As of this moment, we are 54 hours away from the premiere of The Avengers. It seems like only yesterday that the movie itself was a pipe dream and now you can watch the film’s stars walk the El Capitan red carpet in anticipation of the film’s first showing in just days! Movie Fanatic will be in attendance and we already have the chills! You can join us, virtually that is, by checking out the video player below at 9 p.m. EST on April 11 and witness the majesty that is a huge Hollywood premiere.

Marvel Studio’s biggest heroes will be represented as the actors who play them, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson talk to Marvel.com on the red carpet. Also look for insight from the film’s writer-director extraordinaire, Joss Whedon.

Stay with Movie Fanatic for more on the most anticipated movie this year, thus far, as we bring you interviews from the cast and our reactions to the screening as soon as that embargo lifts!

Christopher Nolan’s final foray into the world of the Caped Crusader has gotten its rating from the MPAA. The Dark Knight Rises will be rated PG-13. The two previous installments in Nolan’s Dark Knight series also earned the same rating. The organization charged with giving films its rating, under fire recently for its decision on Bully, reported that Nolan’s flick was given the PG-13 because of “intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language."

Now, this may seem like pedestrian news, but Movie Fanatic sees one thing with the announcement today: Christian Bale's latest film is completed, rated and ready for its July 20 release. Let the countdown begin!

Katy Perry has recently released the Teenage Dream remix update The Complete Confection and next up on the pop singer’s agenda: A full-length, 3D movie. The theatrical trailer has arrived on the heels of the film’s first teaser and gives us more insight into what to expect from a part concert movie, part biography of the Perry phenomenon.

Katy Perry Part of Me Theatrical Trailer

Look for the Firework of a movie on July 5.

Who saw this coming? Mattel has released a Katniss Barbie Doll in light of the enormous success of The Hunger Games. The photo of the new Barbie is below, and we wonder: Do you think it looks like the Jennifer Lawrence character? We think no, she is simply too made up!

The Katniss Barbie Doll has the Mockingjay pin, bow and arrow… but does that make it authentic?

Barbie designer Bill Greening crafted the doll and spoke about it in a statement to the press. "I chose to dress her in the outfit she wears during the games, since this is where all the non-stop action takes place and is instantly recognizable by fans,” Greening said.

“Of course, she wears her Mockingjay pin proudly on her lapel. Hopefully Hunger Games fans can appreciate the attention to detail. The doll's minimalistic style and details -- such as her loosely braided hair and makeup-free look -- also really embody the heroic character Katniss."

If you like what you see, the Katniss Barbie Doll will go on sale in August. You can pre-order by visiting the Barbie homepage.

The Three Stooges star Jane Lynch is enjoying success unlike any she has ever known. She routinely steals scenes on Glee as Sue Sylvester, creating an almost iconic character with the cheer coach. Now, she’s back on the big screen in the Farrelly brothers’ latest film that takes the iconic comic trio and brings them into the 21st century. Lynch tells us in our exclusive video interview why the film was so appealing to her, what it is about the magic of the Farrelly brothers, and if she ever thought she'd don a nun’s habit in her career.

Jane Lynch Exclusive Interview

Lynch’s latest film lands April 13 and is only the latest screen effort by the actress that has had a film career highlighted by her turns in Best in Show, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Julie and Julia.

Walt Disney Studios has given us a release date for the Angelina Jolie starring as the evil villain from the Sleeping Beauty story, Maleficent. Look for the wickedness to fly March 14, 2014 in a film that gives us an origins story of sorts for the character that was made popular in the animated classic Sleeping Beauty.

Robert Stromberg (production designer for Avatar, Alice in Wonderland) is directing, while Linda Woolverton is penning the script (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) and the film will be produced by Joe Roth (Alice in Wonderland, Oz: The Great and Powerful).

Sacha Baron Cohen is back in his Borat mode with his latest release, The Dictator. The film was set to premiere May 11, but instead of dueling with Tim Burton and his Dark Shadows, Paramount has decided to bump up its Cohen comedy to May 16.

Even though summer doesn’t officially begin at the movies until Memorial Day, early May appears to be the new starting point. With The Avengers landing May 4, Dark Shadows on May 11, The Dictator now on May 16 and Peter Berg’s Battleship landing May 18… is it us, or is it getting crowded already? And that is a very good thing for moviegoers.

Now, thanks to Walt Disney and Marvel Studios partnering with Wyndham, you can decorate your desktop background with your favorite hero -- or villain -- from The Avengers. Movie Fanatic has gotten ten new wallpapers from the wildly anticipated film that brings together the Hulk, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and a couple of talented agents from S.H.I.E.L.D. The opening day for the superhero super fest is merely days away with midnight showings May 3 and the official release date of May 4. And don’t miss our streaming of The Avengers premiere live April 11!

Jaws, one of Steven Spielberg’s classic films (what are his top 10?) is coming home on Blu-Ray August 14 and will be seen like never before. When Jaws arrived in 1975, it shocked a nation so much that people seriously avoided going in the water. Now, the film is getting a complete digital restoration and we’ve got a trailer for the Blu-Ray and a short film featuring Spielberg talking about the process of bringing vividness back to his film that put him on the map and is considered the first summer blockbuster.

Jaws Blu-Ray Trailer

The film’s update is part of Universal Studios’ 100th anniversary celebration. It is one of thirteen classic films from the studio that will get a digital reboot from its original 35mm format. The Jaws Blu-Ray will also feature a never-before-seen documentary called The Shark is Still Working and over four hours of bonus features.

Check out the video below of Spielberg and Universal’s team discussing the process of restoration and its importance to preserving our film legacy. “Jaws holds a unique place, not just in Universal Pictures’ history, but in global pop culture,” said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “It is only fitting that this phenomenal film should be given the extensive restoration needed to ensure that long-time fans as well as newcomers can enjoy this unforgettable cinematic achievement for generations to come.”

Jaws: Inside the Blu-Ray Restoration

With The Avengers merely weeks away from release, Marvel Studios is getting all of its other ducks in a line. Iron Man 3 is gearing up to film soon with its release date set of May 3, 2013 and we’re hearing some serious negotiations are going on to get Sir Ben Kingsley to portray the film’s primary villain.

It’s not clear what part he’ll play, but the studio stresses it is not the comic book foe of Iron Man, the Mandarin. Stay tuned for more information as it is available, but for now let’s just say this: When Kingsley plays villains, audiences get scared!

Battleship is coming at us May 18 from director Peter Berg (Hancock), and yes it is based on the famous board game. But, besides the fact that it features ships doing battle on the high seas, that’s about all the is congruent between the film and the game that features players saying, “You sunk my battleship.” The flick has released a new behind the scenes video featurette introducing us to the aliens that seek to destroy the world.

Battleship: Meet the Aliens

The movie stars Liam Neeson, Brooklyn Decker, Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna.

The marketing machine behind Looper is hitting high gear as the film is releasing its second teasing for its trailer after yesterday’s first teaser. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis and is from the mind of writer-director Rian Johnson. The film’s first full trailer is set to premiere tomorrow and between these two teasers, color us pretty excited for this wildly original idea of a film.

Looper Teaser Trailer 2

The film follows the concept that time travel in the future is a reality. It’s illegal, and only the mob is using it. When problems arise in the future, the gangsters send word to the past to their Looper (Gordon-Levitt). He then takes the person who is causing them problems in the future and wipes them out in the present. Things are going swimmingly for Gordon-Levitt, until his future self arrives in the present to wipe him out.

Movie Fanatic had the esteemed pleasure of heading to Pixar for a first look at their new film Brave last week. We met with the film's producer, filmmakers and got a real sense of the Scottish feel of the film that is the studio’s first to feature a female heroine. Stay tuned for more on our visit! Meanwhile, Disney and Pixar have released a new video featurette introducing audiences to Merida (Kelly Macdonald) and her ninth century Scottish Highland world. She’s a princess, yes, but her interest lies in adventure and not arranged marriage.

Brave Featurette: Meet Merida

Brave hits theaters June 22 and also features the vocal talents of Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson as Merida’s royal parents.

Fans of The Avengers who were watching last night’s Dancing with the Stars, may have wanted to get up and do a little boogie of their own after witnessing the film’s latest trailer during the ABC hit show. The spot, affectionately called Suit Up, features our favorite Marvel heroes getting ready for battle. There are a few new scenes, but more importantly the TV spot gives us a feel for what unifies The Avengers. Although their personalities may be larger than life, especially that Iron Man guy, but when the peace and tranquility of Earth is threatened, they become a team.

The Avengers Trailer: Suit Up

Marc Webb is stressing that his The Amazing Spider-Man will be wildly different than the trilogy helmed by Sam Raimi. “I wanted to give the audience something new,” Webb told MTV. The director stated that the origins of Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man will not be completely revealed and tied with a bow by the closing credits of this first film. He sees it as his own trilogy. “That started off with getting underneath the parents’ story, which will unfold over probably a few movies. We don’t totally wrap up that story in this first movie. It’s sort of an ongoing mystery.”

Peter Parker’s parents were not present in Raimi’s series and Webb felt that was one way to set his film apart from the Tobey Maguire-starring films.

What else is different you ask? Well, for one, that infamous spider bite scene that launched Maguire from lowly high school student to superhero won’t be so black and white in Webb’s film. “There are obligations to the canon, in terms of Uncle Ben and the spider bite, but the conditions under which those things happen are very different,” Webb said. “The character is evolving in a different way. It’s about finding a balance between iconic elements of the Spider-Man mythology -- like how Uncle Ben’s death transforms him emotionally -- but it happens in a different way.”

So, there is no spider falling from above and taking a nip at Parker, huh? “He’s bitten by a spider,” Webb hinted. “But maybe it’s not a radioactive spider. Or maybe it is! You’ll have to see.”

And see we will when The Amazing Spider-Man premieres July 3.

Lockout star Maggie Grace is sitting with Movie Fanatic for an exclusive chat about her latest film and what it meant to her to star opposite the insanely charismatic Guy Pearce. In the futuristic film, the actress plays the daughter of the president who heads to an in-space maximum security prison on an informational mission. When she’s caught in the middle of a full-on prison riot, there’s only one man who can save her: Pearce’s Snow. He’s an ex-CIA agent who is on his way to the prison for crimes against the state. The former star of Lost, recently seen in Taken and now filming that thriller’s sequel, also dishes the joy of filming a new sci-fi classic and that awful sewage-laden hair dye her character has to use!

Maggie Grace Exclusive Interview

A classic arrives on Blu-Ray, Meryl Streep proves she’s The Iron Lady and Emile Hirsch leads a group of Americans fighting for survival when aliens attack in The Darkest Hour -- all out this week on DVD, On Demand and Blu-Ray.

The Iron Lady: Meryl Streep won an Oscar for Best Actress, and deservedly so, for playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Thatcher was the first U.K. female Prime Minister and to this date, is still the only one. The story takes the point of view of an older Thatcher recalling her lifetime of service and the love she shared with her adoring husband, Denis. The movie also scored an Oscar for Best Makeup and between Streep’s performance and how much she appears to be Thatcher, this film is a study in a biopic worth its weight. Bonus features include a look at Thatcher’s younger years in Recreating the Young Margaret Thatcher, her work in government through the featurette Battle in the House of Commons and a fascinating look at the costuming in Costume Design: Pearls and Power Suits.

The Iron Lady Trailer 2

The Darkest Hour: Emile Hirsch leads a youthful cast in an alien invasion movie that proves that those extraterrestrials that wish us harm, do not only get the Hollywood treatment when they invade America. Hirsch and his friends are in Moscow for business and pleasure when an alien force strikes that is unlike any we’ve seen on film prior. These beings seek to mine us for our energy and all the forms that it takes, including the electrical impulses emitted by humans. The best bonus feature is something we wish other films of The Darkest Hour’s ilk would do: A fully separate short film tied into the movie. The Darkest Hour: Survivors is as compelling as the full-length movie, even more so.

The Darkest Hour Trailer 3

A Streetcar Named Desire: In celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the release of A Streetcar Named Desire (one of our Top 10 Oscar upsets!) in theaters, Warner Bros. is releasing an astounding Blu-Ray that is a must for any classic movie buff. The work of Tennessee Williams was never as brilliantly portrayed as it was by Marlon Brandon and Vivien Leigh. The multiple Oscar winner dazzles on Blu-Ray and that iconic “Stella” scene is more vibrant than we remember (video below!). A bounty of extras are included, not the least of which is a 40-page Blu-Ray book taking fans inside the filming of a modern American classic. What is also fascinating are the bonus features that show off the legend that is Brando. The Blu-Ray features movie and audio outtakes from the filming as well as the rarest of rare items: The Brando screen test for the role that would define him. Elia Kazan: A Director’s Journey is a full-length documentary celebrating the Oscar lifetime achievement award winner. There are also five additional documentaries, with the best of the best being A Streetcar on Broadway and A Streetcar in Hollywood that tackles taking a stage icon and bringing it to the big screen.

A Streetcar Named Desire: The Stella Scene

American Reunion landed in theaters April 6 and proved that the comedy sequel can succeed, despite the huge odds against it. The film banked over $21 million, coming in second to the juggernaut that is The Hunger Games. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve also gotten news of a few comedy classics attempting the sequel game including Anchorman 2, Dumb and Dumber 2 and the Twins sequel, called Triplets. Considering how difficult it is to achieve a success with a comedy sequel, there’s a lot of ground to cover to uncover the top 10 comedy sequels that work.

10. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Mike Myers found that being Austin Powers is not carte blanche to having comedy success -- witness Goldmember for that! Yet, in The Spy Who Shagged Me, he managed to have his character lose his mojo and find a comedy gem.

9. Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey
Taking a page from the Terminator movies, Bill and Ted followed up their 1989 comedy hit by having robot versions of themselves sent back in time to prevent their band from composing the song that will bring world peace. Simply putting Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves back into those iconic roles is not enough for a sequel to work (look how long it’s taken for Bill and Ted 3), but the addition of a sci-fi element, coupled with the Grim Reaper (a hilarious William Sadler) and we have a winner.

8. Next Friday
Ice Cube proved his foray into comedy in Friday was anything but a fluke. And the star did what anyone would do when tackling a sequel of any genre: He upped the ante. In Next Friday, Cube took the mayhem of the first film and took it out of the city to the palatial suburbs of Rancho Cucamonga. Yes, hilarity did ensue.

7. European Vacation
Holiday Road goes across the pond and Chevy Chase and his Griswold clan score major hilarity on the European continent. After winning the game show A Pig in a Poke, the clan takes off for a tour of England, France and beyond. Example of how well this sequel works is on display when Clark (Chase) is talking to Rusty (Jason Lively) atop the Eiffel Tower about that hideous beret. You remember what happens next, don’t you?

6. The Hangover Part 2
Sure, it’s the same formula as The Hangover, with Bangkok standing in for Las Vegas, but with those three leads -- Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms -- we’d follow them anywhere. The Hangover Part 2 is the definition of a comedy sequel success as the film’s box office far eclipsed the first film.

The Hangover 2 Extended Trailer

5. Beverly Hills Cop 2
Eddie Murphy came back to California and found the type of comedy sequel success that escaped him in Another 48 Hours. By this time, Murphy’s Alex Foley and his Beverly Hills Police Department friends are established as old friends and that comfort level proves to be fertile ground for the comedy mayhem the second time around.

4. The Great Muppet Caper
How do you top the first Muppet movie? Why don’t you make it a mystery that sparkles with comedy, and Kermit and company have another winner.

3. Pink Panther: A Shot in the Dark
Peter Sellers could read the alphabet as Inspector Clouseau and we’d be on board. But, there was something special about this second film in the Pink Panther series that charmed immensely. Watching it again, you realize how much we miss Sellers and his immense talent. 

2. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Harold and Kumar creating a comedy sequel with political overtones? You bet, and that is largely why Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is priceless. The scene where Neil Patrick Harris gets shot is worth the price of admission alone.

1. Toy Story 2
The sequel to Toy Story contained all the elements that made the first an instant classic. It is heartwarming, and above all else: It is side-splittingly funny. With a cast that includes Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, John Ratzenberger, Wayne Knight, Laurie Metcalf and Estelle Harris, that’s a whole lot of comedy pedigree making magic in a comedy sequel that is the best of the best.

A video of James Franco singing Selena Gomez’s insanely catchy Love You Like a Love Song has gone viral. We’ve seen the photos of Franco looking very pre-weight-gain K-Fed on the set of Spring Breakers and now it appears he has channeled his inner cornrows-sporting pop star.

James Franco Sings Love You Like a Love Song

Spring Breakers is the story of a quartet of young women who rob a restaurant to fund their holiday. They get caught, wind up in jail and have their bail paid by Franco’s drug dealer. He then needs them to do a few things for him. The film stars Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars), Gomez, Franco and Heather Morris (Glee).

Finally, after months of being oh-so quiet while some in the superhero world are in the news every day (hello, The Avengers) and another is knocking on the door (hello, The Amazing Spider-Man), The Dark Knight Rises has returned to the pop culture fray with a new stellar photo of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale’s final foray into the world of the caped crusader lands in theaters July 20.