MTV Movie Awards: ‘Avengers,’ ‘Dark Knight’ top nominations - 6th March 2013
(LA Times)

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“The Avengers,” “Dark Knight Rises” and Martin Freeman are among the films and performers nominated for the MTV Movie Awards.

What’s that? You thought Hollywood’s awards season was over? Well, it’s just getting started for fan-favorite movies that rarely have a shot at the shiny hardware for best-movie Oscars and Golden Globes.

The MTV Movie Awards will be announced April 13 after you — yes, you! — get to vote in the online popularity contest. The coveted Golden Popcorn statuette will be handed out in such offbeat categories as best kiss, best shirtless moment and best fight, in addition to more traditional categories such as breakthrough performance and movie of the year.

Freeman is nominated for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” in a category whose title will not make it past the L.A. Times censors. Among the other nominees most likely to be noticed by Hero Complex readers:

–”The Avengers” and ”The Dark Knight Rises” nominated for movie of the year.

[For the Record, 11:55 a.m. March 6: An earlier version of this post mucked up the nominees in the best villain category. Thank you to all the Hero Complex readers – and there were many, many – who flagged this.]

–Tom Hardy and Marion Cotillard (both for “The Dark Knight Rises”) and Tom Hiddleston (“The Avengers”) nominated for best villain.

–”Skyfall,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Avengers” nominated for best fight.

The MTV Movie Awards are part of a cluster of honors that arrive in the wake of the Oscars and, in some cases, thumb their noses at traditional Hollywood awards.

Last month, Netflix announced a new awards show — the Flixies — to honor popular entertainment such as “The Walking Dead,” “The Vampire Diaries” and more. The public also decides this award, with the video streaming service announcing winners on March 11.

And then in June, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films announces the winners of the 39th annual Saturn Awards, which bills itself as the major awards dedicated to “honoring the finest in genre entertainment in film, television and home entertainment.”

Among the nominees for those awards: “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Looper” and “Cloud Atlas,” with “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” receiving the lion’s share of nominations.

What do you think about all these awards shows? Too much? Or an opportunity for genre entertainment to take center stage?

– Rene Lynch