Zoe Saldana Doing Live Avatar Chat Thursday (3PM ET) + Fan Q&A Next Week

Star Trek’s new Uhura, Zoe Saldana’s will next be seen (rendered in 3D CGI as the Na’vi princess Neytiri) in James Cameron’s new sci-fi epic Avatar. The actress is gearing up for lots of press for the film, including a live chat today with the director and other stars. There is also a chance for you to submit questions to another Q&A. Details below.

Zoe Live on Thursday at MTV
The announcement from MTV

This Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, we’ll stream this live online show, in which viewers get to interact with the folks in front of the camera, asking the questions they really want answered. Hosted by MTV Movies managing editor Josh Horowitz, the 30-minute event will feature Cameron and two of the film’s stars, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, plus exclusive "Avatar" footage. Viewers will be able to submit their questions in real time via Facebook and MTV.com.

Here is an embed video

Or go to http://www.mtv.com/movies/ at 3PM Eastern for the chat.

Ask Zoe at Moviefone
AOL’s Moviefone is doing a Q&A with Zoe and other stars of Avatar, here is the announcement:

In anticipation of what is sure to be this holiday season’s monster hit, Saldana and Worthington will be taking part in an Unscripted interview using fan questions. Ask them anything you’d like, just make sure it’s before Wednesday, Dec. 9 and that you include your first name and the city you live in. Come back here on Wednesday, Dec. 16 to see if your question was asked!

Go to Moviephone and put in your questions

Cameron helped Zoe get her Trek role
In an interview with Australia’s Sunday Herald Sun, Saldana talked about the connection’s for her casting between Avatar and Star Trek.

At Cameron’s recommendation, Saldana was cast as Uhura in this year’s hit reboot of Star Trek (she starts filming the sequel mid next year) and Worthington found himself stealing the show from Christian Bale in Terminator: Salvation.

"He did make those phone calls when we were being considered for our roles," a grateful Saldana says.

"He reached out to these directors and, whether or not their minds were already made up, it definitely did help to have a, ‘Hey, I just got a call from James Cameron and he said we’d be stupid if we didn’t cast Zoe or Sam in our film’.

"It’s pretty awesome and I do know that JJ (Abrams, Star Trek director) is a huge fan of Jim, the same way that Jim is a huge fan of JJ.

"He definitely wanted me to continue working with good directors and have good experiences and continue growing."

 

Finally, here is the second Avatar Trailer

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Looks good, will check it out in theatres

Rental.

Remember when actual People used to be in movies?

I saw the trailer, and know there’s actual people in the beginning, but…just saying.

What’s u’p w’ith a’ll the si’lent a’postro’phes in Sci’ence Ficti’on?

Saw the trailer, but it looks too colorful and unreal from what i’ve seen. It kinda distracts, at least in the trailers. You can tell when you glance over at the tv when it’s playing, all the contrasting colors pop out at you, not the action. (green trees/bluepeople/orangecreatures).

Anyone else notice that or am I having flashbacks?

I will have to see how the whole movie does onscreen though, at least once.

Wonder if Zoe will cuss a lot in the tweet. She may not be able to spell it as well as she can speak it.

Movie looks real busy, story is unimaginative and predictable. Sigourney looks bored with it, for good reason. Probably another blockbuster for JC.

Just based on the little bit that I’ve seen and read about it, I have no interest in seeing this movie. I say it’s a Redbox special.

Cameron always mentions how much he likes what Trek09 did for the franchise. And kudos if Zoe landed the Uhura job with his help. She’s just super.

Also, good to see he can still throw his weight around the “Terminator” franchise.

I’m mixed on this “Avatar” thingy, however. I didn’t catch Bill Paxton or Michael Biehn in the trailer, but they must be in the film somewhere. I WILL give it a shot in the cinema, for sure.

I and my family have no interest in this movie at all.

I can see it now- “Oh, the horrible humans are taking advantage of the poor innocent aliens!”
I MIGHT see it, just for the 3D, but I see a heavy-handed political message looming larger with each preview.

I saw the “Avatar” trailer and I was really bothered by the fact that the nacelles aren’t canon.

YAWN…….

Lot of Avatar hate, or dislike, or whatever. I’ll let the film speak for itself before I judge it. Ya’ know, like I was told to do for the new Star Trek movie. But anyone willing to spend obscene amounts of money on eye candy usually get’s at least one shot at my theater bucks. As big as my screen is at home (and it is LARGE), nothing beats seeing the good stuff on a great big theater screen with heart attack inducing theater popcorn and a vat of soda.

