MTV enlists stars for awards shorts

MTV has enlisted a slew of talent to play a big role in Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards.

Stars like Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr and Jack Black have signed on to create their own short films to premiere during the show.

Adam Sandler and Mike Myers are also getting in on a piece of the action. Sandler’s short features him in character from his upcoming movie "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" while Myers created two new characters for his two short films.

Myers will host the Movie Awards, which airs live from Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City.

"In the past, our short films have been parodies of films, where we've come up with the ideas and presented them to the studios for their approval," said Robin Reinhardt-Locke, senior vice president of studio relations and celebrity talent at MTV360. "This time, we're putting the creative control in the stars' hands."

The celebrities have embraced the idea and are very excited about it. Stiller hired his own writer and director, Mike Bender and Nick Stoller, to work on the short, which Robin described as a "very funny tribute to viral films".

The awards, however, has not totally done away with the spoof films. MTV put the call out for resourceful budding filmmakers around the world to make short parodies of recent films. A team of experts have determined the seven funniest movie spoofs, and one of them will walk away with a Flip Video camcorder, as well as the Golden Popcorn trophy.

The MTV Movie Awards, now in its 17th year, also acts as a promotional tool for upcoming movies, including those released by Paramount Pictures, MTV’s corporate sister.

"The Movie Awards truly kick off the bulk of the summer movie season, and the studios understand the power and positioning of the show and our audience reach," Reinhardt-Locke said.

In trying to generate more buzz over the awards show and the movies, MTV will hold a "2008 MTV Movie Awards Sneak Peek Week," which gives fans the opportunity to catch several films prior to their opening as well as to participate in a question and answer session with the stars. Movies screened include "Zohan," "The Foot Fist Way," "The Rocker," "Get Smart," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Pineapple Express."

Unlike other awards shows, the destiny of the coveted golden popcorn lies in the hands of the viewers. Fans cast their votes online to support their favorite nominees in nine categories including Best Fight, Best Kiss, Best Male/Female Performance and Best Summer Movie So Far.

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