Showing posts with label OSCARS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OSCARS. Show all posts

KATE WINSLET - David La Chappell - 2009

Kate celebrates her first Oscar with a nude shoot !





ISAAC HAYES ( 1943-2008 )

HE WAS A BAD MUTHER...(SHUT YO MOUTH)



With its riveting orchestration, definitive guitar play and signature sensual baritone vocals, Isaac Hayes' theme song for the 1971 movie "Shaft" not only became one of pop music's iconic songs, but also the defining work of Hayes' career.


Yet the "Theme from Shaft," which would earn both Grammys and an Oscar, was just a snippet of the groundbreaking music for which Hayes — who died Sunday at age 65 — was responsible.

He penned soul classics like "Hold On I'm Comin'" for Sam & Dave, helped usher in the era of disco and was a goldmine for countless hip-hop and R&B artists who used his illustrious arrangements as the focal point for their songs decades later.

"Isaac Hayes embodies everything that's soul music," Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Associated Press on Sunday. "When you think of soul music you think of Isaac Hayes — the expression ... the sound and the creativity that goes along with it."

His influence also extended beyond music. His trademarked bald head, full beard and muscular frame, often adorned with a multitude of gold chains, made him a fashion trendsetter at a time when most of his contemporaries were sporting blowout Afros. He was also a symbol of black pride, and an activist for civil rights.

The Rev. Al Sharpton called Hayes a "creative genius" and added, "even in his later years he never hesitated to appear for a cause or endorse something that he felt was for the good of mankind. He will be sorely missed."

Hayes also acted in movies including "Tough Guys," "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" and "Hustle & Flow." He had recently completed the movie "Soul Men," in which he played himself; the film also starred Samuel Jackson and Bernie Mac, who died on Saturday after a bout with pneumonia. And a new generation of fans discovered the man behind "Shaft" when, in 1997, he became the voice of Chef on the Comedy Central show "South Park."

Hayes, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis in Memphis, Tenn., after collapsing Sunday afternoon near a treadmill in his home nearby.

Steve Shular, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said authorities received a 911 call after Hayes' wife and young son and his wife's cousin returned home from the grocery store and found him collapsed in a downstairs bedroom. A sheriff's deputy administered CPR until paramedics arrived.

Stanback said he was shocked to learn of the death of the singer, who was about to start work on a new record for Stax, the label Hayes helped make legendary.

In an industry filled with colorful and dynamic figures, Hayes was a standout on several levels, from his smooth baritone to his flamboyant style: It was almost as if he was made to be a musical god.

But Hayes spent the early part of his career firmly in the musical background. A self-taught musician from Covington, Tenn., he made a name for himself playing with various bands around Memphis. In 1964, he was hired by Stax Records to be a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.

He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote classic hits for Sam and Dave such as "Hold On, I'm Coming," "Soul Man," and "When Something is Wrong With My Baby." They also wrote for other Stax artists including Carla Thomas.

Hayes' work as a composer helped him secure a deal as a solo artist. His first album, "Presenting Isaac Hayes," was a poor seller, the result of an impromptu jam session. But after getting creative control, he delivered his next album, "Hot Buttered Soul" in 1969, and it made him a star.

Hayes offered something completely different to the musical world. In an era of straightened hair or Afros, Hayes was bald: "His look was just so profound," Stanback said. "He was like a superhero."

Whereas other soul crooners showed their passion through wails, Hayes delivery was calm, cool — almost subdued. He prefaced songs with "raps," and they ran longer than typical standard of three minutes: One song, a cover of Glen Campbell's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," ran 18 minutes.

"(Radio) jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled of his songs in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."

Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit from the blaxploitation film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.

"That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.

At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.

In 1972, he won another Grammy for his album "Black Moses" and earned a nickname he reluctantly embraced. He was also part of the historic "Wattstax" concert in riot-ravaged Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Besides "Shaft," Hayes composed film scores for "Tough Guys" and "Truck Turner." He also did the song "Two Cool Guys" on the "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" movie soundtrack in 1996.

