After winning the category achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) for "Skyfall" from 'Skyfall,' Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth pose backstage in the press room during the live ABC Telecast of The Oscars® from the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, February 24, 2013. - Photo Credit: A.M.P.A.S.
After picking up the Oscar for her original song “Skyfall” from the James Bond movie, Skyfall, Adele stepped backstage to speak briefly with reporters. Among the questions asked was how does she go about collaborating on a song, what party was she planning on attending, does she have plans to do projects that could earn her Emmys and Tonys, and if there is a project in the works with Robbie Williams.
The Cast of 'Dancing with the Stars' 2013 - Photo Courtesy of ABC
The next season of ABC’s reality dance competition Dancing with the Stars will premiere on Monday, March 18, 2013 at 8pm. Included on this season’s line-up are a figure skater, a boxer, an NFL player, a Country singer, and the youngest ever contestant to show off their dancing moves on the show.
The Dancing with the Stars Cast:
ZENDAYA COLEMAN — Multi-talented actress and singer Zendaya Coleman stars as Raquel “Rocky” Blue, one half of the comedic duo in the hit Disney Channel series “Shake It Up!,” and is currently recording her debut album on Hollywood Records. Born September 1, 1996, in Oakland, California, Coleman grew up as part of the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, where her mother works as the House Manager. In addition to training at the theater’s student conservatory program and later performing in numerous stage productions, Coleman helped her mom seat patrons and sell raffle tickets to benefit the theater. While attending the Oakland School for the Arts, she starred as Little Ti Moune in “Once on This Island” at the Berkley Playhouse, and in the breakout role of the male character Joe in “Caroline, or Change” at Palo Alto’s TheaterWorks.
She also studied at the CalShakes Conservatory program and at the American Conservatory Theater. Coleman has performed around the world, including at the White House and in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and she tours select cities with her Z-Swagg Dancers and Singers. The name Zendaya is derived from the word that means “to give thanks” in Shona (a Bantu language native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe). Coleman has been a fashion model for Macy’s, Mervyns and Old Navy, and was also one of the back-up dancers in a Sears commercial featuring Disney Channel star Selena Gomez. She now resides in Los Angeles, California with her family and dog, a giant Schnauzer named Midnight.
ZENDAYA COLEMAN partners with VAL CHMERKOVSKIY.
ANDY DICK — Andy Dick is an American comedian, actor, writer, director, musician and producer. Dick grew up in the Chicago area, where he was involved in numerous stage productions. During his senior year of high school, his love of performing proved decisive, as he was elected homecoming king. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but influential “Ben Stiller Show.”
Dick was a mainstay on network television from 1995-2006 on NBC’s “NewsRadio” and ABC’s “Less Than Perfect.” In 2001 he wrote, directed, produced and starred in “The Andy Dick Show” for MTV. He has also starred in a number of feature films, including “In the Army Now,” “Employee of the Month” and “The Hebrew Hammer.” In addition he has made memorable appearances in feature films such as “Zoolander,” “The Cable Guy,” “Inspector Gadget,” “Road Trip,” “Dude, Where’s My Car?,” “Old School” and “Funny People.”
Most recently Dick has had guest appearances on NBC’s “Community,” FX’s “Legit,” the Netflix original series “Bad Samaritans” and CBS’ “Two Broke Girls.” He can regularly be seen performing at theaters and comedy clubs across the country.
ANDY DICK joins first-time professional partner SHARNA BURGESS.
DOROTHY HAMILL — Dorothy Hamill captured the Gold medal at the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria at the age of 19. Overnight she became one of those rare champions who transcends her sport and captures the country’s imagination. Still, she has said she is most proud of her World Championship title in Gothenburg, Sweden, which followed her Olympic win; at the time, everyone advised her to retire from amateur competition, saying that even a second-place finish would tarnish the lustre of her Olympic Gold. Characteristically, once she had set her mind to it, she would not be dissuaded, and she won.
