Oscars 2012: Full List of Nominations

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Catherine Balavage

Frost always gets super-excited about the Oscars, and this year is no exception. Lots of deserving and talented people on the list. I also worked on Hugo so I want to congratulate all of the people who worked on it for their nomination. Not that I am biased….

Best Picture

War Horse
The Artist
Moneyball
The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Actress

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Actor

Demian Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Director

Michel Hazanivicus, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Best Original Screenplay

Michel Hazanivicius, The Artist
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

Best Adapted Screenplay

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
George Clooney, Beau Willimon and Grant Heslov, The Ides of March
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, Moneyball
Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Foreign Feature

Bullhead
Footnote
In Darkness
Monsier Lazhar
A Separation

Best Animated Feature

A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Art Direction

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Cinematography

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Costume Design

Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Documentary Feature

Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Documentary Short Subject

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Film Editing

Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Kevin Tent, The Descendants
Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball

Makeup

Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle, Albert Nobbs
Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, The Iron Lady

Music (Original Score)

John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Howard Shore, Hugo
Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
John Williams, War Horse

Music (Original Song)

“Man or Muppet” from The Muppets, Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from Rio, Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett

Sound Editing

Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon
War Horse

Sound Mixing

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Monyeball
Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon
War Horse

Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon

Short Film (Animated)

Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Short Film (Live Action)

Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

Master Stock for braised pork belly cucumber pickle seared scallops {Recipes}

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Catherine Balavage

Master Stock for braised pork belly cucumber pickle seared scallops

5 ltr White chicken stock

500 ml Kecap manis dark soy

400 ml Japanese light soy

200 ml Shaoxing rice wine

80 gm Rock sugar

3 Star anise

3 Cassia bark

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

2 Green Cardamon pods

4 Oranges peel no pith

4 Birds eye chilli whole

2 knobs Ginger peeled

3 knobs Galangal

2 tsp Fennel seeds

Mix all ingredients together and bring to boil/simmer to infuse flavours.

Adjust seasoning. Use 5-6 times for poaching pork bellies.

Wash belly well and pat dry.

Line a tray with baking paper and cover with rock salt

Lay on a bed of rock salt and cover well with more rock salt.

Leave overnight.

Wash belly well to remove salt.

Bring master stock to the boil.

Line a deep tray with baking paper, place the belly in the tray

cover with baking paper and the stock, seal with foil.

Braise for 2- 3 hrs @ 230- 260 F till just tender.

Sweet and Sour Cucumber

Cucumber pickle

20 Continental cucumbers

1 ltr Peanut oil

2 ltr Rice wine vinegar

2 ltr Water

2 kg Sugar

60 cloves Garlic finely sliced across

10 Lombok chilli julienne

30 Birds eye sliced across

15 tbsp Grated ginger

5 tsp Nigela seeds

Peel ,slice cucumbers, no seeds, blanch and refresh. drain well.

Bring to the boil the water sugar oil and vinegar, allow to fully cool.

Combine all ingredients.

Place on a paper lined tray and cover with more paper and press.

Dipping Sauce

1 liter of distilled white vinegar

1 liter of water

1 kilo of sugar

2 lemon grass crushed

2 kaffir lime leaves

2 tomatoes

2 star anise

2 chillies

Coriander stalks

Place 2 lightly seasoned hand dived scallops from Scotland on char grill and cook to just medium, place pork belly with sweet chilli dipping sauce under grill until lightly caramelized then place I piece of belly with cucumber pickle and then add scallop drizzle with sweet chilli reduction. Slowly reduce for 3 – 4 hours till syrup consistency

Place fresh mint leaves and coriander leafs through the pickle cucumber salad garnish with fried crispy shallots.

The recipe has come from David Spanner, Executive Chef at Livebait Manchester.

Livebait seafood and fresh fish restaurant is housed in a stunning Grade 2 listed building which is tucked away on the edge of Albert Square right in the heart of Manchester’s city centre. The restaurant dedicates its menu mainly to fish and seafood dishes and executive chef, David Spanner is intent on showcasing the true beauty and simplicity of fresh fish. The restaurant boasts an excellent wine and champagne list fit to accompany any seafood feast.

www.livebaitmanchester.com

www.livebaitleeds.com

How To Clear Out Your Wardrobe.

