The Oscar race so far: let's hope the best is yet to come

By Steve Pond

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - With the first six months of 2013 behind us, it's safe to say that almost none of the movies that have been released so far this year are likely to be in the running for Academy Awards in the top categories at the next Oscars.

In fact, despite the presence of a few indie gems like "Before Midnight," a handful of strong documentaries and some big-budget extravaganzas likely to end up in the sound and visual effects categories, it has been a pretty terrible year for awards movies so far.

Of course, you can say that almost every year. Since the Academy expanded the Best Picture category from five nominees to 10 in 2009 (and then to a variable number two years later), only seven of the 38 nominations have come from films released before the end of June.

Last year, only one film from the first half of the year, "Beasts of the Southern Wild," made the cut. The previous three years, only two films did so each year, with the first-half nominees including Pixar's "Up" and "Toy Story 3" and one Best Picture winner, "The Hurt Locker."

By contrast, fully 21 of the 38 nominations went to films released in November and December, and more than two-third of the field came from the last three months of the year.

So the odds are never good that the movies released by June 30 will be major players come Oscar time, and this hardly looks like a year to beat the odds.

Note: We're talking about theatrical releases, not film-festival screenings. The Coen brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis," Alexander Payne's "Nebraska," J.C. Chandor's "All Is Lost," Ryan Coogler's "Fruitvale Station" and Destin Daniel Cretton's "Short Term 12," among others that may well figure in the race, miss the June 30 cut even though they have screened at fests.

Of the films that have been released so far in 2013, Richard Linklater's "Before Midnight" probably has the best shot at a Best Picture nomination. Its three writers - Linklater and his stars, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy - should definitely be in the running to score their second screenplay nomination, after getting Oscar recognition for "Before Sunset" seven years ago.

Jeff Nichols' "Mud," which became the top-grossing film ever released by Roadside Attractions (a company that took "Winter's Bone" to the Oscars in the past), was enough of a critical and commercial success that it could conceivably be in the mix - and if Matthew McConaughey didn't have an upcoming role in "The Dallas Buyers Club" that sounds ready-made for Oscar, he might have a good supporting-actor shot for the film,

Noah Baumbach's "Frances Ha" is a possibility for its screenplay by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, a longshot for actress recognition for Gerwig and a deliciously tantalizing longshot for cinematographer Sam Levy.

Darek Cianfrance's "The Place Beyond the Pines" played to mixed reviews, but the Writers Branch, at least, likes to take chances and embrace indies, and Focus Features (which scored with the best-pic nominee "The Kids Are All Right" three years ago) plans to campaign for the film in a number of categories, including picture, director, writing and acting.

And while Pixar's "Monsters University" didn't draw the unanimous raves of the company's string of Oscar-winning classics that included "Ratatouille," "WALL-E," "Up" and "Toy Story 3," it is entertaining enough to be a strong contender in the Best Animated Feature category.

But what else? The year's top-grossing films to date are "Iron Man 3," "Oz the Great and Powerful," "Fast & Furious 6," "Star Trek Into Darkness" and "Man of Steel," none likely to register strongly outside the effects and sound categories.

Could the year's seventh-highest grosser, Baz Luhrman's "The Great Gatsby," sneak in? I hear it drew the biggest audience anybody can remember to its New York AMPAS members screening, but its mixed reviews probably push it out of the running unless a lot of the prime year-end contenders crash and burn.

(That group includes "Inside Llewyn Davis," "Nebraska," David O. Russell's "American Hustle," Martin Scorsese's "Wolf of Wall Street," George Clooney's "Monuments Men, Bennett Miller's "Foxcatcher," John Wells' "August: Osage County," Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" and Paul Greengrass' "Captain Phillips.")

If you look at the year's most critically-acclaimed films, documentaries occupy most of the Top 10 at Rottentomatoes.com, with two music docs Dave Grohl's "Sound City" and Morgan Neville's "20 Feet From Stardom," leading a list that also includes "Call Me Kuchu," "Stories We Tell," "One Life" and "Room 237." Of those, "20 Feet," "Kuchu" and "Stories" probably have the best shot at Oscar nominations (or at least spots on the 15-film shortlist), along with "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks" and a few others that have shown at festivals but have yet to be released.

