Whitney Houston shines in trailer for 'Sparkle' [Video]

Whitney Houston's final film performance in the the Motown musical drama "Sparkle" is upon us, with a bittersweet first look courtesy of a trailer that hit the Internet on Monday.

Houston plays a mother to three daughters seeking girl-group stardom in the 1960s, a performance in which she not only seems coherent as an actress but sounds more than competent in her vocal ability.

Alongside costars Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke and a super-coifed Cee Lo Green, Houston, who plays a  strict mama, looks to have a church-choir number in the film and a touch of art imitating life. Houston's character plays a former singer discouraging her girls from pursuing the same career. 

"Was my life not enough of a cautionary tale for you?" she poses to her fictional brood in the film, which opens Aug. 17.

Houston's passing hasn't, however, seemed to affect the real-life entertainment-industry ambitions of her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. The singer's only child with Bobby Brown has been cast on Tyler Perry's TBS show "For Better or Worse." 

Get a look at Whitney's swan song in the clip below, then tell us your thoughts on "Sparkle" in comments.

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Photo: Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston play daughter and mother in "Sparkle." Credit:  Alicia Gbur / Sony / Associated Press

 

'Breaking Dawn Part 2' trailer: Kristen Stewart as a vampire

The teaser trailer for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" is here — and Kristen Stewart's Bella Swan is a newborn vampire, y'all.

As "Breaking Dawn Part 1" ended with a fan-favorite human-to-immortal transformation scene for Bella, the first look at the final film in the franchise shows us how Stewart is getting down with her undead self: dashing, climbing, chowing on forest creatures and other badness.

"After 18 years of being utterly ordinary, I finally found that I could shine," Stewart says in the brief clip (below), which also features Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black.

The conclusion to the franchise will hit theaters in November, drawing to a close the tale of Edward and Bella and their struggles for eternal bliss. But Stewart's fellow actors are quite amused with her struggles as a new vamp.

"When she finally wore them and was complaining about them every second of the day," Pattinson said of the colored contact lenses the bloodsuckers are required to wear, "it was kind of satisfying."

What do you think of the "Breaking Dawn Part 2" teaser? Tell us in comments.

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Photo: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart take a fictional honeymoon dip in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1." Credit: Andre Cooper / Summit Entertainment.

 

Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron face off in 'Snow White' [Video]

Forget Dopey and Grumpy: Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron aren't messing around in "Snow White and the Huntsman."

Thursday saw the release of a teaser trailer for the dark retelling of the fairy tale, starring Stewart, Oscar-winner Theron and the able-bodied Chris Hemsworth. And from the looks of it, the "Twilight" star has a serious nemesis in Theron.

She's not a garden-variety villain, this queen, whom Theron has likened to a serial killer. The queen has some, shall we say, issues about the fairest of them all, and really isn't having any of Stewart's milky skin and flowing hair.

Cut to the hired gun played by Hemsworth, who is tapped to track down Stewart's forest-wandering character and deliver her back to Theron's queen, so she can just cut out KStew's heart and call it a day. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans. 

Check out the trailer below, and share your thoughts on the update in comments.

  

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Photo: Kristen Stewart suits up for "Snow White and the Huntsman." Credit: Universal 

Tom Cruise takes ‘Mission: Impossible’ to new heights [Video]

Tom Cruise went to great lengths, or should we say, great heights for his latest turn as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the new “Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol” (see the new trailer below).

His latest mission? Performing some of his own stunt work, including scaling the outside of the Burj Khalifa, also known as the tallest building on the planet! Towering over the city of Dubai, the skyscraper is a staggering 2,723 feet high.

Watch the featurette below as the 49-year-old jumps out a window, swings around the exterior and runs and climbs across the windows, all with the help of some hefty cables. As director Brad Bird says in the clip, “This is just another day at work on ‘Mission Impossible.’”

The new trailer offers a few more plot and action details, but mainly reinforces the premise that Hunt and his IMF (Impossible Missions Force) pals are going rogue after being framed for a terrorist bombing at the Kremlin in Moscow.

Ghost Protocol, some type of black ops mission, is initiated, and the espionage team is left on their  own to clear their names. However, if they are caught, they will be branded as terrorists seeking global nuclear war.

In addition to Cruise, Simon Pegg returns as gadget guru Benji Dunn, while Paula Patton joins as the female lead and Jeremy Renner as a brooding and mysterious new IMF agent named Brandt (rumored to be carrying on the franchise after Tom).

The action flick is set to open wide Dec. 21, with an early IMAX debut Dec. 16.

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Photo: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner, from left. Credit: Paramount Pictures

Angelina Jolie fans get a taste of ‘Blood and Honey’ [Video]

Angelina Jolie’s new trailer for "In the Land of Blood and Honey" hit the Web on Friday, and fans can finally see what all the hubbub is about.

At first the clip reveals two lovers, a Serbian man and Bosnian-Muslim woman, before a darker storyline emerges. It appears the couple was forced apart during the Bosnian war in 1992 and he’s taken her captive. "Am I a prisoner?" she asks. "You are not a prisoner if you want to be here," is his chilling reply.

Bosnian actors Zana Marjanovic and Goran Kostic star in the movie that was filmed in English and Serbo-Croat languages.

The drama marks Jolie's debut as writer and director, but getting the film made hasn’t been easy. In late 2010, "Blood and Honey" caused an uproar with female war victims in Bosnia over rumors that the film portrayed a love story between a rapist and his victim.

Jolie's filming permit was pulled by Sarajevo city officials over the controversy, but later reinstated after they reviewed the script. In the end, Jolie sent a second-unit director to film only three or four days in Bosnia instead of eight or 10, and opted to shoot more of the film in Hungary instead.

"There are many twists in the plot that address the sensitive nature of the relationship between the main characters and that will be revealed once the film is released," Jolie told Reuters at the time.

"In the Land of Blood and Honey' opens Dec. 23, just in time for awards season.

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Photo: Angelina Jolie at the "Money Ball" premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9. Credit: Associated Press.

New 'Breaking Dawn' trailer: Amazeballs, yes or no? [Video]

Seriously, you guys: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in the new "Breaking Dawn: Part 1" trailer. Where do we even begin?

First, let us tell you that Tuesday afternoon saw the release of a full, juicy trailer for the first part in Bill Condon's epic conclusion to the vampire franchise. While we already know the thriller sees the marriage of Stewart's Bella and Pattinson's Edward, not to mention continued shirtless discontent from Lautner, some new gems can be found.

Vampire-on-werewolf fighting, for starters, as Edward and Bella struggle to protect their unborn half-vampire/half-human baby (their honeymoon is fruitful, y'all). We also get an awesome look (Look! Below!) at the likes of Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz fighting off some of the wolf pack.

Then there's the heartbreaking last dance between Lautner and Stewart, as his character Jacob sends her Bella off to be transformed from human to vampire.

"This is how I'll remember you," Jacob whispers. "Pink cheeks, heartbeat. You'd think I'd be used to telling you goodbye by now."

Say a big "I Mean!" with us, won't you? And stay tuned for plenty of "Breaking Dawn: Part 1" coverage as we all steamroll toward the Los Angeles world premiere in November.

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-- Matt Donnelly
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Photo: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in a scene from the upcoming movie "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1." Credit: Andrew Cooper / Summit Entertainment / Associated Press.

'Amazing Spider-Man' trailer: Garfield clearly hit the gym [Video]

Andrew Garfield's "The Amazing Spider-Man" trailer hit the Web on Wednesday with the brooding British actor creeping into the darker Spidey role -- and costume -- of Stan Lee's beloved comic book character. 

Utters a svelte Garfield: "We all have secrets: The ones we keep and the ones that are kept from us."

Goodbye, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst; hello, Andrew and Emma Stone! Watch the trailer below.

In the Marvel reboot, "The Social Network" star plays Peter Parker and Stone plays lady love Gwen Stacy. As a child, Peter is sent by his parents to live with his aunt and uncle, and quite a bit of out-of-place, who am I? soul-searching appears to ensue. And after a sneaky trip to a lab, he transforms into the web-slinging, building-leaping arachnid superhero we've come to know. 

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"I related to Peter Parker so much because I felt like someone else inside," Garfield told Entertainment Weekly. "I loved the comic books and the animated TV series and I even dressed up as Spider-Man as a kid."

Director Marc Webb (how appropriate is his last name?!) seems to be following the same story line from the Sam Raimi-directed films, but with a darker tone.

"Ultimately what this movie is about is a kid who grows up looking for his father and finds himself. And that's a Spider-Man story we haven't seen before," Webb said.

Rhys Ifans will play the role of Doc Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard, one of Spider-Man's arch-enemies.

The film hits theaters July 3, 2012. Yes, nearly a full year from now. Thank you, Comic-Con.

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Photo: Andrew Garfield. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in new teaser trailer [Video]

"The Iron Lady" cometh -- and with her another award season likely featuring Meryl Streep.

We got a first glance at Streep, tapped to play former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in her finery in February. A new video features Meryl doing what Meryl does best: accents and costumes, and showing the men in the room how it's done.

The quick clip shows two male advisers recommending Thatcher shed her pearls and, ahem, high-pitched voice to better ascend to power in Britain. Watch below and see how well that goes over.

"The Iron Lady" will hit theaters in mid-December, at the height of nomination time.

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Photo: Meryl Streep gets her Margaret Thatcher on in the first still from "The Iron Lady." Credit: Pathe

 

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2' final trailer arrives [Video]

Daniel Radciffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint's newest "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" trailer has hit the Web, and may we say: ultra-nostalgia alert.

The eight-film franchise comes to a close July 15, and filmmakers haven't wasted a frame in indicating that this. Is. It.

The trailer, which builds on the momentum of the previous teaser, comes off as a greatest-hits collection from the franchise. That is, only to say that all the greatest hits are going to be destroyed because of the pending showdown between Harry and He Who Must Not Be Named, which shakes the boy wizard to the core. Gone are the charm and wunderkind of the first films, replaced by an apocalyptic war zone that befalls the magical world. Watch it above.

Also spotted in the fast-paced thrill ride are Harry's parents, baby Harry, Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Quidditch, Dementors, Death Eaters, fiendfyred Hogwarts, goblins, dragons, fights, flights and confrontations galore. There's tons of hand-holding, almost hand-holding and also a desperate kiss between Harry and his best friend's sister, Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright). 

Oddly, we didn't see any house elves, who seem to be replaced by knight statues in the battle of Hogwarts. (P.S.: Their story line is directly related to Ron and Hermione finally kissing, so we'll see how filmmakers have chosen to set that up.)

But the major goose-pimple-inducing line comes from the Boy Who Lived himself, and the epic music playing during its delivery doesn't do anything to calm our nerves.

"I never wanted any of you to die for me," he tells the ghosts of his parents and godfather and everyone else who's faced death and lost, trying to keep him alive.

Like we said: This. Is. It.

Is it July 15 yet??

What do you think of the newest trailer? Are you sad to see the series end? Tell us in comments.

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First look: Brad Pitt swings at high drama in 'Moneyball' trailer [Video]

Brad Pitt is stepping up to the plate in the new baseball drama "Moneyball."

The diamond-set flick is based on the true story of Billy Beane, the manager who successfully revived the Oakland A's baseball franchise on a dime.

While Pitt's recent "Tree of Life" delivers uber-dense dramatic fare, this testosterone-fueled exercise in sports triumph should properly align the actor with the audience that knows him best.

Look for cute cameos from Jonah Hill and a flash of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

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