Sonia is the heart and the artist of the team. She loves art and all that it implies. As Sonia says, good music, a well directed movie, or attending a music or film festival melts people’s heart and make them better. She is great at painting and photography. Working on scrapbooks is her favorite activity.
Throughout
the passage of time, the art world has become more accommodating of
professionals with eccentric ideas and visions for their work. Today, painters,
dancers and other creatives have been able to turn their innovative and
unconventional ideas into pieces of art, many of which clash against
traditional and monotonous forms of artwork. For those with a talent in the creative
arts, there are many exciting, possible career avenues to choose from in a
number of organisations, many of which are looking for new talent!
If you are planning to take up one of the Foundation Art and Design courses, this blog will provide you with a few success tips to help you reach your professional goals. Read on to find out how you can start on your journey to becoming an independent emerging artist.
1. Sell your work: In order to be successful in the modern art world, you have to be able to market your skills and make your work visible. Moreover, you must have a strong social presence and have an information-rich website that demonstrates your art and abilities. Remember, if you want to become an independent artist, you must treat yourself like a brand and work on promoting it.
2. Document: When you are starting off as an independent artist, you might think that selling your art without a contract is okay. Especially since word of mouth is of more significance than earning some cash. However, sealing deals without a contract might lead you into a tricky situation financially. Independent artists are entrepreneurs and it is difficult to get paid when you are in the initial stages of your career. Hence, irrespective of whether your client is a friend, a family member or a complete stranger, always draw up a contract before you deliver the product. Ensure that the contract has clearly mentioned clauses that state that the reproduction and exhibition rights are protected and remain with you. This is a great way to demonstrate that you are serious about your art, which can give you a good standing in the marketplace.
3. Price it right: When artists start their own business endeavour, they tend to underrate their work and its price. Once you get the whiff of success, you might be inclined to sell out your work for an unreasonable price. However, this might hinder your progress and can impact your brand’s image in the market. Before you decide the price of a particular art piece, analyse the market prices and the quality of work that your contemporaries are selling at the same price. Ensure that you maintain consistency in the pricing of your artwork. Refrain from selling anything for less than what you have sold a similar piece for.
4. Build a strong network: While on most days your work will do the talking, you also need the word of mouth to boost your market presence. Ensure that you maintain healthy and transparent communication with collectors, clients and galleries by keeping them informed of your latest work and developments. Continue making connections with other art enthusiasts, who can be instrumental to your business. Furthermore, you should plan ahead and set the future pricing strategies straight to ensure that the increase or decline in prices is sustainable.
5. Promote brand awareness: If you want your business to flourish and your art to garner widespread appreciation, ensure that you promote brand awareness and pitch your art to the media. Present your artwork to the press, with concise details of your work, including full credit details and include a link to the work on your website and press pages.
Starting a career in the creative industry as
an independent artist can be exciting, but it also comes with the
responsibility of handling various aspects of launching your own business. If
you are interested in forging a career in creative arts, search for the best
Foundation Art and Design courses and sign up for it today!
Authorities in Nevada are treating the
death of a man at the Burning Man festival as suspicious.
Shane Billingham, 33, was found
unresponsive in his car at around 18:30 local time on August 29.
According to police, the New Zealand
national had “poisonous” levels of carbon monoxide in his blood.
Bystanders reportedly attempted CPR
on Shane Billingham before paramedics arrived.
The man was taken to a medical tent,
where he was later pronounced dead.
Pershing County Sheriff’s Office
said it was investigating the death as suspicious.
A post-mortem examination found
Shane Billingham had “a concentration of carbon monoxide in his blood
which would be considered poisonous to human life”.
The Washoe County medical examiner’s
office said: “Preliminary toxicology
showed the presence of controlled substances to be an exacerbating factor.”
A makeshift memorial for Shane Billingham has been set up at
Beats Boutique, the camp where he was staying at the festival.
One of his friends, Steve MacWithey, told the Reno Gazette Journal he had been “one of the best people” he had ever known.
Shane Billingham’s sister has launched an online fundraising page to help
with the costs of bringing his body home.
Burning Man is a music and arts festival held annually in the Black Rock
Desert of northwest Nevada, approximately 100 miles away from Reno.
Taking place between 25 August and September 2, the Burning Man festival –
attended by tens of thousands of people – describes itself as “a temporary
metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and
self-reliance”.
The
Matrix will return for its fourth installment, with Keanu Reeves reprising
his lead role as hacker Neo.
Matrix co-creator Lana Wachowski will write, direct and produce the film, a
third sequel to the original 1999 hit.
Lana Wachowski celebrated The Matrix‘s return, saying many of the ideas it explores are “even more relevant now”.
The first three films in the sci-fi franchise earned more than $1.6 billion at
the global box office.
Warner Bros Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich announced the fourth film
on August 20, saying the studio “could not be more excited” about its
return.
He said: “Lana is a true
visionary – a singular and original creative filmmaker – and we are thrilled
that she is writing, directing and producing this new chapter.”
The original film was released in 1999 and told the story of Neo and his discovery
that humanity was trapped in a simulated reality. It proved a major hit and
spawned two sequels – The Matrix Reloaded
and The Matrix Revolutions.
The third installment, The Matrix
Revolutions, was the first film ever to be released simultaneously around
the world at the same hour.
Rumors of a fourth chapter have been circulating since two years ago, with
reports at the time stating that Warner Bros was “in the early stages of
developing a re-launch”.
In a statement on August 20, Lana Wachowski said she was “very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends”.
July 4th is a special date for many across America, because it is a time to celebrate the United States’ independence from Great Britain in 1776. Usually, families across the nation celebrate with BBQ’s, celebrations and other formal events. However, July 4th is also unfortunately a day that can result in severe accidents and tragedy due to irresponsible actions.
