By Robin Rowe

Best Actress Sandra Bullock, latest victim of Oscar curse?

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/17/2010 – “I would never have hooked up with him if I thought he was a married man,” said tattoo model Michelle McGee in a tabloid interview spilling the details of her steamy affair with Sandra Bullock’s husband Jesse James. Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress for The Blind Side just ten days ago. The London premiere of The Blind Side has now been cancelled due to Sandra Bullock being unavailable for “unforeseen personal reasons.”

Is the ordeal of winning an Academy Award for Best Actress a relationship buster? Is there a Best Actress Oscar Curse?

Looking at the relationships of the last 13 Best Actress winners, only Helen Mirren has escaped unscathed. Marion Cotillard neatly avoided the curse by postponing her relationship by four years until after she won the award. Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow were retroactively cursed, suffering breakups the year before winning.

2009 Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side as Leigh Anne Tuohy

May be cursed. Ten days after accepting the Oscar, Bullock’s husband Jesse James is in the tabloids for an alleged affair with Michelle “Bombshell” McGee while Bullock was gone filming The Blind Side.  Bullock married the Monster Garage TV series host Jesse James in 2005. James’ second ex-wife is former porn star Janine Lindemulder. Sandra Bullock was asked the night of the Oscars what her husband thought of her winning, she said, “I’d never divulge what Jesse says unless he divulges it first.”

2008 Kate Winslet – The Reader as Hanna Schmitz

Cursed. Winslet married American Beauty director Sam Mendes in 2003. They have a son Joe Alfie Winslet Mendes. Winslet announced their separation in March 2010, stating that, “The split is entirely amicable and is by mutual agreement.”

2007 Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose as Édith Piaf

Avoided curse by putting off relationship for four years until after receiving award. Cotillard lives with French actor-director Guillaume Canet in Paris. The French media refer to the couple as the French Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The couple began dating in 2007. They co-starred in Love Me If You Dare in 2003.

2006 Helen Mirren – The Queen as Queen Elizabeth II

Not cursed. Mirren married An Officer and a Gentleman director Taylor Hackford in 1997, her partner since 1986, whom she’d met on the set of White Nights. Still married. Apparently, Hackford is an officer and a gentleman.

2005 Reese Witherspoon – Walk the Line as June Carter

Cursed. Witherspoon introduced herself to American actor Ryan Phillippe at her 21^st birthday party by saying, “I think you’re my birthday present.” They married in 1999. They have two children, Ava Elizabeth and Deacon Reese. In 2006, Witherspoon filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.

2004 Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby as Maggie Fitzgerald

Cursed. Swank famously forgot to thank her then husband Chad Lowe during her acceptance speech upon winning her first Oscar in 2000. The actors had met in 1992 filming Quiet Days in Hollywood. She remembered to thank Lowe first in her 2005 Oscar speech. The couple announced in 2006 that they were getting a divorce.

2003 Charlize Theron – Monster as Aileen Wuornos

Cursed. Charlize Theron reportedly broke up with her live-in boyfriend of nine years Stuart Townsend in January.  She’d met the actor on the set of the movie Trapped in 2001. Theron reportedly told friends she ended it because, “They had become more like brother and sister than lovers.”

2002 Nicole Kidman – The Hours as Virginia Woolf

Retroactively cursed. Kidman married actor Tom Cruise in 1990, not long after meeting him on the set of the film Days of Thunder. The couple adopted a daughter, Isabella Jane, and a son, Connor Anthony. To Kidman’s shock, Cruise filed for divorce in 2001 citing irreconcilable differences. Kidman married country singer Keith Urban in 2006. They have a daughter, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. Note that Nicole Kidman was nominated in 2001 for Best Actress for Moulin Rouge.

2001 Halle Berry – Monster’s Ball as Leticia Musgrove

Cursed. Berry divorced Atlanta Braves baseball player David Justice in 1993. Berry married musician Eric Benét in 2001. While married to Benét, Berry adopted his daughter, India. The couple separated in 2003 and divorced in 2005. The same year Berry began dating French-Canadian supermodel Gabriel Aubry. They met at a Versace photoshoot. They have a daughter Nahla Ariela Aubry.

