81st Academy Awards Nominations

BEST PICTURE "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" "Frost/Nixon" "Milk" "The Reader" "Slumdog Millionaire" BEST ACTRESS Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married" Angelina Jolie, "Changeling" Melissa Leo, "Frozen River" Meryl Streep, "Doubt" Kate Winslet, "The Reader" BEST ACTOR Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon" Sean Penn, "Milk" Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler" Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor" BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amy Adams, "Doubt" Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Viola Davis, "Doubt" Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler" 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 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 ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Dustin Lance Black, "Milk" Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River" Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky" Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges" Andrew Stanton, and Jim Reardon; original story by Stanton and Pete Docter"WALL-E" BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire" David Hare, "The Reader" Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon" John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt" Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM "The Baader-Meinhof Complex" (Germany) "The Class" (France) "Departures" (Japan) "Revanche" (Austria) "Waltz with Bashir" (Israel) BEST ANIMATED FILM "Bolt" "Kung Fu Panda" "WALL-E" BEST ART DIRECTION "Changeling" "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" "The Dark Knight" "The Duchess" "Revolutionary Road" BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY "Changeling" Tom Stern "Slumdog Millionaire," Anthony Dod Mantle "The Reader," Chris Menges "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Claudio Miranda "The Dark Knight," Wally Pfister BEST FILM EDITING "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall "The Dark Knight," Lee Smith "Frost/Nixon," Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill "Milk," Elliot Graham "Slumdog Millionaire," Chris Dickens BEST COSTUME DESIGN "Australia," Catherine Martin "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Jacqueline West "The Duchess," Michael O'Conner "Milk", Danny Glicker "Revolutionary Road," Albert Wolsky BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)" "Encounters at the End of the World" "The Garden" "Man on Wire" "Trouble the Water" BEST ORIGINAL SONG "Slumdog Millionaire," "Jai Ho" "Slumdog Millionaire," "O Saya" "WALL-E," "Down To Earth" 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 MAKEUP "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" "The Dark Knight" "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" BEST SOUND EDITING "The Dark Knight" "Iron Man" "Slumdog Millionaire" "WALL-E" "Wanted" BEST SOUND MIXING "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" "The Dark Knight" "Slumdog Millionaire" "WALL-E" "Wanted" BEST VISUAL EFFECTS "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" "The Dark Knight" "Iron Man" BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM "Auf der Strecke (On the Line)" "Manon on the Asphalt" "New Boy" "The Pig" "Spielzeugland (Toyland)" BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM "La Maison en Petits Cubes" "Lavatory - Lovestory" "Oktapodi" "Presto" "This Way Up" BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM "The Conscience of Nhem En" "The Final Inch" "Smile Pinki" "The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"

