Tag: Oscars

Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Marisa Tomei & Oprah Winfrey Presenters At 83rd Academy Awards

Past Winners and Nominees Lead List of Oscar® Presenters

Beverly Hills, CA – Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Marisa Tomei and Oprah Winfrey will present on the 83rd Academy Awards®, telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today.

In 2001 Berry won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in “Monsters Ball.” She can currently be seen in “Frankie & Alice.”

Last year, Bridges and Bullock took home the Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars® for their leading roles in “Crazy Heart” and “The Blind Side,” respectively.

Bridges is a five-time Oscar nominee, who can next be seen in “True Grit” and “Tron: Legacy,” both due out this month. Bullock will appear next in “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.”

Tomei has received three nominations and won an Oscar in 1992 for her supporting role in “My Cousin Vinny.” She is currently shooting “Ides of March” and will be seen next in “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and “Lincoln Lawyer.”

Winfrey was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in “The Color Purple.” She recently lent her voice to the character Eudora in “The Princess and the Frog” and served as executive producer of 2009 Best Picture nominee “Precious.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY:

www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

Source: AMPAS

Anne Hathaway & James Franco Will Host 83rd Academy Awards

In an attempt to improve the ratings and draw in younger viewers, AMPAS President Tom Sherak has made an interesting choice for this year’s Oscar emcees. James Franco and Anne Hathaway will serve as co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards®, Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Both have previously appeared on the show. Plus both were pretty funny when they hosted SNL on NBC. Okay, it’s like comparing apples to oranges, but at least Hathaway and Franco have helmed a live show…right?

As Steve Pond of The Wrap points out if both hosts are nominated, as it seems likely:

No Oscar nominee has served as host since screenplay nominee Paul Hogan was one of three hosts at the 59th Academy Awards. Other host/nominees include Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges in 1985, Walter Matthau in 1976, Michael Caine in 1973, David Niven in 1959 and Academy president Frank Capra, who hosted in 1939 and also won the Best Director prize. All except Capra served as co-hosts of shows that had between three and 10 hosts

More on the choice in the AMPAS press release:

“James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icons— fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27,” said Cohen and Mischer. “We are completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that.”

Franco, who currently can be seen in “127 Hours,” will be making his second appearance on an Oscar telecast. His other film credits include “Eat, Love, Pray,” “Date Night,” “Milk” and “Pineapple Express.” Franco is also known for his portrayals of Harry Osborn in the “Spider-Man” trilogy.

Hathaway will be making her fifth appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. She was recently seen in “Alice in Wonderland” and currently can be seen in “Love and Other Drugs.” Hathaway’s other film credits include “Bride Wars,” “Becoming Jane,” “The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Princess Diaries.” She was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for her lead performance in “Rachel Getting Married.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY:

www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

15 Documentary Features Advance In 2010 Oscar® Race

The Academy announced today the 15 Documentary Features eligible for an Oscar and In Contention’s Guy Lodge cleverly quips on who did and didn’t make the shortlist:

“…judging from the Twitter reaction, this year’s most-mourned snubee is the Chinese critical darling “Last Train Home.” (I’d join the pitchfork-wielders, but I haven’t had an opportunity to see the film yet.) More surprising, however, is the omission of such widely fancied contenders as “The Oath” and “A Film Unfinished” — yes, folks, hell is experiencing a cold snap and the Academy snubbed a Holocaust documentary.”

Because as we all know with AMPAS voters, Holocaust films notoriously trump all comers. Too bad Joan Rivers’ A PIECE OF WORK didn’t make the cut. It’s a fascinating look into her life.

AMPAS Press Release:

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards®. One hundred-one pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

  • “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer,” Alex Gibney, director (ES Productions LLC)
  • “Enemies of the People,” Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
  • “Exit through the Gift Shop,” Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
  • “Gasland,” Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
  • “Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould,” Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures)
  • “Inside Job,” Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
  • “The Lottery,” Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
  • “Precious Life,” Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions)
  • “Quest for Honor,” Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
  • “Restrepo,” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films)
  • “This Way of Life,” Thomas Burstyn, director (Cloud South Films)
  • “The Tillman Story,” Amir Bar-Lev, director (Passion Pictures/Axis Films)
  • “Waiting for ‘Superman’”, Davis Guggenheim, director (Electric Kinney Films)
  • “Waste Land,” Lucy Walker, director (Almega Projects)
  • “William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe,” Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler, directors (Disturbing the Universe LLC)

The Documentary Branch Screening Committee viewed all the eligible documentaries for the preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles on the shortlist.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

15 Animated Features Line Up for 2010 Oscar® Race

AMPAS announced today that fifteen features have been accepted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards. However, only 3 films will be nominated and I’m pretty sure TOY STORY 3 will take one of those slots. What do you think will be the other two? Let us know in our comments section below.

The 15 features are:

  • “Alpha and Omega”
  • “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”
  • “Despicable Me”
  • “The Dreams of Jinsha”
  • “How to Train Your Dragon”
  • “Idiots and Angels”
  • “The Illusionist”
  • “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole”
  • “Megamind”
  • “My Dog Tulip”
  • “Shrek Forever After”
  • “Summer Wars”
  • “Tangled”
  • “Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue”
  • ““Toy Story 3”

“The Dreams of Jinsha,” “The Illusionist,” “Summer Wars” and “Tangled” have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and meet the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.

Under the rules for this category, in any year in which 8 to 15 animated features are released in Los Angeles County, a maximum of 3 motion pictures may be nominated. If 16 or more animated features are submitted and accepted in the category, a maximum of 5 motion pictures may be nominated.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards “in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners“ the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY:
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

2012 Oscar Date Not Changing

From the Associated Press:

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The 2012 Oscars will not be weeks earlier than usual, as had been widely speculated — a move that would have upended Hollywood’s crowded awards season.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement late Wednesday that its Board of Governors had determined the date of the 84th Academy Awards “will not be significantly earlier than the now-traditional last Sunday in February.”

But the statement left open the possibility of an earlier Oscar date in subsequent years, saying “the Academy’s staff and Board will continue to evaluate the advantages and challenges associated with such a change.”

The exact date of the 2012 Oscar ceremony has yet to be chosen. The 83rd annual Academy Awards ceremony is set for Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

8 Documentary Short Subject Contenders For The 83rd Academy Awards®

8 Doc Shorts on Oscar’s 2010 Shortlist

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 83rd Academy Awards® has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar® nominations.

Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 30 eligible entries and submitted their ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers for tabulation.

The eight films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company.

  • “Born Sweet,” Cynthia Wade Productions
  • “Killing in the Name,” Moxie Firecracker Films
  • “Living for 32,” Cuomo Cole Productions
  • “One Thousand Pictures: RFK’s Last Journey,” Lichen Films
  • “Poster Girl,” Portrayal Films
  • “Strangers No More,” Simon & Goodman Picture Company
  • “Sun Come Up,” Sun Come Up, LLC
  • “The Warriors of Qiugang,” Thomas Lennon Films, Inc.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

For more on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, visit their Facebook page here or see their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/oscars

Foreign Language and Short Films Due October 1 for 2010 Oscars

For those entering the Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film and Foreign Language Film categories in the 83rd Academy Awards, ya better get a move on. Friday, October 1, is the deadline! Complete entries must arrive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by 5 p.m. PT that day.

In the short film categories, filmmakers must submit an entry form, one film print or copy in an approved digital format, and all other required materials by the deadline.

In the Foreign Language Film category, filmmakers must submit entry forms, one English-subtitled film print or copy in an approved digital format, and all other required materials by the deadline. Only one motion picture will be accepted from each country.

Click here for the 83rd Academy Awards rules.

Additional information may be obtained by:

  • contacting Awards Coordinator Torene Svitil via phone at (310) 247-3000, ext. 116,
  • by fax at (310) 247-2600
  • by e-mail at tsvitil@oscars.org.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

For more on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, visit their Facebook page here or see their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/oscars

Source: Oscars.org

Steve Bass Named Production Designer For 83rd Academy Awards

AMPAS has found it Production Designer for the upcoming Oscars.

Beverly Hills, CA – Steve Bass will serve as production designer for the 83rd Academy Awards presentation, Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. This will be the first time the Emmy-winning production designer has worked on the Oscar telecast.

“I have collaborated with Steve several times, and he’s the perfect person for this year’s Oscars,” said Mischer. “He’s an innovative, creative talent who I know will do justice to the tradition and glamour of the Academy Awards.”

“Don and I knew right away that Steve would be the absolute best partner to bring our vision to life in terms of the production design of the Oscar show,” said Cohen. “He is truly a master at designing for high-profile, grand-scale events.”

Bass most recently worked with Mischer on the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards. Other collaborations include “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” “Movies Rock,” on which Cohen also served as an executive producer, and the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Bass has won two Emmys, in 1997 as art director of the “Centennial Olympic Games: Opening Ceremonies” – another pairing with Mischer – and in 2005 for his production design work on The 47th Annual Grammy® Awards. He has three additional Emmy nominations for the Grammys (in 2004, 2008 and 2009); his most recent nomination was this year for his work on the 63rd Annual Tony Awards.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

For more on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, visit their Facebook page here or see their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/oscars

Source: Oscars.org

Documentary Film Entries Due September 1 for 2011 Oscars®

Beverly Hills, CA (August 26, 2010): Wednesday, September 1, is the deadline for documentary filmmakers to submit their short subject and feature documentaries to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration for the 83rd Academy Awards®.

Each completed entry form must be accompanied by supporting materials, including an English-language synopsis of the film, a list of film credits, filmographies of the director(s) (and producer(s), when applicable), 30 DVD copies of the film, and proof of seven-day qualifying exhibitions.

To be eligible in the Documentary Feature category, a film must complete a seven-day commercial run in both Los Angeles County and in the Borough of Manhattan in New York, between September 1, 2009, and August 31, 2010.

In the Documentary Short Subject category, a film must complete a seven-day commercial run in a theater in either Los Angeles County or in the Borough of Manhattan in New York, between September 1, 2009, and August 31, 2010.

An extension of the eligibility period to September 30, 2010, may be granted only if legal contracts are in place with exhibitors guaranteeing that films will complete their qualifying commercial runs before the extension deadline. In those instances, the contracts and all other required materials must still be submitted before the September 1 deadline.

At the 82nd Academy Awards this past February, MUSIC BY PRUDENCE and THE COVE won in the Documentary Short Subject and Documentary Feature categories, respectively.

Additional information about the documentary awards categories may be obtained by contacting assistant awards coordinator Michelle Ayala at (310) 247-3000, ext. 117, via e-mail at mayala@oscars.org, or by visiting http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/rule12.html.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide. For more on the Academy’s events, visit their Facebook page here or on their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/oscars

Source: Oscars.org, Photos: Courtesy of AMPAS

Oscars To Move Back To Mondays?

Ok. I may be going against the grain here, but I’m all for a retro pre-1999 Academy Awards when the show was held on Monday evenings…and every year before that. Seriously, we can do without all that coverage on E!…nonsense. Overkill! This by no means will detract from the Red Carpet or the many parties that go on during the preshow. If anything, it may even help the sagging Oscar ratings.

Besides, anyone who’s tuning in for the telecast will still watch no matter what day its on. I hope it happens…Monday! Monday!

From Variety (4am):

The NFL is such a ratings powerhouse, it could force the Oscars to say goodbye to Sundays.

The league’s players and owners are negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will add two games to the regular season — a decision that could theoretically land Hollywood’s biggest event and the Super Bowl on the same day. The move from 16 to 18 games, according to sources, is a fait accompli and will go into effect for the 2012-13 season.

If the revamped sked entails an earlier start to the season, that would require players and fans to endure soaring late-summer temperatures and also create more stadium conflicts with baseball teams. A more likely scenario is having the regular season start right after Labor Day, as it normally does, and seeing the playoffs expand deep into February.

Under such an arrangement, there’s a legitimate chance the Super Bowl — normally scheduled the first Sunday of February — could butt up against the Oscars. And the Oscars would be forced to shift.

Bruce Davis, exec director for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, is well aware of the fluid situation and is preparing for the possibility of shifting the Oscars back to a Monday, its home for decades before the Sunday shift began in 1999.

“It’s obviously something we’re keeping a close eye on,” Davis said. “Yes, it’s a concern for us.”

Davis added there have been back-channel discussions between the Acad and the NFL as the latter renegotiates its CBS deal, but he’s aware the Oscars won’t be a key concern to the NFL if the league lands on Oscar’s established turf.

“We’re always happy to talk to the sports entities, but this is a going to be a tough one,” he said. “It’s hard for them to take us into consideration.”

The Grammys, which air in February, will also have to look into the NFL’s changing schedule, but in the past, the music awards have occasionally aired on the same evening as afternoon football games.

The Academy regularly explores the idea of moving the kudocast even earlier than late February. (Earlier this year, the blogosphere declared that the show would move to late January, which Academy execs disputed.)

Davis said that if the Super Bowl plants itself in that final Sunday of February in 2013 and beyond, he’d give more consideration to moving to a Monday in February rather than a Sunday in March.

“I think our inclination would be to go earlier rather than later, but we need to see,” he said. “There’s no rule it has to be on a Sunday. … We’re looking at a lot of different options.”

The Oscars have always been flexible in scheduling. In 2004 the kudocast shifted to February from March after complaints that award season was too long and other awards shows were devaluing Oscar’s big night. Also, in two of the past six years, the Oscars have moved back a week, to avoid competing with the Winter Olympics.

The Super Bowl is always the most-viewed TV program of the year. The most recent game between Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints drew 106.5 million on CBS, making it the biggest program of all time and outdrawing the previous champ, the 1983 “MASH” finale.

While the NFL will undoubtedly add the two games, it needs to work out a financial arrangement with its players before all parties sign off on the new deal. “I really think that going to the 18-game season is critical to us getting a labor deal. There aren’t a lot of ways in this economic environment that we can generate incremental revenues, and that’s the best way,” said Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.

Fans have long been upset that they’re asked to pay full ticket prices for meaningless preseason games. While networks will earn slightly more income from having more regular season games on the sked, it won’t translate to huge financial profits because the preseason games already generate solid ratings.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell discussed the revamped sked at the league’s meetings Wednesday in Atlanta. “From our standpoint, we think we’ve moved this concept along,” he said. “There’s a tremendous amount of momentum for it.”

Source: Variety