'Hugo' Director Martin Scorsese Speaks On His Productivity, Legacy

'One tries to do the best you can with each picture, hopefully continue making them,' renowned filmmaker tells us.
By Kara Warner with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Asa Butterfield in "Hugo"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Martin Scorsese's career is one of such significance and acclaim that the Oscar-winning director could retire from the business right now, knowing that his living-legend status would remain intact. It is clear he has no plans to slow down, however, due to the fact that in the last year alone, he's been involved in five feature film and documentary projects, the most recent being his first family-oriented film, the critically acclaimed "Hugo."

When MTV News caught up with Scorsese recently, we asked him to explain the secrets behind his productivity. "There seems to be a sort of urgency, an interest in making comments on certain aspects of life and the world around me, the people, culture today," Scorsese said when asked if he's working under his own self-imposed deadlines or urgency to complete projects. "Whether it's trying to deal with how art inspires a young person — and that is 'A Letter to Elia' — or trying to create a spectacle of American enterprise and corruption as [with] Terry Winter and his show that I'm working on with him, 'Boardwalk Empire,' or people speaking their minds and very strong opinions, like Fran Lebowitz in 'Public Speaking,' but even more so was working for five or six years on 'George Harrison: Living in the Material World,' with David Tedeschi. That is interesting because that was finished at the same time as 'Hugo.' Those five projects were finally released all within one year."

We then asked if with this sudden urgency, Scorsese is conscious or concerned with preserving his legacy as a filmmaker.

"Not really, maybe I [was] at one point," he admitted. "I'm not quite sure anymore. I don't really know. I think at one point in the early '90s, there seemed to be a lot of films being made here in America and in China and around the world that had been inspired by 'Mean Streets' ... that may still be the case that may not be the case, I don't know anymore. One tries not to think of that. One tries to do the best you can with each picture, hopefully continue making them and that they mean something, that they matter to people."

Check out everything we've got on "Hugo."

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

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674957/hugo-martin-scorsese.jhtml

Sarah Wynter Scarlett Chorvat Scarlett Johansson Selita Ebanks Shakara Ledard Shakira

WORLD AIDS DAY 2011

WORLD AIDS DAY 2011 is upon us.  And it's a day that every country possible participates in some form of action/education for HIV/AIDS awareness.

 

TheYBF.com is doing its part today....

 

World AIDS Day is observed each year on December 1. This year's theme is "Leading with Science, Uniting for Action". Aids.gov is your 1 stop shop for EVERYTHING you need to know about prevention, taking care of yourself if you have HIV/AIDS, how to educate others on the issue, and everything in between.

Today, women account for more than 1 in 4 new HIV/AIDS cases in the United States, according to WomensHealth.Gov. Of these newly infected women, about 2 in 3 are African-American. Most of these women got HIV from having unprotected sex with a man.

A few staggering stats from the Women's Health website:

AIDS is now the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 25–34. And African-American women are more than 21 times as likely to die from HIV/AIDS as non-Hispanic white women. Some reasons why African-American women are affected by HIV/AIDS more than women of other races include:

Poverty — One in 4 African-American women lives in poverty, which is strongly linked to HIV risk. People living in poverty also get lower-quality health care in general, which can mean advancing from HIV infection to AIDS more quickly.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) — HIV is most commonly spread to women through sexual contact. Untreated STIs that break the skin, such as genital herpes, give HIV easy access into the bloodstream. African-American women have high rates of many STIs.

Incarceration of African-American men — Based on current rates of incarceration, nearly one-third of all African-American men will enter prison during their lifetimes. Cycling in and out of the prison system leads to fewer available African-American men in the community to have long-term, faithful relationships and a greater chance of having multiple partners over time. Living in prison also exposes many men to risk factors for HIV. This raises a man's risk of getting HIV in prison and passing HIV to his female partner at home.

 

In recognition of World AIDS Day, President Obama will speak at 2:30p ET an event hosted by the ONE Campaign and (RED) at George Washington University.  You can watch the whole event live on YouTube.com/TheONECampaign.

And by the way, Get Tested.

How are you participating today?

Source: http://theybf.com/2011/12/01/world-aids-day-2011

Brooke Burns Busy Philipps Cameron Diaz Cameron Richardson Camilla Belle Carla Campbell

'Amazing Spider-Man' Lizard Leak Raises Questions

In this week's Marvel Mania, we use a recent 'Spider-Man' controversy to consider whether it's fair to judge a movie based on leaks.
By Josh Wigler

The Lizard, as he appears in the "Spider-Man" comics
Photo: Marvel

Over the years, big-budget blockbusters have revealed themselves in increasingly inventive ways. "The Dark Knight" gave us our first look at Heath Ledger's Joker by way of an elaborate viral game, for instance, and just this year, "The Dark Knight Rises" instituted a similar treatment for the villainous Bane. Even on the Marvel side of the aisle, we've seen creative, out-of-the-box revelations — like the buildup to "The Avengers" through numerous post-credits sequences, for example.

But revealing your villain through a PEZ dispenser? That's a new one, even for the House of Ideas!

Nonetheless, that's exactly how we got our first look at the Lizard, the villain played by Rhys Ifans in next summer's "The Amazing Spider-Man." Earlier in the week, a photo of an officially licensed "Spider-Man" PEZ dispenser leaked online and gave eager webheads their first and, really, only taste yet of what Curt Connors' monstrous transformation will look like when the Sony film swings into theaters.

A separate leak occurred earlier Wednesday (November 30), this time in the form of an alleged concept design showing Lizard in all his menacing glory. Folks lucky enough to have caught the "Amazing Spider-Man" panel at Comic-Con this year are largely in agreement on the blurry design's authenticity, giving fans bummed by the PEZ reveal another shot at getting to know the Lizard on better terms.