66th Annual Golden Globe Awards

Nominees and Winners for the 2009 Golden Globe Awards, presented Sunday, January 11, 2009 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" "Frost/Nixon" "The Reader" "Revolutionary Road" "Slumdog Millionaire" (Winner) BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY "Burn After Reading" "Happy-Go-Lucky" "In Bruges" "Mamma Mia!" "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (Winner) FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE "The Baader Meinhof Complex" "Everlasting Moments" "Gomorrah" "I've Loved You So Long" "Waltz With Bashir" (Winner) BEST DIRECTOR Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"(Winner) Stephen Daldry, "The Reader" David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon" Sam Mendes, "Revolutionary Road" BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR Leonardo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road" Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon" Sean Penn, "Milk" Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler" (Winner) BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married" Angelina Jolie, "Changeling" Meryl Streep, "Doubt" Kristin Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long" Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road" (Winner) BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Colin Farrell, "In Bruges" (Winner) James Franco, "Pineapple Express" Brendan Gleeson, "In Bruges" Dustin Hoffman, "Last Chance Harvey" BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL Rebecca Hall, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky" (Winner) Frances McDormand, "Burn After Reading" Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia!" Emma Thompson, "Last Chance Harvey" SUPPORTING ACTOR Tom Cruise, "Tropic Thunder" Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder" Ralph Fiennes, "The Duchess" Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt" Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" (Winner) SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amy Adams, "Doubt" Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Viola Davis, "Doubt" Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler" Kate Winslet, "The Reader" (Winner) ANIMATED FILM "Bolt" "Kung Fu Panda" "Wall-E" (Winner) SCREENPLAY Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire" (Winner) David Hare, "The Reader" Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon" Eric Roth, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt" ORIGINAL SCORE Alexandre Desplat, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Clint Eastwood, "Changeling" James Newton Howard, "Defiance" Hans Zimmer, "Frost/Nixon" A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire" (Winner) SONG "Down to Earth" (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman), "Wall-E" "Gran Torino" (performed by Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens, lyrics by: Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens), "Gran Torino" "I Thought I Lost You" (performed by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele), "Bolt" "Once in a Lifetime" (performed by Beyoncé, written by Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street), "Cadillac Records" "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), "The Wrestler" (Winner) TELEVISION CATEGORIES DRAMATIC TV SERIES "Dexter" "House M.D." "In Treatment" "Mad Men" (Winner) "True Blood" BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment" (Winner) Michael C. Hall, "Dexter" Jon Hamm, "Mad Men" Hugh Laurie, "House M.D." Jonathan Rhys Meyers, "The Tudors" BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters" Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU" January Jones, "Mad Men" Anna Paquin, "True Blood" (Winner) Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer" TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY "Californication" "Entourage" "The Office" "30 Rock" (Winner) "Weeds" BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" (Winner) Steve Carell, "The Office" Kevin Connolly, "Entourage" David Duchovny, "Californication" Tony Shalhoub, "Monk" BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?" America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty" Tina Fey, "30 Rock" (Winner) Debra Messing, "The Starter Wife" Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds" BEST MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION "Cranford" "Bernard & Doris" "John Adams" (Winner) "A Raisin in the Sun" "Recount" BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Judi Dench, "Cranford" Laura Linney, "John Adams" (Winner) Catherine Keener, "An American Crime" Shirley MacLaine, "Coco Chanel" Susan Sarandon, "Bernard & Doris" BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Ralph Fiennes, "Bernard and Doris" Paul Giammatti, "John Adams" (Winner) Kevin Spacey, "Recount" Kiefer Sutherland, "24: Redemption" Tom Wilkinson, "Recount" BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Eileen Atkins, "Cranford" Laura Dern, "Recount" (Winner) Melissa George, "In Treatment" Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers & Sisters" Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment" BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother" Denis Leary, "Recount" Jeremy Piven, "Entourage" Blair Underwood, "In Treatment" Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams" (Winner) CECIL B. DEMILLE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD< Steven Spielberg

15th Annual SAG Awards

Nominees for the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced December 18, 2008. The SAG Awards will be presented Sunday, January 29, 2009 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The show will be aired live on both TNT and TBS. THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor" Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon" Sean Penn, "Milk" Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler" Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married" Angelina Jolie, "Changeling" Melissa Leo, "Frozen River" Meryl Streep, "Doubt" Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road" Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Josh Brolin, "Milk" Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder" Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt" Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" Dev Patel, "Slumdog Millionaire" Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Amy Adams, "Doubt" Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Viola Davis, "Doubt" Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Kate Winslet, "The Reader" Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture "Doubt" "Milk" "Frost/Nixon" "Slumdog Millionaire" "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture "The Dark Knight" "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" "Iron Man" "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" "Wanted" TELEVISION Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Michael C. Hall, "Dexter" Jon Hamm, "Mad Men" Hugh Laurie, "House M.D." William Shatner, "Boston Legal" James Spader, "Boston Legal" Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters" Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU" Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace" Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer" Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men" Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" Steve Carell, "The Office" David Duchovny, "Californication" Jeremy Piven, "Entourage" Tony Shalhoub, "Monk" Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?" America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty" Tina Fey, "30 Rock" Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds" Tracy Ullman, "Tracy Ullman's State of the Union" Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series "Boston Legal" "The Closer" "Mad Men" "House" "Dexter" Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series "30 Rock" "Desperate Housewives" "Entourage" "The Office" "Weeds" Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams" Ralph Fiennes, "Bernard and Doris" Paul Giamatti, "John Adams" Kiefer Sutherland, "24: Redemption" Kevin Spacey, "Recount" Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Laura Dern, "Recount" Laura Linney, "John Adams" Shirley MacLaine, "Coco Chanel" Phylicia Rashad, "A Raisin in the Sun" Susan Sarandon, "Bernard and Doris" Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series "Heroes" "Friday Night Lights" "Prison Break" "The Unit" "The Closer"

Meet Robert Pattinson, Movie Star

This is it. The week the reviews come out. The week that finds the rest of Hollywood opening its eyes to the magic of Robert Pattinson, the movie star.

No matter how the film is received, Pattinson is bound to emerge from this experience as a bona fide movie star.

Sitting through hundreds of recent interviews while promoting this week's potential blockbuster Twilight, Pattinson never lost his charm, wit or grace and now the qualities that have attracted his long time fans are cemented for jaded industry people to absorb.

The same for all those promotional photo shoots - not only did they capture his obvious good looks, they also captured the chameleon like quality he possesses when photographed. One moment he looks like a boy; then a boy on the verge of manhood; then he looks like a mature adult male. These looks will allow him to accept any variety of film roles, and not be locked into any one genre. He will have his pick of scripts.

Robert Pattinson is not just another pretty faced 22 year old actor. There is much more to him than that. He is a true artist, a student of the world and well grounded; he will not be just the "it boy" of the year.

Long time fans will probably feel the same way I do - vindicated. My daughter reminded me the other day about when, after seeing him in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I went to his IMDb page to see who he was and what his previous works were. At the time, GOF was his only film credit and I told her then "watch out, this young man is going to make it."

I believe he made it in 2008.

Twilight Stars Stalked by Paparazzi

This video of Twilight stars Rob Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Nikki Reed and Rachel Lafevere has got a lot of people mad on Twilight forums, and I agree. So I'm promoting it in an effort to make this video go virally BAD for the paparazzi channel that got "this scoop." This is an opportunity to voice your opinion to let greasy paparazzi photographers know that sometimes it's just not okay to follow Rob's every move. Yes, Rob looked gorgeous walking down the jetway at LAX, but also really, really bushed from that crazy road trip. Yes, a lot of fans like to see his every move, but if we condone pap videos like this, will you really want to see one come out of him taking a sh*t or something? Because that's where his newfound fame is going to take him unless they get a clue as to where to draw the line. A week ago these paps didn't know who he was, now they were out for the MONEY shot. Please join me, rate this video with your heart - not with 5* because Rob's in it. But a 1* because it wasn't necessary to document in the first place. Getting off my pulpit now ...

Meet Rachelle Lefevre from Twilight

I have a feeling that Racheele Lefevre is going to be the next breakout star from the Twilight movie phenomenom. Rachelle plays the nomad vampire Victoria in the Twilight movie, and she's done an outstanding job promoting the film for Summit Entertainment. She's smart, funny, beautiful, energetic, and sincere. These are the same qualities her co-star Robert Pattinson possesses - and where he is undoubtedly Hollywood's Breakout Male Star of 2008, Rachelle might find herself cast as his female counterpart.

Backstage at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards

Karen Wood from Backstage Creations introduced the Tiger Electronics Celebrity Gift Retreat at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards.

MTV Video Music Awards Gift Suite Celeb Body secret

2008 'STUFF THAT ROCKS' GIFT VILLA

Oscar Celebrity Gift Bag

Celebrity VIP Gift Bag for Emmy Awards

In the 2008 Emmy Awards gift lounge

Declare Yourself - Don't Vote

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Usher, Jonah Hill, Kyra Sedgewick, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Foxx, Natalie Portman, Sarah Silverman, Dustin Hoffman, Forrest Whitaker, Ellen DeGeneres, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria Parker, Halle Berry, Laura Linney, Courtney Cox Arquette, Benicio Del Toro, and more top celebs share this message with you. They encourage you to forward this video to 5 of your friends. Please spread the word, and visit DeclareYourself.com for more.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008)

Matt recently appeared on Tyra's show featuring You Tube stars. Let's all do a happy dance!

Going Beyond Celebrity Gossip Rags

When I was younger, I was a voracious reader. In school, I dutifully read every book on the required reading list, then expanded beyond those elementary titles to weightier novels. My passion continued on into young adulthood, when my friends were out partying, I would read late into the night, grab a couple hours of sleep then drag myself into work. I read to my daughter every night from early infancy until she took over the titles and started reading to me. Then, a few years, I realized I had stopped reading. I had given in to my upper extremities issues and just couldn't set aside the pain long enough to linger over a book the way I used to, so I just put them all aside. I started to feel ignorant, having missed the latest releases and being unaware of what book topped what best seller list. Plus, I've really been wanting to go back and read some of the classics I skipped in lieu of more lusty prose from Danielle Steele's early collection.

So now I want to read and I'm much better prepared to handle the adjustments I need to make to get into those long awaited novels. My problem was that I had nothing to read, had too many interests to narrow down to choosing that first book, and starting a book list of my own just seemed like it would take too much energy. So when my sister asked the inevitable question "what do you want for Christmas this year?" I was prepared with my answer: books. But I added one caveat to my request - I did not want brand new books. I did not want to ask her to choose ten titles for me at Barnes and Noble that would ring up to $200.00 or more. I asked her to please head down to our local library and hit up the annual book sale there.

To my total happiness on Christmas morning, I unwrapped a most wonderful package containing just the right mix of books to get me back on the literary path. Sister had managed to snag the following, all in good to great condition:

A brand new copy of Anthony Bourdain's Bits and Pieces (hardback); a 1949 copy of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; Pandemic by Daniel Kalla; Alice Hoffman's Here on Earth; Homeland by John Jakes; Grift Sense and Funny Money, both by James Swain; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; Killer Body by Bonnie Hearn Hill; Helen Fielding's Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination; and a few more. The grand total for this most wonderful Christmas package: $7.00.

Sister is surprised that I chose to write about this, but it is a great example of a couple points: Christmas presents do not have to cost a lot of money, and it is an easy way to support the efforts of our local Friends of the Library.

Just one more thing, next time you're cleaning out your bookshelf, you might consider donating your discarded books to your local library. Most libraries are also willing to take your magazines and other reading material (books on tape / CD, etc). Library volunteers then distribute your donations to reading projects, nursing homes, and public sales.

p.s. thanks Sister for all the other great gifts, as well!

New Year, New You?

It seems every year at this time we see a variety of articles in print and online with the headline "New Year, New You." Having seen this catchy phrase most recently on the cover of Costco Connection - right above a slightly photoshopped picture of one of America's original fitness gurus Jack LaLanne - just got me wondering, what does it mean? If I run to Costco to pick up Jack LaLanne's Power Juice Machine, will my life suddenly change in 2008?

Golden Globe Nominations

Nominees for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning. See the complete list on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's website: http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/index.html.

SF Film Critics 2007 Award Winners

SAN FRANCISCO FILM CRITICS CIRCLE announces its 2007 Awards for Achievement in Film San Francisco, CA, December 10, 2007 – The San Francisco Film Critics Circle has named “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” as the Best Picture of 2007. Andrew Dominik’s Western, based on the Ron Hansen novel, details the complex psychology of Robert Ford and his relationship to the infamous outlaw Jesse James. For his performance as Ford, Casey Affleck was named Best Supporting Actor. Veteran filmmaking team Joel & Ethan Coen took Best Director honors for helming “No Country for Old Men,” an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s existential crime drama. The San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC), which includes twenty-four Bay Area film critics, honored George Clooney as Best Actor for the titular role of a troubled lawyer in “Michael Clayton.” Julie Christie won Best Actress for playing Fiona Anderson, who bravely faces Alzheimer’s disease in “Away from Her.” In addition to Affleck’s Best Supporting Actor nod, Amy Ryan secured Best Supporting Actress for playing Helene McCready, mother to a missing girl in “Gone Baby Gone.” Best Original Screenplay honors went to Tamara Jenkins’ “The Savages,” a seriocomic look at two siblings dealing with the physical and mental breakdown of their father, while Best Adapted Screenplay was awarded to Sarah Polley for turning Alice Munro’s short story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” into the film “Away from Her.” The San Francisco critics picked “No End in Sight” as the year’s Best Documentary; Charles Ferguson’s film explicates America’s controversial entry into and occupation of Iraq. Best Foreign Language Film went to Julian Schnabel’s “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (“Le scaphandre et le papillon”), a French-language adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby’s autobiographical book about life trapped inside a paralyzed body. The SFFCC issued a Special Citation to recognize the under-looked independent film “Colma: The Musical,” a homegrown song-and-dance extravaganza about the paradoxical drudgery and surreality of life in a city where the dead outnumber the living one thousand to one. Lastly, the group presented its Marlon Riggs Award, honoring a Bay Area filmmaker or individual who represents courage and innovation in the world of cinema, to filmmaker Lynn Hershman-Leeson. Hershman-Leeson’s films include “Conceiving Ada,” “Teknolust,” and this year’s “Strange Culture,” the true story of a Bay Area artist’s Kafkaesque experience as a suspected terrorist in the era of the Patriot Act. # # # The San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC), founded in 2002, is comprised of film critics from Bay Area publications. Its members include Jeff Anderson (Combustible Celluloid), Jeanne Aufmuth (Palo Alto Weekly), Barry Caine (Bay Area News Group), Peter Canavese (GrouchoReviews), Andrea Chase (Killer Movie Reviews), Cheryl Eddy (SF Bay Guardian), Michael Fox (SF360), Susan Gerhard (SF360), Pam Grady (FilmStew), Peter Hartlaub (San Francisco Chronicle), Dennis Harvey (Variety), Johnny Ray Huston (SF Bay Guardian), Mick LaSalle (San Francisco Chronicle), Carla Meyer (Sacramento Bee), Bruce Newman (San Jose Mercury News), Mary Pols (Contra Costa Times), James Rocchi (CBS-5), Tim Sika (Celluloid Dreams), Ruthe Stein (San Francisco Chronicle), Jan Wahl (KRON-TV), Jason Walsh (Pacific Sun), Kelly Vance (East Bay Express), and Richard Von Busack (San Jose Metro).

New York Film Critics Circle 2007 Awards Winners

THE NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS “NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN” BEST FILM OF 2007 December 10, 2007 (New York, NY) -- Stephen Whitty, Chair of the New York Film Critics Circle 2007 and critic and columnist for the Newark Star-Ledger (Newhouse News Service), announced today that the Circle has awarded top honors to the following films: Best Picture — No Country For Old Men Best Director — Joel & Ethan Coen / No Country For Old Men Best Actor — Daniel Day-Lewis / There Will Be Blood Best Actress — Juiie Christie / Away From Her Best Supporting Actor — Javier Bardem / No Country For Old Men Best Supporting Actress — Amy Ryan / Gone Baby Gone Best Cinematography — Robert Elswit / There Will Be Blood Best Screenplay — Joel & Ethan Coen / No Country For Old Men Best Animated Film — Persepolis Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary) — No End in Sight Best Foreign-Language Film — The Lives of Others Best First Film — Away From Her Lifetime Achievement Award — Sidney Lumet Special Critics Award — “Killer of Sheep” by Charles Burnett Whitty says “We started the vote without any clear front runners, but NO COUNTRY... quickly emerged as a favorite. It is a pleasure to welcome back these NY based filmmakers for their stunning achievement. It was also nice to see several debut efforts by female filmmakers (Sarah Polley for AWAY FROM HER and Marjane Satrapi for PERSEPOLIS) make our list this year. With such an interesting list of talented winners, I am really looking forward to our January 6th awards dinner.” The Circle’s awards ceremony will take place at Spotlight in New York City on Sunday, January 6, 2008. Founded in 1935, the Circle’s membership includes critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers and magazines. Every year in December the organization meets in New York to vote on awards for the previous calendar year's films. The Circle's awards are often viewed as harbingers of the Oscar nominations, which are announced each February. The Circle's awards are also viewed — perhaps more accurately — as a principled alternative to the Oscars, honoring esthetic merit in a forum that is immune to commercial and political pressures. http://www.nyfcc.com

‘300’ Conquers 2007 High-Def Awards

‘300’ Conquers High-Def Awards DEC. 5, 2007 — Warner Home Video’s hit film 300 dominated the first-ever High-Def Disc Awards, taking High-Def Title of the Year and Best Bonus Feature honors. The High-Def Disc Awards dinner was part of High-Def 2.0, a one-day conference held Dec. 4 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, Calif. High-Def 2.0 was presented by Home Media Magazine in cooperation with The Hollywood Reporter and the Entertainment Merchants Association. A panel of critics determined the best titles in 11 categories, with eligibility dating back to the inception of each high-def format — HD DVD in April 2006 and Blu-ray Disc in June 2006. Not only was 300 the only multiple winner, but it was also the only winner released on both high-def formats. Specifically, the 300 Blu-ray earned title of the year, while the HD DVD version won the bonus feature award for a function that allows a bluescreen version of the film to run simultaneously with the feature, allowing fans to compare the two and see the extent of the special-effects work done on the film to depict an ancient battle between Spartans and Persians. A live-action title of the year for each format also was awarded: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s James Bond epic Casino Royale won for Blu-ray and Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s cop comedy Hot Fuzz won for HD DVD. Sony Picture’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind was named best multidisc set. The definitive collection uses seamless branching to store three different versions of Steven Spielberg’s classic sci-fi film on a single disc, allowing viewers to compare them. High-Def Award Winners: High Def Title of the Year: 300 (Blu-ray), Warner Home Video Best Live-Action Blu-ray: Casino Royale, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Best Live-Action HD DVD: Hot Fuzz, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Best Animated: Ratatouille (Blu-ray), Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Best Picture Quality: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Blu-ray), Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Best Audio Quality: Transformers (HD DVD), Paramount Home Entertainment Best Bonus Feature: 300 (HD DVD), Bluescreen Picture-in-Picture, Warner Home Video Most Innovative Use of New Technology: HD DVD U-Shop feature (Internet purchase ability), Universal Studios Home Entertainment Best Long-Form Music Video: Dave Mathews & Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City Music Hall (Blu-ray), Sony BMG Best Catalog: Kingdom of Heaven: Director’s Cut, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Best Collection/Multidisc Set: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Home Media Magazine is the leading home entertainment business-to-business trade. It is published weekly by Questex Media Group Inc.