Miley Cyrus danced with giant bears, twerked on Robin Thicke, and stripped down on stage during MTV's Video Music Awards.
Cyrus' performances of "We Can't Stop" and "Blurred Lines" collaboration with Thicke was one of the craziest and strangest VMA duets we've seen in a long time.
Check it out below:
Yes, this happened.
This, too.
SEE ALSO: The most outrageous outfits of the night
It begins with a phone call. From out of nowhere.
That's how a MacArthur Fellow learns they have just won $500,000 to spend, however they want.
This scene has played out each year since 1981, when the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recognized 21 individuals for their creative work and handed them hundreds of thousands of dollars to be allocated over a five-year period.
These people are independent, creative, and demonstrate an exceptional talent in their field. They are also people whom the foundation thinks will benefit from the money they are given.
The grant is "not a reward for past accomplishments, but rather an investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential," according to the foundation.
On Wednesday, a new group of fellows will be announced. This year the recipients will receive "genius grants" of $625,000.
You don't have to be a "genius" to receive an award. This term is only used by journalists, according to Cecilia Conrad, the director of the MacArthur Fellow Program who recently described the Fellowship in an article for The Washington Post, titled "Five myths about the MacArthur 'genius grants.'"
Recipients are chosen from nearly every discipline — there are agriculturalists, economists, historians, entomologists, marine biologists, sculptors, and theater directors.
"We admire prodigies and great athletes, but those are not the attributes we are seeking when we make the award," Conrad writes. "We are looking for people on the precipice of a great discovery or achievement."
You can read Conrad's full post here or read our brief overview of the MacArthur Fellowship below:
How does the selection process work?
You cannot apply to be a MacArthur Fellow. Recipients are nominated by the organization's own "talent scouts," who are generally leaders in their fields. The nominators change each year. A selection committee composed of 12 anonymous experts makes the final decision. The committee looks at a file of the nominee's work, like books, videos, or art installations, and combines this with recommendations from experts to identify the most outstanding candidates.
Do the Fellows know they have been nominated?
No. The winners don't know about their nomination until a few days before the official announcement when they receive a phone call. Anthropologist Shannon Dawday, who received a fellowship in 2010, described that moment as like "receiving a phone call from the Greek gods."
What do the Fellows get?
This year the MacArthur fellows will receive $625,000 paid over five years. In past years the stipend has been $500,000.
Who are the winners?
The winners come from all different fields, including science, journalism, mathematics, music, and art. According to Conrad, "from 2001 to 2012, 36 percent of the MacArthur fellows came from the arts and humanities, 36 percent from science or social science, and 26 percent worked on social problems such as homelessness, food security, and health care."
Is there an age limit?
No. Last year the winners ranged in age from 33 to 66.
How many people receive the fellowship?
There are typically between 20 to 25 winners. There were 23 recipients in 2012 and 22 the year before that.
Who won last year?
Here is a list of the 2012 MacArthur Fellows. The winners included a stringed-instrument bow maker who is trying to improve the design and quality of violin, viola, and cello bows, a marine ecologist who is studying dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, and a fiction writer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
And the fellows can spend the money any way they want?
Yes. There are no restrictions on how recipients can spend the money. However, the idea is to provide seed money so this group of creative people can do the work they have always dreamed of doing without financial constraints.
The MacArthur website explains: "We believe that highly motivated, self-directed, and talented people are in the best position to decide how to allocate their time and resources. By adopting a 'no strings attached' policy, we provide the maximum freedom for the recipients to follow their creative vision, whether it is moving forward with their current activities, expanding the scope of their work, or embarking in entirely new directions."
SEE ALSO: Meet Last Year's Winners
The names of 24 MacArthur Fellows were revealed at midnight on Wednesday, bestowing recipients with a gift of $625,000, paid over five years, to be spent anyway they choose.
The so-called "genius awards" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation have been handed out to around two dozen creative and talented Americans from all different fields every year since 1981.
The no-strings-attached money is intended to give recipients the freedom to pursue new ideas or move forward with their current work.
No one can apply for the awards. The fellows are chosen by an anonymous panel of experts, who inform the winners through a telephone call just a couple days before the official announcement.
This year, the fellows range in age from 32 to 60. There are several artists including a concert pianist, a playwright, and a choreographer of classical ballet. The other fellows include an organic chemist, a medieval historian, a behavioral economist, and an immigration lawyer.
You can see the full list of fellows at the MacArthur website.
SEE ALSO: Meet Last Year's Winners
Chuck Lorre, the prolific co-creator/executive producer behind "The Big Bang Theory," was prepared to win an Emmy Sunday night — but he didn't.
Instead, Lorre used the show's season seven premiere to release the acceptance speech he would have given had the CBS series won its first best comedy Emmy.
Titled "The Emmy Speech That Stayed in My Pocket," Lorre posted the sentiments to his website.
