Exclusive Trailer: Watch Emma Roberts In 'The Art Of Getting By'

We've got a sneak peek at the trailer for the Sundance favorite formerly known as 'Homework.'
By Eric Ditzian


Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts in "The Art of Getting By"
Photo: Fox Searchlight

Back in January, when it was still called "Homework," Emma Roberts' indie coming-of-age tale became one of the Sundance festival's most buzzy films, selling to Fox Searchlight for reportedly more than $3 million on the same day of its premiere.

"That was our dream!" Roberts said when we caught up with her at Sundance. "I can't believe it happened the day it premiered. I got the call and I freaked out."

Lil Kim

Does 'Water For Elephants' Prove Robert Pattinson's Box-Office Draw?

Experts discuss what film's $17.5 million debut means for the 'Twilight' star.
By Eric Ditzian


Robert Pattinson
Photo: Steve Granitz/ WireImage

After the "Twilight" franchise made him a household name (at least among families' more junior members), Robert Pattinson's first cinematic outing outside the vampire franchise didn't go so well. "Remember Me" received largely negative reviews last year and stumbled at the box office, ultimately grossing less than $20 million domestically.

"Water for Elephants," by contrast, largely performed up to expectations this week, reeling in $17.5 million. The sweeping romantic drama was a big test for Pattinson — a major studio flick aimed not at his teen base, but an adult audience. Would this be the project that launched the 24-year-old Brit from Twi-hunk to broadly accepted Hollywood leading man? Perhaps not yet, owing to the respectable but not astounding debut, though industry insiders are calling "Water for Elephants" a much-needed step toward that goal.

"Pattinson has yet to prove he is an evergreen box-office draw, outside of vamping it up in the 'Twilight' series," said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. " 'WFE' was the right choice as it wasn't too much of a stretch and is in the general wheelhouse of his core fanbase: women. A lot of times, up-and-coming actors turn 180 degrees and play a drug dealer or pathological killer just to shed their public persona, and oftentimes that backfires, as they turn their back on their true fans."

"WFE" certainly succeeded at targeting older female moviegoers. According to Fox, the film's audience was 70 percent female and 70 percent over the age of 25. That age demographic gives us a good clue why "WFE" didn't cross the $20 million mark. Channing Tatum's "Dear John," for example, targeted a teen audience and debuted with $30.5 million domestically on its way to an $80 million total. The takeaway is not that Tatum is a bigger box-office draw than Pattinson, but that teens come out early for films that interest them. As Phil Contrino, editor of BoxOffice.com explained, "The key thing to understand is that this type of film has a large appeal among moviegoers aged 35 and up, and that group doesn't feel the need to rush out opening weekend. It will hold up quite well in the weeks to come."

But the question remains whether Pattinson will be able to capitalize on his "Twilight" celebrity and become one of those ever-more-rare actors who can drive ticket sales. Some experts aren't convinced he ever will. "There is no reason to believe that Robert Pattinson or anyone from the 'Twilight' franchise can open a movie," said Movie City News' David Poland. "Some of those actors are very talented. Some not. But Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, etc., are the natural template. But what of Harrison Ford? I don't see any of that swashbuckler in the gentle actor in Pattinson."

Perhaps, though action blockbusters like "Indiana Jones" aren't the projects that Pattinson will be pursuing in the future. Many insiders suggest his best bet is to follow the path of other young heartthrobs before him.

"Take a page from Tom Cruise's book and only work with great directors," Contrino suggested. "After skyrocketing to fame, Cruise wisely worked with the likes of Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Barry Levinson."

At least with his next project, Pattinson is making those kinds of decisions, signing up for David Cronenberg's adaptation of "Cosmopolis." Where he goes from there, however — and whether he's able to bridge the divide between teen idol and Hollywood icon — is anybody's guess.

"If Pattinson's films can consistently make money at the box office, major studios will continue to take a chance on him," Bock said. "In the near future, expect him to be attached to high-profile directors in smaller, meaty roles. That way he can diversify and not lose the core audience that follows his every move. And, if that doesn't work out, there are about a zillion Harlequin novels ripe for adaptation that he and Fabio can star in."

Check out everything we've got on "Water for Elephants."

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

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Help President Obama Decide Where To Speak On Graduation Day!

Voters have until Thursday to score the six high schools in the 'Race to the Top Commencement Challenge.'
By MTV News Staff


President Barack Obama
Photo: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

Voting is under way in the White House's "Race to the Top Commencement Challenge," and you have until this Thursday to weigh in on which school will win the honor and distinction of having President Obama deliver the commencement address at their graduation. Last year Michigan's Kalamazoo Central High School won and now there are six new schools looking to take the prize in 2011.

With the help of the White House, the Department of Education and Viacom's Get Schooled foundation, each school made a video that represents why it deserves to win. At WhiteHouse.gov/Commencement, you can view and score the videos from Bridgeport High School (Bridgeport, Washington); Wayne Early Middle College High School (Goldsboro, North Carolina); Booker T. Washington High School (Memphis, Tennessee); Science Park High School (Newark, New Jersey); Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, School for Creative and Performing Arts (Pittsburgh); and High Tech High International (San Diego).

Science Park High School's video features stories from its students about the acceptance they feel from their peers, the tough classes they take and the social causes that the students are participating in to better the world around them.

Bridgeport High School's video gives outsiders on a tour of their school, where 90 percent of students are Latino, and features students' testimonials about the teachers that have given them the special attention they need to become the first in their families to graduate.

Wayne Early/Middle College High School's video focuses on the school's innovative curriculum, which gives students the opportunity to earn an associates degree while still in high school. Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, School for Creative and Performing Arts' video shows off the school's "mosaic" curriculum.

Booker T. Washington High School's video shares how its students have overcome adversity in a region of Memphis known for its high rates of crime and poverty, so that now it has a graduation rate of 82 percent (up from less than 60 percent). As High Tech High International's name implies, its students are always using advance technology in the class room, but their video also emphasizes how they learn to work in a collaborative environment that reflects the real world.

"I'm looking for a school that understands the number one priority is making sure that our kids are learning what they need to succeed in this 21st century economy," President Obama said in a recent statement. And once voters choose the top two schools from this field of six, he'll select the one school he feels fulfills that requirement. Stay tuned to see who wins!

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1662604/president-barack-obama-top-commencement-challenge-school.jhtml

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Reese Witherspoon Says Kissing Sick Robert Pattinson 'Wasn't Pleasant'

'Water for Elephants' actress reveals, 'He did have a very runny nose.'
By Aly Semigran, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Reese Witherspoon
Photo: MTV News

On camera, the love scenes between Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson in their period drama "Water for Elephants" — which opens in theaters Friday (April 22) — look glamorous and romantic. Behind the scenes, however, it was anything but.

Never mind that both stars were involved in relationships during the filming of the big-screen adaptation (Witherspoon with her now-husband, Jim Toth, and Pattinson with speculated girlfriend Kristen Stewart) but the 24-year-old actor also happened to be fighting a nasty cold.

As the "Twilight" hunk revealed during his "MTV First: Robert Pattinson" special, "The love scene in ['Water for Elephants']: I was doing it when I had a really bad cold." He went on to divulge, "My nose is running all over the place, and it was in one of the additional photography scenes, and Reese had this wig on, and literally, I was wiping my nose on her wig."

And when his Oscar-winning co-star sat down with us, she confirmed it was just as unsavory as he described. "He did have a very runny nose, yeah," she recalled, adding, "It wasn't appealing; it wasn't pleasant."

Still, the 35-year-old actress knows that even a runny nose wouldn't deter Pattinson's most fervent fans. Her advice for anyone planning on getting close to RPattz on or off camera: "Bring a Sudafed!"

However, when Witherspoon isn't dispensing advice on how to get through a love scene with RPattz, she's enjoying domestic bliss with her husband. In fact, the newlyweds have been finding themselves in the same situation as many couples: compromising what shows to watch on television.

The actress said that while she's had to watch the biker drama series "Sons of Anarchy" against her will, she's now turned into "a big fan." But, there was no need to convince the star to watch "Eastbound and Down," the soon-to-be-retired HBO comedy starring Danny McBride.

" 'Eastbound and Down' makes me laugh," Witherspoon told MTV News. "You gotta love Kenny Powers."

Would you want to make out with Robert Pattinson even if he had a cold? Let us know in the comments section and on Twitter!

Check out everything we've got on "Water for Elephants."

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

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Coldplay, Led Zeppelin Album Covers Featured On New British Stamps

Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.
By James Montgomery


Coldplay's new British stamps
Photo: Royal Mail

On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years.

The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed, Led Zeppelin's IV, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Clash's London Calling, New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, Blur's Parklife and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for IV — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery.

"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."

Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their Rush of Blood stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date."

"We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1629227/coldplay-led-zeppelin-album-covers-featured-on-new-british-stamps.jhtml

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