The 2012 MTV Movie Awards, held June 3, allowed films aimed at younger fans a chance to win some statues of recognition, in the form of a cup of popcorn.

Awards host and actor Russell Brand proclaimed that the Mayan calendar doomsday prophecy didn’t matter as long as the MTV Movie Awards was worth it. Brand also managed to crack a few jokes at teen idol Justin Bieber’s screaming fans and even worked in some sly references to marriage with his ex-wife, Katy Perry.

The second highest grossing film of this year, “The Hunger Games,” won three awards, with eight nominations, including the Best Male and Female Performances to Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence respectively. With two more films in the series on their way, there’s no doubt that the streak will continue as the Twilight series comes to a close.

Although nominated for only two awards, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” managed to win both of the golden popcorn trophies for the coveted award for Movie of the Year, along with Best Kiss between the series’ stars, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, for the fourth time in a row.

The final “Harry Potter” film gained a respectable seven nominations, notably winning the Best Cast award, as Emma Watson collected the award for the long-running series.

Although Rooney Mara’s role as Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” seemed likely to win the Breakthrough Performance award, it was instead given to Shailene Woodley’ s role in the critically acclaimed “The Descendants.”

Melissa McCarthy managed to bring home the gold by winning the Best Comedic Performance award for her role in “Bridesmaids.”

The highlight of the ceremony was the MTV Generation Award given to Johnny Depp, represented by a well-made highlight reel set to Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” and just a touch of memorable score from “Edward Scissorhands” and “Pirates of the Carribean,” demonstrating the wide variety of roles the acclaimed actor has portrayed over the past 30 years. The actor accepted the award after playing guitar with the ceremony’s band, the Black Keys.

Another memorable moment included the exclusive presentation of footage of the upcoming film “The Dark Knight Rises” by actors Christian Bale, Gary Oldman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in “The Dark Knight,” appeared in a highlight reel, Bale visibly was fighting back tears of sorrow for passed on fellow co-star and friend as Oldman looked on in respect. Of course, this very personal moment had to be ruined by Gordon-Levitt’s overly excited announcement of director Christopher Nolan to the stage.

With “The Avengers” breaking box office records and the next Batman and Spiderman films quickly approaching, hopefully next year’s MTV Movie Awards ceremony will finally overthrow the “Twilight” awards streak that many feel is unfair to other nominees. Thankfully, this year’s winnings to “The Hunger Games” and other recognitions is a push in the right direction for better enlightenment for the MTV Awards.