011 AMAs: Carpet And Performance Highlights Related Photos Hottest 2011 American Music Award Moments Related Artists David Guetta Nicki Minaj
