Trending on Monday, June 06, 2011

Trending on Monday, June 06, 2011

MTV Movie Awards Promise Exclusive Film Clips

On a stage that looks like an enchanted garden topped with a crystal collage, stars of some of last year's biggest blockbusters and this summer's most anticipated movies will gather Sunday night for the MTV Movie Awards.

"Saturday Night Live" star Jason Sudeikis will host the two-hour film fete, in which fans vote for their favorite movies in quirky categories such as best kiss, best fight and best jaw-dropping moment. The ceremony will be held at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, Calif., and broadcast live at 9 p.m. EDT on MTV.

The show has become as much a promotional platform for the Hollywood studios as awards ceremony, this year promising sneak peeks at the latest "Twilight" installment, "Breaking Dawn"; the final Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2"; and the action-packed "Super 8" presented by the films' stars.

The awards will also introduce Sudeikis to millions of viewers just as he's making his largest splash on the big screen. He stars in the upcoming summer comedy "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy," out in September, and plays a supporting role in the star-filled "Horrible Bosses," out in July.

Reese Witherspoon will receive the annual Generation Award for her range as an actress and for delighting the MTV audience throughout her career. MTV President Stephen Friedman called the 35-year-old Oscar-winner "one of the most versatile and accomplished performers of her time." Witherspoon joins previous Generation Award winners Sandra Bullock, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey.

The Foo Fighters, Lupe Fiasco and Trey Songz are set to perform on the Sunday night show, and presenters of the popcorn-shaped MTV Movie trophies will include Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Steve Carell, Shia LaBeouf, Patrick Dempsey, Cameron Diaz, Selena Gomez and Nicki Minaj.

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Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart prepare to win Best Kiss award at MTV Movie Awards

Sources say Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have been rehearsing in case they win the Best Kiss award at the MTV Movie Awards tonight, so as not to disappoint fans this year.

The 'Twilight' stars have won the award the last two years, but their acceptance smooches were duds. The first year, it was a pretend kiss, and the second, it was a hidden peck.

Last year, they reportedly stayed up all night trying to decide what to do should they win Best Kiss.

"They were having a great time deciding what they were going to do," a source told Hollywood Life. "They don't take it very seriously, some of their ideas were just hilarious — Rob thought it was all really funny."

This year will be different as the couple have been rehearsing the big moment.

Kristen Stewart shares another Best Kiss nomination with fellow Twilighter Taylor Lautner.

'Twilight Saga: Eclipse" leads the nominations, with eight nods, including Kristen Stewart for Best Female Performance and Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner competing for Best Male Performance.

'Inception' and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1' are close behind with seven and six nominations, respectively.

The awards are being held at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA, and will be hosted by Jason Sudeikis of "Saturday Night Live."

Tune-in to MTV tonight at 9/8c to catch the awards.

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Sarah Palin sorry for stealing Mitt Romney's thunder.

Sarah Palin offers a mea culpa for rolling into a nearby New Hampshire town on her bus tour at the same time Romney, the Republican front-runner for the 2012 election, was making his candidacy official: 

'I apologize if I stepped on any of that PR that Mitt Romney needed.'

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin apologized Sunday for upstaging Republican front-runner Mitt Romney's formal campaign announcement last week.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee said it wasn't her intention to step on Romney's toes when her bus rolled into a nearby town just as Romney was making his candidacy official at a New Hampshire farm.

 "I apologize if I stepped on any of that PR that Mitt Romney needed or wanted that day," Palin said on "Fox News Sunday."

She also said her highly publicized bus cavalcade had not moved her any closer to a 2012 run. She said she was "still right there in the middle, just trying to figure out what the lay of the land will be as these weeks and months go by."

For the last year, Palin has sent mixed signals about a presidential try. Over that period, her poll numbers have deteriorated and other candidates have won commitments from activists and Republican voters.

In an interview on Fox News Channel last month, she said she had "fire in the belly" for a 2012 candidacy. More recently, she said a decision was "still weeks away."

Despite her latest attention-grabbing effort, she has not taken the usual steps to build a national campaign organization. Another sign that a presidential run is not imminent: Palin continues as a paid commentator for Fox, which has featured her on three separate interview programs over the last week.

The network suspended two other Republicans politicians, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, when they explored presidential candidacies, on grounds that it would be a conflict of interest for them to be on the air as paid contributors at the same time. The network never suspended Mike Huckabee, however, as he spent months saying he wasn't sure whether he'd run in 2012; the former Arkansas governor eventually announced he would not be a candidate.

During her "One Nation" bus tour, Palin met with Fox News executives in New York, including Roger Ailes, the former Republican campaign strategist who heads the network. Officials did not provide details of the meeting. A Fox executive did say afterward that as of that time there had been no change in Palin's status with the network.

 

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Jason Sudeikis reacts to January Jones' pregnancy, actress hasn't revealed father's identity.

What does Jason Sudeikis have to say about ex-girlfriend January Jones' recent announcement that she is pregnant?

Apparently, not much.

When asked at the White House Correspondents' Dinner over the weekend if he had any comment about the issue, Sudeikis, 35, told the Washington Post: 

"I'd rather - yes but no. No, I ... No, I didn't have anything."

Sudeikis, a "Saturday Night Live" cast member, and Jones, who stars on AMC 1960s-era drama series "Mad Men," split in January after dating since the summer of 2010.

 

Jones, 33, announced last week that she is expecting her first child. She did not reveal details, such as the identity of the father.

Jones, 33, told OnTheRedCarpet.com in February that she is "not dating anyone" and listed some of her interests and hobbies - poker, football, sharks and serial killers.

She dated Ashton Kutcher for several years when she first moved to Los Angeles and singer Josh Groban for three years. She has also been romantically linked to actor Adrian Brody.

J

ones plays main character Don Draper's uptight ex-wife Betty on "Mad Men," whose fifth season was postponed until early 2012 due to 'ongoing, key non-cast negotiations.' 

The actress' next role is in "X-Men: First Class," which is slated for release on June 3, 2011.

Sudeikis recently starred in the movie "Hall Pass" and was recently announced as the host of the 2011 MTV Movie Awards ceremony, which takes place on June 5.

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Phony financial aid companies make lofty promises for a fee.

Graduation season is a time when people begin looking for financial aid, scholarships and student loans. Unfortunately, scammers are also busy promoting phony financial aid offers to help themselves to your money.

Phony scholarship companies claim they’ll match you with scholarships or complete application forms for upfront fees of up to $1,000. In return, you never get the help promised or discover application forms weren’t submitted.

Some companies claim you qualify for grant money and send phony checks with instructions to deposit them and wire portions back to cover processing fees. In the end, you’re left paying back withdrawn money and any associated fees.

Others invite you to financial-aid seminars, which become high-pressure sales pitches with companies asking for bank or credit card account information to withdraw fees. Companies’ contact information is usually bogus, and they’re never heard from again.

Your Better Business Bureau advises you to beware if financial aid offers:

• Guarantee scholarships or your money back. Legitimate grants or scholarships are awarded based on performance or qualifications and can’t be guaranteed.

• Claim you can’t get the information anywhere else. Scholarship information is available free from libraries, financial aid offices and on the Internet.

• Ask for credit card or bank account numbers for application fees or to hold scholarships. Free money doesn’t cost anything and trustworthy financial aid companies don’t charge application fees.

• Promise to do the work for you. Only you can complete scholarship or grant application paperwork.

• Notify you’ve been selected for a scholarship or grant you never entered. Scholarships and grant money don’t suddenly appear in your mailbox.

• Declare everyone is eligible. Scholarships are awarded to recipients matching specific criteria.

Financial aid is available through government aid or college programs and scholarships are offered by private organizations, foundations, professional clubs and churches.

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Financial aid doesn't stretch to help middle class .

The people who distribute financial aid to college students in Washington state want to make sure parents know there will always be money to help low-income students pay tuition. But the same can't be said for those in the middle class.

Despite the financial pressures of the recession and state budget cuts, more students got help for college during the past two school years than ever before. The problem, though, is that even more students were looking for help.

This year, as families wait to hear how much tuition is going up in the fall - the Legislature approved increases of 16 percent and above for some Washington schools - financial panic may be outpacing excitement for some.

Nearly 22,000 students who were qualified for a state need-based grant during the 2009-2010 school year did not get one because the money ran out, said Rachelle Sharpe, director of financial assistance for the Higher Education Coordinating Board. The numbers for the 2010-2011 school year have not been finalized, but she expects even more did not get the financial help they needed.

That's a big leap from the 5,000 students who were qualified but didn't get a grant in 2008-09.

Since the state need-based grants - and most other federal and state need grants - are distributed based on income, middle-class students are the ones feeling the most pain right now, said Sharpe and financial aid officers at Washington's universities.

"We're worried that families will be discouraged, that college is no longer an option for a family," Sharpe said.

Her advice to worried families: Plan ahead, have a back-up plan for paying for college, apply for financial aid on time and look for other scholarships. Washington state has a website devoted to scholarship matching: thewashboard.org.

Iris Maute-Gibson, a junior at Western Washington University, went to school on a state need grant during her first two years of college. This year, she had to find another way to pay her tuition, even though neither her parents' income nor her eligibility for financial aid changed.

Maute-Gibson, who lobbied in Olympia on behalf of Western's student government, joined the growing number of students depending on student loans to pay for most of their college expenses. She knows some students who take out as much as $20,000 a year in student loans because they can't get the money for college any other way.

"It's a really frightening prospect," Maute-Gibson said. "Especially with a degree in public service, it'll take decades to just pay off the loans, much less to start a family or buy a home."

State officials have found that most student loans go to those who are eligible for financial aid but aren't getting enough help to cover all their college expenses. Although some needy students also qualify for federal grants and scholarships, many have other expenses including food, housing, books and transportation.

During the 2009-10 academic year, 59 percent of needy students took out loans, averaging $7,411.

Financial pressures dominate student conversations on campus, Maute-Gibson said in a telephone interview, as the Legislature prepared to end its special session with a budget that includes another year of big tuition increases and some additional help for needy students.

She knows some students who work more than one job, trying to finance most of their education in real time but doubts they are giving their studies the attention they should.

Sharpe said state officials were also tracking student employment - both on campus and off - and shared Maute-Gibson's concerns.

"Working, depending on the hours, can interfere with their success as a student," and in some cases, force students to take longer to complete their degrees, Sharpe said.

About half the students who attend the University of Washington get some kind of financial aid, ranging from loans to grants, said Eric S. Godfrey, the school's vice president and vice provost for student life.

About 8,000 low-income undergraduates attend school on the "Husky Promise," which means they do not have to pay tuition or fees for four years, but that doesn't mean these students get to go to college for free. They still need to find a way to pay for other school-related expenses.

Godfrey said federal grants and scholarship money, plus loans, help close the gap for some.

"We've been able to maintain accessibility in the face of increasing costs," Godfrey said. Thanks to private donations, he said he expects UW will continue to be able to say that.

But the middle class at the university still face the same challenges as students at other Washington schools, since financial aid is distributed first to the lowest income families. At some point each year, the grants and scholarships run out.

"Our money each year is not stretching as far into the so-called middle income categories," Godfrey said. "That is an area of concern."

 

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