Sure, "Slumdog Millionaire" was top dog at the Oscars, but it merely came in second place behind "Twilight" today when the MTV Movie Awards nominations were announced. "Twilight" reigned with seven nominations, including best picture, best breakthrough performance male (Robert Pattison and Taylor Lautner) and best female performance (Kristen Stewart).

"Slumdog Millionaire" reaped six nods, including best picture, competing, in addition to "Twilight," against "The Dark Knight," "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" and "Iron Man."

"Slumdog" star Dev Patel competes against Pattinson and Lautner for best breakthrough performance male along with Ben Barnes ("The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian") and Bobb'e J. Thompson ("Role Models"). Co-star Freida Pinto is up for best female breakthrough performance along with Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens ("High School Musical 3: Senior Year"), Miley Cyrus ("Hannah Montana: The Movie"), Amanda Seyfried ("Mamma Mia!") and  Kat Dennings, ("Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist").

"Twilight" stars Pattinson and Stewart compete for best kiss opposite "Slumdog Millionaire" heartthrobs Patel and Pinto, as well as James Franco and Sean Penn ("Milk") and Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon ("I Love You, Man").

"Twilight" and "Slumdog" will also square off in the new category for best song, in which Oscar champ "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog" takes on Paramore's "Decode" ("Twilight"), Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler," and Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" ("Hannah Montana: The Movie").

Another new category is "best WTF moment," which includes Amy Poehler peeing in the sink in "Baby Mama," Ben Stiller licking a decapitated head in "Tropic Thunder," young Jamal jumping into the outhouse excrement in "Slumdog Millionaire," Angelina Jolie killing all of her foes and herself with one curved bullet in "Wanted," and Jason Segel breaking up with Kristen Bell while naked in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

"Saturday Night Live" star Andy Samberg has been tapped to host the 18th annual MTV Movie Awards on May 31. While these freewheeling kudos have traditional categories for picture and performance, awards are also handed out in more offbeat races like best villain and best kiss. Nominations will be announced in the coming weeks. Last year, "Transformers" won best picture while acting honors went to Ellen Page ("Juno") and Will Smith ("I Am Legend").

Andy Samberg's stock in Hollywood is certainly on the rise these days. He co-stars in the upcoming "I Love You, Man" with Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. And in his four seasons on "SNL," he has established himself as the go-to guy for daring digital shorts. In 2007, he shared in an Emmy for crafting the notorious "... in a Box" that he performed with co-writer Justin Timberlake. This season, the pair appeared with good sport Beyonce in a remix of her video for "Single Ladies."

Andy Samberg might want to ask Justin Timberlake for advice on how to handle the raucous crowd that comes to these movie kudos as the singer emceed the 2003 edition with Seann William Scott. And he might want to seek out "SNL" alum  Mike Myers for tips on what not to do. Last year, Myers returned to emcee the MTV Movie Awards 11 years after first pulling hosting duty. Back in 1997, Myers was red hot with the success of  "Austin Powers." In 2008, he was eager to bring attention to his upcoming comedy "The Love Guru." That film would open three weeks later to scathing reviews and go on to win three Razzies for worst picture, actor and screenplay.

Other recent hosts include Sarah Silverman (2007), Jessica Alba (2006), Jimmy Fallon (2005) and Lindsay Lohan (2004). Samberg was among the team of writers who worked on those last two awardscasts and told MTV that hosting, "will be a sweet and satisfying homecoming."

And while talking to MTV about taking on the gig, Andy Samberg, 30, harkened back to the early days of the awards, way back in the nineties: "I grew up watching the show and a lot of the past hosts are heroes of mine." The kudos' connection with "SNL" dates back to the first year, 1992, when Dennis Miller handled the hosting.

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Photo: NBC

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While "Watchmen" opened this weekend to mixed reviews and a less-than-expected $55.7 million, it could still prevail at various movie kudofests. As not even the critically hailed "The Dark Knight" could break into the top Oscar races — with the exception of supporting actor winner Heath Ledger — "Watchmen" will be limited to contending there, if at all, in those crafts categories where "Iron Man" and other popcorn pictures get rewarded.

This graphic novel come to life was directed by Zack Snyder, who co-wrote and helmed the technically innovative "300" two years ago. For his efforts, Snyder won a Saturn Award from the sci-fi crowd, and that film won top honors there as well. In addition, "300" contended at the MTV Movie Awards, the People's Choice Awards and the Teen Choice Awards. And various craftspeople were nominated by the art directors, costumers, sound, and visual effects guilds and groups.

For "Watchmen," Snyder reassembled some of the key players from "300." Larry Fong once again handled cinematography and William Hoy edited. Costumes were by Michael Wilkinson, who earned a 2007 guild nod in fantasy film ("The Golden Compass" won). He also had a 2006 guild nod for the contemporary film "Babel" ("The Queen" won). The "Watchmen" score was composed by "300" alum Tyler Bates. And stunts were once more coordinated by Damon Caro, whose "300" crew lost the 2007 SAG race to "The Bourne Ultimatum."

New additions for "Watchmen" included the art direction team headed by Francois Audouy, a 2005 guild nominee in period/fantasy for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" ("Memoirs of a Geisha" won). Sound editing was by, among others, 2002 Oscar nominee Scott Hecker (his work on "Road to Perdition" lost to "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"). And special effects came from, among others, 2007 VES nominees Theo Vandernoot, Vincent Serritella and Pericles Michielin (their work on "Beowulf" lost to "Ratatouille").

RELATED POST:

Heath Ledger's Oscar goes to Michelle Williams, not the Ledger clan

Photo: Warner Bros.

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Reax to the MTV Movie Awards show is pretty good, which is impressive considering that the gala was under fire or, rather, just a few hundred yards above when a scary blaze raged on the Universal lot just earlier in the day.

I'm on vacation this week out in Ohio with my family, so I missed the gig. Check out the thorough coverage elsewhere on the site: list of winnahs, dishin' on the best and worst of the show, photos of arrivals, red carpet rewind, report on the fire aftermath.

Also, check out other media reports: Associated Press , Reuters, USA Today , E! Online.

Below are some snarky comments from our forum posters. To read more, CLICK HERE.

booyahboy: Ugh, seriously. Can't people get over their obsession long enough to realize (Johnny Depp's) actually right when he says he isn't even funny.

Pacinofan: "Transformers" winning over "Juno" or "Superbad"!!??!! No sir. Didn't see that coming. The show was worth it for the Ben Stiller/Jack Black/Robert Downey Jr. sketch.

The all-time winner of MTV Movie Awards has scored 10 wins to date. Who? Tonight's ceremony host Mike Myers? Jim Carrey? Adam Sandler? Uma Thurman? To see the answer, CLICK HERE!

To see a full list of MTV Movie Awards nominees, CLICK HERE.

One of three Academy Awards winners — Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington or Javier Bardem — could add an MTV Movie Award tonight to their kudos collection if voters find them good enough at playing bad.

The three Oscar champs are competing with three-time Oscar loser Johnny Depp and Emmy-snubbed Topher Grace (never even nominated for "That '70s Show") for the best villain prize at tonight's MTV Movie Awards gala at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Last year, it was three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson who won the award for his version of a vengeful mob boss in "The Departed."

Angelina Jolie came out on top in the best-fight race two years ago, winning with her then-co-star now consort Brad Pitt for their battle of the sexes in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Since then, she has proven she can take down tabloid reporters with her bare hands. Tonight, she will see if a virtual version of herself in "Beowulf" can make winning a reality. And a tasty treat that voters may find irresistible.

Entertainment Weekly described her role as "Grendel's mother, a mystic siren who rises out of her cave in the person of a nude Angelina Jolie, dripping water off her body like golden chocolate."

