Natalie Portman Wins Oscar for Black Swan

Reel Artsy favorite, Natalie Portman, got the trophy that we were all hoping (and expecting) she would. Her body of work is impressive, from indies to blockbusters, drama to romantic comedies and her future in cinema looks bright. Be sure to bookmark our Natalie Portman category where we'll keep you updated with her latest projects. And if you haven't done so already stop by Portman's own entertainment website MakingOf.com that features loads of behind-the-scenes interviews.

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2011 Oscar Picks

My picks for who I think should win this year.

Best Picture: The Social Network
Best Actor: Colin Firth
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Best Actress: Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo
Best Director: David Fincher
Best Documentary Feature: Exit Through The Gift Shop
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Foreign Language Film: Biutiful
Best Original Screenplay: Inception
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Film Editing: The Social Network
Best Cinematography: True Grit
Best Art Direction: Inception
Best Animated Short: Day & Night
Best Visual Effects: Inception
Best Sound Mixing: Inception
Best Sound Editing: Inception
Best Costume Design: Alice In Wonderland
Best Makeup: The Wolfman
Best Original Score: The Social Network
Best Original Song: "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)

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Oscar Nominations 2011

Not many surprises here. The Oscar nominations seem a little too predictable, pretty much all the front-runners got their respective nods. Things could get really interesting if Natalie Portman and Christian Bale don't win Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. And if Jesse Eisenberg beat out Colin Firth for Best Actor. I doubt that will happen, but either way I'm looking forward to awards night.

Best Picture:

• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King's Speech
• 127 Hours
• The Social Network
• Toy Story 3
• True Grit

For a full list of nominations click here.

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Golden Globe Nominations Announced

The nominations for the 68th Annual Golden Globes were announced today! Period drama The King's Speech led with seven noms. Some of my favorites are The Fighter, Colin Firth, Andrew Garfield, Aaron Sorkin, and Jacki Weaver (go watch Animal Kingdom if you haven't). Winners to be announced on Sunday, January 16th. For a full list of nominees CLICK HERE.

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Ivy Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Awards

John Cho and Kal Penn reunited earlier this week at the 8th Annual Ivy Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Awards held in Burbank. Penn was an honoree alongside CCH Pounder (Warehouse 13, The Shield) and producer Yvette Lee Bowser (Living Single, Half & Half). The Ivy Bethune Awards "recognize performers and arts organizations who, through their work and activism, have fostered diversity within the entertainment and news media industries and their communities."

You can catch Cho and Penn next year in A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas.

[Photo Credit: Wilki Tom]

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Photos from The 2010 Streamy Awards

As promised here are some photos from the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards. Congrats to all the winners! For a list of nominees and winners visit www.streamys.org

 [Photo credit Wilki Tom] 

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The 2010 Streamy Awards

Lots of cool nerds, techies and actors showed up at the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards in Los Angeles. I'll post loads of photos later. But here's a quick video of Zadi Diaz from EpicFu.com who won an award for best host.

And here's the queen of the web, Felicia Day, after her win for best actress in a comedy (The Guild).

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Night of 100 Stars [VIDEO]

Here's a short video from yesterday's Night of 100 Stars Oscar viewing party at The Beverly Hills Hotel.

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Oscar Picks

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards air tonight at 5pt/8et on ABC! Check out all my picks below (who I want to win, not necessarily who I think will win). Unfortunately I didn't see any of the nominated docs, foreign films, or shorts this year.

Best Picture
"Inglourious Basterds"

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"

Best Actress
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"


[READ MORE...]

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Oscars Red Carpet

I was just on the red carpet for the 2010 Academy Awards. There's a lot of buzz as the start time approaches. Here's a short video...

Which films and actors do you hope win? Share your thoughts about all things Oscar related...

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The Oscars Are Near... [VIDEO]

Hollywood & Highland is buzzing with final preparations for The Oscars. They set the rain tents up in case it gets wet the night of show but today was all sunshine.

For a full list of this year's Academy Award nominees click here.

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NAACP Image Awards [Photos]

Our photo contributor Wilki W.K. Tom snapped these photos at the NAACP Image Awards over the weekend. I interviewed a bunch of people and I'll be posting those soon. For a full list of winners and nominees click here.

(Hill Harper)

 (Selena Gomez)

(Erica Hubbard & Rhyon Nicole Brown)

(Anika Noni Rose)

For more photos click here.

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Awkwardly Cute Awards - Web Series

Continuing with the Awkwardly Cute Awards, it's time to spotlight three web series that offered a good amount of quirky moments. All three series were created exclusively for the web, each ground-breaking in their own way.

Rockville CA
Music nerds.

For Deb and Hunter, their lives revolve around indie rock. They meet at a local venue (think LA's Spaceland) and banter over who knows more about "the scene." Excutive producer Josh Schwartz (The O.C., Gossip Girl, Chuck) wanted to showcase music in original way and instead of going the soundtrack route Rockville CA features live sets from real bands. Some notable performances include: Passion Pit, The Kooks, Lykke Li, Lights and Anya Karina.

Watch now: www.thewb.com/shows/rockville-ca

The Lake
High school nerds.

Summer crushes, family drama and beach barbecues. Olivia is the new girl. Drew is the shy guy. And everyone on Lake Eleanor knows that should end up together except them. The series was directed by Jason Priestley (90210) and premiered last summer on TheWB.com. You can check out my interview the star Heather Ann Davis here.

Watch now: www.thewb.com/shows/the-lake

The Guild
Computer nerds.

Felicia Day is the unofficial web series queen. She financed the first season of The Guild with support from fans, then later on secured a deal with with xBox and Microsoft. The award-winning show is about a group of online gamers whose lives are as offbeat as their online adventures.

Watch Now: www.watchtheguild.com

Missed the first part of the Awkwardly Cute Awards? Then check out the Best Couples of 2009.

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Oscar Nominations Announced

The nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning. Check out the full list of nominees HERE. My favorites include Up for best picture, District 9 for best picture and adapted screenplay, and Gabourey Sidibe for best actress. The Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 7th.

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Pre-Grammy Celebration Tia Carrere & Hawaiian Night

Last night the Grammy Museum held a celebration for its Hawaiian music nominees including Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho for their collaboration on He Nana. It was nice to see the ukele being played during one of the sets. I wish more bands utilized the instrument.

On the movie front, Carrere is attached to "a biopic about Hawaiian surfing legend Rell Sunn" called Wave Dancer. 

If you appreciate music beyond pop stars check out some of the more obsure genres and you might be pleasantly surprised. 

For a full list of the nominees visit www.grammy.com

The Grammy Awards air on Sunday, January 31st at 8pm.

[Photo Credit: Wilki W.K. Tom]

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Awkwardly Cute Awards

Highlighting the best "awkwardly cute" moments in TV, film and webisodes.

Since it's awards season, I decided to come up with my own batch of awards Reel Artsy style. Nothing major, no big dinners or red carpets just me appreciating some of my favorite movies, actors, writers and directors that provided some blogworthy scenes and stories in 2009.

There's no structed order, I have a few set catergories but if you think of something I should add let me know!

Josh created the nifty graphic pictured above, I think it does justice to the whole awkwardly cute vibe.

First category: 

Jesse Eisenberg & Kristen Stewart  
Adventureland  - This movie is loaded with awkwardly cute moments and the best are when Eisenberg's character, James, is embarrassing himself in front of Em.

Michael Cera & Charlyne Yi
Paper Heart - Any movie starring Michael Cera gets an automatic entry into the Awkwardly Cute awards. He's like our unofficial cover boy.

Amanda Seyfried & Johnny Simmons
Jennifer's Body - There's the sex scene and the scene where Needy tells Chip that "she's evil...and not just high school evil."  Cute. Awkwardly cute. 

Joesph Gordon-Levitt & Zooey Deschanel
500 Days of Summer - The kiss in the copy room, the make-believe in Ikea and the yelling in the park best describe Tom and Summer's relationship. Undeniably sweet!

More to come...

• Awkwardly Cute TV Moments
• Awkwardly Cute Scene of the Year
• And other randomness!

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Top 3 Movies of 2009 (Karen's List)

Watching these movies make you feel like it's the so-called "Golden Age" in Hollywood again. I've seen the majority of the Oscar-contenders but these films top my list. All three are beautiful snapshots of human connection...

1. 500 Days of Summer - Refreshing, innovative and sweet! Marc Webb crafted a film that conveys the complexity of love and memory. Zooey Deschanel was perfectly cast as Summer, the object of Tom's affection and Joesph Gordon-Levitt (Tom) is the doe-eyed protagonist that you can't help fall in love with as he falls in love with Summer. It's the standout movie of the year!

2. Up in the Air - George Clooney exudes a Cary Grant kind of charm. Up in the Air brings out Clooney's magnetic leading man capabilities in full speed. Jason Reitman directs this masterpiece, sleek but full of heart. The dialogue is extremely clever and some of the scenes in the airport are undeniably impressive. Yet the film's strength rests with its supporting cast, without Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick in their award-worthy performances Up in the Air wouldn't be as poignant.

3. Treeless Mountain - It's the best movie that you probably haven't seen! So Yong Kim showcases a brilliant story about two sisters lost without their mother in Korea. The acting is raw, poetic and a little too real at times - how Kim captured those performances, those nuances is pure movie magic and the mark of a great director. Treeless Mountain played at several film festivals this year and is currently available on Netflix instant watch. It belongs on the top of your queue!

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Live Blogging the Oscars

The big night is finally here and I'm tuned in...

Hugh Jackman - oh yeah!
Supporting Actress - Penelope won. It's nice to hear Spanish at the Oscars.
Screenplays - It's awesome how they present these with clips of the writer's words.
Slumdog Millionaire - wins first award for screenplay. Hopefully best picture is on its way.
Jolie and Aniston - umm...can you say awkward.
Lovers in Japan - Coldplay's song was a nice choice for the montage of love stories. Some of my favorite clips were from Seven Pounds, High School Musical 3 and Twilight.
Natalie Portman - She looks stunning in her pink dress.
The Big Music Number - Zac Efron + Beyonce = Very Cool.
Best Documentaries - Great speeches. These categories are always my favorite.
"Jai Ho" - A slice of Bollywood music in Hollywood. Very stellar.

The Academy Awards have come and gone and it was of the best awards shows I've seen in a while. I'm so happy that Kate Winslet and Slumdog Millionaire won. What were your thoughts on this year's Oscars?

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Rosario Dawson Wins NAACP Image Award

Rosario Dawson gave an ailing woman dignity, intrigue and humor with her portrayal of Emily Posa in Seven Pounds. She brought character to life in such a graceful way. I hope she gets more roles like this.

Other winners include Gina Prince-Bythewood for The Secret Life of Bees and Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

For mucho pictures check out Black Voices.

[UPDATE 2/14]

• Full list of winners.
  
• More pics over at Gravy & Biscuits.
  
• Women & Hollywood offers an interesting perspective.
  
• Plus, Jenny Lumet won for Rachel Getting Married (I'm extremely excited to see a black, female, screenwriter getting some honors).

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The SAG Awards

(The cast of Slumdog Millionaire)

(Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet)

(James Earl Jones receiving the Life Achievement Award and Forest Whitaker)

I actually watched the ceremonies this year and I was impressed. I enjoyed them a little more than the Golden Globes which was kind of weird, but pleasantly surprising. There were a lot of great talents being honored and outside of those honors I thought Freida Pinto's periwinkle dress was fabulous! And although I'm sure Meryl Streep was brilliant in Doubt I really wanted Anne Hathaway to win for Rachel Getting Married.

What are your thoughts on the SAG winners?

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