Oscars: “Rango” cleans up at the VES Awards – AWARDS ALLEY

By Sean O’Connell
TrendPK.com: The VES announced the winners of the 10th Annual VES Awards Tuesday evening at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Gore Verbinski’s Oscar-nominated “Rango” was the night’s biggest winner, collecting four awards including Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, and Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture.

“Hugo,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” all took home two awards in the Feature Motion Picture categories. The annual event recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.

The complete list of winners of the 10th Annual VES Awards is as follows:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, Cyndi Ochs, Kurt Williams

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Hugo: Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning, Rob Legato, Karen Murphy

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango: Tim Alexander, Hal Hickel, Jacqui Lopez, Katie Lynch

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie, or Special
Inside the Human Body: Phil Dobree, Sophie Orde, Dan Upton

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series
Terra Nova – Occupation & Resistance: Kevin Blank, Colin Brady, Adica Manis, Jason Zimmerman

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
Game of Thrones – Winter is Coming: Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor, Angela Barson, Ed Bruce, Adam McInnes

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Live Action Commercial
Dior J’adore: Pascal Giroux, Julien Meesters, Stephane Pivron, Manuel Souillac

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Commercial or Video Game Trailer
Diablo III: The Black Soulstone: Nicholas S. Carpenter, Graham Cunningham, Chris Thunig, Taka Yasuda

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Transformers the Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle: Lori Arnold, Yanick Dusseault, Delio Tramontozzi, Jeff White

Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Caesar: Daniel Barrett, Florian Fernandez, Matthew Muntean, Eric Reynolds

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango – Rango: Frank Gravatt, Kevin Martel, Brian Paik, Steve Walton

Outstanding Animated Character in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Canal + The Bear: Laurent Creusot, Guillaume Ho, Olivier Mitonneau, Michal Nauzin

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – 155 Wacker Drive: Giles Hancock, John Hanson, Tom Martinek, Scott Younkin

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango – Main Street Dirt: John Bell, Polly Ing, Martin Murphy, Russell Paul

Outstanding Created Environment in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Game of Thrones – The Icewall: Markus Kuha, Dante Harbridge Robinson, Damien Mac, Fani Vassiadi

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Hugo: Martin Chamney, Rob Legato, Adam Watkins, Fabio Zangla

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango – The Dirt Saloon: Colin Benoit, Philippe Rebours, Nelson Sepulveda, Nick Walker

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Gears of War 3 – Dust to Dust: Niles Heckman, Richard Morton, Vernon Wilbert Jr.

Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Driller: Tim Brakensiek, Kelvin Chu, David Fogler, Rene Garcia

Outstanding Models in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Boardwalk Empire – Georgia Peaches: Matthew Conner, Eran Dinur, David Reynolds, Szymon Weglarski

Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture
Captain America: The First Avenger – Skinny Steve: Casey Allen, Trent Claus, Brian Hajek, Cliff Welsh

Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Boardwalk Empire – Gimcrack & Bunkum: Anton Dawson. Eran Dinur, Austin Meyers, David Reynolds

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
a.maize: Roman Kaelin, Falko Paeper, Florian Wittmann
The 10th Annual VES Awards will air exclusively on REELZCHANNEL Sunday, February 19 at 10pm ET/7pm PT with encore presentations throughout February. For more information on the VES Awards and the Visual Effects Society please visit www.visualeffectssociety.com

Awards Alley brings you the best Oscar coverage. Click below to read our exclusive interviews with:
– Harvey Weinstein
– The cast of “The Artist.”
– Kenneth Branagh for “My Week With Marilyn.”
– Bennett Miller talks “Moneyball.”
– Producer Jim Burke for “The Descendants.”
– Sir Ben Kingsley and Chloe Grace Moretz for “Hugo.”
– Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”
– David Fincher, Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara on “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
– Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer for “The Help.”
– Tate Taylor for “The Help.”
– Woody Harrelson for “Rampart.”
– Gavin O’Connor for “Warrior.”
– Gary Oldman and Colin Firth for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”
– Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody for “Young Adult.”
– Steve McQueen for “Shame.”
– Glenn Close for “Albert Nobbs.”
– Seth Rogen and Will Reiser for “50/50.”
– Producer Grant Heslov for “The Ides of March.”

For complete Oscar and Film Festival coverage, visit our Awards Alley for the latest news items, reviews and interviews all season long.

Follow Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.

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Research In Motion CEOs announce resignation

NEW YORK: The founders and CEOs of Canadian telecommunications company Research In Motion, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, announced that they were leaving their posts.

“In every successful company that’s developed by founders,” Lazaridis said in a statement quoted by The New York Times, “there comes a time when it enters a new phase of growth and it’s time for the founders to pass the baton to new management.”

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion’s share of the US smartphone market declined during the three months ending in November, while Apple and Google’s Android platform both made gains, according to industry tracker comScore.

The Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM saw its share of US smartphone subscribers fall to 16.6 percent at the end of November from 19.7 percent at the end of August, according to comScore.

Android was the top smartphone platform with a 46.9 percent share of the US market at the end of November, up from 43.8 percent.

