Hillary Clinton faints, sustains concussion

WASHINGTON — The State Department says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who skipped an overseas trip this past week because of a stomach virus, sustained a concussion after fainting.

She's now recovering at home and being monitored by doctors.

An aide, Philippe Reines, says Clinton will work from home next week, at the recommendation of doctors.

Congressional aides do not expect her to testify as scheduled at congressional hearings on Thursday into the Sept. 11 attack against a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador.

AFP/Getty Images

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss Clinton's status.

The department says Clinton was dehydrated because of the virus and that she fainted, causing the concussion. No further details were immediately available.

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Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events

Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.

The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues to try to develop into a technology hub for the Americas.

“While I like art, I absolutely love what is happening today... The time has come to become a tech hub in Miami,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, who kicked off the venture capital conference on Thursday. He told the audience of 450 investors and entrepreneurs about the county’s $1 million investment in the Launch Pad Tech Accelerator in downtown Miami.

“I have no doubt that this gathering today will produce new ideas and new business ventures that will put our community on a fast track to becoming a center for innovative, tech-driven entrepreneurship,” Gimenez said.

Brad Feld, an early-stage investor and a founder of TechStars, cautioned that won’t happen overnight. Building a startup community can take five, 10, even 15 years, and those leading the effort, who should be entrepreneurs themselves, need to take the long-term view, he told the audience via video. “You can create very powerful entrepreneurial ecosystems in any city... I’ve spent some time in Miami, I think you are off to a great start.”

Throughout the two-day AVCC at the JW Brickell Marriott, as well as the Endeavor and Wayra events, entrepreneurs from around the world pitched their companies, hoping to persuade investors to part with some of their green.

And in some cases, the entrepreneurs could win money, too. During the venture capital conference, 29 companies —including eight from South Florida such as itMD, which connects doctors, patients and imaging facilities to facilitate easy access of records — competed for more than $50,000 in cash and prizes through short “elevator’’ pitches. Each took questions from the judges, then demoed their products or services in the conference “Hot Zone,” a room adjoining the ballroom. Some companies like oLyfe, a platform to organize what people share online, are hoping to raise funds for expansion into Latin America. Others like Ideame, a trilingual crowdfunding platform, were laser focused on pan-Latin American opportunities.

Winning the grand prize of $15,000 in cash and art was Trapezoid Digital Security of Miami, which provides hardware-based security solutions for enterprise and cloud environments. Fotopigeon of Tampa, a photo-sharing and printing service targeting the military and prison niches, scored two prizes.

The conference offered opportunities to hear formal presentations on current trends — among them the surge of start-ups in Brazil; the importance of mobile apps and overheated company valuations — and informal opportunities to connect with fellow entrepreneurs.

Speakers included Gaston Legorburu of SapientNitro, Albert Santalo of CareCloud and Juan Diego Calle of .Co Internet, all South Florida entrepreneurs. Jerry Haar, executive director of FIU’s Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center, which produced the conference with a host of sponsors, said the organizers worked hard to make the conference relevant to both the local and Latin American audience, with panels on funding and recruiting for startups, for instance.

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Miami-Dade elections group to discuss potential changes to state law

An advisory group poring over Miami-Dade elections problems will hold its second meeting Friday, this time to focus on what changes to request from state lawmakers.

County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who convened the group, and his appointed elections supervisor, Penelope Townsley, already asked Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner — the state’s chief elections officer — on Tuesday to make several recommendations to Gov. Rick Scott to tweak elections laws.

But the 13-member advisory group might choose to make additional suggestions. And while the meeting with Detzner was more informal, the Miami-Dade group plans to make its requests in writing, and incorporate them into the county’s annual package of policies to lobby for in Tallahassee. County commissioners are scheduled to vote on the legislative package Tuesday.

The 2013 state legislative proposals drafted by the elections department include allowing early-voting sites in more locations — a request Miami-Dade has been making since 2006. State law currently limits the sites to elections offices, city halls and libraries.

The department also plans to ask legislators to reinstate 14 days of early voting. Scott, a Republican, signed a law passed by the GOP-led Legislature last year reducing the number of days to eight, while keeping the total number of hours offered on the books — 96 — the same.

The law also guaranteed one Sunday of early voting, but prohibited voting the Sunday before Election Day. African-American churches with large numbers of Democratic voters had traditionally used that day to bring “souls to the polls.”

About 90,000 fewer Miami-Dade voters cast early ballots in 2012 compared to 2008, according to the department.

The third request proposed by the department would limit the number of words printed on state constitutional amendments on the ballot, keeping them to the same length as county charter amendments. The county caps its ballot measures at 75 words; this year, one of the constitutional amendments took up a full page in Miami-Dade, where ballots are printed in English, Spanish and Creole. The 2012 presidential ballot ran 10 to 12 pages long, depending on the voter’s location, compared to four to six pages in 2008.

Federal law requires that ballots be available in other languages for minorities whose population meets a certain threshold.

In a letter she sent to the mayor last month, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, recommended that the county print separate ballots in each of the three languages. “Printing all three languages creates the false impression that the ballot is excessively long,” she wrote. It is unclear how that proposal would work.

She also made other requests, including that the county support extending early voting.

Gimenez replied Thursday that most of Wilson’s recommendations “are in line with what we are proposing.”

In addition, the Miami-Dade elections department would like more time to count absentee ballots, which have become an increasingly popular voting method. State law currently allows tallying to begin 15 days prior to Election Day.

Other requests include:

• Remove political party executive committeeman and committeewoman races from the primary ballot in presidential election years, and require the parties to pay for those elections. This change would shorten the ballot, reduce the number of different ballots printed in the county, and save money.

• Do away with the term “absentee ballot” and replace it with “vote by mail.” The mayor has endorsed this change, saying absentee voting is a misnomer because Florida no longer requires that voters provide a reason — such as being ill or out of town — for voting by mail.

• Require that community development district elections be carried out only by mail. This change would shorten the ballot and reduce the number of different ballots. Community development districts are special taxing districts of 1,100 acres or more.

The advisory group will meet at 9 a.m. on the 18th floor of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 NW First St.

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Monica Potter Emmy Performance Parenthood Christmas Episode

Every week, ETonline selects a scene that is so magical, it demands watching, and re-watching, from fans and non-fans alike. This week, that honor goes to Parenthood!

NBC's complex family drama has long been TV's most cathardic hour, but thanks to the ace crafting of Kristina's breast cancer storyline and Monica Potter's Emmy-caliber performance, the tears have been flowing this season like never before.

Considering the promos for this Tuesday's episode had the waterworks all cued up, I shouldn't have been surprised by how heavily the tears flowed throughout the final thirty minutes, but that underscores what's been so wonderful about Parenthood since day one: it continually surprises with the emotional depths it's capable of reaching.

VIDEO - Last Week's Must (Re)Watch Moment: Glee

This week's moment du jour was the origin of all my feelings: Kristina's taped message to her children; Haddie, Max and Nora.

RELATED - Monica Potter On Her Personal Connection to Kristina

Seeing Kristina, a woman who has always been so completely dedicated to ensuring the best for her family, accept that she might die before all her hard work comes to fruition was one of the most heartbreaking realizations Parenthood has ever featured. The staging of the scene (the audience and her husband simultaneously experienced Kristina's message) made the moment all the more profound, and reminded me that Monica Potter isn't the only actor delivering award-worthy work week in and week out.

RELATED - Joy Bryant Previews Jasmine's Journey

Spouses of cancer patients often are forced to sublimate their emotions in order to take charge of the situation; becoming the caretaker their partner and children need most in this time of unimaginable grief. Peter Krause has been masterful at subtly revealing the well of emotions beneath Adam's steely exterior, so when his flood gates open (as they did this week in the presence of his father, Zeke), every tear lands with the power of a tidal wave.

Why Parenthood continues to be ignored by the major awarding organizations is one of life's cruelest mysteries. Thankfully fans will continue to win as long as NBC keeps TV's most marvelous family on the air!

Parenthood airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

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North Korea celebrates rocket launch, Kim Jong Un smokes a cig

PYONGYANG, North Korea — A triumphant North Korea staged a mass rally of soldiers and civilians Friday to glorify the country's young ruler, who took a big gamble this week in sending a satellite into orbit in defiance of international warnings.

Wednesday's rocket launch came just eight months after a similar attempt ended in an embarrassing public failure, and just under a year after Kim Jong Un inherited power following his father's death.

The surprising success of the launch may have earned Kim global condemnation, but at home the gamble paid off, at least in the short term. To his people, it made the 20-something Kim appear powerful, capable and determined in the face of foreign adversaries.

EPA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watching the North's long-range rocket enter orbit at the Sohae Space Center in Cholsan, North Korea.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans, packed into snowy Kim Il Sung Square, clenched their fists in a unified show of resolve as a military band tooted horns and pounded on drums.

Huge red banners positioned in the square called on North Koreans to defend Kim Jong Un with their lives. They also paid homage to Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, and his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

Pyongyang says the rocket put a crop and weather monitoring satellite into orbit. Much of the rest of the world sees it as a thinly disguised test of banned long-range missile technology. It could bring a fresh round of U.N. sanctions that would increase his country's international isolation. At the same time, the success of the launch could strengthen North Korea's military, the only entity that poses a potential threat to Kim's rule.

The launch's success, 14 years after North Korea's first attempt, shows more than a little of the gambling spirit in the third Kim to rule North Korea since it became a country in 1948.

"North Korean officials will long be touting Kim Jong Un as a gutsy leader" who commanded the rocket launch despite being new to the job and young, said Kim Byung-ro, a North Korea specialist at Seoul National University in South Korea.

The propaganda machinery churned into action early Friday, with state media detailing how Kim Jong Un issued the order to fire off the rocket just days after scientists fretted over technical issues, ignoring the chorus of warnings from Washington to Moscow against a move likely to invite more sanctions.

Top officials followed Kim in shrugging off international condemnation.

Workers' Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam told the crowd, bundled up against a winter chill in the heart of the capital, that "hostile forces" had dubbed the launch a missile test. He rejected the claim and called on North Koreans to stand their ground against the "cunning" critics.

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Wynwood co-working center funded by Knight Foundation, angel investors

The LAB Miami announced Thursday it will open a 10,000-square-foot co-working center in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and local angel investors are investing $650,000.

As Miami’s startup community continues to grow, The LAB Miami said its “work-learn campus” will offer an in-house mentor network that will include investors and serial entrepreneurs, said Wifredo Fernandez, co-founder of The LAB Miami with Danny Lafuente and Elisa Rodriguez-Vila.

The LAB Miami, now in a 720-square-foot space in the same neighborhood, turned a Goldman building at 400 NW 26th Street into an artsy, modern space that can support 300 members, including tech startups, programmers, designers, investors, nonprofits, artists and academics.

In addition to offering space to work, the new co-working space plans to offer courses and workshops in business and technology — including a startup school and code school — as well as art, design and education, Fernandez said. It will be a welcoming space for traveling Latin Americans, too. “We want this to be a community center for entrepreneurs,” said Fernandez, explaining that the mix of activities and workshops will be structured by the needs of the LAB’s members.

While the Knight Foundation’s Miami office has sponsored many entrepreneurship events in the past four months, this is the foundation’s largest investment announced so far in its efforts to help accelerate entrepreneurship in Miami, said the Knight Foundation’s Miami program director, Matt Haggman. The Knight Foundation’s Miami office, which made accelerating entrepreneurship one of its key areas of focus this year, is investing $250,000 with the rest of the funding coming from a group of investors lead by Marco Giberti, Faquiry Diaz-Cala, Boris Hirmas Said and Daniel Echavarria.

“This is an important part of our strategy,” said Haggman. “Entrepreneurs need places to gather, connect and learn.”

The LAB Miami has already hosted several events, including HackDay and Wayra DemoDay earlier this week, and the co-working space plans to open for membership in January.

Co-working space will start at $200 a month to use the communal tables, and private offices that will accommodate up to six are also available. The LAB will also offer “Connect” memberships for $40 a month, which allows members who do not need co-working space to participate in events. In addition, there will be phone booths, classrooms, flexible meeting spaces, a lounge area, a kitchen, a “pop-up shop” for local fashion, art or technology products, a shower for those who bike to work and an outside garden with native landscaping.

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Computer antivirus guro John McAfee denies being interviewed by IRS and FBI

John McAfee, the controversial guru of computer antivirus software, denied Thursday in Miami Beach that he has been interviewed by Internal Revenue Service and FBI agents after arriving the previous night following deportation from Guatemala.

"The only people who talked to me when I left the plane were the Customs and Border Protection," he said. "When the plane stopped, they called me by my name and there was a large group of people who looked like police and asked them, 'Am I in trouble?' And they said 'No sir, we are here to help’."

McAfee appeared Thursday morning in Miami Beach and issued broad statements to dozens of journalists who surrounded him at the exit of the Beacon Hotel.

He said he was tired and wanted breakfast, but added that his most immeditate concern was to ask the State Department for visas for two women whom he identified only as Samantha, his girlfriend, and Amy, which he described as "my friend."

"If any of you have friends in the State Department, or if someone in the State Department is listening to this, I need help getting visas for these two young women who also fled from Belize," McAfee said.

He added that both are legally in Guatemala, but that he wanted to bring them to the United States because they cannot return to Belize.

His next step, he said, was breakfast because, "I've been eating only Guatemalan food in jail for a week, which I hate to describe, and therefore what I want want to eat is bacon and eggs."

The millionaire businessman had fled to Guatemala on Dec. 3 from Belize, his country of residence, where he was wanted for questioning in the murder of one of his neighbors, Gregory Faull, a U.S. citizen.

Presumably, McAfee decided to reside in Belize for many years, considered a tax haven, to avoid paying U.S. taxes.

However, the businessman said Thursday, he was happy to be back in his country.

"I feel wonderful to be here," he said. "As many of you know, I have not only been running for five weeks, but for 10, with Samantha. The whole story has not been told yet."

Anyone who wants to know everything that happened, he said, should go to the website WhoisMcAfee.com, where the details are laid out.

"It takes at least a day to read it all," he said.

He also denied that federal authorities may have given him preferential treatment upon his arrival in the country, but gave no details.

"I did not receive any special treatment, they just helped me find a safe place," he said.

McAfee said no one has contacted him since his arrival Wednesday night, and the last thing he heard was that the police in Belize wanted "desperately" to convince the government of Guatemala to return him there.

"That was the main reason they took me to the plane and sent me here," said McAfee, who said thought Guatemalan authorities refused to return him to Belize due to border disputes between the two countries."They have had an unofficial state of war," he said.

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Review: PlayStation icons join in ‘Battle Royale’

The holiday season is a good time to catch up with old friends. If you’re an Xbox fan, you’re probably getting reacquainted with galactic warrior Master Chief in his new adventure, “Halo 4.” If you’re a Nintendophile, you’re probably frolicking with Mario on your new Wii U.

Sony, meanwhile, has expanded its holiday guest list to invite nearly two decades worth of characters to mix it up in “PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale” (for the PlayStation 3, $ 59.99; Vita, $ 39.99). Fans of the original PlayStation can welcome back old pals like Sir Daniel Fortesque of “MediEvil” and the title character of “Parappa the Rapper.” Younger gamers who have only known the PS3 will be happy to see Nathan Drake from “Uncharted” and Cole MacGrath from “Infamous.” Turn them loose in an assortment of game-inspired arenas and you’ve got chaos.

It’s not an original idea: Nintendo has been pitting its lovable characters against each other since 1999′s “Super Smash Bros.” As you’d expect, “All-Stars” lets up to four players choose their favorite personalities and pound on each other until one is left standing.

The technique is a change from most fighting games. Most of the time, kicking or punching your opponent doesn’t do much damage. Instead, each blow adds to an attack meter; build up enough energy and you can unleash three levels of truly deadly moves. There’s a little more strategy, but most players won’t find it too complicated.

The solo campaign is awfully skimpy, but “All-Stars” makes for a lively party when you have a few friends over. Two-and-a-half stars out of four.

— Sony’s burlap-clad goofball Sackboy is part of the “All-Stars” lineup, but he takes center stage in “LittleBigPlanet Karting” ($ 59.99).

Yes, it’s a go-kart racer — a genre that has already made room for Mario, Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog — but Sony freshens it up by giving you the ability to build your own racetracks and share them online. By exploring the game’s built-in courses, you can find hundreds of elements to add to your own, and they all share the homespun “arts-and-crafts” aesthetic of the original “LittleBigPlanet.”

Unfortunately, “LBP Karting” also revives the weird, floaty physics of its parent. That worked fine in the two-dimensional fantasy world of “LBP,” but it’s annoying when you’re behind the wheel. The tracks are filled with the power-ups, obstacles and gravity-defying leaps you’d expect in a kart racer, but the vehicles themselves feel sluggish and unresponsive. Two stars.

—Insomniac Games’ popular “lombax”-robot buddies are celebrating their 10th anniversary, both in “All-Stars” and their own “Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault” ($ 19.99). The latter game, however, is a big disappointment, stripping away most of what made the team so endearing.

It’s a “base defense” game, meaning you’re plopped down on a planet and then have to protect your turf from waves of invading enemies. That eliminates the exploration and discovery that made most of the “R&C” games so absorbing, replacing it with a tiresome cycle of building fortifications, having them destroyed, then rebuilding them. Instead of the comedy that was once this series’ trademark, you get drudgery. One star.

___

Follow Lou Kesten on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lkesten

Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Stars React To Their Golden Globe Nominations

The 70th Annual Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning from Hollywood, recognizing the best in film and television. From Nicole Kidman to Tim Burton, read on below for the stars' reactions to their big honors!

Leonardo DiCaprio, nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Django Unchained:
"I'm truly honored to be nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association today. Django Unchained was a remarkable experience and I consider myself lucky to work with Quentin and the entire cast on the film. I'm particularly proud to be named alongside my fellow Django nominees."

Daniel Day-Lewis, nominated for Best Actor - Drama, Lincoln:
"Just so happy to have a really good reason to stop Christmas shopping for a day. Opening a bottle immediately to celebrate my Golden Globe nomination for Homeland. I'm thrilled that Claire and Mandy were also nominated for their performances, and look forward to celebrating with the whole cast in Los Angeles in January. Thank you HFPA!"

Taylor Swift, nominated for Best Original Song, Safe & Sound for The Hunger Games:
"What an amazing and unexpected present! I'm blown away by my first-ever Golden Globe nomination, and so honored to be nominated with T Bone Burnett and The Civil Wars. Writing music for The Hunger Games was a labor of love -- I was a fan of the stories and the characters, and we all wanted the music to have an authenticity that matched the tone of the movie and the emotions expressed in the book. This is a huge honor, and I'm really excited and so flattered. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association!"

Nicole Kidman, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, The Paperboy and Best Actress Mini-Series or TV Movie, Hemingway & Gellhorn:
"As an actor you look for roles that are rich, complicated, and that stretch you and this year I was blessed to find two. To have the chance to play them was a gift in itself and to then be acknowledged this way is icing on the cake. Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press!"

Related: 2013 Golden Globes -- And the Nominees Are ...

Keith Urban, nominated for Best Original Song , For You for Act of Valor:
"The most rewarding gift for me as a songwriter is knowing that the song has somehow made a connection. I've been fortunate and moved to hear first hand how it has impacted others' lives. For that, and for this nomination, I'm so very grateful and honored. To wake up to this news, as well as to Nic's two nominations, is absolutely beautiful. What a way to start the day!!!!!"

Sofia Vergara, nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Modern Family:
"This is such an exciting week! I'm so grateful to the Hollywood Foreign Press for this nomination. There's no one more fun to play then 'Gloria' and I feel lucky every day I get to be on set with my "Modern Family." I'm so happy for Eric and of course the rest of my cast for our nomination."

Tim Burton, nominated for Best Animated Feature, Frankenweenie:
"I'm thrilled to be recognized by the HFPA. Frankenweenie is a very personal project for me and the nomination goes as much to the animators who labored frame by frame to bring this film to life."

Clive Owen, nominated for Best Actor, Mini-Series or TV Movie, Hemingway & Gellhorn:
"I'd like to say a big thank you to The Hollywood Foreign Press. I am really thrilled as this recognition is for a piece of work I'm very proud of and had such a good time on."

Amy Adams, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, The Master:
"Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for this nomination. I’m so appreciative to have been part of Paul Thomas Anderson’s extraordinary film and to have had the opportunity to star alongside such respected actors as Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix who were nothing short of brilliant in their performances."

Bradley Cooper, nominated for Best Actor, Silver Linings Playbook:
"To see this film recognized by the HFPA is huge for us. And for me, personally, to be in a room with Bill Murray, Daniel Day-Lewis? Forget about it!," Cooper tells The Hollywood Reporter. "We released the film in limited theaters, so it's all been about word of mouth in a very positive way. These nominations bode well for more people being able to see it. At all these screenings and Q&As, so many people say they are very affected by it; that the family feels real and relatable…that's all [director] David O. Russell. That's the film he set out to make. A movie about real people."

Jessica Chastain, nominated for Best Actress - Drama, Zero Dark Thirty:
"Zero Dark Thirty is a film that I am extremely proud of and it's a tremendous honor to be recognized by the HFPA. I am so thankful for this nomination. I am elated to see our fearless producer Megan Ellison, our brilliant director Kathryn Bigelow, our wonderful screenwriter Mark Boal and this extraordinary film being honored today. I'm so proud and honored to play this exceptional woman."

Ewan McGregor, nominated for Best Actor, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen:
"Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for this nomination. It's wonderful that our movie left its mark. Emily Blunt is such a talent and a joy to work with, and I'm so happy the HFPA recognized her performance, as well as our film. I look forward to the Golden Globes, as they are always fun and send my congratulations to all those who believed and participated in Lasse's vision."

Emily Blunt, nominated for Best Actress, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen:
"I'm so incredibly thankful to the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing our little movie that could. Ewan and the entire cast and crew could not be more deserving of this honor, and I'm thrilled that I'm able to share this moment among such a fantastic group of nominees."

Jack Black, nominated for Best Actor - Comedy or Musical, Bernie:
"Ok...I'm only doing Richard Linklater movies from now on. I'm so proud of our little engine that could. Thank you HFPA!"

Hayden Panettiere, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Nashville:
"I'm the epitome of surprise and shocked!," Panettiere tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I didn't know whether to ball hysterically or jump up and down on the bed so I decided to do both. I feel like I'm going through the same struggles as Juliette: she wants to be respected in her craft, she knows how people perceive her and what they think she's capable of but she knows capable of more and I feel like I've been fighting the same battle and it's paid off. I'm so flattered and humbled."

Judi Dench, nominated for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel:
"This is lovely news…Having had such a glorious time in India, I’m so happy for John Madden and Graham Broadbent and delighted to be included in such a wonderful group of fellow actors.”

Glenn Close, nominated for Best Actress - Drama, Damages:
"Damages was one of the greatest adventures of my career. I am deeply grateful to The Hollywood Foreign Press for their recognition of my work in our final season. I represent our entire Damages team in thanking them for their support over the past five years. Patty Hewes was the inspiration of a brilliant team of writers, honed by her interactions with a remarkable roster of guest stars. I couldn’t have had a better partner in the exquisite Rose Byrne. The relationship of Patty Hewes and Ellen Parsons is unique storytelling. Their journey resulted in what I think is a great modern American tragedy that will stand the test of time."

Max Greenfield, nominated for Best Supporting Actor, New Girl:
"I got the phone call at 5:30 in the morning, and now the house is awake -- including my daughter, who is never up this early. She has demanded Dora The Explorer, so that is happening," Greenfield tells The Hollywood Reporter. "This is amazing, though. There was an email going around when it happened with my manager and my agent and a bunch of people, and my only response was 'Does this mean I'm as good of an actor as [fellow nominee] Ed Harris?' I can literally tell you what movie theater and where exactly I was sitting when I saw Pollock."

Lena Dunham, nominated for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical and Best Series - Musical or Comedy, Girls:
"This is an incredible honor and the most wonderful ending to an amazing year. Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press. I'm thrilled to share this with our amazing cast and crew."

Marion Cotillard, nominated for Best Actress - Drama, Rust and Bone: "Today makes for a really a great day. The Hollywood Foreign Press, who reach so many readers across the globe, have greatly recognized French cinema this year, with the inclusion of nominations for Rust and Bone. Working with Jacques Audiard, was an extraordinary experience, and the journey of the characters he creates and cinematically guides, is a special thing – as an actor and a moviegoer. This nomination is truly unique for me, because I also share it with Rachel Weisz, Jessica Chastain, Helen Mirren and Naomi Watts, women who I respect as people and as talents who provide great inspiration to other actresses."

Rachel Weisz, nominated for Best Actress - Drama, Deep Blue Sea:
"I am deeply grateful for this nomination, and in particular, for the HFPA's recognition of the hard work and passion that Terence Davies brought to this wonderful British indie. I am thrilled that this nomination might allow his beautiful work to reach a larger audience."

Alan Arkin, nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Argo:
"I am deeply grateful for this honor and particularly moved in being in the company of Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Tommy Lee Jones who I deeply admire. I am also thrilled that Ben is getting the attention he so much deserves, as is Argo."

Matt LeBlanc, nominated for Best Actor - Comedy or Musical, Best Series - Comedy or Musical, Episodes:
"It's an incredible honor to be nominated again for a show that I am so proud to be a part of. And I am thrilled that the show has been recognized as well because everyone involved works so hard. Thank you Hollywood Foreign Press."

Quentin Tarantino, nominated for Best Picture - Drama, Best Director and Best Screenplay, Django Unchained:
"It's very gratifying to get this many nominations from the HFPA for a film I worked so hard on and am so passionate about. I look forward to having fun at the Golden Globes with my cast mates and fellow nominees."

Steve Buscemi, nominated for Best Actor - Drama, Boardwalk Empire:
"I'm so grateful to be able to play Nucky, it never gets old."

Jeff Daniels, nominated for Best Actor, Drama and Best Series, Drama, The Newsroom:
"To me, being honored with a Golden Globe Nomination means even more because it's for THE NEWSROOM."

Sigourney Weaver, nominated for Best Actress, Political Animals:
"What a great day for all of us on Political Animals! My heartfelt thanks to all the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for this significant recognition of everyone's work. I am especially delighted for Greg Berlanti and USA. I am blown away personally to be nominated for my work as the beguiling and indomitable Elaine Barish Hammond. Hooray and thank you so much!"

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, nominated for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical, Veep:
"The reason that I do this job is to serve, not to receive accolades and trophies. That said, I'm freakin' stoked. God bless America and the Hollywood Foreign Press, specifically."

Don Cheadle, nominated for Best Actor - Comedy or Musical, House of Lies:
"I'm over the moon for the nom. This is a great show and a great cast and this is a recognition of all of us... But mostly me."

Mandy Patinkin, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Homeland:
"I am thrilled to be a part of this company. Working on HOMELAND has been one of the joys of my life. We have such gifted writers - I have to pinch myself every day that I get to be a part of this company. Still - the real big news we are all waiting for is Claire's baby. When I get that call, the fireworks will really start."

Aaron Sorkin, nominated for Best Series - Drama, The Newsroom:
"The cast, crew and staff of The Newsroom are humbled to be in such elite company and we look forward to dramatizing this nomination a year and a half from now." 

Kathryn Bigelow, nominated for Best Director and Best Picture - Drama, Zero Dark Thirty:
"It's an honor, sincerely, and very humbling to be singled out this way by the HFPA. We're grateful, and encouraged by their support, especially since our film has such a diverse, international cast, and as the HFPA represent so many countries across the globe. And a big congratulations to the amazing Jessica Chastain and my producing partner and screenwriter Mark Boal."

Wes Anderson, nominated for Best Picture - Comedy or Musical, Moonrise Kingdom:
"I received this news by text message on the fast train to Berlin. The Hollywood Foreign Press has brightened a bleak snowy day in Germany for me. I could not be more pleased on behalf of our gang."

John Hawkes, nominated for Best Actor - Drama, The Sessions:
"I'm so honored by these nominations and excited that the film is receiving this recognition."

Homeland co-creator Howard Gordon, nominated for Best Drama Series:
"It's a been a great year for television and to be recognized by the HFPA in the company of such extraordinary nominees is an incredible thrill. We're grateful to all the other shows on television for raising the standards each year and to everyone involved with Homeland – from the cast and crew to Showtime and Fox 21 for their hard work, creativity and support."

Director Rich Moore, nominated for Best Animated Feature, Wreck-It Ralph:
"Wreck-It Ralph was a labor of love for our entire team at Walt Disney Animation. We are so proud of the hard work that went into making this film, and to see it be recognized with a nomination from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is truly an honor for all of us."

Director Mark Andrews, nominated for Best Animated Feature, Brave:
"The adventure of Brave began in Scotland, where the mystery and majesty of the land fueled our imaginations. From haggis to highland games, creating this film truly changed our fate. On behalf of everyone at Pixar, we would like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for the incredible honor of this nomination."

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NY, NJ, CT governors urge Congress to make storm aid decision before holidays

ALBANY — The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are putting out a strong message to Congress: Don't leave for the holidays until you decide on aid for states battered by Superstorm Sandy.

Govs. Chris Christie, Andrew Cuomo and Dannel Malloy say no region or state should have stand have to alone after a disaster. They say Congress hasn't acted in seven weeks following Sandy, taking longer to provide aid than in previous disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

President Barack Obama a week ago proposed $60.4 billion for the states, about three-quarters of what they requested.

Now it's in the hands of Congress, which is already in a budget battle to avoid tax hikes and spending cuts on Jan. 1.

The governors made their case in an opinion piece in Thursday's Washington Post.

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