I do have a question for Zoe, though: How long did it take to get all of the blue paint off of you? Did you find that the tails snagged on things when you were walking around? And were you comfortable with doing all of the nude shots in this film as it appears to me that your character is pretty much topless throughout the flick?

OK, that’s more than one question.

4- You can tell when you glance over at the tv when it’s playing, all the contrasting colors pop out at you, not the action. (green trees/bluepeople/orangecreatures/yellowstars/bluemoons/greenclovers).

Actually, this is a point of curiosity for me as well.
CGI-heavy films are designed to be projected onto a semi-reflective screen, so it looks different when it’s shown in a cathode ray tube or plasma screen, both of which flouresce. Is there any thought on the part of the studios/creative people to what a movie will look like in aftermarkets, where a HUGE chunk of the profits are made? (Or, for that matter, what the trailers look like on TV?) Even well done CGI movies look distractingly different. Bad ones (Lost in Space, anyone?) are horrible!

Anthony, do you know anything on this subject, or does anyone else?

@12 – Zoe’s character is CG.

#14

No kidding. These are what is known as jokes.

I am agreeing here, it’s looking like a really retard US military, against some poor aliens aliens type of movie (that should read as “retard US military” against “poor aliens”)

I did four years in the US navy, and spent time with a lot of kick ass Marines. I hate the movies that make these guys look dumb, stupid, cheezy, etc. GI Joe anyone……… From what I have seen in the trailer, this looks to be the case.

Give me a movie like this were the military is smart, realistic, etc. How would the really US military act in this situation?

Anyways, i’m just a Navy Veteran raving….. Thanks to Anthony for posting this all the same. I appreciate the time him and his team puts into poping out these articles every week.

This is a movie that they are hoping will attract “all the geeks of the world”! They better hope that pays off. After all, this movie did cost 400 MILLION to make!!!

The “chat” by MTV was fail in my opinion. They took 2 questions from those of us on the internet, then 2 from a video recorded question from a LG phone user. It wasn’t time well spent for the internet users.

That said, it was good to see James, Sam and Zoe who seem to be very pleased with the movie. I can’t wait to see it!

the movie looks cool,but they still have a little ways to go till they get complete CG realism,and the artists seem to have stopped trying to advance the technology.everything in CG still has a cartoon type look to it,even some shots of the enterprise in the new movie looked a little fake.

Wait… CGI Zoe? No one got ta’ rub blue paint all o’er her?

No wonder tha’ special defects company woulda’ not let me in when I arrived wit’ buckets o’ baby blue Dutch Boy. Well, they did eventual-like have me paint tha’ loo. One guy gave me a fiver fur’ drinkin’ some o’ tha’ satin finish.

And what be wrong wit’ apostro’fees in Sci’Fi’? Oh, CmdrR… me cathode tube canna’ even render tha’ fleetin’ moments o’ tha’ Big E in JJ’s film correctly. On me tv, tha’ starryship looks like I glued small tiles ta’ me paper plate and then attached two amazon-friendly vibratin’ devices as tha’ engines.

This Avatar film dunna’ look so hot, but, as THX say, ye’ never know unless ye’ see it… maybe it needs Matther Mc-Connie-Hay in it? Blue boobies may just win tha’ day.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

#16

Considering that Cameron gave us “Aliens”, with it’s Marine characters the audience cared about, I’m giving him the benefit of a doubt.

Some recruiting stations were putting up posters of Lt. Vasquez in the window back in ’86!

There is no way I wouldnt go see Avatar as it is a huge scifi movie from a great director. I have to say I am less excited about it than I was before the trailers came out, but Cameron has done amazing things and I want to see what this kind of tech and money can do. I hope I am not disappointed.

I’m dying to see this; I think it looks cool, and the graphics are pretty damn awesome, so yes. I’m seeing this. It’ll be my reward for finishing all my tests… :)

The trailers just don’t do this justice – random “pin-ups” stepping and clawing their way over each other to meet the eye…

The couple of scenes I have seen where the “fake” aliens are doing normal things – walking, talking, etc. – have been truly remarkable.

Still, the incredible thing about the geek community is our ability to dole out judgment before the case has been tried…I wish we could just see or read something just once before condemning or praising it.

