'Star Wars' leads winners at MTV Movie Awards

LOS ANGELES -- A passionate kiss, Leonardo DiCaprio's "Revenant" bear encounter and a foul-mouthed hosting duo dominated Saturday's profanity-laden MTV Movie Awards, where "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" came away the top winner.

"The Force Awakens," the third-highest grossing film of all time, led with 11 nominations and beat out blockbusters such as "Jurassic World" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" for movie of the year. Lead star Daisy Ridley won best breakthrough performance.

"It's especially amazing to be part of a film that represents all genders - two genders - and races and ages in such a positive and aspirational way," Ridley said.

It's all about the unpredictable and irreverent moments at Viacom Inc's fan-voted Movie Awards, which taped Saturday in Los Angeles and will air Sunday on the MTV network.

Hosts Kevin Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson set the tone for the evening as they opened with curse words and insults, at one point dressing up as Batman and Superman to throw barbs at the A-list superhero actors in attendance.

They also rapped about Oscar-winner DiCaprio having sexual intercourse with a bear in "The Revenant."

"Pitch Perfect 2" stars Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine won best kiss and recreated their messy film smooch, passionately grabbing each other on stage.

Charlize Theron won best female performance for playing Imperator Furiosa in "Mad Max: Fury Road." She said the film was "in part a story of the power of women and the power to create our own destinies," dedicating her win to "all the Furoisas."

Halle Berry introduced actor-singer Will Smith as a "champion for diversity" when awarding him the MTV Generation Award. Smith joked the accolade was "the old ass dude award."

"I want to display love, play roles that have dignity and I just want to help in this world," the "Concussion" star said.

Other winners included hip hop biopic "Straight Outta Compton" for best true story, Ryan Reynolds for best comedic performance and best fight for "Deadpool," Amy Poehler for best virtual performance in "Inside Out" and Chris Pratt for best action performance for "Jurassic World."

Actress Melissa McCarthy crowd-surfed to the stage to accept the Comedic Genius award, saying "I'm the first woman to receive this award but I am certainly not the first one to deserve it."

"My mother taught me not to fear being the butt of the joke, not to worry about being likeable or perfect, and to lovingly go for the kill," she said.

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'The Force Awakens' premiere honors 'Star Wars' creator Lucas

LOS ANGELES - With Stormtroopers and lightsabers, Disney's much-anticipated "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" made its debut with a star-studded premiere on Monday, and the attention was all on one man at the center of it all - creator George Lucas.

The man who created the entire "Star Wars" world received a standing ovation from the audience at a Hollywood movie theater as he sat next to his long-time collaborator Steven Spielberg.

"None of us would be here tonight without the miraculous creation of one man. George Lucas, from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of everyone involved in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' thank you sir," said J.J. Abrams, the film's director.

Out in theaters on Friday, "The Force Awakens" follows tenacious scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) as her fate becomes intertwined with that of rebel Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) and a ball-like droid named BB-8.

Set 30 years after "Return of the Jedi", which came out in 1983, the film also sees the return of franchise veterans Han Solo (Harrison Ford), General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

Skywalker's glaring absence from the film's marketing is intentional to avoid giving away a crucial plot twist.

Lucas sold "Star Wars" to Disney in 2012 for $4.05 billion dollars, and "The Force Awakens" is the first of a new trilogy and new standalone films from the studio.

Abrams, a self-described "Star Wars" fanboy, told Reuters he was feeling the pressure of releasing the film into the world.

"There are certainly nerves showing the movie to 1,000-plus people tonight but I feel very confident in the work that was done by the actors. So, if nothing else, I know people will enjoy watching their performances," he said.

Hamill said the new film can't live up to the expectations of the devoted "Star Wars" fan base.

"It's only a movie and if you think you're going to go into the movie and recapture your childhood you're setting yourself up for disappointment," he said.

Reviews of the new film are embargoed until Wednesday but at the premiere screening, the audience were in high spirits, often cheering when familiar faces popped up on screen.

Early reactions on Twitter were positive, with Los Angeles Times reporter Glenn Whipp saying "Quite simply: This is the STAR WARS movie you're looking for."

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Disney's 'Star Wars' marketing force reaches for female fans

"Star Wars" actress Daisy Ridley smiles on the cover of Glamour magazine, Stormtrooper necklaces are on sale at Kay Jewelers, and commercials for the new film "The Force Awakens" are running during Kim Kardashian's reality TV show.

