Winners All

This week is all about winners.

Sandra Bullock, Mo'Nique and Kathryn Bigelow win big in the Oscars. Jeff Bridges also had a grand slam bagging both the Academy and Golden Globes for his role in "Crazy Heart". "The Hurt Locker" edges "Avatar" winning 6 out of 9 nominations including the Best Picture Oscar.

Meanwhile, Chile, still reeling from the effects of the previous weeks' magnitude 8.8 super earthquake, has a new President in Sebastian Pinera. On his inauguration day a 6.9 magnitude aftershock still rocked the country. The call for international aid intensifies from all fronts to address the destruction in both Haiti and Chile.

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On another note, Forbes' list of World's Billionaires for 2009 featured Mexico's Telecom magnate Carlos Slim on top besting long-time front-runners Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. 63% of the world's richest are based in Asia. The list also revealed that last year, China had the most billionaires outside of the USA beating India.

The Philippines is also on the list with the Sy Family and Tan Family taking spots 234 and 522 respectively. The mall mogul Henry Sy has a net worth of US$2.7 billion while Lucio Tan is pegged at US$1.4 billion.

Another winner is Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys since the new Cowboys Stadium will be hosting this weekend's biggest event - the Pacquiao vs. Clottey WBO welterweight championship match. This will be the first major boxing event for the billion-dollar state-of-the-art stadium with no less than the biggest name in boxing gracing the home of the biggest name in football.

But then who will be the winner; the champion or the challenger? Follow Daily Dotventures this weekend for the outcome of the Pacquiao-Clottey Event.

Oscars Nominees - The Top 10 for 2010

The yearly Academy Awards is moving the buzz circles once again as the 2010 Oscars shines its spotlights on a total of 10 films for the best picture category, the most nominations since 1944.

This year's nominations are a curious mix of the critically acclaimed and the popular blockbusters. James Cameron's science fiction hit "Avatar" and Kathryn Bigelow's war drama "The Hurt Locker" are pitted against each other with 9 nominations including best picture and best director.

The animation "Up" is nominated for both best animation and best picture categories. Other luminaries in contention are Sandra Bullock as best actress for "The Blind Side" going up against Oscar mainstays Meryl Streep for "Julie and Julia" and Dame Helen Mirren for "The Last Station". For best actor, Morgan Freeman gets the Academy's nod for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in "Invictus", as well as George Clooney for "Up In The Air" and Jeff Bridges, who earlier won the best actor award in the Golden Globes for his role in "Crazy Heart".

The nominees for best picture are:

• Avatar
• The Blind Side
• District 9
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Precious
• A Serious Man
• Up
• Up In The Air

The 82nd Academy Awards will air March 7th and will be hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

A Contest For Change: World Challenge 08

It's amazing how some people can race to the moon and stars while others remain languishing in pitiful conditions. However there are initiatives that are improving the lives of many people in what would be considered as less than fortunate communities.

This is what World Challenge 08 is all about. Now running in its third year of competitions the challenge, which is spearheaded by BBC World News and Newsweek, with the help of Shell, seeks to highlight projects and small businesses that promote a sustainable positive impact at the grassroots level.

In 2006 a Sri Lankan papermaking firm won the award for its innovation of using elephant dung as raw material for paper and providing opportunities for community members to take part of the earnings. For 2007, the Peruvian T'ikapapa enterprise bagged the World Challenge top prize for helping the local potato growing communities in the Andes mountains reach a larger potato market.

This year there's a good mix of nominees from South Africa, Colombia, Nepal, Pakistan, Brazil, Paraguay, Kyrgyzstan, two from India and another two from Kenya. Their stories are just awe inspiring from promoting local grassroots livelihood projects to pursuing education for underprivileged communities.

Know more about the incredible and wonderful finalists for World Challenge 08 and be part in helping them continue their life changing initiatives by voting for your favourite project or enterprise. Online voting will end on November 21, 2008. Winners will be announced on December 20, 2008.

The 2007 Nobel Laureates: Another Year of Advancements and Controversy

"How about a Literature award
for bloggers? Hmm...."

Image from nobelprize.org

With the earlier announcement of the Nobel Prize awardees for Economics, all presentations of the Nobel Prize recipients for 2007 is now complete. The line up of Nobel Prize winners, laudable as they all are, do not come without their share of controversy as advancements in stem cell research and the highly politicized climate change agenda had been accorded a spotlight by the award-giving body.

The Nobel Foundation began prize announcements last October 8 starting with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. On October 9, the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics was announced. This was followed by the announcements for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on October 10, Nobel Prize in Literature on October 11, and the Nobel Peace Prize on October 12. The Prize for Economic Sciences was awarded October 15.

The yearly Nobel Prize identifies distinct achievements in the aforementioned categories. Run by the Sweden-based Nobel Foundation the awards are the fulfillment of Alfred Nobel's last will and testament. The famed inventor of the dynamite, Alfred Nobel was a highly regarded industrialist, scientist, and poet. Upon his death in 1896, a sizeable portion of his estate was bequeathed to a fund which "shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" (see "Excerpt from the Will of Alfred Nobel", nobelprize.org).

Five categories were identified by Nobel himself - Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and the Peace Prize. The Nobel Prize in Economics, officially titled "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel", is not originally part of the awards but rather was instituted in conjunction with the Sweden Central Bank in 1969.

The Nobel Prize consists of the Nobel Diplomas, the Nobel Prize Medals and an amount which for this year totals to 10 Million Swedish Kronor (over 1 Million US Dollars).

This year's Nobel Laureates are as follows:

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007
Mario Cappechi (USA), Sir Martin Evans (UK), and Oliver Smithies (USA), "for their discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells";

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2007
Albert Fert (France), and Peter Grunberg (Germany), "for the discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance";

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007
Gerhard Erti (Germany), "for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces";

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2007
Doris Lessing (UK), "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny";

The Nobel Peace Prize 2007
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Geneva, Switzerland), and Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. (USA);

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2007
Leonid Hurwicz (USA), Eric Maskin (USA), and Roger Myerson (USA), "for having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory".

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There were those who raised wary eyebrows with the inclusion of Al Gore for the Nobel Peace award as some view his advocacy of the climate change agenda to be "too propagandist". In a similar fashion, advancements in stem cell research still strikes sensitive chords among conservative sectors.

Nonetheless, Alfred Nobel's legacy continues - a legacy of unperturbed trailblazing in the face of criticism and difficulties, and eventually contributing toward the betterment of mankind.

Find out more from TheNobelPrize channel on YouTube and at the nobelprize.org website.


Technorati Tags:Nobel Prize 2007

The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards - "Sopranos" and "30 Rock" Win

It was Television's biggest night but ever bigger for "The Sopranos" as the cast and crew took a few coveted Emmys in what seemed to be a night of tribute for the 10-year run of the recently concluded drama series. Ryan Seacrest hosted the 2007 Emmy Awards which were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Sunday night, September 16.

HBO, the home network for "The Sopranos", led over the ABC and NBC TV networks with a total of 21 honors since the Creative Arts Emmys last September 8.

This year's Emmys is also touted to be a first being an eco-friendly carbon-neutral airing of the awards show. The distinction comes as part of the "Green with Emmy" campaign aimed at reducing the carbon footprint the Primetime Emmy Awards have to the global climate. Coincidentally (or not), controversial environmental champion former VP Al Gore was present to receive an award for "Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Television". Mr. Gore along with co-awardee Joel Hyatt began the Current TV cable television network, which airs produced mostly by viewers themselves.

Compared to the results of the Daily Dotventures' Choose "Your Own Emmys!" poll, only the Sopranos win echoed the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards selections. This supports what I've long suspected - that bloggers and web users don't watch television anymore. :)

So here are the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' 59th Primetime Emmy top winners:

• Drama: "The Sopranos," HBO.
• Comedy: "30 Rock," NBC.
• Actor, Comedy Series: Ricky Gervais, "Extras," HBO.
• Actor, Drama Series: James Spader, "Boston Legal," ABC.
• Actress, Drama Series: Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters," ABC.
• Actress, Comedy Series: America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty," ABC.

Click here for more information on the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Congratulations to the winners! 'Til the next Emmys.

Venice Film Fest Climax: Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt Wins

The 64th Venice International Film Festival came to another glitzy conclusion, September 8, with the film worlds' top honors awarded to some familiar illustrious names.

The envelope is open, the names are out, and the winners are:

• Volpi Coppa for Best Actress - Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There", a Bob Dylan biopic by Director Todd Haynes
• Volpi Coppa for Best Actor - Brad Pitt in "The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" by Director Andrew Dominik
• Golden Lion for Best Film - Ang Lee for "Se, Jie (Lust, Caution)"
• Silver Lion for Best Direction - Brian De Palma for "Redacted"

Complete film festival winners at the Venice Film Festival official website.

A hearty congratulations to the winners. 'Til the next Mostra Internazionale D'Arte Cinematografica La Biennale di Venezia.

Tim Burton Awarded Lifetime Achievement at Venice Film Fest

Eccentric American film director Tim Burton of "Edward Scissorhands", "Batman" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" fame, received the 2007 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 64th Venice Film Festival. Wednesday, September 5 was dubbed "Tim Burton Day" honoring the infamous director whose work is markedly gothic and unconventional.

Burton's Academy Award nominated "The Nightmare Before Christmas", directed by Henry Selick and considered a landmark film for bringing stop-motion animation back in fashion on the big screen, was shown at the Venice Film Festival remastered in 3D Stereoscopic Digital format - a festival first for the oldest international film event in the world. Disney Digital 3D is set to re-release the 2006 remaster of "Nightmare" by mid-October 2007.

Renowned "Pirates of the Carribean" star Johnny Depp, a long-time collaborator of Burton, presented the Golden Lion to Tim Burton who is currently filming "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" which also features Depp.

The Venice Film Festival celebrates 75 years since it started in 1932. Legendary Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, known for "Little Buddha" and "Last Tango in Paris", will be receiving the 75th anniversary Golden Lion on September 8 during the closing ceremonies of the illustrious film festival.