'Jaws' actor Scheider dies at 75
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Roy Scheider, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his role as a police chief in the blockbuster movie "Jaws," died Sunday. He was 75.
Scheider died at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock, hospital spokesman David Robinson said. The hospital did not release a cause of death.
However, hospital spokeswoman Leslie Taylor said Scheider had been treated for multiple myeloma at the hospital's Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy for the past two years.
He was nominated for a best-supporting actor Oscar in 1971's "The French Connection" in which he played the police partner of Oscar winner Gene Hackman and for best-actor for 1979's "All That Jazz," the autobiographical Bob Fosse film.
However, he was best known for his role in Steven Spielberg's 1975 film, "Jaws," the enduring classic about a killer shark terrorizing beachgoers and well as millions of moviegoers.
Widely hailed as the film that launched the era of the Hollywood blockbuster, it was also the first movie to earn $100 million at the box office. Scheider starred with Richard Dreyfuss, who played an oceanographer.
"He was a wonderful guy. He was what I call 'a knockaround actor,'" Dreyfuss told The Associated Press on Sunday.
"A 'knockaround actor' to me is a compliment that means a professional that lives the life of a professional actor and doesn't' yell and scream at the fates and does his job and does it as well as he can," he said.
In 2005, one of Scheider's most famous lines in the movie — "You're gonna need a bigger boat" — was voted No. 35 on the American Film Institute's list of best quotes from U.S. movies.
That year, some 30 years after "Jaws" premiered, hundreds of movie buffs flocked to Martha's Vineyard, off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts, to celebrate the great white shark.
The island's JawsFest '05 also brought back some of the cast and crew, including screenwriter Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel that inspired Spielberg's classic. Spielberg, Scheider and Dreyfuss were absent.
Dreyfuss recalled Sunday a time during the filming of 'Jaws' when Scheider disappeared from the set. As the filming was on hold because of the weather, Scheider "called me up and said, 'You don't know where I am if they call.'
"He'd gone to get a tan. He was really very tan-addicted. That was due to a childhood affliction where he was in bed for a long time. For him being tan was being healthy," Dreyfuss said.
He added that Scheider "was a pretty civilized human being — you can't ask for much more than that."
Scheider was also politically active. He participated in rallies protesting U.S. military action in Iraq, including a massive New York demonstration in March 2003 that police said drew 125,000 chanting activists.
Scheider had a home built for him and his family in 1994 in Sagaponack in the Hamptons, where he was active in community issues. The oceanfront house featured five bedrooms, four fireplaces and various decks and porches.
Last summer, Scheider announced that he was selling the home for about $18.75 million to singer-songwriter Billy Joel and was moving to the nearby village of Sag Harbor.
Day-Lewis And Cotillard take UK Film Honours
LONDON, England (AP) -- Daniel Day-Lewis won the best actor award at the British Academy Film Awards Sunday, cementing his place as an Oscar favorite for his role as a larger-than-life oilman in "There Will be Blood."
Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard pose with their acting awards Sunday in London.
Marion Cotillard of France won the best actress prize for her portrayal of songstress Edith Piaf, while the literary tearjerker "Atonement" was named best picture.
Day-Lewis, a previous Oscar winner for "My Left Foot" and a favorite to win best actor at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles in two weeks, paid tribute to this year's strong field of nominees.
"It has been a mighty year and I am very proud to be included," he said.
The night's biggest surprise was the success of French-language Piaf biopic "La Vie En Rose," which took four prizes -- music, costume design, makeup and the acting award for Cotillard's searing performance as the tragic songstress.
"Wow, wow, wow!" said a trembling, overwhelmed Cotillard. "It has been the most incredible adventure. I loved every single second of the shooting."
Joel and Ethan Coen took the directing award for their bleak modern-day western "No Country for Old Men," while Spanish actor Javier Bardem was named best supporting actor for his portrayal of a remorseless killer in the same film. Roger Deakins won the cinematography prize for capturing a stark Texan landscape in the film.
Tilda Swinton was named best supporting actress for legal drama "Michael Clayton."
Swinton, who wore the evening's most outrageous outfit -- an elaborate gold-and-black John Galliano creation -- said she was surprised to win.
"Proof that I'm astonished -- I would never have worn this skirt," she said.
Neophyte screenwriter Diablo Cody took the original screenplay prize for quirky teen-pregnancy comedy "Juno," while the original screenplay award went to Ronald Harwood for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."
The British awards -- officially the Orange British Academy Film Awards but popularly known as BAFTAs -- are considered an important indicator of success at the Oscars.
This year's show was given extra prominence by the Hollywood writers' strike that torpedoed last month's Golden Globes gala and imperiled the Feb. 24 Academy Awards. The Oscars ceremony now looks likely to go ahead thanks to a draft agreement between the Writers Guild of America and studios that could end the strike this week.
Hundreds of fans gathered under an unseasonably warm February sun to watch stars including Anthony Hopkins, Sylvester Stallone, Keira Knightley and "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe arrive at London's Royal Opera House for the black-tie ceremony.
"Atonement," which had been nominated for 14 awards, won just one other prize -- production design.
"Transformers" star Shia LaBoeuf won the rising star award, decided by public vote, while Hopkins received the Academy Fellowship for outstanding contribution to the film industry.
Shane Meadows' hard-hitting skinhead drama "This is England" took the prize for best British film.
Joel Plaskett Emergency cleans up at ECMA
FREDERICTON - A rocking song about fashionable people doing questionable things led a parade of awards for Halifax band Joel Plaskett Emergency, which cleaned up at the East Coast Music Awards on Sunday night.
Plaskett and his band won six awards related to their album "Ashtray Rock," a semi-biographical look at the world of Clayton Park, a sprawling Halifax suburb that overlooks Bedford Basin.
Plaskett, along with drummer David Marsh and bass player Chris Pennell, creates a narrative on the album about three friends growing up, falling in and out of love and playing music.
The hit song from the album "Fashionable People" was named group single of the year and also won for best video.
"I want to thank all of the people who turned out for the video shoot - both the fashionable and the unfashionable," Plaskett said as he accepted the best video award.
As well, Plaskett won the prestigious songwriter of the year award for the bouncy tune filled with beat changes and background vocals.
"Ashtray Rock" also took group recording of the year, rock recording and recording of the year.
Nova Scotian performers took the lion's share of awards at the gala in Fredericton.
New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island also had several winners, while performers from Newfoundland and Labrador were shut out.
Plaskett has been nominated for a Juno Award, and "Fashionable People" recently received first-place honours in the pop song category of the 2007 Billboard Magazine World Song contest.
Although the lanky Plaskett just completed a whirlwind tour of Australia, he said nothing would keep him from the East Coast Music Awards - the annual, dead-of-winter tribute to Atlantic Canadian music and culture.
"The awards have always been a big part of my year," he said shortly after he arrived in Fredericton.
"The ECMAs mark a kind of beginning of a new year, but it's also an acknowledgment of what you did in the past year."
Plaskett had seven nominations heading into the gala. The only one he missed out on was the coveted entertainer of the year award, which once again went to Nova Scotia country singer George Canyon.
It was the fourth-consecutive win as entertainer of the year for Canyon, the square-jawed singer from Pictou County who came out of obscurity by finishing second on 2004's "Nashville Star" TV talent search.
Canyon was unable to attend the awards ceremony.
The gala awards show in Fredericton on Sunday capped four hectic days of showcases and stage events held at various venues around the snowy New Brunswick capital.
A snowstorm that moved in Sunday wasn't enough to discourage more than 3,000 people from attending the ceremony, held in a large hockey arena.
For the first time in more than a decade, the awards show wasn't broadcast live nationally by CBC-TV.
Citing award-show fatigue and facing stiff competition from the Grammy Awards, which also were held Sunday, CBC decided on a different format this year for the East Coast extravaganza.
The CBC will air an hour-long, condensed version of the awards' performances on March 2, with host Steven Page of the Canadian band the Barenaked Ladies.
Dave Gunning, The Rankin Family and Jamie Sparks each picked up two awards. Other Nova Scotian winners included rising star winner Stephanie Hardy.
"I'll just keep doing it as long as I'm able to do it," said Gunning after he received the award for male solo recording of the year.
"This is an incredible pat on the back from the industry and all of the people who voted."
New Brunswick winners included Thom Swift, who won for blues recording, and the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, which won classical recording of the year.
The Divorcees from Moncton, N.B., won country recording of the year.
The top bluegrass recording went to the lively Saddle River String Band from Prince Edward Island.
Also from Prince Edward Island, Nathan Wiley won alternative recording of the year for "The City Destroyed Me."
"Every little bit helps," Wiley said. "It's recognition. It feels good to know people are listening."
