‘The King’s Speech’ leads the way at this year’s BAFTA awards with 14 nominations

The Tom Hooper-directed film – about stammering British monarch King George VI – is up for Best Film and Best Director, while its star Colin Firth is widely tipped to pick up the accolade for Best Actor.

Colin’s co-star Helena Bonham Carter is up for Best Supporting Actress for her role as George’s wife, the Queen Mother Elizabeth, and will take on ‘The Fighter’ star Amy Adams, Barbara Hershey for ‘Black Swan’, ‘Another Year’ actress Lesley Manville and Miranda Richardson for ‘Made In Dagenham’.

‘The King’s Speech’ is up against ‘Black Swan’, ‘Inception’, ‘The Social Network’ and ‘True Grit’ in the Best Film category, while Colin will take on ‘Biutiful’ star Javier Bardem, ‘True Grit’ actor Jeff Bridges, ‘The Social Network’s Jesses Eisenberg and ‘127 Hours’ leading man James Franco in a bid to be named Best Actor.

As well as being up for Best Film, ‘Black Swan’ was given a further 11 nominations including Best Actress for its star Natalie Portman, while Darren Aronofsky is in the running for Best Director.

Natalie goes up against 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld for ‘True Grit’, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ star Noomi Rapace, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore – who both starred in ‘The Kids Are All Right’ - in the Best Actress category.

‘The Fighter’ actor Christian Bale, ‘The Social Network’s Andrew Garfield, ‘The Kids Are All Right’ star Mark Ruffalo, ‘The King’s Speech Actor’ Geoffrey Rush and the late Pete Postlethwaite – who starred in ‘The Town’ – are all in the running to be named Best Supporting Actor.

As was previously announced, Andrew Garfield, Gemma Arterton, Aaron Johnson, Emma Stone and Tom Hardy will fight it out for the Rising Star Award, which is voted for by the public.

The BAFTA Awards take place at London’s Royal Opera House on February 13.

The full list of nominations for the 2011 BAFTA Awards:

Best Film:

‘Black Swan’

‘True Grit’

‘Inception’

‘The King’s Speech’

‘The Social Network’

Best Director:

Darren Aronofsky – ‘Black Swan’

David Fincher – ‘The Social Network’

Tom Hooper – ‘The King’s Speech’

Christopher Nolan – ‘Inception’

Danny Boyle – ‘127 Hours’

Best Actor:

Jesse Eisenberg – ‘The Social Network’

Colin Firth – ‘The King’s Speech’

James Franco – ‘127 Hours’

Javier Bardem – ‘Biutiful’

Jeff Bridges – ‘True Grit’

Best Actress:

Annette Bening – ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Julianne Moore – ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Noomi Rapace – ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’

Natalie Portman – ‘Black Swan’

Hailee Steinfeld – ‘True Grit’

Best Supporting Actor:

Christian Bale – ‘The Fighter’

Pete Postlethwaite – ‘The Town’

Andrew Garfield – ‘The Social Network’

Mark Ruffalo – ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Geoffrey Rush – ‘The King’s Speech’

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams – ‘The Fighter’

Helena Bonham Carter – ‘The King’s Speech’

Barbara Hershey – ‘Black Swan’

Lesley Manville – ‘Another Year’

Miranda Richardson – ‘Made in Dagenham’

Outstanding British Film:

‘127 Hours’

‘Another Year’

‘Four Lions’

‘The King’s Speech’

‘Made In Dagenham’

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer:

‘The Arbor’ – Clio Bernard (director), Tracy O’Riordan (producer)

‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ – Banksy (director), Jaimie D’Cruz (producer)

‘Four Lions’ – Chris Morris (director/writer)

‘Monster’ – Gareth Edwards (director/writer)

Best Foreign Language Film:

‘Biutiful’ – Mexico/Spain

‘The Secret in Their Eyes’ – Argentina

‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ – Sweden

‘I Am Love’ – Italy

‘Of Gods and Men’ – France

Best Animated Feature Film:

‘Toy Story 3’

‘How To Train Your Dragon’

‘Despicable Me’

Best Original Screenplay:

‘Black Swan’ – Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John McLaughlin

‘The Fighter’ – Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson

‘Inception’ – Christopher Nolan

‘The Kids are All Right’ – Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg

‘The King’s Speech’ – David Seidler

Best Adapted Screenplay:

‘127 Hours’ – Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy

‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ – Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel

‘The Social Network’ – Aaron Sorkin

‘Toy Story 3’ – Michael Arndt

‘True Grit’ – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Best Original Score:

‘127 Hours’ – AR Rahman

‘Alice in Wonderland’ – Danny Elfman

‘How To Train Your Dragon’ – John Powell

‘Inception’ – Hans Zimmer

‘The King’s Speech’ – Alexandre Desplat

Rising Star Award:

Gemma Arterton

Andrew Garfield

Tom Hardy

Aaron Johnson

Emma Stone

Source: BANG Showbiz

Claire Danes regrets not finishing college.

The 31-year-old actress – who shot to fame as a teenager in TV show ‘My So-Called Life’ took a break from acting in 1998 to study psychology at the prestigious Yale University but quit after two years.

When asked what advice she would give her younger self, Claire said: “Go to college, actually. I didn’t finish. I only went for two years but those two years were really good for me to just step away for a little bit and grow up without the prying eyes of the public and all the judgment that accompanies it. So that was good, and I don’t know.”

Claire – who won the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a TV movie for ‘Temple Grandin’ last night (16.01.11) – has previously revealed she took time out from Hollywood to attend college in order to regain a “normal” life.

She explained: “I started working when I was very young. I got an agent when I was 12 and fortunately was employed consistently from that point on. So I didn’t really go to a conventional high school. I was tutored on sets and things.”

The actress – who is married to British actor Hugh Dancy – is not the only actress to take time out of her career to attend university.

Natalie Portman completely a degree in psychology at Harvard , while ‘Harry Potter’ star Emma Watson is currently studying English Literature at Brown University.

Source: BANG Showbiz

Colin Firth was named Best Actor at last night’s (16.01.11) Golden Globes

The 50-year-old actor was given the prestigious accolade for his portrayal of stammering British monarch King George VI in ‘The King’s Speech’ and had the audience at Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton Hotel in fits of laughter as he accepted the award.

He quipped: “To get to this stage of your life with your dignity and judgment intact can be somewhat precarious.

“Sometimes all you need is a bit of gentle reassurance to keep you on track but right now this (the award) is all that stands between me and a Harley Davidson.”

While Colin was named Best Actor, Natalie Portman received the accolade for Best Actress for her portrayal of a tortured ballerina in ‘Black Swan’.

The 29-year-old beauty – who is expecting her first baby with fiance Benjamin Millepied – said: “Thank you to my parents for bringing me into this world and giving me this beautiful life. And thank you to Benjamin for helping me to bring more creation into the world.”

The ‘Social Network’ – about the creation of the Facebook website – was named Best Picture in the drama category and also won prizes for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score.

TV musical phenomenon ‘Glee’ was named Best TV Musical or Comedy while two of its stars, Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch, picked up awards for supporting actor and actress respectively.

Other winners at the star-studded ceremony – which was hosted by Ricky Gervais – included Melissa Leo, Christian Bale and Annette Bening.

Full list of winners at the 2011 Golden Globes:

Film Categories

Best Picture – ‘The Social Network’

Best Picture (Comedy) – ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Best Director – David Fincher – ‘The Social Network’

Best Actress (Drama) – Natalie Portman – ‘Black Swan’

Best Actor – Colin Firth, ‘The King’s Speech’

Best Actress (Comedy) – Annete Bening – ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Best Actor (Comedy) -Paul Giamatti – ‘Barney’s Version’

Best Supporting Actor – Christian Bale – ‘The Fighter’

Best Supporting Actress – Melissa Leo – ‘The Fighter’

Best Song – ‘Bound to You’ – ‘Burlesque’

Best Original Score – ‘The Social Network’

Best Screenplay – ‘The Social Network’

Best Animated Film – ‘Toy Story 3′

TV Categories

Best Actress (TV Drama) – Katey Sagal – ‘Sons of Anarchy’

Best Actor (TV Drama) – Steve Buscemi – ‘Boardwalk Empire’

Dramatic TV Series – ‘Boardwalk Empire’

Best Actor for supporting role in a series, mini-series or motion picture made for TV – Chris Colfer – ‘Glee’

Best mini-series or motion picture made for television – ‘Carlos’

Best TV Musical or Comedy – ‘Glee’

Best Actor, TV musical or comedy – Jim Parsons – ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Best Actress, TV musical or comedy – Laura Linney – ‘The Big C’

Best performance by an actress in a mini-series or a motion picture made for TV – Claire Danes – ‘Temple Grandin’

Best performance by an actor in a mini-series or a motion picture made for TV – Al Pacino – ‘You Don’t Know Jack’

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or motion picture made for TV – Jane Lynch – ‘Glee’

Source: BANG Showbiz

‘Black Swan’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ lead the nomination for this year’s 17th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards

The psychological thriller, which stars Natalie Portman as a ballet dancer experiencing a mental trauma, and the Tom Hooper-directed drama starring Colin Firth as Britain’s King George VI both received nominations in four categories, including Best Cast in a Motion Picture and Leading Actor for the main stars.

Supporting cast on both movies, Mila Kunis in ‘Black Swan’ and Geoffrey Rush in ‘The King’s Speech’, also received nods for their work.

‘The Fighter’ is also up for four awards in three categories, including Best Cast in a Motion Picture, Best Supporting Actress for both Amy Adams and Melissa Leo, and Best Supporting Actor.

Comedy drama ‘The Kids Are All Right’, about a lesbian couple and their two children’s sperm donor father also received two nominations in the film categories.

In the TV categories, Jane Lynch has received another nomination for her portrayal of angry sports coach Sue Sylvester in ‘Glee’ in the Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series, while newcomer Chris Colfer – who portrays gay school student Kurt Hummel – is up for Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series .

Other notable inclusions are ‘Mad Men’ stars Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss for Best Actor and Best Actress in a TV Drama Series.

Ernest Borgnine, the 93-year-old actor best known for play Quinty McHale in 1960s TV series ‘McHale’s Navy’, is to be given the Life Achievement Award for his career.

The winners will be announced on January 30 from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Centre.

Complete list of nominations for the 17th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Male Actor, Leading:

Jeff Bridges, ‘True Grit’

Robert Duvall, ‘Get Low’

Jesse Eisenberg, ‘The Social Network’

Colin Firth, ‘The King’s Speech’

James Franco, ‘127 Hours’

Female Actor, Leading:

Annette Bening, ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Nicole Kidman, ‘Rabbit Hole’

Jennifer Lawrence, ‘Winter’s Bone’

Natalie Portman, ‘Black Swan’

Hilary Swank, ‘Conviction’

Male Actor, Supporting:

Christian Bale, ‘The Fighter’

Jon Hawkes, ‘Winter’s Bone’

Jeremy Renner, ‘The Town’

Mark Ruffalo, ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Geoffrey Rush, ‘The King’s Speech’

Female Actor, Supporting:

Amy Adams, ‘The Fighter’

Helena Bonham Carter, ‘The King’s Speech’

Mila Kunis, ‘Black Swan’

Melissa Leo, ‘The Fighter’

Hailey Steinfeld, ‘True Grit’

Cast in a Motion Picture:

‘Black Swan’

‘The Fighter’

‘The Kids Are All Right’

‘The King’s Speech’

‘The Social Network’

TV

Male Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries:

John Goodman, ‘You Don’t Know Jack’

Al Pacino, ‘You Don’t Know Jack’

Dennis Quaid, ‘The Special Relationship’

Edgar Ramirez, ‘Carlos’

Patrick Stewart, ‘Macbeth: Great Performances’

