The Oscars have been handed out, so now it’s time for the Golden Popcorn.
The MTV Movie Awards nominations have been released, and it’s an unsurprising bunch, replete with movies based on young adult novels and categories that one won’t expect to join the Academy Awards in this century (sample category: Best On-Screen Dirtbag).
The MTV Movie Awards first aired in 1992, and are selected by viewers instead of a roster of film industry professionals or critics. The program’s flashy, irreverent style has made it a consistent hit with the sort of viewer that plays video games or softball on Oscar night.
Early on, the awards tended to pick a number of films that were actually good, or at least respectable choices considering the age of the average MTV viewer. Long past winners for Best Movie include Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Pulp Fiction, Seven, and Scream. The last three winners were all Twilight films, with Transformers taking the prize the year before that, suggesting a serious shift in both the age and tastes of the MTV audience.
This year could potentially see the end of the Twilight winning streak, as the franchise’s entry will have to compete against the newer, higher grossing, and significantly better The Hunger Games. We can only hope, at least. There is a sign of a Hunger Games sweep: previous Performance winners Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson aren’t even nominated this year.
The show airs on MTV on June 3 at 9 p.m. Eastern.
Movie of the Year
- Bridesmaids
- The Hunger Games
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
- The Help
- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Best Male Performance
- Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
- Ryan Gosling, Drive
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
- Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games
- Channing Tatum, The Vow
Best Female Performance
- Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
- Kristin Wiig, Bridesmaids
- Emma Stone, Crazy, Stupid, Love
- Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
- Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Best Comedic Performance
- Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
- Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
- Zach Galifianakis, The Hangover Part II
- Jonah Hill, 21 Jump Street
- Oliver Cooper, Project X
Breakthrough Performance
- Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
- Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
- Liam Hemsworth, The Hunger Games
- Elle Fanning, Super 8
- Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Cast
- Bridesmaids
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
- The Hunger Games
- 21 Jump Street
- The Help
Best On-Screen Transformation
- Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games
- Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
- Johnny Depp, 21 Jump Street
- Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
- Colin Farrell, Horrible Bosses
Best Fight
- Daniel Radcliffe vs. Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
- Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludwig, The Hunger Games
- Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill vs. Kid Gang, 21 Jump Street
- Tom Hardy vs. Joel Edgerton, Warrior
- Tom Cruise vs. Michelle Nyqvist, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Best Kiss
- Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, Crazy, Stupid, Love
- Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
- Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games
- Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, The Vow
- Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Best Gut-Wrenching Performance
- Bridesmaids (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McClendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper)
- The Help (Bryce Dallas Howard)
- 21 Jump Street (Jonah Hill and Rob Riggle)
- Drive (Ryan Gosling)
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (Tom Cruise)
Best On-Screen Dirt Bag
- Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
- Jon Hamm, Bridesmaids
- Jennifer Aniston, Horrible Bosses
- Colin Farrell, Horrible Bosses
- Oliver Cooper, Project X
Best Music
- “Party Rock Anthem,” LMFAO (21 Jump Street)
- “A Real Hero,” College with Electric Youth (Drive)
- “The Devil Is in the Details,” Chemical Brothers (Hanna)
- “Impossible,” Figurine (Like Crazy)
- “Pursuit of Happiness,” Kid Cudi (Steve Aoki remix) (Project X)