FILM/ "KING'S SPEECH" TOPS BAFTA NOMS: With 14 nominations, Tom Hooper's "The King’s Speech" is in pole position to be crowned the big winner at this year’s Orange British Academy Film Awards. Hooper secured a best director nomination and the picture a best film nod. Golden Globe winner Colin Firth continues to build momentum in the awards season with a best actor nomination slot while the film’s Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush secured a best supporting actress and supporting actor bid each. Firth goes head to head with Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network," Jeff Bridges in "True Grit," Javier Bardem in "Biutiful" and James Franco in "127 Hours". Darren Aronofsky’s "Black Swan" is the second most nominated title, with 12, including best film. "Swan" also earned nominations for Natalie Portman for leading actress and Barbara Hershey in the supporting actress category. Portman will be up against Hailee Steinfeld’s turn in "True Grit," Noomi Rapace in "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, both nominated for the same film, "The Kids Are Alright". "The Social Network," named best film drama at Sunday's Golden Globes, earned 6 nominations. It will compete with "Speech," "Swan," "Inception" and the Coen brothers' western remake "True Grit" for best film. The Orange British Academy Film Awards take place February 13 at the Royal Opera House, London. Full details on all nominations can be found on the BAFTA website.
: Liam McIntyre will replace Andy Whitfield, who is battling cancer, on "Spartacus," Starz network announced yesterday. McIntyre, pictured left, will play the Thracian warrior sold into slavery in the Roman Republic city of Capua. Whitfield gave his blessing to the casting, the networks said in a statement. "Since no one can really replace Andy, we realized that we should instead find an actor who can truly lead ‘Spartacus’ forward,” Starz said. “It was important to us to have Andy endorse the idea of recasting this part, which he did in the same heroic manner that he’s dealt with his whole ordeal. And that, coupled with our fortune in finding a young actor with the gladiator credentials and the acting ability of Liam, makes it easier for us to keep this hit franchise going". McIntyre appeared in HBO's "The Pacific". He's also appeared in "Neighbours" and "Rush" in his native Australia. He's currently training for the role in New Zealand. Production on the series is slated to resume in spring 2011. The show debuted January 2010 as the most-watched premiere in Starz' history.
Regis Philbin announced today that he is retiring from his show. Philbin delivered the news at the start of Tuesday morning's "Live With Regis and Kelly," which he has hosted for more than a quarter-century, most recently sharing hosting duties with Kelly Ripa. He said he would be stepping down from the show around the end of the summer, though he didn't specify a departure date. "I don't want to alarm anybody," he began, then said, "This will be my last year on the show". The show's distributors, Disney-ABC Domestic Television, said in a statement the "Live" franchise will continue, adding that a new co-host will be named to join Ripa, who marks 10 years with the show next month. But Philbin, referring to his time left on the show, assured viewers, "We'll have a lot of fun between now and then".
MUSIC/ CHER SETS BILLBOARD RECORD: Cher has taken her latest single, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" to the top. On Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs chart to be released this Thursday, the song reaches #1, making Cher the only act to have notched a #1 single on a Billboard chart in each of the last 6 decades. In response, Cher told Billboard: "How can it be six decades when I'm only four decades?". "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" is lifted from Cher's film "Burlesque" and won a Golden Globe Award for best original song this past Sunday. Cher collected her 1st #1 on a Billboard list August 14, 1965, when Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" began its 1st of 3 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In the '70s, she racked up a trio of Hot 100 #1s on her own with the story songs "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" (1971), "Half-Breed" (1973) and "Dark Lady" (1974). She notched another '70s #1 with Sonny, "All I Ever Need Is You," on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart in 1971. Moving into the '80s, the AC chart continued to be a friend to Cher, as she locked up #1s in 1989 with "After All," with Peter Cetera, and her iconic "If I Could Turn Back Time." In the '90s, Cher stormed back to the Hot 100, where she reigned for 4 weeks at #1 in 1999 with the title track from her album "Believe." The song would go on to finish 1999 has the year's top Hot 100 single. It also hit #1 on our Dance/Club Songs chart in 1999, as did 2 more singles from "Believe": "Strong Enough" and "All or Nothing." In the '00s, Cher landed a further pair of #1s on Dance/Club Play Songs: "A Different Kind of Love Song" in 2002 and "When the Money's Gone" in 2003, both from her album "Living Proof."
Elton John and David Furnish have posed for their 1st pictures with new son Zachary. The baby was born to a surrogate mother on Christmas Day and appears with the couple on the cover of the British OK! magazine. John told the magazine: “He shot out like a rocket. There just aren’t proper words to describe that feeling ever. It’s indescribable. It was just, ‘We have a son!’” He also revealed that he would not spoil the child. “I’m ready to have a child and lavish my love on our son and not spoil him materially,” he said. The couple said that they had not given up hope of caring for an HIV-positive Ukrainian toddler and his 3 year old brother. They met the pair at an orphanage for children whose parents had fallen victim to AIDS last year. John said at the time that Lev, 18 months, had “stolen” his heart. The couple were not allowed to adopt the children because John was deemed too old. He told OK!: “We’re still consulting about finding the best possible home for them".
Don Kirshner, legendary American music publisher, died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida of heart failure. He was 77. A renowned song publisher and rock producer, Kirshner is best known for managing the songwriting talent behind the successful pop music television series The Monkees and later The Archies, and also for his signature television program "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert". He achieved his 1st major success in the late 1950s and early 1960s as co-owner of the influential New York-based publishing company Aldon Music with Al Nevin. They had several of the most important songwriters of the so-called "Brill Building'" under contract including Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. As a producer-promoter, Kirshner was influential in starting the career of artists such as Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond and Tony Orlando as well as discovering rock acts such as Kansas. In September 1973, Kirshner created, produced, and eventually hosted his own syndicated weekly rock-concert program called "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert". He was inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2007. Kirshner is survived by his family.
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