May 07, 2008

MTV Movie Award Nominations Show Some McLovin To Superbad, Juno, Transformers And More

By Shawn Adler (MTV.com)

From affectionate spoofs to gushing tributes, for 16 years the MTV Movie Awards have been about celebrating the best in film and recognizing Hollywood's biggest stars. This year, finally, the show is getting a little McLovin back.

Superbad led all flicks as nominations were announced Tuesday morning (May 6) for the 17th Annual MTV Movie Awards, which will be broadcast live Sunday, June 1, from the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, California. The raunchy teen comedy scored noms for Best Movie; Best Comedic Performance (Jonah Hill); and three bids in the Best Newcomer category, for Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Michael Cera.

You're not seeing double: The Arrested Development actor also picked up a Best Male Performance nomination for Juno. The critical fave about a pregnant teen is also up for Best Movie, Best Female Performance for star Ellen Page and Best Kiss (for the pair's smooch at the end). And that's the truth, honest to blog.

Rounding out the nominees for Best Movie are National Treasure: Book of Secrets, I Am Legend, Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. At last year's ceremony Transformers won the award for Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet, while Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest walked away with the Golden Popcorn for Best Movie.

Will Captain Jack get to take home another prize on Movie Awards night? Johnny Depp's take on the seafaring scallywag is once again nominated for Best Comedic Performance. He took down Davy Jones no problem, but he'll have to raise the Skull and Crossbones to take down his competition in this category, including Hill, Adam Sandler (I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) and Amy Adams (Enchanted).

The enchanting Adams, meanwhile, proves that fairy tales really do come true, with a record-tying three individual nominations. Aside from her nod for Best Comedic Performance, the newest Disney princess boasts nominations for Best Female Performance and Best Kiss (with Patrick Dempsey). To be crowned Queen of the Ball for the former, however, she'll have to beat out Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean), Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up), Page and Jessica Biel (I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry). Hey, if the glass slipper fits.

The wicked stepmother isn't around this year to put a damper on the fun, but there will be plenty of meanies anyway, as five of the biz's baddest show up to fight for Best Villain. The frightful five are Depp, for his role as the bereaved barber in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Angelina Jolie, for her, um, "graphic" take on Grendel's mother in Beowulf; Topher Grace, for his role as Venom in Spider-Man 3; Oscar winner Javier Bardem for the coin-flipping assassin with the silly haircut in No Country for Old Men; and Denzel Washington for his take on drug lord Frank Lucas in American Gangster.

Washington is also nominated for the same role in the category of Best Male Performance. Aside from Cera, other nominees in the category include Will Smith (I Am Legend), Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum) and Shia LaBeouf (Transformers).

Between Transformers, Surf's Up and Disturbia, it was a big year for LaBeouf, but not as big as it was for the nominees in the category of Breakthrough Performance, all of whom catapulted into the mainstream. Zac Efron and Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray), Megan Fox (Transformers), Chris Brown (This Christmas) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) join the Superbad three.

It'll be a fight to the finish, but nothing like the kind of brawls that are nominated this year in the category of Best Fight, which include Damon vs. Joey Asah, for their rooftop rumble in The Bourne Ultimatum; Tobey Maguire vs. James Franco, for their superhero smackdown in Spider-Man 3; Hayden Christensen vs. Jamie Bell for the global grudge match in Jumper; Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan vs. Sun Ming Ming for their behemoth beating in Rush Hour 3; and Alien vs. Predator for their whoever-wins-we-lose grapple in AvP: Requiem.

If only they could kiss and make up, like the nominees for Best Kiss, including LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer (Disturbia), Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman (Step Up 2: The Streets), Adams and Dempsey, Page and Cera, and Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

In a new category this year, five films are nominated as the Best Summer Movie So Far. They are Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, "Sex and the City: The Movie, Speed Racer, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Iron Man.

The destiny of the awards lies in the hands of the viewers: Fans can vote by visiting MovieAwards.MTV.com before May 23 to support their favorite nominees in each category. Fans can also go online to vote for the user-generated category, Best Movie Spoof, where viewers have the opportunity to submit their own original movie shorts parodying films from the past year. MTV has partnered with UGC video sites, including Photobucket, MySpace, Daily Motion, Break, Buzznet, Heavy and FunnyorDie to give anyone and everyone with a creative vision their chance to shine in a celeb-filled arena. Finalists for the Best Movie Spoof will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the awards, where one will be crowned the winner.

The always-irreverent awards show will be hosted by comedian Mike Myers for a second year, after his 1997 stint as Movie Awards MC. The show will be executive-produced by Emmy-winning producer Mark Burnett.

Performers and presenters will be announced soon!

NOMINEES FOR THE "2008 MTV MOVIE AWARDS" ARE:

BEST MOVIE
- Juno (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
- Transformers (DreamWorks SKG/Paramount Pictures)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Walt Disney Pictures)
- I Am Legend (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Superbad (Sony Pictures)
- National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Walt Disney Pictures)

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
- Will Smith- I Am Legend (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Shia LaBeouf- Transformers (DreamWorks SKG/Paramount Pictures)
- Denzel Washington- American Gangster (Universal Pictures)
- Matt Damon- The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal Pictures)
- Michael Cera- Juno (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
- Ellen Page- Juno (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
- Keira Knightley - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Katherine Heigl - Knocked Up (Universal Pictures)
- Amy Adams- Enchanted (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Jessica Biel- I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Universal Pictures)

BEST VILLAIN
- Johnny Depp- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (DreamWorks SKG/ Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Denzel Washington- American Gangster (Universal Pictures)
- Angelina Jolie- Beowulf (Warner Bros. Pictures/ Paramount Pictures)
- Topher Grace- Spider-Man 3 (Sony Pictures)
- Javier Bardem- No Country For Old Men (Paramount Vantage/ Miramax Films)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
- Johnny Depp- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Adam Sandler- I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Universal Pictures)
- Jonah Hill- Superbad (Sony Pictures)
- Seth Rogen- Knocked Up (Universal Pictures)
- Amy Adams- Enchanted (Walt Disney Pictures)

BEST FIGHT
- Matt Damon vs. Joey Ansah- - The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal Pictures)
- Tobey Maguire vs. James Franco- Spider-Man 3 (Sony Pictures)
- Hayden Christensen vs. Jamie Bell- Jumper (20th Century Fox)
- Sean Faris vs. Cam Gigandet- Never Back Down (Summit Entertainment, LLC)
- Chris Tucker & Jackie Chan vs. Sun Ming Ming- Rush Hour 3 (New Line Cinema)
- Alien vs. Predator- Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem (20th Century Fox)

BEST KISS
- Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer- Disturbia (DreamWorks SKG)
- Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey- Enchanted (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Ellen Page and Michael Cera- Juno ((Fox Searchlight Pictures))
- Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman- Step Up 2 The Streets (Touchstone Pictures)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
- Zac Efron- Hairspray (New Line Cinema)
- Seth Rogen- Knocked Up (Universal Pictures)
- Jonah Hill- Superbad (Sony Pictures)
- Michael Cera- Superbad (Sony Pictures)
- Chris Brown- This Christmas (Screen Gems)
- Nikki Blonsky- Hairspray (New Line Cinema)
- Megan Fox- Transformers (DreamWorks SKG/Paramount Pictures)
- Christopher Mintz-Plasse- Superbad (Sony Pictures)

BEST SUMMER MOVIE SO FAR
- Iron Man (Paramount Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Paramount Pictures/Lucas Films)
- Sex and the City: The Movie (New Line Cinema)
- Speed Racer (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media)

Visit the 2008 MTV Movie Awards at www.movieawards.mtv.com