Graves passed away Sunday just a few days before his 84th birthday outside his home in Los Angeles, publicist Sandy Brokaw said. Graves was returning from brunch with his wife of nearly 60 years and his family when he had what Graves’ doctor believed was a heart attack, Brokaw said.

Graves first gained attention of many baby boomers with the 1950s TV series “Fury,” but remained best known for the role of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in TV’s “Mission: Impossible.”

Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance early in his career as the treacherous Nazi spy in Billy Wilder’s 1953 prisoner-of-war drama “Stalag 17.”

He also masterfully lampooned his straight-arrow image when he portrayed bumbling airline pilot Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof “Airplane!”

Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.

The authority and trust he projected made him a favorite for commercials late in his life, and he was often encouraged to go into politics.

“He had this statesmanlike quality,” Brokaw said. “People were always encouraging him to run for office.”

Graves was preceded in stardom by his older brother James Arness, who played Marshal Matt Dillon on TV’s “Gunsmoke.”

Born Peter Aurness, Graves adopted his grandfather’s last name to avoid confusion with his older brother, who had dropped the “U” from the family name.

Graves’ career began with cheaply made exploitation films like “It Conquered the World,” in which he battled a carrot-shaped monster from Venus, and “Beginning of the World,” in which he fought a giant grasshopper.

He later took on equally formidable human villains each week on “Mission: Impossible.”

Every show began with Graves, as agent Phelps, listening to a tape of instructions outlining his team’s latest mission and explaining that if he or any of his agents were killed or captured “the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.”

The tape always self-destructed within seconds of being played.

The show ran on CBS from 1967 to 1973 and was revived on ABC from 1988 to 1990 with Graves back as the only original cast member.

The actor credited clever writing for the show’s success.

“It made you think a little bit and kept you on the edge of your seat because you never knew what was going to happen next,” he once said.

He also played roles in such films as John Ford’s “The Long Gray Line” and Charles Laughton’s “The Night of the Hunter,” as well as “The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell,” “Texas Across the River” and “The Ballad of Josie.”

Graves’ first television series was the children’s Saturday morning show, “Fury,” about an orphan and his untamed black stallion. Filmed in Australia, it lasted six years on NBC.

In his later years, Graves brought his white-haired eminence to PBS as host of “Discover: The World of Science” and A&E’s “Biography” series.

He noted during an interview in 2000 that he made his foray into comedy somewhat reluctantly.

Filmmakers Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker had written a satire on the airplane-in-trouble movies, and they wanted Graves and fellow handsome actors Lloyd Bridges, Leslie Nielsen and Robert Stack to spoof their serious images.

All agreed, but Graves admitted to nervousness. On the one hand, he said, he considered the role a challenge, “but it also scared me.”

“I thought I could lose a whole long acting career,” he recalled.

“Airplane!” became a box-office smash, and Graves returned for “Airplane II, The Sequel.”

Graves was a champion hurdler in high school in Minnesota, as well as a clarinet player in dance bands and a radio announcer.

After two years in the Air Force, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota as a drama major and worked in summer stock before following his brother west to Hollywood.

He found enough success there to send for his college sweetheart, Joan Endress. They were married in 1950 and had three daughters — Kelly Jean, Claudia King and Amanda Lee — and six grandchildren.

Earlier in the afternoon, the first official trailer for “Eclipse” was leaked, whipping Twilighters into a frenzy as they analyzed the footage frame-by-frame, looking for clues about the eagerly anticipated June 30 installment of the franchise. And although Kristen was there to talk about Joan rather than Bella, and Dakota was in Cherie mode rather than channeling Jane, both found it hard to suppress their excitement.

“Yeah, I saw it,” KStew said of the dazzling 90-second first look at the third “Twilight” movie. “It’s really fast and it’s really quick.”

While millions of people were glimpsing the footage over and over again (in L.A., the tease for the 11 o’clock news even featured it), Fanning sheepishly admitted that she was just happy she had made the clip.

“Yeah, I am surprised I am in it,” the 15-year-old Volturi admitted, citing her brief shot strolling across a field and saying of Bella, “She’s still human; the Volturi don’t give second chances.”

“I can’t give it away, but I am in two scenes this time,” Fanning admitted of her limited role in the movie. “I wasn’t expecting [to see myself in the trailer]. But it’s really great.”

