Holy upset, YA fans! The results are in for Hollywood Crush's poll of the top teen reads of 2011, and after tens of thousands of votes, the winner is none other than "The Future of Us," by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler! The quirky collaboration beat out the week's oft-leader, Cassandra Clare's "Clockwork Prince," by a mere 1 percent of the vote with Richelle Mead's "Bloodlines" rounding out the top three.

See the full results!

For the uninitiated, "The Future of Us" follows childhood friends Emma and Josh, who, in 1996, stumble upon a then-yet-to-be-invented website called Facebook. The two discover their fates as adults and learn the ripple effect their day-to-day decisions have on their futures.

Read More...

Tags , , ,

Taylor SwiftOne of the first maxims any would-be journalists learns is that the news never sleeps (or takes a holiday). And so it was late last week, when, as most of us were busy decking the halls and scouring Wal-Mart for that last-minute gift for Aunt Bertha, the first song from the T-Bone Burnett-produced "Hunger Games" soundtrack dropped on iTunes.

"Safe & Sound" by Taylor Swift, featuring The Civil Wars, is a breathy, ethereal ditty heavy on the songstress' signature country twang. With lyrics like, "Just close your eyes/ The sun is going down/ You'll be all right/ No one can hurt you now," the ballad is an exercise in hopeful melancholy. (Sound like a certain dystopian YA series?)

Read More...

Tags , , , ,

Ryan GoslingWe could spend the better part of a day listing all the ways in which we're green with envy over actress Eva Mendes, but first and foremost would be her new romance with our boyfriend Ryan Gosling. And as we nurse our broken heart, here she is pouring salt in the wound by playing the hottie's wife in a new Funny or Die video. Ouch.

The clip, titled "Drunk History Christmas," features an inebriated man reciting the classic tale "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," as Eva, Ryan and Jim Carrey (he of the rosy cheeks and a belly that jiggles like a bowl full of jelly) act out the parts.

Of course, we would watch Ryan watch paint dry, but it's especially nice seeing him in a small part that highlights his comedic chops (especially at this festive time of year). Also, who knew those old-timey sleeping caps could look so...hot?

Check out "Drunk History Christmas" after the jump! (NSFW language, BTW)

Read More...

Tags , , , ,

We've bestowed our Girl Crush honor upon a number of butt-kicking actresses, including Lily Collins, Teresa Palmer and Nina Dobrev, but none have undergone a transformation quite as complete as Rooney Mara did in order to portray hacker-punk Lisbeth Salander in the big-screen adaptation of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." (Chica pierced her NIPPLE for Ikea's sake!) So, in honor of her intense dedication to the role and the film's opening tomorrow, we've named the star this week's Girl Crush.

In exchange for the title, we asked Rooney to divulge her own Girl Crush. "Lykke Li," she said, citing the 25-year-old musician whose "Possibility" appeared on the "New Moon" soundtrack. "I just saw her live for the first time a few weeks ago, and I've had a Girl Crush on her ever since."

Read More...

Tags , ,

If you've ever dreamt of clutching a tiny gold man, while sniffling a "thank you" to your third-cousin-twice-removed as Jack Nicholson looks on, well, we have just the thing for you. "Young Adult" star Charlize Theron stopped by the MTV newsroom recently to teach our own Josh Horowitz (and you, of course!) how to win an Oscar.

Yep, as we're sure you're aware, Ms. Theron won a statuette for her turn as a crazed killer in 2003's "Monster," so she's uniquely qualified to offer her professional advice on the topic. For starters, you best land a role as a real person (rather than a fictional one), if you want a nod. (For the record, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Charlize's "Young Adult" character, Mavis Gary, is totally real.*)

Read More...

Tags , , ,

More often than not, my desk resembles a teen's lending library rather than an adult's workspace. And I'm totally cool with that because I wouldn't want to miss out on even one of the amazing reads that came out this year. As another 365 days of vampire romances, dystopian thrillers and murder mysteries comes to a close, it seems the opportune time to reflect on the year in YA.

