International Emmys to honor David Frost

NEW YORK – British TV personality David Frost will be honored at the 37th Annual International Emmy Awards for a wide-ranging career that has taken him from pioneering political satire on television to conducting serious interviews with former President Richard Nixon and other newsmakers.

ABC's Barbara Walters will present the International Emmy Founders Award to Frost at Monday night's awards gala at the Hilton New York Hotel.

"When they're up there on the stage, you are going to be looking at two of the greatest interviewers in the history of television paired together," said Bruce L. Paisner, president and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The presentation will highlight an evening in which 41 nominees from 17 countries will be competing in 10 categories for International Emmys, honoring excellence in TV programming produced outside the U.S.

British television productions garnered a leading nine nominations, including the long-running MI5 spy series "Spooks" for best drama and the TV talent show parody "Peter Kay's Got the Pop Factor ..." for top comedy.

Mexico's "Capadocia," produced by HBO Latin America, had three nominations. The series set in a fictional women's prison rife with corruption is in contention for best drama, actress (Cecilia Suarez) and actor (Oscar Olivares).

China's "Ultimate Rescue" was a double nominee for best TV movie/mini-series and actor (Chen Li).

Other British nominees include actress Julie Walters for her role in "A Short Stay in Switzerland," inspired by the true story of a woman who took her own life in a Zurich clinic after being diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease, and Ben Whishaw for his star turn in the thriller "Criminal Justice," about the odyssey of a 21-year-old defendant accused of murder.

Brazil had five nominations, including the comedy "The Slum," followed by the Philippines, Germany and Mexico with three apiece. Thailand had its first-ever nomination for the children's program "Lharn Poo Koo E-Joo."

Paisner said the honorary award to Frost is "long overdue." The Founders Award has been presented annually since 1980 to a person who "crosses cultural boundaries to touch our common humanity."

Frost, 70, first gained prominence on both sides of the Atlantic in the early 1960s as host of the irreverent groundbreaking satirical program "That Was The Week That Was" that lampooned the political establishment.

Frost later turned to more serious interview-based shows. He holds the distinction of having interviewed all seven British prime ministers serving since 1964 as well as all seven U.S. presidents in office between 1969 and 2008. He currently is hosting the weekly program "Frost Over the World" on Al Jazeera English.

"He's had an amazing and unique media career," said Paisner. "One of the really interesting things about David is that he's made a lot of comebacks. I think a lot of people had stopped thinking about him and then (the stage play and Oscar-nominated film) `Frost/Nixon' appeared and you really saw how good he could be."

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who is German-born, will present the International Emmy Directorate Award to Markus Schachter for his outstanding leadership of Germany's ZDF television network. Paisner said the award was particularly fitting in a year marking both the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Paisner said the three nominations for "Capadocia" reflect a growing trend toward higher quality television production in more countries outside the U.S. "Capadocia" had the budget to spend a week shooting a single episode, compared to the typical Latin American telenovela which would do one episode in a day, Paisner said.

"There are a lot of places where they are producing more and better dramas and they're putting that on the schedule instead of the lower-cost fare that you might have seen 10 years ago," he said.

The other contenders for best drama include "The Land of the Wind" (South Korea), "The Protectors" (Denmark) and "Sokhulu & Partners" (South Africa). The comedy nominees also include "Hoshi Shinichi's Short Shorts" (Japan) and "Turkish for Beginners" (Germany).

Walters and Suarez will be competing in the best actress category with France's Emma De Caunes for "Night Birds" and the Philippines' Angel Locsin for "The Wolf." Robert de Hoog of the Netherlands was the other best actor nominee for his role in "Skin."

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On the Net:

International Emmys: http://www.iemmys.tv

S.Koreans mourn rising star supermodel

SEOUL (AFP) – Fans and friends on Saturday expressed shock at the death of a South Korean supermodel who was found hanged in her central Paris apartment earlier this week.

Daul Kim's friends remembered her talent and the difficulties she faced, while her Internet homepage was swamped with tributes following reports of the 20-year-old rising star's apparent suicide.

Ahn Seong-Jin, a photographer who had often worked with Kim, said she was full of ideas and creativity.

