Complicated voting rules shut out songs by Elton John, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige and Pink.
By John Mitchell
Blu and Linda in "Rio"
Photo: 20th Century Fox
<P>Tuesday morning's (January 24) announcement of the 2012 Oscar nominations delivered plenty of surprises. Michael Fassbender ("Shame"), Albert Brooks ("Drive") and Charlize Theron ("Young Adult") were overlooked in the acting categories, while Melissa McCarthy ("Bridesmaids"), Rooney Mara ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo") and Max von Sydow ("Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close") scored surprise nominations. But perhaps no category was more head-scratching than Best Original Song. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:666363" width="240" height="211"></div><p> Despite the fact that a short list of 39 tracks were eligible for nomination, only two were named — "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" and "Real in Rio" from "Rio" — leaving tunes from Elton John and Lady Gaga, Pink, will.i.am, Zooey Deschanel, Elvis Costello and Mary J. Blige shut out of the competition. Many Oscar-watchers were left wondering why the Academy would opt away from the traditional five contenders in favor of just two little-heard songs. Well, a closer look at the Oscar rule book shows it's probably less a case of choosing to nominate only two songs than it is simply a case of a single song scoring enough points to secure a nod, and then bringing its closest competition along for the ride. Oscar nominations are arrived at using a <i>very</i> complicated weighted system in which members of the Academy, voting exclusively for members of their own branch (i.e. actors chose the acting nominees, directors vote for directors, etc.), rank contenders in order of preference. From there, a "magic number" is determined that relies on the number of ballots cast for a category, along with a specific mathematical equation. Ballots are tallied and contenders are eliminated through several rounds in a process that tabulates factors like first-place mentions and so on. Once a contender reaches the magic number, they are an Oscar nominee. (The folks over at <i>EW</i>'s PopWatch break down the selection steps in great detail.) </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:620119" width="240" height="211"></div><p> So this is how the nominees are determined — with one exception: Best Original Song. In 2009, when the Academy opted to up the number of Best Picture nominees to 10 (the voting body has since altered that number), it also changed the rules for Best Original Song. As Billboard points out, members of the Academy's music branch now "assign each song a numerical score between 1 and 10, and if no song receives an average of more than 8.25, there are no nominees. If only one song tops the threshold, as clearly happened here, the next highest vote getter secures a nomination as well." This year's Best Original Song category boils down to this: either Bret McKenzie's "Man or Muppet" or "Real in Rio" by songwriting trio Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett secured a score of 8.25 or better, earning a nomination and pulling the #2 vote-getter into the fray. Simply put, members of the music branch didn't award any other song, including John and Gaga's duet "Hello Hello" or Blige's "The Help" track "Living Proof," a score high enough to secure a nomination. But lest you think that this means the category is all but locked, think again. While selecting the Oscar nominees is an intensely mathematical process, picking the winners is much easier. Once the nominations are decided, every member of the Academy can vote in each category and the nominee that receives the most votes wins. Easy enough. And since actors are the largest voting block of the Academy— and would have had nothing to do with the tracks selected to contend for Best Original Song — it's anyone's game. <b>See the complete list of Academy Awards Nominations.</b></p>
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677841/oscars-2012-best-song-nominees-snubs... "> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677841/oscars-2012-best-song-nominees-snubs...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/beatcrave/~3/_LxwcXdahLc/
Cinthia Moura Claudette Ortiz Coco Lee Connie Nielsen Cristina Dumitru
Pitbull, Matthew Morrison, Selena Gomez, Far East Movement and others filled the Staples Center on Saturday night.
