They've battled bloodthirsty Persians, supernatural pirates and a seemingly endless charge of soldiers, spooks and sea monsters. Now, 300 surly Spartans and the Pirates of the Caribbean will face their greatest adversaries yet: each other.
"300" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" are the most-nominated flicks for this year's MTV Movie Awards, leading all films with five and four nods, respectively (see "Sarah Silverman To Host MTV Movie Awards; Promises 'Pinch Of Fun' "). The adrenaline-fueled action flicks will vie for Best Movie, while stars from the films will battle in the Best Performance and Best Villain categories.
But will either group be able to survive a naked wrestling match with the crazy man from Kazakhstan? The exhaustingly titled "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" has also been nominated for Best Movie, while star Sacha Baron Cohen is also throwing three individual noms into his wedding sack: Best Comedic Performance, Best Fight (the infamous wrestling match with Ken Davitian) and Best Kiss (Cohen's smooch with Will Ferrell in his other comedy, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby").
Not to be outdone, Ferrell himself will be on hand during the ceremony on Sunday, June 3, to battle Baron Cohen in the same four categories. His crotch-slamming ice-skater comedy, "Blades of Glory," was nominated for Best Movie, while Ferrell received nominations in the Best Comedic Performance, Best Kiss and Best Fight (for his take-no-prisoners tussle with Jon Heder) categories. No matter how their epic battles shake out, however, at least we can take solace in knowing Ferrell and Baron Cohen have already kissed and made up.
Rounding out the list of nominees for Best Movie is the sugar-sweet Sundance hit "Little Miss Sunshine." Abigail Breslin, who played the precocious center of the Hoover family, will also compete for Breakthrough Performance.
That category will hardly be a beauty pageant, but there's stiff competition nonetheless. Breslin's fellow nominees include Lena Headey ("300"), Columbus Short ("Stomp the Yard"), Jaden Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness"), Justin Timberlake ("Alpha Dog") and Emily Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada").
We can only assume that the 24-year-old Blunt will be wearing Prada when she shows up at Universal City, California's Gibson Amphitheatre to join Baron Cohen and Ferrell in vying for Best Comedic Performance. To pull out a win, she'll also have to take down Adam Sandler ("Click") and Ben Stiller ("Night at the Museum"), who round out the nominees.
The real devil, of course, is none other than Meryl Streep, whose Prada-wearing ways struck fear in the hearts of homebody heroines (and interns) everywhere — and earned her a nod for Best Villain. But, c'mon, how bad can you really be when you haven't even killed anyone? It's a question her competition won't have to ask — it includes nefarious "Saw III" torturer Tobin Bell, dastardly "Departed" star Jack Nicholson, infernal "Pirates" ghost Bill Nighy and Rodrigo Santoro, the monstrous slayer of the "300" Spartans.
With so many good baddies around, there's bound to be some unforgettable fisticuffs. Along with Heder/Ferrell and Baron Cohen/ Davitian, the nominees for Best Fight are Jack Black and Héctor Jiménez vs. Los Duendes ("Nacho Libre"), Gerard Butler vs. the unchained Uber Immortal ("300"), and the catfight between Uma Thurman and Anna Faris ("My Super Ex-Girlfriend)."
Among the behind-the-scenes battles viewers will undoubtedly be keeping an eye on is Beyoncé vs. Jennifer Hudson, the "Dreamgirls" co-stars who spent the early months of this year competing for adulation and Oscars; prepare for round two, as both are nominated for Best Performance. Other nominees in the category are A-listers Johnny Depp ("Pirates"), Keira Knightley ("Pirates"), Butler and Will Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness").
From songstress disses to grinning kisses, the nominees for Best Kiss should lighten up the evening. Aside from the Baron Cohen/ Ferrell smooch, nominees include Cameron Diaz and Jude Law ("The Holiday"), Columbus Short and Meagan Good ("Stomp the Yard"), Mark Wahlberg and Elizabeth Banks ("Invincible"), and Marlon Wayans and Brittany Daniel ("Little Man").
Also vying for Golden Popcorn trophies this year are the mtvU Best Filmmaker on Campus nominees (including students from the University of Southern California, Columbia University, Columbia College, University of Central Florida and Savannah College of Art & Design), as well as the new-category competitors for Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet ("Evan Almighty," "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," "Hairspray," "Transformers," "Rush Hour 3" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix").
The irresistibly irreverent awards show will be broadcast live for the first time ever June 3 and will be hosted by foulmouthed funny lady Sarah Silverman. Tune in to see whether the Pirates take home the booty, or if dining in hell earns the "300" men their just desserts.
The complete 2007 MTV Movie Award nominees:
Best Movie (vote now!)
» "300"
» "Blades of Glory"
» "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
» "Little Miss Sunshine"
» "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
Best Performance (vote now!)
» Gerard Butler, "300"
» Johnny Depp, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
» Keira Knightley, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
» Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"
» Beyoncé Knowles, "Dreamgirls"
» Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Breakthrough Performance (vote now!)
» Emily Blunt, "The Devil Wears Prada"
» Abigail Breslin, "Little Miss Sunshine"
» Lena Headey, "300"
» Columbus Short, "Stomp the Yard"
» Jaden Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"
» Justin Timberlake, "Alpha Dog"
Best Comedic Performance (vote now!)
» Emily Blunt, "The Devil Wears Prada"
» Sacha Baron Cohen, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
» Will Ferrell, "Blades of Glory"
» Adam Sandler, "Click"
» Ben Stiller, "Night at the Museum"
Best Kiss (vote now!)
» Cameron Diaz & Jude Law, "The Holiday"
» Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"
» Columbus Short & Meagan Good, "Stomp The Yard"
» Mark Wahlberg & Elizabeth Banks, "Invincible"
» Marlon Wayans & Brittany Daniel, "Little Man"
Best Villain (vote now!)
» Tobin Bell, "Saw III"
» Jack Nicholson, "The Departed"
» Bill Nighy, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
» Rodrigo Santoro, "300"
» Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Best Fight (vote now!)
» Jack Black & Héctor Jiménez vs. Los Duendes (Wrestling Match), "Nacho Libre"
» Gerard Butler vs. "The Uber Immortal" (The Spartan/Persian Battle), "300"
» Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Ken Davitian (Naked Wrestle Fight), "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
» Will Ferrell vs. Jon Heder (Ice Rink Fight), "Blades of Glory"
» Uma Thurman vs. Anna Faris (Super Girl Fight), "My Super Ex-Girlfriend"
Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet (vote now!)
» "Evan Almighty" (June 22)
» "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (June 15)
» "Hairspray" (July 20)
» "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (July 13)
» "Rush Hour 3" (August 10)
» "Transformers" (July 4)
mtvU Best Filmmaker On Campus (vote now!)
» Robert Dastoli, "Southwestern Orange County vs. The Flying Saucers"(University of Central Florida)
» Maria Gigante, "Girls Room" (Columbia College, Chicago)
» Josh Greenbaum, "Border Patrol" (University of Southern California)
» Alexander Poe, "Please Forget I Exist" (Columbia University)
» Andrew Shipsides, "Bottleneck" (Savannah College of Art & Design)
