Match drawn after late drama

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera

Sri Lanka 644 for 7 dec (Mahela 240, Samaraweera 231) and 144 for 5 (Sangakkara 65, Samaraweera 24*, Prasanna 7*) drew with Pakistan 765 for 6 dec (Younis 313, Akmal 158*)

In the end the pitch won. Pakistan created late excitement by knocking out five top-order wickets but they didn't have enough time to pull off the minor miracle. After four-and-a-half dreary days dominated by the bat, the game sprang alive in a dramatic fashion on the final evening when Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria struck in rapid succession to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 120 for 5. Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene however, pulled the shutter down with some cautious batting to ensure there would not be any further drama.

The final day began with all the attention centered on whether Younis Khan would go past Brian Lara's record of 400 not out, but he couldn't. He fell after adding only seven runs to his overnight score of 306, cleaned up by Dilhara Fernando. But Kamran Akmal continued Pakistan's strong reply on the flattest of pitches, scoring an unbeaten 158 to give Pakistan a 121-run lead.

There was little to play for when Sri Lanka began their second innings, and they even altered the batting line-up, sending Dilshan ahead of Jayawardene. But some careless cricket put them in discomfort.

Umar Gul lifted Pakistan with an early strike, inducing an edge from Malinda Warnapura. Tharanga Paranavitana missed out for the second time in this game, run out by a direct hit from Yasir Arafat. The Pakistan seamers bowled with more purpose, and sent down several short balls. Dilshan pulled one such bouncer from Gul straight to deep square leg.. Jayawardene turned Danish Kaneria lazily straight to short leg and Sangakkara was caught in front, trying to play across the line.

Younis began the day 31 runs short of Hanif Mohammad's 337, the highest individual score by a Pakistan batsman. He started slowly, nudging around, but was surprised by the movement from Fernando. The ball landed short of a length outside off stump before cutting back in quickly to beat the defensive poke and crashed into the off stump.

As Younis walked back, he was congratulated by most of the Sri Lankan fielders. Pakistan sighed in disappointment but Brian Lara's fans in the Caribbean would have been relieved. Younis batted for 836 minutes, the third longest Test innings in terms of minutes behind Hanif (970) and Gary Kirsten (878).

Akmal carried on unperturbed, helping himself to an easy century on the batting paradise. Sri Lanka relaxed after Younis left and bowled an assortment of irregular bowlers like Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratane Dilshan, Malinda Warnapura and Mahela Jayawardene. Akmal scored 98 runs off the irregular bowlers and reached 158 off only 184 balls before Younis finally declared on 765.

Despite the late excitement, it was a predictable and a just result on the placid pitch. Neither team finished their first innings completely and had to declare - not the perfect advertisement for the longer version of the game, especially considering that this was Pakistan's first home Test in 16 months. The attention now shifts to the second Test, starting on March 1 at Lahore.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Link : http://content-www.cricinfo.com/pakvsl/content/story/392143.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Oscar Scoop: Beyoncé, Zac Efron & More to Sing

Marc Malkin

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Host Hugh Jackman won't be the only star singing and dancing at Sunday's Academy Awards.

Several sources say that the Aussie hunk will be joined on stage by Beyoncé, High School Musical stars and real-life couple Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and Mamma Mia!'s Amanda Seyfried. Dominic Cooper, Seyfried's costar and rumored boyfriend, will also likely participate, but I'm told scheduling conflicts still have to be resolved to make it work.

One source tells me that Jackman and Beyoncé have been rehearsing at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City.

The entire group begins rehearsals tonight here in Hollywood, according to another source.

The song-and-dance routine is being directed by Jackman's Australia director Baz Luhrmann. No stranger to musicals, Luhrman's credits include Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. Jackman reportedly requested to have Luhrmann stage the Oscar number.

As I first told you earlier today, Efron is also expected to present Best Original Song.

No word yet on what they'll singing and dancing to. First-time show producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon have kept a tight lid on their plans, but have continually stressed that they intend to shake things up on the movie industry's biggest night of the year.