"She was able to make various looks and postures on catwalks that can hardly be matched by others. She had an optimum body shape and an amazing capacity to adapt herself to changing circumstances," he told journalists.

A modelling agent said on condition of anonymity: "She was an excellent model but she used to say she had hard times off the job."

Kim wrote on her homepage on August 22: "I need to learn how to stop destroying myself, stop being hard on myself and be nice to myself."

She added: "I need to keep wanting something nice, something warmer than just a fur coat."

The last entry on her blog "I Like To Fork Myself" -- posted Wednesday, a day before her death -- was headlined "say hi to forever."

One poster named Eun Hyo-Sun wrote: "I sincerely hope and pray that you will find that 'something nice' and 'something warm' up there (in heaven).... All the fashion industry is mourning."

Another contributor said:"I believe that you can find what you want. I'll pray for you."

The 1.78-metre (5 feet 10 inches) Kim, who was known for her thick mane of dark hair and quirky look, was born in Seoul and raised there and in Singapore.

She made her catwalk debut for Chanel, Dries Van Noten, and Maison Martin Margiela in 2007 and recently appeared in a commercial for Christopher Kane's Topshop line.

"Project Runway" season finale airs after legal dispute

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Irina Shabayeva won the sixth season of the fashion reality show "Project Runway" on Thursday in the conclusion of the hit cable series which was delayed for months by legal wrangling.

Shabayeva, 27, the daughter of immigrants from the Republic of Georgia who moved their family to Brooklyn, impressed the show's judges with an edgy collection of 13 looks shown at New York's Fashion Week earlier this year.

The designer said she was inspired by "what it takes to survive in the city as a woman."

"Your line was sleek, modern, cohesive and it told a story," Heidi Klum, the show's host and one of its judges, told the winner.

Shabayeva was joined by runners-up Carol Hannah Whitfield and Althea Harper in the show's second consecutive all-female finale, the show's first outing on Lifetime network after a successful run on rival Bravo.

The finalists were enshrouded in a veil of anonymity at the Bryant Park fashion shows filmed in February due to legal wrangling when "Project Runway" producer, Weinstein Co., sold the hugely popular show's rights to Lifetime after five seasons on Bravo.

A lawsuit by Bravo owner NBC Universal kept any of the Los Angeles-based season's episodes from being aired. After a settlement in April in which Weinstein agreed to pay NBC Universal for the move, the show finally premiered on Lifetime in August, nearly a year after filming had begun.

Originally the finalists showed their runway collections without showing their faces, because the series had not yet aired and the network wanted to maintain suspense over which contestants had prevailed.

Yet each was somehow shown introducing their runway shows during Thursday night's broadcast and walking the runway to applause.

The judges took issue with lack of color in Shabayeva's nearly all-black collection, which featured oversized shawl collars, hooded sweaters, and highly structured heavy wool and felt, but they praised her reach and sense of showmanship.

The outspoken Shabayeva, a frontrunner who often said during the series that she was not there "to make friends," received a fashion magazine spread, a Paris holiday and $100,000 for her victory, not to mention invaluable industry exposure.

Having noted her traditionally minded father's disapproval of her career choice, the winner said: "I think he finally is going to take me seriously about this whole fashion adventure."

Challenges this season ranged from recutting recent divorcees' wedding gowns to suit their new lives, to red-carpet looks and designs for pop star Christina Aguilera.

Throughout the season, a contestant is typically eliminated at the end of each weekly show. The runway finale is taped, edited and shown on television soon afterward, but the court battle delayed it by well over six months.

15 documentary features make Oscar's short list

LOS ANGELES – Of the 89 documentary films eligible for Oscar consideration this year, 15 were selected for a short list of potential nominees. And Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" wasn't one of them.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 15 titles Wednesday.

Some of the year's most popular documentary features were overlooked, including Moore's R-rated film, which was praised by critics and earned more than $14 million at the box office.

Also omitted from Oscar consideration was the well-reviewed Mike Tyson documentary "Tyson," the rock-doc "It Might Get Loud," and the story of Vogue magazine and its editor-in-chief, "The September Issue."

The short list of films is determined by a committee of members of the academy's documentary branch. They watch all eligible contenders and vote for their favorites by secret ballot. The top vote-getters make the short list of potential nominees.

The selections this year are "The Beaches of Agnes," "Burma VJ," "The Cove," "Every Little Step," "Facing Ali," "Food, Inc.," "Garbage Dreams," "Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders," "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers," "Mugabe and the White African," "Sergio," "Soundtrack for a Revolution," "Under Our Skin," "Valentino The Last Emperor" and "Which Way Home."

Five documentary features from that list will be chosen as nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards. Nominations will be announced Feb. 2, 2010, and the awards will be presented March 7.

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On the Net:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, http://www.oscars.org/

Eric Dane joins "Burlesque"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "Grey's Anatomy" star Eric Dane has joined "Burlesque," a musical drama starring Christina Aguilera and Cher.

The Screen Gems film centers on the journey of an ambitious small-town girl (Aguilera) with a big voice who finds love and success in a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club, reminiscent of the nightclub in Bob Fosse's "Cabaret."

Dane is playing the role of a charming, highly successful businessman who vies for Aguilera's heart.

He rounds out a cast that also includes Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming.

Steve Antin is directing the feature, which will be released Thanksgiving 2010.

Dane last appeared on the big screen in "Marley & Me" and will be seen in New Line's "Valentine's Day."

Palin tells Winfrey she prays for Levi Johnston

CHICAGO – Sarah Palin says it's "a bit heartbreaking" to see the road the father of her grandson has taken.

Palin appeared on Monday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," saying Levi Johnston is on a road that is "not a healthy place to be."

Palin's 413-page book, "Going Rogue," will be released Tuesday and she begins a book tour Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The new memoir doesn't contain any references to Johnston, who's sparred with his former mother-in-law-to-be.

The former Alaska governor and former Republican vice presidential candidate told Winfrey that Johnston has been busy with media tours and hasn't seen his son "for a while."

Palin also says she continues "to hope for the best and to pray for Levi."

Tarantino's Nazi villain storms Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "The better the dog, the busier you have to keep him."

That was the advice a dog trainer, of all people, gave Christoph Waltz, the Vienna-born actor who won the top acting prize at Cannes for his role as the eerily deliberate Col. Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds."

Now he's keeping busy. Very busy. Sporting a beard for his new role as the villain in "The Green Hornet," the 53-year-old actor is co-starring in a major studio film and fielding offers for everything from star parts to A-list parties.

He appears somewhat bemused to be invited to events and roundtables with the likes of Nicolas Cage and Morgan Freeman, but his confidence in his own skill is apparent.

"I'm arrogant and blase enough to consider myself a very good dog," he jokes, while admitting that the long time it has taken him to achieve this level of recognition may have chafed. "You take pride in what you're doing, in your craft, and all of that, but -- I wouldn't say I resigned myself to mediocrity, not at all, but I started to accept that there might be an ideal you strive for (and) never realize."

Now he's found that ideal with Landa. It was a piece of casting that director Quentin Tarantino considered so essential for his film that he was almost ready to give up on the whole project, having spent more than $1 million of his own money to develop it, after weeks of failing to find the right actor. Then Waltz walked in and Tarantino knew he could make his movie.

"I consider myself one of very few who get the chance to have that experience," Waltz says. "(But) it would be completely presumptuous, or, in a way, childish, or rather infantile to expect that could happen again and again."

Being born into a family of theater professionals has helped him keep things in perspective. Waltz's parents worked as set designers, and he also had grandparents and even great-grandparents who were involved in the performing arts. After studying acting in Vienna at the University of Music and Performing Arts, he learned Lee Strasberg's method-acting techniques, living in New York in the late 1970s, before returning to Europe, where he established a stage career and worked extensively in television, netting several awards for his work.

"The one advantage of having grown up in the business is that you don't romanticize it," he says. "'Oh, isn't it wonderful?' Blah, blah, blah. No, it isn't! I've never romanticized it."

Does that put him in the minority in Los Angeles? He laughs. "Perhaps. But on the other hand, the conviction, the dedication that you see here, is tremendous. It would be awful if the whole business consisted of grouchy farts like me."

Waltz seems devoid of delusions about his own grandeur. "I know what I can contribute," he says. "And that's a very limited, very specific unit, whether it's a big movie, a small movie, a German movie, an American movie. That's the advantage I have over a 25-year-old. I've had the chance to understand what it is I do."

Now he's doing it on "The Green Hornet."

"It's fun," he says. "It's a lot of special effects and it's terribly interesting because these people are so adept and so professional and so skillful. (Writer-star) Seth Rogen is such a lovely man, such a smart and funny person. His ideas are bubbling out constantly, and his (writing) partner Evan Goldberg translates them onto the page as they bubble about. And, most of all, (director) Michel Gondry (is) a very interesting, quite eccentric, quirky character with fabulous ideas. How his mind works is really, really fascinating."

Waltz is relishing the other new opportunities "Basterds" has brought about.

"It opens doors I didn't even know existed. All interesting directors end up here, and I'd be thrilled to work with the greats. I'm a great Tim Burton fan and an admirer of Martin Scorsese. This is how different my interests are."

Thanks to the richness of Landa's character, those directors probably have him on their list of actors to watch. Luckily for Waltz, he isn't simply fielding offers to play SS men.

"Nobody's talking about that. I get interest coming my way from many different directions. I'd hate to pigeon-hole myself. The variety is what's interesting."

No, he says, he won't be playing any more Nazis. But he does hope to make more Hollywood films. "In Europe, everybody would say, 'Well, they just want to squeeze you like a lemon.' Well, yeah! But, you know, if I have the juice, why shouldn't they?"

Denzel Washington cheers on son's 1st college game

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Actor Denzel Washington was playing proud father as he cheered on his son Malcolm's first game with the University of Pennsylvania basketball team.

Washington sat three rows behind Penn's bench Friday night during the Quakers' season opener at Penn State. Wearing a black sweat shirt and black cap pulled down low over his forehead, the Hollywood star went virtually unnoticed in the Jordan Center crowd.

He declined to answer a reporter's question before the game, waving his arms and nodding in the direction of the Penn bench.

The 5-foot-9 Malcolm Washington is a walk-on guard at Penn. He did not play in Penn's 70-55 loss.

Penn's visit to Penn State to start the new season was perfect timing for Washington, who is in central Pennsylvania filming the movie "Unstoppable."

"Gidget" director Paul Wendkos dies at age 84

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Director Paul Wendkos, whose career spanned 50 years and covered some 100 films and television shows including the 1959 surf movie "Gidget," has died due to a lung infection that followed a stroke. He was 84.

Family representative C. Christie Craig said Wendkos died on Thursday in Malibu, California.

Despite the comedic tone of "Gidget," about a girl played by Sandra Dee who falls for a surfer under the California sun, and later "Gidget Goes Hawaiian," Wendkos' work more often focused on dark and edgy subjects.

His other films included 1969's "Guns of the Magnificent Seven," and on television, he helmed movies and mini-series such as "The Legend of Lizzie Borden," starring Elizabeth Montgomery, and "A Woman Called Moses" with Cicely Tyson.

Wendkos was born on September 20, 1925 in Philadelphia and served in the U.S. Navy during World War Two. He attended Columbia University in New York and later studied film history and aesthetics at The New School for Social Research.

Wendkos' first movie was the documentary "Dark Interlude" that looked at rehabilitating the blind, and his first narrative movie was the 1957 drama "The Burglar," starring Jayne Mansfield, who was a little known actress at the time.

Shot on the streets of Philadelphia and New York, "Burglar" captured the attention of Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohen, and the legendary studio boss brought Wendkos to Hollywood.

Wendkos married Ruth Burnat in 1953, and the couple had one son, Jordan Elkan Wendkos. Ruth died in 1978. Wendkos's second marriage was to former NBC television producer Lin Bolen. He is survived by Bolen, his son Jordan, a granddaughter, niece and nephews.

Palin in book: McCain aides kept me 'bottled up'

NEW YORK – The rumors are true, according to Sarah Palin: The McCain-Palin campaign was not a happy family. In Palin's new memoir, "Going Rogue," she confirms reports of tension between her aides and those of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain. The vice presidential candidate confirms that she had wanted to speak on election night, but was denied the chance and says she was kept "bottled up" from reporters during the campaign.

Palin also writes harshly of CBS anchor Katie Couric, whom she describes as "badgering" and biased. Palin's series of interviews with Couric were widely regarded as disastrous, leaving the impression of an ill-informed candidate who was unsuited for the job.

The 413-page book with 16 pages of color photos but no index comes out Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Associated Press was able to purchase a copy Thursday. "Going Rogue," with a first printing of 1.5 million copies, has been at or near the top of Amazon.com and other best-seller lists for weeks, ever since publisher HarperCollins announced that the book had been completed quickly and the release date was being moved up from next spring.

The book follows Palin from childhood to her departure last summer as Alaska governor. It includes much of what her admirers, and detractors, expected: tributes to family, faith and patriotism, and attacks against the media and other perceived opponents.

She writes about the "jaded aura" of professional campaign aides and how McCain's entourage limited her access to the media, leading to allegations — unfounded, she says — that she was avoiding reporters.

In the months leading up to her July resignation as Alaska governor, her legal bills had mounted to more than $500,000, fueled mostly by what she called frivolous ethics complaints. What appeared to upset her most, though, was that about $50,000 of the legal bills was her share of the expenses for being vetted for the VP nod, Palin writes.

She said no one had ever informed her that she would have to personally take care of any expenses related to the selection process.

Palin writes that when she asked officials at the Republican National Committee and what was left of the McCain campaign if they would help her financially, she was told the bills would have been paid if McCain had won, but since he lost, the bills were her responsibility.

Trevor Potter, general counsel for the McCain campaign, told the AP the campaign had never asked Palin to pay a legal bill.

"To my knowledge, the campaign never billed Gov. Palin for any legal expenses related to her vetting and I am not aware of her ever asking the campaign to pay legal expenses that her own lawyers incurred for the vetting process."

Potter said that if Palin's personal lawyer billed her for any work related to her vetting, "We are unaware of it. It was never raised with the campaign."

Written with Lynn Vincent, "Going Rogue" is folksy in tone and homespun. For example, Palin says her efforts to award a license for a massive natural gas transmission line was turning a pipe dream into a pipeline. She writes in awe about how the McCain campaign had hired a New York stylist who had also worked on Couric.

Taken aback by all the fussing, she wondered who was paying for the $150,000 worth of fancy clothes given to her and her family by the campaign. Also, Palin did not like the forced makeover, and said she wondered at the time if she and her clan came across as "that" unpresentable.

Family members were told the costs were being taken care of, or were "part of the convention." The designer clothing, hairstyling and accessories later grew into a controversy.

Palin shares behind-the-scene moments when the nation learned her teen daughter Bristol was pregnant, how she rewrote the statement prepared for her by the McCain campaign — only to watch in horror as a TV news anchor read the original McCain camp statement, which, in Palin's view, glarmorized and endorsed her daughter's situation.

She writes that the incident made it clear to her that McCain headquarters was in charge of her message. She said when she tried to find out what the McCain camp would and would not allow her to say, chief campaign strategist Steve Schmidt told her to simply "stick with the script."

Palin laments that she wasn't allowed to bring up loads of family members to the stage while McCain gave his election night concession speech, the vice presidential candidate having found out minutes earlier that she wouldn't be permitted to give her own speech.

She writes at length about Couric. She says that the idea to meet with Couric came from McCain campaign aide Nicolle Wallace, who told Palin that Couric — also a working mother — liked and admired her. It would be a favor to Couric, too, whom Palin notes had the lowest ratings of the network anchors.

She alleges that Couric and CBS left out her more "substantive" remarks and settled for "gotcha" moments, and that Couric had a "partisan agenda" and a condescending manner. Couric was "badgering," biased and far easier on Palin's Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, the book states.

Palin writes warmly of her childhood and her mother's "nurturing, hospitable" personality. Her priorities were set early — faith, hunting, current events and sports (she even dreamed of being a broadcaster alongside Howard Cosell). She remembers being a voracious reader, favorites including John Steinbeck's "The Pearl" and George Orwell's "Animal Farm." Long before Tina Fey parodied her on "Saturday Night Live," Palin enjoyed watching the show as a girl.

She will be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters, among others, for her book. Her tour, which begins next week in Grand Rapids, Mich., will skip major cities in favor of smaller localities.