Kermit the Frog and new Muppet Walter join MTV News as co-hosts of this week’s ‘Talk Nerdy.’ By Josh Wigler Walter and Kermit Photo: MTV News Want a surefire way to cease all productivity in your workplace? Bring in the Muppets. It works every time. Kermit the Frog and newly-minted man-of-a-Muppet Walter graced MTV News with their presence earlier this week, catching the attention of everyone passing through our newsroom at the time. As you might expect, the “Muppets” stars are quite the charming duo in real life. It’s one thing to see their antics on the big screen; watching them come alive right before you, however, is another experience entirely. The effect they have on even the most serious of grown adults (though, admittedly, we don’t have many of those around these parts) is astounding: Within seconds of laying eyes on Kermit and Walter, years of growth and maturity immediately fade away, leaving you in a temporary state of childlike wonder. In short, I fully recommend meeting Muppets if you ever have the chance. Of course, Kermit and Walter weren’t at MTV News headquarters purely out of the kindness of their hearts, kind though their hearts may be: They were here to promote “The Muppets,” arriving on Blu-ray and DVD on March 20. We were happy to chat with them about the awesome home-video release — it has an intermission feature, everybody! An intermission feature! — but Kermit and Walter had more than just their own movie on their minds: They also wanted to talk about superheroes, vampires, deadly tournaments and more. As such, Kermit and Walter were perfect candidates to fill in as special guest co-hosts on “Talk Nerdy” this week. It’s always fun to geek out with fellow nerds about Captain America and Katniss Everdeen, but hitting those subjects with two of the most popular Muppets out there? Priceless. Here’s a quick list of some of the things I learned from Kermit and Walter’s “Nerdy” appearance.
‘I got to play this character that I love, and then whatever I didn’t like, I can fix next year,’ ‘Hunger Games’ star tells MTV News. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Jennifer Lawrence Photo: MTV News “The Hunger Games.” has yet to hit theaters, but preparations for the next flick in the series, “Catching Fire,” are already in the works. Still, the franchise’s leading lady, Jennifer Lawrence, is just trying to catch her breath for the first film, out March 23, before she can catch fire. “It’s kind of like when we’re there, let’s talk about it. But until then I’m sick of hearing about myself as Katniss,” she laughed to MTV News when asked how she feels about having to hit the set for the next film. “And also we’ve been focusing on getting this one out so much that we haven’t really had time to talk about the second one. I’m sure they’ve had time.” “Catching Fire” picks up where the first novel/movie leaves off. (Warning: Minor spoilers ahead!) With the latest round of the Hunger Games over and Katniss and her pal, Peeta, standing victorious, there’s rebellion under way against the Capitol. But that’s not the only upheaval. There’s a special edition of the Hunger Games announced that will up the stakes once again for the two friends and everyone they know. “I think one and three are my favorites [in the franchise],” she said of her favorite novels in the Suzanne Collins-penned trilogy. “But ‘Catching Fire,’ I’m looking forward to shooting ’cause it kind of becomes more of a war movie.” While some actors might not be ready to commit to a multiple film franchise, the Oscar nominee saw it as a chance to create the Katniss character in a fully realized way. “That was definitely something to take into consideration. But then I was like, I’m an actor so I would be doing a film, at least a movie a year anyway,” she explained. “And then the opportunity to play a character that you love and something you’re really passionate about, that happens rarely, if at all, in somebody’s life. So now it’s a blessing ’cause I got to play this character that I love this year and then whatever I didn’t like, I can fix next year.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Jennifer Lawrence Related Photos ‘Hunger Games’ Blazes Into U.K. ‘Hunger Games’ World Premiere Red Carpet The Hunger Games
March Madness officially kicks off a couple of hours ago, so you’re either in the comfort of your home watching the games or streaming them online. Besides keeping tabs on your bracket, if you’re into sneakers you are no doubt eyeing what shoes your squad and and players of choice are wearing. UNC, Georgetown (not shown), Marquette and the University of California-Berkeley are all sponsored by Jordan Brand and will be rocking the Jordan 2012 PEs seen in the gallery… Continue
