It was a rather safe, predictable affair all around, with the winners who’ve heard their names throughout awards season being called up on stage one last time Sunday night. “The Artist,” a black-and-white love letter to silent film, won best picture, best director for France’s Michel Hazanavicius and best actor for Jean Dujardin as an actor who finds his career in danger with the arrival of the talkies. It also earned prizes for costume design and original score.

“Hugo,” Martin Scorsese’s 3-D mixture of family adventure and plea for film preservation, collected its trophies in the technical categories: cinematography, art direction, sound mixing, sound editing and visual effects.

Streep, the most celebrated actress of our generation, found herself in the unusual position of playing the sentimental, underdog favorite. Many (including AP’s film writers) had chosen Viola Davis as the likely favorite to win best actress for her formidable portrayal of a maid in the 1960s South in “The Help.” But Streep, who’s been nominated more than any other actor in Oscar history — 17 times — hadn’t won since 1982′s “Sophie’s Choice.”

The glittering crowd in the theater (and journalists in the press room alike) erupted in gasps and cheers when Streep’s name was called for her uncanny performance as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.” Streep was quick to thank her longtime makeup artist J. Roy Helland, who was also a winner Sunday night, for transforming her for the past 37 years.

Frenchman Michel Hazanavicius, who shot the movie in black and white, added to his growing pile of laurels by beating Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese, who directed “Hugo.” Hazanavicius also won for his original screenplay, a less expected honor for a film of few words.

“I’m very surprised,” he said. “So many people thought there was no script because there was no dialogue. “So English people are very clever. Congratulations to you,” Hazanavicius said, drawing laughter from the glittering audience gathered inside London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

Meryl Streep overcame any prejudice facing a Yank playing a Brit by winning the lead actress award for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.” Jean Dujardin, the leading man in “The Artist,” overtook hometown favorite Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” as lead actor as well as international heartthrob George Clooney in “The Descendants.”
All told, “The Artist” made good on seven of its field-leading 12 nominations, including victories for original music and cinematography. The feel-good tribute to the early days of the movie industry, with wins at the Golden Globes last month and from various critics’ associations, is now a clearer favorite for best picture at the Academy Awards later this month. It boasts 10 Oscar nominations, one fewer than “Hugo.”

All the winners in the major categories are nominated for Oscars as well, though the trophies from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) have not been foolproof predictors of Oscar success. Streep beat Viola Davis, who has won numerous awards for her role as a maid in “The Help,” including the SAG lead actress award two weeks ago.

In a show of strength, the venue’s haul was spread across four productions. Benedict Cumberbatch took the actor kudo for Danny Boyle’s production of “Frankenstein,” which also garnered the design nod for set designer Mark Tildesley. Richard Bean’s Gotham-bound “One Man, Two Guvnors” won for new play, while Mike Leigh took the director trophy for his own play “Grief,” and the Peter Hepple Award for musical went to experimental tuner “London Road,” by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork.

Remaining four trophies reflected the diversity of London theater, with spoils split between commercial, not-for-profit and fringe venues.

Sheridan Smith, winner of a 2011 Olivier for her perf in “Legally Blonde,” nabbed an award for her highly praised turn in Trevor Nunn’s Theater Royal Haymarket revival of Terence Rattigan’s “Flare Path.” Eddie Redmayne picked up the John and Wendy Trewin Award for Shakespearean perf for “Richard II” at the Donmar Warehouse.

In the new talent categories, the promising playwright laurel went to Tom Wells for “The Kitchen Sink” at the Bush Theater, and the Jack Tinker Award for promising newcomer went to helmer Blanche McIntyre for her productions of “Accolade” and “Foxfinder” at the Finborough Theater.

Filmmakers are encouraged to submit short films for a chance to win trophies and prizes. Awards will be issued in the following categories: Drama, Comedy, Animation, Public Service Announcement, Music Video and Patriotic. Winners from each category will automatically be entered into the 2012 Laughlin International Film Festival.

The film contest is open to everyone and five trophies are up for grabs including 1st, 2nd and 3rd place; Best Teen entry and a People’s Choice award voted on by the audience at the Tri-State Film Festival, from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 24, at the Riviera Recreation Center.

Applications are available at Bullhead City Hall, 2355 Trane Road; at the Boys and Girls Club, 2250 Highland Road; and online at www.bullheadcity.com. Click on “Recreation.” Entry deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 17. For further information, contact Recreation Supervisor Ryan Fruhwirth at 928-763-9400, ext 306.

Broadcast live from the Beacon Theatre on New York’s Upper West Side, the ceremony was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, marking his second turn at the Tony podium after winning an Emmy for emceeing in 2009.

