News

Searchlight Pictures is celebrating a milestone anniversary with … T-shirts!

The studio, which is marking the moment with a variety of initiatives and partners from Ore-Ida and Warby Parker to Hitching Post Winery, has teamed up once again with buzzy Los Angeles brand Hiro Clark to honor its 30th year in business. (The two previously partnered on “Hello Stranger” shirts after the success of the critically acclaimed All of Us Strangers from Andrew Haigh.)

In doing so, Hiro Clark is offering a limited-edition collection of tees, five in total, that retail for $98 apiece in multiple color options. Here’s the part cinephiles need to know: The line of five honors Searchlight’s beloved films including Tamara Jenkins’ 1998 movie Slums of Beverly Hills, Kimberly Peirce’s 1999 film Boys Don’t Cry, Jared Hess’s 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine, and Scott Cooper’s 2009 film Crazy Heart.

Exclusive: Killing Eve co-producer Charlotte Essex is heading to UK indie Roughcut TV to develop a slate of projects for its drama push.

Essex will build on existing relationships while seeking new and emerging writers for her slate, which comes as Stath Lets Flats maker Roughcut ups its drama ambitions.

Essex most recently produced Insomnia for Left Bank Pictures/Paramount+, Who is Erin Carter? for Left Bank Pictures/Netflix and the fourth and final series of Killing Eve for Sid Gentle Films/AMC. She has previously script exec’d the fourth series of ITV’s Unforgotten and the BBC’s Gold Digger.

Roughcut, which is run by The Office producer Ash Atalla, has been producing comedies for years but recently expanded into drama under Marianna Abbotts. The indie made Coma for Channel 5 and is producing Little Disasters for Paramount+. Earlier this year it tied with Fremantle on a drama development deal.

Israel’s foremost documentary market CoPro has unveiled its main slate ahead of the event next month.

CoPro Israel, which takes place from Jun 3 to 6 in a hybrid in-person/online format, will welcome over 80 representatives from broadcasting networks, production companies, and sales agents to Tel Aviv for a variety of industry events.

Strands include Rough-Cut, in which six documentaries in post-production will be exclusively screened to a handpicked group of decision makers and programmers, Pitch Forum, which will showcase 10 outstanding projects, and The Impact Lab, which will connect filmmakers with third sector, private sector and policy makers and honor one project with a grant.

Student Film Labs– Fiction and Documentary will showcase 16 student projects and include a pitching forum to spotlight young talent while the Screening Room catalogue will present 6 newly completed films set to premier at the 2024 Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival. This year’s selection includes “Sapir” by...

Exclusive: The Native American Media Alliance has announced the seven selected fellows for the 9th Annual Native American TV Writers Lab. This year’s TV Lab is in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, Golden Globes Foundation, Netflix, National Endowment for the Arts, and Snowpants Productions.

“The Native American TV Writers Lab has an extraordinary record of supporting Native Americans establish their television writing careers,” announced Ian Skorodin, Director of Strategy for the Native American Media Alliance. “Dozens of Native American writers have blazed incredible new paths following their participation in this lab.”

Founded in 2016, the Native American TV Writers Lab is an intensive TV scriptwriters workshop that has developed dozens of writers for current television series. Selected fellows take part in an eight-week curriculum curated by seasoned writing professionals. The lab consists of daily workshops, seminars, and one-on-one mentoring to help each writer develop and complete a pilot in eight weeks...

Documentary chronicles the Armenian director’s search for her missing soldier brother.

Shoghakat Vardanyan’s documentary 1489, which chronicles the Armenian director’s search for her missing soldier brother, has won the best film award in international competition at The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

The title 1489 refers to the anonymous number of a “body of an individual missing in action,” and was the number assigned to Soghomon Vardanyan, a 21-year-old student and musician who was close to completing his military service when the conflict between Azerbaijan and his home country Armenia over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) flared up again in September...

The Rough Cut Presentations section has expanded, including five additional projects from Ukraine.

IDFA Forum (November 12-15), the co-production and co-financing market of International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), has selected its 2023 edition titles, with the likes of Aboozar Amini, Asmae El Moudir and Michael Madsen returning with their latest projects to Forum Pitch, while the Rough Cut Presentations section has expanded.

Afghanistan-born, Netherlands-based filmmaker Amini’s Kabul, City In The Wind screened at IDFA in 2018, and is now pitching Kabul, Year Zero, which threads together four vivid coming-of-age stories against the backdrop of war.

After presenting The Postcard at IDFA...

Exclusive: Stath Lets Flats producer Roughcut TV has hired two development execs to bolster its scripted comedy/drama credentials and is taking the hit Channel 4 comedy back out to U.S. networks.

Roughtcut Managing Director Ash Atalla said Jamie Demetriou’s three-time-bafta-winning comedy about a hapless North London-based Greek Cypriot estate agent will be pitched to the U.S. in the coming months. A single-camera Fox version was initially in development, titled Bren’s Rents, and showrunner Joe Mande, a writer on The Good Place and Parks and Recreation, remains attached.

Atalla told Deadline “being geographically specific” and “placing trust” in Mande as showrunner will be key to Stath Lets Flats’ success in the U.S.

“Maintaining complete control is a fool’s errand,” he said. “We feel such ownership over our own shows but you can’t sell your house and then tell people how to arrange the furniture.

Bettina Perut and Iván Osnovikoff’s project “La Casa” won the IDFA Forum Award for Best Pitch on Wednesday at the 34th edition of the Amsterdam-based documentary festival.

A co-production between Chile and Germany – and currently in production – the film will focus on a time when a social revolt in Chile is unleashed and a global pandemic forces people into confinement. As the attention shifts toward the inside of a house, an unexpected multidimensional universe is revealed.

“The award goes to a project that presents a unique perspective of an isolated space in a multifaceted form with nuanced sensory perception, though diverse visual and sound elements,” jurors Jorge Caballero Ramos and Zane Balčus said.

“The seclusion becomes a background for exploration of the many layers of relationships: with one another, the nature, the neighborhood and the current social and political context of the contemporary world.”

“La Casa” is produced by...

To celebrate the release of People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan, out now on digital and available on Blu-ray and DVD from the 22nd November we are giving you the chance to win a copy on Blu-ray to go big at home! We have three Blu-rays to giveaway.

Since the end of their pirate radio station, life has been quiet for the Kurupt FM boys, but everything is about to change. News reaches them that one of their songs has been used on a popular game show in Japan. They’ve made it! Their music is reaching hundreds of thousands of people! It’s finally time for them to enjoy the fame and fortune that they’ve always known they deserved. Chabuddy G steps excitedly back into his management role as Grindah, Beats, Steves and Decoy begin their journey to international stardom… But is Japan really ready for Kurupt FM?...

Jang Hoon, who started his career as an assistant to Kim Ki-duk, has only directed four feature films as of now. “Rough Cut” in 2008, “Secret Reunion” in 2010, “The Front Line”, in 2011 and “A Taxi Driver” in 2017. However, all of them are considered top notch, with Hung managing to combine commercial success with acclaimed reviews. This particular one also netted him the Best Film Award from the Blue Dragon Awards.

Ji-won and Han-gyoo are special agents for North and South Korea, respectively. The two of them exchange glances during a North Korean assassination attempt of Kim Jong-il’s second cousin, which fails due to Tae-soon’s betrayal. Shortly after, Han-gyoo is discharged for mishandling the case and Ji-won takes the blame for Tae-soon, subsequently going into hiding from his commander named Shadow. Six years later, Ji-won and Han-gyoo meet again and through a series of seemingly random consequences,...

Quentin Tarantino’s Friday night visit to “Real Time with Bill Maher” marked a meeting of two outspoken minds on the occasion of the forthcoming release of Tarantino’s novel version of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” During the wide-ranging conversation about everything from Tarantino’s career to his life living in Israel, Tarantino spoke candidly about his plans to retire after his next film, which he’s still sure will happen.

