Hollywood boys take different approaches to MTV wins

June 1, 2008Jun 1, 2008, 11:00 PM GMT+1

It was a night ruled by leading men as Hollywood's A-list turned out to help fete the winners at this year's MTV Movie Awards in California. And as Johnny Depp, Will Smith and Adam Sandler were called to the stage to collect their prizes, each took a very different approach to receiving the honour.

As screams of excitment rang out from the audience, Johnny took to the podium to proclaim self-deprecatingly he had no idea how he scooped the award for best comic performance in Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End. "You can ask anyone. I'm not a funny person," he insisted, eyes lowered to the floor.

And he wasn't absent from the stage long, having beaten Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington, and Spanish actor Javier Bardem in the best villain category for his turn as a murderous barber in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.

Will Smith, on the other hand, was in reflective mode after scoring best male performance for his apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend. "I was sitting there with my little man," he said - referring to son Jaden, who accompanied him onstage - "and I remembered that I was on this stage in 1988. And to be here today in 2008, I just really want to say thank you guys. I haven't always made great movies, but I've been trying real hard."

Dispensing with speeches altogether as he picked up a career award was funnyman Adam Sandler, who had trophy presenter Tom Cruise jokingly kneeling at his feet. The Mr Deeds star engaged in a tongue-in-cheek display of ego by picked up a guitar to perform a rendition of Carly Simon's Bond theme tune Nobody Does It Better. As a montage of his movie clips played in the background the comic talent happily substituted the words: "Nobody does it quite the way I do, Sandman you're the best!".

Dubbing his over-the-top homage to himself "the most arrogant thing I've ever done" he earned huge laughs from the crowd.

Other winners at the ceremony, attended by a host of glamorous stars, including Sex And The City actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Oscar winner Charlize Theron and newly-single Liv Tyler, were Canadian Juno star Ellen Page and the movie Transformers.

"You can ask anyone. I'm not a funny person," said a self-deprecating Johnny Depp as he accepted a best comedic performance gong for Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End Photo: © Getty Imagesy

Picking up a career award from Tom Cruise - who jokingly kneeled at his feet - Adam Sandler dispensed with a speech altogether. Instead he paid homage to himself with a tongue-in-cheek rendition of Bond theme tune Nobody Does It Better Photo: © Getty Images

Best male performance winner Will Smith, pictured with son Jayden and The Devil Wears Prada actress Anne Hathaway, was in a reflective mood. "I was on this stage in 1988. And to be here today in 2008, I just really want to say thank you," he said Photo: © Getty Images

Among the stars turning out at the California event was Monster actress Charlize Theron, who was vamping it up in a corset and leggings combo Photo: © Getty Images

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