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James Franco ‘Grateful’ For Golden Globe Nom

‘I think [director] Danny Boyle [made one of the] most dynamic movies out there,’ Franco said of ‘127 Hours’ in a ‘Today’ show phone interview. By Jocelyn Vena James Franco in “127 Hours” Photo: Cloud Eight James Franco called in to NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday (December 14) to share his reaction at scoring a Golden Globe nomination in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama category for his role in the Danny Boyle-directed “127 Hours.” The actor, who also will co-host the Academy Awards in February and is expected to get a similar Oscar nod next month, expressed his excitement over the Golden Globe accolade just as he learned about it. “Oh, thank you. I just heard, yes,” he told Matt Lauer over the phone from Rhode Island. “My friend Barry from Fox/Searchlight [told me]. He’s a text message friend. We send each other photos of fat animals.” Franco explained that he’s particularly excited about the film’s nominations, which include Best Screenplay and Best Original Score nods, given the story behind the flick. “You would think that movie would be the most static kind of narrative around, but actually I think Danny Boyle [made one of the] most dynamic movies out there,” he said about the film, which tells the real-life story of a hiker who gets trapped in an isolated canyon. The actor also released a statement to MTV News about the his nomination, saying, “I’m especially grateful to the [Hollywood Foreign Press Association] for this honor and I’m excited to see ‘127 Hours’ being recognized this awards season. I’m happy for Danny Boyle and his team and our [directors of photography Enrique Chediak] and Anthony [Dod Mantle], who were there with me down in the canyon! I am so proud of the film and that Aron Ralston’s story has been well received!” Boyle also shared his excitement over the movie’s noms in a statement that read, “We’re absolutely delighted to be included in the nominations for the Golden Globes especially as HFPA were so generous to us on ‘Slumdog [Millionaire]’ 2 years ago. I’m particularly pleased for James as it’s such a brave and exhilarating performance, and for Aron Ralston who took such a leap of faith in letting us tell his story in such an uncompromising way.” When speaking with MTV News in November, Franco said that he felt “127 Hours” rang true because his experience filming the part echoed the ordeal that Ralston went through. “For me, that really showed how parts of the way we approached this performance are authentic on a real level,” he explained. “[We’re] blurring the line between acting and experiencing, giving yourself physical tasks and trying to really complete them in a way.” The Golden Globe Awards will air on Sunday, January 16, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Do you think James Franco is a worthy Golden Globes nominee? Tell us in the comments. Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘127 Hours’ Related Photos 2011 Golden Globe Nominees

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James Franco ‘Grateful’ For Golden Globe Nom

Golden Globe Nominations Dominated By ‘King’s Speech,’ ‘Glee’

Surprisingly left out are ‘True Grit’ and ‘127 Hours,’ which earned only best actor and original score nods. By Eric Ditzian Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech” Photo: See Saw Films In the first major awards season announcement of 2010, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association revealed its nominations for the 68th annual Golden Globes Tuesday morning (December 14), confirming the status of certain cinematic front-runners, damaging the hopes of other films and bringing a few movies attention few expected. The TV categories were entirely more predictable, with “Glee” once again notching the highest number of nominations (five, up from four last year), trailed, like last year, by “30 Rock,” “Mad Men” and other shows. The big surprise in the Best Motion Picture — Drama category was that “True Grit,” the Coen brothers highly praised new Western, didn’t land a nod in the category. In fact, it didn’t nab a single nomination. “127 Hours,” the true story of a trapped hiker starring James Franco, didn’t gain a much expected best picture nomination either. Instead, Mark Wahlberg’s “The Fighter” snuck in, joining other nominees “The King’s Speech,” “The Social Network,” “Black Swan” and “Inception.” The Best Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical category contained even bigger surprises. Both Christina Aguilera’s “Burlesque” and Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie’s “The Tourist” fell short at the box office , yet the HFPA somehow decided to honor them in the category. That must be especially embarrassing after Depp and Jolie’s flick limped away from its opening weekend with just $16.5 million in box-office receipts. Perhaps the association made up for honoring those bombs by recognizing the $1 billion-grossing “Alice in Wonderland.” The HFPA also deserves credit for honoring “Red,” an underrated comic book adaptation starring Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman. It’s anybody’s guess which flick is the front-runner, though somehow we think the box-office haul of “Alice,” much like “Avatar” last year, will be hard to ignore. In fact, “Alice” had a surprisingly strong morning, going on to garner nominations for Danny Elfman’s original score and for Depp as best actor. That nomination means Depp will compete against himself for best actor, as he was also recognized for “The Tourist.” In a word: strange. Strange, too, how comprehensively “True Grit” was snubbed. In the dramatic-actor category, Javier Bardem (“Biutiful”) was denied as well, opening up slots for Ryan Gosling (“Blue Valentine”) and Mark Wahlberg (“The Fighter”). Neither of those guys, though, is likely to compete with the category’s faves: Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”), Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”) and James Franco (“127 Hours”). The dramatic-actress category was more predictable, although who actually thought Halle Berry would nab a nomination for “Frankie and Alice”? Regardless, this is Natalie Portman’s category to lose based on her turn in “Black Swan.” Long a front-runner for her “Kids Are All Right” performance, Annette Bening got her nod and will continue to be the favorite to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical. It was also great to see Emma Stone pop up here for “Easy A.” Not that she has a shot, but it’s nice she’s been invited to the party. In another defeat for “127 Hours,” Danny Boyle failed to garner a Best Director nomination. An early awards season darling, the film seems to be fading fast. David O. Russell (“The Fighter”) swooped in, and with “True Grit” being ignored, so did Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”). Still, the top pick to win remains David Fincher (“The Social Network”). In the TV categories, no one should be surprised that buzzy musical “Glee” received the most nominations. Consider it the likely choice to beat out “30 Rock,” “Modern Family” and “The Big Bang Theory” for Best Television Series — Comedy or Musical. Last year, “Mad Men” took home the best drama prize, but this year it meets some competition on AMC from “The Walking Dead.” On Globe night, we have a feeling it’ll be the ad men battling it out with the zombies. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Inception’ MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Social Network’ MTV Rough Cut: ‘Black Swan’ ‘Burlesque’ Clips Related Photos 2011 Golden Globe Nominees

