With SAG win, 'Hustle' has Oscar look of 'Argo'

Hollywood loves a sequel, and this awards season is shaping up to be one.
Just as "Argo" emerged as the unlikely victor over "Lincoln" last year, another 1970s-set crowd-pleaser is turning into the Academy Awards favorite over a solemn historical epic about slavery.
David O. Russell's "American Hustle" took the Screen Actors Guild Awards' top honor for outstanding cast on Saturday night, beating out Steve McQueen's acclaimed "12 Years a Slave." Because actors make up the largest branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the SAG Awards (which last year picked "Argo") are considered one of the best indicators of the Oscars.
Just days ago, the Academy Awards nominations set up a trio of front-runners, bestowing 10 nods on "American Hustle" and "Gravity," and nine on "12 Years a Slave." But though no actor was individually honored by the guild for "American Hustle," the Abscam tale now appears to have an edge over its Oscar rivals.
Speaking for a cast that includes Amy Adams, Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper credited Russell as the epitome of the actor's director.
"He makes you feel like you're part of the family, whether you're Robert DeNiro or you're Patty Mack," Cooper said at the Shrine Auditorium ceremony in Los Angeles. "You are part of the family."
In addition to last year's "Argo," SAG cast awards have lined up with such past Oscar best-picture winners as "The King's Speech," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "No Country for Old Men." But the guild has also diverged with picks like "The Help," "Inglourious Basterds" and "Little Miss Sunshine."
Saturday's awards were a somewhat low-key affair with a few memorable speeches but no earthquakes in a rapidly solidifying award season. The night's acting winners — Matthew McConaughey ("Dallas Buyers Club"), Cate Blanchett ("Blue Jasmine"), Lupita Nyong'o ("12 Years a Slave") and Jared Leto ("Dallas Buyers Club") — are each probably the favorites of their categories.
"It really shines a great light on this bull ride we call acting," said McConaughey, honored for lead actor in the Texas HIV drama. "I've been able to recently find some characters that I can humble myself to their humanities and get feverishly drunk on their obsessions."
One of the night's biggest winners was Nyong'o, who won supporting actress over Lawrence. Though "12 Years a Slave" is only her feature film debut, the Kenyan actress has been hailed for her red-carpet style and grace this awards season. Her speech was both composed and emotional — the kind of display that can turn Oscar voters' heads.
She thanked McQueen "for taking a flashlight and shining it underneath the floorboards of this nation and reminding us what it is we stand on." And she recalled the celebratory phone call to her father when she got the part.
"'Daddy, do you know who Brad Pitt is? I'm going to be in a movie with him!'" recalled Nyong'o. "And he said, 'I don't know him personally, but I'm glad you got a job.'"
The "Breaking Bad" victory lap continued as the show took honors for outstanding dramatic cast and for lead actor Bryan Cranston. For his indelible performance as teacher-turned-meth dealer, Cranston added his second lead actor SAG Award, to go with his recent Golden Globe win and his numerous Emmys.
"We have the nicest bunch of white supremacist Nazis I have ever worked with," said Cranston, looking over his former cast mates. "I swear to you I would kill you all over again."
Two big-screen veterans won awards for TV films: Michael Douglas for HBO's Liberace drama "Behind the Candelabra," and Helen Mirren for the biopic "Phil Spector," also on HBO.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been a mainstay at award shows recently, both for her acclaimed HBO series "Veep" (for which she won an Emmy) and the romantic comedy "Enough Said" (for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe). She won a SAG trophy for female actor in a comedy series for "Veep," and slyly mocked the award season crush by first thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press and then the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
"It's hard you know because it's awards season and things get confusing, much like elections," said Louis-Dreyfus.
The ABC sitcom "Modern Family" enjoyed another round of awards, winning for ensemble in a comedy series and taking the male actor in a comedy series honor for Ty Burrell.
Emma Thompson, a surprise snub in Thursday's Oscar nominations for the "Mary Poppins" making-of tale "Saving Mr. Banks," was just as much the witty, winning award-show attendee she's been all season. As a presenter, the lead actress nominee noted the show's cheesy elevator music soundtrack: "Is this music available on CD?"
SAG's lifetime achievement award was given to Rita Moreno, the 81-year-old "West Side Story" actress whose career has spanned Broadway, television and music. Introduced by Morgan Freeman, the much-honored Latina legend danced to the podium before a standing ovation and let out a gleeful expletive.
"I hope the man with the button was there," she said. (He was.)
Moreno serenaded the SAG audience with a few bars from "This Is All I Ask":
"And let the music play/ As long as there's a song to sing/ And I will stay younger than spring."

