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An astronaut in a giant white suit stands next to an American flag on the moon’s surface: one of America’s -- and MTV's -- most iconic images. Photos and footage of Neil Armstrong’s first walk on the moon 40 years ago changed the way people all around the world looked at space. It also sparked a heated debate over whether the moon landing was staged or not, one that continues to leak through in pop culture even today.

It didn’t take long after the 1969 landing for doubters to start stepping out. In fact, a public opinion poll conducted by the Gallup organization once showed that more than 6% of Americans believed the landing to be an elaborate government hoax. Read more...

Tags Capricorn One, david letterman, Diamonds Are Forever, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, National Treasure: The Book of Secrets, RV, Sacha Baron Cohen, stephen colbert

In light of today's heartbreaking news about Beastie Boys frontman Adam Yauch, I thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the group's lasting contributions to cinema here on MTV Movies Blog. Whether you know it or not, the Beastie Boys -- and Yauch in particular -- have deep roots in the world of film. I'll always think of them most fondly for the album "Licensed to Ill," one of the first cassette tapes I ever owned, but it's hard to deny the impact the Beastie Boys' presence have had on Hollywood.

For starters, the group's music has been featured on the soundtracks of a varied assortment of movies, including "Pump Up the Volume," "The Jerky Boys," "Above the Rim," "Kids," "La haine," hip hop DJ documentary "Scratch" and, most recently, J.J. Abrams' summer '09 reboot of "Star Trek." Their hit song "Sabotage," off of the album "Ill Communication," was also featured in the video game "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and was famously covered by the recently reunited jam-rock quartet Phish. Read more...

Tags Adam Yauch, Awesome I F--kin' Shot That, Beastie Boys, Gunnin' For That #1 Spot, Sabotage

FROM SPLASH PAGE: It's been 20 years since Tim Burton's "Batman" introduced a moody Michael Keaton to movie audiences, effectively re-establishing the caped crusader as an obsessive loner after extended periods of live-action and animated campiness. While the more whimsical elements of 1992's "Batman Returns" sometimes overshadow Burton's legacy of gothic motifs, his two films' darker take on Batman and the Joker are echoed in Christopher Nolan's Bat-blockbusters.

MTV spoke with the "9" producer ahead of his appearance at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego about his time with the franchise and his take on cinematic superheroes -- namely, Nolan's acclaimed "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight."

Continue reading Tim Burton Talks 'Batman,' Superhero Trends And 'The Dark Knight'

Tags 9, batman begins, the dark knight, tim burton

One of the cooler movies I saw this year at Sundance was director Nicholas Jasenovec's "Paper Heart," a sort of fiction/documentary hybrid that follows comedienne Charlyne Yi and her search for the meaning of love. Interspersed between on-camera interviews with real people are dramatized scenes of Yi's real-life relationship with actor Michael Cera. It's all very clever and meta, and you'll get to see it for yourself when the movie hits theaters on August 7.

Now I'm here to tell you lucky San Diego Comic-Con attendees that Yi will be appearing alongside Jasenovec and Jake Johnson (who plays Jasenovec in the movie) for a July 26 panel. Fans will be able to catch the trio talking about the movie and answering questions in Ballroom 20 at the San Diego Convention Center between 12:30pm and 1pm. The luckiest among you may even score a "Paper Heart" button, which you can see the design of in the image above. Read more...

Tags charlyne yi, Jake Johnson, michael cera, Nicholas Jasenovec, paper heart

Although the two years since “Death Proof” is quite short by his usual between-project timeframes, Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film might be his most comprehensive, well thought out storyline yet. So says Samm Levine and Omar Doom, two of the “Inglourious Basterds” actors in the World War II flick, which hits theaters on August 21.

“It’s a great movie,” Levine said of the Brad Pitt/Mike Myers/Eli Roth-led Nazi-hunting not-a-remake, which he estimated got “at least” a ten minute ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. “You really can’t say much more other than that.” Read more...

Tags inglourious basterds, Omar Doom, pulp fiction, Qunetin Tarantino, Samm Levine

FROM MTV.COM: "New Moon" director Chris Weitz recently gave an interview to movie site RottenTomatoes.com in which he talked about the status of the film — it's due in theaters November 20 — and spoke at length about the music he's lining up for the soundtrack.

Now, normally, soundtrack stories aren't that interesting ... but two things were different here. First, the "New Moon" album follows the mega-successful "Twilight" soundtrack (which featured a pair of new songs from Paramore and has sold more than 2.1 million copies to date) and second, Weitz mentioned that none other than Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and the Kings of Leon were interested in contributing songs.

For real.

Continue reading Will 'New Moon' Soundtrack Include Thom Yorke And Kings Of Leon?

Tags New Moon, Twilight

Just as everyone has an opinion, a favorite meal and a nose — albeit a fake one at times — so too does everyone have a birthday. Even celebrities. Here at Birthday Bash, it’s my mission to salute the fine actors, filmmakers and other Hollywood heroes that are celebrating their special day this week. After all, it’s cheaper than mailing a cake.

This week, Birthday Bashers will catch the train leaving Platform 9 3/4 heading for the Cave of Wonders, battling blood-sucking vampires along the way. Or maybe we're just celebrating some actors who've done that dirty work for us. Either way, let's get to the party! Read more...

Tags anna paquin, Billy Mays, Birthday Bash, daniel radcliffe, Robin Williams

It's been a little over a month since the last Leonardo DiCaprio story, so the busy star must take a summer vacation between projects. Or perhaps director Christopher Nolan is just keeping him really busy working next to Marion Cotilliard? Whatever he's been doing, DiCaprio is fresh and ready to take a journey into "The Twilight Zone."

Variety submits for your approval that DiCaprio and his Appian Way production company will team with Warner Bros. to bring "The Twilight Zone" back to the big screen. They dusted off the property last year, but are taking the first steps of pre-production by hiring screenwriter Rand Ravich ("The Astronaut's Wife") to pen a script. DiCaprio is in good company in revisiting Rod Serling, as Steven Spielberg and John Landis ("An American Werewolf in London") produced the 1983 movie, and both directed segments for the creepy, four-part feature. Read more...

Tags leonardo dicaprio, The Twilight Zone

1. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." ($79.5 million)
2. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" ($17.7 million)
3. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" ($13.8 million)
4. "Bruno" ($8.4 million)
5. "The Hangover" ($8.3 million)

Box office successes! If there is such a cheesy spell, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" doesn't need it because fan devotion and critical enthusiasm has been enough this summer. The film has cast a spell over audiences, with $79.5 million earned so far this weekend, bringing the five day total to $159.7 million. For those not keeping score at home, this is the best debut yet for any Harry Potter installment yet. Read more...

Tags 500 days of summer, bruno, harry potter and the half-blood prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the hangover, transformers: revenge of the fallen

1. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" ($26.8 million)
2. "Ice Age:Dawn of the Dinosaurs" ($5.4 million)
3. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" ($4.2 million)
4. "Bruno" ($2.9 million)
5. "The Proposal" ($2.7 million)

To the surprise of no one, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" has the top spot so far this weekend. Friday showings nabbed another $26.8 million, giving the boy wizard a cumulative of $107 million in just three days. The sixth Potter installment, "Half-Blood Prince" is set to be the record breaker, and will probably beat the five-day box office take of the previous film, "Order of the Phoenix," which netted an impressive $139.7 million back in 2007. Read more...

Tags bruno, harry potter and the half-blood prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, The Proposal, transformers: revenge of the fallen