Yunel Escobar has issued an apology for one of the stranger scandals we’ve seen recently in the world of sports. The Toronto Blue Jays shortstop donned eye black for his team’s game against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, scribbling Spanish words across the outside that translate roughly to “faggot.” The ball player was suspended three games for the action. “I feel bad,” he told the media this afternoon in response to the incident. “I’m leaving my team for something I didn’t intend to do. I have nothing against the gay community and honestly I’m sorry… It was just a joke and it wasn’t directed to anyone in particular… “It’s just something that’s been said around amongst Latinos. It’s not something that’s meant to be offensive. For us, it didn’t have the significance to the way it’s being interpreted right now. It’s a word used often within teams. … I agree with the suspension and don’t have any problem with it.” Escobar, who is hitting only .251 this season, will forfeit about $92,000 as a result of the suspension. A portion of those funds will go to GLAAD.
There’s a lot of “auto” in Dax Shepard ‘s debut as an auteur. Shepard (who previously co-directed the mockumentary Brother’s Justice ) wrote, co-directed and stars in the action comedy Hit and Run ; he even cast real-life love Kristen Bell to play the role of his cherished girlfriend, but their romance is not at the center of this movie — rather, it’s the deep love between Shepard and the many cars that populate the film that drives Hit and Run . It’s only when these machines rev their engines that the soundtrack fills with sultry ballads and the camera switches to slow mo — all the better for us to admire the sleek undercarriages and sexy lines of the movie’s many four-wheeled stars. But this is far from a good thing. The movie’s human stars can’t compete with such auto-erotica; cartoonish characters and a thin plot are mostly vehicles to get from one stretch of highway to another, in a chase through the kind of cinematic America where fleabag motels have parking lots filled with easily-stolen luxury sports cars and roadways are always adjacent to abandoned airports that provide plenty of space for nifty driving tricks. Shepard stars as Charlie Bronson, a likeable guy living in a non-specific American everytown. Although Charlie doesn’t have a job, he does have a devoted girlfriend, Annie (Bell), and a bumbling U.S. Marshal (Tom Arnold, looking increasingly like a nerdy version of Meat Loaf) to watch over him. Charlie, you see, is in the Witness Protection Program, a fact that is supposed to prevent him from leaving his safe provincial town. But when Annie has the opportunity to interview for a big job at a university in Los Angeles, Charlie decides to chauffer her towards her dreams and away from his own safety. The fact that he decides to do this not in Annie’s inconspicuous sedan but rather in his highly noticeable 1967 Lincoln Continental (complete with expired plates registered to his former identity) is only one of many questionable moments in the thin plot. It’s the plates on the car that allow Gil (Michael Rosenbaum) Annie’s meticulously groomed and spiteful ex-boyfriend, to uncover Charlie’s former identity. And thanks to the wonders of Facebook, where one assumes all dangerous criminals have easily-searchable profiles, Gil is able to track down Charlie’s former bank-robbing associates and tip them off as to his whereabouts. The chase is on, with Annie and Charlie trailed by Marshal Randy and Gil, picking up extra characters (including a pair of extraneous cops and Beau Bridges in a cameo as Charlie’s father, who keeps a fleet of monster ATVs in his big red barn, of course) along the way. Will the baddies from Charlie’s former life catch up with him? Will Annie make it to her interview? Will she discover that Charlie’s story, of only being an innocent witness to a crime, isn’t the whole truth? Will they stay together in the face of shock revelations and inevitable car sickness? ( Will that ATV get to climb a giant staircase?? ) The movie kicks up no real tension in the search for the answers to any of these questions, and when plotlines do swing back around, they come with more of an “Oh right, remember that ?” than with a satisfying snap. One senses that the movie doesn’t quite have the chutzpah to be what it wants to be — a Fast and Furious -like sequence of balletic car chases — so it periodically halts to wedge in some romance. (The charming Bell and Shepard don’t have much to do but enjoy a lovely on-screen chemistry, a rarity for offscreen couples, that rises above their underwritten characters.) Jokes stay mostly in the range of the strictly puerile (naked old people!) with occasional forays into the mystifyingly icky (an extended joke has Charlie obsessed with the nationality of the man who raped Bradley Cooper’s bank-robbing baddie in the prison shower.) The talented cast is game and deserves better, especially Cooper, who is saddled with a dreadlocked fright wig that gives the impression he is performing all his scenes with a spongy blond octopus sitting on his head. But at least he gets to drive, swerving around in his little red car like he’s in a bumper car ring. From this we know his character is unpredictable but ultimately in control, because the movie’s most complete character developments come through the cars the characters drive. It’s a cinematic stand-in for masculinity that would make Freud proud: We know Arnold’s U.S. Marshal is a mess because he drives a minivan that he can’t even park competently (he also wildly fires off his gun all the time, in case one mishandled phallic symbol wasn’t enough). Dax Shepard’s Charlie, as befits the hero and the part played by the writer/director, gets the broadest spectrum of vehicles, from the kickass black Lincoln to a shiny ATV. It looks like he’s having a great time up there, getting to drive them around. If only he had brought the audience along for the ride. Anika Chapin is an NYC-based dramaturg and writer. She has contributed pieces to The New York Times , and blogs about theater and pop culture at http://bloggledygook.wordpress.com . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Holy Swashbucklers! Rumors are flying that Johnny Depp is considering a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean installment, and the speculation may be overheating. Some international papers including The Sun say the newly single star could make some rather unprecedented cha-ching — to the tune of £60 million (that’s about $95 million at current exchange rates). That would be some crazy treasure even the likes of, well, a pirate, could only dream of… But is the super-star actor worth the stupid money even if the rumors were only say, mostly true? Producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed in May that a fifth Pirates script was in the works. He told the Los Angeles Times that he could only make the pic with Depp on board. Who else could play Captain Jack Sparrow after all? “Hopefully, if this one does well, (Depp) will want to come back and play the character again,” Bruckheimer told the L.A. Times. “But it’s going to depend on the screenplay. It always does. He’s maniacal about not wanting to disappoint his audience.” Apparently, Depp is considering another round of Pirates , according to The Wrap. The site also noted last summer Depp cashed had cashed in with the franchise at almost $350 million at the time. OK, so Depp already owns a Bahamian island and likely could seize some more with his current Pirates war chest alone, but is he worth potentially the biggest pay out yet if he takes on a fifth installment? Here’s a breakdown of the franchise’s worldwide grosses: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tide : $1,043,871,802 ($250 million production budget) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End : $963,420,425 ($300 million production budget) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest : $1,066,179,725 ($225 million production budget) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl : $654,264,015 ($140 million production budget) Of course, these are theatrical grosses, never mind all the other tie-ins. So, is a mega-package, whether it’s a cool $90 million — or so — worth the payout? [ Source: The Wrap , Box Office Mojo , The Sun ]
Experts predict animated film will hit #1 just as all 12 previous Pixar films have done. By Ryan J. Downey A scene from “Brave” Photo: By most accounts, “Brave” is expected to hit a box-office bull’s-eye this weekend. Industry watchers have predicted the latest from Disney/Pixar will continue the studio’s tradition of claiming the top spot. All 12 previous Pixar films hit #1 in wide release. The 3-D animated story of a free-spirited Scottish princess possessed of major bow-and-arrow prowess is set to debut in an estimated 4,000 locations. “The goodwill people feel for Pixar gets it to $62 million this weekend, even in the face of middling reviews,” IMDb’s Keith Simanton told MTV News. Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations , and HitFix.com co-founder/ editor in chief Gregory Ellwood predicted an opening in the $60 million range for “Brave” as well, although NextMovie.com editor Kevin Polowy put the movie’s bow closer to $50 million. The Los Angeles Times estimated the movie’s opening as high as $65 million. Critics have been mostly kind to “Brave” thus far but have withheld the type of loving adoration reserved for the “Toy Story” movies. The consensus is that the movie is good, but not great in the way fans of the brand have come to expect. ” ‘Brave’ Is No ‘Incredibles’ — but See the Latest Pixar Flick Anyway …,” was the headline for E! Online ‘s review, which went on to say the movie “may not boast the pitch-perfect storytelling of ‘Ratatouille’ ” but “it has belly laughs aplenty.” Nevertheless, a $60 million opening would be very strong. “That’s similar to what ‘Cars 2’ and ‘WALL-E’ debuted with, which is nothing to sneeze at,” Ellwood noted. “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” managed to hang on to the top spot against new movies from Tom Cruise and Adam Sandler (which both flopped) last weekend and could pose somewhat of a problem for Pixar. ” ‘Madagascar 3’ is fast on its way to becoming the highest-grossing movie in the series, has tremendous word-of-mouth and benefits from being a better-known and trusted brand than ‘Brave,’ despite the Pixar connection,” Polowy pointed out. Simanton, on the other hand, said “Brave” doesn’t have much to worry about from last weekend’s #1 movie. ” ‘Madagascar’ benefited from having no competition for kids’ money during its run, but it’s winding down now. It likely makes $16 to $17M this weekend, but that won’t directly harm ‘Brave.’ ” Bock predicted $17 million for “Madagascar 3” as well, which will make for an excellent three-week total for a kid-franchise threequel. Simanton placed much of the movie’s success on its streamlined sense of purpose. “[It] went the same route as ‘Ice Age 3,’ almost dispensing with the need to continue to tell the story and heading instead to an almost purely comedic offering. The accountants would say that going for the laughs is good for the revenue stream. A parallel that I find interesting is ‘Kung Fu Panda 2.’ It opened better than ‘Ice Age 3’ with a higher per-theater average. However, it quickly suffered from its reviews and bad word-of-mouth. Things really changed when they hit the international stage: [‘Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs’] made more internationally than ‘Panda 2’ made in total.” Where the third “Madagascar” movie goes straight for the laughs, the first-ever Pixar movie to feature a female protagonist at the center of the story is filled with action, swordplay, hulking bears and themes of tradition, honor and independence. “Pixar films aren’t just family films, they reach out to every demographic, so having a film that is a bit more mature shouldn’t affect business much,” Bock said. “Female heroines have been hot, with ‘Twilight,’ ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Snow White and the Huntsman.’ It’s just a surprise it’s taken forward-thinking Pixar 12 films to give females a shot at headlining glory.” At times, “Brave” is much darker in tone than any previous Pixar movie. “It is much scarier than the standard Pixar offering and that will affect it,” Simanton said, adding that he found the film to be better than “Cars 2” but not as good as “Wall-E.” “Its comedic bits lack the Pixar touch. They’re loud and clumsy and not very much in character,” he said. As a result of all of these factors, he concluded, ” ‘Brave’ won’t likely have the same legs as other Pixar films in the coming weeks.” Whereas Pixar and the “Madagascar” franchise are well-known brands, the other big studio picture this weekend will likely suffer from a lack of awareness. Based on the book of the same name, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is a mixture of action and horror that re-imagines the Civil War president as a stake-wielding badass. ” ‘Lincoln’ is looking at $20 million for the weekend,” Ellwood predicted. “Considering the early buzz, that’s face saving for 20th Century Fox.” “I think Fox would be fortunate if ‘Abe’ opened with $20+ million,” agreed Bock. “Mash-ups are typically a difficult sell, and historical/horror has never had a hit that I’m aware of. This is probably the riskiest endeavor of the summer, and the fact that it looks more like a video game than a movie certainly doesn’t help its cause.” “Director Timur Bekmambetov has gone up against Pixar before, when 2008’s ‘Wanted’ opened against ‘Wall-E’ and held its own, grossing $50 million,” Bock added. “But honestly, that had more to do with Angelina Jolie than anything else. With a cast of relative unknowns, ‘Lincoln’ may find itself without much public support.” Opening in more than 3,000 locations, “Lincoln” will need to match the $24 million collected by “Zombieland” in order to be considered a success, according to Simanton. “I’m putting it at $19 million, but it may be closer to $17 million,” he said. If “Lincoln” isn’t a success, it could spell more trouble for “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” which has already had a rough road going from the page to the screen. Even with Lionsgate behind the film and Natalie Portman attached as producer, the project has already been through three directors since it was first announced. “If ‘Abe’ outright bombs this weekend, [‘Pride’] may just be dead,” Bock said. “Even the undead know that’s not a good thing. With an estimated budget of $70 million, ‘Abe’ isn’t that big of risk for Fox, but they need more than just fanboys to convert the masses. Odds are this is headed more towards pennies than $5 bills, though, as this is the strangest-looking film to open since ‘Howard the Duck.’ And we know how that ended.” Simanton likened “Lincoln” to one of last week’s bombs. “It falls into that nether realm occupied by ‘Rock of Ages.’ Guys were supposed to go to it but didn’t. Those exit poll demographics will harm ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ if they don’t skew towards the coveted 18-35 male.” Whether or not “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” does decent business this weekend shouldn’t have any long-term effects for Steve Carell and his post-“Office” career. “It’s a low-budget indie he shot that is being released semi-wide,” Ellwood noted. “If it was a big studio release, it would be much more important.” “It’s not a big studio film and isn’t being presented as one in the marketing or [as] a film Carell is supposed to carry,” agreed Simanton. “Steve Carell is already a bona fide movie star. ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ solidified that,” Bock added. ” ‘The Office’ certainly helped bring him to the forefront, but he’s so popular now, he can afford to take some risks. ‘Seeking a Friend’ probably won’t be a huge hit, but it will definitely have its fans.” “If the guy survived the mega-budgeted bomb ‘Evan Almighty,’ he can survive anything,” Polowy said. Woody Allen’s “To Rome With Love” will open in even fewer theaters than Carell’s picture. Last year, Allen had his biggest success to date ($56.8 million domestically) with Sony Pictures Classic’s “Midnight in Paris,” which boasts a 93 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes . This weekend’s follow-up sat at 53 percent at press time. “Woody Allen had the biggest gross of his career with ‘Paris,’ but as is the case with ‘The Woodman,’ for every amazing film he unspools, there are two or three misfires,” Bock said.”That’s the risk you take making a movie every year as he has done. Nobody can churn out quality every time.” ” ‘Rome”s reviews have been unkind and that typically does handicap an Allen film,” Simanton said. ” ‘Midnight”s immediate predecessor, ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger’ — which isn’t all that bad, in my opinion — barely made $3.2 million domestically in its entire run.” Ellwood predicted that “Rome” will perform “closer to a traditional Allen movie” than “Paris,” with somewhere between $5 million to $10 million domestically. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’
Oh hey, remember Twilight ? That book that was a movie that spawned a gazillion-dollar franchise before The Hunger Games and Fifty Shades of Grey made you momentarily forget about sparkly vampires? Well, it’s back, and the latest EW cover serves to remind us all that Breaking Dawn – Part 2 — the franchise ender, due in November — is just on the horizon. Forthwith, your first look at Vampire Bella, Daddy Edward, and, uh, Uncle Jacob with Breaking Dawn ‘s preternaturally mature baby Renesmee. EW teases their June 22 issue with family portraits of Bella ( Kristen Stewart ), Edward ( Robert Pattinson ), Jacob ( Taylor Lautner ), and little Renesmee, a new character introduced in Breaking Dawn – Part 2 . Per Stephenie Meyer’s final Twilight novel, Renesmee is the half-human, half-vampire baby whose birth pretty much kills Bella at the end of Breaking Dawn – Part 1 , necessitating Bella’s transformation into a vampire and kicking off the final chapter of zany events in the series. Among the stranger details of Breaking Dawn – Part 2 : Renesmee is a hybrid creature baby who grows at an accelerated rate, hence why she looks more like Siri Cruise than a normal infant. (Forget Twilight – let’s get to the untold story of Matt Leblanc, amirite?) Eleven-year-old newcomer Mackenzie Foy nabbed the role of Renesmee, and from the looks of EW’s preview she gets considerable face time with not only her vampire parents (and Jacob — more on that in a bit) but with the various assembled international vampires that gather to rally around the Cullen clan as the evil Volturi vamps head to America to wipe them out. EW’s Twilight issue hits stands June 15, along with new images from the film. Take a look at the Cullen brood… And the various global vampire clans that gather in Breaking Dawn – Part 2 : Of course, Dakota Fanning returns with the Volturi… …and Vampire Bella is strong enough to arm-wrestle Emmett… …but let’s talk about Jacob and Renesmee and the love that dare not speak its name: Imprinting. Scans of the EW cover story have already leaked, revealing bits of the cast and director interviews discussing the set, casting Foy (“Even our hands look similar,” marvels Stewart), etc. But let’s jump right over to the elephant in the room, shall we? Lautner addresses his Breaking Dawn challenge — making Jacob “imprint” on his soulmate, baby Renesmee, without making it feel, you know, creepy (via Nessie-Mackenzie.com ): …talking to Stephenie Meyer and diving back into the book got him more comfortable with the notion of being in love with a child. “Everyone likes to tease me about it,” he says. “Everyone thinks it’s so funny, and I laugh along with them, but it’s important for me to keep in my mind that it’s as simple as a lifelong bond. It’s not nearly as creepy as everybody likes to joke.” That “everybody” includes Pattinson, needless to say. “Oh, I can’t wait till he has to do live TV,” Pattinson says of Lautner with a gleeful cackle. “Did you ask him if his taste in women has changed? The first scene I saw them together, I literally could not stop laughing. I wouldn’t have been able to do it.” Well, good luck to Lautner. I don’t care if Stewart had to wear uncomfortable contact lenses, he’s officially got the hardest job of anyone on Twilight . Look for more in EW’s June 22 issue. [ EW ]
‘I think Armie Hammer was always their #1 choice,’ he says of ending up alongside Kristen Stewart in ‘Huntsman’ instead. By Jocelyn Vena Sam Claflin Photo: MTV News “Snow White and the Huntsman” star Sam Claflin apparently had enough charm to be up for the role of the prince in both big-screen adaptations of the classic Snow White fairy tale. In the end, the “Mirror Mirror” producers had their eye on a different young man. “I think Armie Hammer was always their #1 choice,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” star told Teen.com . “But I kind of saw more similarities in their prince and the part I played in ‘Pirates,’ whereas [with this] I thought I wanted to pick up a sword and I wanted to do a bit of fighting and get a bit grittier and hopefully sort of open a few more doors for me.” Claflin isn’t the only one adding some grit to his part: Kristen Stewart’s version of Snow is light-years away from “Mirror” star Lily Collins’. “She tends to sort of not be in any princess-like costumes, which is good for her and kind of gives her that badass sort of fighting spirit, I suppose,” Claflin said of the armor-clad heroine . “But she looks pretty damned awesome. Thumbs up.” “Snow White and the Huntsman,” which also stars Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman and Charlize Theron as the film’s Evil Queen, opens this summer. A trailer for the darker take on the “Snow” story dropped back in November and gave fans an eyeful of what they should expect from the film, which includes snowy landscapes and even chillier emotions. “Snow White and the Huntsman” follows Stewart’s Snow White and her hunting mentor. After the evil queen, Ravenna, calls for her death, Hemsworth’s Huntsman takes it upon himself to train Snow to fight off the Evil Queen after he disobeys her and allows her to live against the queen’s orders. 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 .
Singer told MTV News she and her Ray of Light producer ‘finish each other’s sentences.’ By Jocelyn Vena Madonna Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images Madonna is readying the release of her album M.D.N.A., and for it she headed back into the studio with a familiar face. She hooked up once again with producer William Orbit, who worked on a number of tracks on the album, including her Golden Globe Award-winning “Masterpiece.” The relationship between Madonna and Orbit has been a fruitful one. He produced most of the songs on 1998’s Ray of Light, including “Ray of Light,” “Nothing Really Matters,” “Frozen” and “The Power of Good-bye.” The album later won several Grammy Awards and VMAs. Their work together didn’t end there. One year later, they produced Madge’s “Austin Powers” soundtrack song, “Beautiful Stranger,” which nabbed a Grammy Award in 2000. In the years since, she worked with Orbit on several unreleased tracks. So, when it came to their latest collaboration, words weren’t needed. “With William, I didn’t really have a discussion,” she told MTV News at the New York premiere of “W.E.” “We’ve worked on stuff for so many years that we kind of finish each other’s sentences. He knows my taste and what I like.” With “Masterpiece” serving as a tease, the singer later added, “Magic happens when we get into a recording studio together.” As fans prep for the release of her studio album, they can look forward to her halftime Super Bowl performance and her video for the Martin Solveig-produced “Gimme All Your Luvin” (which also features Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.). Are you excited for M.D.N.A. ? Leave your comments below!
‘Ghost Protocol,’ the fourth ‘M:I’ movie, made $134 million in 17 days. By Ryan J. Downey Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol” Photo: Paramount Pictures Tom Cruise’s domination of the holidays continued as “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” remained the #1 movie at the box office, taking in $31.3 million over the New Year’s weekend. The fourth entry in the action franchise has made an estimated $134 million in just 17 days, which is about what “Mission: Impossible III” made during its entire theatrical run. “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was the runner-up in the box office race, collecting $22.1 million during its second weekend in theaters for $132.1 million total. Robert Downey Jr.’s second outing as the famous detective of classic literature carried an estimated production budget of $90 million. “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” the third movie in the series, came in third on the New Year’s box office scorecard. “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” jumped 45 percent from last weekend with $18.3 million for a $94.6 million total, which is about $45 million behind where the first “Alvin and the Chipmunks” stood at the same point in its run. Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” was in a close race for the #4 spot with David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” “War Horse” took in an estimated $16.4 million (for a $42.9 million total) while “Dragon Tattoo” earned another $16.8 million, which was a 16 percent increase from the weekend before. The first American adaptation of the popular Swedish novel has made a total of $57.1 million. Filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo” was #5 with $14.3 million for a $41.8 million total. Garry Marshall’s critically reviled ensemble rom-com “New Year’s Eve” doubled its previous weekend, thanks no doubt to the arrival of the holiday for which it’s named. The follow-up to “Valentine’s Day” has made just $46.4 million since its release, however, and 93 percent of film critics panned the flick, according to film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Looking back at the 2011 box office, the final “Harry Potter” film was #1 overall with its $381 million gross. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” was just behind with $352.3 million. Rounding out the top five were “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1” ($275.4 million), “The Hangover Part II” ($254.4 million) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” ($241 million). Check out everything we’ve got on “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’
Prepare yourselves for one of the stranger, more sordid rumors you’ll hear all year… Laurie Fine is the wife of Bernie Fine, the Syracuse assistant basketball coach who was fired last week in the wake of allegations by three former ballplayers that he sexually assaulted them at various times during his 36 years on staff at the university. Jim Boeheim Addresses Bernie Fine Scandal The most damning piece of evidence against Bernie is a phone conversation recorded by accuser Bobby Davis in 2003. In it, Laurie appears to acknowledge her husband’s despicable behavior, telling Davis: “I know everything that went on… Bernie has issues, maybe that he’s not aware of, but he has issues… you’re better off just staying away from him.” But, wait, it gets weirder: Multiple sources tell Deadspin that Laurie herself carried on a sexual relationship with Davis, something she often did with Syracuse players. “It was a rite of passage for some to be with Bernie’s wife,” the insider claims . MOREOVER, another source says a sex tape of Laurie Fine and another player is actually in existence and has been peddled for years. Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim initially stood by his long-time friend, Bernie Fine, but has recently said the university was right to fire him. He still maintains, however, that he was unaware of any of the alleged indecent behavior by either half of this couple.
Kristen Stewart is ‘fairest of them all’ and kicking serious butt in new sneak peek. By Kara Warner Kristen Stewart in “Snow White and The Huntsman” Photo: Universal With most of our Kristen Stewart focus zeroed in on a little movie called “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” which opens next week, she has an equally intriguing film coming down the pike this summer — “Snow White and the Huntsman” — the trailer for which was unveiled Thursday (November 10) by Apple . No matter what you might have been expecting, given Stewart’s comments about the film or production photos that were released, this trailer is a doozy and completely delivers on the intense, warrior-esque elements that have been teased. Here are our five favorite scenes: 1. Charlize Theron Kills It as the Evil Queen From the second you hear her eerily intense and foreboding voice, to the shots of her mindless murders, to the last shot of the trailer — in which she swoops her exquisite black cloak about her and it turns into a flock of crows — Theron delivers in every sense of the word. It’s going to be fun to watch her Queen and Stewart’s Snow White go toe-to-toe! 2. The Mirror on the Wall Most of us are familiar with the classic fairy tale upon which this film is based, and while the Mirror is indeed an important part of the story, it can come off a bit campy, depending on the visual effects used to design it. This mirror is just so cool/creepy! When summoned by the Queen via that famous phrase — “Mirror mirror, on wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” — the mirror seems to melt into a puddle of bronze liquid on the floor and then reshapes itself into a hooded, appropriately deep-voiced figure. 3. Stewart Looking Fierce and Kicking Butt We had a pretty good idea Stewart’s version of the “fairest of them all” would be different, based on the photo of her in fancy armor and holding a sword, and now, we have even more proof that Stewart’s Snow White is pretty badass. Never does she look innocent or weak, whether on the run, defending herself in armor or confronting a fearsome, growling beast. 4. Chris Hemsworth Is a Perfect Huntsman “Find me someone who doesn’t fear the dark forest to hunt her down,” the Queen commands, her voice heard over our first glimpse of Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman, wielding an ax and fighting in the forest, which is followed by several other shots of Hemsworth in action, getting down and dirty in battle. It’s a perfect deviation from that pretty-boy Asgardian prince Thor, if we do say so ourselves. 5. Brief Glimpses of the Supporting Players Even though the title of the film is “Snow White and the Huntsman,” there are plenty more players in the mix of this fractured fairy tale. Specifically our brief glimpses of Prince Charming, played by “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” star Sam Claflin, who we see both in battle and leaning down to kiss Snow White. Then there are the eight dwarves. Eight, not seven, according to what Stewart revealed to Jay Leno recently, whom we only see for extremely brief moments in the trailer, first walking together, single-file, on the top of a rolling hill, then following behind the Huntsman. 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 .
