Los Angeles: Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani walked the red carpet at the 84th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater here Sunday, where three films produced by DreamWorks Studios, his co-venture with Steven Speilberg, were nominated for 11 Oscars.
Among the 11 nominations, Octavia Spencer fetched the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance in "The Help". Spencer was honoured with the golden statuette for her portrayal of big-mouthed maid Minny in 'The Help'.
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Other than `The Help`, two other films of Reliance DreamWorks - `War Horse` and `Real Steel` - were nominated for various categories. `War Horse` and `The Help` were in the fray for best film award, which went to black and white silent film `The Artist`.
`War Horse` was also nominated for sound editing, sound mixing, original score, art direction and cinematography.
While `The Help`, directed by Tate Tylor, featured in the nomination line-up for best actress (Viola Davis) and best supporting actress (Jessica Chastain and Spencer), apart from the best picture category.
Hugh Jackman-starrer sci-fi thriller `Real Steel` had one nomination for best achievement in visual effects. But the award went to `Hugo`.
Ambani, who owns a 51 percent stake at DreamWorks Studios, attended the glittering event with his partners Spielberg and Stacey Snider.
NEW DELHI: India will be world's third largest economy by 2030 but its energy demand will slow down to 4.5 per cent, global energy giant BP plc (one of the world's leading international oil and gas companies) said today.
"By 2030 China and India will be the world's largest and third largest economies and energy consumers, jointly accounting for about 35 per cent of global population, GDP and energy demand," BP's chief economist Christof Ruhl said releasing BP's Energy Outlook 2030.
There would be "no surge in energy demand as India industrialises. Demand growth slows to 4.5 per cent per annum (vs. 5.5 per cent p.a. in 1999-2010) as improvements in energy efficiency partly offset the energy needs of industrialisation and infrastructure expansion."
India's dependence on imports to meet its gas needs will jump to 47 per cent by 2030 while the same for oil will grow to 91 per cent. The nation will be 40 per cent dependent on imports to meet its coal needs.
He said India remains on a lower path of energy intensity; by 2030 it consumes only about half the energy that China consumes today, at a similar income per capita level as in China today.
Over the next 20 years China and India combined account for all the net increase in global coal demand, 94 per cent of net oil demand growth, 30 per cent of gas, and 48 per cent of the net growth in non-fossil fuels.
Coal remains the main commercial fuel, but its share falls from 70 per cent to 55 per cent in China as a result of maturing industrial structure, and from 53 per cent to 50 per cent in India due to domestic resource constraints.
Oil's share is flat at 18 per cent in China and falls to 26 per cent in India, constrained by prices and growing import dependency. Gas gains market share along with nuclear and renewables in both countries, BP said.
In India, the share of industry continues to grow, as infrastructure development catches up and manufacturing expands to absorb a growing labour force, but it never reaches the Chinese level. "India therefore remains significantly less energy intensive, with a relatively high share of the service sector in GDP."
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Kevin and Kobe show won it for the West at the NBA All-Star game, holding off LeBron James at the end.
They got an MVP and a scoring record, too.
Bryant scored 27 points, moving past Michael Jordan as the career scoring leader in the game, Kevin Durant had 36 in an MVP performance, and the Western Conference held on for a 152-149 victory over the East on Sunday night.
James and the East cut a 21-point deficit to one in the closing seconds, but weren't able to move in front. James had 36 points and fellow Heat star Dwyane Wade finished with a triple-double.
"With all these great players on the floor, you never know what will happen. Guys making big shots and they cut it down to one. We were up 18 (at halftime)," Durant said.
"It was fun. That's the type of All-Star game you want to see."
Image Credit: Getty
Blake Griffin scored 22 points for the West, which rang up 89 points in the first half, setting an All-Star record. But he won the game with his defense, picking off James' pass when the East had a chance to tie in the final seconds.