In it, he reminds himself to breathe and thanks the TV Academy, the cast, the crew, new showrunner Steve Molaro, and guest star Bob Newhart, whose season six role as Professor Proton earned him his first ever Emmy win.
Check out Lorre's photo of his handwritten notes to himself:
Here's his notes on the super successful "Big Bang Theory" below:
But "BBT" did win one of the three awards it was nominated for during Sunday's show — actor Jim Parsons won for lead actor in a comedy.
The show became TV's top scripted comedy in the key adults 18-49 demographic during its sixth season, thanks in part to syndicated repeats airing on TBS.
SEE ALSO: See Jon Hamm And Amy Poehler's 'Losers Only' Emmy Party Invitation
SEE ALSO: Jim Parsons Wins Third Emmy For Best Actor In A Comedy Series
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Radiated tortoises make strange dancing movements in the rain that kind of looks like an attempt to avoid flash flooding in their native dry habitat of Madagascar.
Studying that movement through Florida Tech university has netted the now high school freshman River Grace $25,000.
Grace just won the Samueli Foundation Prize for overall STEM excellence as a part of the Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) competition.
He was chosen from 30 finalists from around the country. See the other projects >
Grace's study animals of choice, the radiated tortoise, live in a small strip of land in Madagascar, and are quickly losing their native habitat to farms and encroaching tribes. He studied a group of them from his local zoo.
In a series of experiments, Grace sprinkled the turtles with varied flows of water and measured how long before they began dancing and how long they danced. A light sprinkling was the control measurement, and that's when they danced the most. His results suggested that the dance isn't correlated to flood conditions.
Eitan Acks also got a prize, the $10,000 Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation in recognition of engineering excellence for this device designed to strengthen speech muscles to treat his younger brother's speech impediment.
Acks' device is similar to a modified tongue depressor, but it is linked to a joystick to collect digital data on the patient's progress.
Most existing speech improvement methods do not have a way to monitor patient progress, and Acks' device is a big step forward. Acks actually tested his device on his brother, whose speech impediment, dyspaxia, makes it difficult to pronounce words correctly. After only three days he showed steady improvement.
Several others recieved smaller prizes and an iPad:
Science Awards: First place goes to Keoni Gandall of Huntington Beach, Calif., for his project on engineering pink salt. Second place goes to Julienne Sauer of San Ramon, Calif., for her project on superconductors and frictionless motion.
Technology Awards: First place goes to Austin McCoy of Rochester, Minn., for his project on disease detection lab equipment for developing countries. Second place goes to Rebecca Bloomfield of Colorado Springs, Colo., for her project on the effects of slope and remediation on post-fire sedimentation.
Engineering Awards: First place goes to Mihir Garimella of Pittsburgh, Pa., for his project on digitally recreating smells. Second place goes to Sidhika Balachandar, of Gainesville, Fla., for her project on soundproofing.
Mathematics Awards: First place goes to Johann Kailey-Steiner of Denver, for his project on rocket design. Second place goes to Joshua Wentzel of Portland, Ore., for his project on homemade air cannons.
Krystal Horton and Sean Weber also won a trip the world’s largest international high school science fair competition, in May 2014 as "Rising Stars."
Just for fun, here's a video of the rain dance of the tortoise that Grace studied, uploaded to YouTube by pausingang:
SEE ALL OF THE PROJECTS: The 30 Most Impressive Middle School Science Fair Projects In The Country
SEE ALSO: 18 Teens Who Are Doing Incredible Things At The Google Science Fair
New Zealand's Auckland Art Gallery was named the World Building of the Year at last week's World Architecture Festival in Singapore. The building beat out competition from a shortlist of more than 300 projects from 50 countries to win the global architecture community's most prestigious award.
The gallery recently underwent a nine-year redevelopment process that updated the center's original buildings and doubled its public exhibition space. The airy new design is distinctly tree-like, its sloping ceilings reminiscent of the canopies of the surrounding landscape. In a nod to New Zealand's native Maori tradition, the architects only used timber from trees that had already fallen in the forest.
"It transcended various category types,"said Paul Finch, director of the World Architecture Festival. "It explores the relationship between new and old, it is a civic and community building, it is a display building, it engages with the difference between man-made and natural, it deals with art and science, and it is certainly about culture."
Another shot of the exterior of the gallery:
And the atrium:
Each year, more than 2,000 architects from 60 countries around the world gather to attend the World Architecture Festival, which features the largest and most prestigious annual awards ceremony for the industry.
The festival took place October 2nd - 4th at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, which was also once a WAF Award-winning design.
These 29 incredible designs were winners in their respective categories, which included Housing, Villa, and Office. Among the winners are repurposed public spaces, brand-new constructions, and even buildings that have yet to be started. Completed buildings were finished between January 1, 2012 and June 1, 2013. There is no time restriction on buildings in the "future projects" categories.
Winner in House category: 'The Left-Over-Space House" by Cox Rayner Architects, Australia
Winner in Housing category: "28th Street Apartments" by Koning Eizenberg Architecture, USA
Winner in Office category: "Statoil Regional and International Offices" by A-Lab, Norway
Each year, a panel of 20 writers, literary critics, librarians, and booksellers chooses the winner of the National Book Award, generally considered to be the highest prize in the literary community.
The National Book Foundation has announced finalists in five categories. Excerpts from each of the contenders can be downloaded as a free e-book at nationalbook.org.
The winner in each category will be revealed at the Nov. 20 award ceremony in New York City.
Here are the finalists:
"The Flamethrowers" by Rachel Kushner: This is a riveting, intense love story set against the grit of mid-seventies New York City and Rome.
"The Lowland" by Jhumpa Lahiri: The latest from the Pulitzer-prize winning author is a complex family drama about two brothers torn apart by revolution in 1960s India.
"The Good Lord Bird" by James McBride: This historical novel is an imaginative retelling of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.
"Bleeding Edge" by Thomas Pynchon: The notoriously secretive author brings us a complicated, romantic portrait of New York City just before 9/11.
"Tenth of December" by George Saunders: In this collection, Saunders writes short stories about love, work, and war that raise big questions about humanity and morality.
"Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin" by Jill Lepore: Letters, documents, and portraits tell the fascinating story of Jane Franklin, sister of Benjamin and mother of twelve.
"Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields" by Wendy Lower: This is the shocking untold story of the thousands of women who participated in German brutality during the Holocaust.
"The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America" by George Packer: Packer weaves together true stories of individual Americans to create a modern portrait of a country falling apart at the seams.
"The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832" by Alan Taylor: This book examines the role the British empire had in bringing America to the Civil War.
"Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright: This is an in-depth look into the world of Scientology, based on interviews with members both famous and less well-known.
"Metaphysical Dog" by Frank Bidart: This collection is a shocking, psychological reflection on the meaning of poetry itself.
"Stay, Illusion" by Lucie Brock-Broido: The poems in Brock-Broido's collection have an air of magic and mourning.
"The Big Smoke" by Adrian Matejka: These poems center on the complicated history of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion.
"Black Aperture" by Matt Rasmussen: Rasmussen blurs the lines between grief and humor in this collection centered on his brother's suicide.
"Incarnadine: Poems" by Mary Szybist: The poems in this collection use formal innovations — diagrammed sentences, poems arranged like a sunburst — to address issues of love and faith.
"The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp" by Kathi Appelt: Two raccoons try to save their swamp home from destruction.
"The Thing About Luck" by Cynthia Kadohata: 12-year-old Summer must take over the work on her family's farm when her parents leave for Japan.
"Far Far Away" by Tom McNeal: The Brothers Grimm make an appearance in this modern fairy tale.
"Picture Me Gone" by Meg Rosoff: A 12-year-old "mentalist" solves the mystery behind the disappearance of her father's friend.
"Boxers & Saints" by Gene Luen Yang: This two-volume graphic novel tells stories from opposing sides of the Boxer Rebellion.
SEE ALSO: 35 Books Everyone Should Read Once In Their Lifetime
Monday evening, YouTube announced the nominees for its first ever music awards show.
The live Nov. 3 event will be hosted by actor Jason Schwartzman and comedian/musician Reggie Watts, and will feature live performances from M.I.A., Tyler the Creator, and Avicii.
The awards will include six nomination categories including "Video of the Year," in which Barack Obama and Mitt Romney's epic rap battle will go up against the likes of PSY and Lady Gaga, and "YouTube Phenomenon," where the year's most popular dance videos, "Gangnam Style" and "Harlem Shake" will battle it out.
The YouTube Music Award's nominations are based on video views, likes, comments, and subscriptions since September 2012, and winners will be chosen by fan votes.
The live NYC awards show will be streamed on YouTube, naturally, and will be preceded by a series of music events in five cities around the world (Moscow, Rio, London, Seoul, and Tokyo).
Here is a list of the nominees:
Video of the Year
Demi Lovato - "Heart Attack"
Epic Rap Battles of History - "Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney"
Girls' Generation - "I Got A Boy"
Justin Bieber (feat. Nicki Minaj) - "Beauty And A Beat"
Lady Gaga - "Applause"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Mary Lambert) - "Same Love"
Miley Cyrus - "We Can't Stop"
One Direction - "Best Song Ever"
PSY - "Gentleman"
Selena Gomez - "Come & Get It"
Artist of the Year
Eminem
Epic Rap Battles of History
Justin Bieber
Katy Perry
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Nicki Minaj
One Direction
PSY
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Response of the Year
Boyce Avenue (feat. Fifth Harmony) - "Mirrors"
Jayesslee - "Gangnam Style"
Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix - "Radioactive"
ThePianoGuys - "Titanium / Pavane"
Walk Off the Earth (feat. KRNFX) - "I Knew You Were Trouble"
YouTube Phenomenon
"Diamonds"
"Gangnam Style
"
"Harlem Shake"
"I Knew You Were Trouble"
"Thrift Shop"
YouTube Breakthrough
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Naughty Boy
Passenger
Rudimental
Innovation of the Year
Anamanaguchi - "ENDLESS FANTASY"
Atoms For Peace - "Ingenue"
Bat For Lashes - "Lilies"
DeStorm - "See Me Standing"
Toro Y Moi - "Say That"
Watch a preview for the show below:
SEE ALSO: Fans Are Furious After Drake Cancelled Concert Last Minute
The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch will issue its CEO of the Year award on Thursday, naming the person that's done the most for shareholders, employees and customers in 2013.
MarketWatch readers cast 12,000 votes to choose the winner among the field of nominees picked by MarketWatch editors. The nominees are:
Reed Hastings, CEO NetFlix, who turned the company around after a major meltdown in the summer of 2011.
Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest, one of the few airlines that has a good reputation for customer service.
Marissa Mayer, CEO Yahoo, who, 18 months into the job has managed to shake up a troubled company, including her surprise $1.1 billion buy of Tumblr.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who disregarded the naysayers, paid off a huge department of energy loan early, and is generally regarded as one of the most inspirational people in business today.
Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, who has maintained steady growth every quarter since LinkedIn debut as a public company.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, when Facebook's IPO flopped, the talk was that the young Zuckerberg wasn't ready to be a strong leader of a major company. But he's delivered consistent revenue growth, especially of mobile.
SEE ALSO: 14 Of The Most Successful People In Tech You've Probably Never Heard Of
Goodreads is out with its 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards.
Every year, the book recommendation site asks its users to vote for the best new book across 20 genres, from historical fiction to horror.
Goodreads editors first analyze statistics from the 250 million titles that were added, rated, and reviewed on the site in 2013 to nominate 15 books in each category. Readers are also encouraged to write-in nominations if their favorite didn't make the cut.
The final winners this year were then based on almost 2 million reader votes. See if your favorite book is on the list below.
FICTION:"And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini. From the author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" comes the tale of an Afghanistan family separated by dire circumstances who struggle over half a century to find one another from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to Greece.
MYSTERY/THRILLER:"Inferno" by Dan Brown. Robert Langdon is back again with more riddles, secret passageways, and classic art as he sets out to reveal the mystery behind Dante's epic poem.
HISTORICAL FICTION:"Life After Life" by Kate Atkinson. What if you could die and be reborn again? That's the question in this brilliant, multi-layered novel set in 20th century London that is as funny as it is philosophical.
FANTASY:"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman. An adult fairy tale at its finest, a middle-aged man remembers his magical childhood, proving that sometimes stories are able to shelter us from the harsh realities of life.
PARANORMAL FANTASY:"Cold Days" by Jim Butcher. The 14th in the Dresden Files series, Dresden is back from the dead, but beset by magical enemies both old and new as he is forced to do the impossible: Assassinate an immortal.
SCIENCE FICTION:"MaddAddam" by Margaret Atwood. The third of her MaddAddam series, only a small group of humans survive after a man-made plague sweeps the earth. Now they must work together when the planet is attacked.
ROMANCE:"Lover At Last" by J.R. Ward. Long-time fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series are finally rewarded for their patience when the unrequited love of two of Ward's best characters is finally realized.
HORROR:"Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King. Dan Torrance from "The Shining" is now a middle-aged man who must protect a 12-year-old girl against a quasi-immortal tribe that feed off the children with the "shining" in King's latest thriller.
MEMOIR/AUTOBIOGRAPHY:"I Am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai. The highly acclaimed memoir of the young Pakistani girl who stood up to the Taliban for every girls' right to an education, was shot at point-blank range — and miraculously survived.
HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY:"Jim Henson: The Biography" by Brian Jay Jones. Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. Jim Henson was the man behind The Muppets, but Jay Jones proves he was also much more in this comprehensive biography.
NONFICTION:"The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum" by Temple Grandin. From a scientist on the forefront of the "autism revolution," Grandin weaves together her own experiences with new theories on what causes autism and how we can best diagnose and treat it.
FOOD/COOKBOOKS:"Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist" by Tim Federle. A cocktail book for the literary obsessed, Federle combines witty names and classic books with 65 cocktails, such as the Vermouth the Bell Tolls.
HUMOR:"Hyperbole and a Half" by Allie Brosh. Out of her viral blog comes Brosh's first book that make use of her deceptively simple illustrations to tell stories that belie a dark humor and striking wit, with topics ranging from dogs to depression.