Walt Disney Co is reaching out to women and girls to broaden the franchise's male-dominated audience and help recoup the $4 billion it spent to buy "Star Wars" producer Lucasfilm. Female fans may determine if "Force Awakens" meets projections for record-breaking box office returns after it opens Dec. 18.

The casting of Ridley, 23, as the film's star plus a flood of R2-D2 purses, BB-8 dresses and other merchandise suggest Disney is courting the female young adult audience that turned movies such as "The Hunger Games" into blockbusters, said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co.

"The guys are already in," Bock said. "If you can get that 'Hunger Games' and 'Twilight' fan base to join up, then you are talking about possibly $700 million domestically, maybe even more."

Only one film, "Avatar," reached that level, selling $760 million worth of tickets in the United States and Canada after its December 2009 release. Disney has honed its strategy in recent years, though, with superhero and action franchises.

Stars of "The Avengers" visited talk shows such as "The View," and the sequel, "Age of Ultron," had two leading female characters. About 40 percent of opening weekend audiences was female for both films, according to Shawn Robbins, senior analyst at BoxOffice.com.

While it's difficult to quantify the gender breakdown of fans historically, earlier "Star Wars" movies featured just one main female character - always royalty.

In the "Force Awakens", Ridley's character, Rey, was created as a scrappy scavenger and a pilot, not a princess. In movie trailers, Rey battles with a staff-like weapon, not unlike "Hunger Games" warrior Katniss Everdeen and her bow and arrow. Gwendoline Christie plays the first female villain, Captain Phasma. Actress Lupita Nyong'o has a significant role, and Carrie Fisher is back as Princess Leia, now a general.

"We have female stormtroopers and female resistance pilots," director J.J. Abrams told Reuters. "There are female voices and energy throughout." It is important, Abrams said, "that we give people a chance to see themselves in the movie."

Trailers to promote the film highlight Rey's prominence. Disney has placed those previews in commercials for females of all ages, according to a person aware of the studio's marketing plan. That ranges from TV commercials in shows such as "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," "Jane the Virgin" and the "Real Housewives" series to ads on mobile video games popular with young girls. "Force Awakens" stars appeared in interviews that aired during Disney Channel shows.

Tailored messages

Beyond featuring women, the company appears to be tailoring some of its messages to females, said Alvin Lieberman, a marketing professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. In a four-minute comedy sketch on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Harrison Ford and Chewbacca resolved a purported feud with an endearing, hug-it-out moment.

"That is not what your high-adrenaline, action-oriented male population is looking to see," Lieberman said of the video, which has been viewed more than 1.1 million times on YouTube. "It sells the characters."

And while Rey looks tough in the trailers, the "Star Wars" women show a feminine side in some promotions. In addition to Ridley appearing on the covers of "Glamour" and "Elle," Nyong'o was on "Vogue." None of those magazines put star Natalie Portman on their covers ahead of the last "Star Wars" film, "Revenge of the Sith," in 2005.

For "Star Wars," the message is getting through. A National Retail Federation survey found, for the first time, that "Star Wars" toys ranked among the top 10 that parents would buy for girls this holiday shopping season.

The new movie is also stirring enthusiasm online among female fans eager to see its women in action, said Annette Cardwell, who works in content programming at social network Wikia, which hosts "Star Wars" fan sites.

"Even Princess Leia, who was always pivotal and always central, she was not Luke Skywalker," Cardwell said. "Rey feels like she is the new focal point."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Rollo Ross in Los Angeles. Editing by Peter Henderson and John Pickering)

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'Star Wars' memorabilia fetches more than $500,000

NEW YORK, United States - "Star Wars" super fans snapped up some of the space film saga's rarest merchandise on the planet for more than $500,000 at auction on Friday, Sotheby's announced in New York.

More than 600 items found new homes in the sale organized by Sotheby's and eBay -- just days before the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the seventh movie in arguably the world's biggest movie franchise.

The space epics have grossed billions of dollars at the box office worldwide since the first film came out in 1977 and spawned a pop culture phenomenon, drawing legions of hardcore fans.

All items in the auction came from the private collection of Japanese designer and creative entrepreneur Nigo, who started collecting toys and figures decades ago at just six years old.

The online auction netted combined sales of $502,202, Sotheby's said.

The most expensive lot was a pristine, unopened packet of seven action figures from "The Empire Strikes Back" which fetched $32,500 -- three times the estimate.

