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Tag: Oscar

  • Linda Perry Backpedals After Dissing Lady Gaga’s Oscar-Nominated Song

    Linda Perry may have spoken too much, too soon.

    The American rock veteran previously criticized Lady Gaga’s Oscar nomination alongside esteemed songwriter Diane Warren for the song, “Til It Happens to You,” saying that Gaga is “not deserving” of the recognition and that Warren should be the sole recipient of the nomination.

    In a series of tweets that she posted on Monday, Linda Perry said that Lady Gaga’s only contribution to the song was a rewrite of the last line of the song, which is hardly worthy of sharing the nomination with Warren.

    “I have Diane’s original demo with her singing. The only line that has been changed ‘Till you’re at the end, the end of your rope,’” Perry wrote. “Originally was ’TIL YOU GOT A HOLE RIPPED IN YOUR SOUL.’”

    She also implied that Warren may have included Lady Gaga in the songwriting credits in order to promote the song through the 29-year-old pop singer’s fame and star power.

    The song was written especially for the film, The Hunting Ground, a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses.

    Linda Perry Claims Lady Gaga Wrote Only A Single Line in this Song

    However, Warren reacted to Linda Perry’s allegations and defended Gaga’s inclusion in the nomination through her own Twitter page.

    “The song is the result of a special collaboration between myself and Lady Gaga,” Warren wrote. “As Lady Gaga and I have consistly [sic] said. “To you was inspired by the countless survivors of abuse who need our support and love so they know they’re not alone.”

    Just hours after her initial tweets, Linda Perry backpedaled and apologized for her earlier comments.

    “My sincere apologies. I made a mistake to comment. I wasn’t in the room when the #TIHTY was being written,” Perry wrote.

    More importantly, I wish the focus to remain on the great importance of the song and the message of the film.”

    Linda Perry also wrote the song entitled “Hands of Love” for the film Freeheld, but was not included in the Academy’s list of music nominees.

  • Nicole Kidman Reveals The Loneliest Point In Her Life, Should’ve Been Her Biggest Moment

    Being the first Australian to win an Oscar for Best Actress could’ve been the biggest moment of Nicole Kidman’s life, but the actress recently revealed that it was the loneliest moment of her life instead.

    Shortly before receiving the award in 2003, Kidman and former husband Tom Cruise had ended their 10-year marriage.

    “I was sitting in the Beverly Hills Hotel with a gold statue and I was the loneliest I’d ever been,” Kidman said during the Women In the World Summit at the Cadogan Hall in London on Friday.

    “To be completely honest, I was running away from my life at that time. I wasn’t able to handle the reality of my life.” Kidman also said. Kidman said that she turned to acting after the divorce to escape the truth.

    “As an actor, you have this wonderful thing where you can go and get lost in somebody else’s life.”

    Kidman eventually realized that she couldn’t hide behind the roles forever and finally accepted that it was not a permanent solution to her problem.

    She said she decided that she had to slow down, focus on her happiness, and recover her old self.

    “I did a lot of reading and a lot of talking, I managed through about five or six years, and then I stumbled into Keith,” Kidman said gushing about her nine-year marriage with country singer Keith Urban.

    “We got married very quickly and we got to know each other when we were married,” Kidman recalled “I wanted a partner and someone to share my life with. I wanted more children.”

    Kidman and Cruise have kids together, Isabella and Connor, while Kidman has daughters Sunday and Faith with Urban.

    After what Kidman went through, she said that being a mother changed her.

    “Once you have that child you think: Ah, I’m willing to die for this person and that changes everything,” Kidman said.

  • Natalie Portman Considers Her Oscar A ‘False Idol’ and Doesn’t Even Know Where It is

    Natalie Portman doesn’t seem all that in to her Oscar.

    The Star Wars actress told The Hollywood Reporter that not only is she not that concerned about winning her first and only Oscar for Black Swan in 2011, Natalie Portman doesn’t even know where she put the coveted prize.

    “I don’t know where it is,” Natalie Portman said. “I think it’s in the safe or something. I don’t know. I haven’t seen it in a while.”

    In fact, Natalie Portman considers the Oscar a “false idol.”

    “I was reading the story of Abraham to my child and talking about, like, not worshipping false idols,” the 33-year-old actress said. “And this is literally like gold men. This is literally worshipping gold idols — if you worship it. That’s why it’s not displayed on the wall. It’s a false idol.”

    But that doesn’t mean Natalie Portman doesn’t like the finer side of life. She has been living in Paris with her husband, ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied, and loves the city of lights.

    “I love that people at dinner want to have a serious conversation — and only a serious conversation,” Natalie Portman told The Hollywood Reporter. “They’ll be upset if you don’t have something interesting happen. I love that my [3-year-old son Aleph] wants to go to art museums after school — like, ‘Take me to the Pompidou.’ I love that it’s also not elitist, as it is in New York. You can afford to go to the philharmonic or the opera much more easily because all of it’s subsidized. And there’s a huge culture of cinema there.”

  • Jennifer Aniston’s ‘Cake’ Fails To Win Golden Globe Despite Steadfast Campaign

    Jennifer Aniston has been getting rave reviews for her performance in the independent drama Cake. However, the critical acclaim was not enough to get her the Golden Globe award for “Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama”. Instead, Julianne Moore won the award for her role in Still Alice.

    Aniston seems to be working hard to change the “girl next door” image she had when Friends was still on the air. In 2002, she appeared in the Miguel Arteta-directed drama The Good Girl alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.

    Despite acting in a string of comedies after the release of the The Good Girl, she’s been known to take far more edgy roles especially recently. In the comedies We’re The Millers and Horrible Bosses, she plays a stripper and a sex-crazed dentist respectively. For Cake, Aniston put on a few pounds and appeared without make-up (save for some prosthetic scars) to play Claire, a chronic pain survivor.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Aniston deserves to win an award for her role. They wrote, “To put it quite simply, it didn’t feel like you were watching Jennifer Aniston on screen in just another role. It felt like you were being welcomed into Claire’s life, encompassed in this stranger’s dark, painful world.”

    However, in an article for Slate, David Ehrlich criticized the film and blamed all the buzz it’s been getting on the Hollywood machine. For Ehrlich, Aniston’s nomination is simply because of her steadfast campaigning for the film, which could be true. After all, award-giving bodies have their fair share of politics.

    And while the film might not be the critical darling everyone hoped it would be, it doesn’t change the fact that Aniston took a big risk in starring in taking on this role. And she did a pretty good job. That should still count for something.

    Aniston seems to be taking it all in stride though, with fiancé Justin Theroux, staying by her side as they went to the post-Golden Globes after parties. Whether or not she wins an Oscar for the film remains to be seen, but at least she seems to be having a blast.

  • Maureen O’Hara Surprised By Honorary Oscar Award

    Maureen O’Hara, the red-headed Hollywood icon, may not have won any Oscars when she was still acting. But on Saturday, November 8, she will be getting an honorary Oscar for her work. She will be receiving the award alongside Hayao Miyazaki, Jean-Claude Carriere, and Harry Belafonte. O’Hara is known for her work with filmmaker John Ford, especially the films Rio Grande and The Quiet Man, both of which also starred her longtime friend John Wayne.

    “It’s just absolutely wonderful. I keep thinking, ‘Oh, this is a league of baloney. They’re not telling me the truth,’” she said in a recent interview. One of her films with John Ford, How Green Was My Valley, received the best picture award in the Oscars back in 1941.

    — CBS Entertainment (@CBSShowbiz) November 9, 2014

    O’Hara also gave a phone interview with Los Angeles Magazine. In it, she spoke at length about her excitement. “How do you explain the reaction to something you wished you had won? It was wonderful. I was thrilled every time I won a prize in life for acting,” she told the interviewer.

    She also reveals in the interview that out of all her films, The Quiet Man remains her favorite. The film centers on an Irish-American played by John Wayne, who returns to his hometown in Ireland. O’Hara played the role of Mary Kate Danaher, Wayne’s love interest in the film.

