Analysis: Fresh faces help enliven nominations (AP)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. ? Waking up at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday is never fun, but the promise of Oscar nominations makes that dark hour vaguely more tolerable. Upon arriving at the Academy for this year's batch of hotly awaited announcements, several nominations made me extremely happy. Among them:

? Melissa McCarthy getting a supporting-actress nomination for her awesomely inappropriate, scene-stealing turn in "Bridesmaids," along with the film's writers, co-star Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, being honored for their original screenplay. I would have liked to have seen the movie sneak into the best-picture category, too. There are potentially 10 spots, after all. But now I'm just getting greedy.

? Gary Oldman finally ? finally! ? receiving an Oscar nomination. It's sort of mind-boggling that this has never happened before, given his veteran status and versatility. It's also amusing that it's his meticulously restrained work as longtime British operative George Smiley in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" that earned him the best-actor honor, given the crazier work in his filmography.

? The original-song nomination for "Man or Muppet," the duet Jason Segel performs with his felt-covered brother in "The Muppets," which dares to address the existential conundrum: "Am I a man ... or am I a muppet?" I can't wait to see how they pull off this performance on stage at the Kodak Theatre. (Until then, please enjoy the music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v-WWWTW1P8rQ)

? "The Tree of Life" getting a nomination for best picture ? haunting yet polarizing, it appeared high on my top-10 list for 2011 ? along with well-deserved nominations for Terrence Malick's ambitious direction and Emmanuel Lubezki's exquisite, dreamlike cinematography. Unfortunately, its inclusion will also probably inspire some hacky dinosaur jokes from host Billy Crystal.

? "Hell and Back Again" being nominated for documentary feature. Gorgeously photographed by director Danfung Dennis, this story of an injured Marine returning home from Afghanistan plays with all the drama and artistry of a fictional feature. (I was surprised, though, that the critically acclaimed "Bill Cunningham NY" or "Project Nim" also didn't make it in there.)

? "A Separation" earning an original-screenplay nomination, an honor the Los Angeles Film Critics Association gave writer-director Asghar Farhadi more than a month ago, thank you very much. (The intimate, riveting Iranian drama also was nominated in the foreign-language category. This is the first time a script written in Farsi has been included in this category.

? Jonah Hill in the supporting-actor category for playing a stat geek in "Moneyball." Just because it will be a hoot to refer to him for all of eternity as "Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill." Unless he actually wins, of course ...

? Rooney Mara receiving a best-actress nomination for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." She took the role of tatted and tormented computer hacker Lisbeth Salander ? which Noomi Rapace had made famous in the original Swedish trilogy about the character ? and made it her own, to borrow the "American Idol" vernacular.

But naturally there were some disappointments, too. Since we already have "Dragon Tattoo" on the brain ...

? How is it possible that the film itself didn't get nominated for best picture? Or David Fincher, who's up for a Directors Guild Award? Or the original score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who won the award last year for Fincher's "The Social Network?" Besides Mara's nomination, it was listed in four other categories ? cinematography, editing, sound mixing and sound editing ? which makes me wonder how many votes shy of that last best-picture spot it might have been.

? Since we're talking about scores, how great was The Chemical Brothers' music for the thriller "Hanna?" Not good enough for Academy voters, apparently. Rather than going with something refreshing and new, they nominated John Williams for the 46th and 47th time, for the Steven Spielberg films "The Adventures of Tintin" and "War Horse." This is no knock on the iconic Williams. This is a plea for recognition of daring work, as well.

? And speaking of daring: Michael Fassbender in "Shame." Michael Shannon in "Take Shelter." Elizabeth Olsen in "Martha Marcy May Marlene." Tilda Swinton in "We Need to Talk About Kevin." Vanessa Redgrave in "Coriolanus." Ryan Gosling and Albert Brooks in "Drive." Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt in "Young Adult." All thought-provoking, uncompromising performances that were overlooked Tuesday morning. (See also: every single moment of Lars von Trier's "Melancholia.") Instead, you get the sexiest-man showdown in the best-actor category between good friends Brad Pitt in "Moneyball" vs. George Clooney in "The Descendants."

Again, not totally complaining here. It's always nice to see those guys show up in tuxes on the red carpet. But we've seen that ? a lot. And if you're going to get out of bed in the middle of the night, it better be for something shockingly good.

___

Thoughts on Oscar nominations? Share them with AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire through Twitter: http://twitter.com/christylemire.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_en_ot/us_oscar_nominations_christy_s_take

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Video: Funeral arrangements being made for Paterno

>>> it's great we're all paying tribute to him and remembering him for the right reasons.

>> we're here to honor joe. we brought our granddaughter up.

>> he's just been a fan for a very, very long time.

>> we're now learning more about the funeral arrangements for joe paterno . a public viewing will be held tomorrow and wednesday. it will be a private funeral wednesday afternoon and an thursday a memorial service will be held on campus. this is what the stadium looked like last night casting a glow. 000s thousands of people have visited the campus. the paterno statue is surrounded by notes. joining me now writer for "fightonstate".com.

>> thanks for having me.

>> you see the man that is heartbreaking. he is remembering the many years that paterno was a hero, someone admired. talk about the conflict of how to separate the years of hard work and what he put into that university compared to his on admission that he did not do enough regarding the sexual abuse allegations.

>> it's been a very difficult balancing act. toward the end there's a significant negative in his life. for my perspective, i don't think that overweighs the positive he did. we're not just talking about athleti athletics. we're talking about contributions to the school, hospital. i think the outpouring of love and support is because of that.

>> what are you hearing from people hold up they reconciled, at least. you have been there for 20 years covering this, how they are able to balance the facts that we know, the upcoming courthouse with obviously this sad news. you hear people and they are saying this man passed away of a broken heart .

>> yeah, it's difficult. this is the guy people looked to as an icon, a hero and almost an infallible person. for the positives he did, really a shortcoming is he was just as human as all of us. from my perspective, i don't think the negative outweighs the positives. the negative is part of the narrative of this great man's life.

>> his family leased a statement saying joe made an incredible impact. it's evident in the,000s of successful athletes that have gone onto multiply the impact as they spread out across the country. we have this memorial service . what else do you now about how rapidly his health deteriorated. the last weeks and days, what do you know about his health?

>> tamron, from the beginning, they said this was a treatable form of cancer. i think they were underplaying. i don't think they were doing that to deceive anybody. he's been a very proud man. in the last few years of his coaching career, he had been hurt several time, ill, not able to coach on the field. he tried to down play p any health issues he had. he did not want people feeling sorry. i think this was more serious from the beginning than when he was diagnosed in november and clearly when we saw the washington post story at some of the photos in the way he was portrayed just the trail health, i think this was a lot worst. late last week, we heard that thinks had taken a turn for the worst. obviously, joe paterno , passed away sunday.

>> thank you so much. i greatly appreciate it.

>> thank you.

>> we know a lot of hearts are broken.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/46104695/

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Officers: Mutinies spread to 4 Yemen air bases

Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

SANAA, Yemen (AP) ? A wave of mutinies demanding the ouster of Yemen's air force commander spread to four military air bases on Monday, officers said, a day after the nation's outgoing president departed the country.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh left his battered nation on his way to the U.S. for medical treatment after passing power to his deputy and asking for forgiveness for any "shortcomings" during his 33-year rein.

He has said he will return to Yemen, but the move appears to be putting pressure on Saleh's key allies like his half-brother Maj. Gen. Mohammed Saleh, commander of the air force.

Protests by Yemeni airmen demanding that Maj. Gen. Saleh step down started over the weekend and are now spreading across the country.

A senior officer in the Yemen's largest air base of Al Anad in the southern Lahj province, Abdul-Qader Sufian, said Monday that the troops at his base were demanding the general's removal

"No to injustice, no to dictatorship, no to corruption," one banner hanging on Al Anad's walls read.

Colonel Mohammed al-Qubati at the air base in the capital Sanaa says about 200 airmen were continuing a protest that they started Sunday. They had been pushed from the air base by loyalist troops but had moved into the city, and were protesting at the nearby residence of Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The officers said that the garrisons of two more bases, at Taiz in the south and at Hodeida in the west, were also protesting.

Yemenis fear that despite Saleh's departure, little change will take place in the country as his regime, family and tribal members are still holding powerful positions in the government and security apparatus.

After months of diplomatic pressure and mass protests calling for his ouster, Saleh signed a deal in November to transfer authority to his vice president in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Since then, Saleh exercised power behind the scenes, sparking accusations he sought to scuttle the deal and cling to power.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-23-ML-Yemen/id-82c68a88836641fa9eeeb9c249e4f21d

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Razzies worst-movie awards shift to April Fool's (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Hollywood's award season is going to linger on through April Fool's Day this year.

Organizers of the Razzies have changed the schedule for their nominations and prize ceremony. The spoof on the Academy Awards picks the year's worst films.

The Razzies used to announce contenders the night before the Oscar nominations, which are coming Tuesday.

Razzies founder John Wilson announced Sunday that nominations this season will be released Feb. 25, the eve of the Oscar ceremony. Winners of the Razzies will be announced on April 1.

Wilson says Razzies organizers have long wanted to have their awards coincide with April Fool's Day.

A news release announcing the change also notes that it will give the 600 Razzies voters "additional time to see the dreck they will eventually nominate."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_en_mo/us_oscars_razzies

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Strong earthquake strikes off New Zealand (AP)

INVERCARGILL, New Zealand ? A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of New Zealand's South Island, but there are no reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami warning has been issued.

The 6.1-magnitude quake struck Thursday 126 miles (203 kilometers) west of New Zealand's southernmost city, Invercargill, at a depth of 11 miles (18 kilometers).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert.

A devastating quake ravaged the New Zealand city of Christchurch last year, killing 182 people.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_as/as_new_zealand_earthquake

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Madagascar's exiled president vows return Saturday (AP)

JOHANNESBURG ? The president of Madagascar, exiled in South Africa since a 2009 coup, says he will return to his Indian Ocean homeland on Saturday.

Marc Ravalomanana told reporters of his plans Friday in Johannesburg.

In Madagascar, security officials have said he faces arrest upon return,

Following the coup, Ravalomanana was convicted in absentia of conspiracy to commit murder in a case related to the turmoil during his overthrow. The court was appointed by Andry Rajoelina, who took power with the military's backing in 2009. Ravalomanana called the tribunal illegitimate.

Attempts to find a political solution in Madagascar have been troubled. A new prime minister and unity Cabinet that took office last year were greeted with protests by some opposition figures and skepticism from the international community. Rajoelina appears firmly in control.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_af/af_madagascar

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Viral video spoofs the, er, stuff New Yorkers say

This image courtesy of Mindy Tucker shows comedians Eliot, left, and Ilana Glazer as they pose for a photograph in New York. A video the siblings created about the things New Yorkers say has gone viral in the few days it's been posted, attracting lots of opinions of what New Yorkers do and don't say. (AP Photo/Mindy Tucker)

This image courtesy of Mindy Tucker shows comedians Eliot, left, and Ilana Glazer as they pose for a photograph in New York. A video the siblings created about the things New Yorkers say has gone viral in the few days it's been posted, attracting lots of opinions of what New Yorkers do and don't say. (AP Photo/Mindy Tucker)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Hip young New Yorkers hate waiting for the subway. They wouldn't be caught dead near tourist sites and couldn't care less if a celebrity walked by. They're snobby about what they read, even snobbier about what they eat, stick to their own borough, and call the most minuscule bedrooms "huge."

And there's something else: Some don't take kindly to being reduced to a cultural stereotype.

That's what Eliot and Ilana Glazer, brother-sister bloggers, comics and native New Yorkers, have discovered since their video, "Stuff New Yorkers Say" (no, the word isn't really "Stuff") has gone viral in the last couple days. Turns out, one of the things New Yorkers like to say is: "We don't say THAT!"

But there's been lots of positive feedback, too, and all the attention has stunned the Glazers, who posted the video on Wednesday night, hoping for some buzz but not expecting well over a million YouTube views (about 1.3 million as of late Friday).

"It's really bonkers," Eliot Glazer, 28, said in a telephone interview.

The video, inspired by a current Internet meme on what all sorts of groups of people say, is simple enough. In it, the Glazers and friends converse the way young New Yorkers would (or wouldn't, depending on whom you ask.) There are a few distinct themes.

Impatience: "Where is the train? Where is the TRAIN?" (There have been comments posted that while people in New York think this, they don't actually stand on the platform saying it.)

Exclusivity: "Nobody knows about this place."

Culinary exclusivity: "All I had today was a bagel." Or "Ah, Momofuku!" a reference to the group of restaurants headed by hip young chef David Chang.

Culinary snobbery: "Ah, Magnolia!" a reference to the cupcakes made famous by "Sex and the City" ? followed by a sour face, because the cupcakes aren't very hip.

Celebrity fatigue: "Sarah Jessica Parker! Oh, who cares."

Disdain for tourists: "Who goes to the Statue of Liberty?" ''Who goes to the Empire State Building?" ''Move! Move!" (walking down the street behind slowpokes.) "I hate tourists!"

That last theme, Glazer explains, is not to be taken literally. "New Yorkers are actually very kind to tourists," he says.

Another thing people are taking too literally, according to Glazer: The derisive comments about boroughs other than Manhattan, as in "I don't go to Queens," and "I don't do Brooklyn."

In fact, Glazer was born in Queens, grew up on Long Island, and now lives in Brooklyn, as does his sister ? a writer and comic whose Web series, "Broad City," is in development for the FX network.

Especially funny, Glazer says, is unwarranted speculation online that the Glazers aren't even from New York. But he says he doesn't read comments on YouTube: "It's just a pool of negativity."

"This is satire," he says. "We intended it to be a satire of what it means to be young and semi-spoiled in New York."

The video was shot and edited in about two weeks. "I was worried we were past the expiration date of the meme," Glazer says. He and his sister posted it to their Facebook accounts, and "within two hours it was insane ? the comments, the sharing," he says. "It was mind-blowing how quickly it took off."

What's clear from the video is that its creators love the city, despite its hardships.

Love-hate relationship with New York:

"I love it here.

"I hate it here.

"I love it here."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-20-US-Stuff-New-Yorkers-Say/id-775c703a8ca344278dfd2639475a4ede

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