MTV Movies

'New Moon' Actor Michael Welch Calls Opening-Weekend Success 'Amazing'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:24:00 EST

Welch tells MTV News he has his sights set on all-time box-office champ 'Titanic.'
By Larry Carroll

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in "New Moon"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

If you've been living under a rock (or you're just now emerging from the local movie theater where you've spent the last three days watching "New Moon" repeatedly), then perhaps you don't know that the "Twilight" sequel debuted this weekend with one of the biggest openings ever.

In the wake of such news, fan favorite Michael Welch swung by the MTV studios Monday morning (November 23) to give us his first interview following the film's massive success. With an extra bounce in his step and an ear-to-ear grin on his face, the actor who plays Mike Newton in the series was eager to talk about "Twilight" entering the ranks of the biggest franchises of all time.

"I'm feeling great," he said. "I feel really good. The night the movie opened, Friday night, Melissa Rosenberg, the screenwriter, threw a big 'Twilight' party at some fancy place ion Hollywood. As soon as I went in, I was talking to one of my buddies from Summit, and he was like, 'Just guess what we made from the midnight screening and the one day.' I was like, '$35 million,' being generous. My girlfriend said, '$50 million,' and I looked at her like she was crazy. He goes, '$70 million!' and I just started laughing uncontrollably. To get those kinds of numbers, it means that many people must have seen the film at least three times by the end of opening day!

"That is insane," he added. "And I love it."

With that in mind, we hit the actor fans affectionately refer to as "Mike/Mike" with a few of the "New Moon" record-setting feats of accomplishment and got his thoughts on what it means for the current state of "Twilight" Nation:

The Most Presold Tickets of Any Movie, Ever: "That says that the anticipation was obviously very high, and we knew going into it that the presales would be out of control. So we did anticipate a somewhat successful opening weekend, but that says it all to me. ... 'Lord of the Rings' had a following for years and years before those movies came out [and didn't do this]. There wasn't that much of a gap between when [the 'Twilight'] books were written and the movies came out. To generate that kind of excitement in that short a period of time is amazing. "

The Highest-Grossing Midnight Screening Total of All Time ($26.3 million): "That's amazing. That's crazy. And it's surprising, considering that so much of our fanbase are young kids out late on a Thursday night. I don't know if kids were skipping school on Friday or what, but still, I'm glad to have them. I would never condone kids skipping school, but thank you. I do appreciate it."

Best Single-Day Tally of All Time ($72.7 million on Friday): "[Previous record-holder] 'The Dark Knight' is incredible. I saw it three times, once in IMAX, so I helped contribute to that. It was a similar circumstance in that it was the sequel to a popular film. ... I think a lot of people [discovered both franchises on DVD]. We maintain our original fanbase but have more and more people jumping on. I'm sure it will be even more for 'Eclipse.' It's just a snowball at this point."

Third-Biggest Opening Weekend Ever ($140.7 million): "Wow, cool. ... I'm reaching for [all-time box-office champ] 'Titanic.' That's my goal. It has a lot of the same elements, that romantic element that I think keeps people coming back, particularly the girls. 'New Moon' was written in direct homage to 'Romeo and Juliet' and follows many of the same themes and structure. ... [Shooting the film,] I felt like I was a witness to history."

More Than $118 Million in Foreign Territories: "This is the craziest thing about being in movies in general. You have no idea who is watching you across the world. ... It blows my mind, people watching these movies that I'm lucky enough to be in. [The 'Twilight' films] have international appeal, because these are universal, human themes. And that's what it's about at the end of the day: telling stories that touch people and move the human spirit. That has no borders."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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"New Moon"

'New Moon' Director Chris Weitz Reveals DVD Details

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:13:00 EST

Weitz plans to include at least 20 minutes of deleted material from the blockbuster.
By Larry Carroll

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"
Photo: Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment

BEVERLY HILLS, California — After this weekend's record-shattering opening, "New Moon" is now officially the biggest film of 2009. In a few months, it will inevitably become one of the biggest DVD releases of 2010.

So what can we expect from the "New Moon" DVD? Recently, we caught up with director Chris Weitz and got the scoop on the disc you'll soon want sitting next to "Twilight" on your shelf.

"There will be a commentary track," Weitz revealed, saying that he'll soon head into the recording booth with his three big stars, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. "It'll just be us riffing off each other in our intimate way," he grinned. "We kind of like each other, so that should be fun."

In addition, fans can look forward to picking up a copy of "Twilight in Forks," the independently made documentary that teased fans with brief glimpses of its exploration into the real-life town that inspired Stephenie Meyer, only to be snatched up by Summit in September. An insider told MTV recently that the film will not be re-edited but will hit DVD alongside "New Moon" with all-new packaging and artwork.

Judging by the insatiable appetite of Twilighters, they'll be filling DVD stores in the first quarter of 2010, eager to glimpse the deleted scenes Weitz plans to unveil for the first time.

"There will be probably about 20 minutes of deleted material," he explained, promising some meaty footage. "It really is good stuff and a bonus for the fans."

Among this bonus footage could be several moments MTV knows were shot but did not make the final "New Moon" cut, including:

» A scene with Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria driving to Forks in a car, snacking on a dead human. It was one of the final moments the actress filmed as the nomadic vampire.

» A scene with the human characters eating Burger King.

» Another scene with the humans, this time with Justin Chon and Michael Welch expressing jealousy over Edward's car.

» More scenes with the Volturi in Italy.

» An extended cut of the scene where Mike Newton quotes Shakespeare to Bella in the Forks High parking lot; in it, he does a Marlon Brando impersonation.

» Scenes alluding to the ongoing breakup between Newton and Anna Kendrick's Jessica.

"When I made the film, I wanted it to arrive at a certain kind of flow and cadence," Weitz said of why he had to leave so many scenes on the cutting-room floor but hopes to restore many for the DVD. "[They would have affected] how the movie worked, and they didn't completely fit. But there'll be some groovy stuff in [the DVD]."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Demi Lovato Talks 'Upped' Romance With Joe Jonas In 'Camp Rock 2'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:07:00 EST

Singer/actress says the dancing is also 'stepped up' in the Disney Channel sequel.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Larry Carroll

Demi Lovato
Photo: MTV News

Although they recently denied they were dating in real life, Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato are taking their "Camp Rock" romance to the next level in the film's sequel, "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," set to air sometime next year on Disney Channel. Does that mean Mitchie and Shane will share more onscreen kisses?

"I don't know. You'll have to watch for it," Demi Lovato told MTV News on the red carpet for the American Music Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles. "We upped the romantic scenes between my character and Joe Jonas'."

The sequel isn't just about stepping up the film's love story; it will also boost the singing and dancing. "It's stepped up. There's a ton of dancing," Lovato revealed. "We had, like, 25 dancers last movie; now there's, like, 60. It's definitely more like a musical."

Earlier this fall, Lovato gushed about working with the Jonas Brothers again for the film. "It was so much fun doing 'Camp Rock 2,' " she said "I had some of the best memories in the world there. It was a blast. ... It was incredible being back with the cast from the first one, and we had new castmembers. We were so excited to be able to shoot again and make new friendships. I loved it."

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

'New Moon' Wolf Pack: How The Characters Came To Life

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:49:00 EST

'It gets a lot more tricky to make them digital, yet photographically representational,' visual-effects master Phil Tippett says.
By Larry Carroll

Photo: Summit Entertainment

From "Star Wars" to "Indiana Jones" to "Jurassic Park," visual-effects maestro Phil Tippett has had a hand in some of the greatest movies of the past 30 years. This past weekend, if the wolves of the record-setting blockbuster "New Moon" thrilled you, then you have him to thank.

In an exclusive interview with MTV, the owner of Tippett Studio was eager to chat about making the wolf pack come to life, the intensive research that had his computer artists hanging out with the real thing, and why trips to the "New Moon" set often became a hairy proposition.




	Brand-New Special Effects Shots From "New Moon"

MTV: Congratulations, Phil, the fans seem pretty pleased with the movie so far.

Phil Tippett: I suppose so; I'm not quite one of that ilk.

MTV: You're not a teenage girl?

Tippett: Nooo. [Laughs.] I've been through it — I've been through the teenage-girl thing not that long ago with my daughters. But I'm on a break from it now.

MTV: You worked on Chris Weitz's "The Golden Compass." So, did he just call you up and ask you to do "New Moon" as well?

Tippett: No, actually we didn't deal with Chris that much. We were involved in "The Golden Compass," then everything came our way right at the very end [of the "New Moon" production] in a 911 call [from a producer]. She realized that she had a bunch of wolves to do, so she gave us a call and said, "Hey, this is right up your alley, what do you think?" And we said, "Yeah, we're onboard."

MTV: What were the greatest challenges on "New Moon"?

Tippett: With the werewolves, the big deal from Chris and from Stephenie Meyer's books was that these things are horse-sized wolves, not traditional beastly, werewolf-y, quasi-human type things. They are, for all intents and purposes, timberwolves. And so, that's the trick; you get into that uncanny valley — the land usually occupied by computer-generated canines and cats, which are so much a part of our world that when you're trying to do a duplication of the character that's not fantasy, it's so common to everybody's observation that it gets a lot more tricky to make them digital, yet photographically representational.

MTV: So, real things are harder to make than made-up things?

Tippett: Very much. If you have a bug from another planet, or a giant robot, or something like that, you can get away with murder — but when it's something recognizable, then the onus is on you.

MTV: Did you do a lot of research into wolves?

Tippett: Yes, they're required to do very specific things, to move certain ways, and to that end we do an incredible amount of research — the co-supervisor on the show, Matt Jacobs, led an exposition down to a wolf preserve in Los Angeles. He brought a bunch of the animators and art department guys, and they observed a bunch of timberwolves to commune with them and their behavior and get their vibe.

MTV: This is one of the most eagerly anticipated movies of 2009. Were there a lot of top-secret measures you had to take as you worked on the effects?

Tippett: There were things that were amusingly irritating. Like, the paparazzi got so bad following the stars everywhere that in some instances we were going to these godforsaken locations out in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes the production would put up signs pointing to a different location to confuse the paparazzi. Of course, that would totally confuse us as well, which would make us show up late to the set. [Laughs.]

MTV: That's hilarious. Tell us about the wolves themselves.

Tippett: Well, we put a good amount of time into studying the behavior and the physical actions of timberwolves, and then multiplied that up to a 1,200-pound character, so that the weight and mass appear to fit properly into earth-specific gravity and all that stuff. Sam Uley is the big-kahuna wolf, definitely the biggest one. Each wolf is between 1,200 and 800 pounds, and a lot of that is on a shot-for-shot basis — Embry and Jared are the smallest. Sam is the biggest one, then Paul and Jacob are roughly the same size — Jacob is maybe a little bit bigger.

MTV: In one key scene, Jacob's wolf makes eye contact with Bella. Tell us about that shot.

Tippett: One of the things Chris was very insistent on was that all the wolves have human eyes, as opposed to normal wolves who have these golden, very piercing classic wolf eyes. The way he had laid out a number of scenes was there were some extreme close-ups of wolf eyes, with Bella reflected in them, like that Jacob scene. Chris wanted to make sure that Taylor Lautner's eyes would be the right choice, emotionally, for those scenes.

MTV: How did you achieve that?

Tippett: We got Taylor to peel his eyelids way back, and we got in really close with a camera and shot his eyes.

MTV: Wow. Was it like "A Clockwork Orange" thing?

Tippett: Yeah. [Laughs.] No, we had him do it with his own hands, so he could find his own comfort level. We didn't use any instruments of torture.

