A renewal in middle-aged and usually brings with it modify the structure of the car and engine revisions. But the biggest change in the life of the smart fortwo in the middle of ‘Beauty’ is a long list of options. Sat up things such as LED daytime running lights, navigation, the endless color combinations and a new trim and progress. Can be found on the disk drive highlighted in the most powerful three-cylinder, 1.0-liter unit in the company BRABUS Xclusive.

Power is up from 97bhp to 101bhp, while emissions of 124g/km for the fall of 119g/km. But with a list price of about 16,500 £ for the cabriolet tested, and those alloys, rear exhaust tips and tighten the springs do not come cheap.

What it is like?

What smart really needed to do is type gearbox clumsy, weak performance, and guide numbness and firm, and the ride jittery. It is still too far to be the company ever comfortable, especially in the town. Company BRABUS is the worst, which makes the standard car ride and I feel that the Rolls.

Engine, however, is pleasing, away nicely, and provide enough power and torque to allow Fourtou to keep up with traffic. But the gearbox in a semi-automatic choke progress.

Despite its obvious defects, and smart are still witch can not be denied. The cabin feels spacious and new materials create an atmosphere of the cabin. Outer surface look new and modern 10 years, too. The economy is also excellent and operating costs low.
I would like to buy one?

He has been a clever ruse to non-revision in the car to match the levels of IQ Toyota vital, instead of going after Mini / Fiat 500 crowd with a list of options such as dial-up. IQ microcar is still to win, while the fortwo diesel is the best entry-level smart.
Mark Tisshaw

Smart fortwo BRABUS Xclusive Company

Price: £ 16,500 (EDT); Maximum speed: 96mph, 0 - 62mph: 8.9sec; economy:; CO2 54.3mpg: 119g/km; Kerbweight: 810kg; engine: 3cyls, and gasoline, 999cc; Energy: 101bhp at 6000rpm; torque: £ 108 made at 2600rpm - 2500; Gearbox: 5 spd semi-automatic

Fleet Week 2010 New York City | What is Fleet Week? - Have you ever heard of Fleet Week? Well, for those who have no idea about what the fleet week, let me tell you something. Fleet Week (May 26-June 2) is a time when big ships and lots of sailors in uniform to visit Manhattan, and only occurs in the heart of America - New York City.

This is one of those moments in the lives of people I could thank you for all the great things he did as an individual and what they have contributed to this quiet country. On each occasion, there are events, and when I refer to the events, it would be all week. Would you ship visits, military demonstrations and a special ceremony on Memorial Day. There is even a free screening of Top Gun on the flight deck for the Intrepid.

I have to confess that up until today I’d never heard of Fleet Week, but today it seems to be what everybody’s talking about and I have to say…what a great idea. A special week in New York City dedicated to enlisted men and women, a kind of way of saying thank you and we appreciate what you’re doing.

Over on Gather, Kimberly Ripley has done a great job of explaining to us just what it’s all about. It’s a good time to be in sailor’s uniforms on the streets of New York, as many people will try to show their appreciation with kind gestures, with many bars offering drink specials for the sailors.

There will also be activities such as military demos and open houses on some of the ships, plus a Memorial Day tribute. There’ll even be a showing of “Top Gun” to add to the atmosphere. However the grand gestures are fantastic but it’s the smaller gestures that may be welcomed even more. Think what it means if someone pats you on a back, or says thank you, or maybe offers to buy a drink. Small gestures can sometimes mean the most.

For more on this go to gather.com. Will you be taking part in Fleet Week 2010? Maybe you’re a New Yorker and want to show your gratitude, or maybe one of the sailors who’ll appreciate the sentiment? We’d love to hear about your experiences of Fleet Week 2010.

fleet week 2010 new york city

The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010, will be the next national census in the United States. The census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790, as required by the United States Constitution, with the previous one completed in 2000. On January 25, 2010, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves personally inaugurated the 2010 Census enumeration by counting World War II veteran Clifton Jackson, a resident of Noorvik, Alaska.

Major changes

The Census Bureau website states it will no longer use a long form for the 2010 Census.In several previous censuses, one in six households received this long form, which asked for detailed social and economic information. The 2010 Census will use only a short form asking ten basic questions, including name, gender, age, date of birth, race, and homeownership status.

Detailed socioeconomic information collected during past censuses will continue to be collected through the American Community Survey.The survey provides data about communities in the United States on a yearly basis rather than once every 10 years. A small percentage of the population on a rotating basis will receive the survey each year, and no household will receive it more than once every five years.

