Celebrity Gossip, Technology News, Movies, Trailers, Phones

This Sunday on HBO comes a television event that a great many people have been waiting years to see. In 2001, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks collaborated on a 10-episode miniseries — “Band of Brothers” — following the trials and tribulations of Easy Company, one of the American Airborne divisions that dropped behind enemy lines during World War II in advance of our country’s storming of the beaches at Normandy. Those 10 hours made for stellar television, and there’s long been talk of Spielberg and Hanks teaming again to tell the story behind another of that war’s theaters, the battle against Japanese forces in the Pacific. That miniseries, appropriately titled “The Pacific,” kicks off this Sunday at 9pm, with the first of 10 episodes. Star James Badge Dale stopped by the MTV newsroom earlier this week to talk about the miniseries and what fans of “Brothers” can expect as they engage with an entirely different side of the war. “‘Band of Brothers’ focused on the 101st Airborne, ‘The Pacific’ focuses on three Marines, and it has to do more with their personal stories and their personal struggles,” he said. As you might remember, “Brothers” followed this rather large group across a great stretch of time, with different soldiers coming into focus for each episode. As Badge said, the focus in “The Pacific” is much more on the arcs of only a few individual characters. Though “characters” isn’t exactly right since “The Pacific,” like “Band of Brothers,” is written around the exploits of actual soldiers. Badge plays PFC Robert Leckie, whose book “Helmet for My Pillow” serves as the basis for the arc of the actor’s role across these 10 episodes. When we meet him in the first episode, he’s a hopeful young man, a soldier-to-be who intends to chronicle his journey with a pen at night while making it through the days with his gun. The harsh conditions in the Pacific theater confront him almost immediately, and — without spoiling too much — he is changed for the experience. “I think what ['Band of Brothers' fans] will find is that the conflict in the Pacific was a little more brutal. The circumstances were harder on the men, but the nature of the combat was [also] very face-to-face, hand-to-hand and it was very difficult for men on both sides to process,” Badge explained. Indeed, the first two episodes call to mind the intensity of noted “Band of Brothers” episodes “Crossroads” and “Bastogne.” Interestingly, “Bastogne” writer Bruce McKenna serves as co-executive producer on “The Pacific.” And as Badge told us, as rough as those first two episodes are, things only get worse for him and his fellow Marines. “The tone of our show is a little darker, but I think it’s honest and true to the accounts of these men.” Are you a “Band of Brothers” fan? Will you tune in for “The Pacific”? Look for more coverage of HBO’s latest World War II miniseries next week on MTV Movies Blog!

Apple has set the standard that once every year they will release a new version of the iPhone. It stands to reason that this year will be no different, with a new model likely coming sometime this summer. But arguably just as important as Apple’s hardware refresh is the accompanying software refresh that comes with it as well. And that’s why it shouldn’t be surprising at all that whispers of iPhone OS 4.0 are starting to grow. But this year, the timeline appears a bit off. As AppleInsider reported today , iPhone OS 4.0 is likely to deliver multitasking support. If true, that will make it perhaps the most important OS upgrade for the platform yet. However, in reporting the news, AppleInsider also notes that the software, “ remains under development and reportedly has a quite ‘way to go’ before it’s ready for prime time .” Looking back at the iPhone OS SDK history you’ll notice a constant: Apple has released the beta builds in March the past two years. We’re already well into March this year, and so far, no word about Apple being close to doing the same. Read the rest at TechCrunch > >

Apple has set the standard that once every year they will release a new version of the iPhone. It stands to reason that this year will be no different, with a new model likely coming sometime this summer. But arguably just as important as Apple’s hardware refresh is the accompanying software refresh that comes with it as well. And that’s why it shouldn’t be surprising at all that whispers of iPhone OS 4.0 are starting to grow. But this year, the timeline appears a bit off. As AppleInsider reported today , iPhone OS 4.0 is likely to deliver multitasking support. If true, that will make it perhaps the most important OS upgrade for the platform yet. However, in reporting the news, AppleInsider also notes that the software, “ remains under development and reportedly has a quite ‘way to go’ before it’s ready for prime time .” Looking back at the iPhone OS SDK history you’ll notice a constant: Apple has released the beta builds in March the past two years. We’re already well into March this year, and so far, no word about Apple being close to doing the same. Read the rest at TechCrunch > >

