The stars in this film, you may or may not recognize, there is one familiar face however, and that is of the veteran of French film - Jean Reno.

In Le Chef, Reno plays a well renouned chef, Alexandre Lagarde who heads up the Lagarde restaurant and is so good in fact, that he's been able to mantain 3 stars for his restaurant for 15 years.

At the start of the film we meet Jacky Bonnot (Michael Youn), a 32 year old lover of haute cousine. Bonnot has no professional background in the culinary art and keeps on getting fired from his jobs in simpler kitchens which do not appreciate Homard a la Parisienne or Selle de Veau a la Prince Orloff.

After another one of his job losses (4 within 3 weeks), Jacky is desperate to stick to any work he can find as his heavily pregnant wife is at the end of her term at work and beggs Jacky to think about the future of their young family.

Jacky starts painting windows at an old people's home.

Meanwhile Alexandre Lagard is at cross roads with his boss' young son who is growing and capitalising the business of grocery packaged food and needs the top chefs to endorce the nutritionally weak but uber viable products.

Lagard, being a proud believer in culinary excellency, strongly declines and thus is threatened with losing his restaurant, reputation and is preparing for the worst - Molecular food lover critics coming to his restaurant on the day of the unveiling of the new menu.

Only by pure chance, Lagarde hears about Jacky Bonnot extraordinary self-taught culinary talents and offers the newbie an internship position at the restaurant.

The movie continues on a traditional French comedy plot, with funny scenarios of hidden identities, spying on competition and warmly trying to make the viewer sympathise with the characters who are just human, no matter how stubborn.

Lagard and Bonnot become good mates through the unexpected and  hilarious working relationship.

Both actors (Youn and Reno) do a fantastic job in this warm comedy and I truly enjoyed this film. I feel that I've missed the old school style of warm but well written comedies that French films used to be able to offer on a regular basis. Let's hope they continue in the same spirit!

Here is the official trailer:

Have you got favourite foreign film comedies which are just plain good, funny watching?

Le Chef is in selected cinemas across Australia  from the 14th of June

1. Tom Cruise in Risky Business

2. Uma Turman and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction

3.  Simple Men

4. Tropic Thunder

5.  Breakin' Turbo Broom Dance

6. A nod to Electric Boogaloo: Jean Claude Van Damme as a spadex-clad extra in Breakdance

7. Starsky and Hutch dance off

8.  Napoleon Dynamite

9.  Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion

10.  Little Miss Sunshine

Who is Gil Grissom?

The character Gil Grissom is the heart of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation but he is also an enigmatic figure. Grissom is hard to get to know and both his crack team at the Las Vegas Police Department Crime Lab and fans of the television show have to be patient to learn more about what makes the genius scientist tick.

According to the imdb.com character profile of Grissom, under his obsessive eye and expertise, the Las Vegas Police Department Crime Lab is one of the finest crime-solving units in the country. It is second only to the FBI national headquarters at Quantico (made famous by film The Silence of the Lambs where Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling is in training). Grissom is very socially awkward but excels with people when he is teaching or in his work domain, which is pretty much 24/7!

Grissom is also a world-renowned forensic entomologist – insect expert – and seems to prefer the company of the dead. That way he can avoid emotion and focus on his first love – science. Interestingly Grissom has also become somewhat of a sex symbol for fans of the TV franchise. A 2005 Slate.com article dubbed Grissom ``The sexiest man in the morgue’’ and speak to fans who indulge in writing and reading online fan fiction that imagines what Grissom gets up to when he’s not at the crime lab.

In a 2009 television interview on CBS program The Early Show , actor William Petersen said of his famous and beloved character:  "I think he has a big heart. I don't think he would do what he does if he didn't have a big heart. He likes to pretend he has a big brain instead.’’

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is on TV1 daily.

The actor will also be joined by Reggie Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal. "Finally, I get to say 'Soup for you! Soup for everyone!'" says Jason Alexander.

Mr Yeganeh, played by Larry Thomas in the Seinfeld episode, closed shop in 2004 and now the brand is a franchise. Jerry Seinfeld visited the restaurant recently and told the workers: "Make sure you get everything right with this restaurant - Al's a very important man." "They have not reconciled," the spokeswoman said of Al and Jerry.

Watch the original scene here:

References: http://screencrush.com/soup-nazi/
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/
Image: NBC/Youtube

From Quebec writer/director Jean-Marc Vallée, Cafe De Flore is a masterpiece, combining two narratives set 40 years apart in two different places (Montreal, Canada and Paris, France). Vallée cuts between the stories with practically no connection between them for most of the film. There is a subliminal message which follows throughout and its reinforced through repetition. A piece of music called Cafe de Flore, from the '60s and recently remixed into a techno-trance version by a UK musician.

Antoine, the lead character (Kevin Parent)  is just about to turn 40 - blessed with a beautiful lover, two gorgeous daughters and a job filled with travel and adulation. He is a DJ and music is his life and is an integral part of the film. In the opening scene, Pink Floyd's Breathe can be recognised through the guitars and scream. Parent himself is a musician and song writer, and fits naturally into the role of Antoine.

We cut to 1969 Paris, where Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis, a single mother raising a young boy with Down syndrome. His name is Laurent. Jacqueline injects her life and soul into her son and from the early scenes it is evident that he is her only reason to live.

You may ask impatiently - what do these two worlds have anything in common? But there’s great pleasure to be found if you just follow the thread as it unveils.

Antoine, as we discover through his throughts and discussions with a psycologist,  found his soul mate while still at school, bonded by a shared love of music (why what else!). He and Carole (Hélène Florent) got married and had a family but Antoine later fell in love with Rose (Evelyne Brochu) and he left his family for the new woman. Antoine’s new relationship brings him happiness but there is turmoil from family members and inner doubt. Why did you leave one soul mate for another?

Questions of this nature start to arise, is the past just a dream or is it the future? The characters continue to analyze their dreams and wake up and sleep walk. What does this all mean? This film will challenge the way you think about love.

There is a traditional climax where everything heads for a trainwreck of a situation for a minute or two and the ending is almost bittersweet. There is a bit of abruptness but this invites for conversation and perhaps even a little soul-searching. Overall a great production, staging and storytelling gets 4 stars from me.

Enter here to WIN double passes to see Cafe De Flore

Have a look at the trailer here:

One of the world’s most popular television franchises, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation burst on to American screens in 2000 and has been going strong ever since.  

And now it has a new home at TV1.

The original series has spawned spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI:NY and has had an influence on the rash of crime investigation-themed shows like Bones, NCIS, Cold Case and Without A Trace.

The first season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation starred William Petersen as Las Vegas CSI night supervisor Dr Gil Grissom and Marg Helgenberger as his sassy and instinctive assistant Catherine Willows.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who has hit on a winner for his crime-themed shows – big music, cinematic style and slick police procedurals – CSI starts with the violent crime, the motive (as discovered by the CSI team), then the perps  caught by the end of the episode. It’s a formula that has been blamed for what police and law enforcement professionals have dubbed “The CSI Effect” – people have an appetite like never before for information about forensic science and also have an unrealistic expectation of what the discipline can deliver. In particular, it has been noticed in the United States, United Kingdom and here in Australia that jurors are influenced by television shows like CSI and have an over-inflated sense of their understanding of forensic procedures.

Criticism aside, CSI has had a huge influence on television culture. The CBS show has been in the top twenty programs in the United States since it started over 12 years ago.  And for fast-paced, slick entertainment it’s hard to go past this series.

The show’s popularity has meant some big names have attached themselves to the franchise – Laurence Fishburne, Elisabeth Shue and Ted Danson now star in the latest series.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation season 1 starts on TV1 on Friday, April 13 at 8.30pm.

ABC have confirmed that the Emmy- winning actress, Doris Roberts, will guest star as Gaby’s employer, when she is working as a personal shopper.

The couple (Carlos and Gaby) get into a tug of war for the woman’s attention as Carlos wants Roberts’ character to donate money to his new charity. Roberts will appear in episode 820, “Lost My Power.”

Eva Longoria broke the news herself when she wrote, “ Working with the amazing Doris Roberts today!” on whosay.com

The talented actress who plays Raymond’s (Ray Romano) mother on the popular sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond has recently signed on to an ABC pilot, Counter Culture. Roberts is going to be playing Aunt Lee, a Southern belle who works at a diner.

Counter Culture was written by Stephnie Weir (actress and former writer for MADtv).

Roberts was recently reunited with Patricia Heaton (Raymond co-star) on “The Middle”, as a guest star in one of the episodes.

The all round comedy actress' schedule is more than eventful these days! We hope that this streak continues for Roberts!

Watch the "Everybody Loves Raymond" marathon this Easter on TV1

Image courtesy of  whosay.com

Much softer than many of the gritty crime dramas of today, Murder, She Wrote is one of those shows you can watch while having a cuppa (I tape it to watch while I’m folding my kids’ clothes or doing chores) and it’s a treat to see what murder mystery follows Jessica Fletcher, seemingly wherever she goes. (I guess there wouldn’t be a show without that happening!)

The great English actress Angela Lansbury plays Jessica Fletcher – a modern-day Agatha Christiewho lives in the fictional Maine fishing village of Cabot Cove.  Fletcher is a great feminist character (older, successful woman) who paved the way for more mature female characters to lead crime television shows. Even though Lansbury had been acting in film and on stage for years (she is a Tony winner), Murder, She Wrote boosted her profile in a big way and she became a staple of women’s and television magazines as the show consistently ranked in the top-ten shows on US screens for the first nine years of its 12-year run (1984 to 1996).

The appeal of this show is its quaintness and self-contained mysteries (sometimes there were telemovies and two-part mysteries over the years) that take place in all sorts of interesting locations. Jessica Fletcher has family, friends and fans of her books wherever she goes. It’s also fun to see the fashions of the early 1980s to mid-1990s (Jessica Fletcher is one stylish, smart woman!).

Murder, She Wrote is on TV1 weekdays at 7.30am.

But it is the classic 1980s sitcom Who’s the Boss? that spearheaded the way for the role reversal of gender relationships on TV. Tony Danza plays Tony Micelli, a tough but sensitive Brooklyn former major league baseball player and single dad who finds himself working as a live-in housekeeper to high flying career woman Angela Bower. Angela lives in a large Connecticut home with her son Jonathon and spitfire mum Mona.

Who’s The Boss? lasted eight seasons (1984 to 1992) and for Gen Xers it was probably one of the most-loved sitcoms of the time, along with ones like Family Ties and Growing Pains.

As far as sitcoms go, Who’s the Boss? is near perfect in its construction and scope for storylines – Angela (Judith Light) is uptight with serious hang-ups around her mother Mona (Katherine Helmond) who is very attractive and man-crazy. Angela’s son Jonathon (Danny Pintauro) is seven, shy and is the perfect foil to Tony’s confident, sassy nine-year-old daughter Samantha (Alyssa Milano). Tony comes into the Bower household and shakes it up, not to mention the ever-present attraction between employer and employee. The kids grow up together and become like brother and sister.

Tony Danza is incredibly likeable and one of the great sitcom characters.  Tony Micelli was at the forefront of a trend to address gender representation on television and challenge the “traditional” family. Families were no longer the “Leave it to Beaver” model of family. In Who’s The Boss? the household blended in a more unusual way, which allowed humour, drama and social issues to be addressed.   Who’s the Boss? was also representative of a focus on women’s issues on TV in the 1980s – single parenthood, career, the notion of “having it all”.

Social impacts aside, Who’s the Boss? is a fun, nostalgic watch. I am immediately transported back to my 1980s childhood as soon as I hear the theme song “Brand New Life”.  

Who’s The Boss? Is on afternoon on TV1.

If you haven’t had a chance to tune into Season 2 of Drop Dead Diva, here is a run down. Once you familiarize yourself  with the charming cast and what the plot is all about, it should be pretty easy to jump into Season 2 to catch up on this fun ‘easy watching’ series.

The show is based on an original story, which is very refreshing. Deb ( played by Brooke D’Orsey)is an aspiring model – vain as vain can be and Jane (played by Brooke Elliott) is a top ‘big girl’ lawyer who is conquering the career ladder with the help of her assistant Teri (played by stand up comedian Margaret Cho). When Deb suddenly passes away in a car accident, she acquires Jane’s recently deceased body to continue living and trying to do more Good than Bad.  I wonder if the fact that both actresses are called Brooke in real life adds to the ‘one body’ connection between the two personas.

“You’re shallow” , Fred describes Deb as she goes to the ‘gate’ of Heaven/Hell.

Fred is working as gate keeper who decides whether a person has done enough good vs bad deeds in their life and is assigned to Deb as a guardian angel while she walks through Jane’s life.

Deb, when she becomes a lawyer, gives Jane the lovable characteristics of an actress/model and tries to help out every client with body and soul in mind.

As an addition to adapting to the politics of the new firm, Jane/Deb is also fighting for the affection of her boyfriend Grayson, who was going to propose before Deb passed away.  Funnily enough he started working at Jane’s law firm the day after she went through her ‘sudden demise’.

Jane’s office rival Kim has already set her eye on Deb’s partner in life and it’s a constant flow of empathy for Jane as she has to watch Kim’s sly flirtations and set ups on court.

Luckily Deb’s best friend Stacy, also an aspiring model, recognizes her in Jane’s body and this creates for a lot of girly comedy moments with similar quirky quotes which we loved in “Legally Blonde.”

“We don’t have to go out to have fun “- comment on Deb’s new appearance.

“…I got us a cook book. Tonight we can make a bunt cake out of apple sauce and air!” -  on fun activity together.

Apart from light “ Legally Blonde” humour, the court case scenes remind me of the court case drama series from way back, "Ally McBeal", i.e. the cases are realistic but at the same time very human, which is what adds to the dramatic element of this series and relationships between office members spanning beyond professional stems – a good addition to any good rating show.


Start watching Drop Dead Diva on TV1, Wednesdays at 7.30pm

You can drop into it right here with Season 1 mini episodes on the TV1 Video page:

To find out more on episodes of Drop Dead Diva Click Here




 

Our Trivia App is all grown up and off getting nominated for " Best Use of Technology" in the ASTRA Inductry Excellence Awards!

"The ASTRA Industry Excellence Awards recognise excellence in the promotion and innovation of subscription TV. The 2012 awards will be presented at the close of the ASTRA 2012 Conference on 22 March at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Bayside Gallery.

Award categories encompass a variety of promotional activities across the industry, with categories for both content providers and STV platforms."

Evolved from Cash trivia - a favourite on the TV1 channel - the TV1 Trivia App has become very popular during SAG Awards season, when we tested your knowledge on Screen Actors Guild Awards over the years and General Entertainment questions on film, television and your favourite stars. Now there are over 6,000+ questions from all the hit shows like the Nanny, NCIS, Law and Order, Hogan's heroes, Bewitched, 30 Rock, Drop Dead Diva and many more!

Its a great mix of trivia on classic TV shows vs the new and exciting crime genres and splash of comedy. Seinfeld remains a top played favourite and has been hogging that space since launch! We don't blame you, Ol' Jerry continues to bring smiles to our faces even on our iPhones and iPads! 

I thought I'd play the finger puppet promos here for you to get you familiar with our little App and we hope you'll continue to enjoy it by downloading for your Apple device and challenging your friends and family to a trivia game or two!

DOWNLOAD NOW

TV1 Trivia App @ Launch:

TV1 Trivia App - update:

Full List of ASTRA Awards Nominees

it is no wonder then that Curb Your Enthusiasm natually owns the model of success by having Larry as the semi-fictional character on the show. The key ingredient that's missing is the lovable comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, who does observational comedy so well.

To those who have watched Curb Your Enthusiasm, it is clear that there are so many similarities to Seinfeld (or Seinfeld Chronicles, as it was known when it first piloted on NBC). Tho formula which Seinfeld almost perfected over the many years of success is the key to many sit coms these days. Almost individual stories which emerge through the episode and ascend into the final moments with unexpected and hilarious outcomes done in a very adult - oriented way.

Larry, almost starring as himself, is more cynical than Jerry and doesn't have all the innocent lovable traits. it is almost like the stand up comedian was removed from the show and replaced by the real deal. Which is not far from the truth either.

I've thoroughly enjoyed Larry David's similar project to Curb Your Enthusiasm which is a motion picture, starring Evan Rachel Wood and directed and written by Woody Allen, "Whatever Works." David is thoroughly believable as someone who critisizes everythng and everyone and thinks no one is intellectualy worthy of his time on this Earth.

Funnily enough I always found Seinfeld and his friend George to have similar characteristic traits with the women they've dated and the view point they had on life. But that's just me.

Do you see the similarities between Larry and Larry?

So it was great to finally see Matthew Broderick pop up again as Ferris this week in, of all things, a Superbowl commercial.  Well, to be accurate, Broderick is playing himself but behaving in a very Bueller-like manner.  If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.  This is the extended version.

You could tell this was made with real love by real fans.  But, hey, no Alan Ruck??  Ignoring that small oversight, they've managed to make this spot pretty spot-on.  How good is it?  This video from AkooTV comparing the ad to the original film side-by-side shows you just how good it is:

And then there are the easter eggs littered throughout such as Ferris's vest, the "So choice" vanity licence plate and the red phone.  EW has the full list.

But doesn't this all beg the question: where's our REAL Ferris sequel?  Who's with me here?  I can see it now.  Ferris is 25 years older.  He's hit middle age.  He's stuck in a boring 9-to-5 job with the threat of layoff hanging over his head (it's a Great Recession comedy).  Life has gotten the better of him (as it does with most of us) and he dreams of ditching the job to pursue his dreams when out-of-the-blue he gets a call from his ol' buddy Cameron who convinces him to have the day off against Ferris' now more-mature judgment.  Hijinks ensue!  It writes itself!

I'm not the only one who's had a go at this.  I love this effort from last year:

Even Alan Ruck suggested a set-up himself:

"I used to think why don't they wait until Matthew and I are in our seventies and do Ferris Bueller Returns and have Cameron be in a nursing home. He doesn't really need to be there, but he just decided his life is over, so he committed himself to a nursing home."

It's a real pity that Ferris's original creator, John Hughes, passed away in 2009 before writing a Buell-quel.  I sure hope he left a script locked away only to be released at a pre-designated date.  But then again maybe we should just be grateful for the movie we do have.  As Matthew Broderick once said:

Davis and Spencer also had two of the most inspiring speeches of the night.  "I'm going to dedicate this to the downtrodden, the underserved, the underprivileged, the overtaxed, whether emotionally, physically or financially" proclaimed Spencer accepting her first SAG Award.  Her full speech can be viewed here, while Davis's emotion-packed speech can be found here.

The Oscar front-runner The Artist didn't leave empty-handed though with a win for its star Jean Dujardin for best actor.

On the TV side, Boardwalk Empire and its star Steve Buscemi took home TV drama honours while Modern Family made it two wins in a row for best comedy ensemble.  Alec Baldwin from TV1's 30 Rock made it 6 (yes 6!) wins in a row for best actor in a comedy series.  Everyone's favourite nonagenarian Betty White seemed genuinely stunned when she accepted her statuette for best actress in a comedy series.  What a cutey!

You'll find below the full list of winners from the night, including the awards for best stunt ensembles (its good to see Harry Potter finally receiving some recognition).  I've also added a few of my own nods from a fantastic night with the stars.

Best one-liner

Dick Van Dyke (Diagnosis Murder): "Hi, I'm what's left of Dick Van Dyke."  We love you Dick!

(A close second) Ed Helms (The Office): "Lawyer, Deputy Chief and a real nosey neighbour.  You just described a day in the saucy life of Ed Helms." 

Best speech

(Images via Pregnant Cornbread, People, Dance Yrself Clean)

Just a coupleof hours till the wee see the stars rock down the Shrines Auditorium's red carpet and the final touches are definitely being made . . .

Make-up artists, hair stylists and frock fold are currently in overdrive and after the elegance of what we saw at the Golden Globes, I am pretty much expecting the same, if not a bit more chic and understated.

In the blokes department, and with the most outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role including DEMIÁN BICHIR as Carlos Galindo - "A Better Life", GEORGE CLOONEY as Matt King - "The Descendants", LEONARDO DiCAPRIO as J. Edgar Hoover - "J. Edgar", JEAN DUJARDIN as George - "The Artist"
and BRAD PITT as Billy Beane - "Moneyball", I think it will be a Giorgio Armami and Tom Ford suit fest.

With it comes those those 'outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role'
femmes walking down the riby rug, we have GLENN CLOSE as Albert Nobbs - "Albert Nobbs"; VIOLA DAVIS as Aibileen Clark - "The Help"; MERYL STREEP as Margaret Thatcher - "The Iron Lady"; TILDA SWINTON as Eva - "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and MICHELLE WILLIAMS as Marilyn Monroe - "My Week With Marilyn". We can expect something beautifully left of field from Tilda and Meryl will go decidedly gracious. Michelle, our moden day Mia Farrow, will, of course, give her own, always eclectic take on red carpet glamor.

Other names who will figures will include BÉRÉNICE BEJO as Peppy - "The Artist";  JESSICA CHASTAIN as Celia Foote - "The Help"; MELISSA McCARTHY as Megan - "Bridesmaids"; JANET McTEER as Hubert Page - "Albert Nobbs and OCTAVIA SPENCER as Minny Jackson - "The Help".

So get out your style-o-meter and join to watch the live televast of the awards on Foxtel's TV1  from midday . .

Oh, oh and don't forget to check put the outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series
women: JULIE BOWEN as Claire Dunphy - "Modern Family"; EDIE FALCO as Jackie Peyton - "Nurse Jackie"; TINA FEY as Liz Lemon - "30 Rock"; SOFIA VERGARA as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - "Modern Family" and BETTY WHITE as Elka Ostrovsky - "Hot in Cleveland". Bound to be a hotly contested category AND fashion fest . . .

See you very  soon!

Melissa xxx

Not that the role comes without its risks and responsibilities.  First there's the awkward small talk you may have to make with your co-presenter.  There are lines to flub, jokes that may fall flat and embarrassing teleprompter breakdowns to contend with.  Then you need to pronounce all the nominees' names right - which can be tougher than it sounds: see the list of French actors up for gongs this year from the front-runner The Artist for example.  Then there's the possibly awkward opening of the envelope and then you gotta make sure you read out the correct name: see the (totally untrue) rumours about Jack Palance and Marissa Tomei at the 1993 Oscars. 

It can be a tough gig doing all this in front of billions without making a mistake.  Sometimes you can hit it right out of the park like Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen at the 2008 Oscars.  Sometimes it can be painful, like, um, Jonah Hill and Nicki Minaj at this year's MTV VMAs.  My personal favourite is Tina Fey and Robert Downey Junior's performance at the 2010 Oscars: it deserves an award itself.

(Image via Sulekha.com.)

The big surprise is that Martin Scorsese’s film Hugo leads the field this year with 11 nominations.  Most of Hugo’s nominations are in the technical categories like cinematography, which is why Hugo doesn’t appear prominently in the SAG nominations.

The current favourite for best picture, The Artist, earned 10 nominations.  It’s up against eight films this year: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (a surprise), The Help, Hugo, Midnight In Paris, Moneyball, The Tree Of Life and War Horse.

Which brings us to our first snubs.  What, no Bridesmaids?  It had been considered a frontrunner for a nod, but comedies have a bad track record with Academy voters.   And no Harry Potter?  It was a sentimental and popular favourite but it too missed out.  (This possibly leaves room for another director to come along and make a definitive version of the novels at some point down the track … )

Also missing out on expected best picture nominations were Drive, The Ides of March, 50/50 and Young Adult.  Also, why only nine films this year?  The Academy made a big fuss about expanding the list to 10 nominees in 2010.  Apparently only nine films were decent enough to be recognised this year.  Are they sending a message this year? Yikes…

The acting categories followed the SAG Awards almost exactly (as they tend to do) but there were a couple of shocks.  Leonardo Dicaprio missed out on a best actor nod for J. Edgar.  Taking his place in the list is Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy.  Leo’s co-star in J. Edgar Arnie Hammer also missed out on a best supporting actor nod (the Academy obviously didn’t take a liking to that film).  Veteran actor Max von Sydow (who never seems to age) takes his place for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (a film the Academy obviously did like).

Tilda Swinton surprisingly missed out on a nod for best actress.  Her place was taken by Rooney Mara for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  I hope I didn’t jinx you Tilda!   Shailene Woodley was also expected to be nominated for a supporting role as George Clooney’s daughter in The Descendants, but was likewise snubbed.  And no luck for Andy Serkis in the campaign to get his amazing work in The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and The Adventures Of Tintin recognised.  Albert Brooks missed out too for his chilling performance in Drive and cheekily let the whole world know about it via Twitter.

Interestingly Cars 2 missed out an expected best animated film nod, which is the first time Pixar has failed to receive a nomination since the category was created in 2001.  The Adventures Of Tintin missed out too, as did the critical favourite Arthur Christmas.  David Fincher again missed out on a directing nomination despite all the other nominations for his film.

Then there’s the music category.  What a bloodbath!  The Academy only announced two nominees in this category this year instead of the standard five.  Eek.  The nominees were The Muppets’ “Man Or Muppet” by Bret McKenzie from Flight Of The Conchords (yay!) and Rio’s “Real In Rio” by Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett.  Missing were Madonna’s Golden Globe-winning song “Masterpiece”, Elton John’s “Hello Hello” from Gnomeo & Juliet, Chris Cornell’s “The Keeper” from Machine Gun Preacher and Mary J Blige’s “The Living Proof” from The Help.  Mary let her feelings be known on Twitter too, although her tongue was not planted in her cheek like Albert Brooks.  If you’re interested in what happened to all these songs, HitFix has a good piece about the voting process in this category here.

However, Aussies were not left out of the Oscars picture this year.  Editor Kirk Baxter was nominated for his  work on David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  It’s his second nomination following a nomination last year for The Social Network. Sound mixer Andy Nelson has received his 15th(!) nomination for his work on Steven Spielberg’s War Horse.  Nelson has actually won an Oscar before for his work on Saving Private Ryan.  And producer Grant Hill is likely to be one of the producers who would accept the best picture prize if his film The Tree of Life happens to win.  I say "likely" as there appears to be a little dispute over the final credits for the film and the final nominees are yet to be determined.

The full list of this year’s Oscar nominees can be found here.

(Image via News.com.au.)

With less than a week before the Screen Actors Guild Awards are announced in the US , this is about the time some of the celeb set "'time' their pre-awards beauty regime.

Without going overboard, many of the A-teamers want to to go looking refreshed and relaxed . . minus any startling Jocelyn Wildenstein factors. . .

"There are an array of light treatments the stars can indulge in to get their skin to a clear and fresh complexion ,'' says the creible Dr Jacinta Keoghan, who I caught with during the week and works as the Medical Director & Cosmetic Physician at the new, cult zecca Cosmedical in Alexandria, Sydney.

'"At zecca cosmedical, we usually start by treating the surface of the skin, improving any pigmentation or redness and evening out skin tone with a gentle but effective combo treatment.,'' Dr Keoghan told me.

"The three step treatment we do consists of our REV Lite laser - designed to improve the skin’s tone and luminosity,  the OMNILUX light, and a Hydradermabrasion –similar to a microdermabrasion – which carefully removes dead skin cells to uncover the surface below, whilst restoring the skins natural hydration levels and giving that dewy, moisturized look we all long for.''

The Zecca team told me that below the surface, stars could opt for a touch up of Botox; which essentially relaxes the muscles under the skin while helping improve any lines on the dermis.

" Hyaluronic acid fillers – such as Juvaderm or Restylane could be used to enhance collagen levels in the skin, which deplete over time. Whether in the cheeks, naso-labial folds around the lips, or the lips themselves – the results can be quite amazing following careful consultation by a professional , of course.

"Any treatments should be held together with a credible skincare regime, again, best advised by a professional depending on your skin type,'' adds Dr Keoghan.

While many of the big names we'll see on the SAGs red carpet on Monday morning are savvy enough to maintain an all-year round 'maintenence' routine (if one at all!)  there is no question that many of the gracious thespians will hit the ruby rug are just having the odd little tweak, here and there, as we speak.

Ready to to red carpet ready and perceived as picture perfect!

With the countdown now well and truly on, we'll speak soon.

Melissa xx     

Television icon Mary Tyler Moore will be presented with the Screen Actors Guild's Life Achievement Award.  The Award is given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession” and has been awarded to such acting greats as Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Clint Eastwood, Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford and Mary's co-stars, Betty White and Ed Asner.

Mary Tyler Moore set the standard for female leads on television.

She was Dick Van Dyke’s smart and spunky wife Laura Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show, creating a new kind of television wife and mother.

She later starred in her own eponymous comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Mary’s portrayal of Mary Richards broke new ground by being the first central character who was a never-married, independent career woman.  Her show is rightly considered to be one of the best television programs ever winning 29 Emmys over a 7 year run, including 3 for Outstanding Comedy series and 4 for Mary herself.

On top of that, and unbeknownst to most people, she helped produce some of the most lauded television programs of all time including The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues  and St. Elsewhere.  She’s also been a tireless advocate for people living with Type 1 diabetes.

It will be great to see her honoured next Monday for such a wonderful body of work.  And to get you in the mood check out a couple of classic clips from Mary’s career below.

(Image via Couchtime.)

There is something about this year's 'awards' season that is really bringing out the big names in when it comes to red carpet royalty.

It is not often we see all bold-faced surnames like Kidmam, Jolie, Pitt, Clooney, Danes, Alba, Mirren, Williams, Streep, Witherspoon, Winslet, Madonna, Pinto et al, all make their way down the red carpet. And judging by next Monday's SAGs I think we can pretty much expect the same calibre of star power. Yay!

And speaking of the above mentioned names, it got me thinking about the above monikers and just how, on pretty much average, they just about all get it right in the fashion stakes.

NIcole Kidman, who wore a sensaional Versace studded sheath this year has really be upping her own red carpet ante the last few years (perhaps pure happiness and not looking as though she is trying too hard has really got it working for her?) while I won't even mention Angelina Jolie, because that very plain actress (!) just gets it right 100% of the time. Understated, chic, so not try-hard and always simply sexy.

Meanwhile, Charlize Theron, who wore a pale pink Christian Dior gown ticked all the style boxes (doesn't she always?) and I really loved the breezy, wildly sexy Zac Posen red vibe Reece Witherspoon came across in. She was another who looked like she hadn't tried too too hard, but saying that, the getting ready process probably took days . . . and tha's a subject I am going to get to in over the the next few days!

Ok, so the trends I am expecting to see at the Screen Actors Guild Awards:

*Blue seems to have take over from black . . .  for some reason black seems just the easy way out and this season isn't about that at all . . .

 *Nude and beige colors have made ther mark over the last year, and they will continue to to figure on Monday

*There will be a a few bright colored dresses, but I am not predicting a sea of yellow, bright pink, green, orange and reds, even thohgh they are all still incredibly popular on manstream fashion racks.

*Ridiculously over-the-top jewelery seems to have been put on the back burner at the moment with most of the emphasis going into 'the frocks'  . . . .the shoe and the 'do'.

*Shorter dresses often feature at the SAGs too, so I will be interested to see which of the big guns opt for knee-length, as opposed to floor-grazig length frocks.

So, start gearing up as we countdown to just a week before the SAGs takeover the the awards season . . .

Speak soon . .

Melissa xx