Michael Blosil, son of Marie Osmond (of Donny and Marie fame). 1992 - 2010

The Celebrity Reaper is now collecting their kids. First Mr. Chekov's and now it's Marie's kid. Sad really.

LOS ANGELES – Marie Osmond's 18-year-old son Michael Blosil has died, the entertainer said Saturday.

Osmond said in a statement through her publicist that her family is devastated by the "tragic loss." She did not provide details on the death.

Entertainment Tonight reported on its Web site that Blosil jumped to his death Friday night from a downtown Los Angeles apartment building.

Officers responded to an apparent suicide jump in the area, but the victim was not identified Saturday, Los Angeles Police Officer Gregory Baek said.

"My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time," Osmond said in the statement.

Blosil reportedly left a note which referred to a lifelong battle with depression.

In 2007, Osmond said Michael was treated at a rehabilitation facility, but she didn't disclose the nature of his problem.

Donny Osmond, Blosil's uncle, told Entertainment Tonight: "Please pray for my sister and her family."

Michael is one of Osmond's five adopted children. She also has three other children from two marriages. She divorced Brian Blosil in 2007 after two decades of marriage. She and her first husband Stephen Craig divorced in 1985.

Osmond earned fame at age 13 with the hit song "Paper Roses," and starred with her brother, Donny, on television's "Donny and Marie Show" during the 1970s.

They perform a musical variety show regularly at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. The hotel said Saturday's performance was canceled.

More on the Chile Earthquake

More info on the catastrophic earthquake that struck Chile early this morning.

TALCA, Chile – One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded tore apart houses, bridges and highways in central Chile on Saturday and sent a tsunami racing halfway around the world. Chileans near the epicenter were tossed about as if shaken by a giant, and authorities said at least 214 people were dead.

The magnitude-8.8 quake was felt as far away as Sao Paulo in Brazil — 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) to the east. The full extent of damage remained unclear as scores of aftershocks — one nearly as powerful as Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake — shuddered across the disaster-prone Andean nation.

President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile but said the government has not asked for assistance from other countries. If it does, President Barack Obama said, the United States "will be there." Around the world, leaders echoed his sentiment.

In Chile, newly built apartment buildings slumped and fell. Flames devoured a prison. Millions of people fled into streets darkened by the failure of power lines. The collapse of bridges tossed and crushed cars and trucks, and complicated efforts to reach quake-damaged areas by road.

At least 214 people were killed, according to Interior Minister Edmundo Perez Yoma, and officials said about 1.5 million homes suffered at least some damage.

In Talca, just 65 miles (105 kilometers) from the epicenter, people sleeping in bed suddenly felt like they were flying through major airplane turbulence as their belongings cascaded around them from the shuddering walls at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. EST, 0634 GMT).

A deafening roar rose from the convulsing earth as buildings groaned and clattered. The sound of screams was confused with the crash of plates and windows.

Then the earth stilled, silence returned and a smell of moist dust rose in the streets, where stunned survivors took refuge.

A journalist emerging into the darkened street scattered with downed power lines saw a man, some of his own bones apparently broken, weeping and caressing the hand of a woman who had died in the collapse of a cafe. Two other victims lay dead a few feet (meters) away.

Also near the epicenter was Concepcion, one of the country's largest cities, where a 15-story building collapsed, leaving a few floors intact.

"I was on the 8th floor and all of a sudden I was down here," said Fernando Abarzua, marveling that he escaped with no major injuries. He said a relative was still trapped in the rubble six hours after the quake, "but he keeps shouting, saying he's OK."

Chilean state television reported that 209 inmates escaped from prison in the city of Chillan, near the epicenter, after a fire broke out.

In the capital of Santiago, 200 miles (325 kilometers) to the northeast, a car dangled from a collapsed overpass, the national Fine Arts Museum was badly damaged and an apartment building's two-story parking lot pancaked, smashing about 50 cars whose alarms rang incessantly.

While most modern buildings survived, a bell tower collapsed on the Nuestra Senora de la Providencia church and several hospitals were evacuated due to damage.

Santiago's airport was closed, with smashed windows, partially collapsed ceilings and destroyed pedestrian walkways in the passenger terminals. The capital's subway was shut as well, and transportation was further limited because hundreds of buses were stuck behind a damaged bridge.

Chile's main seaport, in Valparaiso about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Santiago, was ordered closed while damage was assessed. The state-run Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, shut two of its mines, the newspaper La Tercera reported.

The jolt set off a tsunami that swamped San Juan Bautista village on Robinson Crusoe Island off Chile, killing at least five people and leaving 11 missing, said Guillermo de la Masa, head of the government emergency bureau for the Valparaiso region. He said the huge waves also damaged several government buildings on the island.

It then raced across the Pacific, setting off alarm sirens in Hawaii, Polynesia and Tonga and prompting warnings across all 53 nations ringing the vast ocean.

Tsunami waves washed across Hawaii, where little damage was reported. The U.S. Navy moved a half-dozen vessels out of Pearl Harbor as a precaution, Navy spokesman Lt. Myers Vasquez said. Shore-side Hilo International Airport was closed. In California, officials said a 3-foot (1-meter) surge in Ventura Harbor pulled loose several navigational buoys.

About 13 million people live in the area where shaking was strong to severe, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. USGS geophysicist Robert Williams said the Chilean quake was hundreds of times more powerful than Haiti's magnitude-7 quake, though it was deeper and cost far fewer lives.

More than 50 aftershocks topped magnitude 5, including one of magnitude 6.9.

The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile on May 22, 1960. The magnitude-9.5 quake killed 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless. It caused a tsunami that killed people in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines and caused damage along the west coast of the United States.

Saturday's quake matched a 1906 temblor off the Ecuadorean coast as the seventh-strongest ever recorded in the world.

Batman beats Superman...again!

After some guy paid $1 million dollars for a comic with the first appearance of Superman, Batman comes and steals his thunder!

SUPERMAN and Batman's first appearances in comic books have each set auction sales records and broken the $1 million barrier, in an age when traditional investments have fared badly and superheroes look attractive.

A 1939 comic with the first ever appearance of masked crime fighter Batman sold at auction in Dallas overnight for a record $1.75 million, said Heritage Auction Galleries.

Three days earlier, a buyer paid US$1 million for Superman's world debut in Action Comics #1, more than tripling the previous comic book sales record set last year.

Shirrel Rhoades, former publisher and executive vice president of Marvel Comics, said high sales for those comics is partly a reflection on the poor economy.

"When the stock market is down, when real estate investments are over the cliff, collectibles offer an alternative that you can invest in that may have some growth potential," Mr Rhoades said.

He said the 1938 Action Comics #1 is arguably more historic than the first appearance of Batman, but that this week's sales seem to be following their own logic.

"We're probably seeing a little bit of a feeding frenzy," Mr Rhoades said
"With the sale of Action #1 for a million, I think that's going to keep prices up for awhile."

Heritage Auction Galleries did not disclose the name of the previous owner or the winning bidder for Detective Comics #27, the first book featuring Batman.

The previous owner is a savvy collector who bought the comic for $100 more than 40 years ago, a figure which at the time seemed a large price, said Heritage Auction Galleries.

The Action Comics #1 sale was handled by ComicConnect.com, and Vincent Zurzolo, chief operating officer of the website, echoed Mr Rhoades' view that comics are fetching record sums because they are an attractive investment in a down economy.

He said buyers pay high sums for vintage comics because they want something "they're familiar with, that they feel comfortable with, that they think are good investments."

Back in the 1930s, both Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27 sold for US10 cents.

Experts said the same edition of a comic can vary widely in price, depending on condition.

Heritage Auction and CommicConnect said the books they sold this week were pristine, well-preserved copies.

Mr Rhoades said he owns a ragged copy of Action Comics #1 that lacks a front cover and is worth very little.

But he said that more than eight years ago, he gave an art college a 1963 Amazing Spider-Man #1 then worth $40,000. He estimates the figure has since climbed above $100,000.

"My wife jokingly said why did I give it away, when I could have kept it and sold it a few years later for more than double its value," Mr Rhoades said.

And still kids are going hungry in Haiti and other parts of the world!

Andrew Koenig, Actor "Growing Pains", son of Walter Koenig (Chekov on Star Trek) 1968-2010.

The worst have been confirmed.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Former "Growing Pains" actor Andrew Koenig was found dead Thursday in a wooded area of a sprawling downtown park where he enjoyed spending time, apparently after committing suicide.

The actor's father, Walter Koenig, said "my son took his own life," and police spokeswoman Jana McGuinness said, "I'll let Mr. Koenig's words speak for themselves."

McGuinness, speaking at a press conference at the park, said foul play was not involved, but said she could not be more specific because the coroner was taking over the investigation.

"He was obviously in a lot of pain," Walter Koenig said, referring his son's depression.

Andrew Koenig, 41, had a recurring role on the 1980s sitcom as Richard "Boner" Stabone, a pal of star Kirk Cameron's character, Mike. The native of Venice, California, hadn't been seen since Feb. 14, when he was visiting friends in Vancouver.

He was supposed to return home two days later. His parents reported him missing Feb. 18, then asked the public for help finding him a few days later.

On Tuesday, Vancouver police and three search-and-rescue teams looked for any signs of Koenig throughout Stanley Park, which covers more than 1,000 acres (400 hectares). Friends and family decided to try again on their own Thursday and one of them found Koenig's body near a marsh in a heavily wooded area about 100 feet (30 meters) off the Bridle Path. McGuinness said the body could not be seen from the walking path.

The elder Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov on the original "Star Trek" TV series, was nearby when the body was found. Hours later, Koenig and his wife, Judith, issued a statement at a police station in the park.

They said Andrew had been depressed and urged others who are having trouble coping to seek help. Earlier they had said that he had seemed detached to his friends and had given away his belongings.

"If you are one of those people who can't handle it any more, know people are out there who really care before you make that final decision," Walter Koenig said. "Talk to somebody."

Andrew Koenig also appeared in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," and the films "My Two Dads," "NonSeNse," "InAlienable" and "The Theory of Everything." His father had praised his son for his acting, film editing and directing work, and said he was also a busy environmental activist. He also was an advocate for refugees from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

He also played the Joker in the fan favorite short "Batman: Dead End". One of the best Joker portrayals apart from Ledger's.

Here's the short.



RIP.

GM's Hummer 1992-2010

A sign or the times.

The Hummer, the civilian version of the Humvee military transport, once favored by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Moscow rich, will no longer roam the roads, as General Motors will end production of the model.

Chinese firm Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines pulled the plug on an earlier agreement to buy the brand, having failed to gain clearance from Chinese regulators.

As a symbol of conspicuous consumption, or of a lack of regard for the environment, the Hummer makes its owners look distinctly out of touch with the current public mood.

Large gas-guzzlers are increasingly being shunned by frugal, environmentally aware, or simply fashion conscious drivers eager to downsize their modes of transport.

The Hummer is arguably the most aggressive looking vehicle there is, and no wonder given that the original H1, launched 18 years ago, was based on the US Humvee military vehicle.

Later versions were less macho, but only marginally so. Its butch looks were key to the brand's image.

But as Hummer production seems destined to end it is also clear that the truck will be missed by its loyal crowd of fans.

Indeed, there are still people out there who are convinced the vehicle has a future and that a market remains for it.

And GM is still eager to hear from anyone who wants to buy the brand.

"In the early phases of the wind-down, we'll entertain offers and determine their viability," says GM spokesman Nick Richards.

RIP Hummer

The newest cartoon to get the "Alvin & The Chipmunks" treatment; Speedy Gonzales!

Because apparently there are no more fresh ideas in Hollywood, Looney Tunes character Speedy Gonzales is getting the CGI treatment in a live-action hybrid remake starring George Lopez as the voice of the fastest mouse in Mexico!!

Although there were concerns that Speedy is outdated and a racist stereotype, producer Anne Lopez claims that the 2010 reinvention will modernize the cartoon icon.

"We wanted to make sure that it was not the Speedy of the 1950s — the racist Speedy. Speedy's going to be a misunderstood boy who comes from a family that works in a very meticulous setting, and he's a little too fast for what they do. He makes a mess of that. So he has to go out in the world to find what he's good at."

Apparently that will involve bonding with a race-car driver.

WTF??

We're not going to hold our breaths on this one. It didn't work for our beloved Scooby-Doo, and it ESPECIALLY didn't work for Garfield or Alvin and the Chipmunks.

And those horrible movies ALL got sequels!! WTF??

We think it's time to let cartoons just be cartoons before they destroy everything that was fun about the originals!!

What do you think?? Will you be going to see Speedy Gonzales??

Image - Warner Brothers Animation

Missing: Andrew Koenig, son of StarTrek star Walter Koenig

We are doing our part in re-posting this information from Walter's web site.

Andrew, best know as "Boner" from "Growing Pains", is a funny, caring, gifted and passionate
multi-talented young man.

Andrew performs at The Improv and is the video producer for Never Not Funny, and has had roles in the
movies NonSeNse, InAlienable, The Theory of Everything, Batman: Dead End, and on television in "Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine",. "G.I. Joe", "My Two Dads", "21 Jump Street", "My Sister Sam", and "Adam-12".
He's edited over a dozen films and directed, produced, and written many others.

Andrew has been an activist his entire life and most recently has been working on behalf of the people of
Burma, and was arrested during the 2008 Rose Bowl parade for protesting American involvement in
China's Olympics due to China's support of the Burma military regime.

Andrew was suffering from clinical depression at the time of his disappearance. The last time the
Koenigs heard from Andrew by phone was on February 9. His cell phone is turned off and the last time
his phone received a text was on February 16 in Vancouver. There was bank activity in Vancouver on
the same day.
Andrew Koenig Missing
Site last updated February 23, 2010 4:30pm ET
Actor, producer, director, writer, editor,
photographer....

Andrew Koenig -
Walter's 41 year old son - has been missing since
February 14th.

Andrew Koenig was last seen on Valentine's Day,
February 14, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Andrew Koenig never boarded his flight back to the
US, on 2/16 and he hasn't heard from since.

Andrew was last seen at a bakery in the Stanley Park
area of Vancouver.

If you've seen Andrew since February 14th,
PLEASE contact
Detective Raymond Payette
of the Vancouver PD at
604-717-2534.

To visit the rest of Walter's Official site go here.

Andrew Koenig, the son of Star Trek actor Walter Koenig, is missing. The last time Andrew Koenig
was seen was on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Andrew
Koenig never boarded his flight back to the US, and he hasn't heard from since then.

His cell phone was used on 2/16, as was his bank account, but the phone is now turned off and there
has been no new activity since.

He was last seen at a bakery in the Stanley Park area of Vancouver.

Andrew is white, 5 feet 5 inches tall, 135 pounds and has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes.

Andrew Koenig, 41, was working as the video producer on the show "Never Not Funny" as well as
doing improv in Los Angeles. Best known as "Boner" from "Growing Pains", Andrew also had a role in
"Deep Space Nine", and is a talented actor director, editor and photographer as well as a passionate
activist. In 2008, he was arrested at the Rose Bowl while protesting China's part in the genocide in
the country of Burma.

This is a serious matter that has Koenig's friends and family gravely concerned. If you have seen him,
emailed him or had any contact after the 14th or spent time with him during his stay in Vancouver
please call Detective Raymond Payette of the Vancouver PD at 604-717-2534.

Please share this and send prayers and positive thoughts. If you wish to leave Walter a note, visit his
site at: www.walterkoenigsite.com

I know my blog might not be widely read, but, all of us ST fans are doing this on our blogs and twitter accounts. If you have any info on Andrew Koenig, do not hesitate to call the contact number posted above. Thank You.

Images- walterkoenigsite.com, Cawley Entertainment Company/Retro Film Studios

The Holy Grail of Comics sets a new record!

Action Comics #1 is called the "Holy Grail" of Comics because it's the first issue Superman appears. Well, the Man Of Steel can boast of a new record.

NEW YORK – A rare copy of the first comic book featuring Superman sold Monday for $1 million, smashing the previous record price for a comic book.

A 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1, widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books, was sold from a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom released their names. The issue features Superman lifting a car on its cover and originally cost 10 cents.

The transaction was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the site and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.

Fishler said it transpired minutes after the issue was put on sale at around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time (1530 GMT). He said that the seller was a "well known individual" in New York with a pedigree collection, and that the buyer was a known customer who previously bought an Action Comics No. 1 of lesser grade.

"It's considered by most people as the most important book," said John Dolmayan, a comic book enthusiast and dealer best known as the drummer for System of a Down. "It kind of ushered in the age of the superheroes."

Dolmayan, who owns Torpedo Comics, last year paid $317,000 for an Action Comics No. 1 issue for a client. Others have sold for more than $400,000, he said, but this copy fetched a much higher price because it's in better condition. It's rated an "8.0 grade," or "very fine."

