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Bats, bling on tap at MTV Movie Awards
Diamonds, costume changes aplenty for host Lindsay Lohan
CULVER CITY, Calif. - The fire-breathing metallic bat made the pretend Paris Hilton and substitute Snoop Dogg visibly nervous.
During rehearsals Thursday for the MTV Movie Awards, the two celebrity stand-ins cringed as six feet of fire hissed overhead from the gigantic creature’s mouth. Meanwhile, host Lindsay Lohan stood safely offstage amid empty seats, telling The Associated Press about the fabulous diamonds she plans to wear on the big night.
“It’s going to be a lot of diamonds, a lot of bling. I’m rocking the diamonds. And it changes with each outfit,” said the “Mean Girls” star. There are six outfits, including a little beaded dress that is her favorite.
That mixture of the glamorous and the grotesque defines the annual MTV Hollywood bash, which seems to mock the year in film as much as celebrate it.
Yes, there may be a little man in a goblin suit capering inside a cage/podium — but the stars will just act cool when they accept their awards Saturday night.
“We try to be irreverent. We try to add some comedy and flavor,” producer Salli Frattini said. “With the Oscars, things are very serious and this is the biggest moment of (a star’s) life, but by winning an (MTV) award, you know you mean something to the younger audience out there.”
Presenters include The Rock, Vin Diesel, Jimmy Fallon, Kate Hudson and Kirsten Dunst, with Eminem and his D12 group, the Beastie Boys and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs among the bands scheduled to perform. It will be taped at the Sony studio lot for broadcast June 10 at 9 p.m. ET.
A 'Pirates' booty
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” has the most MTV Movie Award nominations with six, including best movie and best on-screen team for co-stars Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom.
The offbeat awards include categories for best kiss, best villain and best fight.
Another signature of the show is its short films — often parodies of big movies like “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Matrix” or “Spider-Man.” But according to producer Joel Gallen, who oversees those segments, there will be no parodies this year. “It’s a weird year,” he lamented. “We didn’t find a movie that was the perfect movie to parody.”
Instead he opted for some original routines, with Will Ferrell as his pompous character from the upcoming “Anchorman” comedy interviewing a range of celebrities, and Lohan tangling with prank phone calls.
How much of the show comes together in the final days?
“About 80 percent,” said Gallen, who has produced it 12 times. “Like today and tomorrow it all comes together. All the sudden you realize, 'We’ve got a show to do Saturday.’ We spent a lot of time the past few weeks making our little pre-tapes and our films, and a lot of this stuff now is about the lighting, the structure of how the presenters will go out, and I make sure, with the writers, that they have something to say.”
Is there a trick to writing lines for Tom Cruise, Tobey Maguire and Jamie Foxx?
“We try and make it simple and to the point and not too cringy,” he said. “Sometimes award show patter can be cringy.”
Another thing still up in the air? The little goblin they planned to have inside the presenter’s podium — which was a barrel-shaped cage.
Gabriel Pimental, the 2-foot-11 actor playing the gargoyle, said he looked forward to handing out the awards and acting menacing — but the producers still weren’t sure how it would look.
Lohan was nervous about hosting the event solo, but said she would feel better when the audience was full.
“It’s a little weird, but it’s going to be so different when everyone’s here,” she said. “Doing it without anyone is sort of a tease.”
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