Oscar Awards 2011 Winners List

Finally the countdown over for Oscar 2011. Here is the list of winner for Oscar 2011. As expected The King's Speech won the Best Picture of the Year.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is given to Natalie Portman for Black Swan.

Oscars 2011: Complete list of winners

Best Motion Picture of the Year
The King’s Speech

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
The King’s Speech - Colin Firth

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Best Achievement in Directing
Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Toy Story 3 - Randy Newman(”We Belong Together”)

Best Achievement in Editing
The Social Network - Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Inception - Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb, Paul J. Franklin

Best Documentary, Features
Inside Job - Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs

Best Short Film, Live Action
God of Love - Luke Matheny

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Strangers No More - Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland - Colleen Atwood

Best Achievement in Makeup
The Wolfman - Rick Baker, Dave Elsey

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Inception - Richard King

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Inception - Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
The Social Network - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale for The Fighter

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
In a Better World - Susanne Bier(Denmark)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
The King’s Speech - David Seidler

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Toy Story 3 - Lee Unkrich

Best Short Film, Animated
The Lost Thing - Shaun Tan, Andrew Ruhemann

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Inception - Wally Pfister

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland - Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara.

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Subhash K Jha speaks about Tees Maar Khan

You have to hand it to Farah Khan. The zany spirit never leaves her side. Tees Maar Khan (TMK) is a goofy oddball of a film, replete with the most outrageous takeoffs on the dreaded Hindi Film 'formula' seen in recent times.The film, we understand, is inspired by a 1966 Peter Sellers comedy After The Fox. But the foxiness of this feisty farce comes entirely from Farah Khan's own sensibilities as a storyteller. The laughter never deserts the belly of the plot. In TMK, she pulls out all stops to tell a tale that never grows pale under the gaze of the camera.

The plot is the kind of kinky concoction that one associates with the literature of P.G Wodehouse and the drama of Sheridan. As hard to put down on paper as it is to pin down on camera, Farah Khan manages to just about hold the myriad madcap characters into a firm comic grip. The clasp of the comic is strong and engaging.

The grin ever slips off. The spirit of a spoofy satirical homage to the larger-than-life hero-giri of the Formula Fillum never slips up. Yes, some parts of the takeoff refuses to take off. At times the storytelling becomes a casualty of its own parodic intentions. You never know when the narration slips into a parody of its own parody. That, you realize, is a part of this film's chirpychalu charm.

The energy-driven narrative propels the parody from one gag to another. The gasbag narration is never short of tricks to seduce us into a state of helpless laughter.

When the dialogues fail to lift the satire(and this fuel-shortage happens frequently), Akshay Kumar steps in to do his number. No stranger to comedy, Akshay turns in one of his zaniest performances since Priyadarshan's Hera Pheri. To say his comic timing is impeccable would be stating the obvious. Akshay just blends into the no-man's-land ambience of the film with unquestioning sincerity.

Tees Maar Khan Akshaye Khanna as the Oscar-crazy superstar comes up with a comically compelling performance. We've never seen him having so much fun before. Maybe it's the company he 'quips'. Katrina Kaif's airheaded eyelash-batting makeup-splashing item-girl act gets its rippling rhythms from her lately-honed comic aptitudes. Her 'Sheila Ki Jawani' item number which was the film's selling-point before release is performed with a gusto and elegance that could have easily overpowered the film. Happily TMK manages to hold its own right up to the crazy chaotic finale.

The plot is crammed full with empty-headed and moronic characters. Farah Khan's vibrant vision encompasses the entire gamut of giggles chuckles and guffaws in one swift confident sweep. You are hooked from the word go.

The supporting actors too furnish the hectic hilarity with enormous zaniness.Particularly notable are Aarya Babbar (fully in form as a boorish slightly dimwitted cop), Apara Mehta(endearingly nutty as Akshay's filmy mother) and Ali Asgar(as one of Akshay's sidekicks).

Tees Maar Khan is a kind of subverted homage to the cinema of Manmohan Desai. There are no lost-and-found kids in this 'ever-grin' film. But there's plenty of that spirit of daring destiny to do what it can.

Yup, MKD would've smiled on watching this one. Go for Tees Maar Khan. Ignore all the negative comments you've been hearing about. It's great unpretentious fun. To actually put so many IQ-challenged characters into an intelligent piece of comedy couldn't be easy. So who said being the new-age Manmohan Desai was easy?

