In a promo for the Movie Awards, Ansari and Sarah Silverman get derailed while writing a script for Zac Efron.
By Josh Wigler

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Between announcing new movies and preparing for his responsibilities as the host of the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, Aziz Ansari has little free time on his hands. But just as there’s always room for Jell-O, there’s always time for squirrels on water skis.

In a new commercial promoting the awards show, Ansari seeks out the assistance of his friend and fellow comedian Sarah Silverman to help write some material to support the MTV Movie Awards, airing Sunday, June 6, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. “We will, we will,” a distracted Silverman tells Ansari, before inviting him over to her laptop. “But look at this.”

On Silverman’s computer is the one thing in the world — well, one of few things — that could possibly derail Ansari’s work ethic: an adorable video of a water-skiing squirrel. The hilarious YouTube video causes a nonstop three-day distraction for both Ansari and Silverman that doesn’t end until Zac Efron shows up at their doorstep ready for work.

“I’m supposed to shoot a promo for the MTV Movie Awards, but I didn’t get a script,” he tells Ansari and Silverman. “Do you guys know what we’re doing?”

Luckily for the “17 Again” star, Ansari and Silverman have put their three days of squirrel watching to good use by coming up with “a great idea” for a promotional spot — an idea that unsurprisingly involves water-skiing, Zac Efron’s head photoshopped on a squirrel and plenty of laughs.

While we can’t promise an overabundance of squirrel comedy when the 2010 MTV Movie Awards kick off live at 9 p.m. ET on June 6, we can promise you plenty more hilarity from Ansari and other special guests. Trust us: Nothing should stand between you and the awards show — not even an adorable water-skiing squirrel.

Don’t miss the MTV Movie Awards, airing Sunday, June 6, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV!

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‘All the actors love the books and the movies just as much as the fans,’ ‘Twilight’ star says.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by James Lacsina

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Nikki Reed


Photo: MTV News

LOS ANGELES — While “The Hangover” is the flick to beat at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards next month, “New Moon” comes in a close second with five nods. And “Twilight” saga star Nikki Reed admitted that all the fan adoration still feels good.

“I mean, it’s wonderful — [especially] when you make a movie and you have absolutely zero expectations,” she told MTV News at the Young Hollywood Awards on Thursday night. Reed added that the cast had no idea that the “Twilight” phenomenon would resonate so strongly and passionately with their fans.

“When we made ‘Twilight,’ none of us knew what it was going to become. There’s inevitably a certain amount of pressure going back,” she continued. “You want to make sure the second one is just as good, so I guess we’re all really happy and relieved. All the actors love the books and the movies just as much as the fans.”

The other big “Twilight”-related headline these days is all about the business of making sure “Breaking Dawn” gets made. Rumor has it that Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz are asking for bigger pay for the last flicks, but Reed declined to comment on the reports, nor would she confirm the report that she is close to finalizing her deal for the final films.

“I can’t comment on my business affairs, sorry. I can’t comment on other people, either,” she said, but did add she had yet to speak to “Breaking Dawn” director Bill Condon. “I haven’t, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Don’t miss the MTV Movie Awards, airing Sunday, June 6, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV!

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Alan Ball is partnering with Oprah Winfrey‘s Harpo Films for an HBO movie based on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Variety reports.

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Voting begins Wednesday for the MTV Movie Awards, which air live on MTV June 6.
By Eric Ditzian

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Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper in “The Hangover”


Photo: Warner Bros.

Beware the power of an overwhelming “Hangover.” That’s the first lesson of the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, because the votes are in and the Bradley Cooper-starring comedy leads the field with six nominations. Following close behind in that flick’s boozy wake are “New Moon” and “Avatar,” each of which nabbed five nominations.

“The Hangover” was tapped in categories including Best Movie, Best Comedic Performance (Cooper and Zach Galifianakis) and Best Villain (Ken Jeong). After “Twilight” led the 2009 awards with seven nominations, the vampire sequel’s 2010 nods include Best Movie, Best Female Performance (Kristen Stewart), and Best Male Performance (Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner). “Avatar” scored in such categories as Best Movie, Best Female Performance (Zoe Saldana) and Best Villain (Stephen Lang).

Hosted by Aziz Ansari, the Movie Awards air live on Sunday, June 6, at 9 p.m. ET. Starting Wednesday, May 12, through Saturday, June 5, you’ll be able to head to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for a winner in every category. Voting for Best Movie, however, will stay open throughout the awards show on June 6 — meaning you’ll have a chance to affect the night’s biggest prize until the very last minute.

Rounding out the Best Movie category are “Alice in Wonderland” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” In addition to the “Hangover” and “New Moon” boys, the Best Male Performance category consists of Channing Tatum (“Dear John”), Daniel Radcliffe (“Half-Blood Prince”) and Zac Efron (“17 Again”). Joining Stewart and Saldana as Best Female Performance nominees are Amanda Seyfried (“Dear John”), Emma Watson (“Half-Blood Prince”) and Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”).

MTV will also introduce three brand-new categories at this year’s show. Freaking over their nods for Best Scared-as-Sh– Performance will be Alison Lohman (“Drag Me to Hell”), Amanda Seyfried (“Jennifer’s Body”), Jesse Eisenberg (“Zombieland”), Katie Featherston (“Paranormal Activity”) and Sharlto Copley (“District 9″). The Biggest Badass Star category has laid the smackdown on Rain, Angelina Jolie, Channing Tatum, Sam Worthington and Chris Pine. And swooping in to compete for Global Superstar are Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, Radcliffe and Johnny Depp.