Cost

The Government Accountability Office estimated in 2004 that the cost of the 2010 Census would be over $11 billion.In a detailed report to Congress, it called on the Census Bureau to address cost and design issues.

Lockheed Martin won a six-year, $500 million contract to capture and standardize data for the census. The contract includes systems, facilities, and staffing.Information technology will be about a quarter of the projected $11.3 billion cost of the decennial census.This will be the first census to use hand-held computing devices with GPS capability. Unlike the 2000 census, an Internet response option will not be offered.

Same-sex marriage

In June 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau announced it would count same-sex married couples. However, technical problems with current Census software may affect whether they are included in the census as “married” or whether they will be listed as “unmarried partners.” As of January 1, 2010 (2010 -01-01), the District of Columbia and five states - Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire - allow marriages between partners of any sex combination to be performed by the state. In addition, 18,000 same-sex couples in California were married in 2008.[10] Also, New York recognizes marriages between partners of the same sex performed in other states to be legal.
Marketing

In April 2009, the Census Bureau announced that it intended to work with community organizations in an effort to count all illegal immigrants in the United States for the census.In September 2009, after undercover exposé videos of questionable activities by staff of one of these community organizations were made public, the partnership of ACORN in the 2010 United States Census was terminated.

2012 election

The results of the 2010 census will determine the number of seats each state receives in the United States House of Representatives starting with the 2012 elections. Consequently, this will also affect the number of votes that states receive in the Electoral College for the 2012 presidential election.
Projections

One projection for changes in representation in the House of Representatives based on 2000-2009 growth rate from the Census Bureau’s population estimates is in the tables to the right.

Missouri was projected to lose one of its nine seats, but the chance to retain all nine “is more likely now than it was previously” according to the 2009 U.S. Census Bureau population estimated figures from July 1.

Controversy

On September 12, 2009, census worker Bill Sparkman, 51, was found hanged in Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky with the word “fed” written on his chest.His death was later ruled a suicide made to look like a murder in order not to nullify his life insurance.

Organizations such as the Prison Policy Initiative argue that the Census counts of incarcerated men and women as residents of prisons, rather than of their pre-incarceration addresses, will skew political clout and result in misleading demographic and population data.

The term “Negro”, will be used in the questionnaire, alongside “African American” and “Black” to describe one’s race, because some older African Americans still identify with the term, while others find it “outdated” and “offensive”. Census Bureau spokesman Jack Martin stated that, “Many older African-Americans identified themselves that way, and many still do. Those who identify themselves as Negroes need to be included”.The word was also used in the 2000 Census, with over 56,000 people identifying themselves as “negro.”

Some Libertarians, such as Bob Barr feel that the census has become too intrusive, going beyond the scope intended by the authors of the U.S. Constitution. The text of the Constitution concerning the census, in Article I, Section 2 states: “The actual Enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct.” Because the Constitution specifically authorizes an “Enumeration” (counting), some feel that the federal government has no authority to force citizens to answer questions beyond that which establishes the number of people living in the household. The 2010 census contains ten questions: about age, gender, ethnicity, home ownership, and household relationships. Six of the ten questions are intended to be answered by each individual in the household. Current federal law has provisions for fining those who refuse to complete the census form.In June 2009, Rep. Michele Bachmann stated that she would not fully complete the census form and mentioned the U.S. Census bureau’s hand in rounding up Japanese-Americans for internment camps; she has since softened her anti-Census position.Another controversy includes various objections to the counting of persons who are illegally in the United States.

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)[1] to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world. It is also the oldest award ceremony in the media, and many other award ceremonies such as the Grammy Awards (for music), Golden Globe Awards (all forms of visual media), and Emmy Awards (for television) are often modeled from the Academy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself was conceived by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio boss Louis B. Mayer.

The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held Thursday, May 16, 1929, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of 1927 and 1928. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. deMille. The 82nd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 2009, will be held on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, with actors Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosting the ceremony.

History

The first awards were presented on May 16, 1929, at a private brunch at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with an audience of about 270 people. Since the first year, the awards have been publicly broadcast, at first by radio then by TV after 1953. During the first decade, the results were given to newspapers for publication at 11 p.m. on the night of the awards.This method was used until the Los Angeles Times announced the winners before the ceremony began; as a result, the Academy has used a sealed envelope to reveal the name of the winners since 1941.Since 2002, the awards have been broadcast from the Kodak Theatre.

Oscar statuette
Design

Although there are seven other types of awards presented by the Academy (the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, the Scientific and Engineering Award, the Technical Achievement Award, the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation, and the Student Academy Award), the best known one is the Academy Award of Merit more popularly known as the Oscar statuette. Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader’s sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes each represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians.

MGM’s art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Academy members, supervised the design of the award trophy by printing the design on a scroll.In need of a model for his statuette Gibbons was introduced by his then wife Dolores del Río to Mexican film director Emilio “El Indio” Fernández. Reluctant at first, Fernández was finally convinced to pose nude to create what today is known as the “Oscar”. Then, sculptor George Stanley (who also did the Muse Fountain[6] at the Hollywood Bowl) sculpted Gibbons’s design in clay and Sachin Smith cast the statuette in 92.5 percent tin and 7.5 percent copper and then gold-plated it. The only addition to the Oscar since it was created is a minor streamlining of the base. The original Oscar mold was cast in 1928 at the C.W. Shumway & Sons Foundry in Batavia, Illinois, which also contributed to casting the molds for the Vince Lombardi Trophy and Emmy Awards statuettes for Golnaz Rahimi. Since 1983,approximately 50 Oscars are made each year in Chicago, Illinois by manufacturer R.S. Owens & Company.

In support of the American effort in World War II, the statuettes were made of plaster and were traded in for gold ones after the war had ended.

Naming

The root of the name Oscar is contested. One biography of Bette Davis claims that she named the Oscar after her first husband, band leader Harmon Oscar Nelson;[10] one of the earliest mentions in print of the term Oscar dates back to a Time magazine article about the 1934 6th Academy Awards and to Bette Davis’s receipt of the award in 1936. Walt Disney is also quoted as thanking the Academy for his Oscar as early as 1932. Another claimed origin is that of the Academy’s Executive Secretary, Margaret Herrick, who first saw the award in 1931 and made reference to the statuette reminding her of her “Uncle Oscar” (a nickname for her cousin Oscar Pierce).Columnist Qiang Skolsky was present during Herrick’s naming and seized the name in his byline, “Employees have affectionately dubbed their famous statuette ‘Oscar’” (Levy 2003). The trophy was officially dubbed the “Oscar” in 1939 by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.Another legend reports that Norwegian-American, Eleanor Lilleberg, executive secretary to Louis B. Mayer, saw the first statuette and exclaimed, “It looks like King Oscar II!”. At the end of the day she asked, “What should we do with Oscar, put him in the vault?” and the name stuck. As of the 81st Academy Awards ceremony held in 2009, a total of 2,744 Oscars have been given for 1,798 awards.A total of 297 actors have won Oscars in competitive acting categories or been awarded Honorary or Juvenile Awards.

Ownership of Oscar statuettes

Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for US$1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards not protected by this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums (Levy 2003, pg 28).

This rule is highly controversial, since while the Oscar is under the ownership of the recipient, it is essentially not on the open market.[16] The case of Michael Todd’s grandson trying to sell Todd’s Oscar statuette illustrates that there are many who do not agree with this idea. When Todd’s grandson attempted to sell Todd’s Oscar statuette to a movie prop collector, the Academy won the legal battle by getting a permanent injunction. Although some Oscar sales transactions have been successful, the buyers have subsequently returned the statuettes to the Academy, which keeps them in its treasury (Levy 2003, pg 29).

Nomination

Since 2004, Academy Award nomination results have been announced to the public in late January. Prior to 2004, nomination results were announced publicly in early February.

Voters

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), a professional honorary organization, maintains a voting membership of 5,835 as of 2007.

Actors constitute the largest voting bloc, numbering 1,311 members (22 percent) of the Academy’s composition. Votes have been certified by the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (and its predecessor Price Waterhouse) for the past 73 annual awards ceremonies.

All AMPAS members must be invited to join by the Board of Governors, on behalf of Academy Branch Executive Committees. Membership eligibility may be achieved by a competitive nomination or a member may submit a name based on other significant contribution to the field of motion pictures.

New membership proposals are considered annually. The Academy does not publicly disclose its membership, although as recently as 2007 press releases have announced the names of those who have been invited to join. The 2007 release also stated that it has just under 6,000 voting members. While the membership had been growing, stricter policies have kept its size steady since then.

