Fashion Highlights

Monday, November 1, 2010

George Hickenlooper Was 'One Of A Kind,' Says Kevin Spacey

'My experience working with him was nothing short of fantastic,' actor says of late director, who died Saturday.
By Josh Wigler

George Hickenlooper
Photo: Sonia Recchia/ Getty

The sudden death of director George Hickenlooper late last week has elicited a flurry of reactions from his Hollywood colleagues, most notably his "Casino Jack" collaborator Kevin Spacey. Hickenlooper, who died in his sleep from unknown causes last Friday, directed Spacey in a biopic about Jack Abramoff, a Washington, D.C., lobbyist currently serving a prison sentence on fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion charges.

"I can't believe he's gone because George was so alive, bubbling with energy, drive, commitment, an open heart and a brilliant sense of humor," Spacey said of his director's passing, according to TheWrap.com. "He was one of a kind."

"My experience working with him was nothing short of fantastic: from our prison visit with Jack Abramoff, to script meetings, pre-production discussions and finally our first day of shooting," the actor continued. "From that day until our last event premiering 'Casino Jack' in Toronto last month, he was a joy to be around. His sensibility and outlook served his everyday. All of us who knew him, who had the chance to collaborate with him, who saw the child in him that he never lost — always looking at life with wonder and curiosity — will miss him with enormous admiration and affection."

Others have echoed Spacey's sentiments, with "Supersize Me" documentarian Morgan Spurlock commenting that "he was a great talent and an amazing guy." Hickenlooper's wife, Suzanne, has released a statement as well, saying, "He had a great creative talent, a generous spirit and loved life and people more than anyone I know."

Hickenlooper was found dead on Saturday in Denver, Colorado, where he was presenting "Casino Jack" at the Starz Denver Film Festival and supporting his cousin John Hickenlooper's campaign for governor of Colorado. "Casino Jack" is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters in December.

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

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Justin Bieber's 'Never Say Never' Trailer Sends Inspiring Message

Bieber premieres the clip, which blends concert footage with home videos, at his Los Angeles show.
By Matt Elias

"Never Say Never" poster
Photo: Paramount

LOS ANGELES — In what was already a night full of surprises, Justin Bieber upped the ante at his Los Angeles tour stop by surprising the capacity crowd with the premiere of the trailer for his upcoming 3-D film, "Never Say Never."

After guest appearances by Usher and Sean Kingston, Bieber took time halfway into the show to make an announcement at the Staples Center.

"I don't know if I'm getting enough love tonight; it's gotta be louder — come on, guys!" The entire arena answered his call with a thunderous eruption of screams.

Satisfied with the reaction, the 16-year-old pop star continued by recalling the doubters in his life, those who said he'd never win a VMA or that he'd never get his own movie.

"I might get in trouble for this, L.A.," he said. "I got a special treat for you guys!" Then Bieber announced that he was going to debut the trailer as a thank-you to his fans.

With the lights dim, three large screens above the stage began playing the trailer, which first shows Justin as a toddler, banging an elaborate drum beat on a kitchen chair. A series of home movie clips chronicle his rise to fame — singing, playing keyboard, and strumming an acoustic guitar. Just 30 seconds in, it was almost impossible to hear the trailer over the fans' loud screams.

The preview follows with an explosion of eye-popping visuals from various concerts — sweeping camera moves that create an epic feeling. But what the trailer shows is that "Never Say Never" is more than a concert film. It takes you beyond the stage and shows his everyday life, and the famous people who helped him along the way. Most of all, the focus seems to be on the fans. There are chants of "Justin" in the background and firsthand accounts of the fans' devotion.

The trailer ends with Bieber giving words of encouragement to an audience.

"There's gonna be times where people tell you that you can't live your dreams," Bieber says. "This is what I tell them: Never say never!"

"Every step, everyone's always said, 'No, no, no, no,' " director Jon Chu told MTV News last week. "And he's always said, 'Yes, yes, yes.' And that sort of 'never say never' idea is conveyed in the trailer."

As loud as the Staples Center was at the beginning of the trailer, they raised the volume even more as it finished. Immediately following, Bieber broke into the film's title song, "Never Say Never," with the help of Jaden Smith.

And while the L.A. crowd only experienced the trailer in 2-D, you can experience the film in all its 3-D greatness when it opens Valentine's weekend, February 2011.

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John Mayer Invokes Justin Bieber, Jonas Brothers In Malaria PSA

Singer uses comedy to call attention to serious issue.
By Jocelyn Vena

John Mayer
Photo: Brian Ach/ WireImage

There's no better way to bring attention to a serious cause than to use some humor. That's the basic idea behind the Malaria No More campaign, which features PSAs with stars including Aziz Ansari, Ed Helms, Orlando Bloom and even John Mayer, who pokes fun at his superstar status and invokes fellow celebs like Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers and the "Twilight" cast in two humorous clips.

In one PSA, Mayer jokes about his wealth. "I'm such an overprivileged prick," the singer/songwriter says in the video, "that I get two mosquitoes in my apartment because I left the window open, and these mosquitoes are driving me crazy. Do you ever have mosquitoes that you can't find in your house? That's one f---ing mosquito, and then you spend the rest of your day complaining to your friends over $6 coffee that a mosquito bit you. I couldn't find the mosquito. That's one mosquito in your $2 million apartment, John Mayer."

The campaign seeks to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. "Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease and recent progress shows that malaria's days are numbered — but we need your help," the website says. "Together, we can make malaria no more." It adds that "a child in Africa dies from malaria every 45 seconds — but you can help change that."

In another PSA, Mayer talks about helping children, who make up a majority of the victims of malaria deaths, and he uses some big-name celebs to bring attention to the cause.

He says, "Almost a million people every year die from malaria, and of that number 85 percent die under the age of Justin Bieber. With your help, by buying a malaria net for just $1, we can help, by the end of the year, to get these kids to Bieber. Next year we'll go Jonas Brothers; after that 'Twilight' kids, but baby steps, baby steps. Let's get them to Bieber."

Camille Grammer: "I Feel Completely Abandoned" by Kelsey

In the wake of their divorce, Camille Grammer has been brutally honest about how things went down with ex-husband Kelsey Grammer. Earlier this week, Camille, 42, said she believed Kelsey, 55, wanted her to join the cast of the upcoming The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills so that she would be preoccupied while he had an affair.

Now, Camille has opened up to People magazine about how the pain she's going through. "This is my chance to tell my story and move on," she explains. "Maybe it will be cathartic. Maybe this is part of my process."

Camille reveals how she found out Kelsey (whom she wed in 1997 and has two children with, Mason, 9, and Jude, 6, with) was ending their marriage. "In June I got a phone call from a mutual friend in New York who was upset by behavior of his that she'd seen," she says. "I asked, 'Is he leaving me?' and she said, 'Yes.' I called him but couldn't get through, so I texted him and asked him to please call me. Nothing. An hour later, I texted him again and he wrote: 'I don't want to talk.' I wrote, 'We've been together for 14 years; I deserve an explanation.' Finally, three hours later, he called me. He basically said, 'I don't want to be married anymore.'"

But, the drama hardly ended there. Camille, who says she feels "abandoned" and "dismissed" by the actor, claims her husband had no desire to work on their problems. "I asked him if there was anything we could work on," she says. "I offered to go to therapy. Having children, I wasn't ready to throw in the towel. But his mind was already made up. I started crying and he said, 'Oh, grow up.' I said, 'What about our children?' and he said, 'They'll get over it.' It was harsh."

Kelsey began a relationship with flight attendant Kayte Walsh (who recently miscarried his child) while he was in New York City working on the Broadway production La Cage Aux Folles. Camille claims he will only communicate with his her via emails, or their lawyers and therapist.

Still, Camille says she isn't the only one suffering. She opened up about how the divorce is affected their children.

"They still don't realize he's not coming back," she says. "They think their daddy is busy doing a play. I'm trying to work with them on the concept that he's not going to come home the way they think he is. For my son, who is only 6, that's hard to understand. They've heard about his girlfriend, but the girlfriend to them is not real. How do you explain that to a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old? You can't lie. You have to be as truthful as possible, but you also have to be responsible."

But despite her pain, Camille is ready to move on. "I don't want to look back anymore," she says. "I'm excited about rediscovering myself and becoming independent again."

Have you ever been blindsided by a breakup or divorce? Chime in below!

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