For the most part, though, the outlook in the documentary category is the same as it is in Best Picture. Which is to say, if you're looking in theaters for this year's nominees, it's best to go away and come back later.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oscar-race-far-lets-hope-best-yet-come-000017947.html

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Who are the likely Emmy snubs in the crowded drama category?

By Steve Pond

(Reuters) - Does the Television Academy need to follow the lead of its colleagues at the Oscars and expand its top category to a full 10 nominees?

That's a question that is being asked with increasing frequency these days, with the Emmy race in the Outstanding Drama Series category proving to be its most competitive in years, maybe even its toughest ever.

At least eight to 10 of the series currently in the running would be shoo-ins for a nomination in a normal year. But with only six slots up for grabs in the category, shows left on the sidelines could be as formidable as "Boardwalk Empire," "The Americans" or Netflix's potentially game-changing "House of Cards."

"I'm not saying anything that other people haven't been saying for a while, but it really is a golden age of television," Mark Johnson, executive producer of "Breaking Bad," told TheWrap. "It is remarkable how many great shows there are."

The buzz, he added, is constantly shifting. "One day I hear everybody talking about 'Game of Thrones,' the next day they're talking about 'The Americans,' the next day they're back to talking about 'Homeland.'

"I can't worry about where 'Breaking Bad' stands, or I'd end up driving myself crazy."

Gareth Neame, the executive producer of "Downton Abbey," agreed that the field was unusually strong in a recent conversation with TheWrap. "The bar is so high now that a lot of people are saying the number of nominees isn't enough," he said.

"But where do you have the cutoff? You're only going to have one winner - do you really want to have a lot of nominees?"

The problem for Emmy voters is that if you don't have a lot of nominees, you'll leave out either acclaimed veteran shows or fresh newcomers. The top contenders, in alphabetical order:

"The Americans"

FX's Cold War drama may have the best shot of series to do what "Homeland" did last year - not only land a nomination, but win the drama-series Emmy in its first season. Its four nominations at both the Critics' Choice Television Awards and the TCA Awards are double the number scored by the other hot freshman series, Netflix's "House of Cards."

"Boardwalk Empire" TheWrap's Tim Molloy has called Season 3 of the HBO drama its best one, and named the show the best series of the 2012-2013 season. With 18 nominations and eight wins in its first season and 12 noms and four wins in its second (including drama-series nods both years), Terence Winter's period drama is a proven favorite with voters.

"Breaking Bad"

The only time in the last four years that Vince Gilligan's show didn't get a drama-series nomination was 2011, the year it wasn't eligible; before that year off, star Bryan Cranston won three consecutive Emmys as lead actor in a drama series.

This time around, voters will be considering the first half of the series' final season, which was split into eight episodes that aired in 2012 and eight more that will begin airing this August - right when Emmy voters will be casting their final ballots.

The Critics' Choice Television Awards, which correctly predicted the Emmy winners in 2011 and 2012, recently named it the year's best drama (in a tie with "Game of Thrones").

"Downton Abbey"

The most-nominated non-American series of all time (it qualifies because it's a co-production with WGBH in Boston), "Downton Abbey" made mincemeat of the Emmys' miniseries or movie categories after its first season, then shifted to the tougher drama-series categories in its second season and scored 14 nominations and three wins.

Its third season gained lots of attention by killing off a couple of main characters whose actors wouldn't renew their contracts.

"Game of Thrones"

Speaking of killing off main characters, HBO's "Game of Thrones" had what might have been the most talked-about hour of TV all season with its brutal "Red Wedding" episode. And Emmy voters already loved the show for its scale and scope: In its first two seasons it scored 25 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series noms both years, and eight wins.

"The Good Wife"

Is there room for a broadcast network in the drama-series category? For years, "The Good Wife" has been fighting the good fight on behalf of the networks, giving CBS the one non-cable spot in the slate of nominees.

It still has enough strength with actors to be a formidable competitor in the category - but after being the sole broadcast-network nominee in its first two seasons, it couldn't land a series nomination last year, which produced the first all-cable lineup in the category's history.

"Homeland" Showtime's series scored an upset victory in the category last year, and Emmy voters are such creatures of habit that it's hard to believe they won't at least nominate the show that won the previous year. (The last time the reigning champ failed to get a nomination was 2007, with "24.") Between its second Golden Globe win and its Critics' Choice nomination, it does not appear to have suffered a sophomore slump.

"House of Cards"

The biggest wild card on the ballot is Beau Willimon's political drama, whose entire season of 13 episodes was made available in February by Netflix. It would be unconventional for Emmy voters to look so far outside traditional television for a nominee, but "House of Cards" may have been the year's most buzz-worthy show, and one that turned binge viewing into a national pastime.

"I think it'll get in because of sheer talkability, and because it's breaking new ground," said Gareth Neame.

"Mad Men"

Emmy voters have always loved Matthew Weiner's Madison Avenue drama, which has already won four drama-series Emmys and will break the record it shares with "Hill Street Blues," "L.A. Law" and "The West Wing" if it wins another.

The past season - its second-to-last ever - may have been the show's weirdest, but it's impossible to envision voters not nominating it. Plus, to improve his chances this year, Weiner hired the publicist who landed "Argo" its Oscar Best Picture.

The six nominees will most likely come from those nine shows, but FX's "Justified" is always in the mix, and HBO's "The Newsroom" has a real shot as well. Then there are the buzziest new shows on broadcast TV, "Scandal" and "Nashville"; the final season of Showtime's four-time drama-series nominee "Dexter"; the genre gems "The Walking Dead" and "Bates Motel" ...

So who'll be snubbed?

Critics' Choice voters went with "Breaking Bad," "Game of Thrones," "The Americans," "Downton Abbey," "The Good Wife" and "Homeland" (right), leaving out "Boardwalk Empire," "House of Cards" (!) and "Mad Men" (!!).

Golden Globe voters opted for "Boardwalk," "Downton," "Homeland," "Breaking Bad" and "The Newsroom," but not "Game of Thrones," "Mad Men" or "The Good Wife." ("House of Cards" and "The Americans" hadn't yet debuted, and they were voting on the previous season of "Mad Men.")

Given the stiff competition, and the fact that current Emmy rules call for just six nominees (though a tie produced seven in 2009), it's hardly embarrassing to be left out. But that will be small consolation to whichever topnotch shows find themselves overlooked when nominations are announced on July 18.

"It's tough, because we are just surrounded by really great storytelling," said Mark Johnson, who has few illusions that his other show, the acclaimed Sundance series "Rectify," can find a spot in a year this competitive.

"As somebody said to me recently, 'The movie studios should be ashamed that they've given storytelling over to television.'"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/likely-emmy-snubs-crowded-drama-category-004703691.html

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Web Ink Now: Communications Revolution 2007 - 2013

With the release of the 4th edition of my book The New Rules of Marketing & PR this week, I've been reflecting on the progress we've made as marketers and entrepreneurs in just a few short years.

We are lucky to be living in the middle of a communications revolution! It is now so much easier to reach buyers than in the old days.

I created this short presentation to illustrate how far we've come.

Direct link to Communications Revolution 2007 ? 2013 on SlideShare.

Communications Revolution 2007 - 2013

Imagine, just a few short years ago as I was writing the first edition of New Rules in 2005 and 2006, Facebook was only for students and MySpace had four times as many users as Facebook. Now MySpace has only 32 million users to Facebook?s 1.1 billion.

Twitter didn't even exist as I was writing the first edition, nor did most social networks we use today including Instagram, Google Plus, Foursquare, and SlideShare.

How amazing that in just a few years, inbound marketing and social networking has become mainstream! We are truly living through a communications revolution.

The New Rules of Marketing & PR has sold 300,000 copies in English over four editions and is translated into 25 languages from Bulgarian to Vietnamese.

Thanks to Doug Eymer at EYMER DESIGN Laboratories + Think Tank for the design of the presentation.

Source: http://www.webinknow.com/2013/06/communications-revolution-2007-2013.html

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The Block hits the market | ExpertView Blog

Are you a fan of Channel 9?s The Block?? If so, you will be excited to learn that the first of the 5 properties has hit the market.? Renovated by Alisa and Lysandra, the ultra-competitive police officers (and twins), the property has been meticulously designed to appeal to a broad market.

Located at 1/142 Park Street, South Melbourne, the ?cop-twins? property is sure to heat up the Melbourne property market this winter.

According to listing agents Dingle Partners Melbourne, ?this gorgeous full floor 3 bedroom plus study apartment features a stylish yet effortlessly functional open plan design which has been architecturally crafted to capture glorious year-round northern sunlight.?

Described as ?the quintessential cooks kitchen?, the girls have included a double door integrated fridge, 2 ovens, a microwave and coffee machine plus a solid concrete island bench and a walk in butler?s pantry.? What more could you ask for?

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It?s clear why the judges named Alisa and Lysandra the ?bathroom queens? when looking at their lavish his and hers ensuites. ?Comprising a double shower that converts to a steam room, a dressing area with mirrored built-ins and an elevated freestanding, this bathroom is the height of luxury!

Exuding simplicity and style, the open plan living room provides a spacious family and dining area, featuring beautiful hardwood floors.? According to Lysandra, the aim was to present a stylish room that would please the crowds come auction day, ?I don?t like to sound cocky, but I think probably out of anyone?s, our apartment will appeal to the broadest market, which is what we wanted to do,?

Currently there is no indication of price, yet it is believed that hopes are set on a price starting at $1.5 million. ?If you fancy living sky high in The Block, take a look at the property listing for more information.

It is expected that the rest of the properties will hit the market soon, with Hockingstuart already securing the Penthouse.? Hockingstuart have kicked off their marketing campaign with a competition, which is likely to generate significant interest and buzz surrounding the property.

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Source: http://blog.realestateview.com.au/2013/06/the-block-hits-the-market/

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Coke to market first 'natural' mid-calorie cola

By Martinne Geller

(Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co announced plans on Wednesday to introduce a cola that is sweetened with sugar and naturally occurring, no-calorie sweetener stevia, the first such product to hit a market that is seen as key to the future of the soda industry.

Coca-Cola Life will have about half the calories of regular Coke. It will go on sale this week in Argentina, where Coca-Cola has 50 percent of the soda market, compared with PepsiCo Inc's 16 percent, according to industry newsletter Beverage Digest, which was first to report the news

The world's largest soda company has used stevia in 45 products, such as Vitaminwater Zero and Fanta Select, but never in its flagship cola. The move would put Atlanta-based Coke ahead of rival Pepsi in the critical race for better-tasting low-calorie beverages.

There is no date for introducing the product elsewhere. Company executives at a news conference in Buenos Aires likened the launch with the 2005 debut of Coca-Cola Zero, which was first introduced in Australia and later sold elsewhere.

DOSE OF SKEPTICISM

Consumer Edge Research analyst Bill Pecoriello said a global rollout seemed likely because it would also preempt PepsiCo's sweetener innovation.

"A healthy dose of skepticism as to the long-term success potential is warranted, given past introductions," he added.

There has been a recent wave of mid-calorie sodas such as Pepsi Next and Dr Pepper 10, but they have not maintained market share, Pecoriello said.

Coke and Pepsi have been using stevia, a plant native to Paraguay, in drinks for years, but mostly in noncarbonated, fruit-flavored drinks. As recently as last month, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi said stevia did not work well in colas.

Nooyi told a conference hosted by Bernstein Research in May that a breakthrough in sweetener technology could help reverse the decline in sodas in the United States and that it needed to occur sooner rather than later.

"If you let this go too long, another three or five years, the consumer will walk away from (carbonated soft drinks)," she said at the conference. "But if we can address the barriers to consumption, we can actually bring back the lapsed users."

Regarding its own innovation, PepsiCo said in February that preparation was underway for the review and commercialization of a new "beverage innovation project," but it had not yet been submitted to U.S. regulators for review.

On Wednesday, a spokeswoman said PepsiCo was "working to identify sweetener and flavor options that can help us provide more reduced or zero-calorie beverage choices."

Coca-Cola shares closed up 1.8 percent at $40.43 on the New York Stock Exchange. PepsiCo stock was up 1.6 percent at $81.31, while Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc rose 1.8 percent to end the day at $45.80.

(Additional reporting by Juliana Castilla in Buenos Aires; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Marguerita Choy, Leslie Gevirtz and Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/coke-market-first-natural-mid-calorie-cola-180718425.html

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Texas governor may revive abortion proposal

By Corrie MacLaggan

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A marathon speech by a Texas Democrat temporarily frustrated a Republican drive for new state abortion restrictions, but political sources predicted on Wednesday that anti-abortion Governor Rick Perry would quickly revive the proposal.

Senator Wendy Davis, a single mother by the age of 19 who now is a rising star of the Democratic party, drew national attention when she spoke for more than 10 hours to block a measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Her filibuster of the Republican supermajority in the Texas legislature was hailed by women's groups and abortion rights advocates, and streamed live on some national media websites.

Republicans managed to stop her about two hours ahead of the midnight end to the special legislative session citing parliamentary procedures, but they were unable to complete voting on the abortion bill before the deadline.

"I pledge to Texas one thing: this fight is far from over," David Dewhurst, the anti-abortion Republican Lieutenant Governor who presides over the Senate, posted on Twitter Wednesday.

Texas Republican political strategist Matt Mackowiak predicted that Perry will call lawmakers back for another special session to pass the abortion bill.

"An abortion bill passed both houses. The votes are there. There's no question the votes are there," he said.

The abortion restrictions passed the House earlier in the week and a version of the proposal that did not include the ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy passed the Senate.

If the measure ultimately passes, Texas would be the 13th state to impose a ban on abortions after 20 weeks and by far the most populous. In addition, the legislation would set strict health standards for abortion clinics and restrict the use of drugs to end pregnancy.

Republican backers said the regulation of abortion clinics would protect women's health and that the ban on late-term abortions would protect fetuses, based on disputed research that suggests fetuses feel pain by 20 weeks of development.

Opponents said it would force nearly all Texas abortion clinics to close or be rebuilt.

"We know this isn't the end of the fight to protect women's access to health care in Texas." said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Davis whittled away chunks of time by reading testimony and messages from women and others decrying the legislation, reciting previously suggested changes to the bill and tapping into her own past as a single mother at 19.

She said the bill would have choked off her own access to a local Planned Parenthood clinic.

"I was a poor, uninsured woman, whose only care was provided through that facility. It was my medical home," said Davis, 50, several hours into her speech.

NATIONWIDE DEBATE

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, but conservative states have enacted laws in recent years that seek to place restrictions on the procedure, especially on abortions performed late in pregnancy.

Twelve states have passed 20-week bans, including two states where the bans take effect later this year, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Courts have blocked the bans in three of the 12 states - Arizona, Georgia and Idaho.

Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization. The measure is extremely unlikely to become law because Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.

The Texas proposal would allow exemptions for abortions to save a woman's life, and in cases of severe fetal abnormalities.

"In Texas, we value all life, and we've worked to cultivate a culture that supports the birth of every child," Perry said.

The abortion debate simmers elsewhere in the United States.

North Dakota's only abortion clinic filed a federal challenge on Tuesday to a new state law, the most restrictive in the country, that would ban procedures to end pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks.

A Philadelphia jury last month convicted abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell of murdering three babies during abortions at a clinic in a high-profile case that focused national attention on late term abortions.

(Reporting by Eric Johnson and Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Greg McCune and Chris Reesea)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republican-disrupt-texas-state-democrats-filibuster-over-abortion-043413723.html

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Jordan hosts 900 US troops to shield against Syria

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? Jordan's prime minister says the country is hosting 900 U.S. military personnel to bolster its defense capabilities against potential threats from the Syrian civil war.

The first Jordanian public official to speak publicly of the numbers of U.S. troops in the kingdom, Abdullah Ensour told reporters Saturday that 200 of the personnel were experts training for how to handle a chemical attack.

He said the remaining 700 are manning a Patriot missile defense system and F-16 fighter jets which Washington deployed this month in case the Syrian war worsens.

Jordan is concerned its larger northern neighbor would use chemical weapons against Syrian refugee camps in Jordan and other neighboring countries, or that the stockpile may fall into the hands of al-Qaida or other militants if President Bashar Assad loses control.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jordan-hosts-900-us-troops-shield-against-syria-145232071.html

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