Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle), Jessica Chastain (The Help, Tree of Life) and Martin Short (The Martin Short Show, Saturday Night Live) join the returning cast of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple and of course, King Julien, Maurice and the Penguins are all along for the comedic adventure.

Their journey takes them through Europe, where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent – Madagascar style.

Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival

The fans, which turned out early, had much to cheer about as they were treated to a combination of Ska and Mento courtesy of acts such as the Dubtonic Crew, the Show Mento Band, Byron Lee’s Dragonaires and the legendary king of Ska, Derrick Morgan.

The Dubtonic Crew was silky smooth as members showed complete mastery over their instruments, setting the place alight with their cover of Black Uhuru’s “Shine Eye Gyal.”

The undisputed star among the early acts was Morgan, who reeled off his legendary Ska hits with consummate ease as he performed songs like “Reggae Train,” “Independence,” “Rude Boy” and “Fat Mother.”

Among the other acts expected to sparkle in a night dedicated to 50 years of Jamaican music are Kymani Marley, Luciano, Maxi Priest, Etana, Mykal Rose and Shaggy.

But it was the “HELLO, Jamaica!” shouted from Celine Dion to the huge crowd that turned out for her performance at Jamaica Jazz and Blues, at the Greenfied Stadium in Trelawny on Friday night.
After her opening number “I Drove All Night” at minutes after midnight, the Canadian singer expressed appreciation for the love and support she got from her Jamaican fans.
Every sentence was greeted with claps and loud cheers as she continued to shower praises about the island.
“I’m so excited to be here. We have been enjoying the beautiful weather, the friendliest people, the food,” she said.
“I have some making up to do for all that lost time. I can’t believe we’re really here in your beautiful country; the home of the great Bob Marley, the best place on earth to get an amazing plate of jerked chicken!”
“Happy birthday Jamaica on 50 fabulous years of independence,” she said, before getting back to the real business at hand – thrilling fans.

For many, the Dion experience began at the main road leading up to the stadium. From as early as 8:15, the main car park at the stadium was full to capacity due to the overwhelming turnout. Patrons had to make the long trek up to the venue having parked some distance away.
Dion delivered “Where Does My Heart Beat Now,” then “Because You Loved Me,” which from its first musical strains were greeted with loud screams, many singing along with their hands outstretched. A few couples used the opportunity to slow dance.

It was more musical thrills when Dion sang “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now,” “Power of Love” and one she did in honour of Ella Fitzgerald who died in June 1996, “Mr Paganini.”
The musical journey continued with “Beauty and the Beast” and “Gold Finger.”
The singer had four quick costume changes during her hour-long set and was accompanied by her band, which was on queue throughout her performance. The superb lighting served to enhance her performance.

Local artiste Diana King shared stage with the star performing the song she penned “Treat Her like a Lady,” then it was back to more solos. “I’m Alive,” “All By Myself,” “River Deep,” “Mountain High” and “My Heart Will Go On” brought the curtains down on a performance that was interlaced with screams, shouts, dancing and lots of love from the fans present.

Earlier in the evening, there were some enjoyable performances from Bryan Art, Jully Black, Tami Chynn, Tessanne Chin, Richie Stephens, Gentleman and a powerful set from Nicole Henry.
It also saw two more awards being presented to local artistes for their contribution to the Islands’ music. This time, it was to Richie Stephens and Shaggy for promoting Jamaican music across the globe.

The 3 days long festival’s last night climaxed with performances from Temptations Review, Damian Marley, Cee Lo Green and Heads of State.
Temptations Review, soca queen Destra and Junior Gong were the highlights on the final night of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival held on Saturday.
Dapperly attired in black sequined shirts and white pants, the quintet Temptations Review commanded immediate attention with “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”
In between some fancy footwork, they worked their magic with “My Lady Soul,” “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” and “Don’t Look Back.”

It was a completely different vibes when Destra took centerstage in the early morning. She pumped new life back into then weary crowd as she jumped and pranced on stage getting them in the soca groove with “Worky Worky,” “Max It Up” and “Carnival Time.”
She diverted to give the audience a taste of her rich vocals when she performed some of her declared idol Whitney Houston’s songs.
“Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “Saving All My Love,” “I Have Nothing” and “I Will Always Love” were some of the Houston treats she delivered before “turning up the tempo” once more with her soca favorites.