2000 Julia Roberts – Erin Brockovich as Erin Brockovich

Cursed. Roberts married country singer Lyle Lovett in 1993 and later divorced. In 1998, Roberts began dating Law & Order star Benjamin Bratt. He was her escort for the March 2001 Academy Awards ceremony. Three months later, they announced their relationship had come to a “kind and tenderhearted end.” Roberts met cameraman Daniel Moder while filming The Mexican in 2000. After waiting to divorce his wife first, Moder and Roberts married in 2002. They have three children: Hazel Patricia, Phinnaeus Walter and Henry Daniel.

1999 Hilary Swank – Boys Don’t Cry as Brandon Teena

Cursed. See 2004 Hilary Swank above…

1998 Gwyneth Paltrow – Shakespeare in Love as Viola De Lesseps/Thomas Kent

Retroactively cursed. Paltrow broke off her engagement to Brad Pitt in 1997, a decision she told Diane Sawyer she regretted. The two had dated for nine years. She married Coldplay lead vocalist Chris Martin in 2003. Children are Apple Blythe Alison Martin and Moses Bruce Anthony Martin.

1997 Helen Hunt – As Good as It Gets as Carol Connelly

Cursed. Hunt dated actor Hank Azaria since 1994. They married in 1999. Divorced in 2000. She has been in a relationship with Dirt TV series producer Matthew Carnahan since 2001. They have a daughter Makena Lei Gordon Carnahan.

By Robin Rowe

Jessica Simpson visits a Thai monastery in The Price of Beauty

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/15/2010 – “Beauty is an easy thing to become obsessed with,” says VH1 The Price of Beauty star Jessica Simpson. “People put so much pressure on women to be beautiful. There’s always a new diet to follow, a new beauty product to use, but is that really what defines beauty? I’m going to travel the world and see what makes a woman in different cultures feel beautiful.”

The Price of Beauty is part beauty guide, part travelogue, as Jessica Simpson and her peeps (stylist Ken Paves and friend CaCee Cobb) travel to sample beauty in a different culture each week. In each country a “beauty ambassador” shows Simpson the goals and consequences of the local quest for beauty. The first episode, premiering tonight, travels to Thailand. Upcoming episodes will go to France, Uganda, Japan, Brazil, Moroco, and India.

“The Price of Beauty is a show I’ve inherited, but I’m very happy to have inherited it,” says RDF USA CEO Grant Mansfield. “It’s great to have Jessica Simpson in a show like this on VH1.” (For more about RDF USA, see this story.)

“The Price of Beauty was an internally generated idea here at RDF and we immediately wanted to approach Jessica as we knew she’d be the perfect fit,” says RDF USA executive VP Claire O’Donohoe. “We were thrilled when she agreed. I think Jessica tackles issues that many young girls and women are dealing with everyday and sheds light on how the rest of the world sees beauty. What’s beautiful to a tribe in Thailand is the complete opposite to Moroccan women.  In Uganda, the fatter a woman, the more beautiful and proud.”

“Every episode has a poignant moment,” sasy O’Donohoe. “In Mumbai, Jessica teams with Operation Smile to help a young girl have her cleft palate fixed. In Thailand, Jessica bonds with a woman who she eventually brings to L.A. for a striking transformation in the finale episode. There are also many funny and shocking moments along the way. Jessica, Ken and Cacee have their feet nibbled by fish at a Japanese spa, dress up like Carnival Queens in Rio, Bollywood dance in Mumbai and hang out in a Fattening hut in Uganda.”

“The reason I’m traveling to all these countries is I want to find it for myself,” says Simpson. “It’s all about the journey. We came to Thailand to find out what Thai women do for beauty.” The Thailand beauty ambassador is Sonia Couling, the model who hosts Thailand’s version of Next Top Model.

Jessica Simpson is entertaining, in a ditzy blonde way, in The Price of Beauty. The show has serious moments, such as when Simpson is introduced to a beautiful singer who’s been disfigured by skin bleaching products she purchased in a Thai market. Her price of beauty was obviously too high.

What’s lacking in The Price of Beauty is a personality that Middle America can identify with. Jessica Simpson is Jessica Simpson, and her two sidekicks are comic relief, not someone Peoria wants to be.

When Simpson encounters the disfigured Thai singer, she doesn’t know what to do for her but console her. It isn’t made clear in the show what could be done to help the singer. The person missing from the show is a doctor, someone serious who can speak as an expert about the health price of beauty. Jessica Simpson is the ambassador to the charity Operation Smile, a group of doctors who restore the faces of those who can’t afford reconstructive surgery. It’s too bad one of those doctors isn’t a part of this show.

The Price of Beauty talks about the human cost of beauty, but doesn’t give the price in dollars. If you want to know what the upkeep costs to be a beautiful woman in Thailand, you won’t find the answer here. The Price of Beauty is great idea for a TV show. It just needs to show it’s more than skin deep.

Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty premieres on Monday, March 15 at 10/9c on VH1.

By Robin Rowe

RDF produces The Price of Beauty starring Jessica Simpson

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/15/2010 – “The Zodiak deal for us is potentially transformational,” says RDF USA CEO Grant Mansfield. “It gives us access to a huge catalog of successful formats in Europe, rather than just in the UK.”

Mansfield has only been at RDF USA for about four weeks, but has worked at RDF in London for about seven years and is a significant shareholder. Besides being the U.S. CEO, he’s group director of factual entertainment and comedy, overseeing most of the production out of the UK. He sees vast untapped potential for RDF in the U.S.

“Natalka Znak is a key part of our strategy going forward,” says Mansfield. “She’s going to join as chief creative officer. She’s the star producer of non-scripted programming in the UK at the moment. She’s created and produced three of the biggest hits in the UK and a lot more besides. She’s also made those shows for the U.S. market. She’s made I’m a Celebrity and Hell’s Kitchen over here.” Znak, who Mansfield hired four months ago, will serve as the creative head of the company when she arrives in May.

“We’re very keen to get back to the core of our business, devising and producing hit television shows,” says Mansfield. Earlier this year RDF let go of its digital (Internet) division and talent management operations in order to focus on creating TV shows. The Price of Beauty with Jessica Simpson premieres tonight. And Wife Swap returns to ABC for its 11^th season on April 2^nd. The Secret Millionaire, which started on the Fox network, will return as a mid-season replacement on ABC.

RDF has grown very rapidly. In the UK, RDF is known as a super-indie, one of the five biggest TV producers. “When I arrived seven years ago we had 70 people working at the company,” says Mansfield. “It’s near 800 now. It’s exciting to be part of a company that grows very rapidly.” Key to the company’s financial success was a change in British TV regulation.

“We lobbied the government and persuaded them that if they wanted a creative industry to flourish, we had to be able to own the content we created for the broadcasters,” says Mansfield. “In the UK there was a piece of legislation that independent producers got to own the content they were creating for broadcasters. It transformed a lifestyle business to a proper business.”

That change came about six years ago and RDF started making real money, both from content creation and from content distribution of their own and other companies’ shows. Other UK producers were making money, too. Then came a lot of consolidation of UK production companies, and RDF emerged as a super-indie.

Mansfield attributes the company’s success to putting a lot of time and money into development. “You have to be courageous enough to put a lot time and effort into development, which by and large isn’t financed. That’s your risk capital. In the UK we have a reputation for producing very clever as well as very successful formats.”

The RDF/Zodiak deal is expected to be complete within a couple months. After being dominated by independents in the ’80s, the trend for many years in the U.S. TV market has been toward network-owned shows. Having a U.S. super-indie may signal a resurgence of U.S. independent TV production companies and greater creativity, as it has in the UK.

By Gabrielle Pantera

Bluefox.extreme headset

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/15/2010 – As she took home the Oscar for Best Actress at the 2010 Academy Awards, Sandra Bullock asked “Did I really win this or just wear you down?”. At the Razzie ceremony the night before, Bullock pointed out that more people must have seen All About Steve than was generally thought in order for her to “win” the Razzie Award for Worst Actress. Bullock won an Oscar and a Razzie, but what about the other nominees, what do they get?

This year’s Academy Award nominees who didn’t take home an Oscar received a consolation gift basket from Distinctive Assets the day after the ceremony. Valued at over $61,000, let’s take a look inside this post-awards gift basket.

BlueFox Extreme Bluetooth BF-301v headset is the first voice-controlled Bluetooth headset with Max 4x Noise-Canceling Technology and Microsoft BING search. Control most functions with the sound of your voice.  The headset speaks back to you, too.

www.bluefoxextreme.com/

Gourmet artisan chocolate creations from Chocolatines by Sweet Endeavours to sweeten the bitter Oscar loss with a 16-piece Contempo Collection, Chocolate-dipped Bacon, Matcha Sesame Bark, Mini Lux Turtles and Diamond Collection Champagne Ganache.

HGTV Green Home Mattress Collection by Serta. HGTV has partnered with Serta to create a new collection of eco-friendly mattresses. Supremely comfortable and affordable while offering the latest eco-friendly mattress features.

Ila Dusk personal security alarm emits a piercing, high decibel female scream designed to shock and disorientate an attacker and give time to get away. A discreet stylish accessory that can be kept close at hand. Designed by Ila Security, helping women feel safer through stylish technology.

www.ilasecurity.com/

SoHo Ultra-Quiet personal shredder from GoECOlife. Certified carbon-free shredder meets the standards of the CarbonFree Product Certification Program.

www.goecolife.com/

Slimware dinnerware is used by body-conscious Hollywood stars such as Rene Russo, Kristin Chenoweth, Emily Procter and Ashlee Simpson. Throw away your scale. Portion-conscious dishes from Slimware indicate portions by sight. The plate’s design patterns have spaces for veggies, carbs and protein. Available patterns are Central Park, Downtown Chic, Sunburst and Urban Safari.

http://www.slimware.com/Slimware portion-control plates/

Pets

Fancy Feast’s “Celebrate the Moment” gift package includes a FlipCam Mino, Tiffany crystal-studded cat collar and an assortment of Fancy Feast appetizers for cats.

http://fancyfeast.com/

Professional dog studio photography package from Otis & Lucy in Culver City, California. The studio is designed for the safety and comfort of animals. State-of-the-art lighting equipment mounted on ceiling rails is triggered via radio transceivers.

http://www.otisandlucy.com/

Petprojek dog bowls and toys are 100% lead-free, cadmium-free and 100% phthalate PVC free. Feel good about what you’re giving your dog to play with and eat and drink from. Petprojekt is a division of Otomik Products.

http://www.otomik.com/

Wellness WellBites and Pure Rewards all-natural dog snacks from Wellpet. These treats are made with all-natural ingredients. Wellbites are a soft and chewy treat made with meats, fruits, veggies and grains, and Pure Rewards are a soft and chewy treat made with meats, fruits, veggies and grains.

www.wellnesspetfood.com/

Health and Beauty

The Oral-B Pulsonic slim and sleek electric toothbrush cleans and promote naturally whiter teeth. The thin precision bristles gently polish off surface stains. There is a two minute  timer that at 30 second indicates when to change the area of your mouth you brush.

http://www.oralb.com/

DeLeá signature fragrance gems and oil are environmentally-conscious. Oprah Winfrey, Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus and Katherine Heigl are among the celebrities who’ve received DeLeá signature gems, fragrance pearls and oils. DeLeá Signature DeLeá Signature Oil contain 100% oil. Long-lasting fragrance suitable for even the most sensitive skin.

http://www.deleaoil.com/perfume-oil.htm

AG Hair Cosmetics deluxe Colour Savour gift set. John and Lotte Davis started the company with one simple vision: to create superior hair products. Shampoos, conditioners, styling products and more.

www.aghaircosmetics.com/

Herbalife Nutritional Products including Shake Mix and Best Defense immune booster supplement. Herbalife offers nutrition, weight-management and personal care products through an exclusive network of 1.9 million distributors in 72 countries.

