DJ AM Offered Help To Teens, But Couldn't Save Himself

Source: The Toronto Star

After Adam Goldstein (a.k.a. DJ AM) was found dead of a drug overdose in August, was there really ever any doubt that his recently shot reality series, Gone Too Far, would be broadcast?

It's like questioning why there are so many posthumous Tupac Shakur albums. The heady mixture of death, art and commerce is just too intoxicating for the companies involved in making the decisions to pass up.

In this case, after a moment of concerned hand-wringing, MTV moved back the premiere of the eight-episode series – in which the former addict counsels teenage users and their families and offers them a stint in rehab – from its original start date of Oct.5 until tonight, an entire week later. The press release touted that it had the "consent and support" of Goldstein's family, but the broadcaster did not send out screeners for review, so like many people out there, I'll be watching out of morbid curiosity. After all, it's not like AM was an artist of any real note.

Really, the club owner and mash-up deejay was famous for his liaisons and celebrity friends as opposed to his musical impact. He started out as a member of Crazy Town and co-owned the nightclub LAX. His initial fame came from dating people like Mandy Moore and Nicole Richie, alongside whom he appeared on The Simple Life. He also did an Entourage cameo.

He was likely best known for surviving a plane crash last year along with his friend and collaborator, Travis Barker from Blink 182. He's a very "now" celebrity, in that his fame was fuelled by the tabloid and paparazzi culture that had him as the go-to celebrity party deejay. Even his Wikipedia page states that "DJ AM had evolved into a prominent brand ..."

I saw and heard DJ AM play at Toronto's Ultra a few years ago and, fittingly, Paris Hilton was in the house. The snob in me is glad to say I was there on assignment, as opposed to desire. He did know what he was doing, rocking the club and getting the crowd into it, although I'd say he didn't sound all that different or all that much better than what you'd hear in almost any club in town.

But then, people were there for the scene, and they enjoyed basking in the refracted glow of dubious L.A. celebrity.

If you can get past the sordid details of AM's death, what I find interesting is the seemingly dichotomous nature of drug-related shows on television. They are either high-end cable series like Weeds, Breaking Bad and (to a lesser extent) Bored to Death, or they're brutal reality series like A&E's Intervention.

The former provide a supposedly sophisticated area of distinction from network shows (which generally avoid drugs as a plot device other than in sanitized addiction storylines) and, despite showing some consequences, they can't help but glamorize aspects of the drug life.

Gone Too Far falls into the rehab show category, but what I am curious about is how much of AM's jet-set deejay life will get into the series, which, more than being a recovering addict, is what might make kids pay attention.

Come to think of it, perhaps TV is not doing such a bad job of conveying the reality of drugs. The two messages seemingly getting through with both types of shows are that drugs can be fun and amusing or they can destroy your life. That may be simplistic, but it's hard to argue with.

The irony here, of course, is that the host of a drug-intervention television series died of an overdose shortly after the series wrapped. Goldstein was an admitted crack cocaine addict who kicked the habit before he became famous. He was sober for 11 years, which is impressive considering his life in and out of clubs and parties. He credited his cleaning up to a friend, another recovering addict, which likely served as the inspiration for the series.

Here's how he described Gone Too Far to the Associated Press: "Basically, it is pretty much like teen Intervention. I do an intervention for the MTV generation. A sibling reaches out to me, asks for help. Or a parent reaches out, asks for help. I show up, I offer them help. I'm a recovering addict so, to me, that's the one bond that we have. I can tell them what I did. I offer them 90 days in treatment. I follow up with them and help them get sober."

It's a noble goal. If anyone watches this show, and is motivated to get help, then it's absolutely worth it.

In interviews, Goldstein talked about the show as his "second chance" and his redemption.

Too bad he won't see if it has any effect, or whether the object lesson of his life – and death – may overshadow the desired message.

Gone Too Far airs tonight on MTV at 10 p.m.

Michael Pitt, Elissa Sursara, to be MTV's Teen Wolf cast?

By Ellen Cromanche; Source: The Examiner

The anticipated MTV series adaption of Teen Wolf is seemingly closer to fruition than presumed, as the network orders a pilot presentation with two actors rumored to be on board. Announced in January, the new Teen Wolf is part of a developmental slate, suggested to be executed in light of the network's attempts to abandon its reality TV programming in favor of scripted television.

According to film insiders, actor Michael Pitt and relatively unknown actress Elissa Sursara, have both read, and been secured for the roles of Teen Wolf and his beloved Boof.

MTV has not yet confirmed the casting.

Pitt, who shot to fame in 2001 as the lover of a transgendered rocker in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, is set to play the role of Scott Howard, the high school misfit who discovers he is a Werewolf. Using this to his advdantage, Wolf gains the attention of the popular Pamela, despite the long-time affections of Boof; to be played by Elissa Sursara. Sursara, 21, began her career as a child model before making the transition to television, however prominent photographs of the actress in search results instead show Mexican model Katarina Vargas.

The roles of best friend Stiles and popular Pamela have not yet been cast and no further details have been released.

The re-vamped film turned television series is promised to have an 'American Werewolf in Paris' feel, according to Liz Gateley, Senior Vice President of Series Development at MTV. "It's a dramatic thriller with two best friends in the centre who provide a great comedy element: They are two very relatable characters on the outer circles of popular cliques."

Gateley said teen elements such as dating will be explored, and that the series will feature a love-triangle romance between Wolf, Boof and Pamela, as well as having a comedy back bone and horror themes. According to the BBC, the new Teen Wolf will be "set in a high school. The show will be drawn from the horror genre to explore werewolf mythology and will also include a romantic plot line."

The new Teen Wolf was written by Criminal Minds creator Jeff Davis.

"Teen Wolf" In Pilot's Seat at MTV

Source: Reuters

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - MTV's reinvention of the 1985 movie "Teen Wolf" is inching closer to reality.

The cable network announced the project in January as part of its development slate. After seeing the script, MTV brass have picked it up as a pilot presentation.

The film starred Michael J. Fox as a teenager who discovers he is a werewolf. The MTV version will be set in high school, draw from the horror genre to explore werewolf mythology and include a romantic plot line.

"It has a fresh take and is very different from the original," said Liz Gateley, senior vp MTV series development. "It has more of an 'American Werewolf in Paris' feel to it. It's a dramatic thriller with two best friends in the center who provide a great comedy element: They are two very relatable characters on the outer circles of popular cliques."

The new "Wolf" was written by "Criminal Minds" creator Jeff Davis.

The '80s continue to be hot at the broadcast networks, with contemporary remakes of the feature "Parenthood" and miniseries "V" set to launch next season on NBC and ABC, respectively, and series in developments based on the films "St. Elmo's Fire" (ABC) and "Heathers" (Fox).

MTV to Remake E4 Hit Teen Drama Skins for the US Audience

Leigh Holmwood; guardian.co.uk

Viacom-owned cable network will draft in teenagers to write series that will be relocated from Bristol to Baltimore

Cast members of Skins on set in Bristol. The US remake will be set in Baltimore.
Photograph: Richard Saker

Cast members of Skins on set in Bristol. The US remake will be set in Baltimore. Photograph: Richard Saker

US cable network MTV is to create an American version of hit E4 teen drama Skins and has promised to "preserve the authenticity" of the UK version, which included graphic scenes of drug taking, drinking, swearing and casual sex.

Viacom-owned MTV landed the rights to develop the drama – which regularly pulled in more than 1 million viewers during its three series on Channel 4's digital channel E4 – "after intense competition" over two years, according to the US broadcaster.

In a bid to maintain the original production's successful model of bringing in new young writers, MTV will also draft in teenagers to write and star in the series, which will be set in Baltimore, Maryland.

The UK version, which features the exploits of a group of young people in Bristol, has already aired in the US on cable channel BBC America. A fourth series is currently in production.

MTV, previously known for its music shows, has been moving into other areas of programming for some time, with series such as The Hills. The network's schedule also includes another former Channel 4 face, T4 presenter Alexa Chung, who currently fronts MTV's It's On with Alexa Chung.

Bryan Elsley, who co-created the original British version of Skins with his son Jamie Brittain, will write and executive produce the US version, which will be made by his independent production company, Stormdog, and Company Pictures, which is owned by All3Media. Company Pictures founders and managing directors Charlie Pattinson and George Faber will also executive produce the US version.

"Skins is one of those rare shows that cuts through to its core audience with unusually authentic stories due to the unique writing and casting process that Bryan pioneered," said Liz Gateley, senior vice president of MTV series development.

