‘Django Unchained’: Jamie Foxx Becomes A Superhero

Posted on December 26, 2012 by VENOM

Superheroes ruled 2012, even if they didn’t always come from the pages of a comic book. One such hero is the titular gunslinger in “Django Unchained,” according to stars Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington.

“What’s accomplished in this movie is the character Django. It’s accomplished. It’s superheroic, in a sense,” Foxx told MTV News during a recent interview. “This is his origin story, and I think that’s fantastic.”

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino‘s newest movie, a Western taking place in the pre-Civil War south, focuses on Django (Foxx), a former slave turned bounty hunter with one goal in mind: saving his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), currently serving the will of slave-driving man-child Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Django’s journey takes him all across America with gun in hand as he kills bad guys and gets paid for it, leading him to his ultimate confrontation on Calvin’s plantation, appropriately called Candyland.

“One of the things we both really loved about the script when we read it is that it’s a hero’s story,” Washington said about the story at the heart of Tarantino’s latest. “This isn’t a sad, awful story about slavery. It’s a story about two people who really, really love each other in a time where they’re not allowed to. It’s about the epic, cowboy Western adventure to rescue the woman he loves. It’s in the context of an awful world, but every great story has dragons to slay. In our story, the dragon is slavery.”

Foxx said that he studied all kinds of films to prepare for “Django,” including the works of Clint Eastwood, as well as performances by Denzel Washington in “Glory” and Wesley Snipes in “New Jack City.” The result is a film that the Oscar-winning Foxx is immensely proud of — and a world he hopes to return to one day.

“I know [Tarantino] doesn’t do sequels necessarily, but [the ending] makes you excited,” the actor teased. “It’s fantastic.”

Check out everything we’ve got on “Django Unchained.”

Nicolas Cage Confirmed As ‘Expendable’

Posted on November 5, 2012 by VENOM

It’s become increasingly clear that “The Expendables” is the movie franchise that Sylvester Stallone wants to focus all of his attention on, and we’re totally okay with that. That’s why it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Stallone set the record straight about the status of the upcoming “The Expendables 3” to El Pais. According to him, all systems are a go.

“We are preparing the film with the same passion and commitment as the previous two. We have confirmed Nicolas Cage, a master actor who gives a veneer intellectual group,” he said. “Hopefully we can realize to Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes and Mickey Rourke. That is the great mission of the producer.”

Stallone continued, “We will continue with the same narrative scheme, the agility and the frenzy, which are inherent to the saga. What will definitely be the last? I can not guarantee. In principle it would be two deliveries, but the affection of the people encouraged us to work on a third. I guess as long as we amused ourselves by offering fun and people, we can continue playing ‘The Expendables’. For now we are not as expendable as it should and as some critics want.”

This news confirms what we had previously heard from producer Avi Lerner. He had said that the sequel had Cage locked down, while the “Expendables” team had roles for Snipes, Ford, Rourke and Clint Eastwood if they wanted. Eastwood has since shot down his involvement, but we’re glad that the other three are still potentially going to be a part of this movie. It at least makes up for the fact that Chuck Norris won’t be back for number three.

Are you surprised Cage decided to join “The Expendables 3″? Do you hope Snipes, Ford and Rourke can find roles in this sequel? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Tags nicolas cage, Sylvester Stallone, the expendables 3

Beyonce To Perform At Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show

Posted on October 16, 2012 by VENOM

Beyoncé recently confirmed that she no longer plans to appear in Clint Eastwood’s remake of “A Star is Born,” citing too many scheduling conflicts as the problem. With no announced album, tour or scheduled performances, fans were unclear about what the conflicts were, but one of them is probably preparing for her 2013 Super Bowl halftime performance.

Although the official announcement from B’s camp isn’t expected until Wednesday, a source has confirmed to the Associated Press that Mrs. Carter will perform at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, scheduled for February 3, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

No word yet on whether there will be guest appearances during her set, but early reports point at husband Jay-Z as well as Destiny’s Child members Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland as top choices. MTV News’ calls to Beyoncé’s camp were not returned by press time.

