Expect surprise celebrities at the 2011 Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure Oscar Sunday morning -- a cause I have participated in over the past 10 years since my cousin, a classical musician, Stanford University educator -- Dr. Adrienne Maravich Meckel was diagnosed with cancer over a decade ago and survived to see her children graduate from college -- and was a year short of seeing her first grandchild born.
Adrienne survived nearly a decade beyond her prognosis thanks to advanced cancer treament and awareness and to the Susan G. Koman organization and many otherslike it, I am thankful for their continuing work in combatting this inciduous disease.
I urge each and every one of you to donate generously to the cause and to come out Sunday, February 27, 2011 toDodger Stadium, located at 1000 Elysian Park Avenue in Los Angeles to cheer on celebrities Brenda Song, Aimee Garcia, Nia Long and others in support of this great cause.
Our woman on-the-street, Ama Jo Budge, at Hollywood & Highland claims that her personal survey reconfirms Johnny Depp as the hottest actor alive with Christian Bale following in second place of women aged 15 to 60 surveyed during this 2011 Oscar week.
Media warning -- wireless devices are verbotten after February 23, 2011.
Rumblings that 3D -- the new box office panacea -- may have judges inclined to vote for a genre that will keep money flowing in Hollywood could have an impact on the 2011 Academy Awards results.
Today, the Motion Picture Association of America reported that global box office reached $31.8 billion, a global box office record with an 8% increase in 2010 over last year, Daily Variety reports, with a drop 5% drop in actual domestic attendance.
So how does this affect the 2011 Oscars?
Dunno yet, but, I've got a cool $100 on Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland taking home some bacon.
I arrive outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel in my taxi about feeling very glamorous indeed and stroll into the hotel, nodding at the security guard as if I was born there. Once inside I become much shyer, finally finding the woman I’m supposed to speak to and getting my press badge. The entire lobby oozes with the distinct aromas of fame, excitement, and extremely expensive taste.
Finding my place in the red carpet line, I talk to other press members, peruse the ‘tip-list’ (as it sounds literally a list of the big names and faces attending) and await the arrival of the celebrities. Trickle turns to flood and suddenly the room is a-flash with shouting photographers all vying for the attention of the biggest stars. Sex and the City star Kristin Davis is hosting the evening, and appears in a floating black and white polka-dot gown.
In the flesh, and throughout the evening, she is every bit the trotting, beaming, adorable beauty of ‘Charlotte’ the character we have come to know and love her for. In her interviews she talks about the importance of costume for acting as well as for people, down to the importance in every shoe, and the value of the modern woman’s flats in which she feels comfortable and strong.
Praising the work of the designers:
“Tiny details all come together on screen to create what everyone takes for granted…its very intertwined and complicated and amazing, what they do.”
And of HalleBerry:
“Halle is a genius in so many ways and such a generous person, she’s a sweetheart.”
These sentiments were echoed later not only by the president of the Costume Designers Guild, Mary Rose (see below) but also by Samuel L Jackson as he presents Berry with the Lacoste Spotlight Award. This award singles out an actor who has proved consistently committed to achieving excellence in their role and shown a particular awareness to the integral operation of costume design within that role.
A personal favourute of mine, Lisa Edelsein (who plays the character of Cuddy - Dr. House’s love interest and Dean of Medicine in the hit US show House) appears on the red carpet looking stunning in Viviane Westwood and I positively leap on the poor woman for a photograph, who is extremely gracious and agrees.
She will be presenting the Outstanding Contemporary Television Series Award along with Melora Hardin (The Office).
All-American hunk James Bamber arrives lurking on the side lines, somewhat shy out of his Battlestar Galactica uniform.
I meet Bette Midler in the cocktail lounge, a childhood icon of mine and manage to get a photo with her to both mine (and my mother's) delight.
The red carpet is rounded off with HalleBerry’s extraordinary
entrance in her Elie Saab Haute Couture gown.
I step into the cavernous room which is bedecked in classy green and black, alight with the chinking of cocktail glasses, sparkling eyes and glittering chandeliers.
Lou Eyrich begins the evening, taking the
Award for Best Contemporary Television Series
Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series goes to
John Dunn and Lisa Padovanni for Empire Boardwalk
Michael Dennison who passed away last September at the premature age of 58 was mourned and respected tonight as he joined the Guild’s Hall of Fame. Known for work such as ‘Almost Famous’, ‘What Women Want’, ‘Basic Instinct’,and ‘Eat Pray Love’,Dennison, or as his colleagues call him ‘Dixie’ showed extraordinary diversity within his work, from the comic-book like caricatures of The Spirit to the raw, true story: ‘World Trade Centre’.
Julia Roberts, his long time friend, colleague and neighbour held a personal memorial for him in her home last year, and he received a standing ovation in the hall tonight.
The Big Love cast present the Award for Outstanding television movie or miniseries:
Mary Rose, President of the Costume Designers Guild pulls off a funeral-worthy netted black hat, though she is barely seen behind the podium. She thanks Lacoste as the Guild’s Presenting Sponsor and HalleBerry who received the Lacoste Spotlight Award this evening.
Bill Marr begins a heartfelt and fairly hilarious speech in honour of Joel Schumacher, costume designer, writer and director, having worked on pieces such as ‘Carwash’ with Woody Allen, ‘Batman Forever’, ‘Phone Booth’and the adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’.
