Sunday, February 26, 2012

The Academy Award® aka Oscar®

For more than 80 years it has been one of the world's most iconic trophies. Official name: Academy Award® of Merit. Significance of the design: A knight holding a crusader's sword perpendicular to a base of a five spoked film reel which acknowledges the five original branches of the academy; producers, writers, directors, actors and technicians.

Designed by: The chief art director at Metro Goldwyn-Mayer, Cedric Gibbons. Originally sculpted by: George Stanley of Los Angeles. The statuette's Height: 13 and 1/2 inches tall. Weight: 8 and 1/2 pounds. Comprised of britannia metal [a pewter-like alloy], also copper, nickel silver, and finished in 24-karat gold.

First presented in 1929, it has been awarded more than 2800 times. The trophy is mass manufactured by: R. S. Owens & Company in Chicago Illinois.


There are almost as many people claiming credit as there are stories as to how the statuette got the nickname of Oscar. A biography of one time Academy President and Academy award winning actress Bette Davis purports that Ms Davis gave the statue the nickname in honor of her first husband Harmon Oscar Nelson.

Walt Disney who holds the record for Academy Award nominations [59] and wins [22] upon receiving his first Academy Award in 1932, thanked the Academy for his "Oscar".

However the date [1931] makes Academy Librarian Margaret Herrick [who would later become Executive Director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences] seem the most likely to be the true giver of the nickname. Ms Herrick remarked that the statue resembled her cousin Oscar Pierce.

Oscar® Photo by sookietex at GrandCentralTerminal NYC 2012 Renowned Hollywood columnist Sidney Sklosky was present at the time when Ms Herrick made the remark and was the first journalist to refer in print to the statue by the name Oscar: "Employees have affectionately dubbed their famous statuette 'Oscar'" The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially nicknamed the statuette Oscar in 1939.


The 84th Academy Awards

Best Cinematography

The Artist – Guillaume Schiffman

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Jeff Cronenweth

Hugo – Robert Richardson [winner]

The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki

War Horse – Janusz KamiÅ„ski
Best Art Direction

The Artist – Laurence Bennett and Robert Gould

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Stuart Craig and Stephanie McMillan

Hugo – Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo [winner]

Midnight in Paris – Anne Seibel and Hélène Dubreuil

War Horse – Rick Carter and Lee Sandales


Best Costume Design

Anonymous – Lisy Christl

The Artist – Mark Bridges [winner]

Hugo – Sandy Powell

Jane Eyre – Michael O'Connor

W.E. – Arianne Phillips
Best Film Editing

The Artist – Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius

The Descendants – Kevin Tent

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter [winner]

Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker

Moneyball – Christopher Tellefsen

Best Supporting Actress

Bérénice Bejo – The Artist as Peppy Miller

Jessica Chastain – The Help as Celia Foote

Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids as Megan Price

Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs as Hubert Page

Octavia Spencer – The Help as Minny Jackson [winner]
Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn as Laurence Olivier

Jonah Hill – Moneyball as Peter Brand

Nick Nolte – Warrior as Paddy Conlon

Christopher Plummer – Beginners as Hal Fields [winner]

Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close as The Renter
Best Sound Editing

Drive – Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Ren Klyce

Hugo – Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty [winner]

Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl

War Horse – Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom


Best Sound Mixing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – David Parker,
Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, and Bo Persson

Hugo – Tom Fleischman and John Midgley [winner]

Moneyball – Deb Adair, Ron Bochar,
David Giammarco, and Ed Novick

Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Greg P. Russell,
Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush, and Peter J. Devlin

War Horse – Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson,
Tom Johnson, and Stuart Wilson
Best Documentary Feature

Hell and Back Again – Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front –
Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory – Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky

Pina – Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel

Undefeated – TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay, and Richard Middlemas [winner]
Best Animated Feature

A Cat in Paris – Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli

Chico and Rita – Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal

Kung Fu Panda 2 – Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Puss in Boots – Chris Miller