We can argue for days over whether the design itself is up to snuff — the biggest bone of contention is Lizard's lack of an elongated snout, based on fan reactions seen thus far — but no one's going to stand here and say that a frickin' PEZ dispenser is the best way to meet a highly anticipated movie character for the very first time. The concept art, however, is a somewhat different story; if that's a legitimate design, whether officially released or not, perhaps it is worth decoding.

For me, Lizard-Gate raises an interesting point about the changing shape of movie consumption in the digital age. Early looks at leaked material — like the Lizard concept art and his filthy PEZ habit — can either build buzz and excitement for a movie or they can crush all enthusiasm in one fell swoop. But is it fair to judge this crucial aspect of "Spider-Man" (or any movie) based on something that wasn't officially released? Can we really pile hate on Lizard based on candy of all things?

In a perfect world, we would be able to reserve all judgment of a movie until the movie's actual arrival. But it's not a perfect world; it's a lightning-paced digital one, and where there's an Internet, there's a picture of a Lizard PEZ dispenser that's bound to inform your opinion of "Amazing Spider-Man" in some way, no matter how big or small. Ultimately, it comes down to the click of a button: Are you so curious about an upcoming movie that you need to digest any and all information as soon as it's available, or can you look away long enough for the official goods to drop?

I don't think there's a right or a wrong answer here. In the end, it's a personal choice: Either you want to look, or you don't. Nobody's going to die because you stared at a PEZ dispenser for a few minutes (don't hold me to that, please). But the next time you find yourself on the horizon of that choice, consider Uncle Ben's famous words of wisdom: With great power comes great responsibility — or, to riff on another famous phrase, "To PEZ or not to PEZ; that is the question."

What do you think of movie leaks? Let me know on Twitter via @mtvsplashpage, and be sure to check out our new weekly discussion show, "Talk Nerdy to Me."

Check out everything we've got on "The Amazing Spider-Man."

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

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675178/amazing-spider-man-lizard-leak.jhtml

Trista Rehn Tyra Banks Uma Thurman Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Minnillo

Scott Ian & Family: Cruising In California

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and his wife Pearl Aday were spotted enjoying an afternoon stroll with their 4-month-old son Revel in Los Angeles, Calif. on Tuesday (November 29).

The Earth On Hell lyricist was all smiles as he pushed baby Revel through the streets and chatted with his wife, who is also the daughter of singer Meatloaf.

Top Story? (feature beneath menu): 

no

Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/11/30/scott-ian-family-cruising-in-california

Emmy Rossum Erica Leerhsen Erika Christensen Estella Warren Esther CaÒadas Eva Green

Mindy McCready Expecting Twins!

The news continues for Mindy McCready!

On the same day she insisted that she did not kidnap her 5-year-old son Zander, a rep for the 36-year-old troubled country singer confirms to PEOPLE that she is 5 months pregnant with twins. Reportedly, the father of the babies-to-be is unknown.

Top Story? (feature beneath menu): 

Upper Slideshow?

Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2011/11/30/mindy-mccready-expecting-twins

Lena Headey Leonor Varela Leslie Bega Leslie Bibb Lil Kim Lily Allen

Lady Gaga Opens the 2012 Grammy Nominations Concert

Sure to amp up any music lover for the annual Grammy Awards in February, Lady Gaga was on-hand for the Grammy Nominations Concert in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (November 30).

The ?You and I? songstress took the stage at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE venue as she belted out "Marry The Night" to open up the evening's festivities.

Tweeting about this Grammy gig the previous day, Gaga wrote, "I am so excited to OPEN and CLOSE the Grammy Nomination concert 2moro night! What a blast rehearsing with Jennifer and Kristian. Sugarland!"

Also taking the stage for performances during the Grammy Nominations Concert were The Band Perry, Jason Aldean with Ludacris and Usher while Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj helped present this year's nominees.

The night?s event was hosted by LL Cool J with the event preceding the actual Grammy Awards which will air live from Staples Center on February 12, 2012 on CBS.

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/grammy-awards-2012/lady-gaga-opens-2012-grammy-nominations-concert-565127

Reese Witherspoon Rhona Mitra Rihanna Robin Tunney Rosario Dawson Rose Byrne

Conrad Murray Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

Today is not a good day for Dr. Conrad Murray. Michael Jackson's former doctor has been sentenced to the maximum penalty of four years in jail without probation for his role in the King of Pop's 2009 death. In early November, Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the Jackson's death, for administering what turned out to be a lethal dose of the powerful anisthetic propofol.

Murray, 58, also has to pay an $800 restitution fine, a $30 court security fee and a $40 criminal conviction assessment. He did avoid having to pay the $101.8 million in restitution fees Jackson's family was demanding of him, but he will be ordered to pay "appropriate restitution" to MJ's estate and kids at a later date.

Judge Michael Pastor ultimately ruled that Murray's recklessness in Jackson's death overshadowed any good deeds he had done in the past. He said it was irrelevant whether or not Jackson could have died at the hands of another doctor because it was the actions of Murray that killed him.

"He violated the trust of the medical community, of his colleagues and of his patient and he has absolutely no sense of remorse, absolutely no sense of fault, and is and remains dangerous," Pastor said.

"There are those who feel Dr. Murray is a saint. There are those who feel he's the devil. He is neither," Pastor added. "He's a human being."

In the end, Pastor said Murray "abandoned his patient" and called the doctor's conduct "egregious" and "a disgrace to the medical profession."

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/conrad-murray-sentenced-four-years-prison/1-a-406424

Amy Smart Ana Beatriz Barros Ana Hickmann Ana Ivanovi Ana Paula Lemes Ananda Lewis