Music's top stars set for Grammys gala

LOS ANGELES, United States — The music world will hit the red carpet on Sunday for the Grammys, with a wider selection of nominees -- led by hip-hop royalty and a bevy of talented women -- up for the top prizes.

The televised bash in Los Angeles, which kicks off at 5:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday) at the Staples Center, is not without controversy, as the Recording Academy grapples with how to embrace diversity in its ranks.

For the second consecutive year, black hip-hop artists are leading the pack -- but observers are still wondering if nominations success can translate into wins.


Rapper Kendrick Lamar -- who won a Pulitzer Prize for his album "DAMN." but has yet to snare a Grammy for Album of the Year -- earned eight nods while Canadian rapper Drake snagged seven.

Women artists scored nominations in all of the top categories, after being largely muted a year ago: rapper Cardi B, pop diva Lady Gaga, pop futurist Janelle Monae and folk rocker Brandi Carlile are among the frontrunners.

In the Best New Artist category, six of the eight nominees are women.

Grande backs out  

But controversy was threatening the gala before it even began, with a number of superstars declining to take part in the show's glitzy concert portion.

Untouchable pop star Ariana Grande -- who dropped her highly anticipated album "Thank U, Next" just before the Grammys -- slammed producer Ken Ehrlich over her decision not to perform, suggested he was "lying" about her readiness.

Drake, Lamar and Childish Gambino -- the rap alter-ego of actor Donald Glover -- have also all turned down performance offers, and it was not clear if they would even attend.

This year, Academy voters did pass on nominating perennial favorites like Taylor Swift for the top three prizes of Album, Record and Song of the Year, relegating pop stars who reigned in years prior to lesser categories.

Praise for women 'overdue' 

Women are also hoping to get their due after the head of the Recording Academy -- which includes more than 13,000 music professionals -- told them last year to "step up" if they wanted to do better on Grammys night.

The brazen comment drew outrage and prompted the executive, Neil Portnow, to say he would resign when his contract expires this summer.

This year, five of the eight Album of the Year nominations went to female artists: Cardi B, Carlile, Monae, R&B prodigy H.E.R. and country star Kacey Musgraves.

Lady Gaga scooped up five nominations including for both Record and Song of the Year for her heart-pounding hit "Shallow," which she performed in the film "A Star Is Born" with co-star Bradley Cooper.

Songstress Alicia Keys is set to host Sunday's ceremony -- the first woman to do so in 14 years.

She vowed this year's performances would be the "sickest" yet and feature of-the-moment stars like Lady Gaga and Cardi B as well as icons like country legend Dolly Parton and disco icon Diana Ross, who will take the stage for a Motown tribute.

A performance honoring the legacy of the late "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin is also expected.

Keys told CBS news this year's greater representation from women was "far overdue."

She hailed the importance "particularly for women to have our seat at the table, to represent the fact that we are so here and so incredible and we are the creators of our music."

"There's a great respect that is deserved to women and you will see that live embodied on Sunday."

source: philstar.com

'Bohemian Rhapsody' wins best drama film, best actor at Golden Globes

LOS ANGELES, United States — "Bohemian Rhapsody" pulled a major upset at the close of the Golden Globes on Sunday, taking home the final two top prizes to put itself into the Oscars conversation along with "Green Book" and "Roma."

On a night of wins for movies representing minorities, two awards favorites about white people -- Dick Cheney biopic "Vice" and musical romance "A Star is Born" -- all but struck out, with each picking up just one trophy in the run-up to the all-important Oscars on February 24.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" -- which charts the rise of British rock group Queen -- picked up best actor for Rami Malek, who plays legendary frontman Freddie Mercury. It also bagged the biggest movie award of the night -- best drama.

"I am beyond moved. My heart is pounding out of my chest right now," said Malek, whose list of people to thank included the Queen singer, who died in 1991.

"Thank you to Freddie Mercury for giving me the joy of a lifetime. I love you, you beautiful man. This is for and because of you, gorgeous."

