'The Thing' Star Previews 'Terrifying And Disgusting' Prequel

'There's one [scene] in particular that stands out to me that's just horrific,' actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead says in our Fall Movie Preview.
By Eric Ditzian


Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton in "The Thing"
Photo: Kerry Hayes/Universal

It's a horror-movie question almost 30 years in the making: What the hell happened to the Norwegian researchers discovered toward the beginning of the 1982 John Carpenter cult fave "The Thing"?

Kurt Russell and his crew do end up stumbling into some terrifying answers, but Carpenter's flick concentrates on the alien horrors the Americans endure. The 2011 fall movie season, however, is set to uncover what really happened before Russell touched down in the Antarctic, as director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. delivers a prequel story, also called "The Thing," to theaters on October 14. As part of MTV News' Fall Movie Preview, we're not only debuting an exclusive clip and photo from the horror flick about an alien able to mimic the likenesses of other life forms, but we sat down for a chat with star Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays a young researcher confronting the extraterrestrial danger. She spoke about the pressures of remaking a classic, the criticism from some corners about introducing a central female character to the action, and the challenges of reinventing an alien creature while staying true to its original form.

MTV: What's the bigger threat for you on set in Canada? Is it losing your voice from screaming all the time or losing your fingers from frostbite?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: I think it was fainting from nearly hyperventilating. That was the biggest thing. Also, by the end of it, we were shooting in the summer and we were acting like it was freezing cold and we were all in parkas and layers and layers of gloves and hats, and it was humid and hot outside. There was a lot of heat exhaustion setting in. It was kind of crazy — we had to act cold. I didn't have to do a lot of screaming in this, which was good. It was just a lot of that kind of heavy breathing, where you're trying to keep your composure and trying not to fall apart. It's that really small, fast breathing and take, after take, after take of that kind of thing, you start to get lightheaded and start to get a little woozy.

MTV: There are a lot of remakes and new takes on cult classics, and I think a lot of people feel, "I'm OK with it, if they get it right." For you guys on set, was that sort of pressure on your minds? And do you think you did get it right?

Winstead: There was definitely a lot of pressure, because everyone involved is a fan of the John Carpenter version. None of us wanted to mess it up and none of us wanted to sully the legend of the John Carpenter film. We wanted to add to it in a positive way, a fun way, and make something that could go hand in hand with that film. And that's what we did. I think we made a film that's a really great standalone film, but also something that's really cool if you're a fan of the John Carpenter version, just to get a little insight into what may have occurred before. I think it's just a good movie regardless of how you feel about remakes and prequels and all of that. At least you can go see a good film and hopefully put that aside and just be there and go along for the ride.

MTV: Since this is a prequel, we presumably know what's going to happen at the end. How did you keep the suspense going?

Winstead: I think that it's exciting to wonder who is a Thing and who isn't, and that's really where the suspense lies. A lot of films in the genre, you kind of know it's not gonna end up well. I don't think anyone is really expecting a happy ending. But that kind of going along for the ride and being in the suspense of the moment is what's really exciting. Our story is so great and it's one that could be played out in so many scenarios, and I think with bringing in completely different characters from completely different backgrounds and countries brings a whole other level of paranoia. It takes it into a different direction, having this language barrier between the characters and having a lot of "us" vs. "them" between the Norwegians and the Americans and things like that was an interesting take on it, made it a not straight-up remake. And it was exciting to me to put a girl in the mix, which people have different opinions on it. But for me, that's what differentiates it from the John Carpenter version in a big way and makes it a different film, makes it a unique film and one that stands on its own.

MTV: What do you mean by different opinions? Do you think people are skeptical of a woman battling aliens?

Winstead: I read a lot of comments, which kind of surprised me, to be honest, of people who were really upset that we would dare put a female in "The Thing" when the John Carpenter version was all men. I do think it was an interesting dynamic to see men, grown men, all living together and dealing with this paranoia and isolation. But I also think it's interesting having a young woman thrown into the mix trying to take control of the situation where nobody trusts her opinion. It's a very different and interesting dynamic and it's not gonna be the same as the original version, but that's what's great about it to me.