Two complete sets of "Power of the Force" coins, which were available only by special request from the manufacturer Kenner, sold for $27,500.

A Luke Skywalker doll, which hit the market in 1978 as a children's toy, sold for $25,000, above its upper estimate of $18,000.

Also never removed from the packaging, it is one of only 20 confirmed examples of the doll, Sotheby's said.

The figurine, with a rare two-piece telescoping lightsaber, was quickly withdrawn from the market "due to the propensity for the lightsaber to snap off," Sotheby's said.

There was also a strong market in helmets. A replica of a "Star Wars: A New Hope" Stormtrooper from 2007 fetched $8,125, the auction house said.

Sotheby's consultant James Gallo says the results demonstrated the quality of Nigo's collection and the enduring appeal of the 'Star Wars' universe.

"We set a number of benchmark prices today, reflecting the strength of this market," he said.

Sotheby's, set up in 18th century London and best known for selling fine art masterpieces, called in Gallo to value the collection, which he spent a week and a half sorting through.

From the United States to Russia to China, the franchise has a fan base spanning generations. The films' psychology has even found its way onto university syllabuses.

"It's merchandised more than most," the Pennsylvania-based Gallo, who owns store Toy and Comics Heaven, told AFP last week.

"There isn't much that can compare."

He said that "Star Wars" collectors would proudly display their hard-won memorabilia like anything else -- and certainly would not snap open the packets and play with the dolls.

"It's up to each individual how they enjoy the items they have. It's just like anything else, whether it be fine art or sports collectibles," Gallo said.

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LOOK: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' exhibit in Manila

MANILA - The force is strong in this exhibit.

Currently on display at the Mall of Asia Main Atrium is the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" exhibit, which is highlighted by a gigantic version of the X-wing fighter jet.

Yes, it's big enough for you to sit in the cockpit.

Here, guests can take a look at Star Wars action figures, play games on the wide screens, buy merchandise, use light sabers, star in video clips and pose for photos.

The exhibit, a campaign set up to promote the upcoming movie "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," runs until January 23, 2016.

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10 things I liked about the new Star Wars trailer

As of this writing, there are only 55 days left before the seventh "Star Wars" film hits theaters. I was 10 years old when the first "Star Wars" film was shown. For someone weaned on comic books, it was easy to love the film and I became an instant fan buying the the merchandise, the books including its expanded universe, and what have you. And say what you will about the prequels but I loved them too.

And now "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is closer than it's ever been. The new trailer, timed to perfection and as of this writing with close to 40 million views, has all the more left fans salivating.

Here’s are 11 scenes from the new trailer that I liked.

1. Rey dressed up as a Tusken Raider exploring the downed Star Destroyer

This was the perfect way to open the new trailer. Rey dressed up as a Tusken Raider exploring the downed Imperial Star Destroyer. There’s a sense of wonder, discovery, and mystery. And Rey sitting in a tent in the desert with this dreamy look, it reminded me of how George Lucas wrote the intro for Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars" where he said he was a farm boy who was bored beyond belief and yearned for adventure among the stars. Deja vu all over again.

Wonderful, wonderful intro with that voice of “Who are you?” That doesn’t sound like Princess Leia or even Gwendoline Christie’s Captain Phasma. So is that Maz Kanata?

2. Starkiller base

The scene at the Empire’s Starkiller base with the huge red banner reminded me of the Nuremberg rallies especially the picture from the 1934 rally. The Empire is alive and well.

3. Finn’s change of heart

During the Star Wars celebration last April, John Boyega, the actor who plays Finn was asked if he was indeed a Stormtrooper since the first scene of the first-ever trailer showed him. Boyega and director JJ Abrams were tight-lipped. The new trailer looks like it gives away that Finn does have a change of heart. In the trailer, Finn says, "I was raised to do one thing.” So he, Finn, defects. Now does he steal a tie fighter that crash-lands on Jakku? He now forms the new team — similar to Luke, Han, and Leia — with Poe Dameron, and Rey.

4. "I will finish what you started."

What will Kylo Ren, the heir to Darth Vader, finish? Creating a new Death Star? Crushing the rebellion? I don’t think it’s the former as the Empire has lost two Death Stars to the rebellion. There has to be a more cost-effective way for crushing the rebellion.

5. Poe Dameron being tortured by Kylo Ren.

If you read the new comics from Marvel titled, "Shattered Empire," Kes Dameron and Shara Bey were revealed to be husband and wife with a son named Poe. After the Battle of Endor, Bey’s commander, L’ulo, put in the paperwork discharging Bey so she could live in peace and quiet with Kes and Poe.