Before they went into the theater to premiere “The Runaways,” Kristen told us that when she first saw the “Eclipse” trailer she found herself watching it like a fan.

“I was like, ‘Oh, OK,’ ” Stewart remembered of trying to take in all the quick cuts. “It was like watching stills. It’s hard for me to watch stuff, and initially my reaction is always a little strange.

“But I’m really excited,” summed up KStew, undoubtedly voicing the opinion of Twilighters everywhere. “I want to see more!”

Green Zone was advertised as Jason Bourne in Iraq. It’s not. Yes it has Matt Damon, and yes it’s directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum), but ChiefWarrant Officer Roy Miller isn’t an international super-spy, he’s a soldier. He can’t kill eight people with his bare hands and he can’t disappear into a crowd.

Instead, Roy Miller wants to know why he’s been getting bad intelligence. The Pentagon tells him where to look for weapons of mass destruction, and they’re wrong every time. Finding an ally in CIA Agent Martin Brown, Miller investigates further; tracking down the top-secret source, code-named Magellan, who’s been leading him in circles.

Of course, seven years after Green Zone takes place, we know why Miller never found any WMDs; they were never there to begin with. Greg Kinnear plays Clark Poundstone, fictional Pentagon Liaison and giant sleazebag, who’s there so we have someone to blame.Green Zone has already begun to accumulate criticism, but Roy Miller’s the good guy in this movie, not the United States.

Green Zone isn’t a great action movie, and it’s not an epic war film. Green Zone isn’t even a very good conspiracy movie. We already know how it ends. But that’s kind of the point. If everything goes according to plan, the United States will supposedly be out of Iraq in August, and as we hopefully draw nearer to the end, it’s important for us to remember why we began the war. Because ChiefWarrant Officer Roy Miller is right, the reasons why we go to war are important. Green Zone tells us what we already know, but it’s something we need to be reminded of nonetheless.

The actress — who stars opposite Depp in the new Tim Burton picture Alice in Wonderland — admires how the Pirates of The Caribbean star has remained so grounded.

“I think Johnny does it by setting an example,” says Mia, who plays Alice in the film.

“I am trying to anticipate what is about to happen to me,” she added. “I think I will take it as it comes, and act accordingly.”

Mia — who’s from Canberra, Australia — recently admitted she wishes she could have spent more time filming with Johnny.

“For a lot of the film Alice is three-inches tall and she’s on the Mad Hatter’s hat or on his shoulder or in his pocket,” she said last month. “For scenes like that we shot separately.

“I would shoot my stuff then Johnny would shoot his which was a real pain. Eventually they did work our a way we could shoot some scenes together but it was very frustrating because Johnny is an amazing actor and you want to be with him for every scene.”

But Megan Fox says her public persona as a highly sexed man-eater is totally at odds with her private life.

In a no-holds-barred interview, the 23-year-old actress reveals the thought of a one-night stand makes her sick and insists she has slept with just two men, reports the Daily Mail.

Apart from her current boyfriend, ex-Beverly Hills 90210 actor Brian Austin Green, Fox says she’s only ever been with one other man – her childhood sweetheart.

Speaking to the UK edition of Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Fox says: ‘I’ve only been with two men my entire life.

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Related Coverage

* Katie out-Foxed in jungle Herald Sun, 17 Nov 2009
* Katie out-Foxed in jungle Herald Sun, 17 Nov 2009
* Megan Fox’s killer ambition Daily Telegraph, 7 Nov 2009
* Megan Fox Adelaide Now,
* Megan Fox’s love rekindled Adelaide Now, 8 Sep 2009

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‘My childhood sweetheart and Brian. I can never have sex with someone that I don’t love, ever. The idea makes me sick. I’ve never even come close to having a one-night stand.’

Transformers star Fox, who is unmissable on billboards throughout the world as the star of the new Emporio Armani Underwear and Jeans campaign, says she leads a quiet life with Brian.

They live on a ranch with acres of land in Los Angeles, helping to raise his eight-year-old son Kassius. Yet it is something, she says, the Press tends to overlook.

She explained: ‘I am a stepmother to the fullest extent. I have looked after Kassius since he was three and he has no memory of life without me.