As a professional Hamill has skated with many productions, including the Ice Capades for eight years. Four ABC primetime television specials have been produced in her honor, and she has produced and starred in her own touring productions of “Cinderella – Frozen in Time,” “Hansel, Gretel, the Witch and the Cat” and “Nutcracker on Ice.” She won an Emmy Award for her lead role in “Romeo and Juliet.” Hamill has been inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame and the Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
She was very proud to run the torch at Olympic Stadium in Salt Lake City in 2002 and to skate the closing ceremonies with vocalist Harry Connick Jr. Recently she released her memoir, A Skating Life: My Story, which made the New York Times bestseller list.
DOROTHY HAMILL partners with TRISTAN MacMANUS.
D.L. HUGHLEY — D.L Hughley, one of the most popular and highly recognized standup comedians on the road today, has also made quite an impression in the television, film and radio arenas. First and foremost a standup comedian, his fifth standup special, “Reset,” premiered on Showtime in 2012 and is currently available on DVD. Also in the fall of 2012, Hughley penned his first book.
He can be seen in the comedic documentary special for Comedy Central entitled “D.L. Hughley: The Endangered List.” Known for being astute and politically savvy, Hughley served as host of the late-night talk show “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News” on CNN. He was both star and producer of his namesake television show that ran on ABC and UPN, “The Hughleys.” One of the standout comedians of the hit comedy docu-film “The Original Kings of Comedy” and a veteran of numerous talk show appearances, Hughley switched the tables in 2005, hosting his own talk show, “Weekends at the DL,” on Comedy Central.
In addition he has headlined several comedy specials, including “D.L. Hughley: Going Home,” “D.L. Hughley Live,” “Shocked & Appalled” and the recent “Unapologetic.”
D.L. HUGHLEY partners with CHERYL BURKE.
JACOBY JONES — Jacoby Jones is a professional football player for the Baltimore Ravens, the 2013 Super Bowl Champions. He began his professional career after being drafted by the Houston Texans in 2009 and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens in 2012. Career highlights include matching an NFL record with a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Jones is also the first Raven to post multiple kickoff returns for a touchdown in one season, and is the current record holder for the longest touchdown at the Super Bowl. Career honors include AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, the Associated Press first-team All-Pro and the PFW/PFWA first team All-Pro. Jones was recently featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
JACOBY JONES partners with KARINA SMIRNOFF.
WYNONNA JUDD — Five-time Grammy winner and New York Times bestselling author Wynonna Judd has always revolved her career around telling stories. Whether performing alongside her mother as one half of the legendary duo The Judds or pushing the boundaries on her own mega-successful solo path, Judd’s ability to reach the heart of the human spirit through her bold and unflinching honesty is the entertainer’s true gift. Respected by the millions of fans who are drawn to her music and to her undeniable talent, Judd’s rich and commanding voice has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide over her epic 29-year career.
Charting countless singles, including 20 No. 1 hits and over 60 industry awards, the iconic performer was once dubbed by Rolling Stone “the greatest female country singer since Patsy Cline.” Joined in the studio by her husband, bandleader and producer Michael “Cactus” Moser, Judd’s highly anticipated eighth studio album is scheduled for release this year. This effort, a true labor of love, features her upcoming single “Something You Can’t Live Without,” released by Curb Records. Most recently she published a novel, Restless Heart, and was part of “The Judds” docu-series on OWN.
WYNONNA JUDD partners with TONY DOVOLANI.
VICTOR ORTIZ — Victor Ortiz is a living, breathing example of the American dream. From a broken home in a small town in Kansas to the bright lights of the boxing ring, Ortiz has used every obstacle he has encountered along his journey to fuel his strength and attain his dreams. As former Welterweight boxing champion, Ortiz finally found his life’s calling as a world class athlete.
