Burnett returns to helm MTV Movie Awards

Mark Burnett is returning as executive producer of the MTV Movie Awards.

Burnett will helm the anything-can-happen show for the second year in a row, MTV announced Tuesday. The 17th annual ceremony will air live June 1 from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif.

"It's already shaping up to be the most movie-star attended (show) yet," the reality TV mastermind told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Burnett, producer of "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," steered the MTV show as it went live for the first time last year. Among the highlights: Host Sarah Silverman made a crude joke at Paris Hilton's expense, and Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell shared a lingering smooch as they accepted "best kiss" honors for "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Burnett promises more surprises this year. He said a live telecast keeps the show short — and the celebrities happy.

"The stars don't have a great time sitting there through extremely long commercial (breaks) while everyone's trying to figure out what to do next," he said. "When it's live, it just goes. All those stars left last year, saying, `Oh my god, that was great.'"

Nominees will be announced at a later date.

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MTV is owned by Viacom Inc.

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MTV:

http://www.mtv.com/