Additionally, he was the voice of Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite" and had radio shows in New York City (1996 to 2002) and then in Memphis.

Though his last big hits on the charts ended in the 1980s, Hayes' presence in contemporary music continued as his songs were sampled on numerous hits by rap and R&B performers, ranging from Ashanti to Public Enemy to Jay-Z.

"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."

Stanback said: "A lot of artists owe Isaac his career because a lot of music was based on his foundation."

He garnered another audience and cult following with his work on "South Park." A school cook, Chef was in many ways the voice of reason in the otherwise outrageous animated social commentary, unwittingly imparting pearls of wisdom on the schoolboys who often came to him with their dilemmas; this, in spite of the fact that his foremost devotion was — true to Hayes' music and persona — being a ladies' man.

In the 1999 interview, Hayes described the character as "a person that speaks his mind; he's sensitive enough to care for children; he's wise enough to not be put into the 'wack' category like everybody else in town — and he l-o-o-o-o-ves the ladies."

"Isaac Hayes was a wonderful human begin and his spirit will live long in the form of his music," he said.

FOREIGNERS WIN ALL THE ACTING OSCARS !!!


The top four coveted Oscar awards went to foreign actors and actresses at the 80th Annual Academy Awards show last night in Hollywood. The last time the U.S. has been shut out in a foreign sweep was 1964.

British born Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for There Will Be Blood; British born Tilda Swinton won best supporting actress for Michael Clayton; Spanierd Javier Bardem won best supporting actor for No Country For Old Men; and French actress Marion Cotillard won best actress for La Vie En Rose.

In 1964, the winners were Rex Harrison, best actor for My Fair Lady; Julie Andrews, best actress for Mary Poppins; Peter Ustinov, best supporting actor for Topkapi; and Lila Kedrova, best supporting actress for Zorba The Greek.

We’ve got some great photos of the winners, including one where Daniel Day-Lewis plants a big kiss on the surprised George Clooney.

JENNIFER GARNER - RED CARPET MOMENT

Movie Awards Season

It's time for the stars of the big screen to step up and get their awards - if they win of course.

On 10 February the BAFTA Awards will be given out in London.

The 80th Academy Awards will be held at the Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles, on 24 February.

& the night before the Oscars, the Razzie Awards will be given out to acknowledge the worst in cinema this year. Lindsay Lohan and Eddie Murphy could be big 'winners' or losers there. I really hope 'Good Luck Chuck' gets a Razzie - as it is the most pathetic film I have ever seen!

Full List Of BAFTA Nomiees>>>

Full List Of Oscar Nominees>>>

Golden Globes Ceremony Scrapped

The Golden Globes ceremony has been cancelled and replaced with a news conference because of the strike by writers over royalties, reports BBC.

The winners of the US TV and film awards, regarded as second in prestige only to the Oscars, will instead be revealed in a low-key, hour-long news conference next Sunday.

Actors, including George Clooney and Keira Knightley had vowed to boycott the event in support of writers, according to reports. Without top names, networks had threatened not to screen the event.

Jorge Camara of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association said, "We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony will not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favourite stars."

Meanwhile, Oscars organisers say they are confident they will be able to "do the kind of show the public expects of us" on 24 February.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since November over "residuals" - royalties for work distributed online or on DVD.

The dispute has brought to a standstill the production of nearly all TV comedy and drama shows including Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy.
Partial Source: BBC Image Source

..AND THE OSCAR FOR BEST NUDE SCENE ???

FROM "CASHBACK"

BONUS TOPLESS PICTURE BECUASE SHE IS SO F-ING HOT

PAGE 3’s Keeley has beaten dozens of Hollywood beauties to be runner-up in a film poll to find the hottest nude scene.

She trounced Alist stars including Sienna Miller and Natalie Portman for her movie debut in Cashback.

It was a low-budget production but became a hit after our Page 3 Idol winner stripped to reveal her curves.