www.herbalife.com/

La Peau Couture Organic Wrinkle Diminishing Serum special organic blend provides a daily topical treatment that is safe, natural and effective.

www.lapeaucouture.com/

Huntley Drive Fitness is gifting 10 personal training sessions. Previous nominees Melissa Leo and Jason Reitman train with Huntley Drive Fitness.

www.huntleydrivefitness.com/

Live In Fitness Enterprise one week all-inclusive fitness bootcamp. Former Oscar nominee Angela Bassett just finished the Red Carpet Bootcamp Program.

Travel

Turks & Caicos Sporting Club at Ambergris Clay offers a private island vacation for

$45,000 that includes exclusive use of an African Safari Lodge from Premier Tours. Spend four nights at the luxurious Lion Sands Private Game Reserve in South Africa for up to eight adults and eight kids. All meals are prepared by a private chef. Includes daily private game drives in open safari vehicles and guided nature walks.

Winvian Luxury Hotel offers a three-night all-inclusive rustic getaway at their Luxury Hotel in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. Last year, 2009 nominees Ron Howard and Frank Langella redeemed this gift.

http://www.winvian.com/

Fashion

Ideeli.com provides special access online shopping cards and is the first members-only shopping community in the U.S. Limited-time sales events feature the most sought-after brands in fashion, home and beauty, at up to 80% off. Membership by invitation only. No fee to join.

www.Ideeli.com/

The Scandinavian Company “Exclusively Scandinavian Gift Basket” includes hand-crafted C&C Sweden clogs, fashionable Funq Wear Support Socks, Björk & Berries soaps and lotions, skinARCTICA organic unisex skincare.

www.thescandinaviancompany.com/

WooLoot waterproof tourmaline sport watches combine the latest trends in fashion and sports. The WooLoot Wave Sports Watch contains tourmaline, a semi-precious stone that’s a natural resource of negative ions. The waterproof sports watches weigh just 10g and come in a dozen exciting colors. $10 to $20.

www.woolootsport.com

Milli Anna Design provides fashion-forward costume jewelry combines a delicate and feminine sensibility with strong, contemporary design.

http://www.milliannadesign.com/

Receiving an Oscar is great, and it’s great to be nominated.

By Robin Rowe

Robosaurus crushes a boat in America's Worst Driver

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/14/2010 – “I knew they’d be bad, but not this bad,” says America’s Worst Driver co-host Jill Simonian. “They made me feel much better about my own driving, as pathetic as that sounds. I’ve always loved cars and racing, but my mom and sister hate driving with me because I make them nervous.”

Simonian was picked by the show’s producers after seeing her in an old audition tape. They contacted her through Facebook. “For my next audition they put me in a car with Alonzo and said drive and talk,” says Simonian. “I was petrified I was going to get into a fender-bender.” Production started shooting three days after her wedding, postponing a honeymoon to Greece. Meanwhile, Simonian was on the road shooting for five weeks. “I kept picturing my husband at home, and thinking he hates me now,” says Simonian. “He says he doesn’t!”

The format of the show is four drivers, nominated by friends or family to be America’s worst driver, spend a day in city driving and a second day on an obstacle course to determine who’s the worst. Show hosts Alonzo Bodden and Jill Simonian explain each challenge. What makes the show funny is the person who nominated him or her as worst driver has to ride in the car. Also riding with them is an off-duty traffic cop who deducts points every time the driver makes a driving mistake. In the process of driving around the city, we learn something about each city, starting with San Francisco in the first episode.

America's Worst Driver co-host Jill Simonian

Simonian says she’s not known for being a good driver herself, that her parents, sister, friends, and husband have all said she’s a terrible driver. Her faults include running over a 4-foot tall bush in a parking lot, knocking off her side- mirror twice and countless traffic school attendances. “Watching the drivers on this show made me a better driver,” says Simonian. “Now, I’m more cautious, drive slower and have given up texting on the road.”