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Golden Globe Nominations Dominated By ‘King’s Speech,’ ‘Glee’

January Jones Gets Naked For Versace

Mad Men star January Jones strips down to nothing but a Versace bag for the brand’s new spring / summer 2011 ad campaign, photographed by Mario Testino. “I am always on the lookout for the next Versace blonde. In January I feel I found the perfect Versace woman for the 21st century,” said Donatella Versace. “She is chic and elegant but deeply sensual too.” Pretty hard to disagree after seeing the ad … January Jones naked is not just for Jason Sudeikis anymore.

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January Jones Gets Naked For Versace

Golden Globe Awards Nominations: The Best in TV

Honoring the best in television and movies, the Golden Globe Awards will be hosted by Ricky Gervais and will air on February 27. The list of just-announced TV nominees includes: Best Drama Series Mad Men The Good Wife Boardwalk Empire The Walking Dead Dexter Best Comedy Series Glee 30 Rock The Big Bang Theory Modern Family The Big C Best Actor, Comedy Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock Steve Carell, The Office Thomas Jane, Hung Matthew Morrison, Glee Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory Best Actress, Comedy Toni Collette, United States of Tara Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie Tina Fey, 30 Rock Laura Linney, The Big C Lea Michele, Glee Best Supporting Actor Scott Caan, Hawaii Five-0 Chris Noth, The Good Wife David Strathairn, Temple Grandin Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family Chris Colfer, Glee Best Supporting Actress Jane Lynch, Glee Julia Stiles, Dexter Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire Hope Davis, The Special Relationship Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

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Golden Globe Awards Nominations: The Best in TV

Golden Globe Awards Nominations: The Best in Movies

On the television side, the Golden Globe Awards nominated Mad Men , Glee and others this morning. As for this ceremony’s take on the big screen, Angelina Jolie somehow nabbed a Best Comedy/Musical Actress nomination for The Tourist . We didn’t know that was a comedy or a musical… Best Picture: Drama Black Swan The Fighter Inception The King’s Speech The Social Network Best Picture: Musical or Comedy Alice in Wonderland Burlesque The Kids Are All Right Red The Tourist Best Actor: Drama Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network Colin Firth, The King’s Speech James Franco, 127 Hours Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter Best Actress: Drama Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone Natalie Portman, Black Swan Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine Best Actor: Musical or Comedy Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland Johnny Depp, The Tourist Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack Best Actress: Musical or Comedy Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs Angelina Jolie, The Tourist Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right Emma Stone, Easy A Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale, The Fighter Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Andrew Garfield, The Social Network Jeremy Renner, The Town Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams, The Fighter Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech Mila Kunis, Black Swan Melissa Leo, The Fighter Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom Best Director Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan David Fincher, The Social Network Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech Christopher Nolan, Inception David O. Russell, The Fighter

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Golden Globe Awards Nominations: The Best in Movies

John Wells on Directing The Company Men and Being Fired Because of Jay Leno

John Wells, the director of the recession drama The Company Men , knows very well what it’s like to be fired. In 2009, the creator/producer/director of TV institutions like ER and The West Wing lost his new prized show, the critically praised Southland , when NBC made the decision to remove five hours of prime-time per week in favor of Jay Leno.

