CEREMONY – A New Order Tribute

Two Disc Deluxe Package Of New Order Covers Benefits Children’s

Charity In Memory of Factory Records Maestro Tony Wilson

24 Hour Service Station and MVD Audio are proud to announce the CD release of CEREMONY – A New Order Tribute on March 9, 2010. This beautiful Deluxe Double Disc Album of 32 tracks, featuring bands representative of musical genres from Electronica to Indie Rock who have been influenced by the band. Participants from across America and Europe include New Order / Joy Division bassist Peter Hook, Detachments, Rabbit in the Moon, John Ralston, Sunbears!, The Cloud Room, GD Luxxe, The Dark Romantics, Pocket, Light Yourself On Fire, XOXO and Kites with Lights. This album is dedicated to Tony Wilson, founder of Factory Records, who died of cancer in 2007, and will be released on February 20th 2010 to celebrate what would have been his 60th Birthday.  A portion of the proceeds from album sales will benefit the Salford Foundation Trust’s Tony Wilson Awards, established in his memory. The trust benefits children and young people who can demonstrate a special talent or ambition in the arts or creative skills.  *  Packaging includes rare archival photos of New Order by rockstar photographer Kevin Cummins plus one of the last images of Tony Wilson before he announced his illness, taken by Katja Ruge.  *  Peter Hook, bassist for New Order & Joy Division, has recorded a sonically enhanced spoken word dedication to Tony Wilson to introduce the record.  Two additional collections of songs will be available as digital albums released in support of this package: The Digital Album & Twelve Versions of Ceremony. DISC ONE 1. STRANGELY ENOUGH IMPACT – Peter Hook A Dedication to Tony Wilson 2. CEREMONY – Yes But No 3. DREAM ATTACK – Kites With Lights 4. BLUE MONDAY – Rabbit In The Moon 5. CRYSTAL – The Dark Romantics 6. SUB-CULTURE – Pocket feat. Shaun Robinson & Tracy Shedd 7. WORLD – Solo Gigolos UK 8. TURN – Lone Wolf feat. Geri X 9. MR DISCO – Detachments 10. PARADISE – The Beauvilles 11. RUN – Christian Webb & Adam Knowles 12. THIEVES LIKE US – Sunbears! 13. 60 MILES AN HOUR – GD Luxxe 14. LOVE VIGILANTES – Jimmy Oakes 15. ALL DAY LONG – John Ralston 16. TEMPTATION – The Dark Esquire 17. THE HIM – Johnny Parry  DISC TWO 1. AS IT IS WHEN IT WAS – The Bedford Incident 2. ROUND & ROUND – Sibling 3. THE PERFECT KISS – Detachments 4. YOUR SILENT FACE – Flight 5. THIS TIME OF NIGHT – Kingsbury 6. BLUE MONDAY – The Cloud Room 7. CEREMONY – The Sheaks 8. SUNRISE – History 9. CHOSEN TIME – Light Yourself On Fire 10. LEAVE ME ALONE – Allegra Gellar 11. EVERY LITTLE COUNTS – XOXO 12. BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE – Jimmy Oakes 13. REGRET – Win Win Winter 14. 1963 – The Milling Gowns 15. CEREMONY (KITES WITH LIGHTS REMIX) – Yes But No  *  Even after losing Tony, his legacy continues to bring music into people’s lives.  Since Ceremony will benefit talented young people, we included a “Ceremony” track on the album performed by children to show an example of  those who have the opportunity of music in their lives.  AVAILABLE FEB 20TH 2010 *  The Digital Version of this release and the two additional collections will be available at iTunes, Emusic, Amazon, Rhapsody & all other digital outlets to commemorate Tony Wilson’s Birthday.  *  The Double CD will also be available to purchase at NewOrderTribute.com  AVAILABLE MARCH 9TH 2010 *  The CD Version will be available from MVD Distribution and your favorite music retailers.

Mondo Drag – New Rituals [2010]

Deep from the interstellar space of a Pink Floydesk planet (Davenport, Iowa) a spaceship called MONDO DRAG lands on the earth. The heavy psych rockers celebrate NEW RITUALS with a hulking wall of sound, an arsenal of guitars and a head full of clouds. They are on a journey through time from the future into the past to recruit their followers persuading them with extended psychedelic blues guitar jams and haunting vocals over heavy, steady bass lines and thumping percussion. The blue cheering crowd standing on the black mountain freaks out and dance into a transcendent state of trance listening MONDO DRAG’s intoxicating music. Does time run backwards in other universes? Yes, in the MONDO DRAG universe it does. Our universe may be part of a much larger multiverse, which as a whole is time-symmetric.