The Mormon haul represents the culmination of a triumphant first foray into Broadway by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who teamed with Avenue Q composer-lyricist Robert Lopez to write the smash hit. Since opening March 24 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre to rave reviews, Mormon has been playing to capacity houses, grossing more than $1 million per week and totaling roughly $15 million to date. The musical earned trophies for Parker, Lopez and Stone’s book and score, and for Casey Nicholaw and Parker’s direction.

The obvious comparison is that your executives operate the departmental machine composed of employees on different levels. For any department to be productive, the “machine” needs to operate smoothly on all levels. While establishing a formal plan for presenting corporate awards may not be met with as much enthusiasm as a bonus vs. production schedule, it will definitely reinforce the necessity and expectation of reaching performance goals.

Boost Productivity

A happy employee equals a productive employee. This truism holds whether that employee is a vice-president or a shipping clerk. Wherever your business is now, your employees are productive elements that will drive it to the next level. Creating a corporate award program is vital to the growth of the company’s net profit because it develops an environment where everyone can be proud of (and honored for) their effort. Tangible recognition with some form of corporate award, whether a plaque, trophy, medallion or pin is a proven program for maintaining staff morale and increasing productivity.

Employee Recognition

The variety of Corporate awards are such that they can be used to honor or recognize employees regardless of position. “Employee of the Month” awards are standard in corporations both large and small. This type of award is often based on employee production, and the recipient is often chosen by a vote by departmental peers. Choosing the recipient in this manner engages all the employees, and makes everyone aware of his own effort in relation to the winner.

The award for the “Employee of the Year” is most often given at the annual company banquet, picnic or other event . This coveted award is given the employee who has contributed the most to the business’ success and/or growth in that year. The award is generally a beautiful crystal award or other ornate award commensurate with the company’s financial worth. Then there are “Departmental Awards” or plaques that are given to departments or divisions that have shown the greatest improvement or have met their goals throughout the year. Giving awards to individuals within departments demonstrates that individual efforts are noticed and appreciated. Much can be done with acrylic awards for these positions.

Success

The goal of all business owners and managers regardless of their level should be to maintain corporate morale and to retain employees that are happy and productive. Using tangible awards shows them that you care; you are aware of them individually and you recognize that your company’s success is dependent upon their efforts. Corporate awards are an excellent, cost efficient way of creating and maintaining the morale and environment necessary for continued success!

Oscar trophy trend, fact or fiction?

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt almost certainly are strong contenders in the best actor award category — shining, word has it, in their respective upcoming movies, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Revolutionary Road.”
But they and others might be up against a subtle force they can do little about in the best actor race: Oscar award voters tend to favor actors playing real people.

In the past six best actor races, there were three years in which an actor playing a real person was nominated for an award alongside actors portraying fictional characters, and each time the actor playing a true-life person won the award. You have to go all the way back to the awards for 2001 to find a counter-example: Denzel Washington’s victory for playing Alonzo Harris in “Training Day,” which bested Will Smith as Muhammad Ali and Russell Crowe as John Nash. Otherwise, it was actors playing real-life figures — Ray Charles, Idi Amin, Truman Capote — who took the statue award.

This year that means if even one from among the stellar group that includes Frank Langella (as Richard Nixon), Sean Penn (as Harvey Milk) and Josh Brolin (as George W. Bush) lands a best actor award nomination, everyone else will have to weigh that added factor.

Best actress favors real personnages even more; the statuette award has gone to women playing real people six of the eight years this decade. But with frontrunners such as Meryl Steep, Nicole Kidman and Sally Hawkins taking on fictional roles this go-round, this year may break form.

It’s hard to pinpoint what makes Oscar trophy award voters tilt this way. But one likely factor is a frame of reference: Philip Seymour Hoffman acting and sounding like Capote probably will move the voter more than Terrence Howard’s acting and sounding like Djay from “Hustle & Flow,” a person the Academy Award member has never seen outside the movie (and hasn’t seen at all if they’ve never seen the movie).

Plus, there’s the impersonation factor: How could a voter not think Jamie Foxx is good; he even looks like Charles.

It wasn’t always this way. In the 1990s, fictional characters bested real people in the best actor award category seven out of nine times they went up against one another. And an actress playing a real person won the award only twice in the 1990s.

So what’s changed?

For one thing, the rise of celebrity culture. The TMZs of the world have made it harder to separate actors from their roles since we now know them as real people — unless they’re playing other real people, in which case voters can identify with the person they’re playing.

Even if DiCaprio and Pitt are unable to buck the recent trend favoring real-life portrayals, they can take solace in the likelihood they’ll have other shots at the top prize award. But the seeming voter bias toward real-life bios could also impact a few once-in-a-lifetime performances. Those include the comeback for Mickey Rourke, whose Randy the Ram in “The Wrestler” is a tragic figure to rival Willy Loman; Richard Jenkins, whose understated Walter Vale in “The Visitor” is exquisitely subtle; and Christian Bale, whose Batman in “The Dark Knight” is so darkly evocative.

Originally written by Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter