* The Oscar Class of 2013 gathered on Monday at the Beverly Hilton in LA for the special awards luncheon and group photo opp ahead of the ceremony on the 24th. Most of the nominees made it, except for Best Supporting Actor nominees Alan Arkin, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amour‘s Emmaneulle Riva and Michael Haneke. Spot how cute Quvenzhane Wallis looks in the middle of the pic!
* Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush is set to star in the film adaptation of Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief. The story, narrated by Death and set in the time of Nazi Germany, is still on the New York Times Best-Seller List, after being released in 2006. According to THR, Emily Watson will co-star, with French-Canadian actress Sophie Nelisse, from Monsieur Lahzar playing the title character. One more piece of good news? It’s being directed by Downton Abbey’s Brian Percival.
* My Bloody Valentine have been drawing positive welcome-back reviews for their first album in 22 years – a record offered online to such anticipation that it crashed their new website this past Saturday night. The Dublin-born pioneers of shoegaze are currently on tour in Japan and head to Australia and Europe next.
* Director Adam McKay has confirmed Kristen Wiig will join the cast of Anchorman 2, cementing rumours that had been spreading ever since the sequel was announced. As with many other details of the film, there’s no word yet on which character the SNL superstar will play.
* Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s contribution to culture has been lauded many times before – and rightly so. But here’s another accolade to add to the list. The virtuoso has been awarded the main Vilcek Prize, which recognizes contributions by immigrants in the US to the arts. Super-glad to see Ghana’s Blitz the Ambassador, who has been shaking up African hip-hop, is also among those recognized.
[Pic: oscars.org]