Hollywood, U.S.A. – The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Times, is pleased to announce that actor Bradley Cooper will be given the “Hollywood Actor Award,” at this year’s awards gala.

“We are honored to present the “Hollywood Actor Award” to Bradley Cooper for his outstanding performance in ‘Silver Lining Playbook’, 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 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 Hawkes with 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 supervisors Janek Sirrs and 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 in the coming weeks.

The Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 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 Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper will next be seen in ‘Silver Lining Playbook’, directed by David O’Russell which will be released by the Weinstein Company on November 21. This summer, Cooper performed in Williamstown, Massachusetts in the production of ‘The Elephant Man’. Directed by Scott Ellis and starring alongside Patricia Clarkson, the play marked Coopers second run at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in which he first performed ‘The Understudy’ in 2008. Cooper is currently in development to bring ‘The Elephant Man’ to Broadway next fall. Cooper recently wrapped production on the independent drama Serena, based on the adaptation of Ron Rash’s period novel and directed by Oscar winner Suzanne Bier.

Next year, Cooper stars alongside Ryan Gosling in Derek Cianfrance’s thriller, ‘Place Beyond The Pines’, which debuted at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. ‘Place Beyond The Pines’ will be released by Focus Features in 2013. Recently, Cooper signed a two-year, first-look deal with Warner Brothers announcing his production company, 22 & Indiana Pictures.

Last year, Cooper reprised his role alongside Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha in the Warner Brothers comedy sequel ‘The Hangover Part II’ directed by Todd Phillips. The opening weekend of the film marked the highest-grossing worldwide opening for any comedy and in June 2011, the film out-grossed the original ‘Hangover’ in worldwide earnings to become the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time. Cooper is currently filming the final installation, ‘The Hangover Part III,’ which will be released by Warner Brothers on May 24, 2013.

Image Courtesy of  vipflash / Shutterstock.com

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Los Angeles, U.S.A – The expert staff at Renaissance Laser & Vein Institute has been noticing for some time that laser hair removal in Los Angeles is no longer primarily the domain of women. Now, ‘Mansome’, the newest film from pop documentarian Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me,” “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”), which is playing in select theaters nationwide, is directing extra attention to a hairy topic.

The film humorously explores the lengths to which modern men will go to improve their appearance while maintaining their personal sense of masculinity. One primary focus of Spurlock’s comic attention is the practice of “manscaping,” i.e., trimming body hair for greater attractiveness. Comic actors Will Arnett and Jason Bateman of “Arrested Development” as well as Zach Galifianakis (‘The Hangover’), famed writer-director Judd Apatow (‘The 40 Year-Old Virgin’, ‘Knocked Up’) and radio host Adam Carolla provide humorous commentary on this growing phenomenon.

The fact of the matter is that aesthetic standards for both genders change over time. While massive mounds of chest and arm hair on men were once considered highly desirable and back hair was once charitably overlooked, 21st century pop culture has made it clear that that is no longer the case.

From Steve Carrell’s painful encounter with chest waxing in ‘The 40 Year-Old Virgin’ to the monthly shearing of actor Bryan Cranston as the ultra-hirsute father on the sitcom ‘Malcolm in the Middle’, excessive body hair is now far from sexy and mostly a subject of mirth. No wonder, then, that Renaissance Laser & Vein Institute is finding that providing men with laser hair removal in Thousand Oaks and other Southern California cities is one of its fastest growing services.

Of course, laser hair removal in Encino may be more common than in Dubuque or Boise but, as ‘Mansome’ points out, men’s interest in looking smooth and clean whether fully dressed or while partially (or fully) unclothed is a trend that transcends all demographic boundaries. The good news for men is that laser hair removal allows for permanent hair removal without the pain of waxing or the mess and difficulty of shaving at home. Renaissance Laser & Vein Institute provides the safest and most technologically advanced permanent laser hair removal on all parts of the body.

Image Courtesy of   Mansome

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Did you love “The Hagover Part II?” Or were you completely disappointed to the max?

It looks like critics are bashing the film, saying it’s complete garbage- while others are saying it’s definitely worthy. It’s getting some high grades, plus it made $135 million in its opening weekend.

A question that lingers is if “The Hangover” needed a sequel in the first place. The first movie was beyond successful, not just at the box office, but all over the Internet and audience’s words. People continuously talked about how much they loved the movie, which brought the film to not just have a high popularity mark, but to become one of the biggest cult classics. Sometimes it’s not necessarily the money that makes a movie successful. It’s how a viewer handles what they’re watching, and boy, did they watch well!