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Catherine Balavage

I have always wanted to be one of those women who wear matching underwear everyday, and are always effortlessly stylish. That is not me however, and I have decided being myself is much better. However, I am so busy that I have become obsessed with being organised and keeping everything in it’s place. I started with my wardrobe, and this is what I learned.

Take all of your clothes out of your wardrobe and try everything on. It can be quite overwhelming bringing everything out at once, so you can do half at once, or maybe just a drawer. Everything that doesn’t fit, put in one pile. Be realistic about this pile. Are you going to lose weight? Then put everything else into three other piles.

Keep

Unsure

Charity shop/Ebay/Recycle.

Get ride of stuff that doesn’t suit you, in poor condition and hasn’t been worn in 12 months.

Another good thing to do is have a one in and one out policy. Everything you buy something new, get ride of something old. Keep only a few old clothes for decorating or housework.

Things that need dry cleaning should only be in your wardrobe if you really love them or have money.

Put things that need alterations or mending. As well as shoes that need re-soled.

Everything in the keep pile should be put back in the wardrobe. Arrange the clothes by type, then colour. Everything in the get ride pile should then be put in another three piles (!) sell, give away, and recycle. Sell anything you think you can on Ebay or to a designer outlet, give away the stuff that you are not selling to charity (get gift aid so you can claim it against your tax.) All of the other stuff can be recycled, don’t just throw it away. There are charities that can recycle your old clothes.

Your maybe pile will probably make you indecisive. Ask a friend or a partner for their opinion, put all of the clothes in a bag and hide them away, if you don’t miss it after a few months then throw them out.

Get ride of things that don’t enhance your life.

Sales of sewing machines are up by 50%.

Organise your wardrobe. Buy some Vacuum sacks [£11.78 , lakeland.co.uk] to keep out of season clothes in and get some cedar or Lavender balls to repel moths.

Storage boxes are great and can be bought cheaply. These ones are cheap and can be stacked on top of each other As can hanging racks and hooks. Hooks Value Pack

Sewing kit. Learn how to sew. Take a class in dressmaking.

No wire hangers. They ruin clothes

Keep bags and accessories accessible. Stuff bags and shoes and keep them in their original packaging. Keep bags in the dust covers that they come with.

If you can afford a Hand-held steamer, get one. They are a great investment.

Fold knitwear, once horizontally and then put arms across the body for fewer creases. It will stretch if hung.

Dry-clean only clothes should be removed from packaging as soon as possible, as the chemicals can cause damage.

Get shoes resoled regularly. Buy the most expensive shoes you can afford and then look after them. Buy a shoe tree to keep them in tip-top condition. Wood Shoe Tree

Riding boats never go out of style.

Hang everything in the same direction.

Store clothes with acid-free tissue paper, to keep out moisture and damp.

If your leather shoes are too tight, heat them with a hairdryer and wear them with a thick pair of socks.

Some items of clothing that never go out of fashion.

A pencil skirt

Trench coat.

Plain court shoes

White Shirt

Good quality jeans.

Silk blouse

Pale, fuss-free underwear.

Sharp Blazer

Black Trousers

Little Black dresses.

Hang trousers upside down from clip hangers to avoid creases.

Got any tips of your own?

Salt Cod Ravioli with sauce vierge and fresh asparagus {Recipes}

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Catherine Balavage

Recipe For: Salt Cod Ravioli with sauce vierge and fresh asparagus

Ingredients

500 gr Salt Cod

1 Onion

10 Parsley stalks

10 White Pepercorns

1 Garlic clove

200ml Virgin Olive Oil

200ml Cream

200gm Desiree Potatoes

1 Lemon ,Juice of

10 ml White Wine Vinegar

200gm Croutons

Soak cod for two days changing water every 4 hours drain and poach cod with peppercorns/onion/parsley/garlic

wrapped in muslin discard all bones/skin cook potatoes separately put through mouli warm cream in blender bring mash and oil

together adjust seasoning/lemon juice add cream near end.

DOUGH RECIPE

700 GRAMS OF 00 FARINA FLOUR

l/2 TEASPOON OF SEA SALT

4 WHOLE FREE RANGE EGGS

9 EGG YOLKS

1-2 TABLESPOONS OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

METHOD

PUT THE FLOUR AND THE SALT INTO FOOD PROCESSOR PROCESS AND ADD THE EGG AND THE YOLKS .

ADD THE OLIVE OIL AND TAKE OUT OF THE PROCESSOR PLACE ONTO FLOURED BENCH AND KNEED UNTIL THE MIXTURE IS SMOOTH TAKES ABOUT 10 MINUTES

WRAP IN CLING FILM AND REST FOR 1 TO 2 HOURS TAKE OUT AND ROLL THROUGH PASTA MACHINE.

50 mls Xtra Virgin Olive Oil evo

1 eschallot brunoise

2 tsp lemon juice

6 corriander seeds

1 tomato fine concasse

6 basil leaves

6 corriander leaves

1 white anchovy fillet

1 tsp sherry vinegar ( de soto)

8 baby capers

3 tbsp parsley chiffonade

Roast and Grind coriander crush slightly saute shallot, combine all ingredients well.

Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

To assemble

Blanche ravioli in boiling salted water until just cooked do not overcook it place sauce vierge on plate with some warmed asparagus then place ravioli on top garnish with some deep fried leeks for some texture difference.

The recipe has come from David Spanner, Executive Chef at Livebait Manchester.

www.livebaitmanchester.com

www.livebaitleeds.com

Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis Split. Angelina Jolie Pregnant.

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Catherine Balavage

Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis are ‘all but offically finished’ according to People Magazine, and have not been seen together in public for a year. There has been ferocious debate about the relationship in the last few months and it has now been confirmed that they are living apart.

The 48-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean actor has been with the 39-year-old Paradis for 15 years and they have two children together.

“According to multiple sources…[they] are all but officially finished,” the magazine said.

Onlookers at the Golden Globes said Depp looked ‘subdued’. “He didn’t smile, walked off stage and went right out the door.”

Angelina Jolie is reportedly three months pregnant with her and Brad Pitts 7th child. Congratulations to the happy couple!

Golden Globes 2011. George Clooney and Meryl Streep Win.

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Catherine Balavage

Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes for the second time, despite his controversial first effort.

However, the Los Angeles Times says this time Gervais was “surprisingly subdued”. In 2011, Gervais shocked with comments about the Hollywood elite. It lead the Hollywood A-lister to comment on the jokes being “mean-spirited and mildly sinister”.

Gervais said the Globes were to the Oscars what US reality TV star Kim Kardashian was to Kate Middleton – “a bit louder, a bit trashier, a bit drunker and more easily bought, allegedly”.

The Los Angeles Times noted that the British fared well.

Downton Abbey won best TV mini-series and Kate Winslet won for lead actress in a TV mini-series or movie, for Mildred Pierce.

They also said: “When Idris Elba took to the stage to accept the award for lead actor in a miniseries for Luther, one did begin to wonder how many Brits it takes to screw in a Golden Globe.”

Meryl Streep also swore in her acceptance speech and looked shocked when she won. A full list of winners is below.

MOTION PICTURES
– Picture, Drama: “The Descendants.”
– Picture, Musical or Comedy: “The Artist.”
– Actor, Drama: George Clooney, “The Descendants.”
– Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady.”
– Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”
– Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist.”
– Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn.”
– Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”
– Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help.”
– Foreign Language: “A Separation.”
– Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin.”
– Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris.”
– Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist.”
– Original Song: “Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E.”

TELEVISION
– Series, Drama: “Homeland,” Showtime.
– Series, Musical or Comedy: “Modern Family,” ABC.
– Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, “Boss.”
– Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland.”
– Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, “Enlightened.”
– Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes.”
– Miniseries or Movie: “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” PBS.
– Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce.”
– Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba, “Luther.”
– Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story.”
– Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones.”

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Morgan Freeman.

Photo: Capital M.

The Sitter Film Review

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Catherine Balavage

I love Johan Hill. It doesn’t really matter what he is saying, but the way he says it. I think he is a comedic genius. He very much deserves this lead role.

Hill plays a lovable loser. He is in love with a girl who uses him, and still lives at home with his mum. He has failed in life but his heart is in the right place. He agrees to babysit three spoilt children, each with their own problems, so his mother can go on a date. This isn’t a film to watch with your parents (the opening alone is not for a child’s eyes). It is quite adult but kooky and funny enough for me not to get upset when it was a little rude or crude (something I’m not a fan of). Hill also plays subtle drama well, the scene where he goes to visit the father who left the family home for a younger women and had another family is played perfectly.

Sam Rockwell is great in everything he does, and in this he plays a psycho drug dealer. The three kids in the movie are great too. The acting and the script are all good.