Oh Josh Horowitz. The intrepid managing editor of MTV Movies is one of the best interviewers in the game… but he’s also the undisputed king of the awkward moment. Take this one, on the red carpet at Sunday’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards show. Josh asked ” Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ” star Jake Gyllenhaal about almost starring in “Avatar” instead of, you know, the movie he’s got coming out in a few months. I think Gyllenhaal handled himself very gracefully. “There were definitely discussions and it was what it was, but ultimately it’s a great honor that I was even thought of,” the actor replied, looking slightly confused. Josh then starts to ask another question about “Avatar”… before quickly switching gears with a “maybe I should ask about ‘Prince’ instead.” Gyllenhaal replied, “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Josh asked, after seeing the trailers, if we can expect to see the actor running around the desert with no shirt on for two hours. “You have no idea what you’re going to see,” he replied. “It’s really good.” Of course, any time a movie based on a video game hits theaters, there’s always the worry that it’s going to follow in the footsteps of those that came before… and suck royally. Obviously the star isn’t going to badmouth the movie he’s in, but Gyllenhaal nonetheless sounds confident in the work he’s done. “I can say right now, this will reinvent the video game adaptation,” he said. “This will finally pull off and does finally pull off what everybody hopes that video game adaptations would.” Those are some might bold statements. As an unabashed lover of video games, I truly hope he’s proven right. We’ll find out when “The Sands of Time” hits theaters on May 28. What is your favorite video game adaptation? What is your least favorite?

by Perri Nemiroff Just because Johnny Depp’s schedule is jam-packed, doesn’t mean he won’t make time for a passion project. As reported by The Playlist, Depp had a few things to say about his hopes to make a documentary while appearing on “Friday Night with Jonathon Ross” alongside his “ Alice in Wonderland ” director, Tim Burton . Depp has turned his on-screen “Pirates of the Caribbean” father/son relationship with Keith Richards into reality and is working with The Rolling Stones guitarist to create a film about his wacky life. “It’s a thing we’ve talked about for a number of years now,” Depp said. “We finally had a moment, the two of us, to get together and do like a first installment if you will. So basically, all it is is exactly what Keith and I have been doing over the years. Just sit around in hotel rooms, gabbing, having a drink and we documented it. So it’s something we’re doing together and we did in five days. It went extremely well, incredible.” If Depp continues to work on the project in this day-by-day fashion, will it ever be completed? He’s in the middle of shooting “ The Tourist ” with Angelina Jolie and then will move on to “ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ” this summer. After that wraps, he may go on to Burton’s “ Dark Shadows ,” or perhaps ” The Lone Ranger .” He also just signed on to star alongside his longtime love Vanessa Paradis in “My American Lover” and expressed interest in having a cameo in the “21 Jump Street” movie. At least this documentary doesn’t rest completely on Depp’s shoulders. He previously said, “[his] editor is already working on kilometers of archive footage and footage of [Richards'] concerts.” Depp is a talented actor and all, but can he really handle taking on a directorial job in addition to everything else? “The Brave” played at the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, but never even earned proper US distribution. Even with far more experience under his belt, is he ready to get back behind the lens and juggle multiple big budget projects? Should Depp take a step back and focus on his other gigs? Are you even interested in a doc about Keith Richards?

Is it crazy to say ” 2012 ” — a film about the fire- and tsunami-strewn obliteration of planet Earth as we know it — was one of the most fun theatrical experiences of the year? The audience at the screening I caught in mid-February was hooting and hollering at each successive catastrophe , gleefully ignoring the cataclysmic loss of life because the whole thing was just so darn fun. Was it kinda silly? Sure. But chuck away any sense of realism and it was an amazing big screen spectacle that had to make you smile. The rest of the world certainly agreed . Director Roland Emmerich’s disaster-film-to-end-all-disaster-films grossed almost $770 million worldwide. With the “2012″ DVD arriving in stores on Tuesday (March 2), Emmerich gave MTV News a call to chat about the challenges of CGI filmmaking, an alternate ending he almost inserted in the final cut and the kooky conspiracy theorists he met while promoting the film. MTV News: There were so many huge CGI set-pieces in the film. Is there one that you’re particularly proud of or that took the most work to pull off? Roland Emmerich: The most fun was the earthquake scene, because it was the most complex. Or maybe because I live in Los Angeles and I’m always afraid of earthquakes. MTV News: You mean the scene in the beginning, when John Cusack is driving his family through LA in a limo while the entire city basically disintegrates around them? Emmerich: Yeah, we shot with nothing there but the limo. And when you think about that — that everything was completely created — it was quite impressive. At first we wanted to shoot stuff in real and we realized pretty fast that in an earthquake everything is buckling, everything is cracking and you really can’t use any real things. We had to build everything in the computer and put it together. MTV News: Did you look at footage from actual earthquakes? Emmerich: We did, but there is not much there. There is some footage from video surveillance cameras, but it’s rare. What you can see is the aftermath and then you imagine what happened. MTV News: Have you put any cool deleted scenes onto the DVD? Emmerich: There is very little in this movie that was cut out. We have an alternative ending, which is quite interesting. Two characters who die in the final cut are actually alive. The two jazz musicians survived. At the end you see their cruise ship on top of a mountain. For us it was always a Noah’s Ark symbol. But it didn’t work because it put everything in question. Why did we have to build these huge ships to rescue hundreds of thousands of people in the first place? And anyway, the ending felt kind of long. It went on and on and on, and when we took that ending out, it was all of a sudden streamlined. MTV News: You traveled all over the world promoting the film. Did you have some wacky interactions with 2012 conspiracy theorists? Emmerich: Oh yeah, they’re everywhere. It’s quite funny. I always said I don’t believe in aliens even though I did “Independence Day.” In the same way, I have the same attitude toward 2012. It’s an interesting theory, maybe it will happen and maybe not, but no one can say what really will happen. But some people really believe and they come up to you and either they’re really pissed they say, “This shouldn’t be a disaster, it’s a new rise of human consciousness” or they’re like, “You’re so right, this is going to happen,” and they tell you where to go to escape it. They say, “You should be very thankful!”

Ensemble comedies are awesome. Especially when they boast a cast like the one coming together for ” Bad Teacher .” The comedy comes from “Walk Hard” director Jake Kasdan working off of a script from the powerhouse “Office” (and “Ghostbusters III”) writing duo of Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. We also know that Cameron Diaz , Jason Segel and Lucy Punch, star of CBS’ “The Class,” will headline. Today, Sony revealed that a few more have joined the cast. Justin Timberlake , who will also star in Facebook biopic ” The Social Network ,” is the big get; he’ll star alongside Diaz, Segel and Punch. Also joining the cast are “Saturday Night Live” alum Molly Shannon and “Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet. We don’t know a whole lot about the story just yet. Diaz leads the cast as the titular lousy junior high teacher, a crass woman who has just been dumped by a man she’d come to depend on… financially. Now free to pursue other romantic interests, she sets her sights on a fellow teacher, which pits her against another teacher, a more popular one. There’s no word on Shannon’s or Stonestreet’s role, but Timberlake will play a substitute who stands to one day inherit his family’s watch fortune. Diaz and Timberlake should make for an interesting on-screen pairing, since the two used to be romantically involved in real life. One wonders if Kasdan and company will play with that history in the film, and how Timberlake’s character will factor into the love triangle that will presumably involve Diaz, Segel and Punch. If Diaz’s character is in fact a gold-digger, maybe she’s fated to end up with Timberlake’s sub anyway. One thing is certain: we have plenty of time to wonder. At last report, “Bad Teacher” was targeted for a 2012 release. Do you like this casting news? Do you hope to see some reference made to Timberlake’s and Diaz’s shared history?

I recently had the opportunity to chat extensively with director Samuel Bayer , who’s directing the upcoming remake for A Nightmare on Elm Street . We’ll have the full audio and text of the interview up on the site tomorrow, so be sure check back for that. In the meantime, I can reveal that he’s explicitly stated that even if the Elm Street remake performs well, he won’t be returning to the director’s chair for any sequels that may arise. Instead, he might be focusing his energies on a potential comic-book adaptation. Hit the jump for some more details, straight from the horse’s mouth. I asked Bayer about what he would do if Nightmare performed well at the box office. Would he return for a sequel? Bayer responded: I really hope the film does well. I will not be involved in a sequel…I don’t want to have my next movie be a horror movie. I’m already looking at stuff and I think I’m probably going to do a– it might be an action movie, or there’s a comic book they want to make into a film I’m very attracted to. But I think I’m going to move on and let someone else handle the next one, and it’ll be great. I pressed Bayer for more information on his next project, and he was actually about to reveal some details when someone on the other end of the line appeared to stop him. Here’s his end of the exchange: There’s a comic– I’m sure my agent would kill me for this, because I’m sure I’m not supposed to talk about it or whatever, but I don’t really care, is that– no, my assistant is shaking her head. No. No? No? I was going to mention a project. Shut up? Okay. I’m doing what people tell me. Yeah, I’ll bury myself with this one. There’s some very, very cool stuff out there. I’m really into graphic novels and really into the superhero genre, and I really think there’s some interesting stuff going on, and I think that’s what I’m leaning towards. So, that’s all the news we have for now. Bayer fans might remember that last year, Bayer was attached to direct Fiasco Heights , which THR described as a film noir story in which “a gunman returns to the crime-ridden city of Fiasco Heights and teams with a degenerate gambler/private eye on the run from a syndicate to look for a beautiful femme fatale and a mysterious briefcase.” It’s graphic-novel-esque, but Bayer sounds like he’s describing something different here, something more ambitious. We’ll have more details as they come. A Nightmare on Elm Street Movie Trailer #2 A Nightmare On Elm Street: New Poster, Photos, and Trailer News A Nightmare on Elm Street Teaser Trailer Comic-Con: Details and Reactions from Nightmare on Elm Street Footage and Panel; Englund Cameo Rumors Denied Set Visit Preview: A Nightmare on Elm Street First Look: H2: Halloween 2. Rob Zombie Updates. BONUS RANT: Hunter Stephenson’s Take on Zombie’s Halloween vs. Platinum Dunes’ Friday the 13th (Of Suck)

Angelina Jolie is keeping everybody guessing these days. First, it was revealed that she would be a part of ” Wanted 2 ,” despite her character’s fate in the first film making this a nearly impossible task. Most recently, she reportedly abandoned that film in favor of “Gravity,” a space-set science fiction movie directed by ” Children of Men ” director Alfonso Cuaron . Now, it appears that she’s heading to 1920s North Carolina with murder in her heart and director Darren Aronofsky by her side. According to The Hollywood Reporter , Jolie and Aronofsky are currently in discussions for to adapt Ron Rash’s 2008 period piece “Serena: A Novel” for the big screen. The screenplay comes from “The Weight of Water” scribe Chris Kyle, though retooling on the script is necessary before Jolie and Aronofsky can move forward. Nick Weschler of ” The Road ” and ” The Time Traveler’s Wife ” is producing. “Serena: A Novel” focuses on the creation of a timber empire in 1929 North Carolina. Jolie would play Serena, the ruthless wife of businessman George Pemberton. After it becomes clear that she can’t bear a child, Serena takes off with a plan to murder George’s illegitimate son in retaliation. Clearly, this is a very dark idea. THR even compares “Serena” to Paul Thomas Anderson’s ” There Will Be Blood .” In my mind, Jolie isn’t exactly an equal with Daniel Day-Lewis — very few people are, really — but she’s still one of the great actresses currently working in the filmmaking business, so seeing her in this tormented tormentor role is something I’m totally up for, especially at the very capably twisted hands of Aronofsky. But what does this mean for ” Gravity ,” Jolie’s rumored collaboration with Alfonso Cuaron? I’m not sure that this project effects things at all, as there’s still much work to be done on “Serena.” Hopefully, we’ll be able to have our cake and eat it on this one — but if Jolie has to choose between “Serena” and “Gravity,” at least she’ll be at the forefront of an interesting project in either case. Tell us what you think of the news in the comments and on Twitter !

by Cristina Ramos With his adaptation of “Where The Wild Things Are” set for DVD release on Tuesday, March 2, Spike Jonze took a night to chat about the intimate documentary about the witty and wise author Maurice Sendak, along with co-director Lance Bangs. “Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak” takes you through enchanting, funny, and sometimes sad moments of the “Wild Things” creator’s life as he recounts his childhood, the controversy surrounding his recently adapted book, his late partner of fifty years, Eugene Glynn, and his obsession with death. The 40-minute film exposes life as Sendak views it, quirks and all. In the film, Jonze and Bangs combine detailed stories with photographs and illustrations that take us on an emotional tour through what matters most in Sendak’s life. Through the past couple years they taped several casual conversations with the writer and illustrator in his Connecticut home. During these chats, he speaks candidly about his eight decades of life, starting with his early memories of being a two year old. Sendak’s life is as full of wonder as the tales in his books. You can’t help but fall in love with him and his stories as they are as inspiring as his passion for creating his wonderful works of art. After the screening, Jonze called upon long-time friend Mike Myers to help moderate a Q&A with the audience. The two directors spoke of the creativity behind the film, naming Sendak as an inspiration in and of himself. “I find his imagination is certainly inspiring. I think that’s what really drew me to him,” Jonze explained. “But what I find deeply inspiring is his ferocious honesty and his fearlessness to be honest both as a person, as a friend, and as a mentor in helping us make this movie. As the thing about him is, he has no ability of small talk or chitchat. He wants to engage in something real. He is who he is and he doesn’t have the energy to pretend to be someone else.” Jonze also spoke about Sendak’s approval of the “Where The Wild Things Are” adaptation. “Not that he hated it, but it was the fact that Max didn’t go to his room and the bedroom didn’t turn into the forest. That was something early on in writing Dave [Eggers] and I realized didn’t make sense with this movie we were writing. He didn’t hate it, but he did challenge me on it”. Despite Sendak’s eccentrities — or perhaps because of them — Jonze and Bangs were able to capture the essence of who this old man really is in their documentary. Whether it was his creepy obsession with mortality or how strange yet captivating his books are, “Tell Them Anything You Want” is a wonderful look into the life and success of one of literature’s most creative minds.