'He's got a wry sense of humor about himself,' actor tells MTV News at Tribeca Film Festival. By Kevin P. Sullivan
Mark Ruffalo at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of "Avengers" Photo: Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images
Of all the actors coming together to form the Avengers, Mark Ruffalo decidedly had the most to prove. After two previous Hulk films left fans largely unsatisfied, a new actor in the role could either lead to another letdown or, finally, to a version that felt true to the comics.
Fortunately for Ruffalo, early reviews of "The Avengers" overwhelming point to his version of Bruce Banner as one of the highlights of the film. MTV News caught up with Ruffalo at the closing-night ceremonies for the Tribeca Film Festival to get his take on the Hulk's positive reception and to find out what was different this time around.
Ruffalo felt the pressure that came with the role of the Hulk as soon as he signed on to be the third actor in as many films. "It was very daunting. I've never had a part so harshly reviewed before I even shot a single frame of film," he said. "The fanboys had a lot to say about it — granted, they had a great deal of care about this part and a lot of sentimentality as well, as do I, growing up on it."
The actor said that the latest technology gave him the biggest advantage over the first two iterations of the character. "There have been other great performances as Banner. The only real edge that I had was that the technology had changed so much since that last movie that I actually got to play the Hulk," Ruffalo said.
This latest version of the Hulk takes a different approach to the character, giving him a dry sense of humor about his condition, but Ruffalo gave credit to both Eric Bana and Edward Norton for helping lay the foundation in the first two films.
"I just think it's a natural progression of the other performances. When you find the guy at this point, he's tired of running. He's got a wry sense of humor about himself," Ruffalo said. "He's ready to turn and face the world. He's got a charming world-weariness that's kind of knocked the edges off of him and made him slightly more accessible."
The pilot, who ejected shortly before impact, crashed the jet, which contained only crash-dummy passengers, in the Mexican desert as part of a new documentary on how to make plane crashes more survivable. But experts are skeptical of the data, collected without the help of the FAA or National Transportation Safety Board. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.
By Rebecca Ruiz
Television producers at the Discovery Channel, Channel 4 in the UK and Pro Sieben in Germany recently crashed a Boeing 727 in the name of science.
The plane's pilot ejected from the aircraft minutes before the jet, guided remotely, went down in an isolated part of Mexico's Sonoran Desert, according to a press release from the Discovery Channel.
"Rather than carrying passengers, the plane was packed with scientific experiments, including crash test dummies," the statement said. "Dozens of cameras recorded the crash from inside the aircraft, on the ground, in chase planes and even on the ejecting pilot's helmet."
Scientists and veteran crash investigators will review the results of the crash. Laurie Goldberg, executive vice president of public relations at the Discovery Network, told msnbc.com that the company is not releasing the names of the experts at this time.
The goal of the experiment, according to Discovery, is to learn more about how to improve survival chances when a crash occurs.
Footage captured by an onlooker of the Boeing 727 experiment crash recently conducted by the Discovery Channel.
Intentionally crashing a plane is an atypical way of testing for safety. Laura Brown, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, told msnbc.com that the agency has in the past conducted "drop tests," which involves dropping a plane fuselage (the body minus its wings) from a certain height.
The FAA, which was not involved in the Discovery Channel experiment, requires that manufacturers build planes to certain safety specifications, and create their own tests accordingly. Brown said that manufacturers, for example, frequently test wing structure and strength by bending it until the snapping point.
Such tests are a lot less dramatic than crashing a plane, but still effective in keeping passengers safe.
Boeing 727s were "the best-selling airliner in the world during the first 30 years of jet transport service," Boeing said on its website. The jet was produced from 1960 through 1984.
The crash will air later this year on the Discovery Channel program "Curiosity."
'Jersey Shore' star Vinny Guadagnino, Monica, 'Glee' actress Dianna Agron and more weigh in on MTV's Battle of the Boy Bands. By Christina Garibaldi
New Kids On The Block Photo: Michel Linssen/ Getty Images
With the Battle of the Boy Bands nearing the Final Four, things are getting pretty intense among fans who are furiously voting to keep their favorite groups in the race.
Just because the Boyz were knocked out in the second round of the competition doesn't mean they don't have their die-hard fans out there — among them "Glee" star Dianna Agron.
"When I was growing up, it was 'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees," Agron told MTV News of the late-'90s boy-band explosion. "I was so obsessed with Boyz II Men in fourth grade. 'Motownphilly' — so good, so awesome."
The R&B group is a favorite of Monica's as well. "My favorite boy band would have to be New Edition and Boyz II Men," she told MTV News. "I don't know if you consider these boy bands though, but they were just unbelievable."
Another popular choice was 'NYSNC, who made a shocking first-round exit when they lost in the final moments of voting to British boy band 5ive. Justin Timberlake and company ruled the charts (and the hearts of teen girls everywhere) in the late '90s.
"I would say 'NSYNC was my favorite boy band. They're amazing, they were so talented," former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day said. "Obviously Justin came from that. We all know we were sweating Justin!"
Posters of Timberlake most certainly lined the walls of millions of fans, including Selena Gomez, who revealed to MTV News that her first crush was the former 'NSYNC member.
"My ultimate boy band, I have a few: Jackson 5, Jagged Edge — I love Jagged Edge," Ora said. " 'NSYNC, they were the ones, I swear."
But when "Jersey Shore" star Vinny Guadagnino picked his ultimate boy band, he opted for keeping it in the MTV family.
"I kinda liked 2ge+her," Vinny admitted. "I loved ['U + Me = Us']."
Voting for the Elite Eight in MTV's Battle of the Boy Bands runs until noon ET on Wednesday, May 2. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits for their boy-band video takeovers each day and make sure to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates!
Passengers are seen at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 in London. Reports suggest that the UK's flagship airport may struggle with passenger traffic during the London 2012 Olympic Games. While athletes and VIPs will pass through dedicated security lanes, ordinary members of the public may experience long delays.
By Stephanie Gosk, NBC News
There is a very big problem at London's Heathrow Airport. Planes land but it sometimes takes hours of waiting in line before travelers are let in.?
On April 22, I arrived from New York City to complete chaos. It was a Sunday morning at around 6:30 a.m. and I was tired after a seven-hour flight.
A crush of humanity greeted me in the immigration hall. Lines didn't just wind around, they stretched back outside the waiting area down into unknown, never-before-seen corridors. Travelers wore looks of shock, horror and fury depending on how much time they had already logged waiting.?
?
There were people who had traveled long distances, already exhausting their patience during the journey, and others who had traveled just a short distance ? Heathrow is?less than a three-hour flight from Madrid, Paris, Frankfurt and other major European cities. Most of the latter group would end up spending more time in line as they did on a plane.
Long immigration lines are often a part of international travel, but rarely, if ever, like this. In the last several months, the system at Heathrow, with alarming regularity, has come undone.?
The problem is so grave that London?s mayor, the outspoken Boris Johnson, on Sunday wrote a letter to Theresa May, the secretary of the Home Office, the UK?s equivalent to the Department of Homeland Security.
Oda / Getty Images
From Wimbledon to Wembley Stadium to The Dome, a look at the venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
He did not mince his words.??It is quite clear that because of problems at the UK Border, London and the UK?s reputation as a welcoming city in which to do business or travel are at stake," Johnson said, according to the copy of the letter given to NBC News.?
Hanging over the debate is the London 2012 Olympics. If Heathrow is having a hard time coping with run-of-the-mill travel numbers ? more than 69 million people moved through the airport in 2011 ? what will officials do when a large portion of the estimated millions of people expected to descend on the city try to cram themselves through ahead of the Games?
UK border patrol says British citizens as well those from the European Union have a target waiting time of 25 minutes and foreign nationals will wait 45 minutes. But over the last few months there have been numerous delays well over those targets.
Over the weekend the head of UK's Border Force, Brian Moore, responded to complaints and seemed to dismiss the severity of the problem.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
From Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square, the venerable old town oozes history and Dickens.
"Despite what you are hearing for the moment we are doing a really, really good job at achieving [target waiting times]. We don?t always get it right and occasionally there are disruptions to passengers for lots of reasons,? he said on British television.?
For example, Moore said unpredictable ?flight bunching? sometimes causes a deluge of passengers. At other times people ?aren?t presented to the right immigration desk.?
However, in Monday's?Daily Telegraph,?there were reports that the Home Office was actively trying to cover up the problem. ?Marc Owen, director of the UK Border Agency, contacted BAA, the company that operates Heathrow, and instructed them not to hand out leaflets directing complaints to the Border Agency, the Telegraph reported.
?The leaflet is not all right with us.? It is both inflammatory and likely to increase tensions in our arrival halls,? the newspaper quoted him as saying.?
BAA's press office declined to comment on the leaflets, but they did say this in a statement: ?Immigration is a matter for the home office. Immigration waiting times during peak periods at Heathrow recently have been unacceptable.??The press agent then offered to give me the Home Office?s number ? just in case I needed it.
In three months the world descends upon this city for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Border Agency insists that staffing will be increased to handle the millions of people visiting the UK during that time.? Hopefully, it works.?
London?s image is on the line. It would be a real shame if it was tarnished before anyone even got through the door.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
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In his first interview since the death of Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown exclusively tells TODAY's Matt Lauer, "I'm not the reason she's gone."
