John Travolta made a gaffe during last night’s Oscars ceremony as he took to the stage to introduce Idina Menzel to perform Let It Go ballad from Disney animation Frozen.
After his introduction, John Travolta appeared to name Idina Menzel by a complete different name, welcoming “the talented, the one and only, Adela Dazeem“.
John Travolta made a gaffe during last night’s Oscars ceremony as he took to the stage to introduce Idina Menzel
John Travolta’s new name for Idina Menzel has already inspired its own parody Twitter account, which has been followed by over 11,000 people.
Let It Go went on to win the Best Original Song prize during the ceremony, while Frozen won the award for Best Animated Film.
Best Supporting Actress nominee Jennifer Lawrence took a tumble as she made her way down the Oscar red carpet.
Just like last year during the Academy Awards, Jennifer Lawrence, 23, lost her footing while waving to the crowds assembled at the Dolby Theatre, before grabbing at her entourage for help as she hit the deck.
Jennifer Lawrence took a tumble as she made her way down the Oscar red carpet
The actress was helped up to her feet by boyfriend Nicholas Hoult laughing and joking.
Jennifer Lawrence, nominated this year for Best Supporting Actress for her role in American Hustle, then turned to the applauding crowd and took a bow.
Chinese police captured three suspects involved in Saturday’s deadly mass knife attack at Kunming railway station, state media report.
Several men and women burst into the south-western city’s railway station stabbing people at random, leaving 29 dead and wounding more than 130.
Officials have blamed separatists from the Xinjiang region for the attack.
Four attackers were shot dead by police at the scene, officials say. An injured female suspect was reportedly detained.
Citing a statement from the Ministry of Public Security, Xinhua news agency said six men and two women, led by a person identified as Abdurehim Kurban, were responsible for the attack.
There were no details about how the suspects were identified and captured.
Chinese police captured three suspects involved in Saturday’s deadly mass knife attack at Kunming railway station
Officials say that evidence, such as insignia recovered from the station about “East Turkestan”, points to the involvement of separatists from Xinjiang – a region in the far west of China bordering Central Asia.
China’s security chief, Meng Jianzhu, has vowed “all-out efforts” to “severely punish terrorists”.
Eyewitnesses described horrific scenes on Saturday, saying that in just 12 minutes attackers used curved swords and meat cleavers to stab people at random as they rampaged through the station.
A memorial for the victims has been set up at Kunming station’s concourse
Kunming is the capital of China’s Yunnan province. On Monday, security was tight, with a heavy police presence at Kunming station and surrounding areas.
Xinjiang is home to the Muslim Uighur minority group. Recent months have seen several violent incidents there which the government has blamed on extremists. Verifying these reports is difficult because foreign journalists’ access to the region is tightly controlled.
China is often accused of exaggerating the threat of Islamist terrorism to justify its harsh security crackdown in Xinjiang and the restrictions it places on the religion and culture of the Uighurs.
Bill Gates is back on top of Forbes’ annual ranking of global billionaires, reclaiming the title of world’s richest person from telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico, who ranked No. 1 for the past four years.
Microsoft founder’s total net worth was estimated at $76 billion this year, up from $67 billion in 2013.
His rise in wealth knocked Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim off the top spot into second place.
In total, there were a record 1,645 billionaires, according to Forbes magazine.
The funds needed to make it into the top 20 ranking are now $31 billion, up from $23 billion last year, Forbes said.
Bill Gates has been top of the list for 15 of the last 20 years, according to Forbes.
Technology firms featured heavily in the list, with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg becoming the biggest gainer in net worth.
Mark Zuckerberg’s fortune more than doubled to $28.5 billion, boosted by a sharp rise in the price of the social network’s shares.
The social network’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, also made the list for the first time.
WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton entered the list at number 202 and 551 respectively, thanks to Facebook’s $19 billion purchase of the messaging app.
The world’s largest economy, the US, continues to have the most billionaires, with 492.
By region, Europe boasted the most billionaires outside the US, with 468 in total, closely followed by Asia, which had 444 billionaires.
The list suggested that wealth was spreading, with four new countries featuring for the first time – Algeria, Lithuania, Tanzania and Uganda.
Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, became the first African to be listed in the top 25, with a net worth of $25 billion.
Oscar Pistorius’s neighbor Michelle Burger has revealed in Pretoria court that she was awoken by a woman’s “terrible screams” in the early hours of February 14, 2013.
Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius has pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The 27-year-old double amputee shot dead the 29-year-old model and reality TV star at his home, saying he mistook her for an intruder.
Michelle Burger said cries for help were followed by shots.