Apple’s market share also rose during the period — by 1.4 percentage points to 28.7 percent.

Microsoft, meanwhile, saw its share of the smartphone market fall to 5.2 percent from 5.7 percent.

RIM has been struggling in recent months and has been the subject of persistent takeover speculation. AGENCIES

Producer accuses Govinda of threatening him

That Govinda always had the ‘issue’ of being a latecomer on the sets was well known. The latest ‘allegation’ against him is that, Praveen Khanna, a Mumbai based film producer has gone ahead and lodged a complaint against him for abusing and threatening to kill him.

Reports have it that, the reported abuses and threats were allegedly hurled by Govinda amidst a meeting of the Indian Motion Pictures’ Producers Association (IMPPA). The said matter is registered as a complaint with the Khar police station, who said that they had received a written complaint from Praveen Khanna that Govinda had abused and threatened to kill him after a heated exchange on Aug 24, and that the same has been registered as a non-cognizable offence.

Hollywood, Bollywood sign landmark cooperation pact

MUMBAI: Hollywood and Bollywood, the world’s largest movie industries, have signed a pact that will boost cooperation for producing and distributing their films.

The “historic declaration” signed Wednesday between the city of Los Angeles and the Indian film industry strengthens commercial ties and will move to increase the number of Indian productions that are filmed here, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) said in a statement.

The pact “reinforces our city’s commitment to attracting international production… we enthusiastically welcome further Indian production,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at the event at Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood.

The two industries account for the majority of the world’s cinema, and cooperation between them has already grown strongly in recent years.

Representing the Indian delegation,

Historic cooperation pact between Hollywood and Bollywood

After several years of co-productions and joint investment, the two most prominent global film industries have come together for the signing of an historic declaration between the city of Los Angeles and the Indian film industry at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, CA.

As part of the declaration, the city of Los Angeles and the Indian film industry, represented by the Film and Television Producers Guild of India and the Film Federation of India, agree to develop and strengthen motion picture production, distribution, technology, content protection and commercial cooperation between the two filmmaking communities. The two parties also support the creation of the Los Angeles-India Film Council to increase Indian film production in Los Angeles.

Speaking at the event, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said: “This declaration reinforces our city’s commitment to attracting international production. In the past year, we have already seen Hindi movies such as My Name is Khan and Kites filmed in Los Angeles, and we enthusiastically welcome further Indian production in Los Angeles.”

Mayor Villaraigosa was joined by California Film Commissioner Amy Lemisch, Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey, Motion Picture Association Asia Pacific President Mike Ellis, and Motion Picture Association India Managing Director Rajiv Dalal, along with Indian Producers Bobby Bedi, L. Suresh, and representatives from Reliance BIG Entertainment and UTV Motion Pictures.

Rajiv Dalal, India Managing Director of the Motion Picture Association, commented, “More than 2.4 million people in America and 1.8 million people in India work in the motion picture and television industry. We look forward to continued commercial cooperation with the U.S. film industry on joint investment and co-productions, which will only increase economic development and job growth in both nations.”

Mike Ellis remarked, “Both India and America have a shared love for film, and both are known for their prominent film industries. Over the past several years, collaboration with the Indian film industry has become increasingly prominent. Numerous co-productions and joint investment in both film and television demonstrate a shared commitment to expand commercially and culturally.”

Paramount Pictures Chairman and CEO Brad Grey said, “Paramount is honored to host these important discussions, which usher in a new era of strategic partnership. We hope this groundbreaking collaboration will yield more co-productions and alliances, greater films and a stronger global film industry.”

The Indian delegation was led by eminent Hindi producer Bobby Bedi and Tamil producer and Film Federation of India President L. Suresh, along with other representatives from the major Indian production houses of Reliance BIG Entertainment and UTV Motion Pictures. The delegation came to Los Angeles for a two day summit with the Hollywood studios, California officials, and other film related companies to discuss economic development and collaboration.

Representing the Indian delegation, Producer Bobby Bedi noted, “Hollywood and Bollywood are two industries that are economically robust and represent significant economic and cultural interests of their respective countries. India has always held a fascination for Hollywood, and this agreement pulls us closer together with the aim of sharing ideas and best practices on domestic and international film production. We look forward to working with the City of Los Angeles to increase Indian production here.” Producer Suresh Laxmanan asserted, “In addition to the Hindi film industry, the southern and regional Indian film industries also welcome the opportunity to work hand and hand with Hollywood. Already we have seen significant collaboration in technology between Hollywood and South India, and we will soon see collaborations in production.”

Past big budget Indian productions filmed in Los Angeles include: Kites (2010), My Name is Khan (2010), Kambakkht Ishq (2009), Kaante (2002), and Pardes (1997).

This is the second major step towards economic development and cooperation between Hollywood and the Indian film industry this year. In March, the two industries came together in Mumbai to launch the Alliance Against Copyright Theft, a Bollywood-Hollywood content protection coalition in India.

