Tom Cruise's Les Grossman Gets Movie Deal

Risqué humor draws smaller crowds, but stars can cut loose

(NEWSER) - Movie studios are gambling on R-rated comedies more than ever as audiences open up to raunchier humor and stars push to showcase their talent in a less restricted setting, the AP reports. PG-13 flicks almost always draw bigger crowds, but R-rated features like Sex and the City, Wedding Crashers, and Knocked Up are proving that more risqué comedies can still do well. More»

Really? 'Hot Tub Time Machine' is the best we can do?

(NEWSER) - “2010 very possibly is the worst year in the history of motion pictures,” declares Joe Queenan in a hilarious Wall Street Journal piece bemoaning the downfall of American cinema. You know things are bad in Hollywood when:

• “Shia LaBeouf—who looks a bit like the young George W. Bush” is being passed off “as the second coming of Tom Cruise.”
• The top contenders for Next Big Action Star are Jake Gyllenhaal and Adrien Brody. “None of these are logical heirs to the throne abandoned by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone. They may not even be legitimate heirs to the throne vacated by Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.”

Shocker: That 'Twilight' movie is night's big winner

(NEWSER) - Showing considerably better dance moves than he did during his last surprise performance , Tom Cruise stole the show at last night’s MTV Movie Awards. Channeling his popular Tropic Thunder character Les Grossman, Cruise got down and dirty with Jennifer Lopez—the attention-getting antics were second only to Sandra Bullock’s girl-on-girl action . Cruise also opened the awards show. More»

...and calls Tom Cruise's Valkyrie 'ridiculous'

(NEWSER) - Brad Pitt thinks Inglourious Basterds is so good that no one should ever bother making a World War II movie again, People reports. “I believe that Quentin put a cover on that pot. With Basterds, everything than can be said to this genre has been said,” he said in an interview with a German magazine. “The film destroys every symbol. The work is done, end of story.” More»

Funny and un-funny moments abound at ceremony

(NEWSER) - Oscar night was filled with highs and lows, from the predictably inspirational moments when Kate Winslet finally won and Heath Ledger’s family received his posthumous award, to the cheap shot of producers cutting to Angelina Jolie’s face during Jennifer Aniston’s presenter speech. More from the Los Angeles Times. Best:

• Sean Penn opened his acceptance speech by greeting “you Commie, homo-loving sons-of-a-gun.”