This year’s Super Bowl included a blowout performance from Madonna, with guests Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo, LMFAO and M.I.A., who caused uproar by flipping the bird while onstage. We’re pretty sure B will keep things PG.

2013 will mark Beyonce’s first halftime performance, but she did sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 in her native Houston, when the New England Patriots took on and defeated the Carolina Panthers.

Her most recent performance was at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where she joined Jay-Z for his final show after an eight-night run.

Beyonce To Perform At Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show?

Posted on October 16, 2012 by VENOM

Although the official announcement from B’s camp isn’t expected until Wednesday, a source has confirmed to the Associated Press that Mrs. Carter will perform at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, scheduled for February 3, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

No word yet on whether there will be guest appearances during her set. MTV News’ calls to Beyoncé’s camp were not returned by press time.

This will mark Beyoncé’s first halftime performance, but she did sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 in her native Houston, when the New England Patriots took on and defeated the Carolina Panthers.

Her most recent performance was at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where she joined Jay-Z for his final show after an eight-night run.

With Beyonce Out, Who Will Step Up To Clint Eastwood’s ‘A Star Is Born’?

Posted on October 10, 2012 by VENOM

Beyoncé has confirmed that she will no longer appear in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming remake of “A Star Is Born,” which leaves the door wide open for a few new potentials. Who would play the part well?

The 1976 version of the film stars a young Barbara Streisand in the role of Esther Hoffman, a rising singer who falls in love with rock star John Norman Howard (Kris Kristofferson), who aids her on the road to stardom as his own career ails. Although B has been attached to the project since January 2011, the 31-year-old issued a statement this week explaining that conflicting schedules have finally prompted her to pull out of the role. Early whispers name Esperanza Spalding — who defeated Justin Bieber and Drake for the Best New Artist Grammy in 2010 — as a possible replacement, but there are a few other well-suited women.

Jennifer Hudson
The “American Idol” star has proven both her acting and musical chops over the years, appearing in the musical “Dreamgirls” alongside B in 2006, landing a major role in “Sex and the City 2″ as Sarah Jessica Parker’s assistant and even being tapped to tribute Whitney Houston at this year’s Grammy Awards. Oh, and she also sang for President Obama at his recent fundraiser.

Lea Michele
Clearly it takes a strong combination of acting and singing to be a star in the hit series “Glee,” but an obsession with Streisand, the film’s original leading lady, doesn’t hurt either. Michele has been open about her respect for Streisand, admitting that she would love to star in a remake of the actress’ first film “Funny Girl.” Last year, Streisand responded to one of Michele’s tweets, leading the Glee star to declare it “the best day ever.” What could make her happier?

Rashida Jones
Besides making a name for herself with roles on hit shows like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” plus an appearance in “The Muppets,” Quincy Jones’ daughter is also blessed with the gift of singing. Though most of her gigs don’t find her belting out tunes, Jones has showed off her vocal skills, singing the original song “You Don’t Know (Nat’s Song)” for the 2010 film “Monogamy” which she appeared in.

Solange Knowles
Would Beyonce ever consider her little sister Solange to replace her in the upcoming Clint Eastwood production? Although Solange hasn’t locked down major acting roles like her big sis, her musical talent and natural charisma give her an edge in the competition. Her recent video “Losing You” is a perfect example of Solange’s appeal, showing off her quirky and relatable side that girls seem to instantly connect with.

Which singer and actress do you think would be the best fit for Clint Eastwood’s remake of “A Star Is Born”?

Beyonce Leaves Clint Eastwood’s ‘A Star Is Born’ Remake

Posted on October 10, 2012 by VENOM

Clint Eastwood and Beyoncé won’t be making beautiful movies together anytime soon. The singer has confirmed that she will no longer star in the director’s remake of the classic film, “A Star Is Born.”

