- Title: USA: FILM THE MATRIX GETS THREE AWARDS AT THE MTV MOVIE AWARDS
- Date: 3rd June 2000
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 3, 2000) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) VERN TROYER SAYING "I've never been in a press room like this, with people asking me questions. I feel like the President right now . . . (MIMICS TAKING QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE) . . . so I'm just totally amazed, especially with this (MOTIONS TO AWARD) I didn't expect anything, so
- Embargoed: 18th June 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, US
- Country: USA
- Topics: Entertainment,General
- Reuters ID: LVA9CLAH0XVPU5B5YPFB0TB09X4N
- Story Text: "The Matrix," a sci-fi extravaganza starring Keanu Reeves, snagged three prizes including best movie at the ninth annual MTV Movie Awards.
Reeves walked off with the best male performance trophy and shared the best fight prize with co-star Laurence Fishburne.
"It's all good," Reeves told reporters backstage, in characteristic understatement.
The box office smash, which won four Academy Awards in March, stars Reeves as Neo, whose body undergoes a cybertronic retrofit so that he can save the world against malevolent technological forces.
Plans are underway to shoot two back-to-back sequels in Australia, set for release in Christmas 2002 and the summer of 2003, said producer Joel Silver.
Winners of the MTV Movie Awards, which aim to be a hipper alternative to the staid Oscars, are decided by votes cast either online, via telephone or at Blockbuster Video locations. The trophy resembles a tub of golden popcorn.
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker of "Sex and the City" hosted, and her dozen costume changes included several see-through items.
The event was taped at the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, and will be broadcast on MTV on June 8. The music cable network's overseas outlets will also air the show in coming weeks, beginning with MTV Europe on June 10.
The other multiple winners this year were spy spoof "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Cruel Intentions"
with two prizes each.
The latter film, a contemporary update of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" targeted to the teen audience, won prizes for best kiss (between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair) and best female performance (Gellar).
Gellar and Blair briefly kissed on stage when they picked up their joint award, and Gellar later made a point of smooching with boyfriend Freddie Prinze Jr. before going up for the second time. Blair thanked Gellar for the "hours of practice."
The "Austin Powers" sequel was honoured for best villain (Mike Myers) and best on-screen duo (Myers and Verne Troyer).
The diminutive Troyer's trophy came up to his thigh.
In picking up his best comedic performance prize, "Big Daddy" star Adam Sandler read out an acceptance speech purported to be written by his seven-year-old co-stars, identical twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse.
"Adam Sandler deserves this prize you gave him 'cos he makes people who can't read feel like they are Albert Einstein," Sandler said.
The organisers also screened parody clips of hot movies.
An animated sequence from the creators of "South Park" pitted the heroes of their sophomoric TV cartoon series in a gladiatorial contest against Russell Crowe and his "Gladiator"
crew and a team of Scientologists led by John Travolta. One of the "South Park" kids uses Scientology scripture to wipe himself.
The "South Park" creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, won the best musical performance for "Uncle F**ka," a tune from last year's feature version of their cable TV show.
Other winners included "The Sixth Sense" star Haley Joel Osment who picked up the breakthrough male performance prize.
Julia Stiles of "10 Things I Hate About You" won the corresponding female prize.
"Star Wars" creator George Lucas won the best action sequence prize for "Stars Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace." Director Spike Jonze, who received an Oscar nomination for his feature debut "Being John Malkovich,"
received the pre-announced prize for best new filmmaker.
Musical performers included shirtless R&B star D'Angelo, teen pop sensations 'N Sync and hard rock veterans Metallica. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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