The nickname “Vicious” describes Ortiz when he’s in the ring, but his million-dollar smile is a preview to his heart of gold. His ability to connect with people on a human level has kept the spotlight from blinding him. Realizing the importance of hard work, dedication and family at an early age, Ortiz always finds a way to give back.
VICTOR ORTIZ partners with newcomer LINDSAY ARNOLD.
KELLIE PICKLER — Kellie Pickler grew up immersed in country music in the small town of Albemarle, North Carolina with the words of Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton shaping her musical footing. At the age of 19 she gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of “American Idol,” and in 2006 signed to 19 Recordings/BNA Records to release her debut, “Small Town Girl,” which went on to sell over 800,000 copies and produce three singles — “Red High Heels,” “I Wonder” and “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind.”
In 2008 Pickler released her self-titled sophomore record featuring hits “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful,” “Best Days of Your Life” (co-written with Taylor Swift and her first Top 10) and “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You.” Having established herself as not only a powerful vocalist but also a songwriter, Pickler released her third studio album, “100 Proof,” last year with famed producer Frank Liddell and Luke Wooten. The album earned recognition as one of the “Best of 2012” by Rolling Stone and The Washington Post. She has performed on six USO Tours, including one to Afghanistan in December 2012. Newly signed to Black River Entertainment, Pickler is poised to release a new single and album in 2013.
KELLIE PICKLER partners with DEREK HOUGH.
INGO RADEMACHER — Soap Opera star Ingo Rademacher is best known to audiences as the charismatic Jasper “Jax” Jacks on ABC’s “General Hospital.” Rademacher originated the role of “Jax,” having first aired on “General Hospital” in January of 1996. His other television credits include “Hawaii Five-O,” “Titans,” “Veronica’s Closet” and “According to Jim.” As an athlete, Rademacher has amassed an extraordinary list of accomplishments: As a youth, he was a ski champion and a competitive equestrian.
As an adult, he has competed at a high level in beach volleyball and triathlons (winner of the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, celebrity division, for three consecutive years). He took the pole position in the 2005 Long Beach Grand Prix and he recently completed the grueling 32 mile Molokai to Oahu “Channel of Bones” stand-up paddle board race — all this when he wasn’t on the track racing dirt bikes or street bikes. Rademacher moved to Hawaii in 2012 to pursue his passion for the sport of stand-up paddle board racing. He and his wife, Ehiku, have two sons, Peanut and Pohaku.
INGO RADEMACHER partners with KYM JOHNSON.
ALEXANDRA RAISMAN — Just 18 years old, Alexandra Raisman captained the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team to its first team Gold medal since the 1996 Olympic Games. She added the United States’ first ever Gold medal in the floor exercise and also won a bronze on the balance beam, making her the most decorated American gymnast in London. A respected leader, Raisman backboned the women’s victory in the team event at the 2011 World Championships, where they upset Russia to win Gold for the first time since 2007.
In her career Raisman has accumulated 19 international medals and eight U.S. Senior National Championship medals, earning a reputation as one of Team USA’s most consistent performers. The eldest of four kids in her family, she comes from a Jewish background and famously performed her Gold medal-winning floor exercise to the traditional Jewish wedding song, “Hava Nagila,” for which she earned worldwide recognition in the Jewish community.
Since returning from London, she has been named Bostonian of the Year by The Boston Globe, was a presenter at the “Video Music Awards,” appeared on “Fashion Police” and most recently won an award at the Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards. In her free time, Raisman can be found shopping, reading fashion magazines, hanging out with friends and family, or listening to some of her favorite music.
ALEXANDRA RAISMAN partners with MARK BALLAS.
LISA VANDERPUMP — Hailing from London, restaurateur, designer, author, philanthropist, producer and television personality Lisa Vanderpump moved to the United States eight years ago. Vanderpump is best known for “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” which she joined in 2010. In 2013 Bravo launched her reality television show, “Vanderpump Rules,” exploring the intricacies of owning SUR, a sexy, unique restaurant in West Hollywood. The show follows Vanderpump as she balances her motherly instincts with a shrewd business sense while keeping the passionate and volatile staff at her West Hollywood restaurant in line.
After years as a restaurateur, Vanderpump showcased her passion for food, decor and lifestyle in her bestselling book, Simply Divine: A Guide to Easy, Elegant and Affordable Entertaining. Vanderpump serves as a contributor to Beverly Hills Lifestyle magazine. She lives in Beverly Hills with her husband, Ken Todd, and their four dogs. They have two grown children, Pandora and Maxfield.
LISA VANDERPUMP partners with newcomer GLEB SAVCHENKO.
Debuting after the 2013 Oscar telecast, Jimmy Kimmel returned to the world of bizarre/fake movies with Movie: The Movie 2V. The sequel to last year’s super-popular Movie: The Movie finds everyone from Bradley Cooper to Jessica Chastain to Channing Tatum and Gerard Butler trying to fight off sexy zombies, mummies, and vampires.
Take a look at the video which also features Rachel Weisz, Armie Hammer, Topher Grace, Bryan Cranston, John Krasinski, Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington, Guillermo Rodriguez, Jason Schwartzman, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek, Bruno Mars, Amanda Seyfried, Jude Law, Samuel L. Jackson, Wolf Blitzer, and even Matt Damon.
Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis argue over the Wizard in this new video clip from Disney’s Oz The Great and Powerful coming to theaters on March 8, 2013. The fantasy adventure directed by Sam Raimi stars James Franco as the would-be Wizard and Weisz, Kunis, and Michelle Williams as witches.
The Plot:
Disney’s fantastical adventure Oz The Great and Powerful, directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking — that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting.
Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity — and even a bit of wizardry — Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well.
Charlie Sheen stars in 'Anger Management' - Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels/FX Lionsgate Television’s announced Lindsay Lohan – sometimes actress, occasional jail inmate, and a celeb in need of a lengthy time away from the public eye – has signed up to play Charlie Sheen’s love interest in his FX comedy, Anger Management. Lohan, who will be playing herself, will become involved romantically with Sheen after becoming his therapy patient.
Lohan’s episode will air in April. Sheen and Lohan will also show up in Scary Movie 5 playing themselves this April.
The Plot:
In Anger Management, Sheen stars as “Charlie,” a non-traditional therapist specializing in anger management. He has a successful private practice, holding sessions with his group of primary patient regulars each week, as well as performing pro bono counseling for an inmate group at a state prison.
Prior to his career as a therapist, Charlie was a major league baseball player whose career was sidetracked by his own struggle with anger issues. After making it to the majors and having one terrific season, his anger issues put him on the shelf for good when he snapped a bat over his leg, resulting in a career-ending injury. That injury led him back to school and to his current profession.
Charlie thrives on the chaos in his life while still battling his own anger issues. His life is complicated by his relationships with his own therapist and best friend (Selma Blair), his ex-wife whose positive outlook but poor life-choices frustrate Charlie (Shawnee Smith), their 15 year-old daughter who has OCD (Daniela Bobadilla), and of course, his interfering and meddlesome father, Martin (Martin Sheen).
I think I’ll just start reporting news on Jennifer Lawrence every day and forget everyone else. Every single time she steps in front of the press or onto a stage, she just absolutely nails it. She doesn’t sound rehearsed, she doesn’t deliver the same old speech over and over again (or fake her way through the emotional bits), and instead just says whatever pops into her head.
Don’t change, Jennifer…don’t ever change.
Here’s the latest example of Jennifer Lawrence just being Jennifer Lawrence backstage after winning the Best Actress Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook.
So, was Seth MacFarlane the right choice to host the 85th Annual Academy Awards? Yes, particularly this year. The Academy needed to bring in younger viewers and MacFarlane definitely was more of a draw to younger audiences, with the ratings getting a real boost among the key demographic of adults 18-49 and the show drawing an overall audience of 40 million.
Oscar producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan were also aiming to draw in fans of musicals and of Bond movies with this year’s telecast. But once those people tuned in, did the producers deliver on their promises? Not on all counts. After a night to think about the show, here’s what I think worked and what didn’t, along with a list of the nominees and winners of the 2013 Oscars:
The Good:
– Seth MacFarlane. He did what was expected of him, drawing in younger viewers to the broadcast without alienating the older crowd. MacFarlane kept it lighter in tone with most of his jokes than we anticipated he would, although he did get in a few digs at Chris Brown, Rihanna, Mel Gibson, studio accountants, and actresses who bare their breasts on film. His “We Saw Your Boobs” song offended some, but it’s not as though the actresses mentioned didn’t show their breasts in an assortment of movies. MacFarlane also proved he can sing, was fast on his feet when jokes fell flat and kept the pop culture references coming all night.
– The dance numbers with Charlize Theron & Channing Tatum and Daniel Radcliffe & Joseph Gordon-Levitt. They were fun to watch and something a little different than past Oscar shows. The only way it could have been better would have been to have had a Tatum versus Gordon-Levitt strip-off. Now that would have been worth tuning in for.
Lumping the Best Picture promotional pieces together in groups of three. It sped up the process and didn’t detract from any of the nominees.
– Bringing Barbra Streisand in for “Memories,” Adele in for “Skyfall,” Dame Shirley Bassey to sing “Goldfinger,” and the cast of Les Miserables on stage for a medley from that musical.
– The presenting teams of Charlize Theron & Dustin Hoffman, The Avengers cast, and Jennifer Aniston & Channing Tatum.
– Using the theme from Jaws to play off those winners who overstayed their welcome on stage.
– George Clooney’s beard.
The Not-So-Good Through the Very, Very Bad:
– Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy as presenters. This was uncomfortable and the laughs were of the courtesy variety.
– The whole Bond tribute was a bust, with the exception of Shirley Bassey’s song. We’re promised a tribute to the iconic spy franchise, and a short video with the theme songs from the film was all that was shown. Where was the reunion of the Bond actors? Wasn’t that promised or at least hinted at?
– Not having the mix of vocals and music right at the beginning of Adele’s “Skyfall” was a big disappointment.
– John Travolta and Kristen Stewart’s hair. And can awards shows please just stop inviting Kristen Stewart to present? She’s obviously uncomfortable on stage and it’s uncomfortable watching her be uncomfortable. Even her co-presenter Daniel Radcliffe looked uneasy next to her.
– Deciding that honoring musicals of the past decade was a good idea was probably one of the worst ideas of the night. If you’re going to honor musicals, delve further back than the past 10 years.
– And the night’s big finale – the song performed by Seth MacFarlane and Kristin Chenoweth – was completely unnecessary and a waste of time and talent.