The two trophies were the final prizes in a ceremony that had been expected to be a consecration for "A Star is Born" -- starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the age-old Hollywood fable of an ailing performer and his muse -- which went into the night with five nods.

"Star" had to content itself with a statuette for best song, which went to Gaga and writing partner Mark Ronson, while Christian Bale -- who plays Cheney -- picked up the solo gong for "Vice."

Civil rights dramedy "Green Book" was the numerical winner -- if not the prestige player -- picking up awards for best comedy movie, best supporting actor Mahershala Ali and best screenplay.

The boozy gala at the Beverly Hilton also recognized Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma," a cinematic ode to his childhood in 1970s Mexico City, with best director and foreign film honors, while seven movies bagged one statuette each.

"Cinema at its best builds bridges to other cultures," Cuaron told the audience. "We need to understand how much we have in common."

Less edgy

Under an azure southern California sky, Tinseltown's A-listers worked the red carpet with last year's gender politics still very much in mind.

Many wore "Time's Up" bracelets in a nod to the movement for sexual equality in the workplace that grabbed the headlines 12 months ago as the industry faced a reckoning about rampant harassment and abuse.

Hosting the Globes were comedian Andy Samberg and actress Sandra Oh, who made history as the first Asian woman to have presented a major awards show while also taking home her second Globe for "Killing Eve."

As the only awards show where alcohol is served, the evening is usually more colorful than showbiz's other big nights.

But the presenters set the tone for a less edgy affair than in previous years with a relatively tame opening that gave more time to complimenting the nominees than assailing them with "roast"-style jokes.

Samberg paid tribute to the diversity among the slate of films up for awards, singling out "If Beale Street Could Talk," whose star Regina King took home best supporting actress honors, as well as "Black Panther" and "Crazy Rich Asians," which went home empty-handed.

"And they are not just here tonight because they resonated with audiences Hollywood often ignores," he said.

"They are here because they told stories that resonated with everyone. And that is truly a beautiful thing."

King vowed that, for the next two years, she would only produce projects that employ 50 percent women, exclaiming: "Time's Up times two!"

"And I just challenge anyone out there -- anyone out there who is in a position of power, not just in our industry, in all industries -- I challenge you to challenge yourselves and stand with us in solidarity and do the same," she said.

Bellwether of momentum

This year, the Globes come at the start of voting for Oscar nominations, and while they are not always a clear predictor of Academy Award success, they are a bellwether of momentum.

In the acting categories, Glenn Close ("The Wife") bested the favorite Lady Gaga on the drama side.

Olivia Colman, who plays Queen Anne in offbeat royal romp "The Favourite," and Bale won as expected in the comedy acting races.

"Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for playing this role," deadpanned Bale.

Bradley Cooper -- who plays the aging rocker opposite Gaga's singer in "Star" -- had been favorite for best actor in a drama but was edged out by Malek.

The television side of the Globes can feel a bit redundant coming so soon after the Emmys in September, with many of the same nominees as the Television Academy field.

Best drama series went to the acclaimed FX Cold War spy thriller "The Americans" -- its first Golden Globe for its sixth and final season.

But adding spice to the mix on Sunday are programs that aired too late for Emmys contention.

Netflix comedy "The Kominsky Method" took home the best comedy series trophy and best actor honors for Michael Douglas.

source: philstar.com

Oprah Winfrey claims lifetime Golden Globe, calls for ‘a new day’

LOS ANGELES | Oprah Winfrey became the first black woman to be awarded a Golden Globe for lifetime achievement on Sunday, delivering an impassioned speech in support of those who have exposed sexual misconduct in Hollywood and beyond.

Actress, movie and television producer, and chief executive of her OWN cable channel, Winfrey, 63, was celebrated as a role model for women and a person who has promoted strong female characters.

Her honor came in a year when the awards show, Hollywood’s first leading up to the Oscars, was dominated by a scandal that has seen the downfall of dozens of powerful men as women break years of silence.

Winfrey, who along with most of the show’s other attendees donned a black gown to show support for victims of sexual misconduct, was the first black woman to receive the annual Cecil B. De Mille award, joining the likes of Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Sophia Loren.

Winfrey used her speech to praise women who have shared their stories of sexual harassment and abuse, and to declare that “a new day is on the horizon” for girls and women.

“And when that new day finally dawns it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they become leaders that take us to the time where nobody has to say ‘me too’ again,” Winfrey said, referencing the social media movement raising awareness about sexual harassment.

Winfrey was raised in poverty by a single mother and went on host the top-rated talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for 25 years before ending it in 2011.

“I want to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue.”

During her speech, she recalled being inspired as a child by previous Cecil B. DeMille award winner Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win a best actor Oscar.

“It is not lost on me that at this moment there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given the same award,” Winfrey said.

She produced and acted in the 2014 civil rights movie “Selma,” and 2017’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and was Oscar nominated in 1986 for her role in “The Color Purple” which she later helped finance as a Broadway musical.

Even after ending her daily talk show, her influence on popular culture remains strong.

Forbes last year estimated her net worth at $3 billion and placed her third on its list of the America’s richest self-made women.

source: interaksyon.com

Whitney Houston’s daughter found unconscious in bathtub, revived in hospital

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only daughter of late pop star Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, was found unresponsive in a bathtub at her Georgia home on Saturday, but she was revived after being rushed to a hospital, police said.

The incident comes nearly three years after Houston, a superstar who battled substance abuse, drowned in a bathtub in Beverly Hills, California, in February 2012. Authorities have said cocaine use and heart disease contributed to her death.

Brown, 21, was found at about 10:20 a.m. (1520 GMT) in the bathtub at her suburban Atlanta home by her husband and a friend, said Lisa Holland, public information officer for the Roswell Police Department.

Brown’s husband, Nick Gordon, started CPR and police continued life-saving measures until an ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital.

“She’s alive at the hospital,” Holland said. She gave no other details.

Brown was admitted to North Fulton Hospital in Roswell, a suburb north of Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

Hospital officials were not available for comment.

Brown married Gordon in January 2014. Gordon was also raised by Houston, one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, but she never formally adopted him. On Houston’s birthday last year, Gordon had his arm tattooed with a portrait of the late singer.

Houston, whose dozens of hit songs include “How Will I Know” and “I Will Always Love You,” was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston and a cousin of pop singer Dionne Warwick.

Bobbi Kristina Brown’s father, Bobby Brown, is a Grammy Award winner who started his career as frontman for the R&B group New Edition.

Both of Bobbi Kristina’s parents struggled with substance abuse, and Houston described their 15-year marriage, which ended in 2007, as drug- and alcohol-fueled. Bobby Brown was sentenced to 55 days in jail in 2013 after admitting to driving drunk in 2012.

Bobbi Kristina Brown was hospitalized twice with anxiety after her mother’s death.

She and her grandmother, Cissy Houston, and other relatives starred in a 14-episode reality show for cable channel Lifetime, “The Houstons: On Our Own,” about their struggle to cope after Houston’s death.

Brown’s Twitter feed over the past year included motivations to work out, quotes from celebrities on being true to oneself, loving messages for her husband and remembrances of her mother.

source: interaksyon.com

Marilyn Monroe plastic surgery notes, X-rays up for auction

LOS ANGELES | A physician’s notes on Marilyn Monroe that indicate that the Hollywood sex symbol had undergone cosmetic surgery will be up for sale next month along with a set of her X-rays, an auction house said on Tuesday.

The set of six X-rays and a file of doctors’ notes that offer a partial medical history of the “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” actress from 1950 to 1962, are expected to fetch between $15,000 and $30,000 at auction on November 9-10, said Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California.





The notes written by Hollywood plastic surgeon Michael Gurdin appear to confirm speculation that Monroe, who epitomized glamour and set a standard of movie star beauty during the latter part of Hollywood’s golden era, went under the knife for cosmetic reasons.

The seller, who is so far unnamed, received the items as a gift from Gurdin.

“Nobody really thought about Marilyn Monroe having plastic surgery. It was always speculation — did she or didn’t she?” said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions. “They thought she was such a natural beauty, they didn’t want to believe.”

Gurdin’s notes include references to a 1950 cartilage implant in Monroe’s chin, which he observed to have slowly begun to dissolve.

Monroe’s biggest films, such as 1953′s “How to Marry a Millionaire,” 1955′s “The Seven Year Itch” and 1959′s “Some Like It Hot,” were all shot after 1950.

“Also at that time, going back to the 1950s, people didn’t go for plastic surgery procedures,” Nolan added. “This is very, very new.”

THE BROKEN NOSE MYSTERY

The X-rays are dated June 7, 1962, after Monroe saw Gurdin following a late night fall and two months before the actress would die at age 36 from an overdose of barbiturates. The death was ruled a probable suicide.

Monroe would also be fired by studio 20th Century Fox from the unfinished film “Something’s Got to Give” the following day for her constant absences.

The X-rays include Monroe’s frontal facial bones, a composite right and left X-ray of the sides of her nasal bones and dental X-rays of the roof of her mouth.

A set of three chest X-rays of Monroe from 1954 sold for $45,000 at a 2010 auction.

A self-published memoir by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Norman Leaf in 2010 claimed that Monroe underwent cosmetic surgery on her chin in 1950, citing the same notes made by Gurdin, Leaf’s medical partner.

Leaf also states in his memoir that Monroe underwent a slight rhinoplasty procedure on the tip of her nose.

A radiologist’s notes included in the lot determined that there was no damage to Monroe’s nose from the fall, but a recent evaluation of the X-rays found a minute fracture, the auction house said.

Doctors used the name “Joan Newman” as Monroe’s alias on the X-rays which list her height as 5 feet, 6 inches and her weight as 115 lb (52 kg).

Gurdin’s notes were first drawn up in 1958 when the actress complained about a “chin deformity” and the note listed her married name, Marilyn Miller. She was married to playwright Arthur Miller from 1956 to 1961.

The notes also indicate that Monroe suffered from neutropenia, a low level of a white blood cell type, in 1956 while in England and had an ectopic pregnancy in 1957.

source: interaksyon.com

Singer Whitney Houston dies at 48

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48.

The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton hotel despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated.

Houston's bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva.

According to her official website, Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos. But she also struggled with addiction problems over the years.

Houston, whose hits included "The Greatest Love of All," died on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She had performed as late as Thursday night at a pre-Grammy event in the area. A pre-Grammy party was scheduled Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton.

Music producer Jimmy Jam, after conversations with those heading up to Sunday's night show, told CNN that he believes the event will change significantly -- including a tribute to the singer.

The entertainer recently returned to a movie set for "Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 hit, which was loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It is scheduled be released nationwide in August, according to Sony Pictures. It was her first movie role since 1996's "The Preacher's Wife."

News of her death elicited a flood of reaction from fans and fellow celebrities alike.

Singer Aretha Franklin said, "I just can't talk about it now. It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen. My heart goes out to Cissy (Houston's mother), her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby (Brown)."

Dolly Parton, who wrote "I Will Always Love You," said, "mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'"

Another entertainment legend, Quincy Jones, said he was "absolutely heartbroken" by the news. "She was a true original and a talent beyond compare," he said.

Houston's body of work included a string of Billboard No. 1 hits in the 1980s, including "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," "The Greatest Love of All," "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."

Billboard put her soundtrack to the 1992 movie "The Bodyguard" as one of the top 10 biggest-selling albums of all time. She also starred in the film with Kevin Costner. The soundtrack included the hit,"I Will Always Love You."

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/11/showbiz/whitney-houston-dead/index.html