‘Ravenna and Snow White are bound,’ Stewart explains in new featurette about their young princess and evil queen characters. By Jocelyn Vena Kristen Stewart in “Snow White And The Huntsman” Photo: Universal Pictures In several new featurettes from Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White and the Huntsman,” fans get a taste of what looks to be a visually arresting, very dark spin on the classic fairy tale. With “No Church in the Wild” from Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne album thumping in the background in the clip, Stewart and castmates Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron open up about making the Rupert Sanders-directed film. We also get a taste of what the film, which Theron describes as a “feast for [the] eyes,” will look like. “Snow White” is full of epic battle scenes and eye-popping CGI that helps tell the story of a young princess battling an evil queen. “The director, Rupert, conjured up visuals that absolutely transported you somewhere else and it wasn’t at all what I expected,” Stewart says. The big-screen retelling revolves around the feud between Queen Ravenna (Theron) and the inherently good Snow White (Stewart). “The Queen really symbolizes death and Snow White is the beating heart,” the director says of the struggle between the two leading ladies. “This is an incredible opportunity to create a world that people have never seen before.” Theron also talks about facing off with Stewart in another behind-the-scenes clip. “As on outsider, I see her for all the things the audience will, but as an insider playing her I had to not think about those things,” she explains. “Ravenna and Snow White are bound, in a way,” Stewart explains. “She can level you,” she added about Theron’s performance as the queen. A trailer will drop Monday during “The Voice” with an extended scene also hitting the Net that same day. In a new trailer sneak peek , the backstory is teased as Ravenna makes clear her intentions to kill Snow White. The film opens June 1. Hemsworth plays the Huntsman hired by the Queen to kill Snow and Sam Claflin rounds out the main cast as Prince Charming. Check out everything we’ve got on “Snow White and the Huntsman.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV First: ‘Breaking Dawn’ MTV Rough Cut: ‘Young Adult’
Track teases soundtrack album, which drops on March 20, ahead of ‘Hunger Games’ release on March 23. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Swift Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Taylor Swift ‘s other “Hunger Games” track, “Eyes Open,” has hit the ‘Net nearly a week before the official soundtrack drops. Whereas “Safe & Sound” is sparse and gloomy, Swift’s second “Hunger Games” soundtrack contribution is more epic and upbeat, at least musically. The lyrics still touch on many of the darker themes of the film, meaning that she sings about the loss of innocence and the need to stay strong in the face of adversity. “Yesterday we were just children/ Playing soldier just pretending/ Dreaming dreams with happy endings,” she sings on the track, which has been posted on Perez Hilton’s website . “In backyards battle with the wooden swords/ But now we’ve stepped into a cruel world/ Where everybody stands and keeps score.” The song is punctuated by big guitar riffs and a rock-inspired beat as Swift continues on the chorus, “Keep your eyes open/ Everybody’s waiting for you to break down/ Everybody’s watching to see the fallout/ Even when you’re sleeping, sleeping/ Keep your eyes, eyes open.” Lyrically, many of the tributes in the Hunger Games can relate to that need to be strong, but it seems to be particularly pointed at the story’s female lead, Katniss Everdeen, played by Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, who becomes the face of revolution in the beloved franchise. The full “Hunger Games” soundtrack drops on March 20, just days before the film opens on March 23. It features a wide array of artists, including Miranda Lambert, the Civil Wars (who also appear with Swift on “Safe & Sound”), Arcade Fire, Kid Cudi and more. “I immediately read the book in, like, two days and fell in love with it,” Swift explained about her love of all things “HG” when she sat down with MTV News during her “First” last month. “I fell in love with the characters, fell in love with the world that Suzanne Collins had created. I was just so immersed in it.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV First: Taylor Swift MTV Rough Cut: Jennifer Lawrence Related Artists Taylor Swift
Now here’s an image that could inspire a rebellion: Jennifer Lawrence hit the premiere of The Hunger Games in shiny, glowing gold, joining cast mates Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, and more to celebrate the upcoming YA event movie. Well, OK — that number’s not quite bow and arrow, running-through-the-woods killing people-friendly, but JenLaw destroyed everyone else on that black carpet, including guest (and… secret Hunger Games fan?) Sylvester Stallone. Photos after the jump! Click to launch the slideshow . Get more on The Hunger Games , in theaters March 23.
