Jackson concert organizers reach out to unhappy fans (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The organizers of a controversial Michael Jackson Tribute concert said on Tuesday they were going ahead with the event, but they offered disgruntled fans the chance to air their concerns in a global conference call.

"We are 100 percent going ahead. We will continue to announce names for the line-up. We are moving forward and now we will try to address issues that have been raised by fans," Juliette Harris, a spokeswoman for Global Events Live told Reuters.

Harris said members of verified Jackson fan clubs will be invited to take part in a conference call on Tuesday, August 30, in which promoters of the October 8 tribute in Wales will try to allay their concerns.

Some 35 Jackson fans clubs have called for the tribute concert to the "Thriller" singer to be called off, saying it is "doomed to fail." They are unhappy with confusion over charitable donations from ticket revenue, the timing of the concert during the involuntary manslaughter trial in Los Angeles of Jackson's doctor, and the invitation (now withdrawn) to rock band Kiss.

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons has in the past called Jackson a child molester. The pop singer, who died in Los Angeles in June 2009 at age 50, was acquitted of all charges in a 2005 child sex abuse trial.

Attorneys for Jackson's estate have also expressed concerns about the tribute, which is supported by the singer's mother Katherine and several of her children, but not by Jackson brothers Jermaine and Randy Jackson.

Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Smokey Robinson, as well as several British acts will perform Jackson songs along with their own material at the tribute. Beyonce will also beam in a cover version of one Jackson hit by satellite.

Harris said many more performers would be announced shortly. She said she had not seen the open letter from the fan clubs but organizers want to respond in next week's conference call to some of the issues that have surfaced.

Tickets for the show at the 75,000-seat Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, range from 55 pounds to 240 pounds (about $90-$390) and go on general sale on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Oscar organizers name 9 contenders for tech awards (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – The Oscars will be here before you know it, but who will the winners be?

Micro-Voxel Volume Rendering, or the Lowry Process?

Mova CONTOUR Dense Mesh Motion Capture, ARRI Zeiss Master Primes (below) or Lyre Microphone Suspension?

Arri Master Prime lensOr all of the above?

Those tongue-twisting achievements are all in the running for the Scientific and Technical Awards, which will be presented by the Academy on February 11, 2012, two weeks prior to the Academy Awards show.

Systems and processes don't compete head-to-head at the Sci-Tech Awards -- instead, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's Scientific and Technical Awards Committee meets in December to decide which achievements are worthy of awards, who should be honored for each of those achievements, and which of the three possible levels of award (certificate, plaque or Oscar statue) each achievement has earned.

"The list is made public," the Academy said in a press release, "to allow individuals and companies with similar devices or claims of prior art the opportunity to submit their achievements for review."

So if you think, for instance, that RealD took their Cinema System for Theatrical Projection of Stereoscopic Content from something you invented, you have until August 30 to submit your own entry to www.oscars.org.

The Academy list of scientific and technical achievements selected for further awards consideration:

- Micro-Voxel Volume Rendering (Side Effects Software, Inc.)

- Mova CONTOUR Dense Mesh Motion Capture (Mova)

- ARRI Zeiss Master Primes Lens Family (ARRI, Inc.)

- Phantom High-Speed Cameras for Motion Picture Production (Vision Research. Inc.)

- Pictorvision Eclipse (Pictorvision, Inc.)

- RealD Cinema System for Theatrical Projection of Stereoscopic Content (RealD)

- The "Lowry Process" (Reliance MediaWorks)

- FUJIFILM Black and White Recording Film ENTERNA-RDS for Archive (FUJIFILM North America Corporation)

- Lyre Microphone Suspension (Rycote Microphone Windshields, Ltd.)

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Emmy organizers honor TV crime show host John Walsh (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh, whose TV crime show has helped police capture 1,500 fugitives and find 50 missing children since 1988, is being given an honorary award from organizers of the Emmys.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Tuesday said it will give its Governors Award to Walsh for making an impact on society through the use of TV.

"John Walsh has dedicated his life to the betterment of society, and while doing so has used television in an inventive and extraordinary way," academy chief executive John Shaffner said in a statement. "His contribution to society goes far beyond just hosting a hit TV show, but sets a prime example of how television can be used to convey an important message."

Walsh became known around the world as a crime fighter and victims' advocate after his 6 year-old son Adam was abducted from a mall near his home in Hollywood, Fla., on July 27, 1981 and found murdered two weeks later.

The case remained unsolved for 27 years until 2008 when police linked the slaying to a serial killer who died in prison and who claimed responsibility for hundreds of murders.

Walsh's personal tragedy is credited with sparking the creation of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 1984 after President Ronald Reagan signed the "Missing Children's Assistance Act."

His work on America's Most Wanted, which tells viewers of crimes and alleged perpetrators who are still at large, helped spark child protection laws, including "The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act" that tracks convicted sex offenders who disappear after they're released from prison.

He is one of three Honorary U.S. Marshals and was named "Man of the Year" by both the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI. Walsh will receive the Governors Award during the Creative Emmy awards in Los Angeles on September 10.

(Reporting by Jason Kandel, Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Oscar organizers downplay talk of Oprah as host (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Oscar organizers on Friday downplayed speculation that former talk show queen and Oscar nominee Oprah Winfrey might be hosting Hollywood's top film honors next year.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Winfrey, who ended the "Oprah Winfrey Show" in May to run her OWN cable TV network, has emerged as a top candidate to host the Academy Awards in February.

The Sun-Times, citing unnamed sources inside the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said organizers think Winfrey's presence would expand the show's audience and, given that her talk show ended only recently, they believe she will lure her legions of fans to the 84th Oscar show in February.

But the academy said no decision had been made.

"Every year there's always great interest and excitement about who will host the Oscars," the academy said in a statement. "This is a wonderful example of just that, and at this point, there is nothing for us to comment on regarding who is or is not on the rumored Oscar host list."

Winfrey was nominated for best supporting actress in "The Color Purple," and should she host the show, she would become the third solo female to do so behind Whoopi Goldberg -- who hosted four times -- and Ellen DeGeneres.

Earlier this year, actress Anne Hathaway co-hosted the Oscars with James Franco in an attempt by the Academy to lure in younger viewers.

However, only 37.6 million Americans watched the ceremony, making the telecast one of the least-watched Academy Awards shows of the past 10 years. It was down nearly 10 percent from the 41.7 million who tuned in the previous year when Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin co-hosted.

(Reporting by Zorianna Kit; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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