There are just two days left before the big night on Sunday when the MTV Movie Awards take over the Universal Studios lot here in Universal City, California.

The team of lighting technicians, engineers, stage designers and riggers all worked overtime and well into the night to create what is, in my opinion, the best-looking stage we've ever had here at the Movie Awards. From the massive, sweeping staircase that the presenters and performers walk down to the two giant robots onstage and the massive screens and thousands of lights, it looks amazing — and it's not even finished yet!

Andy Samberg just walked onstage to start rehearsing so I couldn't help but stick around for his opening lines. If his opening monologue is anything to go by, he's going to be very, very, very funny! Read more...

Hi, Twilighters! Today, I had the great pleasure of spending the day at the home of "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke. She has a beautiful place a stone's throw away from the world-famous Venice Beach, and we paid her a visit to talk about her film's seven nominations at the MTV Movie Awards and relive the first time Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson met.

It was a great day of filming, and believe me: "Twilight" fans are not going to want to miss any of this!

We talked about the first "chemistry screen test" between Kristen and Rob. Kristen had to act out a scene with five different potential Edwards, one after another, with Catherine deciding that Robert was "the one" the first time the two kissed — which, as all Twilighters know, happened in Catherine's bedroom. Read more...

I love the MTV Movie Awards. My first onscreen debut for MTV in the States was hosting the 2007 Movie Awards pre-show, so it kind of marks my anniversary here, and I'm thrilled to be back in Los Angeles for this year's show.

But before everything got started at the Gibson Amphitheatre, I took advantage of my first Memorial Day Weekend in America and hit the road (big shout to my good friend Michael Artone at Aston Martin Beverly Hills for the truly incredible Aston Martin DB9 Vantage) to the party capital of the world, Las Vegas.

Vegas was the busiest I have ever seen it, packed with people from all over America and beyond including MTV favourites Asher Roth and Soulja Boy Tell'em, who both performed there over the weekend. And although he has the hottest anthem in the world right now with "Turn My Swag On" Soulja Boy's still not of age to hit the casino floor, so he had to take his party back to the room after his monster performance. (Something tells me he still had fun, though!)

I stuck to my three-day Vegas rule, and as soon as the big weekend was over, I headed back to L.A.

Read more...

Frankie Delgado isn't taking his new gig as MTV Movie Awards weekend guest host lightly. The "Hills" star showed up to the morning news meeting ready to learn everything he can from the best in the business — Sway and Tim Kash — about how to be an on-air personality.

Sway laid the ground rules for Delgado, telling him, "Don't be late!" He then warned him that one of his fashion accessories should only be worn by longtime reporters: "Only the vets can wear shades!"

Then Frankie and Tim had a heart-to-heart about what he should expect while working the awards show alongside Lo Bosworth and Stephanie Pratt on Sunday.

"I want to see a stage," Frankie told Tim about what he expects from Sunday. "Belly dancers! I want to see Britney Spears, T.I." After Tim let him know he won't be seeing that stuff, he said, "Then I guess I want to see Andy Samberg. I got one!"

That you did, Frankie! To see if the reality star listened to Tim and Sway, check Frankie out before Sunday's big show at 9 p.m. ET.

With the MTV Movie Awards only days away and a new gig as one of our MTV Movie Awards weekend guest hosts, Lo Bosworth is hitting the gym to make sure she's fit in time for Sunday. She also has to look good for the "Hills" season finale, which airs at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, right before the awards show.

Lo has been spending a lot of quality time with her trainer, Garret, this week, doing some kickboxing. "You have to be in shape," she told MTV News. "You have to look good in your dress. This is hard work, you guys!"

Lo, who punched, kicked and squatted her way to get red-carpet-ready, will be looking good and fit alongside her fellow "Hills" buddies Frankie Delgado and Stephanie Pratt as they all make their way around L.A. to find out all the latest news leading up to the awards show.

If you want to see just how trim Lo ended up getting from all her kickboxing, then you'll just have to tune in to the big show Sunday at 9 p.m. ET to find out!

Whatever our New York colleagues say, any day that begins with a billowing, anvil-shaped clouds of smoke rising over the location of your massive live event, and ends twenty-one hours later is work.

Despite the three alarm fire smoldering just down the hill from our red, er, gold carpet, and the momentary chance that the local fire warden may cancel the proceedings, MTV News’ “Coming Attractions” pre-show came off without a hitch.

What's more, the 2008 MTV Movie Awards were as awesomely absurd as ever. Of course, the News team was all over it. Here's a sampling:

· We covered the gold carpet, including what you didn't see.

· We caught the action onstage and backstage.

· We unveiled the full, uncensored clip of "Pineapple Express" stars James Franco and Seth Rogen lightin' up during the Movie Awards.

· And we had lunch with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Ok, so there was some upside.

Check out behind-the-scenes pics after the jump...
Read more...

Since pretty much the entire MTV News department is in LA right now, getting oxygen facials with Shia LaBeouf in the lead-up to the MTV Movie Awards (live! this Sunday! 8pm!), we will continue to mock them for being horrible Hollywood sycophants. (Seriously, we love it here in Times Square. You could not tear us away. Go ahead and drink mochatinis with Jake Gyllenhaal at the Chateau, Josh Horowitz. We. Do. Not. Care.)

Case in point, here’s a roundup of the “work” the News department put in yesterday:

· Tim Kash tackled Rodeo Drive and In-N-Out Burger. Tough.

· MTV News snuck these two Movie Award shorts out of the edit.

· Josh wrestled “Transformers 2” casting news out of The Rocker and Rainn Wilson.

· The LA team got World Extreme Cagefighting Featherweight contendors Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver to handicap the Best Fight nominees.

· And some hard-working producers got William Shatner to explain his 1992 MTV Movie Awards Spoken-Word Performance.

· Oh, and somehow Kim hasn't gotten around to taking the Studio Tour yet, but it's not a total loss.

This is all building up to MTV News’ “Coming Attractions” pre-show, airing this Sunday! right before the Movie Awards! at 7:30pm ET! And you will not miss this, of course, because Tim Kash can easily figure out where you live.

As we mentioned briefly yesterday, pretty much the entire MTV News department (well, 70%?) is out in LA right now, sipping diet vodka coolers underneath palm trees while being fanned by Gary Busey. This is because they are all (cough) “preparing” for the MTV Movie Awards (live! this Sunday! 8pm! excitement!). And yes, we can write our co-workers up as slackers because they are not here right now.

Here’s some of the star-studded absurdity that passed as “work” for MTV News in LA yesterday:

· Tim Kash caught up with “The Foot Fist Way” star Danny McBride, writer/director Jody Hill, and a little-known producer named Will Ferrell. (Tim says that punk’s not going anywhere, and fast.)

· We got mani/pedis with "House Bunny" stars Anna Faris, Emma Stone, and Katharine McPhee. (Tyson Ritter’s in that too.)

· News correspondent Kim Stolz began soliciting questions for "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Because you crazy kids love you some “Twilight.”

· Kim also needs your help picking her red carpet dress. Seriously -- that’s hard work.

This is all building up to MTV News' "Coming Attractions" pre-show, airing this Sunday! right before the Movie Awards! at 7:30pm ET! And you will not miss this, of course, because our Movies team (in the Sneak Peek Week clip above) can totally sick Verne Troyer on you.