6 Lessons Hollywood Needs to Learn From 'The Fast & The Furious

Fast & the Furious 6" is widely expected to dominate the Memorial Day box office and potentially become the highest grossing film in the lucrative franchise's history. 

For a franchise keep growing as it enters its second decade and sixth installment is nearly unheard of in Hollywood, where sequels tend to burn hot and fast, dying out quickly. Yet Universal Studios has adroitly managed the car racing series by tapping into international markets, catering to under-appreciated moviegoing audiences and recognizing the power of Diesel fuel -- Vin Diesel that is.

Here are six takeaways from the "Fast & the Furious" franchise's success for rival studios trying to engineer their own box office Maserati's.

Vin Diesel Is an A-Lister, Get Used to It

He may not wield the clout or boast the magazine covers of a Depp or a Pitt or a Smith, but make no mistake, Diesel is a star. After getting lost on the C-list in the mid-aughts and seeing his once white-hot career fizzle out with bombs like "Find Me Guilty" or artistic embarrassments like "The Pacifier," Diesel cannily returned to the franchise that made him a powerhouse with 2009's "Fast & Furious."

In the process, he helped the series consistently build its audience with each new film, allowing the franchise to gross nearly $1.6 billion globally. With this September's "Riddick," Diesel will see if he can revive another of his action franchises that has run out of steam. If he can pull it off, that will give him two massive tentpole roles in his quiver. Few actors other than Robert Downey Jr. with "Sherlock Holmes" and "Iron Man" can match that kind of track record.

The U.S. Is Nice, But Foreign Countries Are King

Though "The Fast & The Furious" started out as a depiction of L.A. street racing, few franchises  have done a better job of embracing the global marketplace. Starting with 2006's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," the third film in the franchise, the series has traipsed around the globe, conveniently stopping in many of the movie business' most important emerging markets. Along the way, the crew of car racers and thieves have evaded the law in exotic settings like Brazil, Mexico and, in the latest iteration, Spain and the United Kingdom.

With 70 percent of box office revenue coming from abroad, an international flavor is no an longer exotic icing on any big-budget confection. It's an essential ingredient to making the sprawling community of moviegoers feel like they are watching their dreams and lives reflected back to them on the big screen.

The reward for this cosmopolitanism? "Fast & Furious 6" is off to a white-hot start at the foreign box office; its opening in the U.K. and Ireland last Friday gave Universal the studio's biggest opening day ever in that market with $4.6 million. "Fast Five," the previous film in the franchise, more than doubled the largest foreign gross in the franchise's history and most box office analysts predict the latest adventure will eclipse the last film's $416 million international take.
Newsflash! Latinos Go to Movies

Latino audiences have pushed "The Fast & The Furious" series into rarified blockbuster terrain. Thanks to stars like Michelle Rodriguez, and a healthy amount of Spanish dialog, the films have gone out of their way to court this too often neglected demographic.

Pay heed studios! Latinos represent just 17 percent of the U.S. population, yet account for 26 percent of ticket sales, according a study by the Motion Picture Association of America. In the case of "Fast Five," catering to this crowd resulted in a monster turnout, with Latinos representing 33 percent of its opening weekend U.S. audience.

...Oh, And So Do Women

Casting women as more than scantily clad helpmates and arm candy has further broadened "The Fast & The Furious" franchise's appeal.

Women represent 51 percent of the U.S. population and 52 percent of the moviegoing public, but according to a 2012 study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, only 11 percent of the protagonists in top grossing films are female.

Yes, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are the top-billed stars in the series, but what's refreshing about "Fast & Furious 6" is that Rodriguez and co-star Gina Carano have roles that are integral to the action. In fact, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Universal Pictures co-president of production, told TheWrap that the most recent "Fast" film is the highest testing among women.

He added that the on-screen throw down between Rodriguez and Carano is a key selling point of the film and "trumps" the fight between Diesel and Dwayne Johnson that was a heavily promoted part of "Fast Five."

Don't Idle at the Starting Line

Beginning with the fourth film in the series, 2009's "The Fast & the Furious," Universal has rigidly adhered to a release schedule of one "Fast" picture every two years. The studio is accelerating the schedule with "Fast & the Furious 7," which will roar into theaters in 2014, roughly a year after the sixth film was unleashed on the summer box office.

At CinemaCon, the annual exhibition trade show in Las Vegas, Diesel told theater owners that the studio was able to rush into production on a follow-up to "Fast & the Furious 6" because they had carefully mapped out a direction for the series. In a digitally connected age where platforms like Twitter and Facebook have intensified the rate at which entertainment and media is anticipated, consumed and discussed, it is critical that studios move nimbly to exploit buzz before this morning's hot thing become that afternoon's tired idea.

Allow a Director to Grow With a Franchise

Justin Lin didn't have the kind of CV that would instantly make a studio feel comfortable about handing over the keys to one of its crown jewel franchises.

When Universal tapped the UCLA grad to inject new life into the "Fast" series, Lin was best known for the Sundance breakout "Better Luck Tomorrow" and the James Franco bomb "Annapolis." But whatever studio executives saw Taiwanese-born director has allowed the series to reach new heights.

Under Lin, the four "Fast" films he has directed have grown more global in scope, more financially successful, more technically audacious and more critically acclaimed. The decision to move up production on "Fast & the Furious 7," so it can open next year, means that he will have to yield the director's chair to James Wan ("Saw"), but studio executives and producers tell TheWrap that after the success of the "Fast" movies, Lin can write his own ticket.

"He's on the A-list," a rival studio executive enthused. "If he wants to do a Bond film, he can. If he wants to do a Chris Nolan-type 'Inception' movie or a smaller personal movie, he can. Everyone wants to work with him."

Sonakshi Sinha : Indian Actress

Sonakshi Sinha (born 2 June 1987) is an Indian Bollywood actress. She marked her debut in the Hindi film industry with 2010's Dabangg opposite Salman Khan, which went onto become the highest grossing Bollywood film of the year. Sinha received positive reviews for her performance, as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Post her debut, she went on to star in some of Bollywood's biggest hits, including Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardar andDabangg 2.
 

She is the daughter of an actor and a politician Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Sinha. She is the youngest of three children with two twin brothers, Luv Sinha and Kussh Sinha. She studied Fashion Designing at Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University in Mumbai. 

Sinha started her career as a costume designer. She designed costumes for movie Mera Dil Leke Deko in 2005. and walked the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week 2008 and then again in Lakme Fashion Week 2009.
She made her acting debut in the 2010 film Dabangg co-starring Salman Khan. It went on to become one of the highest grossing Bollywood films. Speaking of her role, she said that she had to lost 30 kg over two years to prepare for her character of a village girl by a combination of proper diet and vigorous exercise. She added that she had been observing people and trying to pick up nuances as a step of further preparation.
She featured as the cover girl of Indian edition of Maxim magazine for the month December 2010.
Although Sinha had no film release in 2011, she won quite a few awards for her debut. This included the Filmfare Award as well as the IIFA Awards among many others.
Sinha's weight has always been a frequent discussion in the media. She's one of the few actresses however not afraid to talk about such issue even slamming the media for their focus on weight, criticism of actresses like herself and pressures they put on women to be movie star fit.She Used Salman Khan contacts to get movies , and can be seen with full family at Salman's Residence . She's considered a role model to many young woman fighting to break the size zero mold.

Katrina Kaif - Hot Bio

Nickname ; Kat

Hight ; 5' 8½" (1.74 m) 

MINI BIOGRAPHY

Katrina Kaif is one of eight siblings, all girls, from a mother who is a Caucasian of British Nationality, and a father who was formerly from Kashmir, India, but who has since acquired British citizenship. Her mother is now re-settled in Chennai (formerly known as Madras), the Capital of the state of Tamil Nadu in India.

She spent subsequent years in Hawaii, and then in London, Britain, She started modeling accidentally when she was in Hawaii at the tender age of 14, when she was approached for a jewelry campaign. Thereafter she continued modeling in London.

Continuing to model was the reason she got her break in a Bollywood movie 'Boom' offered by none other than film-maker Kaizad Gustad.

She was flooded with modeling assignments the minute she set her foot on Indian soil, especially with her innocent expressive face, hour-glass figure, and drop-dead gorgeous looks.

Professionally she started off as a model with photographer Atul Kasbekar, and upon being accepted, she received offers from LG, Cola, Fevicol, Lakme, & Veet. It was the Lakme commercial that got her noticed. She retained Matrix as her Manager to accept work on her behalf and at the price she deserved.

Moving to different culture and country was not much of a culture shock for her, as she states that no matter where you come from, the bottom line is that everyone wants to be loved, respected, and cared for.

Despite of her positive attitude, she had been stereotyped as "Indian" by extreme right-wingers in Britain who made it clear that she did not quite fit-in with their "Blonde" Caucasian culture; while on the other hand in India itself she had been ranked as an 'outsider' very much like Sonia Gandhi.

Unlike other artistes from foreign lands, Katrina did not experience any difficulties in getting a visa nor of getting it extended in India.

Although linguistically challenged, Katrina puts on a bold face and states that other Bollywood artistes like Sridevi, who did not know Hindi, did get offers from Bollywood film-makers, and she is no different. She has taken Hindi and dancing lessons to fit in with the Bollywood culture. She likes to display a picture of her learning Kathak dancing where she used to dance 7 hours a day non-stop.

Adorned with soft gorgeous looks, she is not easily intimidated, but admits that she is very emotional, sensitive, and concerned about her privacy, Almost an incurable romantic, she prefers to wear comfortable non-revealing clothes when at home, hates to do her hair, and above all dislikes make-up. Admitting to being lonely in the beginning, but now has several friends who she can hang out with.

Although her first movie 'Boom' was panned by the critics and shunned by the audiences, two other Telugu movies 'Malliswari' and 'Pidugu' did get her noticed. She grossed 70 Lakh Rupees for 'Malliswari' - making her top the list of the highest paid actresses during a South Indian movie debut. 
Not done with South Indian movies, she has been signed in a Tamil movie 'Bheema' opposite National Award Winner Vikram.

She has received decent reviews for her part in "Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya", as well as a brief appearance in 'Sarkar'.

Katrina had made Mumbai her base, didn't mind singing and dancing around trees and as a result is now one of the biggest mega-stars, perhaps one of the highest paid female-lead actresses in Bollywood, and a crowd-puller whenever she makes an appearance for a live song and dance number.
Is half English and half Indian.
Indian supermodel
Has seven siblings: six sisters and one brother.
Was born in Hong Kong and then moved to Hawaii till she was about 14, then she moved to London. Presently, she lives in Mumbai.
Unlike other artistes from foreign lands, Katrina did not experience any difficulties in getting a visa nor of getting it extended in India.
She was discovered at age 14 as a model for a jewelry campaign.
When moving to India, she worked for photographer Atul Kasbekar and did commercials for Fevicol, Lakme and Veet among others.
She is very particular about her clothes which she wears a bold outfit on screen or for ads, but she feels more comfortable in not-so-revealing clothes in personal life. And the one thing she hates is make up.
She refuses to speak about her personal life in the media.
Besides walking the ramp for several top designers and being on magazine covers, Katrina has also been the stunning face of Estelle jewelery, Lakme, Pantene, Veet, Kodak cameras, L'Oreal, Samsung, LG etc.
She doesn't do ramp shows anymore.
She was chosen as the face of the year for the Lakme India Fashion Week (2005).
Her favorite Indian designers are Rina Dhaka, Tarun Tahiliani, Rocky S.
Her favorite international designers are Armani, Miu Miu, Prada, Versace.
Favorite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan. Favorite actresses are Kajol and Madhuri Dixit.
Favorite cricketer is Irfan Pathan.
Favorite movies are Umrao Jaan (1981), Casablanca (1942), and Gone with the Wind (1939).
Prefers acting over modeling.
She enjoys modeling, acting, dancing, playing chess, watching movies, painting, resting, cooking, going to spas, going to the gym, meeting new people, and getting together with friends.
The famous Rs. 2 lakh ($4,814) worth silver dress she flaunts in the movie Welcome (2007/I) was gifted to her by Emilio Pucci.
Voted at the No. 1 spot in FHM India's 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.
Won Best Female Style Icon at the IIFA Awards.
Won Sabsay Favourite Heroine Award (2008).
Won the British-Indian Actor award for the Zee Cine Awards (2008).
Won the Stardust Breakthrough Performance Award (Female) for Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005) (2006).
Is the most photographed woman in India.
Is the most searched Bollywood celebrity as per Google's 2008, 2009, and 2010 data.
Is active in various charities and often visits orphanages and hospitals.
The unit of De Dana Dan (2009) was shooting in the Sentosa Nature Park in Singapore when a 10-year-old spotted Kaif. The boy didn't realize that there were some production vehicles moving around the set and started running towards the actress. While running across, he was accidentally hit by a unit van. The boy was bruised but there was no major injury. When Kaif found out about the incident, she immediately asked him to be brought on the sets. She then met him, spent a lot of time and even gave him some chocolates.
She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Favorite bands are Muse, Radiohead and Coldplay.

PERSONAL QUOTES

It's not my style to either wear minimum clothes, to strip or to even be comfortable with a sex-symbol label. I just want to do good work instead of sporting such meaningless tags. Sex sells, but to a small extent, not always. And this is what filmmakers have to accept. The exposure has to be relevant to the film and its characters and not forced for the sake of titillation. On the contrary, some of the greatest Indian films have been devoid of all these sexual trappings. I know my comfort zone in today's Indian culture and society.
Her thoughts on Bollywood accepting her, being an outsider British girl, into Indian cinema: "I have no complaints. I think I'm especially lucky. As you said, I've come from outside and I'm not even anywhere closely connected. But I have absolutely no problem here. People have been more than welcoming, even before I was ready. There was a time when I felt that I need to take time to understand more about the industry, the workings of it. I was doing my modeling, which I really wanted to do at the time. So that's why even my entry into films was later than people expected." (Stardust magazine, July 2006)
"I've been very blessed, I think, or what do you call it... mmm... lucky to get at this stage what I have. It's not like I've come from acting school and done work at an academy or something. I feel I've been given a very huge chance and opportunity." (Stardust magazine, July 2006)
My Hindi was bad about three years ago. I wanted to achieve a certain status in modeling. Through that I got confidence to get into movies. Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005) came at the right time. I had done kathak training which apart from teaching you about dancing also teaches you about emotions. After that experience, I feel this year will be a much better year for me.
I think I have been very lucky so far. I have done a lot of ads and also some films down south. People have liked me. I guess I have found a balance.
Wait and watch. Jee Karda should be on air later this month. We shot at 4am every day to capture the light and it was scorching. To keep cool we would stay in shades and sip fruit juice or mint tea.
Egypt is among the most beautiful countries I have visited - the pyramids, the temples and the landscape are absolutely exotic. I even enjoyed the barbecue dinner on a boat on the Nile. We shot in a number of places and I've come back with fond memories of my trip.
I unwind myself by taking off the costume and make-up as soon as the shoot is over! And get a spa treatment. It is extremely relaxing. Unfortunately, the kind of lifestyle and schedule we have, we hardly get time. Not only actors, but I have seen a lot of directors and journalists with skin problems and believe me, all that can be cured by a spa treatment.
Salman Khan did not help me get movie offers. What rubbish! Will any producer take a risk of millions of rupees at the instance of any person? Everyone knows that the film industry is highly competitive, and one gets a job on one's talent only and not on any recommendation.
My relationship with Salman Khan is too personal to talk about. I take my work like any other regular job and what I do in my personal life is no one's business. I'd rather let my work do all the talking.
Every one has her own love life. Every one has a dream to get a perfect life partner. But this is not so easy in real life. In fact, one doesn't love, it happens. As far as I am concerned, I love a boy who is linked with the film industry. However, I shall not name him. You never know what may happen in future.

Apple iPhone 5S Rumors: Release Date Set For Mid-September? iPhone 6 To Launch Weeks Later?

It's been six years since Steve Jobs debuted the original iPhone in June 2007, but for the phone's first five years, Apple had chosen to release only one new iPhone model each year, as opposed to its competitors, which have sought to release as many smartphone models as possible each and every year.

In 2013, Apple will reportedly break from tradition and release two new iPhone models for the very first time -- the sixth-generation iPhone called the iPhone 5S, and a completely new "low-cost" iPhone model aimed at emerging markets, to be called either iPhone Light or iPhone 6. But while the degree of rumors surrounding the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 indeed point to two individual release dates this year, the key question is not a matter of what or why, but when. Apple will never release product details before they're officially unveiled, but given the timetable announced for Apple's redesigned mobile operating system iOS 7, we fully expect to see Apple's big iPhone launch coincide with the release date schedule of iOS 7 -- specifically in mid-September.
Apple iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 Release Date: How Did We Arrive At This Conclusion? 
Before we talk iPhone, let's quickly talk about the release date of iOS 7. In 2012, iOS 6 was introduced June 11 and saw its release date on Sept. 19 -- exactly 100 days after its unveiling. We don't think Tim Cook wants to mess with the successful Apple formula left behind by Steve Jobs, so we believe Apple will again follow this iOS release timetable by launching iOS 7 exactly 100 days after its introduction, on Sept. 18.
That said, Apple would never release its newest iOS without some new hardware to go with it. This is why we fully expect Apple to release the iPhone 5S just two days after the release date for iOS 7, on Sept. 20; the iPhone 5S would likely be introduced an event one week prior to its release (as well as the release date of iOS 7) on Sept. 10. For the low-cost iPhone 6, Apple may wait a week or two to release its cheaper iPhone alternative, on either Sept. 27 or Oct. 4 -- the latter date would coincide with the two-year anniversary of the iPhone 4S, and nearly two years to the day when Apple lost its co-founder Jobs to cancer, but Apple would simply split the release dates of its two iPhones to prevent major crowds at its retail stores.
Once Apple has all its iPhone products out of the pipeline, we believe Apple will hold another event in October to release new iPads, including a redesigned full-size iPad and an iPad mini with Retina display, but possibly some surprises too -- potentially some major changes to Apple TV, but maybe, just maybe, Apple will finally unveil its highly rumored, highly anticipated smartwatch called iWatch.
Apple iPhone 5S Release Date Coming: What's New In This Year's Model?
By all accounts, the iPhone 5S will look identical its predecessor the iPhone 5, with the exception of a few cosmetic changes. Apple has reportedly adopted dual-LED flash for its rear-facing camera, which means that circular flash is now pill-shaped, and many believe the iPhone 5S camera has been improved from the 8-megapixels in the iPhone 5, likely to 12-megapixels. Photos leaked to Apple news site MacRumors in mid-June claiming to be the iPhone 5S, which show off some of these reported features as well as unique identifiers related to the iPhone 5S components, lead us to believe the iPhone 5S photos are indeed legitimate and the phone is preparing for its September release date.
The alleged prototype of the iPhone 5S on the left, and the iPhone 5 on the right. The iPhone 5S will feature improved specs in the processing and battery departments.  Courtesy / MacRumors.com 
Inside, the iPhone 5S is expected to operate just like the iPhone 5, but the specs have been modified in a number of ways to make room for new features. According to another leaked image of the iPhone 5S from the same source, the phone's logic board has a slightly narrower profile to allow more space for new components and connectors, and Apple has improved its Apple-built CPU from an A6. But since the leaked image shows a nameless Apple-built chip (likely an intentional move by Apple to prevent leaks, since the new chip would make this phone a dead giveaway), we're predicting this CPU is a new A7 chip designed by Apple and introduced for the first time on this phone. The iPhone 5S has also reportedly received an upgrade in the battery department, from the iPhone 5's 5.45 Whr capacity to a higher capacity of 5.92 Whr.
The alleged interior of the iPhone 5S features a thinner logic board presumed to make room for more components, including the rumored fingerprint sensor.  Courtesy / MacRumors.com 
But the biggest new feature inside the iPhone 5S, by all accounts, is said to be the integrated fingerprint sensor embedded directly in the "home" button, which will likely replace the need for entering usernames and passwords again and again on your phone. This fingerprint sensor -- courtesy of Florida-based AuthenTec, which was urgently acquired by Apple last July -- makes a great deal of sense on the iPhone 5S: The iPhone has always had one button, so the fingerprint's sensor makes sense, but Apple knew fingerprint sensing technology would be a hit with consumers a long time ago, so the company invested millions of dollars to start implementing this technology as soon as possible.
The iPhone 5S Sounds Great, But What About That Cheap iPhone 6?
When it comes to the iPhone 6, Apple is reportedly pursuing its same strategy used for the iPod Touch, which is to release a low-end version of the popular iDevice with all of the same important features, but without some of the bells and whistles, and at a much lower price point. Apple released its cheapest, thinnest, most basic iPod Touch in May, likely foreshadowing its strategy with the release of iPhone 6.
The iPhone 6, according to iLounge editor-in-chief Jeremy Horwitz, is a "cross between the iPhone 5, the fifth-generation iPod touch, and -- wait for it -- the iPod classic." With its 4-inch screen like the iPhone 5, a tapered bottom like the latest iPod touch and a rectangular shape like the iPod classic, the low-cost iPhone 6 is said to be substantially made from plastic, but feature a hybrid chassis made of both plastic and metal. The right side of the iPhone 6 features a flat, centered SIM card tray like the iPhone 5, with the locations of the camera, microphone and rear flash in similar locations to the latest-generation iPod touch.
This leaked photo shows off the alleged "low cost" iPhone 6, which features a plastic exterior that houses older-generation chipsets and specs.  Courtesy / blog.tactus.com 
But Apple's choice to release the iPhone 6 isn't about bold design; it's about an iPhone that's inexpensive to make and cheaper to sell. Apple will release the iPhone 6 globally, marketing it differently from its main iPhone line by allegedly releasing the iPhone 6 in a variety of candy colors (again like the iPod), but the company will reportedly focus on driving this phone into emerging markets such as India and China. Of the two developing markets, China is Apple's largest after the U.S., and Apple has many times tried to strike a deal with China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE:CHL), the largest telecommunications carrier in the world, with 703 million subscribers. If Apple is successful in selling the iPhone 6 on China Mobile, the iPhone 6 will be the first iPhone to release with TD-LTE frequency capabilities. Apple clearly wanted to close the deal early in 2013: On Jan. 10, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited China Mobile headquarters to meet with Chairman Xi Guohua to discuss “matters of cooperation.”

 We expect Apple to unveil the iPhone 6 simultaneously with the iPhone 5S in September to coincide with the release date of iOS 7, but release the two new iPhone models on two separate dates to avoid heavy lines at its physical retail stores. What do you think? Does this release timetable for iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 seem reasonable to you? Strike back in the comments section below.

86th Academy Awards nominees

March 2, 2014

 — Host: Ellen DeGeneres
Best Picture
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale (American Hustle)
Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Amy Adams (American Hustle)
Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
Judi Dench (Philomena)
Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)
June Squibb (Nebraska)

Best Animated Feature

The Croods (Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco, Kristine Belson)
Despicable Me 2 (Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, Chris Meledandri)
Ernest & Celestine (Benjamin Renner, Didier Brunner)
Frozen (Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho)
The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki)

Best Cinematography

The Grandmaster (Philippe Le Sourd)
Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Inside Llewyn Davis (Bruno Delbonnel)
Nebraska (Phedon Papamichael)
Prisoners (Roger A. Deakins)

Best Costume Design

American Hustle (Michael Wilkinson)
The Grandmaster (William Chang Suk Ping)
The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)
The Invisible Woman (Michael O'Connor)
12 Years a Slave (Patricia Norris)

Best Directing

American Hustle (David O. Russell)
Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)
Nebraska (Alexander Payne)
12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)
The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

Best Documentary Feature

The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sørensen)
Cutie and the Boxer (Zachary Heinzerling, Lydia Dean Pilcher)
Dirty Wars (Richard Rowley, Jeremy Scahill)
The Square (Jehane Noujaim, Karim Amer)
20 Feet from Stardom (Nominees to be determined)

Best Documentary Short

CaveDigger (Jeffrey Karoff)
Facing Fear (Jason Cohen)
Karama Has No Walls (Sara Ishaq)
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life (Malcolm Clarke, Nicholas Reed)
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall (Edgar Barens)

Best Film Editing

American Hustle (Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, Alan Baumgarten)
Captain Phillips (Christopher Rouse)
Dallas Buyers Club (John Mac McMurphy, Martin Pensa)
Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger)
12 Years a Slave (Joe Walker)

Best Foreign Language Film

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
The Hunt (Denmark)
The Missing Picture (Cambodia)
Omar (Palestine)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Dallas Buyers Club (Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews)
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Stephen Prouty)
The Lone Ranger (Joel Harlow, Gloria Pasqua-Casny)

Best Original Score

The Book Thief (John Williams)
Gravity (Steven Price)
Her (William Butler, Owen Pallett)
Philomena (Alexandre Desplat)
Saving Mr. Banks (Thomas Newman)

Best Original Song

Happy (Despicable Me 2)
Let It Go (Frozen)
The Moon Song (Her)
Ordinary Love (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)

Best Production Design

American Hustle (Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler)
Gravity (Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woollard)
The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn)
Her (K.K. Barrett, Gene Serdena)
12 Years a Slave (Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker)

Best Animated Short Film

Feral (Daniel Sousa, Dan Golden)
Get a Horse! (Lauren MacMullan, Dorothy McKim)
Mr. Hublot (Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares)
Possessions (Shuhei Morita)
Room on the Broom (Max Lang, Jan Lachauer)

Best Live Action Short Film

Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me) (Esteban Crespo)
Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything) (Xavier Legrand, Alexandre Gavras)
Helium (Anders Walter, Kim Magnusson)
Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?) (Selma Vilhunen, Kirsikka Saari)
The Voorman Problem (Mark Gill, Baldwin Li)

Best Sound Editing

All Is Lost (Steve Boeddeker, Richard Hymns)
Captain Phillips (Oliver Tarney)
Gravity (Glenn Freemantle)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Brent Burge, Chris Ward)
Lone Survivor (Wylie Stateman)

Best Sound Mixing

Captain Phillips (Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro)
Gravity (Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, Chris Munro)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Tony Johnson)
Inside Llewyn Davis (Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland)
Lone Survivor (Andy Koyama, Beau Borders, David Brownlow)

Best Visual Effects

Gravity (Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, Neil Corbould)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds)
Iron Man 3 (Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash, Dan Sudick)
The Lone Ranger (Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams, John Frazier)
Star Trek Into Darkness (Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke)
Captain Phillips (Billy Ray)
Philomena (Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope)
12 Years a Slave (John Ridley)
The Wolf of Wall Street (Terence Winter)

Best Original Screenplay

American Hustle (Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell)
Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen)
Dallas Buyers Club (Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack)
Her (Spike Jonze)
Nebraska (Bob Nelson)

The real life American Hustle - a crumpet factory boss' daughter from Watford

The real lives that inspired Christian Bale's Irving Rosenfeld and Amy Adams' Sydney Prosser were Mel Weinberg and Watford girl Evelyn Knight

The con is on: Christian Bale ad Amy Adams

Gliding into the New York restaurant in a figure-hugging cocktail dress, Evelyn Knight gripped the arm of her new man. Scanning the room through a fug of cigar smoke, the ambitious girl of 24, freshly arrived from Britain, had no idea the men turning to stare at her were among the most dangerous crooks in America. Nor did she know that her lover, flamboyant fraudster Mel Weinberg, was on first-name terms with most of them.
In fact he was a key associate of the Mafia lieutenants crammed into the dim booths of the restaurant, helping them dream up scams and protection rackets. And a few years on from that night in the late 1960s, Evelyn, daughter of a crumpet factory manager from Watford, Herts, would be arrested in the FBI’s biggest-ever sting operation?–?the inspiration for Oscar-tipped movie American Hustle.
The story of the Abscam sting, in which politicians were tricked into receiving bribes from a fake Arab sheikh, has already earned £104million at the box office. It is up for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Supporting Actor, Best Actress and Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
Sydney Prosser, the role played by Amy Adams, is loosely based on Evelyn, who is now 71 and living quietly in a coastal retirement community in Titusville, Florida, where few neighbours know about her colourful past.
Evelyn married Mel in 1982 but they have since divorced. Despite a storm of publicity for American Hustle she is avoiding the limelight. He, however, talks fondly of his first dates with Evelyn while he was still married to second wife Marie.