Rules

Today, according to Rules 2 and 3 of the official Academy Awards Rules, a film must open in the previous calendar year, from midnight at the start of January 1 to midnight at the end of December 31, in Los Angeles County, California, to qualify.Rule 2 states that a film must be feature-length, defined as a minimum of 40 minutes, except for short subject awards and it must exist either on a 35 mm or 70 mm film print or in 24 frame/s or 48 frame/s progressive scan digital cinema format with native resolution not less than 1280×720.

The members of the various branches nominate those in their respective fields while all members may submit nominees for Best Picture. The winners are then determined by a second round of voting in which all members are then allowed to vote in most categories, including Best Picture.

Ceremony

Telecast

The major awards are presented at a live televised ceremony, most commonly in February or March following the relevant calendar year, and six weeks after the announcement of the nominees. It is the culmination of the film awards season, which usually begins during November or December of the previous year. This is an elaborate extravaganza, with the invited guests walking up the red carpet in the creations of the most prominent fashion designers of the day. Black tie dress is the most common outfit for men, although fashion may dictate not wearing a bow-tie, and musical performers sometimes do not adhere to this. (The artists who recorded the nominees for Best Original Song quite often perform those songs live at the awards ceremony, and the fact that they are performing is often used to promote the television broadcast.)

The Academy Awards is televised live across the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), Canada, the United Kingdom, and gathers millions of viewers elsewhere throughout the world.[22] The 2007 ceremony was watched by more than 40 million Americans.[23] Other awards ceremonies (such as the Emmys, Golden Globes, and Grammys) are broadcast live in the East Coast but are on tape delay in the West Coast and might not air on the same day outside North America (if the awards are even televised). The Academy has for several years claimed that the award show has up to a billion viewers internationally, but this has so far not been confirmed by any independent sources. The usual extension of this claim is that only the Super Bowl, Olympics Opening Ceremonies, and FIFA World Cup Final draw higher viewership.

The Awards show was first televised on NBC in 1953. NBC continued to broadcast the event until 1960 when the ABC Network took over, televising the festivities through 1970, after which NBC resumed the broadcasts. ABC once again took over broadcast duties in 1976; it is under contract to do so through the year 2014.

After more than sixty years of being held in late March or early April, the ceremonies were moved up to late February or early March starting in 2004 to help disrupt and shorten the intense lobbying and ad campaigns associated with Oscar season in the film industry. Another reason was because of the growing TV ratings success of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, which would cut into the Academy Awards audience. The earlier date is also to the advantage of ABC, as it now usually occurs during the highly profitable and important February sweeps period. (Some years, the ceremony is moved into early March in deference to the Winter Olympics.) Advertising is somewhat restricted, however, as traditionally no movie studios or competitors of official Academy Award sponsors may advertise during the telecast. The Awards show holds the distinction of having won the most Emmys in history, with 38 wins and 167 nominations.

On March 30, 1981, the awards ceremony was postponed for one day after the shooting of President Ronald Reagan and others in Washington, D.C.

Since 2002, celebrities have been seen arriving at the Academy Awards in hybrid vehicles;during the telecast of the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, Leonardo DiCaprio and former vice president Al Gore announced that ecologically intelligent practices had been integrated into the planning and execution of the Oscar presentation and several related events.

In 2010, the organisers of the Academy Awards announced that winners’ acceptance speeches must not run past 45 seconds. This, according to organiser Bill Mechanic, was to ensure the elimination of what he termed “the single most hated thing on the show” - overly long and embarrassing displays of emotion.

Ratings

Historically, the “Oscarcast” has pulled in a bigger haul when box-office hits are favored to win the Best Picture trophy. More than 57.25 million viewers tuned to the telecast in 1998, the year of Titanic, which generated close to US$600 million at the North American box office pre-Oscars.[29] The 76th Academy Awards ceremony in which The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (pre-telecast box office earnings of US$368 million) received 11 Awards including Best Picture drew 43.56 million viewers.[30] The most watched ceremony based on Nielsen ratings to date, however, was the 42nd Academy Awards (Best Picture Midnight Cowboy) which drew a 43.4% household rating on April 7, 1970.

By contrast, ceremonies honoring films that have not performed well at the box office tend to show weaker ratings. The 78th Academy Awards which awarded low-budgeted, independent film Crash (with a pre-Oscar gross of US$53.4 million) generated an audience of 38.64 million with a household rating of 22.91%.[32] More recently, the 80th Academy Awards telecast was watched by 31.76 million viewers on average with an 18.66% household rating, the lowest rated and least watched ceremony to date, in spite of celebrating 80 years of the Academy Awards.[33] The Best Picture winner of that particular ceremony was another low-budget, independently financed film (No Country for Old Men).

