newsmakers

newsmakers

People’s Choice Awards a feast for ‘Hunger’

los angeles

“The Hunger Games” devoured the competition at the People’s Choice Awards, emerging the top victor with five trophies.

Katy Perry won three awards at the Wednesday night ceremony in Los Angeles, where fans select the winners in categories spanning music, movies and television.

“Hunger Games” was named favorite movie, action movie and movie franchise and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth had fans’ favorite on-screen chemistry. Lawrence also won favorite movie actress and “face of heroism.”

Perry was the fans’ favorite female artist and pop artist. Her video for “Part of Me” also won.

Sandra Bullock picked up the show’s first favorite humanitarian award for her efforts in New Orleans.

Actress Kaley Cuoco hosted the ceremony at the Nokia Theatre.

Kimmel tops Letterman in new slot

NEW YORK

ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” has gotten a warm welcome on its first night airing 30 minutes earlier.

Kimmel went head-to-head Tuesday for the first time against CBS’ “Late Show with David Letterman” and NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” According to Nielsen fast national ratings, Kimmel edged out Letterman and ran slightly behind Leno in total viewers.

Tuesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” was seen by roughly 3 million viewers, only 177,000 fewer than the audience for the “Tonight Show.” It beat “Late Show” by 115,000 viewers.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” scored its second-largest audience ever while exceeding the average audience in its previous berth by 59 percent.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” previously aired at 12 a.m. Eastern time, after “Nightline.” It now airs for an hour beginning at 11:35 a.m., followed by “Nightline.”

Kaley Cuoco joins Shatner at Priceline

LOS ANGELES

William Shatner is getting a new Priceline commercial co-star: Kaley Cuoco of CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory.”

In an upcoming campaign for the online travel-services company, Shatner’s Negotiator reveals he has a daughter, played by Cuoco. She’s been schooled since childhood in the art of — what else? — deal-making and now is ready to join dad in pitching Priceline.

Cuoco, 27, said the 81-year-old Shatner has made Priceline “cool,” but the company wanted to update its message for younger consumers.

The actors taped a pair of spots for the ad campaign that begins Monday.

Black Keys, fun., Rihanna at Grammys

NEW YORK

The Black Keys and fun. will make their debut on the Grammy stage next month.

The Recording Academy announced Wednesday that the multiple Grammy nominees will perform at the awards, airing live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 10.

Nominees Mumford & Sons, Taylor Swift and Rihanna also will hit the stage.

Leading the nominees with six nominations each are the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, fun., Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons and Jay-Z.

Fun. is nominated in all major categories, including best new artist and song, record and album of the year. Fun. will compete for album of the year with Ocean, Mumford & Sons, the Black Keys and Jack White.

The 55th annual Grammy Awards will be hosted by LL Cool J.

Israeli law targets ultrathin models

JERUSALEM

When Margaux Stelman began modeling a few months ago, she always had her sister Simone in mind.

Simone was an ex-model who died three years ago after a long battle with anorexia, a common affliction of models trying to look thinner and thinner — and girls trying to look like them.

Now, thanks to a new Israeli law that prohibits the employment of underweight fashion models, Stelman says she feels protected from the traditional pressures of an industry notorious for encouraging extremes in thinness. The law sets weight minimums with the aim of discouraging anorexia and bulimia, eating disorders that affect mostly young women, who go on extreme diets and are unable to eat normally.

Vindicator wire services