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The real hustle: Mel Weinberg

 Now 89, he recalls: “I first saw Evelyn at a swimming pool and I called her up. The first time I took her out I took her to a wiseguys place where they served a big Porterhouse steak with French fries and spaghetti. She had just come to this country. She finished her steak then asked me, ‘Have you finished yours?’ I said no, so she ate mine too!
“She was a very pretty girl. I told her I couldn’t take her home but gave her 20 dollars for a cab. A few days later she handed me the 20 back. I couldn’t believe she was so honest. Where I was from guys would cut your throat for 20 bucks.
“She had obviously been raised properly and didn’t lie about anything, unlike the people I hung out with. This is how honest she was: One day it was freezing cold. I said, ‘Here’s a couple of hundred bucks – go buy a coat’. She bought a plain, grey coat for 40 bucks, and gave me back the rest! I couldn’t believe it. She was not the type of girl that guys like me had seen before. What I liked most about her was her honesty.”
Which was ironic. As a career criminal, Weinberg was friends with hitmen working for feared mob boss Carlo Gambino. He had graduated from selling jackets with no back and smashing windows to boost trade for glaziers to scams where his mobster associates would stage shoot-outs with fake bullets and he would charge people $5,000 to make the “body” disappear. Then he began conning people with bad credit into applying for loans with a non-existent company called London Investors in return for an advance fee. The loans were always turned down but the fees were non-refundable.
One of the victims was singer Wayne Newton and, when the scam was discovered in 1977, the FBI arrested Weinberg for mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. Evelyn was accused of being his accomplice, allegedly posing as “Lady Evelyn”.

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'Nothing like that chick in the movie': Evelyn

 No charges were brought and the case never reached court –because Weinberg agreed to go undercover for the FBI.
“I told them I’d cop a plea if they let her off,” he says. “I expected to serve time. Then the FBI asked me to help them with four other cases. She was indicted with me but she was never involved. I would never talk business in front of her.
They didn’t really have anything on her, but she couldn’t take the pressure. Once I had set up the cases for the FBI all the charges were dropped.”
The plot of the film, starring Christian Bale in the Weinberg role , centres on Abscam, a fake firm used to lure politicians known to be corrupt. Agents posed as emissaries of an Arab sheikh offering suitcases of cash in return for favours.

Several congressmen and a mayor were among those snared in the sting, which secured 19 convictions. But the conman’s mistress in the film is an ex-stripper from New Mexico who only pretends to be a Brit.

Evelyn, who moved to the US in 1967, says on the phone from her Florida home. “The movie is strictly fiction. They just took parts of the real story.”
She refuses to be drawn further, especially not about Weinberg, who she finally married after 17 years as his mistress. It was less than a month after his wife Marie committed suicide.
“Eve is and was a one of a kind,” Weinberg says. “I have never known a prettier girl. You could say she was the love of my life. She very English, very headstrong and she liked to do as she pleased.”

The ex conman, who co-operated in the film’s production, is philosophical about how their relationship fell apart.
“We got divorced in 1998 and now she hates my guts,” he says matter-of-factly. “I guess I was never really affectionate enough. She hated the fact I dragged her into all this. She was nothing like that chick in the movie.”
Weinberg says that after the couple divorced Evelyn found work with NASA, looking after the monkeys that had been sent to space in their rockets.
“She loved those things for some reason,” he adds. “About six years ago she moved back near me. But she don’t talk to me no more – she’s very bitter over this. She is still real angry with me, but then she had to deal with all my crap so I don’t blame her.
“She hasn’t seen the movie yet... and I don’t think she ever will.”