Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross Engaged
Congratulations are in order for singer Ashlee Simpson (Jessica’s sister), and actor Evan Ross (Diana’s son) who announced their engagement on Twitter Monday night. The two have reportedly been dating since the beginning of the summer in 2013. This is Ross’ first time at the altar and Simpson’s second walk down the aisle. She was previously married to Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, with whom she has a five-year-old son.
The 2014 Golden Globe Awards
The 2014 Golden Globe Awards were broadcast last night from The Beverly Hilton Hotel on NBC, hosted by comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The start of the award season didn’t disappoint with the red carpet fashion and funny ladies making the most the program’s three hour running time. Some of the actors taking home statues in their respective categories included: Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress (American Hustle), Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor (Dallas Buyers’ Club), Leonardo Dicaprio for Best Actor-Musical or Comedy (The Wolf of Wall Street), and Cate Blanchett for Best Actress-Drama (Blue Jasmine). American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave took home the awards for Best Picture, comedy and drama, with Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron taking home the prize for Best Director.
In the world of television, AMC’s Breaking Bad won the award for Best Drama for its final season, with actors Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), and Robin Wright (House of Cards) taking home prizes for their dramatic leading roles. Co-host, Amy Poehler, finally won after several nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy (Parks and Recreation) and former Saturday Night Live star, Andy Samberg, scoring his first Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy (Brooklyn Nine-Nine).
The show received its highest ratings in ten years, and the hosts have signed on for the next two years. Up next…the announcement of the Oscar nominations on January 16th and the Screen Actors’ Guild Awards on January 18th.
DGA Nominations Announced This Morning
Award season is in full swing, as the Directors Guild Award nominations were announced this morning with no big surprises among the nominees. As usual, the DGAs are viewed as a prediction for the Oscar nods for Best Director yet to come this year. The list is comprised of: Gravity‘s Alfonso Cuaron, Steve McQueen for the period drama, 12 Years A Slave, Captain Phillips‘ Paul Greengrass, David O. Russell for the comedy, American Hustle, and of course Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street, starring actor Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his greatest roles to date.
Scorsese has received the DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award 3 times, and has won 3 other times with 10 nominations total. However there is no odds-on favorite this year, with all of the nominated directors’ films garnering mass critical acclaim. Last year’s winner, Ben Affleck for Argo, didn’t win the Oscar for Best Director ( he wasn’t even nominated) but that has only occurred seven times in the history of the Directors’ Guild and the Academy. Good luck to all the nominees!
2013: “The Year of Coming Out”
2013 could be known as “The Year of Coming Out”., with several celebrities publicly embracing their sexuality. Among the noticeable mentions: most recently “Good Morning America” news anchor, Robin Roberts, actor Wentworth Miller from “Prison Break”, ‘Cosby kid’ Raven-Symone, and Academy Award winner Jodie Foster.
On a similar note, congratulations are in order for actress/comedienne Lily Tomlin who wed her longtime partner of 42 years, Jane Wagner. The couple made it official on New Years Eve. E! News broke the story of their engagement back in October. Who says same-sex relationships don’t last?! A toast to moving forward in 2014.
‘Forbes’ Magazine Annual Celebrity Highest Earnings/Most Powerful List 2013
With the close of 2013 behind us, Forbes Magazine has published its annual list of the highest earning and most powerful celebrities of the year. The highest earning celebrity of 2013 is “The Material Girl”, Madonna. Her 12th studio release, MDNA, was not a commercial success, but the tour launched to accompany the album earned the singer, age 55, over $125 million dollars. That’s more than she has ever earned in the history of Forbes publishing the list. Other celebrities mentioned were: director Steven Spielberg ($100 million), Howard Stern and Simon Cowell ( both with $95 million), Lady Gaga ($80 million), and Katy Perry ($40 million).
But even with a drop in her estimated earnings to$88 million in 2013 from $165 million in 2012, TV mogul Oprah Winfrey regained the top spot as Forbes most powerful celebrity, after spending two years in a row at the number two spot. She leads a female dominated top ten that includes Beyonce and Taylor Swift.
Scorsese and DiCaprio Score Again with ‘Wolf of Wall Street’
Director Martin Scorsese, along with his muse, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, score a winning collaboration again with the stellar “The Wolf of Wall Street” which opened on Christmas Day. The film stars a magnificent cast including DiCaprio (who is at the top of his game), Matthew McConaughey ( who just keeps getting better with age), the legendary Rob Reiner, and the always entertaining Jonah Hill. The lengthy production is well worth the nearly three hour viewing time. Fueled with sex, greed, and drugs Scorsese paints an unflinching portait of one man’s pursuit of his American dream. It is definitely a must-see, especially for fans of Martin Scorsese’s work.
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- Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street – Review (reviewseat.wordpress.com)
- Movie Review: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) (ageeksblog.com)
- War Over ‘Wolf of Wall Street’: Scorsese’s Latest Ignites Online Brouhaha (thewrap.com)
RIP: James Avery of ‘Fresh Prince’ Fame Dies
Veteran actor, James Avery, best known for portraying Will Smith’s Uncle Phillip Banks on the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” died Tuesday in Glendale, California from complications after open heart surgery he received on November 11 at the age of 68.
A classically trained actor and poet, Avery grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was raised by a single mother. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and first appeared onscreen as a dancer in an uncredited role in the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers.”
A biography provided by his manager said that after he served in the military, Avery moved to San Diego, California, where he began writing TV scripts and poetry for PBS. Before joining the military, he once said, he had dreams of being like Richard Wright and living in Paris. But life took a different turn.
“I knew I loved the arts,” Avery said in an interview for the show “Unscripted.” “I knew I wanted to be a writer, but the theater was something I had been involved in before.”
Avery appeared in multiple TV shows and movies, including “CSI,” “That ’70s Show,” “The Closer” and several appearances as a judge on “L.A. Law.” But his most famous role was as Philip Banks, the stern but loving uncle to Will Smith’s character on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which aired from 1990 to 1996.
The show, co-executive produced by Quincy Jones and created by Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz, cast Smith — then best known as a rapper — as a Philadelphia teenager who is sent to live with his wealthy Los Angeles relatives. As Banks, a former civil rights activist and Harvard Law-trained attorney, Avery provided a role model for Smith’s sometimes wild character.
He will be missed by family & friends, and by his many fans who knew him as affectionately as “Uncle Phil”.
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‘The Hobbit 2’ Tops Box Office Race This Weekend
Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug remained at No. 1 in its second weekend ($31.5 million) grossing over $400 million total worldwide, while holiday comedy Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues enjoyed a promising start thanks in large part to younger males. Anchorman 2 grossed $26.8 million for the weekend itself, putting its five-day domestic debut at $40 million (the firstAnchorman debuted to $28.4 million in 2004). Overseas, the sequel took in $13.4 million from only five markets — nearly triple the entire lifetime gross of the first film.
American Hustle tied for third with Disney’s Frozen both earning over $19 million dollars in ticket sales. Saving Mr. Banks, starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers, came in No. 5, earning $9.3 million. The awards contender, with a production budget of $35 million, came in slightly behind expectations, but should benefit going forward from an A CinemaScore (American Hustle only earned a B+).
The holiday box office is enjoying big ticket sales this season with the success of several blockbuster films and should produce large numbers for the studios overall for the entire year of 2013. Merry Christmas everyone!
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Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union Get Engaged
Congratulations are in order for NBA Superstar Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat, and his new fiance, actress Gabrielle Union (BET’s “Being Mary Jane”). The couple got engaged over the weekend and posted a picture of their hands together showcasing her ring on Facebook, where fans showered them with well wishes. Wade was recently involved in a high profile divorce and custody battle for his two sons. Let’s hope this marriage turns out for the best for them both.
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Mister J's Hollywood Report 