Before her discharge from the rebel army in "Shattered Empire,” Bey joined Luke Skywalker in liberating two trees that are known to be one with the Force from the Imperials. Luke gives one tree to Bey who looks to have settled down in a planet that resembles Yavin. So was Yavin destroyed much like Alderaan in "Star Wars: A New Hope?”

In the first trailer cut for “The Force Awakens,” Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker voices over "The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power too.” And the first face we see after Mark’s voice trails off is Poe Dameron.

So does Poe Dameron have the Force in him?

6. Millennium Falcon being chased by tie fighters.
Just like old times. Perhaps the Falcon is damaged and needs repairs and that leads Han Solo and Chewbacca to meet Rey and Finn.

7. "There were stories about what happened."

The new film takes place 30 years after the Battle of Endor. Who knows what is myth or reality? Han Solo, tells Rey, “It’s true. All of it.” No reboot, folks. New films; new continuity.

8. Kylo Ren drawing his light saber with a group of men in shadows.

Based on the initial info coming out of "The Force Awakens," Kylo Ren is leader of the Knights of Ren. Shades of the Nazgul. How different are the Sith from the Knights of Ren?

In “Shattered Empire,” Leia senses Darth Maul who looked to have kicked the bucket in “The Phantom Menace” only to return during the Clone Wars as half-humanoid, half-cyborg as he was cleaved in half by Obi Wan Kenobi.

Darth Sidious, who is actually the Emperor Palpatine, kept Maul in reserve. He could make a surprise appearance.

So we could see a splintered Empire with two different groups.

9. Rey crying & Finn vs. Kylo Ren

Whose body is that? Finn’s? Han Solo? Or is it Luke? In every first film of every Star Wars trilogy, someone dies.

In “The Phantom Menace,” it was Qui-Gon Jin. In “A New Hope,” it was Obi-Wan Kenobi. So those are two Jedis who kick the bucket in each trilogy opener.

By trailer’s end, we see Finn going up against Kylo Ren. So is it Finn?

It could be Luke because by trailer’s end...

10. Han and Leia embrace looking very sad.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" cannot come soon enough.

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VIRAL: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' trailer

Everyone is excited for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," with the newly released trailer instantly going viral.

The trailer, which runs for two minutes and 35 seconds, was released on the Star Wars YouTube page on Monday. In just a few hours, the clip garnered over two million views.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is a continuation of the saga created by George Lucas. It is set 30 years after "Return of the Jedi."

Watch the viral trailer of the movie.

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'Star Wars' sets record pre-sales in UK; US tickets on sale Monday

British "Star Wars" fans snapped up tens of thousands of tickets on Monday for "The Force Awakens," hours before advance bookings are due to open in the United States.

Although Disney is keeping the plot of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" under wraps until the Dec. 18 release, British movie theater chains reported record business for advance tickets, underscoring projections that the movie will take in about $2 billion globally.

"It's been our busiest day ever for online bookings in the UK," British cinema chain Odeon said in a statement, acknowledging that some customers experienced booking delays.

British chain Vue Entertainment said it had sold 10,000 tickets within the first 90 minutes, with some customers facing issues purchasing online.

Tickets for US screenings of "The Force Awakens" are due to go on sale on Monday night, after Walt Disney Co debuts a trailer on sports channel ESPN during halftime of the NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.

The movie, which brings back actors Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher who starred in the original 1977 film, is expected to gross about $100 million in North America alone on its opening weekend, Rentrak's senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said.

He said the film could earn over $2 billion globally, putting it with the world's two biggest-grossing movies, "Avatar" and "Titanic."

"This is maybe the most anticipated movie of the last 10 years," Dergarabedian said.

"Star Wars," created by filmmaker George Lucas, has grossed more than $4.4 billion globally since 1977 with six films. "The Force Awakens", directed by J.J. Abrams, is the first of three new "Star Wars" movies being produced by Disney since it purchased the franchise from Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05 billion.

Fans have seen two teasers: November's 88-second trailer and April's 2-minute trailer, which showcased a new cast of characters led by newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. Disney has buffered the film's release with strategically timed events such as April's Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, and May's "May The 4th Be With You" Star Wars day.

"Disney has done a very good job of keeping the ebb and flow of their marketing and information at just the right pace," Dergarabedian said.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bernard Orr)

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