Since his first film appearance, Sean Penn has changed Hollywood with the diversity of his characters. From a Death Row inmate to a jazz musician to a mentally disabled father

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay who achieved commercial success and critical acclaim

Australian actress Nicole Kidman is set to promote women's rights around the world in her latest role as a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Development Fund. The 38-year-old star has fulfilled the same role for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) since 1994 but wants to expand her reach and use her iconic status to empower females everywhere.

Sydney Pollack will receive the 2006 American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Board of Governors Award, which is presented annually to an individual who has made significant and enduring contributions to advancing the art of filmmaking. He will be feted during the 20th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards ceremony on February 26, 2006, at the Century Plaza Hotel.

Brokeback Mountain was voted "Best Picture of the Year" by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA). The runner up was A History of Violence. LAFCA's 31st annual achievement awards ceremony will be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Los Angeles. Other award winners are: