Four-legged actors vie the Oscars

This year was the year of animals in movies. From Uggie, adorable Jack Russell terrier in ‘The Artist,’ to the 14 horses playing Joey in ‘War Horse,’ animals stole scenes throughout the year. There are the Golden Collars and the Pawscars recognizing four-legged actors on screen.

 Playing dead might not be the greatest acting challenge for Meryl Streep or Brad Pitt, but it was no small accomplishment on the part of one four-legged actor. Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier, won the hearts of millions with his role as the sidekick to fading matinee idol George Valentin in this year’s award-sweeper The Artist and kick-started discussions around the recognition, or lack thereof, of animals on screen in the process.

Being the social dog that he is, Uggie graced every award show possible, accompanying the proud cast and crew of The Artist. At the Golden Globes he took to the stage, distracting many from the acceptance speeches with the “Aws!” he drew from the audience.

Uggie received his own awards this month, snatching both a Golden Collar and a Pawscar, the former recognizing the onscreen work of canines and the latter, animals in general. The Golden Collar Awards, initiated this year by the Dog News Daily website, drew attention when Martin Scorsese wrote a letter to the LA Times, asking readers to start a campaign to include Blackie the Doberman, who played alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in another awards-favorite, Hugo, to be included among the nominees. Blackie’s name was soon on the list that recognized Uggie’s role in two movies, last year’s Water for Elephants and Cosmo from the Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer flick Beginners; Denver, who played Skeletor in 50/50; and Hummer with his role in Young Adult. Uggie, as expected, won the award, putting it next to his Pawscar for best scene stealer.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)

Guess who’s not coming to Turkey?

American novelist Paul Auster, who refused to visit Turkey because of imprisoned journalists and writers, and Madonna, who will give a concert in Istanbul in June, may not be welcome in Turkey. Sometimes this is a result of people trying to make sure their name stays in the public eye. But a lack of Turkish hospitality is not something new when it comes to celebrities 

 Turkish people like to boast about their hospitality. They enjoy being thought of abroad as having a culture that takes pride in opening its doors to everyone. However, there are times when hospitality turns into hostility. Sometimes things break out into public feuds when the guest in question is someone of international fame who has somehow offended the very delicate Turkish pride.

Earlier in February, the unwelcome guest was the American novelist Paul Auster, and the person who made it public that Auster was not welcome in Turkey was none other than Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. After his latest book, Winter Journal, was published in Turkey months before its publication in the USA, Auster gave an interview to daily Hürriyet, in which he said that he refused to visit Turkey “because of imprisoned journalists and writers.”

Erdoğan shot back the next day, “As if we need you? Who cares if you come or not? Would Turkey lose prestige?” Calling him “ignorant,” Erdoğan accused Auster of hypocrisy for having visited Israel. “Aren’t these the ones that rained bombs on Gaza?” he wondered.

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Oscars bring Iran and Israel together

With a twist of fate, this year’s Oscars will bring both Iran and Israel together. Both films are among the nominees for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film 

 It’s not everyday you see a prestigious list of five countries that put Iran and Israel next to one another, asking the representatives from both countries to wear their tuxes or their evening gowns and enjoy an evening of celebration, laughter and happy tears in the United States. What’s more, Turkey was so close to being on the same list.

The list has nothing to do with nuclear arms and the ever-tangled politics of the Middle East. It’s the Oscars, and the list is the nominees for the Best Foreign Language Film. If Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Grand Prix winner in Cannes, Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon A Time in Anatolia), a very likely contender until the announcement of the shortlist of nine films, was nominated for the category, it would definitely have marked a moment in history.

 If Turkey had been nominated, say, instead of Canada or Poland, the irony would make many smile, with Belgium, the high and mighty center of Europe, being one of the other nominees as well. Turkey, once again, would be stuck between the two global power games, next to the Middle East and the European Union, not too keen to make Turkey one of their own.

Still, Iran and Israel, two countries not exactly fond of each other, will be competing for the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film come the award ceremony Feb. 26. In fact, Joseph Cedar, the director of Footnote, the nominee from Israel, said there was “something poetic” about Israel and Iran both being nominated.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)

Twitter to change TV viewing in Turkey

Always quick to follow the latest cultural trends in the West, TV programmers in Turkey have jumped on the bandwagon to integrate TV viewing and social media. On-screen hashtags and live Tweets have become part of a ‘controlled engagement’ 

You don’t really have to watch TV to know what the parliamentary speaker said about the new charter in a televised live debate or the unexpected twist in a popular TV show. Why would you need a remote control when you have hashtags, live Tweets and trending topics?

As the world of communication disintegrated, and the audience fragmented into millions of individuals with their own personal viewing experiences through multitudes of channels and social media, we were supposed to say goodbye to traditional television programming.

There were podcasts and emerging niche channels, causing a timeshift in the viewing experience as people recorded, downloaded and watched their favorite shows online. Social media promised a personalized experience in information flow, consumption of entertainment, and an interactive, immediate way of communication.

This was bad news for TV channels, whose traditional structure required people to sit down when their favorite programs aired. Viewers had to wait before rushing to the office water coolers to talk about the latest twist in their TV show, or the gaffe made by a celebrity on a talk show.

It became clear that all had changed when Prince William married Kate Middleton last April. The term coined as the “water cooler effect,” which required all viewers to watch a TV program at the time of the broadcast and wait until the next day to discuss the repercussions, dramatically shifted as Twitter hit the World Wide Web.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)