Hollywood Crush › Beastly

We can only imagine what a jam-packed mess Vanessa Hudgens' iCal must be this month. After all, few Hollywood starlets are having as busy of a March as the "High School Musical" actress. Vanessa premiered her modern day fairy tale, "Beastly," earlier this month alongside dreamboat co-star Alex Pettyfer, and in fewer than two weeks, her kick-butt action flick "Sucker Punch" will storm into theaters. Yet, the 22-year-old somehow found time to cover Shape's April issue, in which she talks about bulking up, her design aspirations and saying good bye to beau Zac Efron.

If you've watched the trailer for "Sucker Punch" (which if you haven't yet, um, WHY!?!), you know the female ensemble film is not your average chick flick. These girls come out swinging, and to portray the character Blondie, Vanessa spent some serious time working on her fitness. "In the beginning, I could dead lift 135 pounds. By the end, I lifted 180. I was a monster!" she enthused. Pumping iron was a lot easier, though, with a gym-full of co-stars to keep her motivated. "I wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't for the other girls [Jena Malone, Abbie Cornish, Emily Browning, and Jamie Chung]. It's because of them that I got so strong." YES! Girl power at its finest.

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Tags Beastly, Shape Magazine, Sucker Punch, Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron

My personal, shameful secret is that I think Alex Pettyfer's bald and be-scarred look in "Beastly" is, uh, kind of incredibly sexy...or at least, it was a secret. Now it's internet news! But leading lady Vanessa Hudgens has her own ideas about what makes "Beastly"'s beastie so appealing —and it's got nothing to do with a fetish for hairlessness. (Not that I have one! I mean... yeah. Gonna just shut up now.)

"I feel like a lot of girls think it's easier to go under the radar, to not really stand up and let their true selves be out there and known," she explained. "And I feel like when that happens, a lot of girls look up to guys who embody that, who are just truly out there. And of course my character falls for that, as I think a lot of other girls would."

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Tags Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, Vanessa Hudgens, Video

by Breia Brissey

Once upon a time (a.k.a. now), in a faraway land (a.k.a. Hollywood) fairy-tale movies were all the rage. The kings and queens of Tinseltown (a.k.a. studio execs) issued a decree that some of my childhood favorites should be re-hashed. Enter "Beastly": a modern-day retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens, which hits theaters tomorrow. It’s a tale as old as time that apparently stands the test of time, too. "Beastly" comes 20 years after the release of the original Disney classic, and it's one of many animated stories to become a live-action feature film.

Don’t believe me? There are currently three (yes, three!) iterations of "Snow White" in the works, including one with Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen. And Amanda Seyfried stars in the updated "Red Riding Hood" (out March 11) directed by Catherine Hardwicke of "Twilight" fame. Interestingly, in addition to their modern adjustments, these films are being marketed to an older audience. Both "Beastly" and "Red Riding Hood" nabbed a PG-13 rating. And thus, my childhood collides with my adult life.

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Tags Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, The Little Mermaid, Vanessa Hudgens

In case the rumored roles in those three highly anticipated film versions of young adult book series "The Mortal Instruments," "The Hunger Games" and "The Seventh Son" don't work out for Alex Pettyfer, he's got a future in musicals. Sort of.

During my most recent chat with Alex and his "Beastly" co-star Vanessa Hudgens, I was not only offered the role of making his future career decisions for him, but enjoyed a brief serenade of a most unlikely song: "Breaking Free" from Vanessa's "High School Musical."

Now, how exactly did this come about during a conversation about their modern take on "Beauty and the Beast?" Because I asked Alex and Vanessa if, in the spirit of Disney's most famous and musical version, they felt the need to burst into song on the set of their film.

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Tags Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, High School Musical, Vanessa Hudgens, Video

Although the last few months have been full of "Hunger Games" and "Mortal Instruments" casting rumors, there has been no real news from either studio on the casting status of the male leads in both highly anticipated films (though we have learned they're open to unknown talent). I've expressed both anxiety and frustration over this situation before, but since everyone is still waiting on the official word, it is my job to continually harass possible stars whenever I see them.

Luckily for me, I keep running into rumored candidate Alex Pettyfer via various promotional events for his two new films "I Am Number Four" and "Beastly." During our most recent interaction, the press day for the modern take on "Beauty and the Beast," I knew that he'd have no news to give me, so I told him what I, as well as many of my fellow Crush readers, think about which role he should take on.

Very simply, I explained that he should sign up to play Jace Wayland in "The Mortal Instruments" over Peeta Mellark in "The Hunger Games," because he has the perfect amount of edge and intensity for Jace and not enough soft, mushy sweetness for Peeta.

"Really? But I am soft and mushy," Alex protested. "I'm a romantic."

"He's soft," his "Beastly" co-star Vanessa Hudgens agreed, and playfully poked his shoulder as proof.

I told him I wasn't so sure about that, but he then offered to fire his agents and managers so I could make all his career decisions for him. I said that wasn't necessary, I but could be called in as a consultant to report to him what the fans want him do.

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Tags Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, Hunger Games, Mortal Instruments, Video

What should have been an awesome night for Alex Pettyfer turned into a bit of an ordeal for the "Beastly" star. On the night of the film's L.A. premiere, there was a small fire at the Brit's home.

"There was an electrical fire in the garage while no one was home. The house was not burned. No one was hurt," a rep for his ex and "I Am Number Four" co-star, Dianna Agron, told "Entertainment Tonight." The actor was reportedly late to the premiere, though it apparently had nothing to do with the fire.

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Tags Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, Dianna Agron

Valentine's Day is all about fairytale romances (or at least it should be!) so what better occasion to gift you with this EXCLUSIVE clip from the upcoming romantic drama "Beastly"? (It's sweet and delicious without all the calories of a box of chocolates! The perfect present!)

Out March 4, "Beastly" stars Alex Pettyfer (i.e. "Glee" star Dianna Agron's boyfriend and the guy everyone wants to star in their YA novel movie adaptation), as a one-time big man on campus whose good looks are taken away by a witch's (Mary-Kate Olsen) curse. He must find love despite his rather hideous appearance or else he'll be stuck like that forever. Enter Vanessa Hudgens, the high school's resident outsider who's become the object of Alex's affections.

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Tags Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, Vanessa Hudgens, Video

Now, often with awards shows, it's the ladies who get all the attention in their designer gowns and glitzy jewels, but when it came to the Golden Globe Awards, we just couldn't deny the fellas some much-deserved praise. After all, they looked good. From Robert Pattinson to Justin Bieber, get ready to check out some of the best dressed boys at the 2011 Golden Globes below. Consider it our gift to you.

We're used to seeing RPattz in scruffy, low-key looks at awards shows (ahem, remember this?) so we were pretty much besides ourselves when he hit the Globes red carpet all cleaned up and ready to shine in a sleek suit and skinny tie. We thought he looked great from head-to-toe. The only thing missing? A little arm candy (Kristen Stewart, we're so looking at you!). Like Robert, The Biebs also looked totally dapper in his D&G suit, but he had an additional, very special accessory: his 3-D glasses. We loved that he pulled them out (even if it was only during a short interview), and that he stayed true to his style with sneakers!

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Tags 2011 Golden Globes, Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, Golden Globes, Jake Gyllenhal, Justin Bieber, Photo, Robert Pattinson, Ryan Gosling, Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron

We haven't heard much from "Beastly" since "Charlie St. Cloud" bumped its release date back eight months, but fortunately this new trailer makes up for all the lost time. It's definitely the best we've seen of the film thus far, and by that we mean it's really, really good.

Everything we love about "Beastly's" storyline is in this trailer. There's plenty of Alex Pettyfer (both beastly and beautiful), adorable romantic scenes and Neil Patrick Harris. Could we ask for anything more? Plus, there's a great new look at Kyle's "curse." In "Beauty and the Beast" it was the enchanted rose, but here we have an enchanted tree tattoo. Yes, that sounds super-lame, but it's actually some of our favorite imagery from the trailer.

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Tags Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, Neil Patrick Harris, Trailers, Vanessa Hudgens, Video

With "Beastly" bumped back to March 18, 2011, the release date jumble leaves its stars in an interesting predicament. Now "Beastly" will be coming out a week before Vanessa Hudgens' other starring vehicle, "Sucker Punch," and Alex Pettyfer will have been first known for "I Am Number Four," which he signed on to after "Beastly" but which is expected to be released February 2011.

"I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you I was more excited that we were coming out first," director D.J. Caruso admitted to MTV in an exclusive interview. "The thing I like about Alex is that, first of all, he's this really dynamic, interesting, good-looking kid. But the most important element for me is that there's this real vulnerability. It's rare; you can see that, though there's a confidence there, there's a little bit of a pain that we can [relate to].

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Tags Alex Pettyfer, Beastly, Dianna Agron, dj caruso, I Am Number Four, teresa palmer, Vanessa Hudgens