The gorgeous Isaiah Mustafa presents the award for Excellence in Commercial Design, which goes to Aude Bronson-Howard.
British costume designer Jenny Beavan wins the Excellence in Period Film Award for the kings speech which has received political acclaim both here and in the UK, winning six Awards, including Best Film, out of thirteen nominations.
****
Hollywood’s Star-studded couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore take the podium to present Julie Weiss with the Disaronno Career Achievement in Film and Television Award.
Weiss’s impressive repertoire includes‘American Beauty’, ‘Frida’, ‘Secretariat’, ‘The Ring’, ‘Steel Magnolias’,and most recently ‘No Strings Attatched’.She is spoken of with love and respect by several directors and actors:
“This eccentric, amazing little woman…(who) finds the music in the wardrobe…”
Which is awarded to Amy Westcott for Black Swan, who is brought nearly to tears when thanking her husband, son and team:
“Any costume designer isn’t worth anything without a fantastic team.”
I get a little star-struck myself as Samuel L Jackson takes the stage in a dashing tux to Pulp Fiction’s timeless Pumpkin and Honey Bunny/Misirlou soundtrack.
He honours Halle Berry with familiarity, admiration and respect, reading the praise of some designers who’ve worked with her, before presenting her with the Lacoste Spotlight Award.
After showing the tribute video of her career, Jackson finishes with (what I think was on everyone’s mind, male and female alike…)
“Nothing beats leather"
After snapping a shot in the ladies with another personal icon of mine - Holland Taylor, I make my way to the cues outside the Beverly Hilton and the valet hails me a cab.
I have much enjoyed reporting for you this evening, stay tuned for the
Perhaps Freshman Kentucky Senator Rand Paul should have paid attention to Senator Al Frankin, who Paul says told him not to go on The Late Show With David Letterman - or for that matter, Paul's own wife. Going on David Letterman's show resulted in a Rand Paul with a reduced image. Regardless of what die-hard Tea Party myopics want to believe, and how much they flood message boards and chat rooms with fantasies about Paul's performance tonight, the total truth is, it was a massive disaster.
As you can see in the video, everything was wrong. It started from the moment Paul came out to the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, where Letterman's show is taped. Rather than wave to the crowd and walk out in a relaxed fashion, Senator Paul literally waddled out like a Penguin. He even looked the part in a blue blazer, blue jeans, and white shirt with a red tie: he looked stiff and nervous.
Then, once Senator Paul sat down he made the major mistake of trying to be funny. So, his first three quips that were jokes you'd have to be a Washington insider or politico to get, went over without a laugh. In fact, it wasn't until Paul said that Senator Frankin told him not to come on the show that he actually got a laugh.
It was horrible.
It went further down hill when, in an exchange that's worth listening to over and over again, Letterman made Paul look like the Senator was just out of touch with the working person. When Paul tried to say that America was throwing too much money at education, Letterman countered that we were spending enough on education. When Paul tried to argue for reducing the public sector, Letterman got him to basically say he was trying to take jobs and spending away from the middle class basic worker.
The entire exchange made for the most cringe-inducing segment since the one where Actor Joaquin Phoenix came on Letterman's show and acted like he was on acid. The problem was Senator Paul wasn't on acid or anything. Maybe he should have been; it would have given him some kind of excuse for what happened.
David Letterman made Senator Paul look like a common city councilman from a small Kentucky town, instead of a major political player in America. Paul had better go back and re-think his platform and his message to America, because after tonight it's obvious he's out of touch with what's happening. People don't want to hear rhetoric about the size of government, they just want jobs. Period.
I just - about 30 minutes ago from this writing - met KRON TV Channel 4's Jonathan Bloom, and as he was standing outside the San Francisco Muni Light Rail Line entry / exit area with his Sony betacam on a tripod.
As I did, with KPIX TV Channel Five's Mike Sugarman last June, here:
I said to Mr. Bloom that a Flip Video Camera worked better. He asked if I could hold it steady at a distance and still get a great shot. I explained that I do regularly and took time to demonstrate my technique of holding the camcorder to eye level and keeping it there throughout my scene creations, even panning. I then asked Mr. Bloom what he was doing out at a BART station at this time of night.
It was at that point, Bloom mentioned his work on a story involving San Francisco MUNI and claims thaat MUNI is not properly maintaining its light rail lines. Bloom says that SF MUNI is also "bypassing" inquiries by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. He's going to have more on the story at 11 PM on KRON TV 4, San Francisco.
As for the camera talk, Bloom loves Flips, he just wishes they had a better telephoto capability.
BREAKING - According to CNN Television and NASA, a video shows foam to be falling from Space Shuttle Discovery as it speeds into orbit after a successful launch today. To be clear, the foam that covers much of the Shuttle's exterior did not start falling while the spacecraft was in the process of liftoff, but afterward.
That's important, because it was falling material from the Space Shuttle Challenger that led to a series of engineering processes leading to its eventual explosion in 1985.
Foam Was Replaced Last November
Foam was replaced on Space Shuttle Discovery last November, and along the external tank where cracked support beams were replaced.
The damage was reported after a cancelled November 5th launch because of a gas leak. Eventually, it was repaired, tests were conducted, and the launch date that was today was authorized.
