Marion Cotillard Enjoys Oscar Nominee Luncheon
Marion Cotillard Enjoys Oscar Nominee Luncheon
French actress Marion Cotillard was among the distinguished guests in attendance for the Oscar nominee luncheon held earlier today in Beverly Hills.
The annual event, which was held in the Beverly Hilton Hotel’s international ballroom, is regarded as Hollywood’s most exclusive event - as only nominees for that year are invited.
This year, 117 nominees attended, snacking on “a four course meal of medallions of grilled goat cheese, hickory smoked chicken with mango salsa, grilled shitake mushrooms and scallions followed by a chocolate mousse dessert.”
Cotillard, who wore a stunning yellow gown for the festivities, is nominated for Best Actress for her role in La Vie en Rose.
Marion Cotillard Picks Up Cesar Award
Marion Cotillard Picks Up Cesar Award
She’s been collecting awards everywhere she goes, so it comes as little surprise that France’s film industry has given its coveted Cesar Award for best actress to the lovely Marion Cotillard.
The 32-year-old Oscar hopeful received the honor for her portrayal of the tragic chanteuse, Edith Piaf, in the French film “La Vie En Rose”.
Accepting the award on Friday at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, her latest accolade follows wins at this year’s Golden Globe awards and the British BAFTA’s.
According to insiders, “She was a favorite for the annual Cesar competition after critics agreed that she captured the soul of France’s queen of song in the film by Olivier Dahan.”
Academy Awards
Marion Cotillard Wins Best Lead Actress Oscar
Marion Cotillard Wins Best Lead Actress Oscar
An Oscar statuette is the most coveted prize in acting. So it comes as little surprise that Marion Cotillard was nearly ecstatic after picking up Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in La Vie En Rose.
The 32-year-old Frenchwomen broke down in tears when her name was announced - having a tough time gaining her composure as she took the podium.
Handed the award by past Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, Marion attempted to say: “Thank you life! Thank you love! It is true there are some angels in this city. Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The win at the Academy Awards follows trophies collected by Marion at the Golden Globes and the British BAFTAs.
Academy Awards To see the entire gallery from the 2008 Academy Awards (February 24) - !
Netflix’s First Set-Top Box
Netflix has released the first set top box which will allow you to live-stream movies to your television on demand. The first unit is produced by Roku for only $99, and all you need is a netflix subscription to use it. I think I’m more excited about this device than anyone else I know. It’s clearly the future of how we’re going to watch movies. And while the Roku box has a lot of things right: The price, HDMI output, standard video quality, Wifi connectivity, and easy set-up/installation, it is still appears to be an early product.
The problems: Only 10,000 of the 100,000 DVDs are available for instant stream. That’s not to say there aren’t some great selections. Here is a sampling that Roku lists on their website:
- 30 Rock (2007; TV)
- The Good German (2006)
- La Vie en Rose (2007)
- Weeds (2006; TV)
- Absolute Power (1997)
- Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
- Heroes (2007; TV)
- Letters from Iwo Jima (2007)
- Blade Runner (1982)
- The Office (2006; TV)
- 2 Days in Paris (2007)
- Mean Girls (2004)
- The Sum of All Fears (2002)
- Misery (1990)
- The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
For the most part it seems like classic catalog titles and recent independent/mini-major releases. There is probably enough to keep me going for years. Especially their television show selection. And the offered selection is always growing.
The biggest problem I have with the unit is that it doesn’t allow you to choose a movie directly from the set-top box. You need to first go to your netflix account on a computer and add the instant watch titles to your netflix queue. And apparently you can have over 500 titles in your instant watch queue to choose from while sitting on your couch. But having to first add the selections to your account on the website is one extra set which seems unnecessary. I wonder if they have to do this to get around On demand exclusivity deals.
But imagine the possibilities. Imagine having 50,000 movies and tv shows to choose from. Imagine when a big company like Apple or Sony makes a set-top box for the service, how much better the functionality could be. Basically, imagine being able to rent a netflix movie when you want, and watch it instantly from the comfort of your couch, for not one cent more than your standard netflix description. It’s going to happen, but this unit is clearly for the early adopter (a group I usually belong to). And for only $100, it’s not a huge investment.
Find out more on Roku.com.