Denzel Washington was nominated for this same prize in 2002 for the same movie –- "Training Day" –- that won him his second Academy Award. While he was snubbed by the golden boy Oscar this year for "American Gangster," he could win a golden bucket at the MTV Movie Awards.

Javier Bardem is up for his first MTV Movie Award for his chilling portrayal of evil in "No Country for Old Men." The role has already won him a host of kudos, capped off by the supporting actor Oscar at the Academy Awards in February.

KEEP READING - CLICK HERE!

NEWS UPDATE (9:15 a.m. PT) – The MTV Movie Awards will go on tonight despite being located at Universal Studios where firemen have battled a blaze since pre-dawn hours.

"The areas we are utilizing for our production were unaffected and the 2008 MTV Movie Awards will go on as planned," says a MTV spokesperson tells TheEnvelope.com. "We’re working closely with authorities to make sure everything operates smoothly."

ORIGINAL REPORT: As of 8:30 a.m. Pacific time, a raging fire has engulfed at least one of the soundstages at Universal Studios. Just how far these flames are from the Gibson Amphitheatre, home of tonight's MTV Movie Awards, is still to be determined. Early today when the fire broke out around 4:45 a.m., it was believed to be limited to the lower backlot, which is a safe distance from the hilltop area where the Gibson is located near Universal's CityWalk. Also in the upper area is Universal's theme park, which plans to open today. That suggests that the MTV Movie Awards may proceed, too, but TheEnvelope.com has not yet received an official status report from MTV or Universal.

While the kudofest, hosted by Mike Myers, is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Pacific time, the red carpet is rolled out at 3 p.m. Will the show still go on? Stay tuned.

Also unclear at this time is the status of films at risk in the Universal vault, which is located close to the blaze.

Universal has produced many Oscar-winning films, including best picture champs "The Sting" (1973) and "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) plus best-pic nominees "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), "The Color Purple" (1985) and "Apollo 13" (1995). Since those were all made in recent decades, it's likely that there are quality prints that will survive if flames devour what's in the vault. What is unsure is how widespread quality prints are of the studio's early films like best-picture champ "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930).

For a rundown of past fires at Universal Studios, CLICK HERE.

(AP)

The battle for best fight at the MTV Movie Awards is between a trio of heroes starring in movie No. 3 of their film franchises -- Matt Damon ("The Bourne Ultimatum"), Tobey Maguire ("Spider-Man 3"), and Jackie Chan ("Rush Hour 3").

The other nominees -- Hayden Christensen taking on Jamie Bell in "Jumper" and two iconic '80s movie monsters resurrected in "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem" -- are unlikely to win this award. (For a full list of all MTV Movie Awards contenders, CLICK HERE.)

In "The Bourne Ultimatum," one of the best-reviewed movies of last year, Matt Damon faced his final foe when he tangled with an assassin in Tangiers. Though not a hit with critics, "Spider-Man 3" was the 2007 box office champ. For Spidey star Tobey Maguire, the mood was as dark as his black suit when he fought friend turned foe James Franco. And in "Rush Hour 3," Jackie Chan joins up with Chris Tucker again, this time to battle a behemoth of a man.

Last year Gerard Butler won the award for defeating the Uber Immortal in "300." And in 2006, lovebirds Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt won for their battle of the sexes in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

At the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, the hottest prize — best kiss — is a contest between Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"), Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer ("Disturbia") and Ellen Page and Michael Cera ("Juno").

Forget the other nominees. (See a full list of all MTV Movie Awards contenders, CLICK HERE.) Patrick Dempsey gives Amy Adams such a passionate peck of the classic storybook kind in "Enchanted" that he wakes a frozen princess, yes, but it's too cliche, too Disney, thus too anti-cool for the MTV crowd.

You don't have to forget about Robert Hoffman bussing Briana Evigan because we didn't know them in the first place, nor their insignificant sequel — "Step Up 2: The Streets."

I think we can probably shrug off the "Juno" smooch, too, since all the hype — which was always more about the movie than its stars — is over.

This a matchup between Daniel Radcliffe, who has cast a magic spell over movie-goers for years, and hottie-of-the-moment Shia LaBeouf. The latter doesn't have the following that the former does, and "Disturbia" isn't a movie that really matters. So this award goes to the Harry Potter lovebirds.

If Radcliffe kissed LaBeouf, they'd be a cinch to win, considering the duos who've prevailed in this category over the past two years: Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen in "Talladega Nights" and Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain."

(Warner Bros., Fox Searchlight, Disney, DreamWorks)

Also attending the funky awards fest at Gibson Amphitheatre on Sunday night at 8 p.m. will be Charlize Theron, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Robert Downey Jr., Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Anna Faris, Katharine McPhee, Megan Fox, Brendan Fraser and Jennifer Hudson.

Adam Sandler will be on hand to accept the honorary Generation Award.

MTV's website is constanting updating its list of glitterati — CLICK HERE. For a list of nominees, CLICK HERE!

As usual, the MTV Movie Awards' nominations slapped recent Oscar champs. The academy's winners of best picture ("No Country for Old Men"), best actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and actress (Marion Cotillard) aren't nommed in corresponding categories, but — horrors! — Day-Lewis isn't even in the race for best villain! Hey, aren't MTV execs worried at all about him swinging that bowling pin in revenge?

Other shocking snubs include these from MTV's best-pic race: "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Ratatouille" and "Knocked Up" (apparently, there's room only for one Judd Apatow flick and that's "Superbad," which has 3 noms).

We were waaaaay off predicting the best-kiss lineup. It's likely that the MTV kiddies didn't see "Atonement" (too uppity for gum-snappers) so they didn't know about Keira Knightley's lusty lip lock with James McAvoy. And maybe we were wrong to suggest that Adam Sandler and Kevin James might be listed for "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry." They don't really smooch, but do get close and punch each other with obvious affection right after they say "I do!"

Missing from the list of best breakthrough performance of the year was easily the biggest: "Juno" star Ellen Page. Also Emile Hirsch ("Into the Wild") and Amy Adams ("Enchanted"). What about Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement")? Will they only notice her next year when she appears in Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones"?

And, hey, where was the whole category for best on-screen duo? Why was it dropped this year all of a sudden? When I asked a rep for MTV, she responded, "We change up the categories from time to time. :)"

See reax in our forums, CLICK HERE! See the full list of nominees and cast your vote at the MTV Movie Awards site - CLICK HERE

Soon the nominations will be announced for the MTV Movie Awards, which take place in L.A. on June 1. Two categories are of keenest interest, of course: best villain and smoochers!

The villains' slugfest will be a delightfully dastardly smackdown between those Oscar-grabbing devils Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men") and Daniel Day-Lewis ("There Will Be Blood"). Hmmm . . . I sure hope we see that played out on stage with Javier thrusting that cattle gun at Daniel while Daniel smacks his skull with a bowling pin. Can you think of any scene that would better sum up — in so many enlightening ways — what the whole recent Oscar derby was all about?

Oh, yes! Wait! If Johnny Depp leapt into the fray wielding his Sweeney razor at their throats! Oh, what fun!

And what about the award for best kiss? — you ask, panting frantically.

Of course, voters will go for some man-on-man action there too. Remember, the last two winners of that category were nefarious participants in boy-boy nookie: Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen locking lips ("Talladega Nights") and Jake Gyllenhaal planting a big wet one on Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain"). So that means — gawd help us all — we can expect a nauseating nom for Adam Sandler and Kevin James in a pic recently robbed at the Razzies (eight bids and not a single "win"!) — "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."

Our forum posters are buzzing with their opinions of other likely contenders: James McAvoy and Keira Knightley ("Atonement"), Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey ("Enchanted") and Jenna Fischer and John C. Reilly ("Walk Hard"). CLICK HERE to spy on MORE of their views. Check out the MTV Movie Awards website HERE.

(Photos: MTV, Disney, Universal, Focus Features)