Working the MTV Movie Awards red carpet is a little like downing a bottle of Nyquil after watching Entertainment Tonight. "Oh, there goes Will Ferrell...I think Paris Hilton just looked at me...gosh, Miley Cyrus wears expensive shoes for a 16-year-old..." Everything seems to be in technicolor, and all the stars are literally at your fingertips (if you're lucky, they even repeatedly, yet inadvertantly touch your arm - thanks, Peter Facinelli!). 7x7 was there to capture the dream:
Mix Master Mike, DJ and contributing member of the Beastie Boys
7x7: Are you excited for tonight?
I’m very excited.
7x7: I’m very excited to be talking to you – I’m a big fan.
Oh, thank you.
7x7: I’m from San Francisco and I know you’re a Bay Area guy.
Oh, the Yay Area.
Favorite San Francisco spot, I would say, the Fillmore district.
7x7: Have you guys played the Fillmore before?
Yes, definitely
Mix Master Mike
All photos courtesy of Melissa Goodman
7x7: What can we expect next from the Beastie Boys?
Well, Mix Master Mike is doing a show in San Francisco in Hunter’s Point, so everybody, come down. Hunter’s Point, HP in effect, y’all. But, we’re on tour right now, Beastie Boys got a new record coming out. Mix Master Mike got a new record coming out, and it’s called Plasma Rifle, so check it out. And along with that, a new set of Mix Master Mike headphones that are coming out, and also there’s a video game called Scratch that’s coming out, so be on the lookout for that. And also we have a new DJ agency called Copeland Entertainment.
7x7: Are the Invisibl Scratch Piklz still around?
We’re in talks right now.
Robert Hoffman and Carter Jenkins from the upcoming, Aliens in the Attic. Rob starred in last year’s Step Up 2: The Streets, and Carter has been in Keeping Up With the Steins, and on television shows like Surface.
7x7: Are you guys excited for tonight?
Rob: I was here last year – I got the Best Kiss award.
7x7: That’s exciting – are you maybe gonna rush the stage tonight and try to re-enact it?
Rob: Maybe I should
7x7: (To Carter): You should probably watch out.
Rob: If the right girl is on stage, maybe I’ll go up and try to steal her.
Carter Jenkins (left) and Robert Hoffman
7x7: Are you guys rooting for anyone in particular tonight? (Long pause) You guys are such Zac Efron fans, I can tell.
Rob (laughing) Well, I was gonna say, we both talked about this and I think we’re most excited to hopefully run into the Jonas Brothers.
7x7: You’re Team Jonas.
Carter: I’m crossing my fingers right now. You can’t see it, but…
Rob: There’s word on the street that there’s gonna be a Jonas Brothers/Hanson duet onstage tonight.
7x7: Shut up. I thought you were gonna say battle rap or something, with Eminem.
Rob: Actually, there’s gonna be a sword fight between the Jonas Brothers – and I mean a legitimate ninja sword fight – between the Jonas Brothers and Hanson.
7x7: Bringing back the Hanson reference, nice. What music is on your guys’ iPods right now
Rob: I cannot get my fill of Silversun Pickups.
Carter: Yeah, he just got me into Silversun Pickups and I really like ‘em. And I’m really excited about Kings of Leon.
7x7: I was gonna say, are you excited to watch them perform?
Carter: I love K.O.L. I’m seeing them in August.
7x7: How about Eminem?
Robert: I’m excited. I think he’s a really brilliant lyricist. I love what he brings to the table.
Carter: Yeah, I’m pretty happy about that too.
Christian Serratos, plays Angela Weber in the Twilight series.
I did not even know they were showing the trailer until Mike [Welch] told me in the car, “they’re showing the trailer.”
7x7: They’re showing the trailer! I’m beyond excited – how do you feel? Are you so nervous, or are you excited for fans to finally see it?
No, I’m excited! Not even for the fans to see it – I’m excited to see it!
7x7: So how was the experience filming this time? It must have been a completely different world as opposed to the first one.
It was, but it wasn’t at the same time. I was really just excited to step off the plane and be with everyone again and kind of fall back into that world again. I was only filming for like a couple weeks, but I felt like that was home. So I just wanted to go back.
Christian Serratos
7x7: Can you give us any hints about the New Moon soundtrack? Do you know anything yet?
I don’t, but I’m really hoping Flyleaf is on it. I’ve been hoping for that since Twilight started.
7x7/SPIN: I’ve been hearing them a lot on my Twilight Pandora channel to be honest.
Really? Please! I would die if they didn’t put Flyleaf on the soundtrack!
7x7: So you have a little conundrum tonight: it’s gonna be Rob [Pattinson] versus Taylor [Lautner in the Breakthrough Male Performance category]. What are you gonna do?
I know, I don’t know. I think if they did a separate category for like Twilight Breakout and New Moon Breakout, it would go, Twilight: Rob, New Moon: Taylor
7x7: They did it on purpose. They’re trying to rile us up.
Bastards! I know! I don’t know why they would do that! All the fans are kicking and screaming right now!
7x7: Is there anyone you’re really excited to see tonight, un-Twilight related?
Hell yeah! Kings of Leon, Eminem, all the musical people at the movie awards.
7x7: What are you thinking about Eminem’s performance? I’m a little nervous – you never know what’s gonna come out of his mouth.
That’s why I’m excited. I want him to do something crazy.
Michael Welch, plays Mike Newton in the Twilight series.
No, no, I mean, we just finished filming New Moon, probably a couple weeks ago, so this is brand new for all of us. This is very exciting.
7x7: Are you excited for fans to finally get a look? You must be excited for yourself to get a look.
(Laughing) I’m excited for myself to get a look! Yeah, I’m curious to see how it looks and how it feels.
Michael Welch
7x7: What was it like filming this time, since you guys were already huge superstars?
Well, (laughs) thank you. I got my first sort of feel of paparazzi. They were all waiting for us when we got off the plane, which was totally different from the first film. Because, you know, Twilight was really all of us just sort of dipping our toe in the water. You know, we knew it was a successful series of books, but you never really know if it’s gonna translate to film. It did. And this time, we knew what we were getting ourselves into, and it was just a totally different experience. I mean, at that point we had all known each other, and I think it’s just gonna get better and better.
7x7: Can you tell us anything about the New Moon soundtrack? Do you know anything yet?
Ooh, I don’t know anything. I hope Rob [Pattinson] gets a couple more songs.
7x7: That’s what I’m hoping too.
I know, right?
7x7: I hope a lot of Rob happens on New Moon, but that’s just me. Are you looking forward to seeing anyone in particular?
Well tonight, honestly, I know this is the Movie Awards, but…
7x7: Eminem?
I’m thrilled about Em.
7x7: I sensed that about you.
Yeah, absolutely. And also Kings of Leon, but Eminem, I think he’s the greatest hip hop lyricist of all time, and I’m thrilled about it.
Kenny Ortega and Travis Payne. Ortega directed all three High School Musicals, will direct the remake of Footloose, and is working with Payne on Michael Jackson’s upcoming tour.
Kenny: Thank you so much.
7x7: Are you excited for tonight?
Kenny: We are. It’s just wonderful to be on the carpet with all these exciting artists and to be back at MTV, and to be sharing in this night.
7x7: Can you tell us a little bit about Footloose, coming up?
Kenny: You know, there’s really not too much that I can say right now, other than that it’s gonna be a big soundtrack, we’ve got a wonderful actor in Chase Crawford, we’re looking for a sizzling hot lady, and we’re gonna put together a dynamic creative team in hopes of bringing it into a new generation.
Travis Payne (left) and Kenny Ortega
7x7: How does music influence your directing?
Kenny: I grew up just so plugged into music from as far back as I can remember, it’s just in me. It’s just sort of a part of my language and a part of who I am. Music is always there, if I’m looking for the rhythm in a scene, or the rhythm in a line, or whether I’m choreographing something.
7x7: What call you tell us about the Michael Jackson tour?
Kenny: Travis, come on in, what can we talk about?
Travis: Well, we are very pleased to be working with Michael again for the third time, and creating this tour with him. And, you know, I think his fans will be pleased to see and hear his classics, as well as many new elements that we’re bringing to the table this time. And it’s just been such a wonderful process from the beginning, you know, being in the mirror with him every day, he’s in great form, great spirits, and he continues to be an inspiration to us all, and it’s just wonderful to be involved.
Shane Sparks, hip hop choreographer and judge on So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew
Not really. I’m just excited to see Eminem and hopefully get to see everyone who deserves to win, win.
7x7: Have you been watching the auditions for this season’s So You Think You Can Dance?
Oh my god, I’m watching it because I’m trying to see who the top 20 are gonna be that I’m gonna have to work with on the first episode.
7x7: Do you have any favorites yet?
No.
7x7: My photographer, Melissa, already has her picks for the Top 20.
Oh really? Top 20, but are they gonna be able to hang with me, though? Because I heard there’s not a lot of hip hop this year, so I got my work cut out for me this time. But I’m excited, though. The dancers always impress me, no matter what style of dance they come from. When it comes to me, because I work so well with people who don’t do my style, they always impress me, and they always give me a good show.
Shane Sparks
7x7: What inspires you, music-wise?
The music inspires the whole thing, as far as the choreography. If I hear the right music, that’s when I get the best choreography.
7x7: Is there anything currently you’re obsessing over?
“Boom Boom Pow” [by the] Black Eyed Peas. That’s jam right now, yeah.
7x7: Do you think we’re going to see a dance to that this season?
You’re definitely gonna see one because I was gonna use it, but somebody got it before me. But I got some other stuff by the Black Eyed Peas. There’s another song on there called “Imma Be” – ridiculous. So, I’m probably gonna end up using that, so I’m excited.
Ashley Greene, and Kellan Lutz who play Alice and Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series
Ashley: I’m excited for Best Movie, obviously, but I’m really rooting for Kristen [Stewart] to win Best Female Performance.
7x7: Do you know what we can expect on the New Moon soundtrack?
I have no idea – I love the Twilight one, so I know they’re gonna do just as great of a job.
7x7: Are you excited to see anyone in particular tonight?
Danny McBride.
Ashley Greene (left) and Kellan Lutz
