'American Idol' recap: The final four duke it out
May 10, 2012 | 4:30 am 21
I'm still a little damp-eyed from Jessica Sanchez's final performance on "American Idol" Wednesday night, on which the final four contestants each sang a song either from or about California (yes, somewhat random) as well as a song they wish they'd written themselves, which Ryan Seacrest also classified as songs that inspired them.
Sanchez's take on "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls," into which she channeled all the emotion stirred up by her near "Idol" ouster a few weeks back, may have inspired us all — or at least anyone who has at any point ever felt underappreciated or overlooked. It was not just beautifully sung and deeply felt; it was moving, galvanizing, electrifying. Breathtaking.
Jimmy Iovine had been so deeply affected by Sanchez's song during rehearsal, he said he'd probably never forget the moment. He said if she sang it the same way during the show, "it could be game-over."
It could be game-over.
It really would be game-over if it weren't for the fact that Sanchez has some stiff competition — at least for the judges' affections — in Phillip Phillips and Joshua Ledet.
In fact, the judges responded so enthusiastically to Ledet's final performance — the standing O was just the beginning — they almost seemed to have nothing left to give to Sanchez after her rousing final number. Sure, they again rose to their feet to applaud her performance, but in their critiques, they trotted out the trite and true. "Another winning performance," "just over the top," said Steven Tyler. Jennifer Lopez said Sanchez had the sort of vocal talent you don't find every day. And Randy Jackson called the 16-year-old a phenomenon and said she was "in it to really win it," before throwing focus to Julian Lennon, who for some mysterious reason was in the audience.
That all sounds great until you consider what the judges had told Ledet after he sang James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" mere moments before. Ledet really dug into it, but for me, his version paled in comparison to Juliet Simm's inspiring take on it on "The Voice" last week. A woman brings a particular meaning to that song I missed in Ledet's hands. Plus, I didn't love his growl. (Should we blame his new Seacrest-dubbed "bromance" with Phillips, a veteran growler, for that?)
But the judges, well, they sounded like the characters in that kids book "Guess How Much I Love You," competing to be Ledet's biggest admirer. "Neither man nor woman has ever sang that good or with that much compassion on this show, ever," Tyler told Ledet, though I continue to wonder if his "Idol" knowledge goes back further than last season. "I can go home right now. I never heard anything like that in my life."
Jackson took it further. "I think it was the best performance in the history of any singing show!" And Lopez? "I saw the Lord."
The poor judges had peaked too soon and run out of superlatives. They had little left to offer Sanchez, although as she stood before them, trembling and weeping, they scraped together what they could.
They'd also used up a few gushy phrases on Phillips, whose cover of Damien Rice's "Volcano" really deserved to be gushed over: intensely contained and impressively melodic, showing off a range it was not previously clear Phillips had. Tyler said it was the kind of song he could see listening to in headphones "over and over and over." Lopez called it "one of the most beautiful, poignant moments a contestant has ever had." And Jackson rightly told Phillips it was "one of your best performances of the whole season."
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Those three songs, by three very different contestants, were probably the evening's highlights, though you could also toss Phillips and Ledet's cover of Maroon 5's "This Love" and Seacrest faking us out into thinking, for a split-second, that he was about to propose to his girlfriend, Julianne Hough. (That rascal. At least she seemed to be in on the joke.)
Other strong performances included Sanchez singing Etta James's "Steal Away" (the tune was a little too old for her, but she proved she could really sing the blues), Ledet's take on Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" (very different from Chris Mann's more operatic, less emotive take on "The Voice" the other night, and with some too-literal staging), and Hollie Cavanagh's powerful performance of Journey's "Faithfully." Parts of Phillips' version of CCR's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" weren't bad, either, though he seemed to be straining on the top notes.
But Cavanagh had a song-choice stumble with Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," a great song, but one with which she couldn't manage to make us love her. And given that the producers didn't do Cavanagh or Sanchez any favors with their duet on "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles, a swingin' production that was beyond peculiar, I think this could be the week Cavanagh finally heads home — and not in the camera-ready way the three finalists will enjoy.
What did you think of the performances? And who's your favorite for the win?
"American Idol" vs. "The Voice"
Each week our experts and readers rank the best of the best between the two blockbuster singing competitions. Last week, readers put "American Idol's" Jessica Sanchez just slightly ahead of "The Voice's" Juliet Simms on top. Who will be the favorite this week? Vote below and check out last week's performances and see what our judges had to say at latimes.com/idol-voice.
'Idol' vs. 'The Voice': Vote for your favorite
Chris Mann, "The Voice"
Hollie Cavanagh, "American Idol"
Jermaine Paul, "The Voice"
Jessica Sanchez, "American Idol"
Josh Ledet, "American Idol"
Juliet Simms, "The Voice"
Phillip Phillips, "American Idol"
Tony Lucca, "The Voice"
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— Amy Reiter
Photo: (From left) Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, Josh Ledet and Hollie Cavanagh on "American Idol" Wednesday. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox.
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Donna Summer dead: Her voice soared through disco and beyond
May 17, 2012 | 11:05 am
Donna Summer died Thursday after a battle with cancer. The 63-year-old Summer was known for her soaring voice and sensual purrs that made her a queen of disco when the genre was in its heyday in the 1970s. And it was a title she held well beyond those years.
A statement from her family called Summer "a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith."
"While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy," according to the statement released by Universal Music, her record label. "Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."
Summer had been living in Englewood, Fla., with her husband, Bruce Sudano.
She was a five-time Grammy winner. Although best remembered for her songs decades ago, Summer continued to tour and record, including a stint last year as a guest judge on the Bravo reality show "Platinum Hit."
Born LaDonna Andrea Gaines in suburban Boston on New Year’s Eve, 1948, Summer was one of seven siblings in a church-attending family who encouraged studies and singing in equal measure.
An early fan of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, Summer sang in a Boston rock band called Crow in the late 1960s, and left home for New York City at age 18 to find work on Broadway, which she did quickly by landing a role in a touring version of the hot Broadway show “Hair.”
She spent the next three years living and touring in Europe. There she met and married the singer Helmut Sommer, whose last name she adapted as her stage name.
While in Europe she also met Italian music producer Giorgio Moroder, whose early dance tracks were making an impact across Europe. Moroder and Summer started working together, resulting in their first hit, the seductive 17-minute-long dance floor epic “Love to Love You Baby.” On it, Summer moans in ecstasy throughout, seeming to climax with the music. A shortened version of it was released by then-hot label Casablanca in 1975, and peaked on the Billboard singles chart at No. 2.
That was the first of a string of songs that not only helped bring disco to the mainstream, but predicted the rise of both techno and house music. Among those were “I Feel Love,” “Bad Girls,” “She Works Hard for the Money” and “On the Radio.”
But unlike some other stars of disco who faded as the music became less popular, she was able to grow beyond it and later segued to a pop-rock sound. She had one of her biggest hits in the 1980s with "She Works Hard for the Money," which became an anthem for women's rights.
Soon after, Summer became a born-again Christian and faced controversy when she was accused of making anti-gay comments in relation to the AIDS epidemic. Summer denied making the comments but was the target of a boycott.
Still, even as disco went out of fashion she remained a fixture in dance clubs, endlessly sampled and remixed into contemporary dance hits.
Her last album, "Crayons," was released in 2008 and marked her first full studio album in 17 years. She also performed on "American Idol" that year with its top female contestants.
The American Idol vs. The Voice, Dancing With the Stars, The X Factor
****
‘Idol’ Grapples With Its Own Competition
By BRIAN STELTER
Published: May 22, 2012
As Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips, above, vie to win the current season of “American Idol,” that Fox show itself feels the heat of TV contenders. =pic
As Fox’s “American Idol” wraps its 11th season this week with a sing-off between Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez, those involved with the show are asking what went wrong, a rare dose of soul-searching for a show that has been the runaway hit of this century.
Changes may be afoot for “American Idol,” whose ratings have declined. Jennifer Lopez may leave as a judge after this season. =pic
“Idol” lost nearly a quarter of its audience this season (it is still huge), dipping below 20 million viewers for the first time since 2003, when a ratings surge made it the No. 1 entertainment program on American television. The drop-off was even more steep among viewers ages 18 to 49, the demographic mostly highly sought by the networks.
As a result, there is no longer bluster in the voices of the “Idol” judges and Fox executives who had confidently predicted that they would fend off “The Voice,” NBC’s one-year-old competitor, this season. Though some at Fox were initially dismissive of “The Voice,” they now think it was among the reasons for the double-digit decline.
Kevin Reilly, the president of entertainment for Fox, said last week that there would be some “creative reinvigoration” of the “Idol” franchise for next season.
But first there’s another winner to crown, which will take place live on Fox on Wednesday night. The choice is stark this season, between Mr. Phillips, 21, who would become the fifth consecutive white male guitarist to win the competition, and Ms. Sanchez, 16, who would become the youngest “Idol” winner. She would also be the first Latina to win, visibly representing change for a program that some TV critics have labeled boring.
Given that the series has been on TV since 2002, Ms. Sanchez “probably can’t remember a world without ‘American Idol,’ ” said Jeff Alexander, who dutifully recaps the show each week as M. Giant for the Web site Television Without Pity. “She’s trained to be on the show since she was 5, and it’s like watching somebody who was grown in a vat for this purpose.”
Some might say the same about Mr. Phillips, a Dave Matthews sound-alike who follows in the footsteps of the past four winners, Scotty McCreery, Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen and David Cook. Online odds-makers say Mr. Phillips is favored to win, but some social-media analysis companies say Ms. Sanchez, a powerhouse singer who idolizes Beyoncé, is more popular among online commenters. Fox has been paying close attention to the social-media chatter this season, and it says the millions of comments affirm that “Idol” remains the most culturally relevant show on television.
But the ultimate judge remains the Nielsen ratings. Last year, when “Idol” rebounded slightly from lows that were a record in 2010, a typical episode garnered 24.7 million viewers, excluding the finale week. Of those viewers, 10.8 million were between the ages of 18 and 49. Compare that with this year, when a typical episode has attracted about 19.2 million viewers, 7.5 million of whom are in that same demographic.
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“The Voice,” which benefited from a post-Super Bowl premiere, came close to tying “Idol” in that demographic, with 7.2 million on a typical night. And ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” came close among total viewers, with 18.3 million on dancing nights, and 16 million on results nights.
This is something new for “Idol”: true competition. Peter Rice, chairman of the Fox Networks Group, said in an interview that the ratings decline for “Idol” was a surprise at first, but, “in hindsight, when you look at it, it became a much more crowded space.”
Though “The Voice,” with its trademark red revolving judges’ chairs, was shown earlier in the week than “Idol,” the two still competed for attention and DVR space. Nigel Lythgoe, an executive producer of “Idol,” cited “The Voice” when he was asked to explain the ratings drop last week. “It’s never been like this before,” he said.
Mr. Lythgoe also cited “The X Factor,” the rival singing competition created by Simon Cowell that had its premiere on Fox last fall. Presumably some viewers feel committed to “The X Factor” and Mr. Cowell instead of “Idol.” Fox had little choice but to broadcast “The X Factor”; Mr. Cowell would have taken it to another network if Fox had not bought it. “The X Factor” helped to juice Fox’s fall lineup last year, and it’s almost impossible to know what effect it has had on “Idol” this spring.
For now “Idol” remains No. 1 after 11 seasons, an accomplishment even rival network executives note with awe. But it will have to fight to stay there. “The X Factor,” with two new judges in Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, will rival “The Voice” again in the fall, leading to even more concern that viewers will tire of the star-search format.
Jess Cagle, managing editor of Entertainment Weekly, said he had seen evidence of “Idol” fatigue in the magazine’s sales and Web traffic. “While the show still does solid numbers for us online, it’s no longer the juggernaut it once was,” Mr. Cagle said. Online page views for “Idol” coverage this season are about half of what they were in 2010, he said.
So cue the talk of changes to “Idol,” just as there was a few years ago when the show’s ratings started slipping. There is speculation that one “Idol” judge, Jennifer Lopez, will leave the show after this season, speculation aided by Ms. Lopez, who has said she has not decided whether to return. Fox has declined to comment.
Chase Carey, the chief operating officer of Fox’s parent, News Corporation, reminded investors early this month that “Idol” was “a big, valuable franchise and makes a lot of money.” He added, “We certainly think we’ve got a lot of life left in it.” But this year, he suggested, the producers “probably didn’t do enough” to make the show feel fresh.
They will do more next season, Mr. Lythgoe told reporters last week, though he had already ruled out one change: “I’ve rejected the revolving chairs.”
アメリカンアイドルの始まりの頃は凡人にとって珍しくて、ほんの数シーズンをみていたに過ぎない。その後はまったく興味がなくなって観ていない。久々のアメリカンアイドルだ。クレイ・エーケンが２位となった時とキャリー・アンダーウッドとジョーダン・スパークが共に栄冠に輝いた合計３シーズン。大分前の話。だから過去の最近の５シーズンの勝者は誰かはまったく知らない。今シーズンに毎週チャンネルをあわせるのはジェシカ・サンチェスの歌いっぷりが気に入り、彼女の舞台を見るため。だから彼女がいなかったら、アメリカンアイドルにはまったく興味がなかったろう。
****
If You Love 'American Idol,' Vote For Jessica Sanchez
May 22 2012 2:58 PM EDT 18,041
With the 'Idol' finale upon us, and Phillip Phillips the likely winner, Bigger Than the Sound tries to save the show from itself.
By James Montgomery
Unlike in previous years, when I called David Cook "a sociopolitical barometer with an awesome comb-over" and compared Adam Lambert to Barack Obama, I've avoided making sweeping generalizations about the 11th season of "American Idol," mostly because, at this point, there's not much about the show that inspires me to do anything (except complain, of course).
Worn down by the past four seasons — the revolving cast of judges, that time Casey Abrams did Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and, of course, the lilywhite list of champions (Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze and Scotty McCreery) — I've come to view "Idol" for what it really is: a massively bloated, increasingly out-of-touch behemoth, one that lumbers and crashes with much import but leaves nary a footprint on the cultural landscape. It has become predictable almost to the point of parody, thanks to the de-fanging of the judges (not everyone is amazing, guys) and the voters, who, judging by their recent track record, seem to value stuff like "nice smiles" and "upper body strength" over genuine talent and commercial appeal. Oh, and the Y chromosome above everything else.
Because of that, "Idol" has unquestionably suffered. Long gone are the days when the show could create actual chart-dominating superstars. None of the previous four winners have done much of anything, sales-wise, which isn't really surprising, given the female-driven shift of popular music. Rihanna or Katy Perry or Lady Gaga or Beyoncé could never be crowned champion these days, mostly because voters would choose the handsome guy with the guitar instead. Given that they're the biggest stars in the universe, that's slightly troubling. If anything, "American Idol" has become completely antithetical to what it set out to be: It reflects the whims of a demographic more attuned to adult contemporary as opposed to pop music.
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And yet, I find myself breaking my season-long ban on "Idol" just in time for Tuesday night's (May 22) performance finale, which pits yet another handsome dude with a guitar — the indomitably growly Phillip Phillips — against the sassy, sublimely talented Jessica Sanchez. I'm making this exception mostly because I have loved this show for 11 seasons now, but also because tonight's extravaganza is much more than just another overproduced coronation ceremony: It may very well be a battle for the future of the show itself.
See, for the first time in years, "Idol" voters have a chance to make a genuine change tonight. In Sanchez, they have the show's best hope recapturing that old magic, of creating an actual, of-the-moment pop superstar. She is young (just 16) and current, she can sing pop, R&B and soul, and, as her alter ego BeBe Chez has proven, she possesses that sheer diva-tude that has driven the likes of RiRi and Bey to superstardom. In every way, from her biracial background to her grab bag of musical inspirations (Mariah, Xtina, MJ) to her supreme belief in self, she best represents the whims and attitudes of the millennial generation that drives trends and shapes culture (and downloads singles). In short, she is relatable to the people who really matter, and that's the key to it all. Like Rihanna or Katy or Gaga, there is a belief — either real or imagined — that today's biggest stars aren't only your best friends, they're you, living out your wildest dreams and fantasies.
And "Idol" hasn't had a potential champ like that since, shoot, maybe Jordin Sparks in 2007 (who actually won). Allison Iraheta was gone too soon. Crystal Bowersox was great, but she wasn't going to go pop, no matter what. Haley Reinhart was an old soul, pure and simple. And last year's runner-up, Lauren Alaina, well, she was country to the core. By giving Sanchez the crown, not only can voters send her on her way, but they give the show a shot at actually becoming culturally relevant once again. It can be the launching pad for the next great superstar.
But will they actually do it? Of course not. Phillips is going to win this one in a landslide, carrying on the proudly predictable tradition of the past four seasons — back in January, I begrudgingly signed off my "Idol" predictions piece by declaring "a white guy will win anyway" — and (probably) disappearing very quietly into the night. He seems like a nice enough dude, but he's certainly no superstar, and his win will only send "Idol" further down the relevancy scale, if that's even possible. It will just be more of the same, which, for a show currently on life support, might prove fatal. And when the confetti falls on Wednesday night, and Phillips cracks that same goofy grin, I will shed a tear for this once-proud show and promise myself that I will never watch again. Of course, I will anyway.
So, "Idol" voters, if you love this show like I do (for whatever reason: unintentional comedy, overwrought balladry, you are contractually obligated to write about it, etc.), I urge you to set aside your emotions and vote for Jessica Sanchez. It's the only way we can save "American Idol" from itself. Was she the best contestant this season? Of course not. But she's still standing, and she's our only hope. No offense to Phillips, but in our hour of desperation, we don't need Kris Allen 2.0. We need a glimmer of hope, we need someone to believe in ... we need BeBe Chez.
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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訂正：過去５シーズンと書いたが、明らかに間違いで最近の過去４シーズンが正しい。５年になるとジョーダン・スパークが入るため。クレイ・エーケンはシーズン２。
Season 10 Scotty Mccreery
Season 09 Lee Dewyze
Season 08 Kris Allen
Season 07 David Cook
Season 06 Jordan Sparks
Season 05 Taylor Hicks
Season 04 Carrie Underwood
Season 03 Fantasia Barrino
Season 02 Ruben Studdard
Season 01 Kelly Clarkson
Eugene Polley, Inventor of the First Wireless TV Remote, Dies at 96
By Associated Press | May 22, 2012 |
Zenith engineer Eugene Polley invented the "Flashmatic" (seen in the above ad), which represented the industry's first wireless TV remote.CHICAGO (AP) — A spokesman for Zenith Electronics says Eugene Polley, the inventor of the first wireless TV remote control, has died.
John Taylor says the former Zenith engineer died of natural causes Sunday at a suburban Chicago hospital. He was 96.
Couch potatoes everywhere have Polley to thank for hours of feet-up, channel surfing. His invention began as a luxury, but has become a necessity in an era of hundreds of TV channels and home theaters. Just ask anyone who’s lost a remote.
Polley’s 1955 Flash-Matic pointed a beam of light at photo cells in the corners of the screen. This activated the picture and sound and changed channels.
Polley and fellow Zenith engineer Robert Adler were honored in 1997 with an Emmy for their work in pioneering TV remotes.
Phillip Phillips Has 'American Idol' In The Bag, Experts Say
'The show exists to find the next cute white guy with a guitar,' says Richard Rushfield, author of 'American Idol: The Untold Story.'
May 23 2012 5:08 PM EDT 12,299
By Gil Kaufman
Even if she hadn't been saddled with what is possibly the worst "American Idol" finalist song in the show's history, the chances of Jessica Sanchez beating Phillip Phillips seemed slim.
The guitar-strumming, foot-swiveling, five-o'clock-shadow-having Dave Matthews doppelgänger was many critics' early pick to continue the recent trend of cute white boys who strum guitars winning the crown. So MTV News asked some of our favorite "Idol" experts to place their bets on who will be dusting confetti out of their hair when Ryan Seacrest reads the final results Wednesday night (May 23) and, well, it was (almost) unanimous.
"I think she came into the night with approximately zero percent chance of winning, and I don't think that song changed that," said "American Idol: The Untold Story" author Richard Rushfield when asked if Sanchez's last-ditch chance to win was ruined by the treacly pop ballad "Change Nothing." "I think she was doomed from the start. After the top 24 was unveiled, I tweeted a congratulation to Phillip Phillips for winning 'American Idol' season 11, and every week since, I've tweeted the same."
Rushfield said this season gave him no reason to doubt that Phillips would continue the "cute white boy dynasty," because, at this point, it would take something "monumental" to change that, and Sanchez wasn't it. "If something happens five times, you can assume it will happen 20 times," he said.
Longtime "Idol" blogger MJ Santilli sighed and checked the box marked "Phillip" as well, though she wasn't enthused about doing it. "It's just become predictable that there's a certain sort of winner," she said. "Maybe we need someone a little different. ... If Jessica had come out and really killed all three of her songs, she might have had a chance to grab the casual viewers who turn in for the last few weeks, but she really had an uphill battle."
The dissenting opinion came from TVLine.com "Idol" recapper Michael Slezak, who said he was pretty confident of a Sanchez victory. "Phil won the night [on Tuesday], but I think she has a slight edge on him for the season. I think he had a bit of a rocky road through his 'Idol' journey, and somewhere between the top-nine week and the top-four week, he wasn't performing like an 'Idol' winner should."
Even though Phillips came on strong the past few weeks — and Sanchez was almost booted before the judges saved her in week seven — Slezak said she pulled it back together and ended the season with some of her strongest performances. "There's still a cosmic price to pay [for Phillip] for what happened midseason."
Former MTV News "Idol in 60 Seconds" star Jim Cantiello also predicted Phil would win way back in January, but he thinks show creator Simon Fuller's song choice on Tuesday night's show sealed the deal. "That set the tone, and to give Jessica a song that been covered so many times on 'Idol' [Whitney Houston's 'I Have Nothing'] seemed like a slap in the face," he said. "And to give Phil a song only three people have sung before [Ben E. King's 'Stand by Me'] ... it just set up Phil to do his thing."
Cantiello said if Sanchez hadn't gotten eliminated and saved, then there's a part of him that thinks she might have a shot at an upset. "But [Phillip] was never even in the bottom, let alone getting voted off once."
Who do you think is going to win "American Idol"? Let us know in comments below!
フィリップが栄冠。その瞬間、アメリカン・アイドルに嫌気が差した時。番組の興味が吹っ飛んだ瞬間である。というのも先の記事にもあるように勝者が予想できるからだ。過去五年間みな同じタイプ。ギター弾きのハンサム白人男性。その背景には視聴者の大多数が若い女性ということなのだろう。歌の上手さよりも、またミュージシャンとしての将来の成功よりも、キャーキャー叫ぶファン層によって支えられている番組。4年間の勝者の誰も、その後の音楽キャリアが伸び悩んでいる。レコードの売り上げが芳しくない。そういう状況下で、どんなに成功する歌手としての素質を備えていても、コンテストで歌唱力がどんなにトップでも、アメリカン・アイドルに選ばれる大きなポイントとはならないことがわかる。アメリカン・アイドル出身でその後も成功している歌手は、ホンの一握り。グラミー賞の常連、ケリー・クラークソン（グラミー賞授賞）、キャリー・アンダーウッド（グラミー賞授賞）、ジェニファー・ハドソン（アカデミー賞授賞）。みんな女性ということに注目。アメリカンアイドルはこの手の番組でトップの座にあるが、視聴率は年々右下がり。今回が最低を記録したらしい。最近生まれた他局の「ザ・ボイス」が視聴率で迫ってきている。「アメリカン・アイドル」番組の過去の栄光は徐々に崩れつつある。
*****
Phillip Phillips Wins 'American Idol'
May 24, 2012
Phillip Phillips was crowned the season 11 "American Idol" champion on Wednesday night's results show.
More than 132 million votes came in after Tuesday's performance show -- a new "Idol" record.
Jessica Sanchez was this season's runner up. Phillips was overcome with emotion performing his winner's song, "Home," as the show ended.
Before the results were revealed, Sanchez and Phillips sang the Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes duet, "Up Where We Belong."
The top 12, minus Sanchez and Phillips, opened the show with a group performance of Bruno Mars' "Runaway Baby."
Phillips teamed up with John Fogerty to sing Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" which he had performed earlier in the season. They followed it up with the CCR staple, "Bad Moon Rising."
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Sanchez later revisited Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," the song she first made a big impact with earlier in the season. She returned for a real show-stopping performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," from "Dreamgirls," with the woman who sang it originally on Broadway, Jennifer Holliday.
Joshua Ledet teamed up with Fantasia for a duet on the early Elton John song, "Take Me to the Pilot." Ledet was called "Mantasia" for most of the season, so this duet was a big moment for "Idol" fans.
The ladies of the top 12 sang Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" and "Through the Fire" before Khan joined them on "I'm Every Woman."
Michael Becker/FOXPhillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez are seen... View Full Size Michael Becker/FOXPhillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez are seen on the on "American Idol" finale night, May 22, 2012.
The guys of the top 12 sang Neil Diamond's "America," "Cracklin' Rosie" and "I'm a Believer" before Diamond joined them for "Sweet Caroline."
The top 12 also poked fun at judge Randy Jackson's overused phrase about good singers being able to sing the phone book by actually singing the phone book in a funny skit.
In tribute to the late Robin Gibb, the top 12 guys sang a Bee Gees medley, including "Words," "How Deep Is Your Love," "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and "To Love Somebody."
Rihanna emerged out of a box onto a smoke-filled stage to perform "Where Have You Been." It was a high-production number with dancers and lasers accentuating Rihanna's latest hit.
Skylar Laine teamed up with country icon Reba McEntire for a collaboration on her no. 1 hit, "Turn Up the Radio."
Hollie Cavanagh was joined by Jordin Sparks for a duet on the show tune, "You'll Never Walk Alone."
Judge Jennifer Lopez turned in a performance of "Goin' In" from the upcoming movie, "Step Up Revolution," and "Follow the Leader" featuring Wishin & Yandel. Of course, Lopez was backed up by a big team of dancers.
Judge Steven Tyler performed with Aerosmith towards the end of the night, too. The group sang its new song, "Legendary Child," before going into "Walk this Way."
As part of the show, Ford presented new Ford Escapes to Phillips' musical mentor, his brother-in-law, Ben Neil, and Sanchez's mentor, Robert Talon. Phillips and Sanchez also got new 2013 Ford Fusions.
Several stars were spotted in the crowd, including former "Idol" champ Carrie Underwood and Jane Lynch of "Glee." Lauren Alaina and Taylor Hicks were there, too.
"Idol" alums and real-life couple Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo actually got engaged on the show. Young went down on his knees and presented her a ring, and DeGarmo nodded yes before they shared a big kiss. Seacrest held the ring's box as Young slipped it on DeGarmo's finger.
Preparations for "American Idol's" 12th season are already underway. Auditions for next season start in Los Angeles at Dodgers Stadium on June 7.
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入場料値上げにも人気に響かず、不況に強いディズニーランド・アナハイム
****
Theme parks' entry prices jump
With added rides and rising crowds, Disney and others are lifting fees to new heights.
By Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times
May 26, 2012
Alhambra secretary Laurie Casado struggles each year to buy Disneyland annual passes for herself and her family, so the park's announcement last week that it was jacking up prices by up to 30% wasn't exactly good news.
But Casado will buy the passes anyway and cut out something else.
"I'll keep going because Disney is a big part of our lives," said Casado, who buys annual passes for her husband, daughter and two grandsons, ages 4 and 5. "But the price increase is so disheartening."
Disheartening, perhaps, but inevitable, industry experts say. Disneyland and other theme park operators have learned that they can raise prices without denting attendance.
This year, modest improvements in the economy and a major new attraction at Disney's California Adventure has apparently emboldened park operators to boost prices a bit more than usual, according to John Gerner, a theme park consultant and managing director for Leisure Business Advisors.
"Now that the economy has improved, that in itself justifies increasing prices," Gerner said.
Disney officials declined to explain their reasons behind the latest hike, except to say in an email, "we periodically evaluate and adjust our pricing structure to ensure we are offering a great entertainment value."
This year, daily passes for the Anaheim Disney parks — Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park — rose as of May 20 from $80 to $87. The biggest increase hit the estimated 300,000 park-goers, such as Casado, who buy premium annual passes that include parking. Those went from $499 to $649.
The jump last year was lower — Disney raised the daily pass by $4 and increased the price of the premium annual pass by $40.
Industry experts said the steeper hike in 2012 was probably tied to a major expansion at California Adventure, including Cars Land, a 12-acre addition with rides and other attractions based on the hit animated Disney "Cars" movies. It opens June 15.
"This is all about Cars Land," said David Koenig, author of four books about Disney's theme parks. "If it wasn't for Cars Land, the increase would be $4 or $5. Park-goers will go to see Cars Land."
Koenig also noted that the big jump in annual pass fees may be intended as a cap on those visitors. Pass holders tend to be Southern California locals who don't spend as much on food and souvenirs, and they can crowd out the big-spending out-of-towners, he said.
"There is no room in the park and the parking lot for this many people to come back over and over and over," he said.
The last time prices rose so much was in 2005, shortly before the park unveiled an array of new shows and attractions to celebrate its 50th anniversary. At that time, daily ticket prices for Disneyland jumped almost 13% — from $49.75 to $56.
Not all Disney fans have kept coming to the parks in the face of price hikes.
Torrance resident Marrianne Welsh, 69, had been visiting Disneyland since she was a girl but stopped in recent years.
"In this time of the Great Recession, one would think Disney officials would reconsider this annual price hike in favor of a reduction," Welsh said, "so more people can enjoy Disneyland and all it offers."
But overall, visitation is up nationwide for Disney. For the first three months of 2012, attendance at all Disney parks in the U.S. was up 7% and per capita spending was up 5%, according to the most recentWalt Disney Co.earnings report.
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"Because of all the new stuff we're doing," Disney's Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo recently told financial analysts, the company was enjoying "a lot of demand on the annual pass programs, particularly out here on the West Coast." "Disney" was the top Google travel search term in January and February, surpassing even "Las Vegas," "Florida" and "Hawaii," according a study by the AdGooroo digital marking firm.
"The annual passes are going up at least 30%, and they are doing it because the parks have been so packed," said Al Lutz, who writes the Miceage blog about Disney.
Although Disney's ticket prices are typically the highest of any Southern California theme park, others follow a similar pattern.
At Universal Studios Hollywood, one day passes increased in April from $77 to $80, and annual passes that include parking jumped from $149 to $169 — a 13% boost. On Friday, the park debuted its multimillion-dollar attraction "Transformers: The Ride — 3D."
Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, which is not launching any major attractions this summer, is keeping daily ticket prices at $57.99. Its annual passes, with some blackout days and no parking, are increasing starting July 1, from $69.99 to $74.99 — a 7% increase. The park's unlimited pass with parking has not been raised — it's $165.
Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia has a big new attraction debuting this summer — Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom. But the park is keeping its general admission price at $61.99. For the same price, patrons have been able to get an annual pass with blackout days and no parking. That changes June 4 when the pass price goes up to $71.99. However, the unlimited pass with parking remains $125.
"We continually evaluate pricing and are committed to maintaining our competitive edge," said Six Flags spokeswoman Sue Carpenter.
Although the price increases may not be welcome by park-goers, the Southern California economy benefits significantly from the presence of these venues, said Robert A. Kleinhenz, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
Theme parks in Los Angeles County alone employ about 35,000 workers, he said. The parks attract millions of out-of-town visitors whose spending helps boost local hotels, restaurants and other businesses and generates sales tax revenue for state and local government.
"It certainly does create valuable economic activity that wouldn't otherwise be here," Kleinhenz said.
The price increases are not likely to dissuade foreign tourists, who make plans to visit theme park months and even years in advance, according to industry experts.
"If there is going to be resistance, it will be from locals," said Gerner. After all, they're more likely go multiple times in a year.
To appease them, industry experts say theme park operators often unveil discount deals for area residents during lower attendance periods, particularly in the fall or winter months.
But Disney fans such as Casado don't want their visits to be limited to off-peak periods.
She created a savings account, and contributes to it often, to buy annual passes for her family. Casado said she and her family try to visit one of the Anaheim parks once a month.
"It hurts," she said of the price hike, "because we count on that as our only entertainment."
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分野は違っても天才が吐く言葉は総じて簡潔な人生哲学に集約される。それは "Do what you love and love what you do."
****
Ray Bradbury, author of 'Fahrenheit 451,' dies
By JOHN ROGERS
Jun 6, 6:14 PM EDTAssociated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ray Bradbury imagined the future, and didn't always like what he saw.
In his books, the science fiction-fantasy master conjured a dark, depressing future where the government used fire departments to burn books in order to hold its people in ignorance and where racial hatred was so pervasive that some people left Earth for other planets.
At the same time, his work, just like the author himself, could also be joyful, whimsical and nostalgic, as when he was describing the magic of a Midwestern summer or the innocence and fearlessness of a boy who befriends a houseful of ghosts.
Bradbury, who died Tuesday at age 91, said often that all of his stories, no matter how fantastic or frightening they might be, were metaphors for everyday life and everything it entailed. And they all came from his childhood.
"The great thing about my life is that everything I've done is a result of what I was when I was 12 or 13," he said in 1982.
For more than 70 years, Bradbury spun tales that appeared in books and magazines, in the movie theater and on the television screen, firing the imaginations of generations of children, college kids and grown-ups across the world. Years later, the sheer volume and quality of his work would surprise even him.
"I sometimes get up at night when I can't sleep and walk down into my library and open one of my books and read a paragraph and say: `My God, did I write that? Did I write that?' Because it's still a surprise," he said in 2000.
In many ways, he was always that 12-year-old boy who was inspired to become a writer after a chance meeting with a carnival magician called Mr. Electrico who, to Bradbury's delight, tapped him with his sword and said: "Live forever!"
"I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard," Bradbury said later. "I started writing every day. I never stopped."
Many of his stories were fueled by the nightmares he suffered as a child growing up poor in the Midwest during the Great Depression. At the same time, though, they were tempered by the joy he found upon arriving with his family in glitzy Los Angeles in 1943.
Decades later he would still boast of hanging out at film studios and cajoling actors to sign autographs and pose for photos, even once getting 1930s movie queen Jean Harlow to kiss him on the cheek.
"What I have always been is a hybrid author," Bradbury explained in 2009. "I am completely in love with movies, and I am completely in love with theater, and I am completely in love with libraries."
Much of Hollywood was also in love with him, and tributes from actors, directors and other celebrities poured in upon news of his death.
"He was my muse for the better part of my sci-fi career," director Steven Spielberg said in a statement. "He lives on through his legion of fans. In the world of science fiction and fantasy and imagination, he is immortal."
Although he was slowed by a stroke in 1999 that forced him to use a wheelchair, Bradbury kept up socially and professionally.
As he had done for decades, he continued to write every day, trying to produce at least 1,000 words, in the basement of his home in the Cheviot Hills section of Los Angeles and to make frequent visits to book fairs, libraries and schools.
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His writings ranged from horror and mystery to humor and sympathetic stories about the Irish, blacks and Mexican-Americans.
Bradbury also scripted John Huston's 1956 film version of "Moby Dick" and wrote for "The Twilight Zone" and other television programs, including "The Ray Bradbury Theater," for which he adapted dozens of his works.
He rose to literary fame in 1950 with "The Martian Chronicles," a series of intertwined stories that satirized capitalism, racism and superpower tensions as it portrayed Earth colonizers destroying an idyllic Martian civilization.
His stories continue to be taught at high schools and universities.
"Kids still read him. They still love him. People come and go, but he's one of those writers who continually engages young people. I think his legacy is going to last for a long time," said Luis J. Rodriguez, author of "Always Running." He added that Bradbury's work helped inspire him to become a writer.
"The Martian Chronicles," like Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End" and the Robert Wise film "The Day the Earth Stood Still," was a Cold War morality tale in which imagined lives on other planets serve as commentary on human behavior on Earth. It has been published in more than 30 languages, was made into a TV miniseries and inspired a computer game.
The "Chronicles" also prophesized the banning of books, especially works of fantasy. It was a theme Bradbury would take on fully in the 1953 release, "Fahrenheit 451."
Inspired by the Cold War, the rise of television and the author's passion for libraries, it was an apocalyptic narrative of nuclear war abroad and empty pleasure at home. (Bradbury said he had been told that 451 degrees Fahrenheit was the temperature at which texts went up in flames).
