Sharapova’s switching racquets; Bravo’s replacing housewives

Sharapova's racquet, devoid of any noticeable Prince-brand signage or shock absorber, seems likely to change come 2011.

Apparently Sharapova’s tight lips when it came to discussing her darkly wrapped racquet this year meant something. She’s decided to make the switch from Prince, the sponsor that provided racquets for her only 3 Slam wins, to Head. Perhaps she’s gotten tired of the less than stellar results in the less than light-speed time it’s taken to get them, or maybe it’s something else. I guess a new year is supposed to spur on a new Sharapova. For tennis’ sake, let’s hope that happens. I’m never entirely sure what’s going on in that always-clicking PR-focused brain of hers, but Tennis.com may. 

For Your Consideration: 2010’s memorable films, breakout performances, and best tennis match

Which performances from this year won’t even be nominated for an Oscar?

Which films are too unnoticed to be nominated for an Oscar?

What was Steve Tignor’s (Tennis.com) top match of 2010?

I’ve lost count of them all, so I’ll ask you: How will the top tennis players of 2010 be remembered (in photos)?

What are Sasha Stone’s (Awardsdaily.net) four favorite films of the year?

Who had some of the year’s breakout performances?

Utah critics: For once The Social Network isn’t alone

"127 Hours" shared film's top honor with "The Social Network" in Utah.

In a surprisingly tie-filled ceremony, the Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA), yesterday, gave both 127 Hours and The Social Network “Best Picture” accolades. The director and foreign-film races were ties as well. Natalie Portman and Christian Bale continue to prove they’re guaranteed future, bigger awards — unless the infamous too-many-awards backlash kicks in. James Franco continued to challenge the notion of a “frontrunner” in the “Lead Actor” with his win. In an odd switch Lesley Manville (Another Year) was placed in the “Supporting Actress” field, where she lost to Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom), in favor of Hailee Steinfeld for “Lead Actress,” where Portman continues to reign. Though it didn’t receive stellar reviews nor heavy awards buzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has recently appeared in multiple races from multiple critics groups — maybe there’s more to come for the comedy, though it’s doubtful the movie will break free of the smaller, regional awards.

Best Picture

• 127 Hours and The Social Network (tie)

Nominees:
Inception
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Austin goes for Black Swan; Oklahoma chooses The Social Network

"Black Swan" surprised when it won the "Best Picture" prize at Austin, breaking "The Social Network's" winning streak

Okay, so there was a slight surprise today: Black Swan beat out

Oklahoma reinstated order when it awarded "The Social Network" top honors.

“Best Picture” juggernaut The Social Network for the top prize… And then that excitement dissipated when Oklahoma set things back into place with another “Best Picture” honor going to David Fincher’s film. The AFCA awarded the “Picture” and “Director” accolades to the same film, so it should be no surprise that Darren Aronofsky was named “Best Director” for his work on Black Swan. This same director-picture pairing occurred at the Oklahoma awards. Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Christian Bale (The Fighter) continued their dominance in their respective races. Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) and Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) split the “Lead Actor” honors, and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and Mila Kunis (Black Swan) each took home a “Supporting Actress” award.

St. Louis and Chicago jump on the Social Network bandwagon

Winners of the 7th SLFCA Awards (St. Louis)

Best Actor

• Javier Bardem – Biutiful
• Jeff Bridges – True Grit
• Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
  • Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
• James Franco – 127 Hours (RUNNER-UP)

Best Actress

• Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
• Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone (RUNNER-UP)
  • Natalie Portman – Black Swan
• Noomi Rapace – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Naomi Watts – Fair Game

IPA announces Satellite Award-winners

Best Motion Picture, Drama

• 127 Hours
• Animal Kingdom
• Blue Valentine
• Get Low
• The Ghost Writer
• Inception
• The King’s Speech
• The Social Network
• The Town
• Winter’s Bone

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

• Cyrus
• The Kids Are All Right
• Made In Dagenham
• The Other Guys
• Please Give
• Red
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Still Her Biggest Fan (or, My iPod, Part 2)

After writing that three–part series last week on Ke$ha and mentioning Lady Gaga so much, I figured it was only sensical to write up a quick post on her!

Thanks to the magic of ListenToYoutube.com, I have managed to add two recent Gaga MP3s to my iPod. The first is the audio track from one of my favorite Gaga performances:

Seriously, Ke$ha? Get out a notepad and take down some pointers. Simple. HAWT. Sexy. Hear what she does with the song? Hear that deep, pulsing beat she added to the track? The wondrously modified vocals? See those gorgeous costumes? The crisp dance moves? Perfection.

Houston announces its best and worst films of the year

The Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) chose the best and worst films of 2010 and it crowned The Social Network as this year’s best film. From a list of 10 films that, with the exception of Kick-Ass, looks extremely likely to be the Oscars’ chosen 10, The Social Network proved yet again its dominance in the “Best Picture” ring. Though many still don’t see its grim portrayal of Zuckerberg and co. as material for a sure-fire Oscar win, the film is receiving award after award, making its run to the “Best Picture” Oscar seem more likely by the day. The “Worst Picture” distinction went to Warner Bros.’ DC comics-adaptation Jonah Hex. Walking away with 4 trophies, the most for the night, David Fincher’s Network proved HFCS’ awards another predictable ceremony. Yet, there were a few surprises. Julianne Moore was given some awards recognition for her role in The Kids Are All Right after being largely considered an early contender in the “Lead Actress” race, but receiving few if any nominations till now. Youngster Hailee Steifield of True Grit beat out heavyweights Melissa Leo and Jacki Weaver for the “Supporting Actress” win. In perhaps much less surprising fashion, Natalie Portman left again with the “Best Actress” prize, proving that the anticipated head-to-head with Annette Bening is becoming more one-sided by the ceremony.