May 4th is celebrated by many Star Wars fans as Star Wars Day. Don’t get why? Say “May the fourth” out loud, then compare that to, “May the force be with you.”

Ahhhhhhhhh, there we go.

Anyway, in honor of this day, we put together an intensive “Where Are They Now?” starring all your favorite characters from Star Wars. Click on and prosper (we know that’s Star Trek).

It wouldn’t be a new Quentin Tarantino release without someone calling out the controversial director. And many objections have already been made against the filmmaker’s latest movie, Django Unchained, which opened Christmas Day.

As usual with Tarantino, reviewers and audiences seem to love the film, yet plenty of prominent critics and activists are up in arms about his fondness for extreme violence, his brazen historical revisionism, and his frequent, matter-of-fact use of the n-word.

Django Unchained, an epic Western about the quest of a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) from an evil plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio) in the pre-Civil War South, raises all those issues and more. Fortunately, Celebuzz can help you navigate Django’s briar patch of thorny concerns via the gallery at the top of this article — in just five simple steps.

Click and save the talking points above, and you’ll be able to join in the discussion about Django’s controversies — even if you haven’t seen the movie. (Like that ever stops people.)

Have you seen Django Unchained? If so, do you think the criticisms leveled against it have merit? If you haven’t seen it, do these controversies make you eager to see it or eager to avoid it? Weigh in below in the comments.

In Quentin Tarantino’s new western Django Unchained, Jamie Foxx plays an ex-slave determined to free his wife from the the plantation of ruthless slave owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

For Foxx, the movie presented a number of firsts, including a wild ride on horseback, a vengeful slave and an onset accident that left DiCaprio with a blood-drenched hand.

Calvin Candie manages a 60-square-mile spread called Candie Land, a sugar plantation populated by hundreds of slaves, including Django’s wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).

When King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and Django ride in with their hidden agenda, Candie, a man who is not used to being contradicted, loses patience with the pair, smashing a shot glass on the table before him.

Word on set was that during rehearsals, DiCaprio delivered a tour de force performance. Subsequently, staffers were stopping by the set to watch the scene as it was being filmed.

“What happened was the shot glass somehow slid over underneath where he was slamming his hand,” Foxx told reporters. “In one take, he slams his hand there and the shot glass goes through his hand. Now blood is shooting out of his hand and I’m thinking, ‘does everybody else see this, cause this is crazy!’ And he keeps going and I almost turned into a girl.”

DiCaprio had a lot of trouble embodying his character, a vile racist given to casual violence and liberal use of the N-word.

“We were in rehearsals and Leo’s saying his line, ‘n***er this, n***er that,” said Foxx, who remembers his co-star straining at the use of the word in the presence of his African-American castmates including Samuel L. Jackson. “Then Samuel pulls him aside and says, ‘Hey motherf***er, this is just another Tuesday for us, let’s go.”

Growing up in Texas, Foxx is no stranger to casual racism. “There are racial components in the south, me being called n***er growing up as a kid,” he revealed. “So when I read the script, I didn’t knee jerk to the word ‘n***er’ like somebody from New York or L.A. would knee jerk because that was something I experienced.”

If the movie’s casual racism wasn’t a challenge for Foxx, riding bareback was, even though he’s a rider in his free time and actually rode his own horse, Cheetah, in the film.

“What’s interesting about my horse and Django is that they sort of learn together,” said Foxx. “While my horse is learning tricks, Django is sort of evolving as a person, as a superhero, all the way to the end of the movie, where you see my horse do the same thing at the end.”

In the movie, Foxx, atop Cheetah, spins out at 28 miles per hour. “There were people ready to catch me just in case something happens,” recalled Foxx. “On the outside I looked like Django, but on the inside I was Little Richard. I was there, ‘Oh Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, please stop this horse! Lord Jesus stop this horse!”

On the next take, a stunt man told him, “If you feel like you’re about to come off the horse just let go of the son of a bitch,” said Foxx. “And I’m thinking, ‘He’s a damn fool if he thinks I can get off this horse!”

But after several takes, Cheetah became winded, slowing down enough for Foxx to complete the take to Tarantino’s satisfaction.

Foxx, who won the role of Django after Will Smith dropped out due to a scheduling conflict, relished portraying a badass in a time where most African-Americans were subservient.

“We never get a chance to see the slave fight back,” he observed, noting that usually when a slave has a chance to exact revenge, he shows mercy instead. But not here.

“In this movie there’s a lot of firsts and we knew that coming into it there’s gonna be all the other things said and everything about it, but it’s been a fantastic ride.”

From Martin Short’s cameo-filled opening monologue to surprise guest Samuel L. Jackson’s possible f-bomb during a talk show sketch, Saturday Night Live’s holiday episode has left viewers plenty to talk about in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

The show opened with a tribute to the Connecticut elementary school shooting victims with help from the New York City Children’s Chorus, who sang a beautiful rendition of “Silent Night.” The group also delivered the classic “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night” announcement (video below).

“SNL has always been my first love, followed by my movies, then theater, then my money and my family,” Short joked during his opening monologue.

The 62-year-old SNL vet then launched into a musical number, to the tune of “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” but tweaked the theme to represent the real meaning of Christmas: being “amorous.”

With cameras following him through the halls of the SNL studio, Martin delivers a whole lot of love to Tom Hanks, Jackson, and SNL alums Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels, who was on the receiving end of a very big kiss from the host.

Musical guest Sir Paul McCartney delivered three powerhouse performances, including one that reunited the former Beatle and the surviving members of Nirvana — Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear. The supergroup, who played last week’s Hurricane Sandy relief concert at Madison Square Garden, tore the stage with “Cut Me Some Slack.”

The episode came to an awkward halt during the “What’s Up With That” talk show sketch with Keenan Thompson, Portlandia star Carrie Brownstein and Jackson, who may have cursed on live television.

“Man f**k, that’s some bulls**t!” he yelled at one point, after Thompson’s hilarious host character says the show’s out of time.

“Come on Sam, come on now . . . that costs money,” Thompson responds, referring to a potential fine from the FCC.

“I only said FUH and not F**K! K was sposed to cut off da BULLS**T, blew it!!” Jackson tweeted backstage moments after the sketch.

As Twitter quickly exploded with reaction to Jackson’s word choice, and as several unofficial recordings (like this one) began to flood YouTube, NBC later uploaded a version of the sketch, but with caution — the potential curse word is muted.

Going back to Martin’s smorgasbord of performances Saturday night, the funnyman kicked off his evening with a bit opposite Alec Baldwin as Tony Bennett.

Martin also took part in a more newsy sketch about what else: Kate Middleton’s pregnancy. Playing a representative sent from Buckingham Palace, Martin advises the Duchess’ doctor to address her lady bits with any of the following words: the governess, the king maker, her Downton Abbey, Dame Judi Dench, among others.

“When the child is delivered, you must not reach for it unless it offers a hand to you,” Martin adds.

The evening wrapped with McCartney taking part in for a sketch that turned into a full-blown performance of “Wonderful Christmas Time,” along with the return of the New York City Children’s Chorus.

Saturday Night Live will return Jan. 15, with host Jennifer Lawrence and musical guest The Lumineers.

What did you think of this week’s ‘Saturday Night Live?’ Do you think Samuel L. Jackson dropped the f-bomb? Weigh in below.

The second official trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained suggests a staid, corseted period drama that will offer a nuanced, sober-minded, historically accurate depiction of the thorny complexities of slavery in the antebellum South… Nah, just kidding, it looks like a badass, ultraviolent, revenge-minded, revisionist-history spaghetti Western that should do for the pre-Civil War era what Inglourious Basterds did for World War II: blow it up real good.

Unlike the first trailer, released in June, with its deliberately anachronistic’70s-funk soundtrack that made the movie look like a typical Tarantino guns-and-guts joint that happened to be set in the 19th century, the new trailer is backed by mournful horns and distorted guitars that make the footage look more like the spaghetti Western Tarantino’s been promising, something along the lines of a Sergio Leone epic like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The new trailer also offers some new surprises that help flesh out the plot.

From the first trailer, we knew that Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave acquired by bounty hunter King Schultz (Basterds Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz), who offers Django his freedom in return for his help in hunting down the elusive Brittle brothers. Along the way, the pair determine that Django’s long-missing wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) now belongs to sadistic plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), and that freeing her from his clutches will be their most dangerous mission.

In the new clip, we learn more about the wicked Candie, including the fact that he stages gladiatorial fights between his slaves. We learn that his house slave Stephen (Tarantino regular Samuel L. Jackson) is quick to suspect newcomers Django and King. And, in a bit of comic relief, we meet Jonah Hill as a member of a proto-Ku Klux Klan posse who has forgotten his hood and wonders if anyone else brought an extra one.

Most of the rest of the trailer is gunfire, explosions, and bloodletting, but staged with the kinetic excitement and inventiveness that Tarantino fans have come to expect. Through it all, Foxx stays unnervingly quiet, as if he’s busy mentally adding up the likely psychic and emotional toll of unleashing his justifiable fury.

What do you think? Does the clip make you excited to see Django Unchained when it opens on Dec. 25? Let us know below.

Joel Kinnaman has some huge shoes to fill as the title character of Jose Padilha’s remake of Robocop, but recent photos reveal that they might not be quite as big as fans of the original remember.

According to new photos from the set, Kinnaman’s costume is decidedly more sleek and athletic than the one worn by Peter Weller in Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 original.

Although some images fully reveal the actor’s face, other photos feature an updated version of the visor that became synonymous with the character.

Who else is involved with the ‘Robocop’ remake?

Kinnaman was spotted alongside actress Abbie Cornish, but they’re not the only two name actors to appear in Padilha’s film.

Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Jay Baruchel, Clive Owen, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael Keaton and Jennifer Ehle also star in the remake.

Dig into the gallery and see Kinnaman in action – or in between action scenes, anyway. Robocop is due in theaters August 9, 2013. Take a look back at the original in this 25th Anniversary clip.

Comic-Con 2012 is officially underway, and to celebrate, Celebuzz is looking back at some of the event’s best moments from years past.

From a super-hot Twilight panel to the debut of The Avengers, the convention has a long history of screaming fans and sold-out crowds.

So what moments made our all-time best list?

Captain America Co-Creator Attends First Annual Comic-Con (1970)

More than a decade before the birth of Chris Evans (better known to movie audiences as Captain America), the artist behind the star-spangled crusader stepped out in front of 300 fans at the first Comic-Con. Jack Kirby also had a hand in creating numerous other Marvel Comics characters, including Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the original X-Men. (See his collaborator Stan Lee in the video, below.)

George Lucas Debuts Star Wars Poster (1976)

These days, directors bring footage of their blockbusters to screen at Comic-Con, but back in 1976 George Lucas brought just a poster for Star Wars, which would open a year later.

Angelina and Halle Bring Oscar Swagger  (2003)

Oscar winners Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry both had movies to plug at Comic-Con 2003. The two promoted Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and Gothika, respectively.

Quentin Tarantino Makes Surprise Kill Bill Visit (2003)

Some of the best Comic-Con moments are the ones that aren’t on the schedule. When Quentin Tarantino stopped by to promote his Kill Bill films, fans were treated to a buzz-making appearance from the iconic director.

Samuel L. Jackson’s Pumps Snakes on a Plane (2005)

Snakes on a Plane had quite a viral campaign, complete with hilarious robocalls from Samuel L. Jackson himself. The film came into Comic-Con with considerable buzz, and Jackson shined promoting the film.

The Dark Knight Joker Campaign (2007)

With just days to go until Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film hits theaters, it’s hard to believe it’s been five years since The Dark Knight hit Comic-Con. Back then, Heath Ledger’s Joker was shrouded in mystery — so fans who had Joker dollars slipped into their pockets must have been doubly curious to follow the clues leading to a Batman viral campaign.

Iron Man Makes Surprise Visit (2007)

In a banner year for superheroes, director Jon Favreau unexpectedly showed up with the first trailer for Iron Man. Favreau has since been hailed as a master of the convention, after bringing well-received footage for his films Iron Man 2 and Cowboys & Aliens.

Twilight Hysteria (2008)

A few months before the movie-going world was introduced to power couple Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, the crowd in San Diego felt the full force of Twilight. Tickets to the panel became a much sought-after item, as fans fought for a glimpse of actors playing their beloved characters on the big screen.

Tron Sequel Announced (2008)

Disney let it be known that a Tron sequel was happening in a stealthy way. The studio showed footage, which progressively seemed  more and more familiar to fans of the 1982 original. The money shot came when a younger, CG version of Jeff Bridges was revealed, confirming that Tron was back, and so was its star.

James Cameron Returns with Avatar (2009)

After directing Titanic, once the highest-grossing film ever, James Cameron waited 14 years before taking the director’s chair again. He brought a 20-minute, 3D clip of Avatar to San Diego and received rave reviews for its immersive experience. The film would eventually topple Titanic’s box office gross.

Dr. Who and Torchwood Stars Kiss (2009)

Talk about a TV crossover event. Fans were already excited to see the leads of sci-fi favorites Dr. Who and Torchwood onstage. But when the show’s two stars David Tennant and John Barrowman kissed, they went nuts. Someone call a doctor, please.

Avengers Assemble! (2010)

Two years before The Avengers became a box office behemoth, its cast appeared at Comic-Con. Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffallo, Clark Gregg and director Joss Whedon stormed Hall H to screen footage of Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor.

Harry Potter Makes Convention Debut (2010)

It may surprise you, but the Harry Potter franchise didn’t make it to Comic-Con until 2010. Even though the cast didn’t appear, fans were treated to a sneak peak of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Emotional Chuck Farewell (2011)

The cast and creators of Chuck always did well at Comic-Con, but their 2011 appearance was particularly bittersweet for fans — NBC had already announced the show’s fifth season would be its last, and star Zachary Levi broke down in tears, thanking fans for their support. Ballroom 20 was packed, and thousands more fans waited outside.

Andrew Garfield Interrupts Spider-Man panel (2011)

In a genuine display of love for the character, Andrew Garfield interrupted The Amazing Spider-Man panel from the audience — all while wearing a cheap Spidey getup. He explained that he wanted to attend Comic-Con as a fan first, rather than as a cast member,  and went on to reveal how much Spider-Man meant to him. A year later, big-screen audiences generally approved of Garfield’s take on the wall crawler.

What would make  your best of Comic-Con list? Sound off in the comments — and don’t forget to check out the complete film lineup and TV schedule coming to San Diego this year.

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The 2012 ESPY Awards invade Hollywood on Wednesday night as stars of the sports world descend upon the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

Celebuzz is hitting up the red carpet to ask the night’s sexiest (and sportiest) attendees all the burning questions at the top of fans’ minds. Here’s a quick preview of some ESPY Awards highlights.

Will the LeBron reign supreme?

LeBron James and the Miami Heat were nearly unstoppable in this year’s NBA finals. Hot off a series MPV win, James, 27, is nominated for Best Male Athlete. He and the team received nods in four other categories, including Best Team, Best Championship Performance (James), Best Coach/Manager (Erik Spoelstra), and Best NBA player (James).

James faces stiff competition in the Best Male Athlete category from Serbian tennis phenom Novak Djokovic, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Justin Verlander. Sports observers will be watching this category closely to see if James’ strong post-season performance can outshine his public image issues. (He was mercilessly mocked at previous ESPYS by host Seth Meyers).

WILL TEBOW GET BEST MOMENT?

Tim Tebow prepared for the ESPYS by getting a haircut in Beverly Hills last week (no swearing allowed), and must be hoping his 80-yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas will earn him the Best Moment ESPY. The pass gave Tebow’s Denver Broncos a sudden death playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Tebo, 24, will have to contend with New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter snagging his 3,000th hit to get the win.

THE GUEST LIST

Veteran ESPY hosts Samuel L. Jackson and Meyers are expected to make appearances, as well as Lance Armstrong, who is currently facing new allegations of doping. NAS will be performing, and Jessica Biel, Kenny Chesney, and NASCAR’s Danica Patrick are slated to present.

Comedian Rob Riggle is taking over hosting duties, and we expect him to tackle the scandals and fads that swept the sports world over the past year, including the Linsanity surrounding New York Nick Jeremy Lin and the NFL’s Bountygate fiasco.

BATTLE OVER THE BREAKOUT ATHLETE

Everyone loves a champ coming out of nowhere, and that’s what this category is all about. The nominees include University of Kentucky basketball star Anthony Davis, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Lin, and USA women’s soccer player Alex Morgan.

This one will test the powers of Linsanity and the unibrow. Lin’s popularity swept basketball fans at home and in his ancestral Taiwan, while Davis’ phenomenal performance led his team to an NCAA championship. Davis recently applied to trademark phrases about his unibrow, which has been talked about nearly as much as his game.

SURPRISES IN STORE

Some of the best ESPY moments have nothing to do with the awards themselves. Will Ferrell was hilarious in 2010 as Jeff Vuvuzela, the fictional inventor of the Vuvuzela. San Francisco Giants pitcher Brian Wilson showed up to the event last year wearing a spandex tuxedo. We’re sure there is more hilarity to come.

The ESPYs will air live on Tuesday at 9pm EST on ESPN/ESPN HD.

Prepare yourselves, people, for an epic new cinematic team is about to coalesce! Twilight beefcake Kellan Lutz and Samuel L. Jackson are in talks to co-star in the upcoming action movie Deathgames and, even better, the plot would cast Lutz as a guy who’s kidnapped and forced into “the savage world of a modern gladiator arena.” So you know what that means—uh-huh; there’s about a 125 percent chance that Kellan will be shirtless for a significant portion of the flick.

Pulp Fiction star Jackson, meanwhile, would play the mastermind behind the gladiator operation, who monitors the fights in his “computer lair with the help of twin ladies who see to his every desire.” So, basically, the only way this movie could be any better is if they throw in a few flying robots who shoot laser beams out of their eyes. Fingers crossed, people…

Would a shirtless, gladiatorial Kellan Lutz and an evil Samuel L. Jackson and his sexy-twin minions be enough to draw you into the movie theater? Have your say in the comments section!

• Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur were left out of the Oscars’ memorial montage. What’s a gal have to do to get some attention in this town, anyway? (Dlisted)
• And now the big question from last night’s Oscars: Did Samuel L. Jackson accidentally swallow a lemon during Mo’Nique‘s acceptance speech? (Bossip)
• Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin brought all of the vigor to the Oscars that their combined 120 years could muster up. (Starpulse)
• George Clooney grew his hair out for his girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis. Smart move, George; she clearly has the upper hand in that relationship. (PopEater)
• Kathryn Bigelow made her ownage of ex-husband James Cameron complete by scoring a better seat than him at the Oscars last night. She had better makeup too. (Huffington Post)

After the Pow! Bam! Crunch! success of summer blockbuster Iron Man last year, pre-production is underway for the inevitable sequel to the Marvel Comics big screen adaptation.

But those thinking the swapping of Don Cheadle for Terrance Howard was the end of the casting musical chairs for the film might want to get the ore out of their heads.

“There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don’t know,” Samuel L. Jackson, who was in talks to play Nick Fury, told MTV’s Splash Page.

“Maybe I won’t be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won’t be in it,” the 60-year-old actor philosophically noted. “There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world so [they're saying to me], ‘We’re not making that deal.’”

Sounds like Kevin Bacon isn’t the only actor that’ll be hitting the pavement, then.

Meanwhile, Devil Wears Prada minx Emily Blunt, 25, is also rumored to be taking on the role of super-spy Black Widow in the flick.

Other whispers have The Wrestler’s Mickey Rourke and Frost/Nixon‘s Sam Rockwell filling out the cast of Iron Man 2 as villains.

Here’s hoping all the action behind the scenes translates to lots of thrills on the screen!

Hey, look; it’s Justin Timberlake dressed as Daisy Duke!

What does that have to do with athletic skills? Not much. But for the 16th Annual ESPY Awards—where sports and show biz collide—it makes perfect sense.

J.T. was joined by celeb presenters such as Kiefer Sutherland, Fergie, Samuel L. Jackson and Kate Walsh.

Oh, and there was some posh-looking knobby-kneed chick there too.

Held at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, the Timberlake-hosted event honored excellence in sports performance over the past year (hence the full name of the award, Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly).

The honorees included $115 million golf god Tiger Woods, who took home his fifth Best Male Athlete award, along with Best Golfer and Best Championship Performance (for winning the U.S. Open) trophies.

Other statue-snagging jocks included Roger Federer (for Best Male Tennis Player), Floyd Mayweather Jr. (for Best Fighter) and Maria Sharapova (for Best Female Tennis Player).

Unfortunately, Shaquille O’Neal failed to take home the Best Rapping Athlete ESPY, mostly because it doesn’t exist.