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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Entertainment
International
Clooney, Pitt, other pals gather for Oscar lunch Associated Press Writer
BEVERLY HILLS, California — George Clooney says the best thing about Academy Awards nominations is not necessarily the prizes. It’s hanging with old and new friends. At the annual Oscar nominee luncheon Monday, Clooney said he’s made new pals on the awards circuit this season and has been happy to catch up with longtime friends such as Viola Davis and Brad Pitt, his co-star in the “Ocean’s Eleven” movies. “A lot of people at home think we all hang out together. I think they think we’re always at the Hilton drinking champagne. The truth is I hadn’t seen Brad in about a year” until they crossed paths around the time of January’s Golden Globes, Clooney told reporters before sitting down to lunch. “So it’s fun to catch up, and it’s fun to see people I like and haven’t seen in a long time.” Both are up for the best-actor Oscar — Clooney for “The Descendants” and Pitt for “Moneyball.” Clooney said he also has had fun getting to know other nominees such as best-actor contend-
ers Gary Oldman of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Jean Dujardin of “The Artist” and Demian Bichir of “A Better Life.” Pitt joked that like Clooney, awards season has allowed him to make a lot of new acquaintances. “I met this guy named George,” Pitt said, stumbling over the pronunciation of the name, “Gg-george, Jorge Clooney. Very nice guy. Very personable and very nice guy.” Along with Clooney and Pitt, others among the 150 nominees at the luncheon included “The Help” co-stars Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer; “Albert Nobbs” co-stars Glenn Close and Janet McTeer; “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” star Rooney Mara; “My Week with Marilyn” co-stars Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh; “The Artist” co-star Berenice Bejo; and “Hugo” director Martin Scorsese.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Academy Awards Best Actor nominees, from left, Jean Dujardin of “The Artist,” Brad Pitt of “Moneyball” and George Clooney of “The Descendants” mingle at the 31st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif., Monday, Feb. 6, 2012.
Dr. Oz’s health effort nets 1 million participants Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK — Television already has “The Biggest Loser.” Dr. Mehmet Oz is looking for the biggest number of losers.
AP Photo/Harpo Inc., David M. Russell, File
FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2009 file photo provided by Harpo, Inc., Dr. Mehmet Oz is pictured during the production of The Dr. Oz Show in New York.
“The Dr. Oz Show” said Monday that it had netted its 1 millionth participant in its “transformation nation” health effort, and the number is climbing. One of those people will win a $1 million prize in May. Since September, Oz has urged viewers to participate in his health challenge, done together with Weight Watchers. The number of registrants has increased steadily to a point that Oz said he’d never imagined the program would reach. “It is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Oz said. Oz’s program has seven steps, starting with the simplest: Tell a friend to get some moral support. Participants are asked to register with Weight Watchers and go to a center to have their body mass index calculated. Other steps include connecting with a doctor, learning your family’s health history, getting more sleep, managing stress better and starting new fitness habits. A sample of 96,000 registrants who had weighed in at Weight Watchers determined they had collectively lost 672,000 pounds, or an average of 7 pounds per person, the show said. The show will select 10 finalists that it believes best embody the effort — not necessarily those who lose the most weight — and viewers will choose a favorite this spring for the $1 million prize.
Music Review: Van Halen ageless on new album Associated Press Writer
Van Halen, “A Different Kind Of Truth” (Interscope) Let’s face it, for many fans, Van Halen without founding singer David Lee Roth just isn’t Van Halen. It’s Van Hagar. Or even Van That-Guy-From-Extreme. Nearly 30 years after Roth and his bandmates parted ways following the group’s “1984” album, they’re back with “A Different Kind Of Truth.” Despite its title, the album’s 13 tracks feel more than a little bit familiar, which is a good thing if you’re looking to rewind the clock to Van Halen circa the late 1970s and early 1980s. If that sort of thing strikes you as dad-rock, however, then not so much. Regardless, “A Different Kind Of Truth” shows 14 years since the last full Van Halen album, guitar demon Eddie Van Halen remains at the top of his game, betraying no hint of age or wear in his guitar work. All the staples are there: scorching riffs, waves of overlapping notes that dive bomb into deep growls and signature sonic horse wails. Notably absent from “A Different Kind Of Truth” are the keyboard-heavy songs or power ballads found in the stretch of albums with Sammy Hagar on vocals. Instead, Van Halen mostly delivers hard-pounding rockers — less “Jump,” more “Atomic Punk.” And speed. Several tracks, such as the relentless “Bullethead” and “As Is,” fueled by a rockabilly-
like riff, are as fast and heavy as anything Van Halen has previously done. A lot of the credit for that goes to drummer Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, on bass. (Wolfgang replaced original Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony during a U.S. tour about four years ago.) Roth’s voice hasn’t aged quite as well, but his delivery is lively and he lobs in plenty of his trademark yelps. The singer always was equal parts hype man and frontman, and on some tracks, like the underwhelming first single, “Tattoo,” he’s in over-the-top, Diamond Dave mode, singing “Sexy dragon magic! So very autobiographic!”