I saw the 15 min 3D preview and it was amazing. Defiantly one of the best 3D experiences I’ve ever had at a movie. At least it wasn’t another effing cartoon.

I am looking forward to ‘Avatar!’

Cameron revved me up for adult-themed science fiction action-adventure with the first two ‘Terminator’ movies.
Cameron changed my mind about the ‘Alien’ franchise with ‘Aliens.’
Cameron inspired me with ‘Abyss.’
Cameron awed me, in spite of the fact I hated the liberties he took with real history, in ‘Titanic.’
Cameron even made adventure fun in ‘True Lies.’

However, Cameron’s track record of making movies that cost a hell of a lot of money worries me… I imagine that Paramount and 20th Century Fox were ready to wet themselves as the budget went up to $200 million for ‘Titanic,’ the most expensive movie ever up to that time (1997).

Of course, the rest is history and ‘Titanic’ still holds the box office record, even 12 years later. And I have heard ‘Avatar’s’ budget has approached or surpassed $500 million… ouch!

‘Avatar’ also has an intriguing cast… including Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi (and many others) and I really like Sam Worthington, who impressed me in ‘Terminator – Salvation.’

So, I am willing to believe ‘Avatar’ will be something special. Here’s hoping.

I am amazed that some people are already passing judgements on this movie already based on a couple of trailers. I’m pretty certain James Cameron is saving the best clips for the movie. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt seeing as most if not all of his films were box office hits that raked in a lot of dough. And yes I do know that it has been 12 years since his last movie, “Titanic”, and it is quite possible that this movie will suck and quite possibly bomb at the box office. But we won’t know these things until the critics’ reviews are in and the movie is in theatres. I just watched the trailer for “Avatar” on the “Night At The Museum:Battle of The Smithsonian” Blu Ray and it does look better then what appears on the net. And by the way, this movie has apparently cost between $230-250 million, not the $400 million that some are reporting. Although it wouldn’t surprise me if the final tally came in at around $300 million. There’s no question that Fox and James Cameron are rolling the (expensive) dice on this movie. I suspect they’ve hedged their bets if this movie flops and are counting on a federal bailout package, heh heh!

And finally, I have the suspicion that some people are hoping that this movie fails. For some reason, I get the feeling some people have a grudge against James Cameron, despite his previous successes.

my IMAX 3D tickets are already purchased, dec 18th can’t here soon enough

#22: Your feelings about the film echo mine perfectly, so here’s a “me too” post.

#27: “I am amazed that some people are already passing judgements on this movie already based on a couple of trailers.”

Heh. That’s online fandom for you, though. There’s always a large chunk of fans who discard the [reasonable] wait-and-see attitude in favor of “THIS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!!” or, just as likely “THIS WILL SUCK, OBVIOUSLY AND UTTERLY!!!” … we had a lot of that going on right here with Star Trek, and with any other genre film you can name, really.

Considering that for the last week Fox has stuck plugs for Avatar in ever single show in their prime time line-up as well as their NFL pre-game show, I think they are VERY concerned they are not going to get the return on their investment on Avatar that they were hoping for.

Personally, I blame Robert Zemeckis. He blew the full motion-capture CGI movie load way too early and his movies still look like cartoons. After “Polar Express” and “Beowulf” I personally have sworn off Zemeckis movies until he goes back to live action. He’s taken the fun out of his movies by giving us nothing on the screen but a circle jerk between him and his clan of computer artists.

If I’m paying money to see a movie and 15 bucks for a popcorn and a dr. pepper, I want to see actors in the flesh, real costumes, real sets or locales, and real cinematography. Or, if it’s a cgi movie, I want traditional animators directing it so it looks like a cartoon because it’s supposed to.

Greetings to The Na’vi people on the planet Pandora in the pandorian system. This is a live interstellar timestream from The Inter Galactic Federation Alliance on Alpha Centauri Prime on universal date 306912.21 (Dec 21, 3069). The IGFA wish to offer membership into the IGFA (Inter Galactic Federation Alliance). We would like to meet the leaders of Pandora and invite to join us on Alpha Centauri Prime.

Please confirm acknowledgement and let us know your biosign and teleportation coordinates so we can teleport you via timestream hybrid worm hole from 2154 to 3069.

Everyone on here talked this movie up to being “not worth their time” or “unimaginative”… it was probably one of the best movies i have seen all year.