Pages tagged “awards”

The National Book Awards nominees are out, and this year's fiction section spans every level of experience. Marilynne Robinson is nominated for Home, a sequel to her 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gilead. The other veteran of the group is 81-year-old Peter Matthiessen, who received the NBA in 1979 for nonfiction. Aleksandar Hemon is the mid-career writer of the bunch, and the two first-novel authors are Rachel Kushner and Salvatore Scibona.

It is but the middle of October and we already have our first set of 2008 film-award nominations. The Gotham Independent Film Awards announced its yearly list of nominees, shining the spotlight on a number of smaller films sure to factor into the Oscar equation later this year.

Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize for fiction last week with his novel, The White Tiger. At 34, Adiga was the youngest of the Booker's six shortlisted finalists. The White Tiger, his first book, chronicles the journey of a young Indian entrepreneur bent on escaping impoverished rural life.

With Lil Wayne's summer blockbuster of an album, the South cemented its status as hip-hop's home court. So in a lot of ways it's no shock that BET's hip-hop awards (hosted at Atlanta's Civic Center) was dominated by rappers of a certain sub-Mason-Dixon flavor. Wayne, as the man of the hour, held court for the evening with three accolades.

Those who caught this year's dismal Emmy Awards know that one of the lone bright spots (and no, we're not referring to Josh Groban's confusing theme song medley) was when Ricky Gervais berated Steve Carell for stealing his Emmy.

Accepting her award for outstanding original music and lyrics at the 2008 Creative Emmy Awards, Sarah Silverman gushed onstage, "Oh my gosh...this makes a year of [catcall voice] 'I'm fucking Matt Damon too!' totally worth it. Matt Damon, I'm going to be honest, had very little to do with this being popular. And the person for who this video was made, Jimmy Kimmel, who broke my heart, oops... who... will always have a place in my heart."

Unless you’re Kanye West, the customary acceptance speech for a top culture award is a combination of humble thanks and I-can’t-believe-it incredulity. For those 45 seconds on stage, you’re self-detractingly funny, in awe of your opponents’ talents and just so honored even to be there.

The Man Booker Prize issued its 2008 shortlist Tuesday in London. The Booker, which many have called the definitive English language literary competition, never fails to spark controversy, from contention over who was left off the shortlist, as much as those who remain in the running until the Oct. 14 announcement.

[Above: Perennial nominee Alex Turner (here representing the 2006-winning, 2007-nominated Arctic Monkeys) accepts a Mercury. His project The Last Shadow Puppets is up for nomination this year.]

For many award events, the fervency of surrounding discussion seems as influential as the actual bestowing of accolades. The Mercury Prize, given to the best album by a British or Irish artist made in the previous year, is no exception.

[Above: Kanye West and Steve Carell backstage at last year's Emmy Awards Gala]

Get that TiVo warmed up and catch up on your saved episodes of House and Ugly Betty: the Emmys are coming to TV land in September, and you’ll want to be prepared. The nominees for the ultra-cumbersomely-titled 60th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards were announced today, and a full list is available online.

Spain's ICAA film institute has awarded actor Javier Bardem its National Cinema Prize in the amount of $46,000. For what, you ask? Well it's not for "being terrifying," as his Oscar-winning role in No Country For Old Men might suggest (see above).

At the Los Angeles Film Festival's Awards Ceremony on June 29, Don Cheadle will be presented with the Spirit of Independence Award, which honors artists that pursue their own independent, artistic vision. With the award, Cheadle joins the likes of George Clooney, Charlize Theron and Clint Eastwood, who have each previously received the honor.