IIFA awards 2011 winners: 'Dabangg' bags six awards

TORONTO: Salman Khan starrer Dabangg ", last year's biggest hit, bagged six awards, including best female debut for Sonakshi Sinha , at the glittering 12th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards here Saturday night.

Ranvir Singh won the award for best debut male award for his role in "Band Baaja Baaraat".

Accepting the award from veteran actor couple Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, the young actor said: "It is special to me as the award is presented by my idol. (But) it is just the beginning."

Presenting the award to Sonakshi Sinha, yesteryears' diva Hema Malini said: "I saw this girl and never thought she will become an actress.

A beaming Sonakshi said: "Toronto, itna pyar. Thanks for giving me the gift of IIFA. I will cherish it forever."

Mamta Sharma won the award for best female playback singer for her song "Munni Badnaam" in "Dabanng".

"I love you so much... Shah Rukh I love you much... Toronto I love you so much," said Mamta as Arshad Warsi handed her the award in the company of show co-hosts Boman Irani and Ritesh Deshmukh as well as Shah Rukh Khan.

The award for best male playback singer went to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for "Tere Mast Mast Do Nain" from "Dabanng".

For best lyrics, the award went to Niranjan Iyengar for "Sajda" and "Noor-e-Khuda" in "My Name is Khan". The award was accepted by Karan Johar on his behalf.

For best music direction, the award went to Sajid-Wajid and Lalit Pandit for "Dabangg".

The award for best story went to Shibani Bathija for "My Name is Khan". It was presented by Brett Lee, Fardeen Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala .

The award for best screenplay went to Abhinav Kahsyap and Dileep Shukla for "Dabangg". Zeenat Aman, Prakash Mehra and Sant Singh Chatwal presented the award.

The award for best dialogue went to Vishal Bharadwaj for "Ishqiya".

Mallika Sherawat and Brian White - her co-star in a Hollywood movie - presented the award.

Sonu Sood received the award for best performance in a negative role for "Dabangg".

Dharmendra won an award for his half-century in Indian cinema, while the Outstanding Achievement Award went to Sharmila Tagore.

Handing Sharmila Tagore the award, Shabana Azmi said: "I am honoured to present this award to an actress for whom I have the highest regard - a path-breaker, achiever, a person who has been successful in every avatar she has chosen."

Sharmila Tagore said the award was "such a satisfying thing. It's fantastic. After Dharamji, it is a tough act to follow".

She recalled Dharmendra's large heartedness when he agreed to a change in schedule for the shooting of a film when she had to "rush to Calcutta for personal reasons as Tiger (her husband) was in the West Indies".

For the first time at the IIFA, Star Plus channel presented the Hottest Pair award to Anushka Sharma and Ranvir Singh for which 15 million votes were cast online.

"Anushka, you make me feel hot," said Ranvir accepting the award in her company.

The first Green IIFA Award by Panasonic went to actress Priyanka Chopra.

Ritiesh Deshmukh bagged the award for best performance in a comic role for the film "Housefull".

Irrfan Khan , whom Anil Kapoor lauded for his performances on the global stage, received the IIFA award for his international performances.

Bold, elegant gowns top fashion on red carpet

BEVERLY HILLS: Hollywood's A-list stars made bold, elegant fashion statements on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards Sunday with gowns that featured sequins, beading, and asymmetrical structures.

"I think at one point, actors may have thought it (a bold choice) was too much pageantry, but this year was definitely about making a statement," fashion designer and red carpet expert Nick Verreos said.

He singled out "Glee" star Lea Michele's Oscar de la Renta gown that looked like it was "built into her body" and movie actress Olivia Wilde's Marchesa ball gown as examples of stars saying, "I'm not going to blend in!"

For her part, Wilde said her sequined gown was "dramatic and elegant ... I liked that it was on chocolate brown and I knew it would reflect the sun."

Melissa Leo, best supporting actress nominee for "The Fighter," also went with sequins, choosing a black Mark Bouwer dress that had a train.

"It had a weight to it and I like that in a dress," Leo said. "And if you have enough room, and people aren't trotting on it, wearing a train is one of the most delightful things a girl can wear.

The Golden Globes annually are one of Hollywood's most-watched awards shows and come only weeks ahead of the Oscars. As a result, many A-list stars show up for the program, and fashion designers around the world seek to have the actresses where their gowns on the red carpet.

Style expert and TV personality Sam Saboura called the Golden Globes: "the night of the black swans and the swan queens" alluding to best drama movie nominee "Black Swan" and the number of polar opposite colors on the red carpet.

