Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus awarded on slime-filled Nickelodeon night.
By Aly Semigran
Russell Brand and Rico Rodriguez get slimed onstage during Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/ Getty Images
For 23 years, Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards has been an event in which celebrities can truly let loose. After all, it's hard to have an ego when you're getting covered in green slime or being inducted into the Arm Fart Hall of Fame (we're looking at you, Josh Duhamel).
Nick's 2011 awards show, which aired lived on the network Saturday from Los Angeles, kept with its tradition of stars finding themselves in some truly outrageous situations. Host Jack Black, who was at the helm for the third time (he last helped hand out those coveted orange kaleidoscope blimps in 2008), kicked things off with an over-the-top musical number. The funnyman, wearing a black leather jumpsuit with flames — the first of many quirky wardrobe changes — was joined by a group of dancers to perform his own rendition of the Black Eyed Peas' hit "I Gotta Feelin'."
Black then introduced the group, as the "Jack Black Eyed Peas," and joined them onstage for "The Time (Dirty Bit)." BEP, who later won the award for Best Music Group, then sang their next single, "Just Can't Get Enough."
The first award of the evening was given out to Johnny Depp, who won Favorite Movie Actor for his performance in "Alice in Wonderland." Depp, who emerged from backstage, told the kiddie crowd and voters it was "truly a pleasure to receive this award that comes from you guys. I appreciate it."
After apologizing for beating Black in the category, Depp told Nick viewers, "You guys are the future; take good care of us." The actor then proceeded to get in on the fun, sliming the group of young fans who stood at the foot of the stage.
Depp's stunt led to one of the evening's most memorable — and by far, funniest — moments when "Arthur" actor Russell Brand and "Modern Family" star Rico Rodriguez appeared onstage soon after to present the award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie (the blimp eventually went to Eddie Murphy, who got the crowd to sing him "Happy Birthday," for his role in "Shrek Forever After").
Before Brand and Rodriguez could even begin their banter at the podium, the freshly slimed youngsters began throwing the green, gooey mess at the two stars. In response to the mayhem, Brand declared, "I'm never having children."
Brand continued, as he guarded Rodriguez from the kiddie coup, "I am English! I am your leader! You must not do this, I am royalty! You are all going to juvenile hall. You children are going to prison. You are bad children!" Brand, who is voicing a character in the animated feature "Hop," cried that the moment was not in the script, then joked, "Johnny, I wished you'd drowned them."
They weren't the only stars to get slimed during the broadcast. Heidi Klum, who almost took a spill thanks to her sky-high heels, got hit, as did Jason Segel, who received a slime slushie courtesy of Jane Lynch. Even Snoop Doog — who joined pop-rock group and Nick stars Big Time Rush for their song "Boyfriend" — got doused in the green stuff.
As Willow Smith performed her hits "21st Century Girl" and "Whip My Hair," the 10-year-old was cheered on by her dad, Will Smith, and brother, Jaden Smith, who were in the audience.
The final big award of the evening went to Miley Cyrus, who won for Favorite Movie Actress for "The Last Song." The former "Hannah Montana" star attempted to put gossip to rest during her acceptance speech as she thanked her family for supporting her career.
Cyrus will no doubt get fans wondering about the status of her relationship with "Last Song" co-star and on-again, off-again beau Liam Hemsworth, whom she thanked for "helping me make movie magic" in the 2010 drama.
The Big Help Award, which was presented by Rosario Dawson, went to singer/actor Justin Timberlake for his devotion to charities, particularly the work he does with Shriners Hospital for Children. In between cracking jokes about burping and getting the crowd to cheer if they had ever helped anyone, Timberlake took the time to tell his young fans, "Your heart is the most beautiful part, so don't forget to use it."
In addition to telling kids they can do their part to help, even with major issues such as the crisis in Japan, the star said something bound to make any adult watching elated: "Listen to your parents!"
Finally, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian hit the stage to help give away the last award of the night for Favorite TV Show, which went to the kid-friendly Nickelodeon hit "iCarly."
Black kept a high energy throughout the show, including some interactions with his "Kung Fu Panda 2" character, Po, — one of which featured a cameo from Britney Spears in a pre-recorded segment. He ended the evening with a slime battle between himself and Jim Carrey, who made a surprise finale appearance.
Other winners included:
Favorite Female Singer
Favorite Male Singer
Favorite Song
Favorite Movie
Favorite Animated Movie
Favorite Reality Show
Favorite TV Actress
Favorite TV Actor
Favorite Book
Favorite Cartoon
Favorite Male Athlete
Favorite Female Athlete
Favorite Video Game
What was your favorite moment at the 2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards? Tell us below!
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661191/kids-choice-awards.jhtml

No one wants to see Steve Carell's Michael Scott leave Dunder Mifflin, least of all the producers of The Office (NBC, Thursday, 9 p.m. ET). But at least those producers appear to be working overtime to soften the blow -- with a supersized, star-studded send-off episode that will air April 28 and run for an extra-special 50 minutes.
Specifics of the April 28 episode's plot aren't known, but one thing we're fairly certain of is this: It will end with Michael and lady love Holly (Amy Ryan) leaving Scranton for Colorado.
As for who will fill Steve Carell's shoes, Ricky Gervais, Will Arnett, Ray Romano, James Spader and British comedian Catherine Tate have all been tapped to appear in the show's May 19 season finale, with some of them reportedly playing applicants vying for Michael's job.
Will Ferrell, meanwhile, kicks off a four-episode arc on the show April 14, playing Michael's replacement, at least temporarily. While Ferrell has alluded to joining the show permanently, it's likely that he was just joking (hey, the guy's a comedian), seeing as he's a huge movie star and isn't slated to appear in the May 19 season ender (at least not to the public's knowledge).
As for Arnett and Spader, it doesn't sound like they're in the running for head honcho at Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch. Office writer Mindy Kaling, who plays Kelly Kapoor on the shwo, tweeted last month that Arnett would be playing the infamous Scranton Strangler, with Spader portraying his lawyer. While some commentators think she was just attempting to throw off the speculators, we think those roles suit Arnett and Spader just fine.
With all these famous faces showing up in the coming weeks, Michael's farewell might be just as sweet as it will be bitter. Hopefully. But however it all ends, one thing is certain: Michael's loss will be deeply felt. That's what she said!
Source: http://www.ivillage.com/steve-carell-office-send-be-supersized/1-a-340187
Hayden Panettiere Haylie Duff Heidi Klum Heidi Montag Hilarie Burton
But is it here to stay? Our music-industry experts weigh in.
By Akshay Bhansali
Ke$ha
Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images
In 2010, pop princesses, R&B icons and chart-dominating newcomers all danced to the same beat. Not only did dance music go pop, but pop music caught the club-music bug.
Between Katy Perry's "Firework," Ke$ha's "We R Who We R," Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)," Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It," Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" and "OMG" and countless other singles, established artists definitely looked to dance beats for surefire hits. And two of this year's biggest success stories in music were Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz; could there be a soul left in this country who hasn't heard "Dynamite" or "In My Head"?
The love went both ways, with dance music's biggest stars finding mainstream success this year. Dance-music maestro deadmau5 took up house-artist duties at this year's VMAs, and Swedish House Mafia and Usher teamed up for a medley of their gems at the American Music Awards.
So how did this happen? We caught up with some music-industry experts to get their takes.
"You definitely saw tempos go up this year," Jon Caramanica of The New York Times told MTV News. "And I think what you had are a lot of producers who are really familiar with nightclub stuff. They are familiar with Europe. Things are happening on a more global scale now."
"I think everything from Europe, and sometimes even Asia, it comes to America, and we just adopt things a little bit slower," said Jared Eng of JustJared.com. "I think it was just a change. People like different types of music at different times. And dance was of this moment."
Noah Callahan of Complex magazine added: "I think 2010 saw the merging of the pop and dance genres. Pop artists realized that there were best practices that could be borrowed from dance music. And, ultimately, [all] pop music that has been made in the past 20 years had ended up being remixed for the club by dance artists. I think they basically just cut out the middleman and went straight there."
Dance music being introduced into the hip-hop and R&B realms was particularly notable this year.
"I think David Guetta kind of at the end of last year and the beginning of this year spearheaded it," said freelance writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd. "He produced a lot of tracks. I think as trends go, people revile 'unst-unst.' But it's just coming back around. Big-room techno was a way for people to get decadent in a year that no one could get decadent."
"You have someone like will.i.am, who's like, 'Well, I spent all this time in Ibiza, and this is what they are doing,' and he wants to find a way to bring that into his music," Caramanica said of the Black Eyed Peas mastermind. "R&B especially became dance music. And especially with your Jason Derülos, Taio Cruzes. Guys like that would have literally been blocked at the border two years ago. That would not have made it through customs. And now all of a sudden they have #1 songs. I think will.i.am had a lot to do with that last year."
Elliott Wilson of RapRadar.com added: "It's actually even affected hip-hop. I was talking to Q-Tip, and his next record, I feel like that's gonna kind of go in that vein. I know that was also Jay-Z's thought process with Blueprint 3 at first, that he wanted to make a little bit more of a world music [vibe], a little more dancey. I think the kids today want to go to the clubs. They wanna have a good time. They wanna dance. So I think the artists of today are trying to kind of feed that audience."
"I think it's caught on this year because the people who've done it have been successful," offered Clover Hope of Vibe magazine. "Like 'OMG,' with usher, he didn't have success until he made a dance record. He had 'There Goes My Baby' and these really, like, adult-contemporary records that didn't really catch on. And then once you see that everybody is doing it and that people are liking it, they are like, 'OK, let me just try this out.' It's like Auto-Tune. Like, 'Let me see what I sound like on a record by David Guetta.' They end up liking it and doing more of it."
So does the club-music trend have staying power. According to our tastemakers, not so much.
"I do think it's a blip," Caramanica said. "I don't think that's gonna be something that lasts in America. I think this is gonna be a moment we'll all look back on and go, 'Wasn't that weird when Jason Derülo and Taio Cruz had #1 records?"
"At some point, these R&B artists will get kind of sick of it and be like, 'Let me go back to my soul background,' " Hope said. "When you actually have to say something, dance doesn't really lend itself to substance. And I think that R&B artists, they really want to talk about love and in a deep way, and to do that, you need to do, like, a soul or a traditional R&B record. I want to say that it's kind of a fad."
"I think music is very cyclical," Eng offered. "So I think dance music might be here for a little bit, but I'm sure it will phase out at some point."
Wilson called dance music "the sound of today. I think that people want more aggressive, faster beats, and I think that that probably has legs until at least next summer."
What do you think? Is dance music here to stay? Let us know in the comments!
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655031/usher-keha-more-help-dance-music-go-pop-2010.jhtml
Erika Christensen Estella Warren Esther CaƱadas Eva Green Eva Longoria
'It shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums,' guitarist says.
By Chris Harris
Dimmu Borgir's Silenoz
Photo: Nuclear Blast
On October 14, Dimmu Borgir — who just happen to be Demi Lovato's favorite black-metal band — will release a a three-disc DVD/CD set called "The Invaluable Darkness," the band's first visual offering since 2002's "World Misanthropy." Boasting live footage shot last year, during gigs in Norway, Germany and England, "The Invaluable Darkness" demonstrates the unbridled furor of seeing Dimmu live, guitarist Silenoz said.
"It shows the honest rawness and atmospheric darkness of our concerts," the Norwegian told Metal File last week, after dismissing recent online rumors that his band's next LP would be coming out through Roadrunner Records. "Basically, it shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums. It's just a different side to the band, basically."
Dimmu Borgir began thinking about "The Invaluable Darkness" two years ago, but didn't start capturing footage until last summer, Silenoz explained, adding that the band will use its current stint on the Blackest of the Black Tour — which got underway Thursday night in Miami Beach, Florida, and also features the tour's founder, Danzig, along with Moonspell, Winds of Plague and Skeletonwitch — to promote the DVD. Dimmu Borgir will not, however, use the tour to write material for their next LP.
