Jun 1, 2008 1:31 pm US/Pacific
MTV: The Awards Show Must Go On
LOS ANGELES
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The fire at Universal Studies will not affect the MTV Movie Awards, which are scheduled to take place at 5 p.m.
Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
The large fire at Universal Studios is not expected to affect today's MTV Movie Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre, a network official announced on Sunday.
"The areas we are utilizing for our production were unaffected and the 2008 MTV Movie Awards will go on as planned," according to an MTV spokesperson who requested anonymity. "We're working closely with authorities to make sure everything operates smoothly."
According to Universal spokeswoman Audrey Eig, operations at the amphitheater and nearby hotels have not been affected by the blaze. However, city and county officials are still concerned with the fire. They have already-pushed-back noon-hour opening of CityWalk and other Universal Studios Tours attractions as firefighters continue to work on the blaze.
Fire hoses are currently blocking streets near and around Universal Studios. The initial plans to open the theme park and CityWalk at 9 a.m. were delayed out of concerns for public safety.
The backlot fire has destroyed sound stages, much of the New York City streetscape and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage, authorities said. That damage is within several hundred feet of the amphitheater.
As for the MTV Movie Awards, "Superbad" leads the field with five nominations in the ceremony, which includes such quirky categories as best fight, best kiss and best villain. The hit comedy from last summer is nominated for best movie, while star Jonah Hill is nominated for best comedic performance and in the breakthroughperformance category. Castmates Michael Cera and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are also breakthrough performance nominees .
The other best movie nominees are "Juno"; "Transformers"; "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"; "I Am Legend" and "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."
Adam Sandler will receive the MTV Generation Award, "for his amazing contribution to Hollywood and for entertaining the MTV audience for years," according to Van Toffler, president, MTV Networks Music, Logo and Films Group.
Sandler is also nominated for best comedic performance for his portrayal of a heterosexual New York City firefighter who agrees to enter into a bogus same-sex marriage so a fellow firefighter (Kevin James) can receive domestic partner benefits in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry." Sandler's latest film, "You Don't Mess with the Zohan," will be released Friday.
Mike Myers will host. Scheduled presenters include Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Ben Stiller, Sarah Jessica Parker, Will Ferrell, Lindsay Lohan and Steve Carell.
Coldplay and The Pussycats Dolls will perform songs from their new albums.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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