A list of winners at East Coast Music Awards
FREDERICTON - Winners at Sunday night's East Coast Music Awards:
Entertainer of the Year: George Canyon
Recording of the Year: Ashtray Rock (Joel Plaskett Emergency)
Female Solo Recording of the Year: If You Were For Me (Rose Cousins)
Group Recording of the Year: Ashtray Rock (Joel Plaskett Emergency)
Male Solo Recording of the Year: House For Sale (Dave Gunning)
Rising Star Recording of the Year: Brand New Skin (Stephanie Hardy).
Group Single of the Year: "Fashionable People" (Joel Plaskett Emergency)
SOCAN Songwriter of the Year: Joel Plaskett for "Fashionable People" (performed by Joel Plaskett Emergency)
Video of the Year: "Fashionable People" directed by Randall Thorne (Joel Plaskett Emergency)
DVD of the Year: Back Stage Pass (The Rankin Family)
African-Canadian Recording of the Year: It's The Music (Jamie Sparks)
Alternative Recording of the Year: The City Destroyed Me (Nathan Wiley)
Bluegrass Recording of the Year: Saddle River String Band (Saddle River String Band)
Blues Recording of the Year: Into The Dirt (Thom Swift)
Classical Recording of the Year: Forbidden City Tour (New Brunswick Youth Orchestra)
Country Recording of the Year: You Ain't Gettin' My Country (The Divorcees)
Francophone Recording of the Year: 11 :11 (Vishten)
Folk Recording of the Year: Looking Back - Volume 2: House For Sale (Dave Gunning)
Gospel Recording of the Year: New Beginnings (Chelsea Nisbett)
Instrumental Recording of the Year: Live From the Music Room (Troy MacGillvray)
Jazz Recording of the Year: For The Record (Bill Stevenson & Tom Easley)
Pop Recording of the Year: Little Jabs (Two Hours Traffic)
Rap/Hip-Hop Single Track Recording of the Year: Hard To Be Hip Hop (Classified)
Rock Recording of the Year: Ashtray Rock (Joel Plaskett Emergency)
Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year: Reunion (The Rankin Family)
Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year: Falling On New Ground (Kimberly Fraser)
Urban Single Track Recording of the Year: If You Were (Jamie Sparks)
Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award: the Acadian New Brunswick group, 1755.
Hancock wins album of the year
(CNN) -- Amy Winehouse had a great night at the Grammys, winning five awards, but in a shocking finish, the big award -- album of the year -- went to Herbie Hancock for "River: The Joni Letters."
Hancock paid tribute to a number of his predecessors, most notably mentor Miles Davis, after the award was announced by Grammy-winning producer Quincy Jones.
Winehouse won the record and song of the year awards for "Rehab."
Winehouse, who had just performed a medley of "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab" live via satellite from London, England, seemed unaware the cameras were on her as she and her band whooped it up after winning record of the year. But she recovered, giving a rousing thank-you speech.
Winehouse, who was let out of rehab to perform at the Grammys, could use some good news; she's been in the news in recent months more for her public misbehavior than her music. The singer and songwriter received six nominations going into the evening.
Kanye West, who received eight nominations total, won best rap album for his "Graduation," giving him four for the evening as well. He won three Grammys before the broadcast, including best rap solo performance for "Stronger." Most of the 100-plus honors are given out before the show.
West gave a powerful performance of "Stronger" and "Hey Mama." The latter song, in particular, was written for his mother and appeared on West's 2005 album "Late Registration." Donda West died November 10 of a heart attack after surgery.
"I appreciate all the support, I appreciate all the prayers," he said regarding his mother while accepting the best rap album award. Then, addressing his mother, he said, "I know you want me to be the number one artist in the world. And, Mama, all I'm gonna do is keep making you proud." Gallery: Check out the stars in their finery »
Vince Gill's "These Days" won best country album, an award presented to him by Ringo Starr.
"I just had an award given to me by a Beatle," Gill said with wonder, and then looked at West -- who's often been vocal at a perceived lack of mainstream industry acceptance -- in the audience. "Have you had that happen yet, Kanye?"
West smiled as the audience burst into laughter.
The Foo Fighters' "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" won best rock album.
"This doesn't get old," frontman Dave Grohl said, dedicating the Grammy to his daughter Violet, who "inspired me to write this record."
The first award of the night, female R&B performance, went to Alicia Keys, who also opened the show with a "duet" with a virtual Frank Sinatra, captured on video in an old performance. The pair sang "Learnin' the Blues."
"I hope to one day be as classic as he [is]," she told CNN on the red carpet.
Keys won two Grammys going into Sunday night's broadcast to go along with eight wins in previous years.
"To win a Grammy is the highest honor for a musician," she said. "It's a big honor and an exciting night forever."
The night was full of unusual performances, including a Beatles tribute including pieces from Cirque du Soleil and the film "Across the Universe," and a lighthearted duet of "That Old Black Magic" between Keely Smith and Kid Rock.
Aside from Winehouse and West, album of the year nominations went to Herbie Hancock for his "River: The Joni Letters," the Foo Fighters for "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" and Vince Gill for his four-disc set "These Days."
Other winners of the evening included Bruce Springsteen, who received three Grammys, including best rock song for "Radio Nowhere," as well as the White Stripes, Timberlake and Mary J. Blige.
Also earning a Grammy was Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who defeated two presidents -- Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter -- to take home the award for best spoken-word album. Obama won for his book, "The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream."
List of Grammy winners
Winners at Sunday's 50th Annual Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: "River: The Joni Letters," Herbie Hancock.
Record of the Year: "Rehab," Amy Winehouse.
Song of the Year: "Rehab," Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse).
New Artist: Amy Winehouse.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson.
Pop Vocal Album: "Back to Black," Amy Winehouse.
Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Rehab," Amy Winehouse.
Male Pop Vocal Performance: "What Goes Around...Comes Around," Justin Timberlake.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Makes Me Wonder," Maroon 5.
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.
Pop Instrumental Album: "The Mix-Up," Beastie Boys.
Pop Instrumental Performance: "One Week Last Summer," Joni Mitchell.
Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Call Me Irresponsible," Michael Buble.
Alternative Music Album: "Icky Thump," The White Stripes.
Rock Album: "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace," Foo Fighters.
Rock Song: "Radio Nowhere," Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen).
Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Radio Nowhere," Bruce Springsteen.
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Icky Thump," The White Stripes.
Hard Rock Performance: "The Pretender," Foo Fighters.
Metal Performance: "Final Six," Slayer.
Rock Instrumental Performance: "Once Upon a Time in The West," Bruce Springsteen.
Rap Album: "Graduation," Kanye West.
Rap Solo Performance: "Stronger," Kanye West.
Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Southside," Common, featuring Kanye West.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Umbrella," Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z.
Rap Song: "Good Life," Aldrin Davis, Mike Dean, Faheem Najm & Kanye West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters) (Kanye West Featuring T-Pain).
Country Album: "These Days," Vince Gill.
Country Song: "Before He Cheats," Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood).
Female Country Vocal Performance: "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood.
Male Country Vocal Performance: "Stupid Boy," Keith Urban.
Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "How Long," Eagles.
Country Collaboration With Vocals: "Lost Highway," Willie Nelson & Ray Price.
Country Instrumental Performance: "Throttleneck," Brad Paisley.
R&B Album: "Funk This," Chaka Khan.
R&B Song: "No One," Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys).
Contemporary R&B Album: "Because of You," Ne-Yo.
Female R&B Vocal Performance: Alicia Keys.
Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Future Baby Mama," Prince.
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Disrespectful," Chaka Khan, featuring Mary J. Blige.
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "In My Songs," Gerald Levert.
Urban/Alternative Performance: "Daydreamin'," Lupe Fiasco, featuring Jill Scott.
Dance Recording: "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows," Justin Timberlake, Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, mixers.
Electronic/Dance Album: "We Are the Night," The Chemical Brothers.
Bluegrass Album: "The Bluegrass Diaries," Jim Lauderdale.
Traditional Blues Album: "Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas," Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood Jr. & David "Honeyboy" Edwards.
Contemporary Blues Album: "The Road to Escondido," JJ Cale & Eric Clapton.
New Age Album: "Crestone," Paul Winter Consort.
Contemporary Jazz Album: "River: The Joni Letters," Herbie Hancock.
Jazz Vocal Album: "Avant Gershwin," Patti Austin.
Jazz Instrumental Solo: "Anagram," Michael Brecker, soloist.
Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: "Pilgrimage," Michael Brecker.
Large Jazz Ensemble Album: "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)," Terence Blanchard.
Latin Jazz Album: "Funk Tango," Paquito D'Rivera Quintet.
Latin Pop Album: "El Tren De Los Momentos," Alejandro Sanz.
Latin Rock or Alternative Album: "No Hay Espacio," Black:Guayaba.
Latin Urban Album: "Residente O Visitante," Calle 13.
Tropical Latin Album: "La Llave De Mi Corazon," Juan Luis Guerra.
Mexican/Mexican-American Album: "100 (Percent) Mexicano," Pepe Aguilar.
Tejano Album: "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," Little Joe & La Familia.
Norteno Album: "Detalles Y Emociones," Los Tigres Del Norte.
Banda Album: "Te Va A Gustar," El Chapo.
Traditional Folk Album: "Dirt Farmer," Levon Helm.
Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: "Washington Square Serenade," Steve Earle.
Native American Music Album: "Totemic Flute Chants," Johnny Whitehorse.
Hawaiian Music Album: "Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar," Various Artists, Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku Jr., Paul Konwiser & Wayne Wong, producers.
Zydeco or Cajun Music Album: "Live! Worldwide," Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience.
Reggae: "Mind Control," Stephen Marley.
Traditional World Music Album: "African Spirit," Soweto Gospel Choir.
Contemporary World Music Album: "Djin Djin," Angelique Kidjo.
Polka Album: "Come Share the Wine," Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.
Gospel Performance: "Blessed & Highly Favored," The Clark Sisters; "Never Gonna Break My Faith," Aretha Franklin & Mary J. Blige (Featuring The Harlem Boys Choir). (Tie.)
Gospel Song: "Blessed & Highly Favored," Karen Clark-Sheard, songwriter (The Clark Sisters).
Rock or Rap Gospel Album: "Before the Daylight's Shot," Ashley Cleveland.
Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: "A Deeper Level," Israel and New Breed.
Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: "Salt of the Earth," Ricky Skaggs & The Whites.
Traditional Gospel Album: "Live — One Last Time," The Clark Sisters.
Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: "Free to Worship," Fred Hammond.
Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Love (The Beatles) George Martin & Giles Martin, producers (Apple Records/Capitol Records).
Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Ratatouille," Michael Giacchino, composer.
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Love You I Do (From Dreamgirls)," Siedah Garrett & Henry Krieger, songwriters (Jennifer Hudson).
Musical Show Album: "Spring Awakening," Duncan Sheik, producer; Duncan Sheik, composer; Steven Sater, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast With Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele & Others).
Musical Album for Children: "A Green and Red Christmas," The Muppets.
Spoken Word: "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream," Barack Obama.
Spoken Word Album for Children: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Jim Dale.
Comedy Album: "The Distant Future," Flight of the Conchords.
Instrumental Composition: "Cerulean Skies," Maria Schneider, composer (Maria Schneider Orchestra).
Instrumental Arrangement: "In a Silent Way," Vince Mendoza, arranger (Joe Zawinul).
Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die," John Clayton, arranger (Queen Latifah).
Engineered Album, Non-Classical: "Beauty & Crime," Tchad Blake, Cameron Craig, Emery Dobyns & Jimmy Hogarth, engineers (Suzanne Vega).
Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Bring the Noise (Benny Benassi Sfaction Remix)," Benny Benassi, remixer (Public Enemy).
Surround Sound: "Love," Paul Hicks, surround mix engineer; Tim Young, surround mastering engineer; George Martin & Giles Martin, surround producers (The Beatles).
Classical Album: "Tower: Made in America," Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Tim Handley, producer; Tim Handley, engineer/mixer (Nashville Symphony).
Orchestral Performance: "Tower: Made in America," Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Nashville Symphony).
Producer of the Year, Classical: Judith Sherman.
Engineered Album, Classical: "Grechaninov: Passion Week," John Newton, engineer (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale).
Opera Recording: "Humperdinck: Hansel & Gretel," Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor; Rebecca Evans, Jane Henschel & Jennifer Larmore; Brian Couzens, producer (Sarah Coppen, Diana Montague & Sarah Tynan; New London Children's Choir; Philharmonia Orchestra).
Choral Performance: "Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem," Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Thomas Quasthoff & Dorothea Roschmann; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Berliner Philharmoniker).
Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra): "Barber/Korngold/Walton: Violin Concertos," Bramwell Tovey, conductor; James Ehnes (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra): "Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 3," Garrick Ohlsson.
Chamber Music Performance: "Strange Imaginary Animals," Eighth Blackbird.
Small Ensemble Performance: "Stravinsky: Apollo, Concerto in D; Prokofiev: 20 Visions Fugitives," Yuri Bashmet, conductor; Moscow Soloists.
Classical Vocal Performance: "Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs," Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (James Levine; Boston Symphony Orchestra).
Classical Contemporary Composition: "Made in America," Joan Tower (Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Nashville Symphony Orchestra).
Classical Crossover Album: "A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane," Turtle Island Quartet.
Short Form Music Video: "God's Gonna Cut You Down," Johnny Cash.
Long Form Music Video: "The Confessions Tour," Madonna.
Recording Package: "Cassadaga," Zachary Nipper, art director (Bright Eyes).
Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "What It Is!: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (1967-1977)," Masaki Koike, art director.
Album Notes: "John Work, III: Recording Black Culture," Bruce Nemerov, album notes writer.
Historical Album: "The Live Wire — Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949," Nora Guthrie & Jorge Arevalo Mateus, compilation producers; Jamie Howarth, Steve Rosenthal, Warren Russell-Smith & Dr. Kevin Short, mastering engineers (Woody Guthrie).
The Couch Potato Report - February 10th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels some slings and arrows, throws some slings and arrows, and there is no end in sight.
Our Hot Potato this week is the 7-disc DVD Box Set for the show that won the Gemini Award as Best Dramatic Series at the 2007 Gemini Awards held last October in Regina.
SLINGS & ARROWS is set at the fictional New Burbage Festival, a troubled Shakespearean festival similar to the real-world Stratford Festival. The program stars Paul Gross from DUE SOUTH, Kids In The Hall member Marck McKinney, Rachel McAdams from THE NOTEBOOK, TWITCH CITY's Don McKellar, 2008 Academy Award nominee Sarah Polley and Canadian Theatre Legend William Hutt.
SLINGS & ARROWS does focus on Shakespeare, and at times it is very dramatic, but it isn't all highbrow and overly literary, it is often very, very funny.
Three seasons of six episodes each were filmed in total and each season was devoted to a different Shakespearean tragedy - Hamlet in the first, Macbeth in the second and King Lear in the third.
Each and every episode of SLINGS & ARROWS is equally represented with two DVDs in this new box set, and there is a bonus disc of extras as well, but the seasons are far from equal on the screen.
SEASON ONE of the show is by far the series' best...I loved SEASON ONE.
SEASON TWO is a bit less entertaining as their are too many characters and storylines and that hurts the show immensely, but by the end of SEASON THREE the show is back on track, and the series finale is exceptionally well acted and written.
Out of all the shows nominated as Best Dramatic Series at the Regina Geminis, SLINGS & ARROWS was a worthy victor.
And now that the series has finished, and gone into that long goodnight, you can always have this DVD set in case you decide to go once more unto the breach, dear friends.
Up next this week are three major film releases from the past year, and all of them have moments of brilliance...but ultimately none of them are worthy of your time.
And I'll start with Jodie Foster's latest THE BRAVE ONE....and it actually pains me to tell you that a Jodie Foster film isn't worthy of your time, as I love Jodie! I have been a fan of hers for over 30 years, but THE BRAVE ONE just isn't very good...yes, JODIE is good, as always, but the film turns into just another revenge thriller.
Jodie plays a radio host who loses her fiance during an attack in New York's Central Park.
Unhappy with the police response to her tragedy, she takes matters into her own hands...repeatedly.
I mentioned that these three films all have moments of brilliance...well, in THE BRAVE ONE that moment comes from a scene between Jodie and Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard set in a diner. The acting here is spectacular!
THE BRAVE ONE is not a total waste of time, as any film with Jodie Foster in it will always be worth your time...says a big fan of hers...but with the exception of that one scene in a diner, you have seen all of this before.
Sadly, we have also seen all of the contents of THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD before, and that is too bad because I had high hopes for this western that was filmed right here in Western Canada - in Alberta and Manitoba.
Casey Affleck received a well-deserved Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his work is this picture as Robert Ford, a ninteen year old who has idolized Jesse James since childhood.
Ford tries hard to join the reforming gang of the world renowned outlaw, but over time he starts to be resentful of him.
Brad Pitt stars as Jesse James, and although he didn't get an OScar nod, he is very good in the film as well.
Plus, the scenery looks great...but at two-and-a-half hours the film is way too long, and since the film is called THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD you know what is going to happen, so get me there already!!
I wanted to see this film, and I am glad I did, but I will never sit through it again. If you also have been waiting for this one to come out, I suspect you will feel the same way I do.
No, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD is nothing special...and neither is ELIZABETH - THE GOLDEN AGE starring Cate Blanchett.
With her Academy Award nomination as Best Actress in ELIZABETH - THE GOLDEN AGE Cate Blanchett is the first woman to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same role in two separate films.
She was also nominated for Best Actress for ELIZABETH in 1998, and while she did deserve those nominations both times, this second time to the well comes up dry.
There is some silver, but there isn't very much gold in THE GOLDEN AGE, my friend.
