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Lil Nas X has become one of the leading pop stars of his generation, especially for his contributions to LGBTQ+ and Black music in the 21st century. His rise to fame started with “Old Town Road,” which quickly became a massive hit and set the record for the most weeks at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. Such success often comes with awards recognition, so it’s not a surprise that the song was nominated for three Grammys, taking home two of those. Let’s take a look back at Nas’s journey to the Grammy stage.

While “Old Town Road” was a hit pretty much from the get-go — particularly its remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus — a lot of hits get snubbed by the Grammys, so awards weren’t guaranteed. It also probably didn’t help that he was likely expected to be a one-hit wonder. Perceptions started to change when...

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

Julia Roberts is back in the awards conversation this season, not only with her latest film, Ben Is Back, which has been winning her some of the best reviews of her career, but also her Amazon series Homecoming, which got a two-season initial order and has racked up Lead Actress nominations right out of the gate for her at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards after just a 10-episode first season.

I caught up with her Thursday night at CAA for an interview set to run on Deadline next week. We talked as a full house, largely Academy members, watched Ben Is Back. She’s justifiably proud of the movie, which just began its limited runs last week and will expand through Roadside Attractions to the top 25 markets next week as it continues to widen during the season. Even...

Memorial Day Weekend is almost upon us and in addition to all the barbecues, pools parties, and parades taking place in communities across the state, you can also explore some music, art, and theater events. Here are some of the fun ones taking place. 88 keys x 30 pianists = magicFor lovers of music, there is no more prestigious even in the United States than the Cliburn International Piano Competition, a quadrennial event now celebrating its 15th incarnation. Named after late Fort Worth native Van Cliburn, the most acclaimed pianist of his day, it welcomes 30 young competitions to Cowtown for 18 days of conversations, luncheons, and or course, magnificent music. It culminates with the awarding of honors on June 10. (Some events free; others range widely in price) Become a Solunatic!Though still a young event, the Soluna Festival has become of the premiere celebrations of the lively arts in North Texas. Sponsored by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra,...

The estranged wife of the renowned Ukranian pianist now based in Texas who discovered his young daughters dead when he went to pick them up last Wednesday has been charged with their murders, People confirms. Sofia Tsygankova, 31, has been charged with two counts of capital murder of a person under 10 years of age for the alleged murders of 5-year-old Nika Kholodenko and 1-year-old Michela Kholodenko, Benbrook Police Commander David Babcock said at a Monday press conference. "The exact cause of death we're working on right now is homicidal violence," Babcock said, though he did not provide additional details. Babcock said...

The estranged wife of the renowned Ukranian pianist now based in Texas who discovered his young daughters dead when he went to pick them up last Wednesday has been charged with their murders, People confirms. Sofia Tsygankora, 31, has been charged with two counts of capital murder of a person under 10 years of age for the alleged murders of 5-year-old Nika Kholodenko and 1-year-old Michela Kholodenko, Benbrook Police Commander David Babcock said at a Monday press conference. "The exact cause of death we're working on right now is homicidal violence," Babcock said, though he did not provide additional details. Babcock said...

It was supposed to be a routine pick-up of children between two estranged parents - an uncomfortable activity, but one that happens countless times in America every day. Last Wednesday night, Vadym Kholodenko called his wife, Sofia Tsygankora, at her home in Benbrook, Texas, to confirm that he was going to pick up the children at 9:20 the following morning, according to police. The details of the conversation aren't known, but Kholodenko arrived the next day expecting to get his daughters, 5-year-old Nika and 1-year-old Michela. Instead, he was faced with tragedy. The two girls were dead, and his wife,...

It was supposed to be a routine pick-up of children between two estranged parents - an uncomfortable activity, but one that happens countless times in America every day. Last Wednesday night, Vadym Kholodenko called his wife, Sofia Tsygankora, at her home in Benbrook, Texas, to confirm that he was going to pick up the children at 9:20 the following morning, according to police. The details of the conversation aren't known, but Kholodenko arrived the next day expecting to get his daughters, 5-year-old Nika and 1-year-old Michela. Instead, he was faced with tragedy. The two girls were dead, and his wife,...

Here's your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress -- at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. As Far As The Eye Can See Logline: Jack Ridge is a former piano prodigy living on his family's farmland in Texas. He's living in the past, but the future is coming for him. Elevator Pitch: In the land of Van Cliburn, where classical piano holds pride of place, Jack Ridge is a former prodigy who has withdrawn to his family's North Texas farmland. His wife has left him, and the week of the county piano competition he puts his fist through a wall, threatening to derail his performance and disappoint his entire home town. When the local corporate farm ratchets up...

Ansel Elgort has a high school sweetheart! On Wednesday, the 20-year-old actor stepped out at Paris Fashion Week with his girlfriend, Violetta Komyshan, whom he met at Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in NYC. Violetta, a ballet dancer, hasn't been seen on Ansel's arm throughout press for The Fault in Our Stars, but she did walk the red carpet with him earlier in his career. "It's important to me to be with someone who I really trust, and if it's someone I knew before all of this, that's nice," he told New York Post in March about her, adding that Kate Winslet told him to keep parts of his life private. "I don't know why who I'm in love with needs to be public knowledge." This has been a big year for Ansel. After the rush of The Fault in Our Stars press, he...

Shall we play another game? Not that we have much of a choice – MGM is moving full steam ahead with a remake of the 1983 cult classic WarGames.

Dean Israelite, who made his feature directorial debut on next January’s anticipated sci-fi Project Almanac, is in final negotiations to helm the film for MGM. He’s been the top contender for a few months, ever since Seth Gordons stepped away from the project. Additionally, we’ve learned that The Fault in Our Stars and Mud breakouts Ansel Elgort and Tye Sheridan (respectively) are currently atop MGM’s shortlist to lead the movie.

Both actors are highly in demand at the moment. Elgort is currently filming Divergent sequel Insurgent for Summit Entertainment, and he also recently locked down the starring role in Cold War-set biopic Van Cliburn. And for his part, Sheridan has upcoming films Grass Stains, Dark Places, The Forger and...

Ansel Elgort will star in Van Cliburn.

The Fault in Our Stars actor has signed up for the biopic of the titular piano prodigy based on Howard Reich's book of the same name, reports Deadline.

As a home-taught 23-year-old Texas native, Cliburn emerged out of the blue in 1958 to win the first Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow.

He caused a stir in the early Cold War by taking the prize that the Ussr had hoped to taunt the Us with.

The pianist became a favourite in both rival countries before mysteriously retiring in 1978.

Elgort will also be seen in Divergent sequel Insurgent and Jason Reitman's Men, Women and Children.

Van Cliburn is yet to announce a director.

Watch Ansel Elgort and the cast of The Fault in Our Stars talk to Digital Spy below:...

According to Deadline, The Fault in Our Stars' resident manic pixie dream boy Ansel Elgort will play the title role in Van Cliburn, a biopic about the American classical pianist whose surprise victory at Moscow's Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 1958 was credited with defusing Cold War tensions. It may not be another John Green adaptation, but the role isn't a total departure from teen heartthrob status: Elgort will portray Cliburn during his formative years, particularly during his victory in Moscow at the age of 23, and Fault producers Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen are set to co-produce. Now that's how you get teenage girls to care about classical music.

• The Fault in Our Stars lead Ansel Elgort will play the title role in Van Cliburn. The film tells the story of the Texan piano prodigy who has been credited as bridging the Cold War gap between America and Russia when, at age 23, he won the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958. Andrew Stern (Disconnect) is penning the script, and Elgort, a graduate of Laguardia High School of the Performing Arts, will perform the piano playing himself. [Deadline]

• Ewan McGregor (The Impossible) will star in the film adaptation of Philip Roth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel American Pastoral. McGregor will play...