Dolmayan said he didn't buy this copy but he wishes he could have.

"The fact that this book is completely un-restored and still has an 8.0 grade, it's kind of like a diamond or a precious stone. It's very rare," he said.

There are only about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 believed to be in existence, and only a handful have been rated so highly. It's rarer still for those copies to be made available for sale.

"The opportunity to buy an un-restored, high-grade Action One comes along once every two decades," Fishler said. "It's certainly a milestone."

The sticker shock was astounding to Fishler, nevertheless.

"It is still a little stunning to see 'a comic book' and '$1 million' in the same sentence," Fishler said. "There's only one time a collectible hits the $1 million threshold."

Wow! A cool million for a comic book that was only 10 cents 72 years ago! Do you think any of the kids that got that comic in 1938, would have known that 10 cent rag would be worth a king's ransom today?

"The World of The Future!"

Remember when they made this films in the forties and fifties on how the 2000's would look like? This is hilarious take on this type of film.



What happened to that golden future? Reality and greed happened!

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's voyage to "Shutter Island" has landed them at No. 1 at the weekend box office.

Their creepy crime thriller set at a remote insane asylum opened with $40.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. A Paramount Pictures release, "Shutter Island" is the fourth collaboration for Scorsese and DiCaprio and the best opening yet for both the director and star.

Scorsese's previous personal best was $26.9 million with his 2006 Academy Awards champ "The Departed," which also starred DiCaprio. The biggest previous debut for DiCaprio was $30.1 million for 2002's "Catch Me If You Can."

Along with "The Departed," DiCaprio and Scorsese also worked together on "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator," both of them earning best-picture nominations at the Oscars.

"The two of them have great chemistry, and you see it on screen," said Rob Moore, vice chairman at Paramount.

Roman Polanski's thriller "The Ghost Writer" got off to a big start in limited release, pulling in $179,000 at four theaters in New York City and Los Angeles for a whopping average of $44,750 a cinema. That compares to a $13,440 average in 2,991 theaters for "Shutter Island."

The film likely benefited from months of press coverage over Polanski's arrest in Switzerland last fall and his possible extradition to the United States, which he fled in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

"If not for the notoriety in his public life, no, I don't think this would have done as well," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It put a spotlight on Polanski, maybe not for all the right reasons. But they say there's no such thing as bad publicity, especially when it comes to marketing a movie."

Released by Summit Entertainment, "The Ghost Writer" stars Ewan McGregor in the title role, a man hired to punch up the dreary memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) who has been accused of ordering the abduction of terrorism suspects and handing them over for torture by the CIA.

The previous weekend's top movie, the all-star romance "Valentine's Day," slipped to No. 2 with $17.2 million, falling a steep 69 percent from its $56.3 million debut. The Warner Bros. release raised its total to $87.4 million after 10 days in theaters.

The science-fiction sensation "Avatar" is still going strong after two months in theaters, coming in third with $16.1 million and raising its record domestic total to $687.8 million. Worldwide, the 20th Century Fox film has taken in $2.47 billion.

Adapted from Dennis Lehane's novel, "Shutter Island" stars DiCaprio as a U.S. marshal caught up in conspiracies and delusions while investigating the disappearance of a patient at a hospital for the criminally insane.

"Shutter Island" had been scheduled for release last October and was considered a potential Oscar contender given the awards success of Scorsese and DiCaprio's earlier collaborations.

Just six weeks before the planned release last fall, Paramount abruptly bumped "Shutter Island" to February, the studio calling it an economic decision that would increase the film's profit potential.

"We knew that more time was only going to help us get the word out and get a broader audience," Moore said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Shutter Island," $40.2 million.

2. "Valentine's Day," $17.2 million.

3. "Avatar," $16.1 million.

4. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," $15.3 million.

5. "The Wolfman," $9.8 million.

6. "Dear John," $7.3 million.

7. "The Tooth Fairy," $4.5 million.

8. "Crazy Heart," $3 million.

9. "From Paris With Love," $2.5 million.

10. "Edge of Darkness," $2.2 million.

J.K. Rowlings hit with plagarism suit!

She's being hitting everybody with one, it's refreshing to see that somebody has recognized what she is; a hack!

SYDNEY – J.K. Rowling has been named in a lawsuit alleging she stole ideas for her wildly popular and lucrative "Harry Potter" books from another British author.

The estate of the late Adrian Jacobs on Wednesday added Rowling as a defendant in a lawsuit it filed in June against Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for alleged copyright infringement, according to a statement released by the estate's representatives, who are based in Australia.

The lawsuit, filed in a London court, claims Rowling's book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" copied substantial parts of Jacobs' 1987 book, "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard — No. 1 Livid Land." Jacobs' estate also claims that many other ideas from "Willy the Wizard" were copied into the "Harry Potter" books. Jacobs died in London in 1997.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is the fourth book in Rowling's series and was published in July 2000.

Sydney agent Max Markson, who is representing the trustee of Jacobs' estate, Paul Allen, said Rowling was added to the lawsuit after Allen learned that the statute of limitations to sue her had not run out, as previously thought.

"I estimate it's a billion-dollar case," Markson said Thursday. "That'll be the decision of the courts, obviously."

There was no immediate comment from Rowling. In June, Bloomsbury said the allegation that Rowling lifted from Jacobs' work was "unfounded, unsubstantiated and untrue." Bloomsbury said Jacobs' estate first approached the company in 2004 with its claims, but was unable to identify any text in the "Harry Potter" books that was copied from "Willy the Wizard."

In a statement, Allen said the estate is also seeking legal advice on whether the Harry Potter films and soon-to-be-opened Harry Potter theme park breach copyright law.

I'm still waiting for Alan Moore to file one against her for lifting the character from his "Book of Magic" series of comics.