Despite nabbing an Academy Award last year with her self-financed and controversial “ Consider ” campaign, Melissa Leo says that neither life, nor the frequency of juicy Hollywood offers coming her way, is much different now that she’s an Oscar-winner. “The projects you think have been offered to me have not, I guarantee you,” she told Movieline this week at SXSW in Austin, where she and directors Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy screened their minimalist character study Francine to critical applause. Still, Leo perseveres. And as the intimate acting showcase demonstrates, there’s plenty of reward to be had in smaller and more daring projects. Francine follows the quiet, often disorienting moments in the experience of a woman recently released from incarceration (Leo) who is now slowly and cautiously adjusting to life on the outside. Taking on a number of jobs and tentative friendships, Francine finds herself increasingly comforted by stray animals she adopts, only further alienating herself from the people around her. Filming in New York’s Hudson Valley region, co-directors Shatzky and Cassidy tapped their photography and documentary film backgrounds to capture Francine’s attempts and failures at human interaction with a sensitive observational style that allows Leo the space to fully, and courageously, inhabit the character. Prior to Francine ’s SXSW premiere (which garnered high praise for Leo’s performance and the directors’ minimalist use of visual and aural elements), Leo spoke with Movieline about why she sought and lobbied for the lead in Francine , how things haven’t changed all that much since winning her Oscar, the emotional scene in which a dog appears to be euthanized onscreen, and why it was important to show Hollywood that she could “show up.” How did you come to meet these folks and hear about their idea? It was the summer before last sometime in the springtime, and the Hudson Valley film commissioner is a good friend of mine – he and his wife run the Woodstock Film Festival – and I get little blurbs from them online about what’s going on in the Hudson Valley. It was a casting call, but not for Francine – for the various and sundry characters she meets along the way, and a lead lady was required for this film. The name was Francine, after all! They were going to do something very interesting and tell a story largely through the pictures and not so much dialogue; that sounded like a really interesting notion, so I inserted myself through Laurent [Rejto] and said if they’d be interested in considering me for Francine I would love to talk to them about it. And this was before you’d even seen a script? From a paragraph, really, which I think was based on their own words. Just a little paragraph of what it was. You sought this out from a single paragraph description, which makes me wonder: What sort of projects do you look for, and are you always searching? Constantly looking is a very good way to put it, but I don’t know that I’m looking for one thing or another in particular. Something specific, but it could be a lot of things that are specific. And this project sounded A) very specific, B) a leading role, and this notion of taking film – young, young, film – into yet another realm – really taking it back to its basics, of the images . The sound in Francine is a very important element in the film, both the music that’s laid in and the sound – just like in The Artist ! That’s not a silent movie; you don’t hear the actors’ dialogue but again in that film the sound is such an important aspect of the film. That all really intrigued me, but probably first and foremost the thing that caught my attention was the chance to do a lead. But you’re Melissa Leo! Are lead roles still hard to come by? Who’s that? [Laughs] I say that to you because that’s what most people even today still say. Cab drivers… and then there’s this embarrassing moment when they say, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize!’ It’s really ok! Maybe I should wear a stamp on my forehead. But more seriously, the life of an actor is not what one imagines, and I find too that the life of an Oscar-winner is not what one imagines. For an actor, for an Oscar-winner, life is no different than for all the rest of us. We must try each day to be our best selves and make our best choices. Maybe we have a finer array of choices put in front of us, but the process is no less different. My experience, 365+ days later? The projects you think have been offered to me have not, I guarantee you. It will happen in time, if I persevere. But if I expect something to return because I took a beautiful golden statue and a lot of prestige home, I’m going to miss out on the second half of my life. You still operate, then, the same way you always have when it comes to career choices? I hope to continue to grow as I think I’ve done all my life, to continue to be my genuine self all at the same time. We’ll see how it goes! Did you shoot in sequence? No, which is why it’s really important that they’re able to share with me this project as a whole. If we would have shot sequentially, this idea of withholding is a very important notion for a director. There is an advantage in withholding, there is an advantage in telling everything; you’ve got to weigh out when to do that. If you had been going sequentially I would wager to guess they could have withheld more. When we shot 21 Grams , which is told in this beautiful poetic way that [Guillermo] Arriaga wrote it, but we shot it in sequential way which is one of the things that makes 21 Grams land in reality the way that it does. Because Benicio [Del Toro] and I and the kids all knew every moment before this that we’re shooting right now, as we shot. But that’s the key to this project and in the aftermath of getting to see it now and talking to you guys and Brian and Melanie, it has been endless growth and education to me, and I think to Brian and Melanie also, of how these two uses of film – my experience in 30 years as an actor and their experience of light through celluloid, and the sounds that accompany it! – it’s a fascinating marriage. Your performance in Francine feels so alive and in the moment, especially compared to more heavily constructed films – almost theatrical in a way. Is this kind of work particularly rewarding compared to projects with more artificial constraints? I take that as a compliment – I think that it can happen both on the stage and in film, where the film over takes what’s being shot. I’ve read some scripts of films that we might whine about – ‘Oh god, that one was so bad, and they spent how many millions of dollars on it?’ – and my heart goes out to the actors that lead in those films, because those characters aren’t written as characters in a story, they’re written as vehicles in a film. Francine might well be a very nice vehicle for me, I saw that, but it is not conceived of as such. She’s conceived of as a character, and that is Brian and Melanie’s gift to me.
Young heroes rebel against a fascist government that controls its citizenry through institutionalized terror and reality television, igniting a revolution that spreads across an isolated land via broadcast images and word of mouth. The Arab Spring? Nope. Try The Hunger Games , set in a dystopian sci-fi future that parallels current global unrest, which stars Jennifer Lawrence , Elizabeth Banks , and Donald Sutherland say they hope could spur a generation of YA-consuming youths into political action. “We live in a world where in the past, present, and possibly future governments and certain countries are controlling their people by keeping them separate, weak and hungry so that they’re not strong enough to fight back,” said Lawrence, who stars in the adaptation as teenage coal miner’s daughter/District 12 tribute Katniss Everdeen . “I think that there are a lot of messages [in The Hunger Games ] about history repeating itself and how something is wrong when you stay quiet, how we are the new generation.” Elizabeth Banks , who plays Capitol-assigned chaperone Effie Trinket , echoed the sentiment. “There are oppressive regimes all over the world that are being toppled by young people using YouTube to start revolutions,” she said. “There is no greater connection. This book is happening right now.” It can certainly be argued that Collins’ book series and the Gary Ross-directed feature adaptation has the potential to influence a generation of youngsters who’ll come for the sci-fi escapism and leave the theater appreciating its personal messages of personal accountability and standing up for what’s right in the face of impossible odds. More subtle are the franchise’s critiques of capitalism, celebrity, and media exploitation; if The Hunger Games succeeds in teaching kids to think critically about reality television alone that will be some sort of cultural coup. (Of course, there’s the tricky contradiction of getting such message from a heavily-marketed $70+ million studio production whose elaborate campaign has tapped social, online, and mainstream media in the pursuit of a huge box office, not to mention the issue of selling “ Capitol Couture ” as a merchandising tie-in.) Thankfully, here’s Donald Sutherland to put the Hunger Games potential for real world translation into relatable terms: “This has the possibility to change everything – to motivate, to catalyze, to activate, whatever revolutionary instincts there are in what is, essentially, from my point of view, a dormant generation.” “I just hope that they see from this allegory that the future is unacceptable. But more than that, it’s unimaginable. If you look at the weather, if you look at fossil fuels, if you look at a political party that just says no only because they want to get elected – they have no concern for four years for the people… those people are our business managers! “We own this country; they’re supposed to administer it for us. It’s not for them. They’re not supposed to be profiting from it! You don’t profit from it in Canada. You don’t profit from it in France. You don’t spend hundreds of millions of dollars to get elected! Nobody in their right mind would spend that much money in Canada, it’s just a bad investment! But it’s a good investment here, and that’s a problem.” “And you’ve got a Supreme Court that says a corporation is a citizen? Sorry, no. They don’t file the same tax forms I file… if they do, I’d like to know what it is. Because General Electric can make $4 billion in profit and they don’t pay any tax? I’m sorry. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, ‘Taxes are what you pay for a civilized society.’ If you carry that all the way backwards, we’re not civilized.” Of course, while older viewers may be prompted into critical political thinking by The Hunger Games , 12-year-olds clutching Mockingjay pins may not quite grasp the world as Sutherland sees it… yet. Then again, maybe all that needs to be planted is the seed of awareness. “It could make them stand up and become aware through this allegory of the political structure that they live in and what needs to be changed,” insisted Sutherland. “They could all become Katniss Everdeen.” Read more on The Hunger Games , which arrives in theaters March 23. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
‘I’ve professed my love for her pretty much,’ Banks tells MTV News of Suzanne Collins. By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Capitol Couture Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth — all names you’ll want to stand up and applaud for when the credits roll on “The Hunger Games,” no doubt. But if there’s one person you’ll really want to tip your hat to, it’s Suzanne Collins. Like J.K. Rowling with the “Harry Potter” series and Stephenie Meyer of “Twilight” fame, Collins is the novelist who dreamed Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne into existence. Without her, you wouldn’t have a tribute to fight for. Without her, you wouldn’t be on the cusp of what’s sure to be 2012’s biggest blockbuster so far. Certainly, actress Elizabeth Banks identifies Collins as the great hero of the “Hunger Games” franchise. In fact, “hero” isn’t a strong enough description — to Banks, Collins is a full-fledged rock star. “To me, the biggest star here is Suzanne Collins,” the actress and hard-core “Hunger Games” fan told MTV News about her feelings on the novel’s author. “She created this entire world, all of this pandemonium, all these characters. She birthed this whole situation. She couldn’t be a nicer lady. She’s the loveliest lady, and I’m a total geek around her. To me, she’s a total rock star.” Just as many fans would kill for the chance to spend time with the “Hunger Games” cast, so too did Banks swoon over getting one-on-one time in with Collins. “I’ve professed my love for her pretty much,” Banks laughed. “The books are done, and they’re the books, so she doesn’t need me to dissect them with her, but I’m very happy that she’s happy with the film. So to me, it was always about, ‘Let’s make director Gary Ross happy with the film, let’s make Suzanne happy. Everyone else, who cares.’ ” Of course, Banks cares very much about the fans, a group she described as “unbelievable.” “The passion of everyone here is crazy. It’s very exciting,” said Banks. “I’m very excited to see this movie with an audience. I saw it in a small room with two other people, so the energy in the room is going to be ballistically bananas. I brought tissues. It’s very emotional, this movie! I cried making it; It’s very emotional for me.” If Banks is already emotional over “Hunger Games,” she’ll want to bring plenty of tissues with her for “Catching Fire,” the planned sequel to the Collins-inspired movie. Though Banks wouldn’t confirm a start date for “Catching Fire,” she did tease a fashion item that she might end up wearing in the sequel. “In the books, Effie appears at the Reaping in a green dress,” she teased. “I did not wear the green dress in the movie. But we have it. It exists. So I think we’ll break that one out in ‘Catching Fire.’ ” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Live From ‘The Hunger Games’ Red Carpet Premiere Related Photos ‘Hunger Games’ World Premiere Red Carpet
‘I would want to have the time, the ability and the love for something,’ she tells MTV News of choosing roles. By Azia Celestino, with reporting by Kara Warner Taylor Swift Photo: MTV News Although pop/country superstar Taylor Swift has her hands full with a very successful music career — be it grabbing Grammys or working on a song for the “Hunger Games” soundtrack , don’t rule her out for a full-fledged crossover into acting. Swift recently went from recording songs to sound effects when she took on the role of Audrey in “The Lorax.” “What people don’t think about with character acting in the voice-over form [is] you’re making a lot of sounds,” Swift told MTV News recently about her experience in the latest Dr. Seuss movie, which also features the voices of Zac Efron, Betty White and Danny DeVito. “It’s very different from when you’re singing songs that you wrote. With this, you’re sitting there in a booth by yourself having conversations with no one.” The cast of the movie recorded their parts in different places, which made acting out dialogue even more of a challenge. But a part in “The Lorax” seems to be a premeditated change of pace for the pop star. “Acting is something I’ve been fascinated by my entire life,” she said. The singer said she has been reading scripts in her free time for the past five years but hasn’t been quick to accept a role. “I would want to have the time, the ability and the love for something, the love for a character to where I could really make that commitment to it.” Taylor is known for writing lyrics that reveal her feelings about love and heartbreak, and you can probably expect the same passion if she makes a move to the big screen. Check out everything we’ve got on “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Lorax’ Related Artists Taylor Swift
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