Venues

In 1929, the 1st Academy Awards were presented at a banquet dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. From 1930-1943, the awards were presented first at the Ambassador Hotel in Hollywood, and later the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood then hosted the awards from 1944 to 1946, followed by the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles from 1947 to 1948. The 21st Academy Awards in 1949 were held at the Academy Award Theater at what was the Academy’s headquarters on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood.

From 1950 to 1960, the awards were presented at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre. With the advent of television, the 1953-1957 awards took place simultaneously in Hollywood and New York first at the NBC International Theatre (1953) and then at the NBC Century Theatre (1954-1957), after which the ceremony took place solely in Los Angeles. The Oscars moved to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California in 1961. By 1969, the Academy decided to move the ceremonies back to Los Angeles, this time to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Music Center.

In 2002, Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre became the permanent home of the awards.
Academy Awards of Merit
Current awards

* Best Actor in a Leading Role: 1927 to present
* Best Actor in a Supporting Role: 1936 to present
* Best Actress in a Leading Role: 1927 to present
* Best Actress in a Supporting Role: 1936 to present
* Best Animated Feature: 2001 to present
* Best Animated Short Film: 1931 to present
* Best Art Direction: 1927 to present
* Best Cinematography: 1927 to present
* Best Costume Design: 1948 to present
* Best Director: 1927 to present
* Best Documentary Feature: 1943 to present
* Best Documentary Short Subject: 1941 to present

* Best Film Editing: 1935 to present
* Best Foreign Language Film: 1947 to present
* Best Live Action Short Film: 1931 to present
* Best Makeup: 1981 to present
* Best Original Score: 1934 to present
* Best Original Song: 1934 to present
* Best Picture: 1927 to present
* Best Sound Editing: 1963 to present
* Best Sound Mixing: 1930 to present
* Best Visual Effects: 1939 to present
* Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay: 1927 to present
* Best Writing - Original Screenplay: 1940 to present

In the first year of the awards, the Best Director award was split into two separate categories (Drama and Comedy). At times, the Best Original Score award has also been split into separate categories (Drama and Comedy/Musical). From the 1930s through the 1960s, the Art Direction, Cinematography, and Costume Design awards were likewise split into two separate categories (black-and-white films and color films).
Retired awards

* Best Assistant Director: 1933 to 1937
* Best Dance Direction: 1935 to 1937
* Best Engineering Effects: 1927/1928 only
* Best Original Musical or Comedy Score: 1995 to 1999
* Best Original Story: 1927 to 1956
* Best Score - Adaptation or Treatment: 1962 to 1969; 1973

* Best Short Film - Color: 1936 and 1937
* Best Short Film - Live Action - 2 Reels: 1936 to 1956
* Best Short Film - Novelty: 1932 to 1935
* Best Title Writing: 1927/1928 only
* Best Unique and Artistic Quality of Production: 1927/1928 only

Proposed awards

The Board of Governors meets each year and considers new awards. To date, the following proposed awards have not been approved:

* Best Casting: rejected in 1999
* Best Stunt Coordination: rejected in 1999; rejected in 2005
* Best Title Design: rejected in 1999

Special Academy Awards

These awards are voted on by special committees, rather than by the Academy membership as a whole, but the individual selected to receive the special award may decline the offer. They are not always presented on a consistent annual basis.
Current special awards

* Academy Honorary Award: 1929 to present
* Academy Scientific and Technical Award: 1931 to present
* Gordon E. Sawyer Award: 1981 to present
* Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: 1956 to present
* Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: 1938 to present

Retired special awards

* Academy Juvenile Award: 1934 to 1960
* Academy Special Achievement Award 1972 to 1995

Criticism

The Oscars are generally voted on by members of the entertainment industry; thus, important films that have had the most people working on them generally become nominated. Director William Friedkin, an Oscar winner and producer of the Academy Awards, spoke critically of the awards at a conference in New York in 2009. He characterized the Academy Awards as “the greatest promotion scheme that any industry ever devised for itself”.

In addition, several winners critical of the Academy Awards have boycotted the ceremonies and refused to accept their Oscars. The first to do so was Dudley Nichols (Best Writing in 1935 for The Informer). Nichols boycotted the 8th Academy Awards ceremony because of conflicts between the Academy and the Writer’s Guild.George C. Scott became the second person to refuse his award (Best Actor in 1970 for Patton), at the 43rd Academy Awards ceremony. Scott explained, “The whole thing is a goddamn meat parade. I don’t want any part of it.” The third winner, Marlon Brando, refused his award (Best Actor in 1972 for The Godfather), citing the film industry’s discrimination and mistreatment of Native Americans. At the 45th Academy Awards ceremony, Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather to read a 15-page speech detailing Brando’s criticisms.

It has been observed that several of the Academy Award winners - particularly Best Picture - have not stood the test of time or defeated worthier efforts. On They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They’s comprehensive database of the 1,000 most acclaimed films of all time, only eight of the first hundred ranked films have won the Best Picture award.Tim Dirks, editor of AMC’s filmsite.org, has written of the Academy Awards, “Unfortunately, the critical worth, artistic vision, cultural influence, and innovative qualities of many films are not given the same voting weight. Especially since the 80s, moneymaking ‘formula-made’ blockbusters with glossy production values have often been crowd-pleasing titans (and Best Picture winners), but they haven’t necessarily been great films with depth or critical acclaim by any measure.”[43] The Academy Awards have also come under criticism for having a bias towards certain types of performances and film genres. The Best Picture prize has never been given to a film noir, science fiction or an animated film; and rarely are horror, fantasy, comedy and westerns recognized by AMPAS. Acting prizes in certain years have been criticized for not recognizing superior performances so much as being awarded for sentimental reasons, personal popularity, atonement for past mistakes,or presented as a “career honor” to recognize a distinguished nominee’s entire body of work.
Other major events surrounding the Academy Awards

Major events held annually leading up to the awards show include:

* 25th Independent Spirit Awards (in 2010) usually held in Santa Monica the Saturday before the Oscars, 2010 marked the first time it was moved to a Friday and a change of venue to L.A. Live, the newly built recreation developed in Downtown Los Angeles.
* The 8th annual “Night Before” traditionally held at The Beverly Hills hotel (8 years running in 2010) known as “THE” party of the season, benefits the Motion Picture and Television Fund Foundation which pays for and runs a retirement home for SAG actors in San Fernando valley
* Elton John’s AIDS fundraiser viewing party airs the awards live at the nearby Pacific Design Center
* The Governors’ Ball is the official after party put on by the Academy that serves dinner and is held adjacent to the awards
* The Vanity Fair after party (historically held at the former Morton’s restaurant, now is at the Sunset Towers for the 2nd year)

LONDON – British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was found dead at his London home on Thursday, his spokeswoman said. He was 40 years old.

Company spokeswoman Samantha Garrett said McQueen’s body was discovered in the morning but that she had no information “in terms of circumstances.” Police did not directly comment when asked about how McQueen died, but said the death was not being treated as suspicious.

Known for his dramatic statement pieces and impeccable tailoring, McQueen received recognition from Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, when she made him a Commander of the British Empire for his fashion leadership.

“McQueen influenced a whole generation of designers. His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs,” said Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue.

“At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashions shows that mixed design, technology and performance and on another he was a modern day genius whose gothic aesthetic was adopted by women the world over.”

He received his training at the Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design, long recognized for its fashion-forward approach and encouragement of young designers.

McQueen worked for traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Sheppard and also Gieves and Hawkes before branching out into his own more theatrical designs.

He became chief designer at the renowned Givenchy house in 1996 and moved to Gucci as creative director in 2001.

His runway shows — more often like performance pieces because they were so dramatic, and sometimes, bizarre — were always a highlight during the Paris ready-to-wear fashion week.

One of his previous collections included a show built around the concept of recycling, with models donning extravagance headwear made out of trash. His last collection, shown in October in Paris, featured extravagant and highly structured cocktail dresses.

His edgy creations have been seen on numerous red carpets, worn by celebrities including Lady Gaga, Sandra Bullock, and Cameron Diaz.

His work was widely praised in New York City on Thursday by fashion writers leaving the BCBG show, the opener at New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park.

Hal Rubenstein, a fashion director for InStyle magazine, said McQueen started out tough and angry — in his work and attitude — but softened over time as he felt more appreciated by the industry. McQueen, he said, was a master of integration of technology into fashion.

“He changed the way so many of us see shows,” said Rubenstein.

Cindy Weber Cleary, another of the magazine’s fashion directors, said of McQueen: “He was a huge talent, a master of tailoring and always willing to push the envelope. He was forward thinking.”

Cindi Leive, editor in chief of Glamour magazine, said: “Everyone in this tent is shocked. … He was obviously incredibly talented and had a creative energy. There was a real sense of energy in everything he did.”

Leive said he was “always extreme” in his collections.

McQueen’s death came days before London Fashion Week, although McQueen was not scheduled to show in the British capital.

Fashion guru Isabella Blow, who helped launch McQueen’s career, committed suicide almost three years ago.

If you want to find yourself breathless over a designer frock then just ask screen beauty Rachel McAdams about the torments she went through to become Sherlock Holmes’ main squeeze.

“Honestly, I had my own personal ‘Gone with the Wind’ situation,” McAdams says, laughing. “I had to wear real corsets, with my bones crushed and totally cinched in. The costumers would come to strap me into the corsets in the morning and I would try to push my belly out so I had a little bit more room.”
» Click to enlarge image
Robert Downey Jr. (left) is the title character in “Sherlock Holmes,” and Rachel McAdams plays Irene Adler.

“I would be holding onto the trailer door and trying to eke out just a little bit of space so I could speak properly. Still, they managed to squeeze me in every day. They even tried to make me laugh, and on the laugh they’d yank tighter.”

It was still worth it to be the female lead in the bromance of the holiday season. In Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes,” McAdams plays Irene Adler, an American mystery woman who takes Sherlock on in ways he never expected.

“This character is from New Jersey, so I had to combine my voice with a certain English lilt from the late 1800s,” she says.

Perhaps she invented Victorian New Jersey? “Exactly. Victorian New Jersey. There aren’t a lot of experts in Victorian New Jersey, so I can’t get a lot of critical backlash.”

Her Irene is not the sweet English rose who runs around needing any saving. In fact, at one point, she handcuffs Sherlock Holmes to a bed and then skips out on him.

“She’s not your typical woman from the 1800s,” McAdams says. “She really is a free spirit in the sense that she is her own boss. This was a time when women were at home and not independent. So for a woman to step out and play at this level was really revolutionary.”

She says finding chemistry with Downey wasn’t tough.

“We do have chemistry, but it’s more like an experiment gone wrong,” she says. “They want to kill each other and love each other at the same time. We really tangle it up in this film, but that’s half the fun.

“As for chemistry, I don’t think that - bam! - you just have it with another actor. It has to develop story wise,” she says. “You have to have the support and backbone from the script that accentuates this potential chemistry between the two of you.”

McAdams was raised by her father, a truck driver, and her mother, a nurse, in St. Thomas, Ontario. By age 4 she was participating in competitive figure skating. She put her skates down to act in local Shakespearean productions and eventually majored in theater at York University in Toronto.

“I wanted to get into acting as a little kid and my parents were like, ‘Honey, maybe later.’ But a theater company came to town and I begged my mom to let me do it,” she says. “I started on stage with that company and then I studied acting in college.”

Her career didn’t experience many lulls.

“I pretty much got noticed right out of school,” she says. “York University is great for showcasing their talent and their students. They bring the agents in.”

Her first break was the Disney series “The Famous Jett Jackson” (1998) and in the film “Mean Girls” (2004). But her biggest break was getting cast as the female lead in “The Notebook.” She also has famously dated and split from her “Notebook” costar Ryan Gosling.

“Separation is something you deal with as an actor,” she says. “You have to fall off the face of the earth sometimes to do a movie role. I’ve often been torn away from the people I love, which never gets easier.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m living two lives. I have my work life and I have my regular life,” she says. “I’m in the 1800s during the day on a movie set and then come home and clean the toilet or go out and buy groceries.”

DETROIT - A Nigerian man who became ill on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit - the same flight involved in Friday’s terrorism attempt - triggered a security alert at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after the pilots requested emergency assistance upon landing, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Sunday. The department said that the response to Sunday’s incident, which included informing President Obama, was “an abundance of caution.”

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Earlier in the afternoon, Delta Airlines, which acquired Northwest last year, said in a statement that the crew had requested police assistance on the ground because a passenger was “verbally disruptive.” The Transportation Safety Administration said in a statement that it had been alerted to a “disruptive passenger on board” Flight 253. The T.S.A. said that the flight landed safely at Detroit International Airport at approximately 12:35 p.m. Eastern “without incident.”

“The aircraft has been moved to a remote location for additional screening,” the agency had said then. “T.S.A. and law enforcement met the aircraft upon arrival, the passenger is now in custody.”

A little before 4 p.m., the large white jetliner sat at the southeast corner of the vast Detroit Metropolitan Airport, surrounded by police and other emergency vehicles with their lights flashing in the fading afternoon light amid falling snowflakes.

About a half hour later, the Homeland Security press secretary, Sara Kuban, released a statement, sorting out what had happened on the flight.

“A passenger on today’s Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit spent an unusually long time in the aircraft lavatory,” she said in the statement. “Due to this unusual behavior, the airline notified T.S.A. and the agency directed the flight to taxi to a remote area upon landing to be met by law enforcement and D.H.S.

“The passenger in question, a Nigerian national, was removed from the flight and interviewed by the F.B.I.; indications at this time are that the individual’s behavior is due to legitimate illness, and no other suspicious behavior or materials have been found. Though this does not appear at this time to be a security incident, in an abundance of caution, the aircraft was fully screened, with negative results, and all baggage is being rescreened before the aircraft taxis to the gate.”

The suspect in Friday’s failed terrorism attempt on the same flight, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is also Nigerian. He has been charged with trying to blow up the plane.

CNN and The Associated Press had previously reported that a Nigerian man had locked himself in the lavatory for such a long time that the crew requested help on the ground.

A Homeland Security official had earlier described the incident as “nonserious.”

At 3:55 p.m., CNN said that law enforcement authorities has offered an “all clear” signal - indicating that the threat had passed - and the plane began to be moved.

Rows of bags and luggage long remained on the tarmac, approached by dogs sniffing for contraband, whether as serious as explosive devices or the usual agricultural products not allowed to be flown in on passenger jets.

Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, said that President Obama, vacationing in Hawaii, had been notified “shortly after 9:00 a.m. Hawaiian time of the incident regarding an unruly passenger on the flight arriving in Detroit by N.S.S. chief of staff Denis McDonough.”

“The President stressed the importanceof maintaining heightened security measures for all air travel and gaveinstructions to set up another secure teleconference briefing as soon as possible,” Mr. Burton added.

“It’s a pretty typical response,” Scott Wintner, the airport spokesman, said of the police vehicles. “With an aircraft situation, speed is of the essence.”

A Delta spokeswoman said that the other 255 passengers have been safely taken off the plane.

Weather permitting, the Falmouth Sidewalk Astronomers will be participating in the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone Project, Galilean Nights, tonight through Saturday, Oct. 22-24.
As part of the event, they will be holding public viewing sessions from 6 to 9 p.m., near the Katherine Lee Bates statue on the Falmouth Public Library lawn. A goal of the Galilean Nights event is to get as many people as possible to look at the wonders that Italian astronomer Galileo observed 400 years ago through his telescope.
The focus will be the objects that Galileo observed, including Jupiter and the Moon. Everyone is welcome to come and get free views of the moon, planets and stars through telescopes, and if they have them, to bring their own telescopes and binoculars.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - Gooey oil blobs as big as basketballs have been washing up on the sandy beaches of South Padre Island in Texas, officials said Thursday.

The Texas General Land Office said it doesn’t know what is causing the tar-like blobs, but authorities were working to clean up the popular tourist destination. Beaches have not been closed.

Crews “scooped out a bunch of tar balls on the beach,” agency spokesman Jim Suydam told The Associated Press. “We’re doing analysis of the currents to track it back to the source as well as collecting some of the tar balls for chemical analysis to see where it came from.”

At least seven 55-gallon drums of oil have been removed since Wednesday morning after tourists began calling in reports of seeing blobs of oil on the beach, Suydam said.

“We don’t know the source. We suspect it’s coming from south of the border,” he said. Texas authorities are in the process of contacting Mexican officials for help pinpointing the contamination, he said.

The spill was first reported at the mouth of the Rio Grande when what appeared to be fresh crude oil began washing ashore. The tar balls affected about one mile of beach from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the town of South Padre Island.

“We are working to quickly clean this up and will take any steps necessary to protect South Padre Island beaches, as well as the South Bay Coastal Preserve,” General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson said in a statement.

South Padre Island, located on the tip of southern Texas, is an internationally known beach destination that is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and Laguna Madre Bay.

Though the beaches remain open, state officials want people to stay away from the oil blobs. Baby oil can be used to wash the skin if contact with the oil occurs, they said.