When asked by Bill Maher why he’d give up moviemaking while at “the top of your game,” Tarantino said, “That’s why I want to quit.” Tarantino has long affirmed he’d call it quits after his 10th movie.

He added, “I know film history, and from here on in, directors do not get better. I still have another one to go. I don’t have a reason that I would want to say out loud...

The article was originally published in Estonian on Sirp

The recent death of Kim Ki-duk (20 December 1960 – 11 December 2020) in Riga, Latvia caused a rather intense reaction in the (online) cinema world, mostly revolving around the “fight” on whether he should be remembered as an auteur or as a man who attacked his actresses, with the voices for both being quite numerous and the fact that the S. Korean have been living in Europe in a sort of self-exile putting more fuel in the fire. Before we discuss his ending however, it would be interesting to take a look at where and how everything begun.

“Dissolve” which he has just finished shooting before he died would be his 25th film, including a short one he directed (along 69 more directors) for the 70th anniversary of Venice Film Festival. His long path however, had a number of twists and turns before he reached that point.

Born in Tehran, Firouzeh Khosrovani finished her artistic studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and made her debut “Life Train” in 2004. In 2007 she directed “Rough Cut”, a documentary about mutilated mannequins, where disturbing reproductions of the plastic female figure become a metaphor for the veiled Iranian woman. Her sixth film, “Radiograph of a Family” triumphed at IDFA 2020, winning the main award at the Competition for Feature Length Documentary and the Competition for Creative Use of Archive

On the occasion of the film screening at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, we speak with her about shooting a movie about her family that functions as a metaphor for the history of Iran, the two different Irans, her mother’s radical change after the Revolution, the alienation of her father, love and many other topics

Why did you decide to shoot a film about this particular subject? What was your procedure in...

Production back up in Oklahoma after two-week Covid shutdown.

Voltage Pictures’ AFM sales title Reagan has found its Margaret Thatcher, with Lesley-Anne Down joining Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller to play the former British prime minister.

Quaid plays former US president Ronald Reagan and Miller portrays Nancy Reagan in the biopic, which has resumed production in Oklahoma after being shut down for two weeks when several members of the production tested positive for Covid-19.

The US leader and his British counterpart Thatcher forged a strong alliance in the 1980s, a time when the Cold War was never far from...

Acclaimed stuntman and action director extraordinaire Jesse V. Johnson joins us to discuss the U.S. based action films and filmmakers that have influenced him the most.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

On The Waterfront (1954)

Fultah Fisher’s Boarding House (1922)

Undisputed (2002)

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)

Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)

Boyka: Undisputed (2016)

The Killer Elite (1975)

Convoy (1978)

The Osterman Weekend (1983)

Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

Straw Dogs (1971)

The Wild Bunch (1969)

Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Birdcage (1996)

Cross of Iron (1977)

Electra Glide in Blue (1973)

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)

Easy Rider (1969)

Fail Safe (1964)

The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

Ride The High Country (1962)

Major Dundee (1965)

Jinxed! (1982)

Beowulf (2007)

Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

The Girl Hunters (1963)

Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Point Blank (1967)

Falling Down (1993)

M (1951)

M (1931)

The Black Vampire (1953)

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Scum (1979)

Elephant (1989)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), possibly Joe’s favorite John Ford...

Al Matthews, the real-life military man who portrayed the no-nonsense, cigar-chomping Sgt. Apone in the sci-fi horror classic Aliens, has died. He was 75.

Matthews was found dead in his home in Alicante on Spain's Mediterranean coast Saturday at 10 p.m. by a neighbor, the Spanish international news agency Efe and the El Pais newspaper confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

Matthews also had bit parts in Rough Cut (1980), Ragtime (1981), Superman III (1983), The Fifth Element (1997) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

But it's his performance in James Cameron's 1986 sci-fi horror film that endeared him to audiences. Near the movie's ...

Al Matthews, the real-life military man who portrayed the no-nonsense, cigar-chomping Sgt. Apone in the sci-fi horror classic Aliens, has died. He was 75.

Matthews was found dead in his home in Alicante on Spain's Mediterranean coast Saturday at 10 p.m. by a neighbor, the Spanish international news agency Efe and the El Pais newspaper confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

Matthews also had bit parts in Rough Cut (1980), Ragtime (1981), Superman III (1983), The Fifth Element (1997) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

But it's his performance in James Cameron's 1986 sci-fi horror film that endeared him to audiences. Near the movie's ...

My wife and I were watching “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” one night in April, 1985 when Burt Reynolds came on as one of Johnny’s guests. I was interested in the banter between them for a couple of reasons.

I liked Reynolds a lot. Though he had of late been starring in cornball chase movies like “Stroker Ace,” “Cannonball Run” and the “Smokey and the Bandit” films, I would be forever grateful for his dramatic performance in the 1972 “Deliverance.” What a movie! He’d also shown his range in Alan J. Pakula’s light romantic comedy “Starting Over.” Plus, he was just a lot of fun.

More urgently, I was interested because he was on the show to promote a new movie adapted from Elmore Leonard’s novel “Stick.” He was both the movie’s star and its director and, a few months earlier, I’d been on the...

Alongside Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds was the last movie star to bridge the gap between Hollywood’s old school and the Brat Pack-led, Multiplex blockbuster world we still live in today. A TV veteran from the late fifties, Reynolds used his trademark twinklin’ eyes, infectious chuckle, some audacious choices and some good ‘ol Southern charm to become a household name. Between 1978 and 1982, he was bar none, the biggest movie star in the world.

Somehow, despite overwhelming good will from an appreciative audience, Reynolds had a devil at the wheel and over his fifty year-plus career he had a bewildering tendency to shoot out his own tyres, to continue an appropriate racing car metaphor.

A promising football star in college – a sport to which he would return repeatedly in his films – a series of injuries led him to pursue a career as an actor. Appearances in popular shows like Gunsmoke and...

Burt Reynolds was a guy’s guy, a ladies’ man, the ruggedly handsome alpha male of the entertainment world, who always seemed to be having a good time – whether cracking jokes on TV talk shows with pals like Dom DeLuise or saucily posing nude as a centerfold in “Cosmopolitan” magazine — except maybe when he broke his leg during that ill-fated canoe outing in 1972’s “Deliverance,” his breakout film role. According to his reps on Thursday, the actor is dead at age 82 in his adopted home of Jupiter, Florida.

With a thicket of hair, a dapper mustache and a twinkle in his eye, he often came across as a good ol’ Southern boy in such films as “Smokey and the Bandit,” “W,W. and the Dixie Dancekings” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” while claiming to be from Georgia. But he was born in Lansing, Michigan, although he would eventually end up in Riviera Beach,...

Burt Reynolds, one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men during the ’70s and early ’80s in such films as “Deliverance,” “Smokey and the Bandit, “The Longest Yard” and “Semi-Tough,” has died. His rep confirmed that he died Thursday in Jupiter, Fla. He was 82.

He later earned an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ode to skin flicks, “Boogie Nights.” He had been set to appear in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Hollywood.”

Reynolds’ appeal lay in his post-modern macho posture undercut by a wry self-awareness, which he used to good effect in comedies as well as action films. For a period during the ’70s he was the nation’s top box office draw. But after one too many bad movies, his popularity waned. He returned to television, where he’d gotten his start, mostly in Westerns, and produced his own sitcom, “Evening Shade,” which brought him an Emmy.

Gurinder Chadha’s hit film Bend It Like Beckham is being readied for the West End stage and following a host of auditions and workshops, the cast for the highly anticipated stage version Bend It Like Beckham the Musical has been formally announced.

Natalie Dew will play football crazy Jess with Lauren Samuels as Jules, a player with the Harriers, a local women’s football team, and Jamie Campbell Bower as their coach Joe. The three young leads will be supported by some familiar faces, including comedian Ronni Ancona who plays Paula, Jules’s Mum, with Jamal Andréas as Jess’ good friend Tony.

Preeya Kalidas who appeared in the original film as one of the cousins, will take on the role of Pinky, Jess’ sister and Tony Jayawardena andNatasha Jayetileke take on the all important roles of her parents, Mr and Mrs Bhamra.

Jess needs extra time. She is facing...

The film works most of the time, but its conclusion is sure to leave fans divided.

By John Mitchell

Eva Green and Johnny Depp in "Dark Shadows"

Photo: Warner Bros

finally hit theaters Friday (May 11), and let me tell you, it's a doozy. There's a lot to admire about Tim Burton's reimagined "Shadows" (and there are some problems as well), but the question that has lingered with me most since seeing the film is who exactly Tim Burton made it for.

I'm not sure it was "Shadows" purists, those who ran home from school to soak up the strange, dark and wonderful late-'60s soap opera and who still have a strong connection to the style and feel of the original. It's probably not for fans of Burton and Johnny Depp's earlier collaborations either, even though the trailers and TV spots sell it like it's supposed to be.

The film works most of the time, but its conclusion is sure to leave fans divided.

By John Mitchell

Eva Green and Johnny Depp in "Dark Shadows"

Photo: Warner Bros

finally hit theaters Friday (May 11), and let me tell you, it's a doozy. There's a lot to admire about Tim Burton's reimagined "Shadows" (and there are some problems as well), but the question that has lingered with me most since seeing the film is who exactly Tim Burton made it for.

I'm not sure it was "Shadows" purists, those who ran home from school to soak up the strange, dark and wonderful late-'60s soap opera and who still have a strong connection to the style and feel of the original. It's probably not for fans of Burton and Johnny Depp's earlier collaborations either, even though the trailers and TV spots sell it like it's supposed to be.

Director also opens up on 'Beetlejuice' sequel and whether he'd return to 'Batman.'

By John Mitchell, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Johnny Depp in "Dark Shadows"

Photo: Warner Bros

Fans of the classic late-'60s soap "Dark Shadows" were surprised when the trailer for the film made it seem like director Tim Burton had reimagined his subject matter as a farcical comedy rather than the dark, Gothic soap opera fans remembered. Since then, there have been whispers that the film is far darker than it is being marketed, so we went straight to the source to find out what is really up with the buzzed-about film.

At CinemaCon 2012, MTV News asked Burton if he felt the trailer is reflective of his film, which hits theaters May 11, and while he admits there are humorous elements to the film, he said he doesn't believe it can be classified as a comedy.

Director also opens up on 'Beetlejuice' sequel and whether he'd return to 'Batman.'

By John Mitchell, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Johnny Depp in "Dark Shadows"

Photo: Warner Bros

Fans of the classic late-'60s soap "Dark Shadows" were surprised when the trailer for the film made it seem like director Tim Burton had reimagined his subject matter as a farcical comedy rather than the dark, Gothic soap opera fans remembered. Since then, there have been whispers that the film is far darker than it is being marketed, so we went straight to the source to find out what is really up with the buzzed-about film.

At CinemaCon 2012, MTV News asked Burton if he felt the trailer is reflective of his film, which hits theaters May 11, and while he admits there are humorous elements to the film, he said he doesn't believe it can be classified as a comedy.

'In order to walk in their shoes, you have to be oblivious to the things they're oblivious to,' Gary Ross says of telling a story from a character's perspective.

By John Mitchell, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Gary Ross

Photo: MTV News

How exactly "The Hunger Games" director Gary Ross intended to bring the first-person perspective of the beloved book series to life on the big screen has been a lingering question for fans.

The books, for those not already familiar, tell the story of Katniss Everdeen, who is chosen as a "Tribute" to represent District 12 in the annual Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games is a nationally televised event in which 24 tributes — one teenage boy and girl chosen from each of the country's 12 districts — must fight one another until only one survivor remains.

The books' narrative is written from Katniss' point of view,...

'In order to walk in their shoes, you have to be oblivious to the things they're oblivious to,' Gary Ross says of telling a story from a character's perspective.

By John Mitchell, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Gary Ross

Photo: MTV News

How exactly "The Hunger Games" director Gary Ross intended to bring the first-person perspective of the beloved book series to life on the big screen has been a lingering question for fans.

The books, for those not already familiar, tell the story of Katniss Everdeen, who is chosen as a "Tribute" to represent District 12 in the annual Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games is a nationally televised event in which 24 tributes — one teenage boy and girl chosen from each of the country's 12 districts — must fight one another until only one survivor remains.

The books' narrative is written from Katniss' point of view,...

On Monday, March 12, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Et, MTV News will talk to the film's stars live from the Los Angeles premiere.

By John Mitchell

"Hunger Games" stars Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson

Photo: Getty Images

From exclusive interviews with the cast to the latest breaking news, MTV News has been your go-to source for all things "Hunger Games," and now we will be taking you to the red carpet for the hotly anticipated film's March 12 premiere.

On Monday, March 12, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Et, MTV.com will be streaming live with host Josh Horowitz from the red-carpet premiere of "The Hunger Games" outside of Los Angeles' famed Nokia Theatre. Josh will be talking to all of your favorite "Hunger Games" stars, from Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth to Elizabeth Banks, Wes Bentley and Woody Harrelson (and everyone in between).

Throughout the show,...

On Monday, March 12, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Et, MTV News will talk to the film's stars live from the Los Angeles premiere.

By John Mitchell

"Hunger Games" stars Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson

Photo: Getty Images

From exclusive interviews with the cast to the latest breaking news, MTV News has been your go-to source for all things "Hunger Games," and now we will be taking you to the red carpet for the hotly anticipated film's March 12 premiere.

On Monday, March 12, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Et, MTV.com will be streaming live with host Josh Horowitz from the red-carpet premiere of "The Hunger Games" outside of Los Angeles' famed Nokia Theatre. Josh will be talking to all of your favorite "Hunger Games" stars, from Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth to Elizabeth Banks, Wes Bentley and Woody Harrelson (and everyone in between).

Throughout the show,...

On the Mdna track, Madge takes aim at marriage with lyrics like 'I tried to be your wife, diminished myself.'

By John Mitchell

Madonna

Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

As buzz around Madonna's 12th studio album, Mdna, continues to build and early reviews begin to pour in, those who have heard the album are talking about some pretty direct lyrics that seem to take aim at Her Madgesty's ex-husband, film director Guy Ritchie.

Billboard reports that in a song called "I Don't Give A," the pop queen takes on the topic of a marriage gone sour. "I tried to be a good girl/ I tried to be your wife/ Diminished myself/ And I swallowed my light," she sings. "I tried to become all/ That you expect of me/ And if it was a failure/ I don't give a [bleep]."

Madonna's rep, Liz Rosenberg, declined to comment to The...

Efron tells 'Today' show that he now has a 'pocket-checking policy.'

By John Mitchell

Zac Efron on the "Today" show

Photo: NBC/ Getty

At last week's "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" premiere, the movie's star Zac Efron caused quite a stir when he pulled his hands out of his pants pockets and accidentally dropped a condom on the red carpet. Unfortunately for the handsome star, just a few days later, he was scheduled to hit the talk-show circuit to promote the animated flick, which in these gossipy times meant fielding questions about the embarrassing snafu.

His first stop was "Today," where a blushing Matt Lauer asked Efron about the condom drop and, well, the journalist seemed to be having a harder time talking about the incident than the movie star.

"Your name brings a lot of attention to this role and this movie, and there's something else that brought a...

Efron tells 'Today' show that he now has a 'pocket-checking policy.'

By John Mitchell

Zac Efron on the "Today" show

Photo: NBC/ Getty

At last week's "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" premiere, the movie's star Zac Efron caused quite a stir when he pulled his hands out of his pants pockets and accidentally dropped a condom on the red carpet. Unfortunately for the handsome star, just a few days later, he was scheduled to hit the talk-show circuit to promote the animated flick, which in these gossipy times meant fielding questions about the embarrassing snafu.

His first stop was "Today," where a blushing Matt Lauer asked Efron about the condom drop and, well, the journalist seemed to be having a harder time talking about the incident than the movie star.

"Your name brings a lot of attention to this role and this movie, and there's something else that brought a...

Lionsgate hopes the trailer will draw even more fans to 'Hunger Games,' the biggest investment in the company's history.

By John Mitchell

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1"

Photo: Summit Entertainment

Fans of Ya-book-to-blockbuster-film adaptations rejoice; you're in for a treat! Lionsgate Entertainment has announced that the trailer for the fifth and final film in the "Twilight Saga," "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," will debut exclusively before "The Hunger Games" when it hits theaters on March 23.

The synergistic trailer release marks Lionsgate's first big move to court the rabid fanbase that's turned the "Twilight Saga" into a $2.5 billion-grossing worldwide box-office phenomenon.

" 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' trailer will debut exclusively on every 'Hunger Games' print on its opening night for what will be Lionsgate's largest release ever," Lionsgate chief executive Jon Feltheimer said (via the Los Angeles Times...

Lionsgate hopes the trailer will draw even more fans to 'Hunger Games,' the biggest investment in the company's history.

By John Mitchell

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1"

Photo: Summit Entertainment

Fans of Ya-book-to-blockbuster-film adaptations rejoice; you're in for a treat! Lionsgate Entertainment has announced that the trailer for the fifth and final film in the "Twilight Saga," "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," will debut exclusively before "The Hunger Games" when it hits theaters on March 23.

The synergistic trailer release marks Lionsgate's first big move to court the rabid fanbase that's turned the "Twilight Saga" into a $2.5 billion-grossing worldwide box-office phenomenon.

" 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' trailer will debut exclusively on every 'Hunger Games' print on its opening night for what will be Lionsgate's largest release ever," Lionsgate chief executive Jon Feltheimer said (via the Los Angeles Times...

Days before her big halftime show, MTV News counts down the Queen of Pop's most-iconic moments on our stage.

By John Mitchell

Madonna at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards

Photo: Getty Images

America will be the first audience for the Queen of Pop in over two years when Madonna takes the stage at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as the halftime act for Super Bowl Xlvi. If her history with MTV is any indicator, she's likely to blow the roof off the joint.

Madonna is known for her over-the-top live performances and will most assuredly have her game face on with the world watching this Sunday. Not that she ever slacks in the live performance department: Her most recent tour, Sticky & Sweet, was the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist and the fourth-biggest tour of all time. From Live Aid in 1985 to Live 8, 20 years later, she's headlined some...

Several press releases went out today featuring some huge news coming out of Canada's Fantasia Film Festival including the first batch of films that will be populating this massive three-week long event. Pull up your chair, kids! You're gonna be here for a while!

Dig on the wealth of information below from today's releases and look for more announcements and of course full coverage soon!

Spotlight: Between Death And The Devil

Recent times and crimes have seen extraordinary levels of disillusionment with organized religion, particularly with the Catholic Church, and genre cinema has mirrored this anger with startling impact. In the face of this, we’ve put together this troubling spotlight focused on the abuse of faith, the horrors of ideology and the corruption of Godliness. Several of these films will absolutely stagger you.

Black Death (UK) Dir: Christopher Smith – North American premiere. Hosted by Director Christopher Smith

With the Black Death sweeping across England,...

Larry Gelbart, who created the classic TV adaptation of Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" and whose talented comedy writing stretched from the days of radio to the big screen and cutting-edge cable shows, died of cancer at his Beverly Hills home on Friday. He was 81.

Gelbart, the principal writer on "M*A*S*H" during the first four years of the hit CBS series, was responsible for 97 episodes of the show, one of TV's most literate comedies. He also directed some early episodes.

Beginning as a gag writer in days of radio and honing his comic craft for such talents as Jack Carson and Bob Hope, Gelbart was a versatile stylist who succeeded in a variety of mediums.

Gelbart won an Emmy with co-producer Gene Reynolds for "M*A*S*H" as well as three WGA Awards for the episodes he wrote. He picked up two Tonys for...