Angelina Jolie kicks off award season with honorary Oscar

LOS ANGELES: A-list star Angelina Jolie kicked off the movie award season late Saturday as she accepted an honorary Oscar for her humanitarian work at the Governors Awards ceremony in Hollywood.

Veteran actress Angela Lansbury, comedian Steve Martin, and Italian costume designer Pietro Tosi also received awards at the annual ceremony held by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

The 600-person guest list at the private gala dinner read like a Who's Who of top Hollywood celebrities: Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Amy Adams, Emma Thompson, Mark Wahlberg, Jake Gyllenhaal, Diane Keaton, Matthew McConaughey, Claudia Cardinale, Kathryn Bigelow, Jennifer Garner and George Lucas were among those invited.

Jolie was tearful as she received the award and spoke of her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 56.

"She did give me love and confidence, and above all, she was very clear that nothing would mean anything if I didn't have a life of use to others," she said.

"It was only when I began to travel that I understood my responsibility to others," Jolie, who has been involved in humanitarian work for years, told the audience.

The actress, wearing a long black dress with a plunging neckline, was accompanied by her fiance Brad Pitt -- shaved and sporting a neat haircut for the occasion -- and Maddox, one of the couple's six children.

"When I met survivors of wars and famine, and rape, I learned what life is like for most people in this world and how fortunate I was to have food to eat, a roof above my head, a safe place to live and the joy of having my family safe and healthy," Jolie said.

"I realized how sheltered I had been and I was determined never to be that way again."

Since 2012 Jolie has travelled on more than 40 missions around the world as a special envoy for the United Nations Refugee Agency.

The 38-year-old actress, who is also a director and producer, received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award -- a statuette identical to a "classic" Oscar -- from Lucas, the man behind the "Star Wars" films.

Jolie won an acting Oscar in 2000 for her supporting role in the movie "Girl, Interrupted."

"How does she have time to do all this?" asked stage, TV and movie star Geena Rowlands, 83, as she praised Jolie.

"She acts in many pictures, she writes and directs, she has a large family. About 20 at last count. And she has to keep that smile on Brad's face," Rowlands said.

Previous winners of the Hersholt award include talk show queen Oprah Winfrey in 2011, and producer Jeffrey Katzenberg in 2012.

Comedian Martin, 68, focused on the light side after Hanks praised him for winning a lifetime achievement award.

"I can't possibly express how excited I am tonight because the botox is fresh," he quipped as he received his statuette.

Lansbury, 88, the British-born actress known for her role as amateur detective and mystery writer Jessica Fletcher in the TV series "Murder, She Wrote," made light of her failure to win an Oscar for acting despite nominations in 1945, 1946 and 1963.

She thanked the Academy for letting her "be here in the company of my beloved family and friends instead of sitting shivering with hope in the Chinese Theatre," where the annual Oscar ceremony is held.

Thor-The Dark World' stays in spotlight at US box office

LOS ANGELES: Marvel superhero Thor hammered rivals for a second straight weekend at the North American box office, industry estimates showed Sunday."Thor: The Dark World," the latest blockbuster based on Marvel's iconic comic book character, took a hefty $38.5 million in its second weekend, figures from Exhibitor Relations showed.

Starring Australian heartthrob Chris Hemsworth as the hammer-wielding son of Odin, the movie is a follow-up to the franchise's 2011 money-spinning first instalment, "Thor."

With its strong opening weekend -- helped by the phenomenal success of 2012's $1.5-billion hit "The Avengers," which saw Thor join forces with other characters -- the film has taken in a total of nearly $147 million.

Debuting strong in second place was romantic comedy "The Best Man Holiday," a sequel 15 years in the making to "The Best Man," in which the college friends reunite over Christmas and reignite romance and rivalries.

The film, starring Monica Calhoun and Morris Chestnut at the head of an ensemble cast, took in $30.6 million. 

Lady Gaga launches 'Artpop' at VIP New York party

Multi-platinum selling diva Lady Gaga electrified several thousand handpicked fans with a live performance at the Brooklyn docks, kicking off the global release Monday of her third album.Strutting and writhing across the stage dressed in a white leotard and white wig, Gaga late Sunday performed tracks from her new album "Artpop," launched in collaboration with US artist Jeff Koons.

Fans in fishnets, men in sequined drag and lipstick, girls in stilettos, gay men in platforms, older men in kilts and the odd grandmother, the crowd was as eclectic as they were die-hard Gaga fans, mobbing her with cell phone cameras and dancing madly.

"Artpop" signals a return to the limelight for Stefani Germanotta, the 27-year-old privately educated New Yorker best known as Lady Gaga, after she was forced to tone down her wall-to-wall engagements to undergo hip surgery.

She has collaborated with several world famous contemporary artists, including Koons, who portrayed her as a post-modern Botticellian Venus for the album artwork.

"I just want 11/11 to be a time for us all to really open our minds and project a brand-new future in communication, in technology, in visual art," Gaga told a packed press conference ahead of the VIP launch party, in reference to the date.

"Artpop" is a return to the danceable synthpop of Gaga's massively successful 2008 debut album "The Fame" after she experimented with other styles on her second album, "Born This Way."

Gaga established her reputation with chart-topping songs and outlandish costumes, and has surrounded herself with a constant media buzz.

Critics however gave the hotly-anticipated new album only lukewarm reception.

Even though some tired audience members drifted away from the event before it was over, most fans seemed smitten.

Gaga sang "Aura" in front of Koons' enormous white statue of her sitting naked, legs splayed, and holding a giant blue ball in front of her crotch.

She sashayed through the room to the stage and powered through the explicit lyrics to "Sex Dreams," then made an emotional dedication to Koons.

Gaga has a fight on her hands to retain her "Queen of Pop" crown after Katy Perry supplanted her as most followed person on Twitter, and with a twerking Miley Cyrus stealing the headlines.

Before assembled journalists Gaga took off in a custom-made flying dress to proclaim a new cultural revolution.

She strapped into the fly suit and buckled her helmet wearing a cut-out black leotard and knee-high sparkly white stiletto boots. She then took off and propelled through the air.

"I think that anytime you have a voice in the world and you're a public figure if you have the potential to start a revolution I feel it is your duty to do so," she said.

Gaga called the battery-operated flying dress Volantis, and an "early prototype" for what she said could be a new dawn in travel.

She presented the device as part philosophy, part science, and part metaphor for herself, but was vague on what use it could ever have.

But instead of gliding from the back of a Brooklyn warehouse to a small platform in front of the cameras, Gaga hovered for a few seconds several times. The device came to juddering halts, and she walked the last few steps towards the podium.

"Most importantly today we just wanted you to feel inspired," she said.

Unveiling a smartphone app that accompanies the album, she finished by saying: "I hope today is a change in pop culture."

A dashing Koons, kitted out in an elegant midnight blue Christian Dior suit, explained why he agreed to work with Gaga.

"I think she's really a very, very generous person. As human beings we all have a freedom of gesture and it's whether we exercise it or not," he told AFP at the launch party.

"Gaga's exercising it and is trying to communicate to her fans that they can exercise that freedom too and so as an artist that's what I'm involved with also so I think we appreciate that in each other."

Italian documentary 'TIR' wins top prize at Rome film festival

The film about a Croatian schoolteacher who, attracted by the idea of tripling his wages, becomes a truckdriver who criss-crosses Europe, edged out 17 other contenders for the Golden Marcus Aurelius prize for best film.

The jury headed by US director James Gray awarded the prize for best director to Japan's Kiyoshi Kurosawa for "Seventh Code", an industrial espionage action flick.

A special jury prize went to "Quod Erat Demonstrandum" by Romanian director Andrei Gruzsniczk, in which a mathematician draws the wrath of state police by getting an article published in a US magazine without the permission of the authorities.

American Matthew McConaughey won best actor for his role in "Dallas Buyers Club" by Jean-Marc Vallee, while his compatriot Scarlett Johansson was awarded best actress for her performance in "Her" by Spike Jonze.

This year's festival saw a 20-percent spike in ticket sales compared to the 2012 edition, with some 150,000 people attending.

Festival director Marco Mueller, who formerly headed up the Venice film festival, said he aims to put Rome once again on the international cinema map. 

Lady Gaga feels ‘empty’ after completing ARTPOP

Lady Gaga feels 'empty' and 'depressed' after finishing her album 'ARTPOP'.
The 'Applause' hitmaker has hit a low point since releasing her third studio album as she is no longer being creative.

She told O2: 'I'm depressed after making this album. I feel empty and sad. I'm no longer the creator, I'm the performer.
'This is the reverse of Warhol, this is the reverse of the soup can, this is art imprinted onto pop culture.'
This comes only weeks after Gaga claimed she doesn't 'feel alive' when she is not on stage as her stage persona gives her the chance to express her thoughts.
She said: 'When I'm not on the stage, I don't feel alive. But when I hit the stage, it's like everything that I'm thinking and feeling, where I belong - that's where it is.'
But the 27-year-old eccentric star doesn't think she is different from anyone else, because most people have creative energy they want to release.
Gaga explained: 'I don't think I am different from anybody else. I think everyone with their location and their job and what they do, their passion, feel the same way I do. It's sort of like we are endlessly obsessing about what we are creating and then the explosion is the moment where we get to share.'

Khloe Kardashian is ‘very frustrated’

Khloe Kardashian is still 'very frustrated' with Lamar Odom.
The couple have been living apart for months amid allegations the basketball star, 33, recently battled an addiction to crack cocaine and cheated on his wife of four years with several different women, and although they attended a Kanye West concert together last month, they still aren't in a good place.

A source told People.com: 'There are no talks about reconciliation. Khloé is very frustrated when it comes to Lamar. The fact that he doesn't seem to care to shape up makes Khloé act like she is over him.'
Another insider said: 'Khloé doesn't know how they'll ever be a happy, married couple again. She is very hurt that he's lied to her about being clean. And she's made it clear that he can't spend time with her family until he is.'
The 29-year-old beauty opened up about her issues with Lamar on a recent episode of 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'.
She said: 'I laugh to keep from crying,' and speaking to Lamar through the cameras, she added: 'You're not my child. I can't lock you in a room, as much as I would like to.'
The reality TV star changed her name on her Instagram and Twitter profiles by removing her last name Odom in September, but Lamar insisted last week that their marriage is 'unbreakable'.
He said: 'We're wonderful. We're unbreakable. That's why I wear my wedding ring. It is a beautiful ring from a beautiful wife.'

Victoria Beckham wants to star in Girls

Victoria Beckham wants to star in 'Girls.' The 39-year-old star reportedly told the show's creator Lena Dunham how much she loves the latest series of the comedy drama series and that she'd love to make an appearance.

Lena, 27, is open to the idea of the former Spice Girl being on the show and has an idea for her to have a cameo as herself.
A source told heat magazine: 'Victoria said she would love a cameo in the next season. Lena said she would love that and work on creating a suitable role - most likely, Vic playing herself.'
Victoria also plans to introduce her two-year-old daughter Harper - her child with husband David Beckham - to the show when she is old enough.
The source added: 'Victoria told Lena how she and David are huge fans of the show, which her pal Eva Longoria urged her to watch. Vic said they loved how down-to-earth and the real comedy-drama was. She even said she wants Harper to watch when she's old enough, to get a more 'all-round education and perspective' of girls and their trials and tribulations.'
During their chat, Lena asked Victoria if she could help her revamp her style and update her wardrobe with some stylish new outfits.
The source revealed: 'Lena said she'd sort out a role if Victoria would give her a makeover. Lena believes Victoria can upgrade her style.'

Kim Kardashian overwhelmed by wedding plans

Kim Kardashian reportedly feels 'overwhelmed' by Kanye West's plans for their wedding.The 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' star is said to have told her rapper fiance - with who she has four-month-old daughter North - he can have 'whatever he wants' when it comes to their nuptials, but she is upset he has decided this also includes choosing her four dresses.

A source said: 'Kanye is considering Valentino but it looks like Ricardo Tisci [creative director at Givenchy] is going to be the man for the job.
'Kim thinks it's unromantic that he will have seen the dresses before the wedding. She feels a little overwhelmed.'
Kanye is reportedly planning ceremonies in Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Paris, and is planning a huge firework display to mark the occasions, having agreed with Kim - who was previously wed to music producer Damon Thomas and basketball player Kris Humphries - he can take total control.
The source added to Grazia magazine: 'Kim has already been married twice before but for Kanye this is his first time.
'He's told Kim he's going to be in charge of everything.'

Selena Gomez At The Staples Center

Last night, the Staples Center traded in their usual Gold and Purple color scheme for black and pink Selena Gomez apparel that appeared at every corner, worn by hundreds of screaming girls with their screaming mothers not too far behind them.Gomez graced us with her presence last night, with an outstanding performance of her “Stars Dance” tour at the Staple Center.
Before the pop star hit the stage she welcomed you tube singing sensation Christina Grimmie. Grimmie has millions of hits on her popular covers of songs by Miley Cyrus, Nelly, Katy Perry, and Gotye just to name a few. Grimme’s set included her songs, "Absolutely Final Good Bye" and "Tell My Mama."
After the rising star finished her set, another talented group of fresh new faces approached the stage. These three guys that made up the band Emblem3 had the girls in the crowd screaming, as they opened with their song "Girl Next Door." The band, who made their name known through "The X Factor," released their debut album, "Nothing to Lose," in summer 2013. Emblem3 closed their set with the album’s hit song "Chloe (You’re the One I Want)."
The lights dimmed and the LCD screen towering over the performance stage taunted the audience who anxiously waited for Gomez to appear. When Gomez’s face appeared on the LCD screen the crowd went nuts. “I love you Selena,” “You are so beautiful,” and “Oh My Gosh,” phrases were over powered by screams so loud, they prevented you from hearing yourself speak.
Gomez appeared on the LCD screen in a empty black space with white doors surrounding her. With a confused look on her face trying to decide which door to pick, she moved towards a door and enters it.
Gomez hit the stage with enough energy to power the room,  performing her song "Bang Bang Bang." The singer, dressed in a white, joined her dancers, to give a power packed opening number. The set changed up to a reggaeton look. Green, red, and yellow lights filled the arena while Gomez performed "Round and Round."
The show was full of surprises, that really exhibited Gomez’s grown up sexier side. Still in white, the stage lights shifted to a blue and white twilight scheme. All spot lights down on Gomez she starts to rap: “I’ve been up all night, tryna get that rich, I’ve been work work work work working on my,” raps Gomez as she performs "B.E.A.T." where she sampled Iggy Azealea’s "Work."
The sample from T.I’s Australian prodigy gave the older crowd in the audience a taste of her more adult image. We saw multiple glimpses of that side throughout the show. Including her song "Birthday," where she sampled Rihanna’s "Birthday Cake." Gomez also covered artists including Katy Perry and Priscilla Ahn.
The LCD displayed Gomez in a black space with white doors, when Gomez selected another door that took her through a Wonderland like space where there was a gift for her. When she pulled the sheer pink ribbon to open the white box, there was a microphone bedazzled in pink and silver rhinestones with “Selena” going down the handle.
The arena hit a somber moment when Gomez appeared on the stage with a long black gown performing "Love Will Remember." Everyone tuned on their cellphone’s flashlights and waved them in the air along to the music, making the arena twinkle while she performed the song about her relationship with ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber.
Energy was pumped back into the crowd while Gomez preformed her hit "Naturally." The full band came out on to the stage, while Gomez ran up the runway to shake hands with fans. Her dancers joined her for the performance. There was no indication that Gomez had played 40 shows previous to coming to L.A. because she was so energetic. 
The last two songs in the performance were a show in itself. Gomez chose a door that led her to a thunderstorm. The arena was then transformed to a Bollywood feel as Gomez performed "Come and Get It." Everyone in the stadium regardless of gender or age sang along to the hit song.
Gomez saved "Slow Down" for the show’s final song. The current radio hit kept up the crowd's energy. The music video of the song played in the background as Gomez performed live on the stage with her dancers. Pink streamers exploded from the stage while silver and gold confetti fell from the ceiling making the whole audience sparkle.

Lady Gaga To Start Film Career From Machete Kills

Famous singer Lady Gaga has now decided to show her talent in movies after gaining worldwide fame and respect through her melodious songs. She is going to start her film journey with an important role in the move “Machete Kills.”machete kills.

Machete Kills is an upcoming 2013 American exploitation action film directed, produced, co-written, cinematographied and co-edited by Robert Rodriguez. The film is the third based on Grindhouse fake trailers; the first were Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun. Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Tom Savini, Billy Blair, Electra and Elise Avellan, Felix Sabates, and Jessica Alba reprise their roles from the first film, Machete, and are joined by series newcomers Mel Gibson, Demián Bichir, Amber Heard, Sofía Vergara, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Cuba Gooding Jr., Vanessa Hudgens, Alexa Vega, William Sadler, Marko Zaror, and Charlie Sheen.

Justin Bieber Charged Over Wall Tagging

Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber has been charged with illegally tagging the wall of an abandoned hotel during his stay in Rio, police said Thursday.A police spokesman described the case as a misdemeanor which will be forwarded to a small-claims court where Bieber, who left the country Wednesday, faces a fine.

Late Tuesday, protected by his security detail, Bieber tagged "Respect privacy" and "I am off" as well as several drawings on a hotel wall in Rio's tourist southern zone.A police probe subsequently established that the 19-year-old pop star had received permission from City Hall to tag a wall at another location, the Olympic Village in the Vidigal shantytown.
But Bieber's entourage felt he would not be safe there. "The permission from City Hall did not extend to other locations," a police statement said.Since his arrival last Friday after a stop in Sao Paulo, Bieber, who gave a concert here Sunday, had grabbed media attention with a series of peccadilloes.
He was photographed emerging under a blanket from a notorious Rio brothel and later vainly tried to bring prostitutes into the posh Copacabana Palace.
Furious that he was not able to do so, the teen sensation reportedly went on a rampage in his suite, breaking various objects valued at nearly $6,000 in total.
Bieber and his entourage were subsequently kicked out of the hotel. Bieber, who was on the Brazilian leg of his world tour to promote his Believe album, left Rio Wednesday for Paraguay on the next stage of his tour.

Lady Gaga fights to keep 'Queen of Pop' crown

Multi-platinum selling diva Lady Gaga is fighting to keep her 'Queen of Pop' crown with a hotly-anticipated third album, but early reception in the US and Britain has been lukewarm.

"Artpop" signals a return to the limelight for Stefani Germanotta -- known as Lady Gaga on stage and in video -- after she was forced to tone down her usually ubiquitous media presence to undergo hip surgery.
"For ArtPop, in a symbolic way, I've put myself in front of a mirror, I've taken off my clothes, then the makeup, then the wigs, I've dressed myself with a black jumpsuit and I've told myself: 'Now, you have to prove you can be brilliant without all that'", Lady Gaga told the magazine Grazia.
Even before its official release next week, "Artpop" has been making the headlines.
The 27-year-old New Yorker, who established her reputation on chart-topping songs and surrounded herself with a constant media buzz, streamed the new album this week after it was leaked.
The artist also hinted at an out-of-this-world publicity splash for the album's official launch -- a concert in space.
The US Weekly magazine reported that Lady Gaga plans to undergo a month of special vocal training to perform in early 2015 aboard the Virgin Galactic, the passenger spaceplane being launched by British billionaire Richard Branson to popularise space tourism.
While the third album suggest Lady Gaga's increasing artistic ambitions, critics in Britain and the US are not so convinced.
"The intention of the album was to put art culture into pop music, a reverse of Warhol. Instead of putting pop onto the canvas, we wanted to put the art onto the soup can," Lady Gaga said in an interview in Britain's Daily Mail.

Lady Gaga has collaborated with a number of world famous contemporary artists, including Jeff Koons for the album's artwork, showing her as a post-modern Botticellian Venus.
But on a first hearing "Artpop" returns to familiar themes -- desire, drugs, identity, celebrity, fashion, creativity -- and sounds more like Lady Gaga's previous albums "The Fame" and "Born this way" than it does a totally new musical experiment.
"There's certainly some decent pop on Lady Gaga's new album -- but the 'art' part is rather harder to discern", said the British newspaper The Guardian.
The verdict was echoed across the Atlantic.
"Lady Gaga's latest extravagant exploration of her own fame, fabulousness and fearlessness is undeniably relentless, but that doesn't mean it's consistently entertaining," said USA Today.