It was Bradbury's only true science-fiction work, according to the author, who said all his other works should have been classified as fantasy. "It was a book based on real facts and also on my hatred for people who burn books," he told The Associated Press in 2002.
A futuristic classic often taught alongside George Orwell's "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," Bradbury's novel also anticipated today's world of iPods, interactive television, electronic surveillance and live, sensational media events.
Francois Truffaut directed a 1966 movie version and the book's title was referenced - without Bradbury's permission, the author complained - for Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."
Although involved in many futuristic projects, including the New York World's Fair of 1964 and the Spaceship Earth display at Walt Disney World in Florida, Bradbury was deeply attached to the past. He refused to drive a car and shunned flying, saying a fatal traffic accident he witnessed as a child left him with a lifelong fear of automobiles. In his younger years he got around by bicycle or roller-skates.
Bradbury's literary style was honed in pulp magazines and influenced by Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe, and he became the rare science fiction writer treated seriously by the literary world.
In 2007, he received a special Pulitzer Prize citation. Seven years earlier, he received an honorary National Book Award medal for lifetime achievement, an honor given to Philip Roth and Arthur Miller among others.
Other honors included an Academy Award nomination for an animated film, "Icarus Montgolfier Wright," and an Emmy for his teleplay of "The Halloween Tree." His fame extended to the moon, where Apollo astronauts named a crater "Dandelion Crater," in honor of "Dandelion Wine," his beloved coming-of-age novel.
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Born Ray Douglas Bradbury on Aug. 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Ill., the author once described himself as "that special freak, the man with the child inside who remembers all." He claimed to have total recall of his life, dating even to his final weeks in his mother's womb.
His father, Leonard, a power company lineman, was a descendant of Mary Bradbury, who was tried for witchcraft at Salem, Mass. The author's mother, Esther, read him the "Wizard of Oz." His Aunt Neva introduced him to Edgar Allan Poe and gave him a love of autumn.
His childhood nightmares stocked his imagination, as did his youthful delight with the Buck Rogers and Tarzan comic strips, early horror films, Tom Swift adventure books and the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. He sold his first story in 1941 and published his first book, a short story collection called "Dark Carnival" in 1947.
Bradbury was so poor during those years that he didn't have an office or even a telephone. He wrote "Fahrenheit 451" at the UCLA library, on typewriters that rented for 10 cents a half hour. He said he carried a sack full of dimes and completed the book in nine days, at a cost of $9.80.
Although some academics doubted that account, saying he could not have created such a masterpiece in such a rapid, seemingly cavalier fashion, Bradbury maintained in several interviews with the AP over the years that that was exactly how he did it.
Until near the end of his life, Bradbury resisted one of the innovations he helped anticipate: electronic books, likening them to burnt metal and urging readers to stick to the old-fashioned pleasures of ink and paper.
In late 2011, as the rights to "Fahrenheit 451" were up for renewal, he gave in and allowed his most famous novel to come out in digital form. In return, he received a great deal of money and a special promise from Simon & Schuster.
The publisher agreed to make the e-book available to libraries, the only Simon & Schuster e-book at the time that library patrons could download.
A dynamic speaker with a booming, distinctive voice, Bradbury could be blunt and gruff, but he was also a gregarious and friendly man, approachable in public and often generous with his time to readers as well as fellow writers.
In 2009, at a lecture celebrating the first anniversary of a small library in Southern California's San Gabriel Valley, he exhorted his listeners to live their lives as he said he had lived his: "Do what you love and love what you do."
"If someone tells you to do something for money, tell them to go to hell," he shouted to raucous applause.
Bradbury is survived by his four daughters, Susan Nixon, Ramona Ostergren, Bettina Karapetian and Alexandra Bradbury. Marguerite Bradbury, his wife of 57 years, died in 2003.
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Associated Press writer Robert Jablon contributed to this report.
Daytime Emmy Awards 2012: Stars Celebrate At Low-Key Ceremony
6:49 PM PDT 6/23/2012 by Bill Higgins
"This is more of a family reunion than an award show,” said "General Hospital"s' Kristen Alderson at the 39th annual event, held at the Beverly Hilton hotel.
The fact that there was a murder-suicide in the hotel Friday night did little to dampen the festive atmosphere at the Beverly Hilton Saturday afternoon when the 39th annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy awards were presented.
While the atmosphere was festive, there was no danger of comparing the event with the Oscars or the Primetime Emmys. If you weren’t a fan of daytime television, there were few recognizable faces. It might be comparable to attending an award show for porn stars – if you’re not fluent with the genre it just looks like a gathering of attractive people wearing black-tie on a sunny afternoon. The overall impression was of wealthy folk who live in Santa Barbara and visit Los Angeles infrequently.
“For us, this is more of a family reunion than an award show,” said General Hospital’s Kristen Alderson. “There’s not so much riding on a win, so it’s easier to celebrate.”
As an example of how relatively low-key the scene was (and this might be a first) there was no traffic back-up at the BevHilton’s circular driveway. Guests just drove up; left the car; and were greeted by a few dozen fans. Inside there was a scene with people greeting each other in the lobby, but there was room for zookeeper Jack Hanna who had a lemur on his shoulder and was trailed by two women, one with an oversize porcupine on a leash; the other carrying a five ft.-long alligator. Not far from them was Gloria Allred handing out business cards. Somehow they both fit in.
“If the Primetime Emmys are Dad, then we’re mom,” said Judge Joe Brown exec producer John Terenzio, whose show had a pre-party in the lobby’s Le Chateau wine store. “In network TV, we do all the heavy lifting and we do it every day. And the kids love us more.”
PHOTOS: Emmys 2012: Behind the Scenes of THR's Comedy Actress Roundtable
There was the standard red carpet with a full complement of photographers, but the Daytime Emmys differed from other award shows as there was also a publicist who’d stand behind each arriving star with their name spelled out on a dry erase board. She was quite busy getting the names and spelling right.
One of those on the carpet was Kate Linder, who’s been on The Young and the Restless for 30 years (“I’ve been kidnapped twice”) who strongly defended the work done on daytime dramas. “We do 80 pages of script a day and we do the scenes in one take,” said the actress. “I’d like to see an Oscar winner do that.”
Daytime Emmy Awards 2012: The Winners List
4:58 PM PDT 6/23/2012 by THR Staff
The 39th annual ceremony featured big wins for "General Hospital," "Regis and Kelly", and "Dr. Oz."
The 39th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, broadcast live on HLN, took place at the Beverly Hilton hotel June 23. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences event featured tributes to recently cancelled programs including All My Children and One Life to Live, as well as the presentation of a lifetime achievement award given by Barbara Walters to veteran producer Bill Geddie.
Below is the list of the evening's winners.
Outstanding Drama Series
All My Children, ABC
Days of Our Lives, NBC
General Hospital, ABC* WINNER
The Young and the Restless, CBS
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Maurice Benard, as Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on General Hospital
Anthony Geary, as Luke Spencer on General Hospital* WINNER
John McCook, as Eric Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful
Darnell Williams, as Jesse Hubbard on All My Children
Robert S. Woods, as Bo Buchanan on One Life to Live
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Crystal Chappell, as Dr. Carly Manning on Days of our Lives
Debbi Morgan, as Angie Hubbard on All My Children
Erika Slezak, as Viki Lord on One Life to Live
Heather Tom, as Katie Logan Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful* WINNER
Laura Wright, as Carly Corinthos Jacks on General Hospital
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Bradford Anderson, as Damien Spinelli on General Hospital
Matthew Ashford, as Jack Deveraux on Days of our Lives
Sean Blakemore, as Shawn Butler on General Hospital
Jonathan Jackson, as Lucky Spencer on General Hospital* WINNER
Jason Thompson, as Patrick Drake on General Hospital
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Melissa Claire Egan, as Annie Chandler on All My Children
Genie Francis, as Genevieve Atkinson on The Young and the Restless
Nancy Lee Grahn, as Alexis Davis on General Hospital* WINNER
Elizabeth Hendrickson, as Chloe Mitchell on The Young and the Restless
Rebecca Herbst, as Elizabeth Webber on General Hospital
Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
Eddie Alderson, as Matthew Buchanan on One Life To Live
Chad Duell, as Michael Corinthos on General Hospital
Chandler Massey, as Will Horton on Days of Our Lives* WINNER
Nathan Parsons, as Ethan Lovett on General Hospital
Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
Molly Burnett, as Melanie Layton on Days of our Lives
Shelley Hennig, as Stephanie Johnson on Days of our Lives
Christel Khalil, as Lily Winters on The Young and the Restless* WINNER
Jacqueline Macinnes Wood, as Steffy Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful
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Outstanding Culinary Program
Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction, Food Network* WINNER
Giada At Home, Food Network
Guy's Big Bite, Food Network
Sandwich King, Food Network
Outstanding Culinary/Lifestyle Host
Diada de Laurentis, Giada at Home
Rick Bayless, Mexico—One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless
Nate Berkus, The Nate Berkus Show
Paula Deen, Paula’s Best Dishes
Sandra Lee, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee* WINNER
Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, syndicated
Live with Regis and Kelly, syndicated* WINNER
The Talk, CBS
The View, ABC
Outstanding Talk Show/Informative
Anderson, syndicated
The Dr. Oz Show, syndicated* WINNER
The Doctors, syndicated
Outstanding Talk Show Host
Anderson Cooper
Dr. Mehmet Oz
Regis Philbin & Kelly Ripa* WINNER
The Doctors (entire cast)
Outstanding Morning Program
Good Morning America, ABC
Today, NBC* WINNER
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Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program
America's Court with Judge Ross, syndicated
Judge Joe Brown, syndicated
Last Shot with Judge Gunn, syndicated* WINNER
We the People with Gloria Allred, syndicated
Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show
BrainSurge, Nickelodeon
Cash Cab, Discovery Channel
Jeopardy! syndicated* WINNER
Let's Make A Deal, CBS
Wheel of Fortune, syndicated
Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, syndicated
Outstanding Game Show Host
Ben Bailey, Cash Cab
Todd Newton, Family Game Night* WINNER
Wayne Brady, Let’s Make a Deal
Meredith Vieira, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Outstanding Children’s Animated Program
Curious George, PBS
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Nickelodeon
Peep & The Big Wide World, American Public Television
Penguins of Madagascar, Nickelodeon* WINNER
Sid the Science Kid, PBS
SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon
Outstanding Performance in a Children’s Series
Dakota Goyo, as Josh on R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour The Series
Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, as Abby Cadaby, on Sesame Street
Kevin Clash, as Elmo on Sesame Street* WINNER
Caroll Spinney, as Big Bird on Sesame Street
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Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorcing
Jun 29, 6:53 PM EDT
By CHRISTY LEMIRE, AP Movie Critic
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It always seemed more than a little weird, didn't it? The whirlwind romance of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes with its very public, very emphatic proclamations of love. It all occurred too quickly and too loudly to seem real.
Now, after nearly six years of marriage, Holmes is divorcing Cruise. She filed the papers on Thursday, said Cruise's lawyer Bert Fields. The two share a daughter, 6-year-old Suri, who's been featured in celebrity media nearly as frequently as her parents.
But it's telling that even in addressing their split in the typically vague fashion of famous people, Cruise still refers to Holmes by the name he called her: Kate, as if to distance her from the adorable Katie audiences came to know and love from the teen soap "Dawson's Creek."
"Kate has filed for divorce and Tom is deeply saddened and is concentrating on his three children," Cruise's representative, Amanda Lundberg, told The Associated Press. "Please allow them their privacy to work this out."
Holmes' attorney, Jonathan Wolfe, made a similar plea Friday: "This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family. Katie's primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter's best interest."
But we've never been able to leave them alone - and even if we tried, they probably wouldn't let us.
Theirs was a bond that never really made sense on paper, despite Cruise's famously euphoric couch-jumping on "The Oprah Winfrey" show and Holmes' starry-eyed confession that she'd had a crush on the "Top Gun" star when she was a girl. Cruise turns 50 on Tuesday, Holmes is 33.
They'd kiss passionately for the benefit of photographers on red carpets and were all-too happy to share the romantic details of their engagement: He popped the question at the Eiffel Tower in Paris early one morning in June 2005. The wedding itself in November 2006 was a fairy-tale, A-list extravaganza at a 15th century Italian castle before a Church of Scientology minister.
So why didn't we believe them? Maybe because it always felt like they were trying so hard to prove to the world they were in love.
"I can't be cool. I can't be laid-back," Cruise said during his notorious "Oprah" appearance. "Something happened and I want to celebrate it."
Cruise has two children with his previous wife, Nicole Kidman. The actor was also previously married to Mimi Rogers. This was Holmes' first marriage.
Cruise showed up alone at recent premieres of the musical film "Rock of Ages," in which he's earning strong reviews for his performance as an Axl Rose-style lead singer. Holmes also was absent earlier this month when Cruise received the fourth-ever Friars Club Entertainment Icon Award. He said at the time that Holmes was overseas and the family would reunite in Iceland for Father's Day.
Yet a year ago, in receiving an award from Women in Film, Holmes thanked Cruise in the audience, saying his "commitment to his work and family inspires me daily."
Before the relationship, Holmes had drawn acclaim for her work in films like "Wonder Boys" and "Pieces of April." And Cruise was ... well, he was Cruise, one of the biggest stars on the planet. But the marriage, and the general speculation about its legitimacy, seemed to hurt both their images.
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It was around the time of the "Oprah" appearance that Sumner Redstone and Paramount broke ties with Cruise after their long relationship. Cruise's company, Cruise/Wagner Productions, then signed a deal with First & Goal LLC.
Redstone was recently quoted by The Hollywood Reporter as saying that he "actually fired Tom. His behavior was terrible ... He was jumping on the couch on the Oprah show. Women hated him. A lot of people said they would never come back and see Tom Cruise."
Kelly Lynch, editor of the pop-culture website Socialite Life, noted Friday the August 2005 W Magazine cover story on Holmes in which a woman described as Holmes' "Scientology chaperone" sat in on the interview and chimed in on her responses, even though Holmes herself was consistently ebullient about Cruise.
The chaperone also deflected particularly pointed or uncomfortable questions about rumors that this love might not be real.
"She wasn't Joey from `Dawson's Creek' anymore," Lynch said. "It was almost like the life had been sucked out of her when she started dating him."
Her first film back, the 2008 heist comedy "Mad Money," was a critical and commercial failure. That same year, Cruise came out as the eyepatch-wearing star of the Nazi thriller "Valkyrie," which drew mixed reviews but still made $200 million worldwide.
Holmes' recent films include Adam Sandler's "Jack and Jill" and the Emmy-winning mini-series "The Kennedys," in which she played Jackie Kennedy. Cruise, meanwhile, starred in the fourth film in the "Mission: Impossible" series, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," which has made more than $690 million worldwide.
Lynch said she was surprised by the demise of the duo dubbed "TomKat" because she figured that, no matter what, Cruise and Holmes would always try to maintain the meticulously crafted image that they were the perfect couple.
"Despite some of my reservations about the relationship, I thought they were happy to kind of swim along as man and wife, despite reports in every sort of magazine that they weren't getting along, that Katie is trapped in the marriage," Lynch said. "But I never truly believed that they were truly in love. It felt very arranged."
How the divorce impacts either of their images or careers remains to be seen, said veteran celebrity publicist Howard Bragman.
"They're both going to be defined by their choices. Tom was never really defined by the marriage. Tom was defined by Tom. He's such a force of nature," he said. "A single Tom Cruise is an interesting phenomenon. I think we'll be hearing about him dating.
"Katie will be fine. I think this raises her to a new level. I think she'll get more active in her career," Bragman added. "She's got talent, beauty, a good family, a good support system, good Midwestern values - these things are all going to serve her. I think mostly she's a good mother. That's what I respect her most for."
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AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report from New York.
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Houston tribute, obscenities highlight BET Awards
Jul 2, 4:13 AM EDT
By MESFIN FEKADU
Associated Press
With all the star power at the BET Awards (AP) -- Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce and Samuel L. Jackson, to name a few - the most stirring moment came not from a superstar, but from the mother of one.
Whitney Houston's mother Cissy provided the emotional highlight of Sunday's ceremony as she sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in tribute to her late daughter, leaving audience members like Beyonce and Soulja Boy in tears.
Mariah Carey opened the tribute, and her voice wavered as she told stories about Houston. She recalled the last time she saw Houston last year, and how the two laughed and gossiped together.
"I miss my friend," Carey said. "I miss hearing her voice and laughter."
R&B singer Monica was vocally top-notch as she sang "I Love The Lord," a gospel song once sang by Houston; Brandy sang two upbeat Houston hits, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "I'm Your Baby Tonight." Chaka Khan blazed the stage with "I'm Every Woman," which Houston remade. Gary Houston, Whitney's brother, also performed; and Houston's "Waiting to Exhale" cast mates - Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine - also honored the singer.
But it was Cissy Houston's soaring performance that brought the audience to their feet, and had many dabbing their eyes. The tribute came five months after Houston's death: She died the night before the Grammy Awards of an accidental drowning complicated by heart disease and cocaine use.
As compelling as that moment was, the show was also defined by its low points: Entire segments of performances, from Nicki Minaj to Rick Ross, were muted out due to foul language and obscenities, though several vulgarities were heard on air.
It started during the opening number by West's G.O.O.D. music group, which included Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz. There were long moments of censored silence when the rappers performed "Mercy," though not all the offending words were bleeped out. Moments later, Jackson, the show's host, was joined by Spike Lee as they did a comedic version of Jay-Z and West's hit song "... In Paris," to laughs.
"Two distinguished Morehouse men," Lee joked after the performance, referencing the alma mater of the two.
The censor police also worked overtime when Rick Ross performed with his Maybach Music Group and during Minaj's performance and acceptance speech for best female hip-hop artist. Minaj's win was her third consecutive time taking the prize.
"I really, really appreciate BET for keeping this category alive, and I appreciate all the female rappers doing their thing, past, present and future," she said, before uttering an obscenity.
Best gospel winner Yolanda Adams, who also performed, gently took some of her peers to task, urging them to act mature and use their fame wisely.
"We need all of y'all," she said onstage. "I'm saying the world needs everyone in this room. Please make sure that you use your gift responsibly, `cause we're watching. Our babies are watching, and they want to be like us."
West, the most nominated act of the night with seven, and Jay-Z won the ceremony's top prize, earning video of the year for "Otis." They also won best group.
