'2009 MTV Movie Awards' Honors Ben Stiller With 'MTV Generation Award'

Premiering LIVE Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 9pm ET/8pm CT From The Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 22 -- The 2009 MTV Movie Awards pays tribute to Ben Stiller with the coveted "MTV Generation Award" for his amazing contribution to Hollywood and for entertaining the MTV audience for years. From generation to generation, Ben Stiller has kept fans rolling with laughter since bursting onto the scene in Reality Bites and his early film roles and cult classics such as There's Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Tropic Thunder and now this summer's eagerly anticipated Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian in theaters May 22, 2009. The "MTV Generation Award" is the MTV Movie Awards' highest honor, acknowledging an actor who has captured the attention of the MTV audience throughout his or her career. Past recipients include Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey. Hosted by Andy Samberg, the 2009 MTV Movie Awards will be broadcast LIVE from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA on Sunday, May 31st at 9p.m. ET/8p.m. CT.

"From The Royal Tenenbaums to Zoolander, Ben is a comedic chameleon, able to make the leap between drama and full-out comedy while maintaining his own unique brand of subversive humor," said Van Toffler, President of MTV Networks Music/Logo/Film Group. "That versatility and talent has earned him legions of devoted fans over the years which makes him a perfect recipient for the 'MTV Generation Award.' Whether it's fighting a monkey in a museum or licking a decapitated head, nothing is ever off-limits for him and that's the type of warped creative vision and commitment MTV loves to reward."

"I am honored to be getting the 'Generation Award,'" said Ben Stiller. "I was given my first show at MTV, and also cancelled for the first time. I also was secretly having an affair with JJ Jackson, so it brings back pleasant memories."

Ben Stiller is a prolific actor, director, producer and writer who continues to imprint his unique perspective on film, television and stage. Stiller recently wrapped production on Noah Baumbach's film Greenburg for Focus Features and was most recently seen opposite Robert Downey Jr and Jack Black in Tropic Thunder, an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the biggest war film ever. Stiller also co-wrote, directed and produced the film through his Red Hour Films production banner. Stiller has been directing, acting and producing films consistently over the last decade, including Reality Bites, his motion picture directorial debut in 1994, The Cable Guy starring Jim Carrey, which he directed in 1996, and Zoolander, which he co-wrote, directed and produced in 2001 through his production company Red Hour Films, along with producing partner Stuart Cornfeld. He has also starred in numerous hits, including Flirting with Disaster, written and directed by David O. Russell, Meet the Parents and its sequel Meet the Fockers, There's Something About Mary, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Starsky & Hutch and the animated hit Madagascar, as well as the box office blockbuster Night at the Museum for 20th Century Fox, which grossed nearly $600 million worldwide. In 1998, Stiller portrayed Jerry Stahl in Permanent Midnight, the true-life story of a heroin-addicted comedy writer. That same year, he also appeared in Your Friends and Neighbors written and directed by Neil LaBute. Stiller earned an Emmy Award for his writing on the critically acclaimed television series The Ben Stiller Show, which lasted all of 12 episodes.

As previously announced, movie megastars Shia LaBeouf, Sandra Bullock, Sienna Miller, Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Thomas Lennon, Danny McBride, Sofia Vassilieva, Denzel Washington, Cameron Diaz, Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Vanessa Hudgens, Leighton Meester, Jonah Hill and Lil Wayne are confirmed to present popcorn statues. In addition, Eminem will take to the stage to perform music from his anticipated new album Relapse and Kings Of Leon will perform LIVE on MTV for the first time ever, treating viewers to their rock anthem "Use Somebody" from their hit album Only By The Night. Viewers will also be treated to exclusive first looks at the highly anticipated 2009 movie releases The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen during the show.

The 2009 MTV Movie Awards marks the first year in which the final nominees were decided on by the fans. This year's show will be a movie megabattle between devotees of Twilight and Slumdog Millionaire, as both movies are neck-and-neck with each film receiving nominations in six award categories. MTV will up the cinematic fun quotient this year by debuting the new category "BEST WTF MOMENT" and bringing back "BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE." Fans will get the chance to pick this year's most jaw-dropping "WTF" movie moment that left audiences speechless and vote on their favorite movie soundtrack hit. Viewers can decide the golden popcorn destiny of their favorite flicks by visiting MovieAwards.MTV.com (www.MovieAwards.MTV.com) before May 27 to vote for their favorite film moments and actors but the category of "BEST MOVIE" will be a fight to the end as voting for favorite film of the year will remain open throughout the LIVE show.

