1857 Fleming Ridout & Schreiber: Plan of the City of Toronto

This map shows the boundaries of the city, all streets, ward boundaries, parks and some notable buildings. Printed at the edges of the map is information concerning fire alarms and cab districts and fares.

The original of this map hung in room 14, a boardroom in Old City Hall. It now hangs on display in the second floor boardroom of the City of Toronto Archives.

‘Fleming, Ridout & Schreiber’ refers to Sir Sandford Fleming, Thomas Ridout, and Collingwood Schreiber. Both Sandford Fleming and Collingwood Schreiber were railway engineers as well as surveyors, so it is no surprise their map is the benchmark for recording the railway building in the 1850s.

It showed how completely the railways enveloped Fort York, with the GWR and GTR being the chief offenders. The GTR's cruciform Engine House dominated the fort's east end. It was constructed on part of the ten acres of land that the GTR had reclaimed from the lake. Another ten acres at the depot and the rail corridor to the west was formerly Ordnance land.

Click the image to view a full-size version (7+ MB).

Plan of the City of Toronto Canada West 1857. // Published by Fleming Ridout & Schreiber / Lithographed by J. Ellis 8 King St. Toronto C.W.
Original image scan courtesy City of Toronto Archives: Fonds 2, Series 88, Item 13.
Winearls, MUC no. 2131

Large version liberated by W. Xavier Snelgrove.

For comparison, the following map appeared as an addendum in Thomas Blackwell’s Report of the Grand Trunk Railway Company for the year 1859. Published by Waterlow & Sons Lith., it seems to be closely based on the Fleming Ridout & Schreiber map. [The 'ca. 1857' and the green highlighting are, I believe, modern amendments to the file]

Click the image to view a full-size version.

Toronto Canada West
by Waterlow & Sons Lith. London, 1860

Map available at Library and Archives Canada: MIKAN 4138854.

See Also: 1851 S Fleming Topographical Plan of the City of Toronto

Please ‘Like’ and Share these maps with other Toronto history enthusiasts! (+1s are also welcome!)

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1858 WS Boulton: Atlas of the City of Toronto and Vicinity

“Sometime in 1858, William Somerville Boulton (1830-1860) and his brother Henry Carew Boulton (1833-1898), young Provincial Land Surveyors, completed this massive 30-sheet map or "atlas" of the City of Toronto. At one inch to 100 feet, this was the largest scale map of Toronto produced to that date and the first to show buildings in detail. The massive printing job was undertaken by John Ellis, a leading local map printer. It is no wonder the "atlas" took a prize at the Upper Canada Provincial Exhibition in 1858.

The maps indicated the construction material of buildings from stone through brick (red) to frame (grey and white). The legend also indicates a further classification of buildings (by use of 1s and 2s) into 1st and 2nd class buildings in that category. Information on fire alarms is also given.

With its detailed information on building materials, the "atlas" may be considered a forerunner of the fire insurance plans of the 1880s.”

- Isobel Ganton & Joan Winearls, MAPPING TORONTO'S FIRST CENTURY 1787-1884

The Boulton Atlas covers an area south of Bloor from roughly Dufferin in the west, to the Don River in the east. To create the following key map, I committed a slight cartographic atrocity by overlaying the plate areas on top of the 1857 Fleming, Ridout & Schreiber Plan of the City of Toronto -- the Boulton Atlas does not have a key.

Click any number to view the corresponding plate. 



[Atlas of Toronto] [Imprint on most sheets]: Surveyed & Compiled by W.S. & H.C. Boulton Toronto. / Lithographed & Published by Jno Ellis 8, King Street.
Images from this set are courtesy of the Toronto Public Library: 912.71354 B594 1858.
Winearls, MUC no. 2133

To see how the physical structure of the city changed between 1858 and 1880, compare the Boulton plates to those of Goad’s Atlas of Toronto.

Update—zoomable, scrollable version
Try out this stitched-together version my friend and I created! View the map in full page mode here.


[read: the background story on this version]

Notes on specific plates
(via Ganton/Winearls)

Plate 25: The New Town in 1858
Although this area had been a centre for provincial government buildings since the 1830s, development slowed after the government left Toronto in 1841. After the government returned in 1855, development of the area continued with row housing, rear lanes, and new streets in evidence.

Note that Government House and the Executive Council office, both in spacious grounds, were oriented to the north, rather than to the street grid. Upper Canada College and the Parliament Buildings followed the American tradition of being located in a square, rather than the British tradition of fronting on it.

The Royal Alexandra Theatre now sits on the Upper Canada College grounds and faces Roy Thomson Hall on the site of Government House.

Plate 16: "The Ward", 1858
This area immediately to the west of Yonge Street was built up with inexpensive housing by the time this plan was made. By the end of the century, the district had degenerated into a slum known as "The Ward".

This is one of few sections of the city where not only original buildings, but even many of the original streets have disappeared to make way for hospitals, the Eaton Centre, and City Hall. The few surviving buildings in this area are Osgoode Hall, Trinity Church, and the House of Industry (south of Elm at Elizabeth Street) [Only the north façade of the HoI remains. -N.].

The map shows how the present width of University Avenue was achieved by combining College Avenue with Park Lane, the street giving access to lots to the east.

Plate 17: A Good Address, 1858
The area east of Yonge was also built up by 1858, but with a more substantial type of housing in brick (in red), especially at the "good addresses" along Jarvis and Church.

Most of this area was subdivided according to the McGill plan of 1836 and much resubdivision into smaller lots is evident here.

In contrast, the amalgamation of some lots along Bond Street for large institutional buildings, such as St. Michael's Cathedral and the Normal School, posed a barrier to the eastward expansion of the Yonge Street commercial area.

Plate 28: The Old Town, 1858
The ten blocks of the original town and the blocks to the north had been built up well before the 1850s. Note the Bank of Upper Canada at George and Duke and the Post Office immediately to the east, both erected two to three decades earlier when this area was the centre of town. Although the commercial centre had moved away from the Old Town, it remained a respectable residential area for some time to come.

The bend of Britain Street marks the old detour around the marshes of Taddle Creek, the route used before Queen Street was completed in the 1840s.

The Bank of Upper Canada and the jail were among the few buildings in Toronto built of stone.

Bonus:
Plate 24 Jameson Villa. West of Brock and Wellington on this plate may be found the villa of Robert Jameson (labelled Widder). See here for some detailed history on this building.

Meta-commentary
For some time, I wanted to do a key-map for the Boulton Atlas as a follow-up to my previous mapping project, Goad’s Atlas of Toronto -- Online! The Boulton Atlas (as discussed above) can be thought of as a fore-runner of the Goad insurance plans, showing building outlines and construction materials.

I kept putting it off because it wasn’t a Goad work, and also because I couldn’t find a satisfactory ‘vertically-aligned’ contemporary map on which to overlay the panel outlines (I’m not one of those technical types who understands kml files and georeferencing). I realized the 1857 Fleming Ridout & Schreiber plan conveniently covered the same area, and could be repurposed accordingly.

Then I thought for completeness’ sake, I ought to also post the 1842 Cane Topological map somewhere, because it too shows many building and structural outlines.

These factors combined as the major impetus for initially assembling this site.

A historical tidbit for those of you who read this far: William Henry Boulton was the Mayor of Toronto in 1858. 

Please ‘Like’ and Share these maps with other Toronto history enthusiasts! (+1s are welcome too!)

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Derek Jeter's Ups and Downs in 2011

It's a pretty common for a lot of men to wish they were Derek Jeter— probably a few women too.  Who wouldn't want to be the starting shortstop of the New York Yankees?  Rich, handsome, athletic and the idol of thousands of fans. There wasn't too much not to like about the basically untarnished image of the Yankees Captain until 2011 rolled around.

There was a lot of good, bad and great things for Jeter in 2011.

The past year was probably the most turbulent and public twelve months in both Jeter's personal and baseball life.  The virtuous Jeter started showing a few chinks in his armor.

Coming off the Yankees losing to the Texas Rangers in the 2010 ALCS, Jeter ushered in 2011 after contentious contract negotiations with the Yankees— the only pro team he has ever played for.

The leaking of the private negotiations led to a public feud with GM Brian Cashman and Hal and Hank Steinbrenner and left a bitter taste in Jeter's mouth.  A three-year, $51 million deal was deemed an overpayment by many for the 36-year old player on his last legs.

At a press conference, Jeter bared his fangs but tempered his anger at how the talks were handled by management. 

Not a good way to start the new year even with 51 million reasons to be happy.

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"Hugo" and "The Artist" lead the winners of the 84th Academy Awards

Source: Rappler

"Hugo" and "The Artist" lead the winners of the 84th Academy Awards, held Sunday, February 26 (Monday, February 27) in Los Angeles.

Both films had 5 wins each, with the silent film "The Artist" taking Best Picture, Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius, and Best Actor for Jean Dujardin. It also took home awards for Costume Design and Original Score.

Photo courtesy

The film is the first silent film to win the top prize since "Wings," which won Best Picture back in 1928, in the first Academy Awards ceremonies.

The animated Martin Scorsese film "Hugo," meanwhile, won awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects.

Meryl Streep's performance as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" won for her the Best Actress Oscar, beating presumed frontrunner Viola Davis ("The Help").

A standing ovation from the crowd at the Hollywood and Highland Theater (the former Kodak Theater) greeted her third Oscar win, which came after a record 17 nominations throughout her career.

Octavia Spencer ("The Help") won Best Supporting Actress, while Christopher Plummer ("Beginners") made Academy history by winning Best Supporting Actor at the age of 82, the oldest awardee ever.

The Iranian film "A Separation," meanwhile, wins Best Foreign Language Film.

The Oscars was hosted by comedian Billy Crystal, who has led the ceremonies 8 times in the past.

Here is a list of the nominees and winners (highlighted) for the major categories at the 84th Academy Awards. This list is according to presentation of the awards during the ceremonies.

Cinematography

• "The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth
• "Hugo" Robert Richardson
• "The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki
• "War Horse" Janusz Kaminski

Art Direction

• "The Artist" - Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" - Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
• "Hugo" - Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
• "Midnight in Paris" - Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
• "War Horse" - Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Costume Design

• "Anonymous" Lisy Christl
• "The Artist" Mark Bridges
• "Hugo" Sandy Powell
• "Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor
• "W.E." Arianne Phillips

Makeup

• "Albert Nobbs," Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
• "The Iron Lady," Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Best Foreign Language Film

• "Bullhead" Belgium
• "Footnote" Israel
• "In Darkness" Poland
• "Monsieur Lazhar" Canada
• "A Separation" Iran

Best Supporting Actress

• Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
• Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
• Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
• Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
• Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Film Editing

• "The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
• "The Descendants" Kevin Tent
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
• "Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker
• "Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen

Sound Editing

• "Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce
• "Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
• "War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
• "Hugo," Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
• "Moneyball," Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, David Giammarco and Ed Novick
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
• "War Horse," Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Documentary (Feature)

• "Hell and Back Again," Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
• "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front," Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
• "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory," Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
• "Pina," Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
• "Undefeated," TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Rich Middlemas

Best Animated Feature

• "A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
• "Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
• "Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
• "Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
• "Rango" Gore Verbinski

Visual Effects

• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
• "Hugo," Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann and Alex Henning
• "Real Steel," Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
• "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Best Supporting Actor

• Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
• Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
• Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
• Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
• Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Music (Original Score)

• "The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams
• "The Artist" Ludovic Bource
• "Hugo" Howard Shore
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias
• "War Horse" John Williams

Music (Original Song)

• "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets," Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
• "Real in Rio" from "Rio," Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown; Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Adapted Screenplay

• "The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
• "Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
• "The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
• "Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Best Original Screenplay

• "The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
• "Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
• "Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
• "Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
• "A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi

Short Film (Live Action)

• "Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
• "Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
• "The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George
• "Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
• "Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø

Documentary (Short Subject)

• "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement," Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
• "God Is the Bigger Elvis," Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
• "Incident in New Baghdad," James Spione
• "Saving Face," Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
• "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom," Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Short Film (Animated)

• "Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon
• "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
• "La Luna" Enrico Casarosa
• "A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
• "Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Best Director

• Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
• Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
• Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
• Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
• Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"

2011 Governors Awards (Given last November 12, 2011)

• Honorary Awards: James Earl Jones, Dick Smith
• Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Oprah Winfrey

Best Actor

• Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
• George Clooney in "The Descendants"
• Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
• Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
• Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Best Actress

• Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
• Viola Davis in "The Help"
• Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
• Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
• Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Best Picture

• "The Artist," Thomas Langmann, Pr"Hugo" and "The Artist" lead the winners of the 84th Academy Awards, held Sunday, February 26 (Monday, February 27) in Los Angeles.
• Both films had 5 wins each, with the silent film "The Artist" taking Best Picture, Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius, and Best Actor for Jean Dujardin. It also took home awards for Costume Design and Original Score.
• The film is the first silent film to win the top prize since "Wings," which won Best Picture back in 1928, in the first Academy Awards ceremonies.
• The animated Martin Scorsese film "Hugo," meanwhile, won awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects.
• Meryl Streep's performance as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" won for her the Best Actress Oscar, beating presumed frontrunner Viola Davis ("The Help").
• A standing ovation from the crowd at the Hollywood and Highland Theater (the former Kodak Theater) greeted her third Oscar win, which came after a record 17 nominations throughout her career.
• Octavia Spencer ("The Help") won Best Supporting Actress, while Christopher Plummer ("Beginners") made Academy history by winning Best Supporting Actor at the age of 82, the oldest awardee ever.
• The Iranian film "A Separation," meanwhile, wins Best Foreign Language Film.
• The Oscars was hosted by comedian Billy Crystal, who has led the ceremonies 8 times in the past.
• Here is a list of the nominees and winners (highlighted) for the major categories at the 84th Academy Awards. This list is according to presentation of the awards during the ceremonies.
• Cinematography
• "The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth
• "Hugo" Robert Richardson
• "The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki
• "War Horse" Janusz Kaminski

Art Direction

• "The Artist" - Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" - Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
• "Hugo" - Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
• "Midnight in Paris" - Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
• "War Horse" - Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Costume Design

• "Anonymous" Lisy Christl
• "The Artist" Mark Bridges
• "Hugo" Sandy Powell
• "Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor
• "W.E." Arianne Phillips

Makeup

• "Albert Nobbs," Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
• "The Iron Lady," Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Best Foreign Language Film

• "Bullhead" Belgium
• "Footnote" Israel
• "In Darkness" Poland
• "Monsieur Lazhar" Canada
• "A Separation" Iran

Best Supporting Actress

• Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
• Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
• Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
• Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
• Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Film Editing

• "The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
• "The Descendants" Kevin Tent
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
• "Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker
• "Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen

Sound Editing

• "Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce
• "Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
• "War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
• "Hugo," Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
• "Moneyball," Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, David Giammarco and Ed Novick
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
• "War Horse," Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Documentary (Feature)

• "Hell and Back Again," Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
• "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front," Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
• "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory," Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
• "Pina," Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
• "Undefeated," TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Rich Middlemas

Best Animated Feature

• "A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
• "Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
• "Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
• "Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
• "Rango" Gore Verbinski

Visual Effects

• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
• "Hugo," Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann and Alex Henning
• "Real Steel," Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
• "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Best Supporting Actor

• Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
• Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
• Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
• Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
• Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Music (Original Score)

• "The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams
• "The Artist" Ludovic Bource
• "Hugo" Howard Shore
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias
• "War Horse" John Williams

Music (Original Song)

• "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets," Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
• "Real in Rio" from "Rio," Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown; Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Adapted Screenplay

• "The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
• "Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
• "The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
• "Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Best Original Screenplay

• "The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
• "Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
• "Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
• "Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
• "A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi

Short Film (Live Action)

• "Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
• "Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
• "The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George
• "Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
• "Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø

Documentary (Short Subject)

• "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement," Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
• "God Is the Bigger Elvis," Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
• "Incident in New Baghdad," James Spione
• "Saving Face," Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
• "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom," Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Short Film (Animated)

• "Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon
• "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
• "La Luna" Enrico Casarosa
• "A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
• "Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Best Director

• Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
• Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
• Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
• Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
• Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"

2011 Governors Awards (Given last November 12, 2011)
Honorary Awards: James Earl Jones, Dick Smith
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Oprah Winfrey

Best Actor

• Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
• George Clooney in "The Descendants"
• Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
• Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
• Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Best Actress

• Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
• Viola Davis in "The Help"
• Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
• Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
• Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Best Picture

• "The Artist," Thomas Langmann, Producer
• "The Descendants," Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
• "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," Scott Rudin, Producer
• "The Help," Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
• "Hugo," Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
• "Midnight in Paris," Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
• "Moneyball," Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
• "The Tree of Life," Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill, Producers
• "War Horse," Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

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Another first from Globe: Visayan customer hotline

Globe Telecom marks another milestone in the Philippine telecommunication industry, offering the first trilingual customer hotline service with the launch of its Visayan interactive voice response (IVR) system. 

With the launch of the new hotline system, Visayan-speaking Globe subscribers can call 730-1000 from any landline or 211 from any Globe or TM mobile number and simply follow the voice prompts so they are directed to a Visayan-speaking customer service representative. They can then inquire about Globe broadband and landline services or raise concerns and requests, while conversing in Visayan. The Visayan-speaking customer service representatives (CSR), based in Cebu, will be on hand 24/7 to accommodate calls.

“Once again, we are raising the bar of customer hotline services by putting in place a system that can fully understand queries and concerns of a specific group of subscribers,” said Joe Caliro, Head for Customer Experience of Globe. “This is a milestone not just for Globe but most importantly for our Visayan subscribers because their concerns will be addressed at the soonest possible time in their own language.” 

The hotline service is done in partnership with Aegis People Support and Tech Mahindra, two of the best-in-class contact center firms in the global business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. 

The Visayan language is the second most-widely spoken dialect in the country, with over 20 million Filipinos speaking the language in various provinces and cities in the Visayas and Mindanao. 

In addition, Globe has set up more customer service channels in addition to its existing channels such as the Talk2Globe Hotline via 730-1000 (toll-free via Globe Landline) or 211 (toll-free via Globe/TM mobile), official Talk2Globe accounts in Facebook and Twitter, and the Talk2Globe e-mail account (talk@globetel.com.ph) to reach more subscribers and to immediately respond to queries and concerns on its services available for Globe subscribers. 

These new Talk2Globe channels include chat functionality available on the Globe website or via Yahoo! Messenger (by adding the Talk2Globe account—Talk2GLOBECHAT) that provides real-time feedback from customer service representatives who are on duty 24/7. Globe subscribers anywhere in the Philippines can also get assistance by texting HELP to 1234 for free. 

Globe also launched *143#, the newest and easiest quick-service menu that allows subscribers to know more about the latest Globe promos at the touch of a button for free. Just dial *143# and press the call button on the mobile phone to quickly access billing and load details, as well as call, text and surfing promos, do GCASH transactions, download related services, and share prepaid load to Globe and TM users without having to memorize registration codes and access numbers. 

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Whitney Houston Found Dead at 48

A lot of us may have brought up an #RIPWhitneyHouston jokes on Twitter. This time, we are not laughing anymore as the singer battled with drugs.

The publicist of the award-winning "I Will Always Loved You"singer confirmed her death. She was 48. Worse, she died on the eve of the prestigious Grammy Awards.

While the cause of death has not yet been revealed, one can only wonder whether it was drug-related.Anyone who remembers Houston's early work and the impact it had on music can only be saddened by her death.

Extending my condolences to the singer's family.

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Audition for The Amazing Race Philippines

The fastest reality show is now here in the Philippines!

From the press release:

"Fans of The Amazing Race franchise can expect the same level of heart-pumping adventure and thrilling challenges with the all new The Amazing Race Philippines."

Interested fans should now start making their audition videos.

Competition will be tough thus make sure you get noticed by the production team. Heh.

TV 5 will post the audition schedules and procedures soon. Will keep you posted.

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