Fro’s posters are bold, artistic and unique. His Doctor Who posters are incredible – I’m really digging the soufflé one – and it’s great to see posters that are specific to episodes. To view more of Fro’s work, click here.

So You Think You Can Dance began their tenth season last night and they did not hold back. The episode showed every great person the city had to offer – without the silly but fun stories. Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy (sporting some interesting hair) are back, joined by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and were blown away by the talent. From hip hop dancer Fik-Shun to ballroom dancer Armen Way, this season looks amazing and this is only the beginning.

Starting off the Los Angeles auditions is street dancer Du-Shaunt “Fik-Shun” Stegall. Fik-Shun is unreal, he hit hard but was incredibly smooth. He used levels, showed unique movements and danced with enthusiasm. He was entertaining and extremely talented, it will be interesting to see how he does in Vegas.

Paul Karmiryan, winner of So You Think You Can Dance Armenia (Sorry to concerned fan Bronwyn Cooper, but thanks for reading and getting me views even though you clearly hated my post. Some people write for fun, not to be the most original and thought provoking blogger about SYTYCD but thanks for the conern), is obviously a good dancer, but his chances on the American version are questionable. Paul has incredible technique but his dancing is slightly feminine. This routine felt very competition, not unique.

Elijah Laurant on the other hand, blew the judges out of the water. His routine showed of his technique and training well but still showed dancing. He took the music and created intense moments that sucked you in to its beauty.

And then So You Think You Can Dance pulls the meanest trick imaginable. First they show a sweet girl, Taylor Ward, crying over her grandfather’s, recent passing and his decision to support her in dropping scholarships in academics and softball to dance. Then, you watch her dislocate her knee twenty-seven HUNDRED times, just in case you didn’t hear the snap the first time. Luckily, Taylor is a trooper and pulled out a great audition. She wasn’t sent straight to Vegas but was given a ticket after choreography.

Also, watching the judges cringe every time she used her leg was unpleasant.

B-Boy champion Morris Isby killed it in his audition. His moves were unique – he spun on his elbow – and his timing and movement was great. Unfortunately, Morris couldn’t nail the choreography and was sent home.

Armen Way is a rapper and ballroom dancer, it gets crazier, the rap video he talks about on the show features former N’SYNC singer Joey Fatone. I think my head is exploding. Way is a great dancer, he’s a professional ballroom dancer on Dancing With The Stars so that’s no surprise, and was given a ticket to Vegas straight away.

The last audition of the day was inspirational. The Gr818ers are based in Pacoima and the San Fernando Valley and are looking to promote the positive elements in hip-hop.

We continue to be an effective youth empowerment group by hosting free music and dance workshops, as well as running after-school tutoring/mentoring programs. The group works alongside non-profit organizations to provide underprivileged youth with Hip Hop youth programs promoting self-empowerment and expression. The GR818ERS have been recognized by California Senator Alex Padilla, Councilmember Richard Alarcón, Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes, and the California State Legislature as a positive force within the San Fernando Valley’s community and a movement for social change through the positive influences of Hip Hop.

You can find more information on their Facebook or Website. As for the audition, Eric and Lorenzo Chapman (third unknown at this time) prove size means nothing. The way these three men move across the stage is unbelievable. They may not be the best dancers but these boys can bust a move.

Next week features guest judge Stephen “Twitch” Boss in Detroit, Michigan!

This was the perfect way to relax and spend my holiday. The pictures ended up being better than I imagined and I cannot wait to explore more of British Columbia.

“I just want my son to have a job where his incompetence won’t be out of place.”

The highly anticipated fourth season of cult favourite Arrested Development has released its first trailer. Not only does this season promise to be weird – I’m talking about Buster and Lucille’s even closer relationship – but there seems to be a lot of surprises up their sleeves.

When the Final Countdown began playing a smile creeped onto my face, this season should be wild and May 26th cannot come sooner!

In order to access this information CBC asked the Canadian Institute of Health Information – the CIHI receives information directly from the hospitals, which it in turn shares with the public – but when the CIHI went to health officials from provinces across the country they gave a collective “no.”

It gets worse. In Nova Scotia, health minister Kevin McNamara approved the release of data only to revoke his approval six days later:

“In those six days, freedom-of-information documents show that a federal Public Health Agency of Canada employee sent out an email to a network of health ministry officials and experts through the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network with a compiled list of all the provinces and territories’ planned responses to the CBC request.” Credit

To continue reading click here.

The costumes or ‘cosplay‘ was fascinating, and a little confusing for someone who doesn’t pay too much attention to this world. The details were outstanding, it was so fun seeing a glance of something cool and hunting it down for a photo.

People were friendly and excited and the panels were hilarious and random – James Marsters and Juliet Landau talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, crazy. I also came back just in time for Stan Lee (he is everything) and could not contain my excitement.

The FanExpo was amazing and I hope  to continue the tradition every year. This was also only Vancouver’s second year and watching it expand will be fun. To view all the photos click here.

I have just accepted the position of Events Photographer for Hush Magazine. Hush is a local online webzine, and soon to be print mag, that features an honest look at the great city of Vancouver.

My audition was to shoot their staff social, and the pictures speak volumes on the magazine. It’s a good group and I cannot wait to start shooting events around the city. To view the images, mine are the first seventeen, until the two girls hugging, click here.

Kraft Dinner has organic, natural products but says fans prefer the original formula – filled with harmful dyes. Synthetic dyes are used not only to create a fun product but to maintain colour life. While natural alternatives exist and are used in the United Kingdom, American and Canadian companies still use these harmful substances.

Since 2008, England has asked for a voluntary ban of of six common synthetic food dyes: Tartrazine (Yellow 4), Quinoline Yellow (Yellow 13), Sunset Yellow (Yellow 3), Carmoisine (Red 3), Ponceau 4R (Red 7) and Allura Red (Red 17). These dyes were flagged when a government funded study in The Lancet showed increased hyperactivity in children aged 3, 8 and 9. The nearly 300 children were fed a mixture of the six dyes and the preservative sodium benzoate. Within the hour the children had increased hyperactivity.

Kraft Dinner, the iconic neon orange pasta, is under fire after using synthetic substances in their products. In Canada, Yellow 5 is added. This artificial coloring causes “allergy-like hypersensitivity reactions… triggers hyperactivity in some children…[and] It may be contaminated with such cancer-causing substances.” The United States adds Yellow 6 which “causes tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney…and may cause occasional, but sometimes severe, hypersensitivity reactions.” Both versions also include Yellow 4 – one of the banned UK dyes.

To continue reading click here.

In 2005, the Kellogg’s Company – an American company, founded in Michigan – along with other companies, committed to United Kingdom citizens to reduce salt. In 2010, Kellogg’s finally folded in their attempts to halt this commitment, and said they would reduce 300 tons of salt per year.

This is a 70 percent reduction and the company has also reduced their total sodium count by 45 percent since 1998. This has saved over 9, 000 lives, not a huge number considering over 100, 000 people in the United States alone die from heart attack and stroke, but it’s a start.

The salt you use on your food accounts for only twenty percent of the sodium you are actually ingesting. “Eighty percent of the salt that we eat is added by the food industry,” said Graham A. MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine and author of a recent study on salt.

The study – Effect of longer term modest salt reduction on blood pressure: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials – included: four weeks, thirty-four trials and 3230 participants. The study concluded:

These results support a reduction in population salt intake, which will lower population blood pressure and thereby reduce cardiovascular disease. The observed significant association between the reduction in 24 hour urinary sodium and the fall in systolic blood pressure indicates that larger reductions in salt intake will lead to larger falls in systolic blood pressure. Credit

Continue reading here.

This playlist features blues rock songs and was heavily influenced by the recent Cold War Kids album Dear Miss Lonelyhearts – which you should all check out. The electric energy mixed with the soulful blues quality make these songs heavy but dynamic.

Tuxedos – Cold War Kids

This is a live session at South by Southwest with Le Laura Leishman Project and Mouv’Session.

Hold On – Alabama Shakes

Hard Times (feat. Black Thought) – John Legend and The Roots

Two Against One (feat. Jack White) – Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi

How Come You Never Go There – Feist

Dearest – The Black Keys

Love Is Blindness – Jack White

Hospital Beds – Florence and the Machine

Under The Earth – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Credit: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

The Biggest Loser has been running on NBC since 2004. The show involves credible personal trainers, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, who say diet and exercise are all you need to lose weight. It turns out even reputable celebrity trainers are looking to cash in on weight loss supplements, even unproven ones.

Off the show, and far from any website claiming to be affiliated with the show, Michaels and Harper both sell weight loss supplements. These are products not just sold under their names, these products have been cultivated by the stars who believe in their success.  Because supplements do not need to be approved by the FDA (The US Food and Drug Administration), Michaels and Harper could potentially be selling harmful material.

Neither trainer has their weight loss supplements advertised on their websites, instead they created new websites especially for the purpose of hawking these supplements. Michaels uses the slogan “America’s Toughest Trainer Helps YOU Lose Weight,” and Harper claims he is “America’s #1 TV Weight Loss Authority.” These slogans wrap right back to the show which claims to only use a healthy diet and extreme workout plan to lose those extra pounds.

In an interview with Fat Bottom Girl’s, Michaels went against her own teachings in order to help promote her rapid weight loss system:

For quite some time I’ve been searching for compounds that would help overcome the two greatest pitfalls to successful weight loss: first, not having the willpower to actually reduce your caloric intake (follow a diet plan); and second, not seeing and feeling results quickly enough to motivate you to continue toward a healthier life. My new products are designed to cut through all the diet jargon and help you get the results you want. Credit.

To read more click here.

So You Think You Can Dance has produced some incredible stars, it has also helped jump start the career of dancer/choreographer Travis Wall. On the reality show All The Right Moves, which stars Wall along with Teddy Forance, Nick Lazzarini and Kyle Robinson, Forance decided to create a submission for choreographer status on SYTYCD.

His submission included two prominent SYTYCD stars: Allison Holker and Stephen ‘Twitch” Boss. This dance, set to Nightcall from the Drive soundtrack, is incredible. The first half shows how fierce Holker is, and the second half shows how strong the two dance together. This is a strong piece on both ends, it is both energetic and entertaining.

When Kick-Ass came out, it turned the superhero genre on its head. Dave (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)  is a high school student who wants to make a difference – so he becomes a superhero, Kick-Ass. Kick-Ass, obviously, gets in way over his head but joins forces with master superheroes Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz). This changes everything, and the three of them take down the towns mob boss.

The second movie seems to take up right where things left off:

With graduation looming and uncertain what to do, Dave decides to start the world’s first superhero team with Mindy. Unfortunately, when Mindy is busted for sneaking out as Hit Girl, she’s forced to retire—leaving her to navigate the terrifying world of high-school mean girls on her own. With no one left to turn to, Dave joins forces with Justice Forever, run by a born-again ex-mobster named Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey). Just as they start to make a real difference on the streets, the world’s first super villain, The Mother F%&*^r, assembles his own evil league and puts a plan in motion to make Kick-Ass and Hit Girl pay for what they did to his dad. But there’s only one problem with his scheme: If you mess with one member of Justice Forever, you mess with them all. Credit

This movie looks incredible, the first film was amazing and the second looks like it has potential. Also, I cannot believe that is Jim Carrey, he looks and sounds so different.

“That’s the beauty of argument. ‘Cause if you argue correctly, you’re never wrong…Gentlemen, practice these words in front of the mirror. “Although we are constantly exploring the subject, currently, there is no direct evidence that links cell phone usage to brain cancer.” – Nick Naylor, Thank You For Smoking.

Thank You For Smoking takes a look into the world of tobacco and the tactics lobbyists use against the public. Like the tobacco companies, the Sugar Association has been using award winning Public Relations firms to clear sugars bad name.

Cristin Couzens, a dentist, decided to dig through the Sugar Associations past to see why leading figures were denying the harmful effects. Couzen’s found exactly what she was searching for, in 1,500 pages of internal documents, dating back to the 1940s.

In the 1942 report “A Suggested Program for the Cane and Beet Sugar Industries,” it states – in the opening line – that “ignorance concerning the value of cane and beet sugar to the human system has always been widespread.” The idea was to create a ‘foundation’ which would provide ‘facts’ pertaining to the effects of sugar on the human body. The report even blames the lack of sugar industry education to the ‘misinformed’ government officials worried about the harmful effects of sugar.

“Due to the absence of any educational activities on the part of the sugar industry prior to this period, ignorance of the value of sugar as a food extended to government officials. They, without the true story and because of much current misinformation, have absorbed the impression and belief that the public was consuming too much sugar.”

To continue reading click here.

EVERYBODY HAS A REASON TO LIVE – Joss Whedon

Everybody has a perspective. Everybody in your scene, including the thug flanking your bad guy, has a reason. They have their own voice, their own identity, their own history. If anyone speaks in such a way that they’re just setting up the next person’s lines, then you don’t get dialogue : you get soundbites. Not everybody has to be funny ; not everybody has to be cute ; not everybody has to be delightful, and not everybody has to speak, but if you don’t know who everybody is and why they’re there, why they’re feeling what they’re feeling and why they’re doing what they’re doing, then you’re in trouble. Continue reading here.

BE A SADIST - Kurt Vonnegut

Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them-in order that the reader may see what they are made of. Continue reading here.

WRITE UNTIL YOU FINISH – John Steinbeck

Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material. Continue reading here.

USE SHORT SENTENCES – David Ogilvy

Write the way you talk. Naturally. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. Continue reading here.

HONE YOUR CRAFT – McSweeney’s

There are two things more difficult than writing. The first is editing, the second is expert level Sudoku where there’s literally two goddamned squares filled in. While editing is a grueling process, if you really work hard at it, in the end you may find that your piece has fewer words than it did before, which is great. Perhaps George Bernard Shaw said it best when upon sending a letter to a close friend, he wrote, “I’m sorry this letter is so long, I didn’t have time to make it shorter.” No quote better illustrates the point that writers are very busy. Continue reading here.

BUY A THESAURUS – Susan Orlean

Don’t be ashamed to use the thesaurus. I could spend all day reading Roget’s! There’s nothing better when you’re in a hurry and you need the right word right now. Continue reading here.

LEAVE SPACE – Zadie Smith

Leave a decent space of time between writing something and editing it. Continue reading here.

The morning was freezing, it hailed when we were walking up Lynn Canyon, but the fog in the trees was stunning. By the time we reached Wreck Beach the sun was out and skies were blue. The ocean was so still, you could make out every detail in the reflections. This also allowed for a breathtaking sunset.

Nice days in Vancouver make the rain worth it, an afternoon of sun can change everything.

To view the rest of the pictures click here.

The first day was spent walking up and down very large hills. We began by visiting the Public Market, which included talking to a store owner about his JFK posters so much, he chased me down to show me the collectable pin made days after the assassination.(pictured below)

The sun tried to peek out of the clouds the first day but failed, causing the sky to turn white. The next day the sun made a glorious comeback and lit up the whole city. Everything looks better in the sunlight.

Although there was less walking this day, we did make it down to the pier. The Ferris wheel, ocean and blue skies made the whole trip worth it. We were only in the US for two days but it only made me more excited to go back. Next stop, Portland?

To view all the photos from Seattle click here.

After being off the air seven years, Veronica Mars is still so beloved that fans pledged two million dollars, in eleven hours to make a movie.

Veronica Mars was a brilliant show with witty writing, charming characters and substantial story lines. The film noir take on a high school Harriet the Spy was funny at times and terrifying others. Taking on the classes in school and out, Mars sought the truth and is perfect at exacting revenge.

Creator Rob Thomas brought together Kristen Bell, Ryan Hansen, Jason Dohring and Enrico Colantoni to help support the cause in a charming video (above).

It is amazing how fast this money was raised, and it’s wonderful to see the love not only from fans but from the cast as well. Below are some exerpts from Thomas’ perfect plea for fan support and Bell’s sweet letter to fans. To read the whole letter and donate to the movie, click here.

I probably stoked fan fervor in my optimistic comments about the prospects. Warner Bros. wasn’t convinced there was enough interest to warrant a major studio-sized movie about Veronica and the project never got off the ground.

Of course, Warner Bros. still owns Veronica Mars and we would need their blessing and cooperation to pull this off. Kristen and I met with the Warner Bros. brass, and they agreed to allow us to take this shot. They were extremely cool about it, as a matter of fact. Their reaction was, if you can show there’s enough fan interest to warrant a movie, we’re on board. So this is it. This is our shot.

I suppose we could fail in spectacular fashion, but there’s also the chance that we completely revolutionize how projects like ours can get made. No Kickstarter project ever has set a goal this high. It’s up to you, the fans, now. If the project is successful, our plan is to go into production this summer and the movie will be released in early 2014.

dearest marshmallows…

I am currently the happiest blonde in a hamster ball the world has ever seen. We have been waiting so long to make this movie dream a movie reality, and it’s because of YOUR commitment, YOUR persistence, that we finally have a chance. We just have one more step to go.

You have banded together like the sassy little honey badgers you are and made this possibility happen. i promise if we hit our goal, we will make the sleuthiest, snarkiest, it’s-all-fun-and-games-‘til-one-of-you-gets-my-foot-up-your-ass movie we possibly can.

I promise to give it my all. i promise to work my hardest to give everyone a little bit more Veronica, and i will be oh so honored to do so.

I only ask for one thing in return.

If I ever die, do me a favor. Go on Oprah and tell the world that I loved kittens.

LoVe to you ALL,

kristen bell

Enjoy the weekend!

When it was first announced that Joss Whedon had directed a Shakespeare adaptation, this was not what I envisioned, but the stylized trailer and familiar faces feel like a perfect update for Shakespeare.

Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof take on lead characters Beatrice and Benedict, while the film also features Nathan Fillion, Clark Greg, Fran Kranz, Sean Maher and Reed Diamond.

The movie comes out June 7th and the trailer features the song “Rose Rouge” by St Germain.

The Society for Community Organization commissioned these horrifying photographs of the living conditions in China. There are seven million people living within 1,096 sq km, and with high living costs, these apartments are all laborers can afford. (Quartz)

192 employees, of the Miami-Dade County housing authority, donated $40, 825 in vacation hours to Trayvon Martin’s mother after her was killed so she could grieve. (Think Progress)

After lifting the 1994 ban on women serving in the military, there is now talk about including women in the draft. (Associated Press)

Cool Space Photos (Slate, 2)

Rachelle Friedman Chapman became a quadriplegic at her Bachelorette party, her story is fascinating and heart warming. (Reddit)

The Library of Congress has been archiving all our tweets and have collected 170 billion tweets in two years alone. (Time)

21 awesome and horrifyingly realistic descriptions about movies. My heart hurt for the Wizard of Oz. (Buzzfeed)

This woman is presenting a story on a swimming cat with the straightest face she can muster. (Huffington Post)

David Bowie made a video for his new single “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” and it features Tilda Swinton. It. Is. Wild. (Vevo)

The Independent Spirit Awards are always a welcome break after all the fancy dress award shows. The atmosphere is laid back and actors are able to show off their personal style in more casual dress. Dark and emerald green was a hit with Zoe Saldana, Kerry Washington and host Andy Samberg. While Ellen Page, Sofia Coppola and Helen Hunt went for slim legs and boxy jackets and sweaters. Although the style is casual, stars still look chic and show they are fashion forward.

The rest of the fashion and winners are below.

BEST FEATURE

Beasts of the Southern Wild – Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey and Josh Penn

Bernie – Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams

Keep the Lights On – Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs

Moonrise Kingdom – Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin

*WINNER: Silver Linings Playbook – Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon

BEST DIRECTOR

Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom 

*WINNER: David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook

Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet

Ira Sachs – Keep the Lights On

Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST SCREENPLAY

Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom  

*WINNER: David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook

Ira Sachs – Keep the Lights On

Zoe Kazan – Ruby Sparks

Martin McDonagh – Seven Psychopaths

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Fill the Void – Director: Rama Burshtein; Producer: Assaf Amir

Gimme the Loot – Director: Adam Leon; Producers: Dominic Buchanan, Natalie Difford, Jamund Washington

Safety Not Guaranteed – Director: Colin Trevorrow; Producer: Derek Connolly, Stephanie Langhoff, Peter Saraf, Colin Trevorrow,MarcTurtletaub

Sound of My Voice – Director: Zal Batmanglij; Producers: Brit Marling, Hans Ritter, Shelley Surpin

*WINNER: The Perks of Being a Wallfower – Director: Stephen Chbosky; Producers: Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY 

*WINNER:  Derek Connolly – Safety Not Guaranteed

Rama Burshstein – Fill the Void

Christopher Ford – Robot & Frank

Rashida Jones and Will McCormack – Celeste and Jesse Forever

Jonathan Lisecki – Gayby

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

Breakfast with Curtis – Writer/Director/Producer: Laura Colella

*WINNER:  Middle of Nowhere – Writer/Director/Producer: Ava DuVernay; Producers: Howard Barish, Paul Garnes

Mosquita y Mari – Writer/Director:  Aurora Guerrero; Producer: Chad Burris

Starlet – Writer/Director: Sean Baker; Producers: Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Kevin Chinoy, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach,FrancescaSilvestri

The Color Wheel – Writer/Director/Producer: Alex Ross Perry; Writer: Carlen Altman Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Linda Cardinelli – Return

Emayatzy Corinealdi – Middle of Nowhere

*WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook

Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild

Mary Elizabeth Winstead – Smashed

BEST MALE LEAD

Jack Black – Bernie

Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook

*WINNER: John Hawkes – The Sessions

Matthew McConaughey – Killer Joe

Wendell Pierce – Four

Thure Lindhardt – Keep the Lights On

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE 

Rosemarie DeWitt – Your Sister’s Sister

Ann Dowd – Compliance  

*WINNER: Helen Hunt – The Sessions

Brit Marling – Sound of My Voice

Lorraine Toussaint – Middle of Nowhere

BEST SUPPORTING MALE 

*WINNER: Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike

David Oyelowo – Middle of Nowhere

Michael Pena – End of Watch

Sam Rockwell – Seven Psychopaths

Bruce Willis – Moonrise Kingdom

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 

Yoni Brook – Valley of Saints

Lol Crawley – Here  

*WINNER: Ben Richardson – Beasts of the Southern Wild

Roman Vasyanov – End of Watch

Robert Yeoman – Moonrise Kingdom

BEST DOCUMENTARY 

How to Survive a Plague – Director: David France; Producers: David France, Howard Gertler

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present – Director: Matthew Akers; Producers: Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre

The Central Park Five – Directors/Producers: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon

*WINNER: The Invisible War – Director: Kirby Dick; Producers: Tanner King Barklow, Amy Ziering

The Waiting Room – Director/Producer: Peter Nicks; Producers: Linda Davis, William B. Hirsch

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM 

*WINNER: Amour – Director: Michael Haneke

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia – Director:  Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Rust and Bone – Director: Jacques Audiard

Sister – Director: Ursula Meier

War Witch – Director: Kim Nguyen

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD 

Nobody Walks -- Producer: Alicia Van Couvering

Prince Avalanche – Producer: Derrick Tseng

*WINNER: Stones in the Sun – Producer: Mynette Louie

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD 

Pincus -- Director: David Fenster

 *WINNER: Gimme the Loot – Director: Adam Leon

Electrick Children – Director: Rebecca Thomas

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD  

Leviathan -- Directors: Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel

 *WINNER:  The Waiting Room – Director: Peter Nicks

Only the Young – Directors: Jason Tippet & Elizabeth Mims

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD  

*WINNER:   Starlet – Director: Sean Baker; Casting Director: Julia Kim; Ensemble Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Karren Karagulian, Stella Maeve, James Ransone

The fashion at the Oscars was insane. From large ball gown skirts to body hugging sparkle, the woman of the oscars took chances and made the red carpet sing.

Amanda Seyfried (above) looked incredible in an embroidered Alexander McQueen, the light lavender colour was perfect with her blond hair and pale skin. Seyfried really shined when she changed to perform with her Les Miserables cast. The red strappy number by Givenchy is divine and stands out from the other dresses.

Adele and Jennifer Hudson also changed from their red carpet gowns to something a little lighter to perform. Adele’s performance gown was stunning, she sparkled and the length was perfect. Hudson’s performance gown was perfect for the moment but was a tad boring compared to her red carpet dress.

Amy Adams was bewitching with a beautiful, big ball gown. The images of her, and her people wrangling the piece into shape are amusing, and once they get it right – captivating.

Naomi Watts has a great sense of style, her Armani Prive gown was one of the best on the red carpet. The silver sparkle, the unusual shoulder, she is perfectly glamourous but futuristic. Jessica Chastain also dressed in a stunning Armani Prive, the silver looked almost lavender as is shimmered in the flashbulbs.

Light, angelic colours graced the red carpet in different shapes and styles. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence chose a fitted bodice and large bottom. The 22 year-old looked classy in a Dior Haute Couture gown. Octavia Spencer looked regal and retro in a Tadashi Shoji dress. Zoe Saldana, always adventurous, chose a white Alexis Mabille Couture gown with an intricate top and beautiful darkening train. Charlize Theron took the opposite route looking stunning in a simple Christian Dior Haute Couture gown.

Worst dressed of the evening was a toss up, Anne Hathaway, Melissa McCarthy and Renee Zellweger all choose unflattering pieces.  The darts on Hathaway’s light pink pillowcase looked like nipples, while McCarthy’s shapeless dress made her look boxy.

There were good intentions put in to this broadcast, and the musical numbers were good but it was exactly what the creator of Ted and Family Guy would have done. Throwing in random performances and people to appear with it (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe singing and dancing was awesome) but the Oscars really just showed that there are amazing women singers – Babs, Hudson, Adele – Hollywood can laugh at itself and guys like to see boobs in movies.

The most interesting moments of the night are always the heart wrenching speeches, often cut short because we needed to see more of MacFarlanes promotions for a movie that came out last summer.

Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway and Daniel Day-Lewis took home their awards with gracious and humbled speeches. While in a shock Christolph Waltz snagged his second Oscar for his amazing turn as a bounty hunter for Quentin Taratinos Django Unchained. Tarantino also took home the trophy for Best Original Screenplay, although this one wasn’t his best.

The fashion at the Oscars was incredible. If Naomi Watts had won, that dress would have been insane upon that stage, the Armani Privy gown, same designer as fellow nominee Jessica Chastain, was unique, beautiful and interesting. She has best dressed of the night in my eyes. Worst dressed by far was Melissa McCarthy, the hair was horrendous and the dress was boxy and shapeless, she is was too good to look that bad.

The full list of winners is below.

BEST PICTURE
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Amour
Django Unchained
WINNER: Argo

BEST DIRECTOR
David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
WINNER: Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Michael Haneke (Amour)
Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
WINNER: Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln)
Denzel Washington (Flight)
Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Flight
Zero Dark Thirty
WINNER: Django Unchained
Amour
Moonrise Kingdom

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Beasts of the Southern Wild
WINNER: Argo
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
WINNER: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Robert DeNiro (Silver Linings Playbook)
Alan Arkin (Argo)
Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Sally Field (Lincoln)
WINNER: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)
Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
Amy Adams (The Master)

BEST FOREIGN FEATURE
WINNER: Amour
No
Rebelle (War Witch)
A Royal Affair
Contiki

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Frankenweenie
The Pirates
Wreck-It Ralph
Paranorman
WINNER: Brave

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN WINNER
Anna Karenina: Sarah Greenwood (Production Design); Katie Spencer (Set Decoration)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Dan Hennah (Production Design); Ra Vincent and Simon Bright (Set Decoration)
Les Misérables: Eve Stewart (Production Design); Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decoration)
Life of Pi: David Gropman (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
WINNER: Lincoln: Rick Carter (Production Design); Jim Erickson (Set Decoration)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Skyfall
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
WINNER: Life of Pi
Lincoln

BEST SOUND MIXING
Argo: John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
WINNER: Les Misérables: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Life of Pi: Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
Lincoln: Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
Skyfall: Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson

BEST SOUND EDITING
Argo: Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
Django Unchained: Wylie Stateman
Life of Pi: Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
WINNER: Skyfall: Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
WINNER: Zero Dark Thirty: Paul N.J. Ottosson

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Anna Karenina: Dario Marianelli
Argo: Alexandre Desplat
WINNER: Life of Pi: Mychael Danna
Lincoln: John Williams
Skyfall: Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Before My Time (Chasing Ice)
Everybody Needs a Best Friend (Ted)
Pi’s Lullaby (Life of Pi)
WINNER: Skyfall (Skyfall)
Suddenly (Les Miserables)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER: Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WINNER: Searching for Sugar Man
How to Survive a Plague
The Gatekeepers
5 Broken Cameras
The Invisible War

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Open Heart
WINNER: Inocente
Redemption
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine

BEST FILM EDITING
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi
WINNER: Argo
Zero Dark Thirty

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Hitchcock: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
WINNER: Les Misérables: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
WINNER: Paperman

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
WINNER: Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Henry

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER: Life of Pi
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

Breakout British bombshell Emeli Sande closed the 2013 BRIT awards after taking home two big awards: British Female Solo Artist and British Album of the Year. Winning British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo Album was newcomer Ben Howard, proving that those virtually unknown to North Americans have strong followings in their own country.

Mumford and Sons, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and One Direction were among the other performers giving the BRITs a show that will be talked about at least until Sunday.

The fashion was not on par withy the rest of the evening. Swift stunned in a gorgeous floor length Elie Saab while Ben Howard decided to dress as though he was going to the pub. One thing the Brits don’t shy away from is colour, and many women gave bold patterns and bright colours a shot.

Below are some of the interesting looks presented as well as a list of the winners.

British breakthrough act

Ben Howard

British female solo artist

Emeli Sandé

British group

Mumford & Sons

MasterCard British Album of the Year

Emeli Sandé – Our Version Of Events

Live act

Coldplay

British male solo artist

Ben Howard

British single

Adele – Skyfall

Special recognition award

War Child charity

Brits global success (for international sales in 2012)

One Direction

Critics’ choice

Tom Odell

International female solo artist

Lana Del Rey

International group

Black Keys

International male solo artist

Frank Ocean

British producer

Paul Epworth

Well here’s what they’ll someday learn if they have a soul; there’s no romance in a mouse click.  There’s no beauty in sitting for hours playing video games (anyone proud of that stop reading now and post your opinion in the nearest forum).  The screen of an iPhone is convenient, but it’s no comparison to a 70mm showing of a film in a gorgeous theater. The Internet is two-dimensional…helpful and entertaining, but no replacement for face-to-face interaction with a human being.  But we all know all of that, right?  Well, do we?  Maybe we know all that, but so what?

Let’s wake each other up.

There is no better person to hold the title of Ambassador of Record Store Day then Jack White. Above his half of his plea to save the local mom and pop stores and communicate one on one with another human about music.

In high school the local record store in the marketplace (mall) hired me. This opened my eyes – and ears – to different styles and personalities. It all depended who you worked with or what promotional CDs were given to us that week, some days it was pop rock and others punk. Talking to customers about their favourite music was always fascinating, and helping a mother pick out a Christmas present for their sixteen year old was hilarious.

Jack White even hosts a tour of the United Record Pressing plant which you can see here.

To visit an independent record store in your neighborhood click here and to read the rest of White’s post click here.

Jessica Day, played by Zooey Deschanel, is whimsical, quirky and one of a kind. Jess is a former teacher who moved in with Winston Bishop, Nick Miller and Schmidt when her long term boyfriend was caught cheating. Jess enjoys singing – instead of talking – handbells and Dirty Dancing.

Her upbeat and positive personality is good but can also get her in trouble. Believing everything will go well makes Jess a little naive, which is why her friendships with the boys, and CeCe Meyers are so important. Cece is a strong, confident person and looks out for Jess. These friendships are what make this show wonderful. Continue reading here.

Get The Look Of The New Girl’s Schmidt!

Schmidt – like Cher apparently – is the egotistical, womanizer of The New Girl. (Think Barney Stinson). Although he may be clean his mouth is not, and anything dirty means money in the douchebag jar. Until moving in with this group Schmidt was obese causing his obsession with appearance.

Schmidt is well put together, has a great job and loves life. While he may be an absurd human, you can’t say he doesn’t live life to the fullest and go for what he loves. Schmidt dresses to the nines. His classy wardrobe gives off the impression of a high paying job and shows he has great style. Continue reading here.

Get The Look Of The New Girl’s Winston Bishop!

After playing basketball in Latvia for two years, Winston Bishop rejoined his friends in the apartment. Bishop grew up with romate Nick Miller, and is the common sense of the group.When he first came back to America he had no idea what had been happening, and he had a hard time keeping a job. Bishop is a fast learner – picking up the bells – likes ducks and believes Santa Claus and werewolves are real.

Bishop’s style is casual, jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, all typical jock clothing. He likes to wear dark colours – blacks and navys – but never shied away from colour, wearing: purples, reds and oranges. His wardrobe is perfect for this dark winter weather. Continue reading here.

Get The Look Of The New Girl’s Nick Miller!

Nick Miller had his life planned out for him, a great girlfriend, a year and a half left of law school and a job bar tending on the side. When he gets dumped his life plan changes, Miller decided to leave law school tend bar full time.

Nick is pessimistic, and against Jess’ childlike optimism, he looks even more grouchy. He is a nice guy and is always there for his friends, even helping new friend Jess within the first day of meeting her. Nicks style is very simple, plaid or long sleeve shirt and jeans. These clothes are perfect for a relaxing day, going to class or getting work done at a coffee shop. Continue reading here.

Get The Look Of The New Girl’s Cece Meyers!

Cece, Cecilia, Meyers is Jess Day’s best friend. The supermodel is of Indian decent, is loving and honest. Cece is disciplined and blunt, giving advice to her friends when they need help. Although she is blunt about other people’s lives she is guarded about her own, not letting Jess in on all her secrets. Cece’s style is very basic, sticking with blacks and dark greys, but does love a good pop of colour. She is fashion forward, and always looks amazing. Continue reading here.

All hail Queen B – Beyonce Knowles – as she graces the March cover of American Vogue. Knowles looks regal and futuristic in a Givenchy dress. Though the cover is black and white, the colour story in this months Vogue was bold reds, faded blues and bright yellows.

The three main inspirations for this story come from David Bowie’s cover of Aladdin Sane, French schoolgirl Madeline and children’s book Where the Wild Things Are.

Music’s biggest night, The Grammy Awards was held on Sunday at the Staples Center in LA. The event featured stunning performances, ridiculous acceptance speeches and gorgeous dresses. Strapless gowns were aplenty as were more modest long sleeve gowns.  Mumford and Sons and Jack White had some of the best performances of the night and the Bob Marley and Sandy Hook tributes were stunning, throwing together seemingly random singers to create a beautiful rendition.

The detail on the black dresses was incredible. Alicia Keys wore a strappy Azzedine Alaia, while Carly Rae Jepsen and Carrie Underwood both chose intricate Roberto Cavalli gowns.

Green made a splash on the red carpet this year with Solange Knowles in a Ralph & Russo gown, Katy Perry in a mint Gucci gown and Florence Welsh in a spike-y Givenchy. Knowles created a great contrast with the pink shoes, taking her look to another level.

Rihanna owned the night in a red Azzedine Alaia gown while Adele gave colour a chance but faultered in a patterened Valentino. Natasha Bedingfield shined in a red and silver Emerson.

Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Esperanza Spalding experimented with their looks. While Swift stayed in her normal colour palette, she experimented with a J. Mendel gladiator gown. Beyonce opted for pants in an Osman jumpsuit and Spalding went retro in a Eden Diodati dress and cape.

Janelle Monae rocked the red carpet in an embroidered black and gold jacket by Moschino. The men of the Grammys Justin Timberlake, in Tom Ford and Jack White, in Saint Laurent, looked dapper in their suits.

While Kimbra in Jaime Lee Major and Jennifer Lopez, in Anthony Vaccarello, looked beautiful, but their dresses were not attractive. The sparkle detail on Kimbras dress is beautiful but the tool looks misplaced.

The full list of winners is below, to view the full list of nominees click here.

1. RECORD OF THE YEAR
Somebody That I Used To Know
Gotye Featuring Kimbra
Wally De Backer, producer; Wally De Backer & Francois Tetaz, engineers/mixers; William Bowden, mastering engineer
Track from: Making Mirrors
Label: Universal Republic

2. ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Babel
Mumford & Sons
Markus Dravs, producer; Robin Baynton & Ruadhri Cushnan, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
Label: Glassnote

3. SONG OF THE YEAR
We Are Young
Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun.Featuring Janelle Monáe)
Track from: Some Nights
Label: Fueled By Ramen; Publishers: WB Music, FBR Music, Bearvon Music/Rough Art/Shira Lee Lawrence Rick Music/Way Above Music/Sony ATV Songs

4. BEST NEW ARTIST
Fun.

5. BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
Set Fire To The Rain [Live]
Adele
Track from: Live At The Royal Albert Hall
Label: XL/Columbia
6. BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Somebody That I Used To Know
Gotye Featuring Kimbra
Track from: Making Mirrors
Label: Universal Republic

7. BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Impressions
Chris Botti
Label: Columbia

8. BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
Stronger
Kelly Clarkson
Label: RCA Records/19 Recordings LLC

9. BEST DANCE RECORDING
Bangarang
Skrillex Featuring Sirah
Skrillex, producer; Skrillex, mixer
Track from: Bangarang
Label: OWSLA/Big Beat/Atlantic

10. BEST DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM
Bangarang
Skrillex
Label: OWSLA/Big Beat/Atlantic

11. BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
Kisses On The Bottom
Paul McCartney
Label: Hear Music

12. BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
Lonely Boy
The Black Keys
Track from: El Camino
Label: Nonesuch

13. BEST HARD ROCK/METAL PERFORMANCE
Love Bites (So Do I)
Halestorm
Track from: The Strange Case Of…
Label: Atlantic

14. BEST ROCK SONG
Lonely Boy
Dan Auerbach, Brian Burton & Patrick Carney, songwriters (The Black Keys)
Track from: El Camino
Label: Nonesuch; Publisher: McMoore McLesst Publishing

15. BEST ROCK ALBUM
El Camino
The Black Keys
Label: Nonesuch

16. BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Making Mirrors
Gotye
Label: Universal Republic

17. BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
Climax
Usher
Track from: Looking 4 Myself
Label: RCA Records

Beyoncé
Track from: 4
Label: Columbia Records

19. BEST R&B SONG
Adorn
Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)
Label: RCA/Bystorm Entertainment; Publisher: Art Dealer Chic

20. BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
Label: Def Jam

21. BEST R&B ALBUM
Black Radio
Robert Glasper Experiment
Label: Blue Note

22. BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
N****s In Paris
Jay-Z & Kanye West
Track from: Watch The Throne
Label: Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC

23. BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
No Church In The Wild
Jay-Z & Kanye West Featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream
Track from: Watch The Throne
Label: Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC

24. BEST RAP SONG
N****s In Paris
Shawn Carter, Mike Dean, Chauncey Hollis & Kanye West, songwriters (W.A. Donaldson, songwriter) (Jay-Z & Kanye West)
Track from: Watch The Throne
Label: Roc-A-Fella Records; Publishers: Hit-Boy Music/Very Good Beats, Hip Hop Since 1978, Dean’s List Productions, Unichappell Music

25. BEST RAP ALBUM
Take Care
Drake
Label: Cash Money Records

26. BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
Blown Away
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Blown Away
Label: 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Nashville

27. BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Pontoon
Little Big Town
Label: Capitol Records Nashville

28. BEST COUNTRY SONG
Blown Away
Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Track from: Blown Away
Label: 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Nashville; Publishers: Global Dog Music/Lunalight Music, Big Loud Songs/Angel River Songs

29. BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Uncaged
Zac Brown Band
Label: Southern Ground/Atlantic

30. BEST NEW AGE ALBUM
Echoes Of Love
Omar Akram
Label: Real Music

31. BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO
Hot House
Gary Burton & Chick Corea, soloists
Track from: Hot House
Label: Concord Jazz

32. BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
Radio Music Society
Esperanza Spalding
Label: Heads Up International

33. BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Unity Band
Pat Metheny Unity Band
Label: Nonesuch

34. BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM
Dear Diz (Every Day I Think Of You)
Arturo Sandoval
Label: Concord Jazz

35. BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM
¡Ritmo!
The Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band
Label: Clare Fischer Productions/Clavo Records

36. BEST GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE
10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)
Matt Redman
Track from: 10,000 Reasons
Label: sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records

37. BEST GOSPEL SONG
Go Get It
Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters (Mary Mary)
Label: Columbia; Publishers: EMI April Music, It’s Tea Tyme, That’s Plum Song, Wet Ink Red Music

10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)
Jonas Myrin & Matt Redman, songwriters (Matt Redman)
Track from: 10,000 Reasons
Label: sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records; Publishers: Thankyou Music/sixsteps Music/worshiptogether.com Songs/Said And Done Music/Shout! Publishing

Your Presence Is Heaven
Israel Houghton & Micah Massey, songwriters (Israel & New Breed)
Track from: Jesus At The Center Live
Label: Integrity Music; Publishers: Integrity’s Praise! Music/Sound of the New Breed, Regenerate Music

39. BEST GOSPEL ALBUM
Gravity
Lecrae
Label: Reach Records

40. BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM
Eye On It
TobyMac
Label: ForeFront Records
Come To The Well
Casting Crowns
Label: Beach Street/Reunion Records

41. BEST LATIN POP ALBUM
MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition
Juanes
Label: Universal Music Latino

42. BEST LATIN ROCK, URBAN OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
Imaginaries
Quetzal
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

43. BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSIC ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)
Pecados Y Milagros
Lila Downs
Label: Sony Music

44. BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM
Retro
Marlow Rosado Y La Riqueña
Label: Pink Chaos Productions

45. BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
Slipstream
Bonnie Raitt
Label: Redwing Records

46. BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
Nobody Knows You
Steep Canyon Rangers

47. BEST BLUES ALBUM
Locked Down
Dr. John
Label: Nonesuch

48. BEST FOLK ALBUM
The Goat Rodeo Sessions
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile
Label: Sony Classical

49. BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM
The Band Courtbouillon
Wayne Toups, Steve Riley & Wilson Savoy
Label: Valcour Records

50. BEST REGGAE ALBUM
Rebirth
Jimmy Cliff
Label: UMe/Sunpower

51. BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
The Living Room Sessions Part 1
Ravi Shankar
Label: East Meets West Music

52. BEST CHILDREN’S ALBUM
Can You Canoe?
The Okee Dokee Brothers
Label: Okee Dokee Music LLC

53. BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM
Society’s Child: My Autobiography
Janis Ian
Label: Audible, Inc.

54. BEST COMEDY ALBUM
Blow Your Pants Off
Jimmy Fallon
Label: Warner Bros. Records/LoudMouth Entertainment

55. BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
Once: A New Musical
Steve Kazee & Cristin Milioti, principal soloists; Steven Epstein & Martin Lowe, producers (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, composers/lyricists) (Original Broadway Cast With Steve Kazee, Cristin Milioti & Others)
Label: Masterworks

56. BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Midnight In Paris
(Various Artists)
Label: Madison Gate Records, Inc.

57. BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, composers
Label: Null/Madison Gate

58. BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Safe & Sound (From The Hunger Games)
T Bone Burnett, Taylor Swift, John Paul White & Joy Williams, songwriters
(Taylor Swift Featuring The Civil Wars)
Label: Big Machine Records/Universal Republic; Publishers: Sony ATV Tree Publishing, Taylor Swift Music, Sensibility Songs, Absurd Music, Shiny Happy Music, Baffle Music, Henry Burnett Music

59. BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
Mozart Goes Dancing
Chick Corea, composer (Chick Corea & Gary Burton)
Track from: Hot House
Label: Concord Jazz

60. BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARRANGEMENT
How About You
Gil Evans, arranger (Gil Evans Project)
Track from: Centennial – Newly Discovered Works Of Gil Evans
Label: ArtistShare

61. BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARRANGEMENT ACCOMPANYING VOCALIST(S)
City Of Roses
Thara Memory & Esperanza Spalding, arrangers (Esperanza Spalding)
Track from: Radio Music Society
Label: Heads Up International

62. BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
Biophilia
Michael Amzalag & Mathias Augustyniak, art directors (Björk)
Label: One Little Indian / Nonesuch

63. BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
Woody At 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection
Fritz Klaetke, art director (Woody Guthrie)
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

64. BEST ALBUM NOTES
Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles
Billy Vera, album notes writer (Ray Charles)
Label: Concord

65. BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM
The Smile Sessions (Deluxe Box Set)
Alan Boyd, Mark Linett, Brian Wilson & Dennis Wolfe, compilation producers; Mark Linett, mastering engineer (The Beach Boys)
Label: Capitol Records

66. BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
The Goat Rodeo Sessions
Richard King, engineer; Richard King, mastering engineer (Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile)
Label: Sony Classical

67. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Dan Auerbach

68. BEST REMIXED RECORDING, NON-CLASSICAL
Promises (Skrillex & Nero Remix)
Skrillex, remixer (Nero)
Joseph Ray, Skrillex & Daniel Stephens, remixers
Label: Cherry Tree/Interscope

69. BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUM
Modern Cool
Jim Anderson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Michael Friedman, surround producer (Patricia Barber)
Label: Premonition Records

70. BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL
Life & Breath – Choral Works By René Clausen
Tom Caulfield & John Newton, engineers; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Charles Bruffy & Kansas City Chorale)
Label: Chandos

71. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL
Blanton Alspaugh

72. BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE
Adams: Harmonielehre & Short Ride In A Fast Machine
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
Label: SFS Media

73. BEST OPERA RECORDING
Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen
James Levine & Fabio Luisi, conductors; Hans-Peter König, Jay Hunter Morris, Bryn Terfel & Deborah Voigt; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon

74. BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE
Life & Breath – Choral Works By René Clausen
Charles Bruffy, conductor (Matthew Gladden, Lindsey Lang, Rebecca Lloyd, Sarah Tannehill & Pamela Williamson; Kansas City Chorale)
Label: Chandos

75. BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Meanwhile
Eighth Blackbird
Label: Cedille Records

76. BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO
Kurtág & Ligeti: Music For Viola
Kim Kashkashian
Label: ECM New Series

77. BEST CLASSICAL VOCAL SOLO
Poèmes
Renée Fleming (Alan Gilbert & Seiji Ozawa; Orchestre National De France & Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio France)
Label: Decca Records

78. BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM
Penderecki: Fonogrammi; Horn Concerto; Partita; The Awakening Of Jacob; Anaklasis
Antoni Wit, conductor; Aleksandra Nagórko & Andrzej Sasin, producers
Label: Naxos

79. BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION
Hartke, Stephen: Meanwhile – Incidental Music To Imaginary Puppet Plays
Stephen Hartke, composer (Eighth Blackbird)
Track from: Meanwhile
Label: Cedille Records

80. BEST SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO
We Found Love
Rihanna Featuring Calvin Harris
Melina Matsoukas, video director; Juliette Larthe, Ben Sullivan, Candice Ouaknine & Inga Veronique video producers
Label: Def Jam

81. BEST LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO
Big Easy Express
Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros & Old Crow Medicine Show
Emmett Malloy, video director; Bryan Ling, Mike Luba & Tim Lynch, video producers
Label: S2BN Films

It’s been around two weeks since the Waldorf Productions officially closed their doors. Now under the name Working Title, the team is currently seeking a new home, while we all search for another venue to fill the sudden cultural void.

Public Records had their beta launch party at the Waldorf back in August 2011, holding the venue dear to our hearts. To help keep the memories alive we have assembled stories from some of our favourite local artists, who all agree, it’s a historic place we’re going to miss.

“I played there with Great Aunt Ida a year or two ago. I really liked the sort of mini theatre/cabaret sort of feeling of the stage. It felt more special than just some bar show.”
- Jonathan Anderson, Founder of Buena Vista Audio

To continue reading click here.

To view more photos of the venue click here.

Instead of buying the magazine from the London Drugs down the street, I decided to purchase the iPad subscription. It took forever, pushing back my decision a couple weeks but as I opened the February issue and saw this (below) – I was floored. The app is easy to use, interactive and interesting, it also allows this post with a lot less work.

February’s Vogue, with random cover girl Rooney Mara, clearly shows the current spring summer trend black and white. The bold contrast between the two shades creates stunning patterns and bold colour blocking. Solange Knowles rocks this look, with a checkered blouse, striped sweater and adventurous pants. To keep the look from being boring, a pop of colour can bring a vivid punch to the look.

This is such an incredible glamour shot of Jessica Chastain, she looks incredible. Chastain was just one of the many who opted for bold colours, more casual hair and a strapless gown. Spring colours are beginning to appear in the multitude of bright pinks, purples and blues. Sarah Hyland, who has one of my favourite gowns, picked an unusual pattern and colour which made her stand out. Anne Hathaway, unfortunately did not have the same success in her risky dress, picking a bizarre and unflattering gown.Below are a more in depth look at the gowns on the red carpet.

Chastain looked radiant in her strapless, red Alexander McQueen, but the dress does look small. Hyland also went strapless in a purple, lace Dolce & Gabbana. Glee star Heather Morris went bold with a stunning blue patterned dress by British label Gomez-Gracia. Viola Davis picked a bold Monique Lhuillier turquoise gown, showing off her love of bright colours.

Pink made a huge statement on the red carpet this year with Nina Dobrev, Lea Michele and Freida Pinto all experimenting with this bold shade. Michele looked very casual with hair and makeup and the bottom of her Valentino dress is odd but the colour is incredible. Pinto’s shade of pink looked beautiful with her skin tone, she looked sensational in her Roland Mouret gown. Dobrev looked stunning in a Elie Saab gown, the colour is beautiful and the cutouts are cute and unexpected.

Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Lawrence wore the same colour and designer again in their navy Christian Dior gowns. Cotilliard, in Dior Haute Couture, comes out on top with a unique shape that is classy but interesting. Amanda Seyfried also wore a navy gown by Zac Posen, decorated with a stunning Lorraine Schwartz pendant.

I will be updating later…

Award shows were always a big deal in my house, all of us gathered around the television munching on appetizers, commenting on the spectacle. This was interrupted on Sunday when the only channel in Canada that broadcasted the show, Global, failed. My father called me in a humph yesterday, saying they aired half of a Debbie Travis reality show, a whole minute of a black screen, ten minutes of American Dad – whatever that is – then aired the SAGS, but it was the SAGS forty minutes into the broadcast.

There was some complaints, mostly on twitter, and Global replied in this statement earlier yesterday morning:

“The SAG Awards are fed live and unfortunately, there was a technical issue with the feed last night for the east coast broadcast. We rectified the situation as soon as possible and the west coast feed ran in its entirety. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this caused our viewers.”

The Screen Actors Guild awards didn’t hand out too many surprises Sunday night. Since these are the same people voting for the Oscar winners, it is not surprising that Argo took home outstanding cast. Daniel Day-Lewis and Anne Hathaway continue their winning streak, while Jennifer Lawrence takes out Jessica Chastain for Best Actress. The television nominees seem dated, the same things get nominated every year, obviously the same winners are going to get chosen. Amy Poehler should also start winning awards, she is fantastic.

The complete list of winners is below.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
WINNER: “Argo”
» ”The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
» ”Les Misérables”
» ”Lincoln”
» ”Silver Linings Playbook”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
» Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
» John Hawkes – “The Sessions”
» Hugh Jackman – “Les Misérables”
» Denzel Washington – “Flight”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
» Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”
» Marion Cotillard – “Rust and Bone”
» Helen Mirren – “Hitchcock”
» Naomi Watts – “The Impossible”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
WINNER: Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
» Alan Arkin – “Argo”

» Javier Bardem – “Skyfall”

» Robert De Niro – “Silver Linings Playbook”
» Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
WINNER: Anne Hathaway – “Les Misérables”
» Sally Field – “Lincoln”
» Helen Hunt – “The Sessions”
» Nicole Kidman – “The Paperboy”
» Maggie Smith – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
WINNER: “Modern Family”
» ”30 Rock”
» ”The Big Bang Theory”
» ”Glee”
» ”Nurse Jackie”
» ”The Office”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
WINNER: “Downton Abbey“
» ”Boardwalk Empire”
» ”Breaking Bad”
» ”Homeland”
» ”Mad Men”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
WINNER: Alec Baldwin – “30 Rock”
» Ty Burrell – “Modern Family”
» Louis C.K. – “Louie”
» Jim Parsons – “The Big Bang Theory”
» Eric Stonestreet – “Modern Family”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
WINNER: Tina Fey – “30 Rock”
» Edie Falco – “Nurse Jackie”
» Amy Poehler – “Parks and Recreation”
» Sofía Vergara – “Modern Family”
» Betty White – “Hot in Cleveland”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
WINNER: Bryan Cranston – “Breaking Bad”
» Steve Buscemi – “Boardwalk Empire”
» Jeff Daniels – “The Newsroom”
» Jon Hamm – “Mad Men”
» Damian Lewis – “Homeland”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
WINNER: Claire Danes – “Homeland”
» Michelle Dockery – “Downton Abbey”
» Jessica Lange – “American Horror Story: Asylum”
» Maggie Smith – “Downton Abbey”
» Julianna Margulies – “The Good Wife”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
WINNER: Kevin Costner – “Hatfields & McCoys“
» Woody Harrelson – “Game Change”
» Ed Harris – “Game Change”
» Clive Owen – “Hemingway & Gellhorn”
» Bill Paxton – “Hatfields & McCoys”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
WINNER: Julianne Moore – “Game Change”
» Nicole Kidman – “Hemingway & Gellhorn”
» Charlotte Rampling – “Restless”
» Sigourney Weaver – “Political Animals”
» Alfre Woodard – “Steel Magnolias”

I would love a few prints for my staircase, the vibrant colours would be beautiful.

Credit

Below are my favourite of the bunch, some have intricate details, while others are simple but stunning. It is wonderful to see a novel surpass all this time and still have creative adaptations. To see all the covers and the full Atlantic article, click here.

I have featured a few of my favourites below: Bill Hader, John Oliver, Hannibal Buress and Aziz Ansari to name a few. The list just kept growing, there were a lot of cutbacks, thats how great this list is. To view the entire list click here.

1. Louis C.K.

In 2013, Louis C.K. is the Great American Comedian: our chubby, schlubby, ginger-haired conscience, id, and jester-in-chief. He’s a poet of existential malaise, but his signature standup bit, “Everything is Amazing and Nobody’s Happy,” extols the beauty of life and the magic of modern technology. He’s a devoted single father who quips, hilariously, about child-rape. He’s relentlessly politically incorrect, and one of the most politically trenchant comedians going, whose jokes stake out a savagely smart left-of-center perspective on class, race, and American history. He’s a crusty old-school stand-up’s-stand up and a groundbreaking internet entrepreneur. His TV show is a new kind of high-low pop-art, a little bit Jackie Gleason, a little bit Jean-Luc Godard. He can make you laugh, and cry, just by eating ice cream, a whole pint of it, straight out of the carton, while lying in bed. A funny man who contains multitudes.

9. Bill Hader

In his own understated way, Hader has become one of America’s best comic actors. On Saturday Night Live, he’s infinitely versatile and a master impressionist: His Alan Alda is dead on, his versions of Al Pacino and Keith Morrison (of NBC’s Dateline) are howlingly funny, and his over-the-top take on Democratic strategist James Carville is so good that no one else should ever attempt an imitation of the Ragin’ Cajun. Then there’s Stefon, the flamboyantly gay Weekend Update “city correspondent” who hypes increasingly bizarre New York nightclubs (one features “DJ Baby Bok Choy” a giant 300-pound Chinese baby who wears tinted aviator glasses and spins records with his little ravioli hands”). It’s SNL’s weirdest and greatest character in years.

13. Aziz Ansari

Is the world’s greatest hip-hop comedian an Indian-American from South Carolina? Whether dishing uproariously about his close encounters with Kanye West, or strutting through Parks and Recreation as Tom Haverford, the most swagged-out government bureaucrat in the history of Pawnee, Indiana, Ansari has captured the rhythms, and the silliness, of hip-hop culture like almost no one else. His most ingenious bit: Raaaaaaaandy, his “baller” fratboy meta-stand-up alter-ego, invented for the Judd Apatow’s “Funny People“, and perfected in his stage show (“Hit me up on Myspace.com slash Randy, with eight a’s”).

19. David Cross

Cross has been busy in recent years: He created and starred in his own IFC series, The movies, and is currently reprising his most famous role, as “analrapist” Dr. Tobias Funke on Arrested Development. And he continues to kill as a stand-up, releasing three comedy albums in the last decade. The most recent, 2010′s Bigger and Blackerer, reminds you that he’s got supreme skills as a political comedian and a Carlin-esque gift for skewering American absurdity, with excellent bits about Mormons, gimmicky Coors Light cans, and the root of his lifelong depression: “Very recently I discovered that, the entire time, I had a rock in my shoe.”

23. Hannibal Buress

Buress is our era’s top inheritor of the late, lamented Mitch Hedberg’s stoner comedy mantle, with a vaguely blitzed delivery and an ability to come up with brilliantly weird riffs on anything from the best use of pickle juice to the deficiencies of rap videos (“some of ‘em say ‘To Be Continued,’ but they never have the second video. There’s so much suspense! Are they gonna pour more champagne on these bitches or is somebody gonna bring a towel?”). The Chicago native got into comedy almost by accident (“I saw some other people, and I was like, ‘These people are really bad. I can be really bad.’ So I went on to be bad for a few years,” he recalled recently), eventually landing writing gigs on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. The weekly stand-up nights he hosts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory have become an always-packed hipster must-see.

26. John Oliver

After six years as The Daily Show’s Senior British Correspondent, Oliver is still finding things in America that are too ridiculous to leave unmocked. The Birmingham, England, native has been an essential part of the show’s campaign coverage for two presidential elections; this spring he sat down with former Presidential candidate Herman Cain for an extended interview. (You won’t hear a politician give a speech against an invading alien menace on Meet the Press, but Oliver got one out of Cain.) Oliver turned down a regular gig on NBC’s Community to stay with Jon Stewart, and he’s brought his boisterous, exquisitely silly style to his stand-up series on Comedy Central, which has featured everyone from Maria Bamford and Eugene Mirman to Hannibal Buress and his Daily Show colleague Kristen Schaal.

27. Rob Delaney

How much wit and wisdom,and toilet humor, and nasty sex, and Mitt Romney-baiting,can you cram into 140 characters? A whole lot, if you’re Rob Delaney, the L.A.-based stand-up who has staked claim to the mantle World’s Funniest Tweeter. More than anyone else, Delaney has made Twitter a forum for comedy, filling his feed with a non-stop flow of horndoggery (“NO FATTIES* *may pass thru my fuck palace without getting a loving scrubdown from my strong hands”), Dadaist riffs (“I don’t know why other men have nipples, but I have mine for ‘nursing’ my family of rats under the Santa Monica pier”), and, occasionally, rock criticism (“‘Don’t call me daughter’ ‘Roger that; we’ll just keep calling you ‘Eddie Vedder, Master Lyricist.’”). #Follow.

33. Nick Offerman

As Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation, Offerman glowers from behind his signature mustache as the perfect sendup of the Libertarian clinging to a bygone macho idea. “Capitalism: God’s way of determining who is smart and who is poor,” he explains. Offerman had minor roles on a series of network shows, but it wasn¹t until he was 38 that he landed Swanson, who touts the simple joys of breakfast food and woodcarving, a skill Offerman himself has mastered, with a fatherly stoicism that¹s both hilarious and oddly charming. There’s no other character quite like him on TV, and few as funny.

37. Scott Aukerman

Last year, Aukerman turned beloved his Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast into an IFC series. The result was essential TV for comedy fans, as Aukerman retained his goofy, engaging hosting style while juggling characters, games and interviews with his famous comedian friends. Aukerman was also was the father of the Earwolf Podcast Network, the brains behind the web series Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis and the host of the Comedy Death Ray stand-up showcase at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. If you’ve ever dreamed of hearing Margaret Cho and David Wain answer questions like “Would you rather make sweet passionate love to a sycamore, or direct an all-kangaroo shot-for-shot remake of E.T.?,” then you will want to familiarize yourself with Aukerman’s work immediately.

38. Patton Oswalt

Oswalt helped bring stand-up to indie-rock clubs with the Comedians of Comedy tour, and he’s spent years skewering American excess and stupidity. After starring on The King of Queens and in films like Young Adult and Ratatouille, he wrote Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, a book of essays about growing up as a geeky outsider. He’s also willing to suffer for a joke: Upon admitting he¹d never actually eaten KFC’s Famous Bowl, a dish he called a “failure pile in a sadness bowl” in one of his most beloved bits, he agreed to try one and wrote about his near-death meal experience for the AV Club.

40. Paul F. Tompkins

The dapper, mustachioed Tompkins first surfaced as a regular player on Mr. Show in the Nineties, and went on to become something of a comedic jack-of-all-trades. His impression of Gary Marshall and Werner Herzog on Earwolf’s Comedy Bang Bang podcast will replace their actual voices in your head, and his own Pod F. Tompkast highlights his whimsical, lightning-fast wit. But it’s his tongue-in-check observational stand-up that most earns him the respect of his die-hard fans. “I do not understand why people write letters to magazines,” goes a typical quip. “It accomplishes nothing; it’s pointless. If you want to see your name in print that bad, write on a piece of paper and look at it: ‘Ah, there it is. Just as I always dreamed.’”

47. Jimmy Fallon

Fallon is comedy’s Nice-Guy-in-Chief, having effortlessly made the transition from SNL fixture to host of late night television’s most amiable, most casually cool, talk show. He comes on like a goofball, but he’s something of a closet hipster; music geeks around the world will eternally be in his debt for bringing the Roots to network TV. And speaking of music, Fallon has chops, and it’s in musical parodies that he really shines: Slow-jamming the news, dueting with Bruce Springsteen, and teaming with Justin Timberlake for the already-legendary “History of Rap” medleys.

Every time I open my email there is a new newsletter from some random site I’ve never clicked on. Sometimes they pertain to things I enjoy – Pickwick signing with Dine Alone Records – but there are times when sending items to the junk box before opening is necessary.

Newsletters are handy and informative, and I do generally read most of the music ones I get, it is the perfect way to find new music. Pickwick is a funky soul band from Seattle, lead singer Galen Disston has a killer voice, and their mellow groove is perfect for a relaxing afternoon.

Above is a video of their performance of “The Round” at the *Little Big Show in Seattle.

*The Little Big Show is a really great event sponsoring Youth In Action, a charity that helps disadvantaged youths learn photography. It also helps develop personal voice, positive identity, social skills and artistic skills.

Awards shows offer an interesting view of celebrity style. The 70th Annual Golden Globes was no different. While some choose to play it safe, like Anne Hathaway and Adele, some stars opted for the wow factor. Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler killed both their looks for the night, while stars like Lena Dunham and Jessica Chastain faltered.

Fey and Poehler walked the red carpet in tuxedo influenced pieces (Amy more so than Tina, obviously). Their matching outfits were perfect, Fey looked glamorous in her L’Wren Scott gown while Poehler looked sultry in her Stella McCartney pantsuit and heels.

For the main show they switched things up, both giving full on glamour. Fey in a sparkly number and Poehler in a beautiful maroon gown.

Sparkles are always a huge hit on the red carpet. Emily Blunt in Michael Kors, Sofia Vergera and Nicole Richie in Naeem Khan all looked stupendous in their gowns.

Embroidery and embellishments were tried by a few stars. Nicole Kidman in Alexander McQueen, Michelle Dockery in Alexandre Vauthier and Kristen Bell each tried this difficult trend. Kidman and Dockery look incredible in their unusual but stunning gowns. Bell, unfortunately, looks like she is being swallowed by the embellishments in her Jenny Packham gown.

Red dresses are a staple for the red carpet. Jennifer Lawrence and Zooey Deschanel had virtually the same dress, Lawrence’s by Christian Dior and Deschanel’s by Oscar de la Renta. Marion Cotillard also wore a red, high-low Christian Dior, dress, standing out from the others.

There are always the stars who stick to black, it’s slimming, looks great in photos and its comfortable. While Adele’s Burberry gown is very much her style, it doesn’t scream glamour. Kate Hudson in Alexander McQueen, Eva Longoria in Emilio Pucci and Julianne in Tom Ford, also used black but with embellishments, beading and colour blocking, the gowns become more interesting.

Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Amy Adams all chose muted looks for the red carpet. While they all looked beautiful, Hathaway wore Chanel Couture, Seigrey wore Givenchy, and Adams wore Marchesa, these dresses didn’t stand out among the strong colours and dramatic shapes of other dresses.

The biggest surprises of the night were Naomi Watts and Lucy Liu. Watts looked unique and old Hollywood in her maroon Zac Posen, while Liu choice a bold print by Carolina Herrera making her dress one of my favourites of the night.

With the good comes the bad, here are the worst dressed of the evening. Ariel Winter looked youthful but bland in her Valentino Resort dress, even with the neon shoes. Dunhams eggplant dress is a great colour on her but the shape makes her look much wider then she is. Jessica Chastain’s Calvin Klein dress dropped weirdly in the chest and Halle Berrys Atelier Versace dress is just crazy.

The 70th Golden Globes were held last night, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The two comedians joked about Kathryn Bigelow, Ricky Gervais and Anne Hathaway – even jabbing Lena Dunham after her referencing them in her acceptance speech.

Big winners were: Ben Affleck for Best Director (so people can stop whining about his Oscar snub), Homeland (winning Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Drama) and Les Miserables (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Comedy or Musical). Game Change also won all their categories, and new mom Adele took home the trophy for Best Song.

Below is a list of all the winners.

Movies

Drama

WINNER: Argo

Django Unchained

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Zero Dark Thirty

Comedy or musical

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

WINNER: Les Misérables

Moonrise Kingdom

Silver Linings Playbook

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Director

WINNER: Ben Affleck, Argo

Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty

Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Actor, comedy or musical

Jack Black, Bernie

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

WINNER: Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables

Ewan MacGregor, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Bill Murray, Hyde Park on Hudson

Actress, comedy or musical

Emily Blunt, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Judi Dench, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Maggie Smith, Quartet

Meryl Streep, Hope Springs

MORE: Best moments of the 2013 Golden Globes

Actor, drama

WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Richard Gere, Arbitrage

John Hawkes, The Sessions

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Denzel Washington, Flight

Actress, drama

WINNER: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

Helen Mirren, Hitchcock

Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Supporting actor

WINNER: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Alan Arkin, Argo

Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Supporting actress

Amy Adams, The Master

Sally Field, Lincoln

WINNER: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

Screenplay

Chris Terrio, Argo

WINNER: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Tony Kushner, Lincoln

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

Original score

Alexandre Desplat, Argo

Dario Marianeli, Anna Karenina

Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil, Cloud Atlas

WINNER: Mychael Danna, Life of Pi

John Williams, Lincoln

Best Original Song

Keith Urban, For You (Act of Valor)

Taylor Swift, Safe & Sound (The Hunger Games)

Hugh Jackman, Suddenly (Les Misérables)

WINNER: Adele, Skyfall (Skyfall)

Jon Bon Jovi, Not Running Anymore (Stand Up Guys)

Animated feature film

WINNER: Brave

Frankenweenie

Hotel Transylvania

Rise of the Guardians

Wreck-It Ralph

Foreign film

WINNER: Amour

The Intouchables

Kon-Tiki

A Royal Affair

Rust & Bone

Television

Miniseries or TV movie

WINNER: Game Change, HBO

Hatfields & McCoys, History

The Girl, HBO

The Hour, BBC America

Political Animals, USA

Drama

Boardwalk Empire, HBO

Breaking Bad, AMC

Downton Abbey, PBS

WINNER: Homeland, Showtime

The Newsroom, HBO

Comedy or musical

The Big Bang Theory, CBS

Episodes, Showtime

WINNER: Girls, HBO

Modern Family, ABC

Smash, NBC

Actor, drama series

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire, HBO

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad, AMC

Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom, HBO

Jon Hamm, Mad Men, AMC

WINNER: Damian Lewis, Homeland, Showtime

Actress, drama series

Connie Britton, Nashville, ABC

WINNER: Claire Danes, Homeland, Showtime

Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey, PBS

Glenn Close, Damages, DirecTV

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife, CBS

Actor, comedy or musical series

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock, NBC

WINNER: Don Cheadle, House of Lies, Showtime

Louis C.K., Louie, FX

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes, Showtime

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, CBS

Actress, comedy or musical series

Zooey Deschanel, The New Girl, Fox

WINNER: Lena Dunham, Girls, HBO

Tina Fey,30 Rock, NBC

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep, HBO

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation, NBC

Supporting actor, series, miniseries or movie

Max Greenfield, New Girl, Fox

WINNER: Ed Harris, Game Change, HBO

Danny Huston, Magic City, Starz

Mandy Patinkin, Homeland, Showtime

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family, ABC

Supporting actress

Hayden Panettiere, Nashville, ABC

Archie Punjabi, The Good Wife, CBS

Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story, FX

WINNER: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey, PBS

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family, ABC

Actor, miniseries or TV movie

WINNER: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys, History

Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock, PBS

Woody Harrelson, Game Change, HBO

Toby Jones, The Girl, HBO

Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO

Actress, miniseries or TV movie

Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO

Jessica Lange, American Horror Story, FX

WINNER: Julianne Moore, Game Change, HBO

Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals, USA

Thursday night’s Critics Choice Awards was a spectacular night for fashion. From dramatic black gowns to bold colours, this years fashion was interesting and beautiful. Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence and Emmy Rossum had some of the strongest looks of the night. With all the award shows it will be fun to see how the stars switch up their styles. Lawrence went vintage at the People’s Choice Awards and bold at this show, changing up her style while sticking to the black colour.

Jaime King sparkled in a Jason Wu gown, while Naomi Watts played it simple and sexy in her Emilio Pucci gown and Jennifer Lawrence made a bold statement in a black Prabal Gurung.

Octavia Spencer looked unbelievable in her Tadashi Shoji dress, rocking bangs and curly hair. Amy Adams killed it in a white and blue Vionnet while Emmy Rossum shimmered in a long Carolina Herrara gown.

Helen Hunt went for a bold splash of red in a Philip Armstrong gown, wearing a short, glittery Monique Lhuillier was Nina Dobrev and Jessica Chastain looked beautiful in a simple Prada.

Marion Cotillard took a risk with a short embroidered Zuhair Murad gown, standing out among the gowns. While, Clea Duvall wearing a long white gown, looked unique and angelic on the red carpet.

There were many stylish dresses but some actresses missed the mark. Elle Fanning looked stumpy in a Chanel dress and clunky wedges. Leslie Mann picked a beautiful colour, but the Honor dress looked very seventies. Amanda Seyfried, usually a great dresser on red carpets, looked awkward in a Marios Schwab gown.