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Twilight, Slumdog Millionaire Lead MTV Movie Awards Noms

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:30:30 -0700

The teen sensation and the Oscar winner will go head-to-head this year at the MTV Movie Awards. Twilight and Slumdog Millionaire topped the nominations list today, with Twilight nabbing seven nominations and Slumdog landing six. Each is nominated for Best Movie, along with The Dark Knight, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and Iron Man.

Voting is now open for all of the categories, which include some new awards this year (Best WTF Moment among them). The voting for Best Movie will stay open throughout the show itself, which airs May 31 and will be hosted by Andy Samberg. To check out all of the nominations, just read more.

BEST MOVIE
The Dark Knight
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Twilight

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Angelina Jolie - Wanted
Anne Hathaway - Bride Wars
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Kristen Stewart - Twilight
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Christian Bale - The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man
Shia LaBeouf - Eagle Eye
Vin Diesel - Fast & Furious
Zac Efron - High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Amanda Seyfried - Mamma Mia!
Ashley Tisdale - High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Freida Pinto - Slumdog Millionaire
Miley Cyrus - Hannah Montana: The Movie
Vanessa Hudgens - High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Kat Dennings - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE MALE
Robert Pattinson - Twilight
Taylor Lautner - Twilight
Ben Barnes - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Bobb'e J. Thompson - Role Models

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Amy Poehler - Baby Mama
Anna Faris - The House Bunny
James Franco - Pineapple Express
Jim Carrey - Yes Man
Steve Carell - Get Smart

BEST VILLAIN
Derek Mears - Friday the 13th
Dwayne Johnson - Get Smart
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Johnathon Schaech - Prom Night
Luke Goss - Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST FIGHT
Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson - Bride Wars
Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Ron Perlman vs. Luke Goss - Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet - Twilight
Seth Rogen and James Franco vs. Danny McBride - Pineapple Express

BEST KISS
Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy - Wanted
Freida Pinto and Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
James Franco and Sean Penn - Milk
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson - Twilight
Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon - I Love You, Man
Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron - High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BEST WTF MOMENT
Amy Poehler - Baby Mama, Peeing in the Sink
Angelina Jolie - Wanted, Curved Bullet Kill
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar - Slumdog Millionaire, Jumping in the Poop Shed
Ben Stiller - Tropic Thunder, Tasting the Decapitated Head
Jason Segel and Kristen Bell - Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Naked Breakup

BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE
"Jai Ho" - AR Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
"The Wrestler" - Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler
"The Climb" - Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie
"Decode" - Paramore, Twilight

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:30:03 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my selections below you can take home Will Smith's drama Seven Pounds.

Slumdog Millionaire
Now that I've seen the movie and read the book I'm excited to go back and watch the movie again! Can you tell I'm into this flick? When this year's Oscar winner for Best Picture hit theaters, it began an epic journey into the hearts and minds of moviegoers around the globe, and I have a feeling many people will end up owning it on DVD.

The story follows an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, Jamal (Dev Patel), who is accused of cheating as a contestant on India's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. To prove his innocence he reflects back on his amazing life in director Danny Boyle's intense and inspiring movie.

Special features include "Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle and the Making of Slumdog Millionaire," deleted scenes, and commentary by Danny Boyle and Dev Patel.

Two more up next so read more.

Marley & Me
Aw . . . puppy! Looks like the marketers of this movie know a good thing when they see it. I doubt many of you missed this movie while it was in theaters over the holidays, seeing as it did such good business at the box office. I found this movie, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, to be good-natured, earnest and cute.

It turns out to be pretty much exactly what you expect if you've seen the trailers and/or read the book on which the movie is based: A story about a crazy, uncontrollable dog who impacts a young couple's marriage in unexpected ways. It gets pretty emotional toward the end there, but otherwise it's too sweet to resist.

The special features look like a lot of fun and include 19 deleted scenes, commentary from director David Frankel, a "Finding Marley" featurette, an "On Set With Marley: Dog of All Trades" featurette, and an "Animal Adoption" featurette.

Ricky Gervais: Out of England: The Stand-Up Special
It doesn't get much better than Ricky Gervais doing stand-up. I could watch this courageous and hilarious man chat onstage for hours. Since I didn't catch it when it aired a couple of months ago, I'll leave it to Netflix for the show's description:

"Funnyman Ricky Gervais unleashes his formidable talent on Madison Square Garden - with political correctness taking a backseat - in his first special for HBO, home of his Emmy-winning series Extras. Gervais shares his thoughts on a variety of topics, including obesity, Nazis and nursery rhymes - even sacred cows such as physicist Stephen Hawking and Nelson Mandela are targets of the comic actor's stinging wit in this hilarious performance."

That sounds amazingly inappropriate, so count me in. Special features include a conversation with Ricky Gervais.

What Movie Will You See in Theaters This Weekend?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:30:45 -0700

It's kind of a random time of year for movies, and I'm curious to see what audiences are in the mood for. This weekend has lots to offer, including a new animated feature, a horror flick, and some holdovers from previous weekends - including an Oscar winner.

So tell me: What, if any, movie will you see this weekend?

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Buzz Book Club: The End of Slumdog Millionaire

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:30:04 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! I don't know about you, but I'm glad I read the book that inspired Slumdog Millionaire, as I found the book to be thought-provoking as well as entertaining. Let's chat about our final thoughts on it in just a sec.

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, went up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Don't forget to check back next week for my April Buzz Book Club selection!

To discuss last week's section of Slumdog Millionaire, in which we read from "10,000,000 Rupees - Tragedy Queen" to the end of the book, read more.

In the end, do you think Prem Kumar is made out to be a bit too sympathetic, considering what he's guilty of with the girls? Does he get off too easy?
Do you feel like you learned more about India through this book? How does the setting of India play a part in the story? How do you think the story would differ if it took place somewhere else?
If you've seen the movie, are there parts of the book you wish had been included in the film? Or if you have yet to see the film, are there parts of the book you hope will be in the movie?
On a similar note, one small moment that's stuck with me is Ram realizing because of Neelima that celebrities are just like normal people, except they care about fame where normal people care about money. Ram's a pretty profound kid, after all he's gone through; have any of his observations stuck with you?
After winning at the Oscars, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy said that when he was adapting the novel for film, he wanted to make it more of a love story and focus less on the game show than the book does because love stories are so universal. Do you agree with this decision?
If you've both seen the movie and read the book, do you prefer one over the other? Do you think one is "better?"

Buzz Book Club: Slumdog Millionaire, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:15:19 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! I think I've nearly brushed aside comparisons to the movie Slumdog Millionaire while reading this book because the two have less and less in common as I read on. I am still thoroughly engrossed in the book, though. How about you?

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next section: Read from "10,000,000 Rupees - Tragedy Queen" to the end of the book. We'll chat about the conclusion a week from today, March 27.

To discuss last week's section of Slumdog Millionaire, in which we read from "50,000 Rupees - How to Speak Australian" through "1,000,000 Rupees - License to Kill," read more.

Do you think Slumdog Millionaire would be a good book for young adults to read? It has a lot of violence and disturbing images, but at the same time, Ram has a sweet precociousness that I think I could have related to as a teen.
Speaking of precociousness: There were a few moments in this section when it seemed obvious to me what was going to happen to one of the boys, but they still seemed clueless. Is that kind of thing frustrating to you? Or is it sweet to see that boys who have seen so much bad stuff in the world can still be innocent?
What do you think about the ideas of justice? Ram and Salim both do horrible things, but they do them to people who did even worse things. Does that justify their actions?
I found myself zoning out during the war chapter, but I'm not sure if that has to do with the story itself or the fact that war stuff is not so much my thing. Are there some stories in the book that you like more than others? What are your favorites so far?
What do you make of the dream Ram keeps having, with the lady with the long hair and the baby? What could it symbolize?

Buzz Book Club: Slumdog Millionaire, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:30:16 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! I really enjoyed the movie Slumdog Millionaire, and thought I'd use this month's book club to explore the book on which it's based, originally titled Q&A. Already the two are pretty different, and we'll discuss how they match up so far after the jump.

First, here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next section: Read from "50,000 Rupees - How to Speak Australian" through "1,000,000 Rupees - License to Kill" (stop before "10,000,000 Rupees - Tragedy Queen"). We'll chat about this section a week from today, March 20.

To discuss the first section of Slumdog Millionaire, in which we read from the prologue through the chapter titled "10,000 Rupees - A Thought for the Crippled," read more.

The book already has some pretty significant differences from the movie version of Slumdog Millionaire. If you've seen the movie, how are you adjusting to the changes? I found it took me a couple of chapters to think of this as a separate story, rather than wait for certain key events in the book.
Ram Mohammad Thomas seems more assertive than his movie counterpart, Jamal, and he's maybe even more wise beyond his years. What do you make of him as a narrator so far?
I did a little cheer when Salim showed up for the first time. Are there other characters or parts of the movie that you're really hoping turn up in the book?
It's nice to get to know Salim more in the book than we do in the film, and I find it interesting to delve further into Ram's background (his childhood with the priest, etc.) as well. Is it fun to know these characters more deeply, or do you find it unnecessary? Is the snapshot of them that we get in the movie enough?
So far, the book seems to get deeper into issues of religion and sexuality than the movie did. Do you think those subjects are better suited for the printed page than the screen?

Box Office: Who's Watching the Watchmen? Everyone

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:30:46 -0700

Zack Snyder's long-awaited screen adaptation of Watchmen finally hit theaters over the weekend and scored the best opening of the year with an estimated $55.7 million. Apparently that's actually a bit of a disappointment to the studio which, according to Variety, "had hoped Watchmen would match, or even best, the $70.9 million domestic opening of Zack Snyder's previous film, 300, which bowed on the same weekend in 2007."

The rest of the top five at the box office was all mixed up with Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail coming in second place, followed by Taken in third, Slumdog Millionaire in fourth, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop in the fifth spot. Oh, Paul Blart. America just can't seem to quit you.

So what did you see over the weekend? Did you venture out into the world of Watchmen?

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Buzz Book Club: Slumdog Millionaire (also known as Q&A)

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:30:40 -0800

Hi, Buzz Book Club readers! I loved the film Slumdog Millionaire, and over the past few months, it's been a delight to watch this Danny Boyle movie work its way into the hearts of many - including, of course, the Academy Awards voters, who named the film this year's Best Picture.

The film also won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and in doing some research into the film, I learned that the book it draws from is pretty different from the big-screen version - which, of course, made me want to read it. That is why I've made my March selection Slumdog Millionaire (originally published as Q & A) by Vikas Swarup.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: I announce a new book each month. Every week I suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To read the description of the book and to get the first assignment, read more.

The synopsis for Slumdog Millionaire reads:
"When Ram Mohammad Thomas, an orphaned, uneducated waiter from Mumbai, wins a billion rupees on a quiz show, he finds himself thrown in jail. Enter attractive lawyer Smita Shah, to get Ram out of prison and listen to him explain, via flashbacks, how he knew the answers to all the show's questions. Indian diplomat Swarup's fanciful debut is based on a sound premise: you learn a lot about the world by living in it (Ram has survived abandonment, child abuse, murder). And just as the quiz show format is meant to distill his life story (each question prompts a separate flashback), Ram's life seems intended to distill the predicament of India's underclass in general."

The first assignment: Read from the prologue through the chapter titled "10,000 Rupees - A Thought for the Crippled." (Stop before the chapter "50,000 Rupees - How to Speak Australian.") We'll chat about this section next Friday, March 13.

A brief note about finding the book: It's been republished as Slumdog Millionaire with the cover you see above, but you may still find it as Q&A with a cover like this. The assignments should be the same either way, but just me know if you have questions.

Madea's Box Office Reign Continues Despite the Jonas Threat

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:15:45 -0800

Even when competing with a Jonas Brothers 3-D extravaganza thingy, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail did not falter during its second weekend in theaters and scored the top spot at the box office again.

Disney's Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience was expected to win the weekend partly because of the extraordinary success of last year's Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour. The Jonas Brothers' movie earned an estimated $12.7 million and is considered a disappointment in comparison to the estimated $29 million that Miley's movie debut earned.

Meanwhile, Variety reports that Slumdog Millionaire "enjoyed the biggest post-Oscar bounce since Titanic at the domestic box office, grossing an estimated $12.2 million as it boldly expanded to 2,943 runs in its 16th sesh."

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Which Oscar-Winning Movie Do You Want to See Next?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:30:18 -0800

Not even Oscar host Hugh Jackman got to see all the nominated films before Sunday's big night. He even found a pretty hilarious way to work the fact that he hadn't seen The Reader into his opening bit.

Mr. Jackman is not alone, as I'm sure most of us still need to see some of the movies that took home awards on Sunday. I managed to get to most of them, but there are a couple I still need to see - and others I can't wait to see again! So tell me: what Academy-approved flick do you want to see next?

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