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Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman, the famous Australian actor  has been named as “the Sexiest Man Alive”. The star was ranked at the top in the  People magazine’s annual list of “the most attractive guys in the world”. With his unforgettable performances in several movies like  X-Men, The Prestige and Scoop,  Jackman has left female hearts pounding faster.

“He’s a triple threat - a star who can sing, dance and wield a weapon. At 6ft 2in, all scruff and biceps, Jackman, 40, looms large in the epic Australia and left people stammering, ‘Oh. my… God!’ according to co-star Nicole Kidman”, the magazine wrote while explaining why they elected  Jackman as the Sexiest Man Alive.

Close behind Hugh, the second place was secured by the Quantum of Solace actor Daniel Craig. He rose to fame with his most impressive acting in the film as British spy James Bond.  His muscular body and striking blue eyes left all his female fans awestruck.

The third position was given to  the star of hit US TV show Mad Men, Jon Hamm, while  Zac Efron, High School Musical heartthrob and   Robert Buckley, the  Lipstick Jungle hunk came fourth and fifth respectively.

The other personalities to have ranked in the list were Soccer player David Beckham, Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, Twilight star Robert Pattinson, former Dawson’s Creek actor Joshua Jackson and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

Tags: Daniel Craig, David Beckham, Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman – The 'Sexiest Man Alive', Javier Bardem, Jon Hamm, Joshua Jackson, Michael Phelps, Nicole Kidman, Robert Buckley, Robert Pattinson, Zac Efron
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Jonathan Ross

Jonathan Ross, the suspended host of BBC chat show,  has been nominated for a British Comedy Award. A host will soon be replaced for the  live ITV broadcast. It is yet to be announced after Ross chickened out in the wake of the contention over obscene calls he made with comedian Russell Brand to “Fawlty Towers” actor Andrew Sachs.

After the broadcast of Ross’s and  Brand’s salacious comments about Sachs’s spoof dancer granddaughter, Georgina Baillie in BBC, Ross was suspended for 12 weeks. There will be a good competition between the three top Comedy Entertainment Programs – “Friday Night With Jonathan Ross”, “Harry Hill’s TV Burp” and “The Sunday Night Project” at the prime event on December 6th.

Brand, who has also resigned from the BBC Radio 2 show over the resulting public protest,has also been nominated for Best Live Stand-up Performer, along with Alan Carr and Michael McIntyre. There are other nominees like Ricky Gervais, Peep Show’s David Mitchell and Gavin & Stacey’s James Corden, all for Best TV Comedy Actor. Ashley Jensen (Extras: Christmas Special), Olivia Colman (Peep Show) and Sharon Horgan (Pulling) are up for Best TV Comedy Actress.

Tags: Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, Jonathan Ross, Russell Brand
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The last few months right before the Oscar are mainly of two things: prestige and pure fun. This is the festive season when families seek  a mental escape through  lighter films and this is also the season of contest when  serious cinema competes for Oscar gold.

The way to the Oscar this year is sort of going bonkers. The awards race have just begun and it has already traveled  more ups and downs than any in recent past. The viewers and movie lovers have already started anticipating on issues common like ‘Which movies will be worthy of competing for the Academy Award? ‘ along with things like ‘Which ones will really open in time to qualify?’

Oscar

Few, that would not only have qualified but would also have bagged a few awards, have quited, like the Robert Downey Jr.-Jamie Fox’s homeless musician drama “The Soloist” (rescheduled to release in next spring) and the Viggo Mortensen revelatory drama “The Road” (based on the novel by Cormac). Another major shift has been the “ Defiance”, which was re-scheduled to release on December 31st, the last day for qualifying for the Academy Awards. “The Reader” starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, was supposed to release in the next year,  moved up to compete the Oscar this year instead of next.

David Poland of Movie CityNews.com said, “Basically, every studio is tight for money and making their bests bets for the Oscar in a much less general way”. He also added that “It costs so much money to be in the Oscar race that if they don’t have to be in it, they’re getting out. The result is a lot fewer movies vying for best picture”.

Poland says, “The illusion that this all happens because a movie is good is out the window. The reality is, there is a structure and a business to campaigning for an Oscar”. Predicting further shuffling he added, “I’m hearing that some films may be getting back into the season because there are so few movies in play”.

The prestige films that have high hopes of bagging a few titles this year, the two most popular ones are  Doubt starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a dueling nun and priest, and Frost/Nixon  starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella as a dueling reporter and ex-president.

Tags: 2009 Oscar Predictions, Academy Awards, Oscar, Oscar 2009, The Blockbusters Make The Season Dramatic Few Months Before The Oscar
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The Road

A lot of anticipations are in the air and will continue to be there until the main event. With the delaying of the release of “The Soloist” in 2008, “The Road” has taken a deserving new entry in the Best Picture category of Oscar 2009. “Defiance” is lingering to hit the screens this year, a delay of which will chuck it from qualifying for the Best Picture race. The delaying of the release date of a couple of films is leading to shrinking of the potential contenders for the 2009 Academy Award in the Best Picture Category. “Doubt”, “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader” will surely make their way to the forthcoming Academy Awards.

The Dark Knight

“The Dark Knight” seems like a strong contender and might bag a few awards in several categories including the Best Picture. There is a buzz that the film might get a nomination and win in the categories of - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor.

For the films that have already hit the theaters this year, only a handful of films can be counted as good rivals. To name a few “W”, “Rachel Getting Married” and “ The Visitor” will not only give a good fight in the best picture category but will also bag a few more awards for unforgettable performances by Josh Brolin in “W”, Anne Hathaway in “ Rachel Getting Married” as well as “The Visitor”. “ In Bruges”, a dark comedy, has also marked a niche for an outstanding performance by Colin Farrell.

Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Some great films are awaiting release in the last two months of the year. “ The Wrestler”, which is scheduled to hit the theaters on 17th of December might earn Mickey Rourke a best actor nomination as might Sean Penn for “ Milk” and Frank Langella for playing the role of President Richard Nixon in “Frost/Nixon”. Brad Pitt might just earn his 2nd nomination only if “ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” makes an impact on the views as much as it is hyped to.

Tags: 2009 Oscar Predictions, Anne Hathaway, Brad Pitt, Colin Farrell, Mickey Rourke, New Releases Grab Possibilities for the 2009 Oscar, The Road
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Oscar

Its a dream for every actor, director, writer, art director, make-up artist, camera person and sound recordist achieve the most prestigious award in their lifetime. The golden statue, or the Oscar is something that everyone in the film clan is in love with and desires to achieve.

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards of merit in the film industry (mainly Hollywood), which is presented by the body of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually to recognize excellence in cinema. The formal ceremony of the Academy Awards,  when the awards are presented is among the oldest, most prominent,  prestigious, and popular film award of the world.

The 81st Academy Awards, which will honor the best in film for 2008 will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Best Actor:
Sean Penn will be a tough contender for playing gay activist Harvey Milk in the film “Milk” and Benicio Del Toro will doubtlessly gleam as legendary Che Guevara in “The Argentine.” Leo too is close and he could ride a “Revolutionary” sweep on the Academy Award night.

Best Actress:
There are quite a few names and all of them will, trust me, give a tough fight to each other. There are past Academy Award winners like Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and Cate Blanchett along with rising star Keira Knightley. Kate Winslet too is a strong contender for her performance in “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road.”

Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger is expected to receive the golden statue this year as a tribute  for his excellent acting in “The Dark Knight.” He died in an accident at the age of 28 on 22nd January, 2008. Even before his unexpected mournful death, people were appreciating his unique portrayal of the Joker his last film.  The Academy may take up this opportunity to pay a tribute to this great character actor.

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Ryan, with her wonderful performance in Clint Eastwood’s Best Picture contender “The Changeling.”may be the winner this year, which she lost last year.

