- Bristol “Gams” Palin’s Dancing With The Stars Promo Photo
Watch out, Bristol Palin, Hugh Grant in About A Boy is coming after YOU! YOW-ZA! You see, the joke there is that Hugh Grant’s character in About A Boy hit on single moms. Or, “mums.” Anyways. This is just a taste of what you’ll be seeing outfit-wise, Bristol Palin-wise, DWTS-wise. Palin had previously told PEOPLE magazine: “I think I will be the most dressed [contestant and have] the most modest outfits for sure because that’s who I am,” Fair. The fringe really does cover up the see-through lace situation in some key areas. But unless that is a spandex flesh colored body suit, we’ll be seeing a while lotta Palin leg. I think the modesty of her outfit is directly proportional to the modesty of her acting. Which is to say, very modest, but not modest at all in certain ways. Because terrible things are inherently not modest. Via Huffington Post
- Style Wars: Who’s Rocking The Cutest Maternity Wear?
Maybe it’s the slow ticking time bomb we call our biological clock that has us so focused on mothers-to-be lately - we’re obsessed with Christina Applegate’s maternity style and we’re dying for the moment Mariah Carey admits she’s pregnant. So we can’t help but love checking out the style of other celebs who are expecting. This weekend, Lily Allen and Alicia Keys were both out and about, looking fresh and fab - we just can’t decide whose look we like best. Place your vote for who made the most of this Labor Day weekend (while preparing for their own labor day) in our style poll. [Photos: Getty Images]
- Film Festival Buzz: Natalie Portman, James Franco, Joaquin Phoenix And More
New movies from Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Danny Boyle and others are drawing attention at this year's Telluride and Venice film festivals.
By Eric Ditzian
Natalie Portman at the Venice Film Festival last Wednesday
Photo: Danny Martindale/ Getty ImagesAround this time last year, George Clooney's "Up in the Air" opened at the Telluride Film Festival and rode that initial buzz to six Academy Award nominations. A year later, another crop of high-profile films have premiered at Telluride and the Venice Film Festival, including new work from Danny Boyle (director of 2009's Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire"), Darren Aronofsky ("The Wrestler") and Ben Affleck ("Gone Baby Gone").
Which films will we be feting in the weeks and months to come? Here's a look at the most buzzed-about movies from both fests.
"Black Swan" Just days before Aronofsky jetted off to Venice to present his follow-up to "The Wrestler," the director confessed to MTV News that he gets very nervous before one of his film's premieres. "When 'The Wrestler' showed at Venice the last time, I walked out in the middle," he said. "I couldn't handle it. I snuck back in the end. It was not a pleasant experience."
Aronofsky may have been nervous, but "Black Swan" was indeed well-received, with rapturous praise reserved for star Natalie Portman that immediately makes her a Best Actress Oscar front-runner. Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood dubbed her turn a "dazzling tour de force."
The film follows Portman as a ballerina ready to take over the lead role in her company's production of "Swan Lake," until a rival dancer (Mila Kunis) shows up and begins to drive Portman toward madness. " 'Black Swan' is a brilliant mind f---," wrote Peter Sciretta of SlashFilm. "It is one of the boldest films I've seen produced by a Hollywood studio in years."
"127 Hours" Danny Boyle debuted "Slumdog" at Telluride in 2008, a decision that came to be seen as a wise one, and the critical darling went on to sweep the Oscars months later. Boyle's back now with a true story about a hiker (James Franco) who becomes trapped under a boulder in the wilderness and must saw off his own arm to escape. Like Portman, Franco is being discussed as a potential Oscar nominee.
"[Franco] pulls off a virtual one-man show," said Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter. "The actor already has demonstrated tremendous versatility, and just this year, viewers have seen him as one of Julia Roberts' lovers in 'Eat Pray Love' and as Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in 'Howl.' Here he manages to create a radically different character -- an extroverted adventurer who is forced to turn reflective. Expect Oscar to come calling next year."
"The Town" Ben Affleck's heist drama does not premiere until Wednesday (September 8), but anticipation is high based on the director's past work and the new film's impressive ensemble, including Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and Chris Cooper.
"It's hard to disavow a movie when you've written, directed and acted in it," Affleck told The New York Times. "This is an emblem of the person I want to be going forward."
"The King's Speech" British director Tom Hooper might not be well- known on American shores, but his new film just might be the buzziest one to debut at Telluride or Venice. Colin Firth stars as member of the British royal family who overcomes numerous obstacles to become King George VI. He's joined by Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce, among others.
"After several additional screenings and a rare standing ovation Sunday night as part of a companion tribute to Firth ... the film has provoked talk of widespread awards recognition," said The Hollywood Reporter. "While other films also attracted partisans, 'The King's Speech' was seen as having the broadest support across a broad array of awards categories."
"I'm Still Here" The questions began early in 2009: Just what the heck was going on with Joaquin Phoenix, with that bushy beard and the unhinged public appearances? Phoenix and Casey Affleck filmed the entire unraveling, and now audiences are starting to decide for themselves: documentary or mockumentary? Trouble is, not everyone is convinced they've come to the right conclusion.
" 'I'm Still Here' finally addresses the question of whether Joaquin Phoenix's decision to give up acting to pursue a hip-hop career was on the level or a setup. The answer seems to be: a bit of both," reports Variety.
