Your Source for Cool Reads: July 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

'Spider-Man' Comic-Con Footage Will Be New To Emma Stone

She has seen the trailer, however, which she says is 'pretty cool, but maybe I'm a little bit biased, contractually.'
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Andrew Garfield in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
Photo: Sony Pictures

San Diego Comic-Con is almost upon us! Known affectionately in some of the fanboy circles as "nerd prom," this pop-culture extravaganza features a star-studded four-day celebration of the most highly anticipated movies and TV shows coming down the pike.

MTV News is covering the best of all the action via our "MTV News: Comic-Con Takeover," three live-stream broadcasts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT. But before we get settled in San Diego, one of the Con's featured guests, Emma Stone, recently gave us a little preview of what we might expect from her film, "The Amazing Spider-Man."

"I think they're going to be showing a little footage from the movie at Comic-Con. I have not seen that yet," she admitted. Stone has, however, seen the official first trailer for the Marc Webb-directed reboot.

"I've seen the trailer, which I believe comes out [in front of] 'Captain America'," she said. "I thought it was pretty cool, but maybe I'm a little bit biased, contractually. I'm pretty excited about it," she added with a smile. "We'll see how people respond to it."

Given the fact that Stone, Webb and her co-star Spidey/Peter Parker himself, Andrew Garfield, will be on hand to present the footage in front of thousands of fans in the convention center's famous Hall H, we can almost guarantee that she has nothing to worry about. Stone is plenty excited already, especially for her return to the famous hall.

"Hall H! I love Hall H!" she said excitedly.

Be sure to tune in to our Comic-Con takeover starting Thursday. "MTV News: Comic-Con Takeover" features three live-stream broadcasts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT. Keep it locked to MTV.com and Splash Page for all the latest, greatest Comic-Con news. If you have any questions or comments for our talent coming through, send them via Twitter @MTVNews with the hashtag #mtvsdcc.

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Fringe Teases Its Fourth Season!

So MYSTERIOUS!
Check out the just-released, and very brief, promo for the upcoming fourth season of Fringe, featuring some cryptic imagery and of course, the always seksi Joshua Jackson (above)!
Yum!
We wonder if he'll be hosting another Pacey-Con this year!
Good lord, we hope so! Ha!
What do U think?? Are U looking forward to [...]

Tyra Banks Garcelle Beauvais Bridget Moynahan Shakara Ledard Jennifer Aniston

Completely Gratuitous

We can't. Seriously. He's too much.
Nobody should look this EFFING perfect! No one!
Behold before you, dear Perezcious Readers, the beauty that is Ryan Gosling at last night's New York premiere of Crazy, Stupid, Love, which was held last night at the Ziegfeld Theatre (above and below)!
The suit! That adorable smile! [...]

Eva Green Victoria Silvstedt Natalie Imbruglia Anna Kournikova Jolene Blalock

Rupert Murdoch: It's Not My Fault

During the hearing on Tuesday, Rupert Murdoch told British lawmakers he isn't the one to point fingers at.
Murdoch insisted he was "shocked, appalled and ashamed" at the discovery of phone-hacking within News Corp.
Instead of everyone blaming him, he wants people to blame the people he trusted. He insists he is innocent of willful blindness [...]

Ananda Lewis Katharine Towne Lindsay Price Monica Keena Mena Suvari

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Reunite!

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are always seen together on red carpets and photo shoots, but for the first time in 18 years the twin starlets reunite on-screen. In a monthly series of videos for their site StyleMint, fans can watch the sisters perform an impromptu BBQ. While wearing red, white and blue, Ashley chows down on a burger on the members-only site that offers customers exclusive collections of eight T-shirts a month for just 29.99 each.

The monthly series will have a contest for viewers to submit a photo or video of themselves celebrating the "T Moment," and this month is all about showing how you celebrate independence. July T moment entries can be submitted through July 31 at facebook.com/mystylemint and the lucky winner will receive a year-long membership. Winners will be announced on the Facebook page on August 5. Welcome back girls, we missed you!

Kristy Swanson Evangeline Lilly Eva Mendes Mandy Moore Carrie Underwood

It?s a Spice World!

Emma Bunton gave birth to a baby boy, Tate, on May 6, Victoria Beckham has just given birth to baby girl Harper Seven on July 10, and now Mel B is the latest Spice we?re all waiting for to pop!

In Touch caught up exclusively with Scary Spice to get all the inside details on the baby boom that?s sweeping the former girl group. The former Spice Girl, who expects to give birth in late July or early August, let us in on cravings, workouts and the newest Spice to hit the block. ?I just want to eat! I felt really sick for the first three or four months, so I didn?t really want to work out. I?m just relaxing with the family. I?m going to work out after.?

How does she keep her marriage hot? Date night. ?Me and my husband have always done that. You don?t really have too much time for yourself, you have to make time. This will be my third, so it will be a bit of a juggling act!? Has she seen Victoria?s baby girl yet? ?I haven?t but we?ve all congratulated her. She?s very happy.? Mel B told In Touch she doesn't know if she's having a boy or a girl yet, but with all these Spice babies, is a kiddie super group in our future? Spice World domination!

Anna Paquin Scarlett Johansson Brittany Lee Lisa Snowdon Kristy Swanson

Adele nominated for the Mercury Music Prize?

The Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize is like pretty prestigious innit, so Adele must be chuffed today to find out that her album 21 has been nominated for the sought-after gong which comes with a hefty cash prize of �20,000 plus loads of media exposure (not that she needs anymore, we must admit).

In the past some pretty unknown acts have been selected to win the prize (all winners are chosen via a vote from a panel of music industry leaders and experts), however bookies odds are already suggesting that Adele is an early favourite to win this year, as is PJ Harvey for her album Let England Shake.

We guess we?ll all find out for sure when the ceremony takes place on September 6^th.

The full list of nominees for the prize is as follows:

Ana Calvi: Ana Calvi

Elbow: Build A Rocket Boys!

James Blake: James Blake

Katy B: On A Mission

Metronomy: The English Riviera

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake

Gwilym Simcock: Good Days At Schloss Elmau

Tinie Tempah: Disc-Overy

Everything Everything: Man Alive

Ghostpoet: Peanutbutter and Melancholy Blues

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins: Diamond Mines

Adele: 21

Michelle Trachtenberg Teri Hatcher Tina Fey Kylie Bax Melissa Sagemiller

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

'Avengers' Producer Jon Favreau Reveals His Marvel Role

'My involvement is just to be as supportive as I can be,' former 'Iron Man' director tells MTV News.
By Eric Ditzian

Jon Favreau
Photo: MTV News

When Jon Favreau bowed out of the "Iron Man" franchise in December, the filmmaker made clear he remained on good terms with Marvel execs and that he'd stay within the studio family as an executive producer on the upcoming superhero all-star flick, "The Avengers."

But with Favreau busy with directorial duties on the alien-Western hybrid "Cowboys & Aliens" and prep work on "Magic Kingdom," his Disney World-set family picture, it remained to be seen how involved he'd be with "Avengers," which kicked off filming in April. Now, as the "Avengers" teaser trailer has leaked (after appearing in the post-credits sequence of "Captain America") and fans have gotten their first look at what director Joss Whedon has done with that collection of superheroes, we're also getting an idea of Favreau's role in the action.

"My involvement is just to be as supportive as I can be. Most of the cast is people that came onboard to work with me on the 'Iron Man' film, so I feel a sense of responsibility to them. I really hope it works out," Favreau told MTV News while promoting "Cowboys & Aliens." "I'm not in the trenches with them and I'm not making creative decisions on their behalf, but I'm completely available and of service."

That's a far cry from how fans might have thought things would play out back in 2008, when Favreau said he'd be open to directing "Avengers." But in October 2009, MTV News broke the news he wouldn't be helming the film, and after "Iron Man 2" hit theaters last year, he ceded directorial duties on that franchise to Shane Black. These days, Favreau said Whedon is a far better choice to direct "Avengers" than he ever would be.

"They have Joss Whedon, who's a very talented guy and is really good with ensembles and really understands the superhero genre better than I do," Favreau explained. "I understand 'Iron Man' very, very well, especially the 'Iron Man' movie and the cast and the characters all built to one thing. But there are other characters that I don't know. Each filmmaker had a different approach to how they went about it — 'Captain America' is coming out, 'Thor.' The combining of all those things is going to be its own thing in and of itself that Joss has embraced and wrote the script. I expect big things."

Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

Genelle Frenoy Maria Sharapova January Jones Monica Potter Angelina Jolie

Adele nominated for the Mercury Music Prize?

We guess we?ll all find out for sure when the ceremony takes place on September 6^th.

The full list of nominees for the prize is as follows:

Ana Calvi: Ana Calvi

Elbow: Build A Rocket Boys!

James Blake: James Blake

Katy B: On A Mission

Metronomy: The English Riviera

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake

Gwilym Simcock: Good Days At Schloss Elmau

Tinie Tempah: Disc-Overy

Everything Everything: Man Alive

Ghostpoet: Peanutbutter and Melancholy Blues

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins: Diamond Mines

Adele: 21

Donna Feldman Brooke Burke April Scott Esther Cañadas Sara Foster

'Harry Potter' Star Rupert Grint: What's Next?

'I'm not sure I'm going to miss it,' actor tells MTV News of 'Potter.'
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Rupert Grint
Photo: MTV News

Rupert Grint has always been the comic relief when it comes to the Big Three actors in "Harry Potter," but with the final film opening in theaters Friday (July 15), he is ready to spread his wings and try out some new projects.

"Anything really different, really," Grint replied when MTV News asked him what his plans are next. "Playing the same character for 10 years really does give you this thirst for new things. I'm not sure I'm going to miss it. I am looking forward to this kind of newfound freedom. Just see where it takes me."

He certainly seems to be trying to get away from "Potter" as much as possible. Grint's next project is his anti-war film "Comrade," which began filming March 28 in Norway. Directed by Petter Næss and costarring David Kross, Florian Lukas and Stig Henrik Hoff, the movie tells the story of English and German pilots who are forced to work together to survive the brutal Norwegian winter; it is a very far cry from anything Grint has done in "Potter."

After that, his next project is looking more and more likely to be "Eddie the Eagle," a biopic about British skier Eddie Edwards, the first competitor to represent the U.K. in Olympic ski jumping. Though it still doesn't have a writer or director attached, Grint is optimistic that production will get under way soon.

"It's a story that I really like and it's still in the working yet. I still have faith that it will happen," he told MTV News. "It's been in kind of development for a while, but yeah, hopefully it will come up."

Of all the "Potter" stars, Grint has been the one to have the most big-screen experience. In 2002 he starred in the children's comedy "Thunderpants," then followed it up with 2006's dramedy "Driving Lessons." Somehow he managed to find time over the past few years during his busy "Potter" shooting schedule to squeeze out two 2010 releases as well: "Cherrybomb" and "Wild Target."

And the fans respect him for it. When MTV's Next Movie site ran a recent poll asking readers who they thought would be the most successful "Potter" star, Grint won by a whopping 43 percent. If that doesn't work out, though, he always has a side career as an ice cream man.

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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'Harry Potter' Finale Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

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By Terri Schwartz

Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros.

It all ends Friday (July 15), as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" marks the last time a "Harry Potter" movie will premiere in theaters. Almost a decade ago, MTV News was writing about how "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" had beaten Eminem's "8 Mile" at the box office and about the exciting news that Gary Oldman, known as Count Dracula at the time, had joined the cast of "Prisoner of Azkaban."

Our news coverage of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" began three years ago with the announcement that the big-screen adaptation of the final "Potter" novel would be split into two movies, and it's strange to think that after all that time the film series has finally come to an end. To honor all the time we've spent covering "Deathly Hallows, Part 2," we're taking a trip into the MTV News archives to cover the entire history of the flick for our latest MTV News cheat sheet.

Filming the Final Parts
MTV News caught up with leading man Daniel Radcliffe in late 2009 when the cast was knee-deep in shooting both "Deathly Hallows" films, and he said that the set was "absolutely madness." That makes sense considering the combined running time of both movies is around five hours and they feature some of the most emotional and climactic moments in the entire series. Radcliffe dreaded shooting the big scene where he walks into the forest to face Voldemort, while Tom Felton was really looking forward to filming the epilogue. When he finally did shoot the scene, Felton was lucky enough to have his real-life girlfriend Jade Olivia play his onscreen wife. But it was the final battle sequences that were most emotional for co-stars Evanna Lynch and Bonnie Wright, the former of whom was brought to tears by the scenes on set. Robbie Coltrane agreed with them, saying that they were among his favorite scenes in the movie. Composer Alexandre Desplat was chosen to create the score for the final film, and he chatted with MTV News about his creative process. Finally, on June 14, 2010, filming on the "Harry Potter" set wrapped for the last time.

The Decision to Shoot 3-D
But production wasn't done yet. In keeping with the popular cinematic trend, the creative team behind "Deathly Hallows" decided to post-convert the film to 3-D. Producer David Heyman spoke to MTV News during 3-D week and said he was optimistic about the change, adding that he thought the films would be "even more epic" in 3-D. "Deathly Hallows, Part 1" didn't end up getting converted in time, so "Part 2" marks the first time a "Harry Potter" movie has been released entirely in 3-D. There is also the hope that all the "Harry Potter" films could be converted to 3-D and receive a re-release.

Getting the Epilogue Right
Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and the cast of young stars who played the next generation of wizards were brought together again months after filming ended to reshoot the pivotal epilogue scene because the original scene that was filmed was not considered to be good enough. Felton was lucky enough to have his first time filming be done up to par, though, so he and Olivia did not have to shoot a new scene. A few other new stars, including Kelly Macdonald of "Boardwalk Empire," were cast in roles that had to be added in post-production and became the final few castmembers to join the "Harry Potter" franchise. An early cut of "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" was screened to fans in February and was received well, reducing many viewers to tears. Radcliffe's response to that news? "Good!"

The Trailers Arrive
The first "Deathly Hallows" trailer hit the Web on June 28, 2010, and it teased both of the final "Harry Potter" installments. It would be 10 more months before a trailer specific to "Part 2" premiered, and then new trailers came fast and furiously. Warner Bros. released one of the opening scenes from "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" back in April, and then MTV was able to premiere an exclusive clip from "Part 2" during the 2011 MTV Movie Awards that was received well by fans.

Saying Goodbye to "Potter"
The "Harry Potter" films have been released over the course of a decade, so it's no surprise that the stars of the franchise are finding it hard to say goodbye. Watson planned on having a "really big brunch" after the last New York "Potter" premiere, while Grint walked out of the London premiere screening because the movie was too emotional for him. But the man finding it hardest to say goodbye is Radcliffe, who plays the series' namesake. "I think that we proved in doing 'Potter' that you can bring integrity and perpetual growth to a franchise. It doesn't have to be a law of diminishing returns after the first film comes out," Radcliffe reflected to MTV News.

Send us your video review of "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" and we just might use it on MTV News!

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'Boyz N The Hood' A 'Coming-Of-Age Story,' John Singleton Says

'I knew Ice Cube was a movie star before he knew he was a movie star,' director tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Vanessa WhiteWolf

Ice Cube in "Boyz N The Hood" in 1991
Photo: MTV News

When John Singleton wrote and directed his 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood," there was no grandiose cinematic inspiration or abstract muse. Instead, the Los Angeles native just wrote about what he knew best.

"My biggest influence for making the film was my friends, my friends growing up, and how Los Angeles was in the '80s and '90s," Singleton told MTV News. "None of the movies that we saw growing up had anybody, any characters in them that were like us. So we were like, 'We should make a movie about what we go through, about what we see.' "

Released on July 12, 1991, "Boyz n the Hood" was nominated for two Academy Awards and is hailed as a classic 20 years later. On July 19, the film will be re-released in Blu-ray. The movie's impact doesn't seem to surprise Singleton much; he kind of always knew things would turn out this way.

"I was like, 'Wow if I can get this in a film, a little bit of what this is, that life on film, then I think I'll have something that will have a hard effect on people,' " he recalled.

The film, starring Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut and Laurence Fishburne, is set in South Central, Los Angeles, a California neighborhood notorious for gang violence. At the center of the film is Tre Styles (Gooding Jr.), who tries to balance his father's (Fishburne) life lessons with the harsh realities of the 'hood in which he lived. Then there are half-brothers Doughboy (Cube) and Ricky Baker (Chestnut), two characters who couldn't be more different. Doughboy, a stone-cold gangster, has street respect but very few prospects. His brother Ricky, however, is a young father and a star high school football player fielding sports scholarships from multiple colleges. In the end, Ricky's bright future is brought to a dark close when he's gunned down in an alleyway.

Noted for its social message, "Boyz n the Hood" also marked the acting debut of rapper Ice Cube, who has gone on to star in movies like "Friday" with comedian Chris Tucker and "Anaconda" alongside Jennifer Lopez. Cube has also written, directed and produced a number of films as well. "I knew Ice Cube was a movie star before he knew he was a movie star," Singleton said. "He just embodied that role and did a great job."

In fact, the director had a vision -- not just for Cube, but for all the members of his former group as well. "The script was originally written for all of N.W.A. The character Doughboy was always meant for Ice Cube, but the whole script was written for all of the N.W.A guys to be in it," Singleton revealed.

Unfortunately, the casting didn't go as planned, and years later, Dr. Dre expressed a bit of regret. "It's funny, because when I told Dre that later on, he said, 'Man, if you got any great ideas, you come to me again, you come to me,' " Singleton said with a chuckle.

When asked why he thought the film holds up after 20 years, John Singleton offered this: "I think people are still talking about 'Boyz n the Hood' because it's part of who they are. Even if they're not from that environment, they really identify with those characters. Ultimately, the movie is kind of like a teenage story, it's a teenage coming-of-age movie. People watch that movie and say, 'Wow, look at the journey of these characters,' and then they think about their own journey."

Check out everything we've got on "Boyz n the Hood."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Adele nominated for the Mercury Music Prize?

We guess we?ll all find out for sure when the ceremony takes place on September 6^th.

The full list of nominees for the prize is as follows:

Ana Calvi: Ana Calvi

Elbow: Build A Rocket Boys!

James Blake: James Blake

Katy B: On A Mission

Metronomy: The English Riviera

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake

Gwilym Simcock: Good Days At Schloss Elmau

Tinie Tempah: Disc-Overy

Everything Everything: Man Alive

Ghostpoet: Peanutbutter and Melancholy Blues

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins: Diamond Mines

Adele: 21

Kelly Hu Tami Donaldson Laura Prepon Julianne Hough Lori Heuring

Chris Evans Says Iron Man Would Beat Captain America In A Fight

'Captain America' star opened up in rapid-fire Twitter session with MTV News' Josh Horowitz.
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Chris Evans
Photo: MTV News

Though the world's attention is focused on Chris Evans in anticipation of his turns as Captain America in "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "The Avengers," at heart Evans is just an average Joe who likes singing show tunes in the shower.

MTV News' Josh Horowitz set out to find the softer side of America's superhero during a rapid-fire Twitter session with him on "MTV First: Captain America." Evans revealed that he prefers his eggs scrambled, has a celebrity crush on Salma Hayek and still gets starstruck around Michael Jordan.

