'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows' DVD Livestream Wants Your Questions For The 'Potter' Stars

It all ends July 15, but that doesn't mean we can't make a quick pit stop along the way. As you've probably heard, two big events are looming in the near future for "Harry Potter" enthusiasts. First is the opening of Harry Potter: The Exhibition in New York City, featuring brand new props and set pieces [...]

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'Source Code': Five Hidden Pop-Culture Influences

Director Duncan Jones was inspired by everything from 'Grand Theft Auto' to 'Quantum Leap.'
By Eric Ditzian


Jake Gyllenhaal in "Source Code"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

"Moon" wasn't some slick Hollywood production. Director Duncan Jones didn't have a studio's deep pockets to dip into for "Avatar"-level visual effects. Instead, he built a miniature replica of a lunar base on which star Sam Rockwell got up to his strange activities.

And it worked. The movie was a sci-fi stunner. So it's no surprise Jones eyed a similar approach for his next feature, the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring "Source Code." "We talked about using model miniatures for 'Source Code,' but the time frame was working against us," Jones said, citing his star's schedule. "So we used a lot of CGI."

Thus all those train explosions in the film — and there are a dizzying number — were created in a computer rather than in the real world. That's rather fitting, after all, based on what the film is all about. "Moon," though, is just one of the pop-culture influences on "Source Code" that Jones alerted us to in a recent chat. Read on for four more (and check back Monday for five secrets about the production that were simply too spoiler-filled to reveal before opening weekend).

The Michel Gondry Connection
Gyllenhaal plays a helicopter pilot named Captain Colter Stevens who's part of an ultra-secret government program that sends him into the past — in another man's body, eight minutes before a terrorist detonates a bomb onboard a commuter train, to be precise — again and again in an effort to discover the bomber's identity and prevent the next attack. As a practical matter, that means the story revisits the same eight-minute sequence over and over and over. Jones' challenge was to make this recurring event never seemed repetitious. For inspiration, he turned to Michel Gondry.

"I remember hearing about how Gondry used to do music videos — he did Daft Punk and stuff like that," Jones said. "He used to graph everything out and had these intricate diagrams of how to do things. So I took a shot at it that way and lifted out all of the repetitions that occur in the film, and then created a camera map about how I can revisit this event in a different way each time. That was the technical level.

"Then on a narrative level," he added. "I ensured new characters were introduced for each one. You never see the same thing twice."

The "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" Connection
The "Source Code" link to Gondry doesn't end with music videos. Jones also tapped Louis Morin, the visual-effects supervisor on "Eternal Sunshine," to oversee the CG work on the new movie — in particular, those recurring train explosions.

"He's got that beautiful blend of being a real technical expert and also an artist," Jones said. "We worked out how to make each of the explosions have its own personality and be visceral and scary. In the storyboards, we made sure the camera angles made the explosions feel up close and personal to the scale of the effect. Then in the animatic phase, where the objects are moving, you start to get a sense of textures and how much dirt is thrown in the air. You start to tweak it and get the visceral impact."

The "Grand Theft Auto" Connection
For all the high-intensity train explosions, perhaps the film's single-most astonishing shot is one of Gyllenhaal jumping off a moving train. Simple enough. But what makes it extraordinary is that the camera never cuts away and you see Gyllenhaal tumble and spin and wind up bloodied and bruised on the pavement.

"It's a tribute to 'Grand Theft Auto,' " Jones explained. "When you're driving around at high speed in that computer game and you open the door and jump out of the car, the camera doesn't cut away; it stays with you as you roll. I wanted to do that shot because I'd never seen it in a movie before.

"That was some cutting-edge post-production effects," he continued. "We played a game of chicken with the technology to make sure it was capable of doing that by the time we were ready to do the effect. Fortunately, things meshed at just the right time."

The "Quantum Leap" Connection
Of all the sci-fi productions to come before it, "Source Code" might put viewers most in the mind of "Quantum Leap." Jones, too, immediately thought of that NBC series when he read the script. Ever the playful auteur, the director decided to recruit the show's star to get what he called "a little tip of the hat in there."

"I don't know if you noticed, but Scott Bakula does a little cameo," he revealed. "He's the voice of Colter's father. He even says, 'Oh boy,' in the middle of their phone conversation, as a little clue!"

Check out everything we've got on "Source Code."

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

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Calls 'Transformers' Gig 'A Roller Coaster'

'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' star talks at CinemaCon about working with director Michael Bay.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Photo: Getty Images

Now that we've entered the month of April, it seems justifiable to start hyping this summer's potential blockbusters. Not that we haven't been already, but it feels like the big summer movies are just around the corner — one of those being the highly anticipated "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

MTV News caught up with the franchise's new leading lady, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, recently at CinemaCon to discuss her experience on the film and getting caught up in director Michael Bay's workaholic web.

"I've seen the last two movies, so I kind of knew what I was getting into, but obviously not at all as well," Whiteley said of being a bit overwhelmed by the big movie experience. "It was a crazy opportunity that was handed to me, and I spent seven months making the movie with a great cast and a great director, and it's been a roller coaster of a lifetime for sure," she said. "I'm still on it, I don't know if I'm going to get off anytime soon."

Regarding Bay, Whiteley described him as a "character" with lots of energy: "I think throughout my whole career, I've never seen anybody work so hard in my whole life," she said. "He's literally done these 'Transformers' movies for six years now. As cast, we do the filming for seven months, then he goes into the edit room and edits it for six months, then he comes out of the edit room and promotes it, and by the time he's finished that, he's prepping the next one," she explained. "It's amazing to see how dedicated he is to these films."

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

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

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Beyonce Working With Kanye West Producer S1

'Power' producer tweets he's 'finishing up some monsters' after week in the studio with B.
By James Montgomery


Beyonce
Photo: Getty

Beyoncé's already taken inspiration from the likes of Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill, hit the studio with a list of producers that includes Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett and Jim Jonsin, and now, she's hoping to capture the surge of Kanye West's "Power."

B — who's already hard at work on the follow-up to her massive I Am ... Sasha Fierce album — just wrapped a week in the studio with producer S1, the man who co-produced "Power" and has logged time with the likes of Ghostface Killah and Erykah Badu.

S1 broke the news via his Twitter account and also posted a photo of himself and B over on his official site. And from the sound of things, the sessions, which took place in New York City, were definitely eventful.

"A couple of meetings then back in the lab with Beyonce today," he wrote in one tweet. "Excited to see what we're gonna create today after last night's session.

"Not going to bed anytime soon. Beyonce got us in here working and I'm loving every bit of it," he wrote in another post. "Finishing up some monsters ... everything is sounding really great and big!"

There's still not much information about Beyoncé's new album, though in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" last year, she said that, this time out, she's aiming to "make [her] own genre of music." In a follow-up interview with MTV News, she clarified that statement, explaining that she's "mixing every type of genre that I love" on the new album, and added, "I'm not in a box. It's not R&B. It's not typically pop. It's not rock. It's just everything I love all mixed together in my own little gumbo of music."

What do you think S1's work with Beyoncé will sound like? Tell us in the comments!

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Lady Gaga Teams Up With Google For Fan Interview

Pop singer posts video message inviting fans to ask her questions.
By James Dinh


Lady Gaga
Photo: Anita Bugge/ Getty Images

Lady Gaga has always found creative ways to interact with her fans, and her latest idea is no exception. On Tuesday, the pop titan took to YouTube to post a video message inviting her Little Monsters to ask her questions in an upcoming Google interview.

Standing against a brick wall, Gaga greets her fans in the beginning of the black-and-white video, saying, "Hello, Little Monsters. This is Lady Gaga on the road at the Monster Ball. I wanted to let you in on the news that I'll be doing an exclusive Google interview using one of their tools called the moderator, which allows you guys to ask me all the questions that you want.

"Do you have something that you always wanted to know about me or maybe you have questions about my fashion love or even the kind of things I search for on Google. Well, now is your chance!" she continues in the clip.

Fans can participate in the interview by heading to the singer's YouTube channel and submitting videos or written questions. While on the singer's page, they can also vote for the questions they want to hear the most. In addition to the video network, fans can tweet their questions using the hashtag #GoogleGoesGaga. Fans have until the end of the day Friday to submit their entries.

"I'll post the video interview with all my questions next week, so stay tuned. I'll let you know when it goes up, and remember, you're all amazing and I love you so, so much. I'll see you soon. You were born this way," she concludes with her monster growl.

As of Wednesday (March 16), some of the most popular submissions included everything from pre-fame bullies to backstage tour stories.

"You said that in school a lot of people bullied you and didn't like you," one fan wrote. "Now that you are famous, have any of them tried to 'apologize' and become friends? If so, what did you say to them?"

"What do you do with all the T-shirts, stuffed animals, letters, hats and other monster gifts you receive?" asked another fan.

Have you asked Lady Gaga a question yet? Tell us in the comments!

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