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Beyonce was the second most nominated act with six. She won video director of the year (along with Alan Ferguson) and best female R&B artist and thanked the genre and her female influences.
"I fell in love with music by listening to R&B. It's the core of who I am," she said, giving special thanks to Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige and "Whitney Houston, my angel."
When she lost video of the year to Jay-Z and West, she playfully hit her husband and laughed. The joking continued: Moments later, as West was giving his acceptance speech, Jay-Z interrupted him and said: "Excuse me Kanye, I'm gonna let you continue, but ...," and the audience erupted with laughter, recalling West's infamous interruption of Taylor Swift's MTV Video Music Awards speech a few years back.
Chris Brown was also a double winner, picking up his second consecutive win for best male R&B artist, and the "Fandemonium" award for a third time.
Brown also performed in his first televised appearance since the New York City nightclub brawl between his entourage and Drake's. Brown, his girlfriend, his bodyguard and NBA star Tony Parker were among those injured in the June 14 encounter, where bottles were thrown.
Drake didn't show, despite being nominated.
The tone of night fluctuated frequently, as the show shifted from hotly anticipated performances to solemn moments to irreverence. Usher performed his groove "Climax," and Minaj sported a blonde wig with pink tips as she performed the songs "Champion" and "Beez In the Trap," which featured 2 Chainz.
D'Angelo returned to the television spotlight with his first performance in years as he attempts a comeback.
The night also featured some tributes to deceased greats: Chante Moore performed a medley of Donna Summer's hits and Valerie Simpson sang a song in honor of her husband and writing partner Nick Ashford. Don Cornelius, Dick Clark and Hal Jackson were remembered. Even West offered tributes: after his performance, he name-dropped Rodney King and Whitney Houston in a verse that got cheers from the crowd, including his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian.
Presenters included Taraji P. Henson, Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington and Jamie Foxx, who wore a T-shirt that had a picture of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teen killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.
Frankie Beverly featuring Maze were honored with the lifetime achievement award, and they were serenaded with performances by Tyrese, Faith Evans and Joe. Rev. Al Sharpton received the humanitarian award, and urged the crowd to vote this November.
It's official: Mariah Carey will join 'American Idol'
By Yvonne Villarreal
July 23, 2012, 12:37 p.m.
Release the high notes! Mariah Carey indeed will be joining "American Idol" as a judge.
The songstress had been rumored to be nearing a deal over the weekend to join the Fox competition series. When addressing reporters at the Television Critics Assn. press tour on Monday, Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly put the rumors to rest, saying a deal had just been reached with Carey.
And then he let Carey speak for herself, putting the 42-year-old belter on speakerphone.
PHOTOS: 'American Idol' judges through the years
"Yay! I am so excited to be joining "Idol," the singer said. "I can't wait to get started in a couple of months."
Reilly said Randy Jackson, who co-manages Carey, helped in getting the singer on board. Her addition comes as the long-running series undergoes yet another makeover.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Steven Tyler would leave his judges post after two seasons. And Jennifer Lopez has been saying that she's leaving as well — which Reilly officially confirmed Monday.
Michael Clarke Duncan dies; Oscar-nominated 'Green Mile' star was 54
Michael Clarke Duncan was a gas company ditch digger in Chicago who followed his dream of acting to Hollywood. The massively built actor played a gentle death row inmate in the 1999 prison drama.
By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times
September 3, 2012, 4:14 p.m.
Michael Clarke Duncan, the tall and massively built actor with the shaved head and deep voice who received an Academy Award nomination for his moving portrayal of a gentle death row inmate in the 1999 prison drama "The Green Mile," died Monday. He was 54.
Duncan died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to a statement from his publicist, Joy Fehily. He had suffered a heart attack in July and did not recover.
A former ditch digger for a natural gas company in his native Chicago, Duncan began his Hollywood saga as a celebrity bodyguard in the mid-1990s. He received his first big acting break playing a member of the drilling team sent into space to blow up an asteroid heading to Earth in the big-budget 1998 movie "Armageddon," starring Bruce Willis.
But it was "The Green Mile," starring Tom Hanks as a death row prison guard in a Louisiana penitentiary during the Depression, that thrust the 6-foot-5, 300-plus-pound Duncan into the limelight. He portrayed John Coffey, a gentle giant with supernatural powers who has been sentenced to death for the murder of two young white girls.
"There was something about him that I just couldn't ignore," writer-director Frank Darabont said of Duncan in a 2000 Daily Variety interview. "After his first reading, he kept haunting me. Given that he was a fairly inexperienced actor at that point, obviously there was a concern about 'Gee, how would this guy do?'
"But once we put him on film, it became apparent that he was up to the task."
Duncan credited acting coach Larry Moss with teaching him "how to dig within myself" for the heavily emotional crying scenes in the movie.
"I'm an emotional person, a very emotional person," Duncan told the Chicago Tribune in 2000. "All those tears you see in the movie were mine."
In 2002, two years after the Academy Awards ceremony, Duncan told the Orange County Register: "Realistically, I didn't think I would win the Oscar, but the nomination was a personal validation for me. It proved to me that I was a good actor. More important, it showed other people that I was a serious actor."
Duncan later appeared in films such as "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000), "Planet of the Apes" (2001), "The Scorpion King" (2002) and "The Island" (2005). He also did voice work in films and television, including "Brother Bear" (2003) and "Kung Fu Panda" (2008).
He was born Dec. 10, 1957, and grew up on Chicago's South Side. His father left the family when he was 6, and he and his sister, Judith, were raised by their mother, who steered him clear of gangs, drugs and alcohol.
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Growing up, he harbored dreams of becoming an actor.
"Of course, people told me, 'Mikey, you will never be an actor. You don't have the look. You're ugly,'" he recalled in a 2003 Chicago Sun-Times interview.
What helped him, he said, was that his mother "always told me to think 'YCDA.' That stands for 'You Can Do Anything.'"
Duncan attended Alcorn State University in Mississippi but left before graduating to help support his ailing mother. Back in Chicago, he began working for the gas company.
On the job, he talked so much about his dream of going to Hollywood and becoming an actor that his co-workers dubbed him "Hollywood Mike." He finally quit his job and became a security guard for a traveling show. Once the show reached Los Angeles, he decided to stay.
Working first as a bodyguard for Martin Lawrence, Will Smith and other stars, he began landing small parts in films and television. In 1998, he played bouncers in "Bulworth" and "A Night at the Roxbury" and a bodyguard in "The Players Club."
While making "Armageddon," Duncan became friends with Willis, who was instrumental in getting him the role in Darabont's adaptation of Stephen King's serial novel "The Green Mile."
"Bruce told me, 'Michael, I've just read this script and you are this guy John Coffey. I just know it,'" Duncan recalled in a 2001 Ottawa Citizen interview. Willis said he'd call Darabont — and he did, telling him that he had found the man to play the role.
"I'm used to being the big tough guy, the bodyguard type," Duncan told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2000. "I had never taken a role like this. I started reading the novel and couldn't put it down. I got emotional while reading it. Once I finished it, I said, 'That's me. I don't care what I have to do, but I've got to play this role.'"
As "The Green Mile" was about to open in theaters nationwide in 1999, Duncan told the New York Times, "This is really like a gift from God. I tell people, 'It's just like a cliche, but it's true: In Hollywood, dreams can come true.'"
Besides his mother, Jean, and his sister, Judith, he is survived by his fiancee, actress Omarosa Manigault.
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Hal David, Songwriter, Is Dead at 91
By ROB HOERBURGER
Published: September 1, 2012
Hal David, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist who in the 1960s and ’70s gave pop music vernacular the questions “What’s It All About?,” “What’s New, Pussycat?,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” and “What Do You Get When You Fall in Love?,” died on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 91 and lived in Los Angeles.
Pic=The hitmaking team of the lyricist Hal David, left, the composer Burt Bacharach and the singer Dionne Warwick in about 1962, the early days of their partnership.
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Lyrics to Remember
A selection of Hal David's most recognizable songs. (YouTube.com)
"Always Something There to Remind Me"
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head"
"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"
"A House Is Not a Home"
"What the World Needs Now"
"What's New Pussycat?"
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The cause was a stroke, according to his wife, Eunice, who said he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Mr. David, whose lyrics could be anguished pleas, wistful yearnings, sexy mash notes or wry musings — sometimes all four in the same song — was best known for the long strand of hits that he and the composer Burt Bacharach wrote for Dionne Warwick.
He was something of a late bloomer: he did not have his first Top 10 hit — “Magic Moments,” recorded by Perry Como — until 1958, when Mr. David was in his late 30s. His greatest achievements came well after he turned 40, when many other successful songwriters were half his age and many young performers were writing their own songs.
Mr. David’s words also found fertile ground on Broadway, in the hit musical “Promises, Promises”; in the movies, in the Oscar-winning song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”; and even at weddings, in the classic first-dance song “(They Long to Be) Close to You.”
If Mr. David and Mr. Bacharach’s oeuvre was more cosmopolitan and less hip than that of the Beatles or Bob Dylan, their ruminations on love and heartbreak have nonetheless endured; after all, not everyone went to Woodstock. Their alternate ’60s was populated on the one hand by the turtleneck-and-martini set, embodied by the likes of Tom Jones (who had a hit with “What’s New, Pussycat?”) or the debonair Mr. Bacharach himself; and on the other hand by the Everywoman just breaking in her first pair of workplace shoes, like the protagonist of “I Say a Little Prayer,” who runs “for the bus, dear” and while riding thinks “of us, dear.”
“I Say a Little Prayer,” a No. 4 hit in 1967, was the most successful of the three dozen or so singles that Mr. David and Mr. Bacharach wrote and produced for Ms. Warwick, whom they met in 1961 when they were journeymen on the New York music-publishing scene and she was a 20-year-old backup singer.
After she sang on some demo recordings of their songs, a disgruntled Ms. Warwick complained to them, “Don’t make me over, man.” Mr. David turned that line into a full lyric, with an unusual (for the time) feminist stance, and Ms. Warwick’s recording of the resulting song, “Don’t Make Me Over,” became her first hit, in early 1963. From then until mid-1971, rarely a month went by when the troika were not represented on the Billboard singles chart, with charismatic hits like “Walk On By,” “Message to Michael,” “Alfie” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.”
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With Ms. Warwick’s voice in place, Mr. David found his own — writing with the intense romanticism of the Tin Pan Alley songwriters he grew up admiring, but replacing the literary curlicues of, say, Lorenz Hart or Oscar Hammerstein II with a conversational emotionalism.
Many years later, Mr. David wrote on his Web site that he strove for “believability, simplicity and emotional impact” in his lyrics. His words, combined with the slaloms of Mr. Bacharach’s melodies and rhythms, often drew — and required — the most skilled technicians and interpreters of the time. Among them were Dusty Springfield (“Wishin’ and Hopin’,” “The Look of Love”), Gene Pitney (“Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa”) and Karen Carpenter (“Close to You”).
The two men’s songs became so popular that they were also recorded by performers not known for their singing, like the actor Richard Chamberlain, who did a recording of “(They Long to Be) Close to You” in 1963, and the trumpeter Herb Alpert, who oddly gave Mr. David his first No. 1 hit, in June 1968, with “This Guy’s in Love With You.”
Geoffrey O’Brien, reviewing the Bacharach-David body of work in The New York Review of Books in 1999, called Mr. David’s lyrics “a peculiar blend” in which “the encroachments of the maudlin are generally kept at bay by the dexterity of the rhymes.” The fecundity and chemistry of the Bacharach-David team were often attributed by both men to their tireless, dedicated work ethic.
“Hal is so intense,” Mr. Bacharach said in a documentary on the cable channel A&E in the 1990s, adding that Mr. David liked working with people who “torture themselves, just like me.”
In other ways Mr. David and Mr. Bacharach could not have been more different: Mr. Bacharach was something of a jet-setter and was married to the actress Angie Dickinson; Mr. David was a button-down commuter who took the Long Island Rail Road. But Mr. David said their differences enhanced the eclecticism of their songs.
“We didn’t say, ‘We can’t do this because the range is so great,’ or ‘Who is going to sing it?’ or ‘Is this commercial?’ ” Mr. David told the music journalist Paul Grein in 1998. “We just wrote.”
Though Mr. Bacharach had the higher profile, Ms. Warwick has said that Mr. David was “the more stabilizing force” of the team and the one “who really got things done for us.”
Like practically all pop songwriters, Mr. David treaded most successfully on breakup-and-makeup terrain, but he would sometimes veer gently into political or social themes. “What the World Needs Now (Is Love),” which took Mr. David almost two years to write, reached the Top 10 in 1965 as sung by Jackie DeShannon and went on to be recorded by more than 150 performers. In “Paper Maché” (1970), recorded by Ms. Warwick, Mr. David skewered middle-class materialism with a sharpened Popsicle stick (“There’s a sale on happiness; you buy two, and it costs less”). And “The Windows of the World” reflected the country’s growing anxiety with the Vietnam War. Though it was only a modest hit (again for Ms. Warwick), it was one of Mr. David’s favorites, perhaps because of a personal connection: when he wrote the lyrics in 1967, he had a son, Jim, nearing draft age.
He and Mr. David’s other son, Craig, survive him, as does his wife, Eunice, and three grandchildren. His first wife, Anne, died in 1987.
Harold Lane David was born in Manhattan on May 25, 1921, a son of Austrian-Jewish immigrants who owned a delicatessen in Brooklyn. One of his brothers, Mack, nine years older, became a successful songwriter first, writing “I Don’t Care if the Sun Don’t Shine” for Patti Page and the lyrics for “I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So,” which was recorded by Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald, among others.
When Mr. David wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps, Mack David discouraged him, and Mr. David became an advertising copywriter for The New York Post. After wartime service in the Army, during which he wrote songs, skits and plays, Mr. David was determined to make songwriting his career.
With pop music on uncertain footing in the early 1950s, between the show tune era and the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll, Mr. David wrote in an old-school style for big bands and singers like Vic Damone and Teresa Brewer, with only scattered success.
By the end of the ‘50s, though, he was writing more popular and memorable songs, like Sarah Vaughan’s Top 10 hit “Broken Hearted Melody,” and once Mr. Bacharach and Ms. Warwick were added to his mix in the early ’60s, the hits, as they say, kept on coming.
The sophistication of Mr. David and Mr. Bacharach’s songs was a ticket beyond the Top 40 for them. They often wrote for the movies, and four of their songs were nominated for Academy Awards: “What’s New, Pussycat?,” “Alfie,” “The Look of Love” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” the last of which brought them their only Oscar, in 1970.
Their Broadway musical, “Promises, Promises,” an adaptation of Billy Wilder’s film “The Apartment,” opened on Broadway on Dec. 1, 1968, and ran through 1971. It was nominated for a Tony for best musical and won a Grammy for best score from an original cast album. Clive Barnes, reviewing the show in The New York Times, wrote that the score “excitingly reflects today rather than the day before yesterday” and called Mr. David’s lyrics “happily colloquial.”
“Promises, Promises” was revived successfully on Broadway in 2010, with Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes. At the time, Mr. David told NPR that working on the original show was “the most fun time I’ve had on any project.”
But Mr. David and Mr. Bacharach had a disastrous failure with their score of “Lost Horizon,” a musical version of the 1937 Frank Capra film that was released in 1973. Though the score has aged better than the film, it was dismissed at the time as overcooked and inane, its reception coincided with major shifts in musical tastes (disco was emerging). Mr. Bacharach and Mr. David had a falling out, which they never fully explained; Ms. Warwick sued them when they stopped producing new music for her; and they did not write together again for almost 20 years.
In 1992, the three reunited for Ms. Warwick’s recording of “Sunny Weather Lover.”
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While Mr. David did collaborate with other composers, most notably Albert Hammond on Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson’s 1984 hit, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” he spent much of his later career as a kind of songwriting éminence grise and did charitable and foundation work. He was president of Ascap, the songwriters and publishers’ organization, from 1980 to 1986 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. Ms. Warwick’s recordings of “Don’t Make Me Over” and “Walk On By” and the Carpenters’ recording of “Close to You” were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. This year, Mr. David and Mr. Bacharach received the fourth Gershwin Prize from the Library of Congress.
Though Mr. David lived to see his songs re-immortalized in movies like “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “There’s Something About Mary” and the Austin Powers series, and in a Broadway revue, “The Look of Love,” he came to think of his art as a lost one.
“Pop songs are not as graceful as they used to be,” he told The New York Times Magazine in 1999, adding: “Performers today haven’t gone through the regimen of learning how to write. And of course, everyone wants to own copyrights.”
“Rap culture is interesting and different and has purpose,” he said at the time, “but it has a nonromantic view of life and of social feelings. There may be a void in that.”
Yet with the emergence of neo-romantics in pop music like Alicia Keys and John Mayer — both winners of the Hal David Starlight Award, given by the Songwriters Hall of Fame to young songwriters — his outlook became more upbeat. “The talent is always there,” he told The Oregonian in 2004, “and art is cyclical. I’m optimistic.”
MTV VMA 2012 winners and performances: New Twilight trailer premieres at awards show
September 6, 2012
By SONYA SORICH Ledger-Enquirer
The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards aired Thursday on MTV. Here's a recap of the winners and performances. What did you miss during the pre-show? Well, Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa announced they have a baby on the way. Other than that, it was pretty much standard VMA action: strange outfits and incoherent interview responses.Now, your play-by-play of the ceremony, which was held in Los Angeles:
8 p.m. - Rihanna kicks off the show by performing "Cockiness," followed by "We Found Love." There are balloon-like objects in the air, possibly stolen from the DNC.
8:05 - Host Kevin Hart approaches the stage, posing as a presidential candidate while being escorted by little people in suits. His opening monologue has a theme: "If you make a mistake, so what?" His thoughts on the Chris Brown/Drake feud? "Nip it in the bud, guys. I'm tired of it."
8:14 - Best Pop Video goes to One Direction for "What Makes You Beautiful." They (slightly) break their Moonman trophy.
8:25 - Miley Cyrus' hair completely baffles me.
8:26 - Pink sings "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)." She opens the performance with a few verses of "Get This Party Started," which I appreciate. I'm not as keen on the aerial acts that somehow always appear in Pink's performances. Or the giant dancing lips on the stage. But I like this song, so I'll let it go.
8:30 - Best Male Video goes to Chris Brown for "Turn Up the Music." Very short, non-controversial acceptance speech. Probably for the best.
8:38 - Frank Ocean performs "Thinkin' Bout You." As much as I love Frank Ocean, I kind of wish he changed things up and actually performed this:
8:51 - Best Hip Hip Video goes to Drake featuring Lil Wayne for "HYFR." Drake dedicates the award to any kid who's had to take "a long walk home by yourself."
8:58 - OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. One Direction performs "One Thing" while surrounded by screaming girls. Gee, thanks for changing it up, guys.
9:02 - Best Female Video goes to Nicki Minaj for "Starships." Perhaps this is a proper time to discuss Nicki's outfit. It's a lace bodysuit with red embellishments, accented by a police officer cap. Maybe not as glamorous as I just made it sound. Here's a photo gallery of all the red carpet styles.
9:12 - 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne perform. The censors stay busy. Very busy.
9:25 - Green Day performs. Man, these guys must feel REALLY old tonight. Sorry, folks, I'm just not feeling the Green Day comeback. Confession: I switched to "Big Brother" during half of this performance.
9:34 - The "Twilight" cast presents an exclusive premiere of their new film. Well, this could be awkward. Oh, wait...Kristen Stewart is conveniently missing on stage. Watch the clip here.
9:36 - Best New Artist goes to One Direction.
9:46 - Alicia Keys performs her new song, "Girl on Fire." The performance includes some rapping from Nicki Minaj and some random gymnastics from Gabby Douglas. Side note: Does anyone else think it's a little weird that Alicia Keys' baby is at the show?
9:56 - Video of the Year goes to Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris for "We Found Love."
9:58 - Taylor Swift closes the show with her new song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." It's standard T-Swift. I wish the furry creatures on stage played a bigger role in this performance. It's fun, but hardly edgy.
10:00 - We're done! What did you think? I think the show could've used a little "oomph."
VMA Winners 2012: Complete List (UPDATED)
Sep 6th 2012 4:05PM by Georgette Cline
The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards offered a wealth of surprises from big-name entertainers as they graced the stage to perform. Some stars also shocked the crowd with their respective wins, holding their Moonman with confidence.
Demi Lovato opened the festivities, singing "Give Your Heart a Break," Alicia Keys welcomed Nicki Minaj and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas during her "Girl on Fire" set and Taylor Swift channeled her inner Where's Waldo (that red-and-white top surprised us) while delivering "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."
Chris Brown bested rival Drake for Best Male Video with "Turn Up the Music" and Coldplay scored Best Rock Video for "Paradise." But some of the biggest wins of the night were awarded to Rihanna and One Direction. The British boy band won the highest number of awards with three: Best New Artist, Best Pop Video and Most Share-Worthy Video and RiRi's "We Found Love" earned her Video of the Year.
Check out the night's full list of winners below.
Best Video With a Message
Demi Lovato, "Skyscraper" -- WINNER
Rise Against, "Ballad of Hollis Brown"
Kelly Clarkson, "Dark Side"
Gym Class Heroes, "The Fighter"
K'Naan feat. Nelly Furtado, "Is Anybody Out There?"
Lil Wayne, "How to Love"
Best Electronic Dance Music Video
Duck Sauce, "Big Bad Wolf"
Calvin Harris, "Feel So Close" -- WINNER
Skrillex, "First of the Year (Equinox)"
Martin Solveig, "The Night Out"
Avicii, "Le7els"
Most Share-Worthy Video
One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful" -- WINNER
Just Bieber, "Boyfriend"
Beyonce, "Countdown"
Carly Rae Jepsen, "Call Me Maybe"
Gotye, "Somebody That I Used to Know"
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Best Pop Video
One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful" -- WINNER
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, "We Are Young"
Rihanna, "We Found Love"
Justin Bieber, "Boyfriend"
Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa, "Payphone"
Best Male Video
Justin Bieber, "Boyfriend"
Frank Ocean, "Swim Good"
Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"
Chris Brown, "Turn Up the Music" -- WINNER
Usher, "Climax"
Best Hip-Hop Video
Childish Gambino, "Heartbeat"
Drake feat. Lil Wayne, "HYFR" -- WINNER
Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean & 2 Chainz, "Mercy"
Watch the Throne, "Paris"
Nicki Minaj feat. 2 Chainz, "Beez in the Trap"
Best Female Video
Rihanna, "We Found Love"
Katy Perry, "Part of Me"
Beyoncé, "Love on Top"
Nicki Minaj, "Starships" -- WINNER
Selena Gomez & The Scene, "Love You Like a Love Song"
Best Rock Video
Coldplay, "Paradise" -- WINNER
The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"
Linkin Park, "Burn It Down"
Jack White, "Sixteen Saltines"
Imagine Dragons, "It's Time"
Best New Artist
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, "We Are Young"
Carly Rae Jepsen, "Call Me Maybe"
Frank Ocean, "Swim Good"
One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful" -- WINNER
The Wanted, "Glad You Came"
Video of the Year
Katy Perry, "Wide Awake"
Gotye, "Somebody That I Used To Know"
Rihanna, "We Found Love" -- WINNER
Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"
M.I.A., "Bad Girls"
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Emmy Awards -'Homeland' and 'Modern Family' win big at Emmys
Sep 24, 12:38 AM EDT
By LYNN ELBER., AP Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The terrorism thriller "Homeland" and "Modern Family" were the top winners at Sunday's Emmy Awards in a ceremony that veered between daring and predictability in honors and Jimmy Kimmel's turn as host.
The four awards for "Modern Family" included a three-peat as best comedy series, although there was a minor backlash online as some Emmy watchers questioned whether the show had a deserving season.
"Homeland," whose four trophies for its freshman season included honors for stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, stopped "Mad Men" in its tracks, denying the show a record-setting fifth best drama trophy.
Turns out the TV academy wasn't ready to crown the Madison Avenue saga as best ever. Instead, "Mad Men" walked away without a single statuette despite a leading 17 noninations, making it Emmy's biggest loser ever, said Tom O'Neil of the awards website Gold Derby.
Showtime's "Homeland," the cable channel's first best drama winner, also kept Bryan Cranston from his fourth consecutive best acting award for "Breaking Bad" and made "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm an also-ran once more.
"I'm one of those pesky Brits, I apologize," said Lewis, who plays an American. "I don't really believe in judging art, but I thought I'd show up just in case."
Danes, eye-catching in a bright yellow dress that gracefully draped the pregnant actress, was effusive.
"My husband, my love, my life, my baby daddy, this doesn't mean anything without you," she said to her spouse, actor Hugh Dancy.
Backstage, Danes said she particularly appreciated one fan: President Barack Obama has said he's a fan of "Homeland," about a Marine and former POW who's suspected of working for al Qaeda.
"No pressure," the actress said. "It's way cool that he is a fan. It speaks to the relevancy of the show and it's hugely validating."
The acting trophies, along with a best writing award for the show, gave "Homeland" momentum as it headed toward the best drama award.
Kimmel, in his first turn as Emmy host, fielded some clever videos (no surprise given the famed Matt Damon-Sarah Silverman romp he inspired) but wasn't memorable on stage as the three-hour ceremony unfolded.
Aaron Paul won best supporting drama actor for "Breaking Bad" and "Homeland" won the best writing award.
"Thank you so much for not killing me off," Paul said of his drug-dealing character's lucky survival. "Thank you Hollywood for allowing me to be part of your group," he added, noting he'd moved from Idaho to pursue his dreams.
In a surprise on the comedy side, Emmy voters decided that "Two and a Half Men" with Jon Cryer and without Charlie Sheen is really good, as Cryer claimed the best comedy actor trophy.
"Don't panic, people. Something has clearly gone terribly wrong. I'm stunned," said Cryer, who on the red carpet before the show has expressed confidence he wouldn't win. Among others, he beat out two-time winner Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory."
Ashton Kutcher, who joined the show after Sheen was fired, wasn't nominated.
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus was honored as best actress in comedy for "Veep."
Andy Griffith topped a segment honoring industry members who died during the previous year. Ron Howard, who played Griffith's son Opie in "The Andy Griffith Show," said he belonged "in the pantheon."
"Dang if he didn't make it look powerful easy while he was going about it," Howard said.
Phyllis Diller, Davy Jones of "The Monkees," Sherman Hemsley and Richard Dawson were among the others honored in a montage.
Earlier in the show, Kimmel dared to mock the in memorian package that typically airs at awards shows with one showing him in various guises. Josh Groban sang a mournful "You're Beautiful" in background.
"I will be missed," Kimmel said.
Perhaps Kimmel's most notable achievement was a prank: Inviting "30 Rock" star Tracy Morgan to lie on the stage, then asking viewers to post on Facebook and tweet that Morgan "just passed out" and turn on ABC right now to see it. It worked, with the message going viral and maybe even boosting the Emmy audience for a few moments.
Maggie Smith was honored as best supporting drama actress for her tart-tongued dowager in "Downton Abbey," unhurt by the program's move from the miniseries category.
"Homeland," the domestic espionage thriller, won the best drama writing award.
"Modern Family" made it look easy as the comedy won the best directing trophy and Eric Stonestreet and Julie Bowen claimed supporting actor awards. There was at least a minor backlash online as some questioned whether the show had a deserving season.
Stonestreet was funny and touching as he accepted for his role as half of a devoted gay couple.
"I wouldn't be standing here without Jesse Tyler Ferguson, there is no Cam without Mitch," he said, saluting his co-star. "We get the awesome opportunity to play these two characters on TV and show America and the world what a loving couple we can be just like everybody else."
Then he turned saucy: "I never knew I'd be on TV as a gay man, but I love the pictures of hairy chests you guys are sending me, it's really amazing. Thank you for those."
Among reality competitors, "The Amazing Race" was honored as best reality series, ninth time in 10 nominations for the award. Tom Bergeron of "Dancing With the Stars" won as best host of a reality series.
Julianne Moore's uncanny take on Gov. Sarah Palin in the TV movie "Game Change," about the 2008 presidential campaign, earned her best actress honors.
"I feel so validated because Sarah Palin gave me a big thumbs down," Moore said, beaming.
Kevin Costner was named best actor for the history-based miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys," while Tom Berenger was named best supporting actor for the project and Jessica Lange won supporting actress honors for "American Horror Story." `'Game Change" was crownd best series.
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" proved unstoppable, winning its 10th consecutive best variety show trophy. Stewart, discussing the lasting value of his show, apparently forgot that what flies on free-wheeling cable gets censored on network television.
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"Years from now when the Earth is just a burning husk and aliens visit, they will find a box of these, and they will know, just how predictable these (several bleeps) can be," he said.
Standup comic Louis C.K. won the Emmy for best comedy writing for "Louie" and for the special "Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre." Said the comedian after his second win: "Thank you to audiences around the country who still go to see live comedy."
Kimmel, who played it clean, set up one of the night's best filmed comedy bits by musing on what "Breaking Bad" would have been like had it aired in a G-rated, pre-cable era.
The answer: a spoof of the opening to "The Andy Griffith Show," with "Breaking Bad" stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, fully suited up to cook crystal meth, out at the lake with their fishing poles as the "Andy Griffith" whistling theme song was heard.
As a pungent punchline, they shot dead an unexpected witness: a friendly deputy billed as co-star Don Knotts.
The show started with bathroom humor: A filmed bit with Kathy Bates, Zooey Deschanel and other nominated actresses prepping in the restroom, then discovering a weeping Jimmy Kimmel lamenting a Botox reaction he said would keep him off stage as host.
"You look beautiful," he was reassured. "You look like a `Real Housewife.'"
Viewers of the skit may have been puzzled by a nude Lena Dunham, the creator-star of "Girls," who's routinely brave about showing skin on the HBO comedy.
Not all his material worked. One bit that fell flat had Kimmel's parents, or so the host said, escorted out of the theater because they promised he would win an Emmy and he didn't.
"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane found presenting can be tricky.
"Oh, the mic's over there," he said, after discovering he was on the wrong side of the stage. "This is what happens when you don't come to rehearsal," MacFarlane said.
Fashionistas noticed yellow was hot, the color of choice for Julianne Moore, a pregnant Danes, Julie Bowen and Hannah Simone from "New Girl."
"Best hair and makeup goes to Danes. Perfect!" tweeted Emma Roberts.
Emmy has to prove herself a winner with the audience. After rebounding somewhat to 13.5 million viewers in 2010 after an all-time low in 2008 of 12.3 million, last year's show drew 12.4 million viewers airing on Fox. The ceremony rotates annually among the four major networks.
---
Television Writer Frazier Moore in New York and AP Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Emmy winners 2012 list: 64th Primetime Emmy award winners complete list
Posted: 09/26/2012
By: Alan Duke, CNN
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Showtime's psychological thriller "Homeland" upstaged the more established dramas at the 64th Primetime Emmys Sunday night, winning four Emmys, including the top drama series honor.
ABC's "Modern Family" also captured four comedy awards, including the top sitcom prize, to continue its comedy series domination at the Emmys.
The night ended with a standing ovation for Michael J. Fox, whose acting career continues 21 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, as he presented the final award.
"I'm steady as a rock," Fox said.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ABC-TV broadcast from the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
"Homeland's" Claire Danes won best lead drama actress, while Damian Lewis won best lead actor in a drama.
The show, which just started a second season, upset AMC's "Mad Men," which had dominated the drama category in its four years, and AMC's "Breaking Bad," which is in its final season.
"Mad Men" was going for what would have been a record fifth straight win in the best drama series category.
"We didn't make our show just to undermine them," Danes said. "We're delighted and thrilled and just a little startled." No one on the show expected they would "be recognized right off the bat."
"Homeland" also won a best drama series writing Emmy.
The win by Lewis, who introduced himself as "one of those pesky Brits," was an upset against "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston, who won it for three years. "I was quite convinced that he'd be walking up again tonight," Lewis said backstage.
"Mad Men" star Jon Hamm lost again after five best drama actor nominations for his role as ad exec Don Draper.
"Breaking Bad's" Aaron Paul did claim the best supporting actor in a drama Emmy. "It's not going to be a fairy tale ending," he told reporters backstage about how the series will close out its final season.
Maggie Smith won best supporting actress in a drama for her work in the PBS series "Downton Abbey."
HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" was honored with the best drama series directing Emmy, given to director Tim Van Patten.
"Modern Family" actor Eric Stonestreet, who won his second best supporting actor Emmy for playing Cameron Tucker, was one of four actors in "Modern Family's" ensemble cast nominated.
Stonestreet said backstage he was pulling for castmates Ed O'Neill, Ty Burrell and Jesse Tyler, because "it's nice to win, but we want to spread it around."
When Julie Bowen was announced as the best supporting comedy actress, her castmate and category competitor Sofia Vergara could be heard shouting her support from the Emmy audience.
"Even though Julie keeps winning all my awards, I am still very happy," Vergara said after the show.
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Bowen backstage said she was pleased to hear her sitcom is a favorite of first lady Michelle Obama and Ann Romney, the wife of the Republican presidential nominee. It shows there's "a place on the couch where people can sit down together" despite political differences, she said.
HBO's "Game Change," a drama about the 2008 presidential election, won three Emmys, including the award for best miniseries or movie. Executive producer Tom Hanks accepted the statuette.
"We'd like to thank our founding fathers for the democratic process that they came up with that has provided not only us and HBO and all the comedy series here a plethora of material that seems to just go on and on and on and on," Hanks said. He introduced himself as "Gary Goetzman."
Julianne Moore, who portrayed former Alaska Governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, won best lead actress in a miniseries or movie. "I feel so validate because Sarah Palin gave me a big thumbs down," Moore said.
Writer Danny Strong and director Jay Roach won the writing and directing Emmys, respectively, in that category.
Kevin Costner, who owns two Oscars, won his first Emmy for best lead actor in a miniseries or movie for playing "Devil" Anse Hatfield in History's "Hatfields & McCoys."
"When I find good writing, I don't care what medium is in," Costner said when asked about working in television after being known for his big screen work.
His two young children, ages 3 and 5, think he's in construction because he is building a house "and I spend most of my time there."
Tom Berenger won the best supporting actor in a miniseries or movie Emmy for his "Hatfields & McCoys" work. It was his first Emmy.
Jessica Lange won for best supporting actress in a miniseries or movie for the FX Networks' "American Horror Story." She won the same Emmy in 2009 for "Grey Gardens."
"Modern Family" creator Steven Levitan won the best comedy director Emmy for an episode of the show, his fourth Emmy. "I want to thank me for hiring me as a director when no one else would," Levitan said. " I would not be standing here if I didn't have faith in me."
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays the vice president in HBO's "Veep" captured the best lead actress in a comedy Emmy. "I don't see anything funny about me being the vice president of the United
States," she joked in her acceptance.
When "Two And A Half Men" star Jon Cryer won his second Emmy for best lead comedy actor he appeared surprise. "Something had clearly gone terribly wrong," Cryer said. "I'm stunned."
Jon Cryer has been nominated the last seven years, and his only other win was three years ago.
Louis CK, who writes and stars in FX Networks' "Louie," won the best writing Emmy for a comedy series. He also won the best variety special writing Emmy for his comedy special "Live At The Beacon Theatre" on the FX Networks.
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" won the best variety show for a 12th straight year. Stewart joked that if aliens in the distant future find the box of the "Daily Show" Emmys they will realize "how f--king predictable these shows are."
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The reality show competition followed the same path of the past decade with CBS's "The Amazing Race" winning its ninth Emmy for best reality show.
"Dancing With The Stars" host Tom Bergeron won the Emmy for best reality-show or reality-competition host.
List of winners at Sunday's 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:
-- Drama Series: "Homeland," Showtime.
-- Actress, Drama Series: Claire Danes, "Homeland," Showtime.
-- Actor, Drama Series: Damian Lewis, "Homeland," Showtime.
-- Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad," AMC.
-- Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey," PBS.
-- Writing, Drama Series: Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff, "Homeland," Showtime.
-- Directing, Drama Series: Tim Van Patten, "Boardwalk Empire," HBO.
-- Comedy Series: "Modern Family," ABC.
-- Actor, Comedy Series: Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men," CBS.
-- Actress, Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep," HBO.
-- Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Julie Bowen, "Modern Family," ABC.
-- Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family," ABC.
-- Writing, Comedy Series: Louis C.K, "Louie," FX Networks.
