This morning, nominations were released for the 2011 Teen Choice Awards and Alex is on the nominations list! He’s nominated for Best Liplock with Vanessa Hudgens for Beastly, so be sure to head over to the TCA site and vote once a day!

A little tip: if you’re not a teen, when registering, change your birth year to make yourself a teen so you can vote!

Last night, Alex attended a event at the 6th Annual Kandyland Event and I’ve added four pics of the event to the gallery. The Karma foundation’s charity this year was Operation USA, if you don’t know what Operation USA is, then please read below.

Operation USA helps communities alleviate the effects of disasters, disease and endemic poverty throughout the world by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction and development aid. We provide material and financial assistance to grassroots organizations that promote sustainable development, leadership and capacity building, income generating activities, provide education and health services, and advocate on behalf of vulnerable people.

All proceeds from last night’s event goes to this charity and I’m thrilled that Alex was a part of it.

Events and Appearances > 2011 > Karma Foundation’s 6th Annual Kandyland Event At The Playboy Mansion

The Film
Pretty boy Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) is sitting on top of the world. He’s got money, he’s newly elected as his school’s student body president and he’s got his good looks. He’s also got a seriously bad attitude that results in him humiliating Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), a classmate rumored to be a witch. She gets her payback by transforming him into someone as Beastly on the outside as he is on the inside. And there is a twist, he has roughly a year to find someone who can see past the surface and love him for who he is, or he’ll remain this way forever. And that’s where Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) comes in, as a girl that Kyle barely noticed but who might just be the one to redeem him.

This modern take on “Beauty and the Beast” is of course predictable, there is no surprise there. But the story takes so long to build up that it is little room for any twists or turns along the way. The Blu-ray also includes an alternate ending, which actually offers a better resolution than the theatrical version.

The Picture
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the 1080p 2.35:1 transfer makes the good look good and the bad look really bad. That said Kyle’s good looks have some issues on Blu-ray – you can see blemishes on his face pre-transformation. Maybe he’s just really vain, but it is interesting that make up or digital correction wasn’t used to make Alex Pettyfer “perfect.” However, post-transformation the Blu-ray lets you see every scar, cut and tattoo – and it begs the question why he didn’t just seek out some truly messed up Goth chicks to find true love as the Suicide Girls crowd would love his new “look.”

The shadows and black levels really make this one as well, as much of the story takes place at night with Kyle doing his Phantom of the Opera type thing wandering the streets and lurking about while essentially stalking Lindy. Daytime sequences are also good with vibrant colors of the city and countryside. Beauty is all around in this film, and maybe that is the point.

The Sound
The sound by contrast is practically ugly. The dialog is too low, while the numerous throw-away pop songs are a bit too hot. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is just very unbalanced, and little is done to provide discrete audio or the ambient sounds of New York City. This is ironic as it is noted that Kyle’s tutor (Neil Patrick Harris) is blind and that when he lost his sight his hearing improved. With this soundtrack he’d never notice anything different.

The Extras
As noted this package includes an alternate ending, which is actually more faithful to the traditional B&TB story. The bonus features further include deleted scenes (mostly throwaways), a music video of “Be Mine” by Kristina and the Dolls, and two featurettes: “A Classic Tale Retold: The Story of Beastly” along with “Creating the Perfect Beast.”

There is no commentary, not that there is really much more to say about this one, but in the end the extras aren’t all that pretty.

Final Thoughts
The story is one that has been told enough, and usually far better. This modern twist brings out little, and honestly who doesn’t expect the rich pretty boy to be a smug jerk? About the best part is the end scene with Peter Krause – who plays Kyle’s equally smug dad – who may or may not get his. That would be far more enjoyable than the rest of this beastly film.

Product Details
Actors: Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer, Mary-Kate Olsen, Peter Krause, Lisagay Hamilton, and Neil Patrick Harris
Director: Daniel Barnz
Audio Languages: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH,
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of Discs: 1
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Sony Pictures
Release Date: June 28, 2011
Run Time: 86 minutes
List Price: $34.96

Extras:
Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes
A Classic Retold: The Story of Beastly
Creating the Perfect Beast
“Be Mine” music video performed by Kristina & The Dolls
Previews
BD-Live

Source: Big Picture, Big Sound

To celebrate the release of I Am Number Four on Blu-ray and DVD on 20th June, we’ve got three copies of the film on Blu-ray up for grabs!

Starring rising star Alex Pettyfer and Glee sensation Dianna Agron, I Am Number Four is the must-have thriller of the summer! I Am Number Four is the story of an extraordinary young man, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant – Justified), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events—his first love (Dianna Agron – Glee), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:

In I Am Number Four, which English actor plays John or ‘Number Four’?

Please note you must be a registered user to enter the competition. If you don’t have an account sign-up now.

The competition closes on Friday 1st July 2011 at 11.59pm

To enter the contest and to read the official rules, head over to Entertainment Focus.

I’ve just added high quality scans from the Summer 2011 issue of VMan that features an amazing photo spread of Alex. If you decide to post these somewhere else or edit them, please credit us! Enjoy!

Gallery Links
• Magazine Scans > 2011 > Summer | VMan