Female Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries:

Claire Danes, ‘Temple Grandin’

Catherin O’Hara, ‘Temple Grandin’

Julia Ormond, ‘Temple Grandin’

Winona Ryder, ‘When Love Is Not Enough’

Susan Sarandon, ‘You Don’t Know Jack’

Male Actor, Drama Series:

Steve Buscemi, ‘Boardwalk Empire’

Bryan Cranston, ‘Breaking Bad’

Michael C. Hall, ‘Dexter’

Jon Hamm, ‘Mad Men’

Hugh Laurie, ‘House’

Female Actor, Drama Series:

Glenn Close, ‘Damages’

Mariska Hargitay, ‘Law & Order: SVU’

Julianna Marguiles, ‘The Good Wife’

Elisabeth Moss, ‘Mad Men’

Kyra Sedgwick, ‘The Closer’

Male Actor, Comedy Series:

Alec Baldwin, ‘30 Rock’

Ty Burrell, ‘Modern Family’

Steve Carell, ‘The Office’

Chris Colfer, ‘Glee’

Ed O’Neill, ‘Modern Family’

Female Actor, Comedy Series:

Edie Falco, ‘Nurse Jackie’

Tina Fey, ‘30 Rock’

Jane Lynch, ‘Glee’

Sofia Vergara, ‘Modern Family’

Betty White, ‘Hot in Cleveland’

Ensemble, Drama Series:

‘Boardwalk Empire’

‘The Closer’

‘Dexter’

‘The Good Wife’

‘Mad Men’

Ensemble, Comedy Series:

‘30 Rock’

‘Glee’

‘Hot in Cleveland’

‘Modern Family’

‘The Office’

STUNT ENSEMBLES

FILM

‘Green Zone’

‘Inception’

‘Robin Hood’

TV

‘CSI: New York’

‘Dexter’

‘Southland’

‘True Blood’

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Ernest Borgnine

Source: BANG Showbiz

Oprah Winfrey received an award at the 33rd Kennedy Centre Honours last night (06.12.10)

The chat show host was one of five celebrities – along with Sir Paul McCartney, country singer Merle Haggard, Broadway composer Jerry Herman and dancer Bill T. Jones – honoured at the event held at the White House in Washington DC.

Oprah – who was accompanied by her long-term partner Stedman Grahan - and Paul held hands on stage as US President Barack Obama addressed the crowd, saying the recipients had “given the nation the extraordinary gift of the arts”.

He added: “Although the honourees on this stage each possess a staggering amount of talent, the truth is, they aren’t being recognised tonight simply because of their careers as great lyricists or songwriters or dancers or entertainers.

“Instead, they’re being honoured for their unique ability to bring us closer together and to capture something larger about who we are – not just as Americans, but as human beings.”

No Doubt performed the Beatles’ track ‘Hello, Goodbye’ while stars such as Julia Roberts, Claire Danes, Steven Tyler, Angela Lansbury and Sidney Poitier attended the star-studded evening.

After Oprah received the award at the Kennedy Centre Honours, comedian Chris Rock joked “No one deserves this award more than Oprah Winfrey, but no one needs it less.”

Source: BANG Showbiz

Winners at the 62nd Emmy Awards:

Drama Series: ‘Mad Men’

Comedy Series: ‘Modern Family‘

Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, ‘Breaking Bad’

Actress, Drama Series: Kyra Sedgwick, ‘The Closer’

Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Actress, Comedy Series: Edie Falco, ‘Nurse Jackie’

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Aaron Paul, ‘Breaking Bad’

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Archie Panjabi, ‘The Good Wife’

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Eric Stonestreet, ‘Modern Family’

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jane Lynch, ‘Glee’

Miniseries: ‘The Pacific’

Made-for-TV Movie: ‘Temple Grandin’

Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Al Pacino, ‘You Don’t Know Jack’

Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Claire Danes, ‘Temple Grandin’

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: David Strathairn, ‘Temple Grandin’

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Julia Ormond, ‘Temple Grandin’

Directing for a Comedy Series: Ryan Murphy, ‘Glee’

Directing, Drama Series: Steve Shill, ‘Dexter’

Directing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Mick Jackson, ‘Temple Grandin’

Directing, Variety, Music or Comedy Special: Bucky Gunts, ‘Vancouver 2010 Winter Games Opening Ceremony’

Variety, Music or Comedy Series: ‘The Daily Show’

Reality Competition Program: ‘Top Chef’

Writing for Comedy Series: Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, ‘Modern Family’

Writing, Drama Series: Matthew Weiner and Erin Levy, ‘Mad Men’

Writing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Adam Mazer, ‘You Don’t Know Jack’

Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Special: 63rd Annual Tony Awards

Source: BANG Showbiz

Claire Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress of television, stage and screen. She is best known for her roles as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and as Yvaine in Stardust.

Claire got her start as a guest star on Law and Order in an episode called “Skin Deep”. In 1994, 15-year-old Claire starred as the 15-year-old Angela Chase in the television drama series My So-Called Life, for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received an Emmy nomination. The show was cancelled after only 19 episodes. However, the show has develloped a large cult following in the years since it was cancelled.

Claire played Elizabeth “Beth” March in the 1994 film adaptation of Little Women alongside Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Samantha Mathis, Trini Alvarado, Christian Bale, Susan Sarandon, and Gabriel Byrne. She also appeared as Holly Hunter’s daughter in Home for the Holidays, which was directed by Jodie Foster. Danes appeared opposite Frenchactress Jeanne Moreau, and Jude Law in 1995’s “I Love You, I Love You Not”.

Source: Wikipedia

The American actress – who met British spouse Hugh Dancy, 34, when filming the 2007 drama ‘Evening’ – said being in the same profession means the couple can pass on tips, especially when one of them is due to start work on a particularly challenging role.

She said: “He did play an autistic person six months prior to my doing ‘Temple Grandin’, which was a really odd coincidence. And it was very convenient for me, because our bookshelves were already stacked with all of the required reading. It was a great gift to have him understand what I was doing in such an intimate way.”

The 30-year-old star – who plays the title role of autistic author and animal behaviour expert Temple Grandin in her new film – said she was so desperate to get the part just right because the writer is still alive and she didn’t want to “disappoint” her.

She explained to the USA Today newspaper: “I read some of her books and started exploring who she was and became enraptured. It was totally daunting, because she’s wired and organized in such a fundamentally different way from myself. She’s alive and would ultimately see it, and I didn’t want to disappoint her.”

Claire spent an afternoon with the author as part of her research and was delighted to gain her approval.

She said: “She really liked it, which is a profound relief. She was the only critic I cared about. Once I had her validation and her appreciation, I felt very, very good.”

Source: BANG Showbiz

The actress – who wed her ‘Evening’ co-star Hugh Dancy at a secret ceremony in France in September – is content with her relationship and believes other people should tie the knot in order to be as happy as she is.

She said: “It feels wonderful. I’m recommending marriage. It’s still very new but there’s a kind of deep security that I’m really enjoying. My parents have been happily married since they were 21, so I have been lucky to have them as a model.”

The 30-year-old actress is currently starring in ‘Me and Orson Welles’ alongside Zac Efron, where she plays career-hungry production assistant Sonja Jones, and admits she was in awe of the opinionated character.

She said: “I admire her focus and her determination to succeed. I think it’s very brave for a woman to be so honest about wanting to do well and being hungry for success in any era, but especially then when women have few choices.”

While being in awe of her on-stage persona’s drive, Claire has started enjoying life more as she’s got older.

She explained: “I’m happier than ever. I have a deeper understanding of who I am and I’m more comfortable in myself. I know my needs and I know how they can be met. I hope that trend continues.

“But it’s still a bit of a shock when I’m at the gym on the treadmill and I have to punch in my information and I go, ‘Oh God, I’m 30’. It feels very old, but I like adulthood a lot.”

Source: BANG Showbiz