This time around we get a look at the relationship between Elizabeth and the adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh. Clive Owen from INSIDE MAN and KING ARTHUR does a great job as Raleigh, and he is matches Blanchett's brilliant performance step for step.
Plus, the sets are very opulent and lush, there are great special effects, and in addition to Blanchett and Owen, the rest o fthe cast is great too.
But the script lets all of that down and ELIZABETH - THE GOLDEN AGE just doesn't work. I wasn't bored when I watched it, but I almost was.
What saved it for me was Cate Blanchett. She won't win another Oscar for her work here...but she completely deserved the nomination.
Finally this week is another Academy Award nominee, this one in the Best Documentary Feature category, this is a film called NO END IN SIGHT.
NO END IN SIGHT focuses on alleged serious mistakes made by the Bush administration in the two-to-three-month period following the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003.
The film portrays these errors as the cause of ensuing problems in Iraq, such as the rise of the insurgency, a lack of security and basic utilities for many Iraqis, sectarian violence and, at one point, the risk of complete civil war.
NO END IN SIGHT doesn't feature any new information, facts or figures, but it is the first time that I have seen it all collected and shown together in one film.
That makes it informative, but it just isn't a compelling movie in any way.
So, if you are like me, and you have seen a dozen documentaries on Iraq over the past year, then this will probably come across as just another one.
That is how I saw it...but I am glad I saw it...there might be NO END IN SIGHT, but we can hope...can't we?
The Oscar nominated documentary NO END IN SIGHT, the not as good as the first film ELIZABETH - THE GOLDEN AGE, the I-wish-they-were-a-better-movies THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD starring Brad Pitt and Jodie Foster's THE BRAVE ONE, and the Shakespearean based Canadian television series SLINGS & ARROWS are all available now on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
I have six releases to tell you about, starting with the spectacular documentary IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON that features interviews with all of the surviving astronauts who went to the moon - with the exception of the reclusive Neil Armstrong - and lets them tell their story in their own, awe-inspiring words.
Also next week are GONE BABY GONE, featuring Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Amy Ryan; BECOMING JANE, starring the lovely and talented Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen; the romance drama NO RESERVATIONS; John Cusack toplines MARTIAN CHILD; and the sixth and final film next week is the people in debt documentary MAXED OUT.
I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!
Ratatouille cleans up at Annie Awards
The story of an upwardly mobile Parisian rat with a gourmet appetite ate up 10 Annie Awards, which honour the year's top achievements in film and television animation.
The Disney and Pixar rodent tale Ratatouille, about a French rat who ends up running a gourmet restaurant, captured trophies for top animated feature, writing and directing for Brad Bird, voice acting for Ian Holm, character design and animation, music, storyboarding, production design and animated video game.
The film headed into the competition with the most nominations, 13 in all, at the gala in Los Angeles on Friday night.
It beat out main competitors Bee Movie, Surf's Up, Persepolis and The Simpsons Movie.
The Annie Awards are presented by the International Animated Film Society. The winner of the best-picture prize has gone on to win the Academy Award for animated feature every year since it was added as an Oscar category in 2001, with one exception. Last year's Annie winner, the auto-racing comedy Cars, lost at the Oscars to the penguin musical Happy Feet.
Ratatouille will be battling it out on Oscar night with Persepolis and Surf's Up.
Persepolis is based on Marjane Satrapi's bestselling graphic novels about her life as a rebellious little girl growing up in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. Surf's Up chronicles a teenaged rock-hopper penguin competing in a surfing competition.
Other winners at Friday night's Annies included:
Animated effects: Deborah Carlson, Surf's Up.
Animated television production: Creature Comforts America, Aardman Animation.
Animated television production for children: El Tigre, Nickelodeon.
Directing in an animated TV production: Seth Green, Robot Chicken Star Wars.
McConaughey, Hudson find $22M in 'Gold'
LOS ANGELES - "Fool's Gold" found real treasure as the romantic adventure starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson led the weekend box office with a $22 million debut.
Martin Lawrence's family reunion comedy "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" opened at No. 2 with $17.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Disney's "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," the 3-D concert film that was the previous weekend's top movie, fell to third place with $10.5 million, a sharp drop from its $31.1 million opening. The movie has grossed $53.4 million after 10 days.
Released by Warner Bros., "Fool's Gold" came in a bit under the $23.8 million opening of McConaughey and Hudson's hit romance "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," which debuted over the same pre-Valentine's Day weekend in 2003.
With Valentine's Day on Thursday, the studio is counting on "Fool's Gold" to hold up well, said Jeff Goldstein, Warner vice president of distribution.
