Mickeys

Nominees & Winners for the 82nd Academy Awards:

Oscars 2010

Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film

“Coraline” Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
“Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction

“Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

“Avatar” Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
“Nine” Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

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The life-saving skills of a black Labrador have earned him a top military honour.

Nine-year-old Treo’s job is to sniff out roadside bombs in Afghanistan for the British Army – and he has proved rather good at it.

Treo: Saved platoon

In August, 2008, while working as a forward detection dog in Sangin, Treo found a “daisy chain” improvised explosive device (IED) that had been carefully modified and concealed by the Taliban at the side of a path.

A month later, his actions saved another platoon from guaranteed casualties, again by finding a ‘daisy chain’ – made of two or more explosives wired together.

Now he is being rewarded with the Dickin Medal – the animal equivalent of a Victoria Cross – the highest accolade a military animal can expect.

Treo is now retired and enjoying life with handler Sergeant Dave Heyhoe back at 104 Military Working Dogs Support Unit, in North Luffenham, Rutland.

Sgt Heyhoe said: “Treo’s work involves searching for arms and explosives out on the ground to the forefront of the troops.

“It’s very important. We are part and parcel of the search element. We’re not the ultimate answer but we are an aid to search.

“Another aid would be the metal detector – but Treo is a four-legged variety.”

Treo's handler Sgt David Heyhoe

Sgt Heyhoe says their relationship is now far more than a working partnership.

“Basically, me and the dog have got to understand each other and without that we can’t be effective on the ground. He must know when I want him to go somewhere to search.

“Everyone will say that he is just a military working dog – yes, he is, but he is also a very good friend of mine. We look after each other.”

Treo is the 63rd animal to receive the Dickin Medal – introduced by PDSA founder Maria Dickin in 1943 to honour the work of animals in war – and the 27th dog to receive the honour.

Since its introduction it has also been presented to 32 Second World War messenger pigeons, three horses and one cat.

story from SkyNews

South African Film & Television Awards

On Saturday night (20 February 2010) the 4th annual South African Film and Television Awards took place at the State Theatre in Pretoria and almost knocked guests and viewers into a coma.

Despite the many complaints and criticisms last year about the ceremony being much too long and drawn-out, the exact same problem struck this year: except this time round lots of the nominees – and winners specifically – decided that it was more trouble than it was worth to actually pitch up.

Winners in numerous categories weren’t around to collect their Golden Horns and there was clearly no directorial plan as to what to do when it happened. A random selection of their fellow cast members shuffled in to try to save the show, emerging from an auditorium that thinned out as the hours went on and on and …. ‘zzzzz (to the backdrop of VERY bad dancers).

If you didn’t manage to make it through seeing who won, here are the nominees in the main television categories, with the winners in red:

DRAMA

Best Drama Series

A Place Called Home (T.O.M Pictures)
Sokhulu & Partners (Paw Paw Films)
The Lab (Curious Pictures)

Best Drama Mini-Series

Death of a Queen (Mud Hut Productions)
iZingane zoBaba (Paw Paw Films)
Noah’s Ark (Sidewalk Productions)

Best Director

Akin Omotoso and Rolie Nikiwe (A Place Called Home)
Tim Greene (iZingane zoBaba)
Barry Berk & John Trengrove (The Lab)

Best Actor

Ronnie Nyakale (Sylvester in A Place Called Home)
Patrick Shai (Moses Mokoena in Noah’s Ark)
Fana Mokoena (Jaws Bhengu in The Lab)

Best Supporting Actor

Terence Bridgett (Wong in Erfsondes)
Fana Mokoena (Officer Khobane in Hopeville)
Jabulani Hadebe (Mandla Dlamini in uGugu no Andile)

Best Actress

Shoki Sebotsane (Grace in Death of a Queen)
Jana Strydom (Kate Spencer in Erfsondes)
Linda Sokhulu (Pamela Thusi in Sokhulu & Partners)

Best Supporting Actress

Bongi Ndaba (Thembeka in iZingane zoBaba)
Nolwazi Shange (Precious in A Place Called Home)
Harriet Manamela (Ausi Dlamini in uGugu no Andile)

Best Ensemble Cast

A Place Called Home
Soul City
The Lab

Best Writing Team

iZingane zoBaba team
Sokhulu & Partners team
The Lab team

(continue reading…)

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST
Winner: Dizzee Rascal
Calvin Harris
Mika
Paolo Nutini
Robbie Williams

BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
Winner: Lily Allen
Bat For Lashes
Florence And The Machine
Leona Lewis
Pixie Lott

BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT
Winner: JLS
Florence And The Machine
Friendly Fires
La Roux
Pixie Lott

BRITISH GROUP
Winner: Kasabian
Doves
Friendly Fires
JLS
Muse

BRITISH ALBUM
Winner: Florence And The Machine – ‘Lungs’
Dizzee Rascal – ‘Tongue ‘N’ Cheek’
Kasabian – ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’
Lily Allen – ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’
Paolo Nutini – ‘Sunny Side Up’

(continue reading…)

And The Grammy goes to:

The Grammy for Album of the Year went to Taylor Swift’s Fearless.
But Beyoncé was the queen of the night by winning the most awards: six, including Song of the Year, for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).”
Back to Swift, she won four, Kings of Leon took home Record of the Year, for “Use Somebody,” and Jay-Z and the Black Eyed Peas won three apiece.
Other multiple winners included Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Jason Mraz, A.R. Rahman and Michael Giacchino (for their soundtrack work on the movies “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Up,” respectively), Michael Tilson Thomas, and Béla Fleck.

Taylor Swift

Best Dance Recording
“Poker Face” – Lady Gaga

Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Fame – Lady Gaga

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
“White Horse” – Taylor Swift

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
“Sweet Thing” – Keith Urban

Best Country Performance by a Duo/Group With Vocals
“I Run to You” – Lady Antebellum

Best Country Collaboration w/ Vocals
“I Told You So” – Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis

Best Country Song
“White Horse” – Taylor Swift

Best Bluegrass Album
The Crow/New Songs For The Five-String Banjo – Steve Martin

Best Children’s Music Album
Family Time – Ziggy Marley

Best Spoken Word Album
Always Looking Up – Michael J. Fox

Best Musical Show Album
West Side Story

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
“Jai Ho” (From Slumdog Millionaire

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
“When Love Takes Over” (Electro Extended Remix) – David Guetta, remixer (David Guetta Featuring Kelly Rowland)

(continue reading…)

A complete list of all the movie and television winners from this year’s Golden Globe Awards.

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Winner:
Avatar

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Winner:
The Hangover

Best Animated Film
Winner:
Up

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Winner:
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Winner:
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Winner:
Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Winner:
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Winner:
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Winner:
Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Best Director – Motion Picture
Winner:
James Cameron for Avatar

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Winner:
Up in the Air: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Winner:
Crazy Heart: T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham (“The Weary Kind”)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Winner:
Up: Michael Giacchino

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner:
Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (The White Ribbon)

NEXT: Golden Globe winners – TV categories >>

(continue reading…)

New York – Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw picked up the top acting awards as British TV productions won five International Emmys on Monday on a night that saw Brazil get its first ever.

Walters, 59, who recently has appeared on the big screen in the Harry Potter films and opposite Meryl Streep in the musical Mamma Mia!, was chosen best actress for A Short Stay in Switzerland.

In the BBC drama based on a true story, Walters portrays a British doctor with an incurable neurological disease who seeks assisted suicide in a Zurich clinic.

Whishaw, 29, who recently played poet John Keats in director Jane Campion’s romantic costume drama Bright Star, got the best actor award for the five part BBC thriller Criminal Justice. He starred as a young man who is accused of murdering a woman after a drunken and drug-filled night on the town, though he is unable to remember what happened.

The winners were selected from among 41 nominees from 17 countries competing in 10 categories for International Emmys, honouring excellence in TV programming produced outside the US.

Brazil took home its first-ever International Emmy for India: A Love Story in the telenovela category. The TV Globo production shot on location at the Taj Mahal and other scenic Indian locales focuses on the forbidden love affair between young Indians from different castes.

Denmark’s The Protectors about a special unit within the Danish Security and Intelligence Service was chosen the best drama series, while Japan’s Hoshi Shinichi’s Short Shorts was selected as best comedy.

The Netherlands won the non-scripted entertainment category for the second straight year – this time for The Phone in which the first person to pick up a hidden phone ringing in a public place gets plunged into a spy movie scenario.

The TV movie/mini-series award went to Germany’s three part The Wolves of Berlin, which tells the story of a youth gang that comes together amid the devastation of post-war Berlin in 1948 up through the fall of the Wall in 1989.

Other British winners included Dustbin Baby (children and young people) about an adopted teenager determined to find where she came from; The Mona Lisa Curse (arts programming) with critic Robert Hughes reflecting on his likes and dislikes in contemporary art; and The Ascent of Money (documentary) in which economic historian Niall Ferguson looks at the financial background behind great powers, wars and revolutions.