Destra, who said she flew in the island straight from a previous performance, and declaring she was leaving right after for another two engagements — showed no signs of slowing down as she had the crowd waving rags, jumping and keeping pace with her high-energy delivery.
“I love you so bad Jamaica. I had to be here! When you want di place to mash up den call mi!” she shouted, as she went on to get the crowd super excited. The audience went wild as they danced and seemed really charged up. It was definitely carnival time at jazz fest.
Following an extraordinarily long band change, Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley brought the curtains down on the 2012 staging of the event.

Unlike the previous night’s headliner Celine Dion, which saw everyone waiting for her to cap the night’s performance, many exited the venue leaving the die-hard reggae fans to witness what was a sterling performance from the young Marley.
Jr Gong hit the stage at 1:30 am, and worked his professional set for the next 1 1/4 hour. Among the songs he performed were “More Justice,” “Still Searching” and capping his performance with “Welcome To Jamrock,” the title track from his Grammy Award winning album.

Earlier in the evening the gathering saw performances from Tara Harrison, Earl Klugh and Heads of State.

There was also a final award presentation which was given to Maxi Priest for making a difference to Jamaica’s music. The singer in accepting his award said: “We’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go.”

“Awake” is a  drama about Detective Michael Britten (Isaacs) who finds he’s living two parallel lives. He’s involved in a car accident that seems to have killed both his son (Dylan Minnette, “Saving Grace”) and wife (Laura Allen, “Terriers”), yet his mind creates an ingenious coping mechanism in which he now lives two separate lives – one where his wife survived and the other where his son did.

Trying to regain some normalcy, Michael returns to solving crimes in both worlds with the help of two different partners, Detective Isaiah “Bird” Freeman (Steve Harris, “The Practice”) and Detective Efrem Vega (Wilmer Valderrama, “That ’70s Show”). Michael is assigned a different case in each reality and quickly discovers that his dual existence is actually a powerful tool. He begins to solve impossible cases by using his two realities to gain unique perspectives and link clues that cross over from world to world.

Helping Michael to navigate his two realities are his bureau-assigned therapists Dr. Evans (Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones, “24″) and Dr. Lee (BD Wong, NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”).

Pictured: (l-r) Dylan Minnette as Rex Britten, Jason Isaacs as Michael Britten, Laura Allen as Hannah Britten — Photo by: Jim Fiscus/NBC

Festival’s co-founder Ayuko Babu

The competitive line-up for the 2012 Pan African Film Festival is heavily loaded with powerful narratives, tragic tales and urban love stories.

A showcase for films of African heritage, and an alternative to mainstream film festivals such as Cannes and Sundance, it’s a place, according to the festival’s co-founder Ayuko Babu, where black filmmakers go to get recognition for their projects.

“There are no black audiences at Cannes and Sundance,” says Babu. “If you don’t have a main or big studio behind your film, what you do is put your film in a film festival to show a distributor that there is an audience for your film. That’s why black film festivals are important.”

With 160 films culled from 500 submissions in continents from South America, Europe and Africa, the Pan African Film Festival has been very, very good for black cinema.

Just a few years ago, the South African film, “Tsotsi” won the jury prize for best feature at the festival. The movie went on to win the Foreign Film category at the Academy Awards.

“We promoted and talked about it and were able to get the old voters from the Academy to come out and see and vote for that film,” adds Babu, who partially credits PAFF’s involvement for the movie’s success.

Established in 1992 by Danny Glover, actress Ja’Net DuBois and Babu, a political consultant who specializes in African Affairs,  PAFF holds the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the country.

“It’s the only place where we can tell our stories,” continues Babu. “As a result of colonization and the slave trade, African people and people of African descent are spread out throughout the world, and our stories are complex.”

From “Children of God,” which deals with homophobia in the Caribbean community to “Africa United,” an extraordinary story of three Rwandan kids who walk 3000 miles to the Soccer World Cup in South Africa, PAFF offers a slate of culturally enriching films.

“There is always a new craft of films and each year our stories are different, as each year people bring new stories. That is what makes the festival fresh and interesting, because we as a people are telling our own stories.”

Screenings will take place on February 9-20 at the Rave Cinemas 15, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

At the close of the festival, prizes will be handed out for the Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Narrative Feature, and Best First Feature Film, as well as audience favorite awards.

With 91 feature length films and 67 short films on the schedule, among this year’s offerings is a documentary on Bob Marley by director Esther Anderson & Gian Godoy, which is based on footage shot in the early 1970s. There’s also the powerful documentary on the origin of AIDS. Directed by Peter Chappell & Catherine Peix, the filmmakers connect the origin of AIDS with the injection of nearly a million Africans with an experimental polio vaccine.

“A lot of black films try to explain us to other people and we are not interested in those type of films. A movie which enhances, enriches and enlightens is what we are interested in.” continues Babu, who sits on the jury of the African Movie Academy awards.

For much of the festival’s 11 days, PAFF will take movie goers on a cinematic journey with international film screenings from around the globe and Q & A’s with the film directors.

“We have one billion black people in Africa and the future for the Pan African Film business rests in South Africa and Nigeria. They have broken out and are creating stories and movies. They have their studios and the money and they don’t need the American market,” adds Babu.

The festival also hosts an awards show, Night of Tribute, honoring world-renowned actors, filmmakers, community leaders and fine artists for their contributions on stage, television, film, the arts and the community.

Actress Meagan Good (“Think Like a Man,” “Jumping the Broom,”) and actor David Oyelowo (“Red Tails”) will receive the Beah Richards and Canada Lee Emerging Artist Awards, respectively. Emmy Award-winning actress Loretta Devine (“Jumping the Broom,” Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls,”) will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more information on PAFF, visit www.paff.org

“The day after the Super Bowl is when people head back to their office water coolers to discuss what they loved and what they didn’t,” Rovell said. “Our conversation is about taking all those water cooler conversations and bringing it to a national, digital stage.”

On Friday evening, Feb. 17 during his NBC Sports Network show CNBC SportsBiz: Game On, Rovell will reveal the most popular Super Bowl commercial as selected by YouTube Ad Blitz voters.

The Hangout is the second piece of an NBC Sports collaboration with YouTube and its Super Bowl Ad Blitz, the premier online gallery of Super Bowl commercials. The Super Bowl is annually the biggest single day of the year for advertisers, commanding the attention of millions of Americans tuned in to watch the game as well as the TV commercials. Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and New England Patriots will be broadcast on NBC on Sunday, Feb. 5.

As part of the agreement, NBC will promote Ad Blitz and Rovell’s Google+ Hangout during its pre-game coverage and YouTube will offer weekend-long online promotion of NBC’s Super Bowl XLVI coverage. This marks the first time in the five-year history of the YouTube Ad Blitz that YouTube has partnered with the Super Bowl network broadcaster.

Rovell, CNBC’s Sports Business Reporter, is responsible for both analyzing and reporting on the sports business world on all of CNBC’s programming.

Jennifer Lopez will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today.

Lopez, who serves as a judge on “American Idol,” will be seen next in the feature “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” and recently completed work on “Parker” and “Ice Age: Continental Drift.” Her other film credits include “The Back-Up Plan,” “El Cantante,” “Monster-in-Law,” “Maid in Manhattan,” “Enough,” “The Wedding Planner,”  ”Out of Sight” and “Selena.”

She will join Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig – from the hit comedy “Bridesmaids”  as presenters for this annual event.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Cymphonique Miller

The center of Nickelodeon’s new live-action comedy series called “How to Rock,” it follows Miller’s character Kacey Simons, a once perfect ‘mean girl’ who falls out of favor with the ‘in-crowd.’

“She starts off as the most popular girl in school, as she’s in a click called the ‘The Perfs,’ which is short for perfect and they are sort of like the mean girls at the school. She makes a transformation on the first episode and comes back to school with braces and glasses. Her ‘perfs’ friends don’t think she is perfect anymore, so she finds new friends who like her just the way she is,” explains Miller on her new project.

Forging an unlikely friendship with the members of the band Gravity 5, featuring Stevie Baskara (Lulu Antariksa), Zander Robbins (Max Schneider), and  Kevin Reed (Christopher O’Neal),  Simons becomes the bands lead singer and ignites a musical rivalry with The Perfs.

“The show is basically about being true to who you are and it has music in it,” shares Miller. “Each week we do crazy stunts. We had chocolate dumped on us in one episode and I have been turned into a statue before. With this show, I feel like I am crossing out a bucket list,” adds the actress, who has guest starred in the Nickelodeon series “Big Time Rush,” “True Jackson, VP,” and “Just Jordan.”