"It's our first time on Blackest, but Glenn [Danzig] had wanted to bring us out before [on the tour], but we weren't available until now," Silenoz said. "We've done Ozzfest before, but we're looking forward to this tour more. We did the main stage on Ozzfest, playing in f--_ing broad daylight. This tour will let us play in bigger places, but at the same time showcase more of what the band's about, visually. We are going to concentrate on the tour for now. Some years ago, we tried putting [material] together on the road, but once we got home, we listened back to it, and were like, 'What the f--- is this?' So, we just scrapped it all. We find it's so much better to totally focus on one thing at a time, and then, when that's over, you move on to the next [thing]. We don't really feel like we need to rush things, anyway, so we'll just take our time, and it's going to be what it's going to be."
Dimmu Borgir hope to reconvene in late December to begin writing the follow-up to 2007's diabolically titled In Sorte Diaboli. "We have some ideas floating around already, but we haven't arranged any material yet," he said. "We'll start doing that once the touring for this DVD is over." The band's frontman, Shagrath, is also due to marry soon — he's engaged to actor Nicolas Cage's ex-girlfriend, Christina Fulton, so that may have an effect on when Dimmu finish their next album, which Silenoz said could be out this coming spring.
"I'm sure [Shagrath] won't let anything get in the way [of] the band — I think, I hope," the guitarist said. "We don't need a Yoko [Ono] situation."
While Dimmu have been at it going on 15 years now, Silenoz said he doesn't think their forthcoming material will be much of a departure from their previous black-metal offerings.
"And we have always been about more than just that term, 'black metal,' " he said. "Luckily for us, the older you get, the less concerned you get with the categorization and putting labels on your music. Things start getting more and more limitless with us, and we know that we operate within certain frames. But we try not to analyze things too much, because it's just going to be working against you in the end. When we write new stuff, we don't think about what we should write — we just get together, and put material together, and if we like it, we keep it. That's the formula, if we even have a formula."
Dimmu Borgir are definitely getting older — guitarist Galder will be missing Blackest because of a recent addition to his family, and Susperia's Cyrus will be filling in for him; while former Vader drummer Dariusz Brzozowski takes over for Hellhammer, who had to leave the band in 2007 after sustaining a neck injury that's now limited the use of his right arm. As Dimmu has gotten on in years, Silenoz admits they have failed to keep pace with some of the more extreme black-metal acts that have followed in their wake.
"We helped open doors for the more extreme bands out there," Silenoz said. "I'm sure we helped open doors for bands like Watain, [insomuch as] people that had maybe started listening to us first then went on to the more extreme stuff. Let's face it — we're not as extreme as Watain and other bands like that, but we're fine with that."
The Blackest of the Black Tour continues through November 10 in San Francisco.
The rest of the week's metal news:
Dimmu's tourmates on Blackest, Winds of Plague, have announced ex-Azusa drummer Art Cruz has joined their ranks — he replaced Jeff Tenney. According to the band's blog, "Art has already added a new spark to the band and has provided us with a solid backbone that will allow us to continue our rampage stronger than ever." ...
What the world really needs is another Led Zeppelin box set, so, on November 4, Rhino Records will issue the Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection Mini LP Replica CD box set. For just $200, you'll get 1969's Led Zeppelin, 1969's Led Zeppelin II, 1970's Led Zeppelin III, 1971's Led Zeppelin IV, 1973's Houses of the Holy, 1975's Physical Graffiti, 1976's Presence, 1976's The Song Remains the Same, 1979's In Through the Out Door and 1982's Coda, as mini-LP replicas, with artwork from the original U.K. LP sleeves. Now, you know what you can get your dad for Christmas. ...
Former Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach and current Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz have teamed up for a new project they're calling Times of Grace, and they've already started working on material for their debut album. According to Leach, "We have two songs to go and we will be finished with all of the vocals. Adam has taken lead vocals in three songs as of yet and he is doing a great job. We also worked on a track yesterday that is so epic — we trade vocals and do two different melodies at the same time. This album went from a melodic metal album to an epic mix of metal/rock/pop/shoegaze and punk. So all of your metal expectations will be incorrect — we are pushing genre boundaries." To quote "Meet the Parents," we'll look forward to that, Greg. ...