Best Director:
No Prizes for guessing!! its none other than Clint Eastwood. Sam Mendes with his film “Revolutionary Road”  is a new face to join the two-win clan with him.

Tags: 2009 Oscar Predictions, Academy Awards, Oscar, Oscar 2009
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Oscar 2009

Well, what better time it could be than this to make a few predictions of the forth coming Academy Awards.
Scheduled to take place on 22nd of February, 2009, producer Laurence Mark will work as the producer and
writer-director Bill Condon as the executive producer of the 81st Annual Academy Awards telecast. Bill stated that this will be their first involvement in the production of an Oscar show.

There are some great films that have already released and few lining up the queue to carve a niche by the end of 2008. The year had seen films with big stars and some of the best directoral works. The 2009 Oscars could be one of the most competitive seasons in the recent Oscar history. Here are the names of the films we think that may bag a few awards.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount)
Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, David Fincher directs this film. This is based on a F. Scott Fitzgerald
book, about a man who ages in reverse. The concept is new and sounds absolutely intriguing to all. 2008
Supporting Actress winner, Tilda Swinton, is also featured in the film.

Australia (20th Century Fox)

Australia

After a long wait, Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) is back with an epic love story about two people who start on a journey crowding cattle across the remote areas. They survive through numerous obstructions including bombing by Japanese forces. Luhrmann has once again choosen Nicole Kidman as the leading lady and teamed her with the very versatile Hugh Jackman. The chemistry is ravishing between the two and Luhrmann is very hopeful about his film.

The Reader (The Weinstein Company)
The Reader is a story adapted from the best-selling book by Bernard Schlink. The story accounts the relationship between a young boy and a woman who are charged of Nazi war crimes. The story spans over several decades and takes many turns along the way. Stephen Daldry (The Hours) directs the film starring Academy Award nominees Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Although there are some new twists in the story the big challenge is whether the film can actually satisfy fans of the book.

The Changeling (Universal)
Clint Eastwood is back with his new film “The Changeling”. He strikes fear in the hearts of other directors with a hope of adding one more gold statute to his collection. The film is a story about a mother whose son is kidnapped. After his son is returned to her she has a strange feeling that its not her son. Angelina Jolie plays the mom along with Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan also stars in the film. The story has more mystery and suspense. There is drama, and Eastwood’s personal touch is revealed through  a wizard of powerful conflict among the characters.

Revolutionary Road (Paramount, Dreamworks)

Revolutionary Road

This is one of the biggest competitors of Oscar 2009. The Academy Award winner for American Beauty, Sam Mendes, directs the film. The co-stars are Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Remember Titanic that created history?. The story is about a married couple who have to sail through the harsh realities of life during the depression era while raising their two small children. The story is an adaptation of novel by Richard Yates. The film is scheduled to hit the screens this December.

Tags: 2009 Oscar Predictions, Academy Awards, Oscar, Oscar nomination, Oscar Awards
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Heath Ledger

The chances of Heath Ledger’s getting a posthumous Oscar nomination keep getting better and better. With friends and actors who have watched Heath perform comparing his act with nothing less than the Hannibal. If he does get an Oscar nomination though it would be given posthumously and he would only be the seventh actor in cinematic history to get such a nomination.
The previous performances that won a nomination after the death of the actors include names like Ralph Richardson, Massimo Troisi, Spencer Tracy and Jeanne Eagles. Action films and super hero sagas are not really considered Oscar material though. Most of the voters don’t want to look at them to judge acting talent. There are other drawbacks too, that don’t necessarily improve Heath’s Oscar chances, even though he might get a nomination. Most Oscar voters don’t want to vote for the bad guys with very few exceptions to the rule that include such bright performances like Charlize Theron’s Monster, Denzel Washington in Training Day and the unforgettable Hannibal Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins. However if Heath does get the nomination it would not just be for the sympathy of his death but for the simple reason that he has been brilliant in his portrayal. As some in the film-making fraternity have rightly pointed out that the actor had disappeared into the role and has surpassed everyone’s expectations.

Tags: Heath Ledger, Oscar
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