Based on a pilot script by Jim O’Doherty (“The Tracy Morgan Show”), it’s a project Miller, who has performed with various artists including her brother Romeo Miller, JoJo, Raven-Simone and Ashley Tisdale was attracted to due to the versatility of her character.

“It’s a great platform for me as I can sing, dance and act and I am to be able to showcase all of it on the show,” she adds. “I feel like Kacey is crazier than me. Even though we are not perfect, at the end of the day she always makes it right and makes up with her friends. She always wants to do the right thing and I think that is something we have in common. She also loves music and I love music.”

“How to Rock shows our audience that everyone holds an inner-coolness, regardless of appearance or social circle,” said Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon’s President, Development and Original Programming. “Although Kacey is forced to fall out of the ‘in-crowd,’ she rocks her true self and soon proves that being ‘perfect’ is no longer cool.”

The network will also, for the first time ever, debut the series on iTunes and on Nick.com prior to its television premiere next month. The series theme song, “Only You Can Be You,” performed by Miller, is currently available on iTunes.

“How to Rock” premiers on Nickelodeon on Saturday, Feb. 4 with back-to-back episodes airing at 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

Pictured: Kacey (Cymphonique Miller) Photo: Michael Elins/Nickelodeon.

In a moment that is bound to be long remembered, Davis, who received the award for her role as a maid in “The Help,” beat favored to win, Merly Streep, to snag the best actress accolade.

“I was pretty overwhelmed with my name being called,” Davis told reporters backstage. “It’s hard for me think that I triumphed over Meryl Streep.”

Spencer, who has been a SAG member for 16 years, said her win was “a privilege.”

The other big winners of the evening were “Modern Family” and “Boardwalk Empire” who took home outstanding ensemble accolades. “30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin and Betty White of “Hot in Cleveland” won the best acting in a TV comedy series awards. Kate Winslet won for outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or miniseries for her role in “Mildred Pierce,” while “Boardwalk Empire” star Steve Buscemi won the best male actor trophy for TV drama series.

Dick Van Dyke presented Mary Tyler Moore with Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the 48th Annual Life Achievement Award, following a filmed tribute.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, which made its debut in 1995, has become one of the industry’s most prized honors and remains the only televised award shows to exclusively honor performers for acting in film and television.

Held at the Shrine Auditorium, the awards focus on both individual performances as well as on the work of the entire ensemble of a drama series and comedy series, and the cast of a motion picture.

PHOTO: Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis backstage during the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium (Photo by Shola Orol/Royalty Images)

The late singer’s children Prince, 14, Paris, 13 and Blanket, 9, imprinted their father’s hand and footmarks using his famous sequin glove for the hand-print and his historic dancing shoes for the footprints.

“My dad won the lifetime achievement award. It was an award he strived and worked the hardest to get but for me, and I think for him as well, this right here is his lifetime achievement award,” Prince told the crowd. “This is what he strived to get and this is what we are giving him now today.”

Also in attendance on Thursday was Jackson’s mother Katherine and his brothers Tito and Jackie, as well as soul legend Smokey Robinson.

PHOTO: Prince Jackson, Blanket Jackson and Paris Jackson appear at the Michael Jackson Hand and Footprint ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. (Photo by Shola Orol/Royalty Images)

Cheadle earned SAG Awards in 2001 and 2006 as a cast member in “Traffic” and “Crash.” He also received nominations in the male support category for his roles in “Crash” and “Devil in a Blue Dress” (1996).

Other Actor nominations include two ensemble nods for “Picket Fences” (1995, 1996), cast performance for “Boogie Nights” (1998), and both cast and male lead nominations for “Hotel Rwanda” (2005). Cheadle is currently starring in the Showtime comedy series “House of Lies” and will next be seen in the upcoming film “Flight” opposite Denzel Washington and John Goodman.

The SAG Awards® will be Simulcast Live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m.

The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, one of the awards season’s premier events, will be simulcast live coast-to-coast on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT) from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles. An encore prime time telecast will begin immediately following on TNT at 10 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (PT). The ceremony will also be telecast internationally.

In the two-hour premiere event, Clooney courses through his life from his early days as Dr. Doug Ross on “ER” to his most recently acclaimed role as Matt King in “The Descendants,” for which he has just received an Oscar® nomination.

A versatile actor, Clooney has moved gracefully through various genres from comedy to drama in roles as varied as “ER,” “Out of Sight,” “Oh, Brother Where Art Thou,” “The Perfect Storm,” “Oceans 11” and “Michael Clayton.” He garnered acclaim for his writing and directing talents with movies “Good Night, and Good Luck.” and “Ides of March,” in which he also played a principal acting role.

Clooney has twice been named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, Entertainment Weekly’s 50 Smartest People in Hollywood and one of Time magazine’s 50 Most Influential People in the World. He has been nominated for more than 100 awards, winning over 50 of them.

The new series, hosted and executive-produced by Elle Macpherson, and featuring celebrity mentors Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos will premiere on Tuesday, March 13 (9:30-11 p.m. ET) and resume with one-hour episodes on Tuesday, March 20 (10-11 p.m. ET).

The competing designers are: Barbara Bates, Edmond Newton, Kara Laricks, Losa Vian Hunter, Lizzie Parker, Luciana Scarabello, Nicholas Bowes, Nikki Poulos, Nzimiro Oputa, Orly Shani, Oscar Fierro, Ronnie Escalnate, Ross Bennett and Sarah Parrott.

In a weekly one-hour format, the 14 competing designers will participate in tasks, where they will be mentored by Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos, designed to further develop and expand their brands.

At the end of each episode, America will have the chance to immediately purchase the winning designs showcased on the episode that week at Macy’s, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue. The winning designs will be available on-line immediately and in-stores the following day. With just a single trip down an extravagant runway, “Fashion Star” will change the lives and fortunes of these aspiring designers forever.

Caprice Willard (Macy’s), Terron E. Schaefer (Saks Fifth Avenue) and Nicole Christie (H&M) who serve as the judges will make on-the-spot decisions as they vie for the right to purchase and exclusively carry the work of the up-and-coming designers each week. The designers who do not sell any of their items to the buyers will be up for elimination. In addition, celebrity mentors Simpson, Richie and Varvatos will be able to save one of these designers from the chopping block.

FASHION STAR — Season: 1 — Pictured: (l-r) Ross Bennett, Kara Laricks, Nikki Poulos, Lizzie Parker, Barbara Bates, Ronnie Escalante, Nicholas Bowles, Oscar Fierro, Lisa Hunter, Orly Shani, Sarah Parrott, Luciana Scarabello, Nzimiro Oputa, Edmond Newton — Photo by: John Russo/NBC

The First Lady is expected to talk about her “Let’s Move” campaign, what life is like for her and her family in the White House and her upcoming book about the White House kitchen garden.

Mrs. Obama’s first appearance was on October 27, 2008, a few weeks prior to her husband, Barack Obama, being elected President of the United States.

“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” is from Big Dog Productions in association with Universal Television. Debbie Vickers is the executive producer.

“Ms. Devine is probably one of the hardest working women in show business,” said Ayuko Babu, founder and executive director of the Pan African Film Festival. “She is an extremely gifted and versatile actress, creating soulful characters in some of our favorite televisions shows and films. Through her craft, she is an amazing storyteller, delivering memorable performances and portraying characters with a richness and vulnerability that connects with audience on many different levels.”

One of the most talented and versatile stage actresses, Devine can be seen regularly in her Emmy-winning role as “Adele,” on ABC’s hit medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” She’s also set to co-star with Jennifer Love Hewitt in Lifetime’s new series, “The Client List.”

Sherak and Lawrence, who was nominated for an Academy Award® for her lead performance in “Winter’s Bone,” announced the nominees in 10 of the 24 Award categories at a 5:38 a.m. PT live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives.

Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams and Rooney Mara are the nominees for best actress and in the best actor category, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Gary Oldman will compete for the best actor accolade.

Among the best picture nominees is the silent film “The Artist”, “War Horse,” “Hugo” and the Woody Allen film “Midnight in Paris.”

“Hugo” received the most of any other Oscar-nominated film this year followed by “The Artist.”

Photo: Oscar®-nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence (left) and Academy President Tom Sherak announced the nominees for the 84th Annual Academy Awards in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
credit: Todd Wawrychuk