The Funeral Pyre and Early Graves will be hitting the road together next month, starting November 7 in South Lake Tahoe, California. Dates are booked through November 21 in Hollywood. ...
The latest incarnation of Brujeria, which features Carcass frontman Jeff Walker and Napalm Death's Shane Embury, have lined up several U.S. dates for this winter. The band will begin its brief trek November 28 in Denver, and wrap things up in Dallas on December 7. ... Demiricous will be touring with the Gates of Slumber starting November 9 in Denver, for a jaunt that's scheduled to run through December 6 in Indianapolis. ...
Nearly three years after Roadrunner Records' Roadrunner United concert, which took over the Nokia Theater in New York's Times Square, the label is now releasing footage from that special night as "Roadrunner United: The Concert." The DVD, which hits stores December 9, will boast two discs and 24 live tracks, including Life of Agony's "River Runs Red," King Diamond's "Abigail," Killswitch's "My Last Serenade," Type O Negative's "Black No. 1" and Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist." ...
According to Blabbermouth, Verrot, bassist for Swedish black-metal outfit Elimi, committed suicide on October 3. In a statement, the band said, "Verrot was a very good friend, brother, an excellent bass player/musician and an important part of Elimi; we respect his decision and hope he'll find his way with the dark gods of Chaos. Let your black flame be a part of what brings forth the day of wrath."
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1596756/dimmu-borgir-release-live-dvd-set-metal-file.jhtml
AnnaLynne McCord Anne Marie Kortright April Scott Arielle Kebbel Ashanti
Conrad Murray's trial slated to start March 28.
By Gil Kaufman
Dr. Conrad Murray appears in court on Tuesday in Los Angeles, California
Photo: Irfan Khan-Pool/ Getty Images
Michael Jackson's former personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray entered a plea of not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter in the June 2009 death of the pop star at his arraignment on Tuesday morning (January 25).
According to the Los Angeles Times, when asked by judge Michael Pastor how he pleaded to the charge, Murray said, "Your honor, I am an innocent man." When Pastor interrupted and asked Murray what his plea was, the cardiologist said, "Therefore, I plead not guilty."
The brief hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court ended with Pastor setting a March 28 date for the start of a trial in the case. Murray faces a maximum of four years in prison if convicted, and the Times noted that he surprised the judge by invoking his right to a speedy trial, which meant the case would have to begin by late March. Pastor noted the rarity of a defendant asking to have a speedy trial, then set jury selection for the week of March 28 and said he was inclined to allow television coverage of the trial that the defense expects will last two months.
Lawyers for Murray have maintained his innocence all along, saying he did not do anything that "should have" caused the 50-year-old pop icon's death. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office determined that Jackson died of an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol mixed with a cocktail of other sedatives.
Murray has admitted to administering propofol to Jackson in the hours before the singer's death, but the defense appears to be gearing up to claim that it was Jackson who administered the final, fatal dose of the drug after he woke in a panic from a fitful night of sleep.
During a preliminary hearing earlier this month to determine if there was enough evidence to hold Murray over for trial, the physician's attorneys said that there was evidence Jackson injected or drank a fatal amount of the drug when the doctor was not looking.
Related Photos Related ArtistsHeidi Klum Heidi Montag Hilarie Burton Hilary Duff Hilary Swank
Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman
Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox
Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."
That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.
The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.
For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.
Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610709/adam-lamberts-whole-lotta-love-story-behind-cover.jhtml
Zooey Deschanel Aaliyah Abbie Cornish Adriana Lima Adrianne Curry
Russell Brand's Easter bunny film stayed energized to finish in front of the English comedian's debuting 'Arthur.'
By Ryan J. Downey
"Hop" leapt over the competition to become the first movie of 2011 to enjoy two consecutive weeks at #1 on the box-office tally over the weekend. Featuring Russell Brand as the voice of the Easter Bunny, the kids' flick successfully thumped four new movies: "Hanna," "Soul Surfer," "Your Highness" and Brand's own "Arthur." All figures are according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
The $12.6 million opening for English comedian Brand's remake of the 1981 comedy "Arthur" was no match for the $21.6 million collected by the live-action/animated hybrid "Hop," which has earned a total of $68.1 million since its premiere. Neither film is a hit with critics, with both garnering just a 24-percent approval rating, according to Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from major film columnists across the country.
The first "Arthur" earned original star Dudley Moore an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of an alcoholic millionaire and grossed $95.5 million, which is equivalent to $260 million in 2011 when you adjust for ticket-price inflation. The new version, which co-stars Helen Mirren (who hosted "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend) and Jennifer Garner, doesn't seem likely to come close to the original's success. And the remake's debut is far behind the $17.6 million generated by the opening weekend of last year's "Get Him to the Greek," which co-starred Brand alongside Jonah Hill.
Saoirse Ronan, who earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination at age 13 for her role in "Atonement," plays a young assassin in "Hanna," which came in at #3 on the box-office chart with a $12.3 million take. Joe Wright, who directed both "Atonement" and "Hanna," told Movieline that he sees his latest film as an authentic girl-power alternative to the "incredibly sexist" recent release "Sucker Punch." Film critics seemed to agree. Wright's movie enjoys a 71-percent score on the Tomatometer, while director Zack Snyder's ("300") "Sucker Punch" sit with 21 percent and fell from the box office's top 10 this weekend, earning just $2.1 million for a $33.9 million total. Ronan, who also known for her co-starring role in director Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones," has been cast in the same filmmaker's much anticipated adaptation of "The Hobbit."
"American Idol" winner and country megastar Carrie Underwood made her film debut with a small role as a Hawaiian church pastor in "Soul Surfer," based on the true story of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost most of one arm in a shark attack at age 13 but was back on her board a month later. The movie, which acts as something of a cinematic companion to Hamilton's autobiography published by MTV Books, debuted at #4 after earning $11.1 million. Reviews have been split almost evenly for the flick. " 'Soul Surfer' takes [a] story of complex emotions, determination and faith and turns it into overly simplistic mush," wrote Christy Lemire of the Associated Press, although Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gliberman said the movie, "while formulaic in design," is both "authentic" and "heartfelt."
"Your Highness" was the weekend's biggest bomb. Despite putting Oscar winner Natalie Portman and Oscar nominee James Franco alongside "Eastbound and Down" comedian and co-writer Danny McBride in a sword-and-sorcery adventure laced with modern stoner humor, the movie opened with just a $9.5 million take and scored just a 25-percent positive average with critics. Director David Gordon Green worked with Franco on another stoner comedy, "Pineapple Express," in addition to his role as a director and producer on McBride's popular HBO comedy series, "Eastbound." Green told MTV News that there are a couple of choice deleted scenes from "Your Highness" he'd like to put on the DVD, where the film may find a bigger audience.
Small-budget horror flick "Insidious" made $9.7 million in its second weekend of release for a total of $27 million. Its $1.5 million budget isn't much more than that the budget for the original "Saw," which — like "Insidious" — was directed by James Wan. "Source Code" isn't likely to earn huge numbers, but it boasts the distinction of being the year's second-best-reviewed film (just behind Paul Giamatti's "Win Win") and was #7 on the weekend box-office tally with $9 million for a two week total of $28.6 million.
"Hangover" co-star Bradley Cooper's "Limitless" made another $5.6 million for a $64.3 million total. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" was #9 with $4.8 million for a $45.4 million total. "The Lincoln Lawyer," the well-received drama that Matthew McConaughey says he took a pay cut to appear in, rounded out the top 10 with $4.6 million for a $46.4 million total.
This weekend's new releases include campy and self-aware ensemble horror sequel "Scream 4"; the latest animated animal movie from the makers of "Ice Age," "Rio" (which already opened well in some international markets); and director Robert Redford's post-Civil War drama, "The Conspirator."
Check out everything we've got on "Arthur," "Hanna" and "Soul Surfer."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related VideosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661685/hop-box-office.jhtml
Amber Brkich Amber Heard Amber Valletta America Ferrera Amerie