• Music News:

  Youssou N'Dour's work for harmony lands Swedish music prize | Reuters

  May 8, 2013

  STOCKHOLM | Tue May 7, 2013 5:52am EDT
  
  
  
  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour has won a share of Sweden's $150,000 Polar music prize - awarded in the past to Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and violinist Yo-Yo Ma - for promoting understanding between faiths as well as for his music. The award committee said the Grammy Award-winner was "not just a singer, but a storyteller, poet, singer of praise, entertainer and verbal historian ... (who) has worked to red... (View original article)

• Music News:

  Las Vegas: Country Music Awards is so much more than a show - latimes.com

  March 18, 2013

  Singer Luke Bryan, performing at last year's Academy of Country Music Awards, will be the co-host of the April 7 event in Las Vegas. (Getty Images for ACM)
  
  
  
  By Jay Jones March 12, 2013, 7:15 a.m. The 48th Academy of Country Music Awards show takes center stage April 7 in Las Vegas, and although the ceremony is ... (View original article)

• Music News:

  Op-Ed: Academy of Country Music Awards Predictions — Top Vocal Duo

  March 18, 2013

  Op-Ed: Academy of Country Music Awards Predictions — Top Vocal Duo By Markos Papadatos.
  
  Five country duos are in the running for the Academy of Country Music (ACM) award for “Top Vocal Duo” of 2013. These nominated acts include Big & Rich, Florida Georgia Line, Love and Theft, Sugarland, as well as Thompson Square.
  
  For Sugarland, their nomination in this category is their reward since this year was low-key for Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. Big & Ric... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Berlin Film Festival: Romania's 'Child's Pose' wins Golden Bear - latimes.com

  February 17, 2013

  BERLIN -- The 63rd Berlin International Film Festival handed out its awards Saturday, with the top prize, the Golden Bear for best film, going to the Romanian family drama and corruption tale “Child’s Pose,” directed by Calin Peter Netzer.
  
  An unflinching look at life among the country’s entitled and connected upper class, “Child’s Pose” follows a controlling mother’s attempt to bribe freedom for her ungrateful son after he kills a child from a poor family in a traffic ... (View original article)

• Music News:

  Forget the Awards — Grammy Night Is About the Performances | TheLedger.com

  February 10, 2013

  ELTON JOHN, left, and Eminem share the stage following their duet at the 43rd annual Grammy Awards in 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (KEVORK DJANSEZIAN | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (2001))
  
  
  
  
  
  Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.
  
  Do you really care whether Mumford & Sons or fun. wins the Grammy for album of the year? Probably not. The No. 1... (View original article)

• Music News:

  Tech wizards honored by Oscars organizers | Reuters

  February 10, 2013

  By Tim Reid
  
  BEVERLY HILLS, California | Sun Feb 10, 2013 1:32am EST
  
  
  
  BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) - Some of the most ingenious behind-the-scenes innovators, whose breakthroughs in computer technology and other fields were key to the making of movies such as "Shrek" and "Avatar," were awarded at an early Oscar organizers' ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday night. From the team who developed a system to bring to life computerized digital stunt doubles ... (View original article)

• Music News:

  Nominations For The 48th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards To Be Announced At Digital Press Conference « Country Music News, Artists, Interviews – US99.5

  February 6, 2013

  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
  
  
  
  
  
  The announcement of the nominees for The 48th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards have entered the digital age.
  
  Little Big Town, The Band Perry, Scotty McCreery and more will be announcing all the nominees via the ACM’s social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
  
  The big reveal, which will take place on Wednesday, February 13th at 8:30am, will be announcing the categories via vid... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Ben Affleck nabs another Best Director award for 'Argo' - NY Daily News

  February 5, 2013

  Ben Affleck has won the top film honor from the Directors Guild of America for his CIA thriller “Argo,” further sealing its status as best-picture front-runner at the Academy Awards.
  
  Saturday’s prize also normally would make  Affleck a near shoo-in to win best-director at the Feb. 24 Oscars, since the Directors Guild recipient nearly always goes on to claim the same prize at Hollywood’s biggest night. But Affleck surprisingly missed out on an Oscar directing nomination, along wit... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  In pictures: Oscar hopefuls gather for Academy Award nominees luncheon - Features - Films - The Independent

  February 5, 2013

  This year, guests arriving for the event at the Beverly Hilton hotel were greeted by protesters from the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, who claim Best Picture nominee Zero Dark Thirty is “inaccurate” in its “implication that the use of torture produced critical intelligence” in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
  
  Ben Affleck, left, director and star of Argo, told reporters on the red carpet of his respect for his fellow nominees. “I’d love to work with David O’Russell; I’d l... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  'Lincoln,' 'Les Miserables,' 'Argo' look for SAG boost - CNN.com

  January 25, 2013

  Finished Actor statuettes for the 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Award are on display at the American Fine Arts Foundry on January 17, 2013 in Burbank, California.
  
