AMPAS Scraps Performances of Nominated Songs From 'Muppets' and 'Rio'

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) has planned to scrap the musical performances for 'Man or Muppet' and 'Real in Rio’ for the 2012 Academy Awards. 

Audiences will probably not witness "Man or Muppet" or "Real in Rio" being performed at the Oscars telecast this February 26. The music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has planned to pass over the musical performances of both Best Original Song nominees.

The decision, still, has yet to be sealed as producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer still have a work in progress. An authoritative source stated that the show is not locked yet.He also added that the decisions about this and other things continue to be evaluated by the team trying to produce the most engaging 3 hours possible.

If the decision to skip the Best Song nominees performance be signed, the audience will not witness Jason Segel having duet with Walter to sing the original soundtrack for "The Muppets" nor Sergio Mendes delivering the original song from "Rio".

"Man or Muppet" and "Real in Rio" are the lone two songs being nominated for this year's Best Original Song category at Oscars.

Academy Award Ceremony To Be Shifted Outside Hollywood

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) has been planning to shift the esteemed Oscar awards venue from Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

The annual Academy Awards Ceremony has been held at the Kodak Theatre since 2001 and the ceremony will move to a new venue outside Hollywood after 2013.

AEG,which operates the LA Live and 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre, has by now been in discussion with the AMPAS concerning the issue.

The new venue is said to offer larger facilities than in Kodak. It has additional seats, improved infrastructure, superior promotional opportunities and other facilities for parties and press.

In addition a representative stated that the Academy has not commenced venue negotiations for the Oscar telecast beyond 2013.

This year, the Oscars will be presented at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood & Highland Center on Sunday, February 26.

Irish Short Film "Pentecost" Shortlisted For Oscars

An Irish Short film titled 'Pentecost' has been shortlisted for nomination for the Academy Awards.

Pentecost, a light-hearted film written and directed by Peter McDonald is one of just ten short films from across the globe that has made the shortlist. This will be scaled down to an ultimate five for the real night of the Oscars. The makers of Pentecost will get to know if their film is among the last 5 nominations on 24 January next.A total of 107 films had been initially selected in the category.

Peter McDonald’s nominated short film 'Pentecost' was funded by the Irish Film Board and stars Andrew Bennett, Michael McElhatton and Don Wycherley. It narrates the story of a young altar boy who is compelled  to serve at an important Mass and has to make a hard choice whether conform to the status quo or serve an extended ban from his passion in life… football.

The Academy Awards will be held on 26 February next in Los Angeles.

Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams to Overlook Music for the 84th Academy Awards

The Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer and Grammy-winning hip hop artist and producer Pharrell Williams will be working on the Oscar music broadcast for the very first time.

It will be the first time that both musicians will work on the awards broadcast, which ABC will telecast on February 26.

Hans Zimmer has won the Oscar for best score in 1995 for his work on 'The Lion King'. In addition, he has received eight other nominations, most recently for 2010’s 'Inception'.

Zimmer has scored 5 films this year varying from the comedy 'The Dilemma' to the animated movies 'Rango' and 'Kung Fu Panda 2' to the sequels 'Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides' and 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadow'.

The Grammy-winning Pharrell Williams composed the score for the 2010 animated movie 'Despicable Me' and his songs have appeared in films such as 'Fast and Furious', 'The Brave One', 'Knocked Up' and 'Mean Girls'.

New Set of Writers for Oscars to Depict a Sharp Focus on Comedy

Oscar producers Brett Ratner and Don Mischer are exhibiting a strong focus on comedy for the 84th Academy Awards presentation to be held in February. The twosome have hired a group of veteran screenwriters to bring some humor to the show. The scribes boast credits for shows counting "Saturday Night Live" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and will be making an attempt to breathe new life into a program that in the last few years seemed to have fallen flat.

Many of the writers have a record of working with either Ratner or his Oscar host, Eddie Murphy, and will work chiefly with Murphy. They will put in writing bits for the actor-comedian ahead of time and will be backstage in the writers’ room the night of the event.

Ratner stated that he was new to this and that he wanted to feel comfortable, since he had to drive this whole thing. Hence he brought in guys with whom he had a personal relationship and with whom he had worked before.

The one, beyond doubt veteran Academy Awards scribe on the case is Jon Macks, who besides writing for the last 14 Oscar shows has also penned bits for the Emmys and the Country Music Awards.