Critics hated "Fool's Gold" but audiences were eager to catch McConaughey and Hudson, who play a divorced couple reunited in a quest for 18th-century treasure lost at sea.
"A great marketing campaign, two appealing stars, and reviews be damned," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "Heading into Valentine's week, it's sort of a natural."
Universal's "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" features Lawrence as a talk show host who reluctantly heads back to the family homestead for his parents' 50th anniversary.
This weekend's other new wide release, Picturehouse's "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland," tanked with just $507,000. Playing in 962 theaters, the documentary of Vaughn and other comics' standup tour averaged just $527 a cinema, compared to $7,043 in 3,125 locations for "Fool's Gold" and $7,175 in 2,387 theaters for "Roscoe Jenkins."
In narrower release, Paris Hilton's comedy "The Hottie and the Nottie" did even worse, bombing with around $25,000 in 111 theaters for an average of about $225, according to an estimate from Media By Numbers. Distributed by Regent Releasing, the movie stars Hilton as a bombshell who refuses to date until her ugly best friend finds love.
Focus Features' action comedy "In Bruges," with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as hit men laying low in Belgium, opened solidly in limited release, pulling in $471,200 in 28 theaters to average $16,829.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Fool's Gold," $22 million.
2. "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins," $17.1 million.
3. "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," $10.5 million.
4. "The Eye," $6.6 million.
5. "Juno," $5.73 million.
6. "27 Dresses," $5.7 million.
7. "The Bucket List," $5.3 million.
8. "Rambo," $4.1 million.
9. "Meet the Spartans," $4.075 million.
10. "There Will Be Blood," $4.073 million.
Amy Winehouse may be key Grammy moment
NEW YORK - Kanye West is nominated for a leading eight Grammy awards and has a history, good or bad, of creating memorable awards show moments. But the superstar rapper and producer may be upstaged on Grammy night by another nominee who's not even able to attend Sunday's ceremony.
Troubled British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, up for six awards including album of the year for her "Back to Black" album, is due to perform via satellite from her home country, where she is currently being treated in a rehabilitation center for substance abuse.
In the days leading up to the ceremony, suspense was building whether the 24-year-old, whose personal life has fallen apart over the past year as her career blossomed, would be at the ceremony in any form. It was unclear whether she'd be well enough to take a break from rehab to attend; then, it was unclear whether the United States would grant her a work visa to appear.
After she was initially rejected for the visa this week, Grammy producers arranged for her to perform via telecast. Soon afterward, the U.S. government reversed itself and approved Winehouse, but it was too late in the week at that point to make the cross-continental trek.
Winehouse is only behind West for the most nominations on the night. The retro-soul singer's top-selling American debut is not only up for album of the year, but song and record of the year for her autobiographical, sassy hit "Rehab," about her refusal to undergo treatment. Though the album was a critical and commercial breakthrough for her, her personal troubles, which made regular tabloid headlines, threatened to overshadow her music.
In any other year, it would likely be West who would be the main story line going into Grammy week. He too is up for album of the year for "Graduation," which had the best-selling debut of last year with almost one million copies sold in the first week alone. This is West's third album and the third time he has been nominated for album of the year.
While he has won a handful of Grammys, they have been in the rap categories, where the bulk of his nominations are this year as well. West has provided stirring awards show performances, but has also been known to go on a tirade when he has not won what he thought he deserved, perhaps most notably at last year's MTV Video Music Awards.
Late last year, he suffered a traumatic loss when his mother and manager Donda West died after complications of plastic surgery. West, whose mother was often with him at awards ceremonies, is due to perform on Sunday's broadcast.
Besides West and Winehouse, the other album of the year contenders were the Foo Fighters' "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace," Vince Gill's "These Days," and Herbie Hancock's "The River."
For record of the year, Winehouse's "Rehab" is competing against Beyonce's "Irreplaceable," Rihanna's "Umbrella," "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters and Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around ... Comes Around."
Among the broadcast's scheduled performances were Beyonce with rock goddess Tina Turner; Rihanna with The Time; Aretha Franklin, Josh Groban, Alicia Keys with John Mayer and Carrie Underwood.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Grammys. But the Hollywood writer's strike had threatened disrupt the telecast when the Writers Guild of America indicated they might not grant the show a waiver to use writers, leaving the potential of a boycott. But an interim agreement was reached.
The show will be broadcast live on CBS. The bulk of the 100-plus trophies will be given out in a pre-telecast ceremony.