Frost, 70, was honoured for a career dating back to the early 1960s when he hosted the groundbreaking satirical programme That Was The Week That Was that lampooned the political establishment.

He later turned to producing and hosting more serious interview-based shows, interviewing newsmakers and celebrities alike, including former US President Richard Nixon as depicted in the stage play and Oscar-nominated film Frost/Nixon. He now hosts the weekly programme Frost Over the World on Al Jazeera English.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who is German-born, presented the honorary International Emmy Directorate Award to Markus Schachter for his outstanding leadership of Germany’s ZDF television network.

taken from News24

Los Angeles – Michael Jackson made history by winning four American Music Awards, but he couldn’t beat Taylor Swift as the year’s favourite artist and the evening’s top winner.

The 19-year-old took the show’s top award on Sunday night, giving Jackson his only loss of the night, and giving her five trophies in all.

“Music has never been ultimately about competition,” she said as she accepted the top prize via satellite from London, where she is to perform Monday. “To even be mentioned in a category with Michael Jackson, who we will miss and love forever, is an unimaginable honor.”

Swift was also named favourite female pop/rock and country artist and favorite adult-contemporary artist.

Her album, Fearless, won favourite country album. Jackson was voted favourite male artist in the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories. His 2003 greatest-hits album, Number Ones, also won favourite album in both categories, bringing his career AMA total to 23, making him the most honoured artist in AMA history.

Australian singer Keith Urban won best male artist in the country music category. His was accompanied to the awards by his wife, actress Nicole Kidman.

The victories came during a performance-filled show that closed with an S&M-themed, sexually charged performance by Adam Lambert (which included him shoving a male dancer’s face into his crotch).

Jackson’s trophies were accepted by his brother Jermaine, who paid tribute to his late brother by wearing a glittery white glove. He thanked “Allah for blessing my entire family” and named each of his brothers and sisters.

He said Michael’s message is more important than any award.

“The message that Michael had will live on forever,” he said. “He saw good in everyone and he wanted everyone to do good. He always started with love.”

Jackson’s victories were among the highlights of the evening, which also featured an eye-popping performance by Lady Gaga, a special award for Whitney Houston and that jaw-dropping number from Lambert, who traded in his “American Idol” image for sex, leather and chains on Sunday. (continue reading…)

The Top 21 are ready for the semis next week and as long as the public use their brains, some talent might emerge.

After five weeks of lightning-speed clips and a nausea-inducing tour of the country, SA’s got some talent, fo sho. The judges were finally forced to stop chomping nice pills, go balls-to-the-wall and sift through the whopping 152 acts they gave false hope to. It’s a cruel, cruel world…

The 21 semi-finalists to go through to the live studio rounds next week range from average jugglers to amazingly innovative ‘musicians’, and it seems like we do indeed have some diamonds in the rough. The producers clearly have been saving the best for last, as the last audition rounds introduced us to the acts that I think deserve to be in the finals. Obviously we all know what a crock this is – the public never vote with their brains; only with their bleeding hearts.

One of those last few surprising hopefuls is Faith, a 40-year-old vocal coach from Goodwood in Cape Town. When you see her, she looks like a drag queen whose hairstylist took revenge after she lost out to Faith in the Miss Good-with-your-Wood pageant. What is up with that ‘do, darling? However, as soon as Faith starts singing you’ll forget all about that, and she’ll make you believe you’ve hit Broadway. With Shado in tears and Randall gushing like a teenager, she’d sealed the deal. First thing to do with the prize money: Salon visit!

Another OMG-where-did-that-come-from reaction was caused by 17-year-old Louwtjie Rothman who played two guitars with skill that could probably make Carlos Santana a little uncomfortable now that he’s moving on in years. As Randall pointed out, it wasn’t the most coherent act, but when your fingers are doing that, there’s not much else the audience will be interested in anyway.

I’m such a sucker for this stuff. When the judges were announcing the Top 21, I just wanted to hug every disappointed soul and high-five the happy ones. Woohoo! Despite the last few torturous weeks, most of the talent we’ll be seeing next week looks worth the hour on the couch.

I said most, not all. Juggler Louis Cason made it through, but I can’t figure out how he’s going to do anything different in the semis. Unless he juggles something fascinating like spray-painted mice or government portfolios, there’s not much more to juggling, than juggling.

Overall, next week’s sure to be exciting. As is par for the course on this show, they’ve jammed as much into one week as the SABC would allow. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night will each feature 7 of the 21 finalists, which you will then vote for. Six acts overall will go through to the final on Thursday night, and then it’s all over.

SA’s Got Talent airs Monday – Thursday next week at 19.30 on SABC2.

Check out videos of the performances, judges’ blogs, pics, polls and more at the official site.

Top 21:

taken from News24

Beyonce scooped a hat-trick of prizes at the MTV Europe Music Awards, as Jay-Z joined Best Live Act U2 for a mini-concert in the heart of Berlin.

Triple award winner Beyonce and Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters

Beyonce beat Leona Lewis among others to take home the Best Female gong.

She also won Best Song for Halo and Best Video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).

The awards burst into life with a performance by Green Day, followed by host Katy Perry’s mash-up of the five Best Song contenders.

Perry, who is dating comedian Russell Brand, appeared in an array of wacky costumes, inspired by burlesque and Liza Minnelli’s appearance in Cabaret.

She made a whirlwind of more than 10 outfit changes including a huge ballgown with holes cut out and a pair of knickers with a heart emblem.

Having a ball: Katy Perry

Perry set the tone of the awards, asking: “Are you feeling sexy, Berlin?”

The heat was turned up again when Beyonce took to the stage to sing Sweet Dreams wearing a red corset slashed to the navel, suspenders and long red gloves.

She dedicated her Best Video award to rapper husband Jay-Z, saying: “There’s only one person I want to thank and that is Jay for putting a ring on it.”

The event is one of the music world’s most glitzy bashes and was held in Berlin to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a potent Cold War symbol.

Jay-Z strikes a pose

One of the highlights was a live show by U2 at the historic Brandenburg Gate, where they performed One, the anthem inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

They were joined on stage by Jay-Z as they performed Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

The band also scooped Best Live Act, scoring their third EMA award win since the MTV Europe Music Awards began in 1994.

Jay-Z was handed the Best Urban gong, but said: “I go to the studio just like the Jonas Brothers, just like Green Day, and we’re all just artists at the end of the day.”

German band Tokio Hotel were named Best Group, and delivered a stunning performance of The World Behind My Wall.

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong

Another standout set was from former X Factor winner Lewis, who wore a long black gown as she sang Happy with masses of glitter descending.

The show was beamed to more than 500 million homes worldwide.

Eminem won the Best Male category, beating Robbie Williams and Mika among others.

Here are the MTV Europe Music Awards winners:
:: Best Song: Beyonce – Halo
:: Best Live Act: U2
:: Best Group: Tokio Hotel
:: Best New Act: Lady GaGa
:: Best Female: Beyonce
:: Best European Act: maNga
:: Best Push Artist: Pixie Lott
:: Best Male: Eminem
:: Best Urban: Jay-Z
:: Best Rock: Green Day
:: Best Alternative: Placebo
:: Best Video: Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
:: Best World Stage Performance: Linkin Park

story from SkyNews

Oslo – United States President Barack Obama on Friday won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said.

“His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”

Obama’s name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.

The committee said it attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

“Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play.”

Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba and Chinese dissident Hu Jia were among the favourites to win the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, Norwegian national broadcaster NRK reported on Friday.

A record 205 nominations were received this year.

story from News24

The 2009 Emmy Awards have come and gone and we are left with a hand full of 2009 Emmy Award winners that are very happy. Whatever your reason, here is a list of the official 2009 Emmy Award winners downloaded directly Emmys: 2009 Emmy Award Winners Official List
from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Web site.

The BBC’s Little Dorrit has proved to be a big winner at the annual Emmy Awards.

Little Dorrit director Dearbhla Walsh celebrates a night of success at the Emmys

The Charles Dickens adaptation took home seven trophies, including that of outstanding mini-series.

Meanwhile, Irish actor Brendan Gleeson was named outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the acclaimed biopic Into The Storm.

He gave an emotional speech, thanking the production team for giving his parents the chance to see an early cut of the film.

His mother died shortly afterwards.

In taking the title, he got the nod ahead of a short list that included Sir Ian McKellen, Kenneth Branagh and Kiefer Sutherland.

Into The Storm, a joint BBC/HBO venture won a second gong for its musical score.

But it missed out on the best TV movie title to Grey Gardens, starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.

Lange won a leading actress award for the role.

Little Dorrit proved to be the big British winner of the night, bagging a handful of trophies including those for art direction, costumes and cinematography.

More success was to come as the evening progressed, with Dearbhla Walsh taking home the gong for outstanding directing of a mini-series, movie or a dramatic special.

Writer Andrew Davis also won an award for penning the script.

Its success culminated with being named best mini-series – one of the event’s blue ribband awards.

Accepting the gong, executive producer Anne Pivcevic said: “We are thrilled that Little Dorrit has gone down so well this side of the Atlantic.”

Other notable winners during the evening included Alec Baldwin, who took home an Emmy for best actor in a comedy.

Glenn Close took home the title for lead actress in a drama, with Bryan Cranston taking the male title for his role as Walter White in Breaking Bad.

He beat Britain’s Hugh Laurie, who was nominated for his portrayal as Dr Gregory House in the medical series House.

House also missed out in the category of best drama, this time to popular series Mad Men.

The 61st Emmy Awards opened with a glitzy song routine by host Neil Patrick Harris, who wasted no time before making jokes at rapper Kanye West’s expense.

He was forced to apologise after ruining singer Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at last week’s MTV video music awards.

“Here’s hoping Kanye West likes 30 Rock,” the host quipped, in reference to the Tina Fey sitcom which was up for 22 Emmys.

During a poignant break from the award giving, the star-studded audience paused to pay tribute to stars who had died in recent months, including Golden Girl Bea Arthur, British actress Natasha Richardson and Patrick Swayze.

taken from SkyNews

Notice camels first and then read the message below:

This is a picture taken directly above these camels in the desert at sunset.

It is considered one of the best pictures of the year.

Look closely, the camels are the little white lines in the picture.

The black you see are just the shadows!!

Lexus was the top brand in the American JD Power and Associates’ initial quality study released on Monday.

The annual US survey of vehicle owners, which measures mechanical and design problems in the first 90 days of ownership, found that Porsche was the No. 2 brand, followed by GM’s Cadillac, then Hyundai and Honda.

The study indicated that Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have made strides in vehicle quality over the last year, but they still lag behind their foreign competitors.

The initial quality of 2009 model year vehicles sold by the Detroit Three improved by an average of 10 percent from last year, the marketing and consulting company said. Industrywide, scores improved an average of 8 percent.

“The Detroit automakers are keeping their focus on designing and building high-quality vehicles, which is a precondition for long-term success,” said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at JD Power, in a statement.

Toyota, which supplanted General Motors as the world’s largest carmaker last year, also swept 10 vehicle segment awards.

Its assembly facility in Higashi-Fuji, Japan, that builds the Lexus SC 430 and the Toyota Corolla took the JD Power’s top plant award.

The worst-performing brand was Mini, with owners reporting 165 problems per 100 vehicles.
Though Chrysler’s scores improved year over year, it had no brands above the industry average. It tied for one segment award, with its PT Cruiser Wagon sharing the top award in the compact activity vehicle segment with Honda’s CR-V. Chrysler, however, is discontinuing the car.

Cadillac and Chevrolet were GM’s only two brands with 2009 models performed above average.
The average industry score improved to 108 problems per 100 vehicles, down from 118 in 2008.

JD Power credited the improvement to several well-received new models that were launched in 2009. It said vehicles like Hyundai’s Genesis, Kia’s Borrego, Toyota’s Venza and Volkswagen’s CC performed better than their segment averages. Several redesigned 2009 models also scored well, JD Power said.

The scores come during a tumultuous time for the auto industry, with sales at their worst level in decades and taxpayers stuck funding the restructuring of GM and Chrysler Group LLC to the tune of billions of dollars.

Although the two carmakers have been pummeled by the economic crisis, many analysts have complained that a shortage of high-quality small car offerings has hobbled their performance in the down market.

GM has several new, small vehicles on the way that industry analysts say should help it better compete with established offerings from Toyota, Honda and other foreign competitors.

It plans to start building the subcompact Chevrolet Cruze next year and start selling the Spark minicar in the US in 2011 too.

The road may be tougher for Chrysler. Cars like the retro 500 made by its new owner, Italy’s Fiat Group SpA, won’t make it to the US until late next year.

The Auburn Hills, Michigan, company plans to roll out new versions of its popular Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV and Chrysler 300 large sedan by the end of next year, along with a rechargeable electric vehicle, but these plans likely have been delayed by the bankruptcy process.

JD Power’s rankings were based on questionnaires from 80 900 people who bought or leased new 2009 vehicles between February and May.

The questionnaires ask 228 questions on issues from handling, braking and engine trouble, to seat comfort and stereo systems.

The rankings are closely watched by automakers and consumers, and are frequently used in advertising.

However, some critics question whether they show any real statistical difference between automakers. Mini’s ranking, for example, equates to 1.65 problems per vehicle.

Top-performer Lexus had 84 problems per 100 vehicles, or 0.84 per vehicle. So on average, less than one problem per vehicle separates the best brand from the worst.

CLICK HERE for a list of the best performers.

story from Wheels24