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Chinese movies dominate Asia's top film festival

An array of international stars and world premieres -- and an expanded Chinese presence -- are set to embellish the 15th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), which is expected to draw 150,000 people from the world over.

This year's extravaganza boasts a record 103 world premieres among its line-up of 308 films and is again heavily slanted towards the diverse region's independent film-makers, including those from China. The rapidly developing country of 1.3 billion people, which now has the second biggest economy in the world after overtaking Japan, has established itself in the last few years as the fastest-growing film market in the world.

"Each year, Chinese films take the largest part of our programme," said Kim Ji-Seok, the executive programmer of the festival, which uses Busan's old spelling of Pusan.

This year's opening screening is a Chinese film, director Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorn Tree", a touching love story set during communist leader Mao Zedong's disastrous Cultural Revolution.

"I think the role and presence of Chinese film is very crucial in supporting the advancement of Asian cinema and joint productions between Asian nations," Kim added.

Cinemas are mushrooming in China -- on average about one new screen opens every day, according to the state-run China Film Group.

Box office receipts in China are expected to break the 1.5-billion-dollar mark this year -- up from 909 million dollars last year -- and already the industry has seen a rise of more than 80 percent in ticket sales in 2010.

Having trumped Japan's economy, China is set by 2012 to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest film market behind the US, said a report last week by ResearchInChina, an independent provider of China business intelligence.

For star gazers, the festival will this year see appearances from acclaimed US actor Willem Dafoe, Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai, the Oscar-winning American director Oliver Stone and French actress Juliette Binoche.

Up-and-coming Chinese star Tang Wei will also walk the red carpet.

There will be a special focus on Kurdish cinema and spotlights on the cinema industries of Spain and the Czech Republic.

The festivals main award, "New Currents", hands over two prizes of 30,000 dollars to first- or second-time Asian film-makers.

Meanwhile there will be an extensive programme featuring Asian documentaries and the annual running of the Asian Film Academy, which aims to educate the region's next generation of film-makers.

The Academy is this year headed by legendary Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who won the Palme D'Or at Cannes in 1997 with his "Taste of Cherry".

"PIFF has been a very important festival for young Asian film-makers who are trying to establish themselves internationally," said South Korea-based film critic and author Darcy Pauqet.

"It's a great place to see new Asian films. At the same time, it's an important meeting place for film industry people around the world who are interested in Asian cinema."

Philippines-based producer Josabeth Alonso, who has three films screening this year in Busan, agrees.

"It opens a lot of opportunities for the Asian film-maker to be noticed by the outside world," she said, adding: "Getting screened in Busan is a big thing for film-makers."

The curtain will come down on PIFF on October 15 with the screening of "Camellia", a production of three parts centering on the city of Busan and directed by Thailand's Wisit Sasanatieng, Isao Yukisada of Japan and South Korea's Jang Jun-Hwan.

Next year, the film festival will move into the 133-million-dollar purpose-built Dureraum, or Busan Cinema Centre. "But our goal is to maintain the character and unique identity of the festival," said executive programmer Kim.

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Emma Thompson gets Hollywood star outside a pub

Emma Thompson has revealed she is happy with her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as it is outside a pub. "I'm right outside a pub, which couldn't be better because I love pubs and I love drinking. Not something that you can easily admit to in Los Angeles because no one drinks here and they're very puritanical about it, which I don't approve of because it's a very spiritual activity," the Academy-award winner joked.

Fellow British actor Hugh Laurie was on hand to help honour his friend, although he revealed slightly more than Emma may have liked. "We actually stepped out briefly together as teenagers, until she dumped me for a mime artist," he said. Emma's Nanny McPhee co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal also posed for pictures when the star was unveiled on Friday.

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Megan Fox Being Replaced by Victoria’s Secret Model in Transformers

Megan Fox will not be in “Transformers 3″ but Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, a British model, was chosen by Michael Bay to play the lead role. After differences in opinion with director Bay, Fox left the series. Fox spent Memorial Day weekend with her boyfriend, Brian Austin Green, in Hawaii. Back in April the two of them co-starred in a video for Wonderland Avenue School in the Hollywood Hills.