Formed by Johnnie Cluney (drums/vocals), Nolan Girard (rhythm guitar/vocals), John Gomino (keyboards/saxophone), Dennis Hockaday (bass), and Jake Sheley (lead guitar) MONDO DRAG has created a strange brew of garage, psych, space, sludge and stoner rock. Mission accomplished!

Track list

01. New Rituals
02. Fade Out (Into Space)
03. Serpent Shake
04. True Visions
05. My, Oh My
06. Come Through
07. Love Me (Like a Stranger)
09. Light as a Feather
10. Tallest Tales
11. Black River
12. Apple

Mondo Drag tour dates

February 6 – Iowa City, IA – White Lightning Wherehouse
February 9 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway Nightclub
February 10 – Carbondale, IL – The Swamp
February 11 – Lexington, KY – Al’s Bar
February 12 – Nashville, TN – Springwater Supper Club
February 13 – Murfreesboro, TN – Wall Street
February 14 – Greenbrier, TN – Loudhouse Coffee
February 15 – Cincinnati, OH – Blue Rock Tavern
February 16 – Detroit, MI – Corktown Tavern
February 17 – Chicago, IL – The Mopery
February 18 – Dekalb, IL – House Show
February 20 – Davenport, IA – RME Hall (New Rituals CD release show!)
March 17 – Austin, TX – Cheers on 6th (SXSW)
March 20 – Austin, TX – Electra Beauty Lounge (SXSW)

http://www.myspace.com/holyrocks
www.mondodrag.org

This “BANSHEE!!!” Will Make You Scream!!

 If your idea of fun is to spend your  spring break in the woods of Connecticut, then getting killed by a monster cannot be that big a deal since you clearly have no life to begin with.
Banshee!!! is the latest creature feature from Synthetic Cinema International, a young production company that I’m still holding out hope for. They still haven’t quite got all the pieces of the puzzle together, and judging by Banshee!!! a few pieces of the puzzle may have been missing altogether. Is this an incomplete movie patched together or does it just feel like there are scenes missing? Banshee!!! often feels so random I honestly cannot tell one way or the other. The mentality appears to have been to simply keep the pace moving as briskly as possible in hopes that viewers won’t mind just how little thought went into the rhyme and reason of it all.
The creature stalking the woods is a banshee. We only know it is a banshee because an old drunken Irish pool player at the local pub keeps screeching about how he keeps hearing a banshee screaming in the woods. Why the cocoon from which this creature springs forth was in the trunk of a sunken car is never explained. This banshee  looked to me more like a Jersey devil or a mutant gargoyle than any banshee I have ever read about in folklore. Not really what I think of when I think of a banshee, but then it might not actually be a banshee since, again, we never get any actual explanation as to what it is or where it came from.
Clearly an intelligent creature – yet it only seems to exist in order to mindlessly kill as many people as possible and possibly eat a few of them when hungry. It has the supernatural ability to take on the facade of people, an illusion it only uses to get the drop on others moments before it reveals its true self. It also has the power to make people see things that are not real, a power that goes woefully underutilized given the handiness of such a power. What could have been an intriguing movie monster goes to waste because no interest has been put into exploring its mythos or nature.
I have a really hard time believing that a monster whose main weapon is a sonic scream so loud it can make heads explode can itself be thwarted by loud noises. That makes about as much sense as making a movie about a fire-breathing monster that’s afraid of fire. At least this Achilles heel leads to the best scene of the movie when the musician in the group fights back by rocking out on his guitar, the strumming blaring from the speakers neutralizing the creature temporarily while he comically dances around as if he were on stage performing.
College students in the woods get attacked by a banshee. They take refuge in a secluded cabin home to a guy who himself has been trapped for the past couple days and is trying to fix the radio in order to call for help. A female cop roams the darkened woods with a flashlight. A random couple camping in the woods take timeout for some nookie. I couldn’t tell you the name of a single character or give you a single reason to care.

