SuzyQ's Blog
Spirit Awards 2010
The 2010 Spirit Awards will be presented Saturday, March 6 In Los Angeles. You can watch the program live on the Independent Film Channel at 8:00 p.m. Given out annually by Film Independent, this year's nominees include Amreeka, Sin Nombre, (500) Days of Summer for Best Film, and Helen Mirren, Gabourey Sidibe, Samantha Morton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Colin Firth among the actors nominated in both lead and supporting roles.- Login to comment
Women's History Month
Pioneering women who led and won struggles for equality and civil rights; created and advanced educational and professional opportunities; and made great contributions to the arts, sciences and humanistic causes are honored each year during the month of March - National Women's History Month. This special celebration evolved from National Women's History Week which began in 1981 as a result of a Joint Congressional Resolution. In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. The Canton Public Library offers year-round access to a wide variety of resources highlighting the accomplishments and achievements of women.Countdown to the Oscars
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, The Cove documents the abuse of dolphins by fishermen in Taiji, a sleepy lagoon off the coast of Japan. Animal rights activist and filmmaker Richard O'Barry - a former animal trainer who once captured the dolphins used on the television series Flipper - has four decades later renounced his previous profession. Instead he has captured on film shocking images of how the dolphins' habitat has been poisoned by the fishermen and their marine ecology endangered. The film received its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009.- Login to comment
BAFTA Honors 2010
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has bestowed its Best Film award on The Hurt Locker - the Iraq War film which has also been nominated for an Oscar in the same category. Kathryn Bigelow also won as Best Director, with the film winning in six categories over all. The ceremonies were held yesterday In London where Prince William - the new BAFTA president - was in attendance.- Login to comment
Hooray for Hollywood!
The Academy Awards are the highest honors accorded by the U.S. film industry to the motion pictures, performers, directors and many others whose work we view on the Silver Screen. When the first Oscars were handed out in May, 1929, movies had just begun to "talk," and the Oscar wasn't yet called by that name. Dig into some movie history, whether you explore the resources in this collection year-round, or just during the weeks prior to each year's Oscar ceremonies.
Countdown to the Oscars
Nominated for three Oscars ( Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay), An Education - based on the memoir by Lynn Barber - is set in 1961 London where suburban 16-year old Jenny is eager to start her adult life. Jenny gets the chance to shake things up when she comes under the spell of David - an older, urbane newcomer who introduces her to art auctions, classical concerts, and crowded pubs. The film stars Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan as Jenny and Peter Sarsgaard as David.- Login to comment
Paczki Day!
As a Catholic kid growing up in Detroit, Paczki Day was always a very big deal at my school. The entire day was dedicated to fun, games and food, especially the yummy — and extremely fattening — Paczki which were provided for the students. Traditionally celebrated in the United States on Shrove Tuesday (i.e. the day before Ash Wednesday), to Americans of Polish descent - or any anyone who grew up in Metro Detroit — Paczki Day means eating paczki — those scrumptious jelly-filled, deep-fried donuts.Presidents Day
Instead of going to the mall for the Presidents Day sale, you can really celebrate by brushing up on some presidential history. A great place to start is the Internet Public Library's POTUS which provides biographical information, historical documents, and audio and video files. If this doesn't satisfy your historical sweet tooth, check out Public Papers of the Presidents at the American Presidency Project which has digitized over 85,000 documents related to the Presidency, including audio and video. Still not enough? The Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections contains detailed national results of all U.S. presidential elections since 1789.Valentine's Day
Originally a feast day of two Christian martyrs named Valentine, Valentine's Day has changed over time into a more general celebration of love in which cards, flowers and chocolates are often exchanged. If the day puts you in the mood for love, check out this collection. It highlights love letters, poetry, famous couples and classic novels. But there's also plenty of love in the movies. For these we've listed some favorite Classic Romantic Comedies, Offbeat Romances and Romantic Dramas. And we've got websites where you can find more. Last but not least, there is a selection of Romantic Music for your listening pleasure.
Countdown to the Oscars
Nominated for six Oscars (including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay), Up in the Air is an adaptation of Walter Kirn's novel about a human resources administrator (George Clooney) who flies around the country firing people for bosses who don't have the stomach for it. Director Jason Reitman's cast also includes Jason Bateman and fellow nominees for Best Supporting Actress Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Some scenes were filmed last year in Detroit Metro Airport!- Login to comment
2010 Academy Awards
Nominations for the 2010 Academy Awards have been announced, and many of the nominated films are already here at the Library. This year there are ten films nominated for Best Picture - the first time in over 60 years that this has been done (in the eight years from 1936 to 1943 there were also 10 best picture nominees).- Login to comment
African American Biographies
African Americans are at the heart of the greatest achievements of our history, from music to law, from politics to sports, from literature to religion. Below are just some of the biographies of influential Black Americans that can be found in the Canton Public Library's collection.
Books: Reference
African American Lives edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (2004).
The Black 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential African-Americans, Past and Present by Columbus Salley (1992).
African American History
The month of February has been set aside to celebrate the contributions of the country's African Americans. It was in 1926 that Negro History Week was first organized by historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) and others. During America's Bicentennial celebration in 1976, the one-week span was lengthened to four and February was established as Black History Month. The Canton Public Library has a vast amount of resources for and about African Americans.
Books: Reference
Remembering Teddy Pendergrass
R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass passed away earlier this week after a long illness. Pendergrass, 59, got his start singing gospel music in Philadelphia churches, and later became a drummer for a local group called the Cadillacs. After merging with another more well known group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, he became their lead singer in 1970. He later left the group and struck out on a solo career after signing with Philadelphia International Records - where his next several albums went gold and platinum. During this time he received several Grammy nominations, Billboard's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award, an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978, and awards from Ebony magazine and the NAACP. A tragic car accident in 1982 left him paralyzed from the waist down. He made a dramatic return to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, and in 1998 he founded Teddy Pendergrass Alliance to aid people with spinal cord injuries.
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2009 National Film Registry Inductees
The National Film Registry of The Library of Congress recently announced its list of inductees for 2009. Among the titles is Michael Jackson's 1983 video Thriller, which is the first music video to be named to the Registry. Established in 1989, it now contains 525 films selected for their enduring importance to United States culture. Also included among the list of 2009 entries are- Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
- Jezebel (1938)
- Mrs. Miniver (1942)
- The Muppet Movie (1979)
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
- Pillow Talk (1959)
- The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
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