Oscar Pistorius has pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
“She screamed terribly and she yelled for help. Then I also heard a man screaming for help. Three times he yelled for help,” Michelle Burger told the high court in the capital.
The neighbor said she called security and then heard four gunshots.
For the first time in South Africa, parts of the trial are being televised live, although Michelle Burger’s testimony, in Afrikaans, was only relayed in audio.
The start to proceedings at the court in South Africa’s capital on Monday was delayed by 90 minutes as an Afrikaans translator was absent.
Oscar Pistorius pleaded not guilty to all charges, including the “willful and intentional murder of Reeva Steenkamp” as the trial began.
Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscars selfie has become the most re-tweeted image in Twitter’s history, even briefly crashing the service.
Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres posted a selfie including: Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, and best supporting actress winner Lupita Nyong’o.
It took less than 40 minutes to beat the previous record for most tweeted image – a photo of Michelle and Barack Obama, posted on his re-election in 2012.
Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscars selfie has become the most re-tweeted image in Twitter’s history
By the end of the Oscars ceremony, the celebrity selfie had been re-tweeted more than two million times.
Ellen DeGeneres encouraged those watching the Oscars – about one billion people – to make the image the most re-tweeted in history, and less than an hour later announced the target had been met.
“We crashed Twitter!” she joked, adding that the service was up again shortly after.
There have been more than seven million tweets using the hashtags #oscars and #oscars2014.
Australian missionary John Short, who was detained in North Korea last month after it was reported that he distributed religious material, has been deported.
John Short, 75, who has arrived in Beijing from Pyongyang, was detained after apparently leaving Christian pamphlets at a tourist site.
State-run KCNA news agency said John Short had admitted breaking North Korean law and apologized.
It said he was being released partly in consideration of his age.
Religious activity is severely restricted in North Korea and missionaries have been arrested on many previous occasions.
“I’m really, really tired,” John Short told reporters in China’s capital, Beijing, after arriving on a commercial flight.
John Short was detained in North Korea last month after it was reported that he distributed religious material
He was immediately escorted to a vehicle from the Australian embassy, reports say.
Earlier, KCNA reported: “Short acknowledged that his actions were… unforgivable crimes in violation of our laws, offered an apology and begged for forgiveness.”
It also said that John Short had distributed religious material on a busy underground train in Pyongyang during a previous tour in August 2012.
Australia does not have a diplomatic mission in Pyongyang and is represented there by the Swedish embassy.
In a statement on Monday, the Australian government said John Short’s release was “welcome news”.
“Australian consular officials stand ready to provide assistance to Mr. Short to ensure he can return to his home in Hong Kong as soon as possible,” it said.
“We take this opportunity to thank the Swedish government for their tireless efforts on this difficult consular case in recent weeks.”
A snake has defeated a crocodile in an epic five-hour battle at Lake Moondarra, in Queensland, Australia, which left onlookers shocked as the python slowly devoured its prey.
The incident near Mount Isa was captured on camera by local residents on Sunday.
The 10-ft snake, thought to be a python, coiled itself around the crocodile and the two struggled in the water.
The snake later brought the dead crocodile onto land and ate it.
The snake has defeated the crocodile in an epic five-hour battle at Lake Moondarra in Queensland
In remarkable images captured by Tiffany Corlis, a local who was watching on, the python can be seen strangling and eating the crocodile, whose outline can then be seen inside the snake.
Tiffany Corlis said it appeared to take the snake around 15 minutes to eat the crocodile.
Queensland is home to some of the world’s most dangerous snakes, as well as saltwater crocodiles.
Russia has taken de facto armed control in Ukraine’s Crimea region, despite Western demands that it withdraw.
Thousands of Russian troops are securing the region and further armor and ship movements have been reported.
Ukraine has ordered full mobilization, issuing call-up papers and asking for more international support.
Russia says it is protecting its interests and those of Russian-speakers in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine following the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych last month.
The crisis hit Russian stock markets on Monday, with Moscow’s main MICEX index dropping 9% in early trading. The rouble fell to a fresh all-time low against the US dollar and Russia’s central bank raised its key lending rate to 7% from 5.5%.
Russia has taken de facto armed control in Ukraine’s Crimea region
Thousands of newly arrived Russian elite troops far outnumber Ukraine’s military presence with roadblocks cutting off Crimea.
Ukrainian border guards have reported a build-up of armored vehicles on the Russian side of the sea channel dividing Russia and Crimea.
Pro-Russian troops have taken over the ferry terminal in far-eastern Crimea that operates services to Russia.
There have also been further movements of Russian ships in the Black Sea – Sevastopol is the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Some mobile phone services are reported to be blocked.
Ukrainian navy commanders on Monday confirmed their loyalty to Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported, despite an attempt by pro-Russian personnel to enter the navy HQ in Simferopol and force them to switch allegiance.
Ukraine’s interim government has called for more international support to force Russian troops to leave.
While Kiev hopes to resolve this crisis through dialogue, it is now mobilizing its military forces.
Men across Ukraine have been receiving call-up papers and will start reporting for 10 days training from Monday.
Oscar Pistorius has arrived in court in South Africa at the start of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Oscar Pistorius, 27, shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, at his home in Pretoria on February 14, 2013.
State prosecutors allege the killing was premeditated, but the Paralympic champion claims he mistook her for an intruder.
For the first time in South Africa, parts of the trial will be televised live. Media interest is high.
Oscar Pistorius has arrived in court in South Africa at the start of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
The arrest of the national sporting hero astounded South Africa.
Double amputee Oscar Pistorius won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and also competed at the Olympics.
Oscar Pistorius’s uncle, brother and sister are also in court; next to them on the relatives’ bench is the family of Reeva Steenkamp, including her mother June.
Gerrie Nel, who is leading the prosecution team, will be the key figure in Monday’s proceedings, as he begins to lay out the state’s case against the athlete.
State prosecutors say Oscar Pistorius planned the killing and shot Reeva Steenkamp after a row.
If found guilty of premeditated murder, the sportsman could face life imprisonment.
Oscar Pistorius has also been charged with illegally possessing ammunition.
Russia’s military build-up in Ukraine has been condemned by its G8 partners amid fresh diplomatic efforts to avert a dangerous escalation of the crisis.
The world’s seven major industrialized powers also suspended preparations for the G8 summit in Sochi in June.
Meanwhile, the EU foreign ministers are due to meet in emergency session in Brussels.
The moves come as Russian military forces continue to strengthen their grip on the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine’s interim government has accused Russia of having declared war, and has ordered the mobilization of its armed forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far defied calls from the West to pull back his troops.
He insists Russia has a right to protect its interests and those of Russian-speakers in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine.
The UN said on Sunday that Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson was travelling to Ukraine to be “personally apprised of the facts on the ground”.
Russia’s military build-up in Ukraine has been condemned by its G8 partners
A statement said he would brief UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “on the next steps the United Nations could take to support the de-escalation of the situation”.
On Monday morning, the MICEX index of stocks in Moscow suffered an initial fall of about 5% and the rouble fell 2.5% to an all-time low against the US dollar.
Russia’s central bank also raised its main interest rate to 7% from 5.5%.
The G7 of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US urged Russia to hold talks with Ukraine to address any human rights or security concerns it had.
In a statement released from the White House, the grouping said it condemned “the Russian Federation’s clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
It added: “We have decided for the time being to suspend our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G8 Summit in Sochi in June.”
G7 finance ministers said they were ready “to provide strong financial backing to Ukraine”.
“The International Monetary Fund [IMF] remains the institution best prepared to help Ukraine address its immediate economic challenges through policy advice and financing,” a statement said.
Ukraine needs $35 billion over the next two years, according to the finance ministry.
12 Years a Slave has won best picture award at this year’s Oscars ceremony.
However, space drama Gravity won the lion’s share of awards the 86th Academy Awards.
Gravity‘s Alfonso Cuaron became the first Latino to win the best director award, adding to the film’s six Oscars for technical achievement.
Cate Blanchett was named best actress for her portrayal of the heroine in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine.
Matthew McConaughey won the best actor Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club.
It is the second consecutive year the best director and best picture prize have been awarded to different films.
Alfonso Cuaron praised the “transformative” power of film and singled out the film’s star Sandra Bullock as “the soul, the heart of Gravity”.
Gravity – which took five years to complete, and owes much to the technical prowess of British visual effects specialists – also won Oscars for film editing, sound mixing, sound editing, cinematography, visual effects and original score.
Steve McQueen, the British director of 12 Years a Slave, dedicated the best picture Oscar to “all those people who have endured slavery”.
Based on a true story, it follows the life of a free black man – Northup – who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana.
Newcomer Lupita Nyong’o won the best supporting actress award for her film debut as slave worker Patsey.
The Kenyan actress paid tribute to her character and thanked her for her “guidance”.
The film won a third Oscar for John Ridley’s adapted screenplay.
Spike Jonze collected the best original screenplay for Her. His first film as sole writer and director stars Joaquin Phoenix as a man who falls in love with a computer operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.
12 Years a Slave has won best picture award at this year’s Oscars ceremony
As predicted, Matthew McConaughey took the best actor prize for his role as real life rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof, who smuggled HIV drugs into the US.
Matthew McConaughey, formerly a rom-com regular whose roles centred on his good looks, lost 50 lbs to play Ron Woodroof in the low budget indie drama.
Best actress winner Cate Blanchett paid tribute to her rivals, including Judi Dench – who was not at the ceremony – acknowledging “the random and subjective” nature of awards ceremonies.
Matthew McConaughey’s co-star Jared Leto won the first Oscar of the night, picking up best supporting actor for his role as transgender woman who becomes Ron Woodruff’s business partner and unlikely friend.
In an emotional speech Jared Leto thanked his mother, who accompanied him to the awards, “for teaching me to dream” and dedicated his award to “those who have ever felt injustice because of who they are, or who you love”.
Dallas Buyers Club also picked up a third award for make-up and hairstyling – with the transformation of Jared Leto and his co-star, Matthew McConaughey, rumored to have been achieved on a budget of $250.
Frozen, which recently tipped $1 billion at the global box office, scored two Oscars.
The 3D film about an icy princess and her sister was named best animated feature film, with its song, Let It Go – performed by star Idina Menzel – winning best original song. It is loosely based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.
The Great Gatsby also picked up two Oscars, for costume design and production design. The awards were picked up by Baz Luhrmann’s partner Catherine Martin.
But there were no awards for David O. Russell’s American Hustle, which had 10 nominations, including nods in all the acting categories. Nor were there any awards for Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street.
The first British win of the night came for Tim Webber and his team from London-based company Framestore for their visual effects work on Gravity.
Tim Webber paid tribute to his team, Gravity actors George Clooney and Sandra Bullock and director Alfonso Cuaron “for having the vision to create this breath-taking film and the audacity to make it happen”.
The second British win of the night went to director Malcolm Clarke, who won an Oscar for his documentary short The Lady in Number Six: Music Saved My Life.
The film follows Alice Herz-Sommer, the oldest known survivor of the Nazi Holocaust and an accomplished pianist. Paying tribute to Alice Herz-Sommer, who died last week at the age of 110, he praised “her extraordinary capacity for joy and amazing capacity for forgiveness”.
Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony, for the second time, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The 86th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will be broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles starting at 8:30 p.m. ET on various networks.
History:
Created as a non-profit organization in 1927, the original Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was made up of 36 producers and film-makers. Led by MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer, its membership included such notables as Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd and Mary Pickford. It now boasts more than 6,000 members, a quarter of them actors.
The first Academy Awards were presented on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with an audience of about 270 people.
No-one could have predicted when the first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 that it would grow to the huge event it is today.
The cost of guest tickets for that night’s ceremony was $5. Fifteen statuettes were awarded, honoring artists, directors and other personalities of the filmmaking industry of the time for their works during the 1927–1928 periods; the ceremony ran for 15 minutes.
Bleachers:
Fans desperate to see Hollywood’s movers and shakers arriving can do so by sitting on the specially constructed benches erected outside – provided they register at least six months in advance – camping out overnight was banned after 9/11. The lucky 700 selected at random are told to arrive at 07:00 on Oscars day, 10 hours before the fun begins.
Campaigns:
Every year, the studios launch elaborate advertising campaigns to persuade Academy members to nominate their pictures. Eligible voters are bombarded with DVDs known as “screeners”, occasionally accompanied by lavish promotional material. But new rules introduced in 2012 banned members from attending parties organized by film companies after the nominations are announced.
Dolby:
For years, the Oscar oscillated between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center and the Shrine Auditorium near the University of Southern California. From 2002 to 2012, the Oscars were held at the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, although in 2012, Kodak ended its sponsorship deal with the Oscars shortly before the event. In May this year, it changed its name to the Dolby Theatre in a new sponsorship deal and the Oscars will continue to be held there for the foreseeable future.
Envelope:
The time-honored practice of opening the golden envelope to reveal the winner’s name is a pivotal part of Oscar lore. It has not always been so though. For the first 10 years, the Academy informed the press ahead of time in order to accommodate their print deadlines. After one newspaper broke the embargo in 1939, the decision was made to keep the results a closely guarded secret.
Fashion:
The Oscars have thrown up more than their fair share of fashion faux pas over the years. Who could forget the bizarre Indian headdress sported by Cher in 1986, or Bjork’s swan gown in 2001, Gwyneth Paltrow was criticized by fashionistas in 2002 for appearing sans bra in a transparent top, as did Celine Dion in 1999 for wearing what appeared to be a back-to-front white jacket.