Ansel Elgort coyly Tweeted, "some news on the movie front" late Monday afternoon. And aside from the smiley emoji following his note, the Fault in Our Stars headliner decided to make fans work to find out about his newest movie role. Elgort has, according to Deadline.com, signed on to play Van Cliburn, an American pianist who won the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition at the height of the Cold War. The film Van Cliburn is based on the Howard Reich book of the same name. The 20-year-old actor, like Van Cliburn, tickles the ivories and believes in the power of music.

Ansel Elgort coyly Tweeted, "some news on the movie front" two hours ago. And aside from the smiley emoji following his note, the Fault in Our Stars headliner decided to make fans work to find out about his newest movie role. Elgort has, according to Deadline.com, signed on to play Van Cliburn, an American pianist who won the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition at the height of the Cold War. The film Van Cliburn is based on the Howard Reich book of the same name. The 20-year-old actor, like Van Cliburn, tickles the ivories and believes in the power of music.

Fresh off of his stint as the co-lead in "The Fault In Our Stars," Ansel Elgort has been tapped to play Van Cliburn in the biopic of the same name, according to Deadline. The film is based on the Howard Reich book on the famed musician, with Elgort playing the pianist in 1958, the year that the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition was launched in Moscow. The Texas-born savant wowed audiences during the Cold War when America's tensions with Russia ran high. Van Cliburn was credited with easing that strain and went on to become one of the most in-demand performers of all time, starting his own International Piano Competition in his home state in 1962. Cliburn died in February last year. Elgort comes from a ballet performance background but he also, indeed, plays piano. He most recently appeared as Augustus Waters in "The Fault In Our Stars," which paired him back up with Shailene Woodley,...

Birthday shoutouts go to Joel Edgerton (above), who is 40, Jason Mraz is 37, Joss Whedon is 50, Selma Blair is 42, and Frances McDormand is 57.

Us student is rescued from giant vagina sculpture in Germany

Ed mentioned Tamar Iveri this morning, and now Opera Australia has officially given her the boot.

Hollywood It Boy Ansel Elgort will play the late pianist Van Cliburn in a new bio-drama. The article makes no mention, but Van was gay, and involved in a palimony suit in the 90′s. I wonder if the movie will get that far.

Congrats to Michael Arden, who instagrammed his engagement announcement. “”Come, woo me, woo me, for now I am in a holiday humour and like enough to consent.” #engaged #andyandmichael”

We’ve been talking all day about the Epic F*ck-up at last night’s Daytime Emmy Awards, with Days of Our Lives airing the wrong clip for Chandler Massey,...

Hot off his starring role in the popular teen romance The Fault in Our Stars opposite Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort has locked down the lead role in another highly promising, albeit drastically different, project. The young actor will portray acclaimed American pianist Harvey Lavan “Van” Cliburn, Jr. in the biopic Van Cliburn.

Adapted by Andrew Stern from the book by Howard Reich, Van Cliburn will take a look at the pianist’s formative years, including his stunning win at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow when he was only 23. At the time of his victory, Cliburn was barely known, and his triumph at the competition was a major embarrassment for Soviet-controlled Russia. 1923 marked the the first time the tournament had been held, and its obvious goal was to impress Soviet superiority at a time when tensions between the U.S. and Russia were extremely high. After all, Russia had...

Deadline reports that Ansel Elgort, 20, is set to play the late American pianist “Van Cliburn” in an Andrew Stern-scripted adaptation of the 1993 biography by Howard Reich. Elgort will play Cliburn in his formative years when, at the age of 23 in 1958, he become a breakout star for winning the first-ever Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow — an achievement that jump-started a long career that led him to playing for U.S. presidents and being embraced by Russian audiences. It was also significant because it happened during a time when relations between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were [...]

The post Ansel Elgort Lands Titular Role in ‘Van Cliburn’ Adaptation appeared first on Up and Comers.

Van Cliburn

Ansel Elgort ("Fault in our Stars," "Carrie") has signed to play the title role in the biopic "Van Cliburn" for Temple Hill and Crystal Entertainment. Ari Daniel Pinchot, Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen will produce.

Van Cliburn was a 23-year-old lanky pianist from Texas who emerged from out of nowhere to win the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958. It was the first time the tournament was held, and was organized by the Ussr in an effort by Kruschev to lord Soviet superiority over the Us during the height of the cold war. [Source: Deadline]

Brilliance

Talks between Jared Leto and Legendary Pictures for the "Dallas Buyers Club" star to take over from Will Smith in Julius Onah's "Brilliance" have reportedly broken down. Leto, who met with Onah last Monday, reportedly turned down the role last week and puts him back in the running for Marvel's "Doctor Strange...

Exclusive: Ansel Elgort, hot off the male lead of Augustus Waters in The Fault In Our Stars, has signed to play the title role in Van Cliburn, a feature that is being mounted by Temple Hill partners Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen along with Crystal City Entertainment in association with The Johnson Group. Godfrey and Bowen, who worked with Elgort on The Fault In Our Stars, will produce with Ari Daniel Pinchot and Robert M. Johnson is exec producer. Andrew Stern will write the script. The film is based on the Howard Reich book Van Cliburn, and Elgort will play […]...

You may have heard Ansel Elgort explaining his fondness for music to us in last week’s Podcast (you can listen below if not, or head here for a print version of the interview). He’s now scored a musical role in a new film, signing on to play pianist Van Cliburn in the film of the same name.Andrew Stern is adapting the script from Howard Reich’s eponymous book, which chronicles the true story of American ivory-worrier Cliburn. He appeared seemingly from nowhere in 1958, aged 23, to compete in – and win – the first ever Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. It was organised by the Ussr as a way to trumpet the country’s superiority over America in the wake of Sputnik’s launch, as the nuclear arms race between the countries heated ever further.But Texas native Cliburn, who had graduated Julliard after years spent learning from his mother,...

The year now ending marks another 12-month period of losing talents who have given television viewers entertainment or information ... and some of those passings, even more sadly, came as major and untimely shocks. Zap2it remembers:

Paul Walker: The actor best-known for the "Fast & Furious" movies had career roots in such TV shows as "Who's the Boss?" "Highway to Heaven" and "Touched by an Angel."

James Gandolfini: He projected so much older as mobster Tony Soprano, many were surprised to learn the three-time Emmy winner only was in his 30s and 40s when he played the part.

Cory Monteith: As Finn Hudson on "Glee," the Canadian-born performer touched fans of all ages both in life and afterward.

Jean Stapleton: Forever TV's top "dingbat," the "All in the Family" actress earned three Emmys as lovably daffy Edith Bunker.

Jonathan Winters: The improvisation genius who inspired his...

Washington -- Here's a listing of the 2012 inductees to the National Recording Registry in chronological order:

1."After You've Gone," Marion Harris (1918)

2."Bacon, Beans and Limousines," Will Rogers (Oct. 18, 1931)

3."Begin the Beguine," Artie Shaw (1938)

4. "You Are My Sunshine," Jimmie Davis (1940)

5.D-Day Radio Broadcast, George Hicks (June 5-6, 1944)

6."Just Because," Frank Yankovic & His Yanks (1947)

7."South Pacific," Original Cast Album (1949)

8."Descargas: Cuban Jam Session in Miniature," Cachao Y Su Ritmo Caliente (1957)

9.Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Van Cliburn (April 11, 1958)

10.President's Message Relayed from Atlas Satellite, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Dec. 19, 1958)

11."A Program of Song," Leontyne Price (1959)

12."The Shape of Jazz to Come," Ornette Coleman (1959)

13."Crossing Chilly Jordan," The Blackwood Brothers (1960)

14."The Twist," Chubby Checker (1960)

15."Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's," Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, et al. (1960-1962)

16."Hoodoo Man Blues," Junior Wells (1965)

17."Sounds of Silence," Simon and Garfunkel (1966)

18."Cheap Thrills," Big Brother and the Holding Company (1968)

19."The Dark Side of the Moon," Pink Floyd (1973)

20."Music Time in Africa,...

Washington — A popular tune by Simon and Garfunkel written after John F. Kennedy's assassination and Chubby Checker's 1960s dance hit "The Twist" will be among 25 recordings selected for preservation at the Library of Congress.

These are just a few sounds of the 20th century being added to the National Recording Registry on Thursday for long-term preservation due to their cultural, artistic and historic importance. The library said Checker's rendition of "The Twist" became a symbol for the energy and excitement of the early 60s after "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark chose Checker to record a new version of the song.

Later, the 1966 album "Sounds of Silence" by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel was a hit in its day but not before the duo struggled and split early on. Their song "The Sound of Silence" from the aftermath of President Kennedy's assassination 50 years ago this year had initially flopped...

Fort Worth, Texas — Legendary pianist Van Cliburn was remembered Sunday as a gifted musician who transcended the boundaries of politics and art by easing tensions during the Cold War and introducing classical music to millions.

About 1,400 people attended a memorial service for Cliburn, who died Wednesday at 78 after fighting bone cancer. As the service began, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra accompanied a choir while pall bearers carried his flower-covered coffin into a Fort Worth church.

Several speakers referred to what made Cliburn famous: winning the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, when he was just 23. At the height of the Cold War, the win by the pianist who grew up in Texas helped thaw the icy rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union.

"Over the course of many years, during the most difficult historical times, the art of Van Cliburn brought together people from different countries, different continents and united them,...

Bobby Rogers, who founded the Motown singing group the Miracles with Smokey Robinson, has died. He was 73. Motown Museum board member Allen Rawls told the Associated Press that Rogers died Sunday morning at his home. Rogers lived in the Detroit suburb of Southfield and had been ill for several years. Also read: Famed Pianist Van Cliburn Dies at 78 Rogers (far right in photo above) formed the Miracles in 1956 with his cousin Claudette Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White and Robinson. Rogers and The Miracles were inducted into the Rock and Roll...

The beloved musician, who was hailed a hero at the age of 23 when he won the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the cold war, died on Feb. 28 after battling bone cancer.

Van Cilburn, a beloved American pianist, died at the age of 78 after losing his battle with bone cancer. The musician gained worldwide recognition after winning first place in the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in 1958 when he was just 23 years old.

Van, who won the competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, became a symbol of defeat over the Soviet Union during the war. His performance at the competition was received by an eight-minute standing ovation. At the event, the judges had to reportedly ask Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev if they could give the first place prize to an American.

“Is he the best?” Khrushchev reportedly said, according to the Washington Post.

The quintessentially American story of classical piano hero Van Cliburn -- the Texan who at the height of the Cold War won the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, when he was 23 years old, received a ticker tape parade in New York City on his return (as shown at left), made the first million-selling classical album, and (mostly) retired at age 44, having shrewdly invested his earnings in real estate -- is told in carefully balanced detail in Anthony Tommasini's lengthy obituary for The New York Times.

That obit includes the fact that some said that Cliburn didn't live up to his potential as a pianist, outside of his favorite repertoire, he did not always play with equal inspiration. While greater versatility would have been commendable, the same charge could be aimed at many pianists. In his comfort zone, though -- the music of Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and of course...

Los Angeles, Feb 28: Classical pianist Van Cliburn, known for his triumph at a 1958 Moscow competition, died Wednesday after a battle with bone cancer. He was 78.

The musician died at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, surrounded by loved ones, his publicist and close friend Mary Lou Falcone said.

Cliburn, then 23, attained fame by winning the first edition of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, held in 1958, just six months after the Soviet Union shocked Washington by launching the first artificial satellite, Sputnik.

That success led him to perform in numerous concerts all over the country and resulted in his being featured.

Birthday shoutouts go to Brandon Beemer (above), who is 33, Josh Groban is 32, and a special Birthday shoutout to Ae Reader Allan J., who is 44! In ratings news, The New Normal was up a bit, while Smash was even with last week's series low.Colorado tight end Nick Kasa was asked a stream of questions at the NFL Scouting Combine that included, "Do you like girls?" The NFL is investigating. MTV has officially set the date for Season Three of Teen Wolf: Monday, June 3rd at 10 Pm Et. Is the Museum Of Modern Art putting artists back in the closet? Specifically, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, who are referred to as "friends."Pianist Van Cliburn has died at the age of 78. Our thoughts are with his fans and his partner Thomas L. Smith. Jesse Tyler Ferguson stopped by The View to talk about the Modern Family backlash, his engagement, and the Tie The Knot foundation.

Fort Worth, Texas — For a time in Cold War America, Van Cliburn had all the trappings of a rock star: sold-out concerts, adoring, out-of-control fans and a name recognized worldwide. He even got a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

And he did it all with only a piano and some Tchaikovsky concertos.

The celebrated pianist played for every American president since Harry Truman, plus royalty and heads of state around the world. But he is best remembered for winning a 1958 piano competition in Moscow that helped thaw the icy rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Cliburn, who died Wednesday at 78 after fighting bone cancer, was "a great humanitarian and a brilliant musician whose light will continue to shine through his extraordinary legacy," said his publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone. "He will be missed by all who knew and admired him, and by countless people he never met.

Classical pianist Van Cliburn has died, after recently undergoing treatment for bone cancer. He was 78. Cliburn is best known for winning the 1958 Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow—a triumph that was viewed as a massive victory for the Americans during those tense days of the Cold War. When he returned to the States, the 23-year-old Cliburn received a ticker-tape parade in New York that saw him greeted by 100,000 cheering fans. Cliburn was a Juilliard-trained child prodigy who had previously won the 1954 Leventritt Foundation award, which gave him his stage debut performing with five different orchestras ...

Van Cliburn, the American pianist who stunned Russian audiences at the height of the Cold War with performances of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff concertos, died Wednesday at his home in Forth Worth, Tex., after a battle with cancer. He was 78. "Van Cliburn was an international legend for over five decades, a great humanitarian and a brilliant musician whose light will continue to shine through his extraordinary legacy," his publicist, Mary Lou Falcone, said in a statement to the Associated Press. "He will be missed by all who knew and admired him, and...

Van Cliburn, the internationally renowned American cultural ambassador and one of the greatest pianists in the history of music, died at his Fort Worth, Texas, home on Wednesday. He was 78 and had been suffering from advanced bone cancer first diagnosed in mid-August 2012. Having played for royalty, heads of state and every American President since Harry Truman, Harvey Lavan Cliburn Jr., the Shreveport, Louisiana-born son of an oil industry executive, began taking piano lessons from his mother Rildia when he was 3. She remained his teacher for the next 17 years. The family moved to Texas when the prodigy was 6, and he debuted...

Van Cliburn, the internationally celebrated pianist whose triumph at a 1958 Moscow competition helped thaw the Cold War and launched a spectacular career that made him the rare classical musician to enjoy rock-star status, died Wednesday after a fight with bone cancer. He was 78.   Cliburn died at his home in Fort Worth surrounded by loved ones, said his publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone.   "Van Cliburn was an international legend for over five decades, a great humanitarian and a brilliant musician whose light will continue to shine through his extraordinary legacy," Falcone...

Van Cliburn, the pianist who helped unite and inspire people during the Cold War, has died, the Associated Press reports. He was 78.

Cliburn died in his Fort Worth, Texas, home after succumbing to his battle with bone cancer.

Photo Gallery: Celebrity deaths in 2013

Born in Louisiana, Cliburn began taking piano lessons at the age of three. After growing up in Texas, Cliburn moved to New York to study at the Julliard School and trained in Russian Romantic-style music. It was in 1958, at the age of 23, when Cliburn rose to fame after winning the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. That year he was on the cover of Time Magazine with the headline, "The Texan Who Conquered Russia." Although Russia and the United States were battling at the time, Cilburn became a hero to Soviets.