Fireworks
The most common danger to the health of people who celebrate Independence Day are fireworks. Usually, fireworks are a public display administered by licensed professionals. However, too many overzealous people seek to make displays of their own domestically. Thousands of people per year require medical attention due to firework-related injuries and are the result of not knowing the full safety precautions one must take.
First, you must check to see if fireworks are legal in your location and if a permit is required to administer them. If so, fireworks must never be put into a container and must not be held by children. In addition, fireworks should never be lit indoors or flammable objects. The most common way people can get injured is by holding the fireworks with your hands.
Badly Cooked Food
With outdoor BBQ’s also come the risk of having food being undercooked. The primary concerns with food safety, especially when cooking outdoors, is undercooking meat and spreading germs and bacteria to surrounding food and materials.
If meat does not get cooked thoroughly, food poisoning and salmonella could potentially follow. While certain meat such as lamb or beef can be eaten rare if the outside is cooked well. Other meat choices such as sausage and chicken is only safe to eat if there is no pink in the middle and is hot in the center. A thermometer can help verify this information.
Drinking
With any festive occasion may also alcohol and the temptation to drink. While you can drink responsibly and have a great time with loved ones, drinking excess alcohol can lead to one becoming drunk. This can predispose to making unwise decisions such as driving.
If you plan to drink and could potentially become drunk, plan for someone you trust to bring you home. If you know of a friend that may do so, make proper transportation arrangements to prevent a potential tragedy.
Public Swimming
Other events may be taken place in public locals and areas near a body of water. While there are ample opportunities to take great photos and enjoy a good evening across crisp waters, swimming into lakes can potentially lead to drowning or coming into contact with foreign materials that can cause illness.
If the celebration is being held domestically and a traditional pool is used, refrain from engaging in activity that can cause one to drown or get injured such as dunking others and diving.
July 4th is a great day to celebrate freedom with loved ones, but it is also important to stay safe. Follow these tips to ensure a danger-free day.
In nearly all
issues of art magazines, there is usually an article or two about an artist’s
success story or an upcoming artist who narrates their journey through the
world of art.
Sadly, it is usually the case the almost each of these artists seems to have received some discouragement from pursuing art at one time or another in their lives. No matter the level of talent or enthusiasm the young artist exhibited, there was always one or more people, sometimes even an art teacher, parent, counselor, who vehemently discouraged any idea of becoming an artist whenever they became of age.
Why Does This Happen?
Sometimes, even
if children have artistic parents, they usually get discouraged from even the
thought of becoming an artist. Children are so thoroughly dissuaded from the
arts such that even after years of college struggles in choosing a major, they
never even consider art as an option.
However, it is
not clear why many non-artists (and even artists) are quick at discouraging
someone that it is impossible to do art for a living, and it is a sure path to
poverty and anguish.
Even though it is a difficult path, there are also numerous other paths in life that are difficult. For instance, being a doctor is not a piece of cake. Medical school is very difficult. It requires many years, costs an arm and a foot, and leaves the student stressed up due to a huge debt burden. Moreover, this does not even take into account the internship done after graduating. However, parents never discourage their children from becoming doctors.
The reason is
that they believe, being a doctor is a guarantee for employment and a lump sum
salary. On the contrary, they imagine that all artists are poor and that art is
for those who never made it academically. Statistically speaking, more doctors
earn better than artists. There are also doctors who struggle financially, and
there are artists who are doing quite well.
Are There Some
Parents Who Discourage White-Collar Careers?
There are very
few to no parents who ever discourage their children from becoming doctors,
lawyers, pilots, engineers, etc. They find it a source of pride for parents
whenever their children partake in such courses. However, having y0our son or
daughter grow up to become an artist is a fact to be ashamed of.
Some students
graduate from college with degrees in “prestigious” traditional colleges. Nevertheless,
after a few months, or even years they come to an epiphany that a particular
career just not just cut it for them. They undergo much frustration as they try
to find something they can enjoy.
It reaches a
point whereby they finally quit their jobs and pursue their artistic passions.
Most parents normally respond with shock and deep concern for their children.
Even art teachers are not left out of this too. They usually believe that
someone who takes art as a career can either become a teacher or a starving
artist.
Every day we constantly witness success stories of artists who managed to make it to a certain extent despite all odds whether it is in still life, landscape, portrait art, etc. what’s more, they are earning considerably well while still undertaking jobs they are passionate about.
Fortunately,
some parents understand and support whatever their child aspires to become. They
will even facilitate the process by:
Availing the requisite
material
Facilitating networking
Giving information
about relevant educational events
This is the right action to take as a parent. They should emphasize the importance of passion and effort in whatever one does. This is a surefire way of attaining success in any endeavor. Even when you want to become good at writing an essay, you need to put in the requisite effort and continuously practice until you perfect your writing aptitude.
Any time someone
reads a story about a successful artist who made it despite all odds, they
should contemplate how life would have been if they gave up the pursuit. There
are also numerous other potential artists out there who listened to
discouragements given by parents, teachers, peers, and others. Right now they
are working unhappily in some dead-end jobs they seriously hate. The world has
been denied their art, whereas they have been denied their dreams. This makes
them live a life of utter dissatisfaction.
Therefore, it is
important to allow children to discover their natural strengths and work on
them. By discouraging them, you might end up destroying a dream.
Summer of 2019 is loaded with potential Box
Office ‘breakers’.
But which summer films will lead the pack with
regards to box office success? Avengers: Endgame is the fasted movie to gross
over $2 Billion in history. It’s also on the verge of beating out Avatar as the
top-grossing movie of all time. For the sake of making this article truly about
the summer box office, we are excluding Endgame as it was released on April
26th, which is by no means, ‘summer’, even though some are including it because
its success will hold it in theatres well into the summer months.
Top sites like bovada will have lines on this matter, so we’ll look to them for guidance on our predictions.
On the Marquee
OK, even though the official start of summer
is June 21st, we’ll include any movie released after June 1st. June is
basically what we consider summer, despite what official northern hemisphere
dates say.
Our
Expected Top Movies in the Box Office:
June 7th – Dark Phoenix
June 24 – Toy Story 4 & Child’s Play
July 5th – Spider-Man: Far from Home
July 19th – The Lion King
July 25th -Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Aug 2nd -Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs
& Shaw
Let’s go
backward.
Once
Upon a Time in Hollywood +1400
Although this may end up being one of the best
movies this summer, that doesn’t mean it is going to outgross certain other
that have a particular type of draw … eg.
less awesome plot, structure, and well-written dialogue and more
explosions. This flick has the makings to be phenomenal. With Leo, Brad, and
Margot the characters are bound to be amazing. That said, It probably won’t
gross more than 50 million dollars in its opening weekend.
Dark Phoenix
+1400
Sansa Stark (sorry Sophie Turner) as Jean
Grey? This is going to be pretty cool. However, the film lacks the hype
surrounding other summertime X-men releases. So it’s doubtful that it will
break the 90 million mark in its opening weekend. Like Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood, it shares the longest odds of the bunch to have the most profitable
opening weekend.
It’s not the Fast and the Furious, but the
Fast and the Furious ‘Presents’ … Just adding that word will help it to earn
less than its actual non-spin-off
counterparts. Sure it has Statham and Johnson … but it will be lucky to pass
the 100 million mark in its first couple of days.
Toy
Story 4 +500
Wait … Toy Story 4 has better odds than a Fast
and Furious production? Yes. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the fourth
installment of Toy Story go well north of 100 million on opening weekend. Toy
Story 3 did better than both the original and sequel combined, so this
franchise seems to be getting better as it progresses.
Alongside Toy Story, Child’s Play is opening,
which provides no real competition. Although the Child’s Play reboot may be a
fun horror flick, it shouldn’t gross more than 40 million upon opening and
being of a totally different genre, is no real threat to the Tom Hanks classic.
The fact that this is a living, breathing part
of the Avengers saga with latest Spider-Man getting his own time in the
spotlight, will help this film bring home the bacon. This installment should
far surpass its other Marvel sibling, Dark Phoenix and push past the 150
million dollar mark.
The
Lion King -125
The Lion King will rule the box office. It is,
after all, the Lion King children since the early ’90s have loved this
‘instant-classic’ Disney cartoon and now they are doing it more in CGI/film
fashion. Apparently, this will be a scene for scene re-adaptation that closely
follows the original. Everything about this production, from its release date
to the hands involved in its making screams winner, winner, chicken dinner. 200
million dollar opening weekend? Probably with some change to spare.
Game Of
Thrones returned for its 8th and final season on April 15 after a near
two-year absence.
HBO aired episode one simultaneously in the US and UK.
Secrets were revealed and families reunited as the battle for the Iron
Throne intensified, with the ‘undead’ army inching ever closer.
According to Variety , the Game of Thrones writers have done something new this time around: “Hitting the accelerator and delivering major plot developments, hurriedly, in its home stretch.”
One of the most eagerly-anticipated TV moments of the decade is expected to
have drawn a huge audience.
HBO said last month that 81 million people watched the trailer across all
online platforms (including Twitter, YouTube, Facebook) in just 24 hours.
Game of Thrones return lit up social media again on the premiere day.
Many of the stars stepped out on April 12 for a screening in Belfast, where
large parts of the series were filmed.
Maisie Williams, who has played Arya Stark since she was a teenager, was
there and she told the Observer she
has no intention of chasing more fame than she already has, once the show wraps
up at the end of the series.
The first episode of Game of Thrones,
starring Maisie Williams, Kit Harington as Jon Snow and Emilia Clarke as
Daenerys Targaryen, as well as Lena Headey’s Cersei Lannister, had a running
time of 54 minutes which is, apparently, the shortest of the whopping
big-sounding eighth season.
The third installment is set to be the longest, running to 82 minutes.
From Matt Lauer to Harvey Weinstein, the world has been rocked by sexual harassment allegations and revelations. And while there’s no telling whether there are more shocks to come, what’s very clear is that we still have a lot of work to do as a society to make the workplace and the world in general a safer place for everyone. Through the experiences of others there are so many lessons we can learn about missteps we’ve made and how we can correct them. Here are top lessons we can learn from the #MeToo campaign.
Victims Risk
Their Reputations When They Come Forward
Whether we want to admit it or not, the things people who are brave enough to share on the workplace abuse they experienced or the fraud in the companies face is what keeps so many silent. They are humiliated, shunned and even harassed. In the case of sexual harassment, people tend to blame the victim and try to discredit them by any means necessary. This means that before the perpetrator can even face justice, the victim or witness is put through the ringer for just telling the truth. It’s so important than the men and woman who come forward in order to have protection and support of people around them. According to JF Melton Law, “Whistleblowers take great risks, so getting a reward for that risk is key. It is imperative that they have whistleblower protection to ensure a) the largest reward possible is given and b) the whistleblower is protected under the law.”
When Power
Goes Unchecked, Bad Things Happen
The one thing stories like Harvey Weinstein, Matt
Lauer and R. Kelly all have in common is abusers being able to get away with
what they do for decades. Because these people rise to the upper echelons of
society, people often turn a blind eye to their deeds, or the ones that see are
threatened into silence. These unfortunately repeats the cycle of abuse, and
emboldens the abuser. We have to be able to ask questions of the men and women
we put up on pedestals, and take them to task when they do something wrong. If
we repeatedly turn a blind eye, all that does is make them feel invincible and
double down on the abuse.
We Have to
Separate Talent From Character
If there’s anything we need to learn as a society
it’s that an artistic genius or talented person can still be an abuser, and no
matter how talented they are, they don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. In
fact, the men and women we look up to as role models have to hold themselves to
a higher standard. They should be examples of respect, good character and
integrity, not people we let get away with anything and everything. If they
decide to display horrible behavior, harassing people and destroying their
lives, we as a society have to speak out against that and stop putting money in
their pockets. We need to stop treating famous and powerful people as gods who
can move through society with no accountability or responsibility for their
negative actions.
We Need to
Have More Conversations
Whether it’s at work, at universities or even in
the privacy of our own homes, we have to have conversations about harassment
and abuses of power. Many victims struggle to come forward because they either
think they did something to ask for the abuse, or they don’t think what
happened to them was an abuse of power. If we were to have more open
conversation about the spectrum of abuse and how it manifests in behavior, we
could raise the standards of how we treat each other. We would make it so much
easier for victims to use their voices. In a lot of companies, employees have
had to discuss what sexual harassment looks like and this awareness actually
makes the workplace safer. We need to extend that to the whole society.
The #MeToo movement lifted the lid on so many abuses and though it wasn’t always perfect, it forced us to start having the necessary conversations that make our world safer for everyone else. When we work for companies, our safety is their responsibility, and just as our employers expect want to be sure that we have integrity when they hire us, we expect the same from them. We expect to be safe from abuse and harassment, to be treated with respect at all the time, and for any incidents of abuse to be dealt with accordingly, not swept under the rug.
Do you have what it takes to make it in
Hollywood?
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need
stunning good looks and a voice that melts steel. There are plenty of ways to
achieve professional prominence in the film business. Only a relative handful
require on-camera work.
Film production is a viable career path in
Hollywood — always has been, always will be. If you see yourself in these five
traits, there’s a good chance you have what it takes (in theory) to make it as
a producer.
1.
Excellent Communication Skills
Successful film producers are usually above-average communicators, at minimum. To aspirants who know their communication skills need work, Deep Patel recommends practicing nonverbal communication skills and ditching reliance on visual aids in presentations. Nonverbal cues, in particular, have incredible potential: simple tweaks to one’s posture and hand movements can dramatically increase assumed credibility.
High-achieving producers are internally motivated. They’re able to manage complex projects, like this blockbuster film co-financed by David Mimran’s Mimran Schur Pictures, because they’re driven to succeed — not because a boss or board demands it (though good executives are mindful of board dynamics as well).
3.
Formidable Organization
Great leaders, including top film producers, are almost invariably well organized. If you lack a formal system of personal organization, now’s the time to implement one. Efficiency expert Erica Murphy runs down a host of organizing tips from top executives, noting such gems as “make lists all day long” and “take physical notes.” Most producers have plenty of organizational help from executive assistants and other support staffers, but truly effective organization starts (and stops) at the top.
4. Ability
to Work Well With Others
Successful executives are nothing if not
collegial. Even if the buck stops with you, you need to get along well with
your underlings, or you’re quickly going to find yourself struggling to retain
talent. Executives also need to work well with their bosses — the investors and studio executives who hold their
projects’ future in hand.
5. Ability
to Take Criticism
A corollary to working well with others: the
ability to take criticism. Some producers have hard-earned reputations for
taking no guff, but legitimate criticism is sometimes warranted. What separates
merely good producers from the greats is to recognize situations that do
require adjustment, and to make those adjustments with minimal fuss.
Your Star
Turn Awaits
Most film producers aren’t as widely known as the
actors with whom they share title billing. Those who do achieve household name
status often do so for the wrong reasons.
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t pursue the sort
of prominence you have every reason to expect you can earn as a successful,
well-regarded film producer. For internally motivated personalities willing to
tough out criticism and see the glass half full, being known for putting
together a hit film is far preferable to merely appearing on camera in it.
Your star turn awaits — even if it’s not quite
what you expected when you first set out to make it in this business.
Luke Perry, best known as Dylan from Beverly Hills, 90210, has died in
California at the age of 52, less than a week after suffering a massive stroke.
Luke Perry’s publicist said the actor died surrounded by his family and
friends.
The actor rose to fame on Beverly
Hills, 90210 and had been starring as Fred Andrews on the CW show Riverdale.
Luke Perry was taken to hospital on February 27 in LA, where he had been
shooting scenes for Riverdale at the
Warner Bros film lot.
His children, Jack and Sophie, fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie
Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, and his siblings, Tom
Perry and Amy Coder, were with him when he passed, publicist Arnold Robinson
said in a statement.
The statement said: “The family
appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to
Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of
great mourning.”
The family has not provided additional details at this time.
On February 27, media reported that paramedics had been called to Luke Perry’s
home in Sherman Oaks.
Luke Perry, a native of Ohio, was famous for starring in Beverly Hills 90210 from 1990 to 2000. A
reboot of the series was also announced on February 27, though it was not clear
whether Luke Perry planned to make any guest appearances.
Former 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty – who played Luke Perry’s love interest
on the show – told Entertainment Tonight
on March 3 in an emotional interview that she had been in touch with him after
his stroke.
She said: “I can’t talk about it
here ’cause I will literally start crying but I love him and he knows I love
him. It’s Luke, and he’s my Dylan.”
Luke Perry also starred in TV show Oz,
as well as movies including Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, 8 Seconds and The Fifth Element.
Luke Perry’s most recent role was on the hit TV teen drama series Riverdale, based on the Archie comics, where he played the titular character’s father.
The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint has died at the age of 49.
Known for his fluorescent spiked hair and high-octane performances, Keith Flint
sang lead vocals on both the band’s No 1 singles, Breathe and Firestarter.
Keith Flint was found dead at his home in Dunmow, Essex, on March 4.
The Prodigy, who were due to tour the US in May, confirmed Keith Flint’s
death in a statement, remembering him as a “true pioneer, innovator and
legend”.
In a post on The Prodigy’s official Instagram account, bandmate Liam Howlett
added: “I can’t believe I’m saying
this but our brother Keith took his own life over the weekend.
“I’m shell-shocked… angry,
confused and heartbroken.”
Born Keith Charles Flint on September 17, 1969, the singer
had an unhappy childhood in Braintree, Essex, feuding with his parents, who
split when he was young.
Following the success of Fat of the
Land, the Prodigy faltered.
While remaining part of the band, Keith Flint did not feature on their 2004
album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, on which vocal duties
were handled by Liam and Noel Gallagher and actress Juliette Lewis, among
others.
During this period, Keith Flint said he had had depression and formed a
worrying dependence on prescription drugs.
The singer decided to get clean after meeting Japanese DJ Mayumi Kai, giving
up drugs, cigarettes and alcohol around the time of their marriage, in 2006.
Three years later, the band regrouped and returned to their classic sound,
on the album Invaders Must Die.
The first single, Omen, was a
major success, and the band returned to festival stages and stadiums around the
world.
Their most recent album, No Tourists,
went to No 1 in November 2018.
The singer was also a keen motorcyclist and had his own team – Team Traction
Control – which has won four Isle Of Man TT races.
Keith Flint had recently wrapped up a tour with The Prodigy in Australia and was due to join them in the US in May.
Green
Book sprang a surprise by winning the award for best picture at this year’s
ceremony in Los Angeles.
Olivia Colman defied the odds to scoop an Oscar for best actress for her
role in The Favourite and charmed
viewers with a funny and tearful speech.
Green Book won three awards in
total, including best picture, which had been expected to go to Netflix’s Roma.
Bohemian Rhapsody won the most
awards in total with four, while Roma
and Black Panther also won three
each.
Olivia Colman, who started out as a sidekick in TV sitcoms like Peep Show, was in shock when her name
was called.
Glenn Close had been the firm favorite for her role in The Wife – and now has the unenviable record of seven nominations
without a win.
Olivia Colman is the first British actress to win the prize since Kate
Winslet in 2009.
The four awards for Bohemian Rhapsody, the authorized biopic of Queen and Freddie Mercury, included best actor for Rami Malek, who won rave reviews for playing the late singer.
It was later reported that Rami Malek, 37, fell off the stage after the
ceremony concluded and had to be helped into a seat by security staff.
He was reportedly attended to by paramedics, though he made no reference to
the incident later when he spoke to reporters backstage.
Mahershala Ali won his second best supporting actor Oscar in three years. He
won for Moonlight in 2017 and has now
won for playing jazz pianist Don Shirley in Green
Book.
Green Book tells the story of Don Shirley’s
tour to the racially segregated US Deep South in the 1960s, but its chances had
been thought to have been dented by a series of controversies.
Meanwhile, a tearful Regina King won best supporting actress for If Beale Street Could Talk, from what
was her first Oscar nomination.
Richard E Grant, Rachel Weisz and Christian Bale lost out on the acting
awards.
However, Mark Ronson shared the best song award with Lady Gaga, among others.
Paul Lambert and Tristan Myles shared the prize for best visual effects with
two American colleagues for creating the rocket-rattling effects on First Man, about the first Moon landing.
Key crew members on Bohemian Rhapsody
won the two sound awards.
The Oscars failed to find a main host this year after comedian Kevin Hart
pulled out following a row about old homophobic tweets.
Instead of having the traditional opening monologue, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph
and Amy Poehler appeared to introduce the show as well as presenting the first
award.
“We are not your hosts this year
but if we had hosted, it probably would have gone like this,” Tina Fey
said – before the trio launched into a sketch poking fun at some of the
nominees, which is one of the host’s usual jobs.
The ceremony continued to rely on a procession of stars presenting
individual awards.
However, it didn’t obviously suffer from the lack of an overarching host,
and it helped the event move along.
Queen, fronted by singer Adam Lambert, had opened the ceremony with a bombastic
medley of We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions as A-listers waved
and clapped along in their seats.
Amazon Studios has been sued by Woody Allen for
breaching their contract after the company refused to distribute his most
recent movie, A Rainy Day in New York.
Woody Allen, 83, is seeking more than $68 million in damages, alleging
Amazon Studios backed out of a multi-picture deal without cause.
Amazon released two of Woody Allen’s films and also distributed his TV
series, Crisis in Six Scenes.
According to a lawsuit filed on February 7 in New York, Woody Allen claims
Amazon backed out of the deal in June 2018 because of an old accusation that
the director had molested his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992.
The legal action said Amazon knew about “a 25-year old, baseless”
allegation when it entered into deals with Woody Allen and that it “does
not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract”.
A Rainy Day in New York
was shot in 2017 with a cast including Jude Law, Rebecca Hall, Selena Gomez and
Timothée Chalamet.
A number of the movie’s cast members
have since distanced themselves from the project, with Timothée Chalamet
announcing in 2018 he would give his salary to charity.
In 2018, Jude Law told Vanity Fair it was “a terrible shame” the film had been shelved and that he would “have to consider carefully” before ever working with Woody Allen again.
A number of Academy Awards ceremonies have had no host. The last time, in
1989, proved highly controversial, not least due to an opening number featuring
Rob Lowe and an actress dressed as Disney’s Snow White.
A group of leading Hollywood figures wrote an open letter after the
ceremony, calling the telecast “an embarrassment to both the Academy and
the entire motion picture industry”.
The Walt Disney Company also filed a legal action against the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, accusing the organization of copyright
infringement.
The role of anchoring the Oscars has thrown up problems for a number of
hosts since then. The Hollywood Reporter
has described it as “the least wanted job in Hollywood”.
The controversy about Kevin Hart’s tweets and the choice not to replace him
with a single host follows a difficult few years for the Academy.
The 2017 ceremony was rocked by the so-called “Envelopegate”
scandal, in which La La Land was
wrongly named best picture instead of the actual winner Moonlight.
Plans to introduce a popular film award category were shelved last year following
widespread criticism.
The Academy has also been stung by the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, prompted by the all-white line-ups in the four categories for acting in 2015 and 2016.
Detainment,
the British film recreating events around the notorious murder of two-year-old
James Bulger, will be allowed to compete at the Oscars, the awards’ organizers
say.
James Bulger’s mother, Denise
Fergus, had called for the movie to be withdrawn, after it was nominated in the
best live action short category.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences said it takes Denise Fergus’s concerns “very seriously”
but maintains a “neutral role” in the voting process.
It said academy members applied their
“own judgment” on the film’s merits.
James Bulger was a month short of
his third birthday when he was abducted by two 10-year-old boys, Jon Venables
and Robert Thompson, at the Strand shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, the
UK, in 1993.
Detainment,
directed by Vincent Lambe, recreates the police interviews with James’ killers,
by using transcripts from the original tapes played in court during their
trial.
Denise Fergus had said she was
haunted by some of the imagery in the movie and called on the academy to remove
it from next month’s ceremony or for Vincent Lambe to withdraw it.
In statement the academy said it “offers its deepest condolences to Ms.
Fergus and her family. We are deeply moved and saddened by the loss that they
have endured, and we take their concerns very seriously.”
The statement added: “Following
longstanding foundational principles established to maintain the integrity of
the awards, the Academy does not in any way influence the voting process.
“Detainment was voted on by
Academy members. When making their choices, each individual applies their own
judgment regarding the films’ creative, artistic and technical merits.
“We understand that this will not
alleviate the pain experienced by the family; however we hope it clarifies the
Academy’s neutral role in the voting process.”
An online petition calling on Detainment
to be dropped from the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 24 has
attracted more than 100,000 signatures.
However, Vincent Lambe has refused to withdraw his work, saying: “I think it would defeat the purpose of
making the film.”
He said he did not mean any disrespect by not consulting Denise Fergus or
her family but maintained: “The film
was made in the interest of understanding why it happened in order to prevent
something similar happening again in the future.”
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who were convicted of murder after a 17-day trial at Preston Crown Court in November 1993, have since been released from detention and given new identities.
The
Favourite and Roma lead this
year’s Oscar race, with 10 nominations each.
The other contenders include A Star Is Born and Vicewith 8 nominations each, followed by Black Panther with seven.
The Marvel blockbuster is the first superhero movie ever to be nominated for
best picture.
The Favourite actress Olivia Colman is among the acting nominees, alongside her co-star Rachel Weisz and Christian Balefor Vice.
Olivia Colman’s strongest
competition in the best actress category is likely to come from Glenn Close, who is odds-on favorite
to win her first Academy Award for The Wifeafter six previous
nominations, according to bookmakers.
Yalitza
Aparicio is nominated for her first screen
role, as the Mexican maid in Roma. The
Netflix film has also given the media-services provider its first ever best
picture nomination.
The best actress category also
includes Melissa McCarthy for Can
You Ever Forgive Me?and Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born.
Lady Gaga’s co-star Bradley Cooperis nominated in the best actor category, but he missed out on a nod for best director.
The frontrunners for the best actor award are two men who earned acclaim for
portraying real-life public figures.
Rami Malek won rave reviews for playing Freddie Mercury in BohemianRhapsody, while Christian Bale transformed into former Vice-President Dick Cheney with the help of prosthetics in Vice.
Richard E. Grant has received his first ever Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor for his role in the film Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
Rachel Weisz is up for best supporting actress, 13 years after she won the
same award for The Constant Gardener.
The actress will face competition this time from Emma Stone, who played her rival in The Favourite, as well as Roma‘s Marina de Tavira, If Beale Street Could Talk’sRegina King and Amy Adams for Vice.
Earlier it was not easy to get a
perfect picture but nowadays it has become simple because of numerous photo
editing applications. Today, photographs are incomplete without editing. The
reason is when we capture any photograph whether it is from the high-quality
camera or low quality, the picture still will have some issues in it like
scratches, blemishes or unwanted element so photo editing becomes necessary
these days. There are a number of photo editing apps which offers you a lot of
editing features and makes your picture more beautiful. But editing is done
only by a person who knows editing techniques. Some of the basic editing tips
are mentioned below:
•
Cropping of images: This
feature is the most used and common in every editing app. Many a times, we
click picture and see some unwanted element in the picture that distracts the
attention of people seeing the photo. So if you want to remove that unwanted
part from your photograph then elect the crop tool from editing menu and select
the area which you want to remove. It is easy as it sounds.
• Clean the lenses: Always remember before you start
clicking the pictures you must clean the sensor of the camera if there is any
dust or other particles because if you capture your pictures with dirty lenses
your photographs will come out dull and gloomy which will not look good
anymore. For removing these particles from the images choose healing brush from
the editing menu.
• Rise the level of saturation: Well if you want your pictures to be more colorful then editing apps give you the best options for this. If you want to add different colors to your photographs then you just have to choose the saturation option from your editing menu and you can adjust the level of saturation according to the needs of your photographs.
• Sharpen your images: Well this feature totally depends
upon on which screen you want to see your image. If you want to see your image
on your mobile phone then there is no need to sharpen up your image but if you
wants to appear it on the screen or to take print out of it then you must use
this feature as it will make your picture more clear and attractive.
• Change your image into black and white: Black and white is an awesome option in some cases. As some photographs look more attractive and beautiful if it is being converted from a colorful picture to mono picture. But remember you should not remove highlights and shadows from the picture if you do so your pictures will look dull.
•
Contrasting: If you want to
contrast your image then you must choose the picture and adjust the levels
according to your needs. Contrasting your image will make your image for more
attractive. All you must remember is to brighten the highlights and darken the
shadows.
Once you complete your editing save your image and also rename it to the different folder. So these are the simple tips you must follow while editing. If you are looking for any good editing app, photo app retouchme.com will make you look picture perfect.
Kevin Hart had said hosting the Oscars was “a goal on my list for a
long time”.
In a tweet on December 6, the actor said he had chosen to step down” because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists”.
He said: “I’m sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.”
Comments Kevin Hart made during a comedy routine in 2010 have been put under
the spotlight in recent days.
“One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay. That’s a fear,” the actor told the audience.
“Keep in mind, I’m not homophobic, I have nothing
against gay people, be happy. Do what you want to do.
“But me, being a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my
son from being gay, I will.”
In 2015, by which time Kevin Hart’sprofile had risen significantly, the actor addressed the comments in an interview with Rolling Stone.
He said: “I wouldn’t tell that joke today, because when I said it, the
times weren’t as sensitive as they are now.
“I think we love to make big deals out of things that aren’t necessarily big deals, because we can.”
When Kevin Hart revealed he would bethe Oscars host earlier this week, he said it was the “opportunity of alifetime for me as a comedian” and that his mother was “smiling fromear to ear right now”.
The death of actor Verne Troyer has been ruled a suicide by a coroner in Los Angeles.
The Austin Powers actor, best known for playing Mini-Me in the series, died in April at the age of 49.
Verne Troyer, who was 2ft 8in tall, also played Griphook in the first Harry Potter movie.
Following an autopsy and further tests, the Los Angeles County Coroner said the actor died from the effects of alcohol, and ruled his death was a suicide.
Spanish opera legend Montserrat Caballé has died aged 85.
Her duet with Freddie Mercury became the signature song of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
According to news agency Efe, Montserrat Caballé had been suffering from health complaints for some time and was admitted to hospital in Barcelona last month.
With a 50-year career, Montserrat Caballé had stints with the Basel Opera and Bremen Opera before her international breakthrough in 1965 in Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Montserrat Caballé went on to perform with the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and Vienna State Opera, appearing opposite the likes of Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo.
The song Barcelona was first released in 1987 and later became an anthem for the city’s 1992 Olympics, the year after Freddie Mercury died. She sang at the opening ceremony with Placido Domingo and José Carreras.
Montserrat Caballé was born in Barcelona, and at the age of nine was accepted for training at the city’s Conservatori Liceu.
She graduated in 1953, and went to Italy, where she sang some minor roles.
Montserrat Caballé’s career advanced rapidly after a successful appearance as Mimi in La Bohème at the Basel Opera. In 1965 she made a triumphant debut in the US, taking over the title role – at short notice – of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall.
The singer’s performance brought widespread praise for the beauty of her voice and her dramatic interpretation, and established her as an international star.
Montserrat Caballé’s career was dogged by ill health. In 1985, she spent three months in hospital with a brain tumor, and had treatment for heart trouble in 1993.
In 2015, Montserrat Caballé was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for tax fraud.
According to Spanish media, plans are being made for a funeral in Barcelona on October 8.
French legend Charles Aznavour has died at the age of 94 at one of his homes in the south east of France, a spokesman has confirmed.
The iconic singer and songwriter had a career lasting more than 80 years.
Charles Aznavour, born to Armenian immigrants, sold more than 180 million records and featured in over 60 films.
He was best known for his 1974 hit She and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017. Charles Aznavour married three times and had six children.
Charles Aznavour was named entertainer of the century by CNN in 1998.
He was born in Paris in 1924 to Armenian parents who fled the country’s genocide to begin a new life in the French capital.
Charles Aznavour’s lyrics drew on his own experiences of growing up in deprivation as an immigrant.
He was due to take on a seven-date tour across France and Switzerland, starting in November this year.
The singer had recently returned from a tour in Japan, having been forced to cancel concerts this summer due to a broken arm.
Charles Aznavour recorded more than 1,200 songs in seven different languages and performed in 94 countries.
His song She was famously performed by Elvis Costello in the opening credits of Richard Curtis’ movie Notting Hill.
Dubbed France’s Frank Sinatra, Charles Aznavour wrote his own songs on taboo subjects about marriage, gay and male expression of emotions.
His 1973 hit, What Makes a Man, was about a gay transvestite.
Still performing to packed stadiums well into his 90s, Charles Aznavour continued to write songs about his life, including his Swedish wife to celebrate 50 years of marriage.
As well as a singer, Charles Aznavour was a successful actor and played the lead in the 1960 film Shoot the Piano Player.
Charles Aznavour also appeared in the Oscar-winning The Tin Drum, playing a kindly Jewish toy seller.
He sang for presidents, popes and royal families and at a number of humanitarian events.
President Emmanuel Macron was a big fan of Charles Aznavour and sang many of his songs during karaoke nights with friends when he was a student, according to former classmates.
Charles Aznavour was heavily involved in charity work and founded an organization after the 1988 Armenian earthquake with friend Levon Sayan.
In 2009, Charles Aznavour was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland and he also became Armenia’s delegate to the UN in Geneva.
In this article, we are going to mention 15 old school movies about real men and their decisive deeds in the name of good. To say shortly, we are going to speak about action movies. Here are 15 best action movies ranking based on opinions of our entertainment specialists.
Rambo: First Blood (1982)
Unlike its simple patriotic sequels, the first “Rambo” movie is a tragic story of a warrior fighting against his own country. And it still has the anti-war idea as the main plot (like its source-book). If it wonders you, then you should definitely watch this movie.
Seven Samurai (1954)
Akira Kurosawa shows his humanistic philosophy through sword slashes and rivers of blood. He turned an old story about Ronin squad protecting the village from bandits into the ode to a disappearing valor: unlike their enemies, samurai do not use firearms.
El Mariachi (1992)
This debut movie by Robert Rodriguez was filmed with a group of amateur actors and the 7 thousand-dollar budget. The director earned them in a Texas clinic, taking part in laboratory experiments on an anti-cholesterol medicine. His later pictures were more popular, bigger, and more epic, but none of them has the original charm of this independent movie.
Commando (1985)
A retired policeman with a heart of gold and muscles of steel stands against a crazy dictator dreaming to hurt the USA and a retired policeman in person. As a result, this rivalry will become the basis of many cult action movies. But this tradition started with Commando, and you never had a childhood if didn’t watch this movie 400 times!
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
This movie by James Cameron became even a bigger breakthrough than the first part of a franchise thanks to unbelievable computer effects, a soundtrack recorded by Guns’n’Roses, epic dynamics, and black humor. It is one of the most famous roles by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Bloodsport (1988)
A story of the American deserter who gains a victory over the Korean Muay Thai master on the tournament in Hong Kong literally flew around cinemas on all the continents. One of the most famous roles by Jean-Claude van Damme.
The Wild Bunch (1969)
A traditional bank robbery story of the American western movies turned into something bigger. Thanks to next gen tricks of Sam Peckinpah, it became a dark story about the violence being absurd and the anti-war pamphlet at the same time.
Police Story (1985)
Jackie Chan connected the warrior mastery of Bruce Lee and the comic talents of Buster Keaton. And a hapless policeman from Hong Kong he showed on cinema screens became liked by millions of people!
Dobermann (1997)
A pretending post-modern gangster action movie “Le Dobermann” was a French answer for Rodriguez and Tarantino. Evil-elegant bandits and crazy cops compete with each other is a senseless violence. Vincent Cassell and Monica Bellucci were able to play dramatic and truthful roles even in this comix movie.
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
Two policemen run around Los Angeles to catch the Yakuza leader while breaking bones and catching bandits with the help of Eastern martial arts. A wonderful duet of Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundgren.
Road House (1989)
Even a regular bar bouncer can challenge a criminal boss if the truth is on his side. The hero by Patrick Swayze proves this thesis to be right. The classic battle between good and evil presented in an original manner.
3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
The movie about gangsters who rob casinos in Elvis’s suits. Kevin Costner is especially good as the overwhelmingly bad gut and the final gunfire scene should be enlisted in a gunfire encyclopedia, if that book ever appears.
48 Hrs. (1982)
A tough cop and a lower hierarchy bandit join efforts to catch a fugitive in two days. To do that, they’ll need some brains, many bullets, and a Cadillac Sky Blue Convertible. The ideal police action movie from the director of “Red Heat” and the screenwriter of “Commando.”
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Probably, this movie was the beginning of a new subgenre: buddy cop action movies. A hero by Danny Glover goes through the midlife crisis, and a character of Mel Gibson struggles against suicidal thoughts and aggression attacks. The fate decided them to become partners, and their task is to deal with a huge narcotic syndicate.
Adrenaline (2006)
A crazy concentration of action, aggression, and madness pushed into 90 minutes of screen time. The most part of this time is devoted to the Jason Statham’s hero dealing with his enemies or overcoming difficulties. His main problem is a strange Chinese poison circulating in his veins and making him support the high level of adrenaline in blood.
Iconic movie star Burt Reynolds has died at the age of 82.
According to Us Weekly, the wisecracking 1970s movie heartthrob and Oscar nominee passed away in a Florida hospital of a heart attack, attended by his family.
Burt Reynolds had undergone heart bypass surgery in 2010. Reynolds is survived by his son, Quinton.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, he died at the Jupiter Medical Center in Florida.
Burt Reynolds shot to fame in 1972’s Deliverance, and also starred in Smokey and the Bandit, Boogie Nights and The Cannonball Run.
His career went into freefall in the 1980s and his finances were ravaged by failed investments in restaurants and a Florida football team.
Burt Reynolds made a 1997 comeback with his role as a film director in Boogie Nights, which won him an Oscar nomination.
The veteran actor was married twice, firstly to British actress Judy Carne in 1963, but they divorced two years later amid accusations of her over-spending and his infidelity.
Burt Reynolds went on to marry actress Loni Anderson in 1988, but that also ended bitterly in 1993.
After the divorce from Judy Carne, Burt Reynolds filed for bankruptcy with $11 million in debts. In 2014, he was forced to sell many prized memorabilia, including his Golden Globe award.
However, when Vanity Fair journalist Ned Zeman asked him what he would have done differently, Burt Reynolds said: “I would have spent more money and had a lot more fun.”
As a young man, Burt Reynolds was a skilled football player, and it won him a scholarship to Florida State University.
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