From Robert Pattinson's native London to Dev Patel's native India, MTV fans around the world can watch the action unfold as the 2009 MTV Movie Awards will air on MTV channels around the world in 161 countries. Now you can find the 2009 MTV Movie Awards con subtitulos en Espanol on Saturday, June 13 at 5p.m. ET/4p.m. CT, on MTV Tr3s. Go to www.mtvtr3s.com to find out which channel on your cable or satellite provider MTV Tr3s is carried on.

MovieAwards.MTV.com is the official site for the MTV Movie Awards where fans can visit to vote and stay to check out show promos starring Andy Samberg and some of today's hottest celebs, get up-to-date info and watch MTV News nominee interviews. During the voting window fans can also head over to facebook.com/mtv, myspace.com/mtv, Flixster and IMDB.com for a special Movie Awards social module that will enable them to cast their votes, take polls, watch promo videos, get special news and tweets about the show and special links to Movie Awards contests. This year fans will also be able to enjoy exclusive, behind-the-scenes Movie Awards content directly from their iPhones through the new "2009 MTV Movie Awards Application." The application, developed by the creators at Kyte, enables MTV to rapidly deliver new content to fans on a daily basis. The application is available for a free download in the Apple Store now.

Mark Burnett serves as Executive Producer for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Audrey Morrissey is Co-Executive Producer. Lee Rolontz is Executive Producer for MTV, Garrett English is Executive in charge for MTV and Jane Mun serves as Producer. Robin Reinhardt-Locke is Celebrity Talent Executive, Amy Doyle and Joanna Bomberg are Music Talent Executives for MTV.

Official sponsors of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards include Coca-Cola(R), Kia Motors, Nikon, Orbit(R) gum, Taco Bell(R), T-Mobile USA, and Venus. Orbit is a registered trademark of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.

The Official 2009 MTV Movie Awards Post Party is sponsored by Coca-Cola(R) and Kia Motors. John DeLucie, Executive Chef & Partner of The Waverly Inn, serves as the first ever MTV Movie Awards celebrity chef and is the creator of the Official 2009 MTV Movie Awards Post Party menu. The Waverly Inn opened in 2006 to critical acclaim in Manhattan's Greenwich Village and is touted as one of the hottest restaurants in NYC where DeLucie's dishes have become favorites amongst his celebrity clientele.

About MTV:

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 27 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV is the number one rated full-day ad-supported cable network for P12-24. Online, MTV.com averaged 8.5 million monthly unique visitors during the first quarter of 2009 -- up +6% from Q4/2008 and up +6% year-over-year. Total video streams for the first quarter of 2009 increased 21% over the same time period last year. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

About Mark Burnett Productions:

Mark Burnett is a leading executive producer for primetime television, cable and the internet, and has produced over 1,100 hours of television programming which regularly airs in over 70 countries around the world. Mark Burnett (President of Mark Burnett Productions) has revolutionized television with continuing hits such as Survivor (CBS), The Apprentice (NBC), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (FOX), which is currently being produced in 52 countries, and the daytime syndicated hit Martha. In the summers of 2007 and 2008, MBP entered the world of award shows, when Mark Burnett served as executive producer for the MTV Movie Awards. Since 2001, MBP has garnered a total of 51 Emmy nominations with Mark receiving 2 wins, along with 4 People's Choice Awards. Mark Burnett has been named one of the most influential people in the world by TIME magazine and named TV Guide's most valuable player. He has won both BRANDWEEK'S Marketer of the Year Award and the prestigious ROSE D'OR FRAPA Format Award. In 2007, Mark Burnett was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. In 2008, Mark was honored with the announcement that he is to receive a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. In 2009, MBP has garnered new series, including Shark Tank (ABC), StarMaker (MTV), Bully Beatdown (MTV), How'd You Get So Rich (TV Land), Expedition (History), Wedding Day (TNT), Toughest Cowboy (Spike) as well as new pilots for FOX and CBS.