The Best Kiss category will feature a lip-smacking showdown of “Twilight” franchise stars: Stewart and Pattinson (“New Moon”), Stewart and Dakota Fanning (“The Runaways”), and Lautner and Taylor Swift (“Valentine’s Day”), as well as Bullock and Ryan Reynolds (“The Proposal”) and Saldana and Worthington (“Avatar”).

Battling it out for Best Villain will be Jeong (“The Hangover”), Lang (“Avatar”), Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”), Helena Bonham Carter (“Alice in Wonderland”) and Tom Felton (“Half-Blood Prince”).

Don’t miss the MTV Movie Awards, airing Sunday, June 6 at 9 p.m. ET on MTV!

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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‘After that performance, you, Crystal, are back in the game,’ critiqued judge Simon Cowell.
By Eric Ditzian

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Crystal Bowersox on “American Idol” Tuesday


Photo: FOX

Would it be a blockbuster or a bomb? That was the key question heading into Songs of the Cinema Night on Tuesday’s (May 11) “American Idol,” a theme whose approved song list heavily favored a perplexing mix of tunes from golden oldies, ’80s action flicks and Disney cartoons. And while this Hollywood-centric episode might not be the stuff of awards-season glory, the “Idol” crew handled themselves well in front of the camera. Crystal Bowersox shined like a seasoned A-lister and made Lee Dewyze look like a breakout star during their duet. Meanwhile, Casey James and Michael Lynche proved they just might not be bankable solo stars at this point in the competition.

Dewyze got the night started with “Kiss From a Rose,” a nod back to season eight contestant Danny Gokey, thanks to mentor Jamie Foxx. During the pre-performance video, the Oscar-winning actor got up in Dewyze’s face as he did with Gokey last year, giving the singer what Foxx called the Michael Mann treatment (a reference to the famously intense director of “Miami Vice” and “Collateral”). “Yeah, it’s different,” said a visibly uncomfortable Dewyze of his mentor’s approach.

Dewyze brought that unease to the stage during his straightforward take on Seal’s hit from “Batman Forever.” His higher register was simply not up to the song’s requirements. Ellen DeGeneres alone was impressed with the rendition. Randy Jackson wanted to see more of a rocker attitude and more of an effort to switch up the song’s arrangement, while Simon Cowell laid down one of his most dreaded analogies: “That was verging on — I’m afraid to say — karaoke,” the Brit judge said.

And so the night proceeded on from karaoke to what DeGeneres mockingly dubbed “one of the classic, great movies of all time.” Yes, Michael Lynche selected a tune from “Free Willy,” one sung by Michael Jackson but nonetheless made famous in a movie about a boy’s enduring friendship with an Orca whale. Foxx was not impressed during rehearsals, nor were the judges when they heard his live version.

Backed by a choir and with a lovely gospel vibe to the song, Big Mike sounded perfectly lovely. But Kara DioGuardi nailed it when she said, “You played it safe. What you did tonight, you can do in your sleep.”

Just as Kara wished Lynche had done something in the vein of past R&B performances like “This Woman’s Work,” Jackson wondered why Big Mike abandoned what is so clearly his strongest genre. “You’re an R&B dude,” said the disappointed judge. “I wish you’d chosen something R&B.”

Next came the first duet of the season, as Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox teamed up onstage. Facing each other with guitars sandwiched between them, they traded and shared lyrics from “Falling Slowly,” a beautiful number from “Once.” It marked a welcome return to form for Dewyze and a stunning debut for MamaSox. His growly tone contrasted nicely with her innate bluesiness.

The judges then took turns trading superlatives to describe the performance. “One of my favorite moments from the entire season,” said DioGuardi, seconds before Cowell declared, “I don’t know if I’d call that a good song. I’d call that a fantastic song.”

It was a tough act to follow, but as they say in showbiz, the show must go on. And on came Casey James with a ukulele and a bluegrass-tinged take on “Mrs. Robinson,” the Simon & Garfunkel classic from “The Graduate.” Foxx seemed to be channeling DioGuardi when he asked the singer to seduce him during rehearsals. The seduction didn’t necessarily pay off.

“For me, this is you fighting to stay in the competition,” DioGuardi said as she pointed out how Casey’s more comfortable standing back and rocking out. “For me this was actually a good choice.”

That was less of a compliment than it might sound in print. Cowell was more direct when he said, “I didn’t think the song or the performance had the substance required on this important night for you. … I thought it was a little bit lazy and I think you could have made more of an impact.”

After the break, Bowersox headed back onstage for a country-rock version of Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Alright” from the comedy “Caddyshack.” Like the movie, her rehearsal was marked by some foul language. But by the time of her live performance, MamaSox had found her form.

The judges feted the 24-year-old for switching the song up far more than any of the other contestants dared during their performances. Both DioGuardi and DeGeneres announced that she “made it better.” Cowell, who had criticized Bowersox in recent weeks, welcomed her back by saying, “After that performance, you, Crystal, are back in the game.”

To finish up the night, Big Mike and James sauntered back onstage for another guitar duet. Though it lacked the energy on display during Bowersox and Dewyze’s performance, their take on Bryan Adams’ “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” from the movie “Don Juan DeMarco” was still far better than either man’s individual effort.

“The duets tonight were incredible,” said DioGuardi, summing up the judges consensus. “They were better than all of the solo performances.”

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Who do you think had the best performance on “Idol” Tuesday night? Let us know in the comments below!

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Diane Lane will headline HBO’s new film Cinema Verite, which will go behind-the-scenes of the landmark PBS reality series An American Family, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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