No sooner did we publish the (Cult)ys, our first annual ridiculously specific TV and cinema awards, than all manner of other awards I could have given started to flow freely in my brain. I've decided to call these forgotten awards "outliers"* and post them as they come to me, so they can live in infamy (or just on the internet. One or the other). So, let's kick it off with . . .

Best Shrimping Boat Redemption of a Previously Thought Un-redeemable Character
Sonny (Michiel Huisman), Treme

Over the course of the first season of Treme, it was made clear that every character, no matter how horrible s/he seemed, had redeeming qualities. Everyone, that is, except Sonny. Sonny was a not-particularly talented musician/drug addict who cheated on and hit his girlfriend. If he had died between seasons, I doubt he would be have been missed. When Season 2 began, Sonny may not have had a girlfriend anymore, but he still had a drug and attitude problem. He was either in constant danger of being kicked out of Antoine's (Wendell Pierce) band (his one and only source of income) or actually kicked out of it. So imagine our surprise when one of Sonny's fellow bandmates (Cornell Williams) sized Sonny up, pronounced that he was "in no danger of becoming no great musician," and took him out to the coast to put him to work on a shrimping boat. I don't know if it was the hard work, the sea air, or getting clean that did it, but, by the end of the season, Sonny was not only doing better work with the band, he was dating a nice girl who's father runs a shrimp company. Oddly enough, now I want to see if those two kids can work it out. 

Corel Endowment Fund for the Arts Award - Deadline for Application
This year's deadline for applications is May 16, 2011.

Take a look at the possibilities of the Corel Endowment Fund for the Arts Award. This award assists artists in all disciplines. The award was established at the Community Foundation of Ottawa in 1997 through the combined fundraising efforts of the Council for the Arts in Ottawa and Corel Corporation. The first awards were presented in 1998. To date, the fund has contributed to 32 artists' projects.

Please visit our website for details, www.arts-ottawa.on.ca, or contact the CAO office at council@arts-ottawa.on.ca or 613-569-1387.

Online nominations are now open for Child & Youth Friendly Ottawa’s signature for youth-by-youth gala event. In its 14^th year the Spirit Awards celebrate the extraordinary achievements of youth who are making our community a better place – from athletes, to young entrepreneurs, to budding artists, to activities for social change, to those who have overcome personal obstacles. The purpose of the Spirit Awards is to promote a positive image of young people and to generate awareness of the valuable contributions that youth make in Ottawa.

We welcome youth and adults alike to nominate young people who are doing inspiring things under one of our eight award categories.

Award categories:

• Arts & Culture
• Service & Caring
• Young Entrepreneurship
• Personal Courage
• Academic Perseverance
• Young Athletes
• Young Activist
• Youth & Technology

Nominations must be submitted online by April 1, 2011. Finalists will be honored on Monday, May 30th at the gala event at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel.  For a full description of the online nomination process and award categories visit www.spiritawards.ca.

Golden Globe nominations, because of their comedy/drama split, are always a mixed bag. Despite the fact that some excellent movies have come out in the last year, it's been more miss than hit, so we're going to try to pare it down to an essential viewing/incredibly biased predictions. Here we go:

Film

Drama

Black Swan, The Fighter

THE COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS IN OTTAWA ARTS AWARDS
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Victor Tolgesy Arts Award
The Victor Tolgesy Arts Award was inaugurated in 1987 by the City of Ottawa and the Council for the Arts in Ottawa to recognise the accomplishments of residents who have contributed substantially to enriching cultural life in the city. It is named in honour of Ottawa artist Victor Tolgesy who died in 1980.
RBC Emerging Artist Award
The Council for the Arts in Ottawa and RBC established the RBC Emerging Artist Award to recognize and encourage the achievements of Ottawa artists who are founding careers in the arts and are working towards becoming recognized professional artists while engaging with the community.
The deadline for nomination for The Victor Tolgesy Arts Award and the RBC Emerging Artist Award is 5 pm on Tuesday, December 14, 2010.
CAO Mid-Career Artist Award
The Council for the Arts in Ottawa is pleased to welcome back Ginsberg Gluzman Fage & Levitz, LLP and Mann & Partners, LLP as sponsors of The CAO Mid-Career Artist Award.  This award recognizes and encourages the achievements of Ottawa artists who have evolved beyond an emerging stage in their career to become recognized professional working artists contributing to the Ottawa arts community.
The deadline for nomination for The CAO Mid-Career Artist Award is 5 pm on Monday, January 10, 2011.
These awards are made possible thanks to our partners who believe in recognizing excellence in the arts in Ottawa.
Full information can be found on the CAO Website at
www.arts-ottawa.on.ca/awards-en.php

The Nicholas Hoare bookshop on Sussex Drive here in Ottawa was tonight the setting for yet another elitist literary snob-fest. From 6 to 8 p.m., five of the winners of the recent Governor General's Literary Awards managed to take time from their gruelling day-jobs of sitting at desks and thinking really hard to meet some members of the public and sign a few books with their lily-white, manicured and moisturized hands. (What sort of "public" can afford to take two hours off between work and returning home to care for their families? Head-in-the-clouds intellectuals, maybe, and a few lazy literature students, but certainly not the common masses.)

Dianne Warren, whose novel Cool Water was selected as the best English-language fiction book of the year, languidly toyed with the string of pearls around her neck as she spoke to a watery-eyed university student about her "devotion" to her "craft." Unsurprisingly, Warren did not admit to having hired minimum-wage research assistants - as has been reported by reliable sources - to dig up the small-town Saskatchewan gossip she then weaved into a tawdry, contrived mess of a book while ensconced in the well-padded nest of her Toronto penthouse.

Allan Casey, the non-fiction award winner for Lakeland: Journeys into the Soul of Canada mumbled something about "beauty," "nature," and "national character" in between stuffing great handfuls of the seafood buffet into his mouth. It is no doubt pleasurable to contemplate those things from the floor-to-ceiling windows of his three-storey "cottage," or the deck of his 48-foot sailboat.

Book time to meet Canada's top writers!
Don't miss this opportunity to meet the winners of the 2010 Governor General's Literary Awards. These 14 acclaimed writers include novelists, non-fiction writers, poets, playwrights, illustrators and translators from across Canada. They will gather in Ottawa for one night to sign books and meet the public.

Wednesday, November 24 from 6-8 pm
Nicholas Hoare Books, 419 Sussex Drive (English-language winners)
Librairie du Soleil, 33 George Street (French-language winners)
Free admission. Hors d'œuvres will be served.

Information

CITY OF OTTAWA
Program Coordinator, Cultural Funding
City Operations, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
1 Full Time Temporary Position (up to 1 year) - 35 hrs/week
Salary: $55,257.02 - $67,234.44 (2010 Rates of pay)
Competition #: CO2010-00332-NP
Deadline: 18 May 2010
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Program Manager, the incumbent supports the decision– making process involving all aspects of the Funding and Award Section’s operations, including leading selected juries in collaboration with Cultural Planners. Plans and implements all aspects of 2 major civic artistic recognition events: the Karsh Award; and the Ottawa Book Awards (English Language) / Prix du Livre d’Ottawa (French Language) and manages all communications needs for the section.
Participates in the planning, coordination and implementation of funding programs by assembling, compiling, analyzing and interpreting operational, statistical and other relevant data; writing statistical reports and producing recommendations. Documents procedures and identifies changes in procedures /work methods or the automation of processes.
Statement of Qualifications:
Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts, Art History, Music, Theatre, Comparative Literature, Arts Administration, or related discipline.
Minimum of 4 years of related experience in arts administration or arts production, including progressively responsible or project management experience.
Experience and formal training combined with demonstrated performance and ability, may substitute for stipulated academic requirements.
Knowledge of:
Municipal, provincial and federal arts development policies, funding policies, data sources and practices
Local arts community practices in visual, performing and / or literary arts
Not for profit funding practices and governance structures
Contemporary arts, heritage and cultural issues in Canada
Research, surveying and data analysis
General knowledge of Human Resources policies and procedures
For more information and to apply on line, visit our career site at  http://ottawa.ca  or
to submit a resume and covering letter indicating the competition number to:
City of Ottawa
Staffing and Client Relations Division
Employee Services Branch
110 Laurier Ave. West, 5th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1J1
Competition #: CO2010-00332-NP
Fax: 613 580-4762
We thank all applicants for their interest, but advise that only those qualified to continue with the selection process will be contacted.
Applications received will be screened based on information provided. Please ensure you include all relevant details about your qualifications for this position.
The City of Ottawa is committed to providing quality services by establishing a qualified workforce that reflects the diverse population it serves. The City encourages applications from all qualified individuals.

American author/actress/socialite/designer Gloria Vanderbilt is establishing a literary prize for Canadian short-story authors. The prize is dedicated in the memory of her son Carter V. Cooper, who committed suicide in 1988. So, she's responsible for real life hottie Anderson Cooper, fictionally related to hottie Nate Archibald, and giving to the literary community in Canada? Gloria Vanderbilt is some kind of magic.

The votes have been tallied and it's time to announce the nominees for the third annual Rideau Awards, which celebrate achievement in professional theatre in the region of Ottawa-Gatineau. This year for the first time, Les Prix Rideau Awards will be fully bilingual, with a full slate of awards to be presented for both English and French-language productions. The awards will be handed out during a celebration to take place on Sunday, April 18, 2010, at De La Salle High School.

The nominees for English-language productions are:

Outstanding Performance – Female

It's a truth universally acknowledged that there an Academy member in possession of a ballot is in want of taste. Combine that truth with the fact that this has been a crap year for movies, yet the best picture category has been expanded to 10 nominations, and you're set for disappointment. You can view the complete list of nominations here. Expect to say "No" at least once per (major?) category. Actually, I'll do it for you:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
• George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
• Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
• Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

No:  George Clooney and Morgan Freeman. Yes: George Clooney, "Fantastic Mr. Fox," Sharlto Copley, "District Nine." Also wouldn't have minded an out-of-left-field, Johnny Depp/Pirates of the Caribbean-style nod (not a win, mind) for Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes, but I guess he got one of those last year.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
• Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
• Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
• Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

No: Pretty much anyone who isn't Christoph Waltz. Yes: Everyone else in "The Hurt Locker," Peter Capaldi, "In the Loop."