    John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara made five films together. “He was a great friend. He would do anything for you. He was a family man. He was a real man’s man and it was wonderful to have him in this world with us and be sent here to do whatever God wanted him to do,” O’Hara said when she was asked about Wayne.

    Her final film was Only the Lonely, which came out in 1991 and also starred the late comedian John Candy.

  • Maureen O’Hara Cries at the Thought of the Honorary Oscar She’s Receiving

    Maureen O’Hara, 94, will receive her first Oscar Saturday as one of this year’s recipients of honorary Academy Awards.

    She’ll accept her Oscar at the film academy’s Governors Awards ceremony Saturday night. Other honorees include Hayao Miyazaki, Jean-Claude Carriere and Harry Belafonte.

    The legendary redhead said she cried when she first heard the news, and can’t seem to stop.

    “It’s just absolutely wonderful,” she said. “I keep thinking, ‘Oh, this is a league of baloney. They’re not telling me the truth.’”

    The legendary beauty has made more than 60 films since her big-screen debut in 1938, including John Ford’s 1941 best picture winner, How Green Was My Valley. She starred in several John Wayne films, including Rio Grande, The Wings of Eagles, and a self-proclaimed favorite, The Quiet Man. She’s also known for her roles in the original Miracle on 34th Street and Sentimental Journey.

    “Making movies is a wonderful experience,” she said. “It’s wonderful the stories that you fall in love with and you make and they wind up being very successful, and it breaks your heart almost. I don’t mean with sadness. It breaks your heart with joy.”

    O’Hara admitted that she did do it for the money.

    “As kids — and anybody who says they don’t love this, they’re fibbers — we loved making the money,” she said.

    The Irish actress is preparing for the big night, wondering how and who to thank when she receives her Oscar.

    “It’s hard to know how you’re going to say thank you to all the people you should say thank you to,” she said, “so it’s going to be very difficult.”

    She said she already has a place picked out in her home for her well-deserved trophy — on the mantel of her fireplace “high enough so one of the kids can’t knock it down!”

    Highlights from Saturday’s dinner ceremony will be included in the 2015 Academy Awards telecast in February.

  • Jennifer Aniston: Contender For Oscar Award With New Movie ‘Cake’

    Her turn as a woman debilitated by chronic pain in the film Cake won her rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Jennifer Aniston may yet have a chance at winning an Oscar for it. Cinelou Releasing will reportedly be letting Cake hit theaters for a one-week run in December, which will help the film—and Aniston—qualify for Academy Awards consideration. A wider release is planned for Cake in 2015.

    Producers have revealed that Aniston was their only choice for the role when they first read the script. “When my life and producing partner Ben Barnz and I first read Cake just 14 months ago, we knew we had to go to Jennifer Aniston. It was the most obvious un-obvious choice—she’s mega-talented, but we’ve never seen the whole range of her extraordinary comic and dramatic abilities showcased in one role,” said Daniel Barnz, director and executive producer of Cake.

    In the movie, Aniston tones down her glamorous looks to play a woman unconcerned about her appearance because she has to deal with chronic pain. Her character is seen wearing oversized sweaters and greasy hair, and has alienated most of the people around her with her foul mood, except for the housekeeper she pays to hang around, played by Adriana Barraza. Aniston’s performance in the film was reportedly praised by critics, and although the film received mixed reviews, it was given a standing ovation when it was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    Cake and Aniston’s performance may get even more praise as the film is distributed more widely when it hits theaters again next year in January. Because Cinelou Releasing reportedly has a pact with Warner Bros. to release six of its titles next year internationally, Aniston in Cake will be exposed to an international audience.

    “We were very pleased with how Cake turned out and are excited about all the opportunities the film presents on multiple levels,” said Cinelou Films producer Courtney Solomon.

  • Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” Out On Christmas

    Clint Eastwood has a Christmas present for America. The exceptional director is releasing his new movie, American Sniper, on Christmas day instead of its expected 2015 release.

    Clint Eastwood took over the movie after Steven Spielberg dropped out of the project. Steven Spielberg would have done a fantastic job, no doubt. But, Clint Eastwood….he’s really, really great!