Reps for the stars and the Oscars did not comment.

The 81st annual Academy Awards will telecast live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090218/en_tv_eo/100397

And the Oscar goes to Matilda if Ledger wins

By STEVE POND

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – If Heath Ledger is named best supporting actor at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, his daughter, 3-year-old Matilda Rose Ledger, will become the owner of the Oscar statuette.

But it won't really be hers until her 18th birthday on Oct. 28, 2023 — and even then, only if she signs a contract.

Matilda, daughter of the late Ledger and actress Michelle Williams, has been designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the eventual owner of her father's Oscar, should he win for his portrayal of the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

The actor died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs last year at the age of 28.

But Ledger's nomination, and his daughter's young age, led to one of the trickiest situations the academy has dealt with in its eight decades of awarding posthumous Oscars.

"It's complicated, because there are two different questions that have to be answered," says Bruce Davis, executive director of the academy. "First, we have to decide who gets the job of accepting the award onstage on the night of the ceremony. And then there's the question of the eventual disposition of the posthumous statuette, which may not stay with the person who accepts it."

In Ledger's case, says Davis, the second question was the hardest to answer.

Academy tradition calls for a posthumous statuette to go to the spouse, or, if there is no living spouse, to the oldest child. Ledger wasn't married, and Matilda is his only child.

Yet because she is only 3, Matilda is legally unable to sign the winner's agreement — a contract required of all nominees that says the recipient will not resell his or her Oscar without first offering it back to the academy for $1. The agreement is the academy's way of limiting what might otherwise be a lively secondary market in Oscars.

"From our point of view, somebody has to sign the winner's agreement, and a 3-year-old can't do that," says Davis. "Nor can a parent sign any kind of legal document that obligates a child to do something once they turn 18. I didn't know that before we looked into it, but it's a good law."

After conversations with Williams and with Ledger's family in Australia, the academy hit on a solution: "In the event that Heath Ledger should be selected as the supporting actor recipient, the statuette will be held in trust for his daughter by her mother, Michelle Williams, until Matilda reaches the age of 18," says Davis. "At that point, she may execute what we call an heir's agreement and keep the statuette forever — or, if she chooses not to do that, it will return to us."

In other words, the Oscar statuette can spend the next 15 years with Matilda, but her mother, who has signed the academy's agreement, will be the legal custodian. When Matilda is old enough, she can claim ownership by signing the agreement. If she does so, she'll become the official owner and will be legally bound not to sell her Oscar; if she opts not to sign, the statuette will revert to the academy without any payment.

As for who would accept the award, that — like many other aspects of the ceremony — is a matter that show producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon are keeping under wraps. Davis will only say that tradition calls for a posthumous Oscar to be accepted either by a close relative or "an artist who was close to the nominee, and who can speak credibly for him or her." (The last posthumous Oscar went to cinematographer Conrad L. Hall in 2002, and was accepted by Hall's son.)

"We always had a very good idea of what we should do and who was going to accept," says Gil Cates, who produced 14 Oscar shows that included nine posthumous nominations and three wins. "You need to line up someone who's respectable to avoid any embarrassing or difficult moments, and for me it was always easy to agree with the academy on a legitimate person."

The decision was also simple for this year's other posthumous nominees, Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, producers of best-picture nominee "The Reader." If the movie wins the top prize, the other nominated producers, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris, will also accept on behalf of Pollack and Minghella, and the statuettes will then be given to their widows.

Faced with the prospect of a minor potentially taking possession of Ledger's Oscar, the academy has in recent days revisited the way it handled underage winners such as Tatum O'Neal, who was 10 when she won best supporting actress for 1973's "Paper Moon," and Anna Paquin, who in 1994 won the best supporting actress award for "The Piano" at age 11.

"What we've tended to do is have them sign anyway, and then get back to them after they turn 18 and ask them to re-execute the agreement," Davis says. "I would love to tell you that that has happened in every single case, but your call prompted a little research. And in a couple of cases, we've never completed the circle."

In other words, there may be some Oscars out there not under academy control?

"I don't expect any trouble," says Davis with a laugh, "but, in fact, yes."

___

On the Net:

http://www.oscars.org

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218/ap_en_ot/oscars_if_ledger_wins

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing every Heart out there, whether it be Creepy, Happy, Lonely, Sarcastic or just Emotional....

Happy Valentine's Day! ;)


Regards, Zeeshan Ahmed.

BAFTAs Put "Win" in Winslet, Extend Slumdog's Reign

Gina Serpe - ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) – If there was ever anyone not in need of a home court advantage, it was Kate Winslet heading into tonight's Orange British Academy Film Awards.

Well, her and anyone who had anything to do with Slumdog Millionaire.

Like the SAGs and Golden Globes before them, the BAFTAs did their part to keep putting the "win" in Winslet, naming The Reader star the year's Leading Actress over, among other notable contenders, herself.

Winslet was nominated twice in the category, for both The Reader and Revolutionary Road, all but guaranteeing Angelina Jolie (who turned up with fellow ultimately snubbed nominee Brad Pitt), Kristin Scott Thomas and Meryl Streep yet another night in which to practice their "it's an honor just to be nominated" faces.

The cast of Slumdog Millionaire, meanwhile, practiced no such fixed smiles: The film continued its awards show dominance, racking up seven awards, including one of the most coveted of the night, Best Film.

And the movie that actually managed to upset the juggernaut for the night's other main award...

Man On Wire. The documentary about the Frenchman who staged a secret high-wire walk between the two World Trade Center towers was the surprise winner of Outstanding British Film.

While Slumdog scored the lion's share of the night's prizes, followed none too closely by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which earned three, they failed to make an impact on the acting categories.

Though not on the speeches, thanks to Best Director winner Danny Boyle.

"David Lean said you should announce your ambition for the film in the first five minutes," Boyle said. "In that spirit, I'd like to announce my ambition for this speech: My father's power went out last night. A big shout-out to everyone who helped him run the extension cable in so he could watch this tonight."

As for Winslet, the actress kept her speech brief, possibly to avoid a repeat of her post-Globes tongue-lashing from her stiff upper-lipped countrymen.

"Thank you very, very much," she said. "To get this award at home, this really means a great deal to me. Thank you BAFTA."

Winslet also thanked her "mum and dad," who were in the audience, but said she couldn't look at them during her speech as she would likely "burst into tears."

"I want to thank Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. You are much missed today, and you will be much missed for years to come."

Meanwhile, joining Winslet in the winner's circle was Vicky Cristina Barcelona's Penélope Cruz, who took home the Supporting Actress prize, The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger, who continued his posthumous domination in the Supporting Actor category and The Wrestler's Mickey Rourke, who walked away with the Lead Actor nod.

"It's a pretty statue," Rourke said, before thanking director Darren Aronofsky for giving him a second chance despite his having "f---ed up my career for 15 years. Such a pleasure to be here and be out of the darkness."

While Rourke did not thank his dogs this time around, he did remember to thank costar Marisa Tomei for "being brave enough to take your clothes off all the time."

Aw, he shouldn't have.

Surprisingly, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were the only films of the night to score multiple awards.

Here's the complete list of winners for the 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards:

• Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire • Outstanding British Film: Man On Wire • Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire • Leading Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler • Leading Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader • Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight • Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona • Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges • Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire • Animated Film: Wall-E • Film Not in the English Language: I've Loved You So Long (France) • Music: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire • Editing: Slumdog Millionaire • Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire • Production Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Costume Design: The Duchess • Sound: Slumdog Millionaire • Special Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Makeup & Hair: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Short Animation: Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death • Short Film: September • The Carl Foreman Award (special achievement for first feature film): Steve McQueen, writer/director, Hunger • The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by public): Noel Clarke • Academy Fellowship: Terry Gilliam • Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Pinewood Studios/Shepperton Studios

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090208/en_top_eo/98893

BAFTAs Put "Win" in Winslet, Extend Slumdog's Reign

Gina Serpe - ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) – If there was ever anyone not in need of a home court advantage, it was Kate Winslet heading into tonight's Orange British Academy Film Awards.

Well, her and anyone who had anything to do with Slumdog Millionaire.

Like the SAGs and Golden Globes before them, the BAFTAs did their part to keep putting the "win" in Winslet, naming The Reader star the year's Leading Actress over, among other notable contenders, herself.

Winslet was nominated twice in the category, for both The Reader and Revolutionary Road, all but guaranteeing Angelina Jolie (who turned up with fellow ultimately snubbed nominee Brad Pitt), Kristin Scott Thomas and Meryl Streep yet another night in which to practice their "it's an honor just to be nominated" faces.

The cast of Slumdog Millionaire, meanwhile, practiced no such fixed smiles: The film continued its awards show dominance, racking up seven awards, including one of the most coveted of the night, Best Film.

And the movie that actually managed to upset the juggernaut for the night's other main award...

Man On Wire. The documentary about the Frenchman who staged a secret high-wire walk between the two World Trade Center towers was the surprise winner of Outstanding British Film.

While Slumdog scored the lion's share of the night's prizes, followed none too closely by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which earned three, they failed to make an impact on the acting categories.

Though not on the speeches, thanks to Best Director winner Danny Boyle.

"David Lean said you should announce your ambition for the film in the first five minutes," Boyle said. "In that spirit, I'd like to announce my ambition for this speech: My father's power went out last night. A big shout-out to everyone who helped him run the extension cable in so he could watch this tonight."

As for Winslet, the actress kept her speech brief, possibly to avoid a repeat of her post-Globes tongue-lashing from her stiff upper-lipped countrymen.

"Thank you very, very much," she said. "To get this award at home, this really means a great deal to me. Thank you BAFTA."

Winslet also thanked her "mum and dad," who were in the audience, but said she couldn't look at them during her speech as she would likely "burst into tears."

"I want to thank Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. You are much missed today, and you will be much missed for years to come."

Meanwhile, joining Winslet in the winner's circle was Vicky Cristina Barcelona's Penélope Cruz, who took home the Supporting Actress prize, The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger, who continued his posthumous domination in the Supporting Actor category and The Wrestler's Mickey Rourke, who walked away with the Lead Actor nod.

"It's a pretty statue," Rourke said, before thanking director Darren Aronofsky for giving him a second chance despite his having "f---ed up my career for 15 years. Such a pleasure to be here and be out of the darkness."

While Rourke did not thank his dogs this time around, he did remember to thank costar Marisa Tomei for "being brave enough to take your clothes off all the time."

Aw, he shouldn't have.

Surprisingly, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were the only films of the night to score multiple awards.

Here's the complete list of winners for the 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards:

• Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire • Outstanding British Film: Man On Wire • Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire • Leading Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler • Leading Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader • Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight • Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona • Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges • Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire • Animated Film: Wall-E • Film Not in the English Language: I've Loved You So Long (France) • Music: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire • Editing: Slumdog Millionaire • Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire • Production Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Costume Design: The Duchess • Sound: Slumdog Millionaire • Special Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Makeup & Hair: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Short Animation: Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death • Short Film: September • The Carl Foreman Award (special achievement for first feature film): Steve McQueen, writer/director, Hunger • The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by public): Noel Clarke • Academy Fellowship: Terry Gilliam • Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Pinewood Studios/Shepperton Studios

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090208/en_top_eo/98893

X-Men Origins : Wolverine [2009] Trailer

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an upcoming superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Wolverine, due for release on May 1, 2009. The film is directed by Gavin Hood and stars Hugh Jackman as the title character. It is a prequel to the X-Men film trilogy, focusing on the mutant Wolverine and his time with Team X, before Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with the indestructible metal Adamantium. The film was mostly shot in Australia and New Zealand.


Plot :
Set roughly twenty years before X-Men, the film will focus on Wolverine's violent past, and his early encounters with William Stryker (Danny Huston). The Weapon X program and his interactions with other mutants will be explored,including his complex relationship with Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber).
Also features Rogue Mutant Gambit.

The 81st Academy Awards Nominations

Nominations


Best Picture

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Frost/Nixon

• Milk

• The Reader

• Slumdog Millionaire


Best Director

• Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

• Stephen Daldry – The Reader

• David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon

• Gus Van Sant – Milk

Best Actor

• Richard Jenkins – The Visitor

• Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon

• Sean Penn – Milk

• Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Actress

• Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married

• Angelina Jolie – Changeling

• Melissa Leo – Frozen River

• Meryl Streep – Doubt

• Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Supporting Actor

• Josh Brolin – Milk

• Robert Downey, Jr. – Tropic Thunder

• Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt

• Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

• Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Adams – Doubt

• Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

• Viola Davis – Doubt

• Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Best Original Screenplay

• WALL-E - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter

• Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh

• Frozen River - Courtney Hunt

• In Bruges - Martin McDonagh

• Milk - Dustin Lance Black

Best Adapted Screenplay

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth and Robin Swicord

• Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan

• The Reader - David Hare

• Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy

• Doubt - John Patrick Shanley

Best Animated Feature

• Bolt – Chris Williams and Byron Howard

• Kung Fu Panda – Mark Osborne and John Stevenson

• WALL-E – Andrew Stanton

Best Foreign Language Film

• Revanche (Austria) in German - Götz Spielmann

• The Class (France) in French - Laurent Cantet

• The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany) in German

• Departures (Japan) in Japanese

• Waltz with Bashir (Israel) in Hebrew - Ari Folman

Best Animated Short

• La Maison En Petits Cubes - Kunio Kato

• Lavatory - Lovestory - Konstantin Bronzit

• Oktapodi - Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand

• Presto - Doug Sweetland

• This Way Up - Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best Art Direction

• Changeling – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

• The Dark Knight – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

• The Duchess – Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway

• Revolutionary Road – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

Best Cinematography

• Changeling – Tom Stern

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Claudio Miranda

• The Dark Knight – Wally Pfister

• The Reader – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins

• Slumdog Millionaire – Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Costume Design

• Australia – Catherine Martin

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Jacqueline West

• The Duchess – Michael O'Connor

• Milk – Danny Glicker

• Revolutionary Road – Albert Wolsky

Best Documentary Feature

• Nerakhoon (The Betrayal)

• Encounters at the End of the World

• The Garden

• Man on Wire

• Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short

• The Conscience of Nhem En – Steven Okazaki

• The Final Inch

• Smile Pinki

• The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Film Editing

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

• The Dark Knight – Lee Smith

• Frost/Nixon – Mike Hill, Daniel P. Hanley

• Milk – Elliot Graham

• Slumdog Millionaire – Chris Dickens

Best Live Action Short

• On the Line (Auf der Strecke)

• Manon On the Asphalt

• New Boy

• The Pig (Grisen)

• Toyland (Spielzeugland)

Best Makeup

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Greg Cannom

• The Dark Knight – John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan

• Hellboy II: The Golden Army – Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Best Original Score

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Alexandre Desplat

• Defiance – James Newton Howard

• Milk – Danny Elfman

• Slumdog Millionaire – A.R. Rahman

• WALL-E – Thomas Newman

Best Original Song

• "Down to Earth" from WALL-E – Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (music), Peter Gabriel (lyrics)

• "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman (music), Gulzar (lyrics)

• "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman and M.I.A.

Best Sound Editing

• The Dark Knight – Richard King

• Iron Man – Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes

• Slumdog Millionaire – Tom Sayers

• WALL-E – Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood

• Wanted – Wylie Stateman

Best Sound Mixing

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten

• The Dark Knight – Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick

• Slumdog Millionaire – Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

• WALL-E – Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt

• Wanted – Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

Best Visual Effects

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

• The Dark Knight – Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin

• Iron Man – John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, Shane Mahan

Academy Honorary Award

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

• Jerry Lewis


Films with multiple nominations

• 13 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• 10 Slumdog Millionaire

• 8 The Dark Knight, Milk

• 6 WALL-E

• 5 Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader

• 3 Changeling, Revolutionary Road

• 2 The Duchess, Frozen River, Iron Man, Wanted, The Wrestler

Jessica Biel hosts Sci-Tech Oscars

By RYAN PEARSON, AP Entertainment Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Host Jessica Biel wore Oscar de la Renta, but it was bearded, buttoned-down Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull who got whoops and whistles at the first Academy Awards presentation of the year.

Attendees yelled and stood for Catmull, president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, as he accepted an Oscar statuette Saturday night for a lifetime of work in computer animation. He said he was inspired by early Disney films "Peter Pan" and "Pinocchio," then name-dropped collaborators George Lucas, Steve Jobs and Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter.

"In each of the communities that I've been in, we know that when we make the movies look good, we make each other look good," Catmull said. "It's really been a great adventure."

Pixar celebrates its 23rd birthday this year and is set to release "Up" — its 10th feature — in May. Its "WALL-E" is favored to win the animated feature category at the main Oscars ceremony Feb. 22.

Nine other men were honored at the annual scientific and technical awards ceremony, which put a spotlight on the geekier side of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Biel, who was not accompanied by boyfriend Justin Timberlake, picked her way through tricky jargon like "anamorphic de-squeezers" and got cheek-peck greetings from European honorees.

Philippe Parain, CEO of French lens maker Angenieux, checked with a cameraman to ensure that his company's product was being used to record the host of the black-tie ceremony.

"I just want to make sure Jessica's image is as perfect as she is beautiful," he said. "Vive le cinema!"

Biel, 26, who starred most recently in "Easy Virtue" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," said she's far from tech-savvy but has been steadily learning about equipment used behind the scenes on her films.

"The older I get, the more movies I do, the more aware I am," she said. She praised "WALL-E" and said animated films deserve a place among best picture nominees.

"They're so emotional," she said. "And most of the Pixar films, I usually laugh, cry, am frightened. Those types of movies could and should — if they're good enough — win an Oscar. Why not?"

Among the other honorees Saturday: the makers of the Arrimax lighting system, the Hylen lens system, and Transvideo monitors. Computer scientist Mark Kimball, formerly of Disney, glanced from Biel to the medallion he'd been awarded for his technological achievements on films ranging from "Tron" to "Beauty and the Beast."

"What a gorgeous thing!" he said, smiling broadly.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090208/ap_en_ot/oscars_tech_awards

Slumdog Millionaire, Milk Have Write Stuff at WGA Awards

Joal Ryan

Los Angeles (E! Online) – If this award season were a quiz show, Slumdog Millionaire would be the final answer.

The much-honored indie love story took yet another honor—Best Adapted Screenplay—at tonight's 2009 Writers Guild Awards. Milk scored the Original Screenplay prize.

30 Rock, Mad Men, In Treatment, Breaking Bad, Recount, John Adams, The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live were among the TV winners. Tina Fey's 30 Rock was honored for both best writing on a comedy series and best writing of a single comedy episode ("Succession").

Slumdog's Simon Beaufoy defeated the writers of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, all of whom he'll face at the Oscars, and The Dark Knight, whom he, of course, won't.

The win for Milk's Dustin Lance Black reiterates his front-runner status in Oscar's original screenplay race: He was the only WGA nominee to even score a like Academy Award nod.

Slumdog's win means the film swept top prizes from the directors', producers' and actors' guilds. Its fairytale could end happily—or not—in just about two weeks. At the 81st Academy Awards.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090208/en_movies_eo/99003