-- Directing, Comedy Series: Steven Levitan, "Modern Family," ABC.
-- Miniseries or Movie: "Game Change," HBO.
-- Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Julianne Moore, "Game Change," HBO.
-- Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys," History.
-- Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story," FX Networks.
-- Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Berenger, "Hatfields & McCoys," History.
-- Directing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Jay Roach, "Game Change," HBO.
-- Writing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Danny Strong, "Game Change," HBO.
-- Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race," CBS.
-- Host, Reality-Competition Program: Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With the Stars," ABC.
-- Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central.
-- Writing for a Variety Special: Louis C.K., "Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre," FX Networks.
-- Directing, Variety, Music or Comedy Special: Glenn Weiss, 65th Annual Tony Awards, CBS.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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ビリットニィー・スペアー（米国歌手/エンターテイナー）の2010年の家計支出（年間/月間出費）。
*****
Britney Spears
I Have A Ton Of Money!!!
10/11/2012 11:38 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
EXCLUSIVE
Britney Spears is crazy like a fox, because she's accumulated a fortune ... way MORE THAN $32 million ... TMZ has learned.
According to new docs filed in her conservatorship case, as of December 31, 2010, the conservators reported assets totaling $32,376,140.90. Sources connected with the conservatorship tell TMZ, that figure does not include a number of valuable assets.
On top of that, since 2010, Britney had a successful concert tour that raked in $68 million and she signed a $15 million deal with "X Factor."
Now get this. We also got the lowdown on what Britney spent in 2010 alone. The items include:
-- Child Support and Care: $303,673.72
-- Cleaning expenses: $27,265
-- Personal grooming and wardrobe: $61,295.12
-- Automobile expenses: $59,351.92 (and she didn't even buy a car that year)
-- Rent for Calabasas house: $19,000 a month
-- Electric Bill: $5,629.43 in just one month
-- Gas Bill: $1,841 in just one month
-- Water Bill: $2,278.27 in just one month
One thing's for sure ... Britney isn't cash poor. As of the end of 2010, she had cash on hand totaling $14,740,566.71.
'Emmanuelle' star Sylvia Kristel dies at age 60
By Amy Kaufman
October 18, 2012, 10:19 a.m.
Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel, who starred as a sexually liberated housewife in the 1970s erotic movie "Emmanuelle," has died of cancer at age 60.
"Emmanuelle," the story of a sexually adventurous young model and her husband on a trip to Thailand, became as big a worldwide sensation in the 1970s as E.L. James' "Fifty Shades of Grey" has in recent months. The softcore French film was that country's highest-grossing release of 1974 and became so popular with female French moviegoers that Columbia Pictures decided to distribute the movie in the U.S. "Emmanuelle" ultimately grossed $100 million worldwide, according to the Internet Movie Database -- an exceptional sum for any film of its day and very rare for one with an X rating.
The French picture spawned seven film sequels -- four of them starring Kristel -- and TV movie spinoffs. But while the original "Emmanuelle" catapulted the actress to international fame, she never became a household name in America.
PHOTOS: Sylvia Kristel
Kristel died in her sleep Wednesday night in the Hague following a long battle with cancer, her talent agency, Features Creative Management, said in a statement Thursday. Her last film role came two years ago in the foreign drama "Two Sunny Days," which marked her first acting project since 2002. She also attended the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006, where her short animated film "Topor et Moi" was given a special jury prize.
Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel, seen here in 1977 at the Cannes Film Festival, died in her sleep overnight after suffering from cancer, her agent said. (Ralph Gatti / AFP / Getty Images )
Golden Globe winners list
9:10a.m. EST January 14, 2013
The winners of the 70th Golden Globe Awards.
Nominees and winners at the 70th annual Golden Globes on Sunday night (winners names in bold):
>>Movies
Drama
WINNER: Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Comedy or musical
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
WINNER: Les Misérables
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Director
WINNER: Ben Affleck, Argo
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Actor, comedy or musical
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
WINNER: Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Ewan MacGregor, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Murray, Hyde Park on Hudson
Actress, comedy or musical
Emily Blunt, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Judi Dench, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Maggie Smith, Quartet
Meryl Streep, Hope Springs
Actor, drama
WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Richard Gere, Arbitrage
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
Actress, drama
WINNER: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
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WINNER: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Alan Arkin, Argo
Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Supporting actress
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
WINNER: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
Screenplay
Chris Terrio, Argo
WINNER: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Tony Kushner, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty
Original score
Alexandre Desplat, Argo
Dario Marianeli, Anna Karenina
Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil, Cloud Atlas
WINNER: Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
John Williams, Lincoln
Best Original Song
Keith Urban, For You (Act of Valor)
Taylor Swift, Safe & Sound (The Hunger Games)
Hugh Jackman, Suddenly (Les Misérables)
WINNER: Adele, Skyfall (Skyfall)
Jon Bon Jovi, Not Running Anymore (Stand Up Guys)
Animated feature film
WINNER: Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph
Foreign film
WINNER: Amour
The Intouchables
Kon-Tiki
A Royal Affair
Rust & Bone
>>Television
Miniseries or TV movie
WINNER: Game Change, HBO
Hatfields & McCoys, History
The Girl, HBO
The Hour, BBC America
Political Animals, USA
The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Episodes, Showtime
WINNER: Girls, HBO
Modern Family, ABC
Smash, NBC
Actor, drama series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire, HBO
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad, AMC
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom, HBO
Jon Hamm, Mad Men, AMC
WINNER: Damian Lewis, Homeland, Showtime
Actress, drama series
Connie Britton, Nashville, ABC
WINNER: Claire Danes, Homeland, Showtime
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey, PBS
Glenn Close, Damages, DirecTV
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife, CBS
Actor, comedy or musical series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock, NBC
WINNER: Don Cheadle, House of Lies, Showtime
Louis C.K., Louie, FX
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes, Showtime
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Actress, comedy or musical series
Zooey Deschanel, The New Girl, Fox
WINNER: Lena Dunham, Girls, HBO
Tina Fey,30 Rock, NBC
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep, HBO
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation, NBC
Supporting actor, series, miniseries or movie
Max Greenfield, New Girl, Fox
WINNER: Ed Harris, Game Change, HBO
Danny Huston, Magic City, Starz
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland, Showtime
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family, ABC
Supporting actress
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville, ABC
Archie Punjabi, The Good Wife, CBS
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story, FX
WINNER: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey, PBS
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family, ABC
Actor, miniseries or TV movie
WINNER: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys, History
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock, PBS
Woody Harrelson, Game Change, HBO
Toby Jones, The Girl, HBO
Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO
Actress, miniseries or TV movie
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story, FX
WINNER: Julianne Moore, Game Change, HBO
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals, USA
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5 memorable moments: Winners, one-liners and surprises at Golden Globes
By Alan Duke, CNN
updated 1:58 PM EST, Mon January 14, 2013
Los Angeles (CNN) -- "Argo," the retelling of the dramatic rescue of American diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis, and "Les Miserables," a big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical, were the big winners at this year's Golden Globes.
But the night truly belonged to co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler whose good-natured irreverence was a welcome balance after the last three years when British comedian Ricky Gervais turned the show into a roast.
The annual honors by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association unofficially launches the movie industry's awards season. Here are the five most memorable moments from Sunday's ceremony.
5.Tommy Lee Jones is not amused
While comedians Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell had the room in stitches with their deliberately botched recap of nominated movies, the camera panned to a shot of Tommy Lee Jones, stone-faced, unimpressed.
Of course, it didn't take long for the Internet to turn the scowl into a meme. One juxtaposed the 66-year-old actor next to the infamous Grumpy Cat. "Finally someone gets me," the caption on the cat read.
A flurry of tweets followed.
Among them was Scott Aukerman, the host of the Comedy Bang! Bang!, who tweeted, "Congrats to Tommy Lee Jones for his brave fight against humor."
4. Clinton introduces Lincoln
To a standing ovation from surprised A-listers, the 42nd U.S. president introduced the 16th president.
Former President Bill Clinton even got in a little barb as he presented a clip for "Lincoln," a best picture nominee.
"A tough fight to push a bill through a bitterly divided House of Representatives. Winning required the president to make a lot of unsavory deals that had nothing to do with the big issue. I wouldn't know anything about that," Clinton said.
Clinton and Lincoln director Steven Spielberg have long been close friends. When Clinton lived in the White House, a Norman Rockwell painting hung in the Oval Office -- a gift from Spielberg.
"Wow, what an exciting special guest! That was Hillary Clinton's husband!" Poehler exclaimed after Clinton left.
3. Killer acceptance speeches ...
After winning the award for best actress in a TV drama, Claire Danes thanked the other nominees "who are so, so badass, so brilliant and have all, in their own way, contributed to making television this wonderfully rich place for really dynamic, complex, bold female characters."
Danes added: "I'm very proud to be working in this medium, in this moment, in this company."
Hers wasn't the only sisters-are-doing-it-for-themselves moment of the night.
Lena Dunham, who won best actress in a TV comedy, also thanked her fellow nominees who "have made me laugh and comforted me at the darkest moments of my life."
"Julia (Louis-Dreyfus), Tina (Fey), Amy (Poehler) and Zooey (Deschanel) have respectively gotten me through middle school, mono, a ruptured eardrum, and the acute float anxiety that populates my entire life, and I worship them."
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Actress Jodie Foster's rambling acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award had many exclaiming, 'Huh?'
"I guess I have a sudden urge to say something that I've never really been able to air in public," she began after the requisite thank-yous. "So, a declaration that I'm a little nervous about but maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist right now, huh Jennifer? But I'm just going to put it out there, right? Loud and proud, right? So I'm going to need your support on this."
So what was the big announcement after this buildup? "I am single, Yes I am, I am single."
The speech went on. Foster made what sounded like a plea for privacy for celebrities, thanked a bunch more people before making what certainly sounded like a retirement announcement.
"This feels like the end of one era and the beginning of something else. Scary and exciting and now what? Well, I may never be up on this stage again, on any stage for that matter," she said.
"Change, you gotta love it. I will continue to tell stories, to move people by being moved, the greatest job in the world. It's just that from now on, I may be holding a different talking stick."
But backstage, Foster told reporters she wasn't quitting.
"I'm more into it than I've ever been," she said.
1. Fey and Poehler's winning combination
From their laugh-out-loud opening quips to their improvised comebacks, old friends and "Saturday Night Live" alums Fey and Poehler didn't disappoint.
Right at the onset, Poehler -- the star of "Parks and Recreation" -- assured the audience that there would only be good-natured jokes during the broadcast, because as the more biting Ricky Gervais has shown, "when you run afoul of the Hollywood Foreign Press, they make you host the show two more times."
The only complaint tweeters had was that the show didn't use them enough.
Among their greatest hits:
-- "When it comes to torture, I trust the lady who spent three years married to James Cameron" -- Poehler referring to Kathryn Bigelow, the director of the movie "Zero Dark Thirty," which has stirred controversy over its portrayal of the torture of terror detainees.
-- "I have not seen someone so totally alone and abandoned like that since you were on stage with James Franco at the Oscars," Fey to Anne Hathaway about the latter's performance in "Les Miserables."
-- Their heckling, with liquor tumblers in hand, of Lena Dunham who beat them for the best TV comedy actress award.
-- The way they introduced George Clooney: "This next presenter is so handsome he makes young George Clooney look like garbage. Please welcome middle-aged George Clooney."
Now, on to the list of winners:
Best performance by an actor in a motion picture -- drama: Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"
Day-Lewis revealed backstage that near the end of filming he had a strange feeling that if Lincoln, the 16th American president, had not been assassinated he still would not have survived to lead the country through post-war reconstruction.
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Best performance by an actress in a motion picture -- drama: Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty"
"This is a sweet dream come true," Chastain said in her acceptance speech. She explained backstage why her preparation for the role of a real-life CIA analyst did not include talking to the person her role was based on.
"I would not like to meet her, because if someone found out she would go to jail," she said. The film has been criticized by some in Congress for its depiction of torture of terror suspects.
Best performance by an actress in a motion picture -- comedy or musical: Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"
"Harvey, thank you for killing whoever you had to kill to get me up here today," she joked, in her acceptance speech, thanking producer Harvey Weinstein.
Best performance by an actor in a motion picture -- comedy or musical: Hugh Jackman in "Les Misérables"
Jackman said the movie was "a project of passion and it took a lot of courage to make it." He told reporters backstage that he went without drinking water for 36 hours to make his face look sunken for his role.
"Do not anyone try this," Jackman said, explaining it made him ill.
Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture: Anne Hathaway in "Les Misérables"
Hathaway played Fantine in the movie. It was a role she saw her mother perform onstage when she was a child. She thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association "for this lovely blunt object, that I will forever use as a weapon against my self-doubt."
Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture: Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained"
"Quentin, you know that my indebtedness to you knows no words," Waltz said in his acceptance speech, thanking the movie's director Quentin Tarantino.
Waltz also won a Globe and an Oscar two years ago for his portrayal of a German colonel in Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds."
Best director -- motion picture: Ben Affleck for "Argo"
Affleck, who was passed over for a best director Oscar nomination last week, refused to acknowledge any disappointment backstage.
"We got nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture," Affleck said. "I was thrilled. I'm elated tonight; I'm the luckiest guy in the world."
Best screenplay -- motion picture: Quentin Tarantino for "Django Unchained"
Backstage, Tarantino used the controversial N-word, which peppers his movie, explaining that critics were not accusing him of using it "more than it was used in the South in 1858," when his film is set. Instead, they were "saying I should soften it. ... and I never do that when it comes to my characters."
Best original song -- motion picture: "Skyfall" (Music by Adele, Paul Epworth; Lyrics by Adele, Paul Epworth)
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Adele exclaimed as she was handed the award. "It's very strange to be here. Thank you for letting me be part of your world tonight."
She told reporters backstage that she was "a little bit over excited," noting it was her "first night out" since giving birth to a son in October.
Best performance by an actor in a TV series -- drama: Damian Lewis in "Homeland"
It is the first Globe for Lewis, who won an Emmy last fall for the same role. He dedicated the award to his late mother, who "I know is up there tonight, looking down, bursting with pride and telling everyone how well her son is doing in acting."
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List of winners at the SAG Awards 2013,
Actors pick outstanding performances, present trophies.
11:37a.m. EST January 28, 2013
Nominees and winners at the 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night (winners' names in bold):
*Film
Cast in a motion picture
WINNER: Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Male actor in a leading role
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Denzel Washington, Flight
Female actor in a leading role
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Male actor in a supporting role
WINNER: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Alan Arkin, Argo
Javier Bardem, Skyfall
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Female actor in a supporting role
Sally Field, Lincoln
WINNER: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Stunt ensemble
WINNER: Skyfall
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Bourne Legacy
The Dark Knight Rises
Les Misérables
*Television
Ensemble in a drama series
Boardwalk Empire, HBO
Breaking Bad, AMC
WINNER: Downton Abbey, PBS
Homeland, Showtime
Mad Men, AMC
Ensemble in a comedy series
30 Rock, NBC
The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Glee, Fox
WINNER: Modern Family, ABC
Nurse Jackie, Showtime
The Office, NBC
Male actor in a drama series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire, HBO
WINNER: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad, AMC
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom, HBO
Jon Hamm, Mad Men, AMC
Damian Lewis, Homeland, Showtime
Female actor in a drama series
WINNER: Claire Danes, Homeland, Showtime
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey, PBS
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum, FX
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife, CBS
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey, PBS
Male actor in a comedy series
WINNER: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock, NBC
Ty Burrell, Modern Family, ABC
Louis C.K., Louie, FX
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family, ABC
Female actor in a comedy series
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie, Showtime
WINNER: Tina Fey, 30 Rock, NBC
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation, NBC
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family, ABC
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland, TV Land
Male actor in a television movie or miniseries
WINNER: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys, History
Woody Harrelson, Game Change, HBO
Ed Harris, Game Change, HBO
Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO
Bill Paxton, Hatfields & McCoys, History
Female actor in a television movie or miniseries
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO
WINNER: Julianne Moore, Game Change, HBO
Charlotte Rampling, Restless, Sundance
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals, USA
Alfre Woodard, Steel Magnolias, Lifetime
Stunt ensemble
WINNER: Boardwalk Empire, HBO
Breaking Bad, AMC
Game of Thrones, HBO
Sons of Anarchy, FX
The Walking Dead, AMC
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SAG Awards Ratings Grow, Turner Announces New 3-Year Deal
3:29 PM PST 1/28/2013 by Michael O'Connell
Pulling in 5.2 million viewers across TNT and TBS on Sunday, the acting kudos will continue to air on the networks.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards continue to grow on TBS and TNT -- and in response to the positive ratings, the Turner-owned networks have signed another three-year deal to keep airing the annual kudos.
Sunday's show pulled in 5.2 million viewers across both networks, up more than 100,000 from 2012. The show boasts similar growth in the key adults 18-49 demo, rising from 2 million to 2.1 million viewers -- though still down from the 2011 demo haul of 2.2 million.
"The SAG Awards are a perfect fit for TBS and TNT, giving us the opportunity each year to target comedy and drama fans with a star-studded night celebrating the best in television and movie acting," said Michael Wright, president and head of programming at TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. "We are thrilled that TNT and TBS will continue to be home of one of the awards season's premier events."
SAG-AFTRA national executive director David White also chimed in on the news. "The [networks'] support over the last 16 years has contributed to the tremendous popularity of our celebration of acting excellence," he said. "TNT and TBS' recognition of the SAG Awards' unique place in the industry and its wide appeal to the global home audience has helped make it one of the most important events of the awards season."
The breakdown of viewership again gave TNT a slight edge, pulling 2.95 million viewers and 1.1 million in the key demo. TBS pulled 2.29 million viewers , with nearly 1 million of them adults 18-49.
Grammy Winners' List 2013: Get the Full Breakdown Here
Posted on Feb 10th 2013 2:40PM by Brittany Galla
Frank Ocean, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Taylor Swift, fun. and Carrie Underwood all walked away as winner's at the 55th Grammy Awards that aired tonight (Feb. 10).
Ocean, who was nominated for six awards, was victorious in two categories -- "Best Urban Contemporary Album" and "Rap/Sung Collaboration." Much to Clarkson's surprise, she won "Pop Vocal Album" and Adele took home "Best Pop Solo Performance" for her hit "Set Fire to the Rain."
fun. also walked away as winners -- winning "Best New Artist" and "Song of the Year" for their song "We Are Young" with Janelle Monae.
For a full list of winners, take a look at the list below.
Album of the Year
The Black Keys, El Camino
fun., Some Nights
Mumford & Sons, Babel -- WINNER
Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
Jack White, Blunderbuss
Record of the Year
The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"
Kelly Clarkson, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"
fun. featuring Janelle Monae, "We Are Young"
Gotye featuring Kimbra, "Somebody I Used to Know" -- WINNER
Frank Ocean, "Thinkin Bout You"
Taylor Swift, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
Best Pop Solo Performance
Adele, "Set Fire To The Rain (Live)" -- WINNER
Kelly Clarkson, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"
Carly Rae Jepsen, "Call Me Maybe"
Katy Perry, "Wide Awake"
Rihanna, "Where Have You Been"
Song of the Year
"The A Team," Ed Sheeran
"Adorn," Miguel
"Call Me Maybe," Carly Rae Jepsen
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Kelly Clarkson
"We Are Young," fun. featuring Janelle Monae -- WINNER
Pop Vocal Album
Maroon 5, Overexposed
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger -- WINNER
Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials
fun., Some Nights
Pink, The Truth About Love
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Best Rap Performance
"N****s In Paris," Jay-Z & Kanye West -- WINNER
"HYFR (Hell Ya F***ing Right)," Drake Featuring Lil' Wayne
"Daughters," Nas
"Mercy," Kanye West Featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz
"I Do," Young Jeezy Featuring Jay-Z & André 3000
Best New Artist
Alabama Shakes
fun. -- WINNER
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean
Best Country Album
Uncaged, Zac Brown Band -- WINNER
Hunter Hayes, Hunter Hayes
Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran, Jamey Johnson
Four The Record, Miranda Lambert
The Time Jumpers, The Time Jumpers
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
"Wild Ones," Flo Rida featuring Sia
"No Church In The Wild," Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream -- WINNER
"Tonight (Best You Ever Had)," John Legend featuring Ludacris
"Cherry Wine," Nas featuring Amy Winehouse
"Talk That Talk," Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
Best Rock Performance
"Hold On," Alabama Shakes
"Lonely Boy," The Black Keys -- WINNER
"Charlie Brown," Coldplay
"I Will Wait," Mumford & Sons
"We Take Care Of Our Own," Bruce Springsteen
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Fortune, Chris Brown
Channel Orange, Frank Ocean -- WINNER
Kaleidoscope Dream, Miguel
Best Country Solo Performance
"Home," Dierks Bentley
"Springsteen," Eric Church
"Cost of Livin," Ronnie Dunn
"Wanted," Hunter Hayes
"Over," Blake Shelton
"Blown Away," Carrie Underwood -- WINNER
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Best Country Song
"Blown Away" Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins -- WINNER
"Cost Of Livin'" Phillip Coleman & Ronnie Dunn
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" Will Hoge & Eric Paslay
"So You Don't Have To Love Me Anymore" Jay Knowles & Adam Wright
"Springsteen" Eric Church, Jeff Hyde & Ryan Tyndell
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" Eli Young Band
"Safe & Sound" Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars
"On The Outskirts Of Town" The Time Jumpers
"Pontoon" Little Big Town -- WINNER
"I Just Come Here For The Music" Don Williams featuring Alison Krauss
Best Traditional R&B Performance
"Love On Top" Beyonce -- WINNER
"Lately" Anita Baker
"Wrong Side Of A Love Song" Melanie Fiona
"Real Good Hands" Gregory Porter
"If Only You Knew" SWV
Best Dance/Electronica Album
Wonderland, Steve Aoki
Don't Think, The Chemical Brothers
> Album Title Goes Here, Deadmau5
Fire & Ice, Kaskade
Bangarang, Skrillex -- WINNER
Best Dance Recording
"Levels," Avicii
"Let's Go," Calvin Harris featuring Ne-Yo
"Bangarang," Skrillex featuring Sirah -- WINNER
"Don't You Worry Child," Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin
"I Can't Live Without You," Al Walser
Best Alternative Music Album
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, Fiona Apple
Biophilia, Björk
Making Mirrors, Gotye -- WINNER
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. M83
Bad As Me, Tom Waits
Best Rock Album
Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay
The 2nd Law, Muse
El Camino, The Black Keys -- WINNER
Wrecking Ball, Bruce Springsteen
Blunderbuss, Jack White
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Best Rap Song
"N****s In Paris" Jay-Z & Kanye West -- WINNER
"Daughters" Nas
"Lotus Flower Bomb" Miguel
"Mercy" Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz
"The Motto" Drake featuring Lil Wayne
"Young, Wild & Free" Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars
Best Rock Song
"Freedom At 21," Jack White
"I Will Wait," Mumford & Sons
"Lonely Boy," The Black Keys -- WINNER
"Madness" Muse
"We Take Care of Our Own" Bruce Springsteen
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Florence and the Machine, "Shake It Out"
fun. featuring Janelle Monae, "We Are Young"
Gotye featuring Kimbra, "Somebody That I Used To Know" -- WINNER
LMFAO, "Sexy And I Know It"
Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa, "Payphone"
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Christmas, Michael Buble
A Holiday Carole, Carole King
Kisses on the Bottom, Paul McCartney -- WINNER
Best Rap Album
Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1, Lupe Fiasco
Take Care, Drake -- WINNER
Life is Good, Nas
Undun, The Roots
God Forgives, I Don't, Rick Ross
Based On A T.R.U. Story, 2 Chainz
Best R&B Performance
"Thank You," Estelle
"Gonna Be Alright (F.T.P.)," Black Radio
"I Want You," Luke James
"Adorn," Miguel
"Climax," Usher -- WINNER
Best R&B Song
"Beautiful Surprise" Tamia Hill
"Heart Attack" Trey Songz
"Adorn" Miguel Pimentel -- WINNER
"Pray For Me" Anthony Hamilton
"Refill" Elle Varner
Best R&B Album
Black Radio, Robert Glasper Experiment -- WINNER
Back To Love, Anthony Hamilton
Write Me Back, R. Kelly
Beautiful Surprise, Tamia
Open Invitation, Tyrese
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Best Comedy Album
Blow Your Pants Off Jimmy Fallon -- WINNER
Cho Dependent (Live In Concert), Margaret Cho
In God We Rust, Lewis Black
Kathy Griffin: Seaman 1st Class, Kathy Griffin
Mr. Universe, Jim Gaffigan
Rize Of The Fenix, Tenacious D
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Soul Shadows, Denise Donatelli
Radio Music Society, Esperanza Spalding -- WINNER
1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project, Kurt Elling
Live, Al Jarreau (And The Metropole Orkest)
The Book Of Chet, Luciana Souza
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
The Adventures Of Tintin - The Secret Of The Unicorn
The Artist
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo -- WINNER
The Dark Knight Rises
Hugo
Journey
Best Song Written For Visual Media
Abraham's Daughter (From "The Hunger Games")
Learn Me Right (From "Brave")
Safe & Sound (From "The Hunger Games") -- WINNER
Let Me Be Your Star (From "Smash")
Man Or Muppet (From "The Muppets")
Best New Age Album
Live Ananda, Krishna Das
Echoes Of Love, Omar Akram -- WINNER
Bindu, Michael Brant DeMaria
Deep Alpha, Steven Halpern
Light Body, Peter Kater
Troubadours On The Rhine, Loreena McKennitt
Best Short Form Music Video
"We Found Love" Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris -- WINNER
"Houdini" Foster The People
"No Church In The Wild" Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream
"Bad Girls" M.I.A
"Run Boy Run" Woodkid
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Comcast’s NBCUniversal Deal: As One Media Era Ends, Another Begins
By Sam Gustin Feb. 14, 2013
Comcast’s $16.7 billion deal to purchase the remaining half of NBCUniversal from General Electric solidifies the cable and broadband giant’s role as a media titan and represents a triumph for CEO Brian Roberts, whose father founded Comcast in 1963 by buying a 1,200-subscriber cable TV company in Tupelo, Miss. for $500,000. Since then, Comcast has steadily grown through acquisitions and savvy business deals. It is now the largest cable company in the United States, and one of the largest providers of broadband Internet and home phone service.
GE’s sale of its remaining NBCUniversal stake marks a symbolic milestone in the history of American broadcast media, and the arrival of a new, digital era in which cable-giant Comcast has emerged as a dominant force in entertainment and communications.
By assuming full ownership of NBC Universal — which includes NBC’s famed “Peacock Network,” NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, Universal Pictures, the Universal theme parks and resorts, and several popular cable channels, including Bravo — Comcast takes full control of a crown jewel of American news and entertainment, whose history mirrors the emergence of modern broadcast media in the 20th Century.
For Comcast, the deal represents a clear commitment to cable and broadcast television, even as the Internet revolution has given consumers more entertainment choices than ever before. Despite past fears that the Internet would eviscerate TV advertising, much as it has done to print media, television — especially cable TV — remains a highly profitable and growing business.
“Our decision to acquire GE’s ownership is driven by our sense of optimism for the future prospects of NBCUniversal and our desire to capture future value that we hope to create for our shareholders,” Roberts said in a statement. Comcast shares jumped 3% Wednesday in response to the deal, touching a multi-year high; the company’s stock price has increased 46% over the past year and 68% over the past two years.
For GE, divesting its remaining NBCUniversal stake is part of CEO Jeffrey Immelt’s plan to focus on the company’s industrial businesses. GE, whose roots date back to Thomas Edison, manufactures a wide array of products including lightbulbs, locomotives, and jet engines. Nevertheless, the sale must be bittersweet for GE, whose history with NBC goes back to 1926, when the company’s RCA unit created the National Broadcasting Company, the first of its kind in the United States, ushering in the modern radio and television age. GE was forced to sell NBC in 1930 over federal antitrust concerns, but re-purchased the company in 1986.
The deal is also the latest evidence of intensifying mergers and acquisitions activity in the media and technology space, which has seen a wave of consolidation in recent years. Last week, U.S. cable giant Liberty Global announced a $16 billion deal to buy British cable giant Virgin Media, in a move that will create one of the largest broadband companies in the world, and set up Liberty mogul John Malone in a clash of the media moguls against longtime rival Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp. conglomerate.
Also last week, computer giant Dell announced plans to go private in a $24.4 billion deal. And on Wednesday, Fortune reported that Time Warner (parent company of TIME) is in talks with Des Moines-based publisher Meredith about selling its Time Inc. division, although it will reportedly hang on to TIME, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated.
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In 2011, Comcast closed a deal with GE to purchase a 51% controlling stake in NBCUniversal for $13.8 billion in cash and assets. By only buying half of the company at that time, Comcast protected itself somewhat from deteriorating performance at NBC, which was struggling to emerge from the Great Recession amid a dismal media climate.
Although there was a structure in place to purchase the remaining stake gradually by 2018, Comcast executives concluded that it made more sense to complete the deal in one shot right now, especially given improving performance at NBC — which topped its rivals in last fall’s ratings for the first time in nearly a decade — and better-than-expected revenue from last year’s Summer Olympics, which was broadcast exclusively on NBC networks. Also, by completing the deal now, Comcast executives — as well as financial analysts and media observers — believe that the company received a very favorable price for NBCUniversal.
“Comcast got it at a steal, a phenomenal price,” Matthew Harrigan, an analyst at Wunderlich Securities, told Bloomberg. “NBCU is worth north of $40 billion if you turned around the movie studio and got the broadcast network to work.” Comcast will fund the deal with $11.4 billion in cash, $4 billion of senior unsecured notes to be issued to GE, and $2 billion in debt. The cable giant will also spend $1.4 billion to purchase the iconic GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza — home of several NBC broadcasts, including Saturday Night Live — and CNBC’s headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Because ownership of the GE Building includes naming rights, it’s theoretically possible that Philadelphia-based Comcast could replace the famous glowing red GE logo with a Comcast logo. Needless to say, such a move would be intensely symbolic, because it would alter an iconic feature of the New York City skyline, and visually reinforce Comcast’s increasingly influential presence in midtown Manhattan, the center of the media world. But Roberts told CNBC that a decision on the GE Building logo is “not something we’re focused on talking about today.”
Comcast’s 2011 purchase of a controlling stake in NBCUniversal was opposed by some media reform advocates who were concerned that combining a major content creation company with a vast content distribution network would give Comcast too much power, and allow it to withhold NBC content from its competitors. But after a lengthy government review process, in which Comcast made a series of concessions as part of a consent decree – including a hands-off approach toward the news division and a pledge to make NBC content available to rival broadcast systems — federal regulators approved the deal.
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Comcast does not expect that any further regulatory approvals are needed, according to a source close to the company, because federal regulators evaluated the original transaction with the expectation that Comcast could eventually buy all of NBCUniversal, which it is now doing. ”The only way that the government would look further at this is if Comcast violated its consent decree,” Richard Brosnick, an antitrust expert with law firm Butzel Long, told Reuters.
Nevertheless, the deal continues to rankle some critics. In her new book Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly in the New Guilded Age, Susan Crawford, a tech policy expert and professor at Cardozo Law School, argues that the merger created a huge conflict of interest. “Even as the Internet was becoming the world’s general-purpose network, the merger would put Comcast in a prime position to be the unchallenged provider of everything — all data, all information, all entertainment — flowing over the wires in its market areas,” Crawford writes.
This week, Comcast said that fourth-quarter net income rose 18% to $1.52 billion, on revenue of $15.9 billion. For the full year, the company reported sales of $62.5 billion, a 12% increase over 2011. Although Comcast lost 336,000 cable video subscribers in 2012, it still has 22 million cable video customers nationwide. And the company’s broadband Internet user base is exploding. Last year, Comcast added 1.2 million high-speed Internet customers, as users flee DSL service in favor of faster cable broadband, and 613,000 voice customers. In total, Comcast now has over 50 million combined video, high-speed Internet, and voice customers in the United States.
Sam Gustin @samgustin
Sam Gustin is a reporter at TIME focused on business, technology, and public policy. A native of New York City, he graduated from Reed College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
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85th Oscars: The winners
listupdated 1:04 AM EST, Mon February 25, 2013
(CNN) -- Ben Affleck may not have earned recognition from the Academy in the directing category, but his movie "Argo" walked away on Sunday with the best picture Oscar.
"Life of Pi" was another big winner during the 85th Oscars ceremony as it claimed four awards, including the best director statue for Ang Lee.
Here's a list of the rest of the night's winners:
Best picture：
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
"Lincoln"
"Les Misérables"
"Life of Pi"
"Amour"
"Django Unchained"
"Argo" -- WINNER
Actress：
Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook" -- WINNER
Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"
Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Supporting actor：
Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained" -- WINNER
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"
Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Alan Arkin, "Argo"
Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
Supporting actress：
Sally Field, "Lincoln"
Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables" -- WINNER
Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"
Amy Adams, "The Master"
Director：
David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Ang Lee, "Life of Pi" -- WINNER
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
Michael Haneke, "Amour"
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
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Animated feature：
"Frankenweenie"
"The Pirates! Band of Misfits"
"Wreck-It Ralph"
"Brave" -- WINNER
"ParaNorman"
Foreign language film：
"Amour," Austria -- WINNER
"No," Chile
"War Witch," Canada
"A Royal Affair," Denmark
"Kon-Tiki," Norway
Adapted screenplay：
"Beasts of the Southern Wild," Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin
"Argo," Chris Terrio -- WINNER
"Lincoln," Tony Kushner
"Silver Linings Playbook," David O. Russell
"Life of Pi," David Magee
Original screenplay：
"Flight," John Gatins
"Zero Dark Thirty," Mark Boal
"Django Unchained," Quentin Tarantino -- WINNER
"Amour," Michael Haneke
"Moonrise Kingdom," Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Original song：
"Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice," music and lyrics by J. Ralph
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted," music by Walter Murphy and lyric by Seth MacFarlane
"Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," music by Mychael Danna and lyric by Bombay Jayashri
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall," music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth -- WINNER
"Suddenly" from "Les Misérables," music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
Original score：
Dario Marianelli, "Anna Karenina"
Alexandre Desplat, "Argo"
Mychael Danna, "Life of Pi" -- WINNER
John Williams, "Lincoln"
Thomas Newman, "Skyfall"
Visual effects：
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Life of Pi" -- WINNER
"Marvel's The Avengers"
"Prometheus"
"Snow White and the Huntsman"
Makeup and hairstyling：
"Hitchcock"
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Les Misérables" -- WINNER
Cinematography：
Seamus McGarvey, "Anna Karenina"
Robert Richardson, "Django Unchained"
Claudio Miranda, "Life of Pi" -- WINNER
Janusz Kaminski, "Lincoln"
Roger Deakins, "Skyfall"
Costume design：
Jacqueline Durran, "Anna Karenina" -- WINNER
Paco Delgado, "Les Misérables"
Joanna Johnston, "Lincoln"
Eiko Ishioka, "Mirror Mirror"
Colleen Atwood, "Snow White and the Huntsman"
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Animated short：
"Adam and Dog"
"Fresh Guacamole"
"Head over Heels"
"Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
"Paperman" -- WINNER
Live action short：
"Asad"
"Buzkashi Boys"
"Curfew" -- WINNER
"Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)"
"Henry"
Film editing：
William Goldenberg, "Argo" -- WINNER
Tim Squyres, "Life of Pi"
Michael Kahn, "Lincoln"
Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Oscars 2013: 'Argo' best picture in night of redemption for Ben Affleck
By Susan King and Rene Lynch
February 24, 2013, 10:07 p.m.
Being snubbed might have been the best thing to happen to Ben Affleck.
His film “Argo” took the best picture Oscar on Sunday night at the 85th Academy Awards — more than a little solace, perhaps, for being snubbed in the directing category.
Other marquee winners were Daniel Day-Lewis for lead actor for “Lincoln,” Jennifer Lawrence for lead actress for “Silver Linings Playbook,” and Ang Lee for director for “Life of Pi,” which won four Oscars, the most for any film.
Anne Hathaway won supporting actress for “Les Miserables,” and Christoph Waltz received supporting actor for “Django Unchained.” The slave revenge Western also won original screenplay for Quentin Tarantino.
But it was a night of redemption for the affable Affleck. Ever since the producer-director-star of “Argo” was a surprising omission in the director category when the Oscar nominations were announced in January, he and his film has been on a roll.
The drama about a plot to rescue Americans in Tehran during the Iranian revolution has won nearly every major honor this awards season, including the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Producers Guild Award and the Directors Guild Award.
“I never thought I would be back here,” Affleck said as he held the trophy aloft. He’d won an Oscar 15 years ago with Matt Damon for original screenplay category for “Good Will Hunting,” but since then he has seen several career lows, including the ill-fated “Gigli,” which he made with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez.
His star began to rise again as he turned to directing. “It doesn’t matter how you get knocked down in life, ’cause that’s gonna happen. All that matters is you gotta get up.”
“Argo” won three Oscars, including adapted screenplay for Chris Terrio and film editing for William Goldenberg. It’s only the fourth time that a film has won best picture without its director being nominated.
The win also made Oscar history: It was presented by First Lady Michelle Obama via satellite from the White House.
Though it was Day-Lewis by a landslide for “Lincoln,” Steven Spielberg's epic about the nation’s 16th president was largely overlooked.
It went into the evening with a dozen nominations — the most of any film. But it won only two, including production design.
Day-Lewis’ win also made history: He is the first to win three lead actor Oscars. He previously won for 1989’s “My Left Foot” and 2007’s “There Will Be Blood.”
Lawrence’s win capped a golden girl run. “This is nuts!” the 22-year-old said after tripping on her way up the stairs to the stage at the Dolby Theatre. As if to help her on her way, many in the audience took to their feet to cheer her on.
The win for her performance as a neurotic widow in the romantic comedy “Silver Linings Playbook” wrapped up an awards season during which she won nearly every award out there — the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and more.
But the biggest winner of the night was “Life of Pi,” which has defied expectations at every turn.
While it took a leap of faith to bring the bestselling book to the big screen, it has earned nearly $600 million worldwide — more than any of the other best film nominees.
“Thank you, movie god,” the Taiwanese filmmaker said as he collected his trophy and bowed before the standing, cheering audience. “Thank you for taking the leap with me,” he said to the executives at Fox who backed the costly CGI-driven film.
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The film also won score for Mychael Danna, cinematography for Claudio Miranda and for its stunning visual effects.
“Pi” marks Lee’s second Academy Award win as director. He took home the same honor seven years ago for “Brokeback Mountain.” In both cases, however, the films for which he won did not go on to win best picture.
Besides Hathaway’s supporting turn in “Les Miserables,” the musical also won Oscars for makeup and hairstyle and for sound mixing.
One of the most memorable moments came as Hathaway cradled her Oscar for playing the tragic prostitute Fantine.
“It came true!” she said softly.
Austria’s “Amour” was honored for foreign language film. The harrowing drama is about an elderly married couple struggling to cope when the wife suffers a stroke.
The ceremony was marked by a number of standing ovations.
Singer Shirley Bassey, who made her Oscar debut Sunday night, received one for her performance of her classic 1965 hit “Goldfinger” during the ceremony’s celebration of 50 years of James Bond. The age-defying 76-year-old Welsh singer was appropriately decked out in a strapless, curve-hugging gold gown with matching full-length gloves.
The audience also leaped to its feet for Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who performed her number “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls,” as well as for the cast of “Les Miserables,” whose members performed several songs from the musical.
Making her first performance in 37 years at the Oscars, Barbra Streisand sang the Oscar-winning "The Way We Were" in remembrance of its composer, Marvin Hamlisch, who died last year.
In other honors, the ceremony was marked by a rare tie — for sound editing. Oscars went to “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Skyfall.”
The Bond film also won an Academy Award for the title tune, written by Paul Epworth and pop superstar Adele.
Disney’s “Paperman” won animated short, and Disney / Pixar’s “Brave” won animated feature film. Jacqueline Durran won costume design for the period romance “Anna Karenina.”
Live-action short went to “Curfew,” directed by Shawn Christensen. “Inocente,” directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, won documentary short subject. Director Malik Bendjelloul’s “Searching for Sugar Man,” about the quest to find out what happened to a 1970s singer named Rodriguez, won best documentary.
Early into the ceremony, the Internet was ablaze with early reviews for Oscars host Seth MacFarlane.
MacFarlane — and his raunchy sense of humor — was an edgy choice for the Oscars. And some of those fears came true. There was a song about boobs, jokes about Jews in Hollywood, cracks about Lincoln’s assassination and Latino accents, and talk of post-Oscars orgies – lines that had the audience groaning at times.
Let’s just say he’s a longshot for an Emmy for his hosting duties.
However, he did the impossible Sunday night as he kicked off the awards: He made Tommy Lee Jones smile.
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Influential U.S. film critic Roger Ebert dies at 70
Thu Apr 4, 2013 4:14pm EDT By Jill Serjeant
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pulitzer-Prize winning film critic Roger Ebert died on Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times said, two days after he said his cancer of 10 years ago had returned.
"It is with a heavy heart we report that legendary film critic Roger Ebert (@ebertchicago) has passed away," the newspaper where Ebert worked for decades said on Twitter.
"There is a hole that can't be filled. One of the greats has left us. Roger Ebert has passed away at the age of 70," the Chicago Sun-Times added.
Ebert gained national prominence with fellow Chicago film critic Gene Siskel on the television show "At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert," coining the phrase "Two Thumbs Up." After Siskel's death in 1999, Ebert teamed with critic Richard Roeper, but later quit for health reasons.
Ebert, one of the most widely read movie critics in the United States, lost his ability to speak and eat after surgeries for thyroid and salivary gland cancer in 2002 and 2003.
On Tuesday, he posted a blog entry saying he was taking a "leave of presence" from his more than 40-year career and scaling back his work after doctors diagnosed his cancer had returned.
It was discovered by doctors after he fractured his hip in December.
The 'painful fracture' that made it difficult for me to walk has recently been revealed to be a cancer," Ebert said in the blog posting, giving no further details about the type of cancer or diagnosis.
"I am not going away," he added. "My intent is to continue to write selected reviews ... What's more, I'll be able at last to do what I've always fantasized about doing: reviewing only the movies I want to review."
Ebert's reviews were syndicated to more than 200 newspapers and he had been reviewing films for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967. He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1975.
Forbes magazine dubbed Ebert the most powerful pundit in America in 2007.
(Additional reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Remembrance: Roger Ebert, film's hero to the end
For film critic Roger Ebert, the show always had to go on — and what a courageous, graceful performance it was.
April 4, 2013, 4:20 p.m. By Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic
It seems like only yesterday — in fact, it was only yesterday — that I read that Roger Ebert was taking what he called, with typical verbal skill, "a leave of presence" to fight the cancer that had re-invaded his body. Today he is dead, and that collapsed time frame somehow seems only fitting.
For in the more than 10 years since he was diagnosed with cancer, Roger refused to give up as much as an inch to the disease that had ravaged his body but left his mind if anything more nimble and ready to rumble. That overused word, "courageous," fit him so well that I could only shake my head in wonder at what he was able to do.
No matter what physical depredations he faced, including the loss of a section of his jaw, the ability to chew food and even speak, Roger could not be kept away from pursuing film, the great love of his life. Last year, despite his continuing problems, he reviewed 306 films, the most of his career. Even days before he died, he was making plans for future film events because that was the only way he knew how to live.
I first got to know Roger when I started going regularly, as he did, to the film festivals at Sundance and Cannes. Though festival-going is more grueling than glamorous, the best part of it is catching up with fellow regulars, people who over time became like members of an extended family. Roger and I frequently found ourselves together because we shared some of the same proclivities, like wanting to sit in the far corner of the very last row at the enormous Eccles Theater in Park City.
More than that, Roger always puckishly claimed I had changed his life for the better when I introduced him to the Timex Indiglo watch, which lights up in the dark and lets you figure out how much time is left in particularly worrisome films. Roger promptly called it "the Critic's Friend" and often pulled his out when he saw me to prove that he was still keeping the faith.
On a more public level, of course, Roger was the best known film critic in America, the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize. I had been aware of his preeminence as one half of the Siskel and Ebert television team long before I ever thought I'd get to know him personally.
Once I did get to know him, walking back from screenings to the Hotel Splendid, the unofficial headquarters of American critics at Cannes, I was struck more than once by how invariably gracious he was to the waves of people that television had introduced him to. It could not always have been easy.
Shortly after Gene Siskel's death, for example, Roger told me that a fan had come up to him, stopped short, gave him a hard look and asked "Are you the one who died?" Roger took it all in stride.
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The more I got to know Roger, the more I thought that his TV work, though it brought him a measure of fame and fiscal independence, did a real disservice to his deep critical gifts.
The show's popularizing of the thumbs-up, thumbs-down mode of determining a film's fate was not a model of sophisticated analysis. Yet Roger himself was a dedicated scholar of film who could talk for hours about the camerawork in "Citizen Kane" or the newest wrinkles in emerging Romanian cinema.
His love for film was so great, his passion for introducing audiences to works so strong, that he wouldn't allow even losing his voice to slow him down. He wrote notes on pads for informal conversations and used a computerized voice system for more elaborate addresses. The show always had to go on.
Roger was the earliest proponent of the Internet I knew of — and not just among critics. Through his reviews, blog posts and tweets, Roger brought the appreciation of film, and film criticism, into the future and to the widest possible audience. But the story I remember most about him was one he told me about the past.
Interviewing Roger onstage a few years back when he came to Los Angeles to promote one of his books, I asked him to talk about his early life. His father, he said, had been an electrician and handyman at the University of Chicago. He could fix anything and everything, but he steadfastly refused to teach Roger any of his skills. I asked him why.
"He'd come home at night after spending the day in the offices of these professors, and he'd say to me, almost in awe, 'Roger, they just sit there and think.' That's the life he wanted for me, he didn't want me fixing things like he did.'"
Roger's dad got what he wanted, and we all have been the richer for it.
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For First Time, NHK Seeks Non-Japanese Lead for Morning Drama.Search Japan Real Time1 .Article Comments (2) Japan Real Time HOME PAGE ».smaller Larger .
December 30, 2013, 9:03 AM WSJ Japan by Hiroyuki Kachi
Nikka’s founder Masataka Taketsuru and his wife Rita.
For more than five decades, the daily morning drama series of national broadcaster NHK has been a fixture of Japanese television and a staple in popular conversation. But for the first time, NHK is looking for a non-Japanese person to play one of the lead roles.
“Massan,” which will air from September next year through March 2015, is based on the lives Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whiskey, and his Scottish wife, Jessie Roberta Cowan.
The couple met in Scotland in 1918, where Taketsuru had gone to learn the art of whiskey distilling with the intention to bringing it back to Japan. Cowan eventually changed her name to Rita Taketsuru and fully integrated into Japanese society.
The company Taketsuru built became the Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., now famous for its award-winning Taketsuru Pure Malt whiskey named after the founder, and a successful exporter of whiskey to such countries as Britain and France. The program’s title is taken from Cowan’s nickname for her husband.
Coming to Japan in 1921, the couple found it mired in economic hard times. But overcoming setbacks and failures, Taketsuru stuck with his dream, moving to the northern island of Hokkaido to build his distilling business.
NHK said that through the eyes of the heroine, the program “vividly portrays the fundamental strengths of Japanese people who have managed to get through tough times.”
The broadcaster promises the program will deliver “a lot of laughter and tears as it weaves together the story of an odd couple — a Japanese man who is a socially clumsy dreamer and his British wife who is brimming with elegance and speaks the dialect of Osaka.”
NHK is currently reviewing applications for the female lead, and plans to notify candidates for interviews in January and make a final decision in February or March.
Among the requirements for the role are an age between 25 and 40, reasonably Western-looking in appearance, with the ability to sing.
Some of NHK’s morning drama series have been extremely popular. The one that wrapped up this past September, “Amachan,” was about a young woman sea-urchin diver who went on to become an pop singer. The story took place in a northeastern coastal city, both before and after the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. The series had an economic spinoff for the region from the tourists who went to the city of Kuji, where the series was made.
Perhaps the most successful NHK morning drama was “Oshin,” about a woman who rises from rags to riches in Yamagata prefecture of northern Japan. First aired in Japan in the 1980s, Oshin was translated into many languages and broadcast in more than 60 countries.
“Massan,” will air six days per week from Sept. 29 to March 28, 2015.
2015 Golden Globes: Complete Winners List
Jan 12, 2015, 10:53 AM ET
By LESLEY MESSER and MICHAEL ROTHMAN ABCNews
MOTION PICTURES
Best Drama
WINNER: "Boyhood"
"Foxcatcher"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
Best Comedy
"Birdman"
WINNER: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Into the Woods"
"Pride"
"St. Vincent"
Best Director
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Ava Duvernay, "Selma"
David Fincher, "Gone Girl"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
WINNER: Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Best Actress in a Drama
Jennifer Aniston, "Cake"
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
WINNER: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"
Best Actor in a Drama
Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
David Oyelowo, "Selma"
WINNER: Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"
Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy
Ralph Fiennes, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
WINNER: Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Bill Murray, "St. Vincent"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Inherent Vice"
Christoph Waltz, "Big Eyes"
Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy
WINNER: Amy Adams, "Big Eyes"
Emily Blunt, "Into the Woods"
Helen Mirren, "The Hundred-Foot Journey"
Julianne Moore, "Map to the Stars"
Quvenzhané Wallis, "Annie"
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Jessica Chastain, "A Most Violent Year"
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
WINNER: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"
Best Screenplay
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Gillian Flynn, "Gone Girl"
WINNER: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"
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"Force Majeure Turist," Sweden
"Gett: The Trial of Viviane Ansalem Gett," Israel
"Ida," Poland/Denmark
WINNER: "Leviathan," Russia
"Tangerines Mandariinid," Estonia
Best Animated Feature
"Big Hero 6"
"The Book of Life"
"The Boxtrolls"
WINNER: "How to Train Your Dragon 2"
"The Lego Movie"
Best Original Song
"Big Eyes" from "Big Eyes" music and lyrics by Lana Del Rey
WINNER: "Glory" from "Selma," Music and lyrics by John Legend and Common
"Mercy Is" from "Noah," Music and lyrics by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye
"Opportunity" from "Annie," Music and lyrics by Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, Will Gluck
"Yellow Flicker Beat" from "The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1," Music and lyrics by Lorde
Best Score
"The Imitation Game"
WINNER: "The Theory of Everything"
"Gone Girl"
"Birdman"
"Interstellar"
TELEVISION
Best TV Comedy or Musical
"Girls"
"Jane the Virgin"
"Orange Is the New Black"
"Silicon Valley"
WINNER: "Transparent"
Best TV Drama
WINNER: "The Affair"
"Downton Abbey"
"Game of Thrones"
"The Good Wife"
"House of Cards"
2-3
Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Viola Davis, "How to Get Away with Murder"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
WINNER: Ruth Wilson, "The Affair"
Robin Wright, "House of Cards"
Best Actor in a TV Drama
Clive Owen, "The Knick"
Liev Schreiber, "Ray Donovan"
WINNER: Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"
James Spader, "The Blacklist"
Dominic West, "The Affair"
Best Actress in a TV Comedy
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
INNER: Gina Rodriguez, "Jane the Virgin"
Taylor Schilling, "Orange Is the New Black"
Best Actor in a TV Comedy
Louis CK, "Louie"
Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
Ricky Gervais, "Derek"
William H. Macy, "Shameless"
WINNER: Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"
Best Miniseries or TV Movie
WINNER: "Fargo"
"The Missing"
"The Normal Heart"
"Olive Kitteridge"
"True Detective"
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
WINNER: Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Honorable Woman"
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show"
Frances McDormand, "Olive Kitteridge"
Frances O'Connor, "The Missing"
Allison Tolman, "Fargo"
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Martin Freeman, "Fargo"
Woody Harrelson, "True Detective"
Matthew McConaughey, "True Detective"
Mark Ruffalo, "The Normal Heart"
WINNER: Billy Bob Thornton, "Fargo"
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Show, Miniseries or TV Movie
Uzo Aduba, "Orange Is the New Black"
Kathy Bates, "American Horror Story: Freak Show"
WINNER: Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"
Allison Janney, "Mom"
Michelle Monaghan, "True Detective"
Best Supporting Actor in a TV Show, Miniseries or TV Movie
WINNER: Matt Bomer, "The Normal Heart"
Alan Cumming, "The Good Wife"
Colin Hanks, "Fargo"
Bill Murray, "Olive Kitteridge"
Jon Voight, "Ray Donovan"
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Comic Riffs
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ becomes the fastest film ever to $1-billion mark
By Michael Cavna December 27 at 1:00 PM The Washington Post
'Star Wars' pulls in $1 billion at record speed
The latest 'Star Wars' installment crossed the $1 billion mark in ticket sales faster than any other movie in history. (Reuters)
“STAR WARS: The Force Awakens” continues to blow past box-office records like the Millennium Falcon on a Kessel Run.
The latest mark to fall: The seventh main Star Wars film has just crossed the $1-billion mark in worldwide gross faster than any movie in history.
“The Force Awakens” grossed $153.5-million domestically over the holiday weekend ― the largest Christmas holiday tally ever, and the biggest second-weekend take ever, according to studio estimates Sunday. (Final numbers are due Monday.) * The film dipped only 38-percent in its second weekend.
In North American theaters, “Force Awakens” set another record as part of its lightspeed clip: a Christmas Day take of $49.3-million.
[Reader: ‘Flowing Locks Ren is [the] Darth Emo that I just can’t stop giggling at.’]
Roughly half of the new film’s global take has come from domestic box office: a whopping $544.6-million. Combine that with a $546-million take overseas, and “The Force Awakens” has already grossed $1.09-billion worldwide.
And boosted by Star Wars, Disney has just surpassed $2-billion for the year in total domestic gross ― the first time the company has ever done so.
Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4-billion. The “Force Awakens” toys alone, according to some estimates, could reap $3-billion.
FUN WITH NUMBERS
* Domestically, “Force Awakens” is already the second biggest film of the year, trailing only “Jurassic World” ($652-million).
* Disney has three of the year’s top-four releases in domestic gross. Besides Star Wars, the Mouse House released Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($459-million) and Pixar’s “Inside Out” ($356.5-million).
* Domestically, after just 10 days, “The Force Awakens” is already the fifth-biggest film ever (not adjusted for inflation ― as it looks to topple the champion “Avatar” ($760.5-million). Worldwide, “Force Awakens” is already the 15th-biggest film ever.
