‘We made a great movie and you guys were awesome the whole time,’ Leven Rambin says ahead of Sunday’s show. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Eric Ditzian Leven Rambin Photo: MTV News UNIVERSAL CITY, California — “The Hunger Games” star Leven Rambin is beyond appreciative of all the love fans have shown the movie since it dropped in March. But, she still has one request of you tributes: get out and vote for the flick at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards going down this Sunday! “All the fans that saw the ‘Hunger Games’ — they came out to all the events, they came out to the malls and the premiere and they camped [out],” Rambin told MTV News. “This was the first movie in our franchise and you guys showed so much love and hard-core dedication, so please give our little movie some votes this year.” The film is vying for a Golden Popcorn against the likes of “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” and the last “Harry Potter” flick, so Rambin knows the competition is stiff. “We know we’re the underdog and we’re the new kids and we really pushed through,” she said. “We made a great movie and you guys were awesome the whole time. So vote for ‘Hunger Games’ [for] Best Cast and I’m sure we’ll be there to receive our honors. Thank you for your support.” In addition to Best Cast , the film is also up for Movie of the Year, Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance, Best Hero, Breakthrough Performance, Best On-Screen Transformation , Best Fight and Best Kiss. Want to know if “Hunger Games” will sweep the awards on Sunday? You’ll tune have to tune in to the MTV Movie Awards, hosted by Russell Brand and featuring performances from Fun. , The Black Keys, Martin Solveig and Wiz Khalifa . It all goes down at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday, June 3. 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 Videos Behind The Scenes At The 2012 MTV Movie Awards Related Photos Sneak Peek Week At The 2012 Movie Awards
‘Harry Potter’ also earns Leven Rambin’s wrath: ‘That’s so seven years ago.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Eric Ditzian Leven Rambin Photo: MTV News “The Hunger Games” has some stiff competition at Sunday’s 2012 MTV Movie Awards , especially in two major categories: Movie of the Year and Best Cast . Surely the cast of the splashy big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel fully understands warfare, which is why when MTV News recently spoke to Leven Rambin — who plays the ill-fated Glimmer in “Hunger Games” — she had some feisty fighting words for those other casts. Well, for all the films except one notable exception. “I think it’s a close tie between ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Bridesmaids,’ and I would not be offended if ‘Bridesmaids’ won, ’cause, frankly, they’re my favorite cast of any movie I’ve ever seen ever,” she dished. “I think it’s neck-and-neck.” Of course, she had less-than-kind things to say about some of those other nominated films. ” ‘Harry Potter’? That’s so seven years ago,” she said. “So I think ‘The Hunger Games’ is the hot new kids on the block.” And she wasn’t shy to brush off “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” another major movie franchise vying for the Golden Popcorn when the show goes live this Sunday (June 3). “What? What’s that? ‘Breaking’ who?” she sassed. In the Movie of the Year category, Rambin and the other Tributes face off against “Bridesmaids,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” “The Help” and “Breaking Dawn – Part 1”. Meanwhile, in the Best Cast competition, “The Hunger Games” will take on “Bridesmaids,” “Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” “21 Jump Street” and “The Help.” Want to know who will win? Well, the 2012 MTV Movie Awards will be hosted by Russell Brand and feature performances from Fun. , The Black Keys, Martin Solveig and Wiz Khalifa . It all goes down at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday, June 3. 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 Videos Behind The Scenes At The 2012 MTV Movie Awards Related Photos Sneak Peek Week At The 2012 Movie Awards
‘I want to give you that same impact that I had when I put that record out,’ Pete Rock says about ‘Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free).’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Pete Rock Photo: MTV News Pete Rock and CL Smooth ‘s “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” is an iconic, classic and unforgettable track that hip-hop fans across the world hold near and dear. But as special as the 1992 track is to the listener, it means even more to the creator, who originally made the track in dedication to his fallen friend Troy “Trouble T Roy” Dixon. So when producer Pete Rock first heard Lupe Fiasco ‘s remake, “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free),” on the radio last week, he was quite upset. “At that point, my emotions were working — I’m still thinking about Heavy D and Troy is a dear friend to me, and my emotions got the best of me, and I expressed myself on Twitter,” Pete Rock told MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway on Tuesday, a week after Lupe released his single. Dixon, a former member of the hip-hop group Heavy D & the Boyz, passed away in 1990 after an accidental fall while he was out on tour. Two years later, Pete Rock and his partner CL Smooth released “T.R.O.Y.” to pay homage. The song took on even greater meaning for Rock after Heavy D, his cousin, passed away in November 2011. The Soul Brother said he was approached by Lupe’s label and management to use his classic beat for their new track. Rock agreed, under the one condition: that he was involved in the recording process. “I thought from that point I would be involved with Lupe and being in the studio, tweaking the beat, but I never heard from the record label, and then I turn on the radio, and hear it on the radio,” Rock explained. Instead of involving Pete Rock, Lupe and his team re-created the beat from the original 1967 Tom Scott sample from which “T.R.O.Y.” was crafted. “No disrespect to lupe fiasco and i like him alot but TROY should be left alone. Feel so violated, the beat is next to my heart and was made Outta anguish and pain. When it’s like that it should not be touched by no one,” Rock tweeted after hearing the track. “I’m not flattered @ all. Dat sh– is wack, and the producer should be ashamed of his f—in self. Smh.” The two soon got on the phone, and their respective differences were thought to be solved. “I just got off da phone with lupe, we worked out our difference and we bout to get it in,” Pete tweeted May 23. “Gonna be epic and we gonna give Troy and hev the proper respect they deserve and make history.” The very next day, an irate Lupe phoned into the “Sway in the Morning” radio show and blasted Pete Rock for what he said was a premature tweet. “He wasn’t supposed to say that,” Lupe said in response to Pete’s tweet about plans to collaborate, which has now been deleted from his account. “He was supposed to say the same sh– he said on the phone: ‘Yo, man, it was my bad, that was wack, it was f—ed up for me to say that, it was disrespectful, I was 100 percent in the wrong, I apologize.’ That’s what he was supposed to say.” The two artists clearly have different views, but Pete contends that his aim was to make peace. “When he called, he was upset, and I just tried to talk him through that and say, ‘Look, man, at the end of the day, let’s just fix this thing,’ ” Rock explained to MTV News. “My whole goal was to just squash this thing, fix the music and just move on.” Pete said he’s still a Fiasco fan — naming “Paris, Tokyo” and “Kick, Push” as two of his favorite songs — but he also stands by his original condition: If anyone is to remake “T.R.O.Y.,” he wants to be involved. “If you’re using my track, I want to give you that same impact that I had when I put that record out,” he said. “They Reminisce Over You” has already been redone several times — on mixtapes as well as commercially released albums. Rock said he can’t control the unauthorized mixtape versions, but he would like to be a part of all official remakes, as he was on Mary J. Blige’s 1993 What’s the 411? Remix album. “The Mary J. Blige remix was dope because she involved us and she put CL Smooth on her remix,” he said. What do you think about Lupe Fiasco’s “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)”? Sound off below! Related Artists Pete Rock
Michelle Williams, Elizabeth Banks and Colin Farrell also up for Best On-Screen Transformation at Sunday’s show. By Josh Wigler Johnny Depp in “Dark Shadows” Photo: Warner Bros. On-screen transformations aren’t purely dominated by Autobots and Decepticons. Actors can undergo their own forms of cinematic overhauls too, from makeup-heavy makeovers to complete 180-degree turns against type to — as the case may be — shocking returns to one’s original form. All of these and more are represented in the Best On-Screen Transformation category at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards . This year’s nominees include the twice-nominated Colin Farrell for his dirtbaggy turn in “Horrible Bosses” and “Hunger Games” favorite Elizabeth Banks’ perfectly pink metamorphosis as the irrepressible Effie Trinket, among others. There’s no shortage of worthy candidates for the Best On-Screen Transformation award, but which nominee will walk away feasting on Golden Popcorn? You can make that choice for yourself by voting over at MovieAwards.MTV.com — but first, let’s re-examine each of the nominees, shall we? Colin Farrell, “Horrible Bosses” The Irish actor is the epitome of the leading man: dark-haired, dark-eyed, smoky-voiced, with an enormous list of credits to his name including “S.W.A.T.” and his Golden Globe-winning turn in “In Bruges.” None of those qualities are on display in Farrell’s “Horrible Bosses” performance as coke fiend Bobby Pellitt, a balding, overweight son of a you-know-what. His physical transformation is as shocking as Tom Cruise’s Les Grossman of “Tropic Thunder” fame. It’s no less award-worthy, either. Elizabeth Banks, “The Hunger Games” Banks was a huge “Hunger Games” fan well before the movie ever got into motion, and her adoration for the world of Panem shines brightly through her performance as the bubbly Effie. It’s no easy task trying to recognize the “Zack and Miri” actress beneath the layers upon layers of pink-and-pale powder, but trust us, she’s there — and she’ll be there for many years to come, thanks to the huge success of the first “Hunger Games” film. Johnny Depp, “21 Jump Street” We did it, guys! No, seriously, we did — MTV News long championed for a Depp cameo in Jonah Hill’s “21 Jump Street,” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star delivered with flying colors. Aside from the fact that Depp is virtually unrecognizable in the role, it’s the hilarious and astonishing way that his part plays out that proves just how much of a transformation this “Jump Street” throwback really was for the Oscar-nominated actor. Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn” As Jamie Foxx and Philip Seymour Hoffman will happily tell you, getting under the skin of real-life historical figures is a great way to win yourself an Oscar. That tactic didn’t work for Williams at this year’s Academy Awards, but it could very easily lead to a Golden Popcorn trophy at the Movie Awards on Sunday. Williams is virtually unrecognizable as Monroe, slipping into the iconic entertainer’s tragic life with ease. Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” If I were a betting man, I’d put money on Mara taking home the Best On-Screen Transformation award. Seriously, did any of these other candidates get their no-no parts pierced for their roles? I didn’t think so! Beyond the long-term physical adjustments she made to her own body, Mara embraced punk-hacker Lisbeth Salander’s cold and calculating personality wholeheartedly, convincing us beyond a shadow of a doubt that she truly was the girl who played with fire. 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 Videos 2012 Movie Awards: Best On-Screen Transformation Nominees 2012 Movie Awards Presenters Related Photos 2012 Movie Awards Presenters
Pattinson was initially ‘curious’ about rumors he would be playing dreamy tribute Finnick Odair, before shutting them down. By Jocelyn Vena Robert Pattinson Photo: AFP With one saga over, “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson says he has no plans to join that other super-buzzy and much-loved book-to-movie franchise, “The Hunger Games.” In an interview with
MTV News visits the set of the book-to-film adaptation to get the juicy details on the Meyer’s parasitic story. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh HorowitzKara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz On the set of “The Host” Photo: MTV News Hey Stephenie Meyer fans, have we got a treat for you. MTV News got a behind-the-scenes look at Andrew Niccol’s big-screen adaptation of Meyer’s “The Host.” The sci-fi romance is Meyer’s first adult novel, and we were lucky enough to get an exclusive sneak peek when we visited the set last month. “The Host” is the story of Melanie Stryder (played by Saoirse Ronan ), one of the last humans to have avoided capture by an alien race called Souls. The Souls operate more like parasites in that they invade human bodies and erase their personalities. The film follows the unlikely partnership of Melanie and her parasite as they seek out the last of Melanie’s human relatives and her love Jared (Max Irons). For Ronan, whom we witnessed running down corridors and jumping off tall precipices, her dual roles are a lot more physical than she expected, but she has relished the opportunity to flex those new action-type muscles. “I didn’t expect it to be so physical. I’ve been in a harness quite a bit, I’ve done stunts, I jumped off a balcony it was 30 feet in the air,” Ronan revealed with pride. “That was pretty cool.” Speaking to the film’s romance, Irons admitted that he enjoyed the struggle Jared has in wanting to be close to Melanie, but knowing in the back of his mind that he can’t. We watched Ronan and Irons film one of their more emotionally charged scenes that involved Jared trying not to kiss Melanie. “Jared’s struggle is when Melanie returns, she was the love of his life and he lost her, but then she walks back into his life,” Irons explained. “He wants to hold her, but the rational part of his mind is saying she needs to be killed.” From the looks of things on set, this big-screen adaptation has major potential to strike a chord among Meyer’s dedicated fanbase. The author told us that she’s enjoyed her involvement in the production and that being on the cave sets was particularly magical for her. “It was so awesome. The cave set was enormous, it was vast, they’re just so cool, so much fun to walk on,” Meyer enthused. “It was kind of like someone built something out of your imagination just for you.” The also stars Jake Abel, William Hurt and Diane Kruger, and is slated for a March 2013 release. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Host.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Host’ Related Photos ‘The Host’
Fans can cast their vote in the new Best Hero category using hashtags on Twitter associated with the nominees — now through the June 3 show. By John Mitchell Daniel Radcliffe in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” Photo: Warner Bros. Fans of onscreen heroics should get their fingertips ready to tear up Twitter because that’s where they’ll be voting for their favorite onscreen do-gooder in the new category of Best Hero for the 2012 MTV Movie Awards . Beginning Tuesday (May 29) and right on through to the live show on June 3, fans can vote and track the nominees for Best Hero, presented by Sprint, via Twitter using hashtags associated with the nominees. Is your favorite hero a contender? Check out the nominees :
So much for that casting rumor. A few days after word spread that Robert Pattinson was being considered for the role of Finnick Odar – a Hunger Games character with whom this actor shares nary a physical trait – in Catching Fire , the handsome star has come out and made it clear: This ain’t happening. “I woke up this morning and saw all these things about me being cast in The Hunger Games ,” Pattinson told USA Today. “I was kind of curious for a second. So I called my agent… [he] was like no one’s going to offer you that part. I was like, ‘thanks for the reassurance.'” That’s probably a good thing. So, with Pattinson out of the running, the question remains: Who should take on the physically gifted role of Finnick?
Jennifer Lawrence is the gorgeous actress you might have seen before in The Hunger Games and here she is looking sexy wearing a see-through outfit for the paparazzi Continue reading →
Now that there’s no need to dance around spoilers (because everyone in the world saw it in theaters) we finally have an official Hunger Games trailer reel that includes the best scenes and plot turns of Katniss Everdeen’s journey from District 12 huntress to The Girl on Fire. Revisit highlights from Lionsgate’s mega-franchise adaptation with the Hunger Games Blu-ray trailer and see what’s in store in the jam-packed bonus features on for the August 2-disc Blu-ray and DVD release. Included in the three hours of bonus materials are an eight-part documentary on the making of the film, a sit-down chat with director Gary Ross, and the full Capitol propaganda film that appears within the movie. It would’ve been cool to see parts of the presentation and film Ross made to get the directing gig in the first place, but there are always future home video re-issues and special editions that more obscure materials could potentially find a home with. Meanwhile, start your Hunger Games Blu-ray/DVD shopping plans now, as there will undoubtedly be Twilight -level activities surrounding the release at midnight on August 18. Full press release follows: SANTA MONICA, CA, May 23, 2012 –Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games juggernaut will arrive on home entertainment at 12:01 A.M. on Saturday, August 18, as the first film in Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) The Hunger Games franchise, which has already grossed nearly $400 million at the North American box office and is approaching $650 million at the worldwide box office, debuts on 2-disc DVD (plus digital copy), 2-disc Blu-Ray (plus digital copy), VOD and digital download with three hours of previously unavailable bonus materials in the biggest home entertainment launch in Lionsgate’s history, the Company announced today. The film, based on the New York Times best-selling novel from writer Suzanne Collins, achieved a remarkable four-week run as the #1 film at the North American theatrical box office where it has already grossed $392 million, ranking as the 14th highest-grossing film of all time, and it is approaching $650 million at the worldwide box office with an early June opening slated in China. The 2-disc Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD arrive loaded with over three hours of extensive bonus materials including the comprehensive eight-part documentary, “The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games.” Other special features include a sit-down conversation with director Gary Ross as well as numerous featurettes that examine the global success of the books, the creation of the control room in the film and the filmmakers’ motivation behind creating new scenes that were not in the book plus much more. The Blu-ray Disc set contains an additional exclusive feature, “Preparing for the Games: A Director’s Process,” which looks at the progression of taking three key scenes from the book to the screen. The Hunger Games Blu-ray Disc and DVD is a must-have film that is hailed as “exciting and thought-provoking in a way few adventure dramas ever are” (New York Daily News). Fans will be able to pre-order the Blu-ray Disc and DVD, starting on Friday, May 25th, for $39.99 and $30.98, respectively. “The motion picture event of the year is poised to become the home entertainment event of the year and, with a midnight launch and midnight retail events scheduled at stores around the country, we expect to replicate the same level of consumer excitement generated by the film’s theatrical debut,” said Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate Executive Vice President & General Manager, Home Entertainment. “This is far and away the biggest home entertainment launch in Lionsgate’s history and, true to a theatrical marketing campaign that incorporated an unprecedented reliance on digital and traditional media alike, our home entertainment launch will involve a similarly innovative and integrated digital and packaged media rollout that we will unveil in the weeks ahead.” Directed by Academy Award® nominee Gary Ross (Seabiscuit), The Hunger Games, starring Academy Award® nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), features an ensemble cast that includes Golden Globe® winner Donald Sutherland (Citizen X), Academy Award® nominee Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), Academy Award® nominee Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt), Lenny Kravitz (Precious) and Emmy® nominee Elizabeth Banks (TV’s “30 Rock”). The film also stars some of the industry’s brightest up and coming actors such as Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) and Liam Hemsworth (The Expendables 2). The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy of books published by Scholastic that has already become a literary phenomenon with over 36.5 million copies in circulation. Set in the future, one male and one female from each of the twelve districts of the nation is forced to participate in the annual competition called The Hunger Games, which is broadcast live throughout the country for the entertainment of the Capitol’s wealthy residents. Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) volunteers in her younger sister’s place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she’s pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. BLU-RAY & DVD SPECIAL FEATURES* “The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games” – an eight-part documentary covering the “making of” the film in all aspects from the pre-production process all the way through the theatrical release and fan reactions “Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenon” featurette “Letters from the Rose Garden” featurette – insights from Donald Sutherland on the development of his role as President Snow “Controlling the Games” featurette – stories and concepts behind creating the control center “A Conversation with Gary Ross and Elvis Mitchell” Propaganda Film (in its entirety) Marketing Archive “Preparing for The Games: A Director’s Process” (Blu-ray Exclusive) * Subject to change [via Lionsgate]