"Having personally pursued the UK project for almost two years, I am beyond thrilled to bring it to MTV in the US. We intend to preserve the authenticity of the British version and are excited to collaborate with the original team to develop stories that will speak to American youth."

Pattinson added: "We are delighted to be making Skins for the US and in particular, for MTV who have embraced the show and its ambitions and unusual production process. We are looking forward to talking to teenagers across the US and making a show that reflects their lives in every aspect."

The deal was brokered by Greg Lipstone, of management agency ICM, which represents Company Pictures and All3Media.

MTV Films Episode of 'Teen Cribs' at Palm City Home

Photo by Alex Boerner

Field producer Rebecca Rasmussen, right, talks with McKenna Knipe, center, and her friends, sitting from left, Ella Callahan, Katie Convertini and Zach Cramer, while setting up a shot in McKenna's bedroom during filming of an episode of MTV "Teen Cribs" at the Palm City home. Field coordinator Casey Pierce is on the left.

By Mike Readling, Source: TC Palm

PALM CITY, FLA - Bobby Gomez knows a good thing when he sees it. Especially when what he sees is a castle.

Gomez, a coach at Ultimate Cheer and Dance Allstars in Port St. Lucie, has coached McKenna Knipe for the past four years. After a visit to her house in Palm City, Gomez’s mind began working overtime.

“He called me up and asked if I had ever seen ‘Teen Cribs’ on MTV,” said Knipe’s mother, Laura Crawford. “He said, ‘You’ve got to watch it,’ but I went home and forgot about it.

“He called that night and told me it was on right now and that they would take our house. I told him he was crazy. I mean, we don’t have bowling alleys and stuff like that in the house.”

What Crawford, her husband, Dean, and McKenna did have, however, was an 8,500-square-foot Tudor-style castle on 3.5 acres running alongside Bessey Creek. It is a teenager’s dream come true and it fit perfectly into MTV’s plans to continue to woo that audience.

“They said what they liked about it was it was different. It was a castle and they had never shot one of those. And there was so much for the kids to do outside. They had not ever filmed anything as expansive and kid-friendly outside,” Laura Crawford said.

“All the local kids are here and they’ll come and stay for days. We pretty much run a local laundry service and Dean is a short-order cook for breakfast.”

For two days last weekend, two film crews from the music network descended upon the Crawford castle on Southwest Winding Way. They filmed the lagoon-style pool, the five-car garage, the game room and the guest house.

When the episode airs toward the end of the year it will be the first “Teen Cribs” episode to take up the entire half hour.

McKenna, an aspiring model and actress who has two films coming out, hosted the show at her home. She led an on-camera tour, pointing out the things in the house that appeal to a teenager’s eye and the things that didn’t.

Among her favorites were the refrigerator and freezer in the kitchen, which are hidden behind a faade designed as an armoire; and the game house, which is located above the garage and features a movie theater, pool table, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

“When I have friends come over we mostly stay in the game house,” said McKenna, who is scheduled to be in Japan from October through December for several fashion and couture shoots and, she hopes, to sign a cosmetics deal. “It’s where we spend the night. It’s like our own little house.”

While she was leading MTV cameras through the expansive house, about 45 of her friends were holed up away from the sensitive microphones, waiting for their chance to get on TV. Laura Crawford credited the “mom wranglers” who showed up to help organize the chaos for helping the day go so smoothly.

At one point — after McKenna’s entrance on a monster golf cart with mud tires — the film crew chose three friends to join in the shoot.

Ella Callahan, Zach Cramer and Katie Convertini filmed a segment in Mckenna’s room, one of three master suites.

“It was fun. But it was really weird having to see behind the scenes and how they film a show like that,” Zach said. “Other than that, having the film crew follow you around was different.

Ella said, “There was a lot of sitting around while they set up for stuff. I thought there was going to be a lot more people there. I just like this house so much. It’s so much fun.”

MTV 'TEEN CRIBS'

What it is: A 30-minute show on MTV that features houses around the nation suited to teens. Many are customized spreads with indoor treehouses, large pools, gymnasiums, golf courses, skate parks and other unusual activities.

Airs: 4-4:30 p.m. weekdays on MTV. An air date has not been set for the Crawford episode, but it is tentatively scheduled to air at the end of the year.

Other featured cribs: While most “Teen Cribs” episodes have been shot at homes owned by non-superstar families, MTV filmed “Celebrity Teen Cribs” at houses owned by Shaun White, Teddy Geiger, AJ and Aly, Bow Wow and Omarion.

