Actor Heath Ledger, whose performance as The Joker in "The Dark Knight" already earned him a posthumous Oscar, was honored with yet another award during tonight's MTV Movie Awards.
The actor, who passed away in January 2008, was named "Best Villain" for his portrayal of Batman's clown-faced psychotic nemesis in a special MTV Movie Awards pre-show announcement. The MTV Movie Award is the latest in many honors the actor received for playing the Gotham City villain, this time beating out another nominee from a comic book movie, Luke Goss (who played Prince Nuada in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"), as well as Derek Mears ("Friday the 13th"), Dwayne Johnson ("Get Smart") and Johnathon Schaech ("Prom Night"). Read more...
FROM MTV MOVIES: 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."
In any given year, there can be a lot of great films — but only one Best Movie. So let's take a look at our picks to feast heartily on tonight's Golden Popcorn. (But remember, voting for Best Movie is open throughout the show, so it's still anyone's game.)
Continue reading our breakdown of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards "Best Movie" nominees at Movies.MTV.com.
FROM MTV MOVIES: On Sunday, at the MTV Movie Awards, invited guests include Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and director Michael Bay. But even those high-wattage talents might not be the most exciting "Transformers" star you'll see this weekend.
"He is the king bee," LaBeouf told us recently as he discussed The Fallen, unveiling him to "Transformers" fans for the first time anywhere. "He's the patriarchal figure, he's the main dude. He's what all of this came from."
For more on the exclusive debut of The Fallen from "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," head over to Movies.MTV.com.
FROM MOVIES BLOG: As you should all know by now, we've got a bunch of exclusive premieres to look forward to at this Sunday's 2009 MTV Movie Awards, starting at 9pm EST. New clips from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." And of course, the trailer debut of "Twilight" follow-up "New Moon."
As an added bonus for those who tune in to the Movie Awards pre-show, we'll also be running a brand-new clip from "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." The pre-show starts at 7pm EST, so make sure you tune in or set your DVRs. We've even got you covered if you happen to miss it; the full clip will be viewable online after the pre-show ends. To tide you all over for now, we offer you this tantalizing glimpse of what's to come on Sunday.
For more "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" news, head over to MoviesBlog.MTV.com.
The 2009 MTV Movie Awards are looming large, and you can catch them this Sunday at 9 PM EST. They'll be filled with all sorts of exclusive trailers, movie clips and appearances by the creators we just can't seem to go a day without mentioning here on Splash Page. (Ryan "Deadpool" Reynolds will be presenting an award, for example.) This year, there's also an unprecedented number of comic book movies nominated for awards -- so there's a lot to like about the show.
However, there's also a lot to like about this week's top posts! (I know, that was a horrible segue, but it gets us there.) Let's see how the week looked:
- Our "Out and Proud" list of superheroes who would oppose Proposition 8 was the top post of the week by far -- and prompted a lot of discussion (which is always cool).
- Our post on the fan-made "Green Lantern" trailer (and Nathan Fillion's endorsement of it) was also a popular item, even if it wasn't the real deal.
- Sam Raimi shared some thoughts with MTV News about Spider-Man villains in an exclusive chat.
... But wait, there's more! Read more...
This evening, Jay Leno will make his last appearance as the host of "The Tonight Show" before handing over the reigns to Conan O'Brien, who makes his debut on Monday. But Leno's departure from the late night talk show doesn't mean he's leaving television -- the host and his prominent chin will return in the fall with an all-new primetime talk show, set a mere hour before O'Brien's time slot.
What does any of this have to do with comics, you ask? A lot, actually! The "fooled ya!" resurrection technique is undoubtedly one of the oldest tricks in the comic book game. From the steely Colossus to the Man of Steel himself, Leno's upcoming television exit and subsequent re-entrance seems to mirror that of superheroes who refused to let their own careers lie.
So, we thought it this would be a good time to look at some of the prominent comic book deaths that, like Leno's departure from the talk show scene, are unlikely to stick. Read more...
Jim Henson's foam-faced creations are certainly making a comeback in comics these days. Boom! Studios' "The Muppet Show" and "The Muppets: Robin Hood" have been stirring up nostalgia for a while now, but rumors are surfacing across the 'net indicating that another generation of Muppets could find new life in comics. A series of recent hints from publisher Archaia Studios Press seem to indicate that babies of the '80s will soon be reunited with HBO and Jim Henson Production's "Fraggle Rock" franchise.
Yesterday, Archaia Director of Development Stephen Christy posted a fairly cryptic message via Twitter, which read, "I guess I should post another clue to Archaia's next big announcement…" He included a link to a closely cropped photo of what resembles the pigtailed "Fraggle Rock" character Red. Read more...
Kickstart Entertainment, the production company that launched Mark Millar and J.G. Jones' "Wanted" into theaters with Angelina Jolie, announced that they have picked up the option for Image Comics title "Dear Dracula." The title comes from Image and Shadowline's Silver Books imprint, which much like Marvel Comics' "Marvel Super Hero Squad" offshoot, wants to reach out to younger comics readers.
"Dear Dracula" rounds out a more kid-friendly niche in Kickstart's current lineup of properties, according to a report on ICv2. The 48-page graphic novel, written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Vincente “Vinny” Navarrete, tells the story of a boy whose love for horror movies drives him to write a letter to Dracula on Halloween in same the way children write to Santa Claus at Christmas. Read more...
Has America scorned Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, or have they scorned America? While there aren't any obvious offenses that come to mind, there appears to be a grudge on a surface level at least -- because United States theatergoers are going to be among the last ones to see their epic "Tintin" film!
Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today that "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" will hit stateside theaters on December 23, 2011 -- almost two full months after the film is released everywhere else in the world. Read more...
FROM MOVIES BLOG: DreamWorks Animation and its recently renewed CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg today unveiled big announcements for the studio's animation plans through 2012, with new sequels for the "Shrek," "Kung-Fu Panda," and "Madagascar" franchises and parts for Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey in next year's "Oobermind." The flurry of announcements came during an investor's call in which Katzenberg also issued an edict that all forthcoming Dreamworks Animation features will be produced in 3-D.
"We now have three very successful franchises, but we also want to tell new stories," DWA co-prexy of production Bill Damaschke told Variety. "Now, in addition to one or two sequels a year, we’ll have a new original as well."
Continue reading about the "Shrek" sequel and "Oobermind" over at MoviesBlog.MTV.com.