Rango – Gore Verbinski [winner]


Best Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 –
Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler, and John Richardson

Hugo – Rob Legato, Joss Williams,
Ben Grossmann, and Alex Henning [winner]

Real Steel – Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Danny Gordon Taylor,
and Swen Gillberg

Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon,
R. Christopher White, and Daniel Barrett

Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Scott Farrar, Scott Benza,
Matthew E. Butler, and John Frazier
Best Original Score

The Adventures of Tintin – John Williams

The Artist – Ludovic Bource [winner]

Hugo – Howard Shore

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Alberto Iglesias

War Horse – John Williams


Best Original Song

"Man or Muppet" from The Muppets
– Bret McKenzie [winner]
"Real in Rio" from Rio – Sérgio Mendes,
Carlinhos Brown, and Siedah Garrett


Best Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon,
and Jim Rash from The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings [winners]

Hugo – John Logan from The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

The Ides of March – George Clooney, Grant Heslov,
and Beau Willimon from Farragut North by Beau Willimon

Moneyball – Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and
Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin from Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan
from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré


Best Original Screenplay

The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius

Bridesmaids – Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo

Margin Call – J.C. Chandor

Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen [winner]

A Separation – Asghar Farhadi
Best Live Action Short Film

Pentecost – Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane

Raju – Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren

The Shore – Terry George and Oorlagh George [winner]

Time Freak – Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey

Tuba Atlantic – Hallvar Witzø


Best Documentary Short Subject

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement –
Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin

God Is the Bigger Elvis – Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson

Incident in New Baghdad – James Spione

Saving Face – Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy [winner]

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom – Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen


Best Animated Short Film

Dimanche – Patrick Doyon

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
–William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg [winner]

La Luna – Enrico Casarosa

A Morning Stroll – Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe

Wild Life – Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
Best Foreign Language Film

Bullhead (Belgium) in Dutch and French – Michaël R. Roskam

Footnote (Israel) in Hebrew – Joseph Cedar

In Darkness (Poland) in Polish – Agnieszka Holland

Monsieur Lazhar (Canada) in French – Philippe Falardeau

A Separation (Iran) in Persian – Asghar Farhadi [winner]


Best Director

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist [winner]

Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life

Alexander Payne – The Descendants

Martin Scorsese – Hugo


Best Actor

Demián Bichir – A Better Life as Carlos Galindo

George Clooney – The Descendants as Matt King

Jean Dujardin – The Artist as George Valentin [winner]

Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
as George Smiley

Brad Pitt – Moneyball as Billy Beane
Best Actress

Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs as Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis – The Help as Aibileen Clark

Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Lisbeth Salander

Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady as Margaret Thatcher [winner]

Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn as Marilyn Monroe


Best Picture

The Artist – Thomas Langmann, Producer [winner]

The Descendants – Jim Burke, Jim Taylor, and
Alexander Payne, Producers.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Scott Rudin, Producer.

The Help – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus,
and Michael Barnathan, Producers.

Hugo – Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers.

Midnight in Paris – Letty Aronson and
Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers.

Moneyball – Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz,
and Brad Pitt, Producers.

The Tree of Life – Dede Gardner, Sarah Green,
Grant Hill, and Bill Pohlad, Producers.

War Horse – Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers.


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis to Present at 84th Academy Awards® Oscar® Sunday, February 26

Burgundy pouring scotch is stranger than fiction and likely to give an old school hangover. That could have you feeling bewitched, and up in the air. If you've got other plans the evening of Sunday February 26th, everything must go. Don't be a schmuck and miss Will Ferrell's and Zach Galifianakis' due date as presenters at the 84th Academy Awards®.

Press Release: Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis to Present at 84th Oscar® Sunday, February 26

Beverly Hills, CA (February 21, 2012) – Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today. Ferrell and Galifianakis recently wrapped shooting for "The Campaign."

Galifianakis, who was recently seen in "The Muppets," will be making his first Oscar show appearance. His other film credits include "Puss in Boots," "Due Date," "Dinner for Schmucks," "Up in the Air," "What Happens in Vegas," "Into the Wild" and the two "Hangover" films.

Ferrell’s film credits include "Everything Must Go," "Blades of Glory," "Stranger Than Fiction," "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," "The Producers," "Bewitched," "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Elf" and "Old School."

Ferrell and Galifianakis join a stellar list of previously announced Oscar presenters, including Halle Berry, Rose Byrne, Bradley Cooper, Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Michael Douglas, Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Milla Jovovich, Ellie Kemper, Jennifer Lopez, Melissa McCarthy, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Ben Stiller, Emma Stone and Kristen Wiig.

oscar.org

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Monday, February 20, 2012

New York Welcomes "Meet the Oscars®"

The city that never sleeps will again prove its self worthy of the moniker when nyers get the opportunity to be the first to see the coveted statuettes that are heading to Hollywood days before they are presented to those selected as best actress and best actor at the 84th Academy Awards.

New York Welcomes "Meet the Oscars®"

Press Release: Beverly Hills, CA (February 20, 2012) – Oscar® fans in New York City will be the first to see the actual Oscars that will be presented to the Best Actor and Best Actress winners at the 84th Academy Awards® on Oscar Sunday, February 26. The statuettes will be part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Meet the Oscars, Grand Central" exhibition at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal. The exhibition will open on Wednesday, February 22 at 10 a.m., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by 2010 Academy Award®-winning actress Melissa Leo ("The Fighter"). Public viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, February 23, through Sunday, February 26. Admission is free.


"Meet the Oscars, Grand Central" will give movie fans the opportunity to have their photo taken holding an actual Oscar statuette. Visitors also will be able to view the Actor in a Leading Role Oscar won by Michael Douglas for "Wall Street" (1987) as well as a display of statuettes in various stages of completion, as manufactured each year by R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago.

On Saturday, February 25, the Oscars designated for this year's Best Actor and Best Actress winners will make their way back to Hollywood, where they will be reunited with the rest of the statuettes to be presented on Oscar Night®.



oscar.org


Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements in 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Ricky Gervais' Life's Too Short Premieres Sunday 2~19~2012 on HBO at 10:30pm

"Life's Too Short is an observational sitcom series created and written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant from an idea by Warwick Davis, and is described by Gervais as being about "the life of a showbiz dwarf" with Davis playing a fictionalized version of himself. Gervais and Merchant appear in cameos as themselves. The show began airing on BBC Two on 10 November 2011. Premium cable channel HBO, who co-produced the series with the BBC, have the US rights and will air the series in 2012."

"The genesis of the show came when Davis worked with Gervais and Merchant in an episode of the second series of Extras, when he co-starred with Daniel Radcliffe. During filming, Davis told them about the trials of life for a man of 3 feet 6 inches in height, such as having to use a mop handle to reach objects on the high shelves in supermarkets, and people touching him for luck as if he were a leprechaun."

Gervais told reporters: "The real Warwick tells us these great stories. They're comedy gold." Stephen Merchant commented of Davis that "he helped create the idea and came to us with the story." When asked by an interviewer if the title of the show offended him, Davis stated that far from being offended, he was, in fact, the person who had come up with it." [Source: Wikipedia]

HBO Press Release:
NEW COMEDY SERIES LIFE’S TOO SHORT,

FROM RICKY GERVAIS AND STEPHEN MERCHANT AND

STARRING WARWICK DAVIS, DEBUTS FEB. 19, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

He’s a self-aggrandizing actor who’s appeared in some of Hollywood’s biggest hits. But now his career is on the wane, and he’ll do anything to reverse his fortunes.

From Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, LIFE’S TOO SHORT is a faux documentary starring Warwick Davis (“Willow,” the “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars” films) as a fictionalized version of himself: a little person who’s down on his luck, desperately trying to hustle and connive his way back into the spotlight. The comedy series kicks off its seven-episode season SUNDAY, FEB. 19 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), following the third-season debut of the comedy series “Eastbound & Down,” with other episodes debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time, exclusively on HBO.

HBO: Life's Too Short Starring Ricky Gervais and Warwick DavisIn LIFE’S TOO SHORT, actor Warwick Davis is struggling to jumpstart his fading career and maintain his status as Britain’s “go-to” little person. He runs a talent agency for fellow showbiz Little People called “Dwarves for Hire,” though he often takes the best roles for himself, and serves as vice chairman of a society for small people, though he’d rather be chairman. Davis also seeks advice from his old pals Gervais and Merchant (playing versions of themselves) in hopes that their A-list celebrity connections will aid his career.

Each episode features cameos by top stars, including Johnny Depp, Liam Neeson, Sting, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Carell and Kat Deeley. Other cast regulars include Jo Enright as Davis’ soon to be ex-wife Sue, Rosamund Hanson as his dim-witted assistant Cheryl, Steve Brody as his incompetent accountant and “EastEnders” actor Shaun Williamson as himself.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Madonna ~Yankee Stadium ~Thursday September 6, 2012

Yankees Press Release 3:06am Monday 2~7~2012

Madonna to perform at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, September 6,2012
General Public on-sale to begin Monday, February 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET

Today it was announced that Madonna will perform at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, September 6.

In the course of her phenomenal career, Madonna has a record-breaking 37 Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart along with a record-breaking 40 Number 1’s on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play Song Charts.

No other act has had more Top 10’s on the Hot 100 or Number 1’s on the Club Chart. Madonna has sold over 300 million albums and holds the record for the most successful tour by a solo artist in history.


The general public ticket on-sale will begin on Monday, February 13 at 10:00 a.m., online at www.livenation.com, via charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000 and via TTY at (800) 943-4327.

Yankees full- and partial-season ticket licensees, Yankees Universe members, Yankees Group Leaders and Yankees.com subscribers will have the opportunity to take part in a special pre-on-sale, the details of which can be found at www.yankees.com/madonna

Ticket prices are subject to change based on date/time of purchase. There will be no price adjustments for prior ticket purchases.

MDNA
Over the previous two years, Yankee Stadium has hosted some of the biggest names in music, while taking its place as one of the most important venues on the concert circuit.

In the near future, the Yankees will make major announcements regarding non-baseball sporting events that will be taking place at Yankee Stadium in the upcoming months.


For complete Madonna tour information, visit: www.madonna.com

NYGIANTS Superbowl XLVI Champions Canyon Of Heroes Parade/MetLife Stadium Victory Celebration Tuesday 2~7~2012

MetLife Stadium Press Release 2~7~2012

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS ANNOUNCE SUPER BOWL XLVI VICTORY CELEBRATION

The Giants will commemorate their fourth Super Bowl victory with hundreds of thousands of their loyal fans Tuesday 2~7~2012 with a two-part, two-state celebration, just as they did with great fun and fanfare four years ago.

The festivities will begin with a traditional ticker-tape parade hosted by New York City in lower Manhattan. The parade will begin at Battery Place and Washington Street at 11:00am and continue northbound up the Canyon of Heroes to Worth Street.

The parade will be followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, at which the Mayor will present the Giants with Keys to the City.
Following the ceremony, the Giants will board buses and return to New Jersey, where Giants players, coaches and owners and Gov. Chris Christie will celebrate the title in the team’s home, MetLife Stadium.

FREE ADMISSION AND PARKING. TAILGATING IS PERMITTED.

**Special Performance from Naughty by Nature**

Schedule of events:

11:00am: Ticker-tape parade beginning at Battery Place and Washington Street, continuing northbound up the
“Canyon of Heroes” to Worth Street. Ceremony at City Hall immediately following at which time Mayor Bloomberg will present the “Keys to the City”.

GIANTS Superbowl XLVI Champions1:00pm: Media check-in at the Pepsi Gate. Please bring either Giants 2011 season credential or company
credential and park in Lot G

2:15pm: MetLife Stadium Gates open to the public

3:00pm (approximately): Celebration on the field at MetLife Stadium

- General admission

- Concession stands will be open

- Team store will open at 2:15 pm with Championship merchandise

- Cameras, video cameras, signs and banners are permitted

- Large bags and backpacks are not permitted inside the Stadium

3:30pm (approximately): Celebration concludes

Transportation

- All cars should park in lots F and G

- Buses from Port Authority will run to the Stadium starting at 1:00 pm

- There will be no trains/buses from Secaucus; there will be an increased number of taxis available

For more information on the NYC Ticker-tape parade, please visit www.nyc.gov
For more information on the celebration at MetLife Stadium, please call 201-559-1515.

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Danny McBride As Kenny Powers Is Back For Season 3 Of HBO's Eastbound & Down Sunday 2~19~2012

"Eastbound & Down is an American comedy television series broadcast on HBO, starring Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher, who after an up and down career in the major leagues is forced to return to his hometown middle-school in Shelby, North Carolina, as a substitute physical education teacher."

"Producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay received an order for six episodes for the first season from HBO. The series was produced by Will Ferrell's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions. The show premiered February 15, 2009, at 10:30 p.m. Its second season, consisting of seven episodes, began on September 26, 2010. On October 27, HBO announced they were renewing the show for a third season. At PaleyFest 2011, it was announced that the upcoming third season will be its last. The third season will premiere on February 19, 2012." [Source: Wikipedia]

HBO Press Release: HBO COMEDY SERIES EASTBOUND & DOWN, STARRING
DANNY MCBRIDE, KICKS OFF ITS EIGHT-EPISODE THIRD SEASON FEB. 19

--------
Jason Sudeikis Joins Cast
--------

After fleeing his North Carolina hometown, washed-up major-league pitcher Kenny Powers spent a soul-searching season in Mexico as “La Flama Blanca” – and ended up returning to the States a changed man. Or is he? Find out when the comedy series EASTBOUND & DOWN, executive produced by Will Ferrell, Chris Henchy, Adam McKay, Jody Hill and Danny McBride, kicks off its eight-episode third season SUNDAY, FEB. 19 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, just as real-life baseball spring training begins. The new comedy series “Life’s Too Short” debuts immediately after the season debut at 10:30 p.m.

Danny McBride as Kenny Powers HBO Eastbound & Down Starring Danny McBride (“Pineapple Express,” “30 Minutes or Less”), EASTBOUND & DOWN tells the story of Kenny Powers, who used to be a star pitcher until his self-destructive behavior knocked him out of Major League Baseball. Picking up a year after season two, the third season finds Kenny in action on the “Redneck Riviera” (aka Myrtle Beach, SC), somehow resurrecting his baseball career by becoming the closer for the minor-league Myrtle Beach Mermen. Even as he tries to pass himself off as the “King of Myrtle Beach,” Kenny struggles to come to terms with growing older and accepting the responsibilities of being a new father.


EASTBOUND & DOWN also stars Steve Little (“The Ugly Truth”) as Stevie, Kenny’s faithful sidekick; John Hawkes (HBO’s “Deadwood,” Oscar® nominee for “Winter’s Bone”) as Kenny’s brother Dustin; Jennifer Irwin (“Still Standing”) as Dustin’s wife, Cassie; Andrew Daly (“Mad TV”) as Terrence Cutler; and Elizabeth De Razzo as Maria, Stevie’s Mexican wife. Jason Sudeikis (“Saturday Night Live”) joins the cast as Kenny’s new best friend and kindred spirit Shane, a veteran catcher with the Mermen.

Returning special guests on the third season include Katy Mixon (“Mike & Molly”) as April, the mother of Kenny’s one-year-old child; Will Ferrell as car dealer Ashley Schaeffer; and Matthew McConaughey as baseball scout Roy McDaniel.

Upcoming episodes:
Episode #14: “Chapter 14”
Debut: SUNDAY, FEB. 19 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Feb. 19 (midnight), 21 (9:30 p.m.), 22 (midnight) and 24 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: Feb. 23 (11:00 p.m.) and 25 (9:00 p.m., 2:30 a.m.)
Enjoying a new lease on his baseball career as the closer for the minor-league Myrtle Beach Mermen, Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) settles into a life of body-boarding, jet-skiing and hard-partying with his catcher, Shane (Jason Sudeikis). A detour to Shelby to attend the one-year birthday of his child reunites Kenny with April (Katy Mixon).
Written by Jody Hill, Danny R. McBride & Josh Parkinson; directed by Jody Hill.

This season’s episodes were directed by David Gordon Green and Jody Hill, both of whom also directed episodes of the first and second season of EASTBOUND & DOWN.

The seven-episode second season of EASTBOUND & DOWN, which concluded in Nov. 2010, followed Kenny on his adventures in Mexico as he played baseball, made new enemies, reconnected with his deadbeat dad and smuggled Stevie’s Mexican girlfriend back into the USA on his return. The hit season inspired critical praise, with Entertainment Weekly saying that the show “continues to amaze,” while the Huffington Post called it “hilarious.” The New York Post called the series “very funny,” and Rolling Stone hailed Kenny Powers as “an American anti-hero for our troubled times.”

Danny McBride was named Comedy MVP for his role as Kenny Powers at the 2011 Spike Guys' Choice Awards

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Madonna's Latest Video "Give Me All Your Luvin' " Feat: Minaj & M.I.A. Exclusive World Premiere Thursday 2~2~2012 On FOX' American Idol

Get your Madonna fix before Sunday's SuperBowl XLVI half-time show. Thursday February 2, 2012, FOX will exclusively premiere the video Give Me All Your Luvin' featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. from Madge's new CD MDNA on American Idol.

Press Release Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 HOT FROM FOX…

EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREVIEW OF MADONNA’S NEW VIDEO

“GIVE ME ALL YOUR LUVIN”

FEATURING NICKI MINAJ AND M.I.A.

TO DEBUT ON “AMERICAN IDOL”

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, ON FOX

ALL-NEW EPISODES OF “AMERICAN IDOL”

AIR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY ON FOX

In an AMERICAN IDOL exclusive, Madonna will world preview the video for her new single “Give Me All Your Luvin,” featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., during IDOL Thursday, Feb. 2 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Madonna will release “Give Me All Your Luvin’’ featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. on Feb. 3. The song was written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A, and is the first single off of Madonna’s upcoming studio album “MDNA,” her 12th studio album. “MDNA” follows up 2008’s “Hard Candy,” which debuted at No. 1 in 37 countries. “Give Me All Your Luvin’’ was composed by Martin Solveig and Michael Tordjman and was produced by Madonna and Martin Solveig.

This week, AMERICAN IDOL continues with Portland auditions on Wednesday, Feb. 1 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and St. Louis auditions Thursday, Feb. 2 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. The countdown is on as judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler hand out the last of the tickets to Hollywood. Some dreams will come true while others come to an end as the hopefuls from around the nation vie for a coveted spot in the Top 24.

Visit AMERICAN IDOL for all of your AMERICAN IDOL news.

Become a fan of AMERICAN IDOL on Facebook. Follow the series on Twitter and join the discussion at #Idol. Also, follow host Ryan Seacrest, and follow the judges: yo_randyjackson JLo and iamstevent.

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of CKX, Inc. and FremantleMedia North America, Inc. The series is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment, and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; and Nigel Lythgoe, CEO, Nigel Lythgoe Productions. AMERICAN IDOL has been No. 1 among Adults 18-49 for the past eight consecutive seasons.

-FOX-