"I can't turn the ball over like that," James said. "I let my team down, but overall it was a great weekend." Griffin then hit one free throw with 1.1 seconds left, and Wade was off on a 3-point attempt from the corner. He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, joining Jordan and James as the only players with All-Star game triple-doubles.
Durant was the MVP, leaving Bryant tied for the All-Star record with his four. But he got a bigger mark in his 13th All-Star game.
He broke Jordan's record of 262 points on a dunk with 4:57 left in the third quarter and now has 271 for his career. He entered with 244 and passed Oscar Robertson (246 points) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (251) earlier in the game.
It nearly wasn't enough, as the East's comeback had the crowd filled with entertainers and athletes chanting for defense – never a part of the All-Star game vocabulary – in the final seconds.
With Bryant covering him, James hit two long 3-pointers in the final period, and the East had a chance when Bryant, with the crowd loudly booing, missed a free throw with 18 seconds left and the West up 151-149. "Just being a competitor," James said. "They pretty much beat us up all game so we just wanted to make a game of it."
But New Jersey's Deron Williams was short on a 3-pointer, and after the East came up with it, James fired a pass into a crowd that Griffin intercepted.
On a colorful night in Orlando, from pregame performer Nicki Minaj's pink and green hair to the neon sneakers many of the stars wore, Dwight Howard had nine points and 10 rebounds as the game's host.
The NBA's first All-Star game in Orlando in 20 years wasn't close after 2 1/2 quarters. But players always say it gets competitive in the final five minutes, and James was again up for the challenge.
He hiked his scoring average to 25.9 points over his eight All-Star games, and someday he'll probably take the record Bryant set Sunday.
But he couldn't quite catch Kobe in the game.
With the 2-year-old Amway Center considered by many the finest arena in the league, the NBA brought its midseason showcase back to Orlando for the first time since the memorable 1992 game, when Magic Johnson was MVP three months after retiring from the league because of the HIV virus.
This one was once in jeopardy of being lost when the lockout lasted into late November. Without a settlement then, All-Star weekend may have been wiped out, as it was in 1999 following a work stoppage.
The party was saved.
James and Howard, wearing bright orange shoes, danced onto the stage for pregame introductions, Howard breaking into an enormous grin when fans gave him a thunderous ovation as the last All-Star introduced. He insists that he and Magic fans still have a love affair despite his trade request, understanding he still loves the city even if not his team, and urged everyone to ignore the trade talk for a weekend and have fun.
"We did it big for our city," he said in brief pregame remarks to the crowd before the game. Then Andrew Bynum blocked his first shot attempt.
The speedy Russell Westbrook had the East looking like it was standing still late in the first half, and it was 88-69 at the break.
Howard and Derrick Rose ditched their orange sneakers in the second half – James kept his – and the East quickly got back into it, trimming 12 points off its deficit in less than 6 minutes. They even started to defend – Wade whacked Bryant so hard on a drive that the Lakers star needed a break between free throws to wipe blood from his nose before sinking it to tie Jordan.
Williams scored 20 points for the East. Carmelo Anthony had 19, and Rose finished with 14.
Kevin Love, who won the 3-point contest on Saturday, scored 17 points for the West, which has won two in a row. Chris Paul had eight points and 12 assists.
NOTES: With Bryant, Bynum, Griffin and Paul, four West starters were from Los Angeles. Bynum played only 5 1/2 minutes after a having a procedure on his knee Friday. ... Johnson came onto the court for a standing ovation following the first quarter after highlights of his 1992 performance were shown. He was part of another 20-year anniversary acknowledgement in the third quarter, joined by Olympic Dream Team teammates Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen and David Robinson.
Kapamilya actress Iza Calzado suffered a wardrobe malfunction when she did a split during her performance on ABS-CBN’s Sunday variety show ASAP 2012 on February 26.
Iza’s legging ripped, but, as a professional artist, she continued to perform her production number and did not mind what happened. Fortunately, the camera shots were far and most viewers were not able to notice that something went wrong with her legging.