Beyoncé released a statement on Tuesday explaining that she dropped out of the project due to her busy schedule. “I was looking forward to the production of ‘A Star Is Born’ and the opportunity to work with Clint Eastwood,” she told E! News. “For months we tried to coordinate our schedules to bring this remake to life but it was just not possible. Hopefully in the future we will get a chance to work together.”

Beyoncé was first attached to the part in January 2011, but production was eventually pushed back when she got pregnant later that year. While she won’t be in the movie, she has been keeping busy. She recently appeared on stage alongside her hubby Jay-Z when he closed out his shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and she’s rumored to be working on new tunes.

Variety first reported the movie news, with sources saying that with Beyoncé out, Grammy-winning jazz musician Esperanza Spaulding is now being considered for the role. Spaulding made headlines in 2011 when she took home the award for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, beating out Justin Bieber.

However, no decision for that role will be made until a male lead has signed on. Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Hamm have all been rumored to join the film at any point during its development.

The film follows the love story of a talented young woman who falls for a falling star. There have already been three other versions of the movie, including the 1937 original film with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, a 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason and a 1976 remake with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

Who do you think should replace Beyoncé in “A Star Is Born”? Leave your comment below!

Jon Stewart-Bill O’Reilly ‘Rumble’ Attracts Pro-Comedy Young Voters

Posted on October 7, 2012 by VENOM

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As if to set the tone for the debate with Bill O’Reilly Saturday night, Jon Stewart‘s first statement at “The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium” was simply, “My friend Bill O’Reilly is completely full of sh–.”

Inspired in part by the kickoff of the presidential debates, the face-off between the men behind “The Daily Show” and “The O’Reilly Factor” included a 90-minute debate at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

The two didn’t hold back cracking jokes at one another using a tone of humorous rhetoric and even including mentions of people like Oprah and Lil Wayne (no Sesame Street characters). The majority of the discourse, however, was devoted to topics like immigration, national debt, foreign policy and health care, where they disagreed on pretty much everything.

So who won?

When asked during a press conference afterward, neither debater conceded nor declared victory, but they did have some fuel left for a few more jabs.

“He didn’t know I was going to be brilliant and frame my arguments in a way that he couldn’t reply to,” O’Reilly said.

“And I didn’t know he was going to bring flash cards,” Stewart replied, referring to the several small posters O’Reilly whipped out on stage ranging from “Debt is bad” to “Bush is gone.”

After spending the first 50 minutes of the debate on a few key topics, moderator and journalist E.D. Hill asked lighter questions including, which American they’d elect as president if they could choose absolutely anyone. O’Reilly chose Clint Eastwood, prompting Jon Stewart to jump out of his chair and talk to his empty chair, referencing Eastwood’s RNC speech. “Well, why don’t we ask him,” he joked.

When asked what advice they’d give to the youth of America, Jon Stewart paused before saying, “There is no time I would rather live in that now and there is no generation I would more entrust the future of this country than this one. I’ve been very impressed with young people and their commitment to want to do anything and I think there’s a tendency in this country to think that other generations possessed an integrity and tenacity greater than the generation does now and I wholeheartedly disagree with that.

“I believe this is a group that will rise to many challenges that will come before them as well as any generation.”

Bill O’Reilly’s advice was to “find what you’re good at and make money doing it.”

When MTV News spoke with students after the debate, the majority seemed to think the win went to Stewart.

“I felt he actually brought up more relevant issues than Bill O’Reilly did,” said Nicolas Lussier, a 19-year-old freshman at George Washington University. “I think Bill O’Reilly played up to passions of the crowd. It’s very easy to talk about cutting things and about how people are exploiting your money and that can rile up the crowd, but Jon Stewart brought up more intellectual arguments.”

“Jon Stewart just appears to be the better debater,” said Rob Wasserstein, an 18-year old G.W. freshman, who saw the debate closely aligned with the presidential election. “I walked in following the Wednesday night debate. Romney persuaded me more than I ever thought I’d persuaded by a Republican and after this I’m very proud to be a democrat.”

