moved [[??? (Shin)]] to [[??? (Shin)]] as per mb & wp
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
'Hall Pass' Stars Explain: Why Is Male Nudity So Funny?
'It's probably the awkwardness of the situation,' Jason Sudeikis tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner
Jason Sudeikis and Owen Wilson in "Hall Pass"
Photo: Warner Bros.
For anyone familiar with the films of the brothers Farrelly, Peter and Bobby, there is an element of raunch and ridiculousness in each of their films -- "Dumb & Dumber," "There's Something About Mary," "Shallow Hal," etc. -- that seems to know no bounds.
The latest addition to their body of work is "Hall Pass," in which Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis play two suburban dwellers seemingly bored with their marriages. Incredibly enough, they both manage to secure "hall passes" -- one-week vacations from their marriages and their wives -- to do whatever they please. Naturally, plenty of Farrelly-brand wackiness ensues, including an extended scene that features not one, but two prominent pieces of male anatomy.
When MTV News caught up with the castmembers recently, we asked what makes penises so funny, particularly to men, since more often than not, it seems they find them far more laugh-out-loud funny than women do.
"Probably because we have them and we use them for various puppetry purposes," Sudeikis offered.
"Yeah," Wilson agreed, adding that when guys laugh at seeing male anatomy onscreen, it's like a laugh of recognition. "Whoa! Hey!" he exclaimed with a grin.
"I think it's probably less the penis that makes us laugh and more the reaction," Sudeikis continued. "It's probably the awkwardness of the situation."
"Yeah, awkwardness," Wilson said. "If they weren't laughing they'd be crying."
Luckily, Jenna Fischer, who plays Wilson's wife in the film, weighed in as well to offer an unbiased female opinion on the subject.
"I just appreciate in this film that since they put boobs in, they put boy parts in too," she said. "I think it's a full-service film in that way. All nudity is allowed," she said with authority, which we told her was an excellent point. "It's just fair."
Check out everything we've got on "Hall Pass."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Gabrielle Union Alessandra Ambrosio Amanda Detmer Emma Stone Raquel Alessi
Britney Spears Added Her 'Flavor' To 'Hold It Against Me' Fight Scene
Martial-arts expert Steven Ho talks to MTV News about working on the new video.
By Jocelyn Vena
Britney Spears fights herself in "Hold It Against Me"
Photo: Jive
Last week, fans were treated to the premiere of Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video. The sleek, dark look at celebrity life was a new aesthetic for the star, who hooked up with Jonas Åkerlund on the clip.
While her dance scenes were choreographed by Brian Friedman, it was noted Hollywood martial-arts expert Steven Ho who helped Britney work out the moves to battle herself in the video.
"I've been very fortunate to have worked on a wide range of high-profile projects, and the video's producer, Hagai Shaham, thought my style would be a good fit with Jonas and Britney. I was brought in to train Britney, choreograph the fight and set up wires for the levitation shots," he told MTV News about joining the project.
"I've always wanted to work with Jonas," he continued. "I knew that a stylized fight would translate well with his trademark visuals, so I was thrilled about doing this project. Jonas wanted a superhuman fight with elements of brutality — that's right up my alley of how I approach an action scene, so we were definitely all on the same page throughout the process."
Not only were Åkerlund and Ho onboard for some mortal combat, but the star herself warmed up to the idea of battling a clone. "Britney was really excited throughout the whole process. It was a grueling shoot of dance and stunts, but her passion for the video and professionalism never wavered," he explained. "There were some pretty tough insert shots where we needed Britney to actually get hit in the face by 'herself.' We did several consecutive takes of this, and she had a lot of fun with it and was a great sport.
"Britney was very enthusiastic about learning how to fight; she's an athlete," he added. "I got that Jonas' concept was partially about the duality of self — we all deal with that, so who wouldn't have fun fighting their alter egos?"
The key, it seems, was making Ho's fight moves work with Friedman's dance routine. "It was really great working with Brian; he's an absolute professional. He was diligent about our fight style being cohesive with the dancing, and that's why it worked so well," Ho recalled. "Our rehearsals were on the same stage, so it was very helpful to have Brian's feedback from a dancer's point of view."
It seems that one of the most memorable moves in the fight, Spears' quickstep during the smack-down, was all her own.
"Britney was fantastic about incorporating what we had practiced in rehearsal, and as a consummate performer, she was able to take ownership by adding her own flavor to the fight. There's a quick cut in the video that features Britney taking a series of small shuffle steps in her heels. This is something she came up with herself that I thought added a nice break of 'cuteness' in the fight," he said. "Jonas drowned out the music here to highlight the tapping sounds, and it's really one of my favorite beats of the video."
Aside from the two Britneys, the other main characters in the fight were her sky-high heels and flowing gowns. "The wardrobe was one of the stars of the fight," he explained. "At first I was concerned about how to approach the long trains. There were discussions with Jonas and [stylist] B. [Åkerlund] and [fashion assistant Renelou Padora] about possibly shortening the train for safety issues. After I showed my wife [designer Nina Petronzio] the pictures of the dresses, she literally said, 'I will kill you if you cut those trains down.' We ended up incorporating the trains as 'weapons.' We treated them as if they were sharp blades, giving Britney reason to jump and evade around them."
What did you think of the Britney battle in "Hold It Against Me"? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Friday, February 25, 2011
Britney Spears Added Her 'Flavor' To 'Hold It Against Me' Fight Scene
Martial-arts expert Steven Ho talks to MTV News about working on the new video.
By Jocelyn Vena
Britney Spears fights herself in "Hold It Against Me"
Photo: Jive
Last week, fans were treated to the premiere of Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video. The sleek, dark look at celebrity life was a new aesthetic for the star, who hooked up with Jonas Åkerlund on the clip.
While her dance scenes were choreographed by Brian Friedman, it was noted Hollywood martial-arts expert Steven Ho who helped Britney work out the moves to battle herself in the video.
"I've been very fortunate to have worked on a wide range of high-profile projects, and the video's producer, Hagai Shaham, thought my style would be a good fit with Jonas and Britney. I was brought in to train Britney, choreograph the fight and set up wires for the levitation shots," he told MTV News about joining the project.
"I've always wanted to work with Jonas," he continued. "I knew that a stylized fight would translate well with his trademark visuals, so I was thrilled about doing this project. Jonas wanted a superhuman fight with elements of brutality — that's right up my alley of how I approach an action scene, so we were definitely all on the same page throughout the process."
Not only were Åkerlund and Ho onboard for some mortal combat, but the star herself warmed up to the idea of battling a clone. "Britney was really excited throughout the whole process. It was a grueling shoot of dance and stunts, but her passion for the video and professionalism never wavered," he explained. "There were some pretty tough insert shots where we needed Britney to actually get hit in the face by 'herself.' We did several consecutive takes of this, and she had a lot of fun with it and was a great sport.
"Britney was very enthusiastic about learning how to fight; she's an athlete," he added. "I got that Jonas' concept was partially about the duality of self — we all deal with that, so who wouldn't have fun fighting their alter egos?"
The key, it seems, was making Ho's fight moves work with Friedman's dance routine. "It was really great working with Brian; he's an absolute professional. He was diligent about our fight style being cohesive with the dancing, and that's why it worked so well," Ho recalled. "Our rehearsals were on the same stage, so it was very helpful to have Brian's feedback from a dancer's point of view."
It seems that one of the most memorable moves in the fight, Spears' quickstep during the smack-down, was all her own.
"Britney was fantastic about incorporating what we had practiced in rehearsal, and as a consummate performer, she was able to take ownership by adding her own flavor to the fight. There's a quick cut in the video that features Britney taking a series of small shuffle steps in her heels. This is something she came up with herself that I thought added a nice break of 'cuteness' in the fight," he said. "Jonas drowned out the music here to highlight the tapping sounds, and it's really one of my favorite beats of the video."
Aside from the two Britneys, the other main characters in the fight were her sky-high heels and flowing gowns. "The wardrobe was one of the stars of the fight," he explained. "At first I was concerned about how to approach the long trains. There were discussions with Jonas and [stylist] B. [Åkerlund] and [fashion assistant Renelou Padora] about possibly shortening the train for safety issues. After I showed my wife [designer Nina Petronzio] the pictures of the dresses, she literally said, 'I will kill you if you cut those trains down.' We ended up incorporating the trains as 'weapons.' We treated them as if they were sharp blades, giving Britney reason to jump and evade around them."
What did you think of the Britney battle in "Hold It Against Me"? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Justin Bieber's Grammy Performance Will Be 'A Crossover,' Usher Says
The 'O.M.G.' singer looks forward to sharing the stage with his protégé on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery
Usher
Photo: Amanda Edwards/ Getty Images
HOLLYWOOD — At Sunday's 53rd Grammy Awards, Usher will be pulling double duty as both a nominee and a performer. Of course, given the massive year he just completed — with the success of his smash single "O.M.G." and as a mentor to rising phenom Justin Bieber — Ush's Grammy plans seem rather fitting.
Especially since he'll be performing with Bieber (and Bieber's pal Jaden Smith), a move that's just as much about celebrating Usher's successes as it is the successes of his young protégé.
"Having been through [the Grammys] so many times, you couldn't want for anything more than for your young protégé to have the opportunity to have one, so, in support of him having his moment, I wanted to be here," Usher told MTV News on Thursday, hours before his performance at the (Belvedere) RED launch party in Hollywood. "And also to be there to perform, to kind of tell the story of how we came together. This music business has definitely been good to both of us, and this year we have a lot to be happy for."
And just how will the dynamic duo tell that story? Well, Usher wasn't about to reveal all the details, but he did say that he's hoping their performance will show another side of Bieber ... a side most tend to overlook.
"The performance will be fun," Usher explained. "We want to get up there and just do what we do. Be comfortable, and have a great time. ... This is kind of a crossover for Justin. Having performed on so many different stages, this is the way that I wanted him to be seen and an opportunity to show the industry — a lot of the industry, that didn't believe [in him] — some of his other talents. He's going to play acoustically, and also, we'll get down a little bit."
And though Ush is up for a pair of Grammy awards on Sunday — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary R&B Album for Raymond v. Raymond — he's most looking forward to sharing the stage with Bieber and giving fans a look at where the young artist will be heading next.
"I'm very proud, man. I definitely saw it from the beginning, but thanks to the team that we have around us, it was made to happen. And that story has only just begun," Usher said. "The story of Justin Bieber doesn't stop with screaming girls; we need screaming fans all around the world ... a cultural experience that's much more than just fanfare. And that's what this is. That's what the Grammys will be; that's what my next phase for Justin is. This is the way I found him: I found him with a guitar in his hand, so I want him to be seen that way."
Don't miss "Snooki & Sway: Live From the Grammys," a red-carpet live stream kicking off Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And stick with us all Grammy night for coverage of the red carpet, the show, the afterparties and beyond!
Related Photos Related ArtistsMegan Ewing Kristanna Loken Aubrey ODay Drew Barrymore Marley Shelton
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