The parents of students at the school were upset about budget cuts and wrote the script for the video to draw attention to their cause. Green holds a diploma from North Hollywood High School. Fox via correspondence tested out of high school at 17 so she could move to Los Angelos to act. Huntington-Whiteley has worked as a model for Victoria’s Secret but she has never acted before.

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Twilight lovers let baby news slip

Twilight lovers Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have discussed having children together. The on – and off – screen couple let news of their baby talk slip during an Oprah Winfrey Show. The secret came out as the pair desperately tried to dodge a question about their blossoming romance.

“Kristen’s pregnant,” 24-year-old Pattinson joked after Oprah asked them whether rumours about their relationship were true. Looking uncomfortable, Stewart explained: “He really likes to shock people because he thinks it’s funny. “We’ve actually had this con…” she faltered.

Quickly correcting her slip-up and pointing to her stomach, the 20-year-old actress added: “He’s having the baby because I can’t. “Imagine a baby coming out of this thing. That’s just not going to happen.” Stewart and Pattinson sent the Oprah audience into a frenzy as they appeared on her special Twilight show alongside co-stars Taylor Lautner and Dakota Fanning.

Audience members screamed and clapped as the film stars emerged from backstage. While some of the fans looked overcome with emotion, others held banners showing their love for the Twilight saga. But Stewart, who plays Bella Swan, confessed that she does not feel comfortable in the spotlight.

“I get so nervous. This means so much for you guys and it feels the same for me,” she said. “I understand that your words have weight and I mince them when I know that everybody’s waiting for them. “I feel like I bring more of myself to Bella than I have any other character. “I really relate to her – the fact that she’s totally awkward, but that she owns it and she’s not going to say anything she doesn’t mean.”

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Hot from Hollywood

Jessica Alba's many admirers won't want to miss her latest movie because there's no telling when she will be back.

The 28-year-old actor has admitted she no longer feels compelled to put herself on the big screen as much as before the birth of her two-year-old daughter Honor.

“Having my daughter has certainly shifted my priorities,” says Alba, currently promoting her new movie The Killer Inside Me.

“It's all about giving her the best life possible, and that means finding that right balance between being home and working when I can, rather than being so career-driven.

” And Jessica says she now finds her sex symbol status harder to understand now she's a busy family girl. “It's just a bizarre perspective that I have nothing to do with,” she adds.

“I hang out with my friends and family and live a normal life all the other stuff is very odd to me.” Iron Man in Gwyn's home

Hollywood beauty Gwyneth Paltrow is living as well as starring with comic book hero Iron Man. The Oscar-winning actor says her four-year-old son Moses is mad about the toys for his mum's latest adventures in Iron Man 2.

“He has no idea what Iron Man is but he loves the little figures,” says Gwyneth of her son with Coldplay singer Chris Martin. “I don't think he would want a figure of me — that's not so fun. I think as a boy he's pre-programmed to like a guy in a cool suit.”

A real nightmare Freddy Krueger actor Jackie Earl Haley is suffering his own personal nightmare. The Shutter Island star and new Nightmare On Elm Street actor says he is being tortured by grotesque spider man when he sleeps at night. “I have this weird recurring dream,” explains Jackie.

“I dream that I'm sleeping in the same bed that I'm in, so it seems like I'm really awake, and I'm in the room and all of a sudden this 6ft tall kind of man-tarantula busts through the door and scares me. He comes at me. I somehow get around him. I'm racing down the hall in the house that I grew up in as a kid and right as he gets on top of me, I wake up. This happens time and again. I'm not scared of spiders so I have no idea what this dream means.”

Plane crazy Rocky star Sylvester Stallone is planning to knock out Hollywood by landing a huge plane on it! The 63-year-old actor says he wants to spice up the upcoming premiere for his movie The Expendables by bringing the distinctive aircraft used in one of the most dramatic scenes of the movie to the centre of Tinseltown.

“The plan is to bring this huge plane in and put it right outside the theatre,” says Sly. “Of course we can't actually fly it in and land it as much as I'd like to. We'll just put it there. I think it will be a first.” Of his action movie with fellow tough guys Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and Jason Statham, Sly says, “It was a battle to get it together but it was worth it. I'm very proud of the movie.”

Katy scores a new man Pop beauty Katy Perry has a new man in her life other than Russell Brand — England soccer star Matthew Upson! The ‘I Kissed a Girl' singer has apparently developed a crush on the rugged defender after watching her husband Brand's beloved West Ham United on TV. “Russell has been glued to West Ham's matches and their relegation battle,” says a source close to the comedian and actor. “He's been trying to get Katy interested in football too but she is more interested in the players themselves than what they are doing on the pitch. She's made no secret of the fact that she thinks Matthew is a bit of a hunk.”

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Now Harry Potter to release in 3D!

Oscar-nominated film ‘Avatar’ has inspired another fantasy franchise to convert to the 3D format. The next Harry Potter film will feature Daniel Radcliffe and co-stars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson’s characters in 3D!

James Cameron’s movie has raked in over $2 billion worldwide in the seven weeks since its release, and the success has already prompted George Lucas to revive his ‘Star Wars’ films in 3D and now executives at Warner Bros. have confirmed the technology will be implemented for the final instalments of the wizard franchise too, reports contactmusic.com.

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ (Part 1), which is set for release Nov 19 this year and Part 2, set for a summer 2011 release, will be seen in the three-dimensional format.

Movie bosses at Warner Bros. will also delay the launch of action fantasy ‘Clash of the Titans’ by one week to April 2 to convert the film, joining other upcoming 3D titles including ‘Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore’ and ‘Guardians of Ga’Hoole’.

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Avatar - Poised for Seventh Box Office Win

James Cameron's "Avatar" will put a seventh notch in its domestic box office belt this weekend. The sci-fi epic looks likely to register more than $25 million through Sunday, and that should be plenty to top the weekend charts despite two potentially appealing wide openers set to hit theaters Friday.

Mel Gibson's kidnap thriller "Edge of Darkness" and the romantic comedy "When in Rome" appear headed for bows in the low to mid-teen millions. Likely to draw older-skewing audiences, "Darkness" represents Gibson's first starring role in a film since 2002's "Signs." With the actor thus lacking a direct connection with any younger fan base, it's perhaps unsurprising that must-see interest has been slack in prerelease tracking surveys.

"Mel has not been on the screen for years," said Dan Fellman, distribution president of Warner Bros., which is distributing "Darkness" for Gibson's Icon Prods. banner."I don't know if that has any bearing on the tracking, but tracking is not always correct, and I think the playability will be good. It just might take a little word-of-mouth to get it going."

Disney's "When in Rome," starring Kristen Bell ("Couples Retreat") and Josh Duhamel ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"), will likely appeal mostly to female moviegoers. "Teenage girls will go, but it will mostly be college kids and above," Disney distribution president Chuck Viane predicted.

"Avatar's" winning streak still pales in comparison to "Titanic's" 15-week run in 1997-98. Its stay at the top is likely to last until at least Valentine's Day weekend, which coincides with the U.S. Presidents Day holiday. New releases then include "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief," "Valentine's Day" and "The Wolfman."

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Why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie called it quits

Hollywood’s most famous couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have broken up because the actress was tired of seeing him drink beer and hang out with his pals, it has emerged.

According to one report, Jolie gave up on Pitt because of his laddish lifestyle. American sources say the pair has been trying desperately to avoid a split since the last 12 months.

And they are now talking to their lawyers about splitting their 125million pound fortune and sharing the custody of their six children.

And if sources are to be believed, a reunion between the two is just not possible. Pitt, 46, has even suggested Jolie to get some psychiatric help, while the actress has dubbed him “toxic”.

Insiders say a troubled Pitt has developed a drinking habit in the recent months. Moreover, his closeness to ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, 40, has triggered quarrels, even though Jolie too remained friendly with her former hubbies Billy Bob Thornton, 54, and Jonny Lee Miller, 37.

Sources claim Pitt and Jolie, 34, hardly spend any time together and sleep in different beds. And now the news of Brangelina’s split is expected to become official within weeks.

“Brad bought a Harley recently, and when he is sick of the chaos in the house, he just takes off for days and understandably it gets to Ang. But at the same time Ang can be all-consuming and morose and he fails to understand her need for more and more children,” the Daily Star quoted a source as saying.

The insider added: “She tends to suck the life out of those around her so, for Brad, he finds it so hard to be around. At first these two had the most amazing sexual chemistry but that can only last so long until you need more in common. She hates everything he loves and he thinks she’s insane. It’s not a good mix.”

Hotel worker Anna Kowalski, who helped the couple with their recent stay in New York, said she was not at all surprised with the news of their break up. “I didn’t see any connection between Pitt and Jolie. At night Angelina drinks white or red wine in the suite while Brad is always in the lounge drinking beer. He just sits by himself texting for hours,” she said.

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Sandra on Meryl - She Kinda Wants Me

Sandra Bullock is majorly girl crushing on Meryl Streep. "It was mindblowing and unbelievable," Bullock told me on the Golden Globes red carpet about her Critics' Choice lip-lock with the acting legend. "It ranks like in the top two moments in my life." (We're going to assume marrying hubby Jesse James is number one.)

The Blind Side star laughed that we should expect more lovin' between her and Streep. "She kind of wants me," Bullock cracked. "I think we may do a movie together that has a little sapphic element to it. Everyone's been like, 'Let's get them together as lovers.' "

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Golden Globe hopes for Australian small screen stars

TV stars Simon Baker, Toni Collette and Rose Byrne will carry the flag at the ceremony after Australian actors, including Abbie Cornish for Bright Star and Nicole Kidman for Nine, failed to snare nominations in the film categories.

If Baker, Collette or Byrne are not named winners in the TV categories, the awards night held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel will not be a total disappointment. British comic and co-creator of The Office Ricky Gervais has been hired as the host and has promised to be a loose cannon on stage.

Hollywood's A-List attendees better watch out. "I can't flop, 'cause I don't care," Gervais told The Los Angeles Times. "I don't care about ratings or opening weekends or anything like that. "I care about whether I enjoyed doing it and whether I'm happy with the result."

The Globes often set the winning trend for the Oscars, scheduled for March 7. The box office juggernaut Avatar, which has taken in more than $US1 billion ($A1.07 billion) to date, can cement its best picture Oscar favouritism with a win at the Globes for best picture, drama.

Avatar's biggest threat is the tiny-budget film The Hurt Locker. The directors race also appears to be a duel between Avatar's James Cameron and his ex-wife, The Hurt Locker's Kathryn Bigelow, although Clint Eastwood (Invictus), Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) and Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds) are outside threats. The Globes organisers split their best actor/actress film categories into drama and comedy-musical, so it can distort Oscar predictions.

For best actor in a film drama, Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) is the frontrunner, with George Clooney (Up in the Air) and Morgan Freeman (Invictus) close behind. Best actress in a film drama appears to be between Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire), Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) and Carey Mulligan (An Education).

Baker is nominated for best actor in a TV drama series for The Mentalist and faces stiff competition from Dexter's Michael C. Hall, Mad Men's Jon Hamm, House's Hugh Laurie and Big Love's Bill Paxton. Collette is nominated for her TV comedy series The United States of Tara against Courteney Cox (Cougar Town), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Lea Michele (Glee).

Byrne picked up her third straight Globe supporting TV actress nomination for Damages. Her competition includes Chloe Sevigny (Big Love), Jane Lynch (Glee) and Jane Adams (Hung). The Globes are scheduled to begin at midday on Monday.

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Golden Globe Fashion Face-Off - Tina Fey vs. Jenna Fischer

It's a battle of NBC comedy stars who aren't trying to force each other off the air - and who don't have gigantic chins and/or oddly-formed red haircuts! The struggling network should be proud to be represented by funny, pretty and drama-free women Tina Fey and Jenna Fischer at the Golden Globes. But who looked better in their dress (and with their umbrella)? It's like comparing 30 Rock quotes and The Office quotes in a way. Both are terrific, but you probably have a favorite. Vote in THG's survey below ...

Which star looked better last night?

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Aniston, Carey, Berry take Golden Globes red carpet by storm

They may not have been nominated for any awards, but Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey and Halle Berry attracted plenty of attention at the Golden Globes with their revealing outfits as pink, purple and lilac dominated the red carpet.

Aniston, showed off her toned legs in a slashed-to-the-thigh Valentino dress while Carey’s tight-fitting bandage dress with a plunging neck line accentuated her curves.

Aniston and Carey, both 40, were just some of the stars who opted for black on a distinctly feminine red carpet that was dominated by pink, purple and peach gowns.

Bond girl Halle Berry also joined Aniston and Carey in the revealing gowns department by showing off her figure in a black Kaufman Franco gown with a cut-out back.

Also triumphing both in the fashion and awards stakes was Best Actress in a Drama winner Sandra Bullock, who wore a deep purple Bottega Veneta chiffon gown.

Last year’s Best Actress winner Kate Winslet played safe in one of her favourite dress shapes, the asymmetrical column gown, this time dark blue Atelier Yves Saint Laurent.

Meanwhile, Julia Roberts didn’t make much of an effort on the red carpet as she shunned floor-length couture for a simple vintage Yves Saint Laurent jersey dress and heels. Drew Barrymore, who was considered one of the best dressed this year in her nude Atelier Versace gown with shoulder and hip crystal embellishments.

’Avatar’ star Zoe Saldana, went for a deep shade of pink in ruffled Louis Vuitton, while Jennifer Garner looked sleek in a gold and lilac sequinned Atelier Versace gown. Opting for peach shades was Christina Aguilera, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Nicole Kidman.

Spanish star Penelope Cruz, displayed her curves in a figure-hugging, black off-the-shoulder lace Giorgio Armani Prive mermaid gown.

Also opting for purple was pop star Fergie in a strapless Elie Saab column gown and Leona Lewis who looked chic in strapless, satin Roberto Cavalli.

Supermodel Heidi Klum, who gave birth to her fourth child three months ago, showed off her post—baby curves in a tight-fitting lilac Roberto Cavalli dress.

Kate Hudson went for a more bridal look in a structured white Marchesa gown. While Cameron Diaz looked red hot in a satin cowl neck Alexander McQueen gown.

German actress Diane Kruger opted for a vibrant pink Christian Lacroix dress, while Emily Blunt looked stunning in pink tulle and chiffon Dolce and Gabbana.

Courteney Cox Arquette, who was nominated for Best Actress in a TV series, Comedy or Musical, wore a black strapless VB dress.

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Ricky Gervais gets mixed response at the Golden Globes

The 48-year-old certainly lived up to his promise to "give the A-listers a hard time". His targets included Sir Paul McCartney, Angelina Jolie, Steve Carrell, TV network NBC and the Hollywood set in general. "Looking at all the faces here makes me remember all the great work that's been done this year by cosmetic surgeons," he joked.

Critics, including the New York Daily News , agreed Gervais' best quip was to appear on stage with a beer in his hand, saying: "I like a drink as much as the next man... unless the next man is Mel Gibson" - a reference to the Oscar-winner's arrest for drink driving in 2006.

The actor appeared to take the jab in his stride however, pretending to slur his words before announcing James Cameron as best director. 'Predictable subjects' The Associated Press called Gervais "cheeky, silly and funny as heck" for his gentle jabs at the Hollywood glitterati.

"It's an honour to be here in a room full of what I consider to be the most important people on the planet - actors," Gervais opened with. "They're just better than ordinary people, aren't they?" Gossip website TMZ and Radar Online also praised the host, calling him "hysterical" and "on fire" with his material.

"Actors aren't just loved here in Hollywood, they're loved the world over, because they're recognisable," Gervais said. You can be in the Third World, and you get a glimpse of a Hollywood star, and it makes you feel better. You can be a little child, a little Asian child, with no possessions, no money - but you see a picture of Angelina Jolie and you think, 'Mummy!'". But industry bible The Hollywood Reporter called Gervais' opening minutes "disappointingly toothless", saying he "tackled predictable subjects" and made "few inspired" jokes.

"No doubt award shows will spring him from the bullpen for mid-telecast jumpstarts for some time to come, but his first headline outing was evidence he can't carry an entire event," wrote Andrew Wallenstein. He even suggested that actor Robert Downey Jr would make a better choice next year as his acceptance speech for Sherlock Holmes was the "only real display of comedy chops" at the ceremony.

The star began by warning producers not to cut his speech short. "If you start playing violins, I will tear this joint apart". "I would like to thank Susan Downey," he continued, "for telling me Matt Damon was going to win so don't bother to prepare a speech."

He spent the rest of his speech refusing to thank anyone involved in the Sherlock Holmes project, declaiming: "They needed me! Avatar was going to take us to the cleaners. If they didn't have me, they didn't have a shot!" The Washington Post , meanwhile, felt 30 Rock star Tina Fey had given Gervais something to worry about before the ceremony even began.

Speaking from a rain-soaked red carpet, the star pondered her employer's very public spat over the talk show contracts of Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. "It's not rain, it's just God crying for NBC," Fey quipped. "Ladies and gentlemen -- we have our best line of the Globes and the trophy show hasn't even started," wrote Lisa de Moraes.

In the end, Gervais admitted in his usual self-deprecating manner that he may have bitten off more than he could chew. After suggesting the ceremony's organisers could be bought off in exchange for a Golden Globe, he laughed: "I'm not going to do this again, anyway."

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Who wore what at the Golden Globe awards 2010?

It was a night of winners and runners up in last night's Golden Globe awards and then went for both the fashion and award stakes. Celebrities flocked onto the red carpet for one of the biggest events of the year.

Which took place in Los Angeles and were hosted by UK home grown Ricky Gervais. So who rocked with their frocks?

First on our rocked list is Drew Barrymore who wowed the crowd with her champagne Atelier Versace, asymmetric dress, which was covered in Swarovski crystals.

The starlet also bagged herself an award for her performance in Grey Gardens. She was followed on the frock stakes by Jennifer Aniston and Penelope Cruz.

Who opted for safe, yet classic black dresses to take them down the red carpet in style.

Other celebs were that little bit braver opting for this season's colours. This included Cameron Diaz who wore red, Sandra Bullock who chose purple and Maggie gyllenhaal who went for pink.

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Long-Awaited Avatar Movie Impresses Early Reviewers

It was the London premiere of James Cameron’s long-awaited “Avatar” movie yesterday and according to reports from reuters.com, it definitely wowed the critics with some early reviewers describing it as “mind-blowing” and “jaw-dropping.”

This 3D epic adventure movie, which is by the director of the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic” is said to be one of the most expensive films ever, at a cost of around $400 million to make and market. The movie begins its worldwide launch from next week.

Showbiz newspaper The Hollywood Reporter, said that Cameron had proved his point and described the director as the king of the world. If all the initial reviews and Twitter buzz are anything to go by, then it may be money well spent for 20th Century Fox.

Britain’s biggest selling tabloid newspaper The Sun, called the movie “the most dazzling film of the decade.” And Empire magazine gave “Avatar” an impressive five out of five stars, describing the new movie as a “hugely rewarding experience.” Will you be going to watch the movie next week?

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Twilight smashes records

So, it was a fairly safe assumption that the film was going to do well at the box office. Very well. Heck, I safely predicted last week that this week New Moon would take the No.1 spot pretty much everywhere. But even Alice and her vampire clairvoyance would be shocked by the sheer size of their dominance. The Twilight Saga: New Moon has sucked in the highest-grossing opening weekend in Australia ever, with a box office of $16,010,000.

That has smashed records set by Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and the third instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, which opened at $14,331,000 and $14,139,000 respectively.

On top of that, the astonishing weekend was kicked off with another record. New Moon took the third highest opening day ever, with a box office of $5,043,938, beaten only by the Lord of the Rings' The Return of the King and Two Towers, which both opened on Boxing Day, making this the largest non-holiday opening day box office ever.

No. Not even the film's distributors were expecting that, with Robert Slaviero, chief executive of Hoyts Distribution describing it as "a phenomenal result, this is way beyond our expectations and confirms that the Twilight franchise has well and truly arrived".

Overseas it was pretty much same story, different currency. In North America, there are only so many ways to explain how large the result was. New Moon took in more than four times its closest competitor (fellow new release The Blind Side). It also took in more than the other nine films in the top 10 combined. In one weekend it took more than Couples Retreat has managed in seven weeks.

And in taking more than $US140 million, it easily became the highest opener of 2009 and the third highest-grossing opening of all time in North America, behind only The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3 .

Worldwide, opening in 25 territories, New Moon took in a little over a quarter of a billion US dollars. Its haul of $258.8 million ranked it the seventh highest-grossing global opening of all time.

So, congratulations Twi-hards; you've taken over the world!

That said, it was a good weekend for some other too. Oprah Winfrey project Precious continued to grow week on week, despite dropping a few places in the rankings. 2012 took third place with a second weekend figure that would have made it win some slower weekends this year.

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