Johnny Reid wins 5 Canadian country music awards
Johnny Reid danced away with five trophies at the Canadian Country Music Association awards Sunday, including album of the year for his release Dance With Me.
Reid also won for video of the year, male artist of the year, the fans' choice award and songwriter of the year for A Woman Like You.
Reid, a Scottish-born Canadian who moved to Ontario with his family as a teenager, thanked his parents for all the sacrifices they've made in his name.
"I was given the opportunity to come to Canada in 1988. My mother and father packed up and sold everything they had in search of opportunity. Thank you for giving me an opportunity," he told the cheering crowd.
Reid, who's known for his romantic songs, also thanked the women in his life — his mother, grandmother, wife and "my wee baby that's going to be here in January," he said in his Scottish burr.
Doc Walker, last year's big winner at the CCMA awards, won again in the group of the year category.
The Manitoba group's Murray Pulver also won in the guitar player of the year category.
Crystal Shawanda, who grew up on Ontario's Manitoulin Island and wrote her first song at nine years old, won the female artist of the year award.
"It feels amazing," Shawanda told the media after winning. I didn't expect it at all."
Tara Oram, the winner of the rising star award, came to the stage in tears.
"I grew up as a little girl in Newfoundland just watching this show," she sobbed.
She went on to thank God, her family, her manager, country radio, everyone in Hare Bay, N.L., and finally her hamster Gertie, her rabbit Jack and her cat Phoebe.
Dean Brody, who grew up in tiny Jaffray, B.C., took home single of the year for his track, Brothers.
Corb Lund and his Hurtin' Albertans took the award for roots artist or group of the year.
Televised on CBC and hosted by Canadian actor and director Jason Priestley, the two-hour show featured performances by Reid, Doc Walker, Shawanda, Aaron Pritchett, Paul Brandt, Terri Clark, George Canyon and Richard Marx.
American country superstars Reba McEntire and Martina McBride also thrilled more than 6,000 fans at Vancouver's GM Place with their performances.
Priestley rumbled into the show on a Harley Davidson motorcycle and after shaking hands with some in the crowd, he saluted his hometown of Vancouver.
He went on to poke fun at some of the nominees, suggesting George Canyon's latest album is not only about how much he loves his kids, but also how much he loves Johnny Reid's wife. Reid's wife was a common target for Priestley on this night.
While he dished out his fair share of jabs, Priestley was also on the receiving end of a poke by McEntire.
In one sketch, he asked McEntire what she was posting on Twitter.
Countered Reba, "I'm so excited to meet Luke Perry" — confusing Priestley with his former Beverly Hills 90210 co-star.
The final award handed out for the night was the fans' choice, which also went to Reid. He told the crowd the award meant the world to him.
"This will be a night that lives for ever in my heart. Thank you very, very much."
Sunday's awards ceremony was the wrap-up of a four-day event of artist showcases, workshops, and country-music industry networking in a city not known for country tunes, but was awash in cowboy hats leading up to the event.
Tina Fey wins Emmy award for Sarah Palin spoof
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actress Tina Fey won an Emmy on Saturday for her uncanny portrayal of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live," while pop star Justin Timberlake also was honored for his appearance on the NBC network's veteran sketch-comedy series.
Both won their guest-starring awards at the creative arts portion of the Emmys, where 72 awards mostly in technical categories were handed out. Awards in 28 high-profile races will be given out during a live broadcast on September 20.
The Emmys are the top awards for U.S. television.
The top network was Time Warner Inc's HBO, which won 16 awards led by "Grey Gardens" and the Iraq war miniseries "Generation Kill" with three each.
In winning her Emmy, Fey beat out two contenders from her own NBC comedy, "30 Rock," which leads all shows with 22 nominations. She made reference to Palin, who resigned in July as governor of Alaska less than a year after she was chosen as Senator John McCain's running mate in last year's U.S. presidential election.
"Mrs. Palin is an inspiration to working mothers everywhere because she bailed on her job right before Fourth of July weekend. You are living my dream. Thank you, Mrs. Palin!"
It marked Fey's sixth career win, and she is in contention for two awards at the main ceremony, including best comedy actress.
Timberlake won his second career Emmy, this time for playing various characters on an episode of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" that he hosted. NBC is a unit of General Electric Co.
In the dramatic categories, the guest-starring awards went to veteran actress Ellen Burstyn for NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and Michael J. Fox for "Rescue Me" on FX.
It marked Burstyn's first Emmy win after four nominations. She previously won an Oscar in 1975 for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore."
'I WAS A LITTLE LACKING'
"It did seem like I was a little lacking in that side of the mantelpiece. I just felt it would be balanced if I had an Emmy, too," said Burstyn, who appeared in the veteran crime show as the mother of series star Chris Meloni.
Fox, who was not present at the ceremony, now has five Emmys -- including three for "Family Ties" and one for "Spin City." In Denis Leary's firefighter drama "Rescue Me," he played an angry, drug-abusing paraplegic.
A big winner at the ceremony was the Charles Dickens miniseries adaptation "Little Dorrit," whose four wins overshadowed favored contenders "Grey Gardens" and "Into the Storm." "Little Dorrit" aired on U.S. television on PBS.
By the time "Little Dorrit" won its fourth award, for cinematography, cameraman Lukas Strebel succinctly summed up the mood. "I'm speechless and everything's been said," he said.
"Grey Gardens," a TV movie based on the documentary about two socialites who love in squalor, was one of seven shows to pick up three awards. It received 17 nominations overall, second only to "30 Rock," and remains in contention for seven awards.
"30 Rock" won a pair of Emmys, and will compete for 13 at the main ceremony, including best comedy, which it won last year.
Among other big guns, defending best-drama champ "Mad Men" won a single award, but will hope to add up to nine awards at the main ceremony. It airs on the AMC cable network.
"Saturday Night Live," with 13 nominations, won two awards and will compete for six more Emmys.
Comedy Central's "South Park" was named best animated program (for programing less than one hour) for the third time, beating Fox's 10-time winner "The Simpsons." The two shows have taken turns winning the prize since 2005. Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer Simpson, won his fourth Emmy in the voice-over category.
Host Kathy Griffin lost in both her categories. California first lady Maria Shriver, who was not present, won a pair of Emmys as an executive producer of two documentaries about Alzheimer's disease.
Tyler Perry has good opening with 'Bad'
LOS ANGELES – Being bad is good for Tyler Perry, whose latest movie, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," opened at the top of the box office this weekend with more than $24 million.
The Lionsgate comedy stars Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") as a hard-drinking nightclub singer forced to care for her delinquent niece and nephews. Besides directing and writing the film, based on his stage play of the same name, Perry co-stars as his brash, cross-dressing alter ego, Madea.
It's Perry's second film this year to open at No. 1. In February, "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" debuted at the top spot with $41 million, which stands as the biggest opening of his eight films.
"Tyler Perry has a special way of speaking to his audience, and it's unbelievable," David Spitz, Lionsgate's executive vice president and general sales manager, said Sunday. "He always knows what his audience wants, and I never underestimate him."
Spitz said the presence of the popular Madea character, plus a cast that included Henson, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight and Pastor Marvin Winans, helped put the movie on top. It also had the best critical reception of all of Perry's films, with 58 percent positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site.
Perry, who's known for his productivity, has the sequel "Why Did I Get Married Too" coming out next spring. And in a rare adaptation of someone else's work, he's preparing to go into production on a film version of the Ntozake Shange stage play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf."
Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian joked that his latest movie should have been called, "Tyler Perry's I Can Do No Wrong at the Box Office."
"Eight theatrical films, five No. 1 debuts — Lionsgate has a perpetually successful franchise in Tyler Perry," Dergarabedian said. "He is the brand. He's a very rare example of a director-writer-actor who is completely synonymous with his work and with the success of his movies."
Coming in second was the dark, animated "9" from Focus Features, which made $10.9 million this weekend, according to Sunday estimates. Since its Wednesday opening — on 9-9-09 — the movie has made about $15.3 million. The voice cast includes Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer and Jennifer Connelly as hand-stitched dolls who represent the last vestige of humanity after a war between man and machine.
In what is traditionally a slow time at the box office between the summer blockbusters and the fall prestige films, two other new releases had so-so openings. The Summit Entertainment horror flick "Sorority Row" came in at No. 6 with about $5.3 million, while the Kate Beckinsale thriller "Whiteout" from Warner Bros. followed in seventh place with $5.1 million.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com.
1. "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself," $24.03 million.
2. "9," $10.9 million.
3. "Inglourious Basterds," $6.5 million.
4. "All About Steve," $5.8 million.
5. "The Final Destination," $5.5 million.
6. "Sorority Row," $5.3 million.
7. "Whiteout," $5.1 million.
8. "District 9," $3.6 million.
9. "Julie & Julia," $3.3 million.
10. "Gamer," $3.15 million.
Madonna, Janet pay tribute to Michael at VMAs
NEW YORK – Michael Jackson, who was not only one of the most influential forces in MTV's history but also provided its Video Music Awards with some of its most irreverent moments, got reverential treatment Sunday as Madonna and his sister Janet provided emotional tributes — one through words, one through song.
Madonna kicked off the show at Radio City Music Hall with a poignant speech about her relationship with Michael Jackson, which began when she was a youngster idolizing the then-child star, then morphed into a friendship when both were at the apex of their careers, and later, grew distant.
Madonna lamented the negative publicity that dogged him in his later years.
"Sometimes, we have to lose things before we can truly appreciate them," said Madonna, dressed in black.
"Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being, but yes, he was a king," she told the celebrity-studded crowd, which included Michael's brother Jermaine and father Joe Jackson. "Long live the king."
The musical tribute began afterward, as Jackson clones dressed in some of his signature outfits recreated his famous dance moves from videos like "Bad," "Smooth Criminal" and "Thriller."
Then, as "Scream," his duet with Janet, appeared on a large screen, his sister came out to recreate the moves from their only video together as the crowd, including Beyonce, cheered her on. Afterward, she looked heavenward, and bowed.
It was a tender, special moment — a rarity for the Video Music Awards — that didn't last for long. Kanye West, known for his awards show outbursts when he doesn't win, had another one — this time, on behalf of Beyonce.
Beyonce, nominated for best female video for "Single Ladies," was bested by country and pop sensation Taylor Swift. The 19-year-old was giddy when she won, saying: "I always wondered what it would be like to maybe win one of these someday, but never actually thought it would happen."
But West ruined her moment when he jumped on stage, and protested.
"Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and I'm gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time," he said, as a shocked Beyonce looked on and the crowd began to boo West.
A crestfallen Swift didn't finish her speech, but the crowd tried to cheer her own and applauded her.
It was another wacky moment for the VMA archives, and a contrast to the tribute to Jackson. Jackson died in Los Angeles on June 25 at age 50. The medical examiner's office has labeled the death a homicide, and prosecutors are still investigating.
Jackson was not only an integral part of MTV's history — his legendary videos changed the way music clips were made and he was the first black artist whose work was aired on the fledgling network — but he also provided the VMAs with some of its most memorable moments, including his infamous smooch with then-wife Lisa Marie Presley, in 1994.
The Jackson tribute wasn't the only moment where Jackson's presence was be felt. The network is also aired a brief premiere of the trailer for "This Is It," the documentary about Jackson's preparations for his comeback concerts that were to be held in London. The film is due to come out in October.
Comedian Russell Brand also paid tribute to Jackson:
"Tonight is dedicated to the great Michael Jackson," Brand, in a top hat, told the audience. "Let's honor Michael tonight by loving one another in his memory."
Last year, Brand made his debut as host by poking fun at the Jonas Brothers' vow of purity, among other ribald moments. This year, he cracked jokes about Katy Perry's posterior.
There were plenty of colorful moments before the show began, as celebrities including Pink and Buzz Aldrin mingled in front of the cameras at Radio City Music Hall.
Lady Gaga made one of the more intriguing entrances, wearing a top hat, a gold mask looking like something out of "Phantom of the Opera" and feathered bodice. She also had some intimate moments with a celebrity date even more famous — Kermit the Frog. They kissed several times, leading Kermit to openly worry about the reaction from longtime galpal Miss Piggy.
Not to be outdone, teen sensation Taylor Swift arrived in a fairy-tale carriage drawn by white horses.
Beyonce and Lady GaGa lead all artists with nine nominations each, but the show's winners aren't nearly as memorable as the wacky and wild moments, and noteworthy performances.
Both superstars are expected to perform, along with Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Green Day and other acts. And the night won't just focus on music: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, the much fawned-over stars from the vampire film "Twilight," will present clips from the movie's sequel, "New Moon."