NBC
In a candid sit-down set to air Wednesday, Brown, who says he?s "very much clean and sober from narcotics," talks to Lauer about the last time he saw Houston, how he found out about her death, and why he gets blamed for her drug use.?He talks about his relationship with their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and addresses recent rumors and controversy surrounding her personal life. And Thursday, speaking publicly for the first time, three of Brown?s children and his fianc?e tell TODAY how they feel about the media?s portrayal of Brown.?
When asked about the last time he saw Houston, a week or so before she died, Brown says the iconic singer "had this glow about her that was just, you know, incredible.?I'm saying to myself, you know, 'She must be ... she must be doing really well,' because she looked really well."
Brown says Houston, to whom he was married for 15 years, "looked like she was in a good place."
Video: Coroner says Houston took drugs before drowning
Lauer asks Brown how he took the news that cocaine was a likely contributor to the death of Houston, 48, who was found in?a bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel on Feb. 11.
"I was hurt.?I was hurt ... because, you know, me being off of narcotics for the last seven years, I felt that she was, you know, I didn?t know she was struggling with it still.?But at the same time, you know, listen, it's a hard fight.? It's a hard fight to, you know, maintain sobriety that way."
Based on his own?feelings and how she appeared when he last saw her, Brown theorizes that?that one day of cocaine use -- not the effects of longterm use -- was enough to kill Houston. "It had to be that one, because that's all it takes," Brown said. "One hit, you know ... it could definitely take your life away from you.?And, unfortunately, that was it."
Lauer pressed the 43-year-old R&B star on the talk after Houston's death. "If I heard it once, I heard it a hundred times, and I know you heard it too," Lauer said. "Fans, people who say they were close to Whitney, say her life went downhill when she met Bobby Brown.?How does it make you feel when you hear it?"
"It makes me feel terrible," Brown said. "But you know, I know differently. I think if anyone ever knew us, if anybody ever spent time around us instead of time lookin' through the bubble, they would know how we felt about each other.?They would know how happy we were together."
Video: Houston's?hairstylist opens up about star's death
Brown says the couple got a wakeup call from starring in the reality TV series "Being Bobby Brown." "We looked at the bubble and saw ourselves.?We was able to see what other people were saying about us, you know??We was able to see that our drug use had affected our relationship, had affected the love that we felt for each other."
But when asked by Lauer about the popular perception that?he is the one responsible for getting Houston hooked on drugs, Brown says, "not true."
"I didn't get high [on narcotics] before I met Whitney," Brown said. "I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I wasn't the one that got Whitney on drugs at all." He says drugs were a part of the singer's life "way before" they got together.
"It's just ... it's just unexplainable how one could, you know, [say that I] got her addicted to drugs. I'm not the reason she's gone," Brown said.
NBC
Video: Star-studded sendoff for Whitney Houston
In the second part of Lauer's interview, which will air Thursday, the TODAY host talks with three of Brown's children -- Landon, Bobby Jr., and La?Princia -- and his fianc?e, Alicia Etheridge.
The children all say the public perception of their father is not the right one.
"I honestly feel like my dad's a great person," daughter La'Princia said. "He's been my best friend, like, my whole life.?If I ever have a problem with anything, I know I can always go to him.?Likewise, if he ever needs to talk to somebody, he knows he can always call me and I'll be there for him."
Son Landon says people confuse his father's stage persona with the real man. "I feel like my father's always had the bad boy image. So, you know, they just keep followin' that. Anything that they can take a negative from the situation, they blow it out of proportion and blame him."
Video: Details emerge about Houston's final days
La'Princia says everyone makes mistakes.
"They don't see the good part of him that we see every single day. Everyone goes through their ups and downs.?You can't be judged forever about one event in your life or just the bad decisions you've made, you can't always be judged just by that."
How do you feel about Bobby Brown's view of?Whitney Houston and his take on people's perception of him? Discuss on Facebook.
Jurassic pain: Giant 'flea-like' insects plagued dinosaurs 165 million years agoPublic release date: 1-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: George Poinar, Jr. poinarg@science.oregonstate.edu 541-737-5366 Oregon State University
CORVALLIS, Ore. It takes a gutsy insect to sneak up on a huge dinosaur while it sleeps, crawl onto its soft underbelly and give it a bite that might have felt like a needle going in but giant "flea-like" animals, possibly the oldest of their type ever discovered, probably did just that.
And a few actually lived through the experience, based on the discovery by Chinese scientists of remarkable fossils of these creatures, just announced in Current Biology, a professional journal.
These flea-like animals, similar but not identical to modern fleas, were probably 10 times the size of a flea you might find crawling on the family dog with an extra-painful bite to match.
"These were insects much larger than modern fleas and from the size of their proboscis we can tell they would have been mean," said George Poinar, Jr., a professor emeritus of zoology at Oregon State University, who wrote a commentary on this find in the same journal.
"You wouldn't talk much about the good old days if you got bit by this insect," Poinar said. "It would have felt about like a hypodermic needle going in a flea shot, if not a flu shot. We can be thankful our modern fleas are not nearly this big."
Poinar, who is an international expert in ancient and extinct insect life forms, said it's possible that the soft-bodied, flea-like insects found in these fossils from Inner Mongolia are the evolutionary ancestors of modern fleas, but most likely they belong to a separate and now extinct lineage.
Called Pseudopulex jurassicus and Pseudopulex magnus, they had bodies that were more flat, like a bedbug or tick, and long claws that could reach over scales on the skin of dinosaurs so they could hold onto them tightly while sucking blood. Modern fleas are more laterally compressed and have shorter antennae, and are able to move quickly through the fur or feathers of their victims.
"These are really well-preserved fossils that give us another glimpse of life into the really distant past, the Cretaceous and Jurassic," said Poinar, who has also studied "younger" fleas from 40-50 million years ago preserved in amber.
All true fleas are adapted to feeding on warm-blooded vertebrates, Poinar said, and today 94 percent of the 2,300 known species attack mammals, while the remainder feed on birds. But the unusual characteristics and abilities of the flea-like animals found in these fossils lead scientists to believe their prey were some of the biggest kids on the block dinosaurs in which they could have fed on the softer skin between scales.
Modern fleas, the report noted, have done plenty of damage. Hardly a dog or cat alive has escaped their attack, and they brought mankind such diseases as bubonic plague, which has killed 75 million people.
But their bite itself, at least, didn't feel like a needle going in, by an insect that wasn't even afraid of a dinosaur.
###
Editor's Note: A digital artist's illustration of this ancient insect is available online: http://bit.ly/Jby0j0
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Jurassic pain: Giant 'flea-like' insects plagued dinosaurs 165 million years agoPublic release date: 1-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: George Poinar, Jr. poinarg@science.oregonstate.edu 541-737-5366 Oregon State University
CORVALLIS, Ore. It takes a gutsy insect to sneak up on a huge dinosaur while it sleeps, crawl onto its soft underbelly and give it a bite that might have felt like a needle going in but giant "flea-like" animals, possibly the oldest of their type ever discovered, probably did just that.
And a few actually lived through the experience, based on the discovery by Chinese scientists of remarkable fossils of these creatures, just announced in Current Biology, a professional journal.
These flea-like animals, similar but not identical to modern fleas, were probably 10 times the size of a flea you might find crawling on the family dog with an extra-painful bite to match.
"These were insects much larger than modern fleas and from the size of their proboscis we can tell they would have been mean," said George Poinar, Jr., a professor emeritus of zoology at Oregon State University, who wrote a commentary on this find in the same journal.
"You wouldn't talk much about the good old days if you got bit by this insect," Poinar said. "It would have felt about like a hypodermic needle going in a flea shot, if not a flu shot. We can be thankful our modern fleas are not nearly this big."
Poinar, who is an international expert in ancient and extinct insect life forms, said it's possible that the soft-bodied, flea-like insects found in these fossils from Inner Mongolia are the evolutionary ancestors of modern fleas, but most likely they belong to a separate and now extinct lineage.
Called Pseudopulex jurassicus and Pseudopulex magnus, they had bodies that were more flat, like a bedbug or tick, and long claws that could reach over scales on the skin of dinosaurs so they could hold onto them tightly while sucking blood. Modern fleas are more laterally compressed and have shorter antennae, and are able to move quickly through the fur or feathers of their victims.
"These are really well-preserved fossils that give us another glimpse of life into the really distant past, the Cretaceous and Jurassic," said Poinar, who has also studied "younger" fleas from 40-50 million years ago preserved in amber.
All true fleas are adapted to feeding on warm-blooded vertebrates, Poinar said, and today 94 percent of the 2,300 known species attack mammals, while the remainder feed on birds. But the unusual characteristics and abilities of the flea-like animals found in these fossils lead scientists to believe their prey were some of the biggest kids on the block dinosaurs in which they could have fed on the softer skin between scales.
Modern fleas, the report noted, have done plenty of damage. Hardly a dog or cat alive has escaped their attack, and they brought mankind such diseases as bubonic plague, which has killed 75 million people.
But their bite itself, at least, didn't feel like a needle going in, by an insect that wasn't even afraid of a dinosaur.
###
Editor's Note: A digital artist's illustration of this ancient insect is available online: http://bit.ly/Jby0j0
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 1-May-2012
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