BRIT Awards

Wednesday, February 15, 2006:

2006 BRIT AWARDS & SWAG

The BRIT AWARDS 2006 will be presented at Earls Court 2 in London, England. The musical event will be hosted by Chris Evans. Presenters include Madonna, Blondie's Deborah Harry, Thandie Newton, and Jamelia. It's been rumored that Oscar nominee Reese Witherspoon will also be presenting an award. Miss Paris Hilton has been signed to present pre-show coverage live from the Brit's Red Carpet. Performers include Coldplay, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, The Kaiser Chiefs, James Blunt, Kt Tunstall, Gorillaz, Jack Johnson and honoree Paul Weller, who will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award. The show will be televised in the UK February 16 on the ITV Network with international air dates will follow. The BRIT Awards advise that this the only UK show from which all the proceeds are donated to charity through the British Recording Industry Trust. Official website / Official Blog / BRIT nominations announced 1/10/06.

Winners at this year's Brit Awards will receive a gift bag worth over 4,500 pounds. Registered users were invited to enter to win the same goody bag through the Brits' website. This collection includes a sumptuous array of decadent luxuries and some of the year's most sought after labels. Sponsors and items procured for the Brit Awards SWAG Bag include a stay in the Caribbean at the secluded Ambergris Caye in Belize; a weekend break featuring massages, facials and relaxation at Champney's Health Resorts; a cashmere hot water bottle; a hand-crafted Globe Trotter case; a Yuroll face massager, made from solid jade; Godiva truffles; Danziger Gold Leaf Liqueur; a Lucia Cowan limited edition clutch bag; Timberland boots; Joules pyjamas (that's pajamas in the U.S.) and a Motorola ROKR with I-Tunes.

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VES Awards

Wednesday, February 15, 2006:

VES Awards

The 4th Annual VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY AWARDS will be handed out at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood. Awards are given in 20 categories. In addition, John Lasseter will be honored with the Georges Méliès Award for Artistic Excellence and Jim Morris will be presented the Board of Directors Award at the sold out event.

VES Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture include the visual effects artists behind "Jarhead", "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Memoirs of a Geisha". VES Nominees for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture are "Chronicles of Narnia", "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", "King Kong" and "Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith". "Narnia", "King Kong" and "War of the Worlds" are this year's nominees for the 78th Annual Academy Awards® Achievement in Visual Affects.

Bonnie Hunt, Katherine Helmond, Cheech Marin, Edie McLurg, Craig T. Nelson and John Ratzenberger will be part of the VES tribute to Pixar's John Lasseter. Hunt, McLurg, Nelson and Ratzenberger have worked previously with Lasseter on movies from famed Pixar Animation Studios. Helmond and Marin join Hunt and Ratzenberger in Pixar's upcoming release, the Lasseter-directed "Cars." Lasseter also produced this year's Oscar nominated animated short film, "One Man Band," which will be released in theaters with "Cars" this summer.

More information: VES Awards website / Visual Effects Society / VES nominations (announced 1/9/06).

Juno Nominations

Wednesday, February 15, 2006:

Nominations for the 2006 JUNO AWARDS will be announced Wednesday, February 15. Tickets to the 2006 Juno Awards go on sale this Saturday, February 18. These tickets always sell incredibly fast - the show is often sold out in minutes. For more information, about the Juno Awards, see the calendar entry on April 2.