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John Wells on Directing The Company Men and Being Fired Because of Jay Leno

Electronic Cigarettes Still Pose Serious Health Risks

Touted as a safe substitute to highly addictive tobacco products, research has shown that electronic cigarettes are unsafe, and might soon be removed from the market. Last week, the University of California, Riverside announced that e-cigarettes are potentially harmful to users' health, and urged regulators to consider removing e-cigarettes from the market until their safety is adequately evaluated. Instead of burning tobacco like normal cigarettes, e-cigarettes vaporize the nicotine, along with other compounds present in the cartridge, in the form of aerosol created by heating. While this eliminates the thousands of chemicals and toxicants created by tobacco combustion, there are still chemicals present in the aerosolized vapors emanating from e-cigarettes. Concerned that e-cigarettes, also called “electronic nicotine delivery systems,” might not be as safe as they appear, UCR researchers evaluated five of the most popular brands on the market. What They Found: 1. Batteries, atomizers, cartridges, cartridge wrappers, packs and instruction manuals lack important information regarding e-cigarette content, use and essential warnings. 2. E-cigarette cartridges leak, which could expose nicotine, an addictive and dangerous chemical, to children, adults, pets and the environment. 3. There are no methods for proper disposal of e-cigarettes products and accessories, which could result in nicotine contamination from discarded cartridges entering water sources and soil, and adversely impacting the environment. “Some people believe that e-cigarettes are a safe substitute for conventional cigarettes,” said Prue Talbot, the director of UC Riverside's Stem Cell Center, whose lab led the research. “However, there are virtually no scientific studies on e-cigarettes and their safety. Our study – one of the first studies to evaluate e-cigarettes – shows that this product has many flaws, which could cause serious public health problems in the future if the flaws go uncorrected.” http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2010/10/22/tc.2010.037259.abstract added by: Radical_Centrist

WikiLeaks cables: Russia ‘was tracking killers of Alexander Litvinenko but UK warned it off’

The US embassy cables WikiLeaks cables: Russia 'was tracking killers of Alexander Litvinenko but UK warned it off' Claim that British intelligence was incompetent will deepen diplomatic row sparked by move to deport MP's Russian researcher * o o Share o Reddit o Buzz up * Comments (243) * Jamie Doward and Emily Dyer * guardian.co.uk, Saturday 11 December 2010 21.30 GMT * Article history Former Russian Agent Poisoned In London Alexander Litvinenko, in intensive care shortly before his death from poisoning at University College Hospital, London, in 2006. Photograph: Natasja Weitsz/Getty Images Russia was tracking the assassins of dissident spy Alexander Litvinenko before he was poisoned but was warned off by Britain, which said the situation was “under control”, according to claims made in a leaked US diplomatic cable. The secret memo, recording a 2006 meeting between an ex-CIA bureau chief and a former KGB officer, is set to reignite the diplomatic row surrounding Litvinenko's unsolved murder that year, which many espionage experts have linked directly to the Kremlin. The latest WikiLeaks release comes after relations between Moscow and London soured as a result of Britain's decision to expel a Russian parliamentary researcher suspected of being a spy. The memo, written by staff at the US embassy in Paris, records “an amicable 7 December dinner meeting with ambassador-at-large Henry Crumpton [and] Russian special presidential representative Anatoliy Safonov”, two weeks after Litvinenko's death from polonium poisoning had triggered an international hunt for his killers. During the dinner, Crumpton, who ran the CIA's Afghanistan operations before becoming the US ambassador for counter-terrorism, and Safonov, an ex-KGB colonel-general, discussed ways the two countries could work together to tackle terrorism. The memo records that “Safonov opened the meeting by expressing his appreciation for US/Russian co-operative efforts thus far. He cited the recent events in London – specifically the murder of a former Russian spy by exposure to radioactive agents – as evidence of how great the threat remained and how much more there was to do on the co-operative front.” The memo contains an observation from US embassy officials that Safonov's comments suggested Russia “was not involved in the killing, although Safonov did not offer any further explanation”. Later the memo records that Safonov claimed that “Russian authorities in London had known about and followed individuals moving radioactive substances into the city but were told by the British that they were under control before the poisoning took place”. The claim will be rejected in many quarters as a clumsy attempt by Moscow to deflect accusations that its agents were involved in the assassination. Russia says it had nothing to do with the murder, but espionage experts claim the killing would not have been possible without Kremlin backing. Shortly before he died, Litvinenko said he had met two former KGB agents, Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi, on the day he fell ill. Both men deny wrongdoing, but Britain has made a formal request for Lugovoi's extradition following a recommendation by the director of public prosecutions. New evidence linking Russia with the death of Litvinenko was recently produced by his widow, Marina, who procured documents allegedly showing the FSB security service seized a container of polonium in the weeks before the poisoning. Moscow disputes the claims. The allegation that British authorities were monitoring the assassins' progress through London is likely to raise questions about whether Litvinenko was warned his life may have been at risk in the days before he was murdered. Several people familiar with the affair said they thought Safonov's claims implausible, with one saying he had never heard it aired within London intelligence circles before. Nevertheless Safonov's remarks – in effect questioning the competence of Britain's security services – will do little to heal the relationship between London and Moscow. The claims come after Britain announced that Katia Zatuliveter, a 25-year-old Russian working for the Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock, is to be deported amid suspicions she was spying for the Kremlin, a charge she plans to contest. Alexander Sternik, charg