  
  
  STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  
  Best-pic race pits "Lincoln" vs. "Les Miserable," but "Argo threatens upset Daniel Day-Lewis, Hugh Jackman emerged from Globes as best-actor favorites Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence in running for best actress SAG Awards are chosen by actors
  
  
  
  Los Angeles (CNN) --... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Tom Stoppard To Receive WGA West's Laurel Award For Screen - Deadline.com

  January 15, 2013

  Tom Stoppard, the screenwriter and playwright whose latest feature film work is this year’s Anna Karenina, has been named the winner of the WGA West‘s 2013 Laurel Award for Screen, the guild’s lifetime achievement award for movies. He will receive the honor February 17 during the WGA Awards‘ West Coast ceremony at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE. Previous recipients include David Mamet, Lawrence Kasdan, Robert Benton, Barry Levinson, Steven Zaillian, and Eric Roth last year.
  
  St... (View original article)

• Book News:

  National Book Critics Circle Names 2012 Award Finalists - NYTimes.com

  January 15, 2013

  The National Book Critics Circle on Monday announced the finalists for its 2012 awards, including Katherine Boo, who won the National Book Award in November for “Behind the Beautiful Forevers,” a deeply reported look inside a Mumbai slum.
  
  In the fiction category, only one of the finalists from the National Book Awards made the list: “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” by Ben Fountain. The other books that will vie for the prize are “HHhH,” by Laurent Binet, which won France’s top lite... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  5 memorable moments: Winners, one-liners and surprises at Golden Globes - CNN.com

  January 14, 2013

  STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  
  Snubbed by Oscars, Ben Affleck scores a director win at Golden Globes "Les Miserables" wins three Globes, including best musical or comedy film President Bill Clinton makes surprise appearance to introduce "Lincoln" Daniel Day-Lewis wins for "Lincoln" role
  
  
  
  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, w... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  People's Choice Awards: List of winners - CBS News

  January 11, 2013

  Here is the list of winners from the 2013 People's Choice Awards, handed out Wednesday in a ceremony at Los Angeles's Nokia Theatre and broadcast on CBS.
  
  52 Photos People's Choice Awards 2013 red carpet Favorite Movie: "The Hunger Games"
  
  35 Photos People's Choice Awards 2013 highlights Favorite Movie Actor: Robert Downey Jr.
  
  16 Photos People's Choice Awards 2013 backstage Favorite Movie Actress: Jennifer Lawrence
  
  Favorite Movie Icon: Meryl Streep
  
  Fa... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2013: "Silver Linings Playbook," "Skyfall" win early - CBS News

  January 11, 2013

  Updated 9:00 p.m. ET
  
  Awards season continued to heat up with the 18th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Thursday night, airing live from Los Angeles.
  
  The first award of the night -- best acting ensemble -- went to "Silver Linings Playbook," starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro. Quvenzhane Wallis, star of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the best young actor/actress honor. The 9-year-old actress, who scored a best actress Oscar nod earlier on Th... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  "Lincoln," "Life of Pi" lead Oscar race - CBS News

  January 10, 2013

  (CBS News) BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg's drama of the 16th president's fight to eradicate slavery, leads the race for this year's Academy Awards, with 12 nominations, including Best Picture.
  
  Close behind was fellow Best Picture nominee "Life of Pi," Ang Lee's mystical fable of a young man stranded on a ship's lifeboat with a voracious Bengal tiger, which received 11 nominations.
  
  Joining them in the Best Picture category are: "Les Miserables," an adap... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Award-season hopefuls stop in Palm Springs - Yahoo! News

  January 8, 2013

  PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — The Award Season Express made its first stop of the new year in the middle of the desert a couple hours east of Hollywood at the annual Palm Springs International Film Festival gala.
  
  A blast of Golden Globe nominees and Oscar hopefuls walked the press gauntlet Saturday night, including Naomi Watts ("The Impossible"), Helen Hunt and John Hawkes ("The Sessions"), Ben Affleck ("Argo") and "Arbitrage" star Richard Gere, who received the night's so-called Chair... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Oh No They Didn't! - Naomi Watts honoured with award in Palm Springs

  January 8, 2013

  NAOMI Watts has been honoured at the 2013 Palm Springs International Film Festival, just days before Oscar nominations are announced. Watts was presented with the Desert Palm Achievement Award for Acting at the festival's gala night in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday night.
  
  The British-born, Australian-raised actress was chosen to receive the honour for her performance in The Impossible.
  
  In November, Festival chairman Harold Matzner told Variety.com that Watts's perfor... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  2013 Producers Guild of America Film and TV Award Nominations - News - GeekTyrant

  January 8, 2013

  Earlier this week The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the nominations for their annual awards for theatrical motion picture, animated motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 2013 Producers Guild Awards.
  
  This was an incredible year for films, and most of the movies nominated here deserve to be. Out of all the films listed here, I'd like to see Zero Dark Thirty or Silver Linings Playbook take the top prize for motion picture, Paranorman for animated film,... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Writers Guild Award Nominations Announced -- Vulture

  January 7, 2013

  Following the Producers and Screen Actors Guilds, the Writers Guild of America is next up to announce its annual award nominations (the Directors Guild announce January 8). Among the usual suspects like Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln, there are some surprises, namely Looper, The Master, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. However, if anything, that might reflect the many films (including Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Amour, and Beasts of the Southern Wild) that were excluded because of ... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Nine Sci-Tech Award Winners Unveiled - Deadline.com

  January 7, 2013

  BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that nine scientific and technical achievements represented by 25 individual award recipients will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation at The Beverly Hills Hotel on Saturday, February 9, 2013.
  