Last January, I reported seven film trends that defined 2008's cinema. The seventh was "vampires are everywhere." Guess what? 2009 was no less obsessed with vampires than 2008. Last night's People's Choice Awards saw seven statues go to vampires or vampire-related properties: Taylor Lautner for Breakout Actor, Twilight Saga for on-screen team and franchise, Twilight for movie*, Vampire Diaries for new TV drama, Supernatural for sci-fi/fantasy show, and True Blood for TV obsession. That last one fits so well it's almost a cliché: you don't watch True Blood. You gasp and yell, "Holy shit!" and get really pissed off if someone tries to call you between 9 and 10 on a Sunday night to interrupt your weekly heart attack. Naturally, Gossip Girl is the only point of comparison in the category.

*Not that New Moon can't fall into a hole for all I care, but Twilight came out in 2008. Why is it on the docket? I know I've become weirdly obsessed with Twilight as a direct result of my disappointment with New Moon, but surely not all the other "people" feel that way.  

Also on the vampire front, CBC put together this quiz, on which I received 10 out of 10 because I am vampire-obsessed or, as they put it, "You’re so badass, you have blood smoothies for breakfast."

Last night's episode, "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" dispatched with Maryann so early on that I was nearly overwhelmed with dread and tension by the time that 10 o'clock rolled around. If there is one thing this show does well, it's a cliffhanger. How much bad could they set up for Season 3? Let's take a look.

Bill & Sookie (& Eric)

Though it takes Sookie a while to figure out Bill and Sam's plan for Maryann, they all end up okay (except for Maryann, but that's the point). The next day, a dress is delivered to Sookie (which, does this happen in real life? Clothes deliveries?) with a note about a night out. First I worried it was one of Eric's tricks, which would result in Eric finally drinking Sookie's blood. Turns out it really was Bill, but I only got more nervous when Bill told Jessica that he was taking Sookie to French restaurant to "celebrate." I think we all know what that means. Sure enough, Sookie broke down after Bill's proposal and ran off to the bathroom to collect herself. Too bad that by the time she realized her answer was yes, Bill had been abducted by Eric (or his minions). Because that V that Eric's having Lafayette sell? Is the Queen's own. And she's not too happy that Bill knows about it (not that we understand what she's up to at this point). For the first time ever, I hoped that Bill at least got the chance to sense how happy Sookie was when she came tearing out to accept his proposal. Will we find Bill down on Eric's work wheel in next season's opener? How many episodes will go by before Sookie asks for Eric's help in finding Bill? Oh, and did I mention that Eric's apparently in love with Sookie now? Good grief.

The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan, puppet-style, has been nominated for 7 Betty Mitchell Awards, the most of any production this year. Check out Chrissy Sudjana's review!

I don't suppose they call it July 2-4 in the US, do they?

Ugh, I am once again at a loss for what to recommend to you. Having seen Public Enemies, I can personally attest that it's pretty but boring. If you're into that (and I believe one of our esteemed film critics is), then it delivers the goods. Also, if you are into hot people looking fly in period costume (which I am), it delivers the goods par excellence. 

I don't know because I don't watch that sort of thing,* but apparently the New Moon trailer premiered at the MTV Awards.  Can't tell which part is funnier: that they focus so heavily on what's, as I recall, they first two chapters of the book; that I'm supposed to believe Bella could outrun Laurent for even a second; that a guy who is part wolf would be body hair free (but the vampire has chest hair? c'mon); or the wolf. See for yourselves:

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSFMmkMfQ5Q 560x340]

As always, don't forget to open the post as its own page to view the video. 

While hosting the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala at the National Arts Centre on Saturday night, Christopher Plummer noted that it was nice to be back in Ottawa, a place of which he has fond memories. He noted that the national capital played host to two significant events in his life: it is where he first became a professional actor; and where he lost his virginity.

Plummer was an immaculately elegant host, from his velvet jacket to his frequent use of French. (The only thing more that some in the audience expressed a desire to see was a sing-along rendition of 'Edelweiss.')

Plummer was not, however, the only highlight of the evening's show. Measha Brueggergosman sang a Mozart aria, Angela Hewitt played a Bach concerto, the jazz piano great Oliver Jones and the powerful jazz and blues singer Dione Taylor played a smoking rendition of "He's Funny That Way" - and, most impressively, Governor-General Michaëlle Jean appeared onstage with a Haitian a cappella group and demonstrated a remarkably smooth, agile voice.

I'm pumped that The Hurt Locker, acclaimed war drama somehow nominated for Independent Spirit Awards despite having yet to be released, has gotten a new trailer. The first one I saw made no sense, featured a countdown to I-don't-know-what, and was only notable because it contained Jeremy Renner. Now we're onto something. Let's hope it's July release serves it well.