Entertainment, like life, can be pretty confusing. Marketing, whether it be televised commercials, print ads and posters, or viral campaigns, is so pervasive that a movie's basic premise and characters can be overwhelmingly familiar long before you even see the movie in question. Hell, one time I watched thirty minutes of "The Fisher King" thinking it was "Mrs. Doubtfire" before I realized that Robin Williams was playing a crazy drifter, not a cross-dressing divorcee. You can see how that would be an easy mistake to make, right?
This week, we're all excited. "Where the Wild Things Are", the Spike Jonze-directed live-action riff on the beloved children's book by Maurice Sendak, is finally hitting theaters. Finally! Let's not lose our heads though. Let's not let our excitement for "Where the Wild Things Are" lead us into watching other movies that we might easily confuse it with. For example, we must be especially wary of the late '90s mystery/thriller "Wild Things." Here's an easy guide to prevent media-induced dementia from directing you to the wrong movie. Read more...
Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the Best Picture category centerpiece at the yearly Oscar awards show will be expanded to include 10 nominees. We MTV Movies Team staffers were not amused.
In the wake of the announcement, many accusations surfaced that this move is nothing more than a ratings ploy. For many, the allegations spring from the fact that "The Dark Knight" -- a universally regarded hit and currently the fourth-highest grossing film of all time -- was snubbed for a Best Pic nomination. That got me thinking about all of the other incredible films which have fallen victim to Oscar politics over the years... Read more...
FROM NEWSROOM.MTV.COM: I've got a pretty bizarre job. I know this, because my friends and family constantly tell me this whenever my Facebook updates casually mention encounters with the likes of Charlize Theron and Stephen Baldwin (in my mind, all celebrities are created equal).
(Check out behind-the-scenes photos from this year's Oscars here!)
Still, the crazy and surreal meter went into overdrive for me last night when I stepped onto my first Academy Awards red carpet. First of all, don't be too jealous; my feet barely touched the carpet before I was relegated to the press area that literally was behind a 4-foot shrub. I can't blame the Hollywood elite. If I were Sean Penn, I'd want a barrier between me and Nancy O'Dell at all times too.
Continue reading our behind-the-scenes Oscar diary at newsroom.mtv.com...
By Akshay Bhansali
FROM MTVNEWS.COM: Oscar champion "Slumdog Millionaire" is hardly a Bollywood movie. In fact, it bears none of the telltale Bollywood film characteristics. It's dark and gritty. There are no love triangles or exaggerated theatrical monologues. The characters do not escape to the majesty of the Swiss Alps for elaborate, innuendo-filled dance numbers. In fact, the film's sole nod to the Indian film industry remains the dance number in Mumbai's Victoria Station during the closing credits. But for those intrigued, here are five Bollywood films and actors that are well worth checking out.
Continue reading our Bollywood Picks at MTVNews.com.
Sure, you saw Will Smith mispronounce "outstanding" four times, Alan Arkin call out a nomination for "Seymour Philip Hoffman" and host Hugh Jackman take a little shot at "The Reader"'s low box-office receipts, but the Oscars had a lot more funny, awkward and touching moments that you didn't get to see. Lucky for you, our reporters were privy to them:
» Kevin Kline and wife Phoebe Cates strolled onto the red carpet before the show, only to hear the arrivals emcee call out, "Salma Hayek!" Phoebe looked confused, and the presumably embarrassed announcer quickly corrected himself, saying, "Sorry ... Phoebe Cates." Read more...
FROM NEWSROOM.MTV.COM For those of us who are anxiously counting down to Sunday's Oscars, there's something better than golden statues to look forward to: a good-old red-carpet showdown. The contenders? In one corner, the reigning champions: Brad Pitt and his baby mama, Angelina Jolie. In the other, Brad's ex Jennifer Aniston and her arm candy, John Mayer.
So which power couple's got the edge? Let's break it down.
Continue reading who we predict to win the Oscar red carpet face-off on NEWSROOM.MTV.COM.
Article by Jessica Goebel
"Intern" as a title doesn't usually get you very far -- maybe down the street to Starbucks for a coffee run. But not so at MTV News; I received the assignment of a lifetime Sunday night when I got to assist with coverage of the 80th Annual Academy Awards.
I couldn't show up in my usual intern attire of jeans and a hoodie, so I resurrected a favorite turquoise dress that I hadn't worn since my sister's birthday party last year. I also took the opportunity to hit Macy's for makeup; my personal rule is that dramatic eyes are best left to professionals, especially for events as major as the Oscars. I rocked my usual hairstyle: straight, blonde, bangs. My look worked well, I think, though I'm relieved that I won't have to endure a verdict from Us Weekly. Read more...
We flew Tim Kash into LA last week to host our live Oscars preshow, and boy did that go swell, with our main Brit chatting up everyone from Jessica Alba to George Clooney.
But Tim's adventure didn't start or end just when the stars hit the carpet, which is why we gave him a tiny video camera to record his Oscars diary. Watch one piece of it below, and then click here to see our pimped out satellite truck, Wolfgang Puck go down the glitzy food selections, Tim's recap of Hollywood's (and his) big night and more.
Well, it was quite the evening and from the star-studded red carpet to the big show itself, MTV News was there in style. Just in case you happened to miss any of the magic, here's a handy menu of delicious Oscar items to choose from.
- We live-blogged the whole dang thing, from funny accents to Nicholson talking into outer space.
- Sweep P from "Project Runway" took up the fashion crusade for us, grading the winners and losers on the Oscars' ominous red carpet.
- We did a fancy live preshow from the carpet hosted by Tim Kash, chatting up everyone from Alba to The Rock.
- We assembled a beautiful photo flipbook of the beautiful stars on the carpet.
- We discovered, to the surprise of really no one, that Al Roker likes free pants.
Alright, so my brain is about to shut off after a day of Oscar coverage, but I've just seen the best piece of comedic content of the day and sorry Jon Stewart, but it wasn't on the Oscars. Remember that awesome Sarah Silverman/Matt Damon video a few weeks back? Tonight on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Jimmy saw his girlfriend one and raised her ten-fold.
"I'm f*&king Ben Affleck" featured Ben Affleck of course, and detailed the heretofore unknown love affair between Kimmel and the Oscar-winning star of "Gigli." And it was brilliant, from start to finish. The start featured Brad Pitt and just when you thought it was winding down, everyone from Don Cheadle and Huey Lewis to Pete Wentz and Joan Jett, appearing in a "We Are the World"-style group ballad. Read more...