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Famed pianist Van Cliburn, who became an American hero for his sensational triumph at a Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, has died. He was 78. Raised in Texas, taught to play by his mother and educated at the Juilliard School, Cliburn died Wednesday at his home in Fort Worth. He had announced Aug. 28 through his publicist that he had been diagnosed with advanced bone cancer. At the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in April 1958 -- an event launched during the Cold War to demonstrate the Soviet Union’s cultural superiority -- the 23-year-old Cliburn

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Fort Worth, Texas (AP) — Renowned classical pianist Van Cliburn has been diagnosed with advanced bone cancer and is resting comfortably at his Texas home, his publicist said Monday. The 78-year-old Cliburn is under excellent care and his spirits are high, said longtime friend and publicist Mary Lou Falcone. Cliburn skyrocketed to fame in 1958 when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at age 23. He triumphantly returned to a New York ticker tape parade, the only one ever for a classical musician, and a Time magazine cover proclaimed him "The Texan Who Conquered Russia." In the years...

One good thing about working for AfterElton is I know a big chunk of our readership likes, enjoys, and spends a lot of its extra time thinking about stars of the past. You have to keep those names bouncing around in your head since they're little replenishable vitamins, surges of endorphins when brought up correctly. That brings me to today's topic: Judy Garland's onscreen paramours. Garland would've been 90 yesterday, and I didn't get to properly commemorate this. But here's for compensation: I'm bringing you the definitive list of Judy's five hottest costars. Come on, boys, get happy!

5. James Mason

A Star is Born is one of the great films of the '50s, a heartbreaking and unforgettable journey. The heroine's story gets nearly as tragic as Judy's own, particularly in '54 when she lost the Best Actress statuette to Grace Kelly in a year when she was the expected shoo-in.

The Kennedy Center Honors have been handed out since 1978. Recipients hail from various branches of the American performance art world — including film, stage, music, and dance — even though performers more closely associated with British show business have managed to sneak in every now and then, e.g., Paul McCartney, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Pete Townshend. Since recipients are supposed to attend the Washington, D.C., ceremony in order to take home their Kennedy awards, Doris Day has remained unhonored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Katharine Hepburn kept putting it off until she finally relented in 1990. (Irene Dunne, see above photo, was one who managed to be honored though absent due to ill health.) Ginger Rogers, for her part, was present at the ceremony, but her films with Fred Astaire weren't — because Astaire's widow, Robyn Astaire, demanded payment for the televised clips. At the time, Kennedy Center Honors...

Hollywood star Meryl Streep and singer-songwriter James Taylor have been selected to receive the U.S. government's highest arts honor by President Barack Obama. "Sophie's Choice" star Streep and Grammy winner Taylor will be joined by famed music producer Quincy Jones and "To Kill a Mockingbird" novelist Harper Lee as recipients of the White House's National Humanities Medal and National Medal of Arts.

Pianist Van Cliburn and author Joyce Carol Oates are also among the 20 luminaries selected to receive a medal from Obama at the White House ceremony on Wednesday, March 2.

"I think what's true for me is true for everyone here and true for our country," Obama said during the occasion. "The fact is that works of art, literature, works of history, they speak to our condition and they affirm our desire for something more and something better."...

Hollywood star Meryl Streep and singer-songwriter James Taylor have been selected to receive the U.S. government's highest arts honour by President Barack Obama.

Sophie's Choice star Streep and Grammy winner Taylor will be joined by famed music producer Quincy Jones and To Kill a Mockingbird novelist Harper Lee as recipients of the White House's National Humanities Medal and National Medal of Arts.

Pianist Van Cliburn and author Joyce Carol Oates are also among the 20 luminaries selected to receive a medal from Obama at the White House ceremony on Wednesday.

American Idol alum Jason Castro will make an appearance on CBS’ The Bold and The Beautiful in July. In an episode that he’ll tape next week at the sudser’s Los Angeles set, Castro will play himself and sing “Love Uncompromised” — a track off his self-titled debut album — in a scene involving Hope (Kimberly Matula) and Oliver (Zack Conroy).

Musicians routinely appear on CBS daytime soaps to showcase their work. Performers like Pat Benatar, Jewel, Enrique Iglesias, pianist Van Cliburn and opera singers Il Divo, for example, have dropped by The Young and the Restless, while Cyndi Lauper appeared on As The World Turns.

The story of Nobuyuki Tsujii is truly inspiring. Blind since birth, the Japanese classical pianist has not let his disability prevent him from becoming a renowned musician who has won accolades the world over for his amazing talent.

The new documentary A Surprise in Texas chronicles Tsujii's stellar performances at the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, one of the world's most prestigious musical competitions. The film, which opens Friday at the Arbor, follows Tsujii and a half-dozen other young competitors during the grueling three-week event. Produced and directed by veteran documentarian Peter Rosen for the Van Cliburn Foundation, A Surprise in Texas is a pleasant enough peek into the world of the Van Cliburn competition. But while it captures the power of the concert performances, it's far less successful at humanizing most of the performers or turning a compelling subject into a compelling film.

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The actor and director is entering his ninth decade, What accounts for his astonishing professional longevity?

Gallery: 80 years of Clint in 80 pictures

Directors may occasionally be shown respect, perhaps even asked for their autograph, in America, but no one actually likes them. People may admire or envy James Cameron or Steven Spielberg or Francis Ford Coppola or Martin Scorsese, and a significantly smaller group of filmgoers may look forward to Woody Allen's next outing, but they don't have much of an emotional connection with them. This is what makes Clint Eastwood's career so singular.

Because he started out as an actor, and very quickly became an actor that a large segment of the population positively adored, in the same way that they adored Jimmy Cagney and Cary Grant and both Hepburns, Eastwood has long benefited from a personal relationship with the American people that no other living director can even dream of.

The Dallas International Film Festival will present its Texas Avery Animation Award to Pete Docter, one of the writers and the director of "Up."

  The fest, which runs from April 8-18, also unveiled a dozen titles in its lineup, including three world premieres. They are: Peter Rosen's "A Surprise in Texas," a documentary about the Van Cliburn International Piano Competion; Matthew Leuwyler's "The River Why," a drama based on the novel by David James Duncan; and Neil Truglio's drama "We Are the Sea."

The lineup also includes several films that recently played the Sundance Film Festival such as "Winter's Bone" and "Obselidia" as well as "The Dry Land," "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child" and "Skateland."...

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone (Roadside Attractions) The Dallas International Film festival will run April 8 – 18, 2010. Passes are currently on sale and tickets go on sale March 18. Passes and tickets will be made available online (www.dallasfilm.org) and by phone (214.720.0555). Below are the Dallas International Film Festival’s twelve official selections to date. A Surprise In Texas (USA) Director: Peter Rosen Directed by Peter Rosen, A Surprise In Texas is a documentary focusing its camera lens on the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth Texas, where 29 young contestants come from all over the world to compete for the most prestigious prize in the music [...]...

There was Van Cliburn in 1958, Lenny (Bernstein, of course) from the 60s til his death in 1990, and now it's the Venezuelan Wunderkind Gustavo Dudamel - a genuine phenom who is transcending the realm of classical music and crashing into the broad public consciousness. You need proof? Then go beyond the gala opening concert Thursday at Disney Hall -- with video cameramen positioned discreetly onstage for future world-wide screenings -- where the Los Angeles Philharmonic's new podium chief, together with his 100 musicians, bedazzled both an elite indoor crowd, sold to the walls and thronged with celebrities, and the outdoor Music Center Plaza revelers watching it all on a Jumbotron, with additional flat screens scattered about. In fact, five days earlier 18,000 fast-footed folks who had, two months ago, snapped up free tickets, came to a Hollywood Bowl community concert...