Other joint ventures and co-productions between individual Hollywood studios and Indian production houses over the past several years include My Name is Khan (2010), Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge (2010), Lahore (2010), Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hain (2010), Khichdi (2010), We Are Family (2010), Do Dooni Chaar (2010), Chandni Chowk to China (2009), Quick Gun Murugan (2009), Raaz the Mystery Continues (2009), Roadside Romeo (2008), Saas Bahu Aur Sensex (2008), Saawariya (2007) . Several, such as Zokkomon and Dum Maro Dum, are also slated for 2011. Indian investment in Hollywood has been steadily increasing, most notably with Indian entertainment conglomerate Reliance’s production and distribution deal with Dreamworks SKG.

Saudi Arabia to block BlackBerry service on Friday

RIYADH/NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday ordered at least one Research In Motion’s BlackBerry smartphone service to be blocked as of Friday, becoming the latest government to threaten to curb the device on security grounds.

Originally posted here: 
Saudi Arabia to block BlackBerry service on Friday

Blackberry Service Down,Blackberry Server Down

TrendPK.com Blackberry Service Down,Blackberry Server Down:Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Internet Service e-mail system suffered a continent-wide disruption for several hours Thursday.
Reports indicated the service went down around 3 am EST, possibly as a result of a maintenance check, and impacted users throughout the US and Canada. RIM stated later in the [...]

Opposition wreaks chaos in Punjab Assembly

Lahore, Pakistan news:- The opposition members stirred chaos in the Punjab Assembly yet again and the house became a fish-market Monday.

The Punjab Assembly meeting started an hour and a half late. When the Law Minister Rana Sanaullah tried presenting his motion, the opposition started shouting. After the speaker’s decision, the opposition leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin passed his resolution and the house unanimously approved the resolution for paying tribute to Allama Iqbal. Later, two privelege motions of the opposition were passed. The opposition member Ahmed Yar Haraj protested for presenting the wrong answer to the Robert Farm case. The speaker then postponed the motion and permitted presenting the amendment bill. The house approved the amendment bill 2009 for the underdeveloped areas and also related to kite-flying. During this time, the opposition continued shouting.

Government officials say that the opposition members tore the copies of the agenda and threw them in the house. The copies had hymns written in them for the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

“May my parents be sacrificed for the Prophet (PBUH). The government has stooped to its lowest,” said the opposition member Chaudhry Zaheeruddin.

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Opposition wreaks chaos in Punjab Assembly was first posted on November 9, 2009 at 8:59 pm.

Sugar Price Still High in Karachi Despite all Govt Claims

KARACHI: Despite all inflated government assurances, sugar is being sold at Rs47/kg not Rs45.80/kg at wholesale marke.
Karachi Retail Market sources said the retailers are refraining from buying sugar at exorbitant prices from wholesale market, adding it would be difficult for them to sell sugar at Rs47/kg, after buying it at the same price.

The government is conducting raids to strike stability in the sugar prices, as the commodity is still being sold at Rs48 to Rs50/kg in the city.

The shopkeepers demanded the government to provide sugar at the government tariff to ensure its availability in the retail market at Rs47/kg.

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Sugar Price Still High in Karachi Despite all Govt Claims was first posted on September 4, 2009 at 3:58 pm.
©2009 “News Trends“.

The Motion Ride: Want to be Jaunted?

Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan:- As the craze of outing broadens day by day, so does the number of clambake places. Slowly and gradually Rawalpindi is making it’s way through the list of Most Enthralling Cities. Well, I guess after Lahore and Karachi, Rawalpindi is the third most talked about city. After the Inauguration of the ‘Jinnah Park’ in 2005, Rawalpindi has racked up alot of it’s commoners attention. First of all the very famous food chain Restaurant and/or Burger Parlour ‘McDonald’s’ was outset on 11th August 2006, then the down pat ‘Cinepax’ was initiated on 14 October 2007 , then as Jinnah Park subsequently became the hub of Public Entertainment, It gave birth to the well known Pizza Salon ‘Papa Sallis’ and many other eateries such as Diva Restaurant etc.

After the cafe got shut down; which was set in motion near Papa Sallis, Jinnah Park gave Authority to the possessors of ‘The Motion Ride’ to raise the curtain in lieu to the cafe. As most of you might be pondering, that it would be some lame superficial ride to go for, as I myself was first mistaken, I would clear those mystical doubts. No, Motion Ride is a 4D (4 Dimensional) ride, the objects surround you completely, making you feel a bit down to the game, with all the fun in the same cubicle or shall I say the Dark Room. It is a ride which everyone can extol from 4 year old to 40 year old. With a Ticket of Rs 100 per person only. So, all we did and you need to do is enjoy the thrills and spills of the bumpy state of the art-motion stimulator and get bounced and surprised on every turn of the ride. All you would need to do is to take your seat and get set to be thrown into a heart pumping ride.

Things you would need:
A Huge Amount Of Imaginations
A Heart
Vacant Hands
ans Lots and Lots of Laughs and Screams

So, hold on to your seats before it starts and Don’t say no one warned you!!!

By:- Mehak Wasif Rawalpindi

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The Motion Ride: Want to be Jaunted? was first posted on September 4, 2009 at 4:29 pm.
©2009 “News Trends“.