But was a sequel really that necessary? Maybe it would’ve been better if “The Hangover” was left as a great memory. This movie could be something that everyone will talk about in thirty years as that one movie that should be a crime to not watch. Because no one in their right mind would have made a sequel to “Heathers.” Or to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” But there were some popular movies that made pretty decent sequels, including “American Pie,” “Austin Powers,” and “Shrek.”

The original ‘Hangover’ did have some crazy moments to remember. Just the opening scene left some anticipation. When Bradley Cooper is talking to the groom’s fiancee about how they “messed” up really badly, one can tell that there’s going to be quite a story coming along the way. And the scene when they wake up in their hotel room with all the random items and animals around? Who would’ve thought that all of that could be explained?

Now the second version ought to have some more hilarious facts to be explained. The trailer already shows that the group of guys go to Thailand for another wedding where they wind up with another adventure. Alan wakes up with his head shaved while Stu wakes up with a tattoo- on his face. This is the one that led Mike Tyson’s tattoo artist to sue Warner Bros. for copyright infringement since Mike Tyson happens to have a similar tattoo.

The trailer of this movie leaves some more questions. What it all comes down to is “What the heck is going on now?!” That might drive some people to check this movie out. But how much of the audience will be satisfied? Will people think of this as a complete waste of time, and a poor exuse for the film industry to make some extra cash? Or will people think of it as another fun and happy adventure with pleased results of seeing the old Wolfpack back together again?

You’re the audience. What do you say?

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Let’s face selling insurance may be one of the most boring jobs ever. But Cedar Rapids proves that going to an insurance convention in Iowa may be the most fun a person has ever had in their life. Tim Lippe, played by Ed Helms, was born and breed in Brown Valley, Wisconsin. He spends his days selling insurance to all of the people in his town. He is not the star seller but does a pretty darn good job.  Whether star seller does, Lippe must be the one to fill in for him at the annual convention held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Little does he know, that this one trip will change his life for the good, the bad and the necessary.

Ed Helms, known mainly for his role in The Hangover, delivers a very funny performance in this movie. His character has never really been anywhere in his entire life. When he comes to Cedar Rapids he’s surprised at what is out there. Helms did a brilliant job of played that clueless out-of-towner.

Lippe is guided by three regulars to these conventions. The first one he meets is his roommate Ronald Wilkes, portrayed by Isaiah Whitlock, Jr., who is the first African-American he has ever met and the first friend he meets there. Whitlock’s performance was hilarious and very unexpected because most of his roles are supporting and not very-well noticed. Let’s hope we can see him in more roles like this.

Then there is the rival insurance salesman, Dean Ziegler played by John C. Reilly, who Lippe was given specific instructions to stay away from at the convention. Ziegler is nothing but trouble but shows Lippe how to loosen up. Reilly’s portrayal of this foul-mouthed, alcoholic is really nice to see after all of those Will Ferrell movies he had been doing for so long. Reilly’s outgoingness made this movie even more enjoyable.

Finally, there is Joan Ostrowski-Fox, played by Anne Heche. Not one of my favorite people, but her performance was really important because she brought out a new side of Tim Lippe that he never thought could be released. The film also has a great supporting cast including Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Root, Kurtwood Smith and Alia Shawkat. Since, this was an independent-type film the cast fit very well for the type of film that was given to them.

The film’s director Miguel Arteta, who previously did the Michael Cera comedy Youth in Revolt, showed his comedy range with this movie. Doing a teen comedy is funny but doing an adult comedy and making it much funnier than a teen comedy sure does say a lot about a director. He brought a new style to this genre by adding some real awkward scenes. One of which involves male back nudity. Now, while I’m sure it was not necessary this type of nudity is all for comedy and certainly made the scene memorable.

The film in itself is not very long, less than 90 minutes; while very short we are taken on this unbelievable journey. Helms at the beginning, is this sheltered, small-minded insurance salesman and at the end he is this ballsy, intelligent business man. It’s quite amazing to see how a character can develop in such a short amount of time. It’s is form the same studio who brought such comedies at Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, so expect that type of comedy.  It’s that humor that can be a bit awkward at first but heart-warming at the end. That is what happens on this short trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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