COMPLETE OSCAR COVERAGE:
Grazer, Mischer, Sherak Thrilled About “Diversity” Of Nominations And Show Prospects
Nominations Surprise As Academy Goes Its Own Way: Hammond
Reactions To Academy’s Nominations
Harvey Weinstein On His 16 Noms
Who Got Snubbed By Academy?
Paramount Re-Releasing ‘Rango’
‘Margin Call’ Nomination Bolsters VOD Fest Push
Indies Capture 60 Nominations
Nominations By Studio
Nominations By Picture — ‘Hugo’ Leads With 11

The 84th Academy Awards nominations were announced live today at 5:30 AM PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on February 26th at the Kodak Theatre and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide. Here is the list:

Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards

Best Picture

“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) A La Petite Reine/Studio 37/La Classe Américaine/JD Prod/France3 Cinéma/Jouror Productions/uFilm Production, Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) An Ad Hominem Enterprises Production, Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Warner Bros.) A Warner Bros. Pictures Production, Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” (Touchstone) A DreamWorks Pictures Production, Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” (Paramount) A Paramount Pictures and GK Films Production, Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Pontchartrain Production, Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) A Columbia Pictures Production, Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight) A River Road Entertainment Production, Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” (Touchstone) A DreamWorks Pictures Production, Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Directing

“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Alexander Payne
“Hugo” (Paramount) Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight) Terrence Malick

Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir in “A Better Life” (Summit Entertainment)
George Clooney in “The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight)
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn” (The Weinstein Company)
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Nick Nolte in “Warrior” (Lionsgate)
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners” (Focus Features)
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Warner Bros.)

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions)
Viola Davis in “The Help” (Touchstone)
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady” (The Weinstein Company)
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn” (The Weinstein Company)

Actress in a Supporting Role

Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)
Jessica Chastain in “The Help” (Touchstone)
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids” (Universal)
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions)
Octavia Spencer in “The Help” (Touchstone)

Animated Feature Film

“A Cat in Paris” (GKIDS) Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita” (GKIDS) Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) Chris Miller
“Rango” (Paramount) Gore Verbinski

Foreign Language Film

“Bullhead” A Savage Film Production, Belgium
“Footnote” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Footnote Limited Partnership Production, Israel
“In Darkness” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Studio Filmowe Zebra Production, Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” (Music Box Films) A micro_scope Production, Canada
“A Separation” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Dreamlab Films Production, Iran

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo” (Paramount) Screenplay by John Logan
“The Ides of March” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features) Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” (Universal) Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” (Roadside Attractions) Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Woody Allen
“A Separation” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Asghar Farhadi

Art Direction

“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Production Design: Laurence Bennett, Set Decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo” (Paramount) Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) Production Design: Anne Seibel, Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse” (Touchstone) Production Design: Rick Carter, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography

“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” (Paramount) Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight) Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” (Touchstone) Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design

“Anonymous” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Lisy Christl
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Mark Bridges
“Hugo” (Paramount) Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” (Focus Features) Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” (The Weinstein Company) Arianne Phillips

Documentary (Feature)

“Hell and Back Again” (Docurama Films) A Roast Beef Limited Production, Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” (Oscilloscope Laboratories) A Marshall Curry Production, Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” An @radical.media Production, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
“Pina” (Sundance Selects) A Neue Road Movies Production, Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
“Undefeated” (The Weinstein Company) A Spitfire Pictures Production, TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)

“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” A Purposeful Production, Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis” A Documentress Films Production, Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad” A Morninglight Films Production, James Spione
“Saving Face” A Milkhaus/Jungefilm Production, Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” A Supply & Demand Integrated Production, Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing

“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” (Paramount) Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Christopher Tellefsen

Makeup

“Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions) Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” (Warner Bros.) Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
“The Iron Lady” (The Weinstein Company) Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)

“The Adventures of Tintin” (Paramount) John Williams
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” (Paramount) Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features) Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” (Touchstone) John Williams

Music (Original Song)

“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from “Rio” (20th Century Fox) Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Short Film (Animated)

“Dimanche/Sunday” (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production, Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” A Moonbot Studios LA Production, William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Enrico Casarosa
“A Morning Stroll” (Studio AKA) A Studio AKA Production, Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life” (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production, Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)

“Pentecost” (Network Ireland Television) An EMU Production, Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
“Raju” A Hamburg Media School/Filmwerkstatt Production, Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore” An All Ashore Production, Terry George and Oorlagh George
“Time Freak” A Team Toad Production, Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic” (Norsk Filminstitutt) A Norwegian Film School/Den Norske Filmskolen Production, Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing

“Drive” (FilmDistrict) Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ren Klyce
“Hugo” (Paramount) Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount) Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” (Touchstone) Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing) David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
“Hugo” (Paramount) Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
“Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount) Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
“War Horse” (Touchstone) Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” (Warner Bros.) Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
“Hugo” (Paramount) Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
“Real Steel” (Touchstone) Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount) Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

source http://www.deadline.com

Prince Fielder, who hit baseballs out of Tiger Stadium as a 12-year-old, is on his way back to Detroit, where his father, Cecil Fielder, starred for seven years. The Tigers have agreed to sign the free agent first baseman to a nine-year, $214MM contract.

The agreement — the fourth largest in baseball history behind Alex Rodriguez’s mega-contracts and Albert Pujols’ recent deal with the Angels — will keep Fielder in the Motor City through his age 36 season for an average annual value of $23.78MM. It doesn’t include any opt-outs, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com tweets.

Though the market for Fielder seemed far from robust at times this offseason, agent Scott Boras has found an unexpected suitor once again. Over the years, Tigers owner Mike Ilitch and GM Dave Dombrowski have dealt extensively with Boras regarding clients such as Kenny Rogers, Ivan Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and Magglio Ordonez.

Everyone is settling in here at Yankee Stadium, all getting ready for Jorge Posada’s retirement press conference. I’ll try to use this post to file some updates along the way, but if you’re around a television, the YES Network is scheduled to televise the entire thing. You can also follow along on your computer at MLB.com. The press conference begins at 11 a.m. ET.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Seize the day. Only 52 weeks [] are left before Dec. 21, 2012, when some believe the Maya predicted the end of the world. Unlike enthusiasts of other doomsday theories who suggest putting together survival kits, southeastern Mexico, the heart of Maya territory, plans a yearlong celebration.

Mexico’s tourism agency expects to draw 52 million visitors by next year only to the regions of Chiapas, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Campeche. All of Mexico usually lures about 22 million foreigners in a year.

It’s selling the date, the Winter Solstice in the coming year, as a time of renewal. Many archeologists argue that the 2012 reference on a 1,300-year-old stone tablet only marks the end of a cycle in the Mayan calendar.

“The world will not end. It is an era,” said Yeanet Zaldo, a tourism spokeswoman for the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, home to Cancun. “For us, it is a message of hope.” *

The first installment in Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Series,” The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo made its English debut in 2008 (the original Swedish novel was published in 2005). As the book was gaining momentum in America, production on a Swedish film adaptation from director Niels Arden Oplev and starring Noomi Rapace (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) as leading lady Lisbeth Salander, was nearing completion – and would open to critical acclaim from international and American critics alike.

As a result, it came as somewhat of a surprise that despite the success of the series, fan-favorite director, David Fincher (The Social Network) was gearing-up for his own adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Fans of Oplev’s film quickly dismissed Fincher’s attempt as an unnecessary American cash grab – while other moviegoers anxiously awaited what the celebrated auteur would bring to his own interpretation. Now that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is officially available in theaters – can film fans just dismiss the American version or has Fincher managed to deliver yet another critical and commercial darling?

Source
http://screenrant.com

Has the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin finally been proven?
A new study by Italian scientists may not be definitive on its origins, but it does refute the popular notion that it was faked during the Middle Ages.
Experts at Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development have concluded in a report that the famed purported burial cloth of Jesus Christ could not have been faked.
According to the Vatican Insider, a project by La Stampa newspaper that closely follows the Catholic church, the experts’ report says, “The double image (front and back) of a scourged and crucified man, barely visible on the linen cloth of the Shroud of Turin has many physical and chemical characteristics that are so particular that the staining which is identical in all its facets, would be impossible to obtain today in a laboratory … This inability to repeat (and therefore falsify) the image on the Shroud makes it impossible to formulate a reliable hypothesis on how the impression was made.”
The centuries-old shroud contains a faint impression of the front and back of a human body, along with blood, dirt and water stains from age.
Many have long questioned the shroud’s authenticity, and others have suggested that it was faked during medieval times.

Source
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/the-shroud-of-turin-wasnt-faked-italian-experts-say/