It’s the biggest night in Hollywood as the stars troop to Hollywood and Highland Center (formerly known as Kodak Theater) for the 84th Academy Awards or the Oscars 2012 in celebration of the best films of 2011.
Oscars 2012 was hosted by actor Billy Crystal, his ninth in Academy Awards. Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz and Emma Stone are among the presenters.
Image Credit: NextPing
We will update the complete list of Oscars 2012 winners as soon as it’s announced
Complete List of Oscars 2012 Winners:
Best Picture: The Artist
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best Actor: Jean Dujuardin, The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Animated Short Film: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Documentary Short Subject: Saving Face
Live Action Short Film: The Shore
Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen
Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Original Song: “Man or Muppet,” The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
Original Score: The Artist, Ludovic Bource
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Visual Effects: Hugo
Animated Feature Film: Rango
Documentary Feature: Undefeated
Sound Mixing: Hugo
Sound Editing: Hugo
Film Editing: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Actress in a Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Foreign Language Film: A Separation (Iran)
Art Direction: Hugo
Cinematography: Hugo
It’s a big night for the film “The Artist” as it grabbed the 3 major Oscars awards in Best Director, Best Actor and Best Picture categories. Veteran actress Meryl Streep had her 3rd Oscars as Best Actress in “The Iron Lady”.
TOKYO — Kenya’s Michael Kipkorir Kipyego got the better of former world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia in the last four kilometers to win the Tokyo marathon on Sunday.
Gebrselassie was locked in a shoulder-to-shoulder battle against his compatriot and defending champion Hailu Mekonnen until the 35-km mark.
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As Mekonnen started to slow, Kipyego caught up with Gebrselassie and crossed the finishing line in 2hr 07min 37sec.
Japan’s Arata Fujiwara came second in a personal best time of 2:07:48, followed by Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda in 2:07:50.
Gebrselassie finished fourth in 2:08:17, while Mekonnen was eighth in 2:09:59.
“I’m very happy to win the Tokyo marathon at my first attempt. I never knew I would win the race until the 30-kilometer mark,” said Kipyego, 28.
In the women’s race, Atsede Habtamu of Ethiopia overtook front-running Eri Okubo of Japan after passing the 39km mark to win in 2:25:28.
Her compatriot, Yeshi Esayias, was second in 2:26:00, followed by Helena Loshanyang Kirop of Kenya in 2:26:02. Okubo finished fourth place in 2:26:08.
The fight was scored 114-114, 116-113 and 116-112 to the Russian, but Huck produced a brave performance over the 12 rounds in Stuttgart.
Having defended his WBO cruiserweight title eight times, this was 27-year-old Huck's first fight at heavyweight.
Saturday's win leaves the 32-year-old Povetkin with a record of 24 victories, including 16 knock-outs and no defeats.
After a lively first round, Huck was warned for holding by referee Luis Pabon while Povetkin caught the Serbian-born German with two right hooks in the second.
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Povetkin landed several powerful body shots in the third as he managed to briefly pin Huck to the ropes, but the challenger landed a good right.
Huck clearly took the fourth with several shots on two separate occasions, but the challenger was again warned for a punch to the back of the head.
Huck went toe-to-toe with the champion midway through the seventh, and a clean shot to the chin had the Russian wobbling.
At the start of the eighth, Povetkin landed several good head shots of his own and when a small cut opened under Huck's left eye in the 11th, the Russian had Huck in real trouble.
Huck still managed a full shot to the face in the 12th and the challenger finished with a flurry of punches with both fighters exhausted at the final bell.
British boxer Dereck Chisora, who caused controversy by brawling with ex-champion David Haye last weekend in Munich, returned to Germany and was ringside in Stuttgart to watch the fight.
Having lost to WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko last Saturday, Chisora remains under investigation by Munich police for his part in the brawl during the post-fight press conference at which he threatened to "shoot" Haye.
Chisora faces a hearing before the British Boxing Board of Control in London on March 14.