THE CRAWFORDS' 'CRIB'

Built: 1986 by local optician Brian Schmidt. The Crawfords bought the house in 2006 and took two years to renovate the inside, finally moving in to the estate in October 2008.

Dimensions: About 8,500 square feet of air-conditioned living space. Renovations turned it from a seven-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath house into a three-master-suite home with two offices, a guest house and 4 1/2 bathrooms.

Highlights: Five-car air conditioned garage, lagoon-style pool with rock waterfall and hot tub, trampoline, basketball court, game house with movie theater, pool table, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, guest house with 80-inch television, 3.5 acres frontage on Bessey Creek.

Home trivia: The house was designed to be able to host photo shoots. Ed Hayslip of Hayslip Landscaping gave the front a traditional Tudor look with manicured trees and hedges, varying degrees of green and sharp angles. The property features an Old Florida section, a tropical area with rare and unusual palm trees, and a Florida Keys-style trail through the woods that leads to a 2,000-square-foot pavilion. The grounds can be rented for weddings or other events.

Photo by Alex Boerner

The front view of the home of McKenna Knipe and her parents, Laura Knipe-Crawford and Dean W. Crawford.

Photo by Alex Boerner

Rebecca Rasmussen, field producer for MTV "Teen Cribs," talks with McKenna Knipe, daughter of Laura Knipe-Crawford and Dean W. Crawford, during taping for an episode of the show in Palm City. The premise of the show is to profile the home of a teenager that is a fun hangout for other teens. For this episode, McKenna was giving a guided tour through the home and the other features of the property.

Lack Of Sleep For Vampires And Teen Stars In Today's Tweet Dreams

by Aly Semigran in The Twitter Nation
Source: MTV

While Twitter is usually home to some lighthearted fare (yesterday celebs divulged us on what they’ve been dining on lately), news of Bill Clinton's meeting with the leader of North Korea and the pardoning of U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee that soon followed, spread like wildfire in the Twitterverse. Singer Rob Thomas joked, “how about our man william jefferson? he’s like dog the bounty hunter.” While Brooke Burke shared with a more serious, but equally celebratory, “US journalists pardoned!! yeah!!”

Elsewhere, celebs used Twitter to just spread a little love — Jason Mraz Tweeted, “Affirmation. If I wait until I become perfect to love myself, I will waste my whole life. I am already perfect right here and right now” — while others, like "Degrassi" star Andrea Lewis (pictured), just wished her friends would spread their love during normal business hours.

See what else had Hollywood buzzing today and don’t forget to keep up with us @hollywoodcrush for all your Twitter needs!

@peterfacinelli Morning. Heading to Vancouver. Got 3 hrs of sleep last night. Hope I don't fall asleep in rehearsals. Ahh.. I'll sleep when I'm undead.
-Peter Facinelli, Actor (“Twilight,” “New Moon”)

@PaulaAbdul I want to celebrate all of you for making me Ms Twitter USA! Thank You so much! xoP
-Paula Abdul, Singer, Host (“American Idol”)

@superwomanAK Blowing my nose for what feels like the millionth time.....yucky! Luckily, the sound of my nose in a tissue is music, I promise! Lol!;-)
-Alicia Keys, Musician

@michaelianblack Sick of sharks. Wish a dolphin would man up and eat somebody.
-Michael Ian Black, Comedian, Actor (“Michael and Michael Have Issues”)

@joshgroban Before Facebook, I was so CLUELESS as to when highschool friends were having birthday parties! Now, I'm all over that--shut yo mouth!
-Josh Groban, Musician

@rainnwilson Movie Idea: The Intergalactic Crime Fighter's Nephew.
-Rainn Wilson, Actor (“The Office,” “Juno”)

@andyroddick just met the presidents dog!! so cute
-Andy Roddick, Athlete

@missandrealewis I hate when your friends know that there's a 3 hour time difference but just ignore it. BBM going off at 6:30am for nothing, not cool :/
-Andrea Lewis, Musician, Actress (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”)

@TheMandyMoore hello after a bit of a twitter sabbatical. hope everyone is well and enjoying their summer.
- Mandy Moore, Singer/ Actress

@HaylieK Had a great audition, bought gas from a station that looks like the jetsons fill up there, saw a chick in heels& a bikini walking Robertson
- Haylie Duff, Actress ("Legacy," "7th Heaven")

MTV Widens Its Net : The network aims to turn a British model into a Web star

By JAMIN BROPHY-WARREN
Wall Street Journal

Teens have been fleeing television for the Web. MTV is betting that British TV host Alexa Chung, a 25-year-old former model, will help bring young viewers back to the tube.

MTV is positioning “It’s On with Alexa Chung,” a live on-air music show, as the heir to “Total Request Live,” a long-running show that ended last year. Her new program will run weekdays at noon starting June 15. “I’m used to being on the hangover slot,” says Ms. Chung, who typically appeared on Saturday during the day on the U.K.’s Channel 4.

The star of MTV’s coming Web-driven music show “It’s On with Alexa Chung.”

To try to make Ms. Chung a star in the U.S., MTV plans to make her show a mash-up of television and Web content. The show will draw some of its material from social-networking sites like Facebook and video-sharing sites like YouTube. The show’s executive producer Corin Nelson says “It’s On” will do things like have celebrities turn the text of some viewers’ Facebook profiles into songs and stream in questions from viewers via Twitter.

“We just really want to make sure there aren’t a lot of layers of filters so people feel like they’re part of the audience. They want immediate information, and that affects the show,” says Ms. Nelson.

“It’s On” is part of a larger trend of bringing more Web content onto traditional networks like MTV. This month, G4 launched “Web Soup,” a spinoff of the popular E! video-clip show “Talk Soup,” just days after Comedy Central started “Tosh.0,” helmed by comic Daniel Tosh. Both shows feature viral videos and Web content.

Raised in a small village in England in the county of Hampshire, Ms. Chung started modeling when she was 16 years old. Displeased with the loneliness and isolation of a modeling career, she nabbed a slot hosting the music show “Pop World” on Channel 4 and presented for shows on BBC and ITV. Ms. Chung has won fans for her breezy on-camera style.

Last fall, Tony DiSanto, head of programming at MTV, was passed a tape of Ms. Chung’s performances and called her in for a meeting in his office in Times Square.

Amidst the movie paraphernalia that dots Mr. DiSanto’s office, Ms. Chung homed in on a single item: a box set of MTV’s popular teen reality drama “The Hills.” Mr. DiSanto was sold on her point of view. “I knew we had a unique voice,” says Mr. DiSanto.

Although she has been featured in British tabloids and fashion magazines, Ms. Chung isn’t very well-known on the Web. Her personal Web site doesn’t get much traffic, according to ComScore, and Ms. Chung has around 18,000 followers on Twitter, a healthy number for most people but far fewer than many other TV hosts.

MTV hopes that television will propel her to stardom online. Ms. Chung says that her online presence isn’t the chief reason that she was hired. “It’s quite the opposite,” she says. “It just so happened that they knew about my Twitter page.”

Pulling content from the Web for a TV broadcast like Ms. Chung’s new show can create problems. It can be difficult to get legal clearance to air some music clips and images. Such issues have been stumbling blocks for other Web-based shows.

For example, if a YouTube video features music playing in the background, the network airing the clip might have to pay for its use—or face a legal challenge.

At “It’s On,” several people on the staff will monitor and approve tweets before they hit the airwaves to ensure that no inappropriate content sneaks through and makes its way on to the television broadcast. Ms. Chung says she hopes the process will help her show bring in a wide range of material.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

MTV Series Spotlights How Pregnant Teens Cope With Motherhood

Maci Bookout, now 17, of Chattanooga, Tenn.,
says on MTV's new series that it's hard to be '16 and Pregnant.'

By Cristina Kinon
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

If just one girl decides to abstain from sex or use protection as a result of watching MTV's new series, "16 and Pregnant," then executive producer Liz Gateley thinks she's done her job.

"If there's a 22-year-old who's going out that night and they see the show and think twice about making sure they've got their contraception, that's a success," Gateley told the Daily News. "We also hope for a lot of co-viewing with our teenage audience and their parents, to open up the conversation."

Premiering Thursday night at 11, "16 and Pregnant" is a documentary series of hourlong episodes chronicling a five- to seven-month period in the life of a pregnant teen as she deals with all of the consequences and life-altering choices that come with having a baby.

(The series does deal with adoption but does not touch on abortion, a subject that Gateley said is dealt with by other MTV specials.)

Gateley said the idea for the show was conceived after the high-profile pregnancies of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin drew attention to the rising number of teen pregnancies in the United States. Gateley said the intent of the show is to portray all the aspects of dealing with pregnancy and having a baby in your teens and not to glorify it in any way.....

GET THE FULL STORY HERE

Twilight, Teens Dominate MTV Movie Awards

by Megan Masters

Article Source: E! Online

The 2009 MTV Movie Awards may have resembled the Teen Choice Awards, but that doesn't mean the show was any less entertaining.

Host Andy Samberg presided over a fast-paced evening filled with plenty of songs, surprises and salty language.

Let's get to the highlights...

Twilighttastic: To the surprise of, well, no one, Twilight dominated the show with a whopping five Golden Popcorns, and Rob Pattinson popped up onstage throughout the festivities. Kristen Stewart was also a scene stealer—the actress took home the prize for Best Actress and proceeded to drop the trophy onstage, saying, "So I was just about as awkward as you thought I would be."

Old Folks Steal the Show: Much of the night looked like a scene from one of the show's most nominated flicks, High School Musical 3, but even the old folks had something to offer...

Jim Carrey popped up out of the crowd (vaguely resembling a trenchcoat flasher) and egged Samberg on, taunting him to show off those insanely successful Saturday Night Live Digital Shorts, which led into Forest Whitaker, Chris Isaak and LeAnn Rimes performing a rousing medley of "Jizz in My Pants," "I'm on a Boat" and the classic "D--k in a Box."

Ben Stiller was honored with the MTV Generation Award, but he was overshadowed by the presentation itself. A good sport and clearly in on the joke, Stiller sat back while Zac Efron, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and Kiefer Sutherland "praised" the actor's work.

Said Efron, "You first made your mark directing the now classic Reality Bites. I was actually 5 at the time, so I don't remember it, but I wouldn't miss being here for anything...because I'm a huge fan of the show 24."

Sutherland, meanwhile, feigned an abundance of emotion in his tribute: "Your work is inspired and inspiring. Each scene replays in my mind as precious, as cherished moments in my own life. You make me want to be a better actor. There is nothing you can't do. My god, you're so good! I love you, man."

And Samberg, Will Ferrell and Mr. Star Trek himself, J.J. Abrams, performed a music video titled "Cool Guys Don't Look at Explosions," referring to the iconic movie shot of guys walking away in slow motion as something blows up. Also notable? Abrams in that '80s-throwback keyboard-print blazer. Radical!

Are They or Aren't They? The much-talked-about duo of Stewart and Pattinson certainly didn't solve that mystery. In fact, the Best Kiss winners played it up and slowly went in for the kill, only to fake everyone out when Stewart quickly brushed him off and thanked the fans.

Sneak-Peek Mania: The blockbusters are on their way and everyone got a tiny taste of what's to come tonight. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra and Public Enemies all debuted first looks to viewers. Also on the list? Samberg's version of New Moon in which he plays a vampire with a black and red cape who fights a man in a werewolf mask.

Why So Serious? Stunner Megan Fox wanted nothing to do with Samberg's opening rap sequence. When the actor playfully flirted and invited her to leave with him, she refused to crack a smile. Not only did she not play along, the camera had to cut away from her while Samberg awkwardly kept rapping.

Oddest Pairing? Benjamin Button's Taraji P. Henson (in a mini minidress) and The Hangover guys Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Justin Bartha introduced a musical performance by Eminem.

Other Highlights? Slim Shady showed that he is still unable to laugh at himself. The man who has made a career insulting everyone in Hollywood stormed out of the show after Sacha Baron Cohen flew in as a thong-clad Brüno and landing butt first in Em's face. The rapper stormed out of the theater, but MTV sources later admitted the whole thing was staged.

Also, Hayden Panettiere debuted a foul mouth while presenting the WTF Award, and recipient Amy Poehler far surpassed the petite actress with a bleeptastic thank-you speech of her own.

Lil Wayne, meanwhile, told copresenter Leighton Meester he's guesting on her show, Gossip Girl, next season as Chuck Bass's other uncle—the original uncle slept with her character, Blair Waldorf, last season.

Last but not least, nice guy Denzel Washington came out to present with his aspiring-actress daughter—and glowed with pride as any father would do.

Here's the complete list of winners at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards:

• Best Movie: Twilight
• Best Male Performance: Zac Efron, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
• Best Female Performance: Kristen Stewart, Twilight
• Breakthrough Performance, Male: Robert Pattinson, Twilight
• Breakthrough Performance, Female: Ashley Tisdale, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
• Best Comedic Performance: Jim Carrey, Yes Man
• Best Villain: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
• Best Fight: Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet, Twilight
• Best Kiss: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Twilight
• Best WTF Moment: "Peeing in the Sink," Amy Poehler in Baby Mama
• Best Song From a Movie: "The Climb," Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie

READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Online Celebrity Helps: From Gag Writer to Host in 5 Years

By BILL CARTER
Article Source: New York Times

LOS ANGELES — A little over five years ago Andy Samberg gave up his unemployment checks to take a job writing a few gags for a television special, the MTV Movie Awards. He took a pay cut.

Still, it turned out to be a good career move. The assignment led to an audition at “Saturday Night Live,” a job on that show and growing fame for a series of short digital comedy films, some of which have been downloaded tens of millions of times. And now, in a scene right out of one of the popcorn movies that the awards celebrate, Mr. Samberg is back as the host of the ceremony. (It will be broadcast live on Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern time.)

“It’s the American dream,” said the reality-television maestro Mark Burnett, who is producing the awards show for MTV. “Junior writer becomes host of the show he used to write for.”

Beyond the usual monologue, Mr. Samberg said, he will season his host duties with as many as five new short films. “I’m a pretape Charlie,” he said. He has recruited a mix of talent to accompany him in the films, from Will Ferrell to the singer Taylor Swift to J. J. Abrams, who usually works on the other side of filmmaking (as a creator of ABC’s “Lost” and director of the new “Star Trek” movie.)

Mr. Samberg said, with a sprinkling of nervous laughter, “This is a big show; it’s a spectacle.” He might have been looking at the lineup of guests and presenters, which includes Ben Stiller, Denzel Washington, Cameron Diaz and other Hollywood film names interested in getting in front of the mostly young, mostly movie-oriented and mostly large audience that MTV attracts for the event (as many as 3.6 million viewers for the live show and 20 million for all its showings on the channel).

Or the music lineup, headlined this year by Eminem and Kings of Leon. The show also has enough cachet with the Hollywood studios that three of them have contributed clips from coming movie sequels to “Twilight,” “Transformers” and the “Harry Potter” series, all of which will be seen for the first time. Last year’s host was Mike Myers, who has had a few hit movies of his own. Mr. Samberg has no blockbusters to his credit.

But Mr. Samberg, who is 30, has something else that MTV is most interested in: a sizable following among young viewers of much smaller screens, namely TV sets and computer monitors.

“I guess I reached some point where I got on the radar,” he said. “My name seems to come up on things on the Internet.”

It comes up with some frequency. Several of Mr. Samberg’s more than 60 digital shorts for “SNL,” produced with his writing partners, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer (the three form the comedy group the Lonely Island, which earlier this year released its first album, “Incredibad”), have become phenomena online. One, “I’m on a Boat,” featuring Mr. Samberg and the rap artist T-Pain, has been viewed more than 25 million times on YouTube — and that isn’t even Mr. Samberg’s biggest hit.

Two of his other short films, with titles that can’t be printed here with impunity, one about trouser accidents (with Molly Sims), the other about unusual gift ideas (with Justin Timberlake), have racked up more than 48 million and 35 million views.

All of this has made Mr. Samberg a desirable choice for an awards show intended to find new categories for nominations in movies that people actually wanted to see — rather than the ones usually honored for more ethereal qualities. The most nominated entries this year are “Twilight,” “Slumdog Millionaire” (an award winner and crowd pleaser) and “The Dark Knight.”

The winners, based on fan votes online, come in some rather contrived-sounding categories, like best fight, best kiss and best moment of cognitive dissonance. (That one also has a different formal title.)

“That award I still don’t totally understand,” Mr. Samberg said. Van Toffler, the president of MTV, said Mr. Samberg had gotten the nod as host because he is “the comedian for the digital age.”

Even with all his Internet exposure, Mr. Samberg said he recognized that this assignment was a significant career opportunity. “Certainly after doing this, it will introduce me to a lot more people that didn’t otherwise know me — or maybe thought my name was Adam and not Andy,” Mr. Samberg said.

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