Category Archives: Reality Programs

Oscar Nominations were Announce

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The announcement of the nominations for 84th Oscar was announced early this morning on January 24, 2012.

Martin Scorses’s “Hugo” leads up 11 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The silent film “The Artist” was close behind with 10 nominations. “Moneyball” and “War Horse” with six nominations.

Billy Crystal will host the Oscar, and he’s back. He’s my favorite host, but they should have someone younger who was nominated in the movies. Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

Other surprising nominations are “Transformers: The Dark of the Moon” with visual effects, best visuals especially with the action sequence that was superbly done. I saw the movie, and it was great. Along side with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”and “Hugo.”

Rooney Mara earned a best actress nomination for her role in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” bumping Tilda Swinton (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”) out of the category.

It was expected that George Clooney would earn a best actor nomination for “The Descendants,” but he’s also nominated in the adapted screenplay category, with Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon for “The Ides of March.” George Clooney co-star was not so lucky – Shailene Woodley earned critical praise (and a Golden Globe nomination) for her performance in the film, but that didn’t translate to an Oscar nod. She was good. One day she will get an award.

Melissa McCarthy got a best supporting actress nod for Bridesmaid. Can she get Oscar and an Emmy? But it is nominated for best originally screen play for Kristin Wigg and Annie Mumolo.

So Steven Spielberg always gets to nominate for his films, “War Horse” was nominated for Best Picture but not for Direction. His other film “The Adventure of Tintin” was not nominated for the best animated film. Maybe  next time, it’s always nice to give other people a chance to win.

Here are the nominees:

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

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

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

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

Laurence Cendrowizc/The Weinstein Company 

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

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

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango 

Original Screenplay
The Artist, Written by Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
Margin Call, Written by J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen
A Separation, Written by Asghar Farhadi 

Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan
The Ides of March, Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin.  Story by Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan 

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran) 

Original Score
The Adventures of Tintin, John Williams
The Artist, Ludovic Bource
Hugo, Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alberto Iglesias
War Horse, John Williams 

Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio,” Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett 

Achievement in Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Achievement in Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse 

Achievement in Costume Design
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E. 

Best Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated 

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

 

Achievement in Film Editing
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

Achievement in Makeup
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life 

Best Live Action Short Film
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic 

Achievement in Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse 

Achievement in Sound Mixing
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse 

Achievement in Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Who would you pick?

American Idol 2012: This year better Auditions

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It’s the first time American Idol auditions took place in Pittsburg, there’s should go to every state to find talent, but it’s progress and new talent from new people can really impress us in their singing abilities.

Hee Jun or Hi Jun, 22,  from New York, original from Korea. There are some Korean people who can really sing and so did he, he belted out a Michael Bolton’s song, “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?” and he was good. Could American Idol go with an international singer?

Next was Reed Grimm, instead of singing the typical contemporary songs, he sang the TV classic theme song from “Family Matters” in which that was good and very soulful. He’s going to Urkle’s house. I meant Hollywood.

Creighton Fraker, 28, is a starving artist from Queens.  He sang an original composition that he wrote on the bus fromNew York to Pittsburgh about American Idol, which is good, but they want to hear him if he could really sing and he did. He sang good, if he can stop making to much of the facial movements. He could much better. The second song is much better. Hurrah for Hollywood.  Remember to follow the rules  and listen to the vocal instructor.

Samantha Novacek, who sang Faith Hill’s “Like We Never Loved at All.” She did a wonderful job, while her sister did the yoga planking on the floor. Weird. Got three yeses.

Eben,Ohio, he sang “Ain’t No Sunshine,” he was good. Great voice and great looks, but he should have picked a better song. We hear this all the time when contestants start to audition. They start out great and get three yeses from the judges. Creativity counts. He’s going to Hollywood.

Travis Orlando, he dropped out of school, he’s living in a shelter with his father, he wants to become a star to prove to his estranged mother that his life has value — to put him over the edge with the judges. And he did good.

Shane Bruce, a coal miner, had a great voice when he sang Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. His  nerves got him and he messed it up by one minor pitch.

Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson were entertaining the contestants in the lobby. They were good, I think.

Erika Van Pelt is a mobile DJ and wedding singer. She sings “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.” Erika has a deep, smoky kind of voice, and she has good control and phrasing, too. She made it to Hollywood.

Steven Tyler was playing with his comedy red box. I need to get one of those things. Maybe later.

Sometime rejections are hard to say no, some have it and some don’t have it. But a little more practice, and a lesson could benefit for the long road.

Hallie Day was the final contestant at the Pittsburgh auditions for ‘American Idol‘ — talk about going out on a high note. Day sang Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive,’ and it was somewhat autobiographical for her.

Day, 24 and a newlywed, is now working as a waitress in Baltimore,Md. She dropped out of high school at 15 and headed to New York to perform in a girl group. She was lonely, in debt and became an addict during her N.Y.C. stint. With her tail between her legs, Day moved home, ate a bottle of pills and attempted suicide. She’s a typical underdog that these types of reality shows absolutely love to spotlight, so thankfully her performance was top-notch and she didn’t need to play the sympathy card in order to get through.

Day’s blond-and-blue-eyed soul version of the disco classic with the empowering lyrics was pretty terrific. She nailed it. Steven Tyler even asked her to sing something else, not because she was lacking in any department or because he was unimpressed, but because he loved to watch her sing and share her gift with others.

A ghost Audition for the X-Factor

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What could scare a Simon Cowell? A ghost. The place they were staying at was The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa in Dallas,Texas for their audition for the X-factor, a new reality talent show coming soon on FOX.  Who ever book him to this place did not know this place was haunted. But this place is absolutely beautiful and luxury rooms and it was built in 1923, the year should have given the PR a clue.

Designed by architect F.J. Woerner in the Beaux Arts style and predominantly built by local contractors, the 11-story concrete fireproof structure adorned with stone, terra cotta, and brick marked the beginning of modern, luxury high rise living in Dallas. At the time, it was the tallest hotel west of the Mississippi offering “fine” views of the city from its prominent suburban address inOak Lawn–“out of the turmoil and dirt of the city.”

Guests socialized in the elegant lobby, women’s sun parlor, and men’s smoking lounge on the first floor. The eleventh floor was a magnificent ballroom/solarium for special functions and a dining room serving the finest continental cuisine overlooking the city. Building amenities included a children’s gymnasium, beauty shop and barbershop, a grocery store in the basement, and The Stoneleigh Court’s own refrigerating plant, radio station, and 40-car parking garage.

Highlighting The Stoneleigh’s long list of notable guests have been such luminaries as Frank Lloyd Wright, Lauren Bacall, Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Bob Hope, The Metropolitan Opera Company, Carol Burnett, Carol Channing, Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Darrell Royal, Paul Simon, LeAnn Rimes, and Oliver Stone. The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa is also member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Historic Hotels of America”.

And I think the celebrities who stayed there have their share of ghost stories too. Simon Cowell was the first to notice when he entered the building, and he was about to be checked into his room. He felt someone was watching him, a presence in the room, like the owner of the place was staring at him and trying to find out who was Simon Cowell and what he was doing in the room and his hotel. Simon Cowell had a weird feeling about this, and his co-worker thought he was a diva and wanted to change hotels. So they did, they change hotels.

This old creepy hotel had renovations done to make it exquisite and beautiful with a lot of features included. It sure is a one stop place one can do anything without leaving the place.

America’s Got Talent: Top Ten Performers

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America’s Got Talent was a great show on Wednesday night. The first group that came on stage was Silhouettes, Gymkana and Steven Retchless.

Silhouettes did their silhouettes dancing. They could have done something inspiration in shadow dancing, but it was different, and I like it. It can be show to watch in Vegas. It was good. Gmykana did a breathtaking jumping through a flaming hoop, apparently one person got hurt, but he was okay. Still routines got to be perfect. Steven Retchless the male pole dancer and Piers Morgan still buzzed him. He thinks there’s no show about male pole dancers, but they are male pole dancers in Broadway plays and Vegas act. What does he know? He still lives under a rock. He needs a pole in his house and tries it out in his bedroom. Silhouettes made it through the first round.

Okay, Nicki Minai sang and rap. I was washing dishes, vacuuming the floors, dusting the ceiling fan while in motion and reading a bed time story to my mom. Did not understand what she was singing about?

Then the second group came out. I really wanted to know the ending of the three bears and the Goldilocks.  Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. and Anna Graceman appeared on stage. First I was surprised Anna Graceman went through and so did Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. It was funny to see Anna Graceman leaped into Landau arms and hugged each other.

The next group to come on stage was Professor Splash, Fatally Unique, Summerwind Skippers and Landon Swank.

Professor Splash did his record breaking jumping. He’s set 12 Guinness-recognized world records for shallow-water diving, performing the feat fromJapanto theUnited StatestoGermany.Taylorrecently ventured to frigidTrondheim,Norway, to once again try to break his own world record and jump from 36 feet up into a pool with only 1 foot of water. It would be his 13th career world record. Wow, but can it be show? Reaching higher levels and breaking a world’s record. It’s great to see. It will be his last fall this Fall – no pun intended. The dancers and Summerwind Skippers did not go through. The Summerwind Skippers they should have show how fast he can jump or skip under minute and then I would be impressed.  Magician Landon Swank went through, can’t wait to see what magic he would do next.  I hope it is spectacular.

Susan Boyle sang and it was a fantastic performer. She sang “You Have to Be There” from the musical “Kristina.” I hope they could bring the past winners fromBritain’s Got Talent.

The last group was The Kinetic King, Smage Bros. Riding Show and Snap Boogie. It’s time to say good bye for Kinetic King, but will they be a Kinetic Queen in the future – Pipa Medleton? Then it’s down to two: Smage Bros. Riding Show and Snap Boogie they were both great and the judges had to pick Smage Bros. Riding Show.

And the top ten: Lys Agnes, POPLYFE, Team iLuminate, Miami All Stars, West Springfield Dance, Landon Swank, Anna Graceman, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., Silhouettes and the Smage Bros. Riding Show.

Did your favorite get in?

Dancing with The Stars: Chaz Bono is Dancing?

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Are you ready for the new season premier of ‘Dancing with The Stars’? Well get on your dancing shoes and wear that gorgeous gown that you were putting it off during the summer months. They have announced the new cast of Dancing with The Stars, and it is not what we have expected to be.

Here’s the list:

David Arquette and Kym Johnson

Ron Artest and Peta Murgatroyd

Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer

Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy

Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas

Nancy Grace and Tristan McManus

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke

CarsonKressley and Anna Trebunskaya

RickiLakeand Derek Hough

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff

Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

All my favorite’s dancers are back. Derek Hough took a leave of absent from last year to do something, maybe some rest and recreation or work on a project. He’s dancing withRickiLake. Even so, can she last longer than Chaz Bono?  However, his sister Julianne Hough is doing a revamp of the movie “Footloose,” but will it have the original songs in 1980’s be in the movie or some new bands and singer whom we never heard of. “Footloose” will be premiering in October 2011.

A controversy cast is Chaz Bono, who is joining the show. I don’t know what’s the fuss is all about. Since he was a woman before, and he’s a guy now and being paired with Lacey Schwimmer. So why not? Let him show us that he can dance. He’s a contestant on the show. What could be possible go wrong? He’s a bit obese, but he could be slim down – with dancing.

Also joining the show is Nancy Grace the attorney will make her dancing debut, if she did not make it through the first round of judging. She can even sue the judges.

Who’s your favorite to win?

Dancing with The Stars season 13 will premier on September 19, 2011 on ABC at 8pm. So please either DVR, TiVo or tape it on your VCR.  Don’t forget it.