2013 Oscar Nominees and Winners:
Best Picture:
Amour WINNER: Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Achievement in Directing:
Amour – Michael Haneke
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Benh Zeitlin WINNER: Life of Pi – Ang Lee
Lincoln – Steven Spielberg
Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Denzel Washington in Flight
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in Argo
Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln WINNER: Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts in The Impossible
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Amy Adams in The Master
Sally Field in Lincoln WINNER: Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: WINNER: Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
Achievement in Cinematography:
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained WINNER: Life of Pi – Claudio Miranda
Lincoln
Skyfall
Achievement in Costume Design: WINNER: Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman
Best Documentary Feature:
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War WINNER: Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Short Subject: WINNER: Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption
Achievement in Film Editing: WINNER: Argo – William Goldenberg
Life of Pi – Tim Squyres
Lincoln – Michael Kahn
Silver Linings Playbook – Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
Zero Dark Thirty – Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: WINNER: Amour Austria
Kon-Tiki Norway
No Chile
A Royal Affair Denmark
War Witch Canada
Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling:
Hitchcock – Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane WINNER: Les Misérables – Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score):
Anna Karenina – Dario Marianelli
Argo – Alexandre Desplat WINNER: Life of Pi – Mychael Danna
Lincoln – John Williams
Skyfall – Thomas Newman
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song):
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice – Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted – Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi – Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri WINNER: “Skyfall” from Skyfall – Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables – Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil:
Achievement in Production Design:
Anna Karenina – Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
Les Misérables – Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Life of Pi – Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock WINNER: Lincoln – Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
Best Animated Short Film:
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
The Longest Daycare WINNER: Paperman
Best Live Action Short Film:
Asad
Buzkashi Boys WINNER: Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Henry
Achievement in Sound Editing:
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi WINNER [Tie]: Skyfall WINNER [Tie]: Zero Dark Thirty
Achievement in Sound Mixing:
Argo – John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia WINNER: Les Misérables – Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Life of Pi – Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
Lincoln – Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
Skyfall – Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson
Achievement in Visual Effects:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White WINNER: Life of Pi – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
Marvel’s The Avengers – Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
Prometheus – Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
Snow White and the Huntsman – Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson
Adapted Screenplay: WINNER: Argo – Screenplay by Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi – Screenplay by David Magee
Lincoln – Screenplay by Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook – Screenplay by David O. Russell
Original Screenplay:
Amour – Written by Michael Haneke WINNER: Django Unchained – Written by Quentin Tarantino
Flight – Written by John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom – Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty – Written by Mark Boal
Curtis Armstrong and Robert Carradine host ‘King of the Nerds’ (Photo Credit by Jeremy Freeman)
TBS will be bringing back the competition series King of the Nerds for a second season. The series hosted by Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong (both from Revenge of the Nerds) is currently on air on Thursdays at 10pm, with the final episode of season one set to be broadcast on March 7, 2013.
TBS has given the show an eight-episode order for season two which they’re planning on airing in 2014. Season one is averaging 2.1 million viewers over its first three episodes.
“King of the Nerds has really clicked with TBS viewers, introducing such concepts as cosplay, quadcopter gaming and nerdcore rap to the uninitiated,” stated Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies. “We look forward to another round of hilarious competition when a new contingent of nerds sets out to win the crown.”
The Details:
King of the Nerds features competitors from across the nerd spectrum facing challenges that test their intellect, ingenuity, skills, and pop-culture prowess. The nerds live together in “Nerdvana,” competing first as teams before moving on to individual challenges. In the end, only one competitor will be named the quintessential master of all things nerdy, winning the $100,000 prize.
Ted and Mark Wahlberg present at the Oscars(R) (PRNewsFoto/Tippett Studio, Universal Pictures/Tippett Studio)
The trash-talking raunchy teddy bear star of Ted joined his co-star Mark Wahlberg on stage to present Oscars to the winners of the 85th Annual Academy Awards’ Sound Mixing and Sound Editing categories. The computer-generated Ted and Wahlberg interacted on stage with Oscar host and Ted creator Seth MacFarlane returning to voice the teddy bear as part of the Oscar bit.
So, how’d it work? How did Ted show up on stage during the live broadcast of the Academy Awards? Tippett Studio was responsible for making it appear Ted was actually on stage at the Academy Awards, along with help from Wahlberg, Oscar director Don Mischer and MacFarlane.
Here’s the scoop on how it was accomplished, courtesy of Tippett Studio:
“For the filming of the segment, a duplicate of the Academy Awards stage was constructed at CBS Studios, with lighting and cameras situated to match the Dolby Theatre(TM) set up. The feat involved planning exact camera positions so that the animation, rendered using Dell Precision workstations, would integrate seamlessly on Oscar Night® with Wahlberg and the show audience. With five nominees in each category, Tippett artists created 10 different outcomes in just a four-week production schedule. As the winners were unknown before the envelope was opened, Mischer and his team sat at the ready to push the button for the correct winner during the live broadcast.”
Blair Clark of Tippett Studio said, “It’s always enjoyable working with Ted, and having him present at the Oscars was an exciting challenge. As well, working with Seth and Don was great. Their trust and support made a technically ambitious presentation with a tight deadline run smoothly.”
IGN put together this video showing how it was accomplished.
We are all very familiar with the steely-eyed stare, the violence, the crusty character that comes to mind when we think of Lee Marvin. What is behind this exterior? Was this all there was to him? Point Blank takes the reader behind the scenes and explores the man behind the stare. This is a well-researched story of a complex man and iconic actor, and provides an inside look better than any other Marvin biography has done. A compilation of interviews with over 100 people, the book took author Dwayne Epstein 20 years to write. And though at times it appears disjointed to the reader, overall it provides us with insight into the complex man that Lee Marvin was.
It doesn’t seem another biography with this much information and the many personal narratives can be written in the future because so many of those interviewed are no longer with us. It’s wonderful to read the first-hand accounts from those who worked with Marvin, from his family, and from his own letters and words. The picture we are left with is one of a far from perfect man, one who battled with the serious problems of depression, untreated Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), and alcoholism; and an actor who took his craft very seriously.
Marvin’s battlefield actions in World War II would likely lead to many of the ways he dealt with others and with life in his years afterwards. We learn that Marvin’s company was the first Marine company that landed on the Marshall Islands; his company fought the battles on Kwajalein; we read letters from 1944 that he wrote to his parents and his brother; his first-hand account of getting shot by a sniper on Saipan that ended his battlefield action. All told, he had taken part in 21 invasions. His bloody action in World War II left an obvious mark on Marvin, and it is likely he suffered from untreated PTSD based upon the many battles he was in and sights he saw.
If you’re already a fan of Lee Marvin, this book will make you want to watch his movies again, and watch those that you somehow missed. If you’re not familiar with his movies, this is easily resolved because Epstein includes a list of all of Mr. Marvin’s movies in the book. He also complied lists of those roles he turned down (including the George C. Scott role of Patton, and making Paint Your Wagon instead of The Wild Bunch, the Robert Shaw role in Jaws) and those for which he would have been perfect but were made after his death.
There are too many anecdotal stories to quote, but one that shows the reader a glimpse of the real man is the story told by his first wife, Betty, after the birth of their son Christopher in November, 1952. “He cried when I had a baby, when he’d see the baby,” recalled Betty. “Someone asked me once in an interview, ‘Is Lee really that tough?’ I said, ‘Tough? He’s a bowl of mashed potatoes.’ I remember Dr. Mishell, the OB/GYN, had by then become a family friend because he was so much in our lives. Lee was there talking, and Dan came in. . .Dan Mishell, the obstetrician. He was talking to Lee about fishing together and then started taking out my stitches, which is really nothing. Lee looked at this and went right into the bathroom and closed the door. I said, ‘What’s the matter?’ He said, ‘If I watch it, I’m gonna throw up. I can’t watch that.'” This from the battle-hardened Marine.
One thing that was wonderful to read was the Afterward by Christopher Marvin, Marvin’s only son. In this, Marvin is seen as an affectionate, loving father. Through the many personal accounts, letters, and rare photographs, we learn the complexities of the man Lee Marvin was. Christopher Marvin aptly sums up his father: “He was independent, kind, funny, generous, and could spot a phony a mile away.” The reader will also come away with knowing the depths of the son, father, husband, war hero, and actor that Lee Marvin was. Far from perfect, so much more than a hard-living, hard-drinking man, he was a man to respect.
– Reviewed by Karen Mitchell
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Lee Marvin: Point Blank was written by Dwayne Epstein and was released by Schaffner Press on February 19, 2013.