GRAPHIC NOVELS/COMICS:"Beautiful Creatures: The Graphic Novel" by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Based on the young adult novel of the name name, the manga version of "Beautiful Creatures" is filled with stark black and white images that will satisfy and intrigue fans.
POETRY:"The Fall of Arthur" by J.R.R. Tolkien. This is the world's first publication of a previously unknown work by Tolkien from the '30s which tells of the final days of King Arthur in verse alongside essays from his son Christopher.
DEBUT AUTHOR:"Tangled" by Emma Chase. This is a romance novel that revolves around New York's elite who strive for both success and love in the hilarious premier book from author Emma Chase.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION:"Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell. This novel about two misfit teenagers who fall in love on a bus is sweet without being saccharine. It’s also a story adults can love, too.
YOUNG ADULT FANTASY/SCI FI:"Allegiant" by Veronica Roth. The third in the dystopian Divergent series comes "Allegiant," the most outward-looking of the books that battles to comprehend the complexities of human nature in the ultimate finale for fans.
CHILDREN'S:"The House of Hades" by Rick Riodan. Filled with Olympian gods and folklore, this book follows Percy Jackson in his latest — and most dangerous — quest in The Heroes of Olympus series.
PICTURE BOOKS:"The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt. This delightful and imaginative story about crayons who have had enough will make children both laugh and color in a whole new way.
See the runners up in each category over at Goodreads.
If someone gave you $500 to spend on your colleagues, what would you buy them?
At online shopping site Polyvore, that's not a hypothetical. To cultivate company culture, CEO Jess Lee instituted a simple and clever twist on employee performance prizes. Instead of giving top performers cash to spend on themselves, Polyvore awards winners $500 to buy anything they choose for their colleagues.
Past employees have spent the money on a foosball table, a food truck for lunch, a Scotch-tasting party, and a large beanbag chair, Lee told New York Times columnist Adam Bryant.
"Sure, it's easy to argue that the employees might prefer having the cash themselves," Bryant writes in a recent post on LinkedIn. "But for startups and other fast-growing companies, it's a smart approach that can help foster a company's unique culture."
Want your business advice featured in Instant MBA? Submit your tips to tipoftheday@businessinsider.com. Be sure to include your name, your job title, and a photo of yourself in your email.
I've seen this story making its rounds again on military networks in social media and it's definitely worth reading.
On June 17, 2010, Then-Cpl. Clifford Wooldridge was with his Marines in a humvee when his convoy came under heavy attack from approximately 15 Taliban fighters.
What happened next was astounding.
His Navy Cross citation— reads:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Corporal Clifford M. Wooldridge, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as Vehicle Commander, Combined Anti-Armor Platoon White, Weapons Company, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, Regimental Combat Team 2, FIRST Marine Division (Forward), I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) Afghanistan, on 18 June 2010 in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
When their mounted patrol came under intense enemy fire, Corporal Wooldridge and his squad dismounted and maneuvered on the suspected enemy location. Spotting a group of fifteen enemy fighters preparing an ambush, Corporal Wooldridge led one of his fire teams across open ground to flank the enemy, killing or wounding at least eight and forcing the rest to scatter. As he held security alone to cover his fire team's withdrawal, he heard voices from behind an adjacent wall. Boldly rushing around the corner, he came face-to-face with two enemy fighters at close range, killing both of them with his M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon. As he crouched back behind the wall to reload, he saw the barrel of an enemy machine gun appear from around the wall. Without hesitation, he dropped his empty weapon and seized the machine gun barrel.
He overwhelmed the enemy fighter in hand-to-hand combat, killing him with several blows to the head with the enemy's own machine gun. His audacious and fearless actions thwarted the enemy attack on his platoon. By his bold and decisive leadership, undaunted courage under fire, and total dedication to duty, Corporal Wooldridge reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.
Here's how his summary of action (a longer version of the story, used to approve the citation) recounts the struggle:
Corporal Wooldridge then took cover back around the corner and quickly began to reload. While attempting to reload his weapon, he saw the barrel of a machine gun appear around the corner of the wall just a few feet from him. Without hesitation, he threw his empty SAW to the ground, and grabbed the barrel of the machine gun.
Corporal Wooldridge then wrestled the surprised enemy fighter to the ground. As the two grappled for control of the machine gun, the enemy fighter released the machine gun and reached for one of his grenades in an attempt to kill himself and Corporal Wooldridge. Corporal Wooldridge immediately took control of the machine gun and beat the enemy fighter to death by hitting him with several blows to the head with his own weapon before the enemy could pull the pin on the grenade.
Shortly after, the remaining members of his team came around the corner and witnessed the three dead enemy fighters and Corporal Wooldridge standing over one fighter holding the machine gun.
And this photo, posted to the popular Terminal Lance Facebook page, represents how most Marines look at Wooldridge:
The nominations for the 20th annual SAG Awards for film and television were announced this morning at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
Rizzoli & Isles‘ Sasha Alexander and Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Clark Gregg, who were introduced by SAG-AFTRA president Ken Howard, unveiled noms in 13 acting categories — five for film and eight for TV.
There also are noms for outstanding action performances by TV and film stunt ensembles, with winners for those to be announced during the SAG Awards pre-show January 18. Lee Daniels’ The Butler led the way with four nominations on the film side, including one for Outstanding Performance By A Cast – – the group’s sort-of equivalent to the Best Picture category, though it doesn’t like to say so.
Joining that pic in the category are 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, August: Osage County and Dallas Buyers Club.
Last year, SAG voted Argo as winner of its Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which helped launch that pic’s run to the Best Picture Oscar at the end of the season.
On the TV side, Breaking Bad also earned a leading four nominations for its final season.
After today’s announcement, the guild is mailing out voting information Monday to every active paid-up member across the country, and final votes from the nominees’ peers must be received by Friday, January 17, 2014.
Winners will be announced at the SAG Awards ceremony January 18 at the Shrine Auditorium in LA, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS. Here are this morning’s nominations:
Theatrical Motion Pictures
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
12 Years A Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
AMERICAN HUSTLE (Columbia Pictures)
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (The Weinstein Company)
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (Focus Features)
LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (The Weinstein Company)
Television Programs
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
BREAKING BAD (AMC)
DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
HOMELAND (Showtime)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (Netflix)
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
VEEP (HBO)
Stunt Ensemble Honors
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
SEE ALSO: Adam Sandler Tops Forbes' List Of Most Overpaid Actors
While awards season is getting underway and the Academy is honoring the best Hollywood has to offer, it's also time to celebrate the worst of 2013.
The Razzie have revealed their nominations for the 34th annual awards.
Leading the pack is Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups 2" with eight nods including worst actor and actress, worst director, and worst remake.
Sandler has previously won the worst actor award the past two years for "That's My Boy,""Jack and Jill," and "Just Go With It."
Despite all the nominations, "Grown Ups 2" made $247 million at the box office last year.
Also topping the list is "After Earth" which starred Will and Jaden Smith with six nods.
Here are all of the nominations below. Surprisingly, box-office bomb "R.I.P.D." got left off this list.
Worst Picture
"After Earth"
"Grown Ups 2"
"The Lone Ranger"
"A Madea Christmas"
"Movie 43"
Worst Actress
Halle Berry ("The Call,""Movie 43")
Selena Gomez ("Getaway")
Lindsay Lohan ("The Canyons")
Tyler Perry ("A Madea Christmas")
Naomi Watts ("Diana,""Movie 43")
Worst Actor
Johnny Depp ("The Lone Ranger")
Ashton Kutcher ("Jobs")
Adam Sandler ("Grown-Ups 2")
Jaden Smith ("After Earth")
Sylvester Stallone ("Bullet to the Head,""Escape Plan,""Grudge Match")
Worst Supporting Actress
Lady Gaga ("Machette Kills")
Salma Hayek ("Grown Ups 2")
Katherine Heigl ("The Big Wedding")
Kim Kardashian ("Tyler Perry's Temptation")
Lindsay Lohan ("InAPPropriate Comedy" and "Scary Movie 5")
Worst Supporting Actor
Chris Brown ("Battle of the Year")
Larry the Cable Guy ("A Madea Christmas")
Taylor Lautner ("Grown Ups 2")
Will Smith ("After Earth")
Nick Swardson ("A Haunted House" and "Grown-Ups 2")
Worst Screen Combo
The entire "Grown Ups 2" ensemble
The entire "Movie 43" ensemble
Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen ("Scary Movie 5")
Tyler Perry and Larry the Cable Guy or "that worn-out wig & dress" ("A Madea Christmas")
Jaden Smith and Will Smith ("After Earth")
Worst Director
The 13 directors of "Movie 13"
Dennis Dugan ("Grown Ups 2")
Tyler Perry ("A Madea Christmas" and "Temptation")
M. Night Shyamalan ("After Earth")
Gore Verbinski ("The Lone Ranger")
Worst Screenplay
"After Earth"
"Grown Ups 2"
"The Lone Ranger"
"A Madea Christmas"
"Movie 43"
Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
"Grown Ups 2"
"Hangover III"
"The Lone Ranger"
"Scary Movie 5"
"Smurfs 2"
The Razzie announcement comes a day ahead of the Oscar nominations which take place tomorrow morning at 8:30 am ET.
SEE ALSO: The biggest box-office bombs of 2013
Cue the countdown to the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2.
The nominations arrived this morning, with "American Hustle" and "Gravity" leading the bunch with 10 nods a piece.
Since the telecast, nominees have been speaking out about the exciting news.
Read the nominees' statements below (via The Hollywood Reporter):
Steve McQueen, best director nominee for "12 Years a Slave":
"I'm extraordinarily happy for all the cast and crew of our 12 Years a Slave family. This has been an amazing ride, and to receive nine nominations from the Academy is testament to all of the hard work. And for that I am truly grateful."
David O. Russell, best director nominee for "American Hustle":
"I’m fighting a little cold here but this will certainly go a long way to boost my immune system," he said. "To have these actors really put their hearts in it all together, to have them each get a nod is a big deal for us because we created a family together."
Leonardo DiCaprio, best actor nominee for "The Wolf of Wall Street":
"I am deeply humbled by this honor and even happier to share today with Marty, Jonah, Terry as well as this entire cast and crew. The Wolf of Wall Street has been a passion project of mine, and I found the role to be one of the most challenging and rewarding of my career. Congratulations to all of my fellow nominees and thank you to the Academy for this extraordinary recognition."
Amy Adams, best actress nominee for "American Hustle":
"It’s a very good thing to wake up to; we were all asleep! Am I still recovering from last weekend? Not really. I’m never really out late anymore at this stage in my life. Making Hustle was very challenging, so it’s really nice that people not only recognized the film but all the actors as well. And I’m so proud to have been in Her too, which has been recognized with a best picture nomination. As for celebrating today, maybe we should go out for a family hike? Then again, everyone looks pretty tired around here right now!"
Jonah Hill, best supporting actor nominee for "The Wolf of Wall Street":
"I am in complete and total shock. I honestly was not expecting this, on a level you can’t even imagine. Again, I’m clearly in shock. I didn’t have a plan for celebrating today because I truly did not expect any of this! But I am going to the Critics’ Choice Awards and will be great to see everyone from the film there tonight. Truly, this is shocking."
Judi Dench, best actress nominee for "Philomena":
"This is just the loveliest news. I'm so happy for everybody involved, and so proud to have been part of the wonderful experience that Philomena has been."
Bob Nelson, best originally screenplay nominee for "Nebraska":
"My wife was going to wake me up, but my manager beat her by about five seconds," Nelson said. "With so many original screenplays this year, I'm really lucky to get in, and I owe a lot to everyone who worked on the film. Alexander Payne took it to another level from the film we thought we would make ten years ago."
Alfonso Cuaron, best director nominee for "Gravity":
"Thank you Academy for this incredible recognition. These nominations are not just about single achievements, but rather the collective effort of hundreds of dedicated artists who made this dream a reality. On behalf of everyone involved with Gravity I want to express our deepest gratitude to the industry, the exhibitors and the public for embracing this film so passionately..."
Morgan Neville, director of best documentary feature nominee "20 Feet From Stardom":
"This makes me want to sing out loud! I’m beyond humbled by this honor. All of the praying our ladies have done for the film’s success has clearly paid off! After 20 years in this business, to have our movie and these extraordinary women recognized by such an esteemed group, means more to me than I can ever say. My only regret is that our producer, the late Gil Friesen, isn’t here to be a part of it - I know he’s smiling down on us and would have been over the moon with the news."
Check out the full list of nominee reactions here >
And here's what they're saying in the Twittersphere:
Jeremy Scahill's "Dirty Wars" was nominated for best documentary. He exclaimed, "HOLY S---!!!!!"in a tweet this morning.
Congrats to my fellow nominees, @JonahHill, Marty, Terry Winter and #WolfofWallStreet family for the #Oscar noms.
— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) January 16, 2014I'm serious. If there wasn't a live-action bias, @idinamenzel and @joshgad would have been nominated today, and you know it.
— Bruce Wright (@heybrucewright) January 16, 2014Sad for our buddies at Pixar who made a terrific (in both senses of the word) film. It is beloved.
— Bruce Wright (@heybrucewright) January 16, 2014😳🙏"@TheAcademy: Song: Alone Yet Not Alone, Happy, Let It Go, Moon Song, Ordinary Love #OscarNoms”
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) January 16, 2014
Within a 2-month period, Indian Air Force Wing Commander Aditya Prakash Singh survived two major technical glitches in a fighter jet — in the pitch darkness of night, according to The Times of India.
Last April, Singh was flying a MIG-21 Bison jet above the small Indian village of Halwara when an electrical system failure caused all the cockpit lights to turn off. Unable to read the instruments to operate the aircraft, Singh removed his mask and held a lighter in his mouth to illuminate the instruments in the cockpit.
Remarkably, he was able to successfully land the fighter plane without additional damage. On the two month anniversary of the miraculous flight, Singh's jet engine experienced a total loss of engine power due to a collision with a bird. Again, Singh was able to glide the plane to a safe landing.
"His ability to maintain his composure in a grave emergency situation, courage, creative thinking, and professionalism has been able to successfully recover two aircrafts at night in limited visibility conditions without any damage and has set an excellent professional example for other to emulate," the Indian Air Force said, reports The Times of India.
Wing Commander Singh was awarded the Shaurya Chakra, India's military decoration for valor, courageous action or self-sacrifice.
SEE ALSO: The 'Ruptured Duck' Is One Of The More Fascinating Awards In US Military History
Sony and World Photography Organization have announced the shortlist for the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards in the Professional and Open Categories.
The Open competition saw 65,512 entries this year, while a total of nearly 140,000 entries for the entire competition made it the most successful year yet in the Awards' seven year history. Photographs entered in the Professional competition must be part of a body of work and first published in 2013.
The winners of this year’s awards will be revealed in April at the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Gala.
Songwriter Robert Lopez achieved a huge career accomplishment last night when he won the Academy Award for Best Song for his work on the Disney Animated tale Frozen, but in actuality that’s only a fraction of what is actually an even bigger accomplishment.
With last night’s win, Lopez has become only the 13th person in history to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony, also known as EGOTing.
Lopez shared tonight’s trophy with Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who co-wrote the music and lyrics to "Let It Go," the sweeping epic song sung by Idina Menzel that absolutely blew critics and audiences away when Frozen was first released late last year.
In addition to his Oscar, Lopez won two Tonys for co-writing the Broadway hit The Book of Mormon, a Grammy for that play’s soundtrack, and a primetime Emmy for his work on the show Scrubs.
"EGOT" was an acronym first put together by actor Philip Michael Thomas, best known for playing the role of Tubbs on Miami Vice.
It was his hope that before the end of his career he would have an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony, but sadly things did not pan out that way for him.
Price does, however, belong to a group that also includes Richard Rodgers, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, John Gielgud, Aubrey Hepburn, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Whoopi Goldberg, and Scott Rudin.
Rather than just having you research all of those names and their victories yourself, however, you can just reference the handy infographic we created.
While Michael Thomas may have created the goal of "EGOTing," it was really brought back into the mainstream a few years ago when it became a plotline for Tracy Morgan’s character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.
SEE ALSO: John Travolta Totally Butchered Idina Menzel's Name While Introducing Her
After all the Oscar talk of who won, who lost, who stole the show, and how the show ran, maybe you're exhausted on 12 Years A Slave, Gravity, Her, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, Philomena, American Hustle, The Wolf Of Wall Street and Captain Phillips. So, how about we look ahead to 2015?
Because it's never too soon.
There's a barrage of high-profile projects coming out in the next 10 months that can qualify for the Academy Awards, but which 10 features do we feel are fighting fit for Oscar? Sure, most of these are sight unseen. But after all the award season predictions and Oscar watching, we think we've nailed down 10 films that are ripe for a Best Picture nod next year.
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jude Law, and Tilda Swinton.
Director: Wes Anderson
Release Date: March 7th, 2014
Why It Could Win: Anderson has been Academy Awards-nominated three times, twice for Best Original Screenplay (Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums) and once for Best Animated Feature (Fantastic Mr. Fox). The Grand Budapest Hotelis his most elaborate and ambitious production yet, and we suspect the Academy will take notice and pay tribute. It's got a spectacular and star-stacked cast, an earnest nostalgia for old school Hollywood fare, as well as a whimsical story of romance and regret. What's not to love? Plus, as we've seen with Her's nomination, this Academy is not so stodgy as it once was.
Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Anthony Hopkins
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Release Date: March 28th, 2014
Why It Could Win: On paper this biblical pic is pretty tough to beat. Writer-director Aronofsky has an enviable record with the Academy since 2000, when his second film Requiem for a Dream earned an Oscar nod for Ellen Burstyn. In 2009, The Wrestler wrangled nominations for Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. Two years later, Natalie Portman won for Black Swan, which also boasted a Best Director and Best Picture nod. Now, I won't go so far as to say Aronofsky's due at this point. But no matter how daring his dramas, he's made the Academy recognize him. A nomination is almost guaranteed. But with a cast of Oscar-winners onboard, Noah could be his big winner.
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Amy Ryan, Mireille Enos, and Alessandro Nivola
Director: Atom Egoyan
Release Date: May 9th, 2014
Why It Could Win: Egoyan has had two previous brushes with Oscar, both in 1997 when he earned nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director for The Sweet Hereafter. Since then, his brand of sensual crime drama has largely been ignored by the Academy. But this time he's sinking his teeth into a twisted true crime story that has drawn headlines for decades. It's sure to pique Academy members' interest, and with a cast made up of Oscar winners (Witherspoon, Firth and Ryan) as well as actor to watch Dane DeHaan, Devil's Knot could prove darkly enticing enough to get Egoyan a Best Picture nomination at last. At the very least, it should lock down some acting nods.
