If I asked you right now who the most powerful women in Hollywood are, what would your answer be? When faced with this question earlier (my friend and I were talking about the very same topic), I named Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. According to The Hollywood Reporter – which is definitely a more reliable source than I am – I got one correctly.
The chairwoman of Harpo Inc. tops the trade paper’s 17th annual Power 100 list “based on her dizzying array of Oprah-branded media and her immense cultural influence,” Guider said.
Honorees are chosen by a panel of reporters and editors who consider each woman’s corporate position, control of purse strings and power to greenlight content.
During the same Q-&-A session, Disney’s co-chairwoman, Anne Sweeney, who was second on the list, said she uses chocolate as a salve, while No. 3, Sony Chairwoman Amy Pascal, opts to hide under the covers when failure strikes. The list was published Friday.
Who else made the list? I only really recognized Oprah in the top 10. Angelina Jolie made it to number 24, Tyra Banks is at 36, Tina Fey at 56, Rachael Ray at 65, and Miley Cyrus at 100. I don’t know about you but I was a bit surprised at number 100. Then again, the Hannah Montana phenomenon is indeed quite remarkable. For the complete list, visit The Hollywood Reporter.
Who is it? No, it is not Donald Trump. Never mind that this mogul who does not seem to mind wearing an ill-fitting wig can easily strike fear or inspiration in the hearts of people. And no, it is not Chuck Norris either. (Oh, heck, I think I see a round house kick coming just for writing that line!) So who is Hollywood’s most powerful man?
Come to think of it, I never really paid much attention to this in the past. I guess I have been to busy thinking about other things but this weekend, with everything and everyone in Hollywood buzzing about one single topic, it is hard to miss. Remember that little golden man?
Yup, I am talking about Mr. Oscar. It actually took an article from The Star Central to make me realize that indeed, this 13 ½ inch guy might very well be the most powerful man in Tinsel Town. Tonight, the whole world will see why.
Have you ever wondered why he was named Oscar? The truth is, his name was not always so. In fact, he didn’t even have a name to begin with. As the story goes, Margaret Herrick, once the Academy librarian remarked that the statue bore a resemblance to her Uncle Oscar and perhaps, Sidney Skolsky’s (a journalist) usage of the name to refer to Katharine Hepburn’s win in 1934 helped it stick. It was not until 1939 that Oscar became the official name, however.
Today, this name is known all over the world to represent the best movies that have graced the silver screen. And tonight, the whole world will be watching – yet again.
He’s already a star – there is no doubt about it, but surely, Sir Ben Kingsley surely still aspired (even if it was secretly perhaps) to have his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This year is a good year for the British actor – his new movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time has just been released in the United States. The ceremony for his Walk of Fame star coincided with the release.
It was held at the Hollywood Boulevard and of course, many other stars were present. Bruce Willis – a star in his own right –was among the people who witnessed the honor being given to Sir Ben Kingsley. So what did the 2,410th recipient of a Hollywood star have to say about the accolade?
“Standing here today amongst you is one of the many things I thought growing up in England that would never happen to me. It was a privilege to be an enduring part of the architecture of this extraordinary city.”
Indeed, having your own star is akin to being immortalized. Not that Sir Ben Kingsley had not been immortalized in other ways prior to his being awarded a star. He has starred in countless films that have touched the lives of so many people – and they are certain to make an impact in the lives of future film-loving generations. Think Schindler’s List, Gandhi, and Oliver Twist.
Here’s to Sir Ben Kingsley and his most recent accolade!
It seems to me we’re hearing of people getting a Hollywood Star more often these days. Perhaps it’s because of the fact that the Hollywood greats are reaching the point that they have to immortalized – there’s no question about that. Whatever the reason, I was quite thrilled to hear that Dennis Hopper has been given his very own star. This makes him the 2,403rd person to receive one.
For those who may not have heard about it, Dennis Hopper is waging a war against prostate cancer. He announced this piece of news several months ago. While he is certainly not the first Hollywood star to experience such a struggle, it is always sad when we hear about such things. To have a Star awarded to the 73-year-old actor means so much more under these circumstances.
Dennis Hopper received a lot of support during the awarding ceremony. The Celebrity Café reports:
Jack Nicholson and David Lynch, Johnny Mathis and hundreds of photo snapping fans all came out to support the honor presented by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive Leron Gubler. Viggo Mortensen and film producer Mark Canton spoke some praise to Hopper as well.
“He is someone who has seemed to regularly rise out of the ashes of self-inflicted chaos, surprising us with his originality and wit as an artist and defying the odds by somehow staying alive physically and professionally,” spoke Mortensen.
Oh yes, Mr. Mortensen, I couldn’t have phrased that in a better way! This farm boy from Dodge City, Kansas has indeed gone a long way; and he deserves this Star so much more than some people out there.
Country singer Alan Jackson is set to get his Hollywood star next year. If you are not a country music fan, you probably couldn’t care less. For those who are into country music, however, this should prove to be interesting.
There are over 2,000 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame already. They first started putting stars in their in 1958 and each year, worthy celebrities are awarded their own stars. Year in and year out, people from all over the world come in droves to visit Hollywood, and guess what is one of the most visited places in Tinsel Town? You got it – the Walk of Fame.
Jackson is nominated in the recording category — along with Bryan Adams, The Funk Brothers, Chaka Khan, Van Morrison, Marco Antonio Solis, Ringo Starr, ZZ Top and — posthumously — Roy Orbison.
In addition to Thompson, motion picture nominees were James Cameron, Russell Crowe, John Cusack, Colin Firth, Gale Ann Hurd, Alan Menken, Randy Neuman, Adam Sandler and Mark Wahlberg. Nominated in the television category were Graves, Chris Berman, Jon Cryer, Jimmy Kimmel, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Bill Maher and Sam Waterston.
The year is not really half way done but I am sure that the awardees are already beside themselves with excitement. As for us mere mortals, we can hope to be there during the formal ceremony.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame recently got an addition to its already numerous stars. This time, it is a member of the British group, The Beatles. George Harrison was awarded the accolade on the 14th of this month.
Beatles fans would know that George Harrison died in 2001, at the age of 58. Cancer was the cause of his death. And while he might not have been the most popular member of the band, it cannot be denied that he contributed a lot to the band’s success. He was a school friend of Paul McCartney, and was actually a founder of The Quarrymen, the band which later on evolved into The Beatles.
George is actually the man behind many of the band’s most popular songs, including Here Comes The Sun, Something, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. And when The Beatles disbanded, George Harrison’s career did not really take that much of a beating. In the 70s, he launched a solo career and managed to come up with a hit song, My Sweet Lord. Not unlike the songs he created and performed with the rest of the band, this solo song became a hit all over the world.
Now that he has passed away, George’s legacy remains alive in his work. As a matter of fact, award winning Martin Scorsese is working on a documentary about George’s life. In addition to that, Capitol/EMI are also pondering on releasing a new Harrison record. This is something to look forward to.
CSI fans rejoice! There is no doubt that Gil Grissom is one of the most popular and most loved characters in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Known as William Petersen in real life, he has finally gotten a much coveted star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Press Association published a report earlier this week:
William Petersen said he was “overwhelmed” as he became the latest star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was joined by cast and crew members from the TV show when he was honoured with the 2,379th star on the famous Los Angeles boulevard.
“I’m overwhelmed by this, needless to say. I never expected it, I never thought of this…” he said. “You know I feel privileged and honoured and incredibly humbled. The men and women of the film and television industry are the soul of Los Angeles. I have been so fortunate to work with so many of the artists who have devoted their lives to the entertainment business and I feel truly blessed to be counted among them, to be in their company.”
Grissom’s fans are not the only one who are rejoicing with him, though. As you can see up there, his co-stars were there to provide their support and encouragement. And they were quite vocal about this as well:
His CSI co-star Marg Helgenberger paid an emotional tribute to William at the ceremony. II can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honour, Billy,” she said. “Millions of fans love him for his many memorable roles, yet the sum of all the parts he’s played don’t come close to the complexity, the kindness, the mystery, the loyalty and the generosity that is Billy himself.”
Now I can’t help but wonder who will be the next star to get his star?
Everyone needs a hero and our world today, more than ever, needs its own heroes to look up to. In a world were violence and all sorts of negative things are common, it can be hard to retain a positive outlook. Yet when we hear of and witness simple acts that become great in their simplicity, we can’t help but be inspired and once again believe in the goodness of mankind. This is how I felt when I read and viewed the tribute to CNN Heroes of 2008.
Singer Christina Aguilera joined fellow Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend for “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” which honored the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008.
The show, taped before an audience of more than 2,500 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, premiered on the global networks of CNN on Thanksgiving night.
Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, was named 2008 CNN Hero of the Year.
McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 1 million votes were cast.
Here is the video of Christina Aguilera singing, courtesy of YouTube.
I regret that I was not able to take part in the voting for the heroes of this year. Maybe next time.
We should have seen this coming. For each movie released, each show produced, and basically anything that happens in Hollywood, critics are all up and about and ready to share a piece of their mind with the general public. So why should the recent Emmy Awards be any different? Interested in what the critics have to say? Here are some of the more interesting bits.
As Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times said, “If we come away with nothing else from this year’s Emmys, let us all agree that having a host with some experience actually entertaining people is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. The show never quite recovered from its unforgivably bad opener or its less-than-useless hosts.
I would agree if I were a winner and I was not allowed to speak more than 2 seconds – which happened quite a lot this time around.
Frazier Moore of the AP recalled, “There have been boring, listless and otherwise ham-handed Emmy broadcasts among the past 59. Sunday’s Emmycast was all of those things. But ‘The 60th Primetime Emmys’ also seemed an inadvertent homage to the 100 days of the Hollywood writers strike last season, when the shows that were able to continue demonstrated what TV without writers is like.
Still doubt the important role that writers play in Hollywood? Watch the Emmys and doubt no more.
David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun said, “While it was exciting to see history being made, as entertainment, the telecast emceed by five reality hosts was without a doubt one of the worst in history. It was tedious from the moment Tom Bergeron (‘Dancing with the Stars’), Howie Mandel (‘Deal or No Deal’), Jeff Probst (‘Survivor’), Heidi Klum ( ‘Project Runway’) and Ryan Seacrest (‘American Idol’) hit the stage and did 12 minutes of chatter about not having an opening monologue or remarks. The segment ended with two of the reality guys ripping off Klum’s tuxedo to reveal a skimpy showgirl outfit. Yawn. The boredom was momentarily relieved only a couple of times.”
So what do you think? Are the critics right on the spot?
Hollywood is definitely one for setting trends, which is why it’s a great thing for our environment that West Hollywood is setting an example by going green. The City of West Hollywood has in fact won the “Innovation in Green Building Award” for its environtmental-friendlt new program called the “WeHo Green Building Program.”
The Green Building Program is actually not an idea that grew overnight. It started out with a public vision exercise five years ago that showed the interest of those in West Hollywood (not just their planners!) to help the environment by making green building a priority. To show the city government’s dedication to the “green vision” they required all public buildings to adhere to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System and as proof get LEED certifications. It is also developing a new system for urban infill developments to be more environmental friendly.
Country singer Alan Jackson is set to get his Hollywood star next year. If you are not a country music fan, you probably couldn’t care less. For those who are into country music, however, this should prove to be interesting.
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