Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

Anime Expo, North America’s largest anime and manga celebration, had just announced a live concert with the chart-topping, female Japanese pop trio, Kalafina, when it returns to the L.A. Convention Center from July 1 – 4, 2011. Along with the hit-making sound producer Yuki Kajiura, Kalafina has provided memorable songs for popular anime series including [...]

LADY GAGA TO MENTOR TOP 4 FINALISTS WHO WILL PERFORM SONGS OF LEIBER AND STOLLER WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, LIVE ON FOX Steven Tyler to World Premiere New Video and Jordin Sparks Set to Perform on Next Results Show Thursday, May 12 AMERICAN IDOL Season 11 Auditions Set for St. Louis, Portland and Charleston; Additional Cities [...]

Auditions Continue in Dallas on Thursday, May 26 Singers and Vocal Groups Age 12 and Over Eligible to Audition For Chance to Win a $5 Million Syco/Sony Music Recording Contract British pop superstar Cheryl Cole will join Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Simon Cowell as a judge on THE X FACTOR, the highly anticipated singing competition [...]

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” airs every weeknight (12:00-1:06 a.m., ET) following “Nightline” and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. Following are the episodes scheduled to air the week of May 9-13 (subject to change): May 9 1. [...]

Family-friendly apple shooting.

There are plenty of movies you’ll see this year better than Jumping The Broom. I’m sure there will even be a few romantic comedies that work a little better, but this film deserves to be seen. With Mike Epps’ funniest performance in years and great efforts from Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine, Jumping The Broom may suffer from a rough start, but once it gets it together, the film delivers a solid hour and a half of wonderful, thought-provoking entertainment.

Let’s make everything into LEGO. NextMovie published ten LEGO posters of the summer blockbuster films this year. The posters are created by Old Red Jalopy for the site. The web site also published the previous Best Picture Nominee Posters in LEGO form earlier this year. Click here to see those LEGO posters. The site wrote, “So not to discount every other summer movie preview out there this week, but we think you’ll agree that the preview you’ll find below is absolutely the most…LEGO-ist.” Check out the posters below and let us know which ones are your favorites. “Thor” “Bridesmaids” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” “The Hangover 2” “X-Men: First Class” “Green Lantern” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II” “Captain America: First Avenger” “Cowboys & Aliens” Source: NextMovie

For the past while, 'The Amazing Spider-Man' set photos have been leaking like crazy. They started off pretty tame, but have progressed into stuntmen and star of the film, Andrew Garfield swinging around the streets of New York with the assistance of wires. Photos are lovely at capturing a moment, but they can also be a bit of a tease. YouTube user, Ajhp23 has managed to get their hands on more than just some flashy photos. There are two videos below, one showing who is presumably a stuntman doing some wire-assisted web-slinging, while the other has him taking a spinning tumble off of the back of a bus.Directed by Marc Webb, 'The Amazing Spider-Man' stars the aforementioned Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, along with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors, Irrfan Khan as Nels Van Adder, Campbell Scott as Richard Parker, Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker, Martin Sheen as Ben Parker, and Sally Field as May Parker. The film is set for a July 3, 2012 release.  Source: Ajhp23

Will Smith is the favourite for the lead role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The box-office supernova, whose last screen appearance was in Seven Pounds, is Tarantino's favourite to star in the spaghetti western, although it's unclear if he has even read the script that has been sent to his reps yet.

According to sources at international distribution meetings QT has been attending, Smith is the director's top choice to play Django, a freed slave who seeks revenge on a plantation owner to save his slave wife.

The Hollywood Reporter mentions a couple of hinderances - the controversial nature of the expletive-laden script, Smith's financials - which could prevent the actor from joining.

If Smith does sign on, this could be a hell of a lot more interesting than the 'safe' fare that he's been associated with for so long now.

The prospect of an A-lister in the lead role is extremely tantalising too, considering what Tarantino did with Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds.

While Christoph Waltz has long been linked to the role of the German bounty hunter who trains Django, Samuel L. Jackson is said to be in talks to play the house slave of Monsieur Calvin Candie, the picture's big bad.

We can't imagine it'll take much to get QT-collaborator Jackson to sign up for Django, even if he is pretty busy with Marvel at the moment.

Django Unchained is expected to shoot in the South in the Autumn.

Will Smith will next be seen in Men in Black III.

Stepmothers in pop culture Ottawa Citizen There are few things in pop culture that present the example of a stepmother trying to navigate the shoals of a new marriage and a blended family while also maintaining cordial ties with an ex-spouse, says Julie Gosselin, a clinical psychologist and ... and more »

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Pop and culture museum proposed for downtown Tulsa Tulsa World The latest good news is a proposal to build a music and popular culture museum and parking garage in the Brady Arts District. It would fit nicely along with all the other projects finished, ongoing or planned for the district. But the Tulsa museum will ... Oklahoma Historical Society eyes Tulsa spot for Oklahoma Museum of Music and ...NewsOK.com Funding Hurdles Ahead For Downtown Tulsa Pop Culture MuseumNews On 6 New Museum to Tulsa?KTUL kjrh.com all 9 news articles »

I was lucky enough to see actress Sada Thompson, who died Wednesday at age 83, twice on stage - in a 1988 Chicago production of Driving Miss Daisy and then in her final Broadway appearance in the 1993 play, Any Given Day. She was, of course, wonderful in both. However, I first became a fan when she starred as matriarch Kate Lawrence on the 1976-80 TV series, Family, for which she deservedly won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Thompson received a total of nine Emmy nominations, including four for Family, one for a 1977 production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, and one for her performance as Carla's mother, Mama Lozupone, on a 1991 episode of Cheers. She also nearly played Archie Bunker's neighbor Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family, but after taping one episode, she was replaced by Betty Garrett due to creative differences with producer Norman Lear.

Thompson's other Broadway credits include the 1959 musical, Juno, the one-performance 1968 play, Johnny No-Trump (with her future Family co-star, James Broderick, and Bernadette Peters), and the 1971 play, Twigs, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award. She also won a Drama Desk Award and an Obie Award for her performance in the 1970 off-Broadway play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.

Below you can watch Sada Thompson in the opening credits of Family, in two scenes from the series, winning her Emmy Award on September 17, 1978 (forward to 6:25 in the video), and in a promo for Our Town (after one for TV's Police Woman).

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Singer plays up anti-bullying message in her video.
By Jocelyn Vena

Cover art for Taylor Swift's "Mean"
Photo: Big Machine Records

Taylor Swift's video for "Mean" (from last year's Speak Now) is the latest entry in an avalanche of empowering clips, which we've seen from artists like Katy Perry ("Firework") and Pink ("Raise Your Glass").

Swift's clip, directed by Declan Whitebloom, was shot over two days in Los Angeles, with the Orpheum Theatre serving as its backdrop. It opens with Swift and her band in the theater. She plays the banjo, and they're all dressed in vintage-inspired clothes (as seen during her ACM performance). The stage is set up like a front yard of a farmhouse.

The video cuts to a boy reading a fashion magazine in a locker room being bullied by the football team. The video is back on that stage, where Swift is throwing a jubilant honky tonk.

Now, Swift is dressed in a little white '20s-style dress and is being tied to the tracks by an old-timey villain. (This image was also used for the single art.) He and his friends laugh as she sits there helpless. But Swift and the others are hardly the only victims in the clip. Viewers are back in modern time, where a girl, wearing a fast-food uniform, is being made fun of by her peers.

Another girl is being teased in school and can't sit with "the cool girls" at lunch and is forced to eat in the school bathroom. All the while, Swift is plucking away at her banjo. Her words are empowering the young people affected by their bullies.

All that playing does eventually pay off for Swift. The stage is now transformed into a ritzy nightclub, with the singer all dazzled up in a sparkly flapper gown performing in the big leagues. What about the others? They've also found themselves as well. The boy reading the fashion magazine is now a famous fashion designer. The fast food worker saved up for college and is a big-time executive. The other girl? Well, she's in the audience watching Swift perform, cheering her on just liked Swift's song cheered her on.

What did you think of Taylor's new video? Let us know in the comments!

Related Photos

• Star Gazing: Taylor Swift

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• Taylor Swift

The Hangover Part II is almost here, and we're so excited to see what Phil, Stu, and Alan get up to in Thailand! To celebrate, we are giving away a once-in-a-lifetime experience where you'll get to experience LA with your own "wolf pack." You and your two best friends will receive a trip to LA, where you'll get to attend the red-carpet premiere of The Hangover Part II and the exclusive afterparty! That's not all – you and your best friends will get red-carpet ready with a full beauty makeover by the fabulous team at Warren Tricomi and get styled by David Meister in his gorgeous red-carpet looks. Best girls' weekend ever! First "like" PopSugar and Hangover on Facebook and then enter to win by taking our fun trivia quiz testing your knowledge on the original wolf pack – Stu, Phil, and Alan. Check out the official rules here. If you're not already a PopSugar member, register now for free. The sweepstakes ends May 10 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. The Hangover Part II opens in theaters nationwide on May 26!

Step 1: Like PopSugar and Hangover on Facebook!
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Step 2: Take Our Quiz Below!

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POTC: On Stranger Tides - Three New Movie Clips & Featurette

Keanu Reeves In Talks With Warner Bros. Over 'Akira'

'The Dark Tower' Production Put On Hiatus Cause Of Cost

Filed under: News

Many people assumed, with the help of misleading reports in the press, that the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch (aka MCA) had fully recovered from cancer. After all, in 2009 when he first announced that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer, the group postponed all plans indefinitely, including pulling the then-planned release of 'Hot Sauce Committee Part One.' But periodic updates from the band's camp indicated that things were going in the right direction. The recent release of their new album, along with a media blitz for their return-to-form, long-form video for 'Make Some Noise,' reinforced that impression.

"He's doing OK," is the official word, now, from MCA's bandmate, Adam Horowitz (aka Ad-Rock), in a new interview with the Guardian. "He's still in treatment so it's not 100 percent ... We're not touring, we're just getting the record out -- and we're not making any plans until he is better."

Filed under: News

STS9 (aka Sound Tribe Sector 9) recently fulfilled a two-year goal of theirs when they turned over the keys to a house that they built -- through fund-raising efforts -- to Katrina survivors in New Orleans' hurricane-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward. The project began in 2009 with STS9's 'Make It Right' drive, during which they used proceeds from a 'Peaceblaster' remix compilation and several fan VIP packages to fund a house that they said would go to a family in need.

"The deserving family rented all their lives in the Lower 9th Ward, raising three sons," reads a statement issued by the band. "The husband did not evacuate during Katrina. He stayed with the family dog, living in the attic for nearly three weeks. He watched boats float by, offering to rescue and take him to safety. He declined, not being able to say goodbye to his home and his neighborhood. It took police officers escorting him out at gunpoint for him to finally leave. They have been through hell. Today however, they are a resilient, stronger, and even hopeful family."

The running joke implicit in Morgan Spurlock's "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," a documentary about product placement financed entirely by product placement, is that while Spurlock fancies himself a kind of anti-product, corporate America is nevertheless so greedy that it will cozy up even to the likes of him. It's a twist on Groucho Marx's rule about not joining any club that would have him as a member: Spurlock convinces several clubs to admit him, then holds them up to ridicule.

The recently booted American Idol reject, Jacob Lusk, claims that he is not to blame for his bad choice in music on Wednesday night. Telling only his close of circle friends, Lusk is blaming record producer Jimmy lovine for being kicked off of American Idol Wednesday. A friend of Lusk says that Lovine pressured him into singing the duet No Air by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown...

Jumping on the celebrity do-good-er bandwagon, Taylor Swift is helping out the victims of disastrous tornadoes in Alabama. This money from this impromptu benefit of Swift’s will go towards families of the deceased. Unlike Charlie Sheen giving away personally signed baseball cards to people who donate, Swift will be selling 13,000 tickets to a dress rehearsal for her upcoming tour.

The guy is everywhere.

The logline is much nicer than expected.

In The Company Of Men duo reunites.

One by Adam Cozad, one by Craig Brewer.

Catherine Hardwicke loves to keep herself within the film realms of the angsty, constantly emotionally-troubled teen mindset with each project she handles. She'll be doing it again as she takes on the director's reigns of the novel adaptation called "The Bitch Posse."The novel, written by Martha O'Connor, was penned for the big screen by Tristine Skyler. The story focuses on three friends, Cherry, Amy and Rennie, high school seniors who come from troubled homes and form a dangerous alliance called the Bitch Posse. Something occurs that rips apart the friendship and haunts them into adulthood. The book switches back and forth from those high school years to their adult lives where one is in a mental institution, the other is a promiscuous writer and the third suffers through a loveless marriage.Hardwicke has directed several films including "Twilight" and the under-performing new film "Red Riding Hood." Her recent films have a track record of attracting hot young talent, so it'll be interesting to see which rising stars latch onto this production. No word on when filming will begin at the moment.Source: Deadline

Has Warner Brothers finally found their A-list actor to be in manga-adaptation “Akira?” The Hollywood Reporter claimed Reeves is in negotiations with Warner Brothers to play Kaneda, the bike gang leader. The actor has not officially been offered the role, but THR reported that the talks with Reeves’ reps have been “going well.” Several other actors were rumored for the part, including James Franco, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Robert Pattinson and even Michael Fassbender. “Akira” will be an English-language, live-action adaptation of the manga series by Katsuhiro Otomo. According to THR, the film’s version will be an action film in New Manhattan rather than post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo. The storyline revolves around Kaneda saving “his best friend from a medical experiment that threatens to unleash destructive powers.” The film will be directed by Albert Hughes. It is not known when the principal photography will begin for this project. These talks are very early and things could change again for this project.Source: The Hollywood Reporter

In a bidding war this week, Warner Brothers is close to finalizing a deal to acquire “Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses.” According to Deadline, the project is targeted for actor Matt Damon to star and it will also be his feature directorial debut. The film will be produced through his company Pearl Street with Ben Affleck, Chris Moore and Drew Vinton also on board as producers. The script is written by Matthew Aldrich. The storyline revolves around a man who goes on a three-state crime spree with his daughter. “The script is not a high concept, it’s a smallish, very personal, dark but playful road movie about a father and daughter,” described Aldrich to Deadline. Aldrich wanted the winner bidder to protect the vision of the film and was afraid a big studio may alter his original script. However, Damon promised to protect Aldrich’s vision. “When one of the biggest movie stars in the world, who also happens to be an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, gets on the phone with your client and offers to protect the writer’s vision and opens his hand to be a creative partner, it’s hard to say no,” said Jewerl Ross, Aldrich’s manager, to Deadline. “The money becomes secondary. This script is not the obvious studio movie. There are no explosions. It will require delicate handling. Avoiding years of development hell was our goal.” It was reported Warner Brothers won the spec auction with $500,000. Other studio bids came from Paramount Studios (with J.J. Abrams to produce), Twentieth Century Fox (for Peter Chernin), Mandate, Walter Parkes and Relativity Media.Source: Deadline

Those of you who are big fans of "The Dark Tower" may not like the news we're about to give you. It looks like Universal Pictures' mammoth film and television production of "The Dark Tower" series is in jeopardy. The studio is putting the entire project on hiatus due to the monstrous budget that they're trying to lower down the price on. All of the tweaks on the budget are currently being done between director Ron Howard, producer Akiva Goldsman, Imagine Entertainment and Universal.Now there's talk about the whole project making its way to Warner Bros where some of the monstrous budget could be handled with under Weed Road. If that's the case, then it'll be the second time within the span of a couple of months where Universal backed off a project just because the budget was just a pinch too high (the last time they did this for "At the Mountains of Madness").At the moment Universal was planning to take on "The Dark Tower" by making it into a film trilogy along with a television miniseries taking place in between each movie. Javier Bardem is signed on to play the lead role who appears in all of the movies and miniseries. Since everything on "The Dark Tower" series is now up in the air, all we can do is wait to see what move Universal Pictures will make next.Source: Deadline

Arclight Films announced actor Brendan Fraser will star in a historical family action adventure film “William Tell: 3D.” “There is no other actor who is more perfectly suited to be the patriot and family man that is William Tell. Brendan was the driving force behind the movie being shot in 3D,” said producer Todd Moyer. “He’s a witty, charming and very likeable action hero, and he really anchors the ensemble cast.” Here is the official synopsis: William Tell is a legend in North America for shooting an apple from the top of his son’s head with a bow and arrow (it was really a crossbow).  What Americans don’t know is that he’s a revered historical figure in Europe. In the legend, Tell just can’t leave well enough alone.  The local potentate of the Hapsburg monarch, Hermann Gessler forces Tell to shoot the apple because he refused to bow before Gessler’s hat, erected in a town square.  Tell succeeds in cleanly (and safely) cleaving the fruit and wins his and his son’s freedom.  But Gessler asks Tell why he had two arrows is his quiver, and Tell replies he was going to shoot Gessler with the second if he’d missed.  Tell’s defiance of Gessler ignited an uprising against the Austrian government which led to the formation of Switzerland. Moyer also mentioned Arclight is in negotiations with actress Anna Paquin to play Zora, William Tell’s wife. The film will be directed by Nick Hurran (“The Prisoner,” “Doctor Who”). The film production will begin at Castle Studios in Romania and several locations in Switzerland on October 1st this year. Arclight will be handling the international distribution of the film at Cannes International Film Festivel.Source: Arclight Films press release

Have you ever heard any sort of story about how a studio decides to do battle with itself on the same concept idea for a movie? Well, the studio isn't going at war with itself, but it is basically making two versions of the same idea at the moment. Warner Bros is gearing up to make not one, but two "Tarzan" movies. They hired writers to simultaneously write scripts for the separate projects.The first of the two may have "Hustle & Flow" director Craig Brewer attached to the project. The other one is currently being written up by Adam Cozad ("Archangel") but no word on what director they're looking at for that project. Who knows, maybe they'll go and combine the two projects and make them into a new "Tarzan" franchise of sorts.The next movie to be released under Warner Bros Pictures is "The Hangover Part II," scheduled to be released in theaters on May 26th.Source: Deadline

Quentin Tarantino has thrown down the pistol. Will Smith pick it up?

In here be blogs.

Not bad, but could've been better

Sara reveals how she’s managed to kill multiple celebrities and shows Walter the alternate version of Look of the Week she’s been ordered to make for her employers (is this success?); Efi Lubliner and Jo Alice Canterbury join Sara in the studio to explain how they bring undistributed foreign films to Orinda, CA, for wildly [...]

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Oklahoma Historical Society eyes Tulsa spot for Oklahoma Museum of Music and ... NewsOK.com BY BRANDY MCDONNELL bmcdonnell@opubco.com Leave a comment The Oklahoma Historical Society has a spot picked out in Tulsa's Brady Arts District to establish the Oklahoma Museum of Music and Popular Culture, intended to affirm the state's status as a ... Funding Hurdles Ahead For Downtown Tulsa Pop Culture MuseumNews On 6 Bond issue for OK Pop museum unlikely, lawmaker saysTulsa World New Museum to Tulsa?KTUL kjrh.com all 6 news articles »

Nintendogs + Cats Guide by Stewart Shearer Find out which version of Nintendogs + Cats comes with your favorite dog breed, and learn how to teach your dog tons of tricks including "roll over," "back flip" and even "singing." » Nintendogs + Cats Gu...

• Back in the '70s, Steven Tyler got his 14-year-old girlfriend pregnant (most likely while high on loads of drugs). At the suggestion of their friends, she had an abortion, which is described in the 1975 oral history of Aerosmith, Walk This Way, as an experience that really "messed Steven up." In Steven's new memoir, Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?, he touches on his relationship with the young woman and their drug addiction: Steven later left the young woman for Bebe Buell — Liv Tyler's mom — and she became suicidal. A right-wing writer for National Review, a conservative magazine, is now using Steven's story to illustrate an example of "post-abortion syndrome," a quack diagnosis that is not acknowledged by medical professionals. Steven Tyler's drug abuse, philandering and anger management problems were all "symptoms" of a grieving post-abortive father, according author Kevin Burke. Ugh, this pisses me off to no end. No one except for Steven Tyler can say for sure exactly what encouraged his lifelong addictions and I find it gross and opportunistic than some right-winger is shrieking, "It's because of the abortion!" [Jezebel, National Review]

• The Beatles' Paul McCartney is reportedly engaged to Nancy Shevell, his longtime girlfriend. Good luck, Paul! I hope being with Nancy Shevell works out better than that Heather Mills fiasco. [PopEater]
• Happy 50th birthday, George Clooney! Let us know if you need a birthday spanking! [Celebuzz]
• Check out "Glee"'s cover of Rebecca Black's song, "Friday," y'all. [ONTD]
• An Italian university is warning its students to stay away from the "Jersey Shore" cast when they begin filming in Florence, Italy, soon. Not sleeping with the cast of "Jersey Shore" is only implied. [ONTD]

The weekend is approaching, which means my weekly dance with the devil is close at hand. I’m not speaking of anything illicit. I’m speaking of my unhealthy obsession with Sid Meyer’s Civilization V. I’ve been playing this create-your-own-nation-from-the-stone-age-to-modern-day-and-beyond videogame from its very first version when I was a kid — I can still vividly recall the trumpets

Critics find it difficult to separate Mel Gibson's personal life from troubled character.
By Kara Warner

Mel Gibson in "The Beaver"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

After release date changes and several other unrelated misfortunes, "The Beaver" is finally bowing in New York City and Los Angeles, with other cities to follow May 20. Starring Mel Gibson, Anton Yelchin, Jodie Foster (who also directed) and Jennifer Lawrence (in a supporting role), the film revolves around Walter Black, a once stellar CEO suffering from severe depression, until he discovers a Beaver puppet he uses as a therapeutic tool to help him reclaim his former self.

So what do the critics think? Of the 70-plus reviews up on Rotten Tomatoes, 51 deemed it "fresh," giving it a 70 percent fresh rating. The most interesting aspect is how each reviewer chooses to address the subject of the "Gibson drama."

The Story
" 'The Beaver' is almost successful, despite the premise of its screenplay, which I was simply unable to accept. I concede it is possible that a man in depression might be able to heal himself by projecting his personality into a hand puppet. I am not sure it is possible, or even advisable, to make a serious movie about that. We go through the movie with Mel Gibson wearing a toothy beaver on his left hand, and that creates a whole lot of disbelief for us to suspend. — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

The Performances
"So what's to recommend in 'The Beaver'? First but not least, Jennifer Lawrence playing Norah. I wish this hadn't been her first released film since 'Winter's Bone'; the role doesn't deserve her. Still, she fills every moment of it — even a manipulative graduation speech — with warmth and graceful intelligence. Then there's the man to the right of the puppet, by turns tortured, morose, animated or charming. When I first met Mel Gibson in Sydney almost 35 years ago, he was a handsome young actor with an open face, a winning smile, an abundant gift and a bright future, although no one could have imagined the extent of his success, or the depth of his fall. The gift remains." — Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal

Tiptoeing Around the Gibson Drama
"As someone observes in the movie, 'People love a train wreck when it's not happening to them.' How strange that this movie should seem to be commenting on Gibson himself, when it was filmed before his recent public scandals. Further, how strange that the movie should seem like an apology, recorded in advance — or that we should feel like accepting the apology, when we weren't the ones who were wronged." — Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

"I know I shouldn't allow my feelings about a performer in 'real life' to affect my view of him or her on film, but that's like a judge telling a jury to ignore damning evidence they've already heard. Gibson has always excelled at playing men on the edge — apparently for good reason — and this part takes that to an extreme, a place he's perfectly willing to go." — Leonard Maltin, for IndieWire

The Director
"Foster clearly knows she's telling a very messy, unmanageable story. The puppet seems to know it too: Sometimes its face looks cute and cheerful; other times, you catch a demented gleam in its eyes. Foster has crept out on a limb here, showing us a grown-up human being who's in terrible pain, and for whom there are no easy answers. And if 'The Beaver' isn't as effective as it ought to be, at least there's integrity in Foster's approach. She doesn't work the movie like a puppet; she lets it speak for itself." — Stephanie Zacharek, MovieLine

The Final Word, Pro-Con-Pro Style
"It's hard to imagine anyone other than Gibson, with his wounded gaze and eloquent variations of posture, bringing such resonance to this character. At one point Walter says, 'People seem to love a train wreck, as long as it's not them' — and the real-life overtone is unmistakable. The redemption the movie most strongly suggests is Mel Gibson's own." — Kurt Loder, Reason.com

"Maybe Ms. Foster thought she was doing Mr. Gibson a favor by showing that he could play a troubled man who simply needs help. The problem is that, as an actor, Mr. Gibson doesn't do normal anymore and is at his best playing men on the verge, as in 'Edge of Darkness,' a thriller about a cop hunting his daughter's murderer. It was a suitably blunt character for an actor who has become a blunt instrument and has a lock on loony tuners and angry patriarchs. That should make Walter a fine fit for Mr. Gibson, except that there's no there there to the character, just a puppet with a bad attitude and good timing. A raggedy rage-aholic, it steals the show, handily. Take away his puppet, and the man disappears." — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

"Foster merits praise for putting her energy into a movie about mental illness that goes beyond the slickness of 'As Good as It Gets,' in which a happy ending can be spun from a patient's mere promise to take his medication. There is one element of 'The Beaver' that does reflect a Hollywood sensibility: Walter's breakdown never threatens the family financially. The narrative would have more tension if they didn't appear so comfortably padded in a Nancy Meyers-like milieu. (Meyers directed Gibson in 2000's 'What Women Want,' a feel-good movie that now seems very far in his past.) But despite that and the ludicrousness of the puppet prop, 'The Beaver' is serious about portraying mental illness. And whatever your opinion about Gibson the man, so is Gibson the actor." — Mary Pols, Time

Check out everything we've got on "The Beaver."

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

Related Videos

• Mel Gibson's 'The Beaver' Clips

'I connect with it very, very personally because my mother was a fireman,' he says of raising money for volunteer fire, EMS and rescue services.
By Matt Elias

Cee Lo Green
Photo: MTV News

It's not too often that a Grammy-winning song gets completely overhauled for a national campaign, but Cee Lo Green has done just that with "Forget You" — and it's all for a good cause.

The R&B; crooner teamed up with Duracell's "Power of Those Who Protect Us" program to benefit the National Volunteer Fire Council, a nonprofit group representing the interests of volunteer fire, EMS and rescue services. The new tune, renamed "Thank You," is available for free download via Duracell's Facebook page.

Not only is Cee Lo hoping to raise awareness for America's volunteer firefighters, but it's a cause that hits close to home.

"It's a very noble cause, and I connect with it very, very personally because my mother was a fireman as well — one of the first black female firemen in Atlanta, Georgia, so quite a historic accomplishment," Green said.

Of course The Lady Killer was tasked with cleaning up his decidedly dirty lyrics from the original song for this tribute. The new chorus begins: "For a lifetime of service in the name of love, we wanna thank you/ I could say it a thousand times and it wouldn't be enough, we wanna thank you for everything you do."

Green, who is currently a coach on NBC's "The Voice," said this campaign capitalizes on the current success of "Forget You."

"It's definitely at the height of a popularity, you know, just kind of unparalleled, and so it's a convenient means of kind of making use of it and using that same spotlight to acknowledge and expose what a great humanitarian cause this is," he told MTV News. "For so many people, citizens to volunteer themselves — so this is voluntary action. It's not by force, it's not by draft. This is heart and soul, and we appreciate that."

What do you think of Cee Lo's "Thank You"? Let us know in the comments!

Related Artists

• Cee Lo Green

Bieber will make an anti-cyberbullying PSA and his label will reimburse the county for emergency response.
By MTV News staff

Justin Bieber
Photo: Prince Williams/FilmMagic

Justin Bieber's manager Scott "Scooter" Braun is off the hook for the charges of reckless endangerment and criminal nuisance he received after the chaotic incident with Bieber fans at a Long Island mall in November 2009.

According to E! News, the charges against Braun were dropped Friday (May 6) after Bieber agreed to make a public-service announcement for an anti-cyberbullying campaign and his record label, Island Def Jam, pleaded guilty to the ordinance violation and agreed to reimburse the county almost $8,000 to pay its share of the costs associated with the law enforcement and fire marshal response after the melee.

All this stems from a Bieber mall appearance that turned into a stampede and injured one fan. Police alleged that Braun failed to properly control the situation at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, New York, when they ordered him to send a message to Bieber's fans via Twitter to notify his followers that the event was canceled.

Fans of the rising teen superstar were waiting for Bieber to arrive at the mall, where he was set to perform selections from his EP, My World, which had been released earlier in the week.

Braun refused to send the message, police said. Instead, authorities contend Braun eschewed safety in favor of publicity. As things got out of hand, police said, Bieber's Twitter still read, "On my way to Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, NY to sign and meet fans! I'm pumped. See u there."

After a representative from the singer's label was arrested, a message from Bieber's Twitter was sent urging fans to go home. "The event at Roosevelt Mall is cancelled," he tweeted. "Please go home. The police have already arrested one person from my camp. I don't want anyone hurt."

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