There are catchier headlines, and more descriptive ones. The one up there is dead-on accurate. The trailer for "Michael Jackson's This Is It" sells what looks to be a fantastic music documentary. From the look of things, director Kenny Ortega -- who is no stranger to musical spectacle following his work on the three "High School Musical" movies -- really made the most of the footage he had to work with.

For those who don't know, "Michael Jackson's This Is It" is a documentary pieced together using footage from rehearsals for the fallen pop star's planned residency at London's O2 Arena. Jackson passed away before those shows happened of course, but the preparations were far enough along that Ortega had plenty of material to work with. The evidence is all down there in the trailer...

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I'm not going to lie to you: there's not a tremendous amount here about "Sucker Punch." Director Zack Snyder has prepped his cast well, so no one's really spilling the dirty. In the video after the jump, "High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens does answer one burning question we have about her character Blondie. First check out her comments on acting and the sorts of roles she's been looking for in her post-"High School Musical" world.

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FROM MTV.COM: Sony Pictures is finalizing a deal to acquire rehearsal footage from Michael Jackson's This Is It concert run, with hopes of releasing it in theaters just in time for Halloween, according to Variety.

Sony is reportedly paying close to $60 million for the 80 hours of rehearsal footage shot at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The footage is currently owned by AEG Entertainment, who were promoting Jackson's run of 50 shows at London's O2 Arena.

"High School Musical" director Kenny Ortega, who shot the rehearsal footage, will reportedly also sort through it to assemble the film, which Sony plans on having in theaters on October 30. Variety claims the film will feature "at least three" videos, including an alternative version of "Thriller," which was intended to be an interstitial video during Jackson's O2 shows.

Continue reading Michael Jackson Film To Hit Theaters This Halloween

Director Zack Snyder, the eye-popping filmmaker behind “300” and “Watchmen,” has hired none other than Vanessa Hudgens to star in his next action flick, “Sucker Punch.” But without any real action-hero experience, was it just a matter of assuming the singing/dancing “High School Musical” star can do anything that’s physically demanding if she’s already twirled around a dance floor with Troy Bolton?

“No, I didn’t even look at it that way at first,” Snyder explained, echoing Hudgens' own excitement for the film about a group of institutionalized young girls using fantasy to escape. “She rehearsed, she did the audition for the scene. I wasn’t sure at first – [the casting people] were like ‘Oh, Vanessa’s coming’ and I was ‘Oh, okay - that sounds cool’ but I didn’t know what to think.” Read more...

FROM MTV.COM: It's the big enchilada, the supreme dream, the prize on which the entire movie-loving world will be focusing its eyes: Best Movie at the MTV Movie Awards. Past winners have included such instant classics as "Pulp Fiction," "Titanic," "Gladiator" and all three "Lord of the Rings" movies. But which film will close out tonight's live ceremony by joining their hallowed ranks?

This year's contest promises to be tighter than Zac Efron's pants. We have the dueling superheroes of "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight," Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire," the final installment of the beloved "High School Musical" franchise and arguably the most significant film of the year for teenagers: "Twilight."

Continue reading "'Twilight' Vs. Superheroes, Teens And 'Slumdog': Who Will Win Best Movie?" at MTV.com.

She's helped revitalize the song and dance genre with "High School Musical," and now she hopes to do the same for alien invasion flicks. Come July 31, Ashley Tisdale will star in "They Came From Upstairs," a teen-friendly flick about Tisdale and a gaggle of friends helping starve off an extraterrestrial assault.

Check out the exclusive trailer premiere below, and then click here to hear more from Tisdale about the film.

Is it just me, or was 2008 one of the worst years for movies ever?

Well folks, the time has finally come to vent. It’s one of my favorite days of the year, as my Razzie ballot just arrived in the mail. As a registered voter, I take my obligation very seriously, and it’s always interesting to see what the annual awards for bad filmmaking have nominated for the worst of the worst.

Here’s your chance to help me vote! Below are the newly-released nominations for the 29th Annual Razzie awards. Please post your picks in each category in the comments section below, and whichever clunkers get the most votes will make my ballot: Read more...

Get ready to kick off your Sunday shoes and engage in the sinful art of dance, because Zac Efron's "Footloose" will be here before you know it. According to Variety, Paramount has put the remake on the fast track to production after watching the millions roll in for "High School Musical 3” this weekend.

They're hoping to get Efron and director Kenny Ortega (another factor in the success of "HSM 3”) working by spring. They've brought in Peter Sollett, director of "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," to rewrite Jon Hartmere's script, and hired musical movie veterans Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to come aborad as producers. They're sparing no expense with this one. Read more...

Justin Martin, Jemma McKenzie-Brown and Matt Prokop have some big shoes to fill. As the rookies in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," the trio take the dance floor with their established co-stars like Zac Efron. But with their now-superstar partners moving on with their careers, Martin, McKenzie-Brown and Prokop hope to keep the momentum moving to a fourth "HSM" film.

Watch their thoughts on the matter below, and then click here to read even more of this New Class.

23-year-old actress Ashley Tisdale is, of course, best known for her roles as Sharpay in, count’em, three “High School Musical” films, and Maddie in four score episodes of “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.”

So why are we just now comparing her to a multiple Oscar nominee and the biggest star in the world? I mean, c’mon, “They Came From Upstairs” producer Barry Josephson, didn’t you see the crossover episode of “Hannah Montana”?

“She got the concept [of the movie] right away, and that’s what you want. That’s what it was like working with Will Smith on ‘Men in Black,’ or Amy Adams and James Marsden on ‘Enchanted.’ And for Ashley, same thing,” said Josephson -- who produced both those films as well. “She looked at the aliens, she realized what her role would be and she just jumped right in.”

We kid because we love, of course. But Ashley really is the perfect fit for the world of “They Came From Upstairs,” which follows a group of vacationing children who learn they are humanity’s last hope to repel an alien invasion. Read more...