America’s Worst Driver is based on a successful British show produced by Mentorn and broadcast in many territories. TV production company A. Smith, whose flagship show is Hell’s Kitchen, noticed the UK version of Worst Driver at MIPCON, a TV industry tradeshow.

“Obviously the whole mission is to find bad drivers,” says A. Smith & Co. Properties COO Frank Sinton. “The lack of skill in driving really shocked me. It’s a very challenging show to produce. Safety is very important. Bad driving is funny, but a serious subject. The last thing we wanted to do was glamorize bad driving or take it lightly. My biggest critic of my own driving is my 7-year-old daughter who now gives me demerits every time I take a hand off the wheel. My son just got his driver’s license.”

“There’s a real joy in producing America’s Worst Driver,” says Sinton. “Technology was a big challenge. We used a brand new technology for the in-car cameras. We were able to have three cameras in the car for all our shoots. The technology of the small cameras really made the show work, getting inside the car.”

Sony HXR-MC1 crash cam

The America’s Worst Driver cameras are Sony HXR-MC1 High Definition POV “Crash Cam” recorders. The $2,500 camcorder, designed to be strapped to a motorcycle helmet or skateboard, features an outboard LCD monitor to frame the shot or check it for playback. The camera records in AVCHD High Definition H.264 video format on MemoryStick flash media at up to 16Mb/s.

“We had cameras everywhere, including in the mouth of robosaurus, our 40-foot car-crushing robot,” says Sinton. “There was drama finding a location that could handle a fire-breathing car-crushing robot.”

America’s Worst Driver almost came to nothing, not from an errant robot, but due to a driver. “The stress got to one of our drivers, who got very ill the night before the final challenge,” says Sinton. “We were afraid we weren’t going to get through our first show. We’d built an obstacle course and scoured the country for months looking for the worst driver. We almost lost the whole show right there.”

America’s Worst Driver is A. Smith’s first show with The Travel Channel. “They were one of the last networks we thought of taking it to,” says Sinton. “What’s really fun about America’s Worst Driver is once we started talking to The Travel Channel they made the show better by taking the show from city to city. You learn about a city, which is why we travel. It made the show more interesting and relevant.”

Exploring a city by car is a truly American travel experiences. So is being annoyed by bad drivers. The Travel Channel America’s Worst Driver explores the worst drivers attempting the some of the best driving locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New York City, Miami, and Dallas. Premieres March 14 at 10pm, with new episodes through May 9th on the Travel Channel. The Travel Channel is provided by Scripps Networks Interactive, which also provides the Food Network, HGTV, DIY Network, Great American Country, and the Fine Living Network. Full episodes are also available anytime On Demand.

www.travelchannel.com

Ben Stiller as an Avatar Na'vi presenting the Oscar

By Robin Rowe

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/8/2010 – With the pressure of 41.5 million watching, the biggest Oscar audience in five years, who provided the best acceptance speech moments?

1. “We had this fantasy of making our film our way with the talent that we hoped to have, and hopefully, we would find a distributor and somebody might even like the movie,” says screenwriter Mark Boal receiving the award for Best Picture for The Hurt Locker. “So to be standing here, this was really, truly, honestly never part of anything we even imagined in our wildest dreams.”
2. “Thank you, Mom and Dad,” says Jeff Bridges receiving the Oscar for Best Actor for Crazy Heart. “They loved show biz so much and I feel an extension of them. You know, this, this is honoring them as much as it is me.”
3. “Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down?,” says Sandra Bullock receiving the Oscar for Best Actress. “And Meryl, you know what I think of you and you are such a good kisser.”
4. ”I would not be standing here if it wasn’t for Mark Boal, who risked his life for the words on the page,” says Kathryn Bigelow receiving the Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker, “and wrote such a courageous screenplay that I was fortunate enough to have an extraordinary cast bring that screenplay to life. I’d just like to dedicate this to the women and men in the military who risk their lives on a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world. And may they come home safe.”
5. “I was a reporter back from Iraq with the idea for a story about these men on the frontlines of an unpopular war,” says screenwriter Mark Boal receiving the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The Hurt Locker. “To our amazing cast and crew, and most of all to one extraordinary individual and visionary filmmaker. Kathryn Bigelow, this belongs to you.”
6. “Oscar and Penélope, that’s an über bingo,” says Christoph Waltz upon receiving the Oscar from Penélope Cruz for Best Supporting Actor in Inglourious Basterds.
7. “Boy, never did I dream that making a flip book out of my third grade math book would lead to this,” says director Pete Docter receiving the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film for Up. “Thanks so much to Disney and to Pixar Animation Studios for believing in this oddball film.”
8. “In a world in which most of us are told and tell ourselves that we can’t,” says Elinor Burkett receiving the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject for Music by Prudence. “Liyana, the band behind this film, teaches us that we’re wrong. Against all odds they did, so we can.”
9. “I’m sorry I’m drawing a blank right now, but I thank everyone,” says screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher receiving the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. “I wrote that speech for him,” added host Steve Martin.
10. “First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics,” says Mo’Nique receiving the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Precious. “Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey because you touched it, the whole world saw it.”
11. “I don’t want to step on your tail,” says Mindy Hall receiving the Oscar for Best Makeup for Star Trek from Ben Stiller wearing Avatar Na’vi vivid blue skin makeup and sporting a long tail. “It’s hard to follow that face. We had an amazing staff of artists, over 40. We share this with you and we’ll be giving your names backstage at that backstage Thank You Cam.”
12. “Thirteen years ago, the doctors told me I wasn’t going to survive, and I thought that this dream of standing here would never come true,” says Robert Stromberg receiving the Oscar for Best Art Direction for Avatar. “And, here we are. Jim, every day we went to work, we knew we were working with a genius.”
13. “I already have two of these, so I’m feeling greedy,” says designer Sandy Powell in an Edith Head moment while receiving the Oscar for Costume Design for The Young Victoria. “I’d like to dedicate this one to the costume designers that don’t do movies about dead monarchs or glittery musicals. The designers that do the contemporary films and the low-budget ones…but I’m gonna take it home tonight.”
14. “When I was nine and I asked my dad, ‘Can I have your movie camera, that old, wind-up 8-millimeter camera that was in your drawer?’”, says Michael Giacchino receiving the Oscar for Best Original Score for Up. “And he goes, ‘Sure, take it.’ And I took it and I started making movies with it and I started being as creative as I could, and never once in my life did my parents ever say, “What you’re doing is a waste of time.’”
15. “I want to thank the Academy for not considering Na’vi [the language in Avatar] a foreign language, first of all,” says Juan José Campanella receiving the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos). “And for letting us spend three great days in the company of incredible filmmakers.”

By Gabrielle Pantera

A Kid for Two Farthings, a lost classic

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/8/2010 – A Kid for Two Farthings is being published by the Bloomsbury Group as a “lost classics” of the early 20th century. A Kid for Two Farthings is Wolf Mankowitz’s 1953 novel based on his experiences growing up Jewish in London’s East End. The story explores the life of Joe, a six-year-old waiting to join his father in Aftrica. Joe lives with his mother in the East End of London’s poor immigrant community Whitechapel.

In A Kid for Two Farthings, the tailor Mr. Kandinsky tells Joe that a unicorn can grant any wish. Joe finds a unicorn that he buys for two farthings and brings home. Although the adults see that the unicorn is really just a goat, they perpetuate Joe’s belief that it’s a unicorn. Will Joe’s belief be strong enough to make miracles happen?

Despite a misstep with James Bond, Mankowitz had a very successful career as a novelist and playwright. Mankowitz was a screenwriter on the first Bond film, Doctor No, until he insisted on having his name removed because he thought the film would be a flop. In 1962 Mankowitz had introduced his friend Cubby Broccoli to James Bond rights-holder Harry Saltzman. Mankowitz later collaborated on the screenplay for the Peter Sellers spoof Bond movie Casino Royale.

A Kid for Two Farthings was turned into a film in 1955 by Carol Reed. Mankowitz wrote the screenplay.

In his autobiography Kicking Against the Pricks, Oscar Lewenstein describes the stage company Lewenstein/Mankowitz Productions, formed in 1955 with Mankowitz. One of their productions was Moby-Dick – Rehearsed, the Orson Welles’ adaptation of the Melville classic.

Other books by Mankowitz include Make Me an Offer and My Old Man’s a Dustman.

Make Me an Offer was made into a film in 1954. In 1958 Mankowitz wrote the book for the hit West End musical Expresso Bongo.

A Kid for Two Farthings is an uplifting story of unwavering faith and belief in miracles by a six-year-old. It makes you realize that believing in something can create miracles. Mankowitz shows the harsh reality of life in the poor part of town. There’s a great relationship between Joe and Mr. Kandinsky, who tells Joe stories to enliven their days. This book is for anyone who wants to believe again.

Wolf Mankowitz was born in 1924. He died of cancer in 1998 in County Cork, Ireland. His ashes are at the Golders Green Crematorium, the same location that holds the ashes of Peter Sellers.

A Kid for Two Farthings: A Novel (Bloomsbury Group) by Wolf Mankowitz (Author)

Trade Paperback, 144 pages, Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (December 22, 2009), Language: English, ISBN: 9781608190485

By Robin Rowe

Sandra Bullock wins Oscar for The Blind Side

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/8/2010 – “Did I really win this,” asks The Blind Side star Sandra Bullock, “or just wear you down?” Bullock recognized each of the nominees and noted that Meryl Streep is a “good kisser.” Sandra Bullock had planted an open mouth kiss on Meryl Streep when they tied for the Best Actress win at the 15th annual Critics’ Choice Awards in January.

I share this award with these extraordinary women and my ‘lover’ Meryl Streep,” says Bullock ”Everyone who was kind to me when it wasan’t fashionable, I thank you. George Clooney, who threw me ina pool years ago, I still bear a grudge.”

Other nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role include Helen Mirren in The Last Station, Carey Mulligan in An Education, Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, and Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia.

By Robin Rowe

The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow, first woman to win Oscar as Best Director

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/8/2010 – “This is the moment of a lifetime,” says The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow. “I would not be standing here if it was not for Mark Boal who risked his life and wrote such an extraordinary screenplay.” Mark Boal also won an Oscar tonight for Best Screenplay.

“I think the secret to directing is collaborating,” says Bigelow as she thanks her producers, actors and crew. ”I thank the people of Jordon who were so hospitable to us.” After accepting the award for Best Director, Bigelow was called back to the stage to accept the award for Best Picture.

Kathryn Bigelow is the first female director to win an Oscar. A hundred years ago, many women, including Mary Pickford, were directors. By the end of the Twentieth Century, there were almost none. That’s changed in the last few years as many female directors have emerged making major motion pictures.

In winning for Best Director and for Best Picture, Kathryn Bigelow beat ex-husband James Cameron and Avatar in both categories. Other nominees for Best Director include Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds, Lee Daniels for Precious, and Jason Reitman for Up in the Air.

By Robin Rowe

Hurt Locker wins two Oscars for sound

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/8/2010 – “Catherine, what an incredible movie and thank you for your friendship,” said The Hurt Locker sound editor Paul N.J. Ottosson. The sound editor is the one who brings together the sounds for a film. The sound mixer is who takes those sounds and mixes them into a soundtrack on a sound stage. Traditionally, the sound editor and the sound mixer are two different union positions. Technology has blurred the lines. Times have changed.

Ottosson, who had just won for Sound Editing, was called back to the stage to accept the award for Best Sound Mixing. “You have to say something!” somebody told him in a stage whisper. “This is a little embarrassing, a spoil of riches.” Accepting the Sound Mixing award with Ottosson was Ray Beckett.

Other nominees for Sound Editing include Avatar (Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle), Inglourious Basterds (Wylie Stateman), Star Trek (Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin), Up (Michael Silvers and Tom Myers). Other nominees for Sound Mixing include Avatar (Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson), The Hurt Locker (Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett,  Inglourious Basterds (Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano), Star Trek (Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin), and  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson).