With the voting deadline having passed for Academy Members, Deadline is reporting much controversy over the transition of the voting process from over-the-mail to online.  Apparently, some Movers & Shakers and even Oscar-winning Actors themselves were having technical issues accessing their accounts as they scrambled to make this week’s deadline. Click here to read more about that.

Non-theatrical Drama aside, I am beyond-excited for this Thursday morning’s Oscar Nominee Announcements.  Expect Jessica Chastain to be the definitive Favourite to win Best Actress for Zero Dark Thirty, as is the case with Anne Hathaway in the Category of Best Supporting Actress based on her bone-chilling Les Misérables Performance.  In a tight match, Hugh Jackman and two-time Winner Daniel Day-Lewis foreseeably will be neck-in-neck for Best Actor, while Django Unchained Co-Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz likely will vie for Best Supporting Actor along with Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln, and Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master.  In a year with several standouts, Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained, Argo and Lincoln all to be in close contention, while divisive Dark Horse The Master, could surprise.

Seth MacFarlane hosts the 85th annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2013. ABC airs at 7:00 PM EST. 

As a reminder, the Golden Globe Awards follow only a few days after the Oscar Nominations are unveiled, taking place on Sunday, January 13, 2012 at 8:00 PM EST, to air on NBC; Tina Fey & Amy Poehler host. 

I live for this!

(Photo credit: Oscars.com)

Famous for being famous, we’re all waiting with baited breath to hear what Paulina Gretzky actually sounds like.  She is embarking on a Media Blitz this week as her debut Disc still is being shopped-around. 

“I’m 75% sure my Single will be released in Canada first”, Gretzky tells Flare Magazine after having to do it on her own with Universal Music Canada dropping her last year from their roster of Artists.  She apparently has been working on Music for the past seven years, including spending some time in Sweden.

In addition to covering February’s Flare Magazine (photos by Caitlin Cronenberg, Daughter of David) – she last graced the Publication in 2005 – CityTV will be airing Entertainment City: Paulina Gretzky on Tuesday, January 8, 2012 at 7:00 PM.  The revealing Tell-All is aimed to create a bit of buzz for the Los Angeles-raised Daughter of Canada’s most beloved Hockey Player.

Click here to read more.

(Photo credit: Flare Magazine/Caitlin Cronenberg)

Huge day in Horse Racing as Celebrity Jockey and Hall of Famer, Gary Stevens, who at the age of 50, is coming out of retirement.  Stevens announced his retirement in 2005 after a celebrated careeer which saw him win the Industry’s top honour, the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1998.

Since then, Stevens has gone-on to make a name for himself appearing in Films such as Oscar-nominated Seabiscuit and HBO‘s ill-fated but acclaimed Series, Luck.  He also has appeared as an Anchor on both HRTV and NBC Sports.

Despite downplaying rumours of his return to riding, Stevens announced earlier today on HRTV that he would be coming-out of retirement, later Tweeting Fans, “Just wanted to say thank you. I won’t let you down.”.  He is said to have been training secretly at Pegasus Training & Equine Rehabilitation Center in Washington.

To put this into perspective for those not familiar with the Sport, this is equivalent to Mike Tyson returning to Boxing or Wayne Gretzky returning to Hockey. Okay, maybe not that dramatic, but you get the idea!  Crossing fingers we see him here at Woodbine for some of our major races later this year!

Follow Stevens on Twitter here.

(Photo credit: Universal Pictures)

Mob King Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has Los Angeles at the palm of his hands in the the mid-’40s: the Police, Politicians, Prostitutes and Pimps. What he doesn’t know though is that a secret group of LAPD Outsiders headed by Sargeant John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) are hot on his heels and eager to keep the East Coast Mafia out of the City of Angels.  The stakes are upped as Jerry becomes involved with Mickey‘s choice Companion in Grace Faraday (Emma Stone).

Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), we’ve all been awaiting the arrival of real life-inspired Gangster Squad for quite some time now and its release is just-over a week away.  As an interesting tidbit, Screenwriter Will Beall actually just five years ago was working for the LAPD as a Homocide Detective, landing at number seven on 2009’s Black List, honouring the Industry’s best un-produced Screenplays.

If this weren’t exciting enough, Giovanni Ribisi who stars as the technically-inclined Officer Conway Keeler, will be in the City next week to promote the Film!

Watch the Trailer in full below:

This needs to be released like right NOW. Guillermo del Toro has a busy slate in 2013 and in addition to releasing Toronto-filmed Horror Mama, on which he serves as Executive Producer later this month, this July his $300-million Sci-Fi Epic Pacific Rim is set to cause a tidal wave at the Box Office.  As you are aware, I filmed a week’s worth of scenes on the Film last year – even if just in the background – and I’m so super-stoked.

Pacific Rim centers around an impending Alien Attack where Robots are deployed to fight for our lives.  Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi, Robert Kazinsky, Ron Perlman and Clifton Collins Jr. all star.

Watch the Trailer in full below:

Stay tuned as I have a few Pacific Rim-related Giveaways soon to come!

Warner Bros. releases Pacific Rim on July 12, 2013.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros.)

So basically, Toronto has Ramen Fever.  Yet another Competitor has entered the landscape of Japanese Noodle Shops in the City and based on the recommendation of a friend Laura, who actually has a Ramen Blog named It’s Raining Mian, myself and a few of my BFFs decided to give Santouka a try. Luckily enough, the Shop actually was open on New Year’s Day and this was the perfect way to cap-off a festive and chilly Holiday.

Santouka, which actually translates to “Mountain-Top Fire”, is the first Ontario (British Columbia got it first) addition to the internationally-popular Chain of Restaurants which trace back to 1988 when Founder Hitoshi Hatanaka opened his first ever shop in Hokkaido. Hatanaka was inspired greatly by the Rocky of Japanese Food Dramas,  Tampopo, which stars a familiar face to North Americans, Ken Watanabe.

I myself tried their spicy Limited Edition Kara Miso Ramen, showcasing first and foremost their lusciously tender two-day braised Pork Jowls.  Unlike some of the other Shops which dress their Noodles with Meat, the delicious Jowls were served on a separate plate, giving you the option to dip the slices into the immensely flavourful Broth.  In my honest opinion, there isn’t a more tasty bowl of Ramen in the City. Fear not if the concept of Spicy Miso Broth or Jowls scare you, standard Ramen with Fish Cakes and leaner Pork Cuts are available in three other varieties of Broths: Shoyu (Soy Sauce), Shio (Sea Salt) and Miso (Bean Paste-based).

Despite a 30-minute wait and what unjustly seemed like a mad rush to get out of our table, the Hot Spot is somewhere I likely would return to even if it lacks the ambiance of the likes of Momofuku Noodle Bar and Kinton Ramen.  $17 for a bowl of Ramen I admit is a bit on the pricy side, but the quality is there to back it all up.

Santouka is located at 81 Dundas Street East at Church Street.  Visit their Official Website for more.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Although they kicked-off with a bang on Christmas Day, neither  Les Misérables  nor Django Unchained could unseat The Hobbit from the throne on this final weekend of 2012 and believe me, the latter came close. The first installment of the Peter Jackson Trilogy earns $31.5 million this weekend in North America from 4,100 theatres and worldwide it already has grossed over $600 million for Warner Bros.

Quentin Tarantino‘s latest Opus, Django Unchained, debuts in second with $31 million for The Weinstein Co. and Alliance Films, already being touted potentially as the Auteur Filmmaker’s highest-grossing Film ever. With final numbers still come in, it is quite possible we might see a reverse in the order of finish tomorrow with this over-performing Oscar Contender on-top. Since Christmas Day, the Action/Thriller/Western/Drama was earned a stellar $64 million. Critics in addition to audiences are loving the Flick, earning a stellar 89% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.

Tom Hooper‘s Les Misérables started strong on Christmas Day earning $18 million, tailing-off a little since, but the $61 million Musical from Universal Pictures still performs exceedingly well in third with $27.4 million. With overall positive reviews at 72% on the Tomatometer, audiences worldwide are responding and in only a few days, it has grossed $68 million domestically.

Parental Guidance might not have gotten great reviews (17% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the Holiday–Comedy opens with $14.4million this weekend for 20th Century Fox in fourth, landing just a head of Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise, in fifth with $14 million in its second week.

This is 40 gave Moviegoers a more lighthearted option this Christmas and gets rewarded with $12.5 million this weekend, already surpassing its production cost of $35 million in two weeks of release.

Meanwhile, Disney‘s Lincoln still is going strong in its eighth week with $7.5 million from 1,966 theatres at seventh spot. Rise of the Guardians in its fifth week rounds-out the Top Ten with $5 million from Paramount Pictures.

Happy Holidays!  2012 has been an incredibly hectic and star-filled year with tons of great Celebs, Music and Movies gracing out City.  Your support, readership and love has not gone unappreciated and I hope to keep raising the bar for you.

The Site is closed for the Holidays, but before you know it I’ll be back in the New Year.  Until then, surely there’s lots to catch-up on here and if you need some honest, Fan-friendly input on what to see at the Movies this Holiday, check-out some Reviews right here.

Wishing you and your loved ones a festive Holiday and an explosive 2013!

With love,

Mr. Will & billy

For a second week in-a-row, Warner Bros.’ The Hobbit maintains its dominance at the Box Office, bringing-in $36.7 million from 4,100 theatres. In its two week run so far domestically it has earned $145.2 million and despite a significant drop this weekend, it still is far and clear ahead of the competition.

Tom Cruise shows that he definitely still has what it takes to draw a crowd, with Paramount Pictures’ Novel Series Adaptation Jack Reacher earning a respectable $15.6 million in its debut from 3,352 theatres.  Critics had generally positive things to say about the Film,  tallying-in at 69% at Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.

Judd Apatow‘s Knocked-Up sorta Sequel This is 40 opens in 2,912 theatres this weekend in third with $12 million for Universal Pictures. Reviews unfortunately have been mixed for the Comedy starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, garnering only 49% on the Tomatometer.

Rise of the Guardians still is going strong in fourth with $5.9 million for Paramount Pictures, landing ahead of Disney‘s Lincoln with $5.6 million in fifth.

Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand on paper seemed like an amazing idea, but Mother-Son Comedy The Guilt Trip which perhaps would’ve better been saved for a Mother’s Day release than the already crowded Holiday slate.   It earns $5.4 million in its opening also for Paramount Pictures, good enough for sixth.

Experiencing a slip this weekend is former Champ Skyfall with $4.7 million in eighth, while The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 rounds out the Top Ten in its sixth week with $2.6 million.  Meanwhile, Oscar Frontrunner Zero Dark Thirty, which is set for a January wide release, opens limited in five theatres, grossing an impressive $410k from.  Keep a tab on this one as big things are expected from Director Kathryn Bigelow.

2012 was a memorable year for Music, with several standouts in Music and Film.  I was busier than ever chasing  Stars in the City, with several Celebrities having good reason to visit Toronto this year, including one of the most star-studded TIFFs in recent memory.  Let’s take a walk down Memory Lane in honour what I feel were the most memorable Films, Pop Songs and personal Celebrity Encounters!

Top Ten Movies of 2012

1. Argo
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. Django Unchained
4. Ted
5. Silver Linings Playbook
6. The Hunger Games
7. End of Watch
8. The Sessions
9. Les Misérables
10. Rock of Ages

Top Ten Singles of 2012

1. Brokenhearted – Karmin
2. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger) – Kelly Clarkson
3. Madness – Muse
4. Midnight City – M83
5. We are Young – fun. ft. Janelle Monáe
6. Dance Again – Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
7. Skyfall – Adele
8. Wide Awake – Katy Perry
9. Starships – Nicki Minaj
10. Gangnam Style – PSY

Top Celebrity Encounters of 2012

Steven Tyler, Paula Abdul, Sheena Easton, Alanis Morissette, Nelly Furtado, Carly Rae Jepsen, PSY, The Wanted, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, fun., Karmin, Emeli Sandé, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Quentin Tarantino, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Robin Williams, Jon Voight, Malcolm McDowell, Viggo Mortensen, Matt Dillon, Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, Linda Hamilton, Ben Affleck, Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Joe Manganiello, Aaron Johnson, Ben Whishaw, Dane DeHaan, Joel Kinnaman, Daniel Radcliffe, Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron, Logan Lerman, Jeremy Irvine, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michael Shannon, Patrick Wilson, John Krasinski, Adam Sandler, Tracy Morgan, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Mann & Judd Apatow, Allison Williams, Meg Hilty, Lisa D’Amato, Cobie Smulders, Zoe Kazan & Paul Dano, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Mélanie Laurent, Marisa Tomei, Eva Mendes, Lily Collins, Alice Englert, Elle Fanning, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Hendricks, Kim Kardashian, Seann William Scott, Stephen Amell, Ricki Lake, Connie Chung, Jacky Cheung, George Takei, Mike Smith, Rosie Napravnik, Frankie Dettori, Andy Roddick & Brooklyn Decker and Jeremy Lin.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)