‘For some reason, no one wants to look at me that way, but I am responsible (for him) and I’ve never struggled with that, from bedtime stories to the school run.’

However Megan, who sizzles in an eight page portfolio in the latest issue of the prestigious fashion magazine, admits she has herself to blame for the way the media portray her as a man-eater.

SHE is one of the most versatile actresses around and there seems no stopping Helena Bonham Carter since her debut as the tragic lead character in Lady Jane (1986). She has since starred in a variety of films ­including as a regular on the Harry Potter series of movies playing the evil Bellatrix Lestrange, as well as appearances on television and stage projects.

Carter, 43, is a regular face on ­director Tim Burton’s feature films such as The Big Fish, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. Burton is her domestic partner and father to her two children.
She now appears in Burton’s latest ­feature Alice in Wonderland, an epic ­adventure shot in 3D, together with actor Johnny Depp ­(another regular in Burton’s films) who is a close friend of the couple and godfather to their son. Their daughter Nell also has a minor part in the film.

In an interview on the movie, Carter explained that this Alice in Wonderland is an original story that is inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic. “I think this is what Tim has brought to it. We’ve got all the same characters as in the original story – but, genius as it was, it doesn’t actually have a story or plot to speak of.

“Alice (newcomer Mia Wasikowska) goes from one episodic encounter to ­another, and meets madder and madder people. What Linda Woolverton (the screenplay writer) has done is fashion a story with an ­emotional context for the film’s events to occur. In this, there’s a point to the whole story and a journey for Alice.”

Alice is no longer a little girl here but a 19-year-old ­trying to find out who she is. Throughout the journey of self-discovery, she meets a lot of strange characters.

Said Carter: “I love the main message here, in that it’s okay to be mad – some who are mad make the best people. I also think that the story resonates ­because, to a young child, everything’s incredibly confusing. I can see that with my son, Billy.

“As a parent, I’m constantly ­interpreting. You can see that he and Nell, who’s now a year old, are in a state of ­wonder. But then there is also the ­wondering, like, what does that mean?

“When I read the script, it made so much sense to me. It was really lyrical and had great heart. So you really do want to know what’s going to ­happen next.”

Carter explains the story has many ­characters but they are all mad in ­different ways. “The Hatter, the Red Queen, the March Hare, even the Rabbit’s got deep anxiety problems. Everybody is in a state of deep, emotional instability, really, except Alice. Alice is the normal one. Personally, I find madness or any emotional instability fascinating. Sane people are kind of boring to play.”

So the story is essentially about Alice who started out as an outsider in her own world, getting a different point of view in life and realises that being different is something to be celebrated and not be ashamed of.

When asked to describe the character of the Red Queen, Carter recalled the day Burton told her she was going to play the Queen. “I saw the first drawing he did. And there was this picture of a really angry person with a really big head.

“So, I play the Red Queen who has got ­emotional problems. It takes nothing, practically, for her to lose her temper. She doesn’t really rule through any kind of justice or fairness, but through ­terror.

“I chop off people’s heads – that’s my solution to everything. It probably comes from an underlying insecurity about having such a big head while everybody else has a normal head.”

To get a deeper insight on the character, Carter looked back at Carroll’s book and noted that he referred the Red Queen as somebody who was afflicted with an ungovernable passion, just full of this fury and rage. “No matter what the offence, her solution to everything is to chop off a head.”

Burton on the other hand suggested she watch Mommy Dearest, which is one of his favourite films. Carter was also inspired by Bette Davis in her role as Baby Jane Hudson in ­Whatever ­Happened to Baby Jane.

She describes playing the Queen as fun ­likening the character to a spoilt child who has no ­compassion for anyone else’s feelings except her own.

Alice encounters the Red Queen when she goes to Underland, a place she mistook for the ­Wonderland she visited as a child.

Carter said: “The White Queen should have been queen, although I’m the eldest. It’s just that our parents passed me by and gave the crown to my younger sister. Everyone is in a state of unrest.

Meanwhile, all of the supporters of the White Queen are ­rebelling, and I continue to rule with the only person I love, Stayne, the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover), my right-hand man.”

This is also the first time Carter has worn an ­Elizabethan style costume since playing Lady Jane 24 years ago. She has to endure three hours of make-up to get her looks right.

