FROM MTV.COM: Brittany Murphy may be best remembered as one of cinema's most memorable makeovers, going from frumpy to fabulous as Tai Fraiser in "Clueless," but her turn alongside Eminem in "8 Mile" was something entirely different: a chance to play the love interest of one of the biggest stars on the planet in a film that grossed a ton of money and became one of 2002's cultural touchstones.

The role of Alex, an aspiring model hanging out in Detroit's shady back alleys, garnered Murphy some of the finest reviews of her career. In a 2006 interview with MTV News, the actress, who died on Sunday at the age of 32, looked back at the experience and how it combined two of her great loves — acting and music.

Continue reading Brittany Murphy, In Her Own Words: '8 Mile' And Eminem

FROM HOLLYWOOD CRUSH: We're still reeling from the tragic news of Brittany Murphy's untimely death this morning (keep updated with the unfolding story at MTV News). At only 32-years-old, Brittany managed to have a long and successful Hollywood career. Before popping in our well-worn copy of "Clueless" for a memorial viewing, we sent out a call via Twitter for the roles you liked Brittany in the most. It's hard to pinpoint her greatest performances without leaving out some of our favorites, but here, along with our own input, is Hollywood Crush's list of the best of Brittany Murphy:

1. "Clueless," 1995 (Tai)

In this seminal 1995 teen comedy, Brittany charmed as Tai, a delightfully naive New York teen transplanted into the ritzy world of Beverly Hills. A fish out of water at first — complete with Kool Aid-dyed hair, a penchant for Marvin the Martian drawings and ever-so-hip overalls ("She could be a farmer in those clothes," quipped a catty rival) — post-makeover, she became a plaid skirt-wearing, slang-spouting member of her high school's elite group (which included Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash). Repeat after us: "Rolling with the homies..."

Continue reading Brittany Murphy's Legacy: From 'Clueless' To '8 Mile,' We Reflect On Her Best Roles

When Eminem decided that his status as a superstar musician gave him the credentials to become an actor, the result was “8 Mile,” an Oscar-nominated instant classic; Mariah Carey’s 2001 bomb “Glitter” might just be the worst movie ever made. Somewhere in between, we’ve had Britney’s “Crossroads,” Whitney Houston’s “The Bodyguard,” 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” and dozens of other boundary-defying debuts. Now, it’s time for Christina Aguilera to finally make the move – and one of her famous co-stars thinks Xtina has what it takes.

“I hear she’s wonderful,” explained Stanley Tucci, the accomplished veteran actor/writer/director of more than 80 movies and TV shows, who has been cast alongside Aguilera in “Burlesque,” also starring Cher, Kristen Bell and Cam Gigandet. “I’ve been talking to some of the people at the studio, and everyone is thrilled with her.” Read more...

In 2002, hip hop star Eminem impressed a helluva lot of people with his work in the sort-of-biographical drama, "8 Mile." He's been relatively quiet on the Hollywood front since then, other than a few publicity stunts. All that is about to change however, as Eminem is preparing to return to the silver screen.

Next up for Slim Shady is "Shady Talez," a 3-D horror anthology described as "'Twilight Zone' meets 'Creepshow'" by ScreenDaily, which broke the news. The project is a collaboration between "I, Robot" producer John Davis and writer/producer Dallas Jackson, under the D.J. Classicz/Davis Entertainment label. Jackson will co-write the story with "Underworld" creator Kevin Grevioux; the duo will also produce a four-issue comic book miniseries based on the movie under the Marvel Icons label, for a 2010 release. Read more...

One of the shining moments at this year's MTV Movie Awards came when the half-dressed gay Austrian fashion reporter Brüno dropped into the crowd after a technical mishap... and right onto Eminem's head. It was a little worse than that actually: the fashionista hit Em's lap in an awkward position, with his legs wrapped around the rapper's head. Check it here:

Eminem's reaction was... well... let's just say he was a bit miffed. He later revealed however that the whole thing was a big joke: "Sacha [Baron Cohen, a.k.a. Brüno] called me when we were in Europe, and he had an idea to do something outrageous at the Movie Awards. I'm a big fan of his work, so I agreed to get involved with the gag," the rapper said. "I'm thrilled that we pulled this off better than we rehearsed it. It had so many people going 'nuts,' so to speak. Everyone was blowing me up about it."

Joke or not, Brüno still harbors some anger at Eminem's reaction. Read more...

FROM MTV.COM: The last time Brüno got in front of MTV's cameras, he swooped down from the rafters at the Movie Awards like some S&M-possessed angel and plunged onto Eminem's head, setting off a melee of flying feathers and angry bodyguards and creating one of the most unforgettable moments in the show's 18-year history.

So when MTV News caught up with Brüno on Tuesday during a MySpace-sponsored screening of his upcoming movie, we wanted to know what the Austrian fashion guru had to say about the infamous encounter with Em. Not surprisingly, he had some fightin' words left over after the May awards show.

Continue reading Brüno Imagines Landing On Robert Pattinson Instead Of Eminem

You may know that director Judd Apatow has wrangled a laundry list of stars for his forthcoming "Funny People," that includes -- along with leads Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Eric Bana -- Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, Norm MacDonald, Sarah Silverman, Aziz Ansari, RZA, Dave Attell and others. But did you know a certain Detroit rapper will also be joining the crew?

That's right: Marshall Mathers himself will be making an appearance in the film. You'll have to wait until July 31 to see exactly why, but we've got the very first look at Eminem's tableside chat with Sandler's character, a dying stand-up comedian named George Simmons. Take a gander below, and don't forget to read the first of Judd Apatow's exclusive blogs for MTV, wherein he answers a bevy of questions you haven't even asked.

FROM MTV.COM: Hard as it may be for some to believe that Eminem was in on his incident with Brüno at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night, the MC's comments on the stunt have certainly gotten fans talking.

After Eminem said he was "thrilled that we pulled this off better than we rehearsed it," the response was sharply divided over whether the bit was a hilarious display of good humor by Slim Shady or a bad look for a rapper.

Continue reading Eminem Fans Divided Over His Comments On Brüno Incident

You've gotta hand it to Lil Wayne. The guy is a wordsmith. He sums up very well exactly what we should have expected from Sacha Baron Cohen-as-Brüo's appearance last night on the MTV Movie Awards: nothing. "I was expecting the unexpected... with him," the rapper said to MTV's Tim Kash of Brüno's run-in with Eminem. "I didn't understand it, but it was cool."

Maybe it was cool, but Eminem certainly didn't seem to think so. The rapper had some harsh words after Cohen's gay Austrian fashion reporter landed upside down in Eminem's lap. Em struggled as his bodyguards extracted the fallen Brüno and then stormed out of the Gibson Amphitheatre. And he thought Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was bad.

FROM MTV.COM: Long before Brüno and Eminem, er, met at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and the rapper had a feud that played out in front of the MTV viewers at the 2002 Video Music Awards.

So who better than Triumph to comment on a more-or-less naked Brüno falling from the ceiling and landing on Eminem, causing the rapper to leave the Gibson Amphitheatre. "I'm a legend," Triumph told MTV News. "And I sat on Eminem's face long before Brüno ever did."

Continue reading Triumph The Insult Comic Dog Talks Brüno /Eminem Incident