By Matt Elias
britney Spears hosts KIIS FM's Wango Tango 2011 on Saturday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
<P><b>LOS ANGELES</b> — Britney Spears makes headlines at concerts, even when she's not performing. That's probably why Los Angeles radio station KIIS FM tapped the pop princess to guest-host their annual Wango Tango music festival along with Ryan Seacrest on Saturday night at the Staples Center. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:652696" width="240" height="211"></div><p> The bill was a balance of pop and hip-hop, with acts like Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Selena Gomez, "Glee" 's Matthew Morrison, Lupe Fiasco, T-Pain, Jason Derülo, Far East Movement, New Boyz, Cobra Starship and newcomer Cody Simpson. Backstage, the media room went into a frenzy when Spears arrived in a red, geometric-print dress and a beaming smile. Owning her "femme fatale" moniker, Spears worked the carpet for a few moments while all of the cameras in the room were pointing at her. It was the second red carpet appearance by Brit this week, after her Beverly Hills benefit on Wednesday night for the St. Bernard Project. Check out photos from Wango Tango 2011. Spears' <i>Femme Fatale</i> collaborator Ke$ha, who was returning to the festival for the second time, said that an onstage collab between to the two would have to require one thing. "That would have to include me finding her and attacking her," Ke$ha told MTV News, with the best intentions. "I'm planning on pouncing her." While that never happened, at least not onstage, Ke$ha delivered on her promise of a set heavy on her glitter gun. And she assured us she knew the dos and don'ts of handling that kind of firepower. "Do not spray yourself in the face with it," she said. "Do spray everybody else with it. That's pretty much it." While Joe Jonas wasn't performing at the show, he took a break from recording his solo debut to catch up with almost everyone backstage. "I didn't see Britney backstage, just said 'hello' to a couple of my friends," Jonas said. "Backstage is always [full of] people, especially having it at the Staples Center this time, I think compared to all the way out in the desert, it changes everything." Also happy to have Wango Tango in Los Angeles were locals Far East Movement. "Man, we grew up literally a few blocks away from here, and you can only imagine basketball games being played here," Kev Nish said. "So to come in here as performers, to be able to do our songs in this arena is a little crazy. We used to pass out CDs a few blocks [away], so we're very thankful. And the lineup is nuts, so we're extremely excited to be a part of this lineup." <i>Were you at Wango Tango? Share your experience in the comments below!</i></p>
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663909/wango-tango-britney-spears-kesha.jhtml "> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663909/wango-tango-britney-spears-kesha.jhtml
Claudette Ortiz Coco Lee Connie Nielsen Cristina Dumitru Daisy Fuentes
Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha, Selena Gomez also make fashion splash on red carpet, as showgirl style rules at the Las Vegas event on Sunday night.
By Jocelyn Vena
Taylor Swift at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards
Photo: Jordan Strauss/ Getty Images
<P>On Sunday night, some of the biggest names in the music industry hit up the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas and decided that sparkles and sequins make for the perfect additions to any red carpet get-up. Well, it is Sin City after all. Taylor Swift always seems to bring some of that Nashville sparkle to any red carpet. She arrived at the show in a pale-hued, sequined Elie Saab gown. Nicki Minaj showed off her signature sense of style in her baby-blue, body-hugging spandex Mark Fast catsuit. Selena Gomez turned up the style dial in a sexy, cut-out black Dolce & Gabbana gown that she paired with red strappy sandals with sparkly bow detailing. Like Gomez, Ke$ha opted for some cut-out detailing in her sparkly, slate-gray dress with tulle skirt. Rihanna looked white hot in her men's tailored Max Azria suit, which she kept sexy and feminine by not buttoning her shirt all the way. Fergie went S&M chic in her little black bandage-type dress by Hervé Léger. Nicole Kidman also wore black. She paired a casual braid hairstyle with a long black gown and Keith Urban. British pop cutie Kyle Minogue looked funky in her little black lacey dress. Inside the show, Britney Spears sat in the audience wearing a skimpy black dress of her own, her hair in loose curls, with little-to-no accessories. While some stars kept the color scheme low-key, Keri Hilson decided to stand out in her billowy little yellow dress paired with a turquoise-colored belt. Kelly Rowland showed off some of her best assets in a body-hugging, bright pink bandage dress. The fellas also looked tight on the carpet. Joe Jonas wore all black with white sneakers, Ne-Yo paired his periwinkle suit with a Yankees cap and Justin Bieber wore black tuxedo pants with a gold-lamé tuxedo jacket. <i>Which stars' styles caught your eye at the </i>Billboard<i> Music Awards? Tell us in the comments.</i></p>
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664386/billboard-music-awards-taylor-swift-... "> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664386/billboard-music-awards-taylor-swift-...
Alicia Witt Amanda Bynes Amanda Detmer Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet
Video directors Megaforce open up about working with Madge, Nicki and M.I.A. — and why the kiss didn't make the cut.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Rob Markman
M.I.A., Madonna and Nicki Minaj in "Give Me All Your Luvin' "
Photo: Interscope
After fans heard that Madonna had enlisted Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. for her single and video for "Give Me All Your Luvin'," it really felt like anything could happen with those three equally eccentric and visual artists all joining forces. What they ended up creating was an eye-catching clip full of masked cheerleaders, hot football players and lacy outfits (designed by Norma Kamali) that every fan of Madge's "Like a Virgin" era will go crazy over.
The video feels distinctly Madonna — she is the star, after all — but Nicki's and M.I.A.'s presences are felt between the cheerleader chant and their equally funky verses.
"[It was] quite intense but we had a lot of fun. ... It's like shooting three presidents or something like that," Clement Gallet, from video-directing team the Megaforce, told MTV News about the shoot. "I think everybody's a bit stressed. We had time to speak to discuss the idea, to do the fittings. So you have time to meet the people first. I think we maybe thought it would be harder to have these three famous women on set, and I think everything went quite well."
While the trio's collaboration made headlines, so did a kiss Nicki tweeted about that she shared with Madonna on the New York set back in December.
"That's funny, 'cause that's something we didn't really see," he added. "Basically, it was Nicki Minaj's birthday on the shoot, but we were — as always, as the directors — stressed about the next scene and whatever happens, that when the birthday cake arrived, we were already prepping the next scene and we didn't see what happened. And we learned about it on Twitter. So basically, we cannot tell you about the scene," he joked.
Do you wish Nicki and Madonna's kiss had made it into the video? Let us know in the comments!
Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678549/madonna-nicki-minaj-kiss-give-me-all-your-luvin.jhtml
Jessica Cauffiel Jessica Paré Jessica Simpson Zooey Deschanel Aaliyah
Label boss Jimmy Iovine calls criticism 'a drag.'
By Gil Kaufman
<P>To look at her, you'd think Isla Fisher
Sarah Jessica Parker and her children, Loretta, 2, and James Wilkie, 9, were seen leaving their New York City townhouse on Friday (February 3). Tabitha isn't seen in the photos.
The actress was just in Los Angeles shooting scenes as Gloria Steinem in the Linda Lovelace biopic - a role that was originally going to be played by Demi Moore.
Source: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2012/02/04/sarah-jessica-parker
Adriana Lima Adrianne Curry Adrianne Palicki Aisha Tyler Aki Ross
I've been watching a lot of HGTV since coming to LA. My favorite shows are House Hunters and House Hunters International. There's also another show I like to watch called For Rent, but only because it makes me angry.
When it comes to apartments/homes, I think living in New York for the past eleven years has made me bitter because there was this whiny broad on For Rent a few nights ago who was looking at a huge place—A HUGE PLACE—and was like, "There's no place for a dining room table..."
B*TCH, YOU'RE LUCKY TO GET A KITCHEN IN NEW YORK.
I hated her.
Now there's some stupid lady on House Hunters who wants a townhouse with a fireplace that she can turn on with a light switch. IT HAS TO BE A LIGHT SWITCH because she doesn't want to bend down and flip a switch on the floor.
WHO DO THESE PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE?
Anyway, I know my LA update is WAY overdue (and truth be told I wrote a long one last week but for some reason it didn't save so I lost the whole thing and I was so angry that I just said, "Ah, f*ck it," and closed the computer instead of rewriting) but to give you a quick update, I AM SO HAPPY HERE. I MEAN, I'M REALLY, REALLY HAPPY. And I think living here and watching HGTV—both of these things combined—has made me realize that New York was just beating me down. I mean, the fireplace lady—yes, she's an idiot. But there's nothing wrong with wanting a dining room table. Why did I get so mad at that lady?
Since being here, at least once a day I ask myself why I have lived in New York for so long. (It's like I had Stockholm Syndrome or something.) CALIFORNIA IS AWESOME. It's like the promised land. It's sunny all the time and there are birds and flowers everywhere. I have space out here. I have a sofa on the patio out here. I HAVE A SOFA OUTSIDE. I haven't seen one rat since I've been here. But hummingbirds? THEY ZIP BY MY HEAD EVERY DAY. I am so happy.
I'm supposed to go back to New York in November, but truth be told, I'm not sure I will.
Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/7/15/hgtv-la-and-dining-room-tables.html
Cristina Dumitru Daisy Fuentes Dania Ramirez Danica Patrick Daniella Alonso
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/beatcrave/~3/cIIvxsxdfs8/
Arielle Kebbel Ashanti Ashlee Simpson Ashley Greene Ashley Olsen