She also has to work with green screen ­technology which meant talking to no one in particular on the sets most of the time. But she insisted that wasn’t the ­biggest problem.

“The big hazard was I lost my voice pretty much every day by 10 o’clock, because she (the Red Queen) shouts a lot. ‘Off with his head! Off with her head!’ It’s quite exhausting losing your temper all the time.” – BVCT

It’s something you wanna see (at least we hope not, for your sake), but something we’re seeing stories about all the time. Pretty bizarre if you ask us.

Following the leak of an alleged Snooki nude picture last week come reports of more supposed shots of Nicole Polizzi naked being released and sold.

The lovable Jersey Shore cast member has denied the existence of naked photos, but an anonymous group is readying to post another “sexy” shot.

According to reports, this sketchy group wants to sell the entire set of naked pictures of Nicole Polizzi – plus video. People may bid hundreds for it.

Snooki Kissing

Pass.

The new pic on nakedsnooki.com shows her from behind in lingerie. The naked photos match the background of her room, as seen on Snooki’s Twitter.

Pics and a video, which is by far the most graphically revealing of all the material and seems to have been taken by Snooki herself, are all for sale.

Jersey Shore has been renewed for a second season by MTV. No word if the network is behind the nakedsnooki.com site and this is all a PR hoax.

According to RadarOnline.com, off-camera Grubbs is claiming that she and Clooney had sex.

“Jaimee told me that she slept with George Clooney,” a source who met the waitress recently tells RadarOnline.com. “I think she thought it would impress me or something – make her seem really attractive maybe, you know, George wants her so she must be really hot.

“She was boasting about how amazing he was and how he made her feel like a total princess, she said it was the most amazing sex she’’s ever had.”

The video clip is part of an audition interview Jaimee did for a reality TV show.

Grubbs reveals she was at work one night when Clooney came in with Rande Gerber, who owns the bar she works at.

She says Clooney was enjoying “a boys night out” at the bar.

In a series of experiments involving a button pressing game amongst 54 participants researchers found people moved fastest when reacting to their opponent rather than initiating the same movement.

Psychologist Dr Andrew Welchman said the phenomenon may even be an evolutionary development to help the survival of humans.

His team placed male and female volunteers aged 18 to 39 in pairs to compete against each other and they took it in turns to initiate the movement by holding down the central of three buttons.

In these “laboratory gunfights” there was a 10 percent benfit of reactive actions even when participants competed against a computer – suggesting the effect is not related to action observation.

Dr Welchman, of Birmingham University, said: “We showed that pressing the three buttons was slightly quicker when players were reacting to a move rather than instigating it.

“There is good evidence from imaging scans that our brain system uses different messaging routes depending on intentional and reactive movements but this is the first time the two speeds of thought have been calculated.”

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr, who died in 1962 aged 77, first suggested the intentional act of drawing and shooting is slower to execute than the reactive response after being inspired by movie gunfights.

He once did an impromptu research project to find out why good guys in movies always win quick draw duels.

After many mock gunfights in university hallways with graduate students, Bohr concluded the villain always tries to draw his gun first, and so must consciously move his hands), while the hero always reacts and draws by reflex as soon as he sees the villain moving.

Dr Welchman said it would be “stretching it” to say they have proved Hollywood right because drawing first would give a gunman a headstart that would be difficult to overcome.

He said: “As a general survival strategy, the evolution of a movement system capable of producing quick movements that support faster responses to the environment seems reasonable. It helps us to get out of the way of danger as quickly as possible.

“However, within the context of a gunfight, a strategy based purely on reaction seems unlikely to increase evolutionary fitness as the advantage produced by reacting is far outweighed by the time taken to react to the opponent.

“Anecdotal reports suggest that Bohr tested his original idea with colleague George Gamow using toy pistols, with the ‘reactive’ Bohr apparently winning every duel.

“Our data make it unlikely that these victories can be ascribed to the benefits associated with reaction. Rather, they suggest that Bohr was a crack shot, in addition to being a brilliant physicist.”

Dr Welchman said his findings, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, could help Parkinson’s disease sufferers who are particularly compromised in speed when making intentional rather than reactive arm movemnets.

He said: “Testing Parkinson’s patients with our paradigm would be of interest as concerns about high-level speed-accuracy decisions, or strategies for different experimental conditions could be ruled out.”

Judging from the comments, it appears that there are a whole lot of folks out there who feel Swift didn’t deserve to win her Album of the Year Grammy on Sunday night for a whole lot of reasons, most of which opine that Swift’s live performances can’t match the majesty of Gaga’s Warholian exploits or Beyoncé’s otherworldly contortions. Or, conversely, she only won because of industry-wide sympathy for her … or even due to an apparent conspiracy against Gaga. We got comments in support of Swift as well.

Below are some of the most interesting comments, lightly edited for grammar and content, and please note that the opinions expressed therein are those of the commenters, not MTV News. But don’t think the debate has to end here. If you want to have your voice heard, sound off in the comments below.

And now, we turn the floor over to you:

“This article is exactly what annoys me the most about Taylor Swift, she is portrayed as a victim we are supposed to feel sorry for. Her boyfriend broke up with her; poor Taylor. Kanye interrupted her; poor Taylor. She has an awful performance on TV and people criticize her, how dare they; poor Taylor. She is an adult worth millions of dollars, with buckets of awards, she doesn’t need my sympathy.” (Anne)

“Personally I agree with this article. What artist doesn’t have a bad performance? If I recall, Fergie did much worse than Taylor. Listen to some of her other live performances, they are astounding, people need to get over their jealousy just because she is a living a dream everybody else desires. I would take an awful singer who writes their own lyrics over a dip who couldn’t be creative.” (Aaron)

“Taylor did not just have an off-performance. Almost all her live performances are bad.I will give her credit for being a teenage girl who writes songs about teenage life that other teenagers (and some adults) love, but I truly do not get the critical acclaim. Gaga is the most exciting thing to happen in the music industry in YEARS and her album and songs have been at the top of the charts for the past year. She also writes her own songs, and happens to be SUPER talented. After that mezmerizing performance with Elton John, a Best Album award for her would have just been the icing on the cake. Shame on you Recording Academy voting members!” (Melkush77)

“Taylor Swift’s atrocious performance before her ’stunning’ win is nothing short of irony at its finest. Why shouldn’t we hate on Taylor? Seriously MTV … I can’t believe you’re standing behind this girl as if she has even the slightest ounce of talent. The fairytale/princess junk is getting old and we’re sick of it. The day Taylor puts out a decent (yes, just decent) LIVE performance is the day she may get some staying power.” (Jade)

“The haters are more vocal but there are plenty who don’t feel that way. I think it’s obvious that the top honor should have gone to Lady Gaga, but Taylor is a sweet, talented girl, I don’t see anything to hate. Whatever. Gaga’s not stressing it, she got her trophies. It’s all good, or it should be.” (MidnightMonsoon)

“We’re just sick of being lied to by the music industry. That’s why there is a backlash ’cause people now know this has been another well-executed con-job. No more awards for fakery, please.” (Belmonts)

“I completely agree with this article. Taylor has done nothing wrong. She handles things with way more maturity than girls her age do, even girls in similar situations who are older aren’t as professional as her. Sure she didn’t do amazing at the Grammys … but honestly? She did really well. She’s only human, just because she seems like she has the perfect life doesn’t mean she really is perfect!! She deserves every award she has gotten and every opportunity she’s gotten. … I hope she continues to do as well as she’s been doing, she deserves it. she’s worked hard to get where she is.” (Sigi)

“The industry expertise demonstrated in many of these comments is mind-blowing. Little did we know that so many people around the world — critics, musicians, writers — had been so totally fooled by this one skinny blond! And to think that she got away with selling almost 10 million albums in just two outings over the last three-and-a-half years. Obviously, the attendees at all of her sold-out concerts haven’t been blogging enough to give the rest of the world the heads up on what so many of the commentators here already know … pop music today is a world of pedantry and flamboyant self-absorption, reflecting the worst aspects of its target demographics.” (Spook)

“Taylor is amazing. Period. She’s obviously winning all of these awards for SOME reason. You can say that she can’t sing all that you want, but it’s not true. If she couldn’t sing, then why would she be winning Grammys and CMA Awards, which are both voted on by professional musicians? Taylor is amazing live. I have seen her in concert twice, and both times she was unbelievable. She puts on a great show. She has admitted herself that award shows are her weak spot. … It is unfair for people to be criticizing her for this. I just don’t get it. Taylor is absolutely amazing, and I will be a fan of hers forever and always.” (TaylorSwift13)

“It’s not backlash, a lot of people have not liked her music ever since she came on the scene. I have always seen her for what she was, which is the new Debbie Gibson. She writes simplistic, vapid songs, which she can barely sing. How someone looks, who they are dating, all factor in into someone’s success when youth is involved. It seems like severe backlash has befallen Taylor now only because the Grammys bestowed their highest honor on an album that is clearly not deserving to MANY people. It was fine if she was winning Teen Choice Awards or People’s Choice awards, but an award supposedly about substance being given to an album with the same song repeated 12 times is too much to stomach for some people, so they’ve taken to the Internet with their disgust.” (Micdus)

“While I may not be a fan of her music, I have a lot of respect for Miss Swift. From the fact she writes her own songs to the very important fact she is not a skank. If I had a teenage daughter, I would hope they would choose to be more like Taylor Swift vs. Shakira, Lady Gaga and Brit Brit. Talent and class always rises above un-talented trash.” (ConcertConfessions.com)

“Great article. Haters are just mad because Taylor Swift outsold all their favorite artists combined. She’s not good live, that’s it. But she has the BEST ALBUM out of all the nominees. Keep hating, losers, you can’t bring her down now. She won the Grammy for Album of the Year. The biggest award in music went to her.” (Jenny)

And Megan’s movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, tied with WILL FERRELL’S Land of the Lost with the most mentions, with seven each, including Worst Film and Worst Director.

Other actresses up for the Razzies, the awards for the worst of Hollywood, include Golden Globe winner SANDRA BULLOCK, for her comedy All About Steve, and Sex in the City’s SARAH JESSICA PARKER.

Actors getting the thumbs down include all three JONAS BROTHERS, JOHN TRAVOLTA for Old Dogs and STEVE MARTIN for Pink Panther 2.

And the Twilight trilogy didn’t escape, with ROBERT PATTINSON named in the Worst Supporting Actor category and Worst Couple, along with KRISTEN STEWART.

The nominations also singled out the worst of the decade, including MARIAH CAREY, JENNIFER LOPEZ, MADONNA and PARIS HILTON.

Actors named included BEN AFFLECK, MIKE MYERS and EDDIE MURPHY.

The nominations come just hours before this year’s Oscar runners are named later today and the winners will be announced at the ceremonty on March 6, the night before the Academy Awards.

Then for the shocking finale, Jackson’s two eldest children, Prince Michael and Paris, accepted the Grammys’ Lifetime Achievement on their father’s behalf. (Michael’s youngest son, Prince II aka “Blanket,” remained backstage.)

Instead of offering a medley of his biggest records, Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Smokey Robinson joined for a performance of Jackson’s “Earth Song” as a 3D version of the video from This Is It played in the background. Additionally, some of Jackson’s lead vocals were also used for the live rendition.

The featured artists were great choices and offered broad, diverse appeal to the sound of the record. It also made “Earth Song” bigger, like the global anthem “We Are The World” that Jackson co-wrote along with Lionel Richie 25 years ago.

Smokey said he was honored to be a part of the tribute. “I hope that people were listening to even more so than seeing,” Robinson said to press backstage. “This is it for us. We need to be aware of what we’re doing and do something about it before it’s too late.”

The most moving part of the song was its climax, when each of the performers had a moment to get front-and-center and belt. Hudson shined here, as it was a gospel moment that suited her well. Underwood also captured the passion of the record.

The 3D element was a nice touch, but only offered a few bonuses of dandelions and a fluttering butterfly. But this segment was clearly about the message not the special effects.

After the performance, Lionel Richie, who introduced the performance, announced that Jackson’s children and their cousins (Tito Jackson’s sons) would be accepting their dad’s award.

Seeing Jackson’s kids walk out was emotional. It was sad because seeing them reminded me of their daily struggle of coping their father’s death. But seeing them was also a joyous experience because they looked vibrant and beautiful. He would be proud.

They appear to have matured so much since we last saw them at the memorial in July.
But even more impactful was their composure and strength.

Big brother Prince Michael had the stage presence of his dad as he boldly approached the microphone with his sister and offered an acceptance speech that singled that he and his siblings were OK.

“[We] like to thank the fans, our father loved you so much,” Prince Michael said. “Our father was always concerned about the planet.”

Prince Michael added that his father’s music had a universal theme of love. “We will continue to spread his message,” he said.

Backstage after the tribute, Prince Michael, Paris, and “Blanket” posed with Lionel Richie for an historical, cross-generational photo opp.

As cool as the other award show tributes were, I honestly think this presentation is closer to what Jackson would have wanted. It was not just about him, but about all of us.

Earlier in the evening, Lady GaGa and Elton John kicked off the show with a spectacular duet that featured both singers performing ‘Speechless/Your Song’ while seated at facing pianos and wearing glittering rhinestone outfits. “I love you, Sir Elton John,” she sang. “How wonderful life is with Gaga in the world,” he crooned in response.

Several collaborations took place throughout the evening, including Slash joining Jamie Foxx and T-Pain on their hit ‘Blame It’, and Stevie Nicks teaming up with Swift for the Fleetwood Mac tune ‘Rhiannon’.

The Recording Academy paid tribute to Michael Jackson, honouring the late singer with a Lifetime Achievement Award. During a special 3-D tribute to the pop star, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher sang his tune ‘Earth Song’ before Jackson’s children accepted the award on his behalf.

Now, Gibson is back in front of the cameras with “Edge of Darkness,” one of several films he plans to act in over the next few years. We caught up with the controversial-but-nonetheless-legendary actor/director and his co-star Ray Winstone to discuss the flick about a man seeking to find his daughter’s killers, as well as his rusty acting chops and the reasons he walked away in the first place.

MTV: Mel, it’s been seven years since you’ve acted in a movie. When I Googled your name, the first thing that popped up was a headline that said: “Does Mel Gibson still have it?” So I wanted to ask you: Does Mel still have it?

Mel Gibson: I still don’t know; I never knew whether I had it in the first place.

Ray Winstone: You’re asking me that, and he’s sitting next to me? For me, to go and work with him and watch him go to work was an education — and that’s how making films should be. You should learn every time you go to work. It was an honor and a pleasure.

Gibson: I walked away because I was feeling stale and bored by acting. I got into the directing thing, producing, writing all that sort of stuff. Now, it felt like it was time to hop back in the saddle. This was a strong, compelling piece of work, a good story.

MTV: Is it like riding a bike? Or were there any acting skills that you found were a bit rusty?

Gibson: Oh, of course you’re rusty. You’ve gotta blow out the pipes a few times. But you know, after a couple of failed starts, you get off the deck and get going again.

Winstone: I think you can be a bit rusty after six months, can’t you really?

Gibson: Yeah, you can. But there’s another adage that says — an old wise man told me this, he was an old acting teacher of mine — if you really want to rejuvenate your creative juices, walk away from your chosen spear of expertise for a while. Dig a ditch, do something with your hands, do something different and then come back, and magically your creative juices will be rejuvenated.

MTV: So are you going to turn into the new Michael Caine now? Are we going to see five movies from you within the next year?

Gibson: [In a Michael Caine voice] Well, I’ve been thinking about it. [Laughs.]

MTV: We’ve seen a lot of revenge movies over the years: The “Death Wish” movies, “Death Sentence,” “The Brave One,” even your “Payback.” What separates this movie from those?

Gibson: I think the core of it — it’s a very strong emotional core, and a father/daughter relationship. This is about a guy who has to fulfill something that he probably failed to do for his daughter when she was alive. He has to do it posthumously, and he sacrifices himself in the process. It’s a one-way ticket. That’s why it’s the edge of darkness, I guess. It explores those themes of parenthood, loss, grief and breakdown — and there’s also nothing like a good old-fashioned mystery.

MTV: There’s a lot of blood in this. Would you consider it a violent movie?

Gibson: No; this is not violent. Look at “Inglourious Basterds.” Is this as violent as that?

Winstone: “Braveheart,” I thought, was pretty violent. The battle scenes were unbelievable. In fact, films started changing and doing battles more like the way you did it in “Braveheart.”

MTV: Well, any movie where you don’t get disemboweled in the end is a good thing.

Gibson: Yeah, I think so. No one likes that.