I once again go back to that weird sensation that either the movie wasn’t finished or connective tissue of the script never got filmed or never existed in the first place. The female cop will get attacked by a baby banshee in a farmhouse. There had been no prior inclination that the banshee was even reproducing and once she dispatches with this smaller creature it will never be brought up again. Just another completely random scene.
Another instance. The creature gets inside the house and takes the form of one of the coeds in order to seduce and kill one of the boys. They manage to chase it off afterwards. We then cut to a couple camping in the woods preparing to have sex. Then we cut to the female cop investigating the woods with her flashlight. Then its back to the couple post-coitus so that the banshee can kill them. Like so much of Banshee!!!, scenes just jump around at random.
The very climax is edited in such a spotty and rushed manner lacking connecting points that I honestly have no clue if the idea was to be stylish or they just patched key intervals together into a series of brief fades because the rest never got filmed.Even a creature feature that is nothing but a series of random monster attacks can be entertaining up to a certain point, but Banshee!!! is a monster movie that has no point.

Robert Stack is a man of action in The Action Man Collection:

VCI Entertainment presents “ACTION MAN COLLECTION” — (1967, 1972 & 1973) (370 min) — (Dolby digitally remastered) — Check the Editorial Reviews for Product Description on this Amazon page for details.

ACTION MAN (aka: Le soleil des voyous) (1967) (101 min/Color) — Jean Delannoy (Director) – Jean Gabin, Robert Stack & Margaret Lee 
This plodding French thriller brings together two big names in 1960s cinema – the French living legend Jean Gabin and popular American actor Robert Stack.  Gabin had reinvented himself in the 1950s as the tough, taciturn anti-hero and was enjoying success late in his career in thrillers such as this.  Stack was renowned for playing tough action heroes in similar American films, and was also well-known in France.  Despite their very different personas, the two men work together surprisingly well in this film, which should appeal to devotees of the American B movie as well as die-hard fans of the French film policier.

The film was directed by Jean Delannoy who was one of the leading French film directors of the 1940s and 1950s, credited with directing some of the jewels of French cinema. In later years, his creativity waned and he became a sitting target for the critics of the Cahiers du cinéma (many of whom went on to become directors in the French New Wave).

It is true that Delannoy’s later films were less striking than his earlier works.  Although the director’s technical competence could not be challenged, these films lacked originality and sometimes appeared to be just a bland rehash of contemporary films from other directors.   Le Soleil des voyous is a fair example of this – a pretty anaemic film adaptation of a crime novel, filled with stock clichés and with little in the way of artistic flair or personal involvement with the subject.  (Compare this with Georges Lautner’s gutsy Le Pacha made the following year – again, a familiar crime-thriller set up, but one which is much more appealing, thanks to its more original, more adventurous cinematic style).  With this in mind, it is to tempting to dismiss Le Soleil des voyous as a second rate, artistically bereft schedule filler, offering a quick – and unsatisfying fix – for French thriller junkies.  Yet that probably is too harsh.  Thanks to the solid contribution from its lead actors, plus an effective score from Francis Lai, the film is not without its charms.  Some may even consider it to be a classic of its genre.

THE DAY OF THE WOLVES (1973) (92 min/Color) — Ferde Grofé Jr.– (Director/Screenwriter) – Richard Egan, Martha Hyer, Rick Jason & Jan Murray 
The Plot, as it was:
Jan Murray  plays a bearded criminal mastermind that has seemingly concocted the perfect crime. He has enlisted six ex-cons (all bearded, as well being completely unaware of each other’s backgrounds) to train for the crime: the heisting of the small town of Wellerton! Designating each by number, the leader (No.1, natch) figures that by catching the sleepy town unaware, the gang will knock off the town’s banks & businesses without much trouble (as well as pocket  $50,000 a piece). Meanwhile, the town council just booted Pete Anderson (Richard Egan) from his spot as Sheriff after he busted one of the council member’s kids for reckless driving. Think they’ll have him on speed dial, just in case? Uh-oh!

Despite sounding like a low rent, Canadian-wilderness adventure, Day of the Wolves is really a very low rent heist picture that is moderately better than that description suggests. Its concept makes it slightly more cerebral & ingratiating than one would expect and that’s the draw here, despite the fact that it’s very uniform in its storytelling & execution . Most of it is very straightforward & is more about the buildup, as that takes up about 2/3 of the film’s running time and does a very fair (if unspectacular) job of getting the audience into the act. The cast of mainly amateur, unknown actors does well with the material, as the less melodramatic stuff does come off more like the grassroots filmmaking it is. Old pros Murray & Egan make the most of their roles and bring much needed credibility to the proceedings. Aside from the score by Sean Bonniwell (which is very guitar driven, very 70s & very kickass), the most memorable thing taken from DotW is its ending (Warning: other reviews of the film DO spoil the ending). While it’s not an earth shattering mindfuck of Sleepaway Camp proportions, it does put the previous 90 minutes into perspective & makes for a stellar conclusion (the last shot is priceless, IMO). At the end of the day, Day of the Wolves won’t break any hearts but it will provide a solidly told story & a decent fix for your crime genre gullet.
 

THE BIG GAME (aka: Control Factor) (1972) (95 min/Color) — Robert Day (Director/Screenwriter) – Stephen Boyd, France Nuyen, Ray Milland, Cameron Mitchell, Brendon Boone & Michael Kirner 

PEKING BLONDE (aka: La blonde de Pékin) (1967) (82 min/Color)

– Nicolas Gessner (Director) – Mireille Darc, Giorgia Moll, Claudio Brook & Edward G. Robinson
A spoof on some of the Bond films and others, although the film was meant to be on the serious side.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
TRAILERS:
1. BURY ME DEAD (1947) — Cathy O’Donnell, June Lockhart & Hugh Beaumont
2. THE LIMPING MAN (1953) — Lloyd Bridges, Moira Lister & Alan Wheatley

Total Time: 370 mins on DVD ~ VCI Home Video 8572 ~ (1/26/2010)

Oscar Noms In; Big Surprises Avoided

Despite this year’s expansion of the best-picture field from five nominees to 10, the Academy Award nominations announced this morning fell pretty much as expected, at least in the major attention-grabbing categories. Specifically, Avatar and The Hurt Locker led the field with nine nominations each, setting the stage for the anticipated Oscar-night showdown between former spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. (Current wisdom has Bigelow scoring a historic win as the first female winner of the Oscar for direction, with Cameron’s achievement taking the top prize. And if some other film wins either prize, that will be a major upset.)

The dark-horse candidates squeaking into the picture race turned out to be the tremendously popular The Blind Side, the science-fiction allegory Distict 9, and the low-key Coen Brothers release A Serious Man. Disney/Pixar’s Up became the second film ever (after Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) to be nominated for best picture. None of those were sure things, but none of them came out of left field, either.

Altogether, the line-up seemed to satisfy the Academy’s apparent wish to bring more crowd-pleasing entertainment together with traditionally Oscar material. The category was rounded out with not-so-surprising noms for An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, and Up in the Air. Boosters of the more populist Star Trek and The Hangover in the main category were disappointed, though the nominated films have plenty of box-office credibility among them. .

The single biggest surprise of the televised announcements was probably the announcement that The Secret of Kells was nominated in the animated-feature category, beating out contenders including Studio Ghiblii’s Ponyo and Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Kells made the festival rounds last year, then was given an Oscar-qualifying run in Burbank in December. It’s reportedly set for a U.S. theatrical release next month.

There were no huge upsets in the major craft categories, though it was nice to see the Academy spread around its kudos beyond the usual suspects. It recognized DP Bruno Delbonnel’s work for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince alongside the cinematography of more awards-ready films: Avatar (Mauro Fiore), The Hurt Locker (Barry Ackroyd), Inglourious Basterds (Robert Richardson), and The White Ribbon (Christian Berger). And film-editor Julian Clarke’s work on District 9 was cited along with nods to Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds and Precious.

As usual, the two sound categories were near mirror images, with the only difference being that Up made the cut for sound editing while Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was cited for sound mixing. The other nominations went to editing and mixing work on Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Star Trek.

The visual-effects honor will go to either Avatar, District 9, or Star Trek. OK, let’s face it — it’s going to Avatar. But it’s an honor just to be nominated. Those other films featured mind-blowing VFX work, too. Just not quite as mind-blowing as those in the Cameron movie.

Professor Louie & the Crowmatix To Release Whispering Pines on March 9, 2010

Producer of Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame group The Band creates
a blend of roots, rock, country, and blues with his fellow Crowmatix

Woodstock Records and MVD Audio are proud to announce the CD release of  Professor Louie & The Crowmatix – Whispering Pines on March 9, 2010. Many fans of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame group The Band, are familiar with the name Professor Louie & The Crowmatix, but not all fans are familiar with the group’s authentic and original blend of roots, rock, country, and blues. As The Band’s fan base continues to grow and as younger generations continue to discover them — Professor Louie is producer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Louis Hurwitz, who worked with The Band in a number of significant capacities in the second half of the ’80’s and throughout the ’90’s. Professor Louie is the name that Rick Danko bestowed on Hurwitz when they were performing together as a duo and the moniker stuck. Members of The Crowmatix also have a history of recording and performing with The Band and Dylan.   Whispering Pines is Professor Louie & The Crowmatix seventh studio CD, whose title song is a beautiful rendition of (and touching homage to) The Band classic “Whispering Pines”. This version is simply stunning and at times sounds like a lost track from the Beach Boys’ classic Pet Sounds album, with its lush production values, layers and textures and has been gaining notoriety on youtube.  The CD features 10 songs from The Crowmatix’ vast repertoire, including covers of two other Band classics, “The Weight” and “Ain’t No More Cane”. The big finish is the stunning International award winning original song “Melody of Peace“ performed with The Prague Radio Symphony and Kuhn Choir and recorded in the Czech Republic with orchestral arrangement by Crowmatix members Burke, Miss Marie and Professor Louie.  Whispering Pines has Professor Louie handling the lion’s share of the vocals as well as keyboards and accordion, Miss Marie singing and playing percussion, famed drummer Gary Burke, bassist Frank Campbell and guitarist Josh Colow rounding out the Woodstock band.  These days, Professor Louie & the Crowmatix are busy both in the studio and on the road, performing over 100 shows a year building a following throughout the US, Canada and abroad. Direct Link to Purchase:http://www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=WR0027  Websites: www.professorlouie.com  www.thecrowmatix.com  www.woodstockrecords.com

Oscar Awards Nominations 2010 Announced:Complete List

Beverly Hills, CA — Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced today (Tuesday, February 2) by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and 2008 Oscar® nominee Anne Hathaway.

Sherak and Hathaway, who was nominated for an Academy Award® for her lead performance in “Rachel Getting Married,” announced the nominees in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:38 a.m. PT live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives. Lists of nominations in all categories were then distributed to the media in attendance and online via the official Academy Awards Web site, www.oscar.com.

Academy members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominations are selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees; this year that category features 10 nominees instead of 5, as has been the case since 1943.

Nominations ballots were mailed to the 5,777 voting members in late December and were returned directly to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the international accounting firm, for tabulation.

Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for members this weekend at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Screenings also will be held at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area.

All active and life members of the Academy are eligible to select the winners in all categories, although in five of them – Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject and Foreign Language Film – members can vote only if they have seen all of the nominated films in those categories.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

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Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
• George Clooney in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Colin Firth in “A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company)
• Morgan Freeman in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
• Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Matt Damon in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
• Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
• Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones” (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
• Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)
• Helen Mirren in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Carey Mulligan in “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)
• Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Penélope Cruz in “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)
• Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
• Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year

• “Coraline” (Focus Features), Henry Selick
• “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox), Wes Anderson
• “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney), John Musker and Ron Clements
• “The Secret of Kells” (GKIDS), Tomm Moore
• “Up” (Walt Disney), Pete Docter

Achievement in art direction

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
• “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics), Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
• “Nine” (The Weinstein Company), Art Direction: John Myhre, Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
• “Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
• “The Young Victoria” (Apparition), Art Direction: Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Achievement in cinematography

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Mauro Fiore
• “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Warner Bros.), Bruno Delbonnel
• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Barry Ackroyd
• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Robert Richardson
• “The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics), Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design

• “Bright Star” (Apparition), Janet Patterson
• “Coco before Chanel” (Sony Pictures Classics), Catherine Leterrier
• “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics), Monique Prudhomme
• “Nine” (The Weinstein Company), Colleen Atwood
• “The Young Victoria” (Apparition), Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), James Cameron
• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Kathryn Bigelow
• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Quentin Tarantino
• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate), Lee Daniels
• “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios), Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature

• “Burma VJ” (Oscilloscope Laboratories), A Magic Hour Films Production, Anders østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
• “The Cove” (Roadside Attractions), An Oceanic Preservation Society Production, Nominees to be determined
• “Food, Inc.” (Magnolia Pictures), A Robert Kenner Films Production, Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
• “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”, A Kovno Communications Production, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
• “Which Way Home”, A Mr. Mudd Production, Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject

• “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan, Province”, A Downtown Community Television Center Production, Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
• “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner”, A Just Media Production, Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
• “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”, A Community Media Production, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
• “Music by Prudence”, An iThemba Production, Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
• “Rabbit à la Berlin” (Deckert Distribution), An MS Films Production, Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
• “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing), Julian Clarke
• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Sally Menke
• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate), Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year

• “Ajami” (Kino International), An Inosan Production, Israel
• “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haddock Films Production, Argentina
• “The Milk of Sorrow”, A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogrà/Vela Production, Peru
• “Un Prophète” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production, France
• “The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics), An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production, Germany

Achievement in makeup

• “Il Divo” (MPI Media Group through Music Box), Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
• “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
• “The Young Victoria” (Apparition), Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), James Horner
• “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox), Alexandre Desplat
• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
• “Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.), Hans Zimmer
• “Up” (Walt Disney), Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
• “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
• “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” (Sony Pictures Classics), Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas
• “Take It All” from “Nine” (The Weinstein Company), Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
• “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best motion picture of the year

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), A Lightstorm Entertainment Production, James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
• “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.), An Alcon Entertainment Production, Nominees to be determined
• “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing), A Block/Hanson Production, Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
• “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production, Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), A Voltage Pictures Production, Nominees to be determined
• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production, Lawrence Bender, Producer
• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate), A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production, Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
• “A Serious Man” (Focus Features), A Working Title Films Production, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
• “Up” (Walt Disney), A Pixar Production, Jonas Rivera, Producer
• “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios), A Montecito Picture Company Production, Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Best animated short film

• “French Roast” , A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production, Fabrice O. Joubert
• “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” (Brown Bag Films), A Brown Bag Films Production, Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
• “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)”, A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production, Javier Recio Gracia
• “Logorama” (Autour de Minuit), An Autour de Minuit Production, Nicolas Schmerkin
• “A Matter of Loaf and Death” (Aardman Animations), An Aardman Animations Production, Nick Park

Best live action short film

• “The Door” (Network Ireland Television), An Octagon Films Production, Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
• “Instead of Abracadabra”, (The Swedish Film Institute), A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production, Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
• “Kavi”, A Gregg Helvey Production, Gregg Helvey
• “Miracle Fish”, (Premium Films), A Druid Films Production, Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
• “The New Tenants”, A Park Pictures and M & M Production, Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Achievement in sound editing

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson
• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Wylie Stateman
• “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
• “Up” (Walt Disney), Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
• “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
• “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount), Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
• “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing) , Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
• “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay

• “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing), Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
• “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics), Screenplay by Nick Hornby
• “In the Loop” (IFC Films), Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate), Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
• “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) , Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Original screenplay

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Written by Mark Boal
• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Written by Quentin Tarantino
• “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories), Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
• “A Serious Man” (Focus Features), Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• “Up” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

Blank Generation (1980): A Film Starring Richard Hell

Coming to DVD on February 23…

MVD Visual is proud to announce the DVD release of Blank Generation (1980): A Film Starring Richard Hell on February 23, 2010. Finally on DVD is the classic punk rock movie from 1980 starring Richard Hell, illustrating the end of the first wave of New York City punk rock better than any documentary. Nada (Carole Bouquet), a beautiful French journalist on assignment in New York, records the life and work of an up and coming punk rock star, Billy (Richard Hell). Soon she enters into a volatile relationship with him and must decide whether to continue with it, or return to her lover, a fellow journalist trying to track down the elusive Andy Warhol (playing himself). Featuring members of the Voidoids and the Ramones. This long lost film is like a time capsule from pre-Disneynification New York City: sleazy, dirty and most importantly, real. The DVD package includes a lengthy new interview with Hell about the film and more. Richard Hell states: “This is a priceless package. The real burnt-out New York in January and February 1978, the Voidoids live at CBGB, Ed Lachman’s cinematography, Elliot Goldenthal’s sound track, Carole Bouquet’s face, my lithe figure, Andy Warhol to break your heart, Luc Sante demonically extracting the ugly truths from me re: the horror of it all (bonus feature which is better than the movie itself)…unique. Spring for it.” Bonus Materials     * 2009 Interview with Richard Hell by Luc Sante about the making of and stories behind BLANK GENERATION (45 minutes) Points of Interest     * Live Performances by Richard Hell & The Voidoids     * Stars Richard Hell, Carole Bouquet, Ulli Lommel and Andy Warhol Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/user/SeeOfSound#p/u/4/oIiXMc1ZWok Direct Link to Purchase: http://www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=MVDV4823

Arika Kane To Release Debut S/T Album on February 23, 2010

 

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomarika  Thompkins Marketing, BSE Recordings and MVD Audio are proud to announce the CD release of Arika Kane – S/T on February 23, 2010.  On her debut self-titled CD, Arika Kane displays a clever blend of modern urban and R&B saturated with memorable hooks, smooth rhythm and irrepressible vocal harmonies. The Connecticut born songstress’s sound has been compared to musical divas Mariah Carey and Monica, and Kane cites Whitney Houston and Carey as major influences. Her buoyant soprano coupled with serious lyrical components adds to her pop sensibilities. Kane’s recent performance captivated the audience at her debut listening party at New York’s DEX Studios.  ”I am so excited for the world to hear my album,” said Kane. “Every song has its own identity and place, yet they are all equally amazing. My goal in all my music is to make people feel good. I really believe we don’t embrace the good things in life as much as we should and through my music I hope to contribute to that.”  Possessing an incredibly beautiful voice and singing since the tender age of ten, Kane had an early start in the game and was born into a musical family. Singers and songwriters themselves, Kane’s parents have always been fervent coaches and cheerleaders of her singing and songwriting, which are skillfully displayed on this eponymous debut.  Kane’s current single “Bcuz I Luv U” has been steadily climbing the Urban and Rhythmic radio charts, and recently hit the #2 spot in the south. “Bcuz I Luv U” has been well received all over the country, reaching over 5 million listeners, ranking # 8 on the Rhythmic Indie airplay charts and #1 on the Urban Indie airplay charts.  Kane has performed alongside for top artists such as Charlie Wilson, Frankie Beverly, Kenneth “BabyFace” Edmonds, and Maze. She just finished a promotional tour in the south and will be featured in the January issue of BRE and Urban Network.  ”Music is my only true way of expression,” says Kane. “I am willing to share all of myself through my music.  There is nothing that I wouldn’t write about because my experiences are what led me to where I am today.”             TRACKLIST             1. Make It             2. Wactcha Waitin 4             3. Bcuz I Luv U             4. Ring My Bell             5. Here With Me             6. Follow Me (Interlude)             7. All My Life             8. Rock Witcha             9. Tonight I’m Urs             10. Can’t Be Without You             11. 4 The Lovers             12. Never Really Knew U             13. Why Did We Fall N Luv   Direct Link to Purchase: http://www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=TM9706  Website: http://www.arikakane.com Music Video for “Bcuz I Luv U”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtThEGNEJms

Academy Launches College Oscar® Watch Party Contest on Campuses Nationwide

Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today the launch of its first College Oscar Watch Party Contest on campuses nationwide. Participation is open to undergraduates from any college or university in the United States that offers a B.A., B.S. or equivalent degree.

Individual party organizers or groups of up to four organizers who register with the Academy will be responsible for organizing their respective parties and submitting recap materials after the event. A registration form is available for download at www.oscars.org. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 19, 2010.

Entrants will post up to 10 photos of their Oscar watch party on www.flickr.com and up to five minutes of video footage on www.YouTube.com, and submit URLs and a description of no more than 500 words to marketing@oscars.org. The Academy will select the best Oscar watch party based on the following criteria: enthusiasm (i.e., number of attendees, how the event was publicized); creativity (i.e., themes, decorations, food); and guest involvement (i.e., games, activities). The deadline to submit post-event materials is Monday, March 15, 2010.

The organizers of the grand prize-winning party, to be revealed later in the month, will each receive two red carpet bleacher seats at the 83rd Academy Awards® in 2011. Photos and/or video of the winning party will be posted on the Academy’s Facebook page. Organizers of two runner-up parties will also receive acknowledgement on the site, as well as official Oscar prize packages.

For a complete list of rules and regulations for the College Oscar Watch Party Contest, please visit www.oscars.org/watchpartycontest.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide