Benh Zeitlin’s magical realist fable Beasts of the Southern Wild blazed a buzzy trail through Sundance ’12 , but the rest of the world has had to wait months to see with their own eyes what all that fuss was about. So without further ado, watch the film’s fantastic first trailer, starring newcomer Quvenzhané Wallis in a tale of a six-year-old named Hushpuppy who becomes a hero when a storm approaches her bayou home. Head to Apple for the trailer debut in HD. Synopsis: In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of epic proportions. Beasts of the Southern Wild won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was snatched up by Fox Searchlight, who will release the anticipated indie on June 27. As far as trailers go, this one does a crack job of introducing us to Wallis’s tenacious spitfire of a heroine, immediately conveying the poetry and sense of magic beneath the grime of her world before building to an emotional, triumphant swell. Bravo, Searchlight. Verdict: Yes, I say! Bring on Beasts , and let’s hope it doesn’t get lost in the clutter of the summer movie line-up.
I never thought I’d say this after such dubious product partnerships and horrid early reviews , but: I think I’ve found some marketing that might actually make me want to see Battleship ! It’s not from Universal or Hasbro, alas, but it’s not too late for either party to maybe pick it up for the last push ahead of May 18. NextMovie actually designed 10 indie-style posters for this summer’s biggest titles, but I’m fondest of this one, which would go very well next to my rare, Edvard Munch-style reimagining of the terrifying What to Expect When You’re Expecting one-sheet : [ NextMovie ]
Pop-star-turned-actress and her ‘Battleship’ co-stars premiere exclusive clip tonight at 7:56 p.m. on MTV, followed by a 30-minute interview on MTV.com. By Josh Horowitz Rihanna Photo: Rihanna’s Facebook If there is a downside to what I do (talk to very talented, beautiful people), it’s that sometimes you’re sitting in between Rihanna , Brooklyn Decker, Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsg
These pics and video of Lil Wayne kicking it with some more of his skate buddies hit the Internets days ago but we figured we’d share anyway . Weezy along with skate pros Torey Pudwill, Theotis Beasley, Shane O’Neill and Paul Rodriguez are featured on the cover of CCS Magazine’s Summer 2012 issue… Continue
This is all your fault, 30 Rock . A few days after Kim Kardashian made a cameo on one of that show’s live episodes, sources tell The New York Post that this reality star is interested in becoming a “comedy actress.” “She really wants to be the next Sofia Vergara,” the insider says. It is true that Kim and the Modern Family star have two, large, bouncy things in common. Compare them below and then decide: Which would you prefer to rail? Aside from the 30 Rock appearance, Kardashian has booked a recurring role this summer on Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva , and she’ll also play a character in The Marriage Character , an upcoming film from Tyler Perry. “Acting is something she wants to do just for her,” claims the Kardashian mole . “Kim wants to do something that wouldn’t involve her sisters.”
‘It’s a rare thing for a boy band. … I don’t know of a whole lot of boy bands that do that,’ Nick Jonas tells MTV News. By John Mitchell Nick and Joe Jonas Photo: Todd Williamson/ WireImage The Jonas Brothers rode easily into the second round of our Battle of the Boy Bands , demolishing Menudo by taking 80 percent of the vote. But they are facing stiff competition from another group of three real-life brothers in round two: Hanson. With the JoBros back in the studio working on a comeback album, and with each brother (Joe, Nick and Kevin) pursuing his own solo effort, they remain one of the most active bands in the competition. So why vote Jonas? Read on. Strongest Chart Achievement Well, it certainly doesn’t get much better than having the #1 album in the country, and the Jo Bros have had two: 2008’s A Little Bit Longer and 2009’s Lines, Vines and Trying Times. Longer is the real jewel in the Brothers’ crown, though, shifting an impressive 525,402 copies in its debut frame. On the strength of the hit single “Burnin’ Up,” the album held on to the #1 spot in its second week of release and continued to sell briskly on its way to going double platinum in the U.S. A Little Bit Longer remains the band’s best-selling album and even earned a spot on Rolling Stone ‘s list of the best albums of 2008. Standout Video Since they didn’t make much of an impression on mainstream audiences with their debut (see below), the brothers started anew when they joined Hollywood Records and amped up their pop sound for their self-titled sophomore album. The album’s first single, “Year 3000,” brought them plenty of mainstream attention, but its second single, “S.O.S.,” kicked things up even further. The song became the group’s first top 20 hit, buoyed by its video, which was filmed on the RMS Queen Mary superliner in the summer of 2007. With well over 93 million views, the “S.O.S.” video is easily the band’s most-viewed clip. Defining Tune For its sheer crossover appeal, it’s gotta be “Burnin’ Up.” The song is the JoBros biggest hit by far, debuting to strong enough digital sales to spur a #5 opening on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it their highest charting song to date. This single was a sales smash, moving more than 2 million digital downloads to become the band’s second platinum-selling song after “S.O.S.,” and it became a bona fide radio hit over the summer of 2008. As much as we love our boy bands, they aren’t often embraced by critics. However, this song, like its mothership album A Little Bit Longer, was. The acclaim Longer and “Burnin’ Up” earned helped the JoBros along to their lone Grammy nomination (for Best New Artist) in 2009. Debut Album The Jonas Brothers’ first album as a group — Nick released a solo album before he, Joe and Kevin united to create the band — was 2006’s It’s About Time. The record was pretty low-profile (to say the least), though it managed to make an impression in the Christian market and sell 62,000 copies in the U.S. The lack of interest the album generated for the band led to them being dropped from Columbia Records, though they were snapped up by Hollywood Records almost immediately. While it didn’t generate much heat for the boys in 2006, the album has become something of a collector’s item for fans in the years since, and because it is currently out of print, copies are rare and expensive on online auction sites like eBay. Biggest Competition The Jonas Brothers are currently embroiled in a tough showdown with Hanson, another brotherly threesome with an affinity for playing guitars and penning their own tunes (both boy-band rarities). Hanson is decidedly ’90s and the Bros are very of the aughts, meaning its unlikely they share a fanbase, but Hanson has one thing going for them that the JoBros don’t: nostalgia. People have a way of romanticizing their fond recollections of the recent past, so the Jonases have a real battle here. When we asked Nick Jonas why fans should vote for his group above all other boy bands in our bracket, he went straight for the very thing that sets the Jonas Brothers and their main competition, Hanson, apart. “I think that we are a good one to vote for because we play our own instruments,” Nick said. “It’s a rare thing for a boy band. … I don’t know of a whole lot of boy bands that do that.” Is that good enough to keep them in the competition? Only time will tell. Voting in round two of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands runs until noon ET on Monday, April 30. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits for their boy-band video takeovers each day and make sure to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates! Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Photos MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Battle Of The Boy Bands!
Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd are back as Debbie and Pete, picking up in their marriage where they left off in “Knocked Up.” By Fallon Prinzivalli Melissa McCarthy and Paul Rudd in “This is 40” Photo: Universal Pictures Ever wonder what happened to Alison’s sister and brother-in-law from “Knocked Up” ? The dynamic duo of Debbie ( Leslie Mann ) and Pete ( Paul Rudd ) had a few key scenes in the film, including Debbie taking Alison (Katherine Heigl) to the club where she meets Seth Rogen’s character. Now Judd Apatow aims to brings us back into the lives of the couple as Debbie celebrates her 40th birthday in “This Is 40.” Continually lying about her age as she refuses to accept it, Debbie wonders if she’s living the best life possible and decides she and Pete need to make some changes. “I’ve made a list,” she tells her husband in a scene from the trailer , which was released on Friday (April 27). “It’s the ‘do-better’ list. We’re 40 years old, if we don’t do it now, when are we going to do it?” Read on for more on five key scenes from the clip! Counting the Rings At the gynecologist’s office, the nurses try to figure out if Debbie was born in 1972, ’74 or ’75 since her paperwork lists a range of dates of birth. When Debbie finally blurts out, “I lie about my age, OK ? OK?” her gynecologist responds, “I know how old you are. I’m counting the rings.” And with that line, we know typical Apatow humor will be on display in this flick. After that exchange, Debbie decides it’s time for a change and makes a list of the top three things she and her husband need to focus on now that they’re in their 40s: exercise, the kids’ education and being patient. Exercise Every Day In one scene, Debbie works with a personal trainer, which allows the filmmakers to bring back Jason Segel ‘s “Knocked Up” character, also named Jason. “I can turn your body into a boner machine,” he tells Debbie. When she points out that every woman gives him a boner, he replies, “Don’t sell yourself short,” before adding in a whisper, “Barb doesn’t give me a boner.” Looks like Jason’s crush on Alison’s sister never went away. Get Involved in School As Pete confronts a mother whose son is picking on his daughter, “Bridesmaids” star Melissa McCarthy makes a cameo as the confrontational mommy. She tells Pete to get his daughter’s meds right and Pete calls her son an animal. When Pete gives her shoulder a little shove, she screams, “You touched my nipple!” When he tells her he merely touched her below her shoulder, she replies, “I have very high nipples!” How Rudd kept from breaking into laughter during that scene is beyond us. More Patience With the Kids Another key scene opens with Pete and Debbie’s daughters pulling each other’s hair as they fight in the back seat of the car. It then cuts to them at the dinner table, where Debbie announces they’re cutting back on the girls’ gadget use so they’ll spend more time outside. She suggests instead that they build a fort, to which the exasperated eldest daughter exclaims, “And do what in the fort?” When Debbie says, “You don’t need technology,” the youngest daughter holds an iPhone up to her mouth and says, “No technology,” as a monkey on the screen mimics her words. Payback Time The final scene shows Pete spread-eagle on a bed, holding a mirror up to his crotch trying to look at … something. (We honestly don’t want to know what.) When he asks Debbie to take a look, she asks if they can just keep a small shred of mystery in their relationship. Pete replies, “I saw you have babies — payback time.” At least being in your 40s isn’t boring. “This Is 40” is set to hit theaters Christmas 2012. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
It’s more than a month until first Kristen Stewart film is released, but David Koepp is reportedly in talks to pen a sequel script. By Kara Warner Chris Hemsworth, and Kristen Stewart in “Snow White and the Huntsman” Photo: Universal Studios Despite the fact that we’re still a little more than a month away from the release of “Snow White and the Huntsman,” there are already rumblings of a sequel. According to Deadline , Universal has apparently already begun talking to screenwriter David Koepp about writing a sequel to the film, which is one of this summer’s most highly anticipated movies. Koepp certainly has enough credibility in drafting scripts for big blockbusters: He has screenplay credits on “Jurassic Park,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Spider-Man,” “War of the Worlds” and “Men in Black III.” Naturally, we don’t know what happens to the characters over the course of the film, but star Kristen Stewart has already expressed interest in reprising her role as the titular Snow White. “To be totally candid and honest with you, when I first signed on to this thing, the idea of doing another franchise was like, ‘Wow, [we’ll] cross that bridge when it comes.’ It was something so far outside my realm of thinking,” she told MTV News when asked if she’d be game for more action and adventure as the fairest one of all. “I was so focused on the first one, and I thought, ‘Maybe, maybe,’ but I’ve got stars in my eyes. I’m literally over the moon about what I’m doing right now,” she said of her work on “Huntsman.” “Yes, I would love to [do more ‘Snow White’ films].” “Huntsman” director Rupert Sanders is reportedly Universal’s choice to helm the sequel if it happens, and judging from his positive comments about working with Stewart , it seems likely the pair could team up again. “Kristen is a very driven, visceral, intuitive actress. From a director’s point of view, it’s great to get into her headspace,” Sanders said. “We did a lot of work together on the script and character, and she really helped inform me how that character was feeling, which really helped my process getting the character onscreen. Kristen was doing a lot of her stunt work, she was riding horses, she was jumping from high precipices into freezing cold water, she was fighting dwarves — she’s gung-ho.” 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 Behind The Scenes: ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’
Director also opens up on ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel and whether he’d return to ‘Batman.’ By John Mitchell, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Johnny Depp in “Dark Shadows” Photo: Warner Bros Fans of the classic late-’60s soap “Dark Shadows” were surprised when the trailer for the film made it seem like director Tim Burton had reimagined his subject matter as a farcical comedy rather than the dark, Gothic soap opera fans remembered. Since then, there have been whispers that the film is far darker than it is being marketed, so we went straight to the source to find out what is really up with the buzzed-about film. At CinemaCon 2012, MTV News asked Burton if he felt the trailer is reflective of his film, which hits theaters May 11, and while he admits there are humorous elements to the film, he said he doesn’t believe it can be classified as a comedy. “Everything that’s in [the trailer] is in the movie,” Burton told MTV News. “It’s a funny film for me, because I never considered it a comedy. I was always trying to capture the weird vibe of ‘Dark Shadows,’ which is a weird thing to try to capture. It was a weird daytime soap opera.” Burton, a longtime “Shadows” fan who said he “recalls the show affectionately,” said that whatever humor is in the film is there because the situation Barnabas is in when he is unearthed 200 years after being buried is innately humorous. “It’s not like I’m being campy with it or anything,” Burton said. “The guy’s been locked in a box for 200 years, and [when] he comes out … something weird is going to happen.” As for comparisons to his previous films, most notably “Edward Scissorhands,” Burton said he can see the link, but confessed that there are many subtle differences between Barnabas Collins and any other character he’s put onscreen. “Edward Scissorhands was more of a naive character. Barnabas has been around the block a few times,” Burton told MTV News with a laugh. “There is something about a character who doesn’t quite fit into the world, which is similar, just in this case, he’s been around a long time.” Burton also gave us up-to-date news on one project many of his biggest fans are very excited for: “Beetlejuice 2.” The film is being written by “Shadows” scribe Seth Grahame-Smith, and for Burton, that’s as far as things have gotten. “He’s working away on it,” the director said of Grahame-Smith, “so I’m just waiting to see what he does.” As for whether we can expect him to make a return to “Batman,” the film franchise he started with the original 1989 blockbuster, he was straight to the point, saying, “I think I have enough on my plate.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Dark Shadows.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: CinemaCon 2012 Related Photos Five Key Scenes From The ‘Dark Shadows’ Trailer
Talk Nerdy weighs in on the most anticipated movies of summer 2012, from Batman’s last voyage to Earth’s mightiest superhero showdown. By Josh Wigler Chris Evans as Captain America In “The Avengers” Photo: Walt Disney Studios “The Avengers” is just one week away. You know what that means: Aside from being the big payoff for years and years and years of waiting on the part of Marvel Comics fans, “Avengers” is also the opening act in what’s sure to be one of the biggest summer movie seasons in quite some time. Batman, Spider-Man, Agent J and more are back in theaters after far too long a wait, while others — David 8 , Roadblock , Alex Hopper — are showing up for the first time. It’s a crowded landscape to be sure; you’ll want to spend your hard-earned theatergoing cash wisely if you want to weed out the fantastic, can’t-miss movies from the fugly, must -miss ones. That’s why the nerds at MTV News used this week’s edition of Talk Nerdy to guide you through the upcoming blockbuster months with which movies you need to see, which ones you can skip, and which ones shouldn’t slip under your radar. Do Not Miss