There were many black gowns -- Halle Berry, Piper Perabo, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Stiles and Eva Longoria -- and plenty light creams, taupes, peaches and pinks as seen on Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams, Scarlet Johanssen, Megan Fox, Emma Stone and the pregnant Natalie Portman.

"It was one of the only ones I tried on," said Portman of her light Viktor and Rolf gown that had a red flower emblazoned on it. "It was so beautiful, we realized nothing else would compare."

Many stars didn't shy away from color. There were vibrant reds, vivid pinks, and one color that is sure to be a spring trend -- green.

"There were more emerald green and forest greens than ever before," said David Gomez Pearlberg, fashion executive for Junko Yoshioka New York, citing Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mila Kunis.

Regardless of style or color, "it was sparkle and shine done in a new way, with plenty of three-dimensional embellishment," Saboura said.

The bold statements made by the actresses were a stark contrast to last year's subdued red carpet that came on the heels of a devastating earthquake in Haiti.

"It was a more elegant Hollywood than we've ever seen before. There were so many more hits than misses," Pearlberg said.

Bale, Bening early winners at Golden Globes

BEVERLY HILLS: British actor Christian Bale and US actress Annette Bening were among early winners at the Golden Globes on Sunday, which launch Hollywood's glittering annual awards season.

Low-key British historical drama "The King's Speech" and Facebook movie "The Social Network" were also hoping for glory at the Beverly Hills show, seen as a key pointer to next month's more prestigious Oscars.

Bale won best supporting actor for his role in boxing movie "The Fighter," which was also tipped to win other awards at the Globes, while Bening was named best actress in a musical or comedy for "The Kids Are All Right."

The Globes are the first major show in a season that includes the Directors Guild awards on January 29 and the Screen Actors Guild gongs the following night, leading up to the Oscars on February 27.

British comic Ricky Gervais, hosting the Globes for the second year, arrived on stage sipping a beer, promising: "It's going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking -- or as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast."

He took several early digs at the show's organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HPFA), citing rumors that they only nominated "The Tourist" to get to meet its stars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.

"They also accepted bribes," he added, to gales of laughter.

The bigger prizes were saved up for the climax of Sunday's three-hour-long show.

"The King's Speech," starring Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter, was nominated for awards in seven categories: best picture, director, actor, screenplay, score and supporting actor and actress.

"The Social Network" and "The Fighter" were nominated in six categories at the show, which gathers the multi-billion-dollar industry's A-listers for the first such event of the year.

The "King's Speech" was the surprise top nominee when the Globes short lists were announced last month, having only just opened in the United States and taken a tiny fraction of the box office earnings of "The Social Network."

Some suggest this was a wily move by the Weinstein Company behind the film, which let it slowly impress critics and audiences with a limited opening rather than trying for a blockbuster, head-on approach to seeking Oscar glory and fortune.

"The Social Network" was tipped for best picture, director and actor for Jesse Eisenberg's arresting performance as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, as well as best supporting actor and screenplay.

Best actor nominees for the drama category also include James Franco for Danny Boyle's latest movie "127 hours," Ryan Gosling for "Blue Valentine" and Mark Wahlberg for "The Fighter."

In other categories, best director nominations went to Darren Aronofsky ("Black Swan"), David Fincher ("The Social Network"), Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech"), Christopher Nolan ("Inception") and David Russell ("The Fighter").

One film's inclusion in the short list triggered smirks around Hollywood.

"The Tourist," starring Depp and Jolie, was critically panned but won a surprise nomination in the comedy or musical category, in what gossips suggested was a blatant bid to gets its A-list stars to attend Sunday -- which they duly did.

That kind of surprise nomination underlines the questions raised by a lawsuit filed by a former Golden Globes publicist just a few days before Sunday's show.

Michael Russell, who worked for the Globes' organizers for 17 years, wants at least two million dollars in damages and lost wages, accusing them of running a "payola" scheme, according to the lawsuit.

The HFPA dismissed the lawsuit, calling the allegations "completely without merit."

List of nominees for 2011 Golden Globes
Herewith a complete list of nominees for the Golden Globe awards, winners of which will be announced at a three-hour show Sunday in Los Angeles.

Best movie - drama:
- "Black Swan"
- "The Fighter"
- "Inception"
- "The King's Speech"
- "The Social Network"

Best actress - drama:
- Halle Berry, "Frankie and Alice"
- Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"
- Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"
- Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
- Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

Best actor - drama:
- Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
- Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
- James Franco, "127 Hours"
- Ryan Gosling, "Blue Valentine"
- Mark Wahlberg, "The Fighter"

Best movie - comedy or musical:
- "Alice in Wonderland"
- "Burlesque"
- "The Kids Are All Right"
- "Red"
- "The Tourist"

Best actress - comedy or musical:
- Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"
- Anne Hathaway, "Love And Other Drugs"
- Angelina Jolie, "The Tourist"
- Julianne Moore, "The Kids Are All Right"
- Emma Stone, "Easy A"

Best actor - comedy or musical:
- Johnny Depp, "Alice in Wonderland"
- Johnny Depp, "The Tourist"
- Paul Giamatti, "Barney's Version"
- Jake Gyllenhaal, "Love And Other Drugs"
- Kevin Spacey, "Casino Jack"

Best supporting actress:
- Amy Adams, "The Fighter"
- Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
- Mila Kunis, "Black Swan"
- Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
- Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

Best supporting actor:
- Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
- Michael Douglas, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"
- Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network"
- Jeremy Renner, "The Town"
- Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

Best animated movie:
- "Despicable Me"
- "How To Train Your Dragon"
- "The Illusionist"
- "Tangled"
- "Toy Story 3"

Best foreign language film:
- "Biutiful" (Mexico, Spain)
- "The Concert" (France)
- "The Edge" (Russia)
- "I Am Love" (Italy)
- "In A Better World" (Denmark)

Best director:
- Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
- David Fincher, "The Social Network"
- Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"
- Christopher Nolan, "Inception"
- David O. Russell, "The Fighter"

Best screenplay:
- Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyle, "127 Hours"
- Christopher Nolan, "Inception"
- Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, "The Kids Are All Right"
- David Seidler, "The King's Speech"
- Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"

Best original score:
- Alexandre Desplat, "The King's Speech"
- Danny Elfman, "Alice in Wonderland"
- A. R. Rahman, "127 Hours"
- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "The Social Network"
- Hans Zimmer, "Inception"

Best original song:
- "Bound To You," from "Burlesque."
- "Coming Home," from "Country Strong."
- "I See The Light," from "Tangled."
- "There's A Place For Us" from "Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader."
- "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" from "Burlesque"

Best TV series:
- "Boardwalk Empire" (HBO)
- "Dexter" (Showtime)
- "The Good Wife" (CBS)
- "Mad Men" (AMC)
- "The Walking Dead" (AMC)

Best TV series actress - drama:
- Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
- Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
- Piper Perabo, "Covert Affairs"
- Katey Sagal, "Sons Of Anarchy"
- Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

Best TV series actor - drama:
- Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
- Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
- Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
- Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
- Hugh Laurie, "House"

Best TV series - comedy or musical:
- "30 Rock" (NBC)
- "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)
- "The Big C" (Showtime)
- "Glee" (Fox)
- "Modern Family" (ABC)
- "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime)

Best TV series actress - comedy or musical:
- Toni Collette, "United States Of Tara" (Showtime)
- Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime)
- Tina Fey, "30 Rock" (NBC)
- Laura Linney, "The Big C" (Showtime)
- Lea Michele, "Glee" (Fox)

Best TV series actor - comedy or musical:
- Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" (NBC)
- Steve Carell, "The Office" (NBC)
- Thomas Jane, "Hung" (HBO)
- Matthew Morrison, "Glee" (Fox)
- Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)

Best mini-series of made-for-TV movie:
- "Carlos" (Sundance)
- "The Pacific" (HBO)
- "Pillars Of The Earth" (STARZ)
- "Temple Grandin" (HBO)
- "You Don't Know Jack" (HBO)

Best actress in mini-series or made-for-TV movie:
- Hayley Atwell, "Pillars Of The Earth" (STARZ)
- Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin" (HBO)
- Judi Dench, "Return To Cranford"
- Romola Garai, "Emma"
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, "The Client List"

Best actor in mini-series or made-for-TV movie:
- Idris Elba, "Luther"
- Ian McShane, "Pillars Of The Earth"
- Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack"
- Dennis Quaid, "The Special Relationship"
- Edgar Ramirez, "Carlos"

Best supporting actress in mini-series or made-for-TV movie:
- Hope Davis, "The Special Relationship"
- Jane Lynch, "Glee"
- Kelly MacDonald, "Boardwalk Empire"
- Julia Stiles, "Dexter"
- Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"

Best supporting actor in mini-series or made-for-TV movie:
- Scott Caan, "Hawaii Five-O"
- Chris Colfer, "Glee"
- Chris Noth, "The Good Wife"
- Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"
- David Strathairn, "Temple Grandin"