Airbender Ouch with Five Razzie Trophies

This past Saturday night it was time for the worst movies to shine. The Razzie Awards that recognize the worst films of the year.

The sci-fi fantasy the Last Airbender picked up five Golden Raspberry trophies for worst picture, worst director, worst screenplay, worst supporting actor, and the first ever Razzie awarded for the 'worst eye-gouging misuse of 3-D.'

Traditionally awarded just a day before the Oscar trophies are handed out, the Razzies received a rare honour last year when Sandra Bullock showed up to accept her worst actress award in person.

But this year there was no appearance M. Night Shyamalan.

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King takes Trophies

Oscar voters spoke loudly and clearly last night, handing "The King's Speech" four trophies including best picture, best director and best original screenplay. The film beat out "The Social Network," which had been considered the likely choice for best picture. It seemed all night "The King's Speech" enjoyed fame, fortune and trophies.

The British filmmaker Tom Hooper, who directed the movie, discovered the tale only after his mother attended an unrehearsed reading of a play about the king at a tiny theater outside London. Rush got involved only after a producer's assistant dropped off the script at the actor's front door. Screenwriter David Seidler, 73, who had promised the Queen Mother he wouldn't write about her stuttering husband in her lifetime, waited 25 years before moving ahead with his project.

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Arsenal is looking to win 2 trophies

Arsenal is looking to win 2 trophies, George Graham says Arsenal are vulnerable but reckons they are still good enough to win two soccer trophies this season. Arsenal are currently sitting second in the Premier League, while they take on Birmingham this weekend for the Carling Cup and are still in the FA Cup and Champions League. Speaking to Keys and Gray, Graham said Arsene Wenger has assembled a squad good enough to win two out of the four competitions they are fighting for.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, they have won 13 First Division and Premier League trophies and 10 FA Cups. They hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the English top flight and are the only side to have completed a Premier League season unbeaten.

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Australia targeting medals

Australia is still targetting a top-five position on the medals table at next year's London Olympics, despite slipping to eighth on projections from 2010. The latest analysis released by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) put Australia in eighth place behind Russia (97 projected medals), the United States (94), China (93), Britain (48), Germany (47), France (45) and Japan (43). Australia was ranked eighth with a projection of 42 medals following a study based on results from world championships, world cups and major international events held in 2010. AOC president John Coates said with five countries jostling for fourth and fifth spots on the London medals table behind superpowers Russia, China and the US, he was confident Australia could boost its position.

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Three new PlayStation Network trophies confirm

In the mists of the most recent Mass Effect 2 PS3 patch from BioWare, three new PlayStation Network trophies confirm the existence of an upcoming Mass Effect 2 downloadable content pack entitled "Arrival." The fresh trophies (achievements on PC/Xbox 360) are called "The Ultimate Sacrifice," "Last Stand," and "Covert Action." Users on both the Bioware forums and Neogaf have posted photos of the trophies, along with their respective descriptions. Stay tuned it looks like Mass has mas trophies to come!

More about Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The game is a sequel to Mass Effect, and the second game of the series. The game was released on PC and Xbox 360 in January 2010, and on PlayStation 3 on 18 January 2011.Mass Effect 2 had shipped over two million copies worldwide within a week of release, and has also received highly favorable reviews.

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Plaques and Awards for Corporate Presentations

Everyone has, at one time or another, been awarded some form of plaque.  And, if you think about it, the source of the award has probably always been a corporation.   Whether from the Better Business Bureau denoting membership or the School Board for outstanding achievement, wall plaques are most always corporate awards.  However, when we see a wall-plaques anywhere, our first instinct is to walk over and read the inscription because plaques always represent some form of distinction, and we’re curious to learn what it is.  Of course, generally the primary reasons for giving the plaque are:

1.  to show appreciation for a service
2.  recognition for a job well done
3.  as an incentive for advancement or higher production
4. to show membership in a civic, social or fraternal organization

But, our natural curiosity is one of the major underlying reasons that corporate awards are given.   When you go up to that beautiful plaque on the wall, you are doing exactly what the giver of the award wants you to do; not only recognize the recipient of the award, but the giver as well.
The giver of the award not only satisfies at least one of the aforementioned reasons for presenting the award, but is marketing his company (or corporation) without incurring any additional expense.   While having a plaque denoting membership in the Better Business Bureau is good for the Pest Control Company, it’s excellent advertising for the BBB as well, as they have a staff to pay and offices to maintain.   Plaques given by the School Board show that while someone is qualified to receive recognition, the School Board does have standards that have to be met to receive this type of award.

These same standards for receiving corporate awards apply to health professionals as well as their office walls are sometimes cluttered with plaques and certificates.   These notifications of membership or outstanding achievement not only honor and promote the doctor, but advertise that there is a corporate organization somewhere with high standards that the recipient has met.  If that corporation or the doctor didn’t believe you were going to be curious enough to read the plaque’s inscription, chances are that there would be another form of recognition that would attract your attention.
So we see that corporate awards, plaques and the like, have a duality of purpose.  Not only do they recognize the recipient’s achievement, but are a subtle advertisement for the corporation presenting the award.  This is truly a “win-win” situation for everyone involved in the awards giving process, from the manufacturer, to the retailer, to the corporation, and finally to the recipient; “feel good” marketing for everyone!

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Neat Trophies and Plaques for Kids

Every parent should be involved with their child’s sports team.  If you can make some free time, you might even wind up as a coach or assistant coach.  If not, rest assured that coaches need parents to become involved with their child’s team; from transportation to and from practices and games, organizing snacks and arranging an end of the season party or banquet.  As the kids get older, the more involved the planning of this end of the season event becomes. 

The youngest kids love to have an outdoor cookout  where they can run around and play without destroying someone’s home.  However, teens like to have a more formal type event where they can bring girl or boy friends to see them get their well deserved recognition.  So, if you’re an involved parent, and selecting the awards to be presented is left to you or your committee, what should you look for?

Selecting Trophies
Advancements in materials and technology has allowed the trophy awards industry tochange dramatically over the years.  I went to the Crown Awards site to check out the trophy market and was amazed at the gigantic variety that’s available.   While their selection is all encompassing, I’ll review three that could be representative for different age brackets.

6" Football Trophy On White Marble:  For the younger kids, these are just  perfect participation trophies.  The football trophy features a 4.75 gold figurine on a white marble base, and you are allowed up to 40 letters of free engraving.  What young kid wouldn’t love to have one of these?  Believe it or not, these are just $3.50 each.

Football Burista Trophies:  These really neat 6” x 5” trophies are just the thing for the pre-teen.  They feature a futuristic multi-level design accented in gold and silver that has a player bursting through a sports ball.  Spend $6.45 apiece for these and the kids will be really happy.

Metallix Trophies:  Cups mounted on a wooden base are a thing of the past!  Older kids today really like to be impressed with ingenuity, and you can’t get any better than this.  The curved design Metallix Sculpture Trophy has a brushed metal finish with an ebony sports graphic. This is a really sharp trophy that will be appreciated and admired...and it’s only $7.45.

Different Plaques
The little wooden plaque with the engraved brass plate are really dated!  If you want to give a boring award that will never be looked at again, they are still available!  But, here’s some more modern ones that I thought would be appropriate for several age groups.

Show Stopper Plaques:  In looking at the Football Show Stopper Plaque, because the football appears to be floating in air over the field below, it really looks like it’s in 3-D.  In vividly realistic color, this 5” x 7” plaque with its inscribed brass plate will look great on any child’s wall, regardless of age.  And...it’s just $5.95.

Stadium Sports or Insert Plaques:  This plaque combines the spirit of the sports figure in action with the formality of a plaque, and is a truly beautiful and unique award.  At $7.95, this plaque makes an outstanding presentation for any child or young adult celebrating a successful season!
I have barely scratched the surface of the variety of awards offered on the for of trophies and plaques.  The available variety of awards and the expertise of the awards store makes the selection process a really creative experience.  So, the next time you child’s team needs some help, volunteer to select the team awards...it’s a fun way to contribute.

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Who Got Five Trophies at the Grammy Awards

That would be Lady Antebellum's!

With her ballad "Need You Now" captured record and song of the year honors at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, two of the country trio's leading five trophies on a night that was short on awards but heavy on spectacular performances. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire won the most prestigious award, album of the year, beating out Recovery by Eminem, Need You Now, The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga and Teenage Dream by Katy Perry.

The Grammys give out 109 trophies, but most of those are doled out before the live telecast in a ceremony before the CBS show. Instead of focusing on the awards, the Grammy show emphasized performances with extravagant showcases that featured the year's most celebrated artists, along with emerging acts and legends.

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Platinum Plaque for Miss Swift

Taylor Swift recieves Platinum plaques for the novelity of her success she has achieved last year. Swift was presented with plaques in #1 Party for “Mine” at the Hard Rock Café in Nashville last Friday to commemorate the huge susccess of her top selling album and chart topping singles last year. Swift has set the record for her “Speak Now” album for selling a whopping 1,047,000 copies on its first week of release. It landed #1 on Billboard 200 chart. Speak now has reached over 4.4 million copies sold and set an entry of 11 hit songs in Billboard Hot 100 chart. For the record, Taylor Swift has now exceed 20 million albums and 35 million song downloads.

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Running for the Medals

The Mercedes Marathon marks its 10th anniversary this weekend. In honor of the milestone, the Mercedes plant in Vance has boosted its participation in the race. There are also employees who have done it every year. Jeff Clark, a Mercedes-Benz employee who has run every marathon since it started,. Jeff with his nine medals and running a training run in his Lakeview Neighborhood. Clark holds his nine finisher medals from the Mercedes Marathon.

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Video Game wins Trophy

The Writers Guild of America handed out trophies in its annual Writers Guild Awards. Top honors in film went to Christopher Nolan for his original screenplay for Inception and to Aaron Sorkin for his adapted screenplay for The Social Network. TV series that scored plaudits included Mad Men, Modern Family, and Boardwalk Empire. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood took top honors at the WGAs Saturday night. The WGAs also have a video game category, where the winner was Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. The game's story was written by Jeffrey Yohalem, Corey May, and now ex-Ubisoft creative director Patrice Desilets. Its lead script writer was Jeffrey Yohalem, with Ethan Petty, Nicholas Grimwood, and Matt Turner serving as script writers. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood beat out five other games in the category: Fallout: New Vegas, Singularity, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, God of War III, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. However, its win was not without controversy. The exclusion of several of 2010's most awarded games, including Red Dead Redemption and Mass Effect 2, led to some criticism of the WGA's game category

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Real Men love Tiffanys... Trophies

Grown men kiss it, they put their arms around it, and it can bring tears to their eyes. And you thought only women cry for Tiffanys well men do to if it caomes in the form of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

What many may not know is the biggest trophy in football is made by Tiffany & Co.

Following Sunday's presentation, the Lombardi Trophy will be returned to Tiffany's workshop in New Jersey. After the name of the winning team and final score has been hand-engraved on the trophy and polished, it will be sent to the championship team. The Steelers have their six trophies -- the most in the NFL -- on display at the team's offices in the South Side. Tiffiany's doesn't put a price on the trophy, O'Rourke says, because the trophy is priceless to the players. However, the NFL pays the publicly undisclosed price.

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Green Bay Packers take the Big Game Trophy

Aroan Rodgers celebrates after the Packers held off the Steelers for a 31-25 vicotry.

What a great game unless you are a Steelers fan. The Green Bay Packers pulled it off and they deserved the trophy after a great season like that. When in comes to football trophies there is non other than the Lombardi trophy.

Green Bay came out strong and looked like they were going to take over the game early. After the half time show the Steelers came back and gave the Packers a run for the money. Pittsburgh could of had it but the big fumble crushed them. In the end the Packers took the game and proudly took the super bowl trophy.

It was vintage Tomlin. Before Roethlisberger led the Steelers to the game-winning touchdown over the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, his coach delivered a point that resonates.

Tomlin will become the first coach in NFL history to win two Super Bowls in his first four seasons if the Steelers defeat the Packers in Super Bowl XLV Sunday night. The 38-year-old will also become the youngest coach to win a pair of Lombardi Trophies if the most decorated franchise in football wins its unprecedented seventh Super Bowl.

One of the best moments last night was when the Steelers's Rashard Mendanhall got shoved into the sideline and shoves a camera man to slow his momentum.

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Driver getting all the trophies

Ganassi has three victories in the twice-around-the-clock endurance event. But when his drivers collected the trophies in the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400, not having the Rolex watch suddenly became a glaring void.

Ganassi goes back to this weekend's opening race of the Grand-Am season with an all-star lineup for the race on the 3.56-mile infield/oval course at Daytona International Speedway.

Ganassi brought eight drivers for two BMW Rileys. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, winners of two of the past three Grand-Am titles, team with Graham Rahal and Joey Hand in the No. 01.

The No. 02 BMW Riley boasts reigning IndyCar and Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti, Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, Scott Dixon and Juan Pablo Montoya.

The two star-studded lineups give Ganassi a good shot at a fourth title in the 24-hour race. Dixon, Franchitti, Montoya, Pruett and Rojas have been on winning teams as Ganassi entries earned three consecutive victories from 2006 to 2008.

McMurray, who also won the Brickyard 400 last year, and Franchitti made Ganassi the first owner to win the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 in one season.

Last year, the No. 02 Ganassi entry retired in the early morning hours with an engine failure after leading 139 laps.

The No. 01 entry contended until driver Justin Wilson made an ill-advised stop while leading with about three hours remaining because he thought something was wrong with his car.

That gave the victory to Action Express Racing, in its debut. Joao Barbosa was behind the wheel of the No. 9 Porsche Riley when it stunningly finished 50 seconds ahead of the Ganassi entry.

Jorg Bergmeister starts today from the pole in the No. 45 Porsche Riley for Flying Lizard Motorsports, with Max Angelelli of Sun Trust Racing up second. Pruett will start one Ganassi entry in third, Dixon starts the other in fifth, and the defending champions start 12th.

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