And what a year it was. We were introduced to a handful of debut authors who are bound to leave their mark on the literary scene (we're looking at you, Veronica Roth, Marie Lu and Tahereh Mafi!). We dove into new series from old favorites (Richelle Mead's "Bloodlines"). And we continued our adventures with the usual suspects (Cassandra Clare, Ally Condie and Melissa de la Cruz). We stayed up late, reading just one more chapter until it was dawn, shuffling into school or the office like so many brain-hungry zombies. And we adored every second of it. And now it's time for you, Crushers, to declare your undying love and devotion for the book that made your year. What was your favorite YA novel of 2011? Vote in our poll after the jump!

(The poll closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on December 25. We'll announce the winner on December 27.)

Read More...

Tags

Few silver-screen styles have been as instantly recognizable as Lisbeth Salander's, the raven-haired, pierced punk-hacker portrayed by actress Rooney Mara in the upcoming "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (hitting theaters December 20). As such, we were thrilled to catch up with costumer Trish Summerville at last night's New York City premiere, where she not only talked about styling Salander but also her just-released "Dragon Tattoo"-inspired line at H&M.

"I worked really closely with David Fincher when we first started the film, before Rooney was even cast," Trish told us about her frequent collaborator. "We did a lot of research on Swedish fashion, just made sure her clothes were authentic and worn down."

In addition to Fincher's input, Trish said that Rooney herself had a hand in selecting items for the fierce heroine. "In the beginning, I think it was quite overwhelming for her because she had to dive in so whole-heartedly into everything. But along the way there were pieces she was more drawn to, and we'd sit down and pick what she'd wear for different scenes."

Read More...

Tags , ,

It took a little more than three hours, but one "Hunger Games" fan's sleuthing paid off.

With 100 days to go until the film's release, Lionsgate celebrated by launching an online scavenger hunt, in which 100 puzzle pieces were distributed across the web (including here at Hollywood Crush). The #HungerGames100 Poster Puzzle Hunt tasked fans with not only finding each portion, but piecing them together to reveal a new poster for the adaptation. @johnshoward was the first to tweet out an image of the finished puzzle, and we have no doubt this fresh bit of collateral will leave fans hungrier than ever for the film's March 23 release.

See the full image after the jump!

Read More...

Tags , ,

2011 will be remembered as the year in which Harry Potter cast his ultimate spell, Bella and Edward finally did it and a band of six funny ladies made projectile poop appealing (sort of). But, if there was one star who shone a bit brighter than the rest this year, it was undoubtedly Hollywood Crush's official celebrity boyfriend, Mr. Ryan Gosling.

Whether he was breaking up a street fight or flaunting a six-pack that would send Taylor Lautner crying to the gym, the 31-year-old was everywhere this year, doing what he does with class and foxiness to spare. As such, today's Best of 2011 poll is dedicated to all things Gos. We're asking you to pick your favorite Ryan moment from this year (as if that were even possible), so let's run through the nominees...

Read More...

Tags ,

Ready those texting fingers, "Pretty Little Liars" fans, because we have some major news you'll want to blast across your social network. Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the identity of A—the mysterious texter terrorizing the teen inhabitants of Rosewood—will be revealed in the season two finale airing March 19! The report also noted that someone will be arrested for Alison's murder (the same someone revealed to be A?) and that a beloved character will be killed (don't worry, it won't be one of the four leads).

It's a huge revelation indeed, seeing as much of the conflict in the ABC Family series has revolved around A's manipulative messages and the havoc they wreak. In fact, the news sent us into total bloodhound mode, sniffing for any and all clues as to who exactly A could be. We've fingered five likely suspects after the jump (evidence included). Check out our hunches, leave your own and vote in our poll to tell us who YOU think A is.

Read More...

Tags