The same role that won Heath Ledger an Oscar and an MTV Movie Award, in addition to cementing his place in cinema history, may also have been one that he didn’t want, according to a new report citing sources close to the deceased actor. Ledger’s mysterious health afflictions leading up to his death still raise numerous unanswered questions, and his role as The Joker opposite Batman in “The Dark Knight” is testament enough to Ledger’s intense emotional capacity during his final days. But his haunting performance may also have evidenced his desire to get out of the film altogether.

“He was ready to bust out of the gate,” Ledger’s friend and agent, Steven Alexander told Vanity Fair, “but he didn’t want to step on the gas and become something that he didn’t want to become: a matinee idol.” Read more…

It would probably be the understatement of the year to say that both comic book fans and general movie audiences were somewhat disappointed when “The Dark Knight,” the second highest-grossing film of all time, failed to garner a “Best Picture” nomination during last year’s Academy Awards. While there was no shortage of complaints and head-shaking at the time, the conspicuous absence of one of the most-watched films of the year (and in Hollywood history) sparked quite a bit of discussion regarding the relevance of the Oscars for the modern audience.

Apparently, that debate didn’t fall on deaf ears. As reported on MTV.com earlier today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to expand the pool of “Best Picture” nominees from 5 to 10 films. In their announcement regarding the change, the group specifically cited “The Dark Knight” debacle as one of the factors in the decision. Read more…

Not even a full year has passed since the worldwide release of “The Dark Knight,” but that doesn’t stop the rumor mill from churning like mad. Some of these reports are fun to read — if only because of how surprising they are — but others? Not so much.

Case in point is the latest rumor on the “Batman 3” front, which says that Christopher Nolan might not return for another installment. Batman-On-Film has heard from a trusted source that Nolan’s attachment to a third outing is far from a sealed deal, and may in fact be a long shot. Read more…

The Pixies track that made its mark on film in David Fincher’s “Fight Club” is back on HBO this week in a pair of promotions for “The Dark Knight.”

Christian Bale’s Batman and Heath Ledger’s Joker make their debut together on the cable channel this Friday, June 13, and they’re doing it to the tune of “Where Is My Mind?” Brad Pitt and Edward Norton demolished buildings to it, and now the Joker appears to be doing the same for the two spots. Read more…

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: If you wanted to be nominated for Best Male Performance at this year’s MTV Movie Awards, it was all about embracing your inner action hero — unless you’re Zac Efron.

With four of the men — Christian Bale (”The Dark Knight“), Robert Downey Jr. (”Iron Man“), Shia LaBeouf (”Eagle Eye”) and Vin Diesel ( “Fast & Furious”) — nominated for action flicks, Efron stands alone, thanks to reprising his role as Troy Bolton in “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.”

Continue reading our breakdown of the MTV Movie Awards “Best Male Performance” nominees over at Movies.MTV.com.

FROM MTV MOVIES: Ever since the first caveman hit the second caveman over the head with a Brontosaurus bone, mankind has been fascinated by a fight. Man vs. man, woman vs. woman, whether it’s over a spurned lover, stolen property or a simple “yo’ mama” joke, few things are more exciting to watch — and once again, the MTV Movie Awards is here to recognize the most memorable brawls and battles of the past year.

Chances are you’ve never personally witnessed a battle between a demon and a supernatural prince; a pair of impossibly handsome vampires; a caped crusader and an anarchic clown; or two bridezillas brawling in the aisle. OK — if you went to college, you’ve probably seen three stoners trashing an apartment.

Be sure to head on over to the Best Fight voting page, where all of the above are currently embroiled in the final days of an even greater battle. The winners will take home the big trophy Sunday evening at 9 p.m. ET — but first, at the risk of angering some obviously hot-tempered talents, we handicap the competition.

For our full breakdown of the MTV Movie Awards “Best Fight” nominees, head over to Movies.MTV.com.

FROM MTV MOVIES: You can keep your namby-pamby heroes, with their chiseled jaws, steely blue eyes and frost-tipped hairdos. The rest of us prefer to root for villains — those devious, cackling, bloodthirsty beings who exist solely to take over the world and ruin the good guy’s day in the process.

Once again, the MTV Movie Awards offers fans the rare opportunity to recognize the best of the worst, bringing you an evil-packed Best Villain category filled with homicidal madmen, comical-but-deadly double-agents and a killer clown from Gotham City. Make sure to cast your vote, and then tune in Sunday evening at 9 p.m. ET to watch the winner live.

But first, read on as we handicap the competition.

For our full breakdown of the MTV Movie Awards “Best Villain” nominees, head over to Movies.MTV.com.

FROM MTV MOVIES: Luke Goss played such a badass in “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” that he’s up for two MTV Movie Awards come May 31: Best Villain and Best Fight. While he thinks he has a pretty good shot at Best Fight, he wouldn’t mind losing the Best Villain trophy to a certain “Dark Knight” star.

“The late, great Heath Ledger! That’s beyond tough competition,” said Goss, who played Prince Nuada in the “Hellboy” sequel. “It’s fun just to be nominated. He did a God-given performance. I think he should get it. He will get it. He should win given his performance. I think he’s got everyone in his camp. I hope he wins it.”

But Goss isn’t willing to give away all his awards. He’s also up for Best Fight, along with “Hellboy” star Ron Perlman, and given how much work he dedicated to the fighting in the film, he hopes he has a better shot at that one.

For more on “Hellboy II” star Luke Goss and the MTV Movie Awards, head over to Movies.MTV.com.