But fans who submitted their Twitter questions wanted to know the real Chris Evans, the man that they would bring home to meet their parents. When asked whether he's a good date, Evans admitted that he has some pretty good moves for the ladies.

"Oh yeah, I'm a great date," he said with confidence. "Chivalry was a big thing in my household. If you didn't hold the door for a woman, my mother's going to knock your head in."

Considering his superhero background, questions quickly became comic book-based. Apparently Evans' favorite masked hero growing up was neither Captain America nor Johnny Storm, both of whom he's played on the big screen, but Spider-Man. At least he kept the answer within the Marvel family.

Evans again voted against his onscreen alter ego when asked whether Iron Man or Captain America would win in a fight.

"Unfortunately, probably Iron Man," he confessed. "I've got to be honest. I'm being real." Hopefully fans will get a chance to see that showdown once "The Avengers" hits the big screen. The most important question of the bunch, though, ended up being the one with the most surprising answer. One Twitter follower asked Evans what song he likes to sing in the shower, but Evans was too embarrassed to give a direct answer.

"I grew up doing theater, so unfortunately it's probably going to be in the world of show tunes," Evans said with a laugh. When Horowitz prompted him to give up just one song he loves, the "Captain America" star refused. "It's bad. I can't even go any more than that," he said, but then let slip that he's a sucker for "Rent." Well, today for you, tomorrow for us, Chris!

Check out everything we've got on "Captain America: The First Avenger."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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'Harry Potter' Star Rupert Grint: What's Next?

'I'm not sure I'm going to miss it,' actor tells MTV News of 'Potter.'
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Rupert Grint
Photo: MTV News

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Monday, July 18, 2011

'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2': The Reviews Are In!

The franchise finale seems to have magically transformed critics into full-blown fans.
By Terri Schwartz

Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

After 10 years, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" is sending the beloved series out with a bang. Early reviews that trickled in last week pegged the movie as being the best "Harry Potter" installment. Now that the grand finale has hit theaters, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" has solidified itself as far and away the series' most critically beloved.

Up until now, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" held that title, with a score of 91 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. But "Part 2" has blown that out of the water with a whopping 97 percent fresh and only five dissenters counted at press time.

Read our own "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" review over on the Movies Blog, and if that and the critical praise below get you to the theaters, send us your own reviews!

The Performances
"A decade later Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), have become powerful adult wizards, while the actors are now stars. Look closely and you can see the beard inching along Harry's, or rather Mr. Radcliffe's pale chin. Meanwhile Ms. Watson, smoldering in bruising dark lipstick on the cover of the July Vogue, has her own hair and makeup artist, and the director, David Yates, even trains the camera on her generous peekaboo cleavage. Just as startling is the transformation of Mr. Grint who, in one early, anxious scene wears a goatee and a panicked look that together suggest a junior Paul Giamatti. My, how the children have grown — and the movies too." — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Check out photos from the magical NYC premiere of "Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

The Split
"Splitting the final 'Potter' volume into two films was also to the advantage of Part 2, as was the fact that this film deals only with roughly the final third of the book. This enables it to avoid the tiresome teen angst that hampered Part 1 and devote almost all its time to action and confrontation, starting with the film's initial image of the dread Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) pointing the all-powerful Elder Wand to the sky and creating ... the Warner Bros. logo. Once this bit of business is out of the way, the plot kicks in with a vengeance." — Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times

The Conclusion of the Series
"So many good films come to bad ends, but not the tales of Harry Potter. The final episode of Harry's epic journey, part 2 of 'The Deathly Hallows,' is the best possible end for the series that began a decade ago. In contrast to part 1, which was a ponderous exercise in stage-setting and dramatic incipience, this film, directed by David Yates and adapted by Steve Kloves, is a climax worthy of the term. It's a dark and thunderous pageant that sets its bespectacled hero in the midst of vast forces, yet never loses track of who he is — a brave boy, to borrow both parts of Dumbledore's fond phrase, on the way to becoming a wonderful man." — Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal

The Farewell Factor
"Nothing quite like this series has ever been tried before in cinema history, and as I wrote last year, following the central trio of Radcliffe, Grint and Watson through the aging process has itself forced the movies to confront Rowling's central themes, which I take to be 'the painful transition from childhood to adulthood, the loss of parents and loved ones, the first intimations of personal mortality.' For better or worse, Rowling's books and the hit-and-miss movies based on them have reshaped not just the marketplace for fiction and film but the contemporary cultural imagination, re-establishing fantasy as the central narrative mode (arguably for the first time since the Middle Ages)." — Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

The Final Word
"This movie is impressively staged, the dialogue is given proper weight and not hurried through, there are surprises which, in hindsight, seem fair enough, and 'Harry Potter' now possesses an end that befits the most profitable series in movie history. These films will be around for a long time." — Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Newly Single Jennifer Lopez Surfaces In Public

On Friday we learned the somewhat surprising news that Jennifer Lopez and her hubby of 7 years Marc Anthony decided to end their marriage (reportedly splitting up the weekend before). Since news of the split came out, J. Lo has stayed pretty much out of sight … surfacing only briefly as she exited the Milk [...]

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'Harry Potter' Finale Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

Before saying goodbye to the series, check out our handy guide.
By Terri Schwartz

Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros.

Send us your video review of "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" and we just might use it on MTV News!

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Chris Evans Says Iron Man Would Beat Captain America In A Fight

'Captain America' star opened up in rapid-fire Twitter session with MTV News' Josh Horowitz.
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Chris Evans
Photo: MTV News

"Oh yeah, I'm a great date," he said with confidence. "Chivalry was a big thing in my household. If you didn't hold the door for a woman, my mother's going to knock your head in."

Evans again voted against his onscreen alter ego when asked whether Iron Man or Captain America would win in a fight.

Check out everything we've got on "Captain America: The First Avenger."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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'Harry Potter' Star Daniel Radcliffe: What's Next?

Other than Broadway and the horror film 'Woman in Black,' Radcliffe is a free agent.
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Daniel Radcliffe
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/ Getty Images

The release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" may end a chapter for leading man Daniel Radcliffe, but that only means the rest of the entertainment world has opened up for him.

Up next, Radcliffe has the horror flick "The Woman in Black," which he recently finished filming in the U.K. The story is markedly different from "Harry Potter," with Radcliffe playing a grieving father investigating mysterious occurrences in a sleepy British town. The actor told MTV News that he is attracted to these sorts of dark tales because he finds something much more interesting about them.

"I don't want to make a boring love story about two people who meet and then are happy. That's boring, and that doesn't exist," Radcliffe explained. "I also do like playing slightly disenfranchised characters like Arthur is in 'The Woman in Black.' He's someone who's grieving and whose grief has put him to the edge of madness and also has sort of made him ostracize himself from society. I guess I like the dark stuff. I find it more interesting."

So don't expect a romantic comedy to be on Radcliffe's list of projects to conquer. With his schedule packed for the next few months while he's on Broadway performing in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," Radcliffe doesn't have any other announced future-film commitments. But we expect once "The Woman in Black" hits theaters in January that Radcliffe will explore a variety of other genres.

That probably won't include another "Potter"-sized franchise, though, the 21-year-old actor admitted.

"I think that we proved in doing 'Potter' that you can bring integrity and perpetual growth to a franchise. It doesn't have to be a law of diminishing returns after the first film comes out," Radcliffe told MTV News on the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" NYC red carpet. "Providing a script is good enough. I would absolutely do another, but it's not something I'm looking for in the next couple of years, certainly."

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2': The Reviews Are In!

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Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Read our own "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" review over on the Movies Blog, and if that and the critical praise below get you to the theaters, send us your own reviews!

Check out photos from the magical NYC premiere of "Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

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