For Courtney Hinkle, a 22-year-old recent college grad, the debate inspired issues she’d like to see come up at the next presidential debate. “I think he [Stewart] clarified the role of government and our place in the world and answered the questions that I would like to see Obama answer as well,” she said. “He really put it in perspective that you have to take things in context you can’t just look at an issue and isolate it to understand how you measure Obama and his record.”

This being first-ever event like this with the two commentators, viewers weren’t sure exactly what to expect, but seemed pleasantly surprised. “It was more funny than I thought it was going to be,” Lussier said. “I laughed a lot more with Bill O’Reilly than I thought I was going to. He did a good job of appealing to the crowd and crossing a generational line.”

“It was absolutely hysterical. Both of them have an innate talent to get their points across, but do it in an entertaining way,” Wasserstein said. “This was one of the most enjoyable 90-minute sessions of my life.”

‘Trouble With The Curve’ Let Justin Timberlake Show His Water-Treading Chops

Posted on September 21, 2012 by VENOM

Ask Justin Timberlake to summarize his experience working with Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams in “The Trouble With the Curve,” in which he plays a player-turned-scout who takes a liking to Eastwood’s onscreen daughter (Adams), and he’ll get all dreamy-eyed and wax poetic about what a great film family they created during filming.

“Going back to the world of making the movie with Clint, there’s not really a word to describe it,” Timberlake told MTV News recently. “But also with Amy, it was very familial. The thing that I love about it most is that it’s moving along at a pace that feels [light] and then it goes deeper, you get more on the plate than you paid for.”

Now ask Adams about her experience during filming, particularly a scene in which she and Timberlake have to tread water in a lake while having their characters’ first steamy kiss, and she’ll admit she wasn’t much of a team player in that particular moment.

“There was a take I thought I was going to drown him on. I was like, ‘You’re stronger than me, you’re holding us up,’ ” she recalled. “We did have a platform [to stand on] for the close-ups but the stuff that is wider we were treading water. Justin is very good at treading water because I was certainly not holding my own weight, he did a good job,” she said. “I think it looks like two people who are just trying to keep each other above water.”

In learning of Adams’ high praise of his water-treading abilities, Timberlake is glad he gets to show people another finely honed skill in his arsenal.

“A lot of people don’t know that about me, I’m glad that we’re talking about it right now. I tell people that all the time, ‘You don’t understand how good I am at water treading,’ ” he joked. “I feel good that I got to show my chops. Did [Amy] tell you how cold the water was? She obviously blocked it out of her memory but I almost got hypothermia. Seriously, that is not an exaggeration. It was cold.”
Check out everything we’ve got on “Trouble With the Curve.”

‘Daily Show’ Correspondent Relives Highlight Of RNC: The Empanadas

Posted on August 31, 2012 by VENOM

After three action-packed days of speeches, meetings and schmoozing, the Republican National Convention came to a close in epic fashion, thanks to an impassioned speech by official presidential candidate Mitt Romney and an unexpected digression from actor/director Clint Eastwood.

Now that the dust, balloons and confetti have settled, MTV News wanted to uncover a few of the convention’s unreported storylines, via expert observer and “Daily Show” correspondent Jessica Williams. Here are the five things Williams took away from her first-ever RNC experience as an attendee:

Convention Attendees are Good and Bad
“I’ve seen some of the best people and some of the worst people. A lot of people are skewed to their opinions. They think that just because someone has different beliefs than them, they are the worst possible people. But I’ve seen some of the nicest people and also some of the worst, so it’s very balanced.”

Try the Empanadas
“I had an empanada that was very good that I was excited about. It was a spinach artichoke empanada that wasn’t half bad. That was a highlight of mine. Another was seeing our set for the first time, which had nothing to do with the convention, but it was just so cool.”

It Smells Like Disneyland — and Grannies
“What’s weird is that it kind of smells like a theme park. It smells like mist from people coming in from outside, but it mostly smells like a theme park. There were a lot of women there who I walked by and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, you smell like my grandmother.’ Grammy, bringing me back home.”

Tampa Isn’t Terrible
“I like Tampa, actually. We got to go to a couple bars, and the weird thing about Tampa is that it reminded me of California. I’m from Los Angeles, and it has this tropical vibe. Some of the places are a little beachy, which I love. I really enjoyed it, but it’s hot and muggy, and my hair is getting messed up.”

The Big Takeaway: Budgets and Balloons
“A lot of money goes into this stuff. Politics are important to people. Sometimes it’s all that anyone cares about. And also, balloons and confetti falling looks really cool. I was watching it and thought, ‘Oh sh–, why am I not covering just the balloons and this balloon situation?’ “

So, how is Williams prepping for next week’s Democratic National Convention?

“I am going to prep for the DNC by sleeping,” she said. “I’m going to take the weekend, have a couple of mimosas, kick up my feet, read ‘Game of Thrones,’ and just get into my personal space so I can be extroverted for the next week.”

Justin Timberlake And Clint Eastwood Play Ball In ‘Trouble With The Curve’

Posted on August 30, 2012 by VENOM

“Trouble with the Curve” casts Clint Eastwood as an old-school baseball scout, who — even though he’s losing his eyesight — can find the best talent better than any young whippersnapper. In this case, that young hotshot is played by Justin Timberlake.

For director Robert Lorenz, “Trouble with the Curve” meant directing Eastwood, his frequent collaborator, for the first time — no simple task, as you might imagine. MTV News spoke with Lorenz as a part of our Fall Movie Preview, and he shed light on telling Eastwood what to do and how the screen icon got along with his younger co-star.

MTV News: You’ve been working with Clint for almost 20 years. What is it about him that has you coming back?

Robert Lorenz: He’s selected a lot of quality material over the years, so it’s hard to leave. He’s just a collaborative guy, so all of us that have been with him for a long time enjoy that. We all enjoy the creative process, and being able to take part in it is great fun. That’s not always the case with other directors.

MTV: You’ve never directed him before. Was there a dynamic shift once you took over?

Lorenz: We’re still friendly, but it was an interesting experience. It was a change. We were both challenged by it, him being directed by someone other than himself for the first time in a long time — almost 20 years — and my having to ask him to do things and direct him when he’s had this career and reputation that are so well known. It was a little intimidating. We got through it very well.

MTV: How does one give a note to Clint Eastwood?

Lorenz: Thankfully, because he’s a director, he and I both shared a view of what the film was and what the character was. There wasn’t a great deal of direction needed. It was a lot of technical stuff, describing the way I saw the scene. I direct him the way I’ve seen him direct others. Make a suggestion. You don’t necessarily have to make a command. If it works for them, they incorporate it, and if not, they don’t.

MTV: Was there a learning curve for Clint, just being an actor instead of actor-director?

Lorenz: Definitely. He had the confidence enough to let me direct it in the first place, but certainly in the first few days, he was assessing me constantly and deciding whether or not I could actually handle the reins. He became confident, it seemed to me, pretty quickly, and started to ask me, “What would you like me to do here?”

MTV: What was it like directing Justin as opposed to Clint?

Lorenz: Justin, being younger and not having as much experience, was definitely more interested in feedback and hashing out the scenes and the character and what was happening within each one, but he had great ideas that he brought to the film and his role, many of which I was happy to incorporate and made his role really come alive.

MTV: What was their rapport like on set?

Lorenz: Great. Clint was an easy sell. I went through my casting choices —I kind of ran them by Clint. Justin was somebody I liked. It was easy for Clint, because he’s been a fan of [Timberlake]. [Clint] has watched him on “Saturday Night Live” for years. He comes here into the office on Monday morning, laughing about what happened on “Saturday Night Live” the past weekend. I don’t think he’s familiar with the rest of his film work, but that much he was. He thought it was a terrific idea when I brought it up, and he went for it. On the set, he enjoyed Justin’s energy and his sense of humor.

“Trouble With the Curve” opens on September 21.

From “Perks” to “Breaking Dawn, ” “The Hobbit” to “Skyfall,” the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2012 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films’ biggest stars.

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