    American Sniper is based on the biography of Chris Kyle, who is America’s most deadly sniper in history. He has 160 confirmed kills under his belt, but he claims 255.

    Chris Kyle served four tours in the Iraq War. He was awarded several commendations for acts of heroism and meritorious service in combat and received numerous medals, including two Silver Star Medals, five Bronze Star Medals, one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

    Chris was awarded the Grateful Nation Award by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. He was so successful that he claims the Iraqi insurgents gave him the nickname “The Devil or Ramadi” and had a bounty on his head.

    He died in February of 2013 when a man that he had been helping to overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder opened fire at a gun range that Chris was at with a friend.

    Such an interesting story for Clint Eastwood to take on! With Eastwood’s magic and Christ Kyle’s story, there is sure to be an Oscar involved somewhere.

    Bradley Cooper will lead the star-filled cast as Chris Kyle. Others in the movie include Sienna Miller, Max Charles, Luke Grimes and Kyle Gallner.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6vpvM0rYX0

    Clint Eastwood has been busy this year having already released his movie Jersey Boys, which has had rave reviews.

    I guess that’s how the 84-year-old keeps sharp!

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sharia Law Prompts Beverly Hills Hotel Boycott

    The Night Before the Oscars, an annual gala held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, may be hosted at a different venue henceforth, due to the Sultan of Brunei’s ownership of the storied inn. The Motion Picture & Television Fund, which holds the annual star-studded pre-Oscar party at the Dorchester Collection property, has cut ties with the establishment, after Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah enacted Sharia law last week in his Southeast Asian country.

    In the Arabic-speaking world, Sharia, also known as Islāmī qānūn, means the moral code and religious law of a prophetic religion. Sharia deals with many of the same topics addressed by secular law, including politics, crime and economics, as well as with personal matters such as sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer, general etiquette and fasting. Punishments include amputation, flogging and stoning.

    In a statement, MPTF’s top executives expressed their “deep concern about the recent enactment of laws in Brunei that call for violent punishment, including amputation and death by stoning, against those engaging in same-sex activity and extramarital sexual relations and those committing adultery. We expressed very clearly that we cannot condone or tolerate these harsh and repressive laws and as a result support a business owned by the Sultan of Brunei or a Brunei sovereign fund associated with the government of Brunei.”

    The Night Before party, initially conceived by DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, has been held at the Beverly Hills Hotel since 2003, and has raised more than $60 million over the past 12 years. Its 2014 host committee included Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, Camila and Matthew McConaughey, Jamie Foxx, Sandra Bullock and Octavia Spencer.

    On Tuesday, the Beverly Hills City Council is scheduled to consider a resolution regarding the landmark. Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse commented that the boycott “is not in any way a statement against the Beverly Hills Hotel … which is a pillar of our community. It’s about the ownership and its lack of concern for justice and human rights.”

    Other Dorchester Collection properties including the Hotel Bel-Air have also been boycotted due to Bolkiah’s Sharia decree, and Virgin Records chief Richard Branson tweeted that neither his family nor Virgin employees would stay at Dorchester Collection hotels “until the Sultan abides by basic human rights.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sophia Loren Honored at Cannes Film Festival

    International film star and Italy’s most renowned actress Sophia Loren has been named the Guest of Honor at the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 14-25 in Cannes, France.

    Aside from attending a screening of her new film, La Voce Umana (The Human Voice), which was directed by her son Edoardo Ponti, Loren, 79, will conduct a masterclass at the festival.

    Loren began her career in 1949 after entering an Italian beauty pageant (she didn’t win), and is regarded as one of the last great sex symbols of the 1950’s and 1960’s. The two-time Oscar winner became internationally recognized after signing a five movie deal with Paramount in 1958. In 1961, Loren starred in Vittorio De Sica’s Two Women, and her performance garnered her the best performance award at Cannes, and an Oscar for Best Actress, the first major Academy Award for a non-English-language performance and to an Italian actress.

    Here is a clip from Two Women:

    Loren also received an Honorary Academy Award in 1991, for her storied career which has so far earned her a Grammy Award, five special Golden Globes, a BAFTA Award, a Laurel Award as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievements.

    The actress is also known for her sharp wit:

    Over 20 features and documentaries will be screened as part of the Cannes Classics series this year, including a restored version of Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas, which marks its 30th anniversary this year. Other classics by directors including Alfred Hitchcock, Sergio Leone, Frank Capra, Jean Renoir, Wim Wenders, Francois Truffaut and Krzysztof Kieślowski will also be presented.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • EGOT: Filipino American Songwriter Robert Lopez Joins The Club

    Not all actors may admit it, but almost anyone in the entertainment industry aspires to win an acting award. Making it in Hollywood is no small feat, let alone being singled out for giving an exceptional performance in the film, television, theater, or music industry. However, there is a small and exclusive group called EGOT that consists of individuals who managed to snag the four most prestigious awards in Hollywood: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.

    To date, there are only 12 members in the EGOT club. Acclaimed composer and one half of the duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers, was the first to complete all four awards in 1962. Aside from composing nearly a thousand songs for numerous Broadway musicals, Rodgers also wrote songs for film and television. He is also one of two EGOT members who received a Pulitzer Prize for the musical score of the 1949 film South Pacific. Rodgers has a total of 13 awards under his belt.

    Actress Helen Hayes became an EGOT member in 1976 when she won a Grammy for her spoken word album entitled Great American Documents. The first female to get the coveted EGOT slot, she received her first major award in 1932 and waited 45 years to complete the collection. Hayes has 7 awards that consist of three Tonys, two Oscars, one Emmy, and one Grammy.

    The third member is another actress – Rita Moreno. She managed to accomplish a number of “firsts” in the EGOT club, the first of which is being the first Hispanic actor to be admitted to it. She is also the first to win a Grammy award for a song performance as opposed to a music composition.

    Actor Sir John Gielgud is the oldest winner to become an EGOT. He has a total of six awards that include three Tonys, two Grammys, one Emmy, and one Oscar. The theatrical actor was also the first EGOT member to win a non-Oscar as his first major award.

    Audrey Hepburn was the first actor to make the EGOT club through a posthumous award. Her last distinct award was granted in 1993 for her work in the television documentary Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn.

    Composer Marvin Hamlisch was the second EGOT member to receive a Pulitzer award. He has three Oscars, the most number received by a Grand Slam winner. He took home the Grammys for Best Artist and Song of the Year in 1974, as well as a Grammy and Oscar for the title song, “The Way We Were”

    Composer and musical director Jonathan Tunick received one of each award, while comedian Mel Brooks received 11 awards. The Graduate director Mike Nichols has a total of 15 awards and has the most number of Tonys of any Grand Slam winner.

    The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg officially joined the EGOT club in 2002 when she won a Tony for co-producing the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Her inclusion in the list has been quite controversial as she received a Daytime Emmy as opposed to a Primetime Emmy. Producer Scott Rudin won his fourth award in 2012 for the children’s TV program He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’.

    The most recent and youngest member of the EGOT club is Filipino-American songwriter Robert Lopez. Along with his wife, Lopez won Best Original Song at the Oscars for the song, Let It Go, which is part of the official soundtrack of the Disney animated film, Frozen.

    Image via Twitter

  • Jamie Foxx Is In Talks To Play Martin Luther King Jr

    Jamie Foxx is getting ready to test his acting skills once again as he prepares for a possible role as Martin Luther King Jr. While in the early stages of a new biopic film based on the life of Martin Luther King Jr., this is one that has been planned for a long time, but has never been able to get made.

    It looks like the film will be one step closer to production after potentially casting Jamie Foxx in the project, and recently signing on Oliver Stone to direct.

    Steven Spielberg’s production company, Dreamworks, and Warner Bros are also involved. Foxx and Stone have worked together once previously on the football film, Any Given Sunday. Oliver Stone is certainly no stranger to films of political material and with notable films like JFK and W, he is certain to have success with this project.

    MLK was certainly a big figure in our nation’s history and it seem’s that with the 50th anniversary of his historic march on Washington speech, new momentum has picked up for the film. In addition to this film, there are two other projects planned around the civil rights leader, including Selma, focusing on another key protest led by King, and Memphis, a Paul Greengrass-scripted film about King’s final days.

    Foxx has gained much popularity over the years through his work in film, television, and music. He also won over numerous critics and audiences everywhere with his role as Ray Charles in the 2004 film, Ray. He starred in Django Unchained in 2012, and most recently played the president in White House Down. Foxx is currently filming a reboot of the musical Annie with Quvenzhané Wallis, who was seen last year in Beasts of The Southern Wild.

    What do you think of the casting? Would Jamie Foxx make the best MLK? Respond in the comments below.

    If the role were to go to Jamie Foxx, he would likely gain a lot of attention from the role, just as he did with Ray, which he won an Oscar for. Kario Salem has written the script for the filmd and the King family has agreed to lend their support for the film. In 2009, Dreamworks acquired the rights to King’s story, along with the rights to his “I Have A Dream Speech.”

    Image via Youtube

  • Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine” stirs Oscar Talk

    Cate Blanchett has earned more than critical acclaim and the hearts of audiences everywhere with her performance in “Blue Jasmine”. She has earned some pretty serious Oscar talk, as well. “Blue Jasmine” is a Woody Allen film that mimics Tennessee Williams’ classic play, “A Streetcar Named Desire”, with Blanchett playing fallen New York socialite, Jasmine.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FER3C394aI8

    The film follows Jasmine, “a Park Avenue Princess”, whose wealthy husband Hal, played brilliantly by Alec Baldwin, winds up in jail as a result of sketchy business practices.

    She subsequently falls on hard times, and is forced to move in with her adopted sister, Ginger. Ginger, in contrast, lives in a humble apartment in San Francisco. Depressed and nursing an addiction to alcohol and pills, Jasmine desperately tries to maintain the appearance of wealth as the truth is gradually revealed.

    The critics couldn’t keep their tongues from wagging after witnessing the magic that is Cate Blanchett:

    “‘You hire her and get out of the way”, Allen has said of his incredibly talented leading lady, which is a hint about how very raw her presence is.

    “It will need a miraculous performance to defeat her,” added the Mail. “Cate Blanchett leads an impeccable cast in Allen’s 46th film as director,” said the paper’s film critic, Chris Tookey.”Mesmerising, loathsome but full of pathos, hers is a barnstorming performance, reminiscent of her stage turn as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, but with more than a touch of Lady Macbeth as well.”

    “Woody Allen deserves his five-star review and Cate Blanchett an Oscar for her role as a modern-day Blanche DuBois,” concurred Kate Muir, in the Times.

    “Blue Jasmine” will be released on DVD in October or November, it’s still being determined.

    Image via youtube

  • Angelina Jolie Set To Receive Honorary Oscar

    For all of the work that Angelina Jolie does for others around the world, she is finally being recognized for it. She is scheduled to receive a honorary Oscar for her Humanitarian work, along with Steve Martin and Angela Lansbury. Piero Tosi, a costume designer, will also be presented with an award. Angelina Jolie is a famous actress, appearing in films such as Changeling, Salt, and many others. For her role in Changeling, she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar in 2008. She also won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Girl, Interrupted, which came out in 2000. The honorary awards will be presented by the Board of Governors Of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the same organization that presents the Oscars each year.

    She will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for the volunteer work that she has done around the world. The award is named after the Danish actor and philanthropist who served as president of the Motion Picture Relief Fund, said US Weekly. Previous winners include Oprah Winfrey, Paul Newman and Audrey Hepburn.

    According to CBS News, Jolie has traveled around the world on behalf of several organizations. She has worked with The Council on Foreign Affairs and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, bridging a gap between her film career and her work as a humanitarian. She is able to make such a difference in the lives of people around the world and be accepted everywhere, partly because of her success in film. Jolie often gets attention for her films and her marriage, but recognition like this is what is really important and it is good to see her presented with this type of an award.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfZ76le_Pes

    It is always good to see celebrities like Jolie who choose to do something with positive with their time and money. The actions that she has made in recent years have been able to benefit people all over the world, which sends a very positive message and sets an example for other celebrities who could do similar things. In addition to these types of actions when she visits places such as Ecuador and Pakistan, there are the children that she has adopted from various parts of the world, living in poverty. This includes her oldest son Maddox, who is now 12 years old. She adopted him from an orphanage in Cambodia.