Keeley, 21, from Bromley, Kent, was narrowly pipped to the top spot by sexy Marisa Tomei, 42, in Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead.

Keeley said: “I’m absolutely thrilled by the result.”

The Top 20 are in full:

1. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead - Marisa Tomei

2. Cashback - Keeley Hazell

3. Hotel Chevalier - Natalie Portman

4. Black Snake Moan - Christina Ricci

5. Factory Girl - Sienna Miller

6. Yellow - Roselyn Sanchez

7. The Heartbreak Kid - Malin Akerman

8. We Own the Night - Eva Mendes

9. 300 - Lena Headey

10. Knocked Up - Stormy Daniels and Nautica Thorn

11. Feast of Love - Alexa Davalos

12. Good Luck Chuck - Chelan Simmons

13. Lust, Caution - Wei Tang

14. Bug - Ashley Judd

15. Alpha Dog - Olivia Wilde

16. Alone with Her - Ana Claudia Talancón

17. Halloween - Danielle Harris

18. Hostel: Part II - Heather Matarazzo

19. The Last Time - Amber Valletta

20. Rise: Blood Hunter - Lucy Liu

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"American Gangster" MOST PIRATED MOVIE EVER ?


"American Gangster," the true story of former New York City drug kingpin Frank Lucas, may have topped the weekend box office take, reeling in $46.1 million.

But that's only the official tally.

Unofficially, the movie that has generated Oscar buzz for stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, both of whom already have Academy Awards, may have taken in tens of millions more.

That's because movie pirates have flooded the underground DVD market with so many copies of "American Gangster" that many folks had already seen the film before its theater debut.

"You don't understand," wrote one blogger in an online discussion among film buffs who are trying to figure out how such a pristine copy of the film hit the Internet and the streets some two weeks before it opened in theaters.

"The 'knockoff' was an exact DVD copy [with] 5.0 Digital sound and perfect picture. This wasn't a copy [by] some dude in a theater with a Samsung Digicam."

Not only was "American Gangster" available on DVD for $5 in such bootleg capitals as Los Angeles and New York, it also was being sold in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Savannah, Ga., Houston and everywhere in between.

Universal Pictures, which made the film for an estimated $100 million, has refused to comment about the proliferation of bootleg copies.

It's the latest in a growing problem that the Motion Picture Association of America estimates costs U.S. motion picture studios more than $6 billion a year.

A 2005 study found that the United States accounted for only a fifth of the lost sales, with the bulk -- 80 percent -- occurring overseas, where bootleg copies are rampant.

Of the bootlegged copies, the study said $3.8 billion -- 62 percent -- was the result of pirated DVDs, while $2.3 billion -- 38 percent -- was the result of Internet piracy. At 90 percent, China had the highest piracy rate -- nine of every 10 potential dollars were lost to viewings of illegal copies -- followed by Russia and Thailand at 79 percent.

China, in particular, has come under fire for movie and music piracy that executives say costs their industries billions, prompting the United States and other countries to seek to negotiate an agreement aimed at curbing the counterfeiting of consumer goods around the world.

"We have some significant challenges ahead," MPAA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan Glickman said in a keynote address last week to the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia. "There is no question the evolution of the on-demand world and the new and enhanced power of consumer choice is impacting the habits and preferences of the audiences we serve."

His organization, and the Recording Industry Association of America, have been fighting back. Last year, they launched a holiday campaign in 11 states including Pennsylvania to dissuade the public from buying illegal DVDs and CDs as holiday gifts.

But the piracy continues. While the quality of the "American Gangster" bootleg DVD has set the bar high in terms of illegally copied films, it's not the first film to hit the streets before the theaters this year. "Hostel II" and "Ratatouille" also were available on DVD before their release dates.

Typically, bootlegged copies of films are available about 24 hours after debuting in theaters. But often they are not of the greatest quality and are obtained by video pirates sneaking camcorders into the theaters, which is illegal in 39 states including Pennsylvania.