MTV: Anyone who's seen Ellen Ripley [Sigourney Weaver in "Alien"] do her thing knows that a woman can take on an alien.

Winstead: What's cool about it, for this character, a lot of her strength lies in her intellect rather than her muscles. It's not like one of those characters where I come in and act like I can kick everybody's ass. It's not realistic. All these guys are bigger than me, stronger than me. But my character has a really strong intellect, which gets her far in this film.

MTV: So you didn't have to hit the gym?

Winstead: No, none of that, which was nice.

MTV: How does this one build? How long before, you know, sh-- gets bad?

Winstead: It's a definite slow burn, which is great. It makes it feel like a classic horror film. You really set up the characters and you really build the fear slowly, and once sh-- hits the fan, it gets crazy and it doesn't stop. It's super-intense, the last half of the film. You just hold your breath and you don't breathe again till the credits roll. That's really great. The first part of the movie is really slow and foreboding, and you feel this slow dread building because you do know what's coming. You know that something crazy and horrible is gonna happen to these people, but they don't know it yet and kind of having that feeling as the audience is one that's exciting and creepy and terrifying.

MTV: Carpenter's movie really was horrifying and just gross. Really gross. Are you guys taking the same angle?

Winstead: The "assimilation scenes" are definitely terrifying and disgusting and just creepy as hell. There's one in particular that stands out to me that's just horrific. I can't really describe it in too much detail because I don't wanna give anything away. It just blows your mind. Just seeing it being filmed, because we have a lot of practical effects stuff there, which is great and kind of seeing the beginning of it on set was terrifying in itself and disgusting. They just took it to a whole new level, the stuff they added in postproduction.

MTV: We get a glimpse of the creature in the trailer. Because it's a prequel, do you guys have to stay very true to the first one or do you have room to play?

Winstead: I think they definitely kept the John Carpenter version in mind when it came to the creature design. Definitely it is still that same world, but there is a somewhat new look to it and somewhat different take on it. It's sort of the 2011 version, but still with that spirit of practical effects. It certainly doesn't look exactly like the John Carpenter version. As awesome as those effects are, they are out of a certain period. And when you see that, you can kind of tell like, "Oh, those are really awesome '80s effects." So you can't really go exactly for that. You have to bring a little of the modern element in to it too, but hopefully keeping that real tangible quality the '80s effects had as well.

From "Abduction" to "Muppets, "Moneyball" to "Breaking Dawn," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.

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

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/1670302/the-thing-mary-elizabeth-winstead-movie-preview.jhtml

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Paramore, Panic! At The Disco Celebrate Label's 15th Anniversary

Fueled by Ramen will mark the occasion with two nights of concerts in New York, and MTV.com will stream Wednesday's show live!
By James Montgomery


Paramore's Hayley Williams
Photo: MTV News

Fifteen years ago, Fueled by Ramen began life in the dorm room of John Janick, a student at the University of Florida. These days, thanks to a catalog that includes releases by Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Panic! at the Disco, Jimmy Eat World and Yellowcard (to name just a few), an unusually strong commitment to their roster of artists and a harnessing of social media that borders on masterful, FBR headquarters is now located many stories above Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, in a space shared with the very major Atlantic Records.

Needless to say, things have improved slightly since those dorm-room days. And on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the label will celebrate both their journey and their birthday with a two-night stand at New York's Terminal 5, a double bill that will include the likes of Paramore, Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes. Wednesday night's show will stream live on MTV.com, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET, but to kick off the celebration, we asked some of Fueled by Ramen's biggest acts to think back to the day they inked their deals with the label — starting with Wednesday night's headliners, Paramore.

"We were playing a lot of local shows, it was around 2004. The guy we were working with in Franklin [Tennessee], he was kind of our manager at the time, and he was like, 'This guy, he has this label,' " frontwoman Hayley Williams laughed. "A couple people from [FBR] came down and watched us play older songs and newer ones — I think we played 'Hallelujah' for them, 'Here We Go Again,' I don't know, like a total of five songs — and thank God they liked it. We were really excited. From then on, I was like, 'OK, what are we going to do?' and we recorded most of those songs, and they showed up on our album, which was on Fueled by Ramen!"