    The presentation of the awards will happen on November 16, 2013.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Oscar Nominees Announced For 84th Academy Awards Show

    On February 26th, the 84th annual Academy Award show will commence and 2011’s best movies and performances will be highlighted. Which will instinctively lead to many people calling out various snubs, and undeserving winners.

    Here’s a list of the major category nominees, and here’s a full category list:

    Best Motion Picture of the Year
    The Artist
    The Descendants
    Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
    The Help
    Midnight in Paris
    Moneyball
    The Tree of Life
    War Horse

    Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    Demian Bichir – A Better Life
    George Clooney – The Descendants
    Jean Dujardin – The Artist
    Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
    Brad Pitt – Moneyball

    Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
    Viola Davis – The Help
    Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
    Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
    Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn

    Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn
    Jonah Hill – Moneyball
    Nick Nolte – Warrior
    Christopher Plummer – Beginners
    Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

    Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
    Berenice Bejo – The Artist
    Jessica Chastain – The Help
    Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
    Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
    Octavia Spencer – The Help

    Best Achievement in Directing
    Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
    Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
    Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
    Alexander Payne – The Descendants
    Martin Scorsese – Hugo

    I’m really behind viewing most of the films on the “best motion picture” list, only seeing two of them so far – Moneyball and The Help. Twitter has blown up with reactions to the list; many naysayers and people calling for snubs.

    @adityaregar
    Aditya Regar    No Tintin for Best Animated Feature. That’s shocking. And not in the Best Picture nomination as well. Kind of a fail by the academy for me. 2 minutes ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry · powered by @socialditto

    @Yudhi907
    john_pray    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 5 nominations, but not Best Picture. I guess the Academy hates violent dark chilly somber films? 3 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @dmbmeg
    dmbmeg    I saw some really good movies last year, and with the exception of Midnight in Paris, none of them are included in this Best Picture list. 4 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @ryant
    Ryan Toohil    So “Extremely Loud” which was reasonably well panned, gets nominated for best picture. I’m guessing it was a weak year in the theaters. 13 minutes ago via Twitterrific for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    @chandrastauffer
    Chandra Stauffer    In other movie opinions, I saw The Artist this weekend. It was a charming novelty, but I expected more from a best picture winner. 1 minute ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    @hpzz
    Haylee Pearl    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is nominated for Best Picture isn’t that a FUNNY JOKE?! 1 minute ago via txt · powered by @socialditto

    While there’s always negativity surrounding subjective award giving, there’s always plenty of positive mojo as well. ‘Man or Muppet’ is one of the two nominees for “Best Achievement in Music, Original Song”. It’s one of the leading individual Oscar trends since the list was revealed. With most celebrating the nomination. Here’s the song, if you haven’t heard it yet.

    @AmericanHumor
    American Humor    I think we can all agree that Man or Muppet being nominated for an Oscar is good for America. #oscars 19 minutes ago via Buffer · powered by @socialditto

    @vfagenda
    Vanity Fair Agenda    Would it be too much to hope for a “Man or Muppet” duet at the #Oscars between @BillyCrystal & @SteveMartinToGo? http://t.co/HfgXhXqo 42 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @katvperry
    Katy Perry    Man or Muppet needs to freaking WIN because duh? It’s Jim Parsons and Jason Segel! 48 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @yesh222TSHQ
    Yesh Ginsburg    Man or Muppet was amazing and definitely deserves the nomination it got. It also shows that the Muppets aren’t completely obsolete. 1 minute ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @KCGeekChic
    KC    Man or Muppet was nommed for Best Original Song. That was the only one I really cared about. 2 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @laurengibaldi
    Lauren Gibaldi    I really want “Man or Muppet” to win best song. And I really want @jasonsegel and Walter to sing it live. #oscars 51 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto