Sophie Clarke wins 'Survivor'
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Sophie Clarke was declared the $1 million winner of "Survivor: South Pacific" after the U.S. reality TV show's 2-hour finale.
Clarke, 22, beat out finalists Ben "Coach" Wade and Albert Destrade for the honor.
"I had my finger on the pulse and tried to figure out people's motivations and work within the framework of the game," UsMagazine.com quoted Clarke as saying after she won the reality competition series.
Clarke told People.com Monday she already knows what she'll do with the prize money.
"I'm in medical school, so I have a lot of bills to pay. I opened up the mini-bar this morning [at my hotel] and bought a very expensive Diet Coke, so I'm well on my way to the land of extravagance," the winner of the 23rd season of "Survivor" said.
Women critics hail 'The Help,' 'Iron Lady'
NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- America's Women Film Critics Circle declared "The Help" the Best Movie About Women in 2011 and its star Viola Davis the year's Best Actress.
The 1960s-set film about a group of women who work for wealthy Mississippi families also earned the prize for Best Female Ensemble and the Josephine Baker Award, which is presented to the film that best expresses the "woman of color experience in America," the female critics' group said.
"The Iron Lady" directed by Phyllida Lloyd and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" directed by Lynne Ramsay tied for the Best Movie By a Woman honor. "The Iron Lady" screenwriter Abi Morgan was named Best Storyteller.
The Best Actor and Young Actress accolades went to George Clooney and Shailene Woodley, co-stars in "The Descendants," which also took the award for Best Male Images on film.
Glenn Close won the Courage in Acting honor for her work in "Albert Nobbs," which additionally earned the Karen Morley Award for best exemplifying "a woman's place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity."
Melissa McCarthy won the prize for Best Comedic Actress for her performance in "Bridesmaids," "Hugo" was named Best Family Film, "Puss in Boots" won the award for Best Animated Females, "The Hedgehog" was declared Best Foreign Film and "The Debt" earned the honor for Best Equality of the Sexes.
"The Whistleblower" picked up the prize for Best Female Images and the Adrienne Shelly Award, which is bestowed upon the film that "most passionately opposes violence against women."
"Melancholia" was mentioned for Worst Female Images and "The Hangover Part II" was voted as having the Worst Male Images.
"Semper Fi: Always Faithful" was declared the Best Documentary By or About Women.
Kathy Bates and Cicely Tyson share the Lifetime Achievement Award and Elizabeth Taylor was posthumously awarded the Acting and Activism honor.
Greer and Johnson get married
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Actress Judy Greer and producer Dean Johnson were married at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the weekend, People.com reported Monday.
Greer has a recurring role on TV's "Two and a Half Men." She also is a member of the award-winning film "The Descendants."
Johnson is a producer on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."
People.com said Maher, Rashida Jones, Jason Biggs, Sarah Chalke and Tyler Labine were among 200 guests at the couple's wedding Saturday.
"The couple looked amazing! The ceremony was filled with laughter amongst friends," a source told the celebrity news Web site. "Both the bride and groom seemed to have an amazing time celebrating the evening."
Syfy renews 'Paranormal Witness'
NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. cable network Syfy says it has renewed its supernatural docudrama series "Paranormal Witness" for a second season.
The announcement was made Monday by Mark Stern, the network's president of original content and co-head of original content for Universal Cable Productions.
Production on the 12-episode pickup order has begun and the series is scheduled to return in August, the network said.
"'Paranormal Witness' is an edge-of-your-seat television experience and we're thrilled that viewers made it a standout hit for us this fall," Stern said in a statement.
"We're thrilled this series is returning; we think it is unlike anything else out there. The stories are totally gripping, visually arresting and genuinely very scary. We approach these shows as individual horror movies. We love making them and we're convinced the series will continue to grow from its highly successful first season," added executive producers Dimitri Doganis and Bart Layton.
The show's first season premiered Sept. 7.