Affleck, of course, is not exactly setting the record straight, which only amps up anticipation for the film. "Elliptically, I would say ... I sincerely don't want to influence people's interpretation," Affleck told reporters in Venice, according to The Associated Press. "I can tell you there is no hoax. It makes me think of 'Candid Camera' or something."
- 'Waiting For Superman' Director Hopes Film Will Help U.S. Schools
'We're failing too many kids,' Davis Guggenheim tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner
"Waiting for Superman"
Photo: Paramount Pictures"Waiting For Superman," like "Catfish," is a documentary that came out of this year's Sundance Film Festival with major buzz. But the two films couldn't be more different. Directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth"), "Superman" sheds a glaring and startling light on the crippling flaws of America's school system.
MTV caught up with the award-winning director while he was in the midst of a promotional blitz that has included appearances and screenings at schools across the country — one of which MTV was proud to host in conjunction with our Get Schooled campaign. Despite a hectic schedule (which explains why he didn't have the time to do that Justin Bieber concert movie), Guggenheim sat down with us to talk education reform, the reasons why MTV viewers should care about their neighborhood schools and what the average person can do to sustain the conversation he hopes to start with his film.
MTV: Why tackle this subject now?
Davis Guggenheim: Well, I'm a parent and I have three kids. I worry about what education they're going to get. ... Everyone knows the world has changed, but our schools haven't changed. They're not built to prepare our kids for this new economy. Right now, if you don't graduate high school and don't go to a four-year college your chances are really limited. We're failing too many kids. Kids who watch MTV should be really worried about whether they're getting the right education and whether their friends and siblings are getting a good education, so they can have a good life and a piece of the American dream.
MTV: With a film like this, people either feel outrage, depression, etc. What is the message or emotion you want people to take away from it?
Guggenheim: There are two feelings when you see this movie. The movie climaxes in a scene where the kids I follow end up at a lottery and you realize that their future is going to be determined by how a bingo ball bounces, literally. They are there holding a card with a number, but instead of winning a lot of money you win a chance to have a future in America, and it's heartbreaking and it's really un-American. You say, "Wait a minute. This is not our country; we shouldn't have to play bingo to get a good education." That's the harsh realization, but the other emotion that comes out of the movie is a sense of hope. In the last 10 years there is a new generation of reformers who are doing an amazing job, in every city across the country. They're starting to break the code on how you can educate kids, even in the toughest neighborhoods. So there's a lot of hope if we focus on these reforms and smart reforms, and put away all the adult problems, we can actually start helping kids.
MTV: Is there a call to action at the end?
Guggenheim: Yeah, there really is. The call to action is, "The stakes are even higher than we thought; it affects all of us. But we can do it and it takes people stepping up, being outraged, and demanding that our schools are great for every kid."
MTV: What is the first thing the average American who sees the film and wants to do something can do?
Guggenheim: The first step is to be informed. What I find is that a lot of people think they know what's going on but really don't. With No Child Left Behind you can actually go on and learn the scores of your school. But I think that the best way is to go see this movie. Like "An Inconvenient Truth," it became this primer, this experience people had and they shared with each other and became empowered to fight for change. When that happens, anything is possible. Some people might go in and tutor a kid, another might want to become a teacher, other people might want to reform their school district. That's what a film does; it create a conversation and inspires people to incite change.
MTV: What has the response been like so far?
Guggenheim: Even moreso than "An Inconvenient Truth," and I never thought I'd have an experience that would surpass "An Inconvenient Truth." But even more than [that film], there has been this rallying around the movie. Paramount, a major movie studio, decides to release it. At Sundance there were standing ovations, tears, people are coming up to me and saying "I want to help this one kid, I want to pay for their private school," "I want to reform my district." It's very exciting to see a movie like this have this effect on people.
MTV: Moving forward, aside from having made the film and getting the word out, what is next?
Guggenheim: Well I'm trying to raise three good kids and make sure, even with a private school, that they have a great education. But it's not enough to make the movie, I'm on a campaign to fix our schools. ... Next month I'm in a different city every day getting people to join our conversation on how to fix our schools.
MTV: Well, now it's understandable why you were a little too busy to tackle the Justin Bieber concert movie.
Guggenheim: [Laughs] I think they found someone more talented than me. [But] my daughters love him and my four-year-old still thinks she's going to marry him. ... It's so cute. I like his music.
MTV: So it was just a matter of too-busy schedules and timing?
Guggenheim: Scheduling, timing and I needed to serve this movie first. I have to spend the next six months on this.
From the saucy Jessica Alba in "Little Fockers" to James Franco's grueling journey in "127 Hours," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest flicks of fall 2010. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.
Check out everything we've got on "Waiting For Superman."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related Videos Related Photos - Lady Gaga Covers Herself In Meat For Vogue, Checks That Off Her List
Here’s Lady Gaga on the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan naked and covered in meat. This photo has nothing to do with PETA, though it does nicely reflect PETA’s standard confusingness-of-message; are we supposed to be against meat because it’s keeping us from seeing her boobs, or in favor of the meat because eating it will result in us seeing her boobs? Or was Lady Gaga just wearing some meat one day and they snapped a photo of her? Check the ol’ “Covered In Meat Magazine Cover” off her Shock Value List. Next up: Posing naked and drenched in plasma in a Chuck E. Cheese ball pit, for the cover of Car And Driver. (via Dlisted)