Kerry Washington arrives at the 20th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium 

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/01/18/2900013/sag-awards-to-offer-window-into.html#storylink=cpy

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Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/01/18/2900013/sag-awards-to-offer-window-into.html#storylink=cpy

Robin Wright engaged to Ben Foster

Ben Foster and Robin Wright. (Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company)

Actress Robin Wright is set to wed again after accepting a proposal from actor Ben Foster.
Wright, 47, showed off her new engagement ring at a Diane von Furstenberg exhibition in Los Angeles on Friday night, and her publicist has confirmed the news to People.com.
Wright and Foster, 33, co-starred in the 2011 film “Rampart,” and officially started dating in 2012.
This will be Wright’s third marriage – she was wed to actor Dane Witherspoon for two years in the 1980s and she divorced Sean Penn in 2010. Wright and Penn have two kids, Dylan, 22, and Hopper, 20.
Foster recently hit the headlines after signing up to portray disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong in director Stephen Frears’ upcoming untitled biopic.

Lady Gaga blasts ‘ArtPop’ critics

Lady Gaga. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images)

Pop superstar Lady Gaga has accused music critics of slating her album “ArtPop” because they failed to understand its concept.
The singer scored a chart hit with the record last year, but sales quickly dropped off after its release and it received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom gave it unfavorable write-ups.
Gaga has now responded to an article posted on Breitbart.com, titled “Five Reasons Why Lady Gaga’s Artpop Flopped,” arguing that critics just didn’t understand what she was trying to achieve.
In response to an extract of the article, which branded the album “too long” and full of “b-sides,” re-posted on her Littlemonsters.com website, the singer writes, “I don’t understand critics but here’s why: would you critic a dance show if you were not yourself a dancer? Would you critic an English paper if you did not speak English? Or a French paper if you don’t speak French? Don’t let these things bother you, because the concepts of ARTPOP I spent a lot of time and research a love on. By everybody (sic) will understand it, it operates in a place of love that sees the world as unified. It is simply a pleasurable experience for you to access if you choose. I don’t believe that we are divided as people. If you criticize others you criticize yourself.”
Gaga previously accused critics of trying to destroy her career after her comeback single “Applause” failed to replicate the success of her previous chart hits.

Categories: Uncategorized

Kerry Washington won’t be finding out baby’s sex

(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Actress Kerry Washington is keeping the sex of her unborn baby a surprise.
The “Scandal” star showed off her baby bump in a Balenciaga gown on the red carpet at the 2014 Golden Globes on Sunday, but was keen to keep mum on the birth details.
The fiercely private actress, who married retired football player Nnamdi Asomugha in secret last year, refused to tell reporters how far along she was with the pregnancy, and wouldn’t discuss names.
But, when she was asked if she and Asomugha would be finding out the sex of the baby, she said, “No, keeping it a surprise.”
And she told news show “Extra” that she’ll be hiding her pregnancy on TV drama “Scandal,” adding, “We’re handling it… (Costume designer) Lyn Paolo and I are having a really good time in keeping the fashion elevated, but still making room for this little human.”

Young Jeezy ARRESTED for False Imprisonment, Battery, Terroristic Threats on Son

EXCLUSIVE

Rapper Young Jeezy was arrested in Atlanta for battery, false imprisonment, and making terroristic threats against his own son ... TMZ has learned.

According to the charging documents -- obtained by TMZ -- Jeezy got into a fight with his son in a bathroom and he threw his son into the glass shower door, causing the son to hit his head.  Then Jeezy allegedly punched him in the face, dragged him into the bedroom, threw him on the bed and pummeled him. 

According to the incident report, Jeezy's son attempted to escape but the rapper's bodyguard blocked the stairwell.

The docs go on -- claiming Jeezy subsequently choked his son and said, "I will kill you."  According to police docs, Jeezy's son claims his dad said, "I will put a bullet in your head right now," adding, "If I could get away with it, I would kill you."  The incident allegedly occurred in Sept., 2012.

We've learned Jeezy turned himself in to authorities Friday after a grand jury warrant for each charge was issued. He bonded out soon after for $45,000.

Jeezy's attorney tells TMZ, "We have no doubt this matter will resolve itself appropriately. At this moment, Mr. Jenkins is thankful for the support of his fans and the respect for his family's privacy."

Psychic predictions 2014 – Current celebrity gossip edition

 

Psychic predictions 2014 current celebrity gossip edition— A Psychic reading Hollywood edition compiled from online gossip web sites,  some stars are bound to celebrity scandals as what the majority would see it.

Here ‘s what seers and psychic speculate for Hollywood stars and celebrities this year 2014, trailing with this group who made headlines last year.
Seers prediction — Miley Cyrus a Sagittarius in Playboy?, Justin Bieber to rehab?, Khloe Kardashian, Katy Perry. These are the Celebrity Psychic reading and Astrology Predictions for these Hollywood stars.
“Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: I just don’t get a warm feeling from this couple, and my sense is that they are on their way to a breakup.”
Justin Bieber enters a hot and heavy relationship with someone new — tons of drama with him and Selena Gomez, and she’s very angry.
Stars expected to have a big 2014 include Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling and Miley Cyrus – with a quickie wedding and divorce and a possible spread in Playboy magazine for Cyrus, Mackey predicts, Seers predict.
“I think it’s gonna be a continuation of what we’ve been going through; our moral standards are going to continue to drop â?¦ we’re going to have more Miley Cyrus-type things,” says Flo Higgins, an astrologer in Eatontown.
Oprah Winfrey rises to the top again — her ratings soar on OWN.
Katy Perry and John Mayer split and Katy Perry enters a new relationship.

‘Pretty Little Liars’ star struggled with eating disorder

 

Actress Troian Bellisario has revealed she struggled with an eating disorder and self-harming issues as a teenager.
The “Pretty Little Liars” star explains the pressure she felt to be perfect led to the destructive behavior.
She tells Seventeen magazine, “I was the youngest daughter, the perfect little girl. My school was a very intense college prep school. So it was about wanting to please my father and mother and wanting to be perfect to everybody.
“I just thought if I ever expressed to (my parents) any sadness or anger or anything that’s going on with me, they would disown me. I kept a lot of it bottled up inside, and it turned into self-destructive behavior.
“I would withhold food or withhold going out with my friends, based on how well I did that day in school. Being a teenager is chaotic because you’re kind of coming into your own, but you’re not an adult; you’re fighting with your parents over responsibilities and freedom.
“I didn’t know what was right and what was wrong, so I think I created this bizarre system of checks and balances to create order in my world. But
it really backfired.”
Although she kept her struggles secret from her friends and family, Bellisario’s classmates soon found out.
She continues, “I felt this sadness, and I thought if people really knew what was going on inside me, they wouldn’t want to hang out with me. So I
tried to keep it light and funny.
“They (friends) got a hold of my journal and basically said, ‘We don’t trust you, and we’re gonna tell your parents.’ That was when my world kind
of exploded. It was kind of like an intervention. It made me ask myself, ‘What do I really want to be doing? What would make me happy?’”
And, despite finding fame on the TV series, Bellisario insists she still faces many insecurities.
She explains, “Sometimes I feel like I’m trying too hard, like I don’t belong. I just look around at (co-stars) Lucy (Hale), Shay (Mitchell), and
Ashley (Benson), and I’m just like, ‘Why am I on this show?’ Sometimes I’ve felt like a fraud. Like, I’m not like these other girls – I don’t dress like that and don’t know how to do my hair…
“Whenever I get down, when I want to crawl under a rock, I just look around at them and I see how rich my life is. You have to remember what’s most important in life. I am loved by so many people and have a wonderful job. I know I’m incredibly blessed. I am a completely lucky human being.”