A first offense in Pennsylvania is considered a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment of not more than five years and/or a fine of $10,000, according to the MPAA. New York City, which this year established a separate law from New York state, is much more lenient. A first offense there is a misdemeanor with up to six months in jail and/or a fine of $1,000 to $5,000.

Piraters also can be snagged under "True Name and Address" statutes, enacted in 45 states, which make it illegal to rent or sell prerecorded movies for home use without including the true name and address of the manufacturer.

Oscar Stars

Cameron Diaz, Beyonce, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Queen Latifah, Jada & Will Smith

Oscar Pictures

Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker & Oprah
Jenna Jameson & Tito Ortiz, Kirsten Dunst
Tom & Katie, Nicole & Keith,
Jennifer & Marc, Madonna & Gwyneth

Before/After The Oscars

Rose McGowan, Eve, Helen Mirren, Victoria Beckham
Lil Kim, Anika Noni Rose
Mary J Blige, Gwen Stefani, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell

Dreamgirls @ The Oscars

Oscar Pictures













Okay, so they never won anything, but don't they all look great!

Ocar Winners

Best picture
The Departed

Best director
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best supporting actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Best supporting actor
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Best animated feature film
Happy Feet

Best adapted screenplay
The Departed

Best original screenplay
Little Miss Sunshine

Best original score
Babel

Best visual effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Get Ready For The Oscars

Hollywood stars are getting ready for the Oscars, by splashing their cash.

Never mind who wins, all eyes will be on what the celebs look like and whether they will end up in the Fashion Hit or Miss list.

Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep each spent $500 on a facial, reports People magazine.

Meanwhile, some stars will hit Kinara Spa to get blinged up with $1 million dollars worth of diamonds, reports TMZ.com.

Oscar Bag


Check out this amazing bag that all the Oscar nominees will be getting their hands on!

The bag has images from the most memorable movies of the year on it.

The bag has been designed by Gina Alexander and retails for a classy $2500 reprts TMZ.

Dreamgirls & Babel Lead Oscar Nominations

Best Picture
Babel
The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio [Blood Diamond]
Ryan Gosling [Half Nelson]
Peter O'Toole [Venus]
Will Smith [The Pursuit of Happyness]
Forest Whitaker [The Last King of Scotland]

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz [Volver]
Judi Dench [Notes on a Scandal]
Helen Mirren [The Queen]
Meryl Streep [The Devil Wears Prada]
Kate Winslet [Little Children]

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin [Little Miss Sunshine]
Jackie Earle Haley [Little Children]
Djimon Hounsou [Blood Diamond]
Eddie Murphy [Dreamgirls]
Mark Wahlberg [The Departed]

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza [Babel]
Cate Blanchett [Notes on a Scandal]
Abigail Breslin [Little Miss Sunshine]
Jennifer Hudson [Dreamgirls]
Rinko Kikuchi [Babel]

Best Directing
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu [Babel]
Martin Scorsese [The Departed]
Clint Eastwood [Letters From Iwo Jima]
Stephen Frears [The Queen]
Paul Greengrass [United 93]

Best Foreign Language Film
After the Wedding [Denmark]
Days of Glory (Indigenes) [Algeria]
The Lives of Others [Germany]
Pan's Labyrinth [Mexico]
Water [Canada]

Best Adapted Screenplay
Sacha Baron Cohen and Anthony Hines and Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer and Todd Phillips [Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan]
Alfonso Cuaron and Timothy J Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby [Children of Men]
William Monahan [The Departed]
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta [Little Children]
Patrick Marber [Notes on a Scanda]

Best Original Screenplay
Guillermo Arriaga [Babel]
Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis [Letters From Iwo Jima]
Michael Arndt [Little Miss Sunshine]
Guillermo del Toro [Pan's Labyrinth]
Peter Morgan [The Queen]

Best Animated Feature Film
Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

Full List of Nominees >
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