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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"New Moon"

Tom Hardy Is Thankful For 'Bronson,' 'Mad Max' And More In 2009

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:29:00 EST

'This whole year has been staggering,' says actor, describing recent successes after hitting rock bottom.
By Josh Horowitz

Tom Hardy in "Bronson"
Photo: Cate Gillon/ Getty/ Vertigo/ MTV News

Tom Hardy has been an "Oh yeah, it's that guy" actor for years: You recognize him, you just don't know from where. After making a big splash in Hollywood earlier in the decade with parts in the HBO World War II miniseries "Band of Brothers" and the urban warfare flick "Black Hawk Down," Hardy was poised to break into the A-list. But a starring role in "Star Trek: Nemesis" — a film so bad it effectively killed the franchise for years — and an alcohol- and drug-fueled breakdown contributed to a professional downfall from which Hardy slowly emerged by getting sober and returning to theater work.

Now he's back with a critically acclaimed turn as an iconic British prisoner in "Bronson" and he's finally getting the full Hollywood embrace. Christopher Nolan cast him in "Inception," and he's taking over Mel Gibson's freaky role for "Mad Max: Fury Road." This has been a fantastic year for the British actor, as he explained to MTV News in an exclusive interview, and the future is looking even better. We couldn't be more thankful about it all.

MTV News: This performance in "Bronson" sort of came out of nowhere for people in the States. Were you surprised at how critics just loved it?

Tom Hardy: Yeah, it was really lovely to see how everyone responded over in the States. In England [criminal Charles Bronson is] a very well known character in the press. It was more expected that the audiences in England were going to see the film and know who he was. But I didn't know there was going to be such exposure in America. It was a small independent film. It went to Sundance, but it was a gamble. It was nice to get such a big response from it in the industry.

MTV: And you certainly know both ends of the spectrum, being in high-profile films that sometimes don't resonate. You would maybe expect something like this, a labor of love, when it hits, that's got to be the ultimate reward.

Hardy: Yeah, it's great for everybody involved that it made such a noise, and I've certainly reaped wonderful benefits from being in that film.

MTV: It seems like you've known your fair share of "actors to watch" lists over the years. Has this performance really changed the way you're perceived in Hollywood?

Hardy: It hasn't changed the way I work at all. But it's sort of a fishing thing — right place, right time — and offers have started to come in which weren't offered before. There are two sides to that story. I don't know how the industry works, how somebody becomes a hot property or not. But ["Bronson"] was definitely a good business card in that sense.

MTV: When you look back, can you pinpoint a best or most surreal moment?

Hardy: I didn't expect to get "Mad Max." I really didn't. I didn't ever expect to get the lead in a Hollywood movie, for Chris Nolan off the bat to offer me ["Inception"] without an audition and then to go sit with [director] George Miller [on "Mad Max"] and work with him and not really audition in the orthodox way of auditioning — this year's been crazy. I've been working as an actor for a long time now, and I've been waiting for an independent film to come along because it was very hard to get cast as a character actor, as a lead — being credible but bankable. It's very hard to break in when there are plenty of people who can be cast, who can green-light, who can put bums in the seats. So this whole year has been staggering.

MTV: You first had a taste of stardom with "Star Trek: Nemesis" in 2002. Back then did you feel like you had it made and it's all going to come easy now? And when that didn't happen, how did that influence the next few years of your life?

Hardy: That was a very important moment. I left drama school early — I caught a lucky one — and a casting agent put me forward for "Band of Brothers." But I was very young, very naive and very eager. I started to work back to back. I went from "Band of Brothers" to "The Reckoning" with Willem Dafoe to "Black Hawk Down" to "Star Trek." It was all in, like, 16 months. I thought, "This is it!" And I wasn't prepared at all for any of the pressure.

The worst pressure was within my own head, the fear of success and the fear of failure. And not concentrating on my craft. I was just concentrating on getting another job. It manifested in panic and fear and lots and lots of drinking to bolster my courage. After "Star Trek," I had a fallow year. I was waiting for "Star Trek" to come out and push me onto a bigger stage. I ended up in the hospital just after it came out. I broke down physically, spiritually, mentally. And I had to realize that this chasing dreams, this panic, this constant nervous energy wasn't healthy for me. A lot of people drink for pleasure, they party hard, but for me it didn't help. The best thing was to cut it out altogether. So I went back to the theater and slowly worked back to where I am now. But I'm aware now that this could all stop, and that's OK too.

MTV: With all the success you're having and are about to have with the upcoming films, are you worried about the demons resurfacing?

Hardy: I'm conscious of it. It's healthy to have a certain amount of trepidation and respect for isolating myself in a way where I could frighten myself again. I have a son now as well — he's 18 months old — and he's a very strong focus in my life. I need to be a father and a strong male figure in his life. If I feel anything is encroaching on my ability to stay stable and have a purpose in my life, then I'll bow out respectfully. I came very close to losing everything before, and it scarred me. I'm very proud of the mark, but I don't ever want to go there again.

Thanksgiving is a time for taking stock, expressing gratitude and, most importantly, overeating. We at MTV News have been gorging all year at movie theaters, so it's about time we looked back and gave thanks to our favorite actors and filmmakers of 2009. So in this special week, we celebrate J.J. Abrams and Chris Pine for bringing "Star Trek" back into our lives; Tom Hardy for such an unexpectedly powerful turn in "Bronson"; Quentin Tarantino for blowing our minds with his "Inglourious Basterds"; Sam Rockwell for the amazingly inventive indie "Moon"; Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel for redefining how cool and cute a couple could be in "(500) Days of Summer"; and our ultimate winner, Ryan Reynolds, for a trio of memorable roles in vastly different (but all super entertaining) flicks like "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "The Proposal" and "Adventureland." Enjoy our exclusive interviews with the winners all week long.

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

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How Do 'New Moon' Box-Office Numbers Stand Up To Other Blockbusters?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:32:00 EST

The 'Twilight' sequel could follow in the footsteps of 'The Dark Knight' or 'Titanic.'
By Eric Ditzian

Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart on the "New Moon" poster
Photo: Summit Entertainment

The astonishing figure of $140.7 million — the total opening-weekend haul of "New Moon" — has been splashed all over the Web since Sunday. The number is hard to wrap your head around, so in an effort to give it some historical context and to see what the future holds, MTV News compared the "Twilight" sequel to other movies that have gone gangbusters at the box office. With help of BoxOfficeMojo.com, here's what we found out:

"New Moon" vs. "Twilight"

When it hit theaters around the same time last year, "Twilight" did some impressive box-office biz: $69.6 million. "New Moon" more than doubled that total. The first film went on to gross $192.8 million domestically. If the pattern holds, "New Moon" could gross over $380 million domestically. But keep in mind that "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" — 2009's B.O. champ thus far — opened with $108 million and went on to gross over $400 million. In that context, "New Moon" could push well past the $400 million mark. Could it go even further?

The Opening Weekend

Sure, $140.7 is a huge number, but it's not the biggest of all time. "The Dark Knight" took in $158 million, and "Spider-Man 3" garnered $151 million. "Dark Knight" finished off with $533 million (#2 of all time) and "Spider-Man" ended up with $337 million (#17 ever). That's a pretty wide gap. Will people return over and over to "New Moon" in the way they did for "Dark Knight," but not for "Spider-Man"? If you know anything about how die-hard Twilighters are, the answer to that question is clear.

The All-Time List

The champ is "Titanic," with over $600 million domestically. Where it gets interesting is when you look inside that number: James Cameron's epic took in only $28 million during its opening weekend, good for the #1 spot but hardly a staggering sum. The next weekend, it jumped to $35 million, and for the next 10 weeks it never dropped below the $20 million mark. It stayed #1 for 17 weeks in a row. That is insane staying power. Positive word of mouth and repeat viewership drove the film. Can "New Moon" pull off something similar? We'll have to wait until ...

The Second Weekend

In its second week of release, "Twilight" dropped 62 percent over the Thanksgiving weekend for a total of $23 million. Both the Vince Vaughn comedy "Four Christmases" and the animated film "Bolt" beat out the vampires. This Wednesday, "Ninja Assassin" and John Travolta's "Old Dogs" open, while "Fantastic Mr. Fox" goes wide. Will Twilighters keep hitting the theater over the long holiday weekend, or will other films take a chunk out of the "New Moon" business? The second weekend will be the key to understanding if the movie has a shot at becoming one of the biggest movies of all time.

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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'New Moon' Moviegoers Say 'Eclipse' Will Be 'Epic'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:06:00 EST

Fans of Jacob and Bella are especially excited for the third film: 'They kiss in it!'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Rya Backer

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in "New Moon"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

The stars of "Twilight" can't wait for fans to see the saga's third film, "Eclipse," and with more than six months until the film is released, Twilighters are already salivating to see what happens next for Bella, Jacob and Edward on the big screen.

"I didn't know if ['New Moon'] was going to be any good, where I feel like 'Eclipse' is going to be epic," Jordana de la Cruz gushed to MTV News after catching "New Moon" on opening night. "And they kiss in it, Jacob and Bella!"

It isn't just taking the love triangle to the next level that entices fans, but also the book's whirlwind ending.

"I've always been excited for 'Eclipse,' because that's my favorite book, but now that the whole cliffhanger is out there, definitely, I'd say a lot of people really want to see it," Habiba Tinubu said.

Twilighters agreed that with each film, the franchise keeps stepping up its game, so that means tons of excitement is also bubbling up for "Breaking Dawn," the final book in the series. "[I'm excited for] 'Breaking Dawn' because this movie also anticipates you for 'Breaking Dawn,' " another fan said. "When you get to the ending, you're like, 'Can't wait!' "

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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'New Moon' Fans Think Movie Deserves Oscar Nominations

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:57:00 EST

'Let's give young people a chance to win some Oscars,' says one New York Twilighter.
By Eric Ditzian

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in "New Moon"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

Could two disparate 2009 news stories combine to make an unlikely third? In June, the Academy of Arts and Sciences announced that the Oscars' Best Picture category would expand from five films to 10. And this past week, "New Moon" opened to a staggering $140.7 million at the domestic box office. Is it possible that a vastly more inclusive Oscar race could welcome Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's vampire saga to its esteemed contest?

Critics certainly reacted strongly — and often negatively — to "New Moon," but moviegoers came out in droves, and after the mega blockbuster "The Dark Knight" failed to nab a Best Picture nod in 2008, the Academy might be looking to make a change. Or not. The idea of vampires joining the likes of Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman in "Invictus") seems a bit of a stretch. Yet the Twilighters MTV News spoke to at a recent fan event in Times Square were certain "New Moon" deserved some Oscar love.

"They always give the [nominations] to the boring movies," said Vanesa Reyes, who said she and her friends planned to see the movie four or five times over its first weekend. "Let's give young people a chance to win some Oscars. It's time for a change."

Kim Cawthorne argued such a change has been building for a while. "If 'Twilight' got all this publicity for winning awards at the MTV Movie Awards and other awards shows, then obviously 'New Moon' is going to get it," she said, clutching an Edward Cullen pillow she'd just purchased. "I think all of the movies are going to keep getting it in the years to come."

Of course, a committed fanbase is no harbinger of serious awards-season respect. The "Harry Potter" franchise has never won an Oscar and has only been nominated in secondary categories for music and art direction. But none of that matters to the Twilighters, each of whom argued passionately that "New Moon" deserves some nominations — not just as Best Picture but in other categories as well.

"I think Taylor Lautner [should be nominated]," said Jhanel Huggett. "I really do. He did such an amazing job to transform, so I think he really deserves it."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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'New Moon' Stars Reveal Their Favorite 'Eclipse' Scenes

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:31:00 EST

'The Cullens get to roll up their sleeves and really get into the mix of things,' Peter Facinelli says.
By Jocelyn Vena

Ashley Greene
Photo: MTV News

Fans haven't gotten enough of "New Moon" just yet, but they're already hungry for tidbits on the next "Twilight Saga" flick "Eclipse," which opens next June. And the cast is eager to oblige by telling us about their favorite scenes from the third installment.

While Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are most focused on the film's intensifying love triangle, their co-stars can't wait for fans to see them get down and dirty.

" 'Eclipse' is my favorite book, so I'm actually really excited for people to see that one," Peter Facinelli, who plays Carlisle Cullen, told MTV News. "The Cullens get to roll up their sleeves and really get into the mix of things. They're usually so restrained all the time, and I think people love the ['Twilight'] baseball scene because you got to see them actually do what they can do as vampires, and in 'Eclipse' it's that to the 10th power. You get to see them be what they can be as vampires."

Fellow Cullen Ashley Greene is also keen on displaying Alice Cullen's skills. "I'm really excited to see my fight sequence," she said. "There's some playful moments between Jasper and Alice that I'd like to see. They take parts of your character and put it into your fight sequence, so mine's kind of a Cirque du Soleil-ish sequence, so I want to see it."

Kellan Lutz looks forward to seeing the results of his hard work preparing to send Emmet into battle. "We went through the six weeks of fight training ... and they trained us so well that we just dominated our choreography moves," he shared. "And they're going to look really cool."

But while everyone seems excited to duke it out, Nikki Reed is most looking forward to sharing Rosalie's tragic backstory. "Well, Jackson [Rathbone] and I, we both had the opportunity to shoot our backstory, so I shot an entire sequence in the 1930s," she explained. "And it's intercut between a really amazing scene and moment that I have with Bella. And Jackson sort of did the same. I think the fans will like that. I think they want to see the Cullens' history. It gives me the opportunity to explain myself."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and "Eclipse."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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'New Moon' Is Everywhere! It's A Total 'Twilight' Takeover

50 Cent And Val Kilmer Announce New Movie, 'The Gun'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:01:00 EST

Rapper and actor show up on American Music Awards red carpet together to talk about the film.
By Larry Carroll

Val Kilmer and 50 Cent walk the red carpet at the American Music Awards
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — 50 Cent is a busy man — he just released a new album, Before I Self Destruct, and film of the same name, and he's working on several other movies in various stages of development. He's also an unpredictable man — as evidenced by his double-take-inducing appearance at last week's "New Moon" premiere. So, it makes sense that the rapper/actor/mogul would show up at the American Music Awards with Val Kilmer as his "date," eager to tell everyone that he's even busier and more unpredictable than they think.

"It's exciting," he said of the 2009 AMAs, walking down the red carpet alongside a grinning Kilmer, who could best be described as being dressed like Truman Capote's evil twin. "We came out here to enjoy the festivities. Val and I are going to sit and see what's going on. Are you wondering why we're together?"

Well, yeah. And with that, 50 revealed that he had written a screenplay for a movie in which he and Kilmer are set to star.

"We're here because we've got a project that we're working on together," said 50, who took the stage later that night with Eminem. "It [starts] in December."

"It's called 'The Gun,' and it's about a gun," Kilmer added. "It's a really good title. He wrote it."

According to 50 Cent, who has written three feature-film scripts recently, the role Kilmer will be playing was transported from a different screenplay. "He's actually a character from a different project, but I got him to come out of there when he saw the value of what he was looking for."

Fitty explained that "The Gun" has a "socially conscious" theme. "It's about how a weapon goes from manufacturing to its distribution point, to being in a citizen's custody — and how it ends up in the wrong hands," he said. "We watch the actual gun travel through a few different people's hands."

"I'm a criminal," explained Kilmer, saying he gets the gun at one point. "And we're friends."

"Gun" would mark the second time 50 Cent and Kilmer have collaborated, following their recent straight-to-DVD release "Streets of Blood." And if all goes well, the rapper said, perhaps 50 will ask the veteran actor to collaborate in the medium that made him famous.

"I know [Val can sing]," grinned 50 Cent, thinking back to films like "Top Secret!" and "The Doors," in which Kilmer played Jim Morrison. "You think I don't know?

"Yeah, there's a possibility ... you could hear something from us on this next album, if I can work that into the situation," he promised. "But that's hard."

With a smile, the actor added that he'd be up for it if Fif would only ask. "I do whatever he says," Kilmer explained.

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