Hollywood, U.S.A. — The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Times has announced that Dustin Hoffman will be the recipient of this year’s “Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award,” at this year’s awards gala.

“It is a great honor to recognize Dustin Hoffman for his directorial debut for the movie ‘Quartet.’ His exquisite work and directorial skills are remarkable,” said Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the Hollywood Film Awards.

The 2012 Hollywood Film Awards has also announced that it will honor actor Richard Gere with the “Hollywood Career Achievement Award”; Bradley Cooper with the “Hollywood Actor Award”; Academy Award-nominated writer/director Quentin Tarantino with the “Hollywood Screenwriter Award”; Ben Affleck,Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, and John Goodman with the “Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award” for “Argo”; director David O. Russell with the “Hollywood Director Award”; Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro with the “Hollywood Supporting Actor Award”; Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard with the “Hollywood Actress Award”; three-time Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Adams with the “Hollywood Supporting Actress Award”; producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner with the “Hollywood Producers Award”; writer/director Judd Apatow with the “Hollywood Comedy Award”; actor John Hawkeswith the “Hollywood Breakout Performance Award” for “The Sessions”; and Quvenzhane Wallis with the “New Hollywood Award” for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Other honorees include cinematographer Wally Pfister, editor Dylan Tichenor, production designer Sarah Greenwood, and visual effects supervisor Jeff White. In addition, director Peter Ramsey’s “Rise of the Guardians” will be honored with the “Hollywood Animation Award,” along with additional honorees to be announced.

The Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills onOctober 22, 2012. The event honors cherished stars and up-and-coming talent, and traditionally kicks off the film awards season with the biggest stars and top industry executives in attendance.

“We are very proud to be the first stop of the awards season. In the last nine years, a total of 85 Oscar nominations and 32 Oscars were given to the honorees of the Hollywood Film Awards,” said de Abreu.

Last year’s awards show reached a total TV audience of more than 41 million media impressions, in addition to more than 300 million online and print readers’ impressions.

Aside from celebrating accomplishments on screen, the Hollywood Film Awards established the “Hollywood Gives Back” program to expand and continue highlighting and assisting important local and national charities to raise funds. Over the years, the Hollywood Film Awards has contributed to such charities as the following: The Art of Elysium, Artists For Human Rights, Artists for Peace and Justice, MatchingDonors.com, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Enough Project, and Variety The Children’s Charity of So. CA, among others.

Further, the Hollywood Film Awards selects individuals to be recipients of their “Hollywood Humanitarian Awards” in recognition of their contribution to the betterment of their communities or society at large. Prior recipients include Nobel Peace Prize winner and ex-President of East Timor, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, Father Rick Frechette, and actor and activist Sean Penn.

About Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman has long harbored a desire to direct a film, and having only ever done so on stage, he can officially call himself a Director this year with the release of his first feature film ‘Quartet’. Debuting at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, ‘Quartet’ stars Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly, and Sir Michael Gambon.

Based on the play by Ronald Harwood, the film follows four retired opera singers as they attempt to put on a concert to save their beloved home — and celebrate Verdi’s birthday in the process. Of his experience with the first time director, Connolly explains, “Dustin’s a brilliant director because he’s such a brilliant actor, so he directs like an actor.” ‘Quartet’ is due out in limited release on December 28.

With a career spanning more than five decades in front of the camera, Dustin Hoffman is one of the world’s most accomplished and highly regarded actors. Garnering two Academy Awards (and seven nominations), five Golden Globes, four BAFTAs and an Emmy Hoffman’s impressive resume boasts such critically acclaimed and commercial hits as ‘The Graduate’, ‘All The President’s Men’, ‘Rainman’, ‘Midnight Cowboy’, ‘Kramer vs Kramer’, ‘Tootsie’, ‘Wag The Dog’, ‘Meet The Fockers’, and ‘Last Chance Harvey’.

Image Courtesy of  Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

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Just six years ago, Tom Cruise was infamously jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch on the Oprah Winfrey show, publicly declaring his undying love for then-girlfriend, Katie Holmes. Meanwhile, Katie was just as joyous publicly announcing that her dream as a little girl was to one day marry Tom Cruise. The whirlwind romance blossomed and soon the two were married. Now with one child that they have together, it looks like the two haven’t had the fairytale ending they had once anticipated.

Just two weeks ago, Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise after their five year marriage, while Cruise was filming a movie in Iceland. Reports have speculated that Cruise was shocked by Holmes’ filing.

Now the main concern is their six-year-old daughter Suri and a custody battle, as well as raising eyebrows that wonder if Scientology played a role in Holmes’ decision.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Holmes used a disposable cell phone to keep in touch with her attorneys, and she has hired three different law firms in three separate states. Last week, a settlement was reached regarding custody, and Holmes was granted primary custody of the little girl while Cruise was given generous visitation rights. Holmes also was granted the leading role in how to raise their daughter. She can decide whether to raise her with the beliefs and ideals of Catholicism— which is how Holmes was raised— or with Scientology— which Cruise is extremely devout to.

On Monday, “the former Hollywood power couple requested privacy and said they have “respect for each other’s commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other’s roles as parents,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Cruise’s attorney, Bret Fields, denies that Scientology played a role in the couple’s divorce. And even though the former couple has publicly announced that they are going to work together to raise Suri, many are questioning how this can be done with their conflicting beliefs. According to reporter Mark Rathbun of The Daily News, “It’s a very coded statement, especially when they say they are going to respect each other’s beliefs. That is not allowed in Scientology. He’s prohibited from respecting others’ beliefs if he’s going to raise Suri in Scientology. There’s no neutral ground.”

Additionally, an unknown source close to Holmes, told E! News, that the 33-year-old was “never truly comfortable” with the religion. It was additionally stated, “It was something she accepted and put up with for many years because it was important to Tom,” the source said, adding, “It wasn’t that she was against Scientology… but she also didn’t want it to be her everything, and for Tom, in some ways, it was.”

In Holmes’ efforts not to confuse Suri with their different beliefs, Holmes has requested that her staff accompany their daughter while she is visiting Cruise.

Image Courtesy of  s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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Van Halen, Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees and one of the most important and influential rock bands of all time, announced their return to the live stage with an extraordinary 2012 North American tour. The announcement was made during a once-in-a-lifetime performance, at the intimate Cafe Wha? in New York City. Known around the world for some of the most iconic live performances in music history, the legendary rock band will begin their tour on February 18. Kool & The Gang will join Van Halen for select tour dates.

Tickets for the Live Nation-promoted tour go on sale beginning January 14 at Ticketmaster.com andLiveNation.com.

In addition, Van Halen confirmed their new album, A Different Kind Of Truth, will be released in the U.S. by Interscope Records on February 7. The first single from the album, “Tattoo”, and its accompanying video will be debut simultaneously on Tuesday, January 10th, with album pre-orders starting that day. A Different Kind Of Truth is Van Halen’s first original studio album with singer David Lee Roth since the band’s classic multi-platinum album 1984.

Fans can expect Van Halen to perform selections from A Different Kind Of Truth alongside songs from their arsenal of epic hits that include:  “Eruption,” “Running with the Devil,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” “You Really Got Me,” ”Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Everybody Wants Some,” “Unchained,” “And The Cradle Will Rock,” “Beautiful Girls,” “Mean Street,” “Somebody Get Me A Doctor,” “Jump,” “Panama,” “Hot For Teacher,” “I’ll Wait,” and more from their classic albums Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, Diver Down and 1984.

Van Halen – who the Los Angeles Times recently called “a force of nature” and “one of the flat-out greatest rock bands on the planet” – was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2007.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1974, Van Halen changed the rock and roll landscape forever with the release of their self-titled, 1978 debut album displaying unparalleled stage presence, revolutionary musicianship, and extraordinary songwriting abilities. With more than 75 million albums sold worldwide, the band’s record of achievement is hard to top.

Among a long list of awards, recognition and accolades, Van Halen joins an elite short list of two time Diamond Award honorees in the history of the music industry. Presented with two Diamond Award RIAA Certified Status’ for their albums Van Halen and 1984, the band has produced a repertoire of hits that remain some of the strongest and most influential rock songs ever written that fans will admire for decades to come.

Kool & The Gang found a special sound at the unique intersection of jazz, R&B, funk and pop. Their music has been created by the same core of players for over thirty years: Robert “Kool” Bell, his brother Khalis Bayyan, their longtime friends Dennis “DT” Thomas and George “Funky” Brown.

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Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom, the upcoming Gangster Squad) and Philip Winchester (Crusoe, Camelot) will return for season two of Cinemax’s hit action series Strike Back, which will shoot ten new episodes on location in South Africa starting in January for debut later in 2012. Rhashan Stone (Episodes) and Michelle Lukes (Alexander) will also return for the new season.

Debuting its first-season finale Oct. 21, the series began an encore run on Cinemax Oct. 28, presenting an episode each Friday night. All episodes are also available on MAXGO and Max On Demand.

Strike Back tells the suspenseful story of a charismatic former U.S. Special Forces operative who joins with a stealth British military unit when a resourceful international terrorist group plots a major attack. Researched by the creators of the series and aided by consultants, the action-packed drama is rooted in the field of counter-terrorism and set against the backdrop of timely global issues.

The Los Angeles Times described the show as “a buddy movie, a simmering life-or-death bromance between its two male leads,” while AOL TV observed, “the heart of the show is the relationship between Scott and Stonebridge,” calling them “two peas in a badass pod,” and the Huffington Post hailed Stapleton and Winchester as a “dynamic team.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.cinemax.com

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