FROM MTV.COM: When "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was announced for a summer 2011 release, fans went wild. Then the project hit rough waters following the departure of studio chief Dick Cook, a big supporter of "Pirates" star Johnny Depp. The Jack Sparrow actor subsequently expressed hesitation about continuing with the series.

Still, the project sails forward. Depp's not a lock until he signs off on the script, which he hasn't yet seen, but Captain Barbossa actor Geoffrey Rush told MTV in late September that he's been told to keep his schedule open for cameras to roll next spring.

Continue reading 'Pirates 4' Director Rob Marshall 'Excited' To Work With Johnny Depp

FROM MTV.COM: November 20 has been a long time coming for devotees of the "Twilight" saga, and at a movie theater in Times Square, fans from around the world congregated long before midnight to witness Chris Weitz's adaptation of "New Moon," the second book in Stephenie Meyers' series. While there were who were disappointed ("It did not live up to expectations at all," griped Melissa Paipan from Manhattan), the general consensus was that it was, as Jordana de la Cruz from Rhode Island gushed, "the best movie in the entire universe and more."

"We bought our tickets ... literally, the day they came out," Lauren from Brooklyn told MTV News. Many who attended the midnight screening said they purchased tickets as early as September. Many had also prepared for the occasion by re-reading passages from the novel, watching the movie's trailers online, and re-watching the first movie.

Continue reading 'New Moon' Is Better Than 'Twilight,' Say Fans At Midnight Screening

Who are the Observers? What is their purpose? And do they do more than just observe? Well, tonight's episode of "Fringe" seeks to answer at least some of the lingering questions about the bald-headed, condiment-loving characters and just what role they will play in the upcoming episodes.

"The episode that we actually do have coming up us one of my favorites," Anna Torv told MTV News, referring to tonight's episode, titled "August." "We sort of get to meet the Observers. At the moment what we know about them, they... seemingly just observe. That’s kind of it, but [in] the episode that we have coming up, we're not sure if all they do is just observe." Read more...

FROM SPLASH PAGE: Sure, Anne Hathaway is the latest in a long line of rumored contenders for the role of Black Cat in "Spider-Man 4" (even though there's no confirmation the character is even in the film), but does anyone remember another rumor from a few years back that cast an entirely different actress in the role?

Well, even if you didn't remember the pre-"Spider-Man 3" rumor that had "Dollhouse" actress Eliza Dushku playing cat burglar Felicia Hardy, we did — and we asked her about it when she dropped by Splash Page HQ a while back.

"Don't you love the Internet and the fans out there?" Dushku laughed when MTV Movies Editor Josh Horowitz asked if she'd seen the fan-made "Spider-Man 4" posters with her as Black Cat. "They do it up!"

Continue reading 'Spider-Man 4' Black Cat Casting: What About Eliza Dushku?

FROM MTV.COM: In the "Twilight" novels and movies, the rapidly developing young men of the Quileute tribe are described with lots of different adjectives: secretive, loyal, playful, even cultish. And the fresh-faced actors bringing the wolf pack to life in "New Moon" seem to have formed a similar bond in real life. That bond is so strong, the foursome may immortalize their friendship the same way the Quileute do — with ink.

"Yeah, we've talked about that. We're all getting tattoos," Chaske Spencer, who plays pack leader Sam Uley, told MTV News recently. Spencer, Kiowa Gordon, Alex Meraz and Bronson Pelletier are planning to mark their right arms with the same circular design each has in the "Twilight Saga" movies.

Continue reading 'New Moon' Wolves Plan To Get Real Tattoos Together

FROM MTV.COM: In 2007, Jamie Campbell Bower co-starred in Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." A few years later, after being cast as a vampire in "New Moon," the young British actor has not forgotten the director who gave him his big break, telling MTV News that Burton would be the ideal man to helm the final "Twilight" installment, "Breaking Dawn."

What does Burton think about that idea? When we caught up with the director at the opening of a retrospective of his work at New York's Museum of Modern Art, he was flattered.

Continue reading Should Tim Burton Direct 'Breaking Dawn'? Burton, Ashley Greene Weigh In

FROM MTV.COM: The saga of Johnny Depp and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise has lately hit choppy waters.

After Disney studio chief Dick Cook — Depp's close creative partner — abruptly left the company, the actor said there'd been "a fissure, a crack" in his enthusiasm for the fourth "Pirates" film. On top of that, a new director, Rob Marshall, has come on-board to helm the film after three-time "Pirates" director Gore Verbinski set sail for other projects.

All of these developments cast doubt on the future of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," as the picture will be titled. MTV News had a chance to chat with Depp, People magazine's newly anointed "Sexiest Man Alive," on Tuesday night at the Museum of Modern Art's Tim Burton retrospective in New York, and the star revealed several key points. He hasn't seen a script. He's unsure of what the story line will be. And while he's keen to step into the boots of pirate Jack Sparrow once again, he stopped well short of making a 100 percent commitment to return.

Continue reading Johnny Depp Says He'd 'Love To' Return To 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'

One of the sharpest, laugh-out-loud comedies on television is "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and now the gang at Paddy's Pub have their very own Christmas special. The catch? It's exclusive to DVD and Blu-ray and it's in stores now. So what's it about? According to the studio, "Join Mac, Charlie, Dennis, Dee and Frank as they embark on a holiday adventure filled with stolen toys, childhood videos, naked elves, and a bloody run in with Santa Claus that is guaranteed to blast Christmas spirit all over you!"

To whet your appetite, we've got an exclusive clip from the bonus features which features director Fred Savage (yes, that Fred Savage) walking us through backstage, with a special appearance from Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito. Check it out below.

FROM SPLASH PAGE: Last week, I talked to one of comics greatest living legends, Stan Lee, about his arrival on the Twitter scene and why it makes him feel like he's writing his "Stan's Soapbox" column again. While Lee had some fun stuff to say about the world of micro-blogging, I also had to ask him about a few other things on comics fans' minds these days — namely, whether he'll be making the expected cameos in future Marvel movies.

"I had lunch with Branagh, [who's] the nicest guy in the world as well as the most talented," Lee told MTV News when asked if he's been contacted about a "Thor" cameo yet. "Months ago, when he was first starting on the movie, he said he would get a cameo for me."

Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Stan Lee On His 'Thor' Cameo And Meeting With Kenneth Branagh

FROM MTV.COM: Working at MTV News has a lot of cool, weird, random moments. The other day, Jennifer Love Hewitt was hanging out in our lobby whispering into her phone (presumably, a ghost was on the other end). Audrina Patridge comes here more often than the FedEx delivery guy. From Mr. T to Crispin Glover, Dennis Rodman to Jason Reitman, we've seen them all in our building.

But what could be cooler than the time Edward Cullen stopped by?

Continue reading 'New Moon Revealed' Relives Robert Pattinson's 'Twilight' Surprise