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I really am torn over these latest shenanigans by crazy-town actor supreme Joaquin Phoenix. Is his supposed retirement from acting for real? That part isn't so far-fetched but the rap career? And having it all documented by Casey Affleck? It's all got my BS sensor working overtime. And then there's the instantly infamous appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Riveting television, yes! But what is it? A man in the midst of a meltdown or performance art (his "Two Lovers" director claims the music switch is for real). Again, my jaded mind is leaning towards the latter.

It all has me thinking back to my last encounter with Joaquin. Phoenix is a notoriously horrible interview. By all accounts he hates talking to the press even more than watching himself on screen (he never watches his own films if you didn't know). When I chatted with him about "Reservation Road" at the end of 2007 I couldn't resist bringing up one of my childhood faves, "Spacecamp." He didn't take too kindly to the trip down memory lane. The result? The interview earned a spot on our Most Bizarre Moments show. Take a look. Cringe. And tell us what you think.

Is Joaquin losing it or is it all just an act? What do you make of the star's supposed retirement from acting?

Tags david letterman, joaquin phoenix

FROM NEWSROOM.MTV.COM At Wednesday night’s New York premiere of “Two Lovers,” Joaquin Phoenix avoided any and all questions as he rushed past reporters on the red carpet. This being his last movie, many people are wondering if Phoenix will actually turn his full attention to the rap game.

Shedding some light on the situation was “Two Lovers” director James Gray.

Continue reading about Joaquin's hip-hop aspirations at Newsroom.MTV.com.

Tags aspirations, hip-hop, interview, James Gray, joaquin phoenix, mtv, rapper, reaction, two lovers

You might know Thomas Lennon as one of the founding members of the hilarious sketch-comedy troupe The State. You might know him as a scene-stealing co-star in movies like “Balls of Fury” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” or as the writer of “Herbie Fully Loaded” and the “Night at the Museum” movies. Oh, who are we kidding? You know him as the shorty-shorts clad Lieutenant Dangle from “Reno 911!”

Recently, we caught up with one of Hollywood’s most versatile funnymen – and Lennon told us that with the “Night at the Museum” sequel on the way, the chaotic writing schedule of himself and partner-in-crime Robert Ben Garant is only getting busier, and there are robots on the horizon. Read more...

Tags mike myers, robot uprising, thomas lennon

Director Guy Ritchie and his star Robert Downey Jr. have some mighty big goals. Between the two of them (and fellow co-stars like Jude Law), the group plans to give the iconic literary franchise a modern reboot.

To get a better idea of what's in store, we traveled (cross-town) to the New York City set to sit down for an in-depth converation with Downey. Check out the meat of it in the video below, and then click here to hear more from Downey on the plans for Watson and, of course, "Iron Man 2” (or here to read about it).

Tags guy ritchie, robert downey jr., sherlock holmes, spoiler alert

One man who will not be coming to save “Wall Street” is Oliver Stone. Last fall, as the economic situation went from bad to straight up scary, Fox announced it was fast-tracking development of a sequel to the director’s 1987 classic about ruthless businessmen in shiny suits. Now, in an exclusive interview with MTV News, Stone revealed he will have nothing to do with the project.

“I dropped out,” he said. “I didn’t want to do another ‘Wall Street’ movie. I think everything I had to stay came through.”

There was a time, however, when he and fellow scriptwriter Stanley Weiser discussed picking up the story again. “We invested this a while ago,” Stone said, “but we couldn’t come up with the right way to go about it. I think there’s an interesting movie to be made in there. I’m just not interested because it’s so complex now. I don’t think people can understand security derivatives. But these types of people [on Wall Street] -- essentially it’s the same mentality.” Read more...

Tags oliver stone, pinkville, wall street

FROM SPLASH PAGE: Bat-fans across the globe were treated to a bit of disappointing news last night, as The Hollywood Reporter broke the story that "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan's next project will be "Inception" -- an original screenplay written by Nolan and described as a "contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind." This all but pushes back a sequel to 2008's box office champ for at least the next few years, as Nolan reportedly plans to begin filming "Inception" this summer for a 2010 release.

While the report puts to rest months of speculation as to whether Nolan would jump back into the Bat-franchise or take on a different project post-"Dark Knight," it's the details surrounding Nolan's next venture that have left fans with even more questions than answers.

Read more about Christopher Nolan's new film at SplashPage.MTV.com.

Tags batman, christopher nolan, inception, the dark knight

Mel Gibson's Martin Riggs may not have made it onto our Greatest Badasses list but that doesn't mean we're not big fans of the sometime suicidal/always entertaining maverick cop. But before we get to our breaking "Lethal Weapon" news, enjoy the below as we name Gibson's Mad Max one of the greats of all time.

As for "Lethal Weapon," well Hollywood is notoriously—some might say pathetically—hooked on sequels, but Gibson at least seems determined to break his addiction. So if Danny Glover’s Murtaugh dives into a fifth adventure of murder, drugs and campy one liners, he’ll be doing it without the protection of Mel Gibson’s Riggs. “I couldn’t imagine going back there to try to revive that one,” Gibson exclusively told MTV News. “I think we got everything we could out of it.” Read more...

Tags greatest badasses, lethal weapon, mad max, mel gibson

"Sunshine Cleaning" came out of Sundance last year with a lot of buzz, and now the film is seeing limited release on March 13. The pic stars Emily Blunt and Amy Adams as sisters who -- in order to raise some cash -- start a business cleaning up crime scenes.

You can check out the "Sunshine Cleaning" trailer here, and watch our exclusive clip below. In the scene, Blunt relates a spooky story to her young son.

Tags amy adams, emily blunt, Sunshine-Cleaning

Tom Cruise might just be on his way to a critical and commercial comeback. His couch-jumping antics have made him the butt of jokes for the past few years. But "Tropic Thunder" earned him laughs (the good kind) and a Golden Globe nomination, and audiences flocked to "Valkyrie" over the holidays.

Pairing up with Denzel Washington and David Cronenberg for a thriller can only keep his momentum going -- and according to Variety, that's exactly what he's going to do. Cruise will be joining Washington in "The Matarese Circle," Cronenberg's adaptation of the Robert Ludlum spy thriller. Read more...

Tags david cronenberg, denzel washington, the matarese circle, tom cruise

Ever since she announced that she’d be leaving the series, Twilighters all over the world have come to miss Catherine Hardwicke. Now, the female filmmaker with the biggest opening weekend in the history of Hollywood is back – as an author?

Last week, we reported that the “Thirteen” auteur would be releasing a “Director’s Notebook,” stuffed with all those sketches, scribbles and script notes that she’d been telling us about since we were on the “Twilight” set last Spring. Now, thanks to a new “Entertainment Weekly” cover story that boasts a shaggy-faced Robert Pattinson, we’ve got our first peek at the March 17th book. Read more...

Tags catherine hardwicke, Kristen-Stewart, New Moon, robert pattinson, Twilight