Goodie bags:
Presenters and performers at this year’s Oscars can be expected to be handsomely rewarded for their trouble with a complimentary gift package thought to be worth up to $100,000. Previous freebies have included such luxury items as mobile phones, high-definition televisions, designer clothes and holiday vouchers.
Honorary Award:
In addition to its competitive prizes, the Academy has a history of presenting special Oscars to ageing stars, industry veterans and well-regarded individuals who have been inexplicably passed over. Recipients include Peter O’Toole, Kirk Douglas and Robert Redford, while regular host Bob Hope was awarded no less than five honorary gongs between 1941 and 1966. The 2013 recipients included Angelina Jolie, Angela Lansbury and Steve Martin.
The 31st Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1959
In memoriam:
A regular feature of each Oscar telecast is a montage paying tribute to those notables who have died since the last ceremony. A Room With A View screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, visual effects maestro Ray Harryhausen, and actors Peter O’Toole and Joan Fontaine are likely to be among those remembered this year.
Jean Hersholt:
The actor and sometime president of the Academy whose name was attached after his demise in 1956 to an honorary award recognizing individuals “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry”. Recipients over the years have included Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra and, inevitably, Bob Hope. However, since the mid-1980s, it has been doled out sparingly.
Kathryn Bigelow:
The first woman to win a best director Oscar for The Hurt Locker in 2010. The film also won best picture.
Los Angeles:
The Oscars cause a mighty traffic jam each year as up to 1,200 stretch limousines queue up to disgorge their celebrity cargo. In 1988, the congestion was so bad outside the Shrine Auditorium that presenters and nominees, among them Fatal Attraction‘s Glenn Close, were forced to ditch their cars and jog down the street to make it on time.
Marksmen:
Police snipers are routinely positioned on adjacent rooftops, the area is declared a no-fly zone and all the local manhole covers are welded shut. That said, none of this stopped a pair of pranksters getting through in 2002 with the help of a fake limo pass.
Nominations:
All films must have at least a token US release before December 31 in order to qualify for the following year’s awards, but it isn’t until the nominations are announced some six weeks before the ceremony that the Oscars race can start proper. The nominees are revealed 05:30 LA time by the current Academy president, usually accompanied by a previous recipient.
Oscar:
How the Academy Award of Merit came by its more familiar sobriquet is still a subject for debate, though most people attribute it to Academy librarian Margaret Herrick’s 1931 remark that the award bore a striking resemblance to her uncle. The nickname was in common usage by 1934, but it took another five years for it to be officially adopted.
Presenter:
Bob Hope holds the record here, having hosted the ceremony 19 times over the course of 39 years. Johnny Carson was a fixture in the 1980s before Billy Crystal inherited his mantle. This year chat show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres will host the Oscars for a second time, replacing Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, whose close-to-the-bone stint divided critics last year.
Quips:
Part of the host’s job is to poke fun at the Oscars themselves.
“Two hours of glittering entertainment spread out over four hours” is how Johnny Carson described them, while Billy Crystal likened them to Titanic: “We are huge, we are expensive and everyone wants us to go faster.”
In 2010, Steve Martin deadpanned: “This show was so long that Avatar now takes place in the past.”
Red carpet:
Organizers need 16,000 square feet of the stuff outside the Dolby Theatre for the annual fashion parade that, for many, is the highlight of the Oscar ceremony. The hallowed carpet is lined with seven-foot Oscar statuettes that are each given a new lick of gold paint before the event; some 60,000 flowers are grown especially for the various floral displays.
Speeches:
The record for the longest acceptance speech is held by Greer Garson, who droned on for over five minutes in 1943. John Mills probably made the shortest: in keeping with his Oscar-winning role as a mute simpleton in Ryan’s Daughter, the British actor said nothing at all.
Television:
The awards were televised for the first time in 1953, attracting the largest audience in commercial TV’s five-year history.
But it was not until 1966 that they were broadcast in color, prompting host Bob Hope to quip: “Now we can see the losers turn green.”
In 2005, the ABC network was so worried Chris Rock would swear it imposed a five-second time delay.
Upsets:
There have been more than a few of these over the years. Steven Spielberg was gutted when Shakespeare in Love was named best movie in 1999 ahead of Saving Private Ryan, while even Juliette Binoche was shocked when she beat Lauren Bacall to the best supporting actress gong in 1997.
Vanity Fair:
Most of the winners make a token appearance at the Governor’s Ball before heading off to a swankier bash. And they don’t come more exclusive than the Vanity Fair party hosted by editor Graydon Carter, which for the last few years has taken place at the Sunset Tower Hotel.
War:
During World War II, the Academy replaced its gold-plated statuettes with plaster ones and outlawed formal wear, while concerns over the situation in Iraq were reflected by a toned-down ceremony in 2003.
“You probably noticed there was no red carpet tonight,” said host Steve Martin:
“That’ll send them a message!”
Youngest winner:
Tatum O’Neal holds the record as the youngest Oscar-winner after she was named best supporting actress for Paper Moon at the age of 10. Anna Paquin came close when she picked up the same award for The Piano at 11.
But the youngest Oscar recipient is Shirley Temple, given an honorary award at 6 for “her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment.”
Zero:
The number of awards Steven Spielberg received for The Color Purple after being nominated for a whopping 11 Oscars in 1986 – an ignominious achievement only matched by ballet drama The Turning Point in 1978. In 2011, True Grit bit the dust, failing to win a single prize despite 10 nominations. The same had happened to Gangs of New York in 2003. Richard Harris was nominated seven times without a single win, but the record is held by sound mixer Kevin O’Connell, who has yet to win an Oscar, despite being nominated 20 times.
Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith were big winners at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzie), picking up three prizes for their sci-fi flop After Earth.
Jaden Smith, 15, won the statuette for worst actor, while his famous father won the supporting actor Razzie.
Will and Jaden Smith were also voted worst screen combo.
Taking place on the eve of the Oscars, and just a short walk from the Academy Awards red carpet, the Razzies highlight the worst films of the year.
The worst picture prize went to Movie 43, a comedy anthology with an ensemble cast including Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry.
Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith were big winners at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards
Described by one critic as “the Citizen Kane of awful”, the film also won for worst screenplay (written by at least 19 people) and worst director (credited to 13 people).
Tyler Perry was named worst actress for A Madea Christmas, while Kim Kardashian was worst supporting actress for Tyler Perry’s Temptation.
The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp as Tonto, was worst remake or sequel.
Despite its eight nominations, Adam Sandler’s hit film sequel Grown Ups 2 went home empty-handed.
Officially known as the Golden Raspberry Awards, the Razzies were created in 1980 “as the logical antidote to Tinsel Town’s annual glut of self-congratulatory awards”.
Winners generally fail to show up – although Halle Berry and Sandra Bullock have collected their gold spray-painted prizes in person.
As at the Oscars, the Razzies have an In Memoriam section, which this year included former Razzie nominee Peter O’Toole, the film critic Roger Ebert and Blockbuster video stores.
Ukraine launched a treason case on Sunday against Admiral Denis Berezovsky, the head of the navy who surrendered his headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, on only his second day on the job.
Admiral Denis Berezovsky was earlier shown on Russian television swearing allegiance to the pro-Russian regional leaders of Crimea.
Admiral Denis Berezovsky surrendered his headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol
Russian forces have seized Crimea peninsula and told Ukrainian forces there to give up their weapons.
“During the blockade by Russian forces of the central headquarters of the navy, he declined to offer resistance and laid down his weapons,” said Viktoria Syumar, deputy secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council.
“The prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal case against Denis Berezovsky under statute 111: state treason,” she said.
Another admiral, Serhiy Hayduk, was placed in charge of the navy. (Reuters)
Newly appointed head of Ukraine’s navy, Rear Admiral Denis Berezovsky, has sworn allegiance to the Crimea region, in the presence of its unrecognized pro-Russian leader.
Denis Berezovsky was appointed as commander-in-chief of the navy by President Oleksandr Turchynov on March 1st, 2014, as the government in Kiev reacted to the threat of Russian invasion.
Russia’s troops have been consolidating their hold on Crimea, which is home to its Black Sea Fleet.
The US has warned Moscow may be ejected from the G8 for its actions.
President Barack Obama called Russian troop deployments a “violation of Ukrainian sovereignty”.
Denis Berezovsky was appointed as commander-in-chief of the navy by President Oleksandr Turchynov on March 1st, 2014
Ukraine has ordered a full military mobilization in response to Russia’s build-up of its forces on the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine’s new PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk has warned the country is “on the brink of disaster”.
In Crimea, Ukrainian soldiers faced off with Russian soldiers surrounding their bases on Sunday while the Russian army was said to be digging trenches on the border with mainland Ukraine.
The UK has joined the US, France and Canada in suspending preparations for a summit of the G8 in Russia in June. NATO, of which Ukraine is not a member, is conducting emergency talks.
Admiral Denis Berezovsky appeared in Sevastopol before cameras alongside Sergey Aksyonov, the pro-Russian politician elected by Crimea’s regional parliament as local prime minister.
Sergey Aksyonov announced he had given orders to Ukrainian naval forces on the peninsula to disregard any orders from the “self-proclaimed” authorities in Kiev.
Sunday, he said, would go down in history as the birthday of the “navy of the autonomous republic of Crimea”.
Admiral Denis Berezovsky then pledged to “strictly obey the orders of the supreme commander of the autonomous republic of Crimea” and “defend the lives and freedom” of Crimea’s people.
George Lopez took the stage at Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino in Canada just one day after being arrested for public intoxication.
The entertainer spoke on Friday night about his arrest at the hotel, saying at the beginning of his show: “I just did in Windsor, what Justin Bieber does in America.”
According to TMZ, George Lopez told the audience he took 52 shots before passing out in the bar of the hotel on Thursday night.
French director Alain Resnais has died at the age 91.
His film career spanned more than 60 years
Alain Resnais’ producer, Jean-Louis Livi, confirmed the director died in Paris on Saturday.
He was often associated with French New Wave cinema but he also embraced modernism and surrealism.
Alain Resnais’ last film, The Life of Riley – based on an Alan Ayckbourn play – premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2014.
It was his third film based on Alan Ayckbourn’s work, and reflected the direction his interests took in using theatre as a basis for his films.
Alain Resnais won a number of awards at major film festivals
French President Francois Hollande said France had lost “one of its greatest filmmakers”.
Alain Resnais first drew attention with his documentary Night and Fog (1955), which focused on Nazi concentration camps.
His first feature film would also draw on the horrors of conflict, this time the Hiroshima atomic bomb for Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959).
In devising the film with novelist Marguerite Duras, he deduced that the sheer devastation caused by the attack could not be dramatized, so he used the theme of the impossibility of speaking about the event.
The film was nominated for a best-screenwriting Oscar and won a number of critics’ awards for best foreign film.
The film was brought under the umbrella of the emerging French New Wave, which also included directors Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, although Alain Resnais said he did not consider himself completely a part of the movement.
Alain Resnais won a number of awards at major film festivals.
Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company run by Warren Buffett, has reported a record $19.5 billion profit for 2013, up from $14.8 billion in 2012.
Warren Buffett wrote to shareholders: “On the operating front, just about everything turned out well for us last year – in some cases very well.”
However, Berkshire Hathaway underperformed the S&P 500 share index for the fifth year in a row.
The growth in the company’s book value – the company’s assets minus its liabilities and Warren Buffett’s preferred measure of Berkshire’s performance – was 18.2% in 2013, while the S&P 500 rose 32.4%.
Warren Buffett said that was to be expected when the S&P performed well.
“We have underperformed in 10 of our 49 years, with all but one of our shortfalls occurring when the S&P gain exceeded 15%.”
Warren Buffett’s investment company Berkshire Hathaway has reported a record $19.5 billion profit for 2013
He added that the fund had outperformed the stock market between 2007 and 2013 and that through a full six year cycle he expected to do that again.
“If we fail to do so, we will not have earned our pay,” he wrote.
Warren Buffett, ranked fourth on the Forbes rich list, pointed to a strong performance in the firm’s insurance, rail and energy businesses for the increase in profit.
These include the auto insurer Geico, General Reinsurance, Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad and the electric utility MidAmerican Energy.
Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in the US companies Coca-Cola, American Express, IBM and Wells Fargo but reduced its ownership in the UK retailer Tesco – to 3.7% from 5.2%.
Warren Buffett did acknowledge he had made mistakes in some of his investments in the manufacturing, service and retail industries, some of which saw “very poor returns”.
“I was not misled: I simply was wrong in my evaluation of the economic dynamics of the company or the industry in which it operated,” he said.
Ukraine is calling up military reservists following Russia’s decision to deploy troops in Crimea.
Ukraine’s acting President Oleksandr Turchynov had already ordered increased security at key sites, including nuclear plants.
Meanwhile President Barack Obama has called the Russian decision a “violation of Ukrainian sovereignty”.
Heavily armed groups continue to occupy key sites in Crimea, including airports and communications hubs
Ukraine has said it will seek the help of US and UK leaders in guaranteeing its security. NATO has called emergency talks to be held on Sunday at 12:00 GMT.
The new Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk has warned that military action by Moscow would be “the beginning of war and the end of relations”.
Heavily armed groups continue to occupy key sites in Crimea, including airports and communications hubs, although there has been no actual violence.
Supermarket giant Tesco has been accused by Greenpeace of stocking a brand of tuna that is caught in a way that can harm other wildlife.
Greenpeace said Tesco pledged in 2012 to ensure all its own brand tuna was sustainably caught.
But the group says Tesco has started to stock tinned tuna from low-cost brand Oriental and Pacific which it says is caught in large nets.
Tesco said Greenpeace was “simply wrong” and the manufacturer said it “totally refutes” the claims.
Greenpeace claimed the brand was “dirty” because tuna in it was caught in big nets, known as purse seines, that could kill sea creatures.
The environmental group said Tesco “must try harder” to make sure tinned tuna was sustainably caught.
Tesco has been accused by Greenpeace of stocking a brand of tuna that is caught in a way that can harm other wildlife
Greenpeace said Sainsbury’s was at the forefront of sustainable tuna, and Waitrose, the Co-operative, Marks and Spencer, and Morrisons were also praised.
Campaigner and celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who is featuring the issue on his Fish Fight programme on Channel 4 on Sunday, called on Tesco to take the brand off its shelves.
Tesco said it had moved much faster than many of its competitors to make sure its own-brand tuna was 100% caught using a pole and line, which avoids catching other species by accident.
It said it had also promised to use sustainable tuna in other products such as pastas, sandwiches and salads.
A spokesman said: “Many of our competitors continue to sell non-pole and line caught tuna. Customers have a great choice of sustainable tuna at Tesco.”
LDH, which owns the Oriental and Pacific (O&P) tuna brand, supplies a range of products including canned tomatoes, fish, fruit and vegetables, and dried pasta.
In a statement, the company said: “At least 85% of the tuna we sell is fished using the pole and line method; our O&P brand skipjack tuna is caught using the purse seine fishing method, which accounts for 63% of all tuna caught around the globe.
“Credible scientific research by the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations shows that stocks of skipjack tuna are healthy.
“All of our tuna suppliers are members of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation and support its research-led initiatives for long-term conservation of tuna stocks.”
Thai voting has begun in five provinces that were unable to hold polls in last month’s general election because of anti-government protests.
No disturbances have so far been reported in Sunday’s ballot.
But the election commission said the situation was still too tense in many areas for polls to re-open.
Thailand has been in a political crisis since mass rallies began in November, with protesters calling for PM Yingluck Shinawatra to resign.
They want her government to be replaced by an unelected “people’s council” to reform the political system.
The opposition alleges that money politics have corrupted Thailand’s democracy and that Yingluck Shinawatra is controlled by her brother, ousted former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in self-imposed exile.
Yingluck Shinawatra leads a government that won elections in 2011 with broad support from rural areas
Protesters marched through Bangkok on Sunday, but there were no signs of voters being prevented from attending polling stations, as had been the case in early February.
“The polls are going peacefully – everything is under control and there are no problems,” a spokesman for the election commissioner said on Sunday.
However, the ballot will still leave too many parliamentary seats unfilled for a new government to be elected.
PM Yingluck Shinawatra is therefore stuck in a caretaker role, giving her cabinet very limited powers to govern.
On Friday, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban announced that demonstrators would end their occupation of central Bangkok in what was seen as a first sign of flexibility from the prime minister’s opponents.
Talks are also planned next week between representatives from both sides.
Yingluck Shinawatra leads a government that won elections in 2011 with broad support from rural areas. In response to the protests, she called snap elections on February 2, which her government was widely expected to win.
Thailand’s polls were boycotted by the opposition, and voting was disrupted by protesters at around 10% of polling stations.
A Roman gladiator school has been virtually reconstructed by archeologists after being discovered on the banks of the River Danube in Austria.
The so-called ludus was on a scale to rival the famous ludus magnus, the gladiatorial school behind the Colosseum in Rome.
The remains at Carnuntum were mapped using sophisticated aerial surveys and ground-penetrating radar.
The archaeologists published their findings in the journal Antiquity.
Carnuntum was the capital of Upper Pannonia in Roman times and a major trading centre for amber.
The remains of a Roman gladiator school at Carnuntum were mapped using sophisticated aerial surveys and ground-penetrating radar
Excavations in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries revealed many elements of the ancient settlement, including a legionary fortress and the civilian town.
It contains the ruins of amphitheatres, Roman baths and the remains of a monumental arch known as Heidentor.
The ludus was detected only in 2011, in an area to the south of the town, where little is visible on the surface.
According to this newly published survey, the school was complete with individual cells for the gladiators and a circular training arena.
Although about 100 ludi are thought to have existed in the Roman Empire, almost all have been destroyed or built over.