WTF!

Shave-a-baby doll from China.

For real...

Words fail me...



Via Loliland

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – The star-studded romance "Valentine's Day" wooed audiences with a $52.4 million opening weekend, easily grabbing the No. 1 spot over the holiday that shares its name, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"To have a movie titled 'Valentine's Day' on Valentine's weekend was a no-brainer that absolutely worked," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

Directed by Garry Marshall ("Pretty Woman"), "Valentine's Day" was a celebrity bonanza. The cast includes Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Jessica Biel, Shirley MacLaine, Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner.

"Valentine's Day" distributor Warner Bros. estimated its love story will be in the $60 million range after Presidents Day on Monday. That would break the Presidents Day weekend record of $52 million set by "Ghost Rider" over the four-day holiday weekend in 2007.

Opening in a tight race for No. 2 were 20th Century Fox's action fantasy "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" with $31.1 million over three days and Universal's werewolf tale "The Wolfman" with $30.6 million.

Adapted from the opening book in Rick Riordan's fantasy series, "Percy Jackson" follows the adventures of a teen who learns he's descended from the ancient Greek gods. The cast includes Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Catherine Keener and Rosario Dawson.

"The Wolfman" stars Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt in an update of the 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. horror classic about an aristocrat who returns to his ancestral home and is bitten by a werewolf.

Coming in fourth for the weekend was 20th Century Fox's sci-fi sensation "Avatar" with $22 million, adding to a fortune that already has made it Hollywood's biggest modern blockbuster. "Avatar" raised its domestic total to $659.6 million and its worldwide haul to $2.35 billion.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Sony Screen Gems' romantic drama "Dear John," fell to fifth place with $15.3 million, lifting its 10-day total to $53.2 million.

Like "Dear John," "Valentine's Day" drew mainly women, with the female crowd making up 68 percent of the audience, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.

Playing in 3,665 theaters, "Valentine's Day" had a strong average of $14,300 a cinema. That compared with a $9,267 average in 3,356 theaters for "Percy Jackson" and $9,506 in 3,222 cinemas for "The Wolfman."

Newcomers and holdovers offered something for everyone, with "Valentine's Day" and "Dear John" catering to the date crowd, "Percy Jackson" filling the family niche and the R-rated "The Wolfman" pulling in horror fans.

The breadth of movies in the market lifted Hollywood to a record Presidents Day weekend, with Hollywood.com estimating the overall three-day haul at $193 million. That's up 3 percent from the previous record set over Presidents Day weekend last year, when "Friday the 13th" led with a $40.6 million debut.

In limited release, India's "My Name Is Khan" debuted strongly with $1.9 million in 120 theaters, averaging $15,500 a cinema. Released by Fox Searchlight, "My Name Is Khan" features Shahrukh Khan, a superstar in India's Bollywood movie industry based in Mumbai.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Tuesday.

1. "Valentine's Day," $52.4 million.

2. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," $31.1 million.

3. "The Wolfman," $30.6 million.

4. "Avatar," $22 million.

5. "Dear John," $15.3 million.

6. "The Tooth Fairy," $5.6 million.

7. "From Paris With Love," $4.7 million.

8. "Edge of Darkness," $4.6 million.

9. "Crazy Heart," $4 million.

10. "When in Rome," $3.4 million.

Doug Fieger, singer for "The Knack" ('My Sharona") 1952 - 2010

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Doug Fieger, leader of the power pop band The Knack who sang on the 1979 hit "My Sharona," died Sunday. He was 57.

Fieger, a Detroit-area native, died at his home in Woodland Hills near Los Angeles after battling cancer, according to The Knack's manager, Jake Hooker.

Fieger formed The Knack in Los Angeles 1978, and the group quickly became a staple of Sunset Strip rock clubs. A year later he co-wrote and sang lead vocals on "My Sharona."

Fieger said the song, with its pounding drums and exuberant vocals, was inspired by a girlfriend of four years.

"I had never met a girl like her — ever," he told The Associated Press in a 1994 interview. "She induced madness. She was a very powerful presence. She had an insouciance that wouldn't quit. She was very self-assured. ... She also had an overpowering scent, and it drove me crazy."

"My Sharona," an unapologetically anthemic rock song, emerged during disco's heyday and held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard pop chart for six weeks, becoming an FM radio standard.

It became a pop culture phenomenon, parodied by Weird Al Yankovic and others and sampled by rap group Run DMC.

In 1994, "My Sharona" re-entered the Billboard chart when it was released as a single from the soundtrack of the Ben Stiller film "Reality Bites."

"My Sharona" gained attention again in 2005 when it was reported that George W. Bush had the song on the presidential iPod.

Their songs, about young love and teenage lust, included the hits "Good Girls Don't," "She's So Selfish" and "Frustrated."

The Knack continued to release albums and tour through the mid-2000s but they never replicated the success they enjoyed with their first two albums, "Get the Knack" and "... But the Little Girls Understand."

Fieger battled cancer for six years. In 2006 he underwent surgery to remove two tumors from his brain.

He is survived by a sister, Beth Falkenstein, and a brother, attorney Geoffrey Fieger of Southfield, Mich., who is best known for representing assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian.

A Los Angeles memorial service for friends and family is being planned.

My SHARONA!!!!!!!

Palestinian protesters pose as Na'vi from "Avatar"

Need to draw attention to your cause? Paint yourself blue and pin a tail!

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Palestinian protesters have added a colorful twist to demonstrations against Israel's separation barrier, painting themselves blue and posing as characters from the hit film "Avatar."

The demonstrators also donned long hair and loincloths Friday for the weekly protest against the barrier near the village of Bilin.

They equated their struggle to the intergalactic one portrayed in the film.