  Unlike other Academy Awards to be presented this year, achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards need not have been developed and introduced during 2012. Rather, th... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  'Lincoln,' 'Argo,' 'Skyfall' among Producers Guild Award nominees - latimes.com

  January 5, 2013

  Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field star in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" which was nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award (David James)
  
  
  
  By Susan King January 2, 2013, 3:00 p.m. The Producers Guild of America nominated the producers of 10 films Wednesday for the Darryl F. Zanuck producer of the year award ... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Joseph Gordon-Levitt To Host Sundance Awards Gala - Deadline.com

  January 5, 2013

  Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today that actor, writer and director Joseph Gordon-Levitt will host the 2013 Sundance Film Festival feature film Awards Ceremony on January 26 in Park City, Utah and live-streamed at www.sundance.org/festival. The Festival takes place January 17-27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. As an actor, Gordon-Levitt has appeared in seven films at the Festival, including Mysterious Skin, Brick, and (500) Days of Summer. His directin... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  Rome Fest to Give Tarantino Lifetime Award

  January 4, 2013

  29 Dec 2012 post a comment
  
  ROME, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- International Rome Film Festival organizers said they will present "Django Unchained" director Quentin Tarantino with a lifetime achievement award. Italian film composer Ennio Morricone will present Tarantino with the honor at a gala screening of his latest film Jan. 4, the film's European premiere, The Hollywood Reporter said Friday.
  
  The film festival concluded Nov. 17, but artistic director Marco Mueller had pro... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  New York Film Critics Circle Awards: 'Zero Dark Thirty' Wins Best Film, Director | TIME.com

  December 26, 2012

  Columbia Pictures The war-on-terror movie beat the Civil War movie at the 78th New York Film Critics Circle Awards on Monday. And in the earliest of a few dozen year-end announcements from critics’ groups, some other late-year favorites — Argo, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, The Master, Silver Linings Playbook — got lost in the war cloud of enthusiasm for the top two finishers.
  
  Zero Dark Thirty, the scrupulous docudrama about one CIA analyst’s search for Osama bin Laden, was name... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  'Lincoln,' 'Django Unchained,' 'Argo' among Golden Globe nominees - NBC News Entertainment

  December 24, 2012

  By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, NBC News
  
  Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," which tells the story of the famed president's final days in office, earned seven Golden Globe nominations Thursday, including best movie in the drama category, best director for Spielberg, best actor for Daniel Day-Lewis and best supporting actress for Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.
  
  The movies nominated for best drama were pretty much as critics predicted. In addition to "Lincoln," "Argo," "Django Unchain... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  SF film critics' best film: 'The Master' - SFGate

  December 19, 2012

  Paul Thomas Anderson's challenging and layered "The Master" was named best picture by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle on Sunday, at their annual meeting that yielded another group of eclectic choices.
  
  Joaquin Phoenix also was awarded best actor for his work in "The Master," which explores leaders and followers of a cultish group called the Cause. Other movies that won two awards were "Lincoln," "Zero Dark Thirty," the foreign language film "Amour" and "The Waiting Room," Pet... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  40th Annual Annie Award Nominations Announced - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

  December 15, 2012

  BURBANK, Calif., Dec. 3, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 40th Annual Annie Awards™ recognizing the year's best in the field of animation. The Annie Awards cover 30 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements.
  
  The slate of nominations for Best Animated Features this year includes: Brave (Pixar... (View original article)

• Music News:

  World Music Award Nominees 2012: Jason Aldean Tops Country Star Nods - The Boot

  December 15, 2012

  Getty Images
  
  
  
  Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum are just a few of the country acts nominated for a 2012 World Music Award. The global entertainers join a star-studded list of artists from across the popular music spectrum to have received nods in the internal competition, including fellow country acts Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, the Zac Brown Band and Miranda Lambert.Jason leads the pack of country nominees with six nods, inclu... (View original article)

• Movie News:

  2013 Golden Globe Award nominations - latimes.com

  December 15, 2012

  'Argo': The Envelope Screening Series Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Clea DuVal, Rory Cochrane, Kerry Bishé, John Goodma...
  
  Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Clea DuVal, Rory Cochrane, Kerry Bishé, John Goodman; producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov, and screenwriter Chris Terrio discuss the film "Argo" with Times staff writer John Horn.
  
  
  
  
  
  (View original article)

• Book News:

  2012 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Awarded to Gene Wolfe

  December 15, 2012

  2012 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Awarded to Gene Wolfe SFWA has named Gene Wolfe as the 2012 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for his contributions to the literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
  
  Gene Wolfe’s fiction first saw publication in the 1960s. He is best known for the novels The Book of the New Sun, Peace, and The Fifth Head of Cerberus, and received many awards, including the Nebula, World Fantasy and Locus.
  
  Neil Gaiman: “It’s n... (View original article)