The Los Angeles Film Critics Awards & The American Film Institute Like The Social Network

Director David Fincher’s take on the creation of Facebook had a banner day today, as The Social Network was named the Best Film of the year by the L.A Film Critics Association and one of the top ten movies of the year by the AFI. Fincher also tied for Best Director, and writer Aaron Sorkin won for Best Screenplay, courtesy of the L.A. Critics. The full list of winners for both groups after the break.

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The Los Angeles Film Critics Awards & The American Film Institute Like The Social Network

11 reasons why the threat from Al Qaeda is not real

“All governments lie.” You can add to that great quote “and all newspapers lie, too.” -American journalist I. F. Stone. Knowing the truth matters in a democracy because without the truth citizens can’t make informed decisions about government policies that impact their lives. It is not possible to consciously answer fundamental societal questions like “should we go to war?” without a firm grasp of all the facts at hand. When independent journalists fail to provide the simple and straightforward facts to the public, they become complicit in government murder and fraud, and deserve even more ridicule than dishonest government officials and government-owned journalists. 11 Reasons Why The Threat From Al-Qaeda is Not Real Al-Qaeda is either one of these things, or it is a combination of them: a) a completely fake threat; the organization does not exist, b) an organization that exists in small numbers but was created by the CIA to serve a corrupt U.S. foreign policy, and remains a U.S. intelligence asset in the manufactured global war on terrorism, or c) a small organization that exists independently of the U.S. government but its strength and influence in the Middle East is exaggerated by radical policymakers and officials in Washington. Out of all three statements the first and second deserve the most serious attention because they are supported by the evidence listed below. #1. Radical American cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki, who was ordered to be assassinated by President Obama, met with top military officials at the Pentagon months after the 9/11 attacks. #2. CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed in June 2010 on ABC’s This Week that there are less than 100 Al-Qaeda members in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. #3. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), one of the world’s leading security think tanks, published a report this year which said that the threat of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban is exaggerated by Western policymakers. #4. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview to the Los Angeles Times’s Patt Morrison in October 2010 that Al-Qaeda doesn’t exist. #5. The U.S. government created, and funded Islamic fundamentalism in the 1980s to be used to draw the Soviet Union into Afghanistan, and bleed it to death in a costly and unwinnable war. #6. Robin Cook, who served as a British MP for 22 years and as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001, wrote an article for the Guardian in July 2005, a month before his death, called “The struggle against terrorism cannot be won by military means.” #7. A BBC article from July 2004 called “Al-Qaeda’s origins and links” reveals that Osama Bin Laden was a CIA agent in the 1980s. #8. J. Michael Springmann, a 20 year foreign service official, and a former Consulate officer in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has publicly stated for many years that the CIA brought over Muslim radicals to the United States for secret terrorist training. #9. Germany’s Der Spiegel’s published an article by Siegesmund von Ilsemann called “Arming the Middle East: The Checkered History of American Weapons Deals” in June 2007. The article backed up the reporting done by the BBC, and elsewhere that the United States government “supplied Afghan freedom fighters in the 1980s with money and arms for their struggle against occupying Soviet troops. One of the best customers for the CIA back then was Saudi millionaire Osama Bin Laden.” This account is only half-true. The CIA funded and trained a network of Muslim fighters not to liberate Afghanistan from corrupt Soviet influence, but to create havoc and instigate a Soviet invasion so that it would drain itself of blood and treasure. Once the objective of bringing down the Soviet Union was achieved, the stage was set for the United States and the West to invade Afghanistan and take advantage of the country’s vast resources, from oil to heroin. #10. Selig Harrison, a current member of the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, a former senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and an expert on South Asia, said in March 2001 at a conference called “Terrorism and Regional Security: Managing the Challenges in Asia,” that the CIA and Pakistan’s ISI helped create the backward and tyrannical Taliban. #11. The September 11, 2001 attacks, which serve as the basis for America’s wars in the Middle East, were committed by the United States government with assistance from the government of Israel. This is an indisputable fact added by: maasanova