Israel says the barrier is needed for its security. Palestinians consider it a land grab.

The protests have become a symbol of opposition. They often end in clashes with Israeli security forces involving stones and tear gas.

The "Avatar" protest comes a day after the Israeli government began rerouting the enclosure to eat up less of the Palestinian village.

Images - AP

Batman 3 is a GO!!!

It's official!

Director Chris Nolan has confirmed that the third installment in his revival of the Batman films in the beginning stages of development, and could be released as early as 2011!!

However, no casting details have been confirmed, and it is still unknown if Christian Bale will be back as the caped crusader.

Rumors circulate that the villain in this installment will be the Riddler and that Johnny Depp is heavily favored to be cast in the role, if his commitment to "Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides" does not conflict.

Other favorites to be the Riddler are Jude Law, Evan Magregor or James McAvoy among others.

Other rumors abound that Amy Adams or Rachel Evan Wood will be cast as Bruce Wayne's love interest.

But remember, all of this is NOT confirmed! It's all rumors at this point!

What do you think?

Man smashes 27 TV's with a baseball bat at Walmart!

Holy Babe Ruth, Batman!
Looks like this guy in Georgia, USA had some issues with Walmart or flat screen tv's or what was on tv playing at that time...or all of the above!



Remember kids, never aproach a crazy man with a baseball bat, he maybe cracking something else, apart from the tv's!

The people did the right thing and called police, which aprehended the guy and charged him with vandalism.


Via Boing Boing

Phil Harris - Captain of the "Cornelia Marie" on TV's "Deadliest Catch" 1957-2010

Very Sad!

Phil Harris, the fishing boat captain whose adventures off the Alaska coast were captured on the television show "Deadliest Catch", has died, the Discovery Channel said Tuesday night. He was 53.

Harris suffered what his family described as a massive stroke on Jan. 29 while the fishing vessel he captained, Cornelia Marie, was in port at St. Paul Island, Alaska. The fisherman was flown to Anchorage for surgery.

The reality show, which has filmed five seasons, has been one of the Discovery Channel's most popular and depicts the crab fishing industry in the dangerous waters off Alaska.

"It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad - Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end," sons Josh and Jake Harris said in a statement released by the network. "For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down."

In a statement, Discovery Channel senior vice president Elizabeth Hillman says, "Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him."

"We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart," she said.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press, she said no additional information was immediately available Tuesday night.

Harris had seemed to be improving, and in a posting last Saturday on the ship's Web site, he was described as "talking to friends and family today; showing his greatest progress" since the stroke.

His sons wrote in a Feb. 3 posting that "No one ever said Captain Phil Harris wasn't tough. Today, dad showed some good signs of improvement, squeezing our hands and even summoning his trademark Captain's bluntness ... We are encouraged but still very cautious."

According to the ship's Web site, Harris started working on fishing boats at age 7 and started work 10 years later on a crab boat. When Harris turned 21, he ran a fishing vessel out of Seattle, making him one of the youngest to captain a vessel in the Bering Sea.

When Harris suffered the stroke, the family said a friend, Derek Ray, had flown to St. Paul to take over the role of relief skipper for the rest of the opilio crab season.

Harris' fishing vessel was based in Seattle.

I'm a fan of the show, and he was a good skipper. He will be missed.

A sign of the times; MTV changes it's logo, drops the "Music Television" tagline from it!

We already knew this, but this makes it 'de facto'.

MTV is embracing change. In nearly three decades on the air, almost everything about the cable network -- from its programming, to its focus, to its place in popular culture -- has changed with the times, except for its famous tagline, "Music television." Recently, the network quietly unveiled a new logo which has dropped the tagline entirely, indicating that MTV itself is leaving its original mission of an all-music channel in the dust.

The new logo is meant to put the focus on MTV's current slate of talent -- the stars of mostly reality shows like "Jersey Shore," "Teen Mom," and "The Buried Life." Since the logo (which seems to have a shorter "M" than the original) is also available in a see-through model, it can change when new stars come into the fold. Tina Exarhos, a spokesperson for MTV's marketing team, explained the change to "The New York Daily News": "If you watch the channel, you've seen that it's definitely going in a new direction. We really wanted to see the logo featured in a new way, and this was really meant to be able to house all the great things that are happening at MTV at any given time."


When MTV first revolutionized television in 1981, it was based on the idea of one network devoted entirely to music, a central hub where fans could watch music videos, see interviews with their favorite recording artists, and even get their news from a music fan's point of view. The channel was also a valuable promotional tool for the music industry itself, which no longer had to depend mainly on radio to get its product on an audience's radar. But over the years, MTV morphed into a channel that focused less on any one theme and more on targeting a specific teen and young-adult audience, ditching its music roots to deliver whatever the network perceived that audience wanted.

And, clearly, that audience is more into shows like "Jersey Shore" than old-school music video blocks like "120 Minutes."

"The MTV brand, to me, stands for such an irreverent groundbreaking brand, and unfortunately I feel a little underwhelmed when I look at this," Hamish McLennan, global chairman-CEO of advertising powerhouse Young & Rubicam, told Ad Age.

The new logo and its focus on the personalities that drive the channel is based on recent show successes like "Jersey Shore," which turned its stars into celebrities overnight. According to Ad Age, MTV is looking into developing a new tagline to match its new logo. Any suggestions?

Yeah! Here's mine. How about "Shitty Television"? Any more suggestions, from our faithful readers?

Man pulled alive from rubble in Haiti 27 days after earthquake!

I usually don't believe in miracles, but this one, actually qualifies!

CNN is reporting a man pulled alive from the rubble of a building in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on Monday may have been trapped since the January 12 quake that levelled much of the city.

The 28-year-old, identified as Evan Muncie, was found in the wreckage of a market where he sold rice.

He suffered from extreme dehydration and malnutrition, but did not appear to have significant crushing injuries.

A teenage girl was previously pulled alive from under a collapsed house in Port-au-Prince, 15 days after Haiti's devastating earthquake.

More as it comes in.

The best spots of the Superbowl.

This are the best spots of the SuperBowl. In our not-so-humble opinion!

Late Show with David Letterman

The Late Show - Jay, Oprah and Dave @ Yahoo! Video

Snickers!



The Simpsons and Coca Cola!



Budwiser Lite - Voice Box!



Flo TV - My Generation!

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – A sci-fi love story has given way to an earthbound romance at the box office, livening up typically slow times at theaters over Super Bowl weekend.

Released by Sony's Screen Gems banner, "Dear John" debuted as the No. 1 movie with $32.4 million, knocking off "Avatar" after seven weekends in first place, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"It is very cool to know that it was our movie that audiences just totally embraced and made No. 1 for the weekend," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony. As for runaway blockbuster "Avatar," he quipped, "I think they're going to be fine in the long run."

"Avatar" slipped to No. 2 with $23.6 million, raising its domestic total to $630.1 million. Directed by James Cameron, 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" surpassed his own "Titanic," which had held the domestic revenue record at $600.8 million.

With a record $2.2 billion worldwide, "Avatar" also has soared past the $1.8 billion "Titanic" took in globally.

Factoring in today's higher admission prices, however, "Avatar" has sold fewer tickets than "Titanic."

"Avatar" had been No. 1 domestically longer than any movie since 1997's "Titanic," which held on at first place for 15 weekends. The studio was unconcerned that "Avatar" finally fell out of the top spot.

"It had to happen sometime," said 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "There's nothing that could disappoint me with this movie."

By the eighth weekend, most Hollywood movies have long since dropped out of the top 10 rankings.

"Avatar" still is going strong after eight weeks, with the added luster of a monthlong buildup to the Academy Awards on March 7. Following the example of Oscar champ "Titanic," "Avatar" tied for the lead at the Academy Awards with nine nominations and is a front-runner to win best picture.

Fox executives would not speculate what number "Avatar" eventually might hit at the box office.

"Who knows what that is? It just keeps on going," Livingston said.

The weekend's other new wide release, Lionsgate's spy story "From Paris With Love," opened at No. 3 with $8.1 million. The movie stars John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as CIA men trying to crack a terrorist plot.

Fox Searchlight's acclaimed country-music tale "Crazy Heart" expanded from narrow release and broke into the top 10, coming in at No. 8 with $3.7 million. Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal have acting Oscar nominations for the film, which follows a boozy country star trying to turn his life around.

While "Avatar" features a human-alien romance light-years away, "Dear John" centers on a long-distance love story between a soldier (Channing Tatum) and his sweetheart (Amanda Seyfried) back home.

"Dear John" had a record opening for Super Bowl weekend, topping the $31.1 million debut for "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in 2008.

The movie was based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, whose Hollywood adaptations such as "The Notebook" and "A Walk to Remember" have been steady draws for women. Female crowds made up 84 percent of the audience for "Dear John," according to Sony.

Sparks "creates these stories that really pull at your heartstrings, and certainly that may be first and foremost for women rather than men, though I think a few of us have hearts, too," Bruer said. "But his stories really resonate and are very compelling for women."

That bodes well for the movie over Valentine's Day weekend, said Geoffrey Ammer, head of marketing for Relativity Media, which produced "Dear John." Valentine's weekend draws big date crowds, with women often picking which film to see.

Business on Sunday was predictably slow as football fans watched the Super Bowl instead of going to the movies. But "Dear John" already exceeded industry expectations with $26.2 million on Friday and Saturday.

"Super Bowl weekend isn't about men. It's about women," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "This counter-programming strategy just absolutely works, the female audience propelling a movie to unprecedented heights."

Hollywood could use more fresh hits like "Dear John" if it hopes to match 2009's record box office pace. The first couple of weeks this year, "Avatar" had revenue and attendance running well ahead of last year.

But revenues have now declined for four straight weekends. So far in 2010, domestic revenues are at $1.2 billion, 1.5 percent ahead of last year's, according to Hollywood.com.

Factoring in higher ticket prices this year, though, movie attendance is down 0.5 percent.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Dear John," $32.4 million.

2. "Avatar," $23.6 million.

3. "From Paris With Love," $8.1 million.

4. "Edge of Darkness," $7 million.

5. "The Tooth Fairy," $6.5 million.

6. "When in Rome," $5.5 million.

7. "The Book of Eli," $4.8 million.

8. "Crazy Heart," $3.7 million.

9. "Legion," $3.4 million.

10. "Sherlock Holmes," $2.6 million.

Happy Birthday! Facebook turns 6 years old!

Facebook, the little page that started as contact page for students in college, has grown into a 350 million people phenomenon.

Mark Zuckerberg (Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Facebook), comments on the new look:

"Facebook began six years ago as a product that my roommates and I built to help people around us connect easily, share information and understand one another better.

We hoped Facebook would improve people's lives in important ways. So it's rewarding to see that as Facebook has grown, people around the world are using the service to share information about events big and small and to stay connected to everyone they care about.

Facebook has also been especially meaningful to me and to everyone at Facebook to see people using it to seek help, share news and lend support during crises."

Jing Chen (Facebook engineer), introducing the new navigation:

"Over the past few months, we've been testing several different designs of the home page to improve navigation to and discovery of commonly used features.

Today, we started rolling out the most recent navigation updates to help you find what you are looking for on Facebook. Now, from the top and left menus you can quickly get to what's new and important."


"In the top menu, you will find your newest notifications, requests and messages. For example, when you receive a Facebook notification about someone writing on your Wall or tagging you in a photo, you'll see a red bubble appear in the left-hand corner near the search bar. When you click on the icon, you'll see a drop-down menu with your most recent notifications."

"The Home and Profile links can now be found in the top-right corner along with your Account menu, which includes your privacy settings and the ability to log out.

The left menu has been organized to make it easier for you to communicate with and discover content from your friends. You can now access your messages and other core features all in one place, to the left of your News Feed.

With the Photos dashboard you can browse recent photos of your friends, and the Events dashboard lists your upcoming events along with events your friends are attending.

The Friends dashboard will help you find friends, see which of your friends have recently updated their profiles and filter your News Feed by Friend Lists you may have already created."

So there you go! Now it's easier to get those Farmville lost cows or Yoville announcements.

Happy Birthday, Facebook!

Brittany Murphy's demise was caused by Pneumonia.

US actress Brittany Murphy died of pneumonia, a Los Angeles coroner has ruled.

Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey added that iron-deficiency anaemia and "multiple drug intoxication" were secondary factors in her death.

The drugs were all prescription medicines. More details are due in two weeks when a complete report is ready.

Murphy collapsed at her Los Angeles home and was pronounced dead in hospital on 20 December, aged 32.

The coroner ruled the death was accidental.

The actress had been taken to hospital after the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at her home.

Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack and mother, Sharon Murphy, said the actress had been experiencing flu-like symptoms in the days before she died.

Monjack told The Associated Press last month that his wife had several prescriptions, including one for an anti-seizure drug, but did not abuse her medication.

He added she had also been taking over-the-counter remedies for her ailments.

Murphy was best known for her roles in Clueless, Sin City and 8 Mile and also provided the voice of Luanne Platter in more than 200 episodes of the animated US sitcom King Of The Hill.

And the nominees are...

The nominees for the 82nd. annual Academy Awards were announced this morning. Here's the list.

Best Picture

* “Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
* “The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined
* “District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
* “An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
* “The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
* “Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
* “A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
* “Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
* “Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

* Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
* George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
* Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
* Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
* Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

* Matt Damon in “Invictus”
* Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
* Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
* Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
* Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role

* Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
* Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
* Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
* Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
* Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role

* Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
* Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
* Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
* Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film

* “Coraline” Henry Selick
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
* “The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
* “The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
* “Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction

* “Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
* “Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
* “Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
* “The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

* “Avatar” Mauro Fiore
* “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
* “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
* “Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
* “The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

* “Bright Star” Janet Patterson
* “Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
* “Nine” Colleen Atwood
* “The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing

* “Avatar” James Cameron
* “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
* “Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
* “Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)

* “Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
* “The Cove” Nominees to be determined
* “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
* “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
* “Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)

* “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
* “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
* “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
* “Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
* “Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing

* “Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
* “District 9” Julian Clarke
* “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
* “Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film

* “Ajami” Israel
* “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina
* “The Milk of Sorrow” Peru
* “Un Prophète” France
* “The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup

* “Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
* “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
* “The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)

* “Avatar” James Horner
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
* “The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
* “Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
* “Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)

* “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
* “Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
* “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Short Film (Animated)

* “French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
* “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
* “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
* “Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
* “A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)

* “The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
* “Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
* “Kavi” Gregg Helvey
* “Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
* “The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing

* “Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
* “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
* “Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
* “Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
* “Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing

* “Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
* “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
* “Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
* “Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
* “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects

* “Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
* “District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
* “Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

* “District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
* “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
* “In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
* “Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)

* “The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
* “Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
* “The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
* “A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
* “Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

Karibukai Animation Festival announced!

The guys at Paquines.com, El Ultimo Bunker and Cinemateria are at it again! After the huge hit that was Kaisen 6, they are now venturing into making a film festival!
Karibukai, a new animation festival that combines International and local animation. Shorts and features will showcase animated films from all over the world, including from great animators, here in Puerto Rico.
The festival will run from the 28 to the 30 of May, 2010 at the National Film Institute at Cuartel Ballaja in Old San Juan.
We will provide more information on the festival and the movies to be shown as it becomes available.

If you want to sponsor this activity, call 787-671-6357 or go to www.paquines.com.

Poster by Wewex Collazo

Indonesian Boy cleared of "Abuse" in bee sting prank!

You think things could not get any zanier. Well, you are wrong!

An Indonesian schoolboy who was facing "serious abuse" charges for causing a bee to sting a classmate has been cleared by a court, reports say.

The boy, believed to be about nine years old, had allegedly placed the bee on a girl's face where it stung her.

Her parents reported him to the police who arrested him. He faced up to three years in prison.

But the judge said the case was about "normal children's naughtiness" and should never had reached court.

"It could have been settled amicably by the school and the parents involved," judge Sutriadi Yahya was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Mr Yahya said the boy had been acquitted of all charges and the court would "leave it to the parents to guide him".

The boy's mother, Any Sulistyowati, wept as the verdict was read out, said AFP.

"We're satisfied with the judge's decision. We will look after our child properly," she said.

The Jakarta Post said the girl's parents were angry that she was being teased at school and had wanted to make an example of the boy.

Children in Indonesia are tried as adults from the age of eight, but there are calls for the age to be raised to 12.

Juveniles who are given prison sentences usually serve their term in adult jails, contrary to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Indonesia is a signatory.

In 2009, a group of 10 boys who worked as shoe shiners were accused of gambling while waiting for customers in the capital, Jakarta.

They were found guilty and faced five years in prison, but were returned to their parents' care after a public outcry.

A country that treats 8 year olds as adults? My question is; What does an 8 year old knows about being an adult? When I was 8, all I cared about was toys, candy, playing and watching cartoons on TV!
Luckily, the judge is a very wise person. he knows that kids will always be kids.