The signing story of another of the label's breakout stars, Panic! at the Disco, is a little less traditional. Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz discovered the band online and rushed to their hometown of Las Vegas to add them to FBR's roster. Of course, given the label's strong Web-based presence, it would become the blueprint for the way they'd do business moving forward.

"We started doing demos ourselves, just on our laptop, and posting to our personal websites, like MySpace or PureVolume, and just tried to send out links to anybody that was in a band that we were fans of in hopes they would listen. And somehow, we got lucky enough, and Pete contacted us, so that was our first introduction to Fueled by Ramen," Panic! drummer Spencer Smith explained. "Pete drove out and bought us Del Taco and listened to the songs and said that he wanted to sign us as we were driving him back to his hotel. So it all just happened within two weeks, I think, from him listening to the songs."

Help MTV celebrate Fueled by Ramen's 15th anniversary this Wednesday, September 7, as we present a live party featuring some of your favorite FBR acts, including Paramore. Check out MTV.com at 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday to catch all the action!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670225/paramore-panic-at-the-disco-fueled-by-ramen-anniversary.jhtml

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Britney Spears To Shoot 'Criminal' Video In England

Singer also graces the cover of U.K. Glamour before European leg of Femme Fatale Tour kicks off.
By Jocelyn Vena


Britney Spears
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Before Britney Spears kicks off the European leg of her Femme Fatale Tour later this month, she is taking care of a little business in England. Spears took to Twitter to reveal that the country would serve as the locale for her "Criminal" video.

"So excited to stop over in the UK before I start my European tour in a few weeks," she tweeted. "Can't wait! I LOVE London, it's like my second home. Decided to shoot the 'Criminal' video in the streets of merry old England when I get there..."

The news of the video shoot comes a week or so after the singer revealed to MTV News that her next single would be the Femme Fatale slow jam. She also teased that she had some interesting ideas for the video.

"The song, when I first heard it, it's really different and it's not anything I've heard like this before," she told us backstage at the VMAs. "So I really wanted to deliver this song. I was thinking of a really cool concept for the video just to make it interesting. You'll have to see."

Vote for Britney Spears' "I Wanna Go" in our Song of the Summer poll over on the Newsroom blog!

Just in time for her Euro trip, Spears also graces the cover of Glamour's U.K. edition. In the magazine, the singer opens up about her next personal milestone: turning the big 3-0.

"I think the older you get, the wiser you get," she said. "I can't wait. I'm really excited and definitely gonna celebrate and do something spectacular. I'm gonna be in South America so I'll have to do something pretty fun. A carnival of Britney?"

Spears wears a dress with sequins and feathers on the cover, and in the article, she says she'd love to have William and Kate stop by one of her shows in London. "That would be amazing. That would be really crazy and cool. I think they're a beautiful couple," she said. "Unfortunately I didn't get to watch the [royal] wedding, but I heard it was beautiful."

Does Britney Spears' "I Wanna Go" have the people's support as Song of the Summer? Check out the video below to find out!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670262/britney-spears-criminal-video-england-uk.jhtml

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?Labor? Of Love

Labor Day yesterday turned to be a very chill, very fun day. Tam and Rob hosted a Labor Day BBQ at their home and we decided to swing by for a bit … and ended up hanging all afternoon/evening/night. Tam will be celebrating her birthday on Friday but yesterday’s party was turned into an impromptu [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/HgL4Tj1rGCQ/

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Russell Armstrong's Family -- He was MURDERED

Filed under: Russell Armstrong, Taylor Armstrong, Real Housewives, Reality TV

0906_russell_armstrong_getty_EXD
Russell Armstrong
's family isn't buying suicide as the cause of death ... they believe he was murdered, and they're putting a private dick on the case.

Although the L.A. County Coroner ruled Russell's death was a suicide by hanging, sources close to the situation say the family is convinced ... Russell's money problems caused him to get involved "with the wrong people."  They believe Russell may have screwed someone over out of desperation and that person or persons retaliated by killing him.

We're told the family is in the process of hiring a private investigator.

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Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/09/06/russell-armstrong-taylor-armstrong-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-bravo-murdered-murder-suicide-couples-therapy-money-problems-private-investigator-family/

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OK Go, My Morning Jacket Remember 1991: When Rock Rocked

Fugazi's Steady Diet of Nothing and the Jesus Lizard's Goat join list of great albums celebrating their 20th anniversary.
By James Montgomery


Fugazi's <i>Steady Diet of Nothing</i>
Photo: Dischord Records

With the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's massive Nevermind just a few short weeks away, much attention is being paid to rock's last great era: 1991, a year that was overflowing with important, iconic (and, in some cases, overlooked) albums from bands both big and small. In a lot of ways, it was the year rock truly rocked, and so, to celebrate that fact, MTV News has been asking some of today's biggest acts to remember their favorites form that truly epic year.

So far, we've looked back at Metallica's Black Album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Dinosaur Jr.'s Green Mind, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, Slint's Spiderland, Pearl Jam's Ten and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger. Today, we're turning our attention to Fugazi's Steady Diet of Nothing and the Jesus Lizard's Goat — two lesser-known (yet equally important) gems, that are fondly remembered by some high-profile fans.

Fugazi, Steady Diet of Nothing
It starts ominous, like the buzz emanating from a disturbed hornet's nest ("Exit Only") and ends frothing and growling, like a chained Doberman ("KYEO"), yet in between, the second studio album from Washington, D.C., stalwarts Fugazi is a precise, downright surgical exercise in rhythms, interwoven bass and guitars, and — dare we say it — melody. Most noted for its sparse production (which highlighted the lockstep team of bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty) and its overtly political tone ("Dear Justice Letter" was inspired by the departure of liberal judge William J. Brennan from the Supreme Court), Steady Diet of Nothing set the blueprint for the next 10 years of the band's exploits. It also remains a testament to the coiled, colossal power of, above all things, restraint.

As Remembered by Damian Kulash, OK Go: "I grew up in Washington, D.C., and Fugazi was everything. Ian MacKaye, Fugazi, Dischord Records, they were like the Holy Trinity, they were the apostles, they were the entire religion of D.C. Everyone worshipped them, and when Steady Diet of Nothing came out ... Repeater was the first record I had gotten by Fugazi, and Steady Diet was the first one that I could wait for, I could feel it coming out. It was so amazing, it was so musical, it was so timely, it was unlike anything else that was out there. I mean, everything Fugazi did seemed like it was coming out of the earth, you know? Like, the rest of the music in the world was all this crappy, commercial stuff, and they were this. They could not be ignored. The politics, the way they ran D.C., I mean, it was unbelievable. All shows were five bucks, all shows were all ages, it was incredible. I mean, when I was 15, I walked up to Ian MacKaye's house and said, 'Could I borrow some money to start a record label?' And he said, 'Yeah.' Isn't that crazy? Unbelievable."

The Jesus Lizard, Goat
The pounding, primal, pretty-effed-up second album from one of alt-rock's most disturbed (and sorta disturbing) bands, Goat is arguably the best of the Jesus Lizard's many team-ups with producer Steve Albini — a claustrophobic, eternally sludgy thing that's nearly stripped to the core. Still, it packs a punch, thanks in no small part to David Yow's near-patented wild-man yowls, Duane Denison's wobbling, skuzzy guitars, and the downward-spiraling rhythm section of David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly. After two more albums on Touch and Go, the Lizard would inexplicably make the leap to Capitol Records in 1996, a stint that lasted until 1999. They called it quits soon after, but to this day, the Jesus Lizard remain an important intersection of art-damaged noise and rock.

As Remembered by Patrick Hallahan, My Morning Jacket: "It's one of the best albums of all time. I think, if I'm not mistaken, it starts off with 'Then Comes Dudley,' 'Mouthbreather,' just so great. I'll never forget the first Jesus Lizard concert I ever went to, they were the tightest rhythm section I'd ever seen, and then they had this f---ing amazing jazz guitarist playing on top of this rhythm section. Ear X-Tacy, that's the name of our music store in Louisville, and I was there when it came out. The Jesus Lizard, Goat. One of the best accomplishments of 1991, and there were a whole lot of them that year."

Share your favorite memories of 1991's seminal albums in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670270/ok-go-fugazi-morning-jacket-jesus-lizard-nirvana-1991.jhtml

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