invisioner | Trance producer

From MTV Movies Blog:

In a nutshell, "50/50" is movie about an otherwise average 27-year-old guy named Adam who gets diagnosed with cancer, and what happens to his life and the people in it when faced with 50/50 odds of survival.

Unlike most of the generic, forgettable fare that Hollywood churns out each year, this film is something special. With an all-star cast including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick and Anjelica Huston, you will actually care about the characters, get swept up in the story and actually feel something when you walk out. "50/50" is one of the best movies I've seen this year, and here are a few reasons why it will be one of your favorites as well.

It's Not A Remake, Reboot, Or YA Novel Adaptation
This is an original story based on actual events, inspired by writer Will Reiser's battle with cancer and how his friends and family dealt with it. One of those friends is Seth Rogen, who has said that they all noticed that Reiser, who was just 25 at the time of his diagnosis, was losing weight and not looking well, until he finally broke the news to everyone in a very nonchalant, unbelievable way, very similar to how it plays out in the film.

An A-List Cast That Delivers
The actors in the film are almost perfect. Seth Rogen is still his likable goofball self, but a more relatable, subdued version. Anna Kendrick is superb as the cautious, by-the-book psychologist, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is just so good he never seems like he's acting. He just IS the character. Also Bryce Dallas Howard is excellent as pretty much the worst girlfriend ever. I would have liked to see a lot more of Anjelica Huston as Levitt's character's mom, however; she was a bit underused.

Want the rest? Visit MTV Movies Blog.

On Thursday evening, Adele's somber — and frankly, quite stunning — "Someone Like You" video premiered, and once we had finished wiping the tears from our eyes, we quickly realized that director Jake Nava really deserves a video Oscar or something.

Not only did he deliver a video that perfectly matches the song's heartbroken, haunted feel (not an easy feat), but, whether you know it or not, the British-born Nava has also been responsible for some of the greatest pop clips in recent memory, only adding to a resume that stretches back to the early '90s (and includes work for everyone from System of a Down to the Spice Girls).

And sure, while the eye-catching clips being churned out by Lady Gaga tend to grab the headlines (since, you know, it's Gaga), what makes Nava's work so impressive is that, rarely, if ever, does he make the same video twice. In fact, if you didn't pay attention to the credits, you'd probably have no idea who was responsible ... he's not only one of the most malleable directors in the business, he's also one of the most unassuming, and really, that's what a good director should be. The video is about the artist in front of the camera, after all.

So, in celebration of a man who doesn't get the credit he deserves, we've compiled a list of Nava's most iconic music videos. Because, as you'll soon learn, while you may not know his name, you most certainly know his work.

Beyonce, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"

The rare instance of an iconic song being married to a truly iconic video, Nava's "Single Ladies" is as notable for its simplicity (literally, it's just Bey and two of her dancers positively killing it) as it is for everything it inspired (literally 12 bazillion YouTube parodies). Fittingly, it raked in the accolades, being named the fifth-best video of the decade by Billboard and taking home the award for Video of the Year at the VMAs. Of course, most folks only remember the latter for Kanye West's hissy fit, but given Nava's low profile, it seemed slightly fitting that he'd be overshadowed yet again.

Kelis, "Milkshake"

Sex and swagger personified, just like the song, Nava's "Milkshake" is little more than Kelis cavorting on the counter of a Brooklyn diner (fun fact: It's now a Mexican restaurant!), and yet, it's also her most iconic video, not to mention one of the decade's best. And not just because of the suggestive use of over-easy eggs, either.

Shakira, "She Wolf"

Arguably the most booty-riffic video of all time (or at least the most flexible), "She Wolf" sees Shakira on the prowl, but it's the moments when she's caged behind gilded bars where the clip takes on added, uh, significance. Shaki shakes and struts, proves she's probably double-jointed, and pumps her posterior to eye-popping volume. Like the song, it's a bit pulpy, a tad glittery and just slightly cheesy, but all in the best possible way.

Beyonce featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy in Love"

A breakneck song requires an equally breakneck video, and on "Crazy," Nava keeps the camera moving so quickly that it nearly gives the viewer whiplash. A hyperkinetic, hyper-colored joy ride that matches the song's blissed-out sentiments (and then some), it's one of Beyonce's best, especially the bit where she karate kicks the top off a fire hydrant. Or when a car inexplicably bursts into flames. It's a testament to Nava that, when the situation demands it, he can get as over-the-top as anyone.

Britney Spears, "My Prerogative"

At one point, Britney drives a Porsche into a swimming pool. What else do you need to know?

'I think way more people smoke weed than the media likes to acknowledge,' actor tells MTV News.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Seth Rogen
Photo: MTV News

"That dude gave me the greatest gift I've had in the last five years," Kevin Smith told MTV News earlier this year about his "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" star Seth Rogen.

Smith wasn't talking about some meaningful postproduction keepsake — say, the bubble-blowing ring ex-porn star Traci Lords uses for unclean purposes in the movie — but rather a joint Rogen and the filmmaker shared on the last day of shooting in 2008. "We sat back, watched some footage and sat there smoking," Smith explained. "And I loved who I was."

Smith is now a gleeful proponent of weed, which he credits with spurring the most creatively productive years of his career, and Rogen is happy, as he put it recently to MTV News, to take credit for Smith "being stoned all the time."

"I either get people started smoking weed or I put them out of business smoking weed," Rogen added with a laugh while promoting "50/50," a comedy about a young guy with cancer in which the actor and co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt's characters get high for suspect medicinal purposes. "I'm either your first or last."

While Smith credits pot as a sort of mind-expanding artistic gateway, Rogen says he lights up to ease the drudgery of the creative process. "I smoke a lot of weed when I write, generally speaking," he told us. "I don't know if it helps me write. It makes me not mind that I'm writing. And I don't know if it makes me work better, but it makes me not care that I'm working. Who wants to work? But if you're stoned, it doesn't seem like work."

To help you work better, to make you forget you're actually working, to just have a good ol' time — why and when people get blazed may differ. But Rogen is convinced that no matter how it goes down, it's most certainly going down (and up in smoke).

"I think a lot of people smoke weed," he said. "I think way more people smoke weed than the media likes to acknowledge. Maybe it's just the people I'm around, but I don't think so. Pretty much everyone that I know smokes weed sometimes — with the exception of my parents."

Check out everything we've got on "50/50."

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

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi

When Jason Derulo stopped by the MTV Newsroom this week to talk about his new album, Future History, we couldn't resist playing a little game of Two Truths & A Lie with the singer.

For those unfamiliar with the popular campfire game, a player states two facts and one lie about themselves and the other players have to guess which one of the statements is the lie. The lie shouldn't seem any more absurd than the facts – but if you've had some out-there experiences, this is a good place to share them to throw the other players off.

Derulo was both a good sport and the perfect player. The "It Girl" singer focused all three of his statements on food and kept things a little weird but not crazy. Are anchovies one of his favorite foods? Did he chow down on four bananas a day as a broke college student in NYC? Or did he go on a fitness kick that involved "salmon shakes" – a yummy blended mix of salmon, water, vinegar, hot sauce ("if you're feeling crazy") which he'd microwave for 30 seconds to make it more palatable? Check out the video below to see if you can read his body language and find out the answer after the jump.

Two Truths: Jason did indeed chow down on bananas every morning because they were cheap and he also made salmon shakes to supplement his fitness routine. Gulp!

Lie: He does not like anchovies.

Check back often as we continue to play Two Truths & A Lie with your favorite stars!

'The Secret Life of the American Teenager' actress will star with George Clooney in 'The Descendants.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Shailene Woodley
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

Shailene Woodley is already the star of the hit ABC Family series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." For those not familiar with the show: It's kind of like MTV's "Teen Mom," but all the drama is fiction. Still only a teenager at 19, Woodley is readying her not-so-secret life for the next phase of her budding career.

She's set to star in the Alexander Payne-directed "The Descendants" with George Clooney, and her turn in the drama will likely help her connect to a whole new crop of fans. The film, which opens November 18, centers on a family trying to piece their lives back together.

Clooney plays Woodley's dad who is trying to reconnect with her after his wife gets in a boating accident that leaves her in a coma.

Now that Woodley is ready to show another side of herself, she is the up-and-comer MTV Movies has named the New Class' "Most Likely to Surprise Everyone."

MTV: Do you get excited about roles?

Shailene Woodley: From the second I first read the screenplay for "The Descendants," I was incredibly passionate about it. I loved how human it was and how it dealt with raw emotions, and it didn't try and cover up the messiness of everyday life. So, I was incredibly passionate about it ... And then Alexander became attached, and George Clooney became attached. Those were added components, but it was the screenplay that I fell in love with.

MTV: There are so many points where you can relate to this story. Can you give me a sense of what really hit you hard?

Woodley: There's so many components: the loss of someone or someone being in a hospital or the dysfunctional family. Everyone can relate to all of those; we've all had those hardships. But, for me, it was more about the art of making a film that was real and a film that was human because I feel like cinema has drifted so far away from the truth of humanity that it was really refreshing to be raw and emotional in a film that was also comedic.

MTV: We're always looking ahead, so we're anointing you as a part of our New Class. Does it feel like now the choices are going to be different and more important?

Woodley: People always talk about "strategy" and whatnot. If a screenplay fuels my soul, then that's what fuels my soul, and that's what I'm going to be passionately committed to. I would love to continue to do movies 'cause that's where my heart lies. I'm so grateful to the show, and I look forward to seeing what happens, and in the meantime, I'll go hike the Swiss Alps.

MTV: Is it useful to look at other actors [for inspiration]?

Woodley: Absolutely! I think the world of Natalie Portman and Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I find them so inspiring, not only as actors, but as human beings, and I really respect their choices in films and what they bring to the table.

For more on all the up-and-comers who make up MTV's New Class, visit NewClass.MTV.com.

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

• MTV Movies: The New Class