I really liked this film and I’m giving it four stars. I dare you to go see it and not laugh.

Frost's Guide to Twitter

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Catherine Balavage

In the past few years twitter has entrenched itself into our everyday lives. It is how I found out Kate Middleton was to marry Prince William, and that Christopher Hitchens had died. Twitter is now how most people get their news. It is also a brilliant marketing tool. No matter what you do with your life, you can improve your career and be in contact with people from all around the world. So here is a guide to getting and keeping followers, with a few facts thrown in.

Go for quality, not quantity.

Some people may have thousands of followers, but they may be spammers or may have paid for them. (Buying followers is against twitters terms and conditions.)

Try to not get upset when people unfollow you

It is usually not personal. Maybe you retweet too much, maybe they are just following too many people. It has nothing to do with you as a person. Just unfollow them back, unless they are incredibly interesting.

Add your photo and professional details to twitter. People are more likely to follow you if they know a bit about you.Brevity is the soul of wit and even more important on Twitter. You only have 140 characters to get your point across. It is a good skill to have.

Twitter has more than 100 million global active users according to Twitter CEO Dick Costolo

Think of all of those people you can be connected too! The internet has made the world more democratic, and twitter has played it’s part in that.

Hash tags

Which is this: # (to get a hash tag on a Mac Alt + 3 = #) This creates, in twitters words, a ‘global conversation’ that everyone can follow.

Put a follow button on your blog or website

Remember, you can only direct message people who follow you, and they can only do the same if you are following them.

Interact with people.
Follow people. They might follow you back. You can follow 2,000 people initially, more if you have over 2000 followers.
Be worth following.
Have a good avatar. A picture of yourself is good.
Have a good bio. Keep it short and interesting.
Post interesting stories. Add links to articles you enjoyed reading.
Add yourself to directories like Wefollow.com
Get your friends to follow you.
Add your twitter to the signature in your email.
Don’t worry if it seems to be taking a while. You’re twitter will grow.
Be interesting- That is the most important thing. If you are interesting people will follow you.
Have a niche; tweet about a specific thing. You can grow your business and become an expert in your field.
Join Klout.
Don’t buy twitter followers. This might look good but what you want is engaged followers.
Don’t constantly retweet.
Don’t tweet all the time. If you clog up someone else’s feed then they will probably unfollow you.
Don’t be offensive. Have your opinion but respect other peoples.
Respond to people.
Follow other people in your field.
Tweet regularly. Three times a day is fine.
Remember that things came across differently in print. Sarcasm and humour can be taken seriously.
Watch out for spam. Change your password and don’t click on links from people you don’t know.
Be relevant.
Don’t try to please everyone. You have to have an opinion or you will not be interesting.

Of the 100 million global active users, half of them log in daily. “We had 30% of our monthly active users login in every day at the beginning of the year. Now it’s over 50%,” Costolo revealed.
200 million tweets a day in June 2011.
There are one million registered twitter apps. 750,000 developers
People who joined Twitter in 2011 include Nelson Mandela, Joe Biden, Zac Goldsmith, Salman Rushdie, Rupert Murdoch and the Pope.

Thirty-five global heads of state use Twitter
In 2011 Twitter had 65 million Tweets a day. They have over 200 million Tweets per day.
Twitter accounts are rarely hacked but Twitter advises the following for security of your account;
Use a strong password with at least 10 characters and a combination of letters, numbers and other characters for your Twitter account. And use a unique password for each website you use (email, banking, etc.); that way, if one account gets compromised, the rest are safe. A personal email account that’s compromised is the second most likely way an intruder gains access to Twitter accounts.
Use HTTPS for improved security on Twitter.
We recommend linking your phone to your Twitter account. Doing this could save your account if you lose control of your personal email and/or password. Here’s how to do it.
If you think your account has been compromised, visit our help page for compromised accounts to find out how to fix it quickly.
Twitter post regularly about safety and security at @safety.
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said Twitter has 100 million global active users, of those 100 million global active users, half of them log in daily. “We had 30% of our monthly active users login in every day at the beginning of the year. Now it’s over 50%,” Costolo revealed.
Twitter had 200 million tweets a day in June 2011.
Do not unfollow people right after you follow them. Wait five days or Twitter might think you are a spammer.
Half of Twitter users log in every day.
55% of Twitter users are mobile users.