“We rescheduled the show for Dec. 16,” said Mirjana Van Blaricom, IPA President. “We will include FEDEORA, the Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean. This will have a big impact on our choices as far as new takes on international films.”

“Due to the rise of bloggers, people who never read reviews are now part of the audience for commentary on the industry. This is not only local but global, and we are making adjustments in our membership to realign the parameters of what a press association means in the world today. It’s including a lot of new voices and views.

Van Blaricom added, “nobody has a monopoly on covering entertainment anymore.”

The 17^th Satellite Awards will take place on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City. The Intercontinental Hotel is located at 2151 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, Calif., 90067.

Mirjana Van Blaricom and renowned Russian Director Pytor Todorovski, a previous honoree at Eurasia.

As the 8th Eurasia International Film Festival wrapped in September,  IPA President Mirjana Van Blaricom said “the people who discovered Eurasia in 2012, the many distinguished guests, have seen how instrumental the festival is to the region as we have built up the moment since its inception.”

Founded first in 1998, a mere seven years after the region emerged as an independent republic, Eurasia IFF was established to highlight the locations and filmmaking resources available in country – resources that date back to Sergei Eisenstein’s two-part opus “Ivan the Terrible” (1944-1958), which was shot in Kazakhstan.  By 2005, the second festival was held, reinvigorated with Kim Ki-duk and Emir Kosturica bridging East and West. Making the trek to the Central Asian Republic since then, the eclectic mix of honorees include Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Costner, Catherine Deneuve, Eric Roberts, John Cusack, David Carradine, Gerard  Depardieu, Christopher Lambert, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Natassja Kinski, Steven Seagal, and Armand Assante, who filmed a documentary chronicling the area’s rise as an independent nation.

Actor John Savage lands a Steppe Eagle at Eurasia IFF (courtesy EIFF)

Van Blaricom has served as a presenter at the film festival in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has served on the Jury, and been actively involved since the early years of The Eurasia International Film Festival. For the 8^th festival in 2012, she invited Dennis Haysbert.  “Dennis delighted the crowds and represented the best of everything American film actors can offer to an international audience. It was a runaway success.”

On Sept. 13 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will present “Both Sides of the Camera: the Innovative Genius of Jerry Lewis” to highlight the technical prowess of the legendary entertainer in a conversational setting with VFX supervisor Craig Barron and sound designer Ben Burtt. Widely known as a stand-up comic who later hit it big in cinematic pairings with Dean Martin, and then as an iconic comedian in a solo career, the real Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch) is a man of hidden talents.Worldwide audiences know him as one of the first pro-active humanitarian fundraisers for children’s charities, but his mechanical and scientific explorations went unnoticed by the general public. But in 2005 Lewis received the International Press Academy’s Nikola Tesla Award for his pioneering achievement in creating the now industry-standard “video assist” technology.

At the time, his long-time manager Rick Saphire deftly described the legendary performers’ behind-the-camera skills. “As a motion picture producer, director, and actor, Jerry Lewis’ passion was to utilize every bit of new technology in the creation of his product. In some cases, if something didn’t exist, he would develop it himself. His marriage of the motion picture camera, the closed circuit TV camera, plus the introduction of video tape changed the way movies were made.” Saphire, who met Jerry Lewis through a family friend in 1953, said “in my opinion, Jerry Lewis was not thinking about becoming heralded as an inventor or innovator. He just wanted to come up with a way of doing his job better and providing the best in entertainment for his fans. On the other hand, I know he is bursting with pride for being recognized by the International Press Academy for his development of the ‘Video Assist.’”

In his acceptance speech, the “King of Comedy” said “I really can’t tell you what this award means to me, and I’ve got a lot of them.”

Even at age 86, Jerry Lewis continues to share his talent and expertise in all facets of the industry as a dynamic mentor with a new generation of filmmakers, friends, and fans.

Oscar-nominated producer Wolfgang Petersen, who helmed the classic DAS BOOT and brought TROY and PERFECT STORM to the screen among other films, will chair the jury board of Eurasia-2012. Petersen will be part of the team that makes final decisions on films from 33 countries entered this year.

Appearing on the Steppes last year, Sigourney Weaver pointed out that “the name says it ‘Eurasia.’ Film is global. It is international. To combine all the different energies of Asia, Europe, and really the world, at this festival and to look at their themes – it’s really exciting.”

Eurasia’s program will feature an International Competition (mainly from Europe and Asia), a Central Asian Panorama, Dynamic Kazakh Cinema, as well as “Cinematic Bridge: East” (films from Turkey) and “Cinematic Bridge: West” (films from Greece). Out of competition, “Gold of Berlinale” will showcase top films from Berlin.  Prize money will be presented to the winners at the Closing Ceremony.

Kevin Costner, who once brought his rock band Modern West to Eurasia with him to “bring some America right onto the stage,” shared a bit of wisdom at the festival.

“I learned a long time ago, as a young (actor) filmmaker that movies weren’t just from my country, but they travel the world,” Costner told the audience. “When I began to understand that, it changed the way I thought.”

Dubbed “the Bridge Between East and West,” the festival’s goal is to strengthen relations among filmmakers and to bring substantive projects to worldwide attention. For example, while Greece may be in economic crisis, the rise of art-house films is undeniable.

Past attendees include Catherine Deneuve, Eric Roberts, John Cusack, Gerard  Depardieu, Christopher Lambert, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Natassja Kinski, Steven Seagal, and Armand Assante, who made a documentary about the region.

The 8^th Eurasia International Film Festival is accredited and presented under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, JSC “Kazakhfilm” named after Shaken Aimanov jointly with Union of Cinematographers of Kazakhstan.  For more information, please visit www.eurasiaiff.kz.

Dale Olson and Shirley MacLaine

With the passing of legendary press agent Dale Olson, “we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for his uplifting approach to life and the industry,” said Mirjana Van Blaricom, IPA President. “He was my mentor at the beginning and throughout my career. Dale always said ‘let’s look at the good things.’ He always had something good to say, which is very rare in this business.”

While many in the industry will forever remember Olson as the tactful spokesman who stage-managed the historic AIDS announcement of his client Rock Hudson, the veteran publicist who died yesterday at age 78 was first and foremost a revered personal friend to his clients and a formidable strategist who deftly handled over 150 Oscar campaigns.

His career took off with the campaign for “In the Heat of the Night” in 1967, which won five Oscars and followed this brilliant trajectory through blockbusters like the “Superman” franchise to nuanced films like “American Beauty” where Olson masterminded a sophisticated publicity strategy to reach Academy voters on a personal level.

Clint Eastwood, Shirley MacLaine Gene Kelly, Steve McQueen, Lynn Redgrave, and Walter Matthau were among his high-profile clients, that once included British screen legend Laurence Olivier, funnyman Peter Ustinov, and Diana Rigg. Olson was also on the vanguard of changes in communication and was wary of the invasions of privacy.

“Dale never lost sight of the future,” Van Blaricom said. “At the end of each year, instead of a holiday card, he would send a letter that addressed everything relevant going on in the business and the world around us.”

“In the last letter I received, he wrote a great quote that everyone should think about: ‘So blog away, twitter all you want, make a thousand ‘friends’ on Facebook, but think about the consequences of what you have to say. If we truly believe in the First Amendment, isn’t it our responsibility to properly follow the guidance our forefathers so wisely provided?’”

“He championed a lot of causes and wouldn’t give up. Less than a month ago, we spent more than an hour in his hospital room laughing and talking – that is how I will remember him.”

In 2000, The International Press Academy honored Dale Olson as the first publicist to receive an honorary Satellite Award. Shirley MacLaine presented the award.

Los Angeles, CA:

When Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field in 1882 during his research years in Budapest, Hungary, a whole new era in modern scientific research and medical technology was born. All Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines are calibrated in “Tesla” units, which are the international standard unit of magnetic flux density adopted in 1956. The invention of MRI machines is only part of Nikola Tesla’s legend and legacy.

Son of a Serbian Orthodox clergyman, Nikola Tesla was born into Smiljan Lika, a territory of the former Yugoslavia then occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Much of his schooling took place in Graz, Austria, and the University of Prague. While conducting his research work in the United States of America, Tesla became a naturalized American citizen in 1891.

As a revolutionary thinker, Tesla is recognized among the most innovative engineers of the late 19th century and early 20th century. His patents and theoretical work form the basis of modern alternating current electric power (AC) systems, including the polyphase power distribution system and AC motor.

In America, Tesla’s name became a byword for futuristic innovation coupled with practical achievement. The public and the media deemed him a “magician” who conjured up spectacular technical feats. After his demonstration of wireless communication in the late 1800’s and after being declared the victor in the “War of Currents”, Tesla was widely respected as America’s greatest electrical engineer.

Under the sponsorship of George Westinghouse, Nikola Tesla lit up the World Columbia Expo in Chicago in 1893 with a glittering light and electrical energy display, validating Tesla’s status as the originator of technologies which helped usher in the Second Industrial Revolution.

Tesla’s legacy can be seen across modern civilization wherever electricity is used. Tesla envisioned the earth’s ionosphere as a rarified environment for communication and has been validated by the wireless industry. His unparalleled showmanship and penchant for innovative theories and ingenious methods live on in his namesake Tesla Award presented each year during the International Press Academy’s Satellite Awards.

IPA’s first Tesla Award recipient was George Lucas in 2003. Other honorees include James Cameron, Jerry Lewis, Stan Winston, Richard Donner, Dennis Muren, Rick Baker, Robert A. Harris, Douglas Trumbull and Walter Murch.

The categories eliminated include “Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical,” “Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical,” and “Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical.”

“Best Actor” and “Best Actress” categories will no longer specify genre, but reflect a broad spectrum of performances with up to 10 Nominees. Supporting actor categories already reflect this guideline, but may also include up to 10 Nominees.

“When UP IN THE AIR came out listed as a comedy by some critics and a drama by others, it became clear to us that we needed a new system,” said Mirjana Van Blaricom, President.

“Expanding to 10 Nominees in Best Picture and most other film-related award categories is a realistic way to handle the volume of projects released nowadays.”

“Motion Picture, Foreign Language Film” will also be renamed as “Motion Picture, Foreign Film” to allow entries from English-speaking countries to be considered as official foreign entrants for consideration.

Additionally, IPA’s new website will debut mid-November. The upgraded site will include easier navigation and faster access to popular features.

A